InuYasha Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crossover ❯ Mecha Mayhem ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Ten

Mecha Mayhem

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Bokkai was excited. He would finally be able to show Daisetsu what he'd been up to the last few months. It made everything he had done for the Black Ronin look like amateurish child's play.

It was a top-secret project involving the government, the tops academic minds, and private industry. The military wanted counter-terrorist units capable of going toe-to-toe with martial artists and magical girl teams. While some might consider this paranoia, there were elements of the government that had heard of something called `Crystal Tokyo' and were concerned that some group of heroes was planning some sort of takeover. They wanted to be prepared.

The university had provided bright young talent like Bokkai to the project. The military and government had provided the direction. CyberTech Industries, an international company and leader in robotic systems and AI's, had provided much of the technical know how while KUNO Enterprises had provided a healthy chunk of the financial support. Some of the Exo-suits promised to have industrial applications in addition to security uses.

Tomorrow the whole thing would be revealed to the public.

Tonight, Bokkai was being allowed to show off to his best friend. He knew that Daisetsu shared his interest in mecha from the anime the two both enjoyed. So often Daisetsu had been in the limelight, what with being a rival to Kuno in high school and being leader of the Furinkan High student body war council, then later becoming the Black Ronin, vigilante and demon hunter. It wasn't that Bokkai was jealous at all. It was just nice to be the center of attention for once.

The teenaged genius wasn't surprised when Nabiki showed up on Daisetsu's arm. He had counted on it actually. She was always nice to him. Daisetsu claimed that it was because she recognized his brilliance and wanted to be in tight with the next Bill Gates. It was flattering, even if she did compare him the net's version of the devil.

What he had not expected was a crowd. He recognized the Kunos, though he could scarcely believe they were associating with Daisetsu. He also recognized Ryoga though he didn't think the boy had an interest in robotics. Perhaps he was lost. He didn't recognize the young boy dressed up as a ninja. He remembered playing dress up as a kid. He'd always been a Thunder Ranger. Nor did he recognize the other two. One was a relatively normal looking guy while the last was a stunning young woman with long silver hair.

Daisetsu's smile was embarrassed. "Sorry about this, Bokkai. They're all house guests and wanted to come along too."

Nabiki muttered, "More like we couldn't risk leaving them all home alone."

Bokkai gave his friends a patient smile. It was his big day. The more the merrier. "Don't sweat it guys. I'm just glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world buddy." Daisetsu was all smiles.

"I'll have to introduce you all to Professor Yamaki. He's almost like an uncle to me." Almost as if on cue the aforementioned mentor stepped out of the Industrial Technologies building. Bokkai wasted no time in calling him over. "Professor, these are the friends I was telling you about."

Professor Yamaki was a slender and short man who was in his seventies and was balding. A long mane of unkempt white hair surrounded the dome of his head. His eyes appeared twice as large as they should from behind horn-rimmed glasses. He wore a slightly stained white lab coat over a plaid shirt and corduroy pants. His smile was pleasant and there was something immediately likable about the man. Standing beside Bokkai it was like having an eerie peek into the future. He eyed the unlikely crew with a jovial smile. "I never realized you had so many friends Bokkai. Good for you. Don't make the same mistakes in life I did. Take time to live life a little. Man cannot live on cybernetics alone-yet!"

The two shared a merry laugh while the others shared somewhat uneasy looks.

"So if everyone's here now, perhaps we should begin the tour." The Professor was already opening the door.

Bokkai blushed and kicked the ground absently. "Actually Prof, there is one more."

Daisetsu was raising his brow at his friend even as a girl called out, "Bokkai! I hope I'm not late!" Ami Mizuno trotted up to the group.

The professor smiled at the new arrival and then winked at Bokkai. "Well, now that your girlfriend is here I hope we can get started."

Ami and Bokkai were both blushing furiously though Bokkai managed a weak nod.

The Professor led the young people into the building and past three levels of security check points to a large hanger area. "I'll leave the tour to you Bokkai."

With that the professor stood back and Bokkai took center stage. He cleared his throat and then began to talk while gesturing to a pair of nearly identical exo-suits. "This hanger holds the latest in cyber-mecha technology. It is a combined project between academia, the military, and the private sector to produce units that can be used in counter-terrorism activities and have industrial uses.

