THE GENESIS EXPERIMENT
Part Three of a Five part series
By
Vanguard Ziggy
Author's notes: Third one up, alrighty then. Almost done. For those of you whom missed Momo's evil sister in the second story, don't fret, she's here in this one. Also for those who like my writing, but for some reason or another have never played Xenosaga, you will see the Gnosis for the first time, or at least my best description of them. For those of you who are trying to understand the Ungoliant language, I will explain how to translate it in my final notes after the series. Until then, I'll have the characters make reference to important parts of the sentences, so you'll have a vague idea what is being said.
Gaigun slowly pulled himself to his elbows as he tried to sit up. The light coming from the window was torturing his eyes, and his head pounded like a thousand thunder storms raged in his brain. His skin was a pasty gray, etched with heavy bruises from his face to his legs.
What had happened? He forced the pain back as he tried to remember. He had been in a hall, fighting Albedo and Gresiedo. Mary? Where was Mary? He shot up, gritting his teeth as pain rushed through his chest and arms. Fighting back the urge to swear, he scanned the room he was in. It looked like a large hospital room, which made sense, since the fight had taken place in the hospital. The walls were silver with apricot colored wall hangings littering them. There were at least thirty different beds, half of them occupied. But no Mary.
The air smell sickeningly like chloroform and Gaignun had to fight to keep awake. "Where the hell am I?" he gasped, his throat burning as he spoke.
"Yz ieaten'd gnej, jhimheact jo docciea?" one of his roommates snapped groggily.
"You should tell me, because if I'll bust your teeth in if I don't get any answers," Gaignun snapped.
"Ned jhycodho guards uropi dhud teer," another laughed, pointing at a large gray door.
"The girl you were calling for isn't even here," a third commented. "They took her to another room."
Gaignun groaned and tried to clear his head. "Where am I?" he wheezed.
"Where do you think you are, lad?" the English speaking roommate asked. His face was covered in dried blood, and a dirty rag hung loosely over where his left eye should have been. "The Mecha have taken over Ungoliant. Humans are being herded into slave camps everywhere." He chuckled as he looked at Gaignun's shocked face. "You've been here for three days now.
"Three days? But Mary," he lowered his eyes, "Shelley."
"Dhoi noworpreakhd yn ukyrc nulot Shelley," another said in a harsh tone. "Um zerdho eno succot, Mary, mho'mpoon bad yndedho jelon'm sulb."
"The women's camp?" Gaignun tried to rise to his feet, but found his muscles tighten under the gravity of the room.
"They're treated with more respect then with the men, just as is done on Amadore, I hear," the third man said. "Her wounds are healing a lot faster under their care than with the hospital's." He smiled. "It also doesn't hurt that you had fought off the commander of the human camp, the Mecha's have a little respect for that."
"Albedo is no human," Gaignun growled.
"You misunderstand me, I know that both you and the human camp's commander are U.R.T.V.'s," the older man said.
"No," Gaignun snapped, interrupting him. "You misunderstood me." He tried to pull himself from the bed, but slipped back as the group gasped.
"Muwo iearmdronkdh lad," another of his roommates said, gently. He pushed Gaignun back to his bed and shook his head. "The guards, gycc, eh, kill, they would kill iea," he said, struggling between his own language and English.
"They'd kill me? Even though I fought Albedo?" Gaignun chuckled and leaned backward. "Shit."
Shion looked out from the makeshift prison, she and her brother, Ziggy, and KOS-MOS found themselves in. It had been a few days, and still there had been no contact from their captors after they had surrendered and been put in the cells. Shion and Jin were, from time to time, given a few bits to eat, while Ziggy and KOS-MOS found themselves at the mercy of rusting joints, and power failures.
"Do you think they're okay?" she asked as she turned to Jin. Her heart sank a little, as her brother had lost almost nine pounds in the three days. True she had lost ten pounds in captivity, but he almost looked wraithlike in the dark shadows of the prison. Although they argued a lot, he was the only one she had left. Their parents were killed in the first terrorist actions that started the Militia Conflict. Shion had been so close to her father, she remembered as he promised to take her to the park right after his business meeting in the science office that belonged to the Vector Company. Jin had taken care of her until her eighteenth birthday.
"I don't know," he groaned. "The fight was tough," he lowered his eyes and stroked his long thinning chin. "Momo didn't seem to well though, I hope she's alright."
The thought of Momo, lying on her stomach, her face clenched in agony burned in Ziggy's consciousness. Get a hold of yourself; this is why you didn't want to get too involved anyway. She not even your daughter. The image of David, falling to his death clawed its way into his mind, screeching like a Gnosis as he tried to push it back. Not even your daughter.
Another voice began to ring in his voice, "I'm a lot tougher than I look, remember? Have faith." Ziggy allowed himself to smile, and looked at Shion.
"I don't think we have anything to worry about," he said softly, his bright blue eyes shining with determination. "Right now I think we have to try and escape."
"And do what," Jin snapped. "We aren't going to go far. The Elsa is locked up in the docks, with the crew trapped inside; then we have to worry about getting caught again," he sighed. "It's impossible."
"We're known to do the impossible," KOS-MOS said, her eyes shining bright red. The statement had surprised the other three. "Logic no longer applies here. There is some darkness that is driving these people into insanity. If we stay, we might live, but then the darkness will only grow. Logic says that we must go against it, and find the culprits of this conspiracy."
Jin looked at KOS-MOS for a long time and then turned to his sister, "Are her circuits rusted, or am I going mad? Seriously did that make any sense to anyone?"
"She's trying at least," Shion snapped at her brother. "I have to agree with both Ziggy and KOS-MOS. If we stay here, we'll die. We have to try and get out."
As the small group glared at each other, each mentally trying to think of his or her own plan, a roar echoed through the cell; and Shion quickly rushed to the window and glanced out. Another dozen battle cruisers pulled off of their platforms and rose slowly into the skies. Like slumbering whales that had just woken up and had begun looking for their next meal, the ships raised into left the planet and headed for Amadore. In the last forty-six hours over two hundred ships of all sizes had left for the war front. The chilling thing that Shion knew about the outside world, the only thing that they had been allowed to know, was that war had indeed broken out between Amadore and Ungoliant. It was also announced last night that the Federation had sent fifty ships to defend the rogue planet, which just almost four weeks ago had tried to do the same thing that Ungoliant was doing now. It had its forces fighting for independence from the Federation, and war against both it and the rival planet.
