Ancients' Fortress
Twenty minutes earlier...
Geyko paced slowly through the control room with his hands clasped behind his back, carrying himself with the confidence of a man who believed he was above everyone else. Around him, the members of the Red Moon lay scattered across the floor, their bodies refusing to obey them as they struggled against the immobilizing poison coursing through their veins. Every so often, Geyko paused to look one of them in the eye, making sure they knew exactly who had reduced them to such a helpless state.
Eventually he stopped before the main monitor.
On the screen, Levi, Kayo, and Rumbler continued their battle outside.
A faint smile spread across his face.
"It's magnificent..."
His voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"We actually did it. We created something capable of reaching this level of power."
His eyes followed every movement Rumbler made as the giant tore through Darant City.
"This is what science was always meant to achieve."
For a moment he simply admired the destruction before his expression hardened.
"What a waste."
"Power like that has fallen into the hands of people who don't know how to use it."
He watched Rumbler suddenly turn against Levi and Kayo, then nodded to himself as if solving a puzzle.
"So that's what happened."
"They had Ninax remove the command protocol."
"Clever. Without it, no one could control him... but they also removed the only thing suppressing his consciousness. The moment his will found an opening, he turned against the program."
Only then did Geyko turn away from the monitor and face the Red Moon.
"You really didn't think this betrayal through."
Shiba glared at him.
"Betrayal?"
She laughed bitterly.
"You're the ones who betrayed us."
Geyko walked over until he was standing directly in front of her. He crouched down, his face completely expressionless.
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"You were supposed to obey."
Before anyone could react, his boot slammed into Shiba's stomach and sent her sliding across the floor.
"You humans never understand your place."
He slowly walked toward her again.
"We didn't betray you. We intended to improve you."
"To free you from the weakness Stardust left behind."
"To make you useful."
His eyes carried no hatred—only disappointment.
"We were going to build a new galaxy through science, and all you had to do was let us reshape you."
He delivered another kick before turning away from her as though she no longer deserved his attention.
Walking back to the central console, he began typing across the control panel with practiced speed.
Lieutenant Lee forced himself onto one elbow.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm leaving."
Geyko never looked away from the screen.
"This fortress has served its purpose."
"My colleagues and I will relocate to another planet and begin again."
The room fell silent.
Even the Red Moon members looked stunned.
Lee stared at him in disbelief.
"You can't seriously think you'll get away with this. If Rumbler breaks free of your program and reaches the authorities, everything will be traced back to you. It won't matter where you run. They'll find you."
Geyko finally stopped typing.
He looked over his shoulder with the same detached expression he had worn since entering the room.
"Really?"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The same way they've managed to find the Red Moon?"
He returned his attention to the console without waiting for an answer.
"History has always favored those who survive long enough to write it."
After finishing at the central console, Geyko took one last look over the control panel before turning toward the exit. He stepped into the hallway and closed the reinforced door behind him. Through the small glass window, he looked back at the immobilized members of the Red Moon.
"If you manage to survive this.." he said with a faint smile. "I do hope we meet again. Although next time... you won't be nearly as fortunate."
Without another word, he walked away.
Outside the room, Atrunt and Ninax, still restrained, lay unconscious on the floor, their bodies having succumbed to Geyko's virus as well. He effortlessly lifted one onto each shoulder and continued down the corridor.
"Don't worry," he muttered. "The effects should wear off in about an hour."
The hallway soon fell silent.
Inside the control room, the alarms suddenly stopped.
For a brief moment, an uneasy silence settled over the fortress before every monitor in the room flickered at once.
[ALERT]
[WARNING]
[FACILITY SELF-DESTRUCTION INITIATED]
[EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY]
[03:00]
A mechanical voice echoed throughout the fortress as the countdown began.
Geyko had no intention of leaving behind a single trace of the Ancients' research. If the project had failed, then the fortress, the laboratories, the data, and everyone still inside would disappear with it.
The countdown continued to tick away.
Yet none of the Red Moon members panicked.
They simply stared at the monitors with the same cold resolve they had carried into every battle. If death had come for them tonight, then they would face it without fear.
But not tonight.
