Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

Chapter 32: The Search For Walter

The crashed remains of the Xylem lay strewn across the beach like the mechanical carcass of a great ocean beast: its spine was snapped, the outer hull broken off in jagged chunks to reveal the splintered ribs underneath, and the sluggish tide slowly washed over the debris half-buried beneath rusty-red sand, leaving streaks of pinkish red over the rusting metal.

It was only part of the Xylem too. As it had entered into the atmosphere, breaking up beneath speeds it was never supposed to reach, under tremendous stress it was never supposed to endure, its keel had ruptured from the obscene forces it had been under, snapping the thing in two and casting its forepart into the Alean ocean for the rest of eternity, while the after party managed to just about reach a shallow shore.

It made a pretty big mess, Rusty had to admit, surveying the crashed colony ship from the outcrop of rocks that overlooked the beach. With STEEL HAZE ORTUS still undergoing repairs from his own emergency landing from the thermosphere, and him technically not even supposed to be out and about on account of his many various injuries, he had to pilot a standard BAWS MT, an experience that was incredibly nostalgic to him.

Every Rubiconian AC pilot started their career as an MT pilot, and Rusty was no exception to that. The controls were simplistic compared to the works of art that were STEEL HAZE and ORTUS (dare he say it, almost primitive?), but for what he was here to do today, the MT was good enough.

However, thankfully, not too long ago, STEEL HAZE ORTUS was finally all patched up. He didn't even have any weapons installed however.

He wasn't expecting a fight today.

A quiet rumble of thunder drew his attention, and Rusty cast his gaze across the ocean's horizon where dark clouds were gathering. It was that time of year where supercells were common along the southern Belius shore, where all you could do was hunker down under some cover and wait out the deluge of freezing rain, hailstones big enough to dent an MT's hull, and violent lightning strikes that left craters from the sheer power and force.

Uncle said once that the ambient Coral in the atmosphere fuelled those powerful storms, but Rusty wasn't sure how true that was. The sky above certainly was brimming with Coral at least, and even with the dense cloud cover, it made Rusty feel like he was standing on the seafloor, looking up at the scarlet surface to witness glints of light dancing along the red-tinged clouds.

In the aftermath of the Xylem Crisis (as everyone called it now), they had managed to deactivate the Vascular Plant, and the Coral was very slowly returning to its natural rhythm. Its instinct was to school, but that didn't mean it enjoyed being squashed up into a densely packed shell like the plant. Slowly, gradually, the Coral seeped out from the vascular plant, returning to the currents it once had along the atmosphere, drifting down into the seas and rivers and granting the water its ancient crimson hue.

It made the Xylem crash site look even more ominous, in a way.

Another rumble of thunder echoed, signaling the supercell's fast approach, and Rusty piloted STEEL HAZE ORTUS off the outcrops of rocks. He gently pumped the mech's boosters, wincing when he still landed heavily and jarred his aching ribs. A twinge even shot up his leg, his broken ankle protesting its heavy use even while encased in a thick plastic orthopedic boot.

Uncle was going to be pissed at him when he found out about this, but Rusty didn't really care. This was important.

He walked across the rusty-red beach, STEEL HAZE ORTUS struggling a little across the uneven ground. Its wide, clumsy feet sank deep into loose sand, and its balancing protocols were basic enough that clambering over debris or hidden rocks was enough to make it pitch awkwardly to the side if he weren't careful. By the time he managed to reach the Xylem's aft, the purpose of his visit was already making itself known.