The Requiem: Nightfall, This is no mournful elogy...

[Sephiroth X]

Neo-Tokyo. Possibly the world's most glorious city, having reached a time of unrivaled prosperity and power. Truly, the city's golden age had come. As all historians know, however, the greater a golden age, the more catastrophic its end.

Mangetsu, the Lord of Destruction, was a historian.

The Reploid now stood atop the city's highest radio tower, his silky black hair cascading behind him in the wind. Blending in with the darkness of the night sky, his black suit and tie whipped about as his piercing green eyes glided across the cityscape. A smile crossed his lips as he pulled a flute out of his jacket and began to play.

The fox, Daiken, stood a few feet away, his eyes never leaving his master's frame. At the height the two Reploids were at, he should not have been able to hear the song Mangetsu was playing, but the sound pealed out as clear as a bell. Peripheral vision told him that people on the street were looking around in confusion, the melody having permeated every inch of the city itself. The fox returned his focus to his master.

Mangetsu continued, swaying back and forth gently in the wind, his face calm and carefree. If one could call it that. The song was chilling. At last, Mangetsu finished, but the song continued to play down below. The crime lord flicked his hair out of his eyes and glanced at Daiken.

"Do you know what type of song that was?" he asked, a cruel smile playing about his face.

"A requiem, sir. A hymn for the dead."

Mangetsu laughed slightly, an almost fanatical light in his unearthly green eyes.

"Yes, old friend, but that is no simple elegy. No lament or melancholy tune for the deceased."

Screams began to rise up from the streets and Mangetsu's smile grew steadily more wicked. The city began to tremble and shake, as if the earth buckled beneath it. Sounds of thunder began to rumble underneath the radio tower, and Mangetsu watched as building after building began to crumble to the ground, falling, smashing, decimating whatever was close by. Only the tower seemed to be standing firm.

One by one, buildings collapsed and glass shattered. The body count had risen to insane levels in only a fraction of a minute. The quake had been caused by sonic generators hidden beneath the city in the very same railway system that had served as the syndicate's hiding place for all these years. For unknown amounts of time, Mangetsu's greatest lieutenants had been placing them throughout the line, waiting for this day. For that song.

Screeching filled the air and Mangetsu threw back his head and laughed, looking like some primeval warlord having just conquered his mightiest foe.

"This, Daiken," Mangetsu roared over the din, "Is the symphony of the damned!"

[Omnicyde]

Omnicyde woke up in hell.

He didn't actually awaken until the earthquake shook him out of his bed and he slammed his head into his nightstand on the way down. Then his eyes opened to what he swore was a dream... it looked like his walls were flexing in and out. Then he came to his full senses... EARTHQUAKE! He grabbed his rifle and shades from the corner and sprinted into the hall, where he collided with Tanchu and Linx. "What the hell's going on?!" Linx yelled as he got back up. "Beats the shit outta me! Get all the men assembled and outside! NOW!" Omnicyde screamed as he went to check on his sergeants. They all bunked in the same room, which made it easy. He shouldered their door open to find Tahiri pulling Klackern from under a piece of ceiling and Vertigo still struggling into his armor. "C'mon, guys, we gotta go! This building's gonna collapse on top of us any minute!" Omnicyde grabbed Klackern's other hand and together with Tahiri they yanked him free. "MOVE!!" he roared as Klackern grabbed his armor and gear before running for the exit, Tahiri and Vertigo close on his heels.

Omnicyde shot down to the next floor where his men sleep. The hallway was crammed with mavericks lugging their armor and weapons. "Leave your weapons behind! We can get new ones! Just grab your armor and run!" Omnicyde yelled. AK-47s and M-25s hit the floor as Mavericks took off for the exit as well, practically shoving Omnicyde out of the way. He made sure everyone was out before vaulting over the next two sets of stairs and dashing out the exit just in time. The building finally collapsed behind him.

His guys were standing quietly in the middle of the street. Omnicyde rejoined them as he got a good look at the devastation around him. Every apartment building on the block had collapsed. He could hear the screams of trapped humans under the debris. They acted like good mavericks and ignored them. Nobody said anything until Shadow stepped forward. "What the hell is going on? Is Mangetsu doing this?" Omnicyde tossed a glance at Shadow. "Why must we automatically assume Mangetsu is responsible for every bad thing that happens to this city?" "Well sir, he usually is. Responsible, I mean." Omnicyde worked his brain around that thought process and decided Shadow was right. "If he is doing this, he didn't say anything to me. Otherwise we wouldn't have been in that building. Did we loose anything of particular value?" "A few pieces of comm equipment, but we can replace them. More than half of these guys left their weapons behind, so we'll have to get new ones. I've done a quick head count, and it doesn't look like we lost anyone." Omnicyde nodded. "Get some men to hijack a van and get over to our armory to get new weapons and ammo. Have some of these guys shift throuigh the debris and see if they can locate any ammo or weapons that survived the collapse. Make sure they're still working before you re-issue them."

Omnicyde went for his pocket to put on his sunglasses and discovered they had snapped in the flight. "YOU! Private!" The maverick he'd pointed too jumped at being singled out and stepped forward hesitantly. "Yessir!" "Go find someplace that sells sunglasses and get me a new pair of these." Omnicyde tossed him his broken ones. "Sir, I don't have any money on me..." "There won't be anyone manning the counters, private. Steal them." The private nodded before taking off. "I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to use our guys as errand boys..." Tanchu sniggered. Omnicyde glared. "Shaddup and recall with me the CHIP section of the officer's manual." Tanchu laughed. "Command Has It's Priviliges, I know." He meandered off, still chuckling.

Linx and Shadow were still standing there. "Get the men who are armed together. Have half of them post as sentries, take the other half and find us someplace else to hide for now. Preferably close to the docks. And find someone who-" he paused. "Hear that?"

Linx cocked his head. "It sounds like screaming. I'm not surprised. We'll probably hear it for a while." "Not that, Linx. It's coming from over there." He pointed away from the city. "it sounds like a roar almost... what's that way?" Shadow thought. "Umm... the powerplant, a piece of the industrial sector.. uh oh." Omnicyde looked at him. "Uh-oh?" "Well, if you go that way far enough, you'll eventually hit Rokinato."

Omnicyde's back erupted into cold shivers. Rokinato was the supermax correctional facility located 10 miled outside of Tokyo. It was home to the absolute worst of the worst, bottom of the barrel criminals and mavericks. The one's that were so evil, they were placed there so that the politicians could hope to forget about them entirely. "How fast can pissed-off inmates traverse ten miles?" Linx glanced in Rokinato's direction. "If they're been in there long enough, Major, i'd bet on less then ten minutes." Screams suddenly erupted, much closer than Omnicyde was comfortable with. "Or five, depending on the maverick." "I WANT EVERYONE WITH WEAPONS ON PERIMETER SECURITY NOW!!" Omnicyde roared. Mavericks scrambled to load their weapons as Vertigo and Klackern marshalled them into position. "ROKINATO INMATES WEAR RED AND WHITE STRIPED REFLECTIVE JUMPSUITS!" Linx yelled. "BUT THEY MAY HAVE DUMPED THEM, SO STAY ALERT!"

