Warning: Buckets of Blood
The story of Stealth Cannibal
by Chaotic Comics and Entertainment
Table of contents.
Intro: Page 1
Chapter 1: Page 10
Chapter 2: Page 12
Chapter 3: Page 15
Chapter 4: Page 18
Chapter 5: Page 20
Chapter 6: Page 25
The Intro
It all began for Stealth Cannibal on one really bad day. His name was not always Stealth Cannibal (SC for short). His name was Elijah Steele, and he was a happy child living in the community of West Satin, California. The days of his youth were spent playing with friends, eating too much, and throwing the dusty ole' ball around. Normal stuff, really. He had nicely combed hair and clean clothes like all the kids in his neighborhood. But, like all things, it came to a end. An end he did not cause nor have any inkling of.
What happened was the Omega Plan. A plan drawn up on the bloody parchment of gang war. A war between rival crime syndicates half a continent away. The police, bought out and busy with other matters, left the crime syndicates to their war. As long as they kill each other, why should we involve ourselves? The police thought. That was their fatal mistake.
Before the Omega Plan, the Red Swords syndicate was led by a council of the 5 families with deep roots in the organization. They had in their employ a highly brutal assassin code-named Body Count. Body Count, a monster of a man at 6'5", 220 pounds of muscle, and an enormous sword called the Sword of Ares. He was well-known for his vicious and cruel battle tactic. He would alert his target through a message of some sort, then watch them panic and hide somewhere, He would allow them to garrison themselves in some location, then he would attack, killing everyone in the area. He would assault the area with whatever high explosive at his disposal, and storm the building at full speed, slicing and blasting anyone who got in the way. Oftentimes, he would bring the entire building down upon himself and his opponent. And as always, he would survive. It was through such tactics that the Red Swords syndicate came into battle with the 3 Blades Syndicate.
The 3 Blades syndicate, an information and bootleg operation, had its roots as an offshoot of the Russian mafia. Their members each armed themselves with 3 weapons, typically a gun, and several small bladed-weapons. Their top assassin was code-named Dark Fang. He moved silently, quietly. He stood at 6ft and wore a black vest, to which he made bullet-proof. He used to attack in two ways. He would snipe his opponents from very long range with a military rifle, and if that wasn't an option, he would attack at night, infiltrate a building with the quietness of a shadow, and kill his target while they rested. His style was almost in opposite to that of Body Count, a person he had heard of but never seen.
The syndicates began their clash when Body Count inadvertently killed off the son of the 3 Blades syndicate's accountant. He was at a club that had a club owner that owed money to Red Swords. The owner did not have the money, and decided to stand up to Red Swords. Big mistake. Body Count and his troops stormed the club and killed everybody, including the accountant's son. When word got back to the 3 Blades syndicate's bosses, they decided it was time to take down Red Swords. And thus, the war began.
The 3 Blades had a simple yet effective counter-strike plan. First, they would use their connections to identify any gang or crime lord who had beef with Red Swords. Then, they passed out information on the syndicate's bases and strengths to those groups. Finally, they would signal the groups when to attack. This proved extremely useful in that it brought more force to bear on Red Swords than 3 Blades had, and it kept the 3 Blades' casualties at a minimum. Thus, the war went well at first for 3 Blades. They quickly wiped out the bulk of the Red Swords, bringing defeat from building to building, street to street, city to city. It was due to the early gains of the 3 Blades that Red Swords began their first great sin.
Through his years as a vicious killer, Body Count realized that his victims would sometimes have children. At first, he saw them more as a nuisance, but as time wore on and as he gained more troops, he began to learn something. Something cruel, and twisted. He learned that the innocence of a kid can be turned to make a kid into a perfectly merciless killing machine. This made them a more 'efficient' army than what he could get from street punks. And so, during the early days of the Syndicate war, he would go to orphanages, take them over and brainwash them with a derivative of nerve gas the Soviet Union developed in the Cold War. From there he armed the child soldiers and went back to war. The 3 Blades' allies were initially shocked by the utter cruelty and depravity of Body Count AND of the child soldiers. The child soldiers would attack from all sides with no concern about whether or not they lived or died. They would often use dead bodies as human shields (something Body Count did often), crawl into vent shafts and attack from the ceiling, and even assault and kill other children at school. Eventually, this triggered the attention of the independent media. Pictures of the depravity leaked out on the Internet More importantly, the 3 Blades' allies grew scared of Red Swords. To beat Red Swords, the 3 Blades needed something more. They needed a 'fatal blow'.
To accomplish this 'fatal blow' they 'leaked' to the counter-terrorism units the 'rumor' that Red Swords had acquired plutonium through a Pakistani source. In the course of investigating, they encountered Body Count and his child soldiers. After a vicious battle resulting in 1 counter-terrorism squad being completely wiped out, they decided to take out the entire Red Swords Syndicate. With the full might of governments crashing down on them, Body Count's superiors became angry. They demanded Body Count do something to stop the war and save the syndicate. And so, Body Count did.
Body Count went back to his lair and decided to launch the Omega Plan. Like 3 Blades, Red Swords had significant computer links and connections. He got his cronies to trigger a nuclear detonation in 5 cities of nuclear weapons states (Russia, USA, China, etc). These countries' surviving governments blamed each other and rogue states, then launched everything they had against each other. However, because their weapons were so old most did not even detonate, thereby no nuclear winter. But, that was only the first phase of the Plan. Before the war even began, Body Count had Red Swords placed canisters of gas in every major community throughout the world, over the course of years. These canisters looked no different than a natural gas tank on the side of the road. But, their contents were anything but benign. They contained an offshoot of the brainwash gas used by Body Count on entire orphanages. They contained a madness-inducing gas that affected humans in 1 part per quintillion atmosphere. And so, with governments in chaos firing blindly at each other, no one noticed or was able to stop the release of the gas. And so, areas not affected by the nukes or the war were flooded with madness gas. This gas unleashed the true, carnal nature of mankind in individual humans. Brother turned on brother, man against neighbor, child against...everything. The 3 Blades were unable to survive such a brutal tactic. Their men fell to each other and to the onslaught of mad men in the street. Not everybody was turned mad by the gas. Those that were deep inside buildings or far outside of communities came out to utter madness in the streets. People turned into zombies essentially attacking anything and everything that moved. The survivors, the last of civilized man, fought back using anything and everything.
It was during these dark days that the leadership of Red Swords decided that Body Count had gone too far. They called forth Body Count and ordered he explain himself. Body Count did, telling them that he had ensured Red Sword's victory. But the leaders were pissed. It was a Pyrrhic victory, a victory that came at a cost too high. They want Body Count executed, but Body Count had other ideas. With the child soldiers and gangsta forces at his disposal, he killed off the leaders and took Red Swords as his own personal army. It would serve him well, as society around him was collapsing. He fled the cities, forcing some survivors to join his army and general pillaging. He established a base in the caves of the mountains, where he began training, and planning.
