Chapter Four: Prophets of the Falling Stars, Part Two

Iren stared down the barrel of a fully loaded, plasma energy weapon charged and aimed fight for her face. Iren felt hope slip from her body as she realized that she led her team right into a trap and she was responsible. She ducked her head and prayed under her mouth for some hope to save them. A wind blew through the air, shaking the trees and the grass.

Iren looked up, the wind caught the attention of the Kagens and as she stared up a blue light shined over her and the crowds face, casting the forest in a magnificent shade. A swirling ball of energy appeared over the concrete floor and Iren watched as it expanded, a miniature sun in front of her face.

Iren turned over to Ross and Edison both of them amazed, as well as the soldiers, this wasn’t the bidding of any single Outsider. And as the ball reached it massive size, electricity arcing around the body. A figure fell out landing on the ground, and making the energy disappear again.

“Ah now then men, I say this war shouldn’t be over just yet so raise your weapons for me, I am highest command right now.” The shark spoke as he looked in front of him, Iren saw the body in front of her and she saw the eyes. It was a new shark, but the armor was the same and so was his eyes, it was Twilight.

The armored guards raised their weapons and at the same time all released the trigger, shooting the energy up into the sky, knocking trees and birds out of the way as it cleared a golden hole down to the ground. Twilight shoved his hands and cleared them off the field, Iren looking as the Kagen stepped forward.

“You saved us, but you were our enemy?” Ross questioned as he stood up and Twilight stepped forward.

“Yeah, I’ll explain my little morality change that followed me with my regeneration, as for Octavius. Octavius get down here!” The Kagen screamed and Zonate shook as he backed off the concrete field and into the crowd of Kagens, trying to disappear once again. “Oh I’m sorry Zonate but you think you will be getting off easy as well.”

The Kagen crowd quickly pushed the dragon back into the circle, the Kagen general shaking as the High General wolf joined them as well. Octavius stood in front of Twilight, fully confident in his own actions.

“Now then what are you doing executing a bunch of mortals?” Twilight asked, casting just a little bit of shade onto the Outsiders. Iren saw no reason to send back a snarky comment at that, she was already in the debt of the Kagen for letting them live.

“But sir they are enemies of the Kagens!” Octavius spoke up, his confident shattered as the Shark Price of Kagens took his place. And then the shark looked back at the group of six and nodded, with that they were unchained, the group allowed to stand up.

“Get them a Jeep.” Twilight commanded as he looked over to one of the wolf Kagens in the group and nodded, the solider quickly disappeared into the building. He then turned towards Octavius. “Oh really, I believe you are wrong in that and I am right in saying that the Riftwalkers are the enemies of the Kagens, but let me direct this towards you and the Outsiders in the way you can understand.”

A little background, in the future Bright, or Elias as he traveled with the New York Outsiders knew that there was one point in the war where the Kagens truly got their momentum running after mostly defending and losing territory for the first half of the war.

“Let me tell you a story, as you know when the Kagens were universalized by the actions of the Las Vegas Outsiders, we congealed for a few days afterwards. All except for my now mortal self in Las Vegas, but there were a group who landed in an older universe.” Twilight started as he walked towards Octavius and looked at him in the eyes, staring down the authority of the general.

“Now as the last star in the last dimension expanded, the Kagens found themselves on a planet with the last hope of that universe and you know what happened. A star expanding and a planet with millions of people.” Twilight looked around scanning the people. “These mortals weren’t bright but they knew of their situation, they only believed that the sun was being swallowed by the blackness of the universe.

“And at the risk of not even knowing if they would regenerate, they used all their energy to bubble the entire planet.” Twilight spoke as the Kagens around started to speak to each other. What was the general speaking off? Some asked and others wondered if they heard the story before.

Twilight smiled as he knew he got the attentions of the Kagens around him, Octavius and Zonate were losing their control of the group and it was there that the Kagen would strike. And as the sun deepened below the horizon, Twilight’s face was engulfed in shadow. Iren stood still, not speaking only listening.

