Tokyo

A roar that shakes the buildings is heard as the empty city echoes the HUSK. A faint alarm is heard throughout the city as he begins to stomp around looking for pray. Buildings crumble, roads crack, water bursts out, gas pipes crack and electronics light the fuse to the fire, creating explosions that envelop the husk. As the city is engulfed in flames and destruction, the ground starts to shake. With its big horns, thick yet hollow bones and with no eyes but a face full of millions of holes, the husk bashes into a skyscraper twice its size as the ground starts to shake even more. The husk stops as his bones shot up with long needles, he takes a few steps back. Silence fills the city as the sun shines and reflects into the skyscraper’s windows. As his long needles slowly lay back down, the ground stops to shake and two arms shoot up from within the building. Glass falls to the floor, the hands grip the husk’s neck. The metal screeches as it twists around the bones trying to crack the husk’s neck. Its needles popup. Some scratching the giant mech, some piercing its armor and some going through him. The dark grey mech pushes as the neck bones start to crack. As the husk tries to escape its needles has trapped him in the grips of the mech. A snap is heard as birds start to fly around and the alarm is silenced.

Another one, huh?

Yeah. It’s the fifth one this year. And we’re barely in March.

What’s the damage?

Probably into billions again.

We need to deploy it faster.

And what would you have me do? I can’t force the pilots to sleep in their ARCs. It’s a walking nuclear reactor. We were lucky it didn’t detonate when those needles pierced it!

I don’t know, but, figure it out, commander. We’ve pulled trillions into this program and all we have to show for are two prototypes and now a broken piece of junk. We’re supposed to be the country that birthed mechs.

They can kiss my ass. You can’t put a price on salvation and then complain when you get saved. The fact that we even have people capable of withstanding any of the pressure needed to pilot a mech is a miracle of proportions.

Commander Kotei. What would you have us do with the husk?

Contaminate it and if possible, bring it in. We need to examine it.

Yes, sir.

Knowing them, we’ll sell it piece by piece to the highest bidder again. We need to find out why or even how this keeps happening. Each husk more drastic than the other. Something is off here…

Commander.

Oh, Shin-san. How are you feeling?

Feeling? What’s that? He starts laughing. I lost all feeling in my body the second time I piloted that ARC Mech. He says looking down at his shaky hand.

I’m sorry for putting you through this.

Don’t apologize, commander. At least I get bragging rights for being born as someone special. He starts laughing once again.

You truly are. Since you’re the only one to survive this process. By the way, they want us to deploy you faster. Any ideas on how you’d be able to do that?

We can always try doing it without the capsule pit. It is faster.

Yes, but it’s more dangerous. And there’s always the change of losing control of the ARC. Plus, think about the strain on your body. We were lucky that this time it was a husk you took out easily. Last time you were stuck in a coma for a few months. I can’t put you in such danger. If you die, then we’re all doomed. His stare turns to a blank one as he stares right through me. By the way, Shin-san. How’s therapy?

Oh, doctor Shirazawa is wonderful. She always knows the right words to speak in a moment of need. And I’ve been doing these cool exercises to deal with the PTSD and the medication does its thing, so that’s good, I suppose, he says smiling as an explosion is heard outside and another husk appears on the horizon.

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