Fan:Afterscore
| Afterscore | |
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| Theme: |
LEGO Universe |
| Author: | |
| Completion Status: |
Incomplete |
Chapter 1
The battle was raging around him. Everywhere, minifigures fell. It seemed hopeless. The faction leaders had gone who knew where, and not even the gifts the Mythrans had given on the last day had helped. The Nexus Force was falling. Skyeflyte ran through it all, sword in hand, fighting off the Maelstrom's advances. His life seemed to flash through his eyes. Waking up from cryo-sleep in the Venture Explorer, like most minifigures, not remembering anything of his life before. He was lucky to even remember his name, unlike most, who just got on of the Nexus Codenames, such as QuickSlickSnail. He remembered forging on, starting a new life, and making a name for himself, but it was all for naught. The war seemed to last forever, until Skyeflyte finally woke up screaming. He panted for a bit, but realized it was just a dream. Skyeflyte got out of his bed, and started pacing. He shouldn't be alive. Yet he was. He, like some of his comrades, fled the war towards the end. They traveled to The Blue Planet, a planet inhabited by strange creatures, and stationed themselves in Sector 99, one of the residents of the Blue Planet. They made a life there, away from the chaos of Sector 1, LEGO Universe. Or so they thought. Because chaos only knows how to consume. One Sector wasn't enough. And there are those who plan to forge the way. Those who know the Maelstrom from within. To lead in the awakening.
Chapter 2
Skyeflyte, deciding not to bother sleeping, changed into a black ninja gi and stepped out of the room, and looked out the window.
"Couldn't sleep either?" A voice from behind him asked. Skyeflyte shook his head, and turned to see the voice's carrier. It was Sammy, one of the other minifigures who had come back with him. She had changed into her clothes, which was a sleeveless grey top with buttons going down the middle. She was wearing blue jeans, with two belts, one brown, one black (No one knew why she wore two. Some form of "Fashion Statement".). She walked forward and sat by one of the windows, looking outwards. She looked almost ghostly with the moonlight reflecting onto her pink eyeliner and lip-gloss. "I don't think anyone around here sleeps. Not after what we've been through," Skyeflyte sighed. He sat down next to Sammy, and looked onto the landscape. Sammy took Skyeflyte's hand and gave him a reassuring smile. "At least we still have each other," Sammy said to him. While Sammy and Skyeflyte didn't often see eye to eye, they were always there when the other needed. The tranquility of the moment was interrupted by snoring coming from the next room. "Sounds like Quick has at least managed a bit of shut-eye!" Sammy grinned. Skyeflyte smiled. Leave it to Quick to be the only one not suffering from war flashbacks. "I'd better start breakfast. Tom said he wanted to show us something. Another 'revolutionary piece of technology'," Sammy sighed. She got up, and walked to the kitchen, her blonde hair waving behind her. Skyeflyte once again looked out the window, wondering the same questions. Were they really safe? Where was the Maelstrom now? And worst of all, could it find them? Would it?
Chapter 3
Skyeflyte trudged down the steps to the eating area. His dream was continuously on his mind. Dreams like this didn't typically bug him, as he had flashbacks all the time. But something seemed more real about this one. The enemies seemed stronger. The chaos seemed louder. It was as if the Maelstrom itself was becoming more of a threat. Skyeflyte stepped on the last step and opened the door to the dining room. Sitting at the table were some of the other survivors who had come to the mansion. QuickSlickSnail, or Quick, was in the kitchen with Sammy, while Tom and Jaquline were sitting at the table playing cards. The two of them had started dating shortly after the war ended when Jaquline saved Tom's life in a plane accident. Tom, who was the head of technology and robotics for Sector 99, was talking rather loudly about one of the new machines he had made.
"The calculations were originally a bit off, but I made the proper adjustments, so that the wormhole would be exactly parallel to…" Skyeflyte sat down and Quick served him an omelet. He nodded his thanks to Quick, and started eating. Just as Skyeflyte had eaten his last bite, Tom got up and announced to the room, "Now that we're all here, I'd like to show you my latest invention!" "If it's another "Automatic Egg-Beater, it's going in the garbage!" Jaquline jutted in. "No, it's not!" Tom said indignantly, scratching his brown tousled hair and turning, scratching something off on a notepad. He led them to his room, where they saw a large mass with a blanket over it. "This will revolutionize communication to other Sectors! Ladies, Gentlemen, Quick-" Quick threw a croissant at Tom, which he dodged. "- I give you, The Portal!" He threw the blanket off the mass, revealing a tan ring standing on a computer base. There were four red lights distributed across the ring, with green triangular gizmos protruding from each one. "This portal can send people and items to and fro from other Sectors, even other dimensions!" "What other dimensions?" Sammy asked profoundly. Skyeflyte was wondering the same thing himself. "I'll explain later. For the moment, please welcome, my best friend from Sector 77, and from the Nexus War, Flycopper Darkflame!" He pressed a few buttons on the base, and the inside of the ring started to glow. "Why is it that every story has a character related to Vanda Darkflame?" Quick asked. "She must have been busy," Jaquline shrugged. Tom shot them a look. "Flycopper is her son," Tom told them. "Another one!" Skyeflyte sighed, to which Tom replied with a punch in the gut. The inside of the portal started to spin, and from the inside, a minifigure stepped out. He had shaggy brown hair and orange goggles. He was wearing a green and white suit of some kind, and had a messenger bag, like Tom, but on the left side. He stepped into the room, and gave Tom an urgent look. "Tom Dalego, we need to talk."
Chapter 4
-Skyeflyte waited in the living area with the others while Tom and Flycopper talked in the next room. The door was closed, and the conversation was obviously not for their ears, but Quick listened in, pressed to the door. He did not have a good expression on his face. He came back and sat next to Sammy on the couch. "Something about a group. They're trying to bring something here. And something else about a brother. That's all I heard," Quick said to them, "Anyone have a brother who is having a surprise party, and we need to get him cake?" "It's not that cheery," Skyeflyte told Quick, "Flycopper's face did not relay 'surprise party'." "Just trying to be optimistic," Quick pouted. The door opened, and Tom and Fly came out. Tom had changed out of his orange Nexus Force shirt and jeans into a suit, like Flycoppers, but orange and white. "Well, if you haven't already heard," Flycopper announced, shooting a look at Quick, who was whistling suspiciously, "There's a new group in town. They are a form of cult practice Maelstrology, and have been causing trouble. They were in my Sector, but some of them came here. It's our job to stop them." "We should get moving soon. We need a good head start to stop them," Tom added. "Do we get cool suits like you guys?" Quick piped up. "If you want to make it yourself, like we did," Tom replied, "Let's get moving!" The crew went and got their gear. Sammy got out her cutlass and clipped a chain and flashlight to her belt. Skyeflyte got his two solid gold swords (cost a fortune, but look epic!) and put on his shades with communication piece. And Quick put on red and black war paint, to match his pants and jacket, and grabbed a spear. They walked onto the patio, where Jaquline was waiting in her jet. The team hopped in, and flew out. The ride was long and rather boring. Tom and Quick were playing Minotaurus in the back, and Flycopper was in the bathroom, getting airsick. Jaquline was in the cockpit, being the pilot of the group. Although she had spent the least time in the Nexus Force, she seemed to be the one most changed by it. Upon arrival home, she had promptly quit the school's cheerleading team and dyed a pink streak in her hair. She claimed 'it showed that she was original. She was her, no one else'. She and Tom then started dating, even though they were the youngest of the group, both at age fourteen. Although, no one in their group was that old at all, both Sammy and Quick being eighteen, and Skyeflyte himself being nineteen. But after what hey had gone through, after what anyone in the Nexus Force had gone through, no one could call them kids. They had flown into a sort of city, and Jaquline landed the jet on the roof of a tall building, and opened the hatch. Skyeflyte got off the couch with Sammy and stepped outside, followed by Quick and Tom, then Flycopper. Flycopper turned to the side and threw up lunch. "That's nothing like flying the ice dragon back home!" Fly said, wiping the rest off of his face. "Better get used to it soon." Tom smiled.
Chapter 5
-Jaquline stayed with her jet while the rest of them climbed down the fire escape on the side of their landing structure. They dropped down in a dark alleyway. Sector 99 wasn't famous for any form of ghetto, but this place looked like it had been the scene for many a gang war. Trash cans were knocked over, trash littered the ground, and the walls were covered in spray paint. It smelled to Skyeflyte like old minifigures and Stromling drool. He'd had too much experience with the latter. They inched forwards until they heard whispering in the apartment to their right. Sammy looked inside, relayed the scene to them.
