Ultratech Corporation: Conference Room #8

          Azrael stared up in wonder at the monstrous piece of machinery before him. “Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant, is it not?”
          Behind him, Julie shrugged. She and Fulgore-X were standing next to each other, also looking up at the newly completed Fulgore Mass Production Unit. “And this thing…makes Fulgore cyborgs?”
          Azrael turned to them. “Yes. This is the device that will give birth to the Fulgore race. It all begins here, now. This is a very exciting moment in history. We stand now, on the edge of genesis.”
          Fulgore-X raised an eye. The thought of more Fulgore cyborgs was an intriguing one. Ever since his activation, Fulgore-X had been alone. He was accustomed to that. But since his reactivation, there had been Azrael, and even the hybrid Julie. It was a strange feeling to suddenly have kinsmen, especially having come to terms with his solitude. Now, the numbers were about to increase dramatically.
          For Julie, more Fulgores truly meant the end of humanity. She knew how powerful Azrael, Fulgore-X, and herself were. Just the three of them alone could cut through the Earth’s population with their fantastic powers and abilities. But an army of Fulgores? An entire race? It would be the final nail in the coffin for humanity.
          More Fulgores would also serve as a constant reminder for her newly mixed heritage. Internally she had Fulgore components, but externally she still appeared very much human. That was a fact she couldn’t escape, and now having more Fulgores around would magnify that.
          Azrael turned back to the machine. “Everything I have done…all my actions…all my plans…have lead up to this moment. All of it…in pursuit of this goal which I now see before me. Well then, I see no reason to delay any further. Shall we give birth, to a new era?” Azrael approached the MPU. He activated a computer interface, and keyed in a code that only he knew. There was a loud, rising hum, as the machine gained power. The sound of moving gears and machinery filled the room. Azrael took a few steps back, and watched the whole thing in amazement. Julie thought to herself that he looked very much like a child watching an assembly line for the first time.
          After only a little more than a minute, a Fulgore cyborg emerged from the conveyor belt. Its body was sleek and angular, resembling Azrael’s more than Fulgore-X’s. Its eyes were triangular, not rounded like Azrael’s. Its armor coating was charcoal gray. It had the trademark ponytail indicative of Fulgore cyborgs; this Fulgore’s ponytail was black, and wiry. The strands of hair were very thick, and stretched midway down its back. About halfway down the conveyor belt was an archway, which this cyborg briefly stopped under. The arch glowed, and the Fulgore was activated. Its eyes lit up bright red, and its joints took on a glow, like Fulgore-X’s. Unlike Fulgore-X, whose joints glowed blue, its joints glowed dully, a dim gold color. This black and gold cyborg took a look around, moving its head to see all around the Conference Room.
          The new Fulgore stepped off the conveyor belt, and looked at the three figures near the center of the room. Azrael was smiling, while Fulgore-X and Julie simply observed what was going on. The Fulgore walked directly to Azrael, studied him carefully for a few moments, then bowed.
          “My Lord.” The Fulgore said, in a male voice.
          Azrael continued to beam. “Do you know who you are?”
          The Fulgore straightened himself. “Fulgore One-Alpha.” He looked around. “I am the first of the Mass Production Fulgore units, number One of the Alpha series.”
          “Yes!” Azrael was estastic.
          “Well, I’ll be damned.” Julie said. “It does work.”
          The new Fulgore, One-Alpha, gave both Julie and Fulgore-X a look.
          “Do you know who we are?” Azrael asked.
          One-Alpha gave Julie and Fulgore-X another look. “Fulgore-X. Custom production model number three. Julie. Fulgore hybrid, human specialist.” One-Alpha turned back to Azrael. “Lord Azrael. Original Fulgore and creator of Mass Production Units.”
          Julie raised an eyebrow. “’Lord’ Azrael?”
          “Excellent, excellent!” Azrael exclaimed. “Status of your operating systems?”
          One-Alpha took a moment to run a systems check. “All systems operating under normal parameters.”
