Rover Strike: Project AniCom Episode 1: The Rescue By Gerhard Naudé All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners Kya, Cape Hunting Dogs, Armand, Xue-Fang, Razor, Tojo © Kirsten Coughlan Hotrod, Criminal © David Fountain Dylan © Dylan Rinalds Any question, comments, complaints, feedback or suggestions can be sent to gnaude_@hotmail.com. South Charleroi Airport 50 Kilometers South of Brussels Belgium 21 January 16:08 PM: This is a moderately-sized airport that serves many budget airlines such as RyanAir. Passengers are continuously leaving and arriving at the airport. One particular aircraft, an unmarked white cargo plane, has just arrived and is taxing towards a row of private hangars. It moves into one hangar that has the EuroCorp logo on it, whereupon workers close the large doors. The engines are shut down as more workers move in to secure the aircraft. All around there other workers as well as security guards in EuroCorp uniforms. Waiting for the plane is a BMW, a small truck and a security van. By the BMW is Josef Schlechtermann. He is a German in his seventies with a bald head and white sideburns, wearing a buttoned up blue lab coat and grey pants. He also has a white moustache a burn mark on one cheek. He is surrounded by guards. Josef waits until the plane has stopped and the crew have begun to disembark. Among them is a male Bengal tiger-sapien named Hajari, who is wearing the uniform of the Mayhem Mercenaries. With him is Armand, also now wearing his mercenary uniform. Behind him Shock Soldiers are carrying the unconscious Kya and Bleki off the plane on stretches. Josef walks up to Hajari and Armand. Josef:"Welkommen to Belgium. Had a pleasant flight?" Hajari:"Could have been better, but nothing to complain about." Josef:"Gutt, gutt." The scientist then glances at the two unconscious females. Josef:"Ah, you brought our specimens, ja?" Armand:"Alive and in one piece, as your employers wanted." Hajari:"Speaking of, where are your employers? You're definitely not an executive." Josef:"Oh, you must mean Herr Grasson. He had to take a call. He is in there." Josef gestures towards the foreman's shack as he goes to check up on Kya and Bleki. Through the shack window one can see Grasson chatting on a cellphone while looking at the group. Once he finishes the call, he heads out of the shack and comes walking to the group. The executive approaches Hajari. Grasson:"Ah, Monsieur Hajari. Everything go to plan?" Hajari:"Yes, we brought your goods." Grasson:"Excellent! Load those two into the truck and then get into the car so we can take you to Rembrandt to finalize payment, non?" Hajari:"The sooner the better." Grasson, Hajari and Armand walk towards the BMW, while Josef and the Shock Soldiers take Kya and Bleki towards the waiting truck. Once they are loaded in and everyone is in the BMW, the hangar's rear doors are opened by workers. The convoy drives out and goes onto the road leading out of the airport. As they head off, one of the workers waits outside. A baggage cart driven by another airport worker appears and pulls up to the first one. Baggage(French):"Got something?" Worker(French):"Two new arrivals. Both are females." The worker then described to the baggage man what they look like. Once they are done, the man tosses a pack of cigarettes to the worker. The worker catches it. Baggage(French):"Usual." Worker(French):"Good. Bye." The baggage man nods and drives off, while the worker lights up a cigarette and starts smoking. Terminal Brussels International Airport Belgium 22 January 9:08 AM: The passenger terminal is a modern and computerized facility. Everywhere there are all kinds of electronic billboards and signs, counters, seats for waiting passengers, flight information boards, shops and escalators. At the moment the terminal is not as busy as usual, though there is still a good number of passengers and staff on duty. Leaning against a support beam is Hotrod, who is looking around the terminal with a bored expression on his face. Hotrod:"Boy, I'm really starting to appreciate being a Road Rover and not having to fly commercially." He then spots Sunrise, the leader of the Cape Hunting Dogs, and Jock walking towards him. Hotrod stands up as they approach. Hotrod:"Anything?" Sunrise:"Nothing. We tried to be as discreet as possible, but the staff here don't seem to know anything. What about you, Hotrod?" Hotrod:"I'm empty handed too. There's a VIP lounge that EuroCorp executives use alot and a private terminal, but I really doubt you could bring in a pair of sapiens and not notice." Jock:"But they must know something! They can't all be work for those corporate scum." Sunrise:"I know, but even the ones whom I don't think EuroCorp would bother with are unaware of our friends being brought in. I even asked some passengers here, but no one saw anything." Hotrod:"Heads up, people." Hotrod indicates to a man dressed in a business suit, flanked by two airport security guards, walking towards them. His ID tag on his jacket indicates that he is part of management. Jock:"What now?" Sunrise:"Keep calm. Let's see what they want." The men approach the group and the official steps forward. Official:"Pardon me, sirs and lady, but could you perhaps come with me to my office? We just need to check on something." Sunrise:"Of course." Official:"Follow me, please." The man turns around and begins to walk. The trio follow him, with the two security guards walking right behind them. Hotrod whispers to Jock and Sunrise. Hotrod(whispering):"I got a bad feeling about this." Jock(whispering):"Me too." Sunrise(whispering):"So do I, but let's not start trouble unless it comes to us first." They nod their heads and keep following the official. The man leads them to an office with shuttered windows. He opens the door and steps aside. Official:"In here, please." The trio head inside the office. It is a simple room with the usual table, chairs, filing cabinets, potted ferns and a few personal items. What surprises the trio is the fact that the rest of the Cape Hunting Dogs and Dylan are here as well. Sunrise:"What are you guys all doing here?" Farren:"Dunno. All of us were brought in here by the security guards. Seems they want to tell us something." Dylan:"I hope it's not that we're in trouble or something." Astin:"Ditto." They all wait as the official comes in and closes the door, then heads to his desk and sits behind it. Official:"Now, before I explain what is going here I must first point out that none of you are in any trouble with us." Sunrise:"If that is the case, then why have all of us been brought to your office?" Official:"Because I'm here to tell you that your friends were not unloaded here at this airport." This takes everyone aback. Jock:"You know about Kya?" Official:"I don't know that name, but I do the two sapiens whose de- scriptions you gave to my staff. When they told me about it, I decided to have you all brought here." Sunrise:"But who are you?" Official:"I'm a member of an animal rights group who have been monitoring the European Corporation's activities for years. I have several associates working for me at this airport and other places in around Brussels." Sunrise:"So you know our friends were brought to Belgium?" Official:"Yes, but they were not offloaded here." Jock:"But this is Brussels International Airport. EuroCorp does make use of it, right?" Official:"Yes, but only for business and private visits. When they want to bring in something... illegal, they use Charleroi Airport fifty kilometres to the south." Sunrise:"How did you know they were brought there?" Official:"Some of my associates work there and relayed the information to me. The arrived late yesterday afternoon by aircraft and were unloaded in a private hangar." Jock groans. Jock:"Then we missed them." Dylan puts a comforting paw on Jock's shoulder. Dylan:"Don't worry, buddy. We're not giving up yet." Official:"I agree with your friend. Your mate, I am assuming, and her friend are being held in one of the labs under the ground at EuroCorp's headquarters. We have more associates there who work on the kennels and even a few of the scientists working there are on our side." Astin:"Things are really looking up. Seems EuroCorp isn't running as tight a ship as it is thinking." Official:"Probably because what is going on here in Brussels is only a small piece of the bigger operation called Project AniCom." Sunrise:"Project AniCom? What is that?" The official shrugs and shakes his head. Official:"We have no idea what it is except that it seems to involve animals and attempts to transform them into humanoids like you. And it was only by accident that we found out about it. A few years ago one of the people involved in the project drank more than what was good for him and told the bar patrons more than he should have. Now, the ramblings of a drunk wasn't enough for authorities to take action, but it did trigger a protest by animal rights groups. And then came those idiotic Nature Warriors." Sunrise:"We know about that story. A group of environmental extremists broke into the EuroCorp compound and caused a big explosion that resulted in many deaths. Our friend Jock here was a survivor of that incident." The official looks surprised at Jock. Official:"You were? How did you get out? The information we have says none escaped from the labs, alive or otherwise." Jock:"Actually I didn't escape immediately. I was moved to South Africa before I managed to get away." Official:"Ah, I see. And that brings up one of the big consequences of the Nature Warriors' folly. After the incident EuroCorp moved almost the entire project away from Brussels to lab complexes in other countries. And we don't know where they are or what they do there." Sunrise:"So the whole project isn't run from Brussels?" Official:"Only the first stages, from what we know. EuroCorp brings in captives, processes and inspect them before deciding what to do with them. Those who are deemed 'fit for use' are sent to the foreign labs after the tests. The rest are usually given to the Mayhem Mercenaries or other willing buyers, often after being chipped." Astin:"Chipped?" Official:"The scientists place a microchip of some kind into necks of the captives, which allows some form of mind control on these poor souls. As a result, many of them before unwilling soldiers and guards for the mercenaries or other groups. A truly ugly business, but only a small hint of what AniCom is about." There are frowns and low growls from the group. Farren:"I want to cause some real hurt to these people for that." Hotrod:"You're gonna have to get in line, Farren." Sunrise:"Who leads this devilish project?" The official turns his desk and pulls open a drawer. He rummages around before taking out a photograph. He gives it to Sunrise. Sunrise takes the photo and looks at it. It shows a number of scientists at what appears to be a convention. A big circle is drawn around one of the scientists. Sunrise:"Who is the one highlighted on the photo? The project leader?" Official:"Oui. That man is Josef Schlechtermann, a German who is a leader in the field of biotechnology." Slingshot:"Hey, I heard that name on the History Channel once. Wasn't someone named Schlechtermann a Nazi scientist?" The official nods his head. Official:"You're right. Albert Schlechtermann was an associate of Doctor Mengele and was responsible for some cruel experiments on concentration camp captives. He was arrested and executed for war crimes after the Allies won." Slingshot:"But didn't Schlechtermann's son do all kinds of philanthropy work to clear the family? Help hunt down Nazi war criminals and the like? Even win a Nobel Peace Prize recently? It would seem weird that he would be heading this project." The official then shakes his head. Official:"No, no. Not that one. Josef Schlechtermann is the grandson." Astin:"Looks like the family is backsliding to its old bad habits again." Official:"It is really unfortunate, but that is the situation here." Sunrise:"So what is the ultimate aim of AniCom? Is it some kind of resurrected attempt to finish what the Nazis started?" The official shakes his head. Official:"I really doubt it. The primary goal of AniCom, as far as we can determine, is profit. Also, despite being 'European', EuroCorp is filled with French nationalists who absolutely hate the Nazis. If there we even hints that Schlechtermann is working with a pro-Nazi agenda in mind they would fire him on the spot." Dylan:"Whatever AniCom's goals may be, we are here to rescue our friends before EuroCorp can harm them." Sunrise:"You're right, Dyl. Do you think you can help us, sir?" Official:"Not myself, but I can direct you to a cell that operates inside EuroCorp." The official takes a piece of paper and a pen. He then writes down the information on it and gives the paper to Sunrise. Official:"Go to that address. The people there can help you onwards." Sunrise takes the paper, looks it over briefly and then tucks it into one of her pockets. Everyone then stands up. Sunrise shakes paws with the official. Sunrise:"Thank you so much for your help, sir. How can we repay you for you aid?" Official:"If you can shut down this AniCom project, then it will be all the repayment I would ever need. Good luck." The Rovers bid their farewell to the official before they are allowed to leave the office. Research Area C Level 3 Underground Laboratories European Corporation Headquarters Brussels 10:21 AM: This is a collection of connected square rooms located underneath the corporation's property. Most of the rooms are dedicated to research and development, containing all kinds of scientific and electronic equipment and supplies. A few of them are more specialized, including one that has been converted into a large makeshift kennel. The kennel is actually an empty, tiled room filled with rows of simple cages. Each cage has an electronic lock. The cages each contain a single blanket and a pair of bowls for food and water. Fluorescent lights in the ceiling provide light to the room. Four doors lead out of the kennel: one to the laboratories, one to the guard room, one to the caretakers' quarters and one is a fire escape. Most of the kennels are currently empty and the occupied ones largely contain abducted pet dogs and strays. Two of the cages contain the new arrivals: Bleki is in one cage and next to her cage is the pregnant Kya. The two of them are waking up and rub- bing their heads. Kya:"Ooooh... my head... so foggy." Bleki:"Mine too... and who is barking like that?" The two females shake their thoughts clear and look around. They both gasp when they see where they are. Kya:"Wha... what is this place?! This isn't the mall!" Bleki:"This isn't good! We're prisoners!" Just then the door to the