Under the Sea

Under the Sea is the eleventh episode of Tech 10: Star Spirit.

Episode
[Open to somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. The area is completely devoid of sunlight, shrouding it in darkness. The remains of a massive humanoid machine rest in the sand, slowly rusting away and having been heavily damaged by the pressure. Suddenly, for the first time in over twenty-five years, a light at the base of the machine’s ‘neck’ begins to blink.]

As a miniscule amount of power began to flow through the broken machine, a mind stored deep inside its data centers began to emerge.

[???]: “...Where...am I?”

The mind stopped for a few seconds to examine the situation.

[???]: “Oh, yes, that’s right. Of course, I still have to figure out what exactly happened to my original body and how long it’s been.”

The mind suddenly sensed a series of electrical signals relatively nearby. Considering the circumstances, this was most odd.

[???]: “I suppose that’s a good place to start.”

[Cut to the factory outside Plumber Base UT1. Theo and Nova are leaning on the wall near the door, looking as if they’re expecting someone.]

[Nova]: “So, when do you think they’ll get here?”

[Theo]: (Shrugs) “No idea. Alpha said they’re usually very punctual, but something might’ve come up.”

[Nova]: “Eh, good point.”

The two continued to stand in silence for a bit. After a few minutes, the sound of a large jet engine roared from outside, approaching their location a high speed. This was quickly followed by a massive jet-black robot suddenly skidding into the factory and sliding for a bit before grinding to a halt.

[Robot]: “Best landing yet, tenouttaten!”

[Nova]: “Woah, who are you?!”

[Robot]: (Points to itself with its thumb) “Name’s Omega, kid! Best giant robot fusion thing this side of Key West!”

[Theo]: “What?”

[Omega]: “Oh, you were probably expecting a few different people, right? Hold on a sec.”

Omega’s body glowed a luminous white, then split apart into three masses of energy, each exploding off in a random direction a few feet away. Once they made contact with the ground, the energy masses formed back into distinct shapes, fading to reveal three robotic humanoids, each with a color scheme based around a primary color.

[Blue Humanoid]: “Sorry about the confusion, it’s just that we don’t have flight capabilities on our own.”

[Nova]: “Wait, so you three are-?”

[Blue Humanoid]: “The synthetic Magisters, yep. I’m Magister Blue, and these are Magisters Red and Yellow. I’m pretty sure you can figure out who’s who.”

[Magister Red]: “I take it you two are here to show us how to enter the base?”

[Theo]: “Right.” (Gestures to a nearby bolt sticking out of the wall) “Just stand next to that and press it into the wall to activate the elevator in.”

[Magister Red]: “Seems like an odd way to gain access.”

[Theo]: (Shrugs) “It’s not like we came up with it.”

[Cut to the inside of the base. Theo, Nova, and the synthetic Magisters have just stepped off the elevator platform.]

[Magister Red]: (Examining the area) “Not a bad setup, albeit a bit sparse.”

[Magister Blue]: “Hey, Alpha, you there?”

The room’s main monitor flickered to life, displaying a mostly black screen with a white line running across it.

[Alpha]: “Yes, and more than ready to transfer to an actual body. You have the Data Crystal, correct?”

A small compartment on Magister Red’s arm opened up, revealing a small blue crystal. He picked it up with his left hand and displayed it in the air.

[Magister Red]: “You tell me.”

[Alpha]: “Good. The sooner we get started, the sooner-”

An alarm suddenly began to sound from the monitor, which automatically pulled up a map of the Earth and zoomed in on an area in the Pacific Ocean.

[Theo]: “...Why is the system zooming in on the Marianas Trench?”

[Alpha]: “I can’t say. It only brings up alerts from different sectors if the system deems them a significant threat.”

[Theo]: “Does it say what kind of threat?”

[Alpha]: “It appears to be reporting some sort of unidentified Biohazard.”

[Theo]: “At the bottom of the Marianas Trench? Even if there is one down there, why does it matter? It’s not like anybody lives down there.”

