Rover Strike: Longbow One

Episode 2: Rovers Of Rome

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.

Fishing Boat
Off The Coast Of Montenegro
19 July
5:22 PM:

This is a small fishing trawler that is moored off the coastline of
the former Yugoslavia. The sun is beginning to set over the horizon. On
deck, the fishermen are busy hauling in a big net full of fish. As they 
work, they suddenly the hear the sounds of airplane propellor engines. 
They stop and look to the sky. As they do, it suddenly becomes very 
dark as a large object flies between their field of view and the sun. 
The sounds of the engines are very loud as it object passes. Moments
later, the sun once again shines as the object passes by and flies onward, 
away from the coast. The fishermen listen to it for a few minutes, then 
resume their usual work of getting their catch into their boat.

Stealth Rover
Somewhere Over Italy
En Route To Rome
5:30 PM:

The setting sun illuminates the Italian countryside far below, while
the clouds give off a red reflection in the night sky. Flying among
the clouds is the Stealth Rover. The sun reflects somewhat off the
sides of it. Another, smaller object flies through the night sky
and comes alongside the Stealth Rover. A new light comes from the
Stealth Rover, one coming through a hatch opening at the bottom. One
can see a claw-like device lowering itself down. The other object
flies closer to the claw. As it approaches, the reflecting light from 
the sun shows it is a Bike Rover in flight mode, with two Rovers on it. 
The claw grabs hold of the Bike Rover, then pulls it in. The hatch 
closes, and the Stealth Rover flies on.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
5:35 PM:

Striker is at the flight controls, with Phoenix seated next to him and
Corsair in his seat. Phoenix is curled up and sleeping soundly, while
Corsair is busy typing on the computer in front of him. The door to the
cockpit opens and in walks Tanarus and Elexis. Tanarus is carrying a
small metal briefcase with the Rover logo on it. The couple make their
way to Striker. As they pass Corsair, he looks up at them and nods.

Corsair(whispering):"Hey, you two."

Tanarus(whispering):"Good to see you, Corsair. Why are we whispering?"

Elexis(whispering):"Is Phoenix asleep?"

Corsair(whispering):"Yeah. The others have gone to relax in the rec
       room."

Tanarus(whispering):"Why are you working?"

Corsair(whispering):"The boss told me to check out some files and I
       think I've got something here. I need to get that before I take
       a break."

Tanarus(whispering):"I see."

The couple move forward to Striker. Tanarus touches him on the shoulder
and gets his attention. Striker notices them, then puts the autopilot
in command. He gets up and turns to the couple.

Striker(whispering):"Glad you two could make it."

Tanarus(whispering):"No problem. Sorry we took so long. We had to go
       pick up something first."

Tanarus holds up the suitcase in his paws.

Striker(whispering):"Is it something from Hubert?"

Tanarus(whispering):"Yes. It's those radio watches you asked him for."

Striker(whispering):"Uitstekend. Let's move to the back of the Stealth
       Rover and have a look at them."

The three of them move to the back of the Stealth Rover and sit down on
the couches alongside the cockpit walls. Tanarus puts the suitcase on
his lap and opens it. Inside are six very stylish, high-tech watches
with both a mechanical and a digital clock. There are four buttons, two
on each side of the watch, with the watch knob in the middle on the
left. The Unit STRIKE insignia is printed inside the watch. Striker
picks on up, looks it over and puts it on his wrist. He speaks a little
louder.

Striker:"Do they work well?"

Elexis:"Loud and clear. Tanny and I tested them out back at HQ."

Striker looks surprised at Tanarus.

Striker:"'Tanny'?"

Tanarus coughs nervously.

Tanarus:"Er... well, we are already wearing our watches. They work well,
         up to a range of 10 kilometres. Further if you use the Stealth
         Rover's tranmission systems. The sounds from it come out
         crystal clear, and it has a filter to remove background noises
         as much as possible."

Striker:"That's goed. Those mobile radios we had to carry around and use
         were becoming a liability."

Just then Corsair gets up from his seat and joins the others in the
back.

Corsair:"Hey, boss. Got a min... O! Those our new watches?"

Striker:"Ja, radio watches to replace the radios we are currently using.
         Go ahead and choose one, David."

Corsair eagerly takes a watch and looks it over.

Corsair:"Whoa. Some seriously fine clockworks here."

He holds out his arm that has his own watch on and he puts the radio
watch on next to it. He looks it over.

Corsair:"Heh. Wish I could show the guys in Seattle this."

Striker:"You were going to ask me something, David?"

Corsair:"Oh, yeah! Anyway, I was going through those files Miss
         Sheffield gave us on all the British troops who were on the
         train and I found some dirt on the captain who was leading
         the troops on the train. Some guy named Bruce Search. His
         file has some interesting facts on him. He used to be the
         second-in-command of the division in which he is in, before
         the general he served suffered a little accident."

Striker:"Sounds like it was not an accident."

Corsair:"Not really, but you know the details about it."

Striker(surprised):"Me? How should I know?"

Corsair:"Because, boss, you, Soviet Boy and Hunter's team watched him 
         go sky diving without a chute."

Striker suddenly gets a flashback, seeing in his mind General Alfred
MacDonald and McTerry tumbling out the back of the Pack Rover, with
McTerry taking the only parachute and MacDonald falling to his doom.
Striker comes back to the present, looking at Corsair.

Striker:"Alfred MacDonald? That general who got the KH Military into
         London two years ago?"

Corsair:"Spot on, boss. Anyway, as soon as MacDonald cratered in some
         old lady's flower garden, Search was immediately under in-
         vestigation. Though there were rumours that he was also in on
         the deal, nothing was found and he got clean, taking his
         commander's place. About 4 months ago he got demoted to
         captain for selling some info. Nothing important, but enough
         to get busted down. He was leading the troops on the train
         with Longbow One."

Tanarus:"Search sounds like one who would sell out for the right price."

Striker:"You are reg. This Bruce Search is now a suspect. What else do 
         you have, David?"

Corsair:"Nothing big, boss. Just some specs on Longbow One. It's some
         serious piece they've built. Those slugs it fires can punch
         holes in anything there is today."

Elexis:"How is the investigation going into Longbow One?"

Striker:"We have discovered Longbow is on a ship called the 'Spirit
         Of Italy', heading to port in Rome. We are going to wait for
         it and soon as it comes into port we will move in. We don't
         want to directly raid the ship on the open seas, because we
         have found the mercenaries the thieves have hired are all
         too eager to kill."

Corsair:"And speaking of mercs, we've met DeathRanger."

Tanarus:"That rouge Strayer?"

Striker:"Ja. Most likely he has been hired to stop us. He has already
         tried to silence any witnesses as well."

Tanarus:"Sounds like we have some stiff competition here. What's the
         plan now?"

Striker:"We will go to Rome and wait for the ship there. I would like
         to make use of the authorities there, but I am concerned about
         some of their number being on the enemy payroll. It is not
         that they are bad, but from past experience I've learned that
         there are usually a few bad apples all too eager to sell out.
         Thus, we will stay in Rome mostly incognito and wait until
         the ship arrives before we move in. It will give us a chance
         to rest and keep our eyes and ears open."

Elexis:"That sounds good to me. Where will we be staying?"

Striker:"Some place out of sight in the city, like the ruins of the old
         city."

Corsair:"Great idea, boss. It will also give us the chance to go on a
         tour of Rome while we are about."

Striker:"We are not here on vacation."

Corsair:"I know. We are just going to look at the sights for any possible
         mercs hiding about."

Tanarus:"Not sure about that, but he is right. We should relax AND watch
         for those mercenaries, especially DeathRanger. He is still at
         the top of the Strayers' wanted list."

Striker:"Ja. So you two go and settle down in your cabins."

Tanarus:"Right. And we'll paw out the radio watches to the others after
         that."

Corsair:"And me, boss? How about a break?"

Striker:"Nou goed, but don't take too long."

Corsair:"Sure, boss."

Tanarus, Elexis and Corsair get up and walk out of the cockpit. Striker
gets up and goes back to the pilot's seat. As he sits down, he glances
at Phoenix, who is still soundly asleep. He watches her breathe for a
short time, then takes over the flight controls from the auto-pilot.

Roman Ruins
Rome
6:32 PM:

These are ruins of the city dating from the Roman Empire, located by
the city of Rome itself. The sun has set and the ruins are dark, but
the modern Rome is lit up with light coming from street lamps, traffic
and buildings. The Stealth Rover flies silently over the ruins, then
goes and lands amongst some trees, some distance away and out of sight.

Meeting Room
Stealth Rover
7:03 PM:

This is a small room with a table and eight chairs around it. There are
several television and computer screens around the room on the walls.
Three doorways lead out of the room. Everyone is now seated in a chair, 
listening to Striker as he addresses them.

Striker:"So we are all agreed on what we will do? We will go out into
         the city as tourists and keep watch for possible mercenaries.
         Also try to find out about any EuroCorp properties or business
         operations in the city as well as information about the city's
         harbour. All the while keeping a low profile. Is that under-
         stood."

Everyone nods their agreement.

Striker:"Goed so. Let us turn in and get a good night's rest for..."

Suddenly there is a loud banging noise, followed by the sounds of falling
objects. Everyone quickly turns their heads to the doorway from where
the noises are coming from.

Merit:"The source of the disturbance came from the kitchen."

