//------------------------------// // The king awakens // Story: Resistance of steel // by Valsion //------------------------------// Resistance of steel Chapter 15 The king awakens It has been a week since Kurtz, Gain, Applejack and Pinkie Pie have met the Getter team. By now they were deep in Siberian territory, managing to avoid enemy encounters up to now. At first, Applejack scolded the three hot-blooded pilots of the super robot for actually wanting to fight but after a week of just going from Mithril outpost to Mithril outpost, she too began to feel bored as well. While she still loathed the idea of having to fight, at least it would give her something to do. She missed Sweet Apple Acres, she missed bucking apple trees and feeling the satisfaction of good, honest work. Most of all, she missed her family. She wondered how Granny Smith, Big Macintosh and Applebloom were doing. With all the time they were gone now, were they worried? Pinkie was also not doing so well. Not all outposts had the supplies for even a small party and the cockpit left her not much room for movement, which was a horrible experience for such an active pony. Running around outside for a while was also out of question, due to the snowstorm currently raging outside. "Ooooh, when are Gain and Kurtz gonna be back? I'm soooo bored." She complained. She too missed home. Pinkie Pie always loved making sugary treats in Sugarcube Corner and seeing the smiles on their customers' faces as they ate. She also missed her other friends. Not that Applejack wasn't fun to be around but it would be far better if they were all together again. Currently, the Getter Robo and the Coustwell were holed up in a small tunnel that Hayato made, using the Getter-2. It was quite impressive to see the transformation. The Getter team also explained, that the Getter Robo had a third form, although it was not as practical right now, since it was an amphibian machine. "Don't worry Pinkie, once the party gets started, we'll know." Ryoma assured her. It was still strange for him to talk to a talking, pink pony but slowly he was getting used to it. He and his co-pilots were already looking forward to the start of the migration. The Siberian Railway Patrol won't like an entire city walking away from them, which promised some good fights. "Hopefully we can finally sleep somewhere warmer than here. Man, I could really use a hot drink by now." A few moments later, Ryoma could hear knocking on his cockpit. Was there a person in this hole? If yes, why didn't they notice him. He was ready to knock that guy out, in order to make sure he couldn't alert the Siberian Railway Patrol but instead he was greeted by Pinkie Pie, as he opened the cockpit. With a warm smile, she handed him a mug of what looked like hot cocoa. "Here you go." She said, as she handed him the hot drink. "But... how..." He could feel a headache coming up, as he tried to think of a way how on earth Pinkie managed to make some hot cocoa here. A screen flared up to show Applejack. "Ryoma, she's Pinkie Pie. Don't question it. She follows the laws of physics only very loosely." With no choice but to accept these facts, Ryoma just thanked Pinkie, before closing the cockpit and drinking his cocoa. While the others were talking, Wufei was meditating inside of his Gundam. Chaos swirled all around him, as factions all over the world seemed to become active. And then there was this revelation about the visitors from the other dimension. Normally he did not believe in fate but he couldn't deny that something big was about to happen. For now he would go along. The Siberian Railway Corporation was just the supply branch of the domeopolis administration. London IMA was the head of the domeopolis project, who also had ties to OZ. Maybe he could continue his mission after all. Now they all could just wait, until Gain and Kurtz were done. Gainer Sanga's day has started so well. After playing video games all night, he finally won the "Game Champ" title. The fact that he could play with Cynthia, best player he knew and his rival only sweetened the deal. Now he was wisked away right in the middle of class and thrown into a cell. Gainer had brown hair, kept relatively flat and rectangular glasses. He was still in his boring, grey school uniform. The guard did not listen though, so he had no choice but to sit down and wait. Hopefully, someone would be able to tell them why he could not possibly involved in the Exodus movement. He thought it was a silly idea too, just taking an entire city and leaving? If people really wanted to leave home that bad, they could just move to China or western Europe or something. The Siberian Railway really seemed to be paranoid about something too, judging from how crowded the cell was. Several men and women were in here with him. Once more the celldoor opened, although no people were thrown in, instead some bread and water was passed to the inmates. He thought, that this was better than nothing right now, especially since he missed breakfast. With a quick thanks, he accepted the piece of bread one of the other inmates broke off for him, as they passed the food around. For a moment Gainer wondered, if they were also thought