Legends of the Halcyon Era – Revelations: Reunion

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Legends of the Halcyon Era

Revelations: Reunion

by

David Oxford/LBD “Nytetrayn”

*****

Previously, in Legends of the Halcyon Era…

When the Air Pirate, Trevor Creed, nearly killed Nytetrayn, it looked like nothing could save him. Then two strangers arrived, claiming to be able to help the Diggers’ fallen friend.

Taking them back to their base of operations, the strangers not only revived Nytetrayn, but revealed themselves to be Reploids who left the planet long ago, and had only just recently returned from another world – Avion! And Nytetrayn was a Reploid, too!

Their leader, Commander Black Draco – who was also revealed to be Nytetrayn’s creator from long ago – invited the gang to journey with them back to Avion. They accepted, and are now on their way to prepare for the trip…

Setting: The open sea… fish swim, some birds fly overhead. All is peaceful, until…

“YAAAAA-HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!”

MoonRazor took the cruiser, the “Falcon Arrow,” for yet another aileron roll over the water’s surface. Serenity, buckled into the seat next to him, was having the time of her life, cheering and laughing. Suffice to say, MoonRazor’s style of flying was much different – and faster – than Crossfire’s had been.

Some of the older passengers, on the other hand, were less enthused. Janine and Steel were firmly buckled in and clung to each other, scared out of their minds, with Celeste and Nytetrayn practically mirroring them.

“If we survive this, Raze, I’m gonna kill you!!!” SunFlame said.

“I’ll help,” Magnus offered from above, as he clung to the ceiling of the craft like a cat, eyes wide open.

Unlike Magnus, Adam Powers was securely buckled in, the sword housing the spirit of Magnus’s fellow MegaMan, Blade, between his knees again. Like Serenity, he appeared to be having the time of his life, as a goofy grin was plastered all over his face.

“C’mon, guys! Lighten up! Serenity can enjoy it, why can’t you?” said MoonRazor, as he pulled up for a barrel roll.

“She’s not heavy enough to go through the windshield!!!” shouted Magnus.

“WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!” shouted Adam, his arms outstretched above him like he was on a roller coaster.

“Blue gives up way too easy…” SunFlame complained.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Janine said. Celeste nodded in agreement.

“Y’know,” SunFlame began, “I thought we were supposed to keep our presence here ‘discreet’ and hidden…”

“Aww, who’s gonna see, Flame? Stealth mode is activated, and I’ll ease up once we close in on land.”

“We’re probably going too fast for anyone to see us, anyway…” Magnus muttered aloud.

“Hey, Moonrazor, can this thing fly parabolas?” asked Adam.

“You bet!”

“Sweet!” Adam exclaimed, his grin widening, seemingly beyond the boundaries of his own face. ““Who wants to experience zero-g?!”

“Oh, GOD no…” Magnus said, shutting his eyes tight as MoonRazor began to pull up. Janine fainted, and Steel was suddenly very religious.

“Oh, HELL no!” said SunFlame, who stopped the ascent before MoonRazor could get it going.

“Aah, killjoy,” the silver Mechadrake said.

“Awww,” Adam said, echoing MoonRazor’s disappointment.

The gold Mechadrake told them, “You two can kill yourselves all you like when we get back to Avion, just leave the rest of us out of it, a’right?”

“Oh well,” said Adam. “Wish I could get the Sky Shark to do that, but it’s too big and not everything is bolted down.”

As Steel suddenly considered taking SunFlame as his lord and savior after stopping his brother,
Magnus dropped to the floor of the craft, and gave SunFlame a big bear hug. Sobbing, he said, “Thank you! Oh, thank you, sir!”

“Whoa, hey, easy now…” SunFlame said, as he tried with only some success to evade Magnus’s affection. Magnus backed off, but he and Steel immediately began making plans to dedicate a shrine to the gold Mechadrake.

“I would make a derogatory remark, but I’m afraid of the repercussions,” Adam said of Magnus. “I’ve seen what he can do.”

“Ah well, your island just came up on radar,” MoonRazor said, as he took the craft back to a skimming altitude.

“Oh, thank you, God!!!” Janine shouted, while Nytetrayn and Celeste just breathed a sigh of relief.

MoonRazor soon took the cruiser in for a landing on the beach, lowered the exit ramp, and unfastened Serenity. “End of the line! Everyone remember to tip the pilot, now!” Magnus just gave him the finger as he exited, leaving Serenity to ponder the gesture. She determined it must mean that MoonRazor is number-one.

