Ultratech Corporation:  Outside the MediLab
 

        Klunk klunk klunk klunk klunk klunk siiiisssshhhh Klunk klunk klunk klunk klunk klunk siiiisssshhhh.
        It was almost hypnotic, the way Orchid paced back and forth in front of the door to the Ultratech MediLab.  That combined with the way the overhead lights flickered on and off, flirting with total darkness.  Tusk and Jago could hardly keep from yawning as the routine took place.
        “You know, you’re going to make a habit out of that.”  Jago said sleepily.
        “What, pacing?”  Orchid replied.  “At this point, that’s the least of my worries.”
        “C’mon, why don’t you sit?”
        “This is fine, thanks.”  Orchid continued to pace; she hadn’t even broken her stride.
        Jago knew that if he watched her for much longer, he’d be asleep in no time.  So he decided to concentrate on something else.  However, everything else seemed so depressing.  The way the computer monitors kept blanking out in staccato shots, similar to the flickering of the lights.  Fallen support beams laid in the hallway and large rips were present in the steel walls.  Ultratech was in bad shape.  Not that Jago wanted it to be repaired, but the fact that it hadn’t been said a lot about the situation they were currently in.
        Jago felt he had to do something to pass the time.  The silence was murdering him, along with the sound of Orchid’s repetitive pacing.  He tugged on the collar of his white polo shirt as if it were strangling him.
        “So...do you think there’s any truth to it?”  He asked Orchid.
        “Why?  Why would what Gargos said be true?”
        “I dunno, why wouldn’t it?”
        “Gargos is not be trusted.”  Maya interjected.  “He like to play with minds, no pay attention.”
        Tusk and Kim Wu nodded in the affirmative.
        “That’s probably it.”  Orchid continued.  “He’s trying to screw with our minds.  Confuse us.”
        Jago began formulating a combative response, but held it back.  “Maybe.  But there’s no use arguing it because the genetic tests will tell us either way if-”
        Almost as if by cue, the doors to the MediLab side open, stopping Orchid in mid-pace.  TJ Combo and Glacius emerged from within.  Combo cleared his throat to speak.
        “We’ve got both of your DNA sequences running through the computer.  If you two are related in any way, this’ll tell ya.  But, it’s gonna take a few hours before the results are ready.”
        “Argh!”  Orchid exclaimed.  “A few hours?  I can’t take this!”
        “What’sa matter?”  Glacius said, with a hint of humor in his voice, “the prospect of being related to Jago that repulsive to you?”
        “No, no, it’s not that,”  Orchid was retreating, “I just hate to be kept guessing.  I like answers.”
        Combo yawned.  He sat in one of the chairs that had been taken out of the MediLab into the hallway for everyone to sit in. “So, what’re we gonna do now?”
        “I could go for a nap.”  Jago said slowly.
        “Mmm.”  Glacius said.  “I could use a regeneration period myself.  I haven’t been through as much as some of you have, but I’m already out of it.”
        Maya stood.  “I have idea.”  She said.  “Much, much rest, good place.”
 
 

Outside Ultratech
 
 

