Raven waited anxiously as his vision became tinted with red. He still hadn't gotten over that battle. Despite everything they went through, he still tried to kill her. Kill Ayre. His partner, his only best friend. But Ayre's calm presence helped settle him down.
DARK WING was once again switched around. It had its BML-G1/P32DUO-03 Dual Missile Launchers, replacing the stun needle launcher. The BML-G1/P31DUO-02 took the place of the secondary shoulder light wave blade. And the left arm with the light wave blade had a Vvc-774LS Laser Slicer instead.
The AC also got a bit of a color change as well.
The main black-hole-pitch black color scheme was replaced with more of a less pure shiny white. It was supposed to match the same white that ECHO had.
The ultra reflective blue sub-main was replaced with a more half-plain-half-shiny red, a Coral red, almost like RESOLUTION. It was supposed to be in honor of it.
Ayre gasped at its design as the white raven logo was switched with one that was black like a raven's fur. It also had something that looked like a shield in the back. And it also appeared to have some kind of circular pattern almost like flower petals, only that it was red, Coral red.
"Oh, Raven," Ayre slightly teared up, "It's beautiful."
<<It's just the beginning, partner.>>
The weaponry however kept their black and blue color scheme.
The device once again glowed Coral red while the weaponry had more of a blue theme just like OBSIDIAN WING. In memory of the AC of midnight black.
Raven and Ayre looked at the outside of the AC and smiled, or in Raven's case, he more or less had on a bit of an arrogant smirk, the closest he could get to an actual smile. Either way, they both stood proudly of their very work.
Ayre eventually informed Raven that she added some kind of "modification." She was literally able to add in the other modes, or transformation forms. It was like RESOLUTION and JUSTICE BRINGER: Able to turn into a jet plane and a cannon.
So now top speed and unleashing powerful damage will no longer be an issue.
Now, they just needed a new name for it.
Well, it mainly had dark-themed weaponry just like OBSIDIAN WING while the frame of the AC itself had more of a color scheme similar to ECHO and RESOLUTION.
They wanted it to be something meaningful. Something to go with "Liberator of Rubicon" as the natives had been calling them rather recently.
Then, it came to them; Raven felt Ayre's idea ended up matching his own. He pressed frequently on the keyboard, entering in the name of their new AC. That's right. To an extent, it was no longer just Raven's AC, it would also be considered Ayre's too.
She looked as the mercenary took a step back as they both gazed into the new name of the AC:
[WING OF RESOLUTION]
Ayre sighed with a smile on her face. "WING OF RESOLUTION... What a beautiful name, Raven."
<<Thanks, partner.>>
Ayre then switched back into business mode. "The Xylem is beginning its descent. Now... we just need to destroy the ramjet engines. Let's put an end to this, Raven. We're going home. To Rubicon... the world you saved."
And yet he nearly destroyed it too as well. But no matter, WING OF RESOLUTION was already beginning its drop.
"...We'll also need to prepare for re-entry." Ayre added, "Be ready to escape once we finished."
...
"...Raven. That's one of the ramjet engines." said Ayre, "Please... destroy the target."
<<With pleasure, partner.>>
Raven then quickly used WING OF RESOLUTION's vertical missile launcher and normal missile launcher that he switched out to wreck them.
"Starboard is silent," said Ayre.
...
The fire from the heat at the front of the Xylem began to glow all around once it was beginning to fall.
"The Xylem is falling from orbit..." Ayre sighed in relief, "...the Coral's safe... Rubicon's safe-"
A sudden laser came out of nowhere and started going right for Raven, who dodged. He slowly looked up.
A familiar graveling voice came into the comms. "...621."
Raven then looked up to see a red and silvery AC. It had some kind of massive cannon on its right arm. There did also seem to be some kind of other weaponry that Raven could not recognize at the moment.
Walter Handler then continued to speak. "Is that... is that you?"
He could barely recognize the familiar AC he had seen his hound pilot so long ago. He could only recognize it merely through the frame's actual design and whatever was left of its original weaponry.
Ayre began to scan the AC while he jumped off of the large building and landed about a 100 yards away from WING OF RESOLUTION's current location, whose eyes widened. He didn't know why, but he began to feel tears threatening to come out, but once again shoved them right back down where they belong.
The Coral Intelligence was very confused. It was taking so long to identify the new enemy AC. But, at the same time, the energy signature... it was so familiar... more familiar than she thought at first.
All she could find out was more of its name, rather than its serial number: SOLE SURVIVOR.
The cannon disengaged as Walter got up.
"They... 621... I have to... dispose of you." Walter said slowly as the lights on his head glowed.
So... that was him? Raven couldn't believe that his common sense had taken so long to even realize this. It makes... it makes total sense. He's the one who attacked Rusty. He was the one who made him fight Ayre...
Ayre was just as shocked as he was. "Walter?! But that AC... Picking up a Coral response... watch out!"
Coral response? That would mean that he's somehow got his hands on Coral-based weaponry. Raven couldn't remember...if he had a contact. No. He didn't. Why was he thinking so randomly and stupidly?
Ayre continued to scan SOLE SURVIVOR's frame and weaponry. Now she finally got its serial number: IB-C03: HAL 826.
It was so far the only AC from the Ibis series that could be piloted by humans, Walter being definite proof of that very moment. The AC did seem to have a Coral cannon, a shield, a blade it seems, and another cannon for a mount weapon.
"The corporation's orders... no... my friends' mission... eliminate... all obstacles..." Walter grunted.
It's like... was he... manipulated by the corporation? It's like... he's trying to convince himself that he was doing this because it was for his friends. For Carla, for their mission.
Ayre sighed in worry, then turned to Raven. "...Whatever they did... you're in danger. We... we have to defend ourselves."
