Just Outside New York City
Ops Command Center

          The first thing Karen noticed was the bare white ceiling. The entire world seemed foggy around her, but the ceiling stood out clearly. Then, she was aware of the constant beeping sound. She hadn't noticed it before, but now for whatever reason she could hear it clearly. Slowly the fog cleared and Karen found herself, yet again, in a completely alien environment. She turned her head to see a figure sitting next to her.
          "Hey, you're awake now." A gentle male voice said. The sound was familiar to her, and instantly smoothed out her building anxiety.
          Karen took a moment to let her vision clear up a bit. It was still blurry, but now she could see a bit better, including making out the facial features of the man besides her. She recognized him as one of the men who came to see her before she was taken by Julie. It was Chief Thunder.
          "Where…where am I now?" She asked.
          "You are in a special command center just outside of New York City." Thunder replied. "It was just built by the American government to respond to the Fulgore threat."
          "…The Fulgore threat." Karen let her head sink back into her pillow a bit. "How did I get here?"
          "Fulgore-X brought you. That was yesterday. You've been unconscious for about one day."
          "Fulgore-X did?" Karen said softly. "Fulgore-X." She thought. "He couldn't do it either."
          "How do you feel?" Thunder asked.
          "I've been better." Karen grimaced. "I've been worse." She forced herself to sit up in her bed.
          "Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Thunder said. "Don't push yourself! Take it easy."
          "No, I'd much rather sit right now, clear my head."
          "You were in bad shape. Nothing broken, fractured, punctured, or anything like that, but according to the doctor your body had been put under an incredible strain. We'd managed to take some of the Ultratech medical regenerative devices with us before we left, so we used them on you. You are mostly fine now, but still, your body was subjected to things it shouldn't have been. They think your internal organs have been weakened. So, you should take it easy."
          Karen said nothing in response.
          Thunder twisted his mouth. "Although, I suppose someone is going to come see you shortly to ask you to help out, again."
          Karen turned towards him slightly. "I'd suppose that as well." She looked away now. "This thing…it really is real, isn't it?"
          This time, Thunder said nothing in response.
          "I mean," Karen said, "before, you guys told me about it, but I never really believed it. It just seemed too far out there. Since the beginning, I've known how dangerous these Fulgore cyborgs are. We all did. But none of us ever let our minds wander, think about the possibility they'd get out of control. It was too scary."
          "I don't blame you. I'm still trying to convince myself this is all just some bad nightmare."
          Karen laughed, nervously. "I guess I can't run away from this anymore, can I?"
          There was silence for a moment or two, before Thunder broke it. "We managed to retrieve some of the plasma weapons that had been made by Ultratech. There's a team working on them right now, trying to figure out a way to make more of them, and make them stronger."
          "Those plasma weapons? They won't even scratch Azrael."
          "I know. But it's all we've got. Conventional weapons are completely useless. But, we're still trying to figure out how to get past the plasma shield. The way things stand now, Azrael will just build his forces from behind the shield, and then deploy them as he likes when he's ready. If that happens, there won't be much of anything we'll be able to do."
          "Don't you have any Ultratech scientists working on the plasma shield?"
          "Only low level ones. And they really only know as much about the shield as we do."
          "What about the other scientists? The ones who specifically worked in plasma research?"
          "We can't find them. We haven't been able to confirm it yet, but we think Azrael is having them all killed."
          Karen's eyes widened for a moment, as she thought of some of her old co-workers. "And I should be dead too as well."
          Thunder paused. "So, that's just how things are now. I know you don't want to get involved in this, and I don't blame you, but we are literally out of options in a very grave situation."
          Karen looked up at him. "So you wanted to talk to me first? Before…"
          "Well, yes."
          Karen looked away again. "Thank you."
          Thunder closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.
          "All right then, I need to get brought up to speed." Karen said. "Where's the current information you have about that plasma shield?" She made a motion to get out of bed.
          "Whoa now, hold up. I meant what I said before. You still need to rest a bit. You'll do no good for anyone in your current condition."
          "I'm generally fine." Karen protested.
          "And if you get a few more hours rest, you'll be even more fine. I don't think Azrael is going to launch his attack this morning."
          Karen raised an eyebrow, and finally conceded. "All right, fine." She lay down in the bed again, carefully putting her head back on the pillow.
          "Someone will probably come for you this afternoon. Sleep until then." Thunder stood up and quietly left the room.

New York
Megiddo Tower: Control Room

          Azrael, One-A, and Fulgore-X all stood around the central interface, while Julie was seated. The cyborgs all faced her.
          "What have you found concerning the problem with the teleporters?" Azrael asked Julie.
          Julie pointed up. "It's the plasma shield."
          "The plasma shield? Why is that?" One-A said.
          "Right now, the plasma shield is operating at 95% efficiency." Julie said. "What that means is, after every cycle of energy there is a 5% drop-off. This drop-off gets dispersed in the air and saturates it, similar to a plasma field. Given how long the shield's been up, and the size of it, there is quite a bit of saturation that's built up."
          "And it's this saturation that's disabling our teleporters?" Azrael asked.
          "Yes. The saturation acts as interference, and prevents us from opening any dimensional gates. We can teleport anywhere outside of the city, but we cannot teleport from within, or into."
          "So how do we fix it?" Fulgore-X asked.
          "We can't just get rid of the saturation – if there's a way to do that, I don't know it. Besides, we'd have to deal with the air getting over saturated again in another few days. The teleporters can be redesigned to deal with the interference, but that will take time."
          "How much time?" Azrael said.
          "Well, redesigning the teleports itself isn't that hard. The problem is that it's a fundamental flaw in the design, which basically calls for an entire redesign. That just takes time. For each teleporter, I'd say three or four hours at the least. If we're talking about fixing every teleporter, from all the heretofore completed Fulgores, to the ones here in Megiddo, and the MPU, that operation will take several days."
          "Several days?" Azrael frowned.
          "What will you do My Lord?" One-A said.
          Azrael bowed his head in thought. After a brief moment, he reached his decision. "I expect to have my initial target number of Fulgores met in the next few days, with deployment soon to follow. A delay of several days is unacceptable at this point. So, we'll just have to bear with it. Julie, please prepare to make the necessary modifications to myself, you, and Fulgore-X."
          Julie nodded. "I'll get started now."
          "My Lord," One-A cut in, "what about the Alphas? We will not have our teleporters fixed?"
          "My apologies for the inconvenience," Azrael said. "Right now, Fulgore-X, Julie, and I are the only ones who need to be able to teleport. Once we deploy, it won't matter anyway. Then, we can fix them at our own leisure."
          "Excuse me my Lord, but they have priority over me?"
          The entire room stopped. Fulgore-X and Julie looked at One-A. Azrael smiled.
          "That is not an accurate way to put it. But both Fulgore-X and Julie possess skills that I am employing right now. That is why they need to be able to teleport."
          "And I don't have these skills? Especially compared to her?" One-A referred to Julie. Fulgore-X now glanced at Julie for a reaction, but she continued to sit unmoving, no particular emotions crossing her face.
          "Don't underestimate her." Azrael said. "She's far more dangerous than you might think."
          “Forgive me, My Lord, but I have yet to see any evidence of that.”
          Azrael’s countenance took on another look of amused surprise. “No, I don’t suppose you have. Well, why don’t we remedy that? I trust you’ve completed all the training programs, One-A?”
          One-A nodded.
          “Then I’d say it’s time for you to start getting real world experience. Let’s have a sparring match between you and Julie. If you don’t mind, Julie…”
          “Me?” Julie said, unexpectedly upbeat. “Naw. I love sparring matches. We need to have more of them.”
          “Great! And I think I’ll invite the other Alphas to watch as well. It will be informative for all of us. Well then, shall we?” Azrael nodded and left the room, motioning for the others to follow him.