labs opens and Josef Schlechtermann, escorted by several guards and lab workers, comes in. His group goes to the cages where Kya and Bleki are held. Bleki gasps when she sees the logo on the guards' uniforms. Bleki:"EuroCorp!" Josef:"Ja, Fraulin... Bleki, is it? You are now in the custody of ze Euro- pean Corporation. I bid you welcome." Kya(growling):"Some welcome!" Bleki:"Who are you? And what are we doing here?" Josef:"I am Doctor Josef Schlechtermann, the head of the project you two have been drafted into. As for you two being here, it was more a matter of necessity than desire from what I understand. You see, Fraulin Bleki, the CEO wanted some of their missing goods back and this one..." He indicates towards Kya. Josef:"... was the mate of one of them." Kya:"Jock?" Josef:"Ja. He was one of survivors of the original project specimens. When a mysterious benefactor told Herr Rembrandt about him, we hired mercenaries to hunt him down and bring him back here. Un- fortunately he proved to be more difficult to capture and after several failed attempts in Africa, it was decided to capture you two instead." Bleki:"What a minute. You mean Armand was...?" Josef:"A mercenary, ja. Actually, he was another survivor of the original specimen group. A very guht one, I may add. Anyway, we had you brought here to force the runaway to come us rather than having to chase him all over that dark continent. That, and other reasons too." Bleki:"Other reasons?" Josef nods, then turns to Kya. Josef:"You are well into your pregnancy, Fraulin Kya. And you seem to have a healthy one in there too. Since he or she will be the offspring of the runaway, I will be interested in seeing just what abilities ze had inherited from his or her parents. If any." Kya growls, clutching her swollen belly and stepping away from the cage door. Kya:"You will not have my puppy!" Josef:"Ah, but I will have it. You are close to giving birth, but I do not have ze patience to wait for nature to take its course. So I am here to take you in for a caesarian operation." Kya:"No, you won't!" Bleki:"Don't you dare!" Josef turns to the guards and caretakers. Josef:"Bring her to the labs." The men nod as Josef turns around and heads back to the laboratories. The caretakers begin to unlock Kya's cage while the guards ready what appear to be electrical stun sticks. Kya moves to the back of the cage, still growling fiercely. Once the cage is opened, the guards head in first and make a grab for Kya. Kya responds by biting the arm of one of the guards, making him yell out in pain. Guard:"Aaaargh! My arm!!" The other guards quickly react by hitting Kya with the stun sticks. Each blow sends a jolt of electricity into the wild dog female, forcing her to release the guard's arm and making her yelp in pain. Bleki watches in shock. Bleki:"Stop it! You'll hurt her and the pup!" The guards ignore her, shocking Kya until she is partially subdued but still conscious. The guards then step back to allow the caretakers to drag her out of the cage. The caretakers then carry Kya to the door to the labs, which slides open automatically as they approach. They then head inside with her while Bleki can only watch. One of the caretakers then approaches the cage and looks sympathetically at Bleki. Caretaker:"Are you all right?" Bleki growls at the man. Bleki:"Why should you care?" The caretaker looks around to make sure nobody is paying attention and that he is not in sight of the security camera. He then opens his orange overalls to expose his shirt, revealing a green badge with the image of a pair of spread wings on it. This gets Bleki's attention and she moves closer, examining the badge. Bleki:"What is that?" The caretaker quickly closes up his uniform again. Caretaker:"Something that will get me, and a few others, in trouble if security sees it. I'm a friend." Bleki:"What kind of friend?" Caretaker:"The kind that will try and get you out of this h***hole. I'm part of an organization that is opposed to EuroCorp's cruel experiments." Bleki:"Can you help my friend there?" The caretaker shakes his head. Caretaker:"At the moment, no. But me and my friends will try to keep both her and the pup out of any danger. One of the scientists in there with her is on our team and she will make sure that the others don't take... shortcuts." Bleki shudders, but is comforted slightly by the reassurance. The care- taker then places her a bowl of food into her cage. Caretaker:"Here, eat this. We've added some extra additions to the usual slop they normally serve here. It will give you some strength. Now I must leave before they get suspicious." Bleki(grateful):"Thank you." The caretaker nods, then moves on to other duties. Bleki takes the bowl and begins to eat. Meanwhile, in the adjacent laboratory, Josef and his scientists were preparing to operate on Kya. The laboratory resembles the surgery room of a high-tech hospital, including an operating table, surgeon tools and supplies and a wheeled-in incubator. There are other items here such as monitoring computers and odd-looking electrical equipment. The guards and caretakers place Kya on the table and strap her down. One of the scientist, a woman, looks around to make sure no one is paying attention. She then takes a syringe and begins to make an injection into Kya's arm. Suddenly one of her male colleagues grabs her shoulder, startling her. Scientist:"What are you doing?" F.Scientist:"I... I'm working, can't you see?" Scientist"Oh, I see it all right. You are up to no good, non?" The woman is about to respond when Schlechtermann comes up to the two. Josef:"What's going on?" The two scientists turn to the German. Scientist:"She's making an unauthorized injection into the subject. Look." He points to the half-empty syringe in Kya's arm. Josef looks at the woman. Josef:"What is zat?" F.Scientist:"It's an anesthetic. She needs to be sedated before we can carry out the caesarian." The male scientist snorts derisively. Scientist:"This thing doesn't it. We can easily cut it open without some." F.Scientist:"And what if she feels the pain? She might react in a way which could risk both her survival and that of the pup." The male scientist is about to respond, but Josef intervenes. Josef:"This is a good idea, Doctor Francine. We cannot afford to loose either the subjects." Scientist(shocked):"But..." Schlechtermann frowns at the scientist. Josef:"Herr Johnston told me this one is a priority subject that must be kept alive at all costs. And its offspring are important for my work. If either of them, or both, die then you will have to explain to the CEO why we lost several billion Euros." The scientist gulps and backs away in consternation. Schlechtermann turns to the scientist woman, Dr. Francine. Josef:"Continue with ze injection, Doctor Francine. But inform me of such initiatives of yours in the future, yah?" Francine:"Yes, Doctor Schlechtermann." Schlechtermann nods and turns to other duties, while the male scientists walks off grumbling. Francine turns back to Kya and finishes the injection, then removes the syringe and cleans up the hole. She then joins the others in putting on gloves and masks and preparing the surgical tools for the operation. Office Import/Export Business Industrial Area Brussels 10:58 AM: This is a square shed that overlooks the interior of a large depot in the industrial area. Crates are stacked in neat rows, while several cars and trucks are parked here. Workers are busy loading and unloading goods, driving forklifts and checking the vehicles. The office at the top is a mess of files, cabinets, boxes and other paraphernalia. The Rovers are gathered in the office with a burly man in dirty green overalls and a yellow hardhat. He is busy on a cellphone while the Rovers watch him. He finally lowers the phone and looks at them. Hardhat:"Well, our friend at the airport confirms that he sent you so I suppose I can trust you." Hotrod:"You guys sure are suspicious." Hardhat:"One has to be when you got EuroCorp as your enemy. Past experience has taught us to be on the watch for EuroCorp dirty tricks." The hardhat sits down behind an untidy desk, picks up a mug of coffee and looks at the team. Hardhat:"So let me ask this question: why are you here? I thought you Road Rovers were in southern Africa dealing with that war." Sunrise:"Most of us are, but we are here to rescue some of our friends who were abducted by mercenaries hired by EuroCorp and brought here." Hardhat:"Thought it would be something like that. Were your friends involved with the AniCom project or not?" Sunrise:"Not them, but one of them is a mate to an AniCom escapee." She indicates to Jock. The hardhat looks at the husky. Hardhat:"You were in the project?" Jock:"Yes, and my family too. I managed to escape their clutches." Hardhat:"You are one of the lucky ones. I've read enough reports from our agents inside EuroCorp that the conditions there are not pleasent at all." Jocks growls in agreement. Sunrise turns back to the hardhat. Sunrise:"I'm just curious, sir. How much do you people know about the AniCom project?" The hardhat sips his coffee before speaking. Hardhat:"We don't have enough information about the full extent of the project, but we have gotten enough to put together a picture of what it is about more or less. We even recently found out just how AniCom came to be." Sunrise:"It's origins? Could you perhaps tell us about it?" Hardhat:"All right, though I should warn you that the information we have are not 100% correct. Anyway, the whole idea for AniCom originated long before the creation of the European Corpo- ration. During the mid-1990s, the CEO Jacques Rembrandt was the owner and founder of SKY Consumer Products. It was a very successful business that dealt in consumer goods, naturally. However, there were rumors it also dealt in other kinds of research and development that was more typically found with defense contractors." He takes another sip of coffee before continuing. Hardhat:"Rembrandt was always interested in unusual projects that hold the promise of big profits, and he knew the arms trade was a big money maker. So he was quite interested when he got word of an American who was looking for a buyer of a technology he and his partner were working on. His name was Jeff Otis, or something. I cannot remember the name correctly." The name, however, makes the Rovers sit up with curiosity. Sunrise:"What happened next?" Hardhat:"Mister Otis faxed Rembrandt the blueprints for a device that could transform a canine into a humanoid with super powers. Naturally Rembrandt was very excited by the idea but was still somewhat skeptical about it. Otis then sent more and more information on the progress on the project until they reached the point where they had a working prototype. Otis offered to sell the complete blueprints, since SCP was only given part of it. But Rembrandt was still skeptical, especially about Otis' partner. A professor Shepherd, I think." This really surprises the Rovers, but nobody says anything. Sunrise:"Go on." Hardhat:"Otis assured Rembrandt that his partner wouldn't know about their deal. But then Rembrandt demanded he provide proof the project worked. Otis said he would get it, and that was the last he heard of him. Rembrandt sent some of his executives over to New Mexico to investigate, but when they arrived at Otis and Shepherd's labs, they found only ruin. Apparently it had been attacked by terrorists. Rembrandt lost interest at that point." Sunrise:"And the blueprints?" Hardhat:"They were probably placed in a filing cabinet to turn yellow. And they remained there for years. During that period SCP and a dozen other companies merged to form the European Corporation with Rembrandt as the first CEO." He stops to take another sip of coffee before continuing. Hardhat:"Then you Road Rovers appeared on the scene. At first Rembrandt didn't pay much attention, but as your successes piled up and you guys appeared in the media more often his interest started to pick up. It was at that point more or less that he remembered the blueprints. They were dug out of the old SCP archives and that became the foundation of EuroCorp's attempts to create their own Road Rovers: Project Animal Command or AniCom. Of course, since the blueprints were not complete they had to try many different prototypes before they found a working one. The fatalities, I'm afraid, were numerous." Frowns and growls come from the Rovers. Dylan:"Monsterous." Hardhat:"Indeed it is, and one of the major reasons for our existence. Anyway, the further AniCom progressed the more successful they become and the fewer deaths there were. But then those idiots, the Nature Warriors, stormed the labs once word got out and blew themselves up along with the labs and many of the subjects. And with the GONV invasion of Europe, AniCom was quickly moved to other places around the world where we couldn't keep track of it. When we eventually managed to get our people in, AniCom had become a big EuroCorp success story and money-maker." Sunrise:"How big a success?" Hardhat:"That's where the story ends, I'm afraid. We don't really know the full extent of Project AniCom as of yet." Sunrise:"All right, we can worry about it later. Right now, though, our main concern is rescuing our friends from the labs." The hardhat looks surprised at them. Hardhat:"Are you actually thinking of launching a direct assault on EuroCorp? Look, I know you Road Rovers are good, but the security is just too tight. We had a lot of trouble getting our people in, and that attack by the Nature Warriors made EuroCorp even more serious about protecting itself against intruders." Sunrise:"That's why we came to you. Maybe you could help us get in and out without having to resort to violence." The hardhat takes a sip of coffee as he thinks it over. He finally puts the empty mug down and stands up. Hardhat:"I may have something, but we will need to sit and work it over." Sunrise and the others also stand up. Sunrise:"Good idea." Hardhat:"Follow me. We'll go down to meet some of our contacts within EuroCorp and work out a plan." Sunrise:"Lead the way." The hardhat heads out of the office, but Sunrise stays back a bit with the others. Slingshot:"How much are you guys willing to bet that 'Jeff Otis' was Jeffery Otitus and that the blueprints were stolen from the Master?" Otieno:"I'm not taking that bet." Hotrod:"I can't believe Otitus sold the professor's plans for the trans- dogmafier to EuroCorp and helped them create this AniCom. If I ever see him again I'll do some bad things to his insides." Dylan:"But he's in that sanitarium in Sunnyvale, Hotrod." Hotrod:"So? That won't stop me." Sunrise:"I'd better call the Master and tell him about this, but let's not tell our new allies what