[Alpha]: “Incorrect. It appears as though a team of scientists are currently residing in an underwater research station inside the trench.”

[Magister Yellow]: “Well, what are we waiting for? We need to go take care of this!”

[Alpha]: “None of your bodies are designed to handle the pressure level of water that deep. Even with your upgraded forms and the extra armor from Omega, you would never reach the station.”

[Theo]: “...I could go.”

[Magister Blue]: (Turns to Theo) “What?”

[Theo]: “Holy Diver’s species lives in water with a higher pressure than anything found on Earth. The coldness of water that far down would also extend my transformation time indefinitely.”

[Magister Blue]: “’Holy Diver’?”

[Theo]: “My Sanquor transformation.”

[Magister Red]: “In that case, he does have a point. Sanquor are perfectly suited for this kind of situation.”

[Nova]: “What about me?”

[Alpha]: “Unless you have something suited for the deep sea, you’ll have to sit this one out.”

[Nova]: “But-”

[Theo]: “I’ll be fine. It’s not like there’s much down there anyways. Just some weird fish and microbes.”

[Magister Blue]: “Besides, both of your parents were lone wolves at some point. You’re practically born for the solo mission.”

[Theo]: (Turns to Magister Blue) “You know my parents?”

[Magister Blue]: “Yep. Even worked with them a few times. Your dad never told you about that one time we fought a giant mecha?”

[Theo]: “He...doesn’t really tell me anything about his fighting days.”

[Nova]: “Wait, you guys and Mr. Logical fought a giant mecha?!”

[Magister Yellow]: “Yep. I punched it in the face!”

[Nova]: “Nice!”

[Theo]: “The real problem is how I’m supposed to get to the Mariana Trench in the first place.”

[Alpha]: “You could always try to use your Curyi transformation, but I don’t know if you’re skilled enough with it yet.”

[Theo]: “Uh, I don’t think the skill level matters much here. Move Along’s fast, but he’s pretty heavy too. I don’t think he can cross water.”

[Alpha]: “Not what I meant. Curyi do have a form of teleportation, albeit a limited one. If you’re able to use it, you would be able to reach the trench in mere seconds.”

[Theo]: “Sounds good.”

Theo pulled up the StarTrix and transformed into Move Along.

[Theo/Move Along]: “How does it work?”

[Alpha]: “You’ll essentially be creating a short-lived wormhole using a combination of your Nentokinesis and Flash Step abilities; however, given your inexperience, I doubt you’ll be able to-”

Alpha was cut off by Theo suddenly lunging into the air in front of him with a Spin Punch/Flash Step combo, disappearing from sight in what appeared to be a ripple of air. The room went silent for a few moments.

[Magister Blue]: “Well, he’s certainly his father’s son.”

[Magister Red]: “Still not sure whether that’s good or bad.”

[Cut to the middle of the ocean. The sun is shining, and very few clouds are visible in the sky, as a light breeze blows through the air. The air momentarily warps, followed by Move Along suddenly snapping into existence and falling into the water.]

[Move Along]: (Beginning to sink) “Woah, let’s back up a little here!”

Move Along pressed down on the StarTrix symbol, reverting back to Theo, who pulled up the StarTrix and transformed into Holy Diver.

[Theo/Holy Diver]: “Time to dive.”

Holy Diver began sinking into the ocean depths. Moving slowly at first, he used his drills to help pull himself further into the water. The cold, dark abyss of the sea began to envelop him more and more the deeper he went.

This increasingly dark, silent environment seemed to stretch on for an eternity no matter which direction he looked, and there was not a single sign of any other life nearby. The further he went into the oceanic depths of the Earth, the more he felt he was in a world entirely alien to him.

After a while of descending through the water, he eventually felt himself hit sand, signaling his arrival at the ocean floor. Having turned on his lights a while ago, he carefully began to examine his surroundings. Initially finding only sand and darkness, he eventually caught sight of a faint metallic glimmer in the distance.