          Five minutes later, Julie found herself standing on a skyway between two skyscrapers. One-A stood in front of her; Azrael, Fulgore-X, and two other Alphas were in the foyer behind her, and the remaining Alphas were behind One-A.
          “I thought we’d use this as a venue.” Azrael said. “The rules are thus. The first person to score two clean hits wins. Use of plasma weaponry is permitted but everything else is not, including flight. Just a pure test of martial arts skills. How does that sound?”
          Julie smiled. “Works for me.”
          “Me too.” One-A said.
          Azrael nodded. “Great. Then let’s begin!”
          Julie turned her left shoulder towards One-A and assumed a defensive stance. One-A did the same. Julie briefly pondered if she should let One-A make the first move. After all, it was he that doubted her abilities. But finally, Julie concluded she was far too aggressive a fighter to just sit back and let an opponent come to her. She squared her body and pushed off with her right foot, dashing at One-A. One-A prepared himself, but also dropped his right arm in preparation for a counter-attack; Julie saw it immediately. After closing the distance, she jumped and attacked with a spin kick that One-A blocked with his left hand. With Julie still in the air, One-A tried to counter-attack with a strong right punch. Julie blocked it however, mildly surprising her opponent. She dropped to the ground and fell into a very low crouch. She planted her hands and pushed herself forward, lifting her legs in the air. She threw three heel kicks which One-A dodged, then used her momentum to flip over and land on her feet, immediately attacking with a flurry of jabs which One-A was forced to block. Julie threw a roundhouse into the series, which One-A blocked and retaliated with a roundhouse kick. Julie ducked it and tried to sweep One-A, but he managed to recover and back-flip out of the way barely in time.
          Now, One-A decided to take the fight to Julie. He rushed in at her with a fierce punch. Julie dodged it easily. One-A quickly turned the missed punch into an elbow attempt, which Julie also avoided. One-A went into a punch and kick flurry, attacking rapidly. Julie dodged most of the attacks, blocking a few. She parried a punch, spun into One-A, grabbed his arm and shoulder-threw him. One-A countered by bending his knees, landing on his feet. He tried to back-kick Julie, but she blocked this as well. One-A recovered from his position, straightened himself, and threw a plasma storm shot at Julie. She jumped over it, and while the shot crashed into a plasma shield before reaching the other Alphas watching the fight, Julie came in at One-A with a jump-kick. One-A grabbed her leg with his left hand, and then with his right began moving to push his forearm into her abdomen. Julie grabbed his forearm with both hands, and pivoted while still suspended in the air to kick One-A in the side of the head with her free leg. One-A immediately dropped her, stumbling backwards a bit. Julie landed on her feet, ready to attack again.
          “One point for Julie!” Azrael called out.
          “Good Lord she’s fast!” Four-A said behind him.
          “It’s not just that,” Fulgore-X thought. “It’s extremely hard to read her movements. That, and her speed, make her a very tough opponent.”
          One-A was having similar thoughts.
          “I just can’t keep up with her at all. There’s got to be something I can do.” He stood up and reset himself, just in time to notice Julie already prepared for her next attack. She charged in at One-A; he blocked the initial attack as well as the resulting series of attacks. However, with every move defended, Julie was getting closer to breaking One-A’s defense. One-A could feel the rate of attacks getting faster and faster, and soon he wouldn’t be able to defend at all. He blocked a roundhouse kick, and pushed off from Julie’s leg, retreating backwards. Julie squared herself and rushed back into One-A, who was immediately put on the defensive again. He wanted to try and attack Julie, but at the moment his entire concentration was focused on not getting hit.
          Julie threw a spinning backhand, which was blocked. She pivoted and used her other arm to try for a palm strike to the face – One-A dodged it. Julie continued her forward motion some more and folded her arm in to go for an elbow, which was blocked. At almost the same time she started to move for the elbow, she twisted her waist and bent her left knee. As her body turned, she raised her right leg and sent a roundhouse at One-A’s chest. One-A blocked this as well. Julie now shifted her weight forward, putting it into the leg which had just kicked. She pushed down hard, lowering One-A’s block and pushing herself into the air. While airborne, she turned again and this time attacked with an aerial spin kick. His guard having been neutralized, One-A could only take the attack in his chest, falling down backwards. Julie landed in a crouch, spreading her arms for balance, then straightening herself.
          “Match for Julie!” Azrael called out. The other Fulgores applauded, partly in amazement over what they’d seen.
          “I could barely keep up with her movements,” Seven-A whispered to Two-A. “One-A lasted a lot longer than I would have.”
          One-A was still on his back. Partly in pain, partly in shock. “Fast…just too fast…” He looked up to see Julie standing over him. Her face was blank, much like it had been since One-A questioned her. But she held an arm out for One-A; he took it, and got up with her help. Julie began to leave, but One-A held onto her hand, and shook it.
          “I apologize for doubting you.” One-A said. “I was ignorant to your true capabilities.”
          Julie looked very surprised. “Huh…oh….don't worry about it. Lots of people always underestimated me. I guess I don’t look like much of a fighter, do I?” She laughed sheepishly.
          “A fighter should not be fooled by outward appearances.” Azrael said. “One who is will find himself in a position to lose very badly. Every enemy faced is a potential threat until neutralized.” He carefully looked at all of the Alphas. “I hope you keep this in mind when we go to war against humanity.”
          There was no response as the Alphas seemed to be pondering Azrael’s words.
          Julie stretched a bit. “No offense to you One-A, but that was short. I’m just getting warmed up! Since everyone’s all here, why don’t we keep the sparring matches going?”
          Azrael laughed. “I’m afraid Julie, that with the exception of Fulgore-X and myself, any other fight you partake in will have strikingly similar results."
           "Well then, why not? I've already fought Fulgore-X."
           The audience was silenced by Julie's remark. Azrael looked mildly startled. "Who, me?"
           "My Lord," One-A said, "it would be an honor to see the skills you are believed to have."
           Azrael shrugged. "Well then, why not?" He took a few steps forward, now facing Julie in the center of the skyway. "Same rules apply."
           Julie looked at Azrael. He simply stood, assuming no sort of offensive or defensive stance. She couldn't quite explain it, but she felt his presence around her, and it was intimidating. She'd heard the rumors – that Azrael possessed tenth-degree black belt martial arts skills. She'd also heard the rumors about how he'd gotten them – they ranged from Azrael challenging one of the few tenth-degree black belt holders in the world, and taking a beating until he was able to learn those skills, to Azrael going back in time and participating in gladiator battles until he'd reached that level. There was no way to know what was true, but she did know that he was quite the formidable opponent, to say the least.
           "Hey Azrael," Julie said, "don't underestimate me."
           "Oh, I've stopped making that mistake long ago. But believe me, I know what you are capable better than anyone else on this planet. You are the absolute last person I would hold back against."
           Julie assumed a defensive stance again, but Azrael continued to stand perfectly straight. Julie tried to study him for a moment, looking for something that would give away his intentions, but as she expected she found nothing.
           "All right, guess I gotta take it to him." She thought. Julie pushed off with her right foot and charged in at Azrael. She threw a right punch which Azrael dodged. She then attacked with her left arm, but Azrael dodged that as well. From there, Julie launched into a rapid procession of attacks, all of which were dodged easily by Azrael. Julie threw a right fierce; Azrael moved away, missing it by centimeters. She continued the attack into an elbow, but Azrael again evaded it. Julie quickly brought her right leg up for a side-kick attempt. Another miss. She spun quickly, planting her right leg down and thrusting out her left for a forward kick. Azrael moved backwards just fast enough for the kick to miss. He seemingly floated backwards, stopping a few feet away from Julie, at an optimal distance to defend against just about anything she could have thrown at him.
           From the sidelines, the Alphas were astonished.
           "I couldn't even keep up with Julie's speed," Six-A said, "but Azrael dodged all of it!"
           "Incredible." Two-A said.
           Julie corrected herself from the missed kick. "Maybe I'm the one underestimating him." She thought. Quickly, she rushed in at him again, this time not throwing any attack. Azrael continued to stand unaffected. At the last possible moment, Julie took a jump step and threw a knee attack towards Azrael. Azrael side-stepped it easily. Anticipating that, Julie extended her leg and turned slightly while mid-air to turn the knee attempt into a side kick. Azrael somehow ducked this. Julie landed, planted her back leg down, and pivoted off it, using the kicking leg in a sweep attempt. Azrael hopped over it. Julie swung around and started with another barrage of attacks, all of which Azrael dodged. After a set of unsuccessful attacks, Julie lunged forward with a right punch. Azrael moved backwards and to the side to avoid it. Still moving forward, Julie stopped her right leg, and let her body turn on it, swinging her left leg around for an extremely fast roundhouse kick. Azrael raised his right arm, blocking the attack. This caused another surprised reaction from the onlookers.
           "She made him block." One-A said, watching intently.
           Julie landed and quickly threw two sets of punches. Azrael dodged the first, but again had to manually block the second. Julie went for a shin kick which Azrael parried. She raised the same leg quickly turning it into a close range kick. Azrael dodged. Julie bent her knee going for another kick. Azrael blocked. She swung her arm out over her leg, trying to get past Azrael's defense. He recovered in more than enough time to block it. He pushed away from her, getting the optimal defensive distance between them again.
           "Damnit!" Julie thought to herself. "Nothing works. And why isn't he attacking me?" She closed the distance and continually threw attacks, as fast as she could. She knew this was a contest of points, not power. All she needed to do was connect something. She went for small, fast strikes. Because of this, Julie moved with incredible speed. Azrael now blocked more attacks than he dodged, but was still able to successfully repel the attacks. She went for a left arm into elbow attack which Azrael naturally blocked. Julie used her right hand to grab Azrael's blocking arm, and holding both in her hands she attempted to pull Azrael into her while flipping over him. The plan was to send him moving forward, and kick him in the back once she'd flipped over him. So far, it was working; she'd managed to pull him forward, and had now flipped over his head.
           "Yes! I can do it!" Julie thought. As she came out of the flip, she stuck out her left leg, expecting to hit Azrael in the back. However, she was quite surprised when she felt no contact at all. Still in the air, she turned her head to look behind her – Azrael had dropped to the ground, supporting himself on his fingertips and toes. But at this point, he was already going into a counter-clockwise rising spin, putting himself back on his feet. Julie hadn’t yet hit the ground by the time she saw Azrael plant his right foot and swing around in preparation for a roundhouse attack. She hit the ground and tried to throw up a defense, but it was already too late. Azrael hit her in the stomach with the kick, sending her reeling backwards before falling down. Azrael straightened himself and went back into his unassuming standing stance.
           On the sidelines, Fulgore-X was expressionless, but the other Alphas continued to look amazed.
           "Um…point for Azrael!" One-A called out.
           Julie was back to her feet quickly. It was no light attack – he'd really nailed her with a hard kick. She found her confidence was shaken more than her body though.
           "No matter what I do…" She thought. "How? How am I supposed to get past those defenses? He's obviously more skilled than me. Power doesn't matter here. I guess I've only got one thing left." She ran her hands through her hair, exhaled heavily, and then shook her head. She went back into her basic stance.
           "Well Azrael," she said, "I've really only got one strategy left, don't I?"
           Azrael smiled. "Ah, you figured it out as well, of course."
           "Yeah. Well, let's see if you can keep up!" Julie smiled briefly before charging in at Azrael once more. She threw the quickest, fastest attacks she possibly could. Azrael couldn't dodge anything anymore; he was forced to block everything Julie threw at him. Julie felt herself starting to get tired from the ferocity of the attacks, but knew if she faltered the match would immediately conclude. She pushed on as hard as possible. At one point, during a rapid string of punches, she suddenly turned on her left leg and threw an incredibly fast side kick towards Azrael's head.
           Fulgore-X's eyes widened. "That's going to hit!"
           Azrael also had a similar look on his face. At the last possible moment, he was able to raise his left hand and block the kick with the back of his fingers, mere millimeters from his face.
           Julie looked surprised and frustrated. Not wasting any time, she pushed her kick into Azrael's hand as hard as she could.
           "Is she trying to make up the distance?" Azrael thought briefly. "…No! That's not it at all!"
           Pushing off Azrael, Julie jumped with her left leg. With the pressure created by the push, she was able to spin around in mid-air, transitioning from the blocked side kick to a spinning jump kick. The kick came around very quickly. Despite that, it cut through the air harmlessly, making contact with nothing.
           "What?" Julie thought, surprised. "Where did he go? Under?" She panned her eyes down, but the cyborg wasn't there.
           "The hell? Up!" Julie thought. As the momentum from Julie's spin turned her around, she could see Azrael in mid-air behind her, descending upside-down from a flip. No sooner than she'd laid eyes on him, he stuck out his right arm and struck Julie squarely in the chest with a palm strike. Julie hadn't even fully landed from the kick yet – the attack pushed her straight down into the ground where she hit hard with a thud. Azrael descended still upside-down. He raised his left arm, letting his palm hit the ground. With one hand, he cart-wheeled sideways with the momentum and landed on his feet.
           One-A was entranced by the entire sequence, but quickly forced himself into composure. "Match for Azrael."
           The other Alphas rushed quickly to their creator's side. "My Lord, that was incredible!" Five-A said.
           "How did you manage to dodge all that!" Three-A exclaimed.
           Azrael stood calmly. "Well, it wasn't easy. Julie's fast. Good match Julie, that was definitely a lot of fun. Thank you for the challenge." He straightened his clothes a bit. "Well then, that's probably enough for today. Shall we get back to work?" He began walking into one of the buildings connected by the skyway, with the other Alphas in tow.
           Meanwhile, Fulgore-X hung back, and went over to Julie. She'd sat up now, and didn't look like she was in pain, but appeared to be somewhere far away. Fulgore-X reached her position, but didn't say anything.
           "I couldn't even hit him, Fulgore-X." Julie said, never turning her head towards him. "Not even once."
           "You almost hit him. Which is a lot more than anyone else could say." Fulgore-X said. "Including me." He thought.
           "Almost doesn't win battles. That was just...I've never fought against anything like that in my life. I was faster than him, but that didn't matter. He was always two or three steps ahead of me. Even when I changed things up, thought I was being random, he was still anticipating my every move. The only thing I could do was attack predictably, but just try to be faster than him and get something past his defense, but I couldn't even do that."
           Fulgore-X held out his hand. Julie looked at it, and then took it and he helped her to her feet.
           Julie forced a smile. "Well, I guess I'd better do some more training then! Next time I won't lose without getting a hit, that's for sure!"
           The two started to leave the skyway as well. As they walked, Fulgore-X thought about the match, replaying it over in his head again.
           "Azrael wasn't as fast as Julie, that's without question," Fulgore-X thought. "But, he was able to anticipate Julie's next move two moves before she made it. Half the time, he was moving to block before Julie had even thrown the attack. Even then, I'm sure it's a short list of people who can actually force Azrael to block something.
           "And not just that, but Julie almost hit him with that kick. Azrael knew it was coming, but it was way too fast, and Azrael almost didn't get his hand up in time. That kind of speed…it's almost unthinkable."
           Fulgore-X took a good look at Julie. She was genuinely smiling now, and talking about what kind of training she wanted to do. "Azrael's skills are most certainly something to be feared," Fulgore-X thought, "but in some ways, Julie's abilities are even more frightening."

