Sparks lit up the air as an intense red beam of projectile energy tore through the armor of a four-legged Armored Core, rendering it motionless. In the background of this dark arena a red AC landed on it�s knee then stood up, it�s back to the quadreped. Soon a loud uproar could be heard as various onlookers expressed their great pleasure at seeing the conclusion of the battle which just took place. Various onlookers sat at the outskirts of this large base, formerly used for military operations. �There you have it everyone the winner of today�s match is the one and only Crimson Fury!� said a cheerful female announcer into her microphone. The crowd cheered on as a rescue team sped to the smoking quadreped AC. The crimson AC just stood there as the light of the full moon shone off it�s glimmering armor.
June 6, Earth Year 229 � Black Wing Resorts
Minutes later a dark haired Raven could be seen wandering out of a locker room. He wore a deep red flightsuit with grey trimming. His hair was parted slightly at one side and tied into a pony tail at back which fell below his collar. Stray strands of his dark hair hid one of his eyes and the rest fell below his jawline at the side of his face. He blinked his dreary eyes as the bright light of the hallway shone into them, but before he could regain his composure he heard the sudden and loud voice of a woman. �Crimson great match!� Said a violet clad woman who ran toward him, quickly approaching. Her arm waving to him above her head. She also wore a jumpsuit similar to Crimson�s, yet it fit tight to her womanly figure and was left somewhat unzipped at front, revealing more of her curvacious figure. Crimson turned to her and narrowed his eyes �Fox?� He said in surprise. �What are you doing here?� The female Raven stopped in front of Crimson and let her arms fall behind her, holding them together slightly she tilted her head to one side a bit. �Well I heard you had been fighting in this arena and I wanted to see you in action, Vulcan�s here too ya know.� Crimson looked around before saying, �Really? Where is he?� Fox tilted her weight to one leg a bit. �Hmm good question. He wandered off earlier and I have no idea where�s he�s gone.� Crimson Fury nodded to her and placed his hands in his pockets as he began to walk forward and past her.
Fox ran up alongside him and gave him a bewildered look. �Um� Where are you going?� Crimson walked slightly hunched over, hands in his pockets staring forward. �I�m going to get something to eat.� He said in a low tone, not taking the time to look at her. �Well do you mind if I join you?� replied Fox with a playful smile on her face. Crimson�s eyes glanced back at her from behind strands of dark hair. �What does she want?� He thought to himself. �Fine then�� He muttered.
After stopping and getting something to eat Crimson and Fox walked out unto the courtyard of the resort Crimson Fury was staying at. Many Ravens who fought in the nearby arena tournaments stayed here, though it wasn�t of the most affordable places to reside, only winners frequented this place due to it�s high price. It was however well worth it. A resort overlooking the sea, beautiful sights to be seen wherever one would dare gaze. Fox looked over to benches which sat near the outer railings of the wooden boardwalk overlooking the clear water, the sun shone above it, the sea, a glistening blue. She walked forward and looked out over the ocean, placing her hands on the railing and leaning forward. The reflection of the sea glimmered in her somewhat slanted brown eyes. Crimson appeared aside her and gazed out over the ocean, his long hair being pushed aside by the harsh winds. Fox laughed to herself and a slight smirk appeared on her face. Crimson raised his hand and pushed his hair back from his eyes. �What�s so funny?� He said as he tilted his head and looked to her, still struggling to keep his hair from going totally wild. She continued to giggle to herself. �Oh nothing.� She turned and walked to one of the empty benches which sat on the boardwalk behind the railings.
