“Just in case he’s still in there,” Code Red laughed, “Now, Ciela, give me the egg.” Code Red raised her bloody hand out toward the Blue Promethean.

  Code Black watched on as Blue turned away from the team’s leader.

  “You’re crazy,” Code Blue yelled.

  Code Red stood up and approached Blue, “No, not crazy. I just see through the illusion. Give me the power to kill the Emperor and Code Gold, so that I can show the Seven Colonies true peace.”

  Code Blue looked at the egg in her arms and back to Code Black and knew what she had to do. Code Red was inches from Blue as she turned from Red with the egg and jumped from the cave entrance.

  Pontoppidan

  Code Green

  Revan-V

  The ground shook below Code Green as the battery to Revan-V was completely drained.

  I’m sorry, Little one, Code Green thought as she unplugged her wrist and put the wire away.

  “Is it finished?” Code Red asked as Green climbed out from below the ship. Green dusted herself off and nodded to her leader, “It’s done.”

  Code Red trembled with excitement.

  “Get in there and fire it up,” Code Red replied.

  Code Green looked around and asked, “What about the others? Are they on their way?”

  Code Red nodded, and said, “They’re right over there.”

  Code Green turned to face the treeline Red had pointed to and saw another Code Red lead the full team. Code Green still had her guard up like she was in danger, but she was relieved to see the group return safely. Code Red managed to draw a discharger from her hip holster while Green’s back was turned, and fired at her. Code Green turned quickly toward Red as her energy swelled inside her. Green’s eyes emitted light bright enough to shine through her visor. She was fast enough to extend a palm out and catch the blast from Red’s discharger and absorb its energy.

  “What the hell was that?” Code Green asked, pissed that her leader attacked her.

  The Code Red that attacked Green still had the discharger focused on her, finger on the trigger. Before Red could make a move again the moon shook with a boom, followed by a huge gust of wind.

  Code Red looked around and commented to herself, “What the hell was that?” The sky above them shifted as the moon accelerated through space.

  The rest of the team regrouped with Green and Red at the ship, but Code Green saw through the illusion.

  “Stop, Red,” Green demanded, “It’s over.”

  Code Red laughed and pulled the trigger on the discharger again.

  Code Green raised a palm again to absorb the beam while Red added, “It’s over when you get in our ship and pilot us outta here.” Code Red’s power of illusion made the team target Green and open fire on her from every direction.

  Pontoppidan

  Pontoppidan was awake and now off course from his original trajectory. His large tentacles stretched out to steer his massive body toward uncharted stars.

  Code Blue stumbled as she ran through the foggy forest alone with the egg.

  Don’t look back, She told herself as she did her best not to trip.

  Illusions formed around her to haunt her vision. Blue tried to keep her focus on the ground in front of her one step at a time. Faces formed in the dirt below her feet as she stepped into illusions. Arms reached out to her, and the veil of illusion twisted the sticky grass from the surface. The grass pulled Blue down to the surface of Pontoppidan.

  “Give me the egg!” Code Red cried out.

  Blue felt a chill go down her spine.

  She found me, Code Blue thought to herself. The Blue Promethean sat up and looked around. Code Red approached Blue as she sat there, stunned on the ground. As Red walked toward Blue she demanded again for the egg.

  “What are you going to do?” Code Blue asked as Red reached her.

  The team’s Red leader had returned to her own helmet. She stood over Code Blue on the ground with the egg.

  “I’m going to use its power to change everything,” Code Red cried. “There won’t be Seven Colonies anymore, I’ll unite them all. I’ll tame this Abysmal, Pontoppidan, and he’ll survive on a diet of my enemies and naysayers. Give me that egg and I can end the pain that is The Nomical Order,” Code Red trembled as she ranted. “I want to consume its power!” Red shouted as she cocked back her arm to swing on Blue.

  Code Blue braced herself for Red’s strike but it never came. Blue relaxed her face in her helmet and opened one eye to see Code White between her and Red.

  “You saved me,” Code Blue cried out, realizing White had blocked Red’s punch.

  “I never left your side,” Code White replied.

  The mysterious Promethean pushed Code Red back. White’s fist flew through the air to return a punch to Red, who’s head formed a hand that grabbed Code White. Red contorted through illusion, giving her leverage to throw White over her shoulder. White hit the ground but phased below the surface. Code Red looked around for White’s attack.

  “Blue, please run,” Code White cried out from the ground at Red’s feet.

