Angels With Scaly Wings:

Season Two

A Cry From Humanity

Episode One

The Message

Two years. It had been two years since the conclusion of the war with Majestic Twelve. Immediately following, Tyler and Anna took a six month vacation. That vacation was the best either had ever taken; not only did they see the absolute best of each other, they were hailed as heroes and came closer together than they ever had before. On the last day of their vacation, Tyler asked Anna to marry him in full view of everyone - Remy, Sebastian, Adine, Bryce... even Emera was present. Anna was visibly surprised, but happily accepted without hesitation. The wedding ceremony was an exact replica of the wedding Tyler saw in his vision when he first met Anna. They both were overjoyed. They both were far beyond happy for this moment in their lives. They exchanged their vows, put rings on each other's fingers, and when the time came when they were proclaimed husband and wife, Anna and Tyler kissed like they'd never kissed before. Anna felt elated to be a married dragoness. And the fact Tyler - the human with dragon eyes and dragon blood - was now her husband... it made her heart soar. Tyler had come a long way since Anna met him - he'd gone from a tormented loner to her savior to a hero and now was her husband. After the wedding and honeymoon, Anna and Tyler got a new task from the council - study of that alien outpost that Majestic Twelve took over on the moon.

So that's what Anna was doing in this lab room on the top-most deck. She was analyzing a new batch of logs the former-MJ12 Humans had decoded. Tyler had run down to the mess deck to grab some coffee, and was actually due back any minute. Anna reached for the radio when her wedding ring's glint caught her eye and caused her to look at it. She smiled, and had a soft chuckle. Even almost a year and a half being married to Tyler, she still was getting used to seeing that ring on her finger. A hand tapped her shoulder, and she looked to see Tyler holding a cup of coffee. "Oh, thank you, honey," Anna thanked him as she accepted the cup. She took a sip and looked to her husband. He was sipping on his own coffee. "You got iced coffee again, didn't you?" she asked.

Tyler smiled and shrugged. "Ironic, considering the nuclear winter wasteland hellscape I came from," he chuckled. "So... what are we looking at?"

"Oh, just some R & D documents on weapons development and some more stuff they were gonna have dragons working on," Anna responded. "Though there were some interesting references to something called 'Atriox'. Can't figure out what that is, yet."

"Atriox... Atriox..." Tyler repeated.

"Let me guess - sounds familiar?" Anna asked with a grin.

"Ah, bite me," Tyler growled amusedly.

"You sure you want me to?" Anna shot back. They both shared a chuckle, then a kiss.

"I hate to break up this sentimental moment, you two, but you're both supposed to be off-duty right now," came Sebastian's voice. Tyler looked over and saw Sebastian standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Says who?" Tyler asked.

"Says Minister Emera," Sebastian responded.

Tyler frowned as he set his cup of coffee on Anna's desk. "Hnh. Since when did Emera care how long Anna and I worked? And why didn't Remy deliver this message?" he queried.

"You know how edgy he is with the transporter system," Sebastian chuckled.

"Ever since that first time," Anna grumbled. "Second transport was complete, he upchucked on the deck..."

"Ugh, don't remind me... took forever to get the smell to go away..." Tyler commented.

"Regardless, the support staff is here, so you two need to head back planetside," Sebastian chuckled.

"Well, technically speaking, we already are planetside," Tyler jested. Anna laughed.

"Smart ass," she quipped at him. Sebastian just shook his head.

"I expect you've heard this a million times, but... you two are such an amazing couple." Tyler just shrugged, and Anna scoffed.

"Regardless, Anna and I were going over the latest batch of data," Tyler said. "We'll be fine for a few more hours."

"Says the man who preaches having a good work-life balance," Anna said with an ear-to-ear grin. "Data's not going anywhere, dear. We can take a look tomorrow." Tyler just chuckled, then as Anna rose from her seat, took her hand, and they walked toward the transporter room.

"I know I've said this before, but... this place screams familiarity to me," Tyler commented.

"And you can't help but feel like you've seen it before," Anna said. "It'll come back to you."

"I've been saying it for two years, and it still hasn't come back to me," Tyler grumbled. "Makes me feel-"

"-Like you're missing some detail," Anna finished. She stopped Tyler and turned him to face her. "Honey, you're overthinking it. Relax. Take a deep breath. The Force will lead you to an answer in time. Just be patient." Tyler sighed, then smiled.

"You're right," he told Anna. Anna smiled.

"I usually am," she joked. They shared a light laugh, a tender kiss, then resumed course for the transporter room. When they entered, the person operating the transporter console - a former-MJ12 human that Tyler knew well since the Lunar Showdown two years back, Steve - greeted them in his Australian accent.

"Tyler! Heading home for the night?"

"Yep," Tyler affirmed. "Support staff is here, and I need to get some sleep."

"We both do, baby," Anna said.

"Alright, two to beam down to Tatsu City, ready to go at your command," Steve stated. Anna and Tyler stepped onto the transporter pad.