Everyone with weapons aimed them down the street as they ducked behind cover. Their hearts were pounding in their throats as they imagined Rokinato inmates, free of their shackles, set loose upon society. Their trigger fingers tightened as they waited....


"DON'T SHOOT! MAVERICKS COMING OUT!" Someone screamed from down the block. "Hold your fire!" said Omnicyde, thinking it was part of another company. His wasn;t the only one hiding around here. He was shocked as all hell, then, to witness a half-dozen mavericks in Rokinato jumpsuits walk around the corner with their hands in the air. "What the hell?" Linx muttered. Vertigo shrugged. "They are Mavericks, El-tee. Maybe they want to rejoin the Syndicate. Hell, I would." Omnicyde looked them over as they got closer, then stopped as they got within 20 feet. "We're mavericks, man. We were thrown in jail back in the early days of the Syndicate. We just want to help." said their leader with a voice that didn't reflect his body type. The maverick was massive, taller that Vertigo, with muscles that could have flipped a tank, but a voice that sounded educated and reasoning.

Omnicyde slowly realized he knew who this guy was. "I know you... you're Anvil, right?" The maverick just smiled. Prior to his imprisonment, Anvil was regarded as one of the most brutal and efficient mavericks in existance. The papers had called him the Tokyo Butcher for his tendancy to cut up humans like they were sides of meat. It was suspected, but never confirmed, that he had eaten some of them. Omnicyde remembered him because he had been on one of the squads that had raided his hidey-hole, an abandoned warehouse on the docks. It had been before the days where Hunters were allowed to shoot Mavericks on sight and were supposed to take them alive if possible.

"Correct, sir, I am Anvil. And you, if I remember from the newspaper and TV broadcasts, are one Captain Omnicyde, Mangetsu's best sniper. I liked your style two years ago, killing all those humans. The part with the powerplant was especially inventive." Omnicyde didn't turn his weapon away. "It's Major, now. And what makes you think the Syndicate needs your help? You're not exactly the only maverick who can chop up humans and eat them." Anvil smiled. "Come now, Major, let's not play games. We both know how actively the Syndicate recruits. You especially, I should think." Omnicyde stayed silent.

"He's got a point, Major." Tanchu whispered. "We never did replace those guys we lost last month. We could use the help of mavericks with some decent experience." "The experiance part isn't what worries me, Tanchu. These guys have been in a supermax lockup for years. They're probably halfway insane, if not already there. Right now I don't trust them with water ballons, never mind real weapons."

Anvil cleared his throat. "I don't want to rush you, Major, but we were being followed very closely by the rest of the inmates, including mavericks who are not so for the cause as we are. So I would like to recommend that you make a descision sometime within the next few minutes." Omnicyde looked back and sighed. "Fine. We'll get you some weapons." Anvil beamed and started forward. "Tanchu, I want a fireteam covering these guys at all times. If they make a wrong move, blow them away." Anvil's face twitched, but then relaxed. "I suppose that's fair enough, Major. can we get out of these bullet magnet suits now?"

[Zazi]

Kisten had been shaken from here bed. She quickly slipped into here armor and grabbed her weapons. She ran out of her room to find the hunters in a state of panic.

"Get your weapons and armor and meet in the lobby," She screamed.

The hunters just looked around in confusion. She fired a few shots from her Uzi into the ceiling, she got their attention.

"Armor, Weapons, down to the lobby, NOW!"

The hunters scrambled to grab all their things. Kitsen ran by some windows on her way downstairs. The devastation was immense, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Zazi, why'd you have to die? She thought to herself.

When she reached the lobby she found many of the hunters had already arrived there. Kitsens noticed Cyano was already taking charge.

"I want all the heavy armament reploids to set up a perimeter two blocks around the HQ. All available snipers are to get to the highest points possible to provide eyes in the sky. Kitsen, I want you on top of the HQ. I also want another security ring in a one block radius of the HQ. The rest get all available moving equipment and start preparing for disaster cleanup and evacuation," Cyano ordered.

"Yes, Sir," The Hunters said in Unisen. They all began to plan the security rings and surveying for damage, and survivor removal.

The hunters were planning, but they were still in confusion.

[Suki]

Suki bumped her head against a wall and she quickly sat up, rubbing her head in pain, growling. She was five feet away from her bedspread, and she blamed the living floor.

Then she focused.

Just out of panic, she grabbed a backpack, shoved as many ammo in there as possible from her drawers, zipped up, slipped it on, and quickly took Grampa's coat. Yesterday, she decided to call Sephiroth Grampa. Whether or not he'd like it, she'd ask later.

And either out of insanity, for kicks, or she really wanted to leave, she jumped out the 4-stories high window. Glass shattered and pierced her skin, some stuck, but she landed harshly on the ground, feeling pain in her ankles for a second. But she was out, and that's the point.

What next what next?!?!?! she thought. Then Suki got an idea and sprinted toward Hunters HQ, hoping they're all okay. And for those who're not. Maybe they'll enjoy it better in heaven rather than in this living dumb stupid hell.

Suki ran nonstop and just bursted through the doors, screaming, "IS EVERYONE OKAY?!?!?!?"

[Omnicyde]

Omnicyde stood atop a pile of debris and surveyed his men.

He had 120 mavericks armed with at least assault rifles or shotguns, plus a smaller number armed with heavier weapons, and then another group that had nothing but pistols. His unarmed men, about 50 total, continued to sift through the wreckage of the apartment for weapons and ammo. Every so often he would hear a cheer as one found a weapon and rushed to join the mavericks on perimeter guard. Linx had taken a squad to their armory a couple of hours ago for additional weapons. Tanchu had gone with him for a few other things the maverick inmates had requested, including a pair of hand axes for Anvil. The inmatesd were currently unarmed, and under the watchful eye of Vertigo's OICW and a fireteam of a dozen other mavericks. Omnicyde still didn't trust them but an inch, even though they hadn't made any hostile moves. To his credit, Anvil had accepted the distrust. "I'd be doin' the same thing in your shoes." he'd said before rejoining the other inmates.

