08-14-2012, 02:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-11-2013, 12:51 PM by gomezcreative01.)
Armored Core: Silent Calamity by Javier Gomez
Quick note and Warning!!!!:
I'm very exited to share my writing with more Armored Core enthusiasts. My story does take some liberties with the world history according to the video games. It is set in a world after the re-surfacing events. The story is above else consistent with itself, so if ever you get lost trying to place events within the context of Armored Core then just focus on events and history given in the story itself.
Finally, my warnings: 1) My story does include a couple of curse words but isn't heavy on them. I don't mean to offend anyone, really. 2) There is one sexual scene in the story (so far). Again, it is a brief scene and not explicit at all. 3) Finally, my story is still a work in progress. I've completed up until chapter 9 until now, but have been hard at work on it. I do plan on finishing it, but it will be a long work so be prepared to wait for further installments.
One final note,
My story was originally written for my family and friends (non-Armored core fans) so my story stands mostly on its own and describes the AC's only superficially. If you really are interested, however, I can give all the specs and assembly lists for the AC's featured in the story. Any additional information about the story or its progress, comments, or constructive criticism is encouraged. Thanks.
Please enjoy Armored Core: Silent Calamity (Not to be confused with Silent Line Armored Core :p)
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Prologue
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To Angel
The universe slips into entropy: a randomness and slow decay of any semblance of order. At the end of the grand time line, the universe will decay into a single homogenous substance equilibrated only by randomness, with the inability to produce any order. This is the foundation of the universe; it stands as a simple and irrevocable truth that governs us all. More than just an impending doom above our heads, this natural inclination is undeniable in every aspect of the world…
The year is 20XX and the world has suffered what might have been the apocalypse at the hands of war hungry governments and greedy corporations. During the third world conflict in which governments pushed the war machine into overdrive, certain weapon and robotic research and development corporations began to grow stronger with the higher demand from the war effort. It was during this thirty year war that simple factory and manufacturing robots began to be fitted with weapons to aid the war effort. These robots, Muscle Tracers, or MT’s, then began to become standardized as military weapons, and soon they stopped being modified factory robots and began to become mass produced as solely war machines, with no other function but destruction.
One day the deafening roar and noise associated with the thirty year war came to a chilling halt. This day was the first of a new world, a world born from what became known as the Great Destruction. The world had succeeded in destroying itself. Governments fell to ruins while corporations grew into powerful giants. It is important to note that while governments and nations had been felled by a terrible calamity, it was a golden age for technology. The lunatic dream of war mongers had bared fruits, and the dark science of destruction had taken great leaps forward.
One such technological advance was the evolution of MT technology into the Armored Core (AC). The Armored Core had allowed for a base part which could be fitted with humanoid metallic limbs and mounted with a vast array of weapons. This freedom allowed pilots to customize metallic titans, standing ten meters tall, and catered to different battle styles. This flexibility to the old war game had allowed for a new threat, for although one can argue that no two AC’s (like humans) are alike, one attribute can be seen in all of them- the power to level entire armies. These metallic war gods ruled battle and became the deciding factors in combat.
This new age had not only brought the advent of new war machines, but also bred a new kind of man. With governments crumbled, and greedy corporations eager to take its place the fighting had not ceased, and a new war was waged: a silent campaign waged by big corporations to eliminate the competition for dominance. Big corporations with enough money could hire loyal armies, but never AC’s. The new breed of humans was composed of those that piloted Armored Cores. With the power to level entire armies, the only fear these men harbored was for others of their own kind. With the strongest war strength the world had ever seen, but insufficient resources, these men naturally became mercenaries that never remained loyal to a single corporation or effort. This opened the opportunity for an intermediary to negotiate between these pilots and those seeking their services. This intermediary is Global Cortex, and they like the AC pilots remain neutral, but offer a wide array of services to the AC pilots, such as AC storage, maintenance and modification. The fickle, untrustworthy, and free will of the pilots earned them the name Ravens, for there is a saying “Raise a raven and it will peck out your eyes”. Global Cortex became their nest.
Appropriately enough, the Armored Core was developed around the time of the Great Destruction. One cannot be sure whether this development came prior to the Great Destruction or right after. The somber and chilly silence that overcame the world, I’ve only heard one thing like it: the loud and silent ringing of my ears- the calm after an AC battle…
-Victor Valentino
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 1
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Tears and Dreams
Like a mad dog the young hoodlum wore an expression of aggression that only a life of hardships could carve on a man’s countenance. His eyes were wide and bulging, dilated from the white smoky rage and desperation that led him to deal the blow. His teeth clenched and bared, nostrils flared and sucking air franticly. Blood streaked down from his forehead down to right below his left ear. The kid was on his back, with a bloody rock clutched in his right hand, and his other hand up defensively as if shielding from an invisible attacker. Lying across the youth’s lower body is an unconscious man that might well be twice his size. The man’s head bled into what quickly was becoming a puddle of blood. This filthy, wild and unfortunate soul in torn and ragged clothing is one of many in this harsh era, the era that began at the end of the Great Destruction. The bleak and dreadful slum he sat in was, however, a sad affirmation that the destruction was far from over.
Reason began to slip through the white hazy rage that currently blinded the kid. The easy part was incapacitating (and possible killing) a man twice his size, the youth reflected. He was newly aware that people were watching him, and if he handled this new development wrong, he could possibly lose his life, and even his crew’s life. His crew had accepted him when the rest of the world had forsaken him. They followed him and it was his duty to protect them, they expected it. His only brother was among those faces that composed his crew. Finally, he thought of the AC legs, he had risked too much to lose what he was entitled to.
The young man removed the motionless body from on top of him and slowly got up as he dropped his tainted weapon. He focused on recovering his distorted face to its original form before he raised his head to display it. A group of strangers stood in front of him. They all looked as dangerous and filthy as his crew, which stood behind him. Each side composed of roughly seven or eight individuals. Slowly he looked across the group facing him and eventually made eye contact with their gang’s leader. He was an older man, possibly of twenty-eight or twenty-nine. Undoubtedly he was a man of experience and, to the young man’s relief, a man of reason. He knew he had a chance.
The kid no longer a wild animal displayed the attributes that had landed him at the top of his gang. Incredible composure and intelligence shined in his dark eyes. He was a young man of roughly twenty-one years, dark short messy hair, and dark tan complexion. He displayed a strong confidence, a confidence he might have denied having but was plainly visible and acquired from years of carrying the burden of commanding those below him. He cleared his throat, loosened and swallowed the phlegm and saliva that his confrontation had produced. He looked in the eyes of his counterpart, the leader of the other gang, and spoke with presence without losing his composure or the calm flow of his voice.
“The trade is not off, and we did not come to fight. We are paying you more than triple their value. The more time we waste, the less time you have to steal the credits from this,” as he said this cold wave traveled down his spine and clenched his stomach in a painful hold. In all the commotion he had forgotten about the Personal Credit Device (PCD). He realized he was not holding it anymore. Fear began to shake his foundation and although not visible to everybody else, he felt his knees tremble and lose strength. He was aware that that device was the only thing that could possibly secure his crew’s wellness. Suddenly, he felt cold plastic against his left hand. The reassuring lifeless feel of the plastic let him know immediately that he was safe. He turned to see who handed him the device. A handsome young man was there. The family resemblance is undeniable, even if it is obvious that the second young man took on some of the more attractive qualities of the family. The reliable younger brother had retrieved the device the moment the man, which now lay motionless in a pool of his own blood, punched his older brother to the ground. That lovely angel of God had just saved the lives of all of them. The older brother composed his voice and resumed-
“The man that owns this will realize that it is missing soon and will close the feed to it. The only reason we can’t hold on to this ourselves is because we lack your connections. We have what you want and you what we want…”
“I apologize for Frank, he is a hot-headed idiot and he put us all in danger,” the man interrupted “we won’t miss him. Everything will go as planned. The transport vehicle is ready,” he motioned a truck forward, “It’s yours.”
The young man and his crew moved as group cautiously toward the truck. The younger brother and two other crew members went around the back and opened the hatch on the truck. He smiled a beautiful wide smile and signaled with thumbs up that the goods were in place. He closed it and returned to the larger group, which then proceeded to board the large vehicle. The older brother was the last to get in and took the driver seat. He then motioned the leader of the other gang forward and dropped the Personal Credit Device in his hand.
“I got what I came for,” the young man told the gang leader, “But just as important as that, we hope we have not severed our ties with you.”
“You’re an intelligent man and a man of valuable skills. You handled yourself well in a rough situation. Anyone of us would have done what you did in your place. Our gangs are ok. We’ll contact you again.” The young man smiled and with that set off onto the road.
“We did it Victor! We are so close now.” The younger brother happily turned towards Victor. His face quickly changed as he examined his brother’s stony face, ”Victor, you did what you had to do…”
“Did I kill him, Angel?” Victor interrupted with a somber low voice. He turned to his brother after the silence that followed. Angel nodded affirmatively. Victor felt his eyes begin to ache from holding back his own tears, and turned back to the road.