"Energize," Tyler said. The transporter energized, and Tyler and Anna were beamed down to their home town, where they started the trek to their home.

"I gotta say, Majestic Twelve certainly did a lot of R & D," Anna commented.

"Every ruler needs a power base. Without the people... well, people like Page need something to use against them," Tyler responded.

"I forget - what happened to that guy? I know he was arrested," Anna stated.

"Ah, he was tried and convicted of terrorism, kidnapping, and attempted murder," Tyler said. "Got a life sentence, but wound up getting killed by one of the inmates."

"Hnh... considering what he did to your world, serves him right," Anna scoffed.

"Agreed," Tyler agreed. "Like I said two years ago - had that been brought before a grand jury before the cataclysm, he'd have been hanged. Or sent to a firing squad. Never mind lethal injection. Page and Simons would have been toast."

"But you wouldn't have let them off the hook that easily, would you?" Anna poked at Tyler.

"Damn straight," Tyler responded. They rounded a corner, passing by one alley near the production facility where Tyler stopped. He smiled, remembering how this was the alley he first met Anna in.

"Fond memories, huh?" Anna asked. "Looking on the alley we first met in."

"It's funny - most people meet in bars, restaurants, workplaces... some even met online, back in the day. Not us. No, we met in a back alley with me homeless and you on your way home when the Force drew the two of us together," Tyler chuckled. He looked to Anna. "Ain't it funny how these things happen? The greatest of soulmates often meet in the unlikeliest of places."

"Still, I'm proud to be the one that calls herself your wife," Anna said. "Of all the dragonesses you could have loved... you chose me." Tyler chuckled lovingly, but the two nonetheless kept trekking to their house. When they got to their house, Anna opened the door and bent over to pick up the mail. It contained the usual stuff, nothing that Anna felt she needed to worry about. She set the mail down on the hallway table. It was as Tyler walked in that a familiar voice called to them from outside.

"Tyler! Anna! Wait up!" It was Remy, holding a package in his hands. Tyler immediately saw it wasn't typical dragon mail - far from it. It had "UPS" written on the front. This made Tyler suspicious. "Council wanted me to give this to you. This came through the portal addressed to you."

"It came through the portal?" Anna asked. "That's strange."

"Even stranger that it's addressed to me," Tyler agreed, accepting the package, "let alone that it came via UPS. I didn't realize any of them were still alive. Most offices I came across were leveled."

"What is UPS?" Remy inquired.

"United Parcel Service - they're a mail service that operated in the days before the cataclysm," Tyler explained. "I didn't realize the company survived, let alone was making deliveries again." He tore a strip off the parcel and removed the contents - a single recorder device. "... the fuck is this shit?" he muttered.

"What is that?" Anna asked.

"It's a recording device," Tyler said. He popped open a compartment to see a data tape was loaded in already. "... with a recording tape loaded in already."

"Maybe whoever sent you that left you a message," Remy suggested. Tyler nodded, close the recording compartment, and hit a button. When the device played its message, Anna watched as the color drained from Tyler's face, as though he was hearing the voice of a dead man:

"Carter... if you're listening to this, then perhaps there's a chance to save the human race. Perhaps there's a chance to explain myself, and though I don't dare hope for too much, a chance to Tyler, if he's alive. If you can find him, to let him know that... my love for him had never faded, and how desperately I've missed him. Tyler, my son... I can't imagine what you must have been led to believe of me. After you were born, I was taken by Majestic Twelve, and reported dead. When I was taken, I faced some bitter truths. I was told that, soon enough, you would be of age, and they would have you, too. As time went by, I knew you would resist. When the cataclysm came and MJ12 left me for dead, I knew that you had either died in the nukes, or you were so far away, so well-hidden, that you would never be found by them. But now... word has come that Majestic Twelve is no more, which means that my project has an all-new meaning. Tyler, I wish I could be sending you this message under better circumstances, but unfortunately, time is a luxury we no longer have. Our world's atmosphere is deteriorating. But I cannot leave my project in anyone else's hands, Tyler - I need you. You must come to me, Tyler - if you are listening, my son... so much of my life has been wasted. I try to think of you only when I am strong because the pain of not being able to watch you grow up, seeing your accomplishments, being with your mother, our family... the pain of that loss is so overwhelming, I risk failing even now. It's just so hard not to think of you. Think of where you are. If you receive this message, then come back to Earth, bring help if you can. Whatever you can muster will be of use, and we don't have much time, Tyler." There was a pause before the man continued, "Carter... send this message through the portal, where Tyler went. He needs to hear my voice. When he gets there, tell him of Project Failsafe, and send him to the facility in Rockland. The trail starts there. David Horgus, signing off." By the time David's message ended and the recording device clicked, Tyler's hands were trembling, and he dropped the device. Anna quickly caught it. Tyler was pale and his face looked as though he'd just seen a ghost.

