Retrieval Saga

Crossing the Rubicon

Chapter 6: Paradise Lost

Matt dodged another fireball just in time. Omnirus's new form was definitely a lot tougher than the form he'd met in New York. He and Silvia had temporarily set their battle on hold to deal with the new threat, but it wasn't going well. Matt's plasma was deflected and Omnirus seemed to be feeding of Silvia's electrical attacks. "Did you have to pick now for payback?" said Matt as he avoided the laser beams from Omnirus's Eye Bolt eyes. "I told you, I don't care for payback," said Omnirus, "I live for two things: destruction and upgrades." "I can give you destruction," said Matt, forcing a plasma blast into a power conduit next to Omnirus, blowing it up. Silvia glared at him. "What? The NSC are wrecking it anyway."

"Well, you've gone to the wrong place for upgrades," said Silvia, "The EXP units' are stored in a different facility." Matt gave her an odd look. "Hamsterviel doesn't like having those things near him," she explained. "Well, he's a weird..." he began but was interrupted as a piece of wreckage was thrown at him by the singed Omnirus. "Oh, I wasn't looking for those EXP victims," said Omnirus X, "They're only good enough for a temporary power boost. The AI's I'm interested in are the really powerful or unique ones. Like, for example, ones strong enough to override someone from Dimension A-001."

Silvia backed up at this before looking over to the half-conscious Matt, no help there. "You're not getting me," she said snarling. "My dear, what makes you think you can stop me from doing so?" said Omnirus as his Vicktorvine arm stretched out and grabbed her. Silvia gagged as she was lifted off her feet. Omnirus looked over as Matt got up unsteadily and saw what he was doing. "HEY! LET HER GO!" he said, igniting a plasma orb. Omnirus gave him a slightly puzzled look. "What would you want to stop me?" he asked, "Didn't you want to get rid of her AI?" "I've seen the after effects, put. Her. DOWN!" he said, his eyes glowing with the last word. "You'll have to catch me first," said Omnirus X as he started running with the use of XLRWolf's legs. Once he got enough of a decent running start, he took off with Stinkgrade's wings.

Matt turned into dragon form and tore after the experiment. Luckily the fact that the tunnels were hardly straight meant that Omnirus's XLRwolf power could not be deployed to its full. However, Matt had forgotten that Omnirus had Eye Bolt's back and could see behind him. As he saw Matt coming, he muttered to himself, "Right, I forgot he could do that." Silvia had also transformed, sticking her claws into the arm holding her. "Argh, oh yeah, you can too," said Omnirus. Silvia quickly broke herself away from Omnirus. "If I'm going to be fighting dragons," said Omnirus, "I'm going to need a sword." He sharpened his Diamondblast arm into a flaming spike. Unfortunately for Omnirus, he'd momentarily forgotten about Matt, who had unfortunately no idea that Omnirus had stopped and the two collided...painfully. "Scratch that last statement," said Omnirus as his Diamondblast arm bulked up and the point receded, leaving a depression into his forearm. "What's that supposed to-" started Matt but then Omnirus shot a flaming ball of diamond-hard crystal out of it and straight into Matt's gut. Matt didn't have time to dodge, barely getting a shield up, but this just slowed the ball down. It knocked him flying and rendered him semi-conscious for the second time in as many minutes.

Omnirus changed his cannon arm back to normal and turned to Silvia. "Now where were we?" he said. Silvia snarled, her eyes blazing in a similar white hue to Matt's when he was angry and she tried to tackle him, claws out. But Omnirus turned intangible for a second, causing Silvia to crash into the wall behind him. Silvia shook her senses back in time for Omnirus to grab her round the throat. "Like I said, where were we?" said Omnirus evilly.

Matt shook his head as his senses started working again. When his hearing came back, the first sound he heard was Silvia's screams. He turned his head to see Omnirus grabbing Silvia and his Omnitrix emitting a beam of green light at her head. "NO! DIEEE!" he yelled, lunging at Omnirus with murder on his mind. Omnirus barely looked at him. The two Stinkgrade wings on his back became tendrils and backhanded Matt to the other side of the corridor they were in. Matt slumped down the wall and could only watch as Silvia's screams faded along with her form, turning back to her full human form. "Finally," said Omnirus X as his Omnitrix started glowing brighter, "This is what I've been waiting for." Suddenly a plasma orb hit him and knocked him a couple yards away. Matt ran up to Chloe, who's form was shimmering between a translucent version of her dragon form that would superimpose over her before flickering away again. "Chloe? Talk to me," he said. Chloe opened her eyes and said "Ow...where am I?" she said.