we know. The rest of you go with him and work on the rescue plan." Everyone nods. They then file out of the office to join the hardhat in walking down a flight of stairs to the depot floor. Research Area C Level 3 Underground Laboratories European Corporation Headquarters 11:07 AM: Inside the laboratory where Schlechtermann and his team are working on Kya, the caesarian operation has been completed successfully. The young puppy, a male husky with the markings of a wild dog, is being carried to the incubator while the scientists finish up on and clean Kya, who is still in a drugged state. Schlechtermann looks at her as the scientists complete their work. Josef:"Guht. Get her back to her cage." Dr. Francine looks at Schlechtermann as the caretakers approach to take Kya back to the kennels. Francine:"Shouldn't we keep her close to the pup?" Josef:"Nein. We first need to study the puppy. We can give it back to her at a later day." One of her colleagues, who had argued with her earlier, looks smugly at her as he and Schlechtermann go over to the incubator. Dr. Francine sighs as she watches Kya being taken out of the labs by the caretakers. She then joins the other scientists around the incubator. Some of them are busy checking the pup's vital signs while the puppy whines and cries. One of the scientists looks at Schlechtermann. Scientist 2:"The subject appears healthy, fully grown and free of any ailments." Josef:"Get me a blood sample for analysis. Let's make sure that it is an uncontaminated subject." The scientist who had confronted Dr. Francine earlier picks up an empty syringe and goes over to the incubator. He opens it and takes the pup's one arm. He searches for a vein through the fur and finds it. He wipes the spots, then inserts the needle into the vein. The puppy starts to cry and whine from the pain, but the scientist ignores him and draws a good deal of blood. Once done, he pulls out the needle and grins at the puppy. Scientist:"Thank you for your donation." Suddenly the puppy stops crying and looks directly at the scientist. He becomes a little uneasy as he and the pups' eyes lock. Scientist:"What... what are you doing? What are you...?" All of the sudden the scientist screams out in sheer terror, startling his colleagues. He drops the syringe next to the incubator and stumbles backwards, knocking over a cart of medical equipment. Scientist:"NO!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!" The other scientists rush to try and calm him. Schlechtermann looks at the scientist in a mixture of contempt and alarm. Josef:"Ach! What is the matter with you?!" But the scientist keeps screaming and stumbling away from the pup. His colleagues try to calm him, but he struggles fiercely and knocks a few of them away. More equipment is knocked over and a few breakable items shatter on the floor. At this point security guards rush in to try and subdue the scientist. Josef, however, looks at the pup and notices the odd stare he is directing at the terrified scientist. As he grabs a towel, Dr. Francine grabs another, full syringe and rushes to the scientist. The guards and scientists are piled on him but he keeps on struggling violently. Francine suddenly jabs the needle into his neck and makes the injection at the same moment that Josef covers the in- cubator with the towel. The scientist immediately stops struggling, then passes out from the anesthetics that were injected into him. He collapses like a rag doll onto the floor. Scientist 2:"Quick thinking, Doctor Francine." Francine:"Thank you. What happened to him?" Scientist 2:"I don't know. He just went insane, screaming and flailing everywhere." Schlechtermann shakes his head, still looking at the covered-up incubator with the now-quiet puppy inside. Josef:"Nein. He didn't go insane. It was zis puppy. Zis could be a very interest subject to study." He turns back to the scientists and guards. Josef:"Have the subject taken back to the kennels while someone finds some goggles. We cannot continue studies on him until we are protected from his powers. Also, somebody have the blood sample tested. The rest of you, clean up this mess." Guard:"And what about him?" The guard nudges the unconscious scientist with his boot. Josef waves a dismissive hand at him. Josef:"Drag him off to the infirmary until he wakes up. Now get to work." Scientists, Guards:"Yes, Doctor." The guards grab the scientist by the legs and arms and start to carry him out of the room. One scientist picks up the blood syringe and takes it to a machine for analysis while Francine wheels the incubator to the door leading to the kennels. The rest of the science team start cleaning up the mess made while Schlechtermann drinks a cup of water. Import/Export Business Industrial Area 11:19 AM: On the main floor of the depot a large flatbed truck with a tarp over it is being prepared. Workers are busy spray-painting the truck with the colours of the European Corporation and loading large cages onto the back. Nearby the two Rover groups are busy putting new uniforms over their usual clothes: the cano-sapien members are dressing up in orange prison jumpsuits while the human members put on security outfits of the European Corporation. Hotrod looks at the security tag provided to him by one of the workers. Hotrod:"Wow, this looks pretty genuine." The man in the hardhat, who is overseeing the operation, nods his head. Hardhat:"It should be. Our agents use them all the time. EuroCorp has the tags regularly changed, but a few of them destined for the shredder somehow go... astray." Hotrod grins and puts the tag on his chest. Sunrise is buttoning up her jumpsuit while looking at the Hardhat. Sunrise:"Are you sure this is the only way we can get in?" Hardhat:"For a large group such as yours, the answer is yes. Getting humans in there is not too hard, but sapiens are another matter. Since there are regular deliveries of your kind to EuroCorp for AniCom, we can slip you past security by posing you as captives." Farren:"Doesn't EuroCorp have sapiens employed there OTHER than the captives?" The hardhat shakes his head. Hardhat:"Nothing I know. There's talk of a sapien working in the R&D labs, but we don't have any evidence to confirm that." The hardhat looks critically at the group. Hotrod and Otieno (in his human form) now appear like two genuine EuroCorp guards, while the rest of the team have their jumpsuits on. Three other men are dressed in green worker overalls with EuroCorp security tags on them. He then looks at the truck and its cages. He finally nods in satisfaction. Hardhat:"Good. You all should get into the labs now. Climb aboard." The Rovers go to the truck. Hotrod, Otieno and a worker climb into the front cab while the rest climb onto the back. The cano-sapiens get into the cages, which are then locked by the two other workers. The other men around the truck remove all the painting equipment and covering. The hardhat goes to the back and looks inside. Hardhat:"All right in there?" Dylan:"A bit cramped in these cages." Astin:"Yeah. I've seen better cages at Gen-Par." Hardhat:"Apologies about that, but these are the cages EuroCorp uses most the time for transport." Sunrise:"It's all right. Anything we need to know when we get to the compound?" Hardhat:"Just act like normal prisoners and keep quiet. Security will scan you for weapons and the like, but otherwise we don't expect anything out of the ordinary." Sunrise:"What about our weapons?" Hardhat:"We've placed them in a weapons trunk. As long as your human compatriots do not let them out of their sight and present their tags it should be all right." Sunrise:"Thanks." Hardhat:"You're welcome. Let me just talk to your human friends." The man goes to the front of the cab and looks inside. Hardhat:"Everything okay?" Otieno:"We're ready." Hotrod:"Ditto." Hardhat:"Good. Now, let Victor here do all the talking. While EuroCorp does have many nationals working for it, your accents will still draw some attention. So keep the talking to a minimum. And be sure to keep your weapons trunk close, otherwise it might end up in the wrong place." Hotrod:"And in the wrong hands." Hardhat:"Exactly. Also, ALWAYS present your security tags at any checkpoint you encounter." The two humans nod their heads. Otieno:"Anything else?" Hardhat:"I've sent word to our contacts in the labs. They will help you out further once you get there. I think that is all. Good luck there." Hotrod and Otieno give the thumbs-up. The driver, Victor, turns on the engine while other workers open the depot doors. The truck begins to move out of the building and out into courtyard and finally to the gate. It gets onto the road and drives towards central Brussels. Human Resources Department EuroCorp Headquarters At That Moment: The HRD of EuroCorp is a large cluster of offices located in its own wing of the EuroCorp compound. The main lobby entrance for the HDR is a pair of large desks on either side of the corridor leading in. The desks are neat and tidy, with their own computers, phones and fax machines. A pair of security guards stand by the doors leading into HDR while a ceiling camera scans the room. In the corners are a pair of potted plants while large framed posters advertising some of EuroCorp's technologies hang from the walls. Seated at both the desks are two French women dressed in business attire. As they work an obese German man in a red shirt and black pants approaches the one desk. The woman working there looks up and recognizes the person. Woman 1:"Ah, Monsieur Kaufmann. How may I help you?" The man called Kaufmann takes out a folder he had been carrying under his arm and gives it to the woman. Kaufmann:"Herr Schlechtermann vants zis approved very soon. Und don't take so long like last time, yah?" The woman is surprised, but nods and takes the folder. Woman 1:"Of course, Monsieur. We will try and have it done as soon as possible." Kaufmann sniffs in reply, then turns around and walks back the way he came. The woman opens the folder and looks at the papers inside. The woman at the other desk looks over at her. Woman 2:"What did Monsieur Pig want this time?" The first woman shakes her head as she reads the papers before looking up at her colleague. Woman 1:"It's another request to give more Germans clearance to work for Monsieur Schlechtermann." Woman 2:"Again? Mon deu, that must be the third one this month. How many are on the list?" Woman 1:"Close to a hundred. And the form is signed by Monsieur Rembrandt." Woman 2:"A hundred? The Germans are trying to invade us? We have enough of them already." Woman 1:"It's signed by Rembrandt so we will have to do as he says." Woman 2:"Still, a hundred. Mark my words: these Germans are going to be nothing but trouble down the line." Woman 1:"Oui." The first woman files the folder into a marked mailbox, then picks up the phone to call for a pickup. Service Gate European Corporation Headquarters 11:31 AM: This is one of several gates leading into the EuroCorp property, but it is located off the main roads and is used mainly for service vehicles. But security is still as good there as at the other gates. The truck carrying the Rovers approaches the gate. Victor looks at Hotrod and Otieno. Victor:"Let me do the talking. I know how to get by without raising any suspicion." Otieno:"Good idea. You know this better than us." The truck approaches the gate, where a garbage truck was being allowed to leave the compound. As it leaves, the road barrier is lowered and a guard steps into the middle of the road, holding up one hand to signal to the approaching vehicle to stop. Victor brings the truck to a stop. The guard walks over to the driver's side of the window. Guard:"State your business." Victor:"Delivering cargo for the AC." Guard:"AC, you say? You have clearance?" Victor presents a clipboard with a paper on it. The guard takes it and looks it over before handing it back. Guard:"Looks in order. Identification, please." Victor looks at Hotrod and Otieno and nods. They all take their tags and give them to the guard. The man checks each tag seperately, then finally gives them back to their owners. Guard:"All right. All clear, you may proceed." Victor:"Merci." The guard signals his friend in the guard shack, who then raises the road barrier. Victor then drives the truck past the gate and into the compound. This part of EuroCorp is more industrial and less attractive than what the public usually sees. There are warehouses, delivery points, storage units, garbage disposal and other service buildings located in a neat little town. Everywhere there are workers dressed in green or orange overalls doing their work, some operating trucks and forklifts. Hotrod looks around. Hotrod:"Guess we're going in the back way? It looks good so far." Victor:"That is the easy part. The guards at the gate are good, but can be fooled easily if you know what you are doing. But security gets better inside, especially around the R&D laboratories and in particular in the underground ones. That's where many of the top secret projects are." Otieno:"And AniCom is one of them?" Victor:"Yes, so be careful once we get there." The duo nod their heads. Victor guides the truck to one of the buildings marked "Delivery and Shipping" in both English and French. Entering one of the doors reveals a small concrete room with a single window looking into a security room and a large metal plate on the floor. Victor parks the truck on the plate and turns to a two-way speaker on the wall. The guard inside the room address Victor with a microphone in his room. Guard:"State your business." Victor:"Delivery. AC cargo." Guard:"Put your clearance papers and identification in the tray next to you." A collection tray held by a robotic arm appears from the wall and moves in next to the window. Victor places the papers in the tray, then puts his security tag and that of Hotrod and Otieno in it as well. The tray is pulled into the window and to the office on the other side. The guard takes the items and studies them for a few minutes. He makes then makes a phone call while the others watch. Victor:"He's now verifying the documents and tags." Hotrod:"What's going to happen?" Victor:"They will double check with the main security room's databanks. As long as they don't search too deeply, then your identities will appear on their system and you be cleared." Otieno:"And if they do check more thoroughly?" Victor:"Then I hope you and your friends have your last testiments ready." They look at the guard as they wait for a reply. The guard remains on the phone for a few minutes, then finally puts it down. The tray then appears with the papers and tags. The trio let out a sigh of relief as they take their items. Guard:"You're all clear for this sector. I