Rover Strike: Vortex

Episode 14: The Plan Unveiled

By Gerhard Naudé

All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
Harva, Maya © Kirsten Coughlan
Pard, Sparrow, Celtic Squadron © K-9
Hildagarde © Robert Baer Jr.
Chris © Chris Markham
Wild Warriors © Richard Barrere
Maddogs © Greg Williams

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

KHV Queen Victoria
Holding Position near Mount Longonot
Kenya
21 January
13:00 PM:

The command ship of the Celtic Squadron, the KHA Queen Victoria, is
hovering above the grasslands near the base of Mount Longonot. Down
below the squadron's armies are being deployed into combat formation
while carryalls and dropships ferry troopers, vehicles and equipment
from the Victoria down to the ground. Standing on a balcony near the
bridge of the Victoria and looking towards the volcano is General Pard
and Gamma Squadron-General Thrax. Both of them are holding binoculars
and looking at the forces gathered below.

Thrax:"Impressive force you have there, General Pard."

Pard:"Thank you, General Thrax, though I would prefer to be down there
      leading them."

Thrax:"But then you wouldn't be able to get a good bird's eye view of
       what will happen."

Pard:"I suppose."

Thrax:"Have you equipped your forces with those new rockets?"

Pard lowers his binoculars to look at Thrax.

Pard:"Yes, I have General Thrax. But I really need to ask what are the
      contents of those rockets. The chemical hazard signs on the crates
      that contained them makes some of my wolves nervous."

Thrax chuckles and lowers his binoculars, a grin on his face.

Thrax:"Well, I'm always happy to describe my creations to an audience.
       Those rockets contain a chemical gas called Rage-X."

Pard:"Rage-X? I've never heard of it before."

Thrax:"I doubt you would have. It's a fairly recent invention that comes
       from my squadron's R&D." 

Pard:"So what does this Rage-X do?"

Thrax:"Rage-X is an odorless, color gas that looks like white smoke when
       released. When inhaled, it acts quickly and effectively. But it
       doesn't actually kill, and this is the beauty of it: the nerve gas

       attacks the brain and induces hallucinations, causing the victim
       to go crazy and attack whomever is close to him."

There is a moment of silence.

Pard:"That can be very dangerous in confined spaces with many soldiers
      inside."


Thrax grins.

Thrax:"That was the whole idea, General."

Pard:"But I'm curious as to how we are supposed to fire them into Franco's
      base under Longonot. We might get lucky and hit a ventilation
      shaft, but we are talking about shooting our way through volcanic
      rock."

Thrax:"I had thought of that same problem, but fortunately I took the
       liberty of studying the blueprints we stole of the United States
       military's 'bunker busters'. With some modification and input
       from Tesla's team, the rockets carrying Rage-X are capable of
       burrowing through all that rock and into the base hidden under
       it. All your forces need to do is point and shoot."

Pard:"How long does the gas linger, General?"

Thrax:"Not very long, and the effects last only a little longer. But the
       chaos it can cause in that brief period can be very helpful."

Pard nods. That moment Captain Sparrow's voice comes over the radio on
General Pard's chest.

Sparrow(over radio):"General, our KHSAS launchers are in position and
       ready to begin firing the Rage-X rockets."

Pard(into radio):"Thank you, Captain. You may commence firing at your
    time of choice."

Sparrow(over radio):"Yes, General."

The radio goes dead.

Thrax:"Now comes the fun part."

The two wolf-sapien leaders raise their binoculars and look towards the
volcano. Down below the Celtic Squadron forces prepare for the attack.

Laboratory
Elite Guard Headquarters
Beneath Mount Longonot
13:01 PM:

The Strikers, Raul, Maya, Harva Hildagarde are all being held captive 
inside Hildagarde's laboratory by Champion and his Alpha Soldiers. The 
group watches as Phoenix is forced over a table by Champion. The werewolf 
is preparing to cut off Phoenix's paws with a dissecting knife.

Champion:"Don't worry, b****. After the pain, there's gonna be lots of
          fun. I promise you that."

Phoenix growls even as she fearfully watches Champion bring the knife to
her wrists. Suddenly the room shudders, causing the lights to flicker
briefly as the hollow, distant sound of a boom resonates throughout the
base. Champion stops and looks up in surprise.

Champion:"What the f..."

Suddenly the ceiling explodes as something ploughs its way through and
smashes into a table with a thunderous crash. Everyone falls to the
floor as the room is filled with dust and smoke. Phoenix quickly breaks
free as Champion falls to the floor and scurries behind the table she
had been pinned too. The Alpha Soldiers quickly recover and aim their
weapons at the Strikers, but a few of them turn to investigate what had
caused the crash. As the dust settles, they make out a large, cylinder-
shaped object imbedded in the floor. Two of the soldiers approach it,
their weapons ready. Suddenly the cylinder's sides slide open and begin
to spray a reddish gas into the gas.

Soldier:"Watch out! Gas!"

The two approaching soldiers are caught in the gas cloud. After a few
caughs they stumble out while the soldiers quickly move away from the
expanding cloud. This gives the Strikers the chance to quickly move
away and behind cover and getting their weapons out. The two coughing
soldiers suddenly look at comrades with hateful snarls. The two suddenly
open fire, gunning down two of the surprised Alpha Soldiers while the
others duck for cover. Champion watches them attack and shouts in anger.

Champion:"What the h*** are you two morons doing?!"

One of the crazed soldiers suddenly aims his rifle at Champion. The were-
wolf goes wide-eyed.

Champion:"Oh crud!"

He quickly jumps for the safety of the door leading out of the lab just
as the soldier fires wildly. Champion escapes the bullets and runs off.
The two crazed soldiers continue to fire at their estwhile friends, 
their comrades shoot back. An alarm siren begins to blare throughout
the entire base. The Strikers, Raul and Hildagarde gather behind the
table away from the shooting. Illanov looks at Phoenix.

Illanov:"You okay, comrade?"

Phoenix:"I'm fine, Alex, but what's going on here?"

Illanov:"I have no idea, comrade. Things are happening too quickly."

Hildagarde:"That thing that crashed in here looks to me like some kind
            of bomb or a missile."

Raul:"Uh oh."

Raul quickly ducks down as bullets ricochet off the table and smash
some glass beakers.

Raul:"More of the troops started to shoot one another as soon as they
      inhaled that red gas. It's making them go insane!"

Merit:"To be precise, my scans indicate that the gas contains particles
       that have been scientifically proven to induce hallucinations,
       but this compound being dispersed into this room is unknown to
       my databanks."

Corsair:"So somebody's shooting at the base with crazy gas?"

Phoenix:"Let's first get out of here first before we inhale that gas.
         The soldiers are occupied right now, so let's get moving and
         get out of here. Follow me!"

Everyone nods as they begin to crawl their way towards the exit, keeping
behind cover while more Elite Guard soldiers fall victim to the gas.
Some fire wildly while others attack one another with their bare paws.
The team quickly reach the exit and sneak out before they spotted. They
find themselves in a corridor lit up by red alarm lights. Phoenix looks
at Hildagarde.

Phoenix:"Which way, Hildagarde?"

Hildagarde:"We must get out of here. We can try going through the kitchen
            area and canteens."

Maya:"Good idea, the soldiers generally don't go there and I know the 
      chefs are not armed."

Raul:"And we need to rescue the Namibian president as well. He is being
      held in the detention block on the lower levels."

Phoenix:"Lead us to the kitchens. I'm going to try and contact Tanarus
         again."

Hildagarde nods and begins to lead the team down one direction of the
corridor. At the same time Phoenix tries to call Tanarus.

Stealth Rover
Holding Position Over Mount Longonot
At That Moment:

The Stealth Rover is keeping its distance from Mount Longonot while the
rocket barrage from the Celtic Squadron forces pound the one side of
the mountain. Inside the cockpit Ozari is still holding Elexis at knife
point while Tanarus is trying to both handle the flight controls and
keep watch on Ozari.

Tanarus:"How did you get on the Stealth Rover, Ozzy."

Ozari:"It's Ozari del Figulo! And it's really easy to get on your craft
       when nobody's looking, especially when we're in the middle of a
       big crowd of refugees in Sudan."


Tanarus:"You got on there?"

Ozari:"Yes, I have. Though the temptation to just shoot you or trick
       the crowds into mobbing you was strong, I have other plans."

Tanarus:"And what is that?"

At that moment there is a beeping on the communications console that
gets everyone's attention.

Elexis:"They're trying to contact us again."

Ozari:"How convenient. Like I was saying, the reason I'm here is simple:
       I'm here to make Striker and the rest of you, but mainly Striker,
       pay for all those past insults."

Tanarus:"I hate to disappoint you, but Striker isn't here."

Ozari sneers and presses the knife closes against Elexis.

Ozari:"Nice try! But you wouldn't go anywhere without your team leader,
       now would you?"

His eyes focus on the console where the beeping is coming from, then
moves back to Tanarus.

Ozari:"Maybe that's him. How about you answer it? Slowly, of course. We
       wouldn't any accidental stabbings, now would we?"

Tanarus just stares at Ozari with a frown, then slowly reaches over to
the console to answer it. He presses a button. A moment later Phoenix's
voice comes over the speakers.

Phoenix(over com):"Tanarus, Elexis. Are you there?"

Tanarus:"Yes, we're here."

Phoenix can be heard breathing a sigh of relief before speaking.

Phoenix(over com):"Thank God. Listen, we have a situation down here and
       and we need some help."

Tanarus:"I'm afraid Elexis and I have our own situation here."

Phoenix(over com):"What are you talking about?"

Tanarus looks up at Ozari.

Ozari:"Tell her I want Striker, now."

Tanarus sighs in frustration, then speaks.

Tanarus:"I need to speak to Striker."

Phoenix(over com):"What? But he's not here, he's back at headquarters.
       You know that."

This makes Ozari visibly annoyed.

Ozari:"I want Striker on the radio, now!"

Phoenix(over com):"Who is that? Tanarus, who was that?"

Tanarus:"That was our situation I mentioned, Phoenix."

Phoenix(over com):"Who is it, Tanarus? That voice sounds like Ozzy's."

This greatly annoys Ozari. He takes the knife and gives it to Elexis
while looking at her threateningly.

Ozari:"Hold this, or I'll slit your throat."

Elexis and Tanarus watch in amazement as Ozari disarms himself and leans
closer to the communications console.

Ozari:"My name is Oz..."

At that instant Ozari suddenly realizes his mistake and tries to grab the
knife again. But Elexis jumps to her feet and runs out of his reach. At
that same moment Tanarus grabs Ozari's shirt collar and left arm. Ozari
gasps as he is yanked backwards and lands hard on the floor. He coughs
out, then tries to get up. However, he finds Elexis standing over him
holding his own knife towards his face.

Elexis:"You're not good at taking hostages, are you?"

Ozari groans in frustration. Tanarus and Elexis then pull Ozari to his
feet, still keeping the knife close. Tanarus looks at Elexis.

Tanarus:"There's some duck tape in the cabinet near Illanov's seat. Use
         that to tie up our stowaway here."

Elexis:"And to keep him quiet too."

As Elexis drags Ozari away from the front of the cockpit to tie him up,
Tanarus turns to the communications console.

Tanarus:"Phoenix, you still there?"

Phoenix(over com):"Tanarus! Are you two all right?"

Tanarus:"Everything's fine now. Elexis is busy securing Ozzy with some
         duct tape."

Phoenix(over com, surprised):"Ozzy? How did he get on board the Stealth 
       Rover?"

Tanarus:"Seems he managed to sneak in during our helping of the refugees 
         in Sudan."

Phoenix(over com):"Well, I'm glad you got that situation under control.
       We got problems down here."

Tanarus:"I know. The KH Military is camped at the foot of the volcano and
         are busy bombarding the slopes."

Phoenix(over com):"The KH Military? Well, I guess this will distract the
       Elite Guard for us, but we'd better move before they attack the
       base."

Tanarus:"I agree. What can we do to help?"

Phoenix(over com):"We're going to need you to pick up some defectors and
       a prisoner when we've secured them. In the meantime you need to
       call Hunter and tell them that the Namibian president is being
       held prisoner here."

Tanarus is surprised by this revelation.

Tanarus:"Wait, the Namibian president is here in Longonot?"

Phoenix(over com):"That's what Hildagarde told us."

Tanarus:"Hildagarde, you say? In that case it adds a bit more weight to
         the claim. And now we have proof that the crisis in Namibia is
         part of an Elite Guard plot."

Phoenix(over com):"Exactly. Could you tell our friends there about what
       we discovered here?"

Tanarus:"I'll do it right away. In the meantime we'll wait for your
         signal to pick up the prisoners and defectors or any calls for
         help."

Phoenix(over com):"Thanks, Tanarus. Over and out."

Tanarus:"Good luck."

The communications channel is closed. Tanarus then begins to pilot the
Stealth Rover to a safe position near the volcano as Elexis comes back
to her seat. Ozari is now tied up and gagged with duct tape to a seat
at the back of the cockpit. He struggles vainly in his bonds.

Dining Area
Airport Terminal
Hosea Kutako International Airport
45 Kilometers Outside Windhoek
Namibia
14:10 AM:

The dining area of the airport is a collection of round metal tables with
matching chairs and a small food court in the one wall. A large window
looks out towards the landing strips. At the moment there are several
Rover units here busy with lunch. At a table away from the others are the
Road Rovers. They all have bowls of food, but Shag clearly has the big-
gest amount of food. While the sheepdog is busy with his feast, Exile and
Blitz give Hunter and Colleen the information they had gathered up
during their mission earlier in the day.

Blitz:"... and that's when we left."

Colleen:"Our president is looking more and more like a suspect, wouldn't
         you say, Huntie?"

Hunter:"Yup. I think when he comes back we ought to have a chat with him.
        In private and with our fangs bared."

Blitz puts his paws together excitedly.

Blitz:"Oooh! Can I bite his tooshie?"

Exile and Colleen make faces of disgust.

Exile:"Weird Boy, comrades are eating here!"

Just then the rookie Rover Chris comes running amongst the tables towards
the group. He stops and salutes Hunter, getting the group's attention.

Chris:"Pardon me, Hunter. But I was working my shift in communications 
       and I received a high priority message from Unit STRIKE."

Hunter:"Cool! How are they doing?"

