The Chronometal Wars
The Black War
New Year's Eve (2)
Farewell to the Old World
Tonight is a night of global reflection.
From Megaville to New York, Iraq to Russia, Japan to the survivors in Singapore, the world has collectively witnessed what happened in Houston several weeks ago. It was a massively humbling event that rivaled that of the destruction of World's End. The city was blasted beneath the Earth, and people could do little more than watch.
Though everyone has had a chilling realization. They aren't scared because of the city being blasted beneath the Earth, but instead of the beast that forced such a revelation to become reality. Mandy has taken her place as the Mayor of Megaville several weeks earlier, running what seemed like an unopposed campaign. She took office as a heralded war hero. She seems more like a celebrity than a Mayor, though she faded into the shadows quickly after taking office. The city is more or less the same, though maybe it has a bit more pep in its step due to having such a capable mayor.
Though Bubbles is still distraught over this. Brick is too, though he doesn't fully understand why. Brisbaine presented him with a list of underground connections Mandy has. Apparently her tentacles permeate far deeper than just Megaville. The prototype battle machine that was designed during the Panic is now the blueprint for mass produced piloted guardian machines, though when Brick really stops to think about it, they could just as easily be used as tools of war, or oppression towards the people. He's not sure about much, though Bubbles is. He's lent Bubbles his full cooperation, but all that's going on is starting to wear on him.
He truly feels like he's making no progress. The world is in shambles, although the celebrations outside for New Year's Eve are going on, people can tell it's more out of tradition, and not actual happiness for the year to come. Doomsayers in all countries of the world cry out that the world is coming to an end. So many of them speaking of the exact same catastrophe at the same time has the world actually listening to them. Most of the world is united in fear of the beasts below, but some are so terrified that they are lashing out at those around them; riots are taking place in some of the less fortunate countries.
Though there is a girl in the Bubbles household that doesn't care for any of that. She looks up into the fireworks filled sky with a puzzling expression on her face. Olga.
Her body is no longer as sore as it usually was not too long ago. She's recovered, physically, but mentally she seems to be somehow degrading. The voices in her head are ever so slightly getting louder, and more desperate. The spirits she seems to have an odd connection to are also calling for the end of the world. Maybe all of those doomsayers around the globe are hearing similar things.
Though something is calling to her, once she listens closer. There is… someone out there, someone in the sky, someone calling out to her. "Help… me…" She can hear in the faintest voice possible, that even the movements of the wind threaten to block out the sound, but she can hear it well, as if she had been listening explicitly for just this. She gets off of her bed and puts on her coat. She's independent enough to do anything a normal person can, though she still gets confused looks from Bubbles and Brick when she leaves the house.
"Olga? Where are you going?" – "Somewhere. There's somewhere I have to be." – "Alright… stay safe, okay?" – "Mhm." She opens the door and leaves the house, to be met with the chill of mid-winter. The pop of fireworks still goes off, though there are considerably less merrymakers out today than there were last year. She walks over to a nearby hill and looks up into the sky, towards the moon.
"Who are you…?" – "Help… me… I'm… trapped…" – "Where are you…?" She looks into the sky, the moonlight illuminating her scarred face. The large scar she has had for almost half of her life, ever since she first joined The Knights almost exactly 10 years ago, an accident that nearly claimed her life, only to be saved by Ph*****.
"…?" Olga wonders to herself. Ph*****? Who? Who saved her again? No wait, it was Mi*****. "…!" Olga's head hurts, something is wrong. "Who…? Who did…?" She mutters, rubbing a single finger down her scar. She can remember an explosion… a voice… "When did I get this scar…? Was it when I tried to revive Su***?" Her eyes go wide and she suddenly feels very angry! "GAH! SU… SU… SU… SAN!" She grips her head with both of her hands out of both pain and frustration, anger born tears fill her eyes as she shakes her head. She opens her eyes slowly, taking a deep breath. "Susan… Susan… that's right… my… brother… I…" She begins to cry again
"I almost forgot my own brother…" She falls to her knees on top of this cold, grassy hill as the voice still speaks to her from the sky. "Trapped…"
The mood is similarly melancholy here in Black Eden.
Cranston Utonium has spent his time today doing… nothing, which has never happened in the past twenty or so years. Something has him legitimately worried. He taps his clawed fingers on his desk, Shira Boomer doing what he's been doing for a long time, watching over Bunny as she slowly recovers. "Everything… is stalled…" X says to himself, beckoning a look from Boomer. "Professor…?" – "The Shira Project is stalled, Bunny is still comatose… the Bell cloning device is stalled, she is still recovering, and my two warriors… their inclusion into this world is similarly stalled. We have the cases, but not the ability to actually bring them into this world…"
Boomer turns back to Bunny. What X says is right, but it's not his problem. X's motivation ever since Boomer knew him was to get his daughter back, Boomer presumes through methods not too different than the way he was brought back. Though that method is more than possible, X has been working on an actual cloning process. Apparently it's been going well, though it could still be a while until it is complete. Ever since they both witnessed The Hangar blast a city under the Earth, neither of them feel like the driving powers they used to be.
Especially Cranston. He used to be a person whose very name inspired fear, ALL FEAR DOCTOR X! he would say. But now, no one even remembers him. The only people he can remember that may even know he exists would be Brisbaine and Brick, though since X has been gone for so long now, they may have completely forgotten about him. Is that a good thing? He wonders to himself. That may give him the opportunity for a kind of sneak attack. "But why…?" He wonders to himself. What can he accomplish up here?