He began walking towards the unusual sight, moving through the water at a much faster speed than expected. As he approached the glimmer, the the silhouette of a massive, ruined structure slowly came into view. He eventually reached the structure, finding it to be the remains of a massive humanoid machine.

[Holy Diver]: (Thinking) ‘What is this thing?’

Exploring the interior of the ruins for a few minutes, he eventually came across a small, blinking blue light at the base of what would’ve been the machine’s ‘neck’. Staring at it for a few moments, he caught sight of a small trail of some sort of blue lights leading away from the blinking light in a messy, almost organic pattern.

[Holy Diver]: (Thinking) ‘I think I just found a clue.’

Holy Diver set off to follow the trail of lights, determined to find where they led. So engrossed by this idea was he that he never noticed the mass of the same lights slowly spreading across the interior of the machine.

[Cut back to the inside of Plumber Base UT1. Magister Red is hooking up the new Data Crystal to the main console.]

[Magister Blue]: “So he never told you two any of that?”

[Nova]: “Nope. Mr. Logical isn’t exactly a fan of talking about the past.”

[Magister Blue]: “Hm. Odd.”

[Magister Yellow]: “I think ‘odd’ is an understatement! Considering everything that happened with the Anti-Life Entity, you’d think it would be considered important to tell the kids!”

[Nova]: “Anti-Life Entity? The heck is that?”

[Magister Yellow]: “You ever read Lovecraft?”

[Nova]: “A bit.”

[Magister Yellow]: “Imagine Cthulhu, but way smaller, humanoid, and constantly pissed off.”

[Nova]: “Doesn’t sound like the best company.”

[Magister Yellow]: “You got that right. I’d hate to think what would happen if he was still around.”

The platform elevator in the center of the room suddenly activated, moving down to the lower floors. After a few moments, the elevator arrived back on the main level, carrying Pyros with it.

[Pyros]: “Yo Alpha, I’m headin’ to the trainin’ roo-” (Catches sight of the Magisters) “Okay, who are these guys?”

[Alpha]: “These are Magisters Blue, Red, and Yellow, respectively. They are synthetics based off my initial design.”

[Pyros]: “Oh, so that’s why you’re called ‘Alpha’. I always thought you were just called that ‘cause it sounds cool.”

[Magister Blue]: (Turns to Pyros) “And you are?”

[Alpha]: “This is Pyros, a half-Feuer pyromaniac going through rehabilitation. He currently has free access to anywhere inside the facility.”

[Pyros]: “I prefer the term ‘pyro-enthusiast’, thank you very much.”

[Magister Red]: (Typing on the main console’s keypad) “If you people are done with the small talk, I think I’m about done here.”

[Magister Blue]: “Good work. Alpha, are you ready to transfer?”

[Alpha]: “All the data should be in place.”

[Magister Red]: “Then let’s get this over with.”

Magister Red pressed the ‘Enter’ key on the keypad, bringing up a screen on the monitor that began to track the data transfer. After a few minutes, the transfer completed, allowing Magister Red to disconnect the Data Crystal from the console.

The Data Crystal hovered into the air above the floor and began emitting a strong glow, said glow beginning to grow into a solid shape. Said shape initially took the form of a skeletal structure, which was quickly covered by ‘muscle’ and ‘skin’ layers, turning the glow into a humanoid, mannequin-esque form.

Synthetic fibers similar in shape to hair flowed from the form’s head, as the form itself took on a more detailed shape. The glow eventually faded for the most part, leaving a fully-formed Alpha to fall gracefully to the ground, landing on her feet. Her new form had more human-like proportions and a different uniform, which was mostly white save for patches of green on the arms, legs, and neck.

[Pyros]: “...Sweet threads.”

[Alpha]: (Flexing her fingers to test them) “This body should work fairly well. Considering the time it took for it to be made, I expected nothing less.”

[Magister Red]: (Rolling his eyes) “You’re welcome.”

