Ultratech Corporation: Control Room
 

        “Are you ready for this?”  Jago asked TJ Combo as they stood in front of the main computer terminal in the Control Room.  Orchid sat in one of the chairs off to the side.  Jago tugged on the Chinese style neck collar of his Killer Instinct jumpsuit.
        “Ready as I’ll ever be.”  TJ said coolly.
        From her seat off to the side, Orchid slightly raised her head.  “So soon after your surgery?  If you want to back out, it’ll be fine with all of us.”  Orchid was tugging on the midsection of her jumpsuit.  Earlier, she had been complaining that it was too tight.
        TJ’s one cybernetic eye began to glow.  “I can’t wait to get my hands on one of those Ultratech bastards for what they’ve done to me.”
        As TJ finished the words, the door to the Control Room slid open.  Cinder proudly walked in, donning a KI jumpsuit of his own.  The trio watched Cinder as he slowly made his way past the other computers, finally stopping a few feet from TJ.
        “I’m amazed you had the guts to show.”  The fire being said.
        TJ raised his right arm, the one that was now a plasma cannon.  “You want guts?  I’d be happy to show you your own.”
        Jago stepped in between them.  “Okay, that’s enough.  Prepare to teleport to your fight location.”
        Cinder and TJ straightened themselves, as Jago quickly got out of the way.  Soon, they were teleported away, to their fight location within Ultratech.
 