"Honey... Tyler? Are you alright?" Anna asked. Tyler didn't answer. She placed her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Tyler, what's wrong?" Remy asked, "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Perhaps I have, Remy... perhaps I have," Tyler whispered hoarsely.

"Baby, was that your father?" Anna asked. Tyler was only able to nod. "Well, then we gotta tell the council!" Anna suggested. "If your father is asking for help..."

"The council has already gone home for the night; you'll have to wait till morning," Remy said. Tyler didn't respond, he just plodded down the hall, using the wall to support himself. It was as though he'd just been stabbed repeatedly in the gut. Anna approached him from behind.

"Honey... honey, it'll be-" she started.

"-A lifetime apart, and now he calls out to me? How did he know I'm here? How does he know I'm alive?" Tyler cut her off.

Anna gently turned Tyler to face her. Placing a hand on his cheek, she assured him, "We can ask him when we catch up to him."

Tyler frowned, then asked, "You... want to come with me? To the world I came from?"

"Yes," Anna responded. "I will not let you face this alone. Not like last time. And besides - because I am your wife, that makes your father my father-in-law. And I would not pass up a chance to meet him."

"Anna... the world I come from-" Tyler began.

"-Is a hellscape, I know. But you heard the message - your world's atmosphere is deteriorating, and that Project Failsafe sounds like a good place to start looking for a way to stabilize it," Anna said. "And you're gonna need a scientist to figure out and interpret those things."

"That's not what worries me, Anna," Tyler said. "The radiation and dangerous weather are only two concerns - we'll also be up against Raiders, Mutants, Slavers... they'll all be gunning for us."

Anna cracked a wry smile. "Then it's a good thing that you taught me how to shoot, sweetheart."

Tyler slowly smiled, then chuckled. "You really are hell-bent on being with me, aren't you?"

"Damn straight," Anna said. "I'm your wife for a reason. I promised you I'd be with you wherever your missions take you."

"You two better get some sleep, then," Remy stated. "Ten to one, Council's sending you through that portal ASAP." Tyler and Anna both retired for the evening, settled into bed wrapped in each other's arms, and quickly fell asleep.

{{{{{ }}}}}

The next morning, Tyler and Anna reported to the council, showing them the message Tyler was sent. They were both awed and amazed. Emera was specifically interested in it, citing it as a way to potentially build real diplomatic ties to the human race. She proposed sending Tyler through the Portal to pursue this lead on Project Failsafe. Anna would go with him primarily in an advisory role and to provide scientific insight. But Emera felt they would need backup in the event they ran into the Raiders or Mutants Tyler described. In the end, the only logical choice to send with Tyler and Anna was Sebastian, owing to his familiarity with Tyler and Anna and how he could easily handle a gun. Sebastian was hesitant, at first, but quickly stepped up to the role. They all headed to a storage unit that Tyler had rented to store his equipment to load up on supplies, where Tyler outfitted Anna and Sebastian with flexible combat armor and an energy shield; Tyler, naturally, took his BR77A2 CAR; Sebastian nabbed a Disruptor Auto Rifle; and Anna picked up a Tetryon Pulse Disruptor. With their equipment picked out, Tyler, Anna and Sebastian headed for the Portal.

"Hey, Tyler - any advice for when we get where we're going?" Sebastian asked en route.

"Depends on where we end up," Tyler answered. "If I understood the message right, we're gonna start in Washington, DC, in which case: Leave the talking to me."

"Washington, DC was your world's seat of power, wasn't it?" Anna asked.

"It was the American Capital, yes," Tyler responded. "There were numerous capitals in the world - Paris, London, Berlin, Moscow... located in France, England, Germany, and Russia, respectively."

"Good vacation spots?" Sebastian queried.

"Eh, even back in the day, that would depend on what you define as a good vacation spot," Tyler said. "Sure, Paris was the very definition of vacation getaway, and London had some neat tourist attractions... but Moscow... I'd have loved to see the Kremlin with my own eyes."

"What's the Kremlin?" Anna asked.

"One of the Wonders of the world," Tyler sighed. "Along with the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London... Those were the days."

"Look on the bright side, honey - after this mission, you may yet get a chance to visit them," Anna suggested. This elicited a soft chuckle from Tyler.

"Perhaps... but let's save my world before we explore it. And I'll warn you now - the world as it is now is a complete mess, ever since the nukes fell. Be ready." The trio approached the Portal, and Tyler stopped to view it. "And here I was thinking I'd never go back..." he muttered.

"Ain't it funny how life turns out different, huh, baby?" Anna said. Tyler scoffed, and they stepped between the pillars of that device.

"Okay, you three ready?" the technician at the controls asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Tyler affirmed.

"Okay - three souls going to Washington, DC in five..." The tech counted down, and Tyler closed his eyes. Anna and Sebastian closed their eyes, and when countdown was complete, they were whisked away, to a brave new world...