Chris:"They said they're in Kenya at the moment and that they have
       perhaps found the headquarters of the Elite Guard."

Colleen:"That's bloomin' good news. But why is that so important to us
         here in Namibia."

Chris:"Well, this Tanarus fellow in Unit STRIKE said that we must im-
       mediately arrest the Namibian president because he is an impostor."

The Road Rovers are taken aback by this surprising message. Even Shag
stops eating to stare in surprise at Chris.

Hunter:"I would not have predicted this! Why did he say that?"

Chris:"I was surprised too, so I asked Tanarus why. He said the real
       Namibian president was being held prisoner by the Elite Guard in
       that base in Kenya. The president we have here is a shape-shifting
       wolf called Spectre."

Colleen:"Say, didn't Striker used to talk about a bloke like that when
         he was in the EDF? A wolf who could change shape and spoke with
         a French accent."

Exile:"Dah, he did. And this president had a French voice."

Blitz:"Ach! This means we have been tricked!"

Hunter:"You're right, Blitz. We'd better take action."

Hunter turns to Chris.

Hunter:"Chris, get on the horn and alter all the Rover units in Namibia
        about this info. Then call the Master and let him know. Once you
        do that get Bear and have him meet me ASAP. We might need to
        put in the Namibian vice president in charge after we bust this
        bogus president until Unit STRIKE brings back the real one."

Chris:"Okay, I'll do it right away!"

Chris salutes again, then quickly turns around and runs out of the
dining area. Hunter turns back to the others.

Hunter:"Exile, do you think the fake president is still meeting with
        his mysterious allies?"

Exile:"Maybe, comrade, but more likely they are on way backski."

Hunter:"See if you and Blitz can track him down with the Rover Sa-
        telite"

Exile gets up and nods.

Exile:"Dokey okey, comrade. Come on, Weird Boy."

Blitz:"But I haven't finished eating my lunch!"

Colleen holds up a fist to Blitz's face.

Colleen:"Better get moving or you'll be eating a knuckle sandwich, Fluffy!"

Blitx gulps, then quickly stands up and follows Exile out of the terminal.
Shag then takes Exile's and Blitz's food and adds that to his own mountain
of food.

Command Centre
Unknown Location
At That Moment:

The command centre is now almost completed. Technicians have installed all
the cables and are now only busy double-checking the software on the
computer terminals. Franco is standing by his throne, listening to the
latest progress report from the foreman.

Franco:"Is everything ready?"

Foreman:"Pretty much, Supreme General. My technicians are making the final
         checks for bugs in the software, but otherwise the Wardrome is all
         set and ready to roll out."

Franco:"Exce..."

Suddenly the phone on his throne rings. Franco quickly turns away from the
foreman to pick it up and answer it. He sits down on his throne as he
answers.

Franco(into phone):"Yes?... Champion. Have the prisoners been executed?"

As Franco listens to the reply, his eyes go wide and he sits up straight,
holding the phone close.

Franco(into phone):"What! Under attack?... From whom?... The traitors?...
      Curse them! How many?... Get Hagar and tell him to defend the base
      at all costs! And then go and have the supply tunnels collapsed...
      Yes! Collapsed! All of them! I don't want the traitors to get any-
      where near here!... Them? They can make an escape, but they are
      expendable... What! They've taken Hildagarde! Find her, you fool!
      She's too valuable to lose!... Him? Kill him. He's no longer needed.
      Now get to work!"

Franco puts the phone down hard and swears. He then picks the phone up
again and dials a number. He waits for an answer on the other side.

Franco(into phone):"Sergeant Still?... This is Franco, where are you now?
      ... Good. I have orders for you. Go in and extract Spectre and get
      him to Harare as quickly as possible. I no longer need him in
      Namibia but I need him in Zimbabwe urgently... Excellent. And be
      quick about... Who?... Oh, those two. Use them to delay the Rovers
      if possible... Precisely."

He puts the phone down again, then gets up and leaves the command centre
in a hurry. The technicians continue their work.

Security Station
Elite Guard Headquarters
Beneath Mount Longonot
Kenya
13:16 PM:

This is a square room built into the corner wall of a corridor inter-
section. Two doors lead into it while windows allow a view from the
room into the corridors. Inside the station there are several terminals
and screens for security cameras. Right now red lights are flashing in
the corridors while in the station three Alpha soldiers are checking
their security screens and sending out alerts. One of the doors opens
and Raul walks in. One of the soldiers turns his attention to Raul.

Soldier:"Commander Raul."

Raul:"What is the latest?"

Soldier:"Sir, we are tracking hostile from..."

At this point the soldier notices that Unit STRIKE and their charges have
come into the room as well. The soldier gasps and reaches for his side-
arm, but Raul quickly lands a hard punch against the soldier. The wolf
stumbles back against the wall and collapses. Before the others soldiers
can realize what is wrong, Shephard and Illanov come up and hit them in
the faces with the butts of the M-249 and Plasma rifle respectively.

Illanov:"That's it, all clear comrades."

Phoenix:"Good work. Lock the door and tie this lot up."

Illanov and Shephard nod, then they each go to a door and lock it up. As
they work on tying up the soldiers, Phoenix turns to Raul.

Phoenix:"Good work, Raul. It was very risky, though. They could have
         shot you immediately."

Raul:"I know, but I took the chance that not everybody here has been told
      about my defection yet."

Phoenix:"True, but we still need to be careful. Let's check what the
         security systems can tell us."

The group then moves to the terminals and screens and begin to work with
the equipment. As they look through the lenses of the security cameras
they can see chaos: soldiers in the base are at war with each other while
more rockets slam into the base. In other parts soldiers are running to
their positions or getting armed. In a few places rockets have started
several fires as well.

Merit:"I say, all that damage is going to take many hours to repair and
       clean up."

Maya:"It looks like a war zone out there."

Hildagarde:"It looks more to me like the calm before the storm."

Maya:"If this is calm then I don't want to see the storm."

Corsair:"Hey, what's this?"

Phoenix, Raul and Hildagarde turn to Corsair, who is pointing to another
set of screens. The screens show what appears to be a railway depot with
tracks running into several large tunnels. The only train here is being
loaded up with essentials and soldiers, while other soldiers scurry
about at the mouths of the tunnels.

Phoenix:"Raul, what is that?"

Raul:"That's the railway depot at level ten. I've only been there a few
      times but that is the spot where many of Franco's forces had been
      moving through."

Corsair:"Looks like they're getting ready to pack up shop."

Phoenix:"Let's leave that for the moment. Our primary concern is finding
         the Namibian president and then getting you all out of here."

They nod and continue scanning the monitors and security cameras. After
a few minutes Illanov is the one to make the discovery.

Illanov:"Comrades, I think I found him."

Everyone gathers around Illanov and looks at his screen. The camera is
showing a number of prison cells on several levels. Most of them are
empty, but four Alpha Soldiers are standing guard by one cell near the
back.

Phoenix:"You think that cell contains the president?"

Illanov:"It's the only cell that appears locked, and those guards tell
         me somebody important is in there."

Phoenix looks at Raul.

Phoenix:"Can you lead us there?"

Raul:"I think so, but with all this chaos I might have to take detours."

Phoenix:"Do what you think is necessary. And we need to move quickly
         before the KH Military invade the base."

Raul:"Good idea. Follow me!"

Phoenix:"Stay close, everyone."

The group, led by Raul and Phoenix, moves out of the security station
and heads down one of the corridor. Alarms and the sound of gunfire
continue to sound from elsewhere around the base.

KHV Queen Victoria
Holding Position near Mount Longonot
At That Moment:

From the Victoria generals Pard and Thrax are watching the shelling with
binoculars. The rockets fly in arches through the sky to smash into the
mountainside.

Thrax:"Impressive sight, isn't it?"

Pard:"I suppose so, but it's a pity we cannot see the rockets breaching
      the base."

Thrax:"I'm pretty certain they've gotten through. I don't see the Elite
       Guard on the surface, so they must be too busy inside."

Pard:"So what do you think should we do next, general?"

Thrax:"Well, I think we've given the Elite Guard enough. I recommend you
       send your forces in now before our enemies can recover and re-
       group from our deliveries, General Pard."

Pard:"Good idea. My troops are eager to return the favor to the Elite
      Guard for all those years of abuse and suffering they had caused
      to Celtic Squadron."

Thrax:"I am sure Franco will be very happy to see you."

Pard lowers his binoculars and radios Captain Sparrow while Thrax keeps
watching the bombardment.

Pard(into radio):"Captain Sparrow, cease bombing and send our forces in.
    The Elite Guard are in confusion and the time is now to strike. Use
    extreme prejudice against the Elite Guard."

Sparrow(over radio):"With pleasure."

Pard lowers the radio and raises his binoculars again. Down below the
KHSAS launchers stop their bombardment while at the same time the Celtic
Squadron forces begin to move in on Mount Longonot.

Broadcast Room
Elite Guard Headquarters
13:26 PM:

The room from where Franco makes his broadcasts is devoid of life, but
the camera equipment, the flood lights, make-up tray and other studio
equipment is still here. The Strikers come into the room with their
weapons ready. They scan the room for hostiles, then proceed further
in while the rest of the group follows.

Corsair:"Hey, what's this place? It looks like a movie studio."

Maya:"This is where Franco makes his broadcasts to extremist groups,
      posing as a Mister F."

This piece of information gets the Strikers' attention.

Shephard:"Sirs, didn't HQ say something about having suspicions about
          Mister F being Franco?"

Phoenix:"That they did, Shephard. And now we have found the place where
         he made all those broadcasts to the extremist groups."

Phoenix then looks at Maya.

Phoenix:"Do you know why Franco made these broadcasts, Maya?"

Maya shakes her head.

Maya:"I have no idea."

Phoenix looks at Harva, but she shakes her head as well. The Pomeranian
then looks at Raul and Hildagarde.

Phoenix:"What about you two? Surely you must know something."

Hildagarde:"Sorry, Phoenix. I only know as much as Maya has told me."

Raul:"Neither do I. The only thing that I may is know is that Franco says
      these broadcasts are an important of the overall plan."

Phoenix:"What overall plan?"

Rual shrugs his shoulders.

Rual:"I have no idea."

Phoenix:"Now that is a shame."

Illanov:"Not really, comrade. We have uncovered one of the weapons Franco
         has been using in his plan. And now we have a chance to take
         away this weapon and perhaps impede his plans. We have witnesses
         and we can get some hard evidence for comrade Striker and the
         Master to use to fight this wave of extremism."

Phoenix:"Good idea. Guys, look around and gather up evidence. And get us
         some photos of this room too."

The team nods in agreement. Corsair reaches into his backpack and digs
around. After a few moments he pulls out a digital camera. He turns it
on, then begins take photos of the room.

Corsair:"It's shutterbug time."

Illanov just rolls his eyes as the rest of the team searches around the
room for usable evidence. As they work, the room rumbles again from a
series of distant explosions. A minute later Shephard comes to the table
with the tag "DIRECTOR" on it. He examines a pile of papers.

Shephard:"Ma'am, I think I found something."

Phoenix and Illanov walk over to the table as Shephard picks up the
papers.

Phoenix:"What have you found?"

Shephard:"These papers look like scripts, Ma'am."

Shephard holds out some of the papers. Phoenix and Illanov each take a
script and briefly read them.

Illanov:"A speech to CLAW, a right-wing sapien group in Britain. Full of
         inflammatory remarks and slurs. Exactly the kind of things that
         comrade Striker said Mister F was saying."

Phoenix:"And here is a script for the Chinese People First Party, where
         Mister F encourages the humans in China to help keep up support 
         for their government's anti-mutant policies."

Illanov:"Comrade, this is d***ing evidence. We must get this back to
         Mission Control."

Phoenix:"I agree, but first we must rescue the president and then get
         everyone out here. Shephard, put these scripts in your back-
         pack."

Shephard:"Yes, Ma'am!"

Shephard takes off his backpack and places it on the table. He begins to
put the scripts into pack. Suddenly there is a violent shudder that al-
most knocks everyone to their feet and causes a few of the lights and
cameras to fall over and smash.

Merit:"I say, what a terrible mess."

Corsair:"Whoa! That was pretty bad."

Raul:"It felt to me like it came from the crater at the top of Longonot.
      The KH Military must have blown apart the camouflaged hangar doors
      there."

Phoenix:"Which means they are moving in. And we need to get moving and
         get out before we get caught up in the fighting."

The team works more quickly and soon they have gathered up enough ma-
terial from the studio. Corsair takes the final few pictures before he
joins the others as they make their way out of the room.

Crater
Mount Longonot
13:31 PM

The crater floor at the bottom of the volcano is covered by a forest of
small trees. Around the walls of the crater several vents release tiny
quantities of steam. In the skies a wing of Valkyrie Bombers are making
a run on the volcano crater. As they make a dive, the bombers unleash
a number of iron bombs before pulling up. The iron bombs glide through
the air before slamming into the trees and the crater floor. Explosions
rock the crater as the blasts send chunks of rocks and parts of trees
flying through the air. When the smoke and dust clears, much of the
forest has been blown apart. In the crater floor, the explosions have
made small craters that expose metal sheets and girders. A few minutes
later the Valkyries make another run, this time releasing smart bombs
that are targeted at the craters. The smart bombs slam into the exposed
metal and explode. The explosions rip apart the hidden doors of the
helicopter hangars beneath the crater floor, causing large portions of
the crater to cave in on the hangar. Once the dust clears again, the
partially damaged Elite Guard hangar, where a number of helipads and
sheds are located, can be seen from the sky. As the Elite Guard troops
and workers are recovering from the blasts, Celtic Squadron dropships,
which are escorted by Mohican Helicopters, fly over the crater lip and
descend upon on the giant blast hole.

Prison Block A
Elite Guard Headquarters
13:39 PM:

This is the area that Unit STRIKE has seen on the security screens. The
block consists of a long corridor with three tiers of cells facing towards
each other. Near the entrance is a small block office and stairs leading
up to the tiers. In the office are a group of Alpha Soldiers. Along the
tiers one can see most cells are empty. However, one cell at the top tier
near the back is guarded by two Paladins. Inside that cell is the haggard
but still defiant Namibian president. He listens to the sound of distant
rumbling and gunfire. Near the entrance to the block, Phoenix and the
are just around the corner from the office door. She peers quickly around
the corner, then creates a small fireball and launched it past the corner.
The fireball hits one soldier and sets his uniform on fire. He screams in
a panic, distracting and surprising his team members.