Fox sat on the bench and crossed her right leg over the other in front of her. She tilted her head back and let the wind caresse her face. She let her arms fall behind the bench�s back and smiled as her spikey reddish-brown hair was pushed from her eyes by the wind. Crimson walked to the bench and sat next to her, he crossed his leg over the other and crossed his arms as well. �Don�t you think it�s beautiful?� Crimson turned to Fox after she suddenly muttered this. �You mean the ocean?� He asked. Fox narrowed her eyes and peered at Crimson in an almost irritated manner. She replied in a sarcastic tone �What else would I be talking about?� A moment passed. All of a sudden Crimson moved closer to her and gently lay his hand on her cheek. He smirked somewhat devilishly and narrowed his eyes as he stared into her surprised eyes, their faces merely an inch apart. In a low and shrewd voice he said �Well you could�ve been talking about yourself� Fox.� A few seconds past as their faces hovered close to each other, Fox�s cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Crimson abruptly stood in one fluid motion and let his hand brush her hair once before walking off and away from her as he had earlier, without a word. Fox sat there puzzled, her cheeks a light shade of red, she couldn�t hide the fact that she was blushing. She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. �He�s so confusing sometimes��
That night Crimson sat near the large window of his room and stared off into the moonlit ocean. �How long will I go on living like this?� He sighed and looked down to the floor. �For what?� He shook his head. �Why should I keep fighting? It�s beginning to bore me� And here I thought this life was all I�ve ever wanted.� Crimson stood and turned from the window. He began to walk away toward his bed and muttered to himself. �I have to find a reason.�
The next day the crowd buzzed as excitement rose with every passing moment. Everyone anticipated the next match. Crimson Fury was to fight another Raven who not much was known about. A masked Raven known only as The Marauder had appeared out of nowhere and beaten another Raven who had a rather promising record with seemingly little effort. The energetic female announcer�s voice rang across the ears of all onlookers as they anxiously awaited the fight to begin. At one end of the long runway of Etal Base stood the red middleweight AC Epsilon, piloted by Crimson Fury. Mounted on it�s arms were a powerful plasma rifle and the infamous laserblade the LS-MOONLIGHT. On it�s back was a small missile launcher. Soon the challenger arrived across from the Epsilon. The Marauder�s black and green colored AC dubbed �Raider� was a hulking heavyweight Armored Core. In it�s hand it held a long barreled spread bazooka, and on it�s back were ground torpedoes and multimissiles. A very formidable arsenal. Crimson Fury stared down his opponent�s AC and narrowed his eyes. �Marauder� I haven�t ever heard of you before.� He said to himself. �Let�s just see what you can do��
On both their monitors the pilots could see the countdown to the start of the battle. �C�mon�!� Said Crimson, growing impatient. As the last few seconds ticked down on the counter a grin appeared on Crimson�s face as he tilted his head forward and stared at his enemy. �Now!� He screamed as the indicator on his monitor read �GO!�. Epsilon leaped into the air as soon as the buzzer sounded and overboosted forward toward the challenger. His AC�s overboost deactivated in midair and Crimson slowed down bringing his gun to bear while drifting forward. �Take this!� He shouted as he shot a plasma beam toward Marauder. �Heh� Not today�� Muttered Marauder in a calm voice as he seemingly effortlessly avoided the blast with a quick jolt backwards, his boosters flaring. Soon after that, the Raider AC raised it�s bazooka and shot at Epsilon. Crimson narrowed his eyes and leaped backward quickly and to the left avoiding the shells. �Hmm, a spread bazooka�� Three more bazooka shells came hurdling toward Crimson Fury and he barely managed to boost back, over and behind a large parking garage type structure. Crimson breathed hard once then looked around after taking cover
�Well well he�s rather good. Now where are you Maurauder...?� Epsilon�s head quickly looked to both sides. Soon after Epsilon jumped to the top of a large pole-like structure behind him. Crimson overboosted to the other side of the arena. �I can�t see him, radar isn�t picking him up either.� Suddenly the monitor flashed and he was notified that he was being locked onto. �Missiles!� Crimson boosted forward as the warhead came toward him. �A multi missile�� he thought. The warhead split and Crimson veered to the side, one of the missiles hitting him and putting a dent in his leg. �Damn it!� He screamed as he landed hard unto the ground. The slight laughter of the other pilot could be heard. After landing Crimson boosted erratically left and right as Marauder wasted two shots of his arm weapon on the dodging red AC. �Fine then that�s how you want it!?� Crimson began charging his enemy frantically. His shots were frayed and he would occasionally fade back into cover and fire missiles to surprise his enemy. Though he was doing no real damage to the surprisingly mobile heavyweight. Within the fray Epsilon�s core was nicked by one of Marauder�s stray bazooka shells which caused him to land hard on the ground.
