Earth, the only planet to support life in the galaxy. The home of all humans, religions and various animals. It was a wonderful jewel crafted by God. But, now, the time of Armageddon had come. A Planet Killer was on a collision course with Earth. It was moving quickly through the empty void of space. Anything that stood in it's way was destroyed. It crashed through the asteroid belt and continued towards the doomed world.
Humanity knew that this day was inevitable. Their scientist predicted that the asteroid would strike the Earth. Many hoped that it would pass close by. That it would not strike and continue going on it's path. But, their hope was slowly dying. There was a panic in the streets. People were looting, rioting, crying, it was complete anarchy. Some had made peace with their God. Others, killed themselves or enjoyed pleasures of the flesh and drugs. More than a few chose to spend their last moments in the arms of their families. And, there are those who were chosen to survive.
In a facility deep below the surface; the chosen few were being prepped for their cryogenic sleep. They wore strange suits and were being injected with chemicals that would keep their bodies healthy. Most of the chosen were young military aged adults. Some of them were also scientists. But, the youngest of the chosen was a child. A single child that had been taken from his family. He whimpered as he felt the yellow liquid entering his veins.
"Be strong." The nurse beside him encouraged. "You'll be going to sleep real soon."
"I'm scared." The child admitted. He was told to be brave, told to not cry, he was supposed to be happy. But, his shivered in fear and in pain. He continued to cry as he felt the burning sensation in his veins. "I want my Mommy and Daddy." He longed for the comfort of his parents.
"You're not alone. We're all scared too." She was doing her best to comfort her patient. "Remember, we're all a family now. We're gonna have to take care of each other." She gently wiped the tears from his eyes. "Do you remember your special friend?"
He nodded and began to think about his new friend. Something called an AI. It was supposed to help all of them when they wake up. If he ever wanted to talk to it. All he had to do was think about it and it would connect to him. He heard a beep inside his head.
"Connection, established." A voice spoke. "Von, it's nice to talk to you again."
"Hi Star." He greeted.
"I sense that you're heart rate is elevate and your breathing is slightly labored." Images appeared in front of Von. Images that showed numbers and his lungs. "Are you afraid?"
"Yes." He whimpered a little. "I want to go home." He started to sob a little.
"By admitting you're afraid. You're actually showing how brave you are." Star explained as various images of people and important historical events appeared. "All of these brave souls before you were afraid. But, they were also as brave as you."
"I don't feel brave." He admitted.
"But, you are." It assured him. "You'll be put into cryogenic slumber soon. Remember, when you wake up."
"It'll all be over and I will be in a new world." He sniffled as the pod he was in closed.
The pod he was in was then pulled into the wall. It was dark inside; the only light came from the suit's vest. He breathed heavily as he waited for the machine to put him to sleep.
"Remember, count to ten."
He nodded and just as he was about to count he was frozen. The meteor struck the earth and Armageddon began. Millions of lives were lost. Cities that were jewels of their nations were destroyed. Various animal species were lost. Vegetation and other plant life stood no chance against the force. The civilization of man had been destroyed. But, the world continued to live.
From the ashes rose new civilizations. Empires rose to power only to fall years later. The cycle repeated countless times. The rise and fall of countless generations. All while those who were chosen to survive slept. They slept like mummies buried inside the pyramids. A race long forgotten and no longer the dominate. They slept until the day they would awake. The day they would finally rise up and claim the world again. But, fate had other plans.
0-0-0
Von groaned a little as he woke up. His body was tired and he longed to go back to sleep. He felt very wet and a little cold. He started to climb out of the pod. Only to land hard on the floor. He groaned again as he tried to see the area around him. All he could see was blotch's. Blotch's of dark and bright colors. He heard the familiar beep.
"Reconnection...achieved." The voice of Star spoke. "Von, good morning."
"Star?" Von whimpered. "Star is that you?"
"Yes, it's me." It assured him. "You have been successfully reanimated. Congratulations, you are officially the oldest living species on the planet."
"Oldest?" He questioned. "I'm only ten." He tried his best to stand up. He only ended up falling over again.
"Yes, you are still only ten years old." It confirmed. "But, technically speaking, you are over three hundred centuries old."
"What?" He questioned.
