The transcript detailing the events of Futuristic Redemption.
Plot[]
Prologue[]
"The Surge"
10:42 PM
August 25th, 2143
Five hours after "Hypercenter"
Mirage Corporation - Techno
Arc 3 Universe
As the members of Techno kept fighting against the AI security drones unleashed by Blackout, their ammo reserves begin to dwindle and their strength fading. While taking out drones with her SWAT RFT, Vega runs out of bullets but quickly discards it and grabs both of her standard-issue Strife sidearms out of their holsters and resumes taking out drones and covering her teammates as best as she could. Stratus has himself up close and personal with the drones, utilizing his personally modified MOG-12 shotgun with great effect, easily being able to take out quite a lot of drones often with a single shot, though after a while he runs out of shells and resorts to his Strife sidearm. Meanwhile, Rox stood close to Vendetta, firing her personal Spitfire SMG to cover him as he did the same.
Seeing their situation, Vega goes up to Vendetta, still firing her sidearms. "These drones aren't gonna stop swarming this room. My rifle's already out and I feel my Strife is running out too, Vendetta, what are we going to do? Just fight in this room until we run out and box with the drones?" She asks, occasionally moving her head to dodge projectiles fired by the drones around them.
Vendetta redirects his attention to her. "We keep fighting, Vega. It works, doesn't it? Don't wanna stop now!" He replied, keeping his sights on the drones and firing his ICR-7 rifle. He gently nudges Rox with his elbow. "Rox, last mag," he says to her, reloading, as she nods.
Unbeknown to Blackout as he continued to laugh and mock the members of Techno through Nakata's body, her strong will allows her to break free and temporarily regains control of her own body. Calling out to her older brother, she had a plan that she knew he wouldn't like.
"Vendetta! You must destroy the redirectory chamber! You're not gonna survive if you try and make a heroic last stand here!" She shouted. Vendetta heard her.
He looked to where she was. "How?!" He replied.
As he asked, she had opened a vent above the chamber. "There's a vent above, throw a grenade into it and it will destroy it! Its the only way!"
Shortly after, she loses control and Blackout regains it. "Seems you can't stop struggling. You need to stop resisting! I-I am...trying to save...this universe from itself!" He speaks through her voice, though she fights back.
Vendetta nudges Rox once again. "Rox, Stratus, Vega; I need covering fire. I only have one frag on me. Its a single shot," he ordered as they all nodded and combined their firing line to provide the support that Vendetta needed to get a position. He then gets into a position where he has a clear shot to throw the grenade, Nakata regains control and opens the vent. She nods to signal Vendetta to throw the grenade.
However, he hesitates for a moment. "Wait, what will happen to you if I destroy the chamber?" He asked, with hints of worry in his voices.
She notices the expression on his face, and wished there was another way too. "I'll more than likely die, Tomiko," she replies.
This horrified Vendetta. Even though it was a cry for help, he didn't want to go through with it. There were moments in his life where he would help her with anything, literally anything she'd ask, he wouldn't deny her help. But this, this was not a request he wanted to fulfill. To cause her death, it wasn't on the list for help.
"T-There has to be another way, Nakata!"
"There isn't. If you don't throw that grenade into the vent, Blackout will win. He will complete his goal and everyone will die. Do it!" She replied, trying to ease him into doing the deed.
Vendetta continues to show hesitation, however, he sees the truth she had spoken in her voice, her reasoning for what she asked him to do. He looks to her. "Nakata! I am sorry that I wasn't there for you. I wish I had been. I really do. I'm sorry!" He said, this time, clear agony heard in his voice.
Just as he said that, he threw the grenade into the vent and shortly after, an explosion causes the facility to shake and breaks the redirectory chamber, its shockwave that destroys the drone deployment stations, kills all of the undead in the area and knocks back Techno. Debris, bodies and parts of the drones all scattered around the area. The chamber collapses due to structural damage and Nakata is buried under the rubble, suffering fatal injuries as a result.
After recovering, Vendetta runs to the pile of rubble and digs through to Nakata's body, pulling her out and holding her in his arms. He notices the injuries and the trail of blood as she was pulled out. Vega, Stratus and Rox all approached and they had seen the amount of blood that Nakata had lost.
