Rover Strike: Vanguard

Episode 2: Publicity Blitz

By Gerhard Naudé

All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
Tank, Allison, Sneaker, Chester © Kirsten Coughlan
Strayers © Steven Today

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

Cabin
Somewhere in the Cascade Range
Washington State
United States of America
21 May
18:01 AM:

This is a log cabin built near the shores of a river cutting through the
Cascades. It is quite sturdy and large, with a porch towards the river
and a garage towards the single road leading towards it. Some smoke is
rising up from the chimney. Inside the cabin there is light, particularly
from the kitchen, where the table is set for supper. Two wolves are busy
working to prepare the food where at the table a young pup is sitting in
a baby chair and playing with a pair of spoons. The first wolf-sapien is
a female timber wolf with brown fur, the second a very large and muscled
male timber wolf. The pup is a cross between a timber and a grey wolf,
with grey and white fur markings. The female looks at the male as she
stirs a soup with meat in it.

Female:"Thank you for coming out and helping me take care of Chester and
        Sneaker while my mate is away, Tank."

Tank looks away from the sausage he is slicing and smiles.

Tank:"No problem, Allison. I'm always happy to help out my little sister."

He then looks at the pup.

Tank:"Especially when it means serving my special sausage surprise to my
      most favourite little buddy."

Sneaker barks at Tank, his tail wagging with eagerness. Tank looks back
at the sausage and resumes cutting.

Tank:"Is Chester asleep already?"

Allison:"Yes, I put him in his crib already. He's quite the active one,
         even when he's not teleporting all over the place."

Tank(chuckling):"Yeah, he can be quite the pawful. Where are his parents
    off to?"

Allison:"They went to visit my mother-in-law. Blake requested that they
         go check up on her on his behalf. They left Chester with me,
         since they're worried he might misbehave and alert... the others
         with his random bouts of teleportations."

Tank:"A good idea, that."

There is a brief moment of silence before Tank turns serious.

Tank:"Did Blake say when he will be back?"

Allison:"No, he says he would be a while, but during our last call he
         mentioned that he could be back by the end of this week."

Tank:"Oh good. I don't like it, him running around and doing that."

Allison:"Me neither. I'm worried that something bad will happen to him."

Tank:"Me too, but hopefully once he's home he'll settle down and forget
      about this... mission of his."

Allison:"I agree, even if it is against the Vanguard."

Tank nods in agreement. Just then Sneaker spots a figure outside the 
kitchen window. He looks curiously as it walks past and is followed by
another figure. The pup looks at his mother and points to the window.

Sneaker:"Aaah. Aaah."

Allison notices Sneaker pointing and looks out the window, but all she
sees is the river. She smiles.

Allison:"Yes, dear. The river is very nice."

She continues working with the soup and meat while Sneaker looks at the
window with confusion. Suddenly there is a loud noise, like a door being
forced open. Tank and Allison are startled.

Allison:"What was that?"

Tank:"I'll go look."

Suddenly three figures appear in the doorways to the kitchens: They are
wearing dark navy blue combat uniforms, kevlar vests, black combat boots
and combat helmets. Their mouths are covered with masks and their eyes
with blue-lensed night vision goggles. On their backs is some kind of
backpack, while in their hands is a strange gun with a claw-like muzzle.
Allison gasps.

Allison:"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?!"

Tank growls and charges towards the men. One of them aims at Tank and fires
his gun. But instead of bullets it fires a beam of blue energy. The beam
hits Tank, stopping him in his tracks and making him drop to his knees and
panting.

Tank:"W-what... is going on... so tired..."

The other man fire at Allison as she tries to grab a knife. The beam 
strikes her as well, causing her to collapse in exhaustion.

Allison:"Uhhh... no... so weak..."

Sneaker begins crying. The third man, who is a Vanguard Neutralizer 
Operative, whistles loudly as a signal. A few seconds later, Vanguard 
soldiers enter the kitchen and begin tying up the two adult wolf-sapiens. 
Outside, three humvees that look like the Rhino pull up to the cabin.
More Vanguard soldiers emerge and go into the cabin. As the soldiers work,
one of the operatives points at the whimpering Sneaker.

Operative:"Hey, what about the small one? Do I tag it too or what?"

Soldier:"No, just pick him up. He's no threat."

Operative:"Sure."

The operative approaches Sneaker and reaches out with one hand. All of a
sudden Sneaker disappears in the blink of an eye. The operative taken
aback.

Operative:"What the...?!"

The operative and several of the soldiers who were watching Sneaker stare
in shock at the now vacant baby chair. Tank, who is lying on the floor,
looks over at Allison, who is also being pinned down.

Tank:"W-where... is he? How... did he... do it?"

Allison:"He... must have... copied Chester's... power..."

The soldiers secure them with strong fibre ropes and gags. One of the
soldiers emerges from the bedrooms.

Soldier 1:"I checked the bedrooms. That second pup intel reported on is
           not there."

Soldier 2:"Maybe it disappeared like this one?"

Some of the soldiers groan.

Soldier 3:"The commander's going to have our a***es."

Soldier 4:"Calm down, we got two of the adults. That should calm him down."

The soldiers and operatives begin to carry off Tank and Allison, the ope-
ratives keeping their weapons close at hand.

Stalker's Quarters
KHA Alexander
Somewhere Over The Atlantic
At That Moment:

The sleeping quarters of the KH Military leader is rather spartan, with
only a few personal photos and framed trophies and medals providing a
touch of personality. Stalker is asleep in a large double bed with his
uniform draped over a nearby chair. Suddenly Sneaker appears out of thin
air and drops on top of Stalker. The grey wolf stirs as he feels the weight
on him.

Stalker:"Hmmmff... what... what is it?"

He reaches over to switch on the light on a bedside table, then sits up
and rubs eyes a bit. Sneaker whimpers a bit while looking at Stalker. The
wolf-sapien blinks as his eyes focus on Sneaker and then lets out a gasp.
Stalker is completely stunned.

Stalker:"What! Where did you come from?"

Sneaker whimpers more. Stalker looks around the room.

Stalker:"Is this a joke?"

There is no answer except the pup's whimpering. Stalker looks back at the
pup and reaches out to it.

Stalker:"Calm down, little one. I won't hurt you."

Sneaker tries to hit Stalker's paw with the rattle, but it doesn't even
hurt him. Stalker does play along and pull his paw away. He smiles.

Stalker:"A real fighter, are we?"

Feeling more confident, Sneaker waves his rattle at Stalker. Stalker gets
out of bed and opens a drawer on his bedside table. He takes a piece of
dried meat and holds it out for the pup. Sneaker sniffs at it and then
grabs the meat. Stalker watches as the pup begins to eat, putting the
rattle down for a moment. He picks up the rattle and takes a closer look
at it. The wolf-sapien frowns as he rolls the toy around in his paws.

Stalker:"Strange. I feel I've seen this rattle somewhere before."

Stalker looks at Sneaker again. He notices the fur pattern on the pup,
which is mostly grey with white fur from his muzzle down his front.

Stalker:"And your fur pattern. It's like..."

Realisation comes to Stalker's mind and his eyes widen.

Stalker:"No. Can't be possible."

He puts the rattle down, which Sneaker immediately grabs with one paw
while holding the chewed meat with the other. The pup watches Stalker
as he turns on the main bedroom light and then go to a shelf where he
keeps his decorations and personal photos. Stalker examines several of
them, lingering with some before picking one up. He comes back to the
up and holds out the photo.

Stalker:"You recognise anyone, little one?"

Sneaker looks at the picture. The wolf pup then eagerly taps on the
photo with his rattle.

Sneaker:"Dada! Dada!"

Stalker:"That daddy?"