"There seems to be some sort of meeting of a cult-like group. Heh, they look funny." Skyeflyte looked through the window. Inside were several minifigures, each one with a red sheet wrapped around their head and down their backs with only two holes for the eyes. They had on a sort of tan tunic with black pants with kneepads and a skull belt, a chain hanging from one of the pockets. They were holding candles lit with a purple fire, and were doing some sort of death chant. "What kind of fire is that?" Skyeflyte asked the group. "Maelstrom fire." Flycopper said. Everyone turned to him, awestruck. He shrugged, "When you're the son of one of the closest beings to the Maelstrom, you pick up a few things." He looked at Tom, who turned away, staring at the wall. "If it's Maelstrom, then it's no friend to us!" Quick exclaimed, "LEEERROOOOY JEEEENNKIIINNS!" He screamed, busting down the door. Skyeflyte smacked his forehead, and followed, drawing his golden swords. The members of the cult had each drawn Sais and machine guns, and were firing at the new intruders. If the group of party-crashers hadn't been trained warriors, they would have already fallen, but they kept on their feet. Well, maybe except for Quick, who was behind the couch under fire. Skyeflyte hilt-bashed one of the Members and slashed at another. He was going for a third when it was electrocuted. It fell to the ground, with Tom jumping over him, wielding his favorite sword, the Elite Force Blade of Lightning. There were few left in existence, and Tom loved his. Flycopper pulled out a wooden Training Keibo, and was twirling that around, clubbing Members left and right. He was also using Ice Spinjitzu, and freezing several more. Flycopper had told them he was an accomplished Ice Ninja, even being trained personally by Zane. He adjusted his orange goggles quickly, and then continued freezing. Skyeflyte bashed two Member's heads in, and jabbed another with his blade. He cut down the two shooting at Quick, and helped him out from behind the couch. Out of all of them, Quick had the least experience, being only a rank one Sorcerer. He readied his spear, and continued fighting. The Members had started to disperse, some going through the back door, some traveling up the flight of stairs to the second level. Skyeflyte climbed up the spiral staircase to follow them, knocking several off the stairs on the way. Almost all of them had gone except for one, who Skyeflyte grabbed their collar. "Who do you guys work for?! What is the purpose!? Answer me!" Skyeflyte yelled, shaking the Member. "I won't tell you anything," the Member smirked. He jabbed his arm, and ran to jump of the building. Tom ran forwards and threw something onto his cape as he jumped to the next roof. "Trackers," He grinned, "Let's follow him!"
Chapter 6
-They had gone back into Jaquline's ship, and were flying over the city, scanning for the Member's signal. Skyeflyte adjusted his burnt orange hair, and looked on the scanner.
"Where could he be? He hadn't gotten much of a head start," Skyeflyte said angrily. All this "Cat and Mouse" was bugging him. "Something gives these minifigures power," Flycopper replied, seeming to be over his air-sickness, "I've felt the Maelstrom's presence. Someone, or something, seems to have a direct tie to the Darkitect." "But to have a direct tie, someone would have to be in communication with The Baron. The Baron couldn't just draw power off of minifigures who he was connected to. Right?" Tom jutted in, "Because, I mean, if someone was, uh, Paradox, they would have a sort of connection…" "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Flycopper and I do not have any sort of connection with that freak!" Quick chimed in. "It was an example," Tom sighed. "Whoever is connected to the Darkitect had to have a connection with him, one that would take longer than a year to establish," Flycopper reassured them. Tom heaved a sigh of relief. "I've got the signal!" Jaquline shouted back. She jammed some buttons, and steered the ship around, her raven black hair swinging as the ship turned. "We need to get him!" Quick shouted, his spiked black hair flying in his face. "Fly lower so we can get to him!" Sammy yelled. Skyeflyte shook his head. "That'll take too long! We'll loose him!" Skyeflyte called back. Then an idea occurred to him. A crazy, stupid, awesome idea. "Hold on!" He yelled to the passengers, and did something that only an experienced Sentinel, or a mentally deranged kamikaze would do. He pulled a bungee cord from under the co-pilot seat, and strapped it to his back. He connected it to one of the poles in the jet, and opened the hatch. He stepped back, adrenaline rushing through his body, took a gulp, and ran. He jumped out of the plane, and looked behind him. The maroon and white of the jet rapidly shrank (shrunk? shrunk?) as he fell, and he turned to face the ground. It took all his willpower not to scream as he fell, wind rushing by his face, so he focused on the red minifigure jumping from building to building. He zoomed closer to the Member, and took a swipe at him with one of his golden swords. The Member drew a sai and parried the blow, still running. Skyeflyte's cord zipped him up, then dropped him back down, taking another swipe. The Member dodged the blow, and Skyeflyte, hanging upside-down on the cord, started fighting him. He slashed downwards, or upwards to the Member, which was dodged and returned with a sai jab, just missing Skyeflyte's head. The wind was rushing by him, blowing his hair in his face as the jet sped on, but Skyeflyte continued fighting. The metal was blazing through the combatant's faces, gold on steel, until the Member jumped over a building. In mid jump, the Member spun around, cutting Skyeflyte's cord in the process. Skyeflyte fell, fell down into an alleyway. He grabbed clotheslines to slow his fall, but landed in a none too soft dumpster below. His allies in the ship seemed to not realize he was missing, and sped on, the Member running across the roof, and jumping away. Skyeflyte was stranded.
Chapter 7
-Skyeflyte looked to the stars of the night, trying to get a bearing of where he was. He had absolutely no clue, as stargazing was not among the fields the Nexus Force trained recruits in Avant Gardens. He stepped out of the dumpster, and brushed the trash of his gi. He adjusted his shades, and trudged forwards. He decided he's follow the direction he saw the jet go in, and maybe he could meet them up ahead. He stepped out of the alley, and wandered forwards, down the street. Sector 99 wasn't known for being shabby (Heck, mostly no one knew other sectors even existed), but this place looked like it had completely gone to the dogs. The windows were boarded up and fenced, doors were missing handles, some were just hanging off their hinges completely. The walls were grey and cracking, large chunks torn off in some places. Skyeflyte seemed to be the only one out, even the only one in this city at all. He debated on calling out, but decided against it. Who knew what resided in this dump. The road was cracked, with a pothole almost every ten studs. Skyeflyte tried to remember the training he had acquired in the Nexus Force. Being a Sentinel, most of it was battle training. He had wanted to be a Sentinel most of his life, to serve under his dad. Skyeflyte was the son of universe renowned Sentinel Space Ranger Epsilon Starcracker. After the Nexus War, Skyeflyte came to Sector 99, and he had no idea where his father went. Maybe he smashed. Maybe he fled to Ninjago City with the Ninja (excluding Neido. Poor, poor Neido.). Who knew? Everyone of the survivors seemed to not have their parents around. Sammy and Quick woke up in cryo-sleep, having no memory of anything before. Jaquline never talked of her parents, and Flycopper never saw his mom. Tom seemed to have both parents here, but his family seemed to be an awkward topic for him. He was fine with laughing about his Venture League recruit sister, or bragging about his dad's mini-band, but when it came to his birthday, his first word, what hospital he was born in, his parent's reactions, Tom would look away, and hastily change the subject. He never even talked with Jaquline about this stuff, and the two had been dating for almost a year. Skyeflyte had to wonder if he might be hiding something…
Something shuffled from inside one of the houses. Skyeflyte turned, and saw the shudders quickly close, as if someone was watching him. Skyeflyte walked up to the house that he saw the shudder in. He knocked on the door, which upon his third knock fell down in front of him. "Hello?" he called inside. No answer. He stepped inside, and looked around. The house was extremely dark, with cobwebs hanging from almost everything. He heard a noise from the stairway to his left, so he slowly crept up the stairs. On the last step, he laid his foot down, and the night was pierced by an ear-splitting creak from the step. "Bricks!" Skyelfyte said under his breath, and broke into a run to the roof. He looked over the side, and saw a Member jump to the next building. Skyeflyte sighed, took a few steps back, and ran. He stepped on the edge of the roof, and launched himself towards the next building. He only just made it. "Not too hard at all!" Skyeflyte grinned. He ran towards the Member, following him into the night.
