Chapter Text
Zaybi and all the rest of his crew were traversing the bushy burrows of a thick forest, listening to any suspicious sounds.
They were following [the 2 guys from Gaia] through the forest, alert to any threat possible, the verdant forest was incredibly calm at night, that’s why they opted for this option instead of Celestia’s suburbs.
“You say there’s an undercity near this place?” asked Zaybi.
“Yes, we got separated after the worlds collided, but I can tell, there’s signs of humanity, the settlement is still active.”
The darkness was threatening, but most animals and insects were sleeping soundly, only a few moths, ants and a pair of threatening eyes staring at them from the shadows.
A shadow that flew down on them snatching a large wagon off into its powerful talons.
It was so sudden it left most people confused, but alert to the real danger.
“Beasts! Hide among the trees!”
Everyone hid themselves among the large trees of this forest, standing behind their large frame to avoid the big glowing eyes hunting for any movement.
Zaybi looked to the side, and he saw the large glowing eyes lock in on him specifically. Not a second too late to move before the massive talons scratched at the bark of the tree where he stood. This owl was famished and looked up to its next meal, the sorcerer laid down at its feet.
It tried to pecker at the sorcerer, but it got held back by a magical barrier, Zaybi manifested a barrier with the help of his staff. “High level magic, arcane shield!”
He used that time he gained to flee, putting as much distance between him and the owl. He was also in the process of luring the owl away from his comrades, if he failed to evade this beast, at least they would be safe.
The owl couldn’t make sense of the translucent barrier in front of it and tried crushing it with its talon, without success. It spent too much time on it before flying back and up to follow Zaybi.
Zaybi was hiding inside bushes, looking at the large claws coming out of these talons. The owl was on the prowl, twisting its head 270 degrees around to look for any disturbances.
Zaybi didn’t dare move, it would be suicide to do so, that is until he felt something crawling up his leg, with many legs piercing into his skin.
Zaybi shooed the insect climbing up on him and it showed its mandibles to him in a threatening manner, before getting snapped by a powerful talon.
Zaybi was caught in the crossfire, the large insect being eaten by the bird, and Zaybi clinging onto the carcass of the insect, the ground was so far below.
The owl turned its gaze towards him, and lunged ready to swallow him whole within its beak.
A torrent of light fell down on the owl crushing it completely, leaving but its appendage on the ground next to Zaybi.
The light retracted to show a metallic building spawned out of thin air, the building was expanding and deflating, as if it was actively breathing.
A large forcefield appeared right next to it, illuminating the whole place, a purple force field expanding forward behind Zaybi.
Zaybi was looking at this thing, unsure what to think, could it be new alien tech he didn’t see before? No, the figure appearing before him looked nothing like a madalan, they looked more akin to Mecha Ordinance with their exosuits.
The person’s helmet split open down the middle to reveal a human inside. “Captain Zaybi, it is a pleasure to meet you!”
Zaybi was confused, how did he know his name? “Hello, do we know each other?”
The figure had a hearty laugh before answering. “No, not yet!”
Before he said anything else, a squadron of other humans showed up in exosuits, with the same particularity of a liquid metal. They carried some strange guns spraying a laser.
The force field was now complete, held up by this breathing machine besides them all. “I have to save my people! They’re stuck on the other side!”
The main figure of authority calmed Zaybi. “We know, they are safe for the time being, you must be hungry, we prepared a meal to celebrate your arrival in our base of operation, captain Zaybi.”
A group of scout traversed the force field with Zaybi’s group, still holding their weird weaponry. Everyone was safe, Zaybi didn’t sacrifice himself for nothing afterall, but to think there existed a group of humans so well equipped to deal with the natural enemies here, it was almost unbelievable, where did they come from? Zaybi thought the Mecha Ordinance was on the verge of defeat at the hands of the robot.
The main figure, with a bald head, side eyed the mage, and laughed. “I know you must be wondering what’s happening right now, but worry not, we’ll explain in detail the situation around a good meal.”
And so they headed back towards the tower, a gigantic tower situated in the middle of a large purple translucent dome elevated high in the sky. “This is our base of operation, this is where we settle, this is… Futuria.”
The interior was pretty spacious, everything was made of this viscous metallic substance, there was even soldiers popping out of the walls at random, walking through the thick jelly as if it was nothing but air. Zaybi touched it and it was solid as steel, how did they manage that?
