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Book Nine

27 Years From Now
What Used to be New York City
Ultratech Corporation:  Main Entrance Lobby

         A faint, beeping noise could be heard echoing through the Lobby.  It was the only sign of existence, as the room was pitch black.  Suddenly, there was a soft explosion, which blew open the main doors, and letting the first little bit of sunlight into the building since a long time.  From the blown out door, Daniel, Jennifer, and Porter entered the building.  All three carried powerful, high beam flashlights.  Daniel had a long, black bag slung across his right shoulder, which carried the corpse the trio had found earlier in Times Square.
         Porter shined his flashlight around, examining the building.  “Man, what a dump.”  From what little could be seen through the beams of their flashlights, as well as the faint glow they provided, the building was in a bad shape.  A great deal of dust had been kicked up from the explosion, and was floating around like a layer of smoke.  Some light fixtures hung pathetically from the ceiling; others had long since crashed to the floor.  The once proud steel metal walls were bent and warped.  None of the computer terminals were online, and some of them had fallen out of the walls.  They were either on the floor, dangling by their wires from the walls, or partly exposed from the wall.  There were various pieces of debris scattered about on the floor, along with a nice coat of dirt and dust.
         “This used to be the most sophisticated building mankind has ever built.”  Daniel said.  “Just goes to show you how things are now.”  He wandered over to the center of the room, where the directory table was located.  Daniel used his left hand to try to clear some of the wreckage from the table.  Porter joined him, and helped to clean the table.  Jennifer shined her flashlight around in random different places, absorbing the scenery.  She eventually highlighted a portion of the left wall.  The Ultratech logo could barely be seen underneath, along with the company’s slogan underneath it – “Where The Dreams of Tomorrow Becomes Today’s Technology.”
         “Damn.”  Daniel exclaimed.  “I can’t read the directory unless it’s receiving power.  Porter, hand me one of the spare power cells please.”
         Porter did as asked, reaching into one of his pockets and pulling out a small, glowing blue rod.  Daniel took it, and opened up a panel underneath the table.  He inserted the power cell, and played around with some of the circuitry.  After a few moments, the top of the table flickered in multicolored lights.  A rough floor plan of the Ultratech building was displayed.  Porter and Jennifer joined Daniel around it.
         “So, where’re we headed?”  Porter asked.
         “Control Room.”  Daniel responded.  “Study this map well.  Memorize it.  Also, we’re gonna need to stop by the Reactor Room, and the MediLab.  But basically, familiarize yourself with everything.  Don’t worry about the personal offices or anything like that.”  There was silence for a few moments, as they studied the map.  “You know,” Daniel continued,  “I worked here one summer during my college days.  It’s kind of weird to be back.”
         “I think it’s weird to be here at all.”  Jennifer said.  “Ultratech.  The Ultratech.  This is, like, where everything started.  In this very building.”
         “More reason why we shouldn’t stay here for long.”  Porter said.  “I don’t think we’ve got a whole lotta time to work with.  We should get going.”
         “You’re right; let’s go.”  Daniel reacquired his grip on the black bag, then , lead by the light from his flashlight, he started down the hallway to the left.  Jennifer and Porter followed him.
         “Ya know,” Porter said, “Danny Boy, you still haven’t told us what we’re doing here.  Seems to me like we should finish the job we were given.  Then, we’ll deal with our little discovery.”
         Daniel half smiled.  “If all goes well, we won’t need to finish that job at all.”
         Porter gave him an odd look.  “Whatever.  I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
         They continued to walk silently down the hall.  Daniel lead, walking with what looked to be a purpose.  Porter followed mindlessly, while Jennifer trailed, looking around with every step.
         “Man, this is one creepy building.”  Porter said suddenly, breaking the silence.  “If I didn’t know this city was abandoned, I’d be pretty freaked out right now.”
         “It’d probably help if the lights were on.”  Daniel responded.  “Although, even with the lights, this was a pretty ominous place.”
         “I think it’s incredible.”  Jennifer said.
         Porter shot her a look.  “Really?”
         “Yes.  You see, don’t look at what it is now; try to picture what it used to be.  I can tell, this used to be a marvelous building.”
         “Yes, it was impressive.”  Daniel said.  “But it hasn’t held up well at all over the years.  All those seismic bombings must have taken its toll.”
         “At least we managed to destroy something with those.”  Porter said.  “I’m still trying to figure out why we’re here at all.  Unless you’re lookin’ for something.  I mean, I hope you don’t expect anything in this building to still be working.”
         “You never know.”  Daniel said.  “Don’t underestimate the durability of plasma.  If there’s just a little bit left, we may be able to get some power out of that.  We won’t need a whole lot.  And I’m hoping the computer systems will be somewhat accessible.  After all, Ultratech wasn’t a hack company.  Let’s see if its technology really was all that grand.”
         Porter rolled his eyes.  “I still wanna know what you’re up to.”
         They continued moving down the hallway, until coming up to an impasse.  The ceiling ahead had crashed down, and with it large chunks of raw steel, computer equipment, wires, and insulation.  The debris filled the hallway, from side to side and top to bottom.
