The Automatic Battle Rifle spun fast as Diver held the weapon straight at Caliburn, about to fill the Framewerk with kinetic shells. But just when Elora was about to fire, she heard Lora's words: "So be it. You win. Manual override: eject." She ejected herself in a capsule, and it landed a fair distance from the action. Diver lowered its weapon, seemingly satisfied with the victory on the outside. But inside, a young pilot reeled in response to the adrenaline that coursed through her. She couldn't believe how disgusted she was to hear those words. Elora held her stomach as nausea bubbled up from her insides. At that moment when she was overcome by grief for the loss of her team, Elora believed that she became a person who relished in the use of violence, and her lips quivered from the thought.

Diver slowly walked to where the safety pod landed. It stopped before the pod, and Elora opened up a voice channel to Lora and everyone else.
She first sniffed and wiped her nose, and then opened up:

"I can't do this, I've had enough. No more. I'm gonna quit."

Elora got a response from Command: "Forfeiting is not an option, Cadet Liu'un! Resume your mission immediately!"

Elora started sobbing as she continued.
"My team was wiped out, and I'm the only one left...I can't fight anyone anymore, even if I wanted to. This..anger...I don't want it. I'm done."
As proof that she was serious, she had Diver kneel down. The Data Drones that trailed behind suddenly stopped moving and shut down, creating the ground to vibrate as they dropped down. Diver's limbs lowered and hanged down as the Framewerk's motor functions stopped.

Elora did keep voice communication active, and informed the pilots of the Roxy and the Macabre that she forfeited. She then leaned back on her seat as she held her shoulders. Ever since she activated the Framewerk she thought she heard something, like a voice. It barely reached her, making her second-guess if it even was real. But now that all systems were down, she was sure that something strange was going on: someone tried to speak to her. She shivered, a chill coursing through her. Maybe the stress of battle was making tricks on her? She honestly didn't want to think about stuff like that anymore, so she put up a music player on, curled up on her side, and waited for this ordeal to end.

Yeshua let out a long breath he did not know he was holding. The air was hotter now than at the bottom of the lake, where the water seemed to be crushing him like a ton of bricks. Now he was outside in the warm environment, the air was calm and his breathing was all but silent. His bullet had missed its mark only by a fraction of a meter; an unacceptable loss that could cost him the chance of winning. Then it hit him; as par the usual procedure, he had pulled back on the large, reloading mechanism, shooting out a shell larger than Yeshua into the rocky terrain. This was almost like a second nature now. The idea was cold and unnecessary, but if he was to be taken seriously as a soldier, he had to ponder these things even in the most dangerous moments.

What kind of messed up training simulation is this?thought the boy as the massive artificial hand swiveled around to his ammo holster, directly implanted in the metallic thigh. The strap seemed to warp and extend like it was part of the very skin of the Anzu, and inside was the delicate yet deadly capsules that could be accelerated far past the speed of sound and turned into melting shards of lightning. Sliding the slug into the rifle, it crackled and docked into the correct position.

They could have really easily done a simulation, but they were keen on doing as much damage to these frameworks as possible, continued Yeshua, deep in thought. He was so deep that he missed the green energy bolts advancing rapidly towards him. The rocky terrain and the angles all should have allowed it to miss, but one of the two bolts connected with the left shoulder, letting the plates melt and almost explode in a flurry of colours.

With the pain soaring through his body, Yeshua clenched his teeth and chided himself before quickly dashing away, the superior speed and dexterity of the framework allowing it to cross the zone with ease, even if the soaring heat building in the boy's shoulder made him want to faint. His vision blurry and his face covered in a thick blanket of sweat, Yeshua took his rifle in both of his somewhat shaking arms, taking cover behind a sturdy piece of rock and awaiting for the next blip on his motion tracker. The weapon began to hum like a pet near an open fire, ready to protect its owner no matter the cost.

Rose was scanning the area, shield on one hand, machine gun in the other, he used the frames limited abilities to separate intact columns from damaged ones so he could try and see the ballet that had passed through here and came upon the sight of Swordsman frame at the base of a column already heavily damaged by missile barrage and ts flight to this zone.

While he removed another melee from the fight, he hoped archer could keep him covered from sneak attacks as he did his actions. He did not attack outright, but he took his time to set up the shot while kneeling to make himself a smaller target against the others. He gained an official target lock as he did before with Komodo and opened a channel to the Macabre.

"With respect, please surrender so I do not have to destroy your frame. Reach for your gun or try to run and I will not hesitate to set you down."

And he would facepalm if he could at the fact that he was threatening a shutdown shell, or at least half of it. Regaining his composure at that embarrassing moment, He continued to stalk the stone pillars while radioing to Archer.

"Odd as it is, I suggest we circle around the tower to take on the sniper from behind. The only way to take him out is to get too close to use the cannon, that means we still have to get past his favored range.We can always cut up to the tower, which does make for a big target, but if one of us is u above, we can distract him long enough for the other to get the shot, and if he doesn't take the shot at one of us up above. then we can find him and act as spotter for the other to take their shot at attacking him. He can't guard against 3 directions at once."

Krista heard the report of the Anzu's rifle as it took a chunk out of the Setsuka. Krista was surprised when the Setsuka's marker on her mini-map didn't go dark, but rather headed into Zone E beyond the range of her map.

"Dang, that is one tough machine." thought Krista as she shifted her attention to finding the Rose on her mini-map. Krista watched over the mini-map as the Rose walked up to the Macabre's frame and issued its warning. When the Macabre didn't move and the Rose didn't open fire she relaxed a bit. The Macabre was out of the fight. In fact it seemed that there was a big scuffle in Zone C if the number of motionless blips were any indication.

