It had been 1 year since the Salvation Incident concerning the special Xenomorph; Iblis. It had taken down all of Weyland Yutani, and left not one standing. However; things have changed. And not just Salvation changed; but the World around it densely...
Iblis sat in its office, fixing its translator. It had already mastered human speech; it just felt the need to use a cybernetic voice instead of its gaunt macabre voice. As it worked, Dr. Anyu walked in, in her average white lab-coat, black skirt and blouse, with her hair tied back. She still had a light yellow hue to her skin still. Iblis looked up at her, and asked; testing out the translator:
"Ah; Doctor Anyu. What news do you bring me?"
"Not much. I see you're using the new model."
"It allows a separate COM link; so I can be reached when running a mission. I'm announcing my return to action. I am only 8 now. I can do much more."
"We do have a problem."
"Enlighten me."
"Remember when Ghost didn't shut off all the Revival chambers in the city?"
"I remember; and I know that some Weyland Yutani Scientists cloned Roku's brain, and with a cybernetic body, he dropped a nuke on the city, that the dome stopped."
"That's just the good part..."
Iblis looked more concerned, as it closed its jaws.
"It affected the environment?"
"Close. Try turning the world into a post apocalyptic Wasteland."
"WHAT?"
Iblis stood up now, its grey suit covering it calmly. It was even more concerned now. Radioactive waste must have affected the local water supply...and caused a mass mutation murder. Iblis grit its claws along its steel desk, and said calmly; hopeful its translator would mask its anger:
"I know now; I need to find Roku; and I need to make him pay!"
Iblis stood up, and walked to the door. It asked Dr. Anyu to be ready. When she asked; it said:
"You're taking over; Bo'skar and I are going up to the surface. We're going to find Roku, and make him pay for what he did to the world; just to kill me. Now; I'll kill him; for a 3rd time."
Iblis walked to the Private Mess Hall; and found Bo'skar eating a plate of fried Squid. Iblis hissed a little, and he looked up.
"What is it?"
He asked, with growing suspicion:
"I don't want to let the squid go cold turkey on me."
"He's alive."
Bo'skar spat out a piece of squid, his mandibles flared.
"Roku! You tore him into pieces. I saw his remains all over the ground!"
"Apparently, your brother forgot to demolish all 20 Revival Chambers; like I told him to do a while back. Roku's brain was cloned, and placed in a cybernetic suit. He caused a radioactive nightmare on the surface."
"It's been a year since my last assignment. It'll feel good to be awesome again. Alright; let's go. If we find him, I get his head."
"You do realize we need to find him first. I haven't a clue what he looks like now. I'll have to go by scent, and instinct... that I may have abandoned a long time ago."
Bo'skar got up; and put his standard mask on, after cracking his knuckles. He looked at Iblis, and asked about the suit.
"It's a small thing really."
It replied; while clawing at it:
"I'm tearing it off when we get to the lift."
Iblis and Bo'skar walked to the Surface Lift; and they stood before it. Through the translator's COM link; Dr. Anyu said to them both:
"Now keep in mind; the city will be on lock-down. People will try to get in here; so the doors can't open until you kill Roku. We can't risk anyone irradiated getting inside the city."
"I'm well aware of the risks. I had Bo'skar contact his people, and get a hold of a ship. We'll rest there; until we get home. Until then; make sure anyone irradiated is thrown out the Seagate."
"Yes sir."
"And please; call me Iblis."
Iblis shut down the COM link, and Bo'skar finally asked:
"I've been meaning to ask; what is Dr. Anyu to you? A mother? Love? Friend?"
"She's a dear friend,"
It said; while setting the Lift:
"Interspecies romance seems wrong, and besides; she is like my mother for caring for me for all my natural life. I may have established some sort of mental link to her; like a Queen establishes with the other Xenomorphs of a Hive."
Bo'skar nodded, and he also said that a post apocalyptic Wasteland seemed like an awesome place for a hunt. Iblis said he could hunt once they killed Roku once and for all; it they had time after they were done. It said that, once they reached the surface, and walked out into the world...the desolate world.
