Road Rovers: Reich Of Franco

Episode 11: The Hidden Cities

By Gerhard Naudé

Striker, Franco, Norwood, Diehard, Stalker, Trigger, Wolfeye, Black, 
Oqulus, Champion and all others related to the KH Military © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
Fortus Esquire, Tawla Diaz, Hildagarde © Robert Baer Jr.

Any question, comments, complaints, feedback or suggestions can be 
sent to gnaude_@hotmail.com.

Inca Exhibit
Museum of Ancient History
London
Great Britain
3 March 1983
11:05 PM:

This is a large showroom of various ancient Inca artefacts. Large objects
stand against the walls, surrounded by rope fences. Smaller artefacts are
held in display cases. Two large windows look out from the museum over
Hyde Park. It is the dead of night in London, with only the moon being
the only light inside the showroom. A single camera with a green light
in the corner of the ceiling pans left and right, keeping a watchful eye
over the exhibit. Suddenly the green light goes dead and the camera stops
panning. After a few minutes a group of KH wolf-sapiens come into the
showroom. Among them is Tesla, Diehard and Oqulus.

Tesla:"As I told you, Sergeant Oqulus, the security systems can easily
       be deactivated."

Oqulus:"I don't care about the cameras. I'm more worried about security
        guards on duty, especially..."

He gestures at one of the troopers, who is carrying a large bag filled
with various items.

Oqulus:"... since we are carrying every artefact we stole with us on
        this mission. If we loose them, then we're screwed."

Tesla:"I have to admit: to bring the artefacts along is a very risky
       venture."

Diehard:"I don't care about ze artefacts. Soon we vill not be needing
         zem, ja?"

Tesla and Oqulus look surprised at Diehard.

Oqulus:"Not needing them? Why?"

Diehard:"Just shut up, ja? I vill show you vhy."

He walks towards a display case holding some kind of Incan sceptre. He
breaks the case's lock and opens it, taking out the sceptre. He looks
at the soldier carrying the artefacts.

Diehard:"Arrange all ze artefacts in a circle."

Soldier:"Uh... yes, sir."

Everyone else except Diehard watch as the soldier takes out each stolen
Incan artefact and places them in a circle. The artefacts come in various
shapes and sizes. Once the soldier is done he steps back and Diehard
steps into the middle of the circle.

Tesla:"Is this is some kind of..."

Diehard:"Be quiet, or I vill shoot you."

Tesla stops talking, but keeps watching in amazement as Diehard holds the
sceptre above his head and begins to speak some kind of language. Oqulus
leans over to Tesla.

Oqulus:"What is that language he's speaking?"

Tesla:"Unless I am mistaken, he is speaking in ancient Incan."

Oqulus:"Incan???"

Tesla just nods and they keep watching Diehard speaking the language. All
of the sudden each of the artefacts in the circle begin to glow a green
colour one after the other. Green swirls of light then appear from the
artefacts and surround Diehard before going into the sceptre. Diehard
is speaking louder and louder with each word as everyone else watches
in wide eyed astonishment. The light swirls all go into the sceptre until
it glows bright green. Diehard remains silent for a moment, then turns
to an empty part of the wall and chants one final word.

Diehard:"Odarod Le!"

Dozens of bright laser beams go out of the sceptre and begin to cut some-
thing into the wall. When they are done, everyone can see it is a map of
the South American continent. Another beam then goes out and makes a
black dot on a mountainous area of Peru, near the Bolivian border. The
sceptre stops glowing and Diehard throws it to one side, looking at the
map. He points at the dot.

Diehard:"Zat! Zat is ze location of ze City Of Gold: El Dorado!"

Tesla, Oqulus (stunned):"El Dorado???"

Diehard:"Ja! El Dorado! Ve must get zere quickly now! Let's go!"

He starts to walk out of the showroom. Oqulus indicated to the artefacts
still on the floor.

Oqulus:"But... what about the artefacts?"

Diehard:"Ze are useless to us now."

He walks out of the room, followed by the astonished Tesla, Oqulus and
the four KH soldiers. For five minutes the room remains quiet again. Then
Striker comes running in and looks towards the map on the wall. He takes
out a camera, takes a photo and then leaves again.

The Rhino
Over Southern Great Britain
11:32 PM:

The Rhino, in flight mode, is flying low over the night-covered country-
side heading towards South America. In the Rhino Striker is busy talking
to Norwood on the dashboard screen.

Norwood:"So our hunch paid off, but are you sure about this strange
         ritual Diehard did?"

Striker:"Ja, Mark. I did not want to believe it at first, but I had no
         other choice. Franco knows what he wants in El Dorado, and will
         stop at nothing to get it. Even if he has to start using magic
         or more."

Norwood:"I have to admit, he may be crazy, but he knows what needs to be
         done."

Striker:"What do you recommend I do next, Mark? I'm flying towards El
         Dorado unless you say otherwise."

Norwood:"Keep going to El Dorado and get there before the KH Military
         does. We must keep Franco from getting whatever it is he is
         after in that city."

Striker:"It certainly cannot be the city's rumoured massive wealth of 
         gold that he is after, that I am sure of."

Norwood:"You're right. He'll need something else to finish building 
         that orbital device of his. Your mission now is to get to El
         Dorado and capture or destroy whatever Franco wants."

Striker:"And if the city is inhabited?"

Norwood:"That would be highly unlikely, but if there are people living
         in the city they must kept out of harms way, even if they have
         to evacuate El Dorado. Whatever the case, you will know what to
         do. Good luck, Striker. I have a feeling you and I are close to
         cracking this case wide open."

Striker:"Dankie, Mark. Out."

The screen goes blank and Striker resumes piloting the Rhino towards the
mysterious city of El Dorado.

Mountain Top
Andes Mountain Range
Peru
4 March
6:33 AM:

This is a large, grass-covered mountain top that is much lower than many
of its snow-covered brethren. The Rhino is hidden in a large shrub some
distance down the mountain. At the top of the mountain is Striker, looking
around the area and holding the developed photo he took back in London.

Striker:"According to the map this is the general area where El Dorado is
         located."

He looks around more.

Striker:"But if the city is located here, then it certainly cannot be seen
         on the surface."

He thinks for a moment.

Striker:"If it is not on the surface, then the city must located somewhere
         under the mountains. And if that is the case, then there should
         be some kind of entrance."

He turns towards the spot where he had left the Rhino.

Striker:"I had better climb back into the Rhino and fly around scanning
         these hills and mountains for the entrance."

As he walk towards the Rhino the ground beneath him suddenly give way and
Striker falls into a dark tunnel.

