15 - Back in Midgar

[Shadow Phoenix]

Bax shook himself awake after a rather light sleep. It took him just a moment to remember where he was and what he was doing, but then he was fine again. He was in the hospital waiting on this unknown man who he, Zack and Lynx had found brutally wounded outside of Midgar. He had sent the other two out on errands - primarily to find housing and jobs - assuring them that he would remain here with the unknown man as an act of hospitality. He would have found it poor manners to, for one, have left the man to die outside, and also to have deposited him in the hospital with no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. For some reason, Bax felt that they had crossed paths with this man for a purpose. In fact, he felt that everything that was happening to him here on Earth had happened for a reason.

Bax turned his head to a knock at the door and waited for the visitor to announce themselves.
"Hello, this is the nurse," answered a comforting feminine voice.
"Come in," Bax answered in his thick accent.
The door opened, and the white-clad nurse entered in, clipboard in hand. She looked surprised at first, but then a smile crossed her face.
"Oh, I forgot that you were staying in here, sir. I suppose our patient hasn't woken up yet, has he?"
"No. I have slept. Not sure, actually..."
The nurse walked over to Prodigi and began taking notes.
"When you came in, you said you just found him outside the city, correct?"
"Correct," Bax answered almost like a parrot.
"So...you don't know him?"
"Correct," Bax said, wishing he knew what else to say. He was truly unsure.
"You don't know his name or anything else about him?"
"No, sorry."
"So he could have been a drifter, perhaps? Hmm...well, he seems to be doing all right. His wounds were awful, but he seems to have a fighting spirit that has kept him going. Most people I know who were in even better condition than he was just gave up. He's a lucky one for sure."

There was a moment of silence as Bax stared straight ahead. Hospitals made him uncomfortable - he had spent more time in them than he had wanted to and he had more bad memories than good ones. Even though he didn't know this man, he still felt scared to be here, afraid that something bad was going to happen.
"You can leave if you want to. You're not obligated to stay. Like I said, he seems to be pulling through."
Bax looked up at the nurse, having almost forgotten she was in the room. "Right. I want stay. My friends know I'm here. I want wait. Besides, it is bad manners to abandon a cause."
The nurse looked a little confused, but nodded. "All right. If he wakes up, press the button next to the bed."
With that, she left the room to leave Prodigi to his coma-like sleep and Bax to his thoughts.

Bax looked at Prodigi lying there so peacefully and hoped that he would wake up soon. Perhaps he would have some answers as well. Or perhaps he would be the one with the questions. Bax leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and closed his eyes, eventually dozing off again.

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Lynx stepped outside and was met by a fresh brush of the wind. He glanced around the city and saw nothing unusual. This will be quite hard to find a job, he thought. Not only that, but of course my appearance and reputation will also make finding a job hard...
He walked down to a dark alley where he hoped to get to the other side of the town...when suddenly a light voice called him.
"So you're now looking for a job?"
Lynx whirled around - and saw the girl he had met a few days ago. The adult wasn't with her this time, so he studied her suspiciously. She folded her hands behind her back.
The girl said, "Well, it would help if you took this along." She brought one hand out and revealed a sun-like feather, which gleamed and shined.
Lynx blinked. "What am i supposed to do with this? Stick it on a prize chicken?"
"No. When the time comes, you will know what to do with it. Carry on now." She spread her wings again.
"no, wait! I've still some questions to te-" She vanished.
"Bah," he said to himself. He put the feather away and walked on. He then heard another voice, this one being a dusty, rural voice, calling to him, "Hey, you there! C'mere a moment will ya?"
Lynx turned and saw a man sitting down at the corner of the alley. He had a dirty grey beard, messy dark skin, and was holding an almost-empty jug of wine. "Now, dont be judgemental by my appearance, but will you do something for meh?"
Lynx blinked and stared at him. "What the hell happened to you?"
"I used to be a rich guy...always could get whatever i want by buying it. but then some guy swindled me and now i'm penniless. Even my own family doesnt recognize me anymore. I want you to find this man who swindled me and...kill him. Bring back my money and my coat and i will reward you well."
"How are you to reward me if you've hardly anything?"
"I will give you a fair share of the money you bring back, if you are successful. First, though, i want to see if you are up to the job."
Lynx held out his hand and summoned his scythe, with the tip next to the man's neck. "How's this for an answer?"
The man gulped and nodded. Lynx unsummoned his scythe, and the man said, "Oh yes, also...the man lives at a nearby town, at one of the wealthiest places in that town."
Lynx nodded and walked off, with the coming assassination and the feather on his mind.

