Megaman X: Elysium Rising

Chapter 20: Fallen Empires

By Genoscythe

AN: Twenty dollars to the person who can find the X2: Eternal War quote in this chapter (not really, but at least feel proud of yourself if you do). Here's a hint: The quote's from chapter 15.

Marx awoke with a start, banging his head on a lamp over his head. A lamp? What was a lamp doing in the middle of the wastelands? But, Marx quickly realized, he was no longer in the wastelands. He was in Cain Laboratories, that much he could tell from the Maverick Hunter insignia on the door and on the shoulder of the Lifesaver standing before him. A Lifesaver... how bad was I? Marx thought as he looked down at his arm that was shattered in the fall.

He almost cried out when he saw that his arm was a grotesque metal skeleton from the elbow down. He looked to the Lifesaver, who was standing stoically and indifferent in typical Lifesaver fashion. "Where's my arm?" He demanded, trying to steady his voice.

"Your arm was irreparable, as were both your legs. These crude replacements will be covered as soon as the synthetic skin arrives, so do not worry about your appearance." The Lifesaver's voice was bland and toneless. Marx briefly wondered if Lifesavers were all robots.

"...my legs?" His face blanched as he looked down, afraid of what he would see. Dull gray metal shaped in the form of a human skeleton was all that was left of his legs. With a shudder, Marx looked up at the Lifesaver again. He didn't like being reminded of what he was underneath his skin. "How soon can you make me look normal again?"

"The skin should be here in approximately three minutes, and after that it should be a matter of fifteen or twenty to apply it to your arm and legs." Damn, it's like talking to a computer. Marx sighed at this response. I just hope to god nobody walks in and sees me like this... As soon as he thought this, he rapped his knuckles on the table three times. "I have several messages for you," the reploid medic continued. "One is from your commander, Megaman X. He wants you to contact him as soon as you're able."

"My commander? There's gotta be a mistake, then. I'm in the 15th."

"Apparently, you aren't anymore." The Lifesaver responded.

"...I'm not?" Marx said stupidly. More importantly, how did X survive?

"That is exactly what I said. As of 8:34 AM, you are a hunter of the 17th Maverick Hunter Division." Marx couldn't suppress a smile. Somehow, he had avoided being stuck with the loser division for even a single mission. "I also have another message, though it was requested that I not tell you this. A woman was here earlier. Mechanic Class A, Nephtis." Marx's eyes widened considerably at this. Nephtis was here...? Is he serious? Is there another Nephtis that I don't know about?

"Why? Was she trying to take the rest of me apart?"

"Not that I was aware of. She sat at that table and watched you for approximately forty five minutes. I was happy to inform her that your systems were about to restart, but she became frightened and left immediately." The Lifesaver's voice droned on. I can't believe this...For all the misery she's been putting me through, she cared enough to see me. Some way to show your emotions , lady. But, if this means that she likes me, then maybe I have a chance after all. Marx was fairly certain that the grin on his face was idiotic, but he could care less.

"And she told you not to tell me that she was here?"

"Yes, sir. As soon as she got here." Marx was elated, but then another thought occurred to him.

"If she told you not to tell me, then why did you?" He asked curiously. Then, perhaps the biggest shock of the day occurred right before his eyes. The Lifesaver unit smiled!

"I derive a twisted sort of pleasure from tampering with people's lives." The Lifesaver said, his voice still monotone but his face becoming uncharacteristically animated. Wait a second, Marx wondered. He looked down at the repairs this Lifesaver had made on him. How far did this guy like to mess with people's lives!

"Don't worry," the Lifesaver assured him when he saw the terrified look on Marx's face. "I'm not that sadistic. Your limbs are fine." Marx was wholly unconvinced. "It's an inconvenient personality glitch. Nothing to worry about, or else I would not be here at the moment." He explained. Wearily, Marx nodded his head and looked again at his horrific metal limbs. He hoped they would fix him soon; he didn't want to look like this the next time he saw Nephtis.

