Rover Strike: Vortex

Episode 7: Escalation

By Gerhard Naudé

All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
Hotrod, Alana © David Fountain
Sunrise, Maya, Fola, Kya © Kristen Coughlan
Bugliose © Steven Today
Dylan © Dylan Rinalds
Vicki © Robert Baer Jr.

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

Stronghouse
Sandton
Johannesburg
South Africa
16 December
10:56 AM:

The house is still pretty much the same, but the gate is standing
wide open and several men are stationed around the property. They
are looking around, clearly keeping guard. One of them spots and
points to a convoy of vehicles. The first one is a white, non-
descript minibus and the second one is the Rhino. Both vehicles
pull into the driveway and into the open garage. The men then
quickly close the gate and the garage door. Once the vehicles are
parked everyone climbs out and heads into the house. Striker, now
wearing some of his personal clothing and possessions, helps Maska 
in, followed by Billy, Sunrise, Bugloise, Cadwell, Hotrod, Corsair, 
Merit and Shephard. They all make their way into the living room. 
Striker helps Maska to a seat.

Striker:"Are you reg, Maska?"

Maska:"Just shocked, Master Striker. Maybe I need some tea."

Striker looks at Billy, but Billy just nods and turns to one of the
women working here.

Billy:"Go get the fellow some tea. In fact, make some for us all."

Woman:"Yes, sir."

The woman runs for the kitchen. Corsair sits down and wipes his brow
with the back of his hand.

Corsair:"Phew! I'm glad we got out of there. But it still bugs me
         that we had to make a stop to get your belongings, boss."

Striker:"Once day, David, when you are married you will understand."

Corsair shrugs.

Corsair:"Yeah, whatever."

Striker then turns to Shephard.

Striker:"Call the Master and find out what he says about this,
         Shephard. We might need his input."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard leaves the living room, going into the dining room. Bugloise 
is very upset and paces up and down the room.

Bugloise:"I can't believe this! The case was in the bag! We got a
          non-guilty verdict! And then these thugs come and wreck
          everything!"

Cadwell turns to Billy.

Cadwell:"Bill, do you know who those armed sapiens are?"

Billy:"Not exactly, Will. But I have a hunch that it might be the
       SLA."

Cadwell:"SLA?"

Billy:"Sapien Liberation Army. They're a right-wing fringe group of
       sapiens who oppose any kind of reconciliation with what they
       call human scum."

Cadwell:"Are they dangerous?"

Billy:"Well, their activities have been restricted to propaganda,
       spray painting graffiti and the occasional criminal act or two
       in the past. But recently they've gotten bolder. Rumor has
       it amongst certain circles that they're the ones responsible
       for the assassination of the previous president."

Hotrod whistles.

Hotrod:"That doesn't sound fringe to me at all."

Billy:"And I might be inclined to agree with you, especially after
       what happened in the courtroom. The idiots! They could have
       waited a day or two until they've gotten the news that Striker
       was not guilty. And they shot Judge Khumalo! H***, she's on
       our side!"

Corsair:"I'll bet Vorster and his people are going totally bonkers
         over this little hoo-haa."

Sunrise:"Maybe we had better see what's happening on television? I'd
         hate to hear bad news before it is too late."

Everybody murmur their agreement. Billy goes to the television set
and turns it on. Everyone else finds a place to sit while two women
bring in trays with hot cups of tea. The image that appears on the
television that of a local SABC news reporter standing outside the 
high court in Johannesburg. The area behind him is swarming with 
police officers, soldiers and paramedics.

Reporter(on television):"Right now, the police and military have cor-
        doned off the immediately around the high court. But we can
        confirm that seven officers and two civilians were killed
        and dozens were injured. It's also confirmed that all of the
        attacking mutants have been killed by security forces. Their
        identities are still being looked up, but it is suspected that
        they are members of the SLA terrorist group. Meanwhile, the
        police are still searching for the fugitive mutant who was
        standing trial. Witnesses say that the mutant and his legal
        team fled the court during the fighting."

Hotrod:"Do I catch a hint of bias with that reporter?"

Billy snorts and shakes his head.

Billy:"Typical of the SABC. Always the voice of whichever master is 
       in the Union Buildings at the moment."

The screen then changes back to the anchor in the SABC studios.

Anchor(on television):"A few minutes ago President Adriaan Vorster 
      made a public statement in response to events in Johannesburg."

The television image switches to a view of the president's office in
the Union Buildings. Adriaan Vorster is seated at his desk, looking
directly at the camera with a scowl on his face.

Vorster(on television):"Today's tragedy at the Johannesburg High
       Court is further proof of the barbaric nature of these mutants.
       Even with the ruling in his favor, this Striker saw fit to
       have his pack go and murder Judge Angie Khumalo. Despite being
       a fair trial, he still sought to undermine our country's human
       judicial system. Already, I have ordered the National Prose-
       cuting Authority to hunt this lunatic mutant and have him
       brought to book for his crimes."

Even as the image switches back to the news desk, everyone watching the
television is stunned by Vorster's speech.

Sunrise:"I don't believe this! Vorster's blaming the whole thing on
         Striker again!"

Bugloise:"What's worse, the whole world saw what happened in the court
          today. You can bet the anti-mutant camp is in a frenzy over
          this, and Vorster is playing them."

Striker:"Ai yai yai. This is a nightmare."

Striker buries his face in his paws. Maska puts a supportive hand on
Striker's shoulder, looking at the spaniel with pity. Billy looks at
Bugloise.

Billy:"Are you going to contest this new charge in court, Mister
       Bugloise?"

Before Bugloise can respond, Cadwell steps in to answer.

Cadwell:"No, that is impossible. These are trumped-up charges, but
         the whole climate here is too volatile to contest it. I fear
         that any new trial will be very biased and this SLA is going
         to commit even worse crimes in response. Striker is caught in
         a tug of war here. You need to get him out of the country."

Bugloise:"But what about these charges?"

Sunrise turns to Bugloise.

Sunrise:"I think our roles as lawyers are finished as far as Striker's
         case is concerned. Things have gotten too far out of control
         for us to be of any use."

Bugloise sighs and nods.

Bugloise:"I get your point, though I don't like it. But you're right.
          We can do squat now to save Striker from a cell."

At that moment Shephard comes in and taps Striker's shoulder. Striker
looks up at Shephard.

Shephard:"Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I just got off the horn with
          the Prof. He's ordered Hunter's team to come down here and
          pick us up for a direct flight back to Mission Control."

Striker nods, then gets up.

Striker:"We should start preparing to leave. Vorster's security forces
         are out hunting for me. It won't be long before they find out
         I'm here."

Corsair:"Go where, boss?"

Billy gets up as well.

Billy:"To some friends. We have some loyal pro-sapien supporters in a
       township west of Pretoria who can make you disappear. You can 
       take Striker there and hide out until your friends arrive."

Hotrod:"Sounds like a plan to me."

Corsair:"Ditto."

Striker:"That's it, then."

Striker turns to Cadwell and Bugloise.

Striker:"Mister Bugloise. Major. You two should take the first flight
         out of South Africa back to the states. There is nothing
         more you could do for me here and I do not want the security
         forces to snare you as well."

Cadwell:"Understood. I'll contact the embassy and have them get our
         tickets ready."

Bugloise:"Sorry about not being able to get you out of this jam."

Striker takes Bugloise's hand and shakes it.

Striker:"You did everything possible, Mister Bugloise. I will not
         forget this soon."

Striker then turns to Maska.

Striker:"Maska, I want you to go back to your home and lie low for a
         while. I do not want you to be hurt by either Adriaan or
         this SLA. Just go home and keep yourself inconspicuous."

Maska:"But Master Striker..."

Striker takes both of Maska's shoulders.

Striker:"Maska. You have always been there for me and my family. I
         would be doing my deceased parents and my brother a great
         dishonor if I let something happen to you. Just go and lê
         laag."

Maska nods, then takes Striker's shoulders and squeezes them.

Maska:"My wife, my children and I will be praying for you."

Striker:"Thank you, Maska."

Billy:"I'll make arrangements for Maska to be flown back to George
       right away. Meantime, let me get someone who will guide you to 
       the township while you pack. The sooner you leave the better."

Striker nods and turns to the Rovers.

Striker:"Reg, almal. Get your things and prepare to move out."

Everyone nods in agreement, then split up to go and pack up or to
make the necessary arrangements.

Monitoring Room
Eta Squadron Headquarters
Unknown Location
11:12 AM:

The room is much the same as always, with Sky's troops at their posts
and doing their work. Sky himself is standing by one monitor, which
shows an image of the stronghouse in Johannesburg. At the house the
Rhino and minibus pull out of the garage and then go into the street.
Lead by the minibus, the two vehicles then drive off while some of
the men at the stronghouse close the gate. Sky watches them go.

Sky:"I think the time has come to up the stakes."

Sky goes to a set of special electronic telephones and picks up a
reciever. He dials a number, then waits for it to be answered.

Safe House
Southern Hope Township
West of Pretoria
3:22 PM:

The township here shows some signs of progress, with dozens of small,
government-built houses neatly lining brand new streets and boasting
some new buildings like a school and church. However, a large part of
the township still consists of tightly clustered shacks built from
whatever material the residents could find. The conditions in those
areas are still bad, with very narrow alleys where dirty water and
waste create a foul stench. One house that sits on the border between 
the government houses and the shacks has some special guests. The
Rhino is parked outside, hidden under a large blanket. In the modest
house Striker, Corsair, Merit, Hotrod and Sunrise (now back in her 
cano-sapien form) are enjoying some take-away food in the company of 
the house's owner: a young black man wearing some ordinary business 
clothing. Striker looks at the man while chewing on a chicken leg.

Striker:"I really appreciate your help, Tsipo. I wish I could repay
         you for your help."

The man called Tsipo just shakes his head and smiles.

Tsipo:"No problem, man. Just helping out where I can. Besides, I owe
       Billy a few favors, so this is my way of repaying him."

Sunrise:"How is the pro-sapien faction doing here?"

Tsipo's smile fades.

Tsipo:"That's not so good news, Sunrise. Vorster's people are keeping
       an ever closer eye on our activities here, so its become harder
       for us to do some of our more covert things. To make things
       worse, some people sympathetic to the SLA have begun stirring
       up trouble around here. Though nothing serious has happened,
       it's causing rifts between those who like non-humans and those
       who don't. Things here are on the edge. Not good."

Hotrod:"Man, seems the SLA is causing more harm than good."

Tsipo:"True, bru'. They are big troublemakers. And now this thing at
       the courtroom. Eish. This will only lead to even bigger trouble
       now."

At that moment Shephard comes into the living room and sits down on
an available chair.

Shephard:"The Major and Mister Bugloise have gotten a flight out about
          an hour ago. And Maska got a earlier flight back to George."

Striker:"Goed. They're now out of danger. Nou we must wait for our own
         pickup."

Shephard grabs a chicken wing and begins to eat on it. Corsair looks
out the window at the houses and the contrasting shacks.

Corsair:"I can't believe folks would want to live in such lousy
         shacks. They look like a sneeze could take them all down."

Tsipo:"Not by choice, my bru'. But you're right. Those shacks are not
       my first choice either. The conditions are terrible and fires
       rage through them regularly. Fortunately government's housing
       project had picked up speed ever since Adriaan Vorster became
       finance minister and especially after he became president."

Corsair looks surprised at Tsipo.

Corsair:"Really? I wouldn't expect that from Vorster, considering
         what he's been in the news for."

Tsipo:"Actually, there is more to Vorster than that. He's managed to
       cut unemployment by almost half, reduce crime, improve the
       country's infrastructure and the building the economy up. He's
       been very good at making South Africa grow."

Corsair looks questioningly at Striker, who nods back.

Striker:"My fam... I mean the Vorsters have always had plans to built
         the country into a prosperous nation. Adriaan is probably
         also motivated to carry on the legacy as a way of honoring
         his slain family."