[The Waffle King]

A completely new form or anger welled inside Pyramid Head. His moment of power taken away by that man. His prey had escaped. This was completely unexceptable, he would find him again. The alternate reality faded away and the real warehouse came into focus. He slid out of the warehouse and into the alleyways again. He would find that man again and finish the job he started, noone escaped him. He looked at the changing sky, it was daybreak. He shuffled back into the warehouse and took a place in the corner, he needed to wait for night.

[ZaCloud]

Zack sighed as he walked down the street, arms folded behind his head. “Man,” he griped mildly, “Why’d Mister Lynx hafta ditch me? I’m no good at this job-huntin’ stuff at all.” He began kicking an empty soda can down the sidewalk. “All the time, it’s either, ‘We don’t hire spiky-haired punks,’ or ‘Haven’t you ever heard of a resumé, young man?’ or even, ‘The way your arms look, you’d scare off the customers.’”

He paused at the window of a clothing shop, full of mannequins donning the latest pricey fashions. Zack sighed again, this time wistfully. Even though he could not remember much of his past, he knew that his dream career, even if it seemed extravagantly out of reach, was to be a model. He wanted people to be able to look at him and instantly like him, without having to judge his personality. Because it felt as if people had instead instantly hated him all his life. It would be so nice to change that, even if it was just a shallow, silly dream he had.

But that must have been before his body had become so mangled…<br>
He shook away the unpleasant feelings quickly. Now was not the time to pout about abstract things; he had a job to find. Still, that would most likely require nicer attire, or at least a few outfits to change through if they didn’t supply uniforms.

“Gawww,” he grumbled, “What kinda society is this anyway? Ya gotta have money in order to get money around here!”<br>
He continued walking, mulling over the jobs he had ignorantly and hopefully tried. “They won’t let me be a lawyer, a policeman, a shoemaker, a waiter, a surgeon… So many requirements. Maybe I could be a mercenary, but I have no idea where to look…” He lowered his head and his voice quieted. “Besides… I’m probably too wussy to take on the really valuable badguys anyway…”

“Nooo! Help me! Somebody! No, please!”<br>
Zack tensed, and immediately ran in the direction of the panicked female voice. Other people passed right by the alleyway it came from, as if nothing of note were happening, except for a few others who ran away to avoid involvement. Gritting his teeth in anger and hoping he was not too late to help, Zack rounded the corner at full speed while drawing Fjalar.

He was just in time to see three figures: A woman on the ground with her arms raised defensively; a lanky man with a knife ready to stab her; and a red-cloaked figure flying over the rear wall. The latter person impacted the woman’s attacker, sending him flying into a side wall with a resounding thud. Zack skidded to a stop, trying to take in the quick succession of actions.

The cloaked figure, with a high red collar obscuring most of the face and long black hair trailing in motion’s wake, spoke with a terse female tone. “I’ll take care of this dirtbag, blondie. See to the girl.” Meanwhile, the male assailant had already risen to his feet and was charging at the dark woman. They closed together in swift combat.

Zack only watched for a moment, then ran over and knelt next to the would-be murder victim. “You ok?” he asked softly, a hand reaching forward but not touching her trembling form, “It’s alright, that guy’s not gonna come after you anymore.”<br>
The woman looked around, then fell into Zack’s embrace, crying with relief. Zack hugged her comfortingly and protectively, making sure she wasn’t wounded before turning his eyes once more to the fight. The cloaked woman was limber and strong, and definitely knew what she was doing. Soon enough, the assailant was disarmed and knocked unconscious by a chain of vicious blows.

The cloaked woman stepped closer to the would-be victim and stated in an efficient tone, “You had been targeted by Max Ptarmigan, the serial killer that had been reported in this area these past several weeks. He will now be off the streets and in custody. You can thank the Edos Lee Mercenary ring, the Dragon's Claws, for that; cops just aren’t that active anymore. Get on with your life in safety.” She turned and began to walk back to the knocked out killer, her high, curly ponytail and crimson cape accentuating the motion.

