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Chapter 110 (YEAR 2052)
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Games of Invictus Chapter 111 (YEAR 2052)
My command capsule opened, door striking the catwalk with a hollow metallic noise. My HUD flickered off. I wouldn't be needing it, anyway.I stepped out onto the catwalk of the ship, breathing in the musty metallic air. I marched toward the Spartan, which hung, waiting, at the end of the hangar."Jackson."I turned around to see both Dan and Lucas standing behind me, arms crossed.I sighed, turning off my comms earpiece. The others didn't need to hear this."I know, I know, this is a stupid, brash idea that'll probably get me killed," I frowned. "I know Phalanx is dangerous, but hear me out."To my surprise, I was met with a pair of grins instead."Go get 'em," Lucas chirped, taking me completely by surprise. "We need a stupid, lucky idea or two right now. Do what you think is best, and if it works we'll be better off for it.""Besides," Dan added, hopping forward on his crutch, "We trust you. Use the Spartan, then destroy it."I walked over to where the Spartan hung, entry hatch open
Games of Invictus Chapter 112 (YEAR 2052)
Blue fire burned the air, waves of plasma emanating from the lines of Aegis.I swerved my Spartan to one side, ducking behind the brunt of a Barricade and joining the rushing tide of mechs."Those cannons are going to tear my shield apart before I can reach them!" Sojwa shouted. Her Xiezhi was near the front of the charge, using its damaged silver shield to deflect the tide of plasma."We have to get closer, fast!" Kitt exclaimed. Even over the comms I could hear the impact of plasma striking his Barricade."I've got a bead on one of the Legions at the back," Alyx declared. Her Valkyrie hung near the far left edge of the pack, distancing herself from other mechs to make shooting easier."Keep your sight on Draco instead!" I shouted. "If he stops hiding behind his soldiers, take the shot!"By now we had closed the distance to around one-hundred meters, but the torrent of plasma showed no signs of slowing. The shouting in my ear became increasingly desperate as shields were chipped away
Games of Invictus Chapter 113 (YEAR 2052)
Jump!I leapt straight upward just as a massive wall of debris impacted me. Proximity alerts flashed. I was rattled in my seat, jostled around. I couldn't see, but I felt motion. My stomach was pushed into my throat.Martin's voice crackled over the comms. "Oh my God.""Please land it. Land the jump."That was Alyx.My Spartan's feet struck metal, shaking the debris from my cameras. All at once, I could see again. The battlefield was now filled with craters, pockmarks from Pantheon impacts. My Spartan stood a few meters from the edge of a crater, one that had been blasted by Fisk's attack. Large skid marks began a few meters farther, made by the Spartan's impact.I had been tossed over one-hundred yards by Fisk's shockwave."Armour integrity at fifty percent," Phalanx informed me. "Administer repairs when possible. Confrontation not recommended."Did I detect a panicked edge to its monotonous voice?"Check in," I called. "Who's alive?""I'm okay, but a lot of our Barricades were decim
Games of Invictus Chapter 114 (YEAR 2052)
Draco stared down the battlefield at me. I could almost see his face through the armour plating of his mech, creased with tension. My knuckles were white on the Spartan's controls.He was piloting a new mech with multiple powerful abilities. Dangerous, but untested. I controlled one of the strongest mechs in the history of the Iron War, but I was already damaged from the earlier battle."Phalanx," I called, "how much more damage can I take?""Your armour is at fifty percent integrity," Phalanx replied.Fifty percent armour integrity was all that stood between me and sudden death. Draco and I stood at odds, frozen in the moment before combat. Who would break the calm?Draco inhaled, a small, slight gasp."I-"I launched into the air with a cry of rage. My HUD flashed to life, targeting systems active. My rocket launchers blazed a burning line of fire through the air, striking the ground, just as Fisk's Pantheon propelled itself skyward, soaring far past me and smashing into the sand at
Games of Invictus Chapter 115 (YEAR 2052)
