Saga 3 Episode 33: X Marks The Spot Pt.2: The Seed is Planted

## **Pariticpants**

SylX
I

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e39trocA7hM&list=PLYNBny7IRlVmrx\_JIN10B--M6yU-a2\_Dj&index=25&shuffle=2353 ) \_The night had passed a solid 8 hours of sleep, but X had been up after only 6. He’d let Syl rest up, after last night. Her body now completely healed, and a small 10% of her power could be used now at his whim. Never know when they might need it. Still X would’ve hopped she’d understand where their relationship was at this moment. He for now was the master, and she must adapt be serving him until the mission was done. The sunrise was hitting the horizon of the desert and for all intents and purposes…it was beautiful. X stood with no shirt underneath his trench coat, with his black cargo pants on, the ends of them tucked into his boots. His black cap on with blonde bangs sitting over his proud eyes slightly. He simply stared at the view, rather enjoying it…daunting the events to come about very soon.\_

\_When Syl would’ve awoken, X would’ve looked back towards her and spoken.\_

X: There’s 3 more fire roasted lizard on a stick if you want one. I don’t need to eat, but in your condition I need you to build your strength naturally. As we begin nearing the Project ESPER base I will gradually return your power to you. When you’re finished, get in the back. I’ve untied you and I expect you not to run away.

\_X would’ve turned back towards the sunset waiting to see if she would willingly get inside of the car and come along quietly. Yet again he was making strange vauge statements again. Why would he return a captives power back to them? Why would he untie her? Did he want her to run away? On top of this he was feeding her. Pieces weren’t adding up and Syl would more than likely pick up on this. His once clear motives now seeming shakey. Just what was she in for??\_

Syl rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, pushing herself up and tucking strands of hair behind her ears she looked over at X and curled into a indian sitting postion her back to him. As he spoke she kept her back to him as she rested her hands on her knees and closed her eyes. Checking herself, she found that some of her powers had returned. As he asked her if she wanted to eat, she shook her head.

Syl: "I dont eat meat." She said flatly. Placing her hand on the ground a small plant began to grow from under her hand and as she slowly picked her hand up off the ground the plant followed, small and scrawny was a small strawberry bush. Syl picked them off the bush as the tree wilted when the last fruit was plucked. "I can't sustian it..." she mused as she eat the strawberries. Syl smirked as he spoke behind her. "Your conviction is faltering. First you were adamant I would not have my powers. Now you give them back to me, and I did not forget what you said last night." she laughed and pushed herself up, staring at him. "I will listen to you for now. Since you seem certain you're being sent to your death I'll play your game for now." She said as she got up and moved over to him. "Now untie my hands please. Im not going anywhere." She asked. If her hands were free she'd reach over her head and stretch them the bones in her shoulder making loud popping noises.

She moved to get in the car. And looked at him as Heba appeared next to her, and Syl's eyes moved over to look Heba and then her eyes darted back to him.

Syl: "I cant talk out loud in front of him. I dont want him knowing." She said into her head.

Heba " I figured, he seems unsure of himself. Wait this out until you can get that remote from him."

Syl: "Got it" she said as she sat in the back seat. "Let's go." She yelled from the car.

\_She quipped about not eating meat nor being able to sustain her hunger, in which case he raised his brows for a moment before letting his face return to its blank stare. She continued talking but she began to mention things concerning last night and how his tone had noticeably changed. Still turning away he did however turn back towards her when he heard her getting up.\_

"I will listen to you for now. Since you seem certain you're being sent to your death I'll play your game for now. Now untie my hands please. Im not going anywhere."

\_X he nodded and untied the steel wiring tossing it to the side, and waiting for her to get into the car. After that he did a quick check of the cliff to make sure nothing was left behind, before she yelled for them to go.\_

X: I’m coming.

\_X would’ve hopped into the front of the car, cranking it up before taking off. The car hovering off of the cliff and driving back down towards the desert ground, dirt picking up beneath its stride. They began to drive for a few miles of rushing wind and desert canyons/cliffs when he looked down at the GPS map on his watch. He then put both hands on the wheel and spoke aloud.\_

X: We’re not very far off from our destination…so I think it’s time to fill you in on just what’s going on here. My name is X. I’m the later project after yourself from Project ESPER as I said before. I was hired by my director to kidnap you, yes. However my real plan was only to use you to help me destroy the facility from the inside out. I had to make it as convincing as possible. –he nods to the road behind him.- We just now crossed outside their radar range. It emits radar that tracks the watch I’m wearing. I can’t take it off just yet, but I do know the range of every tower in the city area. Right now…

\_X would’ve slowly started pulling the car over and putting it in park, before he turned around to look at her.\_

X: We’re in a dead zone. We’re outside the range of the tower in Kasaihana and we’re very close to the one that is established in the base I was assigned to take you to. From here we move on foot.