“Victor, I’m sorry. But you heard what he said, they won’t miss him…”
Victor stomped on the brakes and the vehicle screeched to a halt. He turned to Angel and slapped him. His slick black hair was rearranged from the impact and a burning red blemish ruined the young man’s otherwise flawless beauty. Angel’s eyes looked down immediately in shame, and he laid his hand on his cheek to soothe the pain.
“A man is nothing without the people that love him! That man’s existence is testament enough that he had ties to this world, and that he affected others. He had friends and a family; if not friends, HE HAD A FAMILY! Everyone is born to one, everyone!” in his passionate inertia he forgot to hold back his tears and a few poured out. Realizing this, he cleaned them on his dirty sleeve. Everyone in the vehicle was now looking at him with an undivided attention. This man was their leader, and the passionate and stern sermon he had just spewed had obviously touched them. They all quickly remembered why they all put their trust in that man.
“I’m sorry,” Angel apologized, “I should have said that you had no choice. If he would’ve taken the PCD from you we could’ve all died in a bloody retaliation at worst and at best we simply could’ve lost all of the respect from the other gangs. Victor, he could have killed you then and there! You had no choice. We could’ve lost all that we have worked so hard for. We stole the PCD from a dangerous AC pilot, a raven!” Victor started the truck again and began driving.
“I had many choices, but I chose one. The best one I could. Angel, don’t forget that. We always have choices. No choices are reserved for those without imagination and for those with closed opportunities. You know more about that than any of us, we are only here because of your brilliant dream. After years of life in the slums, stealing and fighting to survive, it was your crazy idea to build an AC from battle remains that gave us hope that our poverty can be escaped,” Victor laughed, “ Angel, no one has ever been that crazy. AC scraps are best just sold for credits, and even that is only for those adventurous enough to risk their lives retrieving the giant metal remains from a battle field.”
Laughter broke out among all the others in the truck. They had taken that as a compliment of their intrepid spirit. With a hardy laughter Victor put his right arm around his beloved brother and hugged him tight. Angel looked up finally and flashed a happy smile. The two brother’s tears were still flowing.
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 2
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The Factory
The transport vehicle arrived to the old factory, or home rather. The factory was dilapidated and cold from the exterior. The great gate at the entrance of the building was opened and the vehicle drove right in. Once parked inside, the home aspect of the old place began to really shine. There four young children, no older than 11, ran in a circle chasing one another laughing and yelling blissfully. They were dirty, smudges on their cheeks, and their hair was messy and uncombed. They were lovely. Two young adolescent girls around the age of Victor and Angel watched the carefree play of the children. An older woman of about twenty-eight or so walked out of one of the many doorways in the building when the sound of the vehicle’s engine stopped. They all looked to the vehicle as it parked.
They all rushed to greet the party. The band stepped out of the vehicle to answer their worry. The older woman noticed the cut and blood over Victor’s left eye and hurried forward to get a closer glance at him. She was brunette with hair that was relatively short for a woman, but feminine nonetheless. She was of fair skin, and was slightly shorter than most of the men that stepped out of the vehicle. Although quite stunningly beautiful, her beauty was dulled by a lifetime of hardship and worry. Victor saw her light brown eyes glance him up and down quickly as if sizing him up. She suddenly rushed him and shoved him out of the way.
“Move you jackass!” She barked as she made her way past him. Her demeanor changed when inspecting every one else. She gently inspected the party, quickly and methodically, “Everyone is here, right? Everybody is okay? John, Jimmy, Clay, Angel, Brian, Jeremy, Antwon?”
“We’re all okay, Chris.” Angel laughed “Victor pulled through for us, like he always does.” Christine turned to him angrily. Everybody from the party felt their stomachs tense up.
“I cannot possibly expect only one of you to get hurt. Slum gangs are dangerous. While you idiots were out we had to sit here and stew in our worry over you guys. Who will provide for these children if you guys get hurt or worse? That jackass was supposed to keep you safe. You weren’t to fight anyone! What is that bruise? Huh? All it takes is one small mishap for things to get out of hand! That can’t happen! I need to know it won’t happen aga-”
“Negotiations broke down for a second, but we pulled through. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, doll.” Victor approached her and buried her head in the nook between his head and shoulder. “They will only get hurt over my dead body, you know that.” He kissed her neck.
“That is less comforting than you think. You leave and deal with that human filth and I have to stay and worry about everyone. I hate you.” She began to sob lightly.
“I love you. Soon I’ll give you and everyone else a comfortable life. Your happiness,” he now looked at the faces of all the smiling children and smiled back, “is worth it all and more. She looked up with tears in her eyes and kissed him in the lips.
“I’m sorry I overreacted. I missed you, and I’m glad you’re back.” She smiled smugly now that her worry was laid to rest, “Did you bring us a souvenir?”
The entire party smiled at the question. The kids jumped excitedly and tugged at Victor’s shirt. They jumped and asked things like ‘Did you?; ‘How big is it?’; and ‘Can we see it?’
“Of course you can!” Victor smiled at Chris, kissed her on the forehead, and let go of her to pick up young Tommy and Ashley under his armpits. The other two young children, Sergio and Sarah, jumped on his back. Victor felt that maybe that was too much weight for his scrawny body, but the children’s giggles cheered him on to carry them to the back of the truck. Chris and the two younger girls, Sarai and Renee, followed. Chris hit the hatch button and opened the transport. Dormant in the back of the truck laid what could easily be 3 tons of metal. A pair of scuffed metallic legs with square protective plates and large bolts lay with their toes point directly up. The children laughed and they all jumped off of Victor to get into the back of the vehicle to investigate the strange sight. This had been the first time Victor had seen it with his own eyes too, and as he stared into the sole of the lifeless feet he felt his heart jump with excitement, the excitement at being near the end of what had been a long and hard journey. Soon the AC would be complete.
“Uuh! Guys, be careful with it. Remember we need it.” Victor became alarmed at the children’s playful exploring and jumping on top the AC legs. Chris laughed and put her arms around the worried Victor’s neck. He smiled at the comfort of her embrace. “We’ll unload it later guys, go eat and take a load off.” Victor coyly ordered feeling the need to spend some time alone with his girl. Chris snickered into his ear.
“You guys have been gone a week, why don’t you let the rest of the men do that? We’ve been boxed up in here up until now.” A gruff and familiar voice came from behind both Victor and Chris. Victor laughed, “You heard the man; you’re free. Get outta here. I want you guys in the conference room early tomorrow morning.” With this everyone left and Victor turned to greet his friend Sajon. Sajon was a little older than Victor, but not nearly a year older. He was his best friend, and he trusted no one more to guide the security at the home base while he was away. Sajon was taller and more muscular than Victor. He had short blonde hair, with bright blue eyes and a short stubby blonde beard.
“Still a little scrapper, aren’t you Victor?” Sajon looked pointedly at Victor’s bruised and cut eyebrow. Victor felt Chris’ disapproving frown, as she still hung on to his neck.
“Well, you know the trade, it never goes as smooth as one hopes.” Victor tightened his arm around Chris’ waist to comfort her.
“So I guess it’s almost time then,” Sajon turned his eyes to the AC legs. The children were still playing and jumping on them like fleas on a dog, “all we need is the core. Unfortunately, that will be the hardest part to acquire. The AC power supply and pilot are located there so naturally it is what ravens aim at in battles. It is unusual for Ravens to aim at the peripheries of an AC, that is why we’ve been able to rescue arms, a laser blade, a rifle, the rockets, a head and now these legs.” As Sajon listed the parts he counted them off with his fingers.
“We’ll get it,” Victor said assuredly. Chris becoming quickly bored with the talk began seductively kissing Victor’s neck, “aaah, we’ll have this conversation later, man. I’m actually reeeeally hungry.” Victor began walking away slowly towards his bedroom.
“That idiot,” Sajon smiled and shook his head. He then ordered,” Hey, you mooks! Bring the lift, we got our shipment. And you! Little mooks,” he turned to the children “move it, we gotta work.” The kids sighed disappointed and got off the truck obediently. Sarah was the last out and as she got off she stuck her tongue out at Sajon. Sajon laughed.
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 3
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The Shooting Star
“What happened?” Chris inquired as she ran her soft hands across Victor’s bruise. Both lay bare on their bed embraced comfortably. Victor turned away from her slowly and lost his smile.
“I flashed the PCD too soon and a man from their gang attacked me thinking he could steal it. I defended myself with a rock that lay near, but,” he frowned “I-I killed him, Chris.” His face contorted. Chris looked at him lovingly, with an empathetic frown.
“I’m sure you had to. Then what happened?” She asked slowly and carefully with a fear of what might come next.