"We have to get out of here," Shion sighed. "We've got enough to worry about with the U.TIC and the Gnosis without another conflict on the side."
"Not to mention this new Black Heaven Unit," Jin said looking down at his feet. "I wonder what they are up to."
"I really have my doubts about them," Shion said. "History says that after the death of their founder, Liu Raystorm, the group fell apart. At least that's what you told me, right?" She looked at her brother, who nodded. "I wish I knew who the officer was who killed him." Frowning she looked over at Ziggy and bent her head to the left, so as to look him directly in the eyes. "Do you know Ziggy?"
"No, I was in a different area of the Federation during that time," Ziggy said, feeling the words rush through his lips like the gust of wind through a closed crack.
"Your body is tightening, and your electric pulse has quickened by twenty beats," KOS-MOS said watching the cyborg. "Logic says that you are lying."
"Let's not discuss the situation any more, it would better our chances of survival to discuss how we are going to escape," the cyborg answered, just as quickly. He kept his back to them and felt his muscles tighten as Shion approached. Damn it, we don't have time for this.
"Ziggy," she said softly.
"Let the man be," Jin snapped. His sister turned on her heels and glared at him. Had her eyes been knives, Jin's heart would have been pinned to the other wall now. "It doesn't help to discuss our personal lives right at this moment. If we're going to escape, then we'll have to use all our energy on the escape."
"You're not my father, Jin," Shion snapped. Leave it to a bookworm to pull something so archaic.
"I might as well be, I helped raised you," Jin snarled back. Irritating little cyber, video game playing know it all. No respect for the past.
"Both of you stop it," Ziggy snapped. He stroked his chin and blinked. "I have an idea of how to escape. It's risky, but it's worth it." He motioned to them to come closer, keeping an eye on the main door of their prison.
Momo's eyes began to flutter as light trickled through her lids. Her head hurt, and she could feel tight ropes holding her down by her shoulders, wrists, and ankles. The room was cold, and terrifying. It was almost as though she were in a morgue. "Where am I?" she asked weakly. A hard blow to her cheek nearly broke her neck, and brought tears to her eyes.
"Awaken, you have. Both good and bad," a strange voice echoed off of the cold white walls surrounding her. "Long awaited this moment, I have. But at the same time, I was quite enjoying myself." A cruel, girlish giggle flowed all around her. "Revenge is sweet – especially to women."
Momo frowned and strained to crane her neck. "What? What are you talking about? What revenge?"
"Aren't you just so special? Daddy always favored you over the rest of us, I couldn't stand it. So I left."
Somewhere in the corner of her mind something clicked. "Daddy? What do you know about daddy? Wait, are, are you one of my sisters? A Kirschwasser?"
Whoever she was, she punched Momo's stomach as hard as she could, causing the young Realian to throw up. Momo heard tiny footsteps close to her head and she looked up. It wasn't a Kirschwasser. Her skin was a dark blue, her eyes sickening pink. She wore a light yellow dress, without sleeves. She did look like a Kirschwasser, but somehow was much different.
"I'm Violcia, you're twin sister," she cackled.
"What revenge?"
"Ask daddy," Violcia snarled, she grabbed her sister's throat and began to squeeze until she saw her sister's face turn bright pink. "We were twins, born at the same time. He kept me in the incubation tubes almost as long as you, but always doted on you. Always M.O.M.O. never the rest of us, even though I was the strongest."
"If you're so strong, why am I tied up like this?" Momo snapped. "What are you afraid of?"
Violcia snarled and glared down at her sister. She clenched her fist and thrust it down at Momo, screaming as the other girl arched herself up and bit her sister's fist. Violcia shoot back and glared at her hand. She looked up and narrowed her eyes. "You reek of Rubedo."
"You smell of Albedo," Momo shot back. "I see where your madness comes from. You should truly stay away from him. He'll end up killing you."
"Tried already," Violcia giggled. "I was much more than he expected, though his memory absorption was quite gratifying. Don't you think?"
Momo shuddered. The memories of the madman bleeding her of her feelings, memories, thoughts, absorbing them into his body was too much for her. Violcia giggled and walked back to her sister.
"There's where you're weak," she cackled. "Why you must be erased, so daddy knows who the true daughter is." A wicked glint shone in her eyes. "But before that happens, I'm not done playing with you, just yet." She picked up an electric shock stick and glared down evilly at Momo. "This is really going to hurt."
Jr. groaned and darted back into the alley as two cyborgs stormed through the streets. They were being hunted, had been hunted for the last forty eight hours. Behind him he could hear Randall swear and the young U.R.T.V. craned his neck, almost as if he were an owl, placing a single finger over his lips. Jr. had seen a lot in the thirty years of his life, even though he looked like an early teen. He'd seen some of his best friends die in dynamic blasts of explosions; he'd seen people ripped to bloody shreds at the talons of the Gnosis.
"I don't know why we've kept him here with us," the science officer snapped, thumbing towards Pyreges.
The bounty hunter frowned and narrowed his eyes at the short man. Had he had a working heart, it would be beating with rage now. "You would never have survived this far without me." That much was true. After the new president had declared war against the Federation and Amadore, the fight between Jr.'s group and Pyreges had ended as quickly as it had begun. The four of them had barely gotten away from armored cyborgs and androids, announcing that they were all under arrest for endangering the Mecha population.
"All the same, you damn piece of rusted metal," Randall snapped. He was quickly interrupted by Jr. "Little Master," he began.
"Shut up," Jr. hissed. He edged around the corner, his gaze glued to something in the sky. A huge black A.G.W.S. with six angelic wings and a single red eye was slowly drifting among the artificial clouds.
"Lilith," chaos, said in a low whisper. It was the personal A.G.W.S. of Zefonith 3. It was slightly smaller than Albedo's Simeon, but that didn't make it any less deadly. It was looking for human survivors, who were hiding from the Mecha onslaught. They weren't even arresting them anymore. Now the Mecha were slaughtering the humans they caught right on the spot.
They watched the massive mechanical battle suit hover off into the distance, and Jr. and his friends breathed in relief. The sight of the A.W.G.S. made Jr.'s mind drift to Ziggy, and then to Momo. Right before they had been surrounded by the Mecha, Jr. had noticed that she had disappeared from the sight where she had been laying. At first he thought that President Trev 5000's goons had grabbed her. But then, a day later, he had heard the president issue an arrest warrant for her as well as the rest of Jr.'s group. It then occurred to him, she couldn't have been grabbed if they all ready had her.