During this time, Elijah was infected by the madness gas. He and his parents were driven insane, and so they fought amongst each other. Elijah eventually killed and ate them. The madness gas didn't affect him as much as others, and so it wore off. After it wore off and he saw the tattered guts and strewn corpses of his family and neighbors, he cried. He cried and cried for a day, then tried to leave the house. Instead he ran into people driven mad. With no choice he was forced to kill. With no food, he was forced to feed. And his mind slowly devolved as his body metabolized the gas from the meat of his victims. The days were spent traveling around, killing madmen and avoiding survivors. Until one day, a group of survivors came across him feeding. Terrified, they screamed and tried to kill him. But, in that short period of time, he grew stronger and more bloodthirsty. He killed them all and in that moment, he realized he was no different than those Body Count had driven the madness. With that reality sunk in, he traveled thru the lands, killing and consuming humans. Eventually, he caught the attention of Body Count.
One day, after just finishing a raid, Body Count's scouts came upon Elijah. But, they didn't realize it until it was too late. He stalked them for 5 destroyed blocks, from ruined house to house, until they stopped to collect water. Elijah set upon them, bashed in their heads with a bat, and began cutting them up when Body Count arrived.
Body Count, with an army full of child soldiers, didn't really think too much of Elijah. He didn't want another mouth to feed. However, when he saw Elijah munching down on his troops, it gave him an epiphany- soldiers that feed themselves are a rarity. He decided to take in the wild child and make him his protegé. He snuck in from behind Elijah, while he was mashing the legs of one of Body Count's dead scouts.
"So, you feed on the flesh of men? Do you like it?" asked Body Count.
Elijah growled. He considered everyone his enemy at this point, his eyes glowing red with hate. He went into a crouch, positioning his body for a charge. Body Count, versed in the ways of combat, knew what was coming. But before he could draw his sword, Elijah leapt at him. He caught Body Count in the check with right kick, then spun back and kicked him in the jaw with a left kick. This vicious combo sent Body Count tumbling backward onto the rough, debris laden ground. "OOOF!" he screamed. Elijah then landed on his feet, jumped, spun in the air and readied his bat for a spinning strike to the head. But it was not to be. Body Count reached up and caught the bat with both hands.
"You won't kill me this day." he said to Elijah. Then he raised his massive right foot and punted Elijah into the air. Elijah hissed with pain and landed on top of the dead bodies. He threw a severed arm at Body Count, who then slapped it away. After Body Count got up, Elijah charged at him. Body Count slapped away his bat, grabbed Elijah by the throat, and hauled him up 6 feet into the air. Elijah starts kicking him, but it has no effect on him.
"I like your spunk and your bloodlust. Come fight for me. Or I can kill you. Which do you prefer?" asked Body Count. He then threw Elijah into a nearby wall. The bricks went flying and so did bits of Elijah's blood. He got up slowly, tossing brick bits off his hair. Body Count then stepped in thru the massive hole in the wall he made with Elijah's body.
"You might think you're strong. But join me, and you will be stronger than you can imagine." he told Elijah. Elijah looked at him, the red haze fading from his eyes. Then he went to one knee, lowered his head, and said those famous words.
"I will fight for you, master." said Elijah.
"What's your name?" Body Count asked.
"I...don't remember." replied Elijah.
"It does not matter. From now on, I will call you only SC, the Stealth Cannibal."
"Yes, master."
And thus it began, SC tenure in Body Count's army. While traveling with Body Count to the mountains, he learned many things about the world to come. He killed and killed for him, and unlike his army, he feasted on the flesh of his victims. Some say he always was like this. Others in Body Count's army and other survivors said he was a demon unleashed from hell. Body Count took the dark nature already present in him and increased it. But, there was one more trick to learn before entering the caves of the mountains. Along the way, SC was scouting ahead when he encountered a group of traveling Wiccans. Thinking they were easy prey, he charged them, swinging away. He had no problems killing women and children, and this massacre was no different. But, while he was busy rushing in on the younger ones, the oldest witch knew her fate was sealed, and set about readying a spell. This spell was one of the darkest ones in the world, one that curses the blood. By the time the spell was complete, SC had killed everyone else and lunged at her. She threw the powder in his face and chanted some words in a forgotten language while SC was removing the powder from his eyes. SC threw his bat at her, knocking her down. He walked over to her.
"What did you throw at me?" he angrily asked.
"I have (cough) heard of you. You are the cannibal child who serves the darkest one. (cough) You have been cursed. You will never stop hungering human blood. Even in death, you will not be released. Urrgghgh! (Death)."
SC stood there, stunned. She died before she could finish telling him about the spells other effects. SC wondered for a moment, then..SNAP! His blood starting boiling, his turned red, and his mind raced thru a million thoughts in the blink of an eye. His arms and legs twitched and he fell to the ground. He coughed naught once but thrice. Then, he got up. Worried, he started running back to Body Count. But, as he made the first 10 steps, he noticed some...changes. He was running faster, far faster than any normal man. His senses were sharpened. He could hear things never heard by a man's ears. He got back to Body Count's location, 10 miles away, in 3 minutes. He stopped at the camp, and in 2 seconds afterwards, the camp was besieged by the dust cloud of his travels. Body Count knew something was different about SC, right at the start. He decided to make training SC a top priority. It would come in handy, in the next 5 years.
Body Count returns to the world
Body Count and his army conquered the mountains and secured food supplies, waiting out the madness that consumed the world. While there, he trained and gathered intel, then made his move. He conquered the surrounding areas and established food supplies, then made slaves of anyone who entered his turf. Meanwhile, as time went on, survivors not driven mad were active rebuilding society in small abandoned cities. These civilized survivors set about rebuilding. As they recongregated in small cities and farming areas, they had to create new technology to replace the old technology, for without precision-machinery factories, making the technology of the old civilization was not possible. Things like modern firearms were no longer manufacturable, and so the sword and the bow made its temporary comeback. As contact increased between repopulated areas, governments began to form. Eventually, these small governments merged to form nations around the world. One such nation formed in western North America, called the Coalition of the Survivors. This nation composed of farming areas, surrounding small cities, was led in the main capitol city by a group of officials from each community. They established a series of barricades to keep out those still possessed by the madness gas. All civilized communities did so, thus creating vast area populated by the not-very-living. The strategy was simple- wait out the death of the mad, then return to the lost areas and rebuild. However, a kink soon developed in the plan. A kink called Body Count.
Body Count became aware of the rebuilding of society thru the occasional raiding party he would send out. At first, it was only a small group here and there his raiders had to deal with. A few years later, the raiders were being opposed by organized groups, and soon, small militias. Body Count and his lieutenants realized that eventually these nation-states would rise up to get revenge. Body Count decided to attack first, ask questions later. 5 years after he burned the world, he and his army came down from the mountains and began a campaign to conquer the world. He started with the communities closest to him, then began marching west towards the strongest of nations, the Coalition of the Survivors.
Warning: Buckets of Blood
Body Count's army was not the only one prepared for war. The Coalition of the Survivors, long aware of Body Count's role in the Omega Plan, began preparing for a confrontation with him. On their side was a remorseful Dark Fang, lone survivor of the 3 Blades Syndicate. He was instrumental to the forming of the nation, killing off many of the mad people during those dark and dreary days. They relied upon him as their first, strongest, and in some cases, only line of defense.
When Body Count invaded Coalition territory, Dark Fang responded by going after him directly. But, Body Count was ready, putting his lieutenants in the way. Body Count sent Lugnut, his strongest man, after him, but Dark Fang sent him packing. Body Count killed him and sent SC after him. SC, after years of training under evil and occasionally bungling Body Count, had become lightning fast and cruelly evil. He made a trail of bodies to lure Dark Fang in a patch full of mounds, the began his attack,
"Hi, My name is SC. That stands for Stealth Cannibal. I will be your murderer for today. You ready to die, lunch?" said SC to Dark Fang.
