Chapter 9: Madhouse Brawl!
Meanwhile; Spawn and his group of Insurgents finally approached the entrance of the old abandoned Empire Plaza Asylum. Unfortunately, it was locked. "Damn it! It's locked; we're gonna have to find another in." Chris announced after he messed with the lock. Jill cleared her throat before she pushed Chris aside and began fiddling with the lock. "Giving up, already? What's so hard about unlocking doors, Chris?" Jill teased as she finally unlocked the door.
Chris palmed his face and groaned in embarrassment. "You got lucky last time, babe. But from now on, let the master of unlocking things handle this sort of thing." Jill boasted as she kicked the door wide open. "Yeah, yeah...shut up!" Chris grumbled as he crept inside.
As everyone snuck through the abandoned asylum, an eerie silence sent a shiver of fear through their spines. Everyone except Spawn and Batman. "This place gives me the creeps!" Harley Quinn piped nervously. "No kidding; I can't imagine what this place was like when it was still in business!" Wolverine added. "I think I'm going to be sick!" Chun-Li groaned as she gagged at the rancid smell of death in the air. "You think you fools can make anymore noise?!" Spawn growled as he opened a door. "Relax! It's not like we're being watched or anything, hon." Reika said half-jokingly as she stepped inside of the room.
Famous last words. A cable caught Reika from up above, causing her to scream and catch the other Insurgents' attention. "Reika!" Spawn exclaimed as he turned around. But before he could make his next move, a pair of steel hands grabbed him from behind and restrained him, making him drop his shotgun. Spawn cried out as he tried to break free, but the strength of Colossus was too strong. As the others tried to save him, they were subdued and restrained by black tentacles. "Ha-ha-ha! We got you now!" Venom cackled. "Eddie?! Damn it!" Spiderman cursed. "Right the first time, Parker!" Venom sneered. "Omega Red? What the hell is the meaning of this?! Let us go this instant!" Captain America growled.
Omega Red then jumped in front of Spawn, holding Reika tightly with his cables. At the same time, Zangief and Sabertooth jumped into the scene and stood by Omega Red's side. "You fools made this way too easy on yourselves, you know. You think I wasn't aware that Superman's forces were after you?" Omega Red taunted. "Let me go, you bastard!" Reika snarled. "I knew that you were a shady son of a bitch...I just didn't think you'd sell us out this easy. You fucking bastard!" Spawn spat. Omega Red replied with a savage backhand to Spawn's face, hard enough to spill Necroplasm from his nose and splatter on the wall.
Spawn glared at Omega Red, with the treacherous villain glaring right back. "I told you that nobody who wanders here ever returns. You should have run away when you had the chance...but now you shall all pay the price! Bring these fools over to the Joker at once. I'm sure he'd love some new playmates! But as for you Spawn, you're coming with me. I think now is the proper time I collect my much deserved reward!" Omega Red announced.
Spawn growled as he began surging with Necroplasm. "You think that whatever money Superman is paying you any good? He'll stab you in the back just like he did with the others who worked for him!" Spawn snapped. "You are the main concern for Superman, Spawn. You have any idea how much you are worth to him?" Omega Red retorted. "That's it! I'm sick of this shit; let me go now or else!" Reika shouted. "Or else what, bitch?" Omega Red growled as he smacked her in the face.
Spawn's rage grew more powerful as he saw his wife being struck by this bastard. With a fierce battle-cry, Spawn's body glowed with Necroplasm and he forced Colossus off of him before he punched Omega Red in the face. The force of the punch was so powerful, it sent Omega Red flying through a wall and into another room. As Spawn charged towards Omega Red to fight him, the other Insurgents took the immediate opportunity to fight back against Omega Red's allies.
Spiderman, Morrigan Aensland, and Wolverine teamed up to battle against Venom, while Batman aligned himself with Harley Quinn and Nightwing to battle against Sabertooth. Captain America, Cyborg, Reika, and Chun-Li worked with Jill and Chris to battle against Colossus and Zangief. "You guys have no idea how big of a mistake you're making working for Superman!" Spiderman cried as he struck a few punches against Venom. "Superman is of no concern to us; we only care about killing you!" Venom snarled as he grabbed Spiderman and slammed him to the ground. "You think he won't kill you for disobeying him?" Spiderman retorted as he kicked himself free of Venom's grip.
