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Book Seven

Ultratech Corporation:  East Wing Hallway

         Julie marched down the hallway, with a purpose.  This morning, she rolled out of bed, and dragged herself to a mirror, uncertain.  She took a shower and got dressed, uncertain.  She threw on a sweater, teleported out of the building, and grabbed a quick breakfast, uncertain.  She returned, and threw herself back on her bed, uncertain.  Only in the hour that followed did she reach a conclusion.  Actually, she had been leaning that way almost from the start, but then she confirmed it.  There was only one path she could possibly take.
         A quarantine barrier stood in Julie’s way.  She teleported through it, mindlessly.  She was beginning to get the hang of what it was like to be a Fulgore cyborg.  In some ways, she still felt like she was in a dream.  A cruel dream, one in which she wasn’t allowed to escape.  But she knew that this was, in fact, reality.  And what she was about to do would make this a whole lot more real.
         Julie stopped in front of a door leading to another Personal Office.  This one, however, belonged to someone.  Julie recognized the name, but she couldn’t remember where – Dr. Andrew Parkins.  She took a deep breath, and exhaled forcefully.  She pressed the button on the right side of the door, and it slid open quickly.  Julie took another breath, and then entered the room.
         This office was different from the other ones she’d seen.  Any and all aesthetics had been removed, to be replaced by technical specifications, drawing boards, and circuit maps.  There were at three different computers in the room, one on the desk near the back and two along the walls.  The desk had a mess of papers on the desktop and the floor around it.  There were also a few workbenches along the side of the walls, with an assortment of small machines and electronics on it.  The most notable thing about the room was that it was filled with classical music.  Julie had never heard it before, but thanks to the cybernetic enhancements to her brain, she knew it to be a piece called Air on Strings in G, by Johann Sebastian Bach.
         The other most notable thing about the room was the painting in the center.  It was a breathtaking scene of a sunset over a golden brown cliff.  It was also painting itself.  A brush rose by itself from the canvas, dipped itself into an orangish-red paint pool on a floating easel, then made it’s way over to the paining and added a few strokes to the sky around the sun.  A couple of feet away from the paining, Azrael stood.  He had his arms crossed and his head bowed, while he kept his eyes on the painting.
         Julie approached him slowly.  She could feel a plasma field coming from him.  “I didn’t know you were a painter.”
         Azrael batted an eye towards her.  “I’m not.  This is just an exercise for me to refine control over my plasma fields.”
         Julie took a look at the painting.  “It’s beautiful.”
         At the canvas, the brush and easel slowly made their way down to the floor.  When they hit the ground, Azrael looked up, and turned to Julie.  He could figure out the nature of Julie’s visit, but he didn’t want to pressure her.  He figured he’d play it ignorant at first.  “Is there anything I can do for you?”
         “Actually…I…I came to tell you…I’ve made a decision.”
         Azrael raised an eye.  “Is that so?”
         “Yeah…”  Julie waited for Azrael to ask her what her decision was, but it became apparent that he wasn’t going to do so.  She’d have to do this the hard way.  “Well, I decided…uh…I’ve decided to join you.”
         Azrael smiled.  “Excellent!  I assure you, you’ve made the right choice.  I knew you were a smart girl.”
         “Yeah…sure.  So, what is it exactly you want me to do for you?”
         “Nothing, really.  You don’t even have to fight in the war if you don’t want to.  What I do need from you is advice, and perhaps a few favors every now and then.”
         “Favors?  Wait a minute, you didn’t mention favors before.”
         “It’s nothing, I assure you.  Understand that with the powers I have given you, you will be stronger than every other Fulgore made, with the exception of Fulgore-X and myself of course.  Therefore, there will be tasks that I’ll need to have completed, that I won’t want to entrust to anyone else other than you and Fulgore-X.  As I said, it’s nothing to worry about.
         Julie shifted her eyes.  “I guess.”
         “But mainly, I’ll need advice from you.  You will serve as my strategist, advising me on the best course of action that I should take.  And you will give me valuable insight on my enemy.  As a matter of fact, I need some right now.  Please, have a seat.”  Azrael made his way over to the messy desk, stopping only a few feet away.  The papers began to slowly rise from the desk, arranging themselves.  A desk drawer opened up, and the papers dropped themselves inside.
         “I apologize for the mess.”  Azrael said as he sat down.  “But then again, this isn’t even my office.  Come to think of it, I don’t have an office yet.”
         Julie sat down on the desk, ignoring the chair on the other side of the desk.  “So, what do you need from me?”
         Azrael reclined in the chair.  “Well, as I said before, I’m ready to start mass producing Fulgore cyborgs.  However, I’m unsure how to proceed.  After your attack, Orchid is probably very suspicious about Ultratech.  She’s a very resourceful person, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she knows everything by now.”
         Julie looked away.  “You know, I guess my little attack kinda screwed things up for you.  I’m sorry about that.”
         Azrael raised a hand.  “It’s okay.  Things have been altered somewhat, but I can handle it.”
         Julie sighed.  “So, what do you need from me?”
         “Yes, as I was saying, I don’t quite know how to deal with the humans.  We should assume that Orchid knows everything at this point.  As a former Agent, what do you think she would do, and how should I respond?”
         Julie thought about it for a moment.  “Let’s see…with the quarantine barriers up, no one can get inside of Ultratech, right?”
         “That is correct.”
         “So, it’s not like they can try to send a few Agents in here to clean things up.  They’d probably want to make a military strike, but this place is in the middle of the city, there’s no way they can do anything like that.  Would they call…no…they wouldn’t…but I guess, the extermination of mankind is about the most serious situation you can get.”
         “What are you talking about?”  Azrael asked.
         “It’s an Organization protocol.”  Julie said.  “The Wildcard.  I don’t know if they’d call it, but I don’t see them having any other choice on this.”
         “What is the Wildcard?”
         “Hmm.  In a nutshell, Orchid would be given total control over this country.”