Soldier:"Get the extinguisher!"

One soldier rushes out to get one, but Raul appears in front of him and
hits him in the face with the extinguisher. Raul then rushes into the
office and sprays the soldiers, including the burning one, with the fire
extinguisher. Using the moment the soldiers are blinded, Phoenix, Illanov
and Shephard rush into the office and quickly knock out or gun down the
soldiers. Once it is secured, the rest of the group run into the office.

Phoenix:"Good. For the two guarding the president."

Suddenly a magnetix bolt smashes through the window, making everyone

duck for cover. From the third tier, the Paladins are busy sniping at
the office. Raul tries to peer at them, but quickly ducks as another shot
zooms past inches from his ear. 

Raul:"No good. They got the high ground and covering the stairs."

Phoenix looks at Hildagarde.

Phoenix:"Do those armoured suits have a weakness?"

Hildagarde:"Only if you can sneak up behind them. There is a small knob
            behind a latch on the back of the suit that activates the
            suit's emergency shutdown. It's meant to get injured paladins
            out of their suits in a hurry, but if you can hit the button
            it will leave them helpless."

Phoenix then looks at Illanov.

Phoenix:"Can you get close enough to do that, Alex?"

Illanov shakes his head.

Illanov:"Sorry, comrade. My power won't last long enough for me to get up
         the stairs and run up behind them."

Phoenix:"Oh, that's bad. Now what?"

Corsair:"I got an idea, boss."

They look to Corsair, who has taken a folded-up buzzblade from one of the
soldiers and is busy programming it with his laptop.

Corsair:"I can hotwire this little dicer and send it back to its buddies
         up there."

Hildagarde:"The buzzblade won't be able to cut through their armor."

Corsair:"Maybe not, but it will surely distract them long enough for
         Soviet Boy to get up there without using his power or getting
         shot at. Now, let's see."

Corsair types on his keyboard. The buzzblade opens up and unfolds, then
its blades begin to spin. It lifts off, while Corsair guides by using
his laptop, the screen showing what its camera sees.

Corsair:"Ready to fly."

Phoenix:"Get ready, Alex."

Illanov moves to the doorway of the office, still kneeling.

Illanov:"Ready, comrade."

Phoenix:"Go for it, Corsair."

Corsair nods and begins to guide the buzzblade out of the office. However
it strikes the edge of the doorway and goes into a spin, bumping against
the cell bars opposite and sending sparks flying.

Illanov:"Careful with it, American!"

Corsair:"Oh, and I suppose you think it's easy flying this? This ain't
         no RC from the toy shop, you know."

Corsair, however, manages to gain a measure of control over the buzzblade
and guides it up to the two Paladins. The duo sees the buzzblade coming,
but don't give it much attention until it bears down on one of them. As
Hildagarde predicted, the buzzblade's blades skid off the Paladin's
armour, sending it into a spin. But it does distract the two soldiers.
Down at the office Phoenix looks at the paladins, then at Illanov.

Phoenix:"Go, Alex!"

Illanov:"Dah!"

Illanov rushes out of the office, running for the stairs and climbing up
them. The two Paladins begin to shoot at the offending buzzblade, but
Corsair manages to dodge them. He grins as he toys with the Paladins.

Corsair:"Hey, this could make a great game."

But the fun suddenly ends when a Paladin manages to score a hit on the
buzzblade. The screen on Corsair's laptop goes static as the buzzblade
explodes into a dozen pieces. The Paladins then turn their attention
back to the office when suddenly one of them topples over onto his back
with a loud "CLANK". The other Paladin quickly turns to look.

Paladin 1:"What's wrong with you?"

Paladin 2:"My suit! It's been deactivated!"

Paladin 1:"That's ridiculous! Someone would have to hit the emergency
           shut down, and I don't anyone here."

Suddenly there is an audible click, followed by the sound of the first
Paladin's suit powering down. The next instant there is a show from
behind that makes the Paladin topple to the floor like a felled tree.
Illanov then materializes on the third tier, looking at the Paladins
lying helplessly immobile on the floor.

Illanov:"That should keep you lying on the job."

Illanov then leans over the railing and waves at the others in the
office.

Illanov:"All clear comrades!"

The group gets up. Phoenix looks at Shephard and Raul.

Phoenix:"Guard the entrance and watch for anybody coming in."

Shephard:"Yes, ma'am!"

Raul:"All right."

Maya:"Take Harva with you. She can open the cell for you."

Phoenix:"All right. Come along, Harva."

Harva:"Okay."

Shephard and Raul go to the block entrance and stand guard on either side
while Phoenix and Harva go out and makes their way up to the third tier 
and finally to the cell where the president is. Phoenix looks at him 
through the bars.

Phoenix:"Are you all right, Mister President?"

President:"I'm all right, but who are you? You're certainly not one of
           these foul beasts."

Phoenix:"We're the good guys, and we are coming to get you out and back to
         Namibia quickly."

The president gets up.

President:"Then what are you waiting for?"

Phoenix:"Let's open this cell first."

Phoenix steps aside to allow Harva to step forward. Harva takes out a small
potted plant she had been carrying and places it by the cell door. She
then concentrates hard on it. Moments later the plant sprouts large,
moving vines that creep up and around the cell door. They then pull and
tug on the door until the lock snaps and the door slides open. Harva
then steps back to allow the president to come out.

President:"You must be the Road Rovers I keep hearing about. I must admit
           I am not fond of you mutants, but I'd rather go with you than
           stay here with these freaks."

Illanov:"That is not all, Premier. These 'freaks' have an imposter who
         is masquerading as you and who started a war between your country
         and South Africa."

The president is startled by this revelation.

President:"What! A war? That's madness! My country couldn't possible fight
           against the forces of South Africa!"

Phoenix:"Don't worry, Mister President. The Road Rovers have been fighting
         them off for you, and as soon as we get you back we can expose
         the fraudulant president and end the war."

President:"Then by all means! Lead the way!"

Phoenix, Illanov and Harva escort the president down from the third tier 
to the office. Phoenix looks at the others.

Phoenix:"We got the president! Let's go and leave this place!"

Everyone gathers around, then group make their way out of the cell block.
The entire block then shakes from an explosion somewhere within the base.

T-Junction
13:59 PM:

This is a simple t-junction somewhere in the base, with steel walls and
fluorescent lights in the ceiling. The only distinguishing features are
an emergency blast door with a switch behind a pane of glass that says
"IN CASE OF FIRE, BREAK GLASS". The other feature is a set of signs in
the wall, pointing the directions the corridors take. Two Alpha Soldiers
are dashing down the straight corridor, weapons ready. Just as they
come to the junction, a boot appears from the adjoining corridor and
trips the first soldier. The second soldier stops in surprise at his
fallen comrade. This gives Phoenix a chance to appear and pistol-whip
the soldier in the face. Shephard and Illanov also appear and help to
knock down the two soldiers. Once the two are neutralized, the rest of
the group come out.

Phoenix:"All right. That's both of them down. Now, let's see which way
         should we go."

They turn their attention to the signs, but unbeknownst to the rest, 
Raul is whispering something to Hildagarde. The two of them converse
while the rest of the team are occupied. After a few moments, Hildagarde
nods to Raul. The female scientist then turns to the group after glancing
at the signs.

Hildagarde:"There is a vent in the geothermal reactor room you can use
            to get to the surface. You just need to shut off the steam
            going into it, then use the maintenance ladder."

Corsair:"More vent crawling. How original."

Phoenix:"It still sounds like a good idea, and we certainly cannot go
         back the way we came with all this chaos. Come on."

Phoenix leads the group down the corridor, but Hildagarde and Raul move
to the corridor with the blast door without anyone noticing. Raul then
smashes the emergency glass with his elbow, triggering a loud alarm and
causing the blast door to begin closing. This immediately makes the
group turn around to look. They see Raul and Hildagarde quickly making
their way past the closing door.

Maya:"What the? Hildagarde!"

Shephard:"S***!"

The group rush back, but they are unable to reach it before the blast
door closes. Through a single fire- and blast-proof window, Hildagarde
looks at the group.

Hildagarde:"I'm sorry, but Raul and I are defecting to the KH Military."

Harva:"But what about me and Maya?"

Hildagarde:"You two go with them. You'd be much better off with the Road
            Rovers than the KH Military. It's been a pleasure knowing
            you two. Good luck and God speed!"

Raul grabs Hildagarde's arm and tugs her.

Raul:"Come on, Hildagarde! Let's go!"

Hildagarde takes one last look at the group, then she and Raul begin to
run down the corridor. The Strikers can only watch them run off through
the blast door window.

Shephard:"Crud! They got away!"

Illanov:"Dah, but there's nothing we can do about that. They're made up
         their minds about defecting, but what concerns me is that her
         directions might lead us to trouble."

Maya:"No, she wouldn't do that to us. She would want me and Harva to get
      away from here."

Phoenix:"Well, right or wrong we can only go this way. And we had better
         hurry. The sound of the fighting is starting to get closer and
         need to get everyone out here now. Come on!"

They all follow Phoenix down the only remaining corridor they can take:
to the geothermal reactor. Meanwhile, Hildagarde and Raul turn a corner
to find themselves facing a group of KH Battle and Flame Troopers coming
towards them. Their leader is Captain Sparrow, dressed in a Battle Trooper
suit. The group raise their weapons, but Raul and Hildagarde quickly
raise their paws.

Raul:"Don't shoot! This is Hildagarde!"

Sparrow raises his paw to signal his team.

Sparrow:"Hold fire! You two, step closer!"

Raul and Hildagarde move closer while Sparrow examines them. He then nods
in satisfaction.

Sparrow:"All right, it's you two. Eta Squadron told us we'd find you here.
         Come on! We're taking you two out of here."

Relieved, Raul and Hildagarde join the KH troopers, who begin to escort
to the two of them back to their drop-off point. At the same time Sparrow
gets on his suit's radio and calls General Pard.

KHV Queen Victoria
Holding Position near Mount Longonot
14:11 PM:

Generals Pard and Thrax are still at the bridge, watching the Celtic
forces attack the Elite Guard headquarters and listening to reports
coming in from commanders. At the moment Pard is listening to Sparrow
on his radio.

Pard(into radio):"So you have them both?... Excellent! Get them to a
    dropship and bring them to the Lady Vee as quickly as possible. We
    can then shuttle her straight to the Supreme General... Good, out."

Thrax turns to Pard as the latter lowers his radio.

Thrax:"Did we get someone important?"

Pard:"Yes. Captain Sparrow found General Sky's contact, Raul, and he had
      Hildagarde with him."

Thrax:"Hildagarde, you say? That's a big catch."

Pard:"Indeed. Hildagarde is almost as brilliant a scientist as Tesla and
      she is held in good regard with the senior generals."

Thrax:"So the KH Military benefits to the Elite Guard's detriment. I
       like that."

Pard:"So do I, general Thrax. So do I."

The two generals resume watching and monitoring the battle in progress.

Geothermal Reactor
Elite Guard Headquarters
14:18 PM:

The geothermal reactor room is a large, egg-shaped room. In the centre
of the room is a huge machine with many pipes running from the machine
to turbines and then on to the surface. At the bottom is a pool of lava
from the volcano. The turbines power the generators that provide elec-
tricity to the entire base. Three levels of catwalks line the walls,
running around the full circumference of the room and heading out to
the turbines, generators and the reactor. A single control room is on
the third level against the wall. Elite Guard technicians dressed in
black/yellow overalls are working here, checking the machines and
managing the reactor even as alarms are ringing. Due to the noise,
and their attention focused on operating the machines the technicians do
not notice the Strikers and their charges enter the room and make a run
for the control room. When they reach it the group rushes in, punching
and pistol whipping the technicians working there. They all get in and
close the door.

Phoenix:"Alex! Shephard! Guard the door!"

As Illanov and Shephard take up positions, Phoenix, Corsair and Merit
go to the control terminal for the reactor.

Phoenix:"Can you two make sense of this?"

Corsair:"Give us a few seconds while Merit and I figure this out."

Phoenix steps back to let the two of them work. Merit scans the panels,
then reports to Corsair what they do. Corsair sits down in a chair and
begins to type on the terminal. He checks the information on the screen.

Corsair:"Okay, I've found several vents and it seems Hildagarde was
         right. The vents all lead to the surface. Look..."

Phoenix looks at the screen as Corsair indicates to a wire frame map of
the mountain.

Corsair:"That's where the vents lead to. It's quite a climb, though."

Phoenix:"Can we use them?"

Corsair:"The big ones have ladders for maintenance, but I'm gonna have
         to turn off the steam before we can go in."

Phoenix:"Which one can you clear for us?"

Corsair types in further commands and checks the information again. He
then points to the map again.

Corsair:"I can turn that one off."

Phoenix:"All right. Do it. I'll call Tanarus and have them ready to pick
         us up immediately."

Corsair:"Righto, boss."

As Corsair begins to work on the terminal, Phoenix uses her watchcom to
call Tanarus.

Phoenix(into com):"Phoenix to Tanarus, come in."

Tanarus(over com):"Tanarus here. What's the latest?"

Phoenix(into com):"We're currently in the base's power station. We got
       the Namibian president and a few freed captives, but Hildagarde
       and Raul gave us the slip and went off to join the KH Military."

Tanarus(over com):"That's unfortunate, but I guess it wasn't surprising.
       What are you doing at the power station?"

Phoenix(into com):"We're trying to see if we can't get to the surface
       by using the geothermal reactor's steam vents. Corsair is going
       to shut one down for us. Once he has gotten one down we will call
       you to tell which one it is and where."

Tanarus(over com):"Not a moment too soon. Celtic Squadron is really
       pounding Longonot now. We'll be ready to pick you up as soon as
       we get you info."

Phoenix(into com):"All right. See you shortly."

However, while Phoenix was making her call, Champion appeared on the other
side of the chamber with a squad of Alpha soldiers. The werewolf is now
armed with his M4 rifle and is scanning the area. He then spots them in
the control room, noting that Phoenix was visible to him.

Champion:"There you are, b****."

He takes aim at the control room window. Phoenix turns to Corsair.

Phoenix:"How are we looking?"

Corsair:"Just need to shut these turbines... there."

