Rover Strike: Vanguard

Episode 10: The Shanghai Gambit

By Gerhard Naudé

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

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

Headquarters
Seneschal's Elite Guard
Somewhere in the Amazon
Brazil
14 July
21:01 PM:

Located on the banks of one of the many side rivers that feed the
Amazon River lies an old, colonial-era mansion next to a large,
rusty rubber factory. Though abandoned long ago, the Elite Guard
rebels have taken it as headquarters. The factory serves as a
vehicle bay while the mansion is the headquarters as well as the
troop barracks. Elite Guard soldiers are on patrol and guard duty.
Four Templars stand at each corner of the mansion. Inside, what
was once the mansion owner's private study is now the war room
for Seneschal's forces. Seneschal himself in there along with
his to commanders. He is reading a report he has received and
doesn't like the contents.

Seneschal:"He still rejecting the offer?"

Commander 1:"I'm afraid so, sir. And he refuses to receive any
             further offers."

Seneschal:"A battle to the death, then?"

Commander 1:"Yes, sir."

Seneschal:"How are both our forces looking?"

Commander 2:"We are still equal in strength, with perhaps the
             advantage being on our side, sir."

Seneschal:"But we have no made progress again, right?"

The commanders all look uncomfortably at each other before one
of them answers.

Commander 3:"Yes, sir..."

Seneschal slams the report down on the table with the war map
of the Amazon on it. He covers his eyes with one paw.

Seneschal:"Diehard, you idiot. Can't you see this war is going
           to drive the Elite Guard to ruin?"

Voice:"No, he cannot."

Everyone immediately look up and turn to see who was speaking.
Standing in the doorway is Dusk, dressed in a big cloak that
covers her head and her entire body. Seneschal stands to
attention.

Seneschal:"Miss D. This is a surprise. Please, come in."

Dusk steps forward, lowering her hood as she comes to the
table.

Seneschal:"Pardon the mess, Miss D. I'm currently have a lot
           of work on my paws."

Dusk:"My organisation understands your troubles, General. In
      fact, did I just overhear you talking about one problem
      in particular?"

Seneschal:"If you are thinking Diehard, then yes. I tried to
           get him to see that this civil war we are in is
           destroying the Elite Guard. We're losing wolves
           in unnecessary battles and we can't replenish our
           numbers anymore."

Dusk:"Would it help if Diehard was removed from the picture?"

Seneschal:"If you're thinking of killing him, forget it. He
           survived a nuclear explosion during our South
           African invasion. He isn't called Diehard for
           nothing. And he refuses to listen to reason."

Dusk:"Anyone can die, General. Including Diehard."

Seneschal:"And how do you plan to do that? Pardon me if I sound
           sceptical, but I can't see you succeeding where so
           many others failed."

Dusk reaches into her cloak. She pulls out an envelope and puts
it on the table. Seneschal reaches over and takes the envelope.

Dusk:"That will give an answer, I believe."

Seneschal:"What is this?"

He opens the envelope and takes out the letter inside. He reads
it while Dusk waits. After a minute he looks up, skepticism on
his face.

Seneschal:"Really?"

Dusk:"You're welcome to first consider the offer. Once you
      have decided, let us know. The contact information is at 
      the bottom of the letter."

Seneschal:"I'll consider it, but with what your organisation
           is saying here, it might take a while for me to
           respond."

Dusk:"Don't take too long, General. You know others are waiting
      for you. Good day, General."

Seneschal:"Good day, Miss D."

Dusk turns around, pulls up her hood and walks out of the room
with Seneschal watching her leave, still holding the letter in
his paw.

Vorster Estate
Eastern Cape Province
South Africa
15 July
11:19 AM: 

Inside the Vorster Estate, Striker is in the study with a
cellphone. He slowly walks back and forth as he is speaking
to his brother Adriaan in Afrikaans.

Striker(into phone):"In all honesty, Jaco is a completely
       different boy from the one who first came to us. He is
       now a real Rover and a far cry from the prejudiced 
       troublemaker he was before and during the crisis. He
       even had a civil talk with General Stalker."

Adriaan(over phone):"The leader of the KH Military? That
       Stalker?"

Striker(into phone):"Ja, that one. It was brief, but overall
       Jaco has made us all proud."

Adriaan(over phone):"So am I. I'm very happy that he has
       turned out so well. Thank you again, broer."

Striker(into phone):"That is what family is for, broer. Oh!
       And Karen sends her love to you and Mariaan."

Adriaan(over phone):"The same to her. How is she? I heard
       she and that David fellow were getting along well."

Striker(into phone):"Ja, she and David are not yet a couple,
       but they are now really good friends. Who knows? They
       might take it further."

Adriaan(over phone):"Just make sure they don't take it too
       far, if you see what I mean. And make sure David comes
       to visit us."

Striker(into phone, chuckling):"Vetting a possible son-in-law?"

Adriaan(over phone, chuckling):"Maybe."

Striker(into phone):"Reg, I'll see about it. Give my regards to
       Mariaan."

Adriaan(over phone):"I will, and the same for Phoenix and the
       others. Goodbye."

Striker(into phone):"Totsiens."

Striker ends the call and puts the phone away. He then walks
from the study to the living room. Here, a game console has 
been set up in front of the television. Corsair and Karen are 
sitting on the couch in front of the TV. Both of them are 
playing a game, but only Karen is holding a controller. Corsair
is holding his hands in the air as if he has the controller.
Wires connected to his hands, wrists and head lead to a small
box, with in turn is plugged into a laptop where Collin can be
seen on the screen. Illanov and Tanarus are watching curiously
from behind the couch.

Karen:"I almost got you, David! Miss you by this much!"

Corsair:"You would have missed by much more if I had the
         controller in my hands. Its not easy pressing buttons 
         that I can't feel!"

Tanarus:"The fact you can even do that now is surreal. I can
         see the controller sticks and buttons moving on their
         own from here."

Illanov:"Dah. Like a ghost is playing here."

Collin(on screen):"Very fascinating readings I'm seeing here.
      Keep it up, David. You're doing well."

Corsair:"This isn't going to be a permanent thing is it, doc?"

Collin(on screen):"I honestly can't say for sure since this is
      quite unprecedented. It might wear off over time or last
      until the day you die. It's all a matter of..."

Corsair:"Ah c***!"

Karen:"Ha ha! Got you there!"

Corsair pouts in frustration while Karen grins. Behind them
Illanov is chuckling. Striker goes to the table and looks at
Collin.

Striker:"Would you advise short or long-term training for
         David, Collin?"

Collin(on screen):"For now, maybe some basic training just to
      make sure he doesn't harm himself or others by mistake
      or cause unnecessary troubles. Later we can look at..."