“Nothing, I did what you would’ve wanted me to. I composed myself and reasoned with the leader. The leader was reasonable and was as surprised of the attack as we were. He pardoned us and that was that. I understand I had to do it, and what my reasons were, but I still wish it never happened. But, in a strange way I’m grateful that it still hurts, you know. I mean- wouldn’t it be worse that I felt nothing of robbing a man of his life? I’m afraid of what this life is doing to me, all this death surrounding me, soon I might even become accustomed to it, I’ll become an empty apathetic monster that-“
“You can never become that,” Chris put her hand over her lover’s mouth to silence his uneasy ranting, “I promise you. From where I stand, all I see is a scared angel of mercy. Your goal is to ease the pain of those you love. You hate to see pain. My goodness, do you remember the first time I met you?” Chris stared at his now watery eyes. “I was about twenty, and I happened to cross a sniveling pair of kids standing over a dead rat trying to piece together what might have happened to the poor animal. You were probably like fourteen and Angel twelve or thirteen. You were trying to concoct a philosophy about the nature of the world, and Angel held on to every one of your words.” She laughed, “But anyhow, your innocence moved me. I took you and Angel back to the shelter and slowly we assumed the positions we are in now. After the shelter got leveled we continued caring for all the others as the elders had done for us. You grew in my eyes and in those of all the others. You quickly took the role of leader when you realized that they needed you. I see how much it hurts you to see anything happen to them. You feel the weight of your duty, and that has made you bloom into the best patriarch this family could ask for: the man I love, the man we all love. They follow you because they trust your guidance and trust that you lead to ensure their safety and happiness. You’ve taught us your love for life, even in these miserable times. And yet, no one will match your very own love for life. Rest assured, my Victor, that this well of love,” she placed her hand over his heart, “will not go dry. I will personally see to it.” She began to kiss and caress him lovingly.
They were startled later that night by a loud whirring sound followed by a heavy explosion outside the factory. As if by reflex Victor got up and quickly clothed. Then he ran out of his room where he was met by others including Angel and Sajon.
“You two,” he pointed at Jimmy and Brian, “go to the back door and secure it. It doesn’t sound like an attack on us but be prepared for the worst.”
The rest of the men ran toward the main door of the factory and after peeking slowly through the door to make sure it was safe, ran outside to witness a huge chunk of metal about two miles away in the eastern sky flaring across the heavens and finally crashing loudly into the ruins of an ancient business district.
“Victor, Oh my god, did you see that? That heap of metal is it! I saw a cannon sprouting from it! It’s an Armored core. I’m sure of it!” Angel exclaimed shocked. “This is our lucky break! It looks like it’s in pretty bad shape, but it might be salvageable.”
“Sajon, whose territory is that?” Victor asked promptly.
“Nobodies. It’s neutral, but there are two other gangs that control the areas around it. They are probably about the same distance if not closer to it than us.”
“Shit.” Victor began calculating. “Okay, Angel, Antwan, you two are with me. Get packed,” the two ran inside and picked up a crowbar and a couple of lead pipes, “Sajon go get a party of five ready and fall behind us, we’ll scout ahead, follow us on the transport vehicle in 30 minutes. Make sure to load the lift, we are going to salvage that core. Be prepared on the walkie talkie, we might ask for back up. Lady luck has smiled upon us; we will not take it for granted. You ready?” Victor turned his gaze to Angel and Antwan as they returned. They nodded. “The rest hold down the fort while we’re gone.” The party broke and everybody did as they were told. The scouting party ran ahead.
“Now remember, avoid confrontation. We really want this, but unless we can get the upper hand do not confront. We can always try to break a deal with another gang for the core.” Victor warned. After running for about thirty minutes, they arrived at the crash site. “Stay low.”
The party witnessed the wreckage from about fifteen meters. The core, lay on its side and stood over three meters high and wide. It had only its right arm attached to it, and that was being crushed under the core. At what would be the bottom end of the core there was only twisted and charred black metal and sparking live wires to mark the spot where legs once were attached. Likewise the left arm and head only showed remains of their former structure. Unexpected chatter echoed through the hollow buildings and became increasingly louder. The party quickly took cover behind an old rusted car.
“I think we can find a buyer for it, right?” A large man walked into the party’s view. He was surrounded by nine other individuals, all fully armed with cheap slum weapons.
“Okay. Angel you take the three on the left, Antwan you the three on the right, and I’ll take three in the middle. Then whoever finishes first takes a crack at the big one.” Victor calmly whispered the order. He slowly turned smiling around to see the shocked and confused faces of his comrades. He laughed, “ Oookay, but we’re going to miss one hell of a party.” With no laugh other than his own, they continued their watch.
“How the hell do you open this thing?” The large man asked. He began walking around the sparking core until he found a hatch near what would be the top of the core. “There’s no handle or keypad, or keyhole. Nothing!”
“Knock on it, maybe the pilot is alive. He can open it.” A second man commented.
The large man banged hard against the door using a hand wrapped in heavy chains. Prompted by a loud alarming siren the man stopped his banging and stepped back. Smoke and fire began to break out in small bursts around the core. The hatch opened mysteriously and slowly. Nothing could be seen past the dark doorway that had opened. Then-
“HELP! The generator is leaking! The core is going to explode! I’m stuck; my buckle release is not working!” A frightened cry echoed from the inside. The smoke grew thicker and the flames burst into higher towers, while the terrible siren continued its monotonous shrill cry. Everybody’s heart skipped a beat. The man’s band quickly began to run back for cover. The large man, too, turned tail and ran. Angel turned to Victor frightened.
“Move out, Now! Run and take cover behind that building. And stay low!” Victor pointed and ordered with a tone of finality. Before Angel could spit out his question, it was answered. Victor burst into a fast sprint toward the core and quickly made his way into its depth. Angel frightened hesitated, but putting his trust in his brother’s orders he pulled Antwan forcibly toward the building Victor pointed out.
The inside of the core was uncomfortably small and cramped. Once inside Victor saw a man suspended in the air strapped to a seat on the wall horizontally. He was wearing a helmet with a visor and a full body uniform. Victor produced a small switchblade from within his rags and wrestled with the buckle straps. The siren’s monotone began to mutate and gargle, and suddenly it became ominously silenced. Only angry eruptions from the outside could be heard while belligerent sparks exploded periodically out of the cracked screens that decorated the inside of the core. It was only through the fragile and periodic blank flashing of these screens and sparks that Victor was able to see anything at all inside the core.
The last strap Victor wrestled finally gave a comforting and blunt snap, and it was quickly followed by the impact of the pilot on the floor of the core. Victor got ready to bolt but before he could he looked down at the man on the floor. He did not get up. The man desperately looked up and stretched his arm to Victor.
“My legs,” as soon as Victor heard this he turned to them. He saw the blood pouring onto the screens on the floor. Victor shuddered and hesitated for a second, but he quickly got a grip of his nerves. He picked the man up and flung him over his shoulder. He took a hold of the man’s bloody legs and the man moaned in pain. Victor hurried out of the core and broke into a run as soon as he was lit by the pale glow of the moon. His small body began to wobble, he could not keep up that speed, nonetheless he kept moving as fast as his legs would allow.
Finally, there it was. When he reached about six meters of distance from the core a terrible groan began to reverberate across the core behind them, it was like the sound of a floor exceeding its weight capacity. Without more warning the core exploded and spit fire every which way and shot metallic debris everywhere. The blast could be heard for miles.
The explosion angrily pushed Victor and the pilot meters forward like rag dolls. And they both hit the floor hard. Victor’s ears rang, his vision faded in and out of a pale haze. He felt dizzy and nauseated. He was lying on his stomach with his head off to the side. He couldn’t move, and could see no trace of the pilot. He began to vomit blood.
Over the ringing of his ears he was able to make out a voice. Angel ran towards his brother yelling at the top of his lungs. Angel found Victor. He began sobbing as he examined the bloody mess. Victor’s back was bloody and his clothes were almost completely shredded. The pieces that weren’t were collecting heavy pools of blood. His flesh was split in a multitude of areas across his back, and the pink and white layer of muscle lay exposed in many areas. These spots cried tears of blood that could be seen as little red streams across stripped pink hills of muscle. Angel turned begrudgingly to the second body on the floor; the pilot was banged up and only slightly bloodied. Angel deduced that the full body uniform he wore was protective gear.
Sajon and the transport vehicle arrived. He had witnessed and heard the catastrophe and only assumed the worst. When he got to the site his suspicions were confirmed. Angel rubbed his eyes hard to clean the tears from them. As he stared at the slow shallow breaths of his older brother he shook all doubt and fear and became fully determined.
“Antwan carry the pilot, take him to the back of the vehicle. You and you!,” he turned and pointed at Jeremy and John inside the vehicle, “Open the hatch, and help Antwan keep an eye on the pilot. He could be dangerous, pat him down and check for weapons of any kind but don’t hurt him, Victor wouldn’t have it. Clay and Bill, you guys run home and tell them what happened. Be careful.” Angel’s short pointed commands were reminiscent of those of his brother, and everybody did as they were told without a second word. Angel bend over, picked up his brother and carried him in his arms to the back of the truck while issuing his final orders, “Sajon, take us to Dr. Garcia’s place.” Halfway towards the back of the vehicle Victor recognized his brother’s face.
“I lost him-” Victor whispered weakly to Angel, as he struggled to get a grip of what was happening around him.
