Ultratech Corporation: Sheridan’s Office

          Tony Hill tugged nervously on his Ultratech jumpsuit. He stood in front of Sheridan’s desk, with Gargos sitting in the big chair behind the desk. His back was turned to Hill.
          “Please, continue your report.” Gargos said.
          “Um...well....” Tony stammered. “Uh...we completed extensive tests on the corpse this morning. Uh...there was too much widespread radiation damage to retrieve any of the technology we implanted in Mr. Combo.”
          “Hmm. A pity.” Gargos said flatly. “How goes repairs on the sections damaged in the Fulgore-X/Glacius fight?”
          “Repairs? Oh, well, they’re coming very slowly. I mean, uh, the damaged areas don’t want to be repaired. What’s left of the metal is crumbling like stale bread. We have fixed at least, well, half of the damage caused by the blast. Give us at least...I guess, yeah, another week before everything’s back up to 100%, Mr. Gargos.”
          “Very well; I’m in no rush to get it all fixed. So don’t feel too pressured to get it done or anything.”
          Tony began backing up very slowly, towards the door.
          “Eh? What’s the rush there?” Gargos asked.
          “Huh? Oh! Well, uh, I kinda need to get to the Control Room.”
          “Really? Why?” At this point, Gargos spun around in his chair to face Tony. He still inhabited Sheridan’s body, but that didn’t take any of the edge off Tony.
          “Well...I...I need to fix the main computer terminal that was broken a few days ago. We just now got the parts from our factory in Brazil.”
          “Is that so?” Gargos said, smiling. “Tony, you really must relax. Why don’t you have a seat there?”

