Rover Strike: Vanguard

Episode 3: The Money Men

By Gerhard Naudé

All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
Chester, Sneaker, Thorn, Casa Lupo Residents © Kristen Coughlan

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

Laboratory
Vanguard Complex
Unknown Location
4 June
4:01 AM:

This is small square room with white tiled walls and floor. High-tech
computers, medical equipment and state of the art examination and
research gear are here. The most striking feature of the room is a
large machine that resembles a decompression chamber, but is covered
with all manner of cables, computers and electronic devices. Scientists
in lab coats are working on it and the other equipment. Lying inside
the chamber on a special bed is Earl Hawkins. He is hooked up with
various wires and tubes going into his mutated body, while his eyes and 
ears are covered with some kind of headset. A microphone runs from it to
his mouth. The scientists outside cannot hear the conversation Hawkins
is having with Ian Macmillan.

Hawkins(into com):"So we are now in business there, Macmillan?"

Macmillan(over com):"That we are, Mister Hawkins. Your show of force on
         the news has swayed a lot of the UN membership to our side. The
         Vanguard is on the verge of getting full approval from all the
         Security Council members."

Hawkins(into com):"Is there a delay?"

Macmillan(over com):"Its Norwood, as usual. He's scrambling about, trying
         to keep members from throwing their weight behind the Vanguard.
         So far he's managed to slow me down, but the momentum is building
         against him. Plus, I think his popularity is starting to take a
         bit of a hit."

Hawkins(into com):"Good. I want his reputation ruined in the end."

Macmillan(over com):"If you can keep up your side of the deal, Mister
         Hawkins, then I'll be able to make sure Norwood will be seeking
         new employment."

Hawkins(into com):"The sooner the better. And don't worry about my side
       of the bargain. We're working on a big plan to really get at the
       Road Rovers."

Macmillan(over com):"Something I should know about it?"

Hawkins(into com):"Not yet. We're still working on the details, plus we
       need to get more info from..."

There is a tap on his chamber that gets his attention. Standing outside
is Thomason, tapping on a small view port. Hawkins can see him via a
security camera mounted outside the chamber and connected to his head-
set.

Hawkins(into com):"I need to go. Got a guest. Keep those UN members on
       our side, Macmillan."

Macmillan(over com):"Certainly, Mister Hawkins. Goodbye."

Hawkins waits until Macmillan has hung up before using an intercom to
speak with Thomason.

Hawkins(into com):"What have you got, Thomason?"

Thomason(into com):"I have the latest reports all compiled into the
        usual readable format, including an interesting transmission
        from Fleabag."

Hawkins(into com):"Fleabag's got something to say? Well, well. You know
       where to put the drive, Thomason. Once you do it, you can go."

Thomason(into com):"Yes, sir."

Thomason takes out a USB drive and plugs it into a port on a terminal
fixed to the chamber. He then salutes and leaves. Hawkins begins to
download the files from the drive with his headset. He reads the reports,
focusing first on the ones from the individual named Fleabag.

Hawkins:"Ah, Fleabag has made quite a discovery. I'd better issue her
         the appropriate orders. This is a prime opportunity for us to
         ruin the Road Rovers."

He chuckles as he keeps reading the other reports while the scientists
continue their work.

Briefing Room
Road Rover Headquarters
State of New Mexico
United States of America
5 June
8:00 AM:

The Master is standing on the balcony and the members of Unit STRIKE are
seated around the table. Phoenix has now joined Striker, Corsair, Il-
lanov, Shephard and Merit, having fully healed. All eyes are on the
Master.

Master:"Welcome, Strikers. And a special welcome back to Phoenix, who has
        been declared fit enough to go back to active duty."

Phoenix smiles.

Phoenix:"Thanks, Master. Professor Hubert gave me a clean bill of health,
         so I'm glad I'll be able to stretch my legs again."

Master:"I'm glad to hear it, and none too soon either. I have a mission
        for you Strikers."

Corsair:"Hopefully not one where the Vanguard is going to beat us to the
         punch again."

Master:"Not this time, David. We are taking the fight to them, or more
        precisely, their pocket books. I'm sending Unit STRIKE to find
        out more about how the Vanguard is financed. And who is doing
        the financing."

The Master uses a remote to activate one of the screens. A shows a map
of the Caribbean Islands, with Cuba being the most prominent island.

Master:"Your destination..."

He uses the remote again to zoom in on the map. This time the screen
shows three small islands south of Cuba.

Master:"...is the Cayman Islands."

Phoenix:"Isn't that the place famous for being an offshore financial
         centre?"

Master:"The very same place, Phoenix."

Illanov:"I visited the Caymans many times. If you needed to launder
         money for an arms deal or get a cash infusion from a shell
         company that cannot be investigated, you go to George Town
         and do your business there."

Merit looks at Illanov.

Merit:"Launder money? I was not aware that currency required such a
       thorough cleaning process."

Corsair rolls his eyes.

Corsair:"No Merit. Money laundering means to get rid of the criminal
         evidence on illegally gained money to make it look like the
         legal stuff, not actually sticking wads of cash into a washing
         machine with a box of soap and a bucket of warm ward."

Merit:"It would appear a logical approach to me. Currency is handled by
       many individuals of which about 30% to 60% do not practice good
       hygiene."

Corsair's eyes widen.

Corsair:"I... don't want to think about the implications of that. At
         all."

Striker speaks up to the Master.

Striker:"What do the Vanguard have in the Caymans, Master?"

Master:"We have several ideas. One is that they have several shell 
        companies who have bank accounts there. Another is that a number
        of banks and financial institutions handle their cash flows
        from there. But we're not entirely sure, so I'm sending Unit
        STRIKE to the islands to get more information."

Shephard:"Is the Vanguard going to let us shift through their financial
          statements, Professor?"

Master:"I think not. And I strongly suspect the Vanguard are quickly
        going to take action if they find out you are in the Caymans.
        We've suspected that they've been listening on our communications,
        so be prepared for the Vanguard to attack you very soon upon
        your arrival in George Town."

Shephard cracks his knuckles.

Shephard:"I'm up for a fight. We'll see who's the better team then."

Master:"On that note, I want you all to visit Collin in his laboratory
        before you depart. He has something for you for take along in
        case you do get into a fight with the Vanguard."

Corsair:"Ah, news toys to play with it? I'm interested in seeing that."

Striker stands up.

Striker:"We will leave as soon as we have gotten our new equipment from
         Collin."

Master:"Excellent. Good luck, and be careful in the Caymans. Who knows
        what you will dig up... and what the Vanguard will do to bury it
        again."

The rest of the stands up, salutes and begins to file out of the briefing
room. The team heads for the laboratories.

Collin's Laboratory
Road Rover Headquarters
8:25 AM:

The laboratory is rather cluttered and much more disorganized than the
labs used by Professor Hubert. Everywhere amongst the computers, cabinets,
workbenches and cabinets are various unfinished projects, devices and
other machines partly assembled or disassembled. In the centre of the lab
the floor has been cleared to make room for five objects hidden under
white blankets. Collin is working under one of the blankets, with only
his tail and legs sticking out.

Collin:"If plate A goes into slide B, then..."

At that moment Unit STRIKE comes into the laboratory. Striker clears
his throat.

Striker:"Verskoon me, Collin?"

Collin:"Just a second... there."

Collin emerges from under and stands up, brushing his labcoat.

Collin:"Ah, Striker. And Phoenix! Good to see you on your feet again."

Phoenix:"Thanks, Collin. It's good to be up and about."

Corsair gestures to the blanket-covered objects.

Corsair:"The Master said you have something special for us. Is it those
         things under the blankets?"

Collin nods and smiles.

Collin:"That's right. Its been a work in progress for over a year now,
        but they're finally ready for use in the field."

Illanov:"Then let's see your creations, comrade Collin."

Collin:"With pleasure."

Collin walks over to one of the blankets while Unit STRIKE gathers around.
The collie turns to them and takes hold of the blanket.

Collin:"Presenting..."

He pulls of the blanket. Underneath, held up by a metal stand, is a
powered exosuit. It resembles Road Rover armor in colour, but it is much
more advanced with flexible plating on the chest, legs, arms and waist.
The helmet is shaped to fit over a canine's head, specifically Striker's
head. It has a slot on the right wrist and the boots are fitted to the
suit itself. Currently it stands folded open on the front, allowing the
user to easily step in and get the suit on.

Collin:"

Corsair:"Whoa... awesome."

Illanov:"Very impressive, comrade Collin!"

Phoenix:"Hey, that's the same suit that Strikie wore in South Africa,
         right?"

Collin:"That's right, but that was a prototype. This here is the Road
        Rover Special Operations Suit Mark I, or SpecOps Suit. Each one
        is made specifically for each of you."

Striker:"How is this one different from the prototype I wore?"

Collin:"Aside from working out some of the kinks and bugs, the suit is
        adjusted to assist you according to your abilities or powers.
        In your case, the helmet's visors have a built-in target locator
        and aiming assist module, while the arms and gloves can help
        better your aim and grip on firearms."

Striker listens while inspecting the suit. He nods approvingly.

Striker:"Baie goed. You've done a good job, Collin."

Collin:"Thank you. Now, Phoenix. Let me show your suit."

Phoenix nods and follows Collin as he goes over to the second blanket
next to Striker's. He takes hold of it and pulls it off. Under it is
another SpecOps suit, except this one has a feminine shape to fit
Phoenix and red instead of blue colours. Phoenix walks up and takes a
look at it.

Phoenix:"Very nice! Will I fit comfortably in it?"

Collin:"Of course! Every one of these suits have been designed to fit
        according to your measurements."

Phoenix looks sharply at the collie.

Phoenix:"And just how did you get MY measurements?"

Collin clears his throat and looks around uncomfortably for a second
or two.

Collin:"Uh... moving on!"

He quickly gets closer to the suit and points to the gloves. Unlike
the rest of the suit, they have a black and white colour scheme.

Collin:"To suit your ability, Phoenix, the gloves have been made not
        only to resist the heat from your flames, but also allows you
        to better control and amplify the power of your flames and even 
        fire them like a cannon. If you've seen Iron Man, you'll know 
        what I mean."

Phoenix studies the suit, paying close attention to the gloves.

Phoenix:"Nice! I like this."

Collin nods and moves on to the next suit, looking at Illanov.

Collin:"This one is yours, Alex."

Illanov:"Do show, comrade."

Collin removes the blanket, revealing a SpecOps Suit similar to that of
Striker's, only it has a brown and grey colour scheme and a slightly
different pattern for the armor pads. Illanov approaches and takes a
look at the suit.

Collin:"What do you think?"

Illanov:"Impressive, comrade. Does it work with my invisibility power?"

Collin:"That's right. With this suit, your power lasts 50% longer and
        the added stealth abilities built in will reduce the odds of
        someone hearing you."

Illanov:"That is very useful, comrade. I will enjoy trying this out in
         the field."

Collin moves on to the next suit and gestures to Corsair.

Collin:"Come here, Corsair. This one is yours."

Corsair approaches eagerly, rubbing his hands together.

Corsair:"Ooooo. Let's see what you have, doc."

Collin:"Sure. Here's your suit."