Before Raven could react, he felt Walter pin him against the wall. He took out his cannon, but he backed him off with his laser slicer. WING OF RESOLUTION rotated quickly around as the four blades attached to the weapon spun around.
"That voice... 621... I see it next to you..." said Walter, shocked, "...yes ...kindling for the f-f-fire..."
Ayre's voice came back, sounding a bit more in worry this time. "Raven...! We're re-entering Rubicon's atmosphere! There's no time... hurry!"
Raven began to fight back more furiously. They brainwashed him. They brainwashed Walter. He began to hit the AC even harder until SOLE SURVIVOR suddenly staggered him and threw him into the ground, only for him to back him off once again.
No better time to test out the new "modifications" his partner had added. The legs folded up into what would seem to be described as a barrel. The boosters from the back of the AC and the lower legs helped it hover. Raven watched as his HUD went from showing the ammo of his weaponry to energy and heating levels. The targeting system suddenly became more advanced, more focused while even the controllers themselves changed. A ball of Coral energy formed between the barrel area. He then fired, a Coral beam shot out from it.
Walter quickboosted to the right. The beam singed off a bit of the side of the core, scorching off a bit of the red pain.
However, the other mech grabbed his AC supposedly by the throat where he could even swear he felt himself choking from it. Walter's voice strained as he continued to speak. "Once something's alive... it doesn't die easy. You have to burn every last cinder!"
WING OF RESOLUTION then kicked SOLE SURVIVOR away.
Walter then swung his own Coral blade, forcing Raven to quickboost back. He then flew right over the red AC, only to be pinned right up against the wall.
"Burn the Coral... and our job will be over... you earned all the credits. Undo the surgery... be normal again."
Raven began to tear up. "Be normal again?" How insane is Walter? He can never be normal again. He began to feel his blood boil. He slashed at his opponent's chest once again, and the fight began to get more and more furious. Ayre can feel her contact's pain. He was... really suffering from that.
"Raven...! Walter!" she begged, "This has to stop!"
Raven then screamed and unleashed every inch of ammo he had left, causing everything to crash into the IB-C03: HAL 826. He then overcharged his laser slicer and slashed with the four blue blades.
He then turned WING OF RESOLUTION back into cannon form and overcharged every inch of power available. Ayre could feel him using up the energy inside her. Before she could tell him to hold on, he pulled the trigger.
SOLE SURVIVOR's generator took a giant hit as it slammed into the floor. He can hear the static beginning to corrupt his voice more and more.
"62... 1..." he groaned.
...
They stared at one another. Raven kept his own death stare. Like a hound Ayre would hear him constantly being called.
Walter strained once raising his Coral cannon. "The mission... my friends'... wishes..."
He aimed it at Raven as he began to charge it up. However, a few bits of his consciousness began to return. No, he wouldn't shoot his own friend, not when he can stop it. He was done. However, he felt scared of leaving the hound, no, the young man alone.
However, he could see the small presence near him. He'd never be alone again. He'd be alright.
Walter let a small weak smile spread across his face as he disengaged his cannon. It folded up once the fiery charge was extinguished.
The word "friend" from Walter's gravelish voice caused Raven to suddenly become conscious about the amount of energy he ripped from her in order to damage SOLE SURVIVOR's core. Ayre put a hand on his shoulder before he could focus on communicating with her, calming him down.
"Look at you... 621..." Walter panted lightly, "...you found... a friend..."
Explosions began to erupt, getting closer and closer to the heavily damaged AC.
"Walter...!" Ayre shouted in worry. She could see the explosions coming in close right behind the AC. She closed her eyes and turned her head to Raven. "We have to go, Raven!"
Raven looked towards the safe and at Walter as the lights from his AC's head began to fade into utter darkness. No. He couldn't leave him.
But he couldn't bring him either. Not because Walter was dangerous, but rather because he was too far away, for the fires of the Xylem had already enveloped him within the burning orange glow.
He then immediately engaged the Weight Control tuning and tossed off the dual missile launchers, machine guns, and the laser slicer.
The core of WING OF RESOLUTION immediately began to fold up into what could be considered a cockpit for a jet plane. The legs really quickly turned into wings, followed by the arms. Raven watched the HUD transform once again just like when he turned the AC into a cannon. However, instead, it showed the speed limit and another overheating level. The targeting part became slightly less focused.
He then pressed the assault boost button and the jet plane took off, a small glowing red trail being left behind.
...
The de-transformed WING OF RESOLUTION floated in space as Raven and Ayre both watched as the burning remains of Xylem fall into Rubicon's atmosphere.
The Coral Intelligence could feel Raven's small signs of slight despair. And if she was honest with herself, she wouldn't blame him; Having been watched over by a handler for so long who is at least half the reason he was still alive for so long, he'd obviously feels like he owed him enough to have at least saved his life.
What slightly hurt her was him having his doubt if this was alright.
She took a moment to finally speak. "Raven...one day, humanity and Coral will thrive together... you kept our potential safe. I know Walter feared a Collapse... but I promise you, there's another way."
She could feel her partner's doubt slightly increase. However, she could also see a spark of hope beating like his heart. The heart that had been beating full of life since the day they met. The heart that she could feel pumping more than just blood in order to keep him alive.
Raven looked down. What made him special? What made him, a Gen Four AC pilot, so much more skilled than most? "The Old Gen who could do it all." Those words from Iguazu still rang in his head.
Was he that much of a prodigy? Or was it something else? Was it that he had so little to lose? No. That can't be it...
Ayre's voice interrupted his voice. "Raven... we'll find it. Together."
Raven sighed and nodded in agreement. She's right. They will find a way.
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