Magnum Force: Episode 1A "Beginnings"

[Millions]

(This thing is long as hell...if you don't want to read all the technical crap just scroll down till you reach the row of stars for some semi-action...this is a new series/comic I'm planning to write and illustrate for a hobby...I'll scan some Illos of the main Mechs and Characters soon...please let me know what you think...it's my first attempt at something like this)

Am...am I awake? Am I even alive? This coldness, this empty alone feeling...why? Why am I feeling this....?

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Tijauna Mexico 2071. Thirty miles from United American Borders:

"Hey...hey vato...what the hell man? You awake" A seedy local calls to the corner of the decayed building, his tan skin covered with a thin glaze of sweat. The man he calls to stands covered in the shadows, a cigarrette dangling between his lips...

"Yeah...yeah I'm awake. Let's do this ---- already." He returns in a gruff voice. As he steps out of the shadows, he drops his cigarrette, cold blue eyes flicker from under an untamed wave of black hair. He steps towards the local man, nodding to him and three other men behind him.

"We got no time for you to sit there and smoke man! La migra will catch on to us, we gotta get this to the buyer now...you sure you got the stuff to get us across the border? That Mech of yours looks pretty old man."

The local's long fingers drop down from under his poncho, pointing to the end of a dusty road where the sun dances off the armor of three machines, each five stories tall. The two on the end are dull tan, blending in with the desert dirt, their armored chests puffed out, the small heads mounted flush to the shoulders of the giant robot.

The third in the middle a complete contrast, it's blue and black armor covered in a thin layer of dust, it's right shoulder harnessed in an orangish red cover. It stands at least 60 feet tall, it's head sleek and extended from it's neck, it's yellow eyes glare like a demons in the hot Mexico sun.

"Hey Oneal...I asked you a question man...your piece o' crap gonna do the job eh?" The local man pokes Oneal in the chest, nodding to the burned out cigarrette he just tossed. "Or is it gonna burn out like that damne smoke?"

Oneal frowns slightly as he brushes a strand of black hair from his face. "It'll go the distance...just make sure your boys can keep up...I don't want to get to the border and have to deal with the Border Runners."

"Allright allright Oneal...don't get your panties in a twist...it's not good for your 'equipment' if you know what I mean." The local nudges the man as he hops on the back of the beat up Chevy pickup truck, slapping the top of the vehicle. "Vamanos!"

Dust trails drag behind the truck as it heads off, Oneal dragging his foot off the back of the car as it speeds down towards the Mechs. ~Damnit~ He thinks. ~I'm in over my head this time.~

"All right all lets do this...Carlos, Ferd....get into suit. Oneal...you need help to suit?" The unamed local calls back to Oneal.

"Yeah I do..." Oneal mummbles through his thin lips.

"Allright, Cedric, help out Mr. Tough Guy here into this...thing of his..." A thin greasy man hops out of the truck, a pair of thick goggles over his eyes, his sweaty brown hair flips out of his face as he nods to Oneal.

"Eh man...name's Cedric...your Oneal right?" He asks as the two head for a cherry picker at the foot of the large mech.

"Yeah...that's me" Oneal remarks.

"Oh bitchin...I aint seen a Mech like this before...what the hell model is it eh?" Cedric enquires as he pulls the lever on the cherry picker, raising the bucket with both men inside towards the cockpit at the back of the robot.

"It's an old designed...non production model...you wont EVER see another one like this..." Oneal drags his hand over the thick armor of his Mech as the bucket reaches it's final destination.

"Oh yeah? What do you call it then Oneal?"

"Magnum..."

Cedric raises an eyebrow at the name, chuckling slightly. "Whatever man...what kinda interface you runnin here...Holy ----!" He gasps as the final hatch slides open, revealing the cockpit inside the Magnum, a flat metal cross as tall as a man stands in the middle, huge arm shackles and cords hanging over the symbol.

Cedric gasps again. "Hey man...this is a Cerberal Interface! Puts your entire damn conciousness into the Mech! No hand controls...no visual connectors??" He asks as Oneal shrugs off his shirt and begins peeling off long strands of fake skin, reveling plug holes up and down his arms, his neck and his temples.

"Yeah that's right...just help me plug in allright?" As he mounts the cross, slowly pulling the cords from behind the metal plating and inserting them into his skin.

"Well okay man...good luck on your run. Me and the boys are counting on you...your services aint cheap." Cedric pats Oneal on the back as he inserts the last plug into the back of the mans neck and steps outta the mech, shutting the bulkheads outside to seal Oneal inside.