          Jago sat in the eating area by himself. As it was mid-morning, this was not at all unusual. These days, eating and sleeping had become wildly unpopular activities. There was a sandwich in front of him, but he had yet to touch it. He sat with his gaze fixed on a certain point, but looked as though he was watching something beyond this world.
           This was the state in which Orchid found him. She crossed the room and took a seat opposite Jago without even being noticed. She observed him for a minute, and then broke his trance.
           "Hey."
           Jago looked up, almost surprised. "Hey."
           "Is that breakfast or lunch?"
           "I haven't quite decided yet."
           Orchid decided to get to the point. "Look, Jago…something's been different about you lately. Nothing I can pinpoint, just a general feeling I've had. Is there a problem?"
           "Yeah, there is," Jago said. "His name is Azrael."
           Orchid shook her head. "Mm, more than that. Almost as if you're dealing with Azrael…and something bigger, if that's possible."
           Jago did not respond.
           "I talked with Thunder." Orchid continued. "He didn't tell me what but I know there's definitely something."
           Jago also decided not to waste any time. "What happened between you and Julie?"
           Orchid's eyes widened. "What?" She hadn't been expecting that.
           "You two were partners or something like that, in The Organization, right? What happened between you two that made her so angry? That made her want to kill you?"
           Orchid looked away. "We weren't partners." A short silence followed. "Being an agent…either you live or you don't. I lived. She didn't."
           Jago gave her a hard look. "What happened between you two?"
           "I just told you…"
           "No, you didn't. Julie said to ask you, and keep asking until I got an answer that made sense."
           "Julie said? You talked to Julie? When? Why? How?"
           "Answer my question first. Then I'll answer yours."
           Orchid continued to avoid Jago with her eyes. "We weren't partners. But I guess, before he died, Mikhal asked Julie to keep an eye out for me. So she was always trying to take care of me, like a big sister or something."
           Orchid paused. Jago made no gestures.
           "It annoyed me. I didn't need or want a big sister. I just wanted to do my job until I was killed. Everyday, I wished she would just leave me alone.
           "On her last mission, we were trying to get out. It was a heavy firefight. We were so close to the helicopter. Then, Julie got hit and fell behind. Her wound wasn't serious, but she would've needed help to get back to the helicopter. It was my decision to either help her or leave her behind. And I left her behind."
           Silence. Jago's gaze remained fixed.
           "I just thought, 'finally, peace!' She annoyed me. So I wanted her to die." Orchid's voice trembled a bit. "I just…I just wanted her to die."
           Overpowering stillness followed. Neither sibling so much as moved.
           "Why did you see Julie?" Orchid asked
          Jago didn't answer. He never even looked at Orchid.
          "Why did you see Julie?"
           Orchid waited, but nothing.
           "Why did you see Julie?"
           Nothing moved. Nothing happened. Even time seemed to be waiting for response that just wasn't coming.
           "It was that time, wasn't it?" Orchid was starting to piece things together in her own mind. "Three years ago. We were at the Tiger Shrine. Me, Julie, and two other agents. You met Julie then, didn't you? But then…why? What kind of relationship did you two…?"

