Babylon <@}=Part 1: The Metropolis={@>

[OmniChaos]

Location: D.R.E.A.M. HQ

It was midnight. The stars sparkled high above in the heavens like a thousand shards of diamonds scattered across the sky. The moon was new and unilluminated, hiding any stars behind it in a veil of darkness. The wind was completely still and the air was cool. The sky was clear, save for a large mass of dark clouds off to the west, which were slowly inching toward the grand city. A dull roll of thunder from that direction hinted at the incoming storm.

Most of the city was unusually dark, with very few lights standing out in the city and the only noise that could be heard was the dull roar of chattering and curious people massed in front of the doors of D.R.E.A.M. HQ's tower. Most of the city had turned out for the revealing of D.R.E.A.M.'s big new surprise that it had announced a couple of months earlier. It had promised that it would change the state of Novus Vita for the better. Naturally, with such a huge claim announced by a company like D.R.E.A.M., most of the city showed up to see just what the big surprise was.

Fireworks shot up into the sky, bursting into beautiful colors that reflected off the silver of the tower. Several spotlights moved their beams upward, climbing the tower. They danced and crossed, making lovely shapes and designs, before finally just pointing straight up in front of the tower.

The massive doors slid open, revealing a large, darkly lit, red-carpeted escalator connected to a room above the ground level. The crowd grew louder as the shadows of four figures became visible near the middle of the escalator. The tallest figure, which stood in the center of the figures, raised its left hand and brushed its hair forward, then placed it and its other hand behind its back. A shorter, stubby figure to the tall figure's left raise it's right hand, scratched its chin, then dropped its hands to their sides. As the escalator descended, the four figures came into the light.

The center figure, which had combed down its hair, was a tall, slightly tan man. His face was smooth and clean, with three diagonal scars running parallel with one another along his right cheek. His eyes were different colors, one golden and one a dull teal. He wore a full length blue trench coat over a slightly built body with black pants visible underneath the open bottom. That man was Gendou Yagami and he was the owner of D.R.E.A.M. Business owners respected and envied him and everyone wanted to try to be his friend. To his right stood a hunched, elderly man. He was the opposite of Gendou: The elderly man appeared much darker and his skin was pale. His face was stern and cold. His gray hair was combed back, save four two decent sized strands that hung in front of his ears. He wore a thick, purple robe over a white robe. The man held onto the diamond top of a black cane with his right hand, most of his weight placed on it. That man was Izuka, Gendou's personal and most trusted advisor that was almost always seen with him. To Gendou's left stood the shorter, stubby man. The stubby man had dark skin, a little bit darker than Gendou's, and had short, gray hair that was beginning to receded. He wore a dark gray suit over a white-collar shirt. He wore a black neck-tie, which was nestled under his dark gray suit. He wore black pants and a pair of black shoes. This man was President Levi and was the leader of the world. Finally, behind President Levi and Gendou stood a taller (though still shorter than Gendou) man outfitted in a military uniform. He had white skin and dirty blonde hair sticking out from beneath a gray officer's cap. He had hazel eyes almost hidden under the shade provided by his cap's visor. A small smirk, which almost always seemed to be there, was on the man's face. He wore a dark gray greatcoat decorated with ranks and metals. He wore black pants, barely visible from beneath the greatcoat and a pair of black boots. He wore a pair of white gloves over his hands. This man was General Soren and he was in charge of the military and oversaw the protection of Novus Vita.

The escalator came to a halt and the four men walked forward, not losing their formation. The crowd erupted into cheering as the four men came to a halt in front of them. They stood in front of a large statue of a man dedicated to the human race. The flashes of cameras and cheers erupted from the crowd as Gendou slowly waved to them all.

"Thank you all for coming!" Gendou called out, trying to quiet the large crowd down. "I'm sure you all want to know what our big surprise is, but first, I would like to say a few words. For several decades, our world has lived in a beautiful peace after coming out of the worst war in the history of mankind. The Presidents for the past five or so decades have done their best to keep our world safe from violence and destruction, but none have done as well as President Levi has." Gendou placed his left arm around the President's back and on his left shoulder. He placed his right hand on the President's other shoulder. "This man has done more than any other president has done before and our surprise today was all his idea." Gendou lifted his right hand off of the President's right shoulder and lifted it into the air. "So let's hear it for President Levi!" The crowd erupted into cheering and chanting of the President's name.

"Now, now," President Levi said, raising his left hand and slightly waving to the crowd. As they began to quiet to a dull roar, Gendou drop his right arm to his side. "It was Gendou and D.R.E.A.M. who made today's surprise possible. Him and his company have provided so much for both our city and the world as a whole, as well as the countless charity that he has generously paid millions to each. We owe him so much." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small case and opened it. He pulled out a cigar, closed the case, and placed it back into his pocket. He placed it in his mouth, and bit the cigar softly, and pulled out a small, silver lighter. He held the lighter to the cigar and lit it, and replaced the lighter into his pocket. He took a deep breath, took the cigar out of his mouth, and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Now, without further adu, Gendou, I think it is time you revealed your surprise."

"Of course." Gendou smiled toward the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the Reavers."

[Gearheart]

<Dream HQ: Research and Development>

Three stood and watched the event from a television screen. Two of them were shorter men, both in lab coats. The first was a relatively young man for the level of work he was involved in, but only an assistant. The second, an accomplished, but well-aged engineer, well respected in his field. The third was quite different from either, having a body enveloped entirely in metal.

"Our hard work out there..."

"Heh, yeah..."

The assistant reached up to the two-meter tall robot next to him, his hand on the shroud of metal that covered her shoulder.

"So, what do you think of this? Ferra?"

"The release of the Reaver series into the general public will have advantages and disadvantages. It will allow for the displacement of humans from potentially dangerous occupations, and reduce occupation-related casualties to a minimum. It will also remove the availability of such occupations to human beings, reducing the employment rate."

"No, I meant your opinion."

"I have no personal thought on the release of the Reaver series."

The assistant shrugged, and the engineer laughed.

"She's an android, you really think she'd have any feeling about this?"

"Hey, no use not trying to start a conversation."

"I wonder about you sometimes."

"Do his actions concern you? Humans display a tendency to give human traits to surrounding objects."

The elderly engineer smirked, and turned his attention back to the screen.

"I really wanted to be out there, but I got stuck babysitting you."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Yeah!"

"There is no need to increase the volume of your voice. Be grateful in the fact that you were alotted a live feed to view the unveiling of the Reaver series."

"You just got told! By a robot!"

"Shut it..."