Marauder saw this as an opening and quickly activated his overboost. He brought his gun up in front of him and screamed to Crimson. �Now it�s over!� He hurdled forward at a high speed toward the stunned Epsilon. �Heh this seems rather familiar...� Marauder let off a bazooka shot and Epsilon lept upward quickly, it�s boosters flaring wildly and lighting up the night sky. The heavyweight quickly slid unto it�s knee to stop and looked up at the soaring Epsilon AC, quickly turning due to the turnboosters mounted on It�s shoulders. �How�d he recover that fast!?� The Raider AC�s ground torpedoes came into play as he locked onto the airborne red AC and fired. The torpedoes quickly split and began to seek out the Epsilon, spiraling off towards Crimson Fury. �Familiar indeed�� thought Crimson. Epsilon turned and began to descend toward the oncoming missiles. �Here�s one you haven�t seen yet�� Raider stared up at Epsilon as it fell, somehow dodging the missiles with strange movement only using it�s own downward momentum. �How�d he dodge them from that angle!?� Epsilon fluttered it�s boosters just before landing in front of Marauder. It raised it�s left hand and quickly tried to slash at the enemy. Marauder lept backward, it�s core getting grazed slightly in front by the Epsilon�s blade. Marauder activated his energy wave blade and threw a beam of plasma towards Crimson Fury. Epsilon barely ducked out to it�s left in time to avoid serious damage. It�s small missile pack however, did get dismembered, and his right arm had been cut through a bit. �Got him!� Screamed Marauder as he was confident victory was in his grasp. He let off a second beam of plasma from his left arm wave blade toward Epsilon.
Epsilon�s leg boosters flared as it boosted forward toward the oncoming beam, it quickly leaped into the air. Sparks of energy flew through the sky as Epsilon�s left foot was cut in two by the wave blade. �Damn!� Marauder yelled as he looked up through his mask at the red AC which was in a perfect position for attack, it�s left arm already in position to use it�s blade. He closed his eyes and smirked. �Well� guess you won this one, I got sloppy.� With a single swooping blow the Raider AC was toppled over. Crimson landed his AC and quickly tried to stand it up as it stumbled forward. He brought it�s left arm up and placed it on a large platform so it wouldn�t fall. Crimson closed his eyes and communicated with Marauder through the comm link �So are you going to take that mask off now?� The masked Raven smirked then slowly undid his mask and pulled it from his face. �So you knew it was me all along?� Said Vulcan, who�s disguise had now been found out. �You know you couldn�t fool me for long, Vulcan.� Vulcan sighed and let his head fall back as he sat there in the toppled over black AC. �Heh it seems you�ve won. What gave me away?� He said. Crimson replied �It seems I have. Your skills have improved, though the way you charged in like that was a dead giveaway. You�re the only Raven I know who charges like that.�
Vulcan undid his fastenings and relaxed. �What have you been up to in the last six months Vulcan?� asked Crimson Fury. �That�s a story for another time friend. I�ll fill you in later.� Said Vulcan. The recovery team was already on it�s way towards the two damaged ACs.
After collecting his prize money, Crimson walked towards a small drinking bar where Vulcan and Fox awaited. He took a seat on the booth in a dark corner of the somewhat dimly lit bar next to Fox, Vulcan sat across from him. Crimson leaned forward towards Vulcan and asked him. �So tell me, what possessed you to take on this secret identity, hmm?� Vulcan grinned and closed his eyes as he tilted his head and muttered. �Well I�ve been trying to keep a low profile, and what do ya know I�d be matched up with you in my second arena match. However, my moonlighting as the Marauder stems back to a few months ago�� Crimson Fury and Fox listened attentively. Vulcan went on about his being contacted by the Earth Government after he, Crimson Fury, and Fox had confronted the large flying fortress months ago. He explained about his involvement in a secret organization, developed to stop a coup d'�tat being planned by a rogue group of ex-Ravens.
