’It’s almost time for me to move on to a new identity. I can’t be here when the Machina inevitably implode.’
This thought crossed the Grand General’s mind, but he decided not to be hasty about his decision. Before the Grand General decided to leave, he needed to make sure that he didn’t have any more use for the Machina! The Grand General turned away from the door, and he frowned as he thought about Jason Marc again. The Grand General was sure that Jason was on Riyad, but where the hell could he possibly be? There were no other settlements on Riyad other than Aquinas, and the Machina would have found Jason by now if he were on Aquinas.
’Is it possible that he actually found it?’
The Grand General’s cold heart actually skipped a beat at the thought of Jason finding Atlantis. Was it possible? The Grand General had passed down many stories through history, and he made sure that everyone thought that the city was in the ocean so that they would never find it. But was Jason actually able to realise that the city was in the sky all along? That would be problematic. If Jason managed to get into the city and found the woman imprisoned there, then it could lead to the complete destruction of all his plans! The moment that woman is released, she is not going to allow anything to stop her from destroying the race that she believes is responsible for her imprisonment! The Grand General decided that he had to figure out if the secret was still safe or not.
"Come out here, I have a mission for you."
A figure suddenly stepped out from behind the shadows of one of the pillars and stood at attention. The person who appeared was a tall and slim Machina whose mechanical parts had all been made from a black streamlined material that allowed him to blend into the darkness of any room like a professional assassin. The Machina had a black mechanical mask covering his lower face, and he stood perfectly still and waited expectantly for the General to speak. This was a soldier belonging to a secret branch of the military known as the Shadows. The Shadow Machina were some of the strongest soldiers in the Machina army, and they served as the personal army and spies of the Grand General. All members of the Shadows had been brainwashed from birth to make sure they were completely loyal to the Grand General, and their Cybertronic Genes had been artificially manipulated to make them stronger than any regular soldier. But the artificial manipulation of the cybertronic Gene was very unnatural and it was the same as manipulating the DNA of a human child right from when they were born, so the brains of the Shadow Machina were affected in a way that prevented them from living regular lives, and if they didn’t have any missions to complete, they would simply stand around in the shadows without moving, eating or even thinking! It was a horrible fate for any child to become a Shadow Machina, but the Grand General didn’t care about the side effects since the Shadow Machina were useful. The Grand General looked his soldier over with an appreciative gaze, and he nodded before he spoke.
"Go to the city of Aquinas in Riyad. A hundred miles above the city, you’ll find a large forcefield crafted from runes. I want you to make sure that the runes have not been tampered with. Ensure none of the Machina there know of your presence, and report back your findings to me. Go."
The Shadow Machina bowed respectfully in understanding before he flashed away in a streak of black! The Grand General frowned as he watched the Shadow leave, and he began to think about what he would do if Jason had actually found the city. The Grand General knew that it had been close to two centuries since the battle that caused the destruction of Atlantis, but just thinking about that fight was still enough to put a frown on his face.
’Is my time as a Machina finally coming to a close? I truly enjoyed ruling over this pathetic domain, but I suppose it is time for me to move on.’
The Grand General looked up to the throne, and he hummed in interest before he walked up the stairs and sat regally on the royal chair! The Grand General knew that the Overlord Augmentation would be over any moment now, and the soldiers would lead the Overlord back to this room once it was finished. If the soldiers saw what the Grand General was doing, then they would be enraged! But the Grand General didn’t care. The Grand General was going to be leaving his life as a Machina behind very soon, so it was only right that he enjoyed the feeling of being a ruler for a while.
DOON!
"The Overlord Arrives!"
The door to the throne room suddenly opened with a shout, and the Grand General looked up to see multiple Machina soldiers walking into the room. They were all wearing the royal guard uniform, and they had hard looks on their faces as they formed a straight line on either side of the entrance to make space for the Overlord to make his way into the room! The Overlord walked into the room, and the Grand General immediately noticed that the Overlord was now even taller and more imposing than ever before. The Overlord’s augmentation was successful, and now every part of his body other than his left eye had been replaced by mechanical parts, and from the power rolling off him, anyone would be able to tell that he was now a TITAN Rank III! The Grand General smiled from his place on the throne as the Overlord entered, and the Royal Guards turned towards the Grand General in surprise when they finally noticed where he was sitting!
"What do you think you’re doing, you piece of scrap metal!"
One of the soldiers at the front suddenly released a mad shout, and every guard in the room pointed their weapon at the Grand General! They were about to kill the Grand General for even daring to look at the Overlord’s throne, but the soldiers were surprised when the Overlord raised his hand and told them to stop. The soldiers looked at the Overlord in shock when they heard this, and they dropped their weapons slowly with looks of angry confusion on their faces. The Overlord turned to look at the Grand General, and in that moment they shared a meaningful glance that no one else could decipher and the message in that look was simply, ’it is almost time.’
The Overlord hummed mechanically when he heard this, and he put his hand behind his back and looked to the side in slight worry. The soldiers in the room couldn’t believe what they were watching, and they tried to understand how the Overlord was allowing a mere Grand General to sit on his throne without any repercussions! But the soldiers could never understand the true relationship between these two men, and the Grand General would make sure that they wouldn’t know anything about it until it was already too late! The Grand General stood from the throne and waved his hand to the soldiers at the door to tell them to leave, but none of the soldiers looked like they were going to listen, and they all glared at the Grand General in anger! But then the Overlord also waved his hand for them to leave, and even though they were shocked, the soldiers had no choice but to quietly file out of the room. Once they were gone, the Overlord spoke.
"Has he found the city?"
The Grand General shrugged.
"I believe so. The army hasn’t found him on Riyad even though he reached there hours ago, so the only reasonable conclusion is that he’s behind the Runic Shield surrounding the city in the sky. He should’ve found Gillian’s cage by now, and if the reports about him are true, then he should already be working on releasing her using his knowledge of runes."