Battle Metal: Genesis

Series Synopsis: The year is 20XX, and Earth's first contact with alien life has taken a less than favourable turn – the despotic Xenos race have enslaved hundreds of weaker civilizations, and now they set their sights on humanity. Fortunately for Earth, now unified under one United World Order, Japan have shared their research into Advanced Mechanized Technology and – together with the rest of the world's greatest minds – the Age of Mechanized Infantry has dawned. With these behemoth fighting machines, and the right pilots, perhaps Earth stands a chance against the tyrannical Xenos...

Only time will tell.

Opening Credits: The first two minutes of 'Through the Fire and Flames' by Dragonforce plays to a montage of shots of our main characters – Rock, Kray, and General Zeung (looked angry as Hell) – and action cuts of mech battles, explosions and collateral damage in the form of blasted buildings and forests. As the music fades, we're left with ABU, the main mech of the story who's piloted by Rock, in a battle stance, Ion-Blade glowing in its hands...

Part One

In the cockpit of his custom-built mech, Rock relaxed; here, more than anywhere else in the world, felt like home to him. Here, he could walk, one-hundred and fifty feet tall, around the high-rises of NeoTokyo (not so high when you can look directly into their fifteenth storey windows, Rock smirked), safe behind the meters of titanium alloy of its armoured hull and several impregnable feet of maxiglass that served as his mech's eyes.

Of course, if anyone – or anything, for that matter – did feel like picking a fight, there mere firepower at Rock's disposal was enough to put any rookie pilot's nerves at ease. But Rock was no rookie, not by a long shot, and he knew how to use his babies; twin forty-calibre, armour-piercing Gatling guns protruded from his mech's wrists like menacing batons (which, incidentally enough, they were sometimes called upon to double-up as), their two-dozen barrels spitting out an aggressive six-thousand-a-minute barrage of raw firepower – effective firepower, too, but not always enough to put down a tougher foe. No, for the bigger and the worst of the worst, Rock had fitted his mech with two clusters of shoulder-mounted, anti-armour, multipurpose Screamer missiles. But the fun didn't stop there because, in forethought of the unlikely eventuality that he would run all four of his primary weapons dry without destroying a target, or group of targets, Rock had installed a secondary weapon – an ion-generator, from which he could power a number of dazzling-yet-lethal attacks.

First, and most commonly used by Rock regardless of his firearms' ammunition stock simply because he often felt like a more personal scuffle and, simply put," because it looked damn cool", was the Ion-Blade, a sword of pure energy that dealt both physical and electrical damage, often slicing through an enemy's hull, into its internals, and surging them with unrelenting power, blowing all systems and, ultimately, the enemy mech itself. Then there were the Ion-Blasters, beam weapons that fired from the palms of his mech's colossal hands, and these themselves had a multitude of settings; first, there was the frequently-used single-shot, used to strike an enemy off-guard just when it thought his weapons were depleted. Second, the Ion-Barrage – whilst nowhere near equalling the fire-rate of the Gatling guns, these rapid volleys still served their purpose, tearing into the target and causing untold damage in quick succession. Lastly – and only used as a last resort, as it always drained the mech's power reserves completely – was the Ultimate Blaster; cupping the mech's hands together, wrist-to-wrist, Rock could build-up a devastating amount of ion energy in its hands, using the machine's adaptive power shields to cover the hands in a ball until he was ready to release it and unleash hell... after all, he only ever had one shot – a missed Ultimate Blast spelt defeat for certain.

Yes, he didn't need to be told that his mech was every pilot's dream, as he had specifically hand-crafted it to be the envy of the United World Order's mechanized forces, and was more than pleased with his success.

Strolling nonchalantly down the specially-constructed, titanium-reinforced mechawalkways, Rock sat back in his command chair, flicked an auburn-brown lock of hair away from his eyes, and smiled. He could seriously get used to life as an MP(1)...

The loud klaxon of the mech's radar alert rang out in the stillness of the cockpit, rousing the late-teenager from his lounging. Flicking it back into silent-mode, Rock scanned the radar's flashing screen. Something was closing in quickly behind him, something big.

Wrenching on the control-stick, Rock whirled his mech around, and saw the hostile machine – a sleek quadruped compared to his bulky walker – barrelling towards him in a blur of lightning-yellow as he raised both Gatling guns to meet it head-on.

He fired without waiting for the mech's automated targeting systems to get a lock, using the edge he now believed he had over his opponent now that they had lost the element of surprise. All up the mechawalkway, tarmac was obliterated and its metal underbelly sang as it was lashed by the unforgiving hail of bullets, spatters of sparks heralding ricochets that flew off at random tangents, striking nearby windows, cracking concrete and shattering windows. As the guns' line-of-fire drew near the feline-like mech, it threw itself wildly aside to the left, twisting slightly in mid-air, claws unsheathing and digging into one of the buildings, where it latched on. It ran at him on its side, too fast to remain in one place long enough to lose its footing and come crashing back down onto the walkway as it left gouged footprints in the surface of the structures in its wake.

