Rover Strike: Vanguard

Episode 8: Rooting Out The Mole

By Gerhard Naudé

All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
Casa Lupo & Residents © Kirsten Coughlan

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

Meeting Room
Vanguard Complex
Unknown Location
5 July
08:00 AM:

Hawkins is seated at the head of the table, while around him is
Thomason, Hounder, several high-ranking officers, Suchong and 
Vanderberg. Standing behind Hawkins is Hardboot, arms folded and 
looking at the others sternly. Hawkins is speaking.

Hawkins:"I'll keep this brief. There are three big issues I want
         to discuss. Firstly. Our mole in the Road Rovers is in
         danger of being caught out and we need to get her out.
         She still has information that could aid the Rovers if
         they get their paws on her. Thomason, how are the ar-
         rangements?"

Thomason:"We got the team together and they're waiting outside
          of Roswell for the order to move, sir."

Hawkins:"And you, Hounder?"

Hounder:"My team is on its way from San Diego, sir. They should 
         link up with Thomason's team today."

Hawkins:"Good. And by the way, Hounder. You will be getting
         company with your team."

Hounder:"Mei Jing again? I like her as much as the next male, but
         I thought you sent her back to Shanghai, sir?"

Hawkins:"I did. That's why I'm sending Slade instead."

Hounder's eyes widen.

Hounder:"Slade?! Er, sir, may I ask why?"

Hawkins:"As leader of our sapien division, Slade should oversee
         Fleabag's extraction. And considering your performance
         last time, I thought it would a good idea to get a
         little more... insurance."

Hounder gulps.

Hounder:"But sir..."

Hawkins abruptly raises a claw.

Hawkins:"Enough. Slade and Thomason will be giving the orders,
         and you will follow them. Understood?"

Hounder sighs dispondently.

Hounder:"Yes, sir."

Hawkins:"Good. And now for the second issue. In the next few days
         I'm having Stalker transferred from here to our Nepal
         facility. Suchong, is the cell there ready?"

Suchong:"Custom built and prepared, sir. We just need to do a few
         more stress tests, but that won't take long. We'll have 
         no trouble holding Stalker there."

Hawkins:"Excellent."

Vanderberg:"Can I ask why we're moving him, boss?"

Hawkins:"Our intel people are getting clues that the KH, despite 
         our threats, is still trying to find their leader. I'd 
         rather keep them guessing about his location, plus ensure 
         that our HQ doesn't come under KH Military attack."

Vanderberg:"How are we going to do that?"

Hawkins:"We're going to send Tunstall back with the excuse that he
         managed to 'escape' from our custody. He will then provide
         the KH Military false information and lead them on a wild
         goose chase."

Vanderberg:"Tunstall? Er, is he up to it, boss?"

Hawkins:"He made Stalker's capture possible, didn't he? And besides,
         he knows the penalty for not following orders. So I think
         we should have no problem with him."

Vanderberg simply nods, his face expressionless.

Vanderberg:"Ah, okay."

Officer:"So when is the move, sir?"

Hawkins:"In a week's time. I want to have him make one more live
         appearance on the news, just to make sure the KH Military
         is still paying attention. Then its off to Nepal with
         him. Oh yes! Almost forgot..."

He looks back at Thomason.

Hawkins:"How goes that... how shall I put it... unique correspon-
         dence of ours, Thomason?"

Thomason:"We've managed to tap into his communications network
          and have sent a few anonymous messages. No reply yet,
          but he has read them and hasn't deleted them either."

Hawkins:"Ah, then he's probably still mulling it over. Give him a
         little bit more time, but be sure to later send another
         message offering more benefits."

Thomason:"Yes, sir."

Hawkins nods in satisfaction.

Hawkins:"I think that should do it. Meeting adjourned."

Everyone gets up and begins to leave the meeting. Spectre, the
disguised Vanderberg, goes to a quiet spot to send his latest
report to the KH Military.

Stalker's Office
KHA Alexander
Somewhere Over Greenland
09:32 AM:

Trigger is seated at Stalker's work desk, looking at the screen
of his brother's computer terminal. On the screen is Sky. Trigger
is shocked by what Sky has just told him.

Trigger:"Tunstall?! I don't believe it!"

Sky:"That is what Spectre has told us, General. And looking back
     at it, it shouldn't be surprising. Tunstall was alone with
     General Stalker when he was captured and was the one who led
     him to that trap in Rome."

Trigger:"But why? Why did he do this?"

Sky:"That we have yet to determine."

Trigger snarls and bangs his fist on the table, shaking the
screen.

Trigger:"That traitor! That backstabbing b****rd! I'll rip his
         fur off his body! With my bare paws!"

Sky:"Might I suggest you calm down for a moment, general?"

But Trigger is still snarling with anger. Sky concentrates and
uses his power on Trigger.

Sky:"Why don't you relax a bit and listen to what I got to say,
     my dear general?"

Trigger immediately calms down, all traces of anger gone from his
face. He looks back at Sky.

Trigger:"My apologies, Sky. What did you wish to say?"

Sky:"That's better. What I suggest is that, now that we know
     Tunstall is a traitor and the Vanguard doesn't, we use him
     to feed false information to his masters. Lead them around
     the nose for a bit."

Without thinking, Trigger nods approvingly.

Trigger:"Yes, that is a good idea, Sky. I like it! That should
         teach the Vanguard a lesson."

Sky:"I knew you would agree."

Trigger:"Yes. And what about my brother?"

Sky:"We cannot really act until we know the location of this
     facility he is being taken to, general."

Trigger:"But we know its in Nepal. You just said so."

Sky:"Yes, but Nepal is still a country. And a mountainous one
     at that. There are manly places to hide such a facility
     and it will take time to pin point its location, though it
     may be quicker should Spectre get more information."

Trigger:"Then we can finally go in and rescue my brother!"

Sky:"The moment we do that is the moment the Vanguard executes
     him. They know we will try to rescue him and have their
     eyes open."

Trigger:"I will kill them all of them if they do!"

Sky:"I have no doubt you would, general, but your brother will
     still be dead."

Trigger folds his ears back, slumps in his seat and sighs in
a despondent manner.

Trigger:"I know..."

Sky:"But there might be another way for us to rescue Stalker
     without the Vanguard acting until it is too late."

Trigger immediately perks up again and looks at the screen.

Trigger:"Really? What is it?"

Sky:"I cannot say yet, general. It is still at the conceptual
     stage, but I guarantee you that, if it should work, you
     and your brother will be sharing a nice deer steak around
     the table very soon."

Trigger sighs.

Trigger:"I sure hope so, Sky. Is that all?"

Sky:"Yes, general. I will keep you updated on the latest news."

Trigger:"Thank you, Sky."

Trigger switches off the chat program and leans back in his
chair, rubbing his eyes and sighing.

Female Restrooms
Road Rover Headquarters
United States of America
6 July
06:00 AM:

Inside the female restrooms, Sleek is pacing and forth in front
of the wash basins, her reflection clear in the mirror. She looks
agitated as she speaks into a small microphone attached to a tiny
earpiece.

Sleek(into mike):"How soon?... Look, I can't stay any longer. They
     are all getting suspicious, not just the annoying human... So
     when?... This afternoon? I... Yes, yes... Okay, I'll get my
     things, destroy all the evidence and head for the rendevoux
     point... Understood. Fleabag, out."

Sleek takes off the headset, pockets it and then rubs her face.

Sleek:"S***, this is bad. I'd better get everything together and
       then get out of dodge."

She washes her face with some water in the basin before going to
the door. The German Shepherd peeks out and checks both ends of
the corridor. Once she is sure the coast is clear, she leaves the
bathroom and walks away. Inside the male restroom, Jaco is with
Merit. Jaco has earphones on that are hooked up to Merit. Behind
them in one of the stalls is Shag, drinking from the toilet. Merit
is scanning through the walls.

Merit:"She has departed."

Jaco:"Great. Thank you for helping, Merit. Let's get back to the
      Professor."

Merit:"Affirmative."

Jaco takes off the earphones and unplugs it from Merit.

Jaco:"Thanks for the help, Sha..."

He then notices what Shag is doing. He facepalms.

Jaco:"Not again, Shag. You're going to catch something from that!"

Merit:"Actually, latrines undergo regular cleaning and disinfection.
       The number of hazardous germs and bacteria of a well-serviced
       is less than what is currently on a human tongue."

Jaco sighs.

Jaco:"Let's just go."

Merit:"Proceeding."

Jaco and Merit leave the restroom. Shag continues to drink from the
toilet bowl.

