Rover Strike: Longbow One

Episode 3: Requiem Of A Russian Bamunp

By Gerhard Naudé

All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
Oringo © Kristen Coughlan

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

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
En Route To Transylvania
21 July
6:04 AM:

Striker is at the flight controls, while Phoenix, Corsair, Shephard
and Illanov are still asleep. Illanov has a blanket pulled over him,
while Elexis hovers nearby and keeps watch on him. Tanarus is busy
typing on his terminal and Merit is watching Illanov, making an
occasional scan of him. Striker glances over at Elexis with a
concerned look at Illanov.

Striker:"Hoe is Alex?"

Elexis:"Stable, but his condition does not seem to be improving and I
        am beginning to see strange symptoms appear that could be
        related to the vampirism."

Striker nods, then glances at Merit.

Striker:"Merit? What can you see?"

Merit:"My scanning is tracking the spread of the disease. My readings
       are detecting slight but significant changes to the DNA code of
       his body and there are already signals of change to the bioligical
       structure of his body, most notably his heart, skin and teeth.
       Calculations indicate that probably infection completion would
       be within 43 hours approximately."

Striker sighs.

Striker:"Will you keep me informed of any changed to Alex?"

Merit:"Positive."

Elexis:"Yes, I would. I care about him as well, and I do not wish loose
        him to this curse. Neither would Vicki. She would be devastated."

Striker:"Ja, I know."

Elexis:"How about you think of something else, Striker? You really need 
        not have this burden on your mind right before a mission."

Striker:"You're reg, Elexis. Maybe Tanarus can tell me something about
         what we are going to be in for."

Tanarus looks up as Striker turns to look at him.

Striker:"Tell me what you have, Tanarus."

Tanarus:"Certainly. You keep flying and stop worrying about Alex."

Striker nods and looks forward as Tanarus looks down at the terminal
screen and begins to it read out loud for Striker.

Tanarus:"According to records I dug up, Salis von Valforth was the last 
         line of the Von Valforth noble family in Transylvania in Romania 
         during the reign of the Ottomans. When the district fell under 
         the control of the Habsburgs, the Von Valforth family was mostly 
         killed in a purge to get rid of cruel ruling nobles. In an 
         attempt to save his life, Valforth allowed himself to be bitten 
         by a vampire. Using his vampire powers and immortality, he 
         successfully kept away the Habsburgs from his family castle, as 
         well as the Nazis during World War II and the Russians during the 
         Cold War. He also built up the vampire clan of Dracul using his 
         "volunteers" from the Habsburgs, Nazis and Russians. However, the 
         vampire clan wars and the AIDS virus decimated their numbers and 
         made it more difficult for Valforth to defend his family castle. 
         Recently, however, castle Valforth has been purchased by Euro-
         Corp."

Striker:"Valforth probably agreed to it to allow the Mayhem Mercenaries
         to make up the numbers of the lost vampires, né?"

Tanarus:"I would say that is definitely the case."

Striker:"What can you tell me about the castle?"

Tanarus:"Nothing much. No architectural maps exist of the castle because
         the vampires scared away any mappers. The castle sits on a high
         hill almost against the mountains, overlooking a valley with a
         small village some 8 kilometres away."

Striker:"Industry?"

Tanarus:"There is a lumber mill and timber farm, which forms the basis
         of the village's economy."

Striker:"Owned by EuroCorp?"

Tanarus:"Not directly. A subsidiary of EuroCorp owns them. Other than
         the castle, the mill and farm are the only other EuroCorp
         properties."

Striker:"Military presence, Mayhem or otherwise?"

Tanarus:"Other than possible hostiles in the castle itself, nothing else.
         There is a small police force, but they number only about 15 at
         most."

Striker:"How large is that village?"

Tanarus:"According to the last census done there, approximately 160
         people live there. A small police station, a few mom and pop
         stores, inn, school and church."

Striker:"Reg. When we get there, we'll have Corsair and Shephard go into
         the village and ask for information."

Tanarus:"But after what happened in Rome, won't that entire village be on
         the lookout for us? The Tabloid Soldiers know how we look like 
         and would bribed the entire village."

Striker:"I am hoping for that. Shephard and Corsair can have the villagers
         point out that particular and individual and then they 'ask'
         him for information, né?"

Tanarus:"Ah, good idea. And then?"

Striker:"We use the information to plan our assault on the castle, but
         until then we will have to wait some distance from the area.
         The Mayhem Mercenaries could be on the lookout for our arrival
         to the region."

Tanarus:"And while we are waiting, we can do our own kind of lookout and
         scan the castle to see what is there. It can help us pass the
         time."

Striker sighs and looks at Illanov again.

Striker:"What little of it there is."

He looks forward again, while Tanarus and Elexis look concerned at each,
then turn back to their work.

Castle Von Valforth
Transylvania Region
Romania
6:21 AM:

Castle Von Valforth looks like the typical medieval castle. It has six
round towers arranged in a hexagram around the central keep. The keep
itself has four square towers on each corner, with a single round tower
rising from the keep above all the rest. The six round towers have 
large walls running between them, with the gatehouse facing towards the
valley it is in. The castle sits nears the Transylvanian Alps on a
platue, a single arched bridge leading to a single road that heads to
a small village. The village is nestled in the forested valley floor
near a river. Not far off are the forest farms and logging camps that
is the industry of the region. The sun's beams shine over the alps
that surround the valley. The early morning sun gives the caslte a
slight grey reddish hue. Coming in from the still dark west, is a
Mayhem Chinook escorted by a pair of F-80 Sky Raiders. The Sky Raider 
looks like a sleek version of the harrier, but with a smaller hull size 
and two engines on the upper and lower sides of the wings. Attached under
the wings are two large chainguns and in the middle of the wings dual
rocket/missile packs. The two Sky Raiders begin to fly a patrol around 
the castle as the Chinook heads for the helipad on top of one of the 
square towers. It hovers over it, then lands on the pad.

Banquet Hall
Castle Von Valforth
6:28 AM:

The banquet hall is a long, spacious hall with a long dining table in the
middle. Fine chairs line the table, while candle chandeliers hang from
the domed ceiling. Along the walls are shields with the Von Valforth
crest on it (a black crow on a red background), crossed swords and the
moth-eaten drapes of Nazi banners. On the table are empty fruit bowls
and candles. At the head of the table is a large, more elaborate chair.
Six doors, three on either side, lead out of the room. Hanging behind the
large chair is a portrait of Salis Von Valforth with the valley in the
background. Seated to the left of the large chair is Oringo, who is
tapping his fingers on the table. He looks up as one of the doors open
up. Escorted in by some Shock Soldiers is a hunchbacked butler, Whirl-
wind, Paladin and the castle Guard Captain. Whirlwind is a male tabby 
cat with blue fur, and white fur running from his muzzle down to between 
his legs and the tip of his tail. He has shoulder-length hair. He has a 
normal sapphire left eye, but his right eye is actually a cybernetic one. 
His left paw and right foot are also cybernetic. Protruding from his back
are what appears to be folded sheets of metal. He is wearing the uniform
of a shock soldier. The butler is actually a ghoul, with grey/green skin
and two yellow eyes. He is wearing a black butler uniform and looks very
malformed. The guard captain, a human of Arab origin, is wearing a black
uniform with military boots, with his name tag and medals on his chest,
and the three stripes on his shoulders denoting his rank. Oringo sees
Paladin and waves at him.

Oringo:"Hey, Paladin! Have a seat."

Paladin:"Hello."

Whirlwind sneers.

Whirlwind:"Well, here is mister screw-up."

Oringo hisses at Whirlwind.

Oringo:"Watch that mouth."

Whirlwind:"Hey, it's true. Paladin and I wouldn't even be here if you had
           not made a mess of things back in Rome. We got word from
           Mirage about what has happened."

Oringo:"Bah, so what? They're coming here because Valforth got a licking
        on one of them and now they have to find a cure for it. They're
        not after Longbow One."

Whirlwind:"They wouldn't even be after Longbow One if it wasn't for you."

Oringo hisses again, but before he can even reply, Whirlwind looks at
the captain and butler.

Whirlwind:"Enough chit chat. We got work to do."

The butler speaks, in a creepy, wheezing tone.

Butler:"Why not be seated?"

Captain:"Thank you, let's."

The captain sits opposite of Oringo and Whirlwind sits down next to him.
Paladin walks over to the other side and sits down next to Oringo. The
butler goes and sits on the large chair. Oringo glances at him.

Oringo:"Are you even allowed to do that?"

Butler:"The master tells me to take care of his castle, so until he
        returns I work in his steed."

Oringo:"No wonder he's away, with a ghoul like you."

Oringo leans back and rests his feet on the table. The butler stares
disapprovingly at him.

Butler:"Take your feet off the table."

Oringo:"Make me."

The butler snaps his finger. One of the swords on the wall comes looks
and comes flying to Oringo. The sword stops, the blade touching right
against Oringo's neck. Oringo immediately takes his feet off the table.

Oringo:"Okay, okay! I get your point."

Butler:"Gooood."

The butler snaps his finger again and the sword flies back to where it
was. Oringo breathes a sigh of relief, looks at Paladin and shakes his
head. Paladin just stares at Oringo.

Whirlwind:"You finished acting the court jester, Oringo?"

Oringo hisses at Whirlwind, then grumbles to himself. Whirlwind digs in
his uniform and pulls out some folded papers. He paws it to the captain.

Whirlwind:"Here's our orders. Straight from the top."

The captain takes the papers, unfolds them and begins to read.

Captain(reading):"Order from Tier Commander Mirage. Unit STRIKE is
       proceeding to Castle Von Valforth to cure one of their members of
       vampirism. Locate and dispose of Unit STRIKE, using any available
       means, and prevent them from locating a cure."

Whirlwind:"That's right. That's why me and Paladin were sent here to
           help out. Unit STRIKE is quite the tough customers."

The captain looks at Whirlwind.

Captain:"I will alert our garrison to be on the lookout and prepare our
         defences."

Whirlwind:"Nice nice. What about that village I saw?"

Captain:"One of our tabbies are in the village. I can assure you that
         the villagers will quickly alert us if the Strikers are in the
         village."

Whirlwind:"Nice nice."

Whirlwind looks over at the ghoul.

Whirlwind:"What about your vampire masters? Can they be ready?"

Butler:"No, for they are now asleep and may not be awoken until the night
        has fallen."

Whirlwind:"Why are they asleep?"

Butler:"They are vampires. Daylight is lethal to them."

Oringo:"Bah, what good are vampires then? No wonder we had to bail your
        butts out when the GONV was rampaging around here."

The butler looks in anger at Oringo.

Butler:"I assure you, my masters are lethal in the darkness and were able
        to keep the GONV from the castle."

Oringo:"That was before the GONV started attacking during the day instead."

The butler raises his finger.

Butler:"Vampires are NOT the only lethal entities in this castle. I can
        demonstrate, if you wish."

Oringo gulps and stops talking and the butler looks back at Whirlwind.

Butler:"Once my masters are awake, I shall tell them about our unwelcome
        guests. They will go on the hunt when the night comes."

Whirlwind:"Good. Until then, we keep the fort. Speaking of which, does
           this castle have secret passages and such?"