"These two suits were donated to our project by CyberTech Industries. Called the Cyber-Ronin they are production line models with a couple of minor upgrades." The suits he indicated looked like modern high-tech versions of the ancient Samurai Armor. They stood about seven feet tall and looked too heavy to be worn as a regular suit of armor. The helmets had what appeared to be crescent moon antenna mounted to the forehead. The eyes were concealed behind visor like goggles and the rest of the face would be hidden behind a mask. The only differences between the two suits were that one was dark blue with silver highlights while the other was black with dark gray highlights.

"They were designed for security work, law enforcement and to provide infantry heavy weapons support. An all around general-purpose unit that has provided the core technology for all the other suits we've developed here. Features include layered ceramic composite armor that is effective against a wide range of ballistics and energy attacks. A fiber-wire auto-react muscle enhancement system backed up by micro-servo motors to enhance strength and agility. The boots have mini-rockets in them. While they don't provide flight capabilities they do greatly enhance the leaping abilities of the operators. Those visors you see provide an array of optical enhancements including passive nightvision, telescopic digital enhancement, infrared and ultraviolet vision along with thermal imaging. All have a range of about five hundred meters. It also includes a HUDS targeting suite and visual data overlay. That way E-mails, faxes, and other data can be viewed by the operator." Bokkai indicated the crescent moon on the blue unit's forehead. "And this piece is hardly decorative. It provides the unit's advanced communications array. In addition to HF and VHF radio transmissions the unit has satellite uplink capabilities and a built in digital modem. All transmissions are scrambled and transmitted on a rotating frequency. The units all have GPS tracking capabilities, though for security reasons those features can be disengaged."

"Whilst truly a mighty suit of armor, it seems to lack weapons of equal worth." Kuno's eyes were fixed on the blue armor and seemed unwilling to move.

Bokkai was mildly surprised that Kuno was paying any attention at all. He'd always taken the boy to be little more then a dumb jock. Still, he couldn't pass on the chance to show off his superior knowledge. "The suit has an E-cord that pulls out from the trunk here. It comes with an adapter that can power most energy weapons in use today. CyberTech also provided a pair of Vibro-Daisho made to be used with the unit. Its enhanced strength means it can use even the heaviest infantry weapons with ease. The project has developed a number of weapons pods designed specifically for this and the other units. We have tended away from energy weapons since use of the E-cord tends to drain the hydrogen power cells twice as quickly. Currently the units are capable of ten hours of constant usage without the E-cord. Constant usage with the E-cord and a lot of thruster enhanced leaps cuts that time to four hours. Without power the suit becomes two hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight."

Bokkai pushed his glasses up his nose. What he was about to discuss had been his idea. "When these units arrived the only weakness we perceived in them was that they were limited in their utility. They were bound to the ground. While this wasn't seen as important for the roles they were intended for, we wanted something that was a little more versatile. In other words, we wanted something that could fly. One solution was to create the Eternal Blue that I'll show you later. The other solution was the creation of a flightpack for the Cyber-Ronin. It is a flying harness with wings that sweep out from a folded position over the thrusters and then telescope out to twice their folded length. The flight pack is capable of speeds of up to two hundred miles per hour and an altitude of five hundred feet. Four hydrogen power cells power it. This gives it about ten hours of use. When combined with an E-Cord the power drain is much less, meaning the entire unit can function for eight hours when fully charged, flying and using energy weapons."

Kari had already moved down the line to the next suit. "Oooh! What's this one called?"

The unit in question was various shades of blue and was much less bulky then the previous two units. It was shorter overall as well, perhaps just under six feet tall.