Nakata, in her brother's arms, takes off his mask. She saw the flood of tears on his face. "Tomi, we've won. Don't stop now. Everything will be alright..." she, weakly, says, comforting him in his most fragile moment.
"I should've been there, Nakata...I should've went with you on that mission all those years ago. If I was there, you'd still have your arm. You'd stay with me," he says, tearfully. His voice began to break. The others standing behind him could hear it clearly.
Nakata placed her hand on Tomiko's left cheek. "It was...my decision to do it...alone," she said, her own voice began to slow. "Tomi...I lov...I love..." Her breath ran out. Tomiko's breathing had picked up, she had died in his arms.
The moment he wished to never come, had indeed came. She had her last words in his arms. He held her now-lifeless body and brought her closer, now crying and screamed in agony. The members of Techno kneeled down, bowed their heads and placed their hands on Tomiko's shoulders, offering him their comfort.
"Attention! Power rerouting process is now complete. Power to the Central Vault for F-Space Energy storage is now available for activation," the sound of the facility's PA system announced, along with various one-time alarms.
Unknown to Techno, Blackout had been watching from the control room. On the intercom, he let out a sigh that caught the attention of Techno. "Truly unfortunate," he said, "I did not mean for her to die. She was useful, yes but never a tool. She did her duty, at least. I know you may not forgive me, but believe me, its for the greater good, of this universe," he said, trying to ease Tomiko.
Fueled with anger and rage, Vendetta grabs Rox's Strife sidearm and attempts to kill Blackout through the control room glass, however to no avail. The bulletproof glass prevented the bullet from going through, instead it only bounced off and its casing lands on the ground below.
He exhaled, a sigh. "You're acting emotional. You should be thanking me. I am saving this universe, and her sacrifice was necessary. But her blood is on your hands, not mine. You'll be safe here. Please, do not resist any further. I'm saving your lives from an inevitable death, don't interfere." he finished, just before he teleported himself away to the Central Vault's pocket dimension.
Tomiko fell to his knees. He felt defeated. Even though Nakata's last words assured him that they won, he didn't feel like they did. He went back to his deceased sister's body, bringing her into his arms and closed her eyes out of respect and held her close once again, silently crying.
Within the Central Vault's pocket dimension, Blackout appeared before his forces. He would see large batteries being positioned near three main energy pipes meant for the transferring of the F-Space Energy for distribution across various Power Plants in the world. He would gaze towards the F-Space Orb, which supplemented the energy from the center of the dimension. He would approach, gently rubbed his hand on the Orb.
"The time is now...to finally rid the universe of this dangerous substance that's continuously gnawing away this beautiful landscape. A disease to be cured, and I...am that cure," he said to himself. He then would levitate into the air, and transforms the dimension to a design of his desire; a snowy forest with the F-Space Orb as the center and roots of a great tree.
As the forest and giant tree formed, he would turn around and look towards his forces.
"Now is our time, my friends! Activate the batteries and let us cleanse this diseased world of its sickness!" He ordered.
Two of his minions would activate the batteries and the energy that was being fed into it from the Orb would then reverse and would go flow back towards the Orb. This would also cause the flow of F-Space Energy in millions of pipes to also revert their flow back to the Vault. Gazing upon his grand plan, Blackout would see the sheer amount of energy coming back to the Orb.
"This Orb will reach its maximum capacity, and when it does, I will destroy and only then will the universe be free from this sickness. I do not wish to say this, but Techno will still attempt to resist, they do not see F-Space Energy as disease, so be cautious. Apprehend them, but do not kill them. We must offer them mercy, when they cannot return the gesture. If you see them, apprehend them only. Do not kill," he said to the entourage in front of him.
The minions around all nodded and returned to their duties. Those acting as security would keep their senses sharp, those acting as engineers would keep a close watch of the F-Space Energy in the pipes. Blackout stood near the Orb, observing as the energy would sink back into it through the pipes and vines connected to it.
Two hours later...
Techno remained within the redirectory chamber, sitting around and moping at their failure in stopping Blackout from redirecting the flow of F-Space Energy back into the Central Vault. Rox and Vega had been sitting together, talking about their early lives, their families, friends and memories. Stratus was spending the time to repair the mobile warp pad that he acquired earlier.