Shephard gets up, pulling out his Desert Eagle pistol. The others also
reach for their arms and get up. Striker motions for Shephard to move in
on the doorway. Shephard nods and moves to the doorway. As he walks by
it, he aims his pistol into the darkened kitchen through it. Suddenly
he dashes in.

Shephard(from kitchen):"You! Hold it!"

There is a quick scuffle. Moments later Shephard reappears and drags in
Ozari by the collar of his shirt.

Shephard:"Look what I found, sir."

Everyone sighs with relief and relax their weapons a little.

Corsair:"Hey, it's old Ozzy. How are ya?"

Ozari scowls at Corsair.

Ozari:"My name is Ozari!"

Corsair:"Whatever you say, Ozzy."

Ozari:"Why you..."

Elexis:"Looks he survived his little fall with Turwar in Las Vegas with
        none the worse for wear."

Ozari looks at Striker.

Ozari:"Yeah, and I won't rest until I teach you a stabbing lesson."

Striker:"As much as I would like to listen to your colourful dialogue,
         my team and I have bigger concerns than minors such as you,
         Ozzy."

Ozari tries to grab for Striker's neck, but Shephard is too strong and
holds him back. Striker looks at Shephard.

Striker:"Shephard, take our unwelcome guest here to the nearest police
         station."

Shephard salutes.

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Ozari struggles to break free, but Shephard keeps his grip and drags him
to one of the other doorways.

Ozari:"I'll be back!"

The others(except Merit) just laugh at him as Shephard drags him out of 
the room.

Merit:"I do find it unusual that the opposition continous to use that
       particular sentence, even though repetition has rendered it
       uninteresting and unoriginal."

Corsair:"Villains are too lazy to think of other good lines to say, 
         that's why."

Striker:"Reg, fun is over. Let's go and get some rest. Dismissed."

Everyone begins to file out of the meeting room.

Police Station
Rome Outskirts
7:24 PM:

This is a small, local Italian police station in the suburbs of a
neighbourhood near the city outskirts. The streets are busy with
cars and pedestrians going home or taking in the night life. Among
them, Shephard is escorting the now-fuming Ozari accross the street
to the police station. As they come to the entrance, someone notices
Shephard. It is a young boy selling an underground magazine on the
street corner. He keeps up his work, but keeps one eye on the police
station. A few minutes later, Shephard walks out of the police station
without Ozari. As he goes across the street, the boy watches him go.
When Shephard disappears from view, he puts down the magazines on the
sidewalk under a rock. He runs for a nearby phone booth.

Roman Ruins
9:36 PM:

Everything is much the same, only there is no light coming from where
the Stealth Rover is landed. The sounds of crickets can be heard, along
with an occasional hoot of an owl. However, several new sounds can be
heard. That of figures sneaking through the ruins to within sight of
the Stealth Rover. There are five of them. It it too dark to see them
save for the faint red glow of their night vision goggles. One of the
figures speaks to another in a whispered male voice.

Figure 1:"Can you locate them?"

There is a short pause before the other figure replies in a female voice.

Figure 2:"Yes, I'm able to pick up their minds. Three of them are already
          asleep, four are still awake."

Figure 1:"But that makes only seven. There are supposed to be eight."

Figure 2:"The eigth one is a robot. I cannot read the minds of machines."

Figure 1:"How would you know that he is a robot?"

Figure 2:"I met them back in Jova and saw the entire team, so I know it
          is a robot."

Figure 1:"If you say so. What are the ones that are still awake doing?"

Figure 2:"Let's see... One of them is busy playing a computer game, the
          second one is in the kitchen making a sandwich and the other
          two are... oh my..."

Figure 1:"What? What is it?"

Figure 2:"Well, the last two are... busy, that's all."

Figure 1:"What you mean that's all? Busy with what?"

Figure 2:"The two of them are married, and they are engaged in some 
          private matters in bed. That's all I can say."

Figure 1:"Fine. So they are all there. Let's wait until they are all
          asleep, then we sneak in and kill them all off."

Figure 2:"No. Our orders are to keep command posted of what they are
          doing here and to follow them. Besides, who knows what kind
          of security measures are on that plane of theirs. And if this
          turns into a shoot-out, the Italian police will be all over
          us."

Figure 1:"Huh! The police! Why worry? The police chief is on our side."

Figure 2:"Yes, but all it takes is a rookie police officer to come and
          spoil the whole business. No, let's just let the civvies and
          tabbies watch them for now."

Figure 1:"Fine, I'll bite, but only because I'm being paid to."
       
Figure 2:"That's the best promise."

The figures being to sneak away from the Stealth Rover back into the
darkness of the ruins.

Colosseum
Via dei Fori Imperiali
Central Rome
20 July
9:02 AM:

This is the famous ruins of the Roman aphitheatre, the Colosseum in the
center of the city. Early morning traffic is moving along the streets
next to the Colosseum, while tourists are taking photos of it. Unit
STRIKE is among the tourists, coming on the other side of the street
where there are various coffee and souvenir shops. Most of them are
admiring the Colosseum with Corsair taking photos of it with a camera.

Illanov:"Magnificent isn't it, comrades?"

Phoenix:"It's beautiful."

Striker:"Those Romans certainly were impressive when it came to archi-
         tecture."

Tanarus:"It's good to admire it in full. Last time we were here, we were 
         too worried about the GONV. Shall we go in for a tour?"

Striker:"Why not? It will give us something to do."

Shephard's attention, however is focused more on the coffee shops and
the desserts being displayed.

Shephard:"What about breakfast first, sir?"

Corsair lowers the camera and stares at Shephard.

Corsair:"What are you talking about? We just had breakfast."

Shephard:"Well, true... but what about the second breakfast?"

Corsair snorts and turns his attention back to the Colosseum.

Corsair:"Your stomach will just have to hold until lunch. There's more
         important stuff to see around here than coffee shops."

Shephard sighs, looking longingly at the food before it goes out of his
view. Merit, meanwhile, had fallen behind, watching the televisions
behind a store window. The televisions all showed the same program, that
an old black and white drama movie. The scene currently is that of a
young woman and an older man, both of whom are speaking in Italian.

Woman:"But why, Fabio, why can you not fall in love with me?"

Man:"My dear, I... I cannot fall in love with you... for you see, I am
     actually..."

There is a short, dramatic pause.

Man:"... YOUR FATHER."

As the young woman's face fills with shock, a loud "TARATANTAAA!" sound
is played.

Merit:"How fascinating."

Striker:"Merit!"

Merit turns to see Striker signalling to him, where he and the others are
about to cross the street. Merit turns and quickly walks on to join the
others. As he does, the owner of the television store, who had been
watching them more intently than usual, disappears into the back of the
store.

Arena
Colosseum
9:10 AM:

This is the arena inside the Colosseum. Portions of the stands had 
collapsed, revealing the tunnels and corridor that run underneath. It
is the same with the arena, where the arena surface had long since
disappeared to reveal the dungeons underneath. While most of the
Colosseum's structure consists of old stone and brick construction, 
there is a large concrete block in the centre of the area. There is
also four smaller concrete blocks at equal distances from each other 
and the large block. Unit STRIKE is here along with some tourists, who 
are admiring the old structure. A tour guide shows them the sights of 
the Colosseum and explains some interesting facts about it.

Guide:"Although some 50,000 people could be accommodated in the amphi-
       theater, the system of staircases and corridors ensured trouble-
       free progress to and from the banks of seating."

The guide points down into the arena.

Guide:"Down below you can see the cages and complex elevator systems
       where the wild animals and condemned prisoners were held."

One of the tourists, who is the American Tourist (from "A Hair Of A Dog 
That Bit You"), points at the concrete block.

Tourist:"Hey. What's with the concrete there?"

Guide:"Those concrete blocks were built last year during the Techno War
       last year by the GONV, when it occupied the city. The large block
       was a pedestal for a large communication tower, while the smaller
       blocks were for it's support wires. The tower was demolished by
       a Road Rover unit and cleared out, leaving only these blocks."

Illanov:"Actually, comrade, the tower was to allow GONV hacker drones to
         inflitrate Allied computers."

The other tourists and the guide turn to Unit STRIKE.

Tourist:"How would you know?"

Corsair:"We were the unit who blew the tower up."

There is a short pause as the tourists stare at Unit STRIKE. The tourists
then raise their cameras and being to snap pictures of the unit.

Tourist:"Whoowee! A double bargain! I get to see this Roman big top and
         some super heroes to boot!"

Striker and Tanarus make brief smiles, while Phoenix and Elexis make more
visible smiles. Shephard's gasmask hides any smile that he could or could
not be making, while Merit looks curiously at the tourists. Corsair smiles 
outrageously for the camera. Illanov is keeping straight face while staring
disapprovingly at Corsair.

Illanov:"Maintain some dignity, American."

Corsair:"Oh, belt up. This is just for posterior's sake."

Illanov shakes his head and turns away. As soon as the American Tourist
has taken enough pictures, he takes out what appear to be tickets and holds
them out to Striker.

Tourist:"Thanks for the photos. Heheh. The folks back home will be jealous
         big time. Here's some tickets."

Striker takes the tickets and looks them over.

Striker:"Dankie, but what kind of tickets are these?"

Tourist:"Oh, I won them at some raffle or something. It's for a dance
         for you and 3 of your best buds. I don't like dancing myself,
         so you can have them."

