So we're finally here, at a chapter I've had literal years to do now, but have procrastinated to death. In fact, I waited SO long, that KOF XV came out and threw off my plans by resurrecting a character that had ceased to exist... (you know who I'm talking about)

Needless to say, this threw a wrench in things. No more Team Mexico. Thanks a lot, SNK! Sheesh. Enjoy the chapter. Or skip it, I don't really care. Dunno why I'm going to all this trouble for Angel anyway.

"Sit down, Angel."

"Whaddaya want, ZERO?"

"Could you tell me why you felt the need to murder one of NESTS's most brilliant minds, a man instrumental in the development of several of our humanoid weapon projects, including you?"

"What, he got grabby! I warned him."

"...I'm reassigning you to Diana and Foxy."

"Ugh, those muff divers? What's wrong with just me and Nines?"

"Together, the two of you are... irresponsible. You need to be reigned in. From now on, you do what they say. I don't want anymore trouble out of you."

"Heh... that's a risk you take with me, regardless."

Ramon awoke to a dark, unfamiliar room. He remained still initially, allowing his eye to adjust before making any sudden moves. He also remembered he had taken a grievous wound, and any rapid motions would no doubt result in terrible pain.

He blinked a few more times, and the room became familiar: it looked similar to one of the many furnished rooms in Krauser's castle, for lodging. He didn't notice his stuff laying around, so it wasn't the room he'd chosen this week...

...Then a voice spoke, and allowed him to quickly surmise who had brought him here.

"Good, you're not dead. Was about to start sniffing ya."

Ramon looked over, and immediately recognized the snow white hair, light skin and black attire... she turned around to walk towards the bed, and her sapphire eyes completed the picture.

Ramon was greeted to Angel...

...More like a scantily-clad Angel, even more so than usual. He could tell she was post-shower, judging by her damp hair and lack of her standard attire, opting instead for clothes that could only be fitting for bedwear. A black tube top, that somehow left even less to the imagination than her regular upper garment, this one failing to conceal the bottom of her breasts, much less the top. He could also immediately detect she had ditched her usual briefs, as a black thong clearly wore the label "Calvin Klein" on the band...and turning back around, definitely left no denial. Suffice to say, his precious blood that needed to stay inside his body was rushing.

He did, however, take his mind off it long enough to remember the predicament they were all in earlier that night. The memories returned quickly...and they were the first things on his mind.

"Angel, you've got to go back." he requested.

"Forget it."

"But they're in danger...!"

"I said forget it!" Angel yelled. "Jesus, Ramon... focus on yourself for one damn minute. Or better yet, maybe the person who saved your life."

"I didn't ask for you to come carry me off from my friends who needed me!" he fired back.

Angel shot him this annoyed look, gesticulating with one hand...before a sigh finally rang out, her eyes closing. She turned away.

"They're all fine, alright? They're at the hospital. The Square's been cordoned off by law enforcement."

"...So it's over?" Ramon didn't so much speak those words than exhale them from his relieved lungs.

Angel nodded. She disappeared into the bathroom for a second; Ramon heard running water. She emerged, carrying a plastic cup and some kind of white bottle.

"Here." She passed it onto him, tilting the bottle over his hand and dropping out two tiny red pills. "To help with the pain."

"Thanks." Ramon graciously accepted, downing the contents quickly. "And thank you... for saving me."

A smile. "Finally he says it."

Ramon was stirred enough that he at least wanted to attempt movement; he scooted up just a little under the sheets, so his torso could be more upright...a sharp groan indicated the wound was very much fresh...and the pain raw.

"Easy, dude." Angel leaned over, placing supporting hands on his bandaged chest.

"Where have you been all week?" he finally addressed the elephant in the room. "Been worried about you. At first I thought you just quit and went home...wish that was my most pleasant guess."

Angel laughed. "Whaaat, you thought I'd just be off somewhere messing stuff up? Thought you'd find me in a jail cell somewhere? Am I really that predictable, nya~?"

Ramon breathed in and out, finding a smooth pattern, before responding. "Well, you haven't exactly been on your best behavior here. So... what HAVE you been doing?"

Angel got a sort of far-out look in her eye, like she was staring at something beyond these four walls... a few seconds later, she snapped back to the reality in front of her, and she turned to clarify. "I've had a crazy few days, okay? Maybe even crazier than the shit that's been going down here. I don't know how to explain it."

Ramon threw his arms up. "Well if you're not gonna tell me, then we're done here." He tried to get up... but that instantly was deemed a bad decision, as a roller coaster of pain hit his torso head-on, and threatened to floor him right there.

"AGGGHHH!" he went on a collision course with the floor... only Angel's timely intervention saved him, as he fell into her instead.

"Ramón! ¿Estás loco?!" Angel held him up easily with her enhanced strength. She eased him back onto the bed, laying his head down against the pillow. She tried to pull the sheets back over him, but he kicked them away.

"I've got to go check on them!" Ramon fought against her.