Tsipo:"That's pretty much it. Unfortunately, his good achievements 
       are overshadowed by this crazy anti-mutant policy he has. And
       it is not just here. All over the world anti-mutant supporters
       and politicians who exploit the sentiment see him as their
       patron."

Striker:"Ja, and that led to serious international friction, like the
         ones that brought about the end of NATO."

As they talk they start hearing the continuous thumping noise made by
spinning helicopter blades. Very soon they can hear the helicopter
flying over the area. They all instinctively look upwards.

Shephard:"I wonder if that chopper is looking for us?"

Suddenly a voice begins to speak from a loudspeaker over the din of
the helicopter's rotors.

Voice(over loudspeaker):"Attention. Attention all residents. We have
     information that there is a dangerous fugitive in your township.
     Please remain within your homes. Security forces will conduct
     a search of each house and shack in your area. We kindly ask
     for your cooperation. Should you have information that could
     lead to the arrest of the fugitive Striker, you are to contact
     your nearest police officer. A reward of R250,000 will be given
     if it should lead to the fugitive arrest, and your identity will
     be kept secret. I repeat..."

Everyone in the rooms is surprised by what they have just heard over
the loudspeaker.

Hotrod:"Crud! I think we've just been busted!"

Sunrise:"But that's impossible! I've checked and double-checked to 
         make sure we were not followed!"

Just then a young boy rushes into the room and runs up to Tsipo. The
boy looks very alarmed and begins to speak with Tsipo in Xhosa. The
two exchange a few concerned words before Tsipo sends the boy on his
way again.

Striker:"Wat is dit, Tsipo?"

Tsipo:"Little John told me the police have set up roadblocks on all
       roads lead out and cordoned off the entire township. They're
       out in force, doing house-to-house searches."

Hotrod whistles and looks at Striker.

Hotrod:"Man, Striker. Vorster is out for your hide something bad."

Striker sighs and nods.

Striker:"That is definitely the Adriaan Vorster I know."

Corsair:"Now what do we do?"

Shephard:"I say we take the Rhino and shoot our way out. It can handle
          heavy armed soldiers, so police officers would be a piece
          of cake."

Merit:"May I point out that assaulting a law enforcement officer is
       a criminal offensive?"

Shephard:"So? They're acting on orders from President Vorster, no
          doubt."

Striker shakes his head.

Striker:"Nee, Shephard. Merit is reg."

Shephard looks surprised at Striker.

Shephard:"Sir?"

Striker:"Assaulting an officer would just give more justification to
         Adriaan to come after us. And like you said, they are just 
         following orders. They are paid to do so."

Shephard:"But sir, surely we're not just going to sit on our butts
          and do nothing? Hunter and the others won't be here for a
          few more hours."

Corsair:"He's got a point, boss. We're really out of time here."

Tsipo:"Then I think the time has come for civil action."

Everyone looks at Tsipo as he gets up.

Tsipo:"We are going to gather all the cano-sapien supporters and
       march right up to the police to demonstrate that they cannot
       go and violate the rights of others."

Corsair:"Civil action? You mean a riot?"

Striker:"Nee, David. He means a simple, unarmed mass protest march."

Tsipo:"With you all in the middle of the crowd. As long as you stay
       in the middle, Vorster's people will be hard pressed to move
       in on us."

Hotrod:"I'm not sure of that. The police could use riot squads with
        tear gas and water cannons to break up the march."

Tsipo winks at Hotrod.

Tsipo:"We might have a little weapon against that. One that is more
       powerful than any gun Vorster has."

Striker gets up as well.

Striker:"Goed. I agree that we must take civil action, if only to
         delay Vorster's people long enough for the Road Rovers to
         come and pick us up."

Sunrise gets up and goes to Tsipo.

Sunrise:"Can I help you organize this march? My unit, the Cape Hunting
         Dogs, have many contacts here who can muster up the manpower
         for this thing."

Tsipo:"The more the merrier, bru'. Get your people while I get mine."

Tsipo then turns to Striker as the others get up as well.

Tsipo:"I'll take you to a friend of mine who can help hide you until
       the march is ready. The police are searching the houses first,
       so we'll hide you amongst the shacks."

Striker:"Goeie idea, Tsipo. Lead the way."

Corsair doesn't look so sure about that idea.

Corsair:"Wait. You mean go into the shanty town there? On foot?"

Striker:"Ja. What is wrong with that?"

Corsair:"Well, shanty towns are not the cleanest places or have the
         most refreshing odors in the world, boss."

Striker looks sternly at Corsair.

Striker:"David, the people who live there endure it every day of the
         week every year. So you can handle a few hours."

Corsair sighs.

Corsair:"This is gonna be so messy."

Merit:"If that will be the case then I definitely volunteer to clean
       thoroughly any articles of fabric that may become soiled."

Corsair sighs again, rolling his eyes this time as well.

Corsair:"Yay."

Tsipo:"Come on. We have no time to waste. Let's go."

Everyone begins to file out of the room, but Shephard sticks around to
grab a few more pieces of chicken. He takes a bite from one piece as
he runs out to join the others. Outside the helicopter continues to
announce over the loudspeaker. The sound of police sirens can be heard
in the distance.

Throne Room
Elite Guard Headquarters
Unknown Location
3:52 PM:

Franco is seated at his throne with his bodyguard Champion standing at
his spot. At the foot of the throne is Diehard and Seneschal. Nearby
to one side is Maya, who has just delivered Franco his meal, and the
chief Elite Guard scientist, Hildegarde. The two females are standing
close to each other and separated from the others. Everyone except for
Champion, whose eyes are more on Maya and Hildegarde, are watching the
bank of monitors. Right now they are showing live pictures being shot
from a news helicopter hovering over the township. A large crowd has
gathered in the streets, dancing and chanting as they marched. In the
centre of the crowd one can make out Striker, Tsipo and the others in
a tight and protective circle. Not far off several police squad cars
and armored personnel carriers are blocking the street. Police with 
tear gas launchers and beanbag-loaded shotguns are standing behind a
line of riot officers. The reporter's voice can be heard off-camera.

Reporter(off-camera):"Down below you can see hundreds of pro-sapien
        supporters in the streets, with the fugitive Striker in the
        centre of the group. So far the march looks peaceful with
        protestors chanting and waving banners around. Nearby you can
        see a police blockade, one of many that surround the entire
        township."

Seneschal:"Look at those fools. Lambs right for the slaughter."

Diehard:"Zat fool of a Striker has gone und put himzelf right in ze
         middle of zat rabble. Ze police vould have it easy today,
         yah?"

Franco is running the tips of his fingers up and down the underside
of his muzzle as he watches the screens.

Franco:"No, he's being clever. Striker's put himself in the middle
        of a group of people because they are acting as meat shields
        against the police."

Seneschal:"They're just people, General. The police should shoot their
           way through them."

Franco shakes his head.

Franco:"No. Vorster might want Striker badly, but he is no fool. He
        knows that any violent action by the police could bring back
        memories of the late apartheid-era riots. That is too raw a
        nerve to go and touch."

Franco begins to grin wickedly.

Franco:"A nerve that will soon get beaten with one ugly stick."

The general chuckles, which then grows into a maniacal laughter. At
the back, Maya leans over to her female wolf-sapien friend.

Maya(whispering):"What is he talking about, Hildagarde?"

Hildagarde(whispering):"I don't know, but you can be guaranteed that
          it will be very unpleasant in many manners of the word."

Champion grins at the females as he watches them whisper.

Champion:"And... what are you two b****es gossiping about?"

Maya yips in surprise and looks frightened, but Hildagarde looks at
Champion with a cold stare.

Hildagarde:"We're gossiping about how excessive male testosterone
            makes the brain cells die faster. In your case, a mini
            genocide."

Champion growls loudly at them, but he is cut short by Franco.

Franco:"Stop that, Champion. I can't hear the news."

Champion looks at Franco, who keeps watching the screens. He then
looks back at the two females and frowns before turning his own
attention to the news. Everyone else keeps watching the events back
in South Africa.

Situation Room
The Union Building
Pretoria
At That Moment:

The situation room of the Union Buildings is a large square room
with fine polished wooden walls and floors. In the centre stands a
rectangular table with matching chairs. On the walls are several
video monitors and maps of the country and Africa as well as clocks 
showing the time in cities such as Moscow, Beijing and New York. 
More chairs line the unoccupied walls while the flag of the country 
hangs limply from poles in the corners. On the table are folders, 
pencils and pens, telephones and glasses of water. President Vorster 
is seated at the head of the table. He is joined by several important 
ministers including Defense Minister Ntsibi, Safety and Security 
Minister Haddan, Public Prosecutions Director Masakela, Intelligence
Minister Precious Hangana, National Police Commissioner Johannes 
Klopper and Army Chief General Achmed Pahad. Hangana is a black woman 
who is quite fat and wearing her traditional venda robes and headdress 
and glasses. Klopper is a white man with black hair that is turning 
grey, a moustache and wearing a police uniform with the markings and 
medals that mark him as commissioner. Pahad is a man of Middle Eastern 
decend with a large, trimmed beard and wearing a black turban along 
with his military uniform. In the seats behind them are the president
and minister's deputies and secretaries, some holding notepads. Some 
of the monitors show live news footage of the march in the township, 
while others are live aerial pictures from police helicopters flying 
over the neighborhood. Vorster is tapping his fingers together as he 
looks at the news footage, then glances at Haddan.

Vorster:"Are you sure that is the mutant fugitve in the center of
         that crowd?"

Haddan nods.

Haddan:"Yes, Mister President. It's definitely Striker and some of
        the people who testified in his court trial."

Vorster:"Are they the ones leading this march?"

Haddan:"It would appear so, along with some of the community's own
        leadership."

Vorster nods, then looks at Masakela.

Vorster:"Get some more information on those court witnesses. Maybe
         we can find something to allow us to arrest them."

Masakela nods his head, reaching for his phone.

Masakela:"Yes, Mister President"

As Masakela makes a call, Vorster turns his attention to Klopper.

Vorster:"Klopper, what is the status of your police officers in the 
         township?"

Klopper:"I have close to 200 officers and riot police, armed with
         tear gas launchers and non-lethal shotguns and supported
         by APCs and trucks with water cannons. All officers also
         carry live ammunition with them, Mister President."

Vorster:"Goed. Once everything is in position, order your men to
         disperse that rabble. Use non-lethal fire. I don't another
         Sharpville here, understood?"

Klopper:"Yes, Mister President."

Vorster:"Goed. But do tell your officers to shoot dead any mutant on
         sight."

Klopper:"Yes, Mister President."

Klopper grabs his own phone and makes a call. Vorster looks over at
General Pahad.

Vorster:"Are your troops in position, general?"

Pahad:"Not yet, Mister President. They have the northern and eastern
       flanks cordoned off and are moving in from the west, but the
       southern movements are being hampered by rough terrain. But we
       have the entire township surrounded within an hour at most."

Vorster:"Do that. I don't want as much as a fly escaping through our
         net."

Pahad nods and goes for his phone while Vorster glances at Hangana.

Vorster:"Has the NIA managed to find out whomever the person was who
         called my office about our fugitive?"

Hangana shakes her head.

Hangana:"I have all available staff members trying to find that out,
         Mister President. But this person has covered his or her
         tracks well. It might take months, perhaps never, to find
         this individual."

Vorster nods and taps his fingers together.

Vorster:"Pity. I want to thank this person for the help. Ah wel."

He turns his full attention to the monitor that has a live video
stream from the township via an overhead helicopter.

Protest March
Southern Hope Township
4:02 PM:

The march has grown into a large mass of humanity. Most of the people
are residents of the township plus a few folks from outside. Scattered
amongst the humans are a few non-human sapiens. Not a few people are
singing chants and dancing or waving around placards. In the centre
of the crowd and somewhere near the front is a tight circle of people
who look like toughs. In that circle are the Rovers, Tsipo and a few
community leaders. Some distance up the road is the police line. Not
too far away are some local and international reporters, while in the
skies above fly police and news helicopters. Corsair looks around, a
bit nervous.

Corsair:"Man, I don't like this."

Hotrod:"Why not? We're marching for a good cause here, man."

