Road Rovers: The Iron Fist Episode 6: Return To Ovitznia By Gerhard Naudé All Road Rover names (c) Warner Brothers and rightful owners. Striker, Oqulus, Malcolm and all others related to the KH Army (c) Gerhard Naudé Strayers (c) Steven Today Nitro, Dixie (c) Amanda Stephenson Alethia (c) Kylen Miles Ricky (c) Ricky Galahad Huntress (c) Greywolf Lupous Cleo, Ramses, Sheba (c) Katalin Bakonyi Star (c) Kathrine Gore Sierra (c) Elista Atkins Any question, comments, complaints, feedback or suggestions can be sent to gnaude_@hotmail.com. UN Forward Advance Headquarters, Colombia, 3 July, 9:01 PM: This is a small camp located near a town. There are groups of tanks, trucks helicopters, etc. parked around it. The Sonic Rover has just landed. Hunter, Colleen, Blitz, Exile, Shag and Muzzle climb out and walk to the briefing room where they debrief on their mission to Mayor Cadwell. They are very exhausted. Blitz is writing something down in the book where he keeps record on all the tooshies he's bitten. Blitz:"That makes eight-hundred and forty-five tooshies that I've bitten thus far. These KH wolves are good sports. I've bitten over seventy-three of their tooshies ever since we first met them." Exile:"You need to make appointment with psychiatrist, Weird Boy." Hunter:"Man, I gotta get some sleep. I'm dying here." Colleen:"Do you still get those bad dreams, Huntie?" Hunter:"Fortunately, no. I don't get them anymore. Now I'm only having pleasant dreams." Colleen:"About what?" Hunter looks at Colleen. Hunter:"You, Colleen. Only you. My true love." Colleen smiles at Hunter and he smiles back. They begin to bring their lips closer to each other. Just as they are about to kiss a voice interrupts them. Voice:"Hey, big brother! Come in here, quick!" Hunter and Colleen stop what they are doing and look towards the sleeping quarters. In the doorway Huntress is calling them. Hunter:"Can't you see that we're a little busy here, sis?" Huntress:"Sorry, Hunter, but you have got check out what is on CNN right now." Huntress runs back in. Hunter and Colleen look at each other. Colleen:"Seems like it will have to wait, luv." Hunter:"Bummer." Hunter and Colleen head into the sleeping quarters where the other Rovers and Grizzlies were watching the news. They both sit down at two of the empty chairs and also begin to watch. A CNN reporter was standing outside the United Nations building in New York City. Reporter:"As the UN peacekeepers struggle in Colombia this latest development has the security counsil in trouble. With the Sceptre of the Valley stolen and both Katzenstok and Eisneria blaming each other this incident will stretch the UN to it's limits. This is...." Suddenly in the background a red laser slams into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. The camera man quickly turns his camera to the tower and zooms in. A massive fireball can be seen. The tower floors above the blast area begin to tilt to it's left. The entire part then falls downward into the streets below, followed by the sounds of crashing rubble and metal and a plume of dust rising above the New York skyline. In the streets people rush out of buildings to see what had happened. Reporter:"Oh my God." The picture then changes to an overhead shot from a traffic helicopter that was flying above the ruins. The structure had crashed into another building next door and completely destroyed it. The streets is covered with rubble and people running around. The sounds of wailing sirens can be heard as ambulances, fire trucks and others rush to the scene. Amani:"Are you all seeing this s***?" Cleo:"I'm seeing it, but I don't believe it!" Ricky clutches the cross around his neck tightly and quietly prays. The others except Striker pray. Ricky:"Amen." Everyone except Striker:"Amen." Just then Mayor Cadwell and several other high-ranking officers run in. Cadwell:"Did you all see this?!" Alethia:"It's....it's just horrible. All those lives lost. All those ruined." Striker's phone rings and he answers it. Striker:"What?....You sure?....Damn them! They will pay for this!....No! Don't! We will see to this. Goodbye." Striker puts his phone away. Striker:"It was from the Pentagon. They say that the KH Army has claimed responsibility for this attack and they will continue these attacks until the peacekeepers leave Colombia." Nitro:"They launched this attack?!" Striker:"Yes." Nitro:"The bastards! They won't get away with this!" Bear:"I agree with Nitro. We must destroy whatever weapon fired that shot and teach the KH Army a lesson they won't forget