Operation: Phoenix, Turning Point Battle, Part 14 by CyberPyro (cybrpyro@iac.net) I stood looking at my evil half, the wind and snow swirling about us on the blasted top floor turned platform of the 801 Grand Building. My eyes locked with his bright, clear blue ones. My vision, attention, psyche, and mind narrowed until only one thing remained: my evil. The noise of a raging battle failed to draw the slightest of notice as we reviewed each other. His frame was identical to mine: 6'4", large, and well proportioned. Judging by how his uniform, though different from mine, hung on his body, we were equally matched in physical strength and agility. No physical advantages. His uniform, drastically different from the white TRES Admiral's field dress, was made of dark purple, almost maroon, wool and cotton. Magenta and bright Mauve provided striking highlights on the uniform, marking some kind of rank insignia. His weapons looked identical to mine: old style Claymoor forged from Jihaddium, twin knives on the side of his hips, daggers in each boot. On the buckle of his black leather belt set an ornate skull. A similar skull adorned his right ear while a stylized b'harnii head pierced his left ear. # music: Happiness in Slavery, Nine Inch Nails, Broken "So, why?" I asked, our hands flexing slowly at our sides. "So, why not?" asked my evil half with my voice; rather unnerving. "That's not answering the question." "Barney is good. He loves children when no one else will. He cares for them and teaches them good things about the world." "Love is a human emotion. b'harnii is not human. Therefore, he cannot love those he promises to care for." "But you and I _have_ loved before. Explains that one to me, my fellow non-human." "..." I started, this personal reference catching me completely off guard. A second start faltered, much to my evil half's amusement. Another try and, "I've been here so long I've come to understand the human's emotions, experience them, and even have them." "Then how is it not possible for Barney to love children?" "I know he does not love. I've seen the results from those who refused to accept its luv: Death. Devastation. The killing of innocent people who object to it." "But who did the killing" asked my evil half, truly confounding me in this exchange. "Mostly his minions. Occasionally b'harnii would kill something himself." "Could it be that your problem is with Barney's minions and not my benevolent Lord?" "I don't know. I..." "Join me! Help me serve Barney!" "NO! I'll not help the plush demon!" "The violence will stop. The endless pain of conflict will stop. You can get .." "What?" "...a great of deal of love and caring from my Benevolent Lord." "Bullshit. That's not what you meant to say." "That's what I meant. You _will_ be happy with Barney. You will have ... a home with him." "Home? I've never had one..." I echoed, the pain of the centuries coming back full force. Wandering endlessly, alone, without a place to call home. It seemed so simple. So easy. So plausible. So desirable. "Yes ... you want it. Join Barney's Holy Jihad with me. Help us fight for peace. Help us make the universe a loving place. You _will_ have a home with us." "I'm ... very .. tempted," I said as my hands dropped from their positions near my blades. "Good. Join us," said my evil half, a slight smile curling the edges of hiss mouth. "Wait a second. You said 'You can get...' Get what? What was it that I could get besides a home?" "Nothing else," said he evil half, slight surprise moving the skin around his eyes, "that's what I meant: a home." "Bullshit," I said, my hands flexing near my blade hilts again, "Don't even try to lie to me; I know when I'm lying." "DAMN YOU!" yelled the evil one as his Claymoor screamed from its scabbard. His downwards swing met my upwards parry, neatly ended his attack in ringing Jihaddium blades. My blade slid sideways, coming back in a tight arc, only to meet his blade. A broad swipe of my enemy's sword went wide, mine as well, the tactics known by heart. "What *IS* it?!?" I demanded between clangs, scrapes, and ringing of blades. "REVENGE!!" snarled b'harnii's Jihaddi, his attacks becoming more and more vicious. "Revenge?" I asked while regaining my ground. "Why?" "Humans are pitiful, weak creatures," he growled, making an attempt to open my abdomen with a tight, whistling arc only to have it cut through air. "Their cheap emotions are their greatest weakness." "You didn't *clang* answer *clang* the question!" "I did. I hate them for their weakness." He locked swords with me, slipped a hand from his hilt, and grabbed a blade. "That's not reason for revenge," I observed, his knife brushing the stubble on my face, as a kick missed his knee. "It is." "es ist wegen Marcus, nicht war?" I asked in the Olde German dialect of the region. [Translation -- "It's because of Marcus, isn't it?"] "*DON'T* speak that language!" he screamed, attacking with ferocious intensity. Our swords rang, mine notched. "Then it is the reason," I demanded between parry, attack, counter- attack, feign, and counter-feign. "You don't hate humanity?" he bit off in reply, gaining ground on me. "No, I don't." "Ich nehme an, daB Sie die Pflastersteine auf den Berliner StraBen gerne leiden mo"gen?" [Translation -- "And I suppose the cobbled treats of Berlin hold many fond memories for you?"] "*Gaaak*" I spluttered, enraged at his reference to something best forgotten. My guard faltered for a split second, but that was all he needed. My enemy's sword locked under mine and twisted sharply outwards, wrenching the blade from my hands. His Claymoor raised above our heads, preparing for a deadly descent. "*oooff*" he moaned, my fist slamming into his solar plexus, taking his breath away. My elbow slammed hard into his jaw, knocking him off balance, a rivulet of blood running from the corner of his mouth. I held out my hand, the tip of my sword pointing towards his back from where it lay on the floor. He made to swing, but twisted sharply away, my sword slicing only fabric as it flew past him back into my hands. My blade hissed, traveling in high over-head arc towards his skull. Our swords rang out again, this time with him on the defensive. ... #music Shore Lined Poison, Skinny Puppy, Too Dark Park "So why do fight for the Hell Wyrm?" I demanded between attacks and counterattacks. "I already told you." "You said 'REVENGE.' That's your reason, so explain it." "Don't you already know?" "No." "So you've forgiven the humans, eh? All of their cruelty over the centuries. Just washed away." "Forgiven, but not forgotten," I said, hatred and anger welling up anew in me. "They're not worthy of forgiveness. Only misery and death." "Why? It's because of Marcus, isn't it?" "NO!" he screamed, his attacks coming with renewed fury. "When he died, you gave in didn't you?" "DIE!" he howled, attacking me with a fury I wasn't sure _I_ could produce. "So tell me," I said, shoving him back several feet to break the attack sequence, "why b'harnii? why'd you side with him?" "Humans have proven to be nothing but worthy of being killed," he bit off. "I learned a long time ago humans were out to make you miserable, kill you for being different. To try and take everything away because they have nothing of their own." "b'harnii," I insisted, circling him as the mental debate raged in him, the sides warring between confession and combat. "Because," he faulted, unsure of himself, "because b'harnii seeks the death of humanity's mind. I want them dead, but making them mindless animals incapable of hurting _anything_ is acceptable. They can be killed off at my leisure in such a state." "So b'harnii is just a convenience to you?" "Of course, do you think I really care what it does? It serves my purposes and I serve it." ... #music: Hurt, Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral "This is getting me nowhere," we both said at the same time. Both our uniforms clung to our sweat-drenched bodies, steam rising from minor tears and cuts in the fabric acquired through combat. We circled each other, waiting for the next attack. The world exploded, blinding flashes of light, bursts of sound across the spectrum, and psionic blasts forcing me to stagger backward. I raised my sword instinctively, his sword colliding with mine. Bright pain tore across my chest as my eyes began to clear. A long line of red blossomed on my evil half's exposed side. We charged at the same time, our swords locking between us as we matched strengths. We danced back and forth, our blades screeching, as the edge of the 801 Grand approached. "Ha!" he yelled in triumph, my blade flying from my hands. His attack missed completely as I hit the ground, wrapped my lower legs around his left one and twisted outwards. The evil doppleganger toppled over the edge, his sword sailing out into empty air, as he twisted desperately trying to grab something. He failed. "Well, chalk that one up to roadkill," I said. "Now ... *AIIIHHHH!