Voice:"STRIKER VORSTER!!"

Everyone, but especially Striker, immediately become alert to
the shout.

Tanarus:"Uh oh. I think you're in trouble, Striker."

Illanov:"Dah! Vicki had done this to me before, and its never
         pleasant."

Striker groans and stands up, looking towards the stairs. Sure
enough, Phoenix comes rushing down the stairs with a look of
fury on her face. Everyone is staring wide-eyed at her.

Striker:"Ja, Firefly?"

Phoenix:"Don't 'Ja Firefly', you b*****d!"

Phoenix's paws catch fire. 

Corsair:"Oh c***, this going to get ugly!"

Corsair and Karen immediately get off the couch and back away
with Tanarus and Illanov. Striker is looking nervously at his
mate, his eyes wide and his tail half-tucked between his legs.

Striker:"What is wrong?"

Phoenix:"Just look at what you did to me!!"

The Pomeranian spreads her arms to show. Striker looks at her
and her body, noting the bump in her belly.

Striker:"You look as beautiful as ever to me, Phoenix."

Phoenix:"Beautiful? YOU RUINED MY FIGURE!!"

Phoenix marches towards her mate, creating fire in her paws.
Striker becomes alarmed.

Striker:"Phoenix! Phoenix! Asseblief!"

Phoenix throws the fire at him, setting the fur on his floppy
ears ablaze. Striker yelps and runs around slapping his ears
to put out the mini fires. But just as he manages to put them
out, Phoenix throws a fireball at his tail. The tip of his
tail is on fire. Striker yelps and runs around, again. He ties
to slap the fire on his tail out.

Striker:"Eina! Eina! Phoenix, asseblief!"

Phoenix:"Don't you dare run away from me!"

Phoenix prepares to throw more fireballs, but at thay moment
Illanov rushes in with a fire extinguisher and sprays Phoenix
with it. She coughs and gasp, the fire on her paws going out.
Illanov then rushes to Striker and puts his tail out.

Illanov:"You okay, comrade?"

Striker:"Dankie, Alex... I... don't know..."

They look cautiously at Phoenix, who is bent over and coughing
with her back to them. Striker approaches cautiously.

Striker:"Firefly?"

Phoenix slowly stands up and turns to him. She has tears in her
eyes, which becomes more when she sees the singed fur on him.

Phoenix:"Oh, Strikie..."

She rushes up to him and hugs him tightly, nearly bowling him
over. Striker manages to hold his balance and hugs her back as
she cries.

Phoenix:"Oh, Strikie! I'm so, so sorry!"

Striker:"It's all right, Firefly. I still love you."

Suddenly she pushes him roughly onto the couch. Alarmed, he
looks up at her and sees her looking annoyed.

Phoenix:"Bah! You males are all the same!"

She marches off in a huff, leaving a bewildered Striker behind
on the couch. Illanov leans over to the spaniel.

Illanov:"Some tea, comrade?"

Striker:"Ja... some tea, asseblief..."

Illanov(chuckling):"Better prepare yourself, comrade. It is
       going to be a wild time for you in the coming months."

Striker groans and buries his face in his paws. Illanov just
walks to the kitchen while Corsair, Karen and Tanarus come
back into the room.

Corsair:"Uh, boss? Can Karen and I sit here and continue with
         our game?"

Striker:"Uh... ja, ja."

Striker stands up to let the pair sit down and continue their
gaming session while Collin monitors them. Striker walks to
the kitchen with Tanarus.

Striker:"Tan, tell me something to get my mind off this whole
         affair."

Tanarus:"Such as what the Vanguard will do now that we have
         Stalker?"

Striker:"Ja."

Tanarus:"Well, I haven't seen anything in the news about this
         so they are probably keeping a tight lid on it. But
         since they regularly paraded him for the cameras, his
         absence is going to be noticed. And its coming ahead
         of the selection of the new United Nations secretary-
         general."

Striker:"Oh! I almost forgot about that. I need to call Mark
         and ask him about it. Seems one of the contenders is
         Ian Macmillan, a man Mark suspects works for the
         Vanguard or is at least very sympathetic to them. It
         would be bad for us if he became the new UN leader."

Tanarus:"I've seen him on the news several times. Definitely
         on the Vanguard's side."

Striker:"How will the KH Military react if he becomes the new
         secretary-general?"

Tanarus:"I don't think they will act differently to him than
         they did to Norwood. Despite being a Vanguard stooge,
         he is still very opposed to the KH Military. What
         does worry me is that he might escalate confrontations
         with the KH, which could lead to a lot more ugly
         fights with many innocents caught in the middle. And
         that is only the KH Military. The GONV and the Mayhem
         Mercenaries would be on his hit list too."

Striker:"That would be messy. The Vanguard is clearly going to
         be more heavy-pawed in dealing with these forces than
         we would."

Tanarus:"The Vanguard would basically become the world's biggest
         police force backed by the UN."

The two of them walk into the kitchen. Here, Shephard and Kenya
the female wild dog are busy making food while Merit is doing
the washing.

Striker:"We've got to find a way to stop them."

Kenya's ears perk up.

Kenya:"Stop whom, Striker?"

Striker:"Oh, askies Kenya. Tanarus and I were just discussing
         work to take my mind off... things."

Kenya:"Then how about I offer you some chakalaka I'm making?"

Shephard:"I recommend it, sir. I didn't know this chakalaka
          stuff was that good. And Kenya's good with it."

Kenya winks at Shephard and offers a pair of bowls for Striker
and Tanarus. They both take them.

Striker:"Dankie Kenya."

Tanarus:"Thank you."

They begin to eat, tasting the spicy food.

Tanarus:"Mmmmmm, this is good. I like spicy food."

Kenya smiles and wags her tail happily.

Kenya:"Thanks! Glad you like it."

Striker focuses on eating the chakalaka. Finally, he looks at
Tanarus, swallowing his food.

Striker:"I think I'll need to speak to the Master and hear what
         he thinks we should do next."

Tanarus:"Good idea."

They finish up their chakalaka and then give the bowls to Merit
to wash. As they turn around and begin to leave the kitchen,
Kenya watches them go. Satisfied that they are not watching, the
wild dog female reaches over and pinches Shephard's backside.
Shephard gasps, nearly dropping a bowl of chopped vegetables.

Shephard:"Heey!"

Kenya grins wickedly at him, tail wagging fast.

Kenya:"You know you like that, Sheppie."

Shephard is blushing furiously.

Shephard:"Um... how about we focus on getting lunch ready?"

Kenya giggles. Merit has just watched the scene while still
washing up.

Merit:"Strange how physical contact triggers various reactions.
       I need to keep a record."

