Tales of Phantasm

Tales of Phantasm is a direct sequel to Tales of Deception. The sequel is responsible for starting off the events in Nightmare Epic, as well as introducing an alternate timeline to Project: Zone and Project: Kill

The story starts off where Tales of Deception ended; Zone has had his Mind Distorter powers taken away from him due to him not fulfilling Kill’s wish, which was for him to remove his King of Sorrow powers. Suddenly, war drums were clashing across the Darktonian Realm, as Nightmare has issued a war against Antarctica.

However, while this is all happening, there has been a malfunction in the Time Agency. The end result caused several Vortex Manipulators to shut down, while unleashing a terror that was not meant to even exist...

Prologue
By some kind of miracle, I was given another chance at life...

Kwiksilver was waddling along the icy tundra of Club Penguin Island. The meeting he recently had at South Pole City with the council left him having one goal in mind; retrieve the Mind Distorter at all costs. The recent events in Yoenah involving the newly crowned King of Sorrow had the South Pole Council in a worried state, and several scientists were entrusted the task to research about this apparition.

Kwiksilver raised his wrist and set his modified Vortex Manipulator. With a flash that illuminated the snow around him, Kwiksilver travelled back in time to a few days ago where the alleged King of Sorrow attacks happened. He watched as the Yoenah townsfolk run petrified off the roads and Kill just standing there in terror. As much as he wanted to, Kwiksilver knew he couldn’t interfere. Not only would it alter time, but he knew that he was definitely not a match for someone as powerful as the King of Sorrow.

So, this is what we’re dealing with? Kwiksilver thought;

He then set his Vortex Manipulator to go back a week, which was the time when Zone infiltrated Pengolia and deleted several Pengolian guards. He watched as Kill grabbed Zone’s hand, and they both just froze – however, Zone had his hand covering his left eye. After a few short minutes, he simply uncovered his left eye and ordered them all to delete themselves;

''Hmmmm, this must be when Zone first received the Mind Distorter powers. I recall hearing that Kill was under contract with Zone...'' Kwiksilver thought again. He then set his Vortex Manipulator to go forward in time, as he was interested at what happened after the Yoenah massacre – especially what happened with Zone and Kill.

'''I was the forgotten cell. Left to die in the flesh of my brother...'''

Kwiksilver then appeared at Zone Fortress, a day after the Yoenah massacre. He witnessed Kill’s plea for Zone to remove the King of Sorrow and Zone refusing to comply with what Kill wanted. His ‘’Mind Distorter’’ powers were removed from him due to his violation of the contract he and Kill agreed on.

''So Zone no longer has his powers? This is excellent, but what if Kill makes another contract with someone else?''

Just as Kwiksilver was articulating his thoughts, he noticed the X-Antibodies roaring across the plains, their war flags high;

''Nightmare has declared war? On who?''

Before Kwiksilver could investigate, his PDA received an urgent message;

"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! ALL TIME AGENTS REPORT BACK TO THE TIME AGENCY NOW!" the transmitter yelled;

I felt myself becoming thick and lump, growing into the form that was robbed from me...

Kwiksilver returned to the Time Agency, only to receive alarming orders. He knew something big was about to happen, because even Doctor Hickory was present. He usually hated the Time Agency, but Kwiksilver guessed that after its' reform he may have warmed to it a bit;

"SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, ALL TIME AGENTS SENT BACK TO THE TIME AGENCY" one of the nearby computers prompted. Lights flashed, sirens blared, penguins typed madly into computers;

"What’s going on?!" Kwiksilver asked. He was suddenly flustered by this madness;

The Doctor began to speak;

"I’m afraid we've got a problem, Kwik. The TARDIS began to act very strangely, you know, not the usual clatter. Something had upset her. It turns out-"

Just then, the whole scene seemed to warp and shift out of focus, with an almighty earthquake that nearly knocked the Doctor off his feet;

"CODE RED! CODE RED! TIME VORTEX AT SITUATION CRTICIAL" the computer prompted;

I’m so hungry...

"Doc, do you know what’s causing this?" one of the Time Agents asked;

"Let me finish," Doctor Hickory ordered, with the straightening of his bow tie;

"What is it Doc?" Kwiksilver asked;

"It seems there’s been a rip between dimensions. An alternative timeline is trying to combine with this timeline via my TARDIS... we need to seal it off, maybe temporarily shut it down as well. If this alternate timeline intertwines with your timeline, there may be consequences even I can’t forsee."

'''To thrive is to eat. I must continue consuming my host, my ignorant kin...'''

"INITIATING TARDIS SHUTDOWN. ESTIMATED TIME IS 5 MINUTES."