\_X would’ve stepped out of the car, and slamming the door shut, he’d toss the keys into the seat through the open window. Looking down he’d grip the watch on his wrist and rip it off, taking it in his hand and crushing it into a million pieces. He reached into his pocket and held up the remote that was linked to the Nanomachine poison in her body.\_

X: I’m going to give you full control of your powers back. Now that I know you’ll help me, I’ll need you to be the monster they make you out to be. –he pushed the button and dropped the remote to the ground, crushing it beneath his foot.- You’re body will more than likely eject the Nanomachines virus regularly through your execratory system.

\_he’d fold his arms and look at her with the same expression he’d always had but his eyes weren’t so dull this time around. They emitted a different emotion all together though the sternness of his expression makes it hard to pinpoint.\_

X: Is there anything else you need to know before we continue? I know the things I’ve had to do up to his point were more or less unpleasant but given who you are I had to approach you in a particular way. Feel free to ask me anything.

Syl kept her face to the window as they drove, watching the endless desert go by. Sighing she leaned back in the seat and put her feet up on the seat. He bgean to spoke and Syl's eyes slid to the rear veiw mirror as she looked at him.

X: "We’re not very far off from our destination- "

Syl: "I dont care." She said under her beath.

X: "-so I think it’s time to fill you in on just what’s going on here. My name is X-"

Syl: "I stil dont care."

X: I’m the later project after yourself from Project ESPER as I said before.

Syl: She rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to the window. "I dont know why your reapeating yourself."

X: I was hired by my director to kidnap you, yes. However my real plan was only to use you to help me destroy the facility from the inside out. I had to make it as convincing as possible.

Syl: Her eyes moved back the the mirror and she raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Good way of asking."

X:  –he nods to the road behind him.- We just now crossed outside their radar range. It emits radar that tracks the watch I’m wearing. I can’t take it off just yet, but I do know the range of every tower in the city area. Right now…

Syl: She kept her comfortable spot in the back as the car stopped however she did stiffen again. Keeping her eyes on him she watched as he turned around to face her. As he explained about the Dead Zone and he destroyed the controller and his watch. He asked if there was anything he needed to know or if she wanted to ask, she stared at him. "I should fucking kill you right now for last night." She glared at him before sighing. "It hasn’t been the first time anyway." she mused before looking away from him. "Lets go."

II
--

\_X kept his arms folded as she mentioned that she should’ve killed him. His posture remained the same except he’d dropped his arms by his sides. One of them reaching into his trench coat pocket as he began putting his leather gloves on, one hand at a time before he replied.\_

X: Syl AKA The spider queen. Born to a mother and father who worked at the facility, a mother with schizophrenia. Father was murdered, mother shortly killed after you were born. When you matured you killed all of 200 men and women inside of the base. In a town close by Zanzibar Stone, a town that doesn’t exist anymore, you killed 800 people. You’ve taken the lives of people w who’ve harmed you and the lives of people who’ve not done a thing to you. Weather or not that was the first time that happened or not there is a special place for both of us in hell. Consider it Karma towards your soon to be new life when we make our way to every single base Project ESPER owns and we destroy them piece be piece. If you wish to hold a grudge then by all means.

\_He tugged on the glove making sure it was tightly secured on his hand.\_

X: I’ll give you my  life to take when my mission, our mission, is done. Now then….

\_X closed his eyes for a moment before he took in a deep breathe through his nose. As he did and began to exhale said breathe, his body started to shift. Bulges erupting and sticking out from his upper torso, as the sound of bones cracking, jerking, and rearranging themselves to adjust to his growing mass. His Trench coat slowly began to rip exposing the golden fur that was coming over his upper body. Legs contorting into to a more beastly shape that allowed him to maintain stance on two legs, and the gloves expanded with him along with the hat! Soon he’d let out a loud roar, flexing his muscles and tearing the rest of the trench coat to shreds! Revealing what in essence could be considered his true form!\_

\_he calmed down, shaking his head and loosening his Maine before he huffed and looked over to Syl. His voice much lower in octave and louder overall with a gruffness to match his new beastly demeanor.\_

