Machine Story

At The Gates

The massive army of Metadross stood just outside the entrance of the city, awaiting orders from their master. There were far too many for the forces of Corrinth to handle. Councilor Shen had his soldiers ready behind the walls of the city as he waited for Sibleon to arrive.

Shen stepped out of the gate where he felt an immense aura of despair. It was nothing he had ever experienced, and he did his best to contain his fears. He slowly kneeled on the floor with his head facing the ground. He welcomed Sibleon into the city, “Spare me your useless flattery. Show me what I came for, my patience grows thin!”

Shen immediately popped back on his feet and called one of his assistants over who was holding a giant scroll. He quickly took the scroll away from his hand and gave it to Sibleon. Sibleon opened and scanned through the information on the scroll within seconds.

“This census is updated and completely accurate?” Sibleon asked in a commanding tone. Shen nodded nervously and promised that he had his best people on the job. “Everyone is on that census! It's all there, just like you asked!” he continues, sweating in fear.

Sibleon closed the scroll and finally cracked a smile. “Very well I will accept this as part of our agreement.” Shen was finally able to breathe. “You are really okay sacrificing all these people so that a few can live?” Sibleon directed the question at Shen.

Shen was nervous again and he made a huge gulp before replying, “I believe some sacrifices have to be made in order to have a greater future.” Sibleon continued to smile and nod in agreement. “Oh just one more question before I go, do you have any siblings?”

Shen wasn’t why Sibleon asked such a question but he knew better than to lie. “No, I am an only child.” Sibleon’s smile waned a little, “Oh. So you do not know the joys or the grief of having siblings then?” Shen, still confused, replied, “I guess not.”

After hearing his answer, Sibleon walked closer to Shen. He raised his hand to Shen’s face and suddenly a piece of Metadross appeared on Shen’s hand. As it made contact with his skin, it began to infect and spread through his body. In seconds, the Shen was lying on the ground trying desperately to survive. “Why? We had a deal!”

“Your will to survive was admirable but your choice in letting so many of your allies perish is quite despicable. You are the same as the humans who took away my brothers and sisters. Now, your time has come to an end.”

Shen’s body disintegrated into the air and the assistant who was with him had witnessed it all. He immediately bolted back into the city and locked the gates. He screamed as he ran back, alerting all of the forces of Corrinth.

Sibleon returned to his warship where he pressed a button to activate all the elite class Metadross. One by one, the Metadross units that were piloted by a human host came online. The rest of the forces were already standing outside the ship ready to charge the gate.

The soldiers all held their weapons up as the Metadross began to crash the gate. The sky scanner units flew over to distract a majority of the human artillery units, allowing the Metadross ground units to charge uninterrupted. The Metadross had broken through and the invasion of Corrinth had begun.