Striker:"Oh, wel dankie."

Tourist:"No problem. Thanks for the photos."

As this happens, on the other side of the Colosseum, two other tour
guides were watching Unit STRIKE. They look like they are off duty,
each holding a cup of coffee. The one guide talks to the other in
Italian, not taking his eyes off from Unit STRIKE.

Guide 1:"Go call them and tell them that they have gotten something
         from an American tourist."

Guide 2:"Right."

The second guide finishes his coffee and disappears into one of the
corridors of the Colosseum. The other guide keeps his eyes on Striker
and his team as they and the tourists are lead down to the lower levels
of the Colosseum.

Sidewalk
Outside Colosseum
9:34 AM:

Unit STRIKE is now outside on the sidewalks next to the Colosseum,
walking down the street. Phoenix is busy examining the tickets they had
recieved.

Phoenix:"It says here that these tickets is valid for two people each.
         They are for a charity ball being held tonight. There is going
         to a banquet, followed by some dancing. All earnings will be
         given to charity."

Corsair:"Count me out. Stuff like that has zero interest for me."

Illanov:"I, for one, would love to go to the ball. I am fond of dancing
         and it would be good for us to donate to charity."

Phoenix looks at Striker.

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

Striker thinks it over, then looks at Tanarus and Elexis.

Striker:"Do you two want to go to the ball."

Elexis:"That would be nice, but we'd rather let Alex go instead. He seems
        very excited to go the ball. Besides, Tanny and I want some
        private time alone."

Tanarus grins, then the couple nuzzle each other fondly. Corsair groans
loudly.

Corsair:"Why must I endure all this lovey-dovey stuff? Being stuck with
         the Russian is bad enough."

Striker looks over at Illanov.

Striker:"So do you want to come to the ball, Alex?"

Illanov:"Dah, comrade. It would be a great pleasure."

Striker looks at Shephard and Merit.

Striker:"Either of you wish to come along?"

Merit:"I do not believe I would be of much use at such an occasion. My
       systems would be better utilized in maintenance of the Stealth
       Rover."

Shephard:"If there's going to a banquet, then count me in, sir."

Striker:"Very well. Shephard, Alex, Phoenix and I will go and attend the
         ball. Corsair and Merit will return to the Stealth Rover and
         keep watch on things there. Tanarus and Elexis will go off and
         attended to..."

He coughs slightly.

Striker:"... personal matters."

Elexis giggles and hugs Tanarus, who hugs back. Striker looks over at 
Phoenix.

Striker:"What time is the ball?"

Phoenix looks at the tickets.

Phoenix:"It opens at 18:00 hours. The address is written here with some
         general directions to get to it from here."

Striker:"Goed. Until then, let us explore the city further, then we can
         have lunch."

Shephard:"I like that idea, sir."

Corsair:"Any idea that involves food is a good idea to you."

As they begin to walk down the street, someone was watching them. From
the second-story window of a building across the street, a camera and
directional microphone pocked out from behind the drawn curtains. It
follows Unit STRIKE as they walk down the street.

Charity Ball
Rome City Hall
21:03 PM:

This is a large hall built in the classical Renissance style era, with
elaborate support pillars and overhead balconies that are connected by
stairs leading down. Set on either side of the hall are dozens of tables
that are decorated. In the centre the floor has been opened up for the
dancing. Hanging from the ceiling are several large, chandelliers. To 
the once side a small orcestra is busy playing classical music for the 
guests, while waiters move between the various tables. The guests are all 
seated at the tables, finishing up on the fine food and wine they had. 
Everyone is well-dressed: the men in formal tuxedoes and ties, and the 
ladies in elegant dresses. At one of the tables sits Striker, Phoenix, 
Illanov and Shephard. Striker and Shephard are in their tuxedos, while 
Illanov has a more formal Soviet uniform. Phoenix is dressed in her usual 
blue dress. Striker, Phoenix and Illanov are sipping at their wine, while
Shephard is still feasting on the food on his plate.

Phoenix:"This is such a lovely ball. I'm glad I came here."

Illanov:"Dah, comrade. The wine here is excellent. Reminds me so much of
         Mother Russia."

Phoenix:"And we are making a contribution to charity as well."

Striker:"I suppose that is part of our work as Unit STRIKE."

A waiter comes up and begins to remove their empty plates and glasses.

Waiter:"Do you require anything else, sirs?"

Striker:"Nothing further for us, Dankie."

Shephard swallows some of his food before speaking.

Shephard:"My compliments to your chef, sir."

Waiter:"I will tell him that, sir. He is very good cook, even if he only
        has one arm."

The waiter takes the plates and glasses and heads back for the kitchen.
As he does, the mayor of Rome, a portly, balding man, stands up at the
front of the hall and calls for silence. The guests stop talking and turn
their attention to him.

Mayor:"And now, Ladies and Gentleman, it is time for the dance to begin."

The mayor signals to the orcestra conductor. He nods and begins to have
the group play classic music for the guests to dance to. Most of the
couples stand up and head for the dance floor. As they start dancing,
Striker looks at Phoenix and holds out his paw to her.

Striker:"Shall we dance, my Firefly?"

Phoenix smiles and takes his paw.

Phoenix:"Lead the way, Strikie."

The two of them stand up and walk to the dance floor. Taking each other
in a formal dance pose, they begin to dance to the rythm of the music.
They look at each other's eyes.

Phoenix:"Strikie?"

Striker:"Ja?"

Phoenix:"Are you serious about our relationship?"

Striker:"Of course I am. You are just as important to me as my life is
         to myself. Hoekom?"

Phoenix:"I just can't shake the feeling that you're... not committed
         to this."

Striker:"But I am committed. You know I would do anything for you."

Phoenix:"I'm not disputing that, Strikie. I know that you treat me
         well, but I just feel that you do not want go to the next
         level with me."

Striker:"I do want go the next level with you, Phoenix. Just not now."

Phoenix:"Why not?"

Striker:"Wel... we ARE on a mission."

Phoenix:"You can ask me the question while we are on the mission. The
         formality can wait until after it."

Striker:"Waar, but what if something happens to you on the mission?"

Phoenix:"It is the risk of our work. We both know it and so do the
         others. Like Alex. He is married and he still willing to risk
         his life to do the work. Same with Tanarus and Elexis. And if
         they can do it, why not us?"

Striker is silent for a moment.

Striker:"Ja, it's waar. Miskien I need to think about this."

Phoenix:"Do that, Love, but please don't take too long."

Striker just nods. While they are talking and dancing, one of the 
waiters walks closer to them, holding a plate with some small treats
in it. He follows the couple as they dance.

Waiter:"Treats, sir?"

Striker shakes his head, keeping his eyes on Phoenix.

Striker:"Nee, dankie."

But the "waiter" already replies by pulling out a stabbing knife. One
can see that the waiter is actually Ozari. The couple is unaware as he
raises his blade to stab Striker. But Illanov is aware. As a waiter is
taking away Shephard's now-empty plate, he sees Ozari with his blade
by Striker and Phoenix.

Illanov:"Bolshoi! Ozzy!"

Illanov suddenly grabs the plate from the startled waiter and tosses it
at Ozari like a frisbee. The plate flies right between Striker and
Phoenix, catching their attention. An instant later, the plate hits
Ozari in the chest. The impact knocks the wind out of him and causes his
blade to fly backwards towards the guests behind him. The knife spins
through the air before it suddenly plunges into the chest of a man with
dark glasses over his eyes. Striker and Phoenix turn with a start as
Ozari collapses on his back and the plate shatters on the ball. Ozari
coughs and gasps for air. The couple then see the man with the knife
stand up weakly and reaching beneath the table. Some of the nearby
guests rush to help him, but then suddenly the man pulls out a SMG-90
and aims it in the direction of Striker and Phoenix. The couple's eyes
widen.

Striker:"Assassin! Phoenix, get down!"

The two of them fall to the floor. The man fires, but at moment he
collapses. The SMG-90 fires, the shots flying skyward and smashing one
of the overhanging chandeliers. He falls to the floor and drops the
sub-machine gun. There are screams and shouts as the guests and waiters
rush in panic for the doors. Illanov and Shephard come rushing to
Striker and Phoenix. As Illanov checks up on the couple, Shephard runs
over to where the man fell.

Illanov:"Comrades! You all right?"

Striker:"We're fine. Thank you for saving us from that assassin, Alex."

Illanov:"Actually, comrade, that knife wasn't mine."

Phoenix(confused):"What do you mean?"

Illanov points to one side. The couple spot Ozari. He is trying to make
his way to them, but he is being swept out to the nearest exit by the
crowd of panicking guests. He curses and waves his arms, vainly trying
to get out of the mass of people. Striker shakes his head and looks at
Illanov.

Striker:"Ozzy again?"

Illanov:"Dah, comrade. He was trying to stab you."

Phoenix:"Thanks for saving him, Alex."

Meanwhile, Shephard reaches the body of the fallen assassin. Kicking
away the SMG-90, he reaches down to feel for a pulse, but finds none.
He gets up and turns to report, but just then he sees someone up in
the balconies who is not in panic and not dressed in formal dress. It
is Oringo. He is a male 6’9”Caracal felo-sapien who is very muscular
and strong. The tuffs are cut off from his ears and has scars of a claw
on his left cheek. His uniform looks like standard militia, only it has
the insignia of the Mayhem Mercenaries. Both he and Shephard lock eyes
in a staring match for a brief moment. Shephard then points at Oringo.

