AN: Well it's been a while. To be honest I had my dought's about continuing this story as it has turned much more violent and intricate then I at first intended it to be. So for safety sake I have decided to up the rating to M. It's as they say the mind is a beautiful servant but a dangerous master and to be honest I think this story borders on insanity. I actually wanted to remove this story more times then I can even recall. But in the end 0098 would not leave me in peace and every time I went online to read a chapter of a story I would be reminded of my failure. So I decided to finish this story to honour the people who started reading it in the first place and to ensure that 0098 leaves me in peace when this is done. So ye I'm back.

Chapter 2: Bubbles the bronze knight.

It was dark but he heard voices. They seemed odley close. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, the first thing he noticed however was pain. He looked down at his stomach and saw a rather large and bloody hole in it. He was bleeding hard, but somehow he was still alive and he was determined to keep it that way. He blinked a couple of times and then stood, leaning against a wall.

A wall? He thought to himself, that's where the voices where coming from. As he stood there listening and getting his bearings, he heard footsteps coming towards him. He saw the glint of a gun -barrel in the moonlight and ducked instinctevly as a bullet slammed into the wall next to his head.

Other rounds followed suit but before they hit he was off sprinting into the unknown forest. He clutched his wounded side and prayed that he'd survive.

He ran fast, surprisingly fast for someone wounded to the extent where they shouldn't be concious let alone moving. The men that had shot at him just moments ago, gave chase. They had to run hard to keep up to their wounded target. As he ran into the forest he considered his options. There was the possibility of surrender, but taken into account that they had already tried to kill him he did not think it a wise decision. Then of course he could fight, but he dismissed the idea as there where at least nine or ten of them and he was loosing blood fast. He was puled from his thoughts as he stumbled over a rock, he knew that he could not go much further. He looked down as something dripped on his foot and realised with a shock that it was his blood. There was now officially more blood outside his body then inside and he did not like the looks of that.

He heard the men come running up behind him and he looked around himself desperately for solutions. It was at that moment that he caught sight of a river and just for a second he could have sworn that he saw something glisten in the water.

"Well if I'm going to die either way I think I'd prefer to drown."

With his mind made up he ran for the river. The men where close behind him and angry shouts followed by gun-shots rang out through the trees. As 0098 ran along the riverbank something was watching him from below the water's surface. As he stumbled on following the river blindly he hoped very much that the river ended in something like a waterfall. Preferably a large one so that he could jump over the edge, at least then he'd have a chance of surviving, Because the men would definitely not follow and they'd probably not shoot him. He stopped suddenly concerned with his own thoughts.

"What the fuck am I thinking, considering jumping off waterfalls that I don't even know exist. I must be losing my mind!" He shouted angerly at himself as he suddenly realised that he'd stopped running.

"Well I'm dead..." he stated matter of factly as he heard the men approach.

The men appeared guns raised.

"Spread out!"

Called their leader. With that the ten men spread out in a semi circle trapping 0098 against the river. He looked from the one man to the next, his one hand was clasping the wound on his side trying in vain to stop the bleeding. He raised his scythe in a battle position.

"Move in!"Shouted the leader of the group. With that the men started closing in on their target making sure he could not escape. They had not given more then three steps when suddenly as if by magic a thick fog came drifting out of the river. It surrounded the men and their target. Sudenly neigther could see the other. Even though they where not even fifty meters apart. Everyone stopped moving trying to get their bearings. There leader was the first to speak.

"Keep moving men, we..." but he never finished his sentence because a scream from one of his men cut him off. "Ahhhhhhh!" Was all they heard and then it was silent, well not completely. Because out of the fog came an odd scraping sound, like something being dragged over the ground, it was followed by s splash. Then it was truly silent. Suddenly the fog lifted and there before their target the men could clearly see a creature. Its head held low and its body close to the ground. It glared at them from beneath a bronze mask, at closer inspection one could clearly see that the creature in question was covered in armour-like bronze plates. Two spear-like projectiles could be seen protruding from its shoulders.

0098 saw the creature in question quite differently. For he only saw its back side, which ended in a tail with a fin at the end. He could also clearly make out the hind legs which where all covered with thick bronze plates. From its stance he could also make out one other detail, its gender. For it was a female that had come to his aid. She stood crouched on the ground in front of him and it was clear she meant business.

A tense moment followed as the men stared at this new threat. Then without warning one of its spears shot out and impaled the man on the far right. There was a scream as his heart was ripped from his chest and he fell to the ground dead. The spear retracted leaving the still beating heart on the ground. The men gasped and 0098 eyes went wide with horror. Then the creature spoke.

