World of Advent

Chapter Four

"It's okay," the girl said. "We're Advents Too." Her companion nodded silently. They must not have been more than five years old at the time. "What's your name," she asked. "Chaos and I have been on our own for as long as we can remember." The boy beside them looked up at them with hope. "It's Light. My name is Light."

Chaos and Light stood atop a balcony that oversaw the Pier. The sun was beginning to rise, its light dappling against the crystal waves as they rocked against the sides of the harbor.

"Some day, huh?" Chaos remarked. "Do you really think it's him?"

"I do," Light responded solemnly. "Didn't you see his oversol?"

Chaos nodded. "A mirror of your own. Or Zero's, I should say. How did you feel about seeing your family all in one place?"

"It was nice," Light admitted. "I was afraid I would have to step in when those goons attacked Cero, but Cipher had it all under control."

"With the help of your old man, you mean" Chaos offered. "Say what you will, but Cipher didn't even have his oversol out. What makes you think he'll be ready for the upcoming storm?"

"It's just a feeling I had when I fought him," Light said. "I've been watching them for a while now. If anyone's capable of handling it, it would be Cipher."

"And Cero? What of him?"

Light scratched his head, thinking about the youngest of his brothers. "He's too cocky. That recklessness would get him in danger when things go down. But when the time comes, I'll be there to protect him."

"You can't protect them forever" Chaos warned his friend. "You can't be everywhere at once."

"I know," Light said with a sigh. "But when Nightmare shows himself to the world, at least Cipher will be prepared. For now, we'll just have to trust them to do what's right."

"So you think he's going to join the Resistance after all?"

"Proud my brother may be," Light said, "but after the beating we gave him, even he can't ignore it. He's far too weak as he stands now. He'll find power in the resistance."

"How long do you think it'll take Zero and Ciel to figure out who he is? Not even Cipher's obstinacy can blind their eyes. And when they do, what then?"

Light shook his head wearily. "They can't be focused on regrets and reunions if they hope to stand a chance against Nightmare. The Maverick Virus has returned, and with it, new and old dangers to the world. Dangers this world has forgotten."

"If only 'she' were here," Light said forlornly. "Then we could take this thing head on."

Chaos laughed. "That would be her style. She always was rather direct. I suppose that's why she left all those years ago."

` "You miss her, don't you," Light asked his friend. "I know you try to hide it, but I can tell."

"Don't you," Chaos asked his friend, not looking at him.

"Yes," Light said, "but not like you do. Wherever she is, I'm sure she still feels the same way about you."

"So what happens if we have to fight," Chaos asked. "We can't just abandon the mission. My personal feelings are unimportant."

"We're only mortal," Light reminded his friend. "But let's hope it doesn't come down to that."

Chaos gave his friend a sideways look. "Since when did you get interested in all this sappy stuff?"

"Anything to catch the famous Chaos off guard," Light responded.

"Let's hope we don't get famous," Chaos said. "That would kind of ruin the 'stay low' part of the plan, wouldn't it?"

"No kidding," Light said fervently. "We don't want Harpuia swooping down on our necks."

"We've had our share of close calls before," Chaos reminded him, standing up. "Let's hope this isn;t another one of them."

Chaos cracked his knuckles, allowing a faint white sheen to cover his hands, a startling black armor covering the rest of his arms. "We have to go soon."

Light sighed, enjoying the sight of the sun going down. "Do we have to? As much as I love your family reunions, I can't help but shake the fact that I've nearly died in every one of them."

"This one's different," Chaos promised his friend. "She's a close informant of mine. We keep in touch."

"So you're positive she won't be ambushing us like last time?"

Chaos grimaced. The aforementioned incident was still fresh on his memory. The two of them had beaten Chaos's more unruly siblings, but Light had suffered an injury in the process.

"No one's getting ambushed."

"Funny," said Light. "That's what you said earlier.

"Just trust me on this," Chaos said. "Among my siblings, Cara is much more relaxed. Besides, it's been a while since I've seen the two of them."

"Great," Light groaned. "There are two of them?"

"Not really," Chaos explained. "She's engaged to a human. I thought they were rushing into things myself, but he makes her happy, so I can't really complain."

"Well, at least there's one person there who I probably won't have to end up fighting for my life against," Light said brightly. "that's always a plus."

Chaos smirked. "You act as if you can't handle yourself. Even compared to my siblings, you are strong."

Light grinned. "I know that," he said. "But having to hold back all the time really isn't my style. I can't let the world know who I am yet, though."