Tomiko, however, had been with his deceased sister's now lifeless body. He used the rubble and debris to cover her body, creating a makeshift grave. Placing the last piece of concrete rubble over her stomach, he placed his hand on the area of her head, lowering his head.
"Naka..." He spoke softly. "The goodbye hurts, it does. Farewell is parting. But those don't hurt as much as the memories and flashbacks that'll follow," he said, paying his respects. Another tear ran down his cheek. "We will win, Naka. I'll make damn sure that we do. For you," he finished. He began to cry once again.
Vega had been standing and watching him. She heard his final goodbyes to his sister, and she understood just how close the two were.
Meanwhile Rox had gone up to Stratus to ask how his progress was going. "Hey, Strat, how are you doing with that wrap pad?" She asked.
He was tinkering when she asked, looking up to her face. "Oh! I am almost finished with it," he replied.
He held it up for Rox to see. The wrap pad was small, about as wide as a ceramic plate and a single compartment containing its central CPU, battery and other essential wiring located on the north-end of it. It had an antenna as well, to broadcast signals and frequencies needed to transmit its data between other linked wrap pads.
"How are we supposed to fit on that?" She asked, puzzled over its size.
He threw it to the ground and upon impact, it grew in size and was now as wide as 60″ table. "Its a compact wrap pad, Rox. To make it easier for carrying, it can downsize itself," he brought up his wrist where he had a command module and began to calibrate the wrap pad.
Tomiko, having said his final farewell to Nakata, approached Stratus and Rox. "Stratus, how would it work without another warp? Don't we need a second one at our destination?" He asked, wanting to know if he had it figured out.
Looking down at his wrist command module, he had an explanation. "There is an exploit we can use, Vendetta. F-Space Energy does not do a good job at hiding itself. Whenever Blackout wraps between locations, an energy signature of F-Space Energy is released at his current location and his destination. Through this, I can use that data to reveal his location and transmit that data into our wrap pad's destination, so we can wrap there ourselves," he explained as best he could.
Vendetta nodded. "Good. Then do it," he said to him.
Stratus went back to work on the pad, doing finishing touches and undergoing some routine checkups on it to ensure it wouldn't fail. Which did not take no more than 12 minutes.
"Okay, I'm done!" He shouted. The three came over to him. "We may have lost the battle, guys, but remember, the war has yet to be won," he said to them.
Rox nodded and glanced to all of them in their circle. "He's right. And Demi has been an inspiring pillar for me, and I hope she has been for you guys too. Demi wouldn't give up like this, if she were here..." Rox and the others glanced to Demi's makeshift grave. "...she wouldn't allow us to drown ourselves in guilt and depression. She did not let the odds define her determination or her strength. She had this mentality that no matter what, she fought for what she thought was right, and she was right every second of the way. We need to be like her now; to keep on fighting in her honour, to not let her sacrifice be in vain, and like her, no matter whatever odds are against us, we will stop Blackout," she said to them.
Vendetta had no words to say. He felt that what Rox just said, sounded like something Demi would say. It made him emotional, but at the same time, gave him hope. Like what Rox said, it made him want to go on, to fight in her honour, not to allow her death be in vain. He gave an affirmative nod to Rox. Stratus and Vega also did the same, thinking in their own feelings and thoughts about what Rox had said.
Stratus brought his wrist's command module, making sure that his calculations were correct and gently placed the wrap pad on the floor, pressing another activation on his wrist module that extended out the wrap pad to its intended size and all four of them had stepped onto it. "Okay...checking for any signatures. There!" He said as the pad powered up and glowed, indicating a destination was set. "Here we go!" He activated the wrap pad and they dematerialized in their current position.
Unknown Void
??:?? ??
??? ???, ????
??? after "The Surge"
Mirage Corporation - Techno
Unknown Location
Appearing in a black void, the members of Techno looked around, weapons at the ready. That feeling of being prepared disappeared after noticing their surrounding. They looked around but could not find anything that resembled any sort of recognizable architecture, nothing but the void surrounding them.