Shephard:"Hey, you!"

Oringo suddenly bolts towards one of the upper exits. Shephard quickly
springs into action and runs for the stairs. As he begins to climb, he
shouts out to Striker.

Shephard:"Sir! Bogie! I'm in pursuit!"

Striker, Phoenix and Illanov, upon hearing this, also spring into action
and run after Shephard. As they reach the bottom of the stairs, Shephard
comes to top and sees Oringo ducking through an exit. He quickly runs to
that exit and goes through, while Striker, Phoenix and Illanov come to
the top of the stairs.

Rooftop
Rome City Hall
21:11 PM:

This is the rooftop of city hall, where the flat roof surrounds the
glass domes of the building. Various vents, generators and a helicopter
pad. On another government building next to city hall, a Mayhem Chinook
sat on the open helipad there, while shock soldiers provide guard. A
crude rope bridge connects the two buildings. Oringo runs out of the
exit that leads down into city hall and heads for the robe bridge. Just
he begins to run over it, he shouts out to the shock soldiers.

Oringo:"Back in! We're leaving!"

The shock soldiers quickly climb into the Chinook as the helicopter's
rotor blades begin to spin up. Oringo comes to the other end of the
rope bridge, then stops. His claws come out of his paws and then he
swipes the ropes that hold the one end of the bridge up. His sharp
claws cut the ropes almost through. Just then Shephard comes up to the
roof. He stops and aims his desert eagle at Oringo.

Shephard:"You! Freeze!"

Oringo just sneers and then turns to run for the Chinook as its blades
spin faster and faster. Shephard quickly dashes to the robe bridge, but
as he climbs onto it, the cut ropes snap. With a startled shout, Shephard
falls and disappears from view. Moments later a loud crash can be heard
from the alley between the buildings. The Chinook's blades spin to full
speed and it starts to lift off. Just then Striker, Phoenix and Illanov
come to their. They can only watch as the Chinook turn and fly off into
the night sky.

Illanov:"Bolshoi! We're too late."

Phoenix:"Where's Shephard?"

They look around the roof, but they see no sight of Shephard. Striker
holds his radio watch close to his face.

Striker(into watch):"Shephard, this is Striker. Report!"

Suddenly Shephard's voice comes from the alley between the buildings.

Shephard(from alley):"Reporting, sir!"

The trio run on over to the edge of city hall and look down in the
alley. Shephard is busy extracting himself from a large hedge that
grows in row between the buildings.

Striker:"Shephard! Jy reg?"

Shephard:"No damage, sir, but the enemy got away. Sorry about that."

Striker:"Vergeet it, Shephard. Meet us back at the Rhino and keep
         guard."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard begins to run towards the parking lot of city hall, while
Striker turns back to the others.

Striker:"We'd better go. The police will soon be here and I would not
         want to become embroiled in an investigation."

Illanov:"Dah, comrade. Besides, it was Ozzy who killed that assassin."

There is a beep noise coming from Striker's watch. Striker quickly
brings the watch up to his muzzle.

Striker(into watch):"Striker here."

Tanarus(over watch):"This is Tanarus. We're coming in with the Stealth
       Rover to pick you up."

Striker(into watch):"Coming in? How far?"

Tanarus(over watch):"We're sighting city hall now. Where are you?"

Striker(into watch):"We are on the roof of city hall, except for Shephard.
       He's gone to the Rhino in the parking lot."

Tanarus(over watch):"Right, we'll pick you three up and then get both
       Shephard and the Rhino. Over and out."

Striker(into):"Reg. Over and uit."

Striker lowers his watch and turns to the others.

Striker:"Tanarus and the others are on their way to pick us up."

Phoenix:"Sounds like they've met some trouble, if they are all coming."

Illanov(pointing):"Look, comrades. Here they come."

They turn to see the dark silhouette and cockpit lights of the Stealth
Rover flying over the city towards them.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
High Above Rome
21:23 PM:

Elexis is at the flight controls, with Tanarus seated next to her, and
Corsair and Merit seated behind them. Striker, Phoenix, Illanov and
Shephard, now in their usual clothing, come into the cockpit and sit
down.

Tanarus:"We saw a Mayhem chinook take off from city hall. We take they
         also attacked you?"

Striker:"They would have, but our friend Ozzy kind of muddled their 
         plans up."

Corsair:"Ozzy again? Man, that guy pops up all over the place."

Striker:"But why did you come get us? Were you attacked?"

Corsair:"Sure were, boss. Merit and I were just minding our own business
         when some Mayhem shock soldiers appeared and started knocking.
         We had lots of fun using the defensive cannons of our ride to
         hold them back, but when the Aero Tanks appeared on the scene,
         we bugged outta there."

Merit:"The arclite bullets from the opposition's arsenal did puncture 
       some portions of the outer armor plating, but I have repaired all 
       damages."

Striker:"What you two, Tanarus?"

Tanarus:"We got attacked by the local crime gangs, who were bought over
         by Tabbies."

Phoenix:"Tabbies?"

Tanarus:"Sorry, Tabloid Soldiers. Anyway, Elexis and I held them back and
         finally chased them away. We also managed to grab one of these
         Tabloid Soldiers and had him talk. They're mercs who disguise 
         themselves as tabloid journalists and they bribe the locals to
         track us, saying that we are celebrities they want to get
         photos of for a tabloid paper."

Striker:"How many civilains did they pay?"

Tanarus:"The whole city, it seems. Waiters, shopkeepers, tour guides,
         innkeepers, municipal workers, paper boys and plenty of common
         Joes from the street."

Striker:"Ai yai yai. So the whole city is one large spy base. It would
         be best for us to stay outside of the city until the ship comes
         to port."

Tanarus:"That is another thing we got from them. The ship is already in
         port."

Striker is surprised at this information.

Striker:"When did it arrive?"

Tanarus:"Late this afternoon. Seems the ship made better time and arrived
         ahead of scedule. If our captive was not mistaken, they were
         already offloading Longbow One onto a train."

Striker:"Did he say when the train leaves for where?"

Tanarus:"Yes. The train leaves at 10 tonight, on route to Venice."

Striker:"We will need to mobilize now. Has contact been made with 
         Sheffield?"

Corsair:"Not yet, boss."

Striker:"Call her and have her mobilize her Italian counterpart. We will
         stop the train in the countryside well outside of Rome."

Corsair:"Sure thing, boss."

As Corsair goes over the communications terminal, Striker turns to the
others.

Striker:"After this failed attack of theirs, the Mayhem Mercenaries will
         be certain to alert the forces on that train. Those forces
         might be that of Search and his defecting British soldiers, as
         well as possible additional Mayhem soldiers."

He begins to outline a possible plan of attack to them.

War Zeppelin "Iron Casket"
Holding Perimeter Outside Rome
At That Moment:

High above the hills around the city of Rome, the Mayhem Mercenaries
War Zeppelin, Iron Casket, is holding position well above in the night
sky. It is a large, zeppelin-like airship whose body is pointed at
front, widens in the middle and then thins out again to the back. Up
front and on top are the windows of the bridge. On either side of the
bridge are two propeller engines held to the ship via girders. On the
back in the middle of it is an arm that runs diagonally to the ship,
ending on two large propeller engines. Further back there are two large
tail fins, the second one further back larger than the first. Four
propellor engines, facing the opposite way as all the others, is at
the rear end of the zeppelin. Only a few blinking green air traffic
lights and the lights coming the bridge gave away the large shape in
the night sky. Coming in from the city, is another set of lights. That
the Mayhem Chinook carrying Oringo and his men.

Bridge
War Zeppelin "Iron Casket"
21:34 PM:

The bridge of the Zeppelin slopes downward along the hall, with tiers
of controls with a staircase in the middle. Pilots, technicians and
officers are at controls of the Zeppelin. At the top of the staircase
is a large control panel for the captain and his first mates. At the
bottom is the open hatch that goes into the hull. Oringo appears at
the bottom, then climbs up the stairs. At the top behind the controls
is the human captain of the Iron Casket and his two first mates. Right
behind them is Airie, who is wearing her usual uniform. She stares in
a cross manner at Oringo as he reaches the top and goes over to her.

Airie:"While you surely have no good excuse, I'm willing to let you
       indulge me. Perhaps you might think up a better excuse."

Oringo:"Hey! Watch your tongue, mutt! I had to kill them, otherwise
        they would have attacked us later when the ship arrived."

Airie:"Stupid furball. The ship WAS already in port!"

Oringo stares at her, stunned.

Oringo:"What?"

Airie:"The ship made better time and arrived just this afternoon. Didn't 
       you read the e-mail I sent you about it?"

Oringo:"Bah! Who needs to read when action was needed?"

Airie:"BECAUSE Striker and his team were oblivious to the fact that the
       ship was in port. Search and his team would have been able to
       get the second package out of Rome and distracted them long
       enough to get the first package to the Hyumi. They would have
       taken a whole day to find out about it, but now you've gone and
       screwed that up."

Oringo:"So now it's MY fault, is it?"

Airie:"Stop talking. It will be up to Search now. Let's hope he can keep 
       Unit STRIKE busy long enough for the ship to get to the Hyumi and 
       make the transfer."