Adam joyfully shook MoonRazor’s hand. “Quite a fun ride, sir. We shall have to do it again sometime!”

“Heh, you got it,” MoonRazor said with a smile.

Janine rushed outside to be ill, followed closely by Steel, Nytetrayn, and Celeste. Serenity, MoonRazor, and SunFlame stepped off as well, the latter two being sure to cloak the ship and activate their disguises again.

“So, how long you guys need, anyway?” asked SunFlame.

“Not long,” said Janine. “Maybe a day or so, to be sure to tie up any loose ends while we’re gone.”

SunFlame looked at MoonRazor. “Guess we’ve got some time on our hands.”

“If we’re going to do anything in the meantime, I guess we’ll need some money,” MoonRazor replied.

“Guess we can try that ‘digging’ thing.”

“I can help you out on that front,” Adam said. “I don’t really have a lot to pack, anyways.”

“Eh, just tell us where to go, we can handle the rest, I think,” said MoonRazor.

“You have combat equipment?”

“Kid,” said SunFlame, “we are combat equipment.”

“Oh yeah,” Adam said. “Right.”

“Ooh! Ooh! I wanna go!” Serenity said, as she hopped up and down.

Janines eyes widened. “Don’t take the kid digging! Those Reaverbots are dangerous! I should know.”

“You are one!” said Adam.

“That’s why I should know!”

“Well, technically, I sort of am, too, thanks to him,” Adam said, pointing at his sword.

MoonRazor looked down at Serenity. “Sorry, you heard the lady. Maybe next time, when you’re older.”

Frowning, Serenity let out a pouty “Ohhhh…”

“Well,” Nytetrayn said, “there are plenty of ruins around if you look.”

“Basically anything that looks like a dome with a door in it,” Magnus added.

“Got it,” said SunFlame, who turned to Serenity. “Looks like you’ll have to wait outside, squirt.”

“Might recommend against that. Some nasty characters tend to wander around,” Nyte said, as he rubbed his shoulder.

“Like the bogeyman who nearly did you in?” asked SunFlame. “Alright, fair enough. We can take turns watching the kid.”

Nyte wasn’t sure how to respond to that, nor did he get a chance before Adam elbowed him, and said, “We could probably watch her for you, if you want.”

“Yeah,” Celeste agreed. “That’s not a problem.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow at this. “Do we know how to take care of a kid…?”

“I do,” Adam told him.

“Hmm, how ’bout it?” MoonRazor asked her. “Want to hang out with your…” He stopped to think for a second. “…oh, whatever he is to you?”

“Okie!” she said, happily.

“Heh, thanks for the offer,” MoonRazor said. “C’mon, Flame, let’s go see what this is all about. We can take some pictures for souvenirs. We’ll catch up with you guys later!”

As the pair began to move out, Nyte stopped them to ask, “Wait, how will you find us?”

“We’ll just track your energy signal, like we did before,” MoonRazor said with a smile. “Should be easier this time, since you’re up and running again.”

“Oh… okay.” Nyte said with a shrug.

“I guess I need to go pack,” Steel said. “Shall I meet you all at your apartment tomorrow morning?”

“Sounds good,” said Janine, who pulled him in for a somewhat-awkward yet passionate kiss before he headed out, a little light-headed.

“Later, Steel!” Nyte shouted to the departing Digger, while Celeste just waved. Steel smiled and waved in return.

“Cool beans,” said Magnus, who then turned his attention towards Serenity. “Want a piggy-back ride, kiddo?”

“Yeah!” the young girl replied gleefully, before being gently hoisted and seated atop the Reaverbot’s massive shoulders.

“Are you hungry, Serenity? Do you want a snack?” asked Adam.

“Sure!” she replied with a smile.

“Well then, let’s get back to the apartment and pack, shall we, ladies and gents?” said Nytetrayn. He and Celeste led the way back, with Magnus, Adam, and Janine following, the latter two chattering good-naturedly with Serenity.

“So, you live with a bunch of robot dragons eh? I bet that’s exciting!” Janine said.

“I guess,” Serenity said, pausing as though she’d never considered this before. “They’re neat,” she concluded. “Unca’ MoonRazor is fun.”

“Yes, he is,” Adam happily agreed.

“The fun uncle’s always the psycho,” Magnus muttered.

“What about your mommy and daddy?” Jan asked. “Did they stay behind on Avion?”

“Yeah, they had stuff to do, and didn’t come along. So Unca’ Draco said he’d watch after me.”