Spiderman fired several web balls at Venom, but the projectiles only agitated the symbiotic monster. Wolverine and Morrigan took their chance to strike Venom and gained a little more success as they added more damage with their own attacks. "Something tells me that you're not friends with Spiderman, here!" Morrigan teased as she kicked at Venom several times. "Parker ruined us! And now, we shall make sure you are too!" Venom growled as he whiplashed Morrigan with several tentacles.
Wolverine screamed fiercely as he slashed off Venom's tentacles with his claws, and then pounced on him before he unleashed a barrage of vicious slash attacks. "Let's go, bub! I'm only getting started!" Wolverine sneered as he leapt back and stood in a defensive fighter's position next to Spiderman and Morrigan. Venom roared as he got back up on his feet; he would not be defeated by Spiderman or his friends again.
Batman, Nightwing, and Harley Quinn's battle was just as intense with Sabertooth. "I thought sabertooths were an endangered species!" Nightwing taunted as he kept punching and kicking at the massive mutant beast. "Argh! You're making me angry; not a great idea, boy!" Sabertooth snarled as he attempted to slash his massive claws at Nightwing. Nightwing dodged his attack before he bounced off against a wall and kicked Sabertooth in the face, knocking him down.
Batman took the opportunity to fire his grapple hook up at the ceiling and tear off a chunk of debris, crushing Sabertooth. "You're all bark and now bite!" Batman teased. But to his surprise, Sabertooth exploded free of the debris and roared ferociously. "Aw, lighten up will ya?! Here, have a cupcake!" Harley sneered as she threw an exploding cupcake at Sabertooth. Sabertooth cried out as the cupcake exploded in his face, making him angrier and angrier. "I'll tear you all apart!" Sabertooth snarled as he charged towards Harley.
Harley cried out in fear as she hid behind Batman, but Batman showed no fear. Just as Sabertooth was about to attack him, Batman threw a smoke bomb at Sabertooth and made him cough violently. "Grr...where'd you go, you coward?! You can't hide from me forever!" Sabertooth shouted as he swatted at the smoke. Batman had used the opportunity to grapple hook his way onto the ceiling, right above Sabertooth. Harley took the chance to hide behind a huge chunk of debris, right next to Nightwing.
Sabertooth growled as he began using his brute strength to tear off chunks of debris scattered around the place to find his prey, when Batman finally made his move. He jumped onto Sabertooth's back and began punching him with all his might. This only made things worse, as Sabertooth flew into a rage and battered his way into an abandoned kitchen before slamming Batman face first into a freezer. Harley gasped as she saw Batman's pain, but knew that if she didn't brave up then Batman would have gotten seriously hurt.
She finally plucked up enough courage to jump out of her hiding spot and began rushing towards Sabertooth. "Harley, wait! What are you doing?! Get back here!" Nightwing shouted as he chased after her. "HEY! Over here, you oversized hairball!" Harley screamed as she picked up the pace. Sabertooth grunted in confusion as he saw Harley running towards him, but none of them was expecting her next move.
She slid underneath of Sabertooth and placed a time bomb under his feet in the form of a pie. "This will be a blast!" Harley said as she covered her ears. The pie exploded and sent Sabertooth flying into the air screaming, which gave Harley the opportunity to smack him away with an oversized mallet. Sabertooth cried out in pain as he was smacked away into another room. Harley cheered for herself as she pranced around like a fool, making Nightwing groan in annoyance. "Ugh...at least she's on our side now!" he muttered as he helped Batman up on his feet.
Sabertooth ferociously growled as he came running back towards Batman's group; he was not going to be defeated so easily. "You want more, you walking carpet? Fine by me!" Harley shouted as she held her mallet in an aggressive manner. "Try and stay focused this time, Harley!" Batman warned as he drew out a pair of Bat-a-Rangs. "Like that'll ever happen!" Nightwing mumbled as he drew out his electric batons.
Meanwhile; Chun-Li and Captain America's fight against Zangief was interrupted by quite a shocking revelation. Chun-Li kept on kicking at the massive Russian wrestler, making him very angry. "Grr! Hold still, stupid girl! I must crush you!" Zangief snarled as he blocked her attacks. "Why would you join these guys, Zangief? I expected you to have more honor than this!" Chun-Li cried as she slid underneath of him and kicked him in the back.
