Assassin Drones: The original saga

Silent Invasion Arc. De Arimasu!

By Alex Young

The Earth's moon, 12:00 pm. April 29, 2002

Gial's forward invasion base minus the super gun was nearly complete, and he had wasted no time in preparing his food storage tank underground. In fact, things were going especially smoothly today, given the recent shipment of yandere parasites for Gial's consumption. Gial had equipped the tank with an atmospheric generator to house the yandere parasites that so happen to be the assassin drones of Alpha 134's most favorite food item, as well as their most common food source.

Gial can go on for weeks, if not months without eating because he was designed and built with a rare genetic mutation that allows him to regulate his own metabolism very well. However, when he does come across a food source, his innermost gluttony kicks in causing him to devour all the edible contents around him, including that held in his food storage tank.

This latest meal would come to satisfy for the next few months if Gial keeps his metabolism low enough. That is to say, he was one of the few who were cut out for the job upon birth. If Gial's pseudo hibernation has proven one thing, it was this; assassin drones are the cream of the crop for any hive or colony, and Gial was definitely no exception in spite of all the stigma surrounding purpose built assassin drones.

Meanwhile, at an outdoor restaurant in Khartoum, Sudan

Radon had flown all the way to Khartoum for his next assignment, after having performed a currency exchange in 100,000 yen to 1,000 U.S. dollars. He's been traveling on foot for days on end, eventually strolling on towards the restaurant. He had been told to meet up with a girl by the name of Emma. He took his seat and placed his order, patiently awaiting her arrival. "You're just as Nabiki described." A voice swept out from behind Radon.

"Wait a sec! You know Nabiki?" Radon blurted out in surprise. "Yep, we've known each other since the 4th grade in middle school. We keep in touch via the internet. Oh, and I'm Emma Miyamoto." Emma introduced. "Well, hey there, Emma. I'm Radon, boy hitman." He introduced with his hand reaching out to her. "Heh, nice ta meetcha." She greeted with a smile. "Here's your order." A waiter requested.

"A hummus dish? Thanks." Radon replied as he began to chow down on some good old Arabic cuisine. "Here's the job; I've been trying to piece together the clues to unlock the great pyramids of Giza. All I've managed to glean so far from this is that 'the key is found where the Blue Nile and White Nile converge,' which is why I'm in Khartoum. I want to explore a little more, but daddy is very worried about me running around all by myself.

What's more is that only men can go into the catacombs and look for the key. That's where you come in. In short, just get me the key and help me unlock the great pyramids of Giza." Emma requested as she manipulated the maps with her laptop mouse pad. "What's in it for me, then?" Radon inquired. "Oh, nothing, just a cool hundred thousand bucks." She offered.

"I'll take it." "Good, I'll download the map data into your GPS." "Sounds good to me." Radon replied as he finished his meal and left the tip for the waiter to pick up. From the shadows, however, we can see that Rip Rat and company had been following Radon to his destination. "Dass 'im alright." Slaughtersjaws slurred. "You bet your recent oil change it is, boys. Now let's head 'em up and MOVE 'EM OUT!" Rip Rat ordered as he and the rat pack continued to shadow the boy hitman.

Khartoum's underground sewer system, 1:45 pm

Radon's map data had led him to a dusty basement. He opened the door slowly, and began to climb down the scaffolding. Whereupon which, the wood would give in due to dry rot and send the boy hitman crashing down into a prat fall. Unfortunately, such an accident didn't go unnoticed as a "Hey! I dink I herd sumpin!" From Slaughtersjaws up above would certainly attest.

It was because of this that Radon had to scramble his way into the sewer system as soon as he got up on his feet, so as to get away from the main rat pack. When he reached a slightly different sounding wall, he touched it, and a door opened up from the outside. Suddenly, something frightened Radon into drawing his Macedonian twins. False alarm! It was just a skeleton!

After that scare, as soon as Radon took a peek around the bend, there it was at last; the secret underground catacombs of Khartoum! Radon stepped inside for a while, and the secret door closed behind him. It was then that Radon put his head mounted lantern on, and it turned it on, all to illuminate the darkened catacombs. "Less smoke dat fucker out!" "Yessss, letssss!" Radon picked on the fact that the main rat pack had somehow gotten into the sewers.

"Gotta move fast!" Radon muttered urgently picking up the pace. On the outside, Rip Rat and the gang were just outside the secret entrance to the catacombs. "We know you're in there you little shit, so come on out!" Rip Rat snarled. "Blast the door open." Rip Rat then groaned. "With, pleasure!" A Riptile clone replied affirmatively as he performed a special molecule morph from monster truck to artillery gun, and opened fire on the entrance to no avail.