Oringo folds his arms.

Oringo:"And just how can you be sure that Search and his team won't find
        out that we will leave them high and dry when they are finally
        discovered and caught?"

Airie taps her forehead.

Airie:"I have this power."

Oringo snorts in contempt.

Oringo:"Oh yeah. The great big mind control thingy you call a brain."

Airie:"Oh ha ha. I hope that jolly demeanor of yours helps when you 
       have to explain this mess to Valforth. He will be on the Hyumi 
       to oversee the transfer, so you can go and tell him about your
       little adventure here."

Oringo:"Why should I be scared of him?"

Airie:"He IS a vampire, after all."

Oringo:"So? He said so himself that he doesn't go about drinking just
        anyone's blood."

Airie:"True, but his other abilities can hurt you. Alot."

Oringo snorts again, then turns and begins to descend the staircase.
Airie turns to the Captain.

Airie:"Take us to the meeting point."

Captain:"Aye, Ma'am."

The captain barks out orders and the crew begins to turn the Zeppelin
towards a new destination.

Ambush Point
Italian Countryside
8 Kilometres North Of Rome
22:12 PM:

The darkened countryside is only lit up a little by the moon above,
with real lights that can be seen coming from the city of Rome. A
set of train tracks runs through the countryside, passing through a
gully between two hills. While it may seem quiet, it is actually far
from it. At the tracks, four men dressed in the black camoflauge dress
of the Italian Special Forces are busy setting up a device on the
tracks. As soon as they finish, the dash back up to the hills, where
their comrades are lying and waiting with weapons ready. Lying down
with the commander of the Special Forces is Unit STRIKE. Striker,
Phoenix, Illanov, Tanarus, Elexis and Shephard have their weapons
ready, while Merit and Corsair lie down out of sight further down the
hill. Striker whispers to the commander.

Striker(whispering):"Commander, I am curious. What exactly is that
       device your men have placed on the tracks?"

Commander(whispering):"It is new device our transportation ministry 
         recently invented. It causes the train engine that hits it to
         derail it's wheels off the tracks while keeping it straight up
         and on the tracks. It is planned to use it to stop runaway
         trains and coaches, even at high speeds."

Striker(whispering):"Has it ever been used?"

Commander(whispering):"This will be the first time we will use this
         device outside of a test laboratory."

Striker(whispering):"I see."

Suddenly the distant noise of a train engine becomes more audible. They
turn their heads and see the front light of the engine coming towards
them from Rome.

Striker(whispering):"There it comes."

The commander quietly signals the others with a raised fist. The others
raise their fists in reply, then they all go silent. The train engine
comes closer, the sounds of its engine growing louder. The train comes
to the ambush point and hits the device. The train engine bounces and
its wheels slip off the tracks. Sparks start flying as the engine skids
along the track and the brakes kick in. The other carraiges stay on the
track. The lights coming from them show that there is one passanger
coach, one cargo carraige, a carraige covered in a large canvass and
the caboose. The train skids a few metres on, then comes to a stop. As
soon as it does, the Special Forces and Unit STRIKE get up and make
for the train, weapons ready. As they approach the train, dazed soldiers
wearing British military uniforms stumble out. The Special Forces shout
at them.

Commander:"Put down your weapons or we shall open fire!"

The soldiers, either realizing their position or from some orders, drop
their rifles and raise their hands. More soldiers come out with their
hands raised, while the Special Forces climb onto the cargo carraige
and caboose as well as the engine. Striker turns to Tanarus.

Striker:"You take Illanov and Elexis and secure Longbow One."

Tanarus:"On our way."

The group splits up, Tanarus's team going for Longbow while Striker and
the rest go into the passanger coach. Corsair and Merit come running 
from behind the hill towards Longbow One.

Merit:"How unusual. The canvas is held in position by a large number of
       scaffolding."

Corsair:"So? Probably to keep it in place over Longbow."

Merit:"But my readings indicate that the scaffolding is the only cargo
       underneath the canvas."

Corsair stops, as does Merit. Corsair stares at Merit.

Corsair:"What are you saying? Isn't Longbow One there?"

Merit:"Negative readings. However, there is a 9% chance of a system on
       Longbow One present that could be confusing my scanning programs."

Corsair:"Oh boy. We'd better look under the canvas."

As the two of them run towards the Longbow carraige, Striker and his
team drag out a smug Bruce Search, a man in his late 30's with brown
hair and wearing some camoflauge pants and shirt. They put him on the 
grass and cuff his hands behind back. They then pull him up to face them.

Striker:"Your theft ends here, Bruce Search. You are under arrested."

Search:"For now, but I can easily go free."

Illanov searches him for weapons and other items.

Illanov:"What makes you say that, comrade?"

Illanov pulls out several personal items, among them a combat knife and
a mobile phone.

Search:"Because I have friends who make me walk free from any court, and
        with all my money as well."

Striker:"I twyfel the British military courts would be so easy, even if
         you had the best lawyers."

Search:"Really?"

Search looks at Illanov.

Search:"Call the number of 'Sandman' on that telephone you are holding,
        mutt."

Illanov looks at the phone, then gets the number needed and makes the
call. He holds it up to his ear while Search looks on smugly. Suddenly
Illanov stares at the phone, grinning. Search becomes annoyed.

Search:"What is going on?"

Illanov:"Listen, comrade."

Illanov holds the phone to Search's ear, who listens intently at the
phone. A female electronic voice can be heard.

Phone:"The number you have dialled no longer exists. Please consult your
       local telephone directory for the correct number."

Search looses his smug look and becomes much less sure as Illanov takes
phone away, then goes to a nearby Special Forces soldier who is busy
gathering the evidence.

Striker:"Apparently your friends have decided you are in too much 
         trouble for them to get you out of."

Search hangs his head in defeat. Striker drags Search to another Special
Forces soldier, who takes Search into custody. Striker returns to his
team as Illanov rejoins them.

Striker:"Wel gedaan. We have Longbow One back."

Phoenix:"Perhaps now we can get back to our holiday."

Shephard:"Oh yeah, sir! I miss those great local dishes off..."

Suddenly Corsair steps in among them.

Corsair:"Boss, you'd better come look at this."

Striker, concerned, follows Corsair to Longbow along with the rest of
his team. Tanarus, Elexis and Merit are already alongside the carraige
of Longbow. Tanarus and Elexis have disappointed looks on their faces,
while Merit is looking the canvas.

Striker:"What is going on?"

Tanarus:"Look under the canvas with a flashlight for the answer to 
         that."

Striker looks confused, then takes out his mini-flashlight and goes over 
the canvas. He lifts it and looks underneath with the flashlight. A few
moments later he lowers the canvas and looks at them with alarm.

Striker:"There is nothing here but a canvas strung over some scaffolding
         on this carraige."

The others become alarmed at this news as well.

Corsair:"Sure is. Merit saw it first as we came here. We checked, and
         were suckered."

Tanarus:"This train was a decoy, no doubt. And Search's men were just
         being used to lure us away from the real Longbow One."

Phoenix:"So where is the real Longbow One?"

Elexis:"I have a hunch. We know that Longbow One was loaded onto the
        Spirit of Italy for certain, right?"

Striker:"Reg."

Elexis:"And we know the ship did not dock anywhere along the way until 
        it reached Rome, right?"

Tanarus:"Right. What you coming at, Dear?"

Elexis:"I'm getting to that, Dear. And we didn't see the ship itself,
        though we know for sure Search and his men disembarked from the
        ship in port, right?"

Illanov:"Dah, comrade."

Elexis:"So, it might be that Longbow One is still on the ship?"

Shephard:"Why don't I just go and beat Search up for the answers to that,
          sirs?"

Tanarus:"I doubt you would be able to get anything from him, Shephard.
         From the looks of it, it seems the Mayhem Mercenaries used him
         and his men purely as a disposable decoy. Since they would get
         captured regardless, they would not tell him the full plans."

Phoenix:"But we do have a lead: the Spirit of Italy."

Striker:"Reg, Phoenix. We will go and intercept the ship. If Longbow
         isn't there, then we can interrogate the captain. He should
         know for certain."

Corsair:"That is if the ship hasn't already skipped town."

Striker:"Then it could not have gone too far."

The Special Forces commander comes up to them.

Commander:"Is the target secure?"

Striker:"I am afraid we have been tricked, commander. The target is
         probably still on the ship that brought it. Can you take care
         of Search and his men and inform your British counterpart that
         we are going after the Spirit of Italy?"

Commander:"Yes, I can. Good luck in capturing these perpetrators."

Striker:"Dankie."

The commander turns and runs back to his men, while Striker turns back 
to his unit.

Striker:"Kom, back to the Stealth Rover. Corsair, as soon as we are
         aboard, have the Rover satellite check to see where that ship
         is."

Corsair:"Wilco Roger, boss."

Striker:"Let's roll!"

They all begin to run in the direction where the Stealth Rover is parked
away from the tracks. The Special Forces continue their work of securing
the train and rounding up the rogue British soldiers.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
22:38 PM:

Everyone is back in their seats, with Striker at the flight controls and
Phoenix next to him working on her computer terminal. The cockpit is
lit up by the florescent lights in the ceiling. Striker looks over at
Phoenix.

Striker:"Any sign of our target?"

Phoenix shakes her head.

