Chapter One: The Unfortunate Soldier
Klyde lay beneath a large oak tree, unconscious, blanketed by its shade and outfitted in a mechanical combat suit.
His eyelids slowly rose, revealing his red pupils. He looked at his surroundings, but his vision was blurred. He lifted his hands into view, waiting as his sight gradually adjusted and sharpened.
"Am I… in another world…?"
Earlier – Underground Military Base
Metallic bootsteps echoed along the gray steel hallway as two soldiers, Klyde and Kaya, made their way toward a door ahead. Both were equipped with advanced mechanical armor.
Klyde's armor was mainly black with red accents. It was heavily reinforced around the chest, shoulders, forearms, and shins. Sleek red katanas rested in sheaths attached to both his thighs, and a long, bulky railgun was mounted beneath his left forearm.
Kaya's armor, though similar in design, was far bulkier. His legs were stilted, and thrusters were built into his feet. Both forearms were equipped with machine guns, and an additional weapon mounted on his back rested over his shoulders.
"Ay, Klyde, what do you think we're being called for this time?" Kaya asked.
"Most likely a mission. Or a report on the suits' performance," Klyde answered formally.
"And there he goes again, talking like that," Kaya muttered. "Yeah, these prototype suits are good and all, but I want to go back to piloting mechs. These things can't take down a mech on their own. Those full versions better drop soon."
The door ahead opened as they approached. Inside were multiple workstations occupied by people in lab coats, a large screen at the back, and a cylindrical table at the center with a holographic display hovering above it.
Behind the table stood a bearded man wearing a navy-blue jacket with two medals pinned beneath his overcoat, which had red accents. He wore a peaked cap matching the same color scheme.
"Greetings, General," Klyde said, saluting.
"Sup, Chief," Kaya replied in a careless tone.
"As expected from my least competent soldier."
"Yeah, I'm still not calling you General, Katsuya."
"Well, I called you two here for a mission."
"Of course you did," Kaya huffed as he removed his helmet, revealing his dark skin and short black dreadlocks. "What is it exactly?"
"Central HQ has sent orders… We're going to Base B-5."
"B-5? Which base is that?" Kaya asked.
"It's our neighboring base. The one that was recently attacked," Klyde answered. "And I assume we're being sent because B-5 is understaffed and we're the closest."
"Close, but not quite. Not like one of my other soldiers would get that close," the General said, glaring at Kaya with a smirk.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kaya crossed his arms.
"We all know you're as dense as a brick, Kaya," one of the female scientists said as she approached the table. "Lizzie," as indicated by the name badge on her lab coat, had short blonde hair and wore glasses. She held a tablet against her stomach.
"Meanie…" Kaya pouted.
"Aww. Little baby can't handle a bit of teasing?" Lizzie giggled.
The General cleared his throat. "Could you two not do this here? Anyway, since you two work the best with the prototype suits, you'll be the first to use the new complete models. Both you and your squads. The other three will be sent shortly after."
"I almost forgot we're the lab rats for B-5. They should just send those pesky top dogs," Kaya said.
"Well, A-1, A-3, and A-5 have already been sent to Russia, so that cannot happen."
"B-5 will also be deployed to Russia soon, so it's important we get the finished models so we can operate our mechs at the same time," Klyde added.
Suddenly, the lights in the room began flashing red. All movement ceased.
«Warning. Warning. Unknown object approaching base at high velocity.»
"H-huh?" Lizzie held out her tablet, rapidly tapping on the screen. Her eyes widened as she stopped.
"It's a mech… a new model at that."
"Lizzie! Contact all Sector-B bases, no—"
A loud thud cut him off as the roof above them shook violently.
"The rig has landed. General, call all soldiers to their rigs," Klyde said, remaining calm despite the situation.
"Klyde, let's go already!" Kaya shouted as he ran toward the exit.
Another thud echoed above them. Then, suddenly, a white metallic fist burst through the ceiling, crushing the General and Lizzie beneath it. The machine tore through the structure as it retracted its arm, leaving a spreading pool of blood on the floor.
Kaya froze at the sound. Slowly, he turned to see Klyde staring down at the blood as it seeped toward his foot.
Klyde stood motionless, his breath caught in his throat.
"K-Klyde… Calm down, okay…" Kaya raised a hand but pulled it back when he noticed it trembling.
"Combat Mode… Set model to… Overdrive."
Red lights beneath the plating of Klyde's suit ignited as gas vented from its joints. Then, in an instant, he dashed toward the opening and launched himself upward at lightning speed.
"Klyde!" Kaya yelled as he watched him rocket off. "We're so cooked!" Kaya said as he put on his helmet, running down the hallway to get to his mech.
Klyde, in mid-air saw the attacker: a humanoid mech, sleek and towering at 7.5 meters tall, white with pink accents.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" he roared as he landed.
He aimed his rail cannon at the mech's head and unleashed a barrage of energy rounds. The mech turned to face him, then crossed its arms to shield itself, its plating denting under the assault.
Two missiles fired from the mech's shoulders. Klyde halted his barrage just as his cannon began charging. He leapt forward, leaving a crater beneath him.
He flew past the missiles, which exploded in the crater. The thrusters on his backpack ignited, stopping him midair. Then he fired a massive beam from his cannon. The mech dodged right, but its hand was caught in the blast and torn clean off.
The mech looked around briefly, then back at Klyde, who was charging another shot. His thrusters suddenly began to fail.
'I already overused them?!'
Klyde began to plummet to the ground. The mech charged toward him, its remaining fist already raised high. He crossed his arms over his head midair as the mech punched him into the ground.
Klyde crashed through into the base, bones broken, internally bleeding as rubble buried him. The mech launched two more missiles at his position.
He heard them coming.
Straining, he tried to push the debris off his chest, but it was too heavy.
"I can't die here!" he shouted, forcing every ounce of strength into his limbs.
Just as he began to make progress—
BOOM!
The missiles detonated, obliterating the area where Klyde lay buried.
Klyde opened his eyes.
He was floating in a white void. His armor was gone. His red hair, crimson eyes, and the scars across his muscular body were fully exposed.
A white humanoid figure appeared before him.
"You must be the unfortunate human. Klyde, was it?"
"Where am I…? W-what happened?"
"Long story short, everyone at your base died. Apparently, you were lucky enough to end up here."
Klyde's eyes widened. He clutched his head as memories flooded back—the battle, the Katsuya and Lizzie's deaths, his failure.
"T-then why am I here?!" he yelled.
"I'm sending you to another world. You're one of the few who get to keep your memories. Start a new life or whatever. I don't particularly care."
"They… they meant everything to me. The only people who accepted me. And I FAILED THEM!" Klyde broke down.
"I assume you mean those three."
"All I could do was watch them die! I couldn't even avenge them! I don't deserve to live…"
The figure sighed. "I hate your type. Since you're so pathetically dependant on your friends, how about this: conquer an island within two months. Succeed, and I'll revive them."
"Revive… them?"
"But if you fail within the time limit, your fate will be far worse than mere death. So, are you willing? Or would rather send your second like as a slug?"
Klyde swallowed hard and wiped the tears from his face.
"If I can bring them back… then I'll do it."
—
#Extract from Freebird Alliance Documents
In Klyde's original world, a war rages between two alliances.
The Freebird Alliance mainly consists of North and South America, while the Red Heart Alliance consists of the Soviet Union, China, and Germany.
Klyde was a member of the Japanese military, allied with the Freebird Alliance, before Russian forces of the Red Heart Alliance invaded his base.
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