Disclaimer; none of the characters within this chapter belong to me except for Iggy and Crossbone.
In a world consisting of various shades of green, the level of activity was at an all-time high. Glowing shapes flitted to and fro, lime-coloured papers passing between the shapes as often as leaves in a breeze. Voices could be heard asking about equipment, the mission status, what was going on and many other work-related questions. All the hustle bustle came to an immediate halt when one voice, proud, cold and commanding, rose above the crowd.
"Attention!"
Eyes widened, postures straightened. All were focused on the single person floating above the crowd below, his unmistakable wings opened wide.
"Everyone! I thank you all for volunteering with the Netherworld Investigation Unit. The days ahead will be no easy task for any of you; I will be the first to admit this. We know very little about this so-called Netherworld, and we have no idea just how dangerous it is. We know for certain that lives could be lost, both real and data. They could even be erased. Please, I implore you, if your conviction is not as great as mine, then stand back."
There were hundreds of faces, staring up at him. Not one soul looked like they wished to back down. The chief of the Cyberspace Police smiled, "Men, women, cyber elves and beings of cyber space... Thank you. Your faith in me is great, and I will make sure it is not misplaced! For the sake of everyone, we will get to the bottom of this phenomenon! For freedom! For peace! For Cyberspace!"
Everyone cheered, chanting strongly.
"For Cyberspace!"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Omega stared at the poster.
Upon his return from the fire-fighting incident, he'd immediately gone into a deep sleep to rest and recover. He'd gone out like a log, and it wasn't until two days later that he'd awoken. With the curtains blocking out the light from outside, there wasn't anything to wake him up. Normally he wouldn't mind this. However, unlike when he was in that wacked-out former prison of his, people actually cared when you stayed asleep for more than twenty-four hours at a time. It wasn't until Iggy had banged on the door that he'd finally gotten up. Heck, if she hadn't, he probably would've been out for a week.
The moment he'd opened the door for her, the darn mutos had thrashed her tail excitedly and shown him a poster that someone had (rather rudely) stuck on the front of his hangar.
"A race..."
Omega crossed his arms, glaring at the offensive piece of paper. Not only had someone posted it on his hangar without his permission, some other snot had decided to put some graffiti all over it. If he found out who, there would be a reckoning later...!
"Yup," nodded the green iguana, "a race. And look! It's starting near the Shrine Falls! It's one of the most scenic areas on Earth!" Iggy pointed to a specific spot on the poster, grinning widely. Her blunt claw dwarfed the writing informing any interested passer-by to the location and grandness of the race.
Unfortunately for the poster, Omega wasn't at all interested. "So? Like I care. Scenery is scenery, it all rots out in the end."
This prompted a frown from the pseudoroid, "Oh come on, lighten up! Seriously, even if it wasn't scenic, you can't go wrong with that prize!" She grinned, pointing to the four-digit figure on the bottom of the poster. A monetary figure.
Wait. That was actually a lot of money.
Omega suddenly snatched the poster, absorbing the information all over it. A marathon in the scenic falls, glorious views as you race over the countryside and raise money for charity entrance fee blah blah blah, first place cash prize. Hmm. That wasn't a bad bit of pocket change. It would be nice to have some funds again after his last spending spree.
"So, Shrine Falls, right? Where's that again?" Omega asked grumpily.
Iggy rolled her eyes, but smiled as she explained, "It's a little hard to explain, but I'll give it a shot. Shrine Falls is a little clearing in the Tishin Forest, to the north side of the easternmost mountain of the Jojii mountain range..."
Omega's blank look stopped her mid-sentence. She sighed, shaking her head. "You're not getting it, are you...?"
He growled, "Like I'm supposed to know where all those places are..."
She sagged for a moment, then stood erect. Omega swore he could almost see a light bulb form over her head. "Tell you what... It takes fifty bucks to enter the race, right?"
Omega nodded, not letting on that he'd skipped that particular part of the poster.
"Thing is, since Shrine Falls is a popular but remote tourist attraction, they don't have a teleporter... But they do have a landing pad. So, if I pay your entrance fee and show you the way to the falls, will you take me there? I want to enter this race too! "
Omega agreed. As he opened the door to his hangar, Iggy started muttering to herself about the prospects of the race.
