Project Shadow Ch 7
and so, after almost 10 years, I'm finally back on this story! While it's on my mind, I should let you know, I've repaired and edited all of my previous chapters. also, I apologize in advance for any stereotypes I might have put in this chapter with my oc's. But here it is; Chapter 7. Enjoy.
0014 wasn't sure what was more unbelievable; the fact that Joe's attacker was once a prisoner at the Testing Grounds with Carlos and Dimitri, or the fact that she was the one watching over Joe, Dimitri, and Jet while Albert tried to fight off Nico.
"OW! Take it easy on me, will you?!" Dimitri complained as 0014 wrapped her scarf around his damaged leg.
"Oh, hush, 0022, I'm not enjoying this any more than you are." She replied as she tightened his scarf, causing the young Russian to cry out in pain.
"I sure as hell am!" Jet cackled as Dimitri tried to lunge at him, only to be pulled back by 0014.
"Be lucky I can't get to you, stork-boy," he growled, "otherwise I'd clip your wings too! OWW! Will you stop that?!"
"0022, the more you struggle the more this is going to hurt;" 0014 said after she tightened her scarf around his leg again. "So be quiet, and hold still."
"I wouldn't even have to if you didn't shoot my leg out!"
"Oh, come on, I said I was sorry." 0014's aggravation was quickly growing.
"I still can't believe you were able to do that while I was using my accelerator!"
"0022, I'm warning you; be quiet!"
"You want me to be quiet? Then give me one reason why I shouldn't snap your neck for destroying my jet!"
At that point, 0014 couldn't take it anymore.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't castrate you for not telling us sooner about your friend, Nico!" She snapped.
Immediately, Dimitri quieted down, a look of panic on his face.
"Uh, c-call it even?" he stuttered.
"Smart move. Now, shut up and hold still! Honestly, how the heck did I get stuck babysitting the three of you?"
"Two and a half; 009's only half conscious."
Upon hearing his response, 0014 shot Dimitri a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
"I thought I told you to SHUT UP!"
Then she activated the blade in her right arm, causing Dimitri to yelp in terror then groan in pain. As Jet began to laugh again, 0014 snapped her head in his direction and glared at him.
"And 002," She continued, deactivating her blade then activating her drill, "if I hear so much as a snicker out of you, I'll rearrange your dental work, got it?"
Immediately, Jet clamped his mouth shut and nodded nervously.
"Good boy."
"Now you see why we know better than to argue with her." A new voice said. Everyone looked over and saw Carlos step into view, Geronimo and GB close behind. "So what happened to you guys?"
"I'd rather not talk about it." Dimitri grumbled.
"It's best you don't, for your sake." 0014 said as she finally fastened her scarf around the young Russian. "Alright, 0022, you're done. Now you stay here while I help 004."
"Like I have a choice." Dimitri muttered as 0014 began to walk off.
"What was that?" she said, glancing over her shoulder.
"Nothing, nothing." He quickly replied.
"That's what I thought. Now then, 007, 005, I'm going to need both your help for this."
"Hey, what about me?" Carlos complained.
0014 snapped her head in his direction.
"YOU stay here and watch the boys!" She sneered. "And you had better stay put, do you understand me?"
"Uh, y-yes, ma'am?"
The young girl grabbed Geronimo and GB and led them off to tell them her plan, leaving the boys alone.
"She's in a bad mood." Dimitri explained.
"Tell me something I don't know." Carlos replied, not expecting to get a response.
"009's attacker is Nico."
The young Spaniard looked at Dimitri in complete shock.
"¿Qué?"
"I thought I told you to keep an eye on the others!" Albert said as 0014 joined him.
"Taken care of." She replied. "Besides, you need my help more than they do."
0014 placed her right hand on the ground and closed her eyes. After a moment, she activated her drill and fired a shot behind her at the ground. There was a small gust of wind followed by Nico coming out of his acceleration mode smiling.
"Ha! Missed me!" He laughed before he switched back on his accelerator.
0014 stayed in her position for another moment before firing another shot at the ground in front of her.
"Ha, ha, you missed me again!" Nico taunted, this time still in his acceleration mode.
The young girl remained silent and still until she fired one last shot to her left.
"007, now!" she yelled.
Suddenly, a boulder sprouted out of the ground, causing Nico to trip and tumble head-over-heels several times. Before he could regain his footing, Geronimo grabbed hold of him and pulled him up into the air to keep him from trying to escape as he struggled to get free.
"Don't…move." 0014 said as she pointed her drill at the young Italian's head.
The others pointed their blasters at Nico as he realized how much trouble he was in and stopped struggling.
"Heh, not so cocky now, are you?" GB smirked as he inched closer. "Any last words?"
Nico looked at GB, then at his blaster, then back at him. Then he started to chuckle in a way that made everyone uneasy.
"What are you laughing at?" GB said, trying to maintain his composure.