Does he need to attack the world? Or would he be content to stay up here, in space, forever? That's for him to find out on his own.
The Saints of Crystallus are in a similar slump.
Everyone is so tired. They've been working non-stop to help various cities against the crystal monsters, to seemingly no end. Noss has unlocked some potential for his Alphametal, as has Alex, but Kally's is still the undisputed champion. Izzy, the child, is three years old now. He's been walking and talking, everyone in The Saints knows him, and loves him.
The newest Member of the Saints, Neil, has settled in well with seemingly no complaints from anyone. His own Alphametal has never been pushed to its limits, probably because of Neil's natural skill preventing near death scenarios. He has never sparred with Kally, but that is because he doesn't want to. Something about… "Not wanting to hurt a girl." Or something like that. Or was it "Not wanting to hurt a pretty girl?" Was he coming onto her? He is older, almost 16 years old. Kally is struggling to reach 13 herself, and even then she never accepted or even took notice of his advances. Whenever Neil talks, Noss can't help but roll his eyes. Though whatever passive aggressive thing Noss pull out, Neil never notices, which makes Noss even angrier.
"I'm gonna go get some air." Kally says, leaving the room. Barthandelus hasn't called on them today, apparently there aren't any crystal monsters present. It's been weeks since they've had a break. "Uh, so am I." Neil says, following her. Noss can't help but glare at Neil, who once again completely forgets Noss exists. "I'm starting to hate that guy…" He says under his breath, Alex hearing him. "I know what you mean… he seems to only be focused on one thing. He doesn't seem to be taking this job seriously." – "Oh, yeah… that's why…" – "Hmm? Is there some other reason you don't like-… wait…" Alex pauses, a small grin crossing her face.
"What?" – "You like Kally, don't you?" – "Wh-What? Don't be stupid." Noss looks away, embarrassed. Alex claps him on the back and looks him in the eye once he looks over at her. "Trust me, you're both barking up the wrong tree." – "Huh…?"
Kally stares into the stars. They are far enough from any major city that she can only make out fireworks on the horizon, their sound faintly echoing over to her. It's sandy and kind of desolate here. She takes a breath of fresh air as Neil shows up without her noticing, causing her to cough a bit. "Oh, hey." She says, once she regains her composure. "Hey." He looks out to the horizon, Kally also doing so. "So, your family was one of famous blacksmiths, huh? Like your great grandfather, who made that sword?" He takes his blade out of the sheath on his back and looks at it, it's so finely made and sharp that merely moving it along the wind causes it to sing.
"I was the last in the hereditary dynasty to inherit it. It's really quite an amazing blade. Nothing Barrett has made even comes close, even he realizes that. He's studied this sword a little bit, but he hasn't figured out exactly why it's so powerful." Kally looks down and holds her hand to her chest, or more specifically, to the center of her Alphametal. "My father, Francis, designed the first Alphametals a long time ago. What I'm wearing was one of the prototypes. He made it just for me, so that I can protect myself." – "Do you… know where your dad is?" She shakes her head and looks back at the horizon.
"No. He disappeared as soon as the Chronometal Wars started. He's always been a private man, if he was doing something important, he wouldn't tell me… but I can feel that he's still out there… I just know it… and so does my armor…" She closes her eyes and feels the soft night wind around her. "My parents died as soon as the first war hit Megaville. I was lucky to find this sword; it was in my father's possession at the time. He was still barely alive when he told me to take it. I think I was… 13 at the time… he told me it was time for me to become a man. He handed me the sword, and died right there. I had to leave everyone behind, my friends, my cousins, my classmates, everything. I wandered around for a couple of years until I heard Barthandelus' whispers. He told me to find a way to free this world. To help the people find peace." Kally looks over to him.
"Is that why you were helping those women commit suicide?" He only sadly nods. "Who was I to tell them what was right or wrong, other than the man who was tasked by Barthandelus to free the helpless people. Even now, I know there are people out there who are scared, and helpless. Who yearn for freedom from all of this." – "And what are you going to do?" – "I don't know." He says surprisingly quickly. "I thought I knew, once, but that was until I fought Noss, until he stopped that one girl from killing herself. His eyes were filled with such certainty, and a power I haven't seen in a boy his age. He's still a kid, don't get me wrong, but he's growing up fast." Kally smiles a small bit. "He has matured a lot since he first joined us." She looks back up to the moon.
"I'm sure you guys will make a cute couple." Neil says out of the blue. "Wait, wh-what?!" – "I can only imagine the reason you never responded to my advances was because you were taken. I meant no offense." – "Wh-what the… how did it come to this? Ugh…" She looks flustered, but she doesn't go away, instead she turns to him, as he turns to her.
"I am taken, in heart, but not by him." – "Oh? Who has your heart, might I ask?" – "…" Kally seems to be hesitant to answer. Neil can see the pain in her eyes. Something she's been hiding for a long time. "I'm… sorry. It wasn't appropriate, I'll go." Neil turns back to go inside. "Wait. Do you really want to know?" – "If you'd tell me, yes." He says without turning his head back. She swallows hard, but is calmed by the cool night wind. She decides to just let it out.
"I'm in love with a girl. A girl I met a long time ago. A girl I'm probably never going to meet again." – "A… girl… huh?" He smiles slightly. "I wish you the best, Kally. I hope you find her again someday." – "Thanks… Neil." He walks back in, casually waving back at her as his brown hair banks from his subtle movements.
"Ruby? Are you still out there?"