Disclaimer: Ownership of all characters except those previously mentioned as mine, as well as Jade, belong to CAPCOM. That is, the characters they made are theirs, the ones I made are mine, and I won't claim anything otherwise.
Shorter chapter this time around... yay...?
Snug and asleep in his warm bed, Omega didn't realize when the door was opened. The flimsy barrier creaked slightly as two pairs of eyes peeked past it. Grey, filled with childish curiosity, was leaning into the room slightly, peering at the sleeping demon. Thetis was behind him, trembling slightly and surveying the surroundings. Dawn had come and gone, the day's sunlight filtering in through the closed curtains in tantalizing rays. Dust motes swirled elegantly in circles, dancing in the spotlight of the morning. A dim aura pervaded the room, barely lighting up the corners with an almost surreal glow. Dull as it was, it was enough to illuminate the features of the platinum-haired reploid as he slept. Even as the pair watched, his chest rose and fell, emitting a sound like bellows for a fire, albeit much softer. In truth, it reminded them of some great beast. He yawned, his elongated canines showing clearly as they glinted in the calm light, and they froze. Then he shifted into a more comfortable position, his hair rustling lightly.
Atlas had appeared behind the duo as they watched, raised her eyebrow and whispered, "Oi, what are you two doing here?"
Theits and Grey both jumped. After quickly making sure that the movement had not gone detected by Omega, Grey answered her, "We were just watching him."
"Well, 'cause, you know, it's kinda weird to see him so peaceful. Any other time he scares the bejeebers outta me," Thetis added.
Atlas nodded in agreement, "Yeah, he certainly did a number on us the other day. And then he all but disappears the next..."
Grey frowned, "You know, he's going to get himself in trouble some time. I know he's strong, but we've been mostly holding back. One of these days we won't have to and..."
"Payback time!" Grinned Atlas, smacking her fist into her open palm for emphasis. The group continued to watch him some more before Thetis piped up.
"Why wait guys? We can get a bit of payback now!" The others looked at him in surprise. It didn't take long for Thetis' malicious grin to infect their faces as well.
"I did notice that he had a bucket when his stuff was brought in earlier-"
"And what better to put in a bucket than water? Ice water!"
"Do you think your biometals will be okay with it?" Grey asked. Model A was still in Ashe's possession after the incident with his neko prank, but the other two had theirs. Upon inquiring their biometals, however, they were pleasantly surprised when they agreed whole-heartedly.
"I think it' be great to see his reaction!" Chimed Model L.
"'Bout time the lazy bastard got up anyways," Model F grouched.
Because of this, the happily slumbering God of Destruction didn't know what hit him until it was too late. One minute, he was curled up peacefully on his bed, the next, everything went straight to hell in a handbasket. Someone jumped on his bed with all their might, yelling incoherently and launching him into the air. His bedsprings squeaked as his limbs flailed wildly. Too disorganised by the sudden wake-up call, the mercenary didn't have a chance to see the culprit before a bucket (his own, no less!) of ice-filled water was shoved over his head.
The resulting shriek made several people across Legion drop whatever they were holding in surprise. Aeolus was left cursing and hopping on one leg after his cup of tea splashed him painfully.
Unfortunately, the unidentifiable pranksters hadn't quite finished with him yet. After an amazingly short recovery time, Omega lunged blindly at the location of the culprit. Had his hair not been tied to the bedpost, he'd have mauled them. With a yelp the red reploid was sprung back by his own platinum locks, forced to retreat as the pranksters followed suit. They slammed the door of his room, locking it as they fled laughing gleefully down the corridor. Cursing obscenely, the prank victim threw one of his pillows in anger at the general location of the door. It hit with a poof instead of a thump, having exploded into a cloud of feathers due to the sheer velocity at which Omega threw it.
Realizing that throwing a temper tantrum was getting him nowhere, Omega set to removing the bucket from his head. Easier said than done. Whoever had shoved it on him had put more than enough effort into it, and it was thoroughly stuck. Eventually he just tore it apart and peeled it off. Soon after he set to untying his hair, wincing as he tugged on the strands. He stroked his sore scalp. Oh, someone was going to pay for that...
But, first things first. He threw the remainder of the bucket into the trash and headed for the bathroom. That water had been cold, fragments of ice still scattered in his hair on his bedding. He really needed a warm shower right about now. After that bit of business was attended to, he dried off, threw on some clothes, and attempted the carefully reign in his now-frazzled hairdo. Gently, of course. He was halfway through this task when a knock sounded on his door.
Aeolus called out curtly, "Are you decent?"
"Decent enough. Come in."