His mind began to race, he knew Albedo was somewhere on the planet. He knew that the psycho was not done with the poor girl. Perhaps he had been lurking in the shadows during the fight, and grabbed her after she fell. But there was not much logic in it, he would have left a calling card in the very least, to taunt Jr. So if he didn't have her, then who did? Momo.
"Snap out of it," Pyreges growled. "If we're going to work together, then you've got to stop you're damn day dreaming."
Jr. spun on his heels and glared at the other man. "One, you don't tell me what to do, two, if you want me to trust you, you're going to have to tell me why you attacked us, and three, tell me what you know about where Momo is."
"You don't give me orders, little man," Pyreges snapped. "All you need to know is that I'm a bounty hunter, the best damn hunter this side of the system. As to who hired me, that's none of your business. And as to your little girlfriend, I don't know. I was busy avoiding your bullets to see what happened to her. I had nothing to do with her disappearance. I was being paid to stop you and her. Why, I don't know. But you certainly have a lot of enemies that much I do know."
"Tell us something we don't already know," Randall snapped.
"I wasn't talking to you, short man," the cyborg snarled.
"And if you want to keep talking, you'll knock off the size jokes," the smaller man hissed, putting his hand on a blade he stole from a store.
"Enough," chaos said, his eyes glowing with little known anger. "We have to survive, we have to find our friends, and the only way to do that, is to cooperate. If we can't do that, we might as well hand ourselves over to the president right now."
Pyreges sighed and nodded to off in the distance. There's a tube that way that will take us to the capital district. You other friends are probably being held there. Once we hook up with them, I have a ship that can get us at least to Nagas at any rate."
"Nagas; are you insane?" Randall roared, lowering his voice after chaos gently calmed him a little. "That's a Class E planet. It has no moon, and is totally land. It does have some forests, with small underground rivers. For the most part only the areas with the forests have natural oxygen, and those are inhabited by the most vicious animals you can imagine." He looked at Jr. and shook his head. "It's a miner planet, Little Master."
"I'm aware of that," Jr. sighed. "And no, don't worry, we aren't going to leave the planet until we have all of our friends, and have figured out what the hell is going on."
Pyreges chuckled and looked Jr. deep in his eyes. "Do you enjoy playing the martyr?"
"If we need to leave the planet to solve the mystery safely, we will. But let's accept the facts; this whole system is now at war, a house divided against itself. If we headed to Nagas, we'd just be handing ourselves over to the president. All planets on this side of the asteroid belt are loyal to him."
"We'd never make it past the asteroid belt, and even if we did, you're little group isn't too popular over there either," Pyreges said, raising an eyebrow.
"Just how long have you been hunting us?" Jr. asked, raising his own eyebrow. The cyborg only smiled at him. "I see. At any rate, we're leaving." He turned and began sneaking through the shadows in the direction Pyreges had indicated.
She should have been in Heaven by now; she'd been dead for two days. And yet here she was, staring at a locked door, darkness radiating everywhere. Who had she been? She tried raising her arm, but found it strangely heavy. She closed her eyes and relaxed. Her muscles tightened and flexed, and she felt the same feeling that had plagued her since early last morning. The girl felt as though she were in a cocoon, felt as though her body was going through some kind of metamorphosis. And at that thought she once again felt alive, and her mind raced with vengeance, and bloodlust. And when that happened, her mind soared past the stars, empowered by some strange golden cross hidden on a Federation type ship, and to an unknown fleet, that looked made up of bees and large whales floating in space. Their minds linked, and the animalistic fleet shifted course, turning towards the Amadore system.
An explosion rocked the cell, Shion's voice echoing with a high pitched squeal as her brother lay dead in a pool of his own blood. Ziggy continued slashing and throwing fireballs everywhere. He was swearing and cursing, blaming his human companions for his arrest. His eyes flickered with madness as he tried to decapitate Shion. KOS-MOS was lying, deactivated, her red eyes pitch black.
Shion was wailing for help, praying that the rushing footsteps would bring the soldiers of the new Ungoliant government to her aide in time. She was flexible, and was able to dodge Ziggy for a while, but she knew that within just a few seconds those precious seconds of rescue would evaporate into nothing.
This time Gaignun was able to force himself out of bed. The explosions around the building had everywhere on edge. He was sure he could recognize one of the voices, but it was hard to make out whom, with his own roommates screaming in terror and confusion.
"Vnot'l giargir? Nol Amadore arzodyd?" one of them wailed.
"I don't it's an invasion by Amadore," Gaignun snapped back at him. "And I really doubt that it's a human militia attack," he added. "But something is going on here, and I suggest we take advantage of it."
"Are you mad, lad?" the elderly roommate asked. "You aren't at one hundred percent, yet."
"Don't have too be, I just need to stand." Gaignun through his bandages from his bare chest and glared at the prison cell door. He smirked and concentrated on his energy inside. A moment later a black energy wave encircled his body, and raced towards the door, like a shadowy comet. The door exploded sending shrapnel flying ever where. The guards were killed instantly, as would have Gaignun and his roommates, had he not been protecting them with an energy shield. He turned the shield off and rushed to pick up the guns the guards had been holding. He turned to his roommates and his smirk grew wider. "So who wants to personally thank our gracious hosts for their hospitality?"
The other captives looked at each other with reserved glances at first, and then broke into such a cheer it sounded like the growls of animals freed from their zoo cells could be heard.
"Why are you doing this," Momo cried, wriggling around her restraints as Violcia poured water down her throat. She was holding her sister's mouth open, grinning like a panther as Momo gagged and coughed up the liquid. "You have to let this hatred go."
"Why? Daddy never paid any attention to me; he doted on you like a love struck fool, all because you resembled his 'perfect' little Sakura." Her smile widened, "You didn't know that did you? Why did you think you looked so different from the rest of us?"
Momo turned her head and clenched her eyes tight. It hadn't been that long since she finally came to terms that her father was a madman. But to hear these new words, she had no idea that she'd been created in his father's child's image. She didn't even know her father had a human child.
"You're just a carbon copy of daddy's ideal, perfect child." Violcia smiled even wider. "You wouldn't even be alive, if dear little Sakura hadn't died."
