METAL STORM

You see in the distance flashes of light coming from a group of military units;
too far to discern. The plasma shots are numerous in a stream of light coming
right at you. They are amazingly fast but time seems to slow down right before
they hit. "hey kid, you alright?!"

Your mind involuntarily wanders into the past.
"hey kid, you alright?!"
A man yells to you. You sit up having been on the ground. Broken glass and
debris covers you. There is a ringing in your ears.
"They found the bas-"
Right before your eyes the man gets pummeled with gunfire. Now laying on the
debris-ridden ground facedown, he manages to speak a final word to you through
his bloodied mouth.
"rrunnnn....."
Overcoming the paralyzingly fear of the moment you stand up and begin running.
Your in a building. You remember it to be a place you were living in for some
time. In fact you remember running to your bunk. You quickly grab something of
personal value to you off the nightstand and begin running again. The next thing
you remember is being in an alleyway. You're hiding behind something, waiting
for a patrol of soldiers to pass unknowing of your presence. You find yourself
trudging through an underground aqueduct. It's dark but for some reason you knew
where you were going. You come to an exit to the pipe you were in. The pipe
ended abruptly pouring out a cliff face. You look down from the precipice once
you reach it. You expected to see something but you can't remember what. A craft
descends into sight. It must have been waiting with it's motors off for you not
to have noticed. It's blinding lights make the day seem dark and you stand there
helpless as you hear voices behind you. The world seems to close in on you as
you try to understand it all. "hey kid, you alright?!"

You sit up having been on the ground. Broken glass and debris covers you. There
is a ringing in your ears.
"thought I lost you for a second!"
The operator says gladly.

Still a little shocked at what just happened, a tremendous crash jolts you to
your feet like a cats reflex. You notice the noise to be that of the destroyed
gondola frame crashing twenty meters away from you. As you recompose yourself
you notice your suits power source is partially drained. You must have activated
the armor ability unknowingly. You think to yourself to use the rest of the
charge sparingly since it's indefinite you'll come across a recharge.

(aside: after this game is over, I'm never using the word "you" again.)

"I'm only a few stage blocks up from you. It's getting pretty thick around here
so use caution."

As the operator is speaking his last sentence, a group of spider mechs walk
around a corner into view. They are clearly coming to recon the crash site.
There is sufficient cover in the streets due to random debris and abandoned
equipment so they do not notice you yet. Of this abandoned equipment is a
manipulator which seems to be in working condition.

(aside: manipulators are futuristic fork lifts. They have two arms which pick
things up between them. Also, the memory sequence is off limits for you to add
anything to.)

Alright G, here's my next entry. I have a rule for you, though. While you're
reading my entry, you have to listen to this song. It sets the stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiq6-Os7CvY&feature=BFa&list=PL66873908465D7EB2&lf=results_video

Looking around the corner to my right, I begin planning my attack execution.
Knowing that these are mechs, they are probably slow to move yet very resilient.
I keep this is mind as I plan my attack. Looking over at them, they are roughly
60-80 yards away from me; 4 spider mechs. I am mostly equipped for melee combat
and... well... easier to dispatch enemies. I am definitely not prepared for
such a fight, but running may not be the best option, as they are likely to
figure out an enemy is nearby from the broken gondola. Because of this, it
seems I have to fight...

I do a quick scan of the area, looking for grenades, knowing that these might be
the only things to help me swing the fight in my favor. Luckily, I find one
which seems to be in "working" condition. All of the other equipment seems
broken and useless compared to my current equipment. Considering this, I
unequip all of my current weapons except for my sniper rifle, one set of basic
combat knives, my kusarigama and my energy rifle. I set my other weapons in a
close but safe spot.

Moving about 20 yards forward, I find a place where I can tie my kusarigama
across the ground like a tripwire. I secure it between an old broken
manipulator and what looks like some kind of old energy core. Even if they
don't fall for this trick, at the very least, it'll buy me some time in the
middle of the fight. Not wanting to get any closer, I toss the grenade I had
found about 10 yards in front of me, where the road splits ways. From there, I
back up to my original base of operations and distance myself a comfortable 120
yards from the mechs.

I am not the best sniper, but I know, with patience, I can get at least one of
these mechs before the other 3 even know what hit them. I secure my sniper
rifle using some debris nearby as a stabilizer. I set up my shot slowly but
steadily and deliberately. I am aiming for the mech in the (roughly) front
right of the group. If I can get that one, then it'll delay the others in
trying to get around him and get to me.