Rock's Gatling guns spun slowly to a halt, smoke billowing from them darkly as he lowered them angrily. He hated the other mech's pilot for his clever and ruthless counter-tactic – whilst the cat-mech continued to run along the building, he dared not fire off a single shot, for fear of the countless innocents inside!

Turning with a suppressed growl, Rock gunned his own mech's motor-functions, and fled his pursuer, thankful yet again that the machine's lightness coupled with the anti-grav boosters he'd installed in the soles of its feet allowed for such agility and speed, despite its bulk.

"Oh...retreating so soon?" sneered a voice through the open-frequency communications - he knew all too well...

"Kray!" hissed Rock, his grip tightening on the controls before him. "New mech?" he asked his nemesis.

"Naturally, seeing as how I was getting tired of you wrecking my walker time after time."

"At least with the walker you stood a chance against me," retorted Rock, "now you're no better than an above-average rookie in that unfamiliar mech."

"If that's so, then how come I have you on the run? Oh... oh," his enemy's voice took on a dark, gleeful tone. "I get it! It's totally pathetic, but I understand! You still worry about the civilian casualties! You just don't get it, do you...? When will you understand that this is war? Casualties are unavoidable – after all, how many civs do you think your magnificent ricochets cut-down just now? Fifty? Sixty? Ah, let's be fair and call it a smooth hundred, shall we?"

"Shut up..." Rock warned.

"Bad idea, not locking onto your target," taunted his foe with relish, "although, let's be honest, it wouldn't have done you a scrap of good if you had..."

"Shut up, Kray..."

"Y'know, now that I think of it, civ-casualties aren't just unavoidable –"

"Kray, I'm warning you!"

" – They're a necessity."

"Damn you!" turning on his heel as he took his mech into a leap, Rock fired a single Screamer at Kray's own machine.

He landed, skidding to a halt, to once again see Kray leap clear of the oncoming missile as it shrieked towards where he'd just been running, launching his cat-mech across the walkway and landing on a flat roof of a lower commercial building. The missile continued on its path, regardless of the absence of its target, and Rock had a split second to realise it would tear in through the thirtieth storey window of the office block, its explosive yield enough to level it to the ground – and, in that instant, he acted, slamming his fist down on the remote detonation button.

The Screamer came to an abrupt, explosive halt mere feet – twenty, at best – from the building, the fireball scorching the exterior before consuming itself in the air within seconds; the force, however, had its own agenda, the deafening boom of the explosion creating a barely-visible shockwave that slammed into the building with the force of a juggernaut. Windows imploded, whole chunks of infrastructure was torn off and dropped to the ground thirty storeys below. Some gaping holes even showed the starting signs of fires...

There were countless casualties, Rock knew that, but nothing compared to the number had he allowed the Screamer to detonate on impact, within the building.

Cursing under his breath at his impulsive actions, Rock's eyes darted to the roof Kray had landed on. But the cat-mech was no longer there, and he instinctively knew an attack was imminent from behind. No sooner had the thought entered his mind than he was whipped forward in his seat as, with the groaning grind of metal-on-metal that rolled like thunder, Kray's cat cannoned into the small of his walker's back. Trying to pin me! Throwing his arms wildly behind him, Rock tried to bat his foe away, but the cat was too sleek and nimble. Okay, see how you like this!

Holding his mech's hands over its shoulders, Rock charged an Ion-Blast. Kray must have been alerted to this, as the cat leapt clear – scything his mech's torso with a claw in the process – before Rock had a chance to get a shot off. Cooling the Ion cannons down, he rounded on Kray as the cat landed further down the walkway.

"Huh, think that would stop me – that I'd actually hang around and let you blast me off like some rank amateur?" Kray scoffed, his cat-mech arching its yellow body, a bright, translucent charge rippling across its armour. "You really are more pathetic than ever – Tail Whip!"

The cat's tail lashed out, arching over its back like a scorpion's stinger, discharging a powerful bolt that sliced through air as it homed in on Rock. Caught off-guard by the unfamiliarity of the attack, there was little he could do but valiantly attempt to block it with his mech's left forearm.

The blow came as a jolt that rocked the hundred-and-fifty foot tall walker, sparks flying from all directions within the cramped confines of its cockpit as the offensive energy surged the systems, showering Rock with prickling needles of light. A warning flashed-up on his tactical HUD(2), stating that the attack had shorted the mech's left Gatling gun. Indeed, when Rock held it up for inspection sparks cascaded from ruptured cables and thick, acrid black smoke rose from its now useless and still barrels like tendrils reaching into the air.