Butler:"It does, but do not worry. All of those passages are known to
        the captain and his men, and they have worse things in them."

Whirlwind:"Good. Oh, and since we just mentioned the GONV..."

Whirlwind holds up his cybernetic paw and it glows red for a moment. A
short time later, the door swings open and in walks a robot. It has a
humanoid body with a triangular face. It has four arms instead of the
usual two. Two of the arms have regular humanoid arms, while the other
two arms have claws for hands. A backpack is attached to its back with
a compartment hatch on its chest. Above that hatch is the insignia of
the Mayhem Mercenaries. Everyone turns to look at it as it comes up
and stands to attention.

Whirlwind:"This is our new toy, straight from the labs. All units are
           being issued with a few of these babies."

Captain:"What is it? It resembles a GONV drone."

Whirlwind:"It does, doesn't it? Yeah, they took some of the dead drones
           that lay on scrap heaps all over Europe and built this new
           model. Gentlemen, meet the new Mayhem Drone."

Oringo:"Mayhem Drone, how original. What does it have to offer?"

Whirlwind:"Simple. Most obviously you can see it has four arms: two for
           holding its arclite rifle, the other two for support and to
           create..."

Whirlwind glances at the drone and nods. The drone holds its two claws
out front. Suddenly, two disks of energy forms around the claws in front
of it.

Whirlwind:"... shields to protect itself from enemy fire. It also has
           tough armor, night vision, enhanced listening devices and
           has all the data needed for modern combat."

Captain:"How many have you brought?"

Whirlwind:"Five of them. The four others are being offloaded and acti-
           vated for duty as we speak. They can help in the hunt for
           the Strikers, so it will be good to see how they hold up."

Captain:"Any other orders, then?"

Whirlwind:"Nah, I think that covers it. All the minor details are in
           those papers."

Whirlwind then looks at the butler.

Whirlwind:"Do you something to eat? I'm starving."

Butler:"I will have the servants bring breakfast."

The butler gets out of the chair and waddles out one of the doors. The
captain gets up as well.

Captain:"I will go and alert our troops."

The captain leaves the banquet hall as well. Oringo leans back and rests
his feet on the table again. Whirlwind holds out his cybernetic paw at
Oringo. Suddenly his paw flies loose and smacks against Oringo's upper
chest. The impact causes Oringo to fall backwards in his chair. Whirl-
wind chuckles as his paw returns to him, while Paladin just stares at
the two of them.

Crashed War Carrier
28 Kilometres South Of Castle Von Valforth
Transylvanian Region
Romania
6:58 AM:

This is the massive hulking remains of a GONV war carrier that crashed
alongside the river in a valley rift. Much of it has been burnt out and
gaping holes expose the guts of the massive carrier, while some of the
hangars no longer have their doors closed. Nature has also begun to 
reclaim its domain, with small pine saplings, creepers and moss growing 
around and on the hull. The Stealth Rover comes flying low along the 
river towards the hull, then slows down and hovers into an open hangar. 
It carefully glides in, turns around so that its nose faces outwards and 
then finally lands itside.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
7:00 AM:

Striker is turning off the engines and securing the controls of the
Stealth Rover. Phoenix, Corsair and Shephard are finally awake as well
now. Corsair looks out at the wrecked hangar.

Corsair:"Man, has nobody gone about cleaning this hunk a junk up?"

Phoenix:"There are dozens of these wrecks and hulks all over Europe, the
         Middle East and North Africa, Corsair. Those regions are still
         rebuilding from last year's Techno War and they haven't gotten
         around to removing all of the robotic war machines that the EMP
         Wavegun had destroyed."

Striker:"A goeie thing, actually. This old war carrier will provide us
         with decent cover from the Mayhem Mercenaries and good defense
         as well."

Striker looks at Elexis, who is still with the dozing Illanov.

Striker:"Anything?"

Elexis:"Nothing so far, Striker. Everything is still fine, but I would
        like to move him to the infirmary so I can better monitor him
        there."

Striker:"Goeie idea. Do it."

Shephard raises his hand to get Striker's attention. Striker turns to
look at him.

Shephard:"Excuse me, sir, but what's the plan of action?"

Striker:"Eerste, Shephard, you and Corsair go to the village and go ask
         information from the villagers. And if one of them, very likely,
         tries to contact one of those tabloid soldiers, try and get hold
         of him or her. Interrogate him using any means and hack into any
         computer system he might have."

Corsair:"Boss, you mean we got to walk all the way to the village?"

Striker nods.

Striker:"We cannot use the Rhino or Biker Rover. The enemy would easily
         spot and track them."

Corsair looks outside at the forest, then sighs. Striker then looks at 
Phoenix.

Striker:"Phoenix, you and I and Merit will go out and see what we can
         scout from the castle. Merit can help scan for any possible
         way we can gain entry."

Phoenix:"Good idea, Love."

Striker then looks at Tanarus.

Striker:"Tanarus, I want you to stay here with Elexis and Illanov and
         guard them both if the enemy should find the Stealth Rover. 
         And if things become too dangerous, you must take off imme-
         diately and radio us so that we can arrange an extraction."

Tanarus:"No problem. I wouldn't even think of leaving my wife alone."

Striker:"Goed. Tanarus, help me carry Illanov to the infirmary. The
         rest of you go wait outside for us."

Striker and Tanarus get up and go over to Illanov. As Phoenix, Merit,
Corsair and Shephard file out of the cockpit, Striker picks Illanov
up by the shoulders while Tanarus picks him up by the legs. The two
of them gently carry out Illanov while Elexis remains close by to
monitor his health.

River's Edge
Crashed War Carrier
7:12 AM:

Phoenix, Merit, Corsair and Shephard are gathered on the shore of the
river. The sound of the running river mingles with that of birds and
other woodland creatures. Striker climbs down from the hangar using
a fallen tree that lies against it. He walks up to the groups and
joins them.

Striker:"Reg, we should set out now. Illanov's life may depend on how
         fast we move."

The others nod. Striker looks at Shephard and Corsair.

Striker:"You two can follow the river west. There is a road bridge
         that leads to the village not far from here. Now remember, do
         not engage in battles with any mercenaries unless it is un-
         avoidable. And do not harm or let any civilian get harmed.
         And if the mercenaries start to move in on the village, get
         out of there as quickly as possible, using any means. Under-
         stood?"

Shpehard:"Yes, sir!"

Corsair:"Got it, boss."

Striker:"Goed. Let's roll."

Striker, Phoenix and Merit begin to make their way up into the forest,
while Shephard and Corsair begin to follow the river towards the bridge
in the distance.

Main Road Bridge
1,4 Kilometres From The War Carrier
7:19 AM:

The bridge is a stone bridge where the road is a simple two way road
cutting its way through the forest. Corsair and Shephard come climbing
out from the river's edge onto the bridge. They look up and down the
road.

Shephard:"Negative contact."

Corsair:"No kidding. I was hoping for a lift to town."

Shephard:"That might be difficult, sir. I am in uniform. You might
          have a chance to escape too much notice."

Corsair:"Yeah, so now what?"

Shephard:"We will have to march to town, sir."

Corsair:"Easy for you to say. You soldier guys always do marches. I'm
         actually more o a couch potato."

Shephard:"We no choice, sir. We cannot waste time."

Corsair then notices a vehicle coming from the south on the road. He
points at it.

Corsair:"Maybe not. Here's a ride."

Shephard:"You flag it down, sir. I'll hide in the woods and piggy back
          along."

Corsair:"No problem, Shep."

Shephard runs for the forst and ducks out of cover. Corsair stands on
the road's edge as the vehicle, a Russian-made sedan, approaches the
bridge. As the sedan is about to go off the bridge, Corsair steps out
and hails the car. The car slows down and finally stops. Cosair runs
up to the passanger's side. The driver rolls the window down and Corsair
looks at the driver. He is a middle-aged man in workman's overalls. He
is staring at Corsair.

Corsair:"Hi, can I have a lift?"

The driver keeps staring at Corsair. Corsair then realizes something.

Corsair:"I forgot. You might not speak English... um..."

Corsair thinks for a moment, then looks back at the driver. Corsair
gestures to himself, then points at the driver. He then gestures up
the road to the villager. The driver then understands and nods, then
unlocks the passanger door. Corsair smiles and opens the door. He climb
in and closes the door. The driver begins to drive the sedan towards
the village. Unseen to the driver, however, Shephard was hanging on to
the sedan's bumper and boot handle, crouched out of sight.

Dolmen
Forest Hilltop
1.6 Kilometres North Of The War Carrier
7:24 AM:

This is a stone arch, with a large menhir that is placed on two large
boulders. The dolmen sits at the edge of a hill just outside the
treeline. Down below one can see the valley, with the castle, the
village and the river running through it. Moss and long grass grow
on and around the dolmen. Striker, Phoenix and Merit come walking out 
of the woods to the dolmen. They look down at the valley stretched
out in front of them.

Striker:"This will make a good vantage point."

Phoenix:"Such a beautiful sight, isn't it Strikie?"

Striker glances at Phoenix, a slight smile on his muzzle.

Striker:"Inderdaad. If only we were not here on a rescue mission."

Phoenix:"So true. It would have been nice to tour this region."

Striker sighs and nods, then looks at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, focus your scanning on the castle. See if you can find
         out how many mercenaries there are and what possible ways are
         there of getting in the castle."

Merit:"Command recieved. Initiating scan."

Merit turns his full attention to the castle in the distance and begins
to scan it. As he does, Striker goes over to Phoenix and puts his arm
around her. Phoenix snuggles up to him and sighs contentedly.

Phoenix:"You know I am just as worried about Illanov as you are, Love."

Striker:"I know, but I am the unit leader. It is my responsibility for
         what has happened."

Phoenix:"But you did not cause Illanov to become a vampire. The blame
         falls squarely on the shoulders of Salis von Valforth."

Striker tries to respond, but Phoenix puts her index finger over his
lips and cuts him short.

Phoenix:"And before you start, you also have a responsibility to get
         a cure to save Illanov. Beating yourself up for letting him
         get hurt will not help to that end."

Striker:"Snaakse words coming from you, Phoenix."

Phoenix:"That is because these strange words come from someone who
         loves and cares for Illanov as well as she loves and cares
         for the one who is her true love."

She looks deeply into his eyes.

Phoenix:"So tell me this: will you put aside this self-pity aside and
         help save your friend, for his sake and for my love, Love?"

He looks for a long while. He smiles, nods and hugs her tightly.

Striker:"I love you."

She smiles and hugs him back.

Phoenix:"I love you too."

Striker:"I love you."

Phoenix:"I love you too."

Striker:"I love you."

Phoenix stops hugging and stares at Striker in surprise.

Phoenix:"Why do you keep repeating yourself?"

Striker:"Because I owe you many 'I love you''s for helping me see the
         regte way."

Phoenix giggles and hugs him back.

Phoenix:"No need to. Besides, you will want to store them for later."

Striker:"Ja, you're reg."

The two of them keep on snuggling and looking at the valley. After a
few more minutes, Merit stops his scanning and turns to Striker.

Merit:"Scanning operation complete and result list compiled."