The collie removes the blanket, revealing Corsair's SpecOps Suit. It is
slightly smaller than the others, with a darker blue/grey colour scheme
and signs of eletronic wiring running under the armor plates. On the
wrists are small computers while on the back is a sophisticated backpack.
Collin steps back as Corsair looks it over excitedly.

Collin:"What do you think?"

Corsair:"I like it! Very cool! I take it all these tech things will help
         with hacking and accessing electronics, right?"

Collin:"That's right, and you can do it with built-in cables or even
        your own fingers. It also comes with a recharger in case your
        laptop, or any other device, needs power."

Corsair:"Sweet stuff! Thanks!"

Collin:"A pleasure."

Collin goes over to the last blanket with Shephard in tow.

Collin:"Ready to see yours, Sergeant?"

Shephard:"Ready, sir. What have you got?"

Collin removes the blanket to reveal Shephard's Exosuit. Unlike the others,
this suit is different. It appears bulky and larger, with a built-in gas-
mask and helmet, thick armor plates, a backpack and several external
ammo and grenade slots. The colour scheme is a green/light brown colour.

Collin:"Your SpecOps suit is more like a kind of powered armor. Thick
        armor, aim assist, several night vision filters built into the
        helmet, a sprint function and extra, easy to reach spots for
        extra ammunition and grenades."

Shephard looks the armor over.

Shephard:"So wearing this will basically turn me into a walking tank,
          sir?"

Collin:"Yes, though you won't be invincible. But you will be able to
        take on much greater opposition with this suit."

Shephard nods approvingly.

Shephard:"I like this armor, sir. I look forward to taking it into
          combat."

Collin steps back, joining Merit's side and looking at the others.

Collin:"Okay, now that you've all been introduced to your new suits,
        how about we check and see if they fit?"

Striker:"Goeie idea, Collin. Do they still close up like the proto-
         type?"

Collin:"Yes. You just step in and slide your paws or hands into the
        gloves. The suit will automatically close around you."

Striker nods and looks at the others.

Striker:"Suit up, almal!"

The Strikers go to their new suits, put their feet into the boots and
finally slide in their paws/hands into the gloves. The suits begin to
automatically close around them, fitting around their limbs and bodies
first and then sliding the helmets over their heads. There is the sound
of the locks snapping into place, and the suits are on.

Collin:"There we go. How does it feel?"

The Strikers begin moving around, taking a few steps and moving their
arms, heads and fingers.

Phoenix:"Very comfortable."

She looks at her mate and grins.

Phoenix:"You look good in armor, Strikie."

Striker gives the thumbs up to his wife.

Striker:"Dankie, Firefly. You're quite beautiful yourself."

She giggles. Corsair does some mock fighting poses.

Corsair:"Yeah! Look out, villains! Hero's got a new toy!"

Illanov rolls his eyes and turns his attention to Collin.

Illanov:"Will it take some training to get used to the suits, comrade
         Collin?"

Collin:"It might take a while to get used to the suits and its functions,
        but it won't too difficult. You should be able to get the basics
        under the belt on your flight to the Caymans."

Merit looks at the others in their new suits.

Merit:"Will these new shells require regular maintenance and cleaning?"

Collin:"Not much, Merit. They are designed to need only minimum main-
        tenance and repairs. As for cleaning, I think you got that pretty
        much covered."

Merit turns to Collin.

Merit:"The suits require covers?"

Collin stares at Merit with a look of perplextion on his face. The others
continue to move around and get a feel for their new suits.

Tanarus & Elexis' Quarters
Road Rover Headquarters
9:01 AM:

Inside the couple's apartment Elexis is sitting on the edge of their
bed, watching as Tanarus chases Chester around. Chester is teleporting
around in small jumps while Tanarus tries to catch him.

Tanarus:"Come on! Sit still, please?"

Chester giggles and teleports to another part of the room just as the
coyote is about to grab. Tanarus groans.

Tanarus:"Ugh... I'm tired..."

Elexis:"Chester just wants to play, Dear."

Tanarus:"This isn't the time for games, Elexis. We need to try and find
         his parents, or failing that at least get him to his relatives.
         He can't stay here forever."

Elexis:"I know, but luckily today seems to be mission day. Unit STRIKE
        is going to the Caymans to follow up on a Vanguard lead. So we
        can use that time to take Chester away from here."

Tanarus:"I hope so. Now hold still..."

Tanarus slowly approaches Chester, who is sucking his thumb while sitting
on a chest of drawers. He lunges for the pup, but once again the little
wolf teleports away from. Tanarus groans and covers his face with one
paw while Chester giggles.

Tanarus:"How am I going to handle being a father of my own pups if I can
         even handle this one?"

Elexis smiles at him.

Elexis:"I'm sure you'll learn quickly."

Suddenly there is a knock on the door, startling the couple. Chester
teleports into Tanarus' arms, startling him again. 

Tanarus:"What the... ugh, you silly little pup."

Chester giggles as Tanarus rushes to the door and unthinkingly opens the
door. Phoenix is standing here with Firefly in her arms.

Phoenix:"Hello, Tanarus!"

Tanarus:"Morning, Phoenix."

Phoenix glances at Chester.

Phoenix:"And the little one? Who's he?"

Tanarus blinks, then realises he is holding Chester. Firefly smiles and
paws at Chester, who giggles and paws back.

Tanarus:"Er... this is Chester. We're puppysitting him for a couple while
         they are on a mission."

Phoenix looks at Firefly, who is pawing at Chester.

Phoenix:"Seems Firefly and Chester know each other."

Tanarus:"Uh, yes. They got along well last time we looked after Chester."

Phoenix:"That's great. I'm glad she will have a friend to play with while
         Striker and I are away."

Elexis gets up and comes over as Phoenix gives Firefly to Tanarus. The
two pups immediately begin playing.

Elexis:"Hello Phoenix. I heard you're going to the Caymans?"

Phoenix:"Hi Elexis. Yeah, we got word the Vanguard might have a piggy
         bank down there so the Master is sending us in to check it out."

Elexis:"I hope you guys find something and teach the Vanguard a lesson
        while you're at it too."

Phoenix:"Thanks! Now I need to go. We're leaving soon."

She pets Firefly and gives her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

Phoenix:"Be a good pup now, Firefly. Mommy will be back later."

Firefly nods and licks Phoenix back. Phoenix waves at Tanarus and Elexis.

Phoenix:"Take good care of my little one. Goodbye."

The couple wave back.

Tanarus:"We will, Phoenix. Good luck with the mission!"

Elexis:"Goodbye and good luck!"

Phoenix walks away. The couple go back in and close the door. Tanarus
goes and sets the two pups down on a carpet to play.

Tanarus:"Glad Phoenix was in a hurry, otherwise she'd be asking us some
         uncomfortable questions."

Elexis:"Once they're gone we can go and take Chester to his parents."

Tanarus:"Let's hope Jude and Nesta haven't suffered the same fate as
         Blake's family."

Elexis nods somberly as she watches Firefly crawl after Chester, who
teleported a short distance away.

Laboratory
Vanguard Complex
Unknown Location
A Short Time Later:

Hawkins is dozing inside his chamber while most of the scientists are
away for a coffee break. A Vanguard soldier comes in and taps softly on
the chamber's view port. Hawkins opens an eye and looks at the soldier,
who salutes. Hawkins activates the intercom.

Hawkins:"Yes?

Soldier:"Pardon me, sir, but we have some intel. Yellow level."

Hawkins:"Very well. Give it to me."

The soldier nods, takes out a flash drive and inserts it into the port.
Hawkins downloads the information and begins to study it. He smiles.

Hawkins:"Ah! Is that what you're up today, Striker? Better fix that."

He looks back at the soldier.

Hawkins:"I have some new orders. Listen carefully."

Soldier:"Yes, sir."

The soldier listens intently as Hawkins relays a new set of orders to be
delivered.

Scout Flight Indigo
Somewhere Near Bolzano
Northern Italy
14:38 PM:

Flying over the mountainous northern countryside of Italy is a flight of
three KH Orca fighters. One of the fighters has been modified, replacing
most of its weapons with surveying, landscape scanning and photograhpy 
equipment. The modified Orca is in the lead, with the two others following
close behind on its flanks. The pilot checks the screens being displayed
on his helmet's visor electronically.

Pilot 1:"Mapping out terrain... scanners show several optimal locations.
         Verifying the locations."

Pilot 2,3:"Copy that."

The modified Orca makes a slight turn towards one of the sighted areas.
The other Orcas follow suit. The aircraft fly to their waypoint and start
to circle the area.

Pilot 1:"Optimal location reached. Marking it as site 1. Verifying..."

Just then one of the pilots notices something.

Pilot 2:"Tell me, is there supposed to be a village or farmstead around
         here?"

Pilot 3:"Negative. This is area is supposed to be devoid of civilization."

Pilot 2:"Then what is that to the east?"

The other pilots take a look. Some distance away but clearly visible is
a collection of several houses and other buildings. There seems to be
smoke coming from the centre of the village.

Pilot 3:"You're right. That is a village. Is that on the map?"

The modified Orca's pilot checks the map displayed on his HUD.

Pilot 1:"Negative. There isn't anything on the map."

Pilot 3:"Then where did that come from?"

Pilot 1:"Let's do a flyby and have a look. Taking lead."

Pilot 2, 3:"Copy that. Following lead."

The three Orcas begin to fly towards the village. In the centre of the
village itself, a small festival was going on. Several lambs are being
cooked over the bonfire, while tables are set around it. All the villagers
are gathered here. What is surprising is that they are all wolf-sapiens
barring two cano-sapiens. One of the wolves stands up: a large male with 
blackish brown fur that have started to grey a bit and red eyes. He is 
apparently the chief of the village, for a clap of his paws brings silence 
to the tables. All eyes are on him.

Chief:"Firstly, allow me to welcome you all here today in Casa Lupo for
       this festival celebrating the puppy shower of Sebine and Quil."

The wolf gestures to the two wolves in question: the male Quil who looks
very much like the chief and the female Sebine with grey and white fur.
Sebine is well into her pregnancy. The couple smile at the chief as the
others applaud.

Sebine:"Thank you, Thorn. We appreciate your leadership here at Casa
        Lupo."

Thorn nods and smiles, then resumes his speech.

Thorn:"We are all looking forward to seeing the new arrivals to our little
       settlements and we hope that..."

He trails off as the sound of engines become more and more pronounced.
Everyone starts to look around for the source of the noise. Suddenly the
three Orcas fly overhead, startling the wolves.

Thorn:"What the h***?!"

The Orcas turn around and begin to circle Casa Lupo. The pilots all
look down at the village and its inhabitants with surprise.

Pilot 2:"What the? Do you see what I see?"

Pilot 3:"Definitely! We got wolf-sapiens living down there!"

Pilot 2:"But where did they come from?"

Pilot 3:"Maybe they are remnants of the Elite Guard? Remnants or something
         like that?"

Pilot 1:"We better report this find to our superiors as soon as possible.
         I'm taking a few pictures of this settlement for verification."

The Orcas circle a few more times before finally flying away from Casa
Lupo. As they depart and the sound of their engines grow distant, the
various wolves begin to talk. One female wolf, who has brownish grey fur,
looks at a male who resembles her in looks.

Female:"What was that about, Barclay?"

Barclay shakes his head.

Barclay:"I don't know, Erisa. But I sure hope its not a sign of trouble
         to come."

Erisa:"Me neither."

