Author's Note: A fic about Von Bolt that I wrote as I came close to the end of AWDS. Not much to it, I just fealt like explaining a bit about his past. Plus writing about Kindle is totally awsome. Enjoy.
The long, stone room was nearly empty except for the tall, Gothic-style pillars supporting it and black hangings draped artistically on the walls. The only source of lighting was several candles in tall candelabrums, wrought-iron shapes that stood on the floor and twisted upwards to hold 6 or more dripping candles. A long carpet, black with red trim, was spread across the length of the room, from the heavy steel door at one end to the large throne-like chair at the other. This chair was always occupied. Not that the occupant could leave even if he wanted to. The chair was his life.
Some had wondered why the new Commander-in-Chief of Black Hole had chosen this path in life, why he didn't just lay to rest when his time came. Some said that the leader thought he could beat death, thwart the grim reaper. Some whispered that he was afraid of dying and was trying to cling to life in any way possible, no matter how artificial the existence was. Regardless of the speculations, the leader sat in his chair, day in and day out, never moving, a taciturn figure in a silent hall.
The man breathed, sending bubbles spiraling upwards in his liquid-filled helmet. The large glass dome that completely covered his skull was filled with what looked like water. But this liquid was filled with nutrients vital to life, such as protein and sugars. The nutrients were absorbed through the device clamped over the old man's mouth and nose, and the nutrients were filtered out and immediately sent into his bloodstream. The device over the man's mouth doubled as a respirator, sending in oxygen and siphoning away the carbon dioxide he exhaled. With this ingenious device, he never had to move from his chair. But staying seated in one spot for over 90 years had taken their toll on the man. His body, which was almost skeletal when he was first connected to the chair, was now large, complete with an enormous gut that settled on his lap. His muscles were near useless. He wouldn't have been able to walk even if he wanted to. His bones were far too brittle to support the extra pounds he had amassed.
And yet, he lived. Just barely, but he was alive. He was somewhere between life and death, flesh and metal, sanity and madness.
He thought back to when he had decided to bind his life to this chair, a subject he often thought about. He had been 87, nearing his death. He knew that he didn't have much longer to live. He was slowing down, constantly tired, sight was going, hearing was going, and was feeling weaker and weaker. And he did not want to die. There was so much more to do in this world, so much more to see, to discover, to conquer, to destroy. So much more life to live, and death was going to try and end all of it? Not a chance. Fortunately, the old man had been a powerful figure in the military, and had the favor of those in the Research and Development section. They had been working on a system meant to enhance the strength of soldiers in battle, but with some slight alterations it had been made into a life support system. It was not supposed to be permanent, just sustain the old man long enough until a more lasting solution was found. That had been almost a century ago. But this damned chair would soon not be needed. If things went according to plan, eternal life would soon be his….
There was a small knock on the door at the far end of the room.
"Enter" rasped the man, his voice sounding strange through his respirator. Or perhaps it sounded strange due to the fact that he rarely used it anymore. Or perhaps his voice box was beginning to deteriorate. Or it could have been all three. Whatever.
The door slowly opened and a sumptuous woman gracefully glided in, seeming to hover above the carpet on the floor. Her fiery red hair piled high on top of her head combined with her thin, shapely form made her look like one of the numerous candles in the chamber. She reached the throne-like chair in the back of the room and knelt down on one knee. Not an easy task, given her tight, full-length skirt. "Von Bolt…my Lord…" she whispered in a deep, rich voice. One of her long-fingered hands caressed the old man's hand laying on the armrest of the chair. She gently kissed the back of the wizened hand, leaving a trace of lipstick the color of red wine.
"Kindle…" Von Bolt breathed. "What…what news do…you bring?"
"The Allied Nations are approaching on our main HQ," said Kindle, standing up. Even at her full height, she did not reach the top of the chair.
"They…they have found out…our plans?"
"I'm afraid so, my Lord."
The contrast between her rich, melodic voice and his rasping, dying voice was striking. But both were laced with malice.
"Allow me to take them on, my Lord. I can deal easily with simpletons like these! Ahahaha!" Kindle's hand flew to her chest and she flung her head back as she laughed. Classic villain laugh.
