By: Juria
Author's Note: (See previous chapters.)
The gang walked for what felt like forever through the desert-like area, until at last, the dark fortress appeared only a stone's throw away. "I never thought i'd be happy to see that thing." Ulrich said, breathing heavily. "It's not over yet." Junior said, walking past him. Jeremie glanced at his computer screen and noticed a small set of numbers in front of a barrier a few feet ahead of them. "Hey guys, wait." he said over the speakers.
At that moment, everyone froze dead in their spots. "There's a barrier in front of you." he said. Odd walked forward, and right through the barrier. "Where, I don't see anything." he said. Odd turned around, walked towards the barrier, and got knocked backwards. "Dammit." he said, picking himself up. "Odd, are you ok?" Jeremie asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." he said.
Jeremie looked at the numbers on the screen, and noticed how it had gone from 10 to 9. "Wait a second, I think I figured it out. The barrier will only allow ten people to enter, and once you enter, you can't go back." he explained. Odd sighed deeply, realizing that he was alone on one side, while only nine of his comrades could enter on the other side.
At that moment, Raven walked through the barrier. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Hey, if you're going to die, I'm going with you." she said. After a few minutes, Robin & Starfire stepped through, followed by Yumi & Ulrich, then Aelita. "Aelita, what are you doing?" Jeremie asked, panic in his voice. "This is my home, and I won't allow Albedo to destroy it." she said firmly. A few tears rolled down Jeremie's cheek. "Aelita." he said softly. "Don't worry, I'll return to you, I promise." she said, a tear falling from her eye.
Suddenly, the voice on the main intercom changed. "Hey guys, can you hear me?" the voice asked. "Terra?" Beastboy asked. "Yeah, KOS-MOS needed a replacement, so I volunteered." she said. Before anyone could ask anymore questions, KOS-MOS & Chaos stood in front of the barrier, and walked through. "We figured you could use some help." she said.
The group started to walk away, but just then, Aelita heard someone calling her name. "Aelita, I'm coming." she heard behind her. Aelita turned around, and Jeremie almost fell into her arms. "Jeremie, what are you doing?" she asked. "It looks like he's joining you, sis." Kane said over Jeremie's speakers. Aelita and Jeremie walked over to the rest of the group. "Ok guys, let's do this." Robin said. Ulrich nodded in agreement, as did everyone else, then they all race to the fortress, weapons drawn, each of them ready to destroy Albedo, or die trying.
Meanwhile...
Albedo sat on a throne in a room that looked like a church, except that it was dark, sinister, evil. "Yes, come to me young ones. Come and bear witness to the demise of your world. Bear witness to the rise of my power, for I am Alpha and Omega, my beginning and your end." he said, a devilish smirk on his face.
Robin & Ulrich lead the group quickly, but quietly, through Albedo's halls, amazed that they hadn't ran into a single guard. "This seems too easy." Robin said. "They usually are." Ulrich replied. At the end of the long hall was a giant room, that split off in several directions. "Ok, no what?" Odd asked. "Now, we split up." Raven said, pulling him off in one direction. The rest of the group just shrugged their shoulders, then each couple took a different direction.
However, when they reached a dimly-lit area, Raven turned around and kissed Odd passionatly. "Um, what are you doing?" he asked nervously. Raven smirked at him. "I want you to take me." she said, licking her lips. Odd gulped as Raven removed her cloke, then she started to take the rest of her clothes off, but Odd stopped her. "You're not her." he said. "What are you talking about?" Raven asked, giggling. Odd aimed his laser arrow at her head and fired, knocking her back. However, when she stood up, half of her face was gone, with a cybernetic head showing underneath.
"You've been a bad boy." the android said, smirking at him. Odd instantly switched over to his laser-missles and fired two into the robot's chest, knocking it through a wall. When the dust settled, he saw Raven standing in a room, a cyborg version of him in a heap on the floor. She spun around, and saw Odd holding up the cyber-Raven. "I think someone is playing with us." he said. "Duh, now we have to find the others." she said. Just then, they heard a scream coming from the room next to them. Raven blasted through the wall, and saw Starfire standing over a dead Robin. "Oh my God, I have killed him." she said, sobbing.
Raven walked over to the pile and lifted up the robot's head. "Starfire, it's a robot." she said. Starfire saw the insides of the robot, then her eyes glowed. "Where is Robin?!" she shouted. "Don't worry, we'll find him. Odd said reassuringly. Starfire blasted through a near-by wall, just in time to see Robin in a passionate embrace with a cyborg of her. "Robin, you son of a bitch!" she shouted, blasting the robot, then slapping him hard enough for his head to spin. "Hey, what was that for?!" he shouted. "You were screwing a robot, you asshole!" she shouted.
