Chapter 07 - Engage

Eric was already suited up and mounting the Yatogami, getting ready for the incoming threat. As he was settling in and doing a quick movement test, Iris and Alice ran into the room. They stopped in their tracks, this being the first time seeing the new machine in all its glory.

“Whoa, I expected it to be cool, but this is something else.” Iris shouted out. “Also, less of a mech and more of a giant exoskeleton, honestly.”

“It is pretty amazing, but didn’t we have something to say, Iris?” Alice whispered.

Iris nodded and did an exaggeratedly deep bow. “Eric Valtor, sir! We apologize for our indiscretion earlier! We did not take into account what you were thinking or experiencing, Sir!”

“That’s a little too much, but yes, we are sorry for how we acted.” Alice said in a calm tone, but her face dropped into concern. “Please, be careful.”

“You guys have no reason to apologize. And yea, I’ll be fine. You guys be safe, too.” Eric said, giving them a thumbs up, which also made the Yatogami stick it’s thumb up too.

Breaking the tender moment, another alarm blared, more panicked and louder than the initial one. The same communication display from the test run popped up in front of Eric. This time, instead of indicating voice comms, it had bolded red numbers counting down from 30.

“ETA of impact is 30 seconds! It is believed to be followed by an unknown number of combatants. Everyone, battle stations and get ready!” Halford shouted over communications.

“Impact?”

*Boom!*

Before Eric or the others could question him, a loud booming crash echoed and shook the hangar. The ground quaked and a few of the trainees lost their footing, falling to the ground. Sirens roared again, this time with a voice repeating ‘Intruder on Grounds.’

“Was that a missile of some kind?” A trainee stumbling on the ground shouted out.

“It couldn’t be, our defenses would have stopped it!” Another shouted.

Arguments and worry slowly grew across the trainees creating a loud commotion and wide panic. Explosions echoed from outside that rattled the hangar more. In an instant, trainees that were training for war and conflict became scared civilians, unable to maintain their composure at the first sign of danger. Halford stepped forward and opened his mouth to shout out and give commands, but was interrupted before he could.

“Listen up! Don’t focus on the how, know the what! And the ‘What’ is enemies at our doorstep! If you turn tail now and lose all composure, then how will you be able to defend our country once we’re out on our own with real soldiers?!” Eric shouted, his voice echoing out of the Yatogami. “Use your training and make Halford proud. Defend this academy and defend this country!”

Eric’s speech left a silence across the hangar. Wide eyed trainees stared at him, unable to move or respond. Just when Eric thought his words fell onto deaf ears, Iris and Alice shouted out in agreement, holding their weapons in the air. Halford let out a small chuckle and gave his acknowledgment.

“You heard him, get on your feet and move out if you have the will to fight. If not, get to shelter and be ready to pack your bags to leave once this is all cleared! Alice, you’re squad lead, Iris you’re second in command. Jack, take a team and lead evac for any non-combatants on base. Move out, I’ll be on comms the whole time.”

Majority of the trainees stood with renewed ambition and determination. A select few ran off into the elevator that Eric and the others came out of. Alice, Iris and five other trainees ran out the hangar following Halford’s command. Alice stopped at the exit, turning back to look at Eric. To her surprise, he was watching them leave, giving a salute. The Yatogami’s arm was also giving a salute which caused Alice to chuckle before running out.

“Alright, Laura, you ready to back me up?” Eric said, speaking to Laura through voice comms.

“Of course. All systems are green and your vitals are nominal. Ready to launch.” Laura responded, monotone.

The large bay doors of the hangar slid open and Eric charged out, the mech shaking the ground as it stomped. Entering into the open, Eric finally saw the enemy; there were three large machines that looked like old-world Soviet tanks mounted onto bipedal legs. The tank gun barrel was wide and rectangular and the body of the tank part was angular and sharp. The metal was black with yellow lines leading to the barrel. The legs were thick and obtuse, clearly not refined, as if they were developed in a short amount of time.

“What in the world are those things?” Eric said immediately upon seeing them.