"Oh, wouldn't it be great if I won? I could get a new toolbox, or perhaps that Shringskner wrenchpipe kit, or better yet, I could get a better lab set so I could do some research..."
Omega ignored her for the most part, opening the cockpit to the ship for the mutos and pushing it out the door. He blankly noticed a familiar face from before in the corner of his eye, but ignored the Gem gang member's presence as he prepared his ship for take-off. They disappeared soon after, almost appearing... relieved? No matter. Despite his show of superhuman strength in pushing the ship out the door (in hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have done that in plain view), Iggy paid no heed as she was lost in her own world. It was only as the God of Destruction closed and locked the hangar door that she broke out of her imagination.
"Uh... whatever your name was, um... We might have a little problem here."
Omega looked over, breaking into a hearty chuckle. The iguana pseudoroid was half-in half-out of the rear passenger seat of the jet, a comical look of hesitation painted on her face. It seemed that, as generous as the cockpit was to its passenger's leg and head space, whomever had built the roomy seats didn't account for the possibility of its passenger having a tail. Iggy looked embarrassed and frustrated at Omega's mirth. It didn't help that she kept fidgeting around to try and figure out how to fit into the plane.
"Oh shush up, will you?"
"Heh heh, why should I?"
"'Cause I don't like being made a fool of!"
"I'm not making a fool of you, you're doing a good enough job of it yourself! Ahahahahahaha!"
Iggy crossed her arms, glaring as the red reploid guffawed at her predicament. Eventually he settled down as he realized that if Iggy couldn't get into the plane, he couldn't get to the race.
"Okay, okay, I've had my fun. Now, let's get you in."
A few straggling passer-bys gawked at the sight of a feared mercenary struggling to get an oversized pseudoroid into a jet that seemed ironically majestic for the situation. In the end the pair managed to fit Iggy's tail into the ship by sticking it up between her legs. Still, it was so long that it curled over her head and into her face.
She frowned, but it was the best they could do. "So, this is how the flight's gonna be, I guess. Oh well... better let the guys at the control tower that we're taking off."
"Oh, right," Omega replied. He closed the hatch of the cockpit as Iggy shook her head behind him. He turned the console on, radioing the tower and getting the go-ahead. Taxiing halfway down the nearest available runway, he activated the jump jets and launched the ship into the sky. Iggy grunted in discomfort, but made no other complaint as they sailed off into a beautiful blue sky studded with cotton-like clouds. He did have to bat her tail out of his face though.
Within a few hours the pair reached a large mountain range. It stood tall into the clear air, forests encircling its majestic gray slopes. Approaching one mountain in particular, they could see that the forests climbed up one side halfway, but the other half was far too steep. Instead, a great river of water seemed to materialize at the top, spurting down from a hidden spring in a great gush to a large pool below. The pool turned into another river, which meandered around the landscape like an elegantly curved snake. A large crowd was gathered on the shores of the large pool, colourful banners fluttering visibly.
Iggy pointed at a large clearing to the west of the crowd, where a number of ships were gathered. "There! That's where you should land!"
Omega nodded, checking the communication lines. He found someone to help guide him into the landing pad, then went and parked in an available space. The moment he opened the hatch Iggy began to squirm, her voice excited.
"Wahoo! A race! I finally get to enter into a big race! Yeah!"
Omega flinched as her powerful tail landed smack in the middle of his head again, draping itself down to his nose, "Oi, quit it will you? I don't want a concussion before this thing even starts!"
"Sorry!" she removed her tail, letting Omega get out of the ship. He helped her in return, shewas rather stiff after being cramped in there for too long after all, and soon they were didgingg around past groups of racers and fans, the pair looking for the registration booth. A kind man in the crowd pointed the way out to them. Iggy thanked him. They ended up at a table, where she handed in their registration fees. The clerks handed them each a number to pin to their fronts, and shooed them off as more last-minute entrants came in.
"Hurry now you lot, the race is about to start!"
They ran to the starting line, where a group of people were eagerly lined up in front of a thin, paper streamer. The large bunch of people jostled each other eagerly. Omega was bumped aside by a particularly serious looking pseudoroid who stared down at him with disgust.
"Move it, numbskull!"
Omega snarled briefly at the black-and-white striped mutos before making his own way through the crowds. He passed a couple more pseudoroids on the way to the middle of the line; the front was in clear view of some cameras, which he wasn't too keen on being spotted by.
