PART 6
He gazed out over the skyline of Paradigm. The view was magnificent; it would take his breath away, if such rules applied to him. He stood, still as a statue, his clothes fluttering a little in the wind. He considered what would happen next. It was unfortunate that people would have to die. But, such was destiny.
For a time, he had considered sparing this city. But now, Roger Smith would witness its dismemberment, first hand.
"Would you two boneheads knock it off! You're blowing our cover!" Beck growled at his bumbling assistants. He reached over, grabbed the miniature videogame from their hands and tossed it out the window, where it was promptly crushed by the passing traffic.
"Come on boss, we're bored." T-Bone whined, sounding like a scolded six year old. Beck tightened his grip on the steering wheel, trying not to lose his patience. This whole situation was starting to grate his nerves.
"He told us to wait till he made the distraction," he grunted between his teeth. His lackey's continued to moan and groan while he tried to consider what he was going to do once this was over. Solderno and Wayneright's journals could be of limitless use to him, he just had to figure out the best way to utilize them.
"Hey, baby, you better check this out!" Alexis squeaked from the back seat. She had been wearing a handheld radio-piece in her ear. She handed it forward to Beck, who held it up to his own ear. After a few moments his eyes widened and his characteristically crazed looking grin crawled across his face.
"I've got to hand it to him...THAT'S what I call a distraction!"
The citizen's of Paradigm City had almost grown used to the almost weekly attacks by foreign megadeus' and other monstrosities. The Military Police had issued many orders instructing the people on how to be prepared for such emergencies; there had even been evacuation drills encompassing whole chunks of the city. But nothing could have prepared the citizens for the monstrosity that now blocked out the light from their vision.
It was like no megadeus that had ever been seen. It towered, monstrously huge, larger than any of the mechanical titans that had attacked this city yet. Its exterior blazed a bright blue, save for the massive black eye that dominated the center of its head. Its humungous feet crushed craters into the streets of Paradigm, its gigantic shoulders tore chunks if concrete and steel as it moved between the skyscrapers.
"Fire! Force it back!" Dastun shouted through his megaphone. The row of Military Police tanks behind him burst off a volley of shells at their new enemy. Dastun gripped the handle of the megaphone tighter, hoping against reality...
He growled with intense frustration when, as he had expected, the megadeus simply ignored the assault as if it were the gentle caress of a spring shower. It kept its back turned to the Police units attempted distractions, and continued on its steady path toward the massive dome that dominated the center of the city. Dastun cursed and threw the megaphone to the ground, shattering it to pieces. It was then that he felt the rumbling.
"Not again..." the colonel muttered to himself. He grabbed onto the squad car next to him and held on for dear life as the ground began to tremor as if an earthquake were coming.
Several blocks away, the asphalt trembled and collapsed into the ground, leaving an opening big enough for the city's black knight to come to its rescue.
CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD...YE NOT GUILTY
Roger Smith smiled to himself as he watched the familiar words flash across the monitor inside Big O's cockpit. He gripped the controls, his hands firm and steady. He watched as the skyline of the city slowly filled his vision. When he saw the nightmare that dominated the monitors, his jaw dropped.
"What kind of a megaeus is it? Its huge!" Roger thought aloud. As if it had somehow heard him, the monstrosity turned to face Big O.
"Finally drew you out, Negotiator!" a demonic sounding voice crackled over the loudspeakers. Roger gasped when he heard the words.
"I don't know who you are..." Roger said when he regained his poise, "But the kind of power you're abusing can't be allowed to run free! Big O, its show-time!"
Before Roger could move Big O, the massive eye of the blue megadeus flickered, and then let loose a massive laser beam. It crashed into the torso of Big O, rattling the stalwart megadeus and its pilot. Roger cried out as if he too had been physically struck. Big O stumbled and collapsed down onto it's back.
Norman watched the unfolding battle with a growing sense of alarm. He had every confidence in Roger's abilities, but this megadeus seemed to be unlike anything that he and Big O had encountered before now. He had jumped when that laser beam had struck Big O, almost certain it would rip the old machine in two.
"Norman" Dorothy said from behind the old butler, "Will Roger be all right?"
"I'm quite sure he can handle this, Dorothy. Its just a new challenge for him, that is all."
"Oh. That is good, I suppose. He can't die when we have a guest." Norman froze at the way Dorothy said this. He would have sworn that she sounded...sarcastic.
"Dorothy, is something wrong?" He said, turning to face her. No sooner had he said this than the lights suddenly went out. A few moments later, they both heard Angel's scream.
