Chapter 79- Dark Reflections
Wesker sat down on a long but thin wooden picnic table. Apparently, the changelings brought them into their cave to use them for their plans and writing. With no need for benches, the mutant had to settle on the top to rest. Torches lit the walls, illuminating the limestone caverns a bit. The scientist could see the rings and patterns of mineral layers along the walls. At one point, someone or something must have used this cave before. The wooden beams used to hold the cavern tunnels up looked a bit old.
Just, what was Wesker doing, inspecting the walls?
Spying. Unlike the others that were taking things for granted, the blonde super human was taking note of everything. He knew the others were smart, and maybe even on the same intelligence level as him, but he doubted they knew anything about excavations or anything of the sort. If he was going to find a way to bring the others to his side, he would have to think of things carefully.
With Roger as a political hostage, that meant one of the others would have to take charge. Least for the moment. When Gilgamesh returned and relayed the news, well, they took the news rather well.
Sombra was relatively upset. The one human he wanted to be his face was now a prisoner. Still, he had to concede the ponies some demands to make the ceasefire reasonable. Better this than some other demand, like them demanding the Crystal Heart being placed in the care of a neutral party until the war games were over.
Aurelius and Chrysalis didn’t really have much to say in the matter. They liked having the idea of Roger on the other side as a potential mole and saboteur. And the idea of having the wargames a day later than necessary was excellent for their plans. It would give them a day to make more bombs, and rally their allies together in critical spots for the right time to strike.
Wesker moved a hand to his stomach. It had been a while since he had eaten, and all that fighting and movement in Baltimare made him use a lot of calories. Worse yet, this cavern had a spring or underground river for water, but it was not easy gathering enough of it for the humans to wash, drink, and other things. Also, they had to wait for the changelings to bring them all food.
Speaking of which, Wesker turned to look at the others. Kefka was floating on his side, resting his head on his left arm. The clown looked bored to say the least... But his sharp eyes were moving. Back and forth those eyes studied the changelings and their body parts. Albert had no idea why Kefka had such a fascination with these creatures. But that clown was up to something.
Vegeta was sitting on the floor... And here comes the baby black sheep. Was his name Mr. Sombrero? The former STARS couldn’t care to remember. But Vegeta turned his head left and right a second. Seeing that no one was paying attention to the saiyan, the prince moved his left hand out. The sheep walked over with a small “baa” and smiled. Vegeta grinned as the pet licked his palm and the other hand moved to pet the head of Mr. Sombrero.
“Oh ho ho... So you like me, you little quadrupede?” Vegeta said in a low voice. “Pray they find enough food for me soon, or you’re my supper.” The baby sheep didn't care, running his black wool against Vegeta’s hand.
That was pretty messed up, at least to Wesker. He had no idea if Vegeta was being serious or toying with Sombra’s pet.
Speaking of toying, Wesker turned to look at Xehanort. True to Sombra’s word, the two were talking about magic. A subject that both rattled and annoyed Wesker. Magic? Preposterous. The pathetic attempts to use magic against him were considerably underwhelming. Still, when Xehanort presented a ‘Heartless’ pony, the other humans reacted immediately. They all had seen regular ponies during their rampage, and these shadow ponies were worse than changelings.
Next, Wesker turned to look at Gilgamesh. From what he could recall from his history class, Gilgamesh was the first hero according to ancient literature. So the so called King of Heroes. Was this the same fable? He was dressed in strange clothes, there were ancient and kinda quasi-Hindu art. The large man had his head hanging down, apparently in thought. Gilgamesh was sitting down on a boulder, using a rag to polish a sword. It was hard to read a man with white eyes. But if he could win this fellow over, he could also win Roger.
Roger was weird. He reminded him so much of a man that could become terror incarnate. But he did conduct himself as a professional and took away the need for himself to be a mediator.
This left Luthor to think about. Luthor... He was the dangerous one here. Sure, Kefka was crazy, but Lex was a man not to be underestimated. Wesker was sure that the fact he was being looked down by the changelings for being the first one to get called back. At the moment, Lex was talking to Exuvia about making better bombs. Outside of his metal construct, the businessman was dressed in a blue dress shirt and gray slacks. Odd choice of clothes for a battle suit, but then again, he wore leather. Who knows what he was scheming inside that brain. A man to build such a battle suit was not stupid.
