The First Mission

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Xayal sat up rigidly from her protective storage casing and gently raised her arms above her head. Flexing her fingers and toes, she rolled her head around her shoulders. She blinked twice, then stretched the restrictor bands on her lower jaw: “yawning.”

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She picked herself up out of the thick metal box and pulled her knees to her chest, one at a time. Walking around her vacant room with careful steps, Xayal twisted at her torso to make sure all was in working order.  Her room was mostly empty.  Opposite of her storage casing was a small blinking grey box with complicated knobs and switches and a single cable curled on top.  Strewn across the floor, little box, casing, and window sill were various pieces of other Nobodies’ clothing.  Xayal’s cache memory recalled the previous night’s activity of determining who was the most proficient “snogger.” Although everyone had left satisfied, Xayal could not remember ever coming to a conclusion. Picking up each and placing it inside her torso cavity, she made a low-priority note to return the articles of clothing back to their owners.

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There was a knock at the door, and a nobody with black-blue hair peeked his nose around. Xayal snapped her head ninety degrees to her left.

“Good morning,” her optical receptors refocused, “Arxash. How can I help you?” Xayal walked over to him and groped his chest promptly, then awaited his response. Taken aback by this odd greeting, Arxash spoke slowly and fidgeted with his headphones.

“Oookay. Xayal, I just heard Xelcan wants to see us in the meeting room. We need to go.” Arxash looked around the spotless, drafty room. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be found.

“An order from a Superior. Understood. One moment, Arxash.”

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“My powercore has reached an acceptable charge level. Let’s go.” Xayal disconnected the cable from her hip and brushed past the confused new nobody.  The little robot never made much sense to him. He watched her walk out the door, flicking the light switch as she left. Shrugging, he followed.

Walking down the hall, they passed Ximon, humming to himself happily. Xayal stopped suddenly.

“Ximon.”

“Good morning, Xayal! Um, hello. I’m not sure we’ve met,” Ximon said cheerfully. Before Arxash could properly introduce himself, Xayal stiffly raised her arm nearly vertical, pointing her palm at Ximon’s face. A small hole opened on it, and she fired a pair of blue boxers with little ducks on it.

“These were left in my room last night. There is significant structural damage to the elastic. I suspect Xanti’s jerking motion on them is to blame. I recommend replacing them.” Xayal said, expressionless, lowering her arm back to her side.

“Ooh. Uhh…” Ximon pulled the underwear out of his hair and nervously eyed Arxash, who was staring at him with wide eyes. “Hehe, er, thanks, Xayal. I appreciate it.”

“Have a nice morning, Ximon.” Xayal grabbed his chest and squeezed, nodded once, then proceeded down the hall to the meeting room.

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Sparhex had been up since sunrise. Sweating heavily from his morning run, he plopped down in a kitchen chair, poured himself some cereal, and opened up his most recent book.  Just has he began carefully pouring the milk on his second bowl, a fist slammed on the opposite end of the table. Sparhex jumped with a yelp and spilt milk all over the table, his book, and his lap. With pitiful eyes, he looked up. It was Xsyng, glowering down at him.

“Xelcan has a mission for us. C’mon.” Xsyng turned and, opening a portal, vanished, leaving Sparhex in his puddle of milk, confused.

“Hey, neat! My very first mission! W-wait! Xsyng! Where am I going? Where’s Xelcan? …Xsyng?” Sparhex frantically cleaned up, frowned at his soggy book, then took off running down the hall, his dirty boots thudding along the way.

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“Good morning, you two!” Xelcan said, smiling merrily. “Are you up for your first mission?” He stood at the far end of a long wooden table, with Arxash and Xayal sitting at the opposite end. Arxash was looking around and tapping his foot with nervous anticipation. Xayal sat perfectly still, her back stiff and upright, unmoving.

“YESSIR!” Arxash cheered, jumping up and pumping one arm into the air. A whiff of plasma burst from his fist.

Xayal, head tilted and scrutinizing Arxash, stood up slowly and raised one fist. “Yes sir,” she replied.

Xelcan laughed, “Well, alright then. Here’s the deal. I need you two to go to Ancient China, at the Emperor’s Palace, steal that big gong in the throne room inside, and bring it to me. Do you think you can handle it?”

Arxash nodded vigorously, “You can count on us, Superior!”

