Alex – Heart Of The Vanguard

__________*_Alex_*__________

I watched in horror as Reikon blew Wrex to pieces using an over charged plasma jet, pieces of him flying everywhere. I was a blubbering mess... Forced to watch, being unable to close my eyes and restrained by god knows what, I was seemingly just strung up in mid air by the black gloop that had been covering and surrounding me of late on the marble floor. My forearms, lower legs and tail were engulfed by the moving secretion.

Reikon: "Again?" She turned to me to ask, yet again! She was in her Draconian form, wearing my old stolen black and red Mk3 armour it seems, back from when I was a full on Dragon, her face exposed in the open helmet.

Me: "Just stop... Please." I sobbed. She made a throaty chuckle before turning her head back to a reforming Wrex, suddenly bursting back to life and falling to his hands and knees...

Wrex: " *Gasp* *Pant* Alex... Please... Make her stop! I can't take it anymore..."

Reikon: "Oh yeah... this one's quite painful... Watch this Alex..."

Me: "Leave him alone!" She ignored me and stepped up to Wrex, placing her hand briefly on the side of his face. As soon as she removed her hand instantly Wrex screamed in agony, falling to his side and curling into a ball but still thrashing in agony. After a few seconds of continued screaming his skin visibly started smoking all over.

Me: "STOP IT! JUST STOP IT ALREADY! PLEASE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Reikon: "keep watching Alex, here comes the good bit..."

There was a little lick of flame came from the corner of Wrex's mouth... Then a small one from his ear then his eyes... The flames gradually grew bigger and his continued screamed now suddenly screeched out into silence, yet he was still thrashing...

Reikon: "I let you know what's going on... His voice box has just been burnt out, along with some of his insides, he should be dead but I'm keeping him alive just long enough to endure this..."

Me: "You fucking bitch! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Reikon: "Oh Alex... That's never going to happen... because you're never getting out of here... Oh, oops... He just died again, sorry, I couldn't hold him, he just didn't quite have it in him." She smirked in a sinister fashion, just as Wrex's body erupted in multiple flames all over, spreading quickly now... The disgusting smell of burning flesh filling my nostrils... I would probably have gagged if I wasn't so distraught.

Reikon: "Shall we go again?"

Me: "Fuck you." I replied through gritted teeth.

Reikon: "Let's swap this up a bit..." She clicked her fingers, Wrex's smouldering body disappeared in an instant and in a large cloud of red and purple mist, a large glass tank formed and inside it was Wrex, 42, Jinx, Sora and Sarah, in her Human form, before she had the accident. They all looked around confused, Wrex and Sora being the first ones to try to break out, either smashing at the glass or prying at the corners, but their Attempts failed. Sarah even caught sight of me and started banging her fists against the glass at me, and screaming something, but the thick glass was making her speech muffled.

Me: "What are you going to do to them?"

Reikon: "Letting them believe that they are safe."

Me: "Why? Why can't you just leave them alone?"

Reikon: "Because it's fun." She snapped her fingers again, now the glass tank started filling with water, not slowly either, rising up through the floor by a few inches every second. Their panic now turned to extreme levels as they all thrashed against the glass as the water gradually engulfed them.

Me: "Stop it already! Why are you doing this to them?! They have done nothing wrong!"

Reikon: "Because Alex, I want to break YOU. Your 'family',..." She gestured to the guys in the tank, "...as you think of them, mean the world to you, I know. So, by watching them suffer I know you're suffering. I want your mind to crumble and cave in, I want you to give up the last tiny little hold you have on your pathetic little existence because as soon as you do I will be unstoppable. Oh! look look look! They're just about to start drowning!"

Sure enough the water had just covered their heads at the top of the tank. They all thrashed and attacked the top of the tank to no avail.

Me: "Stop it! Just let them go!..."