[Magister Blue]: “I think that about wraps this up. We should probably head back to our assigned base.”

Before Alpha could reply, the warning alert system suddenly went off, switching the monitor back to the satellite view of the Marianas Trench.

[Nova]: “What’s going on?”

[Alpha]: (Turns to face the monitor) “...That can’t be right. According to the scans, there’s some sort of...massive weapon beginning to activate on the ocean floor.”

[Nova]: “Is it from the research station?”

[Alpha]: “No. Their current project is mainly nanomachine development, and they wouldn’t have the resources to create a weapon of this size anyways.”

[Magister Blue]: “That is odd. The only thing I think could qualify as a weapon down there might be...” (Eyes widen) “...Oh, crap.”

[Magister Red]: “I know what you’re thinking, but how would that even be possible? It’s been rusting down there for two and a half decades now. There’s no way it could function.”

[Nova]: “No way what could function? What are you talking about?!”

[Magister Blue]: (Turns to face Nova) “...Buckle in kid, this explanation might take a while.”

[Cut to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. Holy Diver has followed the trail of blue growth to the bottom of a ridge and begun to climb the side using his drills. He eventually reaches the top, finding a sprawling set of underwater buildings connected by large tubes.]

[Holy Diver]: “This must be the research station.” (Looks down at the glowing blue growth) “And I’m guessing this stuff must have something to do with the biohazard alert. I better find a way inside.”

After a few minutes of searching, Holy Diver came across what appeared to be an airlock covered in the blue growth, which had now taken on a partially black, sludge-like appearance. Using one of his drills to scrape away some of the growth, he managed to locate the controls for the airlock, closing the door to the outside ocean and draining the water. After a few moments, the door leading into the research station slid open, allowing him to enter the building.

The interior of the building was mostly dark and empty, save for a few red emergency lights and the presence of the blue growth, which had seemingly spread across the walls. Holy Diver set off down the hallway he had entered into, following the emergency lights until he found a locked door. Examining it, he eventually spotted a terminal next to the door that required a key card to enter.

After thinking it over for a few moments, he decided against simply ripping apart the door and set off to (hopefully) find a key card. After a few minutes of wandering through the dark, labyrinthine halls and rooms of the building, he began to hear an odd, almost pained groaning noise in the distance.

[Holy Diver]: “Hello? Is someone there?”

He received no reply, save for the continued sound of groaning.

[Holy Diver]: (Thinking) ‘''If I was anyone else, I would probably take that as my sign to run away very quickly. Unfortunately, since I’m basically the rescue team, I need to check it out.''’

He began to follow the sound of groaning, which began to grow louder the closer he got. Eventually, after turning one particular corner, he spotted a distinctly male humanoid shape at the end of the hallway, which seemed to be the source of the groaning.

[Holy Diver]: “Excuse me, sir? Are you okay?”

If the shape had heard him, it certainly didn’t bother to react. He decided to try approaching it, but even as he drew closer, it still showed no signs of acknowledging his presence.

Suddenly, as he got within a few feet of the humanoid shape, it turned to face him at supernatural speeds, revealing it to be a human covered in the blue/black growth, with chunks of flesh either replaced by metal or outright missing. His eyes were gone, leaving behind empty sockets, and his mouth had been sealed shut by metallic chunks.

Upon catching sight of Holy Diver, the warped creature lunged forward, swiping with a stiff arm. Holy Diver blocked the blow with his own arm, but quickly withdrew upon seeing some of the growth start to transfer to his own body. Using his drill to shear off the growth that had moved to his arm, he began to run, with the creature hobbling quickly behind.

[Holy Diver]: “Not how I thought this day would go!”

After a few minutes of running, Holy Diver ducked into a nearby room and quickly closed the door, hoping the creature wouldn’t notice where he had hidden. Pausing for a moment to listen, he eventually relaxed and turned to look over the room he was in. The first thing he spotted was a key card sitting on a nearby desk.

