U92: Hello everyone, and welcome to another exciting installment in the Smash Mind series! This one is different from previous installments in that it has not one, but TWO authors! That's right, I'm being assisted on this fic by the talented Sueslayer2, author of Unity! Speaking of which, we strongly reccomend that you read Unity before this story. This is a direct sequel, and you might not understand key plot points if you haven't read Unity beforehand. Sue2 is currently rewriting Unity, and posting the revised chapters as she goes. The entire story should be back pretty soon.
If you have read Unity, sit back and enjoy the ride! Sue2, take it away!
Sue2: Hey everybody! I didn't write this prologue, (the credit for its awesomeness all goes to Ultiman) but I'm proud to be co-author of this story, and I promise to make a more useful contribution next chapter! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did! (My jaw dropped and I loudly proclaimed to everyone in the vicinity how epic it was and also sent Ultiman an email full of CAPITAL LETTERS telling him how cool it was!)
On with the fic!
-Prologue-
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The man's footsteps were careful and measured, moving at a steady pace. He showed no sign of breaking his stride, confidently walking down the corridor.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The man wore an intricate suit of full-body black armor, complete with a matching helmet that obscured the top half of his face. A single stripe ran up both sides, multicolored in nature and changing hues constantly. He thought nothing of his odd attire; he had not had such thoughts for years. After wearing it for so long, the armor felt like a second skin, an extension of himself. He felt comfortable inside its confines, relishing both the protection it offered and the imposing appearance it gave to observers. One could be anything inside this armor.
The man came to a stop at a sealed doorway, regarding the two men guarding either side. Both were attired in similar sets of armor, one with an orange-red-stripe on its sides and the other with a beige-stripe.
Orange-red-stripe was reclining against the wall in a casual pose, his head on his chest. From the soft snuffles that could be heard, he appeared to be asleep. In contrast, Beige-stripe was standing stiffly at attention, his arms crossed over his chest. A slight turn of his helmet was the only indication that he had noticed the man's appearance.
The man surveyed both of them for a minute, then loudly cleared his throat.
Orange-red-stripe yawned loudly, stretching his arms out in front of him. Straightening up into a fully standing position, he finally noticed the man in front of him. "Oh, hey, boss. You comin' to relieve us?"
"In a sense, yes," the man replied, speaking in a flat, cold voice. "I wish to use the gate. You and The Heirophant are allowed a short rest period."
Orange-red-stripe's mouth curved into a grin. "Excellent. Thanks, boss."
He began to leisurely stroll down the corridor, slowing his pace slightly to let Beige-stripe fall into step beside him. As the man entered in the access code for the door, he inadvertently overheard Orange-red-stripe trying to engage Beige-stripe in conversation.
"So..how's it going?" Silence. "Anything new with you?" Silence. "How was your last mission?" Silence."Oh c'mon, this is ridiculous! You're my co-worker, for Rajin's sake! How do you expect me to get along with you when you won't talk at all?" Silence. "You can't keep this up forever, y'know." Silence. "I mean it. I'm getting you to talk before we take Melodia." A low chuckle. "Oh, you think that's funny, you little parsal? Just you wait. When The Chariot makes a promise, he keeps it."
The man allowed himself a humorless smile. He doubted Orange-red-stripe would have much success. Even he couldn't get Beige-stripe to talk. And he'd been trying for five years.
The door hissed open. The man stepped over the threshold, activating a panel on the inside of the wall. With an electric whirr, the lights flickered on.
An enormous machine greeted him, dominating the entire room with its presence. The top consisted of a thin steel half-circle, with the bend in the loop attached to a large generator resting on the floor. Wires and cables streamed from the generator like a nest of snakes, their ends embedded in various parts of the walls.
The man walked up to a console on the right side of the generation. He typed in a series of commands, and pressed ENTER.
Several things happened at once.
The machine turned on, humming intensely as it warmed up. It began to vibrate, raw power coursing through its circuits. The lights in the room flickered, affected by the massive energy drain from the machine. A large white sphere slowly grew from inside the half-circle, shimmering from the waves of energy drifting along its outer layer. A ramp extended from the top of the generator to the floor.
Making his way up the ramp, the man stopped at the very edge of the pulsating sphere. He squinted, peering into its depths. "No…no…no…where is it?" he murmured angrily to himself. "It should be here by now! Computer!" he declared loudly. "Focus the gate on any small, dense pocket dimensions that have appeared in the last several months!"
"Acknowledged," an emotionless feminine voice issued from a speaker. Almost immediately, the view inside the sphere began to change. Little bubbles could be seen drifting along, each one containing an image inside.
One dark bubble passed by. "There!" the man yelled. "Focus in and establish contact!"
The bubble seemed to stop abruptly, then swerve and drift right at the gate. The image inside the bubble grew bigger and bigger until it filled the entire sphere.