“Excellent. I knew it,” Xelcan replied, still smiling and now pacing thoughtfully that end of the room. “Now, since you two probably haven’t gotten portaling down as well as the more senior Nobodies, I want you to portal to the outskirts of town and sneak in.” Xelcan stopped his pacing and winked at them, “Can’t have you two just popping in at the wrong place and getting caught, now can I?”

“The process of “portaling” has proven to be more complicated that initial analyses predicted,” Xayal agreed.

“It will take some time for you to get comfortable with. In the mean time, stick with this plan, mmkay?” Xelcan grinned, smoothing his light blue hair and resuming his pacing.

“Uh, Superior, if I may ask, what’s so special about this gong?” Arxash asked quietly. Xelcan stopped suddenly, his face blank. His hair flared light red. He turned to face Arxash, a mischievous grin on his face and his hair cooling back to a peaceful blue.

“I think it’s pretty and want it in my room,” he said. “Now scoot. I have some more Nobodies coming in soon. You two head out this evening around dusk. Remember, outskirts of town; no getting caught!”
Arxash leapt out of his chair and scurried out of the door. Xayal, once again tilting her head and considering his actions, ran out after him in a similar fashion.

Xsyng was leaning on the wall outside, arms crossed, rapping his fingers on his bicep.  As Arxash exploded around the doorway, he nearly ran into him.  Xsyng shot the Nobody a heart-stopping look, and Arxash sprang out of the way and sprinted even faster down the hallway. Xayal popped out of the doorway, paused to regard Xsyng, then sprinted to catch up to Arxash, stepping on Xsyng’s foot.  Just then, Sparhex ran up, panting and smiling broadly.

Grumbling and rolling his eyes, Xsyng walked in the room with Sparhex close behind. Xelcan sat on his end of the table, facing away from the door.

“Alright, what’s up, Superior,” Xsyng said, leaning back and propping his feet on the table as Sparhex plopped down happily next to him. It was several seconds before Xelcan stood up, and several more before he turned around. His eyebrows were furrowed with worry, and his arms were crossed.

“We’ve confirmed reports that Sora is heading to Ancient China tomorrow morning.  We are going to capture him,” Xelcan said slowly, resuming his pacing. “We aren’t sure of how he’s getting there, but we know he’s going to the palace. We’re going to set up a quick-strike force inside the palace, and steal him as quickly and quietly as possible when he arrives.  For this to happen, we need to be sure that those reserve palace guards aren’t alerted to our presence, because a force so large could become a serious problem to our strike. That’s why I’ve sent Arxash and Xayal to steal that gong, the only alarm to the guards.  When the quick-strike force assembles there later this evening, they’ll take out what guards are on duty with the assurance of knowing no more will be coming as reinforcements.”

“Why are we capturing Sora? What good is that to us?” Xsyng frowned, pulling his feet off the table and leaning forward.  Sparhex had sat still the entire time, completely absorbed and a little slack-jawed.

“You let me worry about that. Focus on your part of the mission. The reason I’ve called you two in here is primarily as insurance. Those two,” he nodded at the empty door that Arxash and Xayal exited by, “don’t know it, but they’re playing a vital role. The reason I sent them and not more veteran members is because, odds are, this will be a very simple, easy, ‘perfect for a new Nobody’ mission.  But, there’s a chance for their mission to get complicated. Those Huns are brutal, stealthy, and high in numbers. The number of reserve palace guards is in the dozens of thousands.  I want you two to follow close behind them and keep an eye out.  You two were selected as the backup team for your abilities to dispatch several enemies at a time,” he shot a piercing glance at Sparhex, who immediately turned red and directed his eyes to the floor, “You are to be alert to Huns on the approach to the palace, and guards when they get inside.  If they don’t start a fuss and nab the gong quietly, your job is easy.  If Huns ambush or guards get alerted, that’s where you come in. It would be nice if Arxash and Xayal didn’t know you two were watching out for them, but if you need to blow your cover, do so.  Regardless, get that gong. Clear?”

Xsyng mulled it over in his head, then heaved out of the chair, “Yeah, I got it,” and headed out the door.  Sparhex watched him, then jumped suddenly and followed, tripping a little on his chair’s leg.  Outside the room, Xsyng called back to Sparhex,

“Meet me out front at 6 o’clock,” then slipped though a portal. Sparhex was left awkwardly alone in the hallway.

“Alright! But… Xsyng, I can’t portal very well yet! Xsyng? Could you quit doing that?” Sparhex shouted as he walked down the hallway.