There is the sound of turbines shutting down, causing some of the tech-
nicians to look up from their work in surprise. Corsair points to the 
terminal screen, which Phoenix looks at.

Corsair:"I shut down primary vent number two, the one on the most western
         side of the mountain, near this spring."

Phoenix:"Good. I'll contact Tanarus at once. Is there anything you still
         need to do?"

Corsair:"Yeah, I just need to redirect the steam to the other vents. If
         this stuff starts to back up, then the reactor will..."

Suddenly the glass of the control room window shatters as shots ring out
from the other side. Phoenix can be heard yelping as everyone ducks for
cover. Illanov and Shephard rush up to the control and fire back, making
Champion and his soldiers take cover and causing the technicians to duck
or make a break for it. Suddenly Merit notices that Phoenix is clutching
her side, which is bleeding and staining her t-shirt.

Merit:"Oh, I say. You seemed to have suffered a puncture in your chassis.
       You are leaking battery fluid."

The others also notice Phoenix's injury with shock.

Illanov:"Mother Russia! Comrade, you okay?"

Phoenix:"Just... just a flesh wound, Alex."

Corsair:"That's a lot of blood for just a flesh wound."

Maya moves up to Phoenix and lifts the shirt to examine the wound. She
then looks at Harva.

Maya:"Give me your handkerchief, Harva."

Harva:"Yes, mother."

Harva digs in her pockets before pulling out a white piece of cloth. She 
gives it to Maya, who then presses it down on Phoenix's wound. The 
Pomeranian winches in pain.

Maya:"Can you press down on it? The wound isn't serious, but the bleeding
      could weaken you."

Phoenix:"All right, thank you."

Phoenix does as she is told and holds the handkerchief against her side.
She then looks at Corsair, who is peering over the edge of the terminal
to look at it.

Phoenix:"Is the vent still open?"

Corsair:"Yeah, but we got a problem. The terminal has two big holes in
         it."

Phoenix:"Will that cause problems?"

Corsair:"If we stay here too long, the answer is yes. Trigger Happy out
         there blew it apart before I could reroute the steam that was
         supposed to go out those vents. Now it's going to start backing
         up and cause the reactor to overheat. And since this a geo-
         thermal reactor located inside what looks like an active vol-
         cano, I'd hate to be here when it goes pop."

Phoenix:"How long before it explodes?"

Corsair shrugs.

Corsair:"No idea. With the terminal busted, I can't check."

Phoenix:"Then we'd better get moving now."

Phoenix tries to get up, groaning in pain from her wound as she struggles
back onto her feet. Illanov watches her stand up, and then shakes his head.

Illanov:"Comrade, you won't be able to move on your own like that."

Maya:"Let me and Harva help you."


Maya and her daughter come up on either side of Phoenix and put her arms
around their shoulders. Everyone ducks as more bullets come flying over
their heads.

Shephard:"We're going to need some cover, sirs! We're easy targets on
          these catwalks!"

Corsair:"Don't worry. I got a few gifts from Colleen to help us out."

Corsair takes his backpack, opens it and rummages around inside. He takes
out a pair of bone-shaped gas grenades(see "Hunter's Heroes") and hands
them over to Shephard.

Corsair:"Toss these and they'll create a thick cloud of smoke. Big Ugly
         and his toadies outside won't be able to spot an elephant in
         all that."

Shephard:"Thank you, sir!"

Shephard takes a grenade in each hand and peers over the terminal's
edge to check the route they are to take and to see where Champion and
his troops are. Once he figures that out, he stands up and tosses the
grenades before ducking again. The grenades sail through the air and
land on the catwalks near the control room and Champion. They open up
and begin billowing out clouds of purple smoke. Champion and his Alpha
soldiers are soon hidden from sight.

Champion:"What the f***! I can't see c***!!!"

Illanov turns to the others.

Illanov:"That's it! Come on, comrades!"

Everyone gets to their feet, then Illanov leads the group out of the
control room into the smoke. Shots ring out as Champion's group open
fier, but their arm is completely off mark and their shots ricochet
harmlessly against the walls and empty catwalks. Shephard moves to the
back of the group to check for hostiles, then sees Merit is still in
the control.

Shephard:"What the...?"

He runs back into the control room to find Merit standing over the
ruined terminal. His toolkit is out and he is busy repairing the damage.

Shephard:"What are you doing?"

Merit:"I am conducting repairs on this terminal."

Shephard rolls his eyes, then grabs Merit by the arm and drags the robot
out the room.

Merit:"I say! This is highly inappropriate!"

Shephard:"So is getting yourself killed! Come on!"

The two of them rush back to the group. They gather at a hatch with a
valve on it. Illanov is turning the valve as fast as he can. Moments
later the hatch unlocks and the German Shepherd opens it, revealing a
thick pipe with ladder rungs running along the length of it. He turns
on his watchcom.

Illanov(into com):"Comrade Tanarus, come in."

Tanarus(over com):"This is Tanarus, Alex. Where are you?"

Illanov(into com):"We're at vent number three, the most southern vent
       on the mountain slope."

Tanarus(over com):"All right... I think we see it. I'll have Elexis lower 
       a ladder for you."

Illanov(into com):"Good idea, and have her bring her medical unit too.
       Comrade Phoenix is wounded."

Tanarus(over com):"How bad?"

Illanov(into com):"It looks worse than it is, but I'd rather have her
       healed quickly."

Tanarus(over com):"Elexis will be ready to help her once she is on the
       Stealth Rover. Just get up here as quickly as you can."

Illanov(into com):"Dah, comrade. We'll get up there as quickly as we
       can."

Just as Illanov switches off his watchcom's communicator, there is a
violent shudder inside the chamber and a loud whistling noise. Everyone
turns to look at the source: the geothermal reactor is shaking and jets
of steam are bursting out from cracks and seams.

Merit:"I say, that geothermal reactor is experiencing compromises."

President:"What? What did he say?"

Phoenix(in pain):"It means it's going to explode! Move, people! Move!"

The group immediately begins to climb into the steam vent and then
climb the ladder. The technicians and the soldiers in the room see the
reactor is destabilizing and make a break for it. However, Champion
doesn't retreat. Instead, he slings his M4 over his shoulder and runs
to the steam where the Strikers and their charges are climbing up the
ladder in the vent. The reactor shakes more and more violently.

Crater
Mount Longonot

At That Moment:

The hangar area of the base is now fully under the control of the Celtic
Squadron. Dropships sit on the landing pads while Mohican helicopters
provide air cover above. Captain Sparrow and his team come into the
hangars, escorting Hildagarde and Raul. Suddenly there is a violent
shudder that nearly knocks everyone to their feet.

Sparrow:"What was that?"

Hildagarde:"That felt like..."

There is another shudder, then Hildagarde's eyes widen.

Hildagarde:"The reactor! It's destabilized!"

Sparrow:"You mean it's melting down?"

Hildagarde:"No, it's a geothermal reactor. We need to get out of here,
            captain. The reactor feeds off this volcano's own lava vent.
            If it explodes, Longonot will erupt!"

Both Sparrow and Raul's eyes widen in shock. Sparrow turns to his troops.

Sparrow:"Get them on the dropship!"

Troopers:"Yes, sir!"

As the troopers escort the two defectors to a dropship, Sparrow contacts
General Pard on the radio.

Sparrow(into radio):"General Pard, come in!"

Pard(over radio):"I read you, captain. What's the latest?"

Sparrow(into radio):"Hildagarde says the base's geothermal reactor is on
       the verge of exploding, which will cause the volcano to erupt."

Pard(over radio):"Is she sure about it?"

Sparrow(into radio):"The shudder we felt here certainly strengthens her
       cause."

Pard(over radio):"Then get out of there! Order all your troops out of
     that volcano ASAP!"

Sparrow(into radio):"Yes, General! But what about the Elite Guard?"

Pard(over radio):"Let the volcano, and the Devil, sort them out. Just
    get your tail out of there!"

Sparrow(into radio):"Yes, sir!"

Captain Sparrow then radios his troopers and orders them to pull back to
the dropships. Another, more violent shudder rocks the base, causing
small rocks from the crater to tumble down the slopes and into the hangar.

Primary Vent Two
Mount Longonot
14:27 PM:

This is a large pipe cutting through the rocky sides of the volcano,
ending in a grated vent disguised like a shrub. Inside the pipe, Unit
STRIKE and their charges have reached the end of the last horizontal
length of the pipe and now stand by another ladder that leads up to the
vent. Merit is the first to climb up the ladder, followed by Illanov and 
the rest of the team. Phoenix struggles to climb up despite assistance 
from Maya and Harva. Shephard, who is bringing up the rear, is the last 
to begin his climb. Merit reaches the grate at the top of the vent, then
opens his toolbox and takes out the wielding tool. The robot begins to
cut at the grate while the others wait. While Merit is cutting, there is
a loud rumbling noise, followed by a violent shudder that nearly knocks
everyone off the ladder.

Corsair:"Oh man! This mountain is ready to blow it's top!"

Shephard:"Hey, tin can! Hurry up, we're running out of time!"

Merit:"I find the impatience of organics very confusion."

Finally Merit cuts the last piece of the grate and pushes it off the
hole. He retracts his toolkit back into his body and looks down at the
others.

Merit:"Task completed."

Illanov:"Come on, comrades! To the surface!"

They resume climbing and get out of the vent, pushing aside the fake
shrubbery. Above them the Stealth Rover appears and moves into a hovering
position. A hatch opens under the belly and a rope ladder is brought
down. Elexis appears at the hatch.

Elexis:"Come on, get onboard!"

Illanov:"Coming, comrade!"

Harva, Maya and the Namibian president are first to climb up the ladder.
Illanov and Shephard take over holding the injured Phoenix. There is
another rumble that causes loose rocks to tumble down the mountainside.
Above at the top of the volcano the Celtic Squadron dropships and their
escorts are taking off and flying out of the crater.

Geothermal Reactor
At That Moment:

The reactor is starting to fall apart as it shudders violently. Pieces
of metal and pipe break loose from the shaking machine while steam is
blasting out of holes in the machine. The entire room is shaking,
making pieces of rock break off as well. Suddenly the reactor explodes
in a massive cloud of fire, metal and steam. The flying debris and shrapnel
tear apart the catwalks, control room, turbines and pipes. The ruins of
the reactor then topples into the lava pool, which is now starting to
rise at an alarmingly rapid speed. Very soon the entire reactor room is
engulfed by lava while the molten magma floods into the corridors of the
base.

Supply Checkpoint Alpha
Elite Guard Headquarters
14:35 PM:

This is very similiar to Supply Checkpoint Delta: a large railway depot
inside a big, natural and dug-out cavern. Four railway tracks come out from
tunnels to a station built in the cavern before going on into four other 
ongoing tunnels. Cranes, warehouses, sheds and quarters have been built here 
while large floodlights provide light inside the cave. There are two big
differences between Alpha and Delta: Alpha is much bigger, with more
cranes, warehouses, sheds, etc. The other difference is that the cave
is now dark except for the flashlights and torches carried by Elite Guard
soldiers and the battery-powered lights on the last remaining freight
train. Major Hagar, the most senior wolf-sapien officer, is busy overseeing
the entire operation. He is a black-furred wolf with deep red eyes and
wearing a Paladin suit. At the moment he is watching the engineers place
explosives at the mouths of the caves and prepare the detonators.

Hagar:"Hurry up! Move your butts!"

Engineer:"We're almost done! Give us a second!"

Suddenly there is the sound of crashing metal from the higher levels that
makes Hagar look up. He gasps as he sees lava pouring out of various open
doorways, windows and vents, melting the catwalks and incinerating any
straggling Elite Guard soldier. Cranes topple over as their bases become
metled while leftover ammunition starts to detonate from the heat. Hagar 
runs to the train engine and jumps to join the train operator and the
chief engineer.

Hagar:"Get moving! NOW!!!"

Operator:"Yes, sir!"

The operator and his crew start up the engine and blow the train horn.
Soldiers run for the train and jump on as it starts moving. The chief
engineer leans over the edge of the train engine to see the progress of
the wagons. Once the latest one clears the tunnel mouth, he presses a
button on the explosive detonator. The bombs placed at the four tunnel
mouths explode with loud, violent bangs. The explosions cases the tunnel
entrances to collapse and finally block off the tunnels. The lava is
prevented from escaping through the train tunnels and begins to pool in
the depot, soon destroying it completely. Inside the tunnel the last
train from the base picks up speed and makes a getaway.

Stealth Rover
Leaving Mount Longonot
14:39 PM:

The Stealth Rover is flying away from the volcano as lava begins to pour
out of the vents and the top of the crater. The Strikers are still
climbing up the ladder, with Phoenix struggling with her wound. One by
one they get up into the Stealth Rover. Harva, Maya, the president, Merit
and Corsair get on. They then help Illanov and Shephard get Phoenix into
the Stealth before getting onboard too. Elexis then immediately gets to
work on Phoenix, making her take off her jacket and lift her blood-
stained shirt.

Elexis:"The bullet went right through. I can patch this up quickly with-
        out surgery."

She takes out her medical unit and begins to heal up the injury. Suddenly
there is a loud booming noise from outside. Through the hatch they can
see chunks of molten rock flying across the sky down to the foot of
the volcano.

Corsair:"And there she blows. I bet Franco is going to be very cheesed
         when he finds out what we did to his base."

Shephard:"I would have preferred that he was there to witness it in
          person, sir."

Corsair:"Oh yeah. With a nice, front row seat."

Illanov:"Comrade Shephard, help me get the rope ladder back in and close
         the hatch."

Shephard:"Yes, sir."

The two of them begin to hoist the ladder up, straining as they pull on
it.

Illanov:"Bolshoi. Why is it so heavy?"

They keep pulling the ladder until the end of it comes into view. Both
Illanov and Shephard suddenly find themselves starting at the M4 gun
barrel of Champion, who is holding on to the ladder. He is grinning
viciously.

Champion:"Mind if I come onboard?"

Everyone else is now aware of Champion's presence as he climbs into the
Stealth Rover, keeping his gun pointed at Illanov and Shephard. He
looks at Phoenix, who is now fully healed but still partially uncovered.
The big werewolf smirks.

Champion:"Oh, you're getting ready for me already? I'm flattered."

Phoenix(growling):"You're out of your league here, pig."

