Thanks very much to my beta readers, Captain Greene, DarkShiftRising, and Aniral for helping me so much with this fic! It was really appreciated on my first version, and I still thank you for it to this day!
Omega was wide awake. Dawn had yet to break upon the city he was surveying from his window, although dim lights still dotted the landscape like the glimmer of freshly fallen snow. An ethereal glow covered the pristine buildings, highlighting their shapes even while the majority of their forms were little more than gray shadows. Streetlights highlighted the golden motes of a slight mist hanging in the pre-dawn atmosphere. Despite the early hour, activity could be seen throughout the city if one looked hard enough. A deliveryman here, a baker of some sort there, even a performer of some kind sprinting down a side street. No doubt about it, there was much more activity than usual in Legion, and that was only in the early hours. Once dawn broke, there would be no lack of frenetic activity in the gleaming city, of that Omega was sure. And for a good reason.
The day of the tournament had almost arrived.
Even as he watched, streets were being blocked off for the use of those attending the festivities, decorations were being hung, roads were being cleaned.
Inside Legion, the level of activity was even more intense, and he suspected it would only worsen as the day wore on. Even though he had contained himself to his room, Omega could hear the pattering of government employees scrambling to complete their last-minute preparations for the tournament. The Devil Reploid was glad that he hadn't been important enough in the tournament's planning committee to have to help with the majority of the events. The Masters, and several other higher-ups from various governments, had taken all of the responsibility on themselves. He couldn't entirely blame them for that, being governments and all. Paranoia after the Ouroboros incident was entirely justified. That, as well as the fact that he was still under suspicion despite good behaviour, ensured that he wasn't given too much undue power in this event. With his rather foggy history, he was definitely not the kind of person you want signing all the legal papers. It was a miracle they'd let him in on it at all; an unfortunate testament to how much they wanted him on a doctor's table.
All things considered, even when dawn had come and gone, Omega stayed out of everyone's way. He dragged himself out of his room just before noon, having put off his next objective as long as humanly possible. He would be reporting to the Masters as they'd previously discussed during a meeting. A quick debriefing with them took place, some final confirmations were made, and he was promptly shooed out of the way. Despite the rough treatment he didn't fuss, instead leaving for a more peaceful place in Legion. Plans were being made left right and center, things that had been forgotten were being arranged, last minute setbacks were being dealt with, and all the other requirements for such a large event were being made. As he walked down a hall, several camera crews and reporters passed him on their way to the Masters for a report on the situation. An announcement was going to be made regarding the tournament's official opening, and everyone wanted to be there and be the first to hear about it. Well, almost everyone. The staff at Legion had too many problems to deal with to babysit a capable mercenary, resulting in Omega being able to sneak off unnoticed. He neatly slipped into an unused room without anyone the wiser, bringing out a communicator after he'd surveyed the area and assured himself no one was watching.
A few commands on the communicator's data pad later, Scimitar was on the line, a broad, conspiratorial smile riding on his features.
"So, any new things we should know about since your last call?"
Throughout the process of the event's planning, Omega had kept his eyes and ears open to every little detail discussed about it, including some he really shouldn't have been privy to. Security, which companies were being hired for what job, and so on and so forth. He knew that he didn't know everything about the event; more than a few times he'd been shuffled out of the meeting room when one topic or another came up. Nonetheless, he knew enough, and had been keeping the raiders up to date.
"They've switched to a different entertainment group for the third district, but that's about all I've heard on the matter," replied Omega, "how are things on your end?"
"Pretty much the same. The change won't affect anything we've done. Another raider group got caught the other day trying to muss things up,stupid fools. Fortunately they didn't have anything to do with us, so we're still under the radar. Security's been tightened a little more though."
"Good. See you later, then."
The discussion ended. Omega returned to the hall as if nothing had ever happened. After all, it was just one more little phone call that would go unnoticed in the great scheme of things. Time was running out, much like sand in an hourglass falling down. The God of Destruction stopped in front of a window and looked solemnly out at the skies, eagerly awaiting the event that would, unbeknownst to those of Legion, decide how the future would unfold.
