[IC] - All the World's a Game

[WriggleRid3r]

Sector B

---

"Aqua..." Yuuka said, not leaving her eyes away from a small child test subject. "Look at these people inside the chambers... Read these data on them... See how much agony they have had to suffer? I'm going to find whoever's responsible for this, even if I become trapped in this building."

---

"Where am I...?" A small nekomata asked as she looked around to find a bright white background.
"Ah, you got your thoughts back." Another nekomata, taller and more mature, walked up to the small nekomata. "Welcome to your dreamworld."
"W- why am I here? Let me out!"
"Patience, young one. Take a walk with me."

The scenery changed as the two nekomata walked across the seemingly infinite ground. First, it was a forest of mushrooms, then it was a shrine, and then a western-style mansion...

"We pass through the dawn of time to the origin of your power." The tall nekomata said as she opened a large temple door that appeared in front of the two nekomata. "You will answer questions to the wise sage Oni once inside."

[Katrix]

Sector B

"I understand your concern, but we have to get out off here now. the one that caused this might not even be here anymore as we attacked the place.
I promise none of these people in here will die in the explosion."

[S121]

Neo-Yakuza HQ

John ran until he came across X.

"X, it's time to go, follow me.", John said as he headed for the lab.

[Koishi]

Somewhere in Nevada

---

As Hank was driving down the road, suddenly, a street sign burst from the ground, along with the words "WARNING, DANGER!" in the corner of everyone's vision.

"SHIT!" Hank swerved around the street sign, but it was following, and fast.

"Sanford, take the wheel, I'll deal with him." Hank said.

Sanford nodded, opening the door to the front, while Hank went to the back and pulled out his blade.

"It's you, and me Tricky."Hank said, lowering the back flap of the truck as the sign bolted through the ground with furious speed.

[WriggleRid3r]

Sector B

---

Paying no attention to Aqua, Yuuka stormed through the lab, only to find a hunchback.
"My, my, this place became a little crowded huh?" The hunchback grinned widely. "I was never a social one, but I always welcome a hot lady."
"Who are you?" Yuuka inquired. "What have you been doing here?"
"Nothing more than experiments." The doctor drew a remote control. "I'll share the error analysis with you."
Three test chambers opened, revealing three mutant human agents, each with robust limbs or attached ligaments. They looked as if they were in despair and agony, but no sound came from their mouth.
"Go, my subjects. There lays my next test material."

[S121]

Neo-Yakuza HQ

John entered the lab with X right behind him, only to be greeted by creatures that resembled the Flood. Reacting acoording to Flood elimination procedures, John pulled out his rifle and shot the deformed monstrocities.

[NeoFox]

Neo-Yakuza HQ
________________

X nodded his head when John said it was time to go. As he followed John into the lab he jumped back in horror as he sees the mutant agents. As he readies his X-Buster he turns to John. "What are those things!?"


Somewhere in Nevada
_______________________

Axl sighs in relief as Sanford lowers the revolver. Suddenly the truck begins swerving left and right, and Axl gets thrashed about like a rag doll. "Hey what's going on!?"

[S121]

Neo-Yakuza HQ

John spoke to X.

"I don't know, but they're dead now."

John turned to Yuuka and Aqua.

"Any idea what those things were, and who that hunchback is?", John asked, pointing his rifle at the hunchback.

[Kristia]

pandemonium

Seeing that everyone was ok, Renamon decided again to search for a way to go the the Neo-Yakuza base, this time she did founf a computer. Not hesitating the fox synchronized her digivice and entered throught the electric machine.

Now floating in the Digital world, the vixen went trhough relays reaching the ones that had Neo-Yakuza data ("Hm.. this is interesting, a sudden stop of work and the liberation of test subjects") she thought while reading the data and jumped into the relay.

Neo Yakuza HQ

Finally getting out of the computer, Renamon landed on the table seeing Yuuka, John, X and Aqua together facing a hunchback scientist with some mutant things.

"Sorry for taking long, but all the hostages are now in a safe place" the fox said seeing the posible targets.

("Remember you are not at your best with your right arm and chest, rely with your left punches and kicks") she Thought to herself ready for battle while tightening her bandages for more resistance

[Katrix]

Neo Yakuza HQ

Aqua looked surprised at Renamon. "We have no idea of who he is. The only things we know is that now is the time to go. Now".
A dark cloud with hints of a with circle form at Aqua's hand.