Before he could try to even guess, the three machines turned their barrels toward him and instantly opened fire, launching out golden yellow orbs toward him. Eric’s eyes shot open and his instincts took over. He moved swiftly and way too elegantly for a machine the size of the Yatogami, dodging each of the shots while advancing toward the enemy. He sprinted toward the tanks, his movements getting faster and faster, dodging the onslaught of oncoming energy shells. Each stride moving faster and cleaner than the last, Eric was astonished to feel the rubble under his feet, the wind brushing past his body, and the heat of the weapons being fired at him.

I can feel it all. He thought to himself. It’s not just a machine; it’s like it’s part of me. I’m feeling what it feels.

As he picked up speed running down the destroyed runway, the ports on the back of the Yatogami’s legs lit up, a neon blue flame expelling out of them. The machine lifted slightly off the ground and Eric charged forward, gliding through the air toward the hostiles. Again and again he easily dodged the gunfire, this time using the air to pirouette and evade thanks to the thrusters on the mechs legs. He eventually closed the gap, pirouetting again, unsheathing the sword from the right arm, and slashing at all three of the tanks. The blade easily sliced through each of the machine’s legs, cutting them off and causing the bodies to crash into the ground. In another swift and quick movement, he sliced through each of the barrels, rendering them useless. Sheathing the sword back into the arm, Eric wasted no time and grabbed the top of one tank and ripped it off, hoping to take a prisoner to interrogate. However, inside the main chassis of the tanks was nothing but wiring, metal and a core housing what Eric could only assume was Elysian energy. The difference being instead of the usual blue it was a shimmering yellow.

“Unmanned? So these are drones. And what the hell is this thing, why is it yellow?” Eric said to himself.

“Bipedal drone tanks. We had some intel on these, but believed they were too far from completion to be used within the year. The design of the legs indicate development was expedited for this mission.” Laura explained over the communicator. “Your vitals are escalating into abnormal levels. Recommend that you return to the hangar and end this excursion.”

“What, already? But what about the others?”

“Return and disembark. You can help on foot.”

“Ugh. Fine. I don’t want to faint again.” Eric reluctantly agreed, turning to head back.

At just that moment, another siren blared out, the same one as before indicating that there were incoming hostiles. Eric let out a shocked yell and looked into the sky. He saw a trail of smoke and a capsule-like object heading toward his location. He started to run to avoid impact, watching the object following his path.

“Is it locked onto me?!” Eric shouted.

He quickened his pace, sprinting faster and faster, aiming to get off the runway and away from all the hangars. Running along the runway, he was eyeing the end of it, where he knew it dropped off onto a lower cliff.

“Impact ETA 10 seconds. Better move it.” Laura updated him.

“Thanks for the suggestion!” Eric retorted.

Eric made a gamble and leapt a large distance from the end of the runway, believing the Yatogami would have enough strength to launch him past it. As he hit the apex of his leap, he prepared for gravity to pull him down over the edge. But that sensation never came. Instead of falling, He felt light and felt as if he was being carried. The thrusters on his legs activated and a port on the back of the machine was also expelling out blue fire.

“Whoa, this thing can fly?! That’s insane!” Eric exclaimed.

“It can’t fly. Only hover. It will hold your apex height of any leaps or stop you from crash landing if falling.”

“Less fun, but still amazing.”

Eric looked up and saw the capsule object fly in front of him, impacting the ground just before the cliff edge, creating a large crater. He watched from the air as steam leaked from the capsule and metallic whirring echoed from inside it. He kept his gaze on it, watching as it opened up like a blooming flower. Eric’s eyes widened as he saw the machine resting inside of it. Similar to the bipedal tanks, this machine had two unrefined legs, but instead of a tank-like body, it had a humanoid torso and two equally unrefined arms. Instead of hands, it had two open ports not unlike the tank gun barrels on the other machines.

“It looks like the Yatogami... Is it another unmanned drone?” Eric said, talking to himself.

“Your vitals are hitting their thresholds. You need to disembark. Do not engage.” Laura said, her monotone voice having the tiniest fraction of emotion to it.

Eric hovered above the enemy mech, staring at it, feeling the strain of the Yatogami start to affect him as it became harder to focus. The machine below him aimed its weapons at him, the yellow hue building up in the barrels.

“Vitals are critical, Eric, get out of there!” Laura shouted.

Eric’s eyes fogged over as he stopped hovering and fell toward the cliff.