“That was nice of him,” Janine said, as Serenity nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“This is so cute, I’m going to have to blow something up soon,” Magnus said, earning himself a swat on the arm from Janine.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen them?” Adam asked.

Serenity thought for a moment. “About a week.”

“So, having fun here on Terra?” Nytetrayn asked her.

“Yeah!” she said happily. “There’s a lot of water here. Do you go swimming a lot?”

“Heh, not really,” Celeste replied.

“You’re pretty,” Serenity told Celeste. “You look like the pictures of grandma when she was young.” Celeste blushed a little, not sure how to respond to that.

“Pictures?” Nyte asked.

“Yeah. Unca’ Draco has a bunch of them,” she said.

“Hmm, now that I think about it, why don’t you guys go swimming? The world could stand to see Celeste and Janine in bikinis more often, after all.” Celeste blushed even more at that, while Janine sighed and let her head droop into her hands.

“Blade says you haven’t changed one bit, Magnus,” said Adam. “And he also made a comment which I won’t bother repeating in present company about you being as bad as Fenix…”

“If there’s something wrong with appreciating beautiful women, I don’t wanna be right.”

“Who’s Fenix?” Serenity asked.

“He’s an old friend of ours. He left a while ago to… uh, go visit his dad!” Janine said cheerfully, pleased at her cover-up.

“…yeah,” Celeste said, a bit more dryly.

“I wondered where he got to,” Magnus said. “I still owe that little weasel a shot in the face.”

“Blade says you owe him a lot more than that,” Adam said.

“What? Did he do more than fu– um, make happy with Jan?”

“Hey! That’s none of your business!” Janine protested.

Before long, Nytetrayn and the others arrived at the apartment. Nyte went to unlock the door, but found that it was already unlocked. “Odd,” he said. “Did you guys forget to lock up before you left?”

“Er…” Celeste said, as she looked to the others, who were all silent.

“I don’t have a key yet, you jerk,” said Magnus.

“So?” Nyte replied. “The others do.”

“I know, I’m just saying.”

“Maybe you guys ought to check the apartment before we bring Serenity in,” Adam suggested. “Wouldn’t want to run into any unexpected… guests.”

Nytetrayn nodded, and readied his Nyte-Buster before quickly opening the door and rolling inside, aiming the weapon all around as he checked the living room.

There, sitting on the sofa and watching “Mad About You” was none other than Fenix himself.

“…Fenix?” Nyte said in disbelief, before turning to the others outside the door. “It’s nobody, guys. Just Fenix.”

Magnus put Serenity down before he tried to enter, lest he knock her from her perch.

“Fenix?” Adam said.

“…Fenix is back?” said Celeste.

“Hey, guys!” Fenix said, as he leapt to his feet. He shouted “You ass!” at Nytetrayn, prompting the smaller Digger to smack him across the back of the helmet.

“Watch your mouth!” Nytetrayn admonished, mindful of Serenity, but Fenix was too busy giving him a bear hug to notice.

“C’mere, you! Lemme get a look at ya!” He then performed a dip with the now visibly-disturbed Nyte, placed a hand over Nyte’s mouth, and passionately kissed the back of his hand.

“…hi, Fe–” Celeste started to say, before being thrown off completely by the sight before her.

“Cover the child’s eyes!” Magnus shouted, as Serenity peeked out from around his leg, just in time to see Fenix drop Nyte to the floor with a grunt.

“Celeste! How are you? You’ve grown!” the masked Digger continued, giving her a somewhat gentler and less-frightening hug.

“…yeah…” Celeste replied, as she seemed kind of cold to it all. Once his grip was relinquished, he helped her boyfriend up off the floor. “Thanks,” he said. She just nodded and gave him a quick squeeze.

“I guess this means you’re glad to see us, eh, Fenix?” Adam asked.

“Um… yes,” he replied. “After spending two days stuck in a ruin with Creed, you guys are a breath of fresh air.”

Celeste narrowed her eyes at the mention of Creed’s name, but kept quiet. She didn’t much care to hear that name, especially not from Fenix. “…so did you share anything else with Creed while you were down there?”

“Um… a few bruises, a lot of lacerations, a cut or two…”

Suddenly, Fenix found himself suspended above the floor by the scruff of his neck. “Woah, what’s this action I’m getting hit with now?”

Magnus turned Fenix around and glared at him. “Hi.”

“…since when do we have a guard robot?”

Magnus punched Fenix in the faceplate, which sent the caped Digger flying across the room as everyone else looked on in shock and surprise. Serenity hid behind Jan’s leg now.

