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Epilogue

New York: Orchid’s Apartment

     Jago entered in slowly through the door.  He was tired; it was a day’s journey out of the Tibetan forest, plus the walk to the small airport, and the long flight home.  He wore a simple, light blue polo shirt, tucked into a gray pair of dockers.  His hiking backpack was slung carelessly across his shoulders.
     He wasn’t sure if Orchid was there, but apparently, she wasn’t.  He didn’t see her anywhere, plus, he didn’t hear any noises coming from the apartment.  Jago had stopped by Ultratech first, and upon talking to Chief Thunder, he learned that Orchid had gone to Brazil.  She must still be there.
     Jago dropped his backpack on the couch, and dropped himself as well.  His experience with the old master was a lot more draining than he thought.  From the hike out of the forest, to the taxi ride here, he found himself unable to think of anything other than Julie.  In the three years since he last saw her, he was able to move on with his life.  Accepting her failure to return to him for what it was, he buried her memory underneath many others.  Recently, with the Killer Instinct 7 tournament and the entire Ultratech saga, he had pretty much forgotten about her.  However, having been reminded of her by the master, Jago found that Julie was very much an unfinished chapter in his life.  Jago had hoped that Orchid was here, so that his question could be answered, and perhaps the final period placed in that incomplete chapter.
     Jago leaned back on the couch.  He was so tired that he was beginning to fall asleep.  He tried to fight it at first, as it was only late morning, but eventually, he gave in to the fatigue.  A few hours on the couch wouldn’t hurt.  But, it was kind of cold in the room; the window must have been open.  The slight breeze bothered him, and there was no way he’d be able to sleep.  Despite not wanting to get up, Jago picked himself up anyway and wondered over to the window.  There, he was greeted by an unexpected surprise.
     Orchid.
     She was here, after all.  She sat on the fire escape outside of the window.  She wore one of the white and black Ultratech uniforms, which still looked odd on her, as if it didn’t belong.  Her head was bowed, and her hair blew carelessly in the wind.  Her legs dangled from the edge of the fire escape.  Jago almost didn’t want to bother her, but it would be rude not to let her know that he was there.  He would see from there if she was in a talking mood.
     “Orchid, hey.”  Jago said.
     Orchid turned around, somewhat startled.  “Jago!  Hey!”
     Deciding it was safe, Jago came through the window and joined Orchid on the fire escape.  He noticed Orchid playing with a small, compact disc, turning it over and over through her fingertips.
     “What’s that?”  He asked.
     “Oh this?”  Orchid responded.  “Nothing.  Everything.  Say Jago, you’re back earlier than I expected.”
     “Yeah…..what I wanted to know, could not be taught.  My trip was productive nonetheless.  How about yours?”
     “Mine?  What do you mean?”
     “When I first got back, I went straight to Ultratech.  I thought you’d be there, but you weren’t.  Chief Thunder told me that you had gone off to Brazil, on a suspicion that Fulgore-X was still alive.”
     “Yeah, I did.  I haven’t been back too long myself.”
     “Well?  What happened?  Did you find Fulgore-X?”
     “…..Yes, I did.  He survived the plasma bomb explosion…..but his injuries were too severe.  He’s dead now.”
     “Oh.”  Jago looked down at the city below.  Orchid’s apartment was at least ten floors up.  The view was quite impressive, if not humbling.  “You know,” Jago continued, “I’m almost disappointed to hear that.  I know he was a Fulgore, but still, he was different.  He had honor, and I respected him.  I would have liked to fight against him, in a pure test of skill.”
     “Yeah, maybe.”  Orchid continued to play with her CD, almost dropping it.  She finally tucked it away in her black Ultratech boot.
     Jago sighed.  He had a question to ask of Orchid, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.  Instead, he found himself staring at her, as she seemed to be quite far away.  She looked down; even though it was a long way down, she observed the people walking on the sidewalk below.  Jago wondered what she was thinking, what was going through her mind.  It was still a little bit hard for him to believe that this strong-willed, beautiful woman was his sister.
     After thinking about it at length, Jago decided that there was no time like the present.  “Um….Orchid?”
     “Hmm?”
     “There’s something…..I have to ask.”
     “Go for it.”
     Jago took a deep breath.  “Orchid…..what ever happened to Julie?”
     “Julie?  Who’s Julie?”
     “You know.  Julie.”
     Orchid had to think about it for a moment, search her memories of the past few years.  Finally, it struck her.  “Oh, Julie.  But, how do you know about her?”
     “Three years ago…..you, her, and two other agents came to the Shrine.  You stayed for a week.”
     “We did?  …..That’s right, we did.  And you were there?”
     Jago nodded.
     “Of course you were there.  Hmm.  I don’t remember seeing you.  Then again, I wouldn’t have had any reason to remember you.  I didn’t know you were my brother then.  Wow, small world.”
     Jago nodded again.  “I didn’t even know you were the fourth agent – I never saw you.  You kept to yourself a lot.”
     “Yeah, I was like that back then.”
     “Was?”
     “Very funny.  I think I’ve come a long way.  You would too if you knew me back then.”
     “Maybe.”  Jago paused, trying to return to the original point.  “So, what ever happened to Julie?”
     Orchid bowed her head.  “She’s dead.”
     “What?”
     “She died three years ago; as a matter of fact, it was the mission that we were on while we were in Tibet.  We had gone to Brazil…..”  Orchid paused, realizing the impact of her words.  “…..Brazil…..”  She shook her head.  “We had just finished our mission, and we were trying to withdraw.  It was a running firefight through the Rainforest.  We were almost clear.  But Julie got hit, and she went down.  That’s the last time I saw her.”

