KOF Extras

The Nameless Man

Nameless with no identity. All they called him was Zhe Prime. It's not like that was his real name, it was the name given to the experiment he was a part of.
He wasn't even treated like a human, no, more like some science project.
Which was what he really was.
Made to replace the 9999th clone of K', a man that almost suffered the same fate as him. Well, he was smart enough to make like a tree and leave that place, but Nameless wished he could say the same for himself.
He had a reason. Though his bosses used it more to their advantage, Nameless had no choice but to obey.

***

He and the rest of his types were called the K' Children. Well, sometimes he couldn't even tell them apart from himself since they all looked the same. Most of the time, they only identify themselves through their scars.
Soon, only Nameless and his 'brother', Nemo were left behind.
"We're the only ones left," Nemo told Nameless. "We could be next too."
"Something tells me it's gonna be me," Nameless sighed, looking at his bandaged arm. "I'm barely standing..."
But oddly enough, it wasn't him that was killed. Nemo was vaporised in one of the experiments.
"I'm definitely next," Nameless told himself. "Well, it's pointless to live this life anyway..."
But no. He was the only one that actually survived all of those deadly experiments. Each time he was brought to the infirmary, he just hoped that they would either let him off or just end him.
But there was something that made him look forward to his trips to the infirmary.
A pale girl was always there whenever he was. It was brief and he never got to talk to her. He was either badly injured or too weak to speak to her. But he speculated that she was from the Anti K' project. Her trademark long flowy hair and light teal dress confirmed it.
He also learned that her name was Isolde. Unlike the members of Project K' and Zhe Prime, the girls from Project Anti K' actually had names. They would either be named after ice or diamond. Some of them even have last names like Diamond, Cold, Icicle, Snow and more.
She was the only reason why he lived through the pain of the ruthless experiments he went through. It was the only thing that kept him going.
But one day, she stopped visiting. Nameless wondered why, but suddenly the scientists deemed him worthy enough to wield the modified Kusanagi flame.
They gave him a drill glove that would also be able to suppress the flame. Nameless still found it hard to control his flame. Well, that was something the original K' found too.
So one day, he was sent to Earth to test out his combat capabilities.
"Go speak to that woman," his superior commanded.
He went to her and patted shoulder to get her attention.
But to his shock, his drill glove went off, killing her with no effort.
Nameless was speechless. He just stood there, shaking. He sank to the ground, feeling afraid of himself.
'I'm a monster...' Nameless thought, looking at his metallic-gloved hand.
"Good job, Zhe," his superior said in a satisfied tone, jolting him out of his thoughts.
Nameless became one of the top assassins for the syndicate. It was a job he hated, and he wished he could just go rogue and leave like his original.
One day, a scientist that knew too much for his own good escaped the South Town facility. He had been working where Nameless was born too, in Deimos, the second moon of Mars.
Nameless cornered the man and readied himself to end his life. But all of a sudden, the man confessed something.
"Please! I'll tell you what happened to that girl!" The man pleaded. "Tha-That girl! From the Anti K' project!"
Nameless stopped short. "What did you say?"
"That girl," the escapee repeated. "That girl that always came to see you in the infirmary. Her name was Isolde."
Nameless silently lowered his hand, making the glove go back to its original form. This prompted the man to continue.
"She's from the Anti K' branch," the man continued, backing away from him slightly. "Her powers were deemed to be inadequate. She was a defective experiment.
"The scientists saw some improvement in her whenever she returned after seeing you," the man added. "So she was allowed to see you more often and the scientists from your branch said that your capabilities improved whenever she visited you in the infirmary too."
Nameless stood slightly straighter. This was true. She was the only one that kept him going. She was the only one that gave him the will to live.
"What happened to her now?" Nameless asked almost in monotone.
"She... She's dead," the man said, almost in a whisper. "Those experiments were too much for her."
Nameless stayed silent. He regretted not talking to her even once. He blamed himself for it, though it was evident that he wasn't the one at fault.
A single tear dropped out of his eye and landed on the cold surface of his metal glove.
"Her DNA was salvaged, however," the man said, making Nameless look up. "It was used to craft that glove you're wearing now."
Nameless looked at the metallic glove on his hand.
"That's what keeps your powers suppressed under it," the man said with a slight smile. "They also inserted a hidden feature. If you use your powers to its full potential, a phantasm of her would appear."
Nameless backed away a little and tried. He pushed his limits and took his glove off to unleash his best flame attack.
Instantly, a projection appeared. It was a giant projection of Isolde. It was brief, but Nameless still felt good to see her again.
"Isolde..." Nameless murmured, staring at his glove.
Though he had a good chance to run, the man stayed, watching Nameless's powers in awe. The young man suddenly turned towards the escapee, making him retreat a little.
"Go," Nameless said. "Run!"
The man looked at him, confused. He didn't expect that one of the best assassins of NESTS would just spare him.
"I said LEAVE!" Nameless ordered again. "Go live your life somewhere!"
The man immediately fled. Nameless made a huge singe on the spot that where man was. He told his superiors that the scientist was completely vaporised.
Nameless had heard how NESTS managed to resurrect Krizalid from the dead. And he was crushed by a boulder. He hoped that the worst that happened to Isolde was just frozen solid.
The next time he went to Deimos, Nameless went to investigate the Anti K' branch. There was a storage room for all the cryogenic chambers and Nameless hoped that Isolde was kept preserved too.
He checked the list of names one by one and saw that Isolde was still in there.
"Can I see her?" Nameless asked the clerk.
"I'm sorry, but that's off limits," the clerk said.
"Is it possible for her to get resurrected?" Nameless asked hopefully.
"Uh... that you have to ask the superior," the clerk said.
"Which one?" Nameless asked.
"Igniz," the clerk said.
So Nameless actually went up to the CEO's office to see him.
"Is it possible to resurrect Isolde?" Nameless asked the man. "I really need her in my life. If she comes back, I promise to work harder."
Igniz thought for a moment and smirked.
"I'll have it prepared," Igniz said. "But only if you work for us and do whatever we say. The resurrection process takes a very long time and I can cancel any time."
Nameless instantly brightened up and saluted him with a smile.
"I won't let you down, Sir," Nameless said with a smile. "What do I have to do?"
"Receive your maintenance from K' lab," Igniz said.
"Right away, sir," Nameless said bowed before leaving.
'What an innocent child...' Igniz thought with a smirk. 'How gullible could he be to believe me?'
He made no effort to bring Isolde back. He just used the reason to make Nameless work harder.
He ordered the scientists from South Town to give him his treatment instead.
"Don't send him here unless it's necessary," Igniz ordered. "Try to avoid sending him here at all costs."