Bricks, bodies and machinery lay strew across the ground, his fortress in ruin. He stepped into the throne hall and gazed upon the burnt husk that had once been Selina. “Farewell, my dear Selina,” he said as she passed over her body and moved to the throne, which appeared unscathed. His skeletal hand brushed over the gold and brass of the chair, finding the release button in the arm rest. He pushed it. The sound of churning motors erupted from beneath the chair, and Aeon smiled. “So, the elevator is still functional,” he said as the chair rolled itself backwards, revealing a square hold beneath it. A steel and iron platform rose up, with railings around three sides of it. Aeon stepped onto it, and pulled the lever on the side of the railings. The platform jolted briefly before descending. Beneath the fortress the air was still, unaffected by the events that had befallen the world above. For minutes he descended, past rock and earth, until finally the small elevator shaft opened up to reveal the main hangar bay for the factory.