But Reikon ignored me, merely smirked as  she watched their thrashing slow to next to nothing. Sarah was the first to succumb, her tiny lungs unable to hold the vast amounts of air that a Draconian could. She went limp and dropped toward the bottom, Wrex even caught her and held her up, shaking her, trying to get her to regain consciousness. "...Noo..." I said mournfully. But as much as they all tried they couldn't find an escape from their watery death, one by one they collapsed to the bottom... still... Lifeless... Wrex had even dropped Sarah now and barely moved before he himself slumped to the bottom... I was now balling tears, feeling so guilty from being unable to help... I had let them down.

Me: "You... Are a fucking monster." I snarled at Reikon who turned to me and smiled.

Reikon: "Indeed... Let's go again."

Me: "NOO!" She clicked her fingers once more, the tank and their drowned bodies disappeared, apart from Wrex. He lay soaked on the floor, motionless... Water flowing from him mouth. He retched, coughed, spluttered and threw up a load more water as he partially pulled himself up from the floor with a gasp and more retching and water spewing.

Reikon: "Aww... Poor Wrex... He's all cold and wet!..." She mocked, "... let's warm him up eh?" She clicked her fingers once again, now suddenly Wrex was tied to some sort of metal stake with a pile of logs beneath him. Reikon clicked her fingers again and now a small fire started at the base of the wood pile.

Wrex: "Argh, no no no!" He said as he tried fruitlessly to move his bound feet away away from the flames that started to lick around them.

Me: "Please... just stop already..." I finished in a sob.

__________*_Wrex_*__________

We heard roars in every direction as we ran through the Palace.

Jinx: "What the hell is going on?!"

An Honour Guard appeared up a ahead, seemingly thrown from an adjacent corridor, crashed to the floor, knocking his helmet off process. He quickly stood and roared in the direction that he came from and an enraged mob of aggressors appeared, but he charged on still anyway.

Wrex: "ASSIST FURY!" ... 'Why I shouted that to the team, I do not know... Apart from Star Light, this wasn't my team, my family that I was a part of so long ago... guess it was just nice to be fighting along side a team again...' But nevertheless... They followed my command... 42, Sora, Jinx, Sarah and myself... and even the four Honour Guards including Star Light that were escorting us, we piled in, ripping apart the angry mob of invading Draconians.

It was chaos, but with nine of us, it didn't take long to quell them with varying combinations of the Guard's staffs, plasma rounds and tail blades, the rescue of the now rather beaten and singled out Honour Guard proved successful.

Lone Guard: " *Pant pant* thank you *pant*..." He said as 42 extended a hand and pulled him from the floor. "... multiple entries *pant* rioters... Taken us by surprise."

Wrex: "This isn't a riot, it's much worse, this is coup."

Sora: "And the instigator is on her way to kill my mother!"

Jinx: "If she's not there already!"

Wrex: "Ensure the garrisons are on route..." I directed to the lone Guard, "...Warriors, Strike Teams, Honour Guards, even if they are off duty! Get everyone in here if they're not already!" He nodded in reply and started to hobble away.

Sora: "We need to go, please!" She stated while hopping over some of the bodies.

__________*_Arisu_*__________

Where one wing off of my study housed the Heart of the Vanguard, the other housed a bed. Although these were not my normal living quarters, this room simply served as some place I could rest should I so wished. However, right this moment, it served as a retreat, a hiding spot... I peered over the bed and down the hall that moments ago was filled with shouts and screams of my Honour Guards, now silent, with their bodies littering the floor.

Reikon: "Bring her to me!" I heard my sister's voice from down the hall from the main study and I trembled in fear even moreso as a fizzling electricity sounded from beside me and Craven appeared, visor flicked up and instantly grabbed me by the neck and hoisted me from beside the bed.

Craven: "This way, 'your majesty'." She mocked, dragging me around the room toward the door.

Arisu: "You know this is treason of the highest order!" She pushed me into the corridor, ignoring my statement. I stumbled and whimpered as I was forced to walk over the bodies of the Guards, all profuriously bleeding from a variety of sources, my robe collecting some of the blood and staining the hem as I gingerly stepped over them.

