Episode 45: Plan To Eradicate the Bakugan

[Noland Hardy]

The only brawlers who were consciously aware of their surroundings following the BT System fallout were Markus, Maria, and Vince. Whatever happened to Vince was unknown at the current time, but what was clear was that Markus and Maria were barely conscious following whatever happened over there with Noland and Drago apparently sacrificing themselves to save everyone else...

Kyuki was visibly shaken by this force as well. Seeing as he was already badly damaged and in a dire situation from what just occurred there, had a decision to make...

[Prof.Dr.Kyuki]

"Another interference...? Wonderful." Kyuki says after witnessing the sudden chaos that happened just a few moments ago. It was not something he would expect to jump out of nowhere to mess up his plan of obtaining the princess, but that just seems to be his luck recently- whatever he does there seems to be someone or something to interrupt it. In this state he will have no chance if Zero Hydranoid decides to transform and use anything past her 'first maximum' of 50%- he currently does not wield any weapons that can fight against that kind of power. It counts 10 minutes until the Triad is summoned- approximately 10. It would be better to focus on that for now. "You have devil's luck, princess." He says again. "Be aware that it will run out sooner or later." 

Doctor takes a small device out of his left lab coat pocket and throws it on the ground. It looks like a shiny green triangle- it is a one-way teleporter. One of his inventions that masks and cuts off teleportation lines so no one can use it or track it towards its direction. "We'll see each other again. I promise to polish the new knives just for you." He says to Admiral and then steps with his right foot onto the triangle. In a few seconds his body begins to fade until it is completely gone and triangle explodes without one single piece of it left.

"This is the fifth time you survived..." He thinks in his head as he teleports towards his lab in Italy. There lies one of his invented chemicals that will prepare him for the monsters incoming. Then he will teleport to Sahara once he has been boosted.

[Maria Zenovia]

Fallout that just happened shook both Maria and Markus.

There is no clue of what it could have been, but it saved them time of having to chase Kyuki off by themselves. Old coward just found another excuse to get away from the battlefield- sooner or later there will be swarms of his atrocities everywhere to do his dirty work while he hides in his laboratories and tears people apart with his tools. Maria begins to think he has not been beaten all these years not because he is insanely overpowered, but because he is always hiding- Asuka would have skinned him and made a carpet of his body. What frustrates her is that he escaped again- which time is it now? She cannot even remember... She makes slow claps with her hands. "Such courage. Much wow." She says sarcastically, referring to a meme. "If I had a cent for every time he escaped I wouldn't need this job in the first place." Maria says in a silent sarcastic tone and then turns towards Markus with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Thank you, again, Resistor. I swear on my life I will not forget your help." She promises and she usually fulfills her promises so if Markus does not get a free upgrade of some sort it will be a shocker. "I just wonder what the hell that was... something happened with the BT System..." Maria says in a bit anxious and worried tone.

"Oh by the way... I have overheard you have been absent for a while. Is there a problem? I would be happy to aid in any way and repay my debt to you." She asks Markus. It seems Maria is in an awfully good mood considering everything that has happened. Probably because BT System shit does not seem to be going on anymore and they still seem to be alive. But there is still a bit of concern in her tone. She is also a bit concerned with Markus considering the recent events with Roxy and then all this chaos with BT System- he still must be struggling with his emotions after that. Not that Maria can help him with that- she could give him some of Aurum Nectar, but that'd be illegal.

[Markus Hederick]

Gargulion was still trying to get his bearings in order from whoever caused that enormous power to flow out and literally truck everything. He never felt anything like that before. It was extraordinary.

"Whoever was responsible for that may have just saved us all," Gargulion guessed, unaware that he was correct with his assumption. Did he know what happened to the beings who stopped it though? He probably didn't want to know...

As for Markus, Maria's question brought back a situation he didn't want to remember. He does distinctly remember that Daniel was not in any trouble, and he was apart of the Silver Knights as an assassin of sorts. Perhaps Markus could follow in the same direction, provided that he isn't lucky and Eden tried to hunt him down. Then again, what are the odds of that happening? He committed a crime against Eden from a legal standpoint. Who are the Silver Knights to interfere with their affairs?

"Thanks for the thought, but..." Markus' voice trailed off when he said that, because he didn't believe she could be of any help in this particular situation. "It's...I really don't know if I should be telling you this, but I did some...horrible things lately..."

