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Present Day
New York: Ultratech Corporation

     “They still have five minutes.  Please be patient, gentlemen.”
     Jack Summers, the acting President of the Ultratech Corporation, tried to calm the rising impatience of the three men around him.  Summers was in his early thirties, with a boyish look.  He wore the standard Ultratech uniform; a white with black jumpsuit.  The top of the jumpsuit was black, going down on both the front and back about two to three inches from the neck.  The shoulders and the sides of the arms were also black, as well as the cuffs of the long sleeves.  There was a leather black belt tied around his waist, and he wore a fine pair of black shoes.  On the left side of the chest, just under where the black stopped, was the Ultratech logo, the insignia being held by a powerful magnet system.
     Of the three men in President Summers’ company, all of them were wearing military dress uniforms.  They were all highly decorated, and getting on in their years.  They stood, tapping their feet, checking their watches, and looking around their environment.  All four men stood a few feet down the east wing hallway, only a short distance away from the main entrance.
 In the direction of the main entrance, a mechanical door could be heard sliding open, and two steps of footsteps quickly approaching.
     “See,”  Summers said, “I told you they would be here on time.”
     Rounding the corner came two figures, a man and a woman.  The woman was roughly 5’7.  She had long, dark black hair which she tied behind her.  Her green eyes were amazingly exotic; they were the highlight of a thin, strong face that housed full red lips.  The woman had an amazing athletic figure which couldn’t be hidden very well behind her clothes.  She wore a black blazer, unbuttoned, with a white t-shirt underneath.  She wore a miniskirt, also black, which stopped a few inches above her knees, dark leg stockings, and white high heel shoes.
     The man was about 6’2, 175 pounds.  He was native American; his head was shaved clean, he had thick eyebrows and a square jaw.  He wore a brown jacket and slacks with a black turtleneck underneath.  Summers advanced to greet both him and the woman.
     “Sarah!  Thunder!  I knew you two wouldn’t be late.”  Summers led them towards the other three men.  “I believe I have some introducing to do.  This is General Thomas Briggs of the Army, Admiral Bruce Stevens of the Navy, and Captain Stephen Miller of the Air Force.”  He gestured towards the three military men.  Summers then turned to the woman.  “This is Sarah Watson.  She’s a highly skilled engineer fresh out of Harvard.”  The woman smiled slightly.  Summers then turned to the man.  “And you’ll probably remember Chief Thunder, from Killer Instinct 7.”  Thunder smiled and extended his hand.  All three military men, in turn, shook it.
     General Briggs paused for a moment, looking at the woman.  “Say, you look kinda familiar.....have I seen you somewhere before?”
     The woman smiled sheepishly.  “I....don’t believe so.”
     Captain Miller started down the hall.  “Well Summers, we were sent to check out yer goods, so let’s get on with it!  The Knicks are playing later on tonight and I happen to have court side tickets.”
     The other two military men began to follow.  Summers had to skip a few steps to catch up.  “Of course.”  He said.
     Chief Thunder and the woman kept back for a few moments, then started down the hall after the four men.  Thunder smiled and looked at the woman.  “Sarah Watson.....is that your real name, Orchid?”
     Orchid twisted her mouth.  “Nah.  It’s just one of many covers.”
     “So.....what is your real name?”  Thunder asked.
     “Oh, I don’t know.  Never cared.  I was Orchid, and that was enough.”
     Thunder smiled.  “Of course.  B. Orchid, the number one supreme-o secret agent.”
     Orchid forced a smile.
     “Speaking of,” Thunder continued, “how long until you’re a free woman?”
     “You mean when I’m released from the Organization?  Six more days.”
     “Six days huh.  I’ll bet this isn’t what you pictured to be your last mission.”
     Orchid twisted her mouth again.  “True.  Being in the Organization, you always figured you’d be dead before thirty.  It may sound morbid, but a lot of us fantasized about what our last mission would be.  Sacrificing ourselves for the safety of the free world.  Going out in a blaze of glory.  Boy, if they could see me now......”