         Azrael’s eyes widened.  “That is a frightening thought.”
         “No kidding.  The thing is, the Organization would be exposed in calling the Wildcard.  But I guess they’d have to, for a situation like this.”
         “Okay, so the Organization calls the Wildcard, and Orchid is given control of the United States of America.  Then what?”
         Julie looked up.  She thought about it a great deal.  “The only thing I can think of is the evacuation of the area.  They’d have to have room to work, and all the civilians would only get in the way.  Plus, they’d probably want to move in specialists, as well as the military and anyone else they can think of.  That’s what I’d do at least.”
         “Specialists?  I don’t like the sound of that.”
         “You shouldn’t.  You wouldn’t even have room to breathe.”
         “Right.  Then, what should I do to counter that?”
         “Hmm.”  Julie thought about the issue some more.  “You want space, so you can do as you please, right?”
         “Yes.”
         “Then, I’d say you either call for the evacuation of the entire city, or move your operation.”
         “Moving isn’t an option.”
         “Then, you’re going to have to evacuate the city.”
         “All of New York?”
         “Yes.”
         “Hmm.”  Azrael pitched forward in his chair.  “You know, that’s exactly what I was thinking.  It shows we think alike, Julie.  After the city has been cleared out, I could ensure that no humans could re-enter the city, very easily.  That would be ideal.”
         “Of course, clearing everyone out won’t be easy.  How big is New York City these days?”
         “Hmm…some eight million strong or so.  How long would it take to completely evacuate the city?”
         “Well…let’s say…two weeks?”
         “Two weeks?  No no no, that simply won’t do.  Two weeks is a rather generous estimate, I think.  Tell me, if they really put their minds to it, how long would it take to evacuate the city?”
         “Put their minds to it, huh?  Well, I guess if conditions were ideal, and you were moving people out almost constantly, you could cut it down to a week.”
         “A week?  Seven days?  Still highly unacceptable.”
         Julie’s eyes widened.  “Seven days, unacceptable?  For eight million people?  What are you thinking?”
         “I’m thinking that humans, at a first glance, are a docile, pathetic form of life.  However, when put to the test, they will find ways to overcome.  Do you see the scar across my right eye?  That is testament to their ability to adapt.  Therefore, I want you to give me an estimate that is highly improbable, but not impossible.”
         Julie looked at him sideways.  “Improbable, but not impossible?  Huh.  Well, then, what about…six days?”
         Azrael stared off into the distance for a moment.  “What about…four days?”
         “Four days?  That is very, very improbable.”
         “But is it possible?”
         “Well, there are a lot of things you have to take into consideration here.  I mean, they’d have to inform everyone first, then they’d have to coordinate their efforts, and then bring the transports in and out of the city.  Not to mention how hard it is to get a large group of people moving and working together…”
         “But, is it possible?”
         Julie hesitated.  “It is possible.  But not by very much.  In all reality, they probably wouldn’t make it.”
         Azrael’s eyes narrowed.  “Perfect.”
         Julie was starting to get worried.  “But, if they don’t make the deadline, then what will you do?”
         Azrael smiled.  “You’ll see.  Right now, save a select few, no one really knows who I am or what I’m capable of.  No matter what Orchid may say, I doubt very many people will believe her.  Therefore, this evacuation will serve as an announcement of my existence to the world.  If the humans do not make the deadline, then that will mean that they weren’t trying very hard, and they doubt my abilities.  So, if they do not make it, I will show them just how talented I really am.”
         Julie frowned.  She didn’t like the sound of that.  But then again, Azrael’s plans called for the death of every human on Earth.  That meant that some people would get killed sooner or later.  Actually, that meant that all people would get killed sooner or later.  She’d just have to accept that fact, having now sided with Azrael.
         Azrael stood up.  “Well then, I guess it’s time to reveal myself to the humans.”  He looked down at himself.  “But not like this.  I’m a mess.”  He was referring to his robes, which he had borrowed from the Tiger Shrine.  Aside from being plain, he had gotten them filthy while working on the Mass Production Unit.  They were stained with streaks of oil, dirt, and all kinds of grime.  First impressions meant a lot, and he sure didn’t want to blow this one.  Something…appropriate…would be needed.  Azrael started to leave the room.
         “Wait!”  Julie called out.  “Where are you going?”
         “To make myself presentable.”  Azrael responded, never looking back at her.  “And after that, I shall pay my adversaries a little visit.  I do believe the time has come.”
 

Washington, D.C.
The White House

         “Going to meet the President of the United States of America.  I would have never imagined.”  Chief Thunder said to himself.  Jago, Orchid, and himself stood at the end of a long and narrow hallway, looking out a thin window.  He was wearing a blue wool sweater with a black stripe in the middle and white lining around the collar and sleeve cuffs.  He was also wearing a black pair of slacks.  Jago wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans, with a three-quarters length black leather jacket.  Orchid was wearing a white tank top underneath a short, black baseball jersey, with no team logos.  She also wore a form-fitting pair of dark blue jeans.  Thunder thought that their attire was perhaps a little too casual, considering who they were going to go meet.  But, given the current situation, perhaps protocol was one of the last things they were worried about.
         Thunder had received the phone call this morning, shortly before leaving for work.  The news was shocking, to say the least.  Orchid had kept her message simple.  Fulgore 2 and Fulgore-X were alive, and working with a former Organization agent.  They were the ones responsible for the quarantine barriers that had fallen within Ultratech.  They had also built a machine, that looked like it would be able to mass-produce Fulgore cyborgs.  Orchid told him to meet her and Jago in front of Ultratech, and she would fill him in on more from there.  Twenty minutes later, when the initial shock subsided, Thunder was actually able to leave his apartment and head down to Ultratech.