Striker:"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

His shouts become softer the further he falls, until nothing else can be
heard.

Striker
Unknown Location
Unknown Time:

It is all dark, as Striker is unconscious. Faintly a few voices can be
heard talking to one another.

Voice 1:"I say it is sacrilege! This creature defiled her majesty's
         ways into the city. It must be sacrificed to the Sun God."

Voice 2:"It is by order of the Queen that the creature is to be treated 
         of his its injures until it regains consciousness. Afterwards we
         shall demand answers from him."

Voice 1:"Can you not see? This creature was sent by the daemons from the
         Plain Of Fire. It must be killed now! Who can tell what dark
         powers it may posses!"

Voice 2:"I shall not disobey my Queen's orders, High Priest. The creature
         will not come to any harm."

The voices continue to talking, but quickly fade away. Immediately after-
wards two new, vastly different voices begin to speak.

Voice 3:"Sir! This is simply outrageous! We cannot comply with such a 
         monstrous plan!"

Voice 4:"And who are you to judge my plans? I am your superior! You will
         obey and follow my plan!"

Voice 3:"But, sir! This latest plan has even more far reaching and devas-
         tating consequences than Nuclear Storm ever had!"

Voice 4:"But the victory is far greater than anything we have ever won
         before it! The so-called consequences don't matter."

Voice 3:"You will kill us all!"

Voice 4:"Are you questioning my authority? You will obey!!!"

Voice 3:"No! I will not obey your mad orders any longer! I draw the line 
         right here!"

Voice 4:"Mutiny??? IS THAT IT???"

Voice 3:"Yes!!!"

Voice 4:"YOU WEAK-KNEED PIECE OF HORSE S***!!! YOU ARE HEREBY COURT-
         MARSHALLED BY ORDERS!!! I SHALL EXECUTE YOU MYSELF WHEN THE
         EXPEDITION RETURNS!!!"

Voice 3:"FINE!!!"

There is the sounds of boots walking away hard and fast. The sounds all
fade away and it becomes dead quiet again.

Prison Chamber
The Royal Palace
El Dorado
5 March 
2:04 PM:

This is a square room with a small stone bunk, stone table, barred windows
and a single metal door. The only thing that makes this prison chamber
amazing is that everything is made not from iron or stone, but from pure
gold. Striker is lying on the bunk on a well-woven mattress, covered with
blankets with Incan images woven into them. He has a bandage over his
head. He begins to stir, then groans as he starts to regain consciousness.

Striker:"Ohhh..."

The pain from his head stings him.

Striker:"Ow... my head..."

He groans a bit more before finally opening his eyes. When he sees where
he is he quickly forgets about the pain and sits up. He looks around the
chamber.

Striker:"Ai yai yai. Gold! And quite a lot, I must say."

The golden door is unlocked from the other side and open. In walks three
Inca men wearing golden Inca-style leather uniforms. Two of them carry 
spears and square shields with Inca markings on them, but one is carrying 
a sword and wearing a red cloak. He is also wearing an elaborate crown 
made of multi-coloured feathers and gold bands studded with jewels. This 
Oranjanio.

Oranjanio:"I see you are awake, creature. You been asleep for almost two
           days now."

Striker:"Where am I? And who are you?"

Oranjanio:"You are in El Dorado, the city of gold. I am Oranjanio, the
           captain of the guard of Queen Tawla's palace. I have been
           ordered to take you to our Queen for questioning once you
           have awakened."

Striker:"I can assure you I mean no harm, but I would like to see your
         Queen. I have something urgent to tell her."

Oranjanio:"We shall see, creature. Come! On your feet."

Striker climbs out of the bed and the two spear guards go behind him,
their weapons held closely to his back. Oranjanio leads them out of
the prison chamber.

Royal Chamber
2:11 PM:

This is a large square hall with gold walls. Large Inca statues stand
against the walls on either side of a green and yellow carpet leading
from the main entrance to the throne. Two side doorways lead out on
either side of the throne. Tapestries hang from the walls as well as
behind the throne. On a podium with stairs is the throne, and seated
on the throne is Queen Tawla. She is a human female who stands at 5 foot
6, has long black hair, green eyes and a very trim but beautiful figure. 
She is wearing a simple blue dress with a crown shaped pin on the front 
of it. A man stands next to her wearing a blue robe with golden stripes
on it and a blue headdress with a golden snake on it and has his arms 
folded. Guards are standing all around the hall. Striker is lead up to 
the podium. Striker looks at Tawla and she looks at him with a hostile 
look. She speaks with a Mexican accent.

Tawla:"I am Tawla Diaz, creature, Queen of El Dorado. What is your name,
       if you have one?"

Striker bows before her before speaking.

Striker:"I am called Striker, your Majesty."

Tawla:"I would like to know what you were doing here in our city, Striker.
       We found you unconscious and wounded near one of our secret entrances
       into the city."

Before Striker can speak the man in the blue robe interrupts, looking
coldly at Striker.

Man:"No doubt he came to steal our city's treasures and kill our beloved
     queen."

Striker frowns at him, then looks back at Tawla.

Striker:"I can assure you, your Majesty, that I did not come here to plunder
         and murder like the Spanish who came and nearly destroyed your
         civilization. I am here only to carry out my assigned task."

The man looks at Tawla.

Man:"The creature is lying, my Queen. I can see the bloodlust in his dark
     soul. We must sacrifice him immediately!"

Tawla looks at the man.

Tawla:"Stay, High Priest Huascar! Let the creature finish speaking before
       we condemn him to death."

She and Huascar look back at Striker.

Tawla:"What is the nature of your task, Striker? Be quick and convincing,
       for your life hangs in the balance."

Striker:"I understand, your Majesty. The task that my superiors have
         assigned me to is to investigate the theft of Incan artefacts..."

Huascar interrupts again and points to Striker.

Huascar:"Aha! So you admit you are a thief!"

Tawla glares at Huascar.

Tawla:"The creature said he is INVESTIGATING the theft of our artefacts,
       not to steal them itself."

Huascar frowns and folds his arms again. Tawla looks back at Striker.

Tawla:"Continue, Striker."

Striker:"As I said, I am investigating the theft of Incan artefacts by
         our enemies, who resemble my species in certain appearances.
         They are cold-blooded killers who would stop at nothing to
         destroy humanity. For the past three years they have been
         stealing artefacts for reasons unknown to us until three days
         ago. The artefacts showed them, after conducting a ritual, 
         where this city, the city of El Dorado is located."

Tawla becomes concerned.

Tawla:"A ritual? With our artefacts? Is this true?"

Striker:"Ja, your Majesty. It is true, every word of it."