"You'll never make it, maldito idiota!" she insulted. "Look, will you just chill out?! Just... chill. Relax. Let the meds kick in."

Ramon did have enough clarity at the moment to realize he was acting rashly... the passion for his friends couldn't combat the crippling pain of his wounds, thus, with a sigh, he finally relaxed against the bed.

Angel, too, settled her emotions. "Sigh... okay. Alright. If you chill out for a while... I'll tell you what happened."

Hard as it was to focus his mind on anything but their well-being, Ramon WAS curious as to the events that led Angel to be missing all week. He gave a consenting nod; Angel, prepared to spin a long yarn, crawled onto the bed and crossed her legs, her arms propping on her lap, where her chin rested.

"It all started after I got iced by the brat."

THREE DAYS EARLIER...

Angel sprang back to life with a scream, as if still living the events prior to her losing consciousness. She looked around to a familiar room: her room. She was...still here?

Luckily, Angel didn't have to look much further to discover what was out of the ordinary: she made her presence known with her manic voice.

"Bibibibi! Success! Target successfully rehabilitated, I mean resuscitated! Hooray hooray~!"

The luchadora didn't have to think long to figure out who she was, even with a throbbing head. Upon discovery, she immediately started with unpleasantries. "Y-You?! What the HELL are you doing here? How did you even find me?"

The eccentric blonde smiled wider, bringing her hands to a rest atop the rather large eyeball ornaments donning each side of her head. "Neo and Geo helped me!"

The wrestler was either still groggy, or already lost. "Neo and...?"

"Yes yes! Neo and Geo see all!" she affectionately rubbed the attachments, which seemed to be a part of her on more than a cosmetic level...

Angel just rolled with it. "Alright, so you wanna tell me-"

"Actually, I meant Jimmy and Bimmy."

"Okay, but are you gonna explain-"

"Actually, I meant Ralf and Clark."

"I DON'T GIVE A F*** WHAT THEY'RE CALLED!" Angel exploded with rediscovered fury. "Look, all I know is, one minute i was washing off the sting a humiliating defeat, next thing I know you zap me in the shower, I wake up, and now I'm sitting here listening to you prattle on about total crap that means nothing. Well, I'm already sick of you being here. So here's what's gonna happen...you're about to explain to me what the hell you're doing here in a succinct, articulate manner, and that'll determine how badly I rearrange your body parts? Comprende?"

"... Actually I meant Athena and Drago-"

"OhmygodSHUTTHEFUCKUP!"

Angel was past words and now onto assault, pinning the electric oddity against the bed and forcefully pinching both cheeks, pulling them apart with enough force to yield the answers she wanted through physical interrogation. "NOW TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE BEFORE I TURN ALL YOUR EYES BLACK!"

It was at this point that Angel discovered the next mystery; as she was assaulting her former colleague, she felt no towel on her...and no draft. No droplets either. She must have been out for quite some time. But the biggest, and perhaps most disturbing revelation...

...The fact she was fully geared.

Upon this discovery, her anger and confusion leveled up once more, and she added a fresh question, complete a forehead slap. "Did you dress me, you little freak?!"

Sylvie, despite the assault up to this point, maintained her professional kookiness. "I prepared you for travel! Yes, default default! Regroup orders!"

That slightly stiffened her...but her natural inclination was to question it. "Whose orders?"

Sylvie didn't immediately respond. She got off the bed, backed up a few paces... Angel jumped when the oddball suddenly went rigid, and began spasming in place, as she were a computer, processing information.

"BIBIBIBIBIIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBIBI... NESTS DEFAULT PROTOCOL 1582658-"

"You're not a robot, get on with it!"

"IN THE EVENT OF WIDESPREAD SYSTEM FAILURE OR COLLAPSE OF NESTS FACILITIES, PERSONNEL AND/OR ADMINISTRATION, ALL UNITS ARE REQUIRED TO REGROUP AT RALLY POINT ZED. TO HEAR THIS MESSAGE AGAIN, GENTLY TRACE MY LEFT IRIS."

"In case you haven't noticed," Angel pressed her forehead like a pause button, and the blonde clammed up. "Your orders are outdated and redundant. NESTS is gone. There's nobody alive left to regroup to."

"Wrong! They're alive! Yes! All aliveeeee!"

Something about it sent a slight tingle in Angel's innards... on the other hand, she knew EXACTLY who she was dealing with here, and was thus inclined to swiftly dismiss anything the arguably insane NESTS experiment.

"You're full of it." her basest defense fired back.

"...Pudding cups are delicious." the blonde grinned goofily, completely missing the context.

"No, I mean you're full of CRAP! BS!" Angel made her point clearer. "You're talking about something that's completely buried. It doesn't exist anymore! You came all this way and zapped me for something that's long gone. Irrelevant."

She pointed towards the door. "Now get outta here, weirdo... or we'll have a little rehash of the old days. Back when you knew to be scared of me."