in a hurry!" Striker:"The Pentagon says that the KH Army said that they intented to destroy the UN building but their shot fell short due to some kind of malfunction." Colleen:"That's no bloomin' excuse! It is murder! Pure and simple!" Exile:"I agree with comrade Colleen. Attacking defenceless civilians is madski!" Ramses:"Any idea where that shot came from?" Striker:"Satellite images show that the laser beam came from somewhere in Ovitznia. And I think this info might interest you: Gustav Havoc, one of your old enemies I believe, was bailed from prison by Malcolm Industries and it is he and Malcolm who's troops possibly stole the Sceptre of the Valley." A UN soldier rushes in. UN Soldier:"Sir! There is an anonymous call for the Rovers and Strayers in the briefing room." Cadwell:"From where?" UN Soldier:"Don't know, sir. We are however tracking it." Everyone gets up and heads for the briefing room. Inside another soldier is busy with the wireless. Hunter picks up the microphone while the com officer activates the overhead speakers. Hunter:"This is Hunter, leader..." Voice:"Of the Road Rovers. I know." Hunter:"Who are you and what do you want?" Voice:"I don't want anything and I won't tell who I am. You, on the other hand, look like you could use some information regarding that attack on the World Trade Centre." Hunter:"Look, who ever you are, we don't have time for prank calls." Voice:"Turn to your briefing screen and pay attention." They all turn to look at the screen. An image appears on it. It shows what looks like some kind of laser cannon. Voice:"What you all are seeing in front of you is the KH Military's newest weapon." The image then zooms in on a part of the laser. There, very clearly, is the Sceptre of the Valley. It is inserted in a device, leaving only its head visible. Voice:"The Sceptre is the focusing element for this weapon. It creates the laser beam which you probably just saw on the news." The image then turns to a map showing Ovitznia, Esneria and Katzenstok. A red dot flashes near a lake in Ovitznia. Voice:"The laser is housed in an armoured shell at one of Havoc's old bases. It is well defended. That is all I can tell you." Hunter:"Hang on! How do we know this ain't a lie?" Voice:"Activate your Rover satellite and see for yourself." Cyc rushes in and Bear presses some buttons to relay with their satellite. Soon the map image changes to a satellite image of the area around the lake. As with Alcatraz a black shroud is hiding the base. Exile:"Mother Russia! He's telling the truthski!" Everyone cheers. Hunter picks the mike up again. Hunter:"Thanks a lot, buddy, but how do you know about this....hello?" Com Officer:"He hung up!" Cadwell:"Did anybody trace where that call came from?" Tracker 1:"It came from......a phone booth in Hong Kong." Tracker 2:"No, it came from a house in Belgrade." Tracker 3:"You're both wrong. The call was from a tanker in the Altantic." Cadwell:"Never mind." Colleen:"Blimey! An ally, straight out of the blue. Who was it?" Striker:"I don't know, but that voice sounded familiar..." Hunter:"Never mind that. We've got a laser to bust, a sceptre to recover...." Blitz:"And tooshies to bite." Exile:"Don't be a Weird Boy." Hunter:"Right then, Rovers! Let's roll!" Cadwell:"No, you cannot!" The Rovers and Strayers stop in their tracks and look at Mayor Cadwell. Amani:"And why not?" Cadwell:"Because some of you already have prearranged missions to carry out. There is a dam that needs protection from KH commandos and bridges to be taken out to stop Ortega's troops from breaking our line. Only the Grizzlies and Striker is free. Bear, you take the Grizzlies to Ovitznia, take out this mad weapon and take the sceptre to a secure location." Bear:"Yes, sir." Star:"Darn it! There goes my trip to Ovitznia." Exile:"Don't worry, comrade. When this war is over you and I will take holiday to those parts." Star:"Why thank you, Exile." Exile:"My pleasure." Bear holds his hand out. Bear:"Leadership!" Nitro places her hand on Bear's. Nitro:"Endurance!" Amani places her hand on Nitro's. Amani:"Intellect!" Puffball places her paw on Amani's hand. Puffball:"Courage!" They raise their hands above their heads. Bear, Nitro, Amani, Puffball:"Strength through diversity! Strayers!!!" They let go of each other. Striker, who had his fingers in his ears, removes them and looks at Bear. Striker:"Explain to me what that was." Bear:"That is the rally cry of the Strayers." Striker:"Well, you might need to learn to do it a bit more quiet. In the vicinity the KH Army that rally cry