Also known as the Master Room, the cockpit read the pilots movements and conveyed them to the mech, converting the masters small movements to a much larger scale. A person's movements had to be very controlled: If the pilot bent an elbow ten degrees, the AS might bend thirty. Nearly every AS operated this way.
Actually, the word Arm Slave came from "Armored Mobile Master-Slave System," but that was simply too long to be practical.
"Stand back, Chidori!" commanded Sousuke as he descended into the Soviet-made Rk-92 Savage.
Sousuke pressed a button, and another hiss signaled the closing of the hatch. The internal frame locked, and various metal gears shifted into place.
A monochrome screen lit up in front of Sousuke's face, characters flashing across it in a line.
"Cockpit block: closed. Master suit: initiating adjustment."
There was no time to lose. Sousuke skillfully operated the buttons on the control stick, initiating the startup procedures.
"Action mode: four. Bilateral angle: two point eight to three point four."
The men outside began to fire at the hangar, boring countless holes in the walls.
"Main generator: ignition. Main condenser: charging."
The power-supply vehicle suddenly exploded into flames. Then, Sousuke heard the distinct sound of approaching footsteps—very heavy footsteps.
"All vehicle electronics: forced startup. All actuators: forced connections. Final startup checks all abridged."
"Just
Just then, an AS walked in, coming through the hangar door, which had been torn off completely. It was an Rk-92—the same exact model Sousuke was in.
The machine's red eyes looked toward Sousuke.
"Joint locks: executing forced release."
"Hurry up…"
Having spotted Sousuke, the enemy AS pointed its giant rifle. It was going to shoot—in a hurry.
"Combat maneuvers: open."
The rifle fired at almost exactly the same time Sousuke ducked.
The bullets barely missed.
The maneuver bought Sousuke just enough time to rush forward, swat the enemy's rifle aside, and land a mean shoulder charge.
The enemy Savage stumbled backward, crashing through concrete, as if it were made of paper.
Picking up the rifle, Sousuke checked its remaining ammo. Then, he pointed it at the enemy mech.
"Entering combat," he mumbled to no one in particular before pulling the trigger.
"You've got to be kidding me," mumbled Kaname, watching the whole spectacle from behind a small tractor in the hangar.
Sousuke's AS moved with the speed, grace, and coordination of an Olympic gymnast.
Next, the khaki giant walked through the hole in the wall and expertly annihilated the armored vehicles waiting outside. Kaname could see only flashes of light, smoke, and intermittent explosions.
In the blind spot behind Sousuke, on the right-hand side of the building, another enemy AS appeared. Kaname couldn't see what happened, but she did see its head and arms go sailing through the air.
Then, she saw: Sousuke's AS had fired the rifle over its shoulder.
Sousuke searched for his next opponent. There was not a hint of nervousness or uncertainty in his fighting style. The AS movements were so smooth, Kaname almost forgot it was a huge machine.
That's when she realized he wasn't suffering delusions of grandeur: Sousuke really was a soldier of excellent skill.
The hijacking, the kidnapping, and Sousuke's secret transformation—it all felt like part of a dream. But the wind in her hair, the gunpowder smell, and the red flames suggested otherwise.
Sousuke's AS looked down at Kaname, seeming to say, "Welcome to my world" with its glowing red eyes.
Kaname just wanted to go home.
"Dangerous! Move back," shouted Sousuke through the machine's external speaker. "Can you hear me, Chidori?"
"What?" she finally snapped back to reality.
"It's still dangerous! Move back!"
She must have imagined the whole exchange with the AS. Sousuke certainly didn't sound as if he were taking any enjoyment out of this.
Kaname saw two tanks heading their way from beyond the runway, the gun turrets slowly turning. They were about to get bombarded.
It didn't take an elite soldier to see that they were in danger.