“Uhhh, wait!” Zack called to her hastily, “I uh, wanna maybe talk to you or something!” The form paused to tie up her fallen enemy, as Zack then asked the saved girl, “Are you gonna be ok?”<br>
She nodded, and quietly said the door to her house was right nearby. Zack helped her stand, and accompanied her until her door was safely closed and locked. He sincerely hoped she would be alright; she had really seemed terrified of death. Would he have been?… Who knows, who cares.

Zack scampered over to the mercenary as she began shouldering the killer’s limp form. “Uh, I can help you carry that if you want. And maybe could I try joining your ring?”<br>
The woman turned her mahogany face and green eyes toward him and gave a short chuckle. “You, boy? Wouldn’t picking up a penny be the last straw weight-wise? That sword must be compensating for something.”<br>
Zack cocked his head, blinking. “I keep hearing that, and I still don’t know what it means. But I can still carry stuff. And I’m a grownup… At least, I’m pretty sure I am.”<br>
The mercenary chuckled again, standing up with her burden over her left shoulder. “Well, you are amusing, I’ll give you that. Given the fact that I’m slowed for the moment, you may follow if you wish. I highly doubt you’d be much competition for me, so if they hire you that’s the boss’s business.”<br>
The blonde smiled. “Thanks. Wow, maybe I can find a job after all.”<br>
“Good luck on that,” the mercenary said with a hint of impatience, “There are a huge number of mercenaries lately, given the high crime-rates and low police involvement. Coming out ahead of the others takes quite a combination of skill and luck.”<br>
“Better some hope than none. By the way, my name’s Zack Strife.”<br>
“…I’m called Raksha,” she answered.

***

The slant-eyed man, obviously descended from one of the few populated islands of the East, studied Zack once more with disinclination. His demeanor was serious, quite a bit more intimidating than Raksha’s. He was dressed in a proper but unbuttoned black jacket and slacks, but wore no shirt or tie underneath. He had a scar across the bridge of his nose, and was missing the ring finger of his left hand.

At least maybe he knows personally that scars could be a promising sign? Zack thought hopefully. He had come in with a smile and wave, but had quickly switched to looking as serious as possible, eyebrows narrowed and stance square.

“That sword,” Edos Lee finally inquired with a very mild accent, “You can use it properly, yes?”<br>
“Yeah,” Zack said with a quick nod, “Which might be helpful in surprising or intimidating the target.”<br>
The man behind the desk sighed impatiently. “Well, I am feeling generous today. Normally, I would propose a duel to test your worthiness; I do not merely accept hotshots hoping for easy money. My ring is renowned for its efficiency and effectiveness. But with what I see, I figure you will quickly be killed, or accomplish nothing. I give you one week to bring in a criminal on our Red List. If you fail, you leave, and if found using the name Edos Lee or Dragon's Claws to designate your origin afterward you will be silenced.”<br>
Zack smiled brightly, his tough exterior quickly melting back into giddy joy. “Wow! That’s so cloak-an’-dagger! Don’t worry, sir! I’ll bring one in quick as I find ‘em! I don’t even know the city so that means I’ll be extra alert all the time. Let me at that Red List!”<br>
Lee sat like a stone statue for a bit, wondering if he should change his mind… but he pointed to the bulletin board on the right side of the room. “There they are,” he said, “The most dangerous and most wanted criminals in Midgar. Get copies from downstairs if you want, and get out of here.”<br>
***

Soon, Zack was sifting through the papers in his hands. He struggled to read the text. Sure talking was easy enough, but he had been able to do very little reading in his lifetime. At least he could tell which monetary amounts were highest; his math was extremely shaky too, so at least this kind of job would be straightforward with payment.

Once he felt he had the faces and warnings memorized well enough, he took off walking on instinct. As he had said to Bax before, just following his feet usually brought him somewhere useful. One particular criminal’s face came to mind: one called Babybreath. A man who robbed cradles and ate the livers of infants due to some twisted belief in gaining immortality. That man especially sickened Zack, and it was this anger and disgust that drove his honing instincts. He was determined to get that monster, and any others, off of the streets.

And any money earned in the process would be well-earned, and was quite badly needed. He hoped that the small injured man they had found was doing alright, and that Bax would be able to rest soon. Helping him out would be great, especially with how much Bax had done for him. Even being his friend was a huge favor.

Risking death for income to help out a friend was nothing serious at all.

