"Raven." Ayre's voice came, "This job comes from me.... Ayre, a Rubiconian. Overseer is planning to burn the Coral to extinction."

She paused. She didn't really know what to say. Or really, the issues are just how to say it.

<>

"I want... to keep that from happening." Ayre continued, "The only way to stop the Xylem's ascent is by seizing control of its systems. And that means we have only one choice. We'll take advantage of the confusion while the corporations and Overseer are fighting... and eliminate Carla."

Raven's eyes widened for a moment as he looked down.

"I understand how you feel about betraying Walter's last wishes and taking on Carla," said Ayre, "But still... I want you to give me a chance. I'm not asking Walter's hound... but Raven, the independent mercenary."

Raven paused for a moment. He needed to be sure of this.

Stop the Xylem, save the Coral, but risk contamination into space by betraying his handler's last wishes, although siding with his partner.

Save the Xylem, burn the Coral, but risk another system-wide explosion or possibly an entire galaxy section scorched, ultimately completing Walter's and having him finally rest in peace, but facing against Ayre.

No. He couldn't bring himself to fight Ayre, his only true best friend.

I'm sorry, Walter.

He'll do it.

I really am.

He clicked the "Accept" button and OBSIDIAN WING was then being brought up.

"I was hoping you would take the job, Raven..." said Ayre with a hopeful tone in her voice, "...Thank you."

<>

...

"...Let's get started, Raven. As always, I'll support you." said Ayre, "Carla has taken up command in the reservoir dome in the Xylem's port wing. You'll make enemies of both the corporations and Overseer by doing this... Please, be careful."

<>

Raven then had OBSIDIAN WING assault boost throughout the small sectiion of the city. He tried to stay out of the way of any corporation or Overseets. However, an unfortunately familiar voice.

"Rubiconian apes..." it grunted in annoyance, "Out of my way!"

"That's V.II Snail. The man who captured you at Institute City." Ayre informed, "...It's up to you how you want to deal with him."

Raven's eyes widened then turned into a death stare as he immediately assault boosted downwards, making his way right for him. He engaged all his vertical and normal missiles, all aiming right for Snail, adding a bazooka blast along with a charged up laser blade.

All weapons struck with a hint of vengeance within them once OPEN FAITH crashed right into a building.

"You again?!" he growled, "Thought you'd run away with your tail between your legs. Back for more, are you?"

<>

OBSIDIAN WING then kicked the enemy AC further into the building, forcing it out of the other side. Snail then forced him off with the laser lance and stun gun.

"You fools don't know your place." he said, "You don't know when you're beaten."

<>

"You don't even know what's good for you!"

OBSIDIAN WING then charged up its laser blade while OPEN FAITH readied its laser lance. They assault boosted towards one another, only for Raven to kick his weapon away and slash back at him, forcing him into a corner for a moment. Snail then launched the stun needle. It merely grazed OBSIDIAN WING's lower leg.

"So much for your re-education." V.II Snail laughed, "What a wasted efort that was, yet another idiotic call by my 'superiors.' ...Old augmentation at its worst. All you know is to chase your master's prize. He was just as bad, you know. Recalcitrant to the last."

He then unleashed a assault armor and attacked Raven with it.

"Howl into the abyss, dog!" shouted V.II Snail.

<>

Ayre almost laughed at Raven's pun attempt. If only it wasn't from such a dark person.

"My augmentation has been refined to perfection." Snail claimed pridefully, "How dare you bare your filthy fangs on me?!"

<>

Raven finally burned a repair charge before using the laser blade to stagger him and used the bazooka to blast at him again.

"Will nothing stop you, pest?!" Snail demanded, "You may have won the battle... but I'll win the war!"

<>

"V.II Snail down... He's withdrawn." said Ayre, feeling doubtful.

<>

Raven then assault boosted without hesitation, trying to continue the mission. They then headed into the port area. However, suddenly the doors started to close, eventually locking onto each other.

"What?!" Ayre gasped, "The partition's locked us in!"

"...Well hi, tourist. How much did Arquebus pay you?" said Carla, sounding a bit disappointed, "Hate to see you go. Actually, why don't you stick around?"

"I'll handle the partition. You take care of this!"

<>

Raven started handling all of the turrets, crushing them one by one. Ayre soon notified hi that they were in the clear and that she had unlocked the partition.

<>

OBSIDIAN WING then started to assault boost and accessed a door, opening it.

"...Figured you were beyond simple tricks." said Carla, "Chatty! Fire up the ACs!"

Raven then stopped at a particular door.

"Carla... She's in there." said Ayre.