“Trust me this was hidden by your great master Dusk for his reasons, but as the planet stood between the edge of a Big Rip and a Big Bang, the Kagens held out because one in the hundred years they had on the planet, learned to love a mortal, gasp, I know right.” Twilight looked around, another account hidden from them. “And as the Kagen’s bodies started to rip apart, they found another rip, the planet was transported into the next universe.”

“And it was in that moment when the Kagens became the species you know today, thanks to Koji in Las Vegas and those who wished to protect mortals, that they found they could tear into the fabric of Spacetime. These first Kagens, these Prophets of the Falling Stars scarified all they could and all they had in order to let the mortals lived.” Twilight smiled and looked around as he looked at the faces on the Kagens around them, for their lives they might not have known the Kagens to protect mortals but only be interested in their affairs, with twilight he knew that had to change.          

“And we should follow the Prophets of the Falling Stars because we need power in order to defeat the Riftwalkers and why are you not fighting, can you not feel the power advancing on this place?” Twilight looked back to the general standing there, he was ignorant to it all.

This was a turning point in the war between the Riftwalkers and Kagens, as Twilight told the speech that would define him for a lifetime. The Prophets of the Falling Stars, it would be something he spoke of at conferences and re-enacted with his kind. But what it represented was the change in power from Octavius to Twilight.

“So then Kagens in arms, you sit here with a choice, involve yourself with petty mortal matters and protect the humans from Riftwalkers, or continue on with this petty group of superheroes trying to do something?” Twilight asked the group around him as they pondered the question to themselves.

“What are you doing, this world is in my authority!” Octavius screamed through his teeth, looking forward at the shark Kagen. Twilight turned towards the failed general and grabbed his cape, pulling it and tearing it into two.

“Oh really, this war has failed for you and me, and right now I don’t really think I can trust you with continuing this without failing.” Twilight stated as he looked at Octavius and right into his eyes, holding him still the general feel to the ground, landing with a thud and leading the man to look back up at the shark.

“What about your brother, Bright, he betrayed our kind and he works with them now!” Octavius raised a point to the crowd of Kagens in front of him.

“Bright has continually betrayed the Kagens, you expect him to be different this time around? I don’t care what he does, all I know is that I wish to be on the winning side and right now the Outsiders could argue they are that.” Twilight looked back as Iren was handed the keys to a new car.

“So then, these Outsiders will be let go in their interests and allowed to do what they want unless it interferes with our plans negatively, the mortals will not be killed and you should do nothing to them as well.” Twilight nodded at the three and then looked over to Octavius and Zonate.

“When I left this world in your hands, I expected you would bring peace to it. But you failed at even that and I am disappointed in you so much, I hope that in your next lifetime you will learn the virtues of empathy.” Twilight grabbed power from the two and took control of the Kagens, raising his hand and holding it out as power gathered.

And with a simple push of his finger, the energy flew out from his control and into the two. The Kagen generals screamed and were engulfed with energy as they hit the ground and the ball swallowed them whole. Iren smiled at Twilight and walked over, looking at the two as they died and started the cycle all Kagens faced at the end of their life.

“So then that was sort of awesome, you wouldn’t happen to be free anytime soon for say a dinner or say?” Iren asked as she smiled at Twilight.

“Sorry dear but cock is kind of my thing.” Twilight replied as the two were engulfed in energy. But then the Kagen turned, raising his eyebrows as he looked back to the forest. The ground shook for a few seconds and then a glowing appeared in the trees, shooting out.

“Riftwalker, men attack it!” Twilight commanded as in the light of regeneration he pointed at the energy, it flew up through the trees and into the air. A massive glow of golden into the sky. Edison stood still for a second, looking at the shadow inside of the forest.

“Iren we need to run right now, Twilight, that is Elijah, he’s a morphed Riftwalker and he is huge and powerful, we are running away and it was nice to meet you nice Antron energy.” Edison quickly grabbed the hand of Iren and as the sound of Kagen men screaming was juxtaposed on the falling trees in the distance, the temporal agent took note.  

“What the hell does Elijah have to do with this, he was able to be beaten by Fin last time, so we can take him.” Ross yelled as he opened his wings and Iren held up the car keys, the group running towards the opened Jeep. Edison quickly took the driver’s seat, pushing Iren into the side.