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There was a warm amber light cast on the castle walls as the sun set, but the air was crisp with the cold of fall.  Arxash excitedly checked and re-checked his gloves, cloak, and headset. Xayal was running a thorough hardware systems check, spinning and flexing every one of her parts.  Xelcan stood nearby, arms crossed and bemused.  Behind him, in the shadow of the gaping castle entrance, Xsyng leaned against the doorway and watched the new Nobodies carefully. Next to him stood Sparhex, hands in his pockets and shuffling the dust at his feet.

Arxash and Xayal looked at one another, then excitedly back at Xelcan. Arxash waved, then opened a shaky portal.  Xelcan smiled and nodded at them, and they hopped in.  The portal snapped shut, and Xelcan turned around to face his second team.  The smile replaced with dark seriousness, he nodded to them as well, and Xsyng snapped his fingers and opened a large portal on the stone walkway in front of him.  Taking one large step forward, Xsyng dropped through it. Sparhex winked at Xelcan and jumped in the hole.

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Xsyng and Sparhex landed in a sprawling field; Xsyng crouched on his knees in a prone position, and Sparhex flat on his butt.  The field was filled with waist-high grass swirling in the breeze, and the sun on the horizon made it glistening sea of gold. In the distance, the palace towered over the surrounding city, backed by a deep purple sky with hazy orange clouds.  White birds specked the red rooftops.  Topping the last hill before the city wall, Arxash and Xayal could be seen doing their best to be stealthy, but failing miserably.  Occasionally, Arxash let out a squeal of excitement, and Xayal walked at full upright.  Xsyng laughed under his breath at his newest comrades and shook his head.  Looking to Sparhex, who was brushing dirt off the seat of his cloak, they stayed low and followed the first team.  


It was dark before Arxash and Xayal got to the wall’s gate, and Xsyng and Sparhex were within 100 yards of them.  Looking around carefully, Xayal gently pushed one of the massive wooden doors.  Xsyng suddenly grabbed Sparhex’s arm and pointed to the top of the wall. There were guards on post, two on the right and one on the left.  Miraculously, they hadn’t yet seen the infiltrators, but it was only a matter of time.  Xsyng disappeared in a portal underneath him, and instantaneously reappeared behind the lone guard, zweihänder in hand.  Quickly cleaving the man in half, no alarm was raised.  Sparhex, still on the ground, looked to the other two guards, who had just seen the cloaked man appear and were paralyzed in horror.  Sparhex, eyes wide, frantically flashed open his own portal and rolled in. Appearing six feet above the guards’ heads, he flailed wildly, dropped onto them, and all three fell out of Xsyng’s eyesight.  A muffled thud. A sharp crack, then a gurgle. Silence. Sparhex stood up.  Xsyng, his face, chest, and exposed stomach covered in spattered blood, nodded to Sparhex.  Flexing his hands and smiling darkly, Sparhex looked back to Xsyng and returned the nod.  They looked into the city, and saw Arxash and Xayal vanish into a nearby alley, oblivious to what just occurred.  Pulling their hoods over their heads, Sparhex and Xsyng slid down silently and pursued.  Meshing with the shadows of the densely packed buildings, Xsyng and Sparhex’s movements were black on black, perfectly silent.

The ornate walls and roofline of the palace loomed in the distance, silhouetted by a thin crescent moon.  The red columns and uncountable shingles could be seen on each tier as they slowly rose higher into the sparkling night sky. Xsyng slowed down suddenly, so Sparhex did the same.

“There’s gonna be guards in that throne room.  Those two won’t be able to handle them, “ Xsyng whispered.

“So what’re you saying,” Sparhex breathed, turning to look back and see if they were followed.

“I’m saying we need to get in there and clean it out before Arxash and Xayal get killed.”  Xsyng opened another portal and stepped through, with Sparhex close behind.  He could hear the patter of the other two’s feet echo as they made their way toward their prize.

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They emerged in the shadow of a large column inside the throne room on the topmost tier.  The massive space was lit by dozens of torches that made inky shadows flicker and dance.  Ornate urns were placed all around, thin gold trim and intricate painted designs adorned each one.  Royal guards littered the vaulted hallway leading to the main entrance and flanked the wings on the side.  Their red armor glowed in the flames.  Along the hallway was several small windows, and the starry night sky could be seen.  Glittering next to the vacant throne was a massive brass gong.

