Antimony pointed to the doors behind her. “There’s a pilot elevator there. It’ll take you to where you need to go.
Fuck.
We’re really going to have to explain the color system to you. Now go. We have an hour before primary engagement.”
Without another word and a stern nod, Epoc went through the doors. She had expected an elevator. Instead, there were private changing rooms and what appeared to be a car seat of some kind, covered in straps. Ah. She quickly stripped out of her clothing (
all
of her clothing, a small sign on the wall reminded her) and she deposited everything in a bin to her side. She sat down on the seat, fiddled with the straps for just a second, figured out what clicked where, and put her feet and hands on the stirrups and handlebars. This felt like an “arms and legs inside the ride” kind of situation.
Epoc pushed the big red button next to her.
Instantly, the seat launched upward, the g-forces meticulously calibrated so as to keep the average occupant from fainting while still allowing for the highest possible speed. She realized she was being shunted through a tube network at the same time as she came to a standstill. The seat was turned to a round aperture that slid open and revealed… a cockpit.
Ah. She undid the straps and climbed into it.
“Arcus, huh?” she touched the inside of the Frame. Going by the kind of make, Arcus wasn’t a Mako design. She looked Old World, or at least designed to resemble it, all hard angles and shiny blacks, with gold and bronze finishing. Industrial decadence.
She slipped into the seat, shivering when metal, leather and cloth touched her bare skin, and she quickly turned the machine on, turning on the internal climate control. Frames like this needed a little bit more fiddling than what Mako Group presented. Mako prided itself on their Frames being smart enough to adjust itself to its pilot. Arcus, by contrast, needed its car seat adjusted.
All systems powered up, and she once again felt the strange sensation of her genitalia being cradled and the gentle prodding against her backside. It looked like Mako Group hadn’t wasted any time in adjusting Arcus to their own unique piloting style.
“–me in, Epoc. This is Winter. All systems nominal. Please respond.”
“Right here, Handler,” Epoc said, letting herself relax into the seat. The Arcus vision system was different than that of the battler she’d been in. The battler had relied on a screen and projected data, following her iris to ensure maximum efficiency. Arcus, instead, lowered a headset onto her head, with screens very close to her cornea. There was a lot of debate as to the perfect information display system, but Epoc preferred the latter. She liked the comfort of the screen in front of her eyes. It allowed her to project herself into the Frame easier, made her feel less like someone trapped in a small can.
That said, Arcus’ headset was a little too heavy for comfort. She was in the dark, green lines of confirmation running up and down her vision to show her all the break points. No issues yet. In fact, this engine was
well
tuned. Arcus was a backup, she needed to be ready for the field at a moment’s notice.
“She’s still booting up, but purring like a kitten. I’m waiting on weapon systems. Please advise.”
“We’re reloading. For obvious reasons, we don’t keep these cannons armed in storage.”
“Makes sense,” Epoc said, settling into the seat, trying to get comfortable. She realized that, in this context, it was a lot harder for her to really, well, pay attention to her crotch. Arousal wasn’t nearly as close to the surface when people’s lives were on the line.
This wasn’t sparring.
“Epoc,” Handler Winter said, “we haven’t had the time to do conditioning yet, but I’m going to need you to listen to me, okay?”
“I’m not synchronizing.”
“You’re not synchronizing,” Winter confirmed. “Primary viewport is booting up now.”
The eyes on Arcus sent their date directly to Epoc’s field of view. In front of her was a giant open door. Haptic feedback was being sent to her body. She could
feel
the weight of the missile launchers as they were placed on her shoulders. Her arms moved sluggishly because of the cannons attached to each hand, one dual launcher each.
“Weapon systems, online,” Arcus told her with a little tinny, artificial voice.
“Oh, you speak?”
“Yeah,” Handler Winter said. “She’s not very vocal but she’ll keep you up to date if something’s wrong and you can’t afford to start reading text.”
“Neat,” Epoc said and took a step forward. Gamma Frames were large, standing a hefty forty feet tall, but they couldn’t compare to the giants of the Alpha classes. That said, they had mobility options the big boys didn’t. She went through all her options.
“High velocity propulsion systems, online,” Arcus said.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Epoc said with a happy grin.
“You think that’s nice, just wait until Nexus is ready.”
“She’s way too big for jets,” Epoc said. There was no response. “Isn’t she?”
“Let’s just focus on the mission. We’ve got incoming in forty-five and I don’t want you to engage that thing anywhere near our base, so we’re going to get a move on,” Handler Winter said.
“Copy.” Epoc stepped out of the hangar and looked around. She saw Frames all around her stepping out of the hangars. Some were her size, and most were smaller. “Going to say hi to the team.”
“Make it quick, Epoc. We need to synchronize you.”
“Will do, Handler,” she said, and switched bands.
“This is Epoc. All systems green across the board.”