to be with Exodus and taken right from their homes and workplaces. Then there were those two. One green haired man and a blonde man were thrown in yesterday. Most of the time, the two of them slept, most likely since there was nothing else anyone her could really do. Gainer decided, he'll do something nice and always saved them some bread and water while they were sleeping. Today was the day of the festival, Gainer remembered, and even though he planned on playing video games all day again it would be really nice if he could see it. The guard opened the door, to collect the water bucket and mugs, as suddenly the green haired man grabbed the guards arm and delivered a devastating uppercut, using the metal mug for extra impact. Everyone in the cell was dumbfounded at the sudden violence and most were worried what would happen now. The blonde man also rose up now, while the other grabbed the keys and threw them to the others. With this, they could free the other prisoners if they escaped. "I'm leaving, you guys are coming?" He asked with a tone of voice, as if he asked them whether they wanted to get something to eat or not. None rose, aside from the blonde man. They all were afraid there would be even worse repercussions, if they fled. After all, they have been taken prisoner once, the Siberian Railway could just imprison them again. "Even if you have legitimate complains, you won't do anything. I guess that's the way of the people, living in the dome cities." He taunted, before leaving. Gainer couldn't let that sit. Not only did he want to get out, he wanted to prove himself. The two men looked surprised as he rose up and stepped out of his cell. "Are you sure?" The green haired man asked, making it sound more like a challenge than an actual question. "I guess I'm just not the kind of person who belongs here." Was Gainer's answer. It was technically true, since he was arrested on wrong premises. With a smile, the green haired men gave him a gun. "Name is Gain by the way." He said. "I am Kurtz, now let's leave before his buddies arrive." Said the other man, pointing with his thumb to the unconscious security guard. "I'm Gainer." Gainer answered, as they already ran, to the jail exit and up the stairs. Gainer was nervous about the gun, he never fired one in his life and now there are good chances he would have to. In front of the duke's palace, the noise of the festival was only barely audible. Despite being stuck on guard duty for tonight, the two guards still enjoyed themselves, talking and drinking a little. Most of their superiors were at the festival to oversee things, so they didn't need to worry about being caught drinking on the job. "Here you go." The one inside the small guardhouse said, pouring another glass for his friend, who accepted it gladly. Before the two of them could continue their talk though, they heard laughing and slurred singing. Two men, clearly drunk were approaching the palace arm in arm. The green haired man in the large fur coat laughed while the blonde one sang some sort of song in a foreign language while holding a bottle of beer. So much for the quiet shift. It was a bit odd for two drunks to wander so far away from the festival but then again, who knows what's going on in their heads right now. Still, the armed guard hoped, he could get them to leave without too much drama. "Hey you, you can't enter..." He didn't come much further as the coated man suddenly delivered a punch to the gut, while a teenager bolted out from his hiding spot beneath the coat and pointed a gun directly at the other guards face. Since he still only had the bottle in hand, there was not much he could do but let the blonde guy knock him out. Guards were pretty low on the premise tonight, so the trio managed to get to the museum wing without any further problems. Gainer still wondered what they were doing there and most importantly, why didn't he just go home. He was already out of jail and what those two were doing really wasn't any of his business. With a sigh, he figured that it was too late now anyway. "The gun." That order brought Gainer out of his thoughts, as Gain demanded he get his weapon back. Gainer didn't need to be told twice, he felt uncomfortable holding it anyway. Using his coat as a silencer, Gain shot open the lock, leading them inside. In the museum wing, Gainer couldn't help but stare in amazement at the many overmen that were displayed. The duke was known to be a collector of exotic things but all these old Overmen must have been difficult to acquire. "It this the one?" Kurtz then asked, pointing towards one of the overmen. It was blue and had white armor on the chest, legs and arms. The white helmet was round and had some cable coming out, making them look like hair. Instead of a face, there was a blue, round plate with two green lines running down by the middle. Immediately, Gainer felt a connection to this particular Overman. "Yeah, that's the one." Answered Gain and Kurtz started to fumble with the drawer in the pedestal, that the Overman was resting on. Were the keyes in there? As the drawer was opened with a loud cracking noise, that pretty much answered that question. What surprised Gainer though