Xsyng crouched low and set his jaw, his eyes hardened.  He took in the whole scene, then took a deep breath.  Looking to his partner, he reached down and gripped Sparhex’s wrist. Sparhex jerked like he had been shocked.

“What did you do that for?” he hissed.

“You’ve forgotten what you had earlier by now, haven’t you? From the gate guards?”

“…Yeah…”

“Well then this,” Xsyng gave Sparhex’s wrist a firm shake, “is to get you started on this next one.”

Before Sparhex could get some clarification as to what this meant, Xsyng darted out from behind the column to the nearest guard and flung him backwards; directly into Sparhex.  For a moment, the only things in motion in the room were the surprised guard flying backwards, and Sparhex stretching his arms forward.   Sparhex’s left hand impacted with the guard’s exposed neck. A fraction of a second later, his right hand caught the guard’s sheathed sword.  A quick flick of the wrist, and the guard fell to the finely polished floor, knocked out by his own technique.  Sparhex stood over him, the sword in hand and a sinister grin on his face.  The room was still once more.  The guards looked to one another, then uneasily reached for their weapons.

The flurry of swords flashed in the trembling torch light.  Xsyng and Sparhex were at opposite sides of the wide hall, and were each flooded with a mob of guards.  Sparhex, dodging and weaving, began slicing his guards to pieces, even yanking their own sword from them and lancing it into the backs of their retreating comrades.  When his sword broke off in the armor of his latest victim, he began grabbing and dragging the horrified men into his grasp. Bones snapped and joints crunched as his dark laugh reverberated off the high ceiling.

For all of the rage and violence Sparhex used, Xsyng's motions were that much control and focus, his massive zweihänder unyielding to the thin, light swords that opposed it.  On rare occasions, a guard would get lucky and lightly connect his sword to Xsyng, but would instantly leap back in pain and confusion, clutching their bleeding body.  One guard stood in the back and watched the carnage unfold before him. His eyes widened, and he made a break for the gong. Xsyng saw him before he took his first step.  Heaving the 50-pound blade end over end with a grunt, it pierced the sprinter in the back, then riveted him to the wall, a cascade of blood flowing freely to the floor.  In a whiff of black smoke, the zweihänder reappeared in Xsyng’s grasp, and the speared guard slid into the bloody pool at his feet.  The gong remained silent.

The chaos ceased.  Both of the Nobodies were nicked and bruised, and their cloaks were in shreds.  Panting and wiping the blood from his sword, Xsyng looked once more to Sparhex.  Wheezing heavily, Sparhex put his hands on his hips and surveyed the gory mess surrounding him.  Satisfied, he ran a hand through his hair, shrugged, then nonchalantly smiled back to Xsyng.  They policed the bodies into an adjacent room and crouched behind a column, waiting for Arxash and Xayal to arrive.

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Arxash bounded up the seemingly endless flights of stairs. Xayal was close behind, her movement silent with the exception of the whirrs and clicks of motors and gears.  Occasionally tip-toeing past a negligent sentinel, they met no opposition as they made their ascent.  They climbed for an eternity, until they were stopped by the carefully carved, heavy double doors of the throne room.  Peeking in slowly, they slinked in.

“There’s no defenses posted here. Something happened,” Xayal observed, pointing to the smeared blood on the floor, armor and urn chips, and large pool of blood near the gong.

“Yeah… that can’t be good… C’mon, let’s get it and go,” Arxash whispered.  They edged closer to the lonely gong. Arxash gently brushed the polished surface, and the tap of approaching footsteps came from the left doorway.  A lone guard swaggered in, then froze as he took in the surroundings. His eyes stopped on Arxash and Xayal.  He bellowed with rage and charged them, sword overhead.

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“We missed one,” Xsyng gasped, “We gotta stop him!” He leapt up to his feet and readied his hulking sword.

“Wait.” Sparhex whispered, gripping Xsyng’s cloak and tugging him back to the floor.  He carefully studied the two Nobodies at the gong.

“No! What? They’ll get killed!” Xsyng hissed, looking at Sparhex like he had lost his mind.

“We have time. I don’t want to blow our cover just yet. Let’s see what they’ve got,” Sparhex insisted, his face grim and eyes focused.  Hesitantly, Xsyng crouched back down.