The Rose continued to move around on the mini-map as Romeo contacted her. "Odd as it is, I suggest we circle around the tower to take on the sniper from behind. The only way to take him out is to get too close to use the cannon, that means we still have to get past his favored range. We can always cut up to the tower, which does make for a big target, but if one of us is up above, we can distract him long enough for the other to get the shot, and if he doesn't take the shot at one of us up above. then we can find him and act as spotter for the other to take their shot at attacking him. He can't guard against 3 directions at once."

Krista paused for a moment. Mai seemed to have gone after the Anzu, so Yeshua would be harried right now. She couldn't tell which way the Anzu was going since it was outside the range of her radar, but if she knew the terrain the zones flanking Zone E both had places to hide. The tower would provide a good vantage point to be sure, but whomever was up there would be open to the Anzu's gun.

Krista thought about it for a moment. The Archer was the best suited for this purpose. The Rose was faster, more versatile, and most importantly unharmed. It could keep up with the Anzu and engage it within it's effective range. The Archer was already wounded, and it's main gun was near useless at this point if the semi-random flickering of the indicator light of the Prometheus was any indication. Despite that, she was fairly certain she could use her longer ranged sensors to locate and call out the Anzu's position to both Mai and Rose at least once before the Anzu took the kill shot.

"... Hey Romeo, I know you aren't gonna like this but I think I should be the spotter. I know I'm gonna be wide open for the Anzu, but I am limping along here already. I have the sensors and experience to spot him faster than you can. I'll call his location out so you and Mai can go in for the kill." Krista started up the Archer's thrusters. "Please, try to take him out before he takes me out."

Krista took off before Romeo could voice any objections. As the Archer neared the top of the Zone G Tower, she opened a line to the Setsuka. "Mai, I'm going try to see if I can spot the Anzu from the top of Zone G. Be ready to react accordingly."

Landing on top of the Tower, it didn't take long for Krista to spot the white shell of the Anzu's rifle peeking out from behind a rock, as well as the red, white, and blue of the Setsuka hiding behind another. It was enough to get the Anzu's coordinates from her sensors. Krista called out the Anzu's coordinates to both Mai and Romeo. Krista decided to add her own firepower to the mix, and began to saturate the Anzu's location with her Hornet missiles. They might not be able to hit the Anzu behind that rock, but they would definitely make Yeshua think twice about sticking his head out.

Mai continued to wait. She knew the Anzu was still nearby, ready with it's rifle. More than likely, waiting for her to pop the other half of her mech's head out of cover to get a fix on him as well as another opportunity to shoot her.

She also knew the combat field had now narrowed dramatically. As far as she knew, there were only four of them left. Mai couldn't be sure since her sensors were damaged. Still...that pain...of being shot...was nothing new for her.

Then, she received a transmission.

"Mai, I'm going try to see if I can spot the Anzu from the top of Zone G. Be ready to react accordingly."

And just like that, she was suddenly looped in with temporary allies. Mai didn't like it but since she had a feeling the higher up's wanted her to "play nice" with team members...she decided to put up with it.

"...inefficient. You'll be shot in an instant and I'm "Seven", not Mai", Mai droned on the line.

That's when she looked towards Zone G and spotted the Archer framework at the top. Then, she heard it's pilot call in the coordinates for the Anzu before it also started launching it's attack.

Seeing this, Mai deactivated the T-link system, the green glow from the Setsuka's hands going out. She did managed to maintain her Syncho Rate despite the damage but she was now over relying on it. Time to switch weapons.

Now drawing her two Magnum pistols from the Setsuka's hip sides, she broke cover and looked in the direction that Archer's pilot had spotted the Anzu. Pointing her two weapons as best she could due to half the Setsuka's head being blown off, she waited for the Archer's attack to cease before she took her shot.

At that moment, Mai knew the risks since that the Anzu was most likely focused on her but with the Archer now calling "spot" locations with visuals and it's recon drones, Anzu had two targets to worry about. And with the Archer's attack, she hoped that it'll at least give her the time she needed to line up her shots since she was, as stated, damaged goods...

As the weapon began to glow and hum its steady, soothing voice, Yeshua forget he was still being chased. He hoped that no one had been smart enough to team up on him, leaving it an unfair fight for him; especially in close quarters. On his motion tracker, inside the rocking cockpit of the Anzu, Yeshua squinted and made out three targets on the radar coming into his range. They weren't fighting, or at least it didn't appear to be so to the young boy. He was being triple-teamed.

After cursing in Hebrew for the second time during this training exercise, he carefully checked his escape routes. The rocky terrain gave in to a slightly steep drop directly in front of him but behind him was where the situation was taking place. Not too far away, behind his shoulder and standing tall like a vanguard in the barren landscape, was the main Tower. Peaking his head out to spy a quick peak, Yeshua spotted the heavily damaged Archer and a barrage of missiles heading his way. Pulling into more fortified cover, the missiles exploded nearby. They crackled and sizzled into fragmented shrapnel, eager to tear away his bones. Missile after missile exploded. Sending him into further cover, the Anzu was still looking rather undamaged.

Yeshua quickly thought about his odds with any precious time he had left before chaotic battle began. The Rose would surely outmatch him in close quarters combat and the Setsuka was far more durable than he was, even if his medium-armour plates covered most of his body armour. The Archer would constantly take note of his location, meaning a run away strategy was doomed to fail. If he was to run away, he would have to while giving himself a perfect moment to spring away from this death trap.