�These rebels, who were all once Ravens, are a force to be reckoned with.� Said Vulcan. �They are of the same midset as the Frighteners we heard so much about years ago, they set to infiltrate a secret facility which contains something very, very dangerous. If they get their hands on it then we all will be in grave danger.� Crimson narrowed his eyes and looked to Vulcan. �So why are you telling us all of this? Isn�t this type of thing top-secret most of the time?� Vulcan nodded. �Yes, but my mission here wasn�t fighting in the arena, that�s merely a pretense to what I�m really here for. What I came here for, is to ask for your help, Crimson Fury and Fox�� Fox�s eyes widened and Crimson seemed a bit surprised himself. �Why us?� asked Fox. �Because I know you two are capable of doing this dangerous mission.� replied Vulcan. Crimson laughed to himself. �Well� I never thought that you of all people would work exclusively for anyone again after you left Zio, regardless, tell me more...� Vulcan smiled to his friend and nodded. He stood and looked to the others. �Lets go somewhere more private to talk.� Crimson stood and then looked back to Fox who still sat there hunched over a bit, a look of concern on her face. �Fox are you alright?� he said as he widened his eyes. Fox looked up at him and feigned a smile. �Sure�� She stood and walked from he booth. She walked past him to the awaiting Vulcan. Crimson tilted his head and looked to her. �Hmm�� He followed his two friends.
The hotel room was dimly lit, and the three Ravens were gathered near the kitchen bar. Crimson stood with his back against a cabinet, Fox sat atop the counter, relaxed, and Vulcan sat on a stool between the two, his drink in front of him on top of the counter. He slowly took a sip from the small glass of wine. �Well, first of all, I�m obligated to tell you both that this mission has a very low estimation for survival...� Fox stared at the floor, her face seemed to wince, Crimson nodded. �Right, nothing new, go on.� Said Crimson. Vulcan looked to him. �No, I don�t think you understand. The pilots we�ll be encountering aren�t like anything you�ve ever seen.� Crimson Fury looked over to Vulcan and narrowed his eyes. ��Human Plus?� He said. Vulcan shook his head. �No... They�re not like that at all. Physically they aren�t really different from you and I. What they are, are an elite few who are not of this time. These Ravens combined have a kill record that far surpasses that of any other correlation of Ravens. They are not to be taken lightly.� Fox looked to Vulcan. �Not of this time? What do you mean?� Vulcan narrowed his eyes before taking another swig of his drink.
�The government was keeping the cryogenically frozen bodies of a number of elite Ravens from long ago, before any of us were born apparently. In some of the old history files you may read of them, these Ravens rebelled and they were responsible for many, many atrocities during the early war era. However, it seems that the man behind the Civil Commotion on Mars, Leos Klein, inserted a secret command into the Government�s computer that would free these frozen Ravens years later if his plan were to fail, to carry out vengeance on the Earth. They managed to escape the HQ and have dissappeared since then.� Fox gasped and Crimson tilted his head forward as he replied. �That�s amazing. However, why is it that they will fulfill Klein�s wishes?� Vulcan replied. �While he did input the command for them to be released six years after his rebellion, he also fed them data involving a secret structure that pre-dates the great destruction. This unexplored region, known only as the Lost Field, is a very mysterious place. Not even the government completely knows what lurks within, but what they do know is that many secret weapon projects went on there in the past. Regardless, we can�t let these rebels take the place for themselves, they may find something which could prove dire for us, and possibly the entire planet. Klein�s wishes were most likely for them to exact revenge on a world that didn�t want his way of life.� �Well how do we know they�re still so dangerous?� Said Crimson Fury. Vulcan stayed silent for a second. �Believe me, they�re not to be taken lightly. I barely made it out of there alive when myself and others tried to stop them. I was in the building that they were being held in, and when they escaped they nearly killed me using two stolen government ACs. Needless to say, Heavy Metal didn�t make it so that�s why I now pilot Marauder.� Crimson Fury nodded. �I see��
