"Even if the unit is destroyed, the program will continue."
Man against monster. Monster against self. The story is as old as time. Even in the empires of the ancients, they existed in one form or another: the proverbial 'spirits of the night'. One culture, the Mayans, may have found the first successful defense in history against the plague known as the Darkstalkers.
DARKSTALKERS: DAWN OF THE HUITZIL
CHAPTER TWO: REVELATION
Hsien-Ko was sprawled out in front of the TV watching the news reports for any more attacks near them. Felicia and the girl were in the kitchen. As for Talbain and Donovan, they were currently outside meditating.
"Sister, I think I may have found something", Mei-Ling came walking in with a dusty old book. Hsien-Ko looked up eagerly, "All ears sis."
Mei-Ling set the book down, pointing at a page, "Take a look."
Hsien-Ko ran her eyes over it, "Secrets of the Mayan Empire. I'm not sure how some book you bought on ancient history helps us much in the present."
Mei-Ling pointed to a picture on the page, "Look again."
As Hsien-Ko's eyes fell over the picture, she was horrified by the image she saw. It was a photo of ancient Mayan pottery with a scene painted on it. The scene clearly depicted the very same creatures they had been fighting carrying off screaming villagers to the backdrop of a burning village.
Hsien-Ko looked to her sister, "And I thought history was boring."
Mei-Ling took the book, "It's mythology sister. The Mayans had a very simple name for these beings: The Huitzil. According to the legend, people in the Mayan empire lived in harmony with nature for fear that the Huitzil would come and destroy them if they became too civilized and began destroying Mother Earth."
Hsien-Ko winced, "Kind've a harsh punishment if you ask me. Besides, that's just a myth made up to scare people into being tree huggers and all. Right?"
Mei-Ling looked out the window of Felicia's apartment, "I am not so sure. Whatever we faced was very real, and we have seen 'myths' become reality before."
Just in the next room, the kitchen, Felicia was busily cooking over a stove while the little girl sat at a table looking outside with emotionless eyes. Just by looking at the long, brown-braided little girl you could tell she had seen way too much for being only a child.
Felicia took a plate of brownies out of the oven and began to cut them into little squares, then put one on a plate and offered it to the girl with a smile, "Here ya go!"
She simply looked to the brownies, then to Felicia like she could cry.
Felicia's ears drooped, "Aren't you even going to try it?"
The girl slowly picked up the brownie, and placed it in her mouth, "Chocolate bean powder, sugar, flour, eggs, and cinnamon. What are they?"
Felicia laughed, "They're brownies silly. You like?"
The girl looked up at her for a long moment, then slowly, awkwardly smiled and nodded, "I like them very much."
Felicia grinned, "So what's your name?"
The girl looked out the window again, "Anita."
Outside where she was looking, two figures sat in meditation. Jon Talbain was trying to figure out what was wrong with Donovan. He had never seen the usually calm monk so tense before. Could it be the kid he had picked up?
His mind was swimming with questions, but all he could get out was, "The girl is very strong. Is she yours?" Donovan shook his head and resumed meditation.
Talbain breathed a heavy sigh, "Okay then, perhaps you tell me what you've been up to for the last year or so since we met at the shack?"
Donovan opened his eyes, looking away, "Her name is Anita. I found her amongst the rubble of a burning caravan. She was the sole survivor of a darkstalker attack and says nothing more about it. I sense a great turmoil inside her brought on by her strange powers and it reminded me of myself. I dressed her wounds and found the remains of a doll she had been asking about, headless though it was. Since then she has followed me and we do our best to help each other discover the truth."
Talbain was confused, "The truth?"
Donovan looked into his eyes, "We all fight for our own reasons, Jon Talbain. You fight to protect the ones you love, yes, but you also fight to be free of the beast within. I too have inner demons, but they are not the same as yours."
Talbain's eyes closed: he understood now.
At the front door came a knock. The sisters looked to the door and Felicia went to answer it. When she opened it, there stood Aulbath and the much larger Quatos behind him. Aulbath wasn't his jovial self today, "Is Jon around?"