The door of the TARDIS started to rattle, and open slightly;

"Quick! All stations report to the TARDIS! Get that door shut!" Kwiksilver yelled;

What kind of Master gives entity just to let me die again, tucked behind a kidney and fat...

Sirens were going off inside the Time Agency. Something was definitely going to come out of the TARDIS, its just that nobody knew what it was..

I love you my sweet brother, my forgiving host...

The whole Time Agency was shaking violently, the universe warping in and out of focus, two timelines fusing. Several penguins and other time agents could not get to the TARDIS in time due to the earthquakes knocking them about….

I never desired wealth or status, just existence...

Just then, a shining bright light engulfed the entire Time Agency. The TARDIS did not shut down in time, and as the light started to disappate, there was a shadow emerging from the TARDIS door. It had what looked like to be a cape, and a human appearance…

"Is that... ZONE?" Kwiksilver said in disbelief. He quickly picked up the phone and called the scientists responsible for Project:Zone and Project:Kill. He described what looked to be a shadow of Zone, and the scientists were just as stunned as Kwiksilver was;

"It can’t be! It’s really him? We thought he had died!" the scientist spoke in the phone in a shocked tone;

Kwiksilver however, gazed at the creature. He couldn’t make out his exact appearance, but he saw the creature raise his arms in the air in triumph, only to say;

"O, EXISTANCE..."'

"LET ME BE KNOWN!"

Chapter 1: Repairing the friendship
Zone stood atop Zone Fortress, plotting his next move. He knew he wasn’t going to get help from Kill anymore, seeing as how her goal is to destroy the King of Sorrow. If she did help him, she’d also be helping the King of Sorrow as well.

''I need to figure out where I stand with that woman first before I do anything. She could end up my greatest threat – she knows too much about me. It’s bad enough that Nightmare has decided to launch a war, but I’ll figure out what his intentions are later.'' Zone thought to himself. He then approached Kill, who was playing Zone’s organ. Though, she never played an organ herself so the notes sounded a bit off;

"That’s some interesting music you’re playing; have you ever thought of joining the Penguin Band?" Zone asked in a smart tone;

"Oh ha ha ha, and they say you have no sense of humor. What do you want?" Kill replied;

"I want to know where you and I stand. You seem to want to destroy the King of Sorrow, but you won’t leave the very thing that houses it. You could simply just take me out and the King of Sorrow would be no more as well. Which is the reason I need to ask; why?"

Kill paused for a minute, this seemed like something she didn’t want to talk about;

"I could ask the same thing about you; why do you still let me live even though I have a vendetta with the King of Sorrow? Why do you still give me shelter even though I want to take something away from you? And more importantly, why doesn’t the King of Sorrow see me as a threat and murder me right now!" Kill yelled angrily;

Zone sighed;

"I will only say this once. You my dear, are the closest thing to a friend I have in this world. You might see me as some evil guy in a snappy outfit that only manipulates people for his own desires, but truth be told everyone is evil. It’s just a matter of putting it in perspective. Right and wrong, are just opinions Kill."

"If right and wrong are just opinions, then everyone being evil must be an opinion as well."

"Perhaps, but allow yourself to put it in perspective for a bit. Those agents back in Yoenah, they hit you. I for one, would think of that as "evil" but other people would think its "good" because those agents were exacting justice."

"Justice?"

"Yes, justice. Violence is a key factor of justice, because justice is really someone going "do what I say or I’ll hurt you". I, am saddened by justice, so my goal is to tear it apart and rebuild the world. However, to do that I’ll need to use a little justice of my own." Zone smirked;

"Now you’re just twisting words."

"Haha, I guess I am." Zone laughed;

"Anyway, as you are aware Nightmare has started a war – with whom I’m not sure. Being one of his greater creatures, I’m sure to be notified what the war is about sooner or later. Once I find out what this is about, I plan to use the war to my advantage and end up taking both sides for my own. Are you with me, or against me?"

Kill fainted a small smile;

"I’m with you. To the bitter end." She stated;

Just then, some footsteps echoed throughout the fortress. Someone had broken in and was very close by;

"Wait here." Zone told Kill, as he grabbed his katanas and headed towards the noise;

Zone rushed down towards the third floor of Zone Fortress, where he heard footsteps;

"Who’s there? Show yourself!" Zone bellowed;

"Such an angry tone! I thought a reunion was supposed to be a happy occasion, my sweet brother!" A voice echoed across the floor.

"Brother? Who ARE you?" Zone yelled;

A figure emerged from the shadows;

"I have returned, my forgiving host!" the being said happily;

Chapter 2: The non-existant brother
"What are you going on about?" Zone asked the creature;

"My name is Raziel. I’m your twin brother Zone."