“Yes but he’s mutated, this isn’t the airport Elijah, this is a beast, a four-legged beast if you remember right!” Edison yelled as she quickly stuck the keys into the ignition and the engine of the car rumbled to life, the ground rumbling as the forest glowed with a bright light. Shining past the darkest, Elijah charged forward, the shadow of trees cast on the Kagen base.

Edison shifted the car and quickly drove out of the parking spot, she nodded at Twilight. Driving away, Twilight nodded as the trees in front of the base crashed to the ground. Out of the darkness of the forest, the massive ram walked out, his body covered in golden energy lines, little armor pieces hanging off his body and a triangle on his head.

Twilight ran forward, joining his Kagens as they fired at him with energy blasts and tried to hold him back with energy shields. Putting his hand forward, the shark smiled and formed a sword in his hands as he charged. Holding the sword up the Kagen ran at full speed, energy engulfing him as he jumped up into the air.

The shark’s cape flowed in the air as he jumped over the shields of his fellow Kagens and completed the first strike. The energy sword impaled Elijah on the back, the beast screaming as muscle was teared into. Twilight held onto his sword as the beast tried to shake him off.

The shark pulled the sword and slashed down the shoulder of the massive creature, a black blood spurting out of Elijah and splashing Twilight as he landed on the ground. Backing up the Kagen held his position as the Kagens behind him raised their shield and pushed forward. Twilight smiled as he phased through a shield and watched the men fight against Elijah.

Twilight held his hand forward and added to the shield his own energy as he pushed back with his men. And the soldiers pushed, everyone working in tandem to work everything they had. Twilight glowed with energy as he summoned it, his aura flaring out, his hair blasting up with it, more Kagens summoning all the energy they had to the forefront.

And Elijah screamed, the Riftwalker yelling as he lost ground. But the beast wasn’t done with the Kagens, opening his mouth. Twilight took notice and backed up, an orange glow appearing in the mouth of the eyeless beast. Energy shook the ground as it gathered in the mouth of the Riftwalker. And then as Twilight dug his feet into the ground, the Kagens around him doing the same, they all held their positon.

“Everyone brace!”

The ground shook, a massive blast of energy shooting out and hitting the unbreakable shield. The two shook and the two groups pushed against each other and then Twilight took charge, the beam blasting off in the sky. Twilight smiled as Elijah backed off as well, the ram walking back at the combined might of Kagen power.

“Kagen men for the Prophets charge!” Twilight yelled as he summoned his sword again and ran forward, Kagens running up and throwing energy blasts at the legs of the beast, Elijah yelled as he raised his claws up into the air and slashed down at the soldiers. Twilight watched as good men flew through the air, and he jumped up.

The Kagen General flew for a second and landed right on the nose of the beast and then holding his sword up in the air, jumped once again twisting his body around as he pointed the sword down and started to spin. And then like that, he pushed down and impaled the beast once again.

“So then fowl beast you think you can best the forces of the Kagens, well then you do have something coming that will be truly awful for you!” Twilight heroic side took over and he held his sword up again, preparing to impale the beast again as black blood spilled out.

And then the beast shook its head, Twilight was knocked to the ground. Elijah roared and turned around, walking back into the forest and following the path outwards as the Kagens celebrated. Twilight looked around this was the first victory for him and he knew with himself in command there would be more in that line.

“Now then good Kagen men and women, we today have won against the beast of the Riftwalkers, do this in every battle and victory will be in our grasp!” Twilight yelled into the air, smiling and celebrating with the men around him. The Kagen still looked down to his hands, covered in black blood, his cape soaked in it. How much more would be spilled to end this war.

…

“Edison I think you can slow down, I think they managed to get the beast.” Iren commanded as she put her hand down on the shifter and on to the temporal agent. Edison took a breath and looked back, nothing was chasing them and they weren’t running from everything.

“So then good, I think I can finally relax, that was just a bit scary for me and what not.” Edison excused herself as she looked over to Iren who nodded and then the car was silent for a few seconds, the jeep just driving through the darkened forest down the gravel road. Out of the window, tiny pedals of summer were growing up.

