Armored Core: Clipped Wings

Chapter 2

“What the hell…” was all Hannah could say after seeing what Johnathen just displayed.

Johnathen was breathing heavily. Such maneuvers weren’t meant to be made whilst not in a pilot suit. He had more than a few shaken bones. He turned his head. “Hannah…you alright?”

Hannah got back to the situation. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

Johnathen just gave a sarcastic grin, as his eyes were still too in focus to roll. “So do you, ‘Analyst’.”

“Just so happens to be my Raven name” she said, also a sarcastic grin.

“I never saw you in any of the raven lists, so-”

The computer sprang to life again. “Enemy AC detected.”

They both turned to see the RADAR show a little red blip.

A Silver/Black Heavy AC began to touch down on the ground. Its Mono-eye was glowing a scarlet red, its twin chain-guns on its back and in its arms shined like a new piece of silverware.

It touched down on the ground and began to march slowly.

On the shoulder its emblem showed guns with little feet running like mad.

Like a gun stampede.

“OH NO, we do NOT have the capabilities to fight another AC!!”

“Exactly what I was thinking” said Johnathen. “Let me out.”

“What?!”

“You can still pilot an AC with one arm, get back to your employer and tell him you failed your mission, is that clear?” said Johnathen, as serious as he could be.

Hannah seemed to think over this. Not that she had time. “O-Okay.” She hit the hatch release and the cockpit over them began to slide open. “I’ll jet out of here as soon as possible, you get home.”

Johnathen began to get up. “I’ll see you at your apartment.”

Hannah was puzzled. She caught on. “Y-Yeah.”

Johnathen hopped out and started running.

Hannah turned her AC around and flew off. She would end up only getting a fraction of her payment.

Was better than nothing.

Johnathen got to the shelter about the time that the alert was finally elevated to where the doors were locking up.

He found an officer and asked him what was all happening.

“Sir, you’re safe in here, there’s no-”

He whipped out an old badge. “Look, buddy, I’m an ex-raven, I want to know what’s all happening.”

The officer rightfully shut up. “Sir, if you would come this way.”

He led Johnathen to a comm. room where multiple police officers and a Mirage representative were running around in a panic. The Representative stopped. “Lieutenant, who is this man?”

Johnathen stepped forward. “Johnathen McLane, Ex-Raven, what’s all happening outside?”

The Representative let out a sigh of relief. “We had a bombing, supposedly a terrorist one, but then we received a recon picture that sighted a Crest MT was running around with an AC. We believe that to be under Crest employ as well. Then there was another AC that showed up after the Raven we had on stand-by destroyed the first one.”

“What about the Mirage forces, what’s going on?”

“We’ve sent out several BAT’s and OWL’s, they ought to repel the forces in a few minutes.”

A comm. officer turned to them. “Sir, the enemy is retreating.”

The representative let out another relief sigh. “That’s good.”

“But odd, sir, the other AC hadn’t even fired any of its weapons on us.”

The representative turned to Johnathen. “Is that something their employer could have ordered?”

Johnathen shrugged. “More than likely. In the event that too many forces are lost, retreat, it’s a common tactic. But depending on the AC layout, they still could’ve continued.”

The comm. officer shrugged. “We never got visual on that other AC.”

The representative was about to explode in confusion. “OKAY, are we safe, or unsafe!?”

“Safe.” The comm. officer and Johnathen said at once.

“Okay!” a pause. “Then let’s get the clean up crew’s to do a sweep then get these people out of the shelters.”

Johnathen followed the representative to his office. “Sir, is this the first time this has happened?”

“No, actually, but the last time we had an attack was several years ago. Why?”

Johnathen nodded. “No reason. Do you know how much damage was sustained?”

“Not much. They didn’t hit the residential districts, a few areas in the shopping district were hit by a few stray shells, only military targets, plain and simple.”

Johnathen sighed. “That’s good.”

“Why?”