The couple stop snuggling and turn their attention to Merit.

Striker:"Wat are the results, Merit?"

Merit:"From my readings I can able to conclude that there are approximately
       50 mercenaries of several variants in the castle. There are two
       Sky Raiders that are currently in a patrol loop around the castle
       and four anti-aircraft artillary located on the towers at the
       corners. I have also detected two anomaly readings."

Striker:"What are they?"

Merit:"The first anomaly are signals from six sources in locations in
       the castle. My analysis concludes that there is a 67% probablity
       of those signals being that of robotic systems, or robots. The
       second anomaly comes from a large room in the lower levels of
       the castle. I have detected about 20 humanoid creatures in a
       dormant state. While they appear to be human, my scannings show
       strange deviations of the usual homo-sapien sapien genetic
       structure."

Phoenix:"That must be vampires. I've heard they sleep during the day."

Striker:"And that room must be their chambers where they sleep. What
         about entrances?"

Merit:"The main entrance via the main path to the castle is blocked by
       an iron gate that is locked and heavily guarded. There is a
       secondary door that leads from the foodstuffs storage area to
       a disposal site just beyond the walls, but it well guarded as
       well. All of the windows are located where it present a lethal
       challenge to reach. All ventilation shafts are are not the 
       correct minimal size for access. There are several entrances
       located at the foot of the hill that lead into a catacombs
       area that is connected to the castle. These entrances are not
       guarded, but my scanning reveals unidentified creatures that
       have a 78% probability of being hostile, and complex devices
       that I have calculated to have a 82% probability of being
       traps that can be harmful or lethal."

Phoenix:"That place is a fortress."

Striker:"Ja, but I think the route through the catacombs will be our
         best way to gain access."

Phoenix:"You certain, Strikie? Merit just said that there might be
         deadly traps and very unfriendly creepy crawlers in those
         catacombs."

Striker:"Ja, but it is our best chance. Come, we have to go back to the
         Stealth Rover and analyse the data in detail."

Striker leads the three of them from the dolmen and back into the forest
towards the crashed war carrier.

Village
7:32 AM:

This is a small town that very much resembles a small, medieval town with
the more modern additions such as street lamps, traffic lights, satellite
dishes, etc. The main road runs through the centre, where most of the
small business are located. Behind them are the houses of those who live
here and the village's main church. The business consist of small Mom
and Pop stores, general stores, a bank, liquor stores and an inn. The
streets are largely empty, except for the group of men climbing onto an
awaiting bus. Lights are still coming from some the houses and business,
where villagers are getting ready for work. The sedan in which Corsair
is being given a lift drives into the town. Just before coming in,
Shephard quickly jumps off and dashes into a nearby alleyway. The sedan
pulls to a nearby sidewalk and Corsair climbs out. He closes the door
and waves at the driver.

Corsair:"Thanks."

The driver waves, then drives his sedan down the street and out of the
town. Corsair runs over to the alleyway where Shephard is signalling him
and they join up.

Corsair:"Okay, we're in town. Where do we start looking?"

Shephard:"That inn might have some patrons worth asking, sir. Them or the
          innkeeper. But you will need to go in there alone."

Corsair:"Your uniform might give you away again, huh?"

Shephard:"Yes, sir."

Corsair:"Well, my clothes and American looks aren't exactly inconspicious
         either."

Shephard:"Yes, sir, but my military uniform will draw even more attention
          than yours. You can perhaps still get away with it, but not me."

Corsair:"Okay, I get the point. So I go to the inn and ask what?"

Shephard:"Ask anything about the castle, sir. How many hostiles there are,
          what is going in there, how to get in, excetera."

Corsair:"And what will you do?"

Shephard:"I will remain close to the inn and cut any phone lines, sir. We
          want any civilians spying on us to go to the tabby who is their
          contact."

Corsair:"Okay, so I go in and ask stuff to expose some guy who is spying
         on us and then we follow him to his boss. Gotcha."

Shephard:"Correct, sir."

Corsair:"Okay."

The two of them keep staring at each other. Corsair notices this.

Corsair:"Eh... what's the hold up?"

Shephard:"I'm waiting for orders, sir."

Corsair(surprised):"Orders from me? I thought you were the one giving the
       orders around here."

Shephard:"I was providing suggestions, sir. You are currently the higher 
          ranking officer, so you are to provide orders."

Corsair:"Oh, okay. Well, I suppose we follow up on your suggestions. You
         watch the inn and cut the phone while I go and ask stuff. That
         good?"

Shephard:"Sir, yes sir!"

Corsair:"Let's roll, then."

The two of them begin to walk down the alleyway, making their way to the
inn.

The Thirsty Bat Inn
Village
7:41 AM:

The main floor of the inn resembles that of its medieval cousins, with a
wooden bar that gives way to the floor. On the floor are various tables
and chairs and an unusued fireplace against the one wall. On either side
of the bar are two stairways, one leading up to the rooms while the other
leading down to the cellar. Modern conveniences include electric lights
and a ceiling-mounted television in the corner. Currently there are few
people here. Only a few patrons sitting about and one at the bar, all
enjoying some morning drinks before heading to work. Behind the bar,
the innkeeper is busy cleaning the counter top. Corsair comes walking
in through the front door. Immediately he gets stares from the patrons
and the innkeeper. He looks around uneasily.

Corsair:"Um... hi. I'm new here."

They keep staring at him.

Corsair:"Anyone speak English around here?"

The innkeeper nods.

Innkeeper:"I speak English. Who are you, stranger?"

Corsair walks up to the bar and sits down, facing the innkeeper. The 
other patrons turn their attention back to the others and their drinks.

Corsair:"My name's David. I'm a tourist visiting your town."

The innkeeper snorts.

Innkeeper:"A tourist? What on earth do you want to visit our village?"

Corsair:"Well, you guys have that nice castle up the hill."

The innkeeper snorts even louder, putting down the mug and looking
directly at Corsair.

Innkeeper:"Are you an American?"

Corsair:"Yeah, why?"

Innkeeper:"Then what they say is true. You Americans are insane."

Corsair:"What do you mean by that?"

Innkeeper:"That castle is a curse upon these lands. No sensible person
           goes near it, and take my advice: neither should you."

Corsair:"Why? I heard EuroCorp bought that place."

Innkeeper:"No doubt, but they will regret it later on."

Corsair:"Oh, how so?"

The patron, an old man, looks at Corsair.

Patron:"Because, young man, vampires reside in the castle."

Corsair turns to look at the patron as the innkeeper turns away to do
other chores.

Corsair:"Vampires? That's ridiculous. They don't exist."

Patron:"They exist, believe me boy. I have seen them and even killed
        some of them."

Corsair:"How can that be?"

Patron:"I am... WAS a vampire hunter. I carried on the tradition of my
        family. My father, my grandfather and all my fathers hunted and
        killed the foul creatures that reside in Castle Von Valforth."

Corsair"You said you were vampire hunter. What happened?"

Patron:"The arrival of EuroCorp, that is what happened. Claimed they
        had purchased the castle and that I was trespassing on their
        property. Their guards have kept away from the castle."

Corsair:"What about secret passages into the castle?"

Patron:"No! Those can be even more dangerous than the vampires themselves.
        Creatures reside there that God himself would not even allow to
        exist if he knew they were there. Let me tell you, a year ago some
        boys from outside the valley came here. Young and inexperienced,
        they were. They claimed they were going to hunt vampires and,
        despite my warnings and that of the village, they went to the 
        castle. They went to one of the secret passages. A week later, the
        remains of those boys were floating down the river. Horrible, I
        tell you."

Corsair:"Ouch. What about those vampires?"

Patron:"Ah, worthy opponents they are. Very strong, immortal and cannot 
        be easily killed."

Corsair:"So how do you kill them?"

Patron:"A wooden stake in the heart and silver bullets. Garlic and
        crosses also make them weak, except for the vampire lord, Count
        Salis von Valforth. He is a very deadly vampire and meeting him
        is almost lethal."

Corsair:"Uh huh. What happens if a vampire bites you?"

Patron:"Best advice would be to kill yourself before you become one
        of them."

Corsair:"Isn't there a cure?"

Patron:"Sure is, that being a potion made from the blood of a vampire.
        But one cannot live long enough to get it."

Corsair:"Okay. Any other safety tips?"

Patron:"Yes. If you value your life, leave this place and never return."

Corsair:"Duly noted."

Corsair gets up and pats the patron on the back.

Corsair:"Well, thanks for the chat. I'll keep it mind when I visit the
         castle. Cheers."

Corsair walks to the door and leaves the inn. The patron and the innkeeper
watch him leave.

Patron:"Another away to his doom."

The patron turns his attention back to his drink. The innkeeper, however,
stops with his chores and goes to a phone. He picks it up and tries to
dial it. But as one can see, he becomes confused as he gets no signal
from the line.

Alleyway
Not Far From Inn
7:51 AM:

This is a secluded alleyway between two houses across a narrow street a
few houses down from where the back of the inn is. Shephard is hiding here
in the shadows. He watches as Corsair comes running to his location and
joins him.

Shephard:"Did you manage, sir?"

Corsair:"Yeah, I made sure they saw me quite clearly. Did you cut the
         phone line."

Shephard:"As soon as you left, sir."

Corsair:"Great. Let's see what comes out of the woodwork."

The two of them take careful cover as they watch the inn. It doesn't take
long before the innkeeper comes walking out from the back door. Corsair
nudges Shephard.

Corsair:"That's the innkeeper. Guess he's our man."

Shephard:"He doesn't seem concerned that someone might pursue him. Let's
          go, sir."

Corsair:"Yeah, let's tail him."

The two of them leave the alleyway and follow the innkeeper as he walks
into the more residential area of the village.

House
Outskirts of Village
7:57 AM:

This is a run down, two-story house on the edge of the village and the
woods bordering it. The house is a typical European-style building,
but most of the windows are barred and the garden around it has died
long ago. The innkeeper comes walking up the pathway to the door and
knocks. As this happens, Corsair and Shephard watch him some distance
away from behind a large postbox. The door opens and a man dressed
in a white shirt, jeans and sneakers walks out. The man and innkeeper
begin to talk.

Corsair:"So that's the tabby right there."

Shephard:"Once they're done he will certainly call the others at the
          castle for an ID, sir. Once they have your ID, they will be
          alerted to our presence."

Corsair:"So we gotta go get him now?"

Shephard:"That would work, sir."

Corsair:"Okay, let's go for it."

The two of them duck out from behind the postbox and walk towards the
house. The two men are still concentrating on each other, talking. As
Shephard and Corsair step onto the front yard, the two men see the
duo coming. The innkeeper immediately points at Corsair as the men
steps back. Shephard pulls out his desert eagle and points it at the
man of the house.

Shephard:"Hold it right there!"

The innkeeper quickly raises his hands in the air, but the man turns
and ducks into the house.

Shephard:"Halt!"

Shephard dashes to the house and rushes in after the man. A shot rings
out. The innkeeper ducks down in fear. Corsair runs up to the innkeeper
and pats him on the shoulder.

Corsair:"Better get out of here, man! It's not safe here."

The innkeeper wastes no time and quickly gets up, running away back into
the village. Corsair runs into the house.