is an open invitation to death." The Strayers and Striker run outside to the landing pad where the Rover vechiles were parked. Bear and Nitro climb onto the Cyclborg, Amani and Puffball climb into the Sylvia and Striker and Dixie climb into the Rhino. They take off and head for Ovitznia. Havoc's headquarters, Ovitznia, at that moment: It is early morning. The sun was just peeking over the mountains in the horizon. Havoc's headquarters is a fortress built on the top of a mountain. In his control room Havoc ( "Where Rovers Dare") was seated in his chair talking on the telephone. Havoc:"Sure, Malcolm. You can count on me." The Corporation, somewhere in the Mediterranean: This is large, high tech yacht. Two KH missile destroyers are escorting it. In his office Malcolm was on the over end of the line. Malcolm:"Remember, Havoc: You won't get paid until the UN withdraw, understood?" Havoc:"You can call it done." Malcolm:"No, I won't. There is still the problem of the Rovers and Grizzlies coming to destroy that cannon." Havoc:"Don't worry. I they get anywhere near that base they'll be greeted with a hail of gunfire." Malcolm:"Oh yeah, I forgot. I sent an officer of mine to you. He's going to help oversee this operation. Any objections?" Havoc:"No, none at all." Malcolm:"Good. See you later." Havoc:"Chow!" Havoc puts the phone down. His secretary walks in. Secretary:"Sir. There's a KH officer who wants to see you." Havoc:"That be the representitive. Show him in." The secretary leaves the office. Soon she opens the door and a covert trooper walks in. The secretary leaves and closes the door. Havoc:"Ahh. You're the officer. Sit down and take a load off your feet." The officer removes his helmet to reveal his face. It is Oqulus. He takes a seat and looks coldly at Havoc. Oqulus:"That's Lieutenant-Commander Oqulus to you. And I suggest that you pay keen attention to rank when addressing a superior officer, Colonel Havoc." Havoc:"You have no right to talk to me like that!" Oqulus' crystal eye begins to glow red. Oqulus:"Listen here, Colonel Havoc. We, the KH Military, have more might at our fingertips than you, Parvo, Storm, The Admiral, Eliminator and all the other enemies of the Rovers and Strayers could ever dream about. Thus, I have the might to overrule your authority in this matter." He takes out his rifle and aims it at Havoc. Oqulus:"Do you understand?" Havoc starts to sweat. Oqulus:"I'll ask again. Do you understand?" Havoc hesitates for a moment, then answers. Havoc:"Y..yes, Lieutenant-Commander." Oqulus:"Good. And call me sir." Oqulus puts his rifle away and his crystal eye stops glowing. Oqulus:"Right then, down to business. Shall we?" Havoc:"Of course." Oqulus stares at him again. He quickly realises his mistake. Havoc:"Sir." Oqulus stops staring and turns to other matters. Oqulus:"Right. According to this report you were order to destroy a warship that was docked in New York near the UN headquarters. Correct?" Havoc:"Yes, sir. That's right. I carried out my orders as I was told to." Oqulus:"And how did it go?" Havoc:"Couldn't have gone better. We got it." Oqulus:"Yes. Well done." Havoc smiles. Oqulus:"Except for one thing..." Havoc:"What?" Oqulus becomes angry and his eye glows red again. Oqulus:"You hit one of the World Trade Centre towers! Our intelligence say that the current casualties stand at seventy-six! You blew it! We had to make up an excuse about the laser malfunctioning!" Havoc:"Come on! The World Trade Centre is a bigger target that some old warship." Oqulus:"That's no excuse! You disobeyed a direct order! The KH Army don't go blowing up civilians and non-military targets! We're soldiers! Not monsters! And now, what about the Rovers and Grizzlies? Eh? Answer me!" Havoc:"I...I suppose they are not going to be happy?" Oqulus:"Damn right! They're pissed off at this! Now they will come and destroy that cannon, all because of you! You'd better make sure that the key component, the Sceptre of the Valley, stays in our hands or else we will use, and I quote:'complete termination of current contract'! If you mess up again we will stop funding your pathetic rag-tag militia! Is that clear?!" Havoc:"Yes, sir." Oqulus' eye stops glowing and he gets up. Oqulus:"Good. I'll be heading over to the laser cannon base and oversee that the cannon stays intact. Remember: one more stunt like that and the deal's off." He leaves the room. From the window Havoc watches as Oqulus climbs into an attack helicopter. It is a Mohigan Attack Chopper. Its design is similar to an F-117 with the exception