Chapter 5 AG

The mist of the dark forest churned as a group of sleek, deadly shadows rushed through it. The shadows moved so fast that they left after images in their wake, and the loud thudding footfalls of their armored feet were the only evidence that team Red Bear had passed by. The four Mechs raced through the misty forest as they chased something in the distance.

“Do you have a visual, Lighthouse?” The gruff voice of Capt. Red Bear was heard through the coms. The embossed bear head on his scarlet Mech seemed to vibrate with energy as he spoke.

“Confirmed.”

The camera feed from Lighthouse's drones was displayed in everyone’s HUDs. The video was shaky and flickered in out of focus, but the main star of the feed was quite obvious. On the screen, a humanoid metal colossus of a machine came into view. The thing looked like the lovechild of a transforming fire truck and an SUV. The boxy metal man was built like a tank and colored with a red so vivid that it would put L'Oreal Paris to shame. The air rumbled and the ground shook with every step the metal tank took. Trees and forest critters got torn apart and stomped flat as the giant passed by.

“That’s one big girl.” Black Tongue muttered under his breath. His black Mech slipped past broken trees and rocks like a ghost as he kept pace with the fleeing colossus.

The Exo in the video ran recklessly up the slightly sloping hill, trying not to be slowed down by the dense set of trees in its path. The red giant was about 3.5 meters high and dwarfed Capt. Red Bear in size, making even the trees surrounding it look small.

“Keep your fliers at a safe distance, Lighthouse” the old bear instructed. “It’s our only way to recon in this damn forest.”

“Roger that captain.” The yellow Mech replied.

“Mayflower!” The Captain called out.

“Aye!” The woman in the green Mech reached for the rail gun strapped to her back. The huge rifle was nearly as long as she was tall, and was painted green to match her Mech. Her armor looked like a precisely cut gemstone, and the dim forest lights reflected and flowed off her in a dizzying array of lights. In a smooth flowing motion, she flourished the rifle in front of her and took aim as she ran. Using the drones as guidance she adjusted her aim till she was locked on the fleeing Exo.

Boom!

The whole forest shook as her fingers left the trigger. A mushroom cloud bloomed where the red Exo used to be. The ground shook under their feet but it didn't stop team Red Bear from advancing on their enemy.

“Lighthouse, confirm the hit.”

The drones circled around the blast site, collecting data. A huge plume of dust was blocking their view, and pieces of debris rained down on them as they rushed towards the crater. There was no sign of the Exo and Lighthouse was just about to call it in when the cloud of dust shifted.

A red shadow raced out of the swirling dust and quickly disappeared from view. For a few tense seconds, their video feed was empty and the drones had to race after the Exo, trying not to lose track of their quarry.

“Christ, she’s fast!” Black Tongue exclaimed. The Exo was still too far away for him to see directly and he had to keep his eye on the video feed to keep track of it. “That's a model X23 for sure. Severely upgraded too by the looks of it.”

“Krähen managed to grab an Exo.” May said worriedly. “What are those morons at the bureau doing?”

“Right now?” Black Tongue grinned. “Probably trying to pin the blame on us.”

He turned towards Red Bear. “Boss. The Commissioner was clearly trying to delay us.”

“That incompetent, old dog needs to be reminded of his place once in a while,” the old man rumbled.

“I don't see how they can pin any of this on us.” May wondered. “They dropped the ball and now the Krähen are running around with their equipment.”

“Cool your jets, Aunt May. We haven’t confirmed it is the Krähen just yet. Attacking children isn’t their MO. What I'm really worried about is the Commissioner.”

“You let me worry about the bureau,” the old bear growled. “Just focus on the problem in front of us.”

With a wave of his hand, he sent a set of coordinates to each of them and the locations got updated on their HUDs.

“Let's see how long this one can run. Inverted wedge formation. We will box him in near the river. It will slow him down for May to get a clear shot.”

“Right!” The three Mechs moved in unison as their sleek deadly forms sprang into action. The distance between each Mech widened as they started running in a ‘V’ shaped formation. The four smaller Mechs hunted down the larger Exo like a pack of wild dogs, herding him to a position that he can't get out of. The formation slowly surrounded him like the descending jaws of a tiger with the helpless Exo smack in the middle.