  Code Blue watched her love rise up from the ground to fight Red as she processed White’s pleas. The Blue Promethean got to her feet and turned back to see White once more. Code White saw her leave and knew there wasn’t a reason to hold back anymore. Code Red laughed and created two clones of herself to fight Code White. Code White dematerialized before the trio of Reds could strike. A materialized fist reached out from the void and knocked a Red off her feet. The other two jumped on the area where the hand stood. The two Reds fell into each other on the ground as White materialized a few feet from them. The two Reds merged into one large body with multiple legs and long arms with blades at the hands. Red’s monstrous form stood almost eight feet tall. The Red beast picked up the body of the third Red, which merged into the illusion.

  “What the-” Code White commented as Red’s large scythe arm swung down on White’s shoulder.

  The Promethean dematerialized at the shoulder to split in two. Red’s scythe passed between the two halves of White untouched. White’s shoulder and arm dropped toward the ground but were caught and reconnected. White’s body finalized its materialization as Red swung again. This time Code White simply let Red phase through. As the arm went through, White stepped in closer to the beast of a form Red had assumed. Code White jumped onto Red’s large body and pulled her to the ground by the neck.

  As White pummeled Red they looked around for Blue, who had managed to escape. White couldn’t help but feel that Blue was still in danger, and paused to look again.

  Code White’s vision fogged as a young woman appeared from the shadows.

  “Ciela?” Code White called out. The woman shook her head and placed a hand on White’s chest.

  “Have you forgotten me?” The young woman asked. Code White was overwhelmed with memories. Memories from their time together on Promethean, when White was Code Silver. She was the daughter of General Gold, and Code Silver was second in command of the Prometheans.

  “I never forgot you,” Code White cried out, “Not after what Gold did to you. I haven’t been able to connect to anyone since you were taken from me.” Code White looked down to the ground at their feet.

  “Look at me,” The woman replied.

  Code White was too focused on Blue to respond.

  “Look at me!” The woman called out again.

  When Code White looked up the woman was solid gold.

  “You did this to me,” she accused Code White, “You touched the General’s daughter, and look what happened!”

  Code White cried out as the memories came back.

  This is just an illusion, Code White thought. The woman moved closer to Code White who raised a hand in response.

  White’s fist hung frozen in the air, with blood-soaked knuckles. White looked to the left and to the right.

  “Where is she?” Code White screamed.

  Code Red laughed uncontrollably through the fog of her illusion.

  “You mean you can’t see her?” Code Red mocked White, “She’s right here.”

  Code Red laughed again as White turned back to her, “Where is she?”

  Code White screamed again. “I can -feel her,” White cried out, “Why can I feel her presence?”

  “Because,” Red replied, her voice changed to a more familiar one, “Because, I’ve been here all along,” Blue said.

  Red’s illusion faded to reveal Code Blue on the other end of White’s assault.

  “No,” Code White cried out and dropped to the ground beside a bloody and beaten Blue. “My Sapphire,” White whispered to Blue with hands soaked in her blood.

  “We should have picked out a nice planet for ourselves at the auction houses,” Blue chuckled in a weak voice. Code White pulled her in closer and removed her battered helmet.

  “I’m sorry,” White whispered over and over.

  “Don’t be,” Code Blue replied to her love, “It was worth it to me just to touch you, and to finally know you, Lo.” Code White pulled off his helmet to stare into Blue’s eyes with his own.

  “Don’t fade away from me,” Code White cried, as Blue died in his arms.

  Code Red, now in possession of the egg, watched White scream in pain from the safety of the trees. Red’s only window to escape would soon be over as Pontoppidan approached Crude Space.

  Pontoppidan

  Code Green

  Revan-V

  Code Green redirected some of the energy fired at her back at Code Red.

  “That’s all you got?” Code Green yelled as she unleashed a blast of energy of her own she had stored.

  Green’s attack was strong enough to vaporize Red’s illusion, as the team Red created faded too. Code Green sighed and cursed to herself.

  “Guess that was all you got,” Green said before she turned back to the ship. The real Code Red stood at the door to Revan-V, with the egg.

  “So, this is the last time we gotta do this?” Code Green asked Red as she approached the leader at the ship. Code Red held up the egg to show Green.

  “Time after time humanity rebuilds from the farthest edges of extinction,” Red noted. The Promethean gripped the egg in her hand and cracked it open.

  “With this, we’ll rebuild it all in my image,” Red laughed as the egg broke open.

  Liquid metal dripped from inside the shell in Red’s hand.

  “Devmetal?” Red gasped with delight, “Do you realize what this egg is?”

  Code Green saw the egg and mustered up all the charged energy stored in her body. In one swift move Code Green raised her arms toward Revan-V and unleashed a bolt of energy toward the ship. The explosion engulfed Red and the egg, reaching Code Green as well. She absorbed the energy put off by the blast, but shrapnel shredded Green’s body. As she fell to the ground surrounded by flames Code Black appeared before her.

  “You made it,” Code Green said in a weak voice.