Iggy was lost, long gone somewhere else in the proceedings. As he looked around curiously, Omega noticed a familiar green figure at the back of the pack. He had a decorative sword at his side, and seemed to be glancing frequently at Omega out of the corner of his eye. Their eyes met; the Wind Mega Man sneered.
"Well, well, it looks like the fool decided to show up!"
"Hmph, I didn't expect to see you here."
The two glared at each other. Aeolus smirked, "So, it looks like the big bad mercenary has decided to join this race, hasn't he?"
"I could say the same for you. You don't strike me as the type to enjoy these sorts of things," Omega replied. The two kept staring at each other challengingly. For some reason or other, the Wind Mega Man seemed to have a problem with the red reploid. He had no idea why, but anyone acting aggressively towards him would get the same in return. "So anyways, how did that generator thing go? Did you manage to keep it safe?" he smirked.
Aeolus winced slightly at the attack, but returned with one of his own, "It went the way it went. I heard that you got so charred up from that incident that no one saw head nor tail of you for two days. You weren't hurt, were you?"
Omega growled. The announcer started hollering something, but neither of the two sets of eyes strayed from each other. Aeolus was covered by a flash of light, and now in his megamerged form he smiled at Omega, "Well, fool, it looks like the race is about to start. May the best man win."
"Aye, and the weakest one lose!"
A gunshot sounded. The race had begun!
Aeolus suddenly shot over the crowd, his wings flaring. Several different pseudoroids dashed to the front of the assembly, some faster humanoids among them. Omega followed swiftly behind them, barging past struggling racers without another glance. Some of them wore costumes, perhaps for the entertainment of the cheering crowds behind them. Omega paced himself, running several meters behind the leaders. The cameras were still focused on the group; he didn't want to start dashing until he was clear of them. Even so, his powerful legs pounded the earth and stone beneath him. Another advantage of being armourless, his mechanical muscles overcompensated for his weight and sent him speeding along.
Thinking back on it, he hadn't done that much dashing without his armour on. Considering how much faster he was running without it, he was sure his dashing speed would be off the charts. It was pretty darn fast even with his armour on. Omega chanced a quick look around as they entered onto a wide path leading into the forest. The stragglers were quickly being left behind and those in front were starting to get fairly far ahead of him. He increased his speed, reaching the limits of his running capabilities. Dirt shot up every time he lifted a foot, but even so, he had a good thirty feet between him and the pseudoroid at the back of the leading pack.
They entered the forest. He looked ahead. Iggy was doing surprisingly well for her bulk, having dropped to all fours, swinging her tail at anyone trying to sneak up behind her. A hunter was jogging between a beaver and a bear reploid, trying to avoid the occasional swipe from either pseudoroid. Aeolus was at the front, combining his speedy air dash with a few gigantic steps every time he fell to the ground, keeping his momentum up. A monkey robot swung through the trees.
And at the back of the group the black and white, horse-like mutos from earlier was glancing around at the others in front of him. He slowly fell back, suspiciously eyeing those in front of him. Omega's instincts flared immediately, his sixth sense alerting him to some sort of danger. He kept his head down, but watched as the zebra mutos quietly started leaning to the side, then dashed off into the trees. Omega decided to follow.
He sneakily trailed the pseudoroid as it made its way through thick and thin growths of trees, jumping up onto boulders as they slowly starting becoming more abundant. Mosses were torn off their perches as the black, metallic hooves of the zebra crushed them underfoot.
The mountain loomed into view. Judging by the surroundings, they had backtracked through the forest, and were now headed towards the top of the falls.
As they reached the top, the zebra spun around. Omega hid behind another boulder, holding his breath.
"Who's there? Come out!"
Omega didn't move an inch, hoping that the mutos would turn back around and keep going.
"There's no use hiding! I can smell you up here! The winds up here blow your scent right to my nostrils! Show yourself, dog of Legion!"
Oh, that did it, no one called him a dog! Omega jumped out from behind the rock, snarling and pointing his gun at the pseudoroid.
"Don't you dare call me a dog of Legion, or anyone else! I follow my own rules!"
The zebra lowered into a fighting crouch, glaring at Omega, "If you are not a dog, then why do you follow me so obediently? Trying to sniff me out and expose me to the others?"
