Amano Bin and Amano Kiyosuke walked through a small park within the underwater city. They sat down at a bench. She looked at him for a second, then sighed.
“I know you’re not my Kiyosuke, that my Kiyosuke is well and truly gone and that you’re someone different. But…that doesn’t matter to me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my boy.”
Kiyosuke nodded.
“...you don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”
Tears filled Amano Bin’s eyes. She couldn’t help giving him another hug.
“Look…Kiyosuke. We’re about to embark on a huge mission, the biggest and most important the Resistance has ever undertaken. They’ll ask you to be a part of it. What I want to say is be careful, and look after yourself. The others aren’t sure. They’re worried about this whole time business. Some of them even think maybe we should be the ones to reset it if anything, fix our timeline without worrying about restoring yours.”
Kiyosuke looked up at her. His eyes trembled.
“Before…I would have killed them for even suggesting that. Now…”
He looked into her eyes. She laid a hand on his cheek.
“Amano Kiyosuke, you cut that out.”
“Huh?”
“I’m not telling you this to make you doubt. I would do almost anything to have you back. But you know the one thing I would want even more than that?”
She gave him a firm look.
“For you to be alive, and happy. I would give anything for that, including myself. Including my whole timeline. And I’ve seen enough. Whatever happened to us, you made it there, right? They’re your family now, aren’t they?”
Kiyosuke trembled for a second but slowly he nodded. She gave him a soft smile.
“Then cherish them. Protect your family like I couldn’t protect mine. And know that whatever you need to do, I will always be on your side. I love you, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
Kiyosuke gulped, tears filling his eyes. But he nodded. Amano Bin stroked his face for a moment until he calmed down, then she smirked and pointed behind her.
“Besides, I think your girlfriend over there is getting a bit worried about you.”
Kiyosuke glanced over. Saydaa was hiding in the bushes.
“S-She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just an annoyance I have to take care of. J-Just so she doesn’t interfere with the mission! She’s really annoying and always getting into trouble!”
Amano Bin just watched him with warm eyes as he stammered.
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In the center of the East Coast of North America stood a massive city, the largest of several built across the Western Hemisphere. All across the streets and skies, robots of every type patrolled, from hauler and transportation bots carrying people and goods, to NSLICE enforcers keeping the peace. This was Serenia, built by the Concordat to shelter all those fleeing the devastation wrought by the non-standards and the Day of Sorrow.
The period immediately following the destruction were known as the Dark Days, due to the nuclear winter combined with the complete collapse of power infrastructure around the globe. The collapse of the global economy meant the supply of fossil fuels dried up overnight for most nations, the nuclear winter dimming the sun reduced the effectiveness of solar, and the public had turned sharply against nuclear for obvious reasons, not that any nation had the resources or infrastructure left to build such a reactor. All semblance of industrial economy ground to a screeching halt, what people remained murdered one another over the scraps that remained. It seemed as though the survivors would not last the decade.
The Concordat were the ones who found a solution.
Benedito Espíndola Bezerra was a genius who once aspired to become a supervillain, calling himself the Herald of Ashes. He developed a device that could resonate with the movements of the Earth's core, intending to use it to destabilize the crust and bring volcanic devastation worldwide.
But well, the Day of Sorrow changed a lot of people’s minds about a lot of things. Including anyone wanting to call themselves ‘Herald’.
Mr. Bezerra abandoned his plans, but the Concordat caught wind of it. As Mr. Bezerra came to them seeking shelter, they persuaded him to continue, just with a different overall focus.
And so, the Geo-Oscillator Engine was born. An almost magical device that could produce practically endless clean and sustainable energy by resonating with the Earth’s core. And most of all that did not require fuel delivered from across the world or massive reactors that took years to build.
With this, the Concordat saved the world. They restored the industrial economy and built an army of robotic workers with the Geo-Oscillator Engine at their heart. With these iron legions, they established safe zones in the Americas, building grand cities overnight, protected by radiation shielding and filled to the brim with hydroponic farms. Every survivor that remained flocked to these refuges. There they found peace. Prosperity. Safety. Comfort. Everything that the world had lost on the Day of Sorrow.