"No, not really" replied Dark Fang.
"You've been a pain in the master's ass for long enough! I am here to stop you from getting any closer to ruining his plans! Besides, I am hungry and you would make a tasty snack."
"Haven't you eaten enough people already? Cannibalism isn't exactly healthy for you. Besides, that puny bat can't stop my blades!"
"I use this bat to tenderize my meat! It worked very well on my parents and it's gonna make you taste better!" SC then attacked Dark Fang. He had the advantage at the start of the fight, as Dark Fang could not match his speed or predict his attacks. SC smelled victory as he pounded on Dark Fang from multiple angles. Eventually, he put Dark Fang into his finisher, the sleeper choke-hold using his baseball bat. But, Dark Fang did not drop his swords. He stabbed SC in the sides, causing him to drop his bat. Standing before Dark Fang, realizing he was going to die, he said his last words.
"You won't beat...my master...you ugly...duckling." He then double-flipped the bird and fell to the ground, bleeding and dying. Dark Fang, not amused, left him there and continued on his quest, thinking "Kids these days. Can't even die respectfully." Dark Fang later went on to fight Body Count and force his retreat. He also claimed Ryu and Jin-Sen Tsukai, 2 of Body Count's remaining lieutenants, for the Coalition. In doing so, both him and Body Count were seriously wounded and unable to fight for awhile. SC was dead, forgotten. But not for long.
Chapter 1: The Return of Stealth Cannibal
He awoke in a dark, quiet room. The pain in his stomach was gone, and so were the two holes that were made by Dark Fang's swords. SC eyes looks around, peering into a room he's never seen before. It resembles a hospital room, an OR from the lost days of his youth. His arms are strapped down.
"Where am I?" he yells out "Who did this to me?"
A door slowly opens. A masked man in all black, walks in. He is dressed liked a ninja. He tells SC. " Do not worry SC. We found you in the woods. You were close to death. When we brought you here to heal you, your body healed itself. When we saw that, we know you were the one to help us."
SC rolls his bloodied eyes, then responds.
"Body Count is waiting for me. I must go to him."
The man in black looks at him.
"You are not awake yet. You are under the control of Body Count." he says, "My group is called the Reaow, and we are here to wake you up." The man in black pulls out a syringe. It is filled with a green liquid.
SC asks him "What are you doing?" He sticks him, and said "We know that you were once a person with a soul. What Body Count did to you was drug you with a madness drug. Made you forget everything you were about. Made you a killer, a monster. This drug will make you remember you were a victim. And if you agree to help us, we will give you everything you need to kill Body Count."
SC starts feeling tired. His eye close, and all that Body Count made him forget came back. SC wakes up, and for the first time in many years, he cries. The man in black walks up to SC. Looks in his eyes.
"Now you are awake now. Remember that you still need to eat the flesh of humans to live, but you can avenge what you have lost by killing Body Count and all those follow him."
SC asked him. "Why do you care?" He undoes SC straps and tells him "The enemies of our enemies are our friends." And then he walks out. SC looks at his hands, and yells out.
"H.h..he..he made me in to a ... a. a monster!" He grabs his bat and kicks open the door and runs out screaming.
" BODYCOUNT! I WILL NOT STOP TILL I KILL YOU!" he screams and runs off to Body Count's territory into the east.
The man in black walks into another room. The room is full of tables and the occasional birdcage. In each cage is a messenger pigeon. He takes out a piece of paper and writes a message on it. The message, written in the blackest of conspiracy, reads "The die is cast. He is on the go". He takes some twine and ties it to a pigeon, and lets it fly. The pigeon is off to deliver the news to the masked man's superiors.
SC, still within Coalition territory, has to avoid Ryu and Dark Fang. While on the move, he encounters a village. In this world of the future, houses that survived the Omega Plan's aftereffects are often inhabited by survivors, especially if the houses are close to water. It is nightfall when he enters the village. He sees only 1 house, shining in the dark thanks to its candlelights. Hungry from the days of travel, he sneaks up to the window. Using his heightened senses, he listens in on what the people are saying.
"I heard Body Count was seriously injured!"
"But, so was Dark Fang!"
"What about the cannibal? He was scarier than Body Count!" SC liked that part..
"I heard he was found dead, but when they later returned to get his body, it was gone."
"I hope he is not still alive."
"I hope not either. Maybe they took him back to the Badlands".
KRASH! A window in the room broke and the rock that broke it hit the table. The 2 men and women stood up. They were walking in front of the window and one of the men sticks their head out.
"I can't see anything," he says "Who threw that-"
SC reaches up from below him and grabs his neck, then yanks him thru the window! He is screaming, but that only makes SC more vicious. He rips the man's head off, much to the horror of the people inside. The woman closest to the window is screaming the most, so SC takes the head and throws it at her. DONK! It bounces off her skull, knocking her out and breaking the hurricane lamp inside. The room turns dark and the people inside are panicking. They reach for their weapons but it is too late. SC jumps inside, eyes glowing with hate. He goes immediately for the man, jumping on his back and snapping his neck with one swift motion. Next, the woman. She grabs her sword and starts swinging blindly in the dark. SC, who can see fine in the dark, ignores her panic. She starts hitting the wall and her vision recovers enough that she can go for the door. SC lets her run, then chases after her, hunting her down like a dog hunts a rabbit. A quick burst of speed and he is upon her. She holds up her hands and screams, and SC hits her in the throat with the bat. She dies quickly, and SC drags her back to the house. On the way, he collects some firewood. Inside he sets himself to the grimmest, yet yummiest of tasks; stripping and cooking the flesh. He uses his bat to tenderize the meat and sets up a hook in the fireplace. This task is almost automatic for the likes of him, so during this time he thinks about other things. Namely, their conversation. So Body Count has retreated, thinks SC. That changes things. He knows now that he will have to attack Body Count's army directly and lure him out into the open. To pull it off, he will have to be twice as ruthless, twice as evil, twice as cunning. And, while chopping up the bones of his victims, it came to him. He would use a trick that even Body Count has never used. To defeat a monster, become a stronger monster...
Chapter 2: Am I man or beast?
In order to get to Body Count, SC must first traverse Coalition territory. That means walking thru populated areas to get to the Badlands. During this time, he went from place to place, killing anyone he saw on the way. The need to drink blood increased. It was getting pretty out of hand, as the closer he got to the Badlands, the lesser the numbers of humans. And so, he turned to animals. The blood of animals naturally contained parasites that would kill the mortal man, but SC was no normal man. One incident that was shocking came to mind...
2 days ago, SC was moving thru the woods, knocking branches and things out of the way, when he entered a meadow. He was up on a hill with the meadow deeply sloping down. At the bottom of the meadow, playing with a white rabbit, was a little girl in a little white smock (remember, no more Macy's). His first thought usually was "must kill" but this time things were different. The girl and the rabbit were running around in circles, with the girl giggling and laughing. To SC, this sight brought back a flood of memories. Memories of happier times, times of playing sports with the kids. These unconscious memories came into conflict with his conscious mind, and his head began to hurt. The worst memories came flooding back all at once, the deaths, the blood, the murdering. SC grabbed his head and started rolling about in the bushes, clutching his head and groaning!