Reikon: "Wait outside... Let no one enter, is that clear?" I heard her telling someone else then the main doors closed. I entered the main study, stopping at the doorway and gasping at yet more bodies of the Guards. There was Alex, or rather, my sister, Reikon, stepping between the bodies in the lower half of the room to one that was still moving and moaning. She drew her arm back and stabbed him through the chest with a long blade the was attached to the armour on her arm. A slight strained gasp escaped him as he reached a hand out shakily towards her which then it flopped to the floor as the life left him. Satisfied, she removed the blade which quickly receded into the gauntlet on her arm and her helmeted head turned to look at me, the face plates opening on the helmet she was wearing, revealing a mostly Human face.

Reikon: "Sister..." She acknowledged me with a sinister hiss.

I was shoved into the main study and I turned to face Craven.

Arisu: "If you keep pushing me, I'll-

Reikon: "-Do what? Come now dear sister, you were always spiteful to me, but always played the innocent one in public, so surely making threats just isn't your style?"

Arisu: "How is it you're alive?" I asked, skirting around the front of my desk, keeping my front to her as she approached me, heading up the small steps.

Reikon: "Let's for the sake simplicity, call it fate."

Arisu: "Then why are you here?"

Reikon: "The throne was always destined to be mine... And you denied it from me!"

A buzz of gun fire emanated from beyond the main study doors, but this didn't phase my sister's advance at all, if anything it only increased it.

Arisu: "You denied it from yourself! Had you followed the rules, done what was right and followed our mother's wishes, things could well have been different!"

Reikon: "Don't try to ridicule me! You always wanted control, always wanted to overshadow me!"

Arisu: "What do you want from me?"

Reikon: "Your life." She replied almost too calmly as she stepped into the upper area of the room, closing in on me.

Arisu: "Sister please... Don't do this, I beg you... I would never have wished upon you what has happened." I pleaded with fear as I rounded behind my desk...

__________*_Wrex_*________

We skirted around the corner, into the corridor that lead to the Queen's study and skidded to a halt...

Jinx: "What the fuck is that?!"

We all stared at what could only be described as an oversized version of our armours, battleship grey in colour, easily a couple of feet taller than me and the bulk to match. The bulky armoured character turned in front of the study doors upon hearing us.

Wrex: "Oh fucking hell..."

Skylen: "WREX!!" His furious voice emanating from inside the armour.

Wrex: "Skylen??!!" He wasted no time though, raised both of his arms which had mounted on them... Fucking miniguns!

*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*

The hallway lit up as rounds hit all the stone surfaces, sending large plumes of dust in every direction. I shoved Sora back round the corner just as the rounds started pinging of my armour and I dived round myself, the others following us.

Sarah: "Asshole!... Ripped off my design!" She shouted, almost sounding distraught as she peeked around the corner, pulling her head back as more of the corner exploded as the rounds continued and shredded it.

Sora: "I need to get into that room!" Her voice now sounding desperate and worried.

42: "And just to add to our problems..."

I turned to see him looking down the hall where we originally came from,

"THERE!" A Draconian wearing a damaged and bloody Honour Guard helmet as a trophy pointed in our direction and the mob of Draconians falling in behind him and the group charging towards us.

Jinx: "We're fucked!"

Wrex: "No! We're outnumbered but not outgunned! Sora, I'm going to take on Skylen, once he's distracted you need sneak past, the rest of you follow Star Light's lead, take them out. Move!" The mob was almost on top of us but  immediately, Sarah, Jinx and 42 pushed forwards and started firing off rounds of plasma with Star Light using her staff with great effect on closer targets, twirling it in the air majestically from side to side and taking out the opposition as they got close enough. Meanwhile Sora and myself edged to the corner,

Sora: "So what's your plan again?"

Wrex: "I'm going to distract him for you."

Sora: "Then I hope that armour is tougher than it looks."

Wrex: "Me too..." And I stepped out from the corner into a run, towards my advancing brother who immediately started firing again, the rounds once again pinging off of my armour darting randomly, this way and that. He went wallop me as I slid past him and ended up pounding the floor as I grabbed the armour on his tail, flipping myself up on to his back. I tried to disarm him of his cannon but it was locked to his back. He growled in frustration as he reached over his back, grabbed my head, ripping me off of him and throwing me against the wall and fell to the floor.