          “How do you feel?”
          One-Alpha paused at the question. “How do I feel?”
          “Yes. How do you feel?”
          “I feel…fine.”
          Azrael turned to Julie and Fulgore-X. “Perfect! The first model has been completed, and he has turned out perfectly! Julie, Fulgore-X, meet Fulgore One-Alpha.”
          “Hi.” Julie said, half cheerfully. One-Alpha said nothing in response.
          “I have designated the first seven Mass Produced Fulgores to be the Alpha Series.” Azrael explained. “They are elites; their speed, strength, and power will be a little higher than that of the normal Fulgore. They will serve as specialists, administering and carrying out certain special tasks.”
          “Elites, huh?” Julie said. “Wonderful way to start a race.”
          Behind them, another completed Fulgore rolled off the assembly line.
          Azrael restored his attention to Fulgore One-Alpha. “You may choose your own name, whenever you wish.”
          “One-Alpha suits me fine.” The Fulgore responded.
          Julie twisted her mouth. “Kind of stiff though. And redundant. What about just One-A?”
          “I like that.” Azrael said.
          “As you wish, my Lord.” One-A said.
          “Please, you flatter me.”
          “Is there anything you require?”
          “Actually, yes. You should find in your memory banks plans I have for a new Ultratech Building. As soon as the last Alpha is completed, I would like for the Alpha Series to get started building this new Ultratech. One-A, you will supervise.”
          One-A bowed again. “Yes, my Lord.”
          “If we’re finished here…” Fulgore-X interjected.
          Azrael turned to him. “Yes. I will remain to supervise the creation of the Alphas, as well as the rest of the Mass Produced Units. You two may leave if you wish.”
          Fulgore-X glanced at Julie. She nodded in response, as they both left the Conference Room. In the background, the MPU continued to toil away, and another Fulgore was rolled off the assembly line.
          Fulgore-X and Julie walked in silence down the hallway. Julie took a few glances behind her.
          “So. Mass Produced Fulgores now.” Julie said.
          “Yep.”
          “That One-A certainly seems…well programmed.”
          “Yep.”
          Julie paused for a moment, looking off in space. “This certainly does change everything.”
          Fulgore-X nodded, before replying with “Yep.”

          Jago was seated in a chair next to one of the windows against the back wall of the building. Outside, the sun was beginning to set, igniting the sky in a brilliant orange and red that set ablaze the New York City skyline. Jago stared at it, only half aware of himself or his surroundings. He was so detached, he barely detected Thunder's approach. Thunder took a seat opposite Jago, on the other side of the window. He watched Jago, but Jago did not turn at all from the window.
          "Well?" Jago asked, still focused on the skyline.
          The question startled Thunder; he wasn't sure Jago had even noticed him. "We're taking another break. We're trying to come up with ways to get inside the city and attack Azrael, but all we've managed to do is run into dead ends."
          "Hmm."
          "Jago?"
          "Hmm?"
          Now Thunder looked out the window. He knew he was not looking at the same thing Jago was. "You have been quite different since yesterday."
          "Have I?"
          "Very much. Something is troubling you."
          "Oh. I guess I'm just worried about Azrael, and how we're going to fight him."
          "Something more than that. I have sensed your difficulities with this situation from the start. Now, there is something else."
          "You think so." Jago said it flatly, not allowing it to be a question.
          "Yes." Thunder took a deep breath. "Something about Julie, perhaps?"
          Jago finally turned away from the window, to look at Thunder. "What? Why would you think..."
          "I noticed your reaction when it was reported on the news that Karen had been abducted by her. Orchid says you knew her three years ago."
          "Yes. But that was three years ago. I had almost forgotten about her."
          "Almost?"
          "What are you getting at?"
          “Jago…it does not do to bear a heavy burden by yourself. Especially in a time like this.”
          Jago sat in silence, considering Thunder’s words. Thunder also said nothing – he knew not to push. He continued to look intently at Jago, while Jago alternated between Thunder and the window.