was, that Kurtz tossed him the key. "Here you go, see if you can open the cockpit." "Y-yes." Gainer answered nervously. Why did they want him to do that? Did they want to check for traps? It was possible that these old Overmen were secured with traps and those guys just didn't want to be the ones triggering them but Gainer didn't care at the moment. If this works, he could pilot a real Overman for once. The excitement was enough to let him forget the situation he was in. Gainer climbed towards the chest of the Overman. That's where the cockpit usually was, so there should be a button somewhere. Maybe under the armor. A click later, the chest armor rose up, leaving the body of the Overman exposed, now there must be a second button. Gainer quickly found it and almost like a coat with zipper, the Overman opened up and the seat was pushed slightly outwards for the pilot. "Alright, I've got it." He informed Gain and Kurtz, as they talked about how the duke might have had ulterior motives for collecting those old Overmen. While they were busy, Gainer sat down. He really wanted to know how it felt to be a real pilot. But then, the seat retracted back into the cockpit and it closed up. "Wait!" Gainer tried holding the cockpit open but his hand got stuck, leaving him no choice but to pull it in. That moment he was glad, that this was an Overman and not any other mech, or else his arm would be gone now. The muscle engine these things were made off, were solid but at the same time much softer than any other material. In fact, some Overmen seemed more like living creatures than machines. The Overman then activated and the first question that appeared inside the ball shaped cockpit was the new registration. "So it needs a new id." Suddenly, an epiphany hit Gainer. This morning he managed to win the title King in his game, maybe that was a good enough inspiration, so he decided the name for this Overman. "King Gainer." On the outside, Kurtz and Gain saw the glowing in the Overman's faceplate and the lines were moving, indicating that it became active. "You know Gain, that kid isn't half bad, with some training he could be Mithril material." Complimented the German sniper, as he saw the Overman rise. "Ah good, he got it going." Gain, who was standing on the podium with the Overman, climbed into its hand first as Kurtz followed after. "Alright kid, now gently try to stand up, can you do that?" Gain asked, as he already felt the movements. Suddenly though, as King Gainer was almost standing, the arms jerked up and Gain was thrown against the ceiling, causing Kurtz to wince in sympathy. Fortunately for Gain though, Gainer managed to get control back in time to catch him. "Sorry, I'm not used to the real thing." The kid apologized. Even though the controls were identical, the feeling was different from the game. "It's alright, I'm okay." Gain replied, still holding a hand to his back. That machine was pretty strong but that's the reason why they are here in the first place. "Now gently lower the hands so Kurtz here can hop on." Gainer did as he was told, although Kurtz was a little unsure if that was a good idea after what happened to Gain. "Okay, I'm on and not smacked against the ceiling, time to get out of here." Kurtz said. Then, before Gain could ask for control of the Overman, loud bangs echoed in from the outside and holes were punched into the wall by gunfire. "Oh damn, there they are." The Silhouette Engine of the Siberian Railway swiftly fired a hole into the wall to enter and pushed another Overman that was displayed to the side. Gunfire from outside still pinned them down as Gain and Kurtz took cover behind King Gainers fingers. "Oi kid, how about running?" The entering Silhouette Engine stopped in front of them and a hatch on top opened up. The "face" of the Silhouette Engines was not located on the top, the top was flat except for the entry hatch, instead it was on shoulder height, protruding to the front with a machine gun attached to the chin. Gainer recognized the blonde woman in the red jumpsuit that came out of it. This was the woman that has thrown him in jail this morning. "You're not going anywhere Gain Bijou, or should I say Black Southern Cross?" Gainer recognized that nickname, wasn't that the infamous exodus expert? He didn't have time to think too much about it though, since the troops outside continued their assault. The only way to avoid the volley was for him to dive into the hallway. Seeing the wall getting closer fast, Gainer raised the hands of the Overman protectively, just before they rammed into it. The impact nearly knocked Gainer out of the seat and Gain and Kurtz would have been flattened, had he not protected them. "Gainer, we have to fly away, activate the photon mat and engage flying mode." Gain barked. The photon mat was a powerful energy shield that the more powerful Overmen were famous for. The real knack though was, that they could even move the shields and use it for offensive purposes. Gainer quickly activated the photon mat, as the Siberian Railway soldiers caught up with them. The woman in the red jumpsuit, Adette, drew a gun and aimed at Gain. "End of the line for you." She snarled, before