         From there, Orchid took them to a strange building, and a meeting with a man on a darkened floor who hid behind a desk and a chair.  He didn’t have much to say.  He gave Orchid some information, and a small file that Orchid currently carried with her.  From there, they went up to the rooftop, where a helicopter was waiting for them.  Jago managed to explain to Thunder that the man they encountered was actually the head of the Organization.  A protocol called the Wildcard had been called, with Orchid at the middle.  Jago wasn’t too sure what it was all about, but it involved Orchid exposing herself to the President in order to gain the support of the US government and military.
         And now, they were here.  Inside of the White House.  The White House.  And they were about to barge in on the President, without even making an appointment.  Thunder never dreamed he’d be ever be in a position like this.  It was like so many movies and novels he’d read.  Now, this was an event that was happening in his life.
         But, there were bigger matters at hand.  Fulgore 2 was alive.  Thunder had never met him, personally, but from what he heard, this was one bad Fulgore cyborg.  His being alive spelled nothing but trouble for all of humanity.  To make matters worse, Fulgore-X, probably the most powerful force the world has ever seen, was alive and working with him.  And there was one final complication; a nagging suspicion as to how Fulgore 2 was resurrected.  It was only a theory, a wild guess at best, but if it were true…Thunder could never forgive himself.
         A short man in a well-tailored suit walked up to them.  He had short, red hair, and he was wearing sunglasses.  He looked as if he belonged to the Secret Service.  “I’m sorry folks,” he said, “this is a restricted area.  Have you been separated from your tour group?  It’s real easy to get lost around here, ya know.”
         Orchid examined him thoroughly.  “No, I was just checking out this place, trying to figure out the best place to put the bombs.”
         Jago and Thunder turned to her.  “Orchid!  Have you lost your mind?!”  Thunder asked.
         The short man smiled.  “Ah, you must be them.  And you are the legendary Agent Orchid I’ve heard so much about.  My name’s Seifer.  Agent Seifer.”
         Thunder sighed in relief.  “Oh, he’s an Agent.”  He thought.
         “Is everything ready?”  Orchid asked.
         “Yes Ma’am.  Follow me please, and try not to stand out…”  Agent Seifer began to walk away.  Orchid, Jago, and Thunder followed suit.  “You know,” Seifer continued, “we had to pull almost every string we had here.  I swear, it’s these domestic missions that are the worst.  But anyway, the President, along with some secretaries and chiefs of staff are in the Oval Office right now.  It’s supposed to be a meeting, but they’re mostly just having breakfast and watching TV.  Your tax dollars hard at work.  For the next five minutes, the FBI, CIA, standard security, and the Secret Service’ll be detained for a while.  You’ll have that time to get done what you need to do.  Past that…and you’re on your own.  So make sure you do what you have to within that five minutes.”
         “Got it.”  Orchid said flatly.
         “And, I take it you already dumped your weapons at the designated point?”
         “Yeah…we’ll get them back, right?”
         “Hey, don’t worry about it.  I’m sure our people have already picked them up, and they’re waiting for you somewhere safe.”
         “Good.”
         Agent Seifer stopped in front of a large pair of doors.  “Well, this is it.  They’re right in there.”
         Orchid stopped in front of the door, and exhaled heavily.  “Thank you…for your help.”
         “Hey, no sweat.  And, I just wanna say, good luck.  For all of us.”
         Orchid threw a glance his way.  Seifer made a slight bow, then turned and left.
         Orchid looked back at Jago and Thunder.  “I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to convince the President.  We could get arrested and jailed for the rest of our lives, possibly even killed.  You don’t have to be here for this.  If you leave now, I’ll understand.”
         Jago shook his head.  “No way, we’re in this together, from beginning to end.”
         “Yeah.”  Thunder agreed.  “No backing out now.”
         Orchid flashed a very, very brief half-smile.  She put her hands on the door handles.  “Well, here goes…”
 

Inside the Oval Office

        “Mommy!  Mommy!  Are you gonna watch it with me?”
         A little girl wearing a purple nightgown was sitting on the lap of a woman, seated behind the big desk near the back of the room.  She was Patricia Harrison, President of the United States of America.  She had short, brown hair, which curled near her shoulders.  She had long, average sized eyebrows, also brown, and rounded brown eyes as well.  She had a somewhat long but narrow nose, and thin, pale lips.  She was in her late forties to early fifties, as wrinkles were beginning to appear around her lips and neck.  She was wearing a large white t-shirt, with a green pair of pajama pants with gray stripes.  The little girl sitting on her lap was her daughter, Rosemarie.  She had light brown hair, and big green eyes.
         “Maybe later, Squirt.”  President Harrison said.  “Mommy’s got some things to take care of first.”
         Rosemarie jumped down off her mother’s lap and ran off, exiting through a door off to the side.
         The room was filled with four other men, all dressed in black suits.  One was the Secretary of Defense, a man named Kurt Skinner.  He was tall and thin, with gray hair, accented with black streaks.  He had somewhat beady blue eyes, with wrinkles scattered about his face.  He stood next to the President’s desk.  Another was the Attorney General, an African-American man named John Erickson.  He had short, curly black hair, and a very long face.  He had soft brown eyes, which almost looked green given the right light and angle.  He was standing by the window on the other side of the President’s desk.  The third man was the Secretary of State, a man named Danny McTaggert.  He was a dashing young Irish man who was quite popular with women.  He had short red hair, which he pulled back on his head.  He had thin, green eyes, a thin nose, and square jaw.  He sat on the arm of the couch in the center of the room.  The last man was Fred Stevenson, one of the President’s aides.  He was a short, round man.  He had light brown hair, which was thinning on the top, and glasses that hung off his nose.
         President Harrison ran her hands through her still uncombed hair.  “Must we do this now?”  She said, sluggishly.  “It’s so early, and I just got back from Russia.  Not to mention Squirt wants me to watch that show with her.  Can’t it wait?”
         “This country doesn’t stop on account of Dragonball Z.”  Secretary Skinner said.  “We have things to do.”
         “Aw, for the love of God.”  Erickson said.  “Cut her a break.  This has been a busy month for her.  Besides, I don’t want to go through that paperwork anymore than she does.  You know this can wait until next Monday Kurt.”