The robot continues washing.

Prison Cells
Road Rover Headquarters
New Mexico
United States of America
15:11 PM:

Stalker is inside his cell, lying sedated on a stretcher while
under close guard. Standing outside his cell is the Master, 
Collin, Hubert and Jaco. The Master is listening to Hubert's
status report.

Hubert:"He hasn't shown any improvement to the treatments we
        have given him. The drug is still active and we
        can't neutralize it."

Master:"What of the drug itself?"

Collin:"It's definitely a manufactured substance down to the
        molecular level. Not something you would make in your
        basement. You need a sophisticated laboratory or two
        to make this."

Master:"Can we?"

Hubert:"Without the ingredients, if I can put it that way,
        we cannot produce it ourselves, Master."

Master:"But if the we had the recipe, if I can put it like
        that?"

Hubert thinks.

Hubert:"We might be able to do something, Master."

The Master nods and looks at Stalker for a bit. Jaco comes up
to him.

Jaco:"You have something in mind for Stalker, professor?"

Master:"I believe I do. Blake told me more about Tosca and
        Stalker's relationship."

Jaco:"Oh ja, I listened to that. Didn't think someone like
      Stalker had a family. I thought he was just a plain old
      villain."

Master:"So did I, but the revelations about Tosca and him has
        given me an idea. Something that, if it succeeds, can
        can give us a tremendous advantage over the KH Military
        and the Vanguard."

Jaco:"What is that?"

The Master explains to Jaco, and to Hubert and Collin, his idea
for Stalker. They are all sceptical of it.

Collin:"That is a long shot, Master. A very long shot."

Jaco:"I don't think it will work, either. With all due respect,
      I actually think its crazy."

Hubert:"The probability of success is very low, Master."

Master:"I know, but this is an opportunity we cannot let pass.
        If it doesn't work, so be it. But if it does work, this
        would be one of the most significant events in Road
        Rover history."

Collin:"A very big if, Master."

Jaco:"But first we need to cure them, Professor. Your plan
      won't work if they are both under the effect of the
      Hallucin-Venom."

Master:"Correct. So that is our next step. We need to find out
        where the Vanguard produces this drug and then launch
        a raid on the facility to get the details."

Hubert:"That might alert the Vanguard, Master. We still haven't
        finished finding all the bugs and spyware that Sleek
        had snuck into our systems."

Master:"True. That's why I'm going to leverage in some help.
        But I'll need to keep it private for now."

Collin:"Ah, so not to let the Vanguard know?"

Master:"Yes. So let's leave Stalker alone for now."

They turn and leave the prison cell, leaving Stalker under the
supervision of the Rover guards.

Trigger's Quarters
KHA Alexander
Somewhere Over The Sahara
16 July
06:31 AM:

Inside his study, Trigger is sitting back in his chair and
staring at stacks of reports and files. He looks tired. Flower
comes in, carrying a tray with a cup of coffee and some wolf
biscuits. She sets it down before him.

Trigger:"Thanks, Flower."

Flower:"Its your favourite biscuits, Trigger. Milk and wheat."

Trigger:"Ah, I need that."

He sits up, takes a biscuit and dips it into his cup. He then
begins chewing the biscuit.

Flower:"You need to take it easy. You've been working too much
        lately."

Trigger:"I'm acting Supreme General, Flower. I have to."

Flower:"Nonsense. Even Stalker didn't work this much while he
        was in charge."

Trigger:"He is still in charge. I'm just acting in his stead."

Flower:"Regardless, you are overworking yourself. This is not
        good at all for your wellbeing. You need to take a break
        now and then."

Trigger:"I can't take a break, Flower. The KH Military is
         facing its biggest crisis since Savara."

Flower:"And you need a rested, clear head to guide us through
        it. Just look at those bags under your eyes."

Trigger swallows a biscuit piece.

Trigger:"Look Flower, I'm fine. I just need this coffee and
         then I'll be ready."

Flower is about to reply when there is a knock on the door. She
leaves the study to answer it while Trigger dips and eats
another biscuit. As he finishes up the biscuit, Flower comes in
with Laxer.

Flower:"Our son is here."

Laxer:"Hello father."

Trigger:"Welcome back, Laxer. What news do you bring? You want
         some coffee?"

Laxer:"Yes, please."

Flower:"I'll go make some."

Flower goes to the kitchen while Laxer pulls up a chair to his
father's desk. Trigger dips his last biscuit into his coffee.

Trigger:"What brings you here, son?"

Laxer:"I got your email you sent earlier so I'm here about that
       and something else I wanted to bring to your attention."

Trigger:"Let's start with you, then. What news is you want to
         share?"

Laxer:"Father, you are giving too much power to Sky."

Trigger raises an eyebrow.

Trigger:"Excuse me?"

Laxer:"Sky has control over you and the other generals except
       General Black, and he's abusing that power."

Trigger:"What are you talking about? Whatever gave you this 
         idea?"

Laxer:"Sky is a psychic, right?"

Trigger(scoffing):"You honestly think he's using his powers
       against me? Against us all? Ridiculous. He's a loyal
       member of the KH Military."

Laxer:"That's because I'm immune to his abilities, father. So
       is General Black. We can see how Sky is manipulating
       you, just he manipulated Uncle Stalker. How do you
       think Sky managed to do go from a low-ranked trooper
       to becoming a general in charge of his own squadron? A
       squadron that lacks the oversight the other squadrons
       have. In addition, why do you think Sky is delaying
       any efforts to rescue Uncle Stalker? You know we can
       do it, but he is stopping us from doing so."

Trigger:"I think you're being paranoid, Laxer."

Laxer:"I'm not, father. And neither is General Black. He is
       certain Sky is controlling Stalker, and now you. You
       need to snap out of it and remind Sky that he is not
       the leader of the KH Military. Maybe even bring him
       down to size."

Trigger:"No, I'm not. If you really want me to take action
         against General Sky, I'll need some hard proof to
         convince me."

Laxer:"You really don't believe me, father?"

Trigger:"Its not that I don't believe you, son. It's just that
         this is a serious allegation you're making here without
         anything to back it up. Even if you and Black are
         telling the truth, you can't convince the others to
         take action."

Laxer:"Just talk to Sky, father. But not in person or via video 
       or phone. You need to talk to him via text messaging."

Flower comes in and puts a cup of coffee down for her son.

Laxer:"Thank you, mother."

Flower smiles and leaves before Trigger speaks again.

Trigger:"I'll consider your advice, son. Let me think about it
         before I take a course of action."

Laxer:"Yes, father."

Laxer takes a sip of coffee while Trigger speaks.

Trigger:"Now, it's my turn to talk. You know about what had
         happened to my brother? Your uncle?"