Chapter 8
-Sammy looked out the window of the plane.
"Skyeflyte is gone!" She called to Jaquline. Jaquiline turned the jet with ease, and began flying over the land they had just flown over. She took a dip closer to the ground to get a better look, and Tom and Quick turned to the other windows to search. Suddenly, a small missile flew by the window. "We're under attack!" Quick called back. Sammy looked out the window to see several Members below them, each one with a small missile launcher, one by one firing Maesltrom Missiles. The jet swerved to the side to avoid another shot. "Sammy! Can you operate the guns?" Jaquiline called back. Sammy nodded, and ran to the back of the jet. She sat down in a seat in the very back. She sat down in it, and put the helmet lying to the left of her on her head. He flipped the goggles down, and screen appeared on the lenses. Sammy gripped the joystick in front of her, and waited. The jet tilted to the ground to give Sammy a perfect shot, and she slammed the trigger down on the joystick. From the front of the jet, a rain of bullets erupted, flying towards their targets. Several of the missile stations were destroyed, but the rest kept firing. The jet barrel rolled twice, causing Tom and Quick to hit the ceiling, and Flycopper to run to the bathroom. Sammy continued hammering the trigger, taking down a few more stations, causing the Members to dive for cover. Sammy couldn't help but enjoy it. More missiles flew by the sides. Jaquline swerved to the right to dodge another. "Open the door!" Flycopper yelled forwards. Jaquline pressed a button, and the door slid open. Tom took out his Elite Force Blade of Lightning, and charged it up. He then pointed the sword at some Members, and a bolt of blue lightning shot from the tip, blasting a missile station. "Try freezing 'em!" Tom called to Flycopper, who began using his Ice Spinjitzu training to shoot a line of ice down, encasing several Members in a block of ice. Tomkatie and Flycopper then nodded to each other, and used both their tools of destruction to fire an electric bolt of ice that almost exploded on impact. In the back, Sammy was firing his turret everywhere, trying to knock out more Member stations. Eventually, Members started running off in every direction. "We won!" Quick shouted, punching the air. Jaquline smiled, and turned the plane back around. Sammy climbed back to the front, ducking to not hit her head on anything. "We have to find Skyeflyte now!" She yelled to Jaquline as she closed the doors. They all looked to the ground, but no one could see anything among the densely packed buildings. Heck, the couldn't see anything. "We'll never be able to find him like this," Flycoper called forwards. Tom nodded. "We have to find him! We can't just leave him behind!" Sammy shouted. "We won't!" Tom said calmly. He nodded to Flycopper, who pulled a small circular communications device of some sort out of his pocket. "Hello? Mom? Yeah, we need you to come in," He said into it.
Chapter 9
-Skyeflyte continued to chase after the Member, determined to find where their base was. If he could attack them at the source, then he could weaken them for a time. He wondered where the others were, and when they would find him. If they would find him. He wasn't exactly the easiest to spot, in his black ninja gi. However, his auburn hair could be spotted from a distance, so he kept his hopes up, even though he wasn't the most optimistic person. He leapt another alleyway, having pretty much gotten the hang of this. It was the sort of thing he had trained with in Avant Gardens with the monument. He remembered back in his time in the Nexus Force. His training in Avant Gardens. Only he took it seriously, to the rest it was just a game. But now they were gone. And here Skyeflyte was, left with only a memory. He raced across the roof, following his prey. Skyeflyte drew his swords as he grew nearer. The Member jumped over one more alleyway, and Skyeflyte dived onto him. He slashed downwards with one of his blades, which was parried by the Member's sai. Skyeflyte swung his two swords inwards in a scissor motion, and the Member fell backwards to avoid the blades. He drew a gun and started firing at Skyeflyte. He dodged the shots, but fell onto his back. The Member walked in to finish him off, when out of nowhere, the Member was clubbed on the head with some sort of robotic arm. And there, standing there, were the two last people he'd expect to be in Sector 99. Standing in front of him were Dr. Overbuild and Vanda Darkflame, pink streak and all. "What are you two doing here?" Skyeflyte asked. "A simple "Thank you" would have been nice," Vanda grumbled. Already, Skyeflyte didn't really like her. "Vanda's son called us here. Said they needed help finding a friend," Dr. Overbuild told Skyeflyte, using one of his robotic arms to help Skyeflyte up, "You wouldn't happen to be Skyeflyte, would you?" Skyeflyte nodded. "You're Epsilon's son, correct?" Skyeflyte nodded again. "But I'm not the only one with a famous parent," Skyeflyte grinned to Vanda. "It's not my nephew's fault. Please don't judge him for it," Dr. Overbuild said, with a hint of anger that Skyeflyte didn't know he possessed. "I meant Flycopper, Vanda's son," Skyeflyte directed to Vanda. "Hmm… He doesn't know…," Vanda mused. "Then we should keep it that way. If the boy has kept it a secret, then he has a reason. Someone his age shouldn't have to deal with that," Overbuild replied, looking at the ground, "So what're we going to do with him?" Overbuild said, nudging the unconscious Member's head with his foot. Skyeflyte smiled. "I think I might have an idea." As Skyeflyte picked up the Member, he mulled over his conversation with Vanda and Overbuild. Overbuild had a nephew? He wasn't aware that the doctor had any siblings, much less a nephew. And why would he want to keep in a secret? What could he possibly hide? And was this nephew anyone he knew?
Chapter 10
-Vanda kicked the Member in the side. The three of them had brought him down to the bottom floor of the house they were in for safety reasons, and were now attempting to wake up the Member.
"He's not waking up," Vanda whined, and kicked him again. "There are several other ways to wake someone up instead of kicking them," Skyeflyte said. "Well if you're so smart, you wake him up!" Vanda grunted, and sat in a chair in the right corner. Skyeflyte scanned the room until he found the sink. He turned the water on, and poured some cool water into his cupped hands. He returned and splashed the water on their "friend's" face. He immediately began to stir. "Wha!? No! I don't wanna go to school! The kids are mean to me!" He mumbled. Vanda administered another kick to the side. "Ow!" The Member jolted awake. He sat up, and seemed to realize where he was. "Aw, bricks." Dr. Overbuild walked up and went to one knee so he would be eye to eye with the Member. "Where is the Member base?" he asked in a soothing voice. He opened his mouth to answer when Vanda kicked him once more, sending him sprawling. "You've gotta stop doing that!" Skyeflyte yelled. The Member slowly propped himself on his elbows, and spit at Vanda's feet. "I won't tell you anything," he denied. Vanda readied herself for another kick, this one aimed at his face, but Overbuild stopped her. Instead he stared the Member in the eyes. "You've got nowhere to go, we have you. Unless you want me to unleash Vanda's full fury upon you, I'd recommend you talk," Overbuild explained calmly. Overbuild and Vanda seemed to be polar opposites. One calm, reasonable, and intelligent, the other, well, she did whatever she wanted, no matter who it put in jeopardy. The Member turned his head indignantly, and said nothing. Vanda was drawing her two katanas, but Overbuild raised a robotic hand. He drew something out of his pocket, and looked to see it was what he thought it was. It was a small vial with some form of green liquid inside of it. He nodded to Vanda, who slammed her foot on his calf. The Member opened his mouth to scream, and Overbuild splashed the liquid in the ajar mouth. The Member swallowed, and a blank expression dawned on him. Overbuild stared him in the eye once more, and asked again, "Where is your base?" The Member got up, and slowly limped outside of the house. Skyeflyte shrugged, and followed, Vanda and Overbuild trailing behind him. The Member led them down the street, not seeming to know where he was going. But they still followed. "What was that you splashed on him?" Skyeflyte asked Overbuild. "Memory serum. It delves into the subjects subconscious, and it allows us to pick out certain bits of information we need. It's a great interrogation tool." "All I understood was 'interrogation'," Vanda mumbled. Skyeflyte sighed. It was going to be a long walk.
Chapter 11
-The three of them trudged on, following the semi-limp form of the Member as he slid forwards. At this point, they were left trusting that Overbuild's serum worked. However, most of his creations did, so Skyeflyte decided they were in good hands, er, robotic arms. Vanda seemed to hate all the silence, and had taken to throwing chunks of rubble at the already crumbling buildings. She began grumbling about how 'this was nothing like the spying she would do with her ninjas'. Eventually Skyeflyte had had enough. He fell behind a bit so as to talk with Vanda.
