Cloud looked at the Buster Sword intently. "I wonder if Sephiroth is there?" He asked himself. "Am I finally going to get a chance at revenge? Am I up to it?" He shook his head. "That's a stupid question. Of course I'm up for it." Then there was a knock on the door. It was one of Kutaragi's soldiers. "Letter for you, Cloud." He said, before he was on his way. Cloud was confused. "Wonder who it could be?" Well. As far as Cloud was concerned, whoever it was was going to have to wait. Currently, he, along with some other All-Stars were off to San Francisco. Why? To attack Polygon Man, that's why. The idea was that if the All-Stars could sufficiently remove Polygon Man's influence, or just in general do enough to piss him off, then they might figure out a way to Polygon Man.
"What's that letter, Cloud?" Dart asked. Cloud shrugged. "I don't know. It's not important, I guess. We've got more pressing issues to deal with." Dart agreed. "Don't even know what to expect on this escapade." He went on. "But, I guess it's gonna be tough, whatever could need so many of us to go there at once." Cloud shrugged. "Personally, I think it'll be more interesting to see how the other All-Stars fight. I wanna see how capable they are." Dart agreed. He had seen some of the All-Stars fight, but very few of them were here on the ship with him. He obviously knew how Cloud was going to fight, as well as Nathan Hale and the Chimera. The sniper ws there too, Dart forgot her name. He also briefly saw Sweet Tooth fighting against Mr. Ash, who wasn't here. The only one he fought against was the purple dragon. Spyro, Dart remembered, was his name. He was tough. Dart overcame him in the end, but Spyro didn't make it easy. "Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. They seem pretty capable." Cloud nodded before looking out of a window. "Another night here?" He sighed. "Oh well, as long as we actually get there in the end, I guess I can't complain."
"So why didn't you let her stay?" Danner asked. "There was only a small chance it would actually work. There were dozens more just like her they had all tried. They didn't survive the operations." Joel explained. "I see, but this kid...well, I understand if you got attached and all, but why not just let her go?" Joel threw down some pictures he produced from his pockets. "This is why." He sounded extremely remorseful. He immediately got up and left the room. Danner looked at the pictures.. "Can you tell me anything about these pictures, BlackJack?" He asked, scanning them. "Let's see. Sarah Miller. Born 23rd of June, 2001. Died 27th September, 2013. Cause of death: Shot." BlackJack read out. It didn't take long for Jacket to put the pieces together. This girl was his daughter, and he saw Ellie as...not a replacement. The real thing. His daughter. He wondered if Ellie knew that. Better go and find out. "I don't want any smart ass comments from you either." He told BlackJack. The arms dealer said nothing.
Not long after, he found Ellie. "Hey kid." He said. "What?" She asked, her voice packed with venom. He said nothing and handed Ellie a picture of Sarah. She handed it back. "I've seen it." She said. "Y'know he really-" "I know!" She snapped. "I don't give a shit!" Danner looked around. No one, thank God. "Well, can't you forgive a man for that?" Danner asked. "No! Now fuck off!" Danner raised his hands and slowly backed away. "Well?" BlackJack asked. "Not good. I don't think anyone's ever getting through to her."
Eggman drummed his fingers on the Egg Mobile. He still didn't understand Kutaragi fully, and he was beginning to wonder if he ever would. At least his ship hadn't caught fire yet. The roster seemed impractical. Pairing rapping 2d dogs and talking cats with mass murderers and beings capable of destroying worlds didn't make a lot of sense to him. At least he knew Shadow and Omega. They fit the bill for All-Stars at least. But what about the villains? They seemed disfunctional, but they much better fit the bill for what Polygon Man was trying to do. They came together on ceratin things, like hating the All-Stars, or wanting revenge. He thought about Metal for a second. He knew he worked for Polygon Man. How was that working out for him?
There were just under thirty All-Stars on board the small ship, as Eggman insisted on filling up all the other ships in the fleet with his badniks. Kratos had threatened him before they left, but Eggman didn't relly care what he thought. Nariko managed to keep him under control and get him on board the ship, so Eggman assumed he calmed down. The chance to exert the power of the Eggman empire was the only thing keeping him awake. He wouldn't be alone with the All-Stars, there was this other guy, Eugene Simms who had an army of his own ready to strike. He knew what to expect in the battle, and how to deal with it. Kutaragi told him they had no time to lose, and so any explanations to the All-Stars were cut out. Kutaragi insisted they'd be fine anyway. They would find out if that was true in a few hours, when the battle begun.
