Six Degrees Of Psychotic HellDisclaimer: Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Peppy Hare, Katt Monroe, General Pepper, Wolf O' Donnel, Leon Powalski, Pigma Dengar and Andrew Oikanny are the intellectual properties of Nintendo. They are being used without permission in a manner that does not involve profit.
Fara Phoenix is the property of Nintendo Power and Benimaru Itoh.
Aztoph, Syn-Gyr, Colonel Desalte, the Asagians, the monster trio and the "uber-thing" are the intellectual properties of Kaiser Scott. Use them without my permission, and I will castrate you via Showtime Knife.
Author's Note: Let the psychotic hell begin! Beware the cheese monster that is SYN-GYR!!!
Episode 1: Asylum Dance
The surreal cloudy skies of Asagia crumbled as the brutal planetary storm raged on. Ungodly amounts of rain poured from its heavens, and the oceans that submerged the planet grew further still, and soon became more violent. The thunderous claps of the waves smashing into the only bit of land added on to the pandemonium. On top of this land (actually a jagged mountain), was the infamous Asagian asylum.
The wicked structure stood silent and tall amidst the storm's cacophony. Inside this installation lingered the over-world population of Asagians. These creatures were of a deep purple, slimy, and quite dangerous with their massive claws which adorned their hands and feet. They wore heavy imported armor, as their bodies were fragile, but used no advanced weaponry due to their innate, animalistic equipment.
Their odd interests in the mentally disturbed is what set this amphibious race apart from others in this unnamed, backwater system. So very intrigued in fact, that they built a sanctuary to house and study them.
Mostly, their dysfunctional guests were shipped from the fourth planet of the Lylat System; Corneria. Patients locked away in the barren, stain-covered rooms were diverse -- they ranged from veterans whose war never really died, to maniacal serial killers who took pleasure in hacking apart the innocent. Security was extremely tight in the asylum, especially for the latter, and the Asagians took pride in operating an inescapable asylum. Breakouts were unheard of, and even if by some chance an escapee managed to find a way outside, there would be no way off of the highest peak. They would either be captured again, or face the wrath of an endless storm, and the raging sea below.
Sometimes, their shipments were special cases, as they were meant to stay inside for the universe's sake, and their own. But the walls soon closed in, and the urge to escape filled them to the brink.
A single security guard made his way down the claustrophobic hallway, systematically peeking through the small openings of the prison cell doors, checking for anything that struck him as odd. When he finally came to the last cell of the first floor, he squinted a golden eye with a horizontal iris, and spotted the two slumbering forms inside.
One of them, a blue, rugged-looking falcon of prodigious height, lay upon one of two old, uncomfortable beds that were present in every room. His name was apparently Falco Lombardi, and he wasn't here for being a danger to civilization, or himself. Rather, he tagged along to give the "cybernetic psychopath" some company.
The other guest with the curiously-given label was bound to the wall with three steel restraints going across his upper and lower torso. He bore the name of Aztoph, and he was unlike anything they had ever seen before. He looked like an ape, only his partially visible face suggested something more advanced. Thick, broad silver armor covered most of his form, while a tight, full-body suit kept him warm underneath. Each piece of armor, including the streamlined helmet which grazed the wall behind him, was marked with wavy black details. Lastly, a considerable amount of spiky brown hair hung out from an opening in the back of his headpiece.
Satisfied with what he saw, the Asagian guard huffed and grumbled to himself as he proceeded to the next floor, unaware that Falco had been feigning his sleep the whole time.
"Hey Az, you awake?" the avian asked after opening his azure eyes and sitting up.
"Yes. I've been awake for a few days, now." Aztoph replied dryly. "Is there something you require?"
"Nah, just thinking about getting the hell out of this place." Falco said as he jumped off the bed. He approached the bound cyborg, and put his hand on one of the restraints. "Want me to try and pull these things off?"
"Go right on ahead..."
With this said, Falco put both hands on top of the steel bound, and started to pull. Nothing happened. Clenching his teeth, he put a foot up against the wall and gave it one final tug before backing off, panting and trying to regain his breath. Aztoph merely smiled, and broke through his restraints with ease.