Marx arrived at their apartment room less than an hour later to find Nephtis sitting at the table, fiddling with a blue ball on the table. He arched an eyebrow as he moved closer. As assured as he was of her feelings toward him, he was hurt that she didn't even acknowledge that he was there. He was nearly behind her when he realized what it was that she was tinkering with. It was Darius!

"Hey!" He cried out. "What are you doing with him?" Nephtis craned her neck and cast him a steely, dark-eyed glance. She flipped Darius back onto his feet and pressed a button on the side of his head. His eyes flickered to life, and Marx was astonished by what his roommate had done to him. Its helmet now matched the color of his armor, and a large, stylish 'D' was painted in green where the red cross once was. There appeared to be some kind of creamy gray plate armor on his underside, and a rectangle that Marx guessed was a voice modulator stuck out almost like a tiny goatee just below and between his bulbous eyes.

Marx was speechless, but for once, Darius was not. Hello Marx. Feeling better? It said in a dull, tinny voice. Marx then noticed that Nephtis was smiling at him.

"That's the only phrase I programmed into him for now. All I really did was repaint him, add some armor on the bottom, and install a high-energy beam cannon into his helmet."

"Sounds coo- you installed what?" It took a split second for Marx to realize what she had said. What in god's name does a pet need a beam cannon for?

"Oh, come on. You don't want the little guy to be defenseless, do you?" She asked sweetly, hugging Darius close to her breast. Once again, Marx found himself wishing he were in his metool's place.

"I guess this is what you spent so much of our credits on?" He asked warily. Casting a glance at the pile of boxes in the corner, he noticed it was considerably smaller.

"Jesus, can't you be happy for once?" She reprimanded. Without a reply, Marx stalked over to the thrashed refrigerator and whipped out a can of Juice Up. The Lifesaver had neglected to refuel him while he was unconscious, and he needed energy badly.

"Been anywhere today?" He asked abruptly. It was now or never.

"No." She answered without skipping a beat. Damn, she's good at sounding honest.

"You sure?"

"Would've said yes if I had." She replied almost too quickly. Marx sighed. Guess it's time for tactic #2. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

"You're not getting out of it this time. I wanna know your story, and you're telling it if Sigma himself knocks down the door and kidnaps you."

She smiled, showing off her beautiful dimples. "Just out of curiosity, what would you do if that actually happened?" All the hardness had left her voice, and Marx could only remember two other times that she had been so beautiful: Before the battle at the HQ and after he had bared his soul to her two nights prior.

"Well, first, I'd track you down. Then, I'd tear Sigma limb from limb. Then, I'd rescue the damsel in distress and receive my just reward."

She batted her eyelashes. "Just reward? Hearing about my past life is good enough for a courageous and mighty warrior such as yourself?"

"It'll do, yeah."

"Alright. I guess I at least owe it to you for telling me yours." She said finally. That's what I've been saying the whole goddamn time! Marx thought, but he kept the words in his head. He didn't want to ruin this moment for anything in the world.

"Okay. Promise me that you won't think badly of me when I'm done." She pleaded. He nodded, and she continued. "Do you remember reading about the Byblos Empire in that book of mythology I let you borrow?" Marx shook his head. "It was the empire that Osiris established in the Underworld to govern lost souls. Now, are you sure this name doesn't sound familiar to you at all?"

"Doesn't ring any bells," Marx answered.

"Okay, then. Check your memory database for newspaper articles about the Byblos Empire." She asked. He raised an eyebrow. What would a mythological empire be doing in a newspaper article? He did as he was told, though. When he finally found a match in his database, his face blanched. The headline was from an old newspaper on the street; Marx's memory had kept an image of it, like it did with every bit of information he ever came across.

Byblos Emperor Dethroned!

Massive underground crime syndicate consumed in internal power struggle!

"...there's a real Byblos Empire?"

"Yes."

"It's a crime syndicate?"

"Was, yes."

"...and you were part of it?"