"Make it stop! Make it stop!" he screamed, "No, no, NOOOO!".
After a few minutes of this, he was able to return to his senses. He looked up from the grass, and saw that no one was in the meadow. He figured he scared them off. Tempted by the prospect of playing with someone, other than brutal ruthless soldiers, he took off after the girl. Following her tracks stealthily, he got to a small camp of 10 people. Composed of the girl, the rabbit, her parents, 2 other kids, and 5 other adults, this motley assortment appeared to have come from the Badlands or from the outskirts, on their way to safety within the Coalition's protected villages. They had little more than a few old weapons, some newly crafted ones and a small amount of food. To learn more about this group, SC starting thinking "Can I still be a kid?" He decided to find out...
SC tucked his bat behind his shirt and walked out the bushes. He startled the group, who went to their 'battle mode', circling the weakest among them and readying their weapons.
"Who are you?!" the leader said, "What do you want?"
"I'm...lost..." muttered SC, "I'm so...hungry."
"Look at him!" a woman said, "He's so dirty and there's blood on him." She walked over to him, took out a cloth and wiped his forehead in a motherly fashion. "He looks like he's been thru hell and back."
"Be careful! He might be one of the mad!" said a man clutching a crossbow. He aimed it slightly off-center, so as to avoid hitting the woman.
"Now you're being paranoid! He's just a little kid. What harm can come of feeding him?"
"How did you survive for so long?" the leader asked.
"I...hid...ran...cried" muttered SC. He then started fake crying for additional effect. The tears flowed like the rains of a monsoon. Nonetheless, it worked.
"There there," the woman placated, "You made him cry. Let's just feed him and be on our way."
They gave him some soup they had just finished making. The little girl walked over to him, carrying the rabbit. The soup and the rabbit were bringing the humanity back in to SC. He took hold of the rabbit and started petting him.
"What his...name?" asked SC.
"He is peechan" said the girl, "What's your name?"
"I don't remember," said SC. He truly didn't. While looking at the rabbit, he began to hear the sound of the blood rushing thru it. Next thing he knew, two voices began speaking in his head. One said "You need it, Kill them, take their blood". The other voice said "No, they were nice! They don't have to die". The eviler voice won out by saying "You must kill!" and the memories came flooding back to his training period with Body Count and the days of killing the innocent. His eyelids twitched and then, he snapped.
"MUST KILL!" SC screamed and then ripped the rabbit's poor little head off. Next he reached behind, took out his bat and in the same motion, fatally cracked the little girl's skull open. The adults screamed and went for their weapons. The man with the crossbow fired a shot but SC deftly swatted it away and lunged at the man. He hit the crossbow out of the man's hands with one strike, then hit the man's nuts with the other strike. He screamed and his buddy charged with a spear. SHI-UNK! SC did a back flip over the spear and it plunged into the injured archer. His voice gargled and the stabber stood there in shock, but that was all he wrote. SC killed him on the way back down with a shot to the neck. The others charged with their weapons while the kids ran off. But, they all met the same horribly gruesome fate.
After the battle, SC stood before the dead bodies and battlefield smoke, panting with exhaustion. Blood dripped from his bat and his hands. After a few seconds, the rage dissipated from his eyes, and he stared face to face with his handiwork. SNAP! His mind fractured under the weight of the horror that he inflicted upon them. The only people nice to him in the past few years were dead under his feet. It was too much to bear. His bat dropped to the ground, and he clutched his head. Tears streamed down his face and the voices of the dead began expressing their...disapproval over their deaths, in voices most shrill and echoic.
"Why did you kill us?"
"We were nice to you."
"Did you really have to hit me in the balls?"
"Was my baby wearing clean underwear?"
"He just killed us and you're complaining about that?"
"SHUT UP!" shouted SC, rolling around in the grass, "Get out of my mind!"
"You killed us!" they all said.
"And me too!" said another ghost, one that SC killed many months ago.
"You killed us too, remember?" said another ghost. SC stopped rolling in grass and looked up. He soon found himself surrounded by ghosts. The ghosts of his victims on the battlefield and beyond.
"You're a monster!" one dead boy said.
"I was gonna get laid the night you killed me!" a dead teenager said.
"I ran from you but you hunted me down like a dog!" a dead woman said.
"You're a despicable...hey Chuck is that you?" asked Ted.
"Ted Smith from Fayetteville?" asked Chuck
"Yeah it's me! You owe me money you bastard!"
"I paid you already!"
"Did not!"
"Wanna fight about it?"
"Handle yo business bitch!"
A fight broke out which then spread into a brawl amongst the dead. This did nothing to ease or petrify SC. Rather, this situation got confusing for SC.
"What am I, chopped liver?" mused SC. But time for annoying ghosts was soon over as a new threat appeared on the horizon. It was 5 Coalition soldiers, out looking for survivors.
"What the hell?" said one of the soldiers, aghast at the carnage.
"Who is that?" asked another soldier. He readied his crossbow.
"I think that's Stealth Cannibal." said the commander, "Be careful men. He's a monster."
The first volley of arrows fell short of SC, but it was enough to get his attention away from his mental collapse and the annoying bickering of his dead victims. He got up, looked at their ragtag uniforms, and realized the soldiers were with the Coalition. Knowing that he was in no condition to confront them directly, he chose to run into the woods.
"He going into the woods! After him!" shouted the commander. They chased after SC like hunters chasing a fox. However, this fox knew how to use cover to his advantage. He ran into the bushes and disappeared into the thick covering of the trees. As the soldiers ran into the bushes and the forest, the soldiers went from sunlight to an eerie darkness.
"I can't see much of anything." said a scared soldier.
"He's in here somewhere. Stay strong." ordered the commander.
"I think this is what he wants." said another soldier.
They walked into the forest, being silently followed by SC. Sweat started moving down their face as the clutched their crossbows and lances tightly. It was silent in the forest, as the men strained to hear SC's approach. SNAP! The sound of a twig snap! Swish! An arrow and lance shot out from the dark. SOIWEEE! The soldiers rushed to the point of their attack. A wild pig took the hits from the spear and the arrow and died on the spot.
"Darn." exclaimed one of the soldiers, "All we got was a pig".
"This isn't good. Stay sharp. One of you grab the pig and let's get outta here." ordered the commander.
"Why the change of plan?" asked a soldier.
"He's got the advantage in this terrain." said the commander, "We don't stand a chance in this forest." The men retreated before SC could make his move.
After the men left, SC continued on his journey to the Badlands. He has come to grips with what he is now; a cold-blooded monster with a mass grave of skeletons in his closet. The ghosts may haunt him, and he will surely increase their numbers. But to a monster, the ghosts are merely jealous company and armchair quarterbacks.
Chapter 3: Into the Badlands
The Badlands. The not-completely forgotten lands that those untold hundreds of millions of Body Count's madness gas victims still drift in. The Coalition has not claimed that territory, and Body Count's army merely uses it as recruiting and pillaging grounds, or as merely a walkway between invasions. The Badlands are called that for more that one reason. Food, for instance, ranges from highly abundant or nonexistent. The monoculture crops of the old world require a lot of tending and irrigation. With no one around to tend and protect them, they quickly died off, or overran other fields. There were other issues, like untended damns and nuclear power plants. The floods and pollution would come like lightning, killing off survivors and madmen alike. These man-made disasters turned entire areas into death zones. To survivors, the phrase "Badlands" is more literal than figurative. Also roaming the Badlands are wolves and coyotes, their numbers completely unchecked and their paws stained with human blood. Included in their ranks are the various carnivorous animals that escaped their confinements in zoos. Because of eating madmen, the madness gas began affecting them as well. Their eyes turned bloodshot red and they exclusively dined on human beings.