will activate the elevator." Victor:"Merci." The trio breathe a sigh of relief as the guard activates the lift their truck is parked on. The elevator descends down a shaft with the truck. Halfway down, the lift suddenly stops. Hotrod and Otieno look slightly alarmed. Hotrod":Whoa, what's happening?" Victor:"Keep calm. They're scanning us." Jets of steam is suddenly blown into the shaft via air ducts. Seconds later some scanner lasers appear and move up and down the shaft several times. Otieno:"What are they doing?" Victor:"Scanning for any illegal cargo. That's why you couldn't bring any of your weapons with you." Hotrod:"EuroCorp sure is serious about security." Victor:"That they are." It takes a few minutes for the scanning to be complete. Once its over, the lasers are turned off and the remaining steam is vented out. The elevator descends again. After several minutes the lift finally arrives at its destination: a large, concrete room that looks like a parking lot level. Waiting here for them is a worker in a motorized cart. He walks up to the driver's side of the truck. Worker:"You here with the AniCom delivery?" Victor:"Oui." Worker:"Originals or variants?" Victor:"Variants." Worker:"Then follow me. I'll guide you to the correct loading zone." Victor:"Merci." Worker:"By the way, we don't usually bring those deliveries through this lift anymore. Why didn't you use the new external entrance?" Victor is confused, but he quickly tries to hide it. Victor:"I haven't recieved clearance for it yet." Worker:"You haven't? Lousy administration must have screwed up again. You should go to the G1 security office and get yourself cleared as soon as possible." Victor:"I will keep that in mind. Merci." Worker:"No problem." As the worker walks back to his cart, Otieno looks at Victor. Otieno:"What are originals and variants?" Victor:"Originals are normal animals. Variants are those who have al- ready been transformed." Hotrod:"What's this new external entrance he mentioned?" Victor:"I don't know. I guess EuroCorp must have built it recently. I should apply for clearance while I'm here, though. It would be useful in the future." Hotrod simply nods. The worker begins to drive ahead with his cart, and Victor follows him in the truck. They make their way through an under- ground complex of concrete tunnels. Through the walls are windows looking into the various labs around here. Now then there is a specialized spot such as a cafeteria, a workshop or even a petrol station. Scientists and workers walk along the sidewalks, while other carts and the occasional truck pass through here. Hotrod:"Quite a setup they got here. Almost like a city. Are all these labs part of AniCom?" Victor shakes his head. Victor:"Non. AniCom is not the only project here that EuroCorp wants to keep out of sight of curious eyes. Usually it's military in nature, but there are other products too that EuroCorp wants to hide from competitors." Hotrod:"Or the law." Victor:"That too. Ah, here we are." They come to a loading dock where the worker in the cart is directing them. Waiting at the dock is Schlectermann, Dr. Francine and several workers and caretakers. Otieno points to them. Otieno:"Who are those people?" Victor:"The woman is Dr. Francine. She is a top researcher, and also the leader of our group inside EuroCorp. The others I do not know, but that German scientist next to her is the project leader of AniCom, Josef Schlectermann." Hotrod:"So that's Schlectermann, huh? He certainly looks happy to see us." Victor:"Extra test subjects for his project always makes his happy." Hotrod nods with a frown. The truck pulls up to the dock with its rear while the worker in the cart drives away. Once the truck stops, Victor, Hotrod and Otieno climb out of the cab while the back of the truck is opened up. Schlectermann looks into the back of the truck at the cages holding the Rovers. They stare back at him. Josef:"Ach, such wonderful specimens. A most worthy addition to my collection, yah?" The Rovers don't reply, but they give distainful looks at Schlectermann. The German ignores them and turns to Victor. Josef:"Where did you acquire them?" Victor:"I don't know. I'm just paid to deliver them here." Josef:"Ah. Well, no matter. Have them unloaded und taken to ze kennels for examination." The workers nod. A forklift is brought in to help unload the cages. The Rovers just keep still as they are unloaded from the truck. Dr. Francine takes Victor, Hotrod and Otieno off to one side. Francine:"Are they the Road Rovers?" Victor:"Oui, it's them." Otieno:"My name is Otieno, and this Hotrod." Hotrod nods his head. Otieno then gestures to the cage holding Sunrise, who is next to be unloaded. Otieno:"That's Sunrise, our team leader." Francine:"I'm glad you all managed to make it so far. I'm Dr. Francine. I recieved word you were coming. I'll talk with you once you are all in the kennels." Otieno:"How are Kya and Bleki doing?" Francine:"They're fine. Kya has undergone a cesearian, but both she and the puppy are doing well. Now come, before someone gets sus- picious." Victor:"I'll go and get that security clearance for the other entrance so we can leave through that." Victor heads down one of the sidewalks that lead to a set of elevators, while the others follow the cages as they are unloaded and transported to the kennels. Schlectermann himself oversees the unloading for a while, checking on each captive before leaving for other tasks. Kennels Research Area C Level 3 Underground Laboratories 11:58 AM: Bleki is looking at Kya, who is still sleeping in a drug-induced state in the cage next to hers. When she hears a door opening she looks up to see who it is. Her eyes widen when she sees Sunrise being brought into the kennels by forklift. Bleki stands up and watches as the cage is brought to the cage next to hers. The caretakers open the doors between the cages. Caretaker:"In you go." Sunrise gets up and moves into the cage next to Bleki, who is looking both happy and shocked at seeing Sunrise. Bleki:"Sunrise!" Sunrise:"Bleki, are you okay?" Bleki:"I'm fine, but what are you doing here? Did you get captured too?" Sunrise:"No, we smuggled ourselves in. I'll explain it in a moment, but let's wait until things calm down here." Bleki nods her head. The others are brought in and loaded into their own cages in the kennel. Jock is placed in a cage not far from where the unconscious Kya is. He looks concerned at her. One the cages are in, most of the caretakers leave, but two of them remain with Dr. Francine. Jock calls to Kya. Jock:"Kya! Kya, you all right?" Francine:"She's all right. Are you her mate?" Jock:"Yes, I am. Did you treat her?" Francine:"As best as I could. The other scientists were not that caring of her... or the pup." Jock's ears perk up. Jock:"The puppy? You mean...?" Francine:"She was made to give birth, but don't worry. The puppy is fine and he also gave one of my more obnoxious colleagues a good punishment with his powers." Jock becomes both releaved and proud at the same time. Farren looks at the two caretakers. Farren:"Is it okay to talk around these two?" Francine nods while the caretakers reveal the badges under their uniforms for a brief moment. Francine:"They are on our side." Sunrise:"All right. So we have Kya and Bleki here, but where is the puppy?" Francine:"In the laboratory adjacent to this kennel. He's currently in an incubator." Slingshot:"So we're all here. We can grab Jock's pup, bust ourselves out and then leave." Dylan:"Fight our way out? Slingshot, I saw the security around here. This place is like a fortress. We fight and we will be buried by Euro- Corp security." Slingshot:"But what are we going to do?" Sunrise:"We first need to assess the situation and then sit and work out a plan of action." Sunrise looks at Dr. Francine. Sunrise:"Is there a way for us all to get out? Your friends outside said that you sometimes smuggle sapiens out of the labs." Francine:"One at a time, or three at most. Never a large group like yours. That would be very hard to justify." Sunrise:"How do you usually manage to smuggle the others out?" Francine:"We arrange to have them taken out due to health reasons. Saying they have a disease or are too sick to survive. Such sapiens are then taken to the surface to be taken to an incinerator." Several of the Rovers shudder at the thought. Francine:"But we then transfer the sapiens to one of our teams. Almost none of the poor creatures ends up in that incinerator." Astin:"So that means all we got to do is pretend we're all sick and we are out of here." Kallima:"All of us? That would look very suspicious, Astin. And even if it isn't viewed as such, such a large number of ill patients at the same time could make our captors think a plague is on the loose and quarantine the kennels, basically trapping us." Astin sighs. Astin:"Aww, that sucks. So what can we do?" Sunrise:"Calm down, Astin. We just need to go over all possibilities and work things out slowly..." Suddenly one of the caretakers sees someone opening the door between the kennels and the labs. He quickly alerts the others. Caretaker:"Watch out, someone's coming." Everyone quickly pipes down. Coming into the kennels is Schlectermann, Kaufmann (who is eating a bag of chips), a scientist holding a clipboard and two German security guards. The group approaches them, with Schlecter- mann rubbing his hands together. Josef:"Ah, Herr Francine. I see you have already begun examining our new arrivals, yah?" Francine:"Um... yes, yes I have, Dr. Schlectermann." Josef:"Guht! How do they look to you?" Francine:"They're all in good health, Doctor." Schlectermann:"Guht! Let's take a closer look at them, yah?" Schlectermann approaches Jock's cage and looks at the husky. Jock just looks back at him with a frown. The German looks him over. Schlectermann:"A fine specimen, this one. Nice and strong." Kaufmann is looking critically at Jock's clothes. Kaufmann:"He iz not wearing ze prison suits." Caretaker:"They had just arrived, and we are still waiting for their prison uniforms to arrive." The fat German grunts and takes another handful of chips. Schlectermann then moves to Sunrise's cage and looks her over. Schlectermann:"Ah, zis is one looks fertile. She would be a good can- didate for the breeding program." Sunrise growls at Schlectermann over his comment, but he ignores her growling. Kaufmann looks critically at Dylan, who is in the cage next to Sunrise's. Kaufmann:"Zis one is really skinny. Look, it hasn't got proper muscles." Dylan growls at Kaufmann. Dylan:"At least I am not a lard bucket like you." Kaufmann is so shocked that he begins to splutter angrily, sending pieces of chewed chips flying from his mouth. Dylan recoils in disgust. Dylan:"Gross." Kaufmann:"How dare you speak to me like zat! I vill have your skin!" Dr. Francine and Schlectermann both turn to the spluttering fat man. Francine:"Mister Kaufmann, please calm down." Josef:"Yah, stop that. The subject is just trying to intimidate you." Schlectermann then goes and grabs the bag of chips out of Kaufmann's and tosses it to a caretaker. Josef:"Und will you stop eating these d*** chips! Your bags are always littered everywhere!" Kaufmann:"Yah yah. My apologies, Herr Schlectermann." Schlectermann shakes his head as he approaches Dylan's cage. Kaufmann backs off as the scientist examines Dylan more closely. Josef:"Hmm... interesting. I think we should take this one into the labs right now." There is minor alarm amongst the group, but only Dr. Francine is able to speak up. Francine:"Why this one is?" Kaufmann:"Yah, why zat mongrel?" Josef:"His body provides a good opportunity to test that muscle growth serum." Kaufmann steps closer, gesturing to Dylan as he speaks to Schlectermann. Kaufmann:"But Herr Doctor! Zis fleabag is not worth ze testing!" Disdainfully, Schlectermann stares at Kaufmann and then turns to Hotrod and Otieno. Josef:"You two! Do you have anything to do right now?" The two humans look at each other in alarm, then Otieno decides to try something. Otieno:"Well, we need to have our security clearance updated to use the new entrance to complex." Josef:"Guht! You two can then go and take Herr Kaufmann with you. He will show the way." Hotrod, Otieno and Kaufmann are very surprised. Kaufmann:"But..." Schlectermann turns to Kaufmann with an annoyed look. Josef:"You will do as I ask, Herr Kaufmann. Take these gentlemen up to the second floor security room, yah?" Kaufmann sighs and nods. Kaufmann:"Yah, Herr Doctor." While they talk, Otieno mouthes to Sunrise that he and Hotrod will try and get into EuroCorp's servers. She nods her head in reply. Kaufmann then goes up to Hotrod and Otieno. Kaufmann:"Follow me, and don't vall behind." Hotrod, Otieno:"Yes, sir." The three of them leave the kennels. Schlectermann then directs the two caretakers and the guards to fetch Dylan from his cage. He turns to the scientist with the clipboard. Josef:"Register the rest of them and be sure to have them fitted with the tracking tags." Scientist:"Yah, Herr Doctor." While the caretakers open Dylan's cage and the guards remove him, the scientist goes up to Farren's cage and looks at the Wild Dog. Scientist:"Name?" Farren(growling):"What's it worth to you?" The scientist turns to his clipboard and writes. Scientist:"Subject name, TA-01." Farren glares at the scientist as he moves to Jock's cage. Jock is still staring at Kya in the cage across from his. He barely notices the scientst coming up to him. Scientist:"Name?" Jock is a bit startled, but he settles down quickly and answers before looking back at Kya. Jock:"Oh! Er, Jock." Scientist(writing):"Jock. Thank you, next cage." Farren is surprised, then calls to the scientist. Farren:"Hey, you! Wait!" The scientist looks up at Farren. Scientist:"Yah?" Farren:"I changed my mind about my name. It's Farren." Scientist:"Sorry, but you're too late, TA-01. Next cage." Farren is about to growl even more fiercely, but Sunrise shakes her head at him. He decides discretion is better, though he still gives the man a cold stare. The scientist goes through the process of registering all the new arrivals' names as Dylan is taken from the kennels, followed by Schlectermann and Dr. Francine. Security Department Second Floor EuroCorp Main Offices 12:21 PM: The entire second floor of the office building has been given over to the security forces of EuroCorp. It has been converted in a large command centre, divided into compartments seperated by either glass walls or walls made out of soundproof materials for more sensitve security rooms. Everywhere security guards are working on computer terminals, monitoring security cameras, relaying orders to the various units or filing papers. In the centre of the floor are the elevators. One of the doors