[Victoria Nelson]

As young Resistor and Admiral of Silver Knights have a conversation in the post-apocalyptic streets ruined by both Kyuki and Dasia with a little strawberry on the top from terrorists, something like a gunshot is heard from the distance, but very silently. Resistor and Admiral probably could not have heard it, but their two Bakugans should have heard it. Gunshots repeat exactly five times and their sound is quite distinct- it is not a regular everyday's gun. Suddenly, a Bakugan of some kind walks outside of an abandoned building- not a regular Bakugan. It is one of Kyuki's atrocities- it looks like a dog. Thin as skeleton and deformed face. Another two atrocities follow it- one looks like a dog whose fur is made of crystals (as if it was some sort of hedgehog) and then one seems to be a cyborg wolf. All three appear to be canine creatures- these poor things must have been someone's Bakugans, but that someone did not get so lucky to keep them and they got into Kyuki's hands. Three atrocities begin to close in towards the Resistor and Admiral. As they reach the distance of about 30 meters another silent gunshot is heard and before you know it- head of the first canine that emerged from the building got blown into bits like a balloon filled with meat. This sudden attack distracts two other canines who look around them, but before they can realize the cyborg one's head meets the same fate as of the first canine. Third one begins to run back into the building in panic- who knew Kyuki's atrocities had emotion of fear in the first place? Maybe this mess with BT System influenced them somehow. Before the canine can run into the building third shot is heard and canine's head got splattered over the floor. A brief moment of silence follows with Resistor and Admiral and then they hear footsteps very close near them. What could have sneaked up behind them without any of them or their Bakugans noticing?

"Look at you. Still drawing breath, I see." Strict female voice says.

Once duo realizes this presence they turn around and see a woman standing behind them. She wears an odd uniform that, at first glance, does not remind of any legal or terrorist organization, but by looking closer Eden emblems can be seen on her chest pocket. Why are you staring at her chest anyway? Perverts. Should be ashamed of yourselves. Anyway, her hair has light-blue color... not something you see every day. Woman's name is Victoria Nelson- she is one of Eden's Seven Angels. To be more specific, Angel of Death. One of three Angels that were not sent after the cult and ordered to clean up the city from all remaining atrocities. The gun that Bakugans could hear earlier- it is a sniper of her Bakugan, Tracker. That is why heads of those canines got blown-off. That thing must have very good aim. "He is another one of your dedicated fans?" Victoria asks as she looks at Markus. By 'fans' she means 'people who like to daydream about doing inappropriate stuff to Maria and made a fanclub of it'. And by 'inappropriate stuff' it means... nevermind. By the way woman talks she apparently knows Maria as she does not care for a formal conversation with her.

[Markus Hederick]

Gargulion didn't pay that much attention to the silenced sniper rounds being fired off, mainly because he noticed that the shots never went across Markus or Maria. He also felt them hitting their mark. These successful snipe attempts were noticed by Gargulion for the simple fact that his hearing was forced to improve in order to keep himself and Markus safe from whatever goon tried to go after him, especially the usual suspects in the general public who seem to think running people over with Tuskor is funny. There were a lot of those near Princeton...

It was a shame those canines had to get sniped. Gargulion planned to surprise them from an attack while his back was supposedly turned. Oh well...

"Sniper, huh? Nice," Gargulion complimented. That type of weapon did fit with his style. It was natural that he was pleased to see someone else using it too.

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'fan,' but if it means ally, then sure," Markus said, going along with the conversation. "I'm guessing you two know each other...?"

[Maria Zenovia]

It was an unexpected sight for Maria to see her, of all Angels.

Also, seeing her is a thorn in the eye for Maria and her pride. Many compare Maria to Victoria- they claim two women are much alike in appearance, attitude and behavior and that they are like a same person in two different bodies. While it is known Victoria does not mind being compared to the Admiral it is not the mutual feeling. Maria knows that her 'twin' is a lot different than her despite what people claim- she is a ruthless and merciless brawler, always cold and unpredictable and does not seem to have a soft side like Maria, openly shows her disgust towards anyone or anything she does not like and it is rare to see her show any warmth to anyone (even fellow Angels). Exception to this might be Shabelle who Victoria finds quite innocent and fragile and aims to make her an even better healer and fighter. And there is one more fact about her- one that is unique to her and only her...

"...*sigh*... Let me introduce you. This is Markus Hederick, member of Resistors. I think you know who Resistors are. And this is Victoria Nelson- one of Seven Angels; more specifically, Angel of Death. And most importantly... the only person in history of Eden and Silver Knights to belong to both organizations at the same time..." Maria introduces the two and then explains Victoria's situation. As mentioned, she is a member of both organizations. It is a long story to tell- maybe on some other occasion. 