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Luthor stood next to his battle suit, a holographic display of green relaying info about the damage. Lucky, it was just a short. Had the suit suffered structural damage, he would have no chance to fix it. He was glad the war games were postponed. He needed time to plan and prepare. He needed to gain trust and influence once more. With Roger gone, now was his chance to try and put himself in a more favorable position with Sombra. The others had already displayed their powers, and he had yet to show off what he was truly capable of.
He was also interested in this ‘Darkbrand’ still on his forehead. Just what could his power be? And how was his crystal supposed to help him? He had to figure these both out, and soon. Once he learned what he could do, then he could worry about the others. In the powers and abilities department, he was already way behind.
He turned to look back at Exuvia, listening to her as she went on and on about reports of bombs. Unfortunately, there was not much he could do to help. This ‘Otacon’ was a smart fellow, already creating gunpowder and explosive mixes in pretty much an economical and efficient manner. It would take a day to get more bombs ready for more runs.
As it turns out, the changelings in Baltimare were not the only ones making bombs or practicing. The changelings hiding near the other cities were busy at work. They had just been discreet about things. Ergh. These changelings were not the ugliest creatures he’s ever encountered- But they did rub him the wrong way. Especially this Exuvia. What was her problem? Why was she interested in him? She had a book she was using to jolt down things. Was it knowledge about humans she cared about.
Please, let them bring food here soon. Then he had an excuse to get away from her. Better the other Darkbrands, even Kefka, than her.
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Vegeta leaned back against the cavern wall, letting Mr. Sombrero sleep nestled in his legs. In just a few short hours, he brought down a navy and stolen an artifact of great power. No big surprise. Still, it was kinda deja vu. Just like taking the dragonballs from Frieza. Still, he had a chance to reflect on his death.
He cried- Him! The Prince of All Saiyans! Vegeta shed tears for the first time in his life. Not even on his father’s or planets death had a salty drop escape from his eyes. But the thought of his last chance of revenge and the legend of the super saiyan rested on Goku. That clod. Everything that had been held back was let loose at that moment. No more regrets. All of that training, bowing to Frieza and his underlings, all that work, it had been for nothing.
Now he was serving some unicorn over a land dispute? The prince wasn’t sure how to handle things. The saiyan would behave, just for a second chance of life. With any luck, he would emerge stronger than before. This Sombra promised him power, but he was speaking with that wizard that dared to use magic on him. If only he only had his... Tail?
He raised both eyebrows quickly, looking down at a brown tail idly rubbing against his thighs.
What the in the hell?! Was that his tail? Both eyes trailed to look at how his tail had indeed waved. He could feel it back again. When did this happen?! His right hand moved to grab his tail, giving it a squeeze. His mouth fell open as his eyes opened wide. The crystal? Was that it? Had the powers the crystal granted him regeneration? Vegeta turned to look back at his purple crystal that was supposedly attuned with. It was the only explanation that made sense. When the black sheep tickled his tail, he snapped out of his thoughts. Mr. Sombrero ‘baa’ a bit to bap his tail playfully.
Vegeta smiled, a grin spreading wide to look towards the cavern entrance. Even if this planet had no moon, he could make his own!
“Bring on these wargames,” Vegeta smirked, throwing his head back to start laughing.
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“What is wrong with that fellow?” Gilgamesh thought to himself. And he thought the clown was insane. The warrior stopped polishing his spear to look back at Vegeta with a raised left brow. Was that tail always there?It didn’t matter. It reminded him of a young man that also had a tail, but this fellow was blonde and wore a pirate like get up. Was his name Zidane? Bah. He turned back to his weapons.
His collection was one of the things that kept him sane. Traveling through worlds and the rift was boring and lonely. Focusing on his weapons and training kept him from going over the edge. Some would even call it a borderline obsession.
But now, he did it to distract himself. The lack of concern with the hostage that was Roger Smith greatly upset him. Then again, they knew not of each other. They had only conversed through his mind. And even then, it was less than a few hours. Trying to get along with these fellows was taxing.
