Mech Online: Echoes of Steel 1 (Litrpg)

Charter 18: New LA

Jack's pulse still hammered in his ears, a relentless drum echoing the adrenaline that hadn't yet ebbed from their last firefight. He stood amidst his ragtag team of mech pilots, their armored suits powered down but humming with latent energy, as they watched the horizon. The alien ships, once daunting silhouettes against the burnt-orange sky, were retreating, sleek forms shrinking into specks and then nothingness.
"Looks like we gave 'em a good ol' Earth-style whooping!" Jack said, unable to suppress a grin despite the exhaustion tugging at his limbs. A chorus of tired cheers and chuckles rose among them, camaraderie binding the group in shared triumph.
"Enjoy this fleeting moment, humans," a voice, sharp as shattered glass, cut through their celebration. It was a mental intrusion, bypassing ears and whispering directly into their minds.
The Xilion Queen materialized before them, her small frame deceptively fragile-looking against the backdrop of their towering mechs. Insect-like, with multifaceted eyes that seemed to see beyond the physical realm, she emanated an oppressive aura of psychic might. Around her, the air shimmered with the unseen connection to her vast hive mind.
"Whoa, talk about a party crasher," Jack muttered, stepping out of his mech's cockpit to meet her gaze. His team grew silent, forming a semi-circle around the diminutive figure.
"Your victory is but an illusion," the Xilion Queen continued, her antennae twitching with each syllable that invaded their thoughts. "You may have won the battle, but the war... the war will consume you all."
"Is that so? Or maybe you're just sore because we turned your shiny fleet into intergalactic scrap metal," Jack shot back, trying to mask the unease that knotted his stomach. Laughter edged with tension, rippled through his team.
"Laughter in the face of oblivion. How quaint," she said, her tone dripping with condescension. "My swarm is endless, human. You cannot hope to defeat us."
"Endless, huh?" Jack crossed his arms, giving her a lopsided smile. "Sounds like you've never had to deal with LA traffic. We're pretty good at handling endless."
"Defiance will not save you," the Queen warned. Her wings, delicate and translucent, caught the light as if lit by an inner fire. "When next we meet, it will be to witness your extinction."
With that, the Queen vanished as abruptly as she had appeared, leaving behind a cold silence that seemed to swallow even the distant sounds of the city's destruction.
"Extinction, extinction, blah blah blah," Jack muttered, breaking the quiet. "Doesn't she know apocalyptic threats are so last season?" He turned to his team, eyes twinkling with a mix of mischief and resolve. "Alright, people, let's get ready. We've got a world to save and apparently an endless supply of bug-zapping to do."
A renewed vigor swept over the team, their laughter now a rallying cry against the dark prophecy laid before them. They were fighters, survivors, and they would stand together, no matter the odds. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the land, Jack's team prepared for what was to come, united under the banner of Earth's resistance.
"Jack, we've got a problem!" Ava's voice crackled over the comm, slicing through the brief moment of humor like a blade. Her tone was tight, strained with urgency.
Jack's head whipped around, eyes locking onto Ava's form as she sprinted towards them, her ponytail a bouncing streak of brown against the smoky haze. "Spit it out, Martinez."
"The bomb back at the alien base. A big one." She skidded to a halt, chest heaving. "Timer's set for," She glanced at her wrist device, grimacing. "Three minutes."
"Three? That's barely enough time," Jack was cut off by the collective groan from his team.
"Save the complaints for after we're not blown to smithereens," he barked, already moving toward the hulking shapes of their mechs. "Mount up!"
The team didn't need to be told twice. They dashed across the ruins, each movement precise, trained by countless battles and close calls. The mechs stood like silent guardians, metal titans against the dimming skyline, waiting to roar to life under their pilots' commands.
"Echo One, powered up and ready to roll!" Jack announced, slamming down on the ignition. His mech responded instantly, systems lighting up as it lifted from its crouched position. With a deft twist of controls, he steered the mechanical behemoth into motion, its footsteps thunderous against the cracked earth.
"Echo Two, let's tear asphalt!" Ava called out, her mech falling in step beside Jack's. Its agility belied its size, dodging debris with the grace of a ballerina packing rocket launchers.
"Echo Team, go full throttle! Weave through this mess like it's Black Friday at a tech store!" Jack's voice echoed through the comms, trying to keep spirits high even as the timer ticked down menacingly in their minds.
Buildings blurred past as they charged, the once-proud city now a labyrinth of destruction. They maneuvered through the chaos, servos whining and hydraulics complaining, but never slowing. Not when every second counted.
"Two-minute warning, team!" Ava's voice was equal parts tension and determination.
"Less talking, more evading potential doom, Martinez," Jack shot back, though his smirk was lost behind the visor of his helmet.
