Capt. Mulholland's team guarded the eastern portion where Lt. Lewis would be summoning the portal. "I don't like this, sir," Amp said as they sat in the outskirts. No matter how much he tried to push it away, fear would visit his body constantly throughout this mission.
"That escape route won't be that long. Lewis said it might take time but only thirty minutes tops," replied Capt. Mulholland.
"I don't know. I just..."
"It's okay to be scared, Amp. Just don't let it get to you. Besides, you know more of these things than me, so you have a better chance of survival."
Amp grimaced the moment he heard that. "Yeah, yeah, I confess, I'm a geek. That's probably the reason why the bureau chose me to be here. I can't believe they actually dug up my streams and let's plays to find that out. But still, this place is too much, and I don't like being a sitting duck."
"We have no choice. This is the best we can come up with, remember?"
Amp nodded in agreement before leaving the captain in peace.
Capt. Mulholland wished it was possible to sleep in this virtual reality world. Sleep would have washed away their concerns and make them calmer. But the place didn't want them to; it only wanted them to witness every horror it would throw.
There were thirty or more geeks with them. A number large enough to form a good defense, but hopefully small enough to prevent catching attention. They were all scattered, some taking refuge in the arroyo and cave networks, while others made trenches and fox holes to keep themselves safe. It was courageous of them to be there, but even so, the coldness of dread clenched them tightly.
A geek sitting inside a hole carved on the side of a rock caught Capt. Mulholland's eyes. He then came down from his post and joined the geek chilling in her little chamber.
"How are you doing, Haru?" the captain asked.
Haru, surprised, looked at him and shook her head. She gave no words of reply.
"I know you're scared too," Capt. Mulholland added. "It's okay to be scared. I myself am scared. You just have to use that fear to your advantage, you know? And prevent it from becoming a liability."
"A-Arigato goazaimasu," Haru uttered. She wanted to say more, but she feared saying something odd and disrespectful. The captain was their savior and thus he didn't need to be drowned by her weirdness. They owed their lives to him, and he deserved all the thank you in the world. Not only that, but the captain had been specifically kind to her. Even if he was a mesomorphic alpha, he was still compassionate to a silly beta like her.
But then again, the strongest could become weak. The smartest would do the dumbest of things. The great General George S. Patton would lose a few battles. The unbeatable Miyamoto Musashi would get knocked off his horse. Haru now wondered if Capt. Mulholland made a similar blunder in keeping her here.
Why did he choose an 18-year-old Japanese girl? What did he see in her, which made him grant her request to fight in the front lines? Was there no one else in all of the talented geeks in the Escapist Dream, who deserved to be given such an assignment?
"E-Excuse me," Haru suddenly said, her mouth finally finding its courage. "I-I hope I don't sound ungrateful, but why did you allow me to be here?"
Capt. Mulholland sank his head to the ground, exhaling heavily to clear his lungs and throat. He prepared the words he would use, before replying, "Like I said, you're one of the bravest people I've seen here. Your actions during that fight with those gremlins – how you didn't even flinch or run as you serve as bait for those bastards – are evidences of that."
"I-Is that all? It's not really a big deal. Why did you choose me, really?"
The captain paused a second time, before making a big sigh. When his tongue finally lost its tension, he then answered, "To be honest, I don't know. Something is telling me that you should be here. Something or someone… I… I just don't know. But it don't worry me none because I know how good you are. I know you'll do well."
"Th-Thank you…" Haru replied. Both then became silent as they waited.
People would always say to "expect the unexpected" when one was faced with a situation. Yet one could never really expect what was supposed to be unexpected. It was an illogical notion. Chaos theory would always dictate that something wrong would happen. No plans were ever perfect even if how much everything was thought out carefully.
Capt. Mulholland and Haru knew that something would eventually go wrong. They just hoped the margin of error would be small; something they could quickly handle.