Matt hugged Chloe and said, "Thank goodness you're back." "Not for long!" called Omnirus as he got back up, "Because Omnirus X is going Omnirus X0!" His body started growing, going from the size of a 10-year old to an adult's. The brown fur on his body fell off, revealing purple scales underneath. The black hair on his head grew longer as his face pushed out into a dragon's muzzle. Matt and Chloe both stared wide eyed and then both burst out into gales of laughter. "Oh, you'd better think about your name...HAHAHA!" laughed Matt before falling over.

"What? What's so funny? Wait, what's wrong with my voice?" Omnirus's voice now sounded like Silvia's. Then he looked down at himself and let out a very feminine shriek. That was because he wasn't 'himself', anymore. What he hadn't anticipated was that his body would adapt to Silvia's gender. Now instead of a muscled body, SHE had a very feminine body that looked more attractive than threatening. The white lines on his vest that once outlined his pectorals now drew attention his new breasts.

Matt and Chloe were now crying with laughter until a well aimed fireball blackened their heads. "STOP LAUGHING! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE COWERING!" yelled Omnirus, angrily. "Well pardon me...ma'am," said Matt and the two of them started laughing again. Omnirus growled and yelled, "This is supposed to be my strongest form! You're supposed to find it terrifying, not hilarious!" "Ok, but at least I won't hit you. I don't hit girls," said Matt, sniggering and stopped as Chloe and Omnirus glared at him then both hit him at the same time.

--

Meanwhile, NegaMorph and PosiMorph were still going at it. Whenever their weapons clashed, large sparks of molecular energy flew. Kala was still hiding when Draco and the others turned up. "I think NegaMorph's got over his thing against killing," she said terrified. NegaMorph then disarmed PosiMorph. "It's time to do what I should have done a long time ago," he said as he clutched PosiMorph's neck with his three left arms and he started powering up a super-powerful blast in his right arm. NegaMorph was about to shoot when he winced, his usual heart pain kicking in. "No, this can't be," he groaned, "I've assimilated all the Viral Clones. I shouldn't have this problem." He tried harder to fire the blast when his heart started hurting more than ever. It got so bad that red sparks were crackling over his body.

At that, there was a small explosion and Matt and Chloe ran round a corner, Matt sporting a double bruise on his face before Matt hit the blast door, sealing it just before a strange dent appeared in it followed by what Draco swore was draconic swearing. Chloe was first to see NegaMorph. "What's up with him?" she said. "I guess he still can't kill people," said Matt, "at least not outside of berserk mode." Then he did a double take and said, "Wait, do you remember him?" Chloe nodded. "Some of it, still a lot of blanks though," she said and stopped as NegaMorph looked at her.

NegaMorph's face switched to that of shock. "No," he said, "you couldn't have, it's not possible." He let PosiMorph fall out of his grip. "Guess it's over, NegaMorph," said Matt, "You lost." "I don't believe this," said NegaMorph, his voice get progressively angrier, "I finally assimilate all the Viral Clones and it barely helped my form. I still can't kill. And now I've lost the only person I can consider trustworthy." PosiMorph decided now might be a good time to get out harm's way. He was just about to sneak away when NegaMorph grabbed him again. "If I can't kill you, then I'll just have to make sure I never see you again!" he snarled. He slashed a portal in the air with his Lockblade, revealing a vortex of indefinite properties. He tossed PosiMorph through it, who screamed as he was sucked out of sight, the portal closing up behind him.

Matt stared in horror at NegaMorph. Even Chloe looked sickened. "I don't think Silvia would have liked you to do that," she said faintly. "What do you all care?" snapped NegaMorph. "I hardly figure in any of your lives. I'm nothing to all of you." "Oh yes you are," growled Matt, "You're a murderer." He then charged at NegaMorph with his ion staff. Chloe yelled "NO, STOP!" as Matt slashed NegaMorph down the right arm, cutting it off at the elbow. He aimed another slash at neck height. NegaMorph leaped backwards out of Matt's range. As NegaMorph recovered from Matt's attack, Matt said, "You've always been causing pain and misery for everyone, but you've gone way too far this time. I cannot forgive you for what you've done." "You can't forgive me? That's funny. I don't recall ever asking you to forgive me. We'll talk about forgiveness when I wipe you out of existence!" yelled NegaMorph as he charged at Matt. Matt growled and let loose a blast of black energy that sent NegaMorph down the corridor just as some of Captain Andrews's men came into view. "It's General NegaMorph, shoot him!" said one and they began shooting.