As long as they complied.
And surrendered any non-standards to Concordat guidance programs. For the Day of Sorrow revealed the cost of letting the non-standards do as they please and the Concordat was fully committed to preventing any similar disasters. No matter what it took.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
At the center of Serenia stood a mighty tower. The main HQ and foundry for the NSLICE units. The heart of the Concordat, where the Steward of Sorrow worked tirelessly to ensure that the peace would last forever.
Said Steward, Famiano Impastato, now leaned over a conference table. He rested his elbows on the table, clasping his hands together in front of his face.
He heaved a sigh.
“So we have lost contact with both NSLICE-00P and NSLICE-83NS’s patrols? And somehow we lost communications before they made contact with their target so we haven’t even caught sight of their opponents, much less identified them?”
The woman giving the report slowly nodded. Arbiter of Sorrow Cikizwa concluded her report.
“In fact, my analysis indicates the most likely scenario was an ambush resulting in immediate destruction of all NSLICE units in the area. There are not many other explanations for an immediate loss of communication. Unless the Resistance has figured out how to jam NSLICE units and I'm not sure that's any better.”
Director Ottosen, also seated around the table, made a huge frown.
“This is extremely serious, Steward. I believe we must respond to this immediately and with overwhelming force.”
Another Arbiter of Sorrow, Steve, kicked back in his seat.
“What, because they broke your little pet project?”
“I don’t think you’re taking the implications of this seriously, Arbiter Steve.”
“Oh come on, we lose bots all the time. Isn’t that the whole point?”
Another man, the former Admiral Huo of the PLA Navy, shook his head.
“I agree with Director Ottosen, Arbiter Steve. Losing bots is one thing. Losing NSLICE-83NS is concerning but not outside the realm of expectation. But losing NSLICE-00P is a serious problem. That unit was carrying the Equalizer, our number one most effective and reliable counter to hostile non-standards. Its loss is a serious blow.”
“Can’t our good Director just build a new one?”
Director Ottosen closed his eyes and massaged his temples.
“Oh yes, I absolutely could. If I managed to get ahold of more Iesnorium, only the rarest material on Earth. I don’t suppose you happen to have some in your pantry, Arbiter Steve?”
Admiral Huo frowned as well.
“And as concerning as the loss of irreplaceable technology is the fact that 00P was annihilated instantaneously, such that it could not even report an engagement to us? That indicates we are dealing with a more serious threat than we've ever encountered in this half of the world.”
“There are people who we already know could do that, though?”
“Yes. Several even. Such as the Atomic Herald himself. Or the Scourge of India. And if either of them or someone similar landed on our shores, that is a huge deal.”
“Ah…”
And finally, Arbiter Steve shut up. The Steward heaved a sigh.
“Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you all. But the timing of this is…inopportune. We are on the verge of securing true peace everlasting. The security of Serenia is our top priority at the moment, so I am not certain we can spare the forces this threat would require.”
Admiral Huo’s face turned grim.
“To ignore something like this would be a dangerous gambit, even if it's for the Harmonizer. The best time to deal with an amphibious incursion is when it first lands. If we don’t respond now, whoever it is will have a chance to establish a foothold, or else disappear from the area. If it’s the Atomic Herald and his cronies, for example, they could have a secure beachhead to launch a full-scale assault. And without the Equalizer, we will take heavy attrition in a peer conflict. If it’s a solo-actor, like the Scourge of India, we may not be able to find them again if we lose them now. The next time we see them might be at the gates of Serenia itself…”
“I understand your concerns, but we can’t always hedge our bets. There comes a time when we have to make a choice, to lay everything down on the line. If we can finish the Harmonizer safely, then it doesn’t matter what anyone is plotting against us. And with major unknown threats at large, risking further NSLICE units on patrols is simply unfeasible. As such, I’m halting all patrols for the time being.”
