[Snowman24]

Spoiler for rough Marion preview #2:

A short while later, and with the V4 not giving chase to the retreating units, the remaining students from each class regrouped. A quick headcount revealed that out of the near 100 students, 30 had been killed and a few were missing. Class G had suffered the least amount of casualties and injuries, but… they were one student short of a full headcount.

Magari came crying up to the front and told Avan and Zeri the sad story of how she was forced to leave Marion behind and how terrible she felt about it.

“Don’t worry, Magari,” Avan said as he hugged her, “None of us blame you for what happened.”

“Those Rebels… they laid a trap for us… and we walked right into it!” Zeri said, frustration in his voice.

“There was no way we could have ever guessed that that depot was housing such a terrible machine of war.” Cosette said.

“But did you see that…” Franca said in disbelief, “W-we rained hell down upon it with bullets, lancaar rounds and tank shells and it barely even made a dent in it.”

“It’s not the first time the Rebels have come out with a superior looking weapon of war… and we’ve always managed to beat them, somehow!” Avan said confidently. “We’ll beat that monster of a machine, then get Marion back to us! I just know it!”

“But, we’re undermanned, Avan,” said Zeri, “We need more tanks, soldiers and equipment here before we mount any sort of rescue mission.”

“Right, I’m on it!” said Avan as he then leapt up onto the tank and got on the radio with the Academy, requesting reinforcements.

Meanwhile, back at the weapons depot, soldiers were scouring the area, rounding up any dead bodies and piling them high. Their weapons were stacked like tepees next to the mounds of bodies. In the middle of the base, Gilbert Gassenarl, Baldren Gassenarl and a man with long back hair, glasses and a white lab coat were surveying the damage done by the new V4, codenamed ’Golem’.

“S-so, what do you think, sir?” the scientist with glasses asked, “Q-quite impressive if I do say so myself!”

“Dr. Valdren, I saw more troops scatter and successfully retreat, than were killed here in the base by your ’Golem’ creation. So I’m not too impressed.” Gilbert replied as he walked with his hands behind his back.

“A few squads of my V2s could have successfully ensnared then, cut off their retreat and killed them all much quicker than this lumbering beast, Father.” Baldren said, not sounding too impressed either.

“B-but I’ve made vast improvements from my last prototype, have I not?” Dr. Valdren replied, “I’ll admit my own failure, the V3 was not as combat affective as I had originally hoped, sir.”

“You won’t always get a drop on your enemy with a huge machine like this, Golem, Dr. Valdren.” Baldren pointed out. “It’s far too big, bulky and slow moving… I don’t like it, Father.”

“Baldren has a point. It couldn’t even give chase to the fleeing enemy units, even those on foot were much faster than this machine of yours.” Gilbert said, now sounding even more unimpressed.

“W-well sir, I could make more improvements, if only you’d give me more funds for research, development and building supplies--”

“More?!” Gilbert roared, “Do you know how much time, money and man hours we’ve spent on this hunk of junk! And now you're asking for more!”

“Well sir, with more tests I’m sure that we could--”

“SIR! We found a survivor!!” A soldier called out.

“And now there’s a survivor from your Golems rampage… pathetic!” Gilbert said while shaking his head. He then headed off with Baldren to see this so called, survivor.

“Fools… both of them… They have no idea what something like this golem can become. It may very well surpass the tank as the main vehicle on the battlefield!” Dr. Valdren said to himself. He then headed off to catch up with the General and his son.

A short while later, General Gassenarl and Baldren came upon the lone survivor, still pinned under a large sheet of metal. She appeared to be unconscious, but her breathing was soft and steady.

General Gassenarl turned to Dr. Valdren, “It appears that she was untouched by your Golem. A mere piece of sheet metal is what took her out.”

“Let me correct that mistake, sir!” Dr. Valdren said. He then reached down to his lab coat and pulled out a large radio out and raised it to his lips, “Golem! To me!!”

The huge lumbering Golem then stomped across the base, shaking the ground with each step. The shaking managed to wake Marion from her state of unconsciousness and she gave her head a shake and moaned. She then gasped as she looked all around and saw that she was surrounded by soldiers. But what surprised her the most, was that General Gassenarl and his son, Baldren were there in front of her. Her attention was suddenly turned to the gigantic artificial valkyria, coming ever closer to where she was lying trapped.

“You might want to back up, sir. This could get messy.” Dr. Valdren instructed as he backed up with the rest of the soldiers from around Marion.