A pair of vans screeched to a halt in front of them. Linx and his men got out of the first one and began unloading their ordinance from the second van. Tanchu exited the second van and carried an armload of weapons toward the inmates. "Ok, I got everything you guys asked for, or close enough." Tanchu didn't get close enough to hand them out, instead electing to toss them from behind the fireteam. Anvil easily caught his weapons. "Boy oh boy, this brings back memories." he said, twirling the weapons in his hands. Omnicyde couldn't help but stare the the strange array of weaponry Tanchu had been asked to retrieve. A rail-thin reploid accepted a gunblade almost as long as he was tall. Another with a medium built accepted a pair of short, stubby sticks that Omnicyde couldn't identify. A third accepted the whip Tanchu had shown him last month. he tested it with a sickening crack, smiling as he did so.

Linx finished handing out weapons and ammo. "We can't stay here." he said. "We have to find better cover." "And where would we find such cover? The quakes pretty much leveled most of the buildings in Tokyo." replied Shadow. "We should go underground, back to the subway lines. We'll be able to move around quicker down there." "Doubtful. The quakes must have shattered the supports for those tunnels. We'd have to be nuts to go in there. Any tunnel that hasn't collapsed yet is going to be in danger of doing so." Tanchu came back. "But you're still right, we can't stay here. It's too open, and those inmates are going to be here sooner or later." Omnicyde looked toward the Tokyo skyline. He could only count for certain about 20 buildings still standing, Hunter HQ included. Emergency lights were flashing up and down the side of the building.

"If Mangetsu did this, we'll be recieving orders soon enough." he said, interupting his Lieutenants. "We can't stay here, you're right. But we don't really have a place to go, either. gimme a second to contact someone."

He pulled out his comm unit and activated it, pinging the maverick officer channels and letting everyone else know he was online. A voice quickly came back. "Omnicyde? Where the hell have you been? We've been looking for you." Lieutenant Colonel Hathcock said gruffly. "Sorry, sir, we've been busy. What the hell's going on?" "It's a mess, Major. Your company is one of four i've been able to reach. We've lost contact with the other three. Mangetsu didn't tell anyone about this." "So it WAS Mangetsu." "Was there ever a doubt, Major? But moving on. The Hunters are putting their current focus on securing their perimeter and prepping S&R teams, so for now we've got freedom of movement. I want your guys to QUIETLY occupy the office building at 5th and Baker. Make sure you cut the power lines and phone lines, if they haven't been already." "Copy that... sir, Rokinato was hit by the quakes too. The inmates are loose. You should probably advise the other teams to be on the lookout for them." "Damn... i'll pass the word. Anything else?" "Yea, who's leading the S&R teams? It's not Zazi, is it?" Silence followed that transmission.

"Major, where the hell have you been?" Omniocyde grew confused. "Why?" "Zazi was killed two weeks ago by Maverick militia forces. They found his body with his head cut off. Right now Cyano is still running the show." Omnicyde grew silent. Zazi was dead? "Uhhh... got it, sir, we're moving." He signed off. "What's wrong?" said Tanchu as Omnicyde packed up his comm gear. "Zazi was killed two weeks ago be our militia unit." Tanchu' eyebrows shot up. "The MILITIA unit? C'mon, Zazi's too powerful for that, we both know that." "I know, Tanchu. Which is why my gut is really starting to bug me about that news."

A bloodcurdling scream shot out from one of the mavericks. Omnicyde and Tanchu snapped around to see a reploid wearing the Rokinato colors tearing out the poor maverick's throat. With his TEETH. The closest four mavericks emptied their weapons into him and he flew back, dead before he hit the ground. More Rokinato inmates charged around the corner, wielding everything from pool cues to lengths of rebar to a few guns. "Open fire!" Linx yelled as the mavericks cut loose. Sheets of lead peppered the inmates as they fell over. More rushed to take their places as they fell.

The six inmates, now ignored by Vertigo and his fireteam, jumped over the debirs and rushed into the crowd of inmates. It then became very clear to Omnicyde that these guys knew how to use the weapons Tanchu had given them. The one with the whip was moving his hand so fast he couldn't follow it; three humans fell with slashed throats in less than a second. It also became clear what the stubby clubs were designed for. The maverick swung on into another inmate's stomach, which then exploded in a fountain of blood from the 20 million volts that leaped from the club. Anvil was like a machine, swinging his weapons expertly, neatly decapitating reploids and humans alike. Before long the inmates had scattered and were fleeing. Omnicyde and Tahiri picked off as many as they could before they got out of sight.

Anvil and the other inmates walked back to where they had been under Vertigo's guard. "Not bad, eh?" one of them said with a smile. It was clear he had enjoyed himself. "Definately not bad." said Vertigo, impressed. "Enough. Let's get the hell out of here before more come along." Omnicyde said. Everyone packed up and within 5 minutes they were moving.

[Sephiroth X]

Outside Neo-Tokyo, covering every inch of the boundary marks, military forces were stationed. The government had declared Neo-Tokyo a specialized disaster area. No one, under any circumstances, was allowed in, and no one was allowed out. Anyone sent in was considered suicidal and anyone coming out could be part of the threat. Standard law enforcement and military police officers were skittering all around their outposts like ants, watching anyone who came near.

Including one young man wrapped in a black raincoat, the belt tied tightly around his waist. The boy's hand clutched a English cap to his head, but the powerful wind threatened to spirit it away. Overly large black pants covered his legs and covered any sort of shoes he might have been wearing, but it seemed as though he wished to avoid revealing any distinguishing characteristics to the authorities. This, of course, made several of them suspicious.

"Halt!" said one officer. "State your name and business here!"

"Well...um..." said the young man, obviously unsure of what to do. "My name...I guess I'll save that little tidbit for later, but as for what I'm doing in here, I've got a sneaking suspicion that my father's in there somewhere."

"Sorry kid," the officer said. "No one's allowed in or out, under orders from the Emperor himself."

The young man grumbled under his breath. After a few moments of thought, he looked up at the officer (whose size dwarfed the boy) and grinned disarmingly. The officer gasped in disbelief. He looked so much like...like him...

With a sound like a whip cracking, the boy vanished in a flash of green light, leaving nothing behind but the smell of burnt air and a smoking patch of grass where he stood.


Within the barricade, Mangetsu had scaled to the top of the radio tower, the wind almost unbearable to the thin Reploid. Mangetsu glanced back down to earth, his sharp eyes not missing the group of Mavericks fleeing the scene. He grinned, his powerful white teeth shimmering in the sunlight.

The crime lord hadn't told anyone under his command about the quakes, or anything really, for that matter. Major Omnicyde had been privy to some knowledge, but not this. Mangetsu had just cleverly made sure that no one in the Syndicate was underground at the time the quakes had happened.

"Daiken!" Mangetsu roared, belting over the wind. "Begin preparations! I'm going down to speak with the Mavericks!"