Victor’s words melted Angel’s hardened resolution to hold his tears back. He walked faster and cried into Victor’s dazed face.
“You idiot. Be quiet. I need you to strong. We need you,” Angel boarded the back and John shut the hatch, Sajon heard his cue and sped off toward the hospital, “I need you to focus on staying awake, ok?” Angel tried to apply everything he knew about caring for an injured person. “Look at me, Victor. Do you remember when we first met Antwan?” Angel pointed at a sobbing Antwan, but unfortunately the gesture was lost to Victor.
“Yeah…Antwan…” Victor began softly.
“Let me tell it,” Angel sobbed, “I have a better memory…” and so Angel worked hard to keep his possibly concussed and dying brother awake by retelling the stories of their past adventures.
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 4
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The Value of Life
Hospitals in this era were not funded by the government, but they were absolutely on demand given the hard times. In the slums they were small privately owned clinics that mostly ran on public donations. They remained local sanctuaries free of violence; there was an unspoken agreement among even the scum of the slums to leave hospitals out of territory struggles. One such hospital was Dr. Garcia’s clinic, and luckily for the party, it also doubled as the doctor’s home.
The vehicle arrived, and they all quickly carried the two wounded men toward the door. Sajon knocked frantically at the door. It was quickly opened.
“Come right in.” The doctor wasted no time at the sight of Victor.
“The man can wait, Victor is critical doc!” Angel’s tears had dried up, but his desperation was still high.
“The explosion woke me, and I felt in my gut that I’d be working tonight. I guess I don’t need to ask where you boys were.” The doctor spoke as he directed Angel, carrying Victor, to a steel table in the back of his house. Angel lay Victor face down and the doctor cut through what remained of Victor’s shirt with scissors. “Boys go clean your hands over there; I’m going to need your help.” The doctor knew the Valentino brothers, and their gang. At the age of fifty-one, this old man remembered all his patients, and knew the Valentino brothers personally, as he had treated them since they had a blood family.
“Someone hand me lots of towels from that cupboard, and you bring me three bottles labeled ‘sodium chloride’ from that shelf.” Everybody followed his directions. The doctor cleaned up Victors back with the towels and the solution in the bottles. As he did this he caught a glance of Angel’s tortured face. “Angel, listen to me,” he said without removing his eyes from Victor, “There is no way a boy this soft on the inside could have survived this long in this wasteland if he was just as soft on the outside.” Angel let out a hoarse laugh choked in renewed tears. Truly his brother was the toughest man he knew. If anybody could pull through, it was –
“Damn it all, he’s got a punctured lung,” the doctor announced as he saw bubbles form through a wound on Victor’s back, “Bring me that respirator, and keep the mask on him. He’s going to need immediate surgery. You there! Bring me one of those bundled packs. Quickly!”
An hour later Chris opened the door to the doctor’s home unannounced and startled everyone. They were still in surgery. Chris instinctively went over to the sink and cleaned her hands. She had unfortunately been there before.
“What can I do?” Chris asked impatiently.
“Help your friend clean up the other man. Keep pressure on the major wounds. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done here.” Chris was disappointed that she wasn’t going to help Victor, but she obliged. There was also a mixed guilty feeling of relief that she felt when she realized that she wouldn’t be seeing Victor. She wasn’t sure she could handle looking at him in that state. She wasn’t able to keep herself from checking in on the surgery however, and each time she did she would only catch a glimpse of a severely burned victim. She would have to look away and tell herself that it was because they were still in surgery struggling that Victor could still be saved. The rest of the night was spent working on stabilizing Victor and the other man.
Late the next morning, Victor woke to a sharp pain. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe and lay on a white bed that was slightly tarnished by small droplets of blood. There was a catheter in his right arm that was connected to a crystal container hanging from a rack at his side, inside the container was blood. He saw bodies laying around his bed, they belonged to his friends whom were fast asleep. He groaned weakly. There was still a low timbre in his ears.
“Ya ain’t going nowhere for a while. Don’t even try.” A blonde stranger in a wheel chair addressed him in a strange jovial accent. He had a cast on his left arm and leg. His right leg was heavily bandaged, “They took out a wholatta metal outta ya.” He pointed at a small tray, with sharp blood tarnished objects. “Ya got some friends. They stayed up all night helping patch us up. And you, ya got some balls on ya, kid. Hate ta say it, but I owe yeh meh life.”
“You’re the pi-“As Victor forced the weak words out he felt a sharp pain in his chest that caused him to cough.
“Yeh, that’s me. Don’t blow ya stitches now. I was awake through it all. I heard yer friends say ya got yer lung stitched up. I’m the raven ya rescued. Name’s Albert, buh that stays between us. Call me Sinister, it’s mah raven name; I pilot the Villain,” He said this proudly hoping to incite awe and excitement in Victor, but was disappointed in realizing his words had no impact, “I’m ranked 12 in the Arena,” he tried to explain his stature, but Victor only nodded politely not knowing what the man was speaking about.
Although Victor didn’t remember at the time, he had heard about this raven arena before. It was rumored around the slums that ravens did battle with one another for prizes and recognition. These events were very exclusive, and mostly those seeking to contract ravens and other fat cats were allowed to witness the spectacles. On a similar note, Victor knew about the cash prizes because half a week ago he began staking out a man rumored to be a raven. Word had it that that raven had come across an obscene amount of money from an arena match. It was further rumored that he was in the slums visiting a woman and Victor agreed to steal the man’s personal credit device in exchange for some salvaged AC legs.
“I was saved bah a bumkin’,” Sinister sighed, “Well, I’m greyful. Don’t leh the name fool ya, it’s mostly ta intimidate my opponents,” he laughed, “In gratitude for saving mah life I’ll grant ya something. Kid, what is it ya wish?”
Victor wheezed trying to get a word in but quickly recoiled from the pain. Sinister laughed.
“Oh, right. Guess this a moh-nologue. Ya know, yer friends despise me. They blame me for what happened to yeh, it’s very clear in them eyes. But they also only helped me cuz of what ya did. Ya command alotta respect ‘round these parts, I reckon.” Victor smiled at the compliment.
“We were there to steal your core, Albert.” Angel interrupted as he lifted his body from the floor, he had listened to the entire conversation. He got up, and sat on an open space on his brother’s bed looking at Victor with intense relief, he then petted his head lovingly. Victor was able to notice Angel’s puffy swollen face; Angel had cried through the night. He also noticed that Angel’s arm had a small tape, explaining the origin of Victor’s blood donation.
“That so,” Sinister said non-chalantly, “Villain’s head was blowed up, so I couldn’t see just in what shape I escaped. Reckon it couldn’t ah been purty though. Who the devil’d be interested in that scrapa-“
“We are.” Angel exchanged an inquisitive look with Victor as if asking for approval. Victor nodded, knowing exactly where Angel was steering the conversation. Angel turned back to Sinister defiantly. “We are building an Armored Core of our own, we want to become ravens.”
Sinister changed his impish and friendly expression and examined Angel’s face thoroughly as if expecting the kid to flinch.
“What do you know about piloting an Armored Core?” he sneered.
“Not a damn thing.”
“Don’t kid yourself, kid. An AC battlefield is the closest thing to hell you’ll ever experience. Ya saw what happened, just a scrap of an armored core almost stole yer friend from ya. Ther’ death machines. Death is what they deal and death is all they hope to reap. That is all.”
“I’m your raven” a soft raspy voice interrupted. Sinister turned to Victor. He met Victor’s fixed resolute stare, and reflecting on the kid’s actions the night before Sinister gave in respectfully and sighed with a smile. He knew the kid would have no problem jumping into the hell Sinister was all too familiar with.
“I’m a raven, ah measure life’n money,” Sinister shrugged “mah life alone ain’t ‘nough ta buy ya an AC.”
“You don’t have to. We have been collecting parts for years. All we need is a core.” Angel mediated.
Sinister grinned, he couldn’t believe the nerve of the two young men. “What ya’ll got?” Angel listed the parts, crudely in Sinister’s opinion. “So ya do,” Sinister said condescendingly, “Ya also need an FCS, a radiator, and a generatah, not ta mention cores are hella ‘xpensive-” And as if struck by a thought, Sinister began mumbling to himself and counting odd figures in his fingers. He added and subtracted multiple times to himself. The Valentino brothers couldn’t make sense of the man’s rambling. Finally, as if he was done calculating, he looked at the brothers and gave his final decision.
“One life falls somewhat short ah buying ya the rest of the parts,” Victor and Angel were disappointed to hear this, “but, I’ll do it.” This confused the brothers. Sinister explained, “‘Pear-rantly there’s a contract on mah head, so it’s not a bad idea ta keepa debt in mah favor an’ make an ally. I can take ya ta Global Cortex. I’ll show ya the ropes and ya can take the ‘nitiation test.” Victor and Angel exchanged a joyous look. “Now, I’m spending big money on ya, so don’t ya dare fail and die.”
“Die?”