The radio strapped to Capt. Mulholland's chest started to hiss. The moment he turned it on, the voice of Agent Nagant, yelled, "Kaptain! Enemy is attacking us! There are mene of them heer! We will trry to hold them off! But we will be beezy during that time!"
"That's okay, Nagant! Just be careful!" Capt. Mulholland replied.
"Good luck on yore side!" Nagant yelled before his voice was drowned by war cries. Nervousness took over Haru when she heard the Russian. But she tried to drown her anxiety, thinking they would be alright. Unlike her, these agents were well-trained pros who were hard to beat.
Amp himself dropped in front of the two, panting and distraught. "J-Just got a call from Bryant!" he said. "Eastside is under attack but they're trying to hold them off."
"This is not good. The Russian's side is also under attack," Capt. Mulholland said. "What about Lt. Lewis? Or the other geeks? Any news from them?"
"I talked to the lieutenant. He told me that his area remains safe."
"What about the north side?" Haru said. "What about my brother?"
"No news from Ryūji and the FBI agents with him," answered Amp. "But we should worry about us first. I just saw movement three-o-clock from our position."
"Well, let's get to it then!" the captain ordered as he stood up.
"You don't get it, cap!" Amp yelled, grabbing Capt. Mulholland's shoulders. "This plan is a bust! They're attacking us now on all sides! The jig is up!"
The captain calmly shrugged Amp's hold. Such a violation was punishable with suspension. But this situation needed unity, not division. "Relax, boy," said Capt. Mulholland. "Complaining isn't going to take us anywhere. We have only one objective left and that is to push forward until we succeed."
"But–"
"Trust me, Agent O'Neal. We'll be alright. Let's just do our job."
Capt. Mulholland then turned away from Ryūji and faced Haru. The girl was already on her feet, her hands held together on her chest as if praying. "This is it, Haru," the captain told her. "Prepare yourself. I need you to be brave now."
"Hai!" Haru yelled without a pause or a stutter. Although she was nervous, she did her best to transform that into determination. This was why she was there in the first place. This was why Capt. Mulholland chose her. If things went well, then they would finally be going home.
The captain and all the other geeks faced the direction of the incoming threat. "Let's turn off all of our radios now, Amp," Capt. Mullholand ordered. "And for those who have telepathic powers and other communication-based superpowers, please don't use them for now. We can't risk giving these guys intel on what we are planning."
They expected a cloud of smoke, or a thundering march, maybe a charging yell at least. But there was no army or a battalion. Only one opponent faced the small but mighty geek force.
Just one enemy, who emerged out of nowhere, who didn't show any fear. He just smirked, looking so confident in the face of a platoon, unfazed by the odds he was stacked up against.
Admittedly, the group's fears dispersed, frankly disappointed but thankful that it was just one guy.
The only person who remained shitting his pants was Amp. He knew of this monster they were about to face – this thin young adult, appearing like a stoner with that sad frail body. He was no ordinary young man, however. Those green v-neck shirt, brown bell-bottom pants, sandy-blond hair and goatee, spoke of someone iconic. But those white cross, blue eyes, and blue flaming aura all around, stated how dangerous he was.
"Like, what do we have here?" the young man said. "Hoo-hoo-hoo. Noble but futile, man!"
"Holy fucking shit…" Amp muttered.
"Y-You know him?" asked Haru.
"That AI is dressed up as Shaggy Rogers."
"You mean… like that old American cartoon? The one with the brown dog who talks?"
"No, something different! That is Ultra-Instinct Shaggy! Oh man, we're fucked!"
Ultra-Instinct Shaggy approached the geeks while drawing his green lightsaber. Captain Mulholland signaled everyone to back away slowly as the AI swaggered without a pause in his step. "Let's get this battle started!" Ultra-Instinct Shaggy said. "Like, I'll try to use only 2% of my powers, man. Ha-ha-ha!"
