Counter Earth Chronicles - Fallen Empire Chapter 1: Welcome To The End Of The World

Story by Worlds Apart on SoFurry

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#1 of Counter Earth Chronicles: Fallen Empire

FOREWORD:

The long night has come. The empire forged by the High Evolutionary, the greatest civilization in the history of Counter Earth has fallen brought down by a mysterious entity- a conquerer of worlds, who attacked during a period of intense infighting among the empire's citizens.

When the threat was discovered, it was too late. Chaos and destruction befell Worlds One, Two, Three, Four and Five- vehicles fell from the skies, buildings toppled, cities burned, citizens perished in the rubble, froze to death or were burnt alive. Those that survived were sucked into the sky by the giant cloud or were enslaved to the entity, chanting its name as the world and all they knew fell around them.

This series chronicles the pitiful few who did survive- their profound sadness, their desperation, their fear, following the the collapse of the empire, all they have known and the horrific new world they now find themselves in. A time and place that makes the dark, dark era before the High Evolutionary came to power look like a full blown orgy in comparison.

The main character of this series is Alex Winter but will also feature narratives and perspective from those around him as they try to rebuild some semblance of their lives despite what happened (if they can).


Counter Earth Chronicles - Fallen Empire

Chapter 1: Welcome To The End Of The World

Day 1089 (December 31st, Year Of Empire 033)

I waited in that closet like a coward as the empire I had known for close to three years crumbled around me. I heard explosions, felt Castle Wundagore shake and sway violently and then there was the screams and pleas from the doomed.

Many times, I wanted to open the closet door to save as many as I could, but I then heard the chants from those that the entity had possessed as it collected the luckless souls from the crumbling castle. I contemplated what would be better waiting for death or just let the synoptic get me.

The siege continued for what seemed to be hours. By late afternoon the screaming had ebbed but not the shaking and explosions. That was when I heard foot steps- not running or panicked, but slow steady and cautious. They walked by my undisclosed location several times. Only to stop, turn around and come back eventually stopping in front of the closet.

The entity had found me! My time was up! So I guess my life as a beastial's pet was going to end and my life as an Other was about to begin.

(Well, at least I would be with Lea, Tauren and Lurie.)

!!!

But the universe had other plans. As I began to think about that, the ceiling of the closet started to come down on me. I quickly tried the door. It wouldn't move. Most likely blocked from debris on the other side I concluded as I too was buried alive.

(Well at least ONE didn't get me.)

"Ah another patron!" I heard a voice say as I rounded a corner in a dark, foreboding yet, familiar hallway.

"Welcome! Welcome to our art museum!" A familiar dark entity said greeting me at a large domed entrance. "Do you have a ticket?"

"Diamantopoulous?" I said as I involuntarily handed the wolf demon what was in my hand. "And in your false form."

"Would you prefer me in my real form?" The dark wolf said as he took my ticket.

"No, that was a little too intense." I responded.

"Then how about this?" The dark being said as he reformed into a red female orangutan.

"Now that is just mean and unfair." I huffed. "What am I doing here?!"

"You are a smart, if homely mortal- you haven't figured it out?"

"Oh no! I am dead and not being allowed to move on! I am just another spirit for you to torture!!"

"Ha! I do miss having you and your bear in my realm." Diamantopoulous said taunting me. "The female orangutan is a adequate stand in, but you, your bear, the monkey, hedgehog and aardwolf were much more entertaining."

"Did you harm her?" I said staring at him.

"What if I did?" He said shot back. "What could you even possibly do about it?"

"Absolutely nothing. You are an extremely powerful being."

"Precisely mortal. But if it eases your conscience, she thrives. I have found that she is subservient, obedient, loyal and always so damn cheerful. I do appreciate the first three attributes- especially here."

"How much?" I asked.

"I do allow her to eat and bathe on occasion." The dark wolf said to me.

"I take it that you are going to treat me just like Smith Snow?"

