Chapter 3: Encounter pt.2
Recap:
Last time, on "Dark Omen: A Galactic Adventure with a Lazy Bum" (wow, I should think of a shorter title or at least an acronym/nickname)...
...Aeryn bodied the mercenaries along the way, saved a bot, made some explosions, and is now standing inside an enemy spaceship, with guns trained on him. A mysterious box is in the back of the ship, with its purpose unknown...
__________________________________________________________________________________
Aeryn Sol was having a great day.
He had infiltrated the enemy spaceship with the intention of maybe having a boss battle (with himself obviously being the boss), but instead, he found himself surrounded by a dozen guns pointed at his head. He also discovered that the spaceship also doubled as a mobile laboratory that contained a mysterious box that could potentially do...something.
"Drop your weapon and surrender!" one of the mercenaries shouted.
Aeryn looked at his weapon, a metal stick with a rubber handle that he used to whack people on the head. He had found it in a dumpster and decided to keep it as a souvenir. He called it his hit-people stick.
"This? This is not a weapon. This is a whacking stick. It's for whacking things. Like you." Aeryn said, swinging it around.
"Stop right there, or we will shoot!" another mercenary stated.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. You guys are so serious. Can't we just talk this over?" Aeryn said, smiling. Which was ironic, considering the trail of dead bodies behind him that didn't get the talk option. "Besides, what can you even do with all of those guns? You can't even kill me even if you tried to. How about you guys surrender?"
"No, we can't. You're a wanted criminal, Aeryn Sol. The Omen of Darkness. A danger to all and one of the most wanted beings in the galaxy. You've caused enough trouble for us and our employers. It's time to end this." the first mercenary said, with his gun still trained on Aeryn.
"Who are your employers, anyway? And what's in the box?" Aeryn asked, pointing at the large metal container at the back of the ship.
"That's none of your business. And you'll find out soon" the mercenary said.
"Oh, come on. Don't be like that. I'm curious. Aren't you curious, SARA?" Aeryn said, addressing the AI that was connected to him through his neural implant.
"Affirmative. Should I commence a molecular scan?" SARA said.
"You know me so well. Do it" Aeryn ordered.
"Commencing scan," SARA said.
A few seconds later, she said: "Do you want the short version or the long version?"
"The short one," Aeryn said.
"The box contains pure chaotic matter, a substance that defies all laws of physics and logic. It's unpredictable, unstable, and extremely dangerous."
Aeryn whistled. He had seen some pretty crazy stuff during his life, and he knew from experience that containing chaotic matter was no easy feat, even for himself. This made him even more curious about the purpose of these so-called mercenaries.
"So...What are you guys planning to do with that box?" he asked curiously, 'cause he figured that they wouldn't be carrying a ticking time bomb for no reason.
"That's for us to know and you to die." the mercenary said.
At that moment, a door opened and another man walked in. He wore a mask that covered his face and a cybernetic arm that ended in a plasma sword. He had a scarred and muscular body that showed signs of many battles.
Aeryn recognized him almost immediately.
"Rex? Rex Volaris? Is that you, old pal?" he exclaimed.
The masked man nodded with a grunt, though he seemed to hate Aeryn.
"Yeah. It's me."
Rex Volaris was one of Aeryn's enemies, at least from what he could remember. He was a bounty hunter who had been hunting him for years, ever since Aeryn had escaped from his clutches and left him hanging off of a light pole by his underwear. Good times.
"Wow. Long time no see, Rex. How have you been? How're the undies?" Aeryn asked mockingly.
"Shut up, Aeryn. You're not funny." Rex said coldly.
"I think I'm hilarious. Don't you think I'm hilarious, SARA?" Aeryn asked.
"You're hilarious, Aeryn," SARA replied stoically.
"See? She thinks I'm hilarious." Aeryn said proudly.
"She's lying to make you feel better," Rex said.
"No, she's not. She loves me." Aeryn shot back.
"No, she doesn't. She hates you." Rex stated.
"No, she doesn't. She likes me."
"No, she doesn't. She tolerates you."
"OK, fine. She tolerates me. But that's better than hating me." Aeryn compromised.
"ENOUGH!" Rex shouted, shaking in fury, realizing he had been baited into an argument yet again.