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was gathered around the kitchen table discussing the current events over a dinner Felicia had been kind enough to cook.
Talbain's eyebrows furrowed, "So, they're headed north."
"That's right", Aulbath said, munching down on catfish.
"Well that's interesting, especially based on what Lin-Lin said", Hsien-Ko blinked, "You tell 'em sis!"
Mei-Ling nodded, "This is true, the Huitzil as they're called, originate from the Mayan mythology, and the Mayan Empire was located in South America."
Quatos crossed his large arms, "I don't get it. What do these guys want with the North Pole anyway? Seems like a long way for nothing."
Just then, Anita came running in, "Donovan!"
Donovan's head whirred in her direction, "What is wrong???"
Her eyes were actually showing fear, "On the television!"
Everyone got up and walked in to see the news report:
"It's a terrible day for Mother Earth. The bizarre robot invaders have begun separating chunks from the polar ice cap which, as we speak, are floating downward toward the northern continents. These rash actions could herald the beginning of the next ice age, and with it, the extinction of the human race. A military-"
Felicia turned the TV off, "This is horrible. How do we stop them?"
Talbain gritted his teeth, "Any way we can!"
"Right!" Quatos slammed a fist down on the coffee table, breaking it, then blushed with embarrassment, "Erm, sorry."
Donovan, the normally quiet, spoke up, "I have a plan."
As everyone turned to look, he continued, "If these are indeed the Huitzil, we know they are the mechanical monsters of the Mayan Empire. If we are to weed out this infestation of evil, I suggest we start at the roots."
Aulbath rubbed his temples, "You know, I heard a story once about lights above the pyramids. Lights that shined once every decade. The elders of my empire said this lighting came in a mathematical pattern."
"Then it's settled", Hsien-Ko nodded firmly, "We're going south."
DARKSTALKERS: THE SERIES WRITTEN BY REGIS A WELCH DARKSTALKERS © 2004 CAPCOM
Man against monster. Monster against self. The story is as old as time. Even in the empires of the ancients, they existed in one form or another: the proverbial 'spirits of the night'. One culture, the Mayans, may have found the first successful defense in history against the plague known as the Darkstalkers.
DARKSTALKERS: DAWN OF THE HUITZIL
CHAPTER TWO: REVELATION
Hsien-Ko was sprawled out in front of the TV watching the news reports for any more attacks near them. Felicia and the girl were in the kitchen. As for Talbain and Donovan, they were currently outside meditating.
"Sister, I think I may have found something", Mei-Ling came walking in with a dusty old book. Hsien-Ko looked up eagerly, "All ears sis."
Mei-Ling set the book down, pointing at a page, "Take a look."
Hsien-Ko ran her eyes over it, "Secrets of the Mayan Empire. I'm not sure how some book you bought on ancient history helps us much in the present."
Mei-Ling pointed to a picture on the page, "Look again."
As Hsien-Ko's eyes fell over the picture, she was horrified by the image she saw. It was a photo of ancient Mayan pottery with a scene painted on it. The scene clearly depicted the very same creatures they had been fighting carrying off screaming villagers to the backdrop of a burning village.
Hsien-Ko looked to her sister, "And I thought history was boring."
Mei-Ling took the book, "It's mythology sister. The Mayans had a very simple name for these beings: The Huitzil. According to the legend, people in the Mayan empire lived in harmony with nature for fear that the Huitzil would come and destroy them if they became too civilized and began destroying Mother Earth."
Hsien-Ko winced, "Kind've a harsh punishment if you ask me. Besides, that's just a myth made up to scare people into being tree huggers and all. Right?"
Mei-Ling looked out the window of Felicia's apartment, "I am not so sure. Whatever we faced was very real, and we have seen 'myths' become reality before."
Just in the next room, the kitchen, Felicia was busily cooking over a stove while the little girl sat at a table looking outside with emotionless eyes. Just by looking at the long, brown-braided little girl you could tell she had seen way too much for being only a child.