         Daniel examined it with his flashlight.  “Hmm.  A roadblock.”
         “Can’t we just blast through it?”  Porter asked.
         “Let me see.”  Daniel reached into his shirt and pulled out his scanner.  He began to take readings of the debris, trying to figure out a possible course of action.  After the scanner displayed a set of figures to him, Daniel twisted his mouth, apparently displeased.
         “What’s up?”  Porter asked him.
         “Eh.  According to my readings, this debris continues down the hall for another fifty meters; and it’s just as thick, if not thicker.”
         “So we can’t get through.”
         “Right.  Additionally, I don’t think we’ll be able to get to the Control Room.  From what I can tell, that entire area is basically wrecked.  It won’t matter what path we take; they’ll all lead to dead ends.”
         “So now what?”
         Daniel turned around, away from the debris, now facing Porter and Jennifer.  “You know…come to think of it, I don’t think we actually need the Control Room.  I think everything can be done from the MediLab.  We’d just need the equipment, and the power.  Okay, we’re not out of business yet.  Porter?”
         “Yo.”
         “I need you to go down to the Reactor Room.”
         “Me?”
         “Yeah.”
         “Why?”
         “Try to restore power to the building.  Even if you can only get a fraction, that should be good enough.  Hopefully, the reactor is salvageable, and there’s still some active plasma left.  Also, see if you can get the computer systems back online.  Forget about functionality, just get them running for now.”
         “I don’t know if that’s at all possible.  Haven’t you seen this place?”
         “We have to try at least.”
         “I still don’t even know what you’re up to yet.”
         “I know, I know.  I’m sorry about that.  It’s just that, I’ve got a hunch, a nagging little gut feeling, a slim, slim possibility.  I want to check it out at least.  I don’t want to tell you about it yet, because if it’s impossible as I suspect, I don’t want to get your hopes up.  Either way, I will tell you what I’m thinking sooner or later.  But for now, can you please go down to the Reactor Room?”
         Porter sighed heavily.  “Fine fine, I’ll go.”
         Daniel smiled.  “Thank you, old friend.  I promise, this’ll all make sense soon, successful or not.   Oh, please keep your com channel open at all times so we can remain in contact.”
         “Huh?  Where are you going?”
         “Jennifer and I will take our friend here to the MediLab.  Then, we’ll gather the equipment if that’s possible.  When you get to the Reactor Room, take a look around and make a quick assessment of the situation.  Contact me and let me know what’s going on down there.
         “Yeah, sure.  Let’s see…the Reactor Room.  If I remember that directory right, I’ll need to go back down this hall, make…the…second?  The second right?
         “Yes, I think so.  Take that right, and that should lead you all the way down to the Reactor Room.”
         “All right then.  See ya later.”  Porter began to walk back down the hallway.  Daniel and Jennifer watched him leave in silence, as he eventually faded into the darkness, away from the dim light of their flashlight beams.
         Daniel turned to Jennifer.  “Are you ready, sweetheart?”
         She nodded.  “Yes Daddy, let’s go.”  She and Daniel began to walk back down the hallway as well.  After a few steps, Jennifer looked towards her father.  “Didn’t you say we were going to the MediLab?”
         “Yes.”
         “What exactly is that?”
         “Huh?  Oh.  It’s kind of like a sick bay for Ultratech.  You can think of it as a nurse’s office, or a small clinic.”
         “Oh, I see.”  Jennifer laughed to herself.  “I don’t think our friend here needs to go to a doctor right now.”
         Daniel smiled.  “You’re right about that.  But, I can’t think of a better place to put him for the moment.  I’m getting a bit tired of carrying him.  Plus, if Porter can get the computers online, I think some of the files I’m looking for are in the MediLab database.  After we go to the MediLab, we’re probably going to have to go to Research and Development as well.  If there’s any equipment we’ll need, I think we can bring it back to the MediLab and interface it with the systems there.  We can think of the MediLab as the new Control Room.”
         “Okay.”  Jennifer thought it over for a few moments to herself.  “Say Dad, how do you know all this stuff?  And where are you getting this mysterious idea from?”
         Daniel was silent for a few moments.  “After Final Judgment, a few years before you were born, we weren’t just preparing for the war.  The higher-ups were trying to think of other ways to either win the war, or stop it from happening all together.  Even after the cleansings started, they were still throwing around ideas and debating them.  None of it ever materialized into anything solid, but I guess word got out somehow about some of what was discussed.  Rumors mostly.  I’ve heard a few.  That’s what I’m making my assumptions on right now.  For all I know, the rumors I’ve heard aren’t even true.  But we’re here, and we have a chance to find out, so I say we might as well.
         “Fair enough.”  Jennifer said.  “There’s certainly no harm in it, right?”
         “No, no.  In the next half hour, I should know for sure either way.  The only thing we’re risking is getting the General upset with us, for taking this little side endeavor.”
         “I’d say that’s a pretty big risk.”
         Daniel laughed.  “No kidding.  But, it is worth the attempt at least.”
         “I’ll take your word for it.  Hey Daddy, if whatever you’re planning doesn’t work out, then what’re we gonna do with our friend here?”
