The kids and the Robot appeared in a well-lit cave. Dante
was the first to speak up. “Whelp we’re dumb.” He stated as the robot walked
down the stone hallway.
“How so?” the robot asked.
“Because we just teleported to god knows where with some
robot alien who for all we know was working with those cannibal alien lizard
things.” Sonya said with a sense of depression.
The robot stopped and turned around. “Ok A: my name is
Technarius. B: you saved my arm, I saved your lives, so let’s be friends. C:
those things don’t work for me.”
Warren called out after Technarius as he rounded the corner.
“what were those things?”
“Not my friends, now get in here we’ve got a lot to cover!”
His robotic voice echoed down the hallway. The group exchanged down the hall.
None of them expected what they saw around the corner.
The rough cut natural stone hallway gave way to brushed
metal curves that opened up into a huge open command center. There were rows
and rows of computer stations and on the far wall was a dull crystal mosaic.
Technarius was busy at the nearest computer console.
“Lumarion, I’mmmm Baaaaaack!” Technarius’ robotic voice auto
tuned his statement and the dull crystal mosaic lit up in a flash.
“Who are the children Technarius?” The crystal wall flashed
fields and stars of colors.
“These children are a direct result of you wanting me to go
to the prismatic cluster when you could have just sent a beam of light.”
“You were attacked.” Lumarion blinked.
“I was shot out of the sky by a Cretacian patrol squad. I
crashed into a high school library and almost killed myself and these five
kids. Thanks for making it sound like I stubbed by toe.”
Sonya snapped “What the hell is going on?” Technarius turned
his attention to the kids, Lumarion’s lights began to fluctuate.
“You have stumbled upon on ancient secret, and if you choose
to, you will carry the burden of that secret for your generation.”
Gordon was looking at the consoles. “What’s the secret?”
Technarius pressed a button on his console and five chairs
appeared out of thin air. “Have a seat.” The kids all sat as Lumarion’s lights
sped up.
“I am one of the last of the Shimmeron, overseer and the
guiding light of earth. Technarius is my loyal friend and trusted assistant.”
“I’m his partner, his right and left hands, and the enforcer
of his will in all things.” Technarius gloated.
“We get it!” Kelly groaned. “Lumarion why would earth need a
guiding light?” she asked.
“Before time was time, the Shimmeron traveled the universe
and populated every corner of it with the light of creation. We had no rules,
no boundaries, our only goal was to banish the eternal darkness of the void.”
Lumarion shimmered as he explained.
Sonya asked “So how come we’ve never see any of the stuff
you’ve created?” Lumarion’s lights paused as he considered the answer.
We discovered the void had no interest in being banished. It
created Stygian and his void soldiers to destroy what we had made. Stygian is a
creature of pure darkness, and his warriors follow his every command without
question. We lost countless worlds to their fury. Stygian and his solders
exterminated our light with ruthless efficiency. Those of us who had survived
that first assault came up with a plan, we created the Machinate and sent them
to every world we had populated. Our emissaries empowered countless races to
defend their races from the void.
“Empowered?” Gordon asked.
Technarius produced a box, he lifted the lid and revealed
five pairs of sunglasses, the box had an indent for a sixth pair as well. The
glasses were red, black, blue, purple, and green. Lumarion’s lights began to
pulsate again.
“As I said, if you choose, you will become the last line of
defense between earth and the void. You will become the champions of light, you
will become The Shades of Justice!” Lumarion’s voice echoed to the ceiling of
the room. The kids looked unimpressed.
“What does that mean?” Kelly asked.
Technarious walked over to her and held the box out for her.
“Pick a set of glasses and find out.”
Kelly looked at the glasses and picked the purple pair.
Technarious moved down the line, Sonya took the black pair, Gordon took the
red, Dante took the Blue, and Warren the green. One by one they tried the
glasses on.
“Now, bond to your new armor by speaking your name and the
command ‘Step into Shade’”
Sonya broke from her inspection of her glasses, everyone
else was looking at her. “What?” She asked.
Kelly nodded at her glasses, “You’ve kinda been taking the
boss roll so far. So, you first.”
Sonya thought it over and then put her glasses back on. “Sonya
Cooper, Step into Shade!” There was a black flash and then Sonya was dressed
head to toe in her shade suit. Her helmet had a solid black visor. Lumarion’s
lights flashed.
“Sonya, you are Grayscale, able to harness many powers of
the void but tempered by the application of light to reveal the truth and be a
guiding light in your darkest hours.”
Dante put his glasses on. “Dante Wallace, Step into Shade!”
A blue flash of light and Dante was wearing a blue suit and helmet similar in
design to Sonya’s suit and helmet.
“Dante your mind is a tactical playground, your incredible talent
for planning and execution make you a perfect example of Abyssal Blue.”
Lumarion flashed.
Kelly stepped forward, her glasses already on. “Kelly
Sullivan, Step into Shade!” When the purple flash of light faded she was
wearing her own purple suit.
“Kelly, Your drive pushes you harder and further than many
others. The time you spend alone gives you incredible insight into yourself and
the world around you. You see what others cannot, you are Ultraviolet!”
Warren was next “Warren Reed, Step into shade!” A green
flash and he two was in green armor.
“Warren green is the color of growth, the color of progress,
the color of determination. You are Evergreen!” Lumarion flashed.
Gordon was staring into the lenses of his glasses. Lumarion
waited a moment and then pressed forward.
“you fear that the heat of your barely controlled rage makes
you a danger when the truth is without you the team has no heart.” Gordon put
his glasses on.
“Gordon Andrews, Step into Shade!” The red flash of light
cleared to reveal Gordon’s red suit.
“Gordon, Infrared light is not visible to the naked eye. But we use it to see the heat of the universe that’s inside all of us. What you think of as anger is misguided passion. What you have always seen as a weakness is
your greatest strength. You are infrared! And together you are, The Shades of Justice!”
