The giant was dozens of meters away, right in front of the ship's hull. It got into a combat stance, ready for a charge. Hatches opened on the sides of the ship; dozens of men came out and began unloading vehicles with antitank cannons.
The mecha began run; the ground rumbled with every step; small turbojets lit up behind its ankles and shoulders, further increasing its speed. It thrust its two fists ahead and as it crashed it drove into the command cabin.
It thrust its arms into the ship and then pulled them out again. It ripped through much of the hull, metal flying in all directions. The cargo bay doors were open and there was a large cannon, primed and ready to fire. The shot pushed the mecha back a little, it took a step back to regain its balance. Almost the entire crew left the ship, taking all the antitank equipment with them. They spread out around the ship and began installing the cannons on the buggies.
—What's going on, doc?!
—Calm down, everything will be fine.
—Do you smell that, doc?!
He smelled gas. —We have to get out at any moment...! —They felt the ship move slowly. The mecha secured its hands to the treads and gradually raised the ship until it was vertical, like a building. The hatches had been blocked; his focus was now fighting the paramilitaries.
The two found themselves standing against one of the walls. The impact was so strong that it forced the door open. They looked into the hall. It was like looking into the inside of a well. The glow from the big hole in the cabin was seen. Hiram stood on the framework. —Are you sure, doc?!
—Follow me! Don't look down. --He leapt forward, grabbed a metal rod; he climbed pipes and other things jutting out in the hallway. Vanrra came after. Together they climbed up the corridor, leaping from wall to wall. Small plates were falling from above; they rose a couple of metres to the storage bay.
When they arrived at the large warehouse, Vanrra couldn't believe his eyes. A massive combat mecha was secured with heavy chains and locks. It looked similar to the one outside, but in navy blue. Its appearance was more human, and the design was more sober, as if it were still incomplete. It had two large metal fins behind its arms and a crest on the helmet.
He was astonished, speechless. —What is this, doc? —Hiram climbed some stairs to reach a platform with a series of control panels. —Doc! Are you going tell me what this is?!
He turned on the panel; he began to press switches and move levers. Some lights turned on in the locks. —Vanrra, I need you climb onto the mecha!
—Climb on? What are you saying?
—There's no time; you have climb up and enter through the back of its neck; the hatch is open! —The ship shook again. —Hurry up!
—What the hell is this thing, doc?!
—A damn combat mech! You have to get on it and start it up!
—How you expect me to pilot it?! I've never even seen it! —"It's like a titan. Is this a titan?!"
—What the hell are you waiting for?! You want to kill us?! This place is going to explode any minute!
—Why me, doc?! Why not you?!
—Because you're the only one who can pilot it! Just get on!
—What are you saying, doc?! I don't know anything about this! I'm going to screw it up!
The ship was shaking more and more; metal plates started to fall. —Get on the damn robot, now! You want to die like the rest of your friends?! I don't have any problem!
"Bastard." —How do I get on?!
—Climb up the ladder; use the railings! Get to its neck! Vanrra climbed up the scaffolding around the giant, holding on for dear life as the ship shook. It was a long fight, but eventually he got to the mecha. He sprang up on its back; he almost went into the abyss. He got hold of a plate and climbed up until he was standing on the back. But it wasn't normal metal. It had a texture he'd never felt before.
He was terrified by the vertigo. —Now what I do?!
—You see the hatch?! There are two circles of lights; put your hands on each one and slap them!
—A slap?!
—Just put your damn hands!
Vanrra moved carefully to the nape; there he placed his hands on the circles: one blue and one red. After a few seconds, the hatch began to rise. A lever was exposed; when he lifted it, the hatch opened abruptly. —What I do now?!
—Find the seat and put your hands on the levers! Quick!
—And then what?!
—Start up the mecha and get us out of here!
—But how?! —The ship suffered a great impact; all the equipment shook. Vanrra slipped and slid into the mecha's cockpit. Inside, it was completely dark. —Doc! I can't see anything; it's dark!
He was able to hear the doc's shouts. —The levers! Grab the levers!
Vanrra was standing on the back of the seat and managed to sit down. He felt his feet touch some pedals and tried to find some support to avoid falling forward. When he moved the pedals, the lights turned on. The cockpit was about two square meters in size and completely sterile, with a black seat in the center. Armrests on either side ended in two strange handles surrounded by odd rings. In front of him, a slew of dark panels surrounded the entire cockpit.
—What the fuck is this! What can I do? Are these the levers? —No sooner had he grasped the handles than the rings snapped shut like handcuffs, binding Vanrra to the chair. A shock went through him, through all his body. He had a convulsion. He yelped in pain and instantly dropped the handles. The screens turned white.
Some speakers turned on inside the cockpit. Hiram spoke to him. —Vanrra, can you hear me?! Are you there?! React!
—Doc! This thing electrocuted me; I'm trapped! What I do?!
—Grab the levers; hold them tightly.