Corsair:"In full view of the cops and the media. Vorster is probably
         watching us on the TV."

Hotrod:"I sure hope so. Maybe he'll see that picking a fight with us
        will be one h***uva mistake."

Corsair:"I don't know, Rod. My gut tells me something is going to go
         very wrong here."

Hotrod:"Just relax, Corsair. Think of this as a 4th of July parade."

Corsair nods, though he doesn't look the least bit convinced. Merit
is making scans of the entire crowd, look around with a good amount 
of curiousity.

Merit:"This gathering of humans into a herd in order to collectively
       voice a grievance is a most fascinating behavior. The wealth
       of information I am gathering will make excellent study
       material."

Shephard looks confused at Merit.

Shephard:"Uhh....okay."

Tsipo, who is walking by Sunrise and Striker, looks at Striker, who 
has a stern but tense look on his face.

Tsipo:"How are you doing, Striker?"

Striker:"I'm reg, Tsipo."

Tsipo:"You look very worried, bru."

Striker nods his head.

Striker:"Ja, I am. I think Corsair might be correct. I feel as if
         things are going to go very wrong. I can feel the fur on the
         back of my neck standing on end."

Sunrise:"I think it's your nerves, Striker. It's because of the fact
         that you're out in the open with the police all around us."

Striker looks towards a ridge that runs along the side of the road
they are marching along. A line of bushes on it makes it very hard to
see what is beyond.

Striker:"Nee, that's not it Sunrise. It's... something else."

Tsipo:"Don't worry, bru. I got people watching from out of sight for
       trouble that might sneak up on us. They'll let us know if the
       police are doing anything funny."

Striker nods, though he still has a look of doubt on his face. He
looks forward with the others. The march is getting closer to the
police line and they can see the officers are getting into position
and their gear ready. Striker looks at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, are those police officers getting weapons ready?"

Merit:"Please wait a moment."

Merit zooms in on the officers and makes a scan. A few seconds later
he zooms out and looks back at Striker.

Merit:"That is correct. Those law enforcement officers are indeed
       preparing to commence with an assault using a combination of
       non-lethal and lethal weapons."

Striker:"Ai yai yai. Are they planning to use those lethal weapons?"

Merit is about to respond, but then his attention focuses on some-
thing beyond Striker.

Merit:"How very unusual."

Striker is confused at first, then he realizes where Merit is looking
and quickly turns his head. Standing at the top of the ridge is a
cano-sapien Dalmatian in a militia outfit waving a flagpole. The flag 
is red and has a very crude image of the Road Rovers insignia on it. 
The Dalmatian begins to shout, getting the attention of the marchers,
the media and the police very quickly.

Dalmatian:"Human scum! We sapiens shall not bow to tyranny and
           oppression any longer!"

He looks into Striker's direction.

Dalmatian:"Striker, the Sapien Liberation Army stands as allies to the 
           Road Rovers!"

The Dalmatian then lowers the flag, pointing the end towards the line
of police officers, who are preparing to move in.

Dalmatian:"Attack!"

Suddenly a number of sapiens appear from behind the ridge, all of
them carrying RPG launchers. Striker's eyes widen in horror.

Striker:"Ai yai yai! Nee!!"

But the sapiens go ahead with their attack. RPG rockets fly at the
police line. The officers try to jump out of the way, but the rockets
hit their targets. Several squad cars and APCs are blasted into the
air or knocked over. The next instant SLA soldiers carrying machine
guns, rifles and shotguns pour out from over the ridge accompanied
by dozens of technicals, which are ordinary cars and trucks fitted
with sheets of steel for extra protection and mounted with guns. The
SLA rushes for the marchers and start attack the police. There is 
immediate panic and the crowd of marchers becomes an out-of-control
mob that runs into every direction to escape. Media crews run for
cover while still trying to cover the events unfolding in full view
of the camera lenses. The Rovers keep together, but now they have
their weapons out.

Corsair:"Boss, we gotta get out of here! This is way too hot!"

Striker:"I agree! Come on! Into the township! Sunrise, go and get the
         Rhino! Gou!"

Sunrise:"Gotcha!"

Sunrise runs off, going through the panicking crowds towards where
they had left the Rhino. Striker, meanwhile, leads the others away
from the battle scene and joins the fleeing residents as they rush
for the dubious safety of the shanty town. Behind them the battle
turns ugly as the police return fire and move in while the SLA units
pour into the neighborhood.

Situation Room
The Union Building
Pretoria
At That Moment:

Everyone in the room is staring in shock or horror at the scenes being
shown on the video screens. The aerial footage shows total chaos in
the vicinity of the battle. Vorster, however, is furious. He looks at
Klopper and Pahad.

Vorster:"Klopper! Pahad!"

The two officers snap out of it and quickly turn their attention to 
the president.

Klopper, Pahad:"Yes, Mister President?"

Vorster:"Send in your forces! I want order in that township and I
         want those mutants stopped! Kill or capture every last one
         them! Now!!"

Klopper and Pahad quickly grab their phones. Vorster quickly looks
at Hangana.

Vorster:"Hangana! Is that the SLA I'm seeing here?"

Hangana:"Yes, Mister President. And it looks like they're fighting
         on behalf of the Road Rovers."

Vorster takes his pen and, in anger, snaps it in half with an audible
crack. He speaks through his teeth.

Vorster:"No more. They want a fight? They will get one!"

Vorster immediately stands up, getting the attention of everybody in
the room.

Vorster:"It's time to take action! I'm declaring a state of emergency
         throughout the entire country!"

The members of his administration are surprised, but not that much.
Vorster looks at Hangana.

Vorster:"Find out everything about these mutants and their allies! I
         want every scrap of information on my desk! Use any means
         necessary!"

Hangana:"Yes, Mister President."

Vorster looks at Masakela.

Vorster:"Build up cases against every pro-mutant organization and
         group in this country! Use any means necessary to get the
         evidence!"

Masakela:"Yes, Mister President."

Vorster looks at Haddan.

Vorster:"Have the police and security clamp down on these groups and
         arrest every single mutant in the country, no matter who or
         what they are!

Haddan:"Yes, Mister President."

Vorster looks at Ntsibi.

Vorster:"Get your troops out, Minister! Have them hunt and destroy
         every SLA cell in this country! And declare Marshall Law in
         all towns and cities where they are the strongest!"

Ntsibi:"Yes, Mister President."

Vorster then looks at his cabinet in general.

Vorster:"Tighten the borders and cancel all inbound and outbound 
         flights from every airport! No aircraft except that of the
         military and authorized flights are allowed to fly in the
         entire country! Step up security at all train stations and
         taxi ranks and airports! I don't want these mutants to get
         out of South Africa except in coffins! Get moving!"

The ministers waste no time. They either turn to their ministry staff
or to the phones and begin to carry out Vorster's orders. On screen
the chaos in the townships is getting worse.

Southern Hope Township
4:23 PM:

The situation in the township looks pretty grim especially from the 
news helicopters circling the area. The army and police have moved
into the township while SLA units run riot throughout the neighbor-
hood. While most of the residents are fleeing or trying to hide,
some have gotten their own guns and joined in the fighting. Smoke
is rising from several points in the township, making it look like
a scene from the 1980s. The skies are filled with news choppers,
police helicopters and Rooivalk attack helicopters. Striker and the
Rovers are running through the narrow and polluted alleyways of the
shantytowns, trying to escape pursuing SLA technicals. Dodging past
fleeing residents and ducking into different alleyways, the group
tries to escape their pursuers. Hotrod looks back as they narrowly
escape another SLA technical.

Hotrod:"Man, these guys are persistent! And if I had a proper gun
        I'd show them their persistence is a major mistake!"

Shephard:"Ditto, sir!"

Striker looks at Tsipo, who is guiding them through the shantytown.

Striker:"We must try and find a hiding place! We cannot fight them
         and the police and army!"

Tsipo:"Eish, bru! I'm trying to think of a place, but all this is
       crazy! These SLA idiots have gone and started a war here!"

Hotrod:"And they're flying our colors too! Are they nuts?!"

Striker:"We must find shelter! And gou!"

Tsipo stops for a moment, quickly glancing around to get his bearings.
He then points down one alleyway.

Tsipo:"This way! Quickly!"

The group dashes down the alley, following Tsipo towards the spot
where the alley opens into a narrow street intersection. Just as they
are about to reach it, a SLA technical appears and turns into the alley.
The group stop running and quickly turn around, only to find another
technical blocking their path. On the backs of the technical the
leo-sapiens aim the mounted machine guns at the group. One of the lions
shouts at them.

Lion:"All right, humans! Release Striker now!"

Tsipo:"You fools! We are on your side! We're not keeping Striker as a
       prisoner!"

Corsair:"Yeah! Listen to him!"

Lion:"Why should we? You're humans. Now release him!"

Striker growls at the lion and opens his mouth to give the leo-sapien
a piece of his mind. Suddenly his anger becomes shock as he spots a
Ratel APC appear behind the technical. The lion hears the Ratel's
engines and quickly turns to look. But it is too late. The APC rams
into the back of the technical and pushes it down the alley. The
group quickly duck through an open door into an abandoned shack,
some of them falling to the floor, like Striker. The APC pushes the
technical into the second technical, then stops and starts to rever-
se. Striker rolls onto his back, then gasps as he sees his legs are
right in the path of the wheels. He tries to pull them away, but he
is not quick enough. The massive Ratel wheels drive right on top of
of legs, producing a series of loud snapping and cracking noises.
Striker screams in pain at the top of his lungs as the Ratel stops
right on his legs. The others watch in horror.

Hotrod, Shephard:"Holy s***!"

Corsair:"Boss!"

Everyone rushes forward to help as Striker keeps screaming in pain.

Striker(in pain):"Get it off! Get it off my legs!!!"

Tsipo and Corsair grabs Striker's arms and try to pull him out from
under the wheels, but the spaniel is trapped and they cause him more
pain. Shephard and Hotrod try to lift and push the Ratel off Striker,
but it does not budge. Hotrod kicks the wheel in anger.

Hotrod:"Get off my friend's legs, you friggin' tin can on wheels!"

Tsipo:"We've got to move the APC!"

Corsair:"I got an idea!"

Corsair lets go of Striker, then wiggles out into the alley and right
in front of the Ratel's front windows. He waves his arms, getting the
attention of the driver. Corsair then shouts at him.

Corsair:"Hey, you! Your mother is a...."

As Corsair says a very inappropriate name, he also makes very rude
gestures with both his hands. The driver becomes infuriated and puts
the APC into gear. Corsair jumps over the wrecked technicals and
dashes down the alley. The APC comes to life and drives off of
Striker's legs, smashing through the technicals as it goes into
pursuit of Corsair. The others pull Striker to the relative safety
of the shack, then look at his legs. They are looking very terrible,
with deep wounds and looking out of shape. Striker is moaning in pain
with tears rolling down his face. Hotrod looks at Merit.

Hotrod:"Merit! Can you scan Striker's legs and tell us if they're
        broken?"

Merit:"Certainly."

Merit focuses on Striker's legs and starts to make a scan. Halfway
through he jerks in surprise.

Merit:"Oh my."

He continues the scan, then finishes and looks up at Hotrod.

Merit:"My databanks contain little biological information, but my
       scans do reveal that he seems to have many serious bone
       fractures and nerve damage. I would conduct repairs, but I
       lack the proper tools. My best recommendation therefore would
       be to take him to a medical facility for repairs."
       
Hotrod:"Wait, you mean Striker's legs are broken?"

Merit:"That is correct."

Hotrod and Shephard look at each other.

Hotrod:"This is bad, big time."

Shephard:"No kidding, sir. He needs a medic, ASAP."

Hotrod:"Or a hospital."

Tsipo shakes his head.

Tsipo:"Impossible. Taking Striker to a hospital is too risky. His face
       is on every police bulletin in the country. He could be 
       arrested as he treated."

Hotrod:"But we can't leave him like this, Tsipo! He's in pain!"

Tsipo:"I know. I'm trying to think of an alternative."

