Knighted in Blood
Chapter 1: Do It Again
“Faster, Donalbain! RUN FASTER!”
*CRACK-A-BOM!*
The dim and narrow transit shaft rocked violently from the stress of battle.
“DO YOU WANT TO LIVE OR DIE?!”
Donalbain was almost into his redzone, and he was losing ground rapidly. He turned to face his enemy, an enormous MT, and fired a round from his Karasawa-3. At this speed however he was unable to aim properly with his cheap FCS, and missed by a mile.
“Terrible, absolutely grotesque!”
Donalbain felt his opponent’s words, hot against his ears, strangling him slowly. He aimed again, and this time he made his mark. He was rewarded with the sound of plasma searing through alloy.
“IS THAT THE BEST YOU’VE GOT, BASTARD?! My God, you never would have survived without me, would you?!”
Donalbain was almost out of energy now, and if he kept going he’d be forced to recharge, costing him the battle. He had only one option open to him.
Donalbain stopped abruptly in mid flight, reversed direction, maneuvering towards the monstrous MT’s control center. In less than even a second the combatants collided, and the force of impact almost knocked Donalbain unconscious. It didn’t take much longer for him to regain focus, but his senses were dulled from the collision, and his vision blurred. The enemy pilot screamed yet another vicious insult, but he could not hear him. He latched his A.C.’s arms to either side of the MT’s armor, and pulled with all of his strength.
“Fool, what are you doing? You must truly be desperate! It’s almost enough to make one sick.”
The MT’s armor gave, and it’s “brain” was exposed. Donalbain had recovered enough of his energy to fire again, and launched one last volley of plasma into the MT for the kill.
“Mission objective achieved. Test mode disengaged.”
The tunnel and the MT slowly faded from view, leaving Donalbain alone in an empty black room, accompanied only by the hateful remarks of his foster father.
“Disgusting, you fight like a rabid animal. Have some dignity!”
The intercom shut off suddenly, letting out shrieking feedback, and then silence. A heavy door slammed in the room adjacent to his. Donalbain hung his head in shame. Again he had failed to meet his father’s standards. He felt cold, and empty. Completely unaware and incapable of doing so, his core’s OS spoke again, showing no signs of emotion.
“Raven rank for this test exercise is…-S-. Congratulations.”
The computer continued to ramble off specific mission details, but Donalbain ignored them entirely as he solemnly exited his A.C.
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[NO TRACK]
Duncan moved quickly down the hall.
“He’s improving…that’s good. However, if I let up on him now it will only weaken him.” He said quietly to himself. “I feel terrible for treating him so poorly, but my money will not always be here to protect him…it is for the best.”
A steel door slid open on the wall to his right, and out stepped his natural born son, Malcolm.
“Good morning father! You look to be contemplating something of importance…may I lend a hand?”
“No,” Duncan replied. “I am sorry, but it concerns certain details which I cannot afford to share with you. You understand.”
“…Yes father.” Malcolm spoke, sullenly.
His father loved him dearly, he knew, but for months now he had been very short and receded with him. Love was good, but he needed more…If only they could just sit down and talk over dinner… Duncan now spent his evenings in his study, planning assaults on whomever would be most beneficial, sealing away his money…but most of all, he spent his time on “It.” That dirty little rat that he had found on one of his travels to Mars…Donalbain. Every waking moment seemed to be devoted to him. What he was going to eat, when he would sleep, what he would wear and who he would talk to, attempting to shape him into his master work. It burned him so…
Malcolm turned away, and his door slid into place as he entered his room once more.
(End Chapter 1)