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"What's wrong? Can't handle your liquor?" I heard her voice say, followed by a giggle as everything quickly came back to me about last night. Her name was Andra, err, Annie, Annette or something like that. Renee? Why did I think Annette? Hell I can't even remember. Better just call her babe and be safe.
"I see you're not hungover, babe" I replied as I turned to see her face. And there she was- Beautiful. Amazing. Gorgeous. Way too hot for me. Oh God, no. I'd done it again. I'd hired another prostitute. Damn.
"I wasn't drunk," she stated, "but you, you were $%^&faced before you walked into the bar." It was starting to come back to me, vaguely.
“We don't see too many mech drivers around here, you drive an Atlas, right?” she asked.
“Cicada!!!” I blurted out.
“Oh, right. That's a big one, right?” she asked, annoyingly.
“Big enough.” I replied. It never fails, all the girls go for the Atlas pilots. And why? Big, clunky, cantankerous pieces of crap. But powerful, menacing, destructive juggernauts of the battlefield. It's always the same. “Do you drive an Atlas?” is always every girls question, and no is always my answer.
After I was kicked out of House Steiner (a long story) everyone just assumed I piloted one. It really got old explaining my mech and my purpose, so I just started answering “yeah”, even know I despised the things. And why did I hate Atlases so much? I used to pilot one. We all did. I was good, too. Damn good. Ill never forget what we used to say to potential recruits who drove other mechs. “Well, I'm sorry but we simply do not accept battlemechs under 100 tons.....” and then we would laugh, loudly. We were real smart *****. Those were my glory years. Best years of my life. I fought for House Stiener for 9 years, hard battles. Hard times. But it was worth every c-bill. But that was over now, and I am past my prime in years and what I drive. My Atlas piloting for House Steiner ended with 20 lashes and banishment from all of Steiner territories, titles, positions and regiments. That day I will never forget, I lost everything. My beloved Atlas, my home, my position and, my beloved wife. It took a long, long time to climb out of that pit they left me in. And the sad thing? It wasn't even my fault. I was framed. Set up. Didn't even see it coming. And only because the Commandant didn't approve of my marrying his daughter. But that's another story.
“Well honey,” I said, “How much do I owe ya?” as I fumbled with my wallet.
“What!!??” she exclaimed, “You think I'm a *****??!! Is that what you think!!??”
I looked at her face. She was serious. Well well well, looks like I didn't hire another prostitute after all. This one was real, and she was beautiful. Her long black hair complemented her sea-blue eyes, and her body was, to say the least, exquisite.
“No, no no babe, I mean for your cab fare and maybe breakfast? I'd take you myself but I have to get back to my unit.” Her furrowed brow softened, her poise loosened and she leaned back into a more comfortable position.
“Oh, sure. Right, haha. Offering me cab fare after what you did to me last night” she laughed loudly, “you're such a gentlemen!”
“Well,” I said, “I try.” I smiled at her, a real smile. I haven't smiled like that in a long, long time. It was almost too good to be true.
Then I felt it. No, maybe I heard it first. A distant tremor, and a noise. “Boom, boom, boooom, thump......” I knew those sounds. But it didn't make any sense. My unit was on the other side of this river city, where I was supposed to be. I know what you're thinking. Why am I away from my unit?
Well, I just couldn't sleep in my mech another night. I had to sneak out, so to speak. I've done it before. It's kind of a perk of owning a lighter, smaller mech. I can get around with nobody seeing me, not even on radar. I had to get away for a night. I needed a drink, and some company, and it looks like I found it. So the question is, what the hell is my unit doing mobile already? Its too early for this $&*^. Damn! I am going to be in so much trouble for this. “Boom, boom, BOOM!” Too loud! It was getting closer, and the whole room was shaking. The whiskey in my glass at the bedside was trembling with every “Boom!”.....And then it dawned on me. These were no ordinary heavy mechs. These were Atlases. And we don't have any Atlases in my unit. We were about to be attacked. Double damn.
“I have got to go!” I shouted, “You need to get to the basement of this hotel and stay there! And get your damn head down!” I looked at her face, she was scared sh*tless.
“OK!!” She yelled, “Is my city being attacked?” I just looked at her. She knew, and how could she not. With the war waging all around for years, could she actually believe her once peaceful city would be forever immune. She had to know it was coming.
“Yes.” I stated, calmly. “Now go. Get to the basement and stay there. Find a corner and get as safe as possible. And keep your head down.” I had my gear on and was about to step out the door, when she grabbed my arm and kissed me. Deeply. I wasn’t expecting it.
“Don't die.” she said in that beautiful, soft voice. “Win. Kill the ******** that are attacking my home. And, come back to me.”
The only thing I could do was look at her and nod. I ran out the door, headed down the hall to the stairs, looked back and caught a glimpse of her still standing at the door of our hotel room, staring at me.