Huascar:"Doubtful I find your words. You are only trying to instil terror
         into the mind of our Queen."

Tawla looks angrily at Huascar.

Tawla:"Huascar, shut up."

Huascar is shocked at this command.

Huascar:"Your majesty!"

Tawla:"I will hear nothing else of this! Striker and I must have a talk
       about this situation immediately."

She gets up, signals to Oranjanio and the two spear guards and begins to
walk towards one of the exits. Striker, lead by Oranjanio and backed by
the two spear guards, follows behind her. Huascar glares in an angry mood
after them.

Old Mountain Road
Somewhere in the Andes Mountains
At that moment:

This is a nearly overgrown and eroded away stone road winding through the
mountains. The vegetation here is mostly grass and small bushes, but a 
few trees grow here and there. Walking along the road is a contingent of
soldiers from the Elite Guard. They are carrying M4A1 rifles and grenades
while their supplies and equipment are being carried by several American
army jeeps. Riding in the front jeep is Diehard and Fortus Esquire. 
Diehard is busy reading a transmission on paper while Fortus drives the
jeep. When Diehard finishes he turns to Fortus.

Diehard:"Ach so! Stalker has been suspended from active duty until ve
         return, ja?"

Fortus:"Finally! I was wondering when he would make Franco mad. Are they
        going to execute him?"

Diehard:"Ja, once ve have returned. He vill be executed and you vill take
         his place as commander of ze Alpha Squadron."

Fortus grins evilly.

Fortus:"At last! No longer will I be Stalker's lackey. Soon, they will all
        obey MY orders!"

Diehard:"Do not veel zo proud yet, ja? Ve still need to complete our
         mission, and zat Striker might try und stop us."

Fortus:"Him? Bah! I can easily defeat him."

Diehard gives Fortus a sceptical look.

Diehard:"Zen vat do you call zat little episode in zee Alpines a vew years
         ago?"

Fortus:"The soldiers I had were incompetent! They let him escape, preven-
        ting me from killing Striker."

Diehard clearly doesn't believe him.

Diehard:"Ve shall see if he does appear during our expedition, ja?"

Fortus:"Whatever."

The expedition keeps moving forward.

Temple Of The Sun
El Dorado
2:29 PM:

This is a large, pyramid-like Inca structure with a large Sun disc on
the top-level building. It is made entirely of gold. Inside the temple
itself Tawla, Striker, Oranjanio and the guards have entered the main
temple room. It is a large square room with many religious wall murals,
urns, banners, statues and an altar that on an island in the middle of
a pool of lava. Behind the altar is a wall with a mural on it. Tawla
leads Striker to the altar, then turns to Oranjanio and the guards.

Tawla:"Wait for us outside, Oranjanio. I would like to discuss this issue
       with Striker here in private."

Oranjanio and the guards are shocked.

Oranjanio:"But your Majesty! What if this cre... Striker is really a foul
           daemon as the High Priest says?"

Tawla:"Leave! That is an order! As for the words of the High Priest, they
       are based on non-existent facts. Now go."

Oranjanio and the guards reluctantly bow before her, then turn and walk
out of the room. Tawla looks at Striker.

Striker:"Your guards are correct, your Majesty. Though I mean you no
         harm, placing trust in me so hastily is rather dangerous."

Tawla:"Not if you are me, Striker. And please just call me Tawla and stop
       being so formal. All this 'your Majesty' and sweet talk is very
       boring for me by now."

Striker is really taken aback by this comment.

Striker:"That I did not expect to hear from you, your M... I mean, Tawla."

Tawla smiles.

Tawla:"Well, that's you get if you were not really born in El Dorado."

Striker:"Nee? You mean you came from somewhere else?"

Tawla looses her smile.

Tawla:"A very bad somewhere else. I was born in a small village in Mexico
       and grew up poor. My family was cruel to me and I ran away when I
       was old enough. Luck was not on my side, for I was captured by
       terrorists from the Yucatan region to be held for ransom. When I
       tried to escape I was shot and left for dead in the jungles. What
       happened after that is a mystery to me, but I was somehow brought
       to El Dorado and crowned Queen by my people, who said I was the
       fulfilment of some prophecy. I have lived here ever since, tending
       to my people in the best possible way and they have grown to like
       me because I'm great, kind and wise."

Striker:"I take it from your High Priest's actions that there are some
         who think otherwise of your rule."

Tawla:"Huascar? He is the only exception. When the previous king died in
       a supposed accident with no heir to the throne, Huascar was sure
       he would become king. My appearance on the scene and coronation as
       Queen had made him angry, but he soon fell in line when I threat-
       ened to banish him from El Dorado. Even today, I rarely trust him."

Striker:"But how it is that you trust me?"

Tawla smiles again, and a light blue aura begins to surround her. Striker
is taken aback by this.

Tawla:"The prophecy had more in store for me than just becoming a Queen. 
       It also gave me special powers to remain the Queen. How I got it, I
       don't know. Even if I did, I would not tell."

Striker:"Wise choice, Tawla. With those powers you can tell whether to 
         trust me or not."

Tawla:"Only when needed. I rarely trust outsiders out of habit, but your
       words prompted me to use them."

Striker:"I'm glad you did."

Tawla:"I also see that you have a few secrets of your own."

Striker:"Ja, Tawla. Dark secrets that, unfortunately, ties closely to the
         current situation threatening El Dorado."

Tawla:"Tell me what is it."

Striker and Tawla sit down on the altar and he begins to tell of the events
since the massacre of his family up to now. Tawla listens carefully to
what he says. When he finishes she speaks.

Tawla:"So, this Franco is building something that requires something from
       my city."

Striker:"Ja. I came here to find out what that is and try and stop the KH
         Military from getting hold of it. Perhaps you know what that
         might be."

Tawla thinks for a few moments.

Tawla:"There is only thing I know that would be of great interest to this
       Franco, if it is not our gold."

She points at the mural next to the altar. Striker looks at it and sees it
shows a map of the entire globe. He is surprised.

Striker:"Wat de? It is a map of the entire world, even Antarctica."

Tawla:"Si, it is so."

Striker:"But how could you, the Incas, know about how the entire world
         looked like so far back then?"

To answer, she points towards the Mediterranean Sea, just between Crete
and Greece. Striker looks there and sees a large island between them.

Striker:"That island does not exist."

Tawla:"Not anymore, that is true."

He looks at her, realising what she means.

Striker:"Is that... Atlantis?"

Tawla:"Was Atlantis."

Striker:"But... but what connection is there between El Dorado and the
         city of Atlantis?"

Tawla takes a deep breath before she begins to speak.