“Okay then good, but one question? What the hell did really just happen, Twilight took control of the Kagens in this world and let us go like it was nothing, why would he even do that?” Ross finally asked from the back, everyone stood silent for a few seconds.

“I don’t know, maybe he did change with his regeneration or maybe he wants to lure us into a false sense of security but I know I don’t exactly trust all Kagens that aren’t named Bright.” Iren added as she leaned back in the chair and looked at her soldiers, they were once again technically unneeded. Better safe than sorry still, the tiger thought as she adjusted her jacket.

“So then I guess, the cache was a trap for us to fall into, I see no reason why we shouldn’t go down back to the base and get dinner before it gets too late for us six.” Ross added as he leaned back and looked at the fancy new jeep, leather interior and a greatly imported suspension that wasn’t ruined by atomic attack, looking up into the sunroof, the sun lowering into the night sky.

“Well then this feels very much like a moment we need music for, I think the radios still work, anyone hoping for Lovefool by the Cardigans?” Iren spoke as she reached forward and hit the switch to the radio, and leaning forward listened as it scanned for a signal.

“Hello this is the President of the United States.”

Edison felt her grip loosen for a second as she paused and looked back at Iren, quickly the tiger gripped the volume dial and turned it up. Edison looked out of the window, she had forgotten that the war had expanded out from Carson City, streaks of helicopter fuel and energy strikes in the sky told her how wrong she was.

“And today I have to deliver a very uncomfortable address to you my citizens, unless you have been living under a rock recently, you will be well aware of the ongoing war. Two groups that appeared out of nowhere, almost as if they teleported into this world have started to wage war on the other.” The President spoke as he communicated over the radio.

“And this is an emergency transmission because in all, the military has taken power from me. I am the defunct and possibly last President of the United States, the military now withstanding some groups are traitors to this county and have committed treason.” The President spoke, apathy in his voice as he communicated his knowledge to the public, Iren looked out, all those citizens who might rebel.

“And these treasonous rebels need to be stopped, the Riftwalkers and Kagens fight in rural area sand have done little damage to big cities, Carson City was not destroyed by a fight in this war, but the Military attempting their first treasonous act.” The President sounded like he was learning this for the first time, his voice slowing down and the man sounding like he was being choked up.

“I frightens me to know how many citizens I possibly endangered by relating this information but for the good of all world citizens I know that keeping you informed will keep you safe. So if the military does tell you to do something well I suggest that you find some way to get away.” The President spoke, his voice breaking up for a second as he turned away from the microphone.

As the sun set in the sky, and shadows descended on the Earth, the sun departing from the mortal realm. Iren thought about all the people who would now rebel, looking forward she wondered if she and the Outsiders would be able to control them and keep them safe.

“This is the President of the United States signing off, direct your prayers and your energies to the good people still left in this world because I am not sure there are many of them left.” The President spoke and then the radio when back to the static that now filled it.

“So then, this is going to be strange, what can we say?” Ross looked over at Iren as she took in the information that they learned. The two of them pausing for a second as Edison drove forward through the darkening land.

“I don’t know what will happen now but all the citizens that now this, well they know who did this. And they now have a reason to rebel against the Outsiders and the military, the president might not even know that we are still good and with him.” Iren thought for a second, the tiger mentally thinking in her mind for a second.

“I think that this is a good turn of events because we have never been able to control the citizens of this town and maybe their sacrifice will contribute to this war in a way we don’t know about.” Edison proposed as she looked over to Iren, the two of them pausing for a second.

“And what about all the lives they would be giving up, the danger they would be putting themselves into and everyone who might die because of this?” Iren retorted and Edison laughed.

“This is a war, war doesn’t just end with the soldiers fighting it ends when the citizens have been pushed to such hopelessness that they have to join in as well and if this pushes them to do so well then I can’t blame them at all, besides who are we to control them?” Edison retorted back and Iren opened the window, looking up into the radioactive sky and seeing a group of Riftwalkers fly overhead above the trees.

