The plan was done. They had watched the tape. The tape was just the Gamma starter tape, Travis disposed of it in the basement of which only he had the key to. They were done with the plan and now knew the place to go… and the time they would be in it is split up into the confinements of 3 chapters. 15, 16 and 17. As a wise man once said, "We're in the endgame now…"
The ship approached the megabase that everyone feared.
"Look at that thing… I wonder how much phone coverage it has.." Luigi bothered to say.
The captain put the ship into stall mode and unbuckled. "Ok, folks. We're going in through the dock, through the pods. Alph, you will stay here and watch us through the cameras, as well as trying to figure out what they're trying to pull. 3. You are going to rig the reactor. Take the subspace bomb, rig it as we showed you, and blow this place to the multiversal sky. Simon. You are going to hunt for Omega, wherever he may be. No way he's not pulling a trick, so just find out what he's playing at and report to the rendavioux point. Luigi, cut off their comms system so that ours is the only one remaining, and then report to the rendezvous point, and I… I will find Alpha. You all know your plans, now go."
They shot off the pods and carefully landed them in the dock.
They split up from there.
3 carefully traversed the halls, following the instructions from the maps of which they had on the walls.
After some hunting, 3 found the reactor room. It was a fluorescent cyan color. The walls had lines lighting it up with the same cyan lights. It was very pretty, but there was something that took the beauty and awe away from it. And its name began with a T.
The emerald inkling stood right there, smack dab in 3's way. They were 10 feet away from each other.
He pointed his knife forward. "I knew you'd be here. Right here and I was ready for ya. You want to end this, so do I. We have a common enemy now."
3 stepped forward. "Then join our cause. We don't have to fight-"
Travis laughed. "You think that, but you know it's inevitable. We have a common enemy. Each other. This battle doesn't even matter, technically. This place is still being blown to pieces anyway."
"Why can't we just lay down our weapons and be friends again? Why can't you let go and help me?"
"Because, even though we were truly friends before, no faking, genuine friendship, I choose this time to stand here, right in your way. Because of a simple mistake."
"If you hadn't gone and betrayed me, we would've been more than that. But look where we are now, best of friends to bitter enemies."
Travis had a scowl. 3 was readying herself to fight. It was inevitable. She knew he wouldn't go down without a brawl. They exchanged glances before they both charged.
15 minutes seemed like hours, but when they passed, Travis's eyes went wide as pieces of metal flew across the floor.
The remains of Travis's knife lay on the floor.
He remained motionless for about two seconds. Travis felt a power surge through him as he summoned all the PSI he could get to help fight.
"This is truly a winding battle," Travis mumbled, while he fiddled with fire at his fingertips. "But methinks this is over now."
3 regained composure and readied herself. They continued.
Alph called 3 over and over again. It had been a little bit since the action had stopped now. "3, can you hear me?"
3 sighed and turned on her comms. "I… I'm okay."
Travis lay on his back, a small line of emerald going from his mouth.
"H...how? How did you do that?" He groaned, weakly. "I wanted so badly your death. But fate wants me elsewhere…"
3 bent down to meet Travis eye-to-eye. "It's not over. I can still help you escape, none of us have to die here."
"How can you forgive a killer? I have done more than my own superior, under my own volition."
3 sat the bomb on the floor and started the timer. 4 hours. Travis watched, silent as can be.
3 looked to Travis. "Come on. Come with me, we can escape together."
"Why? So someone else can come home and ruin my life? Imagine it. I return home. Whatever is left of Gamma wants me here, dead or alive, MVPs want my head on a stick, what's next? My long lost sister shows up and tries to kill me?"
3 crouched down to be on eye level again. "I can't stay here any longer, so…"
Travis's eyes went wide as 3 caught him in a hug. It felt… warm. And friendly. But it didn't change his mind.
3 ran away, leaving Travis to listen to his thoughts and the steady beep of the bomb as it counted down. Travis looked at the ceiling and conjured the best memory he could remember, during his literal final hours.
In the recesses of Travis's mind, a memory of 15 years ago…
The emerald boy slowly trotted home from school. Felt like hours, but that was the way he liked it. Slow and winding. Nothing good would await him at home, but turning himself on auto-pilot and walking slowly whilst thinking to himself made him feel better and braced his mind for the sudden strains on it.
That day, he was walking, looking at the ground. The ground was a nice thing to stare at, but the view was obstructed by a pair of legs.
Travis looked up. A girl, orange, probably naturally, stood in front of him. She wasn't facing him, she was facing the street to his right. She wore a grey hoodie and jeans.
Travis frowned and bothered to ask one simple question. "What are you doing?"
The girl looked down at him. She was mighty tall, to 13-year old Travis.
"Waiting." She replied.
"For what?"
"Someone to arrive. What are YOU doing?"
Travis pondered telling the truth. He wasn't being abused or anything, so he told the truth. A bit too much of the truth. "Walking home. Home to a bunch of no-good idiots."
The girl awkwardly laughed. "Well… that's… uhh… nice…?"
"Not exactly."
"Tough life, huh?"
Travis slowly nodded.
"I bet you have it better than me."
The girl awkwardly laughed again. "Well… not exactly. You need to lighten up, though. How old are you?"
"9. But everyone who's actually nice to me says that I act like I'm way older."
The girl laughed, but quickly stopped. "You do, from what I've heard… Say… what's your name?"
Travis thought about telling a lie or the truth again. "My mother says I shouldn't give my name to strangers…" The girl gave a shrug. Travis smugly continued. "But she's always wrong and gives garbage advice. I'm Travis." Travis stuck out his hand.
The girl shook it. Her hand felt hard. Like she had rocks for a hand.