Tawla:"Many centuries ago, the city of Atlantis was the richest and most
       advanced in the entire world, even by today's standards. It's
       people dealt little with other peoples, except for the Incas. For
       the Incan arts and crafts were in great demand by the people of
       Atlantis. Thus they traded our goods in exchange for large amounts
       of gold, which they had no value or need for. They came regularly
       with their flying trade craft, and our gold supplies grew so much
       that we begun to build a city of it, the result being El Dorado.
       At first it was built on a hilltop not far from here, but soon it
       was discovered that, when the Sun shone on the gold, the light
       reflected off it was so bright people became permanently blinded.
       Thus, the Incas began to dig out this large cave in which they 
       built the city. Soon after El Dorado's completion, there were
       plans for a second city, for the Atlanteans still had much gold.
       This never came to pass, for one day their trade craft left... 
       and never came back. Not a word was ever heard from them since."

Striker:"I have learned before that there was a massive volcanic eruption
         in that area so powerful that it many of the islands there. Per-
         haps that's what happened to Atlantis: destroyed by the volcanic 
         explosion."

Tawla:"That sounds like the best explanation, for Incan records show that
       that same year the Atlanteans disappeared, a huge black cloud of
       dust and ash covered all the lands of the Inca for many days."

Striker:"And the whole world, for that explosion was so powerful the
         entire world was covered in a shroud of ash for weeks after the
         eruption."

Tawla:"So, Atlantis was destroyed in the blast. The Incas have long since 
       accepted that the Atlanteans were somehow destroyed, either by 
       their technological creations, which the Incas were suspicious of,
       or by the wrath of one of their gods whom they displeased. At any
       rate, all that remains of Atlantis' contact with the Incan kingdom
       was the great wealth of gold and various murals showing where
       Atlantis was."

Striker:"That great wealth which the Spanish conquerors have long looked
         for in vain."

Tawla's face becomes angry.

Tawla:"The Spanish! They had captured our king and demanded ransom. When we
       paid, the treacherous Spanish killed the king and our people and
       destroyed our cities for our gold. Foul people they were!"

Striker sighs.

Striker:"Ja, it was another great tragedy of those colonial years."

Tawla:"Fortunately, the Inca survivors fled here to El Dorado and brought
       with them most of the Inca treasures. They swore never to reveal
       the secret of Atlantis and never to deal with outsiders."

Striker:"A wise precaution, judging from all this gold. It is enough to
         put the world's wealthiest families to shame."

Tawla:"And yet now here comes another enemy, one who does not want gold,
       but something else."

Striker:"But now I do not understand something else here: if Atlantis was
         destroyed and no Inca ever told the location of El Dorado, then
         how was it that Franco was able to find these artefacts and use
         them to find the city?"

Tawla:"I'm also wondering about that, and I think I know what it is. El
       Dorado became a major centre for trade between the Incas and the
       Atlanteans. Since it was underground, it probably difficult for
       their trade craft to locate from the air. So, they used some of
       the artefacts they traded from us to create a way to locate the
       city."

Striker:"It sounds like a complicated method. Why could they not use a
         simpler way, like asking the Incas where the city was?"

Tawla:"I don't know, but the Atlanteans were a strange people to the
       Incas."

Striker shrugs.

Striker:"I guess so. Still, I think that the location of Atlantis might
         be what Franco would be after."

Tawla:"What can me and my people do?"

Striker stands up and looks to Tawla, who has also stood up.

Striker:"Eerste thing we should do is to evacuate all those who are not
         part of the El Dorado guards or army. Franco is ruthless and will
         kill anyone who gets in his way, regardless if it is a warrior
         or a young baby."

Tawla:"I shall give the order to have the people flee to Chacaltu. It is
       another surviving city we have kept hidden in times when the city
       was suffering from fires or other disasters."

Striker:"Goed. Next, your warriors and guards should NOT engage Franco's
         forces unless the enemy is within the alleys of the city or
         if things become very hostile."

Tawla:"You mean we must allow the enemy into our city and just take what
       they want?"

Striker:"I am afraid so, but it is in the best interest of your people
         and the city itself. I'm hoping to let the KH Military take what
         they need and leave without causing a bloodbath here. After that,
         I will take care of them once they have left El Dorado."

Tawla nods.

Tawla:"I understand. It is a sound strategy."

Striker:"One last thing: I think we should not tell Huascar of what the 
         whole situation really is. I don't trust him, and I wouldn't be 
         the least bit surprised if he decided to change his loyalties to
         Franco and his forces."

Tawla:"Nor do I, to be honest. I shall have him ordered to go along with
       my people to Chacaltu under guard."

Striker:"Goed. Now, let's get everything ready."

Both Striker and Tawla walk towards the temple room entrance and leave.

Dead End
Old Mountain Road
Near El Dorado
3:21 PM:

The road ends in a rocky cull de sac amongst the high mountains. The KH
expedition has stopped here as well and some of the soldiers are busy
keeping a watchful while another lot patrol the around the expedition.
Diehard and Fortus are in the front jeep busy looking at some maps.

Fortus:"Why don't we just blow holes into the mountains? A city as big
        as El Dorado that is in an underground cave cannot hide from
        having a hole knocked into."

Diehard:"A vaste of time und resources, ja? And ze explosions vill cause
         noise zat can be heard all around. Ve must send out patrols to
         find an entrance into ze city."

As they keep talking a group soldiers return from a scouting mission with
a prisoner: it is Huascar. The group go up to Diehard and Fortus' jeep
and the two officers look at them.

Scout:"We found this person wandering not far from here, sirs. Judging 
       from his fancy get up he looks like an Inca to me."

Huascar is trembling with fear as the scouts throw him before Diehard and
Fortus.

Huascar:"Please! I beg of you! Spare my life!"

Fortus:"What a pathetic little pile of flesh and robes. I could give him
        a heart attack just by looking at him."

Diehard:"Still, his clozes are zat of ze Inca und suggests zat he may even
         be someone of importance."

Diehard picks Huascar up by the front of his robes.

Diehard:"Who are you und vhat are you doing out here?"

Huascar:"I-I am Huascar, H-h-high Priest of of of El Dorado. I-I-I am just
         w-w-walking outside t-t-to..."

Diehard:"High Priest, ja?"

Huascar nods in fear and Diehard thinks for a moment, then lets go of him.

Diehard:"Tell me, are you ze leader of El Dorado?"

Huascar:"No, Queen Tawla is our leader."

Diehard:"Have you ever vanted to be ze ruler of ze city instead of her?"

This hits a cord with Huascar and he stops trembling, looking at Diehard
in surprise and anticipation.

Huascar:"Yes, indeed I do."