Damn it, I can't let him keep surprising me like this, or I'm finished! Thought Rock darkly as he lowered his damaged arm, glowering across at Kray, who simply remained where he was, his cat's back still arched, its tail now swishing lazily from side to side. I can't afford to be surprised, dammit!

Light danced over the cat's body – he was going to fire again!

"Fool me once," Rock growled, activating the Ion-Blade and smiling as it engulfed his right fist in a warm emerald glow before stretching out for some forty feet, "shame on you. Fool me twice... and I'll kick your ass!"

"Huh, big words, but you know what? I have two more for you – Tail Shot!"

Rock was already on the move before the voice-activated commands had even left Kray's lips, rushing the cat-mech as it charged its next attack, Ion-Blade held out before him defensively. The static bolt streaked towards him, but this time he was more than ready for it, parrying it aside effortlessly with his weapon, the power simultaneously converted to ion particles and added to his reserve cells. Against the Ion-Blade, most energy-based attacks were practically useless, as it hungrily absorbed their power.

Rock closed the distance between them before Kray had time to contemplate on what had just transpired, let along get set for another shot. Seizing the initiative, Rock brought the Ion-Blade down in a crushing slice, Kray's mech narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two straight down the middle as it sprang nimbly aside at the last moment, the blade meeting nothing but tarmac as it tore into the space of road Kray had previously occupied. When he lifted his weapon, it left a bubbly, molten black gash twenty feet deep.

"Too slow," jeered Kray as he dodged another downwards strike, this time leaping to the other side of the wound in the road as Rock's failed attack opened-up a fresh one. "You'll never stand a chance of striking me whilst my feet are on the ground!"

Idiot, Rock smirked as he prepared to strike again. You've just helped me beat you! Striking downwards a third time, he fully-expected Kray to jump safely out of harm's way again and, when the cat-mech did, he was ready for it. Instead of ploughing his Ion-Blade into the road once again, he struck again, rapidly and so fluidly it was like one continuous arc rather than two separate attacks. Scything the Blade skywards and to the right, he now swiped at Kray who was now defenceless in mid-leap, and he smiled grimly as he watched the Blade meet – then lop off – the cat mech's tail, closely followed by Kray's enraged roars as he too was showered in sparks.

When Kray landed, it was shakily, sparks blossoming stub where his mech's tail had once been attached, the tail itself twitching and spitting sparks like a fallen power cable a dozen feet back and to his left.

"Not such a loudmouth now, huh?" snorted Rock triumphantly, shifting his mech into a defensive stance as he powered-down the Ion-Blade to conserve energy. "Looks like we're one-for-one, wouldn't you say? I can't use my Gatling gun, and you can't use that tail of yours anymore – and, from what I'm seeing, I'm willing to bet you needed that tail for balance, just like a real cat."

"... You had no way of knowing that," Kray spat finally.

"No," Rock beamed, "I was just guessing... but thanks for confirming, I'll be sure to remember that in future."

"Heh...damn you."

"Admit it, without that tail you've lost the advantage," releasing his controls, Rock jabbed a finger over at Kray, and at his shaky cat. "You're finished!"

"Heh... heh-heh-heh-heh-heh..."

"What's so funny?!" he demanded, taking a step forward, his suspicions aroused.

"Heh... take a look around you, Mr. Hero."

"What...?" turning cautiously to his right, Rock's eyes widened, distraught, as he saw the sheer extent of structural damage his Ion-Blade had caused in its last combination sweep, windows and brickwork torn-out, bending outwards in smouldering ruptures that stretched for several storeys. "N-nuh-no – Unngh!"

Without so much as a sound of warning, Kray rammed into him and, this time, there was nothing Rock could do to stop his mech toppling under the impact. Crashing thunderously to the ground, the tarmac cracking and spider-webbing from the sudden blow, he found himself pinned by the cat-mech which, despite is sleek design, was extremely heavy.

Not wasting a second, Kray lunged, the cat's jaws opening to reveal rows of jagged razor-sharp teeth the size of cars, teeth so sharp they looked like they could cut through diamonds – and they were aimed at Rock's exposed neck!

If he bites through any of those cables, I'm finished, Rock realised as he hands went up to grip the jaws of his attacker, prying them apart whilst pushing away with all his might, Anything could happen, I could be crippled – or worse! One ruptured fuel or energy line – no! I won't even think about it! Gotta fight it!

"Wh-wh-" he struggled to get his words out as the dangerous power-struggle they were locked in shook the cockpit with vicious tremors. Dammit, he's getting too close – he's too strong!

"What just happened?" grunted Kray gloatingly. "It's simple, you fool – what just happened is I played you like a puppet, that's what!"

"N-no!"