Merit:"Might I recommend stabilizing Striker's appendages to avoid
       further damage?"

Hotrod looks at Merit.

Hotrod:"You mean putting his legs into a splint?"

Merit:"That is correct."

Hotrod and Shephard waste no time. They go about the shack, grabbing
or breaking what they need, and then join Tsipo as they begin to
secure splints around Striker's legs. The spaniel winches in pain
and bites his teeth as they secure the splints and tie them up with
pieces of sheet or plastic. As they do this the Rhino suddenly comes
up in the alley. Sunrise is behind the wheel with Corsair next to
her. Both of them jump out and join the others. They are both shocked
at the sight.

Sunrise:"How is he Tsipo?"

Tsipo:"If what your friend Merit told me is true, then Striker has had
       both his legs broken."

Sunrise and Corsair are stunned.

Corsair:"Oh. man. Phoenix is going to go crazy when she finds this 
         out."

Sunrise:"But what can we do, Tsipo? We can't take him to a hospital."

Tsipo:"I know, but I might have a plan. Right now, though. We need to
       get him out of the township, fast."

Hotrod:"Now that we got the Rhino, we can bust our way out of here."

Tsipo:"I'd say go further west, into the hillsides and try to hide at
       one of the more isolated homesteads there. I'll call when I
       have some plans."

Sunrise:"Or when our friends arrive to pick us up."

Suddenly there is the sound of a loud explosion. Corsair runs out to
take a look, then runs back in with wide eyes.

Corsair:"D***! We got tanks in the streets here!"

Sunrise:"Everyone! Help us load Striker into the back! Carefully!"

Everyone jumps and goes to lift Striker. Taking good hold of the
wounded spaniel, they gently lift him up. He yelps in pain, but tries
not to make it more difficult for his friends. They carry him to
the Rhino, open the back door and load him onto the backseat. Once
in, they all climb into the Rhino. Hotrod goes behind the wheel with
Corsair next to him, while Sunrise and Merit get in the back to take 
care of Striker and Shephard gets into the back to ride shotgun with 
his M-249. Tsipo closes their doors, then looks at Hotrod.

Tsipo:"Just keep going west until civilization thins out. And be
       careful! You got a lot of enemies out looking for your friend
       here."

Hotrod nods, looking very angry.

Hotrod:"If they try and stop us, they'll be VERY sorry for it."

Tsipo:"Right, bru. Good luck!"

Tsipo steps back. Hotrod puts the Rhino into gear and reverses out
of the alley. The Rhino then speeds off on the street to get away
from the chaos while Tsipo watches them go. Once the Rhino is out of
sight, he begins to make his way to his own house. In the township
the police and army slowly but surely begin to overwhelm the small
band of SLA fighters and the rioting mobs and criminal elements.

Recreational Area
Road Rover Mission Control
At That Moment:

Things are still much same here in the recreational area of RRMC,
only this time the screens are showing live footage from Southern
Hope Township in South Africa. Phoenix is once again seated on the
couch with Alana, Vicky and Elissia providing support. Aydrian, 
Tanarus, Elexis, Dylan, Illanov and a few other Rovers are here as
well. The Master is standing here as well and all eyes are on him as
he calls the Road Rovers. He is holding a kind of high-tech device
that looks not unlike a cellphone.

Master(into com):"Are you certain you cannot go further?.... How
      long will this last?... I see... All right. Hold position,
      Hunter. I'll be sending another team down to try and help get
      you into South Africa... Good."

The Master lowers the communicator and closes the channel. He sees
everyone, especially Phoenix, looking expectantly at him.

Master:"We have a problem. President Vorster has declared a state
        of emergency in South Africa and no aircraft are allowed to
        fly in the country except military craft and those airliners
        that are given special permission. Which means Hunter's team
        cannot fly into South Africa without coming under attack from 
        the country's air force."

Everyone is taken by surprise at this piece of bad news. Phoenix is
very distressed at it, in particular.

Phoenix:"But... Striker and our friends are in danger, Master!"

Master:"I know, but they'll be in even greater danger if I send in
        the Road Rovers and the South African Air Force comes after
        them. I've ordered Hunter and his group to hold position in
        Botswana, not far from the border."

Illanov:"So does that mean our comrades will have to make their way
         to the border?"

Master:"I am entertaining that idea, but considering how quickly
        things are going down the tubes I might have to get somebody
        to take the Stealth Rover and fly into South Africa to pick
        them up. It's stealth capabilities should allow it to sneak
        in and out without drawing attention."

Suddenly the communicator in the Master's hand beeps and the device
vibrates. He pushes a button to open the channel and answers it.

Master(into com):"Master here... Shephard?... Yes, I hear you loud
      and clear... Where are you?... I see. How is everyone?"

The Master takes on a look of concern, which does not go unnoticed
by Phoenix.

Master(into com):"Striker? What happened to him?... Is it serious?
      ... Both of them?... You stabilized him? Good... What?... No,
      they cannot, Shephard. Vorster's state of emergency prevents
      them from entering the country... Just sit tight and keep out
      of sight. I'll send the Stealth Rover to go and pick you all
      up. And be sure to find a doctor to treat Striker's legs...
      Right, good luck."

The Master lowers the communicator. Phoenix immediately gets up and
goes over to the Master. She is quickly joined by Alana and Elissia.

Phoenix:"What's wrong with Striker?"

The Master sighs, then takes both of Phoenix's paws.

Master:"Phoenix, Striker's legs were broken when an APC drove over
        them."

Phoenix gasps in shock. The others are no less stunned by the news.
Alana, Vicki and Elissia take Phoenix's arms in support as the poor
pomeranian female goes limp in the legs.

Master:"They've managed to stabilize him and they've gotten out of
        the danger zone. But he is in a lot of pain and according to
        Merit he needs urgent medical attention to save his legs."

Phoenix:"Oh my God... Striker..."

Tanarus quickly steps up to the Master.

Tanarus:"Permission to take charge of the Stealth Rover for a rescue
         mission, Master. I want to take my wife to go and treat our
         friend."

Illanov:"Dah, I wish to come along as well."

Alana:"Me too."

Phoenix looks determinedly at the Master.

Phoenix:"I will go too."

The Master shakes his head.

Master:"No, Phoenix. You must stay here."

Phoenix is shocked.

Phoenix:"What! Why?"

Master:"I need to send clear thinkers on this mission. I'm afraid your
        emotions are swirling about too much, Phoenix. I'm sorry, but
        you must remain."

Phoenix:"But my husband is getting killed down there!"

Master:"I know and I understand that you are very concerned for his
        safety, but you will not help him if you do not think clearly
        and end up getting caught or killed yourself. Think of how he
        will feel if something should happen to you, Phoenix."

Phoenix stares at the Master, and then begins to cry. She buries her face
in her paws while the other females try and comfort her. The Master
sighs and puts his hand supportively on her shoulder.

Master:"I'm sorry to have to do this, Phoenix."

Phoenix looks up again, shaking her head while sobbing and wiping her
eyes.

Phoenix:"No, you're right Master. I cannot think right. I'm just so
         worried about my Strikie."

Aydrian comes up and puts his paw on his daughter's shoulder, then
squeezes supportively.

Aydrian:"I will bring back Striker for you, my dear. I promise you."

Phoenix looks at her father, smiling a bit in gratitude. Elissia,
however, does not appear to be very pleased at the idea.

Elissia:"You're going along?"

Aydrian:"Yes, my dear. I'm going to South Africa to save my son-in-
         law."

Elissia:"But is that wise? You're not a soldier like his friends are.
         I don't think you should go."

Aydrian:"I'm capable of handling myself. And we owe Striker a great
         debt for saving us from the mercenaries and reuniting us with
         our daughter. This will be my way of repaying him for his
         efforts. No matter what you say, my dear, I'm going."

Elissia looks at Tanarus, Illanov, Elexis and the others, but they
don't raise any objections and keep quiet. Elissia sighs and looks at
her husband very sternly.

Elissia:"All right, Aydrian. Go and rescue my son-in-law, but bring
         yourself back too. If you die down there, I'll kill you."

Aydrian chuckles and kisses Elissia on the cheek.

Aydrian:"Don't worry. I will be careful."

The Master turns to Tanarus.

Master:"Tanarus, you take Elexis, Illanov, Aydrian, Dylan and Alana 
        with you and rescue Striker and the others. Before you reach 
        the border of South Africa meet with Hunter's team and pick 
        up Colleen. She also has medical skills and can help with 
        Striker's leg injuries. And feel free to take along any other 
        Road Rover if they want to go as well. Remember, go in, 
        rescue Striker and our friends and get out. No side-tracking 
        or wasting time down there. Understood?"

Tanarus nods his head.

Tanarus:"Yes, Master. Got it."

Master:"Then get going. Our friends need your help quickly."

Tanarus nods, then gathers up his team. While he does this, Phoenix
goes to her father and takes his paws.

Phoenix:"Please, father. Bring my husband back safe."

Aydrian:"I promise you, my daughter."

Phoenix hugs her father tightly and he returns the gesture. Once they
separate Aydrian joins Tanarus, Elexis, Illanov, Alana and Dylan as
they run out of the room to the hangar. Elissia and Vicki come up and
take Phoenix's paws.

Vicki:"Let's go and make some tea for you, Phoenix. You look like you
       could use it."

Phoenix simply nods, then chuckles and smiles at Vicki.

Phoenix:"Just a bunch of wives worrying about their husbands sipping
         tea, I guess."

Vicki and Elissia laugh softly as they lead Phoenix out of the room.
The Master watches them go, then turns to the other Rovers to give
them some orders as well.

The Rhino
Country Road
Somewhere in Western Gauteng Province
6:34 PM:

The Rhino is driving along a dirt road that goes through maize fields
in the province. The sun has set and only the western horizon shows
a red aura of sunlight. Stars are beginning to appear in the sky,
while the number of lights coming from very distant farm houses light
up. The black outlines of hills can be seen against the dark blue
backdrop of the night sky. The Rhino's lights are not on as it moves
slowly through the darkness. Shephard is behind the wheel now, using
his gas mask's night vision system to navigate the darkness of the
dirt road. The only other light is coming from Merit, who is shining
a small light from his camera lens upon Striker's injured legs. Hot-
rod and Corsair are trying to take care of the spaniel while Sunrise
holds a first-aid kit on her lap in on the front seat. Corsair looks
at Striker, who is lying with his eyes half-closed and groaning in
pain.

Corsair:"How are you doing, boss?"

Striker:"Bietjie beter... I mean, a little better, David... the pain
         is still unbearable... but I can take it..."

Corsair:"Just hang in there, boss. We'll get you..."

Suddenly the Rhino hits a pothole a little two hard, causing the
vehicle to bounce. Striker yelps and grimaces in pain. Corsair looks
annoyed at Shephard.

Corsair:"Hey! Watch the road! These bumps are not medically bene-
         ficial, you know!"

Shephard:"Sorry, sir, but this road is just awful. Even with my night
          vision I can't spot all the potholes."

Sunrise:"We'd better find some place to stop and rest. Striker needs
         to sleep easy and let his wounds heal up a little bit."

Hotrod:"She's right. We can't stay on the road forever. The cops might
        spot us out here."

Corsair:"Out here? We're driving in total darkness on a country road
         with very few signs of civilization."

Hotrod:"Except for those farm houses. And all we need is one guy in a
        car to drive past and notice our ride and then calling the
        cops. Then we're screwed."

Corsair:"And where do you suggest we stay?"

Sunrise points out to the distant lights of a house some way from the
road.

Sunrise:"We could go to one of those houses and ask for accommodation
         for the night."

Everyone looks surprised at Sunrise.

Corsair:"Hey, whoa! That's way too risky!"

Sunrise:"Not really. Only a minority of South Africans are really
         anti-sapien and our chances are good of meeting someone there
         who is on our side."

Hotrod:"But what if they're not? I mean, they will certainly call
        the cops on us and if we beat them up to keep them quiet we
        will just get another charge on our rap sheets."

Sunrise:"We can always take steps in that regard, guys."

