Chapter 8 - Race Against the Clock
Ikari Warrior's Marine Base
Heidern and the rest entered to an helicopter, several helicopters started flying with destination to the cave where the Ikari of the mirror world were hidden.
During the travel, Heidern started remembering what happened few minutes before.
Heidern, Maxima and Ling where standing in front of a big group of soldiers, in the crow were Rugal, Blaze, the K' team and the rest of the Ikari Warriors listening.
"Before we move out to the location, we need a quick summary of who are our principal targets." - Heidern
"Wich is why Maxima and Ling have offered to help us know more about the enemy." - Heidern
"Thanks, commander. I'll use footage from Maxima and the data I have to explain what is the point of this mission." - Ling
Maxima started projecting the footage he had of his encounter with the invaders of the other world in a green screen
"As you know our enemies have in their hands a dangerous bioweapon know as the Jericho. This virus is know for destroying the internal organs of the people that comes in contact with it on a slowy and painful way." - Ling
"Originally this serum was created by the NEST of my world as a way to regenerated fractured bones, organs and cells but when the Inferno Force stealed the serum and sell it to Heidern. It seens Heidern managed to reverse the effects of the serum as a way to threat entire countries and nations." - Ling
"We need to deactivated the serum so it can't be used in this world, fortunately I know the way how we can do it. The container has five cords that keep the serum working and allow it to be carried without being dangerous to the person that touches it." - Ling
"If we can get our hands on the container and cut the cords starting by the blue cord, then red, then green and last yellow we can deactive the mechanisn that keeps the serum fresh making it unusable." - Said Ling showing the combination of cords that should be cut to everyone
A soldier raised her hand.
"Yes, Lindsay." - Heidern
"Commander, any information of our enemies that we should know before going there?" - Lindsay
"About that, the base is full of scientist and crooks that were hired by NEST. They are dangerous but not the biggest threat in the cave." - Maxima
Ling showed the data files he had in his NEST's database about the Mirror Ikari Warriors, Agent team and The Inferno Force.
"This man might look like Commander Heidern but he is a total bastard that wont have mercy with any of you." - Ling
"This are his main team, the Ikari Warriors of my world. Ralf, Clark, Leona and Seirah. They might look like the people you know but just like Heidern they wont have any mercy with you." - Ling
"Vanessa, Ramon and Seth are three freelance agents who use a prototype of the NEST's battle armor to fight. If we manage to take them out of their armor they shouldn't be a big threat." - Ling
"And last but not least we have the Inferno Force. A dangerous group of terrorists who share the same ambitions my world's Heidern has of conquering the world." - Ling
"Their members are the following." - Ling
"Kyosuke Kusanagi. The head of the Kusanagi clan of japan, similar to the person know as Kyo Kusanagi in this world Kyosuke uses fire and what is called as the acient Kusanagi style martial arts. Avoid combat with him in closed places, he is a very dirty fighter and won't doubt in using the place as his advantage." - Ling
"Athenea Asamiya. A female heavy metal singer with psychic powers, she is married with Kyosuke Kusanagi and just like him she won't doubt in using the place as her advantage. Also especial precaution with her psychic powers, she has the ability to cause strong headaches and migranes to her opponents making her the second most dangerous of the group." - Ling
"Iori Yagami. The head of the Yagami clan and the most dangerous member of the group, unlike his partners Iori acts like a polite man on the outside but don't let that gentleman behaviour of his fool you, Yagami is a dirty snake who tends to fool his opponents and totally enjoys violence. He has the tendency of making his opponets believe he is not a threat, then sneak out on his opponents and kill them." - Ling
"Terrence Bogard. Or like they call him in his home town The Violent Wolf, he is a total psychopath who enjoys toying with his victims before killing them. What he lacks on power he compensates it on with speed so be careful to engage him." - Ling
"And Finally we have Mr. Karate aka Ryo Sakazaki. The most silent of The Inferno Force, he uses the kyokugen karate style to pulverize his foes. Enganging in a hand to hand combat with him is suicide, so keep your distance with him and don't ever let him get close." - Ling
"Any questions?" - Ling
"I have one. When my team and I found the cave for first time, we saw this little small station similar to a portable base in the entrance of the cave, what is that?" - Said Maxima showing the picture he took of the strange device
"Oh that is a teletransport device and another piece of tech Heidern stealed from NEST. We used these to carry stuff from our earth base to the satellite base in the space. Heidern must have used it to bring the Inferno Force to this world." - Ling
"We need to destroy it, so Heidern can't use it to return to my world." - Ling
Heidern's flashback ended.