Lieutenant Lee forced himself onto his feet. His body still trembled under the effects of the virus, and every movement felt heavier than the last, yet he refused to stay down. Looking at his own shadow, he extended a trembling hand, and from it emerged a dark shadow arm that reached toward the communicator clipped to his belt.
He brought it to his mouth.
"Togo... do you copy?"
His voice was weak, almost breaking apart.
The reply came immediately.
"I copy, sir."
A faint smile appeared on Lee's face.
"I need you in the control room immediately to get us out of here. No time to explain."
He paused to catch his breath before continuing.
"Tell the rest of the battalions to fall back. Head for the launch platform at the summit and get a ship ready. This fortress is going to self-destruct in less than two minutes."
"Move quickly."
"Understood." Togo said.
The transmission ended.
Throughout the fortress, the remaining Red Moon battalions immediately began withdrawing from combat. They abandoned the lower levels and rushed toward the mountain summit, where their ships waited.
Moments later, Togo reached the control room.
The reinforced door refused to open.
He glanced through the window, clasped his hands together, and blue bubbles quietly formed around every trapped member inside. One by one, the bubbles burst, and the Red Moon members vanished from the room before reappearing beside him in the corridor.
Still trapped inside her bubble and barely able to move, Shiba managed a weak grin.
"You really came through, Togo..."
Togo smiled back.
"Of course."
He then created a huge bubble, carefully supporting Lee, Shiba, and the remaining members inside it.
"Let's get everyone home."
Without another second to waste, he lifted the floating bubble behind him and sprinted toward the summit as the fortress's countdown continued echoing through the mountain.
When they reached the summit, two ships waited on the launch platform. One was a massive transport vessel that already held most of the Red Moon battalions, while a smaller craft rested beside it. With barely a minute remaining before the fortress detonated, Togo hurried everyone toward the larger ship.
"You people are quite the headache."
The voice stopped them.
Geyko emerged from the opposite end of the platform, followed by several scientists and more than a dozen Ancient soldiers. Their rifles were already raised, aimed directly at Togo and the boarding ramp.
His expression remained as composed as ever.
"We'll be taking that ship."
He spoke as though there was no room for negotiation.
"I suggest you step aside. Otherwise, neither of us will be leaving this mountain."
Neither side moved.
The Red Moon members lowered into fighting stances while the Ancient soldiers tightened their fingers around their triggers. Their eyes remained locked on one another as the automated countdown echoed throughout the fortress.
Fifty-three seconds.
Fifty-two.
Fifty-one.
The silence became heavier with every passing second.
Finally, Geyko sighed.
"Very well."
"If that's your answer..."
"...then go to hell."
The Ancient soldiers prepared to open fire just as several members of the Red Moon leaped from the transport ship to meet them.
Before either side could make the first move, the entire mountain lurched beneath their feet.
The platform shook violently.
Metal groaned.
Deep cracks raced across the launch pad as enormous boulders broke loose from the cliffs above, crashing into the fortress below. The tremor grew stronger by the second, throwing soldiers from both factions off balance.
Geyko's composure finally cracked.
"An earthquake...?"
Lieutenant Lee didn't hesitate.
"Move!"
The Red Moon rushed aboard the transport ship while Togo carried the collapsed ones inside his blue bubble. At the same time, Geyko abandoned the confrontation altogether, grabbing Atrunt and Ninax before boarding the smaller vessel with only a handful of scientists.
He never looked back.
The remaining Ancient soldiers cried out for help as the mountain split beneath them. Some disappeared into widening fissures while others were buried beneath collapsing rock, their desperate screams swallowed by the roar of the crumbling fortress.
The countdown reached its end.
[00:00]
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion tore through the mountain.
The Ancients' Fortress disappeared beneath a pillar of fire as the entire structure collapsed into itself. Smoke, molten debris, and shattered stone erupted into the evening sky while the shockwave rolled across the surrounding peaks.
High above the inferno, the two ships separated.
One carried the battered members of the Red Moon toward the comrade they had yet to save.
The other vanished into the stars, carrying the last remnants of the Ancients, and the man who still believed science alone could reshape the galaxy.