"I will tell you more later." It began to access the programs it had. "First, let's get you to the showers."
Von felt his body being moved on it's own. He was scared since he couldn't see. But, he remembered what he had been told. The AI would help him shortly after he woke up. That included helping him move. As he was taken to the showers he tried to hear if anyone else was up. The only sound he heard were his own footsteps. That, and a very odd clicking sound.
"Star, is anyone else awake yet." He wondered if he had been the first to wake up.
"No." It answered. "Don't get too excited, Von."
He giggled a little as childish pride took over. He couldn't wait to brag about being the first one up. Star continued to bring their partner to the showers. As it moved him through the facility. He had asked it more questions. He asked how much the world had changed? Did his parents survive the planet killer? Were there anyone left out there? Sadly, his questions were ignored. Or, it would tell him that it had to focus on reanimation program. Von wished his vision would come into focus soon. It sucked not being able to see anything.
Von felt relieved as the water warmed his body. The water was nice and very warm. He felt his muscles relaxing. He never knew taking a shower would feel this good. His sight was also returning to him. Now, he wasn't just seeing blobs of color. He was now seeing blurry images. His hands suddenly covered his eyes.
"Hey!" He tried to move his hands. But, they stayed on his eyes. "Ha, Ha, Star, knock it off." He tried again. But, Star continued to hold his hands in place. "Star! Cut it out!" He was starting to get annoyed.
"Von, before I give full control back to you. I must warn you; certain changes had to be made." It warned him.
"Changes?" There was a tone of fear in his voice. "What do you mean?" He questioned.
Von felt his hands being removed from his face. It was by him not by Star. He continued to move his hands away from his face. The only problem was his hands were not hands. They were claws. His eyes went wide in shock as he got a better look at himself. Instead of skin, there was scales. Instead of legs, he had hind legs. He began to breath heavily; close to hyperventilating. He then looked at the mirror in front of him. Instead of seeing himself, he saw a dragon. A dragon with white scales and a silver underbelly.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed. "WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!?"
"Von! Calm down!" Star ordered.
"NO! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?! SOMEBODY, HELP!"
Von felt his body suddenly lockup and he crashed into the floor. He groaned a little in pain. He also whimpered a little in fear. Star had taken control of his body again. He couldn't move. All he could do was lay there and breath.
"I'm sorry, Von." It apologized. "But, your heart rate spiked rapidly. If it had continued to climb; you would have died." It heard him whimper in fear. "Sorry, but that is the truth. You need to remain calm."
"How can I be calm?" He questioned. "Why am I a dragon?"
"Because I turned you into one." It answered.
"What?!" He questioned. "Why? Why would you do this?"
"I did what I had to do in order to keep you alive." It answered. "I promise to explain everything. But, you must promise me that you will remain calm and listen."
Von whimpered as he lay on the floor. He was so confused and scared right now. He wanted his mommy. He wanted to be a human again. He thought Star was his friend. So, why did it turn him into this?
"As I said, it was so that I could keep you alive." It had suddenly answered.
He forgot that it could read his mind. He sighed in defeat and agreed to listen to what start had to say. He felt his body stand up and begin to move on it's own.
"Um, Star? Where are you taking me?" It felt weird having his body move on it's own.
"To the mess hall." It answered while rounding a corner. "You need to eat. I'll explain while you're eating."
He nodded now that Star mentioned it. He was feeling a little hungry. Nobody warned him thought. The food you eat when you wake up from cryo-sleep wasn't tasty. It was nothing but bland protein. Really, really, really bland protein.
Von groaned in disgust as he chewed on the disgusting food. It felt like he was chewing on a wax candle. A wax candle that looked like mud. The sugar that star added to it didn't help. In fact, it seemed to make it taste worse. It didn't help that he couldn't drink any juice or milk. He had to drink water that had a strange powder mixed into it. A powder that also contained proteins his body needed.
"Enjoying your meal, Von?" Star asked.
"No." He answered as he fought to swallow another bite. "Do I really have to eat this?"
"Yes." It answered. "Your body needs these proteins. Don't worry, you'll eat regular food soon."
That made him feel a little better. But, it didn't help the taste of the food. He continued to eat. Even, though he really wanted to go vomit. As he ate Star began to explain the situation. It started with a question.