As the Wind Mega Man entered the room, he noticed the pile of feathers strewn across the floor. Brows raised as the green-haired man gave Omega a questioning look.
"None of your business," Omega snapped.
Aeolus responded with a slight frown, kicking aside some of the pillow's innards as he entered. "I don't suppose it has anything to do with the scream earlier this morning?" As Aeolus questioned him, the Red Demon noticed that he had a slight limp.
"Scream? I didn't hear anything. Just got up," he lied blatantly.
He received a snort in response (and a rather pointed look at the soaked bedsheets), but the subject was dropped. "You wouldn't happen to have any plans for the day, would you?"
Omega leered, not willing to back down, "Maybe. So what if I did?"
Aeolus glanced at him mockingly, "Then you'd have to drop them. The Masters want an investigation done in the national park district. Apparently there have been some abductions. Everyone else is busy at the moment, so you and I are being sent to investigate."
Omega scowled, "Well, I do hope that the Masters realize that I won't do anything of the sort unless I get my weapons back."
If Aeolus realized Omega's attempt at regaining his weapons, he didn't react, "Please, there's no need for that. One fully armed Mega Man is enough. There is no need for you to have weapons as well, mercenary. Quite frankly I do not wish to have to watch my back for abductors and you. Come along then."
Indicating that Omega should follow, the Wind Mega Man left the room at a brisk walk. Giving his hair one last tug, Omega noticed with satisfaction that he'd nicely cleared away the mess from earlier. He followed Aeolus out the door, walking with him at a business-like pace that the Gentile Mega Man seemed to be in no hurry to increase. The green-clad swordsman led the red reploid through Legion, ignoring numerous passer-bys and arriving at a teleporter within short order. Omega noted the route and committed it to memory; hopefully he'd be able to make use of it later.
A few words were exchanged between Aeolus and the operator before they indicated for them to both step on the teleporter. A few more words, and they were off.
x-x-x-x-x
The pair materialized in the park. They took their bearings,Omega taking a few steps forward.
A gentle breeze ruffled his still-damp hair as the sun shone on an ideal, relaxing locale. Widely spaced trees shaded a dirt path winding through a bright forest, the thick trunks of the large plants planted at relatively predictable intervals. Shade was plentiful from the path and to the more densely packed foliage bordering it from farther away. Small plants, long grasses and soft bushes were plentiful in the niches between the elegantly twisting oaks supporting the canopy above. Gentle grasses waved to the as they entered, inviting them to explore the fantasy landscape.
Omega sneered to himself as they set off. How disgusting! A wasteland suited him any day over this. Regardless, there was little other option than to enter the scenic area, especially when Aeolus charged ahead. A short walk later, they were met by someone who was presumably a park ranger. Aeolus nodded respectfully at the lean man, "Good day. Were there any new reports or sighting?"
"You know as well as I do that there's no sightings. Never are," the man sighed, "nor is there a report."
"No luck finding any of the victims, or the kidnapper?"
"No," the man sighed. "Unfortunately, the loam around here is too moist. We get wide, flat tracks, but no footprints or anything. I'm beginning to wonder if we're really dealing with a person here."
Aeolus frowned, "You suspect a pseudoroid?"
"Maybe. Anyways, the most recent abduction was a few miles over. Judging by the M.O. they've got going, they may be around here. Be careful, and best of luck." Another ranger ran up, the two heading off to help the search for the mysterious kidnapper. Omega watched them leave. Random disappearances? How odd. Not like he cared though. The only thing that interested him was the fact that it might be a pseudoroid.
The two fighters left, starting a search of their own. Trotting down the path, Omega leisurely took note of his surroundings. At the same time he was alert, watching for anything out of place. Aeolus was also watchful, his eyes roaming through the foliage. It was only after a few hours of searching that they found anything suspicious. When the pair finished traveling through a tunnel made by a tree falling on a dense thicket, they noticed a flat, winding trail that disappeared into the bush. It glistened with dew, moisture that had not been touched or evaporated by the sun.
"Is this one of the trails the ranger was talking about, you think?" pondered Model H to Aeolus.
Omega, having not been the one addressed by the biometal, could only just make out what he was saying. Hmm, he'd heard the Model A just fine the other day, was there something up now? Maybe Model H was just quieter? The conversation continued despite his musings. "Appears that way," Aeolus responded to the biometal, "although I can't tell which direction that it's headed. It looks like it may have either come or gone from that swamp we saw earlier."
Aeolus turned to Omega, "I'll go take a look at these tracks going this way. You follow it the other way." With that he took to the skies, headed to the aforementioned marsh. Omega watched the Mega Man as he flew away, conversing with his biometal, before following his own side of the trail. As the two flew off, he noticed that he could hear less and less of what the biometal was saying.