Champion:"Really, b****? I seem have the situation under control here."

Maya growls and steps forward, but Champion swings his gun over to her
and stops her advance.

Champion:"Await your turn, bi..."

Illanov takes this brief moment to kick Champion's arm. He yelps in
pain as the rifle flies from his paw and then falls out the open hatch.
Immediately Shephard, Phoenix and Elexis jump the werewolf and try to
wrestle him. But Champion proves to be remarkably strong, fighting them
all off simultaneously and landing a few punches of his own. While their
attention is focused on Champion, nobody sees Ozari sneaking into the
hangar. He watches the fight going on, grinning and taking out his knife.

Ozari:"Perfect. Just one little stab, that's all."

Ozari focuses on Phoenix, who is trying to hold onto Champion's back but
is struggling. He jumps up and rushes towards her, his knife out. All of
the sudden Champion turns around and throws Phoenix off. Ozari tries to
stop, but momentum forces him into the big werewolf and stabbing his
knife into Champion's left shoulder. Champion yelps in pain and staggers
backward, grabbing the knife and trying to pull it out while the others
watch in surprise. Champion suddenly steps over empty air and begins to
fall out of the open hatch. In desperation he tries to grab something,
but only manages to grab Ozari's shirt. Before Ozari can even act, he
and Champion tumble out of the open hatch. Everyone else watches with
surprise and shock.

Illanov:"Bolshoi! I thought he was tied up!"

Elexis:"He was! He must have gotten himself loose somehow."

Corsair runs over to the open hatch and looks out.

Corsair:"Oh boy... looks like a rough landing for both of them... ah,
         crud!"

Phoenix:"What?"

Corsair:"They splashed into a lake. I am really disappointed in the
         ground right now."

Shephard:"Should we go down there and finish them off for good, Ma'am?"

Phoenix shakes her head as she is helped to her feet by Harva.

Phoenix:"No, let's get out of here. We're too close to the volcano and
         the KH Military is still out there. Plus, we need to get the
         Namibian president back to his country and end the war."

President:"And with all haste, please."

Phoenix:"We will go to Windhoek immediately, Mister President. Come on,
         everyone. Close the hatch and let's leave."

Everyone nods in agreement. The hatch is closed up and everyone makes
their way back up to the cockpit. As the Stealth Rover flies away from
the erupt volcano, Mount Longonot is spewing out clouds of ash while
lava rolls down its sides. Further away at the shores of a small lake,
Ozari has gotten out of the water and is running for his life. Behind
him, a bleeding and very furious Champion gets out of the way and runs
after Ozari, waving a large stick like a club as he chases the luckless 
mugger.

Briefing Room
Jumbo Rover
Hosea Kutako International Airport
45 Kilometers Outside Windhoek
Namibia
15:01 PM:

The briefing room of the Jumbo Rover is now occupied by two Rover units,
the Wild Warriors and the Maddogs, who are listening to Hunter, who is
at the front. Colleen and Muzzle are standing nearby, listening as well.
The two unit leaders, Jade and Outlaw respectively, are talking.

Outlaw:"So why this sudden call to the briefing room, Hunter? My team 
        was about to head out to blow up another South African ammo
        dump."

Jade:"And we Wild Warriors we're about to get ready for another strike
      in Keetmanshoop. Is there something up, Hunter?"

Hunter:"Yeah, there is. Sorry about dragging your tails off your missions
        like this, but something big just happened a short while ago."

Jade:"What is it?"

Hunter:"Unit STRIKE was busy hunting down the Elite Guard, the villains
        we think was behind all the recent troubles. They called me a
        few minutes ago. They had manage to infiltrate and destroy the
        Elite Guard's HQ in Kenya, rescuing three individuals who were
        being held prisoner there. One of them was the Namibian president."

The two teams are surprised by this revelation.

Sapphire:"I would not have predicted this!"

Hunter looks sternly at Sapphire.

Hunter:"Hey! No stealing my lines!"

Sapphire:"Sorry, Hunter."

Beowulf:"Wait a minute! If they say they've rescued the Namibian president,
         then who is the fellow whom we've been protecting?"

Hunter:"That's why you're here. Our 'president' is actually a shape-
        shifting wolf named Spectre, who works for the Elite Guard. We
        guess that he's the one who was behind this whole war. Now that
        we got the real president, we are going to take this one into
        custody."

Tig:"So we just march up to the presidential palace and throw him into
     jail. Sounds easy."

Hunter shakes his head.

Hunter:"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. Spectre was coming back from a
        meeting in a town east of here, but we've learned the presidential
        motorcade has turned around and is heading back."

Colleen:"We suspect that Spectre has heard what had happened in Kenya and
         is trying to make a break for it. The Elite Guard might be on
         their way to pick them up."

Hunter:"That's why I called you guys. We're going to go after Spectre and
        arrest him before his buddies can pick him up. He will be able to
        tell us, after some persuasion, just what the Elite Guard is up
        to in the region and why they started this war."

Jade:"I'll definitely want to do the persuading. This Elite Guard has
      caused us a lot of trouble."

Rubius nods his head in agreement, but says nothing.

Hunter:"Okay, then. We'd better get going. Exile, Blitz and Shag are on
        Sceptre's tail and tracking his convoy, but they don't know if
        the Elite Guard are on their way. So we got to move. Let's hit
        the road, Rovers!"

Some of the Rovers howl in unison as the groups get up and make their way
out of the briefing room.

Presidential Motorcade
En Route To Gobabis
Namibia
15:11 PM:

The motorcade of the fake Namibian president is traveling along the main
national road from Windhoek to Gobabis. The presidential limo is in the
middle of the convoy, with the black cars of the bodyguards in front and
behind. The nondescript brown van used by the Road Rovers is traveling
behind the convoy a few kilometers back. Shag is at the wheel, while
Exile sits next to him and Blitz between in the back. Shag is busy sipping
a soda in one paw while driving with the other. Blitz clenches his teeth
each time Shag takes a loud slurp.

Blitz:"Ach! Mop Boy! There are laws against drinking and driving!"

Shag mumbles something. Blitz frowns, then looks at Exile.

Blitz:"What did he say?"

Exile:"He sayski Mother Goose is a big fat hen."

Shag groans and mumbles again, this time more insistently. The husky
scratches his head.

Exile:"The rainski in Spain falls mainly in plainski?"

Shag groans again and begins to bark to try and explain to Exile. All
of the sudden Blitz gasps and points forward.

Blitz:"Mop Boy! Stop! Look!"

Shag quickly hits the brakes as he and Exile look towards the convoy.
Up ahead the motorcade is being ambushed by two squads of cano-mutants
armed with laser guns. The convoy stops and the bodyguards climb out
to try and fight back. But they are quickly overwhelmed and defeated
in the surprise attack. In less than a few minutes the mutants surround
the limousine. Two of the mutants, Fluffy and Dalmat, rip open the back
door and reach inside. They come back out, pulling an unconscious
president out of the car. As they done, a big, bulldog-shaped tank comes
driving up to the convoy and stops. The "mouth" of the tank opens and
General Parvo, the Groomer and Captain Storm come walking out. Parvo is
looking pleased, though Storm is frowning slightly.

Parvo:"Perfectly executed. Those fools didn't even put up a fight, and
       now we got him."

Storm:"Huh. I could have done that... er, if I had some troops."

Groomer:"Really, Storm? Like Havoc had?"

Storm rolls his eyes.

Storm:"Please. At least I appeared in more episodes than him."

Groomer looks confused at Storm, scratching her head.

Parvo:"Never mind that. We got the guy and now we can use him as bait.
       We take him to the nearby town, wait for the Rovers to show up
       and then we strike."

To emphasize his point, Parvo slams his fist into his palm. Storm rolls
eyes his eyes.

Storm:"How original."

Parvo quickly turns to Storm and grabs the captain by the front. He holds
his fist close to Storm's face.

Parvo:"The only reason you're here with us is that I could use your
       muscle without having to pay you. Don't make me drop you off here
       to hitch-hike."

Storm sweats and smiles nervously.

Storm:"Oh yes! You're the boss! No problem."

Parvo grunts, then drops Storm onto the ground. Groomer then taps on
Parvo's shoulder to get his attention.

Groomer:"My general. There's a vehicle stopped up the road."

Groomer points to the Rover's van further up the road. Parvo looks at it
for a few moments, then shrugs.

Parvo:"Probably some delivery guy. Nothing to worry about."

He then turns to his mutants.

Parvo:"All right, troops. Bring him in and let's move!"

Fluffy and Dalmat drop the president into the tank while Parvo, Groomer
and Storm (who is dusting off his uniform) climb back onboard. The other
cano-mutants follow suit and get in. The tank then begins to move away
from the ambush scene towards the town of Gobabis. From the van the Rovers
watch them go. Blitz and Shag are chewing their nails nervously.

Exile:"Bolshoi. Baddest guys have captured Spectre. We must get their
       tails and warn our comrades."

Blitz:"Can't we just stay here? It's nice and warm and sunny and..."

The husky shakes his head.

Exile:"Nyet, comrade. Our mission is to capture Spectre. Let's smash the
       roadski, comrade Shag."

Shag nods nervously and starts the engine again. The van then begins to
drive on after the tank, keeping a good distance between the Rovers and
the big machine.

Truck Depot
Gobabis City Limits
15:35 PM:

This is a large, walled-off lot on the edge of the Gobabis industrial
zone. A large building, which serves as the garage and offices, occupies
about a third of the lot. The rest of the lot is given over to trucks of
various kinds, from semis and boxed to flatbeds and packers. There is
also a large water tower, some petrol tanks and pumps here as well. A
single gate leads out of the depot. Right now the depot is occupied by
Parvo's forces. The giant bulldog tank is parked in the middle of the
lot, while cano-mutants patrol the walls, the sidewalks around the depot
and the top of the water tower. More cano-mutants are on guard around
the main building. Inside the building in the small office shed, Parvo,
Groomer and Storm are gathered around the unconscious president.

Storm:"So what is the plan with this?"

Parvo:"Simple. The Road Rovers have been protecting this man for all
       their worth during this war. I figured that since we have him as
       our hostage I could extort a few things from the Rovers."

Storm:"I think you meant 'we could'."

Parvo thinks it over, and then shakes his head.

Parvo:"No, I'm pretty just its just I. I wouldn't be a good villain if
       I wasn't completely self-centered, now would I?"

Now Storm thinks it over, then nods.

Storm:"Good point. So what are you going to extort from the Road Rovers?"

Parvo:"Oh, just a few details on their transdogmafier that I need for my
       cano-mutator. Afterwards, I'll double-cross them with no warning
       or any kind of rationality."

Groomer:"Simple and easy. We like to keep it uncomplicated."

While they are all talking, some distance away amongst the giant storage
tanks of an abandoned fuel depot the Road Rovers, the Wild Warriors and
the Maddogs have gathered around Hunter. Muzzle, as usual, was bouncing
up and down in his cart.

Hunter:"Okay, teams. Parvo, Groomer and Storm are holded up in that
        delivery depot over there. Spectre seems to be held in the main
        building and, according to Exile's x-ray eyes, still seems to be
        out cold."

Wesley:"Bet Parvo and co will be very surprised when Spectre wakes up and
        turns back to his normal self."

Colleen:"And at that point he will be freed or shape-shifter his way out
         of there."

Hunter:"We're going to try and capture him before that happens. So here's
        the plan. The Wild Warriors and the Maddogs will launch diver-
        sionary attacks on the depot from the northwest and northeast.
        While Parvo's cano-mutants are distracted, we'll move in from the
        south and break into the main building. Once we have Spectre, we
        all close in and capture Parvo, Groomer and Storm, then we get
        out of here. Is that clear?"

Jade and Outlaw nod their heads.

Jade, Outlaw:"Loud and clear."

Hunter:"Cool. Now, keep your eyes peeled. We don't know where the Elite
        Guard or whether they know that Spectre has been captured. If they
        do they will surely launch their own rescue attempt, so watch your
        tails."

Everyone murmur in agreement.

Hunter:"Cool. Let's get to work."

The three teams split up and move out amongst the buildings of the area,
keeping out of sight of the cano-mutant guards. The Maddogs use Wesley's
cloaking belts to sneak over the open field to a pile of concrete pipes
near the depot's northeast. The Wild Warriors climb up the exterior cat-
walks of a nearby cement factory and then up the ladders to the roof of
the building. The Road Rovers sneak towards a warehouse at the south
side of the depot and hide in the alley next to it. Once they are in
position Hunter calls the others.

Hunter(into radio):"We're in position. You guys ready?"

Jade(over radio):"In position, Hunter."

Outlaw(over radio):"Ready to kick some tail, Hunter."

Hunter(into radio):"Awesome. You may fire when ready."

The two team leaders acknowledge, then they give the signal to their
teams. Rubius and Sapphire both stand up and throw a pair of white tennis
balls before ducking back out of sight. The balls fly over to the depot
and then bounce on the ground, getting the attention of the cano-mutants
on the walls and sidewalks. One bulldog cano-mutant goes over to one of
the balls and looks suspiciously at it. He takes his laser rifle and
pokes at the ball. Suddenly the ball explodes in a loud flash and bang,
stunning the cano-mutant. The other balls also detonate with loud noises
and flashes, stunning some of the cano-mutants. The other mutants take
cover or begin to fire randomly in every direction. Inside the offices
Parvo, Groomer and Storm hear the commotion outside.

Parvo:"What's that racket?"

Groomer:"Sounds like we're under attack, my general!"

Parvo quickly turns to Storm and pokes him in the chest with his finger.

Parvo:"You! Stay here and guard the prisoner!"

Storm:"Me?"

Parvo:"Yes, you! Now stay or I will pound you into the ground!"

Storm grumbles, but nods his head. Parvo and the Groomer then run out of
the office to go and see what is causing the noise. Back outside, the
Road Rovers watch as the cano-mutants on their side leave their posts to
help their comrades on the other side. Hunter turns to his team.

Hunter:"Let's roll!"

The Road Rovers come out of cover and run over to the south wall of the
depot, which is also the wall of the main building. Hunter turns to Shag.

Hunter:"Okay, buddy. Do what you do best right...."

He walks along the wall, then taps a spot.

Hunter:"... here."