~God...dark...it's always so dark in here...I hate it...~ Oneal thinks...suddenly, the metallic whirl of engines begin booting up inside the Magnum, the spark of a small computer screen lights up the cockpit in an eerie green glow. The screen blips as a few small words slide across the screen...

*MAGNUM SYSTEMS ONLINE...CHECKING PILOTS DETAILS...CONFIRMED...ONEAL, LEE LAW...PROCESSING SYNOPSIS TO LOCAL MAGNUM UPLOADING SYSTEM* Oneal sighs slightly as the last line of text scrolls in front of him, a small whirl behind him initiated a line of code into his brain, putting him to sleep almost instantly...

~Darkness again~ Oneal thinks in a subconsious state ~C'mon, hurry up...link me...link me...~ His eyes adjust suddenly, the harsh desert sun beating down on his skin...but the body he bares is no longer his own. His entire subconcious has been transfered into the Magnum, it's body is now his...

"Allright Oneal..." A staticy voice booms over the com unit inside Oneal's head. "Lets do this....Ferd and Carlos will carry the payload...you just get us through the border and into Sub San Diego...got it?"

"Got it" Oneal's mind answers back, his echoed voice responds back.

"Vamanos vatos! Grab the load and move out, we'll meet you on the other side!"

The two tan mechs reach for a long metal tank, hoisting the heavy vat onto their shoulders and slowly begin to lumber off north with Oneal quickly following behind in the Magnum. The sleek mech moves quickly, it's movements matching that of a graceful human, it's joints fluid in motion unlike most bulky Mechs built after the Mind Wars...

"Hey..." Oneal shouts in his mind over the comlink. "You never told me what we're smuggling here."

"The less you know the better Oneal...we'll explain it later...ONCE you get us into the United Americas."

The mid day sun beats down heavy as the three metal monstors haul off into the hot sand.

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Three hours later, United American Borders, Gaurd Tower 74.

"Hey! Hey Paul! I've got something here on radar...looks like three runner maybe..." A border patrol agent shouts over his comlink, his hands wrapped tightly around the cold metal grips inside the cockpit of his white and green U.A. issued Mech.

"What?! Maybe they're just lost Rico...no one ever comes out THIS far out into the desert...even smugglers." A second Mech joins the first, both brandishing heavy rifles in their giant metal hands. "Radio them...maybe they're just some f---ed up locals looking for a hoot or something."

"Attention, this is U.A.B. agents, disband your Mechs and...what the hell?!" The first agent shouts as a high powered Mech hand gun round pierces the air, ripping through it's shoulder armor.

"Damnit! Rico!" The second agent shouts as he pulls up his rifle to aim...to little to late...like lightning, Oneal inside of the Magnum is on the agent, tearing the gun from the Mechs hand and tossing it aside.

The border mech pulls up it's heavy fist, thrusting it towards the Magnums head. In a flash of blue and black, the Magnum draws it's closest fist up to lead the Border Mechs attack away, quickly drawing up it's other arm to replace the first. The Magnum turns quickly, it's arm still holding the Border Mechs hand in the air. He grabs the back of the white mechs head, spinning the monstorous robot around and flinging it through the heavy stone wall behind him.

The first Border Mech slowly lumbers to it's feet, gripping its injured shoulder. "Damn you!" The man inside the machine shouts as he rushes the wicked Magnum. The Border mech throws three quick punches, aimed at the head of Oneal's robot. With uncanny speed, the Magnum ducks the first two punches and feigns away from the third as it brings it's heavy foot up to the head of the Border Mech, smashing the metal casing protecting crucial circuits in the mechs skull.

The nerve connections connected to the pilot react, simulating the hard kick to the head as the man inside the machine screams again....another kick follows behind the first, smashing the head casing of the Border mech again...Oneal plants his robots foot to the ground, spinning on its toe and following with yet another kick in the form of a wicked roundhouse, totally cracking and smashing the head of his oppenent's mech.

The white and green Border Mech falls to the ground right behind his fallen comrade, a huge hole punched in one Mech's head...and another through the border wall seperating Mexico from the United Americas. The Magnum withdraws from its motion, slowly pulling back it's right foot and taking a standard Ju-Jitsu stance, it's left arm balled into a fist and cocked behind it's chest, it's right arm extended towards it's fallen enemies.

"DAMN Oneal...that is one crazy piece of ---- you got there! I've never seen a mech move like that...! You must have paid a fortune for that thing!" A voice booms over Oneal's comlink.

"Yeah whatever..." Oneal answers back. "Let's just get this crap to Sub San Diego allright...You all still owe me..."

To be continued...

(Pictures in the work too)