"You are not dead Mr. Winter just hovering between states." The wolf demon said grinning.

"I am not? What states?!"

"Life and death. It is a shame really because if you were mine- oh the things I would do to you!! But lets begin the tour." The red orangutan said placing its paw on my shoulder guiding me into the museum.

"Diamantopoulous- please." I said looking at him who was now in the form of Flo Fuller.

"Very well." The dark being said transforming back into the tall wolf demon with the red eyes, large paws with bracelets around its arms, legs and the large circular necklace around its neck. "Shall we begin the tour?"

"Um, exactly where is this museum located?"

"You are in Torture Tower." The dark wolf said guiding me to a painting just past the museum's entrance. "Now this piece I call Muted Scream it is collage of all the spirits and mortals in my possession that I have tormented and tortured. Past and present of course."

I looked at the painting which had grey and white swirls in its center (like water funneling down a drain) on the edges were the Ghost Hunters, Shadow Chasers, Lady Ursa, myself and Steven Cheetah- our faces were a mixture of pain and anguish.

"So what do you think?" The dark wolf said to me reading my expression. "Ok, I know not for everyone. Hmm.... let's try something different."

Diamantopoulous guided me away from the picture down a hallway into another gallery.

"What is this?" I asked him.

"A new exhibit; it is unique to each visitor." He grinned at me demonically grabbing my hand with his huge paw.

The gallery was entirely made of marble, its entrance had two pillars that supported an arched ceiling. That led into a small hallway with two doorways off it leading to two smaller galleries with marble benches.

Diamantopoulous pulled me inside. As we stood in the hallway, the wolf demon pulled me right next to him, kneeled and placed his left paw on my shoulder.

"What you see before you is the gallery of your life." The dark being said gesturing to the small white hallway with the arched ceiling. "In this wing you will find all those that you met during your life on Counter Earth."

The walls of the gallery were lined with many pictures- portraits of all I had met and known during my time living in the empire. I saw a very huge picture of Lady Ursa, Lea, Sorren, Tauren, Lurie, my friends from the consortium, the Ghost Hunters, Alien Hunters, Time Hunters, Bertha, Spirit, Boris, Sanda, Chemar, Coal, Springer, The Wilds literally everyone including acquaintances like Cubby Legend and his family.

"This is amazing." I said looking at a portrait of Leslie Arrow. "The brush strokes are quite exquisite!"

"Yes it is. The larger the picture the bigger the space in your heart for that person." The dark wolf said to me. As I studied the portrait of my perfect person. "She means a lot to you doesn't she?"

I nodded.

"Now I know why, your darkest fear- why yes you are deeply in love with her. In fact, you have even been inside her- vaginally and otherwise."

I nodded.

"Judging by the size of those portraits-the minotaur, dragon, lioness and coyote are the next closest to you." Diamantopoulous added "And friends after that and then acquaintances." He said as the portrait disappeared of the human Dongo and I had helped in World Two.

"Hey what happened to Ms. Arrow's portrait?"

Diamantopoulous pulled me close to him as we watched several other portraits disappear from the hallway including Cubby Legend, Theresa Legend, Adam Legend, Mike Anger, Tauren, Lea, Mara, Lord Tiger, Hugh Wild, professor Love and Lady Vermin's.

"It looks like they are being transferred to the two rooms there." The dark wolf said pointing.

The two rooms were smaller galleries right off of the main one. I turned right and decided to enter the one on the left. It was a small 20' x 20' room with white walls. It was loaded with picture frames from floor to ceiling most of them were blank. At the far side of the room, I noticed that Tauren, Lurie and Lea's portraits had materialized in there.

"Diamantopoulous?" I asked confused.

"I see. This gallery represents loved ones, friends and acquaintances that became enslaved to the entity ravaging your realm." The wolf demon said as I stared at the three portraits. Yama Kite's and Alexander Winter's magically appeared on the wall right next to Lurie's picture.