of the rotor blades. The engines start up, but they make very little noise. The helicopter takes off and flies towards its destination. As soon as it leaves Havoc calls his trusted officer: Lieutenant Skeam. He appears on the screen and salutes. Skeam:"Yes, sir!" Havoc:"Listen, Lieutenant. You are expecting a KH officer at your base. You must follow his orders and protect the laser cannon at all cost from the Road Rovers." Skeam:"Yes, sir! I won't fail you, sir!" Havoc:"Good." Skeam's image dissapears from the screen. Somewhere near Ovitznian border, 9:45 AM in this timeline: The Cyclborg, Sylvia and the Rhino is flying low over the Esnerian countryside. Bear activates his helmet's communicator and calls Striker. Bear:"Striker? Do you read?" Striker:"Loud and clear." Bear:"Listen, Nitro and I have been wanting to talk to you." Striker:"About what?" Nitro activates her helmet's communicator. Nitro:"About you." Striker:"Sorry. That's classified." Amani gets on the radio too. Amani:"Classified my a**! We want to know what you're hiding, Striker!" Bear:"Calm down, Amani! Look, we know you don't want to talk about it but we must know what you are not telling us." Striker:"What for?" Nitro:"Because we are all concerned about you. We can tell that it hurts inside of you." Striker:"But I'm not ill." Dixie turns to look at Striker. Dixie:"They mean mentally, not physically." Striker thinks for a moment, then sighs. Striker:"All right. I will declassify some of the information." Amani:"Yes, out with it." Striker takes a deep breath and continues. Striker:"You are right. I do hurt inside. It's because of the KH Army that I suffer. In the past I thought against them and stopped them from destroying the world, twice. The one time was when they planned to launched to nuclear weapons and start a global nuclear war and the other one was when they built a massive orbital weapon called the Ion Cannon. During those four years I saw them killing hundreds of innocents before my eyes by order of the former KH Supreme General, Franco. It was simply too much. When they vanished a farmer captured me and made me a slave. For years I worked in miserable conditions until the KH Army arrived and took me to Alcatraz." Puffball:"That is sad story." Nitro:"But what did the KH Army do to you?" Dixie:"And who made you a Cano-sapien?" Amani:"And why do you act like a jerk?" Bear, Nitro, Dixie and Puffball:"Amani!" Amani:"Sorry." Striker:"That I will not talk about." Puffball:"But you said you would declassify all information." Striker:"I said SOME, not ALL of the information." Nitro:"Come on. Tell us everything. You can trust us. Take Bear, for example. He is always willing to share his secrets with us." Striker:"Really? Then why hasn't he told me his human name was Steven Today?" Bear:"What the? Who told you that?" Striker:"I overheard it from a KH intelligence agent. They know that you were a Malamute Eskimo called Steven Today. They know about your family, about your past, how you became Bear and Rabid and all the events that happened at your wedding, just to name a few." Everyone else gasps in horror. Bear is distraught. Bear:"They know everything?" Striker:"Everything, and when I mean everything, I mean very little detail." Nitro:"Bear! Your human family! They're in danger of being killed by the KH Army! You must go and warn them!" Striker:"Calm down! They are not in any danger." Bear:"How can you be sure?" Striker:"The KH Army will only attack those whom they consider above a level 3 military threat. Your family and wolf pack, Bear and Nitro, are level 5, that is 'not worth it'. So don't worry." Everyone relaxes. Dixie:"That sounds relieving." Striker:"We, the Rovers and Strayers, on the other hand are considered level 1 threat:'Extreme threat. Use of heavy military force authorised'." Amani:"Oh crud." Dixie:"But how did they know all this?" Striker:"Never underestimate the power of the KH intelligence system." Nitro:"They spied on our wedding? But we had the entire area condoned off." Striker:"That didn't stop the KH Military. They sent a squad of twenty covert troopers, among them Oqulus, a week before the wedding to conduct a military operation called 'Operation Wedding Fire' that was carried out before and during the wedding up until the beginning of your honey moon. They hacked into Mission Control's security system and used the security cameras to spy on you. They also used hundreds of bugs and KH spy satellites that went over the wedding area several times." Amani:"What? After all those preparations to