“Oh! Uh…there was a woman I met today and I-”

The representative raised his hand with a smile. “I get it, I get it.” his face calmed a little. “You said you were an Ex-Raven. That mean you left?”

Johnathen was forced to search for an answer again. “What does it matter?”

The representative shook his head. “No reason.” He began to stand up and walked to his mini-fridge. “Just that Ravens, be they with the Ark or not, are valuable.”

“You offering me a job?”

The representative pulled out 2 sodas. “Maybe. Unless you like the normal life you are in now.”

Johnathen thought on it. Corporate Military pay was pretty good but he had no idea of whether he actually wanted to jump back into combat.

He then remembered. “CHRIS, RICH!” he turned and bolted out of the Comm. office.

Johnathen ran through mobs of people looking around for anyone who knew him or Chris and Richard. He ran for over an hour before hearing “JOHN!”

Johnathen turned to see Michael, one of Chris’s friends. “Mike! Where’re Chris and Rich?”

Michael turned and pointed behind him. “Over with Scot.”

Johnathen ran past him and found them exactly where Michael said. “Oh thank god.”

Chris chuckled. “Jeez, why so worried?”

Johnathen caught his breath before saying; “You know what? Next time an attack happens, tell me where you guys are going to be.”

Richard started laughing. “Jeez, an ex-raven afraid for the life of his friends.”

“Shut up, Rich.”

-The next day-

Johnathen was walking along the street, contemplating on what happened and what was GOING to happen.

He figured he’d get some questions answered here. He knocked on the door.

A female’s voice spoke from the other side. “Who is it?”

“Hannah, it’s me.”

The door stood silent for a few seconds. “Can you wait a few seconds?”

“Don’t try to bail out on me, open this door or I’m coming in.”

There was an obvious sigh of frustration from the other side. “Like I’d bail. Fine, I’ll open.”

The door slid open, Hannah stood on the other side, a waterproof bandage on her shoulder, hair wet, a towel wrapped around her. Johnathen stood, a light blush coming over his face. “I’ll wait out here.”

“Thank you.” The door closed again.

After a few minutes the door opened again, this time Hannah was dressed in simple jeans and a tank-top. Her hair was still wet. “So…come to talk, have we?”

Johnathen walked in. “Yes. It seems as though we both have some explaining to do.”

Hannah led him in and gestured him to the couch. “Have a seat. Can I get you anything?”

“Ah…some water please.”

Hannah reached into her fridge and tossed a water bottle in his direction. “So…want to tell me how you knew that maneuver?”

Johnathen took a drink and retaliated with “You want to tell me why you lied to me?”

Hannah shot a glare at him. “You seem to be lying yourself, somewhat.”

“Not as much as you, I can guess.”

Hannah paused. “Well, I technically am an analyst. I told you my Raven name was ‘Analyst’. My AC has a lot of RADAR and ECM countermeasures and I use what information I have to my advantage, I’m a quick thinker.”

“And I was an MT pilot for about a month before the Ark picked me out.”

“You were a special pick as well?” asked Hannah.

“If you’re saying you’re one, then I guess that’s true.”

“Almost everybody pilots an MT before they pilot an AC, I was one of those lucky pilot cadets that the Ark said that, based on my grades, they wanted me in the Ark piloting a customized AC instead of a Mirage BAT.”

Johnathen nodded his head, impressed. “That sounds pretty cool.”

Hannah smiled. “Thank you. What about you? You aren’t listed as a Raven working for Mirage, or for Crest seeing as how you weren’t shooting at me.”

Johnathen sighed. “You’re right. I’m not a Raven. Took an illegal contract, they had to let me go.”

Hannah’s eyes went wide. “Whoah, jeez, how stupid can you-”

“I wouldn’t start, seeing as how you aren’t listed as a Raven registered with the Ark.”

Hannah’s eyes went even wider. “How would you know anything like that, you’re cut off!”