All around, Iblis could make out the dirt everywhere, and crumbled buildings. It found a news paper article, and it read aloud:
"World's end at last!
Multiple Nuclear bombs and reactors have detonated, thus bringing about the second apocalypse. People have been killed by explosions around the globe; crumbling cities, and mutating the survivors into twisted mutant monsters. General John K. Roku has created a small city, free from radiation with clean water, at the edge of South America. All survivors are to proceed there at all costs. It's humanity's last hope."
Bo'skar heard every word; and finally exclaimed:
"Pauk! We'll never get to South America in time; before the friggen USCM gets him off world!"
"Not necessarily; he caused all of this. He's probably been Court Marshaled, and can't leave. If we're lucky; we can get there before he gets his head shot off by Marines."
Bo'skar did point out another thing; Demented. People he called that were just crazed and lived like it were the Medevil era! Iblis said it wouldn't be hard to kill a few humans with sticks. Bo'skar agreed, and they both decided to first locate Bo'skar's ship. It was built to be a mobile base, and had enough power to barely fly to Mexico. They really gave him a cheap deal...
The Ship was supposed to be located near a small human castle; made from an old desolate military base combined with some junk. Bo'skar and Iblis looked at it; and eventually Iblis said:
"It's owned by a small band of mercenaries. There are about 6 of them. Do your thing Bo'skar."
He nodded; and cloaked himself. He walked into the base, and extended his Wristblade. He clicked his mandibles, and he got to work on killing all who were in the castle.
In only a mere 3 minutes; Bo'skar had killed all 10 mercenaries, and hung their skinned carcasses over the base. Iblis saw his "handiwork", and said:
"You should know that this is pretty much saying: 'A Predator was here.' "
"Ease yourself. I sprayed it with some febreeze. They'll be fine...for a while; unless some mutant monsters show up."
Iblis looked at one of the skins...and recognized the USCM insignia, blotted down by grime. It examined it, and came to the conclusion that the mercenaries were ex-marines. The whole world's end must have driven them to become their own little thing. Iblis also found several supplies, including water, dry food, and even a few damaged PDAs, they couldn't function properly, but Bo'skar could decipher their information in his ship. Iblis sniffed, and it sensed mutants were drawing near, and the sun was going down. Now; in a one on one fight, it could easily kill any kind of mutant. But, against about 7-8 of them; then Iblis would be doomed. It alerted Bo'skar, and they moved to the ship, after looting all the supplies they found. They'd need them.
Inside the mobile home shaped ship; Bo'skar had the computer scan all 6 PDAs recovered, and he read out the information.
"It says here that they were fighting against someone named King Sameos III; a tyrant dictator king. He apparently cares little for the female race; even using them as slaves in exchange for the precious liquid money; water. We have enough to last 3 months, so if he knows, he may either try to strike a deal with us; or kill us. Bottom line Iblis; this guy is bad news, and bad news can get only worse."
"Does he have any relations to Weyland Yutani?"
"Actually yes. He sends Roku's city food and supplies in exchange for more security, as well as women to become slaves. If we kill this guy, Roku will have no food, and that means his 'people' will lose faith in him."
"Can you pinpoint his location?"
"Not really. These PDAs just show were his Kingdom could be; several spots. One spot is close-by. We should investigate in the morning."
"I know; the mutants will have less of an advantage in light; when they are exposed."
The next day; Iblis and Bo'skar walked outside, and begun following that lead they had from the data. They had a few hours before some of Sameos' men investigated the skinned marines, and realized a hunter was among them. As they walked, Iblis asked Bo'skar:
"What happened to your father? The original Berserker Predator?"
"He's dead. A man named Royce killed him. I found him when I was old enough to hunt...and I found him on his death bed with cancer. I told him he wasn't worth killing anymore, and I shook my head, as he said he never really meant to kill my dad; it was that or die. I told him my father may have been a little wrong in the head; but he loved me like a son, when I was still a newborn. I walked away; just as Royce died in his deathbed..."
