Monstera Albo

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.

"You monster!"

The night fell. Darkness took over then lit like a rainbow of bioluminescence against the black skyline. Illume, the first city of Bellamar, came alive at night. The colors of the city reflected from the windows and danced like a kaleidoscope, painting the eggshell white walls of the interior room in a shimmer of gradient hues.

"I am?”, said Ash. “Then, what exactly does that make you?"

In one quick swoop Ash lifted Kyrie up and onto the bed.

"It got all over my sketch too," Kyrie sulked.

She playfully pushed Ash back against the bedframe before planting a kiss.

They were twenty stories up in the mixed-use residential and office high-rise. Although it was the first city amongst the twelve that were established on Bellamar, entire cities could be printed in a day. The new world blossomed in the blink of an eye.

Both Ash and Kyrie laid the foundation of this planet after leaving Earth.

Ash was a part of a military division known as the Titans. Starting at the bottom of the ranks, Ash did the heavy lifting and muscled their way up with sheer brute force. After repeatedly chosen to be a reliable frontliner in the midst of battle, they later earned the position of commander during the last war on Earth.

Kyrie was a part of the science division, the Guardians, where she specifically took great interest in studying the flora and fauna. Kyrie grew into a skillful designer, taking on work by reading vast landscapes and mapping out the layout for city development.

Working under the Drakcorporation, Ash and Kyrie covered each other's weaknesses and enhanced each other's strengths, becoming known as one of the best Catalyst squadrons of the new frontier.

Shattered glass covered the bedroom rug and then was suddenly swallowed up by a robot that fed on the sharp pieces that scattered across the floor.

"Funny how it looks better off this way, don't you think?" Ash teased, peering over at the sketch that fell from the table.

It was of a canine-like creature with large, talon-like claws that was drawn on traditional pen and paper. During her last mission to the outskirts of the city, Kyrie enjoyed hand drawing her surroundings on her free time instead of simply surveying the data digitally through computers. The dirt smudged over the animal and made the ferocious beast appear to have a grimacing smile on one half of its face.

"Sparky! Please set aside my Monstera Albo," Kyrie said. "I'll re-pot it later."

The robot chimed in confirmation, scanned the room for the plant, and set it to the side. Then, with a purr, it cleaned up the remaining dirt and glass that surrounded the edge of the end table. The base of the table was centered at the bottom of an inverted pyramid that the robot lapped around in circles.

"Hey...I am sorry about the sketch, the flower you nurtured back to life twice already…and your favorite pot. But, is it really my fault when neither of us can hardly move without getting consumed by the jungle that is your love for plants!"

"Fair….It's no ones fault then," Kyrie sneered.

They both laughed and sunk in closer together on the bed.

"Monster," Ash whispered.

"Tomorrow's the big day. It's been nearly ten years with Drakcorp. Can you believe it! Everything that has lead up to this point…"

With a sigh, Ash rested their chin against the palm of their hand and reached out with the other to push back the strands of hair that fell to Kyrie's eyes. The couple nested into each other's embrace. Ash's battle-worn fingers were rough in contrast to the soft skin of Kyrie's cheek. However soft, it never fooled Ash. Ash knew more than anyone just how strong Kyrie was.

"...To think we'd find each other along the way like we did. Made the last years of hell on Earth all worthwhile," said Ash.

Before arriving on Bellamar, Ash spent Earth's last moments at war with an alien species called the Vulsian. Distinguishing these aliens from humans was difficult with the naked eye. They were of average human height and their bodies came in muted Earthy tones, but with a closer look the details would reveal patterns of scales over their skin. The hair on their heads were like feathers that glistened with luster. The eyes were bigger too, with dark red irises. Their jowls extended further and exposed longer, sharper teeth. Everything about them was built hard as rock, inside and out, appearing emotionless and cold in their expressions.

The final battle blew each other to smithereens. The war went on for decades and both sides wanted peace. However, it was the leaders of both races who were corrupt and coerced each side to fight to the bloody end. Afterwards, Ash and Kyrie's squadron were sent on a mission to prepare a new world for a fresh start.

Earth was uninhabitable, yet still overpopulated.

At least, there was hope.

Plasma was manufactured by a company called Ichor Systems, who built reactors to harness energy through a process called magnetic fusion. Their facilities contained a device similar to a giant vacuum which charged particles together with extreme force, thus producing unlimited power. This paved the road to space travel and visiting distant planets became common practice.