“Watch out, bad-guys, here I come!” Zack said with a smirk.

[prodigi]

Prodigi awoke, the morning light illuminating the small hospital room. He instantly reached for his weapons but found his holsters and sheaths empty. His eyes darted around the room, finally resting on the figure sitting on his right. The strange man sat with his eyes on Prodigi, and he had strange flaming hair.
"You awake now?" the strange man asked.
"Who the heck are you and where the hell are my weapons?" Prodigi asked, his voice croaking.
"I Bax" Bax said pointing at himself, "and your weapons are on table" he said pointing at a cloth ontop the table across the room. Prodigi sat up slowly and Bax leapt forward.
"Do not get up", he said walking across the room, "I get them."
"No," Prodigi began, too late.
Bax unwrapped the cloth and picked up the weapons and brought them over to Prodigi. Prodigi's eyes boggled, "How did you...?" he stuttered, "but no-one can..." he suddenly flashed back to the battle with Pyramid Head and remembered him holding his sword. Strange, he thought, only I can hold my weapons... These must be some truly powerful beings.
Bax finished his journey across the room and handed Prodigi his weapons. Prodigi took them carefully and put them in their respective holsters and sheaths. Bax watched him strangely. Prodigi stared straight back at him.
"I am sorry" Bax said after a moment, "You just seem strange" Bax squeezed his eyes shut, "I mean different."
"Ypu're not from around here are you?" Prodigi asked.
"No..." Bax said slowly.
"Care to elaborate?" Prodigi asked.
Then Bax launched into the whole story of the crash on earth, meeting Sephiroth and Zack, being captured by the Senate, and finally getting out of the Desert of the Dead before running into Prodigi.
After he finished he turned to Prodigi, "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"Um... Sure" Prodigi replied.
"What happen to you?" Bax asked.
Prodigi took a breath and then explained how he had followed Pyramid Head and had then fought with him.
"What happen before that?" Bax asked.
Prodigi paused, "I'm not sure" he answered, "I can remember up until about a year ago but before then everything seems to be a blank."
They sat silent for a moment, and then Prodigi stretched, his arms pushing to their full extent and his tail sticking out from behind him.
Bax stared at the tail, "You have tail?" he asked, "I did not see before."
"Yeh i know," Prodigi replied, "I usually keep it in my pants but everyonce in a while it needs a good stretch."
He swung his legs from the hospital bed and stood up stretching to his full height of 4 foot 9 inches, which was very short in comparison to Bax.
Bax gasped in amazement, "you're wounds" he said pointing at Prodigi, "they all gone?"
Prodigi looked down at his body and then up at Bax, "yup," he replied, "all gone."
Bax sat silent for a moment so Prodigi broke the silence.
"So..." he asked, "what now?

[CursedDragoon]

Dragoon sat on a barstool, drinking his glass of water. He spun the liquid around in the glass. "What kind of a guy goes into a bar and drinks water?" a man shouted at him.
Dragoon turned his head and looked at the man. "Don't talk."
"What'd you say punk?" the man said, raising his fist to strike. *Crash* The glass hit the man between the eyes, knocking him down to the floor unconscious. Dragoon flipped the bartender a coin, and walked out into the streets of Midgar.

As he walked down the streets, he thought about what the Senator has said. It couldn't be true. my curse cant be cured by anything. But.....what if he could?

Dragoons thoughts were interrupted as a bullet whizzed by his head. He turned and saw a man armed with a sub-machine gun run from a building, shooting randomly. Dragoon ran toward the man, stopping in front of him. The man shot a few rounds at Dragoon, one of which tore a small hole in his cloak. Dragoon grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him off the ground. The gun fell to the ground as the mans hands grabbed Dragoon's. One hand holding the man, Dragoon materialized his sword in the other. He raised the blade to the mans throat, the blade nicked the mans skin. A trickle of blood ran down the sword. Dragoon flashed a evil smirk.