The broken canisters mounted on his wrists continued to offer some sort of advice, in the fashion of careful, small flames occasionally spluttering out. While he was almost out of fuel, all of the liquid that managed to stick to his arms would still be useful. The lighting mechanism was still active as it was encased in his thick forearm plating. If he was to fail, Yeshua plotted, he would look pretty cool doing it.

As fast as he could will the machine with his 81% synchronisation rate, the Anzu quickly fired a massive, high-energy slug into the base of the massive pillar he was hiding behind. Kicking it defiantly, the rock tumbled and collapsed, as did the pillars next to it. They formed an admirable wall between him and his two confronting attackers. Sliding the next slug inside its home, he leaped off the ground with the energy of the most powerful engine the world could create. His feet landed on top of one of the sideways pillars. The two flamethrowers, mostly destroyed, suddenly ignited and spewed all that was left in their open canisters in a bright flurry of flame. Stone and pebbles were kicked up into the air with the sudden release of gas, creating a somewhat thick cloud of debris. Loaded with his weapon, the Anzu's targeting systems used their IR tracking to find the Archer, on top of the tower. As the flames crackled on the ground, any heat detection would be almost useless. In those brief few seconds he had bought, the massive slug sped from its chamber and into the sky, aimed directly for the central engine of the Archer. The shot was slightly from the side, bypassing those plates from the front.

Yeshua swiveled the machine around and was about to run towards the next row of pillars behind him.

"Sheyihiye lecha yom na'im." he mused, a solemn but secretly smug expression on his face.

"... Hey Romeo, I know you aren't gonna like this but I think I should be the spotter. I know I'm gonna be wide open for the Anzu, but I am limping along here already. I have the sensors and experience to spot him faster than you can. I'll call his location out so you and Mai can go in for the kill." Krista started up the Archer's thrusters. "Please, try to take him out before he takes me out."

"I don't mind, and if you have a shot then take it- But WAIT for me to get in PLACE!"

A littany of curses came out as she took to the highest point in the arena. They could not both be on the tower and if she went across the middle, he would have to go around! He would discuss the merits of standard physics with her later as he his his space flight jets to shoot back from the columns across the field and lake.

He took her received transmissions and tried to add them just as he did with Divers information even though he couldnt see anything yet, he got to see the fireworks of Archers missile barrage, followed by a single thick plume of what he had to assume was damage of some kind. But as long as it wasent coming from the tower, it was only one of the two left.

Half a chance is better than no chance. Take the shot if you see it!

He didn't have a shot, he didn't even have lock on. He was going to use his shield to close in and empty the burst he had been lugging around this whole fight since the beginning. He was made to close the distance and he was going to do his best. He came in low to use the cover available.

If the second sniper went for archer then he wouldn't have time to swing down and around for Rose and of he went for rose then Archer had her chance. Not even including seven into the equations, hehe.

Why is everyone afraid of Seven? Because Seven Eight(ate) Nine!

Krista realized her major mistake in taking off before Romeo could reply: lack of coordination.

"I don't mind, and if you have a shot then take it- But WAIT for me to get in PLACE!"

She kicked herself for making such a simple mistake, especially when they had been working so well together. Mai didn't seem so amused either.

"...inefficient. You'll be shot in an instant and I'm "Seven", not Mai", Mai droned on the line.

Still, the Setsuka pulled out a pair of Framewerk sized handguns and start moving into position. Before the Setsuka could get a clean shot, the stone pillar the Anzu was hiding behind erupted into a fireball. The smoke and fire obscured the Anzu until Yeshua proved Mai right, firing another round at the Archer. With nowhere to go, she could do nothing as the shot went straight through the front right shoulder joint before lodging itself in the Archer's side armor.

Staggering around, trying to stabilize the Archer with the dead weight of the leg without falling off the tower, Krista spotted the Anzu making a dash for it. It was a perfect shot, all things considered. The target was running directly away from her position. She brought her main gun around and zeroed in on her target before pulling the trigger out of reflex... causing a message to appear in her HUD.

"Prometheus System Rebooting. Stand By."

Krista swore. Without the ability to fire her main gun, the best she could do for now was to call out where the Anzu was headed.

Mai tried to get a shot but the Anzu's diversion tatic proved effective. Mai didn't even bother shooting since it would mean wasting ammo.

That's when Mai made a decision...a decision that she was prepared and trained for...

"...Archer. Rose. I shall be live bait...I leave the rest to you both...mission accepted", Mai droned on the line.

Breaking cover, Mai thrusted into the debris and as she did, briefly saw the Anzu's retreat before losing track of it again.

NOW walking towards the Anzu's general area based on where she last saw it and Archer's spot calls, she kept her magnum pistols at the ready...

Even if she knew she might not even get a shot off...

The stone pillars were taller than the Anzu and allowed viable cover from most enemies. While the cross-offs and turnings were useful for a close-combat specialist, it would be difficult to find him in the first place. The only way he could be reliably destroyed was if he had missed his shot of the Archer and it still functioned, at least if its optics functioned. The chances were slim but still possible. Yeshua felt angry at himself for letting such a mistake happen.

Driving the next slug into its chamber, the weapon began to shake and radiate a satisfying noise. It would only be a few more seconds until it was ready to be fired again.

The massive, thundering feet of the mech tramped at the rock and ground, unsettling the Earth and destroying any chance life had of sustaining itself here. It reminded him of his home, far away now.

"I have no home." Yeshua corrected himself, remembering the awful memories of his foster family being taken away and killed with the invasion of his most recent place of occupation. He never saw them dying, but knew that the rage that was built deep within him would soon be unleashed at the enemy. It was a hot rage, fueled by the kindling of war and would not be extinguished until blood was on his hands.