SC was no stranger to this region. He moved north, heading along a trail in the middle of a prairie. The trail was a familiar one to him, because Body Count's army never bothers to clean up its tracks. SC was following the trail of dead bodies, broken weapons, dirty underwear, candy wrappers, and beer cans the army typically leaves behind in its wake. Judging by their movements, Body Count's forces were less a professional army and more along the lines of a professional drunken mob. Think pirates without a ship or soccer hooligans without a team. They had a 2 week lead on him, so to catch up, he would have to move quickly. But not too quickly, for the madmen weren't the only issue to content with. The dryness of the area posed a problem. SC would need to find water first, Body Count second. He ventured for miles before coming upon a stream.
However,
this stream was less than ideal. Also in the stream were a bunch of
madmen, for while the mind is crippled, the body's needs are not. SC
walked down to the stream bed, stepped in and took a drink. The
madmen surrounding him noticed his presence. Almost shocked by they
indifference, they stared at each other, not knowing what to think or
do. Then, as if on impulse, one of them growled. SC scoffed.
"The
dumb ones always want to die first." he thought to himself. The
growling one charged forward, drooling at the prospect of eating SC's
flesh. His charge sent the others into a frenzy, making them want to
attack as well. They all charged at him. SC waited patiently, while
drawing out his bat. They came at him from all sides, but still he
waited. Finally, the first one was right within rage. The closest
madman blinked. SC was gone! The madman's rage froze. He took a few
more steps, and then PSSSSTH! His torso separated from his body! The
other madmen around him also suffered a horribly flashy
dismemberment. Arms, legs, heads, guts all went flying out in a
flashy display of carnage from SC. SC had darted in between the ranks
of the madmen and slashed them as they charged from all angles. With
his speed, it was like they were standing still. All their tainted
blood mixed in the stream, turning it from a slight clear water to a
reddish mess. Standing in the middle of the circle of death, watching
the body parts slowly fall to Earth, was SC. Once again, he had
proved that he was badder than the Badlands.
Later on, we find SC passing by the remains of a town near a former cornfield. It is almost midnight. SC is looking for a barn to sleep in. While he is getting ready to sleep, other animals have other plans. A rustle in the distance! SC stops for a moment. The rustle stops. SC keeps on walking. The rustle sounds again. SC stops. He realizes that he is not the only one on this trail. A grizzly bear, not native to these parts, has escaped from a zoo from who-knows-where, and has spotted SC. Thinking SC might be a good choice for dinner, the bear decides to charge. However, SC has no plans to become the other white meat. SC waits for the bear to get close enough, then just as the bear is about to tackle him, he jumps! He jumps out of the reach of the bear, and spins around. He lands on top of the outstretched bear. The bear slips under the additional weight and falls down. SC maintains his balance, then makes his fist into a knife shape. KERSPLUT! He stabs the bear's neck with his hand, then SHRRIPP! Tears the bear's vertebra right out of the bear's back. The bear screams the quickly drops dead. Instead of making SC dinner, he was made into dinner by SC. SC holds up the backbone, and (possibly influenced by TV in his youth) let's out a primal scream. The loud "AAAH!" scream pierces the darkness and shatters the illusions of many predators who had their eye on a human sandwich that night. SC finally finds a barn, where he makes a fire, cooks some bear meat, and calls it a day. He is getting closer to Body Count, but he hasn't seen any of Body Count's forces yet. But as the saying goes, it's only a matter of time.
Chapter 4: Body Count makes his move
Body Count has spies everywhere, even in the madness that is the badlands. Late into the night, as Body Count finished eating in his cave/command center, one of the spies returned. Entering into the cave illuminated by torches made from leftover mosquito lamps, he cautiously made his way to Body Count. The cave/command center had one simple yet effective alarm system. It was composed of a pile of empty beer cans left at the edge of the entrance. The spy carefully snuck past the empty beer cans and the sleeping guards to approach his leader. Once inside, he saw Body Count, sitting at the throne. He was reading.
"My lord, I have returned." said the spy, "What's that you're reading?"
"Manga." Body Count said in a monotone voice.
"Why?"
"It's where I get all my ideas." Body Count put away the book. "Now, what news do you have?"
"SC is coming this way. His aura has changed. He is coming after you for revenge. He is already in the Badlands."
Body Count's eyebrow twitched a little. He then stood up and grabbed his sword. "So, he dares to assume he can challenge me?! So he knows. Damn! What a shame. He was a good killer. I would find him myself and kill him, but I still have not recovered from the last battle with Dark Fang. Good thing I'm king."
He calls out three names: "Giyor, Hree, Fatal. Come to your master." Just then three people dressed like monks creep from the shadow.
"Yes master?" one of them said.
Body Count tells them. " You three are to find SC and to kill him." The three bow their heads and disappeared back in to the darkness.
A week later, SC walks in to an old abandoned church. "This look like a good place to sleep,"he thinks to himself. He pushes open the door, and is greeted with the similar smell of death. He looks around to see fifteen dead bodies. SC walks to the first body he sees. A small girl, with her neck cut open from ear to ear. SC can tell that is was a slow kill. The sight of the dead does not bother him, but the smell of rotting flesh is annoying. The kill was at least a few days old. He walks out of the church and sees a monk is standing outside. SC looks back, and tells the monk not to go in there.
"Looks like some of Body Counts solders had there fun in there." he dryly whispers.
The monk takes off the hood, revealing the face of a young girl with purple hair and red eyes. She then says. "Yes we know. We got bored looking for you."
SC smiles. " You work for Body Count?" Two more voices come from on top of the churches roof. Two more monks. This time the voices were male.
SC asks them "So you punks are here to kill me? Body Count was too scared to find me himself."
The young women yells back "The Master does not see you as much of a challenge, so he had us come to kill you."
SC pulls out his bat. " Lets play." he growls.
The two monks jump out of their robes, and attack SC at the same time. They looked like twins with short green hair cuts. Each had a long sword. SC moves too fast for them to make contact. The twins hit the ground and run to each side of SC when he lands too. The twins at the same time say " You are a traitor to our king Body Count. You must die."
SC laughs. " So let me get this right. You guys fight and the girl steps in when she sees fit?"
SC can tell that they think he's just all about speed. He throws a dagger high in the air. The twins look up to for just a second, and when they looked back they saw that SC was gone.
"W…w. were did he go?" the twin monk on the right asks. Just then the twin at the far left yells out in agony. Blood starts to gush out of his mouth. He hits the ground fast. Right behind him is a bloody SC standing right behind him holding a human heart. The other twin yells out. " HREEEEEEE!" and runs to SC in a mad rush. The young girl yells out " NO you fool!"
But it was too late. THUNK! A dagger falls from the sky landing in the skull of Giyor, killing him in a blink of an eye. SC walks up to the dead Giyor and pulls the dagger out of his head. "You want some, little girl?" he dryly asks.