Ultratech Corporation: Plasma Missile Stock Room
 

        “Frightening.”
        This was TJ’s only thought about the fight location.  Both he and Cinder were standing in the doorway of what seemed like the apocalypse in a room the size of the football field.  To the right, there was a large computer terminal, with a monitor extending across the whole room.  The computer layout looked just as complex as, if not more than, the Control Room ones.  About thirty feet behind the computer were the plasma missiles.  There were five rows, starting from the back of the room where TJ stood in the doorway, to the front of this room.  Ten to fifteen behind each missile, going left, was another missile, and another missile, and another, going down as far as TJ could see.  A camera crew was shallowly immersed in the missile rows.  Cinder left the doorway and took a position in between the computer and the missiles.  TJ slowly left the doorway and crept forward, stopping about five feet from Cinder.  One of the cameramen activated the speaker on his camera.
        “Ready Cinder...ready TJ Combo...fight on!”
        Upon these words, Cinder charged at TJ.  TJ was frozen with surprise as Cinder buried a fiery elbow into TJ’s chest.  TJ stumbled backwards, almost back into the doorway.  Cinder jumped up and floated there for a while; then he turned into a fireball and shot himself at TJ.  TJ regained his wits about him at the last second, and lunged deeper into the room as Cinder went crashing into the spot of floor that TJ had abandoned.  After a spectacular display of sparks, all that was left of Cinder was a red puddle on the ground.  Cinder emerged from this puddle, still wearing his KI jumpsuit.
        Feeling rage surging up within him, as Cinder rose from his puddle, TJ charged.  He reared back his cannon arm and threw it out at Cinder.  Cinder flipped over the attack, into the room.  TJ turned quickly and as the fire being prepared for a landing, he instinctively pointed his cannon arm forward and fired a plasma shot at Cinder.  The plasma energy hit Cinder in the chest, sending him flying towards the other side of the room.
        TJ fired another shot at the prone Cinder.  Cinder looked up in enough time, and lunged left and out of the way.  He rolled forward and sprung up in front of TJ with a roundhouse kick.  TJ blocked it easily.  As Cinder landed, he began throwing a flurry of kicks and punches at TJ, who blocked them all easily.  Cinder threw a roundhouse kick that TJ ducked with time to spare.  Having left himself open, Cinder was promptly attacked by the former boxer.  Utilizing his new abilities, TJ used the talons on his left hand to claw Cinder in the chest.  Cinder backed away for a second, and covered the gashes with other parts of himself.  Before the process was fully completed, TJ made a backhand motion, sinking his cannon arm into the base of Cinder’s neck.  He fell to both knees.  Combo charged at Cinder, extending his talons.  Cinder sunk into the floor as TJ passed over him.  As TJ continue to be carried forward by his momentum, Cinder came back up from through the floor, and launched himself into TJ’s back.  Combo sailed into wall on the far side of the room.  Cinder back flipped to land on his feet.  As TJ fell into a heap on the ground, Cinder threw a fireball at him.  TJ couldn’t react fast enough and was hit squarely with it.
        Cinder motioned for the ten count to start.  TJ, who was feeling immense pain, ignored it for about nine seconds.  It was an old boxing trick to stay down for as long as possible to get rest.  Before ten was reached, TJ was back up to one knee.  Cinder frowned.
        TJ felt a little better after having been hit with the fireball, but choose to stay on one knee, hoping to fool Cinder.  It apparently worked, as Cinder walked slowly towards TJ, taking his time.  TJ kept his head bowed, monitoring Cinder’s progress by the glow on the floor.  When Cinder was a little more than two feet away from where he stood, TJ leapt up and swung his cannon arm wildly, bluntly catching Cinder in his jaw.  As Cinder reeled back, TJ continued his charge, fiercely throwing jab and roundhouse punches at Cinder.  TJ’s speed was incredibly, and Cinder could only manage to block every third attack.  After landing about twenty good punches, TJ sensed that his opponent was at a disadvantage.  He reared back with his cannon arm and prepared for his knockout punch.  Cinder was barely conscious, but he did know that a big attack was coming.  As TJ thrust his arm forward, Cinder just did manage to turn himself into liquid, seconds before the end of TJ’s cannon would have connected with his forehead.  Cinder thrust himself up from the puddle with his fist extended.  He caught TJ under the jaw, which sent the boxer a few steps back.  But Cinder was still feeling dizzy, and TJ would recover from the blow in seconds.  So Cinder launched himself up in the air where he stayed.
        TJ felt angry at this apparent act of cowardice.  He hastily launched several plasma cannon shots at Cinder, who uneasily avoided them all.  TJ glared with Cinder for a few moments, then lowered his cannon arm.  Cinder appeared to have eased his reflexes at this.  TJ smiled.  His cybernetic eye glowed intensely, and he fired a strong eye laser shot at Cinder, who was wholly unprepared for it.  The blast nailed Cinder in the midsection, and sent him flying backwards.  He slammed into the wall just above the doorway.  As he did, his body exploded, lava raining down from the point of impact.  TJ eased himself for a few moments.  He signaled for the ten count.
        TJ turned from facing the doorway while the count began.  He peered down into the numerous rows of plasma missiles, to make sure that none of them had been accidentally turned on.  As he did, the drops of lava scattered around the room began moving towards the center of the area where the fight had been occurring.  They collected, one by one, forming a puddle.  After all the drops were accounted for, the puddle slid over to the computer terminal on the right side of the room.  A hand, proceeded by an arm, emerged from the puddle.  The hand indiscreetly reached up the terminal and began pressing some keys.  A screen that had formerly read blank now read-

        The hand didn’t enter in a positive or negative reply.  Instead, it sunk back into the puddle.  Meanwhile, the count had reached seven.  TJ turned away from the plasma missiles.  To his surprise, he saw Cinder’s puddle in the middle of the floor, and Cinder starting to emerge from it.  Cinder had formed knees by the time the count got to nine, so the count was stopped.  TJ let out a growl of frustration.  He hurriedly fired more plasma cannon shots at Cinder, who sunk back into a puddle to avoid them.  The shots flew out of the door and into the hallway, harmlessly dispersing into thousands of blue sparks.  Cinder suddenly flew from his puddle and back into the air.  He brought his right hand up to his left shoulder, and with a violent backhand motion, threw about ten small fireballs at TJ.  TJ barely dived out of the way as the fireballs crashed into the wall behind him, making a small fire explosion.  Cinder repeated his backhand motion and tossed another set of fireballs at TJ.  Still a little disoriented from his last narrow escape, TJ lunged away with no time to spare, as the fireballs slammed into the floor.
        Before TJ could react, Cinder had landed.  He charged at the boxer, and while he was still getting up, Cinder threw a vicious flurry of short punches at TJ’s head, all connecting.  After two consecutive left jabs, Cinder threw a right fierce, and used his momentum to spin around and hit TJ with a left roundhouse kick.  TJ fell on his back.  As he did, Cinder quickly darted over to the computer terminal he was using earlier.  After pressing one button, the computer screen now read-