        Like soldiers marching into battle, Maya, Kim Wu, Tusk, Glacius, TJ Combo, Jago, and Orchid walked single file through the dense greenery and wildlife that will one day be referred to as “New York City.”
        “Wow,”  Combo said, “it’s hard to believe that New York once looked like this.”
        “Well,”  Orchid replied, although the statement hadn’t been directed to anyone, “this is 2000 years into the past.  Plenty of time for humans to screw things up like we always do.”
Jago was almost gliding through the trees and shrubs.  Nature had always been given high priority in the Tiger Shrine, but no one before him actually had the chance to visit nature in its purest form.
        “Jago?”  Maya called out.
        “Huh?”  Jago was suddenly pulled back into reality.
        Maya stopped in front of a particularly dense area.  “Help please?”
        “Oh sure.”  Jago smiled at the possibility of being useful.  He was even more pleased that he was the one that had been called on for assistance, not Combo, Glacius, or even Orchid.  He reached behind him, unsheathed his sword, and dashed up to the front of the line besides Maya.
        “Thanks.”  Maya said, grabbing the sword out of Jago’s hands.  She continued forward, using his sword to cut down branches in her path.
        “Oh.....uh......no prob.”  Somewhat embarrassed, Jago retreated back to his place in the line.  Orchid smiled to herself.
        The group continued through the greenery, with Maya in the lead.  She nimbly cut down tree branches and shrubs that were in the way with Jago’s sword.  No one said anything and they were all perfectly comfortable with that.
Finally, Maya stopped.  Kim and Tusk joined her by her side.
        “We here.”  Maya said.
        “What?  What’s here?”  Combo asked.  He darted up behind Tusk and Maya, putting his arms around them and peering over their shoulders.  “Whoa mama!  Jago, Orchid, ya gotta take a gander at this!”
Orchid calmly advanced.  Standing next to Kim, she could see why they had stopped where they did; they were standing on the edge of a precipice.  Below was a sunken in circular area that extended about 100 feet down; at the bottom was a hot spring pool that gave off steam.  On the other side of the pool, water gushed from an origin unknown down into the pool.  Around and in the pool, large stones had been arranged to form what looked to be seats and even beds.
        “Boy does that look comfy!”  Combo exclaimed.  “Yep, I could relax down there for hours on end.  So, how do we get down there?”
        Kim made a circular motion with her hands which seemed to convey the thought of “down.”  She disrobed out of her red silk garment, down to her undergarments.  Combo and Jago turned away, somewhat embarrassed.  With a great push, Kim leapt from the precipice.  She flipped over several times in mid-air, then finally extending her body, making for a near perfect swan dive into the spring.  After a few moments, she emerged from underneath the water, smiling.  She made more hand motions that seemed to say “c’mon in.”
        Suddenly, Tusk and Maya jumped into the spring as they were.  Maya’s dive was almost identical to Kim’s; Tusk sprawled downwards, hitting the water awkwardly.
        Glacius peered down into the hot spring.  He turned to Combo, Jago, and Orchid, looking quite uneasy.  Eventually, he morphed into gelatinous form and carefully began to slide down.  Jago watched him for a few moments, then stood on the very edge.  He took off his shirt.
        “Heh.  Why not, eh?”
        He then jumped off the cliff, rolling himself into a ball and completing several rotations before hitting the water with a tremendous splash.
        Orchid watched as Jago surfaced, then as he struck the water with a mighty blow from his fists, causing a massive wave of water to rise and crash down upon Tusk, Maya, and Kim.
        “When in Rome…”  Orchid said to herself, as she jumped in as she was, although she was wearing a white sweatshirt and blue jeans.
        A few moments after hitting the water, Orchid surfaced.  She was feeling almost playful, and she was tempted to splash Jago with water.  However, by this time, everyone had calmed down, and was resting against the piled rocks.  Orchid swam over         and floated next to Jago.
        “Say...where’s Glacius and TJ?”  She asked.
        “Right here.”  Glacius responded.  About fifteen feet away from the edge of the spring, Glacius arose from his puddle and assumed humanoid form.  He took a seat on one of the rocks.
        “Hey Glacius,”  Jago called out, “not coming any closer?”
        “Is that spring as hot as it looks?”
        “Prob-ly, if not hotter.”
        “Then this is as close as I get.”
        “Suit yourself.”  Jago responded.
        Orchid continued to look around.  “Okay, there’s Glacius, but where’s TJ?”
        As if by cue, TJ Combo leaped out of one of the trees that were a few feet away from the precipice leading down to the spring.  With his positioning, he was behind everyone.  He fell silently for about three seconds, then as he closed in on the group, he emitted a blood curdling “Raayyyyyoooowwwww!”  as he slammed into the water, causing a tremendous amount of water to rise up and rain down upon everyone.  Jago, upon Combo’s scream, nearly leapt out of the spring, landing awkwardly on one of the rocks.  Combo sprang out of the water, laughing.
        “Did I get cha, huh?  Did I get cha good?”
        Jago slid down the rock, back into the spring.  “Cripes, man.  You scared the hell out of me.  You sounded just like Fulgore 2.”
        “That was the point, man!  Did I get cha?”
        “Man, you shouldn’t do that!  You know I’m on edge.  Especially since that walking toaster is trying to kill me at every turn...”
        “Aw, lighten up!  We came here to relax, remember?  Look, even Orchid’s taking’ five.”
        Orchid, who had been relaxing comfortably against a rock, opened her eyes.  “Oh no.  Don’t bring me into this.”
        Combo chuckled.  “Man, do we need this or what?  Personally, I’ve had all I can stand of Ultratech.  I mean, with those steel hallways, and computers everywhere, I feel like I’m in prison or something.  I know we're 2000 years in the past, and we're trying to destroy Ultratech, but can’t we, y’know, fix it up a little?  The decor is going to drive me insane...”
        Combo let the statement float between everyone with no response.  He figured that half the group was asleep, and the other half too relaxed to care about meaningless small talk.  TJ tried to float peacefully in the center of the spring, but the urge to speak was too great.
        “So, Jago, Orchid, do you guys think you’re related, and how so?”  He asked.
        Orchid appeared to be asleep, but spoke.  “I really, really doubt that we are related.  If by some chance we are, it’s probably nothing more than cousins.”
        “That’s true.”  Jago added.
        “Aw c’mon!”  TJ said.  “Given our situation, the possibilities are endless, and you two are thinking cousins?  Don’t you have any imagination?”
        “Sure,”  Jago yawned, “but I care not to use it right now.  The mere possibility of having a family blows my mind right now.  I always thought I was all alone.  Never questioned it.  Now, I might have relatives.  Even if she is just a cousin, that means we’ve got to have other family members.  I just hadn’t thought about that.  Funny how fate works, isn’t it?”  Jago paused.  “But TJ’s right; the possibilities are endless.  What with Ultratech’s TimeShift technology and all, who knows what’ll happen in the future that affects our past?  I could be her nephew, or she could be my niece…”
        “You could be brother and sister...”  Combo interjected.
        “Come now.”  Orchid said.  “If it were something more than cousins, at least one of us would had to have been aware of it.”
        “Ooooh.”  Combo said.  He swam over to Jago and whispered in his ear, although he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.  “Careful Jago, you never know...she could be your mama.”
        Jago tried hard to contain a smile.  He really, really tried.  Especially since Orchid was perfectly straight faced.  But from out of nowhere, Orchid burst out laughing.  It was strange, really; someone as professional as Orchid suddenly letting a good laugh out.  With Orchid’s outburst, Jago couldn’t contain himself and longer and he began laughing as well.  Both Combo and Maya laughed, but not quite as hard.  Tusk and Kim looked quite puzzled, but then Maya leaned over and whispered something in their ears; they too began laughing.
 
