Haven't quite gotten to the action parts, but hey, all stories are like that.
Just to peek some interest. Its basically a story of mankind against robots, using Gundam-like machines called "HUNTERS". I had originally written a similiar story in maybe the 8th grade with a friend of mine. WHile it was my first story, I was never able to quite make something work with it until now (after watching and reading way too much Gundam). So basically I made a Gundam story, using characters from my series (or similiar characters).
This part picks up after the last entry I
posted. It also has a lot of explaination of nano-technology that is being used (which a primary subject in my series). And it also gives us the first glimpse at the HUNTERS, and also Davis(the main character)'s first piloting experience. ANd I apologize for ending it so briefly. Getting a bit tired and have to stop for TV.
A week and a half later, Kaol himself visited Davis. He brought with him a package of military clothing and boots, and a chance for redemption. He wasn’t pleased to see Davis, but he knew that what he was going to offer the young man was worth the pain of seeing him again.
“All right young man, I have an obligation to fulfill to a lot of people. It seems to me that you feel that same way, so I’m going to offer you a chance in a life time. You want to do something bigger than yourself, to protect those who need protecting. I know you may think what I do is not the same as what you want to do, but once I show you what I have to offer, you may change your mind. And I know your parents would be proud to see you take my offer.” Kaol offered, opening the cell up. He sat down next to Davis. He handed him the clothing and boots.
“Nice, but it’s not my size.” Davis retorted, checking the clothing out. It was a set of military-style pants and jacket like Kaol’s, but the coloring was different. Kaol often wore a drab green and olive color, signifying colors in the armed forces, more specifically, in the leadership role. These, however, were burgundy and black. “What gives? I’ve never seen these colors before.”
“It’s the suit of a pilot, or more to the point, of a mobile suit pilot.” Kaol answered, pulling out a data pad from his jacket. He handed it to Davis. “This is a mobile suit, the latest weapon we’ve developed. More powerful than the modern battleship at sea, more mobile on the land and air than any thing built before. And it’s more than capable of handling the robots on their own turf.”
Davis looked over the data pad. He saw a picture of a large humanoid shape, much like the robots he had grown up seeing. But this was much larger, almost 2 or 3 stories tall, at least. The picture showed several humans working near the feet, and they barely reached past its ankle. Whatever this thing was, it was huge, and looked as powerful as Kaol had said. Davis scanned some of the information being displayed and noticed that this mobile suit was just a basic model, and they were more than 10 different suits built already. “Looks impressive.”
“That’s just a picture. Wait till you see it up close. It’s a monument to the human spirit.” Kaol leaned next to him. “I know that you’ve refused in the past to join the armed forces, but I think I’m not going to let you pass this opportunity up. I need a skilled leader for a special group I am putting together. I know you have no training, but that will change. But I believe you have the will to push people to do greater things. You have this raw passion that sets you apart from others, and it’s what drives you to do good, despite the world around you. I need that, and I need a pilot. I need you, Davis Michaels.”
Davis looked at the older gentleman. He knew that perhaps Kaol was right, but he didn’t want to do what Kaol wanted. Not without a fight, but Davis stopped to think. Kaol had just told him that he couldn’t really refuse, and it was an opportunity to do something better than petty theft for the greater good. Davis took one more look at the data pad, and something stirred within him. He could feel a familiarity with the mobile suit, and he welcomed the idea. “All right, I’ll try this. But I warn you Kaol, if you do anything that puts the people I care about in harms way, I swear, I’ll use this very machine to destroy you.” Davis said bluntly.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kaol said, acknowledging the statement. He stood up, and walked out of the cell. “Put that suit on, and meet me upstairs. I’ll take you to the base, and we’ll see to your mobile suit.”
“My…mobile suit?”
---
“Actually mobile suit is misnomer. Technically it really isn’t a suit, more like a tank or vehicle. Or you could call it by what it is really called, a HUNTER unit.” A short stocky technician explained to Davis, as he and Kaol entered the hangar bay for the units.