The ex-agent turned her back, signifying the end of the conversation, thinking she'd won. In her peripheral, she awaited her former colleague to leave the room, and forever disappear as a one-time intruder in her life.

Sylvie, however, was unmoving.

"... Don't you wanna find out? Aren't you the least bit curious?"

Something compelled her to turn back around; a passing thought that didn't exit, but remained embedded in her conscious, and tickled the curious lobe enough to produce her next inquiry.

"Who else have you told this?"

Knowing she already had the hook in, her smile grew wider. "Who do you think~?"

A tingle in her stomach. "You mean...!"

"Do you wanna see him again?"

Angel's response was more brusque than she liked. "Of course I do!"

"Then you have to come with me! Yep yep! Come with meeeeeee on a magical journeyyyyyyyyy and we'll stop only to peeeeeeeeeeee-"

"Alright, shut up." Angel eyed her closer. "...And you're sure we're gonna find something there? This isn't just some wild goose chase?"

"You'll just have to come with me and find out."

Angel eyed her closely, looking for some sign of treachery on the Oddball's face...but she either had a perfect poker face, or just genuinely believed the stuff coming out of her own mouth. It was crazy...and Angel must have been crazy too, because she was almost starting to believe it, when minutes earlier she was prepared to throw her out.

"Alright...fine. But you BETTER be serious about this, or I'll make you regret it."

In a flash, Sylvie returned to her goofy self, putting on a ridiculous Thespian voice. "Alas, what tis life, but regrets and forgets and baguettes~?"

And thus, a peculiar journey commenced for the emotionally tormented luchadora, who found no direction in life...now her way forward was paved, by the arrival of an old acquaintance, someone overlooked and taken for granted...now holding dominion over her immediate future.

MUNICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLIGHT 214

"Do you have any idea where were going?" Angel, who was now impatiently squirming in the seat of a commercial flight, inquired.

Sylvie, who was much more cozy, her feet propped up on the seat in front of her, responded. "Latitude 67.9222 north, longitude 26.5046 east! Hey, do you have any peanuts?"

Angel let out a sarcastic puff. "Right...and you came to those coordinates how exactly?"

"I picked up a mysterious signal that interfered with my brain channels."

"Channels?"

"My favorite one, to be exact. I used it to communicate off planet, with people from Mars. Mars People, if you will."

Angel finally turned her head away, knowing she wasn't going to get a straight answer or even a coherent conversation out of the girl. Propping her head on her hand, she was silent for a couple minutes... but she eventually glanced back in the other direction of her former associate, who seemed to not have a care in the world. Humming merrily, bicycle kicking the seat in front of her, which was thankfully empty... Angel started to feel the slightest tinge of jealousy at her blissfully carefree attitude. She wondered how the girl could arrive at such a state of mind, while she herself was...

"You know, you're pretty different from back then." Angel suddenly reminisced. "I mean, you're still batshit insane, but I mean...you're not scared of me anymore."

Annoyingly enough, Sylvie didn't respond, just started humming the obnoxious song louder, as if she either hadn't heard or was ignoring her. Regardless, Angel continued, sighing with a smile. "Hehe...I used to give you hell. Me and Nines...ahh we were an unstoppable duo. If it wasn't for Diana and Foxy-"

"Why do you think I zapped you?" the electric girl finally acknowledged the conversation, and was quick with a rebuttal.

Angel cocked an eye, her smile widening. "Oh ho, so that was payback huh? That little cheap shot while I was wet and compromised? So, you wanna continue this little grudge match when we land, hmmmm~?"

"Only if I set the conditions."

Her eyebrow raised. "That being?"

"Approximately 7:29 PM, after you get out of the shower and have dried yourself minimally."

Angel groaned, shoving her. "Very friggin funny."

They shared a blissful silence for the moment, Angel grateful to get somewhat of a break from the ramblings of her former associate, which could be exhausting when received in quick bursts. For a good minute or so, the luchadora just sat there... as a nervous anxious feeling crept inside her. It started to override her motor functions, and she found herself unconsciously tapping without knowing it.

She glanced over at Sylvie, who was trying (and failing) to remove peanut shells using only her teeth. What did she know? What mysteries were locked inside that curious, impossible brain of hers? It ate away at her... but at the same time, she would be hard-pressed to expose any vulnerability to the girl who was once an object of her bullying and oppression. Thus, Angel played it cool... and eased into the subject of her insatiable inquiry.

"Sooo... you talked to him recently? Nines?"

Sylvie turned, half a peanut shell still her mouth. She spat the round end, before replying. "Yep."

Angel's eyes casually rolled to the side. "Did he umm...say anything? About me?"

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm noooooo you didn't come up." Sylvie unleashed such a jarring, unfortunate message to the disappointed Angel with the attention span of a toddler, not even looking in her direction or demonstrating the slightest bedside manner. She readied another peanut, getting it into her mouth without use of hands, and bit down hard.