But, would he have to? His left hand moved a polishing rag up and down the shaft of his spear. The others had died, and were clearly brought forth by the power of Sombra’s spell. He came through on his own, bringing Roger with him. Did that mean there was a way to remove the Darkbrand from himself and Roger? The pony's did find a way to block the dark unicorn’s power... It was a thought, but he had given his alliance to Sombra. While he did not feel guilt for getting Roger involved, he did take responsibility. He would make sure if any harm befell on his new ally, there would be hell to pay.
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Kefka’s mind was running at five directions at once. What was the crystal and the Darkbrand power? How did Wesker display his own? How could he force these changelings to serve him? Could he manipulate any of these power filled humans to be his allies? Lastly, the ponies and their champions were no pushovers.
His battle on the ground and air against Angelo was ridiculous. In the air no one was getting hits. And in the ground, the pretty boy was fast. Even faster than that annoying Onion Knight. His rapier skills made it very hard to dodge and block. Had it not been for Sombra’s tactical retreat, he would’ve used his EX mode just to stand a chance. A skill he did not want to reveal just yet. With so many things going through his mind, there was only one thing to be done.
Buddy up to Sombra or one of the changelings rulers. It worked in the past, and his skills as a jester would no doubt make them laugh. As it stands, Xehanort was already busy at work with Sombra. That old man was smart...
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“So, prunes?” Sombra asked, eyebrows raised a bit.
“I’m having horrible digestion as of late...” Master Xehanort moved a hand to his stomach. This body of his was getting old, and having already died once seems to have made his body suffer more than he wanted. He needed a new vessel, and the only one that had the dark power he could use was the unicorn.
But this Darkbrand was tricky. He had to learn darkness magic as soon as he could. With any luck, he could use his own techniques to add to his arsenal and find a way to break the curse.
“My Queen! My King!”
Everyone picked up their heads, turning to look over at a changeling as he rushed inside. The black insect pony came to a stop in front of his rules and bowed his head. “We have been found out!”
“WHAT?!” Chrysalis shouted out, lifting her head up. “How? Who?!”
“My rulers, there is a package outside being brought in.”
“A package?” Aurelius narrowed his eyes, lifting his head to look over the changeling. After a moment, he raised his eyebrows. “Who could know where we are? Even Roger Smith knows not where we are...”
“Bring in the package,” Sombra narrowed his eyes, turning to look at the cavern entrance. Did Celestia track them using Roger? He doubted it, Celestia did honor her word. A package though, didn’t exactly violate the rules of a cease fire. After all, he had sent his forces to her palace. But why not use the green crystal? It was a rule though, that no side would engage each other after evening unless it was a battle. Had the rules changed in the last 1,000 years?
The dark champions raised themselves to stand, getting themselves battle ready. Vegeta frowned, tossing Mr. Sombrero a bit so he could fly up and gather energy into his fists. Gilgamesh quickly jumped to stand, holding his lance with both hands. Luthor stepped back into his suit, letting the metal armor close around his form. Wesker drew his magnum out, slipping a new clip into the handgun. They all watched as a changeling brought in a brown cardboard box, which had a label on top.
“Who is the package for?” Queen Chrysalis asked.
“It’s addressed to... To our champions,” Imago picked up his eyebrows, having approached the box. Few changelings knew how to read.
“For us?” Luthor asked, getting his suit to walk. It seems that the suit was working well enough. “Let me scan it.”
The changeling turned to look at his queen a moment. She nodded, it was for them anyway. The box wasn’t huge, but it looked large enough to hold several things. Luthor’s large green and black robot hands picked up the package. Indeed, it was addressed to them. His chest plate opened a bit, sending out a green light to scan the box. The light show startled the changelings and a few champions, having not expected that.
“Well?” Wesker asked, placing his gun away.
“It’s safe. There is no danger unless it’s magic based,” Luthor replied as set the box down.
“Let’s open it!” Kefka floated to sit in a lotus position, his feet moving to clap for him.
“Does it say from whom?” Vegeta asked, relaxing his stance.
“No. Just to us,” Luthor said. He took a step back as Gilgamesh walked over to the package and looked down at it. Without waiting, he got down on his left knee to look at this container. Each hand moved to split the box open and look inside.
“No letter or any notes,” Gilgamesh called out. He took out the first thing in the box, a small black looking briefcase. It had a biohazard symbol on it. On the top, it was addressed to Wesker. Gilgamesh picked up the case to hold out for him.