The future... and what lay in store.
Smiling to himself, Omega sauntered through the halls of Legion, helping out where necessary while making preparations of his own. The opening ceremonies were to take place in the evening, as registrations were being taken in up until midnight. The fights themselves were starting tomorrow, not that it mattered to him. He would be gone by then.
More time passed. Omega headed to his room to change, having received his outfit from the eccentric fashion designer just a few days prior. Shivering slightly at the recollection, the Red Demon put it on nonetheless, tying his hair up with a red ribbon and shuffling the black jacket around until it was comfortable, the tails stiffly swaying as he did so. The pants were also black, contrasting the white shirt and the pale ruffles that surrounded his neck and disappeared under the collar of the suit. Ruffles, ugh. He grumbled as he stared into a mirror, noting how ridiculous he looked. Armour was always better, but he'd endure this for as long as he had to.
An announcement rang over the PA system. Omega looked up, finished brushing his hair one last time, then set out. It was time. The festivities were starting.
x-x-x-x-x
Noise pounded through the windows of the limo as it was driven down the street, signs of a recent parade littered all over the ground. Security personnel watched from the sidelines as the vehicle, along with others like it, were escorted by military vans to their destination, a conference center by the arena where the tournament was to take place. A few crowd members watched impassively while others cheered the small convoy as it traveled. Looking around his surroundings, Omega took note of the others that had been shoved into the limo with him but a few minutes before. A trio of shrewd men, decked out in extravagant, exotic clothes, quarreled among themselves about the only female occupant in the vehicle, who was ignoring their muttering with barely restrained annoyance.
Atlas, her wild hair combed for what was probably the first time in her life, sat as far away from the other occupants as possible. Despite Pandora and Black's predictions, she had, miraculously, ended up in a dress. With the colouration of a fiery sunset, it was a relatively simple affair, but effective. Ruffled sleeves ending at her elbow accented a square-cut top, eloquent jewelry delicately highlighting her muscular frame. Her orange bangs, despite their earlier combing, had already started to spring up into their usual sunburst shape, showing her tougher side through the scant traces of makeup on her face. Atlas growled after a particularly egotistical comment was directed at her, her fists balling up in frustration. Omega's eyebrows shot up to one of the men whom had started on the topic of one of their fellow limo occupants... and, apparently, how disgusted they were that Legion would stick them with a woman.
"I must say, it's rather upsetting that we were given such a weak security detail. I'd have much preferred one of the other Mega Men, really. Perhaps that Aeolus fellow, he seems a cultured fellow."
"Yes yes, but we got this one instead. Pity really, even the addition of the other fighter here doesn't really make up for it. He's an unknown anyways."
"Does Legion not value our contributions to the world's peace, hrrmmm?"
"Too true! If only they'd given us some real fighter for our escort, although I suppose it's only an unnecessary precaution what with our body guards doing all the work."
Now it was Omega's turn to clench his fists. Oh, they had not just said that. He looked over at the fire Mega Man, who was currently glaring out of a window like she was about to murder the next person she saw. No matter how hard she tried to ignore the men in the limo, however, she couldn't completely wave off their remarks, and neither could Omega. For one he hadn't the foggiest why her gender had anything to do with her abilities. For another, they were bloody stupid and annoying with their gentry tone. He'd had enough of it, and he was pretty sure she had too.
"Legion has paired you up with some of the best," he started. The three government men glanced over in surprise, almost as if they weren't expecting such a lowly man to attempt to talk to them. Atlas had also glanced over, but more out of curiosity than disrespect.
Omega continued, "We may not look like it, but her and I are both experienced fighters. I know that I, personally, have fought in more than a few battles, and I'm sure she's no different."
"She's a woman, she's hardly capable of being a good fighter," one of them replied. At first, Omega couldn't believe the comment. How chauvinistic! Even he wasn't that old fashioned, so to speak, and he was at least a few centuries old! Omega inwardly snarled, because that's when he realized he was dealing with that kind of a person. It seemed that he wasn't the only one who couldn't believe what they'd just heard. Atlas was grinding her teeth in fury, and the Model F biometal was shrieking in rage from beside its chosen one.