In one of the helicopters was Heidern, Mirror Rugal and Mirror Clone Zero (Ling). In another there was Ralf, Clark, K' and Maxima and another there was Leona, Whip, Kula and Blaze.
During the travel Whip noticed that her partner Leona was kinda down and worried ever since she entered the helicopter.
"Is something wrong, Leona?" - Whip
"Nothing." - Leona
"Are you sure, you look worried. Please tell me what is happening?" - Said Whip putting her hand on Leona's shoulder
"... During the preparations for the mission I went to talk with Rugal." - Leona
"What did you talked with my father?" - Asked Blaze
Leona remembered what she did before entering the helicopter, she visited Rugal.
"Who is it?"- Said Rugal after hearing someone touching the door of his room
"Is me... Leona." - Leona
"Yes, what happens?" - Rugal
"I wanted to talk with you about something." - Leona
"... Sure what do you want to talk about?" - Rugal
"Can you tell me about your world?" - Leona
"Did Heidern send you to ask this?" - Rugal
"No. This is something I want to know by myself, the commander won't tell me how different are things in your world so I came here for answers." - Leona
"(I think I know what she wants to know.)" - Thought Rugal
"What do you want to know about my world?" - Rugal
"What do you know about the Orochi powers that you have, the priest who helped you, Blaze and most importantly tell me more about myself from your world? The Leona you know." - Leona
Leona's flashback ended returning to the present.
"He told me everything, about the Kusanagi, Yasakani, Yagami and Yata clans. About the hakkeshus but most important he told me about the Leona of his world." - Leona
"The atrocities my other world version has done, the inocent people that she has killed." - Said Leona looking down while remembering the traumatic experience she had when she was a child.
Leona started to lose herself on her thoughts. Thinking about the day she lost control to the riot of blood and killed her family. Ending when Goenitz started walking away after seeing the carnage Leona had done
"Go to sleep." - Said Goenitz putting his hand in the forehead of the younger Leona making her fall unconscious
Leona then awaken to see her version of the mirror world in front of her. With the bodies of his partners and family Ralf, Clark, Whip and Heidern death in the floor on what looked exactly like the village she lived on as a child.
"What have you done?" - Said Leona in tears to her other world version
"I think you mean what have we done!" - Said Mirror Leona as her hair started to become red
"NO! NO! I'm not like you!" - Leona started screaming
Whip noticing her partner was having some kind of hallucination and started trying to calm Leona
"LEONA! Is me, open your eyes!" - Whip
Leona then opened her eyes, she saw Whip and Kula worried about her
"I'm sorry!" - Said Leona hugging Whip with tears on her face
"(Those tears. Those are not the tears from someone who is an abominable monster, those are the tears of someone who has suffered a great loss... Just like me when I lost mom. She is like me!)" - Thought Blaze while looking at Leona hugging Whip
"And you are the commander's daughter Clara!" - Said Leona clearing her tears to Blaze
"Please tell me, how your encounters with my other self have been?" - Leona took courage to ask Blaze about herself from the mirror world
"You're nothing like the monster I have faced. That murderous psychopath has never showed any feelings of regret for the things she has done. I have fought against her multiple times but there was a time where I almost beated her, but she entered a state know as the riot of blood and I was just not match for her. I managed to survive thanks to my genetic absorption ability, I took her skills long enough to leave her stunned and escape." - Blaze