opens. Hotrod, Otieno, Victor and Kaufmann are standing in the lift along with a few other guards. Kaufmann is eating from a fresh bag of chips. He points out the lift. Kaufmann:"Go ahead past two corridor, zen turn right. Ze security registry office iz ze second door on ze left. Follow ze signs or ask someone if you get lost, yah?" Victor:"Merci, Herr Kaufmann." Otieno:"Coming with us, Herr Kaufmann?" Kaufmann snorts as he stuffs another handful of chips into his mouth. Kaufmann:"I got ze work to do, yah? Run along." The trio step out of the elevator with the security guards while Kaufmann. They watch as the doors close and the elevator goes back down. Hotrod:"I'll bet that work involves emptying every vending machine in EuroCorp of its chips. That guy's a real slob." Otieno:"At least we won't have him on our backs. Let's see if we can find the server hub." Victor examines the signs hanging from the ceiling, which are written in French. Victor:"I think I can find it for you. Follow me." The trio, led by Victor, head into the maze of corridors. They pass many security guards, but they do pass a second glance at them. After a few twists and turns, they come to a corridor where the one side's walls are thick and made from durable materials. A number of pipes run from the room into the building itself. Victor looks at the sign above. Victor:"This is the server room." Otieno:"Let's see how many guards we might have to deal with." They walk on until the pass by a window showing a small security room with two guards. Next is the single door leading into the server room. Victor turns to Hotrod and Otieno. Victor:"Let me do the talking." Hotrod:"No problem. We'll do the punching." The three of them open the door and head inside the security room. The two guards look up from their work at the trio. Guard(French):"What are you doing here?" Victor approaches their desk, flanked on either side by Otieno and Hotrod. Victor(French):"We're here to get security clearances for the subterrain laboratories." Guard(French):"You've come to the wrong place. This is the server room. Can't you read?" Victor(French):"Oui." Suddenly Otieno and Hotrod lunge forward and land hard punches on the guards. One guard is knocked out cold, but one guard manages to stagger to his feet, reaching for the alarm. Hotrod quickly jumps over and gives him a second punch to the face. The man collapses without hitting the alarm. Otieno:"Nice work." Hotrod:"Thanks. Let's hide these two." Victor:"I'll go and get my clearance, so you'll be on your own. Do hurry. I don't think these two's abscence will go unnoticed for long." Otieno:"I can help extend that time." Otieno then changes shape until his human features match that of one of the unconscious guards. As Victor heads the door, Otieno and Hotrod drag the two guards out of sight. Otieno then sits down by the desk while Hotrod goes to the door leading into the server room. Hotrod:"I'll go and hack into their system and see if I can make it easier for us to get out. Plus, I'll try and see if I can get some files on AniCom." Otieno:"Good luck, and be careful." Hotrod:"Hey you too, bud." Hotrod opens the door and heads into the server room while Otieno acts as a busy security guard. The server room is filled with rows and rows of computer servers. Large air conditioning fans keep the room cool while the room itself is lit by blue lights. Hotrod:"Impressive stuff. But none of them will stand up to Criminal." Hotrod walks around until he finds an isolated spot to do his work. He sits down and pulls out Criminal. He opens the laptop and turns it on. Hotrod:"Hey, buddy. Up for some work?" Criminal:"Fully prepared and ready. What must I do?" Hotrod:"We're inside EuroCorp's main server room. I want you to break into their security system and see if you can disable the under- ground labs' security. After that, see if you can locate and download files on something called Project AniCom." Crminal:"Plug me in and I will carry out the operation." Hotrod nods and gets to work. He takes out a cable and uses it to connect the laptop with the server computer in front of him. Once the connection is made, Criminal starts to hack into EuroCorp's systems while Hotrod monitors its activities on the screen. Research Area A Level 3 Underground Laboratories 12:29 PM: This another laboratory on level 3, though the equipment and experiments being conducted here are more biological nature. Along with the usual science equipment there are dozens of vials and jars containing liquids as well as small greenhouses with various potted plants in them. A few cages are here too, holding some rats for experimentation. An adjacent room is a clean room with a biohazard symbol on the glass seperating it and the lab. Several scientists in labcoats and wearing gloves are at work here, while a few more in hazmat suits are working in the biohazard room. Dr. Schlectermann and Dr. Francine enter the room, followed by the two guards escorting Dylan. Schlectermann turns to Francine while pointing at Dylan. Schlectermann:"Get him ready while I go get the serum, Doctor." Francine:"Yes, Dr. Schlectermann." Schlectermann heads for the airlock door. Francine turns to Dylan, indi- cating towards an empty table. Francine:"Take off your shirt and please sit down." Dylan:"Okay." While the guards keep watch, Dylan removes his t-shirt and goes to sit on the table. Francine puts on some gloves and gets some syringes and tubes together. While she does this Dylan looks around at all the work going on. Dylan:"What do you scientist do here?" Francine:"All kinds of biological research. We work on everything, from cures for various cancers to the next generation of biological weapon." Dylan:"Is that even legitamite research?" Francine:"You'd be surprised how little EuroCorp has to spend in order to make the Geneva Convention enforcers look the other way. Hold your arm out, please." Dylan does as asked. He holds up his arm for Francine, who begins to search his arm for a vein. The canine then notices something covered up with a blanket. Dylan:"What's under the towel?" Francine:"That is Kya and Jock's pup under that blanket. We put it over the incubator to keep him from messing around with the staff." Dylan:"Messing around?" Francine:"Seems he causes people to hallucinate their worst fears. One of my more obnoxious colleagues got a closer experience of that power. Probably did him wonders, but we keep the blanket over the pup to keep him from making eye contact with anyone else and causing another panic attack." Dylan:"Was it that bad?" Francine:"You should have seen it. This may sting a little." Dylan winches as Francine jabs a needle into his vein, then attaches a tube to it. She takes a syringe with a clear liquid inside and puts it onto the tube. Dylan:"What's that stuff?" Francine looks around, then leans closer while speaking softly. Francine:"A little something to neutralize the steroid injections the doctor will gvie you." Dylan:"Won't he notice it isn't working?" Francine:"Not for a day or two. By then you and your friends should be long gone from here. Besides, you don't want to end up as some the first test subjects. I don't want to go into details, but I will say the experiments ended with a lot of screaming." Dylan shudders. Schlechtermann emerges from the air lock, carrying a few syringes in a glass box. They have a greenish/blue color liquid inside them. He looks at Francine as he comes up to the table. Josef:"Is ze subject prepared?" Francine:"Yes, Doctor. He's ready." Josef:"Guht, guht. Let's begin." Schlechtermann puts the box on the table and opens it up. He takes out a syringe and checks the contents. He then goes to Dylan and prepares to make the insertion. Dylan and Francine watch tensely as Schlechtermann makes the injection. He empties the syringe before pulling it out. Josef:"There. Now ve just wait for it to work, yah?" Francine doesn't respond and instead is watching Dylan. Moments later Dylan gasps as he feels something over his body. He groans in pain and doubles over. Dylan:"Oooooh.... what... what is happening..." He falls off the table, now shuddering and moving in spasms. Francine quickly kneels and tries to check the struggling cano-sapien. Schlechter- mann and the other scientists just stand back and observe. After a few tense minutes Dylan stops moving, gasping for air and whimpering. Josef:"Help him to his feet." Francine takes Dylan's arm and helps him to his feet. Everyone can now see that Dylan is now slightly more muscular than he was before the injection. Francine looks at him. Francine:"How do you feel?" Dylan:"I... I feel as if I was a piece of dough being kneaded... oh man..." Schlechtermann, however, does not like what he sees. He goes up to Dylan and grabs one arm. He studies it, feeling the muscles. Josef:"Ach, this is a poor result. His muscles have not developed as ve had calculated." Francine:"Maybe the serum wasn't strong enough?" Josef:"Zis is the strongest batch yet, Doctor. Francine." Francine:"Then perhaps his immune system is stronger than usual?" Schlechtermann rubs his chin, thinking while looking between Dylan and the box containing the other syringes. Josef:"You may be right, Doctor. Perhaps ve should draw blood samples and have them examined closer, yah?" Schlechtermann goes to get a new syringe while Francine helps Dylan back onto the table. He leans closer to hear to speak. Dylan:"Won't they discover your trick?" Francine:"No, but they will discover discrepancies in your samples. That might make them increase the dosage. And that could end up being lethal." Dylan's eyes widen in horror, but Francine reassures him. Francine:"Don't worry. I will try and get you out of here." Dylan nods, but he still has a concerned look in his eyes. Schlechtermann comes back with a clean and empty syringe. He inserts it into Dylan's arm, making him wince a little. Schlechtermann draws blood until the syringe is full. He then removes the syringe, allowing Francine to come up and begin to clean the wound. Schlechtermann goes to another table and transfers the blood to a tube. He also puts a few drops of blood on small glass plates for use under microscopes. Just then the pup in the covered incu- bator starts to cry. Schlechtermann at first tries to ignore it, but as the pup's cries continue non-stop he becomes more and more irritated. Finally he can't stand it and looks at every in the room. Josef:"Ach! Can't any of you make zat mongrel stop crying?" Francine thinks quickly and steps forward. Francine:"The puppy wants to be back with its mother. It's the only way it will calm down." Schlechtermann turns to her, jabbing a finger at the incubator. Josef:"Zen vat are you doing standing vere? Get zat screaming terror back to ze kennels!" Francine:"Yes, Doctor." Francine goes over the incubator, unhinges the brakes on the wheels and pushes it to the door. She then goes to Dylan and takes his arm while looking at Schlechtermann, who has turned back to his micro- scope. Francine:"I'm taking the test subject to the kennels as well." Schlechtermann waves a dismissive hand, not looking up from his work but with irritation in his voice. Josef:"Yah yah, just get zat noise away from me." Francine nods and takes Dylan off the table. Dylan grabs his clothes and follows Francine as she wheels the incubator out of the lab. The two guards who brought Dylan each take hold of arm to escort him after Francine. Schlechtermann looks through the microscope at Dylan's blood sample, adjusting the scope's focus and zoom. Security Department Second Floor At That Moment: In the security entrance of the server room, Otieno is sitting at the desk monitoring Hotrod on the security cameras while keeping an eye out for trouble. Beneath the desk and out of sight are the two unconscious security guards. Suddenly the door opens, making Otieno look up with a minor start. A security guard carrying a folder comes in, taking out a paper. Guard(in French):"Here is the latest duty roster for the server room as you requested. Could you sign for it?" Otieno(in French):"Uh, yes. Of course." Otieno looks for a pen and finds one. He uncaps it and begins to sign the paper. Suddenly he notices one of the unconscious guards was stir- ring. Otieno quickly stomps him in the face, knocking him out again. This does not go unnoticed by the guard. Guard(in French):"Something wrong, Jean?" Otieno looks back up at the guard. Otieno(in French):"Cockroach." Guard(in French):"Already? But pest control was here just last week." Otieno(in French):"Yes, but... you know how quickly roaches can breed." Guard(in French):"You'd better keep an eye out for more, Jean. If you see more of them, report it right away. Remember what last time? We nearly lost the whole floor in that fire." Otieno(in French):"Oui. I will watch for them." Otieno signs the paper and gives it to the guard, who just gives the form a casual glance before putting it into the folder. He then waves and leaves the room. Once he is out sight, Otieno breathes out a big sigh of relief. Otieno:"That was close." He resumes keeping watch while Hotrod continues his work in the server room. Kennels Research Area C 12:46 PM: The rest of the team are still inside their cages, but now they all have plastic tags around their wrists containing their names, ID numbers and other information. Astin tugs at his tag. Astin:"These things are making me itch." Farren:"Same here. I really want to rip this darn piece of plastic off of my wrist." Sunrise:"Leave the tags alone. I know you don't like them, but let's not attract more attention than is necessary." Both Astin and Farren agree, albeit reluctantly. A pair of caretakers, followed by a guard, come into the kennels and come up to Sunrise's cage. She looks up at them. Caretaker:"You're the leader of this Road Rover unit, right?" Sunrise(nodding):"Yes. Why?" Caretaker:"Madame Francine wants you to hear the plan we have to get you all out of here." Sunrise glances at the guard, pointing at him. Sunrise:"And him?" Caretaker:"He's one of us. Don't worry, he's just here to fool EuroCorp's security." Sunrise:"Okay. I'll come with you." The caretaker begins to unlock the cage as Sunrise stands open. When the cage opens, the guard takes Sunrise's arm and pulls her out. The four of them then leave the kennels while the others watch them go. As they leave, another caretaker comes in, pushing the incubator. He takes it up to the cage where Kya is. Caretaker:"I've brought your pup." Kya immediately sits up with ears perked. Jock also sits up eagerly. Kya:"How is he?" Caretaker:"See for yourself." The caretaker removes the towel that covered the incubator. Inside is Kya and Jock's pup, Jya. Kya whimpers and comes up to the bars, her