A/N: Hello, fanfics, I have returned, and with a new chapter no less! I want to apologize for being away for a while (massive writer's block), but do not fret: I have no intention of abandoning this story whatsoever. I think I left you guys hanging from that cliff in the previous chapter long enough, so grab some popcorn and drink, relax, and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Killer Instinct nor Carrie.


Orchid sat upon the collapsed arc at the Night Guard base, wearing a pair of earphones connected to an MP3 player. The latest mission was a success, but the basement remained in her mind. She let the song drown the mental images when something tapped her shoulder.

Carrie stared at her, prompting Orchid to remove the right earpiece. "Thunder told me of the mission. Are Sue and her baby going to die?"

Orchid paused the music. "The doctors will observe her; the same goes for George, Sariel, and Rita."

"I wanted to hurt Sue for the pain I endured until I peered into her mind after the…destruction. I never understood why she wanted to help me."

"Sue was true to atoning for her sins. She also defended your name during the Black Prom Commission, which convinced me to spare her when I intended to punish the Ultras for what they did to you. Once I learned of their deaths, I had my agents target the parents instead."

"That's dark, even for you."

"Still, someone had to answer the injustice you suffered, as I was. Yeah, I had bullies too, although my experience was not as severe as yours."

"But…your dad was a soldier. I figured you'd be popular or something."

"Is that what kids strive for? If so, they're idiots. Being popular or having a social status doesn't define who you are; it's your actions on how you want to live your life." Orchid pressed the play button on her MP3 player to resume the song. "I'm listening to Fix You by Coldplay. Want to listen?"

Carrie nodded. Orchid wiped the right earpiece and handed it to her. She inserted the speaker against her ear, hearing the mix of drums, guitars, and piano. Only when the singers joined in the music was Carrie enthralled, and she moved closer to Orchid, surprising the agent. Orchid wrapped an arm around Carrie, and the two women viewed the Milky Way stars.


The next day, while the gang scoured for missions, an alert rang on the central computer. Orchid clicked on it, showing a video picture of the doctor she, Thunder, and Eagle met emerged on the screen.

"Morning. This is Dr. Hansen from the GCF Medical Facility. I'm calling to inform you about Ms. Snell. Both mother and child…have passed through the dire hours." This news had the group relieved; a few cheered. "Don't get your hopes up yet. They survived the night but still under intensive care. Also, Lucy Bombay—the head of Artifact Forensics—has requested an audience from you about the items from the church mission.


The small group of Orchid, Jago, Maya, TJ, and Kim arrived via a portal to the Global Corruption Force Headquarters in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Upon the gang's arrival, a soldier was at the entrance.

"Welcome. Ms. Bombay sent me to escort you. Follow me." The soldier led them inside the base. Small lights shone on the walls bounded in metal.

They approached another set of doors, which opened on their own, revealing a hangar with rusted World War II planes, several gutted from missing parts. They continued their tour of the building until they reached the Forensics room. The ceiling lights illumed the spotless walls as each stainless-steel shelf stored items recovered from the church mission and more.

A woman sat on a chair while examining an artifact through a microscope, wearing a surgical mask around her lower face and a plastic cap over her brown hair. A white lab coat concealed her work clothes, with rubber gloves on her hands to prevent herself from smearing her fingerprints on the items. She was unaware of her guests until the soldier patted her shoulder.

"What?!" she yelled until she spotted the company. "Oh, Counterman, sorry, and you brought them. I'm Lucy Bombay. My apologies, I don't enjoy people disturbing me unless it's something important."

"Dr. Hansen mentioned you needed to talk to us," Orchid said.

"Ah, yes. You can go, Counterman." The soldier departed from the room, leaving the forensic scientist with the gang. "I found something troubling while examining the items from the church site, so much, I convinced Counterman to contact his cousin.

"The cousin—a retired FBI agent—had worked on mass abductions back in the 1970s. According to him, it started again after Black Prom and at a fast rate. He was even kind enough to send me pictures of missing people, starting from the 1970s to today."

"I'm guessing the church victims were part of the list," Jago said.

"Why kidnap that many people?" TJ asked.