"Why are you being like this! Can't you refrain from kicking and grumbling?" He asked. "All this is bugging me," she replied bluntly. "Well, these Members are trying to raise the Maelstrom for brick's sake! Can't you at least try to stop them?" "Baron Typhonus was my master. He taught me almost everything I know." "But he's not anymore. He's been consumed by the chaos of the Maelstrom." Vanda gave him an angry look. "He's still out there. We can save him." She sped up to get in front of the group. "You'll have to excuse Vanda. Ever since Typhonus left, she hasn't been the same," Overbuild told Skyeflyte. "But I've lost someone important too. I think we all have. Who does she think she is, some sort of-" "Faction Leader?" Overbuild cut in. Skyeflyte stopped there. Even though Vanda was a Faction leader, she shouldn't go around treating everyone like dirt. But he could sense that it was a lost cause. There was no reasoning with some minifigures. Skyeflyte wondered if she was always like this. Maybe before the War ended. Maybe before it even began. Who knew. The Member stopped, and seemed to lose his direction. He then walked into a building. The three others followed, where they saw the member spin around on one foot, then collapse to the ground, tongue sticking out, mumbling something about cheese crackers. The three of them looked around to try and find anything unique. The building they were in was no bigger than the average apartment in LEGO City, and a lot worse for wear. The walls were cracked, and the floor was a sickly grey color, with a stain in the corner that Skyeflyte didn't want to know about. "Try to look for anything out of the ordinary," Overbuild ordered. They dispersed, each taking a side of the room. Skyeflyte made a point to search the area farthest away from the stain and Vanda. He looked under the furniture, on the walls, turning up carpets, becoming more and more impatient by the minute. They had followed this half awake lump of a Member to a crust apartment for nothing! In his anger, he kicked a wall, a hollow thud emanating from it. He stopped in his tracks, and kicked it again. The wall was definitely hollow. "Guys! Come check this out!" He called back. His comrades came to each of his side, and drew his two swords, cutting down the wall. In the wreckage, he peered down, and saw a dark flight of stairs leading downwards. Swords at the ready, he slowly crept down the stairs.
Chapter 12
-Skyeflyte crept down the stairs, careful to not creak anything. Overbuild was having a fairly difficult time, but after calculating the rough age of the stairs, the placement of the nails, and where he put his foot, he was able to get an average spot to minimize creaking. Whatever that meant. And Vanda, well, she was a ninja. What else needs to be said. "If you see anything, or anything sees you, kick them," Vanda whispered forwards. "What is it with you and kicking?" Skyeflyte asked with an exasperated tone. "Hey, I go with what works," she shrugged. Overbuild put his finger to his lips. As much as Skyeflyte didn't like Vanda, she had a point. After what seemed like an eternal journey of rotten, creaky stairs, they got to the bottom. They crouched down, and Skyeflyte inched forwards to check. "Stay back here! Keep guard!" Skyeflyte whispered. "Why should we let you have the fun?" Vanda pouted. "So if I don't come back, no loss!" Skyeflyte sighed, trying to put things on terms she would understand. She shruggerd, and Skyeflyte crept forwards. The hallway was almost pitch black, but he could barely see two walls along the corridor. "Vanda, hand me your sword!" Skyeflyte turned and hushed back. "Why? You have your own!" "Just hand me the sword!" He replied through gritted teeth. Vanda begrudgingly threw her sword forwards, and Skyeflyte used the purple glow emanating from the Maelstrom Infused katana as a light. He shuffled forwards a bit. The silence seemed to be the loudest thing he had ever heard, and it filled his ears until it was almost overflowing. It was almost too quiet. Holding the Maelstrom sword at a safe distance, he swept forwards another stride, and waited. Nothing. "You could hurry it up! We don't have all night!" Vanda whispered. Skyeflyte shot her an "I'm going to smash you if you don't stop!" look, (It had been perfected, thanks to QuickSlickSnail.) and slid forwards once more. The dark grey walls seemed to end, and he almost stabbed a wall with the sword. He looked up and down the wall, and saw that there was a metal door. There was no door handle. As Skyeflyte was trying to find a way to open the door, it swung open, almost hitting Skyeflyte's glasses off. He dived to the side, and tried to conceal the sword behind his back. He squinted in the dark to try and see what opened the door. He took a single step forwards, and something bumped into his shoulder. He squinted, trying to make out what this foreign object might be, until he realized the object he ran into was the barrel of a gun pointed directly at him! Skyeflyte quickly turned and raised his leg to kick whatever was pointing the gun. He heard a yell, and a shot was fired. The bullet missed Skyeflyte, and began to ricochet off the walls, blazing everywhere. He dived through the door as it was closing, to avoid the bullet. He heard the clang of the metal door slam and latch, as approximately fifteen locks closed simultaneously. Once again, Skyeflyte was stranded in an alien place. But hey, at least one good thing had come out of that. Skyeflyte found how fun it actually was to kick things!
Chapter 13
-Skyeflyte pushed himself onto his feet and lifted his head slowly. There was another flight of stairs, this one leading up. He walked slowly to the stairs, sword at the ready, and took a glance up. The stairs spiraled up for maybe twenty or thirty studs, and he could barely see a purple light coming from the top level. With his sword out, Skyeflyte crept up the stairs, stepping on the nails of the rotten boards so the creak wouldn't be as loud. He stepped up, one old plank at a time, careful not to make a sound. As he reached the top, he heard a low chanting. Skyeflyte couldn't distinguish what was being said, though he stopped to listen. He crouched down, and turned his head to look in the direction of the light. There, in the room, were hundreds, maybe thousands, of Members. Each one was holding a purple candle with both hands in front of their body. Their heads were bowed, and after each verse of their rhythmic chant, they would take a deep breath, inhaling the candle fumes. Skyeflyte crept in noiselessly, and stepped in the corner, crouched down behind the array of red-hooded figures. Then, from the front row, a minifigure, stepped up. "Arise, my fellow followers of the Darkitect! Rise, and feel the chill down your spine, as your eyes are opened, opened to the wonders of Chaos!" he announced to them. He smiled in his black leather jacket, and adjusted his grey jeans down a bit. Skyeflyte looked a little closer, and saw that he had a black crew-cut, and a massive scar going down his right eye. He looked about twenty. This minifigure seemed to be leading the Members, and was probably the one orchestrating this whole operation. "I bid you welcome to this initiation ceremony. If this is your first time, please write your name on the attendance bulletin being passed around. If you'd like to make any donations, the box is to my left, so don't be shy." "Now, back to business! As you may have heard, we had a small mix-up at the last meeting. Something about 'being attacked by a freezing minifigure and one with a lightning sword?'" "Yeah! One of them had golden swords!" A Member called out. Skyeflyte grinned to himself. "Well, anyway, we've gone through extra precautions to make this hide-out as secret as ever. The only one more secretive is the one I can't reveal to you at the moment. "This is a very special meeting! This meeting is where we will make the final arrangements for the Awakening! When we will bring my father here!" The Members started cheering. Skyeflyte was confused. Who was his father? What awakening? "What Awakening, you may ask?" the minifigure said, "Well, when we will bring my father here! And I, Darius Typhonus, will lead you!" And it dawned on Skyeflyte. They weren't just causing trouble. They were trying to bring Baron Typhonus, the Darkitect and his Maelstrom, here, to Sector 99. Skyeflyte remembered all his friends being smashed by the traitor. He couldn't let it happen again. He couldn't fail them again. Before Skyeflyte could stop himself, he yelled, "NO!" Everyone turned to him. "Well, it appears we have a guest!" the lead minifigure, who stated his name was Darius, grinned, "You know what to do." The Members each drew sais, and turned on Skyeflyte. They began to converge on him, when Skyeflyte heard a beeping from a Member's cape. "Trackers," Skyeflyte grinned.