     Thunder laughed.  “Hey, at least you know you’re going to make it to thirty nine.”
     Orchid raised an eyebrow.  “Thirty nine?  Is that all?”
     “Well, all women stop aging at thirty nine, at least, according to them.”
     Orchid let a little laugh escape her.  “So....what do you think about the new Ultratech President?”
     Thunder stroked his chin.  “He’s a little....young, don’t you think?”
     “Yeah, but he’s supposedly a genius when it comes to marketing and technology; that makes him perfect for Ultratech.”
     “I still can’t believe that Congress decided to leave Ultratech intact.”
     “Well, when you think about it, President Sheridan was the only real bad influence over Ultratech. Since he’s dead, Ultratech can be a normal corporation, despite the reason why it was created.  Besides, it’s easier to leave Ultratech intact rather than try to create a new corporation and attempt to duplicate what Ultratech’s accomplished.”
     “Hmm.”  Thunder said.  “It’s funny that neither he or those generals recognized you as Orchid from Killer Instinct.”
     “Eh.  The fleeting fame of an event athlete.  Our fifteen minutes of fame expire quicker than those of an Olympic gold medalist.”
     “Well, we did save the world.”
     “Eh.”  Orchid uttered.
     “Speaking of....” Thunder continued, “I haven’t seen Jago in a few days.”
     Orchid looked up, then down at her watch.  “Oh, he should be in Tibet by now.”
     “Tibet?  Why?”
     “Well, remember when he got possessed....the whole ‘Jagos’ thing?”
     “Yeah......”
     “Well, as ‘Jagos’, he could fly, throw fireballs, manipulate powerful energies, etc.  But there was an instance where Jago swears he threw a fireball, free of Gargos’s influence.  So he went back to Tibet, to seek out some old sen’sei of his, to see if he can master energy wielding techniques.”
     “Hmm.  Interesting.”  Thunder remarked.
     “No, it’s really quite silly.  I only had three hours notice before he left, and I tried to talk him out of it.  We’re trying to leave our old lives behind and become.....normal.  He doesn’t need to be chucking fireballs around the apartment.  He probably wouldn’t be able to either.  It’s a Japanese anime fantasy.  But no, you should’ve seen how determined he was.”
     “Hmm.”  Thunder said again.  He let the remark float out there for a few moments, then resumed conversation.  “So, in six days you’ll be ‘normal.’  I suppose you know you can’t be just ‘Orchid.’  Are you going to use the Sarah Watson cover name?  Or are you going to find out your real name?”
     Orchid groaned.  “I don’t know.  Don’t want to think about it right now.  Y’know, Mikhal, the agent who found and took care of me, sat me down one day when I was twelve and told me that I could go through a simple hypnotic procedure, to remember what my memory was blocking.  I was strongly against it.  Mikhal thought that at least, one day, I might want to know who I am....or at least was.  He told me that before all my personal records were erased (a standard protocol for anyone entering the Organization) he saved a few....that would at least tell me who I was.  He put them in an envelope and sealed them away.  I think I know where it is, too.  But I’ve always avoided it.  I guess.....out of fairness to Jago......I should take a look.”
     Before Thunder could respond, Summers came back down the hall.  He was carrying a bag in his right hand.  “Thunder!  Sarah!  You’re behind......”
     “Sorry ‘bout that.”  Orchid said simply.
     “No prob.  Those stuffed shirts didn’t miss you anyway.  They just want to grab as much hardware as they can and take it back home to play with it.  The reality is, since the truth about Ultratech came out, a lot of employees left and we’re horribly understaffed.  I need all the help I can get.  I’m just glad you two are so good with Ultratech computer systems.”
     “Happy to be of service.”  Thunder said.
     “Thank you.”  Summers smiled.  “One thing though; even though you two are only going to be here a short time, you’ve been given the commission of full Ultratech employees, with high level access.  And with that comes certain.....protocols that have to be followed.”  He tossed the bag he was carrying to Thunder.  “I’m afraid you’ll have to put these on immediately.  Thanks again guys.”  Summers smiled cheerfully as he turned and disappeared further down the hall.  Thunder reached into the bag and pulled out two Ultratech jumpsuits.
     Orchid rolled her eyes.  “Wonderful.”  she groaned.

