“In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order”-Carl Jung.
Church of Omega, Science Division Headquarters
Shanghai, China
Particles radiated in hues of blues upon an illuminated platform in the east wing of the laboratory. Like a snowstorm they moved by absent wind in droves. Arcs of white-hot lightning snaked between said particles momentarily as several scientists in Hazmat suits gathered around the platform. Suddenly a singularity formed at its center and erupted a few meters in diameter, only to give rise to a black-clad warrior appearing at its core in sharp contrast. The Genshokage himself now standing like a monolith in its place. Yet not all was at it seemed.
Tenjin began to stagger towards the crewmen, clutching his chest. Ceiling mounted robotics racing towards him on rails and beginning to doff his armor.
Operator- Invasive Weapon Detected...
Biological threat imminent...
Running systems check...
Diagnostic incomplete...
Error...
Error...
His systems were going haywire, once glowing eyes now strobing and faded in brilliance. Katsuro’s legs were weak and unstable, lungs burning as if suffocating on molten lead.
Oxygen levels critically low...
Vacate host...
Struggling down the short hallway to the main facility, his shoulder scraping along the rounded wall dragging streaks of red in his wake. A faint black mist crackled randomly from his limbs, as if it a program failing to boot. Before long he found his way to a medical table and collapsed upon it in a heap of dying muscle. Katsuro, who did not know pain, now faced decades of it all at once. A weak hand clutched the protective suit of a scientist who assisted him in laying flat while another manually pulled the datajack from his forearm and plugged it into the Science Division interface.
Then, Yin entered without haste, finishing the last few noodles from a sizable ceramic bowl.
“Well” he spoke, mouth still half full. “Looks like we know who won that one.”
Tenjin couldn’t muster the strength to insult, nor thought of one.
“Emp...ty.” A broken word escaped from beyond his onyx metallic mandible.
“Don’t worry, we will fix you right...” before Yin could finish his sentence, the mandible was ejected several feet as a stream of blood splattered across the torso of the nearest scientist. As the scientist screamed and panicked, rushing off to decontamination, Yin fitted a respirator to his face and walked towards Tenjin, whose horrid face dripped in sweat.
“Prepare to initiate cryostasis.” His tone was quite serious, muffled slightly by the mask. Gazing upwards, looking at a variety of monitors littered with data. Two other scientists likewise analyzing the screens, Katsuro’s blood samples already taken off to various supercomputers and forensic research devices. Yin continued. “Your current host is beyond repair, but I need it to conduct a thorough investigation. You will be dead before I can untangle this mystery so you must abandon this host at once. We have another here; it meets all the requirements for transference.”
“Repl..li..ca..” Tenjin began to cough uncontrollably as the table autonomously shifted and continued towards a number of off-white capsules in an adjacent room. Numerous tubes, cables, and attachments descended down from above him.
“Your latest Replicant isn’t operational and time is of the essence, we cannot wait for your spirit to naturally manifest itself into another corpse. That could take weeks. Besides, the cybernetic enhancements will take additional time. This one is fully operational. You will back into the field almost immediately.”
“...Good.” Katsuro announced.
The scarlet optics of the Genshokage faded into nothingness, just as his body was laid into one of many cryonic capsules.
_______________________
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Science Division Headquarters
Medical Wing
A pod pressure released a clear door from its exterior, an eerie green fluid rushing out and flooding part of the dark room, spiraling down several drainage ports in the cold cement. A mass of flesh contorted on the floor, layered in the aforementioned fluid which clung to the skin firmly with a thick viscosity. The contortions slowly turned into a slow crawl, gathering strength. Breathes, long-awaited, drew deeply and quickly in response. Pale legs stretched and pulled the form upright, using the edge of the pod to lift up and maintain balance. The gait was sluggish at first, making its way to a showerhead built into the wall, but steadily locomotion improved with every step. A sensor was tripped when it moved past, alerting not only the shower to pour a strong blast of chemically enhanced water but the scientists outside.
One of the bioengineers, concerned with filing reports, muttered. “She’s awake. I’ll notify Mastermind.”
_______________________
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Science Division Headquarters
Main Wing
A woman, pallid as a specter, entered the room via a set of hydraulic double doors. Her medium length hair shifted in neon hues of violet, cyan and cerulean. Bright yellow irises reflected on matte black sclera. Surface wiring and dermal nodes adorned her muscular yet lithe frame. A feline gait brought her into the vicinity of a blood-covered table, her eyes narrowing, a faint frown but intense focus. Scanning the path in which the body of Katsuro was taken, cybernetics filtering electromagnetic fields and isolating items of importance with halo-like rings in her HUD display.
Operator. Activating Shroud Systems Test.
Biological functions/// passed inspection.
All features synchronized.
Cyberoptics/// passed inspection.
Full access.
Auto calibration enabled.
Spatial optimization enabled.
Integrated Targeting online.
Cleared for Maximum Efficiency.
Tenjin rotated her hand in front of her face, witnessing code stream downwards in her left field of vision. Almost mesmerized. Captivated by the dim artificial light that struck her limb, colors enhanced by bioorganic photoreceptors.
“A number of improvements, Doctor.”
Yin Wei concurred nonverbally before expanding. “Everything is state of the art. Your standard equipment was severely outdated. I took it upon myself to update across the board.”
“I suppose I grew too comfortable with that technology.” The Corpse Merchant mused. Then continuing. “During the attack, I was cut off from the Shadow Realm completely but within the next few hours I will manifest that connection again.” She spoke with a voice full of venom. “In time, all of this one’s memories will be gone. For the moment, however, we continue to haunt one another. It is a nuisance I have avoided for forty-some years.”
Yin smirked. “You were attached to that one.” His eyes gazing at the form in the cryostasis just in view.
“That was my identity, my sole oculus for some time. But, I have felt that before dozens of times in the past, through the ages. When the other replicant is finished I will return to that imprint.”
Yin nodded as the two made their way towards the stasis capsule, looking into it as ice frosted slowly over the glass. The Fatal Phantom pressed her fingers against the glass, just she had when she occupied the body of Katsuro before marching to the Botanical Gardens of Gothic. She felt only banality. Nothing more than looking into an old photograph just vague memories even if the transference was moments ago.
“How did you kill him?” Yin questioned, motioning towards the capsule with a head jerk.
“In the late 70s, he was my student in the art of Messatsukumo No Kinjite Ninjutsu, he had an unnatural talent. Katsuro was a tortured soul, perfect for the Dark Metacortex. Thus, I desired his imprint and before he finished his training, I killed him in a Game of Death.”
The Mastermind chuckled. “So, the student becomes the master after all.”
The Grim Ghost exhaled through her noise; eyebrows raised. Coldy “The mother.”
Before the Hand of Death could respond, she changed the subject. “My cybernetics alerted me of an invasive attack, it could be nanites or some bioweapon. I anticipate you already presumed this and plan on weaponizing your findings.”
Yin smiled in confirmation. "We will use this opportunity to advance the cause, we have found a scapegoat in ourBoogeyman. That will be our retaliation.” His sinister eyes gleamed with thoughts of an unknown travesty.
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