Momo felt her heart burst into thousands of pieces. What this mad Realian was saying couldn't be true. It just couldn't be. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tighter. This wasn't happening. "You're lying," she snapped.
"What would I get to gain from that?" Before she would let Momo answer, she picked up another glass of water, and tossed it down her sister's throat. "I'm sorry," she said, in mock apology, "you just looked so thirsty laying there." She tossed her head back and cackled. Her laughter sounded like Albedo's, taken down to a twelve year old girl's level.
"You're cruel, you're so hateful," Momo snarled, tears running down her cheeks. "I don't know why, if I had known about you, we could have been the best of friends. Violcia, we're sisters, twins. You shouldn't be acting like this."
"Must you be so boringly sweet?" the other girl huffed. She walked up to her sister and narrowed her eyes. "Albedo wants you alive, why, I don't know. But he'll have to get over your death. I'm starting to get sick of your stench."
"What are you going to do?" Momo asked in a whisper.
Violcia smirked, "Ah, ah, ah. That would be telling, now wouldn't it? Let's just leave that little secret to your dear sister, until I'm ready to show you." She picked up a knife and pretended to sliced in an arch around Momo's neck. "I wonder; you and dear Albedo share such a unique link with one another, since he took your memories. Do you think you could regenerate your disembodied body parts like he can?"
"You're mad," Momo shouted.
"All of us are mad. If it weren't for the fact every one of us is slightly abnormal, there wouldn't be any point in giving each person a separate name," Violcia said with a cackle. "At the end, perhaps I'll have to comfort Rubedo after you are long gone."
"You stay away from him," Momo hissed, dark flames of rage burning in her brown eyes. Violcia giggled and grabbed her sister by her hair. With two quick swings hair went everywhere, and down went Momo's two bun clips.
"I've always wanted to see what you look like with short hair," she chuckled. Violcia turned and walked from the table she had her sister tied to. "I'll be back," she cooed.
"You better be careful when you return," Momo snarled as the door closed. Her chest burned. While she was being tortured, Violcia had told her how she had been brought to this strange building, one on a building that was no longer even on Ungoliant.
After the cyborg had knocked her out, Violcia, who had been waiting in the shadows, took advantage of the men's backs being turned, and snuck up behind Momo. Violcia grabbed Momo, and dropped her in a sky jet; they took off, and under Zefonith's permission, had left the system for the planet called Bohemia XI. That was five thousand light years away, just right out of the Amadore system. After that, Violcia had been torturing Momo continuously until she had woken up, three hours ago.
She was such a good girl, hatred was too much an alien thing for Momo, but at that moment, dark flames filled her body. So great was her hate, that a light filled around her body and almost illuminated the entire dark room she was being held in. The sound of a roaring inferno flared in her ears and she narrowed her eyes, biting her lips as she did so until she had the taste the irony taste of blood. Violcia had better make good her threat, or she'd see just what kind of a fighter her sister was.
The building was alive with alarms. Mecha soldiers rushed hither and yon, screaming in their native tongue. There was not one prisoner breakout, there were three. What was more, there seemed to be talk of a large anomaly just right out of the system, one very familiar. There was also an unknown fleet heading towards Ungoliant, though it didn't stretch Gaignun's imagination to know who that was. Helmer had sent the Federation Fleet towards the rebellious planet. The C.E.O. of the Kukai Foundation shook his head, dodging a bullet that had tried to lodge itself into his skull. Things were going to get very, very hot in the next day or so.
"Gaignun, lad," his old roommate called. Gaignun turned and looked at the old timer. "There's another fight breaking out." He nodded towards a large window, which had been shattered during the fighting. Gaignun rushed towards it, and leaned down; avoiding two enemy battle droids as they tried to crushed him under foot. Half a dozen grenades took both of them down.
Down in the streets, he could see four individuals rush toward the building he was in. It was then he realized that this was the only building in this district where human prisoners were kept. A blur of red hair, rushing near a building off in the distance caught his eye. "Rubedo," he said with a smile.
"Geez, just when you think you've got us down, we come right back up," a familiar voice huffed. Gaignun spun around and looked up at the newcomer, and smiled.
"I take it, you're the cause of the alarms that started," he said. "Can't take you anywhere can we?"
"Where would the fun be in that?" the newcomer asked with a smile.
Percy dodged another rain of electricity and fired a large gun into the massive A.G.W.S. The huge battle suit rocked back and forth and stumbled, before collapsing to the ground, like a Goliath falling to David's sling. "That makes eight," he said, grinning near another building, where Randall was slouching behind some wooden boxes.
"That's all? I have twelve." He rose to his feet and tossed a small, thin disk to the ground, just as a troupe of androids rushed through the street. Randall smiled and clicked a green button on his belt. The disk exploded into a multi-colored mist, sending the androids through the air. "Make that seventeen," he said with a laugh, ducking behind the boxes again.
"Sure, if you want to do it the easy way," Percy snapped. He still didn't like any of his compatriots all that much. What they were doing was suicide. But if there was any truth to Rubedo's claim that Mary was in that building, he had to try to get her to safety. He couldn't leave her again, as he had with both girls years ago. I'm their guardian angel, he thought. That's what Mary called me.
His optic sensors flashed red, and then green and he found himself back in the past. It was an office, covered from wall to wall with trophies, plaques, diplomas, techno magazine covers put in frames. Before him, sitting in a large, ancient leather chair, was a short man, with tan brown hair. His eyes were dark green, so dark they looked mossy. His face was smooth, without any trace of hair. Percy knew that this man was known to shave not once, but three times a day, and not because he needed to.
The man wore long white pants that covered his ankles. His jacket and shirt were both white, as were his gloves. There was absolutely nothing on his oak desk, save for a single plague that said his name. For whatever reason, Percy could not make it out.
"I need a favor of you," he spoke in a meticulous tone.
"I don't do favors, I'm a bounty hunter, if you have the money, then we'll talk." He turned to leave, but stopped as he reached the door. This person was notoriously rich, and he was renowned for not wasting time.
Percy was also well known, but not in this man's circle. It would have had taken time to find him, and to contact him. Since he had, he was probably more than willing to pay whatever price Percy asked. "You care to name the price?"
"You care to hear what I have in mind?" the man asked with a grin. He leaned over his desk and narrowed his eyes. "What I am asking you for, is to find a few volunteers for a medical breakthrough."
