Darkness Cometh
Prologue
By: Kellendraysia
Crimson orbs opened slowly, only to squeeze back shut at the bright light shining down upon him. A light groan passed the figure's lips as he rolled over on to his side and pushed himself up a bit.
"Ah so you're awake," spoke an oddly graveled voice of a middle aged man, seeing the figure move. "Yes, yes, I see that you are, very good indeed."
The form of a willowy man dressed in an immaculately clean lab coat walked towards the waking form. "I am Dr. Alexander Grendel," he said as he stopped by the table and looked down at the figure there.
A man that has passed into his forties, Dr. Grendel showed the signs of age at his temples as his dark brown hair was fading to silver that ran in streaks along the sides of his head. Short locks framed his face wildly giving him an unstable appearance. Eyes of dark grey seemed to constantly dart around the room to take in information as he rubbed his hands together before him.
The figure upon the table sat up stiffly before he looked down at his hands, flexing them slowly before he turned them over, examining them. Dark black locks falling forward masking crimson orbs as he moved his gaze from his hands to the man standing beside the table.
"What is this?" the man asked Dr. Grendel, his voice as soft as silk but cold as ice. His gaze traveled up the form of the doctor, coming to rest upon the weathering features of the man. "Something doesn't feel right."
"You seem to be adjusting quite nicely, yes," Dr. Grendel said as he nodded slightly as if answering his own question. "I see that you are experiencing some confusion, do not worry. It will pass, yes, in time it will pass and you will feel like yourself once again."
"Talk sense old man," the figure upon the table hissed slightly.
"Patience, patience," Dr. Grendel replied as he looked down at the man upon the table, a bright nearly insane smile upon his lips. His grey gaze roaming at its own wavering pace over the flawless features of the figure upon the table, features 'unchanged' with time. "You are just as perfect as you were originally created, but now you are even better then you once had been, Forte. Oh yes, so much better then my mentor's original design, for now you have the abilities of the Reploids. Yes! Yes! That is it!"
Crimson eyes narrowed within the mocha face 'stained' with two purple smudges, one upon each cheek. Forte reached out a hand and grabbed the doctor by the front of his lab coat and pulled him down to him, noses mere millimeters apart.
"I said talk sense," Forte hissed dangerously. "NOT babble."
Dr. Grendel watched with glee at the fluid motion of Forte's bare arm moved with near lightning reflexes and grabbed a hold of him. The newly awakened Reploid before him was dressed in but a pair of black pants. Dr. Grendel had paid strict attention to detail as he worked on resurrecting one of the most dangerous robots ever created by Dr. Wily, his mentor. He wanted Forte to be able to blend in the human society as best as possible and he was feeling confident that the dark hearted Reploid would.
"Sense, sense," Dr. Grendel replied at first as if he didn't understand what Forte was talking about, that maniacal grin still upon his lips. A rough shake from the Reploid quickly snapped him out of his stupor. "I apologize Forte, you see I am quite excited to see you awake and moving. For some time I had been worried that I had failed. Failed to bring you back, failed my mentor. But I see that I haven't! I have brought you back, yes; brought you back to reign terror once again and destroy my mentor's most hated enemy in the process. But to bring you back I had to do some upgrading, yes that's it, upgrading, for you to be able to match the skills of that most hated enemy."
Forte shoved the doctor back away from him with a light sigh seeing that this was going to take a bit of time getting a straight answer from the foolish human before him. Swinging his legs over the side of the table he got down, bare feet touching the cool tile floor of the room as he shoved himself upward. A few slow steps taken to gain orientation before he started to move around more freely.
"Who is your mentor old man?" Forte asked as he walked around the room slowly, his gaze sweeping over the room as he moved. He then caught sight of black form behind glass he moved off to see what it was.
"Ah ah, I see that you have found something that belongs to you, excellent," Dr. Grendel said, as he became distracted from Forte's original question by the Reploid finding his armor. "Open it up and try it on, I'm sure it will fit perfectly. It should bring back memories as well, dark and wondrous memories."
The doctor gestured wildly and almost violently with his hands as he followed Forte along. He skirted around things that were in his way to try get to the control panel that opened the glass case.
"You didn't answer my question, old man," Forte replied dryly as he looked at the set of black, tarnished gold, and white armor behind the thick sheet of glass. A slight grin crossed his lips as he reached out a hand and touched the cool surface before him.
"Question?" The doctor looked confused for a moment then continued on. "Ah, yes, the question. My mentor was none other then your creator. The brilliant Dr. Wily, such a brilliant, brilliant man." He shook his head sadly as he punched in the code to the 'armory'. "You will show them, show them all the brilliance of my mentor!"
As the glass doors hissed open Forte removed his hand and stepped back, his eyes never leaving the armor as the doctor spoke.
"Mmmm hmmm," Forte replied only half listening, his mind was wandering, past and present were starting to slur together as the anticipation of donning his armor once again began to build.
