The main Mogadorian base in Nevada made their other facilities look like security posts. Hidden beneath a vast mesa in the middle of the desert, the activity on its surface was minimal and deceptive. But Tom and Number Six's Garde senses could feel the immense energy pulsating underground, a vast and dense nest of evil. Air and ground patrols were far more frequent, and every soldier they saw looked bigger, better trained, and carried more advanced weaponry.
"So, this is it," Number Six said, her voice calm. They observed from a distance, sheltered behind a rock formation. "The lair of Setrákus Ra."
"Looks big. Lots of stuff to break," Tom commented, his eyes shining with anticipation. "So, what's our final plan, partner? Do we go in with style or... ah, who cares, we're going in with style, right?"
Number Six looked at him, and for the first time, there was a glimmer of an amused smile in her eyes. "This time, Tom, I agree. There's no point in sneaking into a place like this. We'll make our own door."
Tom looked surprised for a moment, then broke into a wide grin. "I knew I'd get you to like me eventually!"
Their plan was a perfect blend of both their styles. Number Six closed her eyes, concentrating. The desert wind began to howl. Sand and dust lifted from the ground, swirling until they formed a giant, thick, raging sandstorm. Within minutes, the entire base was shrouded in a wall of sand that obscured vision and scrambled sensors.
Under the cover of that sandstorm, Tom stepped forward. "My turn!"
He extended both his hands towards the base's main gate, a gigantic door of reinforced metal several meters thick. He didn't try to open it. He focused the entirety of his incredible Telekinetic power. The ground around him trembled. The metal of the gate began to groan and bend inward.
With a spirited yell, Tom pushed his mental power to its limit.
KRAAAAKKK!
The giant steel gate was torn from its foundation and sent flying into the entrance tunnel like a bottle cap, crushing the first few Mogadorian soldiers who tried to respond.
"Door's open!" Tom exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Number Six replied, already by his side, her body shimmering slightly as she flickered in and out of her invisible mode to move quickly.
They charged into hell. The hallways inside were more like highways than corridors, filled with elite Mogadorian soldiers clad in jet-black armor. The fight broke out instantly.
This time, their teamwork was nearly flawless, like a death dance they had rehearsed over and over.
Number Six was the wind and the shadow. She used the infiltrating sandstorm as a distraction, turning invisible, then reappearing in the middle of enemy ranks to slit their commander's throat or stab at weak points in their armor. She moved with deadly precision.
Tom, on the other hand, was the epicenter of the earthquake. He was the front line, the shield, and the artillery all at once. He absorbed every shot, laughing as explosions rocked his body, then retaliated with devastating force. He used Telekinesis to collapse ceilings on his enemies, Lumen to create firestorms in narrow hallways, and his physical strength to throw armored vehicles as if they were toys.
They advanced with terrifying speed, leaving a trail of total destruction behind them. The Mogadorians, despite their numbers and training, were not prepared for the combination of a precise phantom assassin and an unstoppable, immortal monster.
"To the control center!" Number Six shouted amidst the din of battle. "That's where Setrákus Ra is most likely to be!"
Tom just nodded, busy slamming two Mogadorians together.
They fought their way through barracks, armories, and more advanced laboratories, each room offering fiercer resistance than the last. They faced Mogadorian super-soldiers, a product of their own experiments, who were stronger and faster. But even they fell before Tom and Number Six.
Finally, after a relentless battle that felt like an eternity, they arrived before a pair of giant doors emblazoned with the symbol of the Mogadorian Armada. Behind it, they could feel a powerful presence, cold and filled with ancient hatred.
The control center. The throne room of Setrákus Ra.
Without a word, Tom and Number Six glanced at each other for a moment. This was the end of their war against the Mogadorians. And the beginning of the end for their alliance.
Tom smiled at Number Six. "Ready to meet the big boss?"
Number Six nodded, her expression serious and steady.
With a joint Telekinetic push from Tom, the giant doors exploded inward.
The room beyond was vast, more like a throne hall than a control center. At the far end, sitting on a massive chair made of dark metal, was a towering figure. Far larger than a regular Mogadorian, with pale, scarred skin and eyes that radiated intelligence and cruelty. He wore regal robes, and at his side rested a large war staff.
He did not look surprised. Instead, he smiled faintly as he saw Tom and Number Six standing in the ruined doorway.
"So," Setrákus Ra said, his voice deep and resonant, as if it came from the bottom of a cave. "The troublemakers have finally arrived. I've been expecting you."