Laxer nods, setting down his cup.

Laxer:"The Road Rovers managed to snatch Uncle Stalker from the
       Vanguard, right under their noses. The grapevine moves
       fast: almost everyone in the KH Military knows by now."

Trigger:"I expected that. But there is more to that. Something
         that musn't go beyond you, me and Flower."

Laxer:"I'll keep it to myself, father. The email, it hinted at 
       something big. What is it?"

Trigger:"The Road Rovers have contacted us about Stalker. They
         are offering a deal for us to get him released."

Laxer is very surprised.

Laxer:"What? Are you serious, father?"

Trigger:"I was incredulous too when I first got the offer and
         thought their leader, the Master, had gone completely
         mad. But then they showed me what was at stake. The
         Vanguard have poisoned Stalker with Hallucin-Venom, 
         the same drug that they had given to Tosca."

Laxer:"Bad?"

Trigger:"Not quite as bad. He's still conscious, but is clearly
         not well either and the Road Rovers cannot fix him up
         without studying the drug they gave him."

Laxer:"So what was the offer?"

Trigger:"The Road Rovers will release Stalker and his mate if
         we help them find out where the Vanguard manufactures
         Hallucin-Venom so they can get a sample and develop a 
         cure or vaccine for it."

Laxer:"That's it?"

Trigger:"That's it. And with a 'for now' thrown in to boot."

Laxer:"I don't know, father. That is too good to be true. They
       must want more than that. And why ask us to find out
       where the Hallucin-Venom is? They can do it themselves."

Trigger:"I'm thinking the same thing. They want more from us
         than just that, but I'm tempted to take the offer to
         get Tosca and my brother back."

Laxer:"I would too, but my fur is standing on end over this
       deal."

Trigger:"Mine too, but we have to risk it. Thing is, I want
         to keep this between us. You're good at hacking, so
         you can begin tracking down the Vanguard keep their
         stockpiles of the drug. I don't want word of this
         deal getting out to the rank and file, or even to
         the other squardron leaders."

Laxer:"Sky especially."

Trigger:"Perhaps. Regardless, can I trust you with this?"

Laxer:"Yes, you can father."

Trigger:"Good. Drink your coffee and think about how you will
         do this. Meanwhile, I'll stew on your warnings about
         General Sky."

Laxer:"Yes, father."

Laxer picks up his coffee cup and begins drinking, while Trigger 
leans back in his chair, deep in thought.

Laxer's Quarters
KH Delta Squadron Headquarters
Somewhere In Romania
19:26 PM:

Laxer's quarters has all the necessary basic furniture but lacks
decorations other than stacks of magazines, partially-built
computers, laptops and other electronic devices. Laxer is sitting
by a coffee table with his own open laptop with mugs of used
tea cups around it. He is leaning back a bit to drain the last
bit of tea from one cup. There is a beep on his computer.

Laxer:"That must be Black."

He sets down the cup and taps his keyboard. A window for a
video conference program opens on his screen. Black appears
in the window.

Black:"I got your message, Laxer. Do you have something?"

Laxer:"I got lucky, General. It took a lot of searching and
       bypassing firewalls and security measures, but I now
       have this."

He taps a key. A picture of a fancy, modern skyscraper appears
on the screen. It has sky-blue tinted windows bordered by
magneta-painted concrete and a sloped front the upper half of
the floors. At the top is a pair of beehive domes with a mast
festooned with attenaes between them. Behind it is the 
Oriental Pearl Tower. Black looks at it.

Black:"Where is this?"

Laxer:"Shanghai, General. You can see the city's famous tower
       behind it."

Black:"Ah, now I recognise it. But the building looks like any
       of the other office towers there."

Laxer:"On the outside it is and most of the lower floors are
       indeed offices that are rented out. But from where the
       building's side slopes are highly restricted labs and
       research areas."

Black:"All Vanguard?"

Laxer:"The building is exclusively owned by them."

Black:"What kind of research goes on there?"

Laxer:"I wasn't able to get in everywhere, but what I was able
       to get is very interesting. They do everything there,
       from weapons R&D, biotechnology and chemical studies to
       advanced robotics and IT."

Black:"Anything of interest to us?"

Laxer:"Two things. Firstly, this is where the Hallucin-Venom
       was, and still is, developed. They even store the 
       original samples here for future R&D."

Black:"Excellent. So that is where the poison came from. And
       the other?"

Laxer:"They got a DNA-bank of many high-ranking wolves in the
       KH Military, including yours."

Black is surprised.

Black:"How did they manage that?"

Laxer:"I wasn't able to find out about that. Most likely thanks
       to the traitor Tunstall who gave Uncle Stalker to them 
       too."

Black:"What do they use our DNA for?"

Laxer:"I tried to find that out, but that's when I was caught
       and locked out of the system, General. So I'm afraid I
       don't know anything about it."

Black:"All right, anything else?"

Laxer:"Just one thing. I noticed I wasn't the only one trying
       to hack into this systems. I picked up clues that the
       GONV has been trying to force its way in as well. Their
       firewalls are keeping the GONV out for now, though."

Black waves a dismissive paw.

Black:"That's their problem. Thanks for the help, Laxer. This
       will be very useful information. You take a break and
       rest up. I might need you later and I'll need you fresh
       and alert."

Laxer:"Yes, general. Good night."

Black:"Good night."

Black ends the video conference. Laxer saves his work, shuts
down his laptop and gets up. He goes to the bathroom to take a
shower.

Xianfeng Dui Building
Commerce District
Shanghai
China
17 July
08:01 AM:

The building seen on Laxer's laptop is a busy place amid the
rush of morning traffic in Shanghai. People are entering the
building, going past Vanguard Security Operatives who check
and monitor everyone coming and going. While most of the lower
floors are rented offices, much higher up there are various
laboratories. Inside one of these high-tech and very clean
labs, a group of scientists have gathered around a wolf-sapien
sitting in a chair with a bunch of wires hooked up to him. It
is Tunstall, wearing just medical shorts. One scientist checks
on him.

Scientist:"Feeling any discomfort, Mister Tunstall?"

Tunstall:"Nothing so far."

Scientist:"Good. We'll do the next transfusion in a minute or
           so."

Tunstall:"Will this actually work?"

Scientist:"If our theories are correct, it should. Mister
           Suchong is very confident about this."

Tunstall:"I hope so. I really want to get my reward for giving
          Stalker to the Vanguard."

Scientist:"I'm sure you will get it in the end. Ah, here we go."

An orderly comes in carrying a female red wolf pup. She has her
ears folded back and tail tucked between her legs in fear. The
orderly puts her on a table next to Tunstall. The scientist
approaches the pup.

