Chapter Twenty-Six: Soulless Creatures Born of Sin

“Is everything up and running?” Severen’s voice mumbled throughout the darkness that filled the dismal room. The atmosphere was ominous, the only light in the room was emanating from the thousands of translucent tubes that were secured to the ground. Severen stood in front of the main computer console along with three other scientists employed by Genesis.

“The programming is running at 95% efficiency, much higher than we had originally expected. At this rate the clones will be fully operational in a year and a half. Much sooner than we had predicted earlier.”

“I see…Luscious will be pleased to know that. And you’re positive that they will not have the defects that the Betas had?” Severen needed to make sure because he knew that Luscious would not tolerate failure when it came to the Alphas. These clones had a much bigger destiny than the Betas. Genesis used the Betas to integrate into high society making the task of manipulating the governments much easier.

“Good….I would hate to have caused Luscious to become angry. We are all aware of what happens when he is not pleased.

Severen eased the head scientist, his hand patted gently on the shoulder covered by the crimson cloth. Just as Severen turned around alarms began to blare loudly, crimson bulbs began to circulate rapidly causing the inner walls to light up with the red hue. Severen and the other scientist all turned around frantically looking at one another in an eruption of chaotic confusion.

“What the hell is that?! What the hell is going on?!” Severen screamed.

The lead scientist with his silver and light gray strands of hair flinging in the air began to type at an accelerated rate. The edges of his fingers stroking the keys without hesitation, the factory was hidden in a secured location hundreds of feet under the foundation of Genesis’ main building in New York. They knew a security breach was near impossible.

“I don’t know! I don’t know….what the hell is this?” His voice cracked from the shock of his realization. Severen lacking patience abruptly pushed the elderly man aside causing him to fall off his chair. What Severen saw was not something he was fully prepared for; it was an image of one of the chambers containing some of the clones. Shards of blood stained glass covered the walkway in front of one of the experimental artificially created humans. Along with glass the floor was drenched in artificial amniotic fluid that is what they use to suspend the clones through their constant growth throughout the weeks following their initial creation. Severen couldn’t comprehend what had just happened; it was obvious that one of the clones had managed to escape but which one was up in the air.

“Is this possible? I mean, can one of the clones just break out of their own tube while suspended in the amniotic fluid?” Severen asked quietly as he glanced back glaring at the trinity of scientists that stood before him.

“A normal clone does not have that ability without help from an outside source….”His voice began to fade as he came to his own conclusion.

“A normal clone? Are you suggesting that this wasn’t a normal clone, that it was a clone with extraordinary abilities? Ha.” Severen mentioned.
Suddenly the ground began to tremble violently, thin pieces of rocks and other sorts of debris began to fall to the floor constantly. Severen immediately crawled under the desk looking for protection from the randomly falling pieces of debris. Along with the rumbling ground came a thunderous sound that hummed throughout the facility. With his arms covering his head and flowing blonde hair Severen began to scream out to the group of scientists who were just typing vigorously on the computers trying to find out what had exactly occurred.

“What the hell was that?!” Severen screamed.

“You honestly don’t know? You should be aware of what that sound is, more so than any of us.” The first scientist mentioned.

“You can’t be serious….are you telling me that an MF just launched?” Severen mumbled.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Now if you would please either shut up or call Luscious and inform him of what is going on so we can focus on cleaning up this tragedy.”

“I’m not calling Luscious until I know exactly what is going on? Why the hell is there an MF in this facility anyway?” Severen screamed.

“Luscious was the one who had the MF stationed here. Hell I wouldn’t be surprised if he had predicted that this would happen.”

“Predicted? Just what clone managed to escape?” Severen continued to scream showing no knowledge of the volume of his own voice.

Vincent Avidus stood staring out of his office located in Revelations main facility. His pane glass window gave an accurate view of the nation’s capital. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves that whisked through the ground dancing at their own erratic rhythm. He smiled slightly at the sound of the communications display beeping on his desk. His silver hair flapped across his face as he turned around quickly.