"Stratus...is this where we were supposed to go?" Vega asked, continuing to look around.
Stratus himself was confused too. He looked at the wrist module, browsing through to see if anything had failed or be out of place, but didn't. "Everything's working correctly...nothing went bad. We should be where we were supposed to go," he replied.
"Maybe Blackout figured out what we were doing. Stay on your guard, don't let it down," Vendetta to them, keeping his sidearm ready.
The three nodded and followed behind Vendetta.
That was until a portal of sort had opened in front of them. Showing a slideshow of death, people they did not know, places they've never seen before, all dying and villains winning, and of course, it ended with a showing of themselves, stopping Blackout and seeing how unstable the Orb had gotten, its power becoming more and more uncontrolled. They would finally witness the destruction, as the Clocks of the Roach Chronicles Multiverse appeared and fractured in front of their eyes, startling them as they took a step back.
"What the-"
"Do you now see the result of your actions?" An unknown voice came from behind them.
Act I[]
Sometime later...
Unknown Void
??:?? ??
??? ???, ????
??? after "The Surge"
Mirage Corporation - Techno
Unknown Location
"So wait, let me get this straight...you're telling us, that what we do to stop Blackout causes our universe to be destroyed and it fractures this Multiverse you're talking about?" Vendetta said to their unknown visitor.
The Unknown Visitor nodded. "Correct."
Vega was in doubt the entire time the Unknown Visitor explained to them about their actions. She didn't believe any of it, instead what she saw was an accomplice possibly sent by Blackout to convince them to stand down, as he wanted for them to do.
"How can we be sure you weren't sent by Blackout, huh? For all we know, you might even be an accomplice of his," Vega spoke out against him.
The Unknown Visitor sighed, "I can feel your doubt, Jennifer," he replied, "I know you all don't trust me because this is rather sudden for you, but believe me. I only know Blackout from observing the history of your Universe," he replied.
"Then prove it," Jennifer said.
The Unknown Visitor frowned, "what do you-"
"If you observed our history, then tell me mine. From the beginning," she demanded.
The Unknown Visitor brought up his hand, materializing an almanac titled Nexus Almanac of the Ruler, which read on its front cover. Victor approached as the Unknown Visitor opened the almanac and reviewed what he saw as slideshows of various "movies", not knowing it was a slideshow of the Arc 3 Universe.
"April 11th, 2119. You were born Jennifer Maria Reese. The name Maria comes from your maternal grandmother, Maria Loon. Your parents, Thomas Reese and Allison Loon Reese were both citizens of the United States of America. They didn't plan to have children," the group found themselves within a projection, a live memory, within a hospital room.
Jennifer was dumbstruck. "Look at her, Tom...she's beautiful," the memory of Allison said, holding a recently born Jennifer in her arms.
The memory of Thomas came to Allison's side, "yeah...Jennifer Maria Reese...what do you think?"
Allison smiled, "I like that name..." She looked at Jennifer, "Jennifer."
"While you weren't planned, your parents came to love you as much as they could. Until September 8th, 2124..." The Visitor said as the projected dispelled and another memory projection brought them to a gathering. The people were dressed in black attires, for a mourning,
"Is this-"
"Your parents' funeral. You were five. Thomas and Allison were caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout. You lost them. You found yourself alone afterwards, without a clear direction."
Rox and Victor were surprised and felt sad with this revelation. It was natural, considering that Techno's members rarely spoke about their early lives past their introduction. They surmised that the others' families were well at least, but knowing this, Jennifer lost both her parents at a young age.
Victor would place his hand on Jennifer's shoulder, "I-I didn't know, Jen, I'm sorry," he said, with sincerity.
"But you found new direction when he came along," the Visitor said as he glanced over to Tomiko, the projection dispelled and showed a slideshow of Jennifer's first meeting with Tomiko and her journey under his care. "He taught you to look forward, to leave the ground and use your wings. He looked out for you, cared for you, sheltered you. Treated you like family."
A memory projection of Tomiko has stood in front of Jennifer, looking directly at her while unaware that she herself was standing in front of a younger memory of herself, "you know when you asked me about being at my side at all times? I thought about it. I agree it would be best for you and me, better than staying in this apartment all day waiting for me to come home. So...you want to join Techno? We got openings."
