Palace of Power - Videoland Research and Development
This tower of the Palace, once another set of guest quarters, has been turned into a makeshift laboratory, numerous rooms holding hundreds of experiments, good scientists putting their skills to use making the most unusual devices imaginable. It is here that the scientists who built Kevin's Zapper work, and they continue to invent, making new and better devices to keep the Gamemasters equipped with the most up-to-date equipment possible. Never mind the loud explosions that occasionally rip through the area... it's natural.
Ziggy is seated on his cyborg maintenance bed once again. Immediately after recovering from the incident with chaos, Ziggy was soundly defeated by Margulis. His track record hasn't been very good lately, and it seems he's not the only one who thinks so.
He holds in front of him a holographic screen which he is using to communicate to one of the board memebers of the SOCE. The organization who, under federation law, own Ziggurat 8. The man doesn't seem overly happy, though their conversation is about finished. "...a woman named Chun-Li, this Demon Prince Laharl, and now a U-TIC Commander you've already faced once before? This is a very bad trend, Ziggurat 8, I don't think the council will be able to trust you on your current mission for much longer. I'm going to recommend to them that you be taken off and sent back in the next meeting. Until then, don't do anything to embaress us any further!"
With that curt response, Ziggy isn't even given a chance to reply when the screen blips off. He just wordlessly places the device down and resumes letting the maintenance bed heal him.
Chun-Li enters the medbay, her intent to gather a few healing supplies that are not potions, since Ryu seems awfully sick of those. She pauses as she hears her name, however, turning to glance back over her shoulder in curiosity. It doesn't take long for a frown to pull at her lips. Seemed someone was underestimating her simply because of her gender. It's a shame that the screen blips off, as Chun-Li was eager to return a few quips of her own. Pulling down a couple of Expellian blueberries and blackberries (they looked interesting), she tucks them into her purse before approaching the injured cyborg's medical bed. "Who's the creep?" she asks with a faint nod of her head.
Ziggy turns to face Chun-Li, it seems he didn't notice her until the council was through with him. "One of the council from the SOCE, my superiors." In actuality, he wasn't underestimating Chun-Li because she was a woman, just because she was human. From the council's perspective Ziggy SHOULD be better than that "How is your friend recovering?" He's never met Ryu directly, only knows of his situation from the few reports on the battle he has read. He asks because that's what he assumes she is there for.
"Better," she sighs, unslinging the purse strap from her shoulder as she moves to take a seat beside him. "Seems he's lost his vision for a few days. Thankfully he'll heal in time, but it can't be pleasant to lose one's senses like that." Chun-Li shakes her head, dropping her purse and neatly folded hands into her lap. "What about you? What's the recovery time?"
Ziggy shakes his head "I'm fine. I shall be healed by this evening, it is only internal circuitry damage that is being attended to now." Physically anyway, he'll be fine. "Do you need anything?" He asks, partially out of reflex. He's so used to people following up with a request when they ask how long he'll be off of his feet. Though he also recalls her asking him for a talk earlier.
Chun-Li blinks, smiles, then shakes her head. "I was about to ask the same of you," she replies warmly, giving his shoulder a little pat. "It sounds like you need a solid victory to send back home. If I'd known losing to me would have caused such a mess, I wouldn't have been so rough with you."
"I do not need sympathy." He says, almost sharply, and not really reacting to the pat on the shoulder. "It was a fair fight and I lost. It was no fault of yours. It is the battle with Laharl that is of most concern. If anything the council owes you thanks, if you hadn't showed up the Dock Colony may have been endangered by him." He pauses, and picks up the data padd again, hits a few keys and a picture of an angry looking man with purple hair and a scar on his face appears on the holographic screen "That, and my recent loss to this U-TIC Commander. I faced him once before when I rescued MOMO from him at Pleroma. The council is upset that I lost to him recently." He places the padd back down.
Chun-Li eyes the ugly visage, then shakes her head. "Hm. Well, considering how Laharl is, I can't really see your loss to him as any sort of shame. He would have certainly killed me too if Angela hadn't stepped in to distract him," she replies, unphased by his not wanting any sympathy. It was a much better response than clinging and crying into her bosom. Ugh. "What will you do now?"
