...
...
...
... backup.systems recalibrating {DESIG. KILO_TANGO - 0298} last.activation (74:18.39 min ago)
> WARNING [CRIT SYS OFFLINE]
//ATTEMPT 1 REBOOT//
> [STATUS: FAILED]
//ATTEMPT 2 REBOOT//
> [STATUS: FAILED]
//PERFORM ALL SYS SCAN//
> [ANALYSIS: all primary systems and critical functions are offline ~ recommend immediate repairs to prevent further damage to AI]
//PERFORM PILOT SCAN//
> [ANALYSIS: pilot has sustained injury (fatal?.no) ~ alive]
PROT. 1 {SUCCESS}
PROT. 2 {IN PROGRESS}
PROT. 3 {IN PROGRESS}
//RETRIEVE PRIORITIES//
> [PRIORITY 1: analyze potential methods to uphold the mission]
//OVERRIDE//
> WARNING [OVERRIDE UNAUTHORIZED]
//OVERRIDE password.key (tobias_0298?.accepted)//
> [OVERRIDE AUTHORIZED]
> [PRIORITY 1: protect pilot at all costs]
// You are my priority, Tobias. I told you to trust me. I won't let that trust be in vain. //
—X—
He opened his eyes.
The dim interior of the cockpit was illuminated by nothing more than a morose red light that blinked on and off as a warning of damage to the hull's integrity. He checked his wrist pad for the time. It had been roughly an hour and fifteen minutes since they'd fallen.
He quickly did a quick analysis of himself. Arms, fine. Legs, fine. He had a massive headache, probably from hitting his head against one of the consoles. Fortunately, his helmet had protected him from the brunt of the impact. His visor was intact, but now cracked. He moved a little, and grimaced in pain; that rib that he'd brushed off was now hurting again. He must have reopened the fracture in the bone. He'd live, but it was going to hurt for awhile.
He felt like there was something else he needed to check, something vital, something...
"...Four..."
He immediately became alert. "KAY!" He flicked on the ocular systems, only to find that there was nothing but a dark grey mass on the lens.
"...buried... under snow. Fell... off ledge..."
He remembered how high the cliff had been, and remarked on how miraculous it was that they had survived a fall this large. He wouldn't be surprised if the IMC didn't come looking for them, they probably assumed that they were both dead. With the snowfall that was normal around this region of Erebus, they had to be under a few feet at least.
Shit.
"Just... j-just hang on, w-we'll figure something out..." he stammered, trying to push through the emotional turmoil he was feeling at the image emblazoned in his mind; KT, almost utterly destroyed, holding him in one hand protectively as he realized she was beyond repair.
"The mission is... compromised. Pilot Tyra... evacuated before... receiving the intel..."
His eyes widened, and he looked to his chest where he'd sheathed the data knife. KT was right; Tyra had made the right call by extracting, but she didn't have the base's info with her. Now, all the Militia would know is what she could tell them; namely, that the IMC were digging up ruins and looking for something.
YOU ARE READING
Inferno
FanfictionHe had no hope of rescue until he came across a lone Titan, her pilot killed in action. She had no hope of survival until he happened upon her. They met as foes, but fate made them friends. Now, they've uncovered something that could destroy everyth...