Quick note and Warning!!!!:
I'm very exited to share my writing with more Armored Core enthusiasts. My story does take some liberties with the world history according to the video games. It is set in a world after the re-surfacing events. The story is above else consistent with itself, so if ever you get lost trying to place events within the context of Armored Core then just focus on events and history given in the story itself.
Finally, my warnings: 1) My story does include a couple of curse words but isn't heavy on them. I don't mean to offend anyone, really. 2) There is one sexual scene in the story (so far). Again, it is a brief scene and not explicit at all. 3) Finally, my story is still a work in progress. I've completed up until chapter 9 until now, but have been hard at work on it. I do plan on finishing it, but it will be a long work so be prepared to wait for further installments.
One final note,
My story was originally written for my family and friends (non-Armored core fans) so my story stands mostly on its own and describes the AC's only superficially. If you really are interested, however, I can give all the specs and assembly lists for the AC's featured in the story. Any additional information about the story or its progress, comments, or constructive criticism is encouraged. Thanks.
Please enjoy Armored Core: Silent Calamity (Not to be confused with Silent Line Armored Core :p)
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Prologue
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To Angel
The universe slips into entropy: a randomness and slow decay of any semblance of order. At the end of the grand time line, the universe will decay into a single homogenous substance equilibrated only by randomness, with the inability to produce any order. This is the foundation of the universe; it stands as a simple and irrevocable truth that governs us all. More than just an impending doom above our heads, this natural inclination is undeniable in every aspect of the world…
The year is 20XX and the world has suffered what might have been the apocalypse at the hands of war hungry governments and greedy corporations. During the third world conflict in which governments pushed the war machine into overdrive, certain weapon and robotic research and development corporations began to grow stronger with the higher demand from the war effort. It was during this thirty year war that simple factory and manufacturing robots began to be fitted with weapons to aid the war effort. These robots, Muscle Tracers, or MT’s, then began to become standardized as military weapons, and soon they stopped being modified factory robots and began to become mass produced as solely war machines, with no other function but destruction.
One day the deafening roar and noise associated with the thirty year war came to a chilling halt. This day was the first of a new world, a world born from what became known as the Great Destruction. The world had succeeded in destroying itself. Governments fell to ruins while corporations grew into powerful giants. It is important to note that while governments and nations had been felled by a terrible calamity, it was a golden age for technology. The lunatic dream of war mongers had bared fruits, and the dark science of destruction had taken great leaps forward.
One such technological advance was the evolution of MT technology into the Armored Core (AC). The Armored Core had allowed for a base part which could be fitted with humanoid metallic limbs and mounted with a vast array of weapons. This freedom allowed pilots to customize metallic titans, standing ten meters tall, and catered to different battle styles. This flexibility to the old war game had allowed for a new threat, for although one can argue that no two AC’s (like humans) are alike, one attribute can be seen in all of them- the power to level entire armies. These metallic war gods ruled battle and became the deciding factors in combat.
This new age had not only brought the advent of new war machines, but also bred a new kind of man. With governments crumbled, and greedy corporations eager to take its place the fighting had not ceased, and a new war was waged: a silent campaign waged by big corporations to eliminate the competition for dominance. Big corporations with enough money could hire loyal armies, but never AC’s. The new breed of humans was composed of those that piloted Armored Cores. With the power to level entire armies, the only fear these men harbored was for others of their own kind. With the strongest war strength the world had ever seen, but insufficient resources, these men naturally became mercenaries that never remained loyal to a single corporation or effort. This opened the opportunity for an intermediary to negotiate between these pilots and those seeking their services. This intermediary is Global Cortex, and they like the AC pilots remain neutral, but offer a wide array of services to the AC pilots, such as AC storage, maintenance and modification. The fickle, untrustworthy, and free will of the pilots earned them the name Ravens, for there is a saying “Raise a raven and it will peck out your eyes”. Global Cortex became their nest.
Appropriately enough, the Armored Core was developed around the time of the Great Destruction. One cannot be sure whether this development came prior to the Great Destruction or right after. The somber and chilly silence that overcame the world, I’ve only heard one thing like it: the loud and silent ringing of my ears- the calm after an AC battle…
-Victor Valentino
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 1
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Tears and Dreams
Like a mad dog the young hoodlum wore an expression of aggression that only a life of hardships could carve on a man’s countenance. His eyes were wide and bulging, dilated from the white smoky rage and desperation that led him to deal the blow. His teeth clenched and bared, nostrils flared and sucking air franticly. Blood streaked down from his forehead down to right below his left ear. The kid was on his back, with a bloody rock clutched in his right hand, and his other hand up defensively as if shielding from an invisible attacker. Lying across the youth’s lower body is an unconscious man that might well be twice his size. The man’s head bled into what quickly was becoming a puddle of blood. This filthy, wild and unfortunate soul in torn and ragged clothing is one of many in this harsh era, the era that began at the end of the Great Destruction. The bleak and dreadful slum he sat in was, however, a sad affirmation that the destruction was far from over.
Reason began to slip through the white hazy rage that currently blinded the kid. The easy part was incapacitating (and possible killing) a man twice his size, the youth reflected. He was newly aware that people were watching him, and if he handled this new development wrong, he could possibly lose his life, and even his crew’s life. His crew had accepted him when the rest of the world had forsaken him. They followed him and it was his duty to protect them, they expected it. His only brother was among those faces that composed his crew. Finally, he thought of the AC legs, he had risked too much to lose what he was entitled to.
The young man removed the motionless body from on top of him and slowly got up as he dropped his tainted weapon. He focused on recovering his distorted face to its original form before he raised his head to display it. A group of strangers stood in front of him. They all looked as dangerous and filthy as his crew, which stood behind him. Each side composed of roughly seven or eight individuals. Slowly he looked across the group facing him and eventually made eye contact with their gang’s leader. He was an older man, possibly of twenty-eight or twenty-nine. Undoubtedly he was a man of experience and, to the young man’s relief, a man of reason. He knew he had a chance.
The kid no longer a wild animal displayed the attributes that had landed him at the top of his gang. Incredible composure and intelligence shined in his dark eyes. He was a young man of roughly twenty-one years, dark short messy hair, and dark tan complexion. He displayed a strong confidence, a confidence he might have denied having but was plainly visible and acquired from years of carrying the burden of commanding those below him. He cleared his throat, loosened and swallowed the phlegm and saliva that his confrontation had produced. He looked in the eyes of his counterpart, the leader of the other gang, and spoke with presence without losing his composure or the calm flow of his voice.
“The trade is not off, and we did not come to fight. We are paying you more than triple their value. The more time we waste, the less time you have to steal the credits from this,” as he said this cold wave traveled down his spine and clenched his stomach in a painful hold. In all the commotion he had forgotten about the Personal Credit Device (PCD). He realized he was not holding it anymore. Fear began to shake his foundation and although not visible to everybody else, he felt his knees tremble and lose strength. He was aware that that device was the only thing that could possibly secure his crew’s wellness. Suddenly, he felt cold plastic against his left hand. The reassuring lifeless feel of the plastic let him know immediately that he was safe. He turned to see who handed him the device. A handsome young man was there. The family resemblance is undeniable, even if it is obvious that the second young man took on some of the more attractive qualities of the family. The reliable younger brother had retrieved the device the moment the man, which now lay motionless in a pool of his own blood, punched his older brother to the ground. That lovely angel of God had just saved the lives of all of them. The older brother composed his voice and resumed-
“The man that owns this will realize that it is missing soon and will close the feed to it. The only reason we can’t hold on to this ourselves is because we lack your connections. We have what you want and you what we want…”
“I apologize for Frank, he is a hot-headed idiot and he put us all in danger,” the man interrupted “we won’t miss him. Everything will go as planned. The transport vehicle is ready,” he motioned a truck forward, “It’s yours.”
The young man and his crew moved as group cautiously toward the truck. The younger brother and two other crew members went around the back and opened the hatch on the truck. He smiled a beautiful wide smile and signaled with thumbs up that the goods were in place. He closed it and returned to the larger group, which then proceeded to board the large vehicle. The older brother was the last to get in and took the driver seat. He then motioned the leader of the other gang forward and dropped the Personal Credit Device in his hand.
“I got what I came for,” the young man told the gang leader, “But just as important as that, we hope we have not severed our ties with you.”
“You’re an intelligent man and a man of valuable skills. You handled yourself well in a rough situation. Anyone of us would have done what you did in your place. Our gangs are ok. We’ll contact you again.” The young man smiled and with that set off onto the road.
“We did it Victor! We are so close now.” The younger brother happily turned towards Victor. His face quickly changed as he examined his brother’s stony face, ”Victor, you did what you had to do…”
“Did I kill him, Angel?” Victor interrupted with a somber low voice. He turned to his brother after the silence that followed. Angel nodded affirmatively. Victor felt his eyes begin to ache from holding back his own tears, and turned back to the road.
“Victor, I’m sorry. But you heard what he said, they won’t miss him…”
Victor stomped on the brakes and the vehicle screeched to a halt. He turned to Angel and slapped him. His slick black hair was rearranged from the impact and a burning red blemish ruined the young man’s otherwise flawless beauty. Angel’s eyes looked down immediately in shame, and he laid his hand on his cheek to soothe the pain.