The man smiled. He'd found who he was looking for.
"Ah, you've discovered me," a loud, echoing voice intoned from inside the sphere. "I was wondering how long it would take you."
"I had to see it for myself," the man replied, unable to keep the satisfied grin from his face. "I must admit, I was skeptical when I first heard the news, but now I know for certain. They did it. You're back."
"You had doubts?" the voice said, sounding incredulous. "Don't you know I plan for every possibility?"
The man nodded. "I know that now. We will not underestimate you again."
The voice laughed. "Still so foolish. You think you can destroy me? I am immortal. The efforts of you and all your companions are in vain."
"You have said that before," the man challenged. "Then we defeated you. If we can do so once, we can do so again."
"Ah, but you're not exactly at full strength now, are you?" the voice taunted. "You seem to be down one member, if I recall correctly."
The man scowled. "How did you know about that?"
"From here, I can see all that occurs in the Center Worlds," the voice stated with an air of repetition. "I saw what happened. Judgment is dead."
"An unfortunate incident with the Smashers on Literois," the man growled, his fists clenching involuntarily. "A regrettable loss, but avoidable. We will make sure to take more precautions in the future."
"That is your official statement on the matter, of course," the voice said tantalizingly, "but I know your real response is much different. The Smashers actually managed to kill a member of your little organization. They are no longer the minor threat you thought them to be. You don't know how to react."
"We will keep an eye on them in the future," the man declared. "For now, they are of little concern to us."
" 'For now', " the voice echoed mockingly. "I would watch myself if I were you. The Smashers are not to be underestimated."
The man snorted. "You think I do not see what you are trying to do? If you can get us paranoid enough about the Smashers, we will concentrate on them instead of you and allow you to execute your plans unopposed. It will not work. We are a step ahead of you."
"Really?" the voice inquired. "How, pray tell?"
"We already know what your plan is," the man said, a note of smug satisfaction in his voice. "We have the proof. Two of the Center Worlds independently creating their own world gate at the exact same time? That is not coincidence. This reeks of your influence."
"You are sharper than I have given you credit for," the voice said, unable to keep from sounding surprised. "And what will you do with this knowledge?"
"Nothing," the main said simply. "Although they are no threat to us, the Smashers are more than capable of stopping you. I have decided not to get involved. We will merely watch, and wait for the right moment to act."
"Which moment would that be?" the voice asked, sounding mildly curious.
The man grinned. "I think you know that already."
"Always obsessed with my destruction, aren't you?" the voice chuckled. "That moment will not come. There is not a being alive that can kill me. The Smashers will fail in their mission…but not before I meet them face to face."
"Interesting. Very interesting," the man noted. "Well, I'm afraid I must cut our little conversation short. I need to use the gate for an urgent matter."
"An 'urgent matter', is it?" the voice mused. "Does it have anything to do with me, perchance?"
The man pursed his lips, smiling thinly. "It has everything to do with you. I am heading to the Center World where your plan shall unfold. I desire a close view of the events to come."
"I see," the voice replied. "In that case, I must say my farewells. A pity we could not talk longer. The next time we speak may be under vastly different circumstances."
"Too right," the man agreed. "You will be at the point of my sword, begging me for mercy."
The voice laughed again. "We shall see. Goodbye, Abraxas."
The image before him vanished, to be replaced by the stream of bubbles.
The man remained where he was for a moment longer, staring into the depths of the sphere.
"Computer," he intoned at last, "set up transportation for one magical humanoid, traveling with a suit of armor and a broadsword. Destination is the third Center World from this one, named…" The man trailed off, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. What was the name of that backwater little planet again?
It came to him in a flash. The man turned back towards the sphere. "Computer, set the destination for Earth."
The stream of bubbles disappeared. For a moment, the sphere was completely blank.
After several minutes of intense humming by the gate, a new image appeared inside the sphere. After examining the image for a moment, the man strode inside the sphere, allowing the powerful energies to swallow him whole.
The sphere enlarged for a moment, humming as it dispersed its passenger, than shrank down to nothing. The machine automatically powered down, entering its recharging phase.
With a final hiss, the door to the room slid shut, locking firmly in place.
Ultiman92
and
Sueslayer2
present
-Smash Mind: New World-
U92: Just like a movie, eh? So what did you think?
I'm sure by now you've all got tons of questions. Don't worry, the answers will come...eventually. (evil grin)
Sue2: A new world has begun! Who is this man in the armour with the rainbow stripe? Who was he talking to? Who... or WHAT was supposed to die but didn't? WILL BEIGE-STRIPE EVER TALK? I know the answer to the first three, but I won't tell. :P And the fourth? That's a mystery we won't know until... well, ever maybe.
I say once more, I am proud to be able to chip in my two cents when I can. See you next chapter!
REVIEW!