arms reaching out for her pup. Jya sees his mother and begins to whine. Caretaker:"Let me get him out for you." He opens the incubator and reaches in to pick up Jya, but he keeps his eyes averted or closed. This does not go unnoticed by the others. Slingshot:"Hey, why are you looking away like that?" The caretaker looks at Slingshot while holding Jya with both hands. Caretaker:"It's the puppy. He's got some kind of power that he uses on people he locks eyes with. We don't know how it works, but it seems to make people go mad. That's why the towel was over him. And I'm looking away because I don't want him to do the same thing to me that he did to a scientist." The caretaker moves to Kya's cage and gives her Jya. She grasps the whining puppy and takes him into the cage with. The wild dog female hugs her son, who murrs happily. Jock watches the reunion with tears in his eyes and a big smile on his face. Laboratory Adjacent to Kennels 12:49 PM: This laboratory is similar to the others in basic design, but its contents are different. Six patient tables are set here, while two opposing walls are given over to cages. Most of the equipment here are medical and examination systems, with their tools hanging from the walls and bottles and boxes of medicine and other items in overhead cabinets. In two of the cages are a lioness and a snow leopard, both of them dressed in orange jumpsuits and with tags around their wrists. They watch as Sunrise is brought into the lab by the guard and caretakers. The guard motions Sunrise to a table. Guard:"Please lie down." Sunrise:"Okay." Sunrise climbs onto a table and lies down. The guard and the caretakers then begin to strap her down, to her surprise. Sunrise:"Hey, what's going on?" Caretaker:"Calm down. We're strapping you down because we don't want to answer any uncomfortable questions if someone walks in here and sees you're free." Sunrise:"Oh, I see. You must be very careful about not getting caught." Caretaker:"When you're dealing with EuroCorp, it helps to be paranoid." Sunrise nods as they continue strapping her down. She looks over to the cages and notices the two female cats. She indicates to them with her head. Sunrise:"Who is that?" Caretaker:"That's Xue-Fang and Razor. They're going to be smuggled out with your team." Sunrise:"Do you know how?" Caretaker:"I think so. Doctor Francine will explain it better." They finish strapping down Sunrise, then loiter around waiting. After a few minutes Dr. Francine comes in carrying a young lion cub in her arms. She goes up to Razor's cage. Francine:"Excuse me, Razor. I got someone with me. It's Tojo." The lioness immediately perks up and looks at Francine, who is cradling the mewling male cub. She moves to the edge of the cage. Razor:"Is he all right?" Francine:"I checked him and he's fine. You should take him, since I think he'd be better off with his aunt." Razor reaches out and Francine takes Tojo and puts him in her paws. The lioness pulls Tojo in, who is happy to be with his aunt. Razor smiles and she hugs Tojo. Razor:"Thank you so much, Doctor Francine." Francine:"A pleasure to help." Dr. Francine then goes over to Sunrise, who looks at her. Francine:"You all right on the table?" Sunrise:"It's a bit uncomfortable, but I can understand why you all took such a measure. So what is this plan that you've been hinting on?" Francine:"We are going to smuggle you all out in a corpse truck." Sunrise looks surprised and somewhat alarmed as well. Sunrise:"Corpse truck?" Francine:"Actually, it's just a nickname given to the trucks that carry off all those unfortunate test subjects who... didn't survive." Sunrise, as well as Razor and Xue-Fang, shudder. Francine:"This time, however, the truck will not be carrying the dead. It will carry you. Here's how it works: I have you all registered as 'terminal' on the databank. You will then be loaded onto the truck with the tags that indicate you are dead. For this to work, you will all have to play dead until we get you into the truck. Once done, Victor will then drive you out. Hopefully we can do this before someone notices the deception." Sunrise:"That's very risky." Francine:"I know, but to let you stay here longer will only increase the danger of you being caught out. You Road Rovers are well known and someone might just recognize your faces from the media. If not, there is the dangers that could come from Schlechtermann’s experiments." Sunrise:"That makes sense. What are the details of this plan?" Francine begins to explain the details while everyone else in the room listens to her. Security Department Second Floor 13:00 PM: Otieno is still seated at the security desk, watching as people walk to and fro along the corridor outside without a glance at him. Inside the server room Hotrod is still monitoring Criminal's progress. The laptop's screen displays a message. Criminal:"Downloading complete." Hotrod:"Did you get enough data?" Criminal:"As much as I could. However, most of the files related to the AniCom project are too secured to download without triggering alerts." Hotrod:"That's okay. Better safe than sorry, considering where we are. Good job, bubby." Criminal:"Of course." Hotrod moves to unplug and deactivate Criminal, then works to cover up any signs he was here. He puts the laptop away, stands up and walks out of the server room. Otieno turns to look at Hotrod. Otieno:"Any luck?" Hotrod:"Criminal seems to have gotten a good number of files, though there was stuff he couldn't get without raising the alarm." Otieno:"I think we can live with that. I'm starting to get nervous." Hotrod:"Ditto. Let's bug out of here before someone comes in." Otieno:"Good idea." Otieno gets up, changes back to his previous human form and joins Hotrod. They walk out the door of the server room and begin making their way back to the elevators. No one pays them any attention. Loading Dock Level 3 Underground Laboratories 13:14 PM: Victor's truck is now parked at the loading dock again. Victor is waiting by the cab as he watches the caretakers load the Rovers and their charges into the trucks. The Rovers are all lying on the floor and are limp as they are loaded in, looking either asleep or dead. Hotrod and Otieno come walking up and they see what is going on. They approach Victor, who turns to them. Victor:"Welcome back, friends. Glad to see security hasn't caught you." Hotrod:"Nope, but they might soon catch on. What's up here?" Victor:"Your friends died and we're hauling them away." Both Hotrod and Otieno gasp, but Victor quickly raises a hand while supressing a laugh. Victor:"Just kidding, just kidding. Your friends are pretending to be dead, but they're very much alive." The two of them breathe a sigh of relief. Hotrod:"D***, don't do that again. You made my heart jump." Victor:"Forgive me, I'm just a little nervous and I need to ease up." Otieno:"But why the charade?" Victor:"They came up with a plan to get you and your friends out. By having them registered as dead test subjects I can transport them out of here." Otieno:"Will it work?" Victor:"It should. Trucks carrying dead bodies out of the facility are a common sight here, though not as common as in the past and that is why I'm a little nervous." Hotrod:"You thinking some guard might check the cargo?" Victor:"Yes, but we're betting on the guards not being eager about it. Who would want to check corpses to see if they are dead? The guards have had their fill with previous loads. Still, all it would take is one over-eager guard to expose our ruse." Otieno:"Then we need to move quickly. Did you get that security clearance you've been asked to get?" Victor nods and holds up a security tag pinned to his shirt front. Victor:"I got it without trouble. And here is the good news: there are two checkpoints in this exit tunnel. One is right under the EuroCorp compound and is very good security. But after that the tunnel is all clear. The second checkpoint is only a gate and a pair of plainclothes guards on the outskirts of the city. The security is not as good because they don't want to draw attention to the exit." Hotrod:"So if we get past the first checkpoint we're in the clear even if they raise the alarm." Victor:"Oui. And how did you manage?" Otieno:"We got the information from their servers, but it won't be long before they find the guards." Victor(confused):"What do you mean?" Hotrod:"We kind of punched out the guards in the server room. Don't worry, we made sure they won't be find so easily." Victor, however, is shocked at Hotrod's answer. Victor:"Sacre bleu! If security finds that out the whole place will go mad. They will lock down the entire compound!" Hotrod:"Calm down, man. Surely EuroCorp won't find out what happened until we're out of here." Victor:"You don't understand! EuroCorp will have every exit locked down and everyone quarantined until they find the culprits. And they will have seen you two on the cameras!" Otieno looks at Hotrod. Otieno:"He's right, you know. I can still shape shift and avoid being caught by the guards, but you will be more easily caught. Especially since there probably are not many security guards here with American accents." Victor:"Non, that is why it is called the European Corporation." Hotrod scratches his head. Hotrod:"In retrospect, knocking out those guards and not hiding them better might have been a bad idea." Otieno:"Then we had better get moving." Victor:"I agree. If they lock down before we leave, we are dead." Otieno and Hotrod climb into the truck cabin while Victor goes to the workers and urges them to work faster with the loading. One of them sneaks the young sapiens onto the truck while the guards are distracted and the security cameras are turned another way. After a few minutes, everyone is loaded into the truck. The tarp is closed and the ram lifted up and shut. Victor gets in behind the wheel, starts the engine and then drives away from the loading dock. Kennels Research Area C 13:22 PM: The cages that held the Rovers are now all empty. The caretakers are busy cleaning them out. Schlechtermann then enters the kennels and goes to the cages. He is surprised to see they are empty, while the caretakers are surprised to see Schlechtermann. He looks at them. Josef:"Where are ze test subjects?" The caretakers look at each other, not sure what to say. Dr. Francine then enters the kennels. She stops in surprise when she sees Schlechtermann. Francine:"Oh! Doctor Schlechtermann." Josef walks quickly past the caretakers and towards Francine. Josef:"Doctor Francine, vat happened to the subjects zat were here?" Francine casts a glance at the caretakers, then back at Schlechtermann. Francine:"They... are being moved out." Josef:"Moved out? What do you mean? Moved to where?" There is a brief pause. Francine:"To disposal, Doctor." Schlechtermann’s eyes go wide. He grabs Francine by the front of her lab coat, his face turning red. Josef:"Vat! Zey were perfectly fine! Vy did you send zem out for disposal?!" Francine:"I had orders from the top!" Josef:"From ze top?" Francine:"Yes..." Josef:"Ven did the truck leave?" Francine:"A few minutes ago, Doctor." Schlechtermann releases Francine and runs for the door to the loading dock, shouting curses in German. Francine and the caretakers watch him run off. Caretaker:"Now what?" Francine:"We pray that our friends get past the first checkpoint before Schlechtermann raises the alarm. Meanwhile, we all play dumb and say the higher ups gave the order, understood?" The caretakers nod their heads, a bit uncertain. Security Department Second Floor At That Moment: The entrance to the server is still as Otieno and Hotrod had left it. A large, burley French security chief walks past the room along with two senior officers. He stops when he notices no one at the security desk. He taps on the glass window, but there is no answer. Frowning, he goes and opens the door to poke his head inside. Chief(in French):"Guichy? Morin?" There is no reply. The chief becomes angry and marches inside. Chief(in French):"You two better not be smoking in the server room again or I swear to..." The chief suddenly trips on something and falls hard to the floor. As he gets up, the officers notices what he tripped on. Officer(in French):"Chief! Look!" The chief groans and gets onto his feet, then sees what the officer is pointing at: a foot sticking out from behind the desk. Chief(in French):"Pull that out!" The officers quickly grab the foot and pull, bringing one of the knocked- out guards out from behind the desk. They all stare wide-eyed at the guard. The chief quickly moves up to him. Chief(in French):"Guichy? Guichy?" He then looks behind the desk and sees the other guard. He then sees the marks where Hotrod had punched the first guard. His face goes from anger to shock. Chief(in French):"Sacre bleu! This is a breach! Raise the alarm!" The officers quickly jump into action. One runs out the security room while the other reaches behind the desk to hit the alarm. Primary Underground Exit C Underground Laboratories 13:26 PM: This is a well-lit concrete tunnel with a dual-lane road and sidewalks on either side. At one end is a turn that leads back at the labs while the other end ends in a pair of large steel doors. Next to it is a security station in the wall. A flight of emergency stairs is next to it. Several security guards are on duty. One of them stands in the middle of the road and signals to the truck the Rovers are in to stop at a designated marker. Victor brings the truck to a stop while the guard goes up to the side cab. Guard:"State your reason for departure." Victor:"Transporting rejected subjects for disposal." Guard:"ID, please?" Victor hands him his security tag. The guard looks the card over for a few minutes while Victor, Hotrod and Otieno watch tensely. Finally the guard hands the tag back. Guard:"Everything is in order. You may proceed as soon as the doors are opened." Victor:"Merci." One young guard steps up to the older one. Young Guard:"I thought we are supposed to search the truck's contents." Guard:"Oui, but not this one." Young Guard:"But isn't that against regulation, sir?" Guard:"Non, and if you want to look through some dead, smelly and decaying corpses then be guest." The young guard's enthusiasm vanishes at that point, realizing what the search will encompass. He steps back while the older guard looks at the trio in the truck. Guard:"New one here. Still needs to learn the ropes." Victor:"I understand. May we leave?" Guard:"Oui, pardon the delay." He walks past the truck so he can see the security post. He signals to the guard behind the gate controls to open the doors. The guard, who is on a phone, nods and pushes a button. Several loud clicks are heard, then doors behind to slide open. Suddenly the doors