"When I touched her with my bare hands, I saw her memories and the things she did to her victims was just... Just horrible." - Blaze
"In my world the Riot Of Blood is a state where those who have Orochi blood enter in a state of pure fury, but the state they enter depends a lot as is the physical, mental and spiritual state that a person who has Orochi's blood is. Especially if is a good or bad person." - Blaze
"Thanks for sharing that information." - Leona
"I'm sorry for attacking you early. You're nothing like the Leona I know..." - Said Blaze with a little smile
"*Sigh* I'm sorry, Leona. I didn't imagined you would ask that to Rugal. The commander asked me to not reveal anything about the other Leona and the interrogation we did on Rugal." - Whip
"I'm not surprised, the commander probably just wanted to protect me for knowing the horrible stuff the other me did." - Leona
"You can rest easy, I don't intend to let myself be shaken by these facts now. And I promise I won't lose against that woman. She may have my face... But she isn't me!" - Said Leona with determination to stop the plans of the mirror world's Ikari Warriors
"Also, Whip. You heared something during that interrogation that disturbed you too, right?" - Leona
"You certainly know me well, don't you?" - Said Whip with a little smile
"Wait, what are you two talking about?" - Blaze
"Just like you, I had a small conversation with Ling. To learn more about the parallel world Rugal, Blaze and Ling came from." - Whip
"What did he told you?" - Leona
"He confirmed my suspicions, in his world the NEST only creates replicates of organs to the people who need a transplant. They save lives." - Whip
"Meaning that unlike me. The Whip of the other world is the real Seirah and not a clone." - Whip
"What? You're a clone!" - Blaze
"I was the first succesful clone made by the NEST cartel. I was a test for what they later would do with Kyo Kusanagi, they kidnapped him in 1997 after the tournament of that year ended with the plan of cloning him for their army. Spending the entirety of 1998 experimenting with his DNA." - Whip
"Wait Kyo Kusanagi, you mean the person that is Kyosuke Kusanagi of your world?" - Blaze
"Yes, they also created genetically modified super soldiers as the case of my brother K', Maxima and Little Kula here. They held the KoF tournaments of 1999 to 2001 in order to obtain data of all the fighters who participated in these tournaments." - Whip
"The things that they did to other test subjects were horrible... Those monsters." - Said Whip remembering the atrocities of the NEST cartel
"That's sounds totally different from the NEST I know. If President Igniz and his father know of this they would be disgusted." - Blaze
"I think the president would be more shocked to find that his version of my world was a megalomaniac with god complex that killed his father to take control of the entire organization." - Whip
"Don't worry, Whip. You will always be the real and only Seirah for us." - Said Kula hugging Whip
"I know, I wasn't concerned with knowing that my counterpart was not a clone like me. But knowing that this Seirah is an evil person by nature and a total maniac. I'll not allow her to continue with this madness, I'll stop her not matter what!" - Whip
"Yeah! And maybe after that we could go for some ice cream." - Kula
"I can't believe that she is the Kula Diamond of this world. She is nothing like the one I know, she is a silent murderous machine and hates sweets and ice creams." - Blaze
"What!? That is totally not cool." - Said Kula shocked after hearing about her other world's version.