Aiden looked over at Jacket. The masked murderer was going through his masks, explaining to Aiden what each one did, one by one. Aiden was able to profile him, and find out everything about him. Not about his masks though. Richard Keys, a Florida native, had a fairly uneventful life until in the mid 1980's where he went to Hawaii to fight in a war against the USSR. In a mission to take over a nuclear reactor held by the Soviets, Keys was injured severely as the reactor blew up. This contributed to several supposed illnesses he had, although doctors could never find any hard evidence of the illnesses from scans or blood tests. The symptoms were there though. Keys settled in Miami after returning from war, despite the city being heavily influenced by russian mafia members. As it turns out, Keys shut himself away from the outside world, only for it to be uncovered in a 1991 trial that he had been going on a series of murderous rampages in the name of a neo-nationalist group 50 Blessings. No-one ever got the actual murder tally for Keys, but many estimate it to be well over one thousand. Keys pleaded guilty to all accounts and got life in prison. However, his sentence was cut short by the USSR who dropped an atom bomb on the city of Miami. Keys was never seen since, and was presumed dead.
"So all those masks give you different abilities?" Aiden asked, making sure to keep up with Jacket's droning on. "Sure do." Jacket answered. Aiden simply thought he was insane, but decided to humour him anyway. Jacket threw over a tiger mask, which Aiden put on. Nothing. He didn't feel stronger, grow a third limb, become more proficient with any of his weapons, nothing. He just looked stupid. He took the mask off and threw it back to Jacket. "Nothing man. I'm not convinced." Jacket scoffed and lay back against a pile of crates. "That's your problem then." He responded before yawning. "Looks like we'll be staying here for another night." He muttered to himself.
Sir Daniel was practicing his sword work with Raiden, barely managing to keep up. It was that blinding speed that he lost to when he first encountered Raiden, and now he was learning to beat it. But not right now. One mistimed slash was all it took for Raiden to send the Hero of Gallowmere's bones flying. Raiden then walked off. He encountered Kellan, Marston, Kenway, Sweet Tooth, Lara, all asleep. Well, maybe not Sweet Tooth but it was tough to tell, and staying to stare at him would've been unsettling. Then he found the storage were miscellaneous crates were kept. That was where he saw Cole MacGrath sitting on a crate inspecting his amp.
"Cole, you ok?" Raiden asked his old rival. "I'm worried about those kids. They've been gone for five days." Raiden normally would've told the person worrying to get a grip and move on, but this time was different. He knew Cole. He normally didn't sweat anything. Battling against him, and having lost to him the first time, that proved to Raiden that ice powers suited Cole. "I can't imagine the Master Emerald being too easy to find." Raiden suggested. "Maybe they're still looking for it." Cole looked at him. "Y'know something? You're probably right. Thanks for that." Cole got to his feet. "Don't bother." Raiden told him. "Looks like we're in for another night here." Cole looked out. It was starting to get dark outside. "I guess so. Hopefully we won't have to spend much more time here." Cole didn't have anything against Eggman, but the Doc really didn't plan for anyone to come on board this tiny ship. A lot of the All-Stars ended up sleeping on crates. Those things, Patapons, or whatever, slept inside the crates, not really caring what was in them. Raiden remembered Taterazay saying they had been through worse. Although, that was a pretty big claim, considering how they still had no idea what they were going to face in San Francisco.
"Where are they headed?" Metal asked. "San Francisco." Polygon Man answered. "Don't worry. We've got plenty of force there already." Metal shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense." Polygon Man was confused. "Why not just leave it all to Damien? He obviously knows what he's doing, he's competent, intelligent, got an incredible army, and he nullifies a lot of weapons the All-Stars can use." Polygon Man took the point. "Touchè" He said. "I'm still going there. You know I wouldn't trust them to do much before getting wiped out." Polygon Man was confused again. "I don't understand. Can't we just have them ressurected by Calypso? You do know that's a viable option, right?" He asked. "That's why I'm concerned. I don't trust him, and he feels the same." Polygon Man rolled his eyes. He understood that when he started gathering villains they wouldn't exactly be best friends, but now it was starting to get grating. "I mean, he's powerful and all, but, you know better than anybody. Power like that is tough to keep in check. He's self-serving, whether or not you want to admit it. Cunning and sinister. He, and he alone, is the reason I don't reveal my identity. If he were to find out who I was, well then, he would know what to expect if we ever fought. And the more predicatble you are, the easier you fall." Polygon Man had his opinion changed now. Metal was slightly unhinged. He was smart and calculated, and his thirst for revenge was legendary, and he didn't beat around the bush with it. No sir, if anything, he nuked the bush. But Metal was loyal. True to his word, after helping him get his revenge first, even after finding out Eggman, Shadow and Omega were still at large, Metal held true to his word of helping Polygon Man in the ridding of the All-Stars.
He wasn't very sociable, but at the same time, he commanded respect and didn't abuse that respect for his own personal gain. Metal was truly a diamond in the rough. A leader too. Not many of the villains would have said they liked Metal very much, but trust was much higher for Metal than Calypso. That was where the conversation started. "I know Calypso is the devil, more so than Gigadis or Calaca, but I've never seen where Calypso calls the underworld. I want you to take me there." Metal instructed. Polygon Man obliged. "Very well. I'll let you see it. You should be able to find your own way out from there." Metal nodded in understanding before All-Star power took him to Calypso's realm.
