by Krystiana Slinky [krystiana@mindless.com]
------------------------------

Blah, blah blah. There, that's my disclaimer. Lessee..... just don't sue me, kay?

The third installment of the Future Tense thingy-dooey. You have no clue how long this
took to do. I kept getting big blocks. I would write a few sentences at a time. So finally, I
sat down and forced ideas into my head. It worked, kinda. It's short, and it moves fast.
Kind rushed.

Okay, I've started the fourth and fifth movements, but I have no clue how long it'll take
me to write. The fifth won't take long, but..... oh, well.

----------------------

2036 AD

I hear the beeping go off on my communicator. Grumbling, I contemplate ignoring
it. But then Brooklyn would think something had happened to me, and send off a search
party or do something to overexaggerate. I flip on the communicator which I designed
years ago. Matt's voice comes on, sounding quiet and excited.
"Goliath is back, Lex!"
My eyes widen. ~Goliath?~ I think. "But... how?"
"How should I know?" Matt says. "Just get back to the Labyrinth quickly!"
I close my communicator and look at the computer in front of me. I growl, silently
cursing Goliath's return. The Xanatopia program was supposed to be uploaded tonight! I
did not want to put off the plan any longer than it had to be.
An idea springs to my mind. I could still rule the world by the time the night was
over. I sit down by the giant machine, pressing a button. Outside, I know a holographic
image has loomed above the City. An image of Xanatos. "Rejoice my people," I say in
Xanatos's voice.
"The age of Xanatopia is at hand..."

* * *

2016 AD

Thailog had a gruelling respect for Brooklyn.
True, at first he had though Brooklyn would quickly crumble under the weight of
leadership and the loss of the elder, Hudson. But Brooklyn had proven him wrong.
Despite his age, he was proving to be a fine leader.
So young to be leading a clan! ~If anyone should be leading the clan, it should be
me,~ Thailog once thought. But when he mentioned the subject to Demona, she pointed
out that Brooklyn, in actuality, was older than himself. Thailog dropped the matter and
never mentioned it again. But he didn't forget about it.
Thailog had a gruelling respect for Brooklyn, but he would never admit it.

* * *

"Nicky!"
Nicholas Zsido looked over his shoulder to see his little sister running to catch up.
"What do you want, Jamie?"
Jamie looked at him with her cat-like green eyes. "Brenden said not to go anywhere
alone."
"Oh, joy. Our 'father figure' knows what's best for us," Nick said sarcastically.
"Brenden and Margo have taken care of us ever since Mom and Dad were killed in
that mutate raid. You should be grateful." Nick hated the way she just let the words roll of
her toungue.
"Jamie-"
"Where were you going, anyway?"
"To look for a new place to live. One boom and that place is going to come crashing
down around us."
"Nicky!"
"It's true! And don't call me Nicky."
"Nicky, Nicky, Nicky, Nicky, Nick-"
"Stop it!"
"Nickynickynickynicky-"
Nick quickly tackled his sister, who let out a shriek as she landed in a mud puddle.
"Nicky, you bastard!" Nick grinned and helped her up.
Jamie scowled at her big brother. "If you ever do that-" She broke off and stared over
Nick's shoulder with wide eyes and gasped. "OH, DEAR LORD!" she screamed. "Nicky,
run!"
Nick turned around and saw it. A giant... something... was looking at them, and
quickly advancing towards them. The gold robot picked up Nick as a red bulb began
flashing.
Jamie watched it in horror as the robot aimed something (an arm?) at her brother...
"NICKY!!!"

* * *

The shadowed figure let a smile spread across his face. The new robot was working.
It did look quite a bit like Xanatos's Coyote 4.0 robot that had been destroyed in
Egypt, but it was much more efficient. It didn't act like Xanatos, for one thing. Plus it
followed orders to the point of death, if needed. Once given a target, the victim was dead.
Lexington had designed the robot for one thing - to capture humans to be turned into
mutates. He aimed for the family of victims that he had already destroyed. This robot was
capturing this boy so he could be a servant for "Xanatos."
The Klung robot, as it was called, named after the man who built it, was unbeatable.
It could most likely even capture Goliath.
Lexington sat straight up. Not Goliath...