The young inventor smiled. He hadn't had as much to do with this unit, but it was still an impressive unit. "This is the first offshoot of the Cyber-Ronin series, called the Eternal Blue It was initially envisioned as a flying counterpart. In order to accomplish this, the weight had to be reduced. About a hundred pounds of armor was shaved off. To compensate for this weakness, the unit's reflexes were enhanced. This came at the price of some of the increased strength. As the unit got smaller and less powerful overall, new secondary purposes were envisioned. It was seen as a scout unit. To further this purpose, a special coating was developed to conceal it from radar and obscure it to heat sensors and infrared systems. A sound suppression system was developed for ultra quiet operation. Despite its weight, it makes virtually no noise when walking or running. In addition, the vectored thrusters in the boots and back are ultra quiet and have heat-dampening qualities. The four back thrusters provide a speed of about one hundred miles per hour and an altitude of two hundred feet. It has its own version of the flightpack, but with superior performance. It can fly at three hundred and fifty miles per hour and has a maximum altitude of one thousand feet. Unlike the Cyber-Ronin it has integral weapons. There is a retractable vibro-blade in each forearm. The only downfall of the unit is that the integral thrusters drain the hydrogen cell at an alarming rate. At maximum output the unit's power cell can be drained in two hours. Use of the flightpack and its four cells increases operating time to a more acceptable eight hours." Bokkai couldn't help but smile at the young boy's gleaming eyes as he virtually drooled over the mecha.

The proud young man led the group to the next mecha. It was as big as the first two but much less stylistic. The arms and legs seemed bulkier and more powerful. It was red with gray highlights. "This unit was designed next. It is primarily intended to be used in industrial support roles as well as search and rescue. It has increased strength over the Cyber-Ronin provided by new hyper servos and uses cutting edge technologies to produce armor protection for the shins and forearms. The material is incredibly resilient and is in fact nigh indestructible. The only substance known to be tougher is Adamantium. In addition to the usual optics and communications suite,this mecha has been upgraded with inertial tracking and digital mapping capabilities. It creates a three-dimensional map of where ever it goes and can display its location on that map at anytime. Way points can be programmed into it and it can return the operator to those points. All the operator has to do is follow the arrow on the HUDS display. It can also track and locate all the other units within a ten-mile area. The mapping feature is further enhanced with both passive and active radar. For underwater operations the unit comes equipped with sonar as well. We have affectionately named it the Hell Hound because of its increased heat dissipation qualities. It can get as close to molten lava as you'd ever care to get without actually touching it."

Gin and Kodachi had wandered off and were regarding a pair of mechs with mild disinterest. It was enough for Bokkai to go off on one of his little spiels. "I see you two ladies have noticed the Valkyrie series. They are intended for use by female operatives. They were born from the Eternal Blue model. They lack its stealth abilities and aren't quite as fast and the flight pack isn't as fast, but they make up for it with increased armor. As you can see, especially in the chest area. The chest area also holds a pair of 9mm submachine guns."

"You have got to be joking!" Gin was nearly outraged at such cliché crap. The worst part was that they were both different shades of pink.

Bokkai merely shrugged. "That's what you get when geeks design your next generation of weapons." He didn't care what they thought about them, since he'd had nothing to do with their design. There were geeks and then there were geeks.

"What is this bad boy called?" Sei was dancing excitedly around the legs of a sixteen-foot tall mecha. The unit was humanoid with a box that could be a missile launcher on its left shoulder and a large barreled cannon over its right shoulder. There was a huge rectangular shield on its left arm and it carried an energy cannon of some kind in its right arm. It was painted olive drab green with black and brown highlights. The rear of the unit was open the back opening up as set of stairs that led to a roomy cockpit.

Bokkai puffed his chest out when he walked over to this one. He had been the team leader on its design. "While the others are exo-suits or powerarmor, this one is pure robotic mecha. We affectionately call it Tiny Tim though it is officially designated the ARCHER B01-1 because of the Archer series rail cannon mounted on its right shoulder. It has all the sensors of the other units but at twice the range. Plus it has the SNIPER targeting suite and combat computer. That box you see on the left shoulder holds eight SMART missiles. The energy cannon it carries is a particle beam cannon and is powered by its own hydrogen cell. The unit itself has sixteen hydrogen cells that give it a total of twelve hours of constant use. It can function with half as many cells, but for only four hours. That shield you see is made of the same material as the Hell Hound's forearms and shins, plus it can project an energy matrix over the surface of the shield to soak up even more damage. It can't fly or even leap, nor is it very fast compared to the other suits, but it more then makes up for it with heavy armor and firepower."

The Professor came to stand beside Bokkai. "It really has been an exciting project. These may well be the most advanced mecha in the world. And we have brilliant young minds like Bokkai here to thank for it."