"Kid, I haven't seen a 9 year old with such… willingness. But, I'd guess you'll grow out of it, or it'll get worse… My name is Aria."
Travis looked around Aria. "I have to go home now. But it was nice meeting you and we probably won't see each other for another 3 to 5 years."
Aria tilted her head in confusion, but shrugged it off. "You seem like a cool kid… you come from the school from just up the street?"
Travis solemnly nodded.
"Ok… see ya later, kid."
Travis jogged off, but Aria watched him leave. After he left, Aria turned back to the road and cracked a smile.
1 day later…
Travis turned and saw his least favorite group of stereotypical bullies coming.
They looked like they wanted to do something horrible, but then they stopped. Travis felt an awkward air behind him and turned just barely. Aria stood behind him, just barely smiling.
The bullies laughed a little. "Is she your little hero?"
Aria glared creepily.
They laughed louder. "Aw, is that supposed to be scaring me-"
Aria slowly approached them, revealing that she was actually looking down on them. Literally, they were shaking in their shoes at the fact that she was very tall and about to pound them into the concrete.
"Laugh all you want, but if you lay as much as a single molecule of you on him and I will beat you to a pulp."
They all ran, except for the leader. "Am I supposed to be scared?" He said, shakily.
"Yes, if you know what's good for you and would like to remain in the mortal realm."
He slowly ran off. Travis muttered a very quiet "thanks."
"The sad thing is, they didn't resist. If they had resisted any longer, I'd have busted some tail."
Travis shrugged and sat down. "Won't they just come back?"
"Yeah, but they'll be hesitant. Maybe then you could try one of your… word tricks."
Travis shrugged and continued on with his day.
As the week progressed, Aria appeared more and more. Like a stalker, but good. Travis liked it, to be honest.
Present…
Travis snapped out of his memory moment to smile. Maybe I was an evil being. But I know I could never forgive you.
Travis stood up. His legs trembled and he felt like he was going to collapse again. He had really taken a beating. Badly. Travis slowly limped to the door that 3 had pried open. As if he weren't beaten up, Travis smiled creepily and ran. Ran as fast as he could.
Words barely escaped his mouth as he spoke them, "I'll never forgive you."
Meanwhile…
A low rumble shook the facility. 3 lost her footing for a second, but was okay. Luigi and Simon should have been done with their tasks by then. It was making 3 scared. The idea that a single one failing caused full loss of the war shook all of them, but 3 the most.
The rendezvous point was the ventilation room, the one with no security and no guards outside. No guns were to be fired because Gamma feared that a single bullet would kill all of them. That's why the captain chose that spot.
3 sat down, once aware that no one was in the room and had followed her.
All outside noises were drowned out by the hum of the vent shafts working. 3 leaned against the wall and sighed. "I need to rest…"
3 peeked an eye open about an hour later and saw Luigi slowly tread inside.
"Oh, thank god." he muttered. "I really hoped that you were alive. My wishes are granted."
Luigi sat himself right beside 3.
"You look troubled. Distressed. What happened?"
"My past friend had to die for us to win this battle."
Luigi sighed. "Once we win, the casualties should shrink. But you should sleep for now. They don't check this room unless absolutely necessary and the pods are still hidden."
"Why? He's just going to appear in my nightmares as the one I couldn't help."
"You're right. He is. But the past is the past, and you can't change it. You can only work through. That's why Alpha made the MVP corp. To get the people stuck in the past of dreariness and pain to snap out of it and see the new world. But that's his way of working around the past and to the future. Now, get some rest. Simon and the captain should be back soon."
3 nodded off before Luigi fell asleep. Luigi, who just sat there, nervous, fell asleep shortly after.
Meanwhile, on the ship…
Alph sighed. "Glad that's over. Now, time to check in on-"
"Oh, if it isn't fruit fly… what a surprise!"
Alph grabbed his taser and whirled around, to lock eyes with Billy. "Oh no."
"Come on, you can't have a private signal near ME! I am the hacking master! Ya done goofed kid."
Alph grabbed the nearest weapon. A laser rifle. Memories, am I right?
Billy undid the chrome arms. "Boy, I'm probably younger than you, but that does NOT save your rump from the whooping it's about to get. Any last words, before you DIE?"
Alph realized that the gun was still set to random. After saying a prayer in his head and Billy impatiently waiting for Alph to spew his last words, Alph looked Billy dead in the eye. "No one knows when their life is in danger."
As quick as a flash, Alph pointed up and shot out the ship lights, causing them to be immersed in darkness.
Billy screamed in anger, before screaming in pain, because Alph had shocked him.
"ARGH! You little brat! How DARE you?!"
Billy swung the metal arm backwards, right into an unsuspecting Alph, who had on night vision.
Alph flew into the wall, but got back up. "Nice try."
Billy felt a shock in his back, screaming as the arms malfunctioned and started flailing.
Alph looked at the laser rifle. The arms made Billy dangerous… so he would get rid of them.
Billy probably saw it coming, the moment Alph shot the chrome backpack, destroying the frame controlling everything.
Billy dropped the backpack as Alph turned on the back lights. "You…. you destroyed it. You win. But. Your friends will die in there. Omega has something cruel up his sleeve and you'd be better off dead."
Alph put cuffs on Billy and sat him down. "What's this trick?"
"Not like I'd tell you. You brat."
Alph released a small anger sigh and went back to the comms and camera systems.
Something really wasn't right. Alph planned to tell everyone. But something stopped him. Some nagging feeling that someone was waiting to hear what he had to say.
FYI, I am done with the writing of the story(which ends soon!) and I sincerely hope you enjoy, because I had so much freakin' fun with it.