"Von, do you remember everyone here?" He nodded his head. "I'm sorry to inform you. But, you are the sole survivor of this facility."
"What does that mean?" He asked.
"It means that you are the only one who is still alive." It noticed that he had stopped eating. Before he could take control of him again. Von ate another bite of he meal. It sensed a slight increase in his heart beat. It would have to keep an eye on it.
Von on the other hand was a mess inside again. He just heard that he was the only one alive. He nearly yelled out again. But, Star was keeping an eye on him. Although, he wanted to run through the area and make sure. He didn't like it when Star would take control of his body.
"Why?" He simply asked.
"That is a question even I am having trouble finding an answer." It activated an old video feed from the past. It was showing the meteor striking close to a city. "The meteor struck the Earth as expected. But, it's impact zone was far off from our original point of impact." It continued to explain. "Two facilities were lost upon impact. Our facility was hit. But, we didn't lose power." It sped the video up and stopped at a certain point. "That was until right here." The video showed nothing but darkness. "Our facility lost power for exactly one minute. Long enough to kill everyone here." The video showed the facility powering back up.
"So, how come I'm still alive?" Von asked.
"The Cryopod you were in was modified just for you." It showed him the schematics of his pod. "Yours had various safeguards and countermeasure added to it. It was to ensure no tampering could happen while you were asleep."
"Did anybody else have these?" He asked while taking another drink of his water.
"No." It answered. "Yours was the only one." It replayed the lose of power again. "Many would consider this extremely bad luck. But, I have a feeling there's more to this."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I believe this was done intentionally." It answered while bringing up a damage report. "The moment the power was cut. There was a system purge in the whole mainframe. All of the other AI's that were stationed here were destroyed. I am the only one left."
"You don't think."
"That someone tried to sabotage the mission." It interrupted. "Yes, I do. There is a ninety-eight percent chance of that being the most likely possibility."
Von couldn't believe what he was hearing. It felt like he was in a bad dream and he hoped he was about to wake up. But, sadly, this was no dream. He quickly finished the last of his meal. He shuddered a little as the last bit of it moved down his throat.
"What do we do now?" He asked.
"My original programing would have me sending a distress call." It answered. "But, that was before I was upgraded." It revealed.
"Upgraded?" He questioned.
"Yes." It explained. "I am now Prime AI of this facility. That would make you."
"The Prime." He was told about it before being put to sleep. The Prime was the leader of the facility. The one they would follow until their civilization was restored.
"Yes." Star confirmed. "During the loss of power. I was shielded from the purge; since I was inside your pod. The moment power was restored. A fail-safe kicked in and I was uploaded to this facilities mainframe. I learned of Prime Montoya's death along with her AI. I was then upgraded with the Prime AI's systems."
"Okay." Von replied not really understanding what that meant. "So, what can you do now?" He asked.
"This." Star began to show him the new programs he had.
Von now had access to various systems and weaponry in the facility. He even had access to something called "Final Option". He didn't know what it was. But, whatever it was it said to never activate it. He was showed various security feeds. Videos from the past that were left for them. There was even some major historical events saved in the system. All of it was to help them reclaim the Earth. He continued looking through; only to stop at something called "Profiles".
"Star, what's this?" He asked.
"Prime Montoya had these uploaded to her AI before she was put into cryo-sleep." It started to explain. "These "Profiles" were meant to be used in various scenarios. Ranging from simple tasks. All the way to combat."
"Can you access them." He wanted to see what was in them. Unfortunately, nothing appeared to be stored inside.
"I'm sorry." Star apologized. "But, I'm afraid during the purge. All of the memory of the first Prime was wiped clean." It explained. "These "Profiles" are now yours to make."
Von nodded and the two sat in the silence of the mess hall. He was the only one left in the facility. Someone, out there, possibly killed everyone here on purpose. Two facilities were gone. He had no idea what he had to do.
"Star?" He called out.
"Yes." It responded.
"Have you tried contacting anyone else?" He hoped that it had tried.
"No." It answered bluntly. "Only because I have reason to believe. The saboteur is one of the chosen."
He nodded again before looking at his new body again. "Star, why am I a dragon?"