The ramblings of Dr. Grendel meant nothing to Forte as he fastened his armor one piece at a time. His mind whirling with thoughts and memories of the past and what he could accomplish now in the present. He flexed his wrist and hand as he slid the last gauntlet into place, marveling in the fluid movement of his greatly improved armor. Once he was satisfied with the armor's fit he then turn to look at the doctor.
"One thing is still missing old man," Forte said, as he looked the man up and down once again as the doctor gestured away. "Where's Gospel?"
"Ahhhh!" Dr. Grendel said excitedly as he stopped in mid-gesture and wheeled away from Forte.
A mad grin crossed the doctor's face, a maniacal glee as he nearly killed himself tripping over a chair leg as he ran across the room to another panel. This panel was situated near a thick metal door. Tapping in the code he turned and looked over his shoulder at Forte, who now stood hands on his hips looking irritated.
"You didn't think that I forgot about Gospel did you, Forte?" Dr. Grendel said as he still grinned ear to ear, though it was hard to see, as only the top portion of his head was visible over his arm.
The door hissed open and a dark fog rolled out of the room beyond it, covering the floor in a blanket of coal grey. Inside a shadowy form could be seen with eyes that glowed a dull red in the surrounding gloom. Then the form emerged, stepping out of the room as if emerging from some abysmal jungle. Heavy head swung in Forte's direction as the door shut, standing before Forte and Dr. Grendel was Gospel.
A smirking grin crossed Forte's face as he saw the purple robotic canine emerge from the room. His faithful but dangerous companion, what times we had shared before our creator turned on us, Forte thought then his gaze jerked towards Dr. Grendel. His mind recalling what the doctor had said though he was only half listening. My mentor was none other then your creator. The brilliant Dr. Wily… the words echoed in his mind to leave a bad taste in his mouth and he crossed his arms about his chest.
"Who was your mentor again, old man," Forte said as pleasantly as he could muster…which wasn't that pleasant at all.
"Tsk, tsk, again you do not listen," Dr. Grendel, said shaking his head as he turned from the panel and made his way over to a different section of the room. "I have told you once that my mentor was you creator, the brilliant Dr. Wily."
Crimson eyes narrowed as he turned to glare at the doctor's back, Gospel let out a low growl as he stopped in his trek over to Forte. Obviously neither one bares happy memories of the late Dr. Wily. After a moments pause Forte rushed Dr. Grendel, feet hitting the floor with a heavy metallic clank only to cause the man to turn. Grey eyes widened as he saw the black reploid rushing him with Gospel not to far behind. Forte hit Dr. Grendel, shoulder driving the way, shoving the man back into the wall before he reached out and grabbed the 'good' doctor by the throat with a grip of iron.
"How dare you speak that name!" Forte hissed as he began to tighten his grip slowly.
Dr. Grendel struggled within the grasp of the much stronger machine. His hand dropped into his pocket as his face began to take on that ill shade of purple green.
"I would… advise… that you let go… Forte," Dr. Grendel gasped his voice cracking oddly as the fingers at his throat continued to constrict tighter and tighter. Fumbling around in his pocket he groped around desperately for the small device that was hidden there. The device he created for situations just like this. Finally locating it he grasped the object and pressed the first button on the rectangular remote.
Forte felt a slight buzz before his systems felt as if they were on fire. Reflexively he let go of Dr. Grendel with a grunt of pain as he staggered back.
"Wh…what is…this," Forte said through clenched teeth as he dropped to one knee, one arm clutched across his chest.
"This my dear dark Reploid is my reassurance that you will not kill me," Dr. Grendel said as he wagged a finger at Forte as if he were scolding a child.
A growl and the sound of running feet caused the doctor to turn his gaze from Forte and push the second button on the remote causing the running canine to let out a whine of pain before loosing his balance and falling head long into a table. There Gospel lay still upon his side, every once and a while there was a spastic twitch of a limb.
"Enough…already…old man," Forte said through grit teeth. At the moment he would do almost anything to make the pain stop…almost. "I get… the point."
"Good!" Dr. Grendel said gleefully as he pressed the top button on the remote once again and the painful shock to Forte's system stopped. "That is much better now. I think that that takes care of today's lessons. I have work to do so if you will kindly leave."
Dr. Grendel made a shooing motion with his hands at Forte as he spoke. "Go explore, there is not much you can get into and damage here after all. Go learn, I'll come and get you sometime later."
Forte stood up slowly, his gaze held level upon the human before him. A human he was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to kill or not. He then asked, "Gospel?"
"Oh silly me!" Dr Grendel replied and pressed the second button on the remote releasing the purple robotic canine from his own pained state. Shaking his head, Gospel got to his feet with a low and menacing growl, fully intending to attack the doctor once again.
"Gospel," Forte snapped in severe tone, causing the purple canine to turn his heavy head towards the black Reploid. "Come."
Forte then gave a slight bow to the doctor; more to humor the man then to show him respect. His mind was already wheeling with thoughts on how to rid himself of the control that Dr. Grendel put within him. He turned and walked out the door, armored feet echoing hollowly within the hallway.
Gospel took one last look at the human who caused him so much pain before taking off after his tall companion. The door slid closed as soon as Gospel left the room and he rushed down to fall into step with Forte.