There was a blur, and Ultra-Instinct Shaggy disappeared. A green light then appeared through the torso of one of the geeks. The latter made no cry, just the sound of air leaving his lungs before going down. Ultra-Instinct Shaggy just drew first blood.
"Take him out!" Capt. Mulholland yelled as he fired his M4 carbine, but the bullets just bounced off like they were paper balls. The geeks stood their ground; Amp hastily unsheathing his long sword and Haru summoning her yellow rodent.
One of the geeks who resolved to fight transformed herself into a Tyrannosaurs Rex. She charged with teeth aimed at Ultra-Instinct Shaggy. But the AI leaped into the air, his smirk still retained, and beheaded the dinosaur with his lightsaber. As he landed, he threw his saber at the other geeks. The lightsaber flew around the battlefield before returning to the hands of Ultra-Instinct Shaggy. Ten geeks were left dead in its wake.
The other geeks unleashed their magic – creating an elemental fusillade of fire, water, and giant rocks from their hands. But the AI used telekinesis to slap them out of the air like they were nothing.
"Ha-ha-ha! Like, those are some lousy attacks, man," Ultra-Instinct Shaggy said before dashing towards them in blinding speed – slicing, beheading, and gutting every geek in his way. The whirling slicer of death was unstoppable, and so the surviving geeks began running away in defeat.
With anger overflowing, Amp struck at Ultra-Instinct Shaggy with his magical longsword. The AI managed to block it but this left him undefended. Haru then capitalized on this by sending her yellow rodent. "Pikachu! Use volt tackle!" Haru commanded.
The summoned monster sprinted towards Ultra-Instinct Shaggy. "Pika-pika-pika-pika…" the yellow rodent repeatedly said, as it gained momentum that summoned more electricity. It then slammed headfirst into Ultra-Instinct Shaggy. The AI, however, was pushed only an inch from the attack, leaving the yellow rodent crying and massaging its aching head.
"Like, you two seemed competent," Ultra-Instinct Shaggy said. "Looks like I'll have to use 5% of my powers then, maaaaaaaaan!"
A punch to the chest rocked Amp greatly. The agent retaliated with a swing as he tried to fight his wobbly legs. But the AI suddenly dropped to the ground and curled; hands, knees, and shins planted below. His curled body tripped Amp, making him crash painfully on the clay, leaving him open for a coup de grâce.
Before Ultra-Instinct Shaggy could finish him off, a lightning bolt struck him in the temple. Ultra-Instinct Shaggy turned to the right and faced the one who attacked him.
"Like, that's really annoying, maaaaaan," Ultra-Instinct Shaggy remarked as he used his telekinesis to pull the yellow rodent towards him. The animal screamed, before abruptly becoming silent the moment Ultra-Instinct Shaggy's hand wrapped around its head. In one motion, the AI plucked its head with a pop, like pulling the cap off a ballpoint pen. Ultra-Instinct Shaggy then threw what remained of the yellow rodent to the feet of a shocked Haru. The girl took a glimpse of her pet's corpse, seeing its blank terrified face, and neck still spewing blood like a spilling wine bottle. The girl screamed in anguish from the grim horror.
Amp dragged the girl out of there before the AI could hit her. They then came upon Capt. Mulholland who was kneeling on the ground, trying desperately to search for something in his bag that they could throw at the monster.
"Captain! We have to get out of here! That thing's killing us!" Amp yelled.
"Negative, agent," the captain replied. "We hold the line for Lt. Lewis. We have to hold it. Whatever it takes."
"You're going to get everyone here killed! You're going to get her killed!"
"Not yet! I have something here that might get this son of a bitch. Ryūji gave this to me a while back. He said that it used to belong to the admin of Stan City. I know this will work."
Capt. Mulholland then pulled out of his sack, what appeared to be a large golden steel gauntlet. It was far different from all the gauntlets, both real and fantasy. This one was made purely of steel with no gaps even at the joints. What also made it unique were six smooth oval stones strapped on its fingers and at the back of the hand – yellow, blue, purple, green, red, and orange.
