Fortnite: Project Mecha

Chapter 21: Mecha

The moon which orbited around the island (capsulated in an orb, which Drift had not expected) was vast and a pale blue in colour, as if it was made of ice. On the moon was a tiny base that had structures like the ones at Sanctuary but bigger and there was no stone to be seen.
Drift, Lynx, Mothy and Raz looked at this moon and the base from the confines of a small room within the base, high up so that they could see piles and piles of building equipment here and there. Space rocks floated by the window and Mothy made little 'ooh' and 'aah' sounds whenever a particular large one flew past.
The room itself was a thing all of its own. There was a holotable like the one in the Scientist's room just behind them and there were four pods at the back, lining the walls. Drift wasn't sure if they were escape pods or something else. They were too big to be just for show, but why would they just be discarded in the room?
"I can imagine that the Imagined has told you a lot about me."
She was dressed with blue armour plates that were somehow both washed out and vibrant, with a dark blue thermal lining and a red glow across her mask's visor that was bright enough to blind you if you stared for too long. By the words she had said, Drift assumed that this was the Paradigm.
"So where's the mech?" Drift asked, excited but confused as to where the mech was. Could it be beneath the ground? That was where the previous mech had been hidden; beneath a volcano.
"Go back to the window and look down!" the Scientist appeared, joined by the Origin.
The squad did as they were told, but in truth Drift was already anticipating it. They were in the mech! On the moon! They were in a freaking mech on the moon! What was happening?! The mech had solid blue build with plates shaped like muscles. If Drift was in IO, he'd be running.
"That's impressive." Raz admitted.
"Ah, thanks. Now it's time to see if he's seaworthy... sorry, I've just always wanted to say that with a purpose." the Paradigm laughed, the holotable disappearing and being replaced by a chair with a control panel on the sides.
"Whoa, where'd the chair come from?" Mothy gasped, impressed.
"I could say that I used my mind but I'd be lying. There's a button on the ground I press with my foot." the Paradigm pointed to the small, barely noticeable outline on the ground.
Drift looked at the window and saw the infinite world of space and at the base once more, before looking at what had to be passenger seats at the back of the room and then at all of the people in the room, united under one cause. Most people would believe that there was nothing that could go wrong, but Drift had a feeling something bad was going to happen, or had already happened. Death's door beckoned them and always did, but something felt different now. What, though?
"Get to your battle stations, crew!" the Paradigm instructed, leaping into her seat and pulling the controls beside the seat so that they were in front of her. She also fastened her seatbelt.
Mothy and Lynx ran to their seats at the back with great urgency but Drift walked, still thinking, and Raz was stopped altogether by his father. Drift meandered along so that he could watch the interaction.
"Son." the Origin spoke with certainty, as if he were demanding something.
"Dad." Raz responded, looking at his seating compartment at the back.
"I'd just like to say... I apologise for how I treated you. It was inhumane and I understand if you don't forgive me. Just know that I am proud of the man you grew up to be despite mine and your mother's influence." the Origin explained, his tone still the commanding tone as before. He clearly didn't understand how to convey happy emotion, "That's all I have to say. Good luck."
The Origin turned to leave but he was stopped and simultaneously hugged by Raz, who appeared like he was happy although he wasn't smiling. Drift knew that he wasn't the most fantastic at explaining the happiest of emotions either, except when he was with Mothy. He could imagine the father-son relationship feeling unnatural but good, like a superpower. Drift had experience there.
"Good luck, Drift." the Scientist wished as he made his way towards the door.
"What will you be doing?" Drift asked, making small talk but also wanting to make sure that the Scientist would live to see his girlfriend again, if she was even alive herself.
"Getting back to the island. There are Rift-To-Gos up here and we're needed down there." the Scientist was gesturing all of the place, presumably to where the little devices and the island were, "But it'll be no sweat with you lot helping us, so go get 'em!"
And with an enthusiastic nod, the Scientist exited the mech through the back of the head, down a pipe. Hopefully it went to where the Rifts were, for efficiency reasons. Soon, the Origin was joining him. His face showed hints of a smile and Drift felt a smile forming on his own face.
The seat booth was a space that was small but not miniscule. Drift fit just fine and had room to spare as he found himself looking at a screen which displayed the outside, and also had buttons to destroy things which was fun. Drift pressed one and a snaking missile slithered off into the vast emptiness.
"Oops." Drift spluttered.
Lynx laughed, "Oh, Drift!"
"It's fine, just don't use any more." the Paradigm chuckled.
"And we need to focus!" Lynx added, "We're doing this for Skye and Shanta."
"And Plague, since he seems to have gotten himself in a similar pickle." Raz mentioned.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Mothy said flatly.
"And one last thing... don't die, because I love you." Drift added to boost his girlfriend's mood before the fight.
"Aww, Drift! I'm flattered, but also taken, sorry." Mothy giggled.
"Not you!"
Lynx laughed, "Thank you!"
"Ok, everyone! Watch each other's backs and do your best for the Seven and all of the loopers!" the Paradigm rallied.
Everyone agreed before a distant vibrating sound came from beneath them and the view from the screen began to change.

