(E:ML) Past Promises, Part 3

[William Rendfeld]

Naomi awoke, finding herself on a long table. As she slowly opened her eyes,
she turned to see Nadyra gently touching her wound. She watched as the elven
girl slowly healed the wound, muscle and skin sealing and reforming without
hardly any scar.

"Nadyra," Naomi said weakly as the elven girl looked to her.

Nadyra smiled, and said, "You're awake. That's good. Are you okay, Naomi?"

"I've been better," Naomi replied. "But what are you doing here?"

"I came back to see you," Nadyra replied. "And to make sure that you were
safe and free from harm." She clasped her hand around Naomi's, and said, "Don't
worry, you're safe here."

"Nadyra..." Naomi began in protest before slipping off into unconsciousness.

"Rest now, Naomi," Nadyra replied. "I'll make sure they don't hurt you
anymore."

As the sun began to set, the four Nova Warriors stood upon their kidnapped
friend's roof, Nova Echowarrior Prime in the center of a triangle consisting of
Nova Noxx, Nova Ramblast, and Nova Echocia.

"Okay, let's get started," Echowarrior said. "Facemasks, online."

"Online," his three companions echoed.

Within seconds, nanotech facemasks formed from the corners of their helmets,
completely covering their faces in metallic masks.

As his eyes were covered by protective optic lenses, Echowarrior withdrew
his sword from its sheath and said, "Okay, let's do this." Pointing it skyward,
he proclaimed, "Nova Transport!"

"Transport!" Noxx, Ramblast and Echocia echoed, pointing their respective
Spark Crystal mounts in front of them.

White beams of energy lanced out from the individual crystals,
interconnecting the four of them into a pyramid. Upon the pyramid's completion,
the four warriors blasted heavenwards, their bodies appearing to turn into rays
of light.

Watching on the ground, Marina watched as the four disappeared into the
heavens. Alongside her stood Duchess, who kept a protective posture near Luke.

"You think they'll be alright?" Marina asked. "I've never seen this for
myself."

"They'll be okay," Duchess said. She silently added to herself as she looked
to the sleeping Luke, _I hope._

The four soon rematerialized in Earth orbit, a spherical field protecting
them from the cold vacuum of space.

"Wow," Echocia noted. "I'd almost forgotten how beautiful things were up
here in space. A shame we don't have space colonies, like in Gundam."

"We might still have them," Noxx noted.

Echowarrior turned towards their target, and said, "Hang on, boys and girls,
we're coming up on the target."

Sure enough, before them rested the massive planetoid. It looked like an
egg, stretched out at its poles and with small fins sticking out of it.
However, the massive stretched egg soon spilt open, its base remaining the same
while its top portion split apart into four separate pieces, forming a massive
pseudo-flower in space.

As the four landed on one of the large sides, Echowarrior swiftly scanned
the area. "Huh. Somehow, they've set up a forcefield, and artificial gravity.
I'm reading point-nine-six gees of gravity and a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere.
It's safe."

"Thank God," Ramblast noted as his facemask slid apart and away from his
face. "Those things are really uncomfortable."

"Tell me about it," Echowarrior said, his and the others' facemasks having
already slid away. "We have no idea what the limits of this air pocket are.
Just to be safe, let's hoof it until we're done here." He looked around,
pointed, and noted, "That crystalline structure in the center is probably where
Naomi is. C'mon, let's go."

"Wait a second, Will," Noxx noted, holding her deactivated energy scythe so
that it supported her. "This looks too much like a trap."

The four soon heard a voice cackling with evil glee. In the distance, Nadyra
appeared, the Deathbloom Flower on her chest having revealed itself, and said,
"Oh no. I wouldn't use my friend for a trap. However, you are my guests. If you
want to be trapped, then feel free to be trapped!"

She snapped her fingers, and out of the ground grew a massive group of
half-human creatures again. However, these were more like snakes than insects,
and swarmed around them, encircling them with ease.