Perhaps I can't hear them very well over a certain distance, or if they're not talking to me directly wondered Omega. Putting that question aside for now, he continued on his way. Another hour passed as he meticulously followed the trail as far as he could. However, as the trail petered out, he realized that he was following it the wrong way as it became more collapsed and trodden over by other animals. Oh well. Without a weapon, he wasn't too keen on meeting whatever made the nearly meter-wide track. Huffing in annoyance, he considered whether or not to run off again. However, as he'd already done that last night, he wasn't sure he wanted to incur the wrath of Legion just yet by doing it again. After reaching the end of the trail, he turned to go back.
He huffed imperiously and sauntered slowly towards where he and Aeolus had parted. Just because he had to go back, it didn't mean that he was going do it at anything other than his own pace.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
As the Wind Mega Man flew overhead, a serpentine head ducked below a concealing patch of reeds. Her eyes, just below the water's surface, watched him pass.
As much as she'd absolutely love to know what the eagle Mega Man tasted like, now might not be a good time. Unless she could lure the bird to a bush to ambush him, he could strike back. Seeing that they were in an open expanse of water and weeds, that wasn't going to happen. Not too eager to catch the business ends of his talons, she swam back over her own trail under the muddy swamp water. Calculating, slitted eyes watching the fighter soar away into the distance. After double checking to see that he wasn't looking her way, she disappeared into the foliage from whence she'd come.
Hiding her newer trail by going over her older one, she slithered through the thickets and arrived swiftly at where the ones hunting her had parted. She scented Aeolus' tracks with her tongue, then noticed that his weren't the only ones there.
Well, well... So he wasn't the only one after her! And by the looks of the other tracks, the other one was ground-bound. Smiling hungrily, she remembered a little den that she'd passed earlier. It was hidden in the ground, and would be absolutely perfect for storing someone...
With that, a plan to catch both of her pursuers popped into her head. If she got the one, the other would follow to try and find their friend. One of those, she supposed, could be shipped back to her raider group for reprogramming, but the other... Well, she didn't have to tell them that there used to be two, now did she? With that, she skidded down the path, found a nice hiding place, and concealed herself.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Omega noticed something odd the minute he stepped into the clearing. The atmosphere was wrong, far too tense and omnipresent. Sunlight fell through the trees in a dappled pattern, camouflaging the various hills and valleys of the forest floor. As he stepped cautiously along the path, his eyes skirted around, observing every detail that he could. A broken twig there, a drop of moisture here, all things that hadn't been there in his last passing. Then there was the scent. A sickly-sweet smell hung in the glade, oozing from an unidentifiable source. To a man called the God of Destruction, it was both intoxicating and a warning. He stood in that clearing for five whole minutes, unnatural silence reigning. However, no further clues or dangers presented themselves. He allowed himself to relax slightly, but continued with much more caution than before.
As he exited the clearing, a small rustle sounded to his left. He whipped towards it. Some vine-like thing was tied around a bush, small jerks causing the foliage to twitch. In an instant, he realized that the vine, laid across the path inconspicuously, lead to somewhere behind him.
The next moment he realized his mistake when he felt the fangs impale his gut. He tried to yell and twist to face his attacker, but a hand covered his mouth and he was jerked roughly when he tried to snap the jaws connected to his side. Disoriented, Omega only managed a glimpse of the patterned coils crushing him from his waist down, probably to prevent him kicking, before another sickening insight dawned on him.
A snake... He'd been bitten by a huge damn snake?! And just like Scorzon, it seemed that they had venom of some sort. Only this was worse. Omega gave one last, rebellious jerk before he blacked out. Today just wasn't his day, was it?
x-x-x-x-x
Groaning, the mercenary awoke some time later. Dirt scratched his head as he stirred. It was dark, damp, and cold. The reason for that was painfully obvious the moment he looked around. His captor had stashed him somewhere underground. Light barely pervaded the earth cavern, roots hanging limply from a ceiling barely three metres overhead. The scent of peat and decomposition permeated the natural room and his nostrils. His clothes were gone, mud and grass from the surface clinging doggedly to his frame. Struggling weakly to his feet, he slipped and fell, accidentally alerting his captor.
"Oh sweetie, are you up already? Shame, you should have been out for another ten hours at least."