Nico glanced at him smiling, and said with a smirk, "Did you honestly think I came here alone?"
Suddenly, GB's blaster began changing form. It coiled around his arm, then his upper body until it stopped just under his shoulders, revealing a giant snake.
"Hello there." It hissed. "You musssst be 007. Allow me to introducce mysssself; I am 0017, your shadow."
"W-w-w-when did you switch out my blaster?!" GB stammered.
"While 0014 wassss telling you her plan, with 0019'ssss help."
Nico reached into his right boot and pulled out GB's blaster.
"Looking for this?" He said.
Suddenly, 0014 gave out a loud shriek and opened fire at GB and 0017. Both danced around the shots to the best of their abilities until 0017 slithered off from around GB.
"Hey, what is your problem, woman?!" the Englishman yelled.
But 0014 was more focused on 0017 as she shifted her aim.
"S-s-s-s-snake! Snake! Snake! Snaaaaaake!" The young girl shrieked as she tried to hit the dodging serpent.
"Per carità, Scott, change into something else!" Nico yelled.
"What would you ssssuggessst I change into?" he hissed.
"ANYTHING THAT'S NOT A SNAKE!"
Not missing a beat, a soft click was heard and the snake changed its form again until standing there, shaking his head was a 19 year old boy with orange hair, green eyes, and pale, almost transparent, freckled skin, wearing the same uniform as Nico. Only then did 0014 stop firing, her entire body trembling from the experience as she held onto Albert tightly.
"By my penny of observation, your girlfriend was right!" Scott exclaimed, a New York accent faint on his voice.
"What made you think she wasn't?" Nico replied.
"Why wouldn't I think that; the dame's got the IQ of a walnut!" Scott looked back at GB. "Now then, where were we, 007? And more importantly, why do I smell burning leather?"
"Uh, Scott?" Nico began.
He looked back at the young Italian, who simply pointed down. Scott looked down to see the ground under his feet turning red and his boots smoking. Immediately, the young New Yorker jumped into the air yowling as he bounced from one foot to another, "HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! Hot Foot! Hot Foot! Hot Foot!"
Chang popped out of the hole he had made as Scott toppled to the ground.
"Did I miss something?" The Chinese man said.
"You know, it's refreshing when you do that to someone who's not me." GB said as Pyunma and Francoise came into the clearing, their blasters pointed at Scott.
"You two still think you can take on all of us?" 0014 said once she had recovered from the shock.
Scott ran his hand through a patch of soil and after a moment, smiled.
"Who told you it was just the two of us?" He smirked.
Suddenly, a geyser of water erupted from the hole Chang was still in, shooting him into the air flailing and screaming before falling back to the ground face first.
"What just happened?" Chang said dazed.
"I happened." a young Asian voice said. Everyone looked over at the hole and saw a 20 year old Asian pop out with black hair, black eyes and light skin. "I am 006's shadow, 0016."
"What do you mean, 006's shadow." Pyunma asked.
"Hey, 0016," Scott yelled, "if you don't mind, my boots are melting over here!"
"Of course, 0017." He said as he lifted his hand and pointed it at Scott as if to signal for him to stop. Then a hole spiraled out of the center of his palm and out sprung a pistol-like barrel. "Gamanhiiss-eo."
"What?"
"English, Shin, not Korean." Nico said.
"Hold still."
Suddenly, a blast of pressurized water shot out of the barrel, dousing Scott completely and putting out his smoking boots.
"Thanks, I think." Scott muttered after squirting water out of his mouth.
"Scusi, could someone help me out here?" Nico complained as he struggled again under Geronimo's grip.
"I gotcha, boy!"
The second everyone heard the New Orleans laced voice, a jolt of electricity was seen arcing through Geronimo's body, causing him to let go of Nico, who scrambled to rejoin the other three cyborgs.
"A very palpable hit, 0018." Scott said.
Shortly after, a 17 year old African American boy stepped out from behind Geronimo, his right hand still crackling with electricity, and walked up to the group.
"For your sake, I'm gonna take that as a compliment." He said.
"I'm pretty sure it was, Ashton." Nico said. "Grazi, by the way."
"Well normally, I'm supposed to be goin' after 008, since I'm his shadow, but given the circumstances, I think I can make an exception."
"Not like you have much of a choice, considering the reason we've been hovering through the fog and filthy air for the last five days." Scott replied.
"What? But that's impossible!" Pyunma said. "I scanned the area yesterday; there wasn't anything for miles."
"How were you able to get past not only the Dolphin's radar, but mine as well?" Francoise said.
"That would be because of me, dear."
The British voice was soon accompanied by a petite 16 year old girl with sun blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin stepping into the clearing.
"I'm 0021." She said gesturing to herself. "And my abilities not only make me ideal to be your shadow, 003, but they also make me ideal for both surveillance and infiltration purposes."
"What do you mean?"
A wicked smile spread across 0021's face. "Allow me to demonstrate."