"So what did he think when you told him this tall tale anyway? He think it was bullshit too?"

The excessive saliva caused the peanut to pop out of her mouth, and hit the floor. "No...he believed me."

"The hell you say."

A sudden, strange shift... as the blonde's voice turned solemn. "When a man is lost, desperate, looking for answers, they'll turn to any guiding voice to give them a nudge in the right direction...kinda like you are now."

"Oh, so you're calling me lost?" Angel shot back, agitated, but maybe a little surprised by the girl's ability to philosophize out of the blue. "Then what does that make you?"

"A peanut butter and pickle sandwich."

"...What?"

As quickly as she was serious, the girl was back to goofy. "They say you are what you eat. I ate on on January 6, 2013, the anniversary of the invention of the pencil sharpener."

Angel's nerves sharpened, and her inhibitions lowered. "You know, I can't tell if you're just malfunctioning 24/7, or if you're trying to get smart with me. Either way, I don't like it. I think I've beaten around the bush about this long enough, but where IS Nines?"

Sylvie finally picked up the next peanut and used her hands to crack it, the way intended. "Dunno. Maybe you can find out when we get there. Maybe he went to the same place we're going!"

"Yeah, unless he ignored your crazy ass. I'm starting to regret getting on this plane with you..."

"Do you want to land it? Because I know an algorithmic combination of key words guaranteed to achieve premature landage...uhhh, do you have any lotion, or a match lighter?"

"Just shut the f*** up and wake me when we get there. I need a break from this."

"Kit Kats are statistically the fourth most fragile chocolate bar!"

"Yeah, yeah."

She wanted nothing more than to pick her complicated brain, and demand all the answers about K999 it withheld...but her own self pride prevented her from coming off as a love-starved sap, plus she probably wouldn't get straight answers anyway.

LAPLAND

"What a f***in shithole!"

Were the first words uttered by the hot-blooded Mexican, who was once again reduced to shivers when she was kissed by European cold.

"God dammit I'm tired of being cold...where the hell are we?"

Sylvie merrily strutted forward, hands massaging her eye ornaments. "According to Bub and Bob, we are in a border country called... Lapland."

"Lapland? Where the hell is Lapland?"

"Sweden! Or Finland... Norway?" Sylvie's eyeball-rubbing turned quizzical.

Angel grunted, tugging her jacket around herself, as if it helped. "So you don't even know. Man, f*** this place.. shivering all the damn time. This weather ain't for me, it's for-"

Saliva got caught in her throat, choking her up before she could utter the name. It went on, unspoken, but the electric specialist wasn't so ignorant as to not catch on. In fact, she seemed to know more than meets her giant eyes.

"Ah yes. Kula Diamond. Honorary president of the Lollipop Guild."

Angel gave a mean chuckle. "I'm not surprised a freak like you would know the ice brat. I bet you guys were the best of friends back then. Two freaky peas in a pod."

"We were friends, but I never really got into Kula's little clique." Sylvie shrugged. "TAXI!"

"Kula's clique..." Angel let out a huge, obnoxious scoff at that. "What a joke. Nothing grosses me out more than her and her little circus troupe acting like they're seriously some big happy family that loves one another. It's f***ing disgusting how in denial they are. I mean, newsflash: we weren't called the NESTS Family Fun Center. We were the NESTS freaking Cartel! The baddest hombres on the planet! We weren't there to hug and hold hands...our mission was to take over the world. That pop-sucking little shit...she wasn't made for our line of work."

"To be flo, I find it endearing that Kula was able to dig out a happy, fulfilling life from the cold, unfeeling clutches of imperialism."

"Endearing?" Angel scoffed. "You find it 'endearing'? And here I thought maybe, for just a second, there was more to you than my same lame impressions I had of you years ago. But no...you're no better than the rest of em."

"To be flo, I think you're jealous." Sylvie grinned.

"Okay, first of all, why do you keep saying 'to be flo?' That makes no sense. It's to be FRANK."

"I don't wanna be Frank, I wanna be Flo! Frank's a guy name!"

Angel was close to ripping her hair out. "Oh god... secondly, what exactly do I have to be jealous about a naive little baby who lives in Sodie Pop Land and has no knowledge or gumption to handle the harsh reality of life around her? She doesn't know loss, or remorse, or the feeling of being stabbed in the back."

Sylvie continued waving for a cab, but still responded. "We're all NESTS freaks: one in the same, yep yep! But Kula was able to find peace and love and family values, despite not even knowing if she was a real person to begin with. She figured it out at a still-young age, when all of it hasn't quite sank in yet, and she gets to grow up and live a happy, dreamsicle-filled life. You're not able to do the same, and you hate her for it."

"Oh I do, do I? Well what gives you the right to be so high and mighty huh? Tell me how YOU feel then, shrink."

...That question seemed to freeze Sylvie. Startlingly so, enough that it made Angel tense up as well. The girl's comical demeanor was suddenly gone, and she turned to Angel with perhaps the most serious face the luchadora had seen yet.