 

        It was as if the moment had been frozen in time.
        Orchid could see the whole scene, even herself.  As if she were an uninvolved third party, watching from off to the side.  She could see Maya, alive, young, and vibrant.  Maya as she was.  Then she saw a more current version of the young girl.  Lying in a hospital bed, connected to a hundred machines and a thousand wires.  Fighting a battle for her life, one she’d eventually lose.  She could see TJ Combo, grinning madly from the successful joke he just made.  Then she saw him, trapped inside a plasma shield, mutilated by Ultratech, badly burned by high radiation levels, dead, and no longer smiling.  Then she saw Kim.  Younger and perhaps more innocent than Maya, smiling at something she didn’t quite understand, but smiling anyway.  Then Orchid saw her, slumped against a wall, in a pool of her own blood, having just been assaulted by a Fulgore cyborg, alive only by an act of God, but perhaps never able to fight again.
        Orchid lay on her back in her bed in the room in Ultratech she shared with Jago.  Everything had been shut off; the TV, lights, even the computer terminals.  The room was almost completely dark, except for some light that seeped through the door cracks, violating the darkness with faint illumination.
        The door chime sounded.  Orchid didn’t notice it at first.  However, the person ringing the chime didn’t give up easily, and Orchid finally became aware of it around the third of fourth chime.
        “Who the hell...”  She thought.  With the least amount of effort possible, she pressed a button under her bed, and the door to the room slid open.  It was Kim Wu.
        Kim limped into the room.  This got Orchid’s attention; although she wanted to sit up, her current energy level prevented her from doing so.
        Kim had put on her jumpsuit pants, and she the wore the bloody top unzipped and around her shoulders.  She was bandaged from shoulders to stomach, with the bandages around her left breast starting to turn pink.  The young warrior uneasily made her way past Orchid, and carefully lowered herself down on Jago’s bed where she sat upright.
        “Kim,”  Orchid said, in a mothering tone of voice, “you should be resting in bed.”
        “I’ll live.”  Kim replied.  “Don’t know about fighting, but I’ll live.”
        “What the hell were you doing anyway?  Why didn’t you just give up against Fulgore-X?  The tournament is meaningless; what we need are fists and feet in the battle against Gargos eventually.  Now you’ve gone and taken yourself out of that.  Why?”
        “Perhaps tournament standing is meaningless, but victory and surrender are not.  If I had surrendered, that would have been saying that Fulgore-X was better than me.  How can I even think about facing Gargos without overcoming Fulgore-X?  I can’t.  That is why I did not surrender.”
        Orchid began to protest, but gave up.  “Where’s Jago?”  She asked instead.
        “He fell asleep at the foot of my bed, the poor guy.  He’s been staying up all night, talking to me, keeping me distracted from my situation.”
        Orchid said nothing in response.
        “Orchid...”  Kim said.  “He told me about what happened…with your parents and all.”
        “What?”  Orchid said sharply.
        “Please don’t be upset at him.  I made him tell me.  It’s not his fault.”
        Orchid sighed.  “So now I suppose you’re going to join the pep squad in telling me how ‘it’s not my fault’ and ‘there was nothing I could do.’“
        “No.  Maybe it was your fault.  Maybe it wasn’t.  All I know is that because of what happened in your past, things turned out the way they did.  For that I’m thankful.”
        “What?!  Have you been awake at all lately?  Have you kept track of the body count?  Have you forgotten about what Fulgore-X did to you?”
        “Don’t get me wrong, I feel very, very bad about Maya and TJ’s death, as well as that ninja fellow.  But let’s face it; if not for you and Jago, we’d all be dead - in any time.  Before you sent Ultratech into our time, Gargos was battling Eyedol to decide who would rule the world, and Gargos was winning.  I don’t think anyone, not Tusk, not Maya, not myself, not even the army that was on standby, could have stopped him.  And from what I’ve heard about what happened in KI7, if not for you and Jago, Ultratech might be ruling your world by now.”  Kim stood up and staggered towards the door.  “Sure we’ve lost a lot, but we would’ve lost everything if not for your efforts so far.  I think that’s worth at least something.”
        Having said that, Kim Wu left.
 