Control Room

“Good news. I’ve managed to access Dr. Parkins hidden files pertaining to Fulgore-X.” Chief Thunder said. “Also, it looks like there was a scan taken of him a few weeks back. It’s pretty informative; I’ve got that too. Say, shouldn’t Jago be here for this?”
          Thunder was sitting at one of the computer terminals to the side, as the main one was still broken. It was the one that Orchid had kicked after Glacius’s fight with Cinder.
          Orchid was to Thunder’s right, almost in solitude. Tusk and Kim Wu stood behind Thunder. Kim Wu was back in her jumpsuit, but she still stood somewhat weakly. Glacius was standing to the left of Thunder. He also looked a little worse for wear.
          “He’s meditating in our quarters.” Orchid said.
          “Still?” Thunder said. “How long has it been? Two days? Two days since you and he-”
          “Two days.” Orchid cut Thunder off. “And I don’t expect him to come out until the fight alarm rings.”
          “I guess we’ll have to do this without him, then. Okay, I’ll start with Dr. Parkins files. This is the general profile.” Thunder brought the profile on screen, peering deeply into the screen.
          “‘Fulgore-X. Third generation cyborg, the latest of the Fulgore prototype, and probably the last...the most advanced prototype yet, fixing serious faults evident in the Fulgore and Fulgore 2 cyborgs...Fulgore-X is 97% complete at this time, no tentative date has been set to fully complete the job. Fulgore-X will not be released to the Ultratech Corporation unless total consent is given by Dr. Parkins and no one else. All should be warned that Fulgore-X, when used wrongly, could lead to the utter destruction of the Earth.’ Damn.”
          “Not very specific, is it?” Glacius said.
          “Here, I’ve got the scan info. This is more specific.” Thunder said. “Hmm. Fulgore-X is the third generation cyborg, yada yada yada, oh here we go! ‘Fulgore-X is equipped and subsequently named after the X-Type plasma reactor installed in his systems. Unlike the Y-Type reactors of both Fulgore predecessors, the X-Type can create anti-plasma, a powerful argument to plasma. Anti-plasma on it’s own is by far more concentrated and more powerful than normal plasma. In addition, when used with plasma, anti-plasma can cause an energy explosion of infinite destructive capability.’ Hot damn. ‘This is utilized in Fulgore-X’s plasma bomb, a last resort attack...’ blah blah blah... ‘Fulgore-X’s subsystems will persistently warn him of the dangers of using a plasma bomb, especially if he is raising the concentration of the bomb to over 10% of normal. 15% is said to be a maximum; anything over could possibly result in massive worldwide destruction. However, total control of the plasma bomb is still at Fulgore-X’s discretion.’”
          “That’s insane.” Orchid said sharply.
          “Let’s move on to the normal stuff.” Thunder said shakily. “‘Another benefit of the X-Type reactor is a higher plasma conversion rate. Fulgore-X can process over 35 million joules of plasma energy per second. Fulgore-X’s standard level of plasma energy concentration is 60MJ, with its peak somewhere around 120. Fulgore 2’s standard was 35MJ, maxxing out at 90. Unless a new method of plasma energy conversion is found, 120 is the absolute maximum.”
          Kim Wu scratched her head. “What does that mean?”
          “It means he packs one hell of a wallop.” Glacius said.
          Thunder continued. “‘Fulgore-X can raise or lower his energy level at will. In most cases, he will probably use the Active Battle Evaluation program, which determines the energy level Fulgore-X will need to operate at to defeat the opponent, then sets his at least two levels higher.
          ‘The only flaw so far in Fulgore-X is that his martial arts program hasn’t been completed. This is only due to incompletion because of time constraints. When activated, Fulgore-X will have a martial arts program equivalent to that of a ninja with a black belt to the fifth degree. Fulgore 2, in contrast, had a black belt to the tenth degree, the highest degree possible. However, Fulgore-X has a program that allows him to learn and adapt, raising his skill level.’”
          Tusk stroked his chin. “So...if Jago could defeat Fulgore 2 in hand to hand battle, and if Fulgore-X is not as skilled as Fulgore 2...”
          “That’s not the same.” Orchid said. “Fulgore 2 had tenth degree skills. That doesn’t mean he used it. We think he only used about the second or third degree starting his fight against Jago. By the time Fulgore 2 realized that Jago was a challenge, and raised his level, he was too damaged to be fully effective. Jago says that Fulgore-X is not one to underestimate; he might come into that fight with all five degrees.”
          “I don’t think so.” Glacius said. “When I fought him, it felt like he was at least two steps ahead of me, but he wasn’t completely overpowering. Every time I brought it up a notch, he brought it up two.”
          “I agree.” Kim said uncomfortably.
          “Guys.” Orchid said flatly. “There’s going to be a change in plans.”
          “Huh?” Thunder replied.
          Before Orchid could continue, the doors to the Control Room slid open. An Ultratech employee walked in, carrying a duplicate of the main computer terminal in front of him. The terminal completely hid his face.
          “What are you doing here?” Orchid asked crisply.
          “Oh!” The employee sounded genuinely surprised to hear Orchid’s voice. “I came to repair the computer terminal that you, I mean, that was broken. It’ll only be a few minutes.”
          “Hmm. Proceed.” Orchid said.
          “I don’t recall asking your permission.” The employee said under his breath.
          As the employee set the terminal, Orchid caught a fleeting glimpse of his face. She recognized him as Tony Hill, a low level employee. Tony detached the broken main computer terminal from its frame and put the new one in its place. Keeping the old one by his side, Tony got under the new terminal, and began working on it.
          “You were saying?” Glacius continued, to Orchid.
          Orchid said nothing, but continued to glare at Tony Hill. Thunder followed her line of sight to the young employee, and then turned back to Orchid.
          “Oh come on.” He said. “Surely you don’t believe he cares about anything we say. But, if it’ll make you happy...” Thunder vacated his seat and moved further down the room, near the rear right corner. Orchid, Glacius, Kim and Tusk followed. Orchid kept her eye on Tony for a few moments, and then turned back to the others.
          Had Orchid continued to monitor Tony, she might have seen him pull a wire from the new computer terminal out, and place it in his ear. She also might have seen him poke his head out from under the terminal, and she might have caught a glimpse of Tony’s completely white eyes.
          Instead, Orchid spoke softly to the others. “Guys, I’m changing the plan. After Jago goes off to fight Fulgore-X, we’ll wait here for five minutes, then we’ll pursue and attack Fulgore-X.”
          “What?!” Thunder and Glacius said in unison.
          “You can’t be serious!” Tusk said.
          “And why not?” Orchid shot back.
          Kim looked sternly at Orchid. “I don’t know anything about X-Type reactors, or plasma bombs, but I do know that Gargos just might be the most deadliest force on this planet. If we devote all our resources to fighting Fulgore-X, what will be left for Gargos? Why are we attacking Fulgore-X anyway?”
          Orchid shot a similar look to Kim. “It’s my judgment that Fulgore-X is deadlier than Gargos. Besides, should Fulgore-X win against my brother, who says he won’t forfeit his fight against Gargos and join his side?”
          “That’s crazy!” Kim exclaimed. “Fulgore 2 hated Gargos, and, correct me if I’m wrong, but some of that carried over to Fulgore-X. What on Earth would make him want to join Gargos?”
          “This Fulgore is different. You all have said that he’s much smarter than all the others. So what if he thinks it through, then decides to form an alliance with Gargos? Then we’d have to face them both. There’s no way we could win. This way, we can defeat Fulgore-X, then move on to Gargos. Besides, Gargos is still in Sheridan’s body, right? When it’s time for him to fight, he’ll probably leave it and go back to his own. That’ll make things harder. If we work quickly after beating Fulgore-X, we can catch Gargos while he’s still in Sheridan. That should give us some of an edge.”
          Thunder crossed his arms. “Although I have to question your true motive, you do have somewhat of a point.”
          “I don’t like it.” Glacius said. “We’ll be spreading ourselves thin. Can’t we just have confidence that Jago will destroy Fulgore-X?”
          “No. Brother is deadly tired. I fear he may not last long against Fulgore-X.” Orchid said coldly. “Well, like it or not, five minutes into the fight, I will teleport there to fight Fulgore-X. Whether or not you want to join me is up to you.”
          Thunder rubbed his eyes. “Is there any advantage in catching Gargos while he’s still in Sheridan’s body? How do we defeat him, anyway?”
          Kim took a seat next to Thunder. “Maybe some. However, the physical body is only a vessel for Gargos’s true form, his spirit form. It’s his spirit that we must defeat.”
          “You mean that mist?” Glacius asked. “How’re we supposed to fight that?”
          “In the past, one warrior using a mystical sword was able to defeat Gargos. Then, a small contingent of monks was able to defeat him using chants and spells.”
          “It’s been said that it took an entire army of warriors once to bring down Gargos.” Tusk added.
          “Well, we ain’t got no magic swords, holy brothers, or hundreds of men.” Orchid said. “You’re looking at our current resources.”
          “What about Jago?” Thunder asked.
          “If he survives his fight with Fulgore-X, there’s no way in hell I’d let him fight Gargos. He’d be completely fatigued by then and he’d have a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving.”
          “That’s it, isn’t it?” Glacius said. “That’s why you want to attack Fulgore-X and not Gargos. You want to save your brother.”
          Orchid shot a look at him. Before anything could be said, Thunder cut in.
          “So...how do we kill Gargos?”
          There is no killing Gargos, only containing him.” Kim said. “Gargos is immortal.”
          “What the hell?” Thunder said.
          Kim took a deep breath. “Thousands of years ago, that is, thousands of years before my and Tusk’s time, Gargos was a powerful demon, but still mortal and vulnerable. He wanted to rule the Earth, but he knew he could be killed just as any other human. So he challenged the Gods and won. As a reward, they granted him his wish of immortality. When they did, his physical body ceased to exist, and his spirit form was manifested into something tangible.
          “But the Gods didn’t want to create another God. He had to have some kind of weakness. That’s where the Seal of Gargos comes in.”
          “What’s that?” Glacius asked.
          “The Seal of Gargos is the only thing that can contain Gargos. If and when he’s defeated, his spirit energy will be condensed into a small medallion, about this big.” Kim put her fingers together to convey the size. “Upon condensation, the medallion will split in two, sealing Gargos away. However, if the two halves are ever reunited, Gargos will be resurrected.
          “Hold on.” Thunder said. “You said that Gargos had been defeated many times. Didn’t the medallion form when he was beaten?”
          “Yes, it was. Those who were responsible for keeping Gargos sealed away, such as Maya and myself, have gone to great lengths to try to eternally separate the halves. We’ve thrown one half in the middle of active volcanoes. We’ve buried it under many layers of Earth. We’ve hidden it in the deepest caves. My clan even had a half for a short time, under constant guard. However, there is always some warlord, who manages the collect both halves and reunite them.”
          “Why would they do that?” Glacius asked.
          “There are a lot of falsehoods surrounding the Seal of Gargos. It’s a common myth that whoever releases Gargos will have complete control over him. This is what the last person to release him, Eyedol, thought.”
          “Eyedol?!” Orchid exclaimed. “You mean the Eyedol we had to face the last time?! Why would he need to summon Gargos?”
          Kim cleared her throat. “Eyedol used to be a human warlord. Although he was known to be one of the most feared warlords throughout the land, recent battles had left his army ravaged. His last quest had produced for him one half of the seal, so instead of recruiting new warriors for his army, Eyedol figured he’d just resurrect Gargos and control him.
          “Eyedol managed to find the other half and unite them. However, he soon realized that there is no controlling Gargos. Realizing the enormity of his mistake, Eyedol then challenged the Gods and won.”
          “No offense,” Glacius said, “but your Gods sound pretty weak.”
          “Wait a minute...” Orchid said. “Does that mean that Eyedol is immortal too? Is there some kind of Seal of Eyedol around here somewhere?”
          “No.” Kim continued. “Since he was already powerful, when Gargos challenged the Gods, he asked for immortality. But Eyedol asked for power. When they Gods gave it to him, they mutated him into the two-headed monstrosity you’re familiar with.
          “Eyedol had set out just to defeat Gargos. But, with his new power, Eyedol realized that he had a shot at taking the world. So Eyedol challenged Gargos, recognizing him as the Earth’s strongest warrior. Gargos accepted, recognizing Eyedol as the Earth’s strongest warrior. So they battled for the right the claim the Earth as their own. It was during this battle that Eyedol disappeared, to Ultratech we later learned. Only a few minutes later, Ultratech appeared, and Gargos stomped off there in search of Eyedol.”
          “Many armies were on standby to fight whoever won that fight.” Tusk said. “But we weren’t sure that we were going to win. That’s why I’m partially thankful that Ultratech came when it did.”
          “All done!” Tony Hill called out. He took the old control panel and carried it out of the room with him. He was up and out so fast that no one was able to get a good, clean look at him, or his eyes. Orchid carefully watched him leave.
          “Well, I suppose everyone should head back to their quarters and get some rest, before everything comes down.” Orchid said.
          “You will forgive me,” Thunder said, “but I don’t think I can get any rest today, or any day, until that fight alarm goes off.”

