As the other pilots began their sortie, Takeo rose to his feet, grimacing in prospect of the coming event. He hardly had any sim time with his Framewerk, and his first real enemies were going to be the teammates he was expected to cooperate with for the rest of his career as an operator. Fighting was never something he had much experience with, or enjoyed - he was a simple mechanic, and worked behind the curtain. He scrubbed his hat against his head in frustration as he began a slow walk to the hangar.
A small chamber adjacent to Iron Sparrow's hangar was where he found himself harassed by several nameless members of the medical team, stripping his work clothes and pressing cold metal instruments against his skin. He gasped and giggled at the flurry of hands for several seconds until he was left naked and alone, blushing profusely at the violation. Takeo quickly spotted the familiar pilot suit he had worn a few times before; it was plain and grey, matching his enthusiasm for aesthetics and Iron Sparrow's skin just the same. He quickly pulled it over his head - though his normal bulky trousers and coat hid his physique, the skin suit tried its best to show it off. Thick muscle and broad shoulders gained from years of heavy labour bulged through the grey fabric. From a nearby bench he snatched his cap and goggles and placed them atop his red-gold hair.
The sight of Iron Sparrow was never more imposing. He entered the hanger on its left-hand side, the massive steel giant gazing out across the exit ramp. The last of the service cables popped from its skin as Takeo approached. The way the shafts of light from the hangar's seams touched the Sparrow made it seem like it would turn and look at him at any moment. Takeo was not sure it wouldn't. He had worked on Iron Sparrow's maintenance himself, though with limited access, and every time he looked under the skin of his machine, he was left with more questions. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was not quite right, that it wasn't just a machine, but he knew prying with those questions would only cause him even more trouble.
The service elevator quickly brought him to the cockpit, and he found himself inside once more. The door sealed, sending him into another world. A world of silence. Nothing inside the cockpit he could explain - and somehow, he never felt alone. It was a strange sensation that nearly pushed him to tears, but he had not the faintest idea why.
Takeo quickly wrote in the ignition procedures and gradually raised power output. The metal beast roared to life in the hangar beyond, a silver-blue light emanating from the cross in its face plate. Takeo's visual feed flickered on, showing the hangar before him and notifying him of his Framewerk's status. Suddenly, everything in the world seemed so small.
"Armour nominal, output nominal, core temperature thirteen percent," Takeo said, running through his startup checks. "Preparing thrusters." He switched on the main comms channel. "Testing communications. This is Iron Sparrow, preparing for field exhibition. Open hangar eighteen." He was nervous, saying the words he had learned in training mechanically.
The hangar doors opened with a loud creak, and he acknowledged the operation of the Sparrow's audio input.
"Roger," came a female voice from Takeo's audio feed. "Iron Sparrow, you are clear to sortie."
Takeo swallowed hard, wishing he had another coffee. With a shaky hand he started the Sparrow's main thrusters and pushed the acceleration. The beast lumbered to life, steel feet grinding against the ground as it was propelled forward stiffly.
Takeo heard another sound, then. He thought he did, anyway. It sounded like a murmur, a gentle noise, something familiar...he shook it from his mind, but when it was clear, the shaking in his limbs had stopped, and his carefree smile had returned to his face. He felt something else, then. He felt excited. He approached the end of the exit ramp, and kicked acceleration to full speed.
"Sortie!" Takeo shouted, bursting forth into the daylight. The Sparrow slammed into the earth, causing a great rumble to everything nearby. It didn't just roll over the hills towards the battlefield, then - it rode through them, heavy frame rumbling as it tore the dirt before it asunder. It definitely wasn't an agile machine, but the power in its forward charge made up for that.
Before long, Takeo was among the other Framewerks. He wasn't a pilot, then, none of them were - they were the machines, the Framewerks, and he visualized them just the same. He felt his own body in each one of Iron Sparrow's heavy limbs, bearing his armour, the weight of duty, the duty of protecting his comrades. But for now, he would show them what he could do. He had to. How else would they trust him with their safety?
Takeo drifted slowly into the middle of the ruins, up on a rise. The great triangular shield on his back covered him from head to knees, making him nearly impervious to flanking. He knew he did not need to watch his six, so pushing right in the centre of the melee was his best option. The faster he could close in on his enemies, the quicker the fight would end.
Iron Sparrow's sword lay dormant, connected at his right wrist and extending along the length of his arm and over his shoulder. From this position, it was useful as a guard - but that was not its purpose.
"Weapons test," Takeo said on the main channel. He brought his hands together, punching the heavy switch on his wrist with an open palm. The giant rectangular blade exploded forward, shattering the sound barrier with a great crack. His arm lurched back from the recoil before he brought it up before him, blade pointing forward, ready to strike. He was ready.