Sneaker nods eagerly. Stalker looks at the photo again as he walks over
to a desk where there is some work papers, a computer and a telephone.
He picks up the telephone and dials a number. He waits for the answer
on the other side.

Stalker(into phone):"Hello, Trigger?... Yes, its me. Sorry to wake you
       up, but I need you to come over here immediately... Yes, right
       now. You will not believe it, brother... Good, see you in a few
       minutes."

Stalker puts the phone down, looking back at Sneaker. The pup is licking
his paws clean after eating the entire piece of meat while also playing
with his rattle. A short time later there is a buzz as someone rings the
bell on Stalker's room. Stalker goes and opens the door. Trigger, dressed
in his pajamas with a trenchcoat over it, comes in.

Trigger:"I got here as fast as I could, brother."

Stalker:"Thank you for coming, Trigger. I got a minor problem."

Trigger:"Minor? You wake me up at this hour for a minor problem?"

Stalker:"You'll see what I mean. Come."

Stalker leads his brother to his bedroom and points to Sneaker. Trigger is
surprised when he sees the pup.

Trigger:"A pup?"

He looks at Stalker with a raised eyebrow.

Trigger:"At your age, brother? I didn't think you still had it in you."

Stalker:"No, I haven't. This pup simply teleported into my room a short
         while ago."

Trigger:"Teleported? Is that the pup's ability?"

Stalker:"I suppose so. I can't think of any other way he could have gotten
         into my room."

Trigger walks over to the pup and looks closely at him. Sneaker looks
back with some fear and waggles his rattle at Trigger. Trigger chuckles.

Trigger:"He's a brave little one... wait..."

Trigger suddenly realises something.

Trigger:"His fur pattern."

Stalker:"Exactly, and when I showed him that photo..."

Stalker indicates to the photo he had been handling.

Stalker:"... he pointed to Blake as his father."

Trigger whips back at Stalker with shock.

Trigger:"Blake?! The son you had with Tosca? This pup is your grandson?"

Stalker nods his head.

Stalker:"Looks like it, brother. And that rattle... I remember Blake
         playing with that particular rattle with he was young."

Trigger looks back and forth between Stalker and Sneaker, who is now
making himself a spot on Stalker's bed to sleep on.

Trigger:"I don't believe it."

Stalker:"Neither do I. Problem now is, how do we find out where he had
         come?"

Trigger thinks, looking at Sneaker as the pup yawns, curls and goes to
sleep with the rattle cluthed tightly in his paws. After a minute he
snaps his fingers.

Trigger:"Aha! I think I have a solution."

Stalker:"What have you got?"

Trigger:"There is this female officer, who works at our military archives
         in Australia. Her power is the ability to visually 'see' the
         history of any item or person she touches. We can use her to see
         where your grandson came from and maybe even his family."

Stalker:"Bring her here as soon as possible, brother. I need to know the
         full story here."

Trigger:"I will, brother. I'm just as eager as you to unravel this puzzle
         that landed in your lap. Literally, too."

The two wolf-sapiens look at Sneaker. The pup is now sleeping soundly on
Stalker's bed.

United Nations Headquarters
New York City
United States of America
24 May
10:03 AM:

The United Nations is a busy place today, with hundreds of delegates and
diplomats outside on the front lawn talking to each other and the media
after a meeting. The area has been secured by members of the NYPD and the
UN's own security staff. Among the several interviews going on is one
between Melanie Malloy and Ian Macmillan. Samuel Knowles is again holding
the camera.

Melanie:"With me is Ian Macmillan, who was recently appointed as secre-
         tariat of the United Nations Department of Special Security."

She turns to Macmillian.

Melanie:"Mister Macmillan, has the UN Conference on Third Party Military
         Forces made progress so far?"

Macmillan:"The conference so far has been success in addressing the issue
           of non-governmental military forces and the threats they are
           posing to global peace, stability and economy. Most member
           nations are in agreement that forces such as the KH Military,
           the GONV, the Mayhem Mercenaries and recently the Elite Guard
           are grave threats that can no longer be viewed simply as someone
           else's problem."

Melanie:"What measures have been decided upon to combat these threats?"

Macmillan:"Several suggestive measures have been tabled and discussed
           so far, but no firm decisions have been made. Progress has been
           made on the discussion of whether to continue using organisations
           who combat these hostile forces."

Melanie:"You mean the Road Rovers?"

Macmillan:"Exactly. Not to belittle the Road Rovers, but there is virtually
           no oversight on their operations and budget. No audit reports 
           on the Rovers been filed to the UN and much of what they do is
           veiled in secrecy. In my view that creates ideal conditions for
           corruption and shady business."

Melanie:"Surely the Road Rovers' service record of fighting these forces
         and other villains put them above suspicion?"

Macmillan:"Maybe, and I do not wish to sully their reputation, but the 
           lack of transparency here is troubling. We, including the
           United Nations itself and the various governments of the
           world, don't know what's going within Road Rovers. That is
           not a good state to be in. Who knows what trouble could be
           brewing? And with the threats are discussing at the conference, 
           we need an organisation that can be accountable to the UN."

Melanie:"What steps are you proposing?"

Macmillan:"Nothing concrete at this stage, but I have been taking some
           suggestions and ideas from delegates and floated them to the
           Security Council. We should see some results within a few
           months, maybe even sooner."

Melanie:"Thank you very much for your time, Mister Macmillan."

Macmillan grins.

Macmillan:"My pleasure."

Melanie turns back to the camera and finishes her report as Macmillan
goes to a nearby group of delegates for a talk.

Hangar
Road Rover Headquarters
New Mexico
United States of America
25 May
7:23 AM:

The various vehicles of the Road Rovers and other units are lined up in
two neat rows in the caverous hangar. While mostly empty this early in
the morning, there is a small group by the helicopter-like Rotor Rover.
Jaco Vorster is busy washing the vehicle with a soap-drenched sponge
with a bucket full of soapy water and a rag over his shoulder. He does
not look happy about his work. Standing nearby is Exile and Blitz, who
are leaning against the hull of the Tank Rover and sipping glasses of
peppermint milkshakes. Unlike Jaco, the two Rovers are quite relaxed.

Jaco:"Ugh, how many more of these things do I need to wash?"

Blitz:"Ze Master wants all the vehicles looking neat shiny, yah."

Jaco:"But I washed them yesterday!"

Exile:"And they got dirty yesterday, comrade. Keep washing, the sooner
       you done the sooner you can go do other workloads."

Jaco grumbles and keeps washing. A few minutes later Colleen comes into
the hangar. The collie waves.

Colleen:"Good morning, gentlemen!"

Exile and Blitz smile both Colleen.

Exile:"Good morning, comrade!"

Blitz:"Morning, pretty lady!"

Colleen frowns as she looks towards Jaco. Jaco stares back for a minute
before sighing.

Jaco:"Good morning, Colleen."

Colleen grins.

Colleen:"Ah, I see our rookie's manners have improved."

Blitz:"Especially after you made him clean your room."

Jaco shudders in revulsion at the mention of that. Colleen giggles.

Colleen:"Like I said before, flunked paper training. Anyway, he can break
         off from cleaning duties. We Rovers got a mission."

Jaco sighs with relief this time as Blitz and Exile stand up, now more
serious.

Exile:"What is the mission, comrade?"

Colleen:"Captain Storm is up to his old tricks again. This time he's 
         trying to steal of the US Navy's fancy new submarines from a
         shipyard in Norfolk. We've got to go there and stop him."

Blitz:"Sounds like Storm needs some tooshie biting to calm him down."

Colleen and Exile roll their eyes. Blitz finishes his milkshake before
gesturing to Jaco.

Blitz:"Okay, rookie. You can go now."

Jaco:"Thank you..."