"Tch," Omega frowned, "if I follow you, it is only because I smell trouble, not because I am loyal to anyone."
The pseudoroid relaxed his stance. Omega dropped his weapon, but kept it in his grasp. The mutos nodded, "Hmm, if that is the case, then I mean you no harm. My fight is not against you, but the tyranny of Legion."
"From what I've head, people like Legion," Omega grunted, relaxing as well, "not that know or care enough about it to form my own opinion, mind you. Used to live as a hermit. Still, hearing about someone who doesn't like it... you're a raider, right? What've you got against them?" he inquired, hoping to get on the robot's good side.
It seemed to work. The zebroid turned, continuing his way up the mountain. "It's their policy concerning valuable artifacts. Tch, they're a bunch of hypocrites! One day they'll say that something belongs in a museum, the next they'll let anyone who's buddy-buddy with them store it in privacy! They say that the raiders are stealing valuable antiques, but then, after they seize them, they sell them to the highest bidder! Hypocrites!"
Omega followed, frowning in confusion, "That seems awfully ridiculous. Why would they do that?"
"Well, they say that they need all artifacts turned into Legion. Ones that they deem are valuable, but not really historical enough, they'll sell. They say they do this to keep track of all the historical goods, and so they can put the important pieces into museums where their ancestry can be explained. Most of the time, though, the objects are sold off. Tch! They just want all the profit from antiques to themselves! They're just afraid that someone will find something powerful and decide to keep it! They're a bunch of power-hungry old coots, make no mistake! Keep the peace my backside, they just want to keep all the power for themselves!"
The pair finally arrived at their apparent destination. It was the top of the falls. Water jetted out from between a dam of assorted-shaped rocks. The source of the spring was hidden behind a bunch of stones, and on top of those stones was a strange mechanical device with a red timer on the front.
Omega stopped dead. The way that particular device had been assembled... It was a bomb!
"Ah, so you've figured out what that is, eh?" said the pseudoroid, noticing Omega's shocked face, "Don't worry, I've got a transport headed here to pick me up before it goes off. Surrender, and no harm will come to you. Hmph, if the boss is in a good enough mood, he could even offer to let you join us. You seem an interesting sort, I might hire you as an assistant if you prove yourself worthy," the pseudoroid offered his hand, "my name is Crossbone by the way, Crossbone the Zebroid. If you don't survive today, at least you'll have learned something new in your last hours."
Omega stared up at Crossbone, rejecting his hand, "And what makes you think I'll let myself die today, hmm?
The pseudoroid let out a hearty laugh, "Ohoho! A feisty one! Surely our leader will let you join us then, we need more of your type! Or are you just bluffing?" The pseudoroid stuck his face precariously close to Omega's catching him off guard.
"Hmm... what an intriguing smell..." muttered the zebroid. Omega wasn't sure what his emotions should have been right then, but he was pretty sure his face was reflecting something between indignation and utter confusion.
"Huh?"
Poking at Omega, the robot began strutting around him, eyeing his build, "Strange, strange, now that I notice, you've got an air of age about you that exceeds that of some of the finest antiques I know of. Hmm, you're quite artfully constructed, too..." Without warning, he pulled out a strand of Omega's hair and immediately placed it on some sort of device embedded in his wrist.
"Hey, what was that for!" Omega complained, rubbing the back of his head where it stung slightly.
The pseudoroid completely ignored him. His eyes opened wide as some data appeared on a small screen.
"Oh! Well! Look at that! You're constructed from a unique alloy of metal! We don'thave any data on this combination of metals! Ho ho!" Crossbone smiled at Omega, "I'll tell you what! I'm an expert on fine antiques, hmm? And something about you is telling me to keep you around! When I get picked up, I'll be taking you with me. Let's see what secrets you are hiding."
Omega wasted no time in drawing his gun and shooting a charged shot at the offending pseudoroid, "Like hell I'm going anywhere with you. I'll kill you before I let you treat me like some object!" he snapped.
"I have no intention of killing you now, if I can avoid it," the zebroid intoned, "quite aggressive, you're exactly the type of object Legion would want to hide away. If I tried to kill you it would only damage you. I don't like appraising damaged antiques. But, if you insist on putting up a fight-!"