“I don’t know, that doesn’t just sink right with me, to ask those without powers to give up their lives?” Iren pondered and she looked back to Ross, the dragon in deep thought, his moral boundaries broken as well. Edison continued driving forward and let them think on that.

…

“Finn!” Isaac screamed as he ran forward, the shark on the ground, hand grasping chest. Bright entered the room, his ears picking up on the scream. Isaac quickly put his hands under the shark and grabbed him picking him up, he spun around and felt Finn as he cleared off a table, throwing vials of liquids to the side and laying the dying Outsider down.

“What the hell just happened?” Bright asked as he ran into the room, followed by Basil and a few soldiers observing. Isaac held his hand out into the air and it shined, putting it onto Finn’s chest, he scanned around. And then he felt a beat, it was weak and abnormal.

“His heart, it’s not beating correctly. He’s dying, I failed him.” Isaac put his hand down on the chest and then his other hand as well. Pushing down the shark tried to restart the heart of his love.

“Isaac?” Finn gasped out as he took a breath in.

“Don’t worry I won’t lose you yet again!” Isaac started to give CPR. Basil looking around as he tried to find something to help the shark.

“Tell us what the hell you need!” Basil screamed as from the other side of the room he tried to find a set of deliberators.

“He doesn’t need deliberators, his heart isn’t deliberating, its stopped. A shock to his chest cavity won’t do shit for him right now, something must have broken down inside of him.” Isaac screamed and then he knew right now he had to get the shark breathing again.

“Your powers, contract his heart yourself and push blood around!” Bright yelled as he grabbed Finn and pulled him back down ot the table. Isaac took a breath and looked over to Bright.

“I’m sure I can do this, because if I can’t then Finn will die and it will be a loss for all of us, come on buddy you can do it. If I can get his heart beating again, Finn can shock himself!” Isaac told the two as he put his hands out in front of him and took a breath, for a second he folded them together and lowered them onto the chest of his boyfriend.

Bright quickly unzipped the jacket of the shark and pulled up his shirt, the chest not moving as Finn stood their dying. Isaac took another breath as Bright backed up and Basil wrapped him with his wing, Isaac held himself still and activated his powers. Like a hand extending out from his own, Isaac’s power of gravity control pushed through the skin of the shark.

And wrapping around the heart, they squeezed it and started to push it. Holding it still, and then squishing it again. Isaac took another breath, a solider walking over to Finn’s neck and measuring his pulse. Isaac counted slowly to himself as he squeezed the heart in his hand and knew that the life of his boyfriend was in his hands.  

Isaac kept counting sweat running down his face as he tried to keep onto the memories that he already did so much to keep stored.

…

“Thanks for the good day Isaac, do you think you could ever take me to the moon?” Finn said holding onto Isaac’s hand as he closed the front door and stood there. Isaac smiled happy that he was making Isaac happy; he dropped the flag and simply leaned into Finn. He lowered his cyborg legs, making a screeching noise as he stood even with Finn and the two kissed. 

The two ignored that, caught up in the passion and then pulling some strings suddenly as Finn opened his eyes, they were on the roof. Finn laughed at Isaac and leaned back against the roof, treated to the sight of the most magical moon in the sky. The grey rock shined in the sky brightly and seemed to be taking up some unnatural portion of the sky. Finn looked down at his hands glowing in the light, and looked over to Isaac, smiling with his ego showing.

“How did you do that?” Finn asked as he looked at Isaac and just held his hands and looked at the night sky. He could see every star in the sky and every single part of the moon. He could see the seas and the mountains on the shining moon, every detail was there and he didn’t know how to comprehend it, it was simply magic.

“Telling you would ruin the magic.” Isaac said as he smiled with that grin and then frowned. “This might be our last time for piece, we might have to fight a slowly losing battle against them and this might be our last night of peace.”

“I know and I always think that, but if we stick together then we will come out on top, we will be able to be the best and we will save this city and together I know that we can do it.” Finn said as he leaned over and kissed Isaac on the cheek, Isaac smiled as both of them embraced together. Maybe this was the last night of peace or their last night on Earth, but to simply put it they would make all of it worth it in the end. As they kissed, Isaac floated him into the sky and he felt weightless and it was perfect, it was just the perfect night.