“Hey! Girls! We’ve got a Hound with us today! Try to put your best foot forward!” One of the Frames, a bit to her left, waved. It was a sleek model, seemingly made for high velocity and higher altitude. She had folded wings. The person speaking switched to a private channel. “This is Angel. I’m team leader on Panther Squadron. Don’t worry, you’ll get a callsign when you’ve done your first mission.”
“Good to meet you, Angel,” Epoc said. “Looks like that’s going to be sooner than I’d like.”
“It’s going to be fine. You’ve got a bunch of fresh Cats all looking to impress Mako’s new Hound, and it looks like you’re armed and ready to go fight a war all on your own.”
“I’ll do my best to keep up!”
“Just try not to make us look bad. And when in doubt, follow my lead.” Another wave, and they were back on an open band. “Alright, Rats! I don’t want to see any Pack Rats getting in the way like last time. Not pointing any fingers but Des, fuck’s sake, get over your ex. Stormrats, follow your team lead! This is a
single target
, so just strafe and stay out of its way. If you’re drawing attention, pull back and let another team take over.” A little chatter of confirmation later, Angel continued. “Panthers!”
“Yeah!” All the voices of the squad chimed in at once.
“Do you want to die today?”
“
No, Ma’am!”
“You gonna?”
“
No, Ma’am!”
“Good girls. Move out!”
With a smirk, Epoc signed out of the com band. She was going to be taking her orders from someone else. She kept the line available though. She wouldn’t be cut off from them.
“Handler,” she said. “I’m here.”
“Had your fun? Good. Then let’s get you synchronized. We don’t have much time, so I’m going to need you to listen to my voice.”
“Yes, Handler.”
The ground trembled from the multitude of frames and vehicles marching out. They were headed north to meet the oncoming creature head on.
Handler Winter’s voice was soft in her ear. Gentle. Whispered. Epoc wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or if Arcus was blowing her ear. Whatever it was, it worked.
“Epoc,” she said. “Listen to me very carefully.” Under her, the machine very gently started to stroke, very deliberately. At a very deliberate pace. “What you’re feeling right now,” Handler Winter said, “is me. I’m in that cockpit with you.” Slowly, the plug, lubricated and warm and pliable, pushed inside of her. “What you’re feeling right now is me. The hand on your cock is mine. The cock inside you is mine. Arcus isn’t fucking you. I am. Do you know why?”
Panting and trying to think of what to say, trying to steady herself, Epoc bit her lip. “Because–”
“Because you’re my Hound,” Handler Winter said. “Because you want me to. Because I own you, Epoc, and this is how I make you my best pilot. Because you’re a good girl who deserves to be fucked.”
“Yes,” Epoc said, slowly grinding her hips. She had to resist falling to her hands and knees. The feeling was intense, but the mental image, of her Handler not just whispering in her ear but wrapped around her, inside of her, gently pumping away, was intense. She was about to go into battle and her Handler would be inside of her the entire time.
“Good girl,” Handler Winter said. “Can you do something for me?”
“C–copy,” Epoc managed.
“Bark for me?”
“Wh-What?”
“Bark. Say woof. You’re a Hound. Dogs bark.”
Epoc grit her teeth. Why was she being asked to do this? Fuck, it was really hard to think through the haze of sex.
“Woof.”
“Good
girl,
” Handler Winter said. “You are green for go, Epoc. Go catch up with the others. I’ll be right with you.”
“Copy,” she said and then, because she couldn’t help herself, “woof.”
“Easy there,” her Handler said, but Epoc could hear the smile in the woman’s voice. “Eager.”
“Yes, Handler,” Epoc said. The rhythm had slowed down, but now she leaned into it. She hovered constantly on the edge of letting herself sink into it and tuning it out. She needed to let it keep her sharp.
“Want to go running?”
“Hmm?”
“I have controls for the High Velocity Propulsion system right here. I can let you go running. You just have to ask.”
“Hell yes,” Epoc said. “Handler, permission to use the HVP?”
“Say please.”
“Fucking–” Epoc started, and then the plug slid very deep into her ass and her vision went double. She groaned deeply. “Yes, Handler,” she moaned. “Can I please use the HVP?”
“There, was that so hard?” Winter said. “HVP approved.”
Gently bouncing onto the now-retreating plug, Epoc leaned forward and fired off the boosters. She could feel Arcus slowly being pushed forward, and she had to make adjustments to make sure she was going forward and not up or, heaven forbid,
down.
But she managed to keep the Gamma Frame steady and moving and looking forward as her engine put out more energy than entire cities did in seconds, all to keep her in the air. Despite the imminent danger to herself and her new friends, Epoc was happy, and not just because her Handler had a finger on Epoc’s
very
literal buttons.
Sure, it was easy to say that one wanted to become a pilot to save the world or to fight monsters or even just for the boost in power. It was tempting to describe it in philosophical or high concept terminology but the real reason almost anyone had ever wanted to be a pilot was very simple.
Because you want to fly.