"Sorry, I forgot to mention that I've been regenerating the energy those Asagians sapped from me. So I've got my strength back." he chuckled, "Seeing you strain like that was still rather humorous, though."
"Oh piss off." the bird of prey gave his friend a light shove, and walked over to the door which kept them sealed away. He peered through it, and gave Aztoph a nod. "The coast is clear. Care to take this door down for me?"
Aztoph hesitated, feeling a bit uneasy about the familiar, evil presence he felt in another room, but shook it off once Falco vocally expressed his impatience. The cyborg pulled his arm back and released, denting the heavy rusted door with an iron-clad fist and breaking it clean off its hinges. It hit the wall with a loud resounding thud -- but fortunately, the door's echo didn't attract the attention of the guards patrolling the higher levels.
Falco crept out of the cell and into the dark, vapid hallway, with Aztoph close behind him.
"They definitely need to upgrade their security..." said the cyborg as he looked about, taking a mental note of the obscure ruckus emitting from a few cells down.
Lombardi sniggered quietly. "Yeah. A few anti-cyborg measures, and some friggin' cameras would help."
"...Something's not right."
Suddenly, a nearby door fell from where it stood, and the disgusting prisoner inside staggered out, making the oddest of noises as the tips of its metal high heels touched the floor. It stared lifelessly at both avian and cybernetic organism with a single, glowing emerald eye. Twisted muscle and badly decomposed flesh wrapped around its armless upper torso, and its small head was positioned on what looked to be shoulders, as it had no neck to speak of. An appendage resembling a scorpion's metsoma dangled loosely from behind. Deep purple pants covered the creature's lower half, and its name, which Aztoph knew all too well, was Syn-Gyr.
"Virus..." Aztoph murmured, at a loss for anything else to say.
"Ahhh, samurai!" Syn-Gyr exclaimed, his voice deep and throaty, "I thought I felt you through the walls of this lovely madhouse! Yes. The place where you will be buried! So let us dance once again!"
"Sorry asshole, maybe some other time!" Falco then grabbed hold of his companion's hand, and took off in the opposite direction. "Let's go!"
The two cut through the shadows of the asylum, not once looking back to see if they were being followed by the grotesque lifeform. Moments later, the man in silver armor recalled the many security checkpoints of this installation, and brought it to Falco's attention as they continued on. The bird-of-prey gave Aztoph a nod, and allowed him to take the lead. One of the aforementioned points eventually came into view, and the two Asagians behind it broke out in panic.
"Dammit!" Cursed the higher ranked one, "Lombardi and his robot have escaped! Reinforce the checkpoint!"
"O-okay!" The subservient half squeaked as he pulled down a lever. A bulky shutter lowered from the hidden ceiling above and covered the steel doors, giving them a great deal of additional defense.
Aztoph increased his pace, paying no mind to the strengthened position. He let go of Falco's hand and rammed shoulder-first into the shutter, tearing through solid metal with relative ease, and frightening the frog-like creatures so badly, they curled up and started to beg for their lives.
Falco stepped through the freshly-made entrance and chuckled at the pathetic sight. "That's more like it."
The two escapees wasted no time in moving on, leaving the cowardly amphibians behind. After they had disappeared from sight, the lesser Asagian got to his feet and helped his superior up from the ground. They had no peace of mind for long, once Syn-Gyr dropped from out of nowhere, and startled them back to the position they were in before. He snarled at them, baring those rotten, brownish teeth and spoke loudly above their whimpering;
"The samurai and the parrot came through here. Yes. And scared the little froggies. Heheheh..."
He stepped through the hole made by the so-called "samurai", and hovered up into the pitch-black sea above. The pair of Asagians simply sighed deeply, thankful that their lives were spared both times.
A few minutes later, Falco and Aztoph were already well past the main entrance of the asylum (and most of the security points). Unlike what most believed, there was a way out of this place, and that happened to be through the docking bay, where officials kept their personal luxury yachts. But much to their dismay, it was guarded by a massive security door, far larger than anything they had previously encountered. To make matters worse, it required a password to open. Falco ripped open the keypad while cursing silently, and examined the colorful wiring that fell out.
