Chapter 6: Mecha-Titan

It’s funny. At the time, the fate of all humanity hung in the balance, but that mattered less to me than safeguarding my family. If it came down to it, I’d probably make the choice of saving my loved ones over the human race. I don’t know if that makes me an evil man ... or simply a man.

Ryan started to understand what the big deal was about Hannah’s mysterious vehicle. They stood in a massive underground hangar amidst thousands of ground vehicles and starships. All of them were impressive, but not quite as impressive as Hannah’s ride.

“IT’S A FREAKIN’ TANK!”

“It’s not just a tank, it’s a behemoth! That gargantuan monstrosity is bigger than my den!” said Grafael in awe.

The Saurian spoke the truth. The mega-tank was at least the size of a mansion, with a cannon nearly as big as most starfighters. The cannon was attached to the back in a way that made it look like a scorpion’s tale. At the front of the tank sat a massive lion’s head with actual blue flames shooting out of the mouth in miniature explosions.

Gold and silver armor plating shined throughout the exterior. Spikes jutted out of the giant wheels for vertical motion. This thing could travel over almost any terrain and knock down anything in its path that disagreed with it. Below the bright pink letters that said Lioness were more military-styled letters that read ‘Mecha-Titan A-1: Manticore Class.’ The beautiful vehicle almost brought a tear to Ryan’s eye.

“I’m driving,” asserted Ryan.

“Like I’m putting my life in the hands of a preteen,” said Rachel, her usual snarky self making a comeback.

“We’ve been through this! I’m fifteen, so I’m still a teenager, borderline young adult,” replied Ryan defensively.

“You’re not even old enough to drive an actual car. How do you expect to pilot that thing?”

“How hard can it be?”.

“Yeah. No. I’m driving, Grunt,” said Leon.

“Aww! Come on! I have the keys and everything,” complained Ryan.

Leon grimaced as he pointed up at the gun tower. “Tell you what. Why don’t you man that big gun up there?”

“Aww! I wanted the big gun,” grumbled Grafael.

“You are the big gun, Grafy. I don’t think you need another one,” said Ryan.

Grafael brightened a little at the compliment, thumping his tail pleasantly.

Suddenly, Eramar’s voice interjected. “Squad 99, can you hear me?”

Ryan realized the voice emanated from the medallion in his pocket, which had started glowing with a soft golden light. He pulled out his medallion to listen just as the rest of Squad 99 did the same.

“This’ll be the last set of instructions I can give you, so listen up. I’m lowering a portion of the forcefield in sector V-7 of the eastern part of the dome. Head there in the Lioness and don’t stop for anything. I’ll also remove the shields beneath the ground in that sector in case you need to use the Mecha-Titan’s subterranean systems.”

“Subterranean systems?” repeated Ryan questioningly.

“Good luck, Grim Team. May the Caretaker see you all safely home,” said Eramar’s voice one last time before the medallion went quiet and stopped glowing.

“Sector V-7,” repeated Rachel thoughtfully as she and everyone else returned the medallions to their pockets. “Well, at least that’s not too far from the hangar. With any luck, we’ll be able to get there without too many people noticing.”

Leon nodded as he turned his attention back to the team. “Tork. We’re going to need an eye in the sky. Think you can keep up with us?”

The Dragon rubbed his arm uncomfortably. “Well, I don’t ... I mean ... I’m not very reliable when it comes to these sort of things. Maybe you’d be better off with just-”

Ryan placed his hand on Tork’s shoulder. “You saved my life, Tork. Compared to that, this is nothing. You got this, bro!”

Something seemed to snap in the Dragon’s head, and his face scrunched down in determination. “Well then, by Jove, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this bloody business done so that we may come home and enjoy cheese and crumpets!”

“Y-yeah,” agreed Ryan uncertainly.

With a Whoosh! of his mighty wings, Tork took to the air while screaming, “GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!”

Ryan turned to Leon with a mischievous grin. “So, since I get the cannon, does that mean I get to shoot whatever I want?”

Leon laughed in a way like he actually considered Ryan’s request, but then he said with a blank expression, “No.”

A few moments later, Ryan climbed the ladder up to the cannon’s controls. There was no roof, so not much protection, but that didn’t make him any less excited about controlling a gun this big. The cockpit lay just below so he could see everyone underneath him as Leon prepared the Mecha-Titan.