         “We all have weekend plans.”  Skinner said.  “But, you’d enjoy them so much better if we didn’t have this hanging over our heads.”
         “Speak for yourself.”  Stevenson said.  “Out there on the lake, those papers will be the last thing on my mind.”
         President Harrison laughed.  “You boys and your fishing.  I could never understand the appeal of sitting in the middle of the lake, just waiting for a fish to bite your hook.”
         “That’s just it.”  McTaggert told her.  “With the rush of our everyday lives, nothing beats sitting out on that lake, with not a care in the world, and nothing to bother you.”
         “You know, when you put it that way…”  President Harrison smiled.
         “Save you a seat on the boat?”  Stevenson asked.
         “Not just yet.  Rosemarie and I are going to Disneyland.”
         “That reminds me.”  Skinner piped up.  “We have to discuss the security arrangements for your trip.”
         The other three groaned.
         “So Trish,” Erickson started, “when is Skinner’s vacation, anyway?”
         “Real soon, if I can help it.”  The President gave Skinner a nudge with her elbow.
         Suddenly, the doors flew open, and Orchid rushed in, with Chief Thunder and Jago behind her.
         “What the hell!”  Erickson exclaimed.  “Who are these people?”
         Erickson, Stevenson, McTaggert, and President Harrison stood up quickly, surprised.  Skinner hit a button underneath the President’s desk, which would summon security.  Quickly, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a gun.  He aimed it directly at Orchid’s head.  “I don’t know how you got past security, but you’re not going any farther!”
         Orchid stopped, and raised her hands in the air.  “Stay cool.  I’m not here to hurt or kill anyone.”  She turned to the President.  “President Harrison, we need to talk, now.  I have urgent news.”
         “You have nothing!”  Skinner ran around from the desk, and put the gun directly to her head.  “On your knees, now!”
         Orchid gave him a brief look, then continued to the President.  “President Harrison, you have to listen to me.  I’m evoking Protocol Wildcard, security code Alpha Gamma Delta Six Nine One Zero One Nine Five.”
         President Harrison’s eyes widened.  “What did you say?  Would you repeat that for me please?”
         “Patricia?”  Skinner questioned.
         “What’s going on?”  Erickson asked.
         “Protocol Wildcard, security code Alpha Gamma Delta Six Nine One Zero One Nine Five.”  Orchid repeated calmly.
         “My God.”  President Harrison sat down stunned.  “I can’t believe it.”
         “Patricia?”  Skinner asked.
         “Back off her, Kurt.”
         “What?”
         “I said back off her.”
         “But Ma’am.”
         “Did you not understand me?  Back off her!”
         Skinner gave Orchid a nasty look, then dropped his gun.  McTaggert eyed her nervously.
         “Trish?”  Erickson took a few steps towards the situation.  “Do you know what’s going on?”
         “The Wildcard.  I never thought…”  President Harrison said shakily.
         “Trish?”
         “Madam President.”  Orchid cut in.  “I don’t have much time before security gets here.  And this is urgent.”
         “Well then.”  The President said.  “I want more proof first.  I think I’m entitled to that.”
         “Yes Ma’am.”  Orchid reached into her case, and pulled out a folded document.  At the same time, President Harrison opened up a drawer on her desk.  She carelessly threw the papers that were inside out, then reached down and pulled out a false bottom.  She pulled out a similar, folded document.  Orchid gave her the document she had.  President Harrison flipped it over; it was closed with the golden Presidential seal.  This seal could not be duplicated or imitated in any way.  The document that was in her desk was also sealed with the special seal.
         “It looks pretty good.”  President Harrison said to herself.  “But then again, I don’t even know what’s in this document.”  She pulled a tool from another desk drawer, and used it to pry off the seal on the document she retrieved.  It was old, and the ink was faded.  It was handwritten, not reproduced.  It read –

Dear President;

         If you are reading this letter, then it means that this country, perhaps even the world, is in grave danger.
         The man who stands before you now is a member of a secret government agency.  This agency does not have a name, or a headquarters.  There is no charter document, or any other papers to prove it exists.  But I assure you, it does.
         I have found that America, as a country, is held to a higher standard than the rest of the world, both by its own peoples and those who view it.  Because of this, we are unable to get our hands a little dirty when the situation calls for it.  That is why I, and some members of my cabinet, have decided to create this agency, this Organization if you will.
         The men and women of this Organization work day after day, sacrificing their lives to protect the sanctity of this country and the world as a whole.  They do the things that America cannon publicly do, yet must be done to keep everything in perfect working order.
         It is not your place to question them, their reasons, or their methods.  I apologize for it, but by keeping you ignorant, you’re free from the moral obligation and responsibility of their deeds.
         If you are reading this document, it means that one of these Agents has had to use the Wildcard Protocol.  It is one protocol I have reserved just in case a situation so dire should arise, that they couldn’t handle it on their own.  It is imperative that you listen to what the young man before you has to say.  He has information that is vital to the continued survival of this great nation.  No matter how unlikely it sounds, no matter how radical it may seem, he speaks the truth.  Listen to him carefully, and do exactly what he says.  Anything otherwise would result in complete and utter disaster.
         Once again, if you are reading this letter, I apologize.  I wish you good luck in whatever crisis you are facing.  If the people of this great nation have voted you as President, then I’m sure that they are in good hands.

       Signed,
 

       Franklin Delano Roosevelt
       President, United States of America
       September 14, 1942
 

         The signature was real; definitely not forged.  President Harrison, somewhat outside of herself, opened the other letter, the one Orchid gave her.  It read the same thing, and was also signed.  The only difference was, at the bottom, it read “Organization Copy.”  She sighed heavily, then ran her hands over her face.  “I just can’t believe this.”
         Skinner, curious beyond restraint, wandered over to the President’s desk, and read the letter.  “Oh come on!”  He exclaimed.  “Surely you don’t believe any of this.”
