A mech had taken flight into the skies unauthorized. Thus Phoenix was in an uproar trying to stop it, but when he realized it was his own sworn brother, he calmly put down the mic and pondered whether he should report it or not. In front of him came his scary senior's face, thus he did report it.
Phoenix : Master, the mech is stolen by Jay.
King : If he is that eager to fight, then let him be for now. Can you connect my transmission to him? Use my authority.
This alone solved the authority problem and was soon connected to RT-07—a mech which is an upgraded version of FX-01. Instead of standard mechanical controls, it controls by analyzing the body movements of the person and which action he wants to take.
King : Jay, I know you can hear me. I authorize your action, but remember—it shall have consequences. Also, for every part you break in operation, you have to fix it yourself with the mechanic.
Jay : Yes, sir.
King : And whatever you do, do not let your identity be revealed.
Jay : Got it.
The King was wondering how he managed to hijack a mech.
---
A few minutes earlier
Jay was peacefully laying on his bed as he had been ordered to take rest. But he was not able to. He tossed and turned in sleep and imagined himself fighting the serpent mech. He was very excited.
Jay : I want to pilot a mech so bad.
Then it struck him. He knew where the mecha were stored. He could ask someone for a small crash course or use the Learner to force-feed the information he needed to pilot it. And thus, within a few seconds, he forcefully opened the door and sprinted towards the mech station. It was a couple of mountains beyond the original camp site, and access was heavily restricted, but his fame granted him easy access. With his own two eyes, he saw gigantic mechs standing as tall as a hill. In fact, one of the mechs covered the sun itself and cast down a shadow upon him as it was looking down on him.
There he found a person who was working on mech inspection and maintenance. He approached with great interest.
Jay : Hey, can I trouble you for a minute?
Inspector : Your clothes indicate you are not from here. What is your station?
Jay : My name is Jay Garrick. And I serve alongside Sir Phoenix Cleft as his assistant.
Inspector : We've had three proclaimers of Jay Garrick since last week. You're one of those, aren't you?
Jay felt impressed that he was famous enough to have impersonators.
Jay : So how do I prove my identity?
Inspector : I heard he is the master of fire and steel.
Jay : Piece of cake.
Jay showed both of his hands forward. With one hand came a bright blue flame for extra effect, and in his right hand he created a chunk of iron and then deconstructed it into a ferrofluid floating slightly above his palm while maintaining the fire in his other hand. This technique is similar to writing with both hands or doing different tasks with both hands.
Jay : I believe this is sufficient enough.
Inspector : Is there anyone who can vouch for your identity?
Jay : Just open the internet and look up the Medal of Honor video.
Anyone could lie, but the video directly taken would not. Finally, it was evident as the inspector's subordinate loaded the video on his device located in his glasses and compared them face to face, matching each facial description until it was clear.
Inspector : I'm sorry for doubting you. I shall personally attend to you.
Jay : Don't worry, I just wanted to know how to pilot the mech here. A test drive, if you will.
Hearing this, the inspector summoned their finest mechanic, who kept his word aside and came to him.
Inspector : This is our best mechanic. His name is Traykor. He knows these mecha better than myself.
Traykor : You called me here just to show some nobody around? I've got no time. Call me if the Head himself comes out.
Traykor had a few minutes ago received the order to ready the FX series for dispatch, and he was busy in their maintenance and pre-departure.
Traykor : I need some extra hands. You come with me. I'll show you around as well.
And with this, Jay accompanied Traykor as he walked around the mech base. As they walked, Traykor started talking about the mecha.
Traykor : The mecha you see standing before you—they are the FX series. The first in the line and the first to be disposed of. Levers and buttons that take forever to update the situation. And insanely complicated for no reason. Requires a three-hundred-page guide to operate. So for the rider to be in sync with the mech is hard, despite the internal resistance of the levers and buttons to match up with the mech movement.
Traykor was overexplaining the mech and the issues they face—the delay between what the rider wants and the robot actually doing it causes a lot of problems in the long run. But Jay was stunned as he heard this. He remembers the same levers and buttons in shows were used to fight kaiju and giant monsters, just to be called primordial.
Traykor : OK, newbie. We are going to perform maintenance of this tin can—FX-01. Now open up the panel on the side of its foot.
Jay opened it to see that there was darkness inside the foot until the lights inside turned on. Inside was a bunch of wires neatly arranged in order, and the entire leg was filled with nothing but wires, motors, and generators to generate electricity.