The two cano-sapiens, Flutter and Amber-Lynn, look at each other.

Amber-Lynn.:"Didn't those look like the aircraft used by that terrorist
             organisation of wolves?"
 
Flutter:"The KH Military? Could be, but I can't say for sure. I hope it 
         isn't them."

Thorn frowns and grumbles to himself.

Thorn:"I'll need to talk to the Italian government. They are becoming a
       bit too lax again."

Thorn clears his throat and claps his paws to get everyone's attention
again.

Thorn:"Now now, everyone. The incident has passed. Let's forget about it
       for now and focus on enjoying the day. Come, the meat is ready!"

Sure enough everyone relaxes and begin to enjoy themselves again. The
lamb is cut up and served to all the wolves as the banquet begins. The
flight of Orcas, meanwhile, continue on their mission, but this time with
a sense of haste.

Stalker's Quarters
KHA Alexander
Somewhere Over The Arctic Circle
15:28 PM

Stalker is standing by the window of his private quarters, looking out at
the frozen wasteland of the arctic. Nearby Sneaker is on the floor playing
with a plush rabbit. As he stands there, there is a beeping noise coming 
from a nearby desk. He walks over to it, picks up the mobile phone laying 
on top and answers.

Stalker(into phone):"Stalker here... Yes, I am aware of the scouting op in
       northern Italy... A what did they find?... A village full of wolf-
       sapiens? Are you?... Not on the map?... Has the location been noted?
       ... All right, get all the information on this settlement together
       and send it to my personal computer... No, I will contact my brother
       about it. His Delta Squadron can assist in this matter. Just give me
       all information on this settlement... Good."

Stalker ends the call, but doesn't put the phone down. Instead he dials 
a new number while sitting down by his desk. While it dials, he activates 
the computer built into the desk. The phone is answered.

Stalker(into phone):"Brother?... Yes, its me. Listen, one of your squadron's
       scout teams found a wolf-sapien settlement in Northern Italy... 
       No, it is not on the map... No, I'm waiting for the information, 
       but I'm going to send it to you. If there really is such a 
       settlement, we need to take action and find out more about it... 
       Not sure yet. I'll have the Eta Squadron try and find out if the 
       Vanguard knows about it."

The two of them continue their phone conversation while Stalker begins typing
on the computer. Sneaker keeps playing with the rabbit plush, shaking it
around and gnawing on its ears.

George Town
Cayman Islands
13:08 PM:

The capital of the Caymans covers much of the island, its skyline con-
sisting mostly of colonial era residences mixed with some modern office
buildings, holiday resorts and shanty towns. A few cruise ships and
several smaller yachts are in the harbour. The streets are packed with
residents, businessmen and tourists alike. Riding in a taxi into the
commercial district is Illanov and Corsair, both of them wearing some
civilian clothing.

Corsair:"I wonder why the boss insist that the two of us go on this
         mission? He knows that the two of us don't get along.

Illanov:"Comrade Striker thinks the only way for us to make peace is to
         work together. I don't like it either, but lets at least finish
         the assignment before we start fisticuffs."

Corsair:"Fair enough, I can at least hold out until then. Speaking of the
         assignment, what's the plan?"

Illanov:"We're going to a bank that I used to frequent during my arms
         dealing career and pretend I'm offering up a deal for certain
         interest groups. Which would be the Vanguard."

Corsair:"Will that work? You haven't been an arms dealer in years. You
         just kind of dropped off the radar when you got turned into a
         cano-sapien."

Illanov:"I'll just say I took an extended break. Besides, it is not rare
         for someone like me to vanish for years before stepping into one
         of these banks to do business."

Corsair frowns.

Corsair:"Hold on. Do you have accounts here?"

Illanov:"Dah, I have several here. Probably much larger due to the interest
         gathered over the years."

Corsair:"So you basically got a ton of cash on the Caymans."

Illanov:"I suppose, but trying to make a withdrawal will raise too many
         alarm bells. Besides, I have enough money for me and my wife now."

Corsair:"It must still suck not being able to touch all that money."

Illanov:"You get used to it."

Corsair shrugs. The taxi comes to a stop near an office building with
white walls, prominent blue windows and curved corners. The driver looks 
over at them.

Driver:"Here we are, sirs. The Cayman Islands Trust Bank."

Illanov:"Thank you, comrade."

Illanov gives the driver his money, then he and Corsair climb out. They
look at the building.

Corsair:"Not bad, if it didn't look like all the other banks we passed on
         our way here."

Illanov:"This is the right place. I still remember the address."

Corsair shrugs.

Corsair:"If you say so. Let's go in."

Illanov:"Dah."

The two of them walk up to the bank and enter it. Inside the bank they
approach a help desk, where a woman looks up and smiles at them.

Woman:"Good morning and welcome to Cayman Islands Trust. How can I help
       you?"

Illanov:"Hello. I would like to meet with a private consultant regarding
         matters of... extraordinary trade."

The woman's eyes twinkle in acknowledgement.

Woman:"Ah, you're a special client. I will get you one of our more... ah,
       specialised consultants. Please wait here."

Illanov:"Thank you."

Illanov and Corsair go and sit down on the chairs nearby while the woman
makes a phone call. A few seconds later she puts the phone down and looks
towards them.

Woman:"Our consultant will be here shortly."

The two of them nod and begin to wait. Corsair picks up a magazine to read
while Illanov just sits back patiently. After some time a man in a blue
suit and red tie appears. He sees the two Strikers and approaches them.

Suit:"Pardon me, sir, are you the client dealing in extraordinary trade."

Illanov:"Dah, that is correct."

Suit:"Excellent, sir! I'm your consultant for whatever business you wish
      to conduct here in the Caymans."

Illanov stands up and shakes the suit's hand. The suit then looks at
Corsair as he stands up.

Suit:"And this is...?"

Illanov:"A business partner in the same trade."

Suit:"Ah! Pleased to meet you too, sir."

The suit and Corsair shake hands.

Corsair:"Same here. Uh... aren't you going to ask for our names?"

The suit shakes his head.

Suit:"Not unless you desire to, but my clients prefer complete anonymity.
      And we provide it."

Illanov:"Dah. So shall we do business?"

Suit:"Of course! Please follow me, sirs."

The two of them follow Suit through the bank to his office. As they go
through the building, Corsair whispers to Illanov.

Corsair(whispering):"If they don't use names, then how does this bank do
       business like this?"

Illanov(whispering):"We use sequences of numbers in place of names. He
       will probably give you one too."

Corsair(whispering):"Ah, okay."

The trio continue through the building until they reach the suit's private
office and go inside. The office's main feature is a big L-shaped desk
upon which rests a computer, printer and several types of office supplies.
A big filing cabinet is in the corner while up in the ceiling is an
air conditioner. There is a big swivel chair behind the desk and two
normal chairs in front. The suit closes the door and goes and sits in
the swivel chair while Illanov and Corsair sit in front of the desk.

Suit:"Now, how can I help you gentlemen?"

Illanov:"Firstly, I would like to find out whether my old accounts are
         still available. It has been a few years since I've accessed
         them."

Suit:"Of course! Do you still remember the account numbers?"

Illanov:"Dah. The account is..."

The suit stops him and points to Corsair.

Suit:"Just a moment, sir. Do you want him to hear this information?"

Illanov:"Dah. He is good."

Suit:"Just making sure. Continue, please."

Illanov:"Account is 998 492 115, under the name 248901516."

Suit:"Thank you. Just give me a moment."

The suit types on his keyboard, entering the information and bringing up
several windows on the screen. He examines the information before he
turns back to Illanov.

Suit:"Good news. Your account is still active and available. Plus, you've
      managed to collect quite a bit on interest as well."

Illanov:"That's good."

Suit:"Of course, there are new rules and regulations regarding these... uh,
      special accounts. Certain countries have been pushing for greater
      transparency here on the Caymans and all financial institutions,
      including us, have to comply. But you can continue doing your work
      here as long as you know what the rules are. Just to avoid setting
      off any troublesome alarm bells, of course."

Illanov:"Of course."

The suit explains the rules while Illanov and Corsair listen. After a few
minutes they are done.

Illanov:"All perfectly acceptable to me, comrade."

Suit:"Excellent! Now that you've been acquanted with the new rules and we
      have verified your account, what sort of business would you like to
      do with us?"

Illanov:"I'm looking offer my services in the trading of business tools
         to an organisation that has been making the news lately."

Suit:"Ah! You must mean the V... oops, apologies. Group 781702. Yes, they
      have been making quite a stir in the media."

Illanov:"Dah. That's why I thought they might use my skills."

Suit:"Well, Group 781702 doesn't do business with us. Not directly. But!"

The suit opens a drawer on his desk and rummages inside it.

Suit:"They did inform us to keep an eye out for people in your trade.
      Now where did I put that... aha!"

The suit takes a notebook with a binder. He removes the binder and opens
it. He turns a few pages before finding what he is looking for.

Suit:"They have a man here on the Caymans. He basically handles all their
      transactions and business deals at our colleagues' institutions."

Corsair:"Does he have a name?"

Suit:"Yes, but its mostly fake. He claims to be George Smith, but his
      accent gives him away as Russian."

Illanov:"Russian?"

Suit:"Yeah, like you. Rumour is that he used to be in the Soviet army,
      but fled to Cuba shortly before the USSR went into oblivion. And 
      that he was involved in... ah, trading business tools too. You two 
      could get along nicely."

Illanov:"We could very well, comrade."

The suit writes something on a piece of paper and gives it to Illanov.

Suit:"Here you go, sir. This is the address he goes to whenever he needs
      to do business. I'll phone him and let him know you're in the 
      market. Do you still have the same phone details as before, or
      has it changed since you were last here."

Illanov:"It's changed. Comrade, give him the number."

Corsair:"Okay."

Corsair gives a number, which the suit writes down. He smiles and stands
up, as do Illanov and Corsair.

Suit:"A pleasure to have done business today. I hope you and Mister Smith
      strike a deal. Which means you will be back here, of course."

Illanov:"Naturally, comrade. I will need that money, dah?"

Suit:"Indeed! Thank you for coming back to us."

They all shake hands before leaving the office. As they do, neither Corsair
nor Illanov notice the security cameras are all following them as they
head out of the bank.

PRISMA-5
High Earth Orbit
A Few Minutes Later:

Orbiting the earth is a communications satellite It is cylinder-shaped 
with solar panels on its sides. On the top is a mast of antennae, while 
at the bottom are a trio of dishes. On the side is the name PRISMA-5. 
Currently the satellite is making a connection between two callers.

Caller 1:"You sure its them?"

Caller 2:"Very certain. Their identities have been fully confirmed."

Caller 1:"Then what is the recommendation?"

Caller 2:"Track their movements and see if there are more of them. They
          usually operate in teams of around four to six or more. Also
          try and locate their base of operations."

Caller 1:"Understood. Anything else?"

Caller 2:"We are sending in a special team to deal with them. Be sure to
          provide them with any support they require."

Caller 1:"Will do."

The satellite continues on its orbit.

Restaurant
Market District
George Town
16:37 PM:

At the corner of a busy street opposite an open-air market is a modest
yet welcoming restuarant. Most of the tables are occupied by tourists
with a few locals here and there. Waiters dart back and forth between
the patrons and the kitchen. Illanov and Corsair come into the restaurant
and are approached by a waiter.