…

Isaac knew that he couldn’t create a perfect night again but he had to do his best to keep Finn alive, the shark finally opened his mouth and took a breath of air and then Bright looked over. The Kagen rubbed his hands together as he walked out of Basil’s wing.

“You knew this would happen but not this fast, you only put Kagen DNA so that you two would be more long lived but now I have to ask you step away from him as I believe that with oxygen in his blood, he can regenerate, you just need to keep his heart beating.” Bright commanded as he summoned a golden wave of energy from his hands. Tidus ran into the room, his body covered by the golden light as he did.

“DAD!” The shark screamed, but he was held back.

“The life force of the Kagens, regeneration energy.” Basil spoke as his face was covered in the golden light and he stepped back, looking around everyone watched in amazement. Basil closed his wings, the shadow disappearing off the back wall of the brightened room.

“But you’ll change his face.” Isaac protested as he continued to beat the heart of his boyfriend.

“His heart is breaking down, the longer this goes on the less likely it will work and you could have stopped it, but I need to step in for him. Finn is a necessary piece of this team and he will be reborn as a half-Kagen.” Bright put his hands on Finn’s chest and his body started to glow, golden light sinking in and starting to be produced as Finn’s entire DNA changed.

Bright smiled at the birth of a new Kagen, the DNA that Isaac modified as regeneration energy soured into Finn’s cells and found his DNA, it grabbed onto the pieces of Kagen DNA it found and extended it, changing the shark DNA already located in the mortal.

Bright backed up smiling as bright electricity soured out of the mortal and arced around, flashing from yellow to blue as it did so. The room glowed and Finn’s entire body was engulfed with the energy, his body burning with the force as Isaac took a step back from the whole thing.

…

Isaac handed Finn the flower and pulled the shark in, Finn was completely surprised as Isaac started to kiss him. Finn felt the spark and was drawn in and could only start to kiss back. Finn backed up; Isaac was never the one for affection or much of being a show off.

“Oh good, I had like three glasses of coffee on the way here and do you know how many Wawa’s are on the way here?” Isaac said as he looked at Finn, Finn backed up and realized that the shark might have discovered coffee.

“Three?” Finn said as Isaac pushed him back and slammed him against the other wall, he started to kiss him again and Finn could taste the coffee in his breath. Finn pushed him a bit forward and put his hand on Isaac’s back, he just needed to absorb some of the electricity in his system, slow him down.

He felt Isaac calm down and suddenly looking around, with Finn’s arms back against the wall and people looking at them, he realized what happened. Isaac’s face flashed with embarrassment as he backed up and both of their faces became flustered.  

“Well that happened, uh sorry about that.” Isaac said as he backed up knowing that he had gone a bit too far. At least in his mind, he looked at Finn who blushed as he walked forward again. Isaac rubbed the back of his head and felt himself slowing down as he calmed down.

“Ok, we need to make a public statement and we need to make one quickly. It’s all but a matter of time until the military decides to make one and based on what Iren told me happened yesterday, well then we need to act quickly and do something quickly as well.” Isaac said as he pulled the bag out, he had a nice suit on and for once he was wearing pants or at least that’s what his perception tiler made it look like. 

It was a professional looking suit, something that someone making public appearances would wear. It wasn’t tightened so much as with maybe a suit for prom or a dance, it was more lose and the suit didn’t tighten so quick, he hate a red tie that he tucked under a double breasted suit and under that a vest.

“Ok, I have you a suit as well and I’ve prepared some lines for you as well. You were the only one who saw Owlman that I trusted to be able to speak, so good on you. But as well you are trusted the most, and I got you a suit and some flowers well you know so that you’d come with me.” Isaac said as he flipped the bag over his shoulder and held out his grouping of flowers.

“Well then let’s go.” Finn said as he grabbed the flowers and pulled them up to his face, he sniffed them and they smelt wonderful. He smiled at Isaac and grabbed his hand. They walked forward as they walked towards the next destination.

…

Finn opened his eyes again and he stood up, his body feeling different as he looked around at everyone. Something felt different and strange, putting his hands forward he summoned electricity, he didn’t absorb that electricity, it was electricity he generated on his own.   