The sky became black and clouds towered over him. He was a young boy in a foreign world. Only a small backpack strapped behind him and the faceless voids pushing past were to name the first thoughts as he set foot in this strange place. Poor and overcrowded, this was the place of the refugees. They were cattle in a cage, just waiting to be destroyed. He was fortunate that his family didn't die of the crime and disease running rampant through the city, Yeshua realised. At the first automated reception gate, he was already checked for a "random search". Any young boy wearing run-down clothes and smog-covered shoes would be immediately a suspect. Women quickly put away their handbags and purses at the mere sight of him. Glares of discreet nature were shot at him by towering men but he already knew what they thought of him. Taking a plastic cup from the nearest, almost empty, water charity stand, the boy filled himself with all the chlorinated water he could. It tasted like home; fake and tasteless. He put down the drink and did a double take of his bag's contests, always making sure he hadn't been the victim of an innocent thief, when he almost lost coordination at the sight of a young girl, much the same age as himself, with vibrant hair and a face cut out of diamonds. Her eyes were needles in his spine, sharp but electric. They glowed an emerald not of this world.

Yeshua had no idea he was now in the middle of Zone A, wandering aimlessly.

Realising how deep he was in his thought, the Anzu stopped suddenly and became prone, pointing his rifle towards Zone B.

"Damn it, I need to get my head out of the clouds." Yeshua moaned, trying to regain his composure as his now-ready weapon pointed at the area he had just left, waiting for someone to pounce.

With a subtle sigh at sight of the battle, Lorenzo glanced towards Ritsu, before looking towards his remote. "Hm...this has devolved into a fruitless goose chase. I suppose it can't be helped, hasn't it?" His fingers were hovering over the red buttons.

Ritsu raised an eyebrow in response. Lorenzo nodded.

"Yes, yes... I know. Well, I might as well end the match now then. This is getting rather dull, and we've already gotten all the information that we needed to determine a winner...or in this case, the smallest loser. Oh well, night night!" yelled Lorenzo as he promptly flipped all the switches on his remote.

All of the Framewerks on the battlefield would soon come to a sudden tumbling halt as they crashed into the dirt, their power halted. Soon no movement could be seen in the arena. All of the cockpits locked up, with the power of every Framewerk's primary systems cut off.
"Attention all Cadets, the mock battle is hereby over... you all performed as I expected you to do, which isn't saying much. Others performed better than I expected them to!" laughed Lorenzo over the intercom. "Leave your Framewerks where they are at, the mechanics will retrieve them. There will be choppers shortly to escort you all back to the base. Assemble at the briefing hall and prepare for hearing your results."
The voice stopped, but son continued:

"Oh, and one more thing... You all failed the mock battle. Reflect on your failure while you wait," spoke Lorenzo as he cackled over the intercom before turning off the communications.

---

"So, they performed exactly how you expected them to?" asked Ritsu as she looked over Lorenzo's data.

"Yup... although I have chosen a Squad Leader. I'll just wait for them to come back to base for me to explain how they did...or rather, what they didn't."

"Despite all that happened you're still going to promote one of them?"

"I have to, someone needs to be in charge on the battlefield. Conflicts of any kind must be resolved, preferably even prevented, if they are to survive for a second out there. I may even assign a secondary leader to them, someone who showed a different set of skills."

And with those words, Lorenzo shut off the monitor, and sipped on his caffeine-based refreshment.

"Anyway, what is the situation on our replacement?"

Lieutenant Ritsu whipped out a hand-held tablet from her pocket, and checked it. "It will take a couple of weeks to transfer the Framewerk, but the pilot was called in the moment Cadet Stukov was KIA. ETA 4 hours."

"Good. Make sure he's up to speed and at my lecture on time. I've already done enough waiting for a century."

---

Once the announcement was done, Elora opened her eyes, and shut off the music player. It turned out that nobody succeeded at the mission, which was surprising to her; they did exactly as they were ordered to. She may have pondered on the subject more if she wasn't feeling suddenly creeped out by the silence that descended on the entire area. There was also a person she wanted to apologize to...face to face.

With that said, she opened up voice comms, and contacted Lora: "Hey Lora, could we...talk? There's something I need to say...I'm coming over."

She then climbed up the Framewerk's innards, and opened a hatch. She hopped out of the Framewerk and walked to the capsule where Lora was. She knocked on it, hoping she would get a response from the person who was her enemy just moments ago. She didn't blame Lora for possibly hating her, but she did hope she could first hear her out.

"Umm..I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't know what overcame me. It was...scary."

"Attention all Cadets, the mock battle is hereby over... you all performed as I expected you to do, which isn't saying much. Others performed better than I expected them to!"

Breathe in... breathe out...

"Oh, and one more thing... You all failed the mock battle. Reflect on your failure while you wait," The voice finally cut out with a mocking cackle.

"You would," Lora whispered within the confines of her emergency pod. The old man had approached the pilots with a vague, twisted announcement of a mack battle in order to test the factors that would make one of them the leader. Those factors, he made no effort to make clear, tested by a battle with also no obvious purpose made clear. He asked essentially nothing, and so the not-so-good doctor got essentially nothing. And then he laughed at them, because that was exactly what he was expecting of a couple of especially prodigious teenage Framewerk pilots.

Yes, he was the old rat that brought this project for the Framewerks into creation, but he was an old rat all the same. Why put him in charge? Why should the old even begin to dare have control of what they believe is best for the young? It was a classic conflict that began to seriously heat up in the second half of humankind's stay on Earth, with little learned from it.

It's a good thing Lora wasn't fighting for his sake, then.