East Wing Hallway: Section 21A

          Fulgore-X walked slowly down the hall, with nowhere in particular to go. He had studied as much of Jago’s previous fights as possible, and he saw no point in pursuing it any further. Fulgore-X was now taking a little stroll, to “clear his mind.”
          That purpose was quickly shattered as Gargos called him on his private communications channel.
          “What have I told you about using this channel?” Fulgore-X snapped.
          “You do not tell me anything.” Gargos shot back.
          “I’m closing this channel. You want to talk to me, I’m not that hard to find.”
          “Hold on Fulgore-X.” Gargos said. “I think you would like to hear what I have to say.
          “I will never care for any of the garbage that you spew from your mouth.”
          “Hmph! Aren’t we testy? Must be pre-fight tension. Oh well, you’ll be happy to know that your fight will begin shortly.”
          “I was wondering how long you intended to play this idiotic game.”
          “Nothing I do is idiotic; it’s all strategic. But I don’t expect a weapon toting C3P0 like you to understand something like that. Ahem! Anyhow, I didn’t call you for this. I called you to give you orders.”
          “You do not order me around.”
          “Let’s not start this again. Anyway, I called you to tell you that when the fight starts, you mustn’t teleport there using your own system. You will use the Ultratech teleporting systems.”
          “Why?”
          “I do not explain my orders to anyone, especially you. Just report to the Control Room when the fight alarm sounds.”
          “And what if I decide to ignore your little order and teleport to the fight location on my own?”
          “Then you will be disqualified, and I will fight Jago.”
          “Why is it so important for me to use the Ultratech teleporter?”
          “I just said I don’t explain my orders! You will report to the Control Room within the allotted five minutes, or you will be disqualified. That is all.” Gargos closed the channel.
          Fulgore-X narrowed his eyes. “Hmph. This is a trap, and a poorly laid one at that. But what the hell is so important about me using the Ultratech teleporter...”