Central Hallway
Contact's House:

The interior of the house is very sparse on furniture and personal effects
and looks like it has not been cleaned in a long while. There are only a
few basic pieces of furniture, a few appliances here and there and the odd
note attached to a notice board. Corsair comes running and finds the tabby
soldier lying on the floor, groaning in pain and clutching his bleeding
leg while Shephard stands over him with his desert eagle, his boot on the
back of his prisoner.

Shephard:"Got our bogey locked down, sir."

Corsair:"Yeah, locked him down good. Hope he's not suffering too much to
         tell us a few things."

Shephard:"He will talk, sir. He WILL talk."

Corsair:"Right. While you're making him talk, I'll poke around and see 
         what stuff he has here."

Shephard:"Yes, sir."

Corsair heads into one of the neighbouring rooms and begins to conduct a
search. Shephard, meanwhile, pushes his boot down harder on the merce-
nary, making him grunt in pain.

Shephard:"Right, punk. You'll tell me what we need to know."

Mercenary:"What do you mean? I'm just a normal person! You cannot just
           come in here and attack me like this! I will launch a 
           complaint against you!"

Shephard:"Yeah, right! You're a Mayhem Mercenary."

Mercenary:"Mercenary?! That is ridiculous!"

Shephard:"Really?"

Shephard shouts out loud.

Shephard:"Sir! Have you found something yet?!"

Corsair shouts back from another part of the house.

Corsair(from interior):"Yeah! Here's a big computer and radio here and
       a uniform with the mercs' tag on it!"

The mercenary looks much less sure of himself. Shephard takes off his
boot, then immediately puts it down hard on the wounded leg. The
mercenary shouts in pain.

Shephard:"No more bulls***. You will tell us what we need to know."

Mercenary(in pain):"Right! Right! I'll answer! My leg!"

Shephard eases the pressure on the wound, but does not lift his boot
entirely. Corsair comes walking down the hallway, putting some hard
disks into his backpack.

Corsair:"Got some stuff from upstairs that we check up on later. Is
         he going to chat?"

Shephard:"Yes, sir. I'll ask him."

He looks down at the mercenary.

Shephard:"Firstly, do your buddies in the castle know about us being
          here?"

Mercenary:"We were notified that you might come. Reinforcements have
           been sent in. But we are not yet aware that you are here
           yet."

Shephard:"How do we get in the castle undetected?"

Mercenary:"You must be kidding. Every entrance is guarded by troops
           that change shifts regularly along with security cameras
           and motion detectors and all ventilation shafts have been
           made impassable to anything bigger than a fly."

Shephard:"What about the catacombs under the castle? Are they guarded
          as well?"

Mercenary:"There is no need for it. Those catacombs have their own kind
           of defences."

Shephard:"What kind of defences?"

Mercenary:"Various kinds of deadly traps, not to mention some of the
           things there are extremely territorial and deal with any
           intruders in a hostile way."

Corsair:"What do these things look like?"

Mercenary:"None of us in the mercenary force of ours know, and the only
           one who did see them came back in several pieces."

Shephard:"What about any other ways in? Delivery trucks?"

Mercenary:"Not a chance! Any deliveries are dropped off outside the gates
           and then carried in by the troops after each item is x-rayed
           and double-checked."

Corsair:"Man, you guys have some serious defences."

Mercenary(sneering):"You will not be getting into that castle. You will
                     be dead if you even try."

Corsair looks at Shephard.

Corsair:"I think we've heard all we need from him. Let's go, Shep."

Shephard takes his boot off the mercenary, much to his prisoner's relief.
As the two of them are leaving, Corsair turns to the mercenary.

Corsair:"You're gonna need a doctor for that one."

Mercenary:"I will, as soon I have done other things."

Corsair:"You mean like alerting your friends? Don't worry. I've taken
         all the hard drives out and I've tossed the radio's circuit
         board into the toilet. You don't need to burden yourself with
         stuff like that."

The mercenary curses out loud. Corsair chuckles and both he and Shephard
leave the house.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
Crashed War Carrier
8:12 AM:

Striker, Phoenix, Merit and Tanarus in the cockpit behind the terminal
used for data analysis. Merit is currently connect to the terminal via a
cable while the others check the data from Merit's systems on the
terminal's screen.

Tanarus:"Clearly the catacombs would our best bet. They lead right to
         the room where the vampires are sleeping and is the least
         likely place to encounter mercenaries."

Phoenix:"Those traps might be a problem for us."

Striker:"Merit can disable those. What I am more bekommerd about are
         these biological readings inside those catacombs."

Phoenix:"They don't seem to match any kind of known animal. Are they
         perhaps some kind of creatures that go along with the stories
         of vampires? You know, like ghouls or gargoyles?"

Tanarus:"If they are, then it would explain the lack of guards down in
         those catacombs. Those things might be the guards."

Just then Striker's radio watch beeps. He holds it up and presses the
button to answer.

Striker(into watch):"Striker here."

Corsair(over watch):"Hey, boss. Shep and I are done in town. Got some
       good info here with us and we took care of the village's only
       tabby."

Striker(into watch):"Goeie work. What did you discover?"

Corsair(over watch):"Other than the fact that the castle is a fortress
       and it would take an army to attack, there are catacombs just
       under the castle."

Striker(into watch):"What did you learn about them?"

Corsair(over watch):"Those catacombs connect from secret entrances
       down at the mountain foot straight into the rooms where the
       vampires take naps and none of the mercs guard those places,
       and with good reason. According to the tabby and a local who
       said he was a vampire hunter, the creepy crawlies who live in 
       those catacombs have real bad tempers and could dice meat up
       real good."

Striker(into watch):"I see. Did he perhaps say how they can be killed?"

Corsair(over watch):"Nope, but I'm guessing a lot of firepower would be
       needed for the job. As for vampires, wooden stakes and silver
       bullets is the best deal to kill 'em. Oh, and he said that the
       blood of a vampire can be a cure or part of it."

Striker(into watch):"Goeie werk. What is your location?"

Corsair(over watch):"We're on the road heading out of town and coming
       back to the Stealth."

Striker(into watch):"Change course. You two can probably see the castle's
       front from your location. I want you to go the bottom of the
       hill on the left side and meet us there. Watch out for possible
       patrols."

Corsair(over watch):"Boss, are you saying we're going in through the
       catacombs?"

Striker(into watch):"If we had more time, we would have waited for help
       to assault the castle, but Alex is seriously ill and we are in
       danger of completely loosing trace of Longbow One."

Corsair can be heard sighing before replying again.

Corsair(over watch):"You're the boss, boss. Over and out."

The line is cut off. Striker turns to Phoenix.

Striker:"Phoenix, go and get our night vision goggles. We will need them
         in the catacombs."

Phoenix:"Are you certain about this, Love?"

Striker:"Wish I was, but our choices are very limited and Alex's life
         rests in our paws. We must get him the cure."

Phoenix:"I understand. I'll go get them."

She gets up and leaves the cockpit. Striker turns to Tanarus.

Striker:"I want you and Elexis to stay here and take care of Alex. We
         will contact you as soon as we have the antidote and you will
         come pick us up, but if there are airborne patrols or any
         land forces that might threaten extraction, you can take care
         of them using the Stealth Rover."

Tanarus:"Right. Would you want my weapon? You might need it against the
         creatures in the catacombs. I can use the Stealth Rover's own
         guns for defense here."

Striker thinks it over, and then nods.

Striker:"Ja, that would work. And get Alex's plasma rifle and EMP Jammer
         as well. They would be useful as well."

Tanarus:"Right, I'll go get them. I think he put them in the armory."

Tanarus gets up and heads out the cockpit. Striker gets up and looks at
Merit.

Striker:"Merit, come with me."

Merit:"Executing command."

Merit unplugs the cable from the terminal and puts it away. The both of
them then walk out the cockpit.

Medical Bay
8:21 AM:

The medical bay of the Stealth Rover contains two surgical tables and
four beds, several cabinets containing medical supplies, computer
terminals and other medical systems. Elexis is here, treating Illanov
who is lying in bed. He is not looking well, and his brown fur has
begun to loose their colour. Striker and Merit come in and walk over
to Illanov's bed. Striker looks at Elexis.

Striker:"How is he?"

Elexis:"Still stable, but he is slowly loosing it. Have you gotten word
        from Corsair and Shephard?"

Striker:"Ja. Corsair said that a local vampire hunter thinks that the
         blood of a vampire can help Alex. Do you think that could
         work?"

Elexis:"If it is pure vampire blood, then I can use it to make the
        antibodies to combat the disease inside Alex."

Striker:"How much do we need?"

Elexis:"One test tube of blood is adequate, but the more samples from
        different hosts, the better the chance of making a working
        antitode."

Striker nods and turns to Merit.

Striker:"Merit, gather six test tubes and syringes. Once we find and
         identify the vampires, extract blood from six vampires, one
         for each tube."

Merit:"And if the number of specimens exceeds or falls short of six?"

Striker:"If there is more than six, then we only need samples of six
         of them. If there are less, then fill the remaining tubes
         with extra samples from the vampires we already have gotten
         blood from."

Merit:"Understood and processed. Gathering required items."

As Merit walks over to one of the cabinets, Striker goes over to
Illanov's bed and looks down at his stricken friend. He looks at him
for a few minutes, then looks at Elexis.

Striker:"Can he speak?"

Elexis:"Not right now. He's asleep. Sleeping helps slow down the rate
        of infection and might keep him from becoming a vampire a bit
        longer. Not but much, mind you."

Striker:"How much time does he have left?"

Elexis:"I can't give specifics, but I can tell you that if he does not
        get a dose to cure the disease by late this evening, then we 
        will have very high chance of losing him after that time."

Striker:"Ai yai yai."

He sighs and looks back at Illanov. Merit then comes over to him.

Merit:"Required inventory items have been acquired."

Striker:"Goed. Go outside and wait for the rest of us. We will leave
         as soon as possible."

Merit:"Confirmed."

As Merit leaves the medical bay, Striker looks at Elexis.

Striker:"Can you keep you him in good health long enough for us to save
         him?"

Elexis:"I can try my best, but I say that it would help him if you did
        this as fast as possible. As they say, speed is of the essence."

Striker:"Understood. Will you take good care of Alex."

Elexis:"As I would my own father, if he wasn't the KH Military leader."

Striker nods, then looks back at Illanov. He takes Illanov's paw, then
holds it tightly.

Striker:"We will not dissappoint you, Alex."

He holds Illanov's paw for a minute, then lets go and walks out of the
bay. Elexis continues her work monitoring Illanov's health.

River's Edge
Crashed War Carrier
8:47 AM:

Merit and Phoenix are gathered by the river's edge. Phoenix is carrying
a backpack and Tanarus' chaingun weapon. Striker comes climbing down
from the war carrier and joins them. He looks at Phoenix.

Striker:"Do you have the night vision goggles?"

Phoenix pats the backpack.

Phoenix:"Right here, Love. One for each of us plus a spare."

Striker:"Dankie, Love. Are you both ready?"

Phoenix:"Ready, Strikie."

Merit:"All systems fully functional and ready to commence operations."

Striker:"Goed. Let's roll."