3 Years Ago
The Brazilian Rainforest

     The usual peacefulness of the Rainforest was rudely shattered by Organization agents Maverick, Orchid, and Julie, as they ran as fast as they could, at the same time ducking bullets.  Two soldiers, who were dressed in green fatigues and black berets, pursued them.  Both carried semi-automatic weapons, and used them freely.
     “Everything was going so well!”  Julie exclaimed, ducking a spray of bullets.  “What happened?”
     “Someone tipped them off!”  Maverick responded flatly.  “It doesn’t matter!  Mission accomplished!  Let’s just get out of here!”
     “Why…..does my day…..always…..have to end…..with me…..dodging bullets?!”  Julie asked.  “I need a new line of work!”
     Maverick took a quick look behind him.  Orchid was keeping pace directly behind him, but Julie was beginning to lag behind.  She was undoubtedly tired, as her role in the mission was the most physically draining.  But  she couldn’t afford to be tired now; her life depended on it.
     “Julie!  Hurry up!”  Maverick ordered.
     “Trying…..my best!”  She huffed.
     “We’re almost there!”  Maverick ducked another spray of bullets, then pulled a small communications device from his belt.  “Recon…..come in Recon…..”
     “This is Recon.”  Recon’s voice squawked from the communicator.  “What’s up doc?”
     “Recon!  We’re about 200 meters from your position and closing in fast!  Start the chopper now and be ready to take off as soon as we get there!  We’re coming in hot, so be careful!”
     “I gotcha, sir.  Me and the bird’ll be ready to go.  Recon out.”
     Maverick put the communicator away and focused on running again.
     A few bullets hit a tree besides Orchid.  She barely noticed them as she ran past.  “Careful!”  She called out.  “Their aim is improving!”
     Julie was beginning to feel fatigued, and she could feel herself losing her speed.  “Are we there yet?”
     “Almost!”  Maverick answered.  “Hang on!  Just one more minute, maybe two!”
     “One…..more…..minute…..”  Julie said, “is a small eternity…..in our line of work!  I really don’t think –“  Julie’s sentence ended abruptly as a bullet struck her in her side.  She tripped and fell on her stomach.  She skid forward for a few feet, as her momentum was too great for a sudden stop.
     Maverick and Orchid both stopped, and turned around.  Maverick made a quick assessment of the situation.  “Orchid!  Case 23!  You make the call!”  He turned back around and continued running.
     Orchid stood still, breathing hard as she looked at Julie.  Julie looked up.  Her eyes were wide and full of tears.  Gunshot wound aside, she was exhausted from the mission and all the running.  She pulled her right arm forward slowly, and extended her hand towards Orchid.
     “Please…..Orchid…..help…..”  She whispered.
     Suddenly, a barrage of bullets tore through a tree next to Orchid.  It almost startled her.  The sound of rapid footsteps were getting louder.  Their pursuers were closing in.  Orchid dropper her head, no longer able to look at Julie, turned around, and resumed running.
     “…..Orchid…..no…..”  Julie said.
 

