I'm back with a sequel. Man, you have no idea how long I have been planning this. I started planning this thing when I wrote the thirtieth chapter for my first story, The Zones, but didn't start writing till I got into the high fifties of the story. So, sit back, relax and enjoy Return to the Zones.

Memories and Return of a Nightmare

A purple haired girl, now seventeen, was sitting in a big comfy chair, a book in her hand, and a fire crackling in a nearby fire place. She stopped reading to look up at the mantle of the fireplace. More specifically, the two pictures on the mantle, as well as one final item. Z sighed, still surprised that it had been more than a year since the one person she loved most in the Prime Zone was presumed dead. Two months after he had left no trace, officials called off search parties, claiming him dead. But Will and his contacts had kept looking for Max. The picture to the right was a picture of just her, J, Max, Will, and Jen. Max had his arms wrapped around Will and herself, both hands in a piece sign. Jen was latched onto J's arm, who was blushing as he smiled. The picture to the left was one of the entire team, a week before their final mission. There had been so many people who had gone with them. So many people that they had come to think of as family. The final item on the mantle of the fireplace was Max's helmet, the only piece of his armor that they had found. That Z had found. "It still hurts so much," Z said to herself. She had bought her own house nine months back, Will, J, Kass, and Jen helping her pack and unpack, her returning the favor for her friends. Kass and Will now had an apartment that they shared, while J and Jen had bought a house to share. They all got together once a week, to have dinner or just to reminisce. "I miss everyone." She was referring to everyone on the team, old and new friends.

DING-DONG

She got up out of the chair to go answer the door. When she opened it, a man with black hair slicked back, a gray coat with buttons down the front of the coat, and a monocle was standing there in the twilight. "Oh. Mr. Wily," she said, "what a pleasant surprise."

"Ah, young Zaria. How are you doing," Wily asked. Over the past year, he had become extremely popular with the children and teens of Ground City and now owned the Ground City Arcade. He was known for having free game days quite frequently, as well as lowering the prices themselves for children who couldn't afford it. But somehow, he kept in business.

"I'm doing fine, Mr. Wily."

"Your lips say you are fine, but your eyes say you are hurting." Wily gestured towards the room beyond the door. "May I come in?"

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry." She moved to the side, gesturing her arm for him to enter. "Please."

Wily stepped through the door, immediately walking to the fireplace. "So, this is Maxwell's helmet." He looked it over. "Amazing. It was still in one piece after a blast like that. You know, something like this is considered a sign among some people."

"Hmm? What kind of sign?"

"That the person lost is still alive. And that they're making their way back to friends and family." He smiled at Z and adjusted his view to look at the pictures. "Ah, the entire team. An interesting bunch, though that does them no justice in how they were. You know, I grew quite fond of young Eva. She visited so often, I began to think of her as a daughter. I wonder if she shared the sentiment."

"You know, you could ask her."

"I know, but talking through a communicator is no substitute for talking in person. I would much rather go see her myself."

"Yeah. So, how's the arcade doing?"

"Oh, same old, same old. Kids coming in, me lowering prices and what not. The same day to day routine."

"Heh. Yeah ok." There was a ringing sound, a phone next to the chair. Z picked it up. "Hello?"

"Z. It's Jen," came the voice of her oldest friend.

"Hey, Jen. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. Have you seen J in the last three days?"

"No. Why? Has something happened to him?"

"I don't know. He hasn't called me and he isn't answering any calls. I'm getting worried about him."

"Hm. Ok, just calm down. Listen, come over here, ok? Mr. Wily's here and he may know something."

"Alright. I'll be over in ten." Z heard a click on the other end and hung up the phone.

"Jen's going to come over."

"Is something wrong," Wily asked.

"Perhaps. We won't know till she gets here." Ten minutes later, they heard the doorbell once more. Z answered to see a girl wearing a necklace, a purple t shirt with a cross hair on it, and a pair of blue jeans with rips at the knees. "Hey, Jen. Glad you made it."

"Hey, girl. Can I come in," Jen asked.

"Of course." Jen followed her into the room with the fireplace, shaking hands with Wily.

"Hello, Mr. Wily."

"Jennifer," he said, offering her a warm smile. "Nice to see you again."

"Yeah. Sorry to be blunt, but have you seen J in the past three days?"

"Well, no. I haven't. Is there trouble?"

"I hope not."

DING-DONG

"Damn. If I'd known I'd have so many guests tonight, I would have tidied up," Z said, once more going to the door. She opened it to see a boy, around eighteen, lying on the ground face down, in gold armor. The armor had gaps in it, with just as many dents. His wrists had blades on them, one of them chipped. On his helmet were two spikes mimicking the ones on his wrists, both snapped off at the end. "Oh my-" She put her hand to her mouth, taking it off once more. "JEN, MR. WILY, COME QUICKLY!"

"What is-" Jen began, only to stop in mid question. "J!" She ran to him, turning him over. "J, can you hear me?"

"Yeah," J whispered, obviously in pain. "'Fraid I got some bad news, people."

"What is it, honey? Can it wait, or does it need to be said now?"

"Now. An old enemy is back."

"You can't mean," Wily said, fearing the worst.

"Yeah. Kalar. He somehow survived the blast."

Z's spirits surged and fell at the same time. "I know that's bad, but doesn't that mean that Max survived too?"

"Not necessarily. But I pray that he did." J passed out, no longer possessing the strength to stay awake.

The remaining three stood or squatted in silence. "What do we do," Jen asked, finally cutting through the silence.

"We call Will and Kass," Z said. "We call the entire team to see if they can help us. And we bring them here if we can."

Man, it's only been one chapter and already the toughest baddie is back. Anyways, here's my disclaimer. Capcom's characters belong solely to Capcom. I'll do more disclaimers as more and more characters come into play. Please Review and tell me what you think of the first chapter of this sequel.