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<//defense_protocol EMERGENCY ACTIVATE [re-armament_INITIATE, core output_300%, motor function_SAFETY OVERRIDE]

By the time the guard covered half the distance between himself and the Nobodies, a massive horizontal black bar had appeared at head height. Flying towards him with terrific speed, the guard chopped it in half, but the blade passed through the bar harmlessly, and the bar knocked the guard off his feet and onto his back.  Arxash dusted his hands together and resumed focusing, and the bar oriented itself vertically over the stunned guard.  A point began to form on the lower end.  Arxash flashed a look over his shoulder to his partner.  

Xayal’s hands were gone, replaced by strange, long, barreled weapons.  Her stance low and prone, Arxash could hear something in her chest humming loudly.  Her face was just as expressionless as ever.  She sprang for the guard. High in the air, she pointed both of her arms downward and fired. A blinding flash of red light, and the floor exploded where the guard once lay.  At the last second, he had rolled out of the way, but his back plates were singed and black.  The robot’s eyes were locked to him as she kicked off of Arxash’s nearby, floating plasma bar.  Mid-flight, she ejected the guns off of her wrists and into small portals that had suddenly appeared.  Shoving her empty wrists into the holes, they emerged with her hands attached.  She reacted so fast, the guard had no time to evade again, and her knee slammed into his chest.  A distinct splintering noise could be heard as he was crushed to the ground under the force of Xayal.  Pausing momentarily to analyze his singed, crippled feature, Xayal slowly stood up and backed a few paces away.

“You have been neutralized. Please, remain still,” Xayal asked, her voice completely monotone.  The humming in her chest subsided.

The guard slowly picked himself, clutching his mangled ribcage.  He staggered in place and leaned on his chipped sword. His face was contorted in pain and one eye was swollen shut, but he managed to keep his one good eye on the little robot before him.  With a surprising display of force, he slashed his fragmented sword across Xayal’s face and she fell.

A whistling noise penetrated the air. The guard limply jerked upward and was pinned to the top of a nearby wall.  Long, thin spines of plasma protruded from his ravaged body, all the way from his head to his calves.  A thin stream of blood trickled down his leg and dripped to the floor.  Arxash dashed to check on his motionless partner.  A grotesque, jagged slice raked the finish off of her features and gouged the steel, starting under her left cheek and ending under her right eye.

“Oh… oh no… Xayal, are you alright?” Arxash lifted her so she could sit upright. Gingerly lifting one hand to feel her face, her eyes glanced upward to the suspended, lifeless guard.

“The damage was only cosmetic. Repair difficulty will be minimal,” Xayal concluded.  Hopping to her feet, she readjusted her cloak and walked to the gong, leaving Arxash kneeling on the ground, baffled. Catching up to her, they both took a firm grip on the slender wooden frame surrounding the brass.  A portal hesitantly opened in front of them, and they tugged the gong through.

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After locating and portaling Arxash, Xayal, and the gong off of the roof, Xelcan was overjoyed.  With a flick of his wrist, the gong vanished in a faint whiff of smoke.  Clapping them on the back, he walked the victorious Nobodies inside to the applauding party he had waiting for them.   With one last approving smile, Xelcan slipped out of a door unnoticed.  The façade gone, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, then hurried down the hall.

Sparhex and Xsyng were sprawled out on Kamex’s couch and covered with little bandages and ice packs.  Kamex was jumping between them, carefully looking them over for any damage he may have missed.  Sparhex snored softly, oblivious to Kamex’s prods and pokes.   Xsyng curiously flicked at a growing welt on his arm. Xelcan peeked in.

“How’d things go?” he asked worriedly, shutting the door behind him. Sparhex awoke with a snort and looked around, vaguely confused.

“Great.  You know, those two are pretty serious fighters, and a great team. Surprised us, that’s for sure,” Xsyng grunted. Sparhex nodded in agreement.  Kamex handed them both glasses of water, which were consumed immediately.  The door opened, and in walked Xojhn, Luanx, and Chixara.  Xelcan looked to them, and Chixara winked and grinned back.  Xelcan turned back to the two on the couch.

“So we’re all clear for the next phase?”  

“Yeah. Knock yourselves out,” Sparhex said wearily. He waved faintly and flopped his head back onto the couch.  Xelcan stepped back into the ranks of the three other Nobodies. The four donned their hoods and faded into the swirling black of their portals.  Outside, the sun just began peeking over the horizon.