Diehard:"Gut! Gut! We vill make a deal wiz you: get us into ze city und
         let us take vhat ve need und ve vill dispose of zis Tawla und
         make you king."

Huascar is now really interested.

Huascar:"You would? Really?"

Fortus:"TRUST us. You will be king and we'll be long gone with only what
        we need, Huascar. But if we are to make you king, you will need
        to tell us what kind of defences the city has as well as show us
        where the entrance is."

Diehard:"Javol, Herr Huascar. Now, vill you help?"

Huascar smiles and bows before them.

Huascar:"I will, oh great masters."

Both Fortus and Diehard look at each other in a "What a sucker" way. As
they look back him Huascar looks up at them.

Huascar:"I also request, great masters, that you will also help dispose
         of another, more recent, threat to my right to rule."

Fortus whispers to Diehard.

Fortus(whispering):"More requests? Who does he think we are? Santa Claus?"

Diehard(whispering):"Let us first hear vhat he request. If it iz not too
       big a request, zen we might try und help."

The two officers look back at Huascar.

Diehard:"Vhat is ze nature of your request, Huascar?"

Huascar:"A dog daemon has taken possession of the Queen's mind and it is
         trying to take power from her."

Both Diehard and Fortus look at each other in confusion, then in shock
as they look back at him. Fortus takes out a photo and shows it to
Huascar.

Fortus:"Does this daemon look like this?"

Huascar looks at the photo. It is a photo of Striker.

Huascar:"Yes! Yes! That is the dog daemon!"

Fortus swears loudly as Diehard frowns.

Fortus:"That damned mutt will follow us to the ends of the whole damned
        world! Why won't he just go away?"

Diehard:"He is like a tenacious bloodsucker. Ve must end his irritation
         right here, ja?"

He looks at Huascar.

Diehard:"I have a plan, und you MUST follow our orders if you are to
         become king."

Huascar:"Speak, masters. I am listening."

Diehard begins to explain his plan to Fortus and Huascar.

Pavilion
The Queen's Palace
El Dorado
3:40 PM:

This is a gold pavilion leading from the Queen's chambers and overlooks
most of the city. The streets are empty safe for the guards and warriors
of the city. On the pavilion are Striker, Tawla and Oranjanio. Tawla is
talking to Oranjanio.

Tawla:"And have all my people been safely evacuated?"

Oranjanio:"The last of them are leaving the vicinity of the city as we
           speak, my Queen."

Tawla:"Is Huascar among them?"

Oranjanio:"I am afraid that I do not know, my Queen. The last time I saw
           the High Priest was when we left the audience chamber."

Tawla:"Find him immediately, Oranjanio. I do not believe that his loyalty
       is to me or the people of El Dorado."

Voice(from behind):"That will not be necessary, my Queen."

Everyone turns to the source of the voice and gasp. Standing just inside
the chambers are Huascar, Fortus and several Elite Guard troops. Huascar
has his arms folded across his chest and grinning while Fortus and the
troops have M4A1 rifles pointed at the group.

Fortus:"Hands in the air!"

Striker, Tawla and Oranjanio do as they are told and raise their hands
into the air.

Tawla:"I see you lust for power over the city has finally taken control
       of your senses, Huascar."

Huascar:"I am just serving in the best interests of the people, Tawla."

Striker:"If that is so, then I'm a cat."

Fortus:"Quiet, kitty! You have given me enough trouble already!"

Striker:"Ah ja. I am pleased to see you as well, Fortus."

Fortus:"Shut up!"

He looks at Huascar and nods. Huascar walks up to Oranjanio.

Huascar:"You will now take my commands, Oranjanio. Firstly, you will open
         the doors of the city for the rest of new masters. Then you and
         the rest of our warriors will distance themselves from our great
         masters. If you do not obey, I will execute Tawla."

Oranjanio looks at Tawla. Both she and Striker keep stern faces and nod back
at him. Oranjanio sighs and bows before Huascar.

Oranjanio:"As you wish, High Priest."

He runs off and the soldiers let him through. Fortus motions to Striker
and Tawla.

Fortus:"Let's go to this temple and get this over with. Huascar."

Huascar leads as Fortus and his troops escort Tawla and Striker off the
pavilion at gun point.

Central Street
3:51 PM:

This is a very wide street leading from the main gateway in the cavern
walls to the city's temple. It is paved with gold and lined with trees.
The expedition is moving along this street towards the temple. There is
no sign of the city's guards or warriors.

Main Temple Room
Temple Of The Sun
3:56 PM:

The temple is now very busy. Tawla and Striker are standing by the altar,
still held at gun point by Fortus and his troops. Huascar(now wearing
the elaborate crown of Tawla) is standing in the centre of the bridge, 
watching as Diehard(cradling an M-16) and some of his Elite Guard body-
guards(also carrying M-16's) enter the room. Diehard walks up Huascar, 
smiling.

Diehard:"You have done vell, Herr Huascar. Ve have entered ze city vith
         no resistance und now ve are about to get vhat ve need, ja?"

Huascar:"Yes, and now I have claimed my rightful place as King of El
         Dorado."

Diehard:"You have done vell... but not vell enough!"

Huascar becomes surprised, then alarmed as Diehard aims his rifle at him
and fires several rounds into his chest. Tawla screams and grabs hold of
Striker as Diehard keeps shooting. He then stops and Huascar's body falls
forward onto the bridge. Diehard walks up, looks down with an evil grin
on his face at the body, then uses his one boot to push it off the bridge
and into the lava. It bursts into flames and is swallowed up by the molten
rock. Fortus is grinning as well.

Fortus:"A sucker to the end."

Diehard:"Javol. He vas very easy to trick und easier to kill, ja? Now,
         let us take vhat we need."

He takes out a camera and walks up to the mural. He examines, still with
a grin on his face.

Diehard:"Und finally ve shall be able to learn ze exact location of ze
         city of Atlantis."

Striker:"It won't help you, Diehard. Atlantis was destroyed long ago in
         a massive volcanic explosion."

Fortus:"Shut up, you litt..."

Diehard:"Easy, Herr Fortus. Herr Striker is very ignorant right now."

He looks at Striker.

Diehard:"Nein, Herr Striker. Atlantis vas not destroyed by the eruption,
         but had sunk beneath ze vaves very intact."

Striker:"And how do you know that?"

Diehard:"Zat I vill not tell und you vill never find out, ja?"

He turns his attention back to the mural and takes a photograph of it.
Once done he puts the camera away and turns to Fortus.

Diehard:"Ve are done here. Time to leave."

Fortus:"Not yet. I still need to kill this little mutt once and for all."