keep out any uninvited guests here comes the KH Army and sets up shop without our knowledge. What were they doing at the wedding?" Puffball:"I never saw any soldiers." Striker:"That's because Covert Troopers have the ability to change colour like a chameleon to merge with the environment." Nitro:"But what were they doing at our wedding?" Striker hesitates for a moment, then speaks. Striker:"They were waiting for me." Dixie:"Waiting for you?" Striker:"Yes. They thought was a Road Rover, which I wasn't, and they tried to assassinate me if I appeared at the wedding and kill anyone who tried to stop them. However, at the beginning of your honey moon when they received word that I wasn't known to you all they left and the operation was called a military failure because of all the time and effort wasted and the bad morale of the troops. They hate weddings and the fact they didn't fire a single shot lowered their morale. Here are some of the comments I heard from them:'I didn't sign on for this s***. Fighting wars, sure, but watching a wedding without firing a shot? Who ordered this operation anyway?' and 'I had the bloody bride and groom in my sights and I didn't get to blow their brains out. This sucks!’” Puffball:"They good." Striker:"The best in the world." Amani:"Uh...guys. Listen up. We are getting to the Ovitznian border. Scanner shows that the area is jammed with AAA and SAM. We can't fly anywhere without being shot at." Bear:"You're right. Let's land and drive on." They all land on an empty road just over the border and drive on to the laser base. Laser Base near lake, north-west Ovitznia, 10:24 AM: This base is located on the shoreline of the lake. In the centre of the base is a large building that looks like a treasure chest. This is the laser housing building. Around it are several buildings and towers on each corner of the fence that surrounds it and at the gates. Red coat troops are everywhere. Lieutenant Skeam was making his rounds. Skeam:"See anything?" Red 1:"No, sir. It's all quiet." Skeam:"Good." From atop a hill where the road disappears the Grizzlies appear. Bear radios Striker. Bear:"We need to get to that cannon. Can you stage a diversion?" Striker:"Nothing easier." He puts the pedal to the metal and the Rhino races to the gate. Striker:"Shutters down. Activate Sonic cannon." The windows are covered with armour and the Sonic cannon is readied. Striker looks at Dixie. Striker:"You'd better buckle up, girl. This ride is going to get rough." The Rhino leaves the road and heads towards the fence. A sonic blast quickly blows a new gate open and the Rhino drives in. Skeam runs out of his quarters. Skeam:"Don't just stand there! Blow it up!" Soon most of the troops were busy trying to shoot the Rhino, but they either miss or their shots bounce off. The tanks soon appear and take aim. The Rhino readies its EMP missiles and turns to face the grouping of tanks. Striker:"Bad idea to bunch up like that." The EMP missiles do their job. The tanks just stand there, dead. While the troops try to stop the marauding Rhino the Strayers head to the now unguarded laser house. They climb off and go in. Inside they find the laser cannon. Nitro:"Just like our mysterious contact told us. There it is." Puffball:"That big, big gun." Voice:"Hands up!" They all turn around. Skeam and several other troops stand in the doorway. Skeam is holding Amani. Skeam:"Thought I wouldn't see you come in? Surrender!" Amani:"Ouch! Ow! You're hurting me!" Skeam:"Huh?" Puffball:"YOU HURT MISTRESS!!" Puffball runs over and attacks Skeam and his troops. Skeam lets go of Amani and she runs over to the others. Bear:"Amani, can you remove the sceptre from its case?" Amani:"Watch and learn." Amani runs over to the control computer and begins to type in something. The claws that holds the sceptre lets go and the class case opens. Bear takes it out. As they are about to leave Bear stops. Bear:"Whoa! Stop!" Amani:"What's up?" Bear:"We must destroy this weapon of destruction and insure that it will never fire again." Nitro:"Allow me." Nitro takes a deep breath and unleashes her Banshee Howl. The laser cannon begins to fall apart and soon it is nothing but a pile of useless scrap metal. As they turn around they find Dixie and Striker standing in the doorway. Striker:"Not quite Madonna, but much more striking." Bear:"I thought I told you to stage a diversion and cover our escape." Dixie:"There is not much resistance left. They're all out cold." Striker:"Not very tough, these red coats." Puffball appears carrying Skeam under