Phoenix:"Nothing yet, Love."

She frowns as she notices something.

Phoenix:"Wait... I think I have something..."

She taps a few keys on the terminal keyboard, frowning as she looks at
the screen.

Phoenix:"Strange. The satellite image is showing a large circle of static
         over the general location of where the ship is."

Illanov:"They must be jamming, comrade."

Shephard:"Or its one of those devices that generates a lot of radio
          garbage. Some of the US' agencies use such devices."

Elexis:"So it seems the mercenaries are doing the same. Probably to hide
        the ship from sight."

Phoenix:"You might be right, Elexis. The location of the ship is in a
         bay not far from here. They are perhaps unloading Longbow One
         there."

Shephard:"Are we going to hit them here, sir?"

Striker:"It is best we attack now, though we should be cautious. That
         static screen prevents us from seeing what kind of opposition
         we are up against. We must first scout out what is ahead of us.
         We will fly around the area and see what is going on eerste."

Everyone else nods while Striker keeps the Stealth Rover on course to
the location of the ship. Through the cockpit window one can see the
ocean pass beneath them with the the coast line rolling past on the left
side. All the while Phoenix is busy watching the terminal screen. At
one point she turns to Striker.

Phoenix:"We have entered the area of the radio static. The bay is about
         10 kilometres away."

Striker:"Dankie."

They keep flying along the coast. Eventually the coastline breaks to
reveal a bay surrounded by high hills and cliffs. In the centre of the
bay are the lights of a ship. Corsair points to it.

Corsair:"Bingo, boss! They're our boat!"

Illanov:"Ship, American. It is a ship."

Corsair shrugs.

Corsair:"Ship, boat. Who cares, besides some Russian?"

Illanov just "hmpfs!" and turns his attention to the lights.

Tanarus:"Yes, that looks like the Spirit of Italy's lights over there in
         the bay."

Elexis:"Yes, but... what is that large shape behind it?"

Everyone then notice the huge black shape. Only a few lights here and
there on the edges give it away against the darkness, but it clear that
the ship next to it is dwarfed by it.

Phoenix:"What is that?"

Striker:"Merit, can you see what that is?"

Merit:"Attempting scan of unknown object."

There is a few seconds as Merit scans the object before he reports.

Merit:"Scanning complete. It is an aquatic-compatable aircraft, or in
       rudimentary terms, a seaplane."

Corsair:"But holy cow! That thing is the size of the Queen Mary 2!"

Merit:"Actually, the hull of the seaplane is approximately that size.
       The wingspans are significantly larger with large, powerful,
       propeller engines."

Tanarus:"They must be loading Longbow One onto that seaplane."

Striker:"Merit, can you see what is inside that seaplane."

Merit:"Negative. There is significant interference with my scanning
       procedure with jamming devices to prevent me to scanning the
       interior of the seaplane from this current distance."

Striker:"What about the ship?"

Merit:"Negative. There is significant interference with my..."

Striker(interrupting):"Dankie, Merit. What significant readings can
       you detect on the outside."

Merit:"The ship is currently moving away from the seaplane and I am
       detecting that the seaplane's engines are being activated."

Illanov:"Comrades, that seaplane is about to leave. They must have
         already made the transfer."

Shephard:"Are we going to move in now?"

Striker shakes his head.

Striker:"Nee, that seaplane is already taking off. The best option we
         can take right now is to follow it from a distance. We will
         let the Italian authorities handle the Spirit of Italy in case
         Longbow One is still aboard in another attempt to decieve us."

Striker looks over at Tanarus.

Striker:"Call the Italian authorities and inform them to intercept the
         Spirit of Italy."

Tanarus:"I'm on it."

Striker:"Meanwhile, let's follow that seaplane."

As Tanarus begins to make the call for the Italian authorities, Striker
pilots the Stealth Rover in an orbit, waiting for the seaplane to take
off.

Bay
Italian Coastline
22:46 PM:

The bay is silent except for the sound of waves, but not for long. As
the ship begins to pull away, the sounds of the giant seaplane's engines
roaring to life shatters the peace. In a matter of moments the giant
seaplane begins to pick up speed and soon it becomes airborne. As it
passes the moon on take-off, one can finally see the full outline of the
massive aircraft: The huge hull has top-deck wing, with two large
propellor engines on each wing with dozens of smaller engines between
them. Attached to the hull are two tails that have a wing attached
between them. The blinking blue lights on the tips of the wings, the
tail ends and the lights from the front cockpit are the only lights
coming from it. The seaplane turns and begins to fly on a straight
flight path towards the east across the countryside. As it heads over
the hills, the nigh invisible Stealth Rover flies after it. But as
it passes over the hills, the unmistakable shape of the War Zeppelin
Iron Casket takes off from the among the hills and begins to fly
after the Stealth Rover.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
At That Moment:

Everyone's attention is focused on the seaplane in front. The main
light has been turned off, with only the illumination coming from the
buttons on the terminals. Phoenix looks down at her terminal screen,
then immediately looks at Striker.

Phoenix:"Striker! There's a large object directly behind us."

Striker immediately looks at Phoenix.

Striker:"Identification?"

Phoenix looks back at her screen.

Phoenix:"It looks like... some kind of airship. It's flying the same
         route as the seaplane."

Corsair:"Oh crap! And we just put ourselves right between these two!"

Illanov:"Comrades, this is a dangerous position. If they notice us, we
         will be under fire from two sides."

Striker:"You're reg, Alex. We had better move closer to the seaplane
         and use its massive shape to hide us from the airship."

Tanarus:"I just hope they haven't noticed us already."

Striker:"We will proceed cautiously, but we must not let them see us if
         they do not already know. Hold on."

Striker pushes forward on a lever and the Stealth Rover speeds up. It
flies closer to the seaplane up front. As they close the distance, the
seaplane fills up the entire front sight of the cockpit. Suddenly there
are multiple flashes from various points on the seaplane. Striker's
eyes widen.

Striker:"Ai yai yai!"

He pulls up quickly, just in time as the tracer shots fired from the
defensive cannons on the seaplane pass under where they were. Striker
turns the Stealth Rover higher up and away from the seaplane. The others
are holding on tightly.

Merit:"It would appear that our presense has been detected."

Corsair:"Oh yeah! Brilliant deduction, Sherlock!"

Merit looks at Corsair.

Merit:"I am Merit, not Sherlock."

Corsair rolls his eyes. As Striker turns the Stealth Rover, he looks over
at Phoenix.

Striker:"Where is that airship?"

Phoenix quickly looks at her screen.

Phoenix:"Passing on our right, still following the seaplane!"

Striker:"Let me get us behind it and follow it instead."

He keeps turning the Stealth Rover.

Bridge
War Zeppelin "Iron Casket":

The crew is fully busy at guiding and controlling the zeppelin right
behind the seaplane out front. Standing by the captain at his control
panel is Airie and Oringo. They watch as the tracers tap against the
windows of the bridge. Oringo sniggers.

Oringo:"Look at them run. Having the Hyumi fire just tracers at them
        made them think twice."

Airie:"Not by choice. The Hyumi couldn't fire live ammo, otherwise
       those shots would be tearing through us instead of just tapping
       on the windshields. Those Strikers put themselves right between
       us and the Hyumi."

Oringo:"Well, you should have been able to see that coming."

Airie:"I did! Why do you think we ordered the crew of the Hyumi to use
       tracers?"

Voice(from behind):"Silence!"

The two of them stop bickering and look to the darkened corner of the
bridge behind them. Airie steps back with fear in her eyes, and even
Oringo looks a little less secure. A dark figure stands in the darkness.

Figure:"Captain, maintain course behind the Hyumi."

The captain, without looking back, nods.

Captain:"Aye, sir! Match speed to Hyumi and maintain course!"

First-Mates:"Aye, sir! Matching speed to Hyumi and maintaining course!"

The figure's head can then be seen turning to Airie and Oringo.

Figure:"I will go and see to Unit STRIKE."

As the two of them watch, a misty cloud begins to form around the figure
until he is completely hidden in a dense cloud of fog. The fog then swirls
out of the bridge through the door that leads the bridge. When the fog is
gone, there is no sight of the figure.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover:

Through the cockpit window one can see that Striker has brought the 
Stealth Rover right up behind the Iron Casket. He is keeping a good
distance from it, however.

Striker:"There. We should be safer here."

Illanov:"Dah, but I'm worried that the airship might change course and
         fly a different path of the seaplane."

Tanarus:"We could place a tracking device on the seaplane, but that
         means getting shot up by both the seaplane and possibly the
         airship. And we cannot maintain this pursuit because our
         enemies know we are on their tails. Can we perhaps call in
         help from the Italian Air Force?"

Striker:"That is possible, Tanarus. But we do not know how far the
         seaplane will fly. The Italians can only patrol their own
         airspace and the seaplane can fly into the airspace of other
         countries at will."

Tanarus:"How about we tail the seaplane via the Rover satellite?"

Illanov:"But they are creating a static shield that the satellite can't
         see through, comrade."

Tanarus:"I know, but since that field will be only around the seaplane,
         why not have the satellite follow it instead?"

Everyone thinks it over quickly.

Phoenix:"That's a good idea! We can follow our target without getting
         in trouble with the mercs."