Traykor : Newbie, open that panel there and turn off the switches labeled S1 to S7, and then turn down the big lever.
Jay climbed up the foot and opened the panel to find out that there were different sections of just buttons, and he had to take his time finding the S ones. In a satisfying manner, he flipped down the buttons and pulled down the big lever. That's when the engine roared to life before shutting down again.
Traykor : Good. Now let's continue your tour.
They proceeded to move behind the FX series mecha. Behind them were smaller mecha compared to the giants Jay had seen earlier.
Traykor : These are the MFX series—a downscaled version of FX series made to overcome the limitation of the delay in response. And they were a commercial success.
The MFX series were about fifty to seventy-five percent smaller than the FX series, but had new issues—space limitations, as smaller motors had to be used and smaller batteries to power it. Thus it quickly became an engineering nightmare. Just to solve one issue, many others had been created. But the biggest issue was the heating issue.
Traykor : Because everything was crammed in together, there was less space for heat to be released and even less space for vents for efficient cooling. Thus under stress tests, parts would just melt.
Jay was amazed with the evolution of these models and mecha. Traykor explained without delving deep into engineering, thus Jay was able to consume the information happily. As they moved back, Traykor showed him model after model—how they differed and how there were limitations in each of them to be addressed.
But most models were based on humans. Thus Traykor also showed him models which were based on animals, replicating their mechanisms and their separate limitations.
Traykor : That mech there is the Dragon series. Modeled after, obviously, a dragon. But the dragons weren't too keen on seeing this.
He called the mech a dragon, but it didn't have any wings like a dragon does.
Jay : It has no wings.
Traykor : It is made with hollowed aluminium, decreasing its weight. But due to the number of parts needed, the wings couldn't generate enough lift to lift itself off. So they removed the wings.
And finally, they came to the back where the latest generation of mechas were awaiting—the most advanced mech: the RT series. Overcoming every limitation of the previous mecha and standing shorter than the FX series.
Traykor : Now this is what I call a mech. A war mech to its core with the best tech available.
The RT series mech was just like the other humanoid mechs, instead they were painted in an orange paint to make them stand out. Traykor showed Jay the cockpit, where instead of a standard seat and buttons, the pilot was suspended in air as their hands and legs were held by metal frames but covered with soft material to reduce strain as much as possible. It could easily replicate human movement since the metal frames moved just as the human in those frames. They were included with weapons which simulated the weight of the weapons held by the mech. Thus it was easier to be used by warriors who weren't used to the three-hundred-page guide.
Traykor : This concludes the trip. Now you can go. It's been a pleasure to teach a newbie about history.
Jay : Thanks, Traykor.
Traykor left and rushed to depart the FX series, while Jay stayed back on his original mission. His eyes fell on the RT series. He climbed into the cockpit and started the systems. The cockpit AI recognized him and granted him access as he had enough authority to command it. At first, he struggled within the frame since he was suspended in the air. But once he stabilized himself, he waited for the right moment when the FX series took off.
A few minutes later, Jay started the mech with a command to the AI.
AI : Starting the engines and activating the generator... Complete.
Jay moved his leg a little, and the RT series replicated his action. Beneath his leg, a platform was extended, thus allowing him to stand, replicating the mech standing on the ground. Jay jumped in the air, and the frames moved him as such, mimicking its movement. The mech jumped as well, landing on the ground with a thud. This caught the eye of the workers around the mech base. Before they could remove him, Jay jumped in the air and told the AI to fly. With this, he was in the air. The platform beneath him closed off and retracted into the system itself.
Finally, Jay was piloting the mech. The flight was a bit rough, but he pulled it off with some trial and error. He soared above the clouds and noticed some heavenly archers. Then he dived off and flew towards the battlefield.
Jay : A bit different from what I imagined, but a mech is a mech.
As he flew, he was noticed by the King and Phoenix.
AI : You are receiving a call. Should I pick it up?
Jay : No. Cut any incoming calls.
Until the system was overridden, and he had to take the call.
King : Jay, I know you can hear me. I authorize your action, but remember—it shall have consequences. Also, for every part you break in operation, you have to fix it yourself with the mechanic.
Jay : Yes, sir.
King : And whatever you do, do not let your identity be revealed.
Jay : Got it.
Saying this, it was now time for actual mech combat.