The three of them begin to walk up into the woods in the direction of
the castle.

Foothills
Near Castle Valforth
9:51 AM:

The steep cliff sides of the hill slopes off into a slight gorge, where
loose rocks from centuries of rockfalls have gathered and form part of
the forest treeline. The area itself is still shrouded by the looming
shadow of the castle above. Striker, Phoenix and Merit come to the edge
of the treeline and stop. Striker looks at Merit.

Striker:"Where is the entrance?"

Merit:"Scannings indicate that there several unobstructed entrances in
       the region. The entrance within closest proximity is 301 metres
       to the east."

Striker:"Reg. Let's go."

They head eastward alongside the hill, keeping to the treeline for
cover. After a short walk they come across the entrance. It is a open
door entrance with a square arched doorway. The door had long since
rotted away or broken apart, leaving only rust hinges. The archway had
partially collapsed due to the roots of a tree growing against it.
The trio approach the entrance slowly, with Merit scanning it. After
a short scan, he reports.

Merit:"No hostiles within close proximity."

They relax.

Phoenix:"We wait for Corsair and Shephard?"

Striker:"Ja. They said they will be here shortly. Keep your eyes out
         for them. And any possible patrols."

They settle back in the treeline, waiting. After a while, Corsair and
Shephard appear along the tree. They all group together.

Striker:"Goed to see you made it safely."

Corsair:"Yeah, we got back no problem. That the entrance to the cata-
         combs, boss?"

Striker:"Ja, we are going to proceed in there."

Shephard:"How will we proceed, sir?"

Striker:"Firstly, we all put on night vision goggles. Phoenix, paw
         them out."

Phoenix:"Right, Love."

Phoenix takes off her backpack and opens it. As the others gather
around her, she takes out some nightvision goggles and paws them
to Striker, Corsair, a special set for Shephard's gasmask and one
for herself. Striker, Phoenix and Corsair put the goggles over their
heads, while Shephard attaches his goggles to his gasmask. Striker
looks at them all.

Striker:"Reg, we are now equiped. Merit and I will lead, with Merit
         scanning for those creatures. Corsair and Phoenix will come
         behind us, and Shephard will bring up the rear. Considering
         the apparently dangerous nature of the creatures inside, use
         maximum discretion if we encounter these things. And do not
         get seperated, stay close. Understood?"

Phoenix, Shephard:"Understood."

Merit:"Successfully processed."

Corsair:"Got it, boss."

Striker:"Reg. Weapons ready."

They gather their weapons. Striker readies his Sonic Rifle, Phoenix
readies Tanarus' chaingun, Shephard readies his M-249 and Corsair
readies his laser magnum. As they arm themselves, Corsair glances at
Merit.

Corsair:"And what is your tool for combat, Merit?"

Merit:"I do use destructive weapon systems. It is against my programmed
       operations."

Corsair stares at Merit, then looks at Striker.

Corsair:"Boss, you do release that Merit's pacifist design will one day
         count again him, and us."

Striker:"Noted, David. I am thinking about the matter. For now, we
         must focus on the task on paw."

Corsair just shrugs. Soon they are all ready and come to the entrance
of the catacombs. Striker looks at all of them.

Striker:"Everyone ready?"

Phoenix, Corsair, Shephard, Merit:"Ready."

Striker:"Goed. Goggles."

They put their goggles over their eyes and activate them. Merit turns
on his nightvision systems. Striker and Merit then lead the way into
the darkness, followed by Corsair and Phoenix and then finally by
Shephard. They disappear into the darkness.

Lower Catacombs
Somewhere Under Castle Valforth
10:02 AM:

It is utter darkness inside the catacombs. There is not a single source
of light in here. All that can be heard is the scurry of insects and
rats and the sounds of Unit STRIKE making their way through. When one
looks through their nightvision goggles, one can make out the catacombs
more easily. The walls are make from quarried stone, with the occasional
empty torch holder lining the walls. The members of the unit appear as
bright green, as does the scurrying insects and rats. As they walk, 
Striker, who is in the lead, suddenly raises his paw to stop. They all
stop.

Striker:"Hold it! Merit has detected another trap."

He turns to Merit.

Striker:"Disable, Merit."

Merit:"Disabling."

Merit bends down, then opens his toolkit. He extends a probe until it
touches down a stone in front. As he pushes it down, the floor in front
of them suddenly flips over completely. It locks in place, revealing the
mechanics under the fake floor.

Merit:"Trap disarmed."

Corsair:"Man, they got some wicked traps here."

Striker:"Let's keep moving. And be extra cautious."

They walk across the tripped floor and onward deeper into the catacombs,
disarming traps as they go. They come to some stairs, but once again
Striker stops them.

Striker:"Trap, Merit?"

Merit:"Confirmed. I recommend that we relocate to either side of the
       stairwell."

They do as Merit says and go to stand on either side of the stairway.
Merit kneels and uses his probe to touch the first step. He quickly
pulls the probe away as a giant spiked metal ball rolls down the
stairs past them. The ball comes to a stop against a wall with a
loud metallic thump.

Striker:"Reg. Merit, any further traps on the stairwell?"

Merit:"Negative signatures in range."

Striker:"Goed. Proceed forward."

They all begin to climb up the stairs.

Upper Catacombs
10:13 AM:

Unit STRIKE comes out from the top of stairway into a maze of hallways
and chambers. Through their goggles, they can see tombs and open
legdes where skeletons of those long dead lie. They stop and look
around.

Corsair:"Cheery place, ain't it?"

Striker:"Merit, do you detect any traps?"

Merit:"Negative."

Striker:"What about those creatures?"

Merit:"Approximately 17 signature readings on this level, but they
       are currently in a dormant state."

Striker:"Asleep?"

Merit:"Confirmed, but that status is susceptable to change."

Striker:"Goed. Everyone, maintain silence. Let's not wake up the
         creatures."

Everyone else nods. They proceed forward cautiously, making sure to
keep the noise level down. But they have not gone before Merit stops
and turns to Striker.

Merit:"One signature reading has become active."

Striker:"Awake? Where?"

Merit:"Current location is approximately 10 metres to the northeast 
       and closing."

Striker quickly looks back at the others.

Striker:"Defensive positions!"

They all hold their weapons ready and keep watch on the corridor that
goes north. They can hear the sound of steps coming from that direction.
Very soon the creature comes into view. It appears bright green on the
nightvision, revealing that it resembles a man walking on all fours,
but the rear legs are more like that of an animal. Spiked horns can be
seen protruding from the face. Any further details are hidden by the
nightvision.

Corsair:"Man, that thing looks nasty."

Suddenly the creature screams out and charges down on them. Striker fires
a sonic blast at it. The blast hits, causing the creature to fly through
the air and smash into the wall behind it. It falls limp on the floor.

Phoenix:"Good shot, Love."

Striker:"Dankie, but I'm afraid that this has woken up all the others."

Merit:"That is correct. All signatures are active."

Echoing sounds of the creatures' screams can be heard throughout the
catacombs.

Striker:"Defensive positions!"

As they get into position, another creature appears near the dead one.
It charges at Unit STRIKE, going for Shephard. Shephard quickly fires
a good round of bullet and the creature falls dead by his feet. More
of the creatures begin to appear and immediately attack. The others
begin to fire back. They kill the creatures, but not before the things
get really close.

Shephard:"Sir, we are not in a good defensive position! These things
          get too close!"

Striker:"I know! This way!"

Striker leads off down a corridor, while they fire at the creatures.
One creature stumbles away in flames from a fireball tosses at it by
Phoenix. The other creatures flinch away from the light coming off the
fire.

Banquet Hall
At That Moment:

Oringo and Paladin have just finished eating breakfast, while the butler
and the servants (who are actually ghouls dressed in servant's clothing)
are busy removing the dirty plates and bowls. Whirlwind is standing
against one wall rubbing a cloth over his metal parts. The captain
comes in and runs up to Whirlwind, who looks at the captain.

Captain:"Some of our boys in the lower levels are reporting the sounds
         of gunfire coming from somewhere in the catacombs."

Whirlwind tosses the cloth aside.

Whirlwind:"You sure?"

Captain:"Sure am. It's not ours."

Oringo quickly gets up.

Oringo:"That's got to be Unit STRIKE down there!"

Butler:"What fools. The creatures of the catacombs will deal with them
        easily, and I won't have to feed them today."

Whirlwind:"Not so fast. I'm not trusting our luck on your pets down
           there. I'd rather have our forces make sure that they are
           really bug food."

Oringo:"I'll take some men and hunt down these Strikers."

Whirlwind snorts in contempt.

Whirlwind:"While the prospect of having you get torn up by the creatures
           or shot by Unit STRIKE appeals to me, I don't want to waste
           troops with you as well."

Oringo gives Whirlwind a hostile stay, but he ignores him and looks at
the captain.

Whirlwind:"Send the drones in. This will make a good test run. Also get
           some men down to where the vampires sleep and block all ways
           into the castle."

Captain:"Yes, sir!"

The captain runs off, taking out his radio. Whirlwind looks at Oringo
and Paladin.

Whirlwind:"Paladin! Useless! Let's go!"

Oringo hisses at Whirlwind, but he keeps ignoring him as the two felines
get up. Whirlwind looks the butler.

Whirlwind:"Where are the chambers where your bosses sleep?"

Butler:"This way."

The butler leads the three of them out of the banquet hall, while the
ghoul servants continue with cleaning up.

Upper Catacombs
10:21 AM:

Unit STRIKE is inside a large tomb, where a large stone coffin on a
raised dias is. There is only one entrance that is currently blocked
off by a wall of flame. They are busy catching their breath, while one
can hear the screams of the creatures behind the flame wall.

Phoenix:"That was close."

Striker:"Ja, but your idea with the firewall has managed to save us."

Corsair:"Yeah, but we're trapped in here. Her firewall is blocking the
         only way out."

Striker:"I know, Corsair. I have a plan."

He looks at Shephard.

Striker:"Do you have flashbangs, Shephard?"

Shephard:"I have three of them still available, sir."

Striker:"Goed. This is what we will do."

As he begins to explain his plan, Merit suddenly detects something and
begins to make scannings through the walls. As Striker finishes on the
details of the plan, Merit interrupts him.

Merit:"Excuse me, but I have detected 6 new signature readings that have
       entered the upper catacombs level."

Striker:"What new readings?"

Merit:"Read-outs indicate that it is a form of Global Operations Net-
       work Variation drone, but the signals are consistent with that of
       the Mayhem Mercenaries."

Striker:"You mean mercenary robots?"

Merit:"Confirmed."

Corsair:"Oh great! As if the creatures weren't bad enough."

Striker:"Ai yai yai. We might have to move immediately now."

Phoenix:"Do we still need to use the plan we just agreed on, Strikie?"

Striker:"Ja, I was hoping to wait for some the creatures to leave, but now
         we will have to do this. Shephard, get ready to toss a flashbang
         on my mark."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard takes out a flashbang grenade, while the others get into position.
Striker looks around at everyone. Once he is sure they are ready, he looks
at Shephard and nods.

Striker:"Nou!"

