The wood floor was not the most comfortable thing on the planet. The damp atmosphere made it had to restfully breathe. And the sound of the air conditioning unit drilled into his skull, stealing the silent atmosphere Jax was so used to. But the attic he found himself in was still better than the streets. It was warmer, there were no drunks, and no one could see him. But even then, Jax would have still preferred the rock-hard bunks that the Vanguard barracks would provide.
Time and time again, Jax would close his eyes but time and time again his implants would start up, stir, change shift gears or just simply miss fire. It was like having an engine living inside of him. Pieces of his body moving and living without his consent, like sharing his body with a weapon. A strange side effect of more than 98% of his entire nervous system being replaced was that when he entered REM sleep, or sleep at all for that matter, they would fire up. Assuming that this state was the same as piloting. His dormant body was laid to rest and his mind still living inside of him. When that happened, the micromachines in his body would start up, doing whatever it is that they do that makes him such a potent fighter. A consequence of this was that he no longer dreamed. His neurons were firing on cylinders, having systems injected into them and various other augments working in tandem. He could sleep, but the dormant part of his mind that handled the categorization of memories and other information was fried. Burnt to a crisp. It took a bit to get used to it in his early years, he would wake up in cold sweats carrying out combat doctrine in his bed as reflexes would kick in from the sensation. Crying, screaming, and one time he even tried to kill one of his bunk mates. That was the day he was assigned a solo barrack. Those days were behind him through. He was used to the feeling, when he tried to describe it, the only words that came to mind were; “It's like I know I’m asleep. Like, when I close my eyes and finally drift off, my body is whirred to life, and I’m forced to sit there, in total darkness, while my body sleeps, but my mind is left to rot.”
Or something like that
Eventually, Jax slowly started to drift. Gliding into that veil between sleep and consciousness. He finally started to drifted off…
The sound of the air conditioner, drifting away, the sound of the world outside slowly fading. It all faded. Until the buzz in his spine started up again. The sensation waking his mind, dormant parts of the brain ticking, neurons firing, Jax could hear it all. He could feel it. His body jerked, and squirmed as his mind stirred. He could hear the hum of an Argonauts engine, the soft buzz of electricity, the crash of the machine's feet as it walked, the roar of thrusters, the firing of rifles, the soar of rockets, and alarms.
Alarms,
Alarms
Alarms
“ALERT ALL CITIZENS, SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.”
Jax was startled awake. The alarms didn’t stop, and the public service announcement continued to ring through the district with a painful pitch. Jax scrambled to his feet. Rushing out of the attic and towards the hatch on the roof. He briefly fought with the lock before finally opening it and crawling to the roof. There he saw a sight he thought he would never see again. The panels of the skyscrapers fell to the ground and a fiery blaze as missiles and Argonauts crashed through them. Green gas bellowed from behind some buildings, and chunks of the megalithic structures fell to the ground. The entire city was in chaos. Automated defence systems rose to try to combat the invaders, but it was useless as cruise missiles slammed into the turrets. Down below, the local force was overwhelmed by the sheer number of invading troops. Jax had seen such a sight before, the tactics, the formations, the gas, and missiles. However, last time he was on the other side. Vanguard was committing a hostile take over.
Hurriedly, Jax gathered what he could. Leaving behind anything he didn’t need right away. He knew that if they were already on the surface, that within 2 hours the entire city would be overwhelmed. He stuffed his pockets with essential things, licences, documents. And in his bag he kept only a few items of clothing, as well as the notebook. Then he bolted out of the access hatch he used to get in. As he burst onto the streets, the chaos became more apparent. Fire ravaged the smaller buildings and people hurriedly ran through the streets, screaming and crying as everything around them was destroyed. Just then, as Jax barely got a grip in his surroundings, an ear deafening roar forced his hands to his ears, as an Argonaut landed a couple of meters ahead in the street. Its jets scored the ground before crushing it with its massive statue. Before it could gain its footing, it was tackled by a flying kick from another Argonaut, a Vanguard one. It flew in and struck it in the head with its shin, sending the local guard Argonaut chasing to the floor. Another unpleasant sound. Jax’s heart beat raced as all hell broke loose around him, but nature got the better of him, and he turned tail and bolted in the other direction. Behind him, rifle fire let loose, the crack of high calibre rounds exiting the barrel and slamming into the steel target combined with the thunderous crash of the empty casings hitting the floor, forcing Jax to cover his ears. But by this point the cacophony was so much he’d practically gone deaf. Then another Argonaut slammed into the road he was running towards, firing a massive sniper rifle at something in the sky. Jax halted, trying to stabilize himself as the entire ground shook, not too much avail as he tripped over a loose piece of road and fell to his knees. Just then, another Argonaut flew overhead, slamming into the long rifle firing machine.