The four Warriors of the Nova stood there, looking at the odds before them.

"Well, lucky thing we came here ready for a fight," Noxx noted, activating
her energy scythe's twin blades. "Ready everyone?"

Echocia summoned her shield, then pulled out her twin shotels and said,
"Ready."

Ramblast pulled out his two double Gatling guns, and noted, "Same here."

Echowarrior simply pulled out the Nova Cannon and said, "Let's do this."

Her eyes taking on the same evil red glow as the Deathbloom's, Nadyra
ordered, "Attack!"

The human-snake creatures swarmed towards the four Nova Warriors, only to be
blasted back by barrages of missiles from Nova Echowarrior Prime and Nova
Ramblast. As the brotherly duo provided long-range support with their guns,
Nova Echocia and Nova Noxx bounded forward, slicing apart their attackers with
their close range weapons.

"It seems they had more firepower than I originally thought," the
Deathbloom Flower noted. It smiled, then added, "But it won't save them."

"Fall back and regroup," Nadyra ordered the legions of humanoid creatures.
"Then, attack them in one swift stroke."

The mass of snake-human creatures came together as one large mass, then
surged towards their targets like a tidal wave.

"What now?" Noxx asked.

"Run!" Echowarrior ordered.

Immediately, the four Nova Warriors beat a hasty path around the massive
surge attacking them. However, the massive surge of creatures managed to
ensnare Ramblast, Noxx and Echocia. Echowarrior barely escaped, and rolled onto
the central portion of the opened asteroid, skidding to a halt.

Regaining his senses, he shook his head and rose to his feet. Looking
around, he asked himself, "Where...?"

"Your dearest friends are still here," the Deathbloom intoned, attracting
Echowarrior's attention.

"However, they're a bit...hung-up at the moment," Nadyra noted with a
villainous chuckle.

The massive group of creatures reshaped themselves into a sort of
obelisk-shape, with Ramblast, Echocia, and Noxx decorating the side pointing
towards Echowarrior.

Anger rising, he leveled and aimed the Nova Cannon, yelling, "Let them go,
or I'll shoot!"

"And risk puncturing the protective forcefield keeping you and your friends
alive?" the Deathbloom asked. "I doubt you'll do that. Besides, if you even
consider laying a finger on that gun's trigger, this will happen."

A massive electrical shock surged through the obelisk, causing Ramblast,
Echocia and Noxx to yell out in pain.

"The choice is yours, Echowarrior," the Deathbloom noted as the entrapped
three began to regain consciousness. "Surrender, and your friends' lives are
spared. Don't, and they all die."

"Will, don't give up," Echocia moaned. "We aren't worth surrender."

Echowarrior, however, had already made up his mind. Taking a breath, he
said, "Yes, you are." Looking to the Deathbloom, he declared, "You win," and
tossed away the Nova Cannon, letting it skid to the ground a small distance
away.

Nadyra looked at him in surprise as the various humanoid creatures crumpled
to dust around them. The Deathbloom, meanwhile, smiled and said, "Very well."

The obelisk shifted away, and Ramblast, Echocia and Noxx fell to the ground.
Then, almost as quickly, large vines shot out of the ground, ensnaring
Echowarrior within them.

"Ugh!" he yelled in pain. "What the...?"

"I said I would release them," the Deathbloom intoned. "I never said you
wouldn't die in their place."

"And once you are gone, I will have nothing holding back my permanent
reunion with Naomi," Nadyra said.

"Nor will I have any problems in sapping the Earth dry," the Deathbloom
noted as Echowarrior yelled in pain.

"Aargh!"

"Will!" Naomi yelled, snapping out of unconsciousness and sitting upright.
Quickly thinking over the situation, she jumped off the table to her feet and
said, "Nadyra. I have to stop her before she does something she's going to
regret." Quickly taking note of her shoulder, she rubbed where her injury once
was and said, "Hopefully, I'll have an easier job than it looks."