X: Follow me. Keep up, if you fly hover close above me. If we attack in a simultaneous pair we’ll surprise them. The facility is beyond that far off gap between those two cliffs over there.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr8JFq1BVE4 )\_he dropped to all fours before pulling back slightly and darting forward! His arms and legs impacting the ground with great weight! His body taking off in a sprint, dust kicking up after each paw hit the ground and rose up off of it!\_

https://i.gyazo.com/faea36c718b9b6aa7bdcafe4ae969625.gif

https://i.gyazo.com/bd4ee66f2df56202be3f20f4fef97033.gif

\_After finally arriving close to the base, X weaved between the laid out rocky pathway. Leaping up, and pushing his massive claws and pawed feet, wall jumping between the grotto before lunging out at the other side of it! He landed in the dirt, dust kicking up from under him as he looked around. They’d come to the right location, a deep gorge with tall canyon cliffs meant to conceal the large base they’d come for!...but alas. There was no base. Anywhere. They’d come to literally nothing but a giant square patch of dirt. Barren sand and…what looked like a person sitting in the middle of all of this.\_

X: I don’t understand…I got the map from Tanaban himself. Where is the base? Is it cloaked or something? –looks towards the body sitting far away from them in the center of this gorge- You! You who sits in the middle of nowhere! Where is the project ESPER base?!?

\_The mysterious figure stood up. He turned around towards both Syl and X. The figure stood there, looking at the both of them with a menacing stare. The whites of it’s eyes were black as night housing yellow irises. His hair was blonde and his arms weren’t…natural. They looked as if they were coated in an onyx metal. The metal had what looked like glowing neon lights that matched the color of his arms. He spoke nothing, not a word…he just stood there looking at the both of them.\_

She smirked as he mentioned her history, and then the people she'd killed in the base and the town. "Too bad for them then." she said coldly. She added and crossed her arms over her chest, "I dont believe in Hell anyway." she mused."Every base? First of all YOU dragged ME here. Dont include me in your revenge mission." She retorted back. And began to walk away from him, but she stopped when she heard him talking.

X: "I’ll give you my  life to take when my mission, our mission, is done. Now then…."

Syl: She smirked and leered at him, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "I don’t know why you keep saying our, you dragged me out here." She shot back icily,

The sound of clothes tearing ripped throught the air. Turning around she watched as he grew in size and transformed into a Humanoid Lion. As wasnt impressed by the transformation itself more of the animal that he was. She never would've guessed he was a Lion. She smiled coyly and as he spoke again his voice was lower and more beast like. As he spoke about where the facility was she followed, her dragon fly wings growing from her back. The light Iridescent wings quickly vibrating and lifting her off the ground, As he bolted off she followed just above him to keep him from kicking sand in her face. As they made the final jump into the gorge Syl's eyebrow raised and she looked at X. There was no base.

Syl: "Well?" she said her voise dropping in anger. "Do you think Im a fool?" she began to yell as she spotted a man sitting in the middle of the gorge. As she stood up and stared at them Syl stared back at him, his arms coated in what looked to be metal. She looked at X and spoke. "They betrayed you. Not that Im suprised." she said with a bit of arrogance in her voice. Watching the man for a few more beats Syl didn't wait for him t make the first move. She did, landing on the ground she summoned a surge of thorned roots in his direction, that if they hit would ensnare around him tightly.

"They betrayed you. Not that I’m surprised."

X: This is really not the time for your mouth Syl.

\_When the vines made attempt to warp around him, they completely encumbered around the blonde males body. As they did he made seemingly no attempt to free himself or even remotely struggle the mouoth of the strange looking man would’ve opened up. As it did a voice began to echo from the throat of the weird looking metal armmed man, but seeing as how the lips of the man weren’t moving per say one could assume someone was projecting their voice through the mouth of this…man or machine?\_

???: Very good job X. I knew you’d make it to your target destination on time, you never cease to amaze me at how proficient your missions turn out. Minus the last one of course…

X: Tanaban….

Tanaban: What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or should I say spider. Ever since your last mission failure I’ve noticed the subtle shift in your neurology. I said nothing of it, as I wanted to…test your merit. I couldn’t be certain so I’ve decided to kill two birds with one stone in this case. –the man’s head tilts towards Syl’s direction- Hello spider queen. I trust you’re doing well around this time? Have you calmed yourself down? Killed any more towns lately?

X: Cut the Shit Tanaban! Where are you! I’m not going to be some puppet in one of your shows anymore!

Tanaban: Ahhh X. You and the rest of the ESPERS…or should I say EVACS…can never truly “leave” ESPER. I won’t allow it. The secrets instilled inside of you two failure of experimentations are far to valuable to share with the world. The company has been hunting Syl for years, but with the way things run in Kasaihana…we’d have to put on to much of a show. Draw to much attention. The best way to go about it would’ve been to have one of our own take you out. But it seems that he was trying to stage some kind of mutiny against me. Me of all people. The one person who pulled you from the rubble and dirty of Africa to bring you to a land of opportunity.