        Cinder smiled.  He motioned for another ten count.  TJ felt a stronger desire for revenge than rest, so he wanted to get up quickly.
        But he couldn’t.
        TJ could lift his body off the floor, but his arms wouldn’t move.  As if being pinned by an invisible force, his arms remained glued to the floor no matter how much TJ struggled.  Combo was helpless as the count eventually progressed to ten.  Cinder threw his arms up in victory.  He smiled again, looking directly at the still prone TJ Combo.
 

Control Room
 

        “He cheated!”  Orchid exclaimed loudly as she pounded her fist into the computer layout she was leaning up against.
        “I saw it too.”  Jago said, with a hint of disgust in his voice.  “I saw what he did.  As soon as he knocked TJ down, Cinder electromagnetized the floor.  There was no way TJ, with his metal arms and all, could have possibly gotten up off that floor.”
        Orchid growled in fury.  She turned on her heel and began out the door.
        “Wait, wait!  Orchid, where’re you going?!”  Jago called after her.
        “I’m going down there.”  She said coldly.
        Jago sighed in exasperation and started after his sister.
 

Plasma Missile Stock Room
 

        Cinder had turned away from TJ.  Breathing heavily, he leaned up against the computer terminals for a few moments to catch his breath.  Most of the camera crew had already left, the remaining ones were filing out at a rapid pace.
        While Cinder’s back was still turned, TJ Combo struggled to get up.  He placed his feet flat on the floor with his legs up and knees bent.  With everything he had, he pushed upwards.  Slowly, his arms began to break away from the floor.
        Cinder laughed to himself.  “Well Combo, ya put up a darn good fight, but in the end, Cinder and Ultratech won.  That is how it is, that’s how it always will be.  If you live through all this, try to remember this day when you’re a low life rebel, and I’m a General of the world.  Oh ya, and if you promise to be nice, I might come back in a few days to turn off those floor magnets.”  As he said this, Cinder heard a grunt from TJ.  Peering backwards in curiosity, Cinder was shocked to find TJ Combo standing.
        TJ’s cybernetic eye was glowing a fierce red, his real eye narrowed.  TJ stood with both knees bent and arms at chest level, although it felt as if a tremendously strong pair of hands had grasped on to and were pulling down on TJ’s arms.
        “You damn cheater!  Bastard, I’ll make you pay!”  TJ fired a flurry of plasma cannon shots at Cinder.  Cinder leapt up into the air as the plasma passed under him.  As Cinder landed, he rolled forward towards Combo in an attempt to try to knock him down.  Before Cinder was even close to TJ, the enraged fighter fired another set of plasma cannon shots at Cinder, accompanied by an eye laser shot.  Cinder leapt over TJ, towards the back wall.  TJ adjusted his plasma cannon to rapid shot fire, and shot a barrage at Cinder, along with eye laser blasts.  Cinder used the wall as a thrusting block and threw himself away.  The cannon barrage and eye laser followed him.  As Cinder tumbled near the first row of missiles, he slipped on the floor and lost a step.  As a result, TJ’s eye laser beam clipped him in the left side.  Cinder fell forward, landing in front of the second missile from the front wall, in the front row.  He stood shakily for a second, and then doubled over.  TJ’s eyes gleamed.
        “I got you now!”
        TJ began concentrating.  His plasma cannon began glowing an intimidating blue.  TJ aimed it at Cinder.
        “Take this!”
        TJ Combo fired a massive plasma cannon shot at Cinder.  Cinder was wincing in pain, but looked up within seconds of the super plasma cannon shot’s arrival at his head.  Before it could nail him, Cinder turned into a puddle to avoid the blast.  The enormous amount of plasma energy slammed into the plasma missile Cinder had been standing in front of.  There was a small explosion, and the lights dimmed.
        Having drained himself, TJ fell to one knee.  His fist and the end of the cannon fell to the ground where they stuck.  TJ looked around for either Cinder, or the puddle, but he could find neither.  After a few moments, the already dimmed room lights blacked out, and was replaced by a flashing red light, along with an alarm.  There was also an audio message from the computer-