Chapter 14
-Several things happened at once. The Members stared all dog-piling the Member with the Tracker on his cape to deactivate it, but it was too late, because simultaneously, the ceiling exploded, showering debris on everyone inside. Skyeflyte put his arm over his face to block the chunks, and looked up, to see a red and white jet with Jaquline smiling in the cockpit. The door Skyeflyte had come through burst open, and Vanda and Overbuild rushed in. Skyeflyte tossed her katana to her, and the three of them started fighting the disoriented Members. They were soon joined by Sammy, Tom, Quick, and Flycopper. "Wow, there are a lot of Members!" Quick exclaimed. "Whoever gets more wins!" Tom yelled to Flycopper. Flycopper grinned, and they began fighting. Tom and Flycopper together were like a well oiled fighting machine. They stood back to back, fighting them off, each one seeming to know what the other would do before they did it, and reacted accordingly. Skyeflyte wondered if maybe he and Sammy were to have known each other and fought alongside each other for that long, they'd fight like that. Maybe… Skyeflyte shook his head, and went back into battle. He rushed at a Member, sprung himself into the air, raising his foot so that it would collide directly with the Member's face. The other Members had seemed to get over the initial shock of being found, and had regrouped, and were returning the attack with such a ferocity, Skyeflyte would have blamed the candles. Darius drew a sword, and pounced on Skyeflyte, knocking him over. Skyeflyte kicked his legs and jumped up, drawing his swords. Darius swung his sword down, which Skyeflyte blocked, and he swung to the side. Darius dodged the attack, and swept his leg, sweeping Skyeflyte's legs. Skyeflyte fell on his back, and Darius was about to deliver the finishing blow, when a blue Force Blade appeared to block the attack. Skyeflyte looked up, and saw that Tom had blocked the incoming attack. Darius turned his head to see who had blocked him, and a look of recognition came over his face. "It's… you…," Tom nodded, and swung his sword in at Darius' hip. He blocked the attack, and Darius' look turned to one of pure contempt and hatred. He fought with fury, swinging his sword with bone shattering blows, and Tom was barely holding him back. Slammed his foot on Tom's, who let out a cry of pain. Darius head-butted him over, and spun around just to see Tom raise his hand. A pure, white light came from it, and Darius flew backwards. "I'm sorry," Tom said, and he continued fighting. Skyeflyte had too many questions too be answered at the moment. They knew each other? And what had he just seen Tom do? Skyeflyte pulled himself up, and had to jump out of the way to dodge a Member running at him. He tripped the Member, and ran to another one, knocking him over with the hilt of his sword. Suddenly, the air around them turned into a dark shade of purple fog. Skyeflyte felt as though he was moving through mud. Darius stood up. "I'm not the only one who has new abilities since the last time we met, Tom. Heed my warning. Your father is watching. And he is displeased," he boomed. Tom spoke, which seemed to take all his willpower. "He may be my father. But I am not his son." "So heroic," Darius sneered, "Tell me, do your friends know Baron is your father?"
Chapter 15
-A pained look flashed across Tom's face. It all made sense to Skyeflyte now. Tom was the son of Baron Typhonus, the Darkitect. "I'll let you soak in your defeat a for a bit longer. Toodles!" Darius grinned maliciously. He walked out of the room, his Members following, laughing, and kicking the paralyzed bodies of Skyeflyte and his friends. A few minutes after the Members had left, the fog subsided, and Skyeflyte could move freely now. Everyone stared at Tom accusingly. "Anything you'd like to tell us?" Quick said, arms crossed. "I tried to keep it a secret for so long. I tried to escape my past. Now it's caught up," Tom sighed, looking at the ground. Skyeflyte turned to Overbuild and Vanda. "You two knew?" He asked. They nodded. "Shortly after his acceptance into the Nexus Force, we were brought up to speed on Tom's, er, childhood," Overbuild stated, "Typhonus was like a brother to me, thus making Tom my nephew. He was family." Tom gave him a grateful look. "It wasn't my fault. You can't change your family," Tom said. He shuffled his feet a bit, a tone of sadness in his voice, "On my first birthday, I was taken away from my father. My mother was smashed in the process, leaving my broken father with my older brother, Darius. I was brought to the Dalegos, who raised me. But I always knew who I was. Shortly into my time in the Nexus Force, I told Flycopper. He was my confident." Flycopper nodded. "And you knew, this whole time, what the Members were planning?" Skyeflyte asked. "We couldn't burden you with that knowledge. As long as you knew that we had to stop them, that's all we needed. We couldn't have known Darius would lead the attack," Flycopper nodded. "So can you do the thing with the purple smoke too?" Quick asked Tom. He shook his head, "Darius has been trained by my father. He knows the ways of the Maelstrom even better than the Paradox. No offense," He added to Vanda. "However, I have something better," Tom grinned. He opened the messenger back he had over his shoulder, and rummaged through it. He pulled out what looked like a medium-blue crystal. Just by looking at it, Skyeflyte felt rejuvenated. He was flooded by several ideas that he could use to build something amazing. "Before the Nexus Force fell, I took a souvenir; a shard of Pure Imagination. I've been studying with it, trying to find new ways to use it to our advantage. Due to exposure, I seemed to have developed unique abilities. For example, I cannot get infected by the Maelstrom. And I seem to be able to shoot blasts of pure Imagination." Overbuild nodded, "You always seemed to be fascinated with Imagination. I just thought you were trying to distance yourself from you father." "That was part of it," Tom admitted. His tone went dead serious. "I want to make one thing clear. Just because I am Baron Typhonus' son, that doesn't mean I am in any way Maelstrom. In fact, thanks to this here," He tapped the crystal, then shoved it in his bag, "I'm probably the farthest thing from it, aside from Mythrans." Everyone nodded. "Are you guys done down there, or should I land?" Jaquline called down.
Chapter 16
-The eight of them were on the ship, flying through the air. They rode in silence, taking in all that had happened. The whole sector was in danger. No one was safe. The Baron himself was on his way, and his own son, Darius Typhonus, was trying to bring him here. The only resistance was their small band of fighters, including Tom Typhonus, Darius' brother and the Baron's son, who was taken a year after birth. Now that they had witnessed what each brother could do, possessing Imagination or Maelstrom powers, the game just got a whole lot more complicated. And Quick wasn't making it any better. "So, wait. If you're Typhonus' son-," Quick pointed to Tom. "I think we've made it clear, thank you," Tom sighed. "-And you were sort of his daughter figure,-" Quick went on. "I was his protégé," Vanda cut in, "But he treated me like a father." "So you two would be siblings!" Quick exclaimed. "I don't think it works that way," Flycopper said. "So you'd be Tom's nephew!" Quick added. "Quick?" "Yeah?" "Shut up." Suddenly, they heard a crash, and the plane shook. Sammy ran to the left side of the plane and looked out the window. "More missiles?" Quick asked. "Worse!" Sammy shouted back. Skyeflyte ran to the window, and looked out. On one of the roofs of a building, Darius stood, shooting, shooting Maelstrom bursts from his hands. He grinned and waved at Skyeflyte, and shot another burst. "Left side!" Skyeflyte called, and Jaquline swerved the plane to the right, sending Quick slamming into the wall. "Open the hatch!" Tom called to Jaquline. Jaquline pressed a button, and the hatch on the left side opened. Tom stepped in front of the opening, his tousled brown hair flying in his face. Tom raised his hand, and a beam of pale blue Imagination shot from it towards Darius. Darius jumped out of the way, shooting Maelstrom bolts as he dived. Tom put one foot back, and crossed his arms in front of his face. A white shield erupted from his arms, encasing him in a sphere of imagination. The bolts flicked off, and Tom took the shield off, panting. He looked down at Darius, but it was too late. A Maelstrom bolt had been fired, and Tom barely ducked enough to have it miss him. He fell backwards, grabbing the wing for stability. The bolt flew into the open door of the plane, hitting Flycopper straight in the chest. He flew back and hit the wall, and the whole jet started sizzling with purple lightning. The jet started falling to the ground. "She's going down!" Skyeflyte yelled. "Captain Obvious saves the day, once again!" Quick grinned. "This isn't the time!" Skyeflyte yelled to Quick. Tom climbed into the jet, and the doors closed. "Flycopped, are you alright?" He asked. He didn't get to answer. Because right at that time, the jet hit the ground.
