The Mech Touch - Chapter 17

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The Mech Touch - Chapter 17

The Mech Touch

Joshua drained the energy drink down his throat and tossed the can to
the ground. A cleaning bot appeared out of nowhere to take the
garbage away.
"Mom! I'm home!"
An elegant woman entered the foyer whilst carrying a babbling
toddler. She approached the teenager and gave him a kiss on his
forehead. "Joshie baby! How was school."
"I'm not a kid anymore, mom!" Joshua whined as he avoided his
mother's embrace. He ran up the stairs to his room. "And I did fine in
school. My mech trainer complimented me again today."
"That's good news. The higher your performance, the higher your rank
when you become a reservist. Just don't join the Mech Corps."
"I'm not going to mom." Joshua said as he threw his bag on his bed.
"I'm going to play with the simulator again, okay?"
"Don't forget about dinner again."
"Yes mom!"
After fending off his nagging mother, Joshua left his room and went
downstairs. He took two flights down and entered the basement.
Situated in a cooled and isolated room was his personal mech
simulator pod for Iron Spirit. An expensive piece of machinery, it
outperformed the rental pods at the game center. His parents even
forked out the money to dig a secure set of cables to the nearest
galactic net node in order to ensure his bandwidth never conked out.

All of this turned Joshua's pod into the best performing unit on Cloudy
Curtain.
As Joshua entered the pod and let it close around him, he leaned his
head back into the headrest that served as the neural interface. It
hummed as it came to life, connecting Joshua's brain signals to the
programs executed by the pod.
The world changed. The cool steel walls of the simulator pod made
way for a vibrant world. Many young men and women around his age
walked through the digital streets of the starting area. Some sat next to
fountains, watching the live streams of popular players that chose to
broadcast in public. Others entered one of the many stores in order to
shop for a new outfit.
As for Joshua, he pulled up his friends list and tapped at one of the
names to begin a dialogue.
"Yo Tops."
"Heya Snake." Triceratopssss greeted as his face appeared at the
corner of Joshua's view. "Up for another bout of Arena?"
Joshua shook his head. "Hmmm I don't feel like it. The 1v1s and 2v2s
have been getting kind of stale for me lately. I'm ready for something
different."
"Oh." Triceratopssss mulled as he switched to matchmaking. "You
wanna play Capture the Flag or Base Conquest?"
"Let's do Capture the Flag. It's 5v5 so I feel my skill still matters in that
game mode."

The two paired up and entered matchmaking for Capture the Flag as a
duo. They first received three random players to fill up their 5-man
team.
"Hey fellas." Triceratopssss greeted his new teammates. "Me and
Snake here are pairing up as light mechs."
"Medium missile platform." The third player spoke, his tone conveying
his distaste in further interaction.
"O-kay. What about the rest?"
"Heavy Knight. Just plant me next to our flag and I'll make sure
anyone who takes it will be dead." The fourth player boasted.
Defending the flag was the most traditional role in Capture the Flag
and perfect for a heavy mech.
"Got any guns on your knight?"
"Nope. But I'm faster than other knights."
"Great." Triceratopssss sighed. "At least you can chase the enemy if
someone manages to steal the flag from underneath us. So what about
the last guy?"
"I'm a girl thank you." The young woman emphasized with a sneer.
"You just get out of my way. If you must know, I'm piloting a Genesis-
18."
"The medium spider mech?"
"So you do have more than three brain cells! Congratulations doofus."

"Haha." Triceratopssss deadpanned. "Well, our team's a little light on
weight, but we're very mobile. Let's do a 4-1."
"3-2." The missileer interjected. "My mech's a glass cannon. I'm best at
supporting the heavy knight and providing long-range missile
support."
"I'm attacking from the rear." The spider girl said. "I work best if I can
sneak up to them alone, so don't you dare follow me."
Triceratopssss sighed again. Joshua, or TheSeventhSnake consoled
him in a private chat. "Don't bother too much. Getting your teammates
work together like we learned at school doesn't always work. A lot of
players just want to blow off steam."
"God, I hope they make an effort then. My win rate for Capture the
Flag is already in the dump due to getting teamed up with egoistic
morons."
The matchmaking system released a bell, signifying a successful search
of an opposing team. The screen changed into a small lobby where
their team could inspect the enemy's loadout while the random
battlefield loaded in the background.
TheSeventhSnake analyzed the enemy's team composition and felt a
headache forming. "The enemy team has a three-person premade.
They're all kitted with the same heavy mechs."
He didn't recognize the variants, but they looked a lot like the strikers
he fought the other day.
"One of them carries a bunch of close-ranged heat projectors. The
other transformed his arms into medium-ranged ballistic cannons.