[prodigi]

Bax opened his mouth to speak just as Prodigi suddenly collapsed onto the foot of the bed shaking. Bax hurried forward to see what was wrong but Prodigi stuck his hand out and motioned Bax back. Bax complied and slowly backed up to the wall, not taking his eyes off Prodigi for a moment. Prodigi suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse, "Bax" he choked, "I like you... so do me a favour and get out."
"Huh?" Bax grunted stunned.
"Get out," Prodigi said.
Bax stood against the wall not daring to move.
Slowly Prodigi raised his head and Bax could see into his eyes, his dark soulless eyes and Prodigi said in a growl, "Get... Out..."
Bax went to step away from Prodigi but realised he was against the wall. Suddenly Prodigi leapt forward and flew through the air straight at Bax. Bax could see what was about to happen but for some reason his body froze up. But at the last second Prodigi stopped in mid air and fell to the floor. He lay there, his whole body twitching. He growled at himself and then suddenly roared, "NO!".
There was a short silence.
"You okay?" Bax asked quietly. Prodigi slowly sat up scratching his head, "Uhhh..." he muttered looking up at Bax, "What happened?"
Bax took a stunned step backwards and opened his mouth to speak before closing it suddenly. No, he decided, I won't tell him... At least not yet, but it's something I'm going to have to watch out for.
"Nothing," Bax lied, "You fall over, must be from fight."
"Yeh," Prodigi said getting up, "Yeh it must have..."
"You want to meet others?" Bax asked.
"You mean you're other companions," Prodigi asked.
"Yes," Bax answered, "We go find them," and with that Bax turned and left the room, Prodigi following him right behind, having to take two steps to every one step of Bax's. Prodigi shuffled along next to Bax quietly, thinking to himself. Yes, he thought, let's go find the others... I must find out about this Senate... They sound so familiar... Something I can't remember...
Bax and Prodigi strode out onto the streets of Midgar.
"How we find them?" Bax asked.
"What does that Zack guy look like?" Prodigi asked.
"He about this high," Bax gestured, "with spiky yellow hair."
Prodigi closed his eyes and focused. A blur of images flew through his mind until it suddenly stopped and he could see the image of a spiky haired man standing in an office with a very serious looking man in front of him.
"This way," Prodigi said taking off down a street. Bax frowned for a moment and then followed.

[ForeverZeroUltima]

A mutilated sign read "Welcome to Zion". Many poorly-built houses surrounded Lynx, but a large mansion stood out to his gaze. He turned to the southside where the shadow of the mansion lay. He blended into it, and went through the wall.
He found himself in the library, where a maid read a book, not noticing him. He sidestepped, jumped up to the rafters, made his way across the room, and sneaked out.
He turned left and went up a flight of stairs, reaching the bedroom.
A man was sleeping with a medium-sized bag next to him. "Heehee...the fool...so careless...mine now..."
"Fool," Lynx muttered. He summoned his scythe, stepped forth, and-
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! A MONSTER!"
Lynx whirled around and saw the maid. She dropped a tray and a jug of water, awakening the man.
Before the man could see him, Lynx jumped to the shadowy corner of the room, then leaped at the maid, striking her in the back. After she fell, he advanced on the man.
"YOU *******! MILLICENT WAS MY FAVORITE MAID!" He pulled out a shotgun from under the covers of the bed and sent a bullet flying through the air and into Lynx's chest.
He gasped, fell down, and turned into a small black cat.
The man blinked in surprise while the real Lynx leaped at him from behind and struck him down. He slung the scythe across his back and picked up the bag, which surprisingly was heavier than it looked. He went to the window, and jumped out.
He had forgotten that he was on the second floor, and so began falling. Naturally, he dropped the bag, flipped over, and landed on all fours. He took the bag and muttered, "That wasn't so hard." He began walking out of town, then a thought struck him. He didn't have to give this money back to the man in the alley. He could just keep the money for himself. But what did he really want?
Lynx shook his head and, continuing walking, decided to decide what his decision will be when he gets back to Midgar.

[The Waffle King]

The street lights buzzed on as the sun slid behind the horizon. Pyramid Head was done waiting, he couldn't let his prey escape. A group of ten demon dogs slid out of the shadows behind him. He held in front of them a clump of bloodied feathers, then pointed out the door. They all held their disfigured heads to the sky and took in the air, they soon scattered out the door to fan the city. Moments later one of them let out a howl, it had found a scent. The other dogs ran in that direction, staying out of sight. PH slowly made his way through the shadows, using each consecutive howl like a checkpoint, zeroing in on his target.