Ziggy just says plainly "I will do what they tell me. I don't have a choice in the matter." He shakes his head "And the council isn't concerned with how shameful it is or is not to lose to someone like Laharl. I have been a mercenary for 100 years, they expect positive results from me."
Chun-Li ponders that for a few moments. Perhaps she should select him as a back-up guardian for an upcoming assignment that is so top secret, it can't even be mentioned OOCly. "Considering that you wore down Laharl enough that all it took was a 'boo' from me to send him back home, I would consider that a positive result. But I'm not the council, so I guess it doesn't matter much." She heaves a faint sigh, and looks back to him. "You sure there's nothing I can do for you? If there is, please name it."
Ziggy shakes his head "I appreciate the offer, but the SOCE council rarely even listens to people from my world. They haven't expressed much interest in the people from the rest of Videoland yet." Shifting slightly he straightens in his bed and sits up. He places his cybernetic arm down on what looks like an armrest, but instead a few devices insert themself into the slot where his blade normally comes out, just some more maintenance. "So, is there anything I can do for you?" He asks, again.
Chun-Li considers their first fight, then inclines her head. "Well, now that you mention it, I have to admit some curiosity as to your fighting style. It's incredibly similar to mine, frighteningly so," she smiles...must not be that frightening. "Considering how it's a blend of several styles with a few of my own special moves, I'd like to ask where you learned yours? If it's not classified, that is."
Ziggy pauses, thinking over it "They are not so much fighting styles as they are adaptions to my cybernetic limbs. I assume you are referring to the similarity to your Lightning Kick, but it is really only due to the advantages of my cybernetic legs. It is not a skill I was able to use while I was human, when I was converted into a cyborg I was also given programming on how to properly use the cybernetics. I am given such programming whenever I recieve new parts. It is possible that the methods of attack have roots in similar martial arts style to yours, but I'm not sure if they exist..."
Chun-Li nods faintly. "Is your programmer still around? I'm rather intrigued to think that fighting styles could possibly bleed from one zone to another like this," she grins, rather exuberant at the very thought. Besides, the fireball/kikouken move was rather similar as well, though it probably didn't cost much concentration to send one of those out for a cyborg.
They weren't /that/ similar, especially since Ziggy fired his from his feet. But he shakes his head "My cybernetic legs were given to me when I was first converted to a cyborg. In the past 100 years Ziggurat Industries moved away from supplying cyborg parts, even if the individual who created the programming was alive I wouldn't be able to reach him."
"Ah, that's a pity," Chun-Li sighs. Then smiles again. "I'd like a rematch some time after you recover, should you need to run some tests...or whatever," she shrugs. "I'd better get going, though, Ryu might be up and about today if all goes well. Are you certain you don't need anything?"
Ziggurat 8 nods "Thank you all the same. And if I am still here, a rematch would be fine." He says that as if he very well may /not/ be here. He is nothing but a possession to the SOCE, afterall.
Chun-Li squeezes his shoulder again, leaning over to kiss his brow as she stands to her feet. "Everything will be all right, Ziggy. Try not to let yourself get too worried about the political side of things. You're a really great fighter!" Slinging her purse onto her shoulder, she begins to walk away. Pausing at the door, she glances back over her shoulder. "Will you be stronger the next time we meet?"
The Kiss... for a moment there's a flash in Ziggy's mind, another memory resurfaces brought about by a familiar sensation, but it's gone as quickly as it came and he could not recognize any of it. The kiss just seemed familiar. Still, he does nothing to let on about that, only pausing slightly as she pulls away "I'll be more experienced since the first time we fought." He says. Actual strength, though, is unlikely, due to the fact his systems have rejcected most of the new upgrades available for cyborgs in his world.
Chun-Li smiles, and nods her head. It'll do. "I look forward to it," she replies. With a parting wave, the Chinese fighter heads out with medicinal herbs safely tucked away. Ryu ought to enjoy those, they certainly looked far more tempting than a bottle of mysterious blue liquid.
Ziggurat 8 doesn't say anything else as she leaves, and his expression is as stoic as it has always been. He worries about what the council will do, he just doesn't show it.
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