Jennifer just stared. This was a memory she cherished a lot. March 3rd, 2135. The day she became part of Techno. Before she could answer herself, the memory behind her did so first.
"Yeah!" Young Jennifer answered, causing the older Jennifer to turn around and see herself, "it does get boring being here all alone. I'd rather be out there with you than here, that's for sure."
"You chose to remain at his side. To fill in a void left in your heart because of your parents' passing," the Visitor commented.
The memory projection switched to another, showing Tomiko and Jennifer undertaking their first job together, "March 7th, 2135. You were Techno's youngest member at the time. You, Tomiko, Isabelle Lakewood, Echo and Nakata Hayashi raided and took down a criminal organization responsible for the destruction of a Mirage Corporation research facility, resulting in deaths of a thousand," the memory then showed Jennifer effortlessly taking down criminals one by one. "Time spent with Tomiko at your side is when you came to see him more as a father than a friend."
Jennifer couldn't get words to come out of her mouth. This Unknown Visitor was telling the truth. How else did he get this information? Especially when it was so secret, so hidden away from the others.
She'd let out a sigh, "Yeah...rough years," she replied.
The Unknown Visitor closed the Almanac and the memory projections dispelled and they were once again in the void of the Nexus. "You believe me now?" He asked.
Jennifer gave a nod, "yeah. I do. It's just...a lot to take in, given the situation, you know?" She replied.
"I understand. Take all the time you need."
Rox went up to the Unknown Visitor, "what a cool book," she said, inspecting it before looking up at him, "can you show me a moment of my life where I felt the most inspired?" She asked sincerely.
The Unknown Visitor looked at her, "if you want," he replied.
"Please."
The Unknown Visitor nodded and opened the Almanac, bringing the group to a memory projection of a street within downtown New Elpis, showcasing a young nine year old Roxanne, with her clothes looking ripped and damaged, being carried by a former Techno leader, Isabelle Lakewood. Rox's smile disappeared and the others took notice right away.
The memory of Isabelle had put her down gently on the sidewalk, beside another Techno member, a Commando Agent. "There we are, little girl. Now wait here with Echo, my friends and I will make sure your parents are safe, okay?" She said to Rox.
"I want to be like you when I grow up!" Young Rox said.
Young Roxanne smiled with happiness, giving a hug to Isabelle, whom returned the hug in an act of kindness. Everything came to a pause, showing a happy young Rox and Isabelle hugging. Rox couldn't stop staring. Guilt filled her. Tomiko went to her, holding her.
"Stop," Tomiko said. "It's a bad memory. Take us out of here," he ordered.
The Visitor nodded and closed the book, the memory projection had dispelled and they were in the empty void once again. Rox walked away, Tomiko following her to comfort her. It was clear there was some bad history there, but the Visitor did not want to pry. Jennifer came up to him.
"Who are you and why are you here?" She asked.
The Unknown Visitor would change forms, materializing into his recent, deceased host's body, "I go by many names. Quite a lot, if I'm being honest. Currently, The Son, but you may call me Drifter or Dredgen, and I need your help," he answered.
"The Son? Drifter? Dredgen? What kind of names are those?" Jennifer asked.
The Son chuckled, amused, "reason why is a long story. But now isn't really the time to discuss about me. You're here because I need your help. To fix your Universe and prevent it from becoming a much larger issue for the Nexus at large," he said as he gestured over to the Clocks, "these represent the three Universes and their various Timelines of your Multiverse. With the destruction of your specific Universe, it affected the other two and many others connected to them with grave consequences," he explained to her about their actions.
Unlike Jennifer, Victor was more excited than anything, "multiverses...actually exist," he exhaled excitedly, "I am glad to witness this," he said.
The Son grinned, "so did a few other Victors...though," his grin disappeared, "one was a bit more than excited, and tried to do what the Scarlet Witch did."
The two looked to him, "I'm sorry, who?" Jennifer asked.
"An old friend's daughter, but who she is, is not important right now. What's important right now is the paradoxes your Originals created, and I need to fix those."