"Hey Lora, could we... talk?" The receiver in Lora's headset rung meekly, Elora's tone seeming to have shifted back to its state prior to the battle. "There's something I need to say..." Lora didn't respond. She had a lot on her plate already, and this otherwise quiet soul didn't need to get caught in the middle of it.

"...I'm coming over," The voice on the intercom concluded, and cut out. Silence again. The pilot of the Caliburn sat still as ever, now ruminating on the battle some more.

Stukov was technically their first casualty, but in a dishonest way - he died before the battle could even begin, harnessing powers that nobody seemed to truly understand. Based on radar readings, Miles had been next to fall, the cocky lone wolf meeting some form of comeuppance by apparently not wearing his suit properly. Lora was having her doubts that the boy would make the grade to be in the team after this orientation, but now he had to be outright crippled. But that's just what happens when one gets too self-righteous.

Her thoughts turned back to Daemon's destruction. She was still curious as to what exactly led to Stukov's death like that. Lora was aware that his Synchro Rate was outstanding, nearly at 100%. But perhaps 'nearly' wasn't enough. Maybe he was trying to unleash that power before he was actually capable of wielding it. If only there was any salvageable evidence from the Daemon's wreck, there might yet be some answer.

A light knocking resounded on one of the capsule's walls. The pilot within turned her head to the side it came from, an eyebrow raised. "Umm... I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't know what overcame me. It was...scary." Elora, again. Lora sighed. She felt like an older sister who's younger sibling was coming over to apologize over a spilled glass of milk.

Lora began, "Don't think you did anything wrong. In a real battle, against a real Cruxi, what you did right there was exactly what you needed to do. You're just concerned because I'm not a Cruxi, and that's fair enough. It's nothing to apologize over." Her voice rung over herself inside the sealed metal pod, echoing to the outside world. Why she wasn't just opening the capsule to speak more clearly was anybody's guess.

Maybe she just wanted to be alone. But then again, perhaps she shouldn't be. One's own thoughts could prove quite dangerous in over-exposure.

Mai was about to move out of Zone E after the Anzu's escape when her Setsuka suddenly lost power. Immedately understanding, she merely braced herself and even twisted her mech in a way so that it fell back first into the ground.

After the hit, she kept her eyes closed...waiting...then the comm line came on...

"Attention all Cadets, the mock battle is hereby over... you all performed as I expected you to do, which isn't saying much. Others performed better than I expected them to! Oh, and one more thing... You all failed the mock battle. Reflect on your failure while you wait", the individual said with a laugh.

"...Understood sir...Mission failed...", Mai droned in the open comm link.

...and I deserve it...I became inefficient..., Mai thought to herself.

Opening the cockpit, Mai climbed out and simply sat on the torso of the Setsuka, still in her pilot suit and black helmit though the "visor" part was a red color. She did check two things there were in place as well in the cockpit. Something she hid under the pilot's seat where no one, not even her team of scientists and engineers, never thought about looking before this whole mock battle started.

Mai had just strapped a utility belt of sorts on her waist. On it were a few pouches that held some nutrition bars, a bottle of water, a synringe with some unknown medication in it. But what stood out more were the hostler holding a pistol and another holding a combat knife. It wasn't a "live" mission but even for something like this, Mai always felt it prudent to be prepared even if others thought it wasn't necessary.

Hearing that there will be a pick-up, Mai simply continued to sit there, eyes closed...as if trying to be aware of her surroundings.

When the suits were shut down, just like before when his arms were remotely controlled, the frame activated the full extent of his defensive systems, drawing in all the limbs as it crashed to the ground to minimize damage to them both. This also had him tolling about like an egg on the field for a few miles as he was in full afterburner when the kill switch went off. Thankfully his pod had the heightened protection of folding him into a fetal position when this all started.

With the frames sitting around waiting for pickup, he activated the comlinks to all.

I just wanted to take a moment to say 'thank you' to you all, regardless of what these fools say, I would be honored to fight beside you all in the war. He may have wanted us to be bloodthisty assholes, but if we are to become monsters to fight the monsters, then we loose our humanity. The very humanity we are trying to save.

Krista was steadying herself as she followed the Anzu around to Zone A. It each slowed to a stop in the middle of the open field. Still wary, she mumbled "What are you getting at?" Suddenly a notification that the Archer's remote control systems had been activated. Realizing that command had deemed the Archer too damaged to continue, Krista became acutely aware of the fact that she was on top of a tall column. Therefore she took a moment to lower the belly of the machine to the ground so as to avoid it crashing down.

What she didn't expect so soon was to see the other Framewerks coming to a stop. Soon the Professor's voice came on over the radio. "Attention all Cadets, the mock battle is hereby over... you all performed as I expected you to do, which isn't saying much. Others performed better than I expected them to!" he laughed. "Leave your Framewerks where they are at, the mechanics will retrieve them. There will be choppers shortly to escort you all back to the base. Assemble at the briefing hall and prepare for hearing your results." There was a pause before he started up again, this time more serious. "Oh, and one more thing... You all failed the mock battle. Reflect on your failure while you wait,". Lorenzo turned off the channel.

That last line got at Krista. She couldn't help but feel that they were going to lay into her at the debriefing, since she was the one to suggest teams. Still, there was not much she could do about it right now. As she shook off the disorienting feeling of moving from four legs back to two, Romeo chimed in over the line. "I just wanted to take a moment to say 'thank you' to you all, regardless of what these fools say, I would be honored to fight beside you all in the war. He may have wanted us to be bloodthirsty assholes, but if we are to become monsters to fight the monsters, then we loose our humanity. The very humanity we are trying to save."