Diehard:"Ja, but do not take long. Ve do not have much time."

Diehard, followed by his bodyguards, leave the temple room. Fortus looks
at his soldiers.

Fortus:"Leave, you lot. I'll take care of these two myself."

The soldiers salute, then turn and leave the temple room. Fortus looks back
at Striker, grinning.

Fortus:"End of the road for you, Striker. At last I, Fortus Esquire, will
        have the pleasure of executing you myself."

He raises his rifle at Striker's head.

Fortus:"So long, mutt!"

Tawla:"NOOOO!!!"

She grabs for Fortus' rifle, but he is too quickly and dodges her. He 
then fires several shots into her. Striker screams in horror.

Striker:"TAWLA!!!"

Tawla, wide eyed, falls backwards onto the altar. Striker, now furious,
lounges at Fortus. Before Fortus can react Striker knocks him, causing
him to drop his rifle into the lava. Fortus kicks Striker in the chest
and off of him. He then gets up and takes out a dagger as Striker gets
up as well.

Fortus:"I'm going to skewer you but good!!"

Striker:"TRY!!!"

Fortus takes a swipe as him, but Striker dodges back. He swipes again,
but Striker grabs his dagger arm knocks the dagger from his paw. Fortus
uses his other paw to hit Striker hard on the head. Striker falls onto
the floor inches away from the island edge. Fortus puts his one foot down
on Striker's back, takes out another dagger and pulls Striker's head up
by the ears. He yelps in pain.

Fortus:"Die, Striker!"

Just as Fortus is about to bring his dagger down, Striker, in one final
act of fury, turns his body over.  Fortus looses his grip on his ears
and his footing. Striker kicks him between the legs and he doubles down.
He then grabs Fortus' arm (the one with the dagger) and jerks it across
his head, sending Fortus flying over him. Fortus' screams end abruptly
as he goes flying into the lava head first and disappears completely
without as much as a flame. Striker gets up and goes over to the wounded
Tawla. She is clearly dying and her breathing is shallow.

Striker:"Oh God, Tawla. Oh God. I'm jammer."

Tawla:"It is not your fault, Striker. I forgive you."

Striker:"But I should not have let Fortus shoot you. I was too slow to
         react."

Tawla:"That was beyond your abilities, Striker. You would not have been
       able to prevent Fortus from killing you."

Striker:"But why, Tawla? Why?"

Tawla:"I sensed that you still had a greater role to play, Striker, and
       your time has not yet come. The prophecy had long predicted all
       of this, Striker, and my time on this world is drawing to an 
       end. You cannot change that."

Striker:"Nee! I will not let you die!"

Tawla:"My death is but a small tragedy, Striker, if your nemesis Franco
       is allowed to carry forth his plans of mass murder. You must go
       on and stop him from carrying out his plans."

Striker:"But..."

Tawla places a gentle finger over his lips.

Tawla:"Do not protest, Striker. It is done, and there is nothing you can
       do to prevent my death."

She places her hand against his cheek and he puts his paw on hers, a tear
rolling down his cheek.

Tawla:"I give you now my remaining life, Striker, as a final gift of
       gratitude for saving my people and my city. May it help you on
       what lies ahead of your journey."

Striker:"Tawla! NEE!!!"

Too late. A reddish aura glows around Tawla and flows from her onto
Striker. It fades around his body as Striker watches as Tawla begins to
slip away.

Tawla:"Farewell... Striker..."

Striker:"Tawla..."

Tawla closes her eyes and her body goes limp. She is gone. Striker takes
her hands and places them across her chest. He then lays his head down on
chest, tears rolling down his face.

Ceremonial Grounds
2 Kilometres From El Dorado
8:01 PM:

This is a small, flat hill not far from the city. Four large Incan statues
made of stone stand in a circle. In the centre of the circle is a large
bonfire that is illuminating the darkness. On the top of the bonfire pile
is the body of Tawla. Standing nearby is Striker, Oranjanio and the new
High Priest. All around the hills are the citizens and guards of the city
of El Dorado. The guards are all dressed in ceremonial uniforms. Those in
the crowds have their heads hung, many are sobbing and even weeping. With
those near the bonfire, Striker has his head bowed while Oranjanio stands
to attention, his one hand on his chest. The High Priest is busy chanting
a ceremonial word of prayer to the Sun God while several Incan women sing
a sombre tune. As the fire burns Striker looks at Oranjanio.

Striker:"Who will follow up Tawla as ruler of El Dorado? Did Tawla leave
         any heir to the throne?"

Oranjanio:"Yes, she does have a successor, but he is not family. I dreaded
           the very day he had to take her Queen's place?"

Striker:"Who is he? Is also like Huascar was?"

Oranjanio:"No, he is not evil like Huascar was, but he fears to be the
           king. His name is Oranjanio."

Striker is surprised.

Striker:"You? But how? You are the captain of the guard."

Oranjanio:"The Queen has long seen me as her successor and has taught me
           how to be a ruler should her day of fate finally arrive. I
           reluctantly learned what the Queen taught me, but I had hoped
           that I would never become king. I do not have what it takes
           to be the ruler of El Dorado."

Striker puts his paw on Oranjanio's shoulder.

Striker:"Oranjanio, Tawla would not have chosen you to be her successor
         if you did not have the abilities to be king. She knew her time
         would come, and she knew she could trust you to take her place.
         Your people are without a king or queen and without a ruler to
         take Tawla's place, they will destroy themselves and the city
         of gold will truly become a myth. Your people are looking on
         your guidance to lead them into the future."

Oranjanio sighs, remains silent for a few moments, then speaks.

Oranjanio:"If it is the wish of the people and the last desire of our
           late Queen, so be it. I will take the position as King of
           El Dorado."

Striker pats him lightly on the shoulders, then pulls his arm back and
looks at the bonfire again. It is a while before Oranjanio speaks to
Striker.

Oranjanio:"What will you do now, Master Striker? Will you remain for
           the coronation?"

Striker shakes his head.

Striker:"Jammer, Oranjanio. I would love to see you become King as Tawla
         wanted to, but I have other urgent duties to perform. I must
         go on and stop our enemies from achieving whatever evil goal
         they pursue."

Oranjanio:"Then let it be so. May the Sun God and the Spirit of Tawla
           guide you on the path to victory, Master Striker. We will all
           pray that you vanquish this evil known as Franco."

Striker:"Dankie."

Oranjanio:"Also, you must swear never to reveal the true location of El
           Dorado to any other outsiders."

Striker:"I swear it. May I be burned alive if I ever speak a word of the
         city's location."

Oranjanio:"You are wise, Master Striker. Go forth, to victory."