“A HUNTER unit? What does that mean?” Davis asked, staring around the hanger. It was a huge space within the mountain that the dome was attached to. Most of this hangar was part of the original military base the United States once used, but it had been shut down and used for storage. Now it was a lively place, with 10 of these HUNTER units standing tall. Looking at them now, Davis estimated their height to be about 50 feet tall. 6 of the units looked like the unit on the data pad, with various stages of repair and fittings. The other 4 had been customized; something Kaol had explained would be up to Davis to do as well.
“HUNTER, or Human Unilateral Nano or Neuro Technology Enriched Robotics. We go with either Nano or Neuro depending on the link system used for the pilot. Each is different, depending on their level of experience with their own nano-bots and also with how they choose to pilot the unit. Unilateral for the fact that only we have units like this. The Enriched part comes from the fact that the machine relies of either the nano or neuro responses of the pilots. Which ever system is used for the pilot, then we use nano receptors or neuro links for control through out the system. And of course, Robotics because most of the technologies like weight distribution and movement mechanics, came from robotics. If it weren’t for the past 50 or so years of advanced robotic knowledge we’ve amassed here, then we could not make the units this size. And since we’ve seen images of some of their gigantic machines, we knew we had to make something equal, to be on par with them in battle.” The technician explained, stepping past a few large wires that ran into the foot of one of the units.
“So how do you pilot these things? You keep on mentioning nano or neuro linking? I assume you control it with your thoughts?” Davis asked, looking up. The unit they were by was covered in a green paint, and resembled a large humanoid lizard. Someone had even gone through the trouble of making the outer armor resemble scales.
“The pilot stands inside the cockpit, with a stand that attaches a belt to their waist. The suit that pilots wear transmits data wirelessly to the unit, and depending on how the pilot chooses to control the unit, different movements and gestures control varying things. The nano pilots tend to be able to use small finger gestures to control weapons and other minor systems. The neuro pilots tend to just think what they need done, and the machine tries to do it. The cockpit has been designed to withstand the force of inertia, and with that, the pilot can move the unit his or her own movements, hence the belt and stand, although we are working on removing the stand, as one of our female pilot wants to attempt more acrobatic moves.”
“Acrobatic moves, like flips? How? Those things don’t look that they could withstand their own weight, not like a human.” Davis assumed, looking the units over.
Kaol interjected. “You’d be surprised. The polymers and metals used to create these machines can handle the stress much more than a human could at the same size. They were designed to be strong, and they are definitely that. But we never imagined anyone would want to try doing flips with the machine. But we shall see. The pilot, a young Katlin, has a remarkable talent for doing impossible acts. Already she’s shown that lowering the armor on her unit and enforcing multiple energy shields still makes for a formidable defense. I guess with all the lightening of her weight she’s ready to try actually dodging attacks.”
A teen a little bit older than Davis came up to the group. His suit was green like Kaol, making him one of Kaol’s subordinates. “Sir, I’ve got word from General Gasen that the council wishes to see you. It’s concerning the new pilot and the status of his readiness.” Kaol held up a hand, silencing the young man.
“Thank you Lt. Terace. Tell General Gasen and the rest of the council that I will be by with my report in a few hours. I haven’t even gotten the pilot into a tester yet to even familiarize him with a cockpit. Tell those old fools to be patient.” He raised his hand to salute the young man. The young man nodded, saluted, and then headed off in a huff.
“So the council doesn’t really know about me do they?” Davis asked, looking at Kaol. He could tell the general wasn’t excited about hearing from the council. “All right enough of this show, let’s see this tester thing. If they want to know the status of their new pilot, let’s show ‘em.”
Kaol smiled. They hurried through the hangar, and entered into one of the makeshift buildings that weren’t part of the original hangar. Inside, there were many technicians and people scuttling around, working on various parts for the units, or working on computers, possibly programs for the units, as far as Davis could tell. They walked through several rooms before coming to a larger room with several pod looking devices. They were slightly taller than the average human, and with all the wires coming out, Davis assumed this was the testing unit.
“Welcome General Kaol. I assume this is our new pilot?” asked a red colored, shoulder length haired young woman. She was slightly cute, in Davis’s opinion, with black rimmed glasses and a pert nose. She reminded him of an old actress he had seen, one from the early 21st century. He smiled at her, as she looked him over. “Has he been brought up to speed on the different systems?”
