"So this is it." Kurz burst into laughter.
Sousuke had no more than ten rounds left in his gun.
"Looks like it was hopeless after all, eh?" mumbled Kaname.
"It appears that way. Sorry," Sousuke said, returning fire.
"I don't regret it," Kaname announced, trying to sound cheerful.
"Okay."
"I'm glad I met you, Sagara."
After a moment, Sousuke responded in a dark voice. "Yeah."
He ran out of ammo. Now, Sousuke's combat would be limited to bludgeoning people with the bulletless gun.
Kurz groaned. "The end!"
"No," corrected Sousuke, keeping an eye on the sky. "Aerial reinforcements."
Three-hundred feet over their heads, a parachuting capsule burst open.
Sparks from the explosive bolts scattered, illuminated a white AS dancing in the black sky.
The mech raised both arms over its head in midair, as if trying to balance itself, and reached terminal velocity.
"Here it comes."
In front of their eyes, the AS landed just fifteen feet ahead of them on the slope. Mud and pebbles shot in all directions, and its massive drive system emitted a grinding sound. White steam—evaporating shock absorbent—discharged from several of the machine's joints, creating a temporary fog.
The three of them gaped at the AS, which was white as snow.
"What is this?"
Although its frame resembled that of an M9, the shape of the armor was different. By nature, Arm Slaves took an aircraftlike form—but with this mech, the trend was even more pronounced: Its sharp silhouette suggested the frenzy of a raptor. It was sharp like a knife, and there was a sense of tension in the air.
This machine had the kind of cold ferocity that suggested that, once it found its prey, there would be no escape.
"Land war weapon" was not an adequate description; it was the world's most dangerous work of art.
On its hip pylon—the equipment fixture—was a shot cannon. In the armpit pylon were spare magazines and a monofilament blade.
"Who's in that thing? Mao?"
For that matter, where was everyone? Did they really send just one mech?
As if to answer these questions, the AS knelt and its cockpit hatch opened.
Oddly, no one emerged.
The white AS remained in its pose. After several seconds, nothing changed. Enemy gunfire hit the armor plate on occasion—but even then, the mech didn't move an inch.
"Hey, you don't suppose—"
Before Kurz could finish his sentence, Sousuke darted toward the white AS. Nimbly climbing up to the cockpit, he narrowly avoided bullets, which he didn't have time to worry about. He checked inside.
"Unmanned."
The empty cockpit was mostly the same as that of an M9 or any other AS, so there was room enough for only one person to fit snugly. Sousuke went ahead and slid inside. The forward multipurpose screen lit up, indicating the machine was ready to go at anytime.
"Commencing voice-print check. State your name, rank, and identification number," requested the mech's AI. It had a deep, male voice.
"Sergeant Sousuke Sagara. B3128."
"Comparison complete. Identity confirmed. Your orders?"
"Close the hatch. Begin tuning to mode four. Bilateral angle: three point five."
"Roger. Run mode four. BMSA three point five: completed," recited the machine.
The hatch closed immediately, and the semi-master/slave control system started up. Now, Sousuke's arms practically were the same as the machine's.
I can do this. This white AS is pretty much the same as the M9.
Sousuke stood the AS up.
"Start with the chain gun."
"Roger," affirmed the AS.
The machine guns mounted on the head roared as hundreds of rounds per second spewed forth, instantly tearing the surrounding pine trees to confetti, inspiring enemy soldiers to flee.
It was nearly an instant reversal of the situation. Dumbstruck, Kaname and Kurz looked up at the mech.
That's when the red letters in the corner of the screen caught Sousuke's eye.
Inspect data recorder's prep file. Al—highest priority.
Sousuke instructed the computer to play back the data, and Kalinin's voice filled the cockpit, "Sergeant Sagara. If you can hear this recording, it means you successfully rendezvoused with this AS. Now, I'll tell you the reason for this: When Sting discovered your group, the de Danaan was forty miles from shore. This was too far to dispatch a regular rescue squad, so we used a modified ballistic missile to send this AS. That's why it was unmanned."
"Okay." said Sousuke.
A ballistic missile could cover that distance in just a few minutes, but it couldn't carry a person because the G-force at launch would not be kind to a human body.
"Under radio silence, the de Danaan is headed toward the West Korea Bay Coast," continued Kalinin's message. "We plan to skim the coast, recover your group, and escape at full speed. Find a way to make it to the indicated point by that time."
A digital map showed the recovery point, just south of a village called Hasanbuk, which was about twelve miles from their current location.
The current time was oh-four hundred thirteen, leaving seventeen minutes until their allies could make it to shore.
"Furthermore, this AS is called the ARX-7 Arbalest. The AI's call sign is Al. It's a highly valuable test unit, so be sure to bring it back. That is all. Good luck," concluded Kalinin.
The ARX-7 Arbalest, huh?
Sousuke checked the machine's condition. Energy surged from its palladium reactor, power swelling its electromagnetic muscles. He could feel its superiority, even in tiny movements.
"Enemy mechs approaching. Five estimated," warned Al. The screen projected the assumed positions and distances of the enemy units, which were ahead to the left and right. They were approaching at high speed, presumably to surround the Arbalest.
The auditory sensor detected the deep menacing roar of the enemy units' gas turbine engines.
The optical sensor cut through the darkness, picking up signs of the enemy—khaki armor with two red eyes.
Rk-92 Savages.
Sliding along the mountain ridge, the Savages kept their rifles ready. They didn't look like they were going to give up and run. After all, they outnumbered Sousuke five to one.
But it was up to him what would happen next. He would take Kaname home. He found the pain of his wound oddly comforting.
"Al, right?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Were going to do this in one minute or less."
"Roger."
Just like that, the Arbalest leapt.
"Ew!"
The mud Sousuke's AS kicked up pelted Kaname and Kurz.
When it was safe to open their eyes again, the white AS had already landed behind the mountain, where it charged at the approaching enemy.
Had it really gone that far in an instant? Even to Kaname's untrained eyes, it was clear that the mech was a cutting-edge machine with extraordinary jumping power. The khaki Arm Slaves wouldn't stand a chance.
"Wow."
From their position, Kaname and Kurz could make out two enemy units, which were hopping around on the dark slope to engage Sousuke's AS.
One of the enemy mechs fired its rifle, and Kaname gasped.
The next instant, however, the enemy blew apart, and neither Kaname nor Kurz could tell how it had happened.
Approaching the other mech like a hopping bird, the white AS belched a white light as it passed. Sousuke must have fired. The blast spun the enemy in midair, sending it crashing to the ground, where it exploded.
After that, the hill obscured Kaname's view.
Running through a ravine, the white AS danced through the air. Just when it appeared about to collide with an enemy, it sprang over it. Countless fireballs scorched the night sky, seeking the leaping mech.