Colleen, Exile and Blitz exit the hangar, leaving behind Jaco to finish
up his washing. A minute later Jaco's sister, Karen Vorster, comes into
the hangar. She is wearing a Road Rover uniform designed to fit her human
body.

Karen(Afrikaans):"Good morning, brother."

Jaco(Afrikaans):"Morning."

Karen(Afrikaans):"Enjoying the early morning work?"

Jaco(Afrikaans):"Ha ha, very funny Karen. I hate all these chores I have
    to do for these..."

He stops himself for a moment, choosing the right word carefully.

Jaco(Afrikaans):"... cano-sapiens."

Karen smiles.

Karen(Afrikaans):"Ah, you've learned the right term for our friends."

Jaco(Afrikaans):"Not with any choice, mind you. Not with Big Bro... the
    Master watching me all the time."

Karen(Afrikaans):"He wouldn't be watching you if you just behave. Have
     the Road Rovers really turned out as bad as you always thought?"

Jaco(Afrikaans):"Well... not... really..."

Karen nods her head.

Karen(Afrikaans):"See? They're not so different. I spoke to father on the
     phone and he is pleased with how you've matured during our time here."

Jaco(Afrikaans):"Matured? But I'm already mature enough."

Karen(Afrikaans):"Physically, yes. But you still got a way to go in terms
     of your mindset."

Jaco(Afrikaans):"You sound like the Master himself."

Karen(Afrikaans):"Just trying to help you out. The sooner you improve,
     the sooner the Rovers will let you go."

Jaco sighs but nods his head.

Jaco(Afrikaans):"Yes, you're right."

Karen smiles and pats Jaco's shoulder.

Karen(Afrikaans):"Glad to hear it. Now finish up here and later I'll take 
     you out with Corsair to go bowling."

Jaco(Afrikaans):"If you say so, sister."

Karen turns around to leave the hangar as Jaco resumes his usual washing
duties. Up in the corner of the hangar a single camera had been watching
them the whole time.

The Master's Control Room
Road Rover Headquarters
At That Moment:

This is the circular room where the Master runs much of the Road Rovers
and Road Rover Mission Control. Various terminals, computers and screens
line the walls except where the entrances are. The Master himself and
Striker are standing by a security terminal, having just watched the
exchange between Karen and Jaco. The Master turns to Striker.

Master:"What do you think?"

Striker:"My nephew has gotten better, but he is still accepting all of
         this grudgingly. A far cry from when he first came, absoluut."

Master:"Yes, he is a much more decent human being than the rabid bigot
        who first appeared before me. In fact, I'm confident enough now
        to assign him a big task."

Striker:"What is it, Master?"

Master:"We've had a few new recruits join the Road Rovers recently, so I
        am going to partner Jaco with one of them."

Striker:"You think he can handle it?"

Master:"I believe so."

Striker:"Who is he going to partner with?"

The Master goes to another computer with Striker following. He tipes in
something, causing a file image of the new recruit to appear on the
computer's screen.

Master:"This is the new arrival: Sleek."

Striker looks at the image on the screen. The file shows that Sleek is a
female German Shepherd with a mohawk-style haircut, brown fur on most of
her body with black fur running from the tip of her muzzle along her
cheeks down her back, black fur on her ears and mohawk and yellow eyes.

Striker:"Where is she from?"

Master:"She's from Britain. Grew up in the rougher parts of London, not
        unlike Colleen."

Striker:"How did she get your attention?"

Master:"She saved a young couple and their daughter from a gang of thugs
        who tried to rob them. Seeing her in action, I decided her valor
        and bravery should be rewarded."

Striker:"Sounds like a good addition to the Rovers. Has she gone through
         basic training?"

Master:"Yes, so now I'm ready to pair her up with your cousin. I think
        that should further help him get over his hatred of sapiens."

Striker:"I agree, Master. When can we see her?"

Master:"Sleek has been doing some minor duties here in RRHQ, mostly doing
        some technical work since her special power is using electrical
        currents to access and control computers and electronics. But I
        will properly introduce her to you all this week."

Striker:"I look forward to it."

The two of them then begin to discuss other matters of importance. As such
they don't pay attention to one of the screens, where a security camera
is showing an image of the corridors in the residential quarters. Tanarus
and Elexis are here, having a heated discussion.

Residential Quarters
Road Rover Headquarters
At That Moment:

Tanarus and Elexis, who is now well into her pregnancy, are alone in the 
corridor. Both of them seem upset.

Elexis:"What?!"

Tanarus:"When he arrived home they were all gone and the place ransacked.
         And that's not all. He conceded after I pressed him that it was
         him who was in the Amazon that day."

Elexis groans and pinches the bridge of her muzzle.

Elexis:"Idiot! I warned him this would happen, and now look at this! Any
        idea how we are going to fix this mess?"

Tanarus:"I'm still thinking. I wish I could tell Striker and the others,
         but..."

He shrugs his shoulders helplessly. Elexis sighs.

Elexis:"I know. If only he hadn't been so stubbornly stupid we wouldn't
        have this problem. I only hope the Vanguard don't do anything
        horrible to our friends, but I fear the worst."

Tanarus:"You had better get a hold of the others, too. We don't know how
         much the Vanguard knows about them. I'll try and slip away to
         meet with Blake and... well, talk to him I suppose. No point in
         berating him at this stage."

Elexis:"It's a start at least. We'd better leave, this isn't the right
        place to talk about this."

Tanarus looks around and nods.

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

The couple walk down the corridor, checking to make sure nobody has heard
them. After a while they reach their quarters. Tanarus takes out the key
and unlocks their door.

Elexis:"Maybe a hot shower will help us clear our heads."

Tanarus and smiles as he opens the door.

Tanarus:"That sounds like a good idea, Dear."

They go inside and close and lock the door behind them. Elexis switches
on the light and heads for their king-sized bed.

Elexis:"Just me just.... gasp!"

She stops in her tracks with alarm. Tanarus comes up next to her.

Tanarus:"Something wrong?"

Elexis:"Look!"

She points to their bed. Tanarus looks and now it is his turn to gasp in
surprise. Curled up on the bed in the covers is a small cano-sapien
puppy.

Tanarus:"Is that..."

Elexis:"Chester!"

Elexis goes to the bed and sits down next to the sleeping pup.

Tanarus:"But how did he get here? Did he teleport here again without
         warning?"

Elexis:"No, it cannot be. His parents taught him not to do that."

Tanarus:"Then what is he doing here?"

Elexis shakes her head and pets the puppy. Chester stirrs and murrs from 
the putting, rolling onto his back.

Elexis:"Unless... he managed to escape from the cabin before the attack."

Tanarus:"That's very likely, and a good thing too. Or not, if someone
         finds him here."

Elexis:"I know. It will be hard to explain to everyone what we are doing
        with little Chester here."

Tanarus:"We need to get him to Blake and fast. I'll take him when everyone
         is off on a mission or at dinner."

Elexis:"Good idea."

Suddenly there is a knock on the door that startles the couple. Chester
stirs and lifts his head when he hears the knocking.

Elexis:"Oh no! Not now!"

Tanarus:"I'll handle this."

Tanarus quickly rushes over the door and opens it slightly. Standing there
is Phoenix, cradling Firefly in her arms. He peers through the narrow
opening.

Tanarus:"Phoenix... what brings you to us?"

Phoenix:"I've got some mobility exercises to do and I need someone to look
         after Firefly for me. Can you and Elexis do that for me?"

Firefly barks at Tanarus.

Tanarus:"Er... yes, we can."

Phoenix:"Wonderful. I'll only be one hour, so she won't have to stay for
         long."

Tanarus opens the door and reaches for Firefly.

Tanarus:"That's good news."

At that moment Chester begins to bark in his sleep. Alarmed, Elexis covers
his muzzle with her paws. Phoenix's ears perk up when she hears the noise.