Jax’s head was spinning. He tried to run, he tried to get out of there. But his legs just wouldn’t move, as in the distance. The machine that just disabled the long rifle wielder turned. Slowly. It was the same one he piloted. The MK 01. Its single bright red eye boring into his soul. The vents on its sides let out a burst of steam, as if it let out a menacing breath. The Ogre. One of him. Slowly it drew its side arm. Raising the oversized pistol to meet him. Every fibre of his body told him to move, but he couldn’t, paralysed he sat there. But just as he could see the mechanical fingers crack at the trigger, a bolt flew into the machine's head, latching onto it from the end and pinning it to the building next to it. Jax’s legs finally kicked in as he jolted backwards. His eyes scanned for the source of the attack within the chaotic war zone. Not before long he found it. An Argonaut, perched on a crumbling pile of buildings. His single foot angling downward, giving the illusion as if it were floating. Most of its form was obscured by a steel cloak of large feather like blots that sprouted from its neck. The bolt that just disabled the Argonaut in front of him suddenly began to wiggle before shooting back to the strange Argonaut, with one swift manoeuvre it caught it, before throwing it once more. Over Jax’s head and into the Vanguard Argonaut behind him. Jax was enamoured by its presence. The speed at which it took out opponents, firing the bolt out before retracting it back and slingshotting it back. At it continued to slaughter opponents, Jax saw an opening, made possible by the strange Argonaut. A clear street. Jax scrambled to his feet and darted towards it. As he turned the corner into a secluded alley way, the blaring sound started to soften. The crack of rifles, roar of thrusters and other sounds of mechanical warfare blending into a single orchestra of war. It was here in the alley way where Jax gained his breath. The adrenaline finally started to ware off and his injuries from yesterday finally came back. Jax doubled over as his gut cramped and the internal bleeding continued. He felt a gag reflex kick in but covered his mouth and forced it back down. The bloody taste in his mouth lingering as he spat out what little drops made its way through. After he felt his condition stabilize, Jax began to narrow his focus. He had to get off the planet. Not just the city. Vanguard left no stone unturned when they invaded. Often devoting entire divisions just to single blocks or villages. If Jax was lucky, the city might have an escape system for citizens. If it was full, destroyed, for the rich only, or just not there was a question for later. Right now, he just needed a goal. Jax braced his shoulders as he prepared to leave the alley way, sticking his head out to see if the coast was clear before dashing out. Over head, he could see even more drop-ships containing on foot troops. “Shit” He thought to himself. He exited the street onto a main road, where even more crowds of people fled. There were no Argonauts, so the fighting must have progressed to the next stage. Jax joined them. Hoping in the wisdom of the crowd to find an escape ship.
As he fled with the masses, Jax was reminded of when he had done the same thing. Not fleeing, but fighting. He had participated in hostile take-overs before on Vanguards behalf. But now that he was here, outside the building tall death machine he usually sat in, he could see the faces of people, the victims of this corporate war. Jax didn’t know who ran this city, he never witnessed the conference that probably lead up to this moment. All he witnessed was the brutal war that Vanguard conducted in response.
In the distance, as the smoke cleared, and the crowd thinned, he could see massive ships, side doors swung open as bright, almost blue light bathed the area. An escape vessel! Jax could already feel the relieving sensation wash over him, he, and everyone else, was going to make it. They could live. He ran, faster, faster, even faster. Passing the rest of the crowds, who were also just as relieved to see the vessels. So relieved, that they never heard the scream of thrusters. As just then. In almost a blink of an eye. Two wrestling Argonauts crashed into escape vehicles. Descending from the sky with black smoke trails, they destroyed them in a fiery display. The screams of the populace grew louder as two more machines descended down, tearing one of the Argonauts to shreds. Next two him, two more Argonauts tumbled into the scene. One wielding a combat knife, that, in one fluid motion, sliced the local guard’s head off before blasting off to another fight. The corpse of the machine falling to the ground. Many people turned tail. Sprinting off and scattering in other directions. But Jax simply stood there. The fiery blaze behind the felled giant, ranging on. He tried to think, tried to make sense of what to do, But he couldn’t. Maybe there was another vessel. Possibly, there was another way. But Jax knew.