Somewhere past where Fenix’s legs were sticking out of the wall came a muffled question: “…I’m guessing that one was for doing your ex?”

“Yes. Now we’re even.”

Fenix gave a thumbs-up from his hole in the wall.

Meanwhile, Adam asked Nyte “Mind if I make use of your kitchen?”

“Er, sure. Go nuts.”

“Thanks,” he said, before he went in and surveyed the contents of the fridge.

As Fenix got out of the wall and walked back over to the group, he pulled off his helmet and wiped blood from his nose. As he put the helmet back on, Magnus told him “I promise never to do that to you again, so long as you keep your helmet on.”

Fenix’s shoulders slumped at this as he sighed. “Deal.”

From the kitchen, Adam asked, “Serenity, what would you like, honey?”

She looked back to the kitchen, and just replied “I dunno.”

“Serenity…?” Fenix asked, before widening his eyes. “Nyte, I know I didn’t leave you two alone long enough to have a kid…”

Adam poked his head out of the kitchen to say “He’s not theirs, Fenix.”

“Good, good, I’m too young to be an uncle…”

Nyte just rolled his eyes, while Adam explained “We’re just, er, watching her for some friends for a bit.”

Fenix knelt down, and extended his hand to Serenity. “Hey kiddo, what did you do to get mixed up with this crowd?”

Serenity stepped out from behind Jan’s leg, now that the punching was over, and extended her hand back. “Unca’ Raze and Unca’ Flame left me with them while they went digging.”

Fenix shook her hand gently. “‘Raze and Flame,’ eh? Sound like my uncles. Glad to have ya aboard, kid!”

Serenity smiled, and bowed like she did before. “Good to meet you!”

In the kitchen, Adam purveyed the contents of the fridge and cupboards again, and came up with a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of jelly. “When in doubt, go with a known classic,” he said, pleased with himself as he put together a large stack of sandwiches and several glasses of milk. He brought them out, and gave one of each to Serenity.

“Thank you!” she said, accepting the food and drink before taking up a spot on the floor and eating.

“Ah, it was nothing,” Adam said, as he smiled broadly and put the plate in the middle of everyone on the floor, then munched on a sandwich himself.

“So,” Nyte asked, “what brings you back this way?”

“I’m out of money, mostly,” Fenix told him.

After a pause, Nyte called him a “deadbeat” in jest, as he took a sandwich and began to eat. Celeste took one as well, though she seemed less enthused about it.

“No, I kid,” Fenix said. “Actually, I came here because I was worried about you. The old man was going off about you a bit when we last spoke, and I was right concerned he would bust a cap on you.”

He continued, “I’m glad to see I got here before he did. Those damn commercial airships are slower than a dead slug…”

“Was that before or after he nearly killed Nyte?” Celeste asked pointedly.

“…what?” Fenix said, surprised.

Janine frowned slightly at Celeste, who didn’t say anything more, while Magnus sat in the back of the room, observing.

Adam explained, as Celeste just looked back to her sandwich. “Nyte went into a ruin to test some of his new inventions. Creed was waiting for him, apparently.”

Behind his mask, Fenix paled.

“Yeah, he got the jump on me, but good,” Nyte said.

“Well… you– you look alright. I guess you taught him another lesson, eh?”

“…well, I had some help recovering.”

“When we got there, Creed was just finishing with him,” Adam continued. “You should’ve seen Cel, though. She gave him a run for his money.”

Fenix stumbled backward and fell to the floor with a bump. “Oh Jebus… I’m sorry, I – I couldn’t… there wasn’t any communications equipment where we were, I couldn’t contact you…”

“Nothing you could’ve done, man,” Adam reassured him. “As it was, Nyte was lucky we found him when we did. If we hadn’t gone looking for him, he would’ve died in that ruin.”

Celeste muttered something, part of which sounded like “…mouth shut…”

“What was that, Cel?” Adam asked.

Celeste paused. “…nothing.”

“When did it happen?” Nyte asked. “About two days ago…?”

“Something like that,” Adam said.

“Two or three, something like that,” Fenix confirmed, as he stared at the floor, his eyes glowing intensely.

Janine put her arm around him, and said “It wasn’t your fault. You’re not responsible for what that maniac does.”

Celeste just put her sandwich down. “Yes, he is.”

Fenix stared at Celeste, mouth open, though she didn’t return the attention.

After a moment, Nyte put a hand on her shoulder. “Cel…”

Fenix abruptly stood up. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come back…”

“Fenix, wait,” said Janine.