"Someday, you'll have to let your parents know," Chaos said. "they'd want to know you, after all."

"I will." Light looked at the Resistance spire near the dock. "But now isn't exactly a family friendly time. That kind of information is dangerous. I don't want it falling in the hands of their enemies."

"Always the noble one," Chaos smirked. He looked at the sky. "The sun is setting. It's time we leave."

Chaos's oversol spread further, now revealing yellow streaks across his face. In an instant Chaos jumped over the edge of the building, gliding elegantly to the bottom instead of the screaming death anyone else would have expected.

"No fair!" Light called out from the top of the complex. "You know I can't do that."

"Then hurry up," Chaos said. "We don't have all day."

Approximately two minutes later, Light charged out the front. "Would it kill you to use the door every once and a while?"

"Too slow," Chaos said. "We have work to do."

The two of them found a taxi that would lead them into one of the rougher parts of the city, but by no means as harsh as the one they were leaving.

"Nice place," Light remarked as they looked at the buildings surrounding them. While some showed signs of decay, most were freshly painted, giving off a faint sickly smell. "I'd almost forgotten what a proper house looked like."

Chaos lead the way to their destination, a lime green house with a welcome mat just outside. A cat was roaming the yard, eying them suspiciously. After knocking three times on the door, a girl that appeared to be slightly older Chaos's age with faded white hair opened the door.

"Chaos!" she exclaimed. "If it isn't my favorite brother. Come in come in."

Inside, there were plush cushions and couches decorated in a similar manner as the house. The only thing that wasn't a pale shade of green were the cats.

The three of them sat down.

"I don't know who you are," Cara said apologetically to Light. "I assume you're working with Chaos on some impossible quest?"

"Something like that," Light said offhandedly. "It's nice to meet one of Chaos's siblings who doesn't want to string us from the walls."

"They can get a little excited sometimes," Cara admitted.

"That's one way to put it," Light said darkly. "Homicidal maniacs is another."

Cara laughed. "True. Many of them are a little too eager to prove their strength. I guess they take after our father."

Light looked sideways at Chaos. Predictably, his face had darkened at the mention of his father. It was a touchy subject for him.

"That's not why we've come though," Chaos interjected. "We've come for information." Chaos sneezed. "Since when did you get cats? I thought Jacob was allergic to them."
Cara's eyes saddened as she turned her back to them, preparing some sort of drink. "He's gone. He left as soon as he found out what I am. What we are."

Chaos's eyes widened in horror. "Cara, I'm so sorry. I was the one who told you to have pride in who we are."

Cara shook her head defiantly. "It's okay," she said. "You were right. Our father wouldn't want us to be ashamed either."

Chaos slammed his fist against the table. "Bass never gave a damn about any of us."

Cara shook her head once more. "You're wrong. Even someone like Father can love his children. He came by not too long ago to check up on me."

"Love, is that what you call it? Leaving us to start another family somewhere else entirely, leaving us to fend for ourselves? Whatever you call it, that isn't love." Chaos's violet eyes met his sister's own violet eyes angrily.

"Chaos always loathed him the most," Cara explained to Light. "It's ironic, really, seeing as he is the most gifted of any of us."

Light laughed humorlessly. "Believe me, I know."

Chaos set his back against the side of the chair, calming himself. "Power isn't everything."

Cara smiled at her half brother. "That's right," she said. "I think the rest of us forget that sometimes." She let loose a long sigh. "Kai has been stirring up trouble again."

Chaos's head jerked at the mention of one of his eldest, strongest, and most chaotic of his brothers. "What's he up to now? Is he trying to overthrow Harpuia again?"

"Close," Cara said. "Have you heard of the Children of Darkness? It's the group composed of some of the more unhinged members of our family who believe themselves as Advents superior to both the humans and reploids."

"He did what?" Chaos shook his head. "Does his arrogance know no bounds?"

"Arrogance it may be," Cara said, "but he's still a force to be reckoned with. Their numbers grow every day."

"Templars and now this," Chaos said. "What next?"

"Two untrained Advents planning a coup d'etat against Harpuia's lockdown policy concerning the recent outbreak of the Maverick virus?" Cara offered innocently.

"I was wondering if you'd heard about that,' Chaos said grumpily. "At least this makes our conversation easier. We need to break into their mainframe if we're going to let down the firewalls stopping the major news networks. The people have a right to know."