“All systems primed and ready. Tork, do you read me?” asked Leon into the communications system on the console.

“Loud and clear, governor. Waiting for your command,” acknowledged Tork on the intercom from his wrist communicator.

Tork flew above them in the distance, but the hangar roof was so high up that it became difficult to spot him amidst all the other docked crafts. There were literally thousands of vehicles in the hangar, and quite a few of them floated above them hundreds of feet off the ground.

“Uruks. How’s that cannon holding up?” asked Leon from the intercom. “Do you think you can handle it? I’m assuming that you’ve already been briefed on operations for heavy artillery since you are about to take your First graduation exam and all.”

“Uh ... yeah. Just a sec,” said Ryan, trying not to sound nervous.

I did glance at the manual, but I mostly just looked at the pictures with all the cool guns and tanks. Still, how hard can it be, right?

With all the buttons and shiny lights vibrating like a heartbeat, Ryan got the sinking feeling in his stomach that happened every time he was about to take a pop quiz with Mr. Grain and he hadn’t studied. Ryan vaguely remembered something Eramar had said about all the weapons in the Ministry of Fire.

I think he said something about all the technology being affected by psions so that Elemental power doesn’t fall in the wrong hands, thought Ryan. So I guess that means it works a lot like the Psionic Weapons that Thisy trained me with. But if that’s the case, then I’m in trouble. It took me like a thousand times to get my weapons to work for me. If I pour my psions into this thing, is it going to blow up? Better question ... am I going to blow up?

Ryan then thought of Éclair, and the last shocked look on her face before she dissolved in a ray of light. Throwing caution to the wind, Ryan took hold of the two joysticks and poured his psions into them. Gently at first, then when nothing happened, a little more.

Two things happened. One, the machine didn’t blow up. Two, the cannon swiveled around in circles for a few minutes. Ryan’s world whirled in a dizzying blur as the gun spun faster and faster. Ryan soon realized he was pouring too many psions into the machine, overloading the navigational systems. He eased up a bit and gained a little more control over the gun, bringing it to a halt.

“Ryan! Are you okay?” called Leon from below.

Ryan threw up over the side a little before giving a thumbs-up to Leon, and saying, “I’m fine! Just getting a handle on the old girl!”

Ryan moved the joysticks, but nothing happened. Then he put a little juice into it and the gun turned to the right. The machine pulsated with power, and even though Ryan had been pouring psions into the controls, he felt them surging back into him from the joysticks, almost like a conduit.

As the psions surged back into his own body, he got a general idea of how the gun operated. Ryan couldn’t really explain it; it was just a feeling that washed over him as psions surged back into his body, like the first time he had sparred with Grafael and learned to fight instinctively.

Swiveling the cannon around, Ryan charged up the turret to fire. A giant ball of yellow energy formed at the mouth of the cannon before a beam of light twice as large as Grafael’s body sailed out of the barrel with a raucous roar. The energy ball sailed to the opposite end of the hangar and completely obliterated the massive metal doors at the other end.

Grinning wickedly, Ryan blew his finger as if he held a pistol. “Does that answer your question?”

“ARE YOU NUTS, URUKS!” screamed Rachel. “NOW EVERYONE WILL KNOW WE’RE HERE!”

“We were going to blow up the door anyway,” explained Ryan. “It’s the only way to get out.”

“I’m afraid that Ryan’s right,” said Leon with strained civility. “It happened a little sooner than planned, but that was the general idea, yes.” There was a slight twinge of irritation in his voice, but Ryan tried not to let it bother him.

The alarms went off. Flashing red lights made it look like Christmas. “Not to seem rude,” interjected Kavic. “But you do know how to pilot this thing, do you not?”

The Viceroy was strapped-in next to Grafael just behind the cockpit looking much paler than usual. Rachel sat next to Leon as co-pilot, though for once she didn’t seem to have anything sarcastic to say.

“I have been trained to pilot multiple classes of small, short-ranged starfighters and ground vehicles. I hear the general concept is the same. However, I have never had any personal experience piloting a vehicle of this ... scale before.” Leon sounded uncharacteristically nervous for a change.