Assembly Area
Vanguard Headquarters
Unknown Location
At That Moment:

This is a large, cavernous room in the form of a circle. Large 
pillars line the walls with second level walkways going between
them. Doorways and tunnels come from all directions. In the
floor in the centre of the room is a huge version of the Vanguard
insignia. Guards, scientists and technicians are walking about
on the floor and walkways, going about their duties. Spectre is
on a walkway, looking down to the centre of the area. There, two
rows of cano-sapiens have gathered of various breeds and genders.
The front row consists of smaller breeds, while the back row has
the larger breeds. They are all dressed in Vanguard uniforms,
though none of them are wearing any body armors. They are milling
around and chatting to one another.

Spectre(to himself):"Where is Monsiour Slade, I wonder?"

Suddenly there is a loud bark that echoes through the chamber. 
The canines all immediately stand to attention, arms against 
their sides and feet together. Spectre turns his head and sees
a large German Shephard/Doberman cano-sapien wearing grey/blue/
black camo fatigues and deep navy boots. He is holding a leash, 
at the end of which is a groomed but tired-looking female wolf, 
who is being made to walk on all fours despite being a sapien. 
Spectre looks curiously at the two.

Spectre(to himself):"How unusual."

Slade marches up to the cano-sapiens. The wolf female sits next 
to him on her haunches.

Slade:"At ease!"

The sapiens all go at ease. Slade looks over them.

Slade:"All right, you lot. Listen up, we got a big mission on
       our plate. We got an operative in the Road Rovers who is
       about to get exposed, so we're going to go and pick her
       up and fight off the Rovers. You all get that?"

Sapiens:"Sir! Yes, sir!"

Slade:"Are you mutts ready to take on the Rovers?"

Sapiens:"Sir! Yes, sir!"

Slade cups his paw around his one ear.

Slade:"I didn't get that!"

Sapiens:"SIR! YES SIR!!!"

Slade nods in satisfaction.

Slade:"Excellent! Get your gear and meet up at the hangar! 
       Dismissed!"

The cano-sapiens all salute, then begin marching in unison
towards one of the exits. Slade janks on the leash, making
the female wolf yip.

Slade:"You see that, Rebound? That's the kind of discipline
       I expect from you."

The female wolf named Rebound simply growls at him. He tugs
the leash again, this time harder. Rebound gags and coughs.
Spectre frowns at this sight.

Slade:"Right! Time to meet Hawkins. Let's go!"

He tugs the leash again, forcing Rebound to her feet. The
two of them proceed towards an exit, but as they walk Rebound
locks eyes with Spectre and looks at him intently. She frowns
at him, but Spectre doesn't register it fully. He watches
them as they leave.

Spectre:"Hmmmm. Perhaps I need to speak to zat poor maned
         wolf madamoiselle."

Spectre also leaves the assembly area.

The Master's Quarters
09:13 AM:

Unit STRIKE, the Road Rovers and the Master are all gathered in
the professor's office. Jaco and Merit have just finished telling
the Master about Sleek and the eavesdropping.

Master:"Then that settles it. Time to deal with this matter and
        purge the Vanguard from our systems."

Hunter:"What's the plan, Master?"

Master:"I want you all to go to Sleek's quarters and arrest her
        before she leaves. We will then interrogate her for all
        she..."

It is then the Master notices that Phoenix is swaying from side to
side, looking rather ill. He looks at her with concern.

Master:"Are you all right, Phoenix?"

At this point Striker also sees his mate is not well and becomes
alarmed.

Striker:"Firefly, what's wrong?"

Phoenix tries to put on a brave face, but she is clearly ill.

Phoenix:"I'm okay! I'm just... just... ugh... ulp!"

Suddenly Phoenix rushes for a nearby dustbin, drops to her knees
and begins to be loudly sick in it. Striker and Colleen rush over
to her.

Striker:"Phoenix! Phoenix!"

Colleen:"Crickey! Are you okay, girl?"

Phoenix coughs and tries to look up.

Phoenix:"I..."

She immediately retches into the dustbin again. Corsair makes a
face.

Corsair:"Eww. She definitely ate something bad."

Merit:"Actually you had consumed the same sustenance during the
       breakfast session as she."

Corsair rolls his eyes, then suddenly looks alarmed at Merit and
clutching his own stomach.

Corsair:"Is there something in the food?"

Shephard:"I don't feel ill."

Shag shakes his head in agreement. Phoenix finally stops throwing
up. Colleen and Striker help her to feet as the Master approaches
them.

Master:"Is she all right?"

Phoenix:"I... I feel... awful... but better..."

Colleen:"I think I'd better take you to the medical bay, guv. You
         need a check-up."

Phoenix:"No, I'm fine now..."

Colleen shakes her head and gets a firm grip on Phoenix's arm.

Colleen:"Not a chance, sister. You need to be checked to see what
         you've caught. Come on."

Striker:"Better go with Colleen, Phoenix. Best to be sure what is
         wrong."

Phoenix:"Ugh... fine, but I'll be back soon..."

Master:"If you're medically cleared then you can so, Phoenix."

Colleen escorts Phoenix out of the room. Once everyone has their
attention focused on the Master again, he continues.

Master:"As I said, you should go and arrest Sleek and bring her in
        for interrogation immediately. The evidence that Jaco has
        brought against her is too strong to dismiss without further
        investigation."

Hunter:"Should we get her now, Master?"

Master:"Now would be a good time, yes. Sleek probably knows by now
        that we are on to her, so the sooner you bring her in the
        less chance she will have of covering her tracks or even
        escaping."

Hunter salutes.

Hunter:"We'll go pick up her now."

Hunter turns to the others.

Hunter:"Come on, Rovers. Let's roll!"

Both teams quickly file out of the Master's quarters.

Sleek's Quarters
Dormitories
09:34 AM:

This is a corridor with similar doors at regular intervals, with
fire alarms and paintings between them. The Rovers and Strikers
walk down the corridor, lead by Jaco. He stops by a door and
gestures to it.

Jaco:"This is her dorm."

Hunter:"Check if she's here."

Jaco knocks on the door a few times and waits. There is no answer
from the other side.

Hunter:"Open it."

Jaco nods and tests the handle. The lock clicks from the latch 
and Jaco swings the door wide open. The first thing he immediately
sees is an auto turret coming to life and aim at him. His eyes 
widen.

Jaco:"F*k!"

The turret opens fire, but Jaco manages to duck to one side. The
bullets fly through the door and perforate the wall on the other
side of the corridor. The rest of the team are startled. Shag jumps
into Corsair's arms, who collapses to the ground under the big
sheepdog's weight.

Corsair:"Aaaaghh! Shag, get your furry sack off me!"

Shag:"Rhorry."

Illanov grins as Shag climbs off Corsair. Exile uses his x-ray
vision to look through the wall. He can see the turret, slowly
rotating on its tripod.

Exile:"Machine gun on stilts in the middle of the room, comrades.
       Only one I can see."

Striker:"Sleek clearly was expecting us. Any sign of her?"

Exile:"Neyt, comrade. But I cannot see much. She might be hiding
       in there."

Corsair:"So how do we get rid of the turret without getting
         terminal leading poisoning?"

Hunter thinks, then peeks around the corner. The turret detects
him and swivels its turret to aim at him, but Hunter quickly
ducks back behind cover. He looks at the others with confidence.

Hunter:"I'll handle this one."

Hunter uses his super speed to run into Sleek's dorm. The turret
spots him, but Hunter runs in a circle around the weapon. The
turret tries to lock on, but Hunter goes faster and faster until
the turret malfunctions and breaks down from the effort. Hunter
stops and gives it a kick to knock it over.

Hunter:"Sleep mode, on! Okay guys, all clear!"

The rest of the Rovers rush into the room. They all quicky look
around the dorm. It is quite sparse in terms of personal effects,
with only basic furniture around. 

Merit:"Such excessive amounts of accumulated dirt."

Merit takes out a feather dust probe and begins sweeping a table,
sending up clouds of dust.

Blitz:"She didn't seem to spend much time here, yah."

Jaco searches a dustbin and pulls up a laptop.

Jaco:"Found something."

He flips it open, only to find both the screen and the keyboard
burnt and melted. Corsair looks at it and shakes his head.

Corsair:"That laptop is totalled. Not going to get anything
         useful from it."

Corsair touches the burnt laptop.

Corsair:"This still feels warm."

Everyone searches the entire dorm before gathering.

Illanov:"Nothing, comrades. She's gone."

Striker:"We need to go look at the security footage and sweep
         all the exits. She must have left not very long ago."

Hunter:"Good call. Come on, everyone! Let's roll!"

Everyone leaves Sleek's dorm room.