There was a rumble in the distance, followed by a series of loud crashes. Then the rapport of heavy machinegun fire. The lights dimmed and then cut out. It took a second for the emergency lighting to kick in. There were loud thuds as heavy reinforced metal plates slid over all the entrances to the hanger.

"What's going on, Professor?" Bokkai was suddenly very frantic.

The Professor wore a face of concern. "The emergency counter terrorism protocols have engaged. We must be under some kind of attack."

"If we are to be attacked then I for one shall not take it passively." Kuno pointed to Bokkai with his bokuto. "You there! Help me on with this noble armor so that I can show yonder brigands what it means to trifle with house Kuno!" Without even thinking, Bokkai started helping Kuno into the Blue Cyber-Ronin.

Sei saw which way the wind was blowing and scrambled up the back of the Tiny Tim. The hatch closed behind him and the behemoth groaned to life. His voice ricocheted off the walls due to a loudspeaker built into the mech. "Alright! Bring it on baby! I'm ready. Say, how do you make this thing move?" The mecha took a hesitant step forward before slamming down on its face. "DAMN!"

The professor ran over to the fallen mecha and hastily began yelling instructions to the nervous pilot.

Everyone else decided that if they were going to be crushed by an out of control giant robot they might as well do it inside of government-owned mecha.

With a gleam in her eye, Kari started strapping on the Eternal Blue. It was made for someone of a smaller stature but still left her a lot of room to `grow into' it.

Ryoga wasted no time in strapping into the Hell Hound. Something about it just called to him.

Meanwhile Daisetsu was following Kuno's lead in putting on the black Cyber-Ronin. The Black Ronin was a vigilante of the twenty first century after all.

Kodachi and Gin looked at each other and sighed. The only two suits left were the pink Valkyries. With a great deal of trepidation they suited up.

The martial arts mecha team was finished suiting up and the Tiny Tim had finally righted itself when one of the armor-plated doors blew in. In walked about twenty demons. They were all about ten feet tall with red skin, horns, claws, tails, and batwings. What made these demons particularly disturbing was that instead of pitchforks they carried oversized AK-48s with a bore size that suggested they were packing .50 caliber rounds. Instead of wearing loincloths and sandals they wore cyber exo-suits. These were the very models of modern demon terrorists.

"GET SOME!!!" bellowed Sei from his cockpit. His rail cannon barked once landing a solid hit against one of the demons and tearing it in two. The mecha staggered back then its arms began to flail wildly to the sides as it lost its balance. In slow motion it crashed onto its back and became akin to a giant metal-clad turtle.

"Hmm. We need to do something about the recoil on that thing." The professor seemed more concerned about the apparent design flaw then the nineteen demons storming into the hanger. Bokkai nodded his agreement, equally concerned, or unconcerned depending on how you looked at it.

As one, Tatewaki Kuno and Daisetsu Tendo lunged into the throng of demons. It might of surprised some how easily they fought side by side. That is until one realized they practiced the exact same style of Kendo. In addition, Daisetsu knew Kuno's moves at least as well as the Blue Thunder himself. Thus, they were able to compliment each other perfectly. Vibro-blades bit into demon flesh and hellish voices screamed their outrage.

Ryoga and Kari made an equally formidable team. In a fit of inspiration Ryoga hefted Kari's mecha up and tossed her with all his might into one of the demons. She extended her vibro-blades and engaged her thrusters. She managed to slice through three demons, armor and all, before colliding with a wall. The vibro-blades became stuck and she was forced to plant her boots against the wall and ignite her rocket boots to come free.

Kodachi and Gin were finding that 9mm rounds weren't terribly effective against armored demons. Two of the demons thought they'd have a bit of sport with the two, so they slung their machine guns and pulled out magic whips. "Time to school you bitches."

Gin was cocky. "I didn't think the fodder of hell were literate. What can you teach one such as I?"

Two whips shot out and just as fast were caught by the intended victims. Two wrists snapped and the handles were torn from the demons' grasps and into the waiting palms of two of the most demented females on any plane of existence. The whips seemed happier there as they cracked in the air for their new mistresses.

"Well bitch," sneered Gin, "class is in session!"