"I'm glad you asked. From studying the items from the church and the cold cases, it points to one group." Lucy wheeled herself towards the computer. After typing on the keyboard, the screen popped with various pictures, including an emblem of Jesus nailed to a bloody cross.

"What's that?" Kim pointed at the image.

"The calling card of God's Crusaders, a christen cult," Lucy explained. "Though elusive, their goal is to purge the world of those 'possessed by demons.' Anyone captured by this group never survives, with no records or spectators."

"With the church victims, what would happen if they speak out about this group?" Orchid queried.

"If word spreads, this cult will no longer be secret, but it won't stop them from trying to protect it. I'll ask General Wilson if we could provide the church victims asylum. I also found something on the plaque above Ms. Snell's head." Lucy clicked on the screen showing the panel. "See these writings? They're Aramaic—the language of Christ and his Disciples. No one has spoken that language for millennia—at least the original type. Only the variants remain."

"Did you translate it?"

"Yes, but the words are, uh…offensive."

TJ scoffed. "We can take it."

Lucy paused at first but relented. "It says, 'In the name of our Lord, we condemned this mother of the Anti-Christ to die. May she burn in Hell for spreading her legs to a Devil follower and conceiving his spawn. Jesus never fails.'"

"Okay, so some guy had sex with her, and she got pregnant," TJ said. "What's the big deal?"

"I guess to them, sexual intercourse before marriage is a sin," Maya said. "I also learned that some cultures have customs on not forgiving or forgetting such acts; the pregnancy is even worse."

Orchid crossed her arms. "So, we have a cult that focuses on removing those that had 'broken' God's rules. Ms. Snell is still unconscious. We should ask Ms. Desjardin or the two boys. Maybe they could give us insight."


Rita Desjardin lay in her bed as continuous beeps from the EKG tracked her heartbeat. An IV drip connected to her left arm, hydrating her body, which improved from the scheduled amounts of food and care.

George and Sariel, who were beside the former gym teacher in separate beds, were the same. When they arrived at the base, they were grateful for the treatment they needed after spending time as prisoners in the abandoned church.

They were concerned when they learned of Sue's plight and prayed until Dr. Hansen informed them that Sue and her unborn child passed through the grave hours. They remained in their room, watching the news of the worldwide crisis until a knocking door grabbed their attention as Lucy peeked her head.

"Ms. Desjardin, you, George, and Sariel have visitors. Do you want to see them?"

Rita nodded. Lucy shut the door. A few seconds later, Orchid and her gang ventured inside the room. "Wait, you're that woman from the church, with Eagle and the other soldiers."

"More than that," George added. "I've seen them before, but I can't remember where…yes, you are those fighters from that tournament show! Killer Instinct, right? I watch the show in secret because my parents didn't want me to be exposed to violence. You won't tell my parents about that, right?"

"We'll leave that between you and your parents," Orchid said. "Anyway, my friends and I were passing by, and we wanted to see how you're doing."

"A little worse for wear, but we'll live," Rita said. "That Eagle fellow, is he not with you?"

"He and his brother are resting, but we'll tell them you said hello."

"Please do so, and thank you. I wasn't sure how long we survived in that torturous closet."

"Do you remember what day it was when you got abducted?"

"It happened as the King's Memorial Park event was waning. Sue and I were eating dinner when I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door to a crack, and these two strangers were there, asking if we've seen their daughter. 'I'm sorry. You have the wrong house,' I told them. As I was about to close the door, they burst in and attacked us.

"I tried to fight back, but a man forced a cloth around my nose and mouth; it contained a funny odor to knock me out. When I awoke, I was in a dreary place, along with Sue, George, and Sariel, with our hands and feet tied. A door opened, and three hooded figures approached us; one of them held a jagged knife and pointed at Sue and Sariel. The cloaks they wore…white, with a red cross on the back. Why do you need to know this?"

"Since we'll be working with the GCF, the information is crucial so they could track these bastards and nail them," TJ said.

"I hope so because those crooks did something to my friend, Sariel," George said. They glanced at the white-haired boy. Sariel was silent, staring at the sheets. "He hasn't spoken a word since we've been admitted here."

Jago approached the younger boy, sitting on the bed. "Sariel?"

Sariel lifted his head, examining the warrior-monk. "Y-You…You must heed me…of great importance. Only you."

