There came a chain of explosions, a deep rumbling that rocked entire sectors of Nospheross. Creaking metal, snapping panels, crashing pillars. Deep inside a fire spread out while more metal pipes began to clang upon the ground, roaring out liquid that would flood rooms. Footsteps moved forward, a man gurgling before a crackle took the place. A thud and then more pipes banging down.

“Sounds as if we’ve got company on the way. Heh, no matter.”

Walking through the prison room, a sole man in a black cloak with red stars patterned across it, his hair long and silver, his eyes gleaming purple. Around him lay the bodies of several of the Security Force. As the prison bars dropped, sliced to nothing but pieces on the ground, many would leave the cells and look around. Many would grin, turning and heading off in their own directions leaving the man.

“I thank you both for freeing me.”

Behind him now from nowhere appeared two men, both with the same coat and each masked. One stood shorter with black hair and sapphire eyes, his mask half gold and half silver, carved with a smile. The other wore a simple gray mask with a giant red visor in the middle.

“But of course Cortez, it wouldn’t be a party without you,” the one with the gray mask spoke.

“Heh heh yeah let’s do this. This should be well worth the four hundred years of waiting.”

“Right. On that note, might I ask who is the one leading this operation?”

“The Prince of Darkness of course.”

“Heh, so my old apprentice is the one leading. Fascinating.”

“That is an affirmative.”

“Fascinating indeed. It will be good to see Leon after all this time. So, have you found what we seek yet?”

“Affirmative, again.”

“And uh, how about that other item I requested?”

“Affirmative to that as well, Cortez. All the pieces are in place so rest assured that this will all be said and done for good at long last.”

“Nothing is ever set in stone my friend, do well to remember that.”

“Gah, Nazi Vampires, Zombie Werewolves, what the hell else is in here!?” came the bark of a soldier, followed by a crackle of fire.

“Pissed off Leprechauns?”

“Shut up Timmy, I am not in the mood for jokes!”

“Who said I was joking jackass!?”

Footsteps rang out along with the sound of metal being cleaved open, a shriek coming out of said metal. Soldiers tore down a single hallway with metal-made rifles loaded with screens and other gizmos. They held ahead, firing white laser blasts upon Hive soldiers. Three flew ahead, their appearances all identical with flowing white hair and blue eyes, all wearing the black cloak of a Hive Elite. All shot around the shots, flipping onto walls, onto the ceiling, and then back onto the ground itself.

“Who gives a rip snort, fill them full of holes private. And fix that damn communicator so we can get backup in here!” came another yell.

“I am trying Lieutenant, I truly am but I’m telling you the main systems are down and I’m locked out. These guys had to have had help in order to pull this off, I’m telling you!” came the response not more than a moment’s passing later.

“You’re telling me a lot of things and I don’t want to hear any of it. We are pinned down here Commander and I’m not having any of this. We’re dealing with Vampires who have flippin’ guns. Vampires with guns, do you know how messed up any of this is? I swear a couple of them are dressed like the Nazis and even American Civil War guys too.”

Wesley slammed down behind, throwing Wulfn after Vampire after Wulfn with his strength, blades of glittering white slamming through some. The Vampires once struck were set ablaze with inferno filled shrieks, stumbling around in agony as they went up, “No shit they planned this, we have a mole in our ranks!”

Yelping and yowls of pain, howling of wolves. Chunks of ceiling collapsing and walls blistered out, many soldiers holding place behind each viable spot as bullets stormed the air.

“Hold the line, hold the line!”

Many stood in the halls behind piles of debris, behind the holes in the walls, around corners, some even against the walls. An explosion filled the hall as another section of wall blew out, sparks of electricity sent flying out along with a body. The body flew clipped by several bullets after the fact and slammed through another wall. Wesley turned, two corpses in his hands, “Bloody dastards.”

Halls lit crimson with the sound of crackling flames, the crackle of gun fire, the screams of many a mortal man.

“General look out!”

Wesley glanced at the soldier that had yelled to him and then to the opposite direction seeing three Wulfn Wolves charging him.

“Mongrels, have at thee, ha!”