And the electricity shifted, arcing around his hands and forming an armor. The shark looked around, he felt different and stranger. Making a smile as he turned to his lover, he leaned in, Isaac only a few inches a taller than a whole foot. Isaac stood still, Finn leaned in and kissed him.

The shark had gone thinner than before, muscular but thin, his frame back and his jacket less fitting. The shark stood still as Finn wrapped his arms around, Finn looked around and saw a dropped box. Grabbing it off the ground Isaac smiled a bit as he looked at it and pulled it open.

“Well then I do think that it is tradition I say yes to this, but you knew I would already, you didn’t have to kill me.” Finn spoke as he grabbed the ring in the box and slid it onto his finger. The shark laughed and then sung his arms around the bigger shark holding him tight. Isaac stood still, the shark moved with such a speed as he did that.

Finn stood back and looked at the glass piece in the lab, walking forward and looking at his refection he saw his muscles tightened, his frame smaller and his body smaller. As he moved, his body almost flashed from point to point, Finn looked back at Isaac the shark completely surprised at the turn.

“Well then Dad, looks like you and me can both generate our own power for our attacks.” Tidus pointed out as he walked over, Finn put his hands up and as he did, he summoned power. Electricity streamed out of nothing and surrounded his body, once again lighting up the whole room.

Finn smiled and looked back at Isaac as he did, running forward and wrapping his arms around his fiancé. Bright and Basil smiled, nodding at each other the sharkgon walked away from the situation, a group of soldiers following him out as he did. 

“Good luck, I think we will all need luck in the coming war.” Tidus said and then he walked away, once again usurped by his father. The shark disappeared but was replaced by another, Bright smiling as he put his hands out.

“So then welcome to the Kagen group, I think you’ll find your senses a bit different, you might notice things that you haven’t before.” Bright raised his eyebrows and turned his head back towards the wall, as he whispered. Finn turned around and saw something that he hadn’t before, a little crack of darkness in the wall, almost like he could reach through it.

And as time passed the shark found himself unable to sleep due to thoughts of what would be behind that crack. So, he sunk out of his bed and walked down into the lab again. What would be behind that wall, he swore he heard things that he didn’t before as he walked towards the crack.

And as he looked around, Finn, seeing things with his new Kagens eyes, the shark saw almost a sliding door on the ground. So, he put his hand on the wall and as he touched the ground it slid away a few inches. The shark was surprised, it had to be a secret section.

…

Finn took a breath as he stepped into the dark room, only a crack of light from the moon behind guiding him in his journey. The shark was careful as he stepped forward but he couldn’t see anything. So carefully he walked over to the wall and rubbed his hand on the wall, and then he found a light switch, when it flicked the shark turned and his eyes deceived him.

A line of containers, like the one he emerged from. The shark took a step forward, there had to be fifteen in all, and eleven were filled with water. The first was empty, only little chunks of dirt floating around. But the second had something solid in it, the feeding tube seemingly floating around but a distorted arm was floating through the water.

Finn paused, the arm was the same color of his. And then he looked forward, this couldn’t have been Isaac’s work. It had to be some sort of military operation he stumbled in on, but as he stepped forward to the next, he realized something. The tube had a body shape in it, this time he could tell it was a shark.

But pieces were ripped out of his body, almost like they had broken away, a body worn away and eyes closed, head nearly crushed but strands of hair floating up, a blue strand of hair caught Finn’s eye as he rubbed his own. The next one he stepped to, the chest was crushed in and hair filled with a purple streak.

Finn paused as he looked at them all, they were him, they were Finn’s all like him, some looked alive and as he reached the most recent he felt sick to his stomach, the poor thing was a near copy. In fact, it seemed well enough to be him, barring the massive hole in his stomach. The poor shark’s intestines floated through the water, the waves and bobble of the shark keeping it along.

Finn felt himself fill with horror as he realized that he wasn’t the first attempt by Isaac to create a clone. And to his horror as he took a breath along the wall, the last one opened it eyes and slammed its hand on the wall. Before closing its eyes again.