Before Robin could ask, the robot climbed on top of him and started choking him. Starfire wrenched the robot off of him and blasted it throuhg another wall. In this room, she found the rest of the group, with a pile of dead robots. Starfire blasted the fake of her into the pile, then blew the whole pile up. "No more games, you come out now!" she shouted.
As if on cue, a door opened up in the side of a wall. "Come on, I'm waiting." Albedo's voice said. The group cautiously entered the elevator, and waited while it reached the top floor. Once they exited, they found themselves surrounded by a small army of robots. "Our master thanks you for coming, and asked us to greet you." one of the robots said.
Aelita and Jeremie both slapped a clip into their guns and glared at the robots. "Just bring it." Jeremie said, fireing several rounds into one of the robots. At that point, the others charged forward, swords and guns in hand.
Meanwhile...
Edge had taken lead of the gound forces, while Kane had taken the air. "So, what do we do now?" Kane asked. "I guess we wait until something happens." Edge said. "Um, would that be what you're looking for?" Cyborg asked. Edge looked over, and saw an army twice the size of the first one they had fought, consisting mostly of megatanks and robots. "That works." Edge said, cracking his neck. Kane cracked his knuckles and grinned."This is gonna be fun." he said, smirking as he grasped the controls and took off to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, back in the fortress...
Aelita and Jeremie took down most of the robots with 7 or 8 shots to the head, while Starfire and Raven covered them, blasting away. Chaos fired beams of light energy at the advancing army, while KOS-MOS fought off most of them with her bare hands. Ulrich & Yumi sliced up what they could, while Odd and Robin took care of the leftovers.
After several minutes, the group was standing around a massive pile of dead robots. "Well, that was fun." Raven said. "Yep." Yumi said, stabbing one robot that was still twitching. "Come on guys, let's go." Odd said. The group stood in front of two huge double-door, the kind you might see in an old church.
Starfire blasted the doors open, and Albedo raised his head and clapped. "Well, well, welcome young warriors." he said. "We're here to shut you down Albedo." KOS-MOS said. Albedo smiled at her. "Is that so, well, in that case..." at that moment, the ground began to shake as Albedo's mech busted through the room. "Let's play!" he said, laughing manically as he jumped into his mech.
The group scattered as Albedo fired missles and bullets at them. "How much ammo does he have?" Chaos asked. "Approximatly 20 missles per shoulder, and 70,000 rounds per machine gun. He has at least one energy weapon as well." KOS-MOS said. "Oh great." Odd muttered. "We haven't lost yet." Raven said, blasting and ducking.
Everyone seemed to be following Raven's example, most by accident. Odd suddenly heard a clicking sound coming from the guns. "Ok, he's out of ammo." he said. Before anyone could stop him, Odd flew towards the mech and fired a missle at one of it's shoulders. Luckily, and unluckily, it was right when the missle bay opened.
The blast sent Odd flying backwards and crashing to the ground. Raven quickly ran to his side, as the mech crashed to the ground. "Odd, are you alright?" she asked. "Yep, I'm just getting a suntan." he mumbled. Raven slowly, picked him up. but as soon as she turned around, she was shot in the back, knocking Odd out of her arms and paralyzing her. Albedo stepped out from the fire, a grin on his face, his hands glowing with power. He aimed his hand at Raven's head. "First you, then them." he said, smirking. Raven closed her eyes, waiting for the end.
However, when Raven opened her eyes again, she saw Aelita, nude, glowing a white light. White wings, like those of an angel, now shined behind her. and her voice was a more commanding one. "Albedo, it is time for you to pay for your sins. You shall never win, for light shall always be the better of darkness." she said, her voice booming. As Aelita floated by Odd, he healed instantly, as did Raven. Albedo was frozen in fear.
When she got to him, Aelita kissed Albedo on the forehead, and his heart and head both instantly exploded. Then, Aelita turned towards the fight between the remaining forces of good, and Albedo's minions. She whispered, and the army instantly vanished. Before anyone could ask what was going on, Aelita collapsed on the floor, her old clothes returning to her as well. Jeremie picked her up, and everyone ran out of the building before it collapsed. "Terra, initiate the exit program." KOS-MOS said. Terra tapped a few keys, and everything went black.
Next, Epilogue...