Victor frowned, "paradoxes? Like life-threatening, universal endangering paradoxes? Or Back to the Future kind of paradoxes?"
"The former. Though, it would be interesting for the latter. Great movies, though," he said as he materialized his almanac once again, "let's see...Blackout...Orb...Techno...where...?" He peered into its history, flipping through pages. "Ah-ha. Here," he said.
Roxanne came back to join them after dealing with the sudden guilt wave with the help of Tomiko, who followed behind her. They would gather close to The Son as he looked up from the almanac and at them, "okay, look, I need to explain something very crucial here. Its very important that you understand this," they all nodded, "for this to work, I need you to ensure that Blackout succeeds in his goal."
"WHAT?!" They all said in unison.
Jennifer could not believe exactly what he was asking for them to do. Tomiko blamed Blackout for the events that led to Nakata's death, as did Roxanne. Victor, however, understood to a point. He just wasn't sure if his teammates would also come to his point of understanding.
"Tell me why?" Jennifer asked.
He had shown them a page from the almanac, showing the most pivotal moment in their Original Timeline and all other influenced Alternate, RIP and Replica Timelines, "look, the destruction of your Universe is caused by you four. I did not temper with anything you're seeing on this page. Every single Timeline leads to this moment, this is where it all ends. If Blackout succeeds, your Universe will be fine, just you know, without any of its F-Space Energy, but you're fine either way because there is an alternative to it," he explained.
"An alternative to F-Space Energy?" Victor asked.
"Yes. Your Originals will find that out once you fully restore your Universe."
Roxanne had a worried look on her face, "Our Originals? What does that mean?"
"I created a Replica Timeline and extracted the four of you from it, because I need your help. Once we're done, you will be erased because I would not have a need for that timeline anymore."
Jennifer did not wish to believe any of this was true. Even with clear evidence, she still felt like they were being led-on by this Dredgen or Drifter. "How can we know you're really telling the truth here, huh?" She said in disbelief.
The Son let out a short sigh. He opened the Almanac and just as quickly, all five of them had appeared within a destroyed café. There was clutter, bricks, debris scattered, its ceiling having caved in with an upper floor room visible through the hole. Buried beneanth the rubble, several bodies could be seen, or at least arms or legs. The members of Techno were not only shocked, but visually in distress at the thought of standing over dead people.
"W-Where are we?" Rox asked, carefully navigating the rubble as to not step on any of the dead bodies.
Outside, they would see a group of people fighting against a purple 7 feet tall being with a glowing gauntlet. The tall being looked like they were being beaten by their enemies. Techno went over to the shattered window and door, to get a closer look at what was transpiring. Rox had knocked over one of the bricks, catching the attention of one of the people present, she would hide.
The person would slowly approach before being called back, "Athena!" A voice shouted as the woman looked back and nodded, attacking the tall being.
"This is one of the major paradoxes that your Originals caused when they stopped Blackout," he said as he stood where he originally appeared. "What you see in front of you are a group of heroes, gathered by that individual, to stop Ataraxia," he explained, looking at the group, "you see, what was supposed to happen did not, because of your Originals' actions," Ataraxia was then struck by an arrow with Roach approaching him, "while it did seem like they were going to succeed..."
Techno looked onward towards Roach and Ataraxia and a white flash soon followed, "they failed, in so many different ways, ways they did not expect. And the end result...defeat they could not fathom."
The four Techno members took notice that afterwards, several of the heroes, more than half, before them began to fade into dust, disappearing from their very eyes. Tomiko and Jennifer could feel the sudden weight of guilt enter their bodies, Victor was shocked, and Rox was even more shocked, unable to comprehend what just happened.
"I...I don't know what to say...I uh..."
The Son sighed, "paradoxes like this one...are just one of many forming across your Multiverse. If I cannot stop them, I'll have to cut off the infection at its core."
"Its core?" Victor asked, curious about what he meant.
The Son looked to him, "by erasing the entirety of your Multiverse and closing it off from the Nexus. If I do that, no more problems. But I have friends in one of the other Universes, and I need your Universe in one piece, so I don't want that," he explained.
"Why is that?" Jennifer asked.
