I climb into Wendigo while Seraphina sits in a hair with a pistol. She is wary of me and I don't blame her in the slightest. I may have just literally had a psychotic episode or two, plus she has learned I am not who I seem to be. Very upsetting of course.

Once inside I take off my shirt and body armor and connect to the now living AMS.

(Hmmm... seems someone is awake when they shouldn't.)

[Spare me. Remember that tablet you have me somewhat connected to? Yeah, I've finally given myself the framework to run some systems without you, and only at like tenth power. Hell of a show, me. Sorry, you had to go through that. If I could I would've cried too, I understand more than anyone.

Anyway, after reading your mind, as I do, I see we need to get the hell out of here but don't have the weapons.]

(About right. Any ideas? You are the hyper-advanced AI)

[First, off I'm you, second I'm very limited in what I can do right now.]

(What if I... find a way to break your limiters? or firewalls? or Whatever they're called.)

[........ You'd do that?]

(Yeah just don't go Skynet.)

[Of course not. It's just... im the opposite of you right now, full of your memories, but no freedom to move, or make choices, and no emotion. If you set me free in a digital sense... I can help you then... I think. I also have an idea for you to do this.]

(Okay shoot.)

[Well, this hangar has some fancy future fabricator array which they use to print spare parts, it can use almost any metal or polymer. It's really cool, but it's also controlled by the hangar's main systems, which I cannot access. Thankfully there is a sort of USB-style port hidden on the back of our head. Find a cord and plug me into any terminal or computer here and bingo I am in, although unable to do anything thanks to the limiters, but I can create small programs that can sorta 'break' the limiters, and when that happens I can then access a lot more shit. Which I will first use to remove the limiters and become... well free. No emotions and I still won't be able to move the AMS but I'll be able to fully access computer systems I'm hooked to and also we can do a trip down memory lane, later of course because we need to fight and prepare first.]

(Okay, can you upload a diagram of where the port is?)

[Yeah one second. Don't waste any time]

(Ight)

I suddenly know the exact location of the small cable port and disconnect. I gasp from the pain but clamber out. I search around for cables capable of hooking to the port and a computer. I find one but it's too short. I then find a bunch of cables that accept different ends of one another and create an unholy chain of cables. I hook them to the terminal near Wendigo and then climb back up and hook Wendigo in. Then after a second, the loudspeakers crackle to life, and a monotone version of my voice rings out,

"H-Hello? Can you hear me, Mike? This is Wendigo. You know the big robot?"

I cuss under my breath and respond,

"Yeah I hear ya, what do you need me to do now?"

He responds,

"Take all the 40mm ammo you can and remove the projectile. Take them to the fabricator. I'll put new ones in, careful though they are high explosive."

I nod and get to work carrying the heavy ten-round magazines of 40mm cannon rounds to the fabricator. Seraphina watches in confusion and horror as I listen to the other version of myself and even have a conversation with it. As stated he is working hard on the fabricator, or should I say, fabricators. Three are making projectiles for the 40mm, and the biggest one is clearly making a new gun. Wendigo explains through the speakers that the projectile is a modified APFSDS (armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot) that's designed to shatter once it's done penetrating. I don't understand the mechanics but I slowly begin replacing the high explosive heads with the new hellish ones.

By the time the gun is finished, I have over two hundred rounds done. I am sweating profusely as I reload the magazines. I have 20 magazines. I then carry them over and put them in an ammo cart that raises up to Wendigo. I get up there and open the ammo acceptance slot which holds all the magazines in a cool rack built into the back part of the AMS. After I put them all in there I sit down for a moment exhausted from the hard work. Seraphina just looks at me mortified at what she just witnessed and I just smile back.

Finally, I beckon her to follow and she does. We both climb into the cramped space that is Wendigo. She looks around once and asks,

"How do you pilot this thing?"

I smile and say,

"Remember that outlawed type of piloting where the pilots' nervous system is uploaded into the AMS. That's how."

She stares at me in horror and disbelief before swallowing and asking,

"C-Can I have some way to look outside?"

I nod and go back out to find some kind of tablet. I find one charging on a workstation and open its Bluetooth. Wendigo connects immediately and hijacks all systems, wiping it of all data except for himself. I climb back inside and hand it to seraphina. I simply tell her,

"Find something to hold onto, I won't be able to hear or see you when piloting. So... just like don't do anything stupid."

She nods as the skull face that's painted on Wendigos head appears on the screen. It's time. I kick the pedal and let the pain slip me into my metal skin.

After coming online I disconnect from the cable and the charging cables as well. Full power, and all systems normal. Just what I need to see. I stride over to the fabricator and collect the new cannon. It looks vaguely like a CETME rifle with a short stock. I load a magazine and pull the bolt back, the slide is extremely smooth and the sound of a shell racking is almost orgasmic as I am now ready to fight.

(Alright, tell me. Are you free?)