"Oi, that's it! If I hear anything from those chumps one more time-! Ooh! No one gets away with saying that to ya while I'm around! Dangit, why'd we have to get stuck guarding these losers anyways!?"
Atlas looked like she was about to agree, but let out a huff and turned to Omega. "You've been in a battle? How big?" she asked eagerly. She was rapt with attention, glad of an excuse to turn away from the three other men.
Omega humored her gladly, "I've been in several. They weren't small by anyone's standards. Yourself?"
"I was one of the soldiers involved with the fall of New Arkana. I don't know if you heard of it... it wasn't pretty."
A haughty snort rose from one of the flamboyantly dressed men, "Well no wonder Arkana fell if they were employing women."
The Red Demon ignored the other man's comment, "No I haven't. What went on with it?"
Atlas frowned, touching her side unconsciously, "It was a maverick attack. Budding nation and all that, we never really stood a chance. Ten to one it was, I swear, and I didn't have Model F at the time either."
"Outnumbered? That's never good," Omega replied, briefly glancing at Model F and remembering his last fight with the enthusiastic fighter it was based on. No, being outnumbered was never fun.
"So you were involved in some large fights too, then? Not just small skirmishes? Were you a soldier or something as well?" inquired the female, her demeanor calming down somewhat once she realized she had someone of similar interests to talk to.
"I was technically was a soldier, although not in any official military," he replied.
"Cool. What was it like for you?"
"...Lots of missions. Most involved destroying something or beating down someone's pathetic little group. I never considered it a proper battle unless there was a strong enemy or heap of corpses around." He smirked, conveniently neglecting to mention that most of those missions had been solo.
"Tell me about it! A lot of people go on about how 'oh, this fight was so scary' or 'that battle was so intense'! Those aren't proper fights! Nowadays people throw two recruits without a day's worth of training out in an arena and call the resulting slap-fest an epic battle for the history books! Tchah!" she scowled.
"New recruits? Back where I come from, you weren't off the 'new recruit's list' until you had over a hundred notches on your belt," Omega remarked.
"That many? Wow."
One of the other men, who was apparently feeling put out by being ignored, decided to try and prove his own worth in the situation,, "Harrumph! Drivel, I must say! How does any amount of notches on one's clothing article translate to fighting proficiency, hmm?"
The man's companions laughed. The two warriors spared a surprised look at each before breaking out in grins. Oh, they were dealing with some greenhorns!
As such, the final leg of the journey consisted of the mercenary and the Mega Man exchanging notes on some of their more fantastically gory war stories (Omega, of course, being careful not to go too far overboard by revealing anything). Their traveling companions faces slowly became more and more pale as the discussion progressed. When they reached their destination, the duo had to restrain from laughing when the other three practically jumped out of the car and ran for safety.
"That'll teach 'em," Model F crowed smugly.
As the pair trudged towards the conference hall, Atlas spoke up quietly, "I never knew you had such a history. You've got some stories that put mine to shame!"
"I just exaggerated a bit," Omega waved the compliment off casually. Well, he had technically been exaggerating a little on how little he'd done.