"I see. So if this gallery represents those who belong to the synoptic, then the one right next to it is... OH NO!"

I ran out of that gallery into the one right next to it. It was another 20' x 20' room. It's walls were brown and red. In it were a lot of blank frames as well but, I did see portraits of Mara, Hugh Wild, Lord Tiger, Lady Vermin, Cubby Legend, Adam Legend, Theresa Legend, Professor Love, The High Evolutionary, Mike Anger and Lian at the far end of the room.

The dark being joined me. He saw I had dropped to my knees and started crying.

"So you realize what this gallery represents. Yup, those who died during the fall." The dark demon said. "Do you want to know specifics?"

I just stared at the dark wolf.

"Let's see..." He said pulling out a scroll from a corner table. "Mara Goat crushed by debris. Hugh Wild hover vehicle- it crashed on him. Lord Tiger and Lady Vermin sucked into the sky... I think it was the giant cloud or the phantom cascade as you mortals call it. The Legends perished by fire. The otter lady was trampled to death by those fleeing the city. The High Evolutionary was assassinated by ONE or your coyote depending on your perspective. Mike Anger froze to death, Lian and poor Leslie Arrow had the buildings they worked in collapse on them."

"NO!!! NO, NO, NO, NO!!" I bleated. "Tell me this is not real!!! That I am dreaming!!"

"I have always admired you mortals capacity for self denial." The wolf demon said as pictures of Billy Goat, Sorren and Chemar started to materialize into the art gallery of the dead.

(No, please not them too!)

Only the picture of Sir Ram's protege stayed. Sorren and Chemar's returned to the main gallery.

"Hmm... the dragon and cheetah were on the verge of dying. Looks like they bounced back- pity. Anyway feel free to look around as much as you like. But please remember that this and the other room are largely incomplete so check back for updates."

"Diamantopoulous, this is horrid even for you, such sadism and cruelty." I cried.

The wolf demon brought me to my feet. "You do know that a cataclysm happened right? Not everyone survived." He said grinning demonically.

"So that is what you meant when you said that your realm would be preferable to mine in a matter of time."

"My realm has received quite an influx of spirits as of late from yours."

I realized what he had been saying and ran back out to the hallway to see who I knew was still alive and free from the entity.

I arrived just in time to see Bess and Tess' portraits disappear.

(SHIT!)

I quickly ran back into the third gallery. They weren't there. I then ran back into the second gallery. That is where I found them together on the wall next to Alexander's picture.

"Looks like the synoptic got them. What a pity they were quite a force for change in the waning days of the empire. Well at least they are together." The dark being quipped.

This was torture. I was scared to go back out to the main gallery to see who else I knew had fallen. But I had to know.

Diamantopoulous allowed me to stay a couple moments longer. That was when I saw a portrait of Commander Rhinox start to fade. I started running toward the two galleries off of the main one to see where he ended up. That was when the dark wolf grabbed and escorted me out of the museum.

"Well that concludes the tour! Thank you for coming!" He said ushering me out.

"Hey wait!"

"I will tell my slave that you said hi."

(Damn wolf.)

Day 5: (five days after the fall of the empire)

"How can it be? Everyone that approved of my research is... is... GONE?!" I heard a female say.

"That is what she said." A very young and youthful voice responded.

"Who is gone?" I moaned. "OW, my head."

"Alex!" A youthful voice said as I slowly opened my eyes.

"C-Corbin?! Professor Stern?!" I said as I took stock in my surroundings. "You two... you survived! Bring it in!" I said hugging the little mongoose boy.

"You had us quite worried." My sister's doppelgänger said.

"Where are we?!" I said jumping out of bed. I ran from the bedroom, pass the den and out to the living room of a out the door and into the yard.

"Alex, easy, you're injured!" The archeologist warned me.

"Wait, this isn't World One."

"No big brother, this is the ancient city." Corbin said running after me.

"Wait, how did you and me get here?" I asked Dawn and Corbin.