The dusk had changed to night as he stood in the back lot of a hospital. The last of the dogs caught up as he stared up at the building. Nine of the dogs started to twitch and cough, the fell to the ground and soon were still. They faded out of existence as nine more human-like demons shuffled out of the shadows; two closers, three scrapers, and four demon nurses. (the pics i had tried to link to didnt work so youll just have to find them in the list www.silenthillheaven.com/...nemies.php ) He lead his newly formed army around to the front of the hospital and invaded through the main doors to the lobby. Dragging his giant knife he followed the one remaining dog through the halls, killing whatever got in his way, as the rest of the group commenced to wreak havoc elsewhere inside the hospital.

As his band fanned out through the rooms and halls, Pyramid Head simply continued to follow his guide to the target. Up a flight of stairs, around a few corners, and to closed door. He looked to the dog and then pushed the door open. Inside there was a man with a broken leg and arm in a hospital bed, the man looked absolutely shocked. It was the wrong room, PH growled at his companion and it crouched down and whimpered. He walked into the room, the man still speachless, and grabbed the edge of the bed. He pulled it around to the middle of the room and shoved toward the outside wall. The bed along with the man crashed through the window and hit the pavement. Pyramid Head turned around and continued on, listening to the sounds of destruction below.

The dog ran up about 7 more doors down the hall and started scratching at a door. That had to be it, he started down the hall with almost a sense anticipation. Surely the occupants of the room were now alerted by the dog, but it was only a matter of moments before he would reach his target. The dog continued to scratch at the door, something was wrong. He got to the door and pushed it open, there was noone inside. The dog rushed inside to the bed where there were spots of blood on the sheets and tore the bed apart. Prodigi HAD escaped, he had gotten away again. A second time was enough, he couldn't let this happen again. He clutched his weapon tighter as a nurse ran in checking for patients to evacuate. Pyramid Head looked at the bewildered human for a while then stomped toward her with an outstretched arm. She flew through the window further than the man in the cast and crunched on the ground. He headed back out to the hall where the rest of his hoard had already made it to the second floor. The sounds of demonic prayer echoed through the halls as the the walls decayed the the metal corroded. All of the occupants of that buildilng were trapped in that alternate reality now. The outside of the hospital still looked like always, except that the windows never shown any light now. He had found a new home.

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Once Lynx had returned to the alleys of Midgar, he STILL hadnt made up his mind. He would have to make a split-second decision once he got back to the man.
He stopped. There was an odd wind somewhere. He prepared himself for whatever may happen, then advanced on past the alley.
His eyes widened. The hospital...what had happened to it? No lights were showing, and strange echoes and noises were heard from inside...
Now he had to make another decision. Investigate the hospital, or resume his assassination mission. He knew the importance of getting some money in his pocket, but then again, Bax and the other man were inside...
He drew his scythe. The mission would have to wait. He walked to a shadowy corner of the alley, took the bag of money, and placed it on the ground and let it phase through the floor.
He walked to the front door of the hospital. He extended his hand to open the doorknob, but as soon as he touched it, he a dreaded feeling came over him. Something definitely happened in there. He twisted the knob and pulled, but nothing happened. He tried harder. Still nothing. He jumped back, snarled, and rammed into the doors. It barely opened, revealing a tiny bit of what was inside.
Lynx blinked at the sight. The floor and walls were decaying, and the metal was in no better shape. No wonder the doors didnt open so easily. Rust and decay were blocking it.
He opened the doors some more, with a little difficulty, and stepped in. Something was off. The echoes and chants grew louder.
Lynx twitched a whisker. Not only those details were setting him in caution, but he felt a powerful force somewhere in the hospital...

[The Waffle King]

What was this? Someone was invading the privacy of his new home? As he was about to send out one of his creatures to take care of the pest he felt a twinge, this one was much more powerful than normal humans. In fact, it didnt seem human at all. This deffinetly wasnt Prodigi, but none the less he needed something to kill the time. He would have to take care of the problem himself. Maybe the day was looking up. Pyramid Head stepped out of what was Prodigi's room and turned down the hall. He felt a sense of curiosity for this strange force. He made his way to the main elevator, the doors opened for him and he stepped inside. Immediatly after the doors slammed shut the elevator headed for the lobby. The inside of the elevator was much different than usual. Rather than the shiny dual sliding door there was just a vertical moving gate of iron bars, not unlike a prison cell door. The walls, floor, and ceiling were now chainlink fence. The walls of the shaft were coated in human hides streched across with nails holding them in place. The elevator reached the lobby, the bars slid up, and PH stepped out to greet his guest. This was a creature he had never seen before, quite strange indeed. He was a little awe-stricken by this newcomer and by his weapon, but quickly shook it off. In his deep, implaceable voice "I usually like to know the names of my more formitable prey."