her arms. Skeam is struggling to get loose. Skeam:"Let me go, you oversized flea-bag!" Puffball:"Okay..." Puffball puts Skeam down and then knocks him out cold. Just as he hits the floor his radio begins to chatter. Oqulus is calling. Oqulus:"Hello? Lieutenant? What was all that hullabaloo? Hello?" Bear:"Lets go!" Oqulus:"Bear! You take that sceptre and I will kill you!" Dixie:"Tell us something new, please." Oqulus:"You laugh now, but when I find you won't be so humorous!" Bear:"Come on. Lets leave." They all head outside climb onto their vechiles and head out, leaving a very messed up base. Everywhere troops are lying unconscious and tanks are standing disabled. They get to the main road and start heading to Esneria. Bear:"Mission accomplished." Nitro is holding the sceptre. Nitro:"Its beautiful. Just look at it." Bear:"I can't right now, love. Striker. Call HQ and tell them we got the sceptre." Striker:"Not so fast, Bear. Oqulus can still call up reinforcements from Havoc and steal the sceptre back." Amani:"Come on. What reinforcements?" Striker:"Those reinforcements behind us in the road." Everyone else looks behind them. Red coats were chasing them with attack snowski's and tanks. They begin to open fire. Amani:"Oh. Those reinforcements." Bear:"Evasive action!" The Grizzlies begin to dodge the shots. Puffball digs around in the back of Sylvia and takes out Shag's rocket launcher. Amani:"Where did you get that?" Puffball:"Shag's valentine present to me." Amani, Nitro, Bear and Dixie:"Valentine present???" Puffball:"Yeah." Amani:"But you're a cat and he's a dog!" Puffball:"So?" Dixie:"Cats and dogs are natural enemies! How can you love each other?" Striker:"Excuse me, but can you all fight about it later and turn to the situation at hand?" Behind in the road the red coats were still shooting at them. Puffball takes the launcher and aims at their pursuers. Just as Puffball begins to pull the trigger Dixie notices that the launcher is aimed the wrong way and at the ground above a tunnel. Dixie:"Puffball!! Aim the other way!" Too late. Puffball fires the missile and it flies into the ground above the tunnel. The explosion starts an avalanche. Bear:"Pedal to the metal! The exit is about to be closed!" They put up speed in an attempt to reach the tunnel. As they get closer so does the avalanche of snow and mud. They make it into the tunnel just as the entrance is blocked behind them. The red coats brake, but at the speed they were going the tanks and snowski's simple slide on the ice covered road and crash into the blockade of snow and mud. Everyone looks at Puffball. Amani:"Yep. You and Shag have a lot in common." Puffball blushes. They then exit the tunnel onto a mountain pass. On the right of the road are high cliffs and on the left side is a deep ravine. Down below is a river winding its way through. Bear scans ahead. The pass is clearly visible from their point of view. Bear:"Good news. The road is clear all the way." Nitro:"Nothing could go..." Striker:"NO! DON'T SAY IT!" Nitro:"Why not?" Striker:"When they say that nothing can go wrong something always happens." Nitro:"Come on. What can go wrong?" Suddenly from below the ravine Oqulus' Mohigan appears and goes in hot pursuit. Striker looks annoyed at Nitro. Striker:"Ai yai yai. What did I say?" Nitro:"Oh. You're right. Something can go wrong." Oqulus radios them. Oqulus:"Strayers! This is Oqulus. Surrender the sceptre to the authority of the KH Military immediately or I will use force!" Bear:"If you want the sceptre you'll have to pry it from my dead fingers!" Oqulus:"Nothing easier." Oqulus opens fire with the Mohigan's machine gun at the Sylvia. The shots blow nasty holes into the truck. In the cockpit Amani and Puffball duck as some shots crack the windscreen. Amani:"Arg! My truck!" Striker:"Get used to it." Suddenly Oqulus blows out the rear tires and Amani loses control of the Sylvia. The truck heads into the cliff and hits a ramp that flips the truck over onto its roof. It slides down a few meters and comes to a halt. The others turn to look around. Bear:"Amani! Puffball!" Striker:"Never mind them! Oqulus is still behind us!" Oqulus fires a series of missiles at the Rhino. All but one misses. The last one gets under the rear of the Rhino. The explosion throws the truck into the air and it falls onto its side. Oqulus is now targeting Bear and Nitro. Oqulus:"Surrender!" Bear and Nitro:"Never!" From below the ravine two of Havoc's attack helicopters appear. Havoc is in one helicopter while Skeam is in the other. Oqulus radios