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It could be the state of mind he was so used to being in. The conditioning being a for the time he’d been a pilot. But all Jax wanted to do.
Was fight.
With gritted teeth, Jax sprinted forward. Towards the destroyed Argonaut. Jax knew he was helpless without some kind of weapon, and the best thing he could use was an Argonaut. The one before him was in relatively usable condition, besides the lack of head, that probably overloaded the pilot's neural systems. This one was a local guard, it had a chunky, almost spherical chassis, with four sets of arms and a pair of stubby legs. The Entire thing was a cold steely grey with a single orange logo slapped onto the chest, as well as the destroyed head. Jax clambered onto its hull, located the hatch. Quickly he found the emergency release and with one swift pull, the slab of metal came shooting off. Inside the cockpit lay the limp body of the pilot. The screen blaring warning signs as the pilot bled from his nose and ears. Jax leaned in and started undoing the ports. Sometimes peeking his head up to check if there were any other Argonauts. Once he had all the ports undone, Jax fished the body out and tossed it aside. Landing with a not so satisfying, crunch. When inside the cockpit, Jax found the reboot and started to calibrate it. He couldn’t use all the ports on his body as this machine was made for basic implant doctrine, but on the upside, Jax had so many intake points. There was bound to be some way he could interface with the machine. Once the machine recognised his presence and fished calibrating, he fastened his body as tight as possible. But before he committed. Covered by the backdrop of chaos around him, he slowly pulled up his sleeve. Just enough to see his wrist. He didn't understand why he felt compelled to check, he already knew the answer. But a part of him refused to accept the fact. But, sure enough, there it was. Poorly covered by gashes, burn marks other pathetic attempts to cover it up was a single bar code:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8.
Jax grimaced at the sight. His mark, his burden.
With a furrowed brow and a mind still buzzing. He jacked in…
…
Warmth
Cold
Comfort
Uncomfort
Smell
Sight
Taste
Touch
Yes, touch
The touch of another person?
Are you a person?
Sight
Blindness
The sight of another person
I can see them
Smell
What do people smell like
Do you smell like a human?
Taste
Have I tasted person
You have tasted blood before
Warmth of a person
You are cold
Cold?
Do you feel comfort around other people
I feel uncomfortable in my own body
Then escape
Escape?
Escape
Escape
“WARNING CRITICAL DAMAGE SUSTAINED TO HEAD REGION
MAIN RETINAL SYSTEMS: OFFLINE
LOCK-ON: OFFLINE
IDF SYSTEMS: OFFLINE
COMBAT PERFORMANCE IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRED
STARTING OS
Jax slowly came around. His vision was blurry at first, but as the back-up cameras on the body and spacial sensors adjusted to his surroundings, he could more clearly see the environment. In the bottom left of his vision, a small warming blinked: WARNING, HUD OFFLINE. Jax tried to turn his head, but instead he felt the body of the machine try to turn, the action failing due to his prone position. Slowly could feel sensation, touch, reaching every part of his body. His arms, legs, torso. Everything. Slowly he stood up. Straining his limbs until he reached his feet. The buzzing sensation at his neck slowly faded, and the residue sensory triggers faded. Looking down, really just arcing the cameras down, he saw his hands. Four of them. The movement of his extra limbs throwing him off. It was strangely smooth, despite never having four limbs as a human. Probably some AI magic. After he was acclimated to the machine, he scanned his surroundings for any weapons. On the floor he saw a shotgun and automatic pistol. The sensors in his brain picking up their signals as tied to this chassis.
Now armed, Jax needed to get out of here. His own way. From the elevated view of the Argonaut, he scanned the horizon line for anything that could count as an escape route. At first, he saw nothing, the fire, and chaos blurring his focus. Until his eyes caught air harbour. It was being raided by Vanguard but ships that docked there, but he saw a couple of ships takes off, probably trying to escape. If Jax could board one of those ships, he could get the hell off this planet. Jax then started to sprint, at full speed. No longer hindered by his bodily injuries or fear. He was in an Argonaut, and nothing can stop an Argonaut. With the final checks and safeties released, he begins to sprint full force towards the harbour.