Zangief cried out in pain as he was kicked in the back, but his rage grew more powerful as he turned around and grabbed her. "Now you're gonna get it!" Zangief growled as he flew up into the air and then smashed her back down. "Hang on, Chun-Li!" Captain America cried as he leapt up into the air and punched Zangief in the face brutally. Zangief cried out as he was sent flying back from the forceful punch, crashing into a wall.
Zangief jumped right back up and grabbed a nearby restraining table before chucking it at Captain America. Captain America cried out in pain as he was smashed by the table, but Zangief wanted him to suffer. He grabbed Captain America by the legs and began smashing him around like a rag doll before he threw him into the air. Zangief then jumped up and caught him before he smashed him back to the ground.
Chun-Li grew furious as she saw her friend in great pain and resulted in losing control of her anger. "You fucking animal! I'll make you suffer for that!" Chun-Li shouted as she ran behind Zangief. She jumped up onto his back and began choking him with a headlock, forcing Zangief on his knees as he began gasping for breath. Chun-Li growled as she tried to snap his neck, but Zangief was too strong and was able to resist before forcing her off of him.
Chun-Li cried out as she was flipped onto her back, but she was able to escape in time before Zangief's foot crushed her head. She grabbed a nearby shard of glass and waited for the perfect moment to strike; she needed Zangief to get closer to her. "Come on, then! Finish me off, you Ruskie bastard!" Chun-Li taunted. Zangief suddenly began laughing at her, but in a strangely different tone. "Yes...yes! This is exactly what I wanted to see from you; I can finally feel your true anger and hatred! I bet you that your precious little friends would simply DIE to witness your final battle!" Zangief cackled in a completely different tone.
Chun-Li dropped her glass shard and stared at her opponent with complete shock and disbelief on her face. "No! It can't be...it's impossible!" Chun-Li exclaimed. Zangief cackled as his entire body began glowing dark purple and morphed back into his real form; the notorious and maniacal crime lord, M. Bison! "Right you are, my dear girl. Right you are! Oh, how long I have waited for this moment!" M. Bison sneered.
Chun-Li nearly fell to her knees due to being so shocked. "How...how is this even possible?! You...I mean, I...I killed you!" Chun-Li stuttered. "Ah, that you did! But thanks to a special new friend of mine, I am far more powerful than ever before! And now, let me show you a mere taste of my new powers!" M. Bison cackled as he suddenly transformed into Ryu.
The evil Ryu smirked as he charged up with vast amounts of energy before firing an enormous streak of energy at Chun-Li. "Shiryu...HADOKEN!" Ryu shouted. Chun-Li was lucky enough to jump out of the way before she was blown away, but a few other fighters weren't so lucky. Cyborg and Chris Redfield were struggling against Colossus until the blast of Ryu's attack struck them and sent them flying out of the asylum. "CHRIS!" Jill screamed. "What in the name of God was that?!" Reika exclaimed.
Ryu laughed evilly before he suddenly transformed into Guile, immediately catching the attention of the others. "Oh my God...a shapeshifiter?!" Reika gasped. "Wait a minute...that's no ordinary shapeshifter, you guys! That's M. Bison; I remember the battle that Chun-Li had against this maniac! Come on, we gotta help her out!" Jill cried as she loaded up her Beretta pistol.
Guile laughed manically as he pummeled Chun-Li with several flurry punches before he transformed into Juri, kicking Chun-Li into the air before she pummeled her with massive flurry kicks. "Ha-ha-ha! What's the matter, little girl?! Have you grown too soft over these years? I was hoping for more of a fight from you than this!" Juri sneered before she grabbed Chun-Li's legs and slammed her back down to the ground.
As Juri landed back on her feet, she morphed into Cammy White and began savagely kicking at Chun-Li. Chun-Li cried out in pain from M. Bison's powerful attacks stolen from the other Street Fighters. But before anymore damage was done, M. Bison was sent flying back from a burst of dark energy. M. Bison morphed back into his real self, growling with anger. "Who dares to challenge me now?!" M. Bison demanded.
Reika Kitami teleported in front of him and zapped him with lightning before she punched him in the chin. The force of her punch was strong, but her vicious kick in M. Bison's face with her foot was stronger and sent the evil crime-lord flying back against a wall. "Leave her alone, you bully!" Reika shouted. M. Bison growled with fury as he got back on his feet and began firing orbs of dark energy at Reika.