He was a doctor, and somehow he had managed to solve some of the greatest ailments of the time. He had his name in all of the Medical techno magazines that there were. If he said he had made a medical breakthrough, then he had. Or at the very least he was very close to one.
"You want me to kidnap someone you mean?" Percy said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Oh, Heaven's no," he squealed. "If we did that, I could lose my license and everyone ready for this cure would go on suffering."
"A cure for what?" the bounty hunter asked.
"Does Xyceria Complex Disease sound familiar?" He smiled as Percy frowned. Yes he had heard of it. It attacked the body from inside, starting with the lungs. It was inherited from parent to offspring, each time growing worse with the next generation. Those people were killed within twenty to twenty-five years, as the disease would eat its way into the heart and brain. It had been discovered about one thousand years ago, right after people had first entered space, it was said.
"You have a cure for it?" The man didn't appear to be a liar, but every scientist under the gun had looked for a cure since the disease attacked, and not one had even come close. "Why do I feel that you're pulling my chain?"
"I don't pull people's chains," the man said, stiffening up. "This cure would also lengthen people's lives, letting them live at least sixty years longer." A normal man might have had excitement in his voice, or arrogance, but he had neither.
"For those who could afford it, and who had the disease," Percy said blandly.
"Afford it, yes, but they don't have to have the disease to use it." He sat back and blinked at the bounty hunter. "Interested?"
"If they didn't have the disease, couldn't it have dire consequences for them? It sounds like you're trying to market Juan Ponce de Leon's fountain," the cyborg crossed his arms.
"You know, you're not known for your ethics code, perhaps I made a mistake," the man said.
"And I didn't know you liked taking chances, especially if they lead up to lawsuits against your character. But don't worry about me; as long as I get paid I don't give a crap about what happens to you."
The man smiled and stood a few inches from his chair. "You have the impatience I've heard about, I normally wouldn't use a person such as yourself, but you do come highly recommended."
"How much are you willing to pay me?" Percy smiled and crossed her arms.
"How much are you willing to listen to?" the man countered. He smirked and sat firmly in her chair. He had him.
"I'm listening," Percy said, finally taking a seat. Before he could hear anymore, static interrupted his optic sensors, and a high pitch screech attacked his ears.
Pyreges blinked and looked around. Jr. and the others were glaring at him, highly disturbed. Around him there was silence in the air and a thick gray cloud hung in the air. A number of buildings were shelled, half of them were crumbled, and a lot more were nothing but dust blowing in the wind.
The cyborg reached up and stroked his cheek. Blackish blue ooze clung to his fingers as he pulled his hand away and stared at it. Somehow he had been injured, perhaps when he had been "back" in the past. "Is the fight over already?"
"You just took out half of the enemy forces on the streets," Randall whispered. "I have never seen anything like it in my life.
Jr. had to agree, one minute they were digging into the buildings as more and more enemies arrived, the next moment Pyreges was screaming in absolute agony and was going commando on the entire squad. His energy was amazing, Jr. had to thank God that the cyborg had not gone mad when his group was fighting him.
"There isn't much time to stand and talk, we've got to get the others and try and solve this mystery," the U.R.T.V. snapped.
"Gee, Fred, should we split up too?" Pyreges smirked. He chuckled as he watched the red haired lad glare at him. "Never mind, let's just get going."
It wasn't long before the group had reunited, although neither Gaignun, nor Ziggy seemed to like the presence of Pyreges. Gaignun had thanked him for his help, and then demanded that he turn around and walk away. Ziggy was more polite, but neither cyborg could stop from glowered at each other.
"Sorry, but we still need him," Jr. said, pushing himself between the cyborg and the chief of the Kukai Foundation.
chaos nodded. "Momo, and Mary are still missing, and if Gaignun is right, then so is Shelley."
Pyreges sighed, lowering his head. "I think I know who has Shelley," he said in a very low voice. The group stared at him bitterly. "I don't know who the main man behind the kidnapping is, but the organization, I know them all too well."
"It's the Wollstonecraft Pharmaceutical Company, isn't it?" Gaignun snapped. "I figured as much, but knowing who you are now, why would you work for them again, after what happened with the girls."
"Who?" Shion shook her head. It was as if they were speaking in a foreign language. Today was already too much for her. Ziggy had warned her that their escape attempt was going to be challenging, but she had never anticipated him in attacking them, and had almost died in trying to avoid one his low kicks. Had he not softened the blow, thus clueing her in to what he was doing, she probably would have died.
"They're the ones we freed Mary and Shelley from," Jr. said blandly. He turned to Gaignun and glared. "How the hell does he know about them? And what the fuck did you mean work for them again?"
"He was the informant who told us about them all those years ago," Gaignun said. The air seemed to become stale as they all stood there. "He handed them over to the company, didn't you?"
"I didn't realize what they were going to do to them," Pyreges snapped.
"You were more concerned with getting paid," Ziggy snapped. When they had fought years ago Pyreges had been a member of a paramilitary group, not quite a terrorist, though not too far off from mercenaries who would sell themselves to the highest bidders.
"Back off would you?" the other cyborg screeched like a rabid wolf.
"And you know about him too?" Jr. snarled. "How the hell do we know he didn't have anything to do with Momo's disappearance?"
"What did I tell you about earlier," Pyreges growled.
"How about an accomplice?" Jin asked.
"He doesn't work with one," Gaignun and Ziggy answered in unison.
"This still doesn't answer my question," Shion said, stomping her foot. Her eye frames were broken, and they all looked like tall, colorful blobs. I guess I really should look into getting contacts.
"They deal with black market medical supplies, the Federation tried to shut them down once, but their clients – those who the company had healed – threatened to sue the government, and promised to use their monies to help with court costs," Ziggy said.
"Pyreges worked for them for a time," Gaignun continued, "he, 'enlisted' the girls for a medical procedure, which turned them into what they are today. He didn't like what was going on, and contacted us. The Federation couldn't do anything against them, but we could."
"Then why did he hand Shelley back over to them?" chaos asked.
"Good question," Gaignun growled under his breathe. He turned to the cyborg and narrowed his eyes.
"I worked with them again, because I needed certain memories back, after the girls were freed I had some of my memories wiped, so I could free myself from the nightmares of what happened to them. Apparently the company C.E.O. knew about my betrayal, and had more memories than I knew about, wiped. I wanted them back."
"Who is the CEO?" Gaignun demanded.
"That's one of the memories I want back," the cyborg snapped. "I was promised them back if I could capture Jr. and his girlfriend."