"Of course. That's a soldiers duty, to do a little work fighting and a lot of work storytelling! Hah hah hah!" She laughed, "Well, that's what one of my old buddies used to say, may he rest in peace. Tch, you know, so many of the other Mega Men have never seen a real fight. I mean, Siarnaq and maybe Aeolus were in some fights, and Black and White definitely, but none of them have really seen anything wide-scale except for the Ouroboros incident. Apart from the siblings, I think I'm actually the only one who's gotten into a huge scrap with more 'n one army going at it." Omega gazed over, interested in the direction the conversation was going as she sighed resignedly, "Ya know, none of them really get it. Thetis is a bloody whiny little baby who's spoiled beyond belief, all he wants is just saving stuff for the environment, Aeolus is a stuck-up prick who's so concerned about rules and shit, and Vent and Aile are so freakin' strong yet they don't fight 'cause they're scared they're gonna hurt someone! It's same with the Model A guys, only those two could never be serious about anything if their lives depended on it. They'd rather play explorer than buckle down and fight unless they utterly had to. The only two who I think had any real experience with big battles are those siblings, White and Black, yet those two go on like they never want to fight again, like they're scared of battling." She scratched the back of her neck, snorting tiredly, "I sometimes think I'm the only one who know how much fun a fight can be. You understand me? Those others, they're all about peace and whatnot, but peace is so boring! I like a good fight every now and then. There's nothing like it, and... I really can't begin to say how frustrating it is dealing with them, I can never get one of them to train with me, and they're the only ones strong enough really..."
Omega looked over at her, "Maybe you should have asked me to fight with you. Did you ever think of that?"
"I dunno... Blah! I just..." she shied away, making Omega wonder about the behavior. Perhaps Siarnaq wasn't the only one who distrusted him? Or maybe she didn't know his strengths and didn't want to risk being upstaged by him? Whatever the reason, she didn't seem to be hinting at it. Therefore Omega decided to change the subject.
"What do you think about this tournament anyways?"
"Oh? That?" she looked up, a grin on her face, "I think it's awesome! I entered in it as soon as I could. Some people have teams for the tournament, 'cause you know, some people work better in groups, but the Masters figured a Mega Man was strong enough to fight on their own."
Omega nodded knowingly, "Ah, just like any psuedoroid entrants, right?"
"Exactly!"
The two continued their idle banter for a while until they were inside the lobby. Beautiful decorations adorned the walls and hung from the ceiling, opulent displays showcasing the wealth and power to all who saw them. In among the crowds of government members, foreign dignitaries, and famous celebrities, were various security members, often in pairs and glancing around the room with all the intensity of an eagle on the hunt. Less obvious then these security members were disguised bodyguards, and even though Omega couldn't pinpoint every one, he knew they were there, the occasional, out-of-place twitch of one person or the surveying eyes of another hinting they were there among the crowd just like he was.
Small conversations came to an abrupt halt when the doors to a great hall were opened. Those attending the ceremonies were ushered into the room gently. At one end of the vast expanse was an area for refreshments, food lined up for a smorgasbord wafting steam from just under stainless steel covers. Tables covered the half of the room nearest the food, expensive cutlery and cloth spread across their surfaces. The other part of the hall was cleared of any obstructions, open for dancing most likely, as a small stage in the corner had bleachers of musicians sat upon it. Currently these magicians were playing a relaxing background tune as people entered, but from the presence of the Master Thomas on the stage, Omega presumed that the music was only going to last a little while longer. The only other thing immediately noticeable about the hall was that the long wall opposite the stage was, in fact, a window, several stories up and displaying the elegant scenery of the city during the evening. Many security men were positioned along this window for obvious reasons.
The background music died down. Omega glanced over at the stage from his current location, a shadowed corner nearby some tables that were filled with gourmet appetizers. Thomas began to speak. "Friends and allies of Legion, I welcome you to the opening festivities of our fighting tournament! We thank all who are in attendance today, especially those who helped organize the festivities. While, no doubt, this is not the only celebration that will occur tonight, I am pleased to welcome you to the official tournament reception..." Omega's eyes glazed over as the speech continued. It was quite a long one! He snapped out of it when he heard the closing line, "Without further ado, let the merriment begin!"
With all the enthusiasm of a herd of turtles, the crowd began to socialize. Omega was hard put not to strangle someone out of sheer boredom. There were people dancing to slow music, casual conversations starting up between dancers and observers alike. Some others hung around the buffet tables while the rest either slunk around in corners, like him, or viewed the city through the large window.