She cant believe what just happened. She pulls out a crossbow and starts shooting at SC. SC jumps out of the way in time. She screams out "You monster! You killed my friends!" SC tells her. "I'm getting hungry."
SC nimbly dodges the bolts coming from Fatal's crossbow. She stop shooting, and puts the crossbow away. She pulls out from her back pocket a grenade. She throws it in the right place at SC's left leg. The exploding force rips of the flesh from SC left leg. When the smoked cleared Fatal saw SC laying down with half his flesh burned away. She falls to the ground turning her back to the body, out of breath, and thinking it was over. Just then a sick laugh comes from behind her. She turns to see SC healed like nothing had happened. He looks at her with a smile.
"I'm going to enjoy eating you." he sickengly whispers. Fatal could not move on account that she was scared so badly. Ten seconds later the horrifying screaming of a young women echoes off into the distance.
Chapter 5: Jin-Sen, Neither man nor machine, and not his friend.
Coalition Capital City
Deep inside the bowels of a long-forgotten hospital, devoid of standard patients for many years, a dark experiment is almost complete. An experiment set in stone by those with great intelligence and great need, the greatest of all needs, survival. Dark Fang, leader of the Coalition's special forces, marched inside. He marked his calendar for just this day. Inside a dingy, poorly lit basement operating room, the scientists and engineers finished their final welds and installations. Their sparks brightened the room as Dark Fang entered from the hallway. The sparks reflected off of Dark Fang's sunglasses and off into the darkness.
"What's his status?" he asked.
"He is almost complete. We are applying the finishing touches now." said the lead engineer.
"How much longer?" Dark Fang was getting impatient. "The Coalition sunk a lot of resources into this project. We need results."
"He will be completed within the hour." replied the engineer. She donned her glasses and applied some sealing agent. Dark Fang walked over to the operating table.
"How soon until we can test him?" asked Dark Fang.
"You'll have to let him rest. He can be ready to go tomorrow." replied the engineer.
"That is fine. As long as he is ready." Dark Fang looked down at the table. The sealing agent was finished. On the table was Jin-Sen Tsukai, the brother of Ryu. He died in the battle with Body Count. He lay there, his body parts replaced with advanced cybernetics, his skin replaced with carbon nanotubes and waterproof sealant. He has been remade, into a weapon of mass destruction. A weapon the Coalition desperately needs.
Jin-Sen struggled to move his eyelids. His brain was adjusting to the fact that a good 50 of him was no longer human. Looking up at him from the bed was Ryu.
"Welcome back from hell, brother." said Ryu. A slight tear was in his eye. "I had thought you were dead forever".
"I died?" asked Jin-Sen. He looked in the mirror to his right. He looked the same as he did the day before. Well, it was more than a day ago. More like 30 days in real-time.
"Why am I alive?" he asked Ryu.
"We are with the Coalition now. Their scientists rebuilt you. They made you stronger." said Ryu
"So I'm a robot like that Arnold guy from the movies?" he asked Ryu.
"Yeah," Ryu replied with a slight laugh, "something like that.
"Ryu, I don't feel all that different."
"That's because they replaced a lot of your parts."
"So what's gonna happen to us?" Jin-Sen sat up, "Are we gonna fight against Body Count?"
Footsteps quickly came in from the hallway. Dark Fang stepped in and moved the hospital shades out of the way.
"Good morning. You seem alright Jin-Sen." said Dark Fang, "We brought you back so you and Ryu can help me stop Body Count. We decided to cyberdize you because we needed a test subject."
"My brother should not be a guinea pig!"exclaimed Ryu.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures" calmly said Dark Fang, "He still retains his humanity. That's better than death, right?"
"Bro, it's ok" said Jin-Sen, "I remember Body Count. He was despicable. He killed me and so many others."
"Well, welcome aboard. I'm Dark Fang, the strongest fighter in the Coalition. Ryu has started training with our head martial arts expert so we can fight Body Count's army as a special force. Our job is to hunt him down and kill him and any of his lieutenants I didn't kill."
"So when do we begin?" asked Jin-Sen,
"When you're ready. Today, you start training. Get out of bed and get dressed. Time to give your Body a workout. The scientists who rebuilt you will be waiting."
Once outside, Jin-Sen stood before a group of scientists. Behind him was a row of fence posts with cans on the top. It was a target practice range. Also with him were Dark Fang and Ryu.
"Ok Jin-Sen. They want you to shoot the targets." said Ryu.
"With what? I don't have a gun!" said Jin-Sen.
"Just aim your right arm at the cans."
"Ok, whatever." said Jin-Sen. He was skeptical of this approach. He aimed his hand at the can in front of him. And then he waited. Nothing happened for a few seconds.
"Now think of your arm as a cannon." said Dark Fang.
"As a what? A cannon? Are you sure?" replied Jin-Sen.
"Yes, a cannon!" shouted Dark Fang.
Jin-Sen looked back at the can, and started thinking about a cannon. Just then, he felt his right hand tingle. He looked at it, and frizzsh! It broke into 5 pieces and the pieces shifted circularly around the axis of his lower wrist, each digit representing a piece. He began to feel scared.
"Don't worry!" shouted Ryu, "It's supposed to do that."
Jin-Sen's 5 digits stopped spinning, then very quickly his right forearm expanded along the digits to make a cone-shaped attachment. Jin-Sen then heard some grinding noises at what was the spot his palm would occupy. Finally it was over almost as fast as it began. A cannon was on his arm. In his eye, he could see a tiny crosshair. When he moved his cannon, the crosshair would point to whatever his cannon was aiming at.
"Woah." Jin-Sen said.
"Ok, shoot a can" said Ryu.
Jin-Sen looked at a can in front of him. The crosshair was off to the right a little bit, so Jin-Sen moved his cannon arm to the left. The crosshair then fixed upon the can. Jin-Sen thought "ok, fire" and SCROW! A shot of plasma came out of Jin-Sen's cannon and PING! It hit the can and the can fell off the post.
"Wow! Cool!" exclaimed Jin-Sen.
"Not bad. Now try it again at half-power," said Dark Fang.
"How do I do that?"
"The scientists say you should look at the bar on your right and think it higher."
Jin-Sen looked at another can. In his field of view, he could see info about his cannon. A little translucent bar graph was way off to the right in his vision. He could see it said 'cannon strength' and it was set to very low. He thought "ok, half power" and the new bar graph went up to halfway. He moved the crosshair onto the can and fired. SCROW! Another shot went out of his cannon, this time a bigger shot. KABOOM! It blew up the can and a piece of the pole.
"Wow!" exclaimed Jin-Sen, "This is great!" As he looked at his cannon, he saw something that said 'megaburster charge' on it. He thought to himself, 'megaburster' and he saw the words change color quickly. He heard a loud "eeee" shrieking sound come out of his cannon. His right arm began shaking.
"Ah, so this is the megaburser." said Dark Fang. He was impressed with the progress shown by Jin-Sen. Jin-Sen looked up slightly at the air around his cannon. Little light balls starting floating towards his cannon. Then they were quickly sucked in. The sound of the cannon changed his pitch to a higher tone once the light balls were inside. The shaking got worse. Jin-Sen knew that he had to fire the shot quickly so he aimed at the ground between 2 posts and fired. A "POOM!" sound came out of his cannon and a large shot flew forth. KAPOW! The 2 poles and cans were splintered by the explosion, and wood debris flew at the nearby crowd. Dark Fang drew his sword and Ryu drew his fist and they swatted the flying debris away from the scientists and each other. Jin-Sen looked kind of shocked at the realization of how powerful his cannon has become.