She rushed out of the large chamber, up a staircase, and said, "Hang on, I'm
coming!"

"Yee-Aargh!" Echowarrior yelled in pain as the vines continued squeezing
him, sapping him dry of strength and weakening him.

The Deathbloom softly cackled, while Nadyra looked to him with an odd grin.
"Now that you're weakened, I'll have no difficulty in ending this torrid affair
right now," Nadyra said as a massive thorn-encrusted spike sprouted out of the
ground. Removing the throwing knife-sized thorns, she took three in her hand
and threw them directly at Echowarrior. The small spikes raced through the air,
heading directly towards his face...

Only to be blocked by Naomi's extended pike.

"Nadyra, this has to end, now!" Naomi called.

"Naomi?" Nadyra said in surprise. "What..."

"You can't kill him, Nadyra," Naomi said defiantly. "I can't allow it."

"Naomi, he is what is keeping you and me from being together, forever,"
Nadyra said. "I have to eliminate him."

"No, you don't," Naomi replied. "Nadyra, that mutant corsage has you
confused. If you do kill him, there will be no hope of us being friends again.
Nadyra, I love him."

Nadyra's eyes widened in shock.

"He has stood by my side for two lifetimes, and has risked his life for mine
on countless occasions," Naomi continued. "We are each other's pasts, presents,
and futures. If you want to kill him, fine." Standing tall and holding her
extended pike vertically at her side, she finished. "But you'll have to kill me
first."

Nadyra gasped in shock.

"Fine then, if that is what you desire," the Deathbloom said. "Nadyra, kill
her."

"I...I can't..." Nadyra replied.

The faint tips of a joyous smile grew on Naomi's lips.

"What?" the Deathbloom yelled in surprise.

"She's...she and I are like sisters..." Nadyra staggered. "I can't kill her.
I just..." she continued, collapsing to her knees, "...I just can't."

All around those gathered, the small plants on the ground began to decay,
and die. Naomi swiftly caught Echowarrior as he was released from his
imprisonment.

Slowly rising to her feet, Noxx said in relief, "We did it. Earth's safe."

Suddenly, the ground around them began to rock and sway. The central portion
of the opened planetoid began to separate from its brethren and began free
fall.

"What the...?" Ramblast asked.

The Deathbloom, meanwhile, chuckled. "You fools. Just because my thrall is
unwilling to fight does not mean that my plan to sap Earth dry can fail. I need
only send this one fragment into Earth. While I will lose my thrall, it will
not be that much of a loss."

Naomi scowled at the botanical monster and yelled, "You murdering,
life-sucking botanical bitch!"

"Sticks and stones, little girl," the Deathbloom replied. "There is nothing
you can do to defeat me."

With a groan, Echowarrior said, "You're wrong."

Much to everyone's surprise, Echowarrior began to slowly rise to his feet,
regain his strength, and stand tall.

"Will?" Naomi asked in surprise.

"I cannot, and will not, allow you to do what you plan, Deathbloom,"
Echowarrior said in an ardent voice. "If I do, then six billion people, each
with hopes, dreams, and loves, will be killed. I cannot allow that to happen,
not again." A cocky grin growing on his face, "Besides, you haven't a clue what
power I hold, what power I can utilize."

Naomi's eyes widened in shock, and she practically screamed, "Will, you
can't! That could kill you!"

"I'd rather go down trying to stop a massacre than die allowing one to
happen without a fight," Echowarrior said. He looked to her, and said, "If I do
die, then I'm sorry. For you, and for them."

Naomi looked back at him, and said, "Do what you have to. Just be careful."

Echowarrior smiled back reassuringly, and said, "It'll be okay. I promise."
He turned back to the Deathbloom, took a step forward, and said, "Now, it's
time for you to learn why they call me Nova Echowarrior Prime."