“I’ve more than a couple of friends in the Ark that I’ve made a few connections with. I know every Raven, their AC’s, and where they are.” Johnathen paused before continuing. “Now, I’ve no use for this information, except for when it’s false. Now, why aren’t you registered with the Ark?”

Hannah’s eyes; once filled with accusation, now filled with guilt and trying to find a way out. She seemed to give up though. “Okay, you get it. I’m a Mirage Exclusive AC pilot. They call us Ravens but we really aren’t.”

Johnathen nodded. “Alright then.”

Hannah seemed to become saddened. “I’m…I’m so-”

“I met a ‘Raven’ like you when I accepted that illegal contract.”

Hannah froze. She looked up at him. “What was the pilot’s name?”

“Agraya.”

Hannah became angry. “I knew it.”

Johnathen turned to her. “You know her?”

“Yeah. She’s my sister.” Hannah sat down on the couch opposite Johnathen’s. “She was obsessed with this Raven called ‘Genobee’.”

“The current Arena #2”

“Ah, #1 now. Anyway, she was obsessed with the guy. She immediately fled to Crest and became a pilot there. She eventually became a Crest Exclusive, became friends with Genobee, made her AC almost identical to his. She started becoming enveloped in her job she became so cold. It’s like she’s not my sister anymore.”

Johnathen nodded. “…So what did you do?”

Hannah shook her head. “I thought becoming a Mirage pilot would let me pound some sense in her, but in the time I’ve been here I haven’t even seen her AC.”

Johnathen nodded. “I see. So you are trying to look for her.”

“I thought that, if I could gain the favor of the brass, they’d let me go out on my own and I could hunt her down. So far, my luck has been terrible.” She took a drink from her water bottle. “It started out all confetti and party until I started facing other AC’s from the corporations.”

Johnathen looked up. “Have a freak out?”

“No, I just wasn’t prepared to fight another raven, I guess.”

Johnathen nodded again. “That’s a common thing that new pilots have. They are afraid that those with as much power as them will dominate them and ultimately lead to their death. They become afraid, thus they don’t fight.”

“Which led to my having my AC blown to hell earlier. I was actually relieved that you destroyed that AC, because I would have died otherwise.”

“Just need practice” said Johnathen.

“And how would I get that? I can barely fight off one AC, if I go against another I might-”

“If you don’t gain experience,” started Johnathen “How can you hope to gain the favor of the corporate higher-ups and find Agraya?” he said, looking straight at her.

Hannah froze. What he said made absolute sense. “…”

“How old are you, Hannah?”

“…20…”

Johnathen looked at her, amazed. “You’re only a year younger than me.”

“Shut up! what does it have to-”

“The first step is realizing that you signed up for the job, and that you could die at any time. After you realize that, then you gain the confidence to fight someone with equal power as you, or more.”

Hannah listened intently at what Johnathen was saying. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

Hannah stood up. “You’ve been stripped of your power, how do you intend on helping me?!”

Johnathen sat for a moment. He grinned and shrugged. “I dunno. Guess I’ll just wing it.” he stood up. “I was offered a job by a Mirage Representative. If I can get a position, I might be able to get my AC back, and possibly I could train you.”

Hannah blushed. “I don’t need to be trained like some kid!”

“But you are new with an AC, aren’t you? That makes you a newbie, which means I will treat you like a kid as long as it takes.” He set his water bottle down on the table. “I’ll be back. I need to talk to my employer.”

He walked towards the door. Hannah spoke “Johnathen.” She turned and faced him. “Why are you doing this?”

Johnathen just smiled. “You’re sister’s employer cost me my job. I’m more than a bit pissed off with Crest.”

Hannah looked at him like he was a freak. She watched him leave and close the door. She sat back down. “Well…I was right about him in the restaurant. He’s nice.” She finished her water.

Second chapter, i'm happy!

I’m liking this attempt so far. It feels more like my kind of story.

Well, hey, Reviews are very welcome, leave a review please!