Waiter:"Good afternoon. Table for two?"

Illanov:"Actually, we are here to see a very important businessman."

Recognition fills the waiter's face.

Waiter:"Oh! You're here to see Mister Andropov? He's right over there,
        near the corner."

The waiter indicates to a table at the far end of the restuarant. A man
is sitting by the table, reading a newspaper laid out on the table.
Illanov nods and gives the waiter a bank note as tip.

Illanov:"Thank you, comrade."

Waiter:"A pleasure, sir. Let us know if you need anything else."

Illanov and Corsair proceed towards the man. About halfway the man lifts
his head a bit as he scratches an itch on his neck. Illanov gasps and
stops. Corsair stops too.

Corsair:"What is it?"

Illanov:"Mikhail! I don't believe it."

Corsair:"Wait, you know this guy?"

Illanov:"Dah. He is Mikhail Andropov, a former colleague of mine who
         worked with me smuggling arms during the last days of the Soviet 
         Union. He fled the country when I got involved in that incident 
         with Matrix and the Totallator."

Corsair:"Talk about small world. But why worry? The last time he saw you
         was as a human. He wouldn't recognise you as a cano-sapien."

Illanov:"Maybe, but my voice..."

Corsair:"Bah, he probably wouldn't connect the dots. And that's if we he
         even remembers. Heck, your voice might even be different from
         the one you had as a human."

Illanov:"Dah... you're right. We must proceed forward."

The two of them resume walking. As they approach the table, Andropov looks
up at them. He has a portly face with a beard and moustache and brown eyes.
His own body is also portly, but still shows signs of his early military
days.

Andropov:"Are you two the traders I'm to meet?"

Illanov:"Dah, that's us. And you must be George Smith?"

Andropov smiles and nods.

Andropov:"That's right. Welcome, and please sit down, dah?"

Illanov and Corsair take a seat around the table. Andropov snaps his
fingers to get a waiter's attention. The waiter comes over.

Andropov:"I'll have one glass of scotch. And these gentlemen will have..."

Illanov:"Vodka, please."

Corsair:"Just a soda, thanks."

The waiter takes the orders and leaves. Andropov turns back to the two.

Andropov:"So I heard you two are here hoping to do some business here?"

Illanov:"Dah. They said you might know some potential buyers."

Andropov:"I might. I'm sort of a go-between for my current employers. I
          find them the right people and I do the deals on their behalf."

Corsair:"And who are these people?"

The waiter brings them their drinks. Andropov wastes no time taking a
sip from his glass.

Andropov:"You watch the news?"

Corsair:"Yeah, why?"

Andropov:"You might seen an organisation called the Vanguard a lot."

Corsair:"Ah, those guys. Yeah, I saw them. Making quite a splash, espe-
         cially against the Road Rovers."

Andropov:"Dah, and they are getting bigger by the day."

Illanov:"I'm wondering if that is a good thing. The Road Rovers have been
         a menace to our trade before."

Andropov:"And you're not alone. EuroCorp, my previous employers, also
          made no secret of their hatred towards those pesky mutts."

Corsair:"You worked for EuroCorp once?"

Andropov:"Once, yes. I had to help them with something in Greenland... but
          that's another story. Anyway, my current employers are that very
          same Vanguard."

Illanov:"Ah. Are they open for business?"

Andropov:"Dah, but only for the really good stuff. They're not looking for
          your typical US gear you see on CNN. And forget about selling
          them third world garbage, too. You will need to be really good
          with your products, or no deal."

Illanov:"Oh... I, uh... Oh! I think we got something."

Illanov looks at Corsair.

Illanov:"Show him, comrade."

Corsair frowns at Illanov. The German shepherd mouthes "your pistol".

Corsair:"Oh yeah! Here you go."

Corsair pulls out his Laser Magnum and puts it down on the table. Andropov
takes it and examines it, clearly impressed.

Andropov:"Ah! Now this. THIS is what the Vanguard wants."

Illanov:"Can we do business?"

Andropov:"Of course! The Vanguard will definitely be interested in this
          kind of weaponry. Who is your supplier?"

Illanov:"Let's just say I know some people in the right places."

Andropov:"Keep your sources close to your chest, dah? Fair enough, but
          can your supplier provide those items in bulk quantities?"

Illanov:"Depends on how much your employees need."

Andropov:"I'll need to get back to them, but we can definitely arrange
          another meeting after I've contacted them. How about nine
          tomorrow morning, right here?"

Illanov:"That's perfect with me, comrade."

Andropov:"Excellent, comrade! Let us toast."

They all raise their glasses and clink them together before taking a
sip. Andropov then gestures to Illanov.

Andropov:"You know, you remind me of someone I once knew back in Russia."

Illanov:"I do?"

Andropov:"Dah, that voice of yours sounds almost like that someone. He was
          also in the same business as you. Well, until he ran into trouble
          with the KGB. In fact, if I didn't see you in front of me as one
          of those cano-sapiens, I would have thought you were him."

Illanov:"Quite an coincidence."

Andropov:"For sure, comrade."

Andropov finishes his scotch and puts the glass down, sliding a bank note
under it.

Andropov:"Good talking with you, comrade. We will meet again tomorrow."

Illanov:"Of course."

Andropov shakes hands with Illanov and Corsair, then gets up from the 
table and leaves the restaurant. Illanov glances at Corsair.

Illanov:"Not recognise my voice?"

Corsair:"My bad. At least he didn't connect the dots. Good idea on using
         my magnum."

Illanov:"I had to think fast. We'd better leave and go back to the
         Stealth."

Corsair:"Good idea. Let's go."

The two of them get up and leave the restaurant as well.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
2 Kilometers Outside George Town
18:01 PM:

The Stealth Rover is parked amongst a secluded group of trees outside of
the city. Unit STRIKE is gathered in the cockpit, discussing Illanov and
Corsair's mission.

Corsair:"... and then we go up and headed back here."

Phoenix:"Quite a surprise to learn this George Smith is actually an old
         friend of yours, Alex."

Illanov:"I wouldn't really call him a friend, comrade Phoenix. He was
         always more of a colleague in the same business. Did you manage
         to track him?"

Shephard:"I followed him to what looks to be his residence, sir. A big
          beachfront mansion in the wealthy part of town."

Striker:"Any sign of the Vanguard there?"

Shephard:"Not that I saw, sir."

Striker:"Goed. Alex, you and Corsair are going to meet him again tomorrow?"

Illanov:"That's right, comrade."

Striker:"In the case, here's the plan. Alex and David will meet with
         Andropov while Shephard keeps a lookout for any trouble. Meanwhile 
         Phoenix, Merit and I will break into his house and search around 
         for information about the Vanguard. Let's see what Andropov is 
         hiding."

Illanov:"Sounds like a good idea, comrade."

Phoenix:"Let's go for it, Strikie."

Striker:"Then that is the plan for tomorrow. Let's get some sleep and
         get ready at first dawn. Shephard, you have the first watch."

Shephard:"Yes, sir."

They all get up and proceed out of the cockpit.

Casa Lupo
Somewhere Near Bolzano
Northern Italy
6 June
08:15 AM:

The village residence are all up and about, doing their morning chores 
and routines. Thorn comes out of his cabin, ready to go fishing in the
nearby lake. He takes a deep breath as he closes the door.

Thorn:"Ah, a beautiful day."

Just then a wolf-sapien rushes up to him.

Wolf:"Sir, we got company up the road."

Thorn:"Someone took the wrong turn again?"

Wolf:"I don't think so, sir."

The wolf points to the lone road leading to the village. Coming up that
road is a convoy of construction vehicles escorted by several blue SUVs.
On the sides of all the vehicles is the insignia of Malcolm Industries.
Thorn stares at the convoy.

Thorn:"So much for a beautiful day. Put the others on alert, just in case
       we get trouble."

Wolf:"Yes, sir."

The wolf rushes to find the others while Thorn quickly walks up to the
road. He flags down the convoy. The lead SUV stops, followed by all the
other vehicles. The doors open and several Police Troopers climb out. A
moment later, Malcolm climbs out. He takes off the sunglasses he is
wearing as Thorn approaches.

Malcolm:"Now there is a face I haven't seen in ages."

Thorn frowns.

Thorn:"Malcolm. You're the last wolf I expect to find here."

Malcolm:"And you're the last wolf I expect to do business with. I got to
         say, you still look good for your years."

Thorn:"Enough pleasantries. What are you doing here, Malcolm? And what are
       these earth movers, diggers and dump trucks for?"

Malcolm:"Down to business, eh? Fine. I got a call from General Stalker
         himself telling me to bring some gear down here to Casa Lupo and 
         begin to make a clearing for the base."

Thorn(blinking):"Base?"

Malcolm:"You know, military base. Lots of troopers, tanks and turrets. The
         usual."

Thorn:"I know what a base is. And what I do know is that we don't want a
       base here. Was it your aircraft that flew over our village?"

Malcolm:"Yes, it was. They were scouting our good base locations when they
         spotted this charming little village. They reported back to the
         Supreme General, who then gave me a call."

Thorn:"And now Stalker has approved to build a base here?"

Malcolm:"Ah! So you know Stalker is in charge now?"

Thorn:"We do watch the news here, Malcolm. Now why did Stalker want to 
       build a base here?"

Malcolm:"Have you heard about the Vanguard?"

Thorn:"We heard about them on the news, too."

Malcolm:"Okay. The Vanguard has been starting to give us trouble and
         Stalker believes bigger trouble with them lies on the horizon.
         So now we're building additional outposts in key regions around
         the world, including Italy."

Thorn:"But why here near Casa Lupo? Why not elsewhere in Italy?"

Malcolm:"For two reasons. Firstly, Casa Lupo is a refuge for KH Military
         personnel..."

Thorn:"FORMER and RETIRED personnel."

Malcolm:"Right, that. So you're expertise could prove valuable to the
         outpost. Secondly, the Vanguard have not only been targeting us
         lately. They're also coming after you."

Thorn:"Us? That's absurb. The Vanguard doesn't know we're here, and even
       if they did we got friends in the Italian government."

Malcolm:"Hate to break it to you, but your friends were bought out by the
         Vanguard recently."

Thorn is surprised by this revelation.

Thorn:"What?"

Malcolm:"I had to bribe some government officials and in the process I
         find out that the Vanguard had been channeling a lot of monies
         to various Italian politicians for their support. Among them,
         withholding help for Casa Lupo, which is incidentally how I found
         out the name of this little spot."

Thorn:"I find that hard to believe."

Malcolm:"Well, I can leave you to find out the truth yourself. But I got
         a job to do here. We won't be in your way."

Malcolm winks before turning to the crews and giving them orders. Thorn
turns around and marches back quickly to Casa Lupo. The construction crews
and vehicles head to a designated clearing to get to work.

Andropov's Residence
Outskirts of George Town
Cayman Islands
6 June
09:05 AM:

This neighbourhood is one of the more exclusive areas in George Town,
located near a pristine shoreline. Rows of double-story, white-walled
beach houses line the single road that runs through here. All the pro-
perties are surrounded high walls with electric lines on top. On the
beach a pair of private security guards are marching along.

Security 1:"Yet another day of absolutely nothing happening here."

Security 2:"Who cares? They still pay us regardless."

