Ultratech Corporation: Experimentation Hall

    Something was wrong.
    This was TJ Combo's first thought as he slowly awoke from unconsciousness.  All of his senses were dulled; he wasn't aware of anything.  Slowly, his awareness picked up, and he immediately encountered problem number one.  He was lying on something cold, hard, and flat.  It felt like it had edges, so it couldn't have been the floor.  He also felt elevated, so it had to have been some sort of table.  Wherever he was, the air was cold and stale.  His hearing slowly came back, and he heard the slow whine of some sort of computer besides him.  He sat up slowly.  He hadn't opened his eye yet, so he wasn't quite aware of where he was.  His head began swirling and he buried his face in his hands to calm himself.  Problems number two and three quickly arose.  For one, he could only feel one hand.  That hand, the left one, felt cold and hard, much like his bed.  His fingers felt sharp, almost like knives.  For his right hand, he felt nothing.  In place of the hand, was something cylindrical in shape.  It was also slightly warm, but just as hard as his bed.   Problem number three was that the right side of his face was tender.   TJ knew he took a beating from Spinal back in the past, but he didn't remember any hits to the right side of his face that would cause the discomfort he felt now.   TJ then decided to open his eyes.   Problem four.   His left eye was fine; a little blurry, but slowly gaining clarity.   It was the vision in his right eye that bothered him.
    There shouldn't have been vision in his right eye.
    But he could see out of his right eye socket.   If that wasn't bad enough, the vision wasn't even...normal.   It was grainy and sharp, almost like a video monitor.   To confirm his suspicions, in the lower right hand corner of his sight, the words “ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL” blinked in green.
    TJ began scanning the room.   He was lying on some sort of metal operating table.   Computer terminals surrounded the head of the table.   Other than that, the room was unusually empty.   There was a small mirror on the right wall, a small light overhead, and two men standing near the foot of the table.   Behind them was another table that held a lot of surgical instruments and other devices TJ couldn't figure out.
    “Oh look, sleeping beauty's wakin' up.”  Ultratech employee John Star remarked sarcastically.   “He'd better appreciate our little makeover.   I hope we were...'creative' enough.”
    “I dunno...”  The other employee, Tony Hill said.  “I don't like playing God like this, messing with people and all.”
    “Aw, lighten up!  Look at him!  He could take out a whole army by himself.   Probably won't get any more dates from now on, but still, I think we did him a favor.   Shhh...look...he's going to the mirror, this is my favorite part!”
    TJ walked unsurely to the small mirror.   His legs felt like cooked noodles, but this was comforting; at least they were still normal.  He kept his head down as he dragged himself over to the wall.   He put both hands on the wall around the mirror and looked up.
    His first sight was his arms.  They had long been replaced by cybernetic implants, which would take him to the top, and bottom, of the boxing industry.  They had been covered by TJ's real skin.
    Had.
    Now, all the skin was gone, exposing the silver steel.  His fingers, which had been normal, were now steel like the rest of his arm.  They had been sharpened and were now like small blades, or talons.  On the inside of his left forearm, there was a small panel, almost like a window, with blue plasma floating around inside.  His right hand was gone; in place of it, something that looked like a mini-cannon.  There was a small computer interface with programmable settings.
    No longer able to look at him arms, TJ turned his attention back to the mirror.  No improvements there.  The eye patch over his right eye was gone.  Instead of an empty eye socket, there was a robotic eye.  It was small, slanted, and in the shape of a right triangle, much like the eyes of the Fulgore cyborgs.  It glowed crimson red.  TJ instinctively raised his hand to touch it, but was instead greeted with the opening of the cannon that replaced his hand.
    TJ stared into the mirror.  He wasn't human anymore.  He was half cyborg, all freak.  There was nothing left for him now.  At least after he was kicked out of boxing, he could have made it as something else, maybe even a TV announcer.  But now, he didn't belong out on the streets, where all the normal people dwelled.  TJ thought back to the two men at the foot of his bed.  He turned away from the mirror and slowly to them.  One of them was containing a laugh.
    “Hoo-hoo!  Did ya see that Tony?”  Star asked.  “When he went to put his hand up to his face and got the plasma cannon instead!  If'n that isn't a Kodak moment, I dunno what is!”