"Copy that, boss-man. Just didn't want you to miss your final fireworks show." Her mech leaped over a toppled bus, landing with a ground-shaking thud.
"Ha. Fireworks are for celebrations, Ava. Let's make sure we're around to throw the party."
The outskirts loomed ahead, the promise of safety tantalizingly close. Jack's fingers danced over the controls, pushing the mech to its limits.
"Thirty seconds!" came another call, terse and clipped with fear.
"Almost there!" Jack replied, the LA skyline receding behind them as they burst free of the urban confines.
"Ten seconds!"
"Clear the blast zone!" Jack commanded, his view filled with the sprawling hills ahead, the last barriers between them and the relative safety beyond the city's edge.
"Five seconds!"
"Brace for impact!"
The world shook as the bomb detonated, a colossal eruption blossoming behind them, heat nipping at their heels. But they were clear, just beyond the reach of death's fiery grasp.
"Echo Team, sound off!" Jack demanded, his mech slowing to a stop, joints cooling from the frantic escape.
"Echo Two, present and not atomized!" Ava's voice was a welcome relief.
One by one, the team checked in, alive against the odds. Jack allowed himself a breath, deep and shuddering, as he turned his mech to face the devastation. Los Angeles, the city of angels, now bore the scars of war, but they had survived.
"Alright team," Jack said, his voice firm but laced with warmth. "Let's count our blessings, tally the score, and get ready to hit 'em back twice as hard. The bomb destroyed only part of LA."
"Roger that, Jack. After all," Ava added, her laughter a spark in the darkness, "we're from LA. We know a thing or two about comebacks. Wait there are more bombs scattered over LA."
Jack's mech lumbered through the debris, the HUD flashing with urgent warnings as they navigated the war-torn streets of Los Angeles. The ground beneath them was a mosaic of destruction and remembrance; every shattered windowpane and crumbled building told the story of a world that had been and might never be again.
"Contact right!" Ava's voice crackled over the comms as blips of hostile movement painted themselves across their sensors.
"Engage at will, Echo Team!" Jack barked, swiveling his mech's torso to face the threat. His fingers danced over the controls, targeting systems locking onto the skittering forms of Xilion drones darting between the ruins.
"Let's dance, you alien freaks," Zara growled, her mech unleashing a barrage of missiles that streaked through the air, leaving smoky trails before erupting in fiery blooms among the enemy ranks.
"Nice hit!" Liam cheered his own mech pirouetting between blasts, fingers flying over his hacking module as he jammed the drones' communication signals.
Kai moved with lethal precision, his cannon roaring as it spat out rounds with the rhythm of a war drum, each shot finding its mark in the chassis of an opposing mech.
"Keep moving! Don't let them pin us down!" Jack shouted, his own weapons joining the cacophony, ripping through the air with a sound like thunder.
The team surged forward, a tide of metal and resolve, but the resistance was relentless. A Zeraxian, warrior barreled towards them, roaring a challenge that vibrated through the mechs' frames.
"Covering fire! I've got this one," Kai declared, stepping forward to meet the behemoth head-on, his mech's blade igniting with plasma energy.
"Kai, wait," Dr. Hayes started, but her caution was drowned out by the clash of titans.
"Focus on the mission!" Kai's voice was iron-clad determination, his mech weaving around the Zeraxian ferocious swings.
"Kai's holding him off, move!" Jack commanded, leading the charge as they took advantage of the distraction.
"Ghost, where are we on that route?" Jack asked, even as he took down another drone with a well-placed shot.
"Almost there, just bypassed their last firewall. We've got a clear run if..."Liam's transmission was cut short, a sudden explosion rocking the feed.
"Ghost?" Jack called out, panic clawing at his throat.
"His signal's gone, Jack," Ava replied, her voice tight with unspoken emotion.
"Damn it," Jack cursed, a fresh wave of anger fueling his actions. "We push on, for Liam."
They pressed forward, the city's skeleton a silent witness to their resolve. Every step was a sacrifice, every heartbeat a promise to those who fell.
"Echo Team, we're almost clear. Keep it together," Jack urged, his eyes scanning the horizon for the promised safety beyond.
"Watch your six!" Dr. Hayes warned her mech's hands deftly manipulating her medical equipment to stabilize a critical system failure on Zara's unit.
"Thanks, Doc," Zara breathed out, the bond between them unspoken but palpable.
"Anytime," the medic replied, her focus unwavering.
"Come on, come on," Jack whispered, urging his mech into a desperate sprint.
And then, they were there, the outer boundaries of what once was Los Angeles now behind them. Jack allowed himself a moment to look back, the smoke and chaos a stark contrast to the quiet hills where they stood—a band diminished but not broken, the echo of their comrades' sacrifice ringing in their ears.