“Yes, what is it?” He answered the call with a bitter response. At the other end of the display was General Copiare who had recently been transferred back to Earth, specifically the TA naval fleet outside of West Point. His stern face stared back at Vincent Avidus, his eyes were quivering from fear.

“Sir….an MF has appeared on the outside coast of Manhattan.”

“I see. Has it been identified?”

“No sir it has not been confirmed to be related to either the TA or the EAP.”

“Fine….we can not take any chances. I want you to engage the target and take it down as quick as possible.” Vincent replied.

“But sir….”

“Don’t question my judgment. My authority is absolute is that understood General?”

“*sigh* Yes sir….” The General quickly shut off the communications link turning around to his loyal men. “You heard him….launch all Shades to engage the enemy MF.”

“But sir….the MF hasn’t been confirmed as an enemy or friend…” An ensign interrupted.

“That does not matter. We have no choice but to follow the orders we are given. NOW LAUNCH!”

“Yes sir!” Each soldier firmly replied saluting their superior.

            Each soldier was geared up running to their respected Shades. Most of them were cautious and weary about fighting in the atmosphere. The Shades were made to advance in ground combat, desert like conditions mainly due to the Martian surface. The leg units were coated with thick armor plating that extended outwards in a spike like shape near the knee-joints; two thin points also pointed out from the right and left edges just above the metallic feet. Its thighs were block-like in structure giving the Shade a respectable amount of defense. The torso itself was massive and rough to look at. The arms were the sleekest part of the Shade unit, the shoulder an octagonal like structure that covered most of the thin armoring of the arm. Every unit came equipped with a thin high active laser rifle and a solid shield on its left arm. Four missile packs were attached along the back torso between the shoulder blades. Since the battle was going to be aerial in nature special flight packs were equipped to each Shade. The flight packs were reminiscent of the wings found on a fight plane, mainly a Viper. Four thin angular wings that extended outwards with special thrusters allowing for easier maneuverability in the air. Each Shade began to ignite their engines, 30 Shades in all creating a massive thunderous sound that was still soothing to the ears.

“Pilots….you are clear to launch. Make sure to take down the enemy MF as quickly as possible without causing damage to the city or residential areas. If possible try and keep the battle above the ocean!” General Copiare said firmly as he saluted the 30 pilots who were preparing to head out.

Above the identified enemy MF continued to fly in a spastic path of travel. The clone that managed to escape from the Genesis facility was still trying to get his bearings straight. And yet the controls came naturally to him. His dark brown hair covered most of his tanned face, his crimson eyes pierced through the strands of dangling hair; he enjoyed the sight of the ivory clouds swimming across the azure canvas.

“What…am I? Why am I here?” These words began to roll out from his frigid tongue. He was confused and rightfully so, he was abruptly thrown into a world that he did not understand and found himself inside a machine that he had only seen in his dreams.

            Beep….Beep….incoming….

The feminine computerized voice quietly stated grabbing the confused man’s attention. His parted the strands of hair that covered his eyes so he could see the radar clearly. 30 ivory dots continued to flicker on the obsidian radar screen.

“What does that mean?” Just as he gazed into the mysterious radar screen two of the 30 Shades began to fire without warning. Instinctively the cloned pilot grabbed onto the throttles and pulled them to his side controlling the movements of his MF with the grace and agility of a professional pilot. The two crimson energy beams soared past his line of sight, no longer was he confused, he had snapped into a zone of focus and complete understanding.

“I can pilot this thing….is this my destiny? Is that why I exist? To pilot this machine…yes….I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. A sensation, this feeling, I’ve felt this before…”

He mumbled as a grin slowly formed on the outer cheeks of his face.

The two Shade pilots that broke away from their battalion stared in awe. They recognized the MF as they drew closer and with that sense of familiarity came instantaneous fear. Their bodies froze as the demonic MF began to fly towards them, with each passing moment the cloned pilot began to understand the potential his machine contained within itself.