Hangar
Road Rover Headquarters
09:55 AM:

The various vehicles used by the Road Rovers are all here, though
a lot of them are under tarps due to being temporarily mothballed
from lack of funds to keep them running. Some of the wolf-sapien
volunteers from Vice's group are doing maintenance work on the
few vehicles still operational, among them Ciro. The Rovers and
Unit STRIKE come into the hangar. Hunter runs up to Ciro, who is
under the hood of the Tunnel Rover's engine.

Hunter:"Ciro!"

Ciro looks up at Hunter.

Ciro:"Hello, Hunter. What is it?"

Hunter:"Did you perhaps see Sleek in here? We saw her come here
        on the security cameras, but we lost track of her."

Ciro:"Oh yes! We did see her. In fact, she asked me to open the
      hangar door so she could take the Chopper Rover on a
      training run."

Hunter:"And you let her?"

Ciro:"She said she had the Master's permission, so I let her out.
      Why? Something wrong?"

Hunter:"Sleek is a Vanguard spy and we need to capture her before
        she can escape back to her bosses."

Ciro:"Then you're in luck. We got the Jet Rover fuelled up and
      fully checked this morning. You can take her right now."

Hunter:"Awesome! Then we can use the Jet Rover's computers to
        track the Chopper Rover. Can you get the hangar doors for 
        us?"

Ciro nods and puts down his tools.

Ciro:"Of course!"

Hunter:"Thanks, bud!"

While Ciro runs off to go open the hangar doors, Hunter gathers
the rest of the teams.

Hunter:"Come on, Rovers! Sleek has taken the Chopper Rover. We're
        taking the Jet Rover to follow her."

Corsair:"Hey, what about Phoenix and Colleen?"

Striker:"They will have to stay. We don't have time to wait for
         them."

Hunter:"Agreed! Let's hit the skies, Rovers!"

Most of the Rovers howl, making Corsair and Shephard flinch from
the loud noise. The two teams quickly board the Jet Rover, start
it up and taxi it onto the runway. The hangar doors open and the
Jet Rover rockets down the runway and out the cave into the skies
above New Mexico. It flies off after Sleek.

Vanguard Airfield
Somewhere Near Roswell
New Mexico
10:12 AM:

This is a flat piece of terrain nestled amongst some hills. While
normally covered with grass, large parts of it have been cleared
to make a large, temporary runway. On the one side of the runway
a temporary camp has been erected by the Vanguard. Several tents
have been set up with a parking lot for the various vehicles.
Lined up at the one end of the runway are several Mosquitoes on
standby, their pilots waiting in a small tent nearby. Patrolling
the perimeter of the aircraft are several Dustkickers. A Dust-
kicker is a tread-mounted mobile AAA platform with a big chaingun
turret mounted on top. On the side of the turret are several
missile pods. All of them are in the colours of the Vanguard with
the insignia on the front of the turrets. Meanwhile, on guard in
the tent camp are Vanguard operators, all of them cano-sapiens.
They wear the same outfits, though slightly modified to fit their
canine bodies. Parked by one of the tents is a Vanguard 18-wheeler
that serves as a mobile communication post. Slade is inside along
with several cano-sapien technicians. He is speaking to Sleek on
the radio.

Slade(into radio):"We got you loud and clear, Fleabag. Any sign of
     the Road Rovers?"

Sleek(over radio):"Nothing yet, Big Dog, but they won't be far
     behind. The signal from my turret is already dead, so they
     probably know already."

Slade(into radio):"Okay, keep going to the agreed rendevoux point.
     I'll send some Mosquitoes to cover you and keep those Rovers
     off your tail."

Sleek(over radio):"Understood, Big Dog. Fleabag, out."

Slade(into radio):"Over and out."

Slade switches over to a different channel.

Slade(into radio):"This is Commander Slade. Are your pilots ready,
     Hounder?"

Hounder(over radio):"Uh, yes commander Slade. My pilots are standing
       by and the mechanics have given the all clear for our Mos-
       quitoes to take to the skies."

Slade(into radio):"Good. Get them in the air immediately. Our
     informant is on her way and the Road Rovers will probably be
     hot on her tail soon. I want them taken care of, Hounder!"

Hounder(over radio):"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!"

Slade hangs up the radio. Out on the airfield, Hounder goes to the
pilots' tent and enters it. The pilots are milling about and talking
to each other.

Hounder:"Atten-shun!"

The pilots all jump to their feet and stand at attention.

Hounder:"I want you all to take off right away. Our informant is
         on her way and we need to give her some cover. So get to
         it, lads!"

Pilots:"Yes, sir!"

The pilots grab their flight helmets and rush outside. They all head
for the Mosquitoes and climb in while the mechanics make the final
preparations. The pilots start the engines and the rotor blades begin
to spin. One by one each Mosquito starts taking off. Soon, all five
Mosquitoes are in the air and flying off in Sleek's direction.

New Mexico Countryside
10:20 AM:

Flying low over the ground, kicking up clouds of dust with its 
rotor blades, is the Chopper Rover. In the pilot's seat handling 
the controls is Sleek. On the passenger seat next to her is a grey
security case. She is studying the radar screen and can see a
green dot on it.

Sleek:"C***, they're on my tail quicker than I expected. Those
       reinforcements better get here fast!"

Not far behind her is the Jet Rover, quickly closing the distance
between them. Hunter is at the flight controls with Jaco seated
next to him and the others behind them. Jaco is watching their own
radar.

Jaco:"We should get visual now."

Blitz is the first to see the Chopper Rover. He sits up and points
forward.

Blitz:"I see ze traitor! Right there, yah!"

Sure enough, a distant spec on the horizon quickly takes on the
shape of the Chopper Rover.

Striker:"There she is. We should get close within a minute."

Shephard:"Are we going to shoot her down, sirs?"

Striker:"As much as we want to, she is more valuable to us alive
         than dead. Though I would not rule out the possiblity."

Shephard:"Good. I got a thing or two to say to her. With my gun
          barrel."

Jaco:"Aikona, Shephard. She's my quarry."

Hunter:"Yeah. Jaco was the one who first figured out she was bad,
        so he should have the honors. Speaking of, how about
        getting her on the horn? Let her know we got her tail in
        our sights."

Blitz:"And that I vill soon bite her tooshie, too."

Exile(rolling eyes):"Weird boy."

Jaco puts on a headset and activates the radio. He speaks into
the set's microphone.

Jaco(into radio):"Sleek? This is Jaco. We're right behind you."

There is a brief pause before there is answer.

Sleek(over radio):"I wasn't expecting you so soon, Jaco."

Jaco(into radio):"We found out you are a Vanguard spy and the
    one who ruined the Road Rovers' reputation in Baytown."

Sleek(over radio):"Not really. That was Slade's work. All I did
     was provide the uniforms. Along with a lot of other things
     too."

Jaco(into radio):"So you admit it!"

Sleek(over radio):"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure
     it out now, does it? Unless it hurts your head when you
     think, Jaco."

Jaco(into radio):"Give up, Sleek. You're right behind you."

Sleek(over radio):"Then let's race. See if you can keep up!"

She can be heard hanging up on them. Before them the Chopper
Rover speeds up and goes flying towards a large mesa. Jaco
takes off the headset.

Jaco:"She refuses to give up and says she will race us."

Hunter grins smugly.

Hunter:"Racing is what Road Rovers do best. Game on!" 

The Jet Rover begins pursuing the Chopper Rover. The helicopter
flies low, almost touching the ground and sending up clouds of
dust. The Jet Rover flies into the dust cloud. From the cockpit
visibility falls to zero.

Blitz:"Ach! We can't see!"

Hunter:"Nope, but the Jet Rover's computer can. Jaco, switch it
        on."

Jaco:"Okay."

Jaco presses a button and up comes a HUD showing a wireframe
view of the landscape through the dust cloud. Hunter uses it to
avoid crashing and keep pursuing the Chopper Rover ahead of
them. Sleek keeps low, but the Jet Rover stays on her tail.

Sleek:"Let's see if they like sudden stops."

Sleek waits for the right moment, then immediately pulls on
the stick to bring the Chopper Rover's momentum to a sudden
halt. The Jet Rover shoots overhead at high speed, might to
her delight.

Sleek:"And away you go."

Inside the Jet Rover, Hunter turns the aircraft around and
tries to get back on the Chopper Rover's tail. However, Sleek
has already extended the lead she has over the Rovers and has
put considerable distance between her and the Jet Rover. The
Jet Rover manages to get on her tail again.

Jaco:"Got her on radar again."

Striker:"She can't out run us, yet she keeps trying to dodge us.
         I think she is waiting for help."

Hunter:"Then we'd better force her to land and fast. Jaco, can
        you..."

Blitz's yell interrupts them. The doberman points out the cockpit
to the left. Coming directly towards them are three Mosquitoes.

Illanov:"Its the Vanguard!"