"What is the last thing you remember big brother?" Corbin asked.

"I was in Castle Wundagore- in a closet. Then I was buried under rubble a lot of it."

"Well you were pulled from the ruins and brought here." Dawn said. "You had a bad concussion and was out cold for the past five days. I did my best to treat it, but I am an archeologist not a healer."

"How did you two get back here? I thought your credentials had been revoked?" I said staring at the abandoned underground city.

"Quietly and secretly." Professor Stern said.

"Quietly and secretly? I get it now. You two were that secret mission Lady Ursa wouldn't tell me about. She snuck both of you out of World One." I said hugging Corbin again and his adoptive mother.

"Weeks before the Great Sickness Alex." The blond archeologist said to me.

"So you were nowhere near the empire during its final days?" I asked the two.

"Final days Alex?" The female archeologist said to me.

"The empire ended December 31st with the High Evolutionary's death."

"Oh my!" Professor Stern said.

"He was murdered by ONE. I was there when it happened." I said to the two.

"We should go back inside." Corbin said breaking the hug.

It turned out that when Dawn and Corbin returned to the ancient city they had moved into one of the abandoned houses near its center.

The two sat me down at a table in the living room as we continued to talk. I explained to the two the horrifying things I saw the last day of the empire including the red sky.

"The sky hasn't returned to normal at all." Professor Stern said to me. "It was as if it was a harbinger of what was to come."

"But the giant cloud has left." The little mongoose boy said to me.

"The Phantom Cascade attacked the five cities. Guys, that morning why didn't your warn us that the giant cloud had returned?! You would have seen it first after it hit World Five!" I said distraught.

"Alex we tried desperately but were unable to." Dawn said softly as she tried to check my vitals.

"Why?"

Corbin went to the professor's knapsack. He came back with a green pendant that he stood vertically on the table. A holographic monitor and keyboard appeared. As it did, he started typing. The screen didn't react. It was dead.

"This is why Alex." The little mongoose boy said.

"As it moved from World Five to World Four all communication ceased. It was like some huge EMP hit the empire. I was unable to continue my work that morning and Corbin his studies."

"When the professor and I realized what had happened. It was too late to warn anyone." Corbin stated.

"That explains why the hub was down and why hover vehicles were falling from the skies." I said staring at the wall.

"It must have been awful Alex." Dawn said to me.

"Beyond awful many of my friends perished. Those that weren't possessed by the entity." I said as Corbin gasped. "It was weird how the giant cloud and the entity happened to attack on the same day."

"That morning, Corbin and I were working. He had convinced me to take a break... we were watching the morning news on the hub... they were talking about the red sky and some approaching storm from the north when the broadcast ceased."

"We thought it was odd, so we tried to pull up some other programming. Nothing else came up. It was all down. Shortly there after my instruments failed as well as all other electronics." The little mongoose boy said.

"When we went topside, that was when we saw it the giant cloud marching toward World Four and World Three. It was sucking things up from the ground into it. We were helpless to warn anyone." The professor said wistfully. "Especially here in the middle of nowhere."

"So if you two had been here all along, who found me at Castle Wundagore?" I asked rubbing my aching head.

"I did pet."

I stared at the entrance to the home. In the doorway was a battered and bruised female ursine warrior still in her knight uniform wearing a necklace with a familiar charm.

"I found you unconscious and buried in the rubble."

"MISTRESS!" I screamed as I ran to hug my bear. "I thought I had lost you."

"Take it easy pet. When did he wake up?" My warrior bear asked.

"Just now." Professor Stern said.

"You were out for days." My perfect person said. "How do you feel?"

"Groggy and my head hurts."

"Well you took a bad blow to the head." She said to me.

"Momma bear any news from topside?" Corbin asked.

"No. World One is in ruins." Lady Ursa said.

"When you say ruins..." I started to say.

"A burnt out shell Alex." My warrior bear said to me.

"Did you find any survivors?" I asked.