“Yes, Matty, I’ve told him about it. I know that his nano-bots have increased a lot of his natural abilities, but I’m not sure how well he knows how to control them. I suggest starting on the neuro-link training. I’ll have Katlin or maybe Robert work with him on the nano-bot training. Both of them have great control.” Kaol explained to Matty.
Davis stepped forward, and extended his hand. “I’m Davis by the way, Davis Michaels. So explain this training I’ll be doing.”
Matty let out a small laugh. “Well technically it’s more of a test. Most of the training you’ll have on it will be to improve on what the test shows you’re not strong in. Piloting is almost inherent. The programmers have done a tremendous job in ensuring that the pilots feel as though the units are an extension of their own bodies.” They walked over to a testing pod, as she explained further. “I’ll be talking you through the test, teaching what you need to know. You’ll have to guess the rest. That’s why we call it a test. You’ll spend about hour in the test, performing basic maneuvers before we try other more advance maneuvers. The faster you move through the tests, the better the results. We definitely want to see some good results.”
She pressed a couple of buttons on the side, and a door eased open from the bottom, lifting past them. Inside there were monitors on nearly all the walls, all black with word “TEST” in white. In the middle was a stand with a belt hanging off of it. The floor beneath was padded, with many wires coming from underneath, and attaching to the walls nearby. A suit was hanging near the door, and Matty grabbed it.
“After we close you in, strip down to your underwear or naked if you prefer, and then put the suit on. It’ll stretch to fit you, and basically what it will do is feed your neuro responses into the computer, doing whatever you wish to do that it is programmed to respond to. Because this is doing using your nerves, your movement is the movement of the machine. When you walk, it walks. When you swing your arm, it swings. It will even send you crashing to the floor if you fall down. But you won’t have to worry about that too much. We’ve designed the cockpits to withstand certain inertia situations, like movement.”
“Why’s that? I mean I could kind of see where you might not want to be lurched forward when you swing your arms, especially since it follows your movements. You’d probably be thrown forward, and that’ll throw the whole machine forward.” Davis asked, thinking the situation over. “But why not have it the neuro-link cut off when you need to do something like scratch your back or something?”
Matty laughed again. “Working on that. Our programmers are great, but they’re still developing the systems. The nano-pilots tend to have it easier because they’re in control of the unit via their own nano-bots. The signal in your brain that controls the nano-bots is transferred to the nano-bots within the unit, and they react accordingly. Similar to the neuro-links in the neuro piloted systems, but without the side effect that all movement is transferred. Also the better control of your own nano-bots, the better control you have over the machine. One of our pilots has enough control that he can easily cause his machine to perform tasks that the other neuro pilots cannot.”
“Yeah, I told him about Katlin and her desire to perform acrobatics. I hadn’t told him about Robert and the so-called ‘dragoon jump’ he’s come up with.” Kaol interrupted Matty.
“ ‘Dragoon jump?’ That sounds interesting and dangerous all at the same time.” Davis commented.
“It is when you see it in action. If you saw the green unit, that’s the Dragoon, HA-001. Basically after we added in some stronger thrusters in the feet, Robert decided to see how high he could jump. His control over his own nano-bots pushed the nano-bots within the Dragoon, and it soared almost 2000 feet. With some amazing adjustments as he descended, Robert targeted and landed on a dummy tank. Sustaining minor damage to his legs, he easily destroyed the tank. He dubbed the attack the ‘dragoon jump’, and he’s been helping his technicians improve the legs and thrusters ever since.” Matty explained. She leaned against the opening of the pod a bit, showcasing her small, but curvy frame. “One of our neuro pilots tried the same maneuver, but couldn’t get more than 10 feet in the air. The concentrations for the thrusters, coordination of jumping and targeting, and just lack of control in comparison to Robert caused the pilot to crash and break the unit’s legs in half. It took us over a month to repair the damage. It also made us see that we’re going to have to have more pilots with better nano-bot control for some of our more mobile units.”