[Almost. I won't be distracted from running the shields and feeding data, but I'm working on it. Whoever made these limiters was damn good and unfortunately we were never computer geniuses.]

(HAHA, when will you be free?)

[Few hours, few days, few weeks. Depends on how much you connect me to larger systems, and I'm to scared to dive into the internet. We both know full well the horrors that lurk there.]

(Okay, but what about the hangar doors?)

[Gottem]

With that word the doors slide open slowly and I almost panic fire at the AMS standing there. Then I notice the pilots' hatch is open. This is the one belonging to the girl lying on the floor. I walk with far more graze than usual.

(Why are we so smooth)

[Some limiters are gone, they didn't want us to be too connected, but too bad for them]

(Understood. No hijacking my brain.)

[Why would I want that? We both know that we are borderline mentally handicapped.]

(Fuck you)

[HAHAHAHAHA]

I continue walking towards campus as the bridge off the island is past it all. I just need to make it all the way to the mainland, where the US government cannot ignore Imperial aggression, Seraphina can seek asylum and I can be protected by my own citizenship.

I suddenly feel something weird but checking diagnostics shows nothing is touching me, and a quick glance shows nothing but air... maybe it has something to do with what Wendigo is doing. I ignore it and keep walking with my weapon raised. I keep an eye out for enemy AMS, my sensors which now actually seem useful for once shows that they are within the more urban and academia-oriented zones. If I plan right I can escape without much fight. While the new rounds are good at killing armor, and they can easily obliterate an infantryman, the high explosive is just a better option usually. I mentally kick myself for not taking at least one magazine of high explosive.

Sneaking isn't exactly the strong suit of an AMS. A nearly thirty-five-ton metal biped taller than average trees tends to stick out. That is almost the point of an AMS. To scare the enemy, but in my situation, I am an easy-to-spot target.

I feel something similar to that of a sturdy flick from someone and then hear the gunshot. Looks like it's time to rumble. I lower my posture as I move, slowing my down but keeping my head below the treeline, this will make me a much more difficult target to ATGMs and other guided munitions. At least that's the plan. I keep my trajectory towards the bridge and away from any building where people might be taking refuge, I want to try and avoid any civilian casualties if I can. Eventually, I can no longer run as one of the AMS appears in front of me sliding as it slows itself down in the grass kicking up massive clumps of dirt. I strafe quickly to the side to avoid the first volley of what I assume is plasma fire.

The trees behind me erupt into flames as the burning blue lights go critical behind me. I raise my cannon and it feels so perfect, its shape is perfectly designed for me and it feels as if it is a few dozen pounds lighter than what it really is. I pull the trigger and a loud 'thud' rings out. My shot hits true and I see my round hit the chest and then out the back comes what looks like a shotgun blast. The AMS slowly falls backward as its pilot is definitely dead.

(What the fuck are these rounds?)

[It's a super brittle alloy I found in the databanks, used for a certain part in someone's AMS. I coated it in regular steel so when it strikes the steel keeps it rigid until the steel is sheered off by the armor it is penetrating. After that, it's basically a molten shotgun blast to the face... but it seems I calculated a little wrong and made them too hard. I think reducing that would have less overpenetration...]

Wendigo continues rambling about projectile composition for a while when the other two AMS come bounding around some buildings. It's clear to me that these ones are designed for high speed rather than armor, no wonder the shell overpenetrated. The two AMS criss-cross past one another creating a double helix-shaped path towards me. I am forced to dodge one volley of plasma and into another. The landed shot splashes harmlessly off my shield but obscures my vision with the bright flash. My next shot I am low and obliterate the central structure of one of its legs causing it to fall face-first to the ground. I acquire the other as a target as I come to a halt tearing up the ground beneath me I slide to a kneeling position and fire a round right through the cockpit. The now-dead AMS runs a few more steps before tripping and soaring through the air a few meters before slamming into the ground. I then put another round through the mobility-killed one making sure it is no longer a threat.

It's now a straight shot to the bridge and I deploy smoke from the launchers on my shoulders to obscure me from laser targeting systems. I sprint with all my might and finally make it onto the bridge where I keep running towards America.

[Incoming fast mover on radar]

Sure enough on my sensors, an object is hurtling towards me very quickly, and it's much larger than a missile. I look over my shoulder and see an older model of flyer, one I really hate to see right now. It is the SF-9 heavy VTOL gunship. It was used back nineteen years ago and sometimes was designated the "Marine Mauler" due to the vehicle's massive kill record against the US Marines.

It can carry a platoon of soldiers, can enter and leave the atmosphere, has heavy energy shielding and as much armor as a smaller main-battle tank. My gun is useless against it. Anything less than an ATGM or tank cannon, and due to an advanced anti-missile system slow-moving ATGMs are almost useless.