Hunter:"Evasive action!"

Hunter pulls up as the Vanguard choppers buzz them. Meanwhile,
two other Mosquitoes go and fly alongside the Chopper Rover as
escorts. One of the Mosquitoes gets onto the Jet Rover's tail
and opens fire with its side guns. Sparks fly as the bullets
hit the sides of the Jet Rover. Blitz yells.

Blitz:"Ach! Schnell, Hunter! Schnell!"

Hunter pulls up and does a loop, causing the Mosquito to over-
shoot. The Jet Rover pulls up behind it and opens fire with its
nose cannon. A shot hits the Mosquito's tail rotor, causing it
to spin out of control. The pilot ejects just before the chopper
crashes into the ground and explodes.

Hunter:"One down!"

Jaco:"Two more left! And they're right behind us!"

Sure enough, the two other Mosquitoes pull up behind the Jet
Rover. One of them fire a pair of rockets at the aircraft. The
Jet banks left, narrowly dodging the rockets as they explode in
the ground. The Mosquitoes stay on the Jet Rover's tail as it
tries to dodge more rockets that they fire at it.

Hunter:"I'm having trouble shaking this pair! Any suggestions,
        guys?"

Jaco:"What other weapons does the Jet Rover have?"

Shephard:"If I remember the manual, it has the front nose
          cannon and a pair of missile launchers."

Jaco:"Nothing else?"

Shephard:"It has a water cannon for firefighting and riot control,
          but that is not going to help here."

Jaco:"Really?"

Jaco searches for the right button and presses it. The Jet's
water cannon comes up and begins spraying a strong stream of
water. However, the stream is immediately flown back in an arc
behind the Jet Rover. The stream hits the cockpit window of
the one Mosquito, obscuring the pilot's vision.

Pilot:"What the h***? I can't see!"

The pilot tries to get of the stream and fails to see a line of
power pylons ahead of him. The Mosquito flies into the cables
and its rotors get caught. Sparks fly as the rotors jam while
snapping the cables off. The chopper then crashes into the
ground with a great big dust cloud.

Hunter:"Hey, nice one."

Jaco shrugs.

Jaco:"Call it a Rover hunch."

Striker:"Goeie werk, Jaco. But we still got one more enemy behind
         us."

Hunter:"Just him? Then leave him to me."

Blitz whimpers and holds on to Exile's seat.

Blitz:"Oooo, that makes me worried puppy."

Exile:"You weird puppy, Weird Boy."

Behind them the last Mosquito opens fire on them. Tracers fly past
the cockpit and Hunter banks right to dodge the gunfire. He
starts to pull some high-speed manouvers, but the Mosquito stays
on their tail, matching them. Hunter pulls up and flies directly
upward and the Mosquito follows. But while the Jet Rover goes
higher and higher, the helicopter struggles to do the same and is
forced to break pursuit to avoid stalling. The pilot brings his
craft level and then quickly scans his radar and the skies for
any signs of the Jet Rover. But there is no sign of his quarry.

Pilot:"Where did they go?"

Suddenly the Jet Rover comes speeding down from directly above,
firing its nose cannon. The shots blast the tail rotor apart
and severs it from the main body. The Mosquito begins to spin
out of control. The pilot ejects from the helicopter before it
smashes into the ground, exploding in a fireball seconds later.
The Jet Rover is brought back up horizontally. Hunter is smiling
smugly.

Hunter:"And that makes a hat trick."

Striker:"Goeie flying skills, Hunter. Now we need to find Sleek
         again."

Jaco checks the radar for a moment.

Jaco:"She's almost out of range, but I got the direction she and
      her escorts are following."

Hunter:"No time to lose, then! Let's roll!"

Following Jaco's directions, Hunter guides the Jet Rover into the
right direction and resumes the pursuit.

Vanguard Airfield
10:39 AM:

The Chopper Rover and its two Mosquito escorts have landed by the
airfield, with Vanguard operatives rushing forward to secure the
stolen aircraft as Sleek gets off, carrying the securit case. She 
walks towards Slade and Hounder, who are approaching her. They 
salute one another.

Slade:"Agent Fleabag. Or Miss Sleek, I presume?"

Sleek:"Commander Slade. Captain Hounder. I'm glad to see some
       friendly faces for once."

Hounder:"How are you feeling, luv?"

Sleek:"Relief, but I'm still a bit worried about the Rovers. They
       were on my tail back there."

Slade:"You can stop worrying about them, agent. Is that the case?"

Sleek nods and offers the security case to Slade. Slade immediately
takes it in his paw.

Sleek:"Yup. All the files, data and secrets are inside."

Slade:"Good. And you covered your tracks?"

Sleek:"I destroyed all traces of what I've done to the Rovers'
       systems. It will take them years to find everything and 
       fix it."

Slade nods with satisfaction.

Slade:"Excellent."

Sleek:"Are we going to be leaving soon?"

Slade:"Now that you're here, we can pack up. You'll be coming with
       me just as soon as our extraction arrives."

Hounder:"In fact, here it comes now."

The sound of whining engines draw their attention to the landing
strip. Coming in to land is a Vanguard Airdromeda. The Airdromeda
is a large, four-engine with a sleek design, white paint with a
black underside. It has no markings barring the logo of the
Vanguard on the sides. It kicks up a lot of dust as it lands.
Everyone covers their faces from the big cloud of dust until it
settles.

Slade:"There's your ride, Agent."

Sleek:"All that for me, sir? I'm flattered."

Slade:"Right now you're a VIP, so you deserve it. The Airdromeda
       will take you directly to HQ immediately."

Sleek:"So we leave now?"

Hounder:"Just as soon as the Airdromeda has..."

Suddenly there are interrupted by an operative rushing up to Slade.

Operative:"Sir! Radars have picked up an incoming signature! Its
           the Road Rovers!"

Slade immediately growls.

Slade:"Already? S***! Raise the alarm immediately!"

The operative gets on his radio and issues the warning. Soon the
airfield is buzzing with alarms and Vanguard operatives rushing to
their positions. Sure enough, within minutes the Jet Rover comes
into view, flying directly at the airfield. A Dustkicker at the
closest perimeter locks onto the Jet Rover and fires two missiles
at it. The Jet Rover doesn't move as the missiles come right at
it. Then it does a barrel roll, causing both projectiles to
streak close by and miss. The Jet Rover returns fire on the
Dustkicker. Most shots hit the ground in front of it, but one shot
smashes apart one of the Dustkicker's rocket packs, causing a
detonation that badly damages it. The Jet Rover slows down and
flies low over the airfield. The Road Rovers, Unit STRIKE and
Jaco jump out, wearing the Rover Jetpacks. They fly down in among 
the staff tents for cover. Rushing out of one of the tents is an
operative, who is trying to get his sonic rifle ready. But Striker
fires first, his own sonic blast knocking the operative right
back into the tent. They all group together.

Corsair:"So what's the plan now?"

Hunter:"We need to find Sleek and grab her before the Vanguard get
        her on that big jumbo."

Striker:"And quickly. We cannot fight all these Vanguard forces
         on our own."

Hunter:"You guys provide cover, I'll chase her down."

And with that, Hunter takes off at super speed, leaving a trail of
dust. The others quickly take cover amongst the tents. The
Vanguard forces begin to rally against the Rovers. Leading the
attack are the Vanguard A-Ops. A-Ops are the various cano-, felo-
and other kinds of sapien operatives, who are wearing either light
or heavy operative armors. In addition, while most are armed, they
are all carrying a variety of armored devices on their wrists, 
ankles, chests, tails or necks. Leading the charge is a big tabby
felo-sapien with the ankle devices on.

Tabby:"Time to shake the trees and see what come out!"

The tabby slams one foot on the ground. The device flashes once,
magnifying the shockwave that emits from the A-Ops' foot. The wave
kicks up the tents, throwing some of the Rovers out of cover and
knocking Exile and Blitz off their feet. Exile quickly sits up
and uses his eye beams to freeze the tabby's feet to the ground.

Exile:"You got cold feet, comrade!"

Suddenly a dust of cloud envelopes the husky, causing him to gasp
and rub his eyes. Part of the dust gathers around a Bassit Hound
female, who has devices on her wrists as she controls the dust
with her paws.

Bassit:"And you got sand in your eye, Rover!"

Suddenly her dust cloud is pulled away from her, courtesy of Shag
holding a big vaccuum clearer. Blitz takes the chance to attack.

Blitz:"Time to bite some dusty tooshie!"

He charges right at the Bassit, fangs and claws bared. She shrieks
and turns to run away with the Doberman in hot pursuit. Meanwhile,
Illanov finds himself facing a Dingo A-Operative with a device
around his neck.

Illanov:"And what is your trick, comrade?"