Shephard pulls the pin on the flashbang and tosses it over the firewall,
while Phoenix begins to make the firewall shrink in size. They then look
away or close their eyes. Meanwhile, the creatures see the firewall
shrink and move in, howling in triumph. Their triumphant howls become
pained yelps as the flashbang detonates in their midsts. As the flash
clears, Striker leads them out. He fires a sonic blast at the creatures
in front of him, blasting them out of way to clear a path. Phoenix,
meanwhile, creatures walls of fire in the corridors they are not using,
blocking the other creatures from getting to them. They quickly get past
the remaining creatures and run down a corridor that leads to the stair-
well. Two torches on either side of the stairs illuminate it inside the
dark catacombs.

Striker:"There! This way!"

They run for the stairs. But suddenly a Mayhem Drone walks down the
stairs into view. Behind it is another drone. The Strikers stop dead in
their tracks as the front drone catches sight of them.

Drone:"Objectives sighted. Engaging hostiles!"

The drone's reaches to the arclite rifle on its back and pulls it out,
taking aim at the Strikers. Striker quickly turns to the others.

Striker:"Take cover!"

The others quickly duck into crevaces and open tombs, causing the drone
to lose its targets. It walks forward, followed by the other drones
coming down the stairs and readying their own rifles. Striker charges
up his sonic rifle, then comes out of cover and fires it at the drone
in the lead. The powerful blast knocks the drone back into the ones
behind it, causing them to fall backwards. The Strikers then quickly
rush from their hiding spots and run into the darkness. As the drones
get up again, the screaming of creatures elsewhere in the catacombs
become louder.

Ancestoral Tomb
10:27 AM:

This tomb is similiar to the one Unit STRIKE was in earlier, but the
stone coffin here is more elaborately designed with the statue of a
gargoyle sitting on it. The skeleton of another unfortunately leans
against the tomb, holding a rusted sword. Unt STRIKE is here, with
Shephard closing the tomb door to leave a narrow slit. He looks around
through it.

Shephard:"No contact, sir. We seem to have lost them."

Merit:"My scannings indicate that both the biological and automaton
       signatures are conducting a search for our location."

Striker:"Are the creatures attacking the drones, Merit?"

Merit:"Negative. They seem to be examining them apprehensively from a
       distance, but do appear to be acting hostile."

Phoenix:"What are we going to do now? The catacombs are now full of
         monsters and robots out looking for us."

Corsair notices the skeleton by the coffin.

Corsair:"And judging from the looks on this dude, we're going to end
         up the same way as he did."

Striker:"Kalm down, everyone. We are not dead yet."

He stops to think for a few moments. He then looks at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, what kind of sight do those drones use? Nightvision like
         us?"

Merit:"A 72% probability, though I do not rule out the use of other
       forms of track, such as sound and motion sensors."

Striker:"That's goed enough, Merit."

He looks at Phoenix.

Striker:"Phoenix, can you make your flames burn on metal surfaces for a
         short time."

Phoenix:"I can, but not for longer. About 10 seconds, maybe more if we're
         lucky."

Striker:"That is plenty. I have a plan."

Corsair:"And what is it, boss? Are we gonna bully our way through."

Striker looks at Corsair and nods.

Striker:"As a matter of fact."

Corsair is surprised by this.

Corsair:"Uh, boss. Bullying is a bad idea here. Those creatures got some
         really nasty dental work and those tin cans are packing a good
         deal of heat."

Striker:"Stop worrying, David. If we all work together, this plan will
         succeed in getting us past the creatures and robots. This what
         we will do."

Everyone gathers around as Striker begins to explain the new plan.

Upper Catacombs
10:31 AM:

The catacombs are still in total darkness, but the jitters of the 
creatures and the mechanical workings of the drones can be heard in
the catacombs as they all hunt for their prey. One of the drones is
moving closer to where the entrance of the ancestral tomb is. A light
source appears around the corner into the tomb.

Drone 2:"Suspicious activity detected. Investigating."

The drone moves closer. Suddenly Phoenix leans around the corner, a
ball of fire in her paws. She immediately tosses it at the drone and
before it can react, the fireball hits its head. The fireball burns
over the drone's upper body, causing its vision to become violently
distorted by the flames. The other Strikers then rush out and run past
the burning drone. As they run, they can hear the creatures screaming
out and begin to follow them. Phoenix creates another fireball in her
paw. Very quickly they come across another drone. Phoenix quickly
tosses her fireball and hits the drone's chest. The flames distort the
robot's vision and it begins to fire in all directions. Unit STRIKE
dashes up and past it. Behind them the persuing creatures stop and
flinch back from the burning drone. One of the shots the drone fires
hits one of the creatures. The creatures yelps and duck back, the
others quickly stepping back. The flames quickly burn out, allowing
the drone to see once again. However, before it can even turn to go
after Unit STRIKE, the creatures attack it in revenge. One creature
stops to bellow out something. Moment later, as Unit STRIKE runs for
the stairs, they suddenly hear the clash of claws on metal, the sounds
of arclite shots, screaming and yelping and loud electrical bangs all
around them.

Merit:"The two signatures have become hostile to one another."

Striker:"What a bonus! It will make it easier for us! Keep running!
         The stairs are up ahead!"

They head for the stairs. Another drone appears, but once again Phoenix
tosses a fireball and sets it on fire. The Strikers dash past it and
go up the stairs, leaving behind the still-raging battle in the upper
catacombs.

Vampire Coffin Room
Castle Valforth
10:33 AM:

This large chamber houses the daytime resting places of the Valforth
vampire clan. Each vampire has an elaborately decorated coffin resting
on a stepped dias. They all have their own drapes that hide them from
sight. All the coffins and their dias are positioned in line with one 
another. Hanging from the domed ceilings are candle chandeliers, with
burning red candles. On the one end of the chamber is a grand stairwell
that runs up to two large wooden doors. On the other end is a single
open passage way that leads to some stairs heading down. Hanging above
the passage way is a metal barracade, suspended by a length chain that
goes over a pulley to a large gear that holds the chain. Unit STRIKE
comes running in through the passageway. They stop and look around.

Corsair:"Nice digs."

Phoenix:"This looks like the spot where the vampires are sleeping."

Merit:"That is correct. A quick scanning indicates a total of 40
       signatures consistent with that of the biological entity known
       as 'vampire'."

Striker:"Wonderful. Now we can extract the blood and leave here."

Striker turns to Shephard.

Striker:"Stay here and guard the entrance. I doubt the creatures would
         come here, but those robots are another matter."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard goes and leans back against the wall edge of the passage way,
watching for the robots. Striker turns to the others.

Striker:"Merit, you go and extract blood samples from six of these
         vampires. The rest of us will provide cover. Let's go."

Merit:"Initiating extracting procedure."

Merit opens his toolkit and walks towards the nearest diases. The others
stand around and keep watch as Merit climbs up and opens the coffin.
They wait, keeping their eyes open for trouble. A few minutes later Merit
climbs down the dias.

Merit:"Sample 1 obtained and stored."

Striker:"Goed. Next one, Merit."

They move to the second dias next to the first. As Merit climbs up it,
a voice suddenly echos through the chamber.

Voice:"At last! I have you!"

Striker, Phoenix and Corsair immediately turn and point their weapons
at the source of the voice: Oringo is standing at the other of the
corridor between the coffins, grinning and holding his weapon aimed
at the Strikers.

Oringo:"And now I will..."

He is suddenly interrupted by another, more angry voice that is echoing
more loudly than Oringo's.

Voice:"You stupid moron! We were supposed to wait for the captain and
       the drones! Now you've screwed up the whole deal!"

The voice distracts Oringo and causes him to look towards the in annoyance
for a moment. Striker, Phoenix and Corsair take this chance to duck for
cover. Whirlwind and Paladin come out of cover and go to Oringo. Whirl-
wind is not happy.

Whirlwind:"What is the matter with you?"

Oringo:"You think I'm going let these Strikers get away? You were too busy
        hiding and they were already getting the cure. I had to take action
        to stop them!"

Whirlwind:"We are to stop them, BUT with superior numbers! We were to lure
           them into a trap, but now you've gone and screwed it up! There's
           only the three of us against them!"

Oringo:"Three of us? Where are the soldiers that we're to back me up?"

Whirlwind:"Busy getting into position for the trap that you had just oh so
           royaly gone and blown to s***!"

Oringo:"Oh, so now it's my fault? Well, I'll prove to you your plans are
        worth nothing. Paladin and I will go and finish the Strikers off 
        myself."

Whirlwind:"Go right ahead. Maybe they'll kill and save us a lot of trouble.
           I'm getting the troops."

Whirlwind turns around and dashes for the stairs. Oringo and Paladin turn
and begin to sneak towards where the Strikers are hiding. Back with them,
Merit finishes getting the second sample.

Merit:"Sample 2 obtained and stored."

Striker:"Goed. Corsair, you help Merit across to..."

Striker points at the dias on the opposite side of the row.

Striker:"... that dias and get the third sample. Phoenix and I will
         provide covering fire."

Corsair:"Uh... okay, boss."

Striker:"On my signal..."

Corsair and Merit get into position, watching as Striker and Phoenix
ready their weapons. They look at Oringo and Paladin, who look down
the row, then stop to look between the dias'. They watch as the two
look forward, walk down a bit, then look either way again. Striker
quickly nods at Phoenix. Weapons ready, they jump out of cover and open 
fire at Oringo and Paladin. Oringo and Paladin, caught by surprise,
take cover in among the dias'. Corsair and Merit take this chance to
dash for the third dias. Corsair takes cover while Merit goes up and
begins to get the third sample. Oringo begins to fire from cover, and
Striker and Phoenix duck for cover. Paladin sees where Phoenix takes
cover and gets up. He moves to where Phoenix cannot spot him. He takes
a deep breath, then lets loose his powerful super roar. The roar echoes
loudly inside the chamber. Phoenix tries to look for the source, but
she barely starts when the roar hits the dias. The dias explodes into
a cloud of broken stone, torn cloth and wood. Phoenix is tossed to the
ground and then pinned down when the vampire who was asleep in the dias
falls on top of her. She struggled to get the still-sleeping vampire off
her as Paladin prepares another roar. Striker quickly sees this and fires
an unaimed off at Paladin. The falls short, hitting the dias next to
Paladin, but it is enough to send him for cover. Striker dashes over to
Phoenix and pushes the vampire off her. He then turns his attention to
her, taking her paw and helping her up.

Striker:"You reg?"

Phoenix:"I'm fine.. bit dazed..."

Voice:"Hey, boss!"

Striker looks up to see Corsair at the other dias holding his hand with 3 
fingers up.

Corsair:"Got the third one!"

Striker:"Goed! Go to next one!"

Corsair:"Roger!"

Corsair and Merit run over to the next dias. Striker and Phoenix move up
a little to the next dias, dodging the shots being fired at them by
Oringo. Behind them, new shots ring out. Shephard opens fire from
around the corner into the tunnel, where the Mayhem Drones have begun to
appear. The drones take cover, leaning from the corners to fire their
guns at Shephard. Shephard ducks back, the shots striking the wall and
breaking off pieces of stone. The firefight continues: Striker and
Phoenix each keep Oringo and Paladin pinned down, while Shephard keeps
the drones at bay. A few minutes later Corsair calls for Striker's
attention.

