U.L.T.R.A. Builder

DECISIVE BATTLE /// ACT TWO FINALE: Mechanical Angel

It had been 6 months since Uri and V1 were rescued from the Arctic Red Zone. Life in Shelter 7 was relatively normal for the first week and a half after their return. However, after those first few days, Uri was suddenly ordered off to another part of the shelter that was locked away to the public. V1 had no idea what was going on in there, though it assumed it was just for mission reports. That assumption changed after Uri had been stuck in the area for months, without coming out.

It was at the beginning of the next month that V1 began to suspect some things.

It's been so long... where is he? A mission report, even for something like getting a M.A.S.S. destroyed shouldn't take this long...

V1's suspicions had heightened. It decided to try to hack into the WDF's logs to see if it could find anything related to Uri's whereabouts. It discreetly connected to a panel located inside its quarters, and took a look around. It navigated through the systems, looking for anything that could ease its worries. It came across the section of the systems that documented the specific area where Uri was.

Scanning...

Most of the information that V1 could find was classified or heavily redacted. The only comprehensive piece of information available was the flight logs of that section's launch catapult.

The data showed that from the time Uri had been sent to this sector to the present, many launches of the same M.A.S.S. had been made, though it did not specify what the M.A.S.S. being launched was.

Not a lot of information to work with here, huh? Looks like they've been making a new M.A.S.S., maybe using Uri as the test pilot? ...But if they were, why were they keeping him away from everywhere else?

V1 was jolted from its thoughts mentally, and physically from the panel it tapped into. An ear-shattering klaxon was playing while the entire area flashed red from sirens. A voice popped into the shelter's loudspeaker.

"Attention, all pilots and PMC's are ordered to sortie immediately. They are to gather in the briefing rooms and then launch. Engineer teams, prep all M.A.S.S. units for takeoff. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."

I guess that would include me, V1 thought as it ran at a brisk pace towards its designated briefing room.

As expected, Uri wasn't there to meet it. When it arrived, it could see the WDF agent in a panic. He had dropped his cool and collected demeanor, and was visibly panicking.

"V1, you are to immediately prepare for combat. We can't launch you from the Hyperion, so a normal M.A.S.S. will fly you to your combat zone before it lands at its own zone. Our f-forces are spread really thin for this operation."

V1 noticed the man had a look of extreme concern on his face as he briefed the machine.

"Uh... At about 1400 today, a massive amount of Void Particles converged near the shelter. The surge caused multiple Quarks to form within and in close proximity to the shelter. We wan-"

Both figures shook as an explosion happened in the distance.

"We want all available units to scramble and fend off the Quarks. We *cannot* have another event like Shelter 13."

"Ok, I have a few quest-"

"We have no time! Just fucking go!"

The agent kicked it out of the room and in the direction of the hangar it was supposed to go to. V1 ran down the halls towards the hangar. It quickly talked to the M.A.S.S. pilot that would be carrying it, and climbed on to the unit.

"V1 cleared for takeoff."

The M.A.S.S. took off at incredible speeds. All the limiters that were typically placed on a M.A.S.S. were removed. The WDF would fight like madmen to make sure Shelter 7 wasn't reduced to rubble.