"You could say we know each other... people claim we are the same person in two different bodies, so I guessed I should get to know her better. Without all that monstrous attitude she is quite nice. There are rumors that she is Asuka's ex- as well." Maria explains and from her tone it should be clear to Markus that she is not very fond of Victoria. In the first paragraph it should be well-explained why. Two women have never argued or had any problems with each other, but they do not go well along either. It is surprising considering they have so many similarities in behavior.

[Victoria Nelson]

"Not a bad review." Victoria sarcastically commends Maria's explanations. Even though mentioning that rumor about Victoria and Asuka seems rude to her she chose to ignore it. She does not have any grudge over Maria- she is well-aware of how people compare them, but it is just her thing that she does not care at all. Maria finds her to be way too strict and cold which is fine since Victoria aims to look that way and, on the contrary, she does not have a specific dislike towards Maria for their differences. Maria's thing is just that she does not like people who are too cold or merciless and that is completely normal for most 'weak' individuals. "I am glad someone recognizes me as you do, princess." She sarcastically says knowing that Maria sees her as something close to a monster.

"I am aware of kid's identity tho. That is why I am here- to have a little talk with him." Victoria claims referring to Markus. Calling him 'kid' might not be the most-accurate thing since they are probably not that different in terms of age. Maybe it is just her thing.

As she finishes talking a few more shots can be heard from the distance. It is Tracker- he is making sure streets are clear so that these three can have an uninterrupted conversation. Would be bad if something important was interrupted by one of those disgusting creatures. Once this is finished he should be exploring the ruined part of Washington for more atrocities and kill all of them before they move to populated areas of the city. Now that would be a disaster. Surprising how one Bakugan who does not even need to show himself can stand against an entire army of enemies by just doing headshots and not revealing his position.

[Maria Zenovia]

As soon as Victoria said she would talk with Markus a thought of suspicion came to Maria. Why would a member of Seven Angels come there just to talk with one Resistor? Did something important happen while she was 'absent' and she missed it? Because, from what she recalls, Seven Angels do not really go out and have friendly meetings with other groups. Unlike Mighty 5 they are quite a rare sight on big events, so them even knowing Resistors would be surprising. So what would one, possibly the deadliest, Angel want to talk about with Markus? With all this chaos going on lots of things cross Maria's mind- she concludes that whatever this talk is about is definitely not something good, happy and positive. Lately, nothing good seems to be happening anyway so it will not be a surprise if it is some other tragedy. 

"May I ask what business Angel has with a Resistor?" Maria questions.

Even though Maria and Markus know each other for only a short period of time and have not had any serious conversations or friendly exchanges of words Maria does worry about him. She is just that kind of person- might appear cold and cruel at times but is really open and warm towards her allies. Admiral Amagi was against making her an Admiral because her emotions towards those who suffer can often be seen while Amagi himself, along with Asuka, learned how not to show his emotions even when a family member is involved. Now that Markus helped her so much she would feel obliged to return the favor in any way she can if it could solve whatever his problem is.

[Markus Hederick]

There were a couple of different reactions from Markus when he heard about who Victoria was. First and foremost, she probably had to deal with the stress of being in both organizations at the same time. Second, her and Maria are not that fond of each other, and that's probably just being nice, depending on if they're putting up a facade because Markus is there. Third, she's a member of Eden... Uh oh.

"Right. You're here about that 'situation,' aren't you?" Markus guessed. He didn't do anything else that would warrant an Angel's attention. It had to be his cold and ruthless behavior in their HQ.

Judging by Maria's reaction towards her, Victoria would probably like that...

"Okay then. I'm listening." Markus appeared to be more open about talking with her than expected. What was someone with a "monstrous" attitude going to say to him? He was curious to find out.

[Victoria Nelson]

"Correct." Victoria confirms. Being a person who Eden sends when someone needs to be spied on, assassinated or executed she is usually the first one to know of events such as the one that happened at Eden with Markus some time ago. Being who she is one could immediately assume she came her to execute Markus for what he did at Eden's Headquarters. Among traitors inside Eden he executed there were several clueless assistants and doctors who were not involved- they were simply doing their jobs as usual and had no idea head scientist of their department put Tank Stryker's blood into vaccines for Markus's family. Among those assistants was Andrea Wolfang, one of several candidate for future healer among Angels, Lydia's good friend and colleague and Alex's girlfriend. Victoria remembered exact words from Andrea's Bakugan, Snow, at how this Resistor justified his deeds- claiming that even assistants were at fault because they should have known what was inside vaccines. Considering it was a conspiracy done by head scientist of that department there was no way they could have known. However, if Victoria came here to execute Markus she could have easily taken advantage of three canines distracting Gargulion and Hydranoid and taken him out with a headshot. But- she didn't. 