Security 1:"Yes, but it gets boring. I feel as if we are missing the
            action."

Security 2:"Bah, stop complaining and keep walking."

The two security guards march on. Unbeknownst to them, there is in
fact action right behind them. Three figures suddenly shimmer into
view: Striker, Phoenix and Merit. Striker and Phoenix are in their
SpecOps suits and Merit is in his battle shell.

Phoenix:"Your shell's new cloaking field worked nicely, Merit. Those
         guards walked right through us."

Merit:"According to the design specifications, the cloaking field on my
       shell only affects my battle shell and the Special Operations
       suits. Any other object will be unaffected and visible within the
       field."

Phoenix:"Guess we owe Collin lunch again."

Striker:"We can talk about it later, Firefly. Come on, let's move in."

The three of them quickly move towards Andropov's residence. His place
has tinted windows and a higher wall than the other houses. A single
gate leads out to the beach, but it a heavy metal door with an electronic
lock on it. The trio approach the gate.

Phoenix:"Andropov certainly doesn't skimp on security."

Striker:"And very expensive ones at that. The lock alone must cost a
         fortune. A fortune he probably gets from the Vanguard. Merit,
         unlock the gate."

Merit:"Executing command."

Merit comes up to the gate and opens the hatch covering his toolkit. The
utility drone gets to work on the door while Phoenix and Striker keep
an eye open. While they wait, there is a beep on Striker's Watchcom,
which is now attached in a slot in his suit. He answers.

Striker(into com):"Striker here."

Illanov(over com):"This is Illanov. We're at the rendevoux point, but
       we don't see Mikhail."

Striker(into com):"No sign of him?"

Illanov(over com):"Nothing so far, comrade."

Striker(into com):"He not at home that we know of. Stay put, but if he
       doesn't appear within 15 minutes contact me again."

Illanov(over com):"Dah."

Striker switches off his Watchcom just as Merit finishes his work.

Merit:"Task completed."

Striker and Phoenix turn to Merit and are a bit surprised to see that the
drone had unscrewed the entire door free and put it aside.

Phoenix:"Uh... you were only supposed to unlock the door."

Merit:"And I achieved that task as required."

Striker:"Never mind. Kom, inside."

The three of them enter the property and go to Andropov's back porch. 
Phoenix tests the back door and finds it is not locked.

Phoenix:"He must be very confident of his wall to not lock his door."

Striker:"Let's go inside, but be careful. Merit, stand guard around the
         outside."

Merit:"Affirmative. Patrolling perimeter."

Phoenix and Striker go in, their weapons ready. Merit begins to go around
the house and scans for any trouble. Inside the house Striker and Phoenix
are surprised to find the structure almost devoid of any furniture.

Phoenix:"The heck? This place looks like its never been occupied."

Striker:"Something is not reg here. Better be on our guard, and have your
         armor ready."

Phoenix:"For sure."

They start to search the empty residence. They come to the dining room. It
is also barren except for the wooden dining table.

Phoenix:"Guess Andropov didn't like it."

Striker spots a letter lying in the centre of the table. He goes and picks
it up. On the front of the letter stands "TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN". The
spaniel opens the letter. Inside is a card. The canine couple look at what
is written on it.

Striker, Phoenix(reading):"Gotcha?"

They quickly look at each other, their eyes wide through their suit visors.
Suddenly they notice something from the corner of their eyes and look
out to the windows. A pair of Vanguard Operatives jump out of the bushes,
both of them wearing Proto-L armor and carrying GURKA Shotguns with
underslung attachments under the barrels. The Operatives' armors are a
black colour with no visible identification markings. The two of them fire
their underslungs. Striker and Phoenix try to react, but the large slugs
smash through the window and came right for them. One misses, but the other
hits Phoenix in the chest. The impact knocks her off her feet.

Striker:"Phoenix!"

Striker grabs her and drags her out of the room as the Operators fire
their regular shells. Once in cover, Striker kneels down and frantically
checks his mate.

Striker:"Phoenix! Phoenix!!"

Phoenix:"I'm okay, Strikie! Calm down."

Phoenix quickly sits up, rubbing the spot where the slug hit her. The suit
is blacked by the impact, but otherwise undamaged. Striker checks the 
spot and breathes a sigh of relief.

Striker:"Dankie tog for the suits."

Phoenix:"Let's not relax, Strikie! We got more company! Look!"

Striker looks and sees the front door break open. An Operative carrying a
sonic rifle rushes in and fires at them. Striker fires his own sonic rifle
back at the Operative. The two sonic blasts hit each other, causing a big
sonic blast that knocks over the Operative. Striker and Phoenix jump to
their feet and rush for the kitchen. Outside in the backyard Merit is
still doing its rounds when it picks up the gunfire.

Merit:"Sound identified as munitions. Possible hostile contact?"

Merit scans the area when suddenly the back wall breaks apart in a cloud
of rubble and dust. A Vanguard HECU comes storming into the yard.

Merit:"I say! What a terrible mess."

HECU:"Possible contact, scanning."

The two robots scan each other.

Merit:"Contact is confirmed: Vanguard."

HECU:"Contact identified. Engaging."

The large robot aims its one cannon at Merit and fires a quick burst of
energy at him. The blast hits Merit and makes him roll back, but it does
not damage his battle shell. It does disorient the drone a bit.

Merit:"%$#^#^^... please do not leave litter on the floor%$%#$@#!$.. Oh!
       That was not appropriate. Engaging defensive actions."

Merit prepares to hit back, but the HECU rushes forward and smacks the
drone with one of its large arms. Merit is nearly knocked off his treads
as he lands in a flower bed.

Merit:"Shell integrity holding."

Merit then sees the HECU charging one cannon and taking aim. Merit quickly
rolls out of the flower bed just before it fires a powerful energy beam.
The beam misses and hits the wall behind Merit, blasting it into a cloud
of broken masonry and dust. Still moving, Merit takes aim and fires at the
big robot. The HECU turns to the side, letting the bullets hit the harder
parts of its armor. Merit quickly retreats around the house, but the HECU
stomps after him.

HECU:"Initiating pursuit."

Inside the house Phoenix and Striker are fighting off more Operators who
come rushing into the house. Phoenix creates barriers of fire in the door-
ways they retreat through, blasting the flames from her paw like a flame
thrower.

Phoenix:"Wow, this suit really gives me a boost to my powers."

Striker:"I hope so, because we are under serious fire here!"

Phoenix:"What's the plan, Strikie?"

Striker:"Up the steps to higher ground."

The couple make for the steps. Just as they approach it a Vanguard N-Ops
comes out in front of them and fires his sapper gun at them. The couple
are struck and immediately feel themselves getting weaker. But their
suits absorb much of the blast's energy, allowing Striker to close in and
grab the sapper gun. The N-Ops and Striker begin to struggle for control
of the weapon. The N-Ops tries to kick Striker away, but the spaniel holds
firm against the kicks and thrusts the gun into the operative's guts,
knocking the air out of him. Phoenix comes up and hits him on the back
of the head with her fist. The N-Ops drops to the floor.

Phoenix"Geez, what is that gun? I feel so weakened..."

Striker:"Same here, but we must keep moving. Up the steps!"

Tired, the couple rush up the steps to the top while more operators rush
into the rooms on the floor below. At the top Phoenix tries to block the
steps with fire, but can only muster a sputtering flame in both paws.

Phoenix:"My powers! Its so weak!"

Striker:"Ai yai yai. Then we had better defend it with our weapons! Take
         up a position on one side of the steps and watch out for any
         hostiles coming in through the windows!"

Phoenix:"Okay!"

The two canines go and kneel on either side of the steps, keeping out of
line of sight of any possible snipers. From below the shouts increase,
but none of the operators appear in Striker or Phoenix's line of sight.

Striker:"Wat are they doing down there?"

From below a muffled female voice can be clearly heard.

Female:"Where are they?"

Operative:"We got them trapped upstairs, Ma'am."

Female:"Are they injured?"

Operative:"We managed to sap them both, but no hits. They seem to have
           some kind of body armor or power suits."

Female:"That's no reason to stop the attack!"

Operative:"But..."

Female:"Leave them to me, I'll get him. You two N-Ops! Get right behind
        me and get ready to sap those two!"

N-Ops:"Yes, Ma'am!"

Phoenix looks over at Striker.

Phoenix:"Sounds like the leader."

Striker:"Better get ready, Firefly."

Phoenix nods and prepares her laser pistol while Striker gets his Sonic
Rifle charged and ready. They hear someone coming up the steps and pre-
pare for a fight.

Female:"Let's see if they like this."

Flying up into view from below is an egg-shaped device with a blinking
blue light. Striker's eyes widen.

Striker:"Grenade!"

Striker and Phoenix duck into adjacent rooms just as the device detonates
with a powerful sonic blast. The blast breaks apart the stairs' wooden
railings and damages the wooden walls and floor, sending splinters flying
through the air. With the opening provides by the blast, the female
leader comes up the steps. She is a wolf-sapien with black and white fur
and red eyes. She is wearing a Proto-L suit and holding a pair of Plasma
Pistols, which are miniature versions of the Plasma Rifle used by Illanov.
On her suit is a tag with her name: River. She grins and looks around.

River:"Come on out, little doggies. Come out and play."

The two N-Ops come up behind her, their sapper guns charged and ready.

River:"Search the rooms! And be quick!"

N-Ops:"Yes, Ma'am!"

The N-Ops split up and start to do a sweep. The first N-Op enters the room
where Striker is. Striker is ready and grabs the tip of the sapper gun 
with both paws. The N-Op tries to fire it, but Striker brings the weapon 
down onto his knee, cracking the weapon's barrel and rendering it useless. 
The N-Op swings a punch at Striker, who ducks and lands a punch of his 
own under the soldier's chin. The N-Op falls backwards out the room again. 
River growls and starts firing her pistols at the wall seperating her
from Striker. The spaniel lies flat while the superhot plasma shots burst 
through the wall above him. At the same time he charges his sonic rifle 
and waits for River to stop shooting. When she does stop to let her
pistols recharge, Striker rolls out of cover and fires. River spots him 
and takes a dive out of the way of the sonic blast. The blast hits the 
wall behind her, sending a cloud of wood splinters and plaster flying. 
River growls and lets her pistols finish recharging.

River:"You're dead, mutt!"

Striker:"Better people than you have told me that before, and I am still
         here."

River jumps up and rushes into the room where Striker is, only to get
tripped up by his extended foot. The moment she falls flat on her stomach
the spaniel jumps onto her and tries to wrestle the guns from her paws
while keeping her pinned. River struggles.

River:"Get off me you dirty mongrel!"

Striker:"Not a stable individual, are you?"

River screams and keeps trying to get out from under Striker, but the
spaniel stays put on her. Suddenly there is a loud crash. Merit comes 
flying through the second story window towards Striker. Striker sees the
drone flying towards him and jumps off River. Merit misses by inches as
he lands on his treads. Striker quickly sits up and looks at the robot.

Striker:"Merit! Are you all reg?"

Merit, despite his battle shell being dented on the one side, appears none
the worse for wear.

Merit:"All systems are still in good operating order. However, there is
       a rather problematic external problem."

Appearing at the window where Merit has come through is the top of the 
HECU robot. Its one arm cannon is slightly dented on the side.