Again Lady Ursa shook her head.

At that moment, I just lost it.

"Madam Ursa how can that be? Each city had about 200,000 souls in it." Corbin's adoptive mother stated. "Regardless of the disaster there are always, always ALWAYS survivors."

"I think we are it." Corbin said looking around.

"I have gone back to World One for the last four days searching." My she beast said. "Apart from Alex and my daughter, I have found nothing but bodies- everywhere."

"Civilization has been destroyed and we are now in a period that is worse than the time before the empire." Dawn said shocked.

"So what happens now?" I asked the mongoose boy, my bear and my sister's doppelgänger.

"You are going back to bed." My she beast said. "We can't begin to treat your injury or the side affects or after effects- so the best thing you can do now is to rest."

"For how long?" I asked her. "And where?"

"Here. This is our home." My warrior bear said to me. "Corbin and Dawn live in the house next to us. It isn't as nice as the lair but anywhere we can be together and safe is home." My bear knight said to me.

"Ms. Stern, Corbin, we need to talk about our survival." Lady Ursa said ushering them from the table.

"Mistress..."

"We will catch up later Alex." She said kissing me on my forehead.

"Right, back to bed." I sighed looking at my perfect person. She looked like she had been through hell the past couple of days and was compartmentalizing her feelings- a lot.

After the three left, I walked around the single level home that would be our new domicile in the ancient city. The house was well preserved- but then again it was made of stone. I don't know if I could ever get used to just having three rooms- a den, bedroom and common area that included the kitchen. No upstairs or downstairs. To my surprise there wasn't even any running water or inside bathroom! Apparently the central building of the ancient city was the only building that did. This was going to take some getting used to.

(Did professor Stern say this city was 200 or 500 years old?)

So I returned to bed. Sleep soon found me- thank goodness it wasn't Diamantopoulous. Although I am wondering if what I experienced was a dream or did I some how make my way to his realm while I was comatose?

Some hours later I awoke. My she beast had not come home, so I decided to go look for her. She wasn't next door at the professor's either - probably at the records building in the center of the city. But I did find the prototype on the walkway between. It was scarred and blackened like it had seen better days, but still in one piece.

I stepped inside and sat down in the passenger seat. The weapon's console was visible as if it had been in use recently. I pressed the third toggle switch to try to access the copilot monitor and keyboard. Nothing happened.

(Hmm....)

I then placed my hand on the dashboard.

**I am sorry Mr. Winter your authorization has been revoked.**

"Overwatch! I am glad to hear a familiar voice! Why was my authorization pulled?"

*You were labeled a pre-rebel.*

"Oh yes the day of my evaluation. Overwatch can you access the knight core files?"

*I can not Mr Winter. Communications have been down for the last five days.*

"So if I was reinstated during that time you would not have received that information either."

*No Mr. Winter.*

So can you really be sure that I am still not authorized?

*That is a good argument Mr. Winter. But Sir Ram and Mara programmed me to access my protocols on the best available information.*

"Overwatch..." I sighed. "Mara is dead. She was crushed to death by rubble in her lab and Sir Ram.... I just don't know."

*That is unfortunate.*

"You know, I have always considered you a friend." I said to the automated assistant.

*And I you. Mr. Winter. But sentiment aside...*

*WHOMF!*

"Big brother! Weren't you supposed to be resting?" A little mongoose said plopping himself down in the driver-side of the blue coupe.

"Uh Corbin?!" I gasped at the sudden interruption. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you. The professor and I finished our meeting and I was on my way back home when I saw you in the prototype. So... whatcha doing?"

"Trying to determine how bad is bad." I said to the little mongoose boy.

*Unfortunately Mr. Winter is no longer allowed to access the prototype's systems.*

Corbin placed his paw on the dashboard of the prototype.

*Emergency authorization for Corbin Mongoose Wundagore Castle.*

"Wow. After all these years, that is still active." I said as the little boy looked at me.