He sighed. An hour passed in relative peace, the dull murmur of the crowd and the elegant rhythm of the band merging together to form the mind-dulling anthem of high class parties. With nothing more interesting to do, he had devoted his attentions to unraveling the monotonous dance steps of those circling about the floor. One two, a step there, three four a twirl, and so on. Although he couldn't translate the dances, he at least began to understand the basic steps. And what he didn't know, he could see that some others were struggling with as well. Whenever that happened, a quick look at what everyone else was doing would solve the problem immediately.
Overall a simple, mind-draining, dull affair.
Realizing that it wasn't getting him very far to try and observe the dancers, he instead gazed at a diagram of floor plan for the building, barely hidden behind a curtain. It conveniently detailed a fire escape. This was a needless endeavor, as he'd already memorized the floor plan thanks to his involvement with the tournament planning committee, but he feared that if he didn't find something else to do soon he might snap. A few necks, preferably.
Fortunately for the party-goers, a slight tap on his shoulder stopped his less than wholesome thoughts. He turned around to see who had interrupted his ideas only to find an attractive-looking woman stuttering nervously in front of him. She wore a sparkling white dress with short sleeves and a long skirt, accented with blue in various places. It took a few moments for things to click in his mind.
"White?"
Pandora looked up, a shy smile upon her blushing features. Really, he mused inwardly, whomever had done her makeup had done a good job. "H-hello... Uhm... may I ask you something?"
Omega looked around quickly, then gave her a blank look and spoke, "Certainly."
"I was wondering if you'd like this dance."
The question took him aback almost as much as it did Pandora. Perhaps she wasn't expecting to have finally gotten it out so calmly. Certainly he hadn't. Actually, he hadn't expected that question in the first place! "Well, uhm... I'm not very good at dancing."
"It's okay! I-I know this one, I can help if you'd like. It's very simple, really! That's why I wanted this dance in particular..." she replied, fiddling with her fingers.
Well. This was one way to allay his boredom.
"Alright then. If you insist."
Pandora, to her credit, managed not to jump for joy at his response. Her spine certainly straightened a bit though, and if it wasn't for her obviously trying to contain her excitement she might have done a little jig with or without his help. She was positively beaming. 'White' raised her shoulders proudly before lightly grasping Omega's hand and leading him to the dance floor. They took their positions among the other dancers, perfectly camouflaged among the crowd. It only took a quick glance at everyone else for Omega to figure out the proper starting positions for the dance. Soon enough, just after he had placed his hand on her back, the music began, and so did their waltz. Gentle music wafted past their ears and directed their feet across the floor. They didn't stand out as dancers, but that was perfectly fine with the both of them. They had their own rhythm and grace, one that only the most practiced battlers could have, the pair dancing the song away. Once he had gotten the pattern of things, Omega found himself, strangely, observing his partner.
By society's standards, she couldn't be considered gorgeous. However, she held her own beauty, and personally, he thought she was pleasant enough to look at. Pandora, although not overly confident at first, had gained a quiet boldness once her initial timidity had worn off. He could see her history of fighting peeking through, something which he found intriguing. How could someone so timid suddenly show such confidence?
The pair continued for some time. At one point, the two were distracted by, amazingly enough, Atlas and Siarnaq, who were also twirling across the ballroom. Pandora smiled, giggling ever so slightly. "Wow, I'd have never thought that those two could hit it off."
"Siarnaq did say the other day that he wanted to try speaking a little more normally. Acting a little more normally too, by the looks of it."
Pandora chuckled.
Soon enough, the dance came to and end. They both gave each other a slight bow before Omega excused himself to the side. Pandora didn't seem to mind. Perhaps she had burned up her wellspring of confidence, or perhaps she was simply satisfied enough for the time being. He wasn't sure himself, deciding not to pursue the issue.
Retreating to his previous corner, Omega couldn't help but glance back at Pandora as he went. The incident had done much more than delay his boredom, it had given him something quite... curious to think about.