The blonde slowly approached, narrowing the distance between her and the luchadora who refused to retreat, but was now at least wary.

She leaned in close, until her intense face was a foot away from Angel's...

"...I've always wondered what that stuff inside a Charleston Chew is. What do they call it? Nugget?"

Tension gone.

"Oh for God's..."

MOTEL, LATER THAT NIGHT

"Log date, some time after bankruptcy but before the new gen. Have successfully recruited old disgruntled workmate for expedition. Target in question still hates me, but has ceased bullying. A sign of maturity? Will ponder over a glass of Ovaltine. The kind that tastes like Whoppers."

As Sylvie finished her monologue, the bathroom door opened, capturing her attention as she turned... and her face soured when Angel emerged, wearing nothing but a towel over her bare upper, and her black briefs that made up one part of her bottoms.

"Gross." Sylvie voiced with a frown.

"What? You've already seen me naked before." Angel shrugged. "Remember, when you cheapshotted me like a little BITCH?"

"Let's play Battleship." Sylvie suddenly changed. "The board game based off some lame oorah movie nobody remembers."

Angel simply bumped past her, knocking her over. "The only thing you're playing is with yourself. I'm going to bed."

On that note, whatever light had illuminated the room was snuffed, followed by a towel hitting the floor and the rustling of sheets. Then... silence.

It actually managed to last for a few good minutes, before a voice inevitably broke the silence.

"Can you breathe quieter? I'm trying to pick up a signal."

Angel's voice whispered. "What signal?"

"I'm trying to intercept your dream waves and see if anything good's on. I missed Flash Gordon this morning. Is it too late for cereal?"

"... Nothing you say makes sense. Shut up."

In the darkness, Angel lay awake, staring at the ceiling, the black of night so deep, she couldn't tell if her eyes were closed or not.

"Ah Nines..." she whispered. "Things made more sense when it was just us."

She felt a slight rustle of the sheets, and an extra weight add to the mattress. A voice responded.

"Do you love him?"

A long sigh. "I don't remember anything I used to be. My first memories were of NESTS...and my partner. He was... the first person I felt anything for."

She found her lips unconsciously tugging upwards, as if resurrecting those memories brought her genuine joy. "We caused so much trouble, the two of us. Nobody pushed us around, everybody feared us. We were invincible... we used to screw like rabbits."

"...Yucky."

Angel laughed aloud. "Hahahaha... just two 'humans' trying to feel something. Be alive. We tasted the thrills, and it felt good."

"But that's not enough for him...is it?"

Angel's euphoric bubble burst, Sylvie's scathing words penetrating.

"We all have our own ways of trying to cope with our reality." the luchadora's tone no longer nostalgic.

"It's kinda funny." Sylvie snickered. "It's so hard for some of us, but for others it's as easy as licking an ice cream cone, bibi."

"Well how the hell do you do it?!" her tone was harsh, unbefitting of the peace of nighttime in bed.

"...Lots and lots of Jazzercise."

"Wait a minute, why are you even in my- GET OUT!"

A sharp kick, and Sylvie was now facedown on the carpet. They stayed like that the rest of the night.

RURAL OUTSKIRTS, UNKNOWN AREA

The cutting air cast an unpleasant pall over ever-immodestly dressed luchadora, who cursed under her breath with every few crunching, trudging steps through the leaf and twig-riddled wilderness. Maybe it was her Mexican blood burning true, but...she HATED THE FREAKING COLD.

"Well great! You've really outdone yourself this time, freak." Angel berated her reluctant "partner", who seemed completely indifferent to the whole endeavor.

"Wassat?" Sylvie paid half-mind, more focused on rubbing her giant eyeballs, like they were some visual acute device helping navigate the pair.

Angel kicked a piece of wood in her way. "Leading me out into rustic nowhere, probably not even on a map at this point. I'm almost convinced this is some obscenely-elaborate revenge scheme to lure me into the woods. But even a nutjob like you wouldn't waste so much time...or would you?"

"Well, technically speaking, I do have valid motives for seeking awesome vengeance on you if I chose to." Sylvie traversed forward with a shrug.

"What, me bullying you back then? Oh nut up. I just wanted you to take your job more seriously."

"Nah, it's cool. I know it was just part of your feeling process."

"Then what...?"

"You killed daddy!"

That... vexing statement caused them to screech to a halt, and they found themselves in a standoff, the only sounds that of the nature around them.

"You mean...? f***ing idiot, he was NOT your daddy, and he wasn't mine either. He was a creep, and probably diddled you in your sleep. Why do you think the guy only worked on females? He got some sick sexual paternal pleasure out of calling us his children."

But it was too late: Sylvie already had a notion in my head, and the girl pranced around in circles, chanting repeatedly. "You killed daddy! You killed daddy! You killed daddy! You killed daddy! You killed daddy-"

"SHUT UP! For the the record, I told "daddy" to keep his hands to himself. He didn't; I broke his f***ing neck. Don't care if he made me, or you, or anyone else. He's just a man."

