The Union of Light and Dark
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The southern part of the Korean Penninsula, around that time.
One of the more interesting revelations to the first androids was that Thomas Xavier Light was not the only Light. In addition to his wife, he had a cousin twenty years his junior, Brian Alexander Light. Instead of a roboticist, this mirror image today of the famous professor was an archeologist.
And before him stands the find of a lifetime.
"Tell me," he says, stroking his full gray beard, "What are we looking at?"
Next to him, his assistant, a dark-skinned man in his thirties named Colin Xander, folds his arms.
And before them, and their astonished crew, embedded in the wall of a cave measured at over five thousands years old and untouched by human hands in that long…is a machine.
Eighty feet tall. Polished black and violet metal makes up its skin, with two silver plates on its chest. It is humanoid, four fingers and a thumb on each hand, two legs and two arms. A single thick spike comes up from each shoulder like a wing, what they carry concealed by the rock.
And then there is the head. Two dull green eyes, vents for steam to escape, a spike rising up from its brow…and a mouth. It has a mouth, closed, disguised as a grill…but where the parts lay, they can see the teeth.
"If I didn't know better," Colin responds, "I would say we're looking at the tomb of a God."
"Not a God. A Slayer of a God."
The two turn, as bands of violet energy surround the other workers in the excavation site, and then them, wrapping around their wrists and their legs. And in a small display of energy and light, a man appears.
His face concealed by the high closed collar, his only revealed features spiky raven hair and dark blue eyes, he is tall, clad in a buttoned blue tunic and black loose pants, high laced boots with lettering in a language neither of them had seen before running up his legs. Opening his floor-length cloak, spreading out his arms and opening gloved, glowing hands, he chuckles.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," he says, "I am the Walker. And I do believe this wonderful find you've made is now mine."
He walks past Light and his assistant, fumes of energy rising off his form…and stops, turning to Light and looking him in the eyes.
"They were right," he says with a smile, "You look just like him."
Laughing to himself, he rises into the air, flying without any means technological towards the embedded machine. Stopping a short distance from the head, he extends his glowing hand…and the green eyes light up, a rumble escaping which in retrospect they would try to blame on the engines starting up…but deep down, they knew the machine was…growling.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, O Vessel for the Slayer of God," Walker says, "I am your new master. In service for freedom, you shall be my Angel of Death."
He crosses his arms, and violently, swiftly spreads them out…and in response, the rock wall holding the machine shatters. Thrusting out its arms and legs, the mecha tilts back its head…and six emerald wings of light appear from the shoulder armor.
The machine stands upright. Steam escapes the grills on its face and chest, as it bows to one knee in front of the Walker.
"I will be going now," he says, turning to the stunned crowd, "And in case you want to report what has been stolen…my new pet is called Weltall."
He laughs, tendrils of energy surrounding him and the Weltall, flashing, blinding the humans…and when the light clears, Walker and the machine are gone.
One hand picks up the small car, and with a grunt, Gutsman hurls it at X…and sees it blown out of the air by blasts from Zero, Bass, Blues, and Roll.
Gutsman's thoughts wander from 'I didn't know Roll sported an arm cannon' to 'Aw, crud. Now they're gonna beat the crap outta me.' With a sigh, he holds up his hands as the four aim their cannons at them, the normal New York crowd clearing the street as what resembles a Wild West showdown begins.
"Ah, poop," Gutsman mutters, "Boss never told me all'a you'd be here."
The hovercars and air-taxies continue overhead. A bead of sweat rolls down Bass's brow. Blues hears the small scratching as someone's foot moves across pavement…
And Bass turns his plasma buster from Gutsman to X.
"Guts, get out of here!" he snaps, "I'll do it myself!"
His clothes glow, replaced with his black and gunmetal gray battle armor, his finned helmet appearing on his head as a charge of plasma accumulates inside the barrel of his cannon…before Roll pushes X aside, aiming her cannon at Bass's head.
"That's enough, you backstabbing bastard," she growls, "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Saving our lives," he snaps, "X has the chance of succeeding where Zero failed forty years ago. I am not risking our lives like that!"
"You want to kill him…you'll have to get past me."
Blues places his hand on Zero's shoulder, pulling him back to X and Sarah.
"Let them," he says, "They won't kill each other. They need to get this out into the open."
"You're sure about that?" Zero asks.
"Sure enough."
A light runs out from the barrel of the blue and white arm cannon, running over Roll. When it ceases, her clothes have been replaced by a dark blue bodysuit with solid armor on her lower legs, chest, and lower arms, shoulders flared, a brace around her waist. In short, a female version of X's armor.
"Damn it," Bass growls, "I don't want to have to fight you. I'm trying to save your life."
"It doesn't work that way," Roll responds, "I won't let someone die just so I can live. Especially my brother."
"Fine then. If I have to put you out of commission for this, then fine."
He turns to the alleyway near the apartment building, and sees the glint of purple.
"Treble! Combine!"
Before Roll can get a bead, the hound runs from the alley, leaping on Bass…and merges with him. Gunmetal armor becomes violet. Wings sprout from his back. Purple flames rise from him, his power tripling as claws cover his fingers and talons cover his feet. And an oversized cannon forms on his arm, as he floats inches off the ground and aims it at Roll.
And roaring in frustration, he takes off, into the air-traffic above.
