Year: 2263
Skyland Castle
From her window, Queen Victoria Mercury watches the world glow beautifully in the sun. She never gets tired of this view. Skyland Castle is a floating fortress that circles the Earth’s orbit. Occasionally it will descend onto the Earth’s surface when her majesty wants to pay the world a visit, but it never stays in one place for too long. Skyland Castle does not only serve as the Queen’s official residence, but it is also the world’s first line of defense against any outside threat. It is equipped with the world’s best military and state of the art technology. Not even Atlas can match its power. Skyland Castle is the definition of beautiful and dangerous.
The Queen’s office was enormous with tall windows and shelves covering the walls with books and files on all sorts of subjects. Across from her desk were two chairs and back against the wall was a couch and coffee table. However, her title as Queen of the World can not afford her to rest on the couch, nor invite guests into her office for a cup of tea. Although she has been carrying the weight of the world for nearly thirty years now, Queen Mercury looks stunning for a 52-year-old. Being raised in London for most of her life she naturally spoke in an English accent. Her shiny blonde hair is tied neatly with a silver pin, with side parted bangs which complimented her deep blue eyes. She is wearing a white dress shirt, black pants and heeled ankle boots, with her royal jacket hanging behind her chair. The royal jacket is a deep red color with her family sigil on the back. She doesn’t go anywhere public without it. Although she is royalty, she did not wear much jewelry aside from a watch, a ring on her right hand, and a silver locket necklace with a picture of her father.
In front of her is an incident report from Boston she received last night. She’s been staring at the screen for hours. In the entire report her eyes fixate on five words: “the super weapon was stolen”. “What am I going to do now?”, she huffs as she leans back on her chair. She hears three knocks on the door before calling out, “Come in”.
The door opens and in walks her aunt: Vicereine Karina Mercury. Much like her niece, Karina aged gracefully over the years with a full head of gray and white hair which she likes to keep short. Her brown eyes are framed by wrinkles; an indication of experience and wisdom. She wears pearl earrings, gold jewelry, dark lipstick, and a black professional dress with high heel shoes. A classic woman through and through. Although she has a thin frame, she is by no means fragile. After all, she is the second most powerful person in the world. “Your Majesty,” she bows her head upon entering the room, “I looked for you in your quarters, but I couldn’t find you. Seems like you got an early start to your day”. The Queen gives a closed lip smile, “Good morning”. The Vicereine turns around to see the couch with a pillow and loose blanket. “Did you spend the night here?”, she asks with a gasp. “I was able to get a few hours of sleep”, the Queen replies with a yawn. “Your majesty, you need to get some rest”, the Vicereine says in a worried tone. “Not yet,” the Queen replies, “I have called the Seven Lords for an emergency Council Meeting”. “An emergency Council Meeting? What’s the emergency?”, the Vicereine asks. “Boston,” The Queen answers, “a super weapon was stolen”. The Vicereine places a hand over her chest with eyes wide open, “How the hell did that happen?”
Before the Queen could answer, there was another knock at the door. One of the Queen’s guards enters the room, “Your majesty, the Captain has arrived”. The Vicereine turns to the Queen, “You called the Captain!?” “We may not agree on everything, but he’s the best man for the job”, she gets up from her chair and starts preparing herself for the Council Meeting. “You might as well declare civil war,” the Vicereine says sarcastically. “Don’t you think it’s premature to get that man involved? Do you know what kind of message you are sending to the Lords if he appears in that meeting?”. “The kind of message I should have sent years ago!”, the Queen snaps in a harsh tone. She takes a deep breath as she adjusts her royal jacket and tries again. “I’m sorry,” she says in a softer voice, "it was a long night”. After tidying up she walks over to the Vicereine and holds her hands. “I'm just tired of people doubting me. You are the only family I have left. You’re the only one I trust in there. I need you by my side more than ever ”. The Vicereine gently squeezes her niece’s hands and smiles, “Of course dear. I’m always by your side. Let’s just hope the Captain does more good than harm”.
The Queen walks out of her office escorted by her guards. The Vicereine follows closely behind. The halls of Skyland Castle are tall and beautifully decorated with paintings, and artifacts representing the entire world. On the wall of the Main Hall hangs painted portraits of all past monarchs on the day of their coronation. There are eight total. Each of them sitting on the throne with a sword in their right hand, a scepter on their left, and the crown on their head. The last portrait is of the current monarch herself; Queen Victoria Mercury, at the age of 23. She is the youngest monarch to inherit the throne.
Upon arriving at the door of the Council Room, the Queen is greeted by none other than Captain Adam Classic himself. The Captain is a tall man in his 60’s, with a muscular physique and broad shoulders. His grizzly hair is combed back, and his beard is full and well kept. His eyes are dark blue, but his left eye is covered by a black eye patch. He wears a dark military uniform, with a trench coat, and beret with the Atlas insignia. He carries an intimidating aura, commanding respect wherever he goes. He is known to make men tremble with his wolf-like stare. To the world, Captain Classic is a legend, and he certainly lives up to his reputation.
