[IC] - All the World's a Game

[wonderweiss]

Waikiki Beach, Hawaii; Huey

---

Alright, all done. I look at my watch. I should be just in time to make it to Engi-con.

"Hey, John, I'm taking off. If you need me, I'll be at Engi-con."

I activated the Pupa. "Systems ready. Automatic system analysis commencing... all systems functional."

I made the Pupa lower it's head and I climbed on. I drove it back to the driving range of Engi-con. Today is the garage display of Engi-con, and I don't want to miss that.

[S121]

Yukari's Resort

"Guess this will be a long day, isn't it?", Renamon asked.

"Yep."

"Hey, John, I'm taking off. If you need me, I'll be at Engi-con.", Huey said.

"Got it.", John said as he nodded to Huey.

(If we really have to fight an 'Eater of Worlds', then we're going to need all the help we can get... I might have an idea.), John thought to himself as he stared at the cup of coffee in his hands.

[WriggleRid3r]

Yukari's Resort

---

Yukari woke up after a little nap to find that the mouse Youkai disappeared.
"Guys, have you seen Nazrin?" Yukari asked John who was drinking coffee.

[S121]

Yukari's Resort

"She's over it that direction.", John said as he pointed at the beach.

[wonderweiss]

Engi-con, Hawaii; Huey

---

"Alright, put your hands together for the last day of engi-con!!!" The announcer spoke through a microphone.

"Today, we are showing off the big and the bad, the very heavy weapons! Who is up first... Mantis! Whoever came up with Mantis, come up here and show us what it can do!"

[Kristia]

Yukari´s resort

"Wasn´t that creature like you Renamon?" Nera asked and then gestured like she was holding something

"You were like this small and like a small furball, like a small child" she smiled

Renamon laughed too "You just love kids aren´t you?" she asked and the Jackal nodded

[S121]

Engi-con, Hawaii

A giant mechanical beast with two legs hummed to life as it stood up.

The fresh hydraulics could be heard as it raised to a full stand.



As soon as it came to a full stand, a man emerged from the hatch at the very top of the vehicle and began to speak.

"This mechanical marvel is called the Mantis. This powered exoskeleton is equipped with armor plating, energy shielding, and two weapon pods on each side.

The armor plating is made of a light-weight titanium alloy that is capable of protecting against even heavy caliber weapons and plasma, while the shields are capable of shrugging off bullets and covers every square inch of the vehicle.

As for the shield's power consumption, the Mantis has an experimental on-board fusion reactor that not only powers the shields, but the whole entire system.

As for the weapons, the Mantis carries an M655 20mm HMG/AM machine gun capable of shredding tank armor like cloth, and an M5920 35mm SGML/AM rocket pod module capable of housing five missiles at a time.

The machine gun can house up to 50,000 rounds and the rocket pods take rockets from it's storage bay and reloads the pods whenever needed, so one doesn't have to worry too much about running out of ordinance any time soon.

The one of the best parts is the fact that you can detach the "arms" and put a different weapon onto it.

So far, we're planning on making other attachments such as plasma cannons, lasers, railguns,... you name it, we're probably already developing it.

The gyro-system is so advanced that one could even stomp and jump without falling over.

The Mantis can house up to one person and is very light weight, despite the fact that its dimensions are 6x12x25 feet.

This beast is only 4,500 lb, so it's very easy to ship one out to where it's needed.

And that, my friends, is the Mantis. Any questions?"

[wonderweiss]

"That's an interesting speech. But can you live up to your reputation? Bring out the test range!"

All of a sudden, a course emerged.

"Alright, we will test out the machine gun and the rockets as well as the mobility. Whenever you are ready!"

[S121]

Engi-con, Hawaii

The Mantis walked into the testing site and the "arms" aimed forward.

"Ready for war.", the man inside the Mantis said.

[wonderweiss]

"Alright! Close the gate and activate the internal cameras, it's time to go!!!"

There was a buzzing sound.

"First test is the mobility test. You are going to run through a maze. This test is not to see how fast you get to the end, but your action and reaction skills. Go!"

[S121]

Engi-con, Hawaii

The Mantis shot off into the maze and began running through.

Thanks to the onboard radar, the maze was not a problem.

The man inside was obviously experienced with his machine. It was evident, due to the maneuvers he would perform in it.

Each turn was a very sharp one, due to various modifications he had done to the original design.

The legs were not only powered by hydraulics, but also by an expensive synthetic nano-muscle.

If he ever made a mistake, there was also an AI that would assist him in his maneuvers, to ease the burden of poor reaction time and human error.

The Mantis had already made its way through half of the maze.

[wonderweiss]

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle! The thing is amazing!"

"Interesting..." I said.

[S121]

Engi-con, Hawaii

Seeing as how well he was doing, the man decided to show off a little.

Once the Mantis got to the exit, the man pushed 50 feet off of the ground and made the Mantis flip forward.

<WARNING> <WARNING> <WARNING>

The AI inside the Mantis corrected itself and landed on its feet, causing a loud boom and making the ground shake.

The Mantis had easily finished the maze.

The man smirked as he sat in the machine. Was he kind of arrogant? Perhaps, but he had been piloting the Mantis for three years, testing it vigorously. He was arrogant, but not blind.

He knew the Mantis's limits and stayed within them.

[WriggleRid3r]

Yukari's Resort

---

The little mouse Youkai silently scurried around. Rumia saw that she was actually making a... meal?
"Have you not ate your lunch yet?" Rumia asked the Youkai. The mouse Youkai merely nodded and continued, gathering a bowl or rice and a kettle full of tea to make Ochazuke.

[S121]

Yukari's Resort

John looked over at Nazrin, then back to Yukari.

"Anyway, do you want some coffee too? I know that no matter what I say, you'll still go without sleep, so the best I can do is at least make your job easier. It'll help.", John said to Yukari.