I searched up and down, but did not find anything in the Temple. Then I remembered my informant’s instructions. They told me I needed to approach the attending monk on sight and mention how I would like to “interface with the divine for prayer”. When I did this, I was directed to a private meditation room. Moments later, I felt the cold steel of a katana on my jugular. Despite the enhanced density of my skin, I could tell this blade had special qualities that could possibly pierce me. A ninja had stealthily appeared behind me and had me at their mercy.

In a mysterious voice, I was told I had 15 seconds to state my business before I would be killed. I concisely explained how I was seeking Ramses Hondo in order to apprehend him and bring him to justice. The weapon was pressed harder against my neck, drawing blood, and I was told I have 10 more seconds to live. I quickly continued that I was looking to catch Ramses because I believed he was going to join forces with Edgar Lockhart for global distribution of alien hybrid technology and weapons, creating the potential for World War III to erupt. The sword was slowly removed from my neck, but by the time I turned around to look at my would-be assassin, they were gone. Then the mirrors in front of me ceased reflecting any images, and out from behind them walked the Iga Clan’s master hacker, Interface.

After a few moments of feeling one another out, we came to a common accord and basic level of trust. And I came to the conclusion that this may be one of the most calculating and intelligent women I’d ever encountered. We discussed my theory on Edgar and Ramses joining forces, as well as the Clan’s belief that Edgar is involved in numerous illegal and nefarious endeavors. They believe him to be a criminal mastermind who has woven himself deep into the fabric of every influential and substantial organization in the world. Which is why she had been monitoring his foreign diplomatic relations while performing a plethora of other highly illegal, yet incredibly impressive, surveillance and hacking campaigns.

I needed her to share their intel, so naturally I decided to ignore the illegality of her actions. We have a common enemy, it appears, and I wasn’t going to let the bureaucracy of why my work, to stop the world’s villains, was any more legal than what the Iga Clan has been doing. The collaboration actually only fueled my desire to form a team of heroes even more. The Iga Clan are incredibly efficient and organized. Their abilities are second to none, and having an ally such as Interface, or their enigmatic god-like leader, Danzo, would be a huge addition to my endeavors. Nevertheless, I digress. That is a different conversation for a different time.

It just so happened to be my lucky day that Interface was able to track one of Ramses’ elite soldiers, Fahim Nuru, to the Egyptian embassy in Platinum City. It was my first solid lead in ages. So I thanked Interface and told her I owed the Iga Clan a favor, then turned to go. However, before I could leave, she said I could repay them immediately by wearing an earpiece with a recording device so they can share in any intelligence I obtain. I gladly obliged.

Fahim Nuru has been a member of Ramses’ elite forces since the reformation of The Pharaoh’s separatist group, after he obtained the weapons and documents from his parents’ laboratory. He specialized in espionage intelligence, linguistics and foreign relations. As a member of Ramses’ outfit though, Fahim was also a fierce combatant, trained fully in the multiple facets of the art of warfare. He hailed from Cairo, Egypt, and grew up a top student, finishing as the head of all his classes. His genius level intelligence, combined with his expertise in foreign and diplomatic policy, along with being able to speak virtually any language, were all reasons why Ramses recruited him. Fahim had also completed basic military training during his High School years. He would later receive further training, after joining Ramses’ forces under The Pharaoh’s tutelage. In short, Fahim is not one to take lightly. According to the CIA’s profile on him, he has enhanced physical capabilities as well. How he achieved them is unknown.

I arrived just as Fahim was leaving the Egyptian embassy. As their caravan weaved in and out of Platinum City’s traffic, they eventually arrived at a remote factory. After a minute or so, I witnessed Edgar Lockhart exiting the building, with none other than Ramses’ representative in Platinum City, Ashtar, along with my target, Ramses Hondo. The three conversed with Fahim out front. The earpiece Interface equipped me with enabled me to focus on a particular audible sound, mark it as a signature, and then listen to it from incredible distances. I registered all of their voices and my ninja partner began recording the conversation on secured servers. Unfortunately for me, they used a language I have never heard before. Fahim, Ramses and Ashtar spoke it fluently as Edgar listened through an earpiece of his own – most probably a translator. It sounded as if it may be an alien dialect, presumably the one Ramses mastered before he was transported by the aliens to their home.

Listening to them speak this unidentifiable language did absolutely nothing for the Iga Clan’s mission against Edgar, or my mission to apprehend Ramses. Therefore, I decided to just take The Pharaoh right then and there, and get my answers later. I flew down, crashed through the armed guards and began running towards my target. However, Ashtar unleashed hellacious, incredibly destructive firepower from an alien hybrid weapon. A blast aimed directly at my head forced me to kick up a manhole cover from the street, which I used to deflect the blast. The force completely flattened the metal shield and knocked me about ten feet backwards. Luckily for me, Ashtar was firing like a madman and not concentrating on aim too much. After I recovered, I was able to seek refuge behind a massive tanker. That is when I witnessed him hop in a car and speed off right behind the SUV with Ramses, Fahim and Edgar inside of it. I immediately gave chase, but was shot again with another blast from an alien hybrid weapon. It was much less powerful than the one Ashtar wielded; nevertheless, it hurt like crazy. As I stood to my feet, I realized there was another of Ramses’ elite soldiers there, ready for battle…

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