"By the way, Blaze. Before you recovered from the last attack on the base, Ling told us all about the reason why you keep your hands covered in special combat gloves." - Leona
"He is very communicative isn't it?" - Blaze
"Yes. For this mission we will need every advantage we can get to beat our opponents." - Leona
"What does she means, Seirah?" - Kula
"I don't know." - Whip
"... What are you planning?" - Blaze
"I just want to ask for your cooperation for this." - Leona
Meanwhile in Maxima's helicopter
"Fascinating!" - Maxima
"What?" - K'
"I was just thinking about this other world and all that we have seen today." - Maxima
"Seeing how different our lives could be and how our personalities are the opposite of what we know. Maybe this parallel world could be a reflection of the world we live in." - Maxima
"What do you mean?" - Clark
"I think these counterparts came from what we could call a Mirror World. A world where story though similar to our world, it has vast differences and the choices of how people live their lives are in the opposite reflection of what they could have chosen so far." - Maxima
"Just look at the NEST of our world in comparation to the one from their world, the one in our world was a criminal organization. The one from their's has become a conglomerate of pharmacies and scientific medical research and that it is also a secret mercenary force that fights for the good of the world and humanity... Just like the Ikari Warriors of the normal world." - Maxima
"Does that means that maybe there's a multiverse out there? Something like multiple alternate versions of ourselves." - Ralf
"Probably. The probabilities are endless." - Maxima
"Interesting. I have never thought about something like that before." - Clark
"Hmph! That's ridiculous." - K'
Meanwhile in Heidern's helicopter
"So, you think there's a multiverse out there and that there's probably multiple versions of ourselves having different lifes." - Heidern
"Probably yes, I mean at some point I used to think my world was the only that existed but after what happened today I think there could be infinite earths." - Rugal
"You know I used to have this type of conversations with President Igniz. This universe can be fascinating." - Ling
"Well, even if is not the same thing. I was happy to see my friend Ling once more in a way." - Said Heidern to Ling
"We almost close, guys. Just some more minutes." - Said the pilot
Cambodia
"So what place do you think we should test this baby first?" - Asked Mirror Clark to Mirror Heidern
"I have been thinking about it. You know what, why don't we let our friends the Inferno Force decide?" - Said Mirror Heidern pointing to the Inferno Force
"Tokyo." - Said Kyosuke who was with Athenea
"Yeah, Tokyo sounds good." - Athenea
"What these two say." - Iori
"I was gonna say South Town." - Terrence
"... South Town." - Mr. Karate
"Three votes for Tokyo and two for south town. Alright, let's prepare the plane." - Mirror Ralf
"Alert! Alert! Intruder in sector eight. Repeat, intruder in sector eight!" - Said the alarm
Mirror Heidern looked at the segurity cameras and saw someone was defeating the segurity guards that were on the south entrance.
"What?! Vanessa, Ramon and Seth. Go help the men in sector eight." - Mirror Heidern
"As you wish!" - Seth
Meanwhile on the outside
The eight helicopters had arrived close to the forest where the cave was.
"Is this a safe place to land?" - Said the driver
"Yes, coming closer to the place will probably alert them. We need to continue on foot." - Heidern
"Kula are you OK? You look tired." - Said Maxima
"I'm ok. I love ice cream." - Kula
"Alright. According to Heidern we will have to enter from the south." - K'
"This way!" - Maxima
Ralf, Clark, Leona and Whip were taking the way around east
"Are you two right?" - Asked Clark seeing Whip and Leona a little bit tired.
"We are ok, right Leona?" - Whip
"Yes." - Leona
Heidern, Rugal and Ling went to the north to enter the main entrance of the mountain.
"You know what we need to do once we arrive. Right, Heidern?" - Ling
"Affirmative!" - Heidern
Heidern, Rugal and Ling manage to approach almost to the main entrance of the cave. Ling manage to see the teletransport device there being guarded by two men.
"Ling and me will create a distraction for them. And then..." - Heidern
In that moment a explosion was heared inside.
The two men that were guarding entered the cave to see what was going on.
Heidern took advantage of the situation and using a RPG destroyed the teletransport device. Creating an explosion that called the attention of Mirror Heidern
"What was that?" - Kyosuke
"I'll take a look. You five go help Seth and his team!" - Mirror Heidern
The Inferno Force went to the sector eight
Mirror Heidern alongside some of his guards went to the outside
"No! The teletransporter, what happened?" - Mirror Heidern
"Hey, Heidern! Remember us!?" - Rugal
Meanwhile in sector eight
The K' team had managed to enter inside the mountain while the confusion was happening. When they arrived to where the chaos was happening they were surprised to see someone had arrived earlier than them and was fighting with the Agent team.
"Is that who I think it is?" - Maxima
"Oh great! Is her." - Said K' in a sarcastic way
"Is that all you got? You're not worth of my time." - Said the strange woman fighting with the agent team who revealed herself to be Angel
To Be Continued...
Writing this just made me realize how much of a mess the Clone Wars saga... I mean the NEST saga was.