Daiken nodded. The look on Mangetsu's face as he descended the tower sparked a flame of fear in even the cold-hearted fox's bosom. This was the face of the Lord of Destruction. The face of a God of Death.

[Shay ren]

Shadow circled around the main group, scouting in the darkness. He moved quickly and silently, on the lookout for more escaped inmates. He didn’t trust the ones that were on their side, but then, Shadow didn’t really trust anybody.

As he ran, he thought again, as he had been frequently, about Africa. He flashed back to the fight between him and Viper, relieved the moment he killed him, and felt, as always, a tinge of remorse. Not for killing Viper, but for not questioning him before hand. Viper had known something about Shadow’s past, something no one else had known, something that might have led him one step closer to his Father…and now that information was lost forever.

Movement. Shadow cursed himself for not being alert as he dodged the escapees lunge, quickly drew his sword, and ran the convict through.

“See anything?” asked Omnicyde when Shadow reported back.

“Only one. I killed him,” he replied.

The Major nodded and the black armored reploid took off once more.

Once he was alone, Shadow’s thoughts fell back into the past. He recalled how he had lain there, in the city, until the sun had risen the next day, before a patrol had found him and brought him to a medstation. He had spent the rest of the war recuperating in a bacta tank.

Afterward, he had been brought back to Neo Tokyo to train the Syndicate’s new recruits, which left him no time to look for any other leads concerning his Father. Shadow had been immensely frustrated, but had concealed it, trying to focus on training.

As it turned out, he wasn’t a very good teacher.

Then, the base had been attacked, and Shadow had missed a chance to face Sephiroth, the legendary hunter who, by all accounts, seemed to be the only reploid that could match Shadow’s speed.

And now, this dammed earthquake.

At this point, Shadow just wanted to survive the night so he could continue his search, and his best chance was still with the Mavericks…at least for the time being.

His musings were interrupted when he heard shouts and gunfire from behind him, and shaking his head to clear it, immediately turned back.

[Viper]

Jarlaxle smiled wickedly. He had taken a huge hit in Africa, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t recover from. Besides, seeing the look of pure rage on Mangetsu’s face had almost made the entire thing worth it.

He had lost Doppelganger, but he would have another one built soon. Besides, the body before him opened several interesting doors. Even though he was on record as being dead, he could invent a probable story how he had narrowly survived and been left behind in Africa. He could penetrate the Hunters in a way he hadn’t been able to in the past, and, indirectly, the Mavericks.

The only problem was bringing Viper back to life, but, like all other problems Jarlaxle had faced in the past, he would find a way.

The face behind the melodramatic actor’s mask laughed manically.

[Sephiroth X]

Omnicyde and his group of Mavericks fled around the corner of a fallen restaurant, not bothering to knock aside the bodies of the dead. To the men and Reploids, it seemed like everything in this crazy place was dead. As they turned down the next street, a collective gasp was heard at the front of the group, making the others (who were mostly escaped convicts and the like) curious to see what ailed their comrades.

The ailment took the form of a tall thin man with a gorgeous visage, a pair of mint-green eyes fixed right upon them. Long black hair hung down over an immaculate black suit and the man was tapping the ground with his meticulously polished leather shoes. Readjusting his tie, the man looked down at the Mavericks in the lead, who were on their knees, some even lying prostrate. Anvil, the large Maverick, stepped forward.

"Who the hell are you?!" he asked, a mocking tone in his voice. "Some nutjob? Get the hell out of the way!"

"Temper temper, boy," the man said, a smirk crossing his thin lips. "You might get hurt talking to someone that way."

Anvil's blood boiled in his head. Normally he was one to keep a cool head in rough situations, but his major flaws were not respecting those he thought posed no challenge and a sense of pride. The giant Maverick reached to his belt and pulled out the two giant cleaver-shaped swords that the Mavericks had given him, and he bent down into an attack position.

At this point in time, most of the other cons were yelling and whooping at the thought of their monolithic partner smearing the pretty boy across the pavement, and several were jeering at the smart-mouthed challenger. Those on the ground didn't look up, but rather shut their eyes as tightly as they could.

The smell of ozone filled the air, as did the sound of a thundercrack. The cons went silent, and their eyes grew wide with disbelief. Anvil hadn't moved an inch, but his eyes were the size of a car's hubcaps and his jaw hung slack with shock. The beautiful stranger's posture hadn't changed at all, except for the fact that he was now behind the Maverick and still facing forward down the path that the Mavericks had taken.

Anvil gave a loud, sickening gasp and the last thing he felt were small chunks of his body falling away from the rest. The last thing he saw was the group of Mavericks looking pityingly upon him. The man in the black suit said nothing. As the massive killer knew his last, the other Mavericks backed up, forming a circle around the man in the suit. Drawing their weapons as slowly and threateningly as their terrified bodies would allow, they began to growl death threats. This complete stranger had killed Anvil, but he moved so quickly that they never even saw him raise a weapon.

Finally, after a moment of stalemate (or so the challengers thought), Omnicyde stood up and roared.

"IDIOTS! STAND DOWN!" the sniper boomed.

The Mavericks looked at him, confused. They had heard that the sniper was as ruthless a killer as they came, and "ruthless" didn't imply that he'd lost a wife named Ruth. Yet here he was! Shaking and seemingly helpless with beads of cold sweat rolling down his face. Who the hell was this stranger, anyhow?

"Tha-That's MANGETSU, dumbasses!" the sniper continued. "Get on your knees before your heads fall off!"

"That's not necessary, Major," the crime lord said, his smile having taken a turn for the wicked. "As long as these gentlemen know who they're dealing with."

In retrospect, Omnicyde wasn't as surprised as he should've been. Several people in the syndicate hadn't ever even seen a picture of Mangetsu, and that's how the crime lord liked it. Perhaps it was the twisted sense of amusement he got from striking down those who talked to him like an inferior. No one could tell. To tell the truth, it was extremely strange to see Mangetsu out in the open somewhere rather than his audience room.

"We need to talk, Omnicyde," Mangetsu said, eyes glinting in the hazed light. "I have a feeling that you have some questions for me."

[Omnicyde]

Omnicyde and Mangetsu walked a ways away from his company, leaving them content to stare at the decapitated body of the fallen inmate. "Now, Major, is the time for questions."

Omnicyde took a breath. "Well, for starters, my lord, I would very much like to know what the FUCK is going on." Mangetsu's mouth twitched before he formed a smile. "A good question, I suppose, and one that certainly warrents the profanity. Very well. We're going to smash-" "-The Hunter's for once and for all, I understand my lord, I do. I've heard you give the same speech a few times now. I want to know EXACTLY what's happening so that I can best lead my men into combat without getting us all killed." Mangetsu's eyebrow shot up. "You may want to watch your tone, Major." Omnicyde's eyes flashed. "Well, my lord, next time you should explain to your men-the same ones who follow your every word to the letter without question-next time you decide to trigger an earthquake and dump an apartment on top of our heads, instead of forgetting about us and wiping out three of your companies. Your men follow your word like the word of god, so might be nice to remember that fact."

