The 31st Lynx - An Armored Core Fanfiction

The 13 Thermidor

    Michael wasn't feeling too well. He pushed himself too hard yesterday in the simulation. He never broke twenty-five seconds. He rolled out of bed and finished his morning routine. Once he was moving, he felt a bit better. He turned to the monitor. There was an unread email. "Hm? That's odd. Cortex normally calls..." Michael sat down at the screen and tapped the notification. An audio log came up. 
     "Michael Sharps; Age 27, ex-Cortex employee." Michael froze. "We have something in common; we both want the truth." Michael swallowed hard and leaned in closer. "But, our similarities end there. I have the truth, and you are looking for it. I won't bore you with the details. But there is information that shouldn't be forgotten: not until humanity is able to inhabit the surface again. If you think you are strong enough to handle it; read the attached files. The password for the first one is 'Ulna'." The voice spelled it out for Michael. Then it cut out. Four new folders were downloaded to his terminal. Michael hovered over the first one. It was labeled 'Arteria Ulna'.

     Michael tapped the folder, and a password screen appeared. He entered the password and the folder opened. Inside was an audio log, a debrief file, and the HUD feed. Michael started the audio log. "The chaos starts in July, huh?" the pilot laughed, "Thermidor would want that. I received a mission from an irregular, a LYNX outside of Collard and the Companies. A true wild card. He and his team of twelve is looking for someone skilled. I guess destroying Cabracan and the rank one LYNX at Line Ark caught their attention. What he says," there was a pause, "I believe it. The Cradles are going to pollute the earth beyond recovery.
     "In order to stop the pollution, the 'Sins of the Corporations' need to be undone. They built satellite cannons that shoot down any space crafts. Thermidor's plan is simple, if not brutal. We launch attacks on the power supplies of the Cradles, and divert that power to anti-Satellite cannons. Space guns go boom, and humanity can live in space while the earth heals. But that would mean dooming hundreds of millions of people to the poison already on the surface. I...I chose to believe him. It seems evil...but if it means humanity will be safe, I know what my answer is. Serene didn't feel the same. So...we parted ways. I pray to God I don't need to fight her. Well, this is my first solo mission." The recording clicked, and it stopped. Michael took a deep breath. 
     "That's a lot to handle. I..." Michael leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "This guy is responsible for destroying the Cradles and paving the way for the elites to head off into space." His stomach lurched at the thought of dooming so many lives. He turned on the HUD feed and tried to drown out such thoughts. 

    Strayed stomped onto the battlefield. He was at the bottom of a deep canyon. Above him were dozens of defense systems. "Alright. No operator, so this is gonna be a quiet mission." Strayed fired up his systems. "I'm going to ignore the defenses and make a mad sprint to the generators." Strayed took to the air. It moved slower, a bit more sluggishly. The pilot focused on moving past the defensive systems. He only expended what ammo he needed, eliminating only the targets that posed a threat. He twisted and turned mid air, dodging a hail of gunfire and a large explosive round. 
    Strayed activated the OBS and charged towards the sky. At the top of the canyon, Strayed looked down. "Damn. Its so beautiful." Underneath him, snow covered the armored installation, as well as the generator platform. Six large generators that looked like energy cannons dotted the landscape. "It's a shame. I hope those poor souls can forgive me for what I'm about to do." Strayed lowered his sniper cannon and took aim. The first battery was in range. Strayed was pushed back as the cannon fired. The bullet traveled for a second or two. It stuck, and the generator exploded with a burst of blue light. "One." He counted the shots as he pelted the remaining defenses with his rifle. "Two." The second generator exploded.
    Michael became entranced. The pilot had complete control of his machine and the situation. He wasn't focused on one thing; he was aware of everything at once." He knew when to reload and when to dodge. "Three." Strayed landed and opened fire at the back of the defensive units. He jumped back and took aim at the generators again. "Four." He blasted towards the last two. "Five. Six." The damage was done, and the defenses were starting to rally. "Mission complete." Strayed dropped, falling back down into the Canyon it had flown out of. Soon, it was out of range and out of sight. Ulna had fallen.

   Michael read the debrief report. With Ulna out of commission, Cradle 21 was put at less than half power. Another hit like that, and 21 would fall back to earth. The debrief included some surface coordinates for the ORCA base. ORCA was the name of the group that Strayed had joined. He listed his repair bills, and equipment requisitions. It only consisted of a handgun, laser blade, and a Kojima physical blade weapon. At the bottom, written in bold, red text was the name 'Noblesse Oblige'. Michael clicked on the folder labeled 'Arteria Carpals'.
    Michael entered the password and started the audio log. "My next mission is my first as a member of the ORCA brigade. I am to eliminate the defenses at the Arteria facility at the old city of Carpals. That includes a NEXT by the name of Noblesse Oblige. I...I have no regrets. I've chosen this path. I only hope that Gerald can forgive me in the next life." Michael hesitantly clicked on the HUD feed.

    Carpals was built in the middle of the ocean as a floating fortress. It was filled with automatic defenses and no less than a hundred NORMALs were active on a given day. The pilot sighed and skimmed along the water towards one of the openings. "It's gonna be one of those days." He flew up onto the north wall and pointed his weapons at the defenses. "Opening fire." The defenses were easily picked off. The NORMALs were another story. Thankfully, the ORCA member Old King was attacking the city of Carpals. The Arteria fortress was guarded only by a skeleton crew. Those four fell rather easily, though they did take a bit of ammunition. 
    A white dot appeared on the bridge leading to the city. "There he is...Noblesse Oblige." A new voice came over the speakers. 
     "Sorry to crash the party. Little hit-and-run bandits like you know no honor. I envy your simple life. Void of responsibility." 
     "Welcome, Gerald. Can I convince you to not do this?" the pilots response came in the form of a triple laser volley. Strayed dodged two of the bolts. The third one tore straight through the primal armor. "I'm sorry." Strayed lowered the missile launcher and flew up to a safe height. The missiles split into eight before exploding, hammering the enemy. Combined with the rapid-fires strikes from Strayed's left-hand machine gun, the enemy was shredded like paper. The explosions tore off plating, and the machine gun kept the primal armor busy. Soon, Strayed dropped the smoking machine gun. Noblesse Oblige stood unsteady on the edge of the water. The Kojima reactor began smoking. 
     "I don't believe it. Noblesse Oblige... we still have work to do!" Strayed walked over to the core. 

     "I'm sorry Gerald. You have a better chance of surviving if I can cool down the reactor." Strayed extended its now empty left hand and pushed Noblesse Oblige off the edge into the ocean. There was an impact, then Strayed took a step forward. The AP flashed at 50%.
     "Gerald, you've failed. Unsurprisingly. All that talk of duty...just talk huh? (Laughs) Never mind. I'll clean up this mess for you." Another top LYNX, Dario Empio, piloting his craft Transcend. the pilot hit a button, and a laser blade came out of Strayed's thigh compartment. The pilot flew forward, trying to outpace the superior NEXT. Transcend kept the heat on, never letting Strayed rest. Strayed stopped, and activated the OBS. Both machines shot towards each other at max speed. 
     "You took the bait, Transcend. Hook," Strayed cut the OB system, and turned as hard as it could while activating the laser blade, "Line," the sword reached forward, cutting a smooth gash in the NEXT and shattering its Primal Armor, "Sinker" the heavy sniper cannon lowered and blasted a hole straight though the center of the Core. There was no way Dario survived. "That was awful. Sure, I hated the guy. But to pull a one-liner? And now I'm talking to myself. I'm so lonely." The HUD feed shut off.