"More than just part of it. Let me start at the beginning, now that you have some idea of what I'm talking about." Nephtis cleared her throat. "There was once a great Egyptian thief named Adom, a human thief, who was as skilled as any reploid and feared the world over. However, this thief grew old, as humans do, and wasn't ready to die without a legacy. He ordered three reploids to be created: Me, my brother Osiris, and my sister Isis." Wow, she's a good storyteller, Marx thought in the back of his mind. Or, perhaps this was the way she always talked when she wasn't yelling her head off?

"He created us to pass on his vision of an honorable crime syndicate, one that could benefit the poor and oppressed. Being such an amazing thief, Adom was able to put millions of credits into endowing my brother with advanced tactical and combat skills, the likes of which that could rival or beat any reploid on Earth. Our rise to power was swift and painless. We started on a large Chaser gang in Cairo, decimating their members and offering peace when they were thoroughly humbled. We moved on to absorb countless gangs and Mafia into our fold, until my brother was coordinating hundreds of thefts and battles every day."

Nephtis gave a sigh. "My brother, and my sister Isis...they fell in love. I guess it's not all that strange, since technically reploids can't have brothers or sisters, but it still didn't sit well with me. I backed out of the spotlight, and merely spent my time milling about the huge underground fortress my brother had created. I no longer voted in meetings, and I distanced myself from my 'family'. I started to spend more and more time outside the fortress, mingling with the commoners and using my real name."

Marx raised an eyebrow. "Your real name? It's not Nephtis?" She gave a curt laugh.

"No, and neither is my brother's name Osiris or my sister Isis. My real name is Akila, and my brother's Kontar. I...vowed never to speak my sister's real name again."

"Akila..." Marx spoke softly, testing how the words sounded in his mouth. "It's beautiful."

"I knew you'd say that."

"Most guys do?"

"Mmhmm."

"Can't blame em. Do you mind if I call you that?"

"Call me whatever you want. The Byblos Empire is dead, and I only use Nephtis out of habit." It wasn't the romantic response Marx had been hoping for, but it would have to do. Akila... He was surprised to realize how hard he was falling for her. He said her name a few more times in his head, savoring the sound of it. "Anyway, everything was fine, for awhile. The Legion of Osiris, as it was called then, was becoming huge. My brother had to build a second fortress, and appointed a relative newcomer in our court to commandeer it. The codename he took up was Set...God, I should have seen it coming..."

"Saw what coming?"

"Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, once the second fortress was built and Set appointed its leader, the Legion of Osiris was renamed the Byblos Empire to fit the mythological theme we had adopted. It was around this time that other people got the idea that they could form huge crime syndicates as well, but most of them only fell under our banner. One of the largest, the Red Alert Syndicate, was the only one that never interacted with the Byblos Empire.

Maybe Red saw that Osiris was becoming driven by a hunger for more power. Maybe he saw what Set was really like. Maybe he knew long before Set ever joined us, and kept his distance from the inevitable. Whether he saw it coming or not, after Set betrayed us, he was there to pick up the pieces."

"...so Set betrayed you and killed your brother?"

"Let me try to explain it..."

I was in the baths when Isis came to me that morning. "Little one, Osiris wants you at the Council Meeting in five." She said to me, her voice full of disdain. I bore it well; I had gotten used to her looking down on me. However, I noticed extra venom in her voice this morning, especially how she had specifically said Osiris wanted me, and not her. It was nothing, I had mentally disowned her long ago.

"Tell him that a woman requires decency in the presence of the council. I'll need ten minutes to get dressed and become presentable." I said haughtily, tossing waves of wet hair behind my bare back. Isis scoffed.

"You needn't worry about becoming presentable." She muttered as she turned on her heels and slipped through the doorway, long translucent gown trailing behind her. What was wrong with me? I looked down at myself, running a hand from breasts to thighs. Was I flawed somehow? What made her hate me so? As I stepped out of the small private bath and shook the water from my hair, I looked in a mirror on the wall.