X: You took me from my home. From my people. I was once a king, only to have been reduced to a lap dog. That is NOT acceptable anymore!

Tanaban: Boast all you care to do so. Allow me to introduce you to Project ESPER’S latest creation; Project XY. We recently acquired samples from one of out good friends at the Deadman Corps. He was more than willing to take the money we offered him as an offer after his base was destroyed by a couple of Kasaihana “heroes.” He’s been designed to control any and all forms of vibrations and seismic movement. There’s a high chance he could send this entire valley crashing down on the both of you. Still, that’d be to easy. I want to revel in your inferiority before it kills you and erases the both of you off of the map. It was a pleasure, truly.

\_the mouth closed and as it did the male would’ve begun to vibrate the ground around him. He began to vibrate his body, taking on a shakey and static appearance before he physically phased through the vines! As he did so, he’d come running for the both of them, a blurr forming around his body as he broke the sonic barrier only to reappear infront of both X and Syl! As he did, his arms were A LOT bigger, guns, cannons and barrels of all sizes morphed from the forms of it’s arms, as they glowed a bright yellow before a large balst that spanned to the very top of he canyon shot straight from it! The blast aimed for the both of them!\_

https://i.gyazo.com/6e35236675d4d45adb092b7f8c566798.gif

\_The blast containing superheated plasma shot towards them with the width and length of a football field, and roughly half the size of a mountain! X crossed his arms, relying on his Dragon Scales to protect him as best as the could! Digging his feet into the sand as hard as he could, try to fight off the pressure of the blast as best he could! Hopefully Syl either got out of the way or also found a way to shield herself before launching some kind of counter attack!!!\_

She grinned and watched his get fustrated with her. "Serves him right." Syl inwardly thought as she moved to stand near X. The vines snared him and she cautiously watched as his mouth gapes open and someone began talking through him like he was a marionette.  As Syl listened to thier exchange, she was quiet until he called them failures.

## III

Syl: "If we were failures why did you fail at containing us?" She sneered at him. "If we're such failures why are you going through so much trouble to kill us?" As he mentioned pulling X from africa she Crossed her arms over her chest and continued to stare at him. "Saved? You mean kidnapped right?" Once finished he phased through the vines and ran at them, because of how fast a snakes reaction time is once he presented the guns in thier face, she side stepped behind X and pressed her back against his. As she did so a wall of vines laced with her chi would've sprung up in front of them, causing a Leidenfrost effect.

The Leidenfrost effect is a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid's boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly, Engineers Edge defines. Even thougt it says that it only  happens with liquid it the reason it's not affecting the wall of vines is becuase the vines have moisture in them. In short, the reason why the plasma is rolling off the surface of the vines is becuase the moment it made contact with the wall, the moisture locked in them began to evaporate, forming a protective layer of vapor around them.

Syl: "I'd rahter NOT be burned alive, again." she added codly as she kept herself pressed behind X. "Whats the plan? My plants only have so much moisutre in the desert." She said as her small bugs began tocrawl from under her hair, and swarm around her hands.

\_X continued holding his arms up! The dragon scales along his body doing their job, but he would’ve just as soon been pushed back and sent flying across the desert had it not been for Syl! She jumped in causing the blast to split apart and in half from their position! She remarks about not wanting to be burned alive again. \_

"What’s the plan? My plants only have so much moisture in the desert."

X:…I think. You’re onto something.  If I know the formula of Esper’s experiments it’s that they were all human at one point in time…right? If we can find a way for you to get these vines inside of him, you can drain the moisture in its body from the inside out. Need a decoy though…

\_X would’ve proceeded to grab Syl by the back of her neck, reaching his hand around to take root of the ground beneath that the vine shield was growing thorugh, and in a display of strength he uprooted the vines and held Syl in his other hand, making a portable shield! Using this and Syl as a living weapon he proceeded to run through the bulk of the blast, until BANG! X hit the new esper’s body head on and sent his body tumbling backwards! X tossed Syl to the side, before running at the esper on all fours!\_

X: LOOK FOR AN OPENING AND DO WHAT I SAID!

\_X rushed forward on all fours, but the esper recovered much quicker than he’d expected!  X came to a sliding stop, only for the esper to make thrusting flames of vibrating plasma shoot form it’s hands, and levitating in that way he went to kick the man lion! X ducked underneath, hairs of his main floating in the air, as they were cut narrowly!\_

https://i.gyazo.com/0e0bc6d2c68bbcc6653532c1a3ada9cc.gif

\_X came up, swinging his massive hand vertically to bash it into the Chin of the enemy esper! It’s head went tilting upwards as the impact cracked the ground beneath his and the espers feet! After which, X began throwing his left and his right hand to both sides of its face! Waves of force colliding and scattering amongst the both of them!\_

https://i.gyazo.com/69c20f775093312af4935c4923d47bf8.gif

\_X then gripped the esper by his white shirt and tossed him into the air! Bringing his hands down he’d popped his claws out and was prepared to slice the thing up into pieces as it came down HOWEVER the esper had other plans! It spun around in the air, twice before it lifted its leg up above its head! A yellow stream of plasma energy blasting from the sole of its foot as it aimed to slam it’s heel into X’s forehead!\_

https://i.gyazo.com/73f7c870b6c09c68cbe0394311160878.gif

\_X managed to roll out of the way just in time before the espers foot collided with the ground, and cuased the earth beneath it to pancake and crumble upwards! X rolled along the ground, standing himself back up to counter but just as he was the esper’s hand was being held out and it began morphing again! It morphed into a smaller version of the cannon it transformed into previously and shot another beam directly at him, giving him little time to rest or catch breath!\_

https://i.gyazo.com/f2924da0461a51e98c48a33c7ff1fcee.gif

\_With the quickness of a cat, X took off! Running on all fours the giant beast man darted for his life, avoiding the giant fiery explosion that nearly took his head off! As the Esper began shooting more and more blast, this time in the form of burst rather than a straight beam, X would’ve continued on being as evasive as possible until Syl found the opening they’d mentioned previously! Something had to work here, X couldn’t run forever!\_

https://i.gyazo.com/f621625d7806e4f2de5c6423ed4f52b0.gif

He spoke of using her lants to drain moisture from his body, she'd had an idea but she'd need a-

X: "-Need a decoy though…"

Syl: "Yeah..." she said, he'd taken the words right out of her mouth. He'd reached over anf grabbed Syl by her neck and her plants creating a shield with them. He ran forward and rammed the Esper agent with the vines Syl realized that she was sailing through the air, she quickly righted herself and landed on her feet gently.

As the two began thier extremely deadly game of ct and mouse Syl slipped herself out of sight she moved to a wall of the gorge, and stuck herself on it. In the plam of her hand was a small bug and it was very tick like, literally the size of a pencil eraser, and inside it an even smaller seed. As per X's request she waitied for an opening to attack and she saw it the moment the Esper agent jumped into the air. Syl flicked the bug from her hand and it flew over to the esper agent,  and it attached itself to his soulder blade. In all the commotion of him attacking X he should'nt of felt it lach onto him.

Syl: "Get away from him!" She yelled as both of them got more erratic and X seemed to be getting tired. As soon as X cleared the distance she needed him to the bug bit into the Espers agent's neck, and unleashed the seed into his bloodstream. This is a small seed that Syl planted into his body and can be manipulated using her chi. After it has had enough time to secure its roots within the victim's body (Around the heart and lungs, the death plant bursts forth from within, killing the opponent. However Syl forcedthe plant to bloom within seconds be influcing it with her and Heba's combined chi. Syl would walk over to X and tap his shoulder. "Lets go. I need new clothes. You ripped mine."

\_X would’ve continued running in a strife like pattern to avoid the beams being shot at him at any and all cost! As he ran, he could feel himself getting slower, or rather he could feel the shots getting faster as he narrowly dodged them each time they were initially fired! He was about to try for a last ditch counter attack when all of a sudden the blast!....stopped. They stopped dead on and he slide against the ground only for the Esper to be seemingly twitching in it’s tracks! His hand hesitated slightly as it jerked back and forth, before it dropped! At it’s own arm only to see a bug bit into it’s neck. The Esper began to violently convulse. It’s mouth dropped open only for it to stop it’s movement all around. After it dropped to it’s knees, it’s mouth remained open as a flower began to spew from it, fully blooming for X and Syl to see the result of her timing and his distractive tactics.\_

\_X stood up and slowly began reverting back to his regular form, all be it this time with no shirt, and ripped shorts that clung to his body. He rubbed the back of his neck and nodded.\_

X: Good call there. You really are dangerous. You’re gonna make a great asset. –he looked around.- I think we’re alone finally. We’ll get you some new clothes when we get you back to the city. Let’s head back to the car, and get out of here.

\_X would’ve morphed back into a lion before crossing the desert once again, on his way back to the car. Syl following him, as his new ally his mission wasn’t over. He was hellbent on finding a way to infiltrate project ESPER’s base and taking these bastards down from the inside. Then, maybe then he’d be able to figure out more about who he was and where he came from.\_