Chapter 17
-There was a loud crash, a crunch, then everything exploded. Skyeflyte huddled into a ball, hoping the fire wouldn't be too painful. After about a minute, nothing had happened. He opened his eyes, and saw that they were surrounded by white sphere, shielding them from the harmful fire. Tom was standing, generating an imagination shield from his hands. Skyeflyte looked in front of him, and saw that he and Sammy were hugging each other, as if they wouldn't see each other again. They both let go, and started making hasty excuses. Skyeflyte looked behind Tom, and saw that Dr. Overbuild was holding an unconscious Flycopper in his arms. It dawned on Skyeflyte. Flycopper had been hit with the full blast of Darius' Maelstrom. He would be infected any minute now! Tom led them out of the wreckage, Skyeflyte and Sammy each stepping as far away from the other as they could. No one spoke. Once they had gotten a few feet away, Tom let his field down. Skyeflyte looked behind him, and saw that the plane had been reduced to a mere pile of burning bricks. Overbuild set Flycopper down, and as soon as he touched the ground, a purple mass started spreading through his body. Tom went on his knees, blinking back tears. "You can't die on me! You can't!" Tom said. His hands lit up with a blue light, and he put them on Flycopper's chest, right were he had been hit. The Maelstrom slowed down, but was still traveling through his body. "I'm not going to let you go! I won't fail you!" Tom sobbed, and more blue flew through his fingers. The Maelstrom slowly started subsiding, slowly. "Not after everything we've been through. You can't go," Tom whimpered. The last of the purple had, gone, and Flycopper let out a gasp for air, waking. He started breathing deeply, as if he had been underwater. Tom fell backwards, panting. Jaquline put a hand on his shoulder, and everyone stared to see if Flycopper would be okay. He rolled over, spit on the ground, and breathed in a bit more. He looked up, and grinned. "I guess, being a Paradox, I get to get close and personal with the Maelstrom!" He choked out. Everyone smiled. He was okay. "No one should have survived that," Vanda said to Flycopper, "You're lucky. However, you'll still have a bit of Maelstrom inside of you, wherever you go. You haven't been cured fully. And I don't know if you ever will be." "At least I'm alive," Flycopper said, and put his head back on the ground, staring at the sky, breathing heavily. "Does that mean you won't be able to be infected every again?" Quick asked. "He is immune to Maelstrom now, yes," Vanda nodded, showing no expression. Even after the almost death of her son, it was all business with her. No emotion could get through. Skyeflyte clenched his fists. "I feel like I was stepped on by Butterscortch!" Flycopper sighed. "You need to rest. You can wait here," Overbuild, "I can stay here and work on a new means of transportation." "You can go. Tom and I will stay," Jaquline piped up, "I know more about jet building than anyone here. And Tom is good with building too." Tom nodded. Sammy, Skyeflyte, Quick, Dr. Overbuild, and Vanda started walking forwards, towards, what they hoped, would be Members.
Chapter 18
-The five of them walked onwards, hoping that they weren't too far behind the Members. Vanda was up ahead, acting like she was a bloodhound, seeming to sniff the Maelstrom, and walking towards the smell. Dr. Overbuild trailed closely behind her, mumbling something to himself, and Quick was walking casually behind him, humming "You Build Me," by Gwen Tweenbangle. Leave it to Quick to never grasp the severity of, well, anything. He seemed to always be caught up in his made up bliss, and never took anything seriously, a trait which rather annoyed Skyeflyte. Skyeflyte had fallen to the back, walking side by side with Sammy. Niether of them said a word. There was nothing to be said. They just walked on, following Vanda's nose, hoping that Paradox knew the scent of Maelstrom, and not that she wanted burritos. "So how exactly can you 'smell' these Members? Minifigures don't even have noses!" Skyeflyte called forwards. "Maelstrology," She replied bluntly. "Isn't that the stuff the Members are training with?" Skyeflyte asked her. "The Paradox faction is taught a light branch of Maelstrology on their own. The basics about detecting chaos, and once you get to Rank Three, you eventually learn how to speak a bit of chaos yourself. But these guys are learning it in bulk. No barriers. No restrictions. Something I wish the Nexus Force was more like," Vanda said. Sammy shot her a look. "Was…" She mumbled. "Face it, kid. The Nexus Force is gone. The Imagination Nexus is corrupted, save for the little bit Baron Boy still has!" Vanda chuckled, as if she enjoyed it. Skyeflyte put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "A: Don't call him 'Baron Boy'. B: The Nexus Force isn't gone. Not while there is one last minifigure fighting for it. And as long as we have that last chunk of imagination, we still have the upper hand." Vanda smirked, "Tell that to the thousands of minifigures that fell protecting Nexus Tower alone! You're lucky to even be here." She shook off his hand, and walked forwards again, mumbling to herself. Dr. Overbuild shrugged, and followed behind her, closely followed by Quick, who was happily humming "My Bricks," now, obviously unaware of the confrontation. "Let's go. We've still got a ways," Sammy said to Skyeflyte, and walked on. Out of everyone in their group, Skyeflyte felt he could relate the most with Sammy. They were both grouped in the "Storm" section of the Nexus Force, being, what the Blue Planet called, English. Skyeflyte didn't know where he was from originally, but both he and Sammy spoke with a slight accent, leaving off "R" at the end of a word, and making certain "double letters" silent, such as a double "T", making him think they were from the same world. Who knew? In the final battle of the Nexus War, Skyeflyte and Sammy had fought together. They hadn't known each other before then, but uphill battles with everyone falling had that effect on people. With everyone they had known in the Nexus Force smashed, or worse, it was good to have someone like Sammy to confide in. The had grown close over the year they had known each other. They were all they had left.
Chapter 19
-Tom picked up the left wing, and placed it on the plate laid out. They had been building the new ship for a while, making modifications where they could. Jaquline had decided that a smaller ship would be better suited. They had decided to go the rest of the way on foot, after they had finished building Jaquline's ship. Flycopper was sitting with his back to the construction, breathing deeply. He was still in a bit of shock from almost being infected, and he decided to sit this one out for a while. No one could blame him, either. The Maelstrom was a powerful essence, a warlord of chaos. Even with only Darius and his Members around, they were still feeling the effects of their presence. Everyone was moving a lot more sluggish than usual, while their adversaries were getting stronger each time they fought. Already, one of their strongest fighters had fallen prone, and was now sitting against the half-built ship groaning. Who would be next? "Hangin' in there, Flycopper?" Tom asked, trying to keep a cheery tone, which was hard, due to the present circumstances. "Thanks to you, I'll make it. I guess I'm in your debt now!" Flycopper said, giving a painful grin, as if the effort to smile was too much for him. Tom did his best to look confident for the guy. "That's a lovely change!" He smiled. Tom had a history of owing money to Flycopper. "Tom! Pass me the small angled 2x4 slanted roof tile!" Jaquline called to him. Tom tossed her the brick, "I was thinking it would make a nice wing on the back of the jet," He said to her. "I was thinking the exact same thing! We could put them over the twin rear engines!" "Exactly! I love you!" Tom grinned. Jaquline smiled. Flycopper turned his head and hurled. "Oh, be mature about it!" Tom chuckled to Flycopper. "No. It's not that," Flycopper turned to face them, a pained look on his face, "Well, it's partially that," he added, "but it's something else. I feel… like something is spreading." "Like what?" Jaquline asked. "I don't know. It just feels like something is moving through my body. I feel my temperature is rising… and I feel angry," Flycopper told them, staring at his legs, "I feel so angry…" He turned to Tom. "You let this happen!" He yelled to him. His eyes were glowing purple, and his face was contorted with rage, "You let this happen to me! You never liked me!" "Flycopper! Calm down! The Maelstrom is getting to you!" Tom said as calmly as he could, raising his arms, "You need to sit. Rest. The Maelstrom is trying to get hold. Fight back!" "No! Maybe I should let it consume me! Make it easier! The Darkitect is coming! Be ready Tom! It will destroy you and all your petty friends!" Flycopper spat at him. He got up, and ran at an alarming speed in the direction the others had walked. "What happened?" Jaquline asked Tom. "The Maelstrom that was left. I could only sure so much. We'll have to continue this project later. For now, we've got to find him, before he does any damage to others, or himself! Oh, Flycopper. What've you done to yourself?"