Roger groaned, trying to pull himself up off the floor of the cockpit, where he had landed when Big O had fallen. He climbed back into the pilots seat, struggling to assess the situation.
The blue megadeus stood above Big O. It reached down, placing its large hands onto Big O's hips, and hoisted the black megadeus into the air. It moved, faster than anyone would expect of something so massive, and swung Big O like a baseball bat, slamming it into a nearby building. The two megadeus' disappeared behind a cloud of dust and dirt as the concrete structure collapsed from the blow.
The blue megadeus leapt onto Big O, straddling it, and began leveling it with punch after earth-shattering punch. Roger screamed in the cockpit, and tried desperately to fight back. One of Big O's arms swung back, the huge piston in the forearm pounding back. But before he could bring the deathblow forward, the blue megadeus clamped one of its hands down onto the arm of Big O, squeezing. The black metal crumpled, and huge bolts popped from their place under the pressure. Roger scrambled to try to stop it, but the piston slammed forward, and the massive blast of energy that had been intended for his enemy instead caused the entire forearm of Big O to explode. Roger gaped, unable to believe the one-sided nature of this battle.
But over Roger's cries something else rose: music. It was sweet and soft, and both megadeus' froze when it became clear over the sounds of the chaos. Roger froze, listening as the sound of the violin filled the cockpit. The blue megadeus swiveled its torso, gazing out over the skyline of the city.
Standing on a building in the distance was a lone figure. The black hood and cape billowed in the wind. The violin was tucked under his chin, and he seemed totally unaware of the battle raging before him as he played. Roger's jaw dropped as he recognized the figure. The blue megadeus also seemed to recognize him, for it stopped in its assault. It stood, as if on command, and turned away from Big O, walking away, toward the ocean.
Roger remained stuck in place, watching the unknown musician. He kept playing till the blue megadeus had vanished under the waves. He then turned toward Big O, as if addressing the old megadeus. He bowed, and then calmly jumped off the side of the building, vanishing from Roger's sight.
Roger gulped, and then worked the controls, pulling Big O back to its feet. As they sank back below the surface of the city, Roger puzzled over what had just happened. His thoughts were interrupted when the speakers crackled, and Norman's voice came through.
"Master Roger, I'm afraid there's been some trouble here at home."
He gazed out over the skyline of Paradigm. The view was magnificent; it would take his breath away, if such rules applied to him. He stood, still as a statue, his clothes fluttering a little in the wind. He considered what would happen next. It was unfortunate that people would have to die. But, such was destiny.
For a time, he had considered sparing this city. But now, Roger Smith would witness its dismemberment, first hand.
"Would you two boneheads knock it off! You're blowing our cover!" Beck growled at his bumbling assistants. He reached over, grabbed the miniature videogame from their hands and tossed it out the window, where it was promptly crushed by the passing traffic.
"Come on boss, we're bored." T-Bone whined, sounding like a scolded six year old. Beck tightened his grip on the steering wheel, trying not to lose his patience. This whole situation was starting to grate his nerves.
"He told us to wait till he made the distraction," he grunted between his teeth. His lackey's continued to moan and groan while he tried to consider what he was going to do once this was over. Solderno and Wayneright's journals could be of limitless use to him, he just had to figure out the best way to utilize them.
"Hey, baby, you better check this out!" Alexis squeaked from the back seat. She had been wearing a handheld radio-piece in her ear. She handed it forward to Beck, who held it up to his own ear. After a few moments his eyes widened and his characteristically crazed looking grin crawled across his face.
"I've got to hand it to him...THAT'S what I call a distraction!"
The citizen's of Paradigm City had almost grown used to the almost weekly attacks by foreign megadeus' and other monstrosities. The Military Police had issued many orders instructing the people on how to be prepared for such emergencies; there had even been evacuation drills encompassing whole chunks of the city. But nothing could have prepared the citizens for the monstrosity that now blocked out the light from their vision.
It was like no megadeus that had ever been seen. It towered, monstrously huge, larger than any of the mechanical titans that had attacked this city yet. Its exterior blazed a bright blue, save for the massive black eye that dominated the center of its head. Its humungous feet crushed craters into the streets of Paradigm, its gigantic shoulders tore chunks if concrete and steel as it moved between the skyscrapers.
"Fire! Force it back!" Dastun shouted through his megaphone. The row of Military Police tanks behind him burst off a volley of shells at their new enemy. Dastun gripped the handle of the megaphone tighter, hoping against reality...