"That doesn't mean you have to be the ones to do it," Cara said. "Settle down. What was that girl's name, the one you liked so much? S-"

"Leave her out of this," Chaos said painfully. "She left the two of us years ago."

"Pity," Cara said. "I think she liked you too, if it's any consolation."

"How about we not talk about her," Light said in a small voice. "I'm sure she had her reasons."

"She talked to me," Chaos said. "Before she left. We both agreed on it. It had to be done."

"What!" Light exclaimed. "You never told me that."

"She told me not to tell," Chaos said. "It was something that had to be done, not something we wanted to do."

"Sometimes," Cara said, "you have to stop worrying about the world and start worrying about yourselves. Sometimes it's not the world that needs saving."

"What's that supposed to mean," Chaos snapped. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You keep telling yourself that," Cara said dryly. "If you two really are going to break into the world's most sophisticated defense system, you'd better be prepared. And if you're going to do it, I'd do it soon. Harpuia and Phantom's children have gone missing."

"Venti and Specter?" Chaos looked thoughtful. "Yes, I see how we can use that to our advantage. While the rest of their forces are focused on finding them, less surrounds their security."

"Why'd they leave?" Light asked. That girl, Venti was always a loose cannon from what I heard, but Specter was always a calm and collected guy."

"I think it had something to do with Templar," Cara said, "but I'm not sure."

"Do you think they kidnapped them," Light asked.

"No," Cara said. "Loose cannon or no, Venti is too strong to have been dragged off without a fight. I'd have heard about it if there was one."

"The circumstances of their departure do not concern us," Chaos said. "For now, we have to worry about the world as a whole before we can focus on individuals." Chaos paused. "However, there is one individual that interests me. What do you know of the Head of the Umbrains?"

"You mean Harley?" Cara raised her eyebrows. "What do you want to know?"

"Who is he? What kind of powers does he possess?" Chaos stopped, lost in thought. "When we fought, he was using less than half of his potential strength. For what reasons did he have in holding back against me, a known child of Bass?"

"The circumstances surrounding his birth are, understandably, murky," Cara said. "Such is the case for all Umbrians. Reports indicate that he was the first Umbrian ever created, with enough strength to keep his extensive family in check. He seems to be a family man, keeping them all safe as best he can. Other than that, there's nothing I can tell you."

"I see." Chaos nodded at his sister. "Thank you for your help. Now I need to ask you one last thing. Where could we find a computer system strong enough to hack into the Arcadian mainframe without being noticed?"
"I have the answer," Cara said, "but you're not going to like it. The Templars recently purchased an Operator System similar to the one used in the Resistance. If anything's going to slip by unnoticed, it's going to be that thing. The only other alternative would be breaking into the Resistance, but I have a feeling you don't want to run into Zero."

"With Light, I imagine we could work out some sort of deal," Chaos said, "but we'd prefer not to go down that route. Where is it?"

Cara scribbled down the location of the Templar base. "I'd be careful, Chaos. Even for someone of your caliber, marching headfirst into the enemy isn't exactly a smart thing to do."

"That's why we're not going to go in headfirst," Chaos said. "We'll be going in as Templars."

"Subterfuge," Cara said. "I like it. You may need these," she said, handing Chaos a pair of contacts. "I use them whenever I go outside. The eyes kind of give you away."

Chaos accepted the gift gratefully. "Thanks Cara, I knew I could count on you."

"Be safe you two!" Cara called out as the two of them left the house. "I don't want to hear about my favorite brother getting captured, y'hear?"

Chaos waved the remark aside. "We've got this; don't worry."

Light gave Chaos a wry look. "Don;t tell me you're going to do what I think you're going to do."

Chaos nodded. "Yep. Time to find us some Templars."

It really wasn't hard to find them. Their unfortunate victims were speaking out against the evils of all Advent kind when Chaos and Light came by, inquiring more about their organization. After convincing them that they were interested in their cause, they led them into a dark alleyway, where they promptly knocked them unconscious, stripping them of their uniforms and badges.

"Not very pretty, are they," Light said as they dragged the unconscious bodies of the Templars into a corner. "Make sure their bonds are tight enough."

Chaos gave the ropes binding them together one last tug before looking at their handiwork with satisfaction. "That ought to do it." Chaos and Light now resembled Templars, shocking white uniforms matching their coat of arms which they had also stripped from their targets.

"Out of the frying pan," Light said.

"And into the fire," Chaos finished. The two of them made their way to the Templar HQ, nerves creeping up their spine more and more with every step they took.