Shag nods, then digs in his fur and pulls out his missile launcher. The
rest of the team stands up as Shag placed the rocket on his shoulder,
the wrong way as usual. He looks back to make sure he's got his aim
right, then pulls the trigger. There is a blast of smoke as the missile
flies to the wall. It hits its mark, exploding and sending mortar and

bricks flying through the air. Once the smoke clears, there is a big
hole in the wall leading into the building.

Hunter:"Nice shot, Shag!"

Shag:"Rhank rhou!"

Hunter:"Come on!"

The Road Rovers run to the newly-blasted hole and head inside. Once
there, they look around and see Storm at the entrance of the office,
flanked by two cano-mutants.

Storm:"Now lookie what we got here. If it isn't the strays. Tell me,
       shouldn't you all be digging for bones or something?"

Hunter stops to think about, but Colleen slaps on the back of the head.

Hunter:"Ow!"

Colleen:"Keep your focus, Huntie Wuntie!"

Hunter:"Sorry, Colleen. Won't happen again, promise!"

The golden retriever reaffirms his authority and turns back to Storm.

Hunter:"All right, Storm. Hand over the president and nobody will get
        hit with a rolled-up newspaper."

The other Rovers shudder at that thought, but Storm just laughs in
Hunter's face.

Storm:"Oh really? You mean, this president?"

Storm reaches into the office and drags out the president/Spectre, who
is still tied to the chair but starting to groan and recover. Storm
holds his gun against the president's head.

Storm:"If you want him, come and get him if you dare."

Suddenly Spectre opens his eyes and looks around, trying to get the world
into focus.

Spectre:"Uhhhhh... my head..."

Storm:"Looks like he's finally snapping out of it."

Hunter:"You'd better hand him over, Storm. He's not what you think he is."

Voice:"Oh, we're pretty sure about that fact, Rovers."

The Road Rovers turn to the source of the voice. Parvo and the Groomer are
standing at an open garage door, flanked by Fluffy and Dalmat. Groomer,
Fluffy and Dalmat have their weapons ready and aimed at the Rovers. Parvo
has his arms folded triumphantly.

Parvo:"And now that you're in my custody we can negotiate your release. A
       little something for something."

Hunter:"You're not getting anything from us, Parvo. Besides, our friends
        out there will back us up."

Parvo:"Them? They're a minor nuisance."

The look on Groomer's face and her occasional glance back outside suggests
her feelings about that are not the same as Parvo. At the cement factory
the Wild Warriors have gone prone on the roof of the building and are
taking sniping shots at the cano-mutants below. Tigra makes a mutant dance
to his rifle shots at his feet. He grins and looks at the others.

Tigra:"Not a professional lot, aren't they?"

Jade:"Parvo has never been the toughest of villains. He'd be a footnote
      if he didn't pester us with some take-over-the-world scheme."

Tigra:"Yeah, he's a real Dr. Evil."

Suddenly Tech spots something appearing in the skies in the distance. He
pulls out some binoculars and takes a look.

Tech:"Uh oh. I think the professionals have arrived. Take a look, Jade."

Jade quickly grabs the binoculars and looks into the direction that Tech 
is pointing. Fading into sight from the northeast is a flight of four
helicopters, but as they get closer it is clear that the flight consists
of three Elite Guard Owl Helicopters and a Skylift Helicopter. The Sky-
lift is a large helicopter that has four rotors: one on the front and one
on the rear of the body, and two others at the ends of giant reinforced 
wings. Each wing has a pair of claws that is holding a manned Battery
Buggy underneath. A third claw under the midsection of the body is 
carrying a folded-up Templar. As they approach, the Skylift lowers down
to the ground and releases the buggies and the Templar. The buggies bounce
on the ground, then speed towards the industrial area. The templar unfolds
and begins to sprint towards the area too. The Owls split up: one stays
behind while one joins the vehicles and the third flies towards a factory
opposite the cement factory. Jade lowers he binoculars and looks at her
team.

Jade:"We got company! I think it's the Elite Guard. Keep your eyes peels
      and if they start shooting at us or our friends, shoot back."

The rest of the team nods while Jade pulls out her radio.

Jade(into radio):"Outlaw, you there?"

Outlaw(over radio):"Outlaw here. Something up?"

Jade(into radio):"Looks like you got Elite Guard units coming in from 
    the northeast! They're already deploying!"

At the pile of pipes where the Maddogs are taking cover, Outlaw turns to
look to his northeast. He can see the buggies, templar and helicopter
coming towards his location.

Outlaw(into radio):"I see them! Thanks for the warning!"

He puts away his radio and turns to his team.

Outlaw:"Heads' up, guys! We got bad guys coming in on our one o clock!"

The other Maddogs quickly turn to look. They can see the Elite Guard are
closing in fast.

Silver:"Is that the Elite Guard?"

Outlaw:"Yup, that's them. I don't think they've seen us yet, so let's
        cloak up and hide!"

They all nod and turn on their cloaking belts. They fade out of sight as
the buggies suddenly fire a barrage of rockets at the truck depot. The
rockets streak past and slam into the depot, blowing apart the walls and
causing several trucks to explode. Several of the mutants are caught in
the blast of the rockets, while the rest try to take cover. The buggies
then race towards the depot ahead of the templar, their gunners opening
fire with the mounted machine guns. More of the cano-mutants are gunned
down while the survivors try to fight back. The buggies race past the
pipes and begin to do laps around the depot. The third helicopter above
the factory hovers over the roof, allowing Stealth Soldiers to jump out
and take up sniping positions. They begin to fire on the hapless cano-
mutants below. Back inside the main depot everyone takes cover as the
first rockets slam into the depot.

Blitz:"Mamma! I want my mamma!"

Exile:"Bolshoi! It is like Stalingard!"

Colleen:"Crickey! Who's bombing us like this?"

Parvo, Groomer and Storm quickly get to their feet, with Parvo now
pulling out his own firearm.

Parvo:"You Rovers are going to pay dearly for this!"


Just then the bogus president finally wakes up and looks around until
his eyes are focused. He suddenly realizes where he is and, more impor-
tantly, who is holding him captive. He shouts in his French accent.

Spectre:"Sacre bleu! What are you imbeciles doing!"

Parvo, Groomer and Storm look at the president with some surprise.

Storm:"Funny. I didn't know Namibians spoke French."

Spectre:"That's because I'm not the president!"

Spectre suddenly changes shape, transforming from the Namibian president
into his normal wolf-sapien self. The three villains gasp in surprise
and Storm's grip on Spectre becomes very loose.

Parvo:"Wha... wha... what is this?"

Spectre:"I am Spectre! I work for the same people who broke you out of
         prison and hired you!"

Now they are truly shocked, but the Road Rovers take advantage of the
situation. Hunter points to Spectre.

Hunter:"You got a lot of explaining to do, Spectre."

Spectre:"I don't have to explain anything, Monsieur Hunter. I carried
         out my orders to deceive you, and my mission is completed."

Hunter:"That is why you're coming with us so you can explain it all to
        us."

Colleen:"In a prison cell."

Spectre laughs at Hunter, then he looks at Fluffy and Dalmat.

Spectre:"You two! Attack the Rovers, non?"

The two cano-mutants scratch their heads, confused at what is going on.
Spectre then changes shape again, this time into Parvo. He points at
the Rovers, speaking in Parvo's normal voice.

Spectre:"Kill them."

Fluffy and Dalmat salute and then charge at the Rovers while Parvo makes
a run for the cover of the stored crates. Storm is still standing there,
completely flabbergasted, while Parvo is spluttering.

Parvo:"But... but... this isn't... I mean... you can't..."

The Groomer looks between the confused general and the battle raging
outside, unsure of what to do now. Colleen quickly grabs Muzzle's muzzle
and turns his cart towards Fluffy and Dalmat.

Colleen:"Muzzle them!"

She pulls his muzzle off. Muzzle jumps free of his restrains and lunges
at the two cano-mutants, fangs bared and mouth foaming. Fluffy and Dalmat
stop in fear and try to flee, but Muzzle is quickly upon them. With snarls
and yelps of pain going on in the background, Hunter gives new orders to
his team.

Hunter:"Exile, Blitz and Shag. You three will take care of Storm, Groomer
        and Parvo while Colleen and I go after Parvo."

Blitz(confused):"Ah... uh... which Parvo is it, Hunter?"

Hunter:"Um... the other Parvo. Now let's roll before Parvo gets away!"

Hunter and Colleen go in amongst the crates while the others look at them
go.

Exile:"Comrade Hunter leaves me very confused. Like Politburo before
       Afghanistan invasion."

Blitz:"Yah, or visitors to the Oktoberfest."

Despite the confusion, they go after the trio of villains. Groomer sees
them coming and quickly slaps Parvo on the helmet. This immediately gets
his attention.

Parvo:"What? What's going on?"

Groomer points to the Rovers coming towards them. Parvo sees them and
grins.

Parvo:"A fight now? This will be fun! Come on!"

Parvo and Groomer run out to meet the Rovers. Storm also manages to get
out of his shock and goes to join the fight. Groomer and Shag meet up,
and the Groomer looks the big sheepdog over.

Groomer:"Say, didn't I once wanted to give you a bit of a haircut?"

Shag blinks, then scratches his head as he is thinking. Groomer then
pulls out an electric razor and turns it on.

Groomer:"Allow me to refresh your memory."

Shag screams and flees in terror, while the Groomer gleefully pursues
the cowardly sheepdog. Parvo and Blitz charge upon each other, with
Parvo getting ready to shoot at Blitz. But the Doberman quickly goes
and bites the gun in half. He spits out the piece he bit off, then
grins to show his razor sharp and pearly white teeth.

Blitz:"I brush my fangs twice a day, yah."

Parvo:"So let me arrange a dental appointment for you, Rover!"

Parvo tries to punch Blitz in the face, but Blitz ducks under the blow
and moves directly behind Parvo. Before the general can react, Blitz
bites him on the rear. He screams out in pain.

Parvo:"Aaaargh! My soft side!"

He runs, with Blitz running behind him on all fours and his teeth firmly
lodged on Parvo's backside. Meanwhile, Storm is running towards Exile,
but the husky remains standing. He then fires an ice beam at the floor
in front of Storm and turns it into an ice sheet. Storm gasps and tries
to stop, but momentum carries him onto the ice. He begins to slip and
slide on the ice, dropping his rifle as he waves his arms around wildly.
Finally his feet slides out from under him and he lands hard on the
ice with his chin. Exile claps his paws.

Exile:"Ah, ballet. Such grace and fluid movements."

Back outside, the Elite Guard continue to pound on the truck depot. While
the buggies continue to maraud outside on the streets the Stealth Soldiers
are sniping down at the compound. Above, one of the helicopters is circling
above and providing air support. Jade looks at the snipers with her bino-
culars, then back at her team.

Jade:"Hunter and the others are getting trapped inside the depot. We got
      to distract those snipers."

Adam06:"But what about that helicopter above us?"

Jade:"I'll call Outlaw on that. You guys get into position."

While the rest of the Wild Warriors move into firing spots, Jade radios
Outlaw, who has decloaked along with the rest of his team behind the
pipes. He pulls out his radio.

Outlaw(into radio):"Talk to me."

Jade(over radio):"The Road Rovers are getting trapped inside that depot.
    We want to take care of the snipers on the other roof, but we need
    someone to do something about the chopper overhead."

Outlaw(into radio):"Good idea. We'll also do something about these
      buggies. Parvo's remaining mutants are fleeing to the tank in
      depot and it won't be long before they take aim at us."

Jade(over radio):"I agree."

Outlaw lowers his radio and turns to Sapphire.


Outlaw:"Sapphire, be a good dear and go bother those nice men up in the
        chopper above us."

Sapphire:"With pleasure."

The female husky suddenly lifts into the air and flies towards the
circling Owl. Inside, Alpha Soldiers busy taking potshots at the cano-
mutants below. Suddenly Sapphire appears in front of their hatch, catching
the soldiers by surprise.

Sapphire:"Just popping to say hi."

The soldiers immediately take aim at Sapphire, but she ducks in under the
chopper as they open fire. The soldiers rush to the edge, then one of them
tries to look underneath with his rifle. Sapphire grabs the muzzle barrel
and yanks the rifle out of the soldier's paws. She quickly flies off
before the soldiers take wild shots beneath the chopper. The husky the
rifle like a spear, flying alongside the chopper's tail rotor.

Sapphire:"Let's see if my javelin skills are enough to impress the judges."

She tosses the rifle at the rotor, and then quickly flies away. The rifle
flies into the spinning blades and is shattered into dozens of pieces.
But the blades become bent out of shape and scrape against the tail,
causing further damage to the rotor. Finally the entire rotor breaks
apart into shards of shrapnel that maul up the tail. The helicopter starts
to spin out of control and loose altitude. Sapphire watches as it tumbles
towards the earth. As it approaches the ground, it’s spinning blades cut
apart several street lamps. Finally the transport slams into the ground
and onto its side. Its blades break up and fly off to harmlessly but
dangerously imbed into walls. Sapphire admires her handy work.

Sapphire:"That has got to be a perfect score."

With the helicopter out of the way, the Wild Warriors begin to fire upon
the Stealth Soldiers on the factory beyond the depot. A few of them are
hit, but they all quickly duck behind the roof's concrete rim and air
conditioners. They then start shooting back at the Wild Warriors, drawing
fire away from the truck depot below. Beowulf and Silver creep closer to
the street, watching for the new Battery Buggy to show up. When it does,
they jump up and make a run for the it. The gunners spot them and swivel
their machine guns to the two Maddogs, but they manage to reach the bug-
gy and jump on. They both grab the machine guns and push them away before
they can fire. The gunners both pull out PPE (Personnel Protection Elite)
pistols, but Beowulf and Silver are quicker on the draw. Silver is able
to pistol-whip the one gunner in the face, but Beowulf has to swing his
body way to avoid getting shot. He returns fire, shooting the pistol out
of the gunner's paw, making him yelp. Silver reaches over to the driver
and hits his head hard on the steering wheel. The buggy begins to swerve
on the road. Beowulf and Silver quickly jump before the buggy strikes a
lamp post and overturns, sending its occupants flying before catching
fire. Beowulf helps Silver to his feet.

Beowulf:"Traffic is rough, isn't it?"

Silver:"I've seen worse. Now let's get the other buggy."