“Forget the girl,” I said to myself, “Its time to focus.” But her image wouldn't leave my mind.
I sprinted down 7 flights of stairs and hit the exit. The sun hurt my eyes. The booms and thumps were louder now, and closer. I saw the civilians scurrying around in the streets, trying to get to some kind of safety.
It was chaos. And I was stuck in the middle of it. The worst thing was, I parked my mech between two buildings, about 14 blocks away. And there were no taxis in sight. Triple Damn.
Running 14 blocks with a massive hangover at my age isn't fun, actually it sucks. Twenty years ago, when I was 19 I could have done this without breaking a sweat. But now, I started to feel winded after just two blocks. How many damns is this? I don't know. And at this point I could visibly see the enemy on the outskirts of this once peaceful river city. Triple dog damn.
I had to call it in. But at the same time, when I do I will screw myself. My commander will know that I left my post in search or booze and women. I can't call him, I just cant. Who to call? Who to call.....
Havok. He was an old Atlas driver, just like me. He was in Steiner, just like me, only unlike me, he actually retired with honor. I was in his clan, only briefly. He retired shortly after. These days he piloted an Awesome, he could afford one with his generous pension. Me, I had to settle for a Cicada. He was the only one I actually trusted in my unit. I know that sounds bad, but when you run with mercenaries that's what you get, the dregs. The burn outs, drop outs, and the kicked outs. Just like me. I'll call him.
I pulled my personal communicator out as I rested against a building, I was still 12 blocks from my mech and I wasn’t going to make it there before the enemy was inside the city. I tapped on his name, “Oh God, please pick up Havok” I said to myself as I waited for his reply. And then he did.
“Bone? What''s going on brother? And where the *&&^ are you? I don't see you at your post. Is everything OK?”
My heart dropped. “Hey, brother, he he, ya I went into town for a little R&R.....” I uneasily waited for his response. It was one of the most uncomfortable moments in my life.
“What?!” he replied, “You mean you left your post and went into town without authorization? What the hell for? What did you do last night?”
I knew at this moment it was worthless to lie to him. I might as well tell the truth. “Here it goes', I thought to myself. “I got drunk and spent the night in a hotel with the girl I picked up.” I said.
Again, silence. Longer than before. I lowered my head, knowing he was going to chastise me beyond belief. I was not expecting the response he gave.
“HAHAHHAHAAHHHahahahahahha” his laughter rang out like a 6 PPC stalker. “You crazy son of a b*&%$! I knew it! How was she? What did she look like? I want details you womanizing booze hound!" he exclaimed, and he sounded happy. I almost hated to tell him the bad news.
“Havok, later man, I'll fill you in on all the details I promise, but later. We're being attacked!” I said.
No silence from Havok this time. “What??!!!” he yelled, “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, “I can see the damn Atlases from here! They are right on the outskirts of the city! I have 5 of them in visible range! Havok, I couldn’t call our commander, I don’t want to get burned for what I have done, can you cover me?”
His reply was quick and straight, and I appreciated it. “Yeah,” he said, calmly. I could tell he was preparing himself for another battle and could care less of my dereliction of duty right now. “Yeah Ill call it in right now. But you have to get to your mech and get the hell out of there, like pronto!” he said.
“I know, I’m trying” I said.
“What do you mean you’re 'trying', where is your mech?” he asked.
“12 blocks away,” I said. Again, his reply was not expected.
“HAHAHAHHAHahahahha” his laugh was getting annoying now, “You're screwed my man! There wont be anything left of your mech by the time you get to it! They’ll have used it for target practice!” he said.
“Maybe not.” I said, “I parked it between two buildings, kinda concealed it.” I said.
“Between two buildings, huh?” he said, “ Well, maybe it will be OK. But you gotta move. Right now man. Ill call this in, and Ill cover for ya. Ill say you went on an early morning patrol. Best I can do, but if you live through this, you owe me Bone.”
Havok couldn’t have said it more plainly than that. I will owe him, big time. And I would repay my debt to him. I owed it to him.
“Fair enough brother,” I said, “Don't worry, Ill get you some girls and liquor for our next approved R&R. You’ll have the time of your life!” I said.
“Damn straight,” he said, “Now get your *** back here! I want you alive so I can collect!”
“Roger that, Bone out.” I said, and I was already moving again, 11 blocks left. I had to get to my Cicada. I saw the first of the Atlases upper torso towering over an office complex on the north side of town, no doubt scanning the area. Seeing that beast up close while I was on two human feet was bad enough, but what I saw on the shoulder of that juggernaut was even worse. A huge blue fist. Yep. That about does it. My morning is shot. It was my old House, Steiner. Honestly, I should have known. Nobody runs with that many 100 ton mechs except for Steiner, nobody. I was about to face my fears, and my oppressors all at once. I had to get to my mech.