Ultratech Corporation: Jago and Orchid’s Quarters
          Jago sat cross-legged on his bed, with his arms outstretched, index fingers and thumbs connected on both hands. His sword lay in front of him, with the casing on the floor to the right. At no point during the fight, Jago figured, would he ever have a need to put away the sword.
          Everything that could be potentially concentration breaking had been turned off. The television, phone, and computer terminals had been unplugged. The thermostat had been deactivated, preventing unwanted noise from the ventilation systems. The door had been locked and the doorbell mechanism bypassed to deter any visitors. Thanks to the soundproof nature of the steel walls, there was absolute silence in the room.
          Jago himself looked comatose. With his arms outstretched for who knows how long, one would figure they would be moving as it would be increasingly difficult for Jago to keep them in air. However, they were almost like stone, not moving even the slightest millimeter in space. Jago’s chest barely rose and fell, making it hard to tell if he was breathing. Even his hair settled, not daring to swing freely in any direction.
          The serenity of the scene was rudely interrupted by the fight alarm. With the absolute silence, the alarm echoed throughout the room, bouncing vividly off the walls. Jago still did not move, even though the suddenness with which the alarm sounded would have caused most to jump at the very least.
          The alarm continued to blare throughout the room, failing in it’s attempt to get Jago to move. However, after at least a minute had passed, Jago let his arms fall, and opened his eyes. Uncrossing his legs, he threw them over the left edge of the bed, and stood up. Reaching without looking, Jago grabbed his sword by the handle and walked slowly out of the room.

Ultratech Corporation: Sheridan’s Office

          Gargos walked into Sheridan’s Office, still inhabiting Sheridan’s body, somewhat briskly. He went directly behind the desk, but did not yet sit in the chair. Instead, he pressed a button on the intercom system to his right. The red light on the button flashed on and off for a few seconds, then finally it became solid red as a lady’s voice came from the system.
          “Miss Jenkins here. Yes, Mr. Sheridan?”
          Gargos cleared his throat, attempting to take some of the baritone edge to his voice off. “Ah, Miss Jenkins. I’m afraid I’ve let myself get behind on some very important papers that need to be completed.”
          “Would you like me to round up a team of specialists and order Chinese?”
          “No, that won’t be necessary; I can do them on my own. However, I will require absolute peace and quiet. I do not wish to be disturbed for any reason whatsoever. Even if the president comes, saying that the Earth is going to blow up tonight and she needs my help now, tell her to come back tomorrow. Understand?”
          “Ah, the complete self quarantine. I gotcha. No one’s gonna get past me, sir.”
          “Heh heh, excellent. Good night, Miss Jenkins.”
          Gargos closed the channel. He sat down slowly in the chair. Resting both hands on the arms of the chair, he closed his eyes and began breathing deeply.

Control Room

          “It’s time.” Orchid said.
          Thunder, who was now sitting back at the newly repaired main computer terminal, activated a button that would mute the fight alarm.
          “I think we all got the idea.” He explained to the others.
          Orchid, Tusk, Kim, and Glacius were to Thunder’s right, all leaning up against the terminal, facing the doorway.
          Orchid turned her head to the main video monitor behind her, as the pre-fight pay per view propaganda was starting. It involved still shots of Jago and Fulgore, taken from Killer Instinct 7, and some stills and motion clips from Fulgore-X’s past fights. It included narration, visual and audio clips from Jago’s fight with the original Fulgore, and some new footage.
          “It was the king of all Killer Instinct fights...It had established itself as one of the best...before it was halfway through...The winner was to face the champion of Killer Instinct 7...but that never happened...Now, we’re back to where we started. Jago and a new Fulgore resume an old rivalry, to see who will be crowned champion of Killer Instinct 8. We know that Jago has what it takes, but this new Fulgore has been more than impressive. Who will win in this clash of the titans? Stay tuned; the final round of Killer Instinct 8 is next, only here on pay per view! Jago! Fulgore-X! Fight on!”
          Orchid grimaced. “The way they trivialize the whole thing, it makes me feel like I could just go home and opt to watch ‘the Simpsons’ or something.”
          Thunder rubbed his chin. “This fight’s already making history...Vegas’s odds are 1.2 to 1...in favor of Fulgore-X. Closest odds ever.”
          Glacius glanced up at the monitor. It displayed the fight vs. screen. On the left side was a still shot of Jago. The shot was taken as part of the registration procedure from KI7. He wore his blue ninja garb, and stood quite erect, with his sword pointing towards the screen. His name was printed near the bottom of the screen. On the right side was Fulgore-X. It was also a still shot. Orchid recognized it from his first fight, with Shadow. Fulgore-X also stood erect, with his arms crossed, heels together, and red eyes glaring. It was taken before the fight actually started, when Fulgore-X was standing on top of one of the spires to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. However, the bridge, and everything else, had been taken away, and Fulgore-X was superimposed over a black screen. His name was also printed in white letters near the bottom of the screen. Positioned in the middle of the screen, directly on the line that separated Jago’s and Fulgore-X’s pictures, was a silver “Vs.” Under the Vs., the words Fight Location: New York Main Street appeared. Near the bottom right hand corner, “REM 3:17” was printed in red. To the television audience, this was the time until the fight started. To everyone else, this meant that Jago and Fulgore-X had that much time to show up to either the fight location, or the Control Room, before they were disqualified.
          “Where is he?” Glacius asked.
          Orchid shrugged. As if by cue, the doors to the Control Room slid open, as Jago walked through, tightly holding his sword. He crossed the room as if he wasn’t in a hurry, because he truly wasn’t.
          “Jago.” Orchid said softly.
          There were two red circles on the floor in the space behind the main computer terminal, and the rows of other computer terminals. These were the spots where the fighters would stand to be teleported away to their fight location. Ultratech’s teleport systems were designed to be able to teleport anyone from any location. The circles were merely a formality, to add to the “drama” of the tournament.
          Usually, in a fight involving a Fulgore, only one circle would appear, because the Fulgore would teleport there on his own. This was something Orchid would usually notice. However, tensions were high, and Orchid didn’t catch the significance of the second circle.
          Jago finally got into the circle to the right. Everyone expected him to teleport away. On the contrary, nothing happened. Everyone stood still in a few nervous moments of confusion.
          “I don’t understand...why has he not teleported yet?” Tusk asked.
          “It means that Fulgore-X hasn’t gotten to the fight location yet.” Glacius responded. “That’s a little odd. I don’t see why he’d want to stall unless he’s trying to play a mind game.”
          Thunder finally noticed what Orchid should have long ago. “Guys, I think Fulgore-X is supposed to come here. Look - there’s a second teleportation circle!”
          “Why would Fulgore-X come here to teleport when he has a teleporter of his own?” Orchid asked no one in particular.
          Thunder shrugged. Jago didn’t seem at all phased by the lack of the cyborg, or the mystery of the second circle.