The last guy appears to be their long-ranged marksman with his
jumbo-sized laser rifle."
It was a composition that lacked mobility but possessed power in
spades. Relying on their tough armor and plentiful energy reserves,
they could bulldoze anything in their way.
"The two randoms pulled in their team adjusted to the trio and came
with their light mechs." Triceratopssss noted. "One aerial scout and
one saboteur. That's plenty of mobility for them to plug their gaps."
TheSeventhSnake shook his head. "Not really. You can be sure the
three meatheads will stick together. We're either going to face a heavy
push or a full-on defense."
"If they keep turtle up in their base, I can bombard them with
impunity behind a hill." The missileer said curtly.
"And if their team attacks, their flag will only be defended by two
lights."
The map finished loading, causing everyone to appear in a small open
fort. A lengthy flagpole stuck out from the middle of the parade
ground.
"Alright, let's move."
The spider mech girl crawled over the walls with her eight limbs and
disappeared from their view. The missileer took off in the other
direction while the heavy knight planted its feet right next to the flag.

Triceratopssss followed TheSeventhSnake on the ground as he flew up
in the air.
"The first thing we need to do is find the three heavies and figure out
what they're up to." TheSeventhSnake spoke to his fellow teammates.
"Me and Tops will scout the enemy first."
As a flyer, Snake's Seraphim traversed the forest prairie environment
with effortless grace. Tops' Phantasm could only slink through the
trees as third as fast. However, the ground mech was able to minimize
its emissions to stay hidden while the flier radiated heat and also color
as its iconic cloud generator spewed clouds of vapor.
TheSeventhSnake didn't care if he got spotted by the enemy first. Even
as his Seraphim extended its sensor hair in the flowing wind, he was
pretty much waiting to get shot at. After piloting the Seraphim for
many hours, he grew confident in his ability to dodge.
"Hm?" TheSeventhSnake got distracted as a strange notification
popped up. "Someone is spectating me? That's strange. Oh well, as
long as he isn't feeding information to my opponents, I don't care."
A barrage of laser fire shot from a cloud. Some of the beams scorched
TheSeventhSnake's armor, thankfully not damaging anything
essential.
"I'm under fire by their air scout! Engaging! Tops, keep searching for
their heavies, don't let this distraction fool you!"
Triceratopssss nodded as his Phantasm kept combing the surrounding
area. "Roger that, pal."

"My ground-to-air missiles are ready to fire." The missileer
interrupted. "Maintain contact and feed your target lock to me."
"No, stay out of this fight. I can handle this fellow myself. Don't reveal
your position."
The Seraphim flared its wings and juked side to side as it fired back
with its light DMR. The jerky lateral movements made it hard to hit by
the enemy lightweight, but the long-ranged rifle also scored very little
hits.
That was okay, because Snake increased his speed and approached
with fury. His heart pumped faster and his brain went into a
heightened state. His Seraphim holstered the rifle on his back, which
was difficult with the wings in the way, and retrieved a pair of heated
knives. Like the fangs of a predator, he wielded them in a reserve grip
and rocketed in a charging attack towards the enemy flier.
The enemy mech panicked a bit as it had been loaded for long-to-
medium range harassment. The pilot felt much less confident in melee
than the enemy's so he flew back and engaged his mech's thrusters in
order to escape the approaching rainbow mech.
"Death!" TheSeventhSnake yelled as he exerted his Seraphim to the
utmost, managing to slowly close the distance at the cost of
overheating his mech's wings. "I can take it! My mech is meant to rule
the skies!"
The enemy mech dove downwards in order to gain more speed and
perhaps seek help from its allies on the ground. However, the
Seraphim anticipated the move and accelerated just a split-second
earlier. The brilliant decision allowed it to close the distance just
enough for Snake to feel the opposing mech's heat.