“Was that a clever way of saying ‘no’?” asked Kavic, sounding more desperate by the second.

Leon smiled. “We’re about to find out.”

With a thrust of Leon’s hand, the massive Mecha-Titan surged to life. Ryan lurched back hard into his seat. The Tank moved a lot faster than Ryan thought it would. Within literally seconds, they were already rolling out of the hangar doors before the guards had a chance to respond.

Soon, they left the metallic hangar behind as the Mecha-Titan thundered through the colorful forest of the Ministry. Eramar had been true to his word when he said he would try to get the hangar area empty by ordering more troops to the outer sections of the Ministry’s borders. However, their success was short-lived. Dozens of Elementals already descended upon them, jumping from limb to limb in the massive trees above the Mecha-Titan with alarming speed.

Why do all Elementals have to be freakin’ ninjas, said Ryan to himself.

To make matters worse, swarms of fire bikes came flaming through the air, their pilots’ stoic expressions seeming more intimidating than ever. The flying, red and gold-plated bikes were powered by fire, but they shot lightning from their cannons ... fast zipping electrical arcs that acted like homing missiles. Luckily, the hull plating of the Mecha-Titan absorbed most of the damage.

Suddenly, two Elementals jumped from the trees towards the Mecha-Titan. Leon tried to avoid them by swerving to the left, but the Elementals shot orange glowing grappling hooks from their wrists that clung to the hull. The grappling hooks slowly pulled the Elementals towards the Mecha-Titan as their lines rescinded.

“Grafael!” shouted Leon over the roar of the engines which Ryan vaguely noticed resembled the roar of an actual lion. “Escort our guests from the premises!”

“Thought you’d never ask!” replied Grafael as he unstrapped his seat belt.

“Ryan! Try to get those fire bikes off our tail, but don’t kill any of them,” ordered Leon.

“Oh, yeah! Sure! That makes sense!” shouted Ryan ironically, though he doubted Leon could hear his sarcasm over the roar of the engines.

Ryan swiveled the big gun around and took aim at the fire bikes. He hoped they were all pretty good pilots, either that or he turned out to be a horrible shot. As he launched volleys of yellow plasma blasts, he tried to fire close to the fire bikes to make them veer off course, but not close enough to cause any damage.

None of the Elementals knew that he wasn’t really aiming to kill, so they stayed clear of the cannon’s path, forcing them to maintain their distance. Every time the thunderous cannon fired, it felt like Ryan’s heart went up into his throat, but he hardly noticed since he was having way too much fun.

“THIS IS SERIOUSLY THE MOST AWESOME THING I HAVE EVER DONE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!”

“WHAT?!” screamed Leon.

“I said, ‘Look! Those guys are giving Tork strife’,” lied Ryan.

Though what Ryan said turned out to be accurate. As the fire bikers focused on the Mecha-Titan, Tork swooped in from the sky and plucked up a couple of bikers and then deposited them on the ground where they rolled harmlessly in the soft grass. The remaining fire bikers took aim at Tork with their lightning cannons, forcing the Dragon to retreat further upwards.

Grafael didn’t fair too badly either as he cut off one Elemental’s grappling hook with his claws, sending the warrior plummeting to the surface. But the other one was already climbing aboard from the other side. If Ryan climbed down to help, the fire bikes would close in. Leon and Rachel both had their hands full trying to stay ahead of the jumping Elementals in the branches and keeping the massive vehicle from crashing into the giant trees. They ran over all the smaller trees, but the larger ones were still too big to circumvent, even for a Mecha-Titan.

Grafael was on his own against an elite Elemental warrior. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he needed any help. Swinging his large war hammer, Grafael dueled like a pro, spinning the weapon in powerful arcs that forced the Elemental back. The Elemental wielded dual knives, but was clearly no match for Grafael physically, so he made up for it by shooting green clouds from his blades that Ryan recognized as poison gas.

That guy’s a Poisoner, one of the Air-Type Elementals!

The green gas clouds corroded the metal plating in their path, leaving black scorch marks as they wheezed towards the Saurian. However, Grafael dodged from side to side, avoiding the gas clouds. Judging from the man’s uniform, the Elemental was a Level Three, the same level as Hamma. And yet, Grafael went head-to-head with him like he was nothing. Grafael employed moves that he never used in training before, such as grabbing knives from his belt with his tail and throwing them at his adversary while simultaneously swinging his hammer and kicking with his clawed feet.