Tibet

     Jago stepped out of the shadow of a rather large tree and out into the sunlight.
     “What a beautiful day.”  he thought.   Indeed he was right; as far as days go, this Tibetan day was supreme.  The temperature was somewhere around eighty degrees.  The sun shone brightly overhead; it filtered into the lush forest through brilliant rays.  All around, the fresh smell of pine penetrated the nostrils.
     For the first time since the middle of the Killer Instinct 7 tournament, Jago stood tall, full of life.  He had large, blue eyes, soft thin lips, and a prominent jaw.  He had short, dark brown hair, some of which dangled in front of his forehead.  Jago wore a dark red t-shirt and gray sweat pants.  He was wearing a lightly packed mountain climbing backpack.  Inside of the backpack was only the most basic of survival needs; some canned food, a collapsible tent, a small pillow, a few blankets, several cigarette lighters, a flashlight, and hunting equipment.
     Jago had come to seek out an old master of his from the Tiger Shrine.  At the Shrine, the sen’sei’s tried to fully enlighten their students with both knowledge and advanced martial arts techniques.  However, there was one technique that no master dared to touch; the art of energy manifestation, or the Ultimate Technique.  The elders felt that the Ultimate Technique was a myth, and to speak of it as a reality would be blasphemy.  There had been one master who was willing to at least inform the students of it’s existence.  Despite continued warnings to stop, he continued to regale his students with stories about the Ultimate Technique.  Eventually, he was expelled from the Tiger Shrine.
     Although he had departed, talk of the excommunicated master continued.  It was rumored that he still traveled around Tibet, wandering, searching for a student who was both wanting of and worthy of his tutelage.  The rumor also stated that no one could find the master; if wanting to be found, the master would seek out the student.
     Jago knew of the rumors, but didn’t feel comfortable setting up a camp and simply waiting.  He closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the sunlight cover his face fully.  He turned around a few times before stopping randomly and opening his eyes again.
     “That way.”  he said to himself.  Jago dug his feet into the ground and starting walking in the direction he was facing.

Brazil: On The Outskirts of the Brazilian Rainforest

*All dialogue translated from Portuguese

     The sun was just starting to set over the horizon.  The sky had reached that awkward transitional stage in between night and day; it was a strange dark blue.  However, it was getting darker by the second.  The area was scarcely populated with a few trees; a short introduction to the rainforest that was less than half a mile away.  The grass was dense, and there was a lot of large plants in the area.
     In this area, two Brazilian boys happily played.  One wore a light blue t-shirt and shorts of the same color.  The other wore a white tank top and black sweats.  They both looked to be roughly seven or eight years old.  Between them, they tossed an old, ragged football back and forth, while running erratically.
     “Hey!  Throw it long!”  The boy in blue called out.
     The other boy took the football and threw it as far as he could.  The boy in blue ran sideways, keeping one eye on the ball and the other on the path ahead.  He had a great chance of catching the ball too, or at least, he would have if he hadn’t tripped and fallen.  The ball sailed past him and harmlessly hit the ground.
     “What happened?”  The boy in white asked.
     “I don’t know.  I tripped over somethin’........or someone.”  The boy in blue stood up and discovered what had caused his fall.  There was the figure of a man lying on the ground.  He was covered in a brown robe with a hood.  The boy inched closer to the figure.
     “Hey!  Wake up mister!”  He said.  He poked the figure a few times with his fist, then he grabbed it by the shoulder and turned it over.
     The boy then screamed and took about ten steps backward.  “A demon!  A demon!”
     “Huh?”  The other boy carefully made his way over to the figure.  When he saw what the boy in blue saw, he too screamed.  The face inside of the hood was made out of black metal.  It had triangular, dim red eyes, but no nose or mouth.  The jaw and chin were awfully angular.
     “A demon!  We must tell the others!”  The boy in white screamed.  He turned around and ran as hard as he could in the other direction.  The boy in blue, careful to take the longest path around the figure, ran just as hard.