Report: QuinnThe Mojave Desert.United States of America.Crash site of an Axion warship.Designation: "Project Terminus""It's over!" Draco screamed. "Die!"I heard the shouts of my allies, the sounds of twisting metal has every mech within a kilometre radius was rocked by a blast that they could not see.In a single horrible instant, every mech on the battlefield fell, Axion or Alliance alike.Every mech except mine.As the dust cleared, I could see hundreds of metal corpses littering the sand. I desperately hoped that the wreckage did not contain any of my allies and that they had escaped safely, but now wasn't the time to search for them.Now was the time to bring about an end to Draco's reign of terror.As the dust cleared, I would have given anything to see Draco's face the moment he saw my Spartan standing amongst the field of wreckage, utterly unharmed."What?" he exclaimed. "That's impossible! You were directly in range! How are you still standing?""Killswitch targets IRON
Games of Invictus Chapter 116 (YEAR 2052)
The dropships descended, tossing swaying shadows on the ground like circling vultures. I shielded my eyes as Dropship 13 blasted me with sand, its repulsor engines blowing some of the smaller debris off of my Spartan.Led by Draco's chosen Commander, the remainder of Axion's strike force had left shortly after I'd taken Draco down, leaving behind their mechs in favour of a quick retreat. Clean-up had begun, with the wreckage of enemy mechs being taken for study or for evidence.Doctor Dan Stonewood, always brave, had volunteered to enter the Terminus in a Hazmat suit to document the ship and match the blueprints. With it, we could irrefutably prove Axion's involvement in the creation of Terminus and expose crimes they had almost succeeded in committing. With any luck, this would bring about an end to the United States' attack on Russia-without their top contractor, the creation of mechs would stall.Of course, it wasn't over yet. Even with Axion no longer stoking the fires of war, a R
Games of Invictus Chapter 117 (YEAR 2052)
The mood onboard the dropship was festive. We had nothing to celebrate with, but lots to celebrate.Lucas' radio cycled through an endless mix of his favourites as we sat in the cockpit and passed around a bottle of water, taking sips to ease our dry throats and chatting amicably.Draco Fisk hadn't spoken a word since we left but had accepted a drink from the water bottle with a gracious nod. In a strange way, it was disconcerting to see him acting so civilly.Dropship 13 had been the last to leave the crash site. We would soon be home, bringing up the rear on the victorious return of the dropships.I couldn't wait to sit down, have a nap in my bunk and a meal in the Firmament's mess hall. After all that we had been through, it was going to be good to relax, at least for a little while.**The hangar bay was filled with personnel, from pilots to mechanics to maintenance staff, all celebrating our victory in unison. They crowded the hangar bridge and swarmed the levels below, waving an
Games of Invictus Chapter 118 (YEAR 2052)
The wind left my lungs with a hiss of breath.Moments later, my back struck the ground with an agonizing thud.I lay there for a moment, gasping, unable to breathe. As I did so, I took stock of my situation.My left ear rang, but my head was clear. This wasn't the first time in the past week that I'd been hit by an explosion. I could still see, which was good. Unfortunately, however, the full ache in my ribcage told me that I would be suffering the moment my adrenaline wore off.Panic cut through the pain of my impact, a hot knife through my mind. The others! Taking slow, deep breaths, I pulled myself to my feet, my aching muscles protesting all the way. I stood, staring around the hangar, searching frantically through the smoke.Kedrick lay on the ground beside me, holding his elbow, and Alyx was dragging herself to her feet, ignoring a gash on her forehead.I could hardly hear Alyx's shout over the alarms. It was like every word was being shouted through water."What the hell was th
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Games of Invictus Special Chapter (YEAR 2042)
