Chapter 6: Execution

“You want to talk about where I went wrong?” Artix yelled. “How about you never telling me what I really was.”

“I admit that was a mistake on my part.” Warlic said regretfully.

“A giant mistake. I am a monster....I’m one of them.” Artix yelled.

“No! You are not part of the Shadowscythe, and neither am I!”

“The tell me, where else does a demon come from?”

“We are not demons...not completely. I myself am only half demon which makes you a quarter. That is not the matter I came to discuss, though. You are helping an evil company with malicious goals.”

“Malicious?” Artix said. “You are a fool. Look at what they gave me, this ship can cleanse an entire planet of Shadowscythe! How is that evil?”

“You are the foolish one. They are playing both sides. EbilCorp works for the Shadowscythe.”

“Liar!” Artix accused.

“I have seen with my own eyes. You are making a mistake.”

“You can’t stop me.”

“What did you think I came up here to do? You must be stopped. I am trying to make you see the truth so you can join me. But if you can not...then I will have no choice but to kill you.”

“This is what you always wanted wasn’t it? To kill me.”

Warlic’s rage was uncontrollable. “How dare you say that! I raised you and made sure you had everything you needed. Whenever you needed help, I helped you. I was always there for you.”

“Perhaps when I was a child. But thirty years have passed since then. I tried to contact you to find out answers. I was unable to age and there were signs of me being a demon...I could have used answers.”

“I couldn’t tell you...” Warlic said sadly.

“Well then now is the time we battle.” Artix said. Calling upon his demon powers his eyes turned the same shade of red and became reptilian. His hands grew to claws and his teeth sharpened. His voice deepened. “This is the monstrosity I am.”

Warlic removed his glasses and began the same transformation. However his went further, large red wings grew from his back. His skin became rough and turned red and his hair turned black and separated. The two pieces hardened and became horns. “I never wanted it to come to this.”

Artix growled and ran towards his father. Warlic flew into the air and behind him then grabbed him from behind. Using his other hand he clawed at his back tearing the skin.

Artix howled and elbowed Warlic in the jaw. Becoming free he grabbed his energy pistol, turned it on full power, and shot his father through the chest.

“Is this how it works? Do our hearts have to be destroyed to die?”

Warlic stared at Artix. All the rage building inside of him caused all control he had to disappear. “For you perhaps. But for me...nothing can kill me.” Artix watched in horror as the hole began to close and the skin and muscle regenerated. With all his rage, Warlic conjured two fireballs in his hands and hurled them at his son.

“Aahh!” Artix screamed as his flesh was set on fire. He fell to the ground burning and screaming. Warlic laughed and moved forward and a tendril extended from his hand. As Artix was dying the tendril pierced his veins and began to drain his blood.

Warlic laughed as the blood powered him. He became satiated and the demonic influence left him. He returned to normal, with his vision fuzzy. As it became clear he saw what had happened.

He fell to the ground crying over the corpse of his son. “Artix...I’ve destroyed you...” he could not remember what he did, but he knew he had drained the life force out of him.

“We are not demons...” he said turning away from the charred body. “We are something far worse.”

Once he gathered himself he entered the command to revert the ship to normal. The ship transformed and main controls moved back to the bridge. He found Maria and Odessa there.

“Admiral...please return us home.”

The two noticed his robes were torn. Maria asked, “Dean, what happened?”
With tears beginning to form in his eyes he said solemnly, “I’d rather not discuss it. Just return us to Loreon.”

---

In Dean Warlic’s office at GEARS the group stood. Starbuck, Lisa, and Tek looked at the body and the note.

“I never knew Dean Warlic had a son.” Starbuck said.

“I think he once worked on LOS-7...” Lisa said.

“Really? If he did then I can pull up the records and find out who he is.” Tek suggested. She took out a data pad and looked through the records for relatives of Warlic.

“Artix, is his name.”

“I may have known him...” Starbuck said thinking. He remembered when he first joined there was a man named Artix who had helped him during a mission. As he was thinking this, he saw the body move.

“Are you two seeing the same thing as I am?” he asked frightened. The two turned around and saw the wound disappear and the body rise.

“Mehehe. Witnesses? This isn’t good.” said Dean Warlic. He began to search the pockets of his robes. “Meh, I forgot to add a weapon? Oh well. No one will believe these fools.”

The group was stunned. Starbuck made sense of it first. “If you aren’t Dean Warlic, then what are you? A robot?”

The impersonator laughed. “No, I am a very advanced hologram. Now, I must leave to begin work on my plan.”

Starbuck stepped in front of him as he was about to leave. “What plan?”

“My plan to become Kingadent of course. I do not have time to explain the plan to you all, so let me leave.”

“You aren’t going anywhere.” Starbuck warned pulling out an energy pistol.
“Really? Guards, help!” he yelled. “Someone is trying to kill me!”

The automated system at GEARS was designed to react to any words like that and alerted the guards. They came rushing in and grabbed Starbuck, Tek, and Lisa. They did not struggle realizing it would be useless and they were all taken to the Police Station.

Inside the station they were locked in separate cells. The design of the prison was lacking in new security measures, but it was enough to keep them contained. As they were sitting Tek began to listen to the radio.

“Everyone , listen! On the radio they placing someone in charge...”

“Due to the circumstances, the government officials of Loreon are placing an Emergency Kingadent in place. For the next two months while we work out the electoral process for a proper Kingadent, the Dean of GEARS University will be placed in charge. Kingadent Warlic is considered the best choice because he has for the past fourty years ran the University where some of the greatest heroes were created.” The man continued on, but they all stopped listening.

A fake Kingadent had been put in charge on Loreon. They all hoped whomever was doing this had good intentions. However they all had the same feeling that only someone evil could be this manipulative and seek direct control...

Next Time in Gundam: Shadow....Annihilation. With all of the heroes and Dragonguard Gundams not guarding the planet it is at the mercy of the Shadowscythe. Valoth will not tolerate failure this time. A Shadow Gundam returns with more power than ever.