With those words, his chest opened, revealing the Autobot Matrix of
Leadership within. The large frame, its crystalline casing protecting his
spark, floated out of his chest into his waiting hands.

As the Deathbloom watched, it started to grow pale. This small, oddly shaped
trinket had a great deal of power within it, ready to be released. It had to be
stopped.

Struggling with her words, Nadyra said, "Naomi, I'm sorry," before jumping
up and grabbing at the Matrix's centerpiece, the crystalline housing of
Echowarrior's spark. A small blast of light burst forth, knocking Naomi to the
ground and causing her to block her eyes.

Within the flash's epicenter, Nadyra, under the Deathbloom's control, began
squeezing the crystalline housing in her hand. The Deathbloom, still displayed
upon her chest, grinned evilly.

As they squeezed, Echowarrior began flashing back and forth between his
Transformer and human forms. His face strained with pain, he opened his eyes
and said, "Nadyra, you can stop this."

Nadyra, struggling just as he was, said, "I can't."

"Then let me help you, give you strength," Echowarrior replied.

"Why?" Nadyra asked.

"Because I love her as much as she loves me," Echowarrior said. "And in a
way, I'm responsible for this whole mess. Let me show you..."

Echowarrior then took a hand off the Matrix, and placed a finger upon
Nadyra's wrist. Suddenly, Nadyra's eyes flashed white, and she experienced a
memory...

A girl sat before him on a bench, her arms wrapped around her legs, her head
buried in them. He walked up to her, and asked, "Hey, you okay?"

She looked up at him, and said, "No, no I'm not."

He sat down, and said, "Want to talk about it?"

The girl sniffled, then said, "My best friend, she's leaving soon. I don't
want to lose her."

"But you can't do anything about it, can you?" he asked.

"No, no I can't," she sniffled, trying to hold back tears.

He looked to the bouquet of roses he had in his hands, plucked one from it,
then said, "Then make sure she has reason to come back some day," holding it
out for her.

The girl looked at the solitary rose, then at him, and asked, "But, why are
you doing this?"

"My mother always taught me to help out where I can," he said with a smile.
"Besides, I'm sure she won't mind if there's a rose missing from her Mother's
Day bouquet."

The girl took the rose, and said, "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," the boy said, rising to his feet and continuing on his
way.

Looking at the rose for a couple seconds, the girl rose after him and said,
"Wait! Who are you?"

The boy looked at her, and answered, "My name is William Rendfeld. But I
prefer Will."

"That rose...it was from you..." Nadyra said.

Echowarrior nodded. "You had no reason for this, Nadyra, and now you have
all the reason you need to stop this. Please, for her sake, stop this."

"Yes, I will," Nadyra said, closing her eyes.

Sensing something, the Deathbloom yelled, "Nadyra, what are you doing?
Nadyra! No!" The demonic flower screamed as it vaporized, flashing away in mere
seconds.

Letting go of the crystalline base of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership,
Nadyra collapsed to the ground as the bright flash faded. Naomi quickly rushed
up and caught her. She sighed in relief, discovering that Nadyra still lived.

As the ground began to rumble once more, Naomi immediately realized, _But
that might just change._ The large meteorite then began to fall into Earth's
atmosphere.

"No," Echowarrior said, in a distant voice, closing his eyes. "Not again."

His eyes burst open, and blasted forth with a brilliant flash of white as he
once again took full hold of the Matrix. His body began to change, returning to
a natural human body. Instantly, he emerged clad in the black and silver outfit
that materialized just seconds before he was restored as the Hero of Light.

His silvery cape fluttering behind him, William stood in determination and
said, "Gather close around me, everyone. It'll be alright, I promise."

"Like we have a choice," Ramblast quipped as he, Echocia and Noxx struggled
to their feet and gathered around William, Naomi and Nadyra.

"Thank you," William said, a grateful smile growing on his face. He then
proclaimed, "Matrix, light our darkest hour," and opened it.

