The 31st Lynx - An Armored Core Fanfiction

A Simple Test

    Michael felt uneasy in the abandoned sector. It was dimly lit, the Controller no longer provided much power to this district. But, it provided significantly more power than it did to the other abandoned sectors. Michael had found out about this anomaly at a family dinner. His sister mentioned that it was weird how much power was being diverted from the Crest Labs in the area, even though this area is though to be abandoned. 
    Michael had shrugged it off at first, but then decided it was worth taking the week off to investigate. Considering that Sector 71 was one of the first segments of the Layered to be inhabited, it made sense for something to be here. And, it was so close to the surface that Michael might just take a peek before leaving. He smiled to himself as he passed an old garage. There was a light inside. Flickering desperately against the darkness. Michael froze. 
    It was strange that the Controller still provided life support to the sector. It was strange that this section wasn't guarded by Kisaragi Forces. This; this was too strange. Michael pulled out his pistol and turned the safety off. He inched closer to the garage. The sparks faintly lit up a partially built Armored Core. It was badly damaged. One arm was torn off at the shoulder and the head part had been taken off. It was littered with bullet holes and singed from several explosions. The grey paint was chipping in places. On the remaining shoulder was the shattered remains of a back mounted sniper cannon. 
    Michael took a hesitant step inside and turned on his flashlight. The room was empty. All but himself and the core. Whoever was in here before wouldn't be coming back. He sighed out of relief and took a good look at the core. His flashlight could only illuminate so much of it at once, but he wished he could get a better look at it. Then he noticed a catwalk leading to the cockpit. He couldn't pass up this opportunity. He put his gun away and practically ran up the stairs.
    Up close, the machine seemed daunting. Even in its damaged state Michael knew the destruction it could unleash. He looked for the manual release on the cockpit. Finding it, he turned the lever and prayed that the machine wasn't broken beyond repair. The core's inner workings crunched and groaned, but the compartment on the back slid open. There was enough room for a person, and maybe a bag or two. Michael stepped onto it and looked inside. 
    The cockpit was dark. The necessary and emergency lights were lit. "Cool. So we have power." He said to no one in particular. He jumped in and closed the cockpit behind him. Michael secured his bag behind him so it wouldn't go flying if the core jolted. He ran his hands over the dashboard. "Damn...now, how did this go?" Micheal tried to recall the start up process for an Armored Core. "Right, here we go..." He flipped the main generator switch. The generator clunked, but eventually roared to life. The initial volume died down after a moment. "Next, the radiator." He flipped that switch. The radiator hummed, and the interior felt slightly cooler.

    He continued flipping switches: Ventilation, headlights, hydraulics, dashboard, weapon systems, HUD, Fire control system, cameras, radar. Michael smiled as the core was slowly returning to life. It groaned as it shook free from its mounting cables. Michael took a few steps forward out of the garage, then stopped. He reached behind him and turned on his PDA. He then put on a headset and began recording. "Entry 5: about 1800 hours, day one. I have discovered a partially destroyed Core in sector 71. Weapons are mostly offline. Missing radar and the right arm." He took a break and began his slow march towards his objective. 
    Even though he had taken an hour to get the Core moving, he had saved that time in the few minutes marching forward. He was waiting for the booster light to light up on his dash. That would let him move significantly faster, possibly make it to his objective by evening. He continued recording his travels. It helped calm him down and keep his sanity in the eerie quiet of the abandoned sector. "The core is an interesting model. It appears to be designed for anyone's use. It didn't ask for a code word and the key card was already inserted. The pilot profile is registered as 'SA-048'. It has been optimized for long range combat, most likely in arctic regions based off the paintjob." Michael paused as a soft ping came from the dash. A booster light lit up. "Ah, the boosters are still functional. I'm engaging the boosters." Michael buckled his seat-belt and braced himself. The boosters started up slowly, propelling him forward along the ground at speeds exceeding 100 km/h. The initial acceleration was clumsy. The Core felt like it was going to tear apart as the speed increased. 

    Michael let out a yell of excitement as the core sped along the empty streets. Michael felt giddy. He saw a decaying building, one that he would have to go around. Or would he? Michael stopped just before the building and ran a quick weapon diagnostics. The left arm weapon was operational: an energy blade. Michael smiled and activated the Over Booster. A warning light shone on the HUD. He felt the core shudder as the large thrusters on its back fired up. He grabbed the controls and primed the arm. It moved slowly and stiffly, but eventually responded as he worked the controls. 
    The boosters fired, propelling the Core forward at speeds exceeding 400 km/h. Michael activated the energy blade the moment impact seemed certain. He guided the arm into a thrust, and the camera was obscured by rubble and dust. He saw the red flash of the blade activating. He disabled the OB system and let the momentum carry him through. The right foot touched down first, halting nearly all movement. The gyroscopic system kicked in, keeping the core from falling over. The left leg's normal booster kicked in, forcing the machine to pivot as the momentum was slowly dissipated. Only a few seconds had passed since Michael started. The building was completely demolished, and the core was only slightly banged up. 
    "I am never doing that again." Michael closed his eyes and tried to keep himself from puking. "Ah, shit. That," he swallowed, "that was too much." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, the sickness had passed. He looked at his watch. He still had time before the lights here went completely out. And he had someplace to sleep. He marched forward at a steady pace until the lights abruptly shut down. Michael sighed and pulled the blanket out of his bag. He shut down most of the Core's systems, all but the radiator and the ventilation. He made one last recording before finally dozing off.