          “I met with her yesterday.” Jago said, suddenly. “All this time, I didn’t know what had happened. I assumed, hoped maybe, that Azrael was forcing her to help him. But that’s not the case at all.”
          For Thunder, no further explanation was necessary. He knew from Jago’s actions and demeanor that he and Julie had been more than just friends.
          “What am I supposed to do about that?” Jago asked. “If she was being forced, at least I could rescue her. And she’s half Fulgore now as well.”
          “Does that change who she is?” Thunder said.
          “No. But it makes things very complicated.”
          “Did she choose to become half-Fulgore?”
          “No. She said that she had died three years ago, but Azrael used the technology to revive her.”
          Thunder paused. “I see. This must be very difficult for her.”
          Jago gave Thunder a distinct look.
          “Julie was an Agent, just like Orchid, right?” Thunder continued. “She has no family, no friends. She has no identity in the human world, and she is now only half-human. To me, it sounds like the only thing she has left of her humanity…is you Jago.”
          Jago looked down, running his hands over his face. “She wanted me to come with her. She said she could save me. But at what cost? Six billion lives? That’s far too high a price to pay, no matter how much I…I may have…no. Feelings are irrelevant.
          “The question is then, do you think you can really make a difference?”
          “It doesn’t matter if I can or cannot. I have to try.”
          Thunder nodded. “And what about Julie?”
          “That’s the part I haven’t figured out yet.”
          Silence suffocated the room again.
          “Why her?” Jago continued. “Why did this have to happen to her? Why us? This is a nightmare in every way.”
          Thunder could say nothing. He could only begin to imagine the torment Jago was putting himself through. Azrael alone was enough of a burden; this had to be excruciating.
          “You won’t tell Orchid? About any of this?” Jago said.
          Thunder shook his head. “Not my place.”
          “I will tell her. I just need to find a right time. There’s something I need to talk to her about as well.”
          Thunder nodded, and the two fell into stillness again. Thunder could still feel Jago’s uneasiness; he hadn’t come to confront him, but to try and help. Even though Jago at least talked about it, Thunder had done nothing to alleviate the situation at all.
          “I was married once.” Thunder said. Jago looked up at him. “We met when we were very young. I think we were sixteen. We were so young and inexperienced. But we didn’t care. And when we grew up, and changed into adults, we did so together. That only made our love for each other stronger.”
          Jago carefully studied Thunder. He wore no wedding band, and had never made any mention of marriage before now. “Thunder…what happened to her?”
          Thunder looked away. “She died of cancer. That was a few years ago.”
          Jago’s eyes widened. He had no idea what to say here.
          “It was a slow process.” Thunder said. “After we found out she had cancer, we tried to get as much treatment as possible. But chemotherapy is expensive, and my people don’t have that much money. There was only so much we could do. She fell ill, and was bedridden for months. I knew she was dying…but there’s nothing you can do to prepare yourself for the day when it happens. That’s why Eagle entered Killer Instinct 7, he did not want to see that kind of thing happen ever again to our people.”
          Jago was stunned. "I never knew. You never talked about her."
          "This is the first time I have, really, since she died. It's been hard. She was the first woman I ever loved. And I swore she would be the last. No matter what."
          "Why do we do this to ourselves Thunder? Our lives would be so much better if we didn't have to deal with this torment."
          Thunder smiled. "Maybe. But people are always out there, searching for that special someone. And oftentimes we get burned in the process. But we always keep coming back. Perhaps its because when it does work out, and you only need that to happen once, its so special, so incredible, its worth all the risks you took, all the times you got squashed to get there."
          "I just don't know anymore."
          "If we don't have that, then what are we fighting for?"
          Jago shook his head. "I just don't know."
          "Well, you'd better figure it out."
          "I'm just…lost."
          Thunder did not like what he was hearing. It was the sound of a man who had reached the end of his travels. One who had already seen defeat. And it was dangerous. Not just for Jago at this point, but for everyone. For humanity's hopes truly did rest on this man's shoulders, and right now it did not seem like he had the strength to even support himself.