Skylen: "You'll never get to her!" He turned to face and stomped towards me.

Wrex: "What happened to you?! Reikon's hatred and lust for power infected you! This isn't you!"

Skylen: "She showed me more about true leadership than you ever did!"

He raised his massive armoured foot to stomp on me so I quickly angled myself against the wall to use my jets, blasting myself away from it and wiping out his remaining standing leg in the process as I slid at speed along the floor. He crashed to the floor with a massive thud, snarling in rage as we both quickly stood back up and faced each other at opposite sides of the hall. I ran at him, jetted up to get some height on to try to hit him, but instead he easily swatted me from the air.

Skylen: "I have always been faster than you, why do you even try?!" He questioned as he started circling me.

Wrex: " *Groan* because I have to."

Skylen: "So even to this day you resist by choosing Arisu's side?! Why?!"

Wrex: "It's not just that, you were my brother! We took you in, raised you as a member of the family! You were as good as blood! You're my responsibility and now look at what you've become! Turned against everything you swore to protect!"

Skylen: "Fool... When the storm rolls in you either roll with it, riding the waves through or get the hell out of the way. Can you not see?! My dear Reikon's return from the grave is testament of her resolve! The coming storm... and it terrifies you!"

I pulled myself from the floor,

Wrex: "Well, I wouldn't exactly call her a comfort!..." I jumped off the floor at him tackling him to the floor, we rolled around as we tore away each other. "...you might have been faster than me, but... *grunt* ...building this stupid hulking armour, you've robbed yourself of your... *grunt* argh!... one and only advantage!" I kicked myself away from him. He crouched in a braced position on his left hand but were both suddenly distracted...

Sora: "NOOOOOOO!" She screeched in such an ear splitting scream, we both turned to see she had indeed at some point manage to slip past us and was now stood in the doorway to the study, looking in, but I couldn't see what she was distraught by, but what ever it was, it can't have been good. Skylen snarled, grabbed his cannon off of his back, aimed towards Sora. I quickly launched myself at him, knocking his gun up. It fired, *Pow* and hit the ceiling blowing a large hole in the fancy stone work and showering the hall with yet more debris.

He smashed me in the face away from him and aimed his cannon at me now and quickly fired, *Pow* I rolled to the side as the round just missed me, returning fire from each arm back at him, one round missed, the other clipped him in the shoulder.

Skylen: "Arrgghh!" He spun on the spot as a result, charging his cannon as he did for a larger shot, the whining increasing in pitch. As soon as he was centered on me, he aimed and released the shot *POW*, I had no time to move the shot smashed me in the chest and sent me flying into the wall. Before I even had a chance to recover Skylen charged at me with a rageful scream, smashing me into and through the external wall. We fell, exchanging punches on the outside of the tower of the palace towards the ground.

__________*_Alex_*__________

'So tired... so weak... But I couldn't quite fall asleep... it felt like I was on the verge of falling asleep, but at the last moment of dozing off, someone would nudge me and I'd wake up again. I feel like I would do anything to just get some sort release, to finally rest. I don't even know how I got here... Or where here is... Or even, who I was... It was dark... I was stuck...'

My arms and legs stuck, held in this black goop that was slowly covering me more and more, up to my shoulders and waist... But I didn't care...

'I just wanted to sleep... But there it was again... That nudge... Something was bothering me, stopping me from falling asleep... But what was it?... I... I had to do something, before I fall asleep?... No... That can't be it, I would know what it was if it was important, surely?... Oh, I don't know... Can't be that important then'.

A heartbeat started, subtle... But strong and rapidly picked up in pace...

'Not distracting at all... But who's was it?'

I woke up a bit more at trying to analyse the thumping, something was telling me I needed to check it out... My mind fuzzed and my current dimly lit view blurred out and all of a sudden I felt like a bolt of energy with no form, flying through... I don't know, a pipe line? I had no control of my heading, no idea about my destination, except that where ever I was heading was getting closer to the heartbeat.

