------------------------------- UVR2- THE DESTRUCTION CONTINUES ------------------------------- SECTION SIX ------------------------------- _Room 595, RumbleDome Hotel_ Sie Kensou was gasping. "I can't believe we pulled it off!" Captain Kidd grinned as he held up Jago's soul vial. "Yep. You have the makings of an excellent thief, by the way..." _The Ring_ "ANAKARIS!" (DS2) The undead Egyptian pharaoh floated forward, as he was prone to do. As he surveyed the ring, he saw Morrigan cavorting with a pair of new slaves. He snorted. Would she never tire of such sport? He hadn't had such urges for nearly two thousand years... "GUY!" (SFA) A huge cheer went up as Guy ran at top speed down to the ring, jumped in, and started kicking everyone in sight. "SHAO KAHN!" (MK3) As Shao Kahn entered the ring, he surveyed his opponents. Unsurprisingly, none of them proved a threat, being so small and puny. He began to move towards Haohmaru. Suddenly, from out of his line of vision, Heavy D! appeared. "Excuse me. I can't let you attack him. Nothing personal." Shao Kahn stared angrily at Heavy D! Heavy just stared back impassively. The Kahn was mildly confused. Everyone else cowered when he looked down upon them... Then it hit him. You see, the thing to realize about Shao Kahn is that he's seven-foot-four. When you're seven-foot-four, you grow used to staring down at people. In his whole reign, the Kahn had never had to fight anyone as tall as he was. When he had invaded Earth, there had been a couple of tall people; but none were muscular. They were all beanpoles. However, Heavy D! was seven-two (seven-three with his mohawk), and just as impressively muscled as the Kahn was. In short, Shao Kahn *couldn't* look down upon him. The Kahn felt himself growing angry. How *DARE* anyone be as powerful as he was? Heavy D! interrupted his anger with a powerful R.S.D. and their fight began in earnest. "OMEGA RED!" (XM:COTA) Birdman spoke into the mike. "The Rumble *has*, repeat, *has* ordered a temporary viral antidote to Omega Red's death spores. Thus, he is no longer a threat. So, will those of you in the front row with gas masks please put them away?" _Room 119, RumbleDome Hotel_ Ukyo Tachibana lay in his bed. A small sputter of blood dotted his sheets. It was a particularly good morning for him-he had only coughed up blood once. Although he felt another one coming on. Ukyo closed his eyes in an attempt to grit out the horrid sensation that always was present when he spat up his own blood. Every time, he tried this meditation technique. It never worked. Ukyo groaned as he looked at his sheets. Good thing the Rumble provided clean bedding. "Dying's a bitch, ain't it?" Ukyo snapped his head up. Mizuki stood there, stroking her Demon Dog's neck as it rested at her side. "How did you get in here?" "Unimportant, really. I mean, you're *dying*, Ukyo. Dead. Nada. Kaput. That's it. Finito. No more rope." "You're terribly observant." "Anyway. Why I'm here." "Oh, this ought to be good. What are you going to do? Gloat?" "Hardly." Mizuki paused. "How would you like to be made well? No more TB, no more blood coughing, the whole nine yards." Ukyo looked at her silently. "This is not funny." "No, it isn't. I'm being deadly serious. You can have your health back...in exchange for your soul." Ukyo considered this. "Doesn't seem fair." "Oh, really? You won't live another two years, Ukyo. Sell your soul, and you'll get what you desire most: your health. Imagine being able to dance with your princess again...I know you can't do that anymore, you're too weak. I must admit, I never understood how you could continue fighting..." Ukyo remained silent. "What could you possibly want more than to be healthy again?" Ukyo looked at her. "My honor, perhaps? My answer is no." "Certain about that?" Ukyo looked at her steadily. "Positive." She shrugged. "Fair enough..." She turned and walked to the door. On her way out, she called, "I dearly hope you enjoy your last couple of years..." Ukyo stared at the door as it closed, and then at the blood on his sheets, and thought. _The Ring_ "SAWADA!" (SFTM) Birdman switched off the mike. "No-good weasel. Couldn't he have stayed out of the Rumble like a good peon?" "BROCKEN!" (WHP) Brocken looked about, fire in his eyes. "HEY! Sub-Zero! I'm gonna get you! I'm gonna get you and bomb the hell out of you! I'm waiting!" "TAKUMA SAKAZAKI!" (KOF95) Takuma strode forward. Noting Annie Hamilton from Power Instinct in the front row, he handed her a card. "That's my son's phone number. He's somewhat shy, but really a nice sort..." _Sub-Basement 291-AXG_ Charlotte came upon the unconscious Ryo Sakazaki and gasped in shock at the horrendous toll that had been done on his body. Running over to him, she immediately touched his forehead. "Ryo? Are you awake?" Ryo's eyelids fluttered. He muttered, "S'okay...only hurts when I breathe..." "We've got to get you to the infirmary right now." She started picking him up. Ryo groaned. "No...no time. Gotta stop Morrigan...crazy woman says someone's after Haohmaru..." Charlotte looked at him sharply. "What are you talking about?" _The Ring_ "CYCLOPS!" (XM:COTA) The leader of the X-Men ran forward and double-super-jumped into the ring from nearly forty feet away. Birdman blinked. "I didn't know that that was one of his mutant powers..." "SMOKE!" (MK3) Loud boos rung out as Smoke strode down. The cries of "Cheap" and "Cheese" rung through the air. "CAFFEINE NICOTINE!" (SS2) "Haohmaru! I'm comin', boy! Don't worry! I can correct those flaws in your fighting style like *that*!" and, the final fighter of this section... "YOSHIMITSU!" (T2) Yoshimitsu provided his own commentary as he walked down to ring. "Yes, it's the Yoshimitsu 2000! This remarkable unit slices! Dices! And, after disemboweling a fighter," he stabbed Brian Battler to demonstrate, "it's still sharp enough to cut through this tomato!" Jumping into the ring, Yoshimitsu was accosted by Smoke. "Unit is mechanical/electronic but unit is not operating on target protocols installed by unit LK-53. Disassemble and solve." Yoshimitsu responded to Smoke's punch with an attack of his own. "You know, Ward, I'm really worried about the Beaver. I mean, he keeps coming up to me and trying to disassemble me. What can I do?" "Well, June, there appears to be only one solution...we'll have to gut the poor kid." With which Yoshimitsu sliced at Smoke's intake vents. _Room 595, RumbleDome Hotel_ Captain Kidd looked up at the grate they had entered this room by; a room on the same floor as Number 27. "Okay. Let's get back. We've rested up more than long enough." "I agree." A new voice spoke up. Kidd and Kensou whirled around. Iori Yagumi stood there, purplish energy crackling in one hand. "Now, you've stolen something, and the man currently employing me wants it back. Thus, I'm going to take it back. Beating the two of you into a pulp is not necessary, but I will do it, and enjoy it, if you leave me no other option." Kidd snorted. "Right. Two of us, one of you? You're awfully overconfident..." Iori shook his head, smiling all the while. "That's why I brought help." He stepped forward, and Cinder stepped in behind him. "So, now that we've evened things up a tad...well, first let's destroy that camera..." he sent a gout of the energy up at the security camera in the hallway, which exploded instantly- "and now we can play..." WHO WILL LIVE? WHO WILL DIE? WILL RYO CONTINUE TO BE A FACTOR IN THE DRAMA?