If there was one thing I was a cut throat about it was my policy regarding personal armament. I preferred huge weapons, that held more ammo than I could carry, and could empty that ammo down range indiscriminately and continue to do so indiscriminately, to admittedly, using the words down range and indiscriminately in the same sentence might be giving myself too much credit.
It was later that afternoon after I explained what I had been doing out of the house at 4 in the morning that Hudson, Fireclaw, Sozenn, Shadow and I hit the MYT and headed to the Bomb Range to train on Elite Power armor. Nolan had called me a few minutes before and said that he had the brand new model that had just gone into production there waiting for us and they had some new toys to play with as well. When the MYT pulled into the sandy, hilly area, I could see Nolan standing by his SUV doing something with his phone and I could see the urban camouflage power suits close by.
The model that was made to be used by humans looked like a tank on legs. I was a rounded rectangular suit with a pyramid shaped front end that had six ruby red infrared cameras on the front and what looked like wings on the back. There was a triple barreled machine gun bolted to the right shoulder and there was what looked like a giant Saga 12 bolted above the left. There was what I assumed was a deploy-able weapon on the right arm, but from the truck I couldn't tell. The arms were about as big around as the base of my tail and it had spiked knuckles which I assumed were meant to be used, against what? Buildings were my best guess. The suit was armored at every conceivable spot and it looked like it was ready to step on people just by sitting there.
The suits for us dragons looked far worse, it was like an armored, metal exo skeleton, from the truck I didn't even see a way to enter. Above the right shoulder was a long barreled rifle that I'd never seen before. It was covered by a steel grate that was glowing a bright blue and it looked like the barrel had fingers. The other gun was a belt fed, 30mm autocannon that looked like it was packing AP rounds. The armor looked like the stone armor suits I'd seen at the Tombs of The Seven when I was little. The face masks and the tail armor was covered in spikes, some of which were pointed forward, others were facing behind it. The suit was painted urban camouflage just like Hudson's, but it was far bulkier and looked heavy as a mountain made of pure lead.
"Damn", Hudson said as the truck pulled to a stop, "look at this shit man."
"No kidding", I said as I hopped out, "looks like ancient Mountain Battle Armor."
"Battle armor it is", Nolan said, "shall we begin?"
"Hell yes!", Fireclaw shouted.
"I'm sorry", Shadow commented, "but I thought Fireclaw was supposed to be here, not Ator?"
Nolan laughed, "who doesn't like power armor? Just walk up to the suits and they'll open up, Hudson, you just climb in the back, dragons, pay attention to what I tell you and take these."
Nolan handed us each a small, black collar with a piece of steel pop riveted to the front with a microchip on it.
"They look like dog collars", Shadow said, "is this one of those, "put it on and you need surgery to remove it kind of things?"
"No", Nolan said, "you wear the collar that is synced with that suit and the collar picks up on your pulse and your individual DNA pattern, think of it as the key to a car, without it, it wont start."
I nodded at him and tied it loosely around my neck, beginning to approach the biggest of the three power suits.
"Operator detected", it said in a deep, raspy, mechanical voice, "initializing suit protocols, ready."
The back of the suit split down the middle like a rotten grape. The sort of door went all the way up the tail, through the back and stopped at the head crest. I noticed that the suit had horn shields, but that they didn't wrap all the way around, making it easier to enter.
"Do we just step in?", I asked.
"Yes", Nolan said, "once you do it will run through a start up sequence, I'll walk you through what to do when it asks you for user input."
After looking it over for a minute, I arched my back slightly and slipped my left paw down into the metal legging, it fit almost like it was made for me, but was extremely rough and abrasive, I could tell these were meant to be worn with some kind of liner, otherwise there was no way they could be effectively operated for any amount of time. I slipped my right leg down the legging and then slipped the armor on the rest of the way, finding that the collar clicked into place like a magnet.
"Operator detected", the suit said as the back began to close up, "integrating DNA profile, done. Booting main systems, done. Initializing Weapons platforms, Mark 35-Heavy Gauss cannon....online. MI-24 35mm Super Magnum...online. Flares...online. Suit initialization done. Requesting user input."
Nolan pressed a red button. Out in the distance, I could see what looked like a tank roll up onto a hill.
"Zoom in", Nolan said, "suit controls and software have been pulled straight from the weapons vests."
I squinted and found that the HUD zoomed in just like my 105, but rendered objects much clearer out to a much longer range, nearly seven miles, to far for even dragons to see without massive eyestrain.
"Shadow", Nolan said, "put a round on that tank, ten seconds."Without wasting any time, Shadow took the shot. The vibration from the gun made my armor vibrate a little and my ears ring since I wasn't wearing muffs. There was an audible ding and I watched through the zoom as the back sprocket flew off in pieces.
"Nicely done Captain", Nolan said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white canister, it didn't take me the entirety of a second to realize that it was a live willy Pete.
"System override", the suit said, "requesting user input, activate armor mode."
"Armor mode?", I asked myself.
There was a horrible sound like someone was crushing glass, bone and rock in a jellied mix and the outside of my vision was filled with this hex like weave of what looked like steel wiring.
"Maximum armor", the suit said, "armor alters the EPA's outer surface via the use of semi organic self repairing nanobots to improve damage resistance and increase operator survivability in combat. Armor mode requires suit energy, the gauge in the left hand corner of the HUD shows the amount of stored energy before the EPA must recharge the current power cell. Armor mode also increases survivability chance when confronted with explosive and anti armor munitions."
Nolan pulled the clip and tossed that little white weapon of mass destruction right at Fireclaw's feet.
"Whilly Pete", Nolan shouted.