It was gloomy, but different to how I was a few moments ago... I had no body... I was nothing, just floating along until I slowed down...Then came to a stop entirely... in front of... A baby?! The form of a little barely recognisable baby Dragon! There was the smallest of little tails formed, curled up, four little stumps, the beginnings of it's arms and legs and it's head, already a distinguishable triangular shape and a heart visibly pumping away loudly in its barley formed chest... But... This baby... It's mine... I knew that much... My baby... OUR baby... Mine and... and... Wrex... Mine... Me... Alex... And Wrex's baby... I'm pregnant... OH MY GOD!

It felt like I was catapulted through all my memories!

KAYLEY... CAR CRASH... EXPERIMENTATION... PRISON, DRAGONS, DRACONIANS, SKIFF, SKYTECH, HYBRID, GRAVE DIGGER, CRYSTAL, JINX, SORA, 42, SARAH... WREX!... SKYLEN!... THE SHARD!...

...

REIKON!!!

...

It all came flooding back to me!

Me: "YOU'RE NOT GETTING RID OF ME!!!" I screamed from my restraints as I became fully aware of my situation again. I fought back for control, I wanted it, I demanded it!... It was now or never or I was gone... My vision somewhat returned... My hearing too...

I pushed a wide eyed, gasping Queen Arisu off of my tail blades... She choked and gasped more as she clutched her abdomen... Crimson fluid flowing from her would at a great rate.

Reikon: "Good bye... Sister." Her voice escaped my lips and Arisu fell back, falling back to lean on her desk.

Craven: " *Chuckle* You've done it... You've done it my Queen! The true ruler  of Draconia triumphs!" She said triumphantly stood in the center of the room. At that moment the double doors to the study burst open, my attention turned to see Sora striding into the study and behind her Wrex fighting another Draconian in grey armour... I know... Skylen.

Sora: "NOOOOOOO!" She screeched in such an ear splitting scream as she watched her mother collapse off of her desk to the floor, causing Craven to spin round, but not fast enough... Sora entirety glowed in red and purple aura and threw her arm out towards Craven who was thrown off her feet and hard into the shelves on one side of the room. Then Sora turned to me and started raising her arm...

Me/Reikon: "No don't..." She threw her arm at me, I felt myself become momentarily become weightless, but I used the Shard and pulled myself back to the floor, overpowering her ability, then used the power and gently knocked her off her feet.

Me/Reikon: "It wasn't me Sora! Believe me!"

Reikon: "Nooo..." I grabbed my own head as she fought with me... Sora pulling herself from the floor.

Me: "Aaarrgghhh!..."

I dragged myself away... I knew what I had to do... The Stranger... Well, future me told me... I dragged my body, fighting Reikon, it was painful, it felt like my body was tearing it's in half, muscles pulling away from each other, like cramps. But step by step I made my way to the corridor at the back of the study. I was grabbed from behind, one arm around my neck.

Sora: "You... Will... Pay!" She hissed in a sinister fashion from behind my head. I spun us around, thew her off and into the wall, pinning her by her neck.

Reikon: "You never liked her! What difference does it make to you?"

Sora: "I might not have always got on with her... But she is still my mother!"

Her aura returned and momentarily I felt as though my body was going to be thrown away, but we used the Shard to overpowering her again and hold ourselves in place again.

Reikon: "You need to do better than that deary..." Our grip tightened,

'...but we can't kill her!...' Then, I gained back just enough control again to loosen my grip and drop her. Sora coughed and gasped as she fell to the floor.

Me/Reikon: "Aaarrgghh!" My head was splitting and I held it in pain again as I fell to the floor, next to Sora.

Me: "Sora... Help me... the line between me and Reikon are becoming blurred... I don't know where I begin and she ends anymore... I need to get to the... *Groan* ... Heart."

Sora: "But that's exactly *cough cough* what she wants?!" I shook my head in disagreement.