Hallway Outside of the Control Room

          Fulgore-X leaned up against the hall, facing the doors to the Control Room. He had been here for quite some time, even long enough to watch Jago slowly walk inside. Jago didn’t notice his opponent, though, because Fulgore-X was cloaked. Jago also didn’t know that Gargos had planned some kind of trap surrounding this fight, and the Ultratech teleporters.
          “Every circuit I’ve got says don’t go in there.” Fulgore-X thought. “This is obviously a trap. The concealment may be poor, but who knows what Gargos has planned?” Fulgore-X pondered some variables. “But, if I don’t show, Gargos will disqualify me from his little tournament, and everything I’ve done here would be for nothing. And then, Gargos will refuse to fight me because I ‘didn’t earn it.’ The coward.”
          >Thunder glanced up at the main monitor. “Time remaining; 2 minutes 25 seconds. What the hell is going on with Fulgore-X?”
          “Maybe he chickened out...” Tusk suggested.
          “Not bloody likely.” Orchid said.
          “Well then...” Kim added. “Maybe somebody got to him. Like Gargos.”
          “I suppose that’s possible.” Glacius said. “Gargos could have ambushed Fulgore-X, so that he gets disqualified here, and Gargos wouldn’t have to face him in the championship match.”
          Jago continued to stand in the circle, oblivious to the conversation around him.

          Fulgore-X stared at the double doors to the Control Room, still thinking. “If I go in there, I’ll be walking right into Gargos’s plan. If I don’t, I’ll never get another shot at Gargos. The question is, do I have enough skill and power to survive whatever trap it is that Gargos has laid? That’s another thing, what is his trap? What could he possibly be planning? The curiosity alone is almost enough to make me go in there.”