"Echo Team, keep going," Jack said, his voice heavy with loss, but tinged with the humor they all desperately needed. "Because next time, I'm thinking we take the scenic route."
Jack's mech jolted as the ground beneath them trembled, another reminder that time was a luxury they couldn't afford. Through the haze of war-torn Los Angeles, he caught sight of the Kraxorian Warrior, his scaly hide reflecting the fires that raged around them.
"Krax," Jack barked into the comms, "We need to move, now!"
But the warrior was a tempest, thrashing through alien troops with a primal ferocity that left no room for retreat. His massive tail swept enemies aside like ragdolls, claws rending metal and flesh in equal measure. For the Kraxorian, honor was not a word but a way of life, the embodiment of every strike, every roar that shook the concrete jungle.
"Damn it, Krax! That's an order!" Jack's voice, usually steady, cracked with desperation.
Yet the reptilian juggernaut fought on, a lone bastion amidst the storm. Each enemy felled by his hand seemed to only fuel his battle lust further until an eerie silence fell upon the battlefield. The others had made it to safety, leaving only the echoes of war behind.
"Echo Team, retreat confirmed. We're clear," Ava's voice cut through the comms, carrying an urgency that contrasted with her usual calm demeanor. But Jack's gaze remained fixed on the figure of the Kraxorian Warrior, now surrounded by a new wave of alien assailants, a last stand for an ally he'd never forget.
"Krax, come in!" Jack pleaded one last time, even as he knew the response would never come. A final, defiant roar pierced the din, and then... silence.
Jack's heart hammered against his ribcage as he piloted his mech up the hillside, distancing himself from the chaos below. He reached the crest and turned to witness the aftermath, his breath catching at the sight before him.
There it was, LA, a city once teeming with life, now engulfed in a cataclysmic blaze that painted the dusk sky with shades of orange and red. The explosions rolled outwards in a devastating crescendo, consuming everything in its path, the shockwave a palpable force even from his vantage point.
"Whoa, talk about going out with a bang," Jack muttered, a wry smile flickering across his lips, born of gallows humor rather than genuine amusement. It was a defense mechanism, a way to fend off the encroaching sorrow that threatened to overwhelm him.
"Jack, we've got to keep moving," Ava urged, her voice a tether pulling him back from the edge of despair.
"Yeah, I know," he replied, tearing his eyes away from the inferno that had claimed so much. Grief would have to wait; determination now filled the void where sadness dared to creep.
"Alright, Echo Team, let's roll out. The future isn't going to save itself," Jack announced, the leader within rising to the fore. His mech's engines whirred to life, propelling him forward as he steered them toward the unknown, a beacon of hope in a world razed by fire and fury.
"Next stop, whatever hellhole these aliens call home," he said with a determined grin. "And this time, we're bringing the fireworks."
Jack's mech lurched forward as a gust of wind, strong enough to make the steel behemoths sway, swept over the group. The whirling dust it carried stung his eyes through the visor, but Jack didn't blink. That wind, biting and relentless, was like the day's truths: harsh, unavoidable, laced with the acrid tang of spent munitions and scorched earth.
"Damn," he exclaimed, steadying his machine with swift keystrokes. "Mother Nature's throwing her own punches now."
"Feels like she's trying to sweep away the mess," Ava said from her cockpit, the static in her voice crackling with both fatigue and wry humor.
"Too bad she can't clean up everything," muttered another teammate, the words almost lost beneath the howl of the wind.
Jack nodded, even though they couldn't see him. The team gathered in a semi-circle, their mechs standing like titans against the remnants of the day's wrath. For a moment, no one spoke; the wind's mournful cry was the only sound that filled the silence between them.
"Alright," Jack finally said, his voice steady despite the tightness in his chest. "Moment of silence for the Kraxorian Warrior and the others who aren't coming home."
The team powered down their weapons systems in unison, a chorus of mechanical clicks and hums that served as a makeshift salute. They bowed their mechs' heads, a gesture so human, that it seemed out of place amidst the cold metal and technology. But in that solemn bow lay the heart of their camaraderie, the shared bond that had been forged in the crucible of battle.
"Here's to the ones who gave it all," Jack whispered, his fingers drumming a silent beat on the console. "May your spirits find peace in the great server in the sky."
"Rest in code," Ava added softly, the hint of a sob in her tone.
"Rest in code," echoed the rest of the Echo Team, the phrase a testament to their unity, a promise to remember.
"Alright, team, let's move," Jack said after a pause, his voice cracking with a mixture of grief and resolve. "We've got a galaxy to save and a hell of a lot of ass-kicking left to do."
"Lead the way, boss-man," Ava replied, her mech powering back to life with a fierce energy that mirrored her words.