"Ok, he's passed this test" said one of the scientists, "Let's move him on before he obliterates us instead of the cans."
"Jin-Sen, we're moving onto phase 2." said Ryu, "Here's your sword." he passed Jin-Sen his saber. Jin-Sen drew it from his scabbored and noticed the sword was in better shape now than when he died.
"Hey, they fixed this too!" said an excited Jin-Sen.
"Admire it later." suggested Dark Fang, "We're moving on to the next battlefield.
At the next battlefield, the situation was different. Jin-Sen would have to face 2 live opponents. Both were Coalition soldiers. One held a bastard sword, the other a spear.
"These guys are your opponents." said Dark Fang, "They will test your physical strength and combat reflexes. Try not to kill them."
Here goes, thought Jin-Sen. He drew his sword. His opponents raised their weapons.
"Fight." shouted quickly Dark Fang. The 2 Coalition soldiers rushed Jin-Sen. The one with the sword raised it up and screamed, then swung it down at Jin-Sen. Jin-Sen felt an urge to dodge it, so he did. The sword his nothing but floor. BONK! Jin-Sen took him out with a hard hit from the butt end of his sword. Just like that, the first one was down. But this was no time to celebrate. The spear came at him from the left. Jin-Sen against dodged it and leapt into the air. He bounced off the spear and jumped forward towards the other soldier. The other soldier stood there in shock as Jin-Sen left towards him, the slapped him with the flat end of his sword. Just like that, Jin-Sen took out 2 very strong fighters.
"Yeah! I won! I rule." cheered Jin-Sen.
"Yeah, way to go bro!" said Ryu.
"Well. I've seen enough. Practice for the rest of this week, Jin-Sen. Then we're gonna put you in my squad." said Dark Fang. He and the other scientists walked off.
"If all goes well, we'll be able to start on the next-gen model by the end of this year." said one of the scientists.
"And what if it fails?" asked Dark Fang.
"We'll figure it out." said another scientist.
"You better. We're in this all the way."
After a week of practice, Jin-Sen finally got a handle on his new body. While finishing some warm-ups with Ryu, Dark Fang came by. He was carrying a piece of paper with him. Ryu and Jin-Sen stopped what they were doing as he got closer.
"Ok guys, listen up. We've got a lead on the one you call Stealth Cannibal. He attacked and killed a group of refugees, plus several soldiers. Some scouts have found him in the Badlands, near where Body Count's forces are holed up." dryly said Dark Fang.
"And?" asked Ryu. He thought there might be more to the report.
"And the scouts say the path that he took is littered with bodies. Some of those bodies belong to Body Count's own troops."
"Huh? Does that mean he's turned against Lord Body Count?" asked Jin-Sen.
"Could be." said Ryu.
"I had hoped he'd stay dead after I killed him." said Dark Fang, "Jin-Sen, now's your chance to track him down. See what he's up to. If he has turned, find out why."
"What do I do if he wants to fight?" he asked.
"Take him out." ordered Dark Fang, "He may be Body Count's enemy, but that doesn't change who he is."
"Huh? I always thought 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'" said Ryu.
"Not when the enemy of the enemy is also your enemy." stated Dark Fang, "Now gas up before you go, Jin-Sen. You want to be at full power for as long as possible.".
"Yes, sir." said Jin-Sen. He was enthused about a chance to see an old comrade (albeit a sicko) and give his body a test run. After recharging his energy cells, he took the map from Dark Fang and headed outside the city's gates. Once outside, he started running, but for one with his new limbs, running meant that he could go at least 5 times as fast as a normal man. After reaching a nearby mile 4 miles from the city, he looked over and saw the Badlands in the distance. Finding Body Count's base would not be too hard of a challenge, but finding SC would be. So off he sprinted into the madness, sword in tow and will in full blast.
Chapter 6: The fated battle
SC was lost. The forest leading to Body Count's cave was abnormally thick, and dark. It was hard to see and hard to maneuver. The animals in the woods were abnormally noisy. SC could not remember then making so many odd noises when he was around. Since he typically moved with the horde, the animals were silent, least they wind up as prey. But now, with only himself, the animals were especially loud, almost daring SC to look at him. SC tried to ignore them. He took out his bat and used it to shove his way thru the thickets. Finally he reached an open patch in the dense forest. A monkey up in the tree threw a piece of fruit at him. SC sensed it coming and hit it back with his bat. It flew back and hit the monkey in the cheek. It squealed and ran away.
"You never were a friend of the wildlife, SC." a voice called out.
"Huh? Who's there?" shouted SC. The voice seemed to come from all directions.
"I mean, what did he ever do to you?" the voice repeated. It sounded condescending to SC, but not that he knew what those words meant.
"He threw fruit at me! Now come on out!" barked SC. He wasn't in the mood for games.
"Fine, fine. You're such a killjoy." said the voice. He leapt out of the trees and landed in front of SC.
"It's you!" said SC.
"Surprised to see me?"said Jin-Sen, "I died, just like you. I guess Hell didn't have enough room for us, eh?"
"Why are you here? Are you on Body Count's side?"
"No. I joined to Coalition's side. What are you doing?" asked Jin-Sen, "I managed to find you by following the trail of bodies. What are you up to?"
"I found out the truth about Body Count and what he did to me." said SC. He started walking towards Jin-Sen. "I want revenge. Now get out of my way." he pushed Jin-Sen out of his way.
"What is your problem?" asked Jin-Sen, "You've gotta be crazy to think you can fight Body Count alone!"
"I don't care what you think! I've been crazy ever since that day! All that matters is I kill him and then I'll kill Dark Fang for killing me!"
"But he killed you because you were trying to kill him."
"It doesn't matter. I'll kill everybody and everything! I will have my revenge or die trying. I won't let Dark Fang stop me!"
"You're insane! You don't stand a chance alone! Join us and together we'll beat them!"
"Shut up! Why would I want to join up with the weak ass Coalition?!" SC turned and faced Jin-Sen. He was tired of the talk. His mind was dead-set on revenge.
Jin-Sen realized he wasn't going to get thru to him. It was time for an ultimatum.
"If you wanna be hardheaded, then that's your choice. But I can't let a murderer like you roam free." said Jin-Sen, as he changed his stance. He had a feeling it would come to this. He raised his arm to draw his sword. SC reached behind his back to draw his bat. The tension became so thick that not even a knife would cut it. The birds quickly fled, knowing the situation was going to turn violent.
Jin-Sen was quicker off the draw. He leapt at SC and drew his sword, swing it down at SC. CLANG! SC whipped out his bat and blocked it. Jin-Sen landed next to SC, his sword still touching SC's bat. SC swung his bat, pushing Jin-Sen back a step. Jin-Sen quickly raised his sword, preparing for an overhead strike. SC raised his bat again to block. Jin-Sen swung his sword down. CLANG! SC blocked, but this time had to use both hands. Jin-Sen was stronger than he remembered, and faster too. Jin-Sen was not surprised that SC was able to block that strike. So, he smirked a little. SC's eyebrow twitched.