Beowulf nods as they look for the other one. Meanwhile the Templar is
walking along the northern wall of the depot, approaching the main
building. Inside on a catwalk, Hunter and Colleen are pursuing a fleeing
Spectre. Colleen catches up and trips him over, causing him to fall.

Colleen:"Not so fast, guv."

Suddenly Spectre morphs into Colleen, catching the collie by surprise.
Spectre uses this to kick Colleen with both feet, knocking her back and
giving him time to jump back. Colleen attacks again, but Spectre quickly
blocks Colleen's attack and the two of them engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Hunter runs up to them, then looks between the two fighting Colleens. He
scratches his head in confusion.

Hunter:"Um... now which one of you is Colleen?"

The two Colleens stop fighting and turn to Hunter, pointing at them-
selves.

Colleen, Spectre:"I am!"

Just as he finishes speaking, Spectre moves with lighting speed and lands
a powerful punch on Colleen's stomach. Colleen gasps and collapses to all
fours, gasping for air and clutching her stomach. Hunter runs up to Col-
leen as Spectre makes a break for it.

Hunter:"Colleen! You okay?"

Colleen:"Fine!... gasp... get Spec... gasp... Spectre!"

Hunter looks up at Spectre, then dashes super fast. The retriever ends up
standing right in front of Spectre, stopping him. Hunter looks at him
with arms folded.

Hunter:"Didn't your mother tell you it's impolite to impersonate a lady
        and then punching her?"

Spectre is about to retaliate, but suddenly the wall nearby explodes in
a shower of brick, glass and steel. The Groomer, who is still pursuing
Shag, is closest to the explosion. She covers her head from the debris,
then looks up to see what caused it. She gasps as the Templar smashes
its way into the building and runs away. Shag screams in terror, as does
Blitz, who releases Parvo's butt in the process and allowing him to
join the Groomer in hiding in the office. The Templar walks inside, then
takes aim at Shag and Blitz. The two Rovers scream, with Blitz jumping
into Shag's arms. The sheepdog runs as the Templar fires a laser beam at
them, blasting the floor where they stood. The Templar fires again, the
beam just singeing Shag's hair. He yelps in terror. Exile sees them and
leaves Storm, who is struggling off the ice sheet to join Parvo and the
Groomer in the office.

Exile:"Bolshoi! I need to save my comrades!"

Exile fires his ice beams at the Templar's robotic feet, freezing them
up in solid blocks of ice. The Templar nearly falls over as it finds
itself immobilized. Shag and Blitz are able to escape and take cover
amongst some shipping crates while Exile admires his handiwork.

Exile:"Looks like big robotski has gotten cold feet."

Suddenly the Templar frees itself by pulling not just the ice, but also 
the concrete floor tile, out of the ground. It does the same with the
other foot, to Exile's surprise.

Exile:"Uh oh. Big robot is too hotski for me!"

The Templar uses its claw to break off the concrete slabs and the ice,
then it takes a chunk and tosses at Exile. Exile falls flat as the chunk
flies over him, missing him by inches. The Templar then turns its
attention to the catwalk, where Hunter still held Spectre at bay. The
giant machine takes aim at the retriever.

Hunter:"Guess it's time for to split like a banana!"

Hunter speeds off just as the Templar fires, blasting the catwalk into
twisted shards of metal and separating Hunter from the fleeing Spectre.
The Templar prepares to aim at Hunter again when suddenly Colleen jumps
onto the laser cannon, balancing herself on it.

Colleen:"Now what have we got here, guv? You got a license to use this?"

The Templar pilot shakes the arm, trying to get Colleen off, but the
collie grabs on and holds firm. Unable to get her off, the pilot then
tries to grab her with the other arm's claws. Colleen jumps off and
grabs one claw, using it to swing herself up and onto the Templar's
back. She looks at the cockpit.

Colleen:"Let's knock, shall we?"

Colleen screams out and karate chops the glass, cracking it. She tries
again while the pilot tries to shake her off by making wild movements
with the Templar. Colleen succeeds in cracking a hole into the glass
and looks inside at the wolf-sapien pilot.

Colleen:"Oi! Where's your license?"

In response the pilot pulls out a PPE and fires. Colleen is able to
pull away as the bullet zips past her. Suddenly another blast zips
above her head. She looks to the source. To her surprise and that of
the other Rovers, the third Owl Helicopter has landed in the courtyard
and a squad of Alphas and Paladins have disembarked. Several of them
are standing by the open garage door, led by Sergeant Still. Still is
a wolf-sapien with a brown/grey fur pattern and deep red eyes. He is
wearing an Alpha Soldier uniform with sergeant bars.

Still:"Spectre! We're here to extract you!"

Spectre jumps off the catwalk onto a crate, then off it onto the floor.
As he lands, he shifts back to his normal wolf-sapien form and makes
a run for the helicopter. Exile tries to stop him, but the Paladins
spot him and open fire, forcing the husky to take cover. With Shag and
Blitz still cowering, Hunter decides to take action. He pulls out his
tennis ball launcher and takes aim at Spectre.

Hunter:"Let's see if he can play catch."

At that moment however, the Templar manages to reach up with its claws
for Colleen. Colleen gasps and tries to jump away, but the claws grab
hold of her. The collie squirms and wiggles to get free, but the Templar
holds firm. It then tosses her right at Hunter. Colleen collides with
the retriever, causing his launcher to fire a tennis ball at the ceiling.
The ball smashes a skylight, raining glass down on the floor below.
Hunter sits up, finding Colleen sitting up in his lap.

Hunter:"This... wasn't quite my idea of a lap dance."

Colleen:"You can say that again, Huntie."

Meanwhile Spectre, escorted by Still and his squad, makes a run for the
waiting helicopter while the other Paladins pound on Parvo's tank, which
has been demolished by Battery Buggy rockets. The Templar backs out of
the building through the hole it made. Parvo, Groomer and Storm watch
as the Elite Guard begins to flee.

Parvo:"Come on! Let's get out of here!"

The trio, along with Fluffy and Dalmat, come out of the office and make
a break for it. They come outside just as the Owl Helicopter is about to
take off.

Parvo:"Hey! Wait for us!"

The five of them run of the helicopter, but the Owl gets airborne and
begins to lift off. Parvo jumps and grabs the side of the helicopter.
Groomer jumps and grabs Parvo's legs, while Storm grabs her legs. Fluffy
grabs Storm's legs and finally Dalmat grabs Fluffy's legs. The five of
them dangle off the helicopter as it takes off from the depot. Meanwhile,
the Elite Guard begin to break off. The surviving Battery Buggy and the
Templar go to be picked up by the Skylift, while the Stealth Soldiers
pile back into their helicopter. From the cement factory the Wild War-
riors stare at the sight beneath the departing helicopter carrying the
five dangling villains.

Rubius:"Odd."

Tech:"They look like some kind of daisy chain."

Jade:"Come on! Let's go back to ground level!"

The Wild Warriors get up and begin to make their way off the cement
factory. Meanwhile, Sergeant Still suddenly notices Parvo hanging onto
the helicopter. He gets up and looks over the edge to see the others
hanging from the general.

Still:"Hey! Get off!"

Parvo:"Take me with you! Please!"

Still:"No chance!"

Still begins to stomp on Parvo's hands. Parvo shouts out in pain as his
grip starts slipping. After a few moments, Parvo finally looses his grip
and makes a desperate grab for something to hold onto... and grabs hold
of Still's foot. Before the sergeant is able to register this, the
combined weight of all the villains pulls him out of the helicopter with
a startled yelp. The other soldiers watch in shock as Still and the
others tumble to the ground, which isn't too far away.

Soldier:"We're got to go back for the sergeant!"

Spectre:"Non! Leave him there. I need to get to Zimbabwe, now!"

The soldiers stare at Spectre, but none of them dare to protest. The
two Owl Helicopters and the Skylift carrying the buggy and the Templar
fly off into the distance before cloaking up. Back on the ground the
Maddogs are to the first to reach the fallen enemies. They had landed
right into the branches of a large thorn bush. They struggle to get
out of the thorns, yelping and shouting in pain from the thorns pricking
them. Outlaw makes a dash for Sergeant Still, who is covered in the
least amount of thorns and is trying to run. He jumps and tackles the
fleeing wolf-sapien knocking him to the ground. Still quickly turns onto
his back, but Outlaw knocks him out with a boot to the head.

Outlaw:"Down, boy! Down!"

Sapphire, Silver, Beowulf and Wesley take care of Parvo, Groomer, Storm,
Fluffy and Dalmat, who are too busy removing the thorns from their
bodies to put up a fight. Hunter then comes running up super fast to
Outlaw.

Hunter:"How's things here?"

Outlaw:"We got the usual suspects here with a bad case of the itches.
        Unfortunately the Elite Guard got away, but..."

He nudges the unconscious Still with one boot.

Outlaw:"We did manage to capture someone of rank here by the looks of
        his uniform."

Hunter:"Bummer. Oh well. Better than nothing I guess. Round them up and
        bring them back to the depot. We'll gather up all the surviving
        bad guys and then head back to Windhoek to report."

Outlaw:"Gotcha, Hunter."

Outlaw gets his Maddogs to round up the villains and Sergeant Still,
while Hunter runs back to help the others gather up the surviving cano-
mutants and Elite Guard soldiers. In the distance of the sound of ap-
proaching police and fire sirens can be heard.

Command Centre
Unknown Location
At That Moment:

The command centre is finished and wolf-sapien officers now man all the
computers, trying to familiarize themselves with the system. But their
attention is distracted by the sound of an angry Franco, who is at his
throne with Champion and Silhouette. The general is not happy with the 
werewolf and it isn't any better Silhouette.

Franco:"Fools! Imbeciles! How could let Hildagarde escape with those
        Road Rovers!"

Champion:"But..."

Franco:"Get out of here, you incompetent puppies! NOW!!"

Champion flees the command centre, his tail tucked between his legs.
Silhouette walks away, but she too is also shaken by the encounter. Franco 
goes and sits down on his throne, talking to himself and fuming.

Franco:"Now I will have to appoint Chemical as the new chief scientist.
        He's good, but nowhere near what Hildagarde was capable of. On
        the other paw, I suppose it was time to purge her from my ranks."

Just then the phone on his throne rings. Franco picks it up and answers.

Franco(into phone):"Yes?... Spectre? You're out of Namibia?... Good! I
      needed some good news... What? Sergeant Still was lost?... Nah,
      never mind him. He's expendable and doesn't know enough to compro-
      mise Thunderball. You just get to Harare and get into position...
      Call me once you have assumed control."

He puts the phone down, then returns to his contemplation while the
officers continue working.

Briefing Room
Road Rover Mission Control
New Mexico
United States of America
6:41 PM:

The briefing room is empty except for Striker and the Master, who are
seated by the main table and both drinking cups of hot chocolate. The
crutches that Striker uses to walk around with are leaned against the
table.

Striker:"My team had managed to rescue the Namibian president and bring
         him back to Windhoek. Hopelik he will be able to end that
         senseless war between him and South Africa."

Master:"It's a pity that Spectre managed to get away, though. At least
        we know where he is heading, thanks to the sergeant my Rovers
        had captured. Do you think Spectre will attempt to try the same
        trick in Zimbabwe as he had done in Namibia?"

Striker shrugs his shoulders.

Striker:"That is likely, Master, but then who knows what Franco is up
         to. He has nooit been really that sane, so he might try the
         same approach there. At least we now know that he is behind
         much of the propaganda against us sapiens."

Master:"Your team was very fortunate in find all that evidence about
        Franco's propaganda machine. Maybe we can use it to bring an
        end to this whole thing. I think we have dealt Franco some
        good blows."

Striker:"I hoop so. But I wonder what was the whole purpose of this
         charade?"

Master:"Once we sort things out in Namibia the Rovers can go to Zimbabwe
        and hunt down Spectre. He seems to be an important part of this
        whole plot and his capture could provide us clues into what
        Franco is up to and how we can stop it."

Striker:"I agree. By the way, what are you going to do about the two cano-
         sapiens my team rescued? Harva and Maya?"

Master:"I think they are save at the Cape Hunting Dogs' ranch until we
        can find them a good home or enroll them in the Road Rovers.
        For now they should stay there until the others come back from
        the rescue in Europe."

Striker:"What has been going on there?"

Master:"It seems the European Corporation has been running their own
        transdogmafier program, using some of the blueprints Jeffery had
        stolen from me all those years ago."

Striker raises an eyebrow.

Striker:"Is that whom he had sold you out to before he created Parvo?"

Master:"Yes, it seems to be so. But I need to get more information on
        what EuroCorp's AniCom Project is really about before I decide
        what should be done about it."

Striker:"Something permanent, miskien?"

Master:"Definitely."

The cocker spaniel then looks at his watch and notices the time. He quickly
finished up his hot chocolate.

Striker:"I need to go. Collin wants me to run another test with my new leg."

Master:"Why the hurry? You want to be on your own two feet again, Striker?"

Striker gets up and takes his crutches.

Striker:"Ja, but I also want to prevent Collin from going nuts again over
         the fact that I'm going to mess up his schedule with delays. He
         can be so serious about it."

Both the Master and Striker chuckle over that fact.

Master:"Well, don't let me hold you up. Hope the test is successful."

Striker:"So do I, Master."

The Master watches as Striker walks out of the briefing room with his
crutches. He then takes another a sip of hot chocolate before leaning back
in his chair to contemplate.

Newsroom

SKY News Headquarters
London
United Kingdom
22 January
8:04 AM:

The morning news anchor is in front of the cameras, talking to Melanie
Malloy on a split screen during the broadcast. Melanie and her cameraman 
Samuel Knowles are standing near the main gate of the presidential com-
pound. There are other news crews and reporters are visible, who are all 
reporting the latest news. Melanie is busy talking to the camera live, 
holding a microphone.

Melanie:"Well, Dave, the latest news we have from the government is that
         talks are indeed underway between the Namibian and South African
         governments for a ceasefire. The Namibian president, who had
         strenuously opposed any talks with the invaders, is now the one
         calling for an end to the war. It is not clear yet what led to
         his change in policy, but sources say it may have been related
         to a recent mission by the Road Rovers. But both authorities
         and the Road Rovers remain tight-lipped about the situation."

Anchor:"What has been the South African government's response?"