         “Well, I guess we’ll take him back with us.  He should get a proper burial, with honors.  He deserves nothing less.”
         “That’s true.  You know, if we found his remains, do you think that…”
         “I don’t know.  Maybe, maybe not.  Probably not.  We were lucky to have found him.”
         “Yeah, you’re right.  I guess we could always look later, after everything else has been taken care of.  Hmm…how much further do we have to go?”
         “It should be in this area.”  Daniel said.  “Use your flashlight and start checking doors.  It should be labeled.”
         Both Daniel and Jennifer began to examine the doors in the hallway, dusting them off when needed.  Daniel took all the doors on the left side of the hall, while Jennifer checked the ones on the right.
 

Present Day
New York City
Karen Connors Apartment
 

         The apartment was still a mess, in some ways worse than it was before.  The television blared loudly in the background, as Karen worked feverishly in the bedroom to determine what was important enough to take, and what could be left behind.  The door to the bedroom was partly closed, obscuring her view of the living room.  Had it been open, she might have seen her guest.
         Julie stood in the living room, behind the couch, taking a look around.  She seemed to be in no particular hurry, as she studied the pictures and awards hung on the walls, and even the clothes that were chaotically strewn about.  Eventually, she made her way over to the table against the back wall, with the pictures.  She picked up one and took a closer look at it.
         “The man in this picture looks familiar.”  Julie thought.  “Wait, I know.  He competed in Killer Instinct 7, didn’t he?  I think that’s TJ Combo.  In fact, I remember him from his boxing days.  How does the doctor know him?  He seems to be in quite a few pictures here.”  Julie restored the picture, without making a sound.  “He died in KI8 I think.  Oh well, it doesn’t really matter anyway.”
         As Julie was still looking at the picture collection, Karen opened her bedroom door and walked out briskly.  She seemed to have a specific purpose and direction, but she did manage to catch sight of Julie our of the corner of her eye.  She stopped abruptly, somewhat startled.
         “Excuse me, but who are you?”  Karen asked, a little bit annoyed, a little apprehensive.
         “Ah, there you are.”  Julie turned away from the table and towards Karen.  “I’ve been waiting for you.”
         Karen looked oddly at this woman.  She was very distinctive – she was very beautiful, with her blond hair, her round face, and her slim figure.  She was also wearing an Ultratech uniform, which suggested that she worked there.  However, Karen could not remember ever having seen this woman before today.  Since she was so distinctive, Karen found that odd.  Not to mention the fact that she was standing in the middle of her apartment, unannounced.  Looking over the woman’s shoulder, Karen could see that her door was closed; the television was on, but she didn’t remember hearing the door open or close.
         “Who the hell are you?  Why are you in my apartment, and how did you get in?  I’m going to call the police.”
         Julie smiled softly.  “Now now, please don’t get alarmed.  I don’t mean you any harm.  I’m here on business.”
         Karen glared at her.  “I already told you people, I’m not going.”
         “You people?”  Julie looked down, at her uniform.  “She thinks I’m from Ultratech.”  She thought.  “But what does she mean by that?  Someone from Ultratech must have already contacted her.”
        “Oh, I see.  I’m not really from Ultratech.”  Julie said.  “Well, I am, but I’m not.”
        “Well then, what do you want?  Whatever it is, I don’t care, so you might as well leave.”
        “I’m here to retrieve you.”
        “Retrieve me?  To where?”
         “Ultratech.”
         “Ultratech?  That’s impossible, the entire building has been sealed off.  No one can get in.”
         Julie smiled again.  “Oh, we don’t have to worry about that.”
         Suddenly, Karen remembered something.  Something important.  Something that man, Jago, had said…

        “We saw Fulgore-X and Azrael together yesterday, within Ultratech.”

         “Within Ultratech…”  Karen thought.  “And this woman wants to take me to Ultratech.  But you can’t get in…not unless…not unless…”

        “Azrael has another partner.  A…hybrid.  Part Fulgore…part human…Her…Her name is Julie.”

         Karen gasped within her mind.  “Is it possible?  No, it can’t be!  She can’t be the hybrid.  She looks totally human.  Nothing like Jeremiah.  She…she just can’t be.”
         But it would explain how she got inside the apartment.
         “What do you want with me?”  Karen asked, a little less forceful.
         “A friend of mine would like to see you.”
         “Within Ultratech?”
         “Yes.”
         “Fulgore 2?”
         Julie’s eyes widened.  “How do you know about that?”
         Karen’s heart jumped.  “Oh my…my God.  She is…!  Isn’t she?  Is this what I think it is?  I can’t let her take me to him, I just can’t!  I don’t believe this!”
         Karen took a few uneasy steps towards her visitor.  “Don’t worry about that.”  She said.  “If you want me to go, I guess I don’t have much choice.  But, I would like to take a few things with me.”
         “You don’t really need anything.”  Julie said, a little uncertain.
         Karen looked up at the woman again.  She looked so…human.  Half-Fulgore?  That just was not possible.  She was young, beautiful even.  There was no sign of circuitry on her.  But then, Karen saw something that was not quite right.  Her eyes…they were red.  Red like Jeremiah’s.  Red like Fulgore 2’s.  Red…like a Fulgore’s.