        “Holy hell...”  TJ whispered to himself.  He tried to free his arms from the floor again but could not.  Then, Orchid and Jago rushed in.  Jago went to TJ’s left side and Orchid to his right.  They both pulled TJ’s arms up off the floor.
        “C’mon,” Jago said, “there’s a plasma leak in progress.  It’s a bad one.  We’ve got to get out of here and back to the Control Room.”  Without protest, TJ was helped out of the room.
 

Control Room
 

        “What’s happening?”  TJ asked.
        Both Jago and Orchid were frantic.  Orchid had taken a seat at the main computer terminal while Jago peered over her shoulder.
        Carefully choosing her words, Orchid said, “One of the missiles is leaking plasma.  And lots of it.  It’s giving off a lot of raw, concentrated energy waves.  As a standard procedure, the missiles have been activated to launch, to get them safely away from the energy.  But, because of Cinder’s cheating, they can’t leave their pads.  So if we don’t stop the plasma leak, and keep the missiles from launching, they’re going to blow.”
        “And they’re active?”  TJ asked.
        “Yeah.”  Jago replied.
        “But...if they’re active, and they blow...all of them...then...”
        “Then Texas will become beach front property.”  Orchid interjected.  She quickly worked at the computer.  After a few seconds, the computer gave her a negative set of beeps.  Orchid slammed the terminal in rage.
        “What’s going on?”  Jago asked.
        “Dammit!  It won’t let me access the missiles!”
        “Why?”
        “I don’t know!  I just can’t get into any of the missile menus!”
        “Have you tried the access codes?”
        “I’ve already done that!  Nothing’s working!”
        “By the Tiger...”  Jago trailed off.
        TJ shook his head.  “Well then, what are we going to do?!”
        Orchid slammed the terminal again.  “Dammit!  It’s not working!”
        TJ was becoming frantic.  “Well then, try another terminal, another station, another room...”
        “That won’t work!”  Orchid said quickly, “The missiles are designed to accept commands only from here and the missile room!  And here’s not working!  And there won’t work!  By now, there’s so much plasma energy floating around, that no human being would survive long enough to stop the missiles!  Besides, the whole section has been sealed off!”
        Jago took a seat next to Orchid.  “If we do nothing, we’re dead for sure!  Keep trying to break into the missile menu!  It’s our only option!”
        Side by side, Jago and Orchid tried to access missile control, with no success.  After about a minute, Orchid dropped her head on the table.
        “It’s no use.  We can’t do anything from here.  We’re all dead.”
        “I won’t accept that!”  Jago said sharply.  “There has got to be something!  There just has to be!  TJ, have you got any ideas?”
        Jago turned around, then froze.  Orchid lifted her head.
        “What’s up?”
        Jago looked sick.  “Orchid...where did TJ go?”
        “What do you mean ‘where did TJ-’” As Orchid asked the question, she turned around to see that TJ Combo had left the Control Room.
        “Go.”  She finished the sentence.  Orchid stared at the empty room behind her for a few moments, then leapt out of her chair.
        “Oh God, I know what he’s thinking.  C’mon Jago, we have to stop him!”  Before Jago could speak, Orchid was out into the hallway.  Jago looked at his computer terminal, which still wouldn’t let him access any of the plasma missile functions, then he too got up and followed Orchid.
 