          Orchid glanced up at the monitor. “57 seconds.” She said flatly.
          “He’s not coming. Looks like we’ll be fighting Gargos first after all.” Kim whispered.
          There were a few seconds of tense silence. Orchid finally broke it with another count update.
          “42 seconds.” She said.
          More silence.
          “34 seconds.”
          Even more silence.
          “21 seconds.”
          Finally, everyone was spared from the agony, as Fulgore-X walked through the double doors. His eyes glowed an average red, and his claws were sheathed. His movements were quite mechanical, almost as if he were being controlled by a remote. Everyone’s eyes followed him as he walked even slower than Jago did, towards the vacant circle. Meanwhile, the count had reached 12 seconds.
          Fulgore-X stopped before he entered the circle. Standing directly in front of it, he only looked up at the time remaining count; 7 seconds. Thunder tightly gripped the edge of the computer terminal. Kim and Glacius felt lumps in their throats, and they both kept their arms crossed, looking sideways at the cyborg. Tusk’s right hand was nervously twitching, as he found himself wishing that he hadn’t left his sword all the way across the room, resting on one of the terminals. Orchid glared at Fulgore-X with such intensity, that if looks could kill, Fulgore-X would be buried. Jago looked much like he did before; calm and composed.
          With only 2 seconds remaining, Fulgore-X stepped into the circle. He stood erect, crossing his arms, almost identical to the Vs screen picture of him in the background, on the monitor.
          “Remember, five minutes.” Orchid whispered to Thunder, Glacius, Kim, and Tusk.
          For what seemed like an eternity, Fulgore-X and Jago only looked at each other. Neither moved hardly a millimeter. Suddenly, a column shaped plasma shield shot up from under both fighters, imprisoning both. Jago’s eyes shifted from Fulgore-X to the shield; the cyborg’s glare was still fixed on Jago.
          “What the hell...?!” Orchid exclaimed.
          “Look!” Thunder called out. He pointed up to the main video monitor, where the fight location, instead of reading “New York Main Street”, now randomly cycled through all of the possible fight locations in the Ultratech computer.
          “Dammit!” Orchid screamed. She rushed over to her brother, but the plasma shield kept her away. Jago looked up at her with cold eyes, as the teleportation beam consumed him and Fulgore-X.
          Orchid’s back was turned to everyone. From their viewpoint, it looked as if she sunk her head into her hands. A few seconds passed; no one dared to say anything. No one until Orchid broke the silence. She straightened herself, with her clenched fists to her sides.
          “Where...where did they go?”
          Thunder was yanked back into reality. “Oh! Um...I don’t.... I don’t quite know. This doesn’t look like an accident; it had to have been planned. But from our standpoint, it looks as if the computer malfunctioned and started cycling through possible fight locations at random. I doubt there’s any way to get their exact location out of this computer. They could be anywhere...”
          Orchid turned around slowly. She looked quite calm, almost as calm as Jago was. “Well, then, I guess there’s only one possible course of action from here. We’ll just have to check them all, won’t we?”
          “But Orchid...” Glacius said, “that’s at least 300 different places throughout the world! How do you propose...”
          Orchid reached up to her left breast, and pulled the KI logo pin off. She looked at it in her hands for a few moments, and then extended it towards Glacius. “Glacius...can you devise a program...that would allow me to teleport to one location after another after a set period of time? A system that would let me stop the teleporting process when I needed to?”
          Glacius took the pin. “I can try.” Thunder left the main seat, and Glacius took it. He began accessing the teleportation systems. “Hmm... yes, I think I can.” He said after a while. “How much time are you talking about here?”
          Orchid ran her fingers through her hair. “Uh...I guess...no more than 30 seconds. That should be more than enough time.”
          Glacius turned back to the computer terminal. He opened up a panel in the terminal and pulled out some wires and circuitry. He then opened up the pin, and started fidgeting with the circuits. To everyone’s surprise, Orchid remained perfectly calm as Glacius worked.
          “Here, it’s finished.” Glacius eventually said. “I’ll start the sequence; you’ll be teleported to one location, and after 30 seconds, you’ll be teleported to another location. When you find Jago, press the button on the top to stop the teleporting. I’ll be monitoring your teleportation from here; when I see that you’ve stopped, the others and I will teleport to that location to help you.”
          “Very well.” Orchid said, taking the pin and fastening it back on her breast. She stepped inside of the red circle Fulgore-X had been standing in. “I’m ready.” She said, almost robotically.
          “Orchid...” Thunder called out to her. “Good luck.”
          Orchid nodded. Glacius pressed a button on the terminal, and Orchid teleported away.

Beneath Ultratech: “The Dungeon”