firing. Gain and Kurtz closed their eyes as the shot rang but opened again as they noticed that they were still alive. Just in the nick of time, Gainer has activated the photon mat, causing the bullet to harmlessly bounce off. "Alright, now open up a path straight up." Kurtz said grinning. Gainer was now in more familiar territory, since he was getting used to the real controls now and sent a ring made of the photon mat upwards. All three marveled at the strength of it, as it cut a perfect hole into the ceiling. Losing contact with the ground, King Gainer flew upwards towards freedom. As Gain said, Silhouette Engines besieged the castle from all sides. Gainer could see that only the one belonging to that high ranking officer seemed to follow them for now, he wasn't sure who she was again, although the first impression would possibly never leave him. It was a good thing he was inside the cockpit, so she couldn't see him. If that officer knew that he was inside the Overman, she could easily find out where he lived. After all, she barged right into his class to arrest him. Inside of her room, princess Medaiyu finished her studies with her teacher Ms. Liubov and now she was itching to go to the festival. "Can we please go now? You said that I did well with my history." She pleaded, looking at her teacher with big eyes. It was one of the rare occasions she was allowed to leave her home high up. Their old castle was nice too but had been repurposed into a museum by her father. Sometimes Ana wished, someone would just come in and take her along for a journey. With a sigh, she looked out the window and wondered if the festival already started. Just as that thought came though, she noticed a glow from the big globe in the middle of the room. "Isn't that photon mat energy?" Her panicked teacher asked, trying to get princess Ana behind her. From the hole that formed in the ground emerged a large robot, tall enough that it had to hunker down to fit in. But the strangest thing was the two men clinging to the side of it. Ms. Liubov wondered if she should immediately call the guards but something held her back. For one, it was the way Ana happily running towards the two men, that nonchalantly stepped off the robot to greet them. "Good evening, we heard that princess Medaiyu wanted to see the festival, we have come to escort her." The blonde man said with a bow and approached the teacher. "Please trust us, we will keep the princess safe." Behind him she could see the green haired man help Ana into the Overman, which was piloted by a young boy who looked just as confused as she was. The pet ferrets of the princess were of course joining her and bounced around the cockpit already, much to the annoyance of the pilot. Liubov barely managed to get any words out, as the cockpit closed again and they broke out the side of the room. Pinkie Pie was really bored now. She knew why she had to wait but she hoped that Kurtz and Gain would be back soon. Finally, something happened. From the side of the great domed city. Applejacks jaw nearly hit the floor and Pinkies eyes widened as they saw massive city blocks, drawn by huge machines. It was almost like a parade, as they poured out into the snow in a single line, flanked by smaller machines. "Wow, that is the Exodus? This is amazing!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Wufei remained stoic through this but brought his Gundam out of standby. It is to assume that the Siberian Railway would not want to lose their customers. Funny thing too, since they basically force all the people living in a domed city to buy their products. It was either that or starving. Ryoma whistled, also kinda impressed by the huge march starting before him. "I've seen people moving but this is a bit larger than I've known. So let's be good neighbors and help them get their stuff to the new place." He said, starting up the Getter to join the escort. "I bet those Siberian Railway idiots are standing there with their jaws on the floor. I like rebels, no better way to let the authorities know how little power they really have." Hayato added with a hint of excitement. Benkei had spent a long time living as a monk in a small temple in the wilderness. All this new technology was mind boggling to him. Before being picked up as part of the Getter-team, he wouldn't have thought something like this to be possible. An entire city moving, it was impressive what people were capable off, if they put their mind to it. A sentiment they all shared too was relief. Now they would be able to spend some time outside their mechs too. Being cramped up in the cockpit was not something they really wanted to be too long. Being among other people was also something they looked forward to. It was clear that it would be senseless to keep the ponies hidden from the city folk, so they would introduce them once the Exodus really got moving. As the large house units moved closer, they could even see the familiar forms of Gain and Kurtz's machines. Among them was also a new mech, one that looked strangely more organic, as if it was actually a giant human wearing suit and armor, though his movements were somewhat erratic. As they got close, Applejack messaged