"Woah!" Ultra-Instinct Shaggy gasped. "Like, is that what I think it is? Is that the infinity gauntlet? Why, that will make me use 10% of my power. Like, you won't like that, man!"
"Shut up!" Capt. Mulholland yelled.
Ultra-Instinct Shaggy then hurled a series of blue energy orbs with machine gun-like speed. But the captain used his gauntlet to summon a transparent energy shield to block them. The captain then snapped his fingers, stopping time around him. With Ultra-Instinct Shaggy immobilized, he then made another snap, summoning a large burning meteor from space. Amp and Haru fell back as Capt. Mulholland dropped that space rock on Ultra-Instinct Shaggy.
"Haru!" Amp coughed as dust and debris filled his lungs. "You have to get out of here! You have to leave and tell Lt. Lewis what's happening. I-I can't use my radio now."
"Why?!" replied Haru. "Look at the captain! He's winning!"
"Just listen to me! We have to warn Lt. Lewis! If we lose Lt. Lewis, then we are screwed! Do you hear me? We… are… screwed!"
With no other complaints, Haru did as she was instructed. She ran as fast as she could, as fast as her little pale legs allowed her to. Haru wished she had unlocked teleportation or super speed when she had the chance. These powers would have been really helpful for this task. Still, Haru did have one power that could assist her.
Haru bit her index finger and used a summoning jutsu to call her kaiju. The large turtle monster then picked her up, before going airborne and flying onwards to Lt. Lewis's location.
Ultra-Instinct Shaggy was still alive after having a moon slammed on him. His smug face showed no pain, no fear, as he hovered into the air, before diving towards the captain with his lightsaber. With another snap, Capt. Mulholland transformed his lightsaber into a 3-foot-long black dildo.
"There! Now you can fuck yourself."
"Ha-ha-ha! Like, I admit, I actually find that f–"
Capt. Mulholland suddenly jumped upwards, appearing in front of the AI, before smashing his gauntlet in his face, making him spiral out of the air. Capt. Mulholland then fired a large red beam that hit the AI, sending him to the ground, burying him deeper and deeper into the crust.
Rocks and soil exploded away as Ultra-Instinct Shaggy hovered out of the ground. Capt. Mulholland's hard work was for nothing, as the AI looked unhurt, his body now reverberating a larger blue aura. "You should be proud of yourself," Ultra-Instinct Shaggy said to the captain. "Like, your skills are good that I now have to use 30% of my power!"
The captain could feel something in his skin; his body reacting to the chilly remark of this monster. He threw everything he had but the AI seemed unstoppable. Emotions that he had contained, and characteristics of himself he didn't know, presented themselves. Capt. Mulholland was now filled with dread as he faced his mortality.
But even if this AI was invincible, Capt. Mulholland had to keep fighting. He still had one move he could try.
The captain prised all his strength on his fingers to make the loudest and most powerful snap. The snap echoed throughout the outskirts, causing Amp's eardrums to pop painfully.
Ultra-Instinct Shaggy then found himself feeling not good. His whole body had begun disintegrating into dust. "Zoinks!" Ultra-Instinct Shaggy yelped.
"Die, motherfucker!" Capt. Mulholland screamed.
But in an instant, Ultra-Instinct Shaggy stopped what was happening. Without a sweat, he easily reformed the body parts he had lost. It was too late for the captain to react as Ultra-Instinct Shaggy quickly flew towards him. With a swipe of his hand, the AI disemboweled him completely.
The great Capt. Mullholland, the toughest of them all, laid there screaming and clutching his leaking guts. Amp watched in horror as Ultra-Instinct Shaggy stood above him, saying, "Like, don't you watch old Youtube videos and memes? I already made Thanos my bitch, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnn!"
The AI then lifted his right foot and stomped the captain's head, squishing it like it was a juicy bug. Amp was stunned after witnessing the captain's head turned into salsa.