         President Harrison gave him a look, then turned her attention to Orchid.  “Young Lady…do you have a name?”
         Orchid bowed her head.  “My name is Orchid.  Behind me is my brother Jago, and my friend Chief Thunder.  They are as much involved as I, and they have a right to be here.”
         “Well, then, Orchid.  What do you have to tell me?”
         “President Harrison!”  Skinner whined.  “Patricia!  You can’t be serious!  These people are terrorists, with well-forged documents!  We have to arrest them now!”
         McTaggert came up behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder.  “Kurt…I think we should listen to them.  They’re not armed, and this seems to be pretty important.”
         “Don’t tell me you buy into this garbage too!”  Skinner glanced over to Stevenson.  “And what about you?”
         Stevenson shook his head.  “Whatever this is, it’s way outta our league here.  I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”
         “This is ridiculous!”  Skinner threw up his hands in disgust.
         “To tell you the truth, I don’t quite believe this myself.”  President Harrison confessed.  “But, when you get sworn in as President of this country, there’s a lot more to it than a bible and a speech.  I remember…my predecessor…the night before the ceremony…he took me on a walk.  He was telling me about things I’d need to know.  Wildcard came up.”  She laughed to herself.   “I remember, in that country twang of his, he said told me about the document in the false bottom of the drawer.  He said he didn’t know what it was, and what it was meant for, but if it ever came up, I should follow its instructions to the letter.  That was what his predecessor told him, and all those before.  And now, I’m here.  With the Wildcard in front of me.”
         McTaggert made his way over to the President.  “Patricia, we’ve been friends for a long time, right?”
         She nodded at him.
         “And you trust me, right?”
         “Yeah…what are you getting at?”
         McTaggert closed his eyes, and sighed.  “You really have to listen to her.  If she is who she says she is, and I see no reason to believe otherwise at this point, she’s got vital information, and we have to do as she says.  I know this seems like a lot to take in right now, but it’s of the utmost importance.”
         Orchid gave him a surprised look.  “So you’re the one…”  She thought.
         “Danny…”  President Harrison said, “you know what’s going on, don’t you?”
         McTaggert looked away.  “No…not exactly.”
         “Madam President.”  Orchid cut in.  “We really don’t have the time…”
         “Okay, fine then.”  President Harrison sighed deeply.  “Against my better judgment, I’m going to take a leap of faith here.  What is it that you have to tell me?”
         Orchid reached into her case, and pulled out a packet of papers, stapled together.  “You are familiar with the Ultratech Corporation, right?”
         “Yes, they’re that technology company that most of the world uses…and hasn’t there been some rumors going around recently about them?”
         “Yes, there have.  Unfortunately, most of them were true.  The head of Ultratech, Robert Sheridan, was actually using the corporation to try and take over the world.  Since most of the world uses his technology, he figured that by controlling the technology, he could control the world.”
         “That’s awfully ambitious of him.  Although, I suppose it’s not that far from realistic.  Our own weapons use Ultratech made components.”
         “That’s exactly why Sheridan could have taken the world anytime he wanted to.  But, his problem would have been keeping it.  He needed an army, and since he didn’t have enough followers let alone soldiers, he decided to create them.  He cut a deal with the government – your very own government – who helped to finance and supply his plans.  Of course, the officials who helped him didn’t know his true intentions.  They thought that he was making super soldiers for the armed forces.”
         “That’s impossible!”  Skinned exclaimed.  “Who in our government would do something like that?”
         “I have the names.”  Orchid said flatly.   “But that’s not important now.  Anyway, Sheridan was able to start genetically producing super soldiers by starting off with a human base and going from there.  He created several promising mutants, but he needed a way to test their abilities before committing the time, effort, and resources to mass-produce them.  That’s why he made the Killer Instinct martial arts tournament.”
         “That’s it!”  Stevenson snapped his fingers.  “That’s where I know you from!  I thought you three looked familiar.  You’re Black Orchid.  You won KI7.  And of course, that must be Jago.  And you’re Chief Thunder as well.”
         “They’re all KI participants?”  President Harrison asked.
         “Yeah, I remember now.”  Erickson added.  “There was a big stink over KI7, because Orchid won.  Something about a fight that never happened, between Jago and some other fella.  So they held KI8, and that’s when we had that nuke touch down in New York.  I think they said it wasn’t a real nuke, and it was all a publicity stunt or something like that.  That same night, a New York city block disappeared.  I think they blamed it on a terrorist attack.  Luckily, no one got hurt.  I remember that tournament ended in controversy too, but I think they said something about that Fulgore-X guy winning.”
         “Right.”  Orchid reached into her case again, and pulled out another packet of papers.  She threw them on the President’s desk.  “Sheridan’s genetic mutations were getting him nowhere.  So he turned to cybernetics.  Meet the Fulgore Cyborg, a deadly race of warrior robots that Sheridan created.  They were programmed to resemble and act just like humans, right down to emotions and everything.  The exception is that they’re incredibly powerful.  They have tremendous fighting ability, and unbelievable power.  Believe me when I say that, weapons wise, we don’t have anything on this planet capable of destroying them.”
         “No way!”  Skinner said.  “With America’s great and technologically advanced army, there’s nothing we can’t destroy.”
         “Think again.”  Orchid told him.  “Basically, you could drop an ICBM on a Fulgore and it would do nothing.”
         “What!?”  Erickson exclaimed.  “I always thought that the Fulgores were just guys in robot suits.  Y’know, part of the whole Killer Instinct thing.”
         “I assure you, they’re quite real.”  Orchid said.  “My brother managed to defeat the first one, the one you saw in KI7.  But, there’s a lot of stuff that happened in between Killer Instincts 7 and 8 that no one knows about.”  Orchid pulled another packet from her case, and threw it on the desk.  “During that time, we encountered Fulgore 2, the most dangerous Fulgore created.  He was more powerful than the first, but that’s not the problem.  He was criminally insane, psychotic even.  He wanted to murder all of mankind, and build a Fulgore race in our place.”