BOOM. The shot barrels out of the gun and breaks the dead silence of the
moment. It hits just where I expected it to: in the pilot's cockpit. I must
have hit because in that second, the other 3 mechs instantly come to life,
rushing around the one that I shot and dashing straight towards my location. I
don't know if they exactly know where I am, but 3 spider mechs rushing at me
sure is frightening. At the very least, if they keep coming in this direction,
they'll know where I am, so I have to assume they know where I am.

Coming to my senses, I realize the fight is far from over. Taking aim again, I
shoot at the one closet to me. They must be about 90 yards from me now.
They're fast! Much faster than I had imagined. Not surprisingly, my second
shot doesn't seem to have hit exactly where I wanted it to. It came close but
hardly phased him, merely slowing him down for a second or 2. Shit! This is
why I have backup plans. I spot my grenade that I had strategically planted on
the ground, waiting for this exact opportunity. As the mech nears it, I take
aim for the grenade.......... BOOM.

Shot #3 rings out, piercing the skies.

"Did I hit it?"

"No? Fuck. No way did I miss that."

Just then, an explosion goes off. "Huh? What happened? I thought I missed. I
don't know. Maybe the mech stepped on the grenade or something... Fuck it. No
time for technicalities now. Still 2 more mechs to deal with."

Approaching the trip wire, one of the mechs walks right into it. "Yes! I got
him... err... fuck. Damn." The mech walks easily through my trip wire, ruining
my well-made trap. I guess it wasn't the best plan to think to trip a large
spider mech with a small chain. Oh well. With 2 spider mechs still closing in
on my location, it's time to think fast. I run around the corner to give me
time to think and to dodge the incoming fire. Shit! I can't fight out here. I
need to find cover. About 50 yards in front of me, to my northeast, I spot what
seems to be the remains of a house. I quickly run there, as fast as my legs can
move, hoping the spider mechs will not catch up with me before I get there.
About 30 yards out, it seems they have spotted me. They begin opening fire.
Only 25 more yards to go. I activate my armor suit and sprint as fast as I can.

Alright G, Part 2. For the rest of my entry, you have to listen to this song
now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_x4MnYDbVQ&feature=BFa&list=PL66873908465D7EB2&lf=results_video

I quickly dash into the entrance of the old abandoned house. Blood and sweat
drip down my body, becoming one. I don't even know if I had been hit or not.
Adrenaline is fueling my drive at this point. I deactivate my armor, knowing
exactly why I came to this house. I do a cursory look around my surroundings.
There! I find an old shirt and grab it. Knowing that the mechs will be looking
for me, I put the shirt over a chair next to the window and rest my sniper rifle
along it, hoping to trick them into thinking it's me.

Just then, they open fire with what sounds like infantry weapons. They must be
out of ammo with their mechs. I hit the floor, take cover and begin firing
back. A flurry of bullets turns the house into swiss cheese. Just when I think
the onslaught can't get any worse, it turns deadly silent.

"What? What happened? Are they out of bullets?" I calm my senses and listen.
It's quiet. Where could they be?...

CRA-BAM! Behind me, the door suddenly crashes down. 2 men rush in. A risky
move on their part, but maybe they did not want to stay outside knowing that I
have a sniper rifle. Oh well, this is my specialty. "It's time to kick ass and
che-"

CRACK! They wasted no time. The one in the front rushes towards me and hits me
right where my face would have been had I not have parried the blow.

There's 2 of them. A big one and a smaller but just as formidable looking
opponent. They seem to be skilled in close combat, as well. This must be why
they rushed into the house. They didn't think that this was a risky move in the
slightest.

"Bubblegum", I mumble to myself, rubbing my face where I had gotten punched. No
time for jokes now, though. This is the real deal. I pull out one of my combat
knives, and they both, in turn, do the same.

The quick one comes at me again. I nimbly dodge his blows. He's a tough
fighter, and just when I think I am getting the better of him, the bigger of the
2 men comes in, and it becomes a 2 on 1 fight. This is a fight I know I cannot
win. "I need to disable 1 of them and turn this into a 1 on 1 fight, otherwise
I won't stand a chance", I think to myself.

I bide my time slowly, conserving my energy and waiting for the opportune moment
to strike.