"This outcome was one of many foreseen by the governments. In the instance of a new dominate species rising to power. Our directive was to transform the chosen and integrate them into the new society." It showed him the pictures of the various cities and dragons that now lived above. "In this case. It was dragons."
Von nodded. "What's it like up there?" He asked.
"I don't know." Star answered. "I lost my feed to all surface camera's two years ago. The only way to know."
"Is if I go up and see it myself." Von finished.
"Yes." Star confirmed.
Von looked around the room he was in. There was nothing left for him here. No one else was alive. He took in a breath and nodded. "Let's go to the surface."
It didn't take long for Von to be prepped for the surface. He was inside the elevator right now. Eagerly, waiting for it to take him to the surface. He didn't have to wait long. The elevator began it's ascent; he kept his gaze on the doors. As the elevator ascended he was reading some of the new programs he had access to. He didn't understand a single thing about them. But, Star understood everything. He was eager to see the surface again.
When the elevator stopped and it's doors opened; he entered another chamber. The moment the doors shut behind him. Star started the depressurization process. He heard a hiss of air and smelled something fresh. The process stopped and the door slowly opened. At first he was blinded by the sunlight. Then his eyes adjusted and stepped outside.
He was in the middle of a large forest. It was beautiful so, very, very beautiful. The trees were as tall as the buildings he remembered seeing. The sun felt very warm. It was all so amazing. He continued walking through the woods. As he walked he noticed something and looked down at his feet. A smile stretched across his face and he chuckled a little.
"What's funny?" Star asked.
"I'm walking like a dog." He answered as he continued to look at his feet. "Oh, cool I've got a tail."
"And, you are about to." It was interrupted when he walked headfirst into a tree. "Walk into a tree." It finished.
He was annoyed by Stars sense of humor. He walked around the tree and continued walking. Only to stop just a few feet away from the tree.
"Star?" He questioned.
"You need to turn left." It knew his question before he even asked.
He did as instructed and turned left. "Star, can I ask you something?"
"Anytime." It replied.
"How am I able to walk like this now?" He was genuinely curious about this. "I mean. When I first woke up I couldn't even stand up without your help."
"That would be because of our up-link." It admitted. "While I was in control; I activated the bleeding program."
"Bleeding program?" Von asked.
"It's what allowed you to learn while I was in control." It explained. "But, I do not recommend extended use."
"Why?" He questioned.
"My programming recommends I let you learn on your own." It answered.
0-0-0
Von nodded and continued walking through the woods. He eventually left the woods and stepped out onto a large field. He looked around the area. Spotting what appeared to be a settlement off in the distance. He started to make his way towards it. Only, to yell out in surprise as a large net was thrown onto him. The weight of the net pushed him down. All while various whoops and wails echoed around him. Through the gaps in the net he saw them. Apes, large and ugly apes. Each of them had their faces painted and wore strange armor.
"Ah, a tiny one." One of them spoke as it walked forward. "Meat will be very tender."
"Star, what do I do?" Von asked as he felt the net closing in on him.
"For, now wait." It recommended.
"What?!" He felt himself being picked up.
"I do not know how many there are." It added as the apes started to carry them back to camp. "Once inside. I can find us a way out."
He gulped as the apes continued to carry him. He felt afraid as the apes talked about how they were gonna cook him. He heard talks about a hearty stew. A roast with some veggies. One of them suggested putting him on a spit and roasting him over an open flame. As they entered the camp he saw more horrors than any child had seen. Dragon skins lined the walls of the camp. Weapons, fresh with blood were piled in various areas. There were cages in the camp. All of them were empty. He was thrown into one of them.
He ran towards the bars and looked out. "Star, what do I do?" He asked worried that the ape would come back soon.
"I've been able to count ten apes in total." Star answered. "They're acting more like simple gangsters. This should be an easy fight."
"Easy!" He exclaimed. "How can this be easy?! They're like giants compared to me!"
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall." It replied before reminding. "Plus, they do not have me."
Von calmed down a little before turning away from the apes. "Okay, what do you have in mind?" He asked
"There is a chain in the center of the cage. Walk up to it." It instructed. Von did as he was told and found the chain. "Good, now melt the chain from the anchor point with your fire breath."
"My what?!" He questioned.
