Baskergrand The Nautilus

Charles arose from the shore, stumbling and groaning. He had the remote still firmly gripped in his hand.

''That was a nasty trick you played on me, Percival,'' Charles spitefully remarked, shooting a murderous gaze at Percival. Percival repaid his glare with an equally hostile one.

''You need to stop this Charles; you cannot win,'' Percival responded in a low tone. Charles scoffed maliciously.

''Win?! Hah! You cannot win, Percival! I have had this suit in my possession longer than you have, so I know a little bit more about its function than you!'' Charles retaliated angrily. He sharply pressed down on the 'Attack' button on his remote, forcing the Nautilus suit to assault Percival. Percival rolled on the floor to the side to avoid the blasts from the Nautilus' hand. He then shot out a blast from his hand, but the Nautilus dodged out of the way at the last moment.

'I should get to Charles first; he's the one controlling the suit,' Percival determined, glancing over at Charles. While the Nautilus was getting back onto its feet, Percival ran for Charles, aiming his hand at him. Charles backed away hastily whilst pressing a button on the remote. As Percival prepared to shoot at Charles, the other Nautilus suit struck him from behind.

''Uff!'' Percival moaned before he fell to the ground. Charles laughed scornfully at him.

''As I told you before Percival; you cannot win,'' Charles spoke with a smirk. Percival glanced up at him, contempt emblazoned on his face. He got up and turned his attention to the suit again.

'If I can't get to Charles, I will defeat the suit instead,' he resolved. He got into a defensive position as Charles grinned.

''It will be your corpse I will pitch into the sea this time, Percival,'' Charles threatened, his voice dripping with rancour. Percival silently regarded his foe. He stepped closer towards it, thinking of a way to defeat it. Percival raised his arm and aimed it at the Nautilus.

''That won't work against an enemy that is moving,'' Charles warned Percival. Percival looked at him, puzzled.

'What does he-' Percival's thought was interrupted by the Nautilus' sudden rush towards him.

''Urgh!'' Percival let out as he was caught off-guard by the other suit. It forced him to the ground, then lay on top of him. Charles laughed while he ordered the Nautilus to try and rip away at Percival's helmet.

''Ah! Ha!'' Percival panted, struggling to get the Nautilus off of him. He tried to grab hold of the suit's arms but it took hold of Percival's arms instead and pinned them to the sand.

'No...I can't give up,' Percival thought as he stared at the merciless Nautilus. It was hovering over him, its lifeless glare as cold and empty as its shell. Percival's visor was half broken, and the information reflecting inside his helmet had become distorted. He looked wildly around for something to help him.

'Why is the suit not protecting me like it did in the water? It might be...that it has taken too much damage, and is not working to the best of its ability,' he wondered.

''As I said, Percival, you...cannot...win,'' Charles declared, coming closer to the confined Percival. Percival looked up at him, a look of desperation on his face.

''Why...are you so convinced that people would...just allow you to rule over them?'' Percival asked him.

''Because they would serve me out of fear. Once I show them the power I possess through these suits, they will have no choice but to bow to me,'' Charles answered.

''But...for what purpose?'' Percival asked another question. Charles narrowed his eyes at him.

''We made the wrong decision, you know. Abolishing slavery. We should have kept them. Made those...animals do all the work. They would have been grateful too. They would be happy to work for us. They would have better lives. But...we had too many opponents. Too much...sympathy,'' Charles replied. Percival looked at him, shock and bafflement rolled into one expression.

''You...supported slavery?'' he asked him.

''Of course. It never should have ended. And so...I shall see to it that America doesn't follow England's mistake,'' Charles responded. Percival looked at Charles as if he were a monster.

''You cannot prevent this from happening, Percival. And you certainly cannot prevent your death,'' Charles said. Percival turned his attention back to the Nautilus. Charles pressed a button, which caused the suit's visor to protract.

''Initiating helmet laser beam attack,'' the suit announced, as around the visor rim, small blue lights started to appear.

''Good bye, Percival,'' Charles said. Percival stared at the blue lights in anguish and despair.

'No...I couldn't do it...I couldn't stop him...I'm sorry Garth...Valerie...Chess...' Percival thought, resigning himself to defeat. He looked at the glowing lights on the visor, and reminisced briefly when he first found the suit, and all the adventures he had inside it. He then reflected on when he entered it prior to this moment, and remembered something that gave him an idea.

'Laser beam!' he exclaimed internally.

''Initiate shoulder laser beam attack,'' he ordered his suit.

''Laser beam attack initiated,'' the suit declared. Two small laser beam devices protruded out of Percival's shoulders instantly and began to cut into the Nautilus suit's helmet.

''No! Stop it!'' Charles shouted at him, but it was too late. Percival had managed to get the other suit off of him and cause it to be damaged. He did not wait for the Nautilus to attack him back, however; he went straight towards it, pinned it to the ground and blasted inside the helmet.

''Seems I know about a function or two myself,'' Percival quipped as he stared at the motionless suit. Smoke began to pour out from inside the helmet as Charles frantically pressed buttons on the remote, but the suit failed to move on his command. Percival snapped his head around to Charles, and slowly rose up.

''No! This was my chance! This was my chance! I could have ruled the whole of England with this! This would have been the start of the revolution!'' Charles pleaded with Percival, while the latter walked towards him, his steely gaze unwavering. Charles was backing away clumsily, and tripped over himself as he turned to run away.

''Oh, do shut up!'' Percival said with scorn before he raised his arm, aimed it at Charles, and fired a concussive blast at him.

''Aaaagh!'' Charles moaned, flying backwards onto the sand before falling unconscious. Percival saw the remote fly out of Charles' hand and onto the sand, so he went over to it and picked it up hastily. He sighed with relief once he glanced over at the broken suit, then back at Charles.

'I cannot believe...Charles did something like this...murdering the man in that suit...then...using me for his plans...' Percival thought in disgust. He shook his head, then looked up at the tranquil moonlit sky.

''What...a night,'' he said aloud to himself.