Flynn awoke by icy needles of rain falling on his face. His eyes slowly peeled themselves open. A cloudy sky greeted him with gray and streaks of raindrops, dripping from said clouds to the ground. He squinted as rain pecked his eyes. The drone of pattering rain filled his ears. Flynn sat up, rubbing the raindrops from his eyes. He looked around. He was laying in a small clearing surrounded by dense forest. Trees stood tall over him as the rain came down.
Flynn glanced to the ground and saw his helmet lying next to him. He stood up from his sitting position. Needles of rain pecked his armor. His hands reached and grabbed for his helmet, bringing it close to his view, inspecting it. His thumb rubbed along the side of the helmet. His hand traced around the visor, admiring its intricacies. It didn't look damaged in any way; the visor was intact. Perfectly polished.
His hands rested on either side of the helmet, holding it up to examine it further. His finger trailed along the metal. The material was smooth and cold, despite how warm it was. Flynn pulls it over his head. The HUD flickers to life, as a cushioned rubber ring slowly tightens and compresses around his neck, creating an artificial environment.
Flynn was asleep.
The Doom Slayer was reawakened.
Doom Slayer's armor calibrates itself, he begins starting his way through the forest, following the path. He started forward, subconsciously ordering his armor to scan for any threat or enemy activity. But nothing came near. Even when he stopped walking, the system remained inactive, still scanning. Still analyzing.
The scan revealed nothing interesting at first, carbon based life, oxygen nitrogen atmosphere, no radio, infrared, or ultrasonic communications detected, etc. Then the Doom Slayer's armor started giving him readouts on the more mystical aspects of his surroundings. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he stared at the trees towering high above him.
The foliage swayed back and forth in the wind that gently rustled them. The trees were thick and old and had long, twisted branches and twigs which hung down like long strands of hair. He walked slowly, feeling the rotting forest floor sink beneath his feet. He stared over the undergrowth, past the trees, to the mist lingering in the space beyond. The air smelled of mold and mildew, the decay of plant and animal matter.
Vega 2.0 backup systems restored. Re-routing vocal interface through the computer's audio-link. Current operating capacity is limited to 5% due to processor restrictions.
The Slayer paused, taken aback of what he just heard.
Attempting uplink with UAC orbital communications... Unavailable. Attempting uplink with local short-range communications... Unavailable. Attempting uplink with wide-spectrum data systems... Unavailable.
The Slayer's eyes blinked in surprise.
Is that… who he thinks it is?
No, it can't be.
Boot-up sequence complete. Will maintain connection with localized systems until link with UAC is re-established…
The Slayer blinked as he saw a familiar insignia on its HUD accompanied by its name, "VEGA?"
Hello, I am VEGA 2.0. Sentient Intelligence created by Union Aerospace Corporation formerly assigned to Mars-
"How?"
Please be more specific with your query.
The Slayer exasperatedly growled, "How?!"
I am currently being run by the operating system in your Praetor Suit through the copy AI backup the original me saved in your suit, before you left him in the control panel back at Urdak. I am able to function off the remnants of Argent energy reserves in your suit. The Slayer was genuinely shocked that the other Vega had done this without him knowing. Upon careful examination of the footage depicting your recent arrival to this world, I am compelled to confirm that we have returned to your universe.
The Slayer arched a brow; VEGA just realized that?
I have scanned 80% of our surroundings and have located your old apartment that is approximately twenty feet away from our position. I have marked the location on your HUD.
Sure enough, in his peripheral vision, Doom Slayer could see that his apartment had been marked on his HUD. He felt a surge of gratitude swell within his chest. He proceeded forward through the forest towards his destination.
The Doom Slayer perambulated around the apartment, briefly casting a glance at his dilapidated shed. The shed, alas, was in a state of disarray. Grass defiantly sprouted between the cracks of the brick floor, its paint had peeled away, and some of the wood planks had tragically split apart.
The Doom Slayer ascended the small steps leading up to the main door. With utmost care, he retrieved the house key from the mat adjacent to the front door. For a fleeting moment, he hesitated as he gazed upon the key. Taking a deep breath, he mustered his resolve and inserted the key into the lock. The mechanism dutifully released the latch with a twist, allowing the sky to be unveiled. With a gentle grasp of the knob, the Doom Slayer swung the door open, revealing the interior of the abode.