Ultratech Corporation: East Wing Hallway
 

        TJ Combo raced down the hall back towards the Missile Stock Room.  As he ran, Orchid’s words kept echoing through his head.  “‘No human being would survive long enough to stop the missiles...’“ All TJ had to do was look down at his arms to remind himself that he was no longer a human being.
        “This is all my fault.”  TJ thought.  “I caused that leak.  And if I don’t stop it, millions will die.  I have to.  I have to.”
TJ ran until he came upon a thick steel door, marked “EC-225-125” He stopped at this door, and without even pausing to catch his breath, he placed his left hand on the red button that would normally open the door.  Instead of the door lifting, a computer warning sounded-

        With his hand still on the button, TJ said, “Override safety protocols, emergency authorization Sheridan-twelve-alpha-beta-nine.”
        There was a series of metallic clicks, then the steel door slid upwards.  TJ walked under it.  He sighed, and looked back down the hall from whence he came.
        “Cancel override command and delete override subdirectory.”
        “OVERRIDE CANCELED AND DELETED.”  The computer responded.  The steel door came back down, resealing the hall.
 

        “Orchid, where are we going?”  Jago asked, while running.
        “We’re trying to stop TJ before he does something foolish.”  Orchid said sharply.
        Jago slowed up for a few moments, then realizing what Orchid was saying, he quickened his stride to full speed.
 

        TJ Combo now stood in front of the door to the Missile Stock Room.  Sensing a human presence, the computer gave another audio warning.

        TJ knew that in order to open the door, he only needed to press the red button.  Sheridan, when configuring his systems, probably figured that anyone suicidal enough to open a door to a room bombarded with plasma energy was harmless enough not to make them go through a safety override process.
        The boxer rested his head against the door.  He knew that the electromagnets were still active inside that room.  As soon as he set foot inside, ignoring the fatal plasma discharge levels, it would be very hard for him to move about.  TJ gathered his strength, pushing his arms into his stomach.
 

        Orchid and Jago stopped at a steel door barrier marked “EC 225-125.  Orchid put her hand on the red button and said  “Override safety protocols, emergency authorization Sheridan-twelve-alpha-beta-nine.”
        The computer replied “OVERRIDE SAFETY PROTOCOLS HAVE BEEN DELETED.  UNABLE TO COMPLY.”
        Orchid slammed her fist into the steel.  “Argh!  He deleted the safety protocols!”
        “What now?”  Jago asked.
        Orchid turned around.  “We’ve gotta get back to the Control Room.  Maybe we can teleport him out of there.”
 

        TJ Combo sighed.  “No turning back now.”  He pressed the red door button, and the twin steel doors slid apart.  Instantly, TJ was enveloped in a wave of strange heat and a tingling sensation.  Trying his best to ignore it, TJ plunged into the room.
        As soon as he took his first step inside, he could feel the floor magnets pulling down on his arms again.  With all his strength, TJ kept his arms from dropping below his waist.  He struggled over to the computer terminal.  As he got there, he put his arms over the computer layout, and felt relief as the floor electromagnets couldn’t reach his arms through the terminal.  TJ turned his head to look backwards at the missiles.  They were all active and preparing for launch.  Lights were shining from each one, and smoke protruding from the sides.  TJ focused on the missile he had hit earlier while trying to kill Cinder.  Using his cybernetic eye, he determined that the missile number was 002.
        TJ turned back to the computer terminal and accessed missile control.  He entered in a set of commands

        The computer acknowledged, and completely shut down the missile.  Having accomplished part one, it was on to part two-

        The countdown sequence stopped.  TJ felt slightly better.  Now all he had to do was shut off the missiles, and he was done.

        In front of TJ was a grid.  There were ten columns and fifty rows of lights, in which all except for one shone red.  These lights represented the missiles, and every light that was red signaled that its corresponding missile was active.  One by one, these lights began to darken.  Eventually, all but seven had gone out.  TJ waited for a few moments for these seven to go out, but they did not.
        “What in the hell?”  TJ was puzzled by the stubbornness of these lights.  He reentered the shut down command into the computer, but the lights were unaffected.  Glancing backwards to the missiles, TJ could see by a few dim lights that some missiles were still online.  He entered in the shut down command again, to no avail.  TJ took a closer look at the red lights.  They represented missiles #007, #027, #035, #114, #243, #314, and #419.
        “Only one way...”  Being the closest to where he was, TJ headed towards missile #007.  As he left the computer terminal, TJ could feel his arms being yanked down to the floor again.  Also, the plasma energy waves were beginning to make him light headed and dizzy.  Nevertheless, he pushed on to the missile.
        As he arrived, TJ Combo opened a panel on missile #007.  With the computer interface exposed, TJ began working on it