* * *

"Two dissappearances in the south part, a child injured in Brooklyn, a murder just
north of Brooklyn..." Talon reported.
"Six sightings in all," Matt put in.
Brooklyn listened with interest. "Did anyone give a description?"
"A gold robot. That's all they said."
Brooklyn silently swore inwardly. "We should probably go look for it. We can't let
something like that running around the city. We've got enough problems already." He
stopped and looked at the troops. "We'll split up. Coldstone and Maggie, you're in one
group. Talon will head it up. Demona, Thailog, and Lex, your with me. Everyone else
stay here, but keep an eye and ear out for that thing."
Everyone went to their jobs, but Lexington lurked behind his group. Everything was
working out just the way he wanted. He began scanning for the robot, and found it was a
mere half-mile away. He communicated with the robot, sending direct orders to it.
*Passcode: lot 20*
*ACCESS GRANTED*
*Defecon: Rebels*
The robot grinded this in. *IMPERITVE?*
*Primary target. Capture him.*
A silence. *CONFIRMED*
Brooklyn looked back at his rookery brother. "Lex, is there a way you can scan for
the robot?"
Lexington blinked. "Already have." He stopped and squinted again, pretendting to be
searching again. "It's called the Klung robot. It has many defenses, triggered by command
or movement. The program right now-" He flinched in pretend pain. "It locked me out. It
should be right below us."
Brooklyn growled. "I see it!" He spirled down silently, followed by his team.
Demona squinted at the thing. It was gold, and about seven feet of metal. She
growled as what appeared to be it's head looked up at them.
"It spotted us!" Thailog snarled as he dodged to the left when a scarlet laser beam
ripped past them.
Brooklyn flipped around and dived down behind the robot. It quickly turned around
and saw him, firing numerous shots. Brooklyn leapt up into the air and snapped his wings
open, which was a mistake. A shot ripped through his wing. He cried out in pain and fell
to the ground. The robot made an immediate rush towards him. Brooklyn tried to stand
up, shaking his head to clear it. He wasn't successful in standing up, and the robot loomed
closer.
Demona swept down and picked him up under the arms, setting him down on the
near building. She bent down beside him to make sure he was all right.
Thailog suddenly leapt at the robot with eyes glowing, tail lashing, and his talons
outstretched. He raked his claws across the metal framing of it with enough force to
flatten a building, leaving... nothing.
Thailog's eyes widened and clawed at it again, getting the same results. He reeled
back, pulling out his laser blaster with new confidence. He fired several shots at it, only to
watch the shots bounce off the bright gold metal with nothing more then a slight "bonk"
sound.
Lexington, meanwhile, was forming a strategy in his mind. He swept around the
robot, letting his eyes flare up a deadly white. In a single, solid, flowing motion, he shot
towards the robot with such speed and accuracy that would make a marksman jealous. He
put out a foot to connect with the robot's head.
"THONK!"
Lexington flinched in pain, but shook it off. Pain was necessary - masquerading a
role for as long as he had was not easy, and sacrifices had to be made. If he came out the
only one in the battle who had not been injured, the others would suspect something.
Lexington felt the metal close around his flesh ankle as the robot picked him up high
into the air. Sending a few quick commands to the robot, he was soon flying through the
air again as the robot spun him around in a circle and suddenly let him go. He sailed
towards Thailog and hit him dead on in the gut.
Demona jerked her head up. "Will you be all right on your own?" she asked
Brooklyn. He gave a painful nod, knowing he probably only had a few bruised ribs from
the fall. Demona spred her wings and dove off the edge into the air, gliding towards the
robot with eyes glowing red.
But as Brooklyn soon heard her pained roar echo around the empty city, he knew the
battle was soon to be lost.