Her attitude shifted from aggressive to belligerent, her words evolving to unhinged ranting as she stomped closer, getting in Sylvie's face. "And you know what ELSE? I got away it. Nobody did a damn thing to me about it, because I'm so perfect that I became more valuable than the man who made me! HA! I do whatever the fuck I want, and nobody can stop me because I'm just TOO. DAMN. PERFECT."

"...But if you were perfect, you wouldn't hate Kula and you wouldn't mind the fact that Nines totally blew you off and is probably somewhere in Morocco, eating something with lamb sauce. Hey, that sounds kinda good actually."

...That was the last straw. Right there, in the middle of rural nowhere, her amygdala finally snapped, and her rage triggered.

"THAT'S IT! WE'RE FIGHTING." Angel was already in fighting stance, and she began to creep in closer to an apprehensive Sylvie, who was backing up nervously.

"O-oops, hehehe. I had my filter disabled."

"I have heard ENOUGH of your nonsense!" Angel spat. "I've gotten on a plane with you, slept in a motel with you, wandered into the middle of God's f***ing walk-in refrigerator, and I'VE HAD ENOUGH. I'm going home, and I'm gonna leave your mangled body out here for the wolves."

"W-w-wait!" Sylvie extended her hands. "Before we fight, can you uhhh... move slightly to the left, about two or three feet from that tree... and turn a few degrees and..."

"Oh I'M GONNA ENJOY THIS." Angel flashed a maniacal smile as she cracked her neck. "I'm gonna enjoy it SO. DAMN. MU..?!"

She was startled, not only out of her words, but off her feet, by the emergence of a big black blur WHIZZING by her face. She suddenly found herself ground level, choking out a basic "WHAT THE FAAHHH...?!"

Sylvie was just rendered paralyzed, and she fell over stiff like a dead animal that underwent taxidermy.

It took a few moments for Angel to blink the shock away and really focus on what was in front of her...and when she pieced it together, she couldn't believe her eyes.

A majestic black lion, with a mane like a cast shadow, and piercing red eyes.

"Glaugan?!"

She had to slap herself to confirm she wasn't dreaming. The pet was alive, and where he was, there also had to be...

... Scuffing footsteps drew closer. A shadow indicated a body nearing. Until finally he emerged, smiling, resting a hand atop its back.

Angel hated cliches, much less being one to perpetuate them, but the girl was compelled to spout the obvious from her lungs, just to hear the confirmation made real.

"Zero...you're alive?!"

The man once feared and respected in the criminal underworld now bore common peasant clothes. His hair had grown out, he appeared more slender, having lost weight and musculature...but he was still very much that man, the underboss of one of the world's deadliest organizations...and her former boss.

"I get it now. Rally point zed...is you."

"Interesting." Zero smiled. He extended his hand to stroke Glaugan's mane. "I came here to escape my past life... and yet it seems to have sought me out all this way."

"What are you talking about, you called us here." Angel replied. "Or at least that's what she said." She pointed to the blonde beside her, who waved goofily.

He chuckled. "So you're the one who keeps sending people to me."

Angel's insides welled up. "Keeps sending...so you mean...?"

Zero gently patted his pet, promoting him to follow as the man walked on. "Come inside. I'm sure there's much to talk about."

Sylvie just started strutting forward, like it was completely normal for her. Angel, meanwhile, was the opposite: her reluctance to even take a step was an effect of denial that she was currently in the realm of reality. How could it be like this: Sylvie, Zero... K9999 possibly being here? Was this 2001 again, all over? Did time ever move forward from that day?

The only way to find out... was to walk forward.

"So, now that you're here...I'm sure you have many questions."

Zero had welcomed them into a humble abode that... was way TOO humble, in Angel's opinion. A man of Zero's position, one of former wealth and power, shouldn't have been caught dead in some drab-looking cabin where everything was brown... yet here he was. He sat down in a comfy-looking recliner, and allowed them the adjacent couch.

"Yeah, to put it mildly. First of all, how the hell did you survive?! Where have you been all this time?" Angel wasted no time demanding.

Zero shook his head. "I had performed my duty to its fullest, defending our organization with the last of my strength. Ron and Krizalid II were gone. I was prepared to die with no regrets...but as my craft crashed into the atmosphere below, instead of the black of eternal sleep, I found myself clinging to life, fading in and out of consciousness. I woke up later, my injuries tended to...by complete strangers. Normal people, who id spent my life trying to oppress. I was no gangster to them...just a human being, in need."

"So you survived by some bullshit miracle. And then what?"

"I did what any criminal who got a lucky break did: went home, evaluated my life, and returned to a more... normal world. I once stood as a god among men... but here I am, and this right here feels more real than what we once sought."