The main figure was revealed to be a lieutenant, he adressed the group, “Welcome to Futuria, young people of the new world, this is our strategic base of operation inside this world. This is where we’ll vanquish the enemies and establish a long lasting peace for humanity’s remnant. No longer are we going to let ourselves be dominated by the natural enemies, we will fight back and reclaim our heritage!”
The cafeteria was luxurious, a real feast for the eyes and mouth. Large steaks, overgrown legumes and desserts, there was enough for everyone, quite literally. Once everyone was satisfied and the last piece of dessert eaten, the lieutenant talked to Zaybi alone. “Captain Zaybi, as I’ve discussed prior, our tasks here is to save humanity, make sure to ready your people to join in the effort, we cannot afford any miscalculations and everyone should do their parts to increase our likely hood of success.”
Zaybi asked, because something was still puzzling him. “You still haven’t told me what you were, how did you manage to organize such efficient defenses? And Futuria, what is it exactly, is this becoming the new capital of the world? Won’t that attract the enemies?”
The lieutenant answered stoically. “Not to worry, this is where we have settled our capital in the past, there’s a timed bomb lodged inside the tower for when the time comes. If you haven’t understood by now, captain, we are humans, we are not enemies, we simply come from the far future.”
This revelation amazed Zaybi, but it also scared him all the same. “The future? That future?? So we’re going to live to see another day then, that’s a relief.”
“And many more days, but the enemies have grown far too powerful, there is no more alternative for us but to turn to the past, to rectify the mistakes of our ancestors.”
Zaybi looked with a questionning eye. “Just how far in the future are we talking about?”
The lieutenant kept his mouth shut. “This is classified information, captain Zaybi. Revealing this information could compromise the stability of the time continuum.”
Zaybi didn’t understand what this contingum was, but he didn’t need to know, he could trust them to enact their plans, they were vastly more prepared to deal with the enemies than Zaybi ever could be. “That’s fine, thanks for illuminating me, I’ll make sure to gather our group and we’ll do the work that needs to be done.”
On these words, Zaybi went back to the dining room to talk to his large group of survivors, just as the tables morphed into beds to prepare for the night. The lieutenant headed towards the top of the tower by ascending through the metallic alloy, this technology was so efficient in its form he could almost feel like a neo human.
Near the top waited a single phone, a retrograde artifact of a bygone era, but fortunately the last remaining model that worked well, a phone to contact the future.
It rang instantly as he stepped into the chamber, each ringing becoming a little louder inside his head. He answered the phone.
“How well was it, to meet the captain for the first time?”
The lieutenant answered, “It was nice, he was way different than I remember, it’s probably the time he’s missing that’ll change him.”
The deep voice on the other end continued, “Indeed, time has not been kind to him, and it will only get worse, unless you can prevent it, that’s our motto.”
“Prevent the catastrophe before it happens…”
“Yes, we need to prevent this gloomy future from realising, your task is not done yet, lieutenant, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but you have my full blessing, accompany Zaybi and make sure he developps into a courageous man, because he will become our salvation.”
The lieutenant acquiesced, because he was talking to the highest figure in this organization, the admiral. Normally, he would have his commander relay information to him, but the admiral insisted on directing this operation himself, the commander would join later when it will be needed.
“Be sure to bring him with you on your missions, I have already updated your calendar, make sure he understands the gravity of the situation he is in, the weight of the world pulling him down, and make sure to give him hope for a better future, because only he is able to realize that future. Accomplish your mission and you will be rewarded accordingly.”
The lieutenant bowed and thanked him, the admiral was scary, he was ruthless, but that’s only natural. That’s how you survived against the natural enemies, that’s how you managed to live for so long holding onto a sliver of hope. That’s how you send people to the past, to colonize it before the others can, because that is the only way to make sure the convergence won’t happen.
Yes, the lieutenant will accomplish his mission, he will teach Zaybi a thing or two about Futuria, about the future awaiting him, and the way to destroy the natural enemies. He will do so, to repay a debt he owed to his old friend, Zaybi.
“Gyuta, there’s movement on the radar, five robots will breach the north-west barrier in two minutes.”
The lieutenant acquiesced, he had a duty to fulfill, and his primary task was to ensure the survival of humanity, he’ll do it for his old friend’s sake, for Zaybi.