From his elevated view, Jax finally saw the full battle. Vanguard forces continue to drop from the sky, air ships carrying troops, Argonauts, and other battlements replacing the evening down poor with a steel rain of burning shrapnel, missiles, and drops ships. As Jax sprinted through the street, his coms started to act up. Pitching and tuning before forming a coherent if difficult to hear voice. “Jackson… is this you?” the voice sounded familiar, it was that of the strange man Jax met earlier today. “What? Are you that crazy guy who was spouting shit at me earlier?!”
“If what you mean by “Shit” is “insight” then yes that is me.”
“Ok, cool, uh. Couple questions. First, how do you know my name?”
“I am with Corvus, we have your name recorded.”
“Oh nice, you’re one of those crazy guys. Just peachy. Secondly, what the fuck do you want. If you’re looking to try to talk me into joining Corvus, you picked the wrong damn time.”
“Oh no. that is not why I am contacting you. I am trying to save you.”
“What?!”
“We are blood brothers. Your safety is also my concern.”
“Listen, “blood brother” I don’t need your damn help, I’m gonna get off this rock by myself.”
“I beg to differ” Then, as Jax is about to reply, two Vanguard Argonauts round the conner. Before Jax can react, they open fire. The bullets rip through the poor plating and, once again, warnings chimes sound in his head. Jax pulls back behind a dense building for cover. Jax feels the implants in his spine jitter and buzz as the make shift connection struggles to properly interface. He tries to peak the corner, but another hail of bullets pushes him behind cover. “Jackson-”
“Jax. Don’t call me Jackson.” Jax spits back
“Jax… Trust me. We are two of the same, you cannot deny this fact. Let me help you, and I promise you will finally understand this blessing more clearly.” In the distance, Jax hears the heavy footsteps, slowly approaching, the crunch of the street and ominous hum of their reactors growing every louder. Jax’s breathing quickens. His mind being pushed and pulled until, as the hum grows dangerously close, Jax shouts; “Fine!”
Then in an instant, Jax hears a split second of whistling wind. Followed by the screech of metal colliding with metal. Capped off with the slack sound of the Argonauts hitting the floor. Jax, still raggedly breathing, cautiously rounds the corner to see the two Argonauts impaled by their cockpits, pinned to the floor. Then his eyes are drawn up to the very same Argonaut that saved him first. Once again, perched on a tall lamppost of sorts. The spikes then fly out of the ground and back to their owner, who catches them flawlessly and returns then to his cloak of death. “Thanks…” Jax says reluctantly
“The pleasure is all mine. I suspect you don’t know my name. Am I correct?”
“True that. Guess you would rather not shatter your aura of mystique.”
“Quite the opposite, the proper moment simply never arose. My name is Conrad.”
“Pleasure to meet you…”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
“You said that already-”
“Now.” Conrad interrupted, “Corvus has a ready escape vehicle that will be here in ten minutes.” he then pointed at a large landing platform in the distance. Missiles continued to barrage the platform, but before any could get close they simply exploded or turned into sparks of molten metal. “Directional plasma shielding.” Jax said, almost impressed
“Correct. It is the safest point of extraction.”
“While that may be true, I’m having a hard time guessing how the hell we get up there.”
“A worthy question. If all goes to plan, when we arrive, our transport can remotely turn off the plasma shielding. Then we will enter and extract.” Conrad said, turning to the pillar. Jax followed on suit, replying, “Easy as pie. Now, let's get going. I can feel the interface bleeding, and the stench of the corpse that was just in my cockpit already stinks.”
Holy shit
So I’ll only be able to post chapter 7 this week, despite promising chapter 8 as well i got hit with the lead pipe of sickness and was shipped off to ER for most of the week. But I’m better now and the holiday is coming so writing won’t be my number one priority. I will try to keep a chapter a day but you never know. Final words before I log off, the story has slowly been entering the actual high stakes “real story” so i’m looking forward to see were this goes.
Sorry for the broken English in this note, and until next time
-V
