WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

Most of you will probably hate me for the beginning of this story. All I can say is that you have to wait until later chapters for things to turn out better and that they WILL get better as the story progresses. I can't make any promises on the updates for this story being regular due to a large mash of things including school (I hate homework). What I can promise is that there will be lots of Sparx/Nova, lots of Chiro/Jinmay and yes a little bit of a love triangle. And I WILL finish this story this story I WILL!!!!!!!!! …….Just might take me awhile…

I own nothing but my dignity…phh not even I in my ever delusional state believed that one…But really I own squat…

Summery: When a great evil returns the divided team shall unite, even if one is dead. It has been seven years since the 'Darkest Hour', over this time much has happened to the team. Families have been created and destroyed, lives are hidden away and secrets are kept. A war is begging and it is only time before it destroys what is left of the team…Sparx/Nova, Jinmay/Chiro, Sparx/Nova/Otto triangle.

Catalyst

.0 Prolog

A lone figure watched the flickers of orange and yellow dots that floated above the procession of black mourners the slowly seeped forward towards the temple. By the time they would reach the desert temple the sun would just start to peak over the red rock mountains that hugged the temple on all sides save one.

"Has it really been another year?" It didn't require turning around to know who it was, there was only one woman who could seem to tame the fierce winds and wild beasts that ran rampant in the waste land that surrounded them with her voice alone. Only one since…

"It seems it has…where are the others?" There was a pause as she walked over to the edge taking in the breathtakingly deadly view before answering.

"They'll be here soon; the Super Robot was having some problems so Otto and Gibson had to fix it first. And it seems you were right about Antar, Chiro has enrolled Antauri to help teach him how to control the Power Primate." The black of the dress she wore had never suited her, making her look slightly dead in the dim light of the torches that surrounded them, which cast an eerie glow onto her haunted green eyes. Her hair hung past her shoulders now, the pig tails that held it in place during her youth long forgotten left in dust of the Darkest Hour.

"It doesn't surprise me; he was practically dyed green from it when he was an infant. How old is he now? Four, five?" Just the faintest ghost of a smile reached her lips, speaking of her son gave her great pride even in the most sorrowful of times.

"He'll be turning six in a few months, he's starting to look more and more like his father everyday now. It was just the other day that I nearly called him Chiro by mistake." It was true, even in the boys first few days of life it was plain to see his likeness to his father, piercing blue eyes that one could swear saw past ever lie that was held, pure black clump of messy hair perched on the top of his small head. It was no wonder so many let his father's name slip out instead when they spoke of or to him.

"And Sparx? What of him?" Jinmay really didn't need to speak, her face answered the question. He wasn't coming, and why should he? He had only half came the times before this one, coming late, leaving early, not participating what-so-ever if he did come on time and stay for the entire thing. No one could blame him really after all no one could truly claim the same closeness that he had. No one could blame him…except the one who knew the truth…except the Keeper.

"I don't know…He left a month after last year's memoriam we haven't seen or heard from him since…" She wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes down cast. The slight bulge of her stomach was now clear to see even in the low glowing torched.

"You did not tell me about that…" She blinked slightly as she lifted her head again quickly removing her arms trying to hide it. So know one knew about it yet. "And from you reaction I'm guessing you didn't tell Chiro either."

"We've all been preparing for this," She gestured to the river of black forms in the distance. "It didn't seem like the right time to tell him. Maybe in a few days when everything settles down some." The sound of the super robot's engines in the distance was heard vaguely over the defining silence that followed. "We want you to come back you know…"

888

A young boy fidgeted with the black suit that he wore. He understood the need for it; he had attended the memoriam every year of his life since birth, but the knowledge of why he had to wear the clothes never seemed to make them any more comfortable. Though he was young, he understood everything about this time of year when sorrow over came his mother's usual kind face, and his father's soulful eyes became hollow of the warmth he was so accustomed to. He knew that when his uncles Gibson and Otto (and his uncle Sparx when he was still around, where his favorite playmate went was beyond him) stopped bickering that it was time to drop what ever mischievous plan he was concocting and behave for them. And that when grandpa Antauri (though they all told him to call him uncle too grandpa seemed to fit the silver monkey better in his young mind) would end their lesson's early so he could go meditate, that he should join him though he wished to go and play instead.

"Here Antar, try this." The green monkey came over with one of his inventions that look suspiciously like a spray bottle and gave the boy a few short sprays of purple goop. In an instant it dried and the outfit became tolerable to the boy. Antar looked up at his uncle and smiled.

"Thank you uncle Otto." The mechanic could only give a sad smile and a small nod in return, before returning to his position at the controls. Next to him Gibson typed in landing coordinates, they were almost there. Quickly the young boy ran to a window, looking to see if he could catch a glimpse of his mother and the temple Keeper waiting for them on the high rock dais that the robot was to land on.