Phoenix:"What was that?"

Tanarus quickly grabs Firefly and steps back.

Tanarus:"Just... just Elexis getting ready to shower. You have a good
         exercise. Bye!"

Tanarus closes the door. Phoenix blinks, then shrugs her shoulders.

Phoenix:"I guess the idea of becoming a father is making Tan a little 
         edgy."

Phoenix walks down the corridor. Inside the room Tanarus brings a curious
Firefly over to the bed, breathing a sigh of relief.

Tanarus:"That was close."

Elexis:"Yeah, it was. Bring Firefly to the bed and put her next to Chester
        here. Let's see if they get along."

Tanarus:"All right."

Tanarus puts Firefly down on the bed. The puppy immediately begins to paw
at Chester. The wolf pup stirs and whines, wanting to sleep more. Firefly
paws more insistently at Chester. Chester finally wakes up, yawns and then
looks curiously at the canine puppy. He begins sniffing at Firefly, who
paws him a few times. Chester starts to paw her back, making Firefly giggle.

Elexis:"They're getting along nicely."

Tanarus:"Looks like it."

Firefly and Chester begin to playfully paw each other, giggling and wagging
their tails.

Norfolk
Virginia
United States of America
10:46 AM:

The Sonic Rover is flying towards the American naval port of Norfolk, with
the vast Atlantic Ocean behind it. At the flight controls is Hunter, with
Colleen next to him and the other Rovers seated behind them. Hunter smiles
when he sees Norfolk.

Hunter:"There it is. Norfolk: one of America's finest naval ports."

Colleen:"Boasting now, Huntie?"

Hunter:"Hey, I'm American. I can't help but feel a little patriotic now
        and then."

Exile:"You should come and visit my Russia's naval base at Vladivostok one
       day, Comrade Hunter."

Blitz makes a mock show of surprise.

Blitz:"You still have naval bases? Shock!"

Exile frowns at Blitz.

Exile:"Things improve since days of Yeltsin. The port is much better now."

Hunter looks back at them.

Hunter:"All right, you two. Fun's over. The warehouse where Storm is
        believed to be is just up ahead."

Colleen is staring out the cockpit window.

Colleen:"And on fire, apparently."

The others quickly look outside. As the Sonic Rover is flying towards the
harbour of Norfolk, they can see a thick plume of black smoke rising up
from the general area.

Exile:"Bolshoi! I think action has started without us."

Colleen:"We'd better go down there and check it, fast!"

Blitz:"Yah, before all the tooshies are gone!"

Both Colleen and Exile make faces. Hunter brings the Sonic Rover down as
they come to the scene. Below them rises the warehouse district of the
Norfolk civilian harbour. Here are rows of regular warehouses with the
occassional stack of shipping containers and parked trucks. One of the
warehouses is currently ablaze, completely enveloped in flames with a
plume of smoke rising up from it. The area around it has been cordoned
off by the police department, while the flashing lights from police cars,
fire trucks and ambulances can be seen around it. Circling above the
warehouse are familiar-looking aircraft: the Mosquito helicopters of the
Vanguard. Parked around the warehouse are Vanguard Rhino hummers and
Bison Trucks, which are armoured versions of the USAF army trucks. A
number of Vanguard soldiers are around the warehouse, either keeping
the curious dockworkers and media at bay or busy rounding up captured
mercenaries. The Sonic Rover comes in for a landing in an empty parking
lot and touches down. The Rovers climb off and begin walking towards the
scene.

Hunter:"Looks like the party is over."

Exile:"Look more like battle to me."

Colleen:"Those vehicles... aren't they the same as Striker's Rhino?"

Blitz:"Yah, and those guns. They look like the sonic rifle."

Shag suddenly recognises the Vanguard insignias and mumbles something to
Hunter. Hunter shakes his head.

Hunter:"No thanks, Shag. I can hold it in until we get home."

Shag facepalms and mumbles again.

Hunter:"These guys are Vanguard? You sure, Shag?"

Shag nods his head eagerly. Colleen, upon hearing the name, also recog-
nises who the men are.

Colleen:"Blimey! They are the Vanguard!"

Hunter:"I would not have predicted this!"

Exile then notices something and points.

Exile:"Look over there, comrades!"

The others Rovers look to where Exile pointing. Escorted by several
Vanguard soldiers is Storm, looking very roughed up with several bandages
covering bleeding wounds. He is being escorted towards an awaiting FBI
car.

Storm:"Just one submarine... that's all I'm asking! One sub, with a few
       nukes to make the US government bow to my wishes. Is that too
       much to ask?!"

Soldier:"Shut up and keep moving!"

Hunter begins to march towards the group, followed by the other Rovers.
He tries to get the soldiers' attention.

Hunter:"Hey. Hey! Wait a minute! Hold on, that's ours!"

Suddenly something steps in between the two groups and stops the Rovers in
their tracks: a large, bipedal robot that towers above even Shag. It has 
a thick upper body with two rocket packs for shoulders, a pair of cannons 
mounted to its arms, a sensor system in its centre, and two hydraulic 
legs mounted on a pair of four-toed feet. In the middle of its chassis is 
the Vanguard insignia. This is a Vanguard HECU(HEavy Combat Unit).

HECU:"Halt. You are not to proceed further."

Shag whimpers and hides behind Blitz, who is also whimpering.

Hunter:"Hey! You good great! Go to the parlours often?"

HECU:"Move back to the established perimeter immediately."

Colleen growls and steps forward.

Colleen:"Now see here!"

The HECU suddenly raises one cannon and aims it at Colleen, making her
stop immediately. Blitz screams in terror and jumps into Shag's fur to
hide.

HECU:"You will be given a malcompliance verdict!"

Colleen and Hunter ball their fists, while Exile's eyes begin to glow red.

Colleen:"I'll give you a malcompliance verdict, buster!"

Voice:"That's enough! We don't need a fight here. Unit 5, code orange."

The large HECU immediately lowers its cannon, but remains standing in place
and observing the Rovers. The Rovers turn to look who gave the order. Coming
towards them is a cocker-sapien/collie cano-sapien, dressed in a sleek,
metallic-like armor with shades of grey and black. He has floppy ears like
a spaniel and the muzzle of a collie. He has mostly brown fur with white
fur on his muzzle and face running down the front of his body and white fur
on his paws, feet and tail tip. The canine is cradling a plasma rifle in
his paws. Under the insignia on his uniform is his nametag: Lieutenant
Hounder. He approaches the Rovers.

Hounder:"A little late to the action, Road Rovers. The Vanguard has the
         situation under control."

Colleen:"Looks more to me like we came just in time to stop you."

Hounder grins.

Hounder:"From doing what? Stopping Captain Storm? I think the United States
         Navy wouldn't like that. Look over there."

Hounder gestures behind him. Standing not far off are a pair of high-ranking
US Navy officers and a single reporter.

Hounder:"I was just busy talking to those gentlemen there. They are pleased
         with the Vanguard's quick response."

Blitz pokes his head out from Shag's fur.

Blitz:"But we are the Road Rovers! We're the ones who are supposed to stop
       Storm."

Hounder:"Not today. You were too slow. I think all these years of being 
         the only game in town has made you rather lax. The Vanguard is
         now here, offering speedy and efficient resolutions of any crisis
         anywhere in the world. I think we put on a good demonstration
         here."

Exile:"But you also destroy warehouse. Look, it burning to ground."

Hounder:"And I suppose your habit of blowing up bases is just an accident?"

Exile flusters. Hunter steps up.

Hunter:"Look, its not that we don't appreciate you stopping Storm, but we
        do have a job to do here. Plus, we have had run-ins with your
        organisation before. And those wouldn't look good on national
        television."