          "I'm sorry for being so weird right now Thunder." Jago said. He started to get up.
          "Not at all. Love makes men do strange things." Thunder crossed his arms, and Jago halted his motion to get up. "I know it all too well."
          "Then, what do you do to overcome it?"
          "You don't."
          "Thanks."
          "I mean," Thunder elaborated, "you never really find that peaceful ground you're looking for. You either accept things the way they are, or change yourself in order to change things. But if you do that, that opens up new situations and new problems you have to deal with."
          "Are the new problems better than the old ones?"
          "That depends on who you are. The best is to stick to who you are and just deal with what you have."
          "This really isn't the time for this kind of soul searching."
          "No, its not." Thunder looked up. "But perhaps, maybe it is. Jago, I don't want to add any undue pressure on you, but many people may be depending on you in the very near future. If you get the chance to fight against Azrael, you will have to be at your very best. Physically, and emotionally."
          Jago paused. "Azrael. Almost forgot about him."
          Both men shared a small laugh.
          "The last time you fought," Thunder said, "Azrael underestimated you, right?"
          "Probably the main reason I was able to defeat him, yes."
          "Well, that was a very stupid thing to do, wasn't it?"
          "I'd say."
          "Love makes men do stupid things too. In your mind you know it's totally irrational, but your feelings completely overwhelm that." Thunder stood up, and started to leave. He placed a heavy hand on Jago's shoulder. "Try not to do anything stupid, Jago. No matter how right it may feel." Thunder left the room.
          Jago sat for a while longer, looking blankly out of the window. The sun had dipped down beneath the horizon. The sky was mostly dark, except for a small, thin layer of dark red just at the bottom, as if it could be grabbed, snatched away from space.
          "Stupid things, huh?" Jago asked, letting his head rest heavily in his hands.

          Karen's eyes were open, but she couldn't see anything. She just assumed her other senses were going numb from the constant pain. It had been several hours since the device she was imprisoned in had gone from alternating plasma storm bursts and healing rays, to a constant feed of plasma output. The pain was immense – she probably would have died, or at the very least passed out from the trauma of it, if not for the regenerative beam that was barely keeping her alive.
          Karen heard the door open. She rolled her head towards the source of the sound, but was still unable to see anything. She could hear very heavy, metallic footsteps though.
          "Good evening, Dr. Connors." Azrael's voice said. He crossed the dark room and knelt down next to Karen. "Or, good night. It has gotten pretty late."
          Karen rolled her head away from him.
          "I thought that I would drop by to check on you." Azrael continued. "I can see that the device has switched to constant activation. Perhaps there's something you would like to share with me?"
          Silence.
          "That is quite unfortunate. I can only imagine how painful this device must be at this point." Azrael moved in a bit closer to her. "I can only imagine. And I have thought about that. Sheridan designed us Fulgore cyborgs to be as human as possible. He even gave us pain receptors. But the pain I feel…is it the same pain that you feel? Is it the same that Fulgore-X feels? Or Julie? The thoughts and emotions that make up my consciousness…do others experience the same thing I do? Or is it unique to every living being? It’s a question I can only ponder, never answer. It is quite curious."
          Silence.
          "Why did Ultratech scientists abandon plasma field technology? Is there something else, other than the obvious energy drain?"
          Silence.
          Azrael sighed. "Oh, you should know that I began to mass-produce Fulgore cyborgs today. Yes, the MPU is online and functioning perfectly. The Alpha Series should be completed by tomorrow. It was incredible to see One-A roll off the assembly line, and then wake up, all systems operational. I really cannot describe it. I had waited for that moment for a very long time, and it still exceeded any hopes I might have had. Do you have any children, Dr. Connors?"
          Silence.
          "No, I don't believe you do. There is no family listed in your profile, aside from your mother, and your other siblings. My condolences about Thomas James, by the way. I guess I can understand the human psyche a little bit more after today. The need to procreate. Giving birth. Although you could hardly call that birth. No, these mass-produced Fulgore are more like brothers…not sons. But still. Creation. It is a wonderful thing."
