Chapter 2:
Playing Man Down
"It is said, in times of great evil, the righteous will suffer most.
The only way to survive is to suffer the sacrifice
and forge ahead."
"No, this can't be happening! He can't be-"
"It is better not to think about it. What happened has happened and it cannot be changed. You hold the power of the Power Primate, Chiro. You were chosen to lead us for a reason, listen to your heart, and it will show you what you must do," Antauri spoke with a mournful tone. But, he had a point, Chiro was chosen to lead the Hyperforce for a reason, and now was his time to step up to the plate.
"Sprx, Nova, Otto, quarantine those chemicals, I want them outta here five minutes ago, and whatever you do, DON"T BREATH THEM. Antauri... If you would please," He nodded toward Gibson's body, he couldn't bare to look.
It mattered not, Antauri understood. They shared a bond that required no words, as Antauri picked up the limp body of Gibson and phased out of the room. A few moments later he returned, his arms empty.
"W-Where did you put him," Chiro asked, slowly gasping through wet sobs.
"The Sleep Chamber, it was... Where he would have wanted to be kept," Antauri replied slowly, and, for a split moment, Chiro thought he saw a tear drop from Antauri's eyes.
A small door, centered in the back of the room near some odd chemicals, slid open with a hiss. A small figure stepped forth from the shadows. It was a monkey, but not one of the Hyperforce. The monkey was clad in skull armor from head to tail. At the time of the skull helmet were two boned horns. The monkey's right eye seemed to be seared, resting below a layer of raw, pink flesh. His right arm had been shattered, but it appeared to have had some sort of claw at the end at some point. This monkey was no mystery to Chiro, he was the one who broken the monkeys right hand off at the wrist. He was also the one who had seared the monkeys right eye.
"Mandarin," Chiro sneered with all the vile contempt he could put into the word.
The monkey cackled, making the whole affair seem somewhat humorous.
"So, I see old Gibson has found my "late" Christmas present. Tell me, did he like it? Was he frozen with joy?! Well boy, how did he like it," Mandarin queried, making it seem as if Gibson has simply recieved a present from a friend, instead of being...
"SHUT UP! You had no right to attack him... Not here. What has he done to you?! What gives you the-"
"Oh, hush up! You want to know what he did? He was born, that's what he did. He fought against me, that's what he did! But, most of all, he replaced me with a HAIRLESS APE LIKE YOU! So, I decided to take my revenge out on you! It was really quite ingenious actually. You see, I knew you would be planning some training simulation today, and knowing Gibson, I figured that he would choose someplace out of the way. In this case, the ventilation shafts. I lined them with a rare mineral, a metal-dissolvant. I also knew that Gibson would notice this, and because of his taste for knowledge, he would attempt to get a sample and try to find out what this mineral was. I knew you would find Gibson and seeing him in that state would crush you. The heart is the easiest place to injure and the hardest to heal," Mandarin finished, cackling devilishly.
Teardrops burned his eyes, he despised Mandarin for this, but he forced himself to remain calm and speak.
"What? What was the mineral you used," Chiro asked, swallowing his hatred, it burned his throat.
"It wouldn't be any fun if I told you that," Mandarin laughed.
That was the final straw, Chiro lost it. He flew toward Mandarin in a blind rage, his eyes reflecting pure vengeance.
"THUNDER PUNCH!"
The air crackled with tension as Chiro stared Mandarin straght in the eyes. They were stalemated, both refused to give.
"I want you gone, Mandarin! I swear, if it takes my last breath... I will see Gibson avenged."
Mandarin apparently tired of Chiro's babbling and deftly flicked him aside, looming over Chiro he spoke, his foul breath burning Chiro's nostrils.
"You insignificant little gnat! To think you have the audacity to believe you contain the power to defeat me... If only you knew Chiro, if only you knew how easily I could strike you down and not lose a wink of sleep. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I love to see you squirm. But! If you ever step up to me like that again, I will crush you like the bug you are," Mandarin finished by driving his foot down hard on Chiro's chest, "Remember that pain, next time you will wish you felt like you do now."
"Mandarin! That's enough, leave at once," Antauri ordered.
"Why certainly, Antauri. I simply came here to deliver a message, and now that I have, I see no reason to stay in this disgusting place," Mandarin spat on the floor, then teleported out of the Super Robot, leaving Chiro in a great deal of pain.
How could I be in any more pain than I am now? How could I ever feel worse... Gibson... I wasn't lying. I swear Mandarin will pay.
Chiro groaned in pain as he sat up, then looked to Antauri.
"C-Can I see him?"
Antauri knew what he meant, it was on all their minds.
"Yes. Don't worry Chiro. He looks almost peaceful, as if he's in a better place."
Chiro choked back tears of hatred and sadness. They walked slowly, and even though it was only a two minute walk to the Sleep Chamber, each step weighed on him like a two thousand pound lead. Finally, after an unbearably quiet walk, they reached it.The dim red room seemed so different now, Chiro forced himself to keep moving. Antauri held Chiro's hand. This was something he needed to see. They stopped in front of Gibson's Pod. It took every ounce of will Chiro had to look in through the glass opening. There he was, it looked as if he was simply sleeping. His arms were crossed, and he floated slowly up and down in the pod. He kept hoping Gibson would wake up and everyone would hug and have a cheerful reunion. So much for fairy tales. He looked for a few moments at Gibson, then he took his leave.
"Chiro? We finished getting rid of the chemicals like you asked," Nova said solemnly.
"Wow, I never even got to say goodbye," Sprx whispered.
"We're sorry you had you go through this Chiro," Otto apologized.
"It's okay, there was no way you could have..."
"Chiro, I know this is probably a bad time, but I'm picking up multiple hostiles on radar," Nova alerted, regretting it as soon as she said it.
"If you choose to ignore this alert Chiro, I would fully understand, there are times when drastic actions are justified," Antauri said, in absolute seriousness.
Gibson... I wasn't lying. I swear Mandarin will pay.
"No, I made a vow to Gibson. If I skipped this mission out of fear, then Mandarin would win."
"MANDARIN," Sprx, Nova, and Otto said simultaneously.
"What's he got to do with this," asked a curious Otto.
"He's the one who's responsible for Gibson." With that Chiro told the monkeys all about his encounter with Mandarin and his warning.
"That sick little--" Sprx fumed, he hated Mandarin just as much, if not more than Chiro.
"Well, what are we waiting for," cheered Otto, "Let's find him and take him out!"
"Whoa, slow your roll there, Otto. First of all, we don't even know where he is, so we can't just jump around blindly until we find him," Nova explained.
"Aww, why not," he asked dejectedly.
"Because, Otto, if we are to find Mandarin now, we have to plan our moves. If he was able to infiltrate the Super Robot and... Well, let's just say at this moment we don't know what else he is capable of," Antauri replied, acting carefully to sidestep the Gibson subject.
Nova peeked back at the radar, and said,
"What? That's odd. Those hostiles are gone... Huh. Well, it's getting pretty late, perhaps we should turn in for the night," Nova suggested, and all of a sudden, noticed Sprx acting rather peculiar.
"Sprx, I will take your pod tonight, I can understand your uneasiness about sleeping next to him tonight," Antauri offered, recognizing Sprx's peculiar attitude.
"T-Thank you, Antauri, I'm sorry," Sprx replied, a bit embarrassed about seeming weak.
"There is no need to apologize, Sprx," Antauri added, and for the first time that night, smiled.