A Brazilian Village
Less Than A Mile From the Rainforest

     A long, narrow, dirt road led into a small village on the outskirts of the rainforest.  This dirt road went straight into the village as the main road, eventually ending at a large house.  The house was made out of dried, hardened mud.  It had a roof made of wild green grass.  In the center of the house, there was a large section cut out that resembled a doorway; but there was no door.  Similarly, there was small, square shaped holes about five feet from the left and right of the doorway; these resembled windows, but there was no glass.  Instead, there was a makeshift pair of blue shutters.
     Positioned around the main road were other houses just like the one at the end, but not as large.  Instead of shutters, most had tacky curtains covering the “windows,” but some had no coverings at all.  In between some houses were smaller dirt roads which led to other houses.  Some houses that were off the side roads were positioned in a circle, keeping an area open for activity.
     As it was getting dark, activity was at a minimum in the village.  A few boys sat alongside the main road, playing a game of marbles.  Two or three women; all wearing dresses, walked quickly back to their homes carrying laundry bundles.  A cat skulked by, nonchalantly turning down one of the side roads.  However, the serene scene was quickly broken up by the two boys who had been playing ball, running down the main road, screaming at the top of their lungs “a demon!  A demon!”  This    coaxed activity; the women came and stood in the doorways of their houses while the men gathered on the main street.
     “A demon!  A demon!”  The boy in blue continued to rant, as a crowd gathered around him.  He stopped running to catch his breath.
     A man emerged from the crowd.  He was young; he had his thin black hair pulled back and tied behind him.  He wore a black tank top and a white pair of jean shorts that covered his knees.  “What’s going on?”  He asked.
     “There’s a demon!”  The boy in blue said.
     “Yeah!”  The other boy continued.  “By the rainforest!  A sleeping demon!  It had red eyes and an evil face!”
     “Hold on, hold on.”  The man said, calmly.  “Are you sure it was a demon?”
     “Yes!”  The boy in blue said.  “It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before!  It certainly wasn’t.......human.”
     The crowd began to stir.  “A demon” could be heard whispered from ear to ear.
     “Hold on everybody!”  The man exclaimed.  “I’ll take a handful of men with me and we’ll go check it out.  If it really is a demon, we’ll kill it.  There’s nothing to get excited about.  Now, who is with me?”
     The crowd began to stir again, looking around at the men.  A few men stepped forward, volunteering themselves for the mission.
     “I’d like to go too.”  A voice called out, in the English language.  The crowd parted, and an American stepped through.  His name was Drew Stevens.  He was an average height, average build, and roughly in his mid thirties.  He had short, light brown hair, and wrinkle creases on his forehead.  He wore a blue polo shirt with gray dockers.  There was a pair of reading glasses in his shirt pocket.
     The man in the black tank top laughed.  “You?  The doctor wants to go on a demon hunt?”
     Drew smiled.  “Yes, actually.  Is that so hard to believe Ricki?”
     Ricki cocked his head.  “I just didn’t think you’d believe in demons, what with your American religious beliefs and all.”
     “Well, I don’t.  But I’m curious to see what this is all about.  Those boys are too terrified to be making this up.  I’d like to see what they found.”
     “It’s likely to be dangerous, doctor.”
     “Now, I’m a grown man and can take care of myself.”
     Ricki half smiled.  “Very well then, it’s us seven,”  he pointed to five of the men who had volunteered plus the two boys, “and the doctor.  Grab some spears and let’s go!”