Iblis apologized, and Bo'skar said it was alright; he did get his dad's hunting gear for free. They laughed a little, and soon reached the location; a desolate town. The lead was off; but Iblis decided to look around for supplies. Not many should have crossed through by now...
It investigated the small city, and Iblis managed to find a few crates filled with water, in a small house. It was close to moving them, but it sniffed twice, and heard someone nearby. It hid, and waited; and saw 3 marines...all wearing different seals. Iblis could make out the USCM armor on them, but the seals were different. The USCM emblem was replaced with a skull, with a crown atop it. Iblis stayed hidden, and listened to their conversations.
"We need this water for Doria; so let's hurry the hell up."
"We need to find some more slaves! If we get in 5 girls; we get 1 for ourselves."
"Shut up; both of you1 I heard something."
"Yes...Me."
Iblis impaled one through the chest, and held him as a human shield when the others open fired. It tore him in half, and sliced one's stomach open; spilling his innards. The last one Iblis knocked out. It knew he had information about this King Sameos; might as well torment it out of him.
Back outside the ship, Bo'skar had the marine tied to a verticle table, as he cleaned his Ceremonial Dagger. The marine woke up; and Bo'skar asked him, while giving the dagger a few test flicks:
"I'll ask this once; where is this King Sameos?"
"I'll never tell you Hunter!"
Bo'skar sighed, and approached the man. He drove the dagger into the man's leg; earning a shrill cry of pain. Bo'skar pulled the knife out; and said that he had been warned.
"Where does the King reside, and I will once again say this once."
The man was speechless once more, and Bo'skar sliced open his lower torso; and he pulled out his intestines; bit by bit.
"This is your last chance; tell me what you know; or I will literally beat you with your skull."
"Ok! King Sameos dwells in the land of Doria! It's by the coast of New Mexico!"
Bo'skar nodded, and slit his throat to end his suffering. Iblis walked to the ship; and Bo'skar told it:
"We need to get to New Mexico...from the Coast of friggen California."
"Summon the ship's remaining power. We need to reach it; and hope this King Sameos has a way to mess with Roku's grip on the people."
"Well; we'll probably crash about 2 miles from the little place; so we best be ready to clear out; and seal the ship in a place they can't find us. We need to do this fast. Now; are you sure that we're ready?"
"Launch."
Bo'skar set things up in the ship; and they launched it. The trip was supposed to take about 6 hours, to leave a small amount of power; supposed to last about 1 month. Basically; they'll have 1 month to interrogate Sameos; and get the info about how to cripple Roku...otherwise they'd be forced to brave the Wasteland's cruel torment. Dealing with Bo'skar; they'd be doomed...
When the ship landed; Bo'skar shut everything down. They were about to infiltrate this...Doria. When they saw it; they were slightly amazed at how well it had been formed into action.
Doria was formed from the desolate remains of Roswell; now made more livable. There were still building damaged; but they were refurbished by a decent amount of junk. Overall; it was a city made new. Bo'skar and Iblis stood atop a cliff over-looking the city.
"It seems that we need to be more careful."
Iblis said to Bo'skar; looking at the multiple USCM Auto Turrets with Marines walking about.
"If we screw up here; we may die in here. Out best bet is to use our stealth; and evade all armed forces."
"Does Sameos even know about you?"
"He has to; if he's on Roku's side. He'll be fully aware of who I am; and he'll be ready to kill me."
Iblis and Bo'skar nodded, and Bo'skar cloaked himself. It was Dusk; so they just needed to wait until it was fully dark. Then; they moved in.
Around Nightfall; Bo'skar said he needed to secure some power supplies for the ship; so they would still be able to use it. Iblis on the other had had decided to pay this King Sameos visit. It couldn't kill him now; it needed to drag this out a little. It wanted to force the information out of him. Then he could die; slowly. But before any of that happened; Iblis needed to know what it was up against.