KRINK! SLASH! Jin-Sen's sword quickly cut thru SC's bat and into his shoulder and chest. The sight of his own blood flying out caught him off guard temporarily. He jumped back from the pain and realization that his bat was in 2 pieces, with him holding the short end.
"I'm not weak anymore, SC. I can take you on anywhere, anytime." said Jin-Sin. He quickly waved the sword, removing SC's tainted blood from it. SC threw his busted bat at him. It hit SC in the head BONG! It temporarily stunned him, so SC ran off. He needed time to gather his thoughts. SC jumped up to a large tree branch, and was getting ready to jump to the next tree when he heard something weird. He looked back, and saw a bright light heading towards him. Swe-wisssh! He did a quick back flip, narrowly dodging the shot. But the shot knocked him off the tree. Jin-Sen came running in and swung his sword. The sword barely missed SC. Jin-Sen then followed with another slash! SC did a back flip to avoid that one coming for his legs. Jin-Sen followed with a swing to the head, but SC ducked that. So Jin-Sen swung for the chest, forcing SC to lean back to avoid it. Jin-Sen swung for a shoulder hit, but all he got was air, barely missing SC's shoulder. SC kicked him in the ribs, then punched him in the head. Jin-Sen screamed out in pain and dropped his sword. SC then tackled him to the ground and started pummeling him. Jin-Sen struggled to defend himself. SC had the advantage for awhile until he noticed Jin-Sen's cannon aimed at his chest. SCRO-PSHHOW!
"AAAAH!" SC screamed as he flew into the air, blasted up by Jin-Sen's cannon. He bounced off a tree and landed in a dirt pile. PLOOFF! As he was getting up, Jin-Sen fired off 4 more shots. SCROW! SCROW! SCROW! SCROW! They hit SC in the chest and shoulder, knocking him back down to the ground. Jin-Sen walked over to his sword and picked it up.
"I'm a cyborg now. I'm just as strong as you are. Or maybe, it's you who got weaker." taunted Jin-Sen. That made SC mad, but he knew he was in a bad position in an enclosed forest. So he got up and ran for an opening. Jin-Sen followed after him.
"Catch me if you can!" shouted SC. He wanted to goad Jin-Sen into following. Not exactly a hard thing to do.
"Don't you run from me!" shouted Jin-Sen back at SC, "You damn coward!"
"You suck!"
"You swallow!"
SC and Jin-Sen made it out of the forest and into the paved area of a long-forgotten city. The madmen of the Badlands were lurking about, confused about the loud noises. A nearby madman saw Jin-Sen run up, so he rushed towards Jin-Sen. Jin-Sen saw him and turned around to fight him. He kicked the man hard in the chest, sending the madman flying back. SC saw this as his chance. He rushed towards Jin-Sen with a burst of speed. Jin-Sen detected him coming and reactivated his cannon. Just when he was about to aim at SC, SC shifted to the right. He started circling around Jin-Sen. Jin-Sen fired wildly at the afterimages left behind by SC's circling movement. A slight cloud of dust began to form from SC's zipping movements around Jin-Sen. Jin-Sen could not get a beat on him. Then, SC leapt towards Jin-Sen, caught him by the neck, and held him in a headlock. He then dragged Jin-Sen towards a building, picked him up over his head and threw him at the building. CRAUNCH-BOOM! Jin-Sen went right thru the wall and into a decrepit living room, tearing up a couch in the process. SC leapt thru the hole after him. Jin- got up quickly and grabbed a brick and threw it at him while SC was landing. SC blocked it, grabbed another brick and threw it at Jin-Sen. WHAMO! It nailed Jin-Sen in the nuts!
"AAAA! My nuts! They didn't replace those!" Jin-Sen screamed out in pain, while hunched way over, holding his crotch. SC elbowed him in the head, making Jin-Sen fall back to the ground. He grabbed Jin-Sen by the shirt and threw him up to the ceiling. His body made a crater in the ceiling, and then he fell back down. Only slightly stunned, Jin-Sen punched SC in the balls, SC screamed in pain and held his crotch like Jin-Sen did earlier, picked him up, turned to the left, and slammed him into a wooden table. The table broke from the force of the impact and they landed on the hardwood and bricks below. SC was stunned and struggled to gather his thoughts. He was getting angrier than he had been all week. Jin-Sen jumped back and charged his mega-burster. EEE-POOM! BOOM! Jin-Sen fired a megaburst, hitting the ground next to SC. The explosion sent SC flying. He crashed thru a brick wall, flew up 30 feet and crashed thru a nearby house, falling thru the roof. Chunks of wood landed on top of him. SC struggled to get to his feet.
BOOM! Another megaburst from Jin-Sen hit the house, specifically at the floor where SC was standing. The explosion totaled the floor and SC fell down to the first floor. Jin-Sen ran over to the house. He spotted SC trying to stand up thru a hole in the wall, so he fired off a few high-powered shots. The shots penetrated the wall and hit SC in the arms and legs. SC fell to the floor. He could recover, but he was hurt bad enough to immobilize him. Jin-Sen jumped inside the house, and drew his sword.
"My new body is great. Don't you agree? I'm so strong I can beat Body Count. I don't need you. You're just a sick freak with an urge to eat people." said Jin-Sen. He was getting ready to kill him. SC could not move, and he saw Jin-Sen raise his sword, aiming for his head.
"If I cut your head off, maybe the Coalition will give me a promotion or something." wondered Jin-Sen.
"Ass...hole." muttered SC. If he could not attack physically, he could still attack verbally.
"Tell it to your victims." coldly said Jin-Sen. He was about to strike when POUUFFF! A black cloud of smoke appeared in front of him. He could not see a thing.
"What the?!" he shouted. The cloud was all over the place. Then, SLASH! A sword sliced across Jin-Sen' leg, up to his chest. A quick kick to the chest soon followed. Jin-Sen flew out of the house and thru the wall of another building. SC was dazed by the smoke, when he felt someone pick him up. The next thing he knew, someone was carrying him thru the air. He passed out when he and his mysterious, black-clad savior disappeared into the forest.
Jin-Sen got up and saw the damage the sword strike did to his chest. Not enough to be permanent, but enough to warrant a trip back to base. He switched on his radio.
"This is Jin-Sen calling base. Is anybody home?" radioed Jin-Sen.
"This is Coalition base 3. What is your status?" an officer at a nearby base responded. There was some static on the line.
"I found SC and I almost killed him, but someone jumped me and they escaped."
"We will report that to headquarters. Head back for now."
"Roger that".
After returning back to the Coalition capital city, Jin-Sen went to the engineers to get fixed up. While being looked over, Dark Fang came to see him.
"How did you get that scratch?" asked Dark Fang.
"Someone hit me with a smoke bomb. I couldn't see anything. Then I felt a sword cut me there. Whoever hit me, kicked me pretty hard."
"Let me look at that scratch." asked Dark Fang. Upon looking at it, Dark Fang began wondering who could be skilled enough to wield a sword like that in the Badlands. So he asked another question.
"Did you see what happened to SC?"
"Not really. I think he or she took him."
"Interesting. I think there might be a third party at work."
"What makes you say that?" asked Jin-Sen.
"Body Count's goons aren't clever enough to use or make smoke bombs. Nor would they want to take SC with them." said Dark Fang.
"Who do you think would want SC? He's crazy!"
"We'll find out soon enough."