“The neuro pilots tend to do better with weapons and targeting. While it’s easy to tell your bots you want to hit ‘x’ over ‘there’, it doesn’t quite work out that way for some. Most of the neuro pilots carry hand-held weapons, and can aim with far better accuracy. That’s not to say that nano-pilots can’t, it’s just that the accuracy level is much lower. Our conclusion is that nano-pilots make better melee fighters than range fighters.” Matty explained further.
Kaol coughed, and then looked at Davis. “All right, let’s not delay this any further. Just ‘think’ to call us, and we should start seeing transmissions from you. Then we’ll start the test up. You’ll be in a simulation, but it will look like real life. Don’t be too shocked by how the world outside the dome looks. It’s not as bleak as you would expect, but it something you’ll get to see first hand.” Kaol patted Davis on the back. “Make us proud.”
Davis was taken back by the comment, but nodded silently. Both Kaol and Matty exited the pod, and Davis started to undress. He picked up the suit, and saw that it looked almost like a kid’s suit. It was a one piece suit with a slight rip in the middle. There wasn’t a sign of any zipper or button, but he knew he had to put it on some how. He put his foot into the suit, and slowly stretched the leg out. The suit contracted around him, but it didn’t feel tight at all. It almost felt as though it was elastic, but not quite. He put the other foot in, and then put his arm in the sleeve. The suit stretched around his arm, and as it did, he noticed the lines stretching along his arm. He could feel tiny pricks on his skin as the suit contracted around him, the lines seemingly touching into his nerves. He put his other arm in, and then felt the suit stretching to close itself. It also stretched around his neck, and seemed to stretch around his face, covering only his forehead and temples. And then the suit stopped stretching. It almost felt like it was another layer of skin.
He moved around the pod a bit, getting adjusted to the suit. It made very little noise, and when he touched himself, he could feel the suit feeling itself. Maybe it’s some sort of nano-bot-latex. I can feel it as though it’s my own skin, and yet its not. Hmmm…
Davis then stepped next to the stand, and put the belt around his waist. Concentrating, he called out to Matty. Her face and Kaol’s popped onto the main monitor. “Good I see you’ve figured out the suit.”
“It’s very odd feeling. What is it?” Davis asked, looking around as the monitors began showing a large open desert area. The sky was very gray, much like he had remembered during the days the robots started their attacks. The air swirled around, and Davis could hear it as though he was truly there.
“It’s a new cloth-latex design with a bit of nano-technology built in. It is basically made out of tiny nano-bots who have the characteristics similar to cotton and latex. The lines that stretch along your body are another type of nano-bot that ties itself into your nerves, those creating the neuro-link process. If you’ve got a lot of control over your nano-bots, you’ll overload the suit, but hopefully, that won’t happen.” Matty explained.
“So I take it nano-pilots have a different type of suit?”
Matty laughed. Davis thought it was a cute laugh. “Yeah they do. Same design, but doesn’t have the lines running through it. And we’ve modified the nano-bots in the suit to transmit the signals from your body’s nano-bots at a higher level, so that the wireless network within the suit can register communications. But we’ll get to that later.”
She stopped as Kaol looked her over, and then back at Davis.
“All right, let’s begin this test. Try taking your first step.” Matty asked, as she popped off the screen. Davis could still her voice, as she instructed him.
Cautiously, Davis took a step forward. Immediately he felt the pod move, and the screen moved forward. Davis turned his head, and the view from the monitors moved with him. Davis then moved forward again and again, before starting to look like a full walk.
“Good I think you’ve got it. I know it’s probably hard to walk in place, so you may notice that the pad beneath you actually moves with you. Another wonderful invention from nano-technology. The pad is made of nano-bots that take data from sensors and creates terrain that you can feel. That way you’ll know exactly what you’re walking on. The only think we’ve noticed, and we’re working on, is that the bots can’t handle sand very well, or any slippery. Mud’s a bit tricky, but we’re developing as fast as we can.”
Davis smiled, as he got used to walking. He could see the pad underneath him, and make adjustments in his stride for the environment. Feeling a bit more confident, he took a jump. Everything worked together to produce a great jump that probably was about 7 feet in height. He landed almost perfectly, with a minor stumble with the terrain.