No, there were no flaws. Perfectly shaped, just as Adom had ordered me. I couldn't imagine how any man, or even many women, wouldn't think me to be 'presentable'. But then, maybe that was the problem. Maybe Isis was jealous of me? In many ways, she was less endowed than I was. As I wrapped a towel around my body and began drying my hair, it became crystal clear to me. Isis feared the control I had over people. She wanted to keep me believing that I was inferior, putting me down so I wouldn't think of usurping her place.

Throwing the towel aside and slipping into one of the dresses hanging from the wall, I made my way outside and down the triangular corridor. I was on the top level of Osiris's fortress, which was shaped like an upside-down pyramid, and to my left I could see pipes and machinery in the earth through the transparent wall. Due to the odd shape of the fortress, it required huge pylons attached to the roof and secured in the rock wall above to keep it upright. The entire outer wall was transparent, and appeared to be golden on the outside. The only entrance was through a tunnel that led from the surface to the top floor of the fortress. Truly, it was a marvel of engineering, if not entirely practical.

Making only a brief stop in her room to fasten golden bracelets and a ruby-studded headband onto my body, I made her way to one of the four diagonal elevators situated on the four sides of the fortress. When I arrived at the base of the pyramid, where the entire fortress came to a point above the sedimentary floor, I stepped out into the meeting hall. Three of the elevators converged onto the waiting area, where visitors were required to kneel until Osiris gave them permission to proceed up the stairway into the main chamber.

Standing omnipresent before the stairway were my brother's bodyguards, Sekhmet and Amemait. I had become friends with Sekhmet, for she wasn't much different from myself. Amemait, however, was a different story altogether. A long, ridged crocodile head sat atop a golden headdress, swiveling about and keeping constant vigil. Its arms were thick like old Greek columns, and full of pistons that made its crushing blows all the stronger. Its hands were paws, like a lion's, and could extend deadly serrated claws. Its legs, like its arms, were thick and cylindrical, except they had been made to resemble a hippopotamus.

Amemait never showed emotion, and never spoke. I was, and am to this day, convinced that it was a mechaniloid. If it was, then it was a damn smart one. Fortunately, this particular elevator opened on Sekhmet's side of the waiting chamber, and I was relieved to be far away from the intimidating beast. Sekhmet was silent as I slipped past her, but I brushed my fingertips along her forearm as I passed as a form of greeting. I dared not open my mouth to interrupt the council meeting taking place atop the golden stairway. I saw a smile from beneath Sekhmet's lion-shaped helmet before ascending the steps and finding myself in the midst of an argument.

Directly before me, across the gilded floor, sat Osiris at an ornate throne, clad in full battle armor as he always was these days. His armor was the color of pure gold, and his shoulders, gauntlets, and helmet were adorned with feather-shaped blades. His right eye was covered by an extension of his helmet, a black circle that melded seamlessly to the rest of his headgear. Wrapped tightly in his black gloved hand was a double-edged spear, its edges faintly glowing crimson.

My brother gripped the spear's shaft all the tighter as he stood. "Set is on his way; he'll have the reports we need."

"If you are nearly as omnipotent as you seem to be, you would make him get here faster!" Exclaimed Geb, one of my brother's appointed council members. I cared not for him; he was short, unnaturally thin, and rank with deceit. However, I had nothing to fear from him, for he was as weak a reploid as there ever was, and he was virtually powerless to oppose my brother.

My brother looked at the golden chairs lining the walls, all of them filled by various types of reploids. "We're in no rush. The Deutche Bank has sat in Zurich for hundreds of years, it's not likely to disappear in the next half hour."

"We need those supplies on the Puerto Rican front!" Hathor, a war hawk if ever there was one, rose to his feet. "Our armies are almost as exhausted as the Americans are. If we don't gain the upper hand immediately..." Hathor trailed off, knowing that everyone could follow where he was going with his statement. I never knew much about this 'Puerto Rican front', but if I remember correctly, a faction of the Empire was working to free Puerto Rico from the USA and become a free nation. The Empire was becoming more like an army than an underworld syndicate.