 

New York
A Downtown Subway Station
 
 

        “Son of a…!”  Jago cried out, as he leaped out of the way.
Seconds afterwards, a sharp fragment of a subway car door came crashing down, splitting the floor where he was.  Jago scrambled across the dirty and littered ground, to where his sword lay.  He couldn’t pick it up though; as he reached for it, a fine mist of venom shot out to where his hand was.  Jago pulled it away quickly.  The venom proceeded forwards, coating a garbage can.  Within moments, the garbage can was nothing more than a few smoldering ashes slowly floating down to the Earth.
Jago glanced up at his opponent.  Riptor stood on top of one of the subway cars.  With the light above him damaged, a shadow was cast over him, so his glowing green eyes were his most distinguishable feature.  His tail flickered about wildly in anticipation.  He bared his teeth; green venom dripped from them and onto the subway car.
        Riptor growled.  He lunged from the subway car at Jago.  Jago jumped up, over Riptor.  While Riptor was sailing past him, Jago used this opportunity to pick his sword up.  He wiped a small stream of blood away from his mouth.
        When Riptor hit the ground, Jago charged.  Holding his sword high over his head, he prepared for an overhead strike.  Riptor landed from the lunge on his feet, and while keeping his back turned, he lashed his tail out, wrapping it around Jago’s arm, preventing the sword from coming down.  Riptor used Jago’s momentum to sling him forward, into the wall.  He tumbled down and landed in an awkward heap.  Riptor picked up a metal rod and flung it at Jago.  Jago was too stunned to notice; the rod hammered him in the ribs.  Riptor charged for the kill.  As soon as he was in range, Jago spun on his right side in order to stick his right foot up.  Riptor ran face first into it, and stumbled backwards.
        Jago did a pop-up.  Considering the damage that had been done to his ribs and his legs, it hurt substantially.  However, this fight was being televised on pay per view, so there was no need to let millions of viewers see him in a moment of weakness.  Jago pulled a handful of throwing stars out of the black belt of his KI jumpsuit.  With a swift motion, he threw them at Riptor, who was still on his back.  The velociraptor was able to spray a mist of venom before the knives got too close; they evaporated into nothing only inches away from Riptor’s head.
        While still on the ground, Riptor lashed his tail out, grabbing Jago around the ankles.  Suddenly, Riptor yanked it back, causing Jago’s feet to fly out from under him.  The Tibetan ninja landed hard on his back.  Riptor then pulled his tail back as hard as he could, causing Jago to become airborne, fly through the air, and finally crash through the doors to one of the subway cars, landing awkwardly in the seats.
        Jago picked himself up slowly.  “Oh, this means war...”  He mumbled.  Looking up, Jago jumped and grabbed a loose panel in the ceiling of the car.  He pulled himself through it, to stand on the roof.  There, he flattened himself against the top of the car.
Meanwhile, Riptor entered the car through the broken doors to pursue the ninja.  Looking around, the velociraptor could clearly see where Jago had landed, but no sign of the fighter himself.  While Riptor searched the car, Jago slid down from the roof.  At first, he thought of roundhouse kicking Riptor in the back, but the shooting pain in both knees suggested otherwise.  Jago silently jumped backwards, next to a tin trashcan.  Picking it up, he patiently waited for the right moment.
        Riptor continued his search throughout the subway car, quite unaware that his target was actually outside of the car, assuming the role of the predator.  The velociraptor came back to Jago’s point of impact, to carefully examine under the seats, the ceiling, and even the area outside of the car.  As he did this, he turned his back to the door.  Jago smiled.  With a mighty push-off from his right foot, he dashed silently towards Riptor.  Before Riptor knew it, Jago flattened him with a tremendous overhead smash from the tin trashcan.  Jago raised the can high over his head and brought it down several times upon Riptor’s head and back.  Finally, Riptor was able to raise his tail and smack the can from Jago’s hands.  The ninja turned for a moment, but only to pick up his sword, which he had left lying in the seat he crashed in.  Jago twirled the sword around several times in his hand, eventually pointing the blade at the fallen mutation.  However, as Riptor pathetically inched away from his adversary, Jago could not bring himself to do it.  Instead, he lowered his sword, signaled for the ten count, and started out of the subway car.