Hounder:"A bit of friendly rivalry wouldn't hurt, would it?"

Colleen folds her arms and sniffs.

Colleen:"Friendly. Ha! That's quite a way to put."

Hounder looks at Colleen and smiles.

Hounder:"And may I ask your name?"

Colleen:"Colleen, a name you'll be getting to know very well."

Hounder:"I hope I do. It is a lovely name."

He blows Colleen a kiss, causing the collie to blush.

Colleen:"Er...

Blitz is furious at this display. He jumps out of Shag's fur and marches
towards Hounder.

Blitz:"Auctung! Leave her alone, or I will..."

The HECU steps forward and takes aim at Blitz. The doberman yells like a
little girl and jumps right back into Shag's fur. Hounder chuckles.

Hounder:"I would love to stay and chat, but we need to wrap things up
         here. I suggest you all go home and relax. The Vanguard can
         handle it."

He then looks at Colleen and bows.

Hounder:"Farewell, Colleen. Hope we can have a little talk again sometime."

Colleen(blushing):"Don't bet on it."

But Colleen keeps staring at Hounder as the spaniel/collie turns around and
walks back to the two officers and the reporter. The HECU remains standing
between the two groups.

HECU:"Vacate the premises, immediately."

Hunter shrugs.

Hunter:"If you say so. Come on, guys. Let's head back to the Sonic Rover and
        tell the Master what happened here."

The Rovers head back to the Sonic Rover, but Colleen remains in place, still
staring at Hounder. Hunter notices this and taps her shoulder. She jumps as
she snaps out of it.

Hunter:"You okay, Colleen?"

Colleen:"Yeah, Huntie... um, let's go."

Hunter:"Come on, then."

The two of them rejoin the others. The Vanguard continues to mop up and now
letting the firefighters through to fight the blaze.

Cabin
Somewhere in the Cascade Range
Washington State
United States of America
At That Moment:

The cabin is now shadowed by the hull of the KHA Alexander looming overhead
in the sky. Various KH troopers are going over the cabin and the surrounding
environments. Stalker is standing outside the cabin in full armor, holding
Sneaker in his arms. A phalanx of Lambda Troopers surround both him and his
brother Trigger, who is standing alongside.

Trigger:"Most little place, isn't it? Far removed from civilisation with
         nothing but nature for neighbours."

Stalker:"Yes. And far from anyone who can help when trouble comes."

Trigger:"Those bootprints we found are the same ones made by Striker's
         boots, but a lot more of them. Think the EDF is behind this?"

Stalker:"I don't know. The Earth Defence Force was disbanded years ago
         by the United Nations."

Trigger:"Not that it made a difference. The Road Rovers that replaced
         them are just as annoying."

Sneaker points at the house and barks. Stalker smiles at him.

Stalker:"Just a minute, little one. Let my troops make sure the place is
         safe to go in."

Sneaker squirms and starts sucking his thumb. A minute later a battle
trooper approaches the two generals and salutes.

Trooper:"Sir, we've scanned the residence and the surrounding area. No
         hostiles or hidden traps were found. Its secure."

Stalker:"Thank you, Captain. Let's go in."

Sneaker wags his tail excitedly as Stalker and Trigger go into the cabin
while the Lambda Troopers go and surround it. The trio start exploring
the residence, going from room to room. They come to the kitchen, where
Trigger goes and checks the pots on the stove. He wrinkles his nose when
he smells the burnt food.

Trigger:"Ugh... must have been supper time when the attack happened."

Stalker doesn't hear Trigger, but instead leaves the kitchen to go and
explore the rest of the cabin. He comes to the master bedroom. Sneaker
wags his tail eagerly when he sees the room. Stalker glances at the pup,
and then put him down. Sneaker crawls to the big bed, goes underneath
it and then emerges with a mouse plushie in his mouth. The puppy begins
playing with it. Stalker watches him.

Stalker:"Ah... This reminds me of your father, little one. He used to be
         quite the feisty one."

The puppy growls and keeps playing. Stalker looks around the room. He
spots a shelf with a number of framed photos on it and walks over. The
wolf looks the photographs over, most of them being shots of the family
who had lived here and many of them featuring Sneaker. One particular
photo catches Stalker's eye. He reaches out, picks it up and then looks
at it while holding it with both paws.

Stalker:"By the Great Wolf..."

Trigger enters the bedroom and walks up to Stalker.

Trigger:"Got something?"

Stalker:"Take a look at this."

Trigger takes the photograph and examines it. It is a picture of Stalker,
Tosca and a young Blake in front of their old KH base in Siberia.

Trigger:"Yes, I remember this one. I'm the one with the camera."

Stalker:"Annaline was right. This is the right place."

Trigger:"Looks like it. Where's the pup?"

The two of them look around. Sneaker is by a bookshelf, tugging at a book
at the bottom row. Trigger puts the photograph back and goes over to the
pup.

Trigger:"Hey, little one. Need help with that book?"

Sneaker barks and wags his tail. Trigger kneels down and begins to pull the
particular book out from amongst the others. However, the book only goes
halfway out and there is a loud click.

Trigger(surprised):"Hey! What..."

Suddenly the bookshelf begins to slide away. Trigger jumps to his feet
while Stalker comes to join him. Behind where the bookshelf stood is a
flight of stairs down. Sneaker goes up and begins to crawl down the steps.

Stalker:"Let's investigate. Turn your suit light on."

The two wolves activate the flashlights built into their suits and follow
Sneaker down the steps. After a short trip down they enter a room that
has been built beneath the cabin. The walls are covered with racks holding
a number of custom-built crossbows, bows, arts and arrows. Several work-
benches and steel cabinets are here along with shelves filled with tools.
Stalker and Trigger look around the room with their torches while Sneaker
crawls over to a shelf.

Trigger:"What a lot of weapons. Looks like he made them himself."

Stalker nods approvingly as he goes to take a closer look at some of the
crossbows.

Stalker:"Indeed. Real skill and craftmanship went into these weapons."

Trigger:"And it seems he chose himself quite a target to practice on.
         Look at this."

Trigger indicates to a photograph of Earl Hawkins nailed to the wall. It
is full of holes, with several darts still sticking out of it. Stalker
approaches and looks carefully at it.

Stalker:"That face... it is Earl Hawkins."

Trigger:"Seems he had a grudge against the human. One that seems to have
         gotten him in trouble."

Stalker:"Very much. I just hope... she... isn't in trouble too."

Trigger:"She wasn't here in the cabin, so the Vanguard haven't gotten to
         her yet. But they might come back for him."

Stalker:"That's why I'm thinking of having a covert team posted out of
         sight near this cabin, tracking all who come and go."

Trigger:"Do you think someone, or even he, will come back here?"

Stalker nods, looking around at all the weapons.

Stalker:"I believe so. All his things are still here, and I feel that
         there were friends and relatives who also knew of this place."

Suddenly one of the compound crossbows they are looking at gets a brief
glow before vanishing from sight. The two wolves are startled by this.

Trigger:"Wha... what happened?! That crossbow! It vanished!"

Stalker walks up quickly to the spot on the wall where the crossbow had
hung and touches it.

Stalker:"Yes, and so quickly! It is almost as if it was..."

He frowns and then glances at Sneaker, who is playing around with a wood 
block that has wheels fixed to it. Stalker looks at him, and then back at 
his brother.

Stalker:"I think I know where our little friend got his teleportation
         powers. He got them from his father."

Trigger:"You mean he inherited it?"

Stalker:"Maybe, but more likely I suspect his ability is to somehow copy
         the powers of others. Not sure how, though."

Trigger looks at the pup, who is making engine noises as he pushes the
wood toy around.

Trigger:"We will have to figure out how...

He gets an idea and quickly turns back to Stalker.