them. Oqulus:"About time you got here! Bear and Nitro have the sceptre! Open fire as soon you have lock!" Skeam:"Yes, sir!" Havoc:"No problem." Oqulus:"Ahem!" Havoc:"Oops! Sir!" Oqulus (to himself):"How this guy became a Colonel I'll never know." They quickly catch up again with Bear and Nitro and open fire. Bear swerves left and right to avoid the shower of bullets. They then go into another tunnel, with Havoc barely hitting the cliff. They fly over the mountain to the other side. There they find a fork in the road where they stop. Havoc:"Left? Right? Which way?" Oqulus:"I'll go right while you two head on left. We'll radio if we find those two, copy?" Havoc and Skeam:"Copy, sir!" They split up and head into their given directions. Havoc and Skeam only have to fly a few kilometres before they catch up with Bear and Nitro. Nitro:"Uh oh. Here they are again." Skeam fires a missile which Bear barely dodges. The missile blows up a tree ahead of them, sending splinters flying in all directions. A particular large and sharp piece impales into Bear's leg. Bear screams in pain, loses control and slips on the ice covered road. Nitro falls into the snow on the side of the road while Bear hits the tarmac pretty hard and rolls a few meters. Nitro, still dazed, gets up, looks around and sees Bear lying in the road on his back. Nitro:"Bear!" She quickly runs over to Bear and kneels next to him. He is groaning in pain. Nitro:"Bear! Are you okay?" She spots the splinter in his leg. She tries to pull it out but Bear yelps out in pain. Bear:"Leave me, Nitro! Save yourself! Save the sceptre!" Nitro:"No. I'll never leave you." The helicopters land, Skeam and Havoc climb out. Skeam picks up the sceptre and hands it to Havoc. Havoc:"You should have stayed in the kennels! Skeam, contact Oqulus." Skeam:"Yes, sir!" Skeam goes to his chopper and tries to radio Oqulus. Skeam:"This is Skeam to Oqulus. Come in, sir. Do you read?" There is no answer. Skeam:"Sir, I can't reach him. The mountains are blocking the signal." Havoc:"Pity. I'll take this sceptre for myself and leave Oqulus to rot." Havoc turns to Bear and Nitro. Havoc:"As for you I'll..." A missile strikes Havoc's chopper and blows it up. Havoc and Skeam turn to see the Pack Rover appearing from the ravine. It them fires another missile at Skeam's helicopter and destroys it. The Pack Rover's front cargo door opens and Sheba comes flying out. Havoc and Skeam try to run away but Sheba just picks them up with his sharp claws. The Pack Rover lands and Ricky, Alethia, Cleo, Ramses, Sierra and Star appear. Ramses takes the sceptre from Havoc. Ramses:"You won't be needing this anymore." The others run over to Bear and Nitro. Ricky:"You all right?" Nitro:"Bear's hurt." Star:"Whoa! That's a nasty splinter you got there." Alethia:"We'll need to remove it or else it could get infected. Help carry him to the Pack Rover." Ricky, Sierra, Star and Cleo pick Bear up and carry him inside the Pack Rover while Ramses and Sheba guide Havoc and Skeam to the prison cells. Sierra then notices something. Sierra:"Where's the rest of your unit?" Nitro:"They're back there somewhere. We must go pick them up." The Pack Rover takes off and flies to pick up the others. Mountain Pass, 11:01 AM: Striker, Amani and Puffball are sitting alongside the road with several bandages where they were hurt. Striker was keep check on Dixie, who was still unconscious. The Pack Rover appears and lands. Alethia, Ricky, Star, Ramses and Cleo climb out and run over to the battered group. Alethia:"Are you all alright?" Amani:"No, we're not. Our trucks are messed up, mine being riddles with holes, Dixie is out cold and we all look like refugees from a bomb blast in Sarajevo." Striker:"What about Bear and Nitro? And the sceptre?" Ricky:"We got the sceptre back and captured Havoc and his Lieutenant, but Bear's been hurt pretty badly." Striker:"And Oqulus? Where's he?" Star:"Don't know. Perhaps he ran away." Striker:"Oqulus? That's a laugh. We need to leave quickly. He will soon find us if we stay here. Help me carry Dixie, Puffball." Puffball comes and picks up Dixie. Afterwards they load the damaged vechiles in the cargo bay and take off. From a top a mountain Oqulus had been watching what's been happening. Oqulus:"Just you wait. You're not getting away that easily." Unseen to him a wolf had climbed into his Mohigan. Oqulus walks over, climbs in and takes off. In the cargo bay Striker and Amani were asserting the damage to their trucks. Striker:"Just a quick patch up here and there. Tough, these