"HOW IN THE!? THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! DO IT AGAIN!" Rip Rat screeched as the gun platform blasted away at the door with some sort of magical power to keep intruders out. "Whew, never thought that the wall would hold up after all that." Radon mused in relief knowing that the rat pack was having difficulty blasting that apparently impenetrable wall open.

"Hmm, according to the map data, the point where the Blue Nile and White Nile converge should be right round, here!" Radon exclaimed confident that he found the point as he stepped on a switch tile that lowered itself a few inches. Radon eventually put his handguns back in his pockets. "Alright, where in the hell is that damn KEEEEEeeeeeeyyyyyyyy!" Radon screamed as a trap door suddenly opened beneath his feet.

Radon called upon his reflexes and stretched his limbs out bringing him to a dead stop just above a spike pit. When looking down, he could see that some explorers were not all that fortunate in their search for the key. Radon then proceeded to scour the walls of the death pit. All that, only to find yet another switch tile, but this time revealing a handle upon depression.

Radon pulled the handle out to reveal that it was the very key he was scrounging around for. After a while, Radon confirmed that the key in his hand was another precious power object that humans were the only ones ever allowed to touch. Another confirmation was this; Even though Radon came from a planet well known for its hitmen, he was only human, after all.

The key itself was a sword shaped crystal, though the handle was made of stone. The key also had some jagged edges and peaks on both sides, which were very uneven on each side. With all that jazz, Radon then proceeded to climb up on out of the pit. Radon presented the key to the other wall, and it opened up. At last, Radon was out of the catacombs eager to escort Emma to the pyramids, unlock them, and collect his $100,000 payment.

Rip Rat on the other hand was more or less stuck in the sewers trying the destroy the wall, when he the found the wall to be opening itself up. "Yo, I heard that it was a drag for the likes of you be breaking and entering, so I opened up the wall for ya." A hooded man spoke in a silky smooth tongue from the other side. "SAY, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" The brash Rip Rat cried in anger.

"Just call me Shikamaru Nara: the 500 year old Guardian sage of the labyrinth catacombs in Khartoum." The unaged Shikamaru introduced as he mounted on a magic overboard. "Catch me if ya can." He teased as he made a break for it into the labyrinth. "Damn that son of a, AFTER HIM!" Rip Rat screeched as he, the rat pack, and the rat pack clones took off after him.

Xiu Wong's commandos joined in on the chase as well on some rat pack clone motorcycles equipped with guns. "Scatter! Use any dead ends as an opportunity to ambush that bastard guardian!" Rip Rat barked as his attack force split up through the various walkways, tunnels, and plazas. "Jaws! Nite Bite! Stay close behind me! The last thing we want right now is for him to sneak up on us." Rip Rat snarled as his two henchmen closed in behind him in formation.

Several Quadruberserkuda and Riptile clones were racing around in their search for Shikamaru. "Why YOU! BRACE YOURSELF!" Rip Rat screeched upon finding Shikamaru at the glowing lavender energy core at the depths of the labyrinth. With that, he closed in with jaws open, and tore a lethal gash into Shikamaru's gut. "Guess this is it. Boom boom, you monster." He chuckled as he set the core to self destruct.

"What in the blood red hell!? RETREAT!" Rip Rat screamed as his main rat pack escaped the labyrinth after having realized that Shikamaru sought to trap him and the rat pack inside it upon death. Rip Rat and the commandos raced toward the exit and made it out alive before the labyrinth violently imploded in on itself, taking the buildings on top with it.

"I DEMAND A HEAD COUNT, NOW!" Rip Rat screeched worried about any casualties from his failed venture. "Well, the commandos all survived." Darkclaw reported. "Whooo, I can't believe we made id oudda dat one alive!" Slaughtersjaws whooped in exhausted glee. "Good, Jaws. Now let's be glad to be all in one..." "Well well, look what the rat dragged in." Slash Cat interrupted as he and the main cat pack met face to face with the main rat pack survivors as a tandem rotor cargo helicopter approached from over head.

"Well, Slash. You win this round, but the battle ain't over yet." Rip Rat spat as his rat pack were evacuated from Khartoum via airlift. "Chalk one up for the good guys, I suppose." Terrence "Terry" Carmichael chimed in with his usual southern charm. "Well, Terry. Given Rip Rat's determination to see us dead and this planet destroyed, this won't be the last of him and his gang, that's for sure." Slash Cat replied grimly. "Yeah, I'll say." Jennifer "Jen" Palowski agreed as she and her squad mates began to survey the destruction from the ground up.