         “Maybe she really is the hybrid.”  Karen thought.  “Whatever she is, I can’t let her take me.  I’ve got to do something.”
         “Well, I could use my notes…my schematics.”  Karen said, walking towards the couch, and the woman.  She began to rummage through the clothes, as if looking for something.  All the while, she continued to move closer to Julie.  “I mean, if I am going back to Ultratech, I will probably need a few things.  The computers are less than reliable, and I may not be able to access the info through the online libraries.”
         “Well, hurry up then.”
         Karen continued her search, looking for something that was not there.  She would occasionally shoot a nervous look up at the woman, meet her stare for a moment, and then go back to looking at the couch.  Suddenly, Karen spun around to her left, hitting Julie in the stomach with a spin kick.  Completely surprised, Julie doubled over, falling backwards from the hit.  Karen quickly regained her footing, and dashed towards the door.  She opened it frantically, and rushed down the steps and outside.
         “How can she be a Fulgore?”  Karen thought, as she ran somewhat panicked down the crowded sidewalk.  She didn’t bother trying to avoid people; luckily, most moved out of her way, some shouting at her as she sped past.  “She looks totally human!  But, I can’t risk it, I just can’t!  I have to get away somehow!”
         Inside the apartment, Julie stood up slowly.  She rubbed her right hand across her stomach, while she looked back towards the opened door.  She narrowed her eyes, with a half smile spreading across her face.  “I’ll take that as a challenge.”
 

         Harder than she ever had before, Karen ran.  The streets were crowded – at least, she thought they were – but she did not notice.  The world seemed to slip away from her, as the only thing of any importance was putting one foot in front of the other as quickly as possible.  Karen wasn’t entirely sure if people were getting out of her way, or if she was shoving them down.  It didn’t matter.  The only thing that did matter was getting as far away from that…woman…as possible.
         “How can she possibly be a Fulgore?”  Karen thought.  “She looks totally human.  Could Fulgore 2 really have defined cybernetic technology that much?  And why?  Why would he possibly want me?  I was only the second chair on the project!  He probably knows far more than I do about Fulgores at this point.  Can’t they just leave me alone?”
         Karen continued to push as hard as she could.  She was in great shape, so she was able to cover a decent distance before she started to feel fatigued.  Even then, she continued pushing forward, forcing her legs to keep moving, ignoring the pain that was starting to grow in her chest.  Even as her legs began to burn, she kept going.  Finally, she slowed down, eventually coming to a stop.  She remained standing, but hunched over, breathing very heavily.  Only now did she become semi-aware of her surroundings.  The street was very busy.   She could sense people moving about quickly around her.  She could hear soldiers on the street, giving orders and scurrying about.  She could hear large vehicles moving up and down the road.  She was far too tired to look up, but she could still hear and feel these things going on around her.
         Without warning, Karen felt a heavy blow to her right side.  She was knocked down, and sent rolling on the ground for a few meters before crumpling up on her side, coming to a stop.  She was exhausted from her run, and now hurting from the blow, but she did manage to look up to see what had happened to her.
         It was the blonde-haired woman, Julie.  She stood with her left side facing Karen, with her head bowed and her arms crossed.
         “Now, that wasn’t very nice.”  Julie said.  “Kick and run.  If you’re going to challenge me, at least stick around for the actual fight.”
         Karen couldn’t believe her eyes.  Could the woman have somehow followed her on foot?  Was Karen resting for longer than she thought…that would have given the woman time to catch up?  Or did she…teleport?  Karen stood up slowly.
         “How…how did you catch up…to me?”  She asked between breaths.
         Julie smiled.  “You of all people should know that you cannot run away from me.  After all, you did help design my systems, did you not?”
         Karen only shot her a skeptical look.
         “But anyway, that’s not important.”  Julie continued.  “I was asked to bring you back to Ultratech, and I intend to.  But I can’t forget about that kick you gave me.  Well, it hurt for one.  However, I also noticed that it was quite a professional kick.  You are obviously a fighter, and I can’t help but to be intrigued.  Battle simulations are nice, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a real fight.  So, I’d like to get in a sparring match now if possible.”
         “What are you talking about?”  Karen asked.
         “It’s simple, really.  You challenged me to a match with that attack, and I’d like to finish it.”
         “I have no intention of fighting you, especially here.”
         “Yeah, I didn’t think so.  So I’m going to have to sweeten the deal.  Okay, so we both know that, if I really wanted to, we’d both be standing in Ultratech right now.  However, if you manage to knock me out…well…you could get away for a while.  So, if you fight me, and win, you buy your freedom.  Well, at least for a day anyway.  I’d probably come back tomorrow.  But hey, that’s better than nothing, right?  And if I win…then we go back to Ultratech.  I think that’s a pretty good set-up, don’t you?”
         Karen took a few unconscious steps backwards.  “Do I really have a choice?”
         “Sure you do.  It’s just that one choice is far better.”