She looks at Shephard.

Sunrise:"You still have those PCD tazers in your backpack, Shephard?"

Shephard nods his head, bringing the Rhino to a stop.

Shephard:"Yes, Ma'am. Will we need to use them?"

Sunrise:"Only if the people on the farm are not friendly towards us.
         If they are not, we taze them and then stay in their house.
         By the time they awake tomorrow, we should be gone and they
         will be none the wiser."

Hotrod:"Sounds like a plan to me."

Corsair shrugs.

Corsair:"What the hey. I'll go along with it."

Sunrise looks at Striker.

Sunrise:"Are you okay with the plan, Striker?"

Striker nods a little, still in pain.

Striker:"Ja, but try to keep the violence to a minimum. These are
         still civilians, not soldiers, we will be dealing with."

Everyone else nods their agreement. Sunrise then looks at Shephard.

Sunrise:"Drive to the farm, Shephard. And try to go easy over the 
         Bumps in the road."

Shephard:"Yes, Ma'am."

Shephard keeps on driving until he finds a road that heads into the
direction of the residence. He takes the turn and follows the road,
taking great care not to hit bumps and potholes too hard. The going
is slow and Shephard is unable to avoid all the obstacles. Striker
yelps and groans in pain at regular intervals. Finally Shephard
brings the Rhino close to residence. They find that it is on a rise
that the road passes by. Shephard pulls the Rhino off the road and
then looks at Sunrise.

Shephard:"This is as close as the road gets to the house. We'll have
          to go on foot from here on out."

Sunrise:"Okay. We'll carry Striker up to the house. Merit, you can
         lead the way with your light."

Merit:"Command recieved."

Sunrise:"The rest of us will carry Striker, gently. Come on."

Everyone starts to climb out of the Rhino. Merit climbs out first
and turns his light on more brightly. He then helps illuminate the
Rhino so that the others can more easily unload Striker. It is not
an easy task and they have to work slowly. Sometimes, though, Striker
is forced to clench his teeth to avoid yelping in pain again. Hotrod,
Corsair, Shephard and Sunrise all struggle to carry the wounded
canine out of the Rhino, but they all manage. Once Shephard locks
the Rhino, Merit leads the way through the grass and rocks towards
the house, while behind him the others carry Striker up the hill.
It is slow going and the sunlight in the horizon is quickly fading.
Eventually, they find themselves close to the residence when Merit
suddenly stops and scans the area before them.

Hotrod:"Hey, Merit. What's the hold-up?"

Merit doesn't respond for a moment, but he does turn around after a
few seconds. The Rovers flinch as Merit's bright light shines into
their eyes.

Merit:"There is a concrete wall of considerable height around the
       property before us."

Sunrise:"How high?"

Merit:"Approximately 9 comma 7 feet in height."

Hotrod:"What! How are we going to climb over that?"

Shephard:"Maybe we could use a gate, sir?"

Merit:"Or the hole in the wall, perhaps?"

Everyone looks confused at Merit.

Sunrise:"What hole?"

Merit:"There is a section of the wall that had collapsed completely.
       Although such damage would not tolerated, the thick vegetation
       on either side of the wall had probably hidden the damage from
       view and prevented repairs."

Sunrise:"Can you show us this hole?"

Merit:"Yes, but it would require the clearing of the vegetation."

Sunrise:"Do you have the tools to do so?"

Merit:"That is affirmative."

Sunrise:"Use them."

Merit:"Executing command."

Merit turns back forward and continues his way up the hill to a large,
thick bush against a cream-colored wall. As the others follow, Merit
opens his toolkit and activates a prod with a small saw blade at the
end. He begins to cut away the bush's branches while the others wait
from him to finish. It takes several minutes for Merit to do the job,
but soon he seems to make progress. Finally, he takes hold of the
cut branches and pulls them aside, revealing a section of the wall
that had crumbled from neglect.

Corsair:"Is that it?"

Merit:"Correct, but I still need to clear the vegetation beyond."

Sunrise:"Do it, but don't clear it too much. Let's try and keep this
         hidden enough if we need to make a quick getaway."

Merit:"Confirmed."

Merit walks up to the crumbled section and climbs on top of it. He
begins to cut at another bush on the other side, but this time he
only cuts a few key branches, then tosses them aside. The others move
closer and wait for Merit to finish. It takes a few more minutes, but
Merit finally manages to clear enough of the branches for them to
get in.

Sunrise:"Okay, lead the way Merit. We'll follow."

Merit:"Executing command."

Merit walks into the bush. The others climb over the wall rubble,
taking care with Striker. When they come to the bush, they struggle
to pull branches away while still carrying the injured spaniel. But
they finally come out into the clear. Looking around, they find they
are on a large lawn with several gardens enclosed within the walls.
Nearby is a large, two-story house that looks very luxurious. At the
one end of the lawn is a large kennel cage. The lights are currently
on, revealing the porch on the back of the house as well as some of
the rooms inside. The Rovers look at the place.

Corsair:"Man, I wouldn't mind living in a place like this."

Hotrod:"Me neither."

Sunrise:"Come on. Let's go and get the occupants of the house."

They all carry Striker to the house, this time with Merit pitching in
since he is no longer needed for light guidance. They walk across the
lawn, then onto the porch to the back doors. The back doors are
actually glass sliding doors, through which one can see a living
room and parts of the adjoining kitchen and stairs leading up to the
second floor. They stop and look around inside.

Hotrod:"Anybody home?"

Shephard points to a figure working in the kitchen.

Shephard:"Contact, in the kitchen."

Sunrise releases one paw from Striker and taps on the glass door. The
figure in the kitchen hears the noise, then comes to investigate. At
the same time, a small female Jack Russell comes running up to the
door and starts barking. The figure comes into the living room and
can now clearly be seen: it is a black woman dressed in a maid's
dress and her head wrapped in a cloth. She is very portly and is
carrying a towel she was using to dry dishes. The moment she sees
the group she stops and stares in surprise. The group looks back at
her.

Hotrod:"Man, I hope she doesn't freak out and call the cops."

The maid then walks closer to the door, but keeps her distance. The
dog keeps on barking. Corsair is looking uneasily at the dog.

Corsair:"I'm more worried about that dog. Her yapping is a bit too
         loud for my tastes."

At that point the maid speaks up through the glass, looking sternly
at the group.

Maid:"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Sunrise speaks up.

Sunrise:"Please, Ma'am. We have an injured friend and we need your
         help."

The maid looks at Striker, examining his bandages legs.

Maid:"Eish! You bring that one here? You're looking for trouble."

Sunrise:"Please, Ma'am. Don't call the police. He is seriously injured
         and we can't treat him."

The maid looks at Striker again, then back at Sunrise.

Maid:"Wait here. I'll go and get the madam."

The maid then looks at the Jack Russell and claps her hands loudly 
together. This gets the dog's attention.

Maid:"Fola! Stop it!"

The maid then goes to the stairs and climbs up them. The dog known
as Fola stops barking and sits down, looking intently at the group.
They wait for a few anxious moments before the maid comes down
the stairs with another woman. She is Caucasian middle-aged, has
long brown hair and is wearing a red dress. She looks very beautiful
for her age. The woman stops to stare at the group, then walks up
to the door. She scowls at the group.

Woman:"What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing her speak, Striker raises his head to look at the woman.
His eyes widen as he stares at her.

Striker:"Mari..."

Before he can finish talking, Striker's face contorts in pain and he
groans. Corsair looks at Striker.

Corsair:"Easy, boss. Don't go hurting yourself. Let us do the talking
         here."

Once again Sunrise is the one to talk to the woman.

Sunrise:"Please, Ma'am. We really need your help. Our friend here is
         in a lot of pain."

The woman takes a closer look at Striker, then gasps in recognition.
She begins to unlock the door.

Woman:"Are you mad? Why did you bring him here?"

The woman slides the door open. Right away Fola runs out the door and
up to Corsair. She immediately begins to bite at Corsair's ankles. He
gasps in pain, jumping about to try and avoid Fola while not dropping
Striker.

Corsair:"Get this mutt off me! Why must she bite me first? Ow!"

The woman quickly comes out and grabs Fola, and then speaks harshly
to the female Jack Russell.

Woman:"Bad dog! You're staying outside!"

She looks at the group.

Woman:"Come in, quickly."

The group immediately carry Striker through the door and into the
living room. The woman puts Fola down, then closes the door. Fola
barks a few times, but sits down by the closed door when she sees
nobody paying attention to her. The woman goes up to the maid.

Woman:"Jeanette, go and get the medical kit in the store room and
       boil up some water. And if you see Karen, send her up to my 
       room immediately."

Jeanette nods her head.

Jeanette:"Yes, Ma'am."

As Jeanette heads for the kitchen, the woman turns back to the group.

Woman:"Bring him up to my room. I'll lead the way."

Everyone nods their heads, then follow the woman as she climbs the
stairs. The group carefully carries Striker up the steps, making sure
to hold on while not losing their balance on the stairway. A short
while later they reach the top of the stairs, which meets a corridor
running the length of the house. Several doors are here, most of
them standing halfway open. The woman leads the group to a door at
the end of the wall and pushes it open. She flicks the light switch,
illuminating the large bedroom with a king-sized bed, a dresser, a
television set and some closets. The drapes have been drawn over the
windows. The woman steps in and points at the bed.

Woman:"Put him down on the bed."

The group go up to the bed, then rest Striker on the soft mattress.
The woman helps them a little bit while Striker tries his best not
to groan or yelp out in pain. Once he is on the bed, the woman starts
to examine Striker's legs. The others are standing around the bed
and watch.

Hotrod:"Do you know first aid, Ma'am?"

Woman:"A little bit. I can try and clean wounds and wrap his legs in
       proper bandages, but he will need surgery for this. What
       happened to him?"

Sunrise:"An APC drove over his legs and stopped there before we got
         it off again."

Woman:"Oh dear."

She looks at Striker.

Woman:"It was probably very painful for you."

Striker is about to respond, but at that moment Jeanette comes in
with a white suitcase with a red cross on it. Right behind her is a
young Caucasian girl in her early 20s. She resembles the woman in
many ways, including the color of eyes and hair and facial features.
Her long hair is tied in a ponytail and she is wearing a pink tank
top and denim jeans with sneakers.

Girl:"Mom? What is...?"

The girl stops and gasps a little when she sees the group, in parti-
cular Sunrise. Shephard, Merit and Hotrod look back at her and Corsair
seems to be staring. The girl is very surprised, then looks at her
mother.

Girl:"Mom, who are these people?"

As Jeanette gives the woman the first aid kit, the woman responds
without looking.

Woman:"Karen, you had better go and get Kya here. Now."

Sunrise's ears perk up in surprise. She quickly grabs Karen's arm
just before she is able to leave the room.

Sunrise:"Did your mother say Kya?"

Karen:"Ja. She is our cano-sapien worker here."

Sunrise:"Young wild dog female?"

Karen(surprised):"You know her?"

Sunrise:"Take me to her."

Karen:"Follow me."

Karen goes out the room, followed close behind by Sunrise. The woman
begin's to remove the wrappings and splints on Striker's legs while
Jeanette is sent to get a basin of water and some towels. Hotrod
leans against the wall by the window, sighing heavily.

Hotrod:"Man, now we can take a break."

Corsair:"No kidding. We're our of danger for now."

The woman looks up at Corsair.

Woman:"Nee, you are in very grave danger. You were still mad to bring
       him."

Corsair, Shephard and Hotrod look surprised at her.

Hotrod:"Why? You don't seem to be a mutant hater, Ma'am."

Corsair:"Neither does your daughter."

Woman:"Nee, but my husband and son are. You don't know where you are
       or who I am, right?"

They shake their heads. Just as the woman is about to answer for them,
Striker grabs her arm. She looks at him as he is looking intently at
her.

Striker:"Mariaan..."

The woman is taken aback when Striker speaks. She quickly recovers.

Mariaan:"Yes, I'm Mariaan. You know me."

Striker:"Ja, I do."

Striker then looks at the others.