        Jago limped away best he could, almost ignoring the ten count.  He soon noticed it when it stopped, though.  He stopped and started to turn towards the subway car; before he finished his rotation, Riptor lunged at him, burying both fists in Jago’s stomach.  He doubled over and rolled backwards for a few yards.  Riptor was quickly on top of him, attacking ferociously with fists and feet.  Jago managed to roll away, freeing himself from the flurry.  He stopped in front of a large pillar.  As he stood up, Jago noticed a venom spray on a direct collision course with his head.  He quickly ducked.  The venom hit the pillar, causing a large hole to develop, which ate completely through.  Quickly opening his eyes, Jago saw Riptor quickly closing in.  Ignoring the pain in both legs, Jago sprung up and threw a left roundhouse kick into Riptor’s stomach as he neared.  He used the velociraptor’s momentum combined with that of his kick to propel Riptor behind him, past the pillar.  Jago heard a thud; therefore, assuming Riptor had effectively been neutralized for a few moments, Jago leaned against the pillar to regain his bearings.  Only two seconds had passed before Riptor’s tail shot through the hole in the pillar, wrapping itself tightly around Jago’s neck.  The Tibetan ninja tried to struggle free; but Riptor snapped his tail back, causing Jago to slam into the pillar.  Jago tried again to free himself; once again, he was yanked backwards into the pillar.  In the impact, he dropped his sword; it bounced a few feet away.
        Jago grabbed the tail with both hands, desperately trying to pull it away.  The tail would not loosen its grip; it actually tightened as Jago struggled.  The ninja felt his breath quickly escaping him.  He could barely see his sword, just a few feet away.  It was horribly out of reach for his hands; but a realistic long shot for his feet.  Jago pressed his right foot into the pillar; using his left foot, he pushed down as hard as he could on his right boot.  Jago twisted his right foot while continually pushing down with his left; finally, the boot began to slip off his foot.  With a final kick from his left foot and a sling forward of his right, the boot flew off.
Riptor’s tail tightened around Jago’s neck, and the ninja began gasping for breath.  Jago threw his exposed right foot forward, getting his foot on top of the blade of his sword.  He managed to get the blade of the sword in between two of his toes.  The blade cut into his foot, but Jago ignored this, among other things.  He brought his right foot in, and spared his right hand from Riptor’s tail to grab the sword.  Jago’s gasping was now more pronounced; his vision began to fade as well.  He put both feet against the pillar, and pushed off somewhat to separate his back from the pillar.  Jago positioned his sword against the pillar, and in a sudden and swift movement, he quickly brought the sword up, cutting right through Riptor’s tail.  Jago and the tail fell to the floor on one side of the pillar; on the other side, Riptor reared back and howled in pain.
        Before he fully caught his breath, Jago sprung up.  He rushed over to the injured velociraptor, crouched down beneath Riptor’s head, then extended his right arm upwards; at the same time, launching himself upwards with a powerful push off from his feet.  His fist buried itself into Riptor’s chin, and the velociraptor was carried upwards with Jago.  At the peak of his jump, Jago ripped his fist away; causing Riptor to fall backwards.  Jago rotated around once before landing nimbly on the ground, a few moments after Riptor landed abruptly on his back.
        Jago motioned for the ten count.  He went back to the pillar, kicked the separated tail away, and picked up his sword.  In the     background, the ten count progressed without interruption.  Jago could also faintly hear “Jago is the winner!”  broadcast.  Still limping, he picked up the unconscious velociraptor and flung him over his shoulder.  He patiently waited for all of the cameramen to leave before he pressed the two outside buttons on the KI pin on his jumpsuit, initiating a teleport sequence.
 