In the video feed, the Exo could be seen desperately trying to throw off their pursuit, juking them left and right, trying to throw the Mech team off his trail. The larger mechanized armor was built like a tank and had tremendous power but it didn't stand a chance against the flexible, maneuverable Mechs that were chasing it. Once it is caught it will be torn to shreds. That outcome was inevitable.

“I have sight. 200 meters and closing,” announced Lighthouse. “Contact in 5...4...3...2…”

“I see him,” said May, picking up her rifle again. The red Exo was right in her scope and she didn't need the drones to guide her shot this time. Her fingers pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The ground shook once again and the shockwave surged through the forest, leaving the trees shaking in the wind.

“Missed.” groaned Black Tongue. Just before it was struck, the red colossus released flares from its back and banked hard to the left. It escaped the blast radius with minimum damage.

“Damn he is good!” Black Tongue exclaimed, sounding genuinely impressed. Unlike Mechs, Exos had physical controls that needed to be controlled manually. There was a distinct time lag between each operation that made the behemoth slow and sluggish. The pilot had to be extraordinarily talented to keep up with four mechs that were hot on its heels.

The red Exo continued changing its direction and increasing its speed, knocking aside trees and shrubs and anything else that stood in its way. Several forest critters fled in panic hearing the metal giants crashing through the forest. The sudden burst of speed took the Mech team by surprise as the Exo charged ahead. Judging by the trajectory and the path he was taking, his aim became perfectly clear.

“Shit! Lookout, Lighthouse! He is trying to breakthrough.”

The Exo had finally found an opening in their formation and rushed towards the weakest member of their team.

“Lighthouse, delay for at least twenty seconds!” roared Red Bear. “We are coming in.”

“Roger.” came an emotionless reply. Only the people closest to him could hear the coldness in his voice.

May took aim again, determined this time not to miss. She switched to one of the heavier ordinances she had in her arsenal. If the Exo was thinking of breaking out after taking out one of them, then he was sorely mistaken.

The red Exo seemed to sense the extreme hostile intent that had locked on to him. As soon as May clipped in her payload he raised his arms towards her. There was a blinding flash of light as he fired.

“May!”

Red Bear charged ahead and blocked the incoming missile with his body.

Boom!

The small explosion rocked the forest and Red Bear had to brace against the impact. The huge bear head embossed on his chest plate seemed to be roaring in defiance as the old Captain shook off the blow. The strongest Mech armor was able to tank the hit with some difficulty.

The Exo sensing the opportunity, changed direction again and went racing back towards the river. The Mech team was stunned for a second and continued the chase.

“He gave up a perfect opportunity just like that?” wondered Black Tongue.

“He knew he couldn’t take the counter attack after he got through.” reasoned Red Bear.

“But the river? He will be trapped there.” May said, quietly. She would have been dead or seriously injured if Red Bear hadn’t taken the hit.

“Lighthouse, check the map again. Is there anything we missed,” the old bear spoke into the coms.

The answer came to them in less than a second. On their HUDs, they found the locations of each student taking the exam. One of the candidates was smack in the middle of the path that the Exo was taking.

“Shit!” May cursed. “Captain. He is going for the kids. We need to intercept!”

“Belay that!” Black Tongue interrupted. “Interception means breaking the formation. This pilot is really good. The fucker will escape.”

“B.T, don't make me come there and beat you upside the head!”

“The mission first, May. This Exo is probably the leader of the operation. We need to terminate him now!”

“Quite, Black Tongue, May.” growled Red bear. “Lighthouse, give me a profile on the student.”

There was a brief pause while Lighthouse checked the candidate roster. After confirming the identity he spoke somberly. “Henry Dormer. Nobleman. House Huntingdon.”

There was a moment of silence as the news was dropped on them.

“Well, fuck.” Black Tongue cursed after digesting the bombshell.

“Move! Move! Move!” roared Red Bear. “Why is that noble brat traveling without an escort?”

The air seemed to tear apart as the Mech’s engines ran on maximum power. Red Bear was still giving out orders into the coms.