HECU:"Target reacquired. Continuing offense."

The HECU opens up its rocket packs and prepares to fire. Striker's eyes
widen and he jumps to his feet as the HECU fires a salvo of small rockets
at both him and Merit. The Strikers quickly get out of the way. The
rockets miss them but completely blast apart the wall, creating a cloud
of dust and wooden debris. River uses the opening to quickly run out of
the room. The HECU takes aim at Merit while it reloads, but Merit is first
to fire back. The drone fires a barrage at the HECU, causing it to take a
defensive posture. This gives Striker time to charge his sonic rifle to
full power, take aim at the robot and fire. The powerful blast hits the
robot, sending it crashing back through the wall seperating the two yards
and flat onto its back. Striker looks at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, cover my back while I look for Phoenix! We need to get out
         of this ambush!"

Merit:"I utterly agree. Our combat position is very poor."

Striker heads out the room with Merit close behind. They rush over to the
other side of the room just in time to find Phoenix lying on the floor
with the two N-Ops standing over her. One is trying to get her helmet
off while the other has a pistol ready.

N-Ops 1:"Keep working it, its got to come off."

N-Ops 2:"Stupid thing! Where's the strap on this s***?"

Striker growls.

Striker:"Get your hands off her!"

Startled by the spaniel, there is a brief moment where the N-Ops are caught
off guard. Striker takes this chance to tackle the N-Ops with the pistol.
While they struggle, the other N-Ops tries to get his Sapper Gun, but Merit
appears and takes aim. The N-Ops fires his sapper gun at the drone, but
the blast does nothing to the robot. In response, Merit returns fire and
guns down the operator. Striker and the other N-Op fights over the pistol.
The human has the gun, but Striker has his wrists. Suddenly Striker lets
go, making the operator thing he has the upper hand. However, this gives
the spaniel the chance to land several punches directly to his enemy's
head. The punches knock the N-Op out. Covered by Merit, Striker rushes
over to Phoenix.

Striker:"Phoenix! Phoenix! Are you all right?"

Phoenix groans.

Phoenix:"Got hit... feel very weak... can... barely move..."

Striker:"I'll carry you. We need to get out of this trap, gou! Merit, give
         me cover!"

Striker holsters his weapons and picks up Phoenix in his arms while Merit
provides cover. Merit then detects something on his scanners.

Merit:"We have incoming. That female wolf-sapien you were with is bringing
       up additional forces."

Striker can hear the rapid footsteps coming up the stairs.

Striker:"Gou! To that hole in the other room!"

Striker and Merit rush out and past the stairs, catching a glimpse of River
and the other operators coming up. The Vanguard barely has time to fire
before the trio go into the other room. They come to the hole and look to
make sure the coast is clear. The HECU is still lying on the ruins of the
wall it had demolished. Striker jumps down, still clutching Phoenix. His
suit absorbs the fall. Merit checks the height he needs to drop down.

Merit:"Calculating optimal disembarkment posi..."

Gunfire erupts behind him, bullets bouncing off the drone's shell.

Merit:"Skipping to execution."

Merit rolls off the edge and drops down to the ground. He lands hard on 
the ground, creating a small crater. However, the robot quickly recovers 
and rolls on after Striker, who is climbing over the hole made the HECU. 
River and her Operators appear at the hole and open fire. Bullets whizz 
past and hit the ground around the trio, but they manage to escape into 
the yard. River growls.

River:"After them!"

While River and her squad rush back downstairs, Striker kicks open the
gate of the yard they're in and rush out into the street. Just then the
Rhino comes racing up the road to them. It comes to a stop and the door
flies open. Shephard jumps out with his M-249 ready.

Shephard:"Get in, sirs!"

Striker:"Shephard! What..."

Shephard:"Sir, we don't have to explain here!"

Striker quickly gets into the back seat with Phoenix while Merit gets
on the back of the Rhino. Shephard hops in as the Rhino takes off just
as River and her team come out onto the road. The wolfess screams and
stomps her feet with rage. Inside the Rhino Striker is checking Phoenix
along with Corsair while Illanov is driving.

Corsair:"Is she okay, boss?"

Striker:"Just weak, but I don't see any visible injuries or damage to
         her suit."

Illanov:"What happened to her, comrade?"

Striker:"The Vanguard have some kind of energy weapon that drains your
         stamina and apparently neutralises your powers. Just one shot
         left me very weakened. Phoenix must have taken a stronger blast
         from them. But... what are you all doing back here?"

Shephard:"Andropov was a no show, sir. And we saw several suspicious
          individuals near the meeting point, so we bugged out and came
          here."

Striker:"You sure about those individuals?"

Corsair:"Trust us, boss. They were a shifty lot."

Illanov:"Were you ambushed, comrades?"

Striker:"Ja. And the Vanguard was ready for us long before we even came
         to the Caymans. Andropov's house was completely empty."

Illanov:"Mother Russia. But how did they find out? We have only been here
         for less than twenty four..."

The Russian then notices something in the rearview. He can see three more
Rhinos coming up behind them, quickly closing the distance. All of them
have the Vanguard insignia instead of the Road Rover one.

Illanov:"Comrades, they are following us."

Everyone looks behind them.

Corsair:"Oh crud, are those Rhinos they got there?"

Striker:"Beslis!"

Striker quickly looks back at Illanov.

Striker:"Alex, use the mines!"

Illanov:"Dah!"

Illanov presses a button on the dashboard to make a disc launcher appear
on the back of the Rhino. The launcher fires several mines at the Rhinos
chasing them. The mines strike the lead Rhino and explode, but the Rhino
is well-armoured and takes the blasts while barely slowing down. The
Strikers are surprised, though Striker less so.

Corsair:"They didn't even break a sweat!"

Striker:"I wasn't expecting them to be destroyed, but I thought the mines
         would slow them down."

The following Rhinos active their sonic cannons, which come out onto their
roofs. Striker gasps and turns to Illanov.

Striker:"Alex, get us off this street!"

Illanov:"Dah!"

The Rhinos pull up alongside one another and simultaniously fire their
sonic cannons. Illanov swerves the Rhino into a sidestreet, narrowly 
missing the blasts. The sonic shots instead strike a row of parked sports
cars, sending them crashing into a pile that explodes into a huge fireball.
The Rhinos follow Unit STRIKE into the side street. Shephard sticks his
M-249 out the back and fires several bursts at the lead Rhino. The bullets
bounce off the armor plating while it charges up the sonic cannon. Striker
charges up his own rifle and takes aim. Both the cannon and Striker fire
sonic blasts at each other. The blasts hit each other halfway between the
two vehicles, trigging a sonic explosion that sends nearly garbage bins,
bags and other litter flying into the air. Unit STRIKE comes out of the
sidestreet and heads towards George Town proper. The other Rhinos follow,
still on their tails.

Corsair:"They're still on us!"

Illanov:"Do I go into flight mode, comrade Striker?"

Striker:"Nee, it wouldn't help, Alex. Those Rhinos will do the same, and
         they will easily take out in air-to-air combat. We will need to
         find some way to shake them off on the ground."

Shephard:"Like going into a parking lot, getting them trapped in there and
          allowing us to make our escape, sir?"

Corsair groans.

Corsair:"Not another parking lot fight. Can't we just go to the nearest
         police station and let the local cops deal with these guys while
         we sneak off?"

Striker:"I wouldn't, David, because of another Hollywood cliche."

Corsair blinks, then groans again.

Corsair:"They bribed the cops too, didn't they?"

Striker:"I suspect as much."

Illanov:"What do I do, comrade?"

Striker:"Keep driving and swerving to avoid getting shot or caught, Alex.
         I'll try and figure something out."

Illanov:"Dah."

Illanov takes the Rhino further into George Town while the Vanguard, with
River inside the lead Rhino, follow them close behind.

City Streets
George Town:
9:51 AM:

The Strikers' Rhino is swerving to dodge cars and avoid collissions as 
it races down a busy street. The Vanguard Rhinos are less careful,
smashing cars out of the way with their armored bumpers. One of the rear
Rhinos breaks off and takes a different street. Meanwhile the lead Rhino
speeds up and closes the distance. Shephard redies his M-249 and takes
aim. But River throws a sonic grenade at them first. The grenade lands
in the back of the Strikers' Rhino. Shephard quickly grabs it and
tosses it out into the street. The grenade bounces into an open drain.
Seconds later it detonates, sending manhole covers flying in several
points in the street.

Corsair:"Now that oughta clear up any blockage."

The Vanguard Rhino pulls up right behind the STRIKE Rhino. Two Operators
jump from it onto the back of the STRIKE Rhino. Shephard tries to shoot,
but one Operator grabs his M-249 and pulls it away, throwing it out into
the street to be crushed by the Vanguard Rhino. The Operator then takes
out a Plasma Pistol and fires point-blank at Shephard. Shephard uses his
lightning reflexes to not only dodge the shot, but at the same time whip
out his Desert Eagle sidearm, take aim at the Operator and shoot. The
Operator isn't as quick as Shephard and the shot his chest body armor.
The Operator gasps from the impact and falls off the back of the Rhino
onto the street.

Shephard:"Hostile down!"

At the same time the other Operator is preparing to fire his Sonic Rifle
at Corsair. Corsair reaches up and grabs the rifle, trying to push the
aim away from him and the vehicle. The two of them struggle back and forth
for the rifle. Illanov notices them fighting and hits the brakes, causing
everyone to be flung forward. Corsair is forced to let go of the rifle as
he falls forward and the Operator braces himself against the Rhino's roof.
Behind them the first Rhino brakes to avoid a collision. But immediately
Illanov pushes the accelerator and the Rhino's wheels squeal on the road.
The Operator is flung backwards and falls off the rear of the Rhino onto
the first Rhino's bonnet. Corsair rubs the back of his head.

Corsair:"You Russians drive like this all the time?"

Illanov:"In Russia, American, you need to really drive to survive."

The other Rhinos resume their pursuit of Unit STRIKE. The vehicles keep
dodging cars or smashing them out of the way until they come to a wide
boulevard. It is here that a number of police cars and a police chopper
join in the fray. Corsair groans.

Corsair:"Great. Now the cops are after us too."

The police cars race up along the rear Rhinos, then suddenly swerve in
front of them. The Rhinos come to a stop as officers jump out and point
their pistols at them. From above the police chopper issues orders to
the Vanguard.

Chopper:"This is the George Town Police! Get out of your vehicles with
         your hands in the air!"

River is enraged and shouts orders to her squad. They immediately back
away despite warnings from the officers. The officers then open fire as
the Rhinos proceed to race away, their bullets bouncing off the armor
plating. The Strikers watch with surprise.

Striker:"It seems that particular Hollywood cliche has been disproven."

Shephard:"Much to the Vanguard's dismay, sir."

A police car pulls up alongside their Rhino. The officer gestures to
them to pull over.

Illanov:"Should I, comrade?"

Striker:"Ja, Alex."

Illanov pulls the Rhino over to the sidewalk. The police car stops behind
them and immediately one of the officers climb out and walks over. Striker
gets out of the Rhino.

Officer:"Are you the Road Rovers?"

Striker:"Ja, we are. Specifcally, we are Unit STRIKE."

Officer:"And the people following you are villains, correct?"

Striker:"Correct, officer. And we appreciate your assistance."