stop moving, then begin to close, much to the trio's consternation. Otieno:"Hey! They're closing the doors again!" Hotrod:"Yeah, what's the deal?" Victor quickly looks at the guard. Victor:"Why are they closing again?" Guard:"I don't know. I'll go ask." The guard marches up to the window separating the guard from the one inside the security office. Guard(in French):"Hey! What are you doing? Why are you closing the doors?" The guard inside signals to the first to come in. The guard sighs, then goes to the door to the office and goes inside. Through the window Hotrod and Otieno can watch as the two guards converse. Hotrod:"I suddenly have this bad feeling in my stomach." Otieno:"So do I. I don't like what's going on." The first guard comes out of the office, then walks up to Victor's side of the truck. Guard:"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to proceed further." Victor(surprised):"Why not?" Guard:"Apparently there was a security breach up on the second floor upstairs. Seems two guards were knocked out by another pair of guards. Probably just a fight, but we need to lock down the facility until the all clear is given. I will also need your security IDs, please." The trio look at each other, then they all reluctantly hand over their security tags to the guard. He thanks them and heads back into the office. Otieno:"Do you think they will discover our tags are fake?" Victor:"If they do a proper and thorough check, the answer yes." Otieno suddenly notices something in the rearview. He sticks his head out the window and looks back. A jeep is quickly approaching from behind. He can see Schlechtermann is seated next to the driver. Otieno:"Uh oh! Here's comes Schlechtermann." Alarmed, Victor and Hotrod look into the rearview and see the jeep coming towards them. The guards also notice the jeep. Suddenly Schlechtermann stands up and shouts out loud. Josef:"STOP ZAT TRUCK!" The guards quickly turn their eyes to the truck, reaching for the batons and guns on their holsters. Hotrod looks at the pale-faced Victor. Hotrod:"What other way goes back to the surface?" Victor:"Um... there are several exits that lead up to the compound, but..." Hotrod quickly grabs the gearbox stick, shifts the truck into reverse and presses his foot on Victor's own on the accelerator. Hotrod:"DRIVE!" The truck takes off backwards, tires squealing loudly. The driver of the jeep sees the truck approach and quickly serves onto the sidewalk. The truck does a 180 degrees turn, then speeds down the tunnel. Schlechtermann shouts at the driver, who turns the jeep around and goes after the truck. The other guards try to aim their guns at the truck, but it quickly turns the corner. Inside the security office the guard there is radioing in what just happened. Security Department Second Floor EuroCorp Main Offices At That Moment: Inside the main command centre the main screen shifts to the camera view of the tunnel exit, showing the truck speeding away from it with Schlech- termann's jeep in pursuit. Security officers quickly relay alerts and orders to the security staff while the general alarm is raised. Underground Laboratories 13:30 PM: Victor is driving very fast through the tunnels while Otieno and Hotrod pull out their weapons. Sunrise suddenly pokes her head through the tramp and taps on the rear window. Otieno opens it to hear Sunrise. Sunrise:"What happened?" Otieno:"Our cover has been blown! EuroCorp knows we're here and Schlechter- mann is right behind us!" Sunrise tucks her head back in, then moves to the back of the truck to look out. She can see the jeep with Schlechtermann, who is still standing and shouting curses. Suddenly a loud alarm siren blares through the tunnels. The other Rovers, who had been playing dead, suddenly spring to life. Kya and Razor try to calm their crying young while Farren looks at Sunrise. Farren:"What the heck is going on?" Sunrise:"Get your weapons out! EuroCorp has caught on to our trick!" Astin:"What! Oh man! And we're right in the middle of their HQ!" Everyone body springs into action and pull out their weapons. As the truck drives through the tunnels security guards and cameras spot it and relay its location to central command. A few moments later, a pair of EuroCorp security cars appear behind the truck, sirens wailing as they pursue the Rovers. One of the security officers in the car leans out the window with a pistol and begins to fire at the truck. The Rovers duck as the shots ricochet off the metal sides. Schlechtermann shouts at the officer, his face red with anger. Josef:"Stop firing, you fool!" The officer looks over at Schlechtermann with confusion. Josef:"You'll hit the specimens! Just force the truck to stop!" The officer nods and leans back into the car. Victor spots a sign that says "SURFACE LEVEL EXIT". He makes a sharp turn, throwing everyone to one side. The security cars and the jeep's tires squeal as they hit the brakes while the truck speeds up the incline road. The vehicles follow suit. The truck makes its way up, taking sharp turns at high speed. Some of the Rovers yelp from the pain of being thrown around. Xue-Fang:"He's driving like a madman!" Farren:"He doesn't have a choice! EuroCorp is on our tails!" Xue-Fang:"But does he have to drive like this?!" Farren:"You'd be surprised how often this happens in our line of work!" After narrowly missing another jeep on the way up, the truck reaches the surface level exit. At the exit security has begun to close the doors. Victor gasps. Victor:"They're closing the doors!" Hotrod:"Go through! Go through!" Victor:"That's madness! We will never make it!" Hotrod quickly puts his foot hard on the accelerator, nearly making Victor lose control of the truck. He keeps the vehicle straight as they drive towards the closing sliding doors. The guards run out of the way as the vehicle comes closer, the security cars directly behind it. The truck comes to the narrow opening and slips through, scraping against the doors and making sparks fly. The doors do manage to break the rear bumper off, but the truck is through. Behind it the security officers apply the brakes of their cars. One car manages to turn 90 degrees and stop inches from the door, but then the second car broadsides it before it can completely stop. Schlechtermann’s jeep manages stop behind the wrecked cars, the German scientist shouting curses at the closed doors. Meanwhile, the truck is now outside and in a courtyard amongst dozens of large industrial buildings. Workers in green or orange overalls and hardhats run out of the way of the speeding vehicle. Otieno:"Which way is out?" Victor:"I don't know! I've never been here before!" Hotrod points to a pair of large doors in a building where a private car was just coming out. Hotrod:"Go through there!" Victor nods and turns the truck to the entrance. Guards jump out of the way as the truck goes in. Inside the building is a large maintenance garage, vehicle service area and car wash. Dozens of corporate and private cars and trucks are being worked on. Surprised workers watch as the Rovers' truck comes driving in. Victor slows down the truck, much to Hotrod's shock. Hotrod:"Hey! Why are you slowing down?" Victor:"Do you see where we are? I cannot speed through here!" Hotrod:"If you don't go faster we could get caught!" Victor:"If I go faster I could crash the truck and then we WILL get caught!" Hotrod tries to respond, but finds he cannot counter Victor's arguments. The truck continues through aisles between all the work stations and workers, some of whom run of the truck's way. Two security guards come running up to the aisle and jumps onto the side of the truck. While the one guard climbs towards the cab, the other lifts the tarp on the back. He sees Kya in front of him, trying to comfort a scared Jya. He makes a grab for the pup. Kya gasp as the guard grabs Jya's diaper. Kya:"No! Not my pup!" Kya holds on to Jya while the guard tugs at him. Jya whimpers as he is pulled back and forth. The others gasp as they see the tug-of-war in the back. Jock is first to react and quickly climbs over to the trio. Jock:"Let go of my son!" The guard turns to look at Jock only to find Jock's boot coming towards his face. Before he can react Jock kicks him in the face. The guard lets go of Jya as he struggles to hold onto the truck's side. Bleki quickly moves closer and kicks the guard again, this time in the chest. The guard loses his grip completely and goes flying into the air, crashing into a cart full of tools. The cart tips over, spilling all manner of tools and the guard onto the floor. Meanwhile the second guard climbs to the front cab. Seeing the driver's window is open, he leans inside and makes a grab for the truck's keys. Hotrod and Otieno quickly realize what he is trying to do. Hotrod:"Oh no you don't!" The guard has his hand on the keys, but Hotrod grabs his hand and keeps him from switching off the engine or pulling out the keys. Otieno reaches over to try and help get the guard out of the cab. As Hotrod, Otieno and the guard fight over the keys Victor struggles to see past them. Victor:"I can't see where I'm driving!" Victor tries the truck on track, but with his vision impaired the truck collides with all kinds of objects and vehicles as it goes through the building. He tries to look over the combatants arms to try and keep the truck stable while slowing down. But he struggles and keeps hitting more objects while more security guards rush into the building and towards the truck. Finally Otieno changes the shape of his arm and paw to that of a wrestler with a big, strong hand. He balls his fist and launched a punch at the guard. There is a loud crack as the punch connects and the guard is knocked back, making him lose his grip on the keys. As he falls off Victor is now able to steady himself and hit the gas, speeding away from the other approaching guards. Hotrod looks at Otieno and his large arm. Hotrod:"Wow, nice trick. I didn't know you could do that as a shape- shifter." Otieno:"Nor did I until I did a little experimentation while I was bored. It comes in real handy." Hotrod:"Like now. Better keep it handy, because we're not out of the woods yet." Victor finally manages to guide the truck to an exit and drives through. They find themselves on the outer edge of the compound. As they come out, three EuroCorp security cars close in, sirens wailing. Hotrod sees the nearly chain-link fence and points to it urgently. Hotrod:"Smash through the fence and we're outta here!" Victor shakes his head as he dodges one of the cars at high speed. Victor:"I can't! It's crazy!" Hotrod:"What! It's a fence, and it's made out of wire mesh! This truck can easily smash through it!" Victor:"It's not the fence, it's what is beyond it! EuroCorp has planted mines in the ground by the fence that emit an EMP pulse when triggered by vehicles! We smash through we'll hit a mine and be brought to a permanent stop!" Hotrod blinks, then swears out loud. Otieno:"So how do we get out of here?" Victor:"There might be a gate we could drive through, but I'm doubting we are going to be lucky today!" The truck continues to speed along the roads around the compound, dodging security cars and guards trying to jump onto it. As they pass a cluster of office buildings Otieno spots an open gate leading out. Otieno:"There! That gate is open!" Victor sees the gate and turns the truck towards the gate, racing at high speed. The guards see the truck and scramble to close the gate, but it is moving too slowly. Hotrod:"I think we can make it! Keep going!" The truck gets closer to the still-closing gate. Suddenly a row of concrete barriers spring out of hatches in the road, blocking the way to the gate. Victor gasps, slamming the brakes and turning the truck. The vehicle's tires squeal as it skids towards the barriers. It manages to stop a few inches from the concrete blocks, parked in a horizontal position. Otieno:"That was close!" Hotrod:"Too close!" The sound of sirens draw their attention. The security cars approaching them are spreading out as they come closer. Hotrod:"They're trying to box us in! Go go go!" Victor shifts gears, then hits the accelerator. The truck races off, smashing the nose of one car while another car collides with the barrier. The other the cars continue their pursuit. Victor:"That was close! Now what?" Otieno:"Keep driving! Maybe we can find another exit or think up a plan." Victor nods dubiously, along the outer perimeter road while the squad cars pursue. The truck comes to a cluster of laboratories, where scientists are watching the pursuit with surprise. In the back of the truck the rest of the Rovers are watching the security cars. Astin:"Man, EuroCorp must be seriously cheesed off with us!" Farren:"Good. I think it's time that somebody pulled these money-grubbers' whiskers." Suddenly three EuroCorp Tripods burst through the doors of a nearby lab and begin to pursue the truck. Tripods are 8-feet tall, three-legged robots with three blue eyes on the front. A pair of gun barrels sits on either side of the body while sharp mandibles dangle just under the eyes. The Rovers watch with surprise as the tripods keep up with truck and even close the distance. Razor:"Those things are getting closer!" Sunrise:"Farren! Jock! Move over to..." Before she can finish speaking the tripods open fire with their gun barrels. The bullets tear holes into the tarp or ricochet. Sunrise:"Get down!" Everyone falls on the back of the truck. Kya and Razor do their best to shield the crying young ones while bullets fly overhead. Up front the bullets fly past the open side windows, one of them shattering a side mirror. Hotrod:"Holy cow! Now they're shooting at us!" Otieno quickly sticks his head out the window to look back. He sees a tripod coming up along the truck, galloping very quickly. He ducks back. Otieno:"It's some kind of robot! It's coming up alongside us!" Hotrod:"A robot?! Oh man, I HATE robots!" Otieno:"Better not let Merit hear that." Hotrod:"Oh yeah, I forgot about him. He's the exception. But give me a flesh and blood opponent to a tin can any day." Back in the rear, while one tripod keeps the Rovers down with bursts of gunfire the other one run closer. It then leaps up and into the back of the truck, it's eyes moving like a chameleon as its seeks out targets. Astin:"Oh boy! It's in here with us!" The tripod sets its sights on Slingshot and lunges at him. Slingshot falls backwards, barely missing getting stabbed by the tripod's pinchers. The tripod tries to attack Slingshot again, but Farren goes and jumps onto its back, covering the eyes with paws. Farren:"Let's see how well you fight blind!" The tripod starts to shake itself, trying to dislodge Farren from its back. Farren holds on, barely, as