Chapter 20
-Skyeflyte stared at the ground as they walked, the silence beginning to get to him. "This is getting really boring!" Quick pouted, voicing Skyeflyte's thoughts, "we should do something!" "Until we find those Members! There's nothing we can do but walk!" Dr. Overbuild told him. "Mah! Anybody got a deck of cards?" Skyeflyte put his head in his hands as he walked, "Quick, you're not making this any easier!" "I'm not trying to!" "Well, stop shouting, before someone finds us?" Sammy shot back. "Ha! Who do you think is going to find us?" Quick grinned. At that moment, a shadow passed over their heads. Skyeflyte instinctively drew his twin swords. Sammy drew her cutlass, and the two of them went on either side of the group. The readied their swords, and watched the roofs. "What happened?" Quick said, oblivious to anything going on. "We saw something," Sammy whispered. She crouched down, ready to spring at any moment. "It was probably a rat," Quick dismissed. A shadow appeared behind him. It raised it's fist, about to club Quick. "Look out!" Skyelfyte shouted, and threw one of his swords at Quick. The hilt hit him in the stomach, sending him flying back, just as the fist came down, causing the shadow to miss. It growled, and drew something from a bag it had on its side. It stepped forwards, and Skyeflyte's heart skipped a beat. "Flycopper?" The minifigure brushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, and growled, swinging his wooden baton. He would have looked exactly like their friend, but behind his orange goggles, his eyes were glowing bright purple. He snarled at Skyeflyte, and charged. Skyeflyte brought his other sword up, just as Flycopper swung his wooden pole down. Skyeflyte deflected the blow, but Flycopper swung his leg down, and kicked Skyeflyte's knee, sending him buckling. Sammy jumped behind Flycopper, about to bash him with the hilt of her cutlass, when Flycopper spun his bamboo rod around, hitting Sammy and knocking her unconscious. He then spun his Training Keibo above his head, hitting Quick, who had tried to sneak up on him. Flycopper turned to face Vanda and Dr. Overbuild, who each drew their respective weapons. Flycopper smirked, and ran at them, swinging his training Keibo over his head. Dr. Overbuild's robotic arms swung down, bringing the chainsaw he was armed with down. Flycopper slid under them, and hit Dr. Overbuild's back. He staggered, and fell to the ground. Vanda turned to her son. "My turn…" She jumped in the air, swinging her swords at Flycopper, who dodged the attack. He swung the Keibo to her side, which she blocked. She aimed a kick at his chest, however he rolled to the side before she could get good aim. Vanda somersaulted over to her son, and before he could get up, she swung her swords down over him. Just as the two Maelstrom infused katanas were about to collide with Flycopper's body, a sword swung in and blocked the strike. Vanda turned to the person who had blocked her attack, and her eyes widened. "You!" She gasped, and she was kicked into the wall.
Chapter 21
-Skyeflyte looked to see who had blocked Vanda's attack, and the sight confused him. Standing over Flycopper, with his leg outstretched, was none other than Tom. "Flycopper. Are you okay?" He asked his friend. Flycopper turned to face Tom, and growled at him, "Never better!" He swung his Keibo across the ground, attempting to sweep Tom's legs. Tom jumped before the Keibo hit him, and readied his sword. "This isn't you, Flycopper! You've been infected! You have to calm down!" Tom shouted to his friend. "This is me! I am going to get my revenge on all of you!" Flycopper yelled back, picking himself up so he stood. "Revenge for what?" Tom asked. Flycopper charged at him, and flipped over his head, swing his Keibo down. Tom rolled forwards to dodge, and jumped back up. Flycopper wasted no time, and swung his Keibo at Tom, who blocked it with his Elite Force Blade of Lightning. "Remember who you really are!" Tom told him calmly. "I do! I am Flycopper!" Flycopper shouted angrily. He spun his Keibo around, trying to hit Tom in between the legs. Tom blocked the attack before it hit him, and looked his friend in the eyes. "Oh, not cool, minifigure!" He said. Flycopper summoned a ball of ice in his hands, using the Ice Ninja powers he had trained with, and slung it at Tom, who ducked to dodge it. He spun around, and sent a bolt of lightning from his sword, which Flycopper dodged again. The two minifigures stood eye to eye, about two studs away, each sidestepping to the left. "You don't want to do this, Flycopper. We are your friends!" Tom pleaded. "Friends?" Flycopper asked. For a moment his eyes changed back to their original color. "Yes. Friends. Remember all our friends from the Nexus War? Architect? Leroy? Remember them?" Tom went on, "All of our friends now! Sammy! Skyeflyte! Jaquline! Remember?" "Yes… I remember…," Flycopper said, "I remember how you betrayed me!" His eyes changed back to purple, and he charged at Tom, swinging his Keibo at his head. Tom jumped back to avoid the blow. "The Maelstrom is feeding you false memories! Trying to turn you evil! Fight back!" "Argh!" Flycopper yelled. He put his hands to his forehead and dropped the Keibo. He stepped backwards, and wailed, as if his head was on fire. "Get… out… of… my… head…!" He screamed, as he fell to his knees. He leaned his head back, and screamed to the sky, as his eyes slowly changed from purple to their original color. He let out a final gasp, and fell to the ground. Tom dropped his sword, and ran to his friend, and knelt down, checking to see if he was okay. "Whew. He's alright. He's fine." Tom sighed, "It's okay. It's okay." He stood up, and surveyed how everyone else was doing. "Everyone okay here?" Skyeflyte sat up, and groaned. "Better than ever," he mumbled, and fell backwards, as his eyes slowly closed.
Chapter 22
-Skyeflyte was in Nexus Tower, fighting off the Maelstrom. He had changed out of his Sentinel gear and was dressed in his black robe with his shades and communicator on. Sammy was next to him, fighting with her cutlass. The two hadn't known each other, and it was chance that they were the ones who chose to stay behind and fight off the Maelstrom to allow the lesser experienced recruits get through. An evacuation system had been set up, with minifigures pooling from Nexus Tower into Starbase 3001 and Lego Club Alpha. From Starbase, Skyeflyte had no idea where they went. But Lego Club could bring them to Lego City or to other places if need be. Unless the Maelstrom got through. The last of the recruits had rushed through, and now it was just Sammy, Skyeflyte, along with the Lego Club's mascot, Max, and Burky Gorfunblot, the Lego Club vendor. Max was fighting with a Fantastic Pilum, a long, javelin-like weapon, and he wasn't bad with it. He swung it over his head, knocking down another Stromling, careful not to let any Maelstrom goop on his blue shirt with his trademark "M" symbol on the front. He had chosen to stay behind, as he felt that these recruits were his responsibility. He jabbed again with his pilum, stepping forwards in his tan cargo pants, his tousled brown hair bouncing as he fought. Burky was behind them, trying to get a bearing of how they were doing. Nimbus Station seemed to be having the same problem, but the vendors were helping them clear through. For now, the light on the control panel stayed green, meaning Nimbus Station was still online, and recruits could get through. "There're too many of them!" Max yelled to Sammy, as she knocked the last one off the Venture League platform, towering over the control room. "They're coming up!" Sammy agreed, as the Stromlings began climbing up the walls to get to the platform. Skyeflyte knocked one down with his sword, when a blast seemed to emanate from the door leading to the Imagination Nexus. Purple light shot through, and a rough cheer came from the Maelstrom Troops below. Already, Skyeflyte felt a tugging down. A tiring. He knew what this meant. "The Imagination Nexus has been corrupted," Max said solemnly, voicing Skyeflyte's thoughts. "We have to leave!" Sammy called to them. "We can't just ditch them!" Skyeflyte yelled back. Burky stepped forwards. "Go," he said in a calm voice, "I've got the calibrations correct. From here, you can go to your desired destinations." Skyeflyte looked at the control panel, and saw the light for Nimbus Station was red. Nimbus Station had fallen. "We have to seal it off," Max told him. "I can do that. Go," Burky replied, as calm as he could. Max looked him in the eye, and instead of arguing, he held up his Fantastic Pilum. "Take this," he told Burky, "You'll need it." Burky nodded, and took the weapon. He stepped forwards as the Maelstrom began seeping up. Sammy and Skyeflyte jumped through, and found themselves in Lego Club Alpha. Max followed, and looked at the control panel. The image had shifted to Burky, fighting off the Maelstrom. He turned to face the camera, and drove his pilum into the control panel. Static broke through the screen, and the light on the control panel changed from green to red. Nexus Tower was gone. And so was Burky Gorfunblot.