Me: "She knows... The whole time I still exist, in my own head, sharing this body, I can win... and she's scared of my connection to the Shard, because it's stronger than hers, but I need to get to the Heart, to finish this... But I need help... I don't know how much... Arrgghh!... longer I can fight to keep control." Sora stared at me as we both lie on the floor for a good few seconds before she moved closer to me, grabbed my arm and threw it over her head and help me get up to my feet.

She dragged my stumbling body down the rest of the corridor, opening the door at the end... There it was, exactly as I had seen it before, a crystal as large as a car, dark ruby in colour, glowing red and purple now, just floating and slowly rotating in the middle of this circular room, I stretched my hand out towards it but we stopped just short.

Sora: "Do you know what you're doing?"

Me: "Thought I'd just wing it... I've been here before Sora, trust me, I have an idea what to expect... But please...

Me/Reikon: "...we are out of time." I strained, trying to hold Reikon back. Sora nodded and assisted me in the last couple of steps, I raised my hand again and placed it on the surface of the Heart, ripples of energy shimmered out, as they had done before and I was instantly engulfed in the red and purple mist once more, yanking me away from Sora and everything turned black.

__________

I opened my eyes, I was floating... Ahead of me, disturbing from her own unconscious state, was Reikon, in her Draconian form, her yellow eyes flickering open. She was also floating in this endless red and purple abyss we were in, the sky looking as though it was made of cracked glass, showing through the same colours.

Beneath us, there was nothing but the red and purple fog that surrounded us was gradually sucked down in a spiral, getting darker as it went and eventually turning to black as it disappeared into something that looked like a maelstrom or a black hole, but oddly at the very bottom in the centre was a small but bright light, like the sun.

Me: "Reikon... What happened?, we shared so much time together when you were Crystal... you were on my side, you did good, you saved me multiple times... Does none of that mean anything now?"

Reikon: "I was enslaved! Restricted! Held against my will! I had no idea who I was or what I was doing! If I had I done I would have taken control of you and stole my Shard back and disposed of you a long time ago!" She spat at me, her voice echoing around us.

Me: "Charming... And I thought you were growing to like me..."

Reikon: "Where are we?! What have you done to us?!"

Me: "You've been fighting an unfair battle and torturing me in my own head for too long! So here we are! In the domain of the Heart itself! Where we can fight fair and face to face!"

Reikon: "Idiot! You think you know the Heart's power better than me?! You've just doomed yourself by bringing us here!"

Me: "We'll see!"

Reikon: "You want to make this fair?..." I watched as armour appeared literally from nowhere, all around, fading into existence and snapping on to her, covering her from tail tip to snout in black and red armour... my black and red armour again! "... what do you think?" She taunted in a spiteful way.

Me: "I think you've ruined that colour scheme for me! I watched you kill Wrex, and my family over and over, you made me look bad in front of the media!, in front of my friends! You ruined me! You ruined my life!"

Reikon: "Pleasure." She said with a sinister smile. I knew exactly what I had in mind, I focused on what I wanted, the new colours I had just chosen, my armour seemed to shimmer like vibrating water changing from it's black and accented red to the white and accented black colour scheme as the corner of my mouth creased into a smile.

Reikon: "Waste of effort, no one will ever see it anyway." She closed her face plates and used her plasma jets to charge at me, I closed my face plates gave a pulse of my own jets towards her and we both growled ragefully as we approached the other both having the same idea to use a right hook to hit the other when in range. We crashed harshly, smashing and denting armour and bouncing off each other.

But we quickly refocused ourselves and launched back at each other again. Punching, kicking, clawing, stabbing ensued... But no matter how many times we damaged or removed bits of the other's armour we both repaired and healed ourselves in no time at all. I think she realised this as well, starting to use the Heart to launch waves of energy at me after we knocked each other away, each wave smashed into me, shocking and disorienting me. I would then return fire using my plasma jets, most rounds would miss, but the few that hit, would damage her armour or possibly even dismember her with a scream of pain each time. But each time, within seconds, that limb would grow back. Steadily we spaced further apart and our attacks grew more violent as we both realised we were underestimating the strength of the other.