Reika used her magic to create a forcefield and protected herself from harm before she zapped him again with lightning. At the same time, Jill Valentine fired several shots of her pistol at M. Bison. "You're finished, you madman!" Jill shouted as she suddenly drew out a rocket launcher. She fired dozens of rockets at M. Bison, the explosive rounds creating much collateral damage to their surroundings while hurting M. Bison greatly.
Finally, Chun-Li's rage kicked in and she unleashed her most powerful attack on her nemesis. "That's it! No more messing around; it's time to end this!" Chun-Li cried as she ran towards M. Bison and kicked him square in the jaw and forced him up into the air. She leapt up after him and kicked him several times before she finally smashed him down with another kick, powerful enough to create a huge crater in the ground.
As Chun-Li landed back on her feet next to Reika and Jill, she panted heavily to catch her breath. "I don't know how or why you came back, but one thing is for certain. You're not getting away from me this time! Not now, and not ever!" Chun-Li shouted in-between pants.
But as she said that, a nasty tentacle snuck up behind her and caught her off guard as it wrapped around her neck and began choking her. "AUGH! HELP ME!" Chun-Li screamed as she was being dragged away. "Chun-Li! NO!" Reika shouted as she tried to help her friend. But as she tried to help Chun-Li, another pair of tentacles grabbed her by the legs and began dragging her along with Chun-Li. "NO! Let me go, you fucker! HELP!" Reika shouted as she tried to break free.
Jill leapt towards them and began slashing at the tentacles, which in turn caused an enraged Venom to suddenly appear and grab her before he consumed her into his body. "Jill! JILL!" Chun-Li screamed in shock. "AAAHHH! Let me go, you fucking monster! HELP ME!" Jill screeched as she felt her energy being sucked by Venom. "Ha-ha-ha! You're ours now, lady...our hunger is almost gone!" Venom cackled.
But before he could suck anymore life out of Jill, Spiderman tackled him from behind and began beating his face with all his might. "I swear I'm gonna knock all those teeth outta your head if you don't knock it off, Eddy! Let her go!" Spiderman shouted. "Never!" Venom snarled as he wrestled with Spiderman. Morrigan flew into the scene and spread out her wings, ready to unleash one of her most powerful attacks. "Hey, Venom...see if you can dodge this!" Morrigan taunted before she unleashed a storm of bullets.
Spiderman jumped out of the way before Venom was bombarded by the bullets, the force of the explosive impact forcing Jill Valentine out of Venom's body. Jill screamed as she flew across the room, but Reika and Chun-Li caught her and broke her fall before they all stood back up. "Gotcha! You ok, sweetheart?" Reika said as she helped Jill up. Jill suddenly gave her the darkest look as she still panted to catch her breath. "Am I ok? Am I ok?! NO! NO, I'M NOT FUCKING OK! HE ATE ME!" Jill screeched furiously. "Well at least you're still alive!" Chun-Li pointed out. "Argh...Chris would never let me live this down if he saw this!" Jill growled as she shook her head.
Venom groaned as struggled to stand back up, but Spiderman wouldn't let him. He grabbed Venom and slammed him against a wall before he trapped him inside a massive spider web. "Stay down, Eddie! This is for your own good!" Spiderman shouted. "Well, that worked out well...wouldn't you say, ladies and gentlemen?" Morrigan teased as she smirked at Jill. "Fuck you! You're not the one who was nearly tentacle raped and eaten by that thing!" Jill snarled. "Hey, come on now...play nice!" Morrigan giggled as she hugged her.
Chun-Li sighed as she shook her head and turned around, only to find out that M. Bison was gone and out of sight. "Shit! He's escaped...again!" Chun-Li cursed. "Don't worry about that, sweetie. We have bigger problems to worry about right now, such as finding Spawn!" Reika reassured. "Right, because the whole fucking world revolves around him! Right?!" Chun-Li snapped.
Reika did not like Chun-Li's tone, and neither did the others. "Hey! Spawn is the reason we're all together and still alive!" Reika snapped back. "Well, Spawn is also the reason we're in this mess, you bitch! Do I even need to remind you of all the things you did to me and Cammy?!" Chun-Li shouted. "Chun-Li, that's enough! You've made your point!" Morrigan said sternly. "Shut up, you slut! You have no idea what this witch has put me through, so just keep your mouth shut!" Chun-Li shouted even angrier.