Kodachi let out a laugh that raced up the spines of even the hell spawned and then began a lesson in discipline that no creature could soon forget.

All this time Nabiki had not been idle. She had read way too many manga not to know what happened to attractive young ladies caught by demons. They might not have tentacles, but still!

Pulling open the lid of a crate, she found what appeared to be a very large rocket launcher of some kind. She yanked it out of the crate and followed the written instructions to load it. She was just managing to heft it to her shoulder when a demon lumbered over her. She quickly took aim and pulled the trigger. Her eyes went wide as it seemed two solid walls of air slammed into her from front and rear. When the sensation passed she fell back and onto her ass.

The shell sped towards the demons chest. Before impact an outer casing fell away and five separate warheads ignited their boosters. The missiles flew wide and around the demon.

"Hah! Silly woman!" announced the very relieved demon. "You missed me!"

Just then the heat sensors of the warheads came online. The warheads arced around and slammed into the demon's back, blowing its innards all over Nabiki.

Nabiki was a little dazed. Then she looked at the rocket launcher that had somehow managed to remain on her shoulder. She gave it a big kiss. "Every house wife ought to have one of these babies!" Like a woman possessed-or perhaps like an attractive young woman who had read too much manga about what demons do to attractive young women-she began to reload.

Ami Mizuno was also a fan of manga and had wasted no time in finding a secluded corner to conduct her transformation. She'd also called for her allies, the other Senshi. That done, she ran to Bokkai's side to see if he was okay. He and the professor had taken cover behind a stack of crates and were discussing how the mechs were handling in a live fire situation and what improvements could be made to them. Sailor Mercury sighed as she looked at Bokkai with quite a bit of affection. Then she said, "You know guys, I think that perhaps the Tiny Tim could use some sort of thruster in the back to compensate for the recoil of the railgun."

Meanwhile Sei had managed to right the Tiny Tim once more. Perhaps he'd avoid using the Archer cannon unless he had some way to brace for it. He brought the particle beam cannon to bear on an armor-clad monster. A packet of energized light lanced out and through the beast. "SWEET!" He was soon finding it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Daisetsu wasn't doing so well. One of the demons managed to land a haymaker on the cyber-clad kendoist that caused to him loose his grip on his vibro-daisho as he slammed into a pile of crates. Glancing to one of the crates his impact had opened up he noticed an oversized semi-automatic shotgun. He smiled, unmindful of the demon bearing down on him.

"That's my husband!" Nabiki had climbed to the top of the highest pile of crates in the hangar. Somewhere she had found a combat helmet and put it on, though she had neglected to do up the chinstrap. She fired off the rocket launcher at the monster menacing her mate. The projectile was no sooner clear the tube when she lost her balance. One leg shot out in front of her. The rocket launcher flew up into the air as her arms spun wildly at her sides, desperately seeking balance. Her eyes flew wide as she noticed that she had lost her grip on the rocket launcher. "Come here baby!" She reached out and clutched the weapon to her chest like a long lost child. "Shit!" she muttered as gravity asserted itself and dragged her ass in a straight line to the waiting ground below.

The rocket split into five and then turned the giant demon into a giant mess. One of the demon's few remaining comrades took exception to having one of its number taken down by a mere female. Powerful legs propelled it into the air and powerful wings held it aloft. It took a moment to scan the ground for its victim. What it had planned for her no manga writer would dare put to paper.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Powerful shells shredded its wings, bringing it down to the ground where Daisetsu was waiting. He slammed the barrel of the gun into the demons ear. "That's my wife!" BLAM! Its brains sprayed out its other ear.

That was the last of the demons. Slowly the mecha team gathered together in a circle around Bokkai and the Professor. They weren't sure were to go from here. All except for Daisetsu. Something had caught his attention on the demons armor and he was studying it intently. Three little letters held his interest. CTI.

"What do we do now Professor?" asked Bokkai.

"Don't worry boy, the security team will be here shortly and they will be able to wrap this mess up for us." The Professor managed to project a calm that he did not feel.

"You there! In the hanger. Come out with your hands up!" an amplified voice bellowed from outside.