"Falco," Aztoph began, "I just realized that we're well past the quarantine room. That's where they have my katana..."
"We ain't going back, man." replied Falco, "I'll buy you a new one after we get outta here, alright?"
"Bah. Fine." he crossed his arms and grumbled inaudibly.
"Good boy." the avian grinned, soon returning his attention to the task at hand, "Just give me a few moments and I should have this thing hotwired..."
Syn-Gyr expectedly landed behind them, and peculiarly enough, he had picked up Aztoph's katana along the way. He dropped it out of his mouth, and stared up at his much-loathed enemy. "I was kind enough to fetch your sword! Now fight me! I demand it!"
"...Got it!"
The gargantuan obstruction rattled as it lowered itself into the ground. Falco instantly ran through, heading straight for the nearest cruiser. He raced up the metal ramp coming from the majestic yacht's belly, and into the control room. Jumping into the pilot's seat, he turned on the main engines with the flip of a switch, and the ship sprung to life again. "Az, c'mon!" He shouted through the electro-acoustic transducer. Aztoph turned to the direction of the falcon's gruff voice, and back at the anxious space virus. With a sly grin, he snatched up his katana from the floor, slid it down the protective sheath hanging from his right thigh, and then sped into docking bay.
The virus thundered in exasperation, and his entire body began to shake. A series of wet sloshing noises followed, as something within pushed against his encased upper torso. He painfully bellowed, his sides bulging out considerably until eight thin spidery arms burst out. Gooey liquid dripped from his new limbs that made terrible crunching noises each time they twitched, or wriggled. The luminous orb deep inside the socket flickered, and a bit of drool escaped his revolting maw. Syn-Gyr muttered something under his breath and continued the pursuit once again.
Aztoph leapt into the narrow hole underneath the ship, and the boarding ramp was hurriedly lifted and retracted. The cyborg fell into his own accommodation and buckled himself in. Falco gave him a thumbs up, and directed the yacht down the bay, gradually increasing speed as they neared the exit. Both nearly jumped out of their seats when Syn-Gyr slammed himself into the cockpit's exterior.
"You're not leaving!" he screamed, but neither of the ship's hijackers could understand him.
"Great, I can't see a damned thing, now..." The Lylatian rolled his eyes and pressed a small button with the words "Clean Cockpit" under it. The wipers were activated, and they swept in unison across the glass, pushing Syn-Gyr to the side right before the luxurious cruiser blasted off, leaving the asylum behind with a tarnished reputation
The virus watched the yacht ascend into the tempestuous skies above, the feeling of absolute futility coming over him. With a vicious scream, he took out his frustrations on the surrounding area, denting nearby ships and smashing bits of cargo, while blaring out over and over again the nickname he had given Aztoph. Then he remained still for a moment, breathing heavily as twisted new ideas came into being. He raised his only eye up to the chaotic sky and smirked. "Perhaps you do fit into my plans." he murmured, "Perhaps this situation is better than I believe it to be..."
Well beyond planet Asagia, the infinite sea of dark matter came into sight, along with the countless shimmering stars and ghostly nebulae of this system. A worn out Falco exhaled loudly, relieved they were far away from that insane place. "Thank god that's over..." he said.
"Agreed." came the response from Aztoph, "It's good to be out in the open, again."
"Well, now where do we go?"
A goofy smile spread across the cyborg's normally bland face. "...Let's go to Corneria, and give the good General a bit of a surprise."
"Heh. Fine with me. Setting a course for Corneria..." Lombardi pushed a few more buttons, and pulled a lever down. A moderately loud humming noise was heard, and the ship's speed became aggrandized. "Activated the hyper drives, and putting her in auto-pilot. We should be there in about... twenty minutes."
"Enough time for a short nap." Unbuckling himself from the co-pilot's seat, Aztoph wandered down the clean bridge of the yacht, peeking through the numerous rooms until he found what he was looking for; a nice darkened storage area. He walked inside and settled down, closing his hidden eyes as the ship moved onward.