Officer:"We are glad to help. You Road Rovers are an inspiration to us
         all in the force and our chief told us to provide you with any
         assistance you might need."

Striker:"I'm glad to hear it. Listen officer, can you help us?"

Officer:"Certainly. How can we help?"

Striker:"We are looking for the financial backer of these people who had
         attacked us. He had to meet with him, but he lead us into a trap.
         Now we need to find him and we believe that a person at a bank 
         who had helped us might have more information. But it is very
         likely that he will not be cooperative."

Officer:"If you can tell me I can send over some units to the bank. He
         should cooperate with us."

Striker:"Dankie, officer. This is the bank where we met him."

Striker gives the officer the details while some of the other cops go in
pursuit of the fleeing Vanguard vehicles.

Cayman Islands Trust Bank
George Town
10:22 AM:

The Rhino and number of police cars are parked on the pavement outside
the bank. Some officers hold the curious crowds back while others go into
the bank. Inside Unit STRIKE is leading a group of police officers through
the building to the consternation of the staff. Striker looks at Phoenix
as they walk.

Striker:"You reg, Firefly?"

Phoenix:"Still a bit tired but I feel much better now, Strikie."

They come to the offices that Illanov and Corsair had visited earlier. A
woman stands up and tries to stop them.

Woman:"I... I'm sorry, but there is a meeting going on. If you could..."

Phoenix grabs her arm and pulls her to one side.

Phoenix:"Sorry lady. Official business."

Illanov marches up to the office door and knocks on it. There is no
answer, but when Illanov listens to the door he can hear voices on the
other side.

Illanov:"Dah, I can hear his voice."

Striker:"Break the door open, Alex."

Illanov nods and kicks the door, which breaks off from the lock and swings
violently open. The suit and three other businessmen are shocked as the
Strikers and the police march into the office. The suit jumps to his feet.

Suit:"What's the meaning of this?"

Illanov:"You better tell us where Andropov is, comrade."

Suit:"Now look sir, you DO know the rules that we cannot exchange real 
      names here."

Striker:"Shephard, negotiate."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard marches up, grabs the suit by the neck and hoists him into the
air. He shakes the suit while the startled businessmen are escorted out
by the police.

Shephard:"Talk! Where is Mikhail Andropov? And don't try to b******t us!"

The frightened suit looks at the police officer standing next to Striker.

Suit:"This is outrageous! You can't let them do this!"

Officer:"Our government has been working to clean up our nation of shady
         business practices in recent years, sir. You had best cooperate
         and maybe our courts will be more merciful than them."

Suit:"But... but you can't do this! You will undermine confidence in the
      Cayman's financial institutions!"

Corsair:"As if helping a criminal organisation won't do the same."

Shephard shakes the suit hard.

Shephard:"Talk! Or I toss you out the window!"

Suit:"You wouldn't dare!"

Still dragging the suit, Shephard goes to the window and starts to open
it. The suit immediately panics.

Suit:"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you where to find Andropov!"

Shephard:"Tell us, and fast."

Suit:"Andropov has a secret residence in the countryside! It looks like a
      health spa, but that place went out of business years ago!"

Shephard:"Give us the exact location."

Suit:"L-let me down and I'll write it for you."

Shephard lowers the suit. The man rubs his knock while grabbing a pen and
paper. He writes down the address and gives the paper to Illanov.

Suit:"There."

Illanov:"Pleasure doing business, comrade."

Officer:"Right, off to the station for questioning with you."

Two other cops come and take the frightened man out of the office. Illanov
shows the address paper to the officer.

Illanov:"Know this place, comrade?"

Officer(nodding):"Yes, I do. This health spa is located about 20 kilometers
       to the east of George Town. It was in the news when it ran into some
       financial trouble and the owner killed his co-partner for money while
       trying to burn the place down."

Illanov:"Can you give us directions?"

Officer:"Sure."

The officer explains to the Rovers how to get to the health spa. Just as 
he finishes he gets a call on his police radio.

Officer(into radio):"Unit 14 reporting... Yes... What?! All right, we'll 
       be right there!"

The officer quickly puts his radio away while turning to the Rovers.

Officer:"I must go! Our police chief has just been found dead! Please 
         excuse us."

Striker:"Ja."

As the officers leave the room the Strikers look at each other.

Phoenix:"I'm willing to bet the police chief did accept bribes from the
         Vanguard before deciding to double-cross them."

Corsair:"So at least half of that Hollywood cliche was true."

Striker:"Let's go and get Andropov before the Vanguard decides that he is
         just as trustworthy as the police chief."

The Rovers quickly file out of the office.

Warehouse 1B
Road Rover Headquarters
United States of America
At That Moment:

This is one of several storage rooms in the warehouse building of RRHQ.
Stacks of marked crates are neatly placed on shelves. A single forklift
is parked here. Jaco Vorster is leaning against the forklift, tapping
his foot on the floor as he waits.

Jaco:"Where is she?"

Voice:"Right here."

Jaco looks to the door into the warehouse. Standing there is Sleek the
German Shepherd, dressed in the standard Road Rover uniform.

Jaco:""Are you the new recruit?"

Sleek nods, wagging her tail as she walks towards Jaco.

Sleek:"Yup, that's me! My name is Sleek. Pleased to meet you!"

She holds out her paw to him. Jaco hesitates before taking her paw and
shaking it.

Jaco:"Jaco Vorster."

Sleek:"Jaco. Cute name."

She winks at him. He coughs and points to the crates.

Jaco:"We've got to unload a pair of crates from up there and deliver them
      to the supply shop."

Sleek:"Sure! What's in the crates?"

Jaco:"Spare uniforms, mostly."

Sleek's eyes light up a bit.

Sleek:"Then let's get to work."

Jaco:"Goed... okay, I will operate the forklift and unload the crates onto
      that push cart. You can then take the crates to the shop."

Sleek:"Gotcha!"

Sleek goes over the cart while Jaco starts up the forklift. They get to 
work unloading the crates from the shelves onto the push cart.

Old Health Spa
20 Kilometers East of George Town
11:02 AM:

This is a cluster of sandstone buildings nestled amongst some palm tree
groves. A high wall topped with electric fencing surrounds the entire
compound. While from the road the place looks empty, inside there a few
security guards on patrol. In the parking lot are the Vanguard Rhinos
and a large trailer truck carrying the HECU robots. In a small building
that overlooks a clear swimming pool is Andropov's office. A pair of
fancy double doors lead out to the pool area. Andropov is inside, seated
behind his desk drinking some vodka. River is here as well, pacing back 
and forth on an expensive carpet.

Andropov:"Its not my fault. I gave you one of my decoy houses and helped
          split up the Rovers. You and your squad were supposed to kill
          them off, dah?"

River:"We're paying you to help us! Do you remember that?"

Andropov:"You're paying me to handle the finances on the Caymans. Do you
          remember that?"

River stomps her foot while Andropov takes a sip of Vodka.

Andropov:"Also, I don't think it was a good idea to kill the police
          chief."

River:"He betrayed us. We paid him to not get in our way and that's just
       what he did. Besides, he's a corrupt cop so no one cares about his
       death."

Andropov:"The government and authorities on this island will care. Its no
          longer the criminal haven it was in the past. You got to be more
          careful these days, comrade."

River:"And I suppose YOU know best."

Andropov:"Dah. I should. I want to retire on a beach with some naked girls,
          not in a jail cell."

River:"You're disgusting."

Andropov just smirks and takes another sip of vodka.

Andropov:"Just relaxing and enjoying life as best as I can."

River:"With our money."

Andropov:"Dah. You pay me to make sure your money is in good hands. I can't
          help it if these Road Rovers stick their muzzles in your finances
          because you can't control yourselves or get rid of them."

River growls.

River:"Then what CAN you do?"

Andropov gets up and goes over to a nearby cabinet. He opens it to reveal
dozens of bottles of expensive vodka. He takes one out and opens it.

Andropov:"What I can do is shuffle some of the accounts around, change
          passwords and call up some contacts to make sure that the Rovers
          don't poke around in the wrong places. That way your money will
          remain safe. And if worse comes to worst, I can quickly move it
          all to the emergency Swiss accounts your bosses gave me. The
          Rovers won't be able to get their paws on as much as a cent."

He pours himself a new drink.

Andropov:"Vodka?"

River:"You'd better be right about your schemes. And I prefer beer, thank 
       you very much."

Andropov:"Too bad. I only have vodka."

He lifts his glass up at River and grins.

Andropov:"Cheers!"

He brings the glass to his lips. Suddenly he jerks back, his eyes going 
wide and dropping the glass onto the floor. River looks sharply at him.

River:"What's wrong with you? You having a seizure or something?"

Andropov gasps and chokes, grabbing at the air around his neck.

Andropov:"Something's got me!"

River:"What? I don't see a thing!"

Voice:"That's the point, comrades."

Illanov, in his SpecOps suit, fades into view revealing that he has 
Andropov in a choke hold with his arm. River gasps and reaches for her 
sidearm. Illanov growls at her.

Illanov:"Don't or I break his neck. And I will do it, since he is more
         valuable alive to you than to us."

River hesitates, but keeps growling at Illanov as he backs away with
Andropov towards the door leading outside. Andropov struggles, but
Illanov tightens his grip around his neck.

Illanov(Russian):"Stop squirming, Mikhail."

Andropov(Russian):"How did you know my name?"

Illanov(Russian):"You'll see, comrade."

River(growling):"You won't be able to get out of here alive, Rover."

Illanov ignores her and uses his free paw to open the door. He steps out
of the office. River walks to up to the doorway as some of the operators
on guard duty outside see what is going on. They rush over with their
weapons raised. River grins.

River:"Now how you going to leave?"

A shadow suddenly appears over the health spa. River and Andropov look up.
Above hovers the Stealth Rover. The bottom hatch is open so that Striker
can drop a rope ladder down to Illanov. Illanov grabs it.

Illanov:"First class, comrade."

The ladder is hoisted up, taking Illanov and a screaming Andropov up 
towards the departing Stealth Rover. River pulls out her pistol and
opens fire at the Stealth. The operators open fire as well. However,
Illanov and Andropov are safely hoisted into the Stealth Rover. Striker
and Phoenix help them in.

Striker:"Goeie werk, Alex."

Andropov blinks and looks at Illanov.

Andropov:"Alex? Wait... the voice... the name..."

Illanov grins, baring his fangs as he and Striker tie Andropov up.

Illanov:"Remember me, Mikhail? You left me and Yenko behind when the KGB
         got curious about our little business."

Andropov's eyes go wide and his face turns pale.

Andropov:"Alexander Illanov! Bolshoi! But... but... you're dead! You're
          a dog! You're..."

Illanov puts a gag into Andropov's mouth.

Illanov:"Taking you in."

Striker:"Reg, we got. Now let's leave!"

They rush to the cockpit, where Corsair is flying the Stealth Rover.

Striker:"David, fly us back to the States."

Corsair:"Gotcha, boss!"

Corsair brings the Stealth Rover up to speed. But back below at the health
spa, an HECU emerges from behind one of the buildings and locks onto the
aircraft.

HECU:"Target acquired. Opening fire."

The HECU opens up its missle packs and fires a cluster of small rockets at
the Stealth Rover. The Stealth Rover engages countermeasures to try and
shake the rockets off. Most of the rockets are fooled and fly off into
other directions. But a trio of them manage to get close to the Stealth
Rover and detonate. The shrapnel tear into the wing and badly damage it.
The aircraft shudders and rattles.