"Yeah, it was nice to fight with you too. See you back at base."

Watching the scene unfolding around her through the Archer's video feeds was getting her antsy. Krista pulled out the portable radio set and a set of binoculars from the Archer's survival kit and made her way out of the cockpit. Sitting down on the Archer's head, she started to survey the area with the binoculars. With the sounds of the helicopters closing in, she could only marvel at the view.

Yeshua took another deep breath, waiting for the Setsuka to pop its half-destroyed head out of the other zone. He was waiting patiently and wasn't going to mess up again. He didn't want to lose. He couldn't lose. He had to win.

The lights of the cockpit quickly trickled out to only the basic ambiance. The displays switched from an observation of the outside world to the classic placeholder warning image that the Framework had displayed before the fight began. The boy's expression changed suddenly, confused as to what was going on. Did he lose?

"Attention all Cadets, the mock battle is hereby over... you all performed as I expected you to do, which isn't saying much. Others performed better than I expected them to!" he laughed over the intercom. "Leave your Framewerks where they are at, the mechanics will retrieve them. There will be choppers shortly to escort you all back to the base. Assemble at the briefing hall and prepare for hearing your results."
The voice stopped, but soon continued:

"Oh, and one more thing... You all failed the mock battle. Reflect on your failure while you wait," spoke Lorenzo as he cackled over the intercom before turning off the communications.

The word "no" repeated over and over in Yeshua's head. He was so close to victory. He was so close to being able to finish the battle. The headset he was wearing found itself thrown into the corner of the cockpit. His hands came up to his forehead and grasped his scalp. The nails on the tips of his fingers began to dig into his skull, expounding the pain onto himself. His hair rustled and turned under the pressure, his eyes now blades to the cold, metal floor below him. Shaking his head back and forth, the boy made incoherent squabbling sounds. The pain only grew more severe.

Before he could truly break his hands, Yeshua threw his arms towards the hatch above him, twisting the metal release valve until the door came flying open. The new sunlight burnt his skin. He yanked himself to above the Anzu's hatch and sat on its rip, soaking in the warm sunlight in the middle of the green field. It was beautiful.

Yeshua slowly ran his shaking hands through his hair. He kicked the side of the hatch in another fit of anger before looking up at the tower as the sun rose magnificently above it. A small sigh escaped his lips.

"I need a haircut."

"I...I guess you're right," Elora responded as she listened to Lora inside the capsule. "I'm still new to this stuff. I did a lot of VR, but not a lot of real tests. This was...something else." Feeling like she was unwanted due to Lora staying inside, Elora turned around. "Thank you for listening. It means...a lot to me." She then slowly walked back to her own Framewerk.

---

Hours later, a transport shuttle landed on the rooftop of Solaire Base, and out of it jumped out two boys, Karamote and Paris, no older than the rest of the pilots. Lieutenant Ritsu was already there when they arrived, one hand on her hip and another holding the device, which she pressed with her thumb. She moved her eyes to the device for a moment before focusing on the boys. She motioned for the boys to follow her as she stepped inside and walked in a brisk pace through the facility.

"I am Lieutenant Ritsu, one of your commanding officers alongside Executive Officer Professor Lorenzo here in Solaire. As you know, you were transferred here as replacement pilots of the Framewerk Project XJ9, which your previous facilities should have now locked clearance of. Your Framewerks will be transferred here in a couple of weeks. You finished your pilot training a bit sooner than the others, but that shouldn't matter in the long run; you kids learn fast these days. You will be integrated into Squad Sigma starting now, and your first task will be to be present for hearing the Executive Officer's report on the mock battle the squad carried out. You are to be silent and only speak once he gives permission."

The three entered the briefing hall, where the other pilots were now assembled in a row after having been picked up by helicopters and flew back to the base. When the pilots looked back at their Framewerks they saw heaps of metal that once ruled the arena as physical gods, but fell to the earth in their pride, like angels fallen from heaven.

"Take your place in the row. The Executive Officer will begin speaking," Ritsu ordered, and stepped aside as Lorenzo entered the room. The old man deliberately walked slowly to increase tension in the hall. He stepped up the podium and opened up a drawer.

"Alright you failures~!" spoke Lorenzo as he thoroughly enjoyed an expensively made sundae that many would kill for, "Considering no one won, I decided to declare myself the winner and help myself to this delicious sundae... oh, and the all day pass to the relaxation room~! So, while I enjoy myself, you all will be learning why you all failed today," he grinned as he took a scoop of ice cream and promptly ate it with delight, snickering like a devilish serpent. After taking a bite of the delectable treat, he cleared up his raspy throat.

"Goodwill!" He suddenly shouted at the top of his impressively strong lungs, causing some of the more sheepish pilots to visibly jolt.
"Do you think yourself a hero, huh? The kind who can simply charge into the fray and destroy his enemies because he believes he can? You're an idiot! What was even the point of having teammates if you're going to leave them behind like that? No planning, no strategies, not even a shared word about what you're going to do! Even a trained monkey would have more sense of tactics than in that disappointing noggin of yours!"

Lorenzo paused for a moment to let his criticism kick in, before he continued:
"However, even you did better than some of the other imbeciles when you at least attempted team-work with others. And yes, you did immediately engage the biggest threat before it managed to take the initiative and trap the Caliburn alongside you, which does takes something; I'm not sure whether it's courage or simple foolishness, but as long as it gets the job done, I guess. Speaking of the Caliburn..." It didn't take a genius to figure out who was next in Lorenzo's list:

"Shinkai! I'm disappointed in you; I expected more from you than this! As you can probably tell from your experience, skill isn't the only factor when it comes to dominance over a battlefield. You also need a strong presence over your allies, and sound mind to deal with a rapidly shifting situation and react accordingly. You have the Synchronization Rate to prove you are capable of it, but you squander it! Your potential isn't completely wasted, however, but as far as proper leadership goes you have a long way ahead of you. You have the potential for it, since you did attempt to form alliances, but you have to realize that potential! As far as combat performance goes, it's fine, but letting yourself be trapped by the gung-ho and then forfeiting when you still could have fought are still faults! Work on it, and you should do adequately." Lorenzo took a bite out of the sundae.