Omega jumped backwards as a twenty meter long pseudoroid glided ominously into the room. Her upper torso was humanoid, and scantily clad at that. Deep brown, diamond-shaped scales covered her body from head to tail tip, decorated with an intricate design of coffee coloured lines in a delicate pattern. That same shade also decorated the spartan armor on her chest and thighs. Her hands rested on her hips. That, however, was where the human resemblance ended. Her head and long tail were clearly serpentine. As her eyes roamed Omega, the hood along her neck opened slightly, revealing even more confusing designs. Her coils rustles as they slid together.
"Aaahhh, such a shame. Even though you are awake, you lack the necessary parts..." came a gutteral lisp.
Omega took up a defensive position, glaring at her, "I lack nothing important. What is the meaning of this?!"
She ignored his question, appraising him in a sultry manner, "Dearie, isn't it obvious? You lack the parts that would have let me have a little... fun, with you. Such a shame..."
Omega jerked, catching onto her meaning as the seductress raised herself upon her tail. He grimaced, entirely bored by the prospect she was hinting at, but worried about the strength he'd felt in those coils earlier. This really wasn't going to be his day, was it? "Too bad so sad, lady. Give me my clothes back."
Leaning out dangerously, she let her forked tongue dance over his face, causing him to flinch in revulsion, "How handsome... but, the name's not 'lady', it is Ejen. I am the Amber Nagaroid, seducer and devourer of men." Her fingers traced a pattern just in front of his chest.
She leaned back, and Omega took the opportunity to distance himself more as well. Ejen seemed contemplative, muttering aloud as she trailed about the earthen cavern, "Oh dear, this really does cause problems. I can't hunt the Eagle if this rat is moving about... no no. Hmm, well, I was hoping to see what the eagle tasted like, but perhaps I will be calling him a comrade instead. I'm sure my leader will be most happy to reprogram him. Huhhh... but I kind of liked this one. Then again, lacking those parts... Oh well." Ejen turned her gaze the the red reploid, eyeing him hungrily.
"What do you want with me?" Omega snapped, preparing for the inevitable.
Her tongue flickered, "Well, well, a curious little rat, hmm? Very well, I'll tell you. I belong to a group of raiders who specialize in capturing and reprogramming reploids to work for them, to sell to other groups, etc. I'm their mascot and sole pseudoroid, and they do rely so much upon me, but... they don't really feed me well. They don't like me sampling the products. So, I have to take matters into my own hands!"
She suddenly lunged, jaws agape and teeth ready to puncture Omega's hide. He jumped back, hitting a wall. Before her coils could entrap him and end his efforts right there, he dashed forward. Catching her jaws, he snapped them shut before she could resist. He twisted so that he was on her back, laid upon the very hood meant to scare away rivals.
Thrashing ensued, he barely managed to hold on as she writhed. Trying to dislodge him by banging against the walls and ceiling, she hissed. Her tail snaked its way around his ankle, the rest of it soon attaching itself to him up to his lower chest and tightening. However, Omega wasn't built like her normal victims. He hung on doggedly, and eventually the pair was still. His legs grappled her neck like a vice, her serpentine form trying to squeeze the life out of him. The God of Destruction responded by doing his utmost to snap her jaw, but with little success due to a bad angle.
It was a stalemate. He was still shaking off the effects of the venom, but was holding his own. She was far too big to have any bones broken easily, but this also gave her less room to maneuver in the gloomy den and around her small prey. It didn't really help that he was right in the position where she couldn't bring the full might of her body to bear. For five whole minutes, the duo were locked together, seeking to kill the other but gaining no purchase. But then...
Stretching her arm, Jade barely managed to grab a hold of one of his pale locks of hair. Giving it a ruthless tug, she hoped to make Omega lose his grip. It didn't work quite as well as she hoped, but he gave a surprised yelp nonetheless. Temporarily distracted, Omega's chokehold lost strength. It wasn't much, but it was enough. The two became a tangled knot of appendages as she broke free, both of them struggling for dominance over the other. They came to another halt. Omega's arms were straight above his head, fending off the jaws seeking his skull from above. Jade's thick muscles entwined him thoroughly, trapping him in their deadly embrace. Hell knew which direction his legs were going, only that they weren't helping him much.
She tried to break his arm, moving another length to his shoulder and attempting to wrap it around him. He did the best thing he could, biting it with all the strength he could muster. She shrieked, tightening the rest of her body as that particular coil retreated.
Omega cursed quite profoundly as he heard something, several somethings actually, creak under the pressure. His ribs weren't holding up under the assault well. Most of his pseudo-muscular mass was focused away from the area, so it was no surprise that he found himself unable to fight them back, or even breath. Which sucked, since that meant he couldn't use his flamethrower breath. Thank heavens he didn't need oxygen or he'd have bit it, but at the same time, he was going to overheat if he wasn't careful.