Corsair:"Boss! Fourth sample is..."

An arclite shot suddenly tears into his leg. He screams out in pain and
collapses behind the dias, holding his leg.

Striker:"David!"

Corsair quickly looks over at Striker and nods.

Corsair:"Don't worry! Just a flesh wound! Just keep those guys off us!

Somewhat reassured, Striker turns to look to the source of the shot. To
his shock he sees Whirlwind leading a large number of shock soldiers,
backed up by medical soldiers, down the main stairwell. Whirlwind points
at Striker and the soldiers open fire at him. He ducks down, the shots
pinning him down. Phoenix tries to open fire, but the soldiers turn to
her and open fire. They pin her down while more of their number take 
this chance to go down to the floor.

Phoenix:"Striker! There's too many of them!"

Striker:"Hold your position and keep them pinned down and away from
         Corsair and Merit!"

Phoenix:"Okay..."

Voice:"Sir!"

Striker quickly looks to where Shephard is. He is having a hard time 
keeping the drones, who are now beginning to overwhelm him with superior
numbers, at bay.

Shephard:"Sir! I can't hold them off for long!"

Striker:"Hold tight, Shephard! We only need a few more minutes!"

Shephard:"Roger that, sir!"

Striker joins Phoenix in trying to stop the mercenaries, but by now their
numbers are far more superior. They are beginning to slowly but surely
surround Unit STRIKE. Whirlwind focuses on Striker, zooming in with his
cybernetic eye. He pinpoints his location.

Whirlwind:"Time for a little backstabbing."

The foils on Whirlwind's back fold open into two wings. The undersides of
the foils begin to glow, and Whirlwind takes off into the air. He flies
up the ceiling, keeping out of sight. Below him he can see the troops
closing in on the Strikers. He flies over until he is right above the
spot where Striker is. He holds position, then immediately descends to
Striker. He lands right behind Striker. Striker hears him and quickly
turns around. Whirlwind, however, holds out his cybernetic paw. It
extends out and grabs Striker tightly around the neck. He pushes Striker
back against the coffin and squeezes. Striker begins to gag and tries
to fire his sonic rifle. Whirlwind moves closer and kicks the rifle
from Striker's paw. He grins as Striker chokes, the grip around his neck
growing tighter.

Whirlwind:"I hate dogs, and in a moment there will be one less!"

As he squeezes the life out of Striker, Phoenix turns and sees what is
happen. He screams out in shock.

Phoenix:"Striker!!"

Her screaming intensifies and an aura of flame forms around her, growing
larger and brighter. Corsair, who is hobbling over with Merit to the next
dias, sees Phoenix beginning to change.

Corsair:"Oh no. She's doing the bird thing again!"

He ducks behind the dias as Merit goes up it to get the fifth sample. The
aura draws the attention of everyone in the room, including Whirlwind. He
looks at Phoenix, but keeps his grip.

Whirlwind:"What is she doing...?"

The aura grows in size to enormous proportions and then takes shape into
the firebird phoenix. Phoenix screeches out loudly. The mercenaries all
stare dumbfounded at Phoenix. Oringo also stares, but quickly snaps out 
of it and shouts at the other mercenaries.

Oringo:"Open fire, you fools!"

Oringo turns and opens fire on Phoenix. The mercenaries also follow suit
and begin to shoot. The shots, however, do nothing to Phoenix and she
pays no attention. She screeches at Whirlwind. He steps back but keeps
his grip on Striker's neck. He reaches down to his cybernetic leg,
where a compartment opens up to reveal an arclite shock pistol. The
pistol is a mixture of a desert eagle and an arclite rifle. He grabs
it and immediately fires at Phoenix. Phoenix takes off and flies at
him. Whirlwind lets go of Striker and tries to jump out the way, but
Phoenix grabs him with her talons. She flies up to the ceiling, then
dives down to the floor. She dive bombs just over a dias, letting go
of Whirlwind. The speed of her dive causes Whirlwind to smash hard into
the coffin, breaking it apart. Phoenix then dives for Paladin, who is
preparing to let loose a powerful roar. As her talons make a grab for
Paladin, he unleashes his roar upon her. But the close range of it
causes the roar to burst upon Phoenix. Phoenix stumbles back, while
the shock wave of the burst sends Paladin flying back against a group
of mercenaries. Phoenix takes off and begins to dive bomb groups of
mercenaries. They dive for cover as she flies past. Her flaming wings
set fire to the curtains of the dias', as well as some unfortunately
mercenaries. The burning mercenaries, reacting on training, dive to
the floor and roll to put out the flames while the medical soldiers
help to douse the flames. Phoenix continues her run of dive bombing
the mercenaries, keeping them pinned down. Striker, meanwhile, has
recover from the strangling. He is still coughing, but he is quickly
on his feet and picking his sonic rifle. He watches as Phoenix keeps
the mercenaries at bay. He stares at her, then remembers something and
dashes over to where Corsair and Merit are at a dias in the corner of
the chamber. Corsair is cluthing his wounded leg while Merit at the
open coffin is getting a blood sample. Striker kneels next to Corsair.

Striker:"David, you need medical treatment."

Corsair:"Boss, I'm fine! It's just a minor flesh wound."

Striker:"That wound can get infected. Let me look at it."

Corsair removes his hands, while Striker pulls up the denim leg to
where the wound is. It is a flesh wound with some blood. Striker digs
into his uniform and pulls out a handkerchief. He wraps it tightly
around the wound, making Corsair clench his teeth. He ties it securely
in a knot.

Striker:"There. That should protect the wound until Elexis can treat
         it."

Corsair:"Thanks, boss."

Striker:"How far is Merit?"

Corsair:"Last sample, boss. We can then bug out of here."

Striker:"Goed. Prepare to leave here. I'll help carry you."

Corsair:"Boss, I CAN walk."

Striker:"Not with that leg, né?"

Corsair groans, both in pain and frustration. Merit gets the last sample
and stores it. He closes his toolkit and turns to Striker.

Merit:"Sample 6 obtained and stored. All samples acquired."

Striker:"Wonderlik! Let's not waste further time!"

Striker slides Corsair's arm over his shoulder and begins to help him
up. He looks to Phoenix.

Striker:"Phoenix!"

Phoenix stops her dive bombing and looks at Striker.

Striker:"We got the samples! Clear the way for us!"

Phoenix screeches in acknowledgement, then takes off and flies towards
the passage. The Mayhem Drones are moving in as they pin Shephard down
and keeping him from firing back. He sees Phoenix coming and dashes out
of the way. Phoenix flies into the passage, the heat of her flaming aura
setting fire to the drones and causing minor malfunctions in them.
Striker, Corsair and Merit run for the passageway. Shephard provides
covering fire by shooting back at the mercenaries. As the trio come
to the passageway, Phoenix flies out again towards the mercenaries. The
mercenaries take cover again to avoid her. Inside the passageway, the
drones are still on fire, but are working to put out the flames. Striker
sees the opportunity.

Striker:"Follow me! Gou! Shephard, help me carry Corsair!"

Shephard rushes up and slides Corsair's other arm over his shoulder. He
and Striker begin to run into the passageway, followed closely by Merit.
Phoenix flies about until she is sure her team members are out of the
chamber. She then dives into the passageway after them, setting fire to
the drones again. The mercenaries struggle back up, watching their
enemy escape into the dangerous catacombs. Oringo tries to urge them
on.

Oringo:"What are you lot waiting for! After them!"

The captain steps up to Oringo.

Captain:"My men won't dare go in there. Not with those creatures!"

Oringo:"What! Why you..."

Suddenly Oringo is hit behind the head by Whirlwind, who is covered
with dust and very angry.

Whirlwind:"Nice going, moron. McTerry will hear of this."

Before Oringo can respond, Whirlwind turns to the captain.

Whirlwind:"To the rooftops! They must have transport! And get the Sky
           Raiders into the air!"

Captain:"Yes, sir!"

The captain barks out orders. He and Whirlwind then lead the mercenaries
up the stairwell leading out of the chamber. Oringo watches them go,
then sees Paladin following them as well.

Oringo:"Hey, buddy! Wait up!"

Oringo runs after them as well. In the passageway, the drones stop
burning and rush back into the catacombs as well.

Upper Catacombs
10:48 AM:

Unit STRIKE is making their way through the catacombs, lead by Merit,
who has his light systems on. Around them there are screeches and
flames as Phoenix flies around, sending the catacomb creatures running
for cover and setting fire to them. As they run, Striker holds up his
watch and begins to radio the Stealth Rover.

Striker(into com):"Striker to Tanarus! Come in!"

There is a short pause before Tanarus answers.

Tanarus(over com):"Tanarus here. You guys got the blood?"

Striker(into com):"Ja, but the mercenaries in the castle are fully alert
       of our location! We got wounded and need extraction!"

Tanarus(over com):"Copy that! Hold tight!"

The radio on the watch goes dead and Striker continues to help carry
Corsair with Shephard. They keep making their way out.

Crashed War Carrier
10:51 AM:

The Stealth Rover's engines come alive. Tanarus pilots it out of the
hangar and then begins to fly off towards the castle at full speed.

Foothills
Near Castle Valforth
10:57 AM:

Merit leads Striker, Shephard and Corsair out. Striker stops and looks
at Shephard.

Striker:"As soon as Phoenix comes out, block that entrance."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard lets go of Corsair and runs back to the entrance, while Striker
carries Corsair behind the nearest tree with Merit. He puts Corsair down
against the tree.

Striker:"You reg so far?"

Corsair:"Yeah, still good, boss."

Striker nods and looks at Merit as he readies his sonic rifle.

Striker:"Stay here with him."

Merit:"Confirmed."

Striker gets up and runs over to another tree, keeping watch at the 
castle above. At the entrance, Shephard is kneeling taking out a brick
of plastic explosives with a time detonator. He watches the darkness
for Phoenix. Above, an alarm goes off at the castle, filling the air
with the constant blaring of the sirens. A few moments later, Phoenix
flies over the passageway and lands. She turns back to her normal self,
stumbling a bit from disorientation. Striker runs to her and helps her
keep her feet. He then takes her back behind the tree.

Striker:"Phoenix!"

Phoenix recovers her senses, then grabs Striker's head in concern.

Phoenix:"Strikie! You all right?"

Striker:"I'm reg, Love, but I am worried about you as well."

Phoenix:"I'm fine. Sorry about that."

Striker:"Geen probleem, Love. Your transformation did help us..."

An arclite shot hits the tree the couple are hiding behind, sending
wood splinters flying. Striker and Phoenix immediately pull back
behind it. Phoenix pulls out her laser pistol. More arclite shots
hit the trees and ground around them. Striker peers around the tree.
From the ramparts of the castle the shock soldiers are shooting at
them. Behind them Sky Soldiers begin to take off and fly down towards
them, hugging the cliffside for protection. Shephard finishes arming
the explosives and attaches it to the archway. He begins to run towards
the treeline.

Shephard:"Fire in the hole!"