Zone stared at Raziel blankly for a second;

"Brother? I don’t have any siblings." Zone replied;

"That’s rude. And I’m the reason why you’re alive too. I could have just taken your life back when you were in the lab." Raziel said;

Zone was confused. Who was this man, and how does someone who he just met know so much about him? Zone pointed his katana at Raziel’s throat;

"What do you know about me?"

"You’re threatening me with a weapon? I’ve experienced death twice and lived to tell the tale. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, brother."

Zone and Raziel walked up to the fifth floor of Zone Fortress to discuss about this newly found information. Zone was extremely surprised at this, though he had a feeling that this Raziel character was just a fake. However, he wanted to hear what he had to say.

Raziel looked like a younger version of Zone, only he had grey hair and was wearing a purple cape instead of the red tuxedo Zone wears. Some of the more notable features about Raziel was that he simply had a ribbon bowtied across his neck, whereas Zone had frills and a bowtie.

"Who is this?" Kill asked;

"We’re about to find out." Zone snarled;

Raziel began to speak;

"My tale is about the desire to exist. The desire to live a life that everyone in this world takes for granted. Living is the greatest gift anyone has, and I truly envy anyone who is alive."

"That doesn’t make sense; aren’t you alive yourself?" Zone inquired;

"No, I simply come from an alternative timeline. A timeline where I took your life, and I was reborn."

"You killed me? How?"

"Have you ever heard of fetus in fetu?" Raziel asked;

"Isn’t that the case where an unborn baby ended up fused into a child?"

"Well yes, that’s the blunt interpretation. You see, while you were the subject in Project: Zone, you had a twin. I was that twin, but something went wrong. See, our cells didn't split all the way, so I was re-absorbed into you. Your cell thought I was food and tried to consume me. I was left to die in that cursed lab because of you."

"Go on..." Zone said;

"However, by a very small chance, by some kind of miracle, I was given another chance at life; I wasn't completely eaten! Parisitically, I absorbed nutrients off of you and managed to multiply and grow in biological complexity. I felt myself becoming fat and plump, and I wanted more. I was so hungry."

Zone was speechless;

"I was... PREGNANT? Well, thanks for popping by. It's great to know that my manhood just went down the drain."

"No no, it wasn't pregnancy, it was parisitism. Think of it more as a tapeworm, not a child." Raziel replied;

"If you were a parasite, then why am I still alive?"

"You know NOTHING about medicine, do you? I wasn’t going to take your life when I was undeveloped. We'd both die. I just kept feeding on nutrients until I grew and grew. As a parasitic twin, I was going to grow on you like a boil and then lance myself, taking your life, yet finally claim the existence I sorely desired... but I failed."

"Why?"

"I couldn’t take something that was once taken from me. That, and I guess I didn't have enough nutrients to do it." Raziel replied sadly.

"Are you still alive within me?" Zone asked;

""Not anymore, I died when I failed to burst out. In fact... if you look right where your appendix would be, yeah, there..."

Raziel pointed to where Zone's appendix would be.

"That lump- a benign tumor, actually -was me."

"Eeew."

"Isn't medicine wonderful?" Raziel laughed.

"I’m here because there was a malfunction in the Doctor's TARDIS, which opened up a link to an alternative timeline. I was released into your timeline. I'm not supposed to exist here."

"What happens in the alternative timeline?"

"I simply burst out of your body and received the blessing of existence."

"Did it hurt me?"

"DUH."

"Well, if what you’re telling us is true, then thank the sky programmers for weird biology. What are your plans in this timeline, brother?" Zone said.

Raziel stood up and held out his hand, wanting to shake Zone’s hand.

"We’re brothers! I want to be by your side! I want to experience what it would have been like having a brother, though I’m from another timeline I lost the chance to have a family." Raziel remarked;

"Very well, I’ll take you under my wing." Zone said, as he shook his new brother’s hand.

Meanwhile, back at the Time Agency, Kwiksilver and Doctor Hickory Dickory Dock were trying to analyse and fix the damage caused from the time malfunction earlier;

"What did those scientists have to say, my friend?" The Doctor asked Kwiksilver;

"It was gross, like a medical documentary gone wrong. Get this: Zone had a twin, but it turns out that Zone overpowered the twin and it died. However, the twin was reduced to a mere cell and lived in Zone’s body, feeding off non vital parts. The twin grew and grew and was about to take Zone’s life but it didn’t. The twin just sat there in Zone’s body and died on its own. We know the incident that happened earlier was from an alternate timeline, but we theorize that Zone’s twin was the shadow that emerged out of the TARDIS." Kwiksilver stated;

"We’ll need to send this twin back to his own timeline. The longer he stays in this timeline, the more chance he has of altering it." The Doc replied;

"Agreed. He’s probably hunting down Zone, so logically he would be at Zone Fortress. We’ll send a team over there to investigate; ring up the AIA while you’re at it. The scientists might be investigating the King of Sorrow incident, but I think this new threat is far more important."

