End of Days

*End of Days* is the 11th and final episode of Aztec Gold.

### Description

The crew makes their way to Atlantis and make a choice that will impact all of metahumanity.

### Previous

Actions and Reactions

Mothra is able to buy a submarine and get it moored in a private harbor in Gig Harbor near Seattle. Upon arrival, the crew finds that a firefight has broken out between a gang of Halloweeners dressed like ghouls and three patrolling Lone Star officers. As the officers call for reinforcements, Mothra moors the blimp to a nearby warehouse and everyone grapples down to the ground floor, taking cover behind shipping containers.

Nova runs out to the docs and starts to remotely control the submarine, urging it to travel to the dock and surface. Cybersloth jacks in and gets a mark on a Mitsuhana crane, using it to harrass several Halloweeners by grabbing them and swining them around before violently chucking them into shipping containers or the chain-link fence surrounding the property. The rest of the crew engage in a firefight with the Halloweeners.

The shipping yard is covered in graffiti, much of it depicting Jack-O-Lanters, with one crate brightly marked with "KILL ALL TUSKERS". When Burnout sees this graffito, he becomes enraged and hunts down the Halloweeners' lieutenant, killing him violently. Two Lone Star officers fall, and Cybersloth uses the crane to pick up the last fighting Halloweener and deliver him to the officer while the last gang member flees in horror. The officer was not aware of Mothra's presence, and fears that the crane has gone rogue, and empties a clip into the approaching crane.

Meanwhile, the sub has surfaced, and the crew make their way to Atlantis.

> The ocean is the color of oil, a murky black that catches the light in shimmering waves. As you descend, you start to hear pulses of technomantic power. Not waves or bursts as before, but soft, regular pulses, like someone crying out into the night.
>
>

Atlantis is a large, glass complex tied by thick cables to the ocean floor. It's shaped vaguely like a large S. Iris-bladed doors opened as the ships approach at the technomantic touch of the the crew. They arrive in a large docking bay that drains water slowly out of the room. A pre-recorded voice welcomes them to Atlantis, and a moment later the red light on the ship's comm begins to blink.

A deep-voiced man who identifies himself as Cyprus is on the other line. He asks why they didn't come in an Ares ship, and The Edgelord lies and says they still represent Ares. The man sounds disappointed, but asks them to find a television screen in a room to the east so he can see his new guests. The crew agrees.

Because all the walls are made of glass, it's possible to see for many meters into adjoining rooms. The Edgelord notices a man in a Knight Errant uniform stabbing a woman violently a few rooms over. The man seems bored by the actions, even as she is bleeding out, and holds eye contact with The as he stabs mechanically.

The crew advances east down a long hallway that is dark and empty except for a metal chair. At the far end of the hallway there is a malfunctioning iris door that is constantly pulsing open and closed. About halfway down the hallway, a short man leaps from the shadows and starts chanting ominous whispers. While he speaks, he backs up, putting himself in the path of the bladed iris doors, which chop his body to pieces. He does not scream.

The next room is an office, containing a small, antiquated television. They turn it on and see an Ork who identifies himself as Cyprus. He asks if they could bring him some power supplies from the ship's nadir, citing a failing life support system. He says he can't say much more in order to preserve oxygen. Again the crew agrees.

As they travel, they meet more crazed individuals, many of whom lunge towards burnout wielding hammers, wrenches, scalpels and similar improvised weaponry. He shoots them all unceremoniously, ignoring their nonsensical chanting. Some of the lunatics are wearing "Human Alliance" pins, or tokens of other human supremacist hate groups.

At the bottom layer of the complex, the room before the storage facility is flooded, the result of a bullet hole piercing the floor. Mothra donned his diving suit and approached the door, but was thrown backwards by the torrent of water. He borrowed Nova's gecko gloves and tried again, crawling along the floor. Once inside the storage facility, he found the power cells and noticed that the domed glass was covered in a mix of electrical circuitry symbols and warding runes that seemed to catch the light from bioluminescent sea life below. When he turned to leave, he saw another one of the deranged humans slashing at him with a box knife, while disrobing and chanting about being wrong.

Instead of fighting, Mothra retreated back the way he had come, riding the water to where Burnout and the rest of the crew were waiting. Burnout made quick work of the naked man, and the crew made their way to the engineering sector where Cyprus waited.

The room in front of Cyprus' quarters contained a bald, gaunt teenager named Avery Henry. Avery had barricaded himself into this room, piling bookcases and shelves in front of the doors. Five residents were fighting over themselves at the left entrance, pounding against the glass with bloody fists. As Avery begged for help from the new arrivals, they were able to see that his face was covered in tattoos featuring symbols from various racist hate groups.

The crew shoots the first person who broke through the wall and ask Avery what's going on. He reveals that he recently had an epiphany and realized that orks and trolls are no worse than him, and he no better than them. He describes his change of heart as a period of "enlightenment" that occurred shortly after everyone started going crazy. Two more people break through the barricade and brain Avery with a wrench. As soon as they do, the two people collapse. Mothra shoots one, but the blood spray reveals that it was already dead when it hit the ground.

In the next room, Cyprus reveals that he has control of the Everclear and wants to use it to rid the world of racism. He explains that he has perfected the algorithm on this facility, that Avery was his crowning success, but one whom he had to eliminate. Cyprus is actually a troll, and explains that he used the Everclear disguised himself as an ork on the video to judge if they were racist or not. Seeing Burnout greatly reduced his concern. The Edgelord expresses concern about changing the minds of all humanity, but is persuade donce Mothra suggests that it can be used to purge their own criminal records. Because the facility is owned by Ares at the moment, Cybersloth is able to hack in and change the arrest records and official statements to remove incriminating details about themselves.

The crew leaves, cutting the mooring on Atlantis and leaving behind the tracking artifacts. They take Cyprus to the surface with them, leaving behind the Everclear as well as their old lives as criminals. Now wealthy, the crew decides to retire.