Omega looked at her, then looked at a random person in the great hall. Then he looked at another person, and another, and another. Every time he looked at someone, he tried to assess his feelings towards them. No matter how many people he looked at, he realized that every time he looked at someone, his emotions ranged from the barest of annoyance to seething anger. Whether it was a deep-seated hatred for someone he'd never met before, or a mild irritation for someone he'd met a few times, he never felt anything but negative emotions for others. And yet... he looked at Pandora. He felt... nothing? Absolutely nothing. It wasn't a feeling of neutrality however. It was more like there was something missing, and he just couldn't get a hold of it no matter how he tried. Omega tried to summon some sort of anger, or annoyance, or even hatred for her, but the more he tried to relate any of his known emotions to her, the more he realized that none of them fit. It was utterly vexing to him and he spent a good deal of time huddled in the corner trying to puzzle his way though his new dilemma.
As time passed, dusk arrived, gentle golden rays filtering into the ballroom almost horizontally. Those by the window or out on the balcony were treated to a splendid view of the sun regally setting over the cityscape below, silhouettes of buildings standing out with great contrast from the fiery colours painting the sky behind them. The late hour didn't seem to bother those in the hall at all, apart from a few comments about the glorious palette of the sky. All of this peace was shattered when a few of the patrons at the festivities tensed up suddenly, one or two even reaching to hidden communication devices in their ears. Omega snapped out of his reverie immediately. He knew this was a sign of trouble... a sign he'd been waiting for. Now, it was only a matter of time before-
Out on the balcony, a loud crash reverberated through the hall. Everyone was silent as a green and black striped lump, which had appeared out of nowhere, struggled to its clawed feet.
Iggy scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Whoops? Was this the right floor? Uh..." She suddenly stiffened once she realized that everyone was staring at her. Omega fought the urge to smack his forehead at the sight.
"Er, uh... oh... uh, Th-th-this isn't the way to the b-bathroom, is it...?"
Silence. Well, silence and a few raised guns. Omega's eyebrow rose in amusement.
Iggy glanced around the balcony and at the people still inside the hall before she left out a sigh. "Well, all right, that's that botched. But hey, we could all stand around here looking like sissies, or I could just go ahead and say that I'm really not the one you should be worried about right now."
Before anyone could reply, three silhouettes dropped down from above the window and smashed through it, sending shards of glass skittering across the ground. Shrieks arose from the faint of heart, and most of the patrons fled for the doors. Omega managed one glance at the kitsuroids as they began wreaking havoc before he too ran for the exit. Atlas roared over the throng. Omega didn't even need to look back to know she had initiated the counterattack. As servants and staff directed the flow of patron downstairs to the relative safety of the lobby, Omega made his move. He slipped behind a guard, whose attention was taken by the throng of people rushing past each other, dashing away down the hallway. He knew where to go and headed there with all haste, but didn't realize that he was being followed.
Pandora, holding her skirt up and with her feet bare, quietly followed after him.
x-x-x-x-x
The room was dark and bare when he arrived. Dim lighting flickered as he ran into it, shedding his restricting jacket and necktie. Omega nearly yanked his hair out trying to undo the band holding it together, succeeding despite the rough treatment. His eyes darted impatiently to the small veranda connected to the room, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the raiders arranged to pick him up. The plan was simple, yet practically flawless. Raiders would attack the main party and the Mega Men, distracting them, all while he slipped off to the most unlikely and far away of places in the building to get picked up by a small squad. No one would miss him in the fight or, as long as no one saw him, for a while after. He was quite confident with his escape right up until the moment where Pandora had suddenly pinned him to a wall, furious and confused.
"What is going on! Why did you come here of all places!? It makes no sense?" she yelled, her eyes wide.
Omega rolled his eyes, sighed, and smirked, "Oh? You don't get it? I thought you of all people would recognize what's going on here."
Pandora glared at him, apprehension and anger written all over her face. "What do you mean by that? What's going on, what do you know about all this!?"
Omega shoved her off, "This is what you call a plot. A backstabbing, conniving little plot to get me out of the paws of the wretched entity called Legion." Pandora gasped in shock at the revelation, as if not expecting such an answer. But really, why not tell her the truth? It would become apparent soon enough.
