*This is an excerpt from "The Skies Above", a fiction book created by Peterich Freeleigh. The author has been known for his non-fiction historical studies, as well as extensive studies on the arcane, so the switch to a fictional title is a bit odd.* *For the scene's context: this is near to the last half/last third of the book, wherein the trio of main characters - ITHSKALL, the team leader and ex-marine-corps, MALICE, a somewhat depraved girl who finds pain fun, and BELWORT, a medic/doctor who uses unconventional healing tactics, all come face to face with a robotic villain, X-NINE, hellbent on opening a rift to another plane. We come in just as the team does, as they are face-to-face with their rival.* It's a dark and gloomy day for justice. Ithskall, just having burst down the door, had sworn to the knights above that, whoever was in there, would pay recompense for their transgressions. The team all approach the [[Edge]] of the platform. There's no exits, save for the platform around the rim of the edge of the dome. In the middle was their target - something that resembled a syringe, except instead of a plunger, was a large, mechanical eye. The eye spoke to them. "Well, well. I don't think I expected any visitors today." Malice came to the front of the group and pointed a blaster at the eye. She scoffs and addresses the eye in a teasing motion. "We're glad to be your guests of honor, yes yes! But I think you're missing an eye?" The eye answered in its monotonous tone. "What eye?" Malice fired the blaster, releasing a light-energy-electricity projectile that shifted through the colors of pink and light blue, which reflected off the eye effortlessly with a single "clink", hitting the metal wall just above and to the right of them, causing a decent explosion. Belwort pushed the two aside to the ground. "Enough." He pulled a sheaf of papers out of his lab coat. It was stapled and wrapped in some kind of plastic packaging. "This is what you want. All I ask that you leave me and my compatriots away from your plans." The eye raised its lower panel, looking happy, almost. "Ah, yes. I didn't think that the cretins I had been trying to track down would just give me The Papers. Sure, you may have all the allowances you want outside of my plan. In truth, it does not matter." Ithskall raised from the floor. "Are you insane?! I trusted you with those for a reason!" Belwort put a finger to his lips. "Shh. I know what I'm doing." A claw descended down from the ceiling, grabbing the papers from Belwort's outstretched arm. He withdrew it into his lab coat. He muttered something under his breath, but nobody could hear it. He then motioned to help Malice up from the grates that made up the floor, but she glanced daggers at him. He pointed at the door. "Now that X-Nine has his focus away from us, we can just leave. Problem solved, right? We go home and live in peace." Malice rose from the floor, slapping herself on her fore-arm, just to be sure. "Hah! You might be onto something, guv'nor, but are we really walking away without a few scars from the hunk?" Belwort re-iterated himself. "We can *go home*. Get out of here. We probably should get out of here. Don't you have enough scars already, homegirl?" Malice furrowed her brown and put her fists on her sides. "No, no! No such thing! You damned runts from the home towns... Are you afraid of your true calling again, Belly?" She said that last part while waving a pointed finger, like a mother disappointed in her child. Ithskall chimed in. "I think he has a point, Mal. It's selfish, but if we cut our losses, we won't have to worry about this ever again." Malice crossed her arms. "Fine, fine! Have it your way, you [[Peddler]]. But I'm not happy about it." "You're never happy.", explained Ithskall. Malice just shook her head. *From here, according to the passage, the trio leave the tower, before a large explosion destroys X-NINE. It is unclear as to why the explosion occurred - it is never stated, nor resolved. X-NINE also appears in the sequel book, "The Depths Below", despite clearly having been destroyed.* *This excerpt is usually chosen and shown to scholarly children as an example of unsatisfying endings. The author has answered many questions about the passage - but it is unclear what the sheaf of papers that BELWORT was holding actually contained. When asked, Freeleigh said, "Truthfully, I do not know either."*