"Our soldiers can wait half an hour." Osiris calmly replied. Hathor returned to his seat, and I smiled inwardly. I had always liked that Hathor knew when to keep his mouth shut. Finally, Osiris noticed me, leaning against a column on the other side of the room. "Calm yourselves. It doesn't do to carry on in front of a lady," he said, walking to me. From behind the throne, I could see Isis staring daggers at me.

"Especially in front of one so lovely," A calm, controlled voice sailed up from the depths of the staircase.

"Set," Osiris stated. "You're early."

The owner of the voice came into view, sending a shiver down my spine. Set was the worst parts of a reptile and an insect melded into one. His back was tall and straight, his legs bowed backward. His head was a bald dome of chitin, slitted eyes staring out from beneath thick exoskeleton. His two pairs of mandibles, made entirely for show, clattered together hungrily. Unlike most reploids, he wore little armor apart from a silver breastplate that held a tattered black cloak to his body and a pair of gauntlets on his arms. These gauntlets had paper-thin slits, but for what purpose I didn't know.

"I was eager to share my good news with you all!" Set exclaimed, throwing out his slender, skeleton-like arms. Immediately, Osiris's visible eye narrowed. He strode toward Set, and the black beast eyed him with vigor. My brother's free hand shot out, clamping down on Set's thick reptilian neck.

"I don't tolerate treachery, especially not from one so trusted as you," Osiris said, his voice as calm as it had been in the tumultuous council meeting moments before. "Know that I will kill you in fifteen seconds if you don't present to me a good reason for this behavior."

"My Lord...I have news of the Deutche heist! That's all!" Set exclaimed, his eyes brimming with fear. My brother looked convinced by this show, but I saw through it. After spending so much time in the outside world, I began to recognize emotions more clearly than my brother. Now, I knew that Set was insincere, and I prayed my brother saw the same thing.

"That's no reason to be so excited." My brother's grip tightened, and a weight lifted from my heart.

"I can assure you, the news I have is exciting enough." Set continued. "Let me up and I'll explain." Osiris said nothing, then without a word he released the humanoid. As my brother walked back to his throne, he called to his bodyguards.

"Sekhmet! Amemait! Make sure Set stays on his knees." Said he as he took his place at the throne. I swiftly made my way across the floor to stand at my brother's side. I leaned over to speak in his ear.

"Set is lying. You should kill him now," I spoke softly so that not even Isis behind us could hear.

"Such a brash action would cause chaos at the Ra fortress. They need a leader, after all."

"They don't need a traitor."

"We can't be sure yet, Akila. Let him reveal himself, and we'll go from there." He said, firmly squeezing my hand. My heart fluttered whenever he spoke my real name, and more so when he held my hand. I returned the discreet gesture, then stood back behind the throne next to Isis

The dark haired witch stepped over to me and touched my shoulder. "Your breath is quickening, little one." I looked up at her black eyes, almost a full foot above mine.

"It's nothing. I just have some worries about Set."

"We all worry about Set. That's why Osiris keeps him tight on his leash. What I see in your eyes now is something different. I see love."

"What, for Set?" I asked incredulously. I was vaguely aware that Osiris was talking again, but I paid no heed to it.

"For Osiris." Isis corrected.

"Don't be ridiculous. He's my brother!"

"He's mine too," she said with a twisted smile. "And you know as well as I do that this sibling act is merely a show." I said nothing. But then, Osiris's words suddenly boomed through the chamber.

"That's enough! I will let you live, if you leave right now. I'm no fool, Tempest. I know what you're after." Both Isis and I looked back to the center of the throne room, where Set remained kneeling. There was an unnerving glint in his eyes, however, that sent my blood curdling.

"Just out of curiosity, my lord, what am I after?"

"You want control over the Empire." Osiris stated. Set suddenly broke into a hideous laugh, one that echoed around the room.

"That's not it at all. But allow me to ask you one more question before I explain. Why haven't you killed me yet?" My brother stood.

"I'm curious to see how you think you can challenge me, that's all." Osiris said, his voice calm as always.