Mangetsu's hand was a blur as Omnicyde found an unlit beam sabre pressed against the underside of his chin. The sniper didn't flinch. He stared ahead into Mangetsu's eyes without a blink. "I'm being nice now, Major. And i'm only going to say this once. You, your lieutenants, your sergeants, and your men are all expendable assets. I am more powerful than all of you combined. It would be good if you remembered THAT fact." Omnicyde didn't move. "Well then, my lord, I look forward to seeing you attempting to do the job of my men, the TACPs, the STRICERs, your pilots, and me when you've wiped us all out." Mangetsu's thumb hovered a millimeter over the power switch of his weapon. Omnicyde dared not flinch. Mangetsu didn't move. Nobody did for a few minutes.

Mangetsu flipped his sabre around and tucked it back into his belt. "Continue on your way to the office building and take your position. I suggest you fortify it well. Within a few hours a new breed of reploids, similar to the ones from the Silent Tokyo attack, will take the streets, and the Hunters will be the LEAST of your problems. And if you ever DARE question my judgement in front of your men again, sniper, you won't be any condition to worry about problems." Mangetsu took a step back from Omnicyde's face. "You haven't won any arguments here, Major. I'll see you later." With a blue flash, Mangetsu vanished.

Tanchu was instantly at his side. "Major, are you NUTS?! You're lucky he didn't just cut your head off. Hell, I would have. Are you suicidal? Are you HIGH? Help me out here!" Linx and Shadow stood behind him, not saying anything but listening with interest. "I'm of perfectly sound mind, lieutenant. How's Anvil?" "Dead, obviously. The other inmates are still alive and under guard." Omnicyde nodded. "Let's keep going. We're still a few blocks from the office."

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully. They arrived at the office building and began securing it. "If it's not a mavericks and it's still here, kill it." Omnicyde said as his company split into fireteams. "No hostages, no intel work, no bargianing, no torture... well, maybe a little if we have time, but do it in the basement and try not to make too much of a mess. And someone make sure the power and phones are out." Fireteams began moving and Omnicyde turned to go upstairs. "MAJOR! Hang on!" he turned back to see the private from before run up. "I almost forgot, Major, I got your glasses. A couple of pairs." He handed him three cases. Omnicyde opened one and flipped them on before tucking the other two into his belt. "Thank you, private. Continue on." He turned and gestured to his comm team. "Set up a command center on the top floor and get a relay going on the roof. Wait for the fireteams to clear it first, but I need satelitte communications in..." he looked at his watch. "Forty minutes." The techs nodded and took off.

"Expecting a phone call, Major?" Shadow piped up. "Actually, yes. I took the liberty of relocating some of our resources from outside of Japan close by, where they can do some good." Shadow looked puzzled. "But the city's locked down. There's no way in or out." "The city is on lockdown, lieutenant, but the docks are virtually unguarded. Our guys are huddled inside a cargo ship off the coast." Shadow looked out the window and slowly looked back. "Major...... what did you order?" Omnicyde smiled. "Oh not much... a couple more platoons, a few Devastators... and a pair of FH-1s, fully loaded." Shadow whistled.

The FH-1 Contender was a first generation fighter-chopper, the first of it's kind. A powerful helicopter gunship that, with the power of three jet engines attached to the fuselage, could hit speeds of Mach 2 and engage enemy fighters. It carried four pods of micro-missiles, a set of Spike anti-air mines, four AIM-9 missiles, and a 20mm autocannon chin gun. Instead of chaff, which was normally used in attack helicopters, it utilized a special system called the Plasma Stealth shield, which surrounded the chopper in ionized gaseous particles and caused a missile's guidance system to go haywire. It was the Spanish special forces' newest and best support chopper.

Shadow left to assist in securing the building. "Tanchu, set up a ground floor infantry defense perimeter and get guys with AA in windows on random floors, at least three facing each side of the building. Make sure you chain and padlock the roof entry door. Linx, on me to the upper floor." It took the two of them a half hour to make it to the upper floors, moving behind the fireteams as they breached the floors one by one until they hit the topmost floor. The fireteam quickly swept it and determined it clear while the techs set up their equipment in the CEO office.

And what an office it was. There were three offices on the top floor; the CEO, Vice President, and President's rooms. The rest of the space was a pair of bathrooms and a sweeping lobby filled with plush carpet, plants, leather seats, rich mahogany tables, a broad seceratary desk and paintings that looked rather expensive. "Whaddya think, Major? Two, three million dollars for this one?" Linx pointed at a painting of a river. Omnicyde took his combat knife and sliced a hole in the canvas. "Nothing now. Get the CP set up. And someone cover these windows. And where is my satelitte comm?" A tech motioned for him. "I got us a pair of Russian comm satelittes. They won't miss them. We're hooked into the entire Maverick comm network, and I may be able to get us taps on the Hunters as well." "How long?" "At least an hour, if I can do it at all." Omnicyde patted the maverick on the shoulder. "Get cracking. Plug me into Sergeant Cloud's comm unit first."

It took a minute for the comm freqs to adjust. "Cloud, you read me?" Omnicyde spoke into his mike. "Roger, sir, loud and clear. Good to hear from you again. How's the promotion?" Cloud came back after a few minutes. "Not what it's cracked up to be. How quickly can you guys arrive at the docks?" "Won't take but a few hours from here, Major, but we can try to risk sending the Contendors in now if you have a place to put them. Their Plasma Stealth systems should get them inside." "Negative, Cloud, we don't have a place for them, nor will we. The city's pretty much leveled. Nothing taller than the third floor is up except for a few buildings. They'll have to stay inside the ship, for now. What other surprises did you bring for us?"

Cloud's voice got excited. "I'm very glad you asked, Major. Along with the Destroyers and infantry you requested, I managed to secure a dozen mechs, a squad of TACPs, two squads of STRICERs and a half-dozen Japanese military uniforms and IDs. I tossed 'em in in case we came up with a use for them." Omnicyde nodded his approval. "Nice work, Sergeant." "It's Warrant Officer now, Major. You weren't the only one promoted after the war. We'll be at the docks in a few hours. See you then." Cloud cut the connection.

"Contendors... jeezus. Wonder what kind of stops the Hunters are puling out for this one." Linx muttered. Omnicyde shot him a look. "Let's not go there, Lieutenant. Make sure everyone up here has plenty of ammo and see if you can't figure out a way to quickly get back to the bottom floor in case we have to." Omnicyde flopped on a leather recliner. "I'm gonna take a nap. Don't wake me unless we're about to die."