         Skinner rolled his eyes.  “This sounds like a bad plot for a sci-fi movie.  I don’t believe any of this crap.”
         Orchid ignored him.  “My brother managed to destroy Fulgore 2 as well.  Or so we thought.  Unfortunately, last night we discovered that this Fulgore is still alive.  He is currently in the Ultratech building, and is using their resources to build…something.  I can’t say for certain, but I think it’s a machine to mass-produce Fulgores.  That can only mean that he’s still planning to murder all of humanity.”
         “So what?”  Skinner criticized.  “As fake as this is, even if it were true, how far could this Fulgore 2 get anyway?  All of humanity, you said?  There’s just no way.  You’re talking about, what, seven billion people?  No one on Earth could murder them all.”
         “Fulgore 2 could.”  Orchid said.  “As I said before, we don’t have a weapon on Earth that can stop him.  He could kill every single human by himself if he wanted to.  But, he doesn’t have to.  He has help.  Fulgore-X, whom you saw in KI8, is still alive, and is working with Fulgore 2.”
         “Fulgore-X?” Stevenson said.  “He’s a real cyborg too?”
         “Yes.”  Orchid responded.  “He was the one responsible for the destroyed New York city block.”
         “What?!”  President Harrison exclaimed.  “Are you kidding me?”
         “I’m afraid not.  Fulgore-X is by far more powerful than Fulgore 2.  Put together all of the nuclear power you share with Russia, and you don’t even match half of what Fulgore-X can do.”
         “That’s just not possible.”  Erickson said.  “More powerful than the mother lode of nuclear warheads?”
         “By far.”  Orchid continued.  “But, he is a little bit more mentally stable than Fulgore 2, so it’s unlikely that he’ll use that power.  But, he is on Fulgore 2’s side, and he is incredibly strong.  Also there is a former government…Agent…like myself.”
         “Like yourself?”  McTaggert asked.  “What do you mean?”
         Behind Orchid, Jago shifted uncomfortably.
         “I mean she used to be an Agent, of The Organization.”  Orchid explained.  “Her name is Julie.  She was one of us, and one of the best.  We thought she died three years ago, but she is alive and has allied herself with Fulgore 2.  How is this bad?  Well, she knows more about how the system works than you do.  She’s also an excellent combat strategist and tactics officer.  To make matters worse, it would seem that she has the powers of a Fulgore.”
         “I don’t understand.”  President Harrison stated.  “What does this all mean?”
         “It means that all of humanity is in danger.”  Orchid pulled one more file from her case, and tossed it on the desk.  “Right now, Fulgore 2 is planning to mass-produce Fulgores.  One Fulgore alone would be next to impossible to beat, but imagine an army of thousands…hundreds of thousands…millions even.  They would be impossible to defeat.  And they’re not going to stop until every last human is dead.  Before Fulgores start rolling off the assembly line, we need to destroy Fulgore 2, Fulgore-X, and Julie if necessary.  If we don’t…it will mean the end of humanity.”
         McTaggert felt his knees start to collapse.  As far-fetched as everything sounded, it just couldn’t be a lie or a scam.  The Organization isn’t careless, and they don’t play around.   “The end of humanity?  We can’t let that happen.  No way.”
         “I can’t believe this.”  Erickson said.  “Any of this.”
         “Give me a break.”  Skinner sighed.
         “Believe it or not, it’s real, and it’s happening.”  Orchid said.  “We need to take action now.  But first, there are innocent lives in danger.  We have to evacuate the area around Ultratech.  I say a five mile radius, but we need to prepare to clear out the whole city if necessary.”
         “Evacuate New York?”  Erickson asked.  “That’s a tall order.”
         “Not to mention a logistical nightmare.”  Stevenson said.
         “That doesn’t matter.”  Orchid stood firm.  “If you value the lives of the people living there, you’ll get them out of there.  It’s as simple as that.  Then, we need to move in the military, Agents like myself, and other specialists to apply pressure.  Maybe even go on the offensive if the opportunity presents itself.
         “You’re talking about this as if it were a war.”  President Harrison observed.
         “It is a war.”  Orchid said.  “Or rather, the makings of one.  Our goal here is to stop our enemies before the war starts.  And the only way to do that is to kill them.  Because if this war starts, we will lose.  That’s a guarantee.”
         An eerie silence fell over everyone, as the impact of Orchid’s words hit sharply.
         President Harrison ran her hands over her face.  “Maybe you’re just looking at the extremes.  I’m sure there are other options available to us.”
         Orchid shook her head.  “There aren’t.  Trust me, there aren’t.  We can go over all of this later.  Right now, our first priority is to evacuate the area surrounding Ultratech.  We have to get those people out of there as soon as we can.”
         “You should listen to her.”  A voice said, from behind everyone.  “She speaks the truth.”
         For those already facing that direction, President Harrison, Skinner, and McTaggert, a look of surprise and uncertainty spread across their faces.  For those remaining, they turned around quickly, and their eyes met upon the newest guest in the Oval Office.
         “Oh my God.”  Orchid gasped.
         “No!  Not him!”  Jago exclaimed.
         “Oh damn.”  Thunder whispered.
         A few feet behind the couch, Azrael appeared, by means of decloaking.  He no longer wore the robes of the Tiger Shrine.  Instead, he was wearing an Ultratech uniform.  Or, more appropriately, an old Killer Instinct jumpsuit, as it was red on the shoulders, sides of the arms, belt and boots, and gray everywhere else.  But mostly the long, flowing, maroon cape he wore covered his jumpsuit.  He wore it on his shoulders, and it had a high collar that came up to his chin level.  It covered him almost completely; the two ends were about two inches apart  in the middle of his chest.  At collarbone height, there were two, small, gold medallions fastened to both edges of the cape.  A gold chain connected the two medallions, and kept the cape together.
         “Please, don’t be alarmed.  I only wish to speak with you.”  Azrael said.