[ZaCloud]

Zack was sure he was close now. He could almost feel the presence of his target only blocks away. But he was having a hard time keeping it in focus now; he had a sense of dread about someplace far behind him, maybe the hospital. He wondered if he was just worrying about Bax and the small injured man too much. Bax was his only friend, after all, so it did make sense for him to worry at times.

He slowed as he reached a rundown brick building. He drew Fjalar as he crept quietly toward the door, his face a mask of grim concentration. Gone was his usual light, fluffy expression and way of movement. He was now an efficient combatant, ready to seek and destroy.

***

Bax had been following Prodigi far longer than he had expected to. He began to wonder if the tailed man knew where he was going. Or if he was really trustworthy. It was hard to tell, on this planet; he had encountered so many rough and uncertain times.

Prodigi could tell the Phoenian was getting antsy. “He's moving quickly,” he explained. He then raised his head to the sky. Bax followed his gaze questioningly. The sky had more clouds than it had in the desert. He saw nothing else out of the ordinary though.

“It may rain soon,” Prodigi observed, continuing to walk on.

Bax didn’t particularly like that idea. But it seemed there was plenty of time before he would really have to worry about that. “We… Are we close?” he asked.

Prodigi nodded. “He’s no longer traveling. We’ll catch up now.”<br>
It took them about ten more minutes, before they finally approached an old red building. Just before Prodigi could grip the rusted doorknob, he jumped to the right. The sound of smashing glass sounded from above, immediately followed by a heavy body hitting the ground close to both of them. The tall man in green cammo cussed and screamed in pain, curling up.

“Uhh… Oops?” a reedy voice said from two floors above. The two shocked newcomers looked up and were met by the goofy, embarrassed face of Zack. “Sorry guys! Didn’t know you were down there. I’ll be down in a sec.” He disappeared from view.

Expecting the trip down the stairs to take a while, the tiny and the large man looked questioningly at the snarling, agonized man on the ground. He had obviously suffered many gashes from Zack’s giant sword, as well as sporting many bruises, and now cuts from glass and broken bones from the fall. He was beginning to draw a hidden knife from his boot, however, obviously a reserve weapon after his primaries had been removed.

Bax considered disarming that too, but once more he was interrupted by the sound of crashing glass. A longer gap transpired between the rain of sharp shimmers and a falling body than there had been for the first man. Except this time it was Zack who came falling from above. Except he landed on his feet. And landed on the cammo-man, causing him to squall, let go of his knife, and pass out.

Zack looked at his companions, who were staring at him in shock overload. He blinked a few times, then a hand went behind his head as he chuckled, “Well, it was faster than going down both flights of stairs!”<br>
***

After Zack explained the situation (including that he had broken the window with Fjalar before jumping down, to set Bax’s mind at ease), and showed the bounty poster to them, both the Phoenian and Zack shared the burden of the incapacitated criminal. “He was wanted ‘dead or alive’,” Zack pointed out, “but, well, when ‘dead’ can be avoided I avoid it.”<br>
Zack then looked at Prodigi and smiled. “I’m glad to see you’re doin’ alright. Man, them hospitals must have some great healing methods; I seriously worried you were a goner. My name’s Zack Strife.”<br>
“I’ve been told... I'm known as Prodigi... I'm afraid I can't say much more at the moment."

“Well it’s nice to meetcha,” Zack said, still smiling brightly. “I dunno what ya plan to do from here on out, but considering how hard it is to make money around here, you’re welcome to stick with us. This bounty’ll not only get us a hotel or apartment, but even food and clothes money if I figured things up right. I guess bounty-hunting’s my calling after all.”<br>
“…It is dangerous,” Bax said quietly.

“Oh I’ll be alright,” Zack reassured him, smiling. “This guy’s one o’ the worst there is, and I got him in one day. But I’ll be careful anyway.” He didn’t say he was fine, since he had sustained some wounds, but he knew Bax could probably not see them, and he didn’t want to worry his friend further.

