"Make your choice and see how your deeds will reward you."

Diana turned to Sam and muttered with protest, "He can't be serious. There is no way he can pull that off." 

"Yes, he can..." Gordon said while his eyes scanned their surroundings, cautiously eyeing the shiver of troopers around them.

"...Seth's Mothership has a particle beam weapon. It has so much star power and energy that it can incinerate everything in its path from a long-distance range. Then again, killing you will serve no purpose. He could be stalling or invoking fear to manipulate us to his will."

 "He is one crazy bastard," scoffed Dan as he crossed his arms.

While there was chattering amongst themselves, the Mothership released a particle beam weapon from its port. The enormous weapon aimed at the twenty-five-story Time Square building.

"Um, guys!" Diana hinted at the others who followed her gaze. And there it stood, a massive particle beam weapon, measuring 10.5 meters in height and 34 meters in length. Its presence sent shivers down their spines as it was salivated with a thirst for destruction. 

Sam stepped forward; in doing so, the troopers that surrounded them stepped back cautiously and stemmed their fingers a few millimeters away from the trigger.

The latter had come to a conclusive decision, however, whatever decision he took rattled vibrantly in his mind. Each choice that was offered to them had a downside. Giving themselves to Seth would not only mean that they'd abandon their moral compass and become slaves to wickedness; but more so, they'd also serve a higher power. Where else if he chose to reject his offer yet again, death would be knocking on their doorstep.

"I'm not gonna lie, you are persistent. Our answer remains as clear as day..."

Just before Sam could finish his sentence, rage was boiling through his blood as his brows furrowed immensely.

"No, we are not going to join you. Even if we do, whose to say you won't keep your word? Besides, even if you're gonna level this place, you would've done yourself a huge disservice as you need us to fulfill whatever stupid agenda you have.  "

"You insulant fools! What will it take to make you follow me? You do not think that I will do it. You think that I'm striking fear in your hearts to manipulate you, is that it? How wrong you are! Since you chose death. I will be more than happy to be the one to put your pitiful lives to an end!"

Suddenly a green flash of light emitted from the nose of the particle-beam weapon. The flash of light morphed into a ball of atomic energy. And with each second, the ball grew significantly larger. The four swallowed a hard lump, preparing for what seemed to be the last few seconds of their livelihoods. Just as they were about to be fired upon, the energy ball dissipated.

Seth sighed and placed his forefinger on his temple to balance his head while he rested his arm on the armrest and smirked, "Then again, I do need you, and alive for that matter. My subordinates will have to take you out. Men, attack! But do kill them. I need them alive!"

The four stood close to one another, initially forming a circle as they stood in their fighting positions. Naturally, Dan's fists were coated with fire while Diana's were coated with a wine-purple aura. Meanwhile, Sam's hands were coated with an aura of ultraviolet rays while Gordon placed the double-edged sword in front of him.

The troopers on the ground directed their plasma canons at them and drew closer to them.

Sam then spoke, "Follow my lead, I know what to do." 

The three nodded as he instructed them, "I will try to blind them by spreading my U.V. rays to a large range. Meanwhile, Dan destroy the scoutships above us using your flames. Diana and Gordon, you will take of the rest of the troopers from here!"

He stepped forward and the troopers steadily brought their fingers closer to their triggers. He looked down and reflected as a bead of sweat trickled down his temple, "God, I hope this works."

He flew up with precise speed and stretched his hands all around, he unleashed a wave of ultraviolet waves toward the troopers on both sides. Once the rays came in contact with their eyes, they burnt their retinas, blinding them in the process. They groaned in agony and dropped to the ground and removed their helmets to rub their eyes. 

Meanwhile, Dan propelled himself off the ground through his coat of flames and flew to the scoutships, although they fired plasma beams at him through their canons. He dexterously soared past each beam with incredible speed and technicity.  As he approached one ship, he stretched his hand at it and fired a heat blast at its right side, initially destroying one of its engines. The ship lost its ability to remain stationed in the air and sank toward the ground.

"Bull's eye!" He shouted excitedly. 

