Destroyer

It had been some time since the events known as War-Cry devastated the world, in that time Earth had recovered and many of its defenders had moved on to greater battles across the vast expanses of space and time.. Yet the shadows of the past never truly leave and deep beneath the streets of a world once ravaged by war lays a terrible relic of those dark times, waiting to be unleashed..

Prologue
The scene begins deep underground in what has become known as one of several "hidden cities" - ruins of once proud city states now laying like ghost towns deep below the currentc ities, which had been built on top of the ruins as part of a massive global project known as "Operation: Rebirth".

For the most part these "hidden cities" were left alone and became almost mythical amongst the young and old, despite the relatively short time-scale the idea of these dark, mysterious places sparked the imagination of a population where many still remembered the horrors of war.

Today however this particular "hidden city" was being explored by a small team of men and women, their flash-lights shining amidst the ruins and casting ghostly images wherever they went - each footstep crunched under debris and one of the explorers had to stop as her foot caught on something, kneeling down she picked up a broken backpack which looked small enough to fit a child.

"..I hate this place.. let's get out of here.." one of the team complained.

"No, our sources said it would be here.." another voice replied sternly.

"..and what exactly is "it"? this is insane! we're chasing a legend -" one of the team snaps only to grow silent.

"Look!"

The team stop and aim their flashlights towards a large capsule that has been laying in the middle of the long abandoned street - as the light shines against it they are amazed to see a humanoid figure laying within, as if asleep: jet black hair combed back, the figure completely naked yet connected to the device with many wires.

"..my God.. it's him! I.." one of the team yells out, pulling out a gun only to fall down as the sound of gunfire rings in the air, the others watching as their victim fell to the floor - blood slowly running down the streets as they turned back towards the figure in the capsule.

"Prepare the capsule for immediate departure to our faculty and have our top scientists at hand to awaken the master.." one of the figures states.

"..what about him?" another enquires, nodding towards the dead body.

"He served his purpose - I shall ensure he is rewarded.." the other figure notes.

The figures nod and head over to the capsule, beginning the task of moving the heavy object as the lone figure stands over the dead body and pulls out a small rag and a lighter.

"..humanity has grown weak - however, thanks to you, we shall have a second chance at redemption.. and so I cast you from this world, yet never from our memory.. OBEY!" - with that he lights the rag and tosses it on the figure, then walks away to join the others as the darkness once again returns to the area - save for the burning of the body..

Chapter 1
The next day began in a rather unusual way - instead of sunshine the city was experiencing a severe rainstorm that had been going on for several days, the rain was already a cause of concern for many as it had disrupted traffic and closed down several schools and offices as emergency services had to deal with the occassional flooding and damage to building the torrential rain caused.

Yet one figure did not seem to care for the rain, standing alone on a rooftop and looking down at the streets below the figure - dressed in military gear - did not seem to fear the slippy surface which could easily send him to his doom below nor did he flinch at the howling winds all around him.

Kindle was actually quite relieved to feel the rain, he remembered a world where rain never fell and even when it did it was black as coal and just as acidic - the howling winds were nothing compared to the toxic clouds he had endurance as a child, living in the slums of a world where only the most brutal survived past their third birthday.

"..come on.. come on.. I know you're here somewhere.." he mutters, looking through a pair of advanced binoculars at the streets below - the faint sound of mechanical gears can be heard as the device zooms in and out.

On a rooftop opposite stands Ruichi and Nebula, with the latter chattering nonstop.

"Aw... I hate rainy days, they make me so sad, I wish it was all nice and sunny outside, then I'd be really happy! Yeah, you know what this rain reminds me of?"

"...I like clouds and rain." Ruichi said quietly.

"But why?" Nebula protested. "They are so grey and colorless! It's all dark and depressing... kinda like you, sometimes..." she smirked. "Oh. I see..."

"...I feel more secure with clouds." Ruichi muttered.

Kindle continues looking down at the ground from his position on the rooftop, stopping once he sees a black truck pulling into a nearby alley - "..gotcha.." he exclaims - then climbs off the rooftop and heads into the alleyway just as several figures come out of the truck, carrying several large crates.

Nebula catches sight of Kindle leaving. "Where's he going?" she wonders aloud, floating down through the air after him.

"Nebula, not our business..." Ruichi said. No response. Ruichi sighed, stood up, and followed her.

The figures enter a nearby warehouse, still carrying several large crates - Kindle waits until the figures have entered before he makes his way over to the truck and hops inside: looking around at a few of the remaining crates he crouches down and breaks on of the crates open, revealing a collection of guns and ammo that are of military-grade quality.

"..so.. this is the place.. okay.. time to finish this.." Kindle says with a grim determination, digging into his pocket and pulling out a device that looks like a mix between a knife and a small firearm.

Suddenly, a loud, explosive voice shouts out from behind Kindle, from Nebula who is hovering about three feet above him;

"HEY! WHATCHA DOING?" she shouted happily.