          The peacefulness of the Dungeon was broken by a low, droning hum. The usually dark nature was obliterated as four columns of blue light appeared; two side by side facing the other two, about four feet apart. The adjacent columns slowly moved together, and when they met, they disappeared, leaving Jago and Fulgore-X standing in their place.
          Jago let his sword fall. He had been pointing it at Fulgore-X, but upon teleporting here, he finally let it drop, where the tip hit the ground and rested. Jago’s attention was turned away from Fulgore-X and to his surroundings, to which he could only derive one conclusion.
          “This isn’t Main Street.”
          Fulgore-X, for the first time, stopped glaring at Jago. He took a few looks around, and then his eyes returned back to Jago. His arms were still crossed and he stood as erect as possible.
          “Gargos!” The cyborg screamed. It was so sudden, it gave Jago a start. “I know you’re here! Show yourself, you coward!”
          Nothing.
          Fulgore-X appeared to be agitated. He slowly moved his head to his right. In that direction, the Dungeon went on for about fifty more yards, and then there was an edge. From there, there was a pit that was as long as the Dungeon itself, about one hundred yards across and an unknown length deep. On the other side of the pit was a wall that had a narrow ledge extending across it. Somewhere in the middle of this wall was a doorway, with a staircase leading from it down into the darkness of the pit.
          Fulgore-X suddenly fired a massive blast from his eyes. It shot across the pit, hitting the wall, and causing a massive explosion, the sound of which bounced painfully off the walls. Large chunks of stone fell from the smoke of the explosion, down to the pit below. Fulgore-X now spun around, and fired another massive eye laser blast. It raced through the stone pillars, into the darkness and quite out of sight. Seconds later, there was another heart pounding blast, as the ground shook underneath Fulgore-X’s and Jago’s feet.
          “Gargos!” Fulgore-X screamed again. “You will show yourself or I’ll destroy the entire Dungeon!”
          “Now, now. There’s no need for that.” Gargos’s voice called. Jago quickly brought his sword up. Fulgore-X didn’t flinch.
          Gargos emerged from out of the smoke that was billowing out from wherever the explosion happened. However, he appeared in his large, bulky, purple gargoyle form, instead of Sheridan’s body.
          Fulgore-X stared at Gargos for a few moments, then he teleported away, to behind Jago, so that Gargos was in front of Jago, and Jago in front of Fulgore-X. All three warriors were at least ten feet away from each other.
          Gargos chuckled. “Afraid of me?” He asked Fulgore-X.
          “Afraid of you? Don’t be silly. I just hate being caught in the middle.” The cyborg responded.
          “Great, now he’s made me the roast beef of this sandwich.” Jago thought.
          “Hmph!” Gargos snorted.
          Fulgore-X began laughing. Jago and Gargos were thoroughly confused.
          “What the hell do you find so amusing?” Gargos asked.
          Fulgore-X wiped away an imaginary tear, for effect. “I should have known. I really should have. It’s so obvious, isn’t it?”
          Jago wished that someone would clue him in on what was going on.
          Fulgore-X continued. “Why you wanted me to use the Ultratech teleporters. Why Orchid and her crew were all standing around in the Control Room. I’m really ashamed not to have seen it all sooner. You knew didn’t you? You knew that Orchid was planning to disrupt our fight as soon as possible. So you brought us here, so that she can’t find us.”
          Gargos smiled. “And you just now figured that out? You really are much dumber than you look.”
          “Oh no no no. I knew that from the minute Killer Instinct 8 started. I figured that Jago and I would be standing face to face in the final round, with Orchid ready to jump in from the sidelines. What I couldn’t make out was why it was so important for me to use the Ultratech teleporters. But, especially with you, standing here in your normal form, I’ve figured it out.” Fulgore-X laughed again. “You’re not here for a front row seat. You’re here to fight whoever wins. You know that the victor of this fight will be the one who’s barely alive; be it me or Jago, we might not even know our own names after this fight’s done. What a perfect time for you to challenge the winner! We’d be so drained; all it would take is for you to breathe on us to knock us out. It’s a no win situation for either of us.”
          Gargos tilted his head back. “Ah, so he does have a twinge of intelligence. It’s probably passing at best, so you’d best enjoy it now.”
          Fulgore-X continued to laugh. “You have your moments too. I must admit, this is a pretty good plan.”
          “Why thank you.”
          “Benefits to you and death to your enemies, well done!”
          “Ah, what can I say?”
          “Excellent planning.”
          “But of course!”
          “Your execution could use a little work...”
          “Well...I’m not perfect...not totally, anyway.”
          “But otherwise, it almost worked!”
          “Almost? My dear cyborg, what do you mean by almost?”
          “Oh! Well, you see, there’s one hitch.” Fulgore-X turned dead serious. To the surprise of Gargos and Jago, he sat down, cross-legged on the floor. He connected his hands in a pyramid shape and lowered his head, as in a meditation position. “I’m not going to fight.” Fulgore-X said calmly.
          “You’re what?!” Gargos exploded.
          “I’m not going to fight. This situation is not advantageous for me, therefore, I see no reason to participate.”
          Gargos looked as if he could erupt. All of a sudden, he calmed down, and smiled again. “Well then, suit yourself. You’re disqualified. C’mon Jago, it’s time for our fight...”
          “No it’s not.” Fulgore-X said. “Jago isn’t going to fight you either. Sit down Jago.”
          Jago looked quite confused. He shot nervous glances back and forth between the cyborg and the demon.
          “Yes he is.” Gargos said sternly. “Come on Jago, it’s time to fight!”
          “Sit down.” Fulgore-X ordered.
          “Fight!” Gargos ordered.
          “Sit down.”
          “Fight!!”
          “Sit down.”
          “Fight!!!”
          Jago let out an exasperated sigh. He wanted to just walk out of the dungeon, but two things prevented him. The first was that, upon his attempt to leave, both Fulgore-X and Gargos’d probably blast him. The second was that he was actually curious as to what Fulgore-X was up to.
          Given the choice of either fighting Gargos or sitting down, Jago chose to sit down. If Fulgore-X had lips, he’d be smiling. Gargos looked as if he could explode again, but he brought himself down. He smiled.
          “Very well then. I really must thank you two; you’ve made this incredibly easy for me. Since you’re both disqualified, I win the tournament. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off to take what’s rightfully mine; this planet.”
          “I think you won’t be.” Fulgore-X responded.
          “And why won’t I?” Gargos asked.
          “That tournament crap might’ve worked with Orchid, but not with me. You know as well as I do that this tournament is meaningless. You only established it because you absolutely had to determine who the Earth’s greatest warrior was. And if I remember correctly, you just can’t take the Earth, because you have to prove you deserve it, by defeating Earth’s strongest fighter. Well, here he is. Or at least, one of us is. But I guess we’ll never know who that is, because there’ll be no fight tonight.”