He raised his arms, forming them into two cannons, the skulls on his shoulders blazing, "Then I'll make sure that your end will be swift!"
Two teal shots burst forth from the guns, aimed towards Omega. The skull-like shapes of energy dispersed harmlessly against the ground as Omega jumped out of the way onto a waiting boulder. He jumped again as another pair of shots came towards him.
"You'll have to do better than that!" taunted the red reploid, dashing to safety. He aimed a shot of his own at Crossbone, smirking as it hit.
The zebroid stumbled, but deftly recovered. He jumped backwards away from Omega, aiming a volley of shots at the blur of his enemy, who was dashing so fast that the colours of his body seemed to copy themselves behind him. Omega dodged the blasts, slowly making his way towards the mutos. He fired another shot; it hit the zebra and caused him to flinch and stop shooting.
Omega changed his gun into a sword, dashing at Crossbone. He was about to swing when the zebroid suddenly dashed straight at him!
The God of Destruction was surprised by the maneuver and stumbled. Crossbone twirled, viciously kicking Omega in the back of the head.
"Hah! Your mental circuitry isn't as important as the rest of you. I can damage that as much as I want!"
Omega fell to the ground, momentarily stunned. He rolled out of the way just in time as Crossbone jumped, slamming his hoof into the dirt in an attempt to crush Omega's head. He was kicked mercilessly in the face for his efforts and sent flying into a rock. His head it hard, and he was still from the slight shock, if only for a moment. The devil reploid got up, shaking his head to dispel the dizzy spinning his mind. Crossbone was taking aim at him again. Sword still in hand, Omega swung it haphazardly, sending an electric wave careening towards the mutos, who broke off his attack to avoid being hit. The release of energy cleared Omega's head.
"What the-?" stuttered Crossbone, apparently taken aback by the long-range attack coming from a short-range weapon.
"You're not a good fighter if that surprised you," Omega taunted smugly. He shot at Crossbone twice, then flung another Shockwave at him. The zebra leapt over the shots, then dashed through the wave.
Omega narrowed his eyes. He'd done that strange dash technique twice! During the dash, he'd gone slightly transparent. So, he could dash through things? That's how he'd avoided the earlier attack!
"Enough of your cheap tricks, time for you to go down!" Omega roared. He punched the ground, sending rocks into the air. Crossbone jumped back, energy charged at the tips of his guns.
"Ho ho ho, two can play at that game!" yelled the zebroid. He put his guns together at the ends, then slammed them into the ground, "Have a taste of this! Phantasm!"
Skeletal balls of energy radiated out from Crossbone in a manner very similar to one of Omega's own attacks. He didn't have the time to retreat to safety and was hit by two of the bursts. He fell to the ground.
"All things return to dust in the end, and you're no exception! Now cease to exist!" Crossbone ran towards Omega, intent on ending it.
Omega stood up, faking a dash towards Crossbone. The mutos fell for it, executing his own dash through Omega. The red reploid felt a prickly feeling as his opponent passed through him. He whirled around, his sword at the ready. Crossbone finished his dash, stopping for an instant to recover from the technique. It was all the time Omega needed. With a battle cry Omega dashed at Crossbone's back, executing his signature seven-strike combo. Then, with all the power he could muster, punched the zebra in the back of his head.
Crossbone went down hard. Omega jumped back. As the zebroid lay there, completely immobile, Omega allowed himself to relax. The stupid pseudoroid wasn't even breathing, laying as still as the stones from which the waterfall fell.
He sighed, then turned to other pressing matters. He looked over at the bomb, perched precariously on a pile of rocks. Going over to it, Omega noticed that it wasn't set, simply flashing zeroes at him as if asking to be activated. Omega didn't oblige, instead dismantling it and scattering the parts. He took one particularly large component, probably the explosive materials themselves, and tucked it just over the edge of the falls. It was secure, hidden by the white spray of the water.
He looked back at the pseudoroid, who was still down on the ground. It had taken some time to dismantle the bomb, and seeing as the mutos still hadn't moved he could assume that the thing was either dead or deeply unconscious.
Just then, a loud call was heard. Cheers echoed faintly over the landscape, the indefinable yells of the race's announcer rising above the forest.
Oh shit! The race!