          The sound of the helicopter blades whipping the air drowned out everything else. It gave the three Agents in the cabin of the chopper, Julie, Orchid, and a tall, statuesque man who went by Maverick, an excuse not to talk. Orchid listened only to the hum of machinery, not thinking about anything.
           A few feet away, Maverick got up and went over to Julie. He asked her a few questions about the upcoming mission. Orchid turned her ear slightly; if it pertained to her, they'd include her, but whatever it was she still wanted to hear it anyway. As Orchid suspected, the conversation was nothing of any importance.
           Maverick then knelt down next to Julie – he had been yelling to elevate his voice over the whir of the chopper blades, but now he spoke in a softer tone – this was something that was personal. Orchid couldn't honestly say she cared, but something about the nature of it perked her interested. She trained her ear to drown out all other background noise and listen to the conversation.
           "Say Julie, you've been awfully quiet since Tibet. Everything okay?"
           "Yeah, I'm fine." Julie said. "Don't worry about me."
           "I'm not worried about you. Not at all. Just wondering if there's something on your mind."
           Julie rubbed her hands together. "Well, sort of. You've been around for a few years, right?"
           "A few. More than I should, probably."
           "Have you ever heard of anyone retiring from the Organization?"
           "What?"
           "Retiring. Quitting. Has anyone ever done it?"
           "Retiring from the Organization? I've never heard of it. Any Agent who is no longer is Agent is dead."
           "Yeah, but has anyone ever tried?"
           "Tried to retire? Not that I've heard of. I don't think they'd even allow it."
           "Why not? I mean, it's not like we know that much, they only tell us the bare bones of what we need to know to get the job done. And even if we wanted to talk, it's not like we could prove anything, or anyone would believe us anyway."
           "Still, I gotta think that's a huge security risk. They'd probably give you a suicide mission."
           "Well, I could always pull a Mikhal and come back alive."
           "Maybe you could. I don't know anyone else who could pull that off though." Maverick paused, studying Julie's face. "Why are you thinking about this?"
           "Oh, just curious, I suppose. I started wondering if there was some sort of dental plan we didn't know about, and I guess somehow I got on retirement. Thought maybe I could buy a nice home in Florida when I'm thirty five, play bingo with the ladies in the neighborhood."
           Maverick laughed. "If you make it to thirty five, and we're both still around, I'll buy you a rocking chair."
           Julie smiled weakly at him. Maverick returned to his seat, and Julie went back to staring at the same spot on the floor she was staring at before. Orchid cursed herself for having wasted time on such an inane conversation, and went back to focusing on the sound of the helicopter.