Finn stood still, the things in the tubes the parts of them still alive were in pain, probably more than the shark could even imagine. The shark put his hand forward and summoned electricity, this to him was a mercy kill. Isaac had good intentions but he didn’t know how to clean up a mess.

Finn placed his hand on the tank and held it there, electricity passing through into the water filled with salt and other conductive materials, the shark opened its eyes again and then Finn pushed harder, pushing more power through until the shark turned into nothingness, his cells being ripped apart instantly, surely no pain then he had already felt gone.

“And I didn’t think that I would have to hide this from you until I could make sure they were killed properly, but I think you managed to do a good job with that one, want to do it with the other three. When I look at them I can’t kill them, they look to much like you.” Isaac spoke with horror in his eyes as he walked into the room, Finn turning.

“So then you did this, and you let them exist here. While they disposed, and were torn apart by their own bodies!” Finn turned toward Isaac with anger filling his body, he knew it was for himself and it was a good cause, but this wasn’t how you did something.

…

“Hold on I think you are about to do something you might regret.” Finn turned and looked at a man in a rose suit, the devil before him. Finn smiled and looked at the man trying to appear calm but even he couldn’t hold that. He was enraged.

“I’m sorry but did you not hear Isaac, he did this for you. He couldn’t kill them because they look like you, consider me a little bit of an advisor and I advise you to not do what you’re thinking because you will regret it.” The devil spoke as he leaned with his red shoes up on his desk, smiling as he did.

“He cloned me and let them exist in pain, I can’t just ignore that.” Finn opened his eyes again and he was back in the lab, he looked over at the Finn’s the timescale that they existed in, how far Isaac managed to get. But he felt his eyes close again.

“Yes but he did this to bring you back, and each one is how far he got. The last one was only created the day earlier and they weren’t in pain, Isaac was planning to dispose of them, he had their feeding tubes spiked with pain medicine as well if you may know.” The devil spoke and then he held his hands up.

“All life is precious remember that and remember that Isaac worked himself tirelessly in order to bring you back because he believed in you.” The devil spoke and then he clapped, Finn was back. The shark collapsed again this time out of emotion and Isaac walked over.

“I’m sorry but I couldn’t let you stay dead but I couldn’t kill you again, do you think you can help me?” Isaac asked and Finn sorrowed as he leaned down in the shark’s arm.

…

Of course in the game of life, everything had been building up to that. Maybe if their life were a board game then perhaps, it would appear to be a singular path, the only one you could take in order to get into that one situation. Of course, that would be wrong, maybe different paths would end in the same situation everything the same but different memories. Think of when the universe was created, all the chemicals and properties that had to be established and gathered in order for multiple complex molecules to exist.  

Yet still the Outsiders still fight, every day they fight while the nanobots push themselves into hiding and the Kagens and the Riftwalkers keep fighting into eternity. War would be established but for who knows how long it would stay like that, or not. Maybe war would keep its foundation for one month, or three days before it broke down again and then peace was threatened again, but then that was how it always went. Sometimes things happened like they were supposed to and then sometimes the car of life took a dive off the road and drove through the corn.

Still life happened on Tau Ceti in some universes, a star light years away from Earth, it just so managed that life had been established there as well. How random would it have been that life was just established there or was it not random instead did electromagnetic differences pull just a molecule mover enough that the chemicals for life gathered on that star instead of ours. Is the universe random chance, seemingly endless combination of molecules knocking off each other and combining with each other?

“I’m not sure but if over the years that I’ve existed and seen this planet, there is one thing that I am most sure of… I the nanobot master will be revealing myself soon, after the traitor appears as well.” The man stood up as he looked in front of his empty empire, most of the nanobots had been taken by Joss and he stood over an empty empire. He had nothing for himself to control.

So, stepping forward, the man looked out of the window and pondered to himself as he wondered what could be done for the war effort. HIs knowledge of this time was vast and he knew what options the Outsiders could take before him. Holding his hand out the nanobot master smiled as his hand changed into a knife and the man looked up into it, how his face has changed over the year.

And as he twisted his head, his fin bobbed back and forth.