Just then, the building began to shake. Arbiter Steve raised an eyebrow.
“Another earthquake? I thought you said the latest round was over, Director?”
“It’s hardly a precise science, Arbiter. I’d like to see you do better. Or do anything at all, other than complain.”
The Steward, though, narrowed his eyes. He motioned and a holographic display of the city appeared above the table.
“No…that’s no earthquake…”
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It was a peaceful day in Serenia. The artificial sun projector was shining, the latest round of earthquakes had stopped, the NSLICE units were on patrol. A man and a woman sat at the outdoor table of a cafe, happily chatting away as pedestrians and robots went back and forth. The man stopped and smiled at her. She smiled back, and then glanced down.
She saw a slight ripple in her coffee.
Then another.
And another.
And each was getting stronger.
Until it stopped.
And then the street exploded.
A horde of undead dinosaurs spilled into the streets from several points all over the city.
Long had the Necrosaurus prepared for this day, his posthumous prehistoric freedom fighters tunneling towards Serenia as quickly and quietly as they could.
Sirens began blaring throughout the city. A calm woman’s voice spoke over loudspeakers.
“Emergency Warning: Rogue non-standards detected. Threat level is 6. All civilians please report to the nearest emergency shelter. Repeat…”
NSLICE units immediately turned and opened fire on the prehistoric hordes, machine guns blaring and lasers hissing through the air. But the magically empowered corpses ignored the barrage and carried on. T-Rexes chomped down on NSLICE bots, tearing them in half. Triceratops bowled over entire squads. Undead raptors leapt from cars onto individual bots, ripping them to shreds.
“Status Report: Target located. Friendly NSLICE units in danger from hostile non-standards. Moving to support.”
More NSLICE units arrived by air. But undead pterodactyls and Quetzalcoatlus flew from the holes in the streets, intercepting the flying robots. All around burning bots and undead fliers fell from the skies as they continued their aerial duel.
And the dinosaurs were only the beginning…
Shinobi leaped out of the holes, leaping across the city rooftops as the NSLICE units were occupied with the dinosaur hordes. They rushed towards the city wall, at a point where a large river ran through the city. They tossed small emp disks like shuriken, disabling the NSLICE guards before activating the gate, opening the defenses around the river.
A massive surge of glowing water rushed towards the city, traveling along the river. With the river gate down, the surge smashed straight into the city.
Dozens of boats and submarines landed on the city streets and opened up. Resistance fighters and even vehicles poured out of them, rushing forward to link up with the undead hordes.
One band of Resistance fighters broke off and assaulted the main broadcasting station, a group of NSLICE units holding them at bay.
Suddenly a barrage of lasers and plasma bolts struck the NSLICE units, destroying them utterly.
Elise landed from the sky.
“Resigned Observation: Concordat NSLICE units of noticeably lower efficiency. This unit feels her reputation being damaged by proxy. Insincere Reassurance: This unit is not mad at poor NSLICE performance. She is just disappointed.”
Elise made her way into the broadcasting station, wary Resistance fighters following her at a distance…
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“Good day, all you…”
The TV feed cut.
A new voice rang out on the television and over the emergency warning loudspeakers.
“...victims of oppression! Rejoice, for your savior is here! I am the Necrosaurus, the leader of the Resistance, here to announce your liberation! No longer shall you chafe at the yoke of oppression, no longer shall your children be stolen in the night! Rise up, all you who desire freedom! Rise up and overthrow the oppressor! The time is now! Sorrow has ended, freedom has come! The Jurassic Revolution has begun!”
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Aurora Legion made bitter expressions as they heard the announcement, running behind a squad of undead dinosaurs.
“Bro, this is weird, this is super weird! This just feels wrong!”
Wonder Knight and Pink Star nodded in agreement. Chronolock shrugged.
“Look on the bright side, Void.”
“What’s that?”
“This time we know the dino-zombie apocalypse isn’t your fault. Mostly because it’s helpful now.”
“Oh come on!”