The huge machine then stopped in front of Dr. Valdren and looked down at him. Dr. Valdren smiled, raised the radio to his mouth and said, “Golem! Crush this insect beneath your foot!”

The Golem then took two more steps and was now in front of Marion. She looked up at it and her breathing increased from terror and the thought of imminent death by being crushed.

The Golem then slowly raised one leg up and brought it overtop of Marion, ready to crush her. That was when Marion covered her head and emitted the loudest, shrillest shriek of terror imaginable. Next came something unexpected. The Golems head turned side to side and it paused with its leg still in the air, not crushing the helpless girl under its foot.

General Gilbert was watching with his arms crossed, “Hmph, what’s the problem, Doctor?” he asked, “Why does he hesitate?”

“My V2s would never hesitate, Father. They’d carry out their orders swiftly and without question.”

Dr. Valdren fumbled with the radio, then managed to press the talk button, “Crush her! Do you hear me!? I ordered you to crush this girl!!”

Marion was sobbing uncontrollably under the Golems foot, hands still covering her head. But the Golem wasn’t moving, it still had its foot hovering just a few feet above her. Then… it spoke: “…No…”

General Gassenarl and Baldren laughed together at the spectacle, “Did he just refuse your orders… This Golem is looking less and less like a well worth investment, and you know what that means!”

Dr. Valdren cursed, then threw the radio to the paved ground and shattered it. He then turned to General Gassenarl and with his hands together, pleaded, “Please, sir… D-don’t kill me! I know I failed you once with the V3 prototype, but I can fix this! Just give me some more time! I’ll find out what the problem is, honest!”

General Gassenarl stroked his beard while he thought, then said, “Very well… but this is your last chance. Fail me again and I’ll have you executed and all of your family thrown in jail. Your estate and all its property will be confiscated and given to my son and daughter. Understand?”

Dr. Valdren trembled, adjusted his glasses and nodded his head quickly, “Y-yes sir… I-I’ll see to it personally!”

General Gassenarl looked at Baldren, smirked and shook his head. The two then left the area, along with their soldiers, providing escort for the General and his son.

Meanwhile, Dr. Valdren was pacing back and forth, running a hand through his sweaty hair and getting more worked up by the minute. He then looked up at the Golem and shouted, “Golem! Get over here!”

The Golem removed its foot from its hovering position over Marion, then walked up to the Doctor and loomed over him while looking down at him.

“What the hell was that!?” Dr. Valdren screamed, “I gave you a direct order and you disobeyed me!”

The Golem remained silent, Dr. Valdren then clapped his hands together, “I got it! You were confused right? From the battle! That has to be it!

Yes, yes! All that firing, getting hit and the new experience of it all must have done something to your circuits.”

Again the Golem didn’t reply, it simply turned its large mechanical head in the direction of Marion and looked down at her silently.

Two of Dr. Valdrens assistants, also wearing lab coats appeared, “Sir! Was that test a success? Was the General impressed?” the female assistant asked.

Dr. Valdren shook his head, “Hardly…”

“What happened, sir?” the male assistant asked.

“More of the enemy escaped than was killed by our Golem and he refused my orders to kill this girl here.” Dr. Valdren said while pointing at Marion, who was still pinned under the sheet of metal.

“Was it a malfunction, sir?” the female assistant asked.

Dr. Valdren shook his head and adjusted his glasses a few times out of a nervous habit whenever he got worked up. “I don’t know, but we’re going to explore all the options. Get him back to the research facility!” Dr. Valdren ordered, but he stopped as his gaze fixed on Marion, “And bring the girl, too!”

“The girl? Why?” the male assistant asked.

“Like I said, we need to explore all the options, one includes his refusal to kill her. Maybe there’s a reason behind it!” Dr. Valdren said as he walked next to his huge Golem back to the base.

Both of the assistants then lifted the sheet of metal off of Marion and put her arms over each of their shoulders and began to walk back with her. Marion was took weak to resist, or even talk for that matter, she simply allowed them to take her.

Actually, I want to get this Marion fanfic over with first. I've got some good momentum going with writing it, and I'd rather not stop and switch over to the Magari one, until this one is finished.

I think the whole writing a bit, stopping to think and plan, isn't work as well as I had thought and hoped for. Seems when I stop, I lose momentum and the will to write it. All my stories reflect that.

I used to dish out a chapter per night in the past for Adventures in War and Just My Luck when i'd write it in one go. Now, I'm lucky if I get a chapter per month out :*(

So, while the momentum is good, I'll stick to one story at a time. No more, writing a thousand words or so, stopping, thinking and adding more later. If I can help it, I'll write it in one go :P