Opaline-a FalmouthVerse Side Story

Well, here we are. The final stretch. The concluding furlong. The last part of the race until we hit the finish line. I could continue to use race metaphors the entire day, but I suspect you'd just get bored of hearing them after a while. Still, it allows me to use my vocabulary. I rarely get anybody to talk to, after all.

Well, where were we in my story? Ah yes, I remember.

I was watching my fellow guards direct their fire, and of course I was contributing bullets too. Each round that struck true was one less zombie for us to deal with. But our fire didn't seem to be reducing their numbers. For all I knew, the entire city was pouring through those doors and attacking us. This would, if nothing else, explain all the things that kept coming despite the furious fire we were putting down.

And, of course, there was the rather critical issue of the strange liquid coming my way. Given what it had done to those... things, I suspected it would probably be it for me. My goose was cooked, so to speak. On that note, the goose sandwich is halfway tolerable in the canteen, though one's enjoyment of food is rather impeded when surrounded by large men training firearms on you at every waking second. What threat am I to them all chained up like this?

Still, in that instant I thought it was over. The liquid slammed into me with great speed, knocking me to the ground. It spilled onto the floor, all over the place, and onto the ground. I saw it on my clothes and some had seeped onto my skin.

And into the pores, to my surprise. Within moments it was as if it had never been there. I got up and simply resumed firing, before we all fled for the door. Luckily the driver was still there, and the lorry guards layed down defensive fire to let us get onboard. They rode on the running boards as the driver drove away at speed, keen to remove us from the madness consuming Derby. It was quite the disaster, I can tell you- an entire city, reduced to madness and rubble. All because of some unethical experiments and unchecked scientific attitudes.

So, naturally, I wanted to know more. We were transferred back to the base and told to wait there until morning- the security system was still running, so we could hide there until reinforcements came, as the army was on its way to clean up the mess.

Naturally, as I said, I wanted to know more. I went to the archives, having switched out of my armour, and decided to see what I could find about this spectra substance.

It was whilst I was reading that another incident which confirmed the changes occurred. Another one which set me on the path to greatness.

I was reading, when suddenly I heard a low growling coming from nearby. I got out of my chair and looked around to try and establish what was making the noise. I was still doing my visual sweep when suddenly I saw it.

One of the people who worked here was infected- I forget their name now. They lunged at me, screaming, and slashed at my arm, leaving quite a nasty cut.

I recoiled and ran for it, trying to put some ground between him and me before he attacked again. I had to find some sort of improvised weapon before he closed to range, as even with training he had caught me somewhat off guard. I was looking for a bar of metal, a fire extinguisher, preferably something heavy that could smash open a skull if need be. Or at least blow the thing's limbs off before it could inflict any more damage.

I rolled under a table and stopped to catch my bearings. But then the most peculiar thing happened. There was some sort of strange light coming from near me, so my eyes adjusted to try and figure out precisely what was going on to be producing it. My vision scanned about to try and locate the source of the problem. And then I saw it.

My injury was glowing a rather unusual colour, and as I looked it healed up very rapidly. Within seconds it was as if there had never been any injury there at all, which was very odd.

Had something changed that allowed my body to heal so quickly?

I soon had to get out of there, but found myself backed into a corner. As I focused on finding a way out, suddenly the light came back, and a blade of purple energy erupted from my arm, seemingly hovering over it. My skin had seemingly gained an energy layer over the top.

Naturally, with a weapon on side I lunged, and the blade went clean through. The foe fell to the floor, dead.

I panted as the strange energies powered down. What in the world had just happened? And how was I suddenly given these strange abilities?

I later found out the truth, of course. The spectra substance was capable of bonding with the human body, but most could not handle its immense power, and simply became shambling fools. Only those of full or partial royal blood can control it properly, and of course my royal ancestors meant I had that power.

I now had melee weapons on demand, and could fly with the help of wings produced from glowing energy and fire. I also could recover from any injury I sustained far quicker than any mere mortal, as the wounds healed up in seconds. It also has seemingly slowed my aging- as you can see from my bountiful locks and fine face I have barely aged since that day despite technically being in my nineties. That's when I gained the turquoise streaks, incidentally.

I understood the importance of this power almost immediately. This new power had, purely by chance, given me power beyond any mere mortal in the world. I had the capability to take back the power that was stolen from my ancestors and return Britain to her rightful place in history.

So, I began to assemble an army with which to achieve my goals. I had conducted more research, and had discovered the source of all the magic- three crystals, kept on an island called Sodor and protected by three clergymen.

I thought this would be an easy job. I mean, three men with strange collars against one such as me and a group of soldiers? Seems like the most one sided battle in the entire world.

And so, a long time later, I staged an assault on Sodor, keen to claim these crystals for myself. If I had them, I controlled all the magic, and with magic I would be effectively unstoppable.

But, unfortunately, those three meddling priests had thought one step ahead. When I arrived they were long gone, and the CCTV footage of the room they had been in confirmed they had pulled the crystals apart to stop me from getting my hands on them. That's what caused a dramatic reduction in the number of sentient machines, by the way.

I knew I lacked the power to take on the system directly as I was. So it was time to play the long game. I entered a long wait, planning and plotting. Force wouldn't do the trick; I had to subvert the system from the inside and insert my own followers into every level of government and the military.

Which was surprisingly easy. I had time on my side. Decades, as a matter of fact. The recruitment of Boomer and his men made things easier, too.

But when things came to a head two years ago, I knew I could step up my plans. I knew not where the crystals had been scattered to, for they had been well hidden. But one of my spies informed me that the crystals had been reunited in a small town called Falmouth, in Cornwall. At last, I could put my major plan into motion, and emerge victorious. True, Sunny and her idiot friends would not be pushovers, but I could sweep them aside.

And that is rather where the story ends, I'm afraid. You rather know the rest of my tale, and how it ends.

I have done what I can to set the record straight and give you a true record of what really happened all those years ago. What led me down the path to the person I am today.

Know that this isn't over, not by a long shot. You may have me behind iron bars, shackled into restraints and locked into a cell, but know that I'm fully able to play the long game. I have been my entire life.

If you ever see Sunny, tell her to be ready. There is a storm gathering in the distance, one that will challenge all of us.

One that I don't think even she can defeat.