“Could it be...?” Wesker raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised. That looked like one of the carrying cases for his serum. Stepping up to Gilgamesh, Wesker took the package with both hands to flip it open. Inside were several small red canisters that had a syringe delivery system.
“What is it?” Luthor asked, a bit worried over the biohazard sticker.
“My...” Wesker stopped himself, debating if he should explain things to them. It was too much trouble to lie now, besides these other champions were used to half truths. “Medicine. I have a condition that requires me to inoculate myself from time to time.”
“Are you sick?” Aurelius asked, a bit surprised by this set of news.
“Sick? No. But as you know, my body posses powers. To suppress it though, I need a serum to keep my powers from growing out of control.”
“Are you saying your powers can grow even stronger?” Sombra asked, a bit shocked. Just how powerful was Wesker?
“Indeed. Excuse me.” Wesker walked away from the, turning his back to head back to the bench. But who? How? There was very few people that knew he needed the serum back in his world. Even less that knew where to find them. Still, this brought a great relief to him. No more worrying over his condition, least for a while. He set the case down and prepared to give himself a dose.
“This one is for Kefka...” Gilgamesh went back to the box. He held out a small wooden case. It had the picture of a smiling clown on it.
“For me?” The harlequin moved over to the case. “Can it be?” Kefka narrowed his eyes, running his right hand over the top of the box.
“What is it?” Luthor asked.
“None of your business!” Kefka cackled, lifting the box over his head and laughed. Let them squirm! He floated away, leaving the other dumbfounded. Once away from eyesight, Kefka looked around quickly to see if anyone was near him. Seeing no one, Kefka brought the box down to his waist and open it.
Juggling balls made of clay. Colorful ones, made from different solid colors. His gloved fingers moved to trace over the training balls. He had used them long ago as a child, still green and learning. A long time ago, he had seen how even a jester had royalty and nobles eating out of the palm of his hand. This is what drove him to take the path of a clown. He had destroyed this case though, long ago, back when he vowed not to be anyone’s tool. But who knew? How were they still in existence?
He took out the balls, judging the weight, smell, and feel. It was everything that took him back in the days of his youth. back before he wanted to destroy it all. He begun to take out the balls, juggling with one hand as a small smile formed on his face. Now he had something to get in with the royals.
“I like him. He’s funny,” Pharate chuckled.
“Moving on...” Gilgamesh said. It seems that these were not dangerous at least. He reached back inside, this time taking out a standard leather briefcase. “For Luthor.”
“Me?” Luthor moved to take the briefcase and blink twice. He set it on his left palm so his other hand could open it. Inside there was a copy of The Wall Street, a new dress shirt, socks, and some soap. “Oh, they shouldn't have,” Luthor said with a wicked smirk. How and who knew that he needed a shower and some new clothes? And the Wall Street was just something to occupy his mind. Still, it’s not like he needed medicine or tools. Sometimes, simple things like a fresh new shirt and some soap to enjoy a good bath was just what the body needed. So far though, he did note something. None of these things were weapons, just things they really did need.
“Is anyone going to say how strange this all is?” Vegeta asked, eyebrows raised. “How do they know our names? I don’t recall anyone speaking to others.”
“Speaking of which...” Gilgamesh took out a small box that looked like it was used to carry small tubes or tools.
“What is this?” Vegeta moved his hand out to take the small box with his name on it. Interestingly enough, it had a logo on it that had CC. “Capsule Corp? Never heard of it.” Still, he opened up the case and looked down at the push button tubes. The saiyan blinked once, reading the instructions on the inside. “Push the button and then toss?” He shrugged and pushed top top down. He then tossed the tube a few feet from them all.
The pink capsule landed on the ground, a large poof and gray smoke appearing to surround the area. Everyone shut their eyes a bit, not sure what to expect. When the smoke cleared, Vegeta lowered the hand used to cover his eyes and take a step back. A large food locker, from what he could guess. It was a large white fridge, the size of a car.
“It looks like a refrigerator,” Luthor said.
Vegeta blinked twice and walked over to the door. Grabbing on the metal handle, he pulled.
Food, glorious food. Vegeta could sniff the contents of the locker. Milk, cheeses, meats, drinks, and much other kinds of food were on display to them all. There was a light, indicating that the food locker had it’s own battery power.