Omega jumped straight off the mountain, completely disregarding the height. He fell into the bush, dashing back to the trail. Branches whipped and cut him as he weaved through the trees. He arrived at the trail, glancing briefly about to find the signs showing which way to run. Omega kept going, running and dashing at a breakneck pace to try and catch up. He kept going, the ominous silence of the forest pressing him onward. Fifteen minutes later he finally broke through the trees. Ahead he could see the last of the stragglers crossing the finish line. Determined not to be dead last, Omega threw caution to the wind and put everything he had into running towards the fluttering paper streamer. He noticed a cameraman waiting at the line. The cameraman made to turn.
Omega's foot faltered. It was a grave mistake.
The God of Destruction, speeding as fast as he had ever done in his life, tripped. The blur of his speed sent him flying forwards, his clothes cracking against the air as his body pushed through the winds. The mercenary was turned into an incredibly ungraceful blur of colours as his limbs sailed through the air. He'd been going so fast that, when his footing had failed him, he'd launched himself straight into the ground!
Omega rolled, his arms and legs out of control and his hair obscuring what precious little vision he had of the spinning world. Dirt was scooped up into the skies leaving little craters where some part of his body had dug into the soil. Small bumps in the road turned into miniature launch ramps when Omega hit them, sending him bouncing into the air. He covered a lot of ground quickly in the worst way possible. Finally, he started to skid, leaving a trail behind him. One last roll landed him right on his face. He stopped, inches from the finish line painted on the ground.
Omega's face was in the dirt, his arms flung forward and the rest of his body straight in the air.
One second later, the last of his momentum slowly pushed his feet forward. He flopped onto his back, his face covered with dust. The camera was pointed straight at him.
The crowds burst into laughter. Aeolus, standing on top of a podium, smirked smugly at Omega.
"Well, look who came in last."
Omega's eyes widened. He'd come in last.
Dead. Last.
Shadowing his face, Omega looked away from the mirth-filled groups of people roaring in laughter at his expense. Mocking him. He wanted to murder them. He wanted to murder them all.
But... the camera...
Omega's fists clenched in rage. He struggled to his feet. Iggy, situated lower on the podium, looked at him with concern.
He ran. He ran into the forest, disappearing into the green woods. He ran away from the crowds, the howling people, the triumphant Wind Mega Man, the cameras and lights and gaily fluttering banners. He ran, until the sounds of the crowds had disappeared and the forest encircled him entirely. Nothing but the quiet tweets of birds and the soft rustle of leaves assailed his senses now.
Crossbone.
The first thing that came to his blank mind was that damned zebroid. That zebroid, whose efforts were what cost him this humiliation. He screamed at the skies, so innocent and blue. His eyes settled on the mountain.
Nothing but a lust for blood was in Omega's mind. All other thoughts were erased, his eyes misting up with red.
The blue symbol on his forehead glowed. His eyes glowed. Another scream escaped his lips.
Oh, there would be a reckoning.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Aeolus waved from the top of the podium, smiling victoriously at the crowds below him. An announcement rung out, hailing the winners of the race. Below him in second place was a monkey pseudoroid, and in third place was an iguana reploid who looked rather crestfallen despite having finished with a high rank.
This bothered the Wind Mega Man. She seemed preoccupied with staring at the forest where the mercenary had disappeared earlier. Why was she so worried about him? His pride clouded his judgement slightly, and for the life of him he couldn't understand why she would be so worried about a useless fool like him.
The monkey turned to him, he shook its hand before it left to collect its prize money. The iguana blinked in surprise when it realized that it, too, was being offered the hand of the Wind Mega Man.
"Congratulations, you did well for a pseudoroid."
She nodded instinctively, lightly clutching Aeolus's hand in return, "Thanks."
The Mega Man was a bit put-off by her lack of concern with who he was. He tried to generate some small talk to break her out of whatever stupor she was in. "So, what brought you here?"
"Mmm, I thought it'd be fun to enter the race. Get some new tools."
"Oh, really? I came here on an assignment, actually. We'd heard that there was going to be a terrorist attack. Looks like the fools chickened out."
"Yeah, I guess..." the reploid replied.
Shewas still acting indifferent, which infuriated Aeolus to no end. He kept at his assault, "So, what do you intend to do with your prize money?"
"Lab set probably."
He really couldn't take her attitude anymore, so Aeolus got straight to the point, "So, was that man your friend?"