 

Two Hours Later
Ultratech Corporation:  Orchid and Jago’s Quarters
 
 

        Orchid gave herself a good look in the bathroom mirror.  Her long black hair was somewhat wild; a little uncombed, and plagued with split ends.  There was a small pink cut just above her left eyebrow.  She had small bags under her dimming blue eyes as her whole face displayed fatigue and frustration.  Orchid’s tight fitting gray and red Killer Instinct jumpsuit only seemed to accent her female features.  She considered putting on her black leather trench coat, but passed considering it was a little warm inside of Ultratech.
        Upon exiting the bathroom, Orchid took a quick look at Jago, who was sleeping peacefully in his bed.  After his fight with Riptor, Jago somehow found the peace of mind to scoop the velociraptor up, and upon teleporting back to Ultratech, he took Riptor into Experiment Storage where he placed Riptor into stasis.  From there, Jago made it as far as the MediLab before passing out.  It wasn’t so much physical injury as it was fatigue as the previous night, Jago had been awake all night keeping Kim Wu company.  Orchid used the Ultratech medical technology to repair his battle injuries; he had hairline fractures of both knees, his right ankle was sprained, a bone in his arm broken, and several slash marks on his body.  Although these superficial injuries were repaired in two hours time, the advanced Ultratech equipment couldn’t do anything about how extremely fatigued he was.  Orchid ordered him (using her older sister authority) to get some sleep, as he probably wouldn’t be fighting for at least another two days while the second round of fighting ended and preparations for the third round began.
        At the moment, the final second round match was taking place; Glacius versus Cinder.  Orchid didn’t want to watch it here in her quarters as she didn’t want to awake Jago, plus she also wanted to be in the Control Room; just in case, considering Cinder was involved.  And it was most likely his actions that led to TJ Combo’s death, although the particulars still remain unclear.  Orchid went over to Jago and pulled the comforter up to his neck.  She then turned around and quietly left the room.
Orchid had to take the long way to the Control Room.  The most direct route had been blocked as that hallway was the fight location for Glacius and Cinder’s battle.  The longer route gave Orchid time to reflect on some things that had happened, not just in the past few days, but also ever since day one of Killer Instinct 7.
        As she entered through the double doors, Orchid was surprised to see a figure sitting in the main chair, in front of the large video monitor.  On the monitor, the Glacius\Cinder fight was being displayed.  The most unusual thing about the man was his apparel; by now, everyone in the building was wearing either a gray and red Killer Instinct or white and black Ultratech jumpsuit.  But not this man.  He wore a black San Francisco Giants baseball cap, a brown denim jacket, and wide leg blue jeans.
        Orchid approached this man very carefully, just to be on the safe side.  Although her movements were dead silent, just being there was enough to alert the man of her presence, who was quite skilled in “sensing”  the presence of people and things within his vicinity.  He spun around in his chair.
        “Orchid, hello!”  He called out.
        “Thunder!?”  Orchid said in surprise.  Chief Thunder smiled.  “What are you doing here?”  She asked.
        “Well...”  Thunder started, “I was just passing by in the neighborhood, and I thought I’d drop by...”  He smiled even wider, and a little sheepishly.
        Orchid smiled warmly.  She put her hand on his shoulder.  “Thank you.”  She said softly.
        Thunder knew Orchid perhaps better than anyone else.  He knew that she absolutely hated to display warm feelings.  So, in order to keep her from becoming uncomfortable, he changed the subject.  “So, I’m feeling a little out of place here.  Everyone’s got these new jumpsuits now.  I’m afraid I stand out now...”
        “So you’re planning on staying?”
        “Absolutely!  I hear someone could use a little help.  So, you know where I can find a jumpsuit?”
        “Well, I could probably find a spare Ultratech one lying around somewhere...”
        “No.  I can’t stand the thought of displaying the Ultratech colors and insignia on my body.  KI I could tolerate.  What about a KI jumpsuit?”
        “Hmm.  Well, only enough were handed out to cover the participants of Killer Instinct, but we’ve had some participants...drop out...before they got theirs.  I know one that’ll fit you well, I’ll get it for you later.  So, how’s the fight going?”
        Thunder spun back around to face the monitor.  “Oh!  Right now, it’s pretty much even.  Punch for punch.  By the way, is that the same Glacius that was in KI7?  He looks different.”
        “Yes; it’s a long story.  I’ll give you a full briefing on the situation later on.”
        “Well, I’ve got full confidence in my old friend.  I’m sure he’ll pull out a victory.”
        Orchid pulled up a chair next to Thunder.  “I certainly hope so.”  She said.
 

Ultratech Corporation: East Wing Hallway
 

        Cinder barely managed to get out of the way, as Glacius’s mallet shaped fist crashed into the floor.  As he flew backwards in mid air, Cinder turned himself into a fireball, and shot himself at Glacius.  He hit the alien squarely in the chest, sending him flying backwards.  The heat from the impact caused Glacius’s chest to liquefy; Glacius regained control after a few moments.  While still a fireball, Cinder zipped upwards, then flew down towards Glacius.  Glacius turned into a puddle and disappeared into the floor.  Cinder hit the floor and bounced up.  Glacius arose from the floor in the form of a column.  His arm, also shaped like a column, shot out and bludgeoned Cinder in mid air.  He reverted into humanoid form, sailing backwards deeper into the hallway.  As quickly as he sprung up, Glacius returned into the floor.
        Cinder hit the ground and skidded for approximately five meters before stopping.  He had only been stationary for three seconds before Glacius rose from under him, still in the form of a pillar.  He shot upwards quickly, thrusting Cinder into the ceiling.  Upon impact, Glacius seemingly exploded into a million droplets that apparently evaporated into nothingness.
        Cinder hit the ground abruptly, his body racked with pain.  He knew that pausing for even the slightest moment was giving Glacius a wonderful window of opportunity.  So to counter that, Cinder turned into pure flame and rose upwards into the ceiling.  For the next two minutes, there was a standoff of sorts.  Both Glacius and Cinder had vanished to whereabouts unknown; neither was willing to reveal their location.  Finally, Glacius had had enough.  He slowly came up out of the floor, in full humanoid form, with his left arm in the form of a double-sided blade.  He looked around warily for Cinder, who was still in hiding.
        Suddenly, Cinder emerged from the ceiling above Glacius, on his back.  He swung downwards, as if his feet were a hinge, and turned his arms into a battering ram.  Glacius, who was caught completely by surprise, was hit solidly in his back by the fiery battering ram.  This caused Glacius to rocket forward, where he landed abruptly fifteen meters away.  Cinder smiled.  He dashed forward towards the fallen alien.
 