          Orchid's eyes widened as she remembered what happened in the helicopter. "She was different after Tibet. It was you, wasn't it? Something happened between you two…and she wanted to quit The Organization. Why? What was it?"
           Jago finally looked up at Orchid. His eyes were blank – it was the first time she'd ever seen him like that.
           "We met at that time, three years ago. It wasn't very long, but…we…we had feelings for each other. Things moved very quickly, and were intense. She promised me she'd quit The Organization after the mission she was on, come back and we'd start a life together. I waited and waited, but she never returned. I never knew why." Jago looked straight into Orchid's eyes, a look that conveyed everything and nothing all at once. "Now I do." He stood up quickly and left the room.
           Orchid was now breathing heavily, staring at the spot where Jago used to be. "They were…they…but…"

           It makes sense, doesn't it?

           Orchid seemed bewildered. "She wanted to quit." She thought. "She wanted to quit. It was that mission. That mission…"

           You left her behind.
           And then Sheridan found her.
           And then Azrael found her.

           "No…I…how could I have known? How could I have…"

           You left her behind.
           And now she's your enemy.
           Instead of living happily with your brother.

           Orchid stood up. "No…no!" She said softly. "It wasn't my…"

           You couldn't save your parents.
           You took away your brother's happiness in one selfish act.
           What else have you done?

           "No…it's not…I didn't…" She was breathing heavily. "This isn't all my fault. This isn't all my fault! …Fulgore-X. I wasn't wrong about him. I wasn't wrong. I wasn't wrong." Orchid's mind slipped into another time again. This time, it was in the darkened and ravaged hallways of Ultratech Brazil…

           Fulgore-X looked away from her. “I…..I don’t know. I just want…..to live.”
           His words hit Orchid like a roundhouse kick. It made the cyborg seem less evil and more…..human. But that just wasn’t possible. He was still a Fulgore cyborg, a cold-blooded murderer. And as some of that “cold-blood” leaked out from his side onto the floor, it became increasingly harder for Orchid to hate him. She still did though.
           “Tell that to some of your victims.” Orchid said.
           Fulgore-X narrowed his eyes. “I could say the same to you. As an agent in your ‘Organization’, just how many people have you killed?”
           “That’s beside the point.”
           “Is it really? I don’t think so.” If Fulgore-X could, he would be smiling. “At least I’m fighting for survival. How many people have you assassinated?”
           “Shut up!”
           “It must have been so simple. You receive your orders, you go get your gun, and you pick off some innocent dictator from at least one hundred yards away. Then you go back to headquarters where you get high-fives from all the other agents. Meanwhile, your superiors tell you that it’s for the good of the world, but you don’t really know one way or the other, do you?”
           “Shut up!”
           “Such blind obedience. I almost feel sorry for you. But I guess ignorance really is bliss.”
           “Shut up!” Orchid almost lunged at him, but she realized it would accomplish nothing. “Whatever I did, I did for the good of the world. I may not have known exactly how or why, but I trusted in my superiors, and so far, I don’t see any evidence that any of their decisions were wrong. But I have never, ever, injured or killed an innocent man. I can’t say the same for you.”
           “What are you talking about?”
           “That plasma bomb you used to take Gargos out, it destroyed an entire city block! Thousands could have been killed!”
           “Nobody was though…..”
           “But they could have. And let’s not forget that explosion you also caused, that destroyed Central Park.”
           “Once again, no casualties.”
           “Maybe. But perhaps the most grievous of all your crimes is what you did to Shadow!”
           “Shadow?” Fulgore-X’s eyes widened. “That ninja I fought with in the first round of Killer Instinct 8?”
           “That’s right! You had that fight won, but you killed him for no reason, no reason at all! If that isn’t the definition of evil, then I don’t know what is!”
           “That’s it, isn’t it? No matter what else you accuse me of…..that’s the root of all your hatred for me.” Fulgore-X gave Orchid a look. “You had a thing for him, didn’t you?”
           Orchid pouted, and turned her head away from him.
           Fulgore-X continued. “And that’s why…..” He suddenly stopped himself.
           “That’s why what?” Orchid asked.
           “Nothing. There is more to that situation than you can understand.” Fulgore-X said.
           “You murdered him; what more could there be?”
           Fulgore-X sighed. “I guess there’s no other way.” Internally, he accessed his communications channel log. He found the transmission in which Gargos forced him to kill Shadow; he then copied it onto a miniature compact disk. That disk emerged from the control panel on his left forearm. “Here, take this,” he said, holding the disk out, towards Orchid.
           Orchid took it suspiciously. “What is it?”
           “The truth. If you get out of this alive, I want you to listen to it.”
           “Why should I?”
           Fulgore-X narrowed his eyes. “Promise me Orchid, that you’ll listen to it. Promise me.”
           Orchid was taken aback. “I…..I promise.”

          She never had listened to the disk.
           Fulgore-X was dead, what was the point? Despite that, Orchid had kept the disk, perhaps out of guilt. She didn't know why, but when she hastily left her apartment the night Julie attacked, it was one of the few things she took with her.
           "Actually…" Orchid said to herself, "these are the same pants I was wearing, aren't they?" She reached into one of her leg pockets and sure enough, the tiny disk was there.

           The truth. If you get out of this alive, I want you to listen to it.

           "I wasn't wrong." Clutching the disk, Orchid quickly left the cafeteria. She headed for a room not too far from there – it was one of several computer rooms that had been set up. When she arrived, as she hoped, no one was presently in the room. She sat down at one of the computers and clumsily put the mini-disk into the computer.
           "I wasn't wrong." She said again, determinedly.
           The audio playback began.