  “You didn’t have to blow up the ship, Kiwa,” Code Black replied.

  “I-I know,” Code Green laughed, “But I didn’t know who to trust, and I didn’t want the ship to be misused.”

  Code Black stood up from the debris around himself and Code Green. He had seen enough, and Pontoppidan would hit Crude Space any minute.

  “Red, are you still out there?” Code Black yelled out.

  A gust of wind left the burning hull of the ship and blew past Code Black, who didn’t flinch. Code Red emerged in the flames, and stepped through the inferno, for a standoff with Black.

  “I still have the egg,” Code Red cried out. “I win,” Red laughed as she held up a fragment of the shell.

  “What was it, anyway?” Code Black asked.

  Black looked to the sky as stars continued to streak by.

  “It’s infinite possibilities,” Code Red said.

  The twisted leader held up a small slug-like creature.

  “This is the embryo of an Astronomical, the gods of Crude Space, and its power will be mine,” Code Red remarked.

  The undeveloped alien squirmed while Red removed her helmet with her free hand.

  “Now, the fun begins,” Code Red said as she raised the small life-form above her head.

  She dropped the slug into her mouth. As she chewed, Red’s veins in her face began to glow, while the ground below them shook. Pontoppidan crashed through the cosmic atmosphere created by The Nomical Order. The sky above Red and Black filled with vibrant colors as they entered Crude Space. Code Black watched reality around Red begin to shift as her power grew to Astronomical scale.

  “It’s over, Red,” Code Black yelled out to his fellow Promethean.

  “I am a god,” Code Red commented on the power that raged inside her body.

  “Still,” Red confessed, “I can’t escape this phantom pain cursed upon me by the previous Code Black. No matter, I’ll kill another Code Black before I kill all the other Prometheans back home.”

  Code Red turned her attention to Code Black in the distance among the flames.

  “It is over, for you,” Code Red laughed as she lunged for Code Black. Red reached her target with force but passed through him.

  “What is this?” Code Red demanded as she turned back towards Code Black.

  “So, phantom pain, huh,” Code Black remarked to Red, “And you feel everything?”

  Code Red was confused by Black’s interest in her condition, “Yeah, that’s right,” Red began, “I killed Code Black. But that bastard used his ability to make me feel the pain of everything I’ve ever experienced. My limbs are constantly numb, and they’re aching all the time.”

  “That must be hard on you,” Black said, as Red swung at him again, “But why kill your teammate?”

  “It’s excruciating,” Red remarked, as her second attempt to hit Black failed.

  “I killed Code Black because his power rivaled mine. General Gold had made threats of promoting him to PROTO Rank.” The Prometheans faced off with each other as Red’s body swelled with power.

  “So your pride killed him?” Code Black questioned.

  “Can I tell you the truth?” Code Black asked as Red swung at him again, still unable to hit him.

  Red’s frustration grew with each failed strike, “What are you?” Red yelled out.

  Code Black took a step toward Code Red.

  “I’m-” Code Black started but corrected himself, “My name is AP. As in Astral Projection, you see, I’m not really here right now.”

  Code Red was startled, “Doesn’t matter where you are. I’ll find you, and kill you like the others,” Red promised, “My powers will soon reach across all the known cosmos.” Code Black looked around them as the stars raced by above their heads.

  “I don’t think so,” Code Black commented, “See, It’s not where I am you should be worried about, I’m aboard Revan-V by the way. No, it’s a matter of when.”

  Code Red stared at Black and asked, “When?”

  Code Black nodded, “I can project my spirit across the perceived planes of time. I can visit anywhere I’ve been or will end up going. I’ve seen enough. General Gold allowed me to join your unit to investigate the previous Code Black’s death. Now if you don’t mind, this alarm has been driving me nuts.” Code Black faded away as Code Red stepped toward him.

  Code Red cried out as the energy that raged within her body engulfed her. Elsewhere Code White still clung to the body of his love as Pontoppidan laughed to himself. The Abysmal wrapped himself in his long tentacles to drift back to sleep within Crude Space.

  Pius Colony

  Revan-V Mid Drift

  “Code Black!”

  “You just gonna ignore that back there?” Code Yellow called from the seat ahead.

  “Code Black!”

  The unit shuffled from frustration in their seats as Code black struggled.

  “First time?” Code Green called out.

  Code Black chuckled, then replied, “Something like that.”

  “Code Black!”

  The cockpit was alive with frustration as Code Green chimed in, “Greenhorn, want me to Bypass it?” Her emerald visor reflected back toward Code Black.

  Black let out a sigh and placed a finger on the touch display for confirmation, and called out, “I got it.” His astral form had returned to his body, which meant he could interact with the physical plane again.

 

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