Scientist:"Hello Frieda. You scared?"

The little pup named Frieda whimpers and nods.

Scientist:"Don't worry. This won't hurt even a little."

More scientists come up and begin attaching wires to Frieda. One
of them wheels up a machine with two tubes fitted with syringes
at both ends. One is stuck into Tunstall, who gives a grunt. The
other is stuck into Frieda's arm, getting a yelp from the pup.
She tries to paw it off, but the scientist stops her.

Scientist:"Now, now."

Frieda:"It hurt..."

Scientist:"Only a little bit, Frieda. Now hold still."

The machine is switched on. Frieda whimpers as blood is taken
from her arm, through the machine and then into Tunstall. He
looks at it all.

Tunstall:"Will this work? I heard transfusions with incom-
          patible blood types can be dangerous."

Scientist:"They are, but that is why this machine is here.
           The blood you donated is in here and being trans-
           fused back to you, along with what we extracted
           from little Frieda here."

Tunstall:"So there's no threat?"

Scientist:"Very minimal, but we have contigencies in place if
           something goes wrong."

Tunstall:"That's reassuring."

The transfusion is finally finished and the syringes removed.
The scientist smiles as he swabs the spot on Frieda's arm.

Scientist:"You see? That didn't hurt at all."

Frieda:"It hurt..."

Scientist:"Of course not. Come on, back to Curie and the
           others with you."

The orderly takes Frieda as soon as her arm is bandaged and
carries her off. The scientists turn their full attention
back to Tunstall. One scientist comes with a syringe filled
with a green fluid. The wolf-sapien looks at it.

Tunstall:"What is that green stuff?"

Scientist:"Oh, this is just some adrenaline. We coloured it
           green for visual aid, don't worry."

Tunstall:"If you say so."

The syringe is inserted into the spot where the transfusion
needle was in and the plunger pushed in until all of the
green fluid was injected. The scientist then lets go of the
syringe but leaves it in Tunstall's arm. The scientists all
watch the needle. A few seconds later, the green fluid began
to flow back into the syringe. Tunstall stares with surprise
while the scientists all have satisfied looks on their faces
and making notes on their clipboards and tablets.

Scientist:"Ah! We got it right. Frieda's power is that her
           body rejects any kind of artificial substance like
           medicines or poisons. And now we've successfully 
           copied her power into your body."

Tunstall:"Is it permanent?"

Scientist:"We are hoping it will be, but we're going to do
           some observations to monitor your new power and see
           if it sticks."

Tunstall:"I hope so. I've always wanted my own power, but I
          was never granted that right by the KH Military."

Scientist:"Well, the Vanguard will be more than happy to help
           you in your quest."

Tunstall:"Will I get more powers?"

Scientist:"Absolutely, if only for us to see how much you can
           take. Either way, you soon be a Super Wolf if all
           goes as well as this test."

Tunstall nods and smiles with satisfaction. The now-refilled
syringe is removed and the scientists go to their computers
to input their new observations into their theorie.

Vorster Estate
Eastern Cape Province
South Africa
15 July
11:19 AM: 

Inside the dining-turned-conference room, Unit STRIKE are
seated around the table while the Master is on the plasma
screen. Joining them is Kenya.

Striker:"You summoned us, Professor?"

Master:"Yes, I have. I had another call from General Black."

Shephard:"Again? I'm feeling he's getting chummy with us."

Striker:"What did Black want this time, Professor?"

Master:"It was about Stalker, but its not about releasing him,
        if that is what you are thinking."

Tanarus:"If not his release, what was his demand?"

Master:"Less a demand and more of a.. ah, nudge nudge wink
        wink for us. He's given us information about a
        Vanguard building in Shanghai that has a number of
        laboratories. One of them has the drug that Stalker
        and Tosca were given. It's called Hallucin-Venom and
        the Shanghai labs produce it."

Phoenix:"Are we to go and get this Hallucin-Venom, Master?"

Master:"Yes. If we have the base drug, Hubert and Collin can
        analyze, study and develop an antidote for it. Then
        we can hopefully get Stalker back to his senses and
        get Tosca out of her coma."

Tanarus:"To what end, if I may ask Professor?"

Master:"I'm not going to say anything at this stage, but we
        really need to get our paws on this Hallucin-Venom."

Corsair:"Are also going to steal some of their info while we
         are there?"

Master:"If its related to the Hallucin-Venom, yes. If you can
        you can steal information on their other projects but
        that is optional should things turn dangerous."

Illanov:"Did Black say anything else about this building?"

Master:"Just about the labs and the Hallucin-Venom held there,
        but I'm pretty certain the Vanguard has strong security
        in the building. You won't be able to just walk in
        through the front door. You will have to find your own
        way in."

Kenya:"From all the stories I heard you Rovers are really good
       at making your own doors."

Shephard:"Well, that's more Hunter's team's speciality."

Corsair:"Especially anytime Shag is given a rocket launcher."

Striker:"We will try our best, Professor."

Master:"Thank you. I'll send you the information that Black
        provided. Good luck, Rovers!"

The Master disappears from the screen. Striker turns to his
team.

Striker:"Reg. Off to Shanghai we go. David, get the information
         from Black and find out where in Shanghai this building
         is. The rest of us are packing, including Kenya. She 
         is going in Elexis' place for a while."

Kenya wags her tail.

Kenya:"Nice! Glad I can finally join Sheppie on a mission."

Shephard blushes and clears his throat while Corsair stifles a
snicker.

Shephard:"Um, Ken. We need to stay professional on these 
          missions."

Kenya grins at him.

Kenya:"I'll behave."

Merit:"My sensors indicate that Miss Kenya might not be 
       delivering her promise with sufficient honesty."

Kenya shoots Merit a nasty look while Corsair is struggling
not to laugh out loud. Merit, however, does not understand
Kenya's reaction. Striker stands up.

Striker:"That's genoeg. Let's pack and get ready to go."

They all stand up and file out of the room.

Xianfeng Dui Building
Shanghai
China
19 July
15:01 PM:

Deep inside the building there is a room with a bunch of sterile 
holding cells with while walls and bright lights about. The cells
are arranged in a circle around a circular desk with a pair of
security guards seated by their computer terminals. Inside the
cells are a number of wolf-sapiens, most of them young. In one
cell is Frieda, who is curled up in a simplistic puppy bed with
some blankets. Checking on her is a teenage Timber Wolf 
wolf-sapien female in medical scrubs, who is being held in the
next cell. In the cell next to hers, a male teenage Timber Wolf
is look at them. He is also wearing medical scrubs.

Male:"How is she, Curie?"

The female named Curie stands up and turns to the male.

Curie:"She still looks okay, Marcus. She's sound asleep now."