Swinging his outstretched hand a blinding flash of light shot out and slammed into the wolves, sending all of them crashing back into a group of enemy soldiers, “Gettin real tired of this shit right about now.”

“General look out behind you, again!”

Without a moment’s hesitation Wesley twirled around and hurled the man from his right hand at what was approaching, only to be met by an explosion. The force sent Wesley flying back right into another hole, “Bah, damn.”

A man approached dressed in a Black Long Coat with a red star pattern, his hair white and down to just above the shoulders. Icy blue eyes stared back into Wesley’s brown eyes as he stood, “Hmm, judging by the power I’m feeling, you’re a Hive Elite. Am I right?”

Wesley glanced around quickly examining white gloves, black boots, no obvious weapons, though his gaze did focus upon a mask half covered by a black hood. A white mask with a black lightning bolt on the right side and a blue squiggly line beneath the left eye hole. A frown was carved into the mask while upon the forehead a black star surrounded by dark red flames rested. Black aura danced around the man with a sapphire tint echoing outwards from it like a bunch of waves.

By this point the gun fire on both sides halted, men looking across the line to their foes and then back towards their comrades. Wesley continued, “I would ask for your name but honestly I think I already see the answer. Iced blue eyes, the white hair, and that black star with the flames. Heh, I’d call you a fake but that aura, has to be. Are you Zero Skyheart?”

“Mmm, perhaps, does that fact really matter?” was the response in a low, calm tone.

“Somewhat considering he should be dead. Half his face was blown off and he was left to burn after the Battle of Jerrisan. He’s well done and well dead.”

“Who knows, am I?” came the response as several other figures approached from behind the masked individual.

Wesley’s eyes filled with a level of shock seeing these newcomers. All stood identical with the same hair and eyes as the masked man. None of them shared the mask though all shared the same face; pale with no lines, merely a scar around the right eye that ran from two inches above to five inches down the face.

“I find it most amusing how the moment someone wears a mask, everyone has to find out who sits behind it, rather than find out what the individual is acting on.”

“Kind of my business in case you have a weakness, and what are they supposed to be? Replications?”

“Heh, you might call them that though does it really matter Ezdorth? Who and what we are should be of no concern to you at this very moment, what should be of concern is what we are about to do.”

“Cylux,” called another voice, this one a shout from the direction of the enemy soldiers.

Another set of individuals approached through the ranks, “Cylux, you and Shadow go on ahead. I want this one for myself,” one of them spoke

Four individuals and all in black Long Coats with the red star pattern, two masked and two without.

“Shit! They let him out already?! Shit! Gonna have to kill ‘em now before he can return to full power-”

Two masked individuals stood alongside Cortez, who now stood in full uniform. The fourth individual’s Long Coat was dressed with splendor, silver fur lining around the neck band and sleeve openings as well as around the tails of the coat. Wavy dark brown hair flowed down his head to the base of the neck behind, parted and unkempt at the front exposing his forehead in full. His eyes a gleaming amber with a silver around the corneas.

Wesley scowled as he looked upon the man approaching, “Well well well if it isn’t the High Commander himself. Leon Sycamore. And what’s this? Two backup dancers to make yourself feel in charge? Losing your touch I see.”

“My my Wesley you’ve always acted with such ill-mannerism towards me and here you still are, alive and in command. I should correct that,” came the response of Leon in a cool and collected tone, his figure stopping in place as did the rest, “Cylux, be gone. I have business to tend to.”

Cylux nodded to Leon, “As you wish Leon. In the event that I don’t get the chance, I would like to say, Wesley… I’ve always felt you to be the biggest ass among the entirety of the Tribe. Ciao.”

At once the man and the others disappeared with only a trail of dust being left behind.

“Tch, high speed movement. Damn-”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that Wesley. You have bigger problems to contend with.”

“Suppose I do,” Wesley muttered turning to face Leon, “Guess I’ll have to kill them after I kill you, eh?”

The air around the two shifted once more, their intent to kill filling it and bearing down heavily. The very floor beneath them crackled, the sound of shattering as the air shifted again with the echoing of running off the walls.