    “I don't see what was so funny about it.”  Hill was disturbed by the whole situation.
    TJ began moving towards them.  “You…did this...to me...?”
    “Yeah, well, don't thank us all at once.”  Star continued to sustain his sarcastic attitude.  TJ kept moving slowly.
    “You...made me into...this freak?”
    Tony began retreating.  “John, I don't think this is good...”
    “Aw, settle down, most makeover recipients usually freak out a little initially, nothing to be worried about.”
    TJ clenched the one fist he had left.  He let out a slow growl.  “You...did this...to me!” TJ ran after Star, cocking his right arm back, then snapping it forward, jamming the end of the cannon into Star's right jaw.  Star sprawled backwards over the table with the instruments on it.  Hill began backing up, but before he could do anything, TJ thrust the cannon into his stomach.  Hill doubled over.  TJ brought the cannon arm over his head like an axe and sent it crashing into Hill's back.  He hit the ground sharply.  Star was beginning to get up from behind the table.  TJ grabbed him around the throat with his hand.  His talon-like fingers dug into Star's neck and drew blood.  TJ flung him across the room and into the computers at the head of the operating table.  Almost like he had always had it, TJ brought the cannon arm forward and fired a plasma shot.  The blue energy ball streaked across the room and exploded on contact with the computers.  Somewhat satisfied, TJ turned back to Hill, still lying on the floor.  He grabbed Hill by the neck and held him over his head.  He turned Hill towards the burning computers, exposing his back to the door.  His grip around Hill's neck began to tighten, and his talon fingers dug deep into Hill's neck, drawing a lot of blood.  Then, TJ felt a severe burning in his back.  He dropped Hill and turned around.  There he saw Cinder in the doorway, his hand still extended from the fireball he had shot into TJ's back.   Cinder withdrew his hand and prepared to speak.
    "Now, I know this must be a little...disorienting...to you, but just get back on your table, let me strap you in, and everything will be fine...” Cinder coddled TJ, speaking in a baby like voice.
    TJ glared at Cinder.  “You! You're one of them!  I remember you!”  TJ fired a plasma shot at Cinder.  Cinder jumped out of the doorway and clear of the blast.  He rolled as he hit the ground and sprung up in front of TJ.  He put his arms out in front of himself in a martial arts stance.  TJ charged at him, cocking his cannon arm back again.  Cinder ducked TJ's swing, then turned on his left heel as he brought his right leg around to sweep TJ's feet out from under him.  TJ fell on his back but rolled with the impact and was on his feet again in no time.  Cinder jumped backwards onto the operating table as TJ charged at him again.  Cinder waited for the right moment, then leaped over TJ as he approached.  TJ spun around to face Cinder, and as he did, Cinder nailed TJ on the side of his head with a forward kick.  TJ spun backwards, hitting the table, then falling to the floor.  He lay motionless after that.
    Cinder took a deep breath.  He surveyed the scene around him.  Two Ultratech employees were laid out on the floor.  Both were breathing, and they would probably regain consciousness soon.  TJ was also out, on the floor besides the operating table.  The computer equipment was destroyed, and completely unsalvageable.
    Cinder took a moment to think to himself.  If he strapped TJ into the table and told Gargos about what happened, Gargos might blame him for the loss of the equipment, which looked to be quite expensive.  If he left everything as is, either one of the Ultratech employees, or TJ, would wake up first.  If it were an employee, he would just strap TJ into the table and probably take responsibility for the damage.  If it were TJ, he'd probably escape to God-knows where.  Either way, Cinder wouldn't be connected to the whole affair.  Cinder took a final moment to ponder his decision, then left the room without disturbing anything.

Ultratech Corporation: Sheridan's Office

    Gargos sat uncomfortably in Sheridan's office chair.  It was too soft; his senses were being dulled and his awareness relaxed.  Furthermore, it was almost putting him into a good mood.  Gargos preferred chairs of rock.   One who sits in a chair of rock, never hesitates to leave it, making him ready for anything that may happen while he sits.