"That would be them now I would expect." The professor calmly pushed his glasses up his nose and held his arms in the air. He walked to the opening made by the demons entrance. "No need for alarm. The situation is well in hand…"

The rapport of sub-machinegun fire ended his assurances and his life.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" boomed Sei. "THEY KILLED THE PROFESSOR! YOU BASTARDS!"

Daisetsu wasted no time taking charge of the situation. "Bokkai! Quickly! Who runs security for this place?"

Bokkai was in shock but he answered the questions automatically. "CyberTech Industries provided a security detail for the hanger. They were specially deputized for the purpose."

"We need to get the hell out of here, and it's not going to be by talking. We're going to have to fight our way out." Daisetsu's voice was grim.

"Maybe not!" exclaimed Ryoga. "My sensors show some kind of tunnel network beneath us."

"Or course!" Nabiki interjected. "The Subway has a terminal near here. We can get out that way. All we need is a hole big enough."

"LEAVE THAT TO ME!" Sei repositioned his mech and then launched a pair of missiles at the floor. When the smoke settled there was a huge hole that led to the subway tunnels below.

"Alright, everyone grab whatever crates you can carry. Bokkai, show us which ones are important, starting with fuel cells, then ammo, then weapons and spare parts. Sei, I want you down that hole first. Ami, Bokkai, and Nabiki, you climb up to Tiny Tim's shoulders so it can carry you." Daisetsu grasped Tatewaki Kuno's arm. "I need you to help me provide a rear guard for everyone else."

Tatewaki Kuno nodded curtly. "Of course. It shall be glorious."

Daisetsu grunted as the unlikely and hastily formed mecha team started looting the hanger and prepared to make their escape. He was wondering why the guards weren't rushing in when he heard the sounds of conflict from outside. Listening carefully he could make out the screamed attacks of the various Senshi over the rapport of gunfire. Keeping his eyes on the entrance he yelled over his shoulder. "Ami! Once I tell you, call up the other Senshi and tell them to pull back. We'll meet them once we find someplace safe."

"Right!" agreed the Senshi of Mercury. She was worried about her friends outside. They weren't really cut out for fighting other humans.

Daisetsu and Kuno were the last ones out of the hanger. Sei launched two more missiles that collapsed the tunnel behind them. Ami called her friends outside and then the team started to trot down the tunnel.

"Kari, you fly on ahead and see if you can't find us a place to hide. Ryoga, you go with her and use your sensors and mapping suite. Sei, you take the rear guard position. The rest of you form a spearhead on me." While not elected or nominated as leader, Daisetsu's voice had a quality to it that suggested it was used to giving orders and to having those orders obeyed. In the current state of confusion, people were obeying before it occurred to them to question why they should.

Ahead of the rest of the pack Kari and Ryoga made an interesting discovery. Ryoga paused at a large circular iron grate. "Kari, my sensors indicate that there is a whole other set of tunnels on the other side of this grate."

"Yeah, Ryoga," Kari replied dryly. "And my nose is telling me that they're sewers."

"Haven't you seen any movies?" demanded the lost boy. "The heroes always escape through the sewers."

Kari had to concede his logic. Together they pulled off the grate. Ryoga waited for the others to arrive while Kari scouted ahead a bit. She returned before the main body. "There seems to be another subway tunnel connected to these sewers by a crack in the wall. There's no lights or power or anything though."

"Maybe it's abandoned. Could be just what we're looking for." He radioed back to Daisetsu who agreed.

When the team caught up they closed the grate in behind them and made for the abandoned subway tunnel. It in turn led them to an abandoned subway station.

"I know about this place!" Ami exclaimed. "This subway station was abandoned when the tunnels suffered cave-ins due to poor workmanship. The whole place was condemned."

"Perfect," said Daisetsu. "This is the perfect place to hide our mechs till we figure out what to do next."

"How about figuring out what the hell just happened? Why were those goons shooting at us? Why did they kill the professor?" Bokkai was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Daisetsu held up a piece of metal he had torn off a demons armor. It had the CyberTech Industries logo. "It was a set up. CyberTech was trying to steal the mechs. Kinda clever when you think about it. Provide a couple of prototypes, let the government and other competitors pay for new upgrades and technologies and then steal it all back and make it look like some kind of terrorist attack. Only they weren't counting on our little unscheduled tour."

Bokkai shuddered. His world was now suddenly a very dark place.