Dingo:"Tricks? No tricks here, mate!"

The dingo inhales and breathes out a massive jet of flame towards
the Russian. Illanov disappears behind the blast as it sets ablaze
a tent by him as well. The Dingo grins.

Dingo:"Ah, I love a good barbie."

Suddenly Illanov becomes visible right next to him. Before the
startled Dingo can react, Illanov kicks him between the legs
and makes him yelp in pain, collapsing to his knees. Illanov
then lands the finishing blow on his head, knocking the Dingo
out.

Illanov:"..."

Illanov shakes his head and moves on. While the battle is going,
Hunter is racing around the airfield, leaving a trail of fire
while dodging shots being taken at him. He looks around.

Hunter:"Now where is that Sleek hiding?"

He finally spots her. She is running alongside Slade and several
A-Ops towards the back of the Airdromeda.

Hunter:"Aha!"

He speeds towards them and comes to a stop right in their path.
The Golden Retriever smirks at them.

Hunter:"Leaving so soon, Sleek? We got so much to talk about."

Slade snarls.

Slade:"Out of the way, Rover! Unless you want to be eating some
       dirt!"

Hunter shakes his head.

Hunter:"Nah, that stuff gets stuck in my teeth. I'll pass."

Slade snarls even more and turns to the A-Ops, all cano-sapiens, 
while pointing at the Retriever.

Slade:"Get this comedian out of here!"

The A-Ops march forward, snarling and getting ready to use their
powers. Hunter digs in his pocket and pulls out a tennisball. He
holds it out.

Hunter:"Who wants to play fetch? Who wants to catch the ball?"

The A-Ops immediately all immediately stop and bark, tails wagging
and tongues hanging out in eagerness. Hunter throws the ball away
really far.

Hunter:"Go fetch the ball!"

The A-Ops rush after the ball with gusto, barking and yelping. 
Hunter grins.

Hunter:"Good doggies!"

Slade slaps his paw over his face in frustration.

Slade:"What f***ing morons!"

Hunter:"Now, what did you mother say about using foul lan..."

Suddenly the Golden Retriever is engulfed up to his neck in
liquid silver, which then immediately hardens. Hunter tries to
break free of it.

Hunter:"Grrr! I would not have predicted this!"

Sleek, who's paws are covered in liquid silver, grins back at
him.

Sleek:"How about chilling out for a bit while I make a clean
       getaway?"

Slade:"Come on, let's go!"

Slade and Sleek make a dash for the Airdromeda, leaving Hunter
stuck helplessly in his silver prison. But Jaco spots them
from afar. He runs over to Striker, who had just blasted away
an A-Ops with his sonic rifle.

Jaco:"Oom Striker! Sleek is getting away and Hunter is trapped!"

Striker looks to where Jaco is pointing. He can see Hunter is
struggling to break free, while Sleek and her comrades are
getting on the Airdromeda, which is already beginning to move
on the makeshift runway.

Striker:"We cannot let them escape! Gou, jetpacks!"

Striker and Jaco activate their jetpacks again and fly low over
the ground towards the aircraft. Along the way, Striker fires
his sonic rifle at Hunter. The blast manages to crack the silver
enough for Hunter to break free.

Hunter:"Hey, thanks!"

Hunter then runs superfast alongside the two. In front of them
the Airdromeda is speeding down the runway with its rear ramp
closing. They move as fast as they can. The aircraft begins to
lift its wheels off the ground.

Striker:"Hurry! Before the plane can gather speed!"

They race as fast as they can for the Airdromeda and catch up
with it. Hunter jumps through the open cargo doors while Jaco
and Striker fly through just before it shuts. Striker immediately
collided with an Alsatian A-Ops, knocking them both to the
floor. The Alsatian's partner, a bulldog, turns his paws into a
pair of iron mace-heads and raises them to bash Striker. Hunter
speeds up to the bulldog and sucker punches the canine in the
face.

Hunter:"Say hi to my knuckles!"

The bulldog staggers and then faceplants on the floor, out of
cold. Jaco manages to land and rushes over to help Striker to
his feet.

Jaco:"All right, Oom Striker?"

Striker:"I'm reg. Come, let's go get Sleek. Hunter, take my
         Sonic Rifle."

Striker tosses Hunter his rifle, who neatly catches it.

Hunter:"Cool, thanks!"

Striker takes out his Colt, then the trio make their way through
the cargo bay. They come to a ladder leading up to a hatch.

Striker:"I'll look first."

Hunter:"Gotcha."

Striker climbs the ladder and carefully opens the hatch a bit to
take a peek. He doesn't see any movement.

Striker:"Clear."

While Hunter and Jaco climb the ladder, Striker lifts the hatch
and climbs out. They are inside a small room with several computer
servers packed inside. Striker watches the lone door leading out
while Jaco and Hunter climb out of the hatch.

Striker:"This way."

Hunter and Striker go to the door. Hunter opens the door as slowly
and quietly as he can and looks out. There is a small war room
with several Vanguard technicans sitting in the darkened room in
front of computer screens. A pair of Vanguard A-Ops are on guard
duty by a pair of heavy doors. Hunter closes the door.

Hunter:"Two of those super sapiens plus a bunch of techies."

Striker:"Can we sneak past them?"

Hunter:"Could try, the techs are glued to the screens but those
        two Vanguard operatives are scanning the room alot."

Striker:"Reg, I got a quick plan. This is what we do."

Striker explains the plan to Hunter and Jaco while they listen
carefully. A few minutes later, Hunter rushes super fast out of
the door, dashing past the technicians. The draft creates by the
speeding labrador nearly knock them out of their seats. Hunter
stops right between the two A-Ops.

Hunter:"Hey! Let's put our heads together."

Before the surprised A-Ops can react, Hunter grabs their heads
and bang the two of them together. Both the A-Ops are knocked
out. The technicians try to get up and raise the alarm, but are
silenced when Jaco and Striker appear next to them with their
weapons drawn on them.

Jaco:"No one move or raise the alarm. We will shoot."

Striker:"On your knees and hands in the air."

The technicians immediately do so, kneeling down while Jaco keeps
an eye on them. Striker and Hunter then go to the heavy doors.
Striker puts his floppy ear to the door to listen, but then
shakes his head.

Striker:"Soundproof."

Hunter:"Guess we're just going to have find out what's behind door
        number one. Striker, will you do the honors?"

Striker nods. The two of them step back from the door. Striker
charges up his sonic rifle while aiming at it. He fires a strong
sonic blast, the impact breaking the doors off the frames and
making them fall over loudly. Striker and Hunter waste no time
rushing in through the cloud of dust and into the next room. They
find themselves in a conference room with a round, wooden table
in the middle and monitors on the walls. Standing at the end of
the table is Slade and Sleek and in the middle of the table is
the security case.

Hunter:"Hi there, Sleek. You left without saying goodbye."

Slade:"How did you two get onboard?"

Striker:"Doesn't matter. Now put your paws in the air!"

Slade growls, but Sleek gently elbows him while grinning.

Sleek:"Of course we will."

Sleek raises her paws, revealing a pair of A-Ops enchancers now
attached to her wrists. Striker and Hunter fail to notice this
and focus on Slade, who still has his paws down.

Hunter:"Better put your paws up, buddy. We don't play games here."

Slade:"And if I refuse?"

Hunter shrugs.

Hunter:"Hey, you're the one who's going to be licking the welts
        my tennis balls will leave on your body."

Neither Hunter nor Striker notice Sleek moving her fingers about
until a reflection gets Striker's attention. Too late he sees
Sleek create a whirling ball of liquid silver in her paws. He
tries to turn his sonic rifle back to her, but she tosses the ball
at him. Before Striker can fire, the ball hits him with such
force it knocks him backwards against the wall. Sleek quickly
throws several more balls in rapid succession at him, the silver
sticking to his body and pinning him to the wall. Hunter turns
and fires a tennisball at her. She yelps as the ball hits her
chest, but Slade now takes this opportunity to attack Hunter.
The big canine grabs Hunter's firearm and then breaks it in half
across his knee. Hunter's eyes widen.

Hunter:"Whoa!... neat trick, mind."

Slade:"And here's my next one!"

Slade grabs Hunter before the retriever can escape, lifts him
above his head and throws his hard against the wall. Hunter has
the air knocked out of him by the impact. He lies on the floor,
coughing and gasping in pain. Slade cracks his knuckles.

Slade:"I'm not done yet."

Sleek stands up, rubbing the spot on her chest where Hunter's
tennisball hit her.

Sleek:"D*** that Hunter. This is going to show..."