Back at Zone Fortress, Zone received a message from Nightmare, announcing a conclave between the Greater creatures of his army, Lizlord, IcE, and Nightmare himself;

This is the time I’ve been waiting for; now I’ll figure out what it is that Nightmare seeks. Zone thought to himself, smirking with satisfaction.

"Raziel, I’d hate to leave you here at a joyous time like this but I have some important business to attend to. Kill will look after you while I’m gone – don’t worry, I’ll come back." Zone said;

"Okay brother, I’ll be here if you need me." Raziel replied, as Zone smiled and flew off into the distance. As Zone left the fortress, Kill looked directly at Raziel;

"I know exactly who you are; I was just lying. You better not give Zone Mind Distorter powers either." Kill snarled at Raziel, who was smirking evily.

"What, does it make you worried that you’re not the only one with the Mind Distorter? I deserve – no, I have the right to give Zone whatever he wants – even though he didn’t know it, he was my sole provider."

"It doesn’t worry me at all, after all you’re just a beta. A prototype. I’m the finished product, so my Mind Distorter far outranks yours." Kill said smartly;

"Oh boo-hoo, You’re just angry because I was before you. If I wasn’t involved, you would never of even had Mind Distorter powers." Raziel replied;

"Listen to me Raziel, if you give Zone the Mind Distorter abilities, you’re only helping the King of Sorrow. Don’t do it."

"Oh, I am fully aware about that King of Sorrow character. I had to do quite a lot of research to track down my brother, and I don’t care if I’m helping him. As long as my brother reaches his goals, then I’m satisfied. He doesn’t need you anymore. Once he finds out that I have Mind Distorter powers, he’ll toss you aside like the garbage you are."

Kill was speechless. She knew there was a possibility that Raziel was right. After all, Zone even went so far as to violate the contract him and her had;

"If my research is correct, I don’t think the King of Sorrow used Mind Distorter, did he?" Raziel inquired;

"...No, he didn’t. But there’s a possibility, and I don’t want you giving him that option. If the King of Sorrow actually uses hypnosis powers, he would make swift work of the USA. You might of died twice and lived, but we can always go for strike three if you want." Kill said in an irate tone;

"Of all the people in the world, you think I should be scared of you? Besides, the Mind Distorter isn’t limited to just hypnosis. The power is different from person to person, contractor to contractor as well. Since I’m a different contractor, the power I’ll give Zone might not even be hypnosis." Raziel sneered;

"So what power will you give him?"

"Who knows? It could be anything. Literally."

Chapter 3: A new contract
Zone arrived at the conference room. Darktan X, FredX, Kwiksilver X, WishFlyX, Maddieworld X, Doctor McXapp, Xgopen, PorkayYorkay X, and Xasper were present as well. Lizlord and IcE stood at Nightmare’s side;

"Everyone, please take a seat." Lizlord said, as everyone began sitting down at a large table;

Nightmare began to speak in a raspy tone;

"Greetings, my elite subordinates! I welcome you into the greatest revolution Antarctica has ever seen!"

"Yes, tell me your strategy Nightmare, so I may exploit it!" Zone thought

"For too long, have my children been discriminated against by the penguins. I am saddened, watching you all suffer at the hands of those beasts. This is why I have called for the total destruction of Antarctica! I order you all to slay anything that is not one of us!"

"So you’re holding a war against the entire continent of Antarctica? What a blind and egotistical move to pull. You’re sure to fail Nightmare, regardless if I intervene or not."

"Master, should we attack South Pole City first and claim that as our territory?" WishFlyX inqured;

"Yes my child, South Pole City will fall to the X-Antibody horde!" Nightmare responded;

"Not so fast." Zone began to speak;

"You dare speak out of line to our master?!" Lizlord said angrily;

"Master, take out the smaller countries first. Once all the residents of smaller countries have been captured, give them the X-Virus. Not only will you claim more territory, but your armies will grow. Once all smaller countries have been taken by us, we will advance to the larger countries. With an army so big, who is going to stop us?" Zone finished;

Nightmare was silent for a brief moment;

"Excellent idea Zone! We will first take Hailvale, then move on to Finestade Land. That is the short-term plan for the moment, my children. Move out!" Nightmare commanded.