    Gargos looked out at the three warriors in front of him.  To the left was Spinal.  This Spinal was much different than the one who competed in KI7, but was still the same dead warrior.  He was 2000 years younger, but still some 700 years old.  Gargos resurrected this Spinal himself to serve him.  Gargos had been quite disappointed with Spinal's loss to Kim Wu in the past, but believed that there might still be some hope to turn him into a fine warrior.
    Riptor stood in the middle.  He was yet another of Ultratech’s biological experiments.  His appearance was probably the most fearsome out of all the genetic experiments.  He looked nothing like a human; his physical appearance was all raptor.  However, unlike the dinosaurs, he was very intelligent.  As a human, he was naturally smart, and he didn’t lose any of that in the mutation.  He did gain a very savage animal instinct, making him as violent and dangerous as any dinosaur.  Combined with his intelligence, he was a very fearsome foe.
    On the right was Sabrewulf.  Formerly Count Sabrewulf, a human.  Now, he was a werewolf, afflicted with lycanthrope.  The disease didn't actually exist; Sheridan created it in a lab, as part of his plan to create an army of super-human creatures.  Sabrewulf had entered KI7 in search of a cure, but after he lost to TJ Combo, Sheridan captured him and gave him cybernetic arms to go along with the wolf-like body.  This drove Sabrewulf over the edge, and he stopped looking for a cure.
Gargos waited for a few moments for Cinder to return.  It did take long before Cinder came in, breathing heavily.
    “Cinder, how is TJ doing?  He has a new look I hope.”
    “You could say that.  They were still working on him as I left.” Cinder hoped that Gargos's powers didn't include lie detecting.
    “Very well.  Come up here Cinder, I have to brief you all.”
    Cinder walked slowly up to the desk, standing next to Spinal.  Gargos stood up from his chair.
    “I have assembled you here because I have a task to ask of you.  Spinal, Sabrewulf, you may not know, but I plan to use the Killer Instinct tournament to prove that I am worthy of ruling the world.  Once I have defeated the champion of the world, who is whoever wins the tournament, I will take this planet for my own.  But, in order to prove myself, I must have a true battle.  No outside interference like what happened in KI7.  And I also need to fight the true champion, not someone who won his way by luck.  I need you to be my warriors.  Enter the new tournament and find out who is not worthy......and eliminate them.  Settle the personal rivalries between the other fighters that you have developed.  Then, once we have the champion, make sure that my fight with him is free of interruption.  I don’t want any of  his friends crashing my party.  In return for your services to me, I will let you become generals of my world's army, a position most prestigious.  What is your answer?”
    Spinal gripped his sword tightly.  “Will I get another shot at Kim Wu?” He asked in his high-pitched, scratchy voice.
    “Absolutely!  I will set the tournament up so that you get to face her.”
    Spinal's eyes lit up.  “Then you may consider me in.”
    Sabrewulf growled.  “Me too.”
    “I don’t see where we have much of a choice.”  Riptor said.
    Gargos smiled.  “Excellent! Excellent!”  He went to sit back in the chair.  Suddenly, it flew out from under him, and Gargos fell to the floor.  Cinder tried to contain another laugh.
    Gargos leapt up in a rage.  “Who did that!  Whoever did that shall pay with their soul!”
    Then, a strange laugh filled the room.  As it did, the chair began spinning in circles.
    Cinder was terrified.  “This is some scary poltergeist sh-”
    “Show yourself!” Gargos commanded.
    The chair stopped spinning abruptly.  The room for silent for a moment, then the air was filled with the sound of heavy, almost metallic, footsteps.
    Ka-klunk.  Ka-klunk.  Ka-klunk.
    The footsteps moved to the front of the desk and stopped.  Everyone stood still, partly curious, partly anxious.  Then, the space in front of the desk began to twist and distort.  The distortion took the shape of a large person.  The shape began filling in with black and blue color and solid mass.  When the distortion faded off, it left a large, sleek, cyborg.  A Fulgore.
    This wasn't Fulgore or Fulgore 2, or at least, he didn't look like either of them.  He stood at about 6'3.  His steel plating wasn't as angular as Fulgore 2's, but not as simple as the original's.  The layout was more like Fulgore 2's with fewer angles and more curves.  The plating was black, and his joints and all other uncovered areas glowed blue with plasma energy.  He had the traditional Fulgore ponytail on the back of his head.  The almost out of place hair was dark blond.  From his wrists on both arms came his claws.  They resembled harpoons with jagged edges.  The claws extended about a foot out from his clenched fist.  This Fulgore's red eyes narrowed as he leaned over the desk and towards Gargos.
