• The wickedly shaped blade of a sword blazed through the smoky air, cleanly slicing through the thick metal column and missing 28-year-old Argus Stratan’s neck by mere millimeters. Numerous technical readouts shouted warnings from the heads-up-display in his helmet, and unfortunate result of the beating he had already suffered at the hands of his enemy. Even with his enhanced physical abilities, Argus could feel himself running dangerously low on stamina, not to mention the searing pain from his wound that made it hard to concentrate. He had to end this now, before it was too late.

    A blast of superheated plasma rocketed towards him and he barely dodged it with a sideways roll, watching as the energy melted the place he stood moments before into a pool of molten materials. “Give it up, Argus!” his similarly armored opponent cried, gripping the hilt of a sword menacingly, “You have no hope of defeating me! None of you did! Not even Tera, that weakling you dared to call your friend.”

    Through the haze of pain and fatigue, Argus felt his hazel-eyed gaze briefly drift over to where the still body of his sister-in-arms lay, a long knife still embedded in her stomach. The man who he had once known as his comrade was the one responsible for Tera Salov’s death, and Argus was determined to make him pay for his treachery. Fighting back the spasms of pain, he drew his own sword from the compressed equipment pack on the back of his armor and held it in a two-handed grip. “You might win, Orion,” he growled, “but you’re going to wish you hadn’t.”

    With that, Argus gathered himself and leapt at his enemy, sword raised and gleaming in the murky light. The other man, Orion Eros, adopted a close-quarters combat stance and was ready for him when their weapons collided with a fountain of sparks. Their movements were a blur as they traded blows in a vicious dance, even as the walls of the fortress surrounding them shook and shifted like a thing possessed. Argus kept his eyes peeled for any holes in Orion’s defenses, knowing that it would be next to impossible because he was essentially fighting himself, and a stronger, more maniacal one at that.

    Then, he saw his chance. It was a small flaw and would be difficult to exploit, but he had a feeling the odds were on his side. He swung once more at a horizontal angle and pinned Orion’s sword against the nearby column with one hand. Then he drew his right fist back and punched Orion’s wrists with everything he had, instantly shattering every bone in his opponent’s hands. Orion howled in pain and released his grip, sending his sword clattering to the ground. Moments later, Argus mentally activated the power crystals within his gauntlet and fired a powerful sonic burst, blasting Orion nearly fifty feet and smashing him into the far wall. A second or two passed before Orion stirred from where he had fallen and he struggled to his feet, hands hanging uselessly at his sides. Argus was about to finish the traitor off when the pain from his gaping wound finally got the better of him, grimacing and placing his gloved hand over the injury in an attempt to stop the bleeding. There was a sudden deafening explosion from somewhere else in the fortress and several chunks of the ceiling crashed to the floor. “This isn’t over!” Orion exclaimed, avoiding a portion of falling debris, “Not by a long shot!”

    The traitor then made his escape down the labyrinth of hallways and out of the structure. Argus watched him go, but was too weak to follow, let alone engage in another battle. He sank to one knee, feeling the warmth of his own blood trickle down his leg inside his armor. So, he mused, this is how it ends. I’m going to die here, alone, in this miserable place. Couldn’t have thought of a worse way to go. Looking over at Tera’s body, he mentally paid his last respects to his greatest friend, and perhaps his greatest love. “I’m sorry, Tera.” He said sadly, “I couldn’t stop him.” Lowering his head in defeat, Argus closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.

    Just then, an idea appeared in his mind and all thoughts of his death were washed away. The idea was a gamble, but it would delay his demise and save him from the destruction that was to come. With an enormous amount of effort, Argus stood up and began to limp away down an adjacent corridor. A couple of minutes later, he came upon a room full of vertical, cylindrical-shaped stasis pods, their aqua blue glow bathing the entire area in an eerie light. He quickly made his way to the nearest pod and activated it. As soon as the device warmed up and the clear, curved access hatch slid open, he climbed in and took a deep breath as the hatch closed and sealed shut. He wasn’t too thrilled about being inside an experimental stasis pod; however, he knew that this was the only way. There was a chiming noise as the pod activated and Argus closed his eyes, drifting away into a dreamless sleep.