"Anyway...next...Harold Koehler! Did you think you can hide your dirty secret from me? Well it was a major mistake, buddy, and if it weren't for my interest in researching this disgusting narcotic you're hopped up on then you would have been kicked out of the program faster than an electro-magnetic pulse! What do you think happens when you wave that white flag of yours to the Cruxi? Do you think they'll accept your surrender with hugs and kisses? I'll let you in on some top-secret military intelligence: NO. THEY. DON'T! Best case scenario, they'll kill you in agonizing pain by burning your nerves. The worst case, they'll drag you back to their ships. I have only hypotheses of what they do to their living victims, but none of them are pleasant. You better make a change with that brain of yours. As motivation for doing so, I'll give you doses of the drug for you to consume. If not, I'll give you something more...experimental instead."

"Then..." Lorenzo paused as he read up on a sheet of paper he had balled up in his lab jacket. "Twilight! The purpose of an operation is that you operate, not sit around on your ass and spectate the others like a mindless robot! You have vocal chords as a deliberate process of evolution, use them! I don't care if you have to growl and bark like an animal to communicate with the others as long as you do it! If I wanted a mindless robot, I would have built myself one with better AI, and not loan a piece of junk from those short-sighted fools who can't even terminate a project properly, let alone work on one! Still, you did show capability for teamwork and proper combat skills, but it was too little too late. Next time, you'll have to be more interactive from the very start, and not after a warm-up!"

"Speaking of sitting around..." Lorenzo spoke, and once again there was no doubt who the next target was. "Horowitz! You are the biggest failure in this operation, and that's saying something considering Goodwill's participation! You didn't even attempt to ally yourself with the people who you have to trust and who have to trust you when it's the Cruxi you're up against! And when the battle happened, the first thing you do is jump into hiding, like a coward! Not to say that charging blindly into battle is acceptable, but it is no better! The Cruxi would have picked out someone like you easily, separated from the others and with no chance of escape! Worst case scenario, they could have even captured a Framewerk from us! Did you even think about that? Don't tell me, I already know the answer. You made a couple of good shots, granted, but no unit, not even a sniper, can work alone out there. This lone wolf mentality you whipper-snappers have lodged into your minds...I'll carve it out myself If I have to!" Lorenzo took steps away from the podium in Yeshua's direction, but stopped.

"Now let's move on to the people who seemed to actually realize what the purpose of the mock battle was, but even they failed, such as...Ramirez! You actually succeeded at a basic principle of human intelligence: co-operation and tactics! A marvelous feat coming from this rabble! You showed great promise when you took the Black Komodo down together with Reynolds' Framewerk, but after that, you hesitated! You can never hesitate once the fire is on! That's the moment the Cruxi will take advantage of, and then your teamwork will crumble, like it did when Horowitz led you around like on a leash! Still, you have stones, young'un. I heard what you said about me. A fool I may be, trying to get you runts ready to face reality, but I am, in fact, not trying to make 'bloodthirsty assholes'. That would be a very simple procedure, simply lobtomize the subject and treat it with the correct serums, and there you go: a bona-fide asshole, ready to shit on the Cruxi! But assholes don't win wars, son; soldiers do! And the next time you mention humanity to me like that" Lorenzo said as he grabbed Romeo's face by the cheeks, "...I'll lobotomize you so it won't happen again." He released his grip.

"Hmm...Liu'un!" Lorenzo shouted, this time louder than previously to make the poor girl shake in her suit. "Just like Koehler here, you forfeited the match, and went against my orders! Do you know what means?" Lorenzo now said, his face suddenly a couple of inches away from Elora, who flinched. "I...I'll be punished?"

Lorenzo straightened his back and paused, before he said: "No...It means you allow the Cruxi to destroy humanity of your own free will," Lorenzo said in a cold tone. Elora's eyes quivered. "And the moment you drop your gun and give up the fight means you give up your humanity to those alien's filthy hands for them to violate. Is that what you want, Liu'un? Have you given up on being a human?"

Elora started crying, and sniffed. "N...N-No, sir. I...I want to be human. I...I'll...fight..." The girl was absolutely terrified as her body shivered. It looked like she could pass out at a moment's notice. Ritsu's stoic expression broke a bit into unease when she saw how Elora was treated by Lorenzo. It seemed like she was about to interfere, but didn't.

"Good," Lorenzo said, his expression still neutral and inscrutable. "Other than that, you did right when you allied yourself and made good use of your position as the information specialist. However, next time you'll stick to the end, and don't run away. The Cruxi won't. I assure you."

Once Lorenzo turned around, Ritsu came closer and gave Elora a handkerchief. Lorenzo himself went back to the podium.

"And lastly, the pilot who almost succeeded...Reynolds! You may have one of the lowest Synchronization Rates, and you pilot an unconventional model, but you proved yourself despite the odds. You were the one who first proposed alliances, and even though that idea was rejected, it showed initiative and presence, an important trait that can be lost on even the most promising subjects," Lorenzo said, and gave a quick glance in Lora's direction. He continued: "You also used your fellow teammate in proper synergy, and took down a Framewerk with minimal damage to the two of you. After that, as I said to Ramirez, you lost control of the battlefield once Horowitz made his move, and took heavy damage from an enemy you should have kept your eye out for. All in all, a mediocre performance, which is very good when you take the entire squad's performance into account."