    “I don't know if you're stupid, or insane.”  His voice was deep and clear, it didn't sound robotic like his predecessors, if he wasn't one of them.
    Gargos stared long at hard at the new Fulgore, then, searching Sheridan's mind, he finally figured out what this was.
“Fulgore-X.  I thought Sheridan failed to finish your repairs.”
    “He did.  I finished them myself.  But, enough about me.  You're in my office.”
    Gargos looked at him sideways, a little disoriented by Fulgore-X's last statement.  “Your office?  Dear boy, this is my office.”
    “Hardly.  Sheridan is dead.  Fulgore 2 was his second in command, and as the next operating Fulgore, I'm next in line for command of Ultratech.  This facility is mine.”
    “Hmm.  If it's Ultratech you want, you can have it.  But not just yet.  It's mine right now, and I intend to use it.”
    “What gives you the right to declare Ultratech as yours?”
    “What gives me the right?  Just look at me!  Do you not see Robert Sheridan, president of Ultratech, standing before you?”
    “His body may be, but he is dead.  You are not Sheridan.”
    “Why am I not?  I look like Sheridan.  I sound like Sheridan.  I have all his memories.  I remember getting scarred on my arm after flying off my bike when I was 6.  I remember how badly my first date went...”
    “You are nothing but a parasite, controlling and manipulating your dead host.”
    “That may be, but for all intents are purposes, I'm Sheridan.  And this facility is mine.  Perhaps you'd like to register your complaint with the secretary when she gets back.  Or maybe you can go to the police, and explain how you, being a cybernetic death soldier, wants his super-advanced building back with all its plasma technology.”
    Fulgore-X's eyes narrowed.  “I will take what is mine...but not today.”  He spun around to face Cinder, Spinal, Riptor, and Sabrewulf.  “And what is your part in this?  Are you puppets of the misguided string puller?”
    Cinder stepped back, somewhat afraid of Fulgore-X.  “We serve Gargos loyally.”
    “You would follow him into your doom?”
    Gargos folded his arms.  “And what would you have them do?  Follow you? Your two predecessors were destroyed by a human, and a small one at that.  I'm afraid your family name no longer has much merit.  But why don't we let them decide?” Gargos pointed at the four warriors.  “What will it be? Will you follow me, or that harpoon-toting toaster?”
    Cinder bit his bottom lip, and eyed both Gargos and Fulgore-X.  He had a feeling that no matter what he said, impending death would follow.  He finally stepped forward, placed his right fist on his left shoulder, then extended it outward and proclaimed “To Gargos!”
    Spinal stepped forward and did the same.  Sabrewulf stood where he was, but made the fist motion without saying anything.  Riptor did nothing, but in a way to imply that he had no intentions of siding with Fulgore-X.
    Fulgore-X's eyes narrowed again.  He clinched his fists even tighter than they were before.  His claws began glowing a more intense blue.  Cinder swallowed hard.  For a few moments, Fulgore-X just stood there, apparently gathering energy.  But he eventually opened his hands, and his claws returned to their normal glow.   He retracted them into his wrists, then turned his head to look right at Cinder.
    “Some day, you will all regret what you have done here today...but this is not that day.”  Fulgore-X turned himself to face the door, but his eyes were still fixed on Cinder.  He finally turned his head away and left the room.
    Gargos sat down uneasily.  “So Fulgore-X lives...”
    Cinder exhaled a breath he had been holding since he said “To Gargos”.  “So, what do you want us to do?”