Sameos' castle was the remnants of an old military base; re-build and re-furbished with old medevil decorations. It had multiple USCM turrets based around the tops. It even had multiple Marines walking around, as well as women...badly dressed. One can only envision them as slaves. They were forced to walk with the Marines; and they had no freedom. Iblis could also make out what looked like a Prison next to it. If it new better; there would be rebels there; who opposed the king. It needed to start there first.
Iblis descended onto the prison, and snuck in...; and it noticed that the place was more like a recreational facility, with bedrooms as well. It moved in, and hid in a vent until all the guards left for the night. It dropped down into someone's room; and one of the inmates noticed it...and he never screamed. Iblis asked him, standing with him in his small cell of a room:
"Why do you not fear me?"
"Believe me; there's more to fear than Xenomorphs. I'm stuck here; due to my little gift."
To demonstrate; the kid's eyes glowed green, and he moved a small can on the bed...using his mind.
"Telekinesis. Hmm; now I know why the King has imprisoned you. All of you are powerful."
"Yeah; we're all irradiated, and mutants. Sameos fears us; as well as your kind."
Iblis noticed he was speaking to a teen; not even over the age of 15. Iblis asked if he knew about all of Sameos' connections. The teen nodded, and also said his name was Delta...
From Delta's words; Iblis learned of what Sameos did to him. He was a regular teen; until he was forcibly irradiated, and using experimental Epsilon technology engineered from late Prometheus tech; he was made into an experimental Bio-warrior; called R-Knights. Delta was a failed experiment; as well as every other person incarcerated within the prison. Iblis nodded; and said it needed to deal with Sameos directly. Delta said it had best be careful. Sameos was outfitted with a massive amount of cybernetics; thanks to Roku. He was about as strong as a Predator, and even went through attempts to appear as one! Iblis said it had killed a Predator before; an Elder who came to kill it for its intellect. That Predator was no match...
Iblis crawled into Sameos' throne room, and there sat the man himself. He had weathered eyes, and black dreadlocks. His skin was tanned, and he wore a large red cape, as well as ancient knight armor. He held what looked to be...a Yautja Glaive. Iblis hissed in anger. Either he killed a Yautja in his prime; or he had gotten the Glaive from Roku. Either way; that Glaive could do serious damage to a Xenomorph. This King; as he was called, seemed to have an unnatural fixation for Predators. Overall; he seemed as Delta said, too powerful for his own good.
Sameos watched one of his Advisers walk in, and he asked him:
"Ah; my loyal follower. What news do you bring me?"
"Not well news my king,"
He stated while eyeing the Glaive:
"Some people report seeing a Xenomorph loose within the city. Scans suggest it may be the infamous Iblis Roku warned you about."
"That beast? Let it come. I have matter, it had mind. In this case; matter over mind."
Iblis watched their conversation unfold; and eventually it moved back a little, and waited for the right moment. Sameos told his few militias around him to spread out; and look for the rouge Xenomorph. If the people know about Iblis' existence; then their fears would escalade...and then they would no longer support Sameos...
Bo'skar had found a few random devices to draw power from to power the ship. As he had just finished draining the power from an abandoned windmill, and his Thermal Vision had detected what appeared to be human life-signs...far above the apparent Castle of Sameos. Bo'skar leapt onto it, and started scaling what appeared to be a tower. He reached the top, and climbed into a small room, with the lights dimmed. He changed visions to EM, and saw nothing, then Thermal, and even Heartbeat. All saw nothing. Suddenly, he heard something. He couldn't see anything, but when the lights came on; he saw a woman standing there; her only defense a small pistol. Bo'skar could already tell she wasn't prepared to use it. She had long white/blond hair, emerald eyes, and she wore a long silk dress, as well as a Bullet proof vest over it, and gloves. She looked like she had been through a lot in her time.
Bo'skar told her in English:
"Put down the weapon. We both know you will not fire."
She tightened her grip on the gun, and eventually she lowered it. Bo'skar took this time to ask her:
"Why can't my visions identify you? When I use Thermal; you appear with the same null signature as a Serpent. And when I use EM; you appear as a regular human. Something is wrong. What are you?"