They keep looking at bonfire in a sombre mood as the chanting and singing
continues.

Shepherd's Office
Shepherd Laboratories
At that moment:

This is William's office at Shepherd Laboratories (as seen in "Reigning
Cats and Dogs"). On rotate able chalkboards are sketches of the transdog-
mafier. There is currently no one here. The door into the office then 
opens and both William and Isabel enter the room. He closes the door
behind them.

Isabel:"Come on, Willy. You have already shown me the sketches before
        and explained what they are."

William:"But you must see these new ones I drew it should be of great
         interest, Love."

Isabel shakes her head and smiles at him as he takes her to one of the 
chalkboards. She looks at the sketches.

Isabel:"These look like the same ones, Willy."

William:"Turn the board around, Love. There is the best sketch you will
         ever see."

Isabel turns the board to its other side. But instead of sketches of the
transdogmafier, there stands the words "Isabel, will you marry me?" 
followed with a heart. Isabel gasps and looks at William, who is now
holding a ring box out to her and on his knees. She suddenly jumps onto
him and knocks him onto his back. Before William can figure out what
has happened Isabel gives a long and very passionate kiss. When they
stop she looks at him with a wide smile on her face.

Isabel:"Yes, I will marry you William Shepherd!"

William smiles widely and they both hug each other tightly, still lying
on the floor.

Outskirts Of Atlantis
Somewhere between Thera and Crete
Mediterranean Sea
5 March
7:34 AM:

The ocean floor has many hills and gullies about. Schools of fish swim
about, minding their own business. An EDF Tigershark submarine travels
through the waters towards the location of Atlantis. The tigershark is
a very sleek, high-tech one-man submarine. Striker is in the pilot's
seat and handling the controls. On a screen on the dashboard is the face
of Norwood.

Norwood:"I am truly sorry for the loss of Queen Tawla, but at least you
         have avenged her death by killing Fortus. As you know, he is...
         WAS the second-in-command for the Alpha Squadron and his death
         would be quite a blow to the KH Military."

Striker:"I have still to avenge her death, Mark. Fortus may be dead, but
         Franco is alive."

Norwood:"All too true, and you will not rest until you have killed him
         to avenge the deaths of those he killed, right?"

Striker:"Reg, Mark."

Norwood:"Good. Just don't let your anger cloud your mind too much,
         Striker. I had a hard enough time trying to hide the real facts
         behind the reason I have to let you borrow the Tigershark, and
         I'd hate to explain to the Council the loss of a prototype
         submarine if you fail."

Striker:"I will bring it back in once."

Norwood:"Good. Now, try and find out in Atlantis what it is the Elite 
         Guard is after and stop them from getting it. Good luck."

The screen goes and Striker turns his attention back to piloting the
mini-sub. After a while he crosses over a large rim and before appears
the sunken city of Atlantis. In the darkness of the ocean light is
coming from the city's large centre dome and four smaller, surrounding
domes (all still intact). Striker looks at the domes.

Striker:"I would smile in wonder at this city, if only I was not still
         suffering with grief."

He presses buttons on the sub's control panel and makes a scan of the
city.

Striker:"I detect no Elite Guard signatures in the area, but there are
         some odd readings from one of the domes. I will have a look at
         that one first."

He guides the submarine towards the western dome.

Western Dome
City of Atlantis
7:46 AM:

The western dome, like all the others, covers the magnificent structures
and buildings of Atlantis. At the docks, which look advanced for their
age, the tigershark surfaces and Striker climbs out of it onto the
shore. He looks around.

Striker:"Tawla was reg. The Atlanteans were indeed highly advanced."

He begins to walk into a specific direction.

Striker:"According to the tigershark's scanners, the readings are from
         this direction."

As she walks towards the source of the readings, he notices there are
skeletons, human skeletons, lying about everywhere. He shudders.

Striker:"Atlantis is more of a tomb than a city. There are quite a lot
         of skeletons about. I wonder what happened here?"

He takes out his sonic rifle and arms.

Striker:"Whatever it was, it was not natural and was not by the Elite
         Guard. I had better be careful."

He continues walking until he reaches a structure that resembles a cross
between Greek, Incan and modern architecture. He goes inside and looks
around. The building has one large room with a garden of very large blue
crystals in the back. As he walks closer, however, he can see that the
Elite Guard had beaten him to it. One of the large crystals had been
cut away and standing by the garden are large blowtorches, elevated
light posts, barrels and a table with two books on it. Striker goes to
it and looks everything over.

Striker:"Ai yai yai. I came too late."

He looks at the crystals.

Striker:"So, this is what Franco was after: these blue crystals. And he
         took a generous sample for himself. But what can these crystals
         be of value to him?"

He sees the books on the table.

Striker:"Maybe these two books will give me answers."

He puts down his rifle onto the table and picks up the two books. One is
clearly old and has an Atlantean-style look to it, but the other is more
modern and looks like a journal. First he opens the book and reads it.
The writing is in a different, strange language, but written in read 
under each line and paragraph are the translations into English. Striker
reads a few lines before closing the book.

Striker:"Clearly this book had been Franco's guide."

He closes the book and opens the journal. He reads the last of the
entries and realises who wrote it. It is Tesla's journal.

Striker(reading):"4 March. We have, unfortunately, finally been able to
       cut away a part of the crystals, despite all me and Hildagarde's
       efforts to delay the operation and my protests over using these 
       crystals in the Ion Cannon. Where was Striker? I had hoped he 
       would come and stop these madwolves, but clearly, he has been de-
       layed in El Dorado for reasons unknown. We are now taking the
       crystal back to finish the Ion Cannon. I leave this journal here 
       now, for it can now only serve one purpose..."

He then notices a small arrow at the end of the sentence and he turns
the page. There was another entry. As Striker reads it, he becomes very
surprised.

Striker:"Wat de? This entry is addressed to me."

He reads the entry further.

Striker:"To Striker: I presume that you have survived the trap Champion
         had set up for you in the crystal garden building. There is not
         much time. The Ion Cannon is nearing completion and we cannot
         do much to delay it. Franco has lost all his senses if still
         had any left and will kill us all of you do not stop him. Look
         near the end of this journal's pages for a rough sketch I made
         of the Ion Cannon."

He quickly closes the journal and looks around.

Striker:"A trap? Ai yai yai!"

He quickly puts the book and the journal inside of his coat and picks
up his rifle. He walks quickly towards the door, but halfway his foot
gets snagged on a wire pulled across the room. Striker sees this and
becomes alarm.

Striker:"Ai yai yai again!!"