“Your Majesty”, he says in his deep, gruff voice as he salutes the Queen. She smiles, “No need for formalities, Captain”. She extends her hand towards him, “We’ve already talked about this”. The Captain’s cold demeanor melts away as he reaches for her hand. “Apologies, your Majesty. Old habits die hard”. The Queen chuckles at the remark, “They certainly do with you. I’ve known you for thirty years and you’ve hardly changed”. "That's why they call me Classic", he smirks. The Vicereine clears her throat audibly behind Queen Victoria, ruining the banter between the two. “Captain”, she says to him with a nod and a dull tone in her voice. “Madame Vice,” the Captain answers back with another salute. “I appreciate the gesture, Captain, but that's not necessary”, she says dismissively. The Captain replies, “With all due respect, I salute the crown, not the head where it sits on”.
Before the Vicereine can escalate, Queen Victoria steps in. “What she meant to say is that we’re very grateful for you answering our request. I just wish we could have met under better circumstances”. The Captain nods, “Of course. Shall we?”, he says before opening the Council Room door for the Queen. The Queen walks in, followed by the Vicereine, and finally the Captain.
Inside the Council Room, the Seven Lords were waiting for them at the table via holographic projection. Each Lord represents one of the seven continents of the world.
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Representing North America is former President of the United States, Jacob Tremont.
Representing South America is Santos Sevare Andres of Brazil. He was a famous journalist and photographer before accepting the title.
Representing Europe, and the longest serving member of the Council is Jean-Michel Durand of France.
Representing Africa is business tycoon Obi Agbani of Nigeria.
Representing Asia is former Prime Minister of Japan, Akane Hayashi.
Representing Australia is Frankie Irwin, world famous environmentalist and scientist.
And finally representing Antarctica is Doctor Deborah Edwards, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine and current Head of the World Medical Research Station based in Antarctica.
The Seven Lords bow their heads to the Queen as she takes her seat at the head of the table along with Vicereine Karina to her right, and Captain Classic to her left.
Queen Victoria: Apologies for keeping you waiting, my lords. But as you know, we have an urgent matter to attend to.
Lord Tremont: Forgive me your Majesty, but before we begin: why is the
Captain present in our meeting?
Queen Victoria: The Captain is here at my request and he will be leading the
investigation on the stolen Super Weapon.
Lord Tremont: While I appreciate the assistance, your Majesty, I’m sure we
are more than capable of handling this investigation on our own.
Queen Victoria: That was not a suggestion, my lord, it's an order. I’ve already
contacted the President and he has agreed to give his full cooperation to Atlas,
along with the CIA, FBI, and the United States Military. Do you have a problem
with that?
Lord Tremont: No, your Majesty…
Queen Victoria: Good. Now if you’re done asking me stupid questions I can get
on to what really matters. The Super Weapon was discovered missing last night
in Boston. A terrorist organization by the name of Fallen Angels infiltrated the
Royal Military Base, but was stopped by an Atlas Soldier. They have taken some
soldiers as hostages and are demanding the Super Weapon in exchange for their
lives.
Lord Hayashi: How long do we have?
Captain Classic: We had 72 hours to meet their demands, but 6 hours have
passed.
Lord Edwards: I know this may sound cruel, but shouldn’t we be more
concerned about the weapon than saving these soldiers? A Super Weapon in the
wrong hands can cost the lives of millions.
Captain Classic: You are correct, Doctor. But the Super Weapon can’t be
used by another person until the original wielder dies. Luckily for us, he is alive
and well.
Lord Andres: And how do you know all this?
Captain Classic: When Chimera invaded our planet thirty years ago, Dr. Steven
Techno created a series of Super Weapons to defeat our enemies. He didn’t trust
the world government to wield such power, but the King allowed him to assemble
a team that he could trust to save the world. That’s how Atlas was created and
Dr. Techno selected me to be the team’s captain.
Lord Agbani: What happened to the other Super Weapons? What about the
other team members?
Captain Classic: When the war ended, we decided it was best to part ways. Too
much power in the hands of a few is a bad idea. I know where some of them are,
but others I haven’t heard from in years.
Lord Durand: I was in this Council during the war, and I remember you
surrendering the weapon to us. You said this was the only weapon you had.
Captain Classic: I lied.
Lord Durand: This is an outrage! Your Majesty, I ask you to remove this man
from the Council immediately!
Queen Victoria: I will do no such thing. As you know very well, my lord, the only
people aware of this weapon’s existence are in this room. The Captain will
conduct a full investigation on every member of the Council until he finds out who
is responsible for this.
Lord Durand: I have been serving this Council since your father’s
reign and I will not tolerate such disrespect. I refuse to be investigated!
Queen Victoria: You may refuse, but understand that in doing so you
will be placed under immediate suspicion. You will be tried by the Royal Court,
and if found guilty you will be executed for high treason. Do I make myself clear?
Lord Durand: …
Victoria: Good. The Captain will contact you to conduct his investigation.
If there’s no further questions…
Lord Irwin: I have one, your Majesty. The Captain mentioned that the
original wielder of the Super Weapon needs to die before it can be used by
another person. What if the terrorist group is going after him right now?
Captain Classic: Not to worry. I already have that taken care of.
Queen Victoria: Thank you, my lords. The Captain will be in contact with you
shortly. Nothing further.
All of the Lords log out of the meeting, leaving only Queen Victoria, Vicereine Karina, and Captain Classic in the room. Silence fills the room as the weight of the situation sets in. The Vicereine rubs her hands together before breaking the silence, “Well, that went as expected. I know it's too soon to tell, but do you have any suspects Captain?” He scratches his beard and answers, “I have a few theories, but first, I must go to Ireland”.