"Not something to deal with."
"Enlighten me."
The woman nodded, and walked to her small cot-like bed.
"I was once human. I was mutated when the Nukes first started going off. Instead of dying or going mad; I gained extraordinary powers. I can move things with my mind; levitate, and even phase through solid objects. I also cannot appear in any spectrum expect normal human vision. The people call me a Goddess, and Sameos has locked me here; so people would come to him, and worship."
"Why don't you just fly away, or even phase through everything?"
"I tried. His sentries can easily shoot me down, and he somehow always knows the mere second I leave this room. I'm also forced to...satisfy him..."
"I won't dare ask for details. I already know that he needs to be killed."
"He has even gone to great lengths to use some of your powers, Hunter."
A human become Yautja? Bo'skar sighed, and knew he should have remembered what Scarface told him that one time. He asked for the goddess' name as well. She said it was Numen. Bo'skar knew it was Latin; but its meaning was blurred and torn. He calculated the odds, and handed Numen something from his bag on his lower back. It looked like a small walkie talkie. Bo'skar said he couldn't free her; at the moment. He needed to find a way to get Sameos out of the way; then Numen could be freed. Bo'skar leapt away, leaving Numen with high hopes...
Iblis soon waited; and dropped to the floor, before Sameos and all his slaves. Iblis said; while looking around:
"Nice place for a stolen area."
"The infamous Iblis,"
Sameos said; while swiping the air with his Glaive:
"What makes you think you can kill me; the man who took down an Elite Predator?"
"I killed an Elder."
Sameos stepped back; shocked by Iblis' words. He asked how; and Iblis told him the whole story...
7 Months Ago...
Iblis stood in the frigid room it had made frozen...for he was coming. Soon enough; a Predator stood on the other side of the room. He wore a Celtic mask, and had a large cape as well. He asked Iblis; while his Wristblades extended:
"Do you know why I am here Serpent?"
"Yes. You want me dead due to my intelligence that I possess; that even surpasses your own kinds."
"You're an abomination. The fact as to why Bo'skar hasn't killed you yet amazes me surely. I'll end this here, and go home with your head as a trophy."
"Come and get it then."
Iblis held a Glaive it had gotten from Ghost. The Celtic Elder charged, and Iblis side-stepped. It brought the Glaive down, and the Elder stopped it, but not before Iblis smacked him with its tail. He did managed to throw a Smart Disc at Iblis; the disk leaving a wound along its chest. It shook it off, and said that it had best play serious. The Elder agreed.
About one hour later; Iblis had impaled the Elder through his lower chest, and he fell to the ground. It asked him, after it pulled the Glaive from his chest:
"Why did you even come here? You should have known I had the upper hand; due to my time spent studying your people's weaknesses."
"You... needed to be...killed at all costs."
"The costs were too great."
"Others will come to...kill you."
"Not anymore."
Iblis hoisted the dying Elder up, and jammed its Inner jaws through his skull; killing him instantly. It dropped the body, and shook its head. The Yautja wanted it gone; and they would never get that wish...
Present Day
Iblis finished, and Sameos was in pure fear. In an Honorable Death match; the Iblis had killed an Elder Yautja using only a Glaive and a cold room. He ordered his men to open fire, and the moment they did; Iblis snapped into action. It ducked, and spilled a Marine's guts onto the ground, and seized his Pulse Rifle. It knew what it was doing; and it took out all 7 Marines with short controlled bursts of bullets. Sameos stood up, and Iblis pointed the gun at his head.
"What do you know about a man named Roku?"
It asked with haste; for more Marines could appear. Sameos said Roku supplied all his security, for some Purified water. Iblis demanded to know what else; and it meant things that could be a big issue.
"Fine; you got me. He was also planning something called 'The Solution.' He calls it a way to eradicate everything irradiated, and turn the water normal again."
"I doubt that's it. For now; I'll let you live; but if you even dare to attack me when I depart, you'll die in a slow and gristly fashion."