"She not my girlfriend," Jr. roared. A red glow flickered around his body. Gaignun put his hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
"But if I knew about Mary, and Shelley, I would have never taken this job," he grit his teeth as the words escaped his lips. "I was never told about them." He looked up, "I never took them, or planed to. I would have fought against whoever would have taken them."
"So you have no idea who has Momo?" Jr. asked, his heart skipping a beat.
"No, not unless the pharmaceutical company has hired more than one bounty hunter," he sighed.
There was no point in arguing anymore, his eyes said he was telling the truth. "Damn it to hell," was all Jr. could say.
Mary closed her eyes as she slunk against one of the gray walls. She'd escaped after the riots broke out, but refused to follow the other inmates into the "safety" of outside. None of the others survived the battle that had broken out between the new government and the rebel forces.
It wasn't Gaignun who kept her in the building, but an unknown sense that something was wrong was with her sister. She could see a damp area, a holding cell on a ship. From a tiny window she spied a dank, dull silver colored planet. She knew it all to well.
Her wrists ached, as did her ankles as she looked at the dungeon taking her – or rather her sister – to the planet. Shelley was tied up, bound so tightly that she could hardly take a step without a throb of pain rushing through her veins.
"Hold on sis," Mary said weakly, "We'll get you out of there somehow." She pulled herself to her feet and continued to walk slowly down the hall, hoping that she was heading towards her friends, and her sister's only chance at salvation.
Before she could go much further, a dark shadow hovered over her, and she quickly turned around. Mary's eyes grew wide, and she attempted to block the blow, but she was too slow. Darkness descended, and Mary could hear wild laughter as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Captain Shajin Ugoliji looked at the planet and blinked. Ungoliant was surrounded by dozens, hundreds of warships. So many it boggled the mind. "How the hell did they produce so many ships in such a short time?" he asked under his breath.
"Sir?" one of the Realian pilots frowned and looked at him.
"Nothing, just talking to myself," he said with a small smile.
"Should I contact the psychologist, sir?"
The captain smiled and folded his arms. "That won't be necessary ensign," he said with a chuckle. Shajin loved combat; he became a soldier because he loved the thrill of ships blazing away, dynamic heroism, unbelievable villainy that would in the end be vanquished. At the very core of his heart, Captain Ugoliji was a romantic. Still, there was something rather tragic in all of this.
As his ship came closer to the juggernaut of enemy forces his heart skipped a beat. There were more ships than he thought. Each one moving in unison with the others as if synchronized with each other. If they didn't mean to blast him and the other Federation battle ships from space, it might be beautiful. On the other hand, the fact that they could move as though they had one mind disturbed him. No ship, other than the biological, living ships of the Gnosis, could do anything even remotely close to that. It was as if the captains of the ships each had the same mind. But that couldn't be possible. Even if the captains were clones of a single individual, each clone would have their own personality and freedom.
Twenty ships appeared from the dark horizon and lined up directly with Captain Ugoliji's. He frowned and felt his skin grow cold. That made a total of two hundred Federation ships now, on this front alone. There were at least another eight hundred ships that had arrived since the first hours of the war trying to protect Amadore and aid the original fifty that were sent here, with the key word being "trying". The area between the two planets was alight by the flames of the laser blasts and explosions. The asteroid belt was literally no man's land.
His communicator screen flashed and another captain's face appeared in front of him. "All preparations are complete," he reported to the operation's field commander. "Are you ready for us to attack?"
"Let's wait to see if the enemy forces pull back," he said, stroking his chin. "There was a report in Zara Ungolia of riots, if there are enough riots, they might pull back some ships."
"Don't count on it," the other captain snapped. "Besides, don't you like a challenge?"
"A challenge, yes, suicide, I have other ideas of," Captain Ugoliji said. He was a romantic, but nothing said a romantic couldn't be practical either. "No captain, we are going to wait for either another riot to pull some of their ships from the planet, or for more of our ships to arrive on this side of the front."
"That doesn't seem likely," the other captain said under his breath. "However, you are the field commander here; I'll order my ship to wait." Before he signed out he narrowed his eyes, "All I hope is that you won't do anything to endanger my ship."
"Captain, even if ninety percent of the enemy's force leaves their positions, this is going to be very dangerous. Hell, even if ninety-nine percent of them leave, there's no chance we're not going to get out of this alive."
"So what do you suggest?" the other man's voice asked. The screen was off, but the communicator was still very much active.
"Have your men say a prayer and prepare them to meet their maker if they're religious," Captain Shajin said, his voice filled with concrete seriousness. He flipped the communicator off and looked back at the enemy's planet. He blinked for a moment and turned to one of the Realians.
"Ensign," he snapped. She turned and looked at him with serious and obedient eyes. "Are there any civilians on any of our ships?"
She typed a few buttons and blinked for a few minutes, "It is possible that there is a handful, sir. Should I have them evacuated?"
"Damn it," he lowered his head and sighed. He couldn't evacuate civilians in the middle of a battle zone. But he couldn't but them in harms way either. Mostly they'd be scientists, maybe some family members of the civilians, but that was about it. "Those who can't fight, or truly do not want to are to be sent to the medical wards to help the staff there, in case we really get our throats ripped out. Those who can fight, and do not have a good reason not to, are ordered to report to whomever the deck officer is on their level for immediate enlistment. We're going to need all the help we can get."
"Yes sir," she said with a salute. She turned to her computer and issued out the order. A moment later she frowned and typed in another group of buttons. Her eyes grew wide and she licked her lips. "Captain," she shrieked, "a large group of ships are beginning to appear on the far side of the planet."
"Federation ships?" Captain Shajin arched his eyebrows and leaned forward.
"No, there's too high density of biological energy, I think that they maybe Gnosis ships."
"Ah, fuck," the captain said with a scowl. "Ensign, new plan, anyone who can fight, will fight, regardless of their pacifist inclinations." He stroked his chin and sighed, "Contact the entire captains, inform them that we're going to slowly head for combat, and to be ready to aide the enemy if the Gnosis attacks."
"We're going to aide the enemy, sir?" She raised her eyebrows as her jaw dropped.
"We may be at war, but I won't let anyone fall to the claws at the Gnosis, no one deserves that fate. Now, give the order, ensign."
The Realian blinked for a moment, and then nodded, flipping the appropriate buttons. This was going to be one hell of a day to remember, if they survived it.
