The Celestial Phoenix prototype hummed beneath them, its systems syncing to their neural inputs like a living thing. Elion flexed his fingers around the control yoke, feeling the mecha's pulse through the haptic feedback. Next to him, Charlotte's breath hitched as the neural link fully engaged.
HUD Display:
» DUAL PILOT SYNCHRONIZATION: 89%
» WARNING: MEMORY FRAGMENTS DETECTED
Elion shot her a look. "You good?"
Charlotte exhaled sharply. "It's like... drinking from a firehose of someone else's memories."
That's when the prototype was decided for them.
THE UNPLANNED TEST FLIGHT
The hangar doors blew outward as the Phoenix's thrusters ignited at full power. Elion barely had time to grab Charlotte's wrist before they were airborne, the G-forces slamming them back into their seats as the mecha tore through:
The Li Consortium's decorative fountain (now a crater)
Three security drones (reduced to sparking confetti)
Charlotte's remaining patience (obliterated)
Charlotte: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
Elion: "ME?!"
The mecha's AI cheerfully informed them:
» AUTOPILOT ENGAGED
» COURSE LOCKED: KURODA HEADQUARTERS
THE PILOT'S MEMORIES
As Neo-Shanghai's skyline blurred past, the neural link flooded them with visions:
Memory One: The original pilot—Captain Lian Ro—dueling a corrupted Forge mecha in Earth's ruins, her Phoenix's beam sabers carving through its armor.
Memory Two: A desperate transmission: "The Forge isn't dead—it's dreaming! Don't let them wake—" before static swallowed the rest.
Memory Three: The shadowy presence again, whispering through the static.
Elion's nose bled freely now. "Okay, new plan! We need to—"
» INCOMING HOSTILES
Six Kuroda security mechas intercepted them, their angular black armor bristling with weapons.
THE BATTLE FOR NEO-SHANGHAI
Learning On The Job
The Phoenix moved before they did, its combat protocols overriding their inputs:
First Threat: A Kuroda mecha firing plasma bolts
The Phoenix danced around them, its liquid-metal joints flowing like water
Charlotte's hands moved instinctively to counterattack
Second Threat: Two mechas attempting to flank
Elion's Qi-mending flared, stabilizing their damaged shield emitter
The Phoenix retaliated with a beam saber through both cockpits
The Dad MecHA Joins In
Jade Lion #3 crashed through a billboard below, its tuxedo casing now accessorized with twin rotary cannons.
"DID YOU TWO ELOPE WITHOUT TELLING ME?"
Elion: "We're a little busy!"
Charlotte: "And never say 'elope' again!"
THE SHADOW REVEALED
As they breached Kuroda Tower's defenses, the Phoenix's systems suddenly stuttered. The shadowy presence flooded the cockpit:
???:» YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE
The screens glitched, revealing brief frames of:
A massive construct buried beneath Kuroda Tower
Guild engineers performing unspeakable experiments on Forge-tech
The words "Project Lazarus" flashing red
Then the Phoenix screamed, its systems rebooting as they crashed through the executive boardroom's window.
THE TAKEOVER
The Boardroom Blitz
The Kuroda executives stared in horror as:
The Phoenix's beam saber pinned the CEO to his chair
Charlotte calmly uploaded evidence of their illegal experiments to every news outlet
Elion used Qi-mending to repair the stock market (accidentally)
The Aftermath
With Kuroda's leadership arrested and their assets frozen, Charlotte stood amid the wreckage, her dress in tatters but her smile razor-sharp.
"Congratulations," Elion deadpanned. "You just acquired a multinational."
She kissed him. It tasted like victory and blood.
The Phoenix's HUD displayed:
» MISSION COMPLETE
» SUGGESTED COURSE: CELEBRATORY DRINKS
Jade Lion #3 burst in, rotary cannons smoking. "DID I MISS THE WEDDING?"