Awakening in the Abyss

[Heat-seeking missile incoming!]

Galen yanked the controls to the right. His HUD was filled with information, but he only focused on the red warning in the middle of the cockpit.

[Impact in 5...]

"I'll need some flares!" He yelled at the cockpit around him. He tried pushing the pedals even harder, hoping it would give him more speed. He felt the metallic parts behind him radiating heat to his suit. The back engines were already overheating.

[Impact in 4...]

"I can only provide chaff, Voss." The robotic AI voice was just as calm as ever. Its life was not in danger. Lucky bastard, Galen thought. Chaffs were designed against radars, not masking heat. But what other choice did he have?

[Impact in 3...]

Galen reached to the release lever for his counter measures, and pulled it down as hard as possible. He didn't bother pulling it back up. He either survived this fight, or it didn't matter how what defenses he had left. A continuous burst of explosions shook the cockpit, the metal frame vibrating as tiny glass fiber particles where blasted outwards.

[Impact in 2...]

He pushed the controls away, and the horizon disappeared behind the top of the cockpit. Green trees filled its place, quickly growing in Galen's view. "Prepare for EVAC!" He didn't bother checking if the missile got intercepted, he had more experience than to hope for miracles.

[Impact in 1...]

A button in front of him began flashing, filling the space with ominous red light. Could he salvage this? Where did he mess up? Galen took a final look at the trees, and hoped that none would skewer him. He slammed his fist down on the button.

[Brace for impact!]

A metallic object soared through the sky, it silhouette was that of a man. Two legs, two hands, a proportionally tiny head. It's shoulders were breaking the top of trees as it's engines on its back and feet propelled it towards the ground. Armor pieces were breaking off, a cannon on it's shoulder was dragging behind, only held on by a piece of tube. Then it met its end. A missile, the size of a pen compared to the machine man, hit it right at the hip. The fireball that followed took down all the trees in a hundred meters. Nothing remained but charcoal and ash. The machine man was in pieces, and even those where blasted all over the area. Only once piece of it survived. Sort of.

An even tinier man, Galen Voss, was rapidly rising in the air, slowly reaching the apex of his EVAC vector. Before it's demise his mech's AI calculated a trajectory for him towards a nearby lake, that could cushion his landing. Only the calculation was made with a parachute in mind. And that same parachute was not opening.

Galen tugged at the emergency release, yanking the cord hard. Nothing. "Oh, come on!" he yelled, pulling again and again. Still nothing.

The crystal clear lake was approaching quickly. And he was going to meet it at full speed. He was about to die.

"I'm really going to die from a failed parachute?" he muttered, teeth clenched.

The wind whipped around him, tearing at his suit. He braced himself, squeezing his eyes shut as the inevitable impact loomed.

--

Galen gasped for air as he came to, his breathing heavy with panic. His hands shot to his sides, searching for the straps of his harness, but they were not there. Why wasn't he dead? Why wasn't he suffocating? The last thing he remembered was the lake rushing toward him. His body should have been splattered across the surface. Instead, he was sitting somewhere cold and smooth.

It took a moment for his mind to catch up. He blinked, squinting at his surroundings. He was in a cockpit, but it wasn't his.

His gaze swept over the space. The cockpit wasn't cramped and utilitarian like the ones he piloted all his life. This one was massive, with smooth, curved surfaces that seemed to shine faintly under a soft, green light. Intricate carvings lined the walls, glowing with a pulse, as though the room itself was alive. It was ancient and futuristic all at once, a fusion that made no sense to him. No controls, no joysticks.

What the hell is this place? He reached out and ran his fingers over the nearest console. It was cool to the touch, very smooth, almost like polished stone. No buttons, no switches. Just carvings and that continuos, pulsing light.

"You have finally arrived," a voice resonated around him, melodic yet commanding. It came from everywhere, traveling through the air. Galen froze, his eyes searching wildly. "Who…who's there?"

The air thickened, and he felt an unnatural stillness settle over him. A faint, milky fog began to materialize at the center of the room, swirling in hypnotic patterns. Slowly, it coalesced, taking the shape of a figure. A woman.

Galen's jaw dropped as the fog gave way to flesh. The woman was ethereal, her long, raven-black hair shifting as if caught in an invisible breeze. Her piercing emerald eyes glowed faintly, locking onto him with unnerving precision. Tattoos, intricate and alive with energy, traced their way across her pale skin, flowing down her arms and legs in patterns too complex to fully take in. She wore a black dress that clung to her form, its fabric shimmering like it was made of moonlight. It revealed just enough to demand his attention, but the sheer presence of her took away any thoughts that might have lingered.

"I have summoned you," she said, her voice cutting through the air.

Her words didn't make sense. Galen found himself shaking his head instinctively. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."

She tilted her head, studying him. Her expression darkened, disappointment flickering across her face. "After all this time, you do not recognize me?" she asked, her voice full of disbelief.

Recognize her? Galen furrowed his brow. He had no idea who she was... or what she was. His mind raced, looking for some kind of logical explanation. Maybe she was an advanced AI hologram, the kind found in luxury mechs he'd heard rumors about. But even that didn't feel right. She was too real. Too... alive.

"Okay, no offense," he said, forcing some strength into his voice, "but I think you've got the wrong guy. I don't even know where I am, let alone who you are."

Her eyes narrowed, the glow intensifying. "This is no mistake," her voice raised. "You have been summoned here by my will. To fight. To serve."

Those words caught Galen's atention. "Summoned? By you? I don't know what kind of game this is, but I didn't sign up for anything." His hands clenched into fists as he pushed himself to stand, the confusion in him beginning to turn into defiance. "And even if I did, why would I fight for someone I don't even know?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her expression hardening. "You are dead, mortal. This is not a request, it is a second chance."

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. Dead? No. That couldn't be true. His mind started searching for any logical explanation to what was happening, but her tone left no room for doubt.

"That's impossible," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I... I'm still alive." He looked over his body, to find any signs to confirm what he was hearing.

"You have been dead for a long time," she said coldly, stepping closer. "Regaining your true self will take time."

Her piercing gaze cut into him, and for the first time, Galen saw a flicker of something beneath her cold exterior. Desperation. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead she turned around, and stepped to the front wall of the cockpit. She placed her hand on it.

Galen looked at the wall as it shifted, the carvings unraveling like tangled vines. Light spilled into the space, and Galen saw them: two mechs. They loomed in the distance, their massive frames partially hidden by the murky water of a bog they were in. One carried a poleaxe, the other wielded a greatsword, its armor filled with scars from countless battles.

"Those who would see me destroyed approach," the woman said, her voice now steely and urgent. "They will not stop until we are both nothing but a past inconvenience."

Galen stared at the approaching mechs, his mind racing. They were closing in fast, their weapons already raised. His instincts screamed at him to move, to fight. But the cockpit, the mech, whatever this was, wasn't his to control.

"I've brought you here to become my champion," the woman said, her voice cutting through his emotions. "To fight as my avatar."

Galen turned back to her, disbelief taking over his face.

"If you don't, we both perish."

The words hung heavy in the air. Galen's hands trembled as he took one last look at the approaching mechs, their footsteps sending ripples across the bog. His lips parted, but no words came out. The only sound was the deep hum of the cockpit's carvings, pulsing faster now, as if they were alive and waiting.