*" "You're not getting rid of me /that/ easily," sneered my evil half as he used my left ankle as a grip to pull himself back onto the platform. "Watch me," I said, sitting down rapidly on the floor, my free foot impacting sharply on the side of his head. His rocked back, blood falling freely on his shoulders from where a large patch of skin had ripped away from his skull. "*arrrrgggh*" I yelped, his grip clamping down on my ankle, intent on crushing it into powder. His nose collapsed with a wet *pluffttt* noise, my boot heel inflicting heavy damage. The grip loosened on my ankle, as my lower legs twisted his forearm between them. A dry cracking noise, the ripping of flesh, and a scream of agony later, my evil half plummeted towards the cement and asphalt below, his forearm broken in multiple places. "Good riddance," I said, limping across the platform. "I wonder how everyone else is *GAUK!!!*" A form rose out of the platform, drew a knife, and plunged it into my stomach, lifting me off my feet. "Hi sweety," said b'harnii's Jihaddi, kissing me on the lips as he twisted the knife. "It'll be a pleasure watching you die." My right hand lashed out, fingers getting a grip on his ear as my thumb hooked under his lip and pulled sharply upwards. Blood washed over his chin and chest, the tender connective tissue between facial muscles and gums ripped asunder. The blade slid from my stomach, blood spurting out with it, as my evil half tried to pull back, raw instinct temporarily over-riding training. My thumb slipped past his lip and quickly came to rest of bright, clear blue eye. A quiet popping noise and the miracle of sight gushed across the back of my hand and wrist. b'harnii's Jihaddi bellowed in unparalleled agony, thrashing about like a mad animal, any semblance of a willingness to fight gone from him. My thumb dug into his eye socket, securing a grip, as I wrenched my arm inwards. His thrashings came to an abrupt end, the dagger he stabbed me with piercing his neck at the base. I pulled sharply upwards, wedging the blade between skull and jaw bone. "By the way," I sneered as hot blood splashed over my uniform, "love you too." With an unrivaled sense of disgust I threw the corpse away, not even caring where it landed. "I really hate this job sometimes," I muttered to myself as I limped across towards the where the Empress and Grimace stood. Scalding air rushed past me, instantly drying the blood on my uniform. [author's note: Here is where I start writing in 3rd person, as it would make little to no sense to the read in first person, though I'd understand it. But, hey, you're not me and reading this because you want to follow the story, right?] # music: Burning Inside, Ministry, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste CyberPyro turned around, facing an enigma and ... home? Where the corpse of his evil double had lain rose an amphorous mass of roiling fire, strands of lights coiling about the flames, and "sheets" of distortion rippling through the whole, making it change form, intensity and color. "Oh ssshhhhh..." [Now you die] seared the thoughts of his enemy. "Heard that be..." started CP as a torrent of fire lashed out from the mass in front of him. The sheet of fire struck his right elbow, cleanly burning through flesh and bone. [Thought I was joking?] chided b'harnii's Jihaddi as the good CP fell to one knee, howling in agony, holding his cauterized stump. CP snapped backwards, a fire bolt tearing open the left side of his chest and incinerating the exposed flesh. [Beg for mercy] demanded the evil one, roiling forwards as the other struggled to regain some semblance of a stance. "Like hell..." [Serve Barney and I'll let you live.] "Right, I won.." [Fine] snapped the other, fire shredding the supporting leg of his kneeling opponent. The fiery mass surged forwards, quickly enveloping his crippled foe. CP screamed in agony, the fires burning away his flesh with ruthless efficiency. His body reduced to a thinning shadow amid the flames, his voice gone, and then crumpled to the floor. ... "YYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!" yelled the Hell Wyrm, jumping up and down, nearly frothing at the mouth. Grimace nodded sadly, closing his eyes for a brief moment. ... The roiling entity struck at the ashes of his enemy, intent on scattering them about the platform. The blow never landed, a roaring column of flame shoving the victor