The Elemental suddenly dropped his dual knives and pulled a long spear out of thin air. Apparently, he’d been keeping it in hiding within his own body, a common trick that Eramar said many Elementals employed.

However, Grafael was prepared as he grabbed the spear in one hand and broke it in half with his hammer. Blood fell from Grafael’s hand as he grasped the weapon even though he didn’t hold the blade of the spear directly. The Saurian then kicked the stunned Elemental over the side before he had a chance to react. Judging by the dozen meters the man flew through the air, Grafael didn’t kick him very hard; Ryan knew from experience.

However, another Elemental suddenly appeared behind Grafael in a flash of light, clearly able to teleport like Eramar. Ryan screamed for Grafael, but it was already too late. The Elemental raised his fiery sword as he prepared to deliver a decisive blow.

But then, Kavic, who had somehow risen from his seat without anyone noticing, slapped the Elemental in the back of the head. He didn’t hit him very hard since the Elemental just turned back to Kavic looking annoyed. But Kavic’s actions allowed Grafael to sense his opponent and send him flying over the side with a sweep of his tail.

“Not bad for a bureaucrat,” complimented Grafael, clapping Kavic on the shoulder.

Kavic smiled gleefully. As Ryan became engrossed in the exchange, a stray lightning bolt singed through his hair, reminding him of his task with the fire bikes. Ryan swiveled the cannon back around and shot a few more rounds to scare off the bikers.

Finally, the tank emerged from the forest, which meant that they were close to the outer ring of the dome. Sector V-7 soon came into view, and just as Eramar had explained, a portion of the dome had been left open with a large hole appearing in the glass-like forcefield.

However, the opening was blockaded with over a dozen flame tanks and a hundred Elementals, every single one of them charging up their psions for an attack. A lone Elemental, even a First, had enough firepower to take down a starfighter in one shot. With every single Elemental down there charging up their psions for a combined attack, even the Mecha-Titan would not survive.

“Great!” cried out Rachel. “I guess that Eramar forgot to mention the huge blockade blocking the exit!”

“He said that the Mecha-Titan was prepared for that once we got outside the tree line ... but I can’t find the right control for whatever he had in mind!” shouted Leon.

Tork came in for a landing behind Leon and Rachel. “I jolly well hope that you have a plan, Lurranna. Otherwise, I’d best make out my will.”

“Hey, what’s this button do,” said Ryan, noticing a flashing button on his console for the first time.

“Don’t press it!” ordered Leon. “It might be dangerous!”

“PRESS IT! OKAY!” said Ryan.

“NO!!!”

Ryan snickered as he pressed the flashing red button and put all the psions he could spare into it. Nothing happened at first. Then he heard a clanking sound like metal crashing against metal. Then came a noise that sounded a lot like the gears in a clock. Suddenly, a blue forcefield appeared over his cockpit, as well as over the heads of the other passengers.

Then something unsettling happened. Ryan’s cockpit began to move forward, folding into the rest of the vehicle. The gun vanished, and Ryan’s cockpit slid in beside Grafael and Kavic’s seats. Ryan heard a buzzing sound that resembled a chainsaw, or a drill. He looked down to see that the blades in the wheels now faced outward so that the Mecha-Titan resembled a giant drill.

A massive, cone-shaped piece of metal appeared in the front of the vehicle spinning wildly. With a violent shudder, the Mecha-Titan dove into the ground like a submarine. The Ministry of Fire vanished as Squad 99 descended into the depths of the earth.

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

Saria Kaves had never looked more terrifying to Eramar than she did right at that moment. Her eyes glowed with an angry, orange energy. The air sizzled with power. Tufts of fire and lighting spiraled out of the tips of her hair as her rage became more apparent.

She’d be perfectly within her rights to have me imprisoned for what I’ve done, or perhaps even executed, especially with war at our doorsteps. Stricter methods have been adhered during wartime. Hell, if she gets mad enough, she might just incinerate me on the spot with the power of that beast within her. But I have to hope that I can get through to her ... somehow.