Corsair:"Boss! They hit us!"

Striker:"Where?"

Phoenix looks out the cockpit and sees the damage.

Phoenix:"They got our right wing!"

Corsair:"I need to slow down, boss! I can't fly this thing at top speed:
         the flaps on that wing are busted!"

Merit:"Busted?"

Shephard:"He means broken, tin man."

Merit:"Oh! In that case it must be repaired."

Striker:"Get on it, Merit! And hurry!"

Merit goes out the cockpit, followed by Striker, Illanov, Shephard and
Phoenix. Corsair remains to try and keep the Stealth Rover airborne and
watch over Andropov. The Rovers open one of the exterior hatches near
the wing.

Striker:"Merit, do you have a way to reach the damaged area?"

Merit:"I possess magnets under my soles for better mobility."

Striker:"Goed. Go and fix the flaps as best you can, Merit."

Merit:"Affirmative."

Merit climbs onto the wing and makes his way to the damaged area. Once
there he opens his toolkit and gets to work on fixing the flaps. The
others watch from the hatch. Shephard then sees something.

Shephard:"Sir! We got hostiles incoming!"

Shephard points behind them. Coming from the health spa are the three
Vanguard Rhinos, all of them in flight mode. River is in the lead Rhino,
giving out orders.

Striker:"Grab your suits and get the jetpacks! We need to keep them away
         from the Stealth until Merit is done!"

The Rovers rush back inside. A short time later they come flying out with
their SpecOps suits on and wearing the Rover jetpacks. They fly towards
the incoming Rhinos. River sees them and sends out an order.

River:"All Rhinos! Fire sonic cannons in a wide spread!"

The Rhinos ready their sonic cannons and fire in unison. A line of sonic
blasts fly towards the group.

Striker:"Evade!"

The group quickly break formation to dodge the powerful blasts. The Rhinos
do the same, breaking formation to engage Unit STRIKE. Shephard readies
his M-249 and makes a strafing run one Rhino. The Rhino makes a sharp
turn as Shephard flies overhead, his bullets bouncing off the armor.
Once he passes, the operators inside open the windows and fire back at
him. Shephard pulls some evase manouvres to avoid the plasma and sonic
blasts while his suit shields him from the bullets. The Rhino then goes in
pursuit while Shephard tries to shake it off while turning on his back
and taking potshops at it. Illanov approaches the second Rhino as it
is about to fire its sonic cannon a second time. When it fires a second 
blast, Illanov quickly turns invisible. The Operators inside look
around for him.

Operator:"Where did he go? Did we hit him?"

As they look, they don't see Illanov reappearing directly underneath
their vehicle. He looks up at the Rhino's undercarriage.

Illanov:"Let's try and be a mechanic, Russian style."

He takes out his EMP Jammer and puts it against the Rhino before switching
it on. Thanks to the close proximity of the jammer, the EMP gets through
the shielding and causes the Rhino to shut down and loose altitude. He
hangs on while the Rhino's occupants frantically try to get the vehicle
started. Closer and closer to the ground they come.

Illanov:"Time to depart!"

Illanov shuts off his jammer and flies out from under the Rhino as it
approaches the ground. The Rhino starts up again, but doesn't regain 
enough momentum to take to the skies. Instead it ploughs into an open
field and tumbles about a few times before coming to a rest on its roof.
Phoenix approaches River's Rhino as it prepares to fire its Sonic Cannon
at her. She holds out her paws.

Phoenix:"Let's see if the suit does what it advertised."

A pair of jet flames erupt from her paws like they were flamethrowers.
The two jets blast over the Rhino, engulfing it in flames as she flies 
over. River and the operators duck to avoid the flames even though they
don't penetrate the armor. Striker uses this chance to swoop in and fire
his sonic rifle at full power. The sonic blast hits the Rhino's Sonic
Cannon and severely damages it. The couple meet up behind the Rhino.

Striker:"Goeie werk there, Firefly."

Phoenix:"Thanks, Strikie. I love this new suit."

Striker:"I'm sure Collin will be happy with the results. If we get them
         back in one piece."

Phoenix:"Speaking of, heads up!"

River sticks a pair of pistols out her window and fires wildly at the
couple. Striker and Phoenix take a dive to avoid the bullets. River
shouts orders at the operators.

River:"After them!"

The Operators nod and their Rhino chase after Striker and Phoenix. Back 
on the Stealth Rover Merit is still on the wing fixing the damage. From
the cockpit Corsair radios the drone.

Corsair(over com):"Merit, how's the work going?"

Merit(into com):"Repairs will be completed within approximately 35
     seconds."

Corsair(over com):"Awesome! I'll call the others."

As Merit finishes the repairs Corsair contacts the rest of the team.

Corsair(into com):"Guys, the plane's fixed! We can get out of here!"

Striker(over com):"Be ready to fly away as fast as possible, David!
       The Vanguard will be right behind us!"

Corsair(into com):"Gotcha, boss!"

Back at the battle Striker signals to the others to get back to the
Stealth Rover. They all immediately break off the fight and fly for
their aircraft. The Rhinos all briefly stop to figure out where the
Strikers are. River spots them flying towards the Stealth Rover.

River:"Quick! Bring down that aircraft before they escape!"

The Rhinos turn and pick up speed. Striker, Phoenix, Illanov and
Shephard board the Stealth Rover in quick succession before Merit
finally comes off the wing and gets inside. Shephard and Illanov close
the hatch. Striker runs into the cockpit.

Striker:"Let's go, David!"

Corsair:"We're out of here!"

Corsair gets the Stealth Rover powered up fully and, with its wing
repaired, immediately picks up and flies rapidly away from the Vanguard
Rhinos. The Vanguard can only watch as the Stealth Rover flies off into
the horizon. River screams and bangs her fists on the dashboard in anger
at the sight of their quarry escaping.

Briefing Room
Road Rover Headquarters
State of New Mexico
United States of America
16:03 PM:

Unit STRIKE is back, with Andropov standing in cuffs between Shephard and
Illanov. All the Strikers are back in their regular dress. The Master is
on the balcony with Collin standing below. Right now the Master is busy
addressing Andropov.

Master:"You understand the charges you have been arrested for, Mister
        Andropov?"

Andropov:"This is absurd! It is a violation of international law! I'll
          have you sued!"

Illanov:"You do that, Mikhail, and I'll reveal your arms dealing past to
         the Russian government."

Alarmed, Andropov looks at Illanov.

Andropov:"But... the Soviet Union is gone! You can't make that threat after
          so much time had passed!"

Illanov:"But there are still many within the Russian government who would
         love to hear your little story even after all these years. And
         as a good citizen of Mother Russia I am duty bound to report you."

Andropov:"But you are also guilty!"

Illanov:"Dah, but Russia was willing to overlook my crimes because of a...
         deal I struck, you might say. You don't have that."

Andropov gulps. The Master resumes.

Master:"You have ties to the Vanguard, Mister Andropov. They are being
        investigated for a variety of crimes which might implicate you
        unless you cooperate."

Andropov folds his arms.

Andropov:"Never!"

Illanov:"Remember Russia, comrade Mikhail."

Andropov:"Bah! You won't follow through, dah!"

Master:"We will see. Take him to the holding cells until we can decide
        on the next course of action."

Shephard and Illanov nod and escort Andropov out of the briefing room.
Once they leave the Master looks at the others.

Master:"Well done, Unit STRIKE. You're a good team."

Corsair:"No 'good good dogs' this time?"

Master:"No, I think it is weird for me to use that phrase when your
        team has two humans and a robot in it."

Corsair:"Glad you thought of us."

Striker:"Master, the Vanguard acted very quickly to stop us from getting
         information. Almost too quickly."

Master:"I know, Striker. Your initial reports left me very worried. I will
        need to speak with Norwood about the old EDF. I think there is a
        lot of your old organisation that we don't know about. Even you."

Striker:"Very waar. I was mainly a soldier. Mark was in the higher exchelons 
         and should probably know more about the EDF's secrets."

Master:"Then I'd better get in contact with him right away and find out
        what other surprises the Vanguard has in store for us. In the
        meantime, you all take a brief rest. You deserve it."

Striker:"Dankie, Master."

As the Master leaves the briefing room, Collin approaches the group.

Collin:"And how did your suits perform?"

Phoenix:"I love it! Definitely had a good time using it."

Striker:"I agree. These suits did prove invaluable."

Corsair:"Didn't get much of a chance to try mine, though. Sorry."

Collin:"That's all right. I'd like you all to bring your suits back to my
        lab so I can download the feedback data on them. I can use it to
        make adjustments and improvements to your suits for future use."

Striker:"Goed. Let's get them."

They all follow Collin out the briefing room. A short time later the Master
appears on the balcony again, followed by Jaco coming into the briefing
room.

Jaco:"You wanted to see me, Professor?"

Master:"Yes, Jaco. You and Sleek were the ones who provided the supply shop
        with uniforms, correct?"

Jaco:"Ja, Sleek and I did so this morning."

Master:"I got a call from the shop. They never got half of those uniforms."

Jaco is surprised.

Jaco:"What? But we took it out of the warehouse. I know we did."

Master:"Yet we are missing those uniforms. I already spoke to Sleek and she
        doesn't know what happened to them."

Jaco:"Look, I unloaded the crates and let Sleek take them to the shop. I
      didn't do anything wrong here."

Master:"I'm not saying you did, Jaco. Just tell me what you did in the
        warehouse."

Jaco begins telling the Master what he and Sleek did in the warehouse and
what he had seen about the crates. The Master listens thoughtfully until he
finishes.

Master:"If that is what you say, then so be it. I'll have someone look into
        this and try and track down those missing uniforms. Thank you, Jaco."

Jaco:"Yes, Professor."

The Master heads back into his quarters. Jaco sighs and wipes his face with
one hand.

Jaco(Afrikaans):"Wonderful. Now I'm the one in trouble."

Grumbling, Jaco leaves the briefing room.

Laboratory
Vanguard Complex
Unknown Location
At That Moment:

Thomason is standing outside the chamber where Hawkins is still lying in.
The scientists around them continue their work as usual, paying little
attention to the conversation between the two.

Thomason(into com):"So unfortunately Andropov is now a hostage at the
        Road Rovers' hideout."

Hawkins(into com):"Has he talked?"

Thomason(into com):"No, rather surprisingly. He is still putting up some
        defiance despite the interrogation. Fleabag has confirmed this."

Hawkins(into com):"Good, but let's not take chances. Have Vanderberg go 
       over our accounts and make sure whatever Andropov does eventually
       say won't let the Rovers into them. And speaking of Fleabag, any-
       thing else?"

Thomason(into com):"Good news there. We got the supplies without any
        incident."

Hawkins(into com):"Excellent. Get them distributed to the necessary teams
       so we can begin the operation. Dismissed."

Thomason(into com):"Yes, sir."

Thomason salutes and Hawkins returns the salute. Thomason then exits the
room, leaving Hawkins in the care of the scientists. Unit STRIKE have
managed to capture a key figure of the Vanguard, but only barely. What
information will they get from Andropov? How will the Vanguard react? And
is the Vanguard planning to do next?


THE END