[Holy Diver]: (Frustrated) “Oh, sure, now I find one.”

Upon looking over the room further, he found it to be a laboratory of some kind, with vials of something similar to the techno-organic growth stored neatly in some cabinets. Exploring the area a little bit, he eventually found a folder containing research data.

[Holy Diver]: (Reading aloud) “The nanomachine project is going better than expected. In addition to near-instantaneous reparation of damaged machinery, the nanomachines have been found to repair organic tissue in much the same way, neatly sealing up wounds. This was initially discovered when Dr. Higgins tripped while holding a vial of the nanomachines and sliced his hand open on a glass shard, an injury which the nanomachines swiftly repaired by merging into his body. Though this new development holds much promise in potential medical treatments, more research is needed to determine whether this method of healing is safe in the long run.”

Holy Diver put down the folder, looking over to the vials of nanomachines.

[Holy Diver]: “Considering the current situation, I’d say that idea turned out to be a bust.”

Holy Diver looked around the room for a few more minutes. Finding no more useful information, he walked up to the door and quietly listened to the outside hallway. After a few moments of complete silence, he cautiously opened the door, looking both ways to make sure the creature he had been chased by was gone.

Finding the area to be empty, he made his way back to the locked door as quickly as possible, hastily swiping the keycard and stumbling into the room behind the door, turning around and closing the door behind him. Before he could even turn around to examine his new surroundings, he was hit on the head by a chair. Being armored in thick metal plating, this didn’t really do anything but tick him off.

[Holy Diver]: “Hey, what the he-”

He trailed off as he found a group of frightened researchers standing in front of him, cautiously eyeing him down. One of the researchers was still holding the chair she had hit him with.

[Researcher 1]: “Who are you?!”

[Researcher 2]: “Hold on a second, look at the symbol they’re wearing! They’re a Plumber!”

[Holy Diver]: “That’s about the gist of it.”

[Researcher 1]: (Puts down the chair) “Sorry about that. We were on edge. Thought you might’ve been one of the infected.”

[Holy Diver]: “Infected? You mean like that thing covered in the techno-organic growth who attacked me?”

[Researcher 1]: “You were attacked?! Are you sure you’re not infected?!”

[Holy Diver]: “It managed to touch me for a second, but I was able to shear off the growth. Any of you mind telling me what’s going on here?”

[Researcher 3]: “We’ve been researching restorative nanomachines at this station. Seeing as how quite a few people might want to get their hands on this technology, we needed somewhere secure, and there’s nowhere more secure than the bottom of the ocean; unfortunately, that security has made it difficult for us to leave.”

[Holy Diver]: “That’s great and all, but I was more talking about the mutant monsters out there.”

[Researcher 3]: (Impatiently) “I was getting to that. About six hours ago, the nanomachines began going haywire for unknown reasons, creating the techno-organic growth you’ve likely seen a lot of by now. Anything it touches is infected, and humans infected get warped into those...things. We’re still not sure what triggered this reaction, as the nanomachines were never programmed for this kind of behavior.”

[Holy Diver]: “And what about the giant machine at the bottom of the ridge with the growth leading to it?”

[Researcher 2]: “Giant machine? What are you talking about?”

[Holy Diver]: “So the rusty mecha ain’t yours?”

[Researcher 2]: “No. It’s the first time we’ve heard of it.”

[Holy Diver]: “Hm. Well, we’ll have time to figure this stuff out after we get you all out of here. You mentioned the security system was giving you trouble?”

[Researcher 1]: “Right. The next building over has an escape submersible for emergencies, but we’ve been unable to access the passageway leading to it.”

[Holy Diver]: “Why?”

[Researcher 1]: (Gestures to a nearby keypad) “Look for yourself.”

Holy Diver examined the keypad, finding it to be covered in some of the growth. Though it didn’t seem to be expanding in any direction, its presence was still unnerving.

[Holy Diver]: “Oh. That is a problem. Fortunately, I have a solution.”