Reika sighed heavily as she did her best to not lose control of her anger, despite how right Chun-Li was. "Chun-Li, you need to calm down!" Reika began. "Why? So you can subdue me and fuck me whenever you have the chance? Huh?! I wonder how many more people have fallen victim to your evil charms, you fucking futanari freak!" Chun-Li snarled bitterly.
This made the other Insurgents' jaws drop, but Reika Kitami's reaction was for more shocking. Her eyes suddenly glowed bright white and she began surging with a powerful burst of dark energy. "ENOUGH! Don't you dare mistake me as your enemy, you foolish little girl! I'm not trying to hurt you!" Reika thundered in a loud voice. Chun-Li's eyes flooded with bitter tears as she continued to stare at Reika, until she finally realized what she had done.
Reika's eyes stopped glowing and her dark energy calmed down. "I'm trying to help you, honey. Please...don't let your anger get the better of you. You know that's what the enemy wants!" Reika said in a more soft and calm voice. Chun-Li burst into hysterical sobs as she fell to her knees. "I'm so sorry, Reika Kitami. I didn't mean it, I swear! I was just so angry about-" Chun-Li sobbed.
Reika helped her to her feet and shushed her as she embraced her, like a mother comforting her child. "Shh! It's ok, babe...don't cry. It's all right, I understand. You have every right to be angry with me. But you also need to learn to forgive and forget. Hush now, don't cry!" Reika whispered as she caressed Chun-Li's face.
Chun-Li stopped crying and sniffled as she wiped her eyes dry. "Thank you, but that's not it at all. It's M. Bison! He's taken everything away from me! He murdered my father in cold blood, he's turned my own friends against me, and he's humiliated me in so many awful ways you couldn't imagine! I spent my entire life trying to kill him and avenge my father's death, but every time I fail miserably. It's eating me alive!" Chun-Li admitted.
Reika sighed as she held Chun-Li's face. "I understand, sweetheart. Truly; I do. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love...but you can't let your anger get the better of you. Trust me; I learned that the hard way. Don't make the same mistake I made, because I didn't know how good I had it until it was gone. You have friends who care deeply about you, and you can't push them away." Reika said gravely.
Morrigan nodded her head silently as she approached Chun-Li, touching her shoulder. "She's right, you know. We all care about you deeply...we love you, even." Morrigan said softly. "Yeah, don't worry. We got your back, honey. You'll get your chance soon enough!" Jill added. Chun-Li smiled as she finally let go of Reika and calmed herself.
But the minute of happiness faded away when Captain America found something. "Hey, guys...I think you better come take a look at this!" Captain America announced as he opened a door. As the others followed him into the room, they noticed that there was a change in the atmosphere. It was still dark and gloomy as fuck, but there was something strange in the air. Instead of the rotten decaying smell of death permeating in the air, there was now a sickly sweet smell that made the Insurgents gag.
As they ventured deeper into the room, the Insurgents noticed that there were signs of a violent struggle. "Look; I think Spawn was here. Check out the splatters of Necroplasm!" Captain America pointed out. Reika approached the puddle of Necroplasm and touched it, much to the shock of the others. "Wait, what are you doing? That stuff is like acid; it'll burn your skin off!" Wolverine cried. "You're right...Necroplasm would do that. But it's not...come see for yourselves!" Reika said gravely.
As they approached the puddle of green liquids, the Insurgents caught sight of several empty cases of glass tubes sitting around. "Necro 666! I guess Omega Red wasn't completely lying after all, huh?" Reika said as she stood back up. "But it looks like it's been freshly used...and yet there's not a single soul in sight in this place!" Jill pointed out. "Maybe...just maybe...we're looking in the wrong place. What if there's more activity going on upstairs?" Chun-Li suggested.
Just as she said that, loud screams and gunshots were heard from somewhere. Reika chuckled to herself as she shook her head; Spawn was still alive. "All right then, let's follow the sounds of those dying screams. My husband can't be too far behind!" Reika announced. "You have a really dark sense of humor, don't you?" Spiderman scolded. "What can I say? I am a futanari witch after all!" Reika shrugged. Chun-Li's face turned crimson red as she said. "Hey! Don't talk about yourself like that, ok? I'm sorry-" Chun-Li began nervously.