 

Ultratech Corporation: MediLab
 
 

        “This sucks.”  Kim Wu said.
        “Huh?  What does that mean?  What sucks?”  Tusk asked.
        “Oh.  It’s a modern expression, Jago tells me.  It means ‘not good.’“
        “Hmm.  Sucks...”  Tusk said.
        Kim Wu was sitting upright in her bed.  Her KI jumpsuit had been locked away in a MediLab locker, so she was forced to wear one of the silly sky blue Ultratech medical frocks.  All of the lights in the MediLab had been turned on, making it quite bright.  The television overhead displayed the Glacius\Cinder fight, although she wasn’t really paying attention to it.  Tusk sat in a chair next to Kim’s bed.
        “So, who do you think will win between Glacius and Cinder?”  Kim asked.
        “Oh, I don’t know.  They both have equal abilities, so it’s all going to come down to stamina, and on that, I don’t know much about either fighter.”  Tusk replied.
        “Hmm.”  Kim responded.  “We’re almost to the third round of fighting, only the Gods know what’ll happen next.”
        “Yeah, we’re down to Jago, Orchid, Fulgore-X, and Cinder or Glacius.  Don’t forget about Gargos either.  With those guys, anything could happen.  I guess all we can do is prepare for the worst.”
        “Tusk, do you blame me for what I did........in my fight against Fulgore-X?”  Kim asked from out of nowhere.
        “Yes and no.  While Orchid’s right about needing you later on, how can you be expected to fight if your spirit has already been defeated?  Even though the tournament is meaningless, the fight is not.”
        “‘The tournament meaningless?’ I’m surprised to hear that, especially from you.”
        Tusk laughed.  “Hmph.  At one time, I was obsessed with tournaments.  With grand standing.  Being champion.  Defending a title.  But now, it’s not as important anymore.  I guess that’s one of things I’ve learned from Orchid and the others.  There are things that's more important than being ‘champion.’“
        “Yes, they have taught us a lot.  I feel really bad that I won’t be able to help them when they need it.  At the same time, Gargos is our responsibility.  Their world is in danger because we couldn’t defeat him.”
        “We were doing all we could Kim; you never know, that army that was on standby might have been able to defeat him, or Eyedol, depending on how the fight ended.”
        “Maybe.  Then again, Orchid, Jago, and the others just might be able to defeat him, then everything’ll be okay in the end.”
        Tusk paused.  He stared off into the distance.
        “Tusk...what’s wrong?”  Kim asked.
        “Well...it’s just an impression I get from Orchid.”
        “What’s that?”
        “Well, do you remember the Avalon Battles against Gargos’s army about five years ago?”
        “I remember stories about them.”
        “Well, I was there.  There were times when the battle seemed hopeless, when every soldier expected this day to be his last.  These soldiers...they had this look in their eyes.  It was a look of defeat, of complete and total spiritual failure.  When they went into battle that day...they usually died.  Whether they fought till the end, or sacrificed their life in an act that would have people talking for years, they were not alive at day’s end.”  Tusk paused.  “Orchid........she has the exact same look in her eyes.”
“Oh Tusk...what’re you saying?”  Kim asked.
    Tusk slid down in his chair.  “Nothing I suppose.”
Kim clumsily fumbled with the remote control to the video monitor.  “What happens if Cinder wins that fight?”  She asked.
        “Then, tournament wise, it would be two Ultratech against two of ours, not including Gargos.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’ll suck.”
 
 

Control Room
 
 

