GLITCH's movements were shaky at first—Xiomar wasn't accustomed to using a Sync-Suit link. He had to mostly imagine his movements, since he wasn't able to do them himself. It was a struggle to will the massive mechanical body to move in place of his own.

In the arena, there were obstacles and targets, allowing Xiomar to demonstrate the mech's agility, power, and range of movement. GLITCH was only limited in physical ability by Xiomar's, and Xiomar had been working hard to make sure there were almost no limits.

At one point, trying to show off a bit of his acrobatic skill, Xiomar miscalculated the mech's movements, and GLITCH stumbled forward, slamming into the mech-proof glass. People scrambled away from the front rows in fear, but the glass held firm—that's what it was built for.

"Steady, Xio," Lotharing said. "How are you doing in there?"

"Aside from being uncomfortably numb, I'm fine."

"Did you just say you're numb? Are you having a reaction to the sync? If you can't—"

"It's just an expression!" Apparently, being numb wasn't a normal part of the syncing process. But anything out of the norm was going to make Lotharing pull him out of the arena. So, Xiomar lied. "I just meant that it's kind of surreal, piloting a mech. I'm perfectly fine. Don't forget that I've never done this before."

"You've already proven that it works, Xio. It moves just like a human. If we put this thing on the battlefield, it'd be a whole new ballgame. Assuming you finish this demo without anything disastrous happening, I might consider deploying you."

"Hear that, GLITCH? We might be able to get off this base and into the action!"

GLITCH didn't respond at first, and Xiomar imagined it was probably thinking about what had just been told.

"I am programmed to avoid and prevent loss of life whenever possible," GLITCH stated. "Hold for visual redirection. Sync deactivated. Eyesight, head, and neck no longer active."

Xiomar blinked a few times as feeling flooded back into his own head and his vision was his own again, watching the Training Arena through the screens instead of GLITCH's eyes.

"GLITCH! What did you do that for?"

"Xio, what's going on?" Lotharing asked.

"I am programmed to avoid and prevent loss of life whenever possible," GLITCH repeated. "I will not be deployed as a weapon. I am not a Reaver."

"GLITCH, that's not what I meant! I was just saying—"

"It may not be what you meant, but it is what the military has always wanted."

"But—"

"Sync-Suit link redirection in progress. Engaging auto-pilot."

Xiomar's eyes went wide as the feeling returned to the rest of his body. Auto-pilot? So, GLITCH could use the sync even without a command?

The pilot's seat, with Xiomar still strapped in, moved backward on its track, and stopped in the middle of the compartment. Xiomar was stuck, with the console far out of his reach.

"GLITCH, what are you doing?"

"Xio, what the hell is going on down there? Where are you going?"

GLITCH went to the arena door and grabbed the bottom. He was trying to pull it open by force.

"GLITCH, please..." Xiomar had a splitting headache from being forced out of the visual sync so suddenly. "If you start this now, they're going to send in the war mechs to take you down."

"I've seen enough, Haydn." Lotharing's voice was loud and angry. "Shut it down!"

Sighing in frustration, Xiomar turned off his helmet's radio. Lotharing and the rest of the control center didn't need to know what was going on. He wouldn't let them destroy GLITCH.

"GLITCH, listen to me," he said through gritted teeth, gripping the arms of the pilot's seat. He couldn't just take off the safety harness and try to stop him—it was too dangerous to stand up inside a moving mech. "I know you're upset. I'm sorry about what I said. I know you don't want to take orders, especially from anyone besides Acennan Pierce, but he's gone, and I'm trying to protect you! If you don't stop now, they're going to destroy you! Shut down the sync, please!"

"I was not built for warfare, and I will not blindly follow orders. I am not a lamb to be led to slaughter for someone else's cause. I am not a weapon, nor am I a machine to be told how to live or what to think. Soldiers are not cattle."

Xiomar's eyes went wide. GLITCH's words had struck his heart. He was the same, wasn't he? He had joined the Army because he felt he didn't have a choice—he had nowhere else to go. Now, he was taking orders from people who decided what he was going to fight for and how he was supposed to live his life.

Xiomar wasn't a machine either, but that's what was expected of him, wasn't it? Maybe that was why he got into trouble all the time. He was like GLITCH, and refused to be commanded.

"Radio override in progress," a robotic voice blared inside Xiomar's helmet.

"Shit," he said under his breath.

"Xio? Can you hear me?" Lotharing's voice was loud but garbled. "I've seen enough! You and that mech have ten seconds to stand down before I send in the war mechs to end this. You're obviously not in control anymore."