He quickly runs as fast as he can out of the building. Just as he gets a
short distance from it the triggered bombs inside explode, blowing the
entire building apart and sending Striker flying to the ground. The blast
echoes throughout the entire dome as debris lands all around. When it
settles down, Striker breathes a sigh of relief and gets up. He then
suddenly hears a loud cracking noise and looks behind him. Behind the
ruins of the garden building the dome's glass walls were beginning to
form large, ugly cracks that spread out further and further. Striker's
eyes widen in horror.

Striker:"Ai yai yai for the third time!!!"

He begins to run for the docks. Behind him some of the cracks give way
and the ocean begins to rush in like a massive flash flood. The cracks
spread out rapidly across the dome and more leaks appear. Striker runs
as fast as he can while the flood waters engulf all before it, knocking
down even some of the smaller buildings. Striker reaches the docks and
jumps into the tigershark. He closes the hatch just as the floods cover
the mini-sub. The dome itself was now seriously damaged, with leaks and
large holes everywhere. Striker quickly pilots the tigershark out of
the dome.

Atlantis:

The tigershark rapidly speeds away and upwards towards the surface as it
leaves Atlantis behind. The western dome, now damaged beyond any repair
and too weak to keep out the pressure, finally collapses onto the
structures and buildings below, crushing everything beneath it and 
sending up a huge cloud of air bubbles.

Conference Room
KH Military Headquarters
8:03 AM:

There are now many wolves here. Stalker, Trigger, Wolfeye, Black, Oqulus
and Spectre are currently seated here. All of Stalker's uniform's badges,
rankings and awards have been ripped off. He is in deep contemplation,
while everyone else looks at him.

Trigger:"It was a dangerous game you played there, Stalker, challenging
         Franco's ideas, and you lost."

Black:"What's wrong with a challenge? I would have done the same thing
       if I was in his position."

Oqulus:"That won't save Stalker from being executed, Black. He pissed
        Franco off, and you know how Franco gets."

Stalker doesn't say a word. Just then Diehard enters room, a clearly
sour and angry look on his face and carrying something in his paws. He
puts it down before Stalker: it is all his decorations, awards and
badges. Everyone looks at Diehard.

Diehard(clenched teeth):"Put zese back on, ja? You have been reinstated
       as commander general of ze Alpha Squadron, by order of ze Supreme
       General."

Everyone is very surprised at this announcement.

Stalker:"Reinstated? But a few moments ago Franco would have wanted to
         eat my heart for supper."

Diehard:"Did you not hear me, Herr Stalker?"

Stalker:"I did, but why am I reinstated a day after being court-marshal-
         led by the Supreme General?"

Diehard:"Zat fool of a Fortus had not return from El Dorado. He had 
         stayed behind to execute Herr Striker, but ve have not heard
         one vord of him. Ve assume he is dead, ja? Zus, you are now
         given back your rank."

He then grabs Stalker's collar and looks coldly at him.

Diehard:"But ve vill be vatching you, ja? One more mistake from you und
         I vill kill you myself, ja?"

Stalker nods, smiling.

Stalker:"Ja, Herr Diehard."

Diehard lets go of him and storms furiously out of the room. Everyone else
turns to Stalker and congratulates him as he puts his stuff back onto
his uniform.

Wolfeye:"I would say luck was on your side this time, sir."

Oqulus:"And ours as well. I'm glad that Fortus is dead. I was actually
        starting to hate him more than Striker, and he didn't even take
        out my eye."

Spectre:"We. Monsieur Fortus' death is long overdue."

Stalker:"I agree, Spectre. For me it is especially important that he is
         now dead, for he spied on me on Franco's behalf and has prevented
         me from carrying out certain tasks."

Trigger:"What certain tasks, Stalker?"

Stalker looks around the room and out the doors to make sure no one is
listening before speaking.

Stalker:"A coup de tat. All four squadrons against Franco and his Elite
         Guard."

Everyone, rather than being surprised or shocked, is quite pleased with
this idea.

Spectre:"Wise choice, Monsieur Stalker. I may be Franco's spy, but when
         my own life hangs in the balance loyalties can change rather
         quickly, no?"

Black:"And our lives as well. And pretty much the lives of everyone else
       on this world. It's time that Franco stepped down as Supreme
       General."

Trigger:"Yes. Ever since he first came to power he has been a shame to
         the KH Military. Now it is time to ratify that problem."

Stalker:"And here is my plan for doing so..."

They all gather around as he begins to tell them about the planned coup
de tat.

Norwood's Office
EDF Headquarters
10:04 AM:

Striker is seated by Norwood's desk while Norwood goes over the book and
the journal.

Norwood:"This is indeed an extraordinary find, Striker. According to the
         book the Atlanteans placed these Incan artefacts all around the
         world as some kind of map for finding Atlantis. And the journal
         says how the book and a shard of this crystal Franco wanted was
         found in an archaeological dig in Frazakastan during the early 
         days of the KH Military's occupation."

Striker:"If only we had known earlier about Frazakastan..."

Norwood:"Don't kick yourself about it. These events happened well beyond
         your control or mine. Anyhow, the journal also shows that Franco 
         has truly taken leave of any sense he still had. Tesla's entries
         show that those in the KH Military outside of the Elite Guard
         are not very happy about using the Ion Cannon. Lastly, this
         diagram of the Ion Cannon may be basic, but it is an incredi-
         ble stroke of luck. Now that we know what it looks like we can
         search for it in orbit around Earth and then use a few ASAT
         missiles or a small strike team to take it out."

Striker:"So what is our next course of action, Mark?"

Norwood:"Until the Ion Cannon is in orbit the EDF cannot do much, but 
         there are two things we can try and do. One, since we now have
         clear indications of opposition in the KH Military against the
         Ion Cannon's use and Franco himself, we can try and apply some
         little pressure on these cracks and cause perhaps even a coup
         de tat by the KH squadrons against the Elite Guard. Second, we
         should try and find out who this leak in the EDF is and get rid
         of him or her, since it is placing massive restrictions on our
         operations. For now, I recommend you go back to your chambers
         and spend some time alone and get some good R&R. I think you 
         really need it now."

Striker:"Dankie, Mark."

He gets up and leaves the office. Norwood watches him go and shakes his
head sadly. Franco's true plans have finally come to light of Striker and
Norwood, Fortus Esquire is dead and opposition against Franco's Reich is 
now becoming stronger. But Franco's quest for the crystals have caused the 
death of Tawla Diaz and nearly brought Stalker down. Will Striker and
Norwood be able to destroy the Ion Cannon? Will Stalker and the other
generals overthrow Franco? Or will Franco triumph over all?


TO BE CONTINUED...