Prologue: A Brief Word The following is an official document to be released to all notified parties. It has come to my attention that several other civilized species are spreading rumours about our presence. I should not deign to address them, but in the interest of our continued existence and the achievement of our long-term goals, I shall. No, the events leading to our new utopia did not start in Ireland. We had nothing to do with the petty squabbles with England in 2020, nor the ensuing air-strikes on Belfast, nor the so-called "Long Night Troubles". Several Irish individuals did play a part in our eventual existence, but if you paid at

Epilogue: Unity At the dawn of next morning, the populace of the Candy Kingdom was shocked by the emergence of several figures from the dungeons under the castle. The individuals were withered, bloodied, and severely burnt, but for the most part in lucid enough states to tell their stories. They were, according to the testimonies, the only surviving individuals ever to set foot in Blackbox's compound other than the man in the hood himself. When Blackbox's powder bombs had gone off, several of the cell doors meant to be fixed open had been slammed tightly shut by the force, trapping the survivors -- two tortured prisoners and one shellshocked

It's all led up to here. From the moment you woke up in that dingy hallway to the final duel with your formerly-masked assailant, one man has been sitting back, taunting you while he watched from behind the safety of some cameras and a series of cell phones. He was certain you'd never make it out, but though you've been through more than enough to kill a dozen men and drive thousands more to suicide, you managed it. And now your captor must learn from his mistakes. Lust for vengeance boiling over in your heart, you head for the locked door. The unmasked man wasn't lying; his key fits perfectly, and the door swings open without a hitch. Grippi

Sweet urges you to leave her behind, but your mind is made up. She's worth more than you in the long run. Resigned, you hand her your pistol and motion to the exit. Behind you, the Old Man is almost on you. His unearthly, rotten smile seems wider now. At first, Sweet doesn't listen. "Come on, we can still get out! Don't let this old bastard win!" But it's his dimension. The Old Man doesn't lose. You know he'll just kill both of you if you try and cheat him. Maybe he won't even kill Sweet, but keep stalking her until she shoots herself, just to spite you. You repeat yourself. This time, it's phrased as an order. You are her commanding office

- September 20, 2508 - - Cluster Theta, Colony Miliarium, Mars - The three combatants stood atop mountains of corpses, some of human victims, others indescribably different. Their weapons glimmered in the faint light of the dying star above them, and for a split second, silence ruled over the battlefield. Trina Krow shifted her lithe figure into a pouncing position, eyes constantly darting between her opponents. The swirling dust and ash stung her wounds, but by this point, she was used to dulling out the pain. Her pale hands tightened around the grip of her katana, and the cybernetic implant in her right eye socket glowed an unfriendly gre