Trigger:"I have an idea! Since he teleports his gear back and forth
         between the cabin and wherever he is, how about we put a tracking
         device on the crossbows? We can then locate him via satellite if
         he does this again."

Stalker nods approvingly.

Stalker:"Good idea, brother. We should get some covert troopers here to
         set the tracking devices and place this cabin under surveillance
         24/7."

Trigger:"A squad of five coverts, maybe?"

Stalker:"Sounds about right."

Trigger:"And the pup?"

Stalker:"Let's keep him with us for now. He could provide us with some
         leverage. That is, if he doesn't up and teleport away."

Sneaker looks at the adult wolves, gnawing a bit at the wood toy. Stalker
goes and picks him up in his arms.

Stalker:"Let's go. Radio in a covert team and have them set up camp not
         far from here. And before we leave we should take this pup's
         toys along and then make sure the cabin is properly locked up. I
         don't want any wanderers to come here and help themselves to this
         cabin's contents."

Trigger:"Understood, brother. Shall we go?"

Stalker:"Yes, let's go."

Stalker, carrying Sneaker, and Trigger head back up the steps. As they come
to the top a Lambda Trooper comes up to them and salutes. They salute back.

Trooper:"Excuse me, sirs. We found this in one of the rooms."

The trooper holds up a tablet. Sneaker immediately perks up and reaches out
for it. Stalker looks at the pup, then at the trooper.

Stalker:"Hold the tablet up, trooper. I think this one knows how to work 
         it."

Trooper:"Yes, sir."

The trooper holds up the tablet with both paws while Stalker brings Sneaker
closer. The puppy starts up the tablets and begins working on it.

Trigger:"Clever little fellow."

Stalker:"Yes... much like his father was."

Sneaker:"Game. Play games."

The two senior wolves nod while Sneaker types on. A short time later a
window appears on the tablet's screen. It seems to be a video feed of what
looks to be a bedroom or hospital recovery room. There is a single bed
with a figure lying in it. The figure is hooked up to several medical
machines. Stalker and Trigger look more closely at the feed.

Trigger:"That's not a game. That looks like a camera image. Or maybe a
         feed."

Stalker:"Who is that person in the bed?"

Trigger:"No idea. It looks to me like a sapien of some kind. Female,
         perhaps."

Sneaker wags his tail and points with a single finger at the screen.

Sneaker:"Grandma!"

Trigger and Stalker stare at Sneaker, then back at the screen. Stalker
takes a closer look at the figure. His eyes then widen when he realises
who it is.

Stalker:"That's... that's her!"

Trigger:"Her? Who is her?"

Stalker:"Its Tosca, Trigger! I recognise her now! Its Tosca!"

Trigger:"Wait... what..."

Trigger looks back and forth between Stalker and the tablet a few times.

Trigger:"Tosca? As in, THAT Tosca?!"

Stalker nods, reaching out to touch the tablet's screen. Sneaker follows
his grandfather's example and does the same, giggling.

Sneaker:"Grandma!"

Trigger looks more closely at the screen for a bit. Finally he looks back
at Stalker and shakes his brother's shoulder.

Trigger:"Stalker, snap out of it! If this is really her, then we can trace
         this video to her location. We can do that."

Stalker just simply nods. Exasperated, Trigger switches the tablet off
abruptly. Sneaker whines while Stalker snaps out of it.

Stalker:"Yes... Yes! Have this traced immediately!"

Trigger looks at the trooper and nods. The trooper salutes.

Trooper:"Yes, sir!"

Stalker looks at Trigger, holding Sneaker close to him.

Stalker:"Come, let's go. We must find her!"

Trigger:"We will, brother. We will."

Cradling a yawning Sneaker, Stalker follows Trigger out of the room as
Lambda Troopers begin to lock down and secure the cabin.

Briefing Room
Road Rover Headquarters
United States of America
14:44 PM:

The Road Rovers are in the briefing room with the Master standing on the
balcony. Hunter is busy explaining to the Master what had happened earlier
in Norfolk.

Hunter:"... and the US Navy didn't want to hear any more, so we really
        could only come back here."

The Master rubs his chin in worry.

Master:"This is troubling news. I didn't expect the Vanguard to come out
        into the open like this. And I'm sure their arrest of Storm will
        make them look good in the news."

Colleen:"I'm just glad there weren't any camera crews around to catch us
         getting chased off."

Blitz:"Yah, and get my bad side too."

Colleen:"You have a good side? Gasp and shock."

Blitz facepalms.

Master:"Yes. The Vanguard upstaged us this time. It would make sense, 
        though. The Vanguard does consist of former EDF agents, many of
        whom Norwood said were not happy with the Road Rovers replacing
        the EDF. This may be their attempt to grab the spotlight and
        make themselves relevant again."

Exile:"So we got competitor now?"

Hunter:"Yeah. But hey, you know what they say about friendly competition
        and all that."

Just then Phoenix comes walking in.

Phoenix:"I think you'd better rethink that saying, Hunter. Master, we
         got something on the news you'd better see."

Master:"Really? Let's have a look."

They all turn to one of the screens in the briefing room. When it is
switched on it shows an image of Melanie Malloy reporting on a story,
with the burning ruins of what appears to be some kind of factory
behind her.

Melanie:"... cleared out the factory and rescued the scientists. With me
         right now is a Vanguard officer, who wishes to remain anonymous.
         Officer, what can you say about your accomplishment here?"

Melanie, and the camera, turn to a Vanguard soldier dressed in full uni-
form and face-concealing mask. The officer nods.

Officer:"The Vanguard has proven here today that is fully capable of
         dealing with threats to international security. As you can see
         behind me..."

The officers gestures to the factory. A group of scientists are being
treated by Vanguard medics, while another group of Vanguard soldiers and
HECUs are escorting Ross Dole and his henchmen away. Ross doesn't look
happy.

Ross:"This is crazy! First the Rovers, now this lot?! Can't I get a break
      here?!"

Soldier:"Hey, shut your mouth and keep moving!"

Officer:"... we have rescued these scientists from being forced to build
         weapons for this criminal and his henchmen."

Just then there is a commotion that gets the cameraman's attention. The
camera swings over and zooms in to see what is going on. The Strayers
(Bear, Nitro, Amanda and Puffball) are trying to get past the line of 
Vanguard soldiers who are forming a perimeter.

Amanda:"Hey! Come on, let us through!"

Soldier:"Get back! We're handling the situation here."

Nitro:"Handling it? Ha, that's rich! You guys are trouble!"

Soldier:"You're the ones causing the trouble here!"

Bear:"Hey, come on! Haven't you heard of can't we all just get along?"

Soldier:"Yes, I have. And you lot get along out of here! Get these mutts
         out of here!"

Puffball:"I no mutt!"

Soldier:"Whatever! Get out of here!"

The other Vanguard soldiers begin to push the Strayers away at gunpoint.
The officer chuckles as the camera turns back to him.

Officer:"And our competitors are late as usual."

Melanie:"Is the Vanguard competing with the Road Rovers?"

Officer:"That's right, ma'am. The Vanguard is challenging this tightfisted
         monopoly of the Road Rovers, offering rapid, efficient and cost-
         effective responses to global threats like Ross Dole."

Melanie:"Will we be hearing more of the Vanguard in future?"

Officer:"Indeed, ma'am. This is just the start."

In the briefing room some of the Rovers growl.

Blitz:"Zat is not fair!"

Exile:"Bolshoi! Baddest guys think they can play hero now!"

Master:"Turn it off. We've seen enough."

The screen is switched off. The Master begins pacing back and forth on the
balcony, seemingly worried.

Master:"First Storm, now the Vanguard have beaten Bear's team to Ross Dole.
        If this keeps up, we are going to have a lot of negative media
        coverage in the coming days."