[Zazi]

Kitsen continued up the Hunter HQ passing stunned and shocked reploids.

"Get down to the lobby." She said as she passed them.

At last she reached her sniping point.

"Kitsen, this quake has caused massive structural damage at Rokinato prison. You are to eliminate any and all inmates that you see." Cyano said.

"What if they are human?" Kitsen replied.

"Your orders are to kill them. One shot, one kill, from that vanatge point you should be able to cover the entire city."

"Yes, Sir."

The hunters had changed roles. They decided they weren't going to go looking for any survivors, well not just yet. They changed to the two block radius to a one block radius. They were fortifying everything they could. Choppers were in the air, relaying Rokinato prison escapee locations to Kitsen and other snipers. The hunters even had a few gunships in the air.

"Once these fortifications are done, we will move out with search and rescue teams. No teams are to move unless they have some sniper cover and atleast one gunship covering them. If they are in Rokinato uniforms, shoot to kill. If any maverick approaches you have license to kill. Any and all refugees that approach are to be tested for the maverick virus if they reploid. and humans will be located to withing the HQ for chopper e-vac." Cyano said over the comm tto the Hunters.

[Suki]

And of course, no one answers. Most people ignore her, so she should get used it by now. Not that easy though.

Suki sighed, and then her little box rang. So she picked up, and got the message. She thought "Teams?? I hate being in teams."

Why? Because she's like a nonathletic person in line to be picked on a sports team at recess.

Instead, Suki ran up the stairs toward the roof until she's found Cyano and Kitsen. She bent over with her only hand on her knee, panting, "I-I don't like. Being on teams. C-Can I. Stay up. Here?"

[Sephiroth X]

Mangetsu was furious. How dare Omnicyde, a normal Reploid, speak to him in such a manner! The crime lord and Daiken had changed the very top of the radio tower into their base of operations, a command center about the size of an apartment. Quite comfortable too. Nikila and Lachlan of the Royal Guard stood at Mangetsu's sides, not daring to speak unless they were unlucky enough to draw the Death God's wrath.

After twenty minutes of Mangetsu sitting at his terminal, he finally stood. He snapped his fingers, and in milliseconds, the entirety of the Royal Guard stood with him. The sniper liked to say that he was the third most wanted Maverick alive, but the proper authorities had given the Guardsmen a league of their own. Besides being wanted, they were classified as local catastrophes.

"Issac, Bishop," Mangetsu said, a venomous hiss in his voice. "Go find Omnicyde."

"And then?" Issac asked.

"Kill him, I would assume," Bishop replied, looking at Mangetsu.

"No, I don't want that," the crime lord said. "If anything, I want you two to keep him alive. I want him to know by the time that this first phase is over that I am in complete control of this syndicate."

Spinning around so quickly that the Guardsmen instinctively reached for their weapons, Mangetsu's face revealed a nightmarish fury.

"I want you to see to it that he gets at least one-tenth of the hell he deserves. If that means bringing Zazi the Beast back from the grave to do so, do it."

No one in the room had to say a word. Even one-tenth would force most men and Reploids to fall into a fetal position and pray for death. Something that Mangetsu alone could give.

Issac and Bishop turned to leave, but Mangetsu lifted his hand.

"Wait."

The Guardsmen looked at their master in confusion. It wasn't often that he would take back an order.

"I'll do it myself. See to it that he gets to this location tonight."

Mangetsu handed the two a slip of paper, and Issac's eyes widened at the address mentioned.

"If you don't mind my saying so, sir...That's pretty damned cruel."

Mangetsu grinned.

"I know."

-------

Among the rubble outside of an office building, the young man from the blockade stepped carefully around bodies and litter. Most of the bodies around were his doing, and each of them either had no head or a giant hole in their chest where their hearts had been. The smell of ozone in the air was powerful, but the boy didn't seem to mind.

"This is dumb," he muttered to himself, the shadows covering his face. "I can't see how Father could fight people like this all day...And not get bored to death, that is."

Noticing a piece of metal glinting on the sidewalk, he bent down and picked it up, flashing an all-too-familiar grin for some people as he saw what it was. It was an old pendant, with the image of Saint Barnabas engraved on its bronze workings. Seeing no reason not to, the young man threaded a black cord on its loop and hung it about his neck.

The bronze didn't go badly with the black metal revealed under his raincoat, but the boy pulled the coat tighter around him, as if to hide what was underneath. He chuckled to himself, though. The family likeness was uncanny, no matter what color his armor was.

Sharp ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps, and the youth's eyes flashed before he disappeared against the brick wall. One Maverick wearing seemingly new aviator glasses was barking orders at surrounding troops. He didn't need to do so, but the youth ducked behind a piece of debris as the Mavericks piled into the building.

Even for someone as young as he, the youth knew that something didn't seem right about this group. He felt compelled to follow and investigate. To perhaps pass along the information to his father's former employers. He supposed it was just in his blood to do so, as tainted as it was. Moving like a wraith, the youth slipped in behind the last Maverick and followed, his keen senses missing nothing.

[Omnicyde]

Omnicyde was in France, working with the DSGE, or Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure, the French CIA. He had been working with this particular group all morning, watching them shoot, shooting and showing them how it was done, and improving on his miserable french. "Ah, sergeant..." said one of the agents with an accent and a smile. "Stay here for a while and you will know the language like... what is the common expression? I think it is the back of your finger, yes?" Omnicyde laughed. "It's hand, but close. You could also do with some time in Japan, mon ami." The agents laughed.

They had insisted on treating him to lunch at a cafe they frequented, the Cafe d'Adore. Omnicyde understood French enough to know it meant Cafe of Love, so he was hesitant at first. "Don't worry, Sergeant." said one of the other agents. "It is only called that at night, when young little boys take zere girls here for zere dates. For lunch, it is the best place in town for bifteck." Omnicyde looked puzzled. "STEAK, my friend!" Another round of laughs from the french agents.

Their food came after a few minutes. Omnicyde saw that letting them order was a bad mistake. They had gotten him a steak that was literally COVERED in mushrooms and peppers, both of which he hated with all his soul. But he was determined to try it. He did. And promptly gagged before spitting it into a napkin. "Je n'amis." he said. "Je n'amis PAS, sergeant." corrected the lead agent. "You don't like mushrooms? They are the finest in the world." "I'm afraid not, sir. Never did... I usually don't get to eat much more than a serving of noodles and shrimp while i'm on duty. We live on fast food back in Japan." The french agents grimaced. "That is the problem outside of Europe. Everyone is rush rush rush. Here in France, we take ze time to enjoy our meals. Do you know why, sergeant?" Omnicyde shook his head as he scraped the mushrooms and peppers from his steak. "Because in our business, we never know when it will be our last meal." The agent popped another bite of his steak into his mouth and chewed. "Ahhh... J'adore the food here." Swallow. Choke. "Ah! It is still raw! MERDE!!" Omnicyde and the others laughed themselves to tears as he coughed his steak across the cafe into another poor man's head.