"Echo Team rolls out!" Jack called, his hand firm on the throttle as he led them away from the ruins of Los Angeles. Behind them, the powerful wind continued to blow, carrying with it the echoes of their laughter and tears, a reminder of the price they had paid and the battles still to come.
Jack's HUD flickered as he surveyed the smoldering horizon, the scent of charred metal filling his mech's cockpit. The city lay in ruins around them, but the Echo Team's spirits were far from defeated.
"Look at that," Zara said, gesturing with her mech's oversized wrench toward the distant hills, now marked with the scars of victory. "We sent those bugs packing. And this time, they'll think twice before coming back."
"Bet their queen's got a splitting headache after that," Liam said, his green hair a stark contrast against the backdrop of destruction. He punched a few keys on his console, and the remains of an alien drone sparked before sputtering out completely. "Nothing like a good old-fashioned system crash to ruin their day."
Dr. Hayes patched up a gash on Kai's arm, her steady hands belying the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. "You know, in all the medical journals I've read, 'victory' was never listed as a cure for anything. But damn, it feels good."
"Ha!" came Ava's voice over the comm, "That's because you haven't been reading the right journals, Doc."
Jack couldn't help but smile at his team's resilience. They had lost much, but they stood united, their bond unbreakable even amidst the chaos. "We've come a long way, Echo Team," he said, pride swelling in his chest. "Together, we've turned the tide."
"Let's not get too cozy just yet," Kai reminded them, his disciplined tone cutting through the banter. "There's more work to be done. We rebuild, we fortify, and we keep kicking alien tailpipe."
"Tailpipe-kicking is my middle name," Ava declared, executing a nimble leap off a pile of rubble, her mech landing with cat-like grace.
"Actually, it's Maria," Liam corrected, earning a chuckle from the group.
"Enough chitchat," Jack said, the leader in him taking charge. "We've got a city to bring back from the ashes. Let's make sure when history looks back, it tells of how humanity rose up like a phoenix. Starting with LA."
"From now on," Dr. Hayes added, her glasses catching the light of the setting sun, "this is where we build something better than what was here before. A place where everyone has a fighting chance."
"New Los Angeles," Zara mused, her eyes reflecting the fire of determination. "I like the sound of that."
"Then it's settled," Jack concluded. "Operation Phoenix is a go. Time to show these aliens what we're made of ingenuity, courage, and a whole lot of stubbornness."
"Lead the way, Jack," Kai said, his mech standing tall beside the others. "We're with you."
"Echo Team rolls out," Jack called, the engines of their mechs roaring to life, echoing across the desolate landscape.
They set forth, leaving behind the echoes of laughter and tears, each step forging the path of their new future, one where the city of angels would rise once again.
Jack's HUD flickered with incoming data, the overlay buzzing with the vibrant energy of a dozen subsystems coming online. He flexed his fingers, feeling the familiar hum of the mech suit sync with his pulse. The horizon was a canvas of destruction, skyscrapers now jagged teeth against a bruised sky, but Jack's gaze was ironclad fixed on a future only they could carve from the chaos.
"Alright, Echo Team," he broadcasted over the comms, the smirk audible in his voice, "last one to the new perimeter is buying the first round of synthetic beer when we get our bar up and running."
"Joke's on you, Cooper," Zara shot back, her mech taking long strides beside him. "I've hacked a recipe that'll knock your socks off. You'll be begging me for a pint."
"Focus, you two," Dr. Hayes chimed in, though the corners of her mouth betrayed her amusement. "The reconstruction algorithms need fine-tuning, and I won't have my calculations thrown off by your shenanigans."
"Copy that, Doc," Liam replied, his mech's heavy cannons swiveling with an almost lazy precision. "But if we spot any alien stragglers, I'm turning them into scrap metal confetti."
"Scrap metal confetti?" Maria echoed, her mech pirouetting through a toppled building facade. "You sure you didn't hit your head during the last skirmish?"
"Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it," Liam retorted, eliciting a wave of digital laughter across their private channel.
"Let's keep it tight," Kai's voice, ever the stoic sentinel, broke through the banter. "We rebuild, but we remain ready. New Los Angeles won't rise from wishful thinking."
"Roger that," Jack confirmed, the leader within finding its stride amidst the rubble. "Echo Team, we stand as the vanguard. For every lost soul, for every dream waiting to be reborn, we will not falter."
"Damn straight," Maria affirmed, her mech's engines flaring in solidarity.
"Here's to New LA," Zara added, raising an imaginary toast.
"Here's to us," Jack concluded, his eyes sweeping over the resilient figures of his team. "To humanity. To tomorrow."
And with that, they surged forward, a force united by loss, by hope, and by the unyielding determination to reclaim their world, a band of warriors bound by steel and spirit, their laughter a defiance against the dark, echoing into the promise of dawn.