"Overwatch would you please extend the same courtesy to my big brother?"

*Acknowledge emergency authorization for Alex Winter Wundagore Castle.*

With that I accessed the copilot monitor and keyboard.

"Alright let's see what you and Lady Ursa were up to today." I said pulling up the visual records for the front mounted camera. I then sent the image to my monitor.

Corbin and I watched the footage as the prototype left the ancient city and headed north to World Five for a fly over. The giant cloud entity was gone. But the red sky was still there as were the surrounding wilderness. But as the blue coupe approached the civilization the true horror of December 31st came into clear view. The beautiful city by the lake was under ten feet of water there was nothing left of its buildings but their metal skeletons. Harbor Place the amusement park Corbin and I had been to years before, was unrecognizable. The remaining structures were mounds and mounds of rubble and that was what we saw above the water.

"Oh my gosh! There is just no way!" I gasped as we watched what the camera recorded.

"I guess that is why communication has been down." The little mongoose boy said. "Because everything else is."

That wasn't all of it.

"Wait." I said freezing the playback on a structure next to Harbor Place. "That used to be the headquarters for the hub." I said zooming in on barely visible rooftop.

"What are those things floating near the roof? Hover vehicles?" The little boy asked.

*Those are remains Mr. Mongoose. Probably employees.*

"Was that cloud really that bad?! Really what type of force could do this to a city?!" I asked Overwatch and Corbin.

"The same force that drove the population to live underground several hundred years ago." Corbin responded.

(He is such a bright boy.)

"But how is it that Overwatch wasn't affected by the EMP?" The little mongoose asked.

"Sir Ram and Mara made sure the prototypes were impervious after being disabled by an EMP some years back."

(Which reminds me.)

"Overwatch pull up the visual record for December 31st start at 10 AM and playback what the front mounted camera recorded that morning."

*As you wish Mr. Winter.*

"Um big brother we have company."

"Pet what are you doing out of bed?" My fierce ursine warrior said as she approached the passenger side of the prototype.

"Seeing what I missed the day of the cataclysm."

"It was quite horrifying Alex." Lady Ursa warned me as the professor approached the driver-side.

As the visual image of Lady Ursa and Lady Vermin's last mission appeared on the upper left monitor and the copilot monitor, she narrated.

"Lady Vermin and I were assisting some junior knights hunting some revelers around the north side of the city. We saw the giant cloud approach. That was when the world came apart. The prisoners the junior knights had apprehended turned crazed and started chanting about ONE."

"What did they say?" Corbin asked.

"That ONE was here. At that same moment everything electronic started to fail, hover vehicles started failing from the skies onto everything below houses, business, trees including citizens. Lady Vermin and I tried to save as many as we could, but it was not enough. Some of the falling vehicles struck sensitive sites starting a conflagration the size of which I had never seen! It spread from building to building before we knew it half the city was on fire."

"What did you do mistress?" I asked her.

"I tried to call it in, but that was when communications failed. All we could do was stare at the devastation as the giant cloud enveloped the city. As it did we observed something truly bizarre humans and beastials were being sucked into the sky by some unknown force! As we were about to sit back down inside the prototype, Lady Vermin was pulled into the sky. I tried to pursue but the amount of falling debris hampered my efforts. I tried to save her but I couldn't... My best friend disappeared before my very eyes."

"I am sorry mistress." I said hugging her. "It sounds like we both experienced countless horrors that day. I tried to contact you during that time. I think it was as the fire was spreading. I received your audio but I guess you couldn't hear me."

"What time did you contact me?"

"It was after 11:40 AM. The High Evolutionary. Tauren and Lurie had arrived at the holding cells and the master and I were having a discussion about some recent decisions he had made during his rule." I said adding my account.

"Alex!"

"I am sorry, but it didn't matter mistress. He was murdered during our argument."

"How exactly?" Lady Ursa said giving me her undivided attention.