“Yeah,” added Nyte. “Hold on a sec…”

Janine turned on Celeste. “…and what the hell is your problem?!”

“Cel… what’s wrong?” Nyte asked, as Serenity stopped eating. “You’re not usually like this…”

“Remember when Creed had me cornered during the battle with East, back on Archie Island?” Celeste said. “He told me that Fenix had told him all about me… my past – or lack thereof – my ability to sense refractors… and that I looked hot under my ‘tin can’…” Her voice started to crack a little as she went on. “…and I bet he told him where we live, too. I bet that’s how he found you, Nyte… when you… you…”

She began to tear up a bit, thinking back to when they found Creed standing over Nyte’s near-lifeless body, and buried her face in him and held him tight as he patted her reassuringly.

As Fenix looked on, he said “What… the… I never… we didn’t…” Then his eyes widened as a look of horrified understanding passed over his face. “Oh… God… that’s what happened…” As he let his head sink into his hands, he let out a low-voiced “That bastard…”

Meanwhile, Nytetrayn just had a look that plainly said “I don’t know” on his face, while he tried to comfort Celeste in his arms.

“I don’t remember that,” said Adam, “but then again, I wasn’t in my own body, and the person who was in it had his hands full handling someone else…”

Janine asked, “What? What happened? What are you talking about?”

Fenix sighed. “A couple weeks ago… I was looking for Creed, like usual… but… he didn’t run. This time, he met me. Asshole was unarmed, said he just wanted to talk. Well hell, what was I supposed to do? He’s my dad, for Chrissakes… So we went to a bar, started talking. Next thing I know, I wake up in a hotel room with a splitting headache and a note from him that said ‘Thanks, sucker.’”

“I never really understood what happened,” he continued. “I figured he was just screwing with me, but… oh hell, if he slipped me something, or if I just got drunk enough…” Fenix turned to Celeste. “Celeste, I’m sorry, I… I didn’t…” He shook his head, got up, and walked into his room.

As Celeste calmed a bit while Nytetrayn held her, Janine spoke up. “He said it.”

“Hm?” Magnus asked.

“Creed said it. He said ‘alcoholism runs in my family.’ I knew he was talking about Fenix, but I didn’t realize that’s what he meant…”

“Yeah,” said Adam, “but Creed doesn’t strike me as the kind to buy his drunken son a hotel room.”

“That is a bit odd,” Nyte agreed.

“He seems more the type to leave him face down in a back alley.”

“Maybe there’s more to that?”

At this point, Celeste wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Adam offered Serenity another sandwich, which she happily accepted, and topped off her glass of milk.

“I dunno,” said Janine. “Creed is unpredictable.”

“Drugging with truth serum is quite possible,” said Adam. “And you know Creed could afford that stuff, too.”

Celeste finally pulled herself away from her grip on Nytetrayn, and wiped some tears from her eyes as Fenix emerged from his room, duffle bag in tow.

“Sorry, everyone,” he said. “Guess this wasn’t the happy reunion I ho– thought it would be…”

“Fenix, don’t go…” Nyte said sadly.

“F-Fenix…” Celeste said, as she stood up.

“Just… don’t worry,” he continued. “If I have anything to say about it, Creed’ll be entirely too busy to mess with you guys.”

“I’m… I dunno. I’m sorry… I… I guess you weren’t yourself…”

Fenix shook his head. “I should have known better… shouldn’t have trusted him…”

Celeste thought back. This was Trevor Creed they were talking about, after all. Maybe… “Maybe I made the same mistake…” she said.

“Don’t let him get to you, Fenix,” said Adam. “It’s what he wants. It’s how he gets his kicks. Pissing you off to get a reaction out of you. He knew you would get word back to us. That’s probably why he ambushed Nyte. And he probably did it to get a rise out of you and Celeste.”

“Yeah. And once we get back, we’ll put an end to his crap for good,” Nyte said, as he punched the palm of his hand for emphasis.

“You’ll have my help, that’s for sure,” Adam added.

Fenix stood there silently for a moment, before letting his bag droop to the floor. “Well… it would be nice to not get my ass kicked every time I see the guy…”

“We’ll all help,” Magnus affirmed. “Creed almost helped East take over the world. I will gladly fight that kind of evil to the death!”

“Stick around,” Nyte said. “We have some catching up to do, anyway.”

Fenix rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Thanks, guys.”

Celeste took a step towards Fenix, her eyes lowered. “I shouldn’t have listened to Creed…”

Fenix patted Celeste on the shoulder. “It’s okay, he didn’t exactly lie,” he told her. “And trust me, he can be very convincing,” he added, wincing.