I honestly do not remember the rest of the jog, only that I was both relieved and scared to death when I finally arrived at my Cicada. It had been shot at, perhaps from long range, the left leg had suffered some moderate damage. “Damn!” I muttered. The rope ladder that hung off of its cockpit (don't ask) was still there, and I began the climb right away, before my already exhausted body had time to shut down on me. I fired up the ignition and the lights and engine gently purred, and It's never been so good to hear. My HUD showed my left leg as yellow, but not bad, the exoskeleton armor was still in tact. Had to have been a long range shot from one of the Steiners, thinking he spotted something (which he did) and then changing his mind thank God. I had to get going now. I slumped in my seat, almost relieved and about to kinetic burst out from between the two skyscrapers when I caught the blips on my seismic sensor. They were coming up on my left and my right, the vibrations where traveling up my spine and I heard the “Thump, Boom, thump, boom..” sneaking up on me as well. I froze. A few moments later I watched the monsters pass right in front of me. “Thank God for my ECM,” I muttered, however the Atlas lance had ECM protection as well, its why they only showed up on my seismic sensor and not my radar. I had to act fast, I knew the only way back to my unit was through the enemy lance or around them, and again, I saw the Huge Blue Fist's on their paint jobs, and it infuriated me.
“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!!!!” came a war cry from somewhere deep inside my chest as I lunged forward out from the cover of the buildings and fired everything I had into the far Atlas's back right leg. It was a stupid move, as he was already beginning to turn around and I knew another hit in my left leg would cripple my mech and I would be a dead man. So I told myself the do the smart thing and high tail it out of the way, but instead I fired everything I had at his back right leg again. It wasn't just stupid, It was crazy. The Atlases leg crumbled as the metal plates were flayed off by the second alpha strike of my lasers, and his mech now sat heavily on its destroyed appendage. He was legged! It gave me time to slip past him, but not his 3 other Atlas friends I was afraid. “BLAM! BOOM! WHOOOMMP!” where the deafening noises I endured as short range missiles, large lasers and even PPC's were landing all around me, and I was bobbing and weaving for my very life as I raced away. When I hit the water I stayed close to the retaining wall of the city block, hoping I might have found some safety for the moment on my escape from this hell. “Warning, incoming missile.” I hated that sweet, sweet feminine voice every time the ***** lets me know. I even had a name for her once, but I just call her ***** these days. And then I heard it again. “Warning, incoming missile.” And about seven more times after that.
A plethora of profanities escaped my lips as the long range missiles came raining down on me like hell fire. I have never seen so many in all of my years of piloting. “I'm not going to survive this.” was the thought on my mind as I kept running, bobbing, weaving, zig zagging and using just about every other trick I ever learned on avoiding long range missiles, and even a few new tricks I just made up in the moment. My mech was fried. The engine and both legs were showing red endo-skeleton exposure, my left arm was yellow and my right arm was blown off along with half of my weaponry. One more hit and I would be legged and left for dead, or destroyed on the spot. It was with great pleasure I saw my unit when I rounded the edge of the mountain, and Havok was there up in front the greet me with a wave of his arms of that Awesome. I waved back the only arm I had left, when he hit me up over the telecom. “Your mech looks like ****, as usual he he.” he laughed, a typical smart *** remark, but I was so overjoyed to be alive I didn’t even care. “Thanks bro!” I yelled out, almost manically.
Just then my Commander broke in- “Bone, Havok told us what you found on your, eh, early morning patrol. I'm guessing from the looks of your mech they are inside the city walls?” the man loved to state the obvious.
“Yes, sir!” I shouted, “I counted 6 Atlases, maybe more! I managed to leg one of them during my escape.”
“Good job, Bone! Great job, actually. Where we were positioned we may have never known about this invasion in time. I have called in three of our reinforcement units.”
Three more units of reinforcements, man he wasn’t playing around. And I was glad. With that many mechs on our side we had a good chance of taking out this invasion force. And heck, if we win maybe I can even acquire enough salvage to build another Atlas. After all, Steiner did owe me one. But we had to win first, we had to win. And I wont forget her, that girl, that I spent the night with. I had to see her again.
Yes, we had to win. This was my time, the small token of revenge I had achieved felt good, no, it felt great. OK, it felt really, really great. I needed another mech, mine was shot for the time being. I sure as hell wasn't sitting out of this one, not this battle, not with my old, loving House Steiner, oh no. I was getting another mech from the reinforcements one way or another. It was, as you say, the calm before the storm. Time for a cigarette and a long overdue cup of coffee back at the station while my repairs were being made.
------------------------------------------------TO BE CONTINUED-------------------------------------------------
Edited by MIGHTYBONE, 27 June 2013 - 10:46 PM.
