Player vs Player: Ultimate Video Game Mayhem

Investigation

He started typing rapidly on the tablet, then read the screen through narrowed eyes.

"That.....is slightly alarming." He murmured softly, Damon rushing to read the screen for himself, "This receiver is getting its signal from a device within our Laboratories." Lance finished his thought.

Natalie was right, it was Valence Electronics to blame, but both men's reactions indicated they weren't. Not directly anyway.

Damon was visibly outraged to see the culprit originating from within his company's walls.

"Have our security teams do a sweep of the building, find this signal," Damon ordered, barely keeping his anger contained, "In the meantime, I want background checks on every single person with access to my building."

Lance nodded, unplugging the device from his tablet and dropping it in the box, picking up the box and hurrying after his employer.

As the two men left the room, Natalie was already back outside revving up her motorcycle.

The person responsible for Ryan's disappearance was in Valence Electronics, and she was going to find them.

Her cycle's engine whined to life as she sped off down the road.

Dark didn't even begin to describe the room. The loud cranking of the door echoed harshly through the area, light bleeding into the space for the first time in ages.

Three people stood in the doorway, only one brave enough to enter.

The Master Puppet stepped through the large doorway, now adorned with his full, carefully crafted outfit. In addition to his now infamous mask, he wore a wide brimmed hat tilted just slightly to the side, colored as shadowy black as the leather trench coat that reached almost to his heels.

The black gloves and dark tactical boots made his appearance almost entirely shrouded in shades of black, drawing the eye instantly to his piercing white mask and permanent unwavering grin.

His footsteps echoed in the vast darkness, the ends of his coat swaying lightly with each step as he approached a small panel with a single electrical switch and a large red button.

"Finally....." A deep, imposing voice grumbled from the empty black void, sounding as if speaking for the first time in a lifetime, "A humble offer from the visiting tyrant."

"Long overdue, my impressive colleague." The Master Puppet responded, "But the time of your liberation has come at last."

He threw the switch, the sharp sound echoing into the darkness, quickly swallowed by heavy rattling chains.

Lights began flickering on, one by one, steadily revealing more and more of the room, until its mystery occupant was revealed.

A monstrous looking creature, close to 10 foot tall if he were standing upright, currently suspended high off the ground by thick chains and various restraints. An infamous beast that sent a chill down the spines of any who knew his name when it was uttered.

A dark purple, cyber-enhanced dragon with long, anthropomorphic limbs equipped with menacing curved claws.

Ridley, the notorious antagonist of the Metroid game series, and among the most intimidating foes in gaming history.

"So then....." the beast's yellow eyes studied the Master Puppet, "What shall it be?"

"In exchange for your freedom, I only have one condition to negotiate." the masked person answered simply, placing two fingers on the bright red button.

The dragon's powerful wings flexed slightly, an uncontrollable tell of longing, even that slight movement causing a storm of rattling to fill the air for a brief period.

The Master knew the beast craved freedom, enough to give him leverage. He also was well aware of the fact that his leverage disappeared with a press of this button.

"In exchange for my freedom, I pledge not to cleave you in half the moment my arm is loose," Ridley replied coldly, "What happens after that...... relies on your chosen words."

The two stared each other down for a moment, the room again falling into eerie silence, before a soft click cut in.

The Master Puppet pressed the button in, triggering a symphony of mechanical sounds as the restraints disengaged, falling against the walls and piling on the floor.

Elsewhere, on the rooftop of a large building, two generic video game security guard type individuals paced their set paths and watched over the darkening Spectrum as night fell.

The sky of the Spectrum was a void, no stars or moon to speak of. Instead nightfall was signaled by the void shifting from bright colors to a deep black with faint shimmers of dark purple and blue rolling in waves, pulsating almost, but soft and dim.

Deep rumbling came from somewhere nearby, followed by the sounds of alarms being raised. The two guards glanced at each other then began looking around, readying their assault rifles.

Without warning the floor beneath them erupted upwards, sending one of them flying back as the other stood in the epicenter, snagged by long claws as something huge burst from the floor.

Ridley landed in a proud pose, unfurling his wings and snarling his huge jaws into a wide sneer. He raised his arms, lifting the guard impaled on his claws over his head and taking hold of the man's legs, pulling the guard in half with terrifying ease.

The second guard watched as the two halves of his friend's corpse were tossed aside, Ridley growling and staring him down. The guard opened fire on the Cybernetic Dragon, Ridley simply raising a wing to absorb the bullets before lashing his tail, the bladed tip stabbing into the guard's face and pinning it to the floor until the blade was retracted.

Ridley then stretched his wings and knelt down, leaping upward with enough force to leave cracks and imprints in the concrete. The Dragon took flight, sending blazing fireballs wildly around the city as he weaved between the tall buildings.

He made a few passes before soaring up and landing on the side of the tallest building in sight, digging his claws in and clinging to the face of the building, turning to gaze out at the city.

At long last, the freedom he'd longed for. The wind in his wings, the warmth of fresh blood dripping from his claws, the intoxicating rush of unmatched power.

Bright light began to glow from his jaws until he reared his head back and exploded a stream of green fire, a triumphant show off as he bellowed a menacing roar into the night sky.

Satisfied, he climbed up to perch on the roof of the building, letting out a heavy sigh as he took in his surroundings.

"Enjoying yourself?" The Master Puppet spoke, standing behind the Dragon.

Ridley looked back, taking note of the Master's ability to somehow appear in such a location within seconds of his own arrival, "Do I get even a moment to revel before you call for your favor?"

"I think you'll find my task for you doesn't exclude reveling. Quite the contrary," The Master responded, fearlessly walking up to the ledge and gazing out at the city, "It depends on it. I've requested my followers to remove some light hindrances for me, and now I come to you to obtain results."

Ridley growled softly as his mind calculated the situation. The only people who weren't terrified in his presence were those that held some control over him, or at least thought they did. He respected the Master Puppet's unwavering demeanor, and he was never one to turn down an invitation for violence.

"What kind of results do you seek? You don't need these... Hindrances alive or intact?" Ridley clarified.

"Dead." The Master replied, "I don't care how. I don't care who tries to get in your way."

Ridley smirked, his rows of fangs forming predatory excitement, "Consider it done."