Lorenzo took another bite from his sundae. "Now, does anyone have questions before I announce who the squad leader will be?" Lorenzo asked in a bored tone. "Yes, that includes you, Karamote. You may have missed out on the fun, but that doesn't mean you have to just stand there like a fresh lobotomite. You too, Paris. Stay sharp."

Harold was sort of... relieved, even after all of that. He was holding back a few tears of failure, but he was honestly sort of happy. He did what he did, he tried, he surrendered, sure, but he tried... This was honestly the most 'grown-up' putdown he's ever had. He thought that Lorenzo was a huge asshole mad scientist... He was really fucking weird, after all. Hearing something so, lenient from him was refreshing, and helped Koehler realize how bad of a failure it really was.

No, for his leniency, Lorenzo needed a reward. A plan formulated in Koehler's mind, a surprisingly devious one... He asked the biggest question that came: "Uhm, sir, when will our next mission come? Will it be a real one?", and a follow-up, "And... do Cruxi things tend to self-destruct?". Koehler would get this man a new Cruxi test subject, difficulty be damned! Mad scientists like weird new test subjects, right?

Harold would make it up to his squad and his commanders whatever way he could. He was determined. ...Yet he added one last thing. "Hey, sir... one last thing. The... y'know, narcotics, made me freak out. I don't want those any more. I didn't know they'd do... that. I wouldn'tve used them if I knew.". His mind wandered elsewhere after that, but still plotting. He looked around the room and gauged the others' feelings, noting that Liu'un was holding back actual tears really bad... Because of Lorenzo. Maybe he'd do something else instead...

Krista spent most of the Professor's speech waiting for her shoe to drop. Therefore she was surprised when he had the least damning words reserved for her. She still didn't expect to become team leader, not after getting so sloppy once she was hit by Yeshua, but slight praise is better than no praise. Still, the sundae and rec room thing were kinda odd. Seemed like he could have access to all the ice cream and any room on base at any time he wanted. Maybe it was supposed to make them jealous? Seems a bit odd when the man so casually threatens to lobotomize someone, whatever that meant.

More urgently, what was really bugging her was Stukov and Miles. So when the Professor had finished answering Harold's questions, she raised her hand and waited to be called upon. "Sir, I actually have two questions. First, what happened to Stukov?" She glanced around the room to double check Miles wasn't actually there when she asked the next question, "And second,where is Miles?" The Professor had been quiet on those two during his big speech, and that worried her.

Within the debriefing, Lora simply resorted herself to sitting still, her arms folded at her waist. Lorenzo was harsh, mocking, and merciless, tearing into every one of the cadets for their faults, only daring to compliment the less-than-half of them that actually teamed up. Again, this was in a test mission in which the criteria of the test the professor reserved for himself, figuring that the cadets should know what to properly do. He made it sound so simple it was easy to forget he was being cruel and illogical about it.

Although, Lora did finally figure out why Lorenzo had claimed nobody had won- because nobody had technically completed the exercise, and he had simply gotten bored and ended it when they were in a stalemate.

In her round of being yelled at, the Caliburn's pilot did pick up on a few details. It was true that she had made an attempt to band together the rest of the lone wolves in hopes of standing a change against Stukov and the Daemon; however, she had made no effort to reinforce the idea further, and the whole plan fell apart when the Daemon spontaneously blew up. Even if it might've helped bolster her chances at survival alone, Lora ultimately refused a partnership just as Miles did, and that didn't end too well for her. It was interesting to hear Lorenzo talk about how Lora had potential, though. Not just that she had an extremely high Synchronization Ratio (now the highest among the cadets, Lora had been informed), but the fact that she had tried to make use of her options of weapons and teamwork and then consecutively failed.

Though the professor claimed that she had fought fine, Lora would beg to differ - already, she had formulated a couple of scenarios where she wouldn't have taken nearly as much damage from Macabre as she did, just by using her secondary cannon where she thought she couldn't have. She didn't just the use of her high Synchro Rate, she underestimated the prowess of her Frame and its weapons, unnecessarily limiting herself as a result. Lora had even banked on Caliburn lasting far longer than it did, and so surrendered when it had been beaten very handily, not attempting to fight any further.

So, in truth, Lora was well disappointed in herself as well. She and the Caliburn were both built to be powerful fighters, syncing well together to create a fearsome Framewerk, and yet, she demonstrated so little of that. It was underwhelming in many ways expect in how crushing her defeat seemed.

One of the cadets - Krista, the one who Lorenzo claimed came closest to success - spoke up about the whereabouts of Alexi and Miles. Somebody had to ask, surely. Lora had heard that Miles had gotten caught not wearing his plugsuit for the battle; based on that and some of his other behaviors, the professor had probably already kicked him out of the program. As for Daemon's pilot, however... He was most certainly dead. He had to be, being caught at the core of an explosion like that. The question was, "What happened?"

Lora stood by her thought that Stukov had tried to tap into some secret ability within his Frame using his near-perfect Synch Rate, but somehow failed or couldn't control it. The thought troubled her again, as her after-battle diagnostic from her engineers reported that Lora's own Synch Rate had managed to climb to 96 percent. And those noises, nagging at the edge of her mind while plugged into that Frame...

The pilot shook her head to clear her thoughts. This wasn't the best time to be thinking about that, and she wasn't sure there would ever be a 'good time' for it, either.