"They won't be upset over what you planned to tell me, but if you insist." Jago placed his hand on the boy's forehead and closed his eyes. Sariel's eyes gleamed yellow. "What do you want to tell me?"

"Are you connected to Carrie White? Three months ago, a vision came to me, showing that she's alive. Among the images was a masked man with a tiger-striped tattoo. I had planned to decipher the visions until those cultists captured me, my friends, and Rita. Now, meeting you, you fit the description of that man."

"Yes. Carrie is under my care. She came to my temple deep in the Himalayas, but from the way you phrased that sentence about your vision, you're assuming she's dead."

"Like many others, I believed Carrie had died from…Black Prom. I have this gift that allows me to sense spirits—whether living or dead. When Sue, George, and I visited her grave, I couldn't detect Carrie's essence. Once I placed my hand on her gravestone, I learned the truth. Whatever you do, don't let Carrie out of your sight. The cult…they wanted to use my gift to seek Carrie out and send her to God. They believe she's a child of Satan because of her…gift."

"Do you mean her powers? Carrie was born with it; she didn't inherit it from the Devil."

"I tried telling them that, but they will not listen. The cultists had Carrie on their list for some time, and Black Prom only strengthens their point that she must die. If you keep her hidden, they won't hurt her."

Before Jago spoke further, a muffled sound echoed through the wall, breaking the mental link. "What was that?"

"I'll check it out." Orchid peeked her head outside, scanning the hallway until she eyed the next door where the moaning increased. She approached the door and opened it. Sue remained in her bed, whimpering. Orchid crept towards the frail woman, who swiveled her head against the pillow. "Sue?"


Sue found herself in a strange room, naked and tied to a whipping post. Ceiling lights gleamed around the room as hooded figures surrounded her, staring at her with contempt. The hooded figures parted themselves as one approached Sue and removed the hood, revealing to be a woman with black hair and brown-tinted eyes. She wore a silver cross around her neck.

"Mommy, what's happening?" a childlike voice spoke. Was this her baby?

"Hello, Ms. Snell." The woman pulled out a jagged knife from the folds of her robe and pointed at Sue's swollen belly. "You have sinned by letting that boy take away your purity and allow the Devil's whore Carrie to infect you and that spawn you created!"

"You leave Carrie out of this! Just because she had those powers doesn't make her an evil person!"

"Tell that to those she killed in Black Prom and her mother. Margaret should've sent that evil spawn back to Hell when it was born, but she did the right thing by contacting us before her death. Now, the task to fulfill God's work falls on us, starting with you."

The woman nodded towards her henchmen. With a sadistic grin, one hooded person grabbed a multi-tailed whip equipped with small hooks and whacked it a few times on the table, leaving deep scratches.

"Do something, mommy!" the childlike voice cried, but Sue could not, her adrenaline swelling within her body and shaking.

The man pulled his arm back. With one swift movement, the whip thrust forward as the hooks slashed through Sue's delicate back. Sue cried as blood leaked from the gashes.

The flogger whipped on multiple occasions. Upon his next thrust, the hooks latched on Sue's right side. With one quick pull, the claws tore off flesh, exposing the ribs.

The woman rose her hand, ceasing the torture. "So, will you pray for forgiveness?"

Sue panted as tears leaked into her eyes, and blood streamed from her wounds. "You want…my forgiveness?" She spat at the woman's feet.

"Such a pity. Do the front, but keep the slut alive."

The flogger flipped her and resumed the brutal whipping. Sue screamed as her baby's cries echoed in her mind until the woman ordered to stop. She advanced towards Sue, the knife in her hand.

"Why…? Why are you doing this?" Sue sobbed.

"Through God's Will." The woman raised the jagged blade, aiming it towards the stomach. "This will teach you not to sin against God!" The woman plunged her knife into Sue's stomach.


Sue screamed as she sat up from her bed, her bandaged body trembling. The machines attached to her beeped fast until they returned to normal. Her weeping eyes became full and glossy, not paying attention to the new surroundings. She remained in that trance until something clamped her shoulder. Sue almost jumped from her bed.

Orchid raised her arms as a sign of peace. "Whoa, easy! Are you okay?"