“A man is nothing without the people that love him! That man’s existence is testament enough that he had ties to this world, and that he affected others. He had friends and a family; if not friends, HE HAD A FAMILY! Everyone is born to one, everyone!” in his passionate inertia he forgot to hold back his tears and a few poured out. Realizing this, he cleaned them on his dirty sleeve. Everyone in the vehicle was now looking at him with an undivided attention. This man was their leader, and the passionate and stern sermon he had just spewed had obviously touched them. They all quickly remembered why they all put their trust in that man.
“I’m sorry,” Angel apologized, “I should have said that you had no choice. If he would’ve taken the PCD from you we could’ve all died in a bloody retaliation at worst and at best we simply could’ve lost all of the respect from the other gangs. Victor, he could have killed you then and there! You had no choice. We could’ve lost all that we have worked so hard for. We stole the PCD from a dangerous AC pilot, a raven!” Victor started the truck again and began driving.
“I had many choices, but I chose one. The best one I could. Angel, don’t forget that. We always have choices. No choices are reserved for those without imagination and for those with closed opportunities. You know more about that than any of us, we are only here because of your brilliant dream. After years of life in the slums, stealing and fighting to survive, it was your crazy idea to build an AC from battle remains that gave us hope that our poverty can be escaped,” Victor laughed, “ Angel, no one has ever been that crazy. AC scraps are best just sold for credits, and even that is only for those adventurous enough to risk their lives retrieving the giant metal remains from a battle field.”
Laughter broke out among all the others in the truck. They had taken that as a compliment of their intrepid spirit. With a hardy laughter Victor put his right arm around his beloved brother and hugged him tight. Angel looked up finally and flashed a happy smile. The two brother’s tears were still flowing.
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 2
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The Factory
The transport vehicle arrived to the old factory, or home rather. The factory was dilapidated and cold from the exterior. The great gate at the entrance of the building was opened and the vehicle drove right in. Once parked inside, the home aspect of the old place began to really shine. There four young children, no older than 11, ran in a circle chasing one another laughing and yelling blissfully. They were dirty, smudges on their cheeks, and their hair was messy and uncombed. They were lovely. Two young adolescent girls around the age of Victor and Angel watched the carefree play of the children. An older woman of about twenty-eight or so walked out of one of the many doorways in the building when the sound of the vehicle’s engine stopped. They all looked to the vehicle as it parked.
They all rushed to greet the party. The band stepped out of the vehicle to answer their worry. The older woman noticed the cut and blood over Victor’s left eye and hurried forward to get a closer glance at him. She was brunette with hair that was relatively short for a woman, but feminine nonetheless. She was of fair skin, and was slightly shorter than most of the men that stepped out of the vehicle. Although quite stunningly beautiful, her beauty was dulled by a lifetime of hardship and worry. Victor saw her light brown eyes glance him up and down quickly as if sizing him up. She suddenly rushed him and shoved him out of the way.
“Move you jackass!” She barked as she made her way past him. Her demeanor changed when inspecting every one else. She gently inspected the party, quickly and methodically, “Everyone is here, right? Everybody is okay? John, Jimmy, Clay, Angel, Brian, Jeremy, Antwon?”
“We’re all okay, Chris.” Angel laughed “Victor pulled through for us, like he always does.” Christine turned to him angrily. Everybody from the party felt their stomachs tense up.
“I cannot possibly expect only one of you to get hurt. Slum gangs are dangerous. While you idiots were out we had to sit here and stew in our worry over you guys. Who will provide for these children if you guys get hurt or worse? That jackass was supposed to keep you safe. You weren’t to fight anyone! What is that bruise? Huh? All it takes is one small mishap for things to get out of hand! That can’t happen! I need to know it won’t happen aga-”
“Negotiations broke down for a second, but we pulled through. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, doll.” Victor approached her and buried her head in the nook between his head and shoulder. “They will only get hurt over my dead body, you know that.” He kissed her neck.
“That is less comforting than you think. You leave and deal with that human filth and I have to stay and worry about everyone. I hate you.” She began to sob lightly.
“I love you. Soon I’ll give you and everyone else a comfortable life. Your happiness,” he now looked at the faces of all the smiling children and smiled back, “is worth it all and more. She looked up with tears in her eyes and kissed him in the lips.
“I’m sorry I overreacted. I missed you, and I’m glad you’re back.” She smiled smugly now that her worry was laid to rest, “Did you bring us a souvenir?”
The entire party smiled at the question. The kids jumped excitedly and tugged at Victor’s shirt. They jumped and asked things like ‘Did you?; ‘How big is it?’; and ‘Can we see it?’
“Of course you can!” Victor smiled at Chris, kissed her on the forehead, and let go of her to pick up young Tommy and Ashley under his armpits. The other two young children, Sergio and Sarah, jumped on his back. Victor felt that maybe that was too much weight for his scrawny body, but the children’s giggles cheered him on to carry them to the back of the truck. Chris and the two younger girls, Sarai and Renee, followed. Chris hit the hatch button and opened the transport. Dormant in the back of the truck laid what could easily be 3 tons of metal. A pair of scuffed metallic legs with square protective plates and large bolts lay with their toes point directly up. The children laughed and they all jumped off of Victor to get into the back of the vehicle to investigate the strange sight. This had been the first time Victor had seen it with his own eyes too, and as he stared into the sole of the lifeless feet he felt his heart jump with excitement, the excitement at being near the end of what had been a long and hard journey. Soon the AC would be complete.
“Uuh! Guys, be careful with it. Remember we need it.” Victor became alarmed at the children’s playful exploring and jumping on top the AC legs. Chris laughed and put her arms around the worried Victor’s neck. He smiled at the comfort of her embrace. “We’ll unload it later guys, go eat and take a load off.” Victor coyly ordered feeling the need to spend some time alone with his girl. Chris snickered into his ear.
“You guys have been gone a week, why don’t you let the rest of the men do that? We’ve been boxed up in here up until now.” A gruff and familiar voice came from behind both Victor and Chris. Victor laughed, “You heard the man; you’re free. Get outta here. I want you guys in the conference room early tomorrow morning.” With this everyone left and Victor turned to greet his friend Sajon. Sajon was a little older than Victor, but not nearly a year older. He was his best friend, and he trusted no one more to guide the security at the home base while he was away. Sajon was taller and more muscular than Victor. He had short blonde hair, with bright blue eyes and a short stubby blonde beard.
“Still a little scrapper, aren’t you Victor?” Sajon looked pointedly at Victor’s bruised and cut eyebrow. Victor felt Chris’ disapproving frown, as she still hung on to his neck.
“Well, you know the trade, it never goes as smooth as one hopes.” Victor tightened his arm around Chris’ waist to comfort her.
“So I guess it’s almost time then,” Sajon turned his eyes to the AC legs. The children were still playing and jumping on them like fleas on a dog, “all we need is the core. Unfortunately, that will be the hardest part to acquire. The AC power supply and pilot are located there so naturally it is what ravens aim at in battles. It is unusual for Ravens to aim at the peripheries of an AC, that is why we’ve been able to rescue arms, a laser blade, a rifle, the rockets, a head and now these legs.” As Sajon listed the parts he counted them off with his fingers.
“We’ll get it,” Victor said assuredly. Chris becoming quickly bored with the talk began seductively kissing Victor’s neck, “aaah, we’ll have this conversation later, man. I’m actually reeeeally hungry.” Victor began walking away slowly towards his bedroom.
“That idiot,” Sajon smiled and shook his head. He then ordered,” Hey, you mooks! Bring the lift, we got our shipment. And you! Little mooks,” he turned to the children “move it, we gotta work.” The kids sighed disappointed and got off the truck obediently. Sarah was the last out and as she got off she stuck her tongue out at Sajon. Sajon laughed.
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Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 3
___________
The Shooting Star
“What happened?” Chris inquired as she ran her soft hands across Victor’s bruise. Both lay bare on their bed embraced comfortably. Victor turned away from her slowly and lost his smile.
“I flashed the PCD too soon and a man from their gang attacked me thinking he could steal it. I defended myself with a rock that lay near, but,” he frowned “I-I killed him, Chris.” His face contorted. Chris looked at him lovingly, with an empathetic frown.
“I’m sure you had to. Then what happened?” She asked slowly and carefully with a fear of what might come next.