She looks up, just in time to see Jaco come rocketing into the
room on his jetpack and kick her solidly in the chest. Sleek
is flung backwards. Jaco then sweeps down, grabs Striker's
Sonic Rifle and fires it at Striker's silver bonds. The silver
doesn't break, but it cracks and weakens enough for the spaniel
to break free. Slade growls and lunges for Jaco, but the human
quickly flies out of reach.

Slade:"Get back here!"

Jaco:"Nee! Oom Striker, catch!"

Jaco tosses the sonic rifle back at Striker, who easily catches
it. Slade then charges at Striker, but the spaniel quickly stops
him with a sonic blast. But unlike with others, this only makes
Slade stagger and not blow him back. It does give Hunter time
to recover and get back to his feet.

Hunter:"Okay, take two!"

Hunter runs super fast behind Slade and gives him a few punches
on the back. Slade grunts and swings a punch around at the
retriever, but this time Hunter runs in front and punches the
big dog in the chest. Slade grunts again and tries to turn back
to front, but again Hunter eludes him.

Hunter:"Too slow, slowpoke!"

Slade snarls and begins chasing after Hunter, who is running
around just fast enough to stay out of Slade's reach. Sleek has
managed to get back onto her feet and rushes to grab the grey
security case. She manages to grab it, but at the same time Jaco
swoops it and grabs it as well. They begin a tug of war.

Sleek(growling):"Let go!"

Jaco:"Nee! You got me into trouble with the Rovers! I'm going to
      get you back for it!"

Sleek(growling):"Not on my watch!"

Sleek begins to form tentacles of silver around her paws that
reach for Jaco. But Jaco immediately uses his jetpack to lift
off into the air and fly about, forcing Sleek to use the
tentacles to hold onto the case. While Sleek and Slade are pre-
occupied, Striker moves his way towards the doorway opposite
the one they forced through. He tries to open it, but it is
locked. He steps back.

Striker:"Hope that door isn't too strong..."

He charges his sonic rifle and then fires. The sonic blast
manages to break the door's lock and it swings open violently.
Striker charges in to find himself inside the Airdromeda's
cockpit. Inside are the pilot, co-pilot and navigator. The
navigator is already reaching for his gun, but Striker quickly
points his rifle at him.

Striker:"Throw it away!"

The navigator does as he is told and tosses the pistol to the
furthest corner of the cockpit. Striker picks it up to be sure
before going to the pilot.

Striker:"I am ordering a change of flight."

Pilot:"I have orders..."

Striker(growling):"And I have new ones. Fly this aircraft to
       the nearest US military airfield and land it there. And
       bear in mind that I am a pilot as well, so I will not
       hestitate to shoot you or your crew if you don't coope-
       rate."

The pilot and co-pilot look at each other, then they reluctantly
agree. The pilot begins to change the Airdromeda's course while
Striker keeps an eye on the crew with his sonic rifle visibly 
ready. Behind him the others are still fighting. Hunter is leading
Slade around on a wild chase throughout the plane, while Jaco and
Sleek are still fighting over the case. Sleek, despite her powers,
is losing her grip as Jaco flies about and pulls sharp turns to
try and shake her off.

Sleek:"Grrrr! Can't... hold...!"

Sleek finally slips free of the case and crashes against the wall.
Jaco flies up, holding the case triumphantly.

Jaco:"This one is mine, Sleek!"

Snarling, Sleek jumps to her feet and forms a long, arrow-shaped
piece of silver.

Sleek:"I'll skewer you, you filthy human!"

Sleek throws the arrow hard at Jaco. Jaco just manages to dodge
the arrow, gasping as it just cuts his arm and draws blood. But
the real damage is when the arrow smashes through the hull of
the aircraft and then keeps going to punch holes into both of
the Airdromeda's right-side engines. Both engines explode into
balls of flame, belching out thick black smoke. The Airdromeda
lurches to one side, while inside the fuselage the hole made by
Sleek turns into a huge gap as the air pressure causes a chunk
of the wall to rip free and fly off into the sky. Jaco is nearly
sucked out, but he manages to grab hold of the torn edge of the
hole and hang out.

Jaco:"Jislaaik! That was close!"

Sleek is holding on to one of the chairs fixed to the floor, as
do the technicians in the room. However, the two unconcious A-Ops
are sucked out of the plane. Inside the cockpit the pilots see
warning lights appear all over their instrument displays.

Co-Pilot:"Both right side engines are dead! Loosing cabin pressure
          fast!"

The pilot looks at Striker.

Pilot:"We have to dive to lower altitude!"

Striker:"Do it."

The pilots waste no time. The Airdromeda immediately drops down
to equalize the air pressure in the aircraft, but the pilots
struggle to keep the plane in a stable position. Further back
Jaco is fighting to pull himself back into the plane with one
hand. The air pressure has now reached the point where objects
are no longer being sucked out. Sleek sees the opportunity to
take the security case from Jaco. She crawls towards him,
struggling to stay upright from the plane's constant lurching.
The technicians, however, flee out of the room towards the back 
of the plane. Back in the meeting room, Hunter is running in
circles around the table with Slade behind him. Slade is panting
with his tongue lolling.

Slade:"Will... you... stop... running!"

Hunter:"Slowing down, are we?"

Slade:"NEVER!... pant..."

Hunter looks behind him, but suddenly he can no longer see Slade.
He stops running and looks around the room.

Hunter:"Hey! Where did you go?"

Slade suddenly appears out of thin air behind Hunter and jumps
on the Golden Retriever. Hunter manages to turn to him before
Slade knocks him to the floor. However, the big brute is very 
strong and grasps Hunter's necking, choking him. In the cockpit 
the pilots struggle to control the Airdromeda while Striker tries 
to keep his aim on them. Suddenly he hears Hunter.

Hunter:"Gag! ... Ack! Little... Arg! ... Help here! Ack!"

Striker looks and sees Slade choking the life out of Hunter,
who is struggling to get out from under the big cano-sapien.

Striker:"Byt vas, Hunter!"

Striker rushes out the cockpit to help. This does not go unnoticed
by the pilots.

Co-pilot:"He's gone! Do we get out?"

Pilot:"Yes! The plane is losing altitude and the weigh of the
       plane has shifted too much to the one side! We need to
       jump for it! I'll put it on auto so it doesn't roll over
       before we get off!"

Co-pilot:"Copy!"

The pilot engages the Airdromeda's autopilot. Then the cockpit 
crew get out of their seats and rush for the door. Inside the
meeting room Striker rushes to help Hunter, who is struggling
to breathe. The spaniel hits Slade on the back of the head with
his rifle butt, but it seems to barely phase the big dog. Slade
tries to swipe Striker with his one claw, but Striker dodges it.
As this happens, the pilots run past them and out the other door
to the back of the plane. Striker doesn't notice them, powering
up his sonic rifle before firing it at Slade. The blast hits the
dog, making him yelp and release Hunter. Hunter rolls out from
under Slade, coughing and rubbing his neck. Slade turns his rage
towards Striker. In the next room Sleek has managed to reach Jaco
and is leaning out the gap in the plane, holding on with one paw
to the edge while the other extends tendrils of silver towards
the case.

Jaco:"You're not having this case, Sleek!"

Sleek:"You bet I am!"

Sleek's silver tendrils grab the case and wrap around it tightly.
She tries to pull it away, and Jaco finds himself unable to hold
on much longer to either the case or the airplane. He then gets
an idea.

Jaco:"This is madness, but it just might..."

Jaco lets go of the airplane, throwing his full weight onto the
case. Sleek, caught off guard by the sudden shift in weight,
loses her grip on the plane's fuselage. She, Jaco and the case
are flung out the plane and into the open air. Sleek screams 
and lets go of the case, arms and legs flailing. Jaco turns on
his jetpack, stopping his fall. He looks at the case, now in
his hands.

Jaco:"Finally, the boerpot!"

He then looks at Sleek, who is plummeting to her death while
screaming. Jaco stares, then shakes his head.

Jaco:"I can't believe it, but..."

Jaco takes the controls of his jetpack and begins to race after
Sleek. Sleek is falling fast and Jaco is trying to catch up to
her as the ground is quickly coming up. He is right above Sleek,
reaching out with one hand to grab her. Sleek is failing and
screaming, accidentally knocking away his arm. She is now very
close to hitting the ground. Jaco tries one more time, reaching
out even as the ground looms seconds away. He grabs the scruff
of her neck and holds tightly as he changes course. He and Sleek
turn just in time, flying over the ground with only a few inches
to spare. Once enough momentum has been bled off, Jaco makes a
rough landing on the ground, making both him and Sleek tumble
to a stop. Jaco sits up, coughing from the dust. He then suddenly
sees the case lying next to him and grabs it. He then looks to
Sleek, who is shaking with wide eyes.

Jaco:"Hey. You all right?"