Striker:"Her name is Mariaan Vorster. She is Adriaan's wife."

Upon hearing this Hotrod, Corsair and Shephard all stare dumbfounded
at Mariaan, their mouths open.

Corsair:"Wait. THE Adriaan Vorster?"

Mariaan nods, then resumes her work on Striker's legs. Hotrod swears
with Shephard while Corsair runs his hands through his hair in shock.

Merit:"I do believe that the proper expression for our current situ-
       ation would be that we have come out of the frying and into
       the fire. Am I correct?""

Corsair:"Correct. Too correct. Holy cow! We're in our enemy's own
         house!"

Shephard peers out through the curtain, then swears as he pulls back
again.

Shephard:"The front yard is full of security guards!"

Mariaan:"My husband's presidential security force and bodyguards. I'm
         surprised they didn't catch you out back."

Hotrod:"Man, we gotta get out of here."

At that moment Karen comes in. Behind her is Jeanette with a bowl of
water and Kya the female wild dog with several towels. Sunrise is 
with Kya, and both females are overjoyed and wagging their tails.

Sunrise:"Oh, Kya. I'm so happy to have found you alive. The others
         will be ecstatic."

Kya:"I missed you all too. I hope we can get out of here."

Jeanette goes up to Mariaan with the bowel.

Jeanette:"Here's the water, Madam."

Mariaan:"Thank you, Jeanette. Take some cotton and wash off some of
         the blood."

Jeanette:"Eh."

Kya comes up to Mariaan with the towels, still wagging her tail and
smiling.

Kya:"Here's the towels, Mariaan."

Mariaan takes the towels, looking curiously at Kya.

Mariaan:"Why are you so happy, Kya?"

Kya:"I've been reunited with a member of my family, the Cape Hunting
     Dogs. It's my sister, Sunrise."

Sunrise comes up and places a paw on Kya's shoulder, also smiling and
still wagging her tail.

Sunrise:"I never thought I would stumble upon my missing sister like
         this. And pregnant with her new mate's pup, no less."

Kya giggles and rubs her belly. Mariaan is about to congratulate them,
but at that moment Corsair runs up to Sunrise.

Corsair:"Not to spoil this little reunion, but do you know whose house
         this is?"

Sunrise:"It's Adriaan Vorster's place."

Corsair:"How did you know?"

Sunrise:"Kya told me and Karen confirmed it. They also warned me of the
         guards who came to the back yard. I managed to shape-shift
         before they spotted me."

Hotrod:"You mean that we got bogies at the way we came?"

Sunrise simply nods and Hotrod sighs. Shephard takes off his backpack
and digs around inside.

Shephard:"I'm getting those tazers out. Things are FUMTU."

Karen:"FUMTU? What does that mean?"

Merit:"FUMTU. A military acronym used in slang form by soldiers. The
       complete meaning is Fouled Up More Than Usual."

Hotrod:"Fouled?"

Merit:"My speech algorithm prohibits me from using any form of profane 
       vocabulary."

Hotrod:"I'll bet the censors love you, Merit."

Shephard starts handing out the tazers, giving them to Hotrod, Corsair
and Sunrise. Mariaan and Jeanette continue to treat Striker's legs
while he tries his best to keep his groans and yelps of pain to the
minimum. Karen and Kya remain close to Mariaan, waiting for instruc-
tions from her. While they wait, Sunrise breaks the silence.

Sunrise:"Miss Vorster, when will your husband come back?"

Mariaan shakes her head as she takes out another roll of bandages.

Mariaan:"I don't know. He sometimes comes in late, other times he
         comes in earlier."

Sunrise:"I see. Because we really need to get out of here before he
         returns home."

Suddenly Fola comes running into the room and immediately attacks
Corsair's ankles. Corsair shouts in pain and jumps around while the
Jack Russell tries her best to nip his feet.

Corsair:"Somebody get this little mutt off me!"

Karen quickly runs up and grabs Fola, who has her fangs dug into
Corsair's sneakers.

Karen:"Fola! Let go!"

Fola doesn't listen. Karen then slaps her on the rump. Fola lets
go immediately and Karen pulls her away from Corsair. Corsair rubs
his sore ankles while Karen chides Fola.

Karen:"Bad Fola! You don't go biting guests like that."

Corsair:"Man, why does she keep..."

Kya:"Who let her in? We did leave her outside, didn't we?"

All of the sudden a voice comes from the hallway, one that makes
Mariaan, Kya and Karen look up in horror.

Voice(from hallway):"Mom? Where are you?"

Everyone look at the doorway, Shephard quickly running up and hiding
behind the door. Just then Jaco Vorster comes walking in. He is a
young Caucasian man in his early twenties, wearing a white shirt and
black pants. He looks very much like his father in all appearances.

Jaco:"Mom, father called. He said he was..."

Jaco stops when he notices Corsair and Hotrod. He stares at them.

Jaco:"Who are you?"

Before they can respond, Jaco turns to look at his mother. His eyes
widen when he sees and clearly recognizes Striker lying on the bed.
Mariaan is frozen and looking at her son.

Mariaan:"Jaco..."

Jaco:"Mother! How did these mutants here?"

Jaco quickly looks back at Corsair and Hotrod, taking a step back.
He is very angry.

Jaco:"What are you doing to my mother and sister, you mutant-loving
      traitors!"

Hotrod:"See here..."

Jaco:"I'm getting the guards on your..."

Suddenly Shephard rushes out from behind the door, tazer ready. He
places one hand on Jaco's mouth, then presses the tazer to the boy's
back. Suddenly bolts of electricity shoot throughout Jaco's body
while his scream of pain is muffled. It only takes a second or two
before Shephard stops. He lets go of Jaco, who falls limp to the
floor. Mariaan and Karen are horrified and they both rush to Jaco's
side. Karen looks upset at Shephard while releasing Fola.

Karen:"What did you do to him!"

Shephard:"Sorry, Ma'am, but I had to tag him. He was going to raise
          the alarm."

Sunrise rushes up and puts a reassuring paw on Karen's shoulder.

Sunrise:"Take it easy. Your brother is just stunned. He will wake up
         again in a few hours."

Karen looks relieved, then quickly stands up and picks up Fola before
she can think of attacking Corsair again. Mariaan sighs, then covers
her face and starts to cry. Karen and Jeanette go to her and try and
comfort her.

Jeanette:"You okay, Madam?"

Karen:"What's wrong, mother?"

Mariaan wipes her eyes and sniffs, shaking her head.

Mariaan:"Nee, nothing's wrong."

Striker lifts his head to look at Mariaan.

Striker(Afrikaans):"Mariaan, please. Talk about it."

Mariaan is startled again when Striker speaks and she immediately 
looks at him. Striker groans in pain and lies flat on the bed again.
Mariaan gets up and goes back to the bedside. She immediately resumes
work on his legs and Jeanette helps again. Kya looks at the sprawling
Jaco.

Kya:"Shouldn't we do something about him? The butler might see him
     lying like this."

Sunrise:"Is the butler trustworthy?"

Kya:"No, he would raise the alarm right away."

Sunrise:"Let's get him into his bed. At least it won't look so sus-
         picious."

Karen:"I'll take you to his room."

Shephard:"I'd better go and guard the stairs in case that butler
          decides to come up here."

Shephard runs out into the hallway. Corsair and Hotrod go and pick up 
Jaco by the arms and legs. Karen leads them out of the room while the 
two carry the limp Jaco after her. Mariaan finishes tying the last
bandage around Striker's legs while Jeanette dries off the water and
blood with towels given to her by Kya. Striker's legs, while still
seriously mangled, are at least now looking better than before.
Mariaan looks at Jeanette and Kya.

Mariaan:"Jeanette, take the water and pour it down the drain and
         put away the first aid kit. Kya, take the towels and wash
         them clean of blood, then put them into the hamper."

Jeanette:"Yes, Madam."

Kya:"Okay."

Sunrise:"I'll help."

Jeanette takes the bowl of water, while Kya gathers the towels and
Sunrise picks up the first aid kit. The trio head out of the room,
leaving only Mariaan kneeling next to bed with Striker. She looks at
him.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Better?"

Striker(Afrikaans):"Yes, much better. Thank you, Mariaan."

Mariaan is taken aback again when Striker speaks, but shakes her
head.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Sorry. It's just your voice sounds so very familiar
       to someone I knew."

Striker(Afrikaans):"Someone you believe is dead?"

Mariaan stares at Striker, then sighs and nods her head.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Yes. His name is Gerard Vorster, but I'm sure you
       heard about him in the courtroom. Adriaan thinks that you had
       something to do with his disappearance. I believed so too,
       but all the evidence in the court proved otherwise. But my
       husband still clings to that thought."

She looks towards the window.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Adriaan wants to avenge his family's murder so
       much, and he is absolutely convinced that you did it. That's
       why he hates your kind so much. He's lashing out at them
       because sees your face in all of them."

Striker sighs.

Striker(Afrikaans):"He has changed since I last knew him."

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Yes, he has. His crusade is taking time away
       from the more important things..."

She hangs her head.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"... like me. And my family."

Striker notices a tear forming in Mariaan's eyes. He reaches up and
wipes it away. Mariaan looks at him again.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Forgive me. I'm rambling here about nonsense."

Striker(Afrikaans):"No, you are not rambling. You are just sorry that
       you married him instead of Gerard Vorster."

Mariaan looks both stunned and indignant at the same time.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"How did you know that?"

Striker(Afrikaans):"I know how you had romanced Gerard, pretending to
       be in love with him and accepting his gifts. All the while you
       also dated Adriaan. Eventually, you just left Gerard for him.
       Just like that."

Mariaan is staring at Striker, not sure what to say.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"How did you know that? Were you spying on us?"

Striker(Afrikaans):"Mariaan, think for a moment. Your affairs with
       both Gerard and Adriaan was known only to you and them. You    
       left Gerard for Adriaan just over a week before the massacre,
       and Gerard was still too upset to tell his parents. And you
       and Adriaan were away in Stellenbosch attending university.
       How could I have known unless..."

Striker lets it hang in the air. Mariaan moves closer, now looking
very intently at the cocker spaniel.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Unless what?"

Striker(Afrikaans):"Unless I was Gerard himself."

Mariaan stops and thinks, but she doesn't take her eyes off of the
cocker spaniel.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"True. You couldn't have known about it. You might
       have tortured Gerard to learn about it like Adriaan sometimes 
       claimed you might have done, but why would you want something
       as trivial as that? No, you are right. You could only know
       if..."

She smiles a little bit.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"... you were Gerard Vorster."

Striker nods and smiles a bit, but then loses the smile.

Striker(Afrikaans):"But I'm not really him, am I?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"No, you are not. Your voice sounds exactly like I
       remember him, though. You're about the same height too. You
       talk like him too."

She leans closer to look at his face, focusing in particular on his
green eyes.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Even your eyes have that very same sparkle I
       would see in his eyes during our nights at the..."

Her voice trails off and her smile fades while she keeps staring at
Striker's eyes. The more she stares, the more her face seems to grow
paler and the more her eyes seem to widen in recognition. Finally
she pulls back and puts her hands over her mouth, still looking at
Striker.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Oh my God... you are... you are..."

Striker doesn't say a thing. He just simply nods his head. Mariaan
finally cries and embraces Striker tightly. He grunts a bit little,
then embraces Mariaan as the woman cries again him.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"It's you! It's you! My God, it's you!"

She pulls back, tears of joy now flowing freely in rivers down her
cheeks. She cups her hands around Striker's face.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Gerard Vorster! You are alive!"

Striker smiles a little, reaching up to pull back Mariaan's stray
hair from her face.

Striker(Afrikaans):"Mariaan, it is so good to see again."

Mariaan embraces Striker again, crying on his shoulder with joy. He
returns the embrace. After a minute Mariaan stops crying and looks
up at Striker. She strokes his head.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Gerard... this is a miracle! The Lord answered
       my prayers! This is so unbelievable!"

Striker(Afrikaans):"Doesn't my appearance bother you?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"No, it doesn't."