France slowly faded and Omnicyde's eyes began to open. He was still in Tokyo. And his back hurt from the uncomfortable position he had been laying in on the chair.

He sat up and took in his situation. He had lost a dozen men so far today, added to the 40 he had lost to Sephiroth and the HERT last month, he was down half a platoon. He was still tired, miserable, and somewhat pissed off. And he had the worst craving for steak ever. His eyes wandered to the MRE someone had sat down on the table in front of him. The cold, disgusting chilli mac and wheat cracker, with a packet of peanut butter and a bar of chocolat for desert. "Dammit..." he closed his eyes and willed himself back to Paris. Back to the Hunters.

God he missed those days.

"You up, Major? I saw you open your eyes before. Stop pretending." Omnicyde opened his eyes and saw Vertigo an inch from his face. "Your eyelashes tickle. Back up." he muttered. He dragged himself back to reality and rubbed his eyes. A glance at his watch told him it had been four hours since he had fallen asleep. "Sitrep, sergeant. Now."

"Tanchu and Klackern are downstairs, along with Tanchu's platoon and most of Shadow's The rest of Shadow's platoon is scattered around the building with Stingers aimed at the windows. Linx's guys are split up between here at the CP and patrolling the building. Tahiri is on the roof in her ghillie suit, watching the streets. Linx is around here somewhere. He spent a while talking to Cloud on the comm. I think he said something about the Navy being trouble." Omnicyde groaned. He didn't need the Japanese Navy causing trouble, not now. What were they doing here anyway?

"Hey, he's up." Linx came around from behind him. "Hear about Cloud yet? There's a pair of naval destroyers blocking his path. They're made threats to board him if he tries to maneuver closer. He say's nothing he's doing is working. He want's permission to use the Contendors to destroy the ships." Omnicyde got up and stretched. "Why are two destroyers even there? I thought they were off in the ocean somewhere for the next week. The next ship to return is a carrier next week. Or that's what Intel says anyway." Omnicyde did his homework for his ops.

"Apparently one of the destroyers is having some sort of engine problem. The other one went along as an escort in case it needed to be towed, I guess. Either way, they're here and have the tanker in their crosshairs. Orders?" Omnicyde thought for a minute. "How many crew on board a destroyer?" "About 300, including 50 Marines. They could be carrying spec-ops, though, we wouldn't know." "Armament of the crew?" "They would have a weapons locker with some assault rifles and submachine guns, but if we got there first they would be screwed. The Marines carry pistols, but we could take care of those easy."

"Get Cloud back on the comm. Tell him to send a team of STRICERs to board and hijack the boats and move them. It'll attract less attention, plus they would be a help if we ever figure out how to use their guns." Linx nodded and went for the comm. "Another thing you should know, Major." said Vertigo. "The comm techs hacked into a Hunter freq an hour ago. They're concentrating on securing the city before they begin rescue ops. The good news is that right now they're got their hands tied with the Rokinato inmates. The bad news is that at their rate, it should only take them an hour to finish up with them." Omnicyde glanced at his watch. If Mangetsu was correct, in one hour those reploids he had mentioned would be storming the city. After that... well. He didn't know yet where the mech was coming into play.

"Anything doing on the lower floor?" "We had a pair of inmates show up and try to make a ruckus, but we dealt with them easy. We haven't spotted any Hunters, but..." Vertigo hesitated. "Spit it out, sergeant." "Well, sir, I don't think coming here was a good idea. It's one of the few buildings taller than 20 floors still standing, so we sorta stick out. The Hunters might show up to secure the building any time now. And the AA guys with the missiles have reported gunships flying over Tokyo. If we get spotted before those reploids show up... we can only hold out for so long before we become the least of the Hunter's problems." Omnicyde was silent. Vertigo was right. "You think we should move." It wasn't a question, more than a statement. "Yes sir, I do."

"I think you're right." Omnicyde said after a minute. "We need another safe house anyway for our STRICERs and TACPs when they show up. Take a few fireteams and find us another building." Vertigo looked puzzled. "You want me to lead them? Not one of the other officers?" "Yes. Like you said, we're gonna be found sooner or later. I need my most powerful guys here when we do get found. I can't afford to lose any more of my sergeants or officers. Take one of Tanchu's sergeants and three fireteams. Remember, stay out of the subway tunnels and sewers." Vertigo nodded and left for the stairs.


The two STRICER teams dropped into the water from the tanker. Whiskey-Golf took their boat for the destroyer Okinawa, while Bravo-Yankee swam for the closer destroyer Yakimoto. The breaches were identical in execution. Grappling hooks were tossed toward the rails and the teams climbed onto the decks. A storm was moving in from the Pacific, bringing heavy, cold rain and high winds, both of which served to mask their approach. They silentl entered the ships and split up their teams. Half went for the control room while the other half went for the armory.

On the Okinawa, the first half of Whiskey-Golf secured the locker no problem. There had been nobody around. They left a few guys and moved throughout the ship, killing any sailors or marines they came across with their silenced MP-20s. The second half of the team stormed the control room. Cloud had ordered them to kill the communications officer immediately, but to take all the other's alive if possible. They would need them to understand the ship's systems if they were to move her unnoticed. A breaching charge blew open the door and the four STRICERs swarmed the crew, blowing the comm officer's head off as he turned to look at what had made the noise. The rest of the crew surrendered easily, throwing their hands up as the team slammed them to the ground and flex-cuffed their hands to prevent them from making trouble. The team commander, Lieutenand Oswald, pressed the barrel of his pistol into the captain's nostril. "Move this tub out of the way of that tanker. NOW."

In the control room of the Yakimoto, the command crew watched, confused, as their sister destroyer sailed backwards out of the tanker's path. "Raise her on the horn, find out what the hell they're doing over there." said the captain. The comm guy began typing just as the second STRICER team blew through the door and blew his head off. They quickly secured the rest of the crew. In less than ten minutes, they had captured two fully-armed destroyers.

Cloud was pleased. Omnicyde was thrilled. "How soon can your techs analyze the systems?" he asked Cloud over the comm. "They're on ther way over now. Give them a few more hours." "Roger. Hurry up and dock." Omnicyde disconnected.