She snapped her head to him, finally paying him attention, "Oh? Yes, he is. I don't think he thinks of me like that, but-"
Birds suddenly flew up from the trees in a panic. Off in the distance a sound, indistinguishable because of the distance, cut through the merriment of the crowd.
"What the hell was that?" One of the civilians yelled.
Whatever it was, it sounded again. Unfortunately, the cheeping of the birds disguised it, their panicked squawks drowning out. Then it grew dead silent as the birds swooped in a great flock through the air, returning hesitantly to their previous perches. Calm returned to the clearing, filled with unease.
"Daddy, was that one of those mountain monsters?" asked a child somewhere.
"Monsters don't exist dear," was the automatic response.
"Whatever it is, it's a long way off. Why are we worrying about it?" Aeolus yelled over the murmurs of the crowd. They turned to him expectantly, "It is likely just a mountain lion or something. It is nothing to worry about. Now, weren't we just rounding up the celebrations?"
The groups of people returned to their activities, all except for one. Iggy was back to staring at the forest. Aeolus sighed in frustration. Oh whatever, that pseudoroid was a lost cause.
An hour passed. The rewards were handed out, pictures were taken, the crowds left. Only Iggy stayed. In one last attempt to get her to see reason, Aeolus asked her, "Why are you staying?"
"'Cause my friend is still out there. He's the one that drives the ship."
She didn't even look at him when she replied. Aeolus left, muttering with disgust.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Blood red eyes scanned their surroundings; hands grasped the landscape lightly as he sped forwards.
The mindless murderer jumped over the top of a boulder, his eyes settling on the vacant space where the body of Crossbone should have lain. He jumped, landing on all fours on the spot. Raising itself to its feet, the monster gazed around for its prey. A sudden noise caused the creature to turn.
Crossbone jumped at Omega from behind, his ambush a success. "Die, you worthless anti-!"
The zebroid's voice froze in his throat from fear. The look on Omega's face petrified him.
Crossbone lost his life that day, in the snarling jaws and shredding claws of a great red demon.
x-x-x-x-x
Omega didn't notice the info for his new EX skill as it popped up in his mind. He didn't bother to contemplate the meaning of "EX SKILL; ZEPHYR". His frame shuddered, trembling from the after-effects of emptying his rage in a single moment of brutal savagery. His weapon lay forgotten in his pocket, his mind too numb to comprehend his surroundings. His rage and huliliation had left, leaving nothing but a desolate mess behind.
He was too empty to notice Iggy climbing into the clearing hours later. He didn't hear her gasp of shock as she saw the carnage. He didn't feel as she took the remains, tossing them over the side of the mountain and into the forest, where they would never be seen again. Omega, uncomprehending of the recent events, could not see as Iggy pulled out a cloth, barely felt it as she cleaned the blood off his hands and face. He dully let himself be led back to the ship.
Iggy placed him against the leg of the Harbinger, looking back up at the mountain. She, too, was stunned. There was no way she could report this to Scimitar. No one must be told of this. No one.
"Hey..."
Omega slowly looked up, unsure if he was the one being addressed.
"Hey. You. I don't know your name, but... you saved my life. I still owe you a lot for that. I won't tell anyone if you don't. Promise."
Omega seemed to come back to the world of the living. He moved his head. "Uh... right. Sure."
"Okay. Uhm... we'd better go back to Hunter's camp. Looks like everyone else is gone, so there's no need to radio a tower or anything."
"Yeah. That's good."
Omega and Iggy got into the Harbinger, Omega driving them back to the camp. It was night when they arrived, only the ship's lights and the twinkling stars illuminateing the landscape below. They left the scenery of the forest far behind, both in distance and in memory. They finally landed in the camp in the complete silence after midnight.
Omega got them both out of the cockpit, then opened the hangar door. They both pushed the ship back inside, where Omega promptly bid her leave and dropped into the pile of pillows in the back corner of the hangar. Iggy silently closed the door, locking it with her own pair of the hangar's keys.
She looked at the keys. She'd kept her own pair, just in case she needed to come in and repair the ship while the mercenary was out. Iggy gave the hangar door one last glance before walking slowly away, towards the transporter in Hunter's Camp.
One thought crossed her mind.
She would watch him from now on.