Sleek nods weakly.

Sleek:"Y-yes... t-thank you for..."

Jaco immediately punches her in the face, knocking her out cold.

Jaco:"Not letting you have it that easy."

He chuckles, then yells in pain, clutching the hand that had hit
Sleek in the face. In the sky the rear cargo door of the Airdromeda
has opened and the crew are busy parachuting out of the crippled
aircraft. The aircraft is lurching badly to the right as the last
crew member jumps out. Only Hunter, Striker and Slade are still
fighting each other. Slade has managed to pin Striker to a wall
and is punching him in the gut continously. Striker is gasping in
pain, struggling to break free from the big brute.

Slade:"I'll kill you!"

Striker:"Nee!... gasp!"

Suddenly there is a whistle, followed by a tennisball hitting Slade
against the side of the head. However, instead of bouncing away,
the tennisball sticks to his fur like a burr. Hunter is standing
nearby, holding his tennisball pistol and grinning.

Hunter:"Hey, good catch!"

Slade growls and tries to pull the ball off, but to his surprise
he finds that the ball is sticking to him harder than he expected.
Suddenly the ball begins to send out electrical jolts, making the
canine yelp and his fur stand up straight. Slade lets go of Striker.
Striker collapses to the floor, gasping. Hunter rushes over to him.

Hunter:"You okay, buddy?"

Striker:"Pant.. I'm... reg... gasp..."

Hunter:"Jaco just called. He's got Sleek and the case she had down
        on the ground, so we can get out of here."

Suddenly the Airdromeda makes a sharp turn and begins to plummet at
an angle towards the ground. Everyone is thrown forward, but Hunter
manages to grab the edge of the doorframe to keep him and Striker
from falling. Slade, however crashed into the wall next to the
cockpit door.

Hunter:"That's our cue, buddy! We need to get out of here!"

Striker:"Let's go, Hunter!"

Hunter gets his jetpack started and begins to fly out with
Striker holding on to his paw. Suddenly there is a jolt and
Striker feels something around his leg. He looks down. Slade is
holding on to his boots, snarling.

Slade:"You're not getting away that easy!"

Striker:"Ja, we are! Go, Hunter!"

Hunter fires his jetpack's thrusts to full power, struggling
to pull both Striker and Slade. All three of them fly through
the hole in the fuselage and out into the open air. They get
out just in time. The Airdromeda falls for a few more seconds
before ploughing into the desert ground and exploding in a huge
ball of flame. However, Hunter is struggling to hold on to
Striker, how is struggling to shake Slade's hold off.

Hunter:"Too... heavy...!"

Hunter loses altitude. Slade manages to pull out a knife from
his boots and prepares to stab Striker. Hunter then sees a large
thorn bush below and gets an idea. He angles down and flies 
towards it. Striker is trying to ready his sonic rifle again, but
Slade is about to stab him.

Slade:"You're mine!"

Hunter:"Hey! Let me introduce you to my friend George Bush!"

Slade:"Wha...?"

Too late Slade sees the big bush coming towards him. He has just
enough time to cover his eyes before he is slammed into the bush.
The impact makes him let go of Striker, allowing Hunter to pull
him up.

Hunter:"Adios, amigo!"

As they fly away, Slade comes tumbling out of the bush, yelping
in pain from all the thorns in his body. He growls/whimpers as
he watches the Road Rovers fly off, leaving him with the burning
wreckage of the Airdromeda not far behind him. In the sky, Striker
gets a better grip on Hunter's arm.

Hunter:"You okay, buddy?"

Striker:"Ja, but I'm having a hard time holding on."

Hunter:"No worries, buddy. I see we got company."

Striker turns his head. He sees the Jet Rover and the Chopper
Rover, now piloted by Blitz, coming towards them. Blitz brings
the chopper in closer, allowing Hunter and Striker to get in.
Illanov and Corsair, who are in the chopper, help them in.

Blitz:"You left a big boom, Hunter."

Hunter:"Just doing our job as Rovers, Blitz."

Striker:"Where is Jaco?"

Corsair:"He's in the Jet Rover, along with that traitor Sleek 
         and her little briefcase of naughty secrets."

Hunter:"Great! Then our work is done. Let's head home, Rovers!"

Both the Jet Rover and the recovered Chopper Rover fly away from
the crashed Aidromeda back to Road Rover Headquarters.

Hangar
Road Rover Headquarters
14:12 AM:

The Jet Rover and the Chopper taxi into the hangar and park in
their assigned spots. The Master, Colleen and Phoenix are waiting
in the hangar. The Rovers disembark from the aircraft. Shephard,
Exile and Blitz are escorting a cuffed Sleek and Jaco is carrying 
the security case. The group approaches the three.

Master:"Well done, Rovers. I see you brought us a guest."

Hunter:"That's right, Master. Sleek here got a little homesick so
        we brought her back."

Jaco:"We also have this security case she had with her."

Hunter grins and pats Jaco's shoulder.

Hunter:"Jaco here really proved himself, Master. He's the one
        who caught Sleek and got the case."

Jaco looks a little embarressed as he gives the case to the
Master, who is looking with approval at him.

Master:"Well done, Jaco. You did very well. I'm sure your uncle
        and father are proud of you."

Jaco:"Thank you, sir."

The Master then turns his gaze towards Sleek, who is putting up 
an air defiance. The Master frowns.

Master:"You had better cooperate with us, Sleek. You will only
        make it worse if you stay silent."

Sleek just sniffs and looks in another direction.

Master:"Take her to the prison."

Shephard:"You heard the boss, prisoner. Move it!"

Sleek just growls softly as she is escorted away by Exile, Blitz 
and Shephard. Striker approaches Phoenix and Colleen.

Striker:"Firefly, are you all right?"

Phoenix smiles, hugging her mate.

Phoenix:"I'm more than all right, Strikie."

Striker looks at Colleen.

Striker:"What was wrong with her?"

Colleen:"Well, guv. Its nothing serious. Or maybe it is. That
         depends on your reaction."

The spaniel looks confused at the collie.

Striker:"MY reaction?"

Colleen:"You see guv, Phoenix here was suffering from morning
         sickness."

Striker:"Morning sickness? But you only get morning sickness if
         you're..."

He stops. His eyes slowly widen as he turns his head towards his
wife. Phoenix nods and smiles.

Phoenix:"Yes, Strikie. I'm pregnant."

Striker is absolutely flabbergasted, jaw hanging open and his
eyes wider than his sockets. The others are surprised as well.

Illanov:"What! But she is infertile. How is she pregnant?"

Phoenix:"Well, its thanks to one of the volunteers who came
         to help us when we were struggling to stay afloat.
         Her power was to heal by touch, and when I shook her
         paw I felt a little jolt. I didn't think much of it
         at the time..."

Corsair:"But it cured your infertility?"

Colleen:"That's right, guv. Phoenix here is bona fide pregnant
         with Striker's pup. Or pups. Too early to tell."

Illanov immediately turns to Striker, who is still too stunned
to do anything, and shakes his paw. He is smiling widely.

Illanov:"Congratulations, comrade! Vicki and I are very happy
         for you! Now our child will a playmate, dah?"

Corsair:"Hey! Congrats, boss!"

Merit scans Striker.

Merit:"Curious. Non-response. Perhaps his systems have encounter
       a fault?"

Suddenly Striker topples backwards and falls flat on his back,
out cold. Everyone rushes towards him.

Merit:"A general protection fault, perhaps?"

Corsair:"Nah, I think the news just broke his mind."

Phoenix:"Please, everyone. Help carry him to our quarters. I'll
         talk to him when he recovers."

Illanov:"Agreed, comrade. And congratulations!"

Phoenix smiles.

Phoenix:"Thank you, Alex."

Illanov, Corsair and Merit help Striker up and carry him off to
his and Phoenix's quarters. The Master just chuckles, while 
Colleen winks at Hunter, who winks back at her.

Slade's Quarters
Vanguard Headquarters
Unknown Location
19:39 PM:

Slade's room in the base is almost a utalitarian affair, with
only the basic furniture and appliciances. The only things that
made it unique was frames and display cases containing a wide
variety of combat and fighting knives as well as pistols. A
cockroach comes into the apartment from under the front door. It 
is Spectre.

Spectre(to himself):"I wonder if the madamoiselle is here?"

Spectre scurries around the quarters, checking each doorway and
scouting the rooms. He finds Slade's bedroom and notices a laptop
on a nearby table.

Spectre(to himself):"Hmmm. I think I'll look around that laptop
       when I have a chance."

He scurries to the adjacent doorway. The room there has ben turned
into a large cage, almost a prison cell. All there is a matress,
a doorway leading to a small bathroom and some food and water
bowls. On the matress lay Rebound, sleeping. Spectre scurries
into the cage, slowly moving towards Rebound. Suddenly she opens
one eye and looks at the cockroach.