“Nothing, I did what you would’ve wanted me to. I composed myself and reasoned with the leader. The leader was reasonable and was as surprised of the attack as we were. He pardoned us and that was that. I understand I had to do it, and what my reasons were, but I still wish it never happened. But, in a strange way I’m grateful that it still hurts, you know. I mean- wouldn’t it be worse that I felt nothing of robbing a man of his life? I’m afraid of what this life is doing to me, all this death surrounding me, soon I might even become accustomed to it, I’ll become an empty apathetic monster that-“
“You can never become that,” Chris put her hand over her lover’s mouth to silence his uneasy ranting, “I promise you. From where I stand, all I see is a scared angel of mercy. Your goal is to ease the pain of those you love. You hate to see pain. My goodness, do you remember the first time I met you?” Chris stared at his now watery eyes. “I was about twenty, and I happened to cross a sniveling pair of kids standing over a dead rat trying to piece together what might have happened to the poor animal. You were probably like fourteen and Angel twelve or thirteen. You were trying to concoct a philosophy about the nature of the world, and Angel held on to every one of your words.” She laughed, “But anyhow, your innocence moved me. I took you and Angel back to the shelter and slowly we assumed the positions we are in now. After the shelter got leveled we continued caring for all the others as the elders had done for us. You grew in my eyes and in those of all the others. You quickly took the role of leader when you realized that they needed you. I see how much it hurts you to see anything happen to them. You feel the weight of your duty, and that has made you bloom into the best patriarch this family could ask for: the man I love, the man we all love. They follow you because they trust your guidance and trust that you lead to ensure their safety and happiness. You’ve taught us your love for life, even in these miserable times. And yet, no one will match your very own love for life. Rest assured, my Victor, that this well of love,” she placed her hand over his heart, “will not go dry. I will personally see to it.” She began to kiss and caress him lovingly.
They were startled later that night by a loud whirring sound followed by a heavy explosion outside the factory. As if by reflex Victor got up and quickly clothed. Then he ran out of his room where he was met by others including Angel and Sajon.
“You two,” he pointed at Jimmy and Brian, “go to the back door and secure it. It doesn’t sound like an attack on us but be prepared for the worst.”
The rest of the men ran toward the main door of the factory and after peeking slowly through the door to make sure it was safe, ran outside to witness a huge chunk of metal about two miles away in the eastern sky flaring across the heavens and finally crashing loudly into the ruins of an ancient business district.
“Victor, Oh my god, did you see that? That heap of metal is it! I saw a cannon sprouting from it! It’s an Armored core. I’m sure of it!” Angel exclaimed shocked. “This is our lucky break! It looks like it’s in pretty bad shape, but it might be salvageable.”
“Sajon, whose territory is that?” Victor asked promptly.
“Nobodies. It’s neutral, but there are two other gangs that control the areas around it. They are probably about the same distance if not closer to it than us.”
“Shit.” Victor began calculating. “Okay, Angel, Antwan, you two are with me. Get packed,” the two ran inside and picked up a crowbar and a couple of lead pipes, “Sajon go get a party of five ready and fall behind us, we’ll scout ahead, follow us on the transport vehicle in 30 minutes. Make sure to load the lift, we are going to salvage that core. Be prepared on the walkie talkie, we might ask for back up. Lady luck has smiled upon us; we will not take it for granted. You ready?” Victor turned his gaze to Angel and Antwan as they returned. They nodded. “The rest hold down the fort while we’re gone.” The party broke and everybody did as they were told. The scouting party ran ahead.
“Now remember, avoid confrontation. We really want this, but unless we can get the upper hand do not confront. We can always try to break a deal with another gang for the core.” Victor warned. After running for about thirty minutes, they arrived at the crash site. “Stay low.”
The party witnessed the wreckage from about fifteen meters. The core, lay on its side and stood over three meters high and wide. It had only its right arm attached to it, and that was being crushed under the core. At what would be the bottom end of the core there was only twisted and charred black metal and sparking live wires to mark the spot where legs once were attached. Likewise the left arm and head only showed remains of their former structure. Unexpected chatter echoed through the hollow buildings and became increasingly louder. The party quickly took cover behind an old rusted car.
“I think we can find a buyer for it, right?” A large man walked into the party’s view. He was surrounded by nine other individuals, all fully armed with cheap slum weapons.
“Okay. Angel you take the three on the left, Antwan you the three on the right, and I’ll take three in the middle. Then whoever finishes first takes a crack at the big one.” Victor calmly whispered the order. He slowly turned smiling around to see the shocked and confused faces of his comrades. He laughed, “ Oookay, but we’re going to miss one hell of a party.” With no laugh other than his own, they continued their watch.
“How the hell do you open this thing?” The large man asked. He began walking around the sparking core until he found a hatch near what would be the top of the core. “There’s no handle or keypad, or keyhole. Nothing!”
“Knock on it, maybe the pilot is alive. He can open it.” A second man commented.
The large man banged hard against the door using a hand wrapped in heavy chains. Prompted by a loud alarming siren the man stopped his banging and stepped back. Smoke and fire began to break out in small bursts around the core. The hatch opened mysteriously and slowly. Nothing could be seen past the dark doorway that had opened. Then-
“HELP! The generator is leaking! The core is going to explode! I’m stuck; my buckle release is not working!” A frightened cry echoed from the inside. The smoke grew thicker and the flames burst into higher towers, while the terrible siren continued its monotonous shrill cry. Everybody’s heart skipped a beat. The man’s band quickly began to run back for cover. The large man, too, turned tail and ran. Angel turned to Victor frightened.
“Move out, Now! Run and take cover behind that building. And stay low!” Victor pointed and ordered with a tone of finality. Before Angel could spit out his question, it was answered. Victor burst into a fast sprint toward the core and quickly made his way into its depth. Angel frightened hesitated, but putting his trust in his brother’s orders he pulled Antwan forcibly toward the building Victor pointed out.
The inside of the core was uncomfortably small and cramped. Once inside Victor saw a man suspended in the air strapped to a seat on the wall horizontally. He was wearing a helmet with a visor and a full body uniform. Victor produced a small switchblade from within his rags and wrestled with the buckle straps. The siren’s monotone began to mutate and gargle, and suddenly it became ominously silenced. Only angry eruptions from the outside could be heard while belligerent sparks exploded periodically out of the cracked screens that decorated the inside of the core. It was only through the fragile and periodic blank flashing of these screens and sparks that Victor was able to see anything at all inside the core.
The last strap Victor wrestled finally gave a comforting and blunt snap, and it was quickly followed by the impact of the pilot on the floor of the core. Victor got ready to bolt but before he could he looked down at the man on the floor. He did not get up. The man desperately looked up and stretched his arm to Victor.
“My legs,” as soon as Victor heard this he turned to them. He saw the blood pouring onto the screens on the floor. Victor shuddered and hesitated for a second, but he quickly got a grip of his nerves. He picked the man up and flung him over his shoulder. He took a hold of the man’s bloody legs and the man moaned in pain. Victor hurried out of the core and broke into a run as soon as he was lit by the pale glow of the moon. His small body began to wobble, he could not keep up that speed, nonetheless he kept moving as fast as his legs would allow.
Finally, there it was. When he reached about six meters of distance from the core a terrible groan began to reverberate across the core behind them, it was like the sound of a floor exceeding its weight capacity. Without more warning the core exploded and spit fire every which way and shot metallic debris everywhere. The blast could be heard for miles.
The explosion angrily pushed Victor and the pilot meters forward like rag dolls. And they both hit the floor hard. Victor’s ears rang, his vision faded in and out of a pale haze. He felt dizzy and nauseated. He was lying on his stomach with his head off to the side. He couldn’t move, and could see no trace of the pilot. He began to vomit blood.
Over the ringing of his ears he was able to make out a voice. Angel ran towards his brother yelling at the top of his lungs. Angel found Victor. He began sobbing as he examined the bloody mess. Victor’s back was bloody and his clothes were almost completely shredded. The pieces that weren’t were collecting heavy pools of blood. His flesh was split in a multitude of areas across his back, and the pink and white layer of muscle lay exposed in many areas. These spots cried tears of blood that could be seen as little red streams across stripped pink hills of muscle. Angel turned begrudgingly to the second body on the floor; the pilot was banged up and only slightly bloodied. Angel deduced that the full body uniform he wore was protective gear.
Sajon and the transport vehicle arrived. He had witnessed and heard the catastrophe and only assumed the worst. When he got to the site his suspicions were confirmed. Angel rubbed his eyes hard to clean the tears from them. As he stared at the slow shallow breaths of his older brother he shook all doubt and fear and became fully determined.
“Antwan carry the pilot, take him to the back of the vehicle. You and you!,” he turned and pointed at Jeremy and John inside the vehicle, “Open the hatch, and help Antwan keep an eye on the pilot. He could be dangerous, pat him down and check for weapons of any kind but don’t hurt him, Victor wouldn’t have it. Clay and Bill, you guys run home and tell them what happened. Be careful.” Angel’s short pointed commands were reminiscent of those of his brother, and everybody did as they were told without a second word. Angel bend over, picked up his brother and carried him in his arms to the back of the truck while issuing his final orders, “Sajon, take us to Dr. Garcia’s place.” Halfway towards the back of the vehicle Victor recognized his brother’s face.
“I lost him-” Victor whispered weakly to Angel, as he struggled to get a grip of what was happening around him.
Victor’s words melted Angel’s hardened resolution to hold his tears back. He walked faster and cried into Victor’s dazed face.