"Now all I have to do is tip off South Pole Council. They’ll send armies to reinforce the territories Nightmare wants to take, then once Nightmare’s army is apprehended, then they can go on the offensive, but not after I take them both down first." Zone thought to himself, as he walked out of the conference room with a smirk of triumph.

"Fascinating theory brother. So, when are you going to criticize yourself on how it will not work?" Raziel said, who popped out of the shadows. Turns out after his talk with Kill, Raziel followed Zone to the conference room and waited at the entrance.

"You can read minds, Raziel?" Zone responded;

"Sadly, yes. I can read the minds of everyone who is in a 500 meter radius of me. Your mind is the one that interests me the most, because you are your own critic. Every time you think of a decision, you constantly criticize yourself on how it won’t work because you want to get a solution as perfect as possible. Its quite cute, actually."

"Why is it that everyone that I’m associated with has a bad habit of eavesdropping? Kill can mind read if she touches someone, and now you can mind read if someone is in a 500 meter radius of you." Zone sighed;

"You haven’t seen a pattern yet, have you? Only those who are able to give the Mind Distorter powers to people can mind read. Some contractors however, are more potent than others" Raziel smirked.

"Is there a chance of you giving me Mind Distorter powers?"

Raziel had an evil grin on his face.

"I’m sure you’re aware of what a contract entails. Fulfil my one wish and you can keep your powers. My one wish is so simple, too."

"What is your wish, Raziel?"

"Cut your ties with Kill. She’s a nuisance to us."

Zone gasped.

"Do you mean I have to kill uhhh... Kill?"

"No, she can live. I just want you to remove all contact you have of her. In other words, tell her to get lost."

"And I can have my old powers back?"

"It won’t be your old hypnosis powers, but it will most definitely be a power."

"Then consider it done."

Raziel started to laugh evilly, and in turn so did Zone, as Raziel grabbed his hand and initiated the contract.

Meanwhile, Kill had wandered off to the science lab where Project: Zone and Project: Kill were launched;

"This place brings back bad memories." she thought to herself.

She wasn’t prepared to greet the penguins who caused all this mess warmly, and the feelings were mutual regarding the scientists as well;

"P-p-p-project Kill? Don’t hurt us!" one of the scientists yelled in terror;

"I haven’t come here to hurt anyone. I want answers. Now." Kill replied;

"A-a-answers to what?"

"I want to know about Raziel’s Mind Distorter abilities."

One of the more respected scientists walked towards Kill;

"Relax, she isn’t going to hurt anyone. Allow me to fill you in on the details Kill." the scientist began;

"As you know, Raziel is Zone’s twin. We originally planned for him to be the only one with Mind Distorter powers, but due to his... condition, the Mind Distorter project was scrapped. That was until we were ordered by the GourdZoid Council Hall to start Project: Kill"

"Some of this doesn’t make sense to me. Zone was created because Lizlord was clumsy and he dropped the X-Virus and Doom Weed on the ground. They fused together and made Zone."

"Well, when Zone was created, he housed Raziel inside of him. What apparently happened was that Zone overpowered Raziel back when they were just altered X-Virus and Doom Weed. Raziel died, but a cell of his seemed to past onto Zone when they transformed, so he was given a second chance."

"And that led to Raziel growing inside Zone’s body?"

"Yes. When Zone was created, we monitored his activity, and he seemed to be getting very sick. We brought him to the lab, did a couple of X-Rays on him, and we found Raziel tucked behind Zone’s kidney. We let Raziel feed off Zone for awhile until he matured, because we wanted to save both of them. However, when the time came to operate, Raziel just sat there. He didn’t move or anything, and then he eventually shrivelled up and became Zone’s appendix. We removed Zone’s new appendix and he was cured."

"What about his Mind Distorter powers?"

"The Mind Distorter is a very complex power. When a contractor gives someone the ability, it alters the functions in the mind, hence the name Mind Distorter. We ran several tests on the Mind Distorter power to see what it could do. It had numerous possibilities. It could give someone a hypnotic power, a mind reading power – it even had the power to stop time. The power differs from penguin to penguin, creature to creature. If for example, penguin A received hypnotic powers, penguin B might receive time stopping powers."

"What’s the difference between me and Raziel? I already know Raziel is the first creature to house Mind Distorter powers, so obviously mine and his powers will be different."

"Ah, yes. Raziel’s power is unstable, whereas yours is. There were a few bugs we didn’t notice in the original Mind Distorter. Raziel’s power seems to get stronger every time it is used – sometimes even consuming the creature using it. Yours however, does not grow stronger. It just stays the same."

"That’s all I needed to know, thanks for your time." Kill said to the scientist, as she walked off.