Sue said nothing, staring at the agent before she surveyed her room. Instead of the dark, damp basement with the stench of human blood, steel meld together as walls with lingering antiseptics. A TV attached itself to a wall, waiting to bring entertainment to its only viewer. After a while, she sobbed.

Orchid moved closer until she sat on the bed, wrapping her arms around the woman, being careful not to hurt her. At first, Sue trembled more, but she calmed herself and cried on the agent's shoulder. "Shh, the nightmare is over. You and your child are safe."

"No, they killed her…to teach me a lesson," Sue said.

"They didn't. I'll show you." Orchid massaged the woman's stomach in circular motions and waited until a slight jab prodded.

Sue let the tears stream down her cheek, relieved that her unborn child remained. "Who are you?"

"I'm Orchid, a member of the Alliance. We had a call of strange occurrences happening in your hometown. We discovered the source and destroyed it. While we scoured the church, we found you and your friends. Rita, George, and Sariel are fine. Nothing but TLC and gradual weight gain won't fix, but you were in critical condition, so we used special items to give you and your child a fighting chance."

Sue stared into her bandaged hands as specks of blood soaked into the dressings, recalling being enveloped in a golden light and the pain vanished. "Orchid, is it? I need you to promise me something. Promise me you'll find those people. You must find them because they won't stop until they murder anyone they believed had 'sinned against God.'"

"I can't keep a promise like that, but I'll do my best." A slight buzz from her earpiece grabbed Orchid's attention and pressed it. "Yes?"

"We're heading back to the Night Guard base to let our guests sleep," Maya said. "Are you coming?"

"You guys go on ahead. I'll stay with Ms. Snell for a while."

"All right then. If you need us…"

"Will do." Orchid ended the transmission. "So, have you picked any names for your baby, Sue?"

"Carrie Isabella Snell. Many people assumed I was crazy to name my child after the girl who had ruined Chamberlain, but I didn't care. They'll never understand her pain."

"I do. Hell, even I was bullied as a kid, although the experience was mild compared to Carrie's. It was back in 6th grade. I locked myself in a janitor's closet to escape until those kids found me. The last thing I remember was the fire alarms ringing and people screaming. When the firefighters removed me from the building, the same bullies glared at me. Somehow, one of them told the parents, who then told the police.

"When I explained what happened, they thought I was crazy, so they sent me to juvie detention until my father returned from a covert mission."

"Did…did you start the fire?" Sue asked. Orchid was silent, giving her the answer. "How?"

"It'd be better to show than explain." A gold aura surrounded Orchid's left hand, and the FireCat emerged.

Sue's eyes widened as her mind raced to Black Prom, where Carrie unleashed her powers. She wanted to remove herself from the bed but couldn't with the wires.

"It won't bite," Orchid said. The FireCat hopped on the bed, sliding itself between the women, waiting for a stroke.

Sue reached out to touch the golden beast but withdrew her hand last minute. "How are you doing this?"

"My grandmother on my father's side was a test subject in World War II. Somehow, it granted her this ability. Since then, it passed down the family line. My father brought me to a cabin in the mountains, where he trained me. He never returned to his unit for two years until they found us, and since he was too important for prison, they offered him a deal. Before his departure, he said he loved me and only summoned the FireCat in life-or-death conditions. My father…died in the line of duty, but I still think about him, even when I beckon the FireCat."

"You mentioned you fathomed Carrie's plight. How is it you turned out fine?"

"Because I had support from my father and the friends I would receive. I learned to adapt and come out stronger. When I heard Carrie's story, it reminded me of my past predicament, and I wanted to fix that."

"Throughout my life, I made Carrie's life depressing. It never sunk in my mind how destructive it was until the shower incident. I believed that letting Carrie go to prom with Tommy was the right thing, and it would've worked had it not…I sent them to their deaths."

"No, Sue. Your 'friends' were responsible because they never saw Carrie the way you did. They're the ones paying for their choices, but not you, and don't forget that."


A/N: Well, there you have it. What do you guys think of this cult intending to "purify" those they believe to be under the influence of the Devil, and will the Alliance find and stop them before they cause serious damage? Now, it's time for my brain to rest, so I'll see you later.