"Conceited fool," Set whispered as he bowed his head. "You really have become drunk with power..." I caught a discreet motion with his right hand, and by the time I noticed that he had pressed a button on his gauntlet, it was already too late. An explosion ripped through the hall as Amemait's head blossomed into a pillar of fire and a bloodcurdling roar escaped its jaws. The massive reploid fell forward, the back of its head obliterated. Before Sekhmet or my brother could react, another explosion could be heard. This one, however, was far above our heads.

The fortress rocked twice, then shook with the sound of rending metal. I held my breath, and a second later the fortress came free of its anchor and plummeted into the cavern floor below. Being on the bottom floor, the blow wasn't well received. Huge sections of the floor were cracked and pulverized, and dirt sprayed into the room through the cracks as the lights flickered out. My brother leaned on his staff for balance, as the fortress then began tilting.

With an earthshaking thud, the fortress came to rest against the cavern wall. Without wasting any time, Set- or should I say Tempest?- dashed forward. He was before my brother in the blink of an eye, and I looked on in shock as a pair of katars snapped out of Tempest's gauntlets and flashed toward Osiris. My brother twirled his staff and batted away Tempest's attack, countering with a stab of his own that missed by a hair's breadth as Tempest ducked down.

All of this happened in mere moments. In this time, half of the council members had fled and the other half had drawn weapons. I clenched my teeth, hoping none would fire. The last thing I wanted was for a stray shot to kill my brother instead of his assailant. I looked back to the two combatants in front of the throne, to see them exchanging blows at a lightning fast pace. Osiris moved like water, every movement flowing together. A parry, a whirl of his staff, and Tempest was on the defensive. However, I was a bit surprised. Tempest was holding up frighteningly well, matching every one of Osiris's strikes with one from his katars.

I clenched my fist, both wanting someone to help him and at the same time not wanting to endanger Osiris. I was powerless; I had no built-in weapons like my sister and I certainly didn't have any on me. By all rights, I should have fled like the council members. Faithfulness to my brother kept me glued to the spot, however.

My chest tightened as I saw an opening in Osiris's defenses. Tempest had made a vertical swipe with his left arm, pinning my brother's staff to the ground. In the same instant, he struck with his right arm, burying the entire blade into Osiris's side. I screamed involuntarily, but my brother recovered. He freed his staff and held it high in the air for a split second, then brought it crashing down into Tempest's arm, still buried in his side. The faintly glowing, serrated blade ripped his arm off at the elbow, and the sheer force behind it buried it into the ground.

Tempest let out a guttural howl, stumbling back and looking at Osiris with fear and anger in his eyes. The entire room was still for one long second, then everything erupted in light and sound as the three remaining council members fired their guns. Tempest was already on the move, and by the time their bullets had reached where their target was, Tempest's remaining katar was buried in Hathor's neck.

The monstrous reploid pushed off of Hathor's body and vaulted onto Atum, another of the council members I respected, knocking him to the ground and slamming his katar into Atum's chest. Tempest drove his blade upward as he stood, splitting Atum's head as he did so. The only remaining council member was Horus, Osiris's favorite. As Tempest charged, I wondered why my brother did nothing to stop the slaughter of his most loyal followers. Then, I realized with a shock, my brother was lying face down on the cracked floor.

Ignoring the danger, ignoring the cries of Horus as he was cut down, ignoring Isis's calls, I ran to my brother and scooped him up into my arms. His eye was closed – I could tell he was still alive, if only on auxiliary power. Tears ran freely from my eyes, making dark splotches on Osiris's robust golden breastplate.

"So, all that remains are the two lovely ladies." I heard Tempest's voice. It sounded unnaturally human, when looking at his physical features. "I certainly can't kill you, can I?" For the first time, I looked away from my brother's pallid face and at the traitor. His black cloak now looked as if someone had thrown a red paint bucket at it, and his entire left arm was slick with blood. Of his right arm, only a stump dripping ichor remained.

"No..." I whispered, clutching my brother's staff stuck into the ground. "You couldn't." I said flatly. I couldn't believe what was happening.