"I lost someone dear to me long ago, the circumstances are complicated. Up until recently, I believed she was gone forever, but I have reason to believe she may be alive in your Universe. I'd like to reunite with her, so I need your Universe."
Tomiko stepped forward, "then there has to be a better way of fully restoring this. Things can be wrong, that includes your boo-" He was interrupted.
"No. It never is. I explained that the end of your Universe leads to its destruction, and you four are the cause of it. There is no compromise or another way to avert it, it is inevitable. Well, after you do what I need you to do, it was inevitable."
Tomiko sighed. The dread he felt now knowing that despite all the good things he did, the impression he wanted to convey with them, was all for nothing if he and his team were the cause of this destruction. But if what is required of him, then perhaps he could have some sort of redemption.
Victor connected dots and found himself confused, "wait...you said it was inevitable, right? If it was, then it never was in the first place, if you came to us for help....right?"
The Son nodded, "if you want to look at it that way." He then walked a few steps away, looking into tke Almanac and a Clock Door appeared in front of him and then he looked back at Techno. "On the other end of this portal, you will find yourselves in the pocket dimension where Blackout is located. Your Originals will arrive shortly. You must stop them, because if you don't. This loop will reset and continue replaying these events for eternity until I cut it off."
The members of Techno looked at each other, all nodding at Tomiko to once again lead them into action. They'd all turn to The Son, then at the Clock Door and would walk through it one by one. Tomiko entered first, followed by Roxanne and Victor. Jennifer would stop and look at The Son.
"You have something to say?" He asked.
"I'm asking because it got me curious."
"What is it?"
"If we do exist in a multiverse...is there a timeline where, maybe my parents didn't die?" She asked, a genuine tone in her voice.
The Son wasn't sure about a true answer. He thought about The Father and wanted to mimic a little of his ways. "That's not a question you want answered, Jennifer. It is wise to look forward, not backwards. You have more to your story than ever," he replied.
She gave him a nod. "I guess you're right. Stop Blackout. Succeed and live on, right?" She said before walking into the Clock Door as it would shrink to the size of a doorknob after she went through.
The Son grabbed the Clock and expanded it to the size of his Almanac and peered into the history of the Arc 3 Universe, searching for a specific someone, for clues on their whereabouts.
"So let's see...where could You be, huh?" He said, observing through slideshows.
Act II[]
To be added
Act III[]
To be added
Act IV[]
To be added
Epilogue[]
To be added
Interlude Chapters[]
Interlude I[]
9:48 AM
August 25th, 2143
During "City of Hope"
New Elpis, Paradise Island
Arc 3 Universe
"-ndreds of people, Steven! It is absolutely chaos down here in uptown!" The volume of a TV blared loudly, playing a live news report.
A small crowd of New Elpis residents would sprint by, away from a group of zombies behind them.
"Attention all New Elpis residents! Reach the Hypercenter Mall for evacuation! I repeat, reach the Hypercenter Mall for evacuation. A Techno rescue team will evacuate you from the city to safety," the sound of various PA speakers across the city would endlessly loop official instructions, given by Outrider Agent Amber Summers.
The crowd of people would be met with a small squad of New Elpis Police Service officers, who would allow the residents to pass by before opening fire on the zombies behind them.
"This way to the Hypercenter Mall, people. Follow Agent Biggs and these officers, they'll keep you safe," a woman would speak to the group of people.
Biggs would begin to head towards the Hypercenter Mall and he would be followed by the people and four police officers. The woman would speak into a wrist pad on her arm.
"Amber, I'm sending Biggs to your position. He's got a lot of people...around 21, I think. There are children among them," she spoke.
The woman would hear active gunfire from Amber's end through the communicator before receiving a response. "Copy that."
After listening to the response from Amber, the woman would turn back around to the group of police officers she was commanded and reloaded her DC-15A Rifle. She'd give a nod to the officers before jumping down to them.
"Not your usual Sunday morning, amrite?"
Interlude II[]
11:51 AM
August 25th, 2143
During "Hypercenter"
New Elpis, Paradise Island
Arc 3 Universe
Walking along the edge of the Hypercenter Mall's roof, two Techno members would patrol and keep a watch on the building's defenses, which consisted of sentry turrets scattered along the edge of mall's rooftops. Down below, hordes of zombies would be picked off by New Elpis police officers and the sentries.
