"You...you're Scourge, the Bull, aren't you?" A voice demanded from the darkness above Scourge's prison pit.
The muscle-bound warrior gazed upward, seeing only the darkness, from which he was surveyed in this prison, Lockheed, where they held the Zoanthropes dubbed "insane", or "a menace". Having such a powerful beast state, he was held within a deep pit, with infrared surveillance cameras near the top. "Eh?" Scourge demanded. "Who's there! Show yourself!" Scourge shouted.
His demand was returned only with silence. "God damn...five years, and the hallucinations are finally starting to set in..." Scourge muttered.
"This is no hallucination, Scourge..." The voice replied, much closer, now. Surprized by the sudden closeness of it, Scourge jumped, then turned around to face this disembodied voice.
Only, it wasn't disembodied...there stood a very solemn-looking man, his bangs hiding his eyes. "Who are you?" Scourge demanded.
"You...may call me...'Megaton'." He replied, a smirk spreading across his lips, as he stepped entirely out of the shadows, a cloak wrapped around him, covering his body.
"How did you get in here! The only way is from the top!" Scourge screamed, pointing upward.
"That's exactly how." Megaton grinned.
Scourge let out a low growl. "Fine! You're going to lie to me! Then I'll kill you!"
Megaton's grin faded. "You won't even touch me."
"BET ME!" Scourge bellowed, charging forward, his fist drawn back. "RAAH!" As Scourge's fist rocketed forward, it struck only air. "Uhh...!" Scourge looked around, seeing Megaton nowhere. Then, he began to believe that he was losing his mind.
"The shadows...the shadows are moving!" Scourge yelped, as the darkness, itself, took the shape of several people. Scourge then felt a swimming sensation in his head. "No...no! It's all in my head!" Scourge screamed, gripping his head and clenching his eyes shut. "All in my head! The shadows aren't alive! No! They can't be! IT'S ALL IN MY HEAD!" He screamed, whimpering. The swimming sensation dissipated, and Scourge opened his eyes, and there was Megaton, mere inches from Scourge's face.
"GAAH!" Scourge screamed, as Megaton smirked.
"The shadows ARE alive, Scourge... I AM the shadows..." Megaton whispered, as a horrified expression washed over Scourge's face.
"What are you...?" Scourge whispered.
"Some have called me the Zoanthrope incarnation of Satan, himself... But by name, I am Megaton the Shadow, determined to create a world of pain and suffering..." Megaton answered. "However, I can not achieve such a goal single-handedly. You...you were comrades with Locke, the Scorpion, and Reo, the Tenrec, were you not?"
"Y-yes..." Scourge replied, timidly.
"Good. They are being held somewhere here in Lockheed, correct?" Megaton asked.
"Yes." Scourge answered, a bit more boldly.
"Wonderful." Megaton grinned. "Then, we shall release them, and your rag-tag band will be reunited... Now, what was it that you called yourselves?"
"Trinity." Scourge replied, his composure about him once more.
"Very well. Whose cell is closest?"
"Probably Locke's...maybe Reo's...they're about the same."
"Then we shall release Locke, first. Take my hand." Megaton stated, extending his scrawny hand. Scourge cocked his eyebrow and reluctantly reached out and gripped Megaton's frail-looking hand. "Haah..." Megaton groaned, as the two were surrounded by black. Scourge looked around in awe.
"Hey, where are we--" Scourge began. Before he could speak another word, the black faded, and they were standing outside of a cell marked: #00295, Locke, Scorpion.
"Excellent, we're here." Megaton grinned.
"Just like they said." A woman's voice snorted from behind them.
"Hmm? And who might you be?" Megaton asked, coolly. "My, there's two of you..."
"As frantic as Captain Lux sounded, I expected you to be a savage monster..." The woman, militant looking, and some might say muscular, stated. "But, fine. You can call me Shina."
"You may call me Long." The man stated, asian-looking, to a tee, with a martial-arts uniform, consisting of mostly green, with some black speckles.
"I've heard of you...both of you... You're supposed to be among the greatest of the Zoanthrope warriors, correct?" Megaton asked.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but if that's how you want to know us..." Shina began.
"Wonderful. Scourge, take your pick." Megaton stated.
"I'll rip 'em both apart!" Scourge snorted.
"Are you sure you can handle them both?"
"Positive!" Scourge grinned, pounding his fists together.
"Then, knock yourself out, my young friend..." Megaton smirked.
Scourge (Bull) vs. Shina (Leopard) and Long (Tiger)
Scourge charged forward, reaching for Long's skull. Long extended a hand, deflected Scourge's palm, and jabbed at his kidney with a quick grunt. Scourge stumbled backward, gripping his side, and gasping. Long relaxed and exhaled, as Scourge looked up, blind rage on his face.
"You...you dare attack me!" Scourge demanded, through gritted teeth, as his eyes glowed red. He released a fearsome growl, echoing through Lockheed, as he began to transform. With a flash of light, Scourge stood, larger than before, slumped over, and two massive horns jutting from his temples. Scourge roared, as Long grinned.
"A change of form won't ensure your victory..." Long suggested. Scourge released a low growl and charged forward, his horns lowered, ready to impale Long.
"Yah!" Shina grunted, kicking Scourge's left foot out from underneath him, as the tremendous bull crashed to the ground.
"You have three weak points in this state." Long stated. "There is a soft spot just beneath your left horn, your left knee can barely support your weight, and it seems that your right shoulder does not sit on the joint properly. Correct?"
Scourge slowly stood, growling fiercely, and charging forward again, his horns lowered. "Graagh!" The bull roared, as Long inhaled sharply.
He thrust out his hand, catching Scourge's left horn. "Soft spot." Long stated, jabbing the small point on Scourge's head, as the bull froze. Long straightened Scourge's right arm and hammered at the shoulder. "Joint." Keeping Scourge's arm extended, Long kicked the back of his left knee, tossing him to the ground with a heavy thud, and exhaling. "Support."
Upon impact with the concrete, Scourge reverted to his human state, writhing in pain. "Scourge, give it up." Megaton spat. "They have you entirely outclassed. I shall eliminate them."
"Tut!" Scourge snorted, standing, and gripping his skull in agony.
"You, Scourge, may release Locke from his cell." Megaton smirked.
"Is that why you're here!" Shina demanded, as Scourge trudged off. "To release Trinity!"
"To make them my underlings, actually." Megaton stated, his bangs keeping his eyes hidden. "I suggest that you both simply stand down, now."
"Yeah, right!" Shina announced.
"We were charged with defeating you, and defeat you, we shall!" Long shouted.
"Hrmph. Very well. If you wish to stand and fight..." Megaton muttered. He lethargically raised one hand, as if he were exerting no effort whatsoever. "Beast Drive...Hell on Earth!" Megaton shouted, his aura spilling throughout Lockheed. He yanked his hand back to his side, and faded from view, as anything not bolted down raised up and rocketed toward Shina and Long.
Even the tiles, embedded in the floor, lifted and crashed into the duo. Even Shina and Long, as powerful as they, could not take an assault as ruthless such as this. The tiles, when broken, would simply raise and attack again, until they were broken into dust, then they would attack their eyes.
When the dust settled, Megaton squatted in front of the two, now face-down on the floor, soaking in blood, their eyes watering from a combination of pain and the debris blurring their vision.
"Let this be your one, and ONLY warning, my young friends." Megaton spat. "I will not be defeated by Zoanthropes such as yourselves." Megaton stood, now, looking down fiercely at the fallen team.
Long's vision was at last beginning to return, and he caught a glimpse of Megaton's eyes.
They were the Eyes of Satan.