Reverie Visage

Chapter 6: Mixcoatl

"Friends... Family... Citizens of Nihilaeon... The world as we know it is at risk of being consumed by unprecedented darkness."

Like a lighthouse against the ocean, a man in highly decorated uniform stood in front of a mile-wide skyscraper before a crowd that seemed to stretch past the horizon, basking in a light from above that few got the chance to so much as gaze upon, the sun. The sky was clear, not a single cloud hung from the gradient azure haze, a haze that seemed to press on forever in a sky with no ceiling or end.

"I am proud to announce that the trial run of The Codex was a sweeping success. With it, we were able to successfully predict the most likely outcome of a planet that has been blocked from the sun, a planet known by its inhabitants as Earth."

The voice he droned with showed his age just as much as his face. Wrinkles formed miniature waves along his maroon, alien face. Each strand of his gray hair was dense and stiff, almost like a thick fiber, not a single piece of it falling out of place or flowing with the somewhat forceful wind.

"My words alone do not do justice to this monolithic breakthrough in science. That is why I would like to introduce you all to the man behind this discovery and the creation of The Codex," he took a drawn out sigh before finally lifting his hand in a welcoming gesture. "Everyone, please give it up for Mandel Mictlan, the lead engineer and head of the Mixcoatl research division."

With a nod and subsequent bow, the man in uniform stepped back to greet another person. He gave the crowd one last smile before extending a hand to his guest, but when he turned his head to meet eyes, the smile all but ran away from his face. "Oh my--" the old man exclaimed, rushing away from the microphone. "what in the world happened to you?!"
The younger man, wearing a long, white labcoat and wrinkled, mint green v-neck underneath, cocked his head and shrugged, rolling his eyes nonchalantly.
"It's just a missing leg, sugar. I'll be fine. Don't need all my legs to make a speech," Mandel sighed. He tried stepping forward, but was immediately gripped by the shoulder and spun around.
"It certainly is not fine! Is this how you plan to represent your branch?!"
"I um... I lost it in the lab, if that says anything. Either way, I'm wearing a bionic prosthetic, nobody will even notice the difference," he patted his right thigh, which echoed like an aluminum can. From halfway down his upper leg, there was nothing but metal. The replaced leg had a professional-looking design, crafted almost like an actual leg. Cables and elastic polymers formed what looked  like muscles underneath a black plating that looked almost like armor, though by the way he stood and walked so casually, one could almost be convinced it was real. "Pretty chic, isn't it? Yeah, it's not as weird to do this as you might think. I heard replacing body parts used to be really trendy somewhere... Now if you will excuse me, big boy, I have a statement to make."

Mandel trudged up to the podium with his left hand in his pocket. He clearly wanted to do the same with his right, but that pocket had been obscured by the prosthetic leg, thus opting him to rest the hand on his hip. His slight limp and the bent bristles of his blue hair gave off a completely opposite impression from the older man. Unlike him, Mandel rarely spoke publicly, much less left his workspace at all. If it wasn't strictly pertaining to his work or basic living, it was far from a priority.

Once the man finally reached the platform, he looked out to the thousands of people, all with their eyes on him. His heart began to beat faster, but he did not feel embarrassed or frightened, at least not that his expression showed. His chest was pulsing, but his mind was completely still. Mandel suppressed the feeling and leaned forward, poking the microphone.

"Thank you, General Sigvald," he announced. Before continuing, he slicked his wirey hair back and took a deep breath. He knew exactly why he was called up there, and it was not merely to talk about his invention. There was another matter close at hand that he knew those countless people were relying on him for. "As you all may know... our planet, Nihilaeon, may only have weeks left before it ends up like Earth... like the other three planets in our solar system that have had their skies blackened by clouds. Our intel and personal accounts tell us that this all began roughly fifty years ago when an impassible barrier encircled our solar system. Though many, many attempts have been made, there is currently no power source on our planet strong enough to cut through the wall of energy, nor is there a way to simply get in or out of its captivity... Look up to the sky now,"