Entering was no problem. Due to the fact that all of them looked like fashion model rejects, their uniformity made it a simple matter to enter unnoticed. Inside, red infrared light gave the inside an eerie glow.

It wasn't until a brutish man with short hair and a very short temper marched up to them that they experienced any trouble.

"Where were you?" the man, whose badge read Supervisor Crain demanded. "You were ordered back here thirty minutes ago."

"We're sorry sir," Chaos said smoothly. "We got sidetracked in hunting down a pair of Advents."

Crain looked slightly mollified. Slightly. As in slightly less likely to kill them right then and there. "Be that as it may, recruits, you have a job to do, and I expect it done yesterday." Crain looked at them conspiratorially. "The group of Advents Kane is experimenting on is in the back. I want you to make sure no one finds out about this, even if it means terminating the evidence. The Cleansing is nigh."

"And what would that be? Sir?" Light asked.

Crain slapped Light across the face. "If you were any more dense, I'd say you have rocks for brains. Crux has a plan, remember? We introduce the Advents to the Maverick Virus. Then we send them out, infecting the others. Soon, the world will see them for the filthy beasts they are. With any luck, the government will have to put them down, like they did with the reploids."

"But what of the reploids," Light said, rubbing his face. "Won't they get infected as well?"

"Some sacrifices will have to be made," Crain said. "If a few die in the Cleansing, it will be a small matter compared to to the benefits the world will receive when it is free from the Advent plague."

"I see, sir,' Light said. "Very clever."

"Of course it's clever, runt! Crux himself came up with the plan." Crain eyed them suspiciously. "Say, you look shorter than I last saw you."

"It's the shoes," Light said quickly. "The boots make me look taller than I really am."

"Wear the boots next time," Crain said. "It makes you look bigger. More imposing. Respectable. We need to look respectable to gain support in the War on Advents."

"Yes sir," Light said. "Absolutely."

"Good. Now, you, recruit," Crain said, pointing to Chaos, "you will clean the stalls. It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. And you," he said, turning to Light, "you will stand guard over the Advents in the Cage. Don't let them escape or you will be the one experimented on next."

Chaos gave Crain a cool stare, hatred coursing through his veins. "Yes sir." He was honestly surprised the man couldn't hear the contempt in his voice.

Light gave Chaos a look. It was time they split up. They had prepared for this, however, and know where to meet up once done with their respective jobs.

"Once you're done with the stalls," Chaos muttered, "Meet me at the Cage. Muscle head over there said it should be in the back."

"Got it," Light said lowly. "What about the supercomputer?"

"We'll take care of it, don't worry."

Chaos watched his friend leave before making his way to the stalls. Taking up a mop and a bucket of water, he prepared to clean the bathrooms.

"Some day, huh" Chaos overheard one of the inhabitants of the stalls say to another Templar. "Did you hear? Crux himself is supposed to be coming over. He says the supercomputer will finally be used to bring about the beginning of the Cleansing. Those Advent brats will never know what hit them."

"So it's true then," the other Templar said. "Kane's Virus can really affect the half humans?"

"We don't know yet," the first said. "But we find out today."

"Can't wait," the second said. "I wonder if Crux will let us have some fun with them first. That girl looked pretty cute for an Advent.

Chaos felt the blood rush to his face, rage growing as the words of the cruel joke spun in his head. A cold feeling crept along his spine as he raised his hand. Some slight modifications to the plan would have to be made.

"Hey," the second said, "Is the air getting dryer around here? I can't breathe so well."

"Me neither," the first one gasped. "I can't... breathe."

Chaos tightened his fist, a purple aura emanating the room, filling it with a malevolent energy. "Have fun with this," he spat as the energy crept below, in-between, and above the stalls. "Sleep tight."

There was a cracking sound as both the mens' necks snapped. There was a thudding sound as if a two great weights hit the stall floor at once.

"I hope cleaning that up doesn't come with part of the job," Chaos remarked lightly as he put up his mop. It was time to warn Light. Crux's arrival would ruin their plan.

Chaos walked out the door, bumping into someone as they were about to step inside the bathroom. "I wouldn't go in there," Chaos warned. "It smells like death."

"Thanks for the warning," the Templar said. "these newbies need to learn when to flush, ya know?"

Chaos nodded absentmindedly as he placed an Out of Order sign outside the door. With any luck, his handiwork would go unnoticed for a while.

There was a sudden alarm sound. The Templar who Chaos had just spoken snapped to attention. "Crux is here!"