          “Congratulations Fulgore-X on your victory.” It was Gargos's voice, back when he was in control of Ultratech President Robert Sheridan's body.
          “What did I tell you about using this channel!” It was Fulgore-X's voice, which sounded agitated.
          “Never mind that. I have a request to ask of you. I want you to kill Shadow.”“What? No!”
          “What? No!
          "Why not?”
          “He fought a good honorable fight, and he’s been defeated with dignity. He was a tough opponent. His death is not necessary, and I will not do it.”
          “Your predecessors would do it. Are you not a Fulgore?”
          “I’m not my predecessors.”
          “I was afraid you might respond like this. Very well then. If you will check your uplink with the Ultratech Earth Satellites, you will note that the ES Nova Scotia, ES Mystique, and the ES Eclipse have linked their laser systems together, and the combined three are currently in a triangle attack formation over New York City. You will also note that I have full control over the satellites, as your interface has been bypassed. You may also notice that the satellites are ready to fire by my command. If you do not kill Shadow, I will initiate the fire sequence. In their current formation, firing the satellites will devastate the city. Millions will die.”
          “You’re insane!”
          “And lovin’ it!”
          “Why do you want Shadow dead?”
          “I have my reasons. But do you really expect me to tell you? You don’t take orders from me, why should I from you? Besides, I know you’re just stalling for time, before you can disable the bypass. You probably can, but it’ll take time, at least a few minutes. That’s why I’m giving you thirty seconds to kill Shadow. If he’s not dead by then, then New York will be.”
          “But -”
          “Twenty nine, Fulgore-X...twenty eight...twenty seven...”
          There was a momentary pause.
          “Eighteen...seventeen...sixteen...” Gargos continued to count.
          “If I kill Shadow, you had better disarm those satellites, or I’m coming after you myself.” Fulgore-X said.
          “I’ll do better than that Fulgy. If you do kill him, I’ll turn over control of the satellites to you. You can disarm them yourself it you like. Twelve...eleven...ten...better hurry, Fulgore-X...”
          There was a brief pause, then the sounds of something mechanical in motion. From her limited experiences, to Orchid it sounded like a Fulgore claw being unsheathed.
          “Seven...six...five...”
          More silence. Then, footsteps. Then, the horrid sound of flesh being pierced, and an awful human cry.
          “This isn’t as pointless as it seems.” Fulgore-X said.
          “I know...I...overheard...” Shadow's voice responded.
          Another mechanical sound. In all likelihood, Fulgore-X sheathing his claw. A heavy thud.
          “Gargos!” Fulgore-X shouted.
          “Hmm.” Gargos calmly replied.
          The audio playback ended.

           Orchid was breathing even harder now. "Fulgore-X…didn't want to kill Shadow? It was Gargos's doing? But why? Why would Gargos want Shadow dead?

          Why do you want Shadow dead?
          I have my reasons.

           "Why? Shadow was of no concern to Gargos? Why….?"

           That’s it, isn’t it? No matter what else you accuse me of…that’s the root of all your hatred for me.

           Orchid gasped. "That is it, isn't it! That's why I hated Fulgore-X so much, because he killed Shadow needlessly. I thought. But…"

           I have my reasons.

           Orchid's eyes widened. "He knew I'd react like that, didn't he? That's why he matched Fulgore-X to Shadow. That's why he made him kill Shadow. After that, I cared more about Fulgore-X than I did about Gargos. That's why…"

           How bad is that injury?
           I’m fine.
           So, did that happen when you fought Jeremiah?
           No. It was re-opened during that fight. The original injury was caused by a certain baseball bat wielding lunatic.
           I did what I had to.
           Really? It was me against Gargos and you choose to attack me…yes, that was quite a choice you made.

           "I…I…Gargos played me…I did exactly what he wanted me to do…and I almost…I…"

           And then you left him behind too.
           And then Azrael found him.

           You were wrong.

           "No! No!" Orchid almost screamed. She looked around frantically. She caught something in the corner of her eye. A little girl standing across the room. The same little girl she saw in the hallways of Ultratech Brazil. The one with the black orchid in her hair.
           Her.
           "You! Why are you…"

           You couldn't save my parents.

           "But I…"

           You couldn't fight Azrael when you had the chance.

           "But…"

           You left Julie to die.
           You made your brother suffer.
           You left Fulgore-X to die.

           You were wrong.

           What else have you been wrong about?

           Many people have died because of your mistakes. And many more will.

           "It wasn't me! How could I have known?! How?!"

           What else have you done?

           What else have you done?

           Orchid's breaths accelerated rapidly. Her chest heaved, as her eyes darted around the room frantically. "I…I…I…"