Colleen:"And the Vanguard will end up looking like the good guys in the
         eyes of the public."

Hunter:"Any idea what we should do, Master?"

Master:"There is not much we can do at the moment except try and get to
        your objectives before the Vanguard does. Come to think of it, how
        did they get to Storm and Dole so fast?"

Exile:"They have good intel, maybe? They were with EDF, and comrade
       Striker always tell of how good EDF was."

Master:"That could be possible."

He leans forward on the balcony with a serious expression.

Master:"Regardless, we cannot allow the Vanguard to generate good publicity
        while they carry out criminal acts in the background."

Hunter:"What do we do, Master?"

Master:"First, let all the other teams know that the Vanguard is trying
        to steal our thunder and that they should get to any trouble spots
        as fast as possible before the Vanguard gets there first."

Colleen:"And second?"

Master:"We'd better start shifting our resources to fully take on the
        Vanguard. We've been treating them as just another villain group
        in the league of Parvo's mutants or Havoc's forces. But its clear
        now that Vanguard is going for the big leagues of the KH Military,
        Mayhem Mercenaries and Elite Guard. We'll need to ready for them."

Hunter:"No problem, Master! If can deal with the big boys, we can deal
        with the Vanguard."

Master:"Excellent. Go and tell the others. Oh, and Phoenix. Bring your mate
        here. I think we'll need his knowledge of the EDF in our fight
        against the Vanguard."

Phoenix:"Right away, Master."

The Rovers all depart from the room in various directions, leaving only 
the Master to stand and ponder the situation they are facing.

Himalayan Mountains
Northern India
26 May
9:12 AM:

The snow-covered, mountainous peaks of the Himalayas stretches for kilo-
meters in every direction as far as the horizon. Though it is summer,
many of the peaks and slopes are still covered in thick layers of snow.
Flying amongst the mountains is a large red and white helicopter that
resembles a Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, only a little bigger and having a
dog-shaped nose. On its sides is the Road Rover insignia. This is the
Rescue Rover. Inside in the cockpit is Ellie the female Newfoundland
cano-sapien at the flight controls. Next to her is Rigel Shellshock, a 
male Newfoundland cano-sapien who is her co-pilot. Both of them are
dressed in the green shirts, brown pants and black boots of the Road
Rovers' field outfits. Ellie looks at Shellshock.

Ellie:"How far are we from the monastery?"

Rigel checks some readings on the control panel in front of them.

Rigel:"Not far now. Just few more minutes and the monastery will be in 
       view."

Ellie quickly checks the time on her wristwatch.

Ellie:"Good. We made excellent time. And not a moment too soon. The monks
       really need the food ever since the monastery got cut off from the
       outside world by that avalanche."

Rigel:"Which also destroyed their food store. They must be really hungry
       by now, even by their standards."

Ellie:"That's what we are here for, Rigel. Search and Rescue is all about
       getting help to them as fast as possible, eh."

Rigel:"You said it. And I think we might even break our record from the
       time we got their distress call to reaching them."

Ellie:"Let's not get reckless now."

Rigel grins and nods. They continue guiding the Rescue Rover through the
mountains until they eventually spot their destination. Sitting the slopes
of a valley is a Buddist monastery with red roofs that contrast the white
snow all around. A lone path that leads from the monastery is buried by a
mass of snow that has also caught some of the outer buildings of the 
complex during the avalanche. A few monks in saffron robes are walking on
the wall that surrounds the monastery. They wave when they see the Rescue
Rover coming.

Ellie:"There it is. The monastery."

Rigel:"Do we set down in the courtyard? I don't see any other places to
       land that is safe or close by."

Ellie:"Yes, let's set down there."

As the Rescue Rover comes in for a landing, dozens of monks brave the cold
and come out of the monastery to welcome the arrivals. Ellie and Rigel
climb out along with the rest of their team: Tinker the Jack Russell/Beagle
mix, Digit the Dalmation and Hutch the Labrador/Bloodhound mix. All of
them are now wearing heavy winter jackets and gloves along with their
uniforms.

Digit:"Brrrr! I can feel the cold even through my uniform."

Tinker:"Me too. And yet these monks are only wearing those robes and some
        sandals."

Hutch:"I guess you'd get used to the cold if you lived here all your 
       life."

The leading monk, an eldery individual who is wearing a yellow headdress
along with his robes, approaches the group.

Head Monk:"Welcome and blessings upon you, strangers. Are you the ones
           who heard our calls of distress?"

Ellie:"That's right. We're the Search and Rescue Rovers, and we came here
       immediately when we picked up your distress signal."

Head Monk:"Oh, thank Buddha! We have struggled to get our only radio
           working again and feared our distress went unheard."

Rigel:"That's what we are here for. We also brought you supplies and plenty
       of food to keep you going for a good month or so."

Head Monk:"Wonderful! That avalanche destroyed much of our food stores and
           the weather hasn't cleared enough for me to send our caravans
           to restore our stocks. We are indebted to you."

Ellie:"Let's not waste time and get the food unloaded. You must all be 
       starving."

Head Monk:"We monks learn to live with as little as possible, but I do
           admit that even we are ravished. Come, my fellow monks will
           assist."

The Rescue Rovers, with the help of the monks, start to unload the crates
of supplies from the helicopter. But they barely start when the head monk
approaches Ellie and gestures to the sky.

Head Monk:"More of your people?"

Ellie:"Who?"

Ellie looks to the sky and gasps. Flying towards the monastery is a trio
of Vanguard Condors. The head monk looks at Ellie.

Head Monk:"You bringing us more supplies?"

Ellie:"They are not our people. Better tell your monks to stand back, this
       might get ugly."

Concerned, the head monk urges his followers to stand back from the
courtyard while Ellie quickly gathers her team.

Ellie:"We got company, and I think its that Vanguard organisation the
       Master warned us about."

The other Rovers look at the incoming helicopters.

Tinker:"The Vanguard? But how did they get here so fast?"

Hutch cracks his knuckles.

Hutch:"Don't know. But if they are here to cause trouble, then there will
       be a fight."

The Rovers stay close to their helicopter while the Vanguard Condors come
in for a landing. One by one they set down in the courtyard, their rotors
kicking up a lot of snow into the air. Once landed, a number of Vanguard
soldiers climb out and form a ring around the helicopters. An HECU robot
is deployed from two of the Condors, while from a third a group of repor-
ters are escorted off. The leader of the group, a sergeant with a green
beret to indicate his position, approaches the head monk.

Sergeant:"Are you the leader of this monastery, sir?"

The head monk nods, looking at the Vanguard sergeant cautiously.

Head Monk:"That I am. And what is your reason for being here?"

The sergeant salutes.

Sergeant:"Sir, I am with the Vanguard. Our organisation has picked up your
          distress call and have sent us to deliver supplies to you and
          your monastery."

The head monk smiles at this news.

Head Monk:"Then allow me to welcome you to our monastery with open arms.
           We are really overwhelmed by both your generousity and that of
           these Rovers."

The head monk gestures to the Rescue Rovers. The sergeant frowns at them.

Sergeant:"I see. I think there is something you need to know about
          them, sir."

Head Monk:"May I ask what it is?"

Sergeant:"They're..."

But suddenly Ellie comes up quickly and interrupts the sergeant.

Ellie:"Excuse me, your honor, but there is something you need to know
       about them."

Head Monk:"May I ask what it is?"

Ellie:"They're..."

Sergeant(interrupting):"Hey! I was talking here first."

Ellie growls at the sergeant.

Ellie:"You talk lies. You and the whole Vanguard."

Sergeant:"Ha! Look who is talking! An organisation with no accountability
          to anyone but themselves! And probably flea-infested too."

Ellie growls and balls her fists.