         Karen squared herself, and prepared to fight.  By now, a crowd on onlookers had gathered around.  In the background, she could hear one woman calling for the soldiers who were overseeing the evacuation.  Maybe, just maybe, the soldiers could be of some help.  If Karen could just buy a little time…
         “All right then.”  Karen said.  “Let’s go.”
         Julie grinned.  “That’s more like it!”  She set herself in a fighting stance as well.
         “How good is she?”  Karen wondered.  “I just got my second degree a few weeks ago.  She has to be a black belt at least…but what degree?  And what style?”
         Julie took a few hop steps towards and away Karen.  Karen held her ground.  Suddenly, Julie took a large dash step forward, tossing out a jab forearm attack towards Karen’s head.  Karen blocked it.  Unpredictably, Julie hit Karen in the stomach with her left knee.  Karen stumbled back a few steps.  Julie dashed forward again and threw a fierce right cross.  Karen ducked, and tried a foot sweep, but Julie jumped over it.  Karen sprung up and tossed a roundhouse kick.  Julie blocked it using only two fingers; she then spun around, inside of the kick, and using the same hand, hit Karen alongside the face with the back of her hand.  Karen was spun around involuntarily.  Julie waited for her to come around on the spin, then hit her in the midsection with a forward kick.  Karen tumbled backwards, crashing into a few of the onlookers who were watching the fight.
         Just then, two soldiers managed to push their way through the crowd.  As they pushed, a woman pointed excitedly at Julie.
         “It’s her!  That’s blonde one!  She’s the aggressor!”
         The two soldiers rushed over to Julie, each one wrapping their arms around her in an attempt to restrain her.
         “Hey hey hey!”  The first soldier exclaimed.  “Knock it off!”
         “What’s going on here?!”  The second soldier yelled.
         Julie didn’t struggle against their hold – rather, she looked annoyed.  Without words, she pushed her arms outward, breaking the hold and causing the soldiers to take a few steps backwards.  They immediately grabbed her again, shouting and yelling.  Again, Julie simply parted her arms, causing the soldiers to go stumbling quite a distance back.  The soldiers were a bit surprised by her strength, but took a few steps in again to try and grab her once more.
         “Don’t you learn?!”  Julie screamed, thoroughly irritated.  She raised her hand and fired a small plasma storm shot into the first soldier, which sent him flying backwards.  The crowd parted in front of him, and he ultimately crashed into the window of a shop on the sidewalk.
         Karen stood up slowly, in disbelief.  “That…that was a…” she thought.
         The other soldier could only watch, also stunned.  The crowd was also quite shocked.  Julie spread both her arms out.  A dome of blue energy formed and enclosed both Julie and Karen, leaving all the onlookers on the outside.  It was visible for only a short second, but all could still feel its presence around the two women.
         “Plasma shield.”  Karen whispered.
         Julie began to slowly approach Karen.  Feeling pressured, Karen dared to charge her attacker.  She threw a quick flurry of punches and kicks, but Julie managed to block or dodge them all.  Karen backed off, and then charged again, throwing another set of quick punches and kicks.  Still nothing.  Not yet discouraged, Karen tried once more.  This time, Julie bothered to block them all.  After blocking a short kick, Julie spun in and hit Karen across the face with her right forearm.  Karen stumbled back, and then regained herself, only to see a foot speeding towards her head.  She ducked in time, and tried to go for a sweep, but whiffed.  She stood up to see Julie had jumped a good three feet away, but was upon her again in no time, pressuring with a flurry of her own.  Karen tried her best to block, and she managed to see every attack coming, but Julie was so quick there was hardly anything she could do.  It seemed like every third attack from Julie beat Karen’s defense and managed to strike some part of Karen’s body.  Since they were quick shots, they didn’t hurt as much, but they were still painful and were taking their toll on her.  Karen let herself roll backwards after another one of Julie’s short punches connected, to try to catch a breather.
         “Damn, she’s too quick.”  Karen thought.  “And she’s good.  Very good.  I can’t beat her.”
         As usual, Julie was advancing on her again.  Karen saw Julie’s first punch coming.  She caught it, and tried to yank her arm-first to the ground.  The move worked…but Julie teleported away before she could hit the ground.  The crowd gasped in disbelief.  Julie reappeared, standing, only a foot away from Karen.  This time, she rushed in with a sidekick.  Karen blocked it, grabber her leg, and twisted inward, trying to apply pressure.  Julie winced in pain, but quickly threw an arm up and fired a plasma storm shot into Karen’s chest, knocking her down firmly to the ground.
         Julie smiled to herself.  “This is good experience.”  She thought.  “I get to try out my new abilities in an actual fight.   It’s amazing how my Fulgore attributes have affected this fight so far.”
         With Karen down, Julie pointed her right hand at her and tried another plasma storm.  Karen barely managed to roll out of the way.  She jumped up quickly.  Julie attempted a large sweeping roundhouse kick.  Karen ducked it, and thought to go for a crouching mid-level kick, but knew that as the thought was running through her head, Julie had probably already jumped backwards.  So instead, she took a few awkward steps forward, sprung up, and literally launched a blind jumping roundhouse.  Karen was quite surprised when she felt her foot actually come into contact with Julie’s head.  She landed to see that the hybrid had actually been knocked down by the attack.