Felicia took a plate of brownies out of the oven and began to cut them into little squares, then put one on a plate and offered it to the girl with a smile, "Here ya go!"
She simply looked to the brownies, then to Felicia like she could cry.
Felicia's ears drooped, "Aren't you even going to try it?"
The girl slowly picked up the brownie, and placed it in her mouth, "Chocolate bean powder, sugar, flour, eggs, and cinnamon. What are they?"
Felicia laughed, "They're brownies silly. You like?"
The girl looked up at her for a long moment, then slowly, awkwardly smiled and nodded, "I like them very much."
Felicia grinned, "So what's your name?"
The girl looked out the window again, "Anita."
Outside where she was looking, two figures sat in meditation. Jon Talbain was trying to figure out what was wrong with Donovan. He had never seen the usually calm monk so tense before. Could it be the kid he had picked up?
His mind was swimming with questions, but all he could get out was, "The girl is very strong. Is she yours?" Donovan shook his head and resumed meditation.
Talbain breathed a heavy sigh, "Okay then, perhaps you tell me what you've been up to for the last year or so since we met at the shack?"
Donovan opened his eyes, looking away, "Her name is Anita. I found her amongst the rubble of a burning caravan. She was the sole survivor of a darkstalker attack and says nothing more about it. I sense a great turmoil inside her brought on by her strange powers and it reminded me of myself. I dressed her wounds and found the remains of a doll she had been asking about, headless though it was. Since then she has followed me and we do our best to help each other discover the truth."
Talbain was confused, "The truth?"
Donovan looked into his eyes, "We all fight for our own reasons, Jon Talbain. You fight to protect the ones you love, yes, but you also fight to be free of the beast within. I too have inner demons, but they are not the same as yours."
Talbain's eyes closed: he understood now.
At the front door came a knock. The sisters looked to the door and Felicia went to answer it. When she opened it, there stood Aulbath and the much larger Quatos behind him. Aulbath wasn't his jovial self today, "Is Jon around?"
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was gathered around the kitchen table discussing the current events over a dinner Felicia had been kind enough to cook.
Talbain's eyebrows furrowed, "So, they're headed north."
"That's right", Aulbath said, munching down on catfish.
"Well that's interesting, especially based on what Lin-Lin said", Hsien-Ko blinked, "You tell 'em sis!"
Mei-Ling nodded, "This is true, the Huitzil as they're called, originate from the Mayan mythology, and the Mayan Empire was located in South America."
Quatos crossed his large arms, "I don't get it. What do these guys want with the North Pole anyway? Seems like a long way for nothing."
Just then, Anita came running in, "Donovan!"
Donovan's head whirred in her direction, "What is wrong???"
Her eyes were actually showing fear, "On the television!"
Everyone got up and walked in to see the news report:
"It's a terrible day for Mother Earth. The bizarre robot invaders have begun separating chunks from the polar ice cap which, as we speak, are floating downward toward the northern continents. These rash actions could herald the beginning of the next ice age, and with it, the extinction of the human race. A military-"
Felicia turned the TV off, "This is horrible. How do we stop them?"
Talbain gritted his teeth, "Any way we can!"
"Right!" Quatos slammed a fist down on the coffee table, breaking it, then blushed with embarrassment, "Erm, sorry."
Donovan, the normally quiet, spoke up, "I have a plan."
As everyone turned to look, he continued, "If these are indeed the Huitzil, we know they are the mechanical monsters of the Mayan Empire. If we are to weed out this infestation of evil, I suggest we start at the roots."
Aulbath rubbed his temples, "You know, I heard a story once about lights above the pyramids. Lights that shined once every decade. The elders of my empire said this lighting came in a mathematical pattern."
"Then it's settled", Hsien-Ko nodded firmly, "We're going south."
DARKSTALKERS: THE SERIES WRITTEN BY REGIS A WELCH DARKSTALKERS © 2004 CAPCOM