Many of the Vulsian went their separate ways and returned to their homeworld. Although tension between the species was still prevalent, a small percentage of Vulsian set their differences aside and decided to cohabitate with humans on Bellamar.

It was Kyrie who acted as the guiding force that united many of the aliens and humans together.

"Remember when you offered Aergneth those apple crates? I've never seen a Vulsian look so blissful."

Kyrie gave the last supply of food from her storage unit to an elder Vulsian while escorting an evacuation off of Earth. One of which was an old crate filled to the brim with fermenting apples.

"How could I forget," she said, pausing.

"Ash. I can't do this."

Kyrie turned around, away from the warmth of the bed, and left the room.

"And, that was the last time I saw her."

The words echoed through the hallway from a video transmission.

"Odd. Appears to be dated six days ago."

Marnie - tough as nails, blunt as heck, and with more tattoos than you can count in binary on all of your fingers. If her attitude doesn't hurt your feelings first, then her long, sharp bladed braids of steel will surely leave you feeling grateful. She is a true ladies man. And, one helluva Titan.

Raiden - the boy protegee, popular actor, and seasoned Guardian. He is a charming, charismatic teenager who is smarter than you. He wears the finest designer clothing and still somehow manages to look like a bum. A perfect mix of hyperactivity, precise focus, and unshakable confidence to get the job done.

And, Jax - a member of the division known as the Phantoms. Simultaneously masculine and feminine. Aggressive, yet sweet. And, by unexplainable means both active and lazy. This ones a mystery. Also, the one with the undercut, of course.

The three of them make up the hodgepodge of a Catalyst squadron, and call themselves, "The Cloud Chasers". The celebrities of Bellamar were godlike, in their own right. The only thing bigger than their wallets were their egos. But, if any of them were to change their ways for the sake of each other it just simply wouldn't work out. They all knew that they needed each other to reach their maximum potential, and they carried that knowledge with grace.

Raiden, Jax, and Marnie set out on their latest mission from Drakcorp - OPERATION IRON EASE. They were scouting an old, abandoned facility run by Ichor Systems.

"It's a message regarding the Guardian."

"Any info on their third?"

"No. Nothing about their Phantom."

"Copy that."

The Phantom division specialized in engineering gadgets to perform unbelievable tasks. Some of which were banned for the obvious reason that they could reanimate the dead. However, that didn't stop Jax from using that kind of technology. After all Jax invented it. And, it cost an arm and a leg, literally. Jax built better and stronger ligaments, but there was always a lingering pain ever since.

There are no colors, the sky is always gray. Beyond the outskirts of the city most of the land was covered in a thick, black ooze that exuded potent, toxic fumes with a stench that stained the air for miles. It was dangerous too. Beasts would spawn and push the boundaries of the city back to filth. The twelve cities and surrounding villages were purified by Ichor Systems with limitless energy at disposal. But, the amount of time it took to cleanse infected zones was immense. Drakcorps sent Catalyst squadrons to do the dirty work and clear the zones of any threats.

This, however, was a special mission.

One by one, they removed their helmets and took a deep breath of fresh air. It was the first time in three weeks. It was pure here and the scanner picked up no signs of hostile life. For a moment, they could relax.

"Check it out!"

Raiden pointed and cast a light through a broken glass wall that divided the room. It was an industrial farming lab, with a field of layers upon layers of sparkling light.

"It's full of Crystal Skytear!"

Production was halted at many Ichor Systems labs due to the high risk of instability these crystals possessed. It was deemed bad energy, and its use was discouraged even though it was a valuable resource in barren parts of the world.

"Time to bring it home, baby!", roared Marnie.

"I wonder if I could power up my Skulltek with this?", Jax mumbled.

"Well, well...This might be the boost I need to get the edge over that role I'm auditioning for", Raiden barked.

All three of them wagged their tails at the thought of what could be. Until they noticed something was not quite right.

"There's a body here!"

In a pool of blood behind a crystal hedge was an obscure figure lying motionless on the floor, wounded. There were huge claw marks that ripped through the body.

The scanner displayed no vital signs.

Marnie approached ready to draw a weapon with caution, Jax stood their ground searching for anomalies with their tech, and Raiden followed beside Marnie with the first aid.

Jax's scanner picked up a signal with a CLICK-CLICK.

And, a voice came from the bloody figure, revealing its face.

"You're mine."

Marnie, Jax, and Raiden shouted in terror, but the three of them were no more.