"This is Envoy to central command, the east quadrant remains steady and quiet. These sentries are working great, Stratus. Working like a tiger on steroids."
Envoy would hear a laugh before getting a response. "I just modified 'em, Ev. You can thank Hannibal for the sentries."
Envoy would smile and chuckle herself before looking at the Wedge beside her.
"Last mag's almost out. I say 20 rounds", the man said, taking out the magazine from his Cinder-16 before putting it back in.
She would reach her right arm towards her back pouches, grabbing an extra Cinder-16 magazine and tossed it to him. "Heads up!" She warned as he caught it.
The man would insert it into an empty pouch on his chestplate. "Thanks," he said while he looked out into the distance. "Wonder where's Biggs at. He didn't make it here in time."
She would share in his gaze and pat his shoulder. "He'll be fine. I sent him to Amber before I retreated back here, she's got his back."
"Good to know."
One hour later...
Envoy would receive a hail on her communicator from central command. "Uh, Envoy, we're getting strange readings and power fluctuation reports throughout the building. Think you can head down to the building's Power Center to see what's up?"
She would speak into the communicator on her wrist pad. "Copy that. I got Wedge here, we'll go back together," she said while nudging Wedge's shoulder.
"Meet Jessie at the maintenance door near the Infinite PowerWorks shop, she's gonna go down with you."
"Roger that."
However, before Envoy and Wedge could get to the rooftop's door, the power throughout the building suddenly just turns off. The rooftop and parking lot lights had all gone dark, and behind them, they could hear the sentry guns power down as well, since they relied on the building's power.
"Shit," she said before turning around and ran towards the sentries.
Coming to one of the sentries, she'd look over the edge, seeing the zombie horde rush to the building with the sounds of glass being broken and indoor gun fire down below with a sudden wave of radio chatter on her wrist pad.
"Power's out! Power's out!"
"This is the west side, the sentries are down!"
"They're getting inside!"
"South side's got a lot of those things pouring in!"
"North side: we're getting overrun over here!"
"This is the loading dock, we're fu- [fzzzzzzt]"
Wedge would flip off the safety on his rifle and look at Envoy.
She sighed and grabbed her DC-15A off her back. "Well, better get back to it. Wedge, let's move!"
Interlude III[]
4:52 AM
August 26th, 2143
During "End of the World"
Neomuna outskirts, Paradise Island
Arc 3 Universe
Several Techno Dropships had been speeding away from the city of New Elpis, going north where the city of Neomuna is located. In front of the group, a dropship served as the leader of its formation, flying ahead.
Inside of the lead dropship's cockpit, there were two pilots, a navigator and a radar technician. There was two seats behind the pilots, Amber in one of them and the other empty. Behind, the door to the main hold would open and a woman with blond hair, a light blue coat and white undershirt walked in, taking the empty seat Amber.
"Think Neomuna wasn't hit by the zombies? Or possessed maniacs, or whatever those things were," she said, looking forward.
"If anything, Jessie, all I know is that Neomuna is the second biggest city on Paradise Island and the Mirage Corporation's security forces are mostly here instead of New Elpis...so yes, I think it's safer."
She nodded. "Anything from Vendetta?"
"Haven't heard anything from him since he went to the Power Station with the others. Said that's where his sister Nakata was being held. Until he returns, I am Regent Commander of Techno," she replied.
She would find that Amber was probably the most suitable candidate for being appointed as Regent Commander in case no one else was able to fill in. However, before she would say something, one of the pilots would interrupt their conversation.
"Ma'am, we're receiving a hail from the air traffic Control Tower at the Neomuna Spaceport."
Amber would look forward, away from Jessie. "Answer it," she said. The pilot would nod and comply.
"This is Neomuni Traffic Control to Techno Dropships, we've heard of what happened in New Elpis. If you are carrying refugees, then land at the Spaceport," the traffic control operator would relay over.
However, before the pilot could respond to the Control Tower, a sonic boom would be heard and from the center of the island and a wall of white light would engulf the entire universe into nothing, giving virtually everyone no time to react.