"This isn’t good. If Raziel’s power consumes Zone, there’s no telling what would happen to him. And then there’s the King of Sorrow as well." Kill thought.

The next day, Zone woke up out of his bed. He stretched and rose his arms, only to find that his right arm had turned transparent and see-through;

"What in blazes?" he said.

Chapter 4: Between Two Worlds
"Hmmm? What happened to your arm?" Kill asked, as Zone entered the room;

"I don't know, maybe I'm losing control of my invisibility powers. Hmmmm, I wonder..." Zone replied, as he lunged his arm through one of the walls in Zone Fortress. It passed through the wall, and Raziel could see Zone's arm from the other side;

"Hehehe, that was cool. But this is starting to get confusing. My invisibility powers never allowed me to walk through walls." Zone said;

"That my dear brother, is the power of your contract." Raziel said, as he came into the room Zone and Kill were in;

"So our contract allows me to go through walls?" Zone asked;

Raziel noticed Kill sitting down, looking uninterested at Zone's new power;

"What is she doing here? I thought I told you to cut your ties with her." Raziel said in a snakey tone;

"What?" Kill said, as this new information seemed to interest her;

"Turns out that Raziel's wish is for me to remove all contact I have of you. Good bye Kill, I'm sure you know the way out of here." Zone said in a disturbingly friendly tone;

"So you're going to throw me away in exchange for power?" Kill asked;

"Long story short, yes."

"Very well." Kill said, as she got up and walked out of Zone Fortress.

"She acted very casual about that, almost as if she was expecting to be kicked out. Planning something behind my back, are we?" Raziel snarled at Zone;

"Not at all, Kill doesn't show emotion to almost anything. The only thing she's shown emotion towards is the Yoenah Massacre. Everything else doesn't faze her."

Or that was what Zone thought.

"That's not a Mind Distorter power Raziel gave to Zone, or else I would of been able to see through his invisibility. Mind Distorter powers don't work on the creatures that can contract them, something strange is going on." Kill thought, as she went to look for Kwiksilver.

"My children, the time has come! Show those who belittle you what you are capable of!" Nightmare bellowed across to his subordinates;

"You know what the plan is, right?" Zone said into a microphone headpiece he was wearing;

"Of course brother, I won't disappoint you." a voice spoke back into the headpiece;

"Awaken my children, embrace the glory that is your birthright! We will strike at Maverick first. Capture Tortugadesetas, and bring him to me. Joneses always make great bargaining chips. Then, on anything that does not have X-Virus traits, infect them on sight!" Nightmare said, as the X-Antibodies began marching off towards the poverty-stricken country of Maverick.

"Starting with the weak and working your way up, just as I suggested. Unfortunately for you, my dear master, I criticize every decision I make and think of counters to all of them." Zone thought with a self-satisfying smirk on his face;

"What's with the headpiece, Zone?" WishFlyX came up towards him;

"Oh, this? Merely a communication device for me to contact Nightmare." Zone lied. He didn't want to blow his cover; especially to some random sticky-beak;

"Why were you the only person who was given one?" WishFlyX replied angrily;

"Because I was the one who suggested the plan to Nightmare in the first place."

"Very well. Say, what happened to your arm?"

"My invisibility powers seem to be malfunctioning, even I am not so sure on what it is."

"Well you better still be able to fight, we are going to Maverick very shortly."

"Threats don't scare me."

"Then maybe force will."

"We'll save that for another time, right now we have a country to take-over." Zone said, as he flew off;

"Pfft, what a chicken." WishFlyX sneered.

Everything was peaceful on the island of Maverick. Little did they know, though, that they were being watched from above. Several elite minions from Nightmare's Army has scoped out the island, fosucing especially on the palace and the rich mines, lima bean farms, oil, and gold that were available for the plundering.

Since the island had such a low population and but fifty five (highly skilled) soldiers, Nightmare wouldn't need that much force to take Maverick down. With a little luck, they'd not only get a bargaining chip and five hundred new X-Antibodies, but they'd also get to rob Maverick National Bank and plunder huge resources for their army. This was a strategic move, and they were to attack now.

The ambush began at dawn. Tortugadesetas was in his palace, enjoying a nice massage. General John Coo, the leader's closest advisor and the island's best fighter, was still asleep (it was his day off). The palace gaurd paced their drills in pattern, and the other soldiers waddled around the island on guard, or were snoozing away. The citizenry had begun to stir, but all in all, activity was low.

It was then, as the sun barely peaked over the horizon (due to be higher because it was summer), that Nightmare let loose. At first, to lull them into false security, three soldiers were issued orders to go to Maverick first.

They landed in front of Tortuga's palace, and it didn't take long for most of the populace to wake up and gather around. A minion took out a megaphone and began to shout in English, and then Spanish.