Gain over the radio. "Howdy there Gain, I must say this is really impressive. Is that the 'new asset' you were talking about?" She asked, making Coustwell point at King Gainer. "Yeah, some teenager we met in a cell was piloting it, he's pretty good too." Gain answered, as suddenly King Gainer almost fell over. Kurtz reacted quickly, holding the mech in place with his G9, gently lowering it onto its knees. "Heeey there, don't tell me the pilot is napping now." Kurtz said, as the cockpit opened and the pilot seat extended out of the chest. Gainer was not looking so good, breathing heavily as he sat keeled over the controls, with Ana and her pet ferrets clinging onto the side. "Mr. Gain, Mr. Kurtz, Gainer is not looking so good, he seems very exhausted." She said. Luckily though, the teenager managed to hold on and catch his breath, as Gain offered to let Ana onto the hand of his machine. The little girl looked back at Gainer before climbing onto it. "You did very well, so don't feel bad that you got exhausted. I don't think many other people could have piloted this Overman as expertly as you did, so please take me with you on your Exodus." She said to him. Applejack and Pinkie found this child actually pretty sweet, although they wondered why Gain and Kurtz picked her up too. But what happened next surprised them. That teenager, Gainer, suddenly got very angry. "You tricked me! You said you were arrested under false pretenses. I HATE Exodus." He yelled, as he ran towards Gain and tried to punch him, even though it was in vain, as the older man dodged every punch. A few more punches were dodged by Gain, as the two ponies got enough. With the Coustwell's hands, Applejack grabbed the two of them and held them up in the air. Not a moment too soon, as the older, stronger and more experienced man clenched his fist to deliver a retaliation punch. "Would you two stop it? We're not enemies here. I'm sorry you have been deceived but this isn't gonna solve anything. And Gain, I'm really disappointed that you tricked this boy into joining." Applejack sounded very much like a stern mother that caught her colts fighting as she said this and the two men couldn't really do much to escape from the grip of the large machine. "Yo AJ, if you have these children under control, I think we got company." Ryoma then called through the intercom. From inside the dome, several Shilouhette Engines were approaching fast. Ryoma had the Getter brandish his tomahawk. "Although, nevermind, this is gonna be easy." He then said with a cocky smirk. As the troops of the Siberian Railway got closer, they recoiled as the massive super robot came closer. "Alright, who wants to go first." The hot blooded pilot called through the speaker, as a sudden explosion came from the Getter Robos back and knocked it down. "Ryoma!" Applejack looked to where the shot came from but could see it now. The snowstorm was lightening up a bit and several specks could be seen in the distance. More rounds were fired and impacted with the hull of the Getter Robo, pinning it to the ground. "Kurtz, Gain, you have to take out those snipers." Applejack yelled, placing Gain back onto his robot. "On it, you and Wufei keep the others off our backs." As Gain and Kurtz then got into position to take out the enemy snipers, Applejack looked at the other person she was still holding. "You, I know you don't like this Exodus but many lives may depend on whether or not you help us. Please, pilot the Overman again." She pleaded with him, placing him back onto the cockpit, were a worried Ana was waiting for him. "Alright, I'll get Ana to safety." Gainer then responded. He still didn't like all of this one bit but at least the kid should be out of the combat zone. With a smile, the two ponies watched as King Gainer took off towards the caravan of Silhouette Mammoths, pulling the city blocks. "He's real nice, good that you broke up the fight." Pinkie commented. "Now let's just get outta here." She then added, a little more nervous. From back further into the dome, shots could already be heard. Machine guns were blazing and robots were falling. Some hint of relief was brought to the Equestrians, as they saw the surviving crew fleeing from the wrecks. "Alright Pinkie, let's just make sure no one gets seriously hurt." Applejack said, as a sudden heat could be felt. Turning to the source of the heat, the two of them saw the Shenlong Gundam being blown away by a burst of flame. Turning further to the source, another Overman was seen. This one was purple in color. The head was pretty flat and in its hands it held what looked like a huge bellow. The smoke coming out of the muzzle indicated, that this was really a giant flamethrower. "So, you think that you can just pack your things and leave. Not as long as I, Jin Yassaba, have anything to say about this." A loud, male voice boomed. "Damn, should have known that they have an Overman too. AJ, Pinkie, keep him busy until we got the Getter free." Gain shouted, still firing at the snipers. He wondered, how they got an anti super robot task force ready out here as the answer hit him. The Amalgam soldiers they rescued. Information was an important good in todays world, no doubt