        “Say...do you recognize that junction?”  Orchid asked.
        “What?”  Thunder responded.
        “That junction...the place where Glacius is fighting now...that looks like it’s right outside the Control Room.”
        Thunder shrugged.  “Ya got me.  I don’t know anything about the interior schematics of Ultratech.”
        Orchid relaxed in her chair.  “I could swear that that’s only a few feet from here.”
        To confirm Orchid’s suspicions, the door to the Control Room opened, and Cinder came flying through.  Glacius dashed in after him.  Orchid and Thunder jumped to their feet.
        “Told you.”  Orchid whispered to Thunder.
        Cinder leapt up to his feet.  He threw his arm forward and emitted a beam of heat at Glacius.  The heat beam made contact with Glacius, and he instantly began to lose shape.  Thunder made a motion to rush over to Cinder.  Orchid grabbed him by the arm.
        “No.  We can’t interfere.”  She said.
        Thunder frowned.
        Glacius turned himself fully liquid before the heat beam did it for him.  Quickly sinking into the floor, he disappeared out of sight.  Cinder discontinued the heat beam; he turned himself into a fireball and shot towards the ceiling.  As he rose, Glacius dropped down from the ceiling, burying both feet into the head of the fireball Cinder had turned himself into.  Cinder reverted into humanoid form, landing on his feet as he returned to the ground.
        Glacius landed in front of Cinder.  Cinder tried to roundhouse kick the alien, but Glacius adjusted his body shape accordingly so that Cinder’s kick went right through him.  Glacius turned his waist into a spinning hinge; sticking his arms out, he spun around and around, hitting Cinder several times.  The fire being stumbled backwards.  Glacius reformed himself and dashed at Cinder, burying his shoulder into Cinder’s chest.  Orchid and Thunder leaped out of the way as Cinder crashed into the chair Orchid had vacated.
        Glacius extended his right arm out and projected an energy ball at Cinder.  Cinder leaped upwards, barely escaping from the chair as the energy ball caused it to explode.  Upon descending, Cinder thrust his right foot into Glacius’s face.  Cinder landed on his left foot, and started to spin around, repeatedly kicking Glacius, alternating between right and left sidekicks.  Cinder reared back in preparation for what would be the knockout roundhouse kick to the head, but Glacius shot his left elbow out, catching Cinder in the side of the head.  Glacius was still stunned, but he managed to turn his arm into a pillar.  Positioning it under Cinder’s chin, he launched it upwards at a blinding speed, taking Cinder with it.  Cinder’s head was driven into the ceiling at a powerful velocity.  Glacius’s arm resumed its normal shape as Cinder plunged to the floor.  Somewhat disoriented, Glacius motioned for the ten count.
        Cinder was far too separated from reality to notice the ten count.  Therefore, he lay prone somewhat lamely on the floor as the count reached ten, and Glacius was declared the winner.  Orchid and Thunder rushed over to him.
        “Glacius...are you okay?”  Orchid asked.
        “I will be...just gimme a few hours of regeneration.”  Glacius responded shakily.  He glanced over at Thunder.  “Hey, Thunder!  Wh...what are you doing here?”
        “Long story pal.”  Thunder said.  “Let me tell it to you when you feel better, okay?”
        “No argument here.”
        The trio laughed.  Unknown to them, Cinder was beginning to stir.  He extended his arm, grabbing the leg of the chair Thunder had been sitting in.  He then contracted his arm, bringing himself closer.  Using the chair, Cinder pulled himself up.  With Glacius, Orchid, and Thunder still unaware of his actions, Cinder programmed into the computer a timed teleport.  He set it up so that he would be teleported to the Ultratech MediLab, in one minute, with the teleport destination record to be erased from the computer so that his whereabouts couldn’t be tracked down.  Having accomplished this, he turned to speak.
        “Glacius...”  he said weakly, “you may have won this battle…but the war is far from over...you can never...defeat Gargos or Ultratech.......”
        “Silly flame...don’t you know when you’ve been beaten?”  Glacius asked.
        Meanwhile, Orchid spotted a flashing light on the main computer console.  Being acquainted with the Ultratech computers by now, she knew that that particular light meant that there was a teleport on standby.  Unnoticed, she slipped away from Glacius’s side, and over to the computer.
        Cinder smiled.  “Just because...because I’m out of the tournament...doesn’t mean you’ll see...the last of me.  Later, fools!”  Cinder said weakly, as he knew the teleport sequence was only a few seconds away.
        At the point in time where only five seconds remained until teleport, Cinder spotted Orchid at the computer terminal.  He could see the look in her eyes; it was similar to the look Gargos had in his eyes when he killed Spinal.  Now Orchid smiled.
        She raised her leg as high as she could, her foot extending over her head.  She kept this pose frozen for a few moments.
        “No!”  Cinder cried, as he tried to make a lunge at Orchid.  It was too little too late.  The teleport sequence started; a blue column of light emanated from Cinder’s center.  At the same time, Orchid let out a piercing “kiiiiiiyaa!”  as she brought her leg down sharply, in an axe kick.  Her heel struck the computer console, causing it to explode into a shower of sparks.  The main computer terminal suddenly lost power; all the flashing lights suddenly died as the monitor displayed static.  All of the other computer terminals began to die as well in a cascade effect.  At the same time that the last computer terminal lost power, Cinder’s teleport sequence ended; the blue light expanded outwards, consuming Cinder, then faded away.
        For the next ten seconds, there was complete silence.  Glacius and Thunder were stunned at the turn or events; Orchid seemed to be monitoring the time.  After the ten seconds passed, Orchid turned to the computer terminal.  She reached underneath the console, fidgeting with the wires underneath.  Eventually, a few lights came back on.  Orchid pressed one of lighted buttons.
        “Control Room to Ultratech Repair.  Main computer unit is down here.  Please spare someone to fix it at your earliest convenience.”  She said.  After that, she spun around and left the room, somewhat triumphantly.
        “Damn that was cold.”  Thunder said.
        Glacius was still stunned.  “Did she just do what I think she did?”
        “Yep.  If you’re thinking that, as Cinder teleported away, Orchid disabled the computer.”
        “Without the computer, there’d be no way...”
        “The teleportation sequence could finish.”  Thunder finished the sentence.
        “So in other words.......”  Glacius trailed off.
        Thunder swallowed.  “Cinder has just been stranded in the fourth dimension.”