She sniffs and wipes her eyes, then looks Striker over, noting his
fur and canine features.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Though I never expected you to appear as a
       cano-sapien."

Striker(Afrikaans):"You have changed considerably yourself, Mariaan.
       when you were younger you tended to stereotype people. Yet
       here you are, treating me and Sunrise and this Kya with
       kindness and respect. A far cry from Adriaan's behavior."

Mariaan nods sadly.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Yes, it is. You might say that. I changed for
       you."

Striker raises a surprised eyebrow.

Striker(Afrikaans):"Me?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Especially you, but also for the rest of your
       slain family. I had thought much about the other race groups
       in the country, yet you Vorsters were far more tolerant and
       treated them like family. After the massacre I had vowed to
       change my views and look from the other side. From that point
       on I've learned to accept and even like those who are not
       the same as me."

Striker smiles, taking Mariaan's hand and holding it. She squeezes
his paw back.

Striker(Afrikaans):"That's wonderful, Mariaan. And your daughter now
       follows in your steps too."

Mariaan smiles, looking at Striker.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Not as wonderful as having you back, Gerard."

The two of them look at each other, not saying a word for a moment.

Merit:"I do find this form of human interaction highly informative 
       and interesting."

Both Striker and Mariaan snap out of it and look surprised at Merit,
who had been standing on the other side of the bed the whole time.
Mariaan starts to blush.

Mariaan:"Oh, I'm sorry... forgive me, I..."

Striker shakes his head.

Striker:"Geen apologies needed, Mariaan. But some introductions might
         be in order. This robot here is the Mechanical and Electronic
         Repairs and Interactive Tasks, but we all call him Merit."

Mariaan looks at Merit, holding out her hand and smiling again.

Mariaan:"How do you do, Merit?"

Merit reaches out and takes her hand. They both shake.

Merit:"I am in full operational condition. What is your status?"

Mariaan laughs, wiping the remain tears from her eyes and looking at
Striker.

Mariaan:"You keep odd company, Gerard. But he seems nice."

Striker:"Merit might act a little strange at times, but means no harm
         whatsoever. He does get a little confused about human beha-
         viour, though."

Mariaan nods. At that moment Karen (carrying Fola), Kya, Sunrise, 
Corsair and Hotrod file into the room and look at the trio by the 
bed.

Hotrod:"Okay, we've tucked the kid into bed. If anybody checks into
        his room, he will look any other guy who's gone off to la-la-
        land."

Mariaan:"Is he still all right?"

Sunrise:"The tazer only stunned him. When he wakes up tomorrow he
         might experience some muscle aches, but that should fade
         very quickly."

Mariaan looks relieved. Karen then notices her mother's red-shot
eyes and the tear streaks on her face.

Karen:"Mom? Is something wrong?"

Mariaan realizes she had been crying and wipes her face off as best
as she can.

Mariaan:"Oh, no Dear. I just learned something that made me very
         happy. Could you perhaps bring me a tissue?"

Karen nods and heads for one of the drawers on the dresser. Corsair
watches her, keeping silent. Suddenly Fola comes running into the
room again and immediately beelines for Corsair. Corsair does not see
the Jack Russell. Fola then goes and bites him full on the ankle,
digging in her teeth. Corsair shouts in pain, then hops about and
tries to shake Fola off, who is holding on and growling at him. He
drops the tazer he carried onto the floor.

Corsair:"Ow! Fangs are sharp! Fangs are sharp! Ow!"

Karen gasps and quickly runs to Corsair. She kneels down and grabs 
hold of Fola, janking at the little dog and trying to get her to let
go.

Karen:"Fola! Let go! Let go nou!"

Fola doesn't respond and keeps holding to Corsair's ankle. Karen then 
slaps Fola hard on the rump. Fola yelps and lets go of Corsair, who
topples over onto the floor in pain. Karen looks at Fola in anger.

Karen:"Bad dog! What has gotten into you?"

Mariaan:"You had better go and lock her outside, Dear."

Kya comes up to Karen, holding out her paws.

Kya:"Here, Karen. I'll take Fola to our pen. I need to show Sunrise my
     mate anyway."

Karen:"But won't the guards see her?"

Kya shakes her head as Karen gives her Fola.

Kya:"No, she is a shape shifter. If there are guards, she can quickly
     change shape and hide. They won't see her."

Shephard:"Sure wish we had that kind of camo available to the rest of
          us."

Kya heads for the door, looking at Sunrise.

Kya:"Come on, sister. I want to introduce Jock to you."

Sunrise smiles, wagging her tail and coming up to Kya to put her one
arm around her sister.

Sunrise:"Lead the way."

Kya smiles and nods. The two of them head the door, carrying Fola with
them. Karen goes over and kneels next to Corsair, who is clutching his
bitten ankle.

Karen:"Can I see if there are wounds?"

Corsair nods in pain, taking his hands away. Karen unties and takes
off his sneaker, and then pulls down the sock. Corsair's foot looks
all right, though there are a few spots where Fola's fangs had drawn
a little bit of blood. She looks up at Corsair.

Karen:"Sit still while I go get some salve."

Corsair just nods again. Karen gets up and goes to the dresser. She
opens the drawers one by one, digging inside them until she comes up
a tube of healing salve and some tissues. She comes back to Corsair,
kneels down and cleans away the blood with the tissues. Once done, she
unscrews the lid of the tube and squeezes out some salve into her one
hand. She then rubs the salve onto Corsair's feet. Corsair flinches
at first, but very quickly the soothing massage Karen gives him makes
him relax.

Corsair:"Ah... that's better. Thanks."

Karen looks up at Corsair and smiles.

Karen:"You are welcome, Mister...?"

Corsair:"Corsair."

Karen:"Corsair? That's an odd name."

Corsair:"Well, it's actually my call-sign. My real name is David."

Karen:"David? I like that name better."

Striker looks at Mariaan, smiling.

Striker(Afrikaans):"A lovely daughter, Mariaan. You must be proud of
       her."

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Yes, I am. I tried to raise her in a different
       manner that Adriaan raised our son. She's also very clever and
       is doing well in her university studies."

Striker(Afrikaans):"What is she studying?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Finance."

Striker(Afrikaans):"Carrying on the Vorster family tradition."

Mariaan nods. She looks at Striker, uncertain of what to say next.
Meanwhile, Karen has finished rubbing the salve on Corsair's foot.
She looks at him.

Karen:"There. Feel better?"

Corsair:"Yeah, thanks... er...?"

Karen:"Karen."

Corsair:"Karen, thanks again."

Karen smiles and nods. She starts to gather the salve and used tissues
before seeing the tazer lying nearby. Curious, she picks it up and
looks at it.

Karen:"What is this?"

Corsair:"Oh, that thing is a device with a tazer built in. Shephard 
         used one on your bro."

Karen examines the device, fascinated by it. She locates the buttons
on the device and fiddles with them, though being careful not to go
and press any of them. After a moment, she looks at Merit and rubs
her chin.

Karen:"I wonder..."

She reaches out to Merit with the tazer, then presses a button on
the device. The electrical surge travels very quickly through Merit,
creating flying arches of electricity. Karen stumbles back in shock
while the others all quickly turn their heads towards Merit. Merit
starts to wave his arms and wobble on his legs while babbling.

Merit:"Executing clean up! Following detection! I do believe big
       terrible mess! Fish! Fish! Fish!"

Suddenly Merit starts to spin up like a top, his arms held out 
straight and his legs together. The robot spins right towards the
dress while Corsair and Karen stumble out of the way. Merit bumps
into the dresser, his spinning arms knocking over all the stuff onto
the floor. Finally, Merit's spin comes to a stop. He seems to stand
uneasily.

Merit:"Oh, I say."

The robot topples backward, landing with a big thud on the carpet.
Everyone is looking at Merit with wide eyes. Corsair takes the device
from the shocked Karen.

Corsair:"Maybe I better keep this."

Hotrod runs up to Merit and kneels next to him.

Hotrod:"Merit, hey buddy. You okay?"

Merit:"My fish systems are still fish scrambled, but should be fish
       back to fish normal within a few fish seconds."

Hotrod raises a curious eyebrow.

Hotrod:"Fish?"

At that moment Jeanette comes into the room, looking at the mess on
the floor.

Jeanette:"Joooo, what happened?"

Corsair:"Karen actually caused one of our friends to go crazy and he's
         knocked over the stuff on the dresser."

Karen:"I'm sorry, but I thought the tazer would not hurt him since he
       was a robot."

Hotrod:"Well, it sure didn't hurt him but it definitely made him go
        crazy."

Mariaan looks at Jeanette.

Mariaan:"Head back downstairs and keep working, Jeanette. I will clean
         this up."

Jeanette:"Ee, Madam."

As Jeanette heads out of the room Shephard, Hotrod and Merit come up
and start to pick up the stuff.

Shephard:"Let us do this, Ma'am. We're responsible for this mess."

Mariaan:"Oh, you don't need to..."

Hotrod:"Nah, it's cool. Gives us something to..."

Suddenly Hotrod discovers a tiny camera-like device lying amongst
the debris. Curious, he picks it up and examines it.

Hotrod:"Funny camera you got here, Ma'am. What is it?"

Mariaan looks confused at Hotrod.

Mariaan:"What camera?"

Hotrod turns and shows Mariaan the camera.

Hotrod:"This camera."

Mariaan looks intently at the camera, but shakes her head and looks at
Karen.

Mariaan:"Is that yours, dear?"

Karen looks at Hotrod, holding out her hand.

Karen:"Can I take a look?"

Hotrod nods and puts the camera into Karen's hand. She takes it and
looks it over closely.

Karen:"Nee, mom. This is not mine, nor is it Jaco's."

She then spots something on the camera.

Karen:"There's a logo on it."

Corsair:"What does it look like?"

Karen:"It looks like a red circle with a yellow triangle in the centre
       of it."

Striker's eyes suddenly widen. He turns his head to Karen, looking at
Karen intently while holding out one paw.

Striker:"Karen, bring that camera here."

Merit steps in at this point. He takes the camera from Karen and
brings to Striker. He places it in the spaniel's paw. Striker takes
the camera and looks closely at the device. A few moments later he
swears to himself.

Striker:"Ai yai yai."

Mariaan looks concerned at Striker.

Mariaan:"What is wrong?"

Striker looks at Mariaan, showing the camera to her.

Striker:"Mariaan, this camera belongs to the very same group who had
         massacred the Vorster family."

Mariaan is stunned by the news. The others are no less surprised by
this bit of information.

Mariaan:"Oh my God. Are you sure?"

Striker:"Ja, I'm sure of it. I thought again the group, called the
         Elite Guard, and their leader, General Franco, for four years
         after the massacre. And he's recently been trying to kill
         me as well."

Mariaan is flabbergasted.

Shephard:"If there is one hidden camera, there has to got to be more
          of them, sir."

Hotrod:"And perhaps even hidden microphone bugs all over the house."

Karen looks alarmed at Corsair.

Karen:"Are they spying on us?"

Corsair:"Ten to one, I'd say."

Suddenly the sound of a car horn can be heard from somewhere outside,
which immediately draws everyone's attention.

Merit:"I do believe my audio sensors are detecting a motorized
       vehicle's horn."

Hotrod:"Stating the obvious again, Merit."

Karen gets up and joins Shephard as they look out the window. They
can see an armored government vehicle with black BMW escorts parked
at the gate. Karen's eyes widen.

Karen:"It's father! He's home!"

Mariaan gets up immediately while everyone else is wide-eyed at the
news.

Mariaan:"You certain, Karen?"

Karen quickly closes the curtain and turns to her mother, nodding
her head.

Karen:"Ja, mom."

Shephard:"Total crapola! We have to pull out of here, sirs!"

Corsair:"Pull out? How are we going to carry Striker out without
         Vorster or his guards catching us?"

Mariaan looks at Striker very determinedly.

Mariaan:"We're going to hide you."

Striker:"Mariaan, asseblief. We do not want to cause trouble for
         you."

But Mariaan shakes her head and looks at Hotrod and Shephard.