She had gone ahead in order to speak to the keeper about rejoining the hyper force. His father and uncles while they trusted the Keeper to a point weren't to keen on the idea. And his grandpa Antauri had not even spoken the times it came up, but now that his uncle Sparx had left the Keeper was needed to pilot the remaining position in the robot. He was a little nervous about it though, yes the keeper had been kind to him when they had visited, but he knew nothing of them other then the fact that the keeper was once a member of the hyper force before a series of events changed that and that it was the Keeper's self assigned duty to protect the tomb within the temple. After all, what would happen if someone had attempted to destroy the tomb and steal the power that still existed in the bones that lie there?

888

The procession was close now; the stream of night sky and fire stars that had flowed towards them on the desert floor was now a mass of black clad mourners with loads of gifts and things as offerings for the tomb. A stranger from another world unaffected by what had happened might have thought that after so many years there wouldn't have been so many from so far away still participate in memoriam honoring. A stranger would be wrong.

"Do you? Are you sure you don't just want a replacement for your lost pilot?" She didn't even sigh at the response; she knew better then to deprive the dedicated keeper from their chosen life's work, but still she had to try. "I chose to stay here for a reason, as thanks for what I was given though my sins should have forbidden such kindness towards my corrupted soul. I care for all of this as an apology for not being able to stop what happened. Protecting this place, keeping it worthy of what pure and precious thing lies within, it is all I can do now, 'til the day I die and can do so no longer in this earthly form."

"And after you die? You sound as if you have a plan for after that as well." She should have expected the answer that was too come; after all she knew the guilt that ran so deep within the being before her drove the broken soul inside to do all that was possible to protect what remained of the one that could not have been saved.

"…I am already dead Jinmay, though I may have a pulse, a heart beat, breath in my lungs, it doesn't matter I am a dead soul in a living mortal body. A body which will someday die like the rest of me, and when that comes to pass nothing will change. Even after my physical death I will still continue my work." It had been many years since the tired voice had been used for such a long period of time, and it was easy to see that the person they came from was battle worn, and unused to revealing so much to anyone. "I can not return to the Hyper Force, I have things of higher priority that need attending to." She nodded silently in return, there was no use trying to continue the conversation, the end had been laid out for all to see by the great forces of the universe it seemed. And who was she a mere mortal woman to defy such a thing?

"The others have landed; do want to come with me to get them?" There was no reply; she hadn't expected one the Keeper had already gone to prepare before she had even taken in a breath to speak. She turned and head towards her home seeing the great door open in the foot crusher and five figures exit headed in her direction.

888

He walked silently behind the rest of his family; on another occasion he would have just used his powers to float above the ground. But as it was it was not another occasion, this was the yearly memoriam dedicated to the One Lost during the Darkest Hour.

"Grandpa Antauri?" The small voice of his name-sake beside him seemed secretive, full of wonder as if about to speak a secret unknown to any other. The silver monkey looked down at the boy who was gently twirling the large sunflower that had picked himself the day before in his hands. He wanted to put it on the tomb; everyone had agreed the flower he had chosen was perfect for the being whose soul lived on beneath the soil of the grave laid down.

"Yes Antar?" The boy didn't speak for a moment and the spiritual advisor was about to ask again when his young voice spoke.

"I know that we come here every year for the memori-mermoran-"

"Memoriam" He nodded in thanks before continuing.

"Memoriam, but no one's ever told me what it's for…I heard some people in Shoogazoom say something about the 'Darkest Hour' and 'The One Lost' but I don't know anything else about it…" The boys searching blue eyes bore into the monkey's own soulful ones. Allowing a small sigh to escape his lips the monkey thought for a moment before answering the grandchild like figure beside him.

"When we return to the robot later on Antar everyone will tell you of the Darkest Hour and the One Lost, as well as answer all your questions." The boy nodded before looking ahead and smiling, quickly dashing off in order to see his mother who was just ahead of them waiting. Antauri judged from her face their answer was just as he had suspected.

"Do you think it wise to tell him now? At such a young age?" Gibson's worry was evident in his voice as he watched the child meat up with his mother.

"Yes. Chiro, Jinmay and I have discussed it and think it best that he learn of what happened." The blue monkey's head lowered some and he looked ahead beyond actually seeing, memories of the past were clear to see in his face.

"It really has been seven years since that battle. It seems longer then that, centuries longer." The leader of the hyper force's voice was low in morbid respect of the occasion. The others only remained silent, seven years since it had happened, since the One had been lost in a fight to death. Since evil became nothing more then a few monsters looking for a new hobby. It truly did seem longer…