The Outskirts of the Brazilian Rainforest

     The two boys led the way, with Drew and Ricki competing for the lead behind them, and the rest of the armada in the back, armed with long sticks that had sharp, long, metal arrowheads on the tip.  The boys started out at a quick pace, but then slowed down as they came to the clearing where they found the figure.
     “There, there!”  The boy in white said.  “It’s over there!”
     The other boy stopped as well.  Ricki took a few steps forward and stopped as he saw the prone figure lying on the ground.  Drew, on the other hand, marched boldly forward.
     “Doctor!”  Ricki exclaimed.
     “Oh, don’t worry, if it was a demon, we’d all be dead by now.”  Drew said, completely calm.  He walked to the figure and stopped abruptly.
     “Holy cow.”  He whispered.
     “It is a demon!”  One of the men in the back exclaimed.
     “No......it’s definitely not a demon......but here’s the catch, I don’t know what the hell it is.”
     “Huh?”  Ricki said.  He slowly approached Drew.  When he saw the face of the corpse, he took a full jump backwards, with a loud gasp.  Drew smiled.
     “It’s not a demon.”  Drew said, holding back a laugh.  Ricki motioned for the other men to join him around the perimeter of the figure.  They slowly took position.
     Drew continued to examine the body.  “This is man made.....it looks like some sort of robot.....no.....maybe it’s some kind of.....some kind of suit.  Maybe a new suit for the bomb squad or something.  I’ve never seen anything that looks like this, but I have been out of the states for two years, so who knows what they’ve come up with, technology wise.  Y’know, if this is a suit, then there’s got to be a person inside, who may or may not be alive.  If he is alive, he’s going to need help.”  Drew looked around at the men surrounding the body.  “You two, grab him by the feet, you two by the head, and you and Ricki and I can support the midsection.  He’s bound to be heavy.”
     Ricki stepped forward.  “Wait a minute.  What the hell are you talking about?”
     Drew looked directly at him.  “Well, we have to take him back to the village.”
     “What?!”  Ricki exclaimed.
     “Well, we have to help whoever is inside of this thing!”
     “But it’s-”
     “Not a demon!”  Drew exclaimed.  He thunked the head of the figure.  “Demons aren’t made of metal, are they?”  Ricki looked confused.  Drew continued. “This was man made, and there might be a man inside, and he’ll need our help if he isn’t dead.”
     Ricki frowned.  “The Elder will never go for this.”
     “We don’t know that for sure.”  Drew shot back.  “It’s almost dark and we might not be able to find this location again.  We can’t just leave it here.  Look, let’s just take it back, and if the Elder doesn’t agree, I’ll personally carry it back here.”
     Ricki sighed.  He looked around to the other men, but they gave him looks as if to say “don’t ask us.”  Ricki sighed again, then said, “very well.  Let’s take this.....thing back.”
     The men began to gather around the figure nervously.  Ricki spun around to face Drew.  “If the Elder doesn’t agree-”
     “I know, I know.”   Drew said.  “I’ll bring it back here on my fastest horse.”
     Ricki turned around and headed back for the village, with the two boys.  The men plus Drew picked up the heavy figure and started the journey back to the village.