Report: FiskA few hundred meters beneath Rome.Italy.Centro di produzione TMC, divisione di Roma.(TMC production center, Roman division.)"Can't be too careful," Carl smiled.My heart skipped a beat. Did he know?I'd seen Jackson duck behind the Punisher-T from when I'd entered. I assumed Karen was behind it, too. I had to keep Carl away from my allies long enough for them to escape.It dawned on my how ironic this was. A few weeks ago I would've been furious to learn how unobservant and arrogent Carl was. Now? I was happy. His ego would be our saving grace. I just had to keep him talking."So when do I hear about this Exodus," I said, sweeping my arm around Carl and leading him away from the computer. "I'd like to hear all about it."Carl looked enthused, a beaming grin spreading across his face, and he turned towards me. I followed his lead as we marched a few dozen feet away towards a large tarp, and stopped."Well," he said, "everyone loves rapid-fire rocket weapons. You have y
Games of Invictus Special Chapter (YEAR 2042)
The hallway smelled of oil and cleaner, burning my nose as I marched, boots squeaking against the steel floor. The hallway was cold and dimly lit, with only a few eerie orange lights for decoration. Beyond this hall was the factory floor and our goal.Karen and I moved quickly, and I couldn't shake the feeling we were being pursued. I knew almost nothing about the layout of the underground factory, we were unarmed, and we had no disguise of any kind. I was just grateful that the guards were busy dealing with the riots on the surface. If I listened closely I could still hear the dull roar of the crowds, even through the massive steel doors.Those doors hadn't been a problem- only those guarding them. We'd selected an entrance on the opposite side of the city, as far away from the riots as possible. Surveillance was lax there, with only two guards. The TMC soldiers I'd seen looked identical to the men and women Draco had been with at Yamantau- black body armor and powerful rifles.Fortu
Games of Invictus Special Chapter (YEAR 2042)
Report: QuinnThe bustling city of Rome.Italy.The Via Claudia.Temperature: 25° Celsius (77°F)Rome. City of marble and ruins. Rome's ancient history, once the life of so many a historian, was that of dominance, failure and reinvention. Just like the city of old, the Roman capital had fallen to civil war shortly before the Third World War. Rebellion ravaged Italy's capital, with it's citizens taking a stand against their complacent government. Although Italy's political superiors refused to partake in the World War, they knew they would not be safe for long.When the warheads were launched, many cities were targeted, Rome included. But despite the accusations of its citizens, the Italian government had been preparing. In a joint effort with China, two massive energy shields were deployed over Shenzhen and Rome, sparing them from the nuclear fire that consumed so much of the rest of the world.The OMEGA Horizon Shield, known by the locals as the 'scudo orizzonte', saved their lives.
Games of Invictus Special Chapter (YEAR 2042)
Report: QuinnThe bustling city of Rome.Italy.Outside the Colosseum.Temperature: 27° Celsius (81°F)Something behind me shattered, spraying my back, legs and neck with bits of rubble as I ran. The hot sun beat against my face as my pursuers grew closer.I didn't know if it was a person or the robot who fired, but seconds later something warm and bright zipped past my head and struck a decorative statue in front of my, shattering an outstretched arm. The plaster sprayed my face as I ran, and a moment later my head was warm. I stepped around a group of fleeing pedestrians and glanced back, seeing the ball cap laying in the center of the street, hooked around the statue's stony fingers.Oh, well. The hat didn't matter.After all, the contents of the tablet in my pocket were much more important.I tapped my right ear, triggering the hearing-aid that doubled as my comms earpiece."Karen," I shouted, "do you copy?"A gasping, flushed voice crackled over the comms. Gunfire I heard in my l
Games of Invictus Special Chapter (YEAR 2042)
In war, your greatest enemy is often yourself. We all begin war pure, fighting for righteousness' sake, but then the ego steps in, the hubris and the greed, and you feel invincible. But eventually you'll wake up and realize that you're not fighting for righteousness' sake anymore, you're not invincible, and that you're a long way from home. Looking back at everything that happened, I would say that this applies to myself, as well. I would be lying if I didn't say I had regrets. It's over now, I suppose. All is said and done. I never wanted to become a War Robot pilot, you know. I never expected it. When the first War Robot was built I was too young to know what I wanted to be when I was older. Before I knew it, the Iron War consumed my freedom to choose my fate. I joined the Chinese-Canadian Alliance on my own free will, sure, but the very fact that this was a choice I felt compelled to make illustrates my point. Every day the Iron War takes. It takes lives, yes, as do all wars, but