Speaking calmly and clearly, Eramar said, “I retracted a portion of the underground layer of the dome so that Squad 99 could escape inside of the Lioness Mecha-Titan. And then, once they were safely out of reach, I reactivated the security fields and came here to confess to you what I have done and why.”

Before Saria could respond, Victor ran into the office looking pale. “My Lady Minister! The Water Elementals have breached the borders of District 8!”

“Status,” said Saria, not missing a beat.

“They’re attempting to set up a basecamp in sector Z-41 as a central locale from which to launch their invasion.”

“Have all the citizens within vulnerable areas of District 8 been evacuated?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Then do everything in your power to prevent them from setting up a base of operations. Guerilla tactics. Sabotage. Anything. But try to do so without engaging the enemy directly; and take small brigades so as to avoid detection.”

“Yes, my lady,” said Victor before disappearing with a burst of speed and agility.

Eramar waited patiently, knowing that he was hardly in the position to be giving advice at a war council. Saria turned back around on Eramar so vehemently that he felt tempted to teleport someplace far away.

“Of all the Wielders who advise me, you were the one I trusted the most. The man I knew I could count on in every circumstance. The man whose loyalty I would never question. And now I hear that you not only deliberately disobeyed my orders, but also set five of our brightest young people down a path that they will likely never return from.

“You do understand that as Minister of Fire, I cannot play favorites. I must judge based on the actions of my subordinates alone. When it comes to matters such as these, friendship is an irrelevant variable. That is why I must tell you to choose your next words very carefully, Eramar.”

Eramar had predicted her fury, but just being confronted with it, knowing that her disappointment in him ... his mentor; a person he’d looked up to since childhood, who had acted like the mother he never had ... For a while, Eramar couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze, he just sat there on one knee, trembling with both fear and shame.

Then he remembered his teacher, and everything Starbeard ever taught him about honor, integrity, and chivalry. He remembered the young boy, Ryan, the spitting image of his father, and how if his mission for peace had any chance of success, then the process must start here. If Eramar was to die for what he’d done, he could live with that, metaphorically speaking, but not until he’d said everything he intended to say ... and done everything he intended to do.

For Billy. For Ryan. For everyone who ever meant a damn to me.

With a heavy heart, Eramar raised his head slowly. “Before I begin, I have to say that I accept full responsibility for what has transpired. The decision to send Squad 99 on their current mission was mine and mine alone. When they return, they cannot be held responsible for their actions.

“That is why I implore you, my lady, to treat them mercifully. They represent the future of this Ministry. They represent its legacy, and a grand legacy it will be if they live long enough to receive the guidance of the wisdom that comes with age.

“They are young, and still do not grasp the full realities of war. Therefore, the most severe of the punishments must fall on my shoulders. I will gladly relinquish my life if you desire it, but only after I have said that which I deem most necessary for my lady to hear.”

Saria’s expression remained unreadable as she crossed her arms in front of her. Not altogether discouraging, but then again, not altogether encouraging either. Eramar interpreted her silence as a sign to continue.

“I believe that our Ministry, as well as the Ministry of Water, are both being deceived by a third party. Not too long ago, Lord Gregory himself made a surprise visit to our Ministry and threatened me.”

Saria sniffed incredulously. “Lord Gregory makes lots of threats, sometimes twice a month. But he has never made good on those threats. What makes this time any different?”

“I thought so too at first, but the more things have developed, the more I sense something amiss. There are just too many unexplainable factors. Why would the Water Elementals be dealing with Mystic mercenaries? How did Christopher Palm get into the council chamber when we made absolutely certain that all guards present could be counted on to keep a cool head and follow orders, even with a politician like Randals in the mix?

“How did Hamma get that Gateway in the council chambers and how did he know where we would be meeting for the negotiations? Everywhere we turn, our enemies seem to be one step ahead of us, using tactics unlike that of what is customary to the Ministry of Water.”

“Elementals were made to adapt. It is not farfetched to assume that the Ministry of Water has as well.”

“Maybe so, but even still, I feel like the Ministry of Water is not our true enemy here. Konamay was both surprised and shocked when he saw Randals die. I may not be a telepath, but I think I’ve lived long enough to know when a man is acting or not.”