Iblis lowered the Pulse Rifle, and Sameos pulled out a Pistol. Iblis easily moved past his shots, and it grasped him by the neck, contradicting his whole Yautja power theory. It said it had warned him, and it impaled him through the chest; before all of his slaves. He coughed up red blood, and Iblis grasped his neck. It slit his throat with its claws, and finally pulled his head clean off! If held his severed head; and told the slaves:
"Go. Find the water and food. You're free."
They scrambled off like roaches, and Iblis walked away; knowing that Roku indeed was plotting something bad...very bad.
Iblis and Bo'skar met up at the ship; and discussed the problems. If Roku was planning something big; then what would be the costs. If it was anything like his attack on Salvation; then the world would be in grave danger. Bo'skar said he had gotten the ship enough power to get them all the way to Roku's little empire. But; he'd know they were coming. Iblis said it didn't care. It couldn't let Roku "attempt" to save the world again. As the ship took off, neither of then knew just how bad things were close to going...
Near South America; Bo'skar saw something. When he enhanced the ship's scope; he was able to make out a massive, technological tower! He alerted Iblis; and they landed just near enough to see the issue. Iblis knew that looked bad, and saw it was barely dawn. They needed to kill Roku; and but an end to this once and for all.
The tower was the only thing around. Iblis scaled it; only to see it led all the way into orbit! It activated its COM link; and told Bo'skar to get the ship. They needed to see this for what it was. In orbit; they found out what exactly the tower was; an Orbital Elevator. It led to what the ship identified as a shuttle like space station. That must not only be Roku's base of operations; but his second chance at Salvation; an Orbital city. It looked normal...except for the massive cannon like structure at the end! Iblis informed Bo'skar what whatever the thing was; it looked to be where all the people went...as well as Roku's master plan. They needed a way inside. After about an hour of flying around; they found an Airlock capable of landing. Iblis and Bo'skar got inside; and both of them begun to make their way towards that cannon. They needed to find what can be assumed to be a Mapping center; then a set of Blueprints could be found.
As predicted; Iblis uncovered a set of Blueprints...and learned the station was called the A.R.C (Antimatter Rail Cannon) According to the blueprints...it was powerful enough to blow a hole in the planet! The plan was to...fire at Salvation; effectively neutralizing the source of the radiation...as well as Salvation. Bo'skar said they had to stop this. Iblis handed Bo'skar the blueprints, and told him to go disable the cannon...while it searched for Roku. The easiest way was to several all 6 Gravity Tethers. Bo'skar nodded; and ran off, and Iblis leapt into a vent...almost getting stuck. It was too old for this crap.
Roku stood in the bride; overlooking the cannon. His new body was...different. It looked like a humanoid body, with metal skin, dreadlocks, and red eyes. His chest was broad, and his arms contained numerous weapons. He nodded, and a Marine said they had confirmed the reports of a Xenomorph loose aboard the ship. He, for once, felt afraid, and told him to find it, and kill it at all costs. The mere second he said that; Iblis fell from the vents, and landed on the Marine; its foot apparently broke his windpipe. Roku hid his fear by stating:
"You're too late Iblis. The countdown has already been set. In 2 hours; your precious little Salvation will be eradicated, erasing my horrid mistake of letting you live."
"What about the people in there?"
"They're not important, not anymore."
"I came here to kill you; you should know. And I intend to do so."
Roku's hands became twin knives, and he dared Iblis to try. It took a stance; claws and tail set, and charged. It left a large scar running down Roku's chest, and he kicked Iblis into the wall. It got up, and dodged Roku's next hit. It balled its claws into fists, and it punched Roku back. He hit the window, sending cracks through it. He turned his arms into twin cannons, and shot at Iblis; only one shit hitting it's chest. It hissed in pain, and knocked Roku onto his back via its tail. It looked down, and moved to his defenseless leg. It sliced his leg open; revealing black nerves, and it tore them apart; and painfully threw Roku through the window. He landed a mere few feet from the glass leading into the vacuum. Iblis leapt down, and it picked up a piece of Roku's damaged leg. Before hurling it at the glass; it said one thing:
"This is for all the lies you created, and all the people you have killed. Roku; burn in hell..."