Games of Invictus Chapter 124: END (YEAR 2052)
Report: Park Just off the coast of Nova Scotia. Canada. The remains of an Alliance base. Former designation: "The Firmament" Six hours later... Powerful halogen floodlights scanned the ocean surface, making the water shine. The blinding glow traced along the sides of the tower, across the film of oil and over floating debris. The fires that had consumed the Firmament were almost gone, leaving charred metal and burning oil in their wake. The flames provided little to see by-even the moon was hidden by clouds, so the searchlight was necessary. I stood in the cockpit of the dropship, staring down at the water as the vessel scanned the detritus. If something useful was found, the ship's mechanical arm system would target it, snatching it from the oil slick and pulling it inside. It had continued like this for over ten minutes, with little more than scraps discovered. "We have to go, Taewi," the dropship's pilot demanded. Her eyes were wide with worry, and her hands were a tan blu
Games of Invictus Chapter 123 (YEAR 2052)
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, sacrificing my mech?"A blur of motion swept past the Firmament, snatching the Exodus out of the sky.A dropship."Laura?" I exclaimed. "You came back!""Looks like I got here just in time, too!" Laura replied. "I've got your friend-get the hell out of here! Rendezvous in Shenzhen!""But Mallet-" Alyx began."-can take care of herself!" Laura shot back. "Trust in her, she's your General for a reason! We need to go!""We're out!" Lucas called. The dropship lurched forward.The remaining Zephyrus, distracted by Kedrick's disappearance, didn't see our ship slip by them. We were out of their range in moments.My comms crackled, fading in and out."We're losing close-range radio," Dan informed me."I'll see you guys in China!" Kedrick shouted. He had to fight for his voice to be audible over the encroaching static. "Stay strong!"The comms cut out in a burst of static, and I slumped into a nearby seat.Kedrick was safe, but everything else was
Games of Invictus Chapter 122 (YEAR 2052)
After a moment of catching our breath, Dan, Draco, Alyx and I gathered ourselves and jogged into the cockpit where Lucas sat, fingers dancing across the controls."Strap the hell in!" he bellowed. Everyone scrambled to get to their seats."No!" Lucas glared, gesturing at Draco, "not you. Zip-tie yourself to that seat or you'd better hope you can fly!"Draco frowned, but did as he was told, taking a new pair of the plastic ties from Lucas' outstretched hand and latching himself to a seat.The dropship leapt into the air, soaring away from the battle."We're here to grab you when you need it, Kedrick," Lucas stated.Our forces, sensing this was a losing battle, had begun to retreat. Around us, the Zephyrus swarmed in unison, moving as if at the will of some invisible puppet master. Instead of shooting down the mechs as they were picked up, we watched in horror as they began to fly directly into the path of dropships, bringing them down."The hell?" Draco screamed. "This is suicide! This
Games of Invictus Chapter 121 (YEAR 2052)
The Firmament was built to function at a high altitude, but that didn't necessarily mean that its inhabitants were.The massive tower was well above the height that command capsules could safely travel, as the winds were so strong that they would be blown off course.The second issue was the fact that the entire upper dome of the ship was swarming with Zephyrus.Having breached the glass dome that took up most of the tower's roof, the winged mechs were using the remainder of the surface as a staging ground, gathering up top before descending into the tower to wreak havoc. With the dome gone, the surface area of the Firmament's highest point was about the same as an interior level-a large, circular platform with a gaping hole in its centre.Alyx, Draco and I stood in an emergency airlock on the top level of the Firmament, staring across the open surface of the tower.In its past life as a launch platform, the Firmament's upper deck had been where satellite and weather systems were loca
