Lynx turned and gazed at Serge, the son from whom he’d been separated for ten long years, and an unspoken understanding passed between them. It was time to join forces, as they had discussed aboard the S.S. Invincible before entering the Sea of Eden to assault Chronopolis. Fate, the twisted computer that had once enslaved his will, was now at their mercy…looming above them still but slumped over with the grievous injuries she had suffered throughout the battle, sparks coruscating and arcing beneath the scale-like metallic plates of her armored interface, head tilted awkwardly to one side, one molten eye twitching spasmodically. Now was the moment to deal the killing blow, before her diagnostic programs had a chance to institute repairs.

Beneath the thick covering of his black robes and breastplate, he could feel sweat trickling through his thick feline pelt, and fatigue ached in him despite the generous musculature with which he’d been endowed—without Fate’s neural connections to his brain, he no longer had limitless stamina and strength. But he had enough left for this, even after the long fight. He had to. He could not allow her to get away with the terrible atrocities she had committed…he could not allow her to manipulate and control the world. Or worse still, his secret fear…that she might once more impose her will on him, turn him into her dark, sadistic puppet.

He would sooner die than let that happen. Which was why, even if it drained his life to do so, he would cast this final spell.

The Arni youth met his golden cat eyes, and instead of the fear and uncertainty that had always greeted Lynx before, he saw only trust, vindication, and a certain sly eagerness. He wanted this, too, and was willing to believe in his father, even after all that had been done to him. Serge truly was a wonderful boy…no, a man now. And a good son…one who had believed he could be saved when no one else even cared, when so many only wished revenge, wished to see him dead. It was only right that he stand by Serge now—and unite as a perfect team to change the world for the better.

Reaching out to clasp Serge’s hand in his paw, he held the other up in one fist before his muzzle, a familiar gesture given new meaning as he reached deep down within himself, tapped into the magic that was imbued in his very essence, the gravitational fields of the Black Element that were his to command. At the same time he could feel the holiness of Serge’s White Element building up within him, a natural chi of divine energy channeled through his denadorite swallow, a power normally anathema to him…yet now that their minds and hearts were one, the two did not annihilate each other, nor did they even conflict. Instead light and dark acted as counterpoints, a yin and yang that formed a surprising harmony, a pair of equal and opposite forces in eternal balance…the primal forces of the universe, pushing and pulling at one another to fuel a great wheel of cosmic power, spinning faster and more furiously as it built to a crescendo of destruction—and rebirth.

First came Lynx’s own shadowy powers, a quantum singularity that drew in all matter around it, even light, a dark sinkhole into which Fate was drawn with a despairing mechanical cry as chilling as it was satisfying. Spiraling ever downward, the floor panels, the consoles, even the extruding arms that connected her to the Frozen Flame were warped and whirled about, until all became Forever Zero. But then, as there can be beginnings in endings, new life arising from death, the final flatline of destruction suddenly exploded with the white-hot, scintillating, shimmering column of light that burst from Serge whenever he summoned Flying Arrow. It was as if, in the loss of one universe, the Big Bang had created a whole new one, hurtling stars, planets, comets, and other stellar detritus out to all corners of creation—and, incidentally, shattered them into miniscule pieces, so far-flung and widely separated they could never be rejoined. It was a stunning display of magic and combative skill never before seen in this world, one which could send an enemy hurtling far into the past or the future, manifesting as it did directly on the axis of the dimensions, sliding fluidly in either direction as it banished its target from the timestream forever.

They called it Time’s Arrow. And it was more than effective…it was catastrophic in its results, leaving nothing but shattered pieces of metal, wiring, glass, and plastic melted and smoldering on the ruined floor of the chamber.

Gazing down as his chest heaved in weariness but also a justifiable sense of accomplishment, Lynx watched one last twitch in the irising aperture that had once been an eye of the supercomputer. “Nooo! How could you...?” The voice was desperate, distorted, and fading into static. “I... FATE... the Goddess of Fate... was not meant to die...” Yet with that last wail, the light in her eye socket went out, leaving only a defunct heap of scrap metal.

Lynx smiled cruelly down at her, letting go of his son’s hand to cross his arms over his broad chest. “You always did have delusions of grandeur. We choose our own fate, now.”

*************************************************************

So let me make one thing clear: I am very much aware that Lynx is the villain of the game. (Whether he has his own independent will or is merely a puppet and biological body for Fate is a matter of debate, but he's still clearly a bad guy.) What is also true, however, is that everything he did in the game was either the result of Fate's machinations, corruption, and reprogramming, or the fact that when she changed Wazuki into him, she did so by combining him with the demon panther that attacked Serge, a creature that was her own creation and was in fact a heartless, evil predator. Meaning that Wazuki himself is not the villain, and pretty much blameless in what happened--the worst that can be ascribed to him is overzealousness, that he was so determined to save Serge he made the mistake of trusting and getting too close to the Frozen Flame and Fate, and that when he thought he'd lost his son or was close to doing so, this despair gave her the inroads to possess him. That all being the case, if there was any of Wazuki left in Lynx that could be resurrected, I was pretty sure that a) he could be saved and redeemed and b) he'd want revenge on Fate for what she did to him and made him do to Serge.

Therefore, assume for a moment that when Serge (in Lynx's body) fought Dark Serge at Home World's Fort Dragonia, instead of him simply fleeing after the battle he got knocked out, rendered comatose, or what have you, and this broke Fate's control over him. Then assume that instead of Serge being reborn from a baby, the Tear just switched them back to their old bodies again. Lynx/Wazuki, remembering who he is and filled with remorse, would then join your party for good. And wouldn't it be awesome if his Lv. 7 Tech could be combined with Serge's? ^_^

Someday soon I will probably write the fic describing the events I outlined above. For now, here's Rehgan's incredibly awesome rendition of what that Double Tech and subsequently badass battle would be like. Ah, Turned Against Their Masters is so much fun when it's a former villain doing it to the Big Bad!

For added effect, here's the actual boss music from this fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ym.....Y&index=54

Lynx, Serge, and FATE belong to Squaresoft/Enix. Art done by the always wonderful  rehgan .