"We're still not getting any response from the radio," Randall said. The small man looked up and glared at the Elsa, sitting alone in the docking bay. A dozen or so Mecha guarded it, surrounding it in a perfect circle. If there were anyone aboard it still alive, they weren't going to be able to communicate with their friends very easily.
"Even if we get to the Elsa, we still have to find and get to the Durandal," Gaignun said. "And we still have to find Mary."
"I agree with you, about Mary. But trying to worry about that hunk of junk, or even the Durandal, that's just foolish," Pyreges growled. "Look I know you don't trust me very much, but if we can get to my ship, we should be able to get off this planet,"
"Not with that defensive block aid up there," Gaignun said.
"Then what makes the Elsa or the Durandal any different?" the cyborg snapped.
"There are friends and civilians on those ships," Randall growled, "Something you obviously don't know anything about."
"Listen, you little snot," the cyborg growled.
"That's enough, from both of you," Gaignun snapped. "We've got to figure out a plan to divert those guards from," he stopped and groaned as he watched Jr. leap from his hiding space and began opening fire at them recklessly. "Oh for crying out loud," he snapped.
"Well, that's one way to get through those guards," Pyreges said with a grin. He pulled out his gun and took a step from the shadows. "Are we going to let him have all the fun?" He smirked and leapt from the balcony, firing his weapon at the guards brave enough to withstand Jr.'s onslaught.
Gaignun sighed and shook his head. "I suppose we really don't have much choice here." He pulled out his weapons and waved them to his friends, and the few rebel soldiers who had decided to stay with their "leader". In an instant there was a rush of laser blasts, ice spells, lightning strikes, swords clashing, and fire balls everywhere. Swords clashed, men and Mecha groaned as they cut each other down.
One of the guards managed to pull an alarm, and a wave of new Mecha's rushed forward from no where -- in the middle of their group stood Zefonith, grinning widely behind her death mask. The cruel android turned and spied Ziggy. With a wider grin than before, Zefonith pulled out a large blade and rushed toward him. It would end tonight, she was sure of that. One way or the other, it would end tonight, and then he would be vindicated.
Ziggy caught sight of the android commander, and grit his teeth. Somewhere, deep in his subconscious, the part that was still human, he knew her. He searched for an answer as he flipped open his arm blade and rushed forward. Tonight, even if she managed to get away, he was determined to figure out the last piece of the puzzle, to unmask the villainess, and close a certain door from his past.
The girl pushed through her mind, through the cosmos, a thousand, angry voices, all centered on a golden cross, screamed in her mind. Her eyes grew blood red as she listened, and a hunger she had never known burned in her. She bore canines that she did not know she even had and rushed toward the blocked door. Once, twice, three times she hit it. It began to crack, and then she saw a sliver of light. Hungrily she pushed through, each time her mind racing with rage even more. Finally with a demented roar of hate, she launched herself at the door once last time, and found herself in the hospital.
An orderly glanced at her for a moment, his color slowly draining as he stood like a statue. His mouth opened and he let out a piercing scream. "Gnosis!"
The girl stood on all four legs and blinked. Gnosis, where? And why was this co-worker looking like a hamburger? It was then she realized she was the Gnosis. And in that moment, the Cerberus growled with full wolfish fury and pounced on the orderly, tearing out his throat, and feasting on his blood. Somehow she knew enough to stop herself from completely killing him. The black bluish creature flung her tail and pulled his energy into her. She was the size of the extinct timber wolf, and four times as vicious, as well as ten times faster. Her howl could send waves of terror down the spines of people miles away, and shatter the eardrums of those in contact with her. As she sucked on his energy she could fell a connection with her victim. She could hear him gasp for breath, something he could have done, even if his throat hadn't been torn out. Good, she had learned how to assimilate other beings. Within ten minutes, he too would be a Gnosis, and the invasion of this surface of this world would begin.
The battle near the Elsa was not only televised, but had inspired others to fight back against the Mechas. The planet was engulfed in flames of civil war between the humans and the androids and cyborgs. For the most part, the highly organized Mecha armies, who had gained control of the planet only fifty hours ago, had most of the battles more than won, but lead by the terrorist movement, Human's First and Albedo, the human's had taken critical parts of the planet.
All the same, President Trev 5000 had insisted to stay in his palace. The reports said that things were going well in his conquest for Amadore despite the Federation's interference. There was even a rumor that a Gnosis Fleet had appeared just of the south of the planet, heading for Ungoliant. The android shook his head and sat in his golden throne, lined with the finest leather.
Trev wasn't the average android. He was a rather young model, only around two hundred years. His eyes were silver, and his hair was brown as mud. His face was as smooth as a baby's bottom. He wore a black suit, with a purple tie, and long gray pants. Trev wasn't very tall, about five foot three inches, but he was very strong.
He was made for combat in a time where there was a golden age of peace. After his worthless military career, he was bought by a politician, who had very dubious political ambitions. It was here were the android learned the trade of telling people what they wanted to hear, and how to gain favors from people who might otherwise never give you the time of day. Trev served under his human master for the next forty years, growing further corrupted with each year that passed.
After his master died, he was passed from one owner to another for the next one hundred years. His heart grew dark as he realized that he was nothing more than a piece of property, a couch or chair that could be sold if he didn't match the pattern of the rest of the furniture, or a dog who could be put down if he didn't do any tricks that his master demanded. Sixty years ago, Trev committed the ultimate sin, he murdered his last master after his owner had found out of an affair he was having with his wife, the only human other than his political master, who had treated him with any amount of loyalty and love.
Trev and his human lover fled for the Amadore at first, where he was immediately thrown in jail for the "crime" of being a Mecha. His lover was sacrificed to the gods, as the crops had at the time, seriously depleted under the either the heat of the sun, or the ice of winter. Trev remembered watching his love scream for mercy as she was surrounded by twelve high priestess, who proceeded to carve into her with curved blades. They drank her blood, and devoured her innards, all while she still screamed in agony – very much alive. He understood that had she not been in love with him, she would have still been sacrificed, but not in such a ghastly manner. All the same, on that day, Trev's hatred of religion boiled white hot.
A few weeks later, he had escaped his prison, tracked down the high priestess who had murdered his love, and slaughtered them in an almost similar way that they had killed her. The only thing he didn't do was eat those witches. Once they were dead, he killed a pilot who had landed here, hoping to civilize the planet. With the pilot's ship in hand, Trev fled passed the asteroid belt, and headed for the safety of Ungoliant. He had wanted to go here origionally, but knew of their hatred of humans, and had feared for his love's safety.