The Village

     “Ok, let’s put it here.”  Drew said.
     Returning back to the village, Ricki, Drew, and the armada had gone inside of Drew’s house.  They were inside of Drew’s main research room.  There was a large table in the center, covered with papers, a desktop computer, and bottles filled with strange fluids.  Drew quickly swept everything off the table; except for the bottles, which he carefully placed off to the side.  The men struggled as they lifted the heavy figure onto the table, on it’s stomach.  A small crowd was forming outside of Drew’s house; this particular room had no windows, but people were peeking in to see what they could from the door and other windows.
     “Hey, what’s going on now?”  A voice called out.  All became silent as the one known as “the Elder” came into the room.  He was short, fat, and old, with his long black hairs graying before ones eyes.  He wore a gaudy red and orange Hawaiian shirt, with blue jeans.
     Ricki piped up.  “Drew insisted we bring the demon here-”
     “It’s not a demon!”  Drew said.  “Elder, we found this.....thing.....out near the rainforest.  I think it’s some sort of bio suit, and there may be a man inside who needs help.  I just want to see what’s going on.”
     The Elder nodded.  He slowly ventured over to the figure, and took a look at it’s face.  “It looks like a demon, I’ll give you that.”  He said, “but I don’t know any demons that are made of metal.  Will this harm the village in any way?”
     Drew looked off in the distance.  “Truthfully, I don’t know.  Right now, I seriously don’t think so.  But if I do find something potentially hazardous, I will get rid of this thing immediately.”
     The Elder pondered for a few moments, then made a decision.  “Well, I don’t see any harm at the moment.  But if a problem should arise, doctor, I trust your scientific curiosity won’t cloud your judgment.”
     “Of course not.”  Drew said.  Ricki frowned.  Everyone watched as the Elder turned around and made his way out of the house.  The men who had helped bring the figure in also left, leaving only Drew, and Ricki.
     “All right, let’s open this thing!”  Drew said, somewhat excited.  Before he could start work, the Elder returned.
     “I figured you wanted to work on this thing in peace, and I knew that if I left, the others, too would leave.  Truthfully, I’d like to watch and see what happens initially, if only for a few minutes.”
     “Sure!”  Drew exclaimed.  “Make yourself at home.”  He took a desk lamp and positioned it over the table.  “But first, what is the deal with this brown cloak?  This has to go.”  Exerting a modest amount of effort, Drew managed to remove the cloak from the body.  He was quite surprised to find that the body was still wearing clothes; a dirty, ragged jumpsuit.  It was mostly gray, but with red shoulders and red going down the sides of the arms.  There was a black karate belt around the waist, and red boots.  There was a long slash across the torso of the body.
     “That’s weird; why would this thing need clothes?”  Drew asked.
     He poked around the body, examining it’s back, the base of the neck, and the torso.  “Cripes, how do you open this thing?”  He asked.  “Maybe.....it’s on the front.....Ricki, can you help me?”
     Ricki pouted as he walked over to the table.  He and the doctor somehow managed to flip the body over on its back.
     “Hmm....the same slash mark is on the front too....”  Drew remarked.  “Whatever it is that cut him must have gone all the way through.  If there is a man in there, he’s probably dead.”
     “Then let’s get rid of the thing!”  Ricki exclaimed.
     “No no, I still need to know for sure.”  Drew responded.  This jumpsuit has got to come off.”  He exerted all of his strength in lifting the back of the cyborg off the table.  He unzipped the jumpsuit from the back, pulled it off and threw it onto a chair in the corner, giving everyone a full view of the body.
     Like the face, the body was mostly black, and resembled a human.  It had black, steel plates on it’s shoulders, arms, chest, midsection, legs, and feet.  On the body where a muscle joint would be, there was what looked like rippled, dim blue rubber.  On the left breast was a strange indentation; it was shaped like a check mark, going straight down from the top of the breast plate and then taking a sharp curve up and to the left.  This mark was also dim blue, like the joints.
     “How the devil do you open this thing?!”  Drew exclaimed, a little frustrated.  Ricki held in a laugh.  Almost out of options, Drew pressed the check mark on the chest.  It sunk in about half an inch, with a loud click.  Drew pressed it again; it sank in again.  Once more, and there was a strange electronic sound as the chest plates shifted.  Pressing it a final time, the chest plates rose, and spread outwards, revealing what was inside.
     “Holy mother of God......”  Drew said, shocked.
     “What is it?”  The Elder asked.  He took a look into the chest of the figure, but was thoroughly confused.  “Well, I don’t think there’s a man in there.”
     “Wow!”  Drew exclaimed.  “Look at this!  It’s like human anatomy, except made of metal!  Bone structures and joints made of steel.....wires and circuits that would be veins and arteries.....computer chips.....wow, this is unbelievable!”
     “That’s great.”  Ricki said, unenthusiastically.  “So, what is it?”
     “If I had to guess.....it’s some kind of super advanced robot, or better yet, an android.”
     “I don’t understand.”  The Elder said.  “What’s an android?”
     “It’s like a robot; robots are machines built to perform a task.  Androids are robots built to resemble, or imitate, human beings.  Last I knew, technology’s best could only produce very basic robots.  But this.....this is something else.”
     Ricki was losing his patience.  “OK, so there is no man inside that thing.  So let’s get rid of it!”
     Drew laughed.  “Oh no.  We can’t just dump this out in into the rainforest.  Obviously, this was built for.....some reason or another.  Whoever, or whatever, made this thing will probably want it back.  But I wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to the mailing address.  Maybe.....maybe if we fixed it.....we could figure out just what it is and what it’s purpose is.”
     “That’s absurd!”  Ricki exclaimed.  “Some strange robot out in the rainforest and you want to fix it!  Elder you can’t let him!  No good will come of this!”
     Drew turned to the Elder.  “Please sir, I really don’t see how fixing this robot could hurt anyone.  Besides, I’m very curious as to what this thing really is.”
     “I must admit; so am I.”  The Elder confessed.  “A true enigma indeed.  Very well; you may proceed.”
     “Elder!”  Ricki protested.
     “You must not challenge my decisions young man.”  The Elder said, firmly.  “I’m sure the good doctor knows what he’s doing.”  He turned and started for the door.  Ricki followed, still in protest.
     Drew looked down at the android in front of him.  “’Dammit Jim, I’m a doctor, not an engineer.’  I’m not going to get anywhere trying to fix this thing myself.  I’m going to need a little help.”
 
 

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