           "You okay?" Thunder asked as he took a seat at the table next to Karen Connors. President Harrison was at the head of the table, along with a few other people.
           "I'm fine." Karen said. "A little tired, but otherwise fine. I need to get out of bed."
           "Ms. Karen Connors, I'm President Patricia Harrison." President Harrison extended a hand. Karen stood slightly and took it weakly before sitting down again. "I understand you've been put through a terrible ordeal at the hands of the Fulgore cyborgs. I wish we could let you rest and get some more treatment, but the truth is we really need your help right now. That's just how the situation is."
           "Trust me, I know the situation." Karen said. "So, what's been going on on this end?"
           "Well, the main point has been trying to get through the plasma shield. We've tried a number of things, but nothing has come close to working."
           "We've been hesitant to hit it with anything heavy because it's a reflective shield." Thunder added. "Whatever we throw at it is just going to get bounced back at us."
           "What are the stats on the shield?" Karen asked. "What frequency is it running at?"
           "Well, I don't know off the top of my head," Thunder said, "but we do have some scans we've taken on the computers."
           "I'd like to take a look at those."
           "Please, take your time." President Harrison said. She motioned to one of the other men sitting at the table. "Freidle, please accompany Ms. Connors to the closest computer room." The man stood and left with Karen.
           President Harrison turned to Thunder. "I really hate to ask this of her given what she just went through. But I suppose we have no choice."
           "We really don't. She's probably our best chance at coming up with something we can actually use to fight them. By the way, how have the efforts been going to round up other Ultratech scientists?"
           President Harrison took a look at the doorway behind her, as if to make sure Karen has really left. "To be honest with you, we've only been able to find low-level scientists. All the high level ones…either they've been killed, or are missing."
           Thunder frowned. "Azrael. He got to them first."
           "We moved as quickly as we could but it just wasn't fast enough. We'll just have to make the best of what we have."
           "With Azrael killing all the Ultratech scientists, I wonder why Karen is still alive? It was kind of strange that Fulgore-X brought her here, come to think of it."
           "How so?"
           "I dunno. It's hard to explain. Either way, we probably lucked out."
           "It's nice to have something go our way for a change. Oh, by the way, there's some other disturbing news that was brought to my attention."
           "More?"
           "When we found that all the high-level Ultratech scientists were strangely turning up dead or missing, we started to investigate any other unexplained deaths or missing cases that may have come up in the past three months. We found one other trend – martial artists."
           "Martial artists? Huh. Well, I guess that makes sense too. Azrael certainly is covering his bases."
           "It's something you, Orchid, and Jago should keep in mind. If Azrael does have a hit list, I imagine you three are pretty high on it."
           "I'd considered that before. I have no doubt Azrael will try to kill us at some point. It'd be silly of him not to. We'll just have to be ready when he comes."
           President Harrison gave Thunder a stern look. Thunder returned with a look that seemed to say "What else can we do?"
           Just then, they were interrupted by Karen, who was standing in the doorway. As they turned to look at her, they found a strange expression of her face.
           "Uh, I think you guys better come see this." She said, motioning for them to come to the computer room. President Harrison and Thunder exchanged glances before getting up and following Karen to the computer room. Karen opened the door to a darkened room, barely lit by the monitors, many of which had been turned off.
           Karen motioned for President Harrison and Thunder to stay at the door. She cautiously poked her head through. "Hello? Are you still here?"
           "Shh! Down here!" A tinny voice called out. The trio looked down to see Orchid sitting under one of the tables. She had taken several keyboards and sat cross-legged, trying to stack them. President Harrison and Thunder's eyes widened in surprise. Karen, still cautious, slowly approached her.
           "Why are you down here now?" Karen said, as if she were talking to a child.
           Orchid pouted and pointed at the other two. "Who are they?"
           Karen slowly lowered herself to her knees. "They're my friends. Do you know Patricia and Thunder, right?"
           Orchid shook her head.
           "Okay…well, they're here to help."
           Orchid looked at Thunder. "He has to go. This is my clubhouse and it's for girls only. Boys are nasty and have cooties."
           "Is it okay if he stays outside?"
           "He can't come in here. And I don't know the other one yet. She has to take the test."
           "Test?"
           "Yes! It's the test of Miss Super Princess Queen. If she can pass, then she can come in."
           "But I didn't have to take the test."
           "It wasn't a clubhouse when you came. Now it is. But you were here before, so it's okay."
           "Okay, so then I'll ask Miss Patricia if she wants to take the test, okay? You going to be all right?"
           "Yeah! I'm building a house for us to have tea parties in! It's going to be really nice."
           Karen smiled. "I can't wait to see it. I'll be back, okay?" She stood up shakily, and returned to President Harrison and Thunder, her countenance turning grim.
           "I'm not sure, but that's Orchid from the seventh Killer Instinct tournament, isn't it?" Karen asked.
           Thunder nodded. "By God, what's happened to her?"
           "She's like a child!" President Harrison said.
           Karen looked back in the room. "She was like that when I found her."

           "I'd need more time to do a proper diagnosis, but from what I've seen and heard, I believe Ms. Orchid is suffering from acute versions of post-trauma disorder and a severe anxiety attack. At least."
           Back in the conference room, Thunder, President Harrison, and Karen had resumed their previous seats. They were now joined by a psychiatrist, Dr. Kimms, Lt. Preston, and Jago. Jago sat with his chin in his hands, staring down.
           "At least?" Thunder said.
           "Well, this is just my guess based on what you and Mr. Jago told me, as well as the little information I was able to get from the patient," Dr. Kimms said. "She'd seemingly regressed to the mentality of a small child, which is sometimes common for those suffering from post-trauma disorder. But there were also times when she was in her regular persona, but she still seemed to be suffering from hallucinations. I do believe there's more there, but in order to get into it, that'd take a lot of observation."
           "Okay, so then what can we do for her?" President Harrison asked. "This woman is fairly important to our current situation, so the sooner we can get her stabilized…"
           "I'm afraid that's not possible." Dr. Kimms interrupted. "This woman has got some serious psychological issues, rooting back to a severe traumatic childhood experience, and a particularly rough life. There is no quick fix to her problems. It'll take years of deep, intensive counseling and medication to even get started, and even then there's no promise she'll ever be one hundred percent."
           "So basically, there's nothing we can do for her now?" Thunder asked.
           "I can give her some medications to help sedate her and possibly keep the hallucinations under control, but aside from that…I'm very sorry."
           There was a moment of silence as the doctor's words hit everyone. Jago's head seemed to drop even lower.
           "Thank you for your time Dr. Kimms," President Harrison said. "Mr. Anderson, please escort the doctor back to his clinic." A man in a suit approached and led Dr. Kimms away. President Harrison waited until he was clearly out of earshot before talking again.
           "Well, this is certainly bad."
           "With everything she's been through, I can't say I'm surprised," Thunder said, "but it's still a hell of a thing to happen. Especially now."
           President Harrison ran her hands through her hair. "No kidding. But I think we can manage. I'm going to need all of you to step up and fill the roles that Orchid did. Karen, you are our leading authority on Fulgore and Ultratech technologies. We need you to come up with something that'll let us fight them."
           Karen nodded. "I'll do my best."
           "Lt. Preston, you're one of a few people to see these things in action and actually live to talk about it. I'll be relying on you help coordinate our attack strategies once we have something we can throw at them."
           "Yes ma'am!" Lt. Preston said as he straightened himself.
           "Jago, you're one of the few people left who can actually fight these things. I remember Orchid saying before that hand-to-hand combat was our best chance. If it comes to that…well…you know what to do."
           Jago weakly nodded, never looking up.
           "And Thunder," she placed a hand on the table in front of him, "Thunder, continue keeping me sane. Okay, that's all. It's been one hell of a day so far, so let's take thirty and meet back here." President Harrison stood up and left the room. Lt. Preston and Karen followed suit.
           Thunder looked at Jago, who hadn't moved. "Hey, Jago. I'm not gonna bother asking if you're okay, cause that's a stupid question, but…"
           Jago breathed deeply. "Is there really nothing we can do for her?"
           "Well…I'm sure there are treatments she can get, and medications that'll help calm her. It's a bit difficult now, but once this is all over-"
           "If we're still alive."
           It was a harsh sentiment, but Thunder couldn't refute it.
           Jago continued to look down. "I saw her…saw her before she…yeah. Actually, she came to find me. Wanted to know what was wrong with me. I finally asked her about Julie."
           Thunder's eyes widened. He could almost guess the nature of what was to follow.
           "She finally admitted what happened," Jago continued. "She told me that three years ago, she let Julie die. She let her die because she didn't like her. I knew Orchid wasn't a saint, and had done some…regrettable things in her past. But this? I couldn't believe it. I was angry. I told her about me and Julie. I was short with her."
           "So you feel like this is your fault?"
           "After that doctor saw Orchid, he talked to me a bit again. He tried to assume me that what happened was the result of years upon years of buildup, and I was no way responsible. I know that, in a sense, but I can't help but feel like I'm still the trigger."
           Thunder wanted to say something, but nothing, no possible combination of words, seemed right.
           "Not only that," Jago said, "but I still feel angry at her for what she did. But now I can't be angry at her because she's crazy. And that makes me more angry that I can't be angry at her. It's all messed up, and I'm a terrible person."
           "Now, you know that's not true."
           Jago just shook his head. Thunder made a motion to put a hand on his shoulder, but before he could Jago stood up and quickly left the room. Thunder withdrew his hand and ran it across his head instead. Thunder had known his own share of problems, with his family's difficulties on the reservation, and his brother's death in trying to help. But what Orchid and Jago were dealing with, Thunder couldn't even begin to imagine.
           And then there was still the small matter of Azrael.