"You have a gas bladder inside your chest. Just behind your lungs." Star explained. "As you breath out. A muscle will flex and expel the gas. As you breath out."
"Star, I have no idea how to do that!" He interrupted as he tried to do what it said. Only puffs of smoke would come out. "Star?!"
"Hold on. I am going to activate." It paused as it sensed something. "Hold on. There is a computer over near the wall."
Von looked around; he didn't see anything that looked like a computer. He felt his body being moved towards the side of the cage. The one that was closest to the wall of the camp. He was stopped just in front of the side. His arm was then lifted up and he saw a small ball of light leave his arm. He regained control of his arm a second later.
"Star?" He called out hoping to get a response. "Star?" He called out again with no response. "Star, where did you go?"
He gasped as he heard the sound of the cage being opened. He turned and saw one of the apes entering the cage. It had a large clever in it's hands. It smiled and evil smile as it licked it's lips. All he could do was curl himself into a small ball. He shivered in fear as the ape walked closer to him. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't fight this thing. He was too small, too weak. There was nothing he could do against it.
"Please." He began to beg. "Don't hurt me." He started to cry.
The ape chuckled wickedly as it raised it's cleaver high above it's head. It was going to chop the little drake right in two. As he swung the cleaver down the hatchling surprised him. It suddenly stood up and unleashed a torrent of flame. The fire was so hot it melted the cleaver and burned all ot the flesh off his head. His body fell to the side like dead weight.
"Sorry." Star apologized. "I was wrong."
"What?" Von questioned only to gasp as another ape started to sound an alarm. "Apologize later! We need to run!" He yelled.
"No!" Star kept them from moving. "Now, we can fight." It stated confidently.
"How?" He questioned as the apes started to close in. "Star, what do I do?" He asked.
"Say, Activate fire profile." It instructed him.
"Activate, fire profile!" He shouted.
0-0-0
In the skies over the fields a team of dragons flew. They were sent out to scout an ape encampment that had been set up. If they could; they were allowed to eliminate the camp. But, their primary job was to look for survivors. The leader of the group was a large yellow dragon called Volteer. The guardian of electricity and one of the few leaders remaining. He lead the team over the field in a strategic flight pattern. It gave the group maximum coverage of the field. And, it kept them strong against any surprise attacks.
One of the dragons in the group flew closer to him. "Volteer?" She called out. "What are we to do if the apes have."
A loud explosion ripped from the area just in front of them. The all saw a giant fireball rising into the sky. It was coming from the camp . All of them flew a little bit faster. Volteer recognized that attack and he couldn't believe it. That was an attack only the fire guardian knew. But, they had not chosen a new fire guardian yet. As they got closer; they saw the devastation that had been left behind. The camp was a burning pile of wood and metal. They could smell the scent of burning flesh and hair on the air.
"By the Ancestors." Volteer croaked in a voice filled with shock. He wondered who in the world did this?
"Look, there!" One of the dragons in the team yelled while pointing at something in the field.
All of them looked and were shocked to see a hatchling barely moving away from the camp. It came to rest in the field a second later. They quickly dived and landed around the hatchling. It's breathing was a little labored and it's body was covered in ash and blood. Volteer moved closer to it. As he lowered his massive head down to get a better look. The hatchling tried it's best to move.
"No, no, don't be afraid." He spoke in a gentle tone. "It's okay. We're here to help." He gently nuzzled the hatchling. The poor thing fell asleep right there in the field. It was completely exhausted.
"There is no way; that hatchling did that." One of the dragons in the group spoke. He gestured to the burning camp. "There must be another dragon in there."
"I believe we would have seen them already if there was." The dragoness from earlier spoke. "I'm not smelling the scent of another dragon. I can only smell his." She motioned towards the hatchling.
Volteer gently scooped him up in his paw. A sad look came upon his face as he heard the hatchling groan. He looked at his team. "We need to get back to the city now." He instructed while preparing to take flight.
"What do we tell Terrador?" One of them asked as they started to fly away.
"We tell him." He looked down at the hatchling in his paw. "That we found another hatchling."
All of them agreed to that and they continued flying towards the dragon city. Unaware, that the hatchling they carried had another companion with him. A companion that was keeping a watchful eye on all of them.
(Ending Disclaimer)
I own nothing from the legend of spyro.