Chapter 23
-Skyeflyte's eyes shot open, and he instinctively reached for his sword. He grasped where his sword would have been, however he grabbed air. His head throbbed as if he had been hit in the head with a Maelstrom Ape's boulder from the Nexus War. He felt the back of his head, and looked around, and saw that he was in an opening in an abandoned-looking city. The sky was dark and all the scenery was grey. The only form of life he could see was a girl leaning on a one-minifigure ship. He recognized the girl as Jaquline Sparks, Tom's girlfriend and pilot-extraordinaire. She appeared to be inspecting her nails, when she saw him. "Rise and shine. You were out for a while, so Tom and I finished up the jet," She said to him, and looked back at her nails. Skyeflyte looked at the ship she was leaning against. It was a small ship, with only room for one minifigure, two if they squished together. Skyeflyte imagined being crammed next to QuickSlickSnail in the cockpit of an aerial vehicle, and he shuddered. Not fun. The ship had the same maroon and white color scheme, and was the same basic design, yet a lot smaller. Skyeflyte wondered if the days of Jaquline ferrying them back and forth were over. But with all that had come to pass, he wondered if they would be around long enough to be ferried anywhere. Dr. Overbuild was circling the ship, inspecting every detail, pausing every so often to compliment Tom and Jaquline on their work. "I love the rear engines! The will provide enough thrust, and work wonders for your aerodynamics!" He told them eccentrically. Tom, who had just walked up and was now leaning on the ship, and Jaquline returned smiles, as if they had an inside joke. "If we had these in the Nexus War, we could have done so much more damage," Overbuild sighed, and continued looking over his nephew's handiwork. Skyeflyte remembered the dream he had while he was unconscious. It was from the Nexus War, his last moments in Nexus Tower, and his first time meeting Sammy. "Did you have another dream?" Jaquline asked Skyeflyte. "Yeah, how'd you know?" Skyeflyte replied, confused. "You talk in your sleep," She grinned, "Something about 'ditching them'?" "It was about the Nexus War. The final battle, which "someone" hadn't stayed for!" Skyeflyte grimaced, eager to change the subject and to voice his resentment. Tom had left a week early from the war, and act that Skyeflyte considered cowardice. Dr. Overbuild started to say something, but Tom waved him off while staring at the ground. Skyeflyte knew he shouldn't taunt Tom, as he had served in the war the longest out of them, but his leaving irked Skyeflyte. If he had stayed, maybe the tables would have turned. Skyeflyte turned to the side, and saw Flycopper lying on the ground. He had completely forgotten about him, but now he remembered that he had been fighting earlier. Flycopper had been infected partially, and it must've gotten to him. He was laying unconscious, with his head resting on his messenger bag. Vanda was standing a few studs away, looking at him with a kind of hunger, as if he was a meal she had been craving, and yet was poisoned and beyond her grasp. Skyeflyte wondered what she was thinking at that moment, when Flycopper stirred. He shifted a bit, and his eyes slowly crept open. He looked around with a kind of dazed stare, as if he thought he was dreaming. "Am I awake? Did I puke?" He asked, and everyone smiled. He was back.
Chapter 24
-Flycopper was propped up against the newly built ship, sipping on of the various concoctions Dr. Overbuild "happened" to have in his lab coat. "Gotta be prepared!" The doctor told Skyeflyte. "Is that a vial of Yucki Yacki I see in there?" Quick asked, peering into the jacket. "Like I said, prepared," Overbuild replied. He pulled out the green slime-like liquid, uncorked the tube, and, lifting it to his lips, took a swig. Everyone covered their mouths, Sammy gagged, and Flycopper turned his head and vomited. "Is that what you gave me?" He asked hoarsely, staring into the liquid in his hands. "Don't be ridiculous. That's a Notion Potion," Overbuild smiled. Flycopper smiled graciously, and took another gulp. "You alright, minifigure?" Tom asked, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I feel like I could eat a Maelstrom Dragon right now. I'm so hungry!" Flycopper sighed, leaning his head on the ship and resting his hand on his chest. "I've got just the thing!" Dr. Overbuild smiles, and pulls a green, gooey liquid out of his lab coat. "Oh, no! I'm good! I'm good!" Flycopper shouted, scooting himself away from Overbuild with one hand while waving his other in front of his face. Everyone started laughing, until Vanda stepped forwards. No one spoke. "How did it feel?" Vanda asked, almost longingly. "What?" Flycopper replied, clearly confused. "How did it feel?" Vanda asked again, staring at Flycopper's eyes, not blinking. "Umm…" Flycopper thought for a moment, "I felt angry. Like I wanted to smash everyone. All the troubles I've had, every bad deed done to me flashed before my eyes. I wanted to…" Flycopper put his head in his hands. "Will I ever be the same?" Tom bent down and put a hand on Flycopper's shoulder. "You still are the same. Just with some added spice!" He smiled. "What if I hurt one of you?" Flyopper mumbled through his hands, "If because of me, a single scratch was put on anyone, I'd… I'd never forgive myself." "We're all fine," Tom reassured him, a calm smile on his face. "Everyone's okay. Everyone, including you." Flycopper lifted his head up, tears welling in his eyes. "Thanks." Quick bent down to face Flycopper, "And if it makes you feel any better, you should have seen how cool you looked!" Flycopper grinned, and wiped away a tear. "It's true, you should have seen yourself! You were fighting amazingly!" Skyeflyte added, "You hit Sammy in the chest with your Keibo, and she went flying! Awesome shot, by the way!" Flycopper chuckled, causing Sammy to lightly nudge Skeyflyte. "It still wasn't as cool as you knocking Skeyflyte unconscious!" Sammy retorted. "Oh, I let him do that" Skyeflyte replied, rubbing his neck. "Oh, sure you did!" They all laughed, except for Vanda. She slipped into the back, watching them from afar. Skyeflyte turned to her as she sat down, a look on her face that he couldn't recognize. It was almost jealousy, yet also some shame. He couldn't tell, and Vanda turned her head so he couldn't see.
Chapter 25
-It was dark. Everyone else had gone to sleep except for Skyeflyte, who was now lying, facing the stars above him. It was a chilly night, the kind that screamed for Hot Chocolate in a warm house, under a blanket, watching TV. However, Skyeflyte couldn't be inside, much less with a blanket. And Hot Chocolate was completely out of the question. Skyeflyte turned on his side, facing Sammy, who was asleep next to him. She had her hand under her head, resting on a leftover brick from the plane Tom and Jaquline had built. Sammy's eyes were closed, and her chest was rising and falling as she slowly inhaled, then exhaled, and inhaled once more. She looked peaceful, almost serene as she slept. Her legs slightly bent, crossed at the ankles. A lock of her blonde hair was hanging over her face, covering her left eye. Skyeflyte brushed it out of her face, with no reaction from the sleeping minifigure. Slowly, Skyeflyte's eyelids began to get heavy. He put his hand down, and he drifted off to sleep. -The grass under his feet was a lush green, springing immediately back up after being trod on. Skyeflyte ran through the fields, swinging his Basic Shordsword wildly. He brought it down on a Stromling in front of him, which exploded into purple mist. He heard his father laugh behind him. "You may just make a Sentinel yet!" Epsilon Starcracker said to his son, ruffling Skyeflyte's hair. Skyeflyte was in Avant Gardens. At least, back then, it was Avant Gardens. Now, who knew what it had become. Skyeflyte was getting recruited into the Nexus Force, something he had longed to do ever since his father had signed up for the Sentinels. "Bring it over your head! Good" Epsilon screamed to Skyeflyte. "I've got this, dad!" Skyeflyte yelled back. He swung down, slashing another Stromling. "That's the last!" "Okay, son! Here," Epsilon said to his child, "Take these!" Epsilon handed two red popsicles to his son. Skyeflyte picked them, and looked them over, turning them in his hands. "What are they?" He asked, looking up. "These are Quicksicles. Eating these will give you a sugar rush long enough to grant you a speed boost. You van use them to get out of tough situations, or beat your friends in the monument race! Use them well." Skyeflyte grinned, "So with these, I'll get super-speed?" Epsilon threw his head back and laughed, a bellowing, hearty laugh that anyone else wouldn't believe came from the Sentinel Scout. "Yes, yes they will," Epsilon smiled, and put a hand on his son's shoulder, "Now, go. Beck Strongheart has some missions for you before you can join the Nexus Force!" "I'm going to be a Sentinel, just like you!" Skyeflyte jumped. "Okay son, you do that," Epsilon laughed, ruffling his son's well kempt auburn hair. He gave his son a slight nudge forwards, and Skyeflyte ran to the Sentinel gate, dodging Stromlings as he ran. He turned around, and waved to his father. His father smiled, and wave back to him. Skyeflyte turned, and ran through the gate, ready for his next adventure. -Skyeflyte's eyes opened. He had another dream, a dream about the Nexus War. It was about his father, he remembered. That was the last time he saw him.