...

NOW!!! I see an opening in their attacks. I quickly dodge an attack from the
quicker one and strike at him before the bigger one can react. A quick shiv to
his abdomen drops him immediately.

Enraged by anger, his partner screams and begins attacking me with reckless
abandon. At this point, I know the fight is over. I can feel the strength
behind his blows, but without focus, they are easy to read. I strike him
various times in nonvital areas. He drops to the ground next to his partner,
unable to fight anymore.

"It's over", I say to them. They both look up at me, injured and defeated. I
raise my knife and point it at their heads. They look on at me in fear. I
throw it past them, and it finds its target in the wall. "Drop 'em!", I say out
loud. "Or your partners are dead", I say, pulling out my second combat knife.
Two frightened and wounded individuals come out from behind the side of the
house with their arms raised. They are the other 2 pilots of the spider mechs.
Without resistance, I tie them all up and leave them in the house without saying
another word. I've wasted enough time here.

I gather up the rest of my weapons and head towards the remaining 2 operable
spider mechs. I enter one of them and sabotage the control panel. That one
won't be moving any time soon. I get into the other one and begin moving
around, trying to get a feel for the controls.

"Operator", I say, accessing my com system, "I had a bit of a snag back there,
but I'm back on my feet. Where to?"

(aside: there are a few things incorrect with your entry. I'm leaving them in for now and placing this note here for future corrections. 1. You dodged the punch but rub your face where you got punched. 2. The munition type is energy based, not bullets. This is mostly plasma with some lasers here and there. You also chose this munition type. 3. The building you were in would most likely not be turned into Swiss cheese from plasma fire. The setting almost dictates what that structure needs to be made out of. You are on a massive space station so it's probably dominantly made out of some alloy or metal compound (maybe not). Try to visually fit your stages in with the local. 4. I don't want to have to pick up your guns for you. You may either rehash my next entry or insert it later. This is something you can't really assume.)

(aside: I would suggest not dwelling on enemies. You're in a war zone and this was 4 of many enemies. I'm not going to force you to fight anyone. Just know that shit is coming at you. You'll be fighting along side of ops and he's a main character so no matter what you leave him with, he's going to come out on top. I will warn against abusing that fact but truthfully if it makes for some good reading you might as well.)

The battery slowly rises on the monitor. The mech should be up to full ammo reserves given a couple minutes. 
"straight… keep going straight…" the operator is clearly preoccupied with his situation as he manages to give you just enough information to go off of.

The scene before you is somewhat surreal as you progress through a battlefield which seems barely touched by war. In all directions are the sounds and lights of battle. You seemed to have crashed into the last peaceful knoll of a dying world. At an intersection, the operator bursts out onto the comms.

"WAIT! Don't go any further!"

As soon as he ends, an explosion blows out the first level of a building to your left. It, being a taller building than most, starts to fall across your path. The building crashes into the next and when it does, it comes to a stop. Propped up by the other building, it now lays at a steep angle to the ground. All sorts of debris smashes out the windows and free falls to the ground. Among it, a formidable sized group of foot soldiers and spider mechs still firing away during the fall. Like rag dolls they helplessly succumb to death's cold embrace. 

"Did you see that!" ops says ecstatically. At that moment you notice something else descending from the fallen building. It is another spider mech lowering itself down by a cable much like a real spider would. This mech is very different in that it is very black like the armor is absorbing the light. It's design is incredibly different than the others and is clearly much more advanced and capable. One thing strikes you immediately when looking over its shape; there is no apparent place for a human to fit inside. This is more noticeable as it comes closer to you after it quickly removes some plasma rockets off the fallen.

"Finally we meet in person.—"
Plasma fire rings with the sound of searing air and sizzling metal as most fly by the two of you. You both look to your left to see a group of tanks rounding a far corner. As the operator turns with extremely quick and mechanical precision, he launches a short range ballistic missile from his chassis. It soars with unrealistic speeds as it closes the gap. The tank in the front takes the direct hit and immediately falls to the ground in a fury of blue explosions. 

"into the building! Quick!"
He yells as more plasma shots rip through the smoke and fire undeterred. You, being right behind him, notice how incredibly nimble and natural his movement is while running. The tanks begin using artillery, lobbing powerful discharges all around you. The two of you make it inside the building through a large overhead door. 