Shephard:"But that means we are going to need exclusive satellite time
          for this one, sirs. Are we going to take command of the Rover
          satellite or shall I call Major Cadwell and see if he grant
          us use of the CIA or NSA satellites?"

Striker:"For nou, we should use our own satellite, but contact Cadwell
         so that we can switch to US satellites if need be. Phoenix..."

Everyone then begins to notice a foggy haziness inside the cockpit.
They stop and look around.

Corsair:"Hey, did someone turn the sauna on?"

Striker:"Merit, can you tell me what this is?"

Merit:"It is standard cloud of what is commonly referred to as mist.
       However, a deeper scan reveals some highly strange readings."

Striker:"Chemical or biological?"

Merit:"Apparently biological."

Striker:"Toxic?"

Merit:"Negative."

Elexis:"Biological and non-toxic? What kind of substance in this?"

Suddenly the mist swirls towards the back of the cockpit. Everyone turns
to watch as the mist swirls into a more dense form. In moments the
mist becomes solid until it is full transformed. It is a human whose
back is turned to the Strikers. He is wearing a suit. The smoking jacket 
is bright red with a white shirt while the pants is dark grey and the 
shoes also bright red. The human's hair is jet black and oiled slick and 
smooth. As they reach for their weapons, the man turns around. His face 
is quite handsome, though his skin is slightly greyish. His eyes have 
bright red irises and he is smiling widely. His arms are spread out as 
if to show off his suit, while the Strikers keep their hands and paws on 
their weapons.

Corsair:"Well, that's something new."

Striker:"Who are you?"

The man chuckles.

Man:"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Count Salis von Valforth, of
     district of Transylvania."

Corsair:"Uh oh. Boss, this guy looks and sounds like our worst horror
         movie come true."

Merit:"My scannings of his biological structure are returning with
       abnormal readings."

Illanov:"Comrades, he is not human."

Valforth laughs and grins, showing a pair of very long vampire teeth.

Valforth:"And you are right. I am a vampire, one of the last few of my 
          clan."

Phoenix takes her fingers and holds two of them in the shape of a cross. 
Valforth just laughs again and shakes his head.

Valforth:"Sorry, dear, but a cross has no meaning to me."

Phoenix:"But you vampires are supposed to fear crosses."

Valforth:"True, but not I. See, other vampires fear crosses and are even 
          hurt by them because they BELIEVE it to be so. But I believe
          that crosses cannot hurt me, thus they do not. It is a state
          of mind."

Phoenix:"Oh boy, that's bad."

Elexis:"What about sunlight? That should hurt you physically."

Valforth laughs, then takes hold of one of his wristcuffs. He pulls it
up slightly. Where the jacket covered him, his skin is more paler.
Corsair moans out loudly and covers his forehead.

Corsair:"Oh man! He's got a tan line!"

Valforth grins and let's go of his wristcuffs.

Valforth:"Once again, all in the mind. If I believe that sunlight is
          harmless to me, then it is. My fellow vampires do not even
          want to even try it."

Tanarus:"What about silver bullets? A stake through the heart? Sure
         those can kill you."

Valforth:"True, but then they can kill anyone else, even pure-blood
          humans. But it will only be a matter of mind over matter,
          though I am in no hurry to discover if it works."

Shephard:"Mind over matter? Where did you get this idea?"

Valforth:"A very famous personal trainer in the United States taught me
          this. Name is Bradford Smiley. I am truely in his debt."

Shephard(to himself):"Note to self: once we get back to the US, I'm
        going to go and blow that personal trainer's a** away."

Illanov:"While I frown on casual murder, comrade, in this instance it
         is very compelling."

Valforth:"And it will remain so, because I will ensure that you will
          never complete your mission."

Corsair:"What are you going to do? Bite our necks, drink our blood and
         turn us into vampires?"

Valforth makes a face.

Valforth:"Please. I do not just go about drinking just anyone's blood.
          You don't know where it has been. And I know from experience,
          or rather from that of some of my ex-collegues. They all died
          from drinking blood infected with HIV. I only drink sterilized
          blood from the Mayhem medical blood banks."

Striker:"So it will be combat."

Valforth:"Indeed. Only I have the advantage of being a vampire. Thus I
          am immune to your current weaponry, if intelligence has done 
          its homework."

Corsair taps Shephard's shoulder and gets his attention.

Corsair:"Hey, Shephard. I don't suppose you're got silver bullets you'd
         like to share with me... er, us?"

Shephard shakes his head.

Shephard:"Sorry, sir. Silver bullets are not standard issue in the army."

Corsair:"Aw, crud."

Valforth:"Enough chit-chat."

Valforth digs into his jack with both hands and pulls out a pair of 
viciously jagged knifes, holding one in each hand. The Strikers grab
their weapons and take aim on Valforth. Striker glances over at
Phoenix.

Striker:"Take the flight controls."

Phoenix:"Right, Love."

Striker stands, keeping his sonic rifle aimed at Valforth, to allow
Phoenix to take his seat and take over the flight controls of the
Stealth Rover. The others except Corsair and Merit stand up, weapons
ready and aimed. Valforth waves his knifes around, grinning openly at
them.

Valforth:"Prepare to face the power of the clan of Dracul!"

He hisses at them, exposing his fangs at them. Shephard immediately
opens fire at Valforth. The vampire suddenly runs out of the way with
blurring speed, causing the bullets to strike the back walls and door
of the cockpit. Before the Strikers can take in Valforth's speed, he
grabs Elexis' one arm and holds a knife to her throat. The others turn
and aim their weapons at him. Tanarus is growling in anger.

Tanarus:"Let her go!"

Valforth:"Oh no. She is your wife and such a fine specimen of a female."

Elexis growls, her eyes defiant.

Elexis:"Shoot him, Tanarus!"

Tanarus:"I'm not going to hurt you!"

At that point Valforth notices that is one less Striker inside the
cockpit.

Valforth:"Where is that Illanov creature?"

Illanov's voice comes from right behind.

Illanov:"Here, comrade!"

He suddenly comes out of invisibility and puts his own arm around
Valforth's neck while he grabs his one arm with the knife. Elexis
quickly moves and grabs the arm holding the knife to her neck. Valforth
hisses and suddenly bites Illanov's arm, digging his fangs into his
flesh. Illanov yelps out in pain, his grip in the arm loosening. Striker
comes up and bashes Valforth's head with the butt of his sonic rifle.
Valforth quickly stops biting and uses his powerful vampire strength
to wring himself free of both Illanov and Elexis. He quickly jumps over
to the other side of the cockpit before Tanarus and Striker can grab
him. He reaches for Corsair, but Corsair quickly falls backwards out of
his seat and kicks at Valforth's arms. Valforth grabs each foot and
opens his mouth to bite Corsair's leg. Corsair's eyes widen.

Corsair:"No way! I'm not getting a bad complexion like yours!"

He boots his sneaker into Valforth's face, but it only causes him to
jerk away for a moment before he tries to bite again. The delay, however,
gives Shephard time to come up and kick Valforth in the stomach. Valforth 
doubles over and lets go of Corsair's legs, who quickly crawls away from 
the vampire. Shephard takes out his Desert Eagle and holds it to the
temple of Valforth.

Shephard:"I'm sure vampires don't mind having their brains blown out."

Valforth hisses, then very quickly ducks and punches Shephard in the
groin. Shephard doubles over in pain, cursing out loud. Striker aims
and fires a sonic blast at Valforth. Before he can react, the blast
hits Valforth and throws him hard against the cockpit side window,
cracking it. Valforth is unphased, however, and he glares at Striker.
Just as Striker is about to fire another blast, Valforth jumps over
to land behind him. Before Striker can fully turn around, Valforth
grabs him. With amazing strength, he hoists the struggling Striker
and tosses him at the cracked window. Striker's bodyweight smashes
through the cracked glass and he stumbles over the side of the Stealth
Rover's hull. Just before falling over the edge, his one paw grabs
hold of the edge of the hull. Striker holds on for dear life with one
paw while holding his sonic rifle in the other paw. Valforth jumps
over to the hole and climbs out. He grins as he sees Striker dangling
over the side of the hull. He slides down as Tanarus tries to fire
at the vampire. His shoes find purchase on the edge of the hull,
keeping him from falling over the edge as well. Meanwhile, Merit examines
the hole in the cockpit window.

Merit:"Cockpit windows damaged. Commencing repair operations."

Opening his toolkit, Merit stands up, climbs out of the window and begins
to fix the broken window. Valforth glances at Merit to see if he is a
threat, but laughs when he sees Merit doing repairs. He looks back at
Stirker.

Valforth:"As you just saw, we vampires are far more superior to you
          purebloods."

Striker tries to aim his sonic rifle at Valforth, but the vampire puts
his one shoe down hard on Striker's paw that is holding on. Striker
growls in slight pain.

Valforth:"Go ahead. Shoot. That shot will be your last."

Striker:"You would force me off even if I do not take the shot."

Valforth chuckles.

Valforth:"That is true, I suppose. But you can make it easier for you
          AND me."

Striker raises his sonic rifle some more, his eyes defiant.

Striker:"Aikona!"

Valforth grins, then hisses loudly.

Valforth:"Then... you shall perish!"