Jacket found himself in that room again. For the first time in ages. Where was 'that room', you ask? Well, everyone except Jacket insisted it was little more than a figment of Jacket's twisted and derranged mind, but Jacket himself knew better. Or at least, he claimed to. The room itself was a seedy place, crawling with cockroaches and littered with scattered remains of dead bodies. It smelled foul, and the whole place was covered in this murky black fog, making it tough to see. Jacket looked to his left. There was a man with his skull caved in, eyes glazed, doing nothing but gathering flies. "The fuck are you lookin' at?!" He demanded. Jacket said nothing and opened the door.
There was only one person sitting there. Three chairs, but only the one in front of him was occupied. The occupant wore a chicken mask, denim jeans, and a letterman jacket. Guess who else did that? The man's name was Richard, which was also Jacket's first name. Jacket only took his better known alias because that's what his victims called him. On second thought, maybe he was going completely bonkers, for a start, he didn't feel welcome here. But past experience here told him to wait, and he would be rewarded. "Welcome back." Richard greeted him. "I'd congratulate you on taking down 50 Blessings and getting the revenge which you so desperately crave, but you aren't really satisfied at all, are you?" Jacket shook his head. "I thought as much. Twisted bastards like you are never satisfied. Of course." Jacket glared at him for a few seconds before he spoke up again. "Now, I know what you're up to at the moment, so I figured I should give you some tips that might come in handy. But listen up! Because they're only coming once." Jacket listened. Richard had often provided helpful advice in the past, which Jacket didn't listen to. He wasn't making the same mistake twice.
"One! One of the All-Stars is not who he claims to be."
"Two! One of the villains is hiding something that would be of great help to you."
"Three! One of the All-Stars has something in his possession far more dangerous than anyone is prepared for. Avoid it at all costs."
"Four! The search for the Master Emerald had uncovered something much darker. Be prepared. It has a lot to do with the villains."
"Five! To find the Gateway to Polygon Man requires more than just good navigation. It requires a key."
"What kind of key?" Jacket asked. "The key has many forms." Richard answered. "One such form you should be able-" BOOM! "What?!" Jacket was knocked off his feet. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have." Richard got up from his chair to walk over to Jacket. "This may be the last time we meet. Good luck to you."
Jacket felt the world begin to melt again. What did it all mean?! Was he onto something now, or was he just completely insane? He was back in the real world, but everything was going to shit. "What happened?!" Jacket demanded. "This ship's going down!" Jak replied, getting ready to fight. "We need to get off this ship before it hits the ground!" Jacket got up quickly. Jak threw him a parachute. "The Doc told me to give you this." With that, he was off. Jacket made sure he had everything, and put the parachute on over his backpack. He rushed up to the top of the ship, finding it difficult to keep his footing without a landing deck. But Jacket didn't forget his days in the army, and in time, he was able to jump off and activate the parachute.
They were still quite some distance into the air, as Jacket soon found out. The skyline came into view below him before Jacket also noticed the gunfire and explosions. He barely managed to land on top of one of the buildings, before looking down and realized that the fight had been going on for quite some time without him. He took off his parachute and assessed the situation. He could take the stairs down, but that could take some time. Not to mention that he was a sitting duck so high up. He looked down below him. Surely a little free falling couldn't hurt? Before he had time to second guess himself, he jumped down off the building down to the streets below. "San Francisco, here I come!" He yelled.
Author's Note
I really liked Hotline Miami's story, it's something so surreal I couldn't help but laugh at some of Jacket's more outlandish moments as his perceptions of reality become increasingly bizzare because he employed his answering machine as his personal coach. Anyway, here's my wishlist roster for PSASBR2. (Assuming it's actually made and going off leaks.)
1. Crash Bandicoot
2. Knack
3. Spyro The Dragon
4. Kratos
5. Nathan Drake
6. Sackboy
7. Jak Daxter
8. Ratchet Clank
9. Spike
10. Parappa the Rapper
11. Colonel Radec
12. Chimera Hybrid
13. Toro Inoue
14. Cole MacGrath
15. Sweet Tooth
16. Mr. Ash
17. Sly Cooper
18. Kat
19. Raven
20. Heihachi Mishima
21. Lara Croft
22. Isaac Clarke
23. Nariko
24. Emmett Graves
25. Sir Daniel Fortesque
26. Dart Feld
27. Abe
28. Fat Princess
29. Shadow the Hedgehog
30. Zero
31. John Marston
32. Edward Kenway
33. Iota/Atoi
34. Nightmare
35. Jacket
36. Juan Aguacate
37. Delsin Rowe
38. Taterazay
39. Aiden Pearce
40. Zeus
I don't see Big Daddy or Dante returning, simply because I thought they were only in the first one to promote upcoming games.
Just a quick afterthought though, nothing too deep or well researched. Just something random, I found out Radec is supposed to be around 7' tall. Watching the rival cutscene with Sir Dan again, this means that Dan is about 7' 3" as a rough guess. No idea why I know this, but I found out anyway.
Until Next Time!