"Don't you boys know that its rude to gang up on people, especially when they are in his condition? But seeing as I'm here now I will entertain you... So now the only question is, who's next?"

The men looked at each other in fear and turned to there commander for orders. He was a big man with allot of muscle, he looked at his men and responded with a simple smile then he put his hand to his ear and spoke into his mike.

"Command, this is Delta leader we have a small complication. I need information on one of our subjects... an armoured vaporeon."

As he received this new information he relaid it to his men.

"Subject: X327 Species: Vaporeon, Gender: Female, Clad in titanium infused bronze armour, with multiple harpoon like projectiles coated in a neuron toxin. She has command over nearby water sources thanks to the insersion of five water-stones into her body." He stopped talking and listened as a second message came in.

"Delta this is command subject X327 has a micro charge implanted in her neck, detonation code is X327 8..." The transmission was never completed, as one of 327X's harpoons smashed the headset clean off his head. The harpoon in question was so well aimed that it hit only the headset and missed the commanders ear by a fraction of a millimetre. The commanders eyes widened in shock as he realised what just happened. X327 smiled at him.

"There there commander we can't have you blowing me up now can we?"

The commander seemed to recover slightly "X327, you're cute and no it seems I can't just blow you up. Now I'm going to have to kill you and I think I'm going to enjoy it."

"Big words commander, now lets see you put your money where your mouth is. Oh and by the way the name's Bubbles!"

The commander simply smiled "Get her men!" He ordered, two of his men charged forward unaware that it would be their last charge. They shot at her furiously, but all the managed was to tickle her as the builits pinged harmlessly off her armour. She waited and waited for what felt to 0098 like ages, then she leaped 20 meters clear into the air. The men stopped to stare in shock and then turned to run in fear but it was to late. A wall of water that seemed to consist of all the water in the river rose up nearly as heigh as Bubbles jump then it came crashing down. It hit the men with such force that when the water cleared all that was left was a boot and a twisted gun. Had anyone taken the time to peer into the boot they would see the crushed remains of a man along with that of his gun. It is at that moment 0098 collapsed unable to hold out any longer. Bubbles landed on the ground as if she'd never left it and smiled.

"Okay four down six to go so who's next?"

At that moment the commander seemed to loose his composure.

"Get me that fucking vaporeon I don't care how just get it. Cause I want to rip it's guts out!"

"Now now commander that's not nice" she chimed as all six men rushed at her. She leaped at the first and knocked him to the ground. She smiled at him and then she slit his throat. She leaped as a bullet sailed underneath her belly and slammed into the chest of an on coming man. The man in question stumbled back clutching his chest before collapsing on the ground. At the zenith of her jump she fired the two harpoon's from her shoulders they slammed into the sculls of two approaching men, who froze in mid run and dropped to the ground dead. As she looked around and recalled her harpoons.

"Well it looks like I'm going to win with out too much effort..."

"Think again!" Shouted the commander as he suddenly leaped at her with a knife and slammed it into her back, unfortunately for him her armour was so hard that the blade splintered on impact.

Bubbles looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Goodbye commander..." she said as she let out a powerful kick with her hind legs. She hit her mark square in his gut. Breaking his spine and causing it to pearce his lung. It sent him flying. He flew across the clearing, when he reached the river he didn't slow down he skipped across the water like a stone and crashed into a tree on the other side. Both his legs where broken so he would not be getting up. His death would he a slow and painful one. Satisfied with her work Bubbles leaped at the remaining man and knocked him to the ground. She stared at him and prepared to strike, when suddenly the man screamed "Please no I beg you, I have daughter she's still so young..." that made her freeze and he continued."I only did it because I needed the money, please I beg you let me go I wont tell anyone... Please!"

Bubbles looked at him long and hard, there was sadness in her eyes and fear in his.

"Then I beg your forgiveness but I can not leave witnesses." With that she opened her mouth and a third harpoon shot out through his eye and into his brain. He was dead before he knew what happened. As she withdrew her harpoon she gently closed his eyes before walking over to the unconscious scyther. To her surprise when she reached him his eyes where open and he managed a weak smile. When he spoke his voice was a whisper.

"I guess this makes you my knight in shining armour."

With that 0098 was unconscious once more.

As for the chapter hope you enjoyed it and if all goes well chapter three will be up by next week Monday.

Oh and have a good day

SF14