Tempest burst into laughter. "I can murder your council members, kill your brother, and destroy your empire. But no. Rape is far beyond even me," he said sarcastically. He took a step forward, and my grip tightened on the staff. Why wasn't Isis doing anything? Tempest took another slow, deliberate step forward. God, he was enjoying the tension in my eyes.

Suddenly, something massive bounded out of the darkness and slammed into the cloaked figure, tossing him across the room. With wide eyes, I saw Amemait rear back and issue a deafening roar. On its back, Sekhmet stood, thick cables running from her gauntlets into Amemait's back. She was bent in the same animalistic posture that it was, and I realized that she must have slaved Amemait's body controls to her processor. Every move she made, the beast she rode would do the same. They were linked through the cables, and now they were more one reploid than two.

Tempest stood, swaying a bit. The blow had apparently shaken up some of his circuitry. I briefly looked in disgust at my sister, who nearly stood right next to him and did nothing to stop him. Why hadn't she used her built-in weapons? Sekhmet charged again, her mind controlling Amemait's legs while her arms reached out to grab Tempest. Still disoriented, he was caught immediately in the reploid's massive paws and flung across the room.

He landed with a crack against one of the council member's chairs, with Amemait bounding after him. This time though, he was quick to recover. When Sekhmet reached for him again, he leapt up and landed on Amemait's wrist. He ran up the length of its arm, hopped onto its ruined head, and now stared at Sekhmet face to face.

"You're putting up a better fight than your master did. Maybe you should have been the Emperor?"

"Shut up, bastard." Sekhmet growled in her thickly accented voice. Amemait's crocodile jaws moved to match her mouth. "If Osiris doesn't make it, then there'll be no afterlife for you!"

Tempest chuckled. "What a disappointment. But then...I'm not planning on dying soon." He lunged, but Sekhmet ordered Amemait to duck. The beast pressed its massive body against the ground, and Tempest sailed over her head. With a smirk, Sekhmet flicked Amemait's crocodile tail upward and smashed it into the side of Tempest's head. The dark form skidded into the center of the room. He didn't immediately get up.

Almost as if I were watching a movie, I was helpless as my sister dashed from behind the throne. Amemait had reared up, preparing for the final blow, when Isis leapt onto its back and grabbed Sekhmet by the throat. As the flesh of her forearm parted and a blade sharp as diamonds extended out of it, I found my voice. I screamed as she drove the blade through Sekhmet's head, and ended the life of the one woman whom I wouldn't be ashamed to call my sister.

Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Amemait slumped heavily to the ground and rolled on its side as Isis jumped off. A twisting, horrifying knot choked off my heart as the blade protruding from her arm retracted and the skin sealed away any evidence of my sister's strange gift. My hands were leaden; I dropped my brother's body as I stood. I was awestruck that Isis had turned on us (no, more like turned on me, because now I was the only one left alive).

"What...why...?" Words fled from my mind, replaced with insurmountable horror.

"Why?" Isis strode over to me. "Because, little one, we are finished. Look around. Atum, Hathor, Horus. All of them are dead, and the others have run away. Look at Osiris. Tempest damaged his reactor, and he can't survive on auxiliary for much longer. Our fortress is in ruins! If I had let Sekhmet kill Tempest, we'd be left with nothing." Isis looked at where Tempest lay, the dark form already stirring. "He's strong, maybe even stronger than Osiris. We still have a chance if we go with him."

"What?" Anger found my voice for me. "Are you out of your mind! He's a murderer and a backstabber! He wanted to rape me!"

Isis looked at the floor for a moment, then looked at Tempest. "Murderer or not, I have a chance at survival with him. I can understand if you wouldn't want to come with us," and she added with a wry grin, "I'd actually prefer that. I'm tired of you stealing my spotlight every time you show your face." I stared daggers at her. "Listen, I can understand what you must feel right now, so let me try to make amends. I'll leave with Tempest, and make sure he can't come back for you. There. That's the best I can do."