Setrákus Ra's smile held no warmth. It was the smile of an ancient predator seeing two interesting prey enter its lair.
"I must admit," the tyrant said, rising slowly from his throne. His towering figure made the already vast room feel small. "You two have caused more trouble than the rest of the Garde combined. It's quite impressive."
"We're not here for compliments," Number Six cut in, taking a fighting stance.
"I'm here for fun, and you look like the most exciting final boss!" Tom exclaimed, grinning widely. Without further ado, he charged forward.
Tom used his Telekinesis to rip a metal floor plate up and hurl it at Setrákus Ra like a giant discus. The move was fast and powerful. However, the Mogadorian leader simply raised one hand casually. A translucent, purple energy shield materialized in front of him, and the metal plate shattered into fragments upon contact.
"Raw power, with no finesse," Setrákus Ra sneered. He flicked his fingers, and the metal fragments shot back at Tom like thousands of bullets.
Tom created his own telekinetic shield, blocking most of the attack, but a few fragments still managed to punch through and hit his body, making him look like a metal porcupine for a moment before the holes sealed themselves shut.
While Tom was busy, Number Six attacked. She turned invisible and shot in from the side, swinging her energy daggers at Setrákus Ra's neck. But the tyrant seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He spun with a speed that belied his size, his war staff moving to parry Number Six's attack.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as their weapons met. Number Six was thrown backward by the force of the blow. "Pathetic Garde tricks," Setrákus Ra said. "You'll have to do better than that, little girl."
The fight began in earnest. Setrákus Ra was an opponent on a different level. He fought with the intelligence and experience of millennia. His Telekinesis was far stronger and more precise than Tom's, capable of manipulating dozens of objects at once. His energy shield was nearly impenetrable, and his war staff could fire powerful blasts of dark energy.
Tom and Number Six were forced to cooperate in a way they never had before. Tom became the main shield and distraction. He gleefully took every attack directed at him, letting Setrákus Ra blast, impale, and slam him all over the room. Each time, he would come back whole, laughing, which was clearly beginning to disturb the tyrant's composure.
"You irritating anomaly!" Setrákus Ra growled after watching Tom get back up for the fifth time after his body was bisected by an energy slash from the war staff.
This moment of confusion from Setrákus Ra was the opening Number Six needed. As all attention was on Tom "reassembling" himself, Number Six created a small storm inside the room, wind and hail swirling around the tyrant, disrupting his vision.
"Now, Tom!" she yelled.
Tom, fully recovered, grinned. "With pleasure!"
He abandoned all defense and used the craziest tactic he could think of. He allowed Setrákus Ra to impale him with the energy staff, and as the weapon was lodged in his chest, Tom grabbed onto it tightly, holding the tyrant in place.
"Surprise!" Tom said to Setrákus Ra's astonished face.
From within her ice storm, Number Six shot forward. She didn't attack Setrákus Ra, but the war staff that Tom was holding. She focused all her power on a single point, and her energy daggers struck the staff with full force.
CRACK!
The ancient war staff fractured and exploded in a burst of dark energy, pushing both Tom and Number Six back, and sending Setrákus Ra staggering backward, his hands burned. For the first time, the tyrant was wounded.
Losing his weapon sent him into a rage. He roared, unleashing a wave of pure telekinetic energy so powerful it brought down part of the hall's ceiling.
Number Six quickly created a wind shield to protect herself from the falling debris, but she was exhausted.
Tom, on the other hand, just let the debris crash down on him. He emerged from the pile of rocks a few seconds later, brushing dust off his shoulders. "Alright, no more toys for you. Now it's a fair fight."
Before the enraged Setrákus Ra could launch another attack, Tom made his final move. He didn't use projectiles or energy. He used his Telekinesis on the largest object in the room.
Setrákus Ra's massive, heavy throne lifted off the floor.
The tyrant's eyes widened in horror as he saw his own seat levitating above him. He tried to stop it with his own telekinesis, but his power was drained after his earlier outburst of rage, and Tom, at full, tireless strength, was far superior at this moment.
"Time to take a seat, Your Highness," Tom said mockingly.
With one final mental push, Tom slammed the throne down with full force, crushing the Mogadorian leader beneath the weight of his own symbol of power.
A thick silence fell over the ruined hall.
It was over. The war against the Mogadorians on this world was, effectively, finished.
Number Six was panting, leaning against a cracked pillar. She looked at Tom, who stood in the middle of the devastation, looking as unfazed as if he'd just finished a morning workout.
They had won. They had succeeded.
And now... only the two of them were left. Their agreement had to be fulfilled.