         Just then, the doors to the Oval Office busted open, and a team of military soldiers dressed in all black rushed in.  They carried US AR33 assault rifles, one of the deadliest weapons in existence.  They quickly surrounded Azrael, aiming their guns at his head.
         “Freeze!”  The soldier standing directly in front of Azrael said.  “Raise your hands and get down on your knees, now!  We will open fire if you do not comply!”
         “Damn, we ran out of time.”  Thunder thought.  “This is the security team that was meant for us.”
         Jago frowned.  “That’s not going to work.”  He thought.
         Azrael bowed his head.  “Pardon me, but I don’t like guns very much.  I’m going to have to ask you to put those away.  Otherwise, someone might get hurt.  And I assure you, it won’t be me.”
         The lead soldier took a step forward.  “This is your last warning!  On your knees, now!”
         “Put your guns away; that’s your last warning.”
         The soldier glared at him, then pulled the trigger on the rifle.  The loud whiffing of the gun echoed as about ten rounds were fired.
         However, they didn’t get very far.
         The bullets slowed down almost instantly out of the barrel of the gun, and came to a complete stop only three inches away from Azrael.
         “What in the world?”  President Harrison said.
         “Huh?”  Skinner said, watching with unbelieving eyes.
         “The hell?!”  Stevenson exclaimed.
         “What?”  Thunder said.
         “By the Tiger!”  Jago thought.  “Has he gotten new powers?”
         Azrael shook his head.  “Such an unnecessary waste.”  His cape parted, as his right hand emerged.  With a simple outward motion, the bullets shot backwards, hitting the soldier in the chest and killing him almost instantly.  He glanced at each and every one of the soldiers, individually.  “Well, anyone else?”
         Two more soldiers fired their weapons at Azrael; one behind him, and one to his left.  Same as before, they slowed down and stopped only two inches away.  Nearly the instant the bullets came to a complete stop, they shot backwards, killing both soldiers.  Afterwards, Azrael gave the remaining soldiers another look.  Some of them were shaking; all of them were breathing hard.
         Jago found himself breathing hard as well.  “Guns aren’t going to work against him!”  He thought.  “I just can’t believe that Fulgore 2 is here now.  Maybe I can attack him, get the jump on him.”
         Azrael smiled.  “Well, then.  Before I was interrupted, I was about to introduce myself.  You must be President Patricia Harrison.”  Azrael began walking towards the President’s desk.
         Skinner, like the soldiers, was confused and terrified.  Yet somehow, he managed to pull the gun out of his pocket that he was holding onto, ever since Orchid entered the room.  He brought it up and aimed it at Azrael.  His hands shook a bit.
         “Did we learn nothing from what just happened?”  Azrael asked.  “But, don’t let me stop you.  Go ahead, shoot me.  It will accomplish nothing, and you will end up dead for it, but if it makes you feel better about yourself, go for it.”
         “I can’t…I can’t let this…thing…get any closer to the President!”  Skinner thought.  He closed his eyes and fired three shots.  Immediately after doing so, he cursed himself for it.  He was sure that what happened to the other soldiers would happen to him.   Yet, after a few seconds, nothing had happened.  Cautiously, he opened both eyes slowly.  Skinner was surprised to say the least to find the three bullets he fired lined up in a row, only about an inch away from the barrel of his gun.  That is as far as they were able to travel.  Trembling, he looked up at the intruder.
         “You know, I just had a change of heart.”  Azrael said.  “You are the Secretary of Defense, aren’t you?  Well, if you die now, you won’t learn anything.”  He raised his right hand again, and this time, he motioned towards himself.  The bullets shot forward, towards Azrael, but veered away from him.  Each bullet zeroed in on one of the remaining soldiers, and sped towards their target.  Three more soldiers fell, dead before they hit the floor.
         Jago could watch no more.  Acting more on impulse than anything, he screamed and lunged at Azrael, with a punch.  Like the bullets, he could only get so far.  Unlike the bullets, he could feel what was happening.  It felt like the air suddenly became thick, incredibly so.  Almost as if he was lunging into peanut butter.  Jago tried to move in any direction, but he could not.  As if he were being restrained in all directions at the same time.
         Azrael batted an eye towards him.  “Well, hello Jago.  It’s been a while, hasn’t it?  But come now, you of all people should know better than to attack me from behind.”
         Jago then suddenly felt a force pushing on him from ahead.  He was thrown backwards, flying across the room.  He eventually crashed into a wall, and fell hard to the floor.
         “Jago!”  Thunder raced past Azrael, feeling the thickness of the air as he went.  He dashed over to Jago, quickly getting down to one knee.  “Jago, are you okay?”  Thunder asked.
         “Yeah…just a little stunned.”  Jago said groggily.  “I don’t remember him ever being able to do that.”
         Azrael looked back at them.  “Ah, Chief Thunder.  I’ve never met you in person before now, but it’s good to see you nonetheless.  I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
         Thunder gasped.  There was only one thing Azrael could’ve meant by that.  It was the one thing Thunder feared most.
         Azrael straightened himself.  There was one more familiar face to his right.  “Hello, Orchid.”  He said.
         Orchid’s lips dropped, and she shook slightly.  She was frozen.  She couldn’t move, she couldn’t speak, and she couldn’t do anything.  It was just like three thousand years ago.  The last time Orchid was this close to Fulgore 2…she couldn’t stop him…stop him from doing the worst thing he’s ever done.
         President Harrison was terrified.  She wanted more than anything to dive underneath her desk and hide until this intruder left.  But she couldn’t do that.  She had a job to do.  She swallowed hard and found the courage to speak.  “Wh…who are you?”
         Azrael smiled.  “I am Azrael, leader of the Fulgore Nation.”
         “Azrael?”  Jago thought.  “Is he calling himself Azrael now?”
         “Fulgores?”  President Harrison said.
         “Yes.”  Azrael looked down, at the information packets on the desk.  “I see you’ve been doing your homework.  Impressive.”