Rebound(growling):"I see you, intruder."

Spectre stops, holding still with only his cockroach feelers
moving. After a moment, he scurries on. Rebound lifts her head
and growls at him again.

Rebound(growling):"You don't believe that I don't see your true,
       WOLF form, don't you, shapeshifter?"

Now Spectre is truly surprised. Feeling his cover is blown, the
roach checks the front door before changing from an insect into
the normal Spectre.

Spectre:"How did you know, madamoiselle?"

Rebound stands up on her feet and stretches.

Rebound:"It's my ability. I can see a shapeshifter's true form,
         regardless of his current one. Though I only noticed it
         when I was with Slade during one of his mindnumbingly
         dull training tours."

Spectre:"Does he know about it?"

Rebound:"No, I keep it to myself. He already took far too much
         from me."

She then looks sternly at him.

Rebound:"But what you? You can't be Vanguard. Slade has strict
         rules about who comes in here, and everyone knows it."

Spectre:"You've caught me. I'm Spectre, and I am actually a spy 
         for the KH Military."

Rebound:"Ah. I heard alot about you. Mostly from Slade, and none
         of it flattering."

Spectre:"I would not be surprised, madamoiselle. We don't think
         highly of the Vanguard, either."

Rebound:"Because they have your leader, right?"

Spectre:"Amongst others."

Rebound:"And why are you here right now?"

Spectre:"I was going to see if I can get some information from
         Slade's personal effects. Specifically his computer."

Rebound raises an eyebrow and flicks an ear.

Rebound:"Really? How do you intend to get into his files?"

Spectre:"I have some tools with me and I have good hacking
         skills. I should be in within minutes."

Rebound:"Or you could use Overfield376."

Spectre looks confused at Rebound. Before he can ask what it is,
Rebound answers him first.

Rebound:"It's his laptop password. Go ahead and give it a try."

Spectre blinks, looking back and forth between Rebound and the
laptop. He then goes to the laptop and switches it on. He waits
until it loads up the password prompt. He types in "Overfield376"
and presses enter. A moment later, he is in. Astonished, he gets
up and goes back to Rebound.

Rebound:"Think you can trust me?"

Spectre:"I believe so, Madamoiselle... what is your name?"

Rebound:"Rebound. Perhaps you heard of me?"

Spectre nods, frowning.

Spectre:"Wait. Are you that famous actress wolf I've seen in East
         European films?"

Rebound nods, throwing her head back dramatically.

Rebound:"That is me, yes. Most famous wolf actress in the whole
         world. I did my own stunts too."

Spectre:"Then what are you doing here as a prisoner of Slade?"

Rebound sighs, folding her ears back.

Rebound:"I've had my share of crazed fans, but Slade is beyond 
         even the worst fanboy I've ever met. He has own troops
         abduct me, threaten to kill my master if he tried anything
         to save me and then kept me in this cage as his own,
         personal toy."

Spectre:"That's awful, madamoiselle! Have you ever thought about
         escaping?"

Rebound:"Have I ever! But face it: even if I did get out of this
         cage, I would be in the middle of this base in the middle
         of... whevever this is."

She lies down again. Spectre comes up to her cell bars.

Spectre:"Since you helped me, Madamoiselle Rebound, maybe I can
         help you."

Rebound lifts her head again, looking at Spectre.

Rebound:"Help me?"

Spectre:"Oui. Get you out and return you to your master and former
         life."

Rebound sits up, wagging her tail.

Rebound:"Really?"

Spectre:"Really, madamoiselle."

Rebound:"Then you have a deal, mister...?"

Spectre:"Ze name is Spectre."

The two of them shake paws through the bars.

Spectre:"I'll inform my superiors and we will work out how to get
         you out of here."

Rebound:"Thanks. Now, I think you better skitter out of here. You
         don't want Slade to catch you here."

Spectre:"Good idea, madamoiselle Rebound. I will speak to you
         later."

Spectre morphs back into a cockroach and scurries for the front
door. Rebound watches him slip in under the door and then goes
back to lying down.

Holding Cells
Road Rover Headquarters
7 July
08:02

Sleek is now inside one of the cells, dressed in bright orange
prison fatigues with a number on its back. She is fuming while
pacing back and forth in her cell. Armed Rover guards are on
duty here, keeping their eyes on the mole. Watching her via a
camera from a security room is the Master, Hunter, Jaco, Riptide
and Roz.

Master:"She doesn't look like she is going to say much to us."

Jaco:"She must know a lot more than what we already have, Profes-
      sor."

Master:"Agreed. The information we got from that security case,
        while worrying, was invaluable. But we still need a few
        more pieces of the puzzle to get our systems cleansed of
        the Vanguard's interference."

Hunter:"So we interrogate her, Master?"

Master:"We will have to. Unfortunately, she doesn't look like
        someone who will crack easily and I don't want to use
        force on her to get it."

Roz:"I got suggestion, Master."

The Master glances at Roz.

Master:"Oh? What is it?"

Roz:"A plan to make Sleek spill the beans like a burst water
     pipe. And we won't have to hurt her, either."

Master:"I'm listening."

Everybody listens to Roz as she begins to explain her plan for
the prisoner. A short time later, the group leaves the cell
block. Then, the guards leave as well. Sleek doesn't notice and
instead goes and lies on the bunk on in her cell. She breathes
out and nods off for a bit. After a short time, however, her
ears perk up when she hears a noise. Sleek opens her eyes and
frowns.

Sleek:"What is that noise?"

She sits up and gasps when she feels something on her feet. She
looks down and sees her cell flooded with water.

Sleek:"What the h***?"

Sleek stands up, looking in consternation at the water inside
her cell and inside the cell block.

Sleek:"Did a pipe burst?"

She goes to her bars and looks around the cell block. Everywhere
there is water. Sleek is now very concerned.

Sleek:"What's going on? Hey! Where is everyone?"

There is no answer barring the sound of running water. Suddenly
a deep voice booms through the holding cells.

Voice:"Sleeeeek..."

Sleek jumps with a start.

Sleek:"Who is that? What's going on?!"

There is splashing noises coming from the other end of the block
that gets louder and closer. Sleek tries to look, but she cannot
see much from inside the cell. All of the sudden a white, nearly
pale figure immediately steps in front of her. Sleek yelps and
falls backwards, sending up a big splash. She shakes his head
and looks at the figure before her. It is Riptide, wearing loose
rags and all pale in colour. He has an angry look on his face.
Sleek is shocked.

Sleek:"No... that's not..."

Riptide:"Sleeeek! You left me behind!"

Sleek:"What... no, you're dead! You are dead!"

Riptide:"Yes, I have left this mortal plane because of you. And
         now I am here for VENGEANCE!!"

The water explodes around him, splashing Sleek and making her
cower to the back of her cell.

Sleek:"No! Stay away from me!"

Riptide:"SILENCE! Unless you repent, I will drag you down to
         h*** where you belong!"

The water becomes violent again, forming a wave behind Riptide.

Sleek:"Please, no!"

Riptide:"REPEEEEENNNT!"

The wave rushes past Riptide, barely touching him, and floods
Sleek's cell. Sleek's scream is drowned by the water for a brief
moment before the water recedes. Riptide is now gone, but Sleek
is shivering and her fur has lost a good deal of colour. She is
blubbering in fear. Water begins to recede until it is gone. A
few minutes later, the guards reappear, open the cell and grab
Sleek. She keeps blubbering as they drag her out of the holding
cells. Out of sight, Roz is wiping Riptide clean of the white
makeup while Hunter switches off a water pump. Jaco is leaning
on a wall, laughing. The Master is talking to Riptide.

Master:"She looks ready to talk, Riptide. Good work."

Riptide:"I just know how to push her buttons. She should be
         squealing like a good little piggy now."

Roz:"Hold still. I can't clean you up if you keep moving."

Riptide:"Sorry."

Hunter looks at Jaco.

Hunter:"You really liked that, Jaco."

Jaco stops laughing, gasping for air and wiping the tears from
his eyes.

Jaco:"You have no idea, Hunter. I'm glad to see Sleek get a good
      dose of punishment for what she put me through."

Hunter grins.

Master:"That's enough theatrics. Time to go interrogate Sleek and
        see what she has to say."

The Master, Hunter and Jaco follow after Sleek, leaving Roz to
clean up her mate. Sleek has been exposed as the mole, prevented
from escaping to her Vanguard masters and is now ready to reveal
what she knows. But what will the Vanguard do in response? What is
their big plans with Stalker? And what will the Rovers learn from
Sleek?


THE END