Angel rolled her eyes. "That's easy for you to say. You had a life before all that. You had a choice! You were somebody! When NESTS fell...I died with it. Because that's all I was. Angel, the operative."

Zero shook his head. "You're still here. There's plenty of time."

She squirmed in her seat. "Yeah, and it means diddly shit! What does it matter when I have nothing from what I used to be left? You robbed me of that! I don't even know who I am!"

Zero's eyes weren't defensive or judgmental only remorseful. "I'm... sorry. You're right to blame me... because I did nothing about it. I should have had more reservations about where our agents came from, but I allowed him too much leniency..."

"Well, he eventually got his just desserts." Angel grinned sadistically as she gesticulated, imitating a neck snap. Sylvie seemed to shift a few inches away after that.

"Zero, tell me...who am I? You gotta know, don't you? Don't you?" she hated the desperation in her voice.

The man, the former underboss, seemed reluctant... perhaps even he was wary of offending Angel's sensibilities. Rather than answer, he instead started to get up. "You guys want some tea?"

Angel gave him a far-out look. "Uh... I don't want some f***in tea, I want you to answer my question!"

He closed his eyes and sighed... just the response he didn't want. He sank back down to his seat.

"I'm sorry, but...I don't have the answers you want."

It felt like a knife to her chest. She could have yelled out, cursed, made any sort of typical rude gesture... but just hearing those words, knowing that this truly was it... it rendered her silent.

Zero continued. "You were a 17-year old young lady, attending a college in Mexico. When we took you... your past life ceased to be. We changed everything, from your eye and hair color, to your body type, to your skin pigmentation."

Angel regained a bit of her sass. "Lemme guess, you also made my tits massive. Real artistic liberties there."

"Your records were destroyed...we never sought out your family. As far as they know, the girl they knew is missing or dead. All that's left..is Angel. Within two years, you became one of the deadliest agents in our organization." Zero said those words with no pride.

Angel hung her head down with a quiet fury. "And now here I am. An agent bred for a now-defunct group. A soldier with no army. A nobody."

Zero shook his head. "Your life can be more than NESTS. Look at me. I retired out here to the wilderness, to live peacefully with Glaugan until his final days. I have a job; the people here treat me with kindness and politeness."

"I bet if they knew what you were, they'd think differently."

"If it ever comes to it, so be it. They're my sins to live with. We all have to carry them, and move forward...same as you."

Angel punched the cushion next to her. "Yeah, it's real damn easy for everyone else... I guess something's just wrong with me."

"I'm sorry, Angel... I'm truly deeply sorry. The hurt inside you is also my burden to bear. If you feel the need to punish me...do what will." Zero spoke so differently now, not at all befitting a person of status like he used to be. Not like her boss... like an equal. Just another human being... another NESTS reject.

Angel swatted air. "Naaah, you've always treated me decent. I just wanna know what to do next."

"Every NESTS survivor copes in their own way. I wish I had direct instructions for you, but... you're a free woman. The future is yours. Pursue your hobbies and passions. Find love and companionship. Atone, if you must."

For once in her life, Angel seemed to have humility. No fire filled her eyes, no cockiness saturated her demeanor. She simply got up... scanned the room, and started to walk away...

...But this illusion was quickly put to bed, when she turned back around, and flashed a cat-like grin.

"Heh...I ain't atoning for shit. Far as I'm concerned, you guys made me the bitch I am, so it's YOUR cross to bear. I'm gonna do whatever the fuck I want...and never lose a blink of sleep."

Hearing that, the old Angel they knew and... tolerated... made Zero smile. "That's your right. I'll take in your resentment...it's my duty to you all."

On that note, Angel waved and started to walk away. She got partially towards the door, but stopped again. "Before I go, I've got one more question..."

She turned and locked eyes with her former boss. "Did K9999 stop by here?"

Zero slightly cocked his eyebrow and was initially silent, but finally did speak. "He did. He came to me badly wounded, as if he'd fought some intense battle. I treated him, and we talked."

"About?"

"The same talk we're having."

"So I talked to my old boss for a minute, he told me to basically quit living in the past, then sent me on my way."

Angel finished regaling this tale, which had started on the edge of the bed, but now ended with her settled atop the sheets next to Ramon, one leg draped over the other, dangling, her arms behind her head.

"And...what happened to Sylvie?" Ramon asked the luchadora one pillow over.

"I dunno, I think she saw a butterfly and wandered off or something."

"Didn't you wanna find out more about what happened to...?"

Angel sighed, her listless stare at the ceiling persisting. "What's the point... maybe Nines is coping with things in his own way, the way we all are. Or maybe he just moved on and left me behind, with the rest of it. It doesn't matter."

Angel finally averted her gaze, turning her head until her eyes met his singular one. "There are still other things I care about, too."

Their gazes lingered for a silent moment before mutually returning to neutral, upon which Angel asked, "You still hurting?"

"No," he replied, and his body began to shift under the sheets. "Those painkillers are working their magic."