"Stay here!" Roll shouts "I'll take him! Hyper Force Armor, ACTIVATE!"
Her armor glows, the solid metal sections replaced by black armor, gold highlights flaring out like claws. A black helmet with gold extensions forms on her head, a visor covering her eyes as she begins tracking Bass…and clad in the Ultimate Armor, she surrounds herself with a plasma aura, and blasts off after her foe.
Walking over, hands up, Gutsman smiles as well as he can, considering his lower jaw in inflexible metal.
"Sorry 'bout that," he says, "I was told to pulverize an android. Never told who it was and I'd run into you guys. No hard feelings?"
"None," Blues responds, holding up his hand to silence the others, "What do you think?"
"About Roll and Bass? Hope they find a secluded rooftop to fight on or they'll get hit with a public indecency charge when they start making out."
In full Nova Crash mode, Roll slams shoulder-first into Bass's back, sending him flying through the air, past swerving air-traffic and embedding him head-first into a passing hover-freighter.
Gripping the metal underside of the unmanned transport, he pulls his head out, looking down and seeing a pissed-off Roll flying towards him.
He charges towards her, intending for his punch to miss her face and hit a power relay in the armor's shoulder…and she drives her first into his face, loosening teeth and giving him enough pause for her to score a point blank energy blast on him, sending him hurtling down.
Bouncing off a hover-taxi and sending it veering off course, he slams into the roof of a low-rise apartment building, climbing back onto his feet as Roll lands.
He holds up his hand, Treble disengaging, stumbling around before falling unconscious with a whimper. Roll stares at the unconscious dog…and shrieks as Bass dashes towards her, grabbing her by the arms and flipping her onto her back. He pins her with superior strength, gritting his teeth…and yelps in surprise when her own dash boots activate and she skids across the roof, flipping back up and firing off plasma blasts at him.
Quickly aiming his arm cannon, he shoots down the plasma bursts, leaping towards her, closing the distance with her as he knocks away her cannon, grabbing at her arm…and she spins, hooking her foot on his face and driving him into the roof.
He holds up a hand, his screams muffled by the pavement as he pulls his face from the indentation on the cement, Roll holding her arm-cannon at him as he skitters away and rolls onto his back.
"You're nuts, you know that?!" Bass demands, "Damn it, I think you loosened half my teeth!"
"Then give me a good shot and I'll do the rest," she growls, "Manipulative son of a bitch."
"And you're just a crazy bitch!" Bass growls back, "And don't you blame this on me! You saw what Zero was supposed to do! I was trying to protect you!"
Roll smirks, placing her free hand on the arm-cannon barrel.
"As you can see, that's not necessary."
"Watching those two's like watching the beginning of a porno movie."
Zero nods agreement with Gutsman's pronouncement, as they watch the battle between the two go from roof top to roof top, blasts of plasma and a flurry of blows exchanged between them, usually ending with some sort of perverse grappling.
"Never knew sis had it in her," Gutsman says, "You know Roll's my big sister, right?"
Zero looks to Blues, who nods confirmation as the grappling battle, snarling, yelling battle begins to draw closer to them.
"I understand why Bass did that," Zero says, looking to X, who's talking with Sarah away from them, "Is he your Boss?"
"Naw. Boss's someone different. We don't involve Bass, especially if we're gonna hook him up with Roll. And we're gonna, too. Those two make a cute couple, and it's actually pretty funny when they go for each other's throats."
The battle has gone from arguments to Roll throttling Bass in such a way that it looks like she's straddling him, screaming epithets at each other that, in Gutsman's words, 'Hide the real love blooming underneath.' He said that shortly before the battle brought them down to the street, the bystanders having long since run away for fear of their own lives.
"And I think this has gone on far enough," Blues says, "We have an important mission to accomplish. This fight's over."
"And how do you suggest we stop it?!" Zero demands, gesturing towards them, "We get between them and we're in traction!"
Gold light snakes out of Blues' palm, coiling around his forearm.
"Like this," he says, extending his hand towards the combatants, "Quenos idolo ideldie dai ser Lyarr."
A burst of wind separates Bass and Roll, holding them suspended in the air. Protoman gestures forward and the two are brought before him, looking at him with a mix of confusion and astonishment, as is Zero and Gutsman, his jaw literally on the ground.
"What the Hell was that," Bass asks.
"Wind magic. Sylph based. Now that I have your attention, I need to tell you that-"
"HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO MAGIC?!" Zero shrieks.
The energy-tendrils disappear, as Blues holds his face in his hand.
"I'd like to know that myself," a British-accented voice says, "I haven't taught you Sylph magic yet, Blues."
A pinprick of light manifests before them, and turns into a swirling portal of gold and green. Stepping out from it is a middle aged man in a brown business suit, a royal blue cloak falling over his shoulders. He smiles, genuinely, with gentility, walking over to Blues and walking around him as the others stare in a new level of stupor.
"I do believe you have been reading through my texts again," the man says with a small chuckle, "This is them? They're gathered?"
"As well as we can, Master," Blues responds.
The man nods, turning from Blues to the others. And clearing his throat, his folds his hands behind him and frowns.
"My name is Theadore Titenin," he says, "I am the Grand Magus, mystic protector of this world. Blues, for the past thirty years, has been my apprentice. And there is a threat coming, and I will need all your help to stop it."