Striker and Phoenix provide covering fire for Shephard until he gets in
behind a tree. Seconds later, the explosives go off. A massive blast
blow apart the archway and the entrance caves in on itself. The rocks
pile up until the entrance is nothing but a heap of rock and debris.
The Sky Soldiers, who ducked behind rock outcropping during the explo-
sion, reappear and resume firing. However, their is interrupted as the
Stealth Rover flies over and hovers down to the ground. Above, the 
mercenaries open fire on the new arrival. As their arclite shots and
bullets bounce off the Stealth Rover's armored sides, Striker signals
to the others.

Striker:"Make for the Stealth! Shephard, help me carry Corsair!"

As Phoenix and Merit run for the Stealth, Striker and Shephard run over
to Corsair and help him up. The cargo bay door opens up for them and the
strikers run up it to safety. The bay door closes up, and the Stealth
Rover quickly rises above the trees. It then quickly fires its engines
and flies off away from the castle at full speed. Behind it, however, the
two Sky Raiders go into pursuit.

Medical Bay
Stealth Rover
11:04 AM:

Elexis is still here treating Illanov, who is still fast asleep. Striker 
and Shephard come in carrying the wounded Corsair. Following them is
Merit. Elexis turns to them.

Elexis:"Oh my. What happened to him?"

Striker:"Shot."

Corsair:"It's a flesh wound, boss! Nothing I'd die from."

Elexis gets up and goes over to Corsair. She undoes the makeshift
bandage and examines the wound.

Elexis:"It is a flesh wound. Just hold on a minute so I can heal it
        for you."

She readies her medical unit's healing crystal and holds it close to
the wound. The crystal glows and the wound quickly heals up. All that
can be seen is a spot of hairless skin where the wound was.

Elexis:"There. Good as new."

Striker and Shephard let go of Corsair. He puts his leg down, feeling
the pain and wound gone.

Corsair:"Thanks."

Elexis:"You're welcome."

She turns to Striker.

Elexis:"Did you get the samples?"

Striker:"Ja. 6 blood samples from six different vampires. Merit has them
         stored."

Elexis:"Excellent. I'll begin analysing the blood and prepare a cure
        for Alex."

Striker:"Wonderlik."

Striker turns to Merit.

Striker:"Stay here, give Elexis the samples and provide her with assis-
         tance if she needs it."

Merit:"Executing command."

Striker turns to Corsair.

Striker:"You will stay here and get some rest."

Corsair:"But I'm fine, boss."

Striker:"Ja, but you need to rest that leg. You have completed your
         duties, so you deserve the rest."

Corsair sighs, then goes and lies down on one of the beds.

Corsair:"Well, I suppose I could do with some nap time."

Striker turns to Shephard.

Striker:"Come with me to the cockpit. Once there, begin checking for
         updates on the location of Longbow One."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

The two of them leave the medical bay. Corsair closes his eyes and begins
to sleep. Merit opens his toolkit and begins to hand over each tube of
blood to Elexis, who puts them into a slot in a tube holder.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
11:10 AM:

Tanarus is at the flight controls, with Phoenix seated next him in her
usual spot. Striker and Shephard come into the cockpit. Shephard sits
at his seat and begins to use his terminal. Striker goes over to the
front and sits behind Tanarus.

Striker:"Any pursuers?"

Tanarus:"Two mercenary aircraft on our tails, but we're flying faster
         than they are. We'll loose them quickly. Do you want to take
         over flight controls?"

Striker:"Nee, dankie. You are flying well. I need to find out about
         Longbow One's location and keep watch on Alex for signs of
         recovery. Just loose those two mercenary aircraft."

Tanarus:"Roger."

Striker gets up and goes over to Shephard, while Tanarus keeps on flying
and working on shaking the two Sky Raiders. Phoenix also begins to work
on her terminal.

Stealth Rover
Somewhere Over Romania
10:14 AM:

The Stealth Rover is flying over the mountainous regions of Romania,
with the two Sky Raiders behind it. The Sky Raiders are loosing ground
on the faster Stealth Rover. One of the Sky Raiders fire a missile
at the Stealth Rover. It quickly catches up with it. As it comes closer,
one can see it has four discs on each side of the missile. The Stealth
Rover begins to drop chaff and flares and flies off into a different
direction. The missile is not fooled, however, and it catches up. But
instead of exploding, the missile lands and attaches to the hull right
above the engine. The discs are actually magnets, keeping the missile
attached to the Stealth Rover. The missile suddenly begins to pulsate
a greenish glow.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
At That Moment:

Striker is now right behind Tanarus, who has just steadied the Stealth
Rover. As he does, they can hear their engines beginning to power down.
Phoenix checks over her terminal.

Phoenix:"We got a problem! Seems that missile attached to the hull just
         above the engine and is draining power from it!"

Striker:"Ai yai yai! Tanarus, shut off engines! I will go and remove the 
         missile! As soon as you can detect it is off, turn the engines
         back on and fly full speed away from those aircraft!"

Tanarus nods and turns off the engines. The engines can be heard being
power down completely. Striker quickly gets up and runs out of the
cockpit.

Exterior Hull
Stealth Rover
10:17 AM:

The Stealth Rover is gliding over the Romanian mountainside. The missile
has stopped pulsing green, but behind it the two Sky Raiders are
starting to make up lost ground. A hatch, seemlessly melding with the
hull, opens up. Striker lifts his head out of the open hatch, his
ears blowing backwards due to the high winds. He looks around and sees
the missile. He takes out his revolver. He rests against the hull and
aims with both paws the revolver at the missile. He takes aim, then
pulls the trigger. The revolver recoils slightly as the bullet leaves
for the missile. It strikes the metal joint between the missile and
the magnet disc attached to the hull. The joint, now cracked, snaps in
the high winds and the missile breaks loose from the magnet. It bangs
against the tail, then spins off into the air towards the mountains
down below. Striker climbs back in and closes the hatch. The engines
come back to life at full power. The Stealth Rover picks up speed
and climbs higher into the clouds to gain more speed. The two Sky
Raider again begin to loose ground, and soon they also loose the
Stealth Rover thanks to the cloud cover and the stealthy hull of their
quarry.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
10:24 AM:

Through the cockpit one can see the Stealth Rover is busy flying just
above the clouds. Striker is seated again behind Tanarus. He looks at
Phoenix.

Striker:"What is the status of those two Sky Raiders?"

Phoenix checks the radar screen on her terminal.

Phoenix:"They're breaking off pursuit. Looks like we've lost them."

Striker:"Goed, but have a look at our general location for any other
         mercenary aircraft that might have snuck up on us."

Phoenix:"Right, Love."

As Phoenix turns back to her terminal, Striker goes over to Shephard
and sits down next to him.

Striker:"Where is Longbow One right now, Shephard?"

Shephard:"We got a problem, sir. Our satellites were following the radio
          static field made by the seaplane quite good, but then the
          seaplane flew directly into a heavy thunderstorm on the north
          coast of the Black Sea and stopped. And it had barely done so
          when that static field disappeared. That was about 3 hours ago,
          and that storm still hasn't cleared up. The seaplane could be
          unloading Longbow One or has unloaded or left, or just stopped
          to refuel. The seaplane could already be far away from the
          storm now, or still there but Longbow One already far away. Or
          they might have taken Longbow One to a secure underground
          bunker or transferred to another plane, train or ship. And 
          according to the USAF weather forecast boys, that storm might 
          go on for another day or so."

Striker:"Ai yai yai. Basically, we have lost trace of Longbow One."

Shephard:"Pretty much, sir. We could wait for the storm to clear, but by
          then who knows where Longbow One will be."

Striker:"Ja..."

Striker looks out the cockpit window, apparently in deep thought. After
a moment he looks up towards Phoenix and Tanarus.

Striker:"Any mercenaries in pursuit?"

Phoenix looks back at Striker and shakes her head.

Phoenix:"None in sight."

Striker:"Goed. Contact Hotrod and see if he can meet us in Brussels."

Tanarus glances back slightly.

Tanarus:"Brussels? Why are we going there? Are we not going after Longbow
         One at the Black Sea?"

Striker:"Nee. We are going after those who helped with the financing of
         the theft of Longbow One: The European Corporation."

Everyone is surprised at this announcement.

Shephard:"EuroCorp, sir? At their Brussels headquarters?"

Striker:"Ja. We are going to go and force Jacques Rembrandt to tell us
         what the mercenaries plan to do with Longbow One. His company
         bought the shipyard and owns the 'Spirit of Italy'. He had
         his hand in this theft, so he would know more about Longbow
         One."

Phoenix:"Is that good idea, Love? The EuroCorp headquarters is heavily 
         guarded by EuroCorp's own security forces, which is a small 
         army in itself."

Striker:"I know, but we must find Longbow One. Tanarus, set a course
         for Brussels. Phoenix, get Hotrod for us. He will be taking 
         Alex's place until he is healed."

Tanarus and Phoenix nod and turn to their work. Tanarus begins to turn
the Stealth Rover towards Belgium, while Phoenix begins to call for
Hotrod. Merit comes in and goes to Striker.

Merit:"Elexis has instructed me to relay her request for your presence
       in the medical bay."

Striker quickly gets up.

Striker:"Dankie, Merit."

Merit:"You are welcome."

Striker leaves the cockpit while Merit takes his seat.

Medical Bay
11:26 AM:

Elexis is cleaning up at the tables where she had worked. Illanov is
still sleeping, while Corsair is just humming to himself as he also
lies in bed. Striker comes in and goes to Illanov's bed. Elexis stops
working and goes to him.

Striker:"How is he?"

Elexis:"Very well. The antibodies Merit and I made from those samples
        you brought are killing off the vampirism virusses. You can
        see he is looking better."

Striker looks closer at Illanov. He is looking better and the colour is
returning to his fur.

Striker:"Can I talk to him?"

Elexis:"Not yet. He is still sleeping off the anaesthetics, but he
        should be awake in a few hours."

Striker:"When can he get back on his feet?"

Elexis:"Give him two days and he will be ready for another mission."

Striker nods, then takes Illanov's and squeezes it a bit. He then lets
go and turns to Corsair.

Striker:"Can you operate a computer from here?"

Corsair:"Sure, boss. Just bring me one of our wireless laptops and I'm
         online. Why?"

Striker:"You still need rest, but we will need your skills to help with
         the next mission."

Corsair:"Where're we going, boss? A mercenary base?"

Striker:"Nee. EuroCorp Headquarters."

Corsair raises an eyebrow in surprised.

Corsair:"EuroCorp? What for?"

Striker:"Lost track of Longbow One. We are going to interrogate CEO
         Jacques Rembrandt for information on where it is."

Corsair:"The same way you and the Russian did with Malcolm Industries
         two years ago?"

Striker:"Much the same, ja."

Corsair:"How are we going to get in? I hear Rembrandt's got some pretty
         heavy security around him."

Striker:"That is why we require your skills. You just get some rest for
         now. I will come and tell you what you need to do when we get
         there."

Corsair:"Okay, boss. Got it."

Striker nods and then gets up to leave the medical bay, while Elexis
gets back to cleaning up. Unit STRIKE has succeeded in finding a cure
for their stricken friend, but now they had lost trace of Longbow One.
Where is Longbow One? Will they be able to get the answers from the
EuroCorp CEO Jacques Rembrandt? What will they learn from him?


THE END