The great pyramids of Giza, Egypt. 4:00 pm

A young man had been trekking all the way from the wind swept Sahel desert, with some rock salt in hand and some food in his backpack courtesy of the local Tuareg tribesmen. He sat down on the edge of the pyramid, and broke off some rock salt for his cooked cobra meat. His name was Ryoga Hibiki, and the one reason why he even wound up in the Sahel desert in the first place was due to his less than stellar sense of direction.

"Where am I now?" Ryoga breezed tiredly as he began munching on his vittles. "Hey Ryoga! Never thought I'd find you here!" Emma called out as she trotted up to the lost boy's side. "Emma? What are you doing here?" Ryoga queried. "Me? I'm here to unlock the pyramids to learn more about the ancient Egyptians, being the history buff that I am." She replied smiling.

"What in the? He's Ryoga?" Radon pondered in confusion as he leaned into the pyramid wall. "Whoa, WAAAAUGH!" Radon yelped as he fell into the wall section that opened up like a door. Upon which the key began to shake violently, and as soon as Radon picked the key up, the key somehow dragged him into the pyramid at an unnaturally high speed.

"YAAAAIIIIIIIIGH, OOF!" Radon cried out as the key came to a dead stop upon reaching its assigned lock. As soon as Radon let go, the key turned itself in the lock, and the lock descended into the floor below. It was then that all three of the great pyramids of Giza began to unlock at once. A single, lavender colored laser beam from each of the three keystones began pointing towards one spot in the center of the pyramids' formation, thereby activating an elevator portal.

"That's it! This is hands down the find of the century. Now I know that the pyramids are extra special because they are a cartography site for more precious artifacts. I can't thank you enough, Radon, for your part." Emma chirped. "You're welcome and all, but where's my paym... oh, there it is." Radon replied as his full payment landed on the palm of his hand. Not only that, but he now found himself in possession of what Emma dubbed the alchemist's cartographer; a small, square pyramid like device. "C'mon, Ryoga. Let's go home." Radon advised as he took Ryoga by the shoulder so as to keep him from getting lost again.

In Kasumi's room, 8:00 pm

Kasumi Tendo just went through her 19th birthday, today. She looked into her closet to find the dark indigo kimono she had bought for Akane. The kimono came complete with a white obi with bright red outlines, plus an obiage and obijime made to look flush with the obi. Her secret lover, Dr. Tofu Ono mustered up the guts to confess his love for her on her birthday picnic with the family.

She was quite pleasantly surprised at his confession, she even let him take photos of her in her Furinkan high school uniform to sweeten the deal. However, Soun was left slightly polarized as this sudden turn of events in the ever complicated love dodecahedron, and he was still mulling it over with Genma till this very moment to a friendly game of go downstairs.

"Let's put it this way, Tendo. If we were to marry Kasumi off to Tofu, and Nabiki off to a rich man, then not only would the boy have to marry Akane, but us fathers would have had it MADE IN THE SHADE! MUHUHAHAHAHAHA!" Genma cackled gregariously. "Well, that is certainly something to write home about, Saotome, but I'm still not sure as to whether or not to marry Kasumi to Tofu, given his history of unpredictability around her." Soun added citing the fact Dr. Tofu's history of being rather destructive with Kasumi around him.

"Say, Tendo. Let's just see how this whole thing pans out." Genma offered. "Agreed, Saotome." Soun replied as they continued their game. Little did they know, however, that Happosai had been listening in on them. He had a dangerous vendetta with his disciples over the fact that they had hog tied him to a tree trunk and poured a bucket of rubber cement all over his body.

"You two traitors are gonna pay for what you did to my dignity." Happosai growled under his breath as he crept into his room where a small cauldron full of a very special summoning ink was being concocted. Happosai then ground up some uncooked rice in with some fox fur before mixing in the blood of a freshly killed ox. He poured the mixture into the cauldron, along with what may be Greek fire a la the alchemist's cartographer he purloined from Nabiki an hour ago.

The vindictive old lecher wrote his name with the ink via a standard writing brush on an empty scroll, and then dipped the scroll fully into the ink. "I command you! ARISE!" Happosai bellowed as the cauldron growled with two, evil looking slits were glowing a harsh red inside it. With that, the scroll absorbed all the ink, thereby turning completely black. {Nyeheheheeeeeh! You two will surely have known the true meaning of terror when I'm through with you!} Happosai growled with a nefarious grin as he picked the blackened scroll up and stored it within a secret tatami compartment so he could exact his grievous revenge on Soun and Genma.