—It shocked me!
—That's just the first one; you need twelve to sync with the mecha; you can't let go.
—Twelve?! What are you making me do?!
—If you don't do it, you'll die!
—What the hell do you want me do?! I don't know what this is; I don't know anything!
—Aren't you strong?! If you keep crying, the deaths of Mahia, Esau, and your filthy village will have been in vain! You'll die like them, disgusting cattle. Get us out of here!
Vanrra tried to calm himself, took a deep breath, and grabbed the levers again. —I'm not cattle. —He endured a series of shocks, one after another. He withstood nine shocks before letting go of the handles; his hands were burning. His whole body trembled with chills. His heart felt like it was about to explode. On the screens, large red letters appeared: "Compatibility error Partzuf ABA: reinsert pilot."
—Vanrra! Try it one more time; you're so close. Just one more attempt!
Vanrra took hold of the levers again. It was like driving red-hot nails into his palms, one after another, without pause. He cried out in pain. He came when his chest could hold no more, every muscle in his body going haywire. He stopped at number eleven.
—Vanrra, are you still awake?!
—Doc! I can't; my body... it hurts too much.
—You're just one step away; you can do it! You have to keep living; keep moving forward! Think of your family! You're the only one who can pilot this thing! I trust you.
Vanrra closed his eyes, took the levers in hand again and gripped them with all his might. He attempted to put him out of his mind and calm his thoughts. He remembered the window of Mahia's house and the smell of her flowers. He received his first shock. Red-hot nails went through his nerves all the way to his shoulder. The second shock struck him. He thought of a sword; he needed a sword; he wanted to cut off his arms to make that pain stop. It was his third shock.
He remembered the fences of his village, the limit of his old world. The fourth shock he got. The doc's words at that tree came back to him. There is no way to live without suffering. He remembered that little snake crawling in the grass. The fifth shock struck him. He felt a heat on the back of his hands like a hot iron, impossible to think of. He had had the sixth shock.
Each shock was a lash of energy on him, it all he could think about. He was in the seventh shock. He pictured a big fish swimming in the ocean. The ocean. Would he ever see it? The eighth jolt hit him. He saw himself, after leaving that robot, a cripple for life, with a cane. He caught the ninth jolt.
He opened his eyes, shedding tears. He received the tenth shock. All this was a trap, a bait? Only a fool would walk into a cage like this. The eleventh shock struck him.
He felt the twelfth shock, at the back of his neck, as if something wet had opened in his brain. The milky liquid dripped down the back of his neck. He heard thousands of whispers, cries, screams, moans, mockery. They looked at him from every direction. Deformed eyes and mouths floating in the air. Beams of living light. He calms his mind. They vanished into the air, gradually.
He opened his eye; the screens went color. "Synchronization complete. ABA activate. MAH activate. ZEIRAMPIN activate. NUKVA is ready to pilot." On the screens, everything outside was projected, as if the seat was floating in the air, a bird's-eye view in all directions. Across the screen, dozens of numbers and red windows popped up. He didn't know what any of them meant. The hatch shut.
The locks disengaged. The mecha was only held by chains; it fell to the bottom of the ship. Vanrra panicked; instinctively, he covered his head with his arms.
The red giant had destroyed nearly all the vehicles and the cannons outside. The armor sent the projectiles back. It kicked the cars and cannons around like soccer balls. The other paramilitaries gave up. —Don't you think you've had enough fun already? —Someone spoke to him over a communicator.
The pilot replied. —Does this seem fun to you? —It was the voice of a young man.
—It looks like you're enjoying it.
—It's just one more mission. —The mecha headed toward the overturned ship. —It's time to see our prize, General. Are you excited?
—Finish the operation. I hope the equipment is still intact.
—Of course it is; I just gave it a little push.
—You buried it in the sand.
—It looks really funny; looks like the picture in the dining room, the one with the leaning tower. You know which one I mean? The little white tower.
—Silence. Are you sure you can remove the plates?
—Yes, the hatches are a bit open. I'll take them off, order the rest of the mento open... —The second he opened the blue with his hands, one of the side hatches punched him from inside him on the face. The assailant staggered and fell backwards. Vanrra, burst out through the hatch. His body had not yet been properly commanded; he was moving a little slowly and awkwardly. Like a drunk, he was getting accustomed to the neural connections. It felt as if the mecha were an extension of his own body.
The attackers were stunned. —General, you said they hadn't synchronized the package!
—That's what I thought; it's impossible they could have done it.
—Well, I have it in front of me, General. —He stood up and took a combat stance. —Who is this bastard? Can you hear me, general?!
—I don't want you damage the equipment. It's a prototype. Just disable it.
—Yes, sir. Tell the boys to watch me; I'll put on a fantastic show. Now I'm really going to have fun. —Vanrra slowly got to his feet, looking all around. He was able to control his arms with some success; he moved his finger joints like a newborn.