"You're mine now!"
The light mech gave up escape and flipped in the air, presenting its
medium-powered laser rifle at him. The Seraphim crossed its arms
just as the lasers pelted its form, causing a lot more spots to blacken
and melt away. The enemy mech evidently overheated its rifle,
sacrificing its endurance for a massive boost in firepower.
"It's too late!" Snake yelled as he made his Seraphim spin. The rotation
allowed it to dodge the last set of lasers while adding momentum to its
poised and outstretched knives.
The light mech extended its rifle in desperation, blocking with its bulk.
One heated knife snapped right through its body, shearing the weapon
into slag. The other knife passed around the weapon and scored a deep
blow in the shoulder, practically crippling the mech's left arm.
The Seraphim finished delivering its attacks, leaving it open for the
light mech's kick. The feeble attack hardly damaged the Seraphim, but
it successfully pushed it away, leaving the half-crippled mech enough
space to continue to fall.
Instead of chasing after its prey, the Seraphim holstered its knives and
brought its rifle back to its arms. With a calm and steady aim, the
Seraphim fired a constant stream of energy bolts.
The first bolts went wide, but as the light mech failed to adjust in time,
the next bolts hit its wings. The damage was light, but it disrupted the
operation of its wings. The light mech posed an easier target now that
its speed reduced. The subsequent energy bolts shredded the rest of
the light mech's wings, leaving it incapable of correcting its fall.

"Their aerial scout is doomed." TheSeventhSnake stated as he watched
the smoking mech crash into the ground and explode. "What's the
situation down on the ground?"
"Their saboteur is good!" The spider mech girl responded. "He got two
of my legs, but he hasn't come out unscathed. Don't bother me.
Lemme focus on the duel."
"Their heavies are attacking our base! I'm having a hard time keeping
them off our flag!" The heavy knight gasped. "Mister missile fan is
helping, but I really need more help!"
Triceratopssss also filled in his status. "I've taken their flag since
spider mech is doing a good job keeping their remaining light mech
occupied. I can either help her out or go back to base. I won't be able
to deliver the flag with the heavy boys around."
"Return to base. We need to destroy at least two out of three of those
heavies in order to give you an opening to deliver the flag."
"Okay boss."
The Seraphim flew back to base while the flag-carrying Phantasm ran
across the terrain while holding a large flag. TheSeventhSnake
assessed his mech's damage and energy reserves, and concluded it
could withstand one more all-in assault.
"Damnit! They got my sword arm! I'm only left with my shield now."
"Hang on, I'm coming!" TheSeventhSnake responded as he broke
through the clouds and flew over his team's base. His sensors rapidly
detected the glowing hot forms of the enemy trio.

The close-ranged heat projecting enemy pinned down the heavy knight
whilst slowly melting its armor. The medium-ranged ballistic gunner
had succeeded in blowing off the heavy knight's sword arm and now
went to work on its legs. As for the long-ranged marksman, it had
already circled round the sides to suppress their missileer.
To his credit, the missileer used its superior mobility to stay one step
ahead of the enemy marksman, taking advantage of the surrounding
hills to keep out of its line of sight. All the while, it fired sporadic
volleys of arcing missiles onto the other two heavy mechs with the help
of the telemetry the heavy knight sent back. The missiles hadn't
inflicted any critical damage to the two mechs, but the frequent
explosions degraded their sensors and stripped much of their top-
facing armor.
The two bruisers were so engrossed in bullying the heavy knight that
the Seraphim was practically able to position itself at their rear. It then
dive down in a descending, heart-stopping powered fall.
TheSeventhSnake overcharged his DMR, causing its chamber to
accumulate so much energy that smoke started to escape. He even
overloaded his rear-side cloud generator so that it created a vast
rainbow wake that approached the unsuspecting two mechs like the
front of a tsunami.
The heavy knight's facing allowed it to see the oncoming attack, and
fell slack for a second, which proved to be a fatal mistake as a cannon
shell ripped apart its right leg, causing the mech to lose its balance.
The heat projecting mech pounced on the vulnerability while the
cannoneer reloaded its shells with the confidence his target was
already dead.
Just as it was in the middle of swapping its magazine, the cannoneer
somehow felt an invisible pressure form from its rear. After switching