"those damn death squads have been keeping me jumping from building to building. That was probably the group that shot you down coming to finish the job."
The operator explains all this while it seems he is doing repairs on himself.
"access point is exactly 4 stages east and this building spans 3. Roof is our best bet. Let's get moving."

(aside: the mech you're in should be able to navigate through buildings albeit a bit clumsily. Building interiors are more commodious than buildings irl.)

"So you're the operator, huh?!" I say, as we make our way to the rooftop. "Nice to meet you, sir. I didn't realize you were a robot, but hey, I'm not here to make judgements. Hey, so what's the deal with you, anyways? You can like see where I am at all times or something? That's cool. No... That's AWESOME, man! Did you see me take out those four spider mechs? I was all like, 'What's up, suckas?' Took 'em all out. It was SWEET!... Hey, are you listening, operator?"

The operator stays quiet during my ramblings. "Stop!", he says curtly.

I do as I'm told. I have no desire to make the operator angry. He seems like a pretty cool dude. I wonder why he's so quiet now, though, all of a sudden, as I continue moving.

"No!" he says. "Stop walking!"

I listen to him yet again. Just then, I realized that it didn't seem like anybody was actually following us up the building. I wonder if they decided to let us go. That wouldn't make any sense, though. We're at war. Clearly, they're thinking of some sort of pla-...

Before I finish that thought, the operator puts action to the idea I was thinking. "Run!" he says, as he begins hightailing it up to the roof of the building. Of course! They're trying to bring the building down! Those tanks can't make it up this building, so they figured it was their best bet to-

BOOM!!! The building begins to shake uncontrollably. It isn't enough to bring it down, though. It's a large building, and it seems it was definitely made well, and even through all the warfare, can stand strong. We make it to the top of the roof when we hear another larger explosion. The building begins to move this time, swaying somewhat underneath our feet. Maybe my previous assessment of the building was incorrect. Chances are, though, they're just blowing up the ground underneath the building, destroying it's structural integrity. I take a quick look over the edge just to see how many tanks are down there. As I look, the operator starts running towards the access point. "Ah, shit!" I say to myself.

"Come on!" the operator says. "There's no time for sightseeing! We got a mission to do! Jump over to the next building!" he says. "The access point is near that location."

"I'm never going to make it!" I say back to him. I'm already making my way in his direction but with little hope. The building is crumbling beneath our feet. Clearly, these men have no regards for the city in which we are in. The only goal on their minds is destroying the enemy. The operator's... body is much more nimble and lithe than mine, and he has already gotten quite the head start on me from when we were scaling the building. He nears the end of the building and makes the jump with ease.

"Hurry!" He goads me on. It's getting harder and harder to move, as if I'm running through an earthquake. "Now, jump!!!" he says. I listen as I have done so much in the past already. He was right all those other times. He was probably right this time, too.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs. The spider mech I was in had force, and it wasn't something I was used to in the slightest. Besides, the sheer drop in front of me was pretty frightening, nonetheless. If the fall didn't kill me, surely, I would have been killed by the swarms of enemies awaiting for me down there.

Miraculously, I make the jump with plenty of room to spare. The operator laughs a bit. "Dude, you're such a baby."

"Hey, man, I'm not used to these mech things. Jeez. Gimme a break. Besides, it seems like you move much more swiftly than I do. Clearly, my armor is no match for something so smooth and graceful as... you."

"That's true. The model of mech you are using is much less capable than mine, but because of the size of the model you have, that also means you have a lot of power. I can't output quite as much power as you can in that model because I'm so much smaller. Get it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not stupid. I just said I wasn't USED to it. That's all. Let's just find the access point, dude. And besides, that was a scream of... joy - like when you ride a rollercoaster."

The operator laughs again. "Alright. But first..." It seems that this whole time, ever since the operator had made the jump, he was tinkering with something. "Alright... got 'em."

"Got what?" I say back to him.

Just then, I see a volley of armaments come flying out of all directions and places from the operator. "Check this out, man." he says to me. I run over to the edge of the building to see just what he was talking about. Explosions... everywhere. Apparently, he was taking his time to lock onto all of the targets on the ground.

"... Impressive."

"Haha. I thought you'd like that one. Now, we should have a much easier time getting to the access point. Come on. Let's get going." He walks over to the edge of the building and jumps to the location of the access point.

I follow suit. "Whoooooo!!!"