The male named Marcus growls softly.

Marcus:"I don't like these latest experiments, Curie. I'm 
        getting a feeling that makes my fur stand straight."

Curie:"Me neither. And I don't like that Tunstall wolf. He is
       giving me the creeps."

Marcus nods and looks around to check the guard. Satisfied that
they are not watching him, he gestures Curie to come to him.
She trots over and then kneels along with Marcus.

Marcus(whispering):"I'm getting sick of this place. We need to
      escape."

Curie(whispering):"Escape? Have you forgotten what happened to
     our leader when he tried that last time?"

Marcus shudders, but he shakes it off.

Marcus(whispering):"I still remember, but I've learned from
      that first attempt. I might have a plan for us to get out
      of here."

Curie(whispering):"A plan? How does it work?"

Marcus(whispering):"I got this..."

He looks at the guards to make sure they are not watching, then
opens his scrubs a little. Hidden inside the scrubs is a keycard.
Curie is surprised.

Curie(whispering):"How did you get that?"

Marcus(whispering):"They were bringing the spares when they got
      distracted and I managed to swipe one before they got back.
      They never noticed it was gone."

Curie(whispering):"And how do you plan to use it?"

Marcus(whispering):"I'm hoping we can cause a distraction that
      will give me a chance to open these cells."

Curie(whispering):"And then what?"

Marcus frowns.

Marcus(whispering):"Don't know. Find a way to get out of here,
      I guess."

Curie(whispering):"That's not much of a plan, Marcus."

Marcus(whispering):"I know, but..."

Suddenly they stop and stand up when a scientist and some orderlies 
come to Marcus' cell.

Scientist:"Your turn today, Marcus. You'll be a good boy, right?"

Marcus:"Yes, I will."

Scientist(smiling):"Great! Come on."

Curie just watches as Marcus is led from his cell and out of the
holding pens with the scientist and the orderlies, all under the
watchful eye of the security operatives. Meanwhile, outside the
building on the opposite side of the street, Corsair and Shephard
were watching the building and taking photographs. Dressed as a
pair of backpacking tourists, they draw little attention from all
the passersby.

Corsair:"Impressive place they got here. Must cost a pretty 
         penny in rent."

Shephard:"I don't see much in terms of security at the door. 
          People come and go without even going through a
          scanner."

Corsair:"Then we should have no trouble going inside. Let's
         go have a look and see how long it takes for them
         to kick us out."

Shephard:"Yes, sir."

The two of them cross the street to the building and walk
through the revolving doors into the main lobby. The lobby is
a big, circular chamber with three floors before the ceiling.
Escalators lead up to the floors, where there are a number of
offices and even a few shops. At the back are three elevators,
though the middle one is under heavy security with scanners
and Vanguard security operatives. On the lobby floor are some
electronic billboards and in the middle a round help desk with
several staffers. Corsair and Shephard look about the place.

Corsair:"Looks more the inside of a shopping mall in here."

Shephard:"Security isn't what I expect. I only see Vanguard
          operatives by that one elevator. Otherwise civilians
          are coming and going as they please."

Corsair:"How about go and check the help desk over there? We
         might get some clues about the place from them."

Shephard:"We can try, sir."

Corsair:"Sure we can. Come on."

They walk up to the desk. A female staffer turns to them with
a smile on her face.

Staffer:"Hello, sirs. Can I help you?"

Corsair:"Hi there. We came in here thinking this place is a
         shopping centre, but I think we got it wrong."

Staffer:"Oh no, sir. This is not a shopping complex. This is
         the Xianfeng Dui Building. The floors here are mostly
         offices here, and the few shops we do have here cater
         mainly to the employees of those offices. I can give
         you directions to a good shopping complex if you wish?"

Corsair:"Are all the floors of this building taken up by offices
         and their coffee shops?"

Staffer:"Only the floors you see here, sir. The rest of the
         floors above us are private property."

Corsair:"They belong to the owners of this building?"

Staffer:"Yes, sir. The owners are very private and they haven't
         made their names public, including to me."

Shephard:"Is that why there is such strict security around that
          elevator, ma'am?"

Staffer:"Yes, sir. The owners don't like trespassers."

Corsair:"Whoa, look at that!"

Corsair points to a robot that appears from around one of the
billboards. It is a dual tread, metallic robot with a single
horizontal eye and a pair of pods attached to the sides. It
has the Vanguard insignia on its front. This is a Vanguard
Patrol Drone.

Staffer:"Impressive, isn't it sirs?"

Corsair:"Does it belong to the owners, too?"

Staffer:"Indeed it does. It was put here a few months ago as
         part of security. They built it themselves."

Shephard:"It looks to me like one of the robots the GONV used
          during the Techno War."

Staffer:"I heard talk that it was based off one of those very
         robots they salvaged after the war. But now I am
         gossiping! Anything else you need, sirs?"

Corsair looks at Shephard.

Corsair:"Got any more questions for the lady?"

Shephard:"Is security as tight as this on the upper floors,
          ma'am."

Staffer:"Even more so. As I said, the owners do not like un-
         invited visitors."

Shephard:"Ah, thank you very much, ma'am. You have a good day."

Staffer:"Glad to assist. Happy shopping, sirs."

Corsair:"Goodbye!"

Shephard and Corsair leave the building and head out into the
streets.

Corsair:"Think we should go back to the hotel?"

Shephard:"I think so, sir. We've seen what we could without
          raising the alarm."

Corsair:"That robot was pretty intimidating. And sounds like
         there are more of them upstairs."

Shephard:"We need to tell the rest of the team."

Corsair:"Off we go, then."

They walk along the sidewalk through the crowds back to their
hotel. The hotel is a tall building not far from the Xianfeng
Dui, with a good view of the river. Corsair and Shephard go
into the hotel and head to the room where the rest of Unit
STRIKE are in. Kenya, who is seated around a table with Phoenix
and Merit working on what looks to be blueprints, smiles and
wags her tail when she sees Shephard.

Kenya:"Welcome back, Sheppie. How was your little excursion?"

Shephard:"We managed to learn a few things without getting
          caught, Ken. How are things here?"

Kenya:"I'm helping Phoenix and Merit check the blueprints for
       the building."

Corsair:"You guys managed to get it?"

Phoenix:"Yes, but it might not be very handy. These blueprints
         don't seem to match what Strikie and Alex have been
         seeing from the balcony."

Corsair:"I'm not surprised. Security is tight beyond the first
         three floors and the help desk say the Vanguard have
         some serious security up there. They even have these
         fancy big robots rolling about the place."

Phoenix:"HECUs?"

Corsair:"Nope. Its another toy they made from all the busted
         GONV robots that littered Europe after the Techno War.
         Looks pretty intimidating."