Instantly, a massive blast of light issued forth, creating a cone-shaped
atmospheric shield around the crumbling meteorite.

"C'mon, Will, you can do this," Echocia silently cheered.

"You've been through worse scrapes than this," Ramblast said.

"You can do it, bro," Noxx cheered on.

William looked to Naomi, who smiled and said, "Go for it."

William smiled back, and said, "Thank you," before another blast issued
forth from the Matrix, shielding them further as the now-smaller meteorite
blasted into the atmosphere, creating a massive spectacle for anyone on the
ground to enjoy.
Just as the meteorite came in for a soft landing in a canal, William said,
"We did it," and passed out.

"So, your daughter befriended an elf," Connie Rendfeld, humble mother to
William and his siblings, noted to Marina. "And I thought my family had
secrets."

"Compared to being hauled into an interdimensional conflict and tossed and
turned more times than a cheap shirt," Marina countered, "I'd call it pretty
clear steering, considering she isn't totally human."

"Yes, well, just don't blame Will for what's happened to her," Connie asked.

"Who says I have? I like the kid," Marina replied. Looking skyward, she
sighed and noted, "I just hope he'll be able to bring Naomi back safely."

"Trust me, Marina," Duchess noted from a corner of the room, protectively
curled around the sleeping Luke, "Will's faced tougher things than some nuclear
power sapping weed. He'll bring her back safely."

"I hope you're right," Marina replied. She then thought on what had just
happened, then said, "I still can't believe I'm being consoled by a talking
dog."

"It could be worse," Connie replied. "Could be a talking goldfish."

Unbeknownst to them, however, William lay unconscious, resting within the
arms of his beloved. All around him were his comrades, who were almost on the
verge of thinking him dead.

"No, it can't be," Nova Ramblast said. "He's handled worse than this and
lived, he'll pull through."

"C'mon, Will, don't leave us," Nova Noxx pleaded.

Naomi looked to the young man in her arms, unconscious, the Matrix still
tightly held within his right hand. She looked at him, unconscious, quite
possibly on the verge of death from overexertion. Tears beginning to well in
her eyes, she said, "Will," and blinked, trying to hold them back.

Then, a distant voice echoed, "Naomi..."

The four looked to the voice's source to find Nadyra, her eyes opening
slowly, saying, "Naomi, I'm sorry...this is all my fault..."

"Nadyra," Naomi said, taking her hand, "don't blame yourself, you did all
you could."

"I made this mess..." Nadyra said. "Let me help fix it..."

With those words, Nadyra wrung her hand free of Naomi's grasp, and curled it
gently around William's right wrist.

"My gift to you..." Nadyra said as she closed her eyes.

A soft green glow began to emanate from Nadyra's hand, feeding itself into
William's body. As Nadyra again went limp and fell into unconsciousness,
William loosened his grip on the Matrix. It flew out of his hand, hovered over
to just above his chest, and fused itself into his body. The green glow fading,
William's eyes opened slightly, and he said, "Told you it'd be alright."

"Will!" Naomi exclaimed, taking him in her arms and holding him tightly. She
loosened her hold, looked to her friend and said, "What about Nadyra?"

"Don't worry, she's just sleeping," William said with a smile. "She just
needs to recover. She's had a rough day."

"We all have," Nova Echocia replied, smiling.

"Well, since we're in agreement on that, how about we go home?" William
asked as he drifted into sleep. "I need some sleep too."

Naomi smiled at him and Nadyra, and said to both, "Rest well, my friends.
You've earned it."

Ramblast wrapped an arm about his wife, hugging her slightly, as Noxx simply
smiled. The long day was finally over, and now, they could all rest.

The End

William Rendfeld
Creator of Echowarrior, the Pokémon Resistance, and Alex Masters
178,000 Excellent Author Points
1 'I knew odd pokefacts that confused a bread crumb' point.
20 Y2Tech Points