"Whatever. What are you doing here, Rex? Are you one of these mercenaries?" Aeryn asked, cutting to the chase. As much as he liked this back and forth, he had a schedule to uphold.
"No, I'm not. These are not mercenaries. They're special ops agents from the Galactic Federation. And I'm their leader." Rex said proudly.
"Wow, big promotion huh? And the Galactic Federation? What are they doing here?" Aeryn asked. The Galactic Federation was one of the biggest peacekeeping federations in the galaxy, saving planets and connecting worlds.
"They're here to stop you, Aeryn. And to use the box." Rex said.
"Use the box? For what?" Aeryn asked.
"For justice, Aeryn. For justice." Rex said.
"Justice? What justice? What are you talking about?" Aeryn asked.
"You'll see, Aeryn. You'll see soon enough." Rex said.
He then turned to his men and said: "Bring him in."
Another door opened and a young man walked in. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and a handsome face. He wore a white suit of armor and a red cape. He carried a sword and a shield that had the symbol of the Galactic Federation on them. He looked like a hero from a fairy tale.
Aeryn didn't recognize him.
"Who's that? Is that your intern?" asked Aeryn mockingly.
Rex huffed in anger. "THIS, is Conlan Antares, the Hero of Prophecy, an up-and-coming valiant and virtuous warrior who is leading a group of loyal companions in a quest to bring peace and justice to the galaxy."
"Cool. What are you doing here, Conlan? You a part of these special ops agents?" Aeryn asked dismissively.
"No, I'm not. I'm here as a guest of honor. And as a witness." Conlan said with his chest held high, seemingly proud of his position.
"A witness? To what?" Aeryn asked.
"To your demise, Aeryn. To your demise." Conlan said.
He then turned to Rex and said: "Are we ready?"
Rex nodded.
"Yes, we are."
He then turned to Aeryn and said: "This is it, Aeryn. This is the end of the line for you."
He pressed a button on his cybernetic arm and activated the box.
A loud noise filled the air and a light flashed from the box.
Shockwaves of color spread from the box, engulfing everyone, the spaceship, and the lab itself. Tremors rocked the spaceship, sending everyone except the big three tumbling about the ship. The box then seemed to get brighter and brighter, as if it was just about to explode.
"Uhh... is that supposed to do that?" asked Aeryn confused, as he steadied himself. He could see from the panic from the not-actually-mercenaries and Conlan and Rex's panic that this was DEFINITELY not supposed to happen.
"NO! We were told that just activating the box would instantly kill you!" Rex shouted at him, furiously wrestling with the controls of the box to no avail.
"Hurry up! Fix the box quickly or we're all going to die!" Conlan shouted at him, his previous arrogance gone. His face was filled with an expression of panic and confusion.
While the enemy was floundering about, Aeryn watched on, seemingly enjoying the danger and not being in distress about his life about to be snuffed out.
"So you guys didn't get the memo about chaotic matter being...chaotic? You know, random?" Aeryn laughed at them.
"DO SOMETHING!" shouted Conlan back at him. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!?!"
Aeryn grinned at him. "Personally, nah. But there isn't much I can do about an explosion of chaotic matter. I could have a hundred different countermeasures in place and it still wouldn't contain the actual effects of the explosion. Congrats, your plan worked, sort of."
"Damn it!" cursed Rex, still furiously trying to get in control of the box with Conlan alongside him.
"Hey SARA, how long till the big kaboom?" asked Aeryn at his AI assistant.
"In T-minus 1 second," replied Sara.
Then, the whole planet exploded in color.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Aloha, and that's a wrap!
How will our protagonist overcome this dilemma? Read more to find out....
Reminder to vote with your stones and add this novel to your collection if you enjoyed! It helps motivate me!
Also suggestions and ideas are welcome!
And now moving on to...
....RANDOM FACT OF THE DAY!!!
- I recently got glasses, and I've gotta tell you. I was like "Woah." And then I was like "WOAH." Never knew that my vision was THAT BAD until I went to get tested and got a pair of glasses for the first time. Maybe you guys should also get yourself checked out. You never know how ruined your vision actually is until you get yourself tested.