to the rear sensor feeds, it suddenly noticed a gigantic attack coming
from the air.
"DEATH!" TheSeventhSnake bellowed as he aimed and fired a
humongous energy bolt at the flat-footed cannon mech. The bolt
zapped through the air like a hot knife through butter. The huge ball of
energy splashed against the mech's rifle, coincidentally also damaging
its magazine, causing it to explode in a devastating ripple. The bolt fell
apart with most of its energy dispersing in the air, but some of the
damage landed on the mech's front, ruining its surface internals.
TheSeventhSnake had already decoupled and tossed aside his slagged
rifle. With his twin heated knives he struck the damaged and bleeding
mech in its head and upper torso. He landed with so much momentum
behind him that the knives tore through the remnants of the heavy
mech's armor and ruined several of its critical systems, the most
important of which was the power reactor embedded near the heart
area.
The Cannoneer, now cut off from power, shut itself off. Snake's
Seraphim landed its delicate legs against the disabled mech's chest
and bent its knees to mitigate its falling momentum.
That left it open to the remaining heavy mech. The heat projector
ignored the heavy knight that had been slagged into a molten statue,
and ran back to avenge his comrade. With his Seraphim already
running hot like an oven, even a glancing hit by the wide-area heat
projectors could cause Snake to be boiled alive in his own mech.
Acutely aware of the impending crisis, TheSeventhSnake acted in
desperation. In a feat of exemplary control, the Seraphim spread its
legs like a stripper and leveraged its grip on the embedded knives to
spin around the unpowered mech's torso.

The air flashed with white-hot heat and the projectors fired. The
cannon mech's ruined armor suffered a catastrophic amount of
damage while some of its internals even caught fire. The Seraphim's
exposed legs also melted into a half-puddle shape, rendering them
incapable of supporting the light mech's weight.
However, TheSeventhSnake managed to preserve his mech's waist and
upper body. The Seraphim leaned over, using the burning cannonneer
as a shield, and did something stupid. It threw its knives at its
opponent. The heat projecting mech got startled and hastily tried to
angle its armor against the incoming projectiles, only for them to fall
short and land on the ground.
The heat projector grew enraged, and stomped over with his
lumbering mech while firing its heat weapon without regard.
TheSeventhSnake continued to make his mech hug the increasingly
hotter cannon mech, hoping desperately that it would last.
"Tops!"
"Got it!"
The heat projector inadvertently walked away from the center. This
left the waiting Triceratopssss a narrow window of approach. His
Phantasm swiftly but quietly climbed over the walls of their fort and
made a beeline to the center where his own team's flag also rested.
Noticing his mistake, the heat projector's pilot commanded his mech
to turn its torso. With his pair of heat projectors poised to fire, the
Phantasm was bound to suffer greatly.
That was until TheSeventhSnake managed to pry off his battered and
half-molten Seraphim away from its shield. With a disabled pair of

legs, the Seraphim nevertheless crawled forward with all the strength
its feeble arms could muster. It approached underneath the distracted
heavy mech and reached out to grab on the heat projectors.
The Seraphim succeeded in spoiling one of the heat projector's aim. It
unleashed much of its molten fury harmlessly against the ground.
The other heat projector succeeded in hitting the Phantasm. However,
the Phantasm suffered no damage beforehand, and with only one
projector achieving a hit, the Phantasm maintained its ability to move.
With a limping run, Triceratopssss succeeded in planting the enemy's
flag right next to their team's unconquered banner.
"YES!"
"WOOHOO!"
"You interrrupted my duel!"
While his teammates cheered and grumbled, TheSeventhSnake sank
back in his cockpit with a satisfied expression. He could feel the
victory invigorating him even as he felt as if the excessive heat had
cooked him into a crispy state.
"We won..." TheSeventhSnake smiled as he let out a warm and deep
breath. "I'm getting better at this, though my Seraphim won't be happy
I trashed it again."
Then he remembered someone had spectated him throughout the
entire match. TheSeventhSnake opened his personal page and
switched to his stream. He read out the name of his only spectator.

"Chasing Clouds. That sounds familiar..."
Chapter end