Gargos spun in his chair to turn his back towards the warriors.  “Spinal, Sabrewulf, Riptor, I want you to begin training.  I want you to be ready when the tournament starts.  Go now.”  Spinal, Sabrewulf, and Riptor turned and left the room.   “Cinder, I want to make a transmission.  I think I will open the tournament to allow three more spots.  I want to make sure that the world's best warrior is here.  We will hold preliminaries for everyone who shows up to determine who gets those spots.  As for the other nine or so, I expect to fill those up with the warriors who competed in KI7 and the three savages who I know are in this time now.  But I need to reach all warriors of the world.  You will prepare the Ultratech Earth Satellites to broadcast my transmission in all formats all over the world.  I want to be on every television, radio, cell phone, pager, Internet access, radar, and ham radio that exists.  And make sure that for the visual communication, that you give the image that Sheridan has eyes.”
    “Yes sir.” Cinder nodded and left the room.

New York: Orchid's Apartment

    Orchid had uncharacteristically put aside her work, and decided with Jago to watch TV.
    That was three days ago.
    She still sat on her couch, watching TV.  She was curled up, using her large “Who's the Boss?” nightshirt as cover from the cold night.  She chewed on a potato chip; her third in as many hours, as she watched a Japanese cartoon called Sailor Moon.  Jago was in the kitchen, making a large sandwich, that must have already had meat from every farm animal on it, and he was far from finished.
    “Hey Jago, try to save some meat, you know, there are only so many pigs and chickens in the world...”  She called up.
    “Hah hah.  Funny.  Where's the mustard?”
    “On the door besides the ketchup.”  Having helped Jago contribute to his super sandwich, she went back to watching her program.  The heroine, Sailor Moon, was about to deliver the finishing blow to her enemies.
    “Moon…Spiral…Heart…Att-“  The TV signal suddenly cut out.
    “What in the hell?”  Orchid sat up, a little confused.
    The signal came back, but instead of the show, it was the Ultratech logo.  A voice came on which said “We now interrupt your transmission to deliver a special message from Robert Sheridan, president of Ultratech Corporation.”
    “Hey Jago, I think you need to see this...” Orchid called up into the kitchen.  Jago walked out of the kitchen, and as soon as he saw the Ultratech logo, he rushed over to the couch and took a seat besides Orchid.  The logo disappeared, and was replaced the image of Robert Sheridan.  He was sitting in front of the large video monitor in the Control Room.  The monitor displayed the KI logo in the background.  He began to speak.
    “Hello peoples of the world.  You probably already know me as Robert Sheridan, the president of the Ultratech Corporation, the leader of cutting edge technology.  Aside from our great technological advances we contribute to the entire world, you may also know us as the sponsors of the popular Killer Instinct tournament.  And it is Killer Instinct that I wish to talk about now, and why I have broken in on your TV's, radios, phones, etc.  As you know, Killer Instinct gathers ten of the greatest martial artists in the world and pits them against each other in the ultimate battle of fame and glory.  The winner is crowned champion for one year, and gets one wish, any wish, he or she wants fulfilled.  But last year's tournament, KI7, ended amidst much controversy, and a winner was never determined.  This bothered me greatly, since I know that millions upon millions of people ordered KI on pay-per-view to see who would be champion this year.  That is why I decided to hold the next tournament, KI8, now, instead of later this year.  Killer Instinct 8 will begin in one week from now! Why I speak to you know, is for two reasons.  One, I invite all KI7 participants to return to compete in KI8.  You will be entered into the tournament, no questions asked, nothing asked of you.  Two, I have decided to open at least three spots for new warriors.  I am making a call, to all warriors of the world, if you believe that you are the best fighter this planet has to offer, come to Ultratech HQ in New York, America, and sign up for KI8.  We will hold preliminaries out of all the new blood to show up, to determine who gets the 3 or more spots.  Come sign up, after all, what have you to lose? I am looking forward to another great exhibition or martial arts skills, and I hope the rest of you are too.  Thank you all, and good night.”
    The image of Sheridan faded, and the TV returned to showing Sailor Moon.  Orchid and Jago continued to stare at the set for a few moments.  Finally, Jago broke the silence.
    “Oh man oh man oh man oh man!”  Jago slammed his fist down on the couch pillow.  “I thought we had them!  Oh man, I felt it, I felt that somehow, it wasn't over.  Oh man!” Jago sighed, and fell backwards on the couch.  “What do we do now?”
    Orchid continued her fixed gaze at the TV.  In a cold voice, she said, “we’ll do what we always do.  What we have done since before, and what we will continue to do.  We’ll fight.”