         “Well…Azrael…”  President Harrison stammered a bit.  “Why have you come here?”
         “Ah yes, down to business.  Well, let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I was assembled and activated in the city you know as New York.  Therefore, I consider it my home.  Right now, I have a problem with my home.  There are a number of uninvited guests currently staying with me.”
         “Wh…what do you mean?”
         “The human inhabitants of New York city.  They are inconvenient to me right now.”
         “Are you saying…you want me to evacuate the city?”
         “I’m giving you the opportunity to evacuate the city.  Ninety-six hours from now, I will begin to kill every human within the city limits, and I will not stop until no humans remain.”
         President Harrison’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.  She had to remain steady, and not give up any ground.  “I will not negotiate with terrorists.”
         “I am not a terrorist, and this is not a negotiation.  This is fair warning.  I am giving you the chance to save the lives of those people.  I want that city empty, and I promise you, it will be.  Out of fairness, I am giving you ninety-six hours to get your people out of there.  If you fail to do so within the allotted time, then I will empty the city myself, by killing everyone.”
         President Harrison blinked hard.  “Even if we do evacuate the city, ninety-six hours isn’t nearly enough time!  We’ll need a week at the very least, probably two.”
         Azrael narrowed his eyes.  “I beg to differ.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned about humans, it’s that you are a very resourceful people.  When necessary, you do find ways to rise to the occasion.  In reality, this is a test to see if you are taking me seriously.  If you are, then you will find a way to evacuate the city within the ninety-six hours, perhaps even with time to spare.  But, if you are not taking me seriously, then you will soon learn to.”  Azrael bowed his head, brought his right arm across his stomach, and bowed.  “I wish you luck, for whatever it’s worth.  Good day.”  Having said his parting words, he teleported away.
         The room was mind-numbingly silent.  No one moved nor dared to speak.  Azrael’s presence was that deafening.    The six dead soldiers testified to that.
         Orchid was still frozen in place.  With Azrael gone, it was easier for her to exist in this room.  “Ninety-six hours…to evacuate New York?”  She thought.  “That’s extremely improbable.  But not impossible.  Fulgore 2…or is it Azrael now?  He knows that.  This must be the role Julie is playing.  An expert on the enemy.”  Orchid was still badly shaken, but she couldn’t let that affect her.  There was much to be done, especially now.  She had a job to do.
         Orchid tossed her head about, trying to throw Azrael out of her mind.  “Allright people!”  She said loudly.  “Here’s what we have to do.  You!”  She pointed at one of the remaining soldiers.  “Call the paramedics and get these victims out of here.  Find out who these men were and contact their families immediately.  Tell them that these men were killed in action and nothing else.  You!”  She looked over at McTaggert.  “Get the mayor of New York City on the phone as soon as possible.  Tell him we need to evacuate the city within ninety-six hours, and we’re taking over so we can do it as quickly as possible.  You!”  Now, she directed her attention at Skinner.  “Mobilize all of the army, navy, and marine forces within New York, and all those in the state of New York, and even the ones in the neighboring states.  Have them get all their transport vehicles ready.  You!”  She pointed at Erickson.  “Shut down all of the roads, highways, freeways, subways, airports, train and bus stations in the city.  We’ll need to stop the panic before it starts, or we’ll never succeed.  If we don’t control the city, it’s over.  And you!”  Orchid looked at Stevenson.  “Begin working on a cover story to feed to the press.  You need to keep the media out of this as much as possible.  Also, work with Erickson to close down all means of commercial transport in New York City.  Nothing goes in or out unless we want it to.  In ten minutes, we’ll all meet to discuss specific strategies.  C’mon people, we don’t have any time to waste!  Minutes mean lives!”
         Skinner, McTaggert, Erickson, and Stevenson only looked around; first at each other, then at President Harrison.  Her eyes widened, then she took a deep breath, and prepared to take a tremendous leap of faith.
         “Do as she says!”  President Harrison said.  “We can’t afford to risk that many lives on our own suspicions!  Go on, do it!”
         The four men exchanged confused looks, and then ran off to perform their designated tasks.  The remaining soldiers cleared out as well, picking up their dead comrades as they left.
         Orchid turned around to Jago and Thunder.  “We’re going to need more help on this.  We need people who know about Fulgore cyborgs, even more so than we do.”
         “Ultratech scientists!”  Jago exclaimed.
         “Right!”  Orchid said.  “Most of them are centered in New York right now, so we need to get them before they scatter about the country.  We’ll need as many of them as possible, but you should start at the top and work you way down.”
         “Let’s see…” Jago mused, “Dr. Parkins is dead, so we can’t use him.  Who else was on that committee?”
         Thunder snapped his fingers.  “Dr. Connors!  Remember Karen?  She was second chair for the Fulgore project!  I think she even worked on all three!”
         “Perfect.”  Orchid said.  “You need to go get her as soon as possible.  Stay at least for the information meeting, but start getting ready to go back to New York.”
         Jago and Thunder nodded, then left the Oval Office as well, leaving only President Harrison and Orchid.  Orchid turned to the President.  “Madam President, I apologize for all of this.  I wish this wasn’t happening, but it is, and we have to deal with it.  I hope you’ll cooperate fully with us.”
         President Harrison shot her a look.  “You know, I don’t really know who you are.  For all I know, this is all staged.  I mean, how convenient is it that you come in here telling me to evacuate New York, then this Azrael characters appears asking for the exact same thing?  There’s a lot of things I just don’t know.  I’m only playing along for the moment because six men died within two minutes, and I can’t afford to risk eight million people on my own suspicions.”  She walked around her desk, and began to leave the room, but she stopped next to Orchid.  “But, even if you’re working with this Azrael or not, there’s a lot of questions you’ll have to answer to, once this is all over.  I promise you, I’ll get to the truth.”  She continued on and left the office, leaving Orchid all alone.
         Orchid stared forward, her eyes burning a hole in the ground.  “Once this all ends…we’d better hope we’re all still alive.”