          Gargos finally exploded. “Raaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!! Fight him! Or fight me! It makes no difference, just get up off your cyborg ass and fight!!”
          Fulgore-X raised an eye. “Make me.”
          “Gladly!” Gargos began stomping towards the cyborg. Jago flexed his muscles, getting ready to jump out of the way of the approaching gargoyle, because Gargos was making no attempt to sidestep him.
          “Oh!” Fulgore-X said. “What are you going to do? Stomp me in? Kill a defenseless warrior who sits here upon this ground, as harmless as a butterfly? Oh, that would be proving your worth. I’m sure you could regale all your loyal followers with the tale of how, despite all odds, you made the perilous journey across twenty feet, exerted monstrous strength in lifting your foot, and let gravity take it’s course in crushing an opponent who exhibited the challenge of a tin can. Don’t you see what’s happened to you? You’ve become a politician, not a fighter. I think you spent too much time in Sheridan’s body.”
          Gargos raged again. “Fine then...if you don’t fight...then I’ll kill him!” Gargos started approaching the very nervous Jago.
          Fulgore-X relaxed. “If you think I really care, then you’ve poorly misjudged me.”
          “I’ll kill you both!” Gargos screamed. He pointed his hands at both fighters.
          Fulgore-X continued to relax. “Go right ahead. Destroy your tickets to ruling the Earth. I can’t speak for Jago, but I’m sure I’ll be rebuilt sooner or later, so I really don’t care.”
          “Raaarrrrrgggghhh! Arrrrrrgggghhhh!” Gargos yelled. “You are the biggest coward I have ever seen! There’s hasn’t been such a disgrace to the art of battle as you! You are a weak, pathetic fool! It’s best that you sit there because if you got up, I’d stomp you so hard, Fulgore 2 would feel it! You pansy!”
          Fulgore-X closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “Sticks and stones may damage my circuits but names will never hurt me.”
          Jago kept a laugh in.
          Gargos began marching towards the exit. “If I can’t have this world...then I’ll destroy it!”
          Fulgore-X kept his eyes closed. He sighed. “Typical defeat response from the so-called antagonist. Hmph.” Fulgore-X opened an eye. “But...I suppose I could be persuaded to fight...under the right conditions.”
          Gargos stopped. “And what might those...conditions...be?”
          Fulgore-X stood. “Jago and I were to fight to determine which one of us was the ‘Earth’s strongest warrior,’ right? According to my analysis of the situation, I call that fight a draw. We’re both the Earth’s strongest warrior. So fight us both.”
          “At the same time? Absolutely not! That’s absurd!”
          Fulgore-X cut his eyes. “That’s the only way I’ll fight. What’s the matter big boy? Can’t handle two of us?” Fulgore-X began indirectly talking to Gargos by speaking to Jago. “And this is the big bad Gargos? He’s oh so powerful, yet he can’t take on a pathetic human and a ‘weapon toting C3P0’ at the same time. That doesn’t sound very powerful to me. I certainly wouldn’t want someone that weak ruling my planet.”
          “Shut up!” Gargos commanded.
          “Oh? Does talk of your own cowardice offend you? If that’s the case, you’re free to leave the room now if you like, because I do intend to continue.”
          Gargos roared again. “You are the most vile object on this Earth!”
          “Thank you.” Fulgore-X took a mock bow.
          In any other time, at any other place, Jago would be laughing. Fulgore-X had taken a no-win situation, and turned the tables on Gargos. It was a masterful show of character manipulation. But, considering he was in the middle of it, Jago didn’t find it very funny at the present. Maybe if he lived past tonight, he could look back and laugh about this much, much later on in the future.
          Fulgore-X continued. “You know, you hide that yellow streak very well. I’m sure if we lifted those sparrow wings of yours, we’d find a racing stripe down your back. You must have been relieved beyond words when Ultratech kidnapped Eyedol during your fight. I mean, should the fight have continued, he could have actually attacked you. It would have been horribly embarrassing to be seen in the fetal position you surely would have curled up in.
          Gargos twisted his mouth. “You’re one to talk. At least I didn’t have to stab a little girl so that she would discontinue fighting me. A real warrior would have knocked her out cold.”
          Fulgore-X turned to Jago again. “Do you see? Do you see how, in order to escape the matter at hand, he turns back to insulting me? Clearly, he does not want to fight us. Perhaps we should go up to the Ultratech Cafeteria and have a drink, eh? We’ll get nowhere here.”
          Jago raised an eyebrow.
          Gargos slanted his eyes. “Perhaps Jago does not want to be partners with you. I certainly wouldn’t want to team up with a malfunctioning garbage disposal such as yourself.”
          “Of course you wouldn’t! You’d be so horribly overshadowed, no one would remember that you actually fought.”
          Gargos spoke to Jago. “Would you want to team up with that thing? He’d claw you in the back before he actually helped you.”
          Jago turned backwards towards Fulgore-X. To his surprise, Fulgore-X wasn’t there. As he turned back towards Gargos, he was even more surprised to find Fulgore-X standing beside him.
          Fulgore-X looked directly at Jago. “Now is not the time to pursue personal rivalries. I’m sure you’ll agree that the issue at hand is of paramount importance.”
          “And when did I become your friend?” Jago asked sarcastically.
          “We don’t have to pretend to like each other, we don’t even have to work together. We just need to agree not to fight each other and focus all our efforts on Gargos. Agreed?” Fulgore-X extended his arm towards Jago. Jago looked at it as if it were a snake.
          Fulgore-X went on with his sales pitch. “After this is all done, we can go back to trying to kill each other. But for now, Gargos must be dealt with, and the task will be much more reasonable if two warriors fought him instead of one. Are you with me?”
          Jago sighed. He grabbed Fulgore-X’s forearm, a few inches under the cybernetic elbow. “I’m in.”
          “Orchid would kill me if she saw this.” Jago thought.
          “Oh how sweet!” Gargos gushed sarcastically. “And me without my camera!”
          Fulgore-X snapped back to Gargos. “Well then. Jago’s game, so now the question is, are you? Or will we play Congress some more?”
          Gargos frowned. “You two are nothing. I can take you both down on accident.”
          “Then prove it.” Fulgore-X said sharply.
          Gargos closed his eyes, and sighed. “Fine then.” He planted both feet firmly in the ground, contracting the muscles in his arms. “Shall we? Fight on!”
          Jago pointed his sword apprehensively towards Gargos, and assumed a basic fighting stance. Fulgore-X separated his legs and bent his knees slightly. He kept his left arm near his stomach, and extended the right towards Gargos. His claws popped out from both hands, without warning.
          Fulgore-X narrowed his eyes. “I’ve heard nothing but talk from you for as long as I’ve known you. Now, finally, it’s time for you to prove your worth.”