The unidentified container truck of the Realm, Passage & Gate Foundation soon reached a location which is concealed from the eyes of the people around. The drivers got out of the truck & entered the trailer.
Inside, they are greeted by the sight of their arsenal, which are armoured exoskeleton frames known as the Battle Frame (BF). BF is a type mech which houses an operator within its bare minimum frame, where it is often designed to follow the body contour of its designated pilot.
Nicknamed as a combat coffin as it encased the pilot like how a coffin encased a cadaver meant for a funeral. The most common design used is the walker type, due to its ability to navigate better through a variety of terrain, there are other designs such as aircraft cockpits which is conveniently used in the early days for the development of such mechs.
These machines of war are the progenitor for the mechs used by the forces of the foundation for their diverse range of operations in the worlds within their domain. Unlike powered armour which requires complicated procedures for its wearer to be suited up using dedicated facilities, battle frames do not require such facilities, allowing it to be quickly deployed with a short time of preparation.
Inside the large trailer which they use to store their BFs, there are four units of these machines for all member of Shepherd Team with every BF unit has its armament to be set based to their role in the team.
Fox Hound boarded his BF, which is equipped for close quarter battle, mainly focusing on fights in close range & confined quarters which a striker excels. Dire Wolf enters his, armed with an array of weapons designed to deal with a wide variety of combat situations which is similar to his role in the team as a ranger.
Snow Owl got into his BF & as a sniper of the team, it is fixed with powerful precision long range weapons & advance sensors for his mech. Black Bear is the last one who boarded his BF after making final checks to all their BFs. The team combat engineer’s mech as its role implies has equipment for engineering works in the battlefield & electronics warfare.
All BFs of Shepherd Team activated upon recognising their pilots’ psychic & magical signature similar to the manner of the Avatar Frame when boarded by its designated pilot. After all machines completed their identification of their pilots, the combat computer of these mech begins to boot up, initializing its start up sequences where it begins with a systems check to all its functions & weapons.
“Shepherd Team, systems check over.” Fox Hound called his team.
“Black Bear, jammers are ready to jam.”
“Snow Owl, sensors clean & mounted.”
“Dire Wolf, battle frame is good to go.”
“Fox Hound, mech is up & running.”
“This is Ranch Hall, reading all systems green from my screen.”
“Ranch Hall, we are now opening the hatch to deploy Kinetic Assisted Launcher & Lander (KALL) now.”
Black Bear gave the order to the computer with his thoughts to open the launch hatch for their mechs. It causes the top & right side of the container that they are in to open, revealing their designs for the first time to Earth.
Two metal bars extended from the frame holding those mechs & it tilted to an angle which an aircraft will make for a flight take off along with the mechs. From the screen of all the mechs & Ranch Hall, there is a bar showing the energy level of the mech launcher they are using. In a short time, the bar is fully filled, indicating that there is enough power to launch all those BFs manned by Shepherd Team.
“Roger that, KALL is hot, Shepherd Team, you are clear for launch.”
“Alright boys, Shepherd Team, launch!”
Fox Hound ordered his team upon receiving the cue to take flight by Ranch Hall. With the fully powered magnetic field around their mechs, the launcher launched all of them into the air at the direction of their enemy.
The launch is undetected due to the lack of indicator which will tell their location to their enemies, such as loud noises & bright lights. Like a stone shot from a slingshot, all those mechs took off without any problems.
Shepherd Team combat display immediately changes to show their estimated time of arrival to the enemy stronghold, which made them excited on how would their target respond with the surprise delivered to their doorstep.
Hell’s Torch got up from the chair he is sitting the moment his studio crew are done with his makeup. They are worried on how he would respond with the hasty work they had to complete in a short time. Posing in front of the mirror & checking himself, their boss engrossed himself with several poses in front of the mirror.
The makeup crew breath in relieve, knowing that their work had brought the results that their big boss wanted. He walked into the broadcasting room, treating himself to be entitled to such treatment without any gratitude to the underlings who are working with him.
Walking into the room & standing in front of his camera, Hell’s Torch started his speech to address every member of his syndicate in their private network. He started off his speech by praising the commitment of his enforcers, who are willing to fight for the glory of their syndicate.
The big boss proclaimed that this will be the “Greatest Gang War” in the history of their organisation, further solidifying their hold & expanding their share of the market. With a great growth that they will make today, their booming business will further ensure all members of the syndicate will prosper to greater riches that is beyond their wildest dreams.
Embolden by their big boss & driven by the thirst for revenge, many had answered the call of their big boss to join his full force campaign. From the many hidden strongholds throughout North America, they fire their guns in frenzy to the air
Looking from the screens which show the crowd which gather to listen to their leader’s speech, he smiled, looking at the commitment that his gang members are willing to put to fight for him.
This thought are not shared by the members of Hell’s Torch inner circle, as the info regarding their business rival is too easy to be obtained in detail by their spies. The convenience & the timing rattled them badly, as they are seasoned thugs of their former gangs & syndicates before joining Hell’s Torch.
In the mist of all the cheering by all his underlings, a loud explosion suddenly erupted, killing off the mood they had at the moment. The attack replaces their excitement with shock & confusion.
“What the fuck is going on?!” Hell’s Torch yells, demanding for an answer.
“Boss, someone fire a rocket us!” An underling informed him.
“Kill Them! Kill Them All!”
These are the words that the delusional boss could utter before hell breaks loose in his stronghold. Looking at the screen in his broadcasting room, he sees the images of attacks happening simultaneously to all locations which his underlings had gathered.
Before he could react more to the situation that he had at hand, another explosion rocked the building again with screams can be heard from all over the place. Looking with disbelieved, Hell’s Torch is stunned by the unexpected development which escalated beyond his expectations.
“No… It can’t be….” He muttered.