She spun her arms in a spiral and emitted from them were large purple boomerang shaped waves of energy, they spun towards me... The first hit my shoulder, ripping the armour clean off and gouged a large chunck out of my arm causing me to scream in pain. The pain distracted me enough to miss the following waves, one tore through my waist, another through my leg, another through my neck and a final one clipped the side of my helmet.

Me: "GAH!... *Pant pant*... Ouch..." My wounds were healing in front of me, but Reikon looked as though she was preparing for another bout. So I raised my good arm, charged my jet... To the highest it had ever gone, to the point my arm was shaking uncontrollably, I could feel the heat soaking through my armour, starting to burn my arm underneath, causing me to hiss in pain.

The light from the plasma round being formed was so bright it was blinding... I released the shot, throwing me backwards, spinning end over end until I managed to regain control. I momentarily looked down at the arm that had fired the shot... The armour had melted through, right down to my bone... the jet had blown itself open upon firing, along with my arm and was slowly pulling itself back together. I looked back up to my shot, Reikon saw this coming towards her and tried to evade, but there was no escaping what I had in mind. I watched the shot got close enough, held my now other good hand up, as if I was holding an invisible detonator, tutted as I flipped the cover up then clicked my tongue as I pressed the imaginary button. There was a momentary flash of light, expanding outward from the plasma round, followed a couple of seconds by a deafening sonic sounding *BOOOM!*, Loud and strong enough to be blow me backwards further. I grunted and growled as I tried once more to regain my composure, my ears ringing and my eyesight blinded, I kept blinking and slowly both my hearing and vision healed and returned.

I scanned around, looking for Reikon, or anything that was left of her. I just made out a smoking blot off in the distance. I engaged my remaining good plasma jets while my right arm repaired itself still and headed off in that direction. Closing in on Reikon, I realised she was either dead or unconscious, but mostly intact somehow. The armour had been blow off her and she was severely burnt, just floating along all sprawled out... I tried to scan her for life signs... But worryingly I couldn't get anything from her... Which could mean only one thing! she was still using the Heart to mask herself! Before I was able to do anything I was locked in my pose and her eyes snapped open,

Reikon: "Raagghh!!..." She screeched painfully as she rolled herself in the air, "... enough games!" She launched an enlarging purple and red wall at me, I couldn't move, I couldn't evade! *Smack!*

...

I opened my eyes and looked down, I could move again, but... I was translucent, I looked like a ghost, no, I was a ghost!! In front of me was my armour, obliterated, and all that was left of me was my bones! Floating! Spinning through the air and space out from each other. I gasped at the horror of the sight my own remains being scattered through the abyss. Reikon meanwhile looked monetarily confused, before a smile crept over her face and started laughing maniacally.

A piece of my face plate flew past me, I tried to grab it but it floated straight through my hand which caused me to break down...

Me: " *Whimper* I'm dead?... I can't be dead!... I have so much more to live for! I have to get back to Wrex! *sniff* I have to tell him we're going to start a family! I... I..." At that moment, a glimmer caught my attention out of the corner of my eye causing me to look over... It was the Shard! I looked back at Reikon still reveling in her victory, either she hadn't noticed me or I couldn't be seen... I looked back to the Shard, a few feet away from me and flew myself towards it, grabbing it when I was close enough. Unlike my armour or remains I could actually hold it!

I was zapped out of my current location arriving in the freshly mown grass outside Sarah's safe house in Maryland, I looked down at myself, I was whole, looked solid and wearing my immaculate white and black armour. Some kids squealing and grunting nearby caught my attention, but they weren't just any kids, they were Draconian, about half the size of an adult. Two boys playing ruff and tumble, rolling along the porch, a little girl following them. The boys slammed into the railing as they rolled, smashing through the wood and landing in the garden below with a thud and an "Oof", still fighting away.

Girl: "Heyyy! Stop it you guys! I'm telling Dad! DAADD! The boys are breaking stuff again!"

A few seconds passed before an unarmoured Wrex, exited the front door.

Wrex: "Hey! Boys! Could you-" he caught sight of me and stopped dead mid scentence.