It didn't take him long to rise to power once he arrived. He was charismatic, friendly, and proved – once handed over control of the military – that while he wasn't much a fighter, he was definitely an excellent strategist. He was given the title, "Protector of Ungoliant" and "General of the Entire Army". He led his forces to many victories during the Militian Conflict, but when the Federation defeated his forces, somehow he only got off with a slap on the wrist.
Trev fought violently before the war against pro human protection laws. His hatred of humanity and of religion knew no bounds. He once interrupted a Neo Roma Church Mass, after corrupting and paying off one of the parishioners, slaughtered all of the humans and Mecha there, and had the church burnt down, with the few human survivors still inside. He later called his "Judas" into his office to congratulate him, and shot him as he entered.
His hatred grew wild as he lost his battle against anti-human laws, and for a time was thrown out of power, and sent to a prison for the criminally insane. He would have rotted there, had some of his former generals and another android named Zefonith hadn't approached him with a plan to overthrow the current government and place him solely in power. They bribed his jailers to release him early and he feigned loyalty to the new elder for a year and a half until he could grab power, just two in a half days ago.
He frowned and looked at the reports. Who the hell cares if the Gnosis are here? They only attack humans anyway. If luck holds out, they'll attack the rebel forces on the surface and make our work easier.
Zefonith and Ziggy clashed so violently, that the earth shook beneath their feet. Neither of them could hear the cries of their comrades or friends, and even if they could, neither would have cared. Their blades crossed a thousand times, the sound of metal clinking against each other echoing through the sky and all around Zara Ungolia.
"A shame detective, I was truly hoping that I'd catch you at your peak," the evil android chuckled as she avoided his blade. "Perhaps this is why your son was let down by you when you killed him."
"No more games Zefonith," Ziggy roared. He lowered his legs and released a powerful Jack Blade attack, slicing with his arm blade toward her mask. She cackled and caught it in her hands, tossing him aside as she did so.
"I'm a lot stronger than he ever was," Zefonith snapped.
"He who, damn it?" Ziggy kicked at her abdomen, and threw a punch at her face. His foot missed the mark, but his fist connected so entirely that it snapped her mask into two. Her hand covered her face as she stepped back from him.
"Perhaps I underestimated you, just as he had done, but that won't happen again." With her free hand she pulled out a gun and aimed at Ziggy's head. "This ends tonight."
"You're right, it ends tonight." Ziggy spun around and kicked the android's head, sending her flying away from the battlefield. With a roar he chased after her and came crashing down on her chest.
Zefonith growled and spun her legs, knocking him off balance. She reached up and grabbed his shoulder, tossing him to the ground with a harsh pin. Still covering her face with her free hand, she smiled and stroked his cold chest with her fingers. "Kinda feels nice, doesn't it? Too bad I have to kill you; this was a lot of fun." She bent down and kissed his lips. "Good bye." She raised her hand and placed her gun on his forehead.
Before she could fire, bolts of lightning struck the gun and sent it flying from her hand. She hissed, and swung, in time to get struck by another group of bolts. She looked up and glared at Shion, who was bending over, her arm holding her waist as her stomach screamed in pain. Her eyes squinted as she tried to see if her attacks had connected.
"You shouldn't attack a foe if you can't see her," Zefonith chuckled. The girl was blind without her glasses. Zefonith pulled out her blades and aimed for Shion.
"You shouldn't ignore a foe that has a technical advantage over you," Ziggy snarled. He kicked her arm and quickly disarmed the evil android. With a spinning right kick he sent her reeling. Ziggy turned to Shion and nodded, "Thank you for the help, but this is my fight. Get to the Elsa and take off. If I can join you, I'll do so. If not, well." He looked down. "Tell Momo I'm sorry, when you find her." He ran to where Zefonith flew, ignoring Shion's pleas to return.
When he caught up to her she was laying on the ground, half unconscious. Ziggy slowly approached and blinked as she started to move. She pulled herself up and glare at Ziggy, neither hand covering her face.
Ziggy blinked for a second and then gasped. "It can't be."
Zefonith smiled, "Not quite who you were expecting, detective?"
On board one of the Ungoliant battleships, the commander of the ship watched as the Gnosis slowly drifted first toward his ships, and then shifted toward the Federation ships, their minds clearly confused and clouded. Their battleships were biological, living beings, the size and shapes of whales, with bee and dragonfly shaped Gnosis hovering passed the whales, he knew they used these bug versions as the individual fighter ships for their "fleets".
"Commander Canon," a voice from the intercom said. Canon grinned and turned to the monitor.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Order your forces to attack the Federation, the final push to conquer Amadore has been commanded by our superiors." The shadowy, faceless officer appeared on the video screen for just a split second and then nodded. "You know what needs to be done."
Canon smiled and nodded. He tapped a few buttons and thousands of screens appeared before him. "It has been done, we have been ordered to attack. The rebels on the surface are meaningless now, the Gnosis will see to that. Forward, for Ungoliant, for all Mecha, and for we of the Genesis Project, let the universe tremble with the might of our will." His smile grew wide, "Now, engines roar, and let loose the dogs of war."
In front of him stood the captains of his armada nodded in unison and saluted their commander. Each captain wore the same clothes, stood the same way and had the same thought. And the responded in unison, with the same tone, in the same voice, "All hail the power of the Genesis Project."
Canon leaned back in his chair and looked down at his crew and chuckled. With the exception of the uniforms, his crew looked exactly like his captains. Hundreds of thousands of them, officers and crew men, all exactly the same, each man were the mirror image of the other. Someone might believe them clones, and that wouldn't be too far off, but they were superior to clones, their minds were one. All of the crews of the all the ships were one and the same man. Canon smiled, as he looked straight into thousands of his own eyes.
Author's notes: The third down, and quite honestly, I was hoping to finish the Ungoliant phase of the story here, but the Battle of Ungoliant was so big, bigger than I thought, that I knew I had to continue it in part four. You will find more info on Mary and Shelley's history in the next chapter, as well as see if Momo really does have a breaking point. Also seen in the next chapter, the final conflict between Ziggy and Zefonith, and yes, you will find out just who the evil android who has been harassing our favorite cyborg really is. That's all for now kids, now get outta here, J.