Celeste looked up at Fenix. “I’m sorry I snapped at you about it… can you forgive me?”

Fenix looked back down at her. “If you can forgive me for being too eager to please when I’m drunk.”

Celeste smiled, and said “…we’ll work on it.”

“We’ve also got some new friends for you to meet,” Adam said.

“Oh?”

“Ah, yeah,” Nyte said, as he realized that was a whole thing now.

“They’ll be here soon,” Adam said. “They’re the friends we’re watching Serenity for.”

Then there came a knock at the door. “Who is it?” Magnus asked.

MoonRazor’s voice came from the other side. “It’s us!”

“Us?” asked Fenix, as his eyes shined brighter with interest as he turned to the door, his cloak billowing behind him a bit overdramatically.

Nyte got the door, with MoonRazor and SunFlame both standing there.

“Well, hello,” said Fenix.

Ignoring the greeting, SunFlame wasted no time in proclaiming, “I just want to say, that whole experience has made me sick.”

Magnus said “Hey guys,” while Janine just raised an eyebrow at the taller man’s statement.

“Why would that be?” asked Adam, when realization struck. “Oh wait… you didn’t go into what I think you went into, did you?”

“Who in their right mind makes kangaroo robots like THAT?!”

“…I knew it.”

“At least they chopped up nicely,” MoonRazor said, as he checked his arm blades for any lingering traces.

Janine’s eyes bulged, while Magnus simply died laughing.

“That ruin’s a special case,” Adam said, and added with a mischievous grin, “Ask Janine, she knows aaaaaaall about it.”

“Feh,” said SunFlame. “Whoever built that ruin must’ve been a special case…”

Janine looked horrified, as she hid behind Magnus. “Oh God please NO!” she said.

This prompted a raised eyebrow from the Annihilator Unit, who told them “Stop scaring the Reaverbot!”

“C’mon in, guys,” Nyte said, as he gestured for the two to enter the now increasingly-cramped living quarters.

The two large gentlemen did just that, and MoonRazor paused once he got a good look at Fenix. “Is there a Star Wars convention in town, and nobody told us?”

“Unca’ Raze!” Serenity shouted, as she ran over to MoonRazor and hugged his leg.

“Fenix and Nyte found Janine in that ruin,” Adam said. “I still remember when I landed outside that ruin, and all three of them just burst out of there and began nailing boards to the entrance…”

“I remember that,” Nytetrayn said.

“Oh, Fenix, these are the friends we mentioned,” Adam noted.

“Nifty,” the masked Digger said, as he extended his hand. As MoonRazor shook it and SunFlame prepared to also return the gesture, he continued. “How do you do? I’m the token nymphomaniac.”

MoonRazor facefaulted, while SunFlame suddenly had second thoughts and retracted his hand. Fenix chuckled quietly to himself.

“Anyways, we came by to pick up the kid,” MoonRazor said. “Figure we might be able to do something, now that we have some of the local currency in hand.”

“Cool,” said Magnus.

SunFlame just kept checking his foot. “I think I stepped in something… lousy kangaroos…”

“Anything good to do on the island?” MoonRazor asked.

“You just did it,” Nytetrayn said.

“Bars, restaurants…” said Adam.

“We have marvelous strip clubs,” Fenix added.

“Most of the good stuff is off-island,” Nyte said.

“Well, nuts,” MoonRazor said. “Alright, we’ll look around. Maybe Wavelength has some info or something. You guys be ready tomorrow?”

“Probably,” Adam said.

Nytetrayn nodded. “No doubt.”

“Alrighty then, we’ll meet you guys at the beach where we parked at that time. Seeya then!”

“Thanks for the sandwiches, Mr. Powers!” said Serenity. “You’re welcome, Serenity,” Adam cheerfully replied, as the two groups waved to one another and the Avions departed.

“Ready?” Fenix asked. “What’s going on?”

“…did I mention we have some catching up to do, Fenix?” Nytetrayn asked.

“Quite a bit, actually,” Adam added.

“Yeah, I guessed,” said Fenix. “All of a sudden, you’re telling people about our special ruin! I’m hurt. Deeply.”

“Actually, we didn’t,” Nytetrayn said.

“Guess they found it themselves,” Celeste chimed in.

“They went in there on their own,” Adam said. “Although we probably should have warned them…”

“Of all the ruins on this island,” Nyte said, “who knew they’d end up at that particular one?”

“Dear gods, I hoped they sealed it back up,” Janine said, jittery.