_what is the current status of the missile?
MISSILE IS ARMED AND ON STANDBY MODE
_on whose command?
MISSILE WAS ARMED AND READIED BY ROBERT SHERIDAN AND CINDER
_how was missile armed?
MISSILE IS RECEIVING SIGNAL FROM ES INTREPID

        “What?”  TJ was surprised.  Having found a potential answer, TJ returned to the main computer terminal.  He accessed the menu for the Ultratech Earth Satellites, and then accessed the current status of the ES Intrepid.  To his horror, TJ found that the ES Intrepid was sending seven different signals.  Each signal reached a different missile, which just happened to be the seven missiles that wouldn’t shut down.  Upon further investigation, TJ found that these seven were programmed to launch very soon, and each was targeted for the center of a different continent of the world.  Furthermore, control of the missile from either the missile itself, or the ES Intrepid had been blocked, the only possible control outlet would be the Control Room.
        “Dear God...”  TJ said to himself, “this will damn sure end the world if those missiles launch...I’ve got to warn the others!”
 

        “I can’t teleport him out of there!”  Jago said in frustration.
        “Why not?!”  Orchid asked.
        “There’s too much plasma interfearence!  I can’t teleport him out of there without the risk of killing him!”
        “Well then, reconfigure the teleporter, reduce the interference, do something, just get him out of there!”
        “Fine, I’ll try.”  Jago lied.  He knew that any attempts to modify the teleporter would be in vain.  The only way they’d be able to teleport TJ out of the Missile Stock Room would be if TJ somehow left the room, if he wasn’t already dead.
 

        TJ left the computer terminal again.  This time, as he did, the force of the electromagnets overcame him, and his arms shot down to the floor.  TJ felt weak from the bombardment of plasma he had received.  He could barely keep from collapsing on the floor.
        “I have got to tell everyone about the missiles!”  He said in a weak voice.  TJ Combo strained as he managed to pry his left hand from the floor, and he threw it forward.  He then fired a plasma cannon shot from his right arm, which kicked the arm away from the floor.  TJ threw the right arm forward also, ahead of his left.  He then dragged his body forward to make progress across the floor.  The strenuous process of pry, throw, shoot, throw, and drag continued for a few agonizing minutes.  Finally, TJ was just a few short feet from the doorway.
        “O...oh...open door.”  TJ stammered.  He was getting weaker.  The doors to the room slid apart.  TJ pulled his left arm off the floor, but instead of throwing it forward, he kept it suspended in mid air.  He then shot his right arm off the floor, and kept that one from hitting the floor as well.  With what little strength he had left, TJ stood.  The vision in his normal eye was horribly blurred, while his cybernetic eye was still clear.  TJ could feel each ounce of what seemed like his lumpy blood stumble through his veins.  He felt as if he was going to explode from the inside out.  With his last bit of strength, Combo threw his body forward and through the door.
 