Ultra-Instinct Shaggy floated above him, taking the shape of something primordial and godlike. The wrath in front of Amp was so terrifying, it eradicated any hope he had left. It was now his turn to die.
"This can go two ways, punk. One… you walk away. Two… I walk on your face."
Adrenaline flowed and anxiety still encumbered Haru, but she rode on to her destination, determined to accomplish her task. She didn't look back at how her team was doing. She didn't even glimpse to her left and right for danger. She was like a carriage horse, blinders on, focused only on one direction – forward.
But then, something caught her eye. To her right was the northern portion of the outskirts where her brother, Ryūji, was. A large cloud of smoke – almost Halifax-like, almost mushroom-like – rose from that direction. Embers and magma were spread throughout the land, appearing like an aftermath of a volcano eruption. It was like Tartarus had risen up, deciding to say howdy to the land of the living.
Anxiety seized her far more than Haru had ever been. She'd face so many dangers before but none had scared her more than this. There were no signs of life in that direction. All she was seeing was a horizon of quietus and destruction.
And that was where she made her gravest mistake. Amp gave her only one simple task. Just one job. Just a single bloody mission. And even in that she fucked up. She fucked up so badly that day.
She forgo traveling towards Lt. Lewis for her brother needed her right now. Ryūji was the only one she had left; the only good thing she had in life. She had to save him at the cost of herself or anyone else's.
"Wait for me, aniki. Please wait. I have to save you first!"
Her kaiju landed on the burning soil but its thick soles and durability left it unscathed. Haru tried to fight through the choking carbon and the toxic sulfur, even as her eyes burned, and her throat became inflamed. In despair, she searched for Ryūji, her only remaining reason to live.
"Nyeeeeep, what's up dock?" a raspy voice asked her.
Talking to Haru was a 4-foot-tall humanoid grey rabbit. It walked on two legs, had long ears and a fluffy tail. It munched on a carrot with white-gloved human-like hands. On top of its head was that white cross.
"W-Who are you?" Haru said with unease. "Wh-Where's my brother?!"
"Hmmm…" the bunny said as it continued to munch on that carrot. "You mean this fella right here?"
It moved to the left, revealing a large ditch. Inside were corpses of various geeks – bloody, dismembered, and thrown like garbage to a landfill. Some of those people were still alive – groaning, crying, begging – too weak or injured to get out. Though petrified, Haru noticed someone wearing a familiar black gakuran.
"H-Haruuuuuu…" Ryūji called to her.
"Well, what are you waiting for?! Say hello!" the rabbit smugly said.
"Aniki!" Haru screamed.
"Good. Now say goodbye!"
The bipedal rabbit then pulled out large pieces of wood from thin air, and with blurry speed, nailed them all unto the hole, covering it up. "That will hold 'em alright, hehehehehe…"
"Aniki!"
Haru ordered her kaiju to use its large claws to break away the planks and dig her brother out. The moment it wrenched the wood away, the hole had disappeared, leaving Haru staring at nothing but dirt.
"Where is my brother?!"
"I took him to Florida! Or was it Albuquerque?"
Enraged, Haru commanded her kaiju to shoot flames at the bunny. The rabbit hopped all around the battlefield to dodge those flames. It then finished its carrot and began enflating itself like a balloon as the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens played.
"Try pickin' on someone yer own's size…" the bunny said, now tall enough to face the kaiju, but twice as fat as its height. Before Haru could shake off her astonishment, the rabbit flicked the girl off her mount, making her land painfully on the scorching earth. It then literally swallowed her kaiju whole with one gulp.
"Last time I fought the Japanese, I had to use ice cream. Glad this time, I'm the one who gets to eat something!"