they would at least wanna sell the information about a super robot on the move if the oni business failed. Looks like the Siberian Railway was the lucky customer. Worse still was, that the snowstorm hasn't died down completely yet. The enemy likely had special equipment for such occasion while staying somewhat protected. Now they could hide behind the storm while keeping the Getter Robo down. Every time Ryoma tried to stand up, another round connected. The damage wasn't that bad but the explosions made it nearly impossible to move. The Coustwell meanwhile was jumping to the side as another jet of fire was shot out of the Overman's flamethrower. With Wufei still not responding, the two ponies had a real problem at hand. The pilot could concentrate solely on them and with the Coustwell being a close combat fighter, all they could do without getting horribly burned was to keep throwing the orgone fist at him. One after another did they shatter against the ground, as the enemy Overman dodged each projectile. "Is that all you can do? And with these pathetic machines you attempt an exodus." Yassaba continued to taunt them while getting closer. "Applejack, this guy is crazy." Pinkie Pie complained, while keeping up the energy. A worried look at the display told her, that all the orgone fists and moving around was depleting their energy at a rapid pace. Soon they would not be able to counterattack anymore, if they didn't want to get roasted. "I know sugarcube, let's just hold out a little longer." The other mare pleaded. Hopefully, Gain and Kurtz have freed the others by then. Suddenly though, she could see something fly overhead, the Overman that Gain and Kurtz acquired. "Is that the kid from before?" As he flew into the storm, Gainer wondered why he was doing this. He promised to get Ana to safety, nothing more. And still he was now going outside to get rid of these snipers? Some of the shots were now directed at him though evading them was easy. The rounds were special, rocket-propelled grenades that were designed for larger, slower targets. Trying to hit a small and fast target was nearly impossible. As he got close enough, he could identify the mechs. "These look like Gain's Gotchko." The model seemed to be the same, even with the sniper rifle attached to the shoulder. The only difference was the arm, which Gain seemed to have replaced with that of a completely different machine. As King Gainer landed, the nearby pilots started to abandon their machines, knowing that they were completely outmatched in close combat. The first slice and the first mass produced Gotchko was a smoking heap of scrap. Hopefully that would be enough to help the others. One missed wreckage was all it took. Tripping over the remains of a sihouette engine, the Coustwell was lying on the ground, Rush Rod towering above. "I'm tired of your games, surrender and step out of the robot if you wanna live." Jin Yassaba ordered, as he prepared another stream of fire. The two ponies inside looked at each other, near a panic attack as the sound of gunfire could be heard. Wufei regained consciousness after the earlier fall and was now prepared for round two. "I refuse to let two civilians protect me. Come and face me." He ordered, readying the Shenlong Gundam. Yassaba scoffed at the new arrival. "That worked out so well the first time didn't it? This time you will stay down!" He yelled, firing the flame towards the Gundam. This time, Wufei leapt over the flame and going behind Rush Rod. Landing perfectly, Wufei turned around and slashed across the enemy Overman's back with his beam glaive, leaving a deep gash. Still, it seemed that Yassaba was not ready to give up, as Rush Rod turned around while firing more flames, which Wufei only narrowly managed to evade. "You need much more to take me down." He bellowed again. "Wufei, are you alright?" Applejack asked over the radio. It was scary enough the first time he was knocked down. "Yes, I will not let him wound my pride any further. Stand back you two, this is a job for a real soldier." He scoffed. But before he could do anything else, a bright, purple beam hit the ground close to Yassaba, causing a massive explosion and knocking the Rush Rod far back. "Is this enough to take you down?" The Getter Robo was standing again. Here and there the armor had slight cracks but otherwise they seemed to be alright. Applejack and Pinkie were glad to see that they were alright. Wufei on the other hand did not appreciate that this battle was stolen from him. After seeing their leader knocked out, the remaining troops of the Siberian Railway grabbed the Rush Rod and were on full retreat. "Sorry it took so long." Ryoma then said nonchalantly, although he sounded a little embarrassed. "No problems Ryo, we're just glad you're okay. Now let's get onto the parade float and have us a nice victory party. A proper one this time." Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily. Now they would not be just a small group travelling through the wilderness. Lots of people would be with them now. Pinkie could also see Gainer returning. "And here's the guest of honor. I'm sure we will all be alright now." She said as cheers erupted around them.