Shephard:"Almost a kind of small, indoor tank. And there is
          most likely more of them around in the upper floors
          where we can't go."

Corsair:"They definitely got something to hide up there. What
         does the blueprints say?"

Phoenix:"Not much. It looks like so many other office buildings
         here in the city on the outside, but Merit's scans of
         the building show what is on this blueprint and what
         is right here don't match."

Merit:"The differences are most notable with the eight upper-
       most floors of the structure. I detected different room
       configurations, unconvential heat sources, reinforced
       construction, facilities that are not required by office
       buildings and security features."

Kenya:"Which is to say they really are hiding something there."

Shephard:"Is there a way in?"

Phoenix:"Strikie and Alex have gone to the roof to see if they
         scout out a possible assault via the rooftop. There is
         a single maintenance door for workcrews to get to the
         satellite dishes, antennae and ventilators, but that
         is likely to be very secure. We won't be able to get
         in there like we did in Nepal."

Corsair:"Fool me once, I guess. I need some coffee, be back in
         a flash."

Shephard:"I need a snack, too."

Kenya winks at Shephard.

Kenya:"Your favourite in the top drawer of the fridge, Sheppie."

Shephard grins widely and follows Corsair to the kitchen while
Phoenix, Kenya and Merit study the blueprints more.

Command Centre
Eta Squadron Headquarters
Unknown Location
At That Moment:

Sky is standing by a terminal next to the technician working on
it. Several technicians are working at other terminals, but now
most of the terminals and screens have been removed or are being
removed by wolf-sapiens in yellow overalls. Large military-grade
boxes and crates are scattered around the centre.

Sky:"So we have confirmation it is the GONV?"

Technician:"Yes, sir. These probing attacks might look like the
            work of amateur hackers to the Vanguard, but I have
            run an interception trace and I can confirm it matches
            the IPs we have on the GONV."

Sky:"Ah, then the GONV is ready to make a move. What does our
     Psychic Trooper Corps say of the attacks?"

Technician:"The Vanguard are not fully aware of the nature of the
            attacks. The GONV is preparing to make a full cyber
            assault."

Sky:"Excellent. Monitor this assault and get a full trace on the
     links to the GONV itself."

Technician:"Excellent."

Sky turns and heads out of the command centre.

The Zhu Residence
Outskirts of Shanghai
17:01 PM:

This is a large house located in one of Shanghai's upscale
residential neighbourhoods. It is built in the ancient Chinese
style with a red roof and surrounded by a high wall. A single
driveway goes up to the front gate and the garage. A black
SUV pulls up into the driveway and stops by the gate. Hounder
climbs out of the vehicle. He is dressed in a fine black suit
with a red coronation pinned to his chest. He walks up to the
front gate and presses a button on the intercom next to it.
There is a buzz and a brief pause.

Voice(over intercom):"Greetings Hounder. You ready?"

Hounder(into intercom):"Ready when you are, my lady."

Voice(over intercom):"I'll be there a minute. Please wait."

Hounder steps away and waits. After a short period the gate is
unlocked and swings open. Mei Jing is behind the gate, wearing
a red silk qipao that has been cut on the sides to show her
legs. She is wearing her ankle and wrist bracelets along with
the qipao. Hounder grins as he looks her over.

Hounder:"Hello Mei. You look lovely! Did you use your nanosuit 
         to make this dress?"

Mei Jing:"Yes, I did. I'm learning to better use this suit
          outside of work."

Hounder:"I'd say you are getting a good handle on it. Shall we?"

Mei Jing:"Yes, please."

Mei Jing comes out, closes and locks the gate behind her with
an electronic remote. Hounder opens the passenger door to let
the panda climb in.

Mei Jing:"A real gentledog, aren't you?"

Hounder:"I try my best."

Mei Jing:"I'm sure I can reward such chivalry when we return
          from outing if it goes well."

Hounder climbs in behind the wheel, starts the engine and
drives towards the city.

Mei Jing:"I appreciate you taking me out tonight, Hounder. I
          need a bit of a break. Hawkins has had me running
          around and reporting so many stories ahead of the  
          UN elections."

Hounder:"Same here. In fact, that's the reason I'm here."

Mei Jing:"Oh? Why are you here?"

Hounder:"Before the Rovers took Stalker, Suchong managed to
         inject him with a strong dose of Hallucin-Venom.
         Now the higher ups believe the Rovers will try to
         get a cure for it."

Mei Jing:"Can they do that?"

Hounder:"Only if they have the original samples. So I'm here
         to back up the security at Xianfeng Dui. Hawkins is
         sure the Road Rovers will try to raid the place."

Mei Jing:"I can't imagine them being that bold. We bolstered
          security at the building, haven't we?"

Hounder:"Yes, we did. And I brought in my own team as backup,
         so the labs are very secure. Nonetheless, I got my
         phone set to alert me immediately if there is a
         problem."

Mei Jing:"It better not. I'm still annoyed at what the Rovers
          did to me in Baytown."

Hounder smiles.

Hounder:"I'm sure you will. Now let's enjoy the night, shall
         we?"

Mei Jing smiles back.

Mei Jing:"Let's."

The SUV heads onto a main street, heading for the glittering
lights of central Shanghai.

Rooftop
Commerce Tower
Near Xianfeng Dui Building
Shanghai
19:22 PM:

This is the top of a tall building. It has a helicopter pad,
a radio mast, clusters of air conditioning units and utility
shacks. Unit STRIKE are at the one edge of the roof, looking
at the Xianfeng Dui not too far away. They are all dressed in
black versions of the Road Rover field uniforms, only the 
shirts have long sleeves and the uniform comes with gloves 
and face masks. Merit is the only one who is not wearing the 
outfit. They are busy unzipping bags and taking out crappling
hooks, ropes and hookshot guns. They also take out motorized
pulleys with handles

Striker:"Everyone but Merit has the pulleys, reg?"

Everyone nods, holding up their devices. Striker nods in
approval.

Striker:"Goed. And everyone has their suits on?"

Kenya:"A bit itchy, but it fits."

Striker:"Reg. Let's go over the plan again: we will shoot hooks
         over to the Vanguard building and slide on down to the
         roof. Merit will stay here to guard the line and reel
         us in when we come back up. The rest of us will then
         scout out the roof and see if we can find a way into
         the building. We are not raiding the building tonight,
         so I don't want anyone raising an alarm. Everyone
         understand this so far?"

They all nod in agreement. Striker continues explaining the
rest of the plan for the night.