"Hey there, Major." Omnicyde turned to see Bishop and Issac standing behind him. "Are you here to kill me now?" Omnicyde asked. "I really figured that Mangetsu would wait until after he was done before removing my head. Plus, none of my other officers are ready to take command of this unit." Bishop shook his head. "You really are an idiot, Major. Talking like that to Mangetsu? Even fresh boots know better than that. No, we're just here to bring you somewhere. You have to come with us." Omnicyde sighed. "Gimme a minute."

Omnicyde turned away from Bishop and Issac to walk over to the comm station. He wasn't an idiot. He knew he was going to catch twenty kinds of shit from Mangetsu. His head was as good as on a platter right now. There was no chance in hell Mangetsu was gonna let him live.

He had also been planning for this day since he had become an officer in the Syndicate.

He picked up a secure commlink and keyed in a frequency. A woman in a thick middle eastern accent answered. "Yes?" "We have a code Thunderball." Omnicyde said clearly into the comm. He immediately disconnected. That was all the information she needed. Everything would be ready in a few hours. He keyed a second frequency and got an answer after a few minutes. "Whatchu want?" "I need a big, big favor, Draxus." "You know I gotcher back, bro. What's up?" Omnicyde told him what he needed. "You got it, man. It'll be done in about 6 hours. Soon enough?" "Plenty of time, man. I'll have your payment when I see you." He disconnected again and put the device away. It was started. And there was no longer any turning back.

He walked back over to Bishop and Issac. "I'm ready."

[Sephiroth X]

Bishop and Issac turned Omnicyde to the door, pulling an opaque black bag over his head. Reluctantly, but with enough force to show that they meant business, the two Guardsmen led the sniper down to the lobby and into a waiting car. Omnicyde was shoved into the backseat, blind, and the car went along the destroyed roads without a sound.

The sniper started to feel more than a little uneasy. Perhaps a little angry. Mangetsu had sent Bishop and Issac for a reason: They were the Guardsmen that Omnicyde trusted most, and he knew it. Sending them added insult to upcoming injury. The car was silent. No one spoke, and Omnicyde couldn't tell who was driving, whether it was Bishop, Issac, or neither.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the car stopped. Omnicyde was pulled out the back and brought inside a building. Something about it was familiar, even to the blinded sniper, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The smell of flames poured out from the room he was being led to, and at last he was told to stop. Bishop's massive hand grabbed the bag from the sniper's head, and pulled it off.

What Omnicyde saw shocked him. There, on the floor, burned, mutilated, and unconscious, was none other than himself. The room was definitely on fire, except that the flames seemed to shy away from the walking sniper. At last, it hit him. This was the place where he had almost met his death. This was the place were he almost died, only to wake up and see Mangetsu staring in his face.

"Ah, the memories."

Mangetsu's silky voice came from behind Omnicyde, who turned reaching for a gun that wasn't there. A gun that was in Mangetsu's hand. Something about the crime lord just instantly shocked Omnicyde, making him recoil. Mangetsu looked fanatical, angry, pleased, and terrifying all at the same time.

"Remember this, Major?" Mangetsu asked, circling around the flames. "I made it just as I remembered. It's all a hologram, of course, but I felt that this should get the message across."

"You're a real bastard, you know that, right?" Omni spat. Mangetsu laughed at this, but instead of it being his normal cultured, amused chuckle, it was like a blast of icy wind.

"A real bastard who chose to bring you back from the point of oblivion. A real bastard who can make it so that you never die, only to feel an eternity of pain."

Mangetsu's hand shot out like lightning, so quickly that Omnicyde had to think if the crime lord's arm was simply elongating. Long fingers clenched the spot where Omni's heart was, and the sniper suddenly recoiled again, a sharp, immense pain in his chest unlike anything he'd felt before. Almost blinded by the agony, he saw Mangetsu pull out a glowing orb of green smoke. A DNA Soul. Omnicyde's DNA Soul.

"Did you know that a DNA Soul has enough power in it to do virtually anything?" Mangetsu asked, playing with the energy orb. He watched, delighted, as he saw the sniper writhe in front of him, the emptiness of not having his soul in his body almost unbearable. "In fact, with just a few changes here and there, one can attain almost any power imaginable."

The Lord of Destruction smiled a vampiric smile as he watched Omnicyde. He grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up so that the sniper's eyes were level with the DNA Soul, its swirling form pulsing with that essential life energy.

"This is what gives a Shinigami its power. What makes one unlike any other Reploid under the sun." Mangetsu pulled Omnicyde closer, whispering softly in his ear. "Manipulating this is what gave the Royal Guardsmen the level of power they have now. They were the absolute best at what they did, but I made it so that they need not worry about failure except under the most extreme of circumstances. Sephiroth X being one of those circumstances.

"I could, theoretically, find any Reploid properly suited to do your job and give him the powers you now wield. As I said before, every single one of you is an expendable asset. I scoured the world finding the Royal Guard. Together, nothing can stop them, not even Sephiroth. It would be the most difficult fight of my life if I had to battle them. So why is it that they serve me unquestioningly? Why is it that they, the most dangerous and brutal Reploids in creation, kneel to me? I'll tell you why: Because they know who I am. What I can do. I can grant power beyond the limits of their imagination, and I can take it away just as easily."

Mangetsu dropped Omnicyde and looked deep into the DNA Soul's swirling depths. He seemed pensieve, but the sniper was too busy fighting the emptiness to really pay attention. At last, Mangetsu turned to look at him again, his lips curved into a frown.

"Admittedly, I should have let you know that the quake was about to happen. I'll concede that fact. But not even the Guard knew, and yet they knew that I had seen to it that no harm would come to any member of the Syndicate. I already planned all of that out. Not a single member of your unit died. Did you not notice that in your blind rage?"

"Give me...give me back..." Omnicyde gasped, his normally lively face now gaunt. "My...my..."

"In due time," Mangetsu cooed, lifting Omnicyde's head with his finger. "I just need you to know that I am the leader for a reason. And this is the best way to get your attention. I saw to it that you were in one of the most structurally sound buildings in the city. When it failed, I radioed one of your men to direct you to a safe location. A veritable fortress in this chaotic setting. Yet you failed to notice any of this and spat in my face. That does not please me, Major. That does not please me at all."

Omnicyde nodded, his eyes wide and starting to mist over. Mangetsu sighed and shoved the soul back into Omnicyde's body, and immediately the sniper filled with life again. He lay sprawled out on the ground, heaving and panting, thankful to be alive. Mangetsu's shoes made a sharp staccato as he walked away.

"Don't make me have this talk with you again, Omnicyde." He looked up at Bishop and Issac, nodding. "Take him back to the office building. Get him something to drink while you're at it. Tell Tanchu to take command while the major gets some time to recuperate and resynchronize with his DNA Soul."

With that, Mangetsu left and the holograms faded, and an audible sigh of relief was heard from all.