->''"With its first step, the [[HumongousMecha machine]] stopped and stood upright in place."''

''The First Run'' is a WebOriginal Hard ScienceFiction ShortStory by H-M Brown. It is written as a fictional article about the first ever test run of a piloted [[HumongousMecha giant robot]] in [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]]. Written before 2016, set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, the reporter undergoes culture shock when traveling to the farmlands of Southern New Jersey and meets a pair of brothers who created the giant robot. From there they share their theories and ideas to the reporter before making the historic attempt.

Story is available via [[http://www.fictionaut.com/stories/h-m-brown/the-first-run this link]].

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"'''Here there be spoilers!'''"

!!''The First Run'' contains examples of:

* AppliedPhlebotinum -- The prototype runs on a experimental 12-stroke battery/engine hybrid that runs on saltwater.
* ArbitrarySkepticism -- The Reporter really didn't believe there were farmlands in New Jersey.
* HomemadeInventions -- Scraps from junkyards, trucks, telecom stations, old fighter jets, all recycled.
* HumongousMecha -- The prototype.
* {{Joisey}}
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The story was written before 2016. The fake article was written on August 15, 2023.