Iblis smashed the glass with the metal, and Roku was sucked into the dark vacuum of space. Iblis gripped the metal carefully, and it looked out into space. It could survive out there for a while; and Roku could have survived. It sighed deeply, and let go of the metal. Iblis flew out into space, and gripped the outer hull of the cannon. As it looked around; it took to memory that its kind could only survive for so long; before it eventually died from the lack of oxygen. That should be about It crawled outside, and it found Roku; gripping the hull. Using sheer speed; it rushed up to him, grabbed him, and rushed towards the edge of the cannon. They fought for a while; until Iblis inevitably overpowered Roku, and walked to the cannon's edge It looked into the cannon's entrance, and it remembered a detail in the blueprints; about the charging sequence. If something made of matter interrupted it; then the cannon would malfunction, and overload...but there was a cost. Iblis could be killed in the resulting explosion. It looked at Roku, and crawled inside, after hearing his pleas to stop; or they'd both be killed. Iblis said that was a risk it was willing to take. At the end of the cannon; Iblis found a large white ball, steady growing. It must be the cannon's core; where the blast charged. Iblis looked at Roku, and it hurled him inside. It smiled...and the cannon begun to fall apart...with it still near enough.
Bo'skar reached the bridge...only to see the cannon explode. He looked around for Iblis, and just noticed the decompression. He realized something, and froze up. He knew what needed to be done to stop the cannon from the vacuum...so that could only mean Iblis made the ultimate sacrifice. It had destroyed the cannon, as well as Roku, with the cost of its own life... Bo'skar fell to his knee, and punched the ground...hard. Why? He asked himself that; why Iblis had to be the one to die? In his head; he had begun recalling all the events that made them not only friends, but also partners. Two Bad Characters. He shook his head, and watched the cannon begin to fall away, and float off towards the moon. Iblis had to be dead. There was no way it could survive that explosion; nothing could. He remembered; a week before the mission. Iblis had told Bo'skar that he could go home if he needed; and his words were these:
"No. My place is here; as your ally. I cannot leave, and will not leave until my job is done...and it is not done yet. I am your friend; and I will not leave you in this nightmare alone..."
Bo'skar soon heard someone approach, and he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. He looked up...to see Iblis standing there, wounded badly, but alive! He stood up, and saw the damage. It had numerous scars and wounds dripping acid, but overall...it had lived. When Bo'skar asked how; Iblis said it was blown back enough to give it enough momentum to escape, and leapt into an airlock. It was a 1 in a million chance...and Iblis bought the winning ticket. Bo'skar looked at the demolished cannon, and asked what was next. Iblis said it fixed things, and set it all right...
1 week later...
Iblis had created a serum capable of treating all of the water irradiated, and in no time; things returned to normal. Reconstruction was imminent, and Iblis had a plan for the next time it was needed. Back in Salvation, it had crafted 4 separate Cryo-Pods, for itself, Bo'skar, Ghost, and Dr. Anyu. It told them all, as it fixed the pods:
"I can't stay around all the time. Sometimes, I'm not needed. And when I am needed, and called upon again; I can say 'Wake me, when you need me. ' "
Bo'skar and Ghost were the first to be frozen. Iblis had set the duration for 40 years, so they can watch humanity rebuild. Dr. Anyu, while standing in her Pod; asked Iblis what would happen of they were called again. It told her, before freezing her:
"I told you; we'll answer the call, and we'll save lives once again..."
Iblis entered its own pod, and set it for 50 years. It wouldn't be needed again; not for a long time. As it was rapidly frozen, it dawned on what Dr. Anyu asked. What would they really do, when they were needed? It decided on one thing; that when that time came, it wouldn't just answer the call...it would ensure that the threat was gone forever. It may have abandoned its instinct a long time ago...but it had gained a family, a life, a future. It was really changing, and when it awoke; the people of the future would see how much it had changed...
...and how much it could do...
To Be Continued...