         “Now’s my chance.”  Karen thought.  Instead of planning her next move, she quickly turned around and ran as fast as possible.  She passed through the limits of the shield easily, since it was designed only to keep those on the outside from getting in.  The crowd graciously parted for her, perhaps sensing her desperation, having just watched the type of opponent she was up against.
         Julie took her time getting up.  There was no rush – after all, there was nowhere that Karen could run to that wasn’t within a few seconds travel time for Julie.  Might as well recover from the hit.
         “That’s the second time today she’s done that to me.”  Julie thought.  “She’s starting to make me mad…”

         Once again, Karen found herself on the run.
         “This isn’t going to do me any good.”  She thought.  “She can teleport.  Distance is irrelevant.  I need…I need to hide somehow.”
         Karen slowed down a bit.  She had managed to run to a zone where the evacuation was not yet in full swing.  Although there were soldiers, present, there were not as many as the areas where she lived.  There were a lot of people on the streets – buying supplies, selling items in bulk, and buzzing about the situation.
         “Yeah…this’ll do.”  Karen thought.  “I’ve gotta hide somehow.”  She looked around – the streets were far too dangerous.  A building.  Yes, a building.  That might work.  But she needed something else.  A rouse perhaps.  She looked around for something, anything.  Suddenly, something caught her eye; rather, someone.  A young girl of medium height, medium build.  She was African-American, with fair skin and long hair.  She wore a short, green t-shirt and baggy black jeans.
         “A-ha!”  Karen said, almost smiling.  She pushed her way through the crowd, catching up to this girl.  She lightly grabbed her by the arm, getting her attention.
         “Pardon me,” Karen said, “but could I possibly ask a favor of you?”

         Julie teleported into the middle of a very busy sidewalk.  A few people who actually saw the teleport stopped to look, but the majority of the people there were so wrapped up in their own affairs, they didn’t even notice.  Julie didn’t care either way.  She had to find the good doctor.  She had stopped running somewhere around here, so it was relatively safe to assume that she was attempting to hide within the crowd.
         “This won’t do.”  Julie commented to herself.  “I need elevation.”  She teleported again, this time reappearing on a ledge of one of the nearby buildings.  She looked down upon the crowd, using her advanced vision to clearly see every person in the group.  After a few short moments, she spotted Karen; her back was turned, and she was calmly walking away, down the crowded street.
         “Best way to make an escape – as obscure as possible.”  Julie thought, as she teleported from the ledge.  She reappeared a few meters away from Karen, in order to wait for her.  She crossed her arms and stood straight in the middle of the sidewalk.  She looked up when Karen was upon her.
         “What?!”  Julie exclaimed, upon seeing Karen’s face.  It wasn’t Karen at all.  It was just some girl, wearing her clothes – her gray tank top, and the Ultratech uniform pants with the black shoes.  The girl walked by calmly, not even noticing Julie.
         “Feh.  Clever.”  Julie gave Karen some credit.  “Doesn’t matter.  I’ll still find you.”  Internally, she accessed her sensors.  It was still all very new to her.  She followed instructions that she had studied in the tutorial data rods that Azrael had given her.  Plus, there was some sort of instinct to it all…as if the knowledge was already there in the back of her head.
         First, Julie applied a filter, which separated men from women.  Within her vision, the world became shaded; however, women were still perfectly lighted.
         “Okay, that’s a start.  Now to narrow it down further.”  Julie thought about it for a moment.  “Well, if she’s been fighting me, and running more than fighting, she’s probably got an accelerated heartbeat, increased levels of adrenaline, and so on.  Let’s take that into account.”  She applied the variables into her scanners, and now the women in her line of sight became shaded as well.  Looking around, she couldn’t see anything.
         “Hmm.  She must have gone inside somewhere.”  Julie thought.  “I think I can do that too.”  She applied yet another filter to her scanners – this one limited her vision to heat sources only, with the previous limitations still intact.  She looked around, as she could only see outlines of people and buildings; nothing was what she was looking for.  Eventually, she found her target.  It was a heat source – the only one registering – within a structure.
         “Gotcha.”  Julie switched her scanners off.  The building turned out to be a shopping mall.  Julie teleported inside, to the second floor of the mall.  Much like the streets outside, there were a lot of people milling about on both the top and bottom floors.  Remembering where the heat source had been, Julie looked down and quickly spotted Karen.  She was wearing different clothes now; a green shirt and black jeans.  But Julie knew it was she – this time she could see her face.  Julie thought about teleporting, or even jumping down to the bottom level, but decided against it.  Leverage was good.  Instead, she stuck out her right hand, and fired a plasma storm shot.  She timed it to hit right in front of Karen, and not to hit any bystanders.
         Karen stopped abruptly as the blue plasma storm shot slammed into the ground ahead of her, causing a modest explosion.  Everyone in the mall, on both levels, also stopped, in shock, and turned to look towards the direction of the blast.  Suddenly, Julie became the center of attention.
         “Damn, she found me.”  Karen flatly thought.  She turned and ran into the department store behind her.
