Close Nemesis

Chapter Twenty-Four: Oppugnant Meets Televisore

LAIVA:

After Rotcetorp's ally picked him up from Garbatrak, I returned to the charging room, where I slept inside an opening that had been cut away from one of its four walls. When I awoke, I redressed myself into my costume and noticed that the majority of the robots were currently charging themselves inside the room. By the time I made my way into the control room, I found only one robot working alone at a panel.

Now, I stand outside, watching the earthgulls fly overhead in the greenish brown sky.

I jump into the air, levitating above the drying mud covered in occasional strands of lush green grass.

As I rise into the sky, I stare at the shrinking trash mountains below. Then, I stare back into the atmosphere, and speed upwards into the blackness of space.

I then allow myself to float, catching the glare from the molten surface of the nearby moon. The surface appears as crinkled as creased circular slices of carradishot, a red-orange root vegetable found commonly in the jungles of Teglyo and on the farms of Namuhsolia.

I scan the starfields for the Podplanata system, which is distinguished by three bright dots squished tightly next to each other. When I finally locate Podplanata, I speed towards the Podplanata system at the speed of light, and after several seconds, I arrive above the three conjoined planets.

I don't really know why I'm here. I'm just bored, I guess. I'm always bored. But, still, I live life to the fullest.

I guess I'm just looking for something to do, and knowing that there is a civil war brewing between the planets, I know that I have to stop it.

To the rest of the galaxy, I am the villain. But, I am not a villain. I'm just trying to do what's right.

Suddenly, there is a flash of blue light in front of me. The light disappears to reveal muscular figure with bulky white coal armour and a golden noseless mask with glowing green eyes. The figure bears a stylized 'T' symbol on their chest, and I shiver as I realize that this must've been the vigilante Rotcetorp encountered.

The figure finally speaks.

"Oppugnant, it is nice to finally meet you! I am TeleVisore!"

"Who cares?!!!" I remark in an uninterested tone, before firing a beam of plasma at TeleVisore's chest, knocking them into the stone-grey atmosphere of Podplanata I.

I turn to the starry void of space before once again zooming through the galaxy at the speed of light until I reach Occos II.

Upon arrival over the familiar bluish-purple world of Occos II, I begin my descent into the clouds, towards the lights of Entrek.

When the wooden skyscrapers of the city come into view, I notice the burnt husk of the former apartment tower Xalir and I lived within. I fly through a hole where the glass of the window should be, and step over the charred floor of the lounge room. I sit on the charred skeletal frame of the couch, staring towards a pile of ash.

Suddenly, my periphery catches the bright blue glare of a flash of light. I turn around to the charred window frame, where TeleVisore stands. Smaller flashes of blue light appear, as sharp knives soar through the air towards me.

I stop the knives in their tracks with my mimicked air powers, keeping them centimetres away from my chest. Then, I manipulate the air around knives to turn the tips of their blades towards TeleVisore.

"What do you want?" I scoff.

"To kill you and Rotcetorp!"

"Well, that ain't gonna happen!" I boom angrily, before projecting flames towards the white coal armour of TeleVisore. However, the armour doesn't burn, and TeleVisore laughs.

"I am impervious to your attacks!" TeleVisore announces. "You two will pay for all the destruction! Not even Teglyo can hold you! You must be stopped!"

"Really?" I remark with a playful yawn, before firing another plasma blast towards TeleVisore. They smash through the wall, and I use this as an opportunity to speed away from Occos II.

Once I enter space, I speed back towards Garbatrak at the speed of light.

There, I shall contact the present version of Zieré and discuss this new problem.