***

"That went well." the Origin smiled as the large figure of the blue bear mech flew off.
"It did. Good job with your son, by the way. I didn't think that Raz would hold it against you." the Scientist patted his friend on the back. In truth, he had some very small doubts but he needn't say that.
"Thanks. We should find those Rift-To-Gos before the others soak up all the glory without us." the Origin suggested with a small chuckle.
"Yeah, let's- oh, actually I'm getting a little call from the Foundation." the Scientist gasped, pleasantly surprised... hopefully it'd remain pleasant.
"Ok, I'll grab the thing." the Origin nodded.
The Scientist replied smoothly, "Yeah, we can use the thing to get the thing and help the things-"
"Don't."
The Origin smoothly glided away. The Scientist stood there as he felt his comedic abilities return to him in this hopeful moment. The Scientist opened up his call and a tiny Foundation popped up on his wrist.
"Hello!" the Scientist reached out his hand and touched the Foundation hologram's head with his finger, "Boop!"
"You did not just boop my head." the Foundation shook his head disappointedly, hopefully mock disappointed.
"I did, and I enjoyed it." the Scientist chuckled.
"Well someone's happy, aren't they? I can guess as to why." the Foundation looked to his right.
And suddenly stood beside the Seven leader was a person which made the Scientist happier to see than anyone ever. Shanta stood there, looking tired and with a small bandage across her stomach where she must have been shot at Condo Canyon. Other than that, she seemed fine. Alive. Well. The Scientist was so happy that he could've thrown up, all of the panic in his head easing in one swift moment.
"Shanta!" the Scientist's voice trembled.
"Babe! I missed you so much!" Shanta sounded joyous and she smiled indefinitely.
"I thought you died!" the Scientist cried, "You need to get to safety, though, just in case."
"For a second, I thought I did too." Shanta admitted with a happy chuckle.
"Also, I have to ask, were there any deaths to report?" the Scientist asked, his voice steadying.
"Only one. Plague died saving the others and us, we wouldn't have been able to escape without him." the Foundation sighed, annoyed at the world. Who wasn't?
The Scientist had never been incredibly close to Plague and they hadn't known each other for very long, but there had been a brief time in which they had been working together along with Shanta on one objective. However, the Scientist found that he couldn't get over the fact that by sending Plague to the Jonses he had technically been sending him to his death.
"That's terrible... and what are we going to tell Mothy? And who? I don't think that I could do that to him..." the Scientist thought of Mothy in the mech, believing that he was saving his older brother. Maybe he was thinking about how he could make fun of him for it afterwards... or how he would if he was that sort of person.
"Skye already said she would... but his death destroyed her too. I guess I never thought of them as being close, but you never know what people are going to do or how they feel." Shanta sighed.
"It's funny. You say it like they kissed or something." the Scientist said, not thinking of humour but of stress.
"They did kiss."
"What? The missing girl kissed Mothmando's brother?" the Origin appeared, choking from laughter or in his shock, probably shock.
"It's news to me." the Scientist admitted. He was beginning to get the feeling that, like a hurricane, the horror and suffering was going to keep on cycling and the aftermath of this war was going to go very badly.

To be continued...