“It looks like you won't have to die yet, Mr. Sombrero!” Vegeta grinned. When was the last time he had a chance to eat? Even since he had been on the planet Namek and even then it was fed to him via recover pod. Polite and reserved, he begun to pull out food to his arms and chest and look back at the others. Kefka had come back, looking at the food on display with a single finger on his curving lips.
“Bah. I suppose I have to share. Fine!” Vegeta said with an annoyed sigh. Since they were humans, he doubted they could eat as much as a saiyan could.
“Wait... Did you get anything, Gilgamesh?” Sphragis asked. It seemed unfair if they all got something and not the general.
“No,” Gilgamesh said, shaking his head to the sides. “But I need not these things. A warrior focuses on what is important.” He had in fact though- Gotten a note. While everyone was busy looking at the food, the warrior grinned and then slipped his note away into his belt.
’No harm will fall on Roger Smith. I swear it.’ was the only thing on the note.
That was all he needed though.
“Let us all sit together and share a meal,” Gilgamesh said as he rose up to stand. “For we have one day to prepare.”
“Yes. I think more Darkbrands may be needed,” Chrysalis grained.
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“Doctor, why are we helping the enemy?” Roland asked. He and The Question both were hiding behind a rock formation with the (11th) Doctor. “I mean, food is the humane thing- But the other things?”
“Well, that’s not the question. The better one is- Does this mean you will stop helping the humans on the pony's side?” The detective asked.
“What?” Roland asked, turning to look over at the masked man.
“Well, we all went investigating both sides. We know Wesker needs medicine to keep from being a dangerous chaotic element. The clown needs something to keep himself distracted and work from doing something truly dangerous. The food will keep Vegeta from ravaging ponies fields with his level of appetite. And keeping Luthor distracted with a bath will keep him from being a nuisance too much.” The Question stopped talking, then turned to look over the Doctor.
“Well...” The Time Lord sighed, looking down at the ground. “As it stands, I’ve helped humans from destroying themselves. Both good, and evil. For me to not help them also- Would make me a hypocrite.” The Doctor picked up his head, sliding his hands into his pockets. “All the reasons Mr. Question provided are true, yes. But they are still human in a way. They need help. And if I can’t help them, I shouldn’t be helping the others.”
“Does that mean when it comes to the Wargames...” Roland narrowed his eyes.
“Yes. I won't participate or cheat. This was an agreement between each other, including the humans. My oath with Celestia keeps me from staying neutral- but there is only so much I can do.” The Time Lord shrugged.
“So, are we still doing the teacher plan?” Roland asked.
“Oh, yes, of course! I can’t cheat- But I can at least prepare the champions the best I can to meet these challenges.”
Chapter proofreaded by LyonAzakura.
Bonus:
“So, let me see if I got this straight... You want to hire me, for what exactly?” Roger Smith asked.
“We want you to join in an interdimensional war game scenario, between ponies and changelings,” Mr. Guo Hai asked.
Roger had a certain set of rules. Only women could be allowed into his home, but sometimes the rules could be bent for the elderly. He turned to look at the sickly looking pony at his side. If he poops in his home...
“You will be well compensated,” Hai had to stop, coughing once to clear his throat.
“I doubt you could-”
Guo Hai picked up his eyebrows, turning to look as Roger fell over. Edgeworth frowned a bit, holding on to a dart gun.
“Was that necessary?” Lighting Dust asked.
“I’m a prosecutor, not a criminal that needs a negotiator. And this ‘Phoenix’ clone is a pathetic tool to be used by criminals for shady dealings. He’s lucky I don’t send him to jail.”
Extra:
Kamina (Gurren Lagann) grinned a little bit, looking down at Nathan Drake from his gunman.
Bang Shishigami (BlazBlue) had both arms crossed on his chest, looking down across at Dovahkiin as he tried some ramen.
Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach) blinked twice, looking at Soma. The two teens were floating in Soul Society.
Captain America (UMVC3) stepped up to Phoenix, holding out his left hand for a shake.
Asura (Asura’s Wrath) looked down at Dan, growling a bit inside the combat circle on top of a mountain.
Adam Jensen (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) stood next to Otacon, both on a rooftop of Sarif Industries.