“Probably a smoldering crater by now, if SunFlame had anything to do with it,” Adam said.

“The kangaroos might come for me!” she shouted. Then she leaped up to fly away to somewhere safe, but landed heavily on her face. “…I meant to do that.”

“Sounded to me like they took care of the ‘roos, Jan,” Nyte said. “Are you alright?”

Janine raised a thumb upward, and said somewhat cheerfully, “S’okay! I’ve got natural air bags!”

“…fair,” said Nytetrayn. “We still need to pack, too.”

“Pack for what, pray tell?” asked Fenix.

“We’re going on a trip,” Adam said. “And for once, we’re not taking my ship!”

“Yeah,” Nyte said, when a thought occurred to him. “Hey, maybe you can come with!”

Fenix raised an eyebrow at the invitation. “I suppose… Where are we going?”

An awkward silence fell over the room, as everyone else looked at one-another, before Nyte broke it. “Um, maybe you’d better sit down. This might take a while…” The others nodded and murmured in agreement.

Fenix shrugged and sat down. Nytetrayn started by telling Fenix of his encounter with Creed, and proceeded to tell him what had happened up to this point, with the others adding in their own thoughts and insights as warranted.

“…and when we got back, you were on the sofa,” Nyte finished telling a now wide-eyed Fenix. “And in about a day and a half, we meet up with MoonRazor and SunFlame, and go to Avion. Wanna come with?”

“This… is…” Fenix started, and paused before finishing. “…so freaking COOL!” He pumped his fist, and added, “You bet I’ll come along!”

“Schweeet,” Adam said.

“Cool!” said Nytetrayn. “So, now then… what have you been up to?”

“Well, mostly trying to commit patricide,” Fenix said, which earned a fist-pump from Nytetrayn. “Made a couple of visits the dear old mum’s house. She’s holding up fine and said to say hi to you all. Made a few friends along the way. Those kinds of schlepps.”

“Ah,” said Nytetrayn. “Glad she’s doing well… Kade’.”

While Fenix winced, Adam’s mouth twitched at the corners slightly, while Celeste was confused. “‘Kade’?”

“Oh yeah, you weren’t there for that, were you, Cel?” Fenix said. “Umm, yeah. Well, obviously, my given name isn’t ‘Fenix’.” Celeste nodded, as he continued. “I don’t know where Mom got the name, though I suspect pain medication had something to do with it.”

“Aren’t controlled substances fun?” Adam asked.

“Indeed,” Fenix said, before quickly trying to change the subject. “So Nyte… tell me something,” he said, as he put an arm around the young Digger’s neck and pulled him away from Celeste and in close, with Nyte raising an eyebrow in the process. Speaking very quietly into his ear, Fenix asked him, “How was it?”

Nyte looked back in confusion. “How was what?” Celeste tilted her head as well.

“You know what I mean. It’s obvious with the way she’s been clinging to you all night. Did you make use of my advice? I hope you didn’t disappoint her…”

Nyte thought back. “‘Use the Force’?”

“I told you about the Crazy Charlie, right? Did you use the Crazy Charlie?”

“…who?” Nyte asked. “You’re starting to worry me here, Feeny.”

Fenix sighed. “I’ll be blunt. Did you bring her to orgasm, or didn’t you? Come on, I’ve got money riding on this.”

Nyte reluctantly replied. “Uh, well, technically… no.”

“…we… haven’t… done anything yet… like… that…” Celeste added.

“You owe me ten bucks, Jan.”

“Good lord,” said Adam, as he rolled his eyes behind his shades.

“Ahh, of course, I forgot how shy you two are,” Fenix said, as he released Nytetrayn. Both Nytetrayn and Celeste reddened a little.

“Nice to see things returning to normal around here…” Adam said. “Or as normal as they get, anyway.” Celeste nodded.

“I understand,” Fenix continued, “though honestly, I don’t see what you’re waiting for. Celeste is a gorgeous young woman, and Nyte… well, I’m sure you’d be a machine in the sack…” He put his hand to the side of his mouth, and without lowering his voice, told Celeste, “Trust me on this, that’s a good thing.” He then gave Janine a wink, which made the Bureaucratic Unit blush… and the nearby Annihilator Unit growl, which in turn made Adam’s eyes widen as he backed away from Magnus a bit.

“…well, no two ways about that last part, I guess,” Nyte said, as Celeste turned another shade of red.