     Deep within the Rainforest, there was a small clearing.  A modest area where there were no trees, and no tree branches extended overhead.  This clearing was not natural; the trees here had been deliberately cut, and branches overhead cleared away.  It was made so that helicopters could land deep within the Rainforest.  Its purpose was being served; a large, dark gray helicopter was parked in the middle of the clearing.  The blades whipped around rapidly, as the chopper was ready to lift off.
     Within the helicopter, Recon sat slumped down in his chair.  Maverick had said that they were coming in hot – this meant that there was a running gunfight, at the least.  The windows of the helicopter were supposed to be bulletproof, but it never hurt to keep your head down.  At least, that’s what Recon thought.  There must have been some merit to his philosophy; he was still alive.
     Underneath the sound of the rotor, Recon could barely hear gunfire.  “They’re getting closer.”  He thought.  Slumping down a little bit further, Recon looked to his right, awaiting the appearance of his coworkers.  The sound of shots being fired intensified, until finally, Maverick emerged from the trees, with Orchid close behind.  Recon looked for Julie, but she didn’t appear.  Two soldiers did appear however; they were the ones firing the guns.
     Maverick and Orchid dived into the helicopter, Orchid shutting the door behind her.  “Go Recon!  Go now!”  Maverick yelled.
     “What about Julie?”  Recon asked, sitting up quickly.  “Where’s Julie?”
     “She didn’t make it.”  Orchid said flatly.  “You should go before we don’t.”
     Recon bit his lower lip as he turned back to the controls of the chopper.  He started to pull up on the yoke, lifting the craft off of the ground.
 

     On the ground, hurt and bleeding, Julie barely managed to lift her head and catch a glimpse of the helicopter ascending through the trees.  “No…..please don’t go…..”  She begged.
     The two soldiers returned from the clearing, only slightly frustrated.
     “Damn Americans.”  The first said.  “They got away.  The commandant is not going to like this.”
     The second raised an eyebrow.  “You don’t know?  The commandant is dead.”
     “Really?  Then I don’t care.”
     The second soldier stopped in front of Julie.  She didn’t even notice them, as she watched the helicopter fly off into the distance.  “And what are we going to do with her?”  The second soldier asked.  “Take her back?”
     “Why bother.  She won’t talk.  They never do.”
     The second soldier buried his boot under Julie’s stomach, and kicker her over onto her back.  She stared up, a blank expression on her face, as a little bit of blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth.  “Still, she is kind of cute.  I suppose we could have some…..fun…..with her.”
     The first soldier pulled a pistol from his pants, and loaded it.  “With an American pig?  Don’t be disgusting.”  He aimed the gun at Julie’s chest and fired four times.  He turned nonchalantly and started to walk back into the forest.  “You know amigo, one of these days, I am going to take you into town and get you a real woman.”
     The second soldier followed behind.  “One of these days, I’m going to force you to make good on that promise.”
     A few feet away from where they walked, Julie’s hand outstretched weakly towards them, then curled, hitting the ground lifelessly.

Present Day
New York: Orchid’s Apartment

     “She’s dead.”  Jago looked blankly at the building across from them.
     Orchid batted an eye towards him.  “Yeah.  Why did you want to know about her?”
     “Oh…..while you guys were at the Shrine…..we talked a few times.  I was just wondering what happened to her.”
     Orchid gave him a funny look, but then went back to observing the people below her.  “Ultratech’s harmless now.”  She mused.  “And the Fulgore race has been destroyed.  It’s over now.  It’s finally over.”
     “I don’t think so.”  Jago said.
     “What do you mean by that?”
     “Well, when I went to see my old master, he told me that my greatest test lies ahead.”
     “Your greatest test?  Greater than Killer Instinct?”
     “I guess so.”
     “I don’t like the sound of that.”
     “I know.  But apparently, the worst is yet to come.”
     Orchid frowned.  “I don’t see how.  Eyedol, Gargos, Fulgore, we’ve faced some pretty tough opponents.  Couldn’t your master be wrong.”
     “He’s never wrong.”
     Orchid carefully put her bandaged right hand on Jago’s shoulder.  “Well, whatever it is, we’ll face it together.”
     Jago smiled.  “Thanks, sis.”
 

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