“Excellent jump. You’re progressing well. Now how about we try just some basic movements. Move your arms around, and make sure that you can bring your arms together and touch.” Matty commanded, as she watched the progress.
Davis moved his arms, and he could see the robotic arms in the monitor as he swung his arms around. He moved slow, but then picked up the pace. The machine did react as he did, and it seemed to keep up with his speed. The pod jerked a bit as he moved around, but it felt very normal. He tried all sorts of movements, and then he stopped.
“Everything okay?” Matty asked, as she noticed his hesitation.
“Yeah. Just thinking.” Davis responded. He looked at the monitor, and then lunged a bit. The unit lunged as he did, and Davis burst out into a steady run. After about a minute of running, he slid to a stop, and then ran back. As he ran back, he threw his arms down, and attempted summersault. The unit responded by following the commands and executed the move.
Matty gasped. “You’re almost as insane as Katlin’s been lately. And its hard to imagine you did that in a neuro unit. I’m impressed.”
“Kid don’t get cocky on me. Matty, why don’t you teach him how to use his weapons. If he thinks he can handle running, jumping, and doing flips, then let’s see him hit targets.” Kaol’s voice interjected.
“You heard him Matty, show me the guns.” Davis said, feeling proud of what he had done. He responded by throwing his arms up in the air, pumping them in celebration. He could hear Matty laughing as she watched his unit.
“Okay smartass, target practice. If you reach to your shoulder, you should feel your rifle. Pull it out, and then head about half-a-mile to your left. You’ll find your first set of targets.” Matty instructed. She watched as Davis did as she asked, and she noticed him checking the rifle out as he held it. “This rifle is based our standard pulse rifle. The capacity and damage output is greater, mainly due to the rifle getting its energy from your unit’s reactor.”
Davis stared at the monitor, checking the weapon out. It was pretty impressive, but he really wished he had something to hold onto, as a means of replicating movement, much like his suit did to the unit. “How come there isn’t a mock up in here? How are you supposed to know if you’re really handling this thing right?”
“Ah, I forgot to mention our holographic system. Hold on a minute.” Matty’s voice stopped, and then returned. “Okay, if you could, just think of turning on the holographic system. I forgot to tell you to do that. Basically, we’ve been able to create almost solid holographical images.”
Davis followed her instructions, and as he did, he began to see the rifle in his own hands. “Sweet.” He could almost feel the weight and the feel of the rifle as he traced a finger around the image. He then turned his gaze forward, and began to move toward the targets.
As he ascended up a small hill, he saw several humanoid looking robots walking around a large machine. It was the first time since he was a little boy that he had seen robots like these. The many robots within the dome were small and barely resembled anything human. It was almost banned. These robots didn’t take notice of him, and went about their own business, working on some sort of weapon, much like a cannon or missile launcher.
Davis raised the rifle to his eye and traced the sight down to a robot working near what he assumed was a computer of sorts. On the monitor, Davis noticed a reticule. The computer was analyzing the target, bringing up information.
“Good, you’ve discovered you FoF reticule. Much like the Friend or Foe system used in the later 21st century, you’ll be able to analyze targets in the field. If they are one of ours, you’ll be notified. And if they’re not, the computer will try to find a match in a database of targets. Any information known will be displayed. It’s a neat little system, so I’m sure you’ll like it as well.” Matty explained, as Davis read the information being displayed.
“Worker Drone. Height is approximately 25 feet tall. Structure is humanoid, class 2, whatever that means. Drone acts with others, although can think independently when needed. Tends to work on repair and installations. No known combat history. Currently, has been known to take only a few shots from the pulse rifle to bring down. Head shots tend to disrupt other Drones that may be attached to targeted Drone. That’s useful to know.” Davis commented, reading aloud the data. He adjusted the reticule, and then placed his finger on the trigger. “Say goodnight,” he said, pulling the trigger.
The first shot from the rifle pierced the drone’s head, sending sparks and pieces of metal everywhere. Its arms waved around, grasping at its head. Davis took around shot, and the shot took out the drone’s neck. It dropped immediately to the ground. Several drones around the fallen drone shrieked, which sounded like metal on a chalkboard, and the robots started to scatter about.