Sanctuary II

Roisin, Amber, Keegan and the other scientists were stood watching a live feed from the 'Varlan News Network', which was covering the riots in the city.

"We need to get out there..." Roisin sighed. Keegan shook his head.

"Varla is counting on us lowering our defences, Roisin, we can't" Keegan said, as he looked around. "We can't put the others in danger" He sighed.

"We're putting everyone out there in danger by not helping them. It's our duty as the protectors of this city. We've let our people live in misery for long enough" Roisin said, as she headed to the atrium.

"Roisin, wait!" Keegan yelled, as he chased her. Ruby watched Roisin walk out into the atrium from up high.

"You can't talk me out of this, Keegan. I know you want to protect the labs, but our people are dying out there" Roisin frowned, as she looked back at Keegan.

"I was gonna say, if you're going, I'll come too" Keegan smiled slightly. Roisin smiled back at Keegan and nodded, as they turned to face the doors, Varla approached them, with a Celestial Scythe in her hands.

"Are you going to come out and play, siblings?" Varla smiled.

Roisin approached the doors.

"Keegan, lower the shield, but only around these doors" Roisin commanded.

"Alright, be ready" Keegan said, as his voice shook. He took a deep breath before pulling out his comms device and lowering the shields around the door. Roisin and Varla stared at each other for a few seconds, before Roisin launched through the door as she shot at Varla with her Celestial Crossbows. Varla dodged backwards and swung the scythe at Roisin.

Keegan quickly darted outside and reactivated the lab shielding. He turned to see Roisin jumping behind a burnt out car, he summoned his Celestial Shield and dove behind Roisin.

"You know why I came here, don't you" Varla taunted.

"Because you're insane?" Roisin shouted back. Varla chuckled as she searched for the two.

"Well, perhaps" Varla smiled. "But no, I came here, because I always heard Abyssia talking about you. Her little fighter friend, it was sickening, yet, I found myself entranced by the idea of someone as strong as you" She grinned.

"Hey, remember the day you asked if I wanted to go see the Steellite Festival with you?" Keegan yelled.

"Yes, I do. I remember you smiled and said yes. We went, and I enjoyed it" Varla replied. "Why?" She asked.

"What happened to make you like this?" Keegan shouted back, as Roisin and Keegan quickly moved to a different location.

"I found my purpose in life. I had hope to share it with you, Keegan, but alas. It was not to be" Varla sighed. "I came here, Roisin, to sow the seeds of chaos, so that the city of hope would descend into the city of chaos. I purposefully mistreated the population. I came here to the labs every single day to taunt you, to make you want to fight and kill me" Varla explained.

"Too bad" Roisin said, standing up. "I'm here to arrest you" She smirked, before launching an attack on Varla using a Celestial Katana, Varla dodged narrowly, but was scratched across her arm.

"Hah! Well done!" Varla laughed. Keegan jumped out from behind a car and dropkicked Varla, knocking her to the floor. Varla groaned as she looked up to the sky.

"Varla, do yourself a favour and stay down" Roisin sighed, as she held the Celestial Katana at Varla's neck.

"Okay" Varla began laughing. "But first, I have a surprise for you" She continued laughing manically.

A loud rumble could be heard echoing across the city, Roisin and Keegan looked up into the skies, and were surprised to see a second Dreadnought, emerging from the darkness.

"Another?" Keegan frowned.

"How?" Roisin sighed.

"Tell me, Roisin, did you ever visit New Raryst?" Varla asked. Roisin's face dropped as she slowly turned to Varla.

"No... what did you do Varla? WHAT DID YOU DO?" Roisin yelled as she drove the Katana through Varla's chest. Varla laughed as she looked to the sky. Yellow fluid dripped from Varla's chest.

"I converted them all" Varla winked. Keegan watched as figures began to jump down from the second Dreadnought.

"Converted?" Keegan asked, as he continued watching.

"I found some of Rychard Pyre's old research on Droids, turns out he had considered transferring human brains into that of the Droids. In fact, it turns out, that Fyre had already accomplished just that" Varla grinned, as the Celestial Katana disappeared and rematerialised in Roisin's hand.

"So I copied myself, a couple of times, just in case" Varla shrugged, as she got to her feet. "Then I turned the rest of them into my mindless Drones, and hid them in an old Imperium Dreadnought I found adrift in the Ocean" Varla continued to explain.

"So then... you're not Varla?" Keegan asked, as he turned to face Varla.

"No biologically, no. I am merely a Droid cl" Varla grinned from ear to ear. "The real Varla is aboard that Dreadnought" She said as she pointed to the second Dreadnought.

"But... you hid it in the darkness?" Roisin frowned.

"Yes, yes I... we did" Varla smiled.

"The real you will be a fiend by now..." Keegan said, with a horrified look on his face. Varla smiled and looked into the sky.

"I expect she will be. Yes" She laughed. "With a dark matter chip in her mind, that stores the essence of her being" Varla continued.

"That's sick!" Roisin frowned.

"It's evolution" Varla shrugged, before stepping back a few steps and chuckling, as she pulled the comms device from her pocket.

"Let's kill the lights, shall we?"