"Why! Why would you do this? How could you!"
"I'm not some nice little lapdog like everyone seems to assume I am. I have my own agendas and goals! Frankly, kissing the boots of the Masters does not help me with them," he replied, a curious expression appearing on his face, "although I must ask you the same question. Why do you bow down to Legion? Why do you, and the other Mega Men, see fit to ally yourselves with someone who only holds you back?"
Pandora blinked, her body straightening up once the cold realization set in. "How much do you know about me?"
"Not that much, Pandora, but I'm actually curious enough to want to know more. Now," he started, "I'd heard a funny little rumor that you were supposed to be dead like all the other Model W Mega Men. Instead you're well and fine, and despite all your power, you and your brother are doing nothing more than serving Legion as civilians. For what reason?"
Her hands held together tightly, she trembled, "I-I'm sorry. You seem to... to be mistaken. Yes! My name is Pandora. But I'm not a Mega Man. Not any more."
This took Omega by surprise, "Not a Mega Man?"
"No. Not a Mega Man. And I wouldn't want to be one ever again. I thought you of all people might understand. You seemed so much like me and... me and Prometheus. My brother. Yes, we had power, but we were being used because of it. If it means my freedom, I'll give up any amount of power!" she said firmly.
Omega growled, "You gave up power? For freedom? What freedom? You can't possibly have that much freedom if you're still catering to Legion's every whim!"
"I serve Legion willingly! I gave up that power willingly too, even though I didn't have to! I didn't need it to serve the Masters, so I got rid of that evil strength!"
"You're a fool!" Omega roared. For some reason Pandora's response had angered him deeply. "Power is everything in this world! Those with power decide the fate of themselves, the fate of others! And you just gave it up? For nothing!?"
"Not for nothing!" Pandora roared back. Omega was momentarily stunned into submission, "You don't seem to understand, do you? Yes, I had power! But I didn't need it! What I needed was happiness and peace and love, and Legion gave that to me! Why would I need power if I had everything I could ever want? So I gave it up happily!"
"Peace... and happiness... and love? Love!?" Omega sputtered, not entirely sure how to counter, "so, you gave up your power... you gave up the only way to decide your own fate... for something so trivial as love?!"
"Power is not the only way to decide your fate. I have no idea how you could have gotten such a notion, but..." Pandora looked up at him, her eyes wet with some sort of emotion Omega couldn't quite comprehend. "Don't you see? Even though you're a harsh person, and you don't like people, they've still shown you compassion, and love, and tried to help you. Can't you show them this back? Can't you see that... that people love you and want to help you? That they'll forgive you, no matter what you've done in the past?"
Omega had gone unnaturally silent. "They'll forgive me... because they love me?"
"Yes! Yes they will!"
Omega turned his back to her, facing the window. At first he seemed completely silent, almost as if considering what she'd said. Then his shoulders twitched. And they didn't stop, not even when his soundless breaths turned into low chuckling, then all-out, malicious laughter. "Love me... love me!? Bwa ha ha... ha haa haa, haa haa haa haa! Who could ever love me!? Love!? Love is such a stupid, pathetic, weak emotion! And you're trying to tell me that it could save me? Pffaaaha ha haa hah ha ha! Oh you're killing me! No one loves me! It's such a silly emotion anyways! Haa haa haa!"
Because of his amusement, he didn't hear what Pandora said next, what she mumbled under her breath. He kept on laughing, until Pandora shouted something at him so stunning that it wrought him cold as stone.
"I love you! Omega!"
The atmosphere in the room stilled instantly. Slowly, Omega turned around to the woman behind him, utter shock sculpting his features. Pandora huffed, ever so lightly, watching Omega cautiously. All was quiet.
Then Omega's face creased into an incalculable fury. What came next was so swift that she couldn't even blink.
He hit her.
Omega moved so quickly that she didn't even register the painful event until she was halfway across the room, her cheek bright red. It had come so instantaneously she couldn't even tell if it had been a slap or a punch. The next attack took her just as suddenly. Omega bulled into her, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her into the wall so fast that her head met it with a painful crack.