"Hhhh…and yet, your record speaks…otherwise…"
Kindle stopped laughing. Her hand fell back to her side and a small frown marred her pale, perfect features.
"Then what shall we do?"
Von Bolt's hands twitched slightly on the arms of the chair.
"I shall go…Hhhhh…and lead…the troops."
Kindle did her best to hide her surprise. "But…but my Lord…you have not been in battle for a long time…and the enemy seems to be gathering their full strength…"
The Commander-in-Chief waved a hand dismissively, as if to shoo away Kindle's comment. Even this simple gesture seemed to take him a good deal of energy. Kindle could almost hear his joints creaking as he moved his hand.
"Battle makes me…weary…but I must go and reveal myself to…to the Allied Nations. I shall strike fear into their hearts!"
Von Bolt coughed, a bubbling, hacking sound, and settled himself down. His hands fumbled around on the armrest of his chair until they came into contact with two large joysticks. He gently pushed the one on the left, and the entire chair began to move forward. The underside of the chair was equipped with weak anti-gravity devices, causing it to hover barely an inch above the ground. The old man's slipper-clad feet just brushed the ground as the throne moved slowly and silently through the hall, like an ominous ship setting sail, a herald of doom. Kindle crossed her arms as she watched Von Bolt exit through the large steel doors, which opened at the push of a button on the side of one of the joysticks.
"I do hope this works…" She sighed and blew a silent kiss in her lord's direction.
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"Dude, I thought we, like, totally crushed the Obelisk!"
"Apparently, they have another one, and it seems we've located the area of it."
"The other one must have been a back-up. They led us to it, in hopes that we'd miss this one."
"In the middle of a wasteland…jus' like ya said."
The COs of the Allied Nations were at the sight of the Black Obelisk, an immense crystal at least 4 stories high that pulsed with a dark energy. It was this device that was sucking Omega Land dry. The Allied Nations had learned that the energy the crystal drained from the land was used to supply the Black Hole army. It was also sustaining the aging leader of Black Hole. It appeared that the Bolt Guard was throwing everything they had into defending the Obelisk. Numerous tanks, foot soldiers, planes and boats were stationed around the wasteland the Obelisk was nestled in. Although the COs had been sure that they had destroyed Black Hole's only Obelisk, it appeared that they had another one.
It was at that point that the communication system in the Headquarters flickered to life. The COs' attention immediately shifted to it. Was it Nell, providing back up? Was it the recon squad with further intel? No, it was an image of an extremely old man in a large metal chair. He wore black robes and his head was covered in a glass helmet.
"Hhhh…salutations…Allied Nations…"
Hawke, the former Black Hole CO, spoke. "That is Von Bolt, the leader of Black Hole. He's the one behind all of this." Hawke's voice was calm and level, but it was drenched in hatred for the man on the screen. Hawke's fellow CO, Lash, stuck out her tongue at Von Bolt in a childish manner.
"I see that…the traitors are with you. And I must…Hhhhh…congratulate you on discovering…my…my plan."
A young boy with bright red hair and a large set of headphones clamped over his ears stepped forward. "Von Bolt…what you're doing to Omega Land is totally not cool! You think you can take the life from this land to make yourself immortal?"
"Jake, no!" whispered Rachel fearfully, tugging on his arm.
The old man on the communicator made a sound that could have passed off as both a laugh and a coughing fit. "I'll do what I want, boy. You…you young 'uns know nothing. I shall drain the energy of this worthless planet…and use it…use it to sustain my own life…And there is nothing…Hhhh…nothing you can do!"
Jake shook off Rachel and shot a retort back to Von Bolt. "We'll take down that Obelisk and cut off your supply of energy! And we'll own you as well, cripple!"
"Heh heh heh…try as you might…you will never be able…be able to destroy it! And I shall drink Omega Land dry…Hhhhh…and I shall become a God. I will be immortal!"
"You're totally whack." The other COs had fallen silent as Jake confronted Von Bolt. Even Rachel had fallen back, trembling slightly. "We'll end this now, punk!" Jake switched off the communicator and turned around. The other COs stared at him. Jake stared back.
"What're you dudes waiting for? We got an Obelisk to pwn!"