"ATTENTION MAVERICK POPULACE. WE ARE NIGHTMARE'S ARMY, AND WE COME BRINGING AN ULTIMATUM. YOU ARE NOW PART OF OUR EMPIRE. SURRENDER ALL OF YOUR ISLAND'S NATURAL RESOURCES, HAVE THE SOLDIERS LAY DOWN THEIR GUNS, AND GIVE US YOUR LEADER. ONLY THEN MAY YOU BE SPARED OUR WRATH."

The Mavvs looked at each other, and then at the Antibodies. They stepped back as about ten Mavv soldiers stepped forward, cocking their aged Banana Blasters.

"By blood we won this island, by blood we lose." a soldier said dramatically, his broken English not effecting the effect. "Get off island before our Presidente awakes and sends General John and whole army after you!"

The X-Antibodies laughed at the pathetic little armed penguins, with their pathetic little accents. They quickly called up Nightmare and told him that the Mavvs did exactly what was expected. Then, as soon as they had appeared, the minions smiled and vanished.

Thirty minutes of silence followed, as the Mavvs got an early start to their back-breaking labor. The population of five hundred or so (including military of fifty five) calmed their nerves and began their fourteen hour workdays with content. That was when Nightmare's Army unleashed one hundred of its best fighters on the island, twice the amount of Maverick's soldiers. They came with X-Bombs, to create more minions.

General John Coo entered Tortuga's palace. He noticed that his leader was nervously watching the battle outside, talking on a radio with orders, waiting for him to arrive.

"El Presidente! Senor Nightmare and his armies are attacking! We cannot fight back because Nightmare, he has used biological warfare against us!"

"This I know," the Jones relative replied, the quivering clear in his voice, "I waiting for you, General. We must work together to stop the vicious viruses!"

"Esteemed Presidente, I think we should contact allies and rally them to help. We are outnumbered right now, but with big armies, we can kick butt!"

Tortuga nodded. He knew just to call.

The Snoss Army shortly arrived to intervene. As Swiss Ninja had a bank account set up within Maverick, he wasn't going to let the country fall, along with his funds. Suddenly, a voice interrupted the Snoss communications;

Meanwhile, Kill found Kwiksilver, and approached him;

"What do you want?" Kwiksilver asked;

"I just want to tell you something you might be interested in." Kill replied;

"And that is?"

"Zone's arm. It's becoming invisible."

"Zone is known to have invisibility powers."

"No, its not that. I think Zone might be disappearing."

"Hmmmm?"

"Raziel's influence here will affect this timeline. In Raziel's timeline, Zone died and Raziel lived. If Raziel is here, then Zone shouldn't be."

"So you think the longer Raziel stays here, the more Zone disappears?"

"Yes. I want to help you put Raziel back in his own timeline."

"Well, now this is up for debate then. Raziel must only be affecting Zone's timeline and no one elses. You are asking me to spare the life of a well-known crimminal mastermind who, might I add, is affiliated with Nightmare. I have no idea what this Raziel character is like, anyway."

"That's up for you to decide. If you knew what Zone was trying to do for the USA, I'm sure your choice would be very narrowed down."

"Oh really? Do enlighten me."

"You wouldn't believe me." Kill smiled, as she walked off;

Chapter 5: Maverick Takeover
Gunfire was being fired everywhere. The soldiers of Maverick were using every single resource they could find. It was a desperate struggle to protect their country, and they were ordered to fight for their country until their last breath. The Snoss joined in, but with a simple surge of re-enforcements, the fifty five Mavvs and hundreds of Snoss were out-numbered at least two to one.

Nightmare was simply smirking in triumph, and swarms of X-Antibodies poured onto the shores, destroying everything in their paths, burning tenants, torching apartments, and plundering farms, oil fields, and mines alike.

The X-Antibodies did not get tired, and their strength and velocity were unparalleled. It seemed like nothing could stop these biological horrors from taking what their master wanted. Swiss Ninja however, set up a base camp in a small alcove. He sent in some more reinforcements to help out Maverick. Warmechs were dispatched from the camp and sent into the firefight. The Warmechs cleared everything in their paths, and a content Zone was watching the battle from the sky. He reached for his headpiece, and began communicating with Raziel;

"I'm sending you the coordinates of all X-Antibodies on the field, excluding mine. Use it to your advantage. Oh, and don't reply to what I'm saying to you, for I fear that if you speak to me via our comminication link, Tortugadesetas and his subordinates might hear what you're saying." Zone finished, as he sent the data to Raziel, whose location was currently unknown.