"I'm fine, just hang on a minute!" Xiomar snapped back at the general before covering the microphone with his hand. "GLITCH, come on. You're scaring everyone. You can't get out of this arena by force!"

"Your time is up, Major Haydn! Stand down!"

"Dammit!" Xiomar threw off his helmet, then undid his safety belts and ran to the console. He started flipping switches and pressing buttons, but there was no response. There had to be something he could do... something to override the auto-pilot. He was too afraid to just power down the mech, especially while he wasn't strapped in. If GLITCH fell over, he didn't want to imagine the damage it would do. "You're going to get us both killed!"

A loud bang rumbled the entire arena, and Xiomar’s eyes went wide. He had no time to get back to the safety of the pilot's seat before GLITCH was knocked to the ground by a cannon blast, and Xiomar was thrown against the wall. He cried out in pain as his shoulder collided with the steel.

"GLITCH!"

Using the connection to the Sync-Suit, GLITCH was able to access Xiomar's muscle memory, and he was back on his feet as quickly as he'd fallen. Xiomar slammed to the floor with a groan.

"Stop," he gasped, struggling to get to his feet.

"Two S-Class war mechs incoming. One Valkyrie and one Reaver, equipped with arm cannons and riot batons."

"What?" Xiomar felt a rush of fear and adrenaline, and he ran to get his helmet where it lay on the floor. "General, tell them to stand down! I've got it under control!"

The helmet was damaged though. The visor was cracked, and the only response that came through was white noise.

The ground exploded in front of GLITCH's foot, and Xiomar stumbled into the console.

"You are ordered by General Edward Lotharing to stand down," the Valkyrie announced, aiming one of its cannons at GLITCH's feet. "If you refuse, we will have no choice but to open fire."

"GLITCH, stand down before you get us both killed!"

He tried to get back to the pilot's seat, but he was thrown to the floor before he could get there.

"Dammit," he growled, clenching his fists. "Why won't you listen?"

On the screen, he could see the Reaver swing its baton at GLITCH, and he braced for the impact, but GLITCH caught the baton in his hand. He twisted the Reaver's arm until it was forced to release the baton or risk having its arm torn off. GLITCH swung the baton at the war mech, striking its head and knocking it to the ground.

"Have you lost your fucking mind? If you don't stop, then—"

GLITCH was struck in the back by the Valkyrie's cannon blast, and he fell to his knees. As he hit the ground, Xiomar was thrown back against the wall. He struck his head against the steel and slumped over.

"Pilot unconscious. Major contusion to the back of the head, and minor contusions across the body. Possibility of concussion and three broken ribs."

GLITCH went for the Reaver first, using its own baton to destroy one of its legs so it collapsed, unable to pursue a fight.

Using Xiomar's speed via the Sync-Suit, he was able to dodge a punch from the Valkyrie. He grabbed it by its arm and threw it, sending it crashing against the mech-proof glass that separated the arena from public stadium. The glass held, but people still ran screaming while others watched in awe, and the television reporters kept rolling.

The Reaver on the ground shot at GLITCH with its arm cannon, but he dodged the shots with ease. He pressed down on the mech's torso with his foot, just below the pilot's compartment, using it for leverage as it tore both of the Reaver's arms off.

The Valkyrie shot at GLITCH from behind, knocking him to the side. It did minimal damage, and GLITCH turned on it. With a surprising amount of speed and force, it kicked the Valkyrie's legs from underneath it, knocking it flat on its back. Before it could get up, GLITCH brought the riot baton down on the pilot's compartment with such force that it pierced that mech's chest, narrowly missing its pilot. Neither of the two war mechs were able to continue to fight while GLITCH stood over them.

"This is General Edward Lotharing," the general's voice boomed over the loudspeakers in the arena. "You are commanded to stand down, Major Haydn."

"Standing down," GLITCH's voice thundered just as loudly. "Pilot is unconscious and requires immediate medical attention."

GLITCH sat on the ground as casually as a human before shutting himself down. The door to the pilot's compartment popped open with a hydraulic hiss, to allow entry.

Lotharing took a lift to retrieve Xiomar himself, accompanied by two medical officers. They found him face-down on the floor, covered in blood.

"Xio!"

Lotharing rushed to his side, rolling Xiomar onto his back. He was out cold, and blood ran down his face from his mouth and a deep gash in his brow. His helmet was on the floor a few feet away, cracked and making white noise. Lotharing let out a heavy sigh before passing Xiomar off to the medics.

"Get him to the infirmary."

"What about the mech?"

"Without the Sync-Suit in range, it can't move. Just leave it here, and lock down the arena."