"Oh, yes! You thought I slipped up, giving away my 'weakness', when I was really counting on you taking my advice and taking a brash swipe at me – you really are so impulsive, you never stopped to think about your surroundings! We're on a narrow street, idiot, you were bound to destroy those buildings! Sure, I lost my tail, but I guess I had to sacrifice a small part of my mech to execute my perfect plan... after that, I only had to wait until the opportune time to draw your attention to your own handiwork, knowing you'd be so terribly distracted by your compassion when you did...and now here you are, fallen and completely at my mercy."

"Heh, don't count on it."

"Face it, Rock, with your Gatling gun destroyed, you're practically defenceless!" roared Kray, mocking him of his past declaration as the cat pushed the attack, the hull of Rock's walker groaning and crumpling from the pressure it was under as he pushed back. "You're too close for your precious Ion-Blade, and your Blasts are too weak one-handed. You're finished!"

"I said...don't...count on it!" spat Rock as he flicked a switch, smiling darkly as power roared beneath him, the energy readings on his HUD for the mech's hands spiking in seconds.

"What?! Impossible!" Kray sounded shocked and stupefied as he felt the hum of energy build-up vibrate through Rock's grip. "I totally obliterated your left arm – you can't possibly use it for an Ion-Blast!" he tried to escape Rock's grasp now, the cat kicking and clawing frantically, but the walker held fast.

"Oh, no you don't!" Rock's eyes blazed triumphantly as the Ion meter hit maximum. He hit the firing button and released Kray a second later. "Maximum Blast!"

The point-blank shot boomed deafeningly, jarring Rock in his seat as he forced himself to keep his eyes open throughout the flash of powerful light, determined to witness his attack's full effect. The shot pummelled into Kray's mech, a fearsome emerald-green bolt the size of a train, caving its chest-plate in as he was flung high, up and away, reeling uncontrollably in a series of almost comical, curled-up flips, as the giant cat soared high above the city.

"Just where I want you," growled Rock as he climbed back up to one knee. "This is it, Kray!"

Leaping up with all his might, Rock let the mech's rocket boosters kick in at the peak of his jump. He didn't have much power left in his ion reserves – and would've been completely dry had he not absorbed Kray's last Tail Shot attack – so he didn't activate the Ion-Blade until the last second, just as he rose up level with the flailing cat-mech. Bringing the Blade down heavily, he sliced cleanly through Kray, severing his mech in two, flying through the smoky space it used to occupy, turning around in mid-air as the two halves tumbled through the clouds before exploding one after the other. To Rock, they looked like two fiery cherries on a smoky black stalk, but then again he always had had a weird imagination.

As he landed on both feet back on the mechawalkway, Rock turned his back on the falling wreckage of Kray's cat and pumped his fist in the air as its flaming remains hammered to the ground behind him, shaking the ground slightly. "Mission – complete!"

There was, of course, dead silence meeting this victory statement...silence that was quickly broken.

"Dammit," cursed the voice of his dead foe, "you kicked my ass – again!"

Next Time, on BMG: Rock joins the PMs (as well as Kray?!), but all does not seem to be well within the ranks... is someone not who they seem?

ROCK: Uhm... why are you talking to me? You're dead, Kray.

KRAY: I'm haunting you! Yeah, this is gonna be a supernatural mecha story! Ooga-booga!

ROCK: sweatdrop Supernatural...?

KRAY: Uh-huh... with sea-monkeys!

ROCK: oO Wait, what?!

KRAY: SEA-MONKEYS OF UBER-SPANKY DOOOOM!!

ROCK: Oh, god...someone get my agent on the phone... ;

Until next time, kids!

GLOSSARY

(1)MPs: Mecha Patrols – the mechanized infantry force of the United World Order.

(2)HUD: Heads-Up-Display – holographic projections shown on the inside of the mech's 'eyes' detailing damage location and seriousness, weapon-status, 140-meter radar, fuel and energy meters and warnings of imminent danger.

A/N: Welcome, one and all, to the first part of the start of an epic journey that is 'Battle Metal'! 'Genesis' is really just a miniseries of eight parts – the actual story will be much longer! I hope you all liked this, my first attempt at a manga-mecha story, and that you didn't mind the long descriptions of Rock's weapons at the beginning – they were a necessary evil :P Otherwise it would be all 'What? Huh? Another weapon just randomly appeared for him to use? Banana!' so I had to explain where each and every armament was situated.

If you loved this first part, but fear the action is going to be a 'just there' problem – don't! I've worked my butt off to bring you a story worth telling! They're aren't that many mecha stories on FP, and I didn't want to bring one to the table 'for the hell of it'. I promise you all a great story full of action, humour, conspiracy, betrayals – and aliens, of course! Can't forget the Xenos scum! They come sooner than you think! (In fact, the actual 'series' title is called "Battle Metal: The Xenos Saga"!")

Enjoy! And stay tuned!

SympleSymon