* * *

"Nicky?"
Nicky groaned and blinked, trying to clear the haze that was hanging in front of his
eyes.
"Nick?" His sister's voice sounded pained.
"Jamie?" he managed to croak out. Oh, god, it hurt to even _talk._
"Nicky, what happened?"
Nick tried to rub his eyes to clear them, but then realised that he couldn't move. He
arms and legs were tightly bound to something, most likely a wall.
"We were attacked by some robot thing."
"But what happened to you?" Jamie asked.
"What do you mean?" He blinked rapidly and managed to clear his eyes. His siter
was sitting on the ground, bound in chains. Her clothes were ripped in various places, and
she had a darkening bruise on her right cheek.
"Jamie!" he said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" she said. "But what happened to you?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" he said impatiently.
"Nicky..." Jamie began in a small voice. "You have wings."
"Wings? Give me a break."
"I'm telling the truth! The only reason I could even recognize you was because of
your clothes!"
"What..." Nicky had a sinking feeling in his gut. He had heard about the mutates.
More then heard. His parents... He stopped and closed his eyes. "Please, god, no..." he
whispered. He opened his eyes and arched his neck behind him. Sure enough, he saw two
sleek, black wings, attached to his back. When he tried to move them, they moved. "Oh,
my lord," he said in the same tone. He lowered his head and his eyes tightly shut. "No..."
A single tear managed to squeeze out of the closed eyes.
"No."

* * *

Demona waved the burning smoke from her face. The robot had apparently caught
something on fire, and the smoke was stinging her eyes like venom. She started coughing
involuntarily, and she stumbled around blindly.
Tripping over something, she fell hard on her shoulder. Tears ran down her face, and
she found them strangely comforting, cooling off her eyes. Despite this fact, she began
wiping them away.
"Thailog..." she whispered. "Please, where are you..."
Hands, strong hands, lifted her to her feet. They began taking her somewhere. She
couldn't tell who it was. She moaned in pain. "Relax, Night Angel," came Thailog's voice,
as soothing as it could be. He sweeped her into his mighty arms and began running into
the smoke.
A shot rang through Demona's ears. She faintly heard Thailog grunt in pain and he
stumbled a bit, but he kept moving.

* * *

The Manhattan Clan shouted commands at one another throughout the battle.
They could not possibly be heard.

* * *

Demona came out of her haze and she looked at her love. Thailog was guarding her,
looking ready to rip the guts out of anything that came near them. She sat up slowly,
rubbing her head.
"Are you all right?" Thailog asked her, still crouched low.
"Yes, of course!" Demona said, standing up with his support. "I'll be fine." She
gazed into his eyes and smiled; he smiled back.
A shot brought them back to the real world and they jerked their heads towards the
quickly advancing Klung robot.
"Damn it!" Demona swore. She reached for her gun, only to find that it wasn't there.
She had probably dropped it somewhere along the way. She resorted to her wrist blasters
- not as strong as the laser gun, but effective. She fired at the robot with accuracy, but the
shot bounced off and hit her. She was sent flying back and into the wall. Already weak
from the first time she was down, there was no way she was getting up now. She could
only watch as her love launched himself at the robot. She watched as he failed to stop it.
She watched as his body fell limp to the ground, and the robot drag his body off.
Newfound strength surged into her. "NO!" she roared, and she sailed into the air.
The robot simply turned and fired a shot cleanly through her wing. She screamed in pain
and she fell to the ground. The robot turned again and once again began dragging
Thailog's body into the mist.
Demona shook her head in disbelief. "THAILOG!" she shouted, letting out a
terrifying roar. She collapsed onto the ground, shivering and sobbing.
Brooklyn found her asleep with a tear-streaked face.