“You idiot. Be quiet. I need you to strong. We need you,” Angel boarded the back and John shut the hatch, Sajon heard his cue and sped off toward the hospital, “I need you to focus on staying awake, ok?” Angel tried to apply everything he knew about caring for an injured person. “Look at me, Victor. Do you remember when we first met Antwan?” Angel pointed at a sobbing Antwan, but unfortunately the gesture was lost to Victor.
“Yeah…Antwan…” Victor began softly.
“Let me tell it,” Angel sobbed, “I have a better memory…” and so Angel worked hard to keep his possibly concussed and dying brother awake by retelling the stories of their past adventures.
_____________________________________________________
Armored Core: Silent Calamity
Chapter 4
___________
The Value of Life
Hospitals in this era were not funded by the government, but they were absolutely on demand given the hard times. In the slums they were small privately owned clinics that mostly ran on public donations. They remained local sanctuaries free of violence; there was an unspoken agreement among even the scum of the slums to leave hospitals out of territory struggles. One such hospital was Dr. Garcia’s clinic, and luckily for the party, it also doubled as the doctor’s home.
The vehicle arrived, and they all quickly carried the two wounded men toward the door. Sajon knocked frantically at the door. It was quickly opened.
“Come right in.” The doctor wasted no time at the sight of Victor.
“The man can wait, Victor is critical doc!” Angel’s tears had dried up, but his desperation was still high.
“The explosion woke me, and I felt in my gut that I’d be working tonight. I guess I don’t need to ask where you boys were.” The doctor spoke as he directed Angel, carrying Victor, to a steel table in the back of his house. Angel lay Victor face down and the doctor cut through what remained of Victor’s shirt with scissors. “Boys go clean your hands over there; I’m going to need your help.” The doctor knew the Valentino brothers, and their gang. At the age of fifty-one, this old man remembered all his patients, and knew the Valentino brothers personally, as he had treated them since they had a blood family.
“Someone hand me lots of towels from that cupboard, and you bring me three bottles labeled ‘sodium chloride’ from that shelf.” Everybody followed his directions. The doctor cleaned up Victors back with the towels and the solution in the bottles. As he did this he caught a glance of Angel’s tortured face. “Angel, listen to me,” he said without removing his eyes from Victor, “There is no way a boy this soft on the inside could have survived this long in this wasteland if he was just as soft on the outside.” Angel let out a hoarse laugh choked in renewed tears. Truly his brother was the toughest man he knew. If anybody could pull through, it was –
“Damn it all, he’s got a punctured lung,” the doctor announced as he saw bubbles form through a wound on Victor’s back, “Bring me that respirator, and keep the mask on him. He’s going to need immediate surgery. You there! Bring me one of those bundled packs. Quickly!”
An hour later Chris opened the door to the doctor’s home unannounced and startled everyone. They were still in surgery. Chris instinctively went over to the sink and cleaned her hands. She had unfortunately been there before.
“What can I do?” Chris asked impatiently.
“Help your friend clean up the other man. Keep pressure on the major wounds. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done here.” Chris was disappointed that she wasn’t going to help Victor, but she obliged. There was also a mixed guilty feeling of relief that she felt when she realized that she wouldn’t be seeing Victor. She wasn’t sure she could handle looking at him in that state. She wasn’t able to keep herself from checking in on the surgery however, and each time she did she would only catch a glimpse of a severely burned victim. She would have to look away and tell herself that it was because they were still in surgery struggling that Victor could still be saved. The rest of the night was spent working on stabilizing Victor and the other man.
Late the next morning, Victor woke to a sharp pain. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe and lay on a white bed that was slightly tarnished by small droplets of blood. There was a catheter in his right arm that was connected to a crystal container hanging from a rack at his side, inside the container was blood. He saw bodies laying around his bed, they belonged to his friends whom were fast asleep. He groaned weakly. There was still a low timbre in his ears.
“Ya ain’t going nowhere for a while. Don’t even try.” A blonde stranger in a wheel chair addressed him in a strange jovial accent. He had a cast on his left arm and leg. His right leg was heavily bandaged, “They took out a wholatta metal outta ya.” He pointed at a small tray, with sharp blood tarnished objects. “Ya got some friends. They stayed up all night helping patch us up. And you, ya got some balls on ya, kid. Hate ta say it, but I owe yeh meh life.”
“You’re the pi-“As Victor forced the weak words out he felt a sharp pain in his chest that caused him to cough.
“Yeh, that’s me. Don’t blow ya stitches now. I was awake through it all. I heard yer friends say ya got yer lung stitched up. I’m the raven ya rescued. Name’s Albert, buh that stays between us. Call me Sinister, it’s mah raven name; I pilot the Villain,” He said this proudly hoping to incite awe and excitement in Victor, but was disappointed in realizing his words had no impact, “I’m ranked 12 in the Arena,” he tried to explain his stature, but Victor only nodded politely not knowing what the man was speaking about.
Although Victor didn’t remember at the time, he had heard about this raven arena before. It was rumored around the slums that ravens did battle with one another for prizes and recognition. These events were very exclusive, and mostly those seeking to contract ravens and other fat cats were allowed to witness the spectacles. On a similar note, Victor knew about the cash prizes because half a week ago he began staking out a man rumored to be a raven. Word had it that that raven had come across an obscene amount of money from an arena match. It was further rumored that he was in the slums visiting a woman and Victor agreed to steal the man’s personal credit device in exchange for some salvaged AC legs.
“I was saved bah a bumkin’,” Sinister sighed, “Well, I’m greyful. Don’t leh the name fool ya, it’s mostly ta intimidate my opponents,” he laughed, “In gratitude for saving mah life I’ll grant ya something. Kid, what is it ya wish?”
Victor wheezed trying to get a word in but quickly recoiled from the pain. Sinister laughed.
“Oh, right. Guess this a moh-nologue. Ya know, yer friends despise me. They blame me for what happened to yeh, it’s very clear in them eyes. But they also only helped me cuz of what ya did. Ya command alotta respect ‘round these parts, I reckon.” Victor smiled at the compliment.
“We were there to steal your core, Albert.” Angel interrupted as he lifted his body from the floor, he had listened to the entire conversation. He got up, and sat on an open space on his brother’s bed looking at Victor with intense relief, he then petted his head lovingly. Victor was able to notice Angel’s puffy swollen face; Angel had cried through the night. He also noticed that Angel’s arm had a small tape, explaining the origin of Victor’s blood donation.
“That so,” Sinister said non-chalantly, “Villain’s head was blowed up, so I couldn’t see just in what shape I escaped. Reckon it couldn’t ah been purty though. Who the devil’d be interested in that scrapa-“
“We are.” Angel exchanged an inquisitive look with Victor as if asking for approval. Victor nodded, knowing exactly where Angel was steering the conversation. Angel turned back to Sinister defiantly. “We are building an Armored Core of our own, we want to become ravens.”
Sinister changed his impish and friendly expression and examined Angel’s face thoroughly as if expecting the kid to flinch.
“What do you know about piloting an Armored Core?” he sneered.
“Not a damn thing.”
“Don’t kid yourself, kid. An AC battlefield is the closest thing to hell you’ll ever experience. Ya saw what happened, just a scrap of an armored core almost stole yer friend from ya. Ther’ death machines. Death is what they deal and death is all they hope to reap. That is all.”
“I’m your raven” a soft raspy voice interrupted. Sinister turned to Victor. He met Victor’s fixed resolute stare, and reflecting on the kid’s actions the night before Sinister gave in respectfully and sighed with a smile. He knew the kid would have no problem jumping into the hell Sinister was all too familiar with.
“I’m a raven, ah measure life’n money,” Sinister shrugged “mah life alone ain’t ‘nough ta buy ya an AC.”
“You don’t have to. We have been collecting parts for years. All we need is a core.” Angel mediated.
Sinister grinned, he couldn’t believe the nerve of the two young men. “What ya’ll got?” Angel listed the parts, crudely in Sinister’s opinion. “So ya do,” Sinister said condescendingly, “Ya also need an FCS, a radiator, and a generatah, not ta mention cores are hella ‘xpensive-” And as if struck by a thought, Sinister began mumbling to himself and counting odd figures in his fingers. He added and subtracted multiple times to himself. The Valentino brothers couldn’t make sense of the man’s rambling. Finally, as if he was done calculating, he looked at the brothers and gave his final decision.
“One life falls somewhat short ah buying ya the rest of the parts,” Victor and Angel were disappointed to hear this, “but, I’ll do it.” This confused the brothers. Sinister explained, “‘Pear-rantly there’s a contract on mah head, so it’s not a bad idea ta keepa debt in mah favor an’ make an ally. I can take ya ta Global Cortex. I’ll show ya the ropes and ya can take the ‘nitiation test.” Victor and Angel exchanged a joyous look. “Now, I’m spending big money on ya, so don’t ya dare fail and die.”
“Die?”
Buffy Anne Summers
1981- 2001
Beloved Sister
Devoted Friend
She saved the world
A LOT
1981- 2001
Beloved Sister
Devoted Friend
She saved the world
A LOT