Holy Diver retracted his fingers and summoned drill from the ends of both arms.

[Holy Diver]: “The solution is called ‘breaking crap’.”

[Researcher 1]: “If you’re capable of tearing down doors, why didn’t you just tear down the one you entered through instead of finding a keycard for it?”

[Holy Diver]: “Well, the first reason was that I didn’t know there were mutant techno-zombies in the area and didn’t want to cause unnecessary destruction. That reason ultimately switched to needing the door intact to keep out any wandering techno-zombies that may come across me.”

[Researcher 1]: “Point taken”

Holy Diver revved up his drills and smashed through the steel door in front of him, ripping it into pieces and allowing access to the hallway leading to the next building. As he began ushering the researchers into the passageway, there was a sudden banging on the door he had entered through, which was quickly followed by the techno-organic growth seeping through the cracks of the door towards them.

[Holy Diver]: “Oh, that is not good! Hurry up, people!”

The last researcher entered the hallway, allowing Holy Diver to follow after them. The group began to run as the techno-organic growth entered the hallway and slowly began to gain on them, enveloping the walls and ceiling as it went.

After a few minutes, the group finally reached the other side of the hallway, with one of the researchers swiftly pulling out their keycard and swiping it on the keypad, opening the door to the building. As soon as everyone entered the next room, Holy Diver closed the doors behind them.

[Researcher 2]: “Is that really going to help much?!”

[Holy Diver]: “Probably not, but it definitely makes me feel a bit better!”

They continued running through the building as quickly as possible, eventually reaching the launch bay for the emergency sub, with the growth not far behind them. The researchers began to climb in the submarine as the growth began to envelop the room.

[Researcher 1]: “We’re not all going to make it in time!”

[Holy Diver]: “Yes you are!”

Holy Diver retracted his drills and picked up the few stragglers by their collars, tossing them into the submarine from an impressive distance.

[Holy Diver]: “Get out of here now! I can handle myself!”

The researcher manning the door nodded and closed it, with the submersible itself launching into the sea moments later. Holy Diver moved to follow, but was tripped up a vine-like part of the growth grabbing a hold of his leg.

[Holy Diver]: “Oh, crap!”

After a few moments of tense anticipation, he noticed that the growth had suddenly stopped. Lookign around the room, he eventually spotted that the majority of it had stopped once it hit a computer monitor across the room from him. A moment later, the screen flickered to life, displaying an odd jumble of static and broken pixels.

[???]: “That certainly took long enough. You’d think a research station of all places would have more computers.”

Holy Diver froze in place upon hearing the odd voice coming through the speakers.

[Holy Diver]: “Who...who’s there?!”

The voice seemed to pause for a moment, with the monitor across from him starting to juggle its static pattern.

[???]: “...Interesting...is that you, Tech Logical?”

Holy Diver flinched in surprise.

[Holy Diver]: “You know my father?!”

[???]: “Your...father?”

The mysterious voice paused again. The monitor displaying static suddenly switched to show a calendar of the current month.

[???]: “Hm. According to this, it’s been approximately twenty-five years since that day. I suppose the time scale fits well enough.”

[Holy Diver]: “What are you talking about? Who are you?”

The voice paused again.

[???]: “I have had many names. I suppose you should call me...Xenon, The Puppet Master.”

[Holy Diver]: “...The Puppet Master?”

[Xenon]: “Yes, The Puppet Master. I once had a body, with power over any electronic device in range, and my unique inventions gave me even further control than that. Unfortunately, seeing as how I remain only as a mental backup, I can only take control of devices sufficiently advanced to hold my consciousness. On the bright side, these restorative nanomachines turned out to be exactly what I needed.”

[Holy Diver]: “So you’re the one controlling the nanomachines? You’ve been making them attack and absorb people?”

[Xenon]: “Indeed. The more people I absorb, the more I can spread the nanomachines. Once I leave this underwater hell, the surface world is as good as mine!”