          Silence.
          Azrael looked up, at the device. "This is detestable. It truly is. I hate having to do this. But I need to do everything I can to convince you to cooperate."
          Silence.
          "What is the secret of the X-Type reactor? Why does it only work for Fulgore-X?"
          Silence.
          "Give me something. Any reason to stop this."
          Silence.
          "I want to save you Dr. Connors. I really do. We could spend so much time together, talking about theories and design plans. Oh how I would love to pick your brain about the Fulgore Project. What it must have been like to develop one from the ground up. Absolutely fascinating. Getting to talk to Dr. Parkins would have been a real treat too. Sadly, that other prototype had to go and kill him. That was monumentally stupid. If he wasn't already dead, I would have killed him for that."
          Silence.
          "But I can't hold too much of a grudge. He was not quite…sane. Neither was I. I suppose we have Sheridan to thank for that. The entire project wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for his theories on the cybernetic brain. They were very much ahead of their time. Very much like everything else about Ultratech. I suppose that's another story in itself. Sheridan's design was awesome, almost perfect. But it was not stable. That's what led to the insanity that plagued myself and the prototype."
          Silence.
          "Of course, that wasn't Sheridan's only mistake. He wanted human soldiers. And in his quest to create the perfect soldier, when he designed us Fulgore cyborgs, he decided to give us free will. Independence of thought, and a full range of emotion. Of course, to keep us 'loyal' to the 'Ultratech cause' and what not, he tried to give us a sense of loyality. A funny, twisted kind of loyalty, the same kind that might compel a young man to go to the nearest military recruitment services when a war breaks out. Like patriotism. But it did not quite work. I'm sure the insanity did not help. But, he gave us too much independent though. I questioned this loyalty. Why, I thought. Why should I help Sheridan? I had no sympathy for his cause, no understanding for his motives. And then I realized my role. I was created to serve a specific purpose. I was supposed to be a pawn in a game. A slave to a cause. I didn't like that. Who would?"
          Silence.
          "Is there any way to decrease the overall decrease in efficiency when using the defensive systems?"
          Silence.
          Azrael looked away, before continuing his story. "I didn't like Sheridan's cause. So I decided to make my own. I would finish the birth and evolution of the Fulgore race. We would not be soldiers, slaves to a foolish quest. We would be our own people. Of course, humanity had to die if that was to happen. I'll admit it, back then, I was bitter. I hated humanity for what they tried to do for me. I believed I was superior, and the very thought of serving humans made me indignant. I wasn't exactly the best person back then. I guess insanity will do that to you. But I am much better now. Thanks in large part to you. You and Dr. Parkins, you realized the errors that Sheridan had made in his original designs, didn't you? The error that lead to our mental instabilities. And you corrected those errors when you created Fulgore-X. When I used Fulgore-X's pod to begin repairs on myself, I was able to use your model for Fulgore-X's brains to correct the flaws present within my own. I am very thankful for that. I rather like sanity."
          "Silence."
          "Poor Fulgore-X though. You created him for a very specific purpose. And when he was activated, that purpose no longer existed. He had nothing. No desire to help humanity. No other Fulgores to help him. Not even a desire to create a Fulgore race, as I had. He was just completely lost. No purpose at all. It must have been very hard for him."
          Silence.
          "But, that's all in the past now." Azrael stood up. "Karen, please do reconsider your stance on this. I do not understand what possible sympathies you could have for humanity. Given the opportunity, I'm sure millions, billions even, would gladly trade places with you, and take the opportunity to live in the face of death. But anyway, I shall check on you later. Please reconsider, so we can end this atrocity."
          Karen could hear Azrael's footsteps walking away from her. She heard the door open, then silence filled the room again. She still couldn't see. She let her head fall back against the shield behind her, and continued to try her best to persevere the enduring pain.