        “That’s it!  He’s clear of the interference!”  Jago exclaimed.
        “Bring him back!”  Orchid yelled.
        Jago initiated the teleportation sequence.  There was a low whine, accompanied by a blue light, and as the light faded out, it left TJ Combo behind.
        Orchid rushed over to TJ, but was stopped by a plasma shield.  It was cylindrical in shape, starting from the floor and extending up to the ceiling.
        “Jago, what’s going on with this plasma shield?  C’mon, let it down so I can help him!”  Orchid waited for an answer, but never got one.  “What are you doing?!  We have to help -” Orchid cut herself off as she turned around.  Jago’s facial expression had changed.  His face had soured.  His head was bowed, and he avoided eye contact with both Orchid and TJ.
        “Jago...what...what’re...”  Orchid said.
        “I couldn’t bring TJ here without bringing some of the plasma waves along with him.”  Jago’s voice was bitter.  “Not to mention he’s been bombarded with it.  He’s practically giving it off.  It would be as harmful to you and me as if he were bathed in radiation.  There’s nothing...nothing...we can do.”  Jago turned his head.
        Orchid fell to her knees.  She put her hands up against the plasma shield.  “TJ...TJ...can you hear me?”
        TJ had been lying on his side inside of the shield.  At the sound of Orchid’s voice, he brought himself slowly to one knee.  TJ kept his head bowed to hide his appearance, but Orchid could see that the skin on his face was peeling away badly, and was scarred from apparent burning.  TJ rested his head against the plasma shield.  He placed his left hand on the shield besides his head.  Combo coughed, trying to find the strength to speak.  Finally, he managed to spit out sound.
        “Eh...en...Intrepid.”  After saying this, TJ kind of fell, his back hitting the shield, facing Orchid.  He slid down until he was sitting, motionless.  Orchid’s hands slipped off the shield, her head proceeding to crash into it.
        Jago still could not bring himself to look.
 

Ultratech Corporation: MediLab
 

        Orchid sat at her usual seat at a medical station near the front corner of the room.  She clumsily fumbled with an Ultratech medical stabilizer and regulator.  Jago was leaning up against the door.  Kim Wu and Tusk sat atop on of an operating table.  Glacius sat in a chair in the far side of the room.
        For a long time, no one said anything.  Nobody made direct eye contact with each other.  Even movement was kept to a minimum.  Finally, Kim Wu got sick of the silence.
        “Why?”  This was all she needed to say.  The same subject was on everyone’s mind.
        Still, no one spoke.  Finally, Jago cleared his throat.  “He probably felt responsible for the plasma leak.  That it was up to him and him only to stop it.  And...and,” Jago had to clear his throat again, “the concentration of plasma energy in there was so intense, that no one, no one in the building would have survived long enough to have even made it to the computer terminal.  No one except TJ.”
        Glacius felt the need to interject.  “His cybernetic arms absorbed most of the energy.  But there was only so much they could take.  They bought him...the time he needed to stop the missiles.”
        After that, no one spoke again.  After about ten minutes, Orchid stood up, feeling thoroughly sick.  She started for the door.
        “Wait!”  Jago called.  “Where are you going?”
        Orchid’s voice was very weak.  “I’m going to the hospital.  I’m taking this Ultratech medical tool with me, and I’m going to stabilize Maya’s condition.  Those doctors can’t do as much for her as Ultratech technology can.  I wanted to go this morning, but then all of this happened, and...”  Orchid trailed off.
        “Hey,” Jago said, “maybe you can get them to release her, and we can bring her here for full treatment.”
        “That’s a good idea.”  Glacius added.
        “Yeah.”  Jago continued.  “Why don’t you email that doctor now, and let him know of your intentions before you get there.”
        Orchid swallowed.  “I guess I can do that.”  She turned to the medical terminal and launched the Internet program.
        Everyone silenced themselves again.  The sound of Orchid’s fingers’ hitting the keys was the only sound in the room.  The clicking seemed to project from the keyboard, and bounce from wall to wall, desperately looking for other noises but not finding any.
        Suddenly, Orchid froze.  She stopped typing, and didn’t move in general.  No one seemed to notice at first.  After a few moments, Jago figured that Orchid should have been typing her message to the doctors at the hospital, or at least going there.  However, she was motionless.  Jago knew it all too well.  When Orchid was speechless or motionless, something bad had usually happened.
        Jago carefully made his way over to Orchid.  He stepped gingerly, seemingly to avoid making excessive noise.  He peered over Orchid’s shoulder for a few seconds.  Then, Jago dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair.  It was Jago’s sign that something was wrong, and Kim Wu identified it.
        “Jago, what is it?”  She asked.
        Jago sighed.  He kept his head in his hands for a moment, then he dropped his right hand while keeping his left over his mouth.  Without turning his head towards anyone or even moving his eyes, Jago spoke.  In a weak, broken voice, he said, “Maya’s dead.”