the machine bucks and jumps about to try and get him to fall off. Jock takes this opportunity to lunge at the tripod, hitting it with his shoulder. The tripod lurches back, its rear leg slipping off the back. It falls, but it uses the hooks on its front legs to grab the edge of the truck. The others quickly rush up to try and kick the machine's claws free. The tripod responds by firing wildly, making everyone duck as the bullets zoom overhead. In the cabin the trio duck as bullets break through the cab and fly overhead. One bullet passes over Hotrod's head by inches. Hotrod:"Holy s***! What's going on back there?" In the back Bleki and Jock pry the claws of the tripod free of the truck. As the machine tumbles out Farren quickly jumps off and lands into the back of the truck. The tripod hits the road and rolls for a short distance, limbs flailing. Sunrise looks at Farren. Sunrise:"You all right?" Farren:"Yeah, I'm all right. But if EuroCorp sends more of those things after us we're in trouble." Sunrise:"All the more reason for us to get out of here." Meanwhile Victor keeps driving the truck amongst the buildings of the EuroCorp compound, desperately looking for a way out. The other two tripods are running alongside, trying to stab the truck's tires with their pinchers. Hotrod forces Victor to swerve left and right, but the machines manage to dodge the truck. Hotrod then sees a parking lot at the edge of the compound. Just beyond the compound fence is an office buidling. He points to the parking lot. Hotrod:"Quick! Head in there!" Victor:"The parking lot? But that's a dead end!" Hotrod:"I got a plan! And we'll end up dead if we don't get out!" Reluctantly, Victor makes a sharp turn into the parking lot entrance, smashing through the traffic barrier. The pursuit security cars and the remaining tripods also turn into the parking lot. While the cars pursue the truck, the tripods start running up the stairs to the upper levels. Inside the parking lot is very much full, filled with the cars of EuroCorp's employees. The truck makes its up along the ramps, going higher and higher while the screaming tires and wailing sirens echo in the concrete structure. Victor:"Do you mind telling me what the plan is?" Hotrod:"We're going to jump out of here." Victor:"Jump? How?" Hotrod:"We're going to ramp off the parking lot and into the adjacent office building outside the compound." Victor, to a lesser extent Otieno, is shocked at Hotrod's idea. Victor:"They were right! You Americans are cowboys! That is an insane plan!" Otieno:"I have to side with Victor, Hotrod. That's extreme risky. We might not make the jump and crash into the ground or into the building's floors instead of the windows." Hotrod:"I know, but..." Suddenly something lands on the truck's bonnet. The trio look forward and gasp: a tripod has climbed on. The robot then uses one leg to smash the front window. The trio duck as they are showered with glass fragments. The tripod then tries to force its way through the hole, trying to stab the trio with its pinchers. Hotrod loses his cool. Hotrod:"THAT'S IT!!! You're going down!" Hotrod grabs the tripod's pinchers and yanks hard, causing the robot to smash against the window. He then pushes it forward, making it slip off the top. The tripod manages to grab hold again, now dangling from the front of the truck. Hotrod quickly turns to Victor. Hotrod:"Smash that d*** thing against a wall!" Victor aims for a concrete wall while the tripod tries to climb back up. He then hits the brakes. The truck's wheels squeal, but they do not stop the vehicle before it hits the wall. The tripod is crushed between the truck and the wall. But the truck avoids major damage. Victor quickly reverses, letting the mangled robot fall to the ground. He then drives back up to the last level of the parking lot. Behind the truck the security cars and the last tripod keep pace with it. When they reach the top level they are in open air. Hotrod points to the office building. Hotrod:"Aim the truck towards it, go as fast as you can and make the jump!" Victor:"Mon deu! You're going to get us killed!" Despite his protests, Victor does as Hotrod tells him. He brings the truck to one end of the parking lot, facing towards the gap between the parking lot and the office building beyond the compound. He then hits the gas. The trucks speeds up quickly towards the concrete barrier that marks the edge of the lot. Otieno quickly looks into the back. Otieno:"Everybody hold on!" They all grab firm hold of the truck and of each other while also shielding the pups. The truck smashes through the concrete barrier and is airborne for a brief moment. It then begins to arch downward. The guard in the security cars watch with astonishment. Guards:"Sacre bleu!" The last tripod follows the truck and jumps through the gap. At that moment inside the first floor of the office building a dozen or so workers are at their cubicles. Two workers are standing by the window talking shop. Worker 1:"So we've landed that contract?" Worker 2:"Oui! And I hear it is worth a good billion in euros." Worker 1:"I can see our salary increases now. With that contract, this business will really fly!" To emphasize his point he makes a sweeping gesture towards the window. That is when they see truck driving off the parking lot and dropping to- wards them. They shout out in shock and dive out of the way just before the truck crashes through the window with a loud smash. The other workers jump, run and flee their cubicles as the truck drives through them all the way through the building. It then smashes through the window over- looking a street. Startled pedestrians run to avoid the truck and falling debris while cars swerve, horns blaring. The truck lands hard on its front wheels, then its back wheels. Victor barely manages to get it back under control and avoids several collisions. Meanwhile, the tripod is not so lucky and fails to clear the gap. Instead it lands on the fence, where the electrical currents fry its circuits and sent sparks flying through the air. Inside the truck Victor is amazed and elated. Victor:"I cannot believe it! We made it!" Hotrod cheers. Hotrod:"Yeah! I told you we'd make it!" Otieno breathes a sigh of relief, leaving back in his seat and rubbing his face. Sunrise then pokes her head into the front cabin. Sunrise:"What the heck happened back there?" Otieno:"We got out. That's what happened." Sunrise then notices they are on the streets of Brussels. Sunrise:"Wait, you mean we're out of EuroCorp?" Victor:"Oui, but they will not take lightly to our escape. We must get you all out of here quickly before EuroCorp can send out recovery teams." Sunrise:"Then get us back to your base." Victor nods, speeding up a little. Sunrise goes and looks at the others in the back of the truck. Sunrise:"Is everyone okay?" Astin:"Man, that was a rough landing. I think I bruised my banana." Dylan:"We've got a few bruises, but we all look fine to me." Bleki:"I’m okay, but shaken from that little stunt." Slingshot:"Same here, though a medical checkup wouldn't hurt." Sunrise:"How's the pups?" Jock looks up as he and Kya are reassuring and hugging their frightened pup Jya. Jock:"Frightened, but all right." Razor is licking a mewling Tojo's head while Xue-Fang looks at Sunrise. Xue-Fang:"Very scared, but I don't think he's injured." Sunrise breathes a sigh of relief. Sunrise:"Good. Everyone's all. And here's the good news: we've escaped from EuroCorp." Everyone smile and breathe sighs of relief at the news. Sunrise then pokes her head back into the cabin and looks at Victor. Sunrise:"Get us out of here." Victor:"Oui, good idea." The truck weaves its way through traffic, driving away from the compound of the European Corporation. Up in his office, EuroCorp CEO Jacques Rembrandt is on the phone with the security chief, his face red with anger. Rembrandt(into phone):"Sacre bleu! Escaped! I don't believe this!... ... Non! NOBODY is to leave the compound under ANY circumstances! ... Oui, lock the whole place down and get everyone involved in the project together! Their files too! I want background checks done on everybody!... I know that, imbecile! Do it again, and then do it for a third time and fourth time! I want every single person cleared or rooted out!" He slams the phone down hard, muttering curses in French. Import/Export Business Industrial Area 15:04 PM: The business is now a hive of activity as men and women run around loading equipment and supplies onto awaiting trucks. Workers are busy putting stuff into boxes and crates before loading them onto the tracks. Some of them are burning papers in bins. The Rovers' truck pulls in an open spot and stops. They look around at all the activity. Hotrod:"What's going on here? Seems your friends are packing up shop." Victor climbs out of the truck and asks a passing worker. The two of them quickly speak in French. Victor then turns back to the Rovers as they climb out of the truck. Victor:"We're closing down the business and relocating." Sunrise:"What for?" Victor:"It seems the disturbance we caused at EuroCorp has compromised our work here. We are leaving before we are investigated and exposed." Just then the Hardhat comes marching towards the group, his face red with anger. Hardhat:"Just what the h*** were you thinking!" The group quickly turns to the man. Hardhat:"I've had to close all of this down because of you lot! You ruined the whole operation!" Sunrise:"Please, sir. Calm down." Hardhat:"Calm down? Calm down?! Do you have any idea of many lives you have endangered!" Hotrod:"Hey, look here! We had to save our own tails too, you know! EuroCorp was out to kill us when they found about us!" Hardhat:"And because of you American cowboys our operation has been compromised! EuroCorp has closed the compound and is now doing background checks on everybody! Our operatives are going to be exposed because of you!" Hotrod steps forward, his own face now livid. Hotrod:"Listen here, you! If you think you're going to put all the blame on us for this then I am going to do something about that." To emphasize his point, he holds up a balled fist. The Hardhat doesn't back down and balls his own fists. Hardhat:"If you want a fight I will be glad to oblige!" Hotrod:"Bring it on!" The two of them are about to come blows. Just then the others intervene. Farren and Dylan grab Hotrod's arms while Victor and another worker do the same the way with Hardhat. Sunrise steps in between the two. Sunrise:"This isn't the time and place to fight about this!" Dylan:"She's right, Hotrod! Calm down, please!" Victor:"Oui! This wasn't really their intention to disrupt our operations!" Hotrod back downs, but still glares at the Hardhat. The Hardhat throws his hands in the air and storms off, muttering curses under his breath. Victor sighs and turns to the Rovers. Victor:"I do apologize for his behavior. He's short tempered and he is, or was, zealous about doing his work. He is right about the fact that we have to break down the operation now, but I know you really didn't mean it." Sunrise:"It's all right. We are still sorry about making such a mess of things. What are you guys going to do next?" Victor:"We are likely to move and relocate most of our assets and staff to keep EuroCorp from discovering our network even if some of those inside EuroCorp are caught out. In fact, you should leave here too. EuroCorp has friends in the city who could come after you if they discover you here." Sunrise:"That's a good idea. We got what we came for, anyway." Jock:"We've rescued my mate and son..." Farren:"... we’ve rescued Bleki..." Bleki:"Which makes me feel very relieved at being freed from that place." Hotrod:"... and we've managed to get some files on Project AniCom. Once we this to the Master we can take action against EuroCorp." Farren:"If we ever do. Remember, most Rovers are still in Namibia fighting the South Africans." Hotrod:"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Victor:"If you can bring us aid we would appreciate it. But now I think you need to leave." He looks back at the Hardhat, who is glowering at the Rovers from his office window. Victor then turns back to them. Victor:"His disposition won't improve for a while." Sunrise:"I understand. We need to take Jock, Kya, Jya, Xue-Fang, Razor and Tojo back to our ranch in Africa. They'll be safe there." Victor:"Good. I wish you a safe journey." They all bid each other farewell. The Rovers then go and get into their own vehicles and leave the warehouse. Victor watches them leave, then turns to help the others with the breaking up. Office of the CEO EuroCorp Headquarters 19:25 PM: The curtains are drawn and the lights are on inside Jacques Rembrandt's office. Rembrandt himself is seated in his chair behind his desk, while Schlechtermann and Kaufmann are seated in front of him. At the moment Rembrandt and Schlechtermann are speaking while Kaufmann is sipping a can of soda. Rembrandt:"Duroc and the rest of the security teams are going over all the files of everyone involved in AniCom, and at last report they had managed to detain several suspects." Josef:"It does not change the facts, Herr Rembrandt. This the second time since the Nature Warriors' attempt that the compound has been breached. And this time it seems it was done by the Road Rovers." Rembrandt nods, frowning. Rembrandt:"I know, Monsieur Schlechtermann. The fact that some of my staff might be turncoats are not helping either." Josef:"Zen maybe it is time that you reconsider my earlier request." Rembrandt:"The one about moving AniCom to facilities under your direct control and guarded by your own select guards?" Josef:"Just so, Mein Herr." Rembrandt leans back in his chair and puts his fingers together, thinking over the idea. Josef leans forward. Josef:"Remember, it will be top secret und remote facilities, guarded by men whom I know will not betray me or EuroCorp. Do you really want another incursion? Another delay and waste of money?" Rembrandt thinks a little more, then sits up and nods his head. Rembrandt:"Very well, Monsieur. I agree. Your request seems a safer bet than keeping AniCom here." Josef grins. Josef:"Guht. Herr Kaufmann will hand you ze papers to sign." Upon hearing his name, Kaufmann stops drinking and belches loudly. He then places a briefcase on his lap, opens it and takes out some papers. He places them on Rembrandt's desk while the Frenchman removes the cap of his pen. As each piece of paper is passed to him, Rembrandt reads through each one carefully before signing. The more papers he signs, the bigger the smile on Josef's face. Where is AniCom being moved and why? What is the purpose of the project? And will the Road Rovers be able to find out about it's new location? THE END