* * *

Lexington walked into his "office," grinning. He had had a successful night.
A VERY successful night.
Thailog's body was all his to do whatever he wanted with it. He could dissect it,
mutilate it, hang his head on a post and taunt Demona with it.... but he had MUCH bigger
plans.
He ws going to clone the clone.
Basically, he wanted lots of Thailogs running around, working for him. Except
MUCH stupider. Lex smiled and his cyberbiotic eyes flashed for a moment.
He would attend this matter later. Just then, he had to check in on his latest pupil.

* * *

Jamie looked at her brother's new form. Aside from having fur, wings, talons, fangs,
and a cat-like face, he was still the same person... basically.
Except Nicholas Zsindo NEVER cried.
Nicky has cried himself to sleep.
And he was now waking up as a clang of the metal door rang. The door swung open,
and out stepped a gargoyle... or was it a gargoyle? Jamie wasn't sure.
The... gargoyle pointed at Nicky, and two mutates walked up and unlocked him.
Grabbing him by the arms, they began dragging him out the door.
"Where are you taking him?" Jamie protested. "Why are you doing this?"
The gargoyle turned back towards her. "Take her, too. Let her watch."
"Watch WHAT?" she said as yet another mutate walked up to her and unlocked the
chains. He grabbed her shoulders and followed the others out the door.
Jamie was set down harshly on the floor and her brother was being locked up again
on a slap of metal or something. The gargoyle pressed a button, and a large cannon-
looking thing arranged itself and pointed at Nicky.
"NO!" Jamie yelled and began to get up. She was quickly pushed back down.
The cannon fired, and Nicky was enveloped in a glowing purple haze. He let out an
inhuman roar, which died quickly. His expression changed from pain to... expressionless.
The cannon stopped humming and the haze dissappeared.
The restraints on Nicky unlocked and he got up with the same expressionless face.
"Nicky?" Jamie whispered. He didn't even turn to look at her.
"Now, to prove your loyalty," the gargoyle said. He pointed at Jamie, who shrunk
back at his very gaze. "Kill her."
Nicky began walking towards his sister and extended a taloned hand, raising it up as
if to hit her.
Jamie said nothing as he brought the talons down along her face.

* * *

2036 AD

I remember that night all too well. Why I remember Jamie and Nicholas Zsindo, I
still don't know. Perhaps all that went on that night made me remember.
I finish my little broadcast and switch off the holographic image of Xanatos.
Walking to the edge of the castle, I dive off, not really caring if I am seen.
Heading back towards "base," I spot Nicky himself, leading the group of mutates I
had appointed him too. Walking in perfect syncronation, they look like an army from the
Civil War, minus the weapons. Their weapons were their talons, something I knew all too
well.

To be continued.........

------------------------------

Done and DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coming Soon!!
Future Tense, Part IV: The Ultrapack -
A simple patrol turns into a suicide mission.

****

Okay, tell me waht you think. Yes, I love feedback and I usually reply.

It is now 1:30 am and I have just finished a story which took nearly a month to write. Tell
me why.... I don't know.

Okay, and as for "The Altered Universe," I need help. Demona was in WAAAY too many
episodes for me to write by myself. If you want to write an ep for me, e-mail me at
krystiana@geocites.com and tell me which one you want to do and how you want it to go,
and I'll tell you if it hasn't been claimed or not. Yes, I have a few claimed by me, myself.
It doesn't have to be an ep with Demona in it or not, you just have to follow the universe.
Surprisingly enough, I haven't claimed Future Tense yet, because I have no clue how to
do it. Here are the ones that I've claimed for certain:

Long Way to Morning
The Mirror
Sanctuary

E-mail me and tell me if there is one other than the above that you want to write. Or if
you have any suggestions for the above, I will take them. And I've already gotten some
feedback on whether or not Brooklyn gets the human-by-day gift of not, and they are all
the same, but I won't tell you the decision. :P

Oops, I babbled again!!!!