Hudson didn't waste anytime in activating his suits armor mode, causing it to turn a chromium blue color. Sozenn didn't hesitate either, Shadow and Fireclaw looked as if they had no idea what to do. I lowered myself for a leap at them to knock them out of the way, but before I could make the lunge the grenade went off, bathing Shadow and Fireclaw in burning White Phosphors, but surprisingly, neither of them made any sound, or let off pain wails, nor did I smell any burning flesh. Instead, when the cloud of burning particles dissipated, I found that their suits were glowing in the same chromium blue that my, Hudson's and Sozenn's were.
"Lovely", Nolan said, "even most SPA users can't get Armor Mode right first go around. Hey honey, bring me my MP5 from the truck."
I looked back at the MYT and a short, 5'6 blonde woman exited, she looked to be around Nolan's age, but it was hard to tell because the years had been kind to her. She was dressed in a sleeveless ISA uniform with black fingerless gloves and her long hair was back in a pony tail. The second she stepped out of the truck, armor mode went down.
"Systems override", the suit said, "requesting user input, activate cloak."
"Cloak", I said.Next thing I knew, Hudson and the others, expect for Nolan and his wife were looking over their shoulders.
"Cloak alters the EPA's internal molecular structure using by using radon generated electric current from the power cell and sending it to special receptors built into the structure of the suit, rendering operator and EPA completely invisible and translucent, enabling travel through solid objects and complete silence in movement. Quick movements or discharge of EPA weapons systems will rapidly drain EPA power cells and can render them nonchargeable, preventing use of Armor Mode, Cloak mode or the use of other electrically based EPA systems. Warning. Exiting cloak mode while in a solid object will result in severe injury or death of operator."
I looked down at my paws and saw, nothing. I was gone, like I wasn't even there. The suit had outlined itself in my HUD, but that was all I could see. Even my shadow was gone.
"This shit's the beast", Shadow said over the radio, "I I can see you guys outlined in the HUD but that's all I see, I can see straight through the outlines like an open window."I heard Nolan stick a magazine into his MP5 and rack the charging handle. "Next lesson in EPA training boys", his wife said, "strength mode."
She pointed to a stack of huge cargo containers that had been beaten, blown up, shot at and seen more than their fair share of abuse.
"Those containers weigh 8,000 tons each", Mrs Scott said, "their full of lead, your job is to send them at least a hundred feet."
"System override", the suit said, "activate Power Mode."
"Power mode", I said.
Cloak died off and I felt a sudden burst of what I could only describe as being...airy.
"Maximum Power", the suit said, "power mode overcharges the pressure in suit hydraulic systems and stimulates operator muscular system via weak electrical jolts in key areas. Increases operator capability near heavy blockades or in close quarters combat with heavy vehicles such as tanks and light weight fighting vehicles. Warning. Power Mode can lead to torn muscles and damage to EPA unit if over used, recommend three uses before replacement of hydraulics and operator recovery period of no less than 2.15 hours."
"Looks like I'm up", I said.
I broke into a sprint and lowered my head down near my shoulder, flinging my neck and using my head like a club as I made contact with the container. I felt like I'd just broken my own neck, but the heavy container went flying, smacking into a dune and kicking up a wall of sand.
"Well you have that down Major", Nolan said, "go ahead and power down. You have till five days before the invasion to be with Adelind and your kids, I'd take it. I'll bring by the liner for the suit later."
"How do I even get out of this thing?", I asked.
"Say enter standby", Nolan said.
"Okay", I answered, "enter stand by."
The suit's hydraulics locked up and it became what I would say felt like a metal skin before the back started to open up.
"Entering stand by", the suit said, "releasing pilot."
I climbed out of the suit, "yeah, I'll just walk all the way back to Fort Talon", I said flaring my wings, "no big deal."
Nolan laughed as I took off. It was a ten or so minute fly back to fort Talon and the sun was starting to sink to our west. I walked up to the barracks and found Adelind laying in the grass, watching the kids play. She turned her head and saw me walk up, but the kids didn't and kept going.
"So what did Nolan want?", Adelind asked as she lay against me.
"He was showing us how to use Elite Power Armor", I answered laying my wing over her, "I guess that he wants some as many people behind a suit as he can get when we invade the US."
Adelind sighed, "when will it ever end."
"With this invasion", I said pulling her close to me, "and when it's done, I'm out. Out of the Marines, out of Raven, I'm done. I never have time for you or the kids any more because of all this and I don't like it. When Draco falls were going to go back to Tacoma and forget this ever happened."Adelind sighed.
"What?", I asked, "I thought you wanted to go home?"
"I do", Adelind said, "it's just...."
"Just what?", I asked laying my head beside her's.
She sighed again, "never mind, it's nothing."
"It's gotta be something", I said licking the top of her head, "otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up."
"Tyranny was here this afternoon with Emelia", Adelind said."Oh?", I asked."Yeah", she answered, "he told me that you said all you've ever wanted was a family, friends and an "enemy to fight". You don't want to leave the military do you?"
I sighed, "you want the truth?"
"Yes", Adelind said.
"No", I answered, "I don't, but I will in a heart beat if it will mean that you and the kids will be happier."
Adelind snuggled closer to me and wrapped her tail around my back leg.
"You know I'm not asking you to give up what you love to do for me", Adelind said.
"I know", I answered, "but that's why I already signed the papers to leave after the invasion. Because I want to go home too."
Adelind looked up at me and I licked underneath her eye, causing her to purr.
"You know I love you", I said, "if leaving the Marines makes things easier for you, then that's what I'll do, especially if it means that I'll get to spend more time with you in the kids."
Adelind smiled at me and pulled me into a kiss.
"I love you", she said.
"I love you too", I answered.