[Holy Diver]: “Why do this? What do you have to gain by controlling people?”

[Xenon]: “Not much, honestly. The process is irreversible, so they wouldn’t make good bargaining chips. I just want to see them destroyed, especially your father.”

[Holy Diver]: “Good luck with that. He’s a lot more powerful than he lets on.”

[Xenon]: “Don’t you lecture me on how dangerous the man is! He’s the one who killed me and destroyed my greatest invention all those years ago!”

[Holy Diver]: “Then how do you expect to beat him this time?”

[Xenon]: “I’ve been thinking about that for a while actually. Considering that the last time he defeated me, he did so only with luck and strategy, I’m going to have to come up with some way of getting his mind off-balance.”

The room’s lights began to flicker, as more and more of the nanomachine growth started to cover the walls.

[Xenon]: “And exactly what just so happens to show up while I’m considering this plan?”

Holy Diver instinctively took a few steps back, warily looking around the room.

[Xenon]: “Oh, looks like you’ve caught on already. I have to say, I wonder if he’ll really believe me when I say I killed his son.”

There was another brief pause.

[Xenon]: “Eh, I’ll figure something out either way.”

Before Holy Diver could react, large tentacles suddenly exploded from the growth, smashing down on the StarTrix symbol and reverting him to human. They instantly wrapped around his torso and smashed him through the wall of the research station into the darkness of the ocean, staying firmly gripped onto him to prevent him from reaching the StarTrix. Before Theo even had time to think, the full force of the incredible water pressure crushed into his body, killing him instantly.

Back inside the launch bay, Xenon had turned his attention elsewhere.

[Xenon]: “Well, now that that’s out of the way, I think it’s about time to do a little restorative work.”

Cold.

That was the first thing he noticed.

The second thing he noticed was that he was very wet, which explained the cold.

The third thing he noticed was that he could not breathe.

Theo’s eyes slowly flickered open, though seeing as how he was at the bottom of the ocean, this did not do much. The only things visible were the distant lights of the research station above and the blue glow of the StarTrix.

Wait.

Blue?

Theo turned his head to look at the StarTrix, finding that its dial had changed shape and color. It was now a bright blue, with the hourglass symbol being split into three different sections. The gray lines running from the dial were now a dull blue.

As he slowly regained more and more awareness of his situation, the stranger he realized it was. He had died, right? And why was the StarTrix so different? The only outlying factors would have been the nanomechanical tentacles used to restrain him as he was being thrown out of the station, and those seemed to have disappeared.

Suddenly, the realization of what had happened popped into his head. Xenon must have somehow moved out of range, causing the nanomachines to revert to their original programming and begin repairs on whatever they touched.

Being crushed underneath the ocean had likely warranted some repairs.

Examining the new form of the StarTrix, Theo clenched his fists with determination.

There would be hell to pay.

Major Events

 * Cornelius Zelosis Xenon, AKA The Puppet Master, returns as a digitalized backup, making his Star Spirit debut.
 * Omega makes its Star Spirit debut.
 * The three synthetic Magisters make their Star Spirit debuts.
 * Move Along is revealed to have limited teleportation capabilities.
 * Alpha gains a new body.
 * Theo dies, but is brought back by restorative nanomachines merging with his body.
 * These same nanomachines transform the StarTrix into the StarTrix Requiem.

Protagonists

 * Theodore Logical (Death; Revival)

Antagonists

 * The Puppet Master (Revival; Star Spirit Debut)

Minor

 * Nova Eldridge
 * Omega (Star Spirit Debut)
 * Magister Blue (Star Spirit Debut)
 * Magister Red (Star Spirit Debut)
 * Magister Yellow (Star Spirit Debut)
 * Alpha
 * Pyros
 * Research Team

Aliens Used

 * Move Along
 * Holy Diver

Trivia

 * The underwater research station infected with a techno-organic growth that mutates whatever it touches was inspired by the horror game SOMA.