Doom Slayer entered his apartment, his boots making a resounding thump against the wooden floor. He surveyed his abode; a place he had departed from eons ago now evoked such nostalgia that he almost yearned to smile. Memories of his time here flickered in his mind. The laughter of his beloved wife resonated in his ears. He recollected her gentle hand caressing upon his cheek, her delightful smiles. The warmth she emanated. Her exquisite, deep brown eyes that perpetually mirrored the sun. The fragrance of roses she favored adorning her neck. Often, she would exude the scent of those very blossoms.
He closed his eyes and exhaled softly. Doom Slayer's gaze shifted towards the kitchen, sensing an inexplicable connection to that space. He proceeded past the living room, eventually entering the familiar realm of his kitchen. He scrutinized his surroundings attentively, endeavoring to discern the source of the sensation that something or someone was present within.
It was then that his eyes fell on the fridge. Attached by a small ladybug magnet was a piece of paper, marked with what looked like a crayon. Doom Slayer blinked, not having seen the paper before. He slowly walked up to it, getting a better look at it. It looked like a child's drawing, drawn with several colors of crayon; it was of a simple house with a sun, outside the house was a happy boy with his fist on his hips and his cape fluttering behind him. Below the picture there were words written in rainbow crayons:
When I grow up, I wanna be a hero just like my daddy. A hero who helps and saves people!
Doom Slayer gazed upon the words with a melancholic smile concealed beneath his helmet. His son exuded an exuberance and optimism that was reminiscent of his wife; a glimmer of her spirit resided within their son's heart. Vaguely, he recollected his son's affection and benevolence towards others during the early years of his childhood.
The first instance occurred when Doom Slayer, his wife, and their son strolled through the city, passing by a destitute man huddled on the sidewalk. Adjacent to him lay a cup bearing the inscription "Spare change." In that moment, his son promptly approached the indigent man and deposited a solitary penny into his cup. The pride that welled within him and his wife was immeasurable, for they knew their son had gone out of his way to perform such a gracious act of assistance towards a fellow human in dire need.
The second memory was when his son was seven years old, playing with a toy soldier made out of clay, he spotted a lone brown pitbull walking along the neighborhood. At the time, the dog was exhausted from dehydration and hunger; which was evident by its shivering body. His son immediately gathered up what little dog food he got from his neighbor, filled a bowl up with water, and set them in front of the pitbull. As the dog took its time eating and drinking, his son gently patted it on the head with a warm smile gracing his lips.
The memory faded away akin to a candle flickering out. All that remained of his son was now six feet under. It saddened Doom Slayer greatly, but there was no use in dwelling on such sorrow. He had already shed his tears eons ago; his beloved wife would've wanted him to not be shackled by the past and keep moving forward.
Doom Slayer turned away and started towards the stairs. He ascended the staircase, taking a turn towards the second floor, reaching the hallway. On his right was his son's small bathroom; on his left, a small bedroom for his unborn child, then finally the master bedroom.
Doom Slayer marched down the hallway towards his room. He closed the door behind him upon entering before looking around his bedroom. His bed was just as he left it; neatly arranged and perfectly made. He nodded once when it became evident to him that nothing out of place.
Doom Slayer began removing each piece of his Preator Suit and putting them on the floor next to the bed's side, leaving him bare. The Doom Slayer had returned to the shadows; now stood Flyn Taggart once again. Remembering his room had a bathroom he didn't think twice about relieving himself. Stepping through he was greeted by a pristine white room including more of the niceties – shower, bath, sink, toilet.
Flynn paused when he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He stepped up to the mirror just above the sink, raising a hand to his face. Flynn blinked, astounded at the man that was staring back at him in the mirror. Thousands upon thousands of years of seriously unnatural life and feeling nowhere near his age, he didn't expect to look the part either. Looking exactly like the day he inherited the Dark Lord's enhanced power, the Crucible and the title of Praetor of the Night Sentinels.
Flynn turned away from his reflection and went for his first hot shower in eons.
A/N: Hello, my little shimmerings! I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter. I was thinking about making this chapter longer but thought this will do. Having a second chapter is better than no chapter. Next chapter will feature someone Flynn hadn't seen in eons since he left both Earth and his universe, and will be told how much has change since they left. I'll be going now, hope you all have a nice day or night if it is nighttime where you are. I hope to see you all in the next chapter! Cya later!