From where he stood, he launched another heat wave and destroyed the second scoutship. He flew to the third scout ship and instead of firing upon it, he used his body as a weapon and flew through the ship from its right, through the passages, and the left wing. The ship sank to its demise. Dan then directed his gaze to the Mothership which stood afloat from above.

"Sam, should I target the Mothership?!" Dan inquired through his earpiece.

"Sure thing, but don't get too close. Seth could release its canons at you!"

Dan nodded and flew even higher, he stretched his hand to the roof of the Mothership and fired a large heat blast at it.

On the ground, the troopers held their eyes to soothe their anguish. As they did that, they diverted their focus away from the four, giving them the upper hand.

 "Now, Diana!" Sam exclaimed.

She fired a wave of purple air pressure projectile attacks toward the troopers on her life side, the projectile attacks repelled a large number of them apart. Once they fell on the ground, their metal breastplates and shoulder plates were painted with a brown pigment, as the outraged rust hurriedly ate through the matter.

From the sky, Sam flew over the troopers on the right and stretched his hands toward them, since they were still blinded, he released a series of ultraviolet blasts at each trooper. As the blast struck each individual, the beams pierced through their flesh effortlessly, leaving burnt marks as well.

*********

Meanwhile, the troopers inside the mothership screamed in alarm while Seth watched as Dan then set his ship ablaze from the exterior. 

"Master Seth, what should we do? If we don't do something we will die!" SS1 exclaimed at his superior from behind his throne. Seth only watched in silence as his ship fell apart slowly but surely.

Suddenly from behind, an unidentified figure approached the throne. He then spoke while Seth's subordinates stood in front of the throne.

"You wanted me, here I am!"

"So, you made it," Seth smirked while his subordinates poised the cannons at him. It was Harrison. Seth's throne rotated, and when it did that, he and Harrison were able to face each other even from a large distance apart. Seth smiled at Harrison while the latter stared daggers at him. At that moment, indignation seized him. It was the only feeling that occupied his heart. Sadistic thoughts ran wildly across his mind as he imagined unique ways he could inflict agony on his older brother.

"Just so you know, I didn't come all this way to talk to you. I came here to make you bleed, you will understand how I felt when you took her away from me! Do you think that she is a disease?! She is my pillar, my backbone, and my everything! You took her without an ounce of thought! I'm gonna make you pay for that you son of bitch!" He bellowed.

Seth's grin widened even more, "You said that you didn't come here to talk. Yet here you are, spouting nonsense about a cancer that I delivered you from. I saved you Harrison, I opened your eyes to a truth that you were oblivious to. The truth about your heritage and the falsehood of your moral compass!!!"

"Shut up! Shut up! You keep her name out of your mouth. You're the only cancer that I need to get rid of. And I'm gonna kill you!" He bellowed even further.

Seth stood from his chair, "Then come, kill me!"

Harrison bellowed as if chanting a warcry, he stomped his foot in Seth's direction. He caused a powerful thunderclap which repelled many of Seth's subordinates away. He jumped from where he stood and clenched his fist. His fist morphed into a glove of rocks as he jumped, he then moved with incredible speed, thereby moving over the remnants of his subordinates. 

Strangely enough, Seth then raised his hands and closed his eyes while the latter closed the gap between them. Harrison arched his right brow in bafflement when his elder brother did that. Nonetheless, that did not deter him from attacking. With that in sight,  he clobbered him with a punch to the countenance. 

Once his punch connected, it launched Seth even further. He collided with the number of computers and chairs up ahead. The computers he collided with had access to many of the Mothership's systems.

He landed a few inches closer to the giant windscreen. From where he lay, Harrison launched himself at Seth and pummeled his face countless times once he sat on his gut. Though he did that, Seth only cackled as if his attacks did not hurt him.

"Die, die, die!" He exclaimed.

From behind, Seth's remaining subordinates watched as the latter beat their leader into a bloody pulp.

"What should we do SS1?" One trooper inquired.

"We can't let him do this to our leader, let's get him!" SS1 responded.

The other troopers aimed their canons at Harrison. SS1 shot Harrison several times in his back, and though he did that, the plasma beams grazed his Codexian suit. The latter stood up and directed his focus toward the subordinates.

" What should we do?" One trooper inquired to SS1 fearfully.