“I’ll just turn this guy in,” he continued, “We’re almost to the HQ, though you guys hafta stay a few blocks away or we’ll all be in trouble. I’ll be right back out.”<br>
***

After returning with joy and money, Zack laughed about his boss’s disbelief at him catching a Red Lister in less than two hours. “He might be kinda suspicious of me,” he giggled. “But now we’re set. Hmm…” He sniffed the air and looked up. “It might rain soon.” He looked around a bit, then said, “I’ll be right back!” He then dashed into a nearby store.

Only about a minute later he returned, smiling triumphantly. “This is the first time I bought anything in my life!” He sighed, basking in the glow, then brought out what had been behind his back. A red umbrella. “Just in case,” he said, handing it to Bax. “I dunno when your birthday is... or even mine, for that matter... but, Happy Birthday.” ^_^

[ForeverZeroUltima]

Lynx held his scythe in a Grim-Reaper-like position.
He twitched a whisker. "Never thought I'd see something like you before...or did I?"
PH held his Giant Knife in a position so that the tip touched the ground. Lynx noticed this as well as the size of the knife, and the monster.
This is the toughest opponent I will ever face...maybe...His internal energy is flowing strong with dark energy similar to mine...but he might not be the toughest I've seen...Bax and Zack themselves have strong energy...that of flame and light...and that man we saved...I dont know, he was in bad condition...
"Alright...what are you up to?"
Bax and Zack aren't here, i see...i cant feel their energy...
Lynx returned his focus to PH, and tightened his grip on his scythe...

[CursedDragoon]

Dragoon looked around him. A semi-large crowd had gathered. He did not want to kill in front of this many people in broad daylight. He lowered his sword. Still holding the guy by his neck, Dragoon spun and threw him across the street into a merchant stand. The stand imploded, sending pieces of wood and metal everywhere. Dragoon then picked up the gun lying on the ground. He walked across the street to the pile of debris. He kicked aside some planks, and found the man. Dragoon then took the machine gun, and fired. The sound of the gun could be heard from quite a distance. Dragoon had craved a outline of the man, but no bullets had hit him. "Next time, I wont be so nice."

Dragoon the fired one more shot, right into the mans thigh. The man screamed with pain, then passed out. Dragoon dropped the gun, and walked across the street. He sat down against a building, and closed his eyes.

[prodigi]

Prodigi, Bax and Zack decided to stay at a cheap inn, despite Zack's insistance to stay at a fancy hotel having earned the first pay check in his entire life. After checking out their room they then went out into the main bar area to get something to eat. By now Prodigi had learned to trust Zack and had really opened up to both Bax and Zack. After a couple of drinks Prodigi asked Zack if he could see the list of bounties.
"Sure," Zack replied cheerfully, handing Prodigi the thick stack, "Why do you wann'em anyway?"
"I... I have this skill in finding things, I just think about what it look like and suddenly I can see it... It's strange," Prodigi trailed off.
"It's true," Bax nodded, "He helped me find you."
"Ok," Zack nodded.
Prodigi began thumbing through the many bounties.
After awhile Zack stood up and stretched, "Man am i tired, i'm gonna go get acquainted with my pillow."
A short while after Zack had left Bax put his glass down and announced that he to was going to bed. Prodigi just nodded and continued thumbing through the stack. As he thumbed through the bar slowly emptied around him until he was the last one left. About 3/4 of the way through he stopped, staring at the picture. A picture of himself was staring straight back at him. The stats for the "bounty" were as follows.

Name - Cyrus Jackson AKA Prodigi
(So... Prodigi thought, I finally know my name...
Age - Unknown
Crime - Opposing the Senate for over 50 years
What the hell...? Prodigi thought, That means I'm over 50 years old... I don't look it...
Priority - Red
Worth - Due to recent events his worth has been raised, and different amounts are available for different conditions.
Dead - Three Million Gil
Alive - Ten Million Gil
Prodigi's eyes boggled. TEN MILLION GIL ALIVE?! He thought, THAT'S A LOTTA MONEY! He then heard a small voice whisper, It's pathetic, with the things you've done it should be at least fifty for dead.
He looked around for the source of the voice but couldn't see anyone. He looked back at his wanted picture.
That was then, he thought to himself after awhile, This is now... Even if I did do this... Stuff... I'm a different person now... Aren't I.
He sat silent for several minutes before suddenly he tore the picture out of the file and put it into the inside of his top. He stood slowly and went to join Bax and Zack to sleep.