Melanie:"So far the Vorster administration in Pretoria has refused to
         comment on these developments, but we can confirm from that
         country's defense ministry that all ground operations in Namibia
         have been halted until further notice. Whether this means that
         the war is over or that the South Africans are taking a wait and
         see approach is not known yet."

Anchor:"All right. Thank you, Melanie Malloy, for that information."

He turns back to the camera as the split screen disappears.

Anchor:"We will bring the latest developments on the war in Namibia at the
        top of the hour."

He then goes to the next headline story.

Anchor:"In Kenya, authorities have ordered an evacuation of the region
        around Mount Longonot, which began erupting yesterday afternoon.
        There have been no reports of casualties so far, though volcano-
        logists have expressed surprise at the eruption saying there had
        been no prior signs from Longonot of its eruption. The Kenyan
        army has cordoned off the area..."

He continues reading the news.

Private Quarters
KHA Alexander
Somewhere over Indian Ocean
9:31 AM:

This section of General Stalker's private quarters is a small indoor
pond with an island in the middle. A bridge connects the island with the
single door leading in. A large window overlooks the Indian Ocean, while
all manner of plants give the room a relaxing atmosphere. Stalker himself
is standing on the island along with General Trigger. Standing guard near 
the door are two Lambda Troopers. The door opens and Generals Thrax and
Pard, Sky (carrying a file folder) and Hildagarde come walking into the 
room and over the bridge. Stalker and Trigger turn to the group, their 
attention focused on Hildagarde.

Trigger:"Well, there is a face I haven't seen in decades."

Stalker:"Indeed. Welcome back, Hildagarde."

Hildagarde goes up and hugs both Stalker and Trigger, much to the two
brothers' surprise and embarrassment. Thrax chuckles.

Thrax:"She's definitely glad to be back with us rather than being with the
       Elite Guard."

Stalker:"Hildagarde, please! Compose yourself."

Hildagarde backs off, slightly embarrassed.

Hildagarde:"Sorry, General. I'm just so glad to be out of that h*** that
            is the Elite Guard."

Stalker:"I am sure you are. Your defection will benefit the KH Military
         while also striking a blow against the Elite Guard. I wish we
         could reminisce, but I have important business to attend to.
         Thus I have a shuttle readied to take you to our Ural research
         facility, where Tesla is currently conducting some important
         work that would benefit from your input."

Hildagarde's tail starts to wag when she hears Tesla's name.

Hildagarde:"Tesla? He's there?"

Stalker:"Yes, he is. You can go outside and meet Sergeant Rifton, who
         will take you to the shuttle. You may leave when you desire."

Hildagarde:"Thank you, general."

Hldagarde begins to walk back at a quick pace along the bridge. The
others watch her leave through the doors.

Trigger:"Looking at her makes me wonder how many other members of the
         Elite Guard are willing to get out from under Franco's thumb
         and join us."

Stalker:"I had that same thought. Perhaps Hildagarde and her friend will
         be able to tell us. Speaking of..."

Stalker turns to Pard, Thrax and Sky.

Stalker:"Where is that other defector?"

Sky:"Raul has been placed under Eta Squadron's administration so we can
     gather all the available intelligence from him. Afterwards we will
     be free to join whichever squadron he chooses."

Stalker:"Ah, good. Keep me informed."

Sky:"Yes, general."

Stalker then turns to generals Pard and Thrax.

Stalker:"I am pleased with what you had accomplished, General Pard. Your
         Celtic Squadron did well in their battle against the Elite Guard.
         You have destroyed their headquarters in Kenya and have freed a
         great scientific mind from their clutches. I believe a medal or
         two would be in order. General Thrax informed me that your troops
         performed well with his own weapons and has recommended you for
         an award."

Pard:"Thank you, general. It was an honor for Celtic Squadron to have
      fought against our former tormentors."

Thrax:"You certainty didn't waste effort, judging from how Longonot erupted
       afterwards."

Trigger:"I didn't actually hear about whether or not Franco perished in 
         the assault or that he had even been present during the attack."
         
Sky:"I have, generals."

Everyone looks at Sky, who opens the file folder.

Sky:"This is the latest intelligence on Franco's activities. I believe
     that you see this, general."

Sky hands the folder over to Stalker. Stalker takes the folder and begins
to read it. Trigger also begins to read it. As they read it, they become
increasingly alarmed by what they see. Finally Stalker looks back up at
Sky.

Stalker:"Are you certain about this?"

Sky:"Absolutely, general. My Eta Squadron was very thorough in checking
     and re-checking the information."

Trigger:"How far long is Franco with this plan of his?"

Sky:"It is about ready. In fact, the execution thereof could take place
     later today. I predict that by late this afternoon it will be all
     over every local and international news channel in the world."

Stalker:"Oh my God."

Trigger:"I think we had better call an emergency conference immediately,
         Stalker."

Stalker:"I agree, Trigger. Alert all the squadron generals and top
         officers and have them report in for a conference ASAP. This
         is a dangerous situation."

Stalker leads the other generals from the island and across the bridge,
walking with urgency.

Central Business District
Harare
Zimbabwe
10:36 AM:

This is the heart of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, though it is
hardly bustling due to the current economic crisis gripping the country.
Many of the buildings here are several stories in height, though there
is a few skyscrapers that dominate the skyline. The most prominent of
these skyscrapers is the headquarters of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF
(Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front) party. Down below
in the street, pedestrians are walking about on their way to work or
to the shops, while a few vehicles drive on the streets. No one at
first notices the clouds of smoke that begin pouring from the top floors
of the ZANU-PF headquarters. Short while later fire alarms go off in
the building and people begin to pour out of the building's main doors.
Among the people fleeing the burning skyscraper is the Zimbabwean
President, Robert Mugabe, being helped out by a string of bodyguards.
As they come out, Mugabe turns to his bodyguards.

Mugabe:"You lot! Get back there and get the others out! I need to make
        a call!"

Bodyguard:"Mister president, we need to get you away from here first!"

Mugabe frowns and holds up a clenched fist at the bodyguard, who cowers
back.

Mugabe:"Do as I order or I will have the Green Bombers deal with you!"

The bodyguards immediately run back into the building to help people
flee the skyscraper. Mugabe pulls out a cellphone while moving away from 
the crowds. When his calls is answered, he begins to speak, but in a very 
different voice.

Mugabe(into phone):"Monsieur General?... Oui, it's Spectre here. I have
      fulfilled the objective and will soon take over the Zimbabwean
      government... Mugabe?"

He looks up the skyscraper. The top floors are now engulfed in flames and 
thick smoke is rising over the city. 

Mugabe(into phone):"He didn't make a sound when I killed him. And the
      flames will erase any evidence... Oui, General. I will inform you
      when everything is ready."

Mugabe puts the cellphone away just as army and fire fighting vehicles
begin to arrive at the scene. A big crowd gathers to watch the towering
inferno in central Harare.

Rural Regions
15 Kilometers East of Mazunga
Matabeleland
Zimbabwe
4:08 PM:

This is a mixture of grassland and savannah. The occasional tree or bush
pokes out from the tall yellow grass. Scavenging amongst the shrubs is
a young mother and her two children, searching for some wood to use for a
fire. One of the children spots a significant piece of wood lying in the
middle of a disused old dirt road.

Child:"Mom! I found one!"

Mother:"Good work. Bring it here for me."

The kid reaches for the stick when suddenly the ground in front of her
opens up in a straight line. She gasps and stands up, looking with wide
eyes as a large hatch opens before her. The mother hears the sound and 
gasps when she sees the hatch appear.

Mother:"Get away from that!"

She runs over to her daughter, dropping the wood she had collected, and
picks the stunned child up. She runs over to her son and grabs him too
and then stands back to watch the hatch open up, revealing a tunnel and
a metal ramp leading down along it. The trio watch, barely making a
sound. Suddenly the sound of engines come from somewhere in the tunnel.
A few seconds later a Battery Buggy comes driving up the ramp and onto
the ground, followed shortly thereafter by three more buggies. One of
the wolf-sapien gunners notices the mother and children.

Gunner:"Hey! What about those two?"

Driver:"Them? Forget them. We got a schedule to keep. Let's go!"

The buggies speed off along the road. Just behind them several Rhino
Tanks come driving up the ramp, followed by a convoy of Armored Soldier
Carriers. The ASC looks like a cross between an APC and a bus, with
large wheels, armored sides and gun ports for windows. As more and
more vehicles come out, the mother and children watch with terrified
fascination. Then they see all around them more and more hatches opening
up, with even more Elite Guard ground and even air units pouring out of
them.

Beit Bridge Border Post
Limpopo River
South African/Zimbabwean Border
5:07 PM:

The Beit Bridge is a concrete bridge that crosses the Limpopo River that
forms the political border between South Africa and Limpopo. On the
Zimbabwean side beyond the bridge is the town of Beitbridge, while beyond
the South African side of the bridge is the city of Mussina. At the
bridge itself more traffic is going into South Africa than going to
Zimbabwe. At the South African border post a border guard is arguing with
the driver of a trailer truck.

Guard:"Look, this passport has expired and is therefore not valid."

Driver:"I can't help it. Home affairs in Harare hasn't approved my ap-
        plication for renewal and I need to keeping working to feed my
        family."

Guard:"Not my problem, so you turn this truck around and..."

Suddenly a car speeds past the truck and rams through the barrier before
any of the guards can stop it. It drives away while the guard watches
in surprise.

Guard:"Hey! Someone call the police!"

The guard turns around and narrow misses getting by another speeding
car. He looks up the bridge and sees people and drivers fleeing in panic
towards South Africa.

Guard:"What the h***...?"

His eyes move over to the Zimbabwean side of the bridge, then bulge out
in horror. Coming towards the border post is a gigantic moving pyramid.
Built completely out of metal and pained in black and yellow gloss paint,
the monstrosity is slightly bigger than the biggest pyramid in Egypt.
The front of the pyramid is shaped like the face of a wolf, with the
insignia of the Elite Guard painted prominently on the "forehead". Two
obelisks are on either side of the pyramid. The huge thing is moving
along on multiple large treads that crush anything in their path. This
is General Franco's command vehicle, the Wardrome. All around the pyramid 
are Elite Guard forces stretching off in every direction while the skies 
are black with dozens of Elite Guard aircraft. The guard panics and flees, 
as does everyone else on the South African side of the river. Above them 
the Elite Guard air force flies across towards the city of Mussina while 
Elite Guard engineers prepare the pontoons and mobile bridges for the 
crossing across the Limpopo.

Union Buildings
Pretoria
Republic of South Africa
5:13 PM:

Sitting at his desk in the Office of the President, Adriaan Vorster is 
on the telephone with the Namibian president. The setting sun's rays are
shining through the curtains of the window behind him.

Vorster(into phone):"Why should I believe you?... I see. Well, I can't
       withdraw my forces because your country still harbors those
       mutants... Yes, I know one of them was masquerading as you, but
       those others you have there are just as troublesome... so what
       if they rescued you? That doesn't... Excuse me?... Nee, you did
       not tell me who it was... Wait, did you say Elite Guard?"

Vorster's face becomes a bit more surprised.

Vorster(into phone):"Ja, I have read about them. Were they the ones who
       abducted you?... Other things too? Well, if this is all just
       some mutant plot there might be room for peace negotiations, but
       I stand by my earlier statement that those others mutants, the
       Road Rovers, should leave Namibia first... Nee, I won't push the
       invasion further if they leave. You have my word."

Suddenly the door to his office bangs open, startling Vorster. A pale-
faced Minister Hangana rushes up to the desk. Vorster lowers the phone
and looks angrily at Hangana.

Vorster:"Can't you knock?"

Hangana:"We're being attacked!"

Vorster(perplexed):"Attacked? What are you talking about?"

Hangana:"A huge mutant army has invaded South African from Zimbabwe!"

This immediately gets Vorster's attention. He springs to his feet,
still clutching the phone.

Vorster:"What is this?"

Hangana:"Just a few minutes ago, Minister President! Thousands of
         mutants are pouring in across the Limpopo and have attacked
         Mussina!"

Vorster:"The SLA?"

Hangana:"No! They call themselves the... the... um.. the Elite Guard!"

Vorster is now very alarmed, the color draining from his face. He holds
the phone up to his head.

Vorster:"Call you back later!"

He quickly puts the phone down, then rushes around his desk and makes
for the door.

Vorster:"Call an emergency meeting of all the ministers! Nou!!"

Both Vorster and Minister Hangana run out of the door. Outside the sound 
of orders being shouted can be heard.

Corridor
Jumbo Rover
Windhoek International Airport
Namibia
5:27 PM:

This is a small corridor that runs along the one side of the Jumbo Rover,
the windows looking out at the airport outside. A pair of double doors
head into the briefing room. The door is open, showing that most of the
Rover teams are inside the room. However, Phoenix, Colleen and Hunter 
are standing outside in the corridor.

Colleen:"Bloomin' odd if you ask me, the way Vorster hung up on the
         Namibian president like that. Did anybody hear what was being
         said in the background?"

Phoenix:"None of us could. Even though we were all overhearing the con-
         versation on the speakers in there, it was still too faint to
         hear."

Hunter:"Good thing we got some good toys from Hubert to help us hear
        what's up in the background."

Phoenix:"Corsair should have it done very soon."

Colleen:"I hope so. I have a bad feeling that something happened in
         Pretoria that we won't be good news for us."

Just then Corsair comes running up to the group in a hurry and almost
out of breath. He's clutching a piece of paper.

Corsair:"Boss! You'd better read this!"

Hunter takes the paper as Colleen and Phoenix gather around him.

Hunter:"Whoa, bud. Calm down. What's this?"

Corsair:"It's a transcript of what was being said in the background
         during the Vorster call. And it shows the crud has hit the
         fan big time!"

The three cano-sapiens begin to read the paper. Their eyes then go wide
in horror at what they are reading. They look up at each other.

Phoenix:"Oh my God."

Colleen:"Bloomin' h***!"

Hunter:"Just another unexpected twist. Bummer!"

They rush back into the briefing room to tell the others. The Namibian
president has been rescued, Spectre has been exposed and the Elite Guard
headquarters in Kenya has been destroyed. But now General Franco's plans
have been unveiled. As Elite Guard forces launch a huge invasion of South
Africa, what will the Road Rovers do now? What is Franco's ultimate aim
of the invasion? And what will it mean for the rest of the world?


THE END