Even as her costume caught fire, and her shoulder broken due to the fall, Haru stood up, her face still ablaze with anger. However, before she could summon something to use against the rabbit, it suddenly shrunk back to its original size, before jumping into a smaller hole. Using only her own fingers, Haru tried to dig the hole to get to the bunny; adrenaline helping her push through the hot soil. But it was of no use, for the rabbit was gone, making Haru burst into tears.
She still had hope though. If she could get to the other agents, maybe they could organize a rescue attempt for Ryūji. She then picked herself and tried to summon her kaiju again, but the program told her that it was now considered "lost". It was the first time she had come across this. Apparently, dead summons were treated the same way as broken weapons. Her monsters were gone now as far as the Escapist Dream was concerned. Nonetheless, Haru decided to sprint towards Lt. Lewis, the quickest she'd ever done.
When she arrived at Lt. Lewis's location, what stood in front of her were more dead bodies. Ultra-Instinct Shaggy was there together with the humanoid grey rabbit. They laughed at this poor little lost girl.
"You…" Amp, who was laying on the feet of Ultra-Instinct Shaggy, said. The FBI agent was battered to a pulp, his eyes swollen and purple, his ulnas and tibias broken.
"Where the fuck were you?!" Amp screamed.
The two meme-inspired monsters continued to laugh. "Like, you've just done fuck this up, gurl," Ultra-Instinct Shaggy remarked.
"Nyeeeeeeeeeep," the rabbit uttered. "Lady, you're dumber than Elmer Fudd, and that's sayin' somethin'."
"W-What happened?" Haru finally asked.
Amp closed his eyes, ground his jaws, and buried his face on the clay. "Capt. Mulholland is dead! Everyone is dead! They sacrificed everything and you fucked it up!"
"But, I–"
"Don't fucking lie! The rabbit showed me everything!"
"B-But… Lt. Lewis?!"
"It's too late you fucking idiot! Lt. Lewis is gone! We could have warned him but you disappeared, Haru! You disappeared!"
"Amp, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
"I thought you were dead! But now I fucking wish you are!"
Ultra-Instinct Shaggy and the Big Chungus faded away into the air, still laughing their butts off. The darkness in the sky got slightly dispelled before becoming more crimson. A disembodied voice then filled the heads of Haru and Amp. "Okay, now I admit, I must have overdone it," it said.
Were they dead? Was it God who was talking to them? Or maybe Satan? Someone from the great beyond signifying they have failed their lives in the mortal coil.
"I should have known those two were bloody OP. I need to work out in balancing the powers of my minions."
"Who is this?" Amp muttered.
"Oh, where are my manners. I'm the one who caused all of this. I'm the one who trapped you all here and sent those monsters. I'm the one who made your life a living hell."
"W-Why?"
"Why? Just because I want to. I've never seen such a large gathering of losers before, and I got tempted in making a little bit of mischief."
A huge shockwave rippled out in the red sky, making it swirl. Blood then rained on the whole Escapist Dream, drenching Haru and Amp. The disgusting liquid made Haru vomit intensely like she was draining everything inside her body. The voice continued to talk, now more booming and monstrous.
"Listen! All you nerds out there! I have to give it to you. You almost got out. For that, I will reward you with something. You deserve to at least know of my name. I am the Nihilion! The one and only! So remember me in every step, movement, and breath you make!"
"Show yourself!" Amp yelled, still having a little resistance left in him. "Stop hiding in the clouds or wherever you are. Fight me right now, motherfucker!"
"Ha! You can't even beat the ones I sent you, so what makes you think you'll survive when I finally show myself?" replied the Nihilion. "I'll tell you what. You're a gamer, right? So build yourself up first. Level up. Make yourself strong. Then–"
"Fuck you!"
"I'm serious, mate. There are four districts here in the Escapist Dream: Otaku Academy, Gamer's Den, Stan City, and the Library. I've taken over each of these districts, and installed new bosses or whatever you call them in your video games. Try leveling up and upgrade yourself. Once you defeat all of these bosses and free each district, then I will show myself and we'll have ourselves a gay old time."