out of the area. [I was attached to that body] thought Grimace's Jihaddi. [Ditto, fuckhead] snapped back b'harnii's minion. The two entities collided, their forms intertwining as combat carried them skywards. The two beings fought, fire, coils of light, and sheets of distortion whipping back and forth as icicles from the 801 Grand and surrounding buildings melted and fell to the sidewalks below. Their combat grew in intensity, steam rising from rooftops they passed over. A low rumble rattled windows of downtown Des Moines. The two entities jerked sharply to the northeast, their descent path pointing to the Bell Telephone radio tower. Lightbulbs exploded with force of M100s, the air temperature changing radically as fire roiled about the entire structure. The red and white paint of the metal skeleton sparked and caught fire, counterpointing the flash- ignitions of the roof tar, and explosions of air-conditioning units. The combat continued, the fires causing sections of the roof to cave in, setting ablaze the offices below. The radio tower, quickly softened from the temperature as the beings fought in and around it, began to sway back and forth, as though keeping score in the fight. A violent tremor ran through the radio tower, tearing apart its half molten metal. One of the entities retreated, its mass streaking away from the blazing tower. The other, clearly with some advantage now, chased after the other. They collided again, momentum carrying them towards the 801 Grand again. Glass exploded outwards and rained down into the streets, as the two enemies plowed into middle section of the building. Light flickered in the windows, some shattering, as the fight showed no sign of ending. Fire alarms sounds, only to be melted into silence moments later. Then, the noise stopped. Silence held the world for a handful of seconds, then chaos seized control. Four floors of windows on the south side of the building liquefied and sprayed outwards, super heated air carbonizing everything on the floors and carrying the ashes outwards into the streets. ... "What was that?!" squealed b'hab'hii b'hopp as the underneath her shook slightly. "One of the CyberPyro's just bit it," said a hopeful b'harnii. [Their combat is complete] said the Empress, her spell to keep the fire from spreading complete. "And?!?" interrupted the Hell Wyrm, jumping up and down. [The victory goes to Grimace.] ... Three X'hirjq, each clad in brilliant red, blue, and yellow robes, respectively, walked into the blasted remains of the 14th floor. They looked around them, noting how steel beams had melted, twisting like taffy on their fall. Piles of carbon, smoldering debris, and semi-molten materials lay about the blackened, gaping hole that used to be four southern floors of this structure. [Where is he] started the red robed X'hirjq. [In all this debris?] continued the blue robed one. [He did not perish] finished the yellow robed one. The trio spotted a place where the fires still burned despite a lack of fuel exhausted. [Greetings, Jihaddi Warrior. We..] [Are honored to speak to one. Who has...] [Succeeded in the Challenge of X'hiouluq'x.] "What are you talking about?" asked a small roiling mass of fire, known as CyberPyro to Jihad comrades. [That will be explained, but] [The choice is before you now:] [Will you remain here with the humans] [or leave? The body you inhabited] [has been destroyed. You may leave and look for the others] [of your race, or remain here with the humans.] [What is your choice?] asked the three X'hirjq in unison. "Is the mauve monstrosity dead?" [No] "Then I shall remain here," spoke the fire, it's flame disappearing, the light and distortion evaporating. An amorphous black form, the meager light dancing about its surface, began to solidify and assume a humanoid shape. [We are curios: why?] asked the trio in unison, the form resembling a crude human being now. It shifted, reformed, stretched, and finally resembled the Jihaddi CyberPyro. "I cannot leave until the abomination known as b'harnii is dead. It seeks to destroy the minds of this race's innocents. "I've come to understand through interactions with humans what it means to be a human, to be alive. b'harnii seeks to castrate humanity's mind, to render them dumb animals under its control, to strip away their souls. "I cannot ignore this threat, nor can I forget the gifts humans have given me. I shall remain here." CP Copyright, Pyrokinetic Productions, Inc. (1996)