"It was ONE, the entity possess Lurie and used her to kill the dictator saying something to the affect that there was a new order coming. It then showed us the phantom cascade that was approaching the city before it possessed Tauren." I said hugging my bear. "It was beyond awful. I tried to get help but those I found were either dead or possessed and then the castle started crumbling."

"Sir Ram?" My perfect person asked.

"Unknown."

"Sorren?"

"Unknown." I added.

"Lord Tiger?"

"I can't be sure but, I think he met the same fate as the Lady Vermin."

"Lea?"

"The entity got her." I responded.

"The entity also got me Alex." I pulled back from the love of my life in shock that she had said what she said.

"You became an Other?!" I said looking at the professor and Corbin.

"Yes pet. I was grieving over the loss and apparent demise of my friend. I got careless... I let my guard down and got touched by a cub not much older than Corbin."

(How is it that she is still here? Hasn't she infected Dawn or Corbin?!)

"Oh my gosh!"

"As the youngling touched me, I felt my fur bristle before feeling the most pleasurable sensation in my entire life." Lady Ursa recounted.

"What did it feel like momma bear?" Corbin asked.

"It was joyous and wonderful- like the moment at the conclusion of sex..."

"You mean an orgasm?" The professor asked.

"That, but it was unending and continuous. What the Others were saying was 1000% correct. The entity calls itself the synoptic- it does take away your pain, strife suffering and misery (like a drug) and everything else as well. You become it's living doll in the process. My mind and conscience were pushed to the side as I became a spectator in my own body."

And there you have it. A first hand account of what it is like to become an Other.

"The entity is also known as ONE and NEO. The giant cloud is its chariot." My she beast said.

"So it wasn't Seth Slice after all." I said.

"Actually big brother if you rearrange the lettering ONE also spells NEO." Corbin concluded.

"So the previous phantom cascade incidents, the art gallery in World Two and the incident at the stadium in World Five- were the entity testing and building its power." I said.

"In order to take over." My lady bear said.

"But mistress how did you escape?" I asked her.

"I didn't I was declined." My warrior bear said humbly. "The entity took me for a 'test drive' and rejected me when it discovered my medical condition. Feeling what it was like to be its puppet, I begged it to reconsider. I wanted, needed to be part of it. For it to be part of me. But it left and moved on. I came to on the ground next to the prototype and decided to headed back to the castle which I found...."

"In ruins." I said as I stared at the footage on the monitors in the prototype.

There was rubble, rubble and more rubble.

"Using the probe and the prototype's weapons, I dug through the remains of the castle desperately searching for you pet."

"It looks like you found more than that." I said as the video showed my warrior bear pulling out Mara's lifeless body.

"Did you find others from the senior staff- Sanda? Or Chemar, Cole or Springer?"

"No, Only my daughter in the remains of Lea's lab and other luckless souls who didn't make it out." Lady Ursa said.

"Who?" I said looking at her.

"Billy Goat, and our master who had a hole in his back. I took you and we evacuated here."

"Lady Ursa has gone back to World One daily looking for survivors but has only found death and destruction on a monumental scale." Dawn said to me.

"Overwatch end playback." I announced. I couldn't stand looking at the remains of the city that was once my home anymore.

"What about the Others?" Corbin asked.

"They are around. They ignore me when we cross paths."

"You have only searched World One. What about World Two, Three and Four?" Dawn asked.

"I will check them in the coming days. But it is a daunting task." Lady Ursa said.

"I want to go too." I said.

"Negative." My warrior bear said. "It is too dangerous the entity could nab any of you at any moment."

"If it got me." I said.

"I would be lost without you my pet."

"But momma bear how are we going to stop the synoptic and restore the empire?" Corbin asked.

"I don't think we can." I said to Corbin. "Lady Ursa and I met off worlders whose planets had been taken over by the entity. I mean these extraterrestrials had technologies that allowed them to travel through space and still couldn't stop ONE. What chance do the four of us?"

Alex Winter - January 5th, YOE 34...