           White. Pure, unbroken white.
           Orchid lay on her back on a small bed in an undecorated room. She stared up at the ceiling.
           "It's so white." She thought. "Do they clean it? Does it ever get dirty?"

           Are you just going to stay here?

           "What do you mean?"

           You know they're just going to keep you here. Locked up.

           "I like it here. The ceiling is pretty."

           He's still out there. Alive.

           "Oh yeah. Him. That's a problem."

           Every second he lives mocks your existence.

           "I don't like him."

           So, what are you going to do about it?

           "What can I do?"

           Are you forgetting who you are, Agent Orchid?

           Orchid sat up. "Yes. Yes! That's right, I'm an agent, aren't I? I can't stay here."

           You know they'll just keep you locked up.

           "That doesn't work. I have to go. I have to get to Him."

           You need to fix yourself first.

           "Where? Where can I go?"

           Anywhere but here.

           Orchid stood. "I need to get out of here." She knew there were at least two guards outside the door. She also figured it was locked. She looked around; the room was pretty bare, and even the air vents had been bolted down.
           "Looks like they're keeping a crazy person here." She mused to herself. "Well, sometimes I guess you gotta go back to the basics."

           Two military guards stood outside of Orchid's door. Both men, in their mid-twenties.
           "You gotta ask yourself," the first guard said, "what you life has come to when you have to keep armed guard outside some nutty chick's room."
           "Have you seen who we're guarding?" The second guard said. "That chick's hot!"
           "Yeah, and? What are we going to do about that?"
           "You know they say crazy chicks are the best in bed."
           "Yeah, and? What does that change?"
           "Just saying, is all."
           "I need to take you out more. I know a good place, I'll take you when-"
           The soldiers were interrupted by the sound of Orchid pounding on the door.
           "Hey!" She screamed. "Who do you think I am?! Do you think I'm crazy?! Let me out of here! C'mon, let me out!"
           The second guard smiled. "I see what you mean. A little too loud for my tastes."
           "Let me out! Let me out now!" The pounding on the door got louder and heavier.
           "Sounds like she's just throwing herself up against it now." The first guard observed.
           "She's gonna hurt herself at this rate." The second said.
           "Let me out!" There was a loud shriek, followed by a very heavy thud, then silence. The two guards exchanged looks.
           "That sounded kinda serious." The second guard said.
           The first guard looked at the door hard for a moment. He drew the door keys from his pocket, and his gun. "Okay, I'm going in. You stay back and out of sight, just in case."
           "Right." The second guard pulled his gun as well.
           The first guard waited a moment, then kicked down the door and rushed in with his gun. He looked around rapidly, preparing himself for a surprise attack. He then looked down to see Orchid crumpled up in a heap on the floor. The guard kept his gun trained on Orchid, slowly approaching her. Still keeping his distance, he kicked her softly once or twice for a reaction. Upon getting no response, he cautiously dropped to one knee and checked Orchid.
           "Man, I think she really KO'ed herself." The first guard called out. "She's completely out."
           The second guard holstered his gun, and entered the room. "Sounded like she just threw herself into the door. I thought it was going to break in half."
           Orchid sat up suddenly. Before the first guard realized what was going on, Orchid grabbed the hand holding the gun and jerked him off-balance. She then spun around on her back, elevated her legs, and hit him in the neck hard with her right shin. The guard was knocked out instantly.
           The second guard saw what happened and reacted quickly. He pulled his gun from his holster and prepared to shoot. Despite his fast reaction, Orchid was still faster. In the same motion she used to kick the first guard, she planted her right leg and stood up. Still using her momentum, she spun around and charged the second guard, diving into him before he could shoot. She tacked him to the ground. They hit the ground, and Orchid immediately folded her right arm and smashed her forearm into the soldier's neck. He gasped for breath violently. She gave him just a moment to desperately inhale enough air not to die, then buried her forearm in the side of his head, knocking him out as well.
           Orchid was on her feet quickly. She dragged the second guard in the room and pushed the door almost to close. She immediately took both their pistols, and set them on her bed. She then studied both soldiers, deciding who was closer to her size. Deciding on the right guard, she began to undress him.

           A few minutes later, Orchid was quickly walking down the hallways of the Operations Center, wearing the uniform of the second guard. It was several sizes too big for her, but she'd pulled at it in enough places to at least make it look passable. She'd tied her hair and stuffed it in her hat that she'd pulled down low. She walked briskly, ignoring others and keeping her head down.
           Orchid eventually turned down a hallway that lead to a hangar. She walked in quickly. Inside, there were many military vehicles; jeep, trucks, cargo trucks, helicopters, and jet planes. Orchid quickly surveyed the helicopters and jet planes.

           These look like fun. Let's play!

           "Not now, damn you." Orchid concentrated hard in order to keep her focus. "Now, which one, which one. Ah, that one! Goes farther."
           Orchid marched directly to an F-15 fighter jet. Just visible from the ground, there was a soldier inside the cockpit, hard at work on something under the controls. Orchid pulled the pistol from her holster and climbed up the service ladder.
           The soldier, noticing someone having come, poked his head up from under the controls, to suddenly find himself staring down the barrel of a pistol.
           "You have three seconds to decide if guarding this jet is worth your life." Orchid said flatly. She cocked the gun. "One."
           The soldier looked confused, but seemed to understand Orchid's intent perfectly. He put up his hands and backed away. With Orchid still standing on the service ladder, he climbed out of the cockpit from the other side, and jumped down. Orchid entered the cockpit, de-attached the service ladder, and strapped herself in.
           "Okay, I did this once before. Just, concentrate." She looked at the vast array of controls before her. She punched in a specific sequence of buttons, and everything lit up.

           Oh, pretty! Ooh, press that one.
           Shut up you! Not now.

           Some more buttons later, and the jet was powered up and ready to go. This attracted the attention of some soldiers, but Orchid paid them no attention as she rolled the jet out of the hanger and onto the short runway that had been constructed.
           "Need to take care of this now." As the soldier had been working on the controls just moments before, the panel had not yet been properly shut. She opened it, reached around, and ripped out some wires, and a few devices. A buzzer sounded in the cockpit, but Orchid ripped some more wires out and it was silenced. She threw it all out of the cockpit, and then closed the canopy.

           Well, I suppose there's only one place you can go, is there?

           Orchid took a deep breath, and then grabbed the yoke. A few moments later, she taxied down the runaway and took off, rapidly flying away.