Upon hearing those last words, Merit immediately activates his speakers
and, at full volume, plays the tune "TARATANTAAA!". The sudden and very
loud noise makes Valforth jump and quickly turn over to Merit in conster-
nation. Striker takes this chance. He swings his sonic rifle in a manner
that hits Valforth in the back. Valforth stumbles forward. Before he can
even attempt to grab hold, he flies over the edge. Striker watches as
Valforth tumbles down to the ocean below before he disappears into the
darkness. Meanwhile, Tanarus leans out of the window, held up by the
legs by Shephard and Corsair. He holds out a paw to Striker.

Tanarus:"Striker, grab hold!"

Striker reaches out with the paw holding the sonic rifle. Tanarus takes
the rifle and passes it to Shephard, who takes it. Tanarus then takes
Striker's paw. The two of them hold tightly while Striker reaches out
with his other paw. Tanarus takes hold of it, then looks back at the
others.

Tanarus:"That's it! Pull us up!"

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard and Corsair pull, dragging Tanarus and Striker back up to the
cockpit window. They are finally pulled in, while Merit is busy doing
the final touches to put in a new pane of glass. He also climbs in. Back
inside the cockpit, Shephard and Corsair help Striker and Tanarus back
to their feet, while Elexis is busy treating Illanov's bite mark. Merit
goes out of the cockpit to fetch a new pane of glass. Phoenix glances
over at Striker with a worried look.

Phoenix:"You okay, Strikie?"

Striker goes over to her, smiling.

Striker:"I'm reg, Firefly."

Phoenix is relieved and smiles back.

Phoenix:"Where is Valforth?"

Striker:"Falling to the Mediterranian Sea."

Tanarus:"I doubt he will get to it. If all what I've learned about 
         vampires is true, then Valforth can turn into a bat to escape
         his doom."

Striker:"You might be reg, Tanarus. Phoenix, let me take the controls
         again. You can have a look at where that seaplane is."

Phoenix nods, gets up and moves back to her seat. Striker sits down and
takes the controls, while Phoenix resumes at her terminal.

Italian Coastline:

Valforth is still tumbling down to the sea below. He goes into a diving
position and spreads his arms. There is a quick swirl of mist around
him, then a moment later the mist clears. Valforth has turned into a
bat. He flaps his wings and turns in the direction where he can see
the Stealth Rover. He watches as the Stealth Rover flies over the coast
and disappear behind some hills. The next moment there is a red flash
from behind the hills, followed the sound of an explosion. Valforth
flies towards the area where the lights from a fire can be seen from
behind the hills. The Iron Casket is also flying towards the area of
the fire.

Bridge
War Zeppelin "Iron Casket"
23:14 PM:

Oringo and Airie are standing alongside the first mate, looking on a
computer screen showing the burning fire amongst some trees. Oringo is
grinning.

Oringo:"Looks like Unit STRIKE is finally all 'up in smoke'."

Airie:"I am not so certain about that fact. Let me listen to Valforth.
       He's going over the crash site."

Airie closes her eyes as she begins to use telepathic powers to commu-
nicate. The movements of her forehead muscles and eyesbrows give off 
various kinds of expressions, along with the occasional nod. Finally
she opens her eyes.

Airie:"Valforth has finished going over the site and is coming back up."

Oringo:"Well? Did he see their charred bodies?"

Airie:"That is just a fire. No bodies, no wreckage. Valforth says that
       he knew Unit STRIKE would not crash like this. They must have
       fired some shots at the ground there."

Oringo stops grinning.

Oringo:"Then where are they?"

Airie:"We don't know, but most likely they will try and follow the Hyumi
       anyway. Once we pick up Valforth, we will resume our escort of
       the Hyumi."

Oringo:"Why can't we just stay here and hunt the Strikers?"

Airie:"Because we could be here searching for them all night, while they
       are right behind the Hyumi."

Oringo snorts.

Oringo:"What does it matter? The Hyumi can easily blow their butts out
        of the sky."

Airie:"Our orders are clear: we are not to take chances. And if you
       don't like it, then you can talk to Valforth about it. Or even
       McTerry."

Oringo:"Maybe I will. Where is that vampire?"

There is the sound of a squeaking bat. Airie and Oringo look up to see
a bat fly over them before landing the floor behind him. A mist cloud
swirls around the bat. When it clears, Valforth is standing in the bat's
place. He carefully wipes his smoking jacket clean before looking up
at them.

Valforth:"You wanted to talk to me, Oringo?"

Oringo:"Yeah. Are we going to hunt down the Strikers? Because I want
        to have another go at them."

Valforth:"Sorry, Oringo. We have strict orders to follow the Hyumi. What
          is its status, Airie?"

Airie:"It is 20 kilometres away and on course."

Valforth:"Good."

Valforth walks over to the captain.

Valforth:"Resume the current course behind the Hyumi."

Captain:"Aye, sir. All crews, resume escort of Hyumi!"

Crew:"Resuming escort, aye captain!"

As the captain and the crew carry out their orders, Oringo goes up to
Valforth with an angry look.

Oringo:"I am going to go to the Hyumi to go after them if they go
        there!"

Valforth:"No you will not, because Unit STRIKE will not be going to
          be following the Hyumi anymore."

Oringo is taken aback, as is Airie.

Airie:"Not follow it? Then where will they go to?"

Valforth:"To my family castle in Romania, of course."

Oringo:"Your castle?! What the heck for?"

Valforth:"Because I have bitten one of their number and infected him
          with vampirism. They can only find a cure for it there from
          my fellow clan members in Castle Valforth."

Oringo:"Then I will go there!"

Valforth:"Feel free to do so, but I am going to contact McTerry and have
          the others go to help my clan members remove Unit STRIKE."

Oringo nods, then steps away rasping his knuckles together. Valforth
picks up the radio on the captain's terminal.

Cockpit
Stealth Rover
At That Moment:

Through the cockpit one can see the Stealth Rover is hovering between
some along the coast. Striker puts the Stealth Rover on automatic and
turns to Phoenix.

Striker:"Wel?"

Phoenix looks at her terminal, then at Striker.

Phoenix:"The war zeppelin is resuming its course behind the Hyumi. Do
         you think they took the bait, Strikie?"

Striker:"I hope so. If not, at least faking our own destruction has
         allowed us to escape from their view. Now we should resume
         pursuit at a safer distance."

Elexis:"Sorry, Striker, but we might have to abort that idea."

Striker turns to look at Elexis, who is treating the unconcious Illanov's
arm. It is tightly wrapped in bandages, particularly around his upper
arm. Elexis is looking very concerning.

Striker:"Wat is fout, Elexis? And why is Alex unconcious?"

Elexis:"I had to put him to sleep. His lower body metabolism would stop
        the spread of the disease."

Striker:"Disease?"

Elexis:"Vampire disease. Illanov is slowly going to become a vampire."

Everyone is alarmed at this announcement.

Tanarus:"Can't you cure him, Dear?"

Elexis:"I wish I could, but my KH Military medical training and equipment
        cannot stop the vampirism he is infected with."

Corsair:"Man, we gotta cure him ASAP. He is bad enough as it is without
         being a vampire."

Striker:"How much time do we have to cure him?"

Elexis:"Hard to say, but at most I would say four days."

Striker:"Ai yai yai. We must find someone who can cure him quickly."

Shephard:"What about Longbow One, sir?"

Striker:"Have the satellites track the seaplane and Longbow One, if they
         unload it. Illanov's health is now our primary concern."

Phoenix:"But where are we going to find someone to cure him?"

Striker:"We will need to go to Valforth's lair somewhere in Transylvania."

Corsair:"Transylvania is only a movie creation. It doesn't exist."

Tanarus:"Actually, it does. While I was still squadron general, I had to
         study maps of Europe in detail. Transylvania is a hilly region
         in northwest Romania, between the Transylvanian Alps and the
         Carpathian and Bihor mountains."

Striker:"Goed. Then we will go there immediately. Tanarus, try to gather
         as much information about Transylvania as possible."

Tanarus:"I'm on it."

Striker:"Corsair, go online and find out whether there is any Mayhem 
         Mercenary and/or EuroCorp activity or assets in the region."

Corsair:"Right away, boss."

Tanarus and Corsair turn to their terminals and begin to type away. Striker
looks at Elexis.

Striker:"Will you be able to keep him stable?"

Elexis:"For now, but it will get more difficult in time."

Striker:"Then we must go now."

Striker looks at Shephard.

Striker:"Get those satellites up and looking for that seaplane."

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Shephard picks up his terminal's communicator. Striker finally looks at
Merit, who has finished putting in the new window.

Striker:"Are you done, Merit?"

Merit:"Repairs are completed."

Striker:"Goed. Let's roll!"

As Striker turns and takes over control of the Stealth Rover, Phoenix
looks over at Merit.

Phoenix:"Where did you get the idea of playing that music to get rid of
         Valforth, Merit?"

Merit:"I discovered that such phonetics generally occur when an event of
       importance is announced. Therefore, I am incorporating this method
       so as to increase my understanding and co-existence with humanoid
       species."

Phoenix stares at Merit.

Phoenix:"Ooooookay."

She turns back to face forward as Merit sits down. Striker pilots the
Stealth Rover up out of cover and begins to fly towards Romania. Once again
Longbow One has eluded the grasp of Unit STRIKE, and now Illanov's life is
in jeopardy from the vampirism disease. Will they be able to find a cure to
save Illanov? What is going to happen to Longbow One? What new dangers await
the team in Transylvania?


THE END