Little that he knew Eden resorted to methods of revival that bypassed revival prevention done by Gargulion. And this affected the punishment they intended to do on Markus.

"All the ones you killed have been revived recently for interrogation. Eden refuses to let them die until information on other potential conspiracies inside the organization have been revealed." Victoria explains knowing that this Resistor will probably not take it so well that those who hurt his family were simply revived as if nothing has happened in the first place. 

"Perhaps you are not aware yet, but among the ones you have killed in your blind rage were innocents who had nothing to do with conspiracy. Being part of the targeted department they became part of the conspiracy by default- not by any deeds or possessing knowledge of it. Whoever gave you information on their identities bears half responsibility as they gave you names of entire department- including people not involved." Victoria informs. And when she says 'whoever' does that not mean she does not know who. She is more than aware who told Markus names of all the scientists- guilty ones were supposed to be interrogated and by killing them Markus blocked a possible way of Eden obtaining information on other conspiracies. Luckily for him, everyone was revived and innocent scientists are not pressing charges. Why? Because someone was nice enough to 'flash' them and erase her memories of anything they had seen and any pain they have witnessed. Being alive again, Markus cannot be hunted down for their death, but is partially responsible... Another reason why Eden is not going full-assault on him should be obvious.

"However, Eden has stopped chasing you. Not entirely, but your life is not in danger. And innocents were deprived of their memory of you- they will press no charges." These news are definitely unexpected. Markus killed a bunch of people important for the organization and Eden just decided to silence all of that. Either he has some rich uncle among Eden members or who knows what other hell is going on that they came up with this decision. Victoria does not continue saying anything allowing Markus to process all of that information and awaiting for his questions. Considering it is an important mission she did not put on her 'monster' mask, but she might sooner or later.

[Markus Hederick]

"'Blind' rage? Really?" Gargulion scoffed, shaking his head in pure disgust for what this Angel just said. "I suppose those idiots we killed weren't blind?"

Markus raised his hand towards Gargulion, gesturing for him to cut back...just for a couple of seconds. Markus closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and got a little bit angry. He was not happy about those people getting revived. He was absolutely livid. 

"But did you hear what she just said though? This lady would have sniped us if those people weren't revived," Gargulion correctly predicted. Victoria specifically mentioned that Eden STOPPED CHASING HIM, then cut to the part where they're not doing it as aggressively and that they no longer had a target on their heads meant for bullets.

"I heard what she said. We'll get to that in a moment..." Markus dismissed...for now. "So let me make sure I understand this correctly, Ms. Nelson, because now your organization has me confused. Are you telling me that the deaths of my parents and my sister are being taken seriously AFTER I wiped out a majority of that pathetic department, and not BEFORE I had a chance to get up in there?"

Markus was awaiting an honest answer from Victoria on this one. His patience had run thin. If she refused or answered in a way that attempts to redirect accountability, then it will mean that his actions were warranted, and that Eden deserves anything negative that comes to them in the future, whether it be financial or on a lethal scale. 

[Victoria Nelson]

There were several reasons on why Eden took their time before taking actions against the scientists who committed those awful crimes. One thing was that in decades and decades no crimes in Eden were ever recorded- Silver Knights had many cases of disgusting betrayal such as this one; leader of Chrono Elite used to be a Silver Knight and so was doctor Kyuki. However, Eden was working hard to live up to their name of 'justice fighters' by always keeping everything tidy and in check for potential illegalities inside the organization- they all were shocked to learn that someone would even think to do something like those scientists. "Organization was confused in the beginning. Surprised, to be more accurate. Man who led this 'operation' and the head scientist of that apartment worked for Eden for decades- he has been an inspiration to the entire organization." Victoria explains. She was surprised to learn this as well- maybe it would be more accurate altogether to say 'shocked' and 'disgusted'. "Once that happened everyone's first assumption was- terrorists or Hurranians. No one even thought it would be him and his corrupted colleagues. I believe Silver Knights can relate... Kyuki did the same." She explains after recalling that it is a very similar case of betrayal as with Kyuki. He was an inspiration to people- even Admiral Asuka Izumo herself was motivated to follow him wherever he'd go and by whatever he would do- no one expected that he, of all people, would do something like this. 

