Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

Chapter 5: Contact

"Is that... Sulla?!" said Walter, in general concern, then growled, "You... 621, stop! Behind you!"

621 then engaged its quickboost and dodged to the right, avoiding a series of blasts. It then turned to the right, seeing a few other mystery MTs waiting for it to come over.

The enemy mercenary launched itself off the control center straight toward 621, their pulse gun discharging a spray of high energy waves before the massive bazooka in the other hand nearly knocked LOADER 4 over.

The pulse gun came up again, having cooled sufficiently to fire, melting the surface armor of the right leg as the waves impacted.

"Handler Walter... I'll be coming for you next." Sulla promised darkly, "But first, the hound. Pitiful dog. I feel sorry for you, I really do. You may have survived a little longer, if only you had a different master."

Walter must have recovered from his shock by that point, because he was talking again.

"C1-249... 'Sulla.'" he informed, "He's an independent mercenary who survived First-Gen augmentation."

One of the MTs came up behind 621, only for it to use its shotguns to blast it apart with ease.

"Encrypted comms..." Walter realized, "He must be controlling them, too. Don't think twice, 621. Kill him before he kills you."

621 then headed under the bridge, using the pillars to protect itself from the laser shots as it got closer to another MT. It then kicked it down, finishing it off with a few missiles.

"You and your dog aren't welcome here," Sulla warned,

621 then crushed the last one's head with its foot, causing it to explode. It then turned over to ENTANGLER.

"No more of those unidentified mechs." said Walter then ordered, "621. Take out Sulla."

LOADER 4's leg and right shoulder armor repaired itself as 621 expended a charge to fix the damage before the vulnerability could deprive it of one of its arm weapons or cripple it.

The two shotguns raised, clipping the side of ENTANGLE as Sulla boosted back to a safe distance, the telltale flash of repair systems activating visible in the low light. Neither machine would come out of this unscathed, regardless of who won.

"Where's 619 and 620? Dead? Which ones did I kill, I wonder."

Doesn't matter. Or not to Walter at the moment, but for 621, who flinched violently at the mention of their serial numbers...

"Don't let him bait you. Focus." Walter ordered.

"You're one of Gen Four's lot. I hear you make fine hounds with the right training..." Sulla realized, "But you... you have the scent of danger. Far better to dispose of you. Shame you'll have to die here."

He was back moments later, leading with a volley of missiles from the back launchers before he tried to boost into range to kick 621, who took the sudden kick on the core and was flung back, the missiles detonating harmlessly in open air where it was.

A volley of missiles from the launcher on LOADER 4's shoulder answered, splashing across the feet of ENTANGLE as it took to the air.

"Was it 618 I killed last? He was good, but he had nothing on this one." said Sulla, "Shame you'll have to die here. At least you're not as easy as I heard 617 was."

Not gonna happen, because 621 was going to crush him.

He had messed with the wrong dog this time.