         “That’s not going to work!”  Julie exclaimed.  She fired another plasma storm shot, straight into the store.  There was an explosion, causing the entire mall to shake, as pieces of debris flew out of the store.  The people on both levels began to panic and run about frantically, searching for the nearest exit.  Julie launched a few more shots into the store, causing more destruction, more panic, and more mayhem.
         “This is horrible…but strangely exhilarating.”  Julie thought, as she launched another volley of shots into the store.  “I guess this is what you’d call a guilty pleasure.”
         Finally, Karen darted out of the store, as it crumbled around her.  Julie, nearly laughing, launched plasma storm shots at her from above.  Karen had to dash quickly to avoid getting caught by one of them.
         “This won’t do.”  Karen thought while dodging blasts.  “At this rate, she’ll destroy the entire mall, then get me.  Down here there’s nothing I can do.  I have to get up there.”  There was an escalator only a couple of meters away.  She made a run for it…but well before she got there, the escalator was destroyed by another plasma storm shot.
         “Curse her.”  Karen whispered.  She looked around; there was a staircase in the other direction.  She made an effort for it again, but once more, the staircase was obliterated by a few of Julie’s shots.  Agitated, Karen looked up at her attacked.  Julie smiled and winked at her, then carelessly tossed a few more shots at her.  Karen jumped back, avoiding them.  She looked around; there were still quite a few of people running about in the mall, desperately trying to escape.  She thought about hiding among them again, but that didn’t work the last time, there was no reason why it would work now.  Karen looked behind her; she was standing in front of another department store.  She looked up at Julie, returned the smile, and then ran inside the store.
         Julie glared at the spot where Karen was standing.  “Not this again.”  Effortlessly, she fired another set of shots into the store.  However, after an impressive volley of blasts, Karen still had not emerged from the store.  Julie remembered the smile that Karen flashed her, and knew that she was up to something.  She looked up on the second level, the store above the one Karen ran into; it was Sears.  The same store Karen ran into on the bottom level.
         “Internal escalator.”  Annoyed, Julie launched another set of shots into the upper level of the store.  A large fireball rolled out of the store, accompanied by a huge explosion.  Structures fell from the ceiling, as debris from the store shot out in all directions.
         “I wonder if that was too much.”  Julie mused.  “I was supposed to bring her back alive and ‘relatively unharmed’.”  She paused, staring at the remains of the store, waiting for something to happen.
         Suddenly, something caught her eye.  Movement, to her right.  Coming straight towards her.  Julie turned in time to see Karen rushing down on her, burying both forearms into Julie’s chest.  Julie flew backwards a few feet, hitting the ground hard and rolling a bit.  A bit infuriated, Julie sprang up and received Karen who was still in motion.  Karen used her momentum to drive a right cross towards Julie.  Julie ducked, and hit Karen in the side with a short elbow.  Karen doubled over.  Seeing an opportunity to end this once and for all, Julie set herself by planting her feet and dropping her arm, turning her shoulder into Karen.  Then, she pushed up off the ground, at the same time raising her arm for an uppercut.  Julie’s fist caught Karen underneath her jaw, forcing her head back.  Julie’s upward momentum continued, taking Karen up a little ways with her before the scientist drifted backwards, as if peeling away.  Julie finished her jump, turning in mid air, and landing firmly on the ground.  It was the Tiger Uppercut.  Three years ago, she had taught Jago this move.
         Julie hit the ground only milliseconds after Karen did.  As soon as Julie recovered from the jump, she walked over to where Karen lay.  Her opponent had been knocked out from the move.  After three years, the Tiger Uppercut was still an effective finisher.
         “I’d say that’s relatively unharmed.”  Julie smirked over her victory.  She bent over and picked up Karen.  Taking a look around; at the mall that lay in ruin thanks to her, she took a moment to realize the magnitude of the situation.  She had single-handedly caused all of this destruction.  After pondering that for a short moment, she teleported away with Karen.
 

Washington, D.C.
The White House
 

         “And that’s basically it.”  Thunder said.
         He and Jago stood in one of the hallways, facing Orchid.  They had just returned from New York, unsuccessful in their attempt to bring Dr. Karen Connors back from the city.
         “And you told her everything?”  Orchid asked.
         “We did.”  Jago confirmed.  “But she wanted no part of it.  She had personal reasons.  I don’t blame her.  Besides, she’s the sis – “
         Thunder nudged him before he could finish.  Jago looked up at him, puzzled.  Thunder merely shook his head.  Jago’s left eye raised, as he was still confused.  Orchid looked at them both, feeling left out about something.
         “Well,” Orchid went on, “we can’t afford to just leave her be.  Like it or not, her assistance is needed.  I’ll get an order from the president, and then I’ll go and bring her back.”
         “But, she said…”  Jago trailed off.
         “We can walk on egg-shells after humanity has been saved.”  Orchid replied.
         Both Thunder and Jago raised an eyebrow.
         Just then, a young man hastily came out of one of the rooms to the left.  “Hey!  You guys!  Get in here quick, you need to see this!”