I said nothing. I wanted to scream, to hurl the spear through her heart and rip Tempest's head off where he lay, but the staff was stuck fast in the ground and I began to feel strangely weak. Instead of doing all the things I wanted to, I sank to my knees and broke into tears. Without another word, Isis stepped over to Tempest and placed a hand on his forehead. She must have been linking their transport coordinates, for the next thing I knew, both of them disappeared in a flash of light.

I was now alone in the room, with my brother's body at my feet. I tried to stem the tide of tears, but they only intensified. I felt violated, betrayed by people I had once trusted, if not liked. Now, they had left me with nothing. Isis might as well have let Tempest have his way with me. I no longer cared.

The form before me stirred, and my sobs caught in my throat. "Akila, my beautiful sister..." Osiris spoke softly. "I should have known this would happen. I'm sorry...really, I am." I tentatively wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him into my lap. "My power's running out; I just have one last thing to say to you before you need to leave."

"Kontar..." I tried to say more, but my words were choked back by sobs.

"I love you, Akila. I'm sorry...when Isis seduced me, you started avoiding me. Between running the Empire and tending to personal affairs, I didn't have any time to pursue my feelings for you. Now, I know what a mistake that was. Beyond your beauty, your intelligence is something I could only dream of in a woman. Your sense of honor and justice, pretty much everything that sets you apart from your sister, is what has captivated me," he chuckled mirthlessly at this. "Once again, I'm sorry. All of this, from beginning to end, has been my fault. Now, I want you to leave and activate the fortress's self destruct sequence. Nobody can know about what we've done here..."

"I don't believe it..." I whispered between tears. "Kontar...I thought you knew. I thought you knew that I loved you. Didn't I make it obvious enough?"

"Apparently, not obvious...enough," Osiris said, struggling to force out the words. "It's good to know that my love wasn't unrequited though. Something to take with me to the afterlife."

Tears clattered on his armor as I took off his helmet and stroked his raven black hair. "You're the god of the underworld. You aren't supposed to die..."

"I wish it were so, Akila." Osiris closed his eyes. Overcome with emotion, I bent down and gently brushed my lips against his. As I feared, his lips were cold and unresponsive. Osiris was out of auxiliary power. The last thing in this world that I cared about was gone.

"That's..." Marx began, but he was unable to find the right word to finish his sentence.

"After that, I started drifting." Nephtis continued, seeming to ignore the look of rage and disgust on Marx's face. "I didn't care what happened to me or where I ended up; I don't even remember what happened during most of that time. All I know is that, at some point or another, I decided to do something with my life again. I was staying in Neo Tokyo at the time, hiding from Interpol. After all, I was one of the only members of the Empire that hadn't been confirmed dead at the site of the fortress's destruction."

"So...you decided to join up with the Maverick Hunters," Marx concluded, still feeling sick.

"Yes. To atone for the things I had done in my past."

"Didn't you ever try to avenge your broth - I mean, Osiris?"

Nephtis laughed bitterly. "At the start, the thought crossed my mind. However, as I started to shut myself off from the rest of the world, I found myself caring less and less. Besides, if I had tried to kill Tempest, I wouldn't still be alive."

Marx was overwhelmed by what she had just told him. What was even more overwhelming was that she had told him without batting an eye nor shedding a tear. I guess that's why she seems so distant all the time... he thought. Darius looked at him inquisitively through Nephtis's arms, and he looked away from the little robot's penetrating gaze. He paced over to the window.

"I...need some time to think," he said finally. "This is a little hard to take." Nephtis bowed her head. Though Marx wasn't looking, he heard a soft patter, like a raindrop, land on Darius's helmet.

End of chapter 20

AN: There's one hell of a chapter for you all. 18 pages on Microsoft word! I think that's a new record...but I needed a big chapter to tell Nephtis's backstory. Sorry if you got bored reading all of this at once, but it would've just seemed awkward if I had broken it up into bite-sized chunks like the other chapters are. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed finding out one of the bigger mysteries that's come along in the story so far. By the way, Akila roughly means 'intelligent' and Kontar means 'only son' in Egyptian (according to some website)