"Let's all shoot him!"  SS1 responded.

They fired at him coating his body with an aura of flames. Although they did that, the latter emerged from the depths of the dreaded flames and plunged his fist through SS1's heart. His fist emerged from SS1's back. The other troopers watched in horror as Harrison removed his arm from SS1's body. He fell to the ground after Harrison plunged his fist through his chest. A pool of blood seeped out of his body. The other troopers backed away slowly as Harrison directed his demonic gaze to them. His indignation was not satisfied, as it desired more victims.

********

From outside the Mothership, Dan stood afloat above the aircraft and watched the flames engulf its entirety. He dusted his hands and was about to fly away until he heard wailing not far away. He approached the windscreen and saw Harrison brutally murder the remaining subordinates.

"Harrsion!? he replied with astonishment.

"Did you say, Harrison?" Sam responded through Dan's earpiece.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Where is he?"

"The kid's in a scuffle with some of Seth's cronies!"

"What! Dan, go in there and get him out. We both know that he doesn't stand a chance against Seth alone! Plus the Mothership will blow up if you don't do something!" Sam exclaimed with urgency.

Dan flew into the aircraft through the windscreen and approached the latter from behind. Strangely enough, Harrison fell to his knees and wept as he was surrounded by a pool of blood.

He patted him on the back and said, "Harrison, get up! We gotta bust outta here. This place is gonna blow up!"

The latter failed to respond as he continued to weep. Dan noticed this and crouched. As he did that the ship shook violently. Then, he noticed him unclench his hands as a crimson liquid flowed out smoothly like fountain water.

"What did you do?!" Dan asked as his eyeballs widened. He rubbed his temple with frustration as he realized the gravity of the latter's deed.

"I'm a murderer... I don't deserve to live!" He wept even more.

Dan didn't know how to respond as a range of emotions filled his heart. If it wasn't astonishment, then it was frustration. He heard a cackle from behind. He turned around and saw Seth. Although he incurred facial wounds from earlier on, his cells replaced the dead ones as his skin was renewed.

"What have you done?!" Dan shouted.

"Nothing, I only showed him the truth, my truth and he fully embraced it.  You cannot live in this accursed life without a moral compass. He did what I wanted him to do and he passed my test. Now, the three of you are left," Seth said enthusiastically and rubbed his hands.

"You're a sick bastard Seth, you know that. Do you think that this is all a game?! Haven't you tortured us all enough?!" Dan shouted as he stood up. 

Seth smiled, "Indeed, all of this is a game.  It began when I scorched your farm to ashes. Aah yes, it was truly a spectacle..."

Dan approached Seth, his eyes welled up with tears as he approached him, "I defended you when everybody thought that you were a monster. I sympathized with you when you told me that you were unjustly exiled! Now, you rejoice at my suffering?!" 

His words touched Seth, even though he said those words to crawl under his skin and propel him off sanity into a turmoil of range. Now he wondered whether he crossed the line.

Seth shook his head and continued speaking, "You poor soul. You fell into my trap, that's what I wanted you to feel. I manipulated you so I could rally you to my side. And you fell for it, hook line, and sinker!" Seth said although he realized the gravity of his deed. He brushed his guilt off and continued with his task. Dan was then engulfed with an aura of flames while the ceiling fell apart and the mothership slowly descended to the ground.

Dan took a deep breath as the aura of flames dissipated, Seth's eyes widened when he realized that the latter had overcome his weakness.

"Enough, I'm not gonna let you crawl under my skin. I'm busting outta here and with my brother!" Dan said.

Seth pursed his lips,  and he furrowed his brows. Then, he placed his right hand behind his back and morphed it into a machine gun consisting of crystal matter, "So touching, and here I thought that you were easily swayed by your wrath, yet you overcame. No matter, since I was going to use it against you to trap you here, I'll find other means to do so!"

Dan arched his brow with bafflement; as he did that, Seth fired a series of quarts crystals at him, the crystals pierced through his flesh, thus causing agony as they were embedded deep within. He fell to the ground while Seth leaped out of the Mothership. 

As he did that, the Mothership flew through the One Time Square building and landed on the other side of what remained of the building. Once the mothership collided with the ground, it exploded.