         Orchid, Jago, and Thunder looked among themselves in question for a moment, then followed the young man in the room.  There, there were a group of people watching a portable television, which had been situated upon a desk.  They were watching the news; and while the news was on continuously during the evacuation, this program was a special report.  The anchor threw to a field reporter, who was on one of the New York City streets.
         “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is Maria Gonzalez live for Channel 10.  I’m here on the scene of a bizarre incident that occurred just a few minutes ago on this very street.  Eyewitnesses report that a fight took place between two women not long ago.  One woman is being described as Caucasian, with blond hair and a slender build.  The other woman is African-American, also of a slender build.  What makes this situation unique is that the attacker, believed to be the Caucasian woman, possessed super-human abilities.  Eyewitnesses report that she disappeared into thin air, and was able to fire energy blasts from her hands.”
         Orchid frowned deeply.  “Julie and Karen Connors.  It has to be.”
         “What?  Julie?”  Thunder asked.  “Why?”
         Jago’s face sort of soured.
         “Azrael probably sent her to retrieve Dr. Connors.”  Orchid explained.  “For the same reason we wanted her – for information.”
         The news report continued.  “We also have an injured officer here.  Reportedly, he and another officer were trying to break up the fight when the blond woman hit him with an energy blast.  Paramedics are on the scene now and attending to his injuries, although it doesn’t look like they’re too serious.  Hey!  Hey, you’re the other officer!  I’m Maria Gonzalez, Channel 10 News…”
         “Please Ma’am, I don’t have the time…”
         “I understand sir, but if I could just get a quick rundown of what happened here…?”
         “Basically, we got a verbal report of a fight occurring on the street.  By the time we got there, there was already a crowd.  We tried to restrain the blonde woman, who appeared to be the aggressor, by both our own observations and as indicated by the crowd, but she somehow pushed us away easily.  We tried again…and she fired some sort of concealed weapon into Sgt. Dulles.  I’ve never seen anything like it before…it looked like energy came out of her hand or something.  Excuse me, I have to go.”
         “There you have it, live testimony from one of the officers on the scene.  Now, according to eyewitnesses, the African-American woman managed to knock the attacker down, and at that point she made a run for it.  Here, the Caucasian woman stood up and here is where she disappeared into thin air.”
         At this point, Jago quietly turned around and left, without saying a word.
         “Jago…”  Thunder started to follow him, but Orchid grabbed his shoulder and shook her head.
         “Leave him alone, for the moment.”  She said.
         Thunder reluctantly agreed.
         The news report continued.  “We are just now receiving reports that, after the aggressor disappeared, she reappeared further down this street, a few blocks away, and the fight spilled over into the local shopping mall.  We are receiving reports that the Caucasian woman really began to turn up the intensity of her fight, and that she used some kind of hand-weapon literally, causing great destruction within the mall.  We also hear that the Caucasian woman knocked out the other woman, and once again disappeared, this time taking the African-American woman with her.  We are currently sending teams out to further investigate this, and as soon as they arrive on the spot we will switch over to them.
         “However, what really makes this situation unique is that the Caucasian woman, who is regarded to be the attacker in this situation, and according to unconfirmed reports possessed some sort of super-human abilities, was also, and this is also unconfirmed, but we are hearing that she was wearing an Ultratech Corporation uniform.  This is significant because, of course, the Ultratech Corporation was evacuated just the night before the evacuation of New York City was called for.  Ultratech still has not released a press statement as to why the evacuation took place, and has been insisting that the two evacuations are unrelated.  As for this newest development, we have tried to contact Nathan Summers, acting president of Ultratech, but we have not been able to reach him at this time.  We did manage to get a statement from his camp, which says that they have no record of any employees who match the description of the woman who was here today.  However, that does not rule out the possibility that the Ultratech Corporation is somehow involved in the evacuation of the city, or even the incident that occurred here today.  We will continue to cover this story for as long as we can, hopefully finding some answers.  Okay, now I’m getting word that our team has arrived at the mall, so we’re going to switch over to them now…”
         Orchid reached over and shut off the television.  “That’s enough.”  She said flatly.
         “Damn…this is bad.”  Thunder said.  “The media is beginning to catch on.  It’s going to be impossible to try to cover this up any longer.  That’s going to be a real mess.”
         “The media is the least of our worries.”  Orchid said.  “From what it sounds like, Julie has all the powers of a standard Fulgore.  And she knows everything I know.  With her on Azrael’s side…he’s going to be hard to beat.”
         “And wait…”  Thunder continued, “if Julie took Karen, then that means that Azrael has her now, right?  What does he want, to pressure her for information?”
         “Probably.”
         “Well, we can assume that she took her to Ultratech, right?  Isn’t it possible to try to attempt a rescue?”
         Orchid shook her head.  “Don’t bother.  If Azrael has her now…she’s as good as dead.”  Orchid turned and swiftly left the room.
         Thunder watcher Orchid leave, then turned back towards the silent television.  He stared at it for a few moments, before letting his emotions get the best of him.
         “Damn it!”  He exclaimed, kicking over an empty chair in a burst of anger.  The men in the room watched, a little nervous.  Thunder exhaled deeply before leaving the room as well.