“Lighthouse, keep your drones on the Exo. Don't lose him! Black Tongue, delay the Exo. May, cover fire. I’ll protect the boy.”

“Roger.” The team replied in unison.

The Exo seemed to be blessed with superhuman intuition and he recklessly increased his speed to throw off the pursuing Mechs. Trees were uprooted and torn apart as the red Exo charged ahead. The Mech team had to burn a tremendous amount of fuel as they chased the charging metal giant.

“I’m going ahead. Cover me.” The captain ordered as he used his final trump card. From his back, two jet nozzles were uncovered which was glowing hot as the turbines began to spin. Fire bloomed from the back which propelled the scarlet mech forward and the old bear was flying close to the ground. He raced ahead to intercept the Exo before he reached the kid.

The forest was a blur around them. The Exo and the Mech team could finally see the boy in question. He was running terrified of the metal giant that was chasing him. A dark foreign aura was leaking from the boy which made him slow and sluggish. He desperately ran ahead as the metal colossus swallowed the distance between them. All his efforts seemed futile as the Exo quickly closed in.

The Exo had its hands outstretched as though it meant to snatch the kid. May raised her rifle but hesitated to fire. The Exo was too close to the boy. If she fired now It was certain that the kid would die in the blast.

Just as she was hesitating, an explosion shook the ground again and the forest started burning. The boy was thrown in the air like a rag doll as dirt and debris started raining down on them.

Red Bear accelerated his mech and caught the boy before he could hit the forest floor. He turned around to be greeted by an ocean of fire blocking their path. The Exo was nowhere to be seen.

“What?” Black tongue looked at Mayflower curiously, her rifle was still loaded with its heavy ordnance.

“Not me.” May clarified.

“Stay on guard!” reminded Red Bear, and the mech team vigilantly watched their surroundings. This was the perfect opportunity for the Exo to stage a counter attack while they were distracted by the confusion.

“Lighthouse, where is the Exo?” the old bear asked somberly.

As though in answer two drones fell out of the sky. Scraps of the fliers were scattered everywhere.

“Well, shit.” cursed Black Tongue. It was incredibly frustrating. They had been aware of the Exo’s goal all along, but they had no choice but to play along. Now, they had lost their quarry without a trace. The blaze in front of them was getting more intense by the second as more trees around them caught fire.

“You smell that?” May wrinkled her nose.

“Hydrozine. The bastard dumped his own fuel to start a fire.” Black tongue covered his own faceplate as his eyes adjusted to the intense light and heat. It was the perfect cover for the Exo to make its escape.

“Should we put it out?”

“No, It's fine.”

“Shame about the trees.”

Red Bear straightened up after checking the noble. “The boy is stable. He will be knocked out for a while.

The four mechs were staring into the inferno as it blazed in front of them. There was a hint of purple in the flames as the Hydrozine burned in the conflagration. The purple glow bloomed and withered in a constant game of peekaboo as though it was mocking their failure.

“Is there any way to track him?” Black Tongue asked quietly.

“Without our fliers, it will be twice as hard,” May said gritting her teeth.

“That was the bastard's aim all along.”

“Shit!” May cursed. “Lighthouse, you are the tracking expert. Think of something!”

The Yellow Mech raised his hand, stopping the conversation halfway. His other hand was resting near his head as he picked up an incoming message.

“Captain. I have the Commissioner on the line.”

“About time. Patch him through.”

Red Bear tapped his ear and switched the call to private. The three mechs watched their captain pace about wildly as he yelled into his communicator. Occasionally they heard snippets of the conversation when it got loud enough

“Dereliction of duty…”

“Negligence. I could have you court martial for this ....”

And ‘traitor to the empire’ was thrown around for good measure.

“This doesn't look good.” Black Tongue muttered.

May just shook her head. “Lighthouse. Did you think of something? We can't search the entire hill.”

The yellow Mech raised its head and looked at May. Its faceplate was unreadable but the Mech’s eyes flashed.

“There might be a way.” he said slowly.

“Really! How?”

He pointed at the flaming inferno in front of them. “Hydrozine.”