Fox hopped off of the counter and walked forward, she took her elbows in her hands in front of her, cupping her hands under them. �Lost Field�� She muttered. Vulcan turned his head a bit and looked to Fox from the corner of his eye. �You�ve heard of it?� Fox stayed silent for a moment before replying with a nonchalant answer. �No. I just have a bad feeling about this� That�s all.� Crimson, still leaned against the cabinet, crossed his arms leaning his head back. �Fox, if you have no interest in doing this then leave.� He said to her somewhat unsympathetically. Fox turned to him and narrowed her slightly trembling eyes a bit, a serious, almost angry expression on her face. She suddenly stormed from the kitchen and walked to the living room area. Vulcan sighed and scratched his head. �You know, you could be nicer to her.� Crimson closed his eyes. �I guess you�re right... What I meant was that we don�t need any doubts on a dangerous mission like this.�. Vulcan took another sip, finishing his drink. �I understand where you�re coming from, but we need� Wait, are you saying you accept the mission?� Crimson turned and walked away from the kitchen. With a slight smirk and with closed eyes he said, in a low tone �How could I refuse?� as he headed toward the living room.
Soon after, Crimson Fury appeared into the living room. He soon noticed Fox sitting there, alone and on the couch, quiet and barely moving. He narrowed his eyes, and his face gave off a slight expression of hesitation as he stared at her silhouette. Her head turned right slightly as if she noticed him, Crimson winced a bit in surprise. He sighed and moved closer to her. He walked to her and sat at her side. �Fox� I�m sorry I was so...� Fox interrupted him and said �Insensitive?� Crimson smirked to himself and closed his eyes. �Right.� He opened his eyes and looked to her. Diverse shadows fell on her face, the fireplace gave the room an eerie but somewhat calm and tranquil feeling. Crimson leaned forward and gazed into the flames. �I�m going to accept the mission.� He said in a low tone. Fox quickly turned to him. �Why?� She said. Crimson Fury tilted his head and looked to her, a serious expression on his face. �Fox, won�t you help me?� She looked at the floor and crossed her arms. �I told you I have a bad feeling about this Crimson.� Crimson Fury sighed. �Well then, I guess it�ll just be me and Vulcan on this one.�
Fox narrowed her eyes and muttered something to herself. �What was that?� said Crimson. Fox slowly moved closer to him and lay her head and hand on his shoulder. �I� I�ll go. We�re a team, right?� said Fox. ��Okay then.� He said. �Fox what are yo�� His words were interrupted by Fox as she lay two of her fingers over his lips. �Shh� I�ll go, it�s decided� Just let me stay like this, for now�� She whispered, her eyes full of compassion. He narrowed his eyes and nodded as he gently lay his hand on her lower back. �Kasumi�� said Crimson in a low tone, almost whispering, a slight smile on his face, his head slightly tilted forward. His dark eyes stared down at her. Fox smiled and leaned into him a bit more, the flames of the fireplace dancing in her brown eyes. �That name�� she whispered. Crimson closed his eyes and held her close.
Dawn had come and the three Ravens stood just outside of a nearby city at a dockyard. �It�s here.� Said Vulcan to his two comrades. From the horizon appeared a large dropship. The three ravens stared onward as the ship approached. Within a half-hour their ACs were loaded unto the huge airship. Crimson Fury stood just outside of the ship as he took the chance to look back at the city one last time. �Hey Crimson� Said Vulcan, as he stood in the doorway of the ship. Crimson Fury turned his face to Vulcan. �Yeah, let�s go.� They walked into a sliding ship door and into a long hallway. �Where�s Fox?� Said Crimson. �She�s already in her seat waiting for us.� Said Vulcan, getting a nod from Crimson.
-To be Continued-