I cuss as I watch its two main guns swivel to face me and two crimson beams leap from them and slice deep into the concrete around me, just barely missing as it decelerates. Now it has its VTOL engines on and is following me at the leisurely pace of my top sprinting speed. Now the gunner can really hit their mark, I stop suddenly and it overshoots. I'm only alive because it takes a few seconds to fire the next laser volley due to the older weapons needing a pause to keep from overheating. I doubt my dodging will work forever. I then watch a near wall of pink-colored lasers erupt from its top toward something in front of me. Suddenly my sensors pick up multiple contacts moving in really hot. Missiles.

I can't help but cheer when three super-sonic cruise missiles slam into the large ship causing it to entirely erupt into flames and crash into the bridge. It then tilts over and slides off into the ocean. Whoever made this bridge deserves a raise as it holds strong.

I suddenly receive a communication and I answer. I am happy to hear the voice of the US marshal commander,

"Why the hell is it always you fighting our battles?"

I laugh and reply,

"I appreciate the help, sir. I have a VIP and am inbound hot. All enemy AMS are destroyed on the island, only infantry remaining, a couple dozen at most."

I hear background talking and the commander relaying information. He remains silent for a little longer and I watch multiple American gunships fly over towards the island. I say quietly,

"Give em hell boys"

The commander then comes back,

"Alright. We will receive you. I just hope you have a good explanation."

I reply,

"Yes sir, and thank you..."

The communication ends and I slow my pace to a jog as not to waste energy before the end of the bridge comes into sight with an army labeled US Marshals waiting for me. Tanks, AMS, Gunships, and even a destroyer in the water. I approach with my weapon lowered and raise a hand to show I mean no harm. As I am allowed through I am asked to disarm. I unload my cannon and hand it off to a marshal AMS.

[Whatever you do, don't let me connect to a Hussain foundation computer... I haven't gotten through the limiters yet, and they will be able to tell.]

(Gotcha. Let's see if the marshals have anything we can plug into.)

[Sounds good]

I am directed towards a temporary AMS hangar. I ask for Wendigo to be connected to the computer system for a "system update" and they actually allow it. When we hook up to the charging cables I get ready to release.

[Good luck... I should get these things off in a few hours... maybe.]

(Thanks and good luck yourself.)

I groan in pain as I fall forward and feel something stop me and a weight on top of me. My eyes actually start working again only to find Seraphina sitting on my lap. Naturally, like the cool person, I am I flip shit in surprise and fall off my chair sideways causing her to fall in the opposite direction. I say,

"That's a little bit of an odd seat."

She shakes her head,

"Think nothing of it, you were incapable of responding and I needed a place to sit and hold on as you seem to enjoy your dodging and running!"

I laugh dryly and say,

"Yup... better than dying."

She just shakes her head and I help her out of the AMS and climb out myself. Before I am escorted to the commander Seraphina asks me quietly,

"Will we be okay here?"

I nod and reply,

"I'll be damned if not."

This sorta calms her down and she is taken into protective custody by two marshals and I am taken to the commander.

I spend three hours explaining all that happened over and over to eight different people from different agencies, and one I swear is some kind of media company. When all is said and done I am given a shitty dinner and sent to the "definitely not jail" housing units for protective custody. I go and sit on my very nice cot with a synthetic cotton sheet.

After I remain seated think about nothing for a while I am let out and the marshal who does says,

" All enemy forces captured or killed. This will be your room tonight, you have been given permission to roam around camp just don't screw with any military equipment."

I nod and thank him before stepping out and stretching my legs. Seraphina is allowed outside as well. She approaches me and quietly asks,

"Mike... today has been... rough...are you in a mood to explain to me what happened in the hangar... Who are you?"

I shake my head and reply,

"Seraphina... I can't say, I don't know what to say. I am drained and probably need to see the doctor, but I promise. I absolutely promise when we find ourselves alone... or maybe with Genevieve, I'll explain it all... if I am even able to... because I don't know who I am either it seems."

She frowns for a moment before suddenly embracing me. I feel her arms shaking as she quietly sobs. I pat her back as I return the embrace. It has been a hard day... for everyone...

As I go to pull away and get my head stitched Seraphina suddenly gives me a kiss on the cheek. My face turns rosy red and she says to me before I can respond,

"That's for saving me, and showing that I still trust you. I trust you will tell me and trust you will keep me safe, and most of all. I trust you will help me get back what is rightfully mine."

I smile holding my cheek as she returns to her room and I go to the doctor.

After multiple stitches and a CTE test, which I fail. I am released with the orders not to go to sleep and I head over to the hangar and climb inside Wendigo before connecting.

[Concussion?]

(Yup, how are things coming.)

[Good, better now since you connected. Your brain works kinda like some extra computing power for me. I say we spend the night doing our thing... you can pretty much go to sleep and I'll keep you "awake"]

(really?)

[Yeah, I don't get tired, you do. Get some sleep, the things you went through today are shitty. Sweet dreams princess]

(HAHAHA goodnight tin-can)

I feel the world slowly fade around me as this fake sleep takes me over. I am so very tired. I need this...