Metallic Sunset

Chapter 1: She Comes

~April 6th, 7:26 pm, 2090, Earth~

The sunset turned gray. Earth was shrouded by a new threat. No one has recovered from the losses suffered last year when the Hive invaded for the last time. Unlike the last time the sun was darkened on a planet, communications are operational. William, who was on Earth at the time, rushed to the communications room in the capital building to contact the remnants of the Planetary Alliance. "We need assistance. Something, or someone is turning the sky... gray, almost metallic." William said urgently. Phillip, on Trite, was the one who picked up. "That sounds hardly like a threat. It's probably just some kid playing the coolest prank of all time." Phillip said not taking William seriously. "I can assure you, after what happened on Zaleth, this is a new threat. I don't think the Helios soldiers can defeat this thing without your help." William begged. "It'll be okay. After all, you're the strongest system after Quell, or so you claim. I think it's time that you get some evidence for that." Phillip said still thinking William is joking. Phillip hung up. "Caleb, get in here!" William ordered. Caleb and his cohort; Ayami, Hiroka, Shinsuke, and Onna Akane, entered the room. "What is it?" Caleb asked. "Find out what that thing is." William ordered. Caleb and his cohort nodded as they exited the room and headed for the streets. 

"You hear about that vigilante in Tokyo?" Ayami asked as the cohort walked towards the entrance/exit of the capital building. "I heard it's Sheila, the dictator from Quell who died, and I though she was in London." Onna answered. "I heard it was just a random person and that she's in Moscow." Shinsuke said butting into the conversation. "I heard the same as Ayami." Hiroka said. "You think she'll up here?" Ayami asked. "Here?! In Berlin?! As if." Everyone, but Caleb, answered. "Shush. We need to focus." Caleb said as they entered a building. They walked to the roof to get a better view of what, or who, is turning the sky gray. Caleb put on his new helmet with built in binoculars. Caleb had his cohort do the same. The group looked at space and saw a giant, gray robot with blue glowing accents and some sort of floating throne. "Who the heck is that?!" Caleb asked in shock. "I see a giant robot and a floating throne. I shouldn't have stayed up for two days." Ayami said sarcastically. "That's there." Shinsuke and Onna said confused. The floating throne came down to Earth, specifically to Caleb's location.

"I see that you're scouting me." The Architect said. She was wearing armor of the same metal as the robot, but with red neon glowing accents instead of blue. Her helmet had the same look. The face plate resembled a skull without a nose, the eyes would be replaced with red one way visors. She had a voice modulator attached to the mouth of her helmet. "I've done the same with this Alliance since the day the one you all call James and his merry men went to the Gilt system. Of course, I have gathered more data on you then you will ever one me." The Architect said. Caleb and his cohort stared in fear. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am The Architect." The Architect said as she stood up. A spherical robot came out from behind her throne. It opened up, having only a metal pole supporting the two half spheres. Two eye sockets opened up, revealing two neon blue eyes. The color scheme was the same as The Architect's armor. "Hey CLYDE, how are you?" The Architect asked as she pressed a button on the robot which revealed her scepter. "You're much nicer to that robot than you are to your fellow humans." Caleb pointed out. She put the scepter to his neck. "Bye now." The Architect said as she stabbed into Caleb's neck. Caleb fell to the floor and began bleeding out. Ayami, Shinsuke, and Onna picked Caleb up and attempted to bring him back to William. The Architect walked onto the building. "Run all you want, Caleb, Ayami, Shinsuke, and Onna. You won't survive the first attack." The Architect said laughing. She evaluated the city of Berlin. She was disgusted. "What primitive technology. Pitiful." The Architect said as she was pushed by a cloaked woman. 

"Well, if it isn't Earth's vigilante." The Architect said straightening her helmet. "At least you don't know my name." The vigilante said smiling under her cloak. "You're funny, Sheila." The Architect said as she stabbed Sheila's cloak with her scepter and ripped it off. "How did you-" Sheila asked being interrupted. "Know? Easy, I saw you leave Celestial two years ago after faking your death." The Architect interrupted. Sheila threw a punch with The Gauntlet. The Architect caught The Gauntlet and twister Sheila's hand. "An artifact is only as strong as its wielder, and you're too weak to beat me by yourself." The Architect said kicking Sheila down. Her robotic arm was ripped completely off. The Architect threw The Gauntlet at Sheila's feet. "I'll spare you." The Architect said as she turned around and walked towards her throne. "How dare you turn your back on me!" Sheila yelled. The Architect ignored her and put her scepter back in CLYDE and sits on her throne. "Jacob Melbourne is on Trite. He's in a shack 30 miles south of Nisha City." The Architect said as she flew back up to her robot. 

~Earth's capital building, infirmary~

Caleb was rushed into the infirmary. Luckily, he will survive, but won't be able to speak for the remainder of his life. "The doctor said you need rest and that your vocal cords are ruined." Ayami said saddened that her boss can't speak. Caleb looked shock and tried to get up. He felt pain in his neck and lied back down. "Let's go find that bitch!" Shinsuke said angrily. "I agree. Our spaceship is in the spaceport, let's go." Onna said agreeing with Shinsuke. Ayami followed them also. The trio ran straight for the spaceport as the entire city was still staring up at the sky. The sun was almost down. The first metallic night was about to come.