The time was now, Maverick desperately needed to find a strategy. However, Zone's plan needed to bear fruit. His ultimate goal for Maverick is to have Tortugadesetas captured. Once Tortugadesetas is captured, Nightmare and his subordinates would leave Maverick with its resources, and most likely use its leader as a bargaining chip. However, the Mavvs were zealously nationalistic, willing to die for their little country, and neither Tortuga nor John would surrender. Zone needed to hold off the X-Antibodies while trying to find a chance to nab Maverick's leader. John Coo would be dealt with as the other soldiers.

The priority of Zone's plan was to not let the X-Antibodies multiply, otherwise the forces of Nightmare would be too outnumbered and too strong for him or anyone, for that matter to handle.

Meanwhile, Raziel was busy trying to find a strategy for Maverick. He seemed to notice a small amount of X-Antibodies stationed behind an alleyway between two tenants. Two Mavv soldiers and two Snoss soldiers were backed up there, as were three Warmechs. The Mavv forces seemed to be frightened and the Warmechs were not responding.

John Coo was listening to the reports of the multi-national generals along with Tortuga in the main armory. It was then that his commuinications link was overriden with a strong signal. John Coo called Tortugadesetas over, and the two listened intently to the mystery voice that appeared.

"Nonsense, that's waste of ammo!" John Coo replied quickly.

"No, that completely-"

"So be it." Tortugadesetas interrupted.

"Presidente, are you sure?"

"Si."

Overridden, John simply nodded. He ordered the group to shoot through the fence. Their ammunition pierced it, surprising and knocking out several X-Antibodies unconscious.

"WOW!" was all that Tortuga, John, the soldiers, and the other generals could respond. Whatever general was doing this was due a tin medal and a big promotion!

"Si, we trust you, we trust you!" Tortugadesetas said, excitedly. John Coo was less gullible, however. He spoke to the voice in Spanish.

"A quién usted es, de todos modos?"

John Coo knew the voice was right. It didn't really matter who it was, but that the voice was aiding them. They needed all the help they could get.

"All right. I trust you too." the general added. Tortuga nodded.

Zone however, made an exit and flew away from Maverick, turning off his headpiece. He went back to the mainland to look for Kill, as he didn't want her taken away from him. The reason being, because Kill seems to be the main thing that fuels the King of Sorrow, and Zone; though he didn't want to admit it, was worried about her. However, just as he was flying over some trees his wings started to turn transparent;

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh shoot." Zone said, as he fell to the ground, bruised and battered. What was going on here? First Zone's arm started to disappear, and now his wings are going the same fate. Without his wings, he did not have the advantage of flight, and Zone hated walking to places. However, he reluctantly trudged on.

He walked out of the forest and observed his surroundings. It looked like he landed on Club Penguin Island, and even better; he could see Kill in the distance, at the Coffee Shop. However, he also noticed Kwiksilver with her as well. He thought that Kill may of tipped off the authorities, but just to be on the safe side he approached the two;

"I thought you didn't want me around you." Kill said to Zone. She looked a bit sad;

"I'm not stupid enough to put my trust in someone who I only just met a few days ago. Raziel's planning something, and I want to find out what it is. Plus, I guess a tiny, microscopic part of me missed you I suppose." Zone replied;

"So your wings have disappeared as well, Zone?" Kwiksilver said, noticing Zone's transparent wings;

"My business does not concern you, penguin." Zone snarled back;

"Oh, but I think it does. Raziel was unleashed out of the TARDIS, inside the Time Agency. Kill and I have been talking, and we theorize that Raziel's presence in our timeline is affecting yours. That's why your arm and your wings are disappearing, and it won't be long before you disappear entirely."

"Why should I care about anything you say, penguin?"

"Because I'm your only chance of sending Raziel back to his own timeline, and restoring you to your former self. Take my help or don't, but just remember that penguins aren't your enemy. We like to help people and make them happy rather than just punishing them."

"And what's stopping you from turning me in? You have a great opportunity; wait for me to weaken, then capture me and send me to Ban Island."

"You aren't evil, at least going by what Kill has been telling me. You've been helping out Maverick, correct? If you're willing to help others in times of need, then you can't be evil. I propose a deal; you help penguins fend themselves against Nightmare, and I'll make sure you get your former self back. Deal?"

Zone hesitated for a second, but despite his personal distaste for penguins, he agreed to Kwiksilver's deal.

Meanwhile, Raziel was busy helping out Maverick in its defense. He noticed that a large 20 megaton X-Bomb was planted nearby, and was prepared to warn the Mavv leaders.

"So it make more of the viruses?" John asked.

"Okay." Tortugadesetas stated. He then ordered John to do whatever the voice commanded, without question.

To be continued...