Looking to change the subject, Adam said, “Um, yeah… so, uh, how are you going to bunk five people in here? If someone needs a room, I’d be more than willing to let them use one on the Sky Shark…”

“Lessee,” said Nyte. “Cel and I have a room, and… um… er, that is…” Then he just decided to shut up.

“Well, Jan can share my room as usual,” said Fenix.

“…actually, I can’t,” she said.

“Huh? Oh, okay. I’ll just bunk out here on the… wait…” He turned to Nyte. “Did you just say ‘Cel and I have a room’?” he asked, as his right eye grew larger than the left.

“Uh………..” Nyte said, sweating. “Well, Celeste was insistent… she didn’t want to see my arm in pain, after East fried it… but before Creed ripped it out…”

“And yet you haven’t… but you’re…”

Nyte nodded meekly.

After a pause, Fenix said, “Cel, you devious tease, you!”, and punctuated it with a wink at the girl.

Now it was Celeste’s turn to sweat. “…but… I wasn’t… his arm… and…”

“Keep it up, at this rate he’ll be a shivering wreck of pent up sexual frustration in less than a month!” the masked Digger said gleefully, earning perturbed stares from everyone else in the room.

Everyone but Janine, that is, who nodded sagely. “This is true.”

After another awkward silence, Nyte tried to speak up again. “I… I mean, I’m not… that is, I…”

“You enjoy watching him squirm, don’t you?” Adam asked.

“Yes, very much so.”

“You’re horrible.”

Celeste sighed.

“…and Cel just has the cutest little blush!”

“She is cute when she blushes, isn’t she?” Jan said.

“Absolutely adorable,” Fenix agreed. Which, despite her wishes, did nothing to keep Celeste from blushing further.

“I wish I had a camera,” Janine added with a smile.

“We’ll have to bring one on this trip,” said Fenix. “I can send them to the tabloids, we’ll make millions.”

Adam whispered to Magnus, “You sure you wanna stay here tonight?”

“Take me with you,” Magnus whispered back with a pleading look in his eyes.

“You got it,” Adam whispered, before telling the others, “Guys, I think we’re gonna go do some, uh, story swapping. Yeah. Blade wants to tell Magnus about that time he put some dirt in Sera’s coffee… So, uh, yeah…”

“Oh God, I remember that!” Janine said, giggling.

“Oh, okay. You guys taking off? Later!” Nyte said.

“Later,” Adam replied. “C’mon, Magnus.”

The rest said their good-byes, as Adam and Magnus departed for the Sky Shark.

Nyte yawned. “I could use a nap, I think…”

“Me too,” Celeste agreed.

“I think it’s time we all got some sleep,” Fenix added.

“Yesh, I’m a bit wiped out myself,” Janine said. “G’night, folks.”

“Nite Jan,” Nyte and Celeste said together. “Guess we can pack when we wake up, and meet with the others,” Nyte said.

Fenix grabbed a few blankets for the sofa, and said, “I’m already packed, mostly.”

Nytetrayn and Celeste went into their room, said goodnight to Fenix, and closed the door.

Fenix shouted merrily through the door, “And remember, kids: I’m a heavy sleeper, so any noise you might be makin’… you know, maybe some groaning or pounding on the bed or something, I’ll be none the wiser!”

Before going to sleep, Nyte decided to wire the doorknob for high voltage, just in case Fenix got any ideas.

To be continued…

Next time: The Terrans, now with Fenix in tow, return to the Avion base as they prepare for their galactic voyage! Be here next time as “Legends of the Halcyon Era – Revelations” concludes with “Departure”!

—

And in case you missed it on Twitter before, here’s the special Valentine’s Day holiday pic, courtesy of Victor Campan!

—–

Legends of the Halcyon Era is a work of fan fiction set in the world of Mega Man Legends. It is largely adapted from a series of freeform RPG sessions, combining ideas from several contributors, and further fleshed out here in a prose format.

David Oxford, also known as LBD “Nytetrayn,” is a lifelong Mega Man fan who, along with his wife Nadia, has co-written the Mega Man Robot Master Field Guide and Mega Man X Maverick Hunter’s Field Guide from UDON Entertainment, and runs The Mega Man Network (themmnetwork dot com). You can also find him on Twitter @LBD_Nytetrayn and @themmnetwork, and on Twitch and YouTube under the name “Nyteworks.”

You can also find Legends of the Halcyon Era as it updates at Archive of Our Own.

Character designs by LBD “Nytetrayn” and Victor Campan. Character art by Victor Campan. Logos by Tabby Ramsey. Arrangement by LBD “Nytetrayn”.

Thanks for reading!

LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.