"How do you know that!"
"Gck!"
"How do you know my name! Does anyone else know!? DOES ANYONE ELSE KNOW!"
"Ah! No! Only... me! Guaah!" she screamed, Omega squeezing her neck harder.
"You had better be telling me the truth!"
"I am... I am!" she struggled, clutching Omega's arm with her hands in a feeble attempt to make him release his grip.
"Well then. I think you know too much," he growled.
"P-please! Omega! Please don't... do this! I... I love you, and it's not too... too late for you... to give this up and... and come home!"
"Love! Love! Are you still blathering on about that ridiculous emotion! Then let me spell it out for you!" he shrieked, "love is a pathetic, worthless excuse for a feeling that weaklings use to justify themselves, to feel like they're accomplishing something when in reality they're nothing more than worthless specks on the surface of a planet that doesn't need them! Love is useless! Love is pointless! Love is weak! The world is ruled by power, and power alone! There's no room for love! Not in my heart, and not in this world! Power is all that matters! There's no need for something so useless as love!" He tightened his grip, Pandora gasping futilely for air. Her hands flitted to his around her neck, but their grasp was getting weaker, weaker...!
"OI! BLONDIE!"
Omega suddenly whirled, dropping Pandora on the ground heavily, where she landed with a whump and did not stir.
"You haven't got time to beat up defenseless girls! Get a move on!" Iggy hollered from the veranda. Omega looked outside at the small vehicle perched just on the edges on the railing. He then glanced back at Pandora, missing the worried look Iggy shot the downed woman. She seemed as still as when he'd dropped her, so he simply huffed and bolted to the raiders waiting outside, letting them help him into the aerial cruiser.
Despite the anger he'd felt at her arguments, despite the way she knew his name, despite the way she'd prattled on about that useless emotion called love... he still felt the same way about her as he had looking at her in the ballroom, her dress white and immaculate. He felt nothing. Nothing but a void. The group left, no one bothering to check the body on the floor in their haste to leave. As such, no one noticed when it started moving, or when small, muffled sobs broke free of the tear-stained face of the woman laying hurt and broken in the dark, bare room.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Unknown to Omega, Viral had been watching.
The humanoid, shadowy mass of data, still huddled in the darkest corners of the Red Demon's mind, watched the exchange with interest. He saw, through his master's memories and through the events that had transpired in front of his own eyes, the severity of what had occurred. And, even as Omega escaped with the Raiders, joined with their leader, was hailed a powerful warrior and celebrated upon arrival, he saw something that the god did not.
Deep in the God of Destruction's mind a small, unfelt emotion stirred. But unlike its previous stirrings, it did not squirm against Weil's programmed bonds with hope or vigour. Instead it screamed, its horrific wailing echoing like a child's, begging to be released, to try and stave Omega from a course he had already taken. It begged to be let go, so that something warm and friendly may heal the tortured heart of the god who'd been denied it by the cruel lord of evil, Weil.
Viral, who had only ever looked at the thing with a neutral eye up until this point, made his decisive move.
He struck a monstrous, vicious blow. With a final scream it went silent. Weil's last obedience protocol sprang into action, again hiding it away from the rest of Omega's programming so that the god would never know that it had existed. And Viral helped it, adding his own data sequences into the mix.
Viral, for the first time in his life, twisted his face into an expression. A tainted, heartless leer of sadism. "Didn't you hear the master just now, wretch? There's no room for love in this world... Only power. Power... I will make sure of it!" Viral's insane sneer literally ripped his face open. But as it did, the humanoid figure changed. A terrible transformation occurred, and as the shadowy form shifted the vaguely human shape changed into something draconic and sinister.
"Our... no, my master, will have all the power in the world! I will make sure of it! He will be the most powerful thing in the world! Not a shred of love! Only power! Endless power! Power! Power!
Hee hee hee... haa haa haa! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAAAAHAAAAAAAAAA!"