The War of Paradigm City

*Big Duo blocks, with its propellar-hands.*

Mirror Zero goes for another slash, then back dashes, flooding Big Duo with a volley of lasers.

*Adramelech showers Big Duo with bullets as it arrives near them.*

*Big Duo's propellar hands make a mighty good shield, but they're starting to get banged & dented up. Basilisk arrives on the scene & uses its tail to sweep the leg.*

T{Give up, Barbatos. Big Duo is too badly damaged to survive a 3-on-1 fight. You'll never take over the Presidency now.}

*Barbatos gives a low, feminine chuckle.*

B{And here I thought you had no sense of humor. Or...maybe you really ARE still in the dark. About the truth of this corrupt city.}

*Suddenly, laser eyes at Basilisk's face. The camera panel on its head explodes.*

*Adramelech holds Big Duo's hands down and rams a foot into its lower torso, all the while firing its machine guns into the head.*

*Adramelech just ends up getting its hands sliced to ribbons. It manages to break off the casing of the Megadeus's head, but Big Duo kicks it in the stomach, propelling it off.*

T{So you were behind the reporter as well?}

B{In a manner of speaking. We all had our own goals. But when I say, 'corrupt city,' I don't mean politics or crime. The very nature of Paradigm City's existence is corrupted. If you knew the truth of what happened 40 years ago, you would agree that this city, and everyone in it, must be destroyed.}

*Adramelech stands back up, the machine guns continuing to fire at the head. It then approaches and swings its large tail at Big Duo's knees.*

*Big Duo is still on the ground & I'm getting sick of Adrammelech being stupid, so Big Duo grabs it by the tail & swings it into a building.*

Mirror Zero slices at Big Duo's outstretched arm, hoping to amputate it.

*Big Duo wastes no time, grabbing its discarded arm & swinging it at Mirror Zero, before letting go & throwing a punch with its good arm, resulting in 2 propellar-laden slashes.*

T{I would hear this "truth" of yours.}

B{There was nothing 40 years ago. Or 80. Or 160. The world was just empty, & devoid of life. It still is. That which remains is a mockery of a memory that died ages ago.}

"What do you mean nothing existed-- oh shit," Mirror Zero strafed to avoid the shit being thrown at her, "What do you mean nothing existed forty years ago?" Zell asked, "That is physically impossible."

B{You're the clone, aren't you? I bet you think you're special. Different from everyone else. But the truth is, we're all in the same boat...well, almost the same boat.}

*Big Duo turns to Thiera.*

B{I don't recall having a mansion, or even living in the Domes, so much as once in 10 generations.}

OOC: A generation is defined here as "20 years."

"I think I'm sub-human actually, but that is a discussion for a later date, and probably one you'll not be a part of," Zell replied, "And what do you mean you don't recall living in the domes for 10 generations?"

B{The reason you don't remember anything from 40 years ago is because the world began 40 years ago. As I recall, in this reality, I started as an orphan on the streets, who volunteered for Aamon's project in return for food. Oh, but I had no way of knowing what we would discover. With each cloning procedure, we literally saw into another world. Countless times, this thing called "Paradigm City" has been destroyed & reset. But 10 generations is all the farther anyone could remember. Each time the process was repeated, the clone became less stable. None of the 11th-level duplicates could survive on their own, much less tell us what they could remember. But through those glimpses, we found out all that we needed to know: The crucial ingredient to destroying & recreating this abomination is a particular Megadeus.}

Zell was a bit lost, "Wait, what?"

Topaz: <She's kidding, right?!>

*Topaz digs her nails into the arms of her chair, eyes widen in shock.*

B{Didn't you ever find it the least bit odd? Not only are there no memories from prior to 40 years ago, there are no records at all. Despite what the official Paradigm statement is, all structures & all soil within the city limits, date to exactly 40 years ago. But you knew that already, didn't you?}

T{...And the age tests on the city's elderly residents?}

B{Also falsified.}

"How can you be so sure?" Zell asked.

B{Because I've examined the bodies myself.}

T{That doesn't explain why you're trying to take over Paradigm Headquarters, or why you killed Aamon.}

B{Anything to keep someone else from finding & using the Original Megadeus.}

"What is the Original Megadeus?" Zell asked, "Who has it, where is it, do you even know?"

B{It is one of the Bigs. If not Fau or Duo, then that leaves only one option: The Big O.}

Topaz: <...Where is it?>

B{Somewhere underneath Paradigm City, just like all of the others. Not that you'll ever see it!}

*Big Duo fires eye lasers at Adramelech's head. During the conversation, Thiera had started to sneak out of Basilisk, so the Megadeus is immobilized until she gets down.*

Topaz: <Right back at you!>

*Adramelech stumbles back, before rushing around them and slamming its tail down into Big Duo's head as fast as possible.*

*Big Duo uses its remaining arm to slice into the joints of Adrammelech's tail.*

B{So what if you were to kill me now? Eventually, Paradigm City would be reset, & I'd do this all over again!}

*The hatch on Basilisk closes as Thiera runs into a nearby cellar for cover.*