Ellie:"Just keep trash talking. I'm in the mood for a fight."

The sergeant balls his fists as well.

Sergeant:"I'll be glad to oblige, you mongrel!"

The two of them approach and nearly come to blows before they are stopped
by the head monk stepping in between them.

Head Monk:"Please! Let there not be any fighting! Let us instead focus
           on helping my fellow monks."

Ellie and the sergeant give each other cold stares as they back off.

Ellie:"Yes, we are here to HELP."

Sergeant:"That WE are."

Just then the reporters come up to the two of them, microphones, mobile
cameras and voice recorders ready.

Reporter:"Excuse me, sergeant. An interview, please?"

Sergeant:"Eh... yes, of course. Go ahead and ask."

Reporter:"We see that the Road Rovers are here as well. Is this a joint
          effort."

The sergeant glances at Ellie before nodding grudgingly.

Sergeant:"That it is. Despite our... differences. Right?"

Ellie faces towards the reporters.

Ellie:"Er.. yes. We are working together to assist the monks of this
       monastery following the avalanche."

While the impromptu press conference is going on, Digit pulls Rigel
off to one side.

Digit:"I think we got a problem, Rigel."

Rigel:"You mean besides this one?"

Digit:"Yeah, but it might be related. Thing is, we were the only ones
       who picked up that distress signal and we acted right away to get
       here. And yet here is the Vanguard, right behind us with supplies
       and even a crowd of reporters."

Rigel:"You think they spied on us?"

Digit:"Very likely. Not sure how, but they must have been listening in
       on the transmission."

Rigel:"And this rapid response of theirs... I think Ellie and I better
       inform the Master about your suspicion."

Digit:"And what about this load of Vanguard."

Rigel looks at the Vanguard soldiers as they start unloading boxes of
food and other supplies.

Rigel:"Unless they attack, we leave them be. For now, we got to help
       these monks."

Digit:"Okay. But I'll have one eye on them at all times."

Rigel:"So will we, Digit."

The Rovers and the Vanguard continue unloading the supplies with the aid
of the monks while the press conference continues.

Conference Room
KHA Alexander
Somewhere over the Outback
Australia
28 May
12:02 PM:

There is a meeting going on between the top brass of the KH Military.
Stalker, Trigger, Black, Thrax, Wolfeye, Sky and Malcolm are all here
around the table, which has some glass cups and a big pitcher of juice
on it. Stalker leans forward and addresses the others.

Stalker:"Right, you've all read the briefing files I sent out to you all
         prior to this meeting. So you're all aware of this new threat
         that is appearing on the horizon."

Wolfeye:"The Vanguard, sir?"

Stalker:"That's right: the Vanguard."

Thrax:"I've seen them on the news lately. They've been getting a lot of
       attention in the media."

Black:"Especially whenever they beat the Road Rovers to the scene of
       whatever is going on."

Stalker:"And that is what is worrying me the most."

Sky:"Besides the fact that they have abducted some of your relatives?"

Stalker's face darkens and he nods.

Stalker:"That as well, but that is my problem and Trigger's to handle."

Wolfeye:"Your relatives? I thought only Trigger and Jinx were your
         relatives, sir."

Stalker sighs.

Stalker:"No, and this is not the first time the Vanguard has crossed
         paths with my family. They had been causing me trouble since
         before Franco's overthrow."

Wolfeye(surprised):"That far back?"

Trigger:"Yes, but back then they were just a small group of EDF agents 
         with an agenda. They weren't really the force they are today."

Stalker:"Exactly, but we need to look at the here and now. We all have
         to deal with a bigger problem."

He relaxes a bit.

Stalker:"The Vanguard seems to consist mostly of mercenaries, but the
         core group are former members of the Earth Defence Force. It
         seems that they are trying to reestablish the EDF again and
         to challenge the Road Rovers."

Malcolm:"And that's bad?"

Stalker:"Yes, it is. The Road Rovers on their own are bad enough. The
         EDF on its own was bad enough. But both of them at the same
         time? That bodes ill for the KH Military."

Thrax:"Right now it looks to me like the Vanguard is more interested
       in pushing the Road Rovers out of the limelight than fighting
       us."

Stalker:"Yes, but it is very unlikely that the Vanguard will be able
         to stop the Road Rovers. What could happen is that we will
         be facing two equally powerful organisations dedicated to
         fighting us. One is bad enough, as the destruction of the
         Iron Fist demonstrated."

Everyone around the table nods and grumbles except for Sky.

Sky:"What are your orders on this matter, Supreme General?"

Stalker looks at Sky.

Stalker:"Get your Eta Squadron to work, Sky. Have them find out all
         they can about the Vanguard. The who's who, their weapons,
         their assets, their funders, everything."

Sky:"Of course."

Stalker looks at Malcolm.

Stalker:"Malcolm, we are going to need some new outposts to keep tabs
         on the Vanguard. Begin scouting out some properties we can
         establish bases on."

Malcolm nods and gives the thumbs up.

Malcolm:"Sure thing, chief."

Stalker:"As for the rest of you, put your squadrons on higher alert and
         get their combat readiness up. I think we're going to be having
         a lot of skirmishes with the Vanguard in the near future."

Everyone around the table nod their heads in agreement.

The Master's Control Room
Road Rover Headquarters
29 May
9:35 AM:

The Master is seated by one of his terminals, working on a document file
while hearing a headset with a microphone. He is currently speaking to
Mark Norwood over the telephone.

Master(into phone):"That is currently where we stand. Aside from a few
      lucky breaks, the Vanguard had beaten us to the punch every time.
      And the media is taking notice of this fact."

Norwood(over phone):"They are not the only ones. Here in the UN a number
       of member states have begun to voice support for the Vanguard."

Master(into phone):"That is worrying. Didn't you talk to them and point
      out the successes of the Road Rovers?"

Norwood(over phone):"I have raised those facts a few times in recent
       meetings. Fortunately, so far many members still back you guys,
       including the US, Britain and Russia. But the Chinese and French,
       while still supporting you, are starting to take a second look at
       the Vanguard as well. And several member states are doing the same.
       So far nobody has called for the Road Rovers to be replaced, but
       the Vanguard is definitely making an impression on them."

Master(into phone):"That's not good news at all. What do you recommend we
      should do at this stage?"

Norwood(over phone):"I think its time the Road Rovers investigated the
       Vanguard more closely. Start by checking where their money is
       coming from."

Master(into phone):"You got some possible suspects for us, Mark?"

Norwood(over phone):"I think so. I'll need to look through the old files,
       but there are a number of ex-EDF agents and officials who made a 
       lot of money after the EDF was disbanded. Some of them could be
       helping the Vanguard. They might not have enough money between
       to fund what I've been seeing from the organisation, but they can
       provide a link to the real money spinners."

Master(into phone):"As good a place to start as any. Send us the info as
      soon as you get them."

Norwood(over phone):"Double time, professor. Right after this meeting I
       will begin my search. Stay on the alert and don't let the Vanguard
       cast you all in a bad light."

Master(into phone):"We won't, Mark. Thank you for your help and goodbye."

Norwood(over phone):"Goodbye."

The Master switches the phone off, but he hesitates suddenly as he pulls
his hand back. He quickly stands up and looks around his room.

Master:"Hello?"

There is no response. The Master's gaze scans the room in a 360 degree
circle, but there is nothing unusual. He sighs.

Master:"I must be getting old. I'm starting to imagine things."

The Master slowly walks to the exit. From behind one of the terminals, a
figure watches him leave, taking care not to make a sound. The Vanguard
is now openly challenging the Road Rovers while improving their image on
all forms of media around the world. Is this the start of a heated
contest between the two groups? Can the Road Rovers keep up? And what
big plans do the Vanguard have in store?


THE END