Mariaan:"Help me place him under the bed. Quickly!"

Hotrod, Shephard:"Yes, Ma'am!"

As they rush up to the bed, Mariaan glances at Karen and points to
Corsair and Merit.

Mariaan:"Hide them in your room."

Karen quickly nods, then goes and helps Corsair onto his feet again.
She then takes Corsair by the hand and runs out the room with him,
with Merit walking right behind them. Mariaan, Shephard and Hotrod
take hold of Striker. They lift him up and carry him onto the floor
next to the bed. They then help push him underneath the bed until
he is well out of the sight. Mariaan peeks under the bed at Striker.

Mariaan:"Just stay quiet, Striker."

Striker:"Reg, Mariaan. Careful nou."

Suddenly a voice calls from somewhere downstairs. It is definitely
that of Adriaan Vorster.

Adriaan(downstairs):"Mariaan, I'm home! Oh, hello Jeanette."

As Adriaan and Jeanette converse downstairs, Hotrod and Shephard are
looking around frantically for a place to hide. Mariaan runs to the
closet doors and swings them open, revealing the clothes rack with
dozens of suits and dresses on hangers.

Mariaan:"In here, quickly!"

Hotrod and Shephard quickly run into the closet and Mariaan closes
the closet doors shut. She then goes back to the bed and sits down
while grabbing a book lying on the table next to it. Just as she
opens it and begins to act as if she is reading, Adriaan steps into
the room. He is looking tired but still manages a smile.

Adriaan:"There you are."

Mariaan smiles and gets up, putting the book aside. She and Adriaan
then hug each other.

Mariaan:"Welcome home, Dear. How was your day?"

Adriaan sighs and shakes his head.

Adriaan:"Terrible. These mutant militias have caused serious trouble
         in the townships today. I can't believe such heavy-armed
         beasts are roaming the country like this."

Mariaan:"Oh, I am sure you can handle it."

They stop hugging. Mariaan goes back to sit on the bed, while Adriaan
puts his suitcase down and begins to take off his suit.

Adriaan:"I certainly will. And so will my ministers."

Mariaan:"How come you are home so early?"

Adriaan:"I need the rest. These mutant problems require an alert and
         awake leader to tackle it. So I told Thozi to take over in
         my place for tonight. Just a quick shower and then I will
         retire."

Mariaan:"I see."

Mariaan takes the book and begins reading, but her eyes remain on
Adriaan, who has taken off his suit jacket. He walks to the closet,
much to Mariaan's shock. When he opens the closet, he looks towards
Mariaan to say something. As a result, he does not see Shephard and 
Hotrod looking back at him in utter shock.

Adriaan:"And I will need all the rest I can get. These mutants will
         pay for their little insurrection in our country."

Mariaan nods, trying to act as if she is listening. But her eyes are
wide while looking at Shephard and Hotrod. Adriaan is about to look
in their direction, when Karen comes back in. She sees the open closet
and thinks quickly.

Karen:"Hello, father!"

Adriaan turns to look at Karen with a smile.

Adriaan:"Hello, Karen."

He tossed the suit into the closet, which lands right over Shephard's
head. He closes the closet and goes to embrace his daughter.

Adriaan:"And how was your day?"

Karen:"Wonderful, father."

Adriaan and Karen break the hug.

Adriaan:"And where is your brother?"

Karen:"Oh, he went to bed already. He was very tired."

Adriaan:"Just like I am. Ah, but let him sleep."

Karen:"Yes, father."

Adriaan goes to his side of the bed, pulls out his pajamas and looks
at his wife as he reaches under the bed. This makes both Karen and
Mariaan look in alarm, but they quickly hide their expressions.

Adriaan:"I'm going to take a shower. Take any messages for me, will
         you?"

Mariaan:"Yes, Adriaan."

Adriaan nods, pulling out his slippers from beneath the bed. Both
Karen and Mariaan sigh with relief. Adriaan then walks out of the
room and heads for the bathroom. Karen runs to the door and peers
around the corner. She sees her father go into the bathroom and 
closing the door. Karen looks back at her mother.

Karen:"Father's in the bathroom."

Mariaan gets off the bed and looks under it at Striker. The spaniel
is already breathing a sigh of relief.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Are you all right?"

Striker(Afrikaans):"I'm all right, Mariaan, but that was close."

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"I know. I'm going to try and have you sleep in
       Karen's room tonight. I'm afraid you all have no choice but
       to remain here until early tomorrow."

Striker(Afrikaans):"Very early."

Meanwhile, Karen opens the closet door. Shephard and Hotrod step out
of the closer, looking very relieved.

Hotrod:"D***, what a close call."

Shephard:"Yeah. One second's look at us and things would have been
          totally FUBAR."

Karen:"Are you all right?"

Hotrod:"Yeah, we're fine. How's Corsair?"

Karen:"I managed to hide him in the closet in my room."

Hotrod looks at Karen with one eyebrow raised, but Karen doesn't seem
to notice. She has her attention on her mother, who is giving her
some instructions.

Mariaan:"Go and get Jock, quickly."

Karen:"Yes, mother."

Karen quickly runs out of the room, while Shephard and Hotrod go to
the bed. The two of them start to drag Striker carefully out from
under the bed. When Striker is pulled out, he is still holding the
tiny camera and examining it closely.

Striker:"I think this camera is still running."

Mariaan is surprised as she kneels next to Striker.

Mariaan:"You think that your nemesis is watching, Gerard?"

Striker nods, not taking his eyes off the camera lens.

Striker:"Ja."

He growls at the camera as he puts both his paws around it.

Striker:"Franco, I know you are watching. If you even think of ever
         coming to harm the Vorsters, I swear I will yank the bullet
         out of your brain and shove it up your tail."

Suddenly he squeezes his paws, crushing the tiny camera into small
fragments.

Throne Room
Elite Guard Headquarters
Unknown Location
At That Moment:

General Franco is seated on his throne, which is now turned towards
the bank of monitors. All the screens show the live image from the
tiny camera, with Striker looking at it. Suddenly the screens all go
static as the spaniel crushes the camera. Franco does not seem to
be bothered much by this.

Franco:"Brave boast, Striker. But one day you will find me a very
        different foe than in the past. If you live that long."

He puts his paws together and starts to crack his knuckles.

Main Bedroom
Vorster Estate
Western Gauteng Province:

Striker is throwing the remains of the camera into a bin held up to
him by Mariaan. She watches the fragments fall into the rubbish bin.

Mariaan:"Could there be more of these little devices spying on my 
         family?"

Striker looks at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, can you detect any other surveillance cameras in the 
         house like the one I had?"

Merit:"Given enough time, I can certainly accomplish my task. As a
       matter of fact, I have already located three such cameras."

Striker:"Goed. As soon as Adriaan has gone to sleep you can write
         down the locations of the camera so that Mariaan and Karen
         can get rid of them."

Merit:"Task recorded."

Mariaan looks at Striker.

Mariaan:"Should I tell my husband about the cameras, Gerard?"

Striker thinks for a moment, and then shakes his head.

Striker:"Nee, I don't think that it will help matters. What will help
         is if you, your daughter, Jeanette, Kya and Jock become more
         vigilant and alert. Who knows what Franco and his followers
         were spying on you for."

Mariaan nods in agreement. At that moment Karen comes in with Jock,
the male husky who is the second slave on the estate. The two of
them come up to the group.

Jock:"Kya's sister told me about your friend's condition, Madam. How
      can I help?"

Mariaan stands up as she looks at Jock.

Mariaan:"Help carry Striker to Karen's room. And quickly. I do not
         believe my husband will be showering for long."

Jock looks at Striker curiously as he approaches. Shephard and Hotrod
help Striker up, then Jock jumps in to help lift the spaniel off the
floor. Striker then looks at Shephard and Hotrod.

Striker:"I want you two to sleep in Jaco's room tonight."

The two them look with surprised curiosity at Striker.

Shephard:"What for, sir?"

Striker:"To make sure Jaco does not wake up before tomorrow morning.
         One of you can keep watch on him while the other sleeps,
         then you will exchange places later in the night. If Jaco
         wakes up too early he will certainly alert Adriaan."

Hotrod:"Kinda makes sense, doesn't it? Okay, you got it."

Shephard:"Gotcha, sir."

They then focus their attention on carrying Striker to Karen's room.
They make sure not to hurt his legs while Mariaan and Karen both
help where they can.

Vorster Residence
9:48 PM:

It is now fully nighttime and everything at the Vorster Residence has
relaxed. Only a few lights are on inside the house and most of the
guards have gone to sleep. In the slave pen in the backyard, Kya is
helping Sunrise get the simple bedroll in a small hut ready. Lying in
another bedroll is Jock, who is watching the two females. Sunrise
looks at Kya.

Sunrise:"Are you sure I can use your bedroll? We do have some gear in
         the Rhino."

Kya:"Nah, no need to sister. I and Jock will do just fine in our own
     bedroll."

She looks over at Jock and winks.

Kya:"Won't we?"

Jock chuckles and winks back.

Jock:"I guess cannot disagree with that."

Kya giggles. Sunrise then tucks into the bedroll, where Kya helps pull
the covers up.

Kya:"There we go. It's nice to have my family with me tonight."

Sunrise:"Tomorrow, you and Jock will come with us and get out of
         this country."

Kya:"I can't wait for it."

Kya goes over to Jock and worms her way into the bedroll. She snuggles
up against Jock, who puts one arm around her. The couple then looks
at Sunrise.

Kya:"Goodnight, sister."

Sunrise:"Goodnight, Kya. Sleep well. And you too, Jock."

Jock:"Same here for you. Goodnight."

The trio then settles in and begins to drift off. Inside Karen's room
in the Vorster residence the light is still on. Karen's room is
decorated in mainly light blue with some pink, with enough personal
touches to make it clear that the room is feminine. Karen herself
comes into her room with a blanket. She goes to the closet and opens
it up. Sitting at the bottom of the closet is Corsair, who is trying
to make himself as comfortable as possible. Karen kneels and gives
him the blanket.

Karen:"Here you go. This should make it more comfortable."

Corsair:"Thanks. It's a bit cramped in here, so the blanket will
         surely help."

Karen smiles.

Karen:"Goed. Just tell me if you need any help."

Corsair nods, folding the blanket and tucking it under his back for
support.

Corsair:"You got it."

At that point Mariaan comes in, wearing a robe over her nightgown.
She kneels by Karen's bed and looks under it. Striker is there,
lying in a sleeping bag and his head resting on a pillow. He looks
at her.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"You all right, Gerard?"

Striker(Afrikaans):"Yes, I am. How is Adriaan?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Sound asleep. He set the alarm for four in the
       morning, so he should leave before five."

Striker(Afrikaans):"Ah, goed. That will give us enough darkness to
       leave here before the guards can see us."

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Yes. Oh, and your friend Hotrod returned just
       now. He wants you to know that he has hidden your vehicle
       near the residence and out of sight."

Striker(Afrikaans):"Thank you. Is he with Shephard now?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Yes, he is. He's gone to sleep in Jaco's closet
       while Shephard keeps watch over my son."

Striker(Afrikaans):"And Merit?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Folded up and stored in one of my travel suit-
       cases."

Striker(Afrikaans):"Goed, then all is settled. You had best get back
       to bed and get some sleep, Mariaan. We all need it."

Mariaan nods, but just before she leaves she grasps Striker's paw and
squeezes it.

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Gerard."

Striker(Afrikaans):"Yes, Mariaan?"

Mariaan(Afrikaans):"Good to have you back."

Striker can only smile and squeeze her hand back. They stare at each
other for a minute before letting go. Mariaan then leaves the room
while Karen closes the closet and climbs into her bed. A minute later
the light is off and everyone begins to doze off to sleep. Soon all
is quiet on the Vorster residence except for the night guard. The
situation in South Africa has now grown into an all-out crisis and
Striker and company are deep in enemy territory even with friends on
their side. Will they be able to get away from the Vorster residence?
What is the Sapien Liberation Army doing? And will the Rovers be able
to get out of South Africa before their enemies find them?


THE END