"Test Vehicle One to Control, ready for final checks." Colonel Kinkaid said. Despite the prototypes immense size, the Mackie's cockpit was immensely cramped for all the diagnostic equipment that had been stuffed in it, as well as the bulky interface helmet he wore. Everything hummed with the quiet vibration of the fusion engine buried in shielding a few meters below his feet.
"Control to Test Vehicle One, T-minus 30 seconds, begin final checks. Reactor online. Sensors online. Weapons online. All systems nominal." The voice of the officer in the control room responded back over the radio. "Weather forcast for Yakima Valley Proving Grounds is 21 degrees and sunny, perfect for making history. You're free to proceed to the test range, Colonel."
"Roger." Charles Kinkaid responded as he pressed forward on the foot pedals. Around him, the mech reacted- myomer bundles tensed and loosened, armor plates slid across each other, the great gyro in the mech's core joined the hum of the fusion reactor- and he felt it through the helmet as a second body. Slowly, the Mackie lifted one gargantuan foot and placed it down in front of the other. Then again and again. The mech baby's umbilicals detached and retracted as it cleared the gantry, leaving Kinkaid to walk freely. He turned and stepped out of the hanger and into the sun and history books.