"So Eden made a stupid mistake..." Victoria continues. "...they kept investigating everything else except the department who would, naturally, be first suspects- because of those scientists' 'just' reputation no one even bothered to put them in a cage... Eh, fools..." She says.

"This man was nothing less intelligent than Kyuki. It is not a bad thing he was killed back there- world does not need 2 mad scientists running around and killing everybody." 

It was shocking for the entire organization to learn it was the person they expected the least. This scientist was representation of justice, he saved many lives, he helped many in the war zones, he was a genius and gave motivation to the crowds- the fact that he killed those people so easily is something that should make everyone just stop and think. Why would such person so easily turn into a murderer? He was not infected or chipped... "Once he was revived for interrogation I believe his argument was: 'there was no hope for them anyway; we planned to use them as biological weapons against Kyuki'... Says the man who was seen as god among men for decades." Victoria said everything she knows on that part of the topic. Eden took this seriously from the start, but it was just too bad and too shocking that they decided to double-check when evidence pointed towards the scientists. And that gave those time to escape. Shows how disgusting this entire world is- whatever good there is in it, it eventually turns into sheer ugliness. "In a way- Eden considers you have done them great service by getting rid of them before they could act again." She concludes. If he did not do what he did then this world might be facing yet another 'Kyuki'. As if one was not enough already. At this point Victoria stops since it seems to be enough information for now. 

[Markus Hederick]

There it was. That was the answer Markus was looking for, an explanation as to why Markus was able to get to those scientists first before Eden addressed the situation.

Still...honesty wasn't enough. While Victoria managed to appease him just a bit with that revelation, there was still a problem, a very BIG problem that simply could not be excused under any circumstance.

"I'm happy that you told me that..." Markus sincerely told her. "There was a price to pay for that, you know... I'm not saying that to gloat about what I did or anything of the sort. I would have been content with them letting them die by Hurranian infection if there was nothing they could do. I would've been okay with that. It would have still hurt me, but I wouldn't have been angry at Tracy or anyone from Eden, as I know they only did what they could."

"But who in their right mind would administer blood to a victim of Hurranian infection? There's only two individuals out here who are immune to that. Did anyone even check to see if their blood types were compatible? Is it really okay with Eden to say, "They're innocent because they didn't know?" That's medical malpractice; it doesn't discriminate between who knew and who didn't. Maya meant the world to me... Eden played with that... I can't even look at their bodies, because they were too deformed to even recognize. "

"That's why I did it," Gargulion admitted to Victoria. "That rage wasn't blind... We saw things clearly. In any event, if he decided to make you pay financially, Eden would be the one in court, as the organization would be held responsible. No amount of money could fix what happened, obviously..."


"They weren't innocent...none of them were, and I refuse to accept that they were, regardless of who you send after me. I'm sorry, but that's where I stand. If Eden wants them to live, then we all see how low they can go. That's my two cents."

[Maria Zenovia]

Maria's eyes widen as she begins to realize the situation.

So there has been a major corruption in Eden? And if Victoria is referring to a famous head scientist then Maria does not need to speculate on who it was... Ryan Reyes... Of all people, how could that have been him...? And most importantly of all this-.... "T-they died...!?" Maria whispers to herself in shock and disgust to learn this fact. Ryan's department... killed Markus's family? And judging by what Victoria said he was going to use them as biological weapons, but they died before it could happen. After all that effort to keep them in quarantine and try to find the cure... after all the hope Knights tried to give to Markus and the others. Absolutely devastating- and if Maria feels this way then only God knows how broken Markus must feel. All this time he has been carrying this weight around with him... if it goes on like this he is bound to break apart.

"Markus..." Maria whispers. It is not like her to call someone by name. As a sign of respect she calls all people by their highest titles as seen with Noland and Allen plenty of times. But she cannot help it- she knows how it is to lose family. 

She puts her hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry..." She whispers in somber tone. Unable to even look Markus  knowing what he has been through she just stares into the ground and remains silent from this point. From time to time she looks on the floor where her parents now lie unconscious... brutally murdered, revived and manipulated into hurting their own daughter. Just like Andrew and Jennifer Andersen... just like Fina Kyuki.... There is nothing she finds good enough to offer to Markus to make him feel better- nothing is good enough to to make up for lost family. Maybe Lars Lion could bring them back... maybe Ran could. Maybe...