“No….” The TA pilots mumbled just as dozens of crimson beams ruptured through their MFs and cockpits. The positron energy engulfed their bodies causing them to disintegrate within the fury of the blasts.

Caliginous clouds of smoke oscillated around the location of the destroyed Shades. The 28 remaining Shades quickly halted their ascent in confusion.

“What just happened….oh my God….” On of the pilots screamed. Suddenly a crimson MF sped out from the clouds causing them to disperse into the atmosphere. The velocity of the MF gave the TA pilots no time to react. The demon tore through the cluster of Shades with its energy lance extended slicing through the torsos of half of the battalion.  As the other 14 pilots watched in fear while their comrades were mercilessly killed in an instant they became paralyzed in their own fear of death.
General Copiare stood staring in amazement as tons of singed debris and smoke descended into the lively ocean that was holding his naval fleet afloat.

“What the hell can be doing this….” He mumbled under his breath while clutching onto his chest in terror.

            “Cease and desist by the authority of the Trinity Alliance…*gulp*” The pilot didn’t believe that he could sway the unknown pilot of the terrorizing MF to stop, but he didn’t know what else to try.

“Stop? Hehehe….this is a rush. I have never felt anything so fulfilling as this!” The pilot screamed back in a fit of rage. The crimson MF quickly changed its course and swept passed the remaining Shades tearing through each of them like a hot knife through butter. As the MF zoomed past the MFs each Shade exploded in a fury of flames. The General stumbled back from the sudden shock of losing 30 Shades in a matter of 5 minutes. He knew there was nothing ordinary about the bogey they had just encounter.

“Get me Vincent Avidus…” He calmly mumbled to the Ensigns standing behind him.

“But sir…”

“NOW!”

“Yes….yes sir.” The ensigns quickly scrambled all running towards the communications room on the ship. General Copiare continued to stare into the burning sky as the mysterious MF sped into the horizon.

“Luscious….one of the clones managed to escape from the facility….” Severen’s voice constantly cracked due to his overworking nerves. Luscious looked away from the display screen sighing.

“Luscious…..”

“It’s fine Severen, thank you for keeping me informed.” Luscious replied.

“Luscious, I’m not sure if you understand the severity of the situation….the clone stole the MF you kept in the hanger.” Severen replied.
Luscious’ eyes glistened with intrigue; he immediately turned around to stare back at Severen’s shaking face.

“He stole the MF huh…heheh…hahaha…HAHAHAHA” Luscious couldn’t contain his own amusement even if it was at the expense of Severen’s fears and confusion.

“Luscious are….are you alright?” The static began to distort the image of Luscious on Severen’s communications display screen.         

“I’m fine Severen….destiny is a funny thing you know that.”

“Huh? I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Even after death he can’t escape that machine…hahaha…”

“Luscious, we haven’t confirmed the identity of the clone that escaped yet… how can you possibly….

“The MF in the hanger. Only one man could pilot it, therefore it is painfully obvious who this clone is Severen. You should have been able to figure this out on your own.” Luscious replied.

“Luscious….”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m pretty sure that this clone will show up sooner or later. Tell me about the Alphas, how is the programming coming along?”

“Oh…um…a lot better than we expected. The system is running at 95% efficiency. They should be ready in a year and a half. A lot earlier than originally predicted.”

“I see….that is great news. I’m impressed Severen, you’re doing an excellent job on Earth.”

“Thank you Luscious….how is the tournament working out?”

“As to be expected, the final quarter final match ended today. The semis start tomorrow. The fun will be beginning shortly, only 8 more matches until it comes to its conclusion.”

“I see….and what about the failure?”

“Rebel? He’s still advancing as to be expected. He will most likely be in the finals. However he is growing impatient and has stolen 4 experimental MFs from our hanger. I think he intends on taking things into his own hands.” Luscious replied.        