Chaos looked to the back, springing into action. It was now or never.

Light gave Chaos a look of relief as he saw him at the Cage. "What took you so long? I thought you were just cleaning up the stalls?"

"I was," Chaos said tersely. "Trust me."

"We have to let them go," Light said. "Crux is here. He's going to administer a modified sample of the Virus to them any minute."

"I know." Chaos looked at the inhabitants of the cage, what appeared to be a teenaged girl and a boy surrounded by much younger Advents. "Has Light explained the situation to you?"

The girl spoke up. "Yes. But why are you helping us?"

Chaos removed his contacts. "Because we're Advents like you."

"Here?" The girl moved closer to the bars. "Did the Resistance send you?"

"Don't get any closer," the boy warned the girl. "Look at his eyes. Don't you see what he is?"

"I know, Charley," the girl said. "But what other choice do we have?"

"I'm not accepting help from one of them," Charley said. "We can fight our way out by ourselves."

Chaos looked at the girl, ignoring Charley's words. "What's your name?"

"It's Cela," the girl said. "This is my boyfriend, Charley."

"I noticed." Chaos turned to the younger members in the Cage. "We're going to get you out in no time, don't worry. Step back."

Light unsheathed his own oversol, a bright energy saber, and sliced the cage's door in two. "Hurry up," he said, "we don't have much time."

"I trust you, Charley said to Light. "But keep that monster away from my girlfriend. His kind are no better than the Templars.

"I'm sorry you feel that way,' Light said with ice in his voice. "Would you prefer him to leave you here? I'm sure the two of you can make it against an entire Templar base."

Charley bristled. "Don't talk to us like that!"

"He wasn't," growled Chaos. "Just you." Chaos looked at the younger Advents slumped against the edge of the Cage, one of the youngest not moving. "How is he?" Chaos asked, pointing at the small bundle.

"He's dead," Cela said. "They experimented on him first. They put some sort of needle in him. He started foaming at the mouth soon after. We couldn't save him"

"Leave him," Chaos said. "Let the dead bury themselves; it's the living who we owe our allegiance to."

"You bastard" Charley said. "I knew your kind was bad. You won't even give him a proper funeral."

"Keep this up, and we'll all need funerals," Light said. "My friend may not be the nicest Advent you'll ever meet, but he's got a good sense of reality. And the reality of this situation is that we can't be carrying any dead weight."

Alarms spread throughout the base. "They're dead!" a Templar exclaimed. "But how?"

"Check the Cage," a commanding voice boomed through the air. "We have traitors in our midst."

"What did you do," Light asked Chaos.

Chaos ignored him. "Get behind me," Chaos told the other Advents. "Light, you protect them from the rear."

"Got it," Light said. "Single file line," he said. "We're going to make it."

"How," Charley said hopelessly. "Not even a child of Darkness could take on an entire battalion alone."

"This one can," Chaos said.

"I trust him," Cela said. "And if you were smart, you would too."

Chaos sucked in his breath, preparing for the oncoming horde. Soon, the air was filled with a dark purple glow, dissolving anything it touched. Chaos's eyes glowed faintly. "COME ON," Chaos roared. "COME AND GET IT!"

In an instant, the entire base turned into a war zone. Chaos had unleashed the most terrible and devastating attack in his arsenal.

Darkness Overload.

Half the base was on fire. Bits and pieces of the Templars who didn't get the full blast were strewn across the floor. The alarm was now fully blaring as that same commanding voice spoke over the intercom.

"We have a Child of Darkness in the area," Crux said. "Do not approach. Evacuate the premises immediately."

Chaos raised his hand once more and silenced the alarms. Together, they marched through the walls as they surrounded themselves, bubble wrapped in Chaos's energy field. Wall after wall fell to the awesome power of the son of Bass as they made their way outside.

"Woah..." one of the younger Advents looked up at Chaos in awe. "Did you do that, mister?"
Chaos, now now fully concentrated on the annihilation of the base, raised his hands once more. "They were experimenting on the Virus, trying to make it so that it could spread to us as well. I will not let that happen."

Civilians watching would forever remember the incident as the day an entire building disappeared, as if the very hand of God had revoked its very existence from the world. All they could remember was a purple flash, and the Templars home was extinguished in one fell swoop.

The Advents Light and chaos had saved went on their own ways. Even Cela could not look at Chaos, too afraid of the one who had summoned this destruction. For many, it was a calling card.

A child of the God of Destruction was alive. And he was fighting back.