Suddenly, Chun-Li and the others were given quite a shock when Reika kissed her lips softly. "I know what I am, babe. And I'm proud of it!" Reika whispered before she walked away. Chun-Li stood there with a completely stupefied look on her face, trying to grasp what the hell just happened. "Hey? You guys coming or what?" Reika teased as she began swaying her hips to tease them. "You know something? I think I'm gonna have to change my mind about getting married again!" Spiderman said dumbly. "Yeah...me too!" Chun-Li said weakly.
Meanwhile; Spawn crept through the shadows of the dark hallways of the abandoned asylum in the upper floors. His battle with Omega Red was intense, but suddenly shortened when something had dragged him away into the darkness. So as such, Spawn decided to look for him and get some answers, unaware of what dark dreadful secrets awaited him up above. "Something strange is going on around here, and I damn well intend to find out what it is!" Spawn said out loud.
Along the way, Spawn had run into groups of Necro Junkies. They were surprisingly alert despite the fact they were high as hell, but they were nonetheless a dangerous threat that needed to be eliminated. So the dying screams and gunshots heard from the others below were explained. But what Spawn was about to find next was something that even he couldn't seem to explain or understand...not unless he had an expert detective to help him out.
Spawn was approaching what appeared to be a library, or whatever was left of it. But as he approached it, he was caught off guard when Batman appeared. "Damn it, fool! I nearly shot you; you gave me a heart attack!" Spawn exclaimed as he nearly jumped out of his skin and aimed his shotgun at Batman. "Wouldn't be the first time! You haven't seen Sabertooth around here, have you?" Batman replied grimly. "No...and I'm supposing you haven't found any trace of Omega Red either?" Spawn said as he lowered his shotgun.
Batman shook his head slowly, while Harley Quinn and Nightwing slowly walked into the scene and stood by Batman. "Everything was going just fine until something took Sabertooth away." Batman explained. "Yeah, it was really weird. It was like someone...or something was literally dragging him away by his feet!" Nightwing explained. "I keep telling you guys, it's Mr. Jay! He's made some new friends, but they ain't the kind of friends you should be playing with! That's another reason why I left him...these new friends of his has made him crazy; so he ain't really Mr. Jay no more!" Harley Quinn explained with a tear in her eye.
Spawn did not like the sound of that at all. "If what you're telling me is true...then I think we really are in a madhouse. Come on, let's go see if we can find the others!" Spawn said cautiously. "That won't be necessary, babe. I'm right here!" Reika announced as she and the other Insurgents entered the library. "Reika? You're ok!" Spawn cried. "I can handle myself, hon. So what's going on here?" Reika boasted. Spawn gave her a dark look before he approached her and whispered something in her ear.
Reika's smile quickly faded and she grew very grim and serious. "I should've known. That might explain a little about why that M. Bison character is still alive!" Reika said seriously. "Wait, what are you talking about?" Chun-Li asked. "Isn't it obvious? I think our enemies have made some new and particularly shady friends from down below. We better be careful from this point; it's bound to become more dangerous!" Reika warned. "Wait! Are you suggesting that Wesker and these other psychos have turned to the occult?!" Jill demanded.
Reika gasped as she sensed something from behind a door. "I don't think, babe...I know it! I know that sensation of dark power anywhere! Spawn, come with me...be ready for anything!" Reika announced. Spawn grunted as he readied his shotgun. Jill and a few others walked behind Spawn and Reika, but Reika motioned them to stay behind. As she opened the door, Reika gasped and cried out loudly in shock. "What is it? What's wrong?!" Morrigan asked in concern. Harley gasped as she saw what Reika saw. "I told you...Mr. Jay made some new friends. But they're bad guys; really, really bad guys!" Harley said gravely.
Spawn carefully stepped into the room and growled softly; a massive pentagram made out of blood was seen drawn on the floor...and inside of the symbol was the dead bodies that helped make the evil shape. Surrounding the pentagram was dimly lit candles, along with jars full of strange exotic perfumes. In the center of the pentagram was a pedestal and an open book; some kind of ritual had just been finished. But what was most shocking of all, was that the bodies belonged to Omega Red and Sabertooth!