<>

The door then slowly opened up. There he spotted FULL COURSE with CIRCUS right next to it, armed with a IRIDIUM Grenade Launcher, a LITTLE GEM Bazooka, WR-0999 DELIVERY BOY Cluster Missile Launcher, and a BML-G1/P07VTC-12 Vertical Missile Launcher.

"Let me tell you my motto, tourist. 'Get your laughs while you can.'" said Carla, "I don't know what you're up to... but you'd better make it worth it."

<>

"Chatty! You know what we're dealing with. Pin that tourist down!"

"Roger, chief. Supporting." replied Chatty, his smaller AC following Carla's.

Raven started to dodge as Ayre advised him not to let them team up on him. OBSIDIAN WING engaged its laser blade and swung, staggering FULL COURSE and damaging it all the while. Carla backed away once Chatty rammed into Raven, shoving him away.

"...Walter told me, you know." she started, "Looks like you made a friend of your own. But it's good to make a choice. Sit on the fence and you make no enemies... or friends."

Just saying that herself began to cause her to think back on the day she first thought about making Chatty. Ever since Walter had left Rubicon, she had been so lonely without him. He'd promise to come back, he'd been promising for like... so long by now.

She was... mostly shy. She mainly stood where most couldn't see her. Then she started to feel her loneliness getting the best of her. To save herself, along with her fallen friends, especially Walter's mission, she tried to restore her sanity, through an A.I. And that was how she gave birth to "Chatty" Stick. The prodigy of all the babies she had designed.

She treated him like he was the closest thing to her. She admitted that he could never get out a laugh, live up to her motto. However, she didn't mind.

She knew that one day he would probably be destroyed, and she thought about creating a bit of a backup server. However, she intentionally ended up refusing that part of the project. She was scared that making him escape death, something humanity could never escape from, may lose his sense of identity in the backup process.

Essentially, this gave Chatty a unique perspective of being mortal like all other humans. Sure, he could hardly ever be human, but he was all she had left now.

She then felt OBSIDIAN WING literally kick her back into a wall, as well as reality. She smirked under the protected walls of FULL COURSE's metallic body. "...That's our tourist. Hope you've got room for more. I brought a full course meal."

She then let out all of her SOUP missiles, all coming right for Raven. He then dodged to the right, let loose a bazooka blast, and fired the missiles to stagger Carla. He then used a single swing of the laser blade and boost kicked her away, crashing her into a wall.

"Is that all you've got?! Come on!" she shouted, "At least stay for dessert, tourist!"

<>

He then swung his laser blade even harder than before. It slashed off the SOUPs while Raven shot FULL COURSE with the bazooka once again.

"Gotta face the music... Chatty... It's all you..." she groaned.

"...Chief." said Chatty, voice heavy, "She's dead, tourist."

CIRCUS then turned its head to OBSIDIAN WING as it locked onto him with everything.

"You've made a big mistake." he warned.

He then started to ram into Raven, using his missiles to push him even further into a wall.

"You're making this hard... I can hear the chief laughing!" he growled.

He assault boosted right for Raven as he shot the bazooka right at the floor, staggering them both from the blast radius. OBSIDIAN WING recovered quicker than Chatty did, giving the mercenary time to swing a laser blade at him.

"Guess... I can't do everything..." Chatty groaned.

OBSIDIAN WING then banged CIRCUS against another wall and then shot one more bazooka blast, critically damaging CIRCUS's core.

"Guess you win, tourist..." said Chatty, "But the chief... never loses..."

The static died down. Raven around, suddenly seeing red lights show up.

"What?!" Ayre gasped, "The Xylem's control system center is locked out...!"

"Let me... Chief..." Chatty groaned through the static, "I'll... take us over the finish line... Inheritiing priviledges. Owner: 'Cinder' Carla. Activating Perimeter Protocol. Xylem propulsion vector locked. All systems locked out.

"...Carla had planned everything, even her own death." said Ayre, "Just like Walter... They both wanted someone to inherit their legacy... The Rubiconians are continuing to resist the corporations on the ground, even now. The potential of humanity and Coral isn't the only thing we have to protect. Raven. There has to be something we can do."

Raven thought about it. Walter had him to continue his friends' mission, as did Chatty when it came to Carla. Only difference is that Raven refused where Chatty accepted.

Was it his lack of their experiences? Or was it because he met Ayre?

He looked around, seeing FULL COURSE and CIRCUS about to go up in flames. They weren't dead. Not just yet...

<>

"H-Huh?" asked Ayre.

<>

"O...okay...?"

She then forced the eject button on both FULL COURSE and CIRCUS. They'll have time to get it.

https://youtu.be/WEsibVKPNA0

________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for Reading!