His rustling evolved into him exiting the sheets altogether, ultimately returning to his feet, albeit with struggles. An immediately puzzled Angel asked,

"Where the hell you going?!"

She wanted to physically restrain him, but her fear of exacerbating the pain caused her hands to fall short, and he walked free. She only managed to catch a hand, just on the apex of his distance, and that stopped him enough to turn back around.

"Angel..." he spoke, looking down, unable to stare her in the face. "I'm sorry I said I gave up on you. You're a good person. I believe that, deep down, you want to be like everyone else. You just want to live."

"Oh come on," Angel groaned. "I was a total bitch to you, and you say SORRY? You're supposed to forgive me, not apologize- HEY!"

"They need me." Ramon simply stated, his resolve carrying him forward towards the door.

"Oh my god, show some self-preservation for once." Angel groaned. "Hey, listen to me!"

That final demand stopped Ramon short of the door, and he turned back around, his unshakable eye staring into the despondent luchadora's.

Her face bordered between anger and anguish as she bared harsh thoughts. "They never take you seriously. They have no respect for you. You're just a big joke to them: a walking punchline! Why do you give a damn about those self-important jerkoffs anyway?!"

Ramon sighed wearily; it was hard to make someone like her understand. Maybe the only way was to be as blunt and solemn as possible. Thus, he said only what he meant.

"They matter to me as much as you do."

Angel didn't accept that answer; somehow it only enraged her. "Fine...go on then. To hell with my feelings; when the time comes, you'll pick them over me. So GO ON THEN! LARGARSE! Leave me like he did!"

He turned his back to her and crossed through the doorway...but before it could close behind him, he stopped, and uttered one last line.

"I'm not them...and I'm not him."

The door shut, leaving Angel the same way she entered Munich: alone.

...But something felt different.

God help me. This chapter was a mess. It's no wonder I procrastinated so long on it; I just could never really figure out how to tell the story I wanted to tell with Angel. In any case, with the re-emergence of K9999 and Angel now on that team, Kumite 2 has become truly outdated. For the record though, I hate them teaming up with Kula. Why would Kula be on a team with the people who nearly killed Foxy?

I'm not entirely satisfied with how this turned out. I wanted to add in a few more things, like more flashback dream sequences; plus I didn't give Sylvie a proper ending. She was a plot device, plain and simple. But that's okay... there's always Kumite 3 : )

Anyways, one more piece of business before we can finally put Angel behind us. This is a "deleted scene" that I wasn't able to put in Chapter 78, because I hadn't concluded Angel's arc yet. So here it is now. BONUS SCENE!

BONUS SCENE FROM CH78

In the midst of the festivities, Angel, who could usually be counted on to be a main attraction at a party, had gone largely unseen and unheard on this final day plus one, a day of drinks and celebration. It could be said the fatigue of week's events had caught up with her, but the secret answer was the overwhelming clarity... enough to render her a docile philosopher than an impulsive introvert.

She was content at this point to sit back, spirit in hand, and watch the joyous gatherings of acquaintances around her. Bringing the glass to her lips, the corner of her eye caught the object of her typical ire, the Kumite runner up...she hadn't smiled much, but appeared to wear a big grin as she shoveled a scoop of hot fudge into her mouth, a single droplet staining her nose. Diana and Foxy burst out laughing.

Rolling her eyes, they shifted...and captured another corner of the room...where a man who meant much to her was back on his feet, and looking healthy. He was in the middle of telling apparently some joke to his partners, as Vanessa, Mary and Seth waited with anticipation...upon delivering the punchline, Vanessa's mouth widened, and Seth and Mary were both stricken with laughter. Ramon recoiled with a snicker as Vanessa lightly punched him.

Angel managed a smile. She loved and hated them... but they were her people. For better or worse.

Downing the last of it, she set her glass down and turned away, prepared to leave it all behind. She figured they all needed a break from her, anyway. It was time to shed the European cold and return to her beloved Mexican warmth...

She was about 20 yards from the door when she suddenly found herself facing a roadblock... about 7 feet of pure muscle, standing in front of her, donned in his theatrical Jurassic garb.

"Excuse me!" he boomed with his attention-grabbing volume. "I have a proposition for you!"

"... Okay?" the luchadora's eyebrow raised.

The dinosaur continued. "I have scouted your exceptional abilities in the fighting ring! Your wrestling talent, sex appeal, and heel persona would make you a formidable ally in the squared circle! I would like to form a tag team with you!"

At first, Angel was still feeling anti-social and just wanted to tell the overcommitted character to get lost... but she couldn't deny a certain tingling sensation inside her, almost like... excitement. Like opportunity had just presented itself. A new doorway, to a new horizon. She hadn't even had to go out and look for it: it somehow ended up finding her.

Maybe this is what Zero was talking about.

Angel smiled brightly, and she responded. "Okay... but only if we can get one more guy."

FINAL CHAPTER: THE INTERVIEWS. STAY TUNED!