“Shouldn’t we stop him then?”

“No….let’s just sit back and watch at how this plays out. Revelations has already taken control of the TA and from what I’ve heard is planning on launching a nuclear strike against the EAP. This world will be falling to hell soon enough. I’ll let Rebel try it his way, but we’ll be there to pick up the pieces.” Luscious replied.


“Stephen congratulations!” Ashley screamed loudly as Stephen slowly descended from his cockpit. He simply waved back to the group of reporters and friends that awaited him. He had just finished his match against Seriph in the quarter finals and managed to grab the Section ‘I’ championship. Everyone was well aware that the tournament up until now was child’s play; the key players have surfaced all preparing to face off against one another.

“Stephen Novus! Can we get a quick word from you after that amazing display of talent?” Stephanie Star screamed as she pushed a few other reporters out of her way. Stephen smiled as the obsidian microphone abruptly shoved into his face.

“Umm…I guess so…”

“Great! Stephen you have just moved onto the semi-finals, your opponent for that match is Seina Armana, the Section ‘H’ champion. He has proven himself extremely capable of handling high intense situations with little signs of hesitation.”

“Yes, I have seen a few of Seina’s matches and he is a skilled pilot. Is there a question to this?”

“Yeah of course. Are you worried about your match with him?”

“Heh, I don’t worry about any of the matches I participate in. I just take things as they’re handed to me.”

“I see, that’s a very unique way of handling things.”

“I guess.”

“You are aware of the possibility of facing your own brother, Adam Novus in the Pre-Final match.”

“Heh, yeah I’m fully aware that it is a high possibility that I will have to face Adam. I’m pretty confident that things will turn out that way.” Stephen replied. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere that I need to be.” Stephen said finally as he began to shove his way through the crowd. Ashley smiled as she leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest.

“Good job Stephen.” Ashley subtly replied.

“Thanks…it wasn’t that hard of a match.”

“I know…not for you anyways.”

“Heh, I guess. Where’s everyone else?”

“That’s the thing. They’re all glued in Adam’s room….”

“Huh? Why? What’s going on?”

“I’m not really too sure….but Adam said something has happened on Earth and that you would need to know about it. He told me to get you as soon as your match ended…” Before she was able to finish Stephen grabbed onto her arm and began to sprint towards the dormitories.

“Aren’t you going to change first?”

“No….I don’t like waiting for surprises.” Stephen replied.

Adam smirked as he looked at everyone else who patiently sat in his room all waiting for Stephen’s arrival. Everyone quickly silenced their mouths as they noticed the door knob slowly beginning to rotate. The door creaked open as Stephen began to enter the door, his body quickly became trenched in the dark void of the room.

“What the hell?”

“SURPRISE!” Every feminine voice echoed throughout the room as the lights quickly flickered on. There were a few banners hung from the ceiling all saying the same thing,

“Happy Birthday.” Stephen sighed as he turned back to Ashley who was smiling radiantly pushing him forward into the room.

“I can’t believe you people….” Stephen mumbled.

“What? It’s your birthday after all.” Adam replied

“Heh…thanks...” Stephen reluctantly replied. He didn’t really care for celebrations, but he was enjoying the attention regardless.

“Happy 19Th bro!” Mario blurted out.

Adam stood up from his bed as Sharon let go of his hand. His hand slowly rose a glass filled with wine.

“Happy birthday bro…this is to a safe but thrilling end to the Azure Cup Tournament. We have 8 matches left until the end. Each of us personally would like to believe we have as much as 3 more matches left in us. But we know that might not be the case. Good luck to each and every one of us.” Adam said firmly.

“Here here, couldn’t have said it any better myself bro.” Mario replied.

“I agree…let’s finish this tournament strong.” Stephen replied.          

“To the upcoming end of the Azure Cup.” All of them said simultaneously while raising their glasses in a toast.