He growled with intense frustration when, as he had expected, the megadeus simply ignored the assault as if it were the gentle caress of a spring shower. It kept its back turned to the Police units attempted distractions, and continued on its steady path toward the massive dome that dominated the center of the city. Dastun cursed and threw the megaphone to the ground, shattering it to pieces. It was then that he felt the rumbling.
"Not again..." the colonel muttered to himself. He grabbed onto the squad car next to him and held on for dear life as the ground began to tremor as if an earthquake were coming.
Several blocks away, the asphalt trembled and collapsed into the ground, leaving an opening big enough for the city's black knight to come to its rescue.
CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD...YE NOT GUILTY
Roger Smith smiled to himself as he watched the familiar words flash across the monitor inside Big O's cockpit. He gripped the controls, his hands firm and steady. He watched as the skyline of the city slowly filled his vision. When he saw the nightmare that dominated the monitors, his jaw dropped.
"What kind of a megaeus is it? Its huge!" Roger thought aloud. As if it had somehow heard him, the monstrosity turned to face Big O.
"Finally drew you out, Negotiator!" a demonic sounding voice crackled over the loudspeakers. Roger gasped when he heard the words.
"I don't know who you are..." Roger said when he regained his poise, "But the kind of power you're abusing can't be allowed to run free! Big O, its show-time!"
Before Roger could move Big O, the massive eye of the blue megadeus flickered, and then let loose a massive laser beam. It crashed into the torso of Big O, rattling the stalwart megadeus and its pilot. Roger cried out as if he too had been physically struck. Big O stumbled and collapsed down onto it's back.
Norman watched the unfolding battle with a growing sense of alarm. He had every confidence in Roger's abilities, but this megadeus seemed to be unlike anything that he and Big O had encountered before now. He had jumped when that laser beam had struck Big O, almost certain it would rip the old machine in two.
"Norman" Dorothy said from behind the old butler, "Will Roger be all right?"
"I'm quite sure he can handle this, Dorothy. Its just a new challenge for him, that is all."
"Oh. That is good, I suppose. He can't die when we have a guest." Norman froze at the way Dorothy said this. He would have sworn that she sounded...sarcastic.
"Dorothy, is something wrong?" He said, turning to face her. No sooner had he said this than the lights suddenly went out. A few moments later, they both heard Angel's scream.
Roger groaned, trying to pull himself up off the floor of the cockpit, where he had landed when Big O had fallen. He climbed back into the pilots seat, struggling to assess the situation.
The blue megadeus stood above Big O. It reached down, placing its large hands onto Big O's hips, and hoisted the black megadeus into the air. It moved, faster than anyone would expect of something so massive, and swung Big O like a baseball bat, slamming it into a nearby building. The two megadeus' disappeared behind a cloud of dust and dirt as the concrete structure collapsed from the blow.
The blue megadeus leapt onto Big O, straddling it, and began leveling it with punch after earth-shattering punch. Roger screamed in the cockpit, and tried desperately to fight back. One of Big O's arms swung back, the huge piston in the forearm pounding back. But before he could bring the deathblow forward, the blue megadeus clamped one of its hands down onto the arm of Big O, squeezing. The black metal crumpled, and huge bolts popped from their place under the pressure. Roger scrambled to try to stop it, but the piston slammed forward, and the massive blast of energy that had been intended for his enemy instead caused the entire forearm of Big O to explode. Roger gaped, unable to believe the one-sided nature of this battle.
But over Roger's cries something else rose: music. It was sweet and soft, and both megadeus' froze when it became clear over the sounds of the chaos. Roger froze, listening as the sound of the violin filled the cockpit. The blue megadeus swiveled its torso, gazing out over the skyline of the city.
Standing on a building in the distance was a lone figure. The black hood and cape billowed in the wind. The violin was tucked under his chin, and he seemed totally unaware of the battle raging before him as he played. Roger's jaw dropped as he recognized the figure. The blue megadeus also seemed to recognize him, for it stopped in its assault. It stood, as if on command, and turned away from Big O, walking away, toward the ocean.
Roger remained stuck in place, watching the unknown musician. He kept playing till the blue megadeus had vanished under the waves. He then turned toward Big O, as if addressing the old megadeus. He bowed, and then calmly jumped off the side of the building, vanishing from Roger's sight.
Roger gulped, and then worked the controls, pulling Big O back to its feet. As they sank back below the surface of the city, Roger puzzled over what had just happened. His thoughts were interrupted when the speakers crackled, and Norman's voice came through.
"Master Roger, I'm afraid there's been some trouble here at home."