Girl: "Dad? What is it?" She asked looking over my direction but not directly at me.

Wrex: "Err... You're the eldest, I'm putting you in charge of them, sort 'em out will ya."

Girl: "Ok!..." She replied far to happily and leaped off the porch towards the boys, "...Oi! I'm in charge now, Dad said so! So break it up!"

Wrex: "Come on..." He drew my attention back to him, "...you said this would happen at some point, come on in." He gestured me up toward the house, stepping in the front door. I walked past the kids, play fighting in the yard, the girl getting involved now as well trying to pull them apart, up the steps and into the house.

Me: "I've missed you." I stated as I went up and gave Wrex a hug, but which he didn't return, only grunted uncomfortably.

Wrex: "I... Er... This is very confusing..."

I released and looked up at him,

Me: "What's wrong, was it something I said? And why were they calling you 'Dad'? When is this? Have you... Er... Moved on?" I asked worryingly, his face and jaw instantly dropped in shock and pain, but before he could reply, another voice emanated from the living room behind me.

Stranger: "Maybe I can help with that..." I spun round, seeing... well... myself, sat on the sofa, rather chilled, wearing something that could only be described as some sort of catsuit, mostly blue with silver crests of majestic looking patterns covering it, and two Dragons facing each other forming a central crest on her chest. As well as that, there was a silvery white cape and matching hood, which was currently down at the moment, revealing a face I knew all too well now... My own, but she was smiling for a change... "...come on, sit." She gestured to the lone chair to her left. I slowly moved over to sit where she gestured.

Wrex: "Err... I'm gonnna... Er-" he started pointing out the front door.

Stranger: "Yes, go on, go." She waved him away and he quickly scarpered off.

Me: "What's going on? When is this?"

Stranger: "Four years after... Your little fight with Reikon, oh and the kids couldn't see you, only Wrex and I can, because you were wondering."

Me: "Are they... My... Our..." I gestured between me and the Stranger and off in the direction of where Wrex last was.

Stranger: "Yep..." She said, proudly smiling a bit more. "...I knew you already kinda knew that anyway, but we won't talk anymore on that, don't want to completely ruin the experience of it for you. Shall we get to why you are here?"

Me: "I er... Yeah..." I replied gob smacked that they are MY children outside! I almost wanted to ignore future me and go and watch them. "...So... I make it out alive?"

Stranger: "Hmm... If you choose to."

Me: "Why is it always a choice?"

Stranger: "Everything is always a choice, that's the beauty of it."

Me: "So, what's the best thing for me to choose now? What do I do next?"

Stranger: "Not really much of a choice if I tell you now eh?"

Me: "Yeah but, how do I know what's right, to get this, I want this." I gestured around me.

Stranger: "You'll know what to do, because if you're determined enough, you can get stuff done."

Me: "So far, and once again, you're not being very helpful."

Sranger: "I can only point you in the right direction, I can't-"

Me: "Yeah I know I know, but I don't get it. If I'm dead... Yet again... How can I come back to stop Reikon?"

Stranger: "Where are you?" She asked, turning a little more serious now.

Me: "What?... Sarah's house in Maryl-"

Stranger: "Nu-uh... Where are YOU?"

I thought about it...

Me: "I'm still in the Heart... Aren't I?..." She nodded, smiling again. "...She draws her powers from the Heart... We both do... Right?, Soo... To stop her, I have to separate her from both the Shard and the Heart? And what?, I have to destroy them both?" Her smile faded again.

Stranger: "Not both... The Shard is merged with you, you've now separted Reikon from you, that connection is gone. Which leaves one more."

Me: "So the Heart then... But how?"

She leant forwards in her chair towards me smiling again,

Stranger: " 'You can't protect yourself from yourself'..."

The words rang through to me, that's exactly what I said to Crystal back in the collapsed hall in the mansion, after my plasma core was knocked out in my Mk 3 armour by the Shard!

"...*chuckle* best of luck Alex." She finished, sitting back in her chair again with a smile. My vision at that moment started white washing until everything was gone.

(-Jeff Williams, ft. Casey Lee Williams)