Read Dead Mech for Free Online

suddenly
motivating her. Fuck this , she thought.
    She stomped out of the rec room, determined
to find Mathew and tell him how she felt. Determined to make him
feel the same about her.
    ***
    The bay doors opened wide, allowing Masters’
mech to exit the hangar.
    “Watch yourself out there,” Harlow buzzed
over Masters’ com.
    “Don’t worry, sugar. I’m good to go.”
    “Not worried about you, I’m worried about
your partner today.”
    “Rachel? Why?” Masters asked.
    “She only sleeps in her mech! A, that’s just
weird. B, no one can get a good night’s sleep in one of those
cockpits. If she’s fatigued, then she may hesitate when she
shouldn’t. Just watch yourself.”
    “Not to worry, baby. I slept fine
last night. Rested and ready to wipe the wasteland clean of the
deader menace!”
    ***
    “It was personal,” Doctor Themopolous said,
still avoiding Capreze’s gaze.
    It was Capreze’s turn to raise an eyebrow.
“Personal? You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”
    The doctor considered what to tell Capreze;
the Commander waited.
    “I was looking to transfer. To get away
from” –she gestured about the office, indicating the entire base-
“all of this.”
    “Any particular reason?” Capreze asked
kindly.
    “No single reason. It’s just, well…”
    “The isolation, the fear, the violence, the
desolation, the lack of any socialization beyond a bunch of mech
pilots half out of their minds?”
    Themopolous laughed, smiling weakly.
    ***
    Mathew climbed the spiral stairs to the
tower, having grabbed his binocs from his locker, preferring the
exertion of the steps to the static hum of the lift. He clicked his
com. “Anything?”
    “Nope, still too far out for a decent scan,”
Rachel’s voice buzzed in his ear. “Did you get your binocs?”
    “Yah, I’m almost to the- Oh, um, hey
June…”
    “What’s she doing there?” Rachel asked, a
hint of jealousy marking her words.
    “Hello, Matty,” June said, her voice
shaking.
    “Hey Rache, I’ll get back to you, okay?”
    “Make it quick…Mathew.”
    “Ahh, come on, don’t be like that…”
    ***
    “That still doesn’t explain why it was
coded…,” Capreze led. Themopolous’ smile faded quickly, darkness
clouding her eyes.
    “It was from an old colleague of mine. He’s
Chief Medical Officer for Foggy Bottom…,” she trailed off.
    Capreze waited patiently. “And…?”
    “And? Well, he has been seeing some issues
with the Reaper chips. Some very alarming issues.”
    “He’s reported these ‘issues’ to the
UDC?”
    “Well, that’s complicated…”
    Claxons blared, the base sent into full
alarm.
    Capreze jumped from his seat. “We’ll
continue this later, Doctor.”
    “Of course, Commander.”
    Capreze tapped his com. “Full alert folks,
all staff to stations. Be ready.”
    ***
     
    “Approaching mech, this is Pilot Capreze,
please respond,” Rachel waited, but there was no answer. “Son of a
bitch…”
    Rachel fired up all systems and triple
checked her weapons. She slammed her hand on the console,
initiating the base’s alarm and defense systems then started
towards the approaching mech. Her com crackled and Commander
Capreze buzzed in her ear.
    “Whatcha got Baby Girl?” her father’s voice
asked.
    “Not sure. Incoming mech, but can’t tell if
it’s friend or not. It’s not responding to my hail. Scanners say
it’s pretty banged up and power levels are low.”
    “Be careful.”
    “Will do.”
    ***
    “Listen Matty, there is something I want to
say,” June said sheepishly. “Something I’ve been meaning to say for
a while.”
    “Um, can this wait, June? Rache has an
incoming mech and I’m her eyes on this.”
    “No! It can’t wait for Rachel!”
    Mathew stepped back at the force of June’s
words. “Whoa, whoa, take it easy. Fine, what is it you need to
say?”
    June took a deep breath, she couldn’t help
glancing out the window, down at the mech, down at her . She
let out the