She then took in a deep breath and let out a high pitch scream that sent everyone to the ground, clutching their ears, including the four new cyborgs.
"Make her stop! Make her stop! Make her stop!" Shin screamed.
"On pain of death, woman, shut up!" Scott exclaimed.
"Do somethin' 0019; she's your girl!" Ashton yelled.
Nico switched on his accelerator, vanishing for a brief moment, before reappearing behind 0021.
"AMELIA!" He yelled before clamping his hand over her mouth. "Per carità, don't forget the rest of us are here too!"
As Nico took his hand away from her mouth, Amelia immediately put her own hands over it and looked at them as if only now realizing they were there.
"Oops, Sorry." She squeaked.
"Soc au' lait." Ashton groaned.
"The devil take thy soul, you bubble brained Brit." Scott muttered.
How did she get chosen for this project?" Shin said.
"Excuse me, I'll have you know-" Amelia began to complain.
"I miei amichi!" Nico interrupted as he and Amelia rejoined the group. "Remember why we're here."
The four of them looked at the young Italian, then at each other before nodding in agreement.
"I know I'm probably stepping into it, but why are you here?" GB said.
"Believe it or not, it isn't to kill you." Amelia said.
"What?" 0014 said.
"We're actually here for you, not to put too fine a point on it."
"More specifically, we're here for you, 0015, and 0022." Shin added.
"Why would you want them?" Albert demanded, placing himself between the new cyborgs and 0014.
"I'd think that'd be obvious." Ashton said.
"Enlighten us." Geronimo said.
"Very well." Nico began. "Expanding on the vague information we already know you have on Project Shadow," the young Italian gestured to the other cyborgs with him, "we are the Shadow Cyborgs; named so because each of our abilities either overshadow or counteract your own. We were each created with the primary function to destroy each of you and the secondary function to replace you once that was done. The problem, though, is that you stole away the last three cyborgs needed for desired application in the field before their conditioning was completed."
"We didn't steal them; we rescued them." GB interrupted.
"Same difference." Scot replied.
"The point being," Nico continued, "although we are supposed to destroy you, we are only here to retrieve our own; so just give them over to us, and we'll be on our way."
"And what's to stop you from coming back?" Jet said, rejoining the 00-cyborgs, Joe close behind.
"Nothing." Amelia replied. "However, if you cooperate with us, it will ensure your survival for at least a few months longer."
"And when we don't?" Joe said.
"Then this here li'l size up just became a dust up."
As Ashton replied to this, he lifted up his left hand, electricity arcing through it. Meanwhile, Shin angled his hands outward, a set of barrels being seen sprouting out of both, and Amelia roughly cleared her throat. Suddenly, the ground started rumbling underneath everyone's feet. Then a huge fissure opened up between the 00-cyborgs and the Shadow Cyborgs. Following the direction it came from, everyone saw it led to Carlos, who had both his hands on the ground with the fissure starting in a spot right between them, and Dimitri, who was leaning against a nearby tree for support with his blaster pointed at the Shadow Cyborgs.
"Don't make us do this, Nico, because we will if we have to;" Dimitri said. "There's no way we're going back to the Testing Grounds."
Nico held Dimitri's gaze for a long, tense moment, then with a resigned sigh, looked back at the 00-cyborgs.
"Don't think for an instant this is over." He said before looking back at his own team and nodded. Taking the implication, Shin blasted a hole in the ground and dove into it with Ashton diving after him. Meanwhile, Scott transformed into a large bird and flew off, taking Amelia with him.
"Nico!" Carlos called out before the young Italian could run off. "You used to be our friend; why are you doing this?"
Nico looked at the young Spaniard with fear and pain filled eyes before he answered, "Perché non abbiamo schelta."
Carlos blinked in surprise at the response he was given.
"¿Qué?"
But Nico had already activated his accelerator and vanished, leaving Carlos to rejoin the other cyborgs, Dimitri's arm slung over his shoulder as he helped the young Russian to walk.
"Would someone mind telling me what the hell just happened?!" Jet exclaimed.
"All I know is that there are two someone's here who have some explaining to do." 0014 growled.
"Could we have this conversation when we're not in the open?" Dimitri groaned.
"I agree; let's get out of here." GB said.
The group began to walk away, but Carlos stayed rooted to the ground, something clearly on his mind as he stared at the spot where Nico had vanished.
"0015." Carlos didn't make any indication that he had heard Dimitri. "CARLOS!" this time, the loud exclamation into his ear snapped the young Spaniard out of his daze. "I can't go anywhere unless you move!"
"Oh, right, lo siento." Carlos muttered as he began to walk off.
"What's clogging your brain this time?"
Carlos was silent for a brief moment, then he gave out a long sigh and glanced over at Dimitri.
"I think there might be more to this than any of us knows."
to be continued
and there's Chapter 7 at last! I'm so sorry it took so long, but I hope it was worth the wait.