[WriggleRid3r]

Sector B

---

"Human Enhancement & Ligamentation License." The hunchback started. "That is what I have with me that verifies these laboratory experiments. I am Dr. Steinhoff."

"For years, humans sought to become stronger, smarter, faster. Biologists around the world pondered, what is the limit of human potential? Can a human break through that limitation and achieve something greater? Thus, the new age of Genetics began. Old ideas were challenged, projects not finished, such as the Human Genome Project, was reestablished and developed, to turn the humanity into a more genetically-superior beings."

"The Character Emergence was both a boon and a curse for the biologists. So many different humanoid characters from video games, and their genes to explore! Yet, now there's something that's far superior to the humanity! What predicament is this!"

"There was an organization of biologists... called the Human Enhancement Association, or HEA. I was a part of it, as well as many well-known biologists. We once united to create better human beings, but our ideas split... majority of the biologists sought after those Characters for better genes. But I had faith! I had faith that humanity can surpass Characters in power and in intelligence... Neo-Yakuza gave me chances... and with their hospitality, my research went swimmingly. The HEA coded 32% of human chromosome into gene information... I have deciphered 98%. The HEA cannot clone humans. I can. You saw those endless human agent reinforcements? Notice how similar they looked? I made them, from one man's gene."

"Why am I telling you this? Because I see something in your eyes... you are a Character, a powerful one at that, yet you have sympathy towards the inferior species like us humans. I don't want someone like you to be lost to the teachings of the HEA... I want to spread my understanding of humanity to be spread, to teach the publicity that they do not have to fear the Characters... that we are just as powerful, just as intelligent, JUST AS POTENT, as the Characters."

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." Yuuka pointed her parasol at Dr. Steinhoff.

"If you kill me," Dr. Steinhoff snickered. "You won't get to hear the rest of the story."

"I think I heard enough already." Yuuka frowned. "You're just another old sicko who tampered with innocent humans to further your own research."

"Oh, but what a worthy sacrifice!" Dr. Steinhoff coughed and wheezed. It was evident that he was suffering from a lung illness. "I have developed a way to create superhumans... to fight against the darker side of the world..."

"Darker- what are you talking about?" Yuuka demanded answers, but Dr. Steinhoff, the hunchback, has fallen cold and death after coughing blood from his lung. Yuuka grasped the doctor's cold corpse, shaking it. "What darker side of the world? Are there even more injustice in the world still? Answer me!"

[Koishi]

Somewhere in Nevada

---

"Clown." Sanford said as he took the wheel. "Tricky the Clown, to be precise."

Tricky's sign came up directly behind Hank, along with Tricky himself, who jittered with insanity as he came to smack Hank with the sign. Hank barely dodged, and the sign cleaved through the truck like paper as Hank retaliated with slashes to Tricky's stomach, causing blood to come out, but Tricky smacked Hank with the sign on his second pass, making him crash into the wall of the truck, coughing up blood.

"IS THAT ALL?" Tricky said as Hank cleaved Tricky's mask in twain, revealing a green, distorted face,with a ripped open mouth with jagged, rotted teeth. Hank then gutted Tricky, throwing him off the truck as his blood poured out, his sign coming with him. Hank was coated in blood now, but he simply sat down.

"Sanford, hit it, he's not done yet." Hank said, panting.

[S121]

Neo-Yakuza HQ

John saw the hunchback fall to the ground.

"I don't know if this is going to work, but I'm going to try and revive him. We need that info."

John pulled out the healing crescent and used it on the hunchback, trying to buy him enough time to speak.

[WriggleRid3r]

Sector B

---

The healing crescent swirled around Dr. Steinhoff, but it did not do anything. The soul of the hunchback has left the world.
"Dammit." Yuuka muttered silently. "All these agents, talking about the darker, more evil force behind them... and we can't get a single clue out of them?"

---

Osaka Bay

---

"Captain Kilener! We have to back out now!" Iku shouted. "Too many of these critters for me to handle alone."

[S121]

Neo-Yakuza HQ

John turned to Yuuka.

"I do have one thing. I extracted all the files from the Boss's computer. The Boss had an Administrator's security clearence badge, so the info should have whatever the hunchback was talking about."