The interior of the MACE suit consisted of a white jelly-like substance, creating an exoskeleton to house the user.
From what the Atlas had explained to Jake, the material can easily shape itself according to the size and dimensions of the user using electrical signals sent from the onboard AI.
"You want to go first, Lyra?" Jake turned to speak to Lyra, who curiously touched and felt the jelly.
Jake did not mind, nor was he greedy and since Lyra was more excited to check it out, he wanted her to go first.
"It's okay Jake, you can go first. I'm a little scared too." Lyra spoke and gave a little nervous laugh as she watched the jelly react to her touch.
(She's a sweet girl. She does not want to look bad in your eyes.) The Atlas spoke which confused Jake a little.
'Huh, she knows I would never think of her like that.' Jake spoke back to the Atlas.
(Yes, she knows that too, but love is a scary and powerful emotion. It seems it's getting harder and harder for her to hide it.)
'Then what should I do? It's not like I'm an expert and you haven't explicitly crammed my brain with that information.' Jake spoke, befuddled by how he should approach the situation.
(Billions of people lose the love of their lives because of miscommunication, misunderstandings and not knowing how to understand situations.
Lucky for you, you have me. I will tell you exactly how to handle this according to her characteristics. Also, who said I didn't teach you about these things, I did, they're just locked.) The Atlas spoke, pride in its tone.
'I know Jake said he doesn't mind and I know that too but still, this should be fine, right?' Lyra spoke to herself nervously.
She promised herself she would not be selfish anymore, especially around Jake. She wasn't a woman yet and that day when Aria had dressed up made her feel lacking in many aspects.
She watched as Jake gave her a heartwarming smile before rubbing the top of her head.
Conflicted feelings clouded Lyra's mind as although she loved that Jake was rubbing her head, she felt frustrated and a little sad that he was still treating her like a child.
She smiled back at Jake and thought she had hidden her emotions well, yet she was no match for the Atlas.
"Thank you, Lyra." Jake spoke before slowly getting into the suit.
As he lay down he called for Lyra.
"Hey Lyra, can you come here real quick." Jake spoke as he lifted his head a little, while Lyra who was thinking about something snapped out before coming close.
"Y-Yes Jake?" She spoke although a little startled.
Lyra peaked her head into the suit and before she could react, Jake popped his head out and pressed his lips against hers.
It took a few seconds for Lyra to process what had happened, and the moment she did, her eyes widened and her heart rapidly beat.
Jake pressed his lips to hers for a few more seconds before slowly removing them.
Lyra did not move from where she was and blankly stared at Jake who was a little amused by her reaction.
Slowly, Lyra lowered her eyes to meet Jake's. Lyra felt her face heat up as she blushed furiously, her mind in overdrive after what just happened yet the words which came out of Jake's mouth had quelled all her questions and thoughts.
Jake sat up and hugged Lyra, one hand holding her back and the other holding her head, gently rubbing the back of it.
"Don't hide your feelings around me, just be yourself, okay?" Jake whispered softly into Lyra's ears.
Lyra's eyes started to water, she sniffled as she nodded to Jake's words before hugging him too.
(It seems that this has been troubling her for quite a while.) The Atlas spoke as Lyra slowly wept.
'This will work, right? I don't want to see her crying anymore.' Jake spoke to the Atlas after heeding its advice.
(Trust me, the longer she had kept her feelings hidden, the greater the damage it would have done to her self-esteem and mental health. This is the best route so, carry on.)
"I-I.." Lyra stumbled with her words as her throat felt heavy and tears pooled down her cheeks.
"I love you too Lyra." Jake spoke in a calm and soft tone as he felt Lyra's body which was still a little stiff with tension, soften at his words.
Jake continued to hug Lyra as she softly cried of both relief and happiness in his arms.
10 Minutes Later:
Jake wiped Lyra's tears with his hands before teasing her. Lyra tried hiding her embarrassment by pouting at him, which only led to more teasing as Jake laughed and squeezed her cheeks.
As much as Lyra angrily reacted to Jake's actions, The Atlas had informed him that she was loving it inside, which made Jake happy.
"Jake?" Lyra spoke with a somewhat guilty expression.
Jake noticed it and deduced what it must have been about but kept quiet, wanting to hear it from Lyra.
"Yeah, Lyra?" Jake spoke with a gentle smile, easing her.
"I have a confession to make." Lyra spoke as she lowered her head.
"Is it related to why you were crying earlier?" Jake asked and Lyra nodded, still looking down as she felt embarrassed.
"I-I was jealous Jake. I was jealous of Aria." Lyra spoke.
"You were my best friend, Jake, you saved my mother and me, we were always together in New Canberra and I was happy like that, but when I saw your expression that day when Aria had dressed up, for the first time I felt something different.
I felt scared I was going to lose your attention. I know she's your sister, but what if someone else catches your eye like that? It's an expression I've never seen you show me and that angered and saddened me.
I know I'm wrong and shouldn't behave this way but I can't help it. I realised I loved you, more than I thought I did. I'm sorry Jake." Lyra brought out her inner thoughts and emotions to Jake.
'You were right Atlas.' Jake spoke to the Atlas, who had predicted it beforehand.
(I'm never wrong.) The Atlas spoke back with a cocky tone.
Jake smiled and let out a small laugh. Lyra was confused and looked up towards him.
"Oh dummy, that's normal. There's nothing wrong to be sorry for Lyra. I am sorry for not noticing it sooner. Either way, I still love you whether it was before or now.
We are family Lyra, from the moment we left Naru we were family. I will always be there for you and also, I have no plans of letting you go anyway." Jake spoke as he placed his right hand on her face.
Lyra's face blushed again before she smiled, a single tear dripping from her left eye.
"I love you, Jake." Lyra spoke in a soft voice before Jake seized the moment again, planting a kiss on her lips.
Lyra was prepared this time and simply closed her eyes taking in the new sensation in her lips.
When they separated again, Jake noticed Lyra's expression change. No more did she carry a hint of doubt or worry.
Instead, her entire demeanour had changed, Lyra had a loving smile on her face, a look of contentment and excitement, something that made Jake's heartbeat, just a little faster. Jake realised that he could never look at Lyra as a child or just a close friend again.
He knew that as time went by, Lyra would expect a lot more from him. Jake felt his face heat up a little as his mind raged on.
Thankfully The Atlas calmed him down, saying it was not the time yet.
"Let me check out the suit before Aria comes back." Jake spoke to Lyra who nodded at him, smiling away.
'It seems it will take some time for her to fully process things.'
(Of course, it will, she's a young girl in love, give her time to settle. There's a big difference between your mind and any normal person's. The gap will only get larger as time goes on so you need to get used to it or play your words right.) The Atlas responded as well as advising Jake.
'Right, let's hop in.' Jake thought as he lay inside the MACE suit.
Jake felt the jelly slowly wrap around his body, conforming to his size and height before hardening. After hardening, Jake felt as if he was wearing Nylon, it was comfortable and easy for him to breathe.
The MACE Suit then started to close up and once it fully did, it was pitch black.
'What's going on Atlas?' Jake asked the Atlas as nothing was seemingly happening.
(Give it some time.) The Atlas spoke back.
After 20 seconds, blue light shined on Jake's face before a screen popped up in front of him.
An Augmented Reality screen surrounded Jake's peripheral vision before a voice was heard.
'SYSTEMS BOOTING, RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS.'
'CHECK COMPLETE...MECHANISED ASSAULT COMBAT EXOSUIT ONLINE.'