NegaMorph flinched as the blasts shot several holes through him and even cut off some of his limbs. "No! He's mine!" yelled Matt. Andrews would have objected if it weren't for the look on Matt's face that would have cracked apart a bulldozer. They stepped aside as Matt brandished his ion staff. "This is where it ends," he said. NegaMorph winced and said, "How could I loss? I was supposed to be invincible." He glanced up at Matt and said, "Well what are you waiting for? Go on, do it. Do it!" "I can never forgive you for what you've done to Morph. He was my friend," said Matt, "How can you be so cold? You're not even sorry for what you did!" He raised up his ion staff and said, "Goodbye, NegaMorph!" and started to bring it down on him.

Chloe yelled, "CAPTAIN MATTHEW, JAMES LYNCH! STAND DOWN!" Matt froze, the blade almost touching NegaMorph who was barely breathing from the blade's proximity. "You aren't a murderer, Matt. In all the time I knew you, you never killed anyone willingly. Please don't start now," she said more softly. Matt looked down at NegaMorph and seemed like he was going to do it anyway. NegaMorph shut his eyes...and heard the sound of Matt's ion blade powering down.

NegaMorph stood up and looked at Chloe. "I don't get it," he said, "Why are you protecting me? We're not on the same side anymore. I just banished one of your brother's friends through a portal with no designation." "You gave Silvia...and me a friend. I'd have been just another minion of the Emperor if you hadn't been my friend. I can't forgive what you did though. Please, just go," said Chloe.

NegaMorph's pain contorted with pain again. But it wasn't physical pain, it was emotional pain. He walked past all the others to an empty corridor. "Just leave me alone," he said. "NegaMorph..." started Kala. NegaMorph spun around and yelled, "I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Captain Andrews wasn't about to let NegaMorph leave. "That's it. FIRE!" NegaMorph ignored the SMG rounds bouncing off him and walked into one of his shadow portals. Andrews stomped over to Matt. "YOU IDIOT...WE COULD HAVE GOTTEN A TOP GENE...ack!" He yelled, chocking as Matt grabbed him round the throat and pushed him aside.

Suddenly a louder explosion was heard and the AI was heard on the intercom. "My word, you people are terrible houseguests. The entire space elevator's breaking up now. There, are you happy?" Matt seemed to snap out of a trance. "Oh nuts, run away?" he suggested. Chloe looked behind her. "Omnirus is back where the pods are, there's just the docking bays this way." "Yes, it is time to leave zis place," said Chip in his colder voice. Then his head spun and he said with the Swartzeneger voice, "Too bad we don't have time to smash more bad guys on ze way." Then his head spun and his higher-pitched voice said, "Oh, can we go stop for ice cream on ze way back? Ah-ha-ha-ha!" Chloe was about to say, "What the heck's up with...?" "Never mind, run now, wonder later," said Matt.

The group, Andrews's men included followed until they reached the main docking bay. There was one ship, a familiar ship. "Nice, least we know how to steal this model," said Matt. The ship was identical to the old NSS Ohana. The door lasted a whole 4 seconds under the ship's phase cannons, blasting them off their hinges. The ship flew out into space, just as the elevator broke loose from it moorings. Matt watched the elevator float away. "Well," he said, "I guess we could call this day a victory. We've just cost the Empire a base, I've got my sister back, and I've finally heard the last of V-627." Suddenly an annoyingly familiar voice in his head said, "Not so fast! Haven't you ever heard of back-up copies?" Matt's scream of frustration could be heard throughout the entire ship.

Andrews said, "More then that. Intel's been looking for this place for months. It's where they've been launching all their attacks on NSC territory," as the liberated Defiant Class flew between the NSC capitol ships, ant-like in comparison.

--

Meanwhile, NegaMorph had managed to get to an escape pod in time. He didn't know if anyone else survived, but frankly he didn't care. He was looking at the adamantium pocket watch Silvia had given to him on his first birthday. "I have nothing now," he said to himself. There was a small splashing sound as the first tears he's ever shed fell onto the watch.

There's another chapter. This is rather grim. In fact, I intended Omnirus X0 to be the only comedy relief in this whole chapter. Well, that and Chip's concussion-based impression of Animated Blitzwing. I find it somewhat anticlimatic for him to reach his most powerful form yet and get laughed at for it. Almost makes you feel sorry form him. Almost.

However, the part regarding PosiMorph and NegaMorph is much more sobering. PosiMorph isn't actually dead, he's just sent through a portal with no intended destination. In other words, he could be anywhere at any point of time. Most probably, he won't be in the same dimension. I had hoped that I've built up enough sympathy for NegaMorph at this point. The thought of learning all his goals had been for naught and that he's lost his only friend really makes you pity him, right? Anyways, the last chapter of this story and this arc will up in two days. Make sure you see it and please review.