Rhinos." Amani:"My poor baby. Just look what that bad wolf did to you." Striker gives her a strange look. Striker:"I hate it when people who own cars do that." Nearby Alethia and Ricky were busy bandaging Bear, who was lying on a medical bed. Nitro is holding his hand. Nitro:"Bear. How are you feeling, love?" Bear:"It still hurts, but I'm feeling a lot better." Ricky:"Just a few days rest and you'll be up and running." Ramses was busy putting the sceptre into a protective casing. Ramses:"Now all we need to..." An explosion suddenly rocks the Pack Rover. The rear cargo door has been blown open. Through it they could see Oqulus. He begins to open fire with his chopper's machine gun. Everyone takes cover. Bear falls off the medical bed and begins to slide to the hole. Just as he is about to slip into the atmosphere Ricky grabs his arms. Ricky losses his foothold and slips. Striker dives down and grabs Ricky's feet. Ramses grabs Striker but loses the sceptre. It slides out into the open air. Oqulus quickly opens a window and grabs the sceptre as it flies by. He radios them. Oqulus:"Now that I got the sceptre back I will teach you all that to meddle in our business was a huge mis...OUCH!" The wolf which had hid behind Oqulus bites his arm and grabs the sceptre in its mouth. Oqulus:"You miserable animal! I'll teach you!" In his madness Oqulus throws the wolf out the window, but then the sceptre begins to glow and the wolf levitates to the Pack Rover. Everyone is amazed at the sight. Striker:"Ai yai yai." Oqulus:"I've been in the military for thirty five years, but this beats the h*** out of me." The wolf lands into the cargo bay and turns to Oqulus. The sceptre then glows a blue colour while the wolf growls. Suddenly a lightning bolt is fired from the sceptre and it strikes the Mohigan's engine. It explodes and the chopper begins to descend rapidly into the forest below. It soon crashes through the trees and finally comes to a halt. Oqulus climbs out and waves his fist at the Pack Rover. Oqulus:"Damn you! Damn you all!!!" In the Pack Rover the sceptre glows again and quickly the rear door is magically repaired. Everyone comes and pats the wolf. Nitro barks a thank you and the wolf barks back. Alethia:"What did he say?" Nitro:"He's says that he helped because all wolves here must protect the sceptre from the hands of evil. They all knew about its magical properties." Striker:"No wonder then why the sceptre was such an important component in that laser cannon." Ramses:"Well, now that it’s safely in our hands we can head back." Striker:"By the way, shouldn't you be in Colombia protecting the dam?" Ricky:"Oh, we got there, but the KH commando team ran into an ambush by Ortega's troops. So we were then ordered to assist you." Star comes into the cargo bay. Star:"Good news, guys. The Esnerian and Kazenstokian governments have stopped blaming each other when they heard about the sceptre being in the hands of the KH Army. They want us to take it to an armoured bunker where it can be safely stored and guarded." Ramses:"Great. Let us give them the sceptre back and return to Colombia." Amani:"Yeah. I'm sleepy." Nitro is kneeling at Bear. Nitro:"I nearly lost you TWICE in this mission." Bear:"Guess I'm one of the die hard types." Nitro and Bear kiss. Striker is busy interrogating Havoc and Skeam. Striker:"Right then. Can you tell us anything useful before we send you two to prison?" Havoc:"No. Nothing you say can make us talk. Eh, Lieutenant?" Skeam:"No, sir!" Striker:"So you would rather like to talk to Sheba instead?" Havoc:"Okay! Okay! The guy who is in charge of the KH Military Forces in Colombia isn't Malcolm. He just financed the operations there. The commander of the Colombian strike force is someone called General Black. He's in charge, not Malcolm." Striker:"Thank you very much." Alethia:"Who's General Black?" Striker:"He leads the Epsilon Squadron. He's the one we should go after, not Malcolm." Ricky:"Okay, lets go." Everyone except Striker go up to the control cabin. Striker looks out at the landscape through a window. Striker:"So I will meet you again, Black. You, the one who made me what I am today." Striker then heads up to the control cabin. The KH Military's laser cannon is destroyed, the sceptre is recovered and Havoc is back behind bars. Yet now that the real commander has been revealed the Road Rovers and Strayers will have to stop General Black from turning Colombia into a wasteland. And what did Black do to Striker? What is his past? And what will happen in the coming months? THE END