Damn Legion! If he'd only had his saber, this would never have gotten this far!
Ejen, on the other hand, had the light of triumph in her eyes. Oh, if only she could get her jaws past those shapely arms-! Swinging her jaws from side to side, Ejen pitted the strength of her upper body against the power of Omega's torso, intent on ending his life. Similarly, Omega was just starting to charge a Heat Launch EX Skill. If he released it at the same time as a Static-!
It was at this exact moment that, attracted by Ejen's earlier yell, Aeolus entered the dirt cavern. "What in the world!?" he squawked indignantly. The duelers were caught off-guard by the Wind Mega Man's entrance. Ejen recovered quicker, shoving her head another foot closer to engulfing her hapless prey.
"For God's sake help me!" Omega roared, fighting off the teeth centimeters away from piercing his head.
Aeolus wasted another second before coming to his senses. Bringing out his sabers, he dashed at the snake. As the blades bit into her flesh, she screamed in rage, breaking out of Omega's grip to lunge at Aeolus. Omega promptly squirmed free from her damaging embrace. Realizing her folly, she turned back to bite him, only to get a fist in her face. Aeolus was forced to back off as she writhed in the cramped space. Omega grabbed her midriff, still coiled around his stomach. The Heat Launch finished charging. Howling angrily, he activated the EX Skill, tackling her into the wall at back-breaking speed.
As she slammed into the wall, her back broke. The snap echoed brutally through the chamber as Ejen slumped to the floor. Caught in a battle-rage, Omega grabbed her head, twisting it. Why stop with her back? He was going to break her wretched neck!
"Halt!"
Aeolus' announcement startled Omega back to reality, where he gave the Mega Man a disapproving glare, "Why? I'm trying to kill her!"
"No, we are going to take her back for questioning!" snapped Aeolus.
Growling, Omega tried to stare down the Mega Man. After a minute, he realized that trying to get his own way wasn't going to work. Furious, he pounded the pseudoroid's head into the wall, snapping her jaw. She screamed as he broke off one of her own teeth, stabbing her with it before the Wind Mega Man could object. Ejen twitched, then fell limp, unconscious due to her own venom.
"She won't be fighting back this way," he snapped at Aeolus' appalled look. As the deed was already done, the green Mega Man simply walked forward, picked up her body, and proceeded to drag it out of the room.
"I found your clothes outside by the way," he spoke, "you'll want to get dressed before the rangers arrive." He threw the articles over his shoulder as he left. Omega gave him an acidic look before picking up them up from the floor. Several minutes passed in silence as the red reploid struggled to sort out his clothes, the articles having been thrown aside in a messy lump by the snake. After he'd gotten dressed, he left the hollow. Ejen had already been tied up and was being carted away in a cage of energy. Aeolus spared Omega a glance before he motioned to one of the rangers then left, the limp snake's form unresponsive to the transportation. The ranger went over to Omega, appearing meek.
"Sir, you are to follow me to the teleporter, please." Omega didn't respond, but followed the small man as he walked. Still angry from being cheated of his kill, Omega took little notice of his surroundings as they walked. With the pseudoroid's fang still grasped in his hand, he ignored the idyllic scenery as they meandered back. He absorbed the DNA in the fang without a second thought, ignoring the resulting messages popping up in his head. Even as he stepped sourly onto the teleporter and was whisked away, he ignored the notifications his systems were trying to give him, simply storing the files away for later.
When he was back in Legion, he just retraced his earlier steps to his room, slammed the door after entering, and didn't go out for the rest of the day.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Aeolus returned to Legion after the necessary paperwork had been signed and filed away, the pseudoroid having been questioned and disposed of properly. He wandered around Legion until bumping into Master Mikhail, who was pouring himself some tea.
"Mind if I join you for a cup?"
"Of course not."
The two started a pleasant conversation filled with small talk. Only after a good fifteen minutes of beating around the bush did they get to the main topic. "So," Aeolus started, "he didn't ask for medical attention or anything?"
"Nope", replied the Master casually, "just shut his door and that was that. We tried to get in earlier, but it seems that he's figured out how to lock it from the inside."
"Hmph. How odd that he didn't request treatment." The conversation continued. To them, and everyone else, it seemed that Omega had become just another part of Legion. Just another thing to look over in the daily routine.
Or, perhaps not.
Situated outside Omega's door, Pandora stood with a blush on her face. She held a letter in her hand. Staring at the blank portal, she seemed to be trying to work up her nerve.
It failed.
With a small squeak, her face blushed redder. She turned and ran, too afraid of something unseen.
How odd.