GONV Satellite
High Orbit Over Earth
At That Moment:

This is a small satellite with a nest of three dishes pointing
towards the Earth and a circle of solar panels on the opposite
end. On the side of the satellite is the insignia of the GONV.
One of the dishes is pointing down towards China, lit up by the
lights of the many towns and cities below.

Drone Storage Bay
Xianfeng Dui
Shanghai:

This is a sterile room with elevator pads where the Vanguard
Patrol Drones are kept. Some pads are empty, but most have a
drone parked here. Next to each pad is a computer terminal that
shows the status of the drones. They all show the drones are
in sleep mode. Suddenly there is an alarm and everyone terminal
flashes a red warning message: "WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS!"
Red lights blink above each pad. The Patrol Drones start to
switch on. The doors leading into the room slide open and a
security operative rushes in.

Operative:"What the h*** is going here?!"

Suddenly one of the patrol drones turns to him and opens fire.
Before the operative can react, he is gunned down. The drones
roll off their pads and head out through the open doors. More
alarms sound throughout the building, while on the screens of
the computers in the room the insiginia of the GONV appears.

Rooftop
Commerce Tower
Near Xianfeng Dui Building:

The Strikers are still busy getting their gear and their plan
of attack together. Suddenly they hear distant gunshots. They
look at each other.

Shephard:"I hear gunfire, sirs."

Illanov:"Dah, me too."

Phoenix perks her ears.

Phoenix:"It sounds like its coming from..."

They turn to the source of the gunshots. They can see flashes
of light through the windows of the Xianfeng Dui building.

Kenya:"It's coming from in there!"

Corsair:"How can that be?"

Suddenly there is a massive explosion. A window is blown
outward by a large fireball. The team is startled.

Corsair:"Whoa!"

Phoenix:"What's going on in there? An attack by somebody
         else?"

Illanov:"No idea, comrade. But now I'm worried our objective
         is in danger. What if these attackers are after
         what we are?"

Striker:"I agree. We are going in immediately! Let's go!"

Unit STRIKE springs into action. They get their gear on and
run to the edge of the roof. They aim for the Xianfeng Dui
and fire their hooks across the street to the roof. The
hooks land and latch securely to the edges of the rooftop.
The team then secure the lines to the radio mast. Striker
talks to Merit.

Striker:"Make sure nobody tampers with these, Merit!"

Merit:"Affirmative! Initiating guard mode."

Striker rejoins his team. They take the pulleys, attach them 
to the lines and begin to slide down over the street to the 
Xianfeng Dui. Alarms are blaring from inside the building 
while in the streets crowds are forming in the area. Sirens 
can be heard in the distance.

Restuarant
Riverside District
Shanghai:

This is a fancy, upscale restuarant located on the edge of the
river that runs through the city. The bright lights of the
commerce zone opposite it light up the sky with bright,
colourful lights. Hounder and Mei Jing are seated at a table
that overlooks the river. Hounder has just finished giving
their orders to the waiter. The waiter bows and walks off to
the kitchen. Hounder looks out at the city.

Hounder:"Very nice night out today. All clear and bright
         lights."

Mei:"Yes, almost like New York, but much more colourful. I
     like coming here sometimes. This place has good food."

Hounder looks back at the panda.

Hounder:"Real Chinese cuisine here?"

Mei:"Genuine and authentic, and really good."

Hounder licks his lips.

Hounder:"I'm looking forward to it. I'm hungry."

Mei Jing smiles.

Mei:"Me too. And for more than just the food."

Hounder raises a questioning eyebrow as Mei Jing sinks into her 
seat a bit. Suddenly the canine's ears perk up and his eyes go 
wide.

Hounder:"Oh!"

Mei:"Maybe once we get back to my place...?"

Hounder grins.

Hounder:"Maybe..."

Suddenly there is a beep. Hounder growls and reaches into one
of his pockets and pulls out his phone. He checks it, then he
sits up straight.

Hounder:"Uh oh! We got a problem!"

Mei Jing sits up as well.

Mei:"What is it?"

Hounder:"We got to get to the Xianfeng Dui! The drones have
         gone crazy and are shooting up the place. I'm going
         to join my team to get the situation under control!"

Mei:"I'll come with you!"

Hounder:"Let's go!"

The two of them jump up and quickly leave the restuarant, much
to their waiter's surprise.

Holding Cells
Xianfeng Dui Building:

Everyone is up on their feet in the cells, both the wolves and
their captors. They can hear the gunfire and explosions inside
the building while alarms blare throughout. Frieda is whimpering 
in fear while Curie tries to reassure her. Another security
operative comes running, clutching her pistol.

Operative:"We need help right now!"

Guard:"What's going on? Is it an attack?"

Operative:"The drones have all gone on a beserk rampage! You
           guys need to come and help us stop the machines
           before they wreck the whole place!"

Guard:"What about the prisoners?"

Operative:"Forget them, they're fine! Get off your a**es and
           help!"

The guards hesitate for a moment, then get up and grab their
pistols. They all run out of the holding cells. Marcus watches
them go until the room is empty. He is excitedly wagging his
tail and looks at Curie.

Marcus:"Curie, this is it! This is our chance!"

Curie:"Chance? What chance?"

Marcus:"Our chance to escape! With the guards busy, we can get
        out of here!"

Marcus fumbles about in his medical scrubs and pulls out the
keycard he has. He reaches for the keycard slot on his cell
door and swipes the card. There is a beep and his door slides
open.

Marcus:"I'm free!"

He rushes to Curie's cell and swipes the card there. The cell
door slides open. He then goes and opens Frieda's cell, and
then the others. Curie rushes into Frieda's cell and picks up
the wolf pup in her arms, cooing softly to comfort her

Curie:"Easy, little one. I got you."

She then turns to Marcus.

Curie:"Marcus! How are we going to get out?"

Marcus opens another cell door.

Marcus:"We find the exit and run away, that's how!"

Curie:"That's your plan? That's your plan?!"

Marcus:"You got a better one?"

Curie tries to respond but she has no answer. Soon all the
wolves are free and arming themselves with loose objects to
use as clubs. They then gather around Marcus.

Marcus:"Let's go!"

Curie:"But Marcus! What about all that gunfire?"

Marcus:"We just avoid them, its all. Come on!"

Curie growls under her breath, but she and the others follow
Marcus out of the holding cells. The battle continues to rage
throughout the building.

Main Lobby
Xianfeng Dui Building:

Hounder and Mei Jing come running into the main lobby. Here they
find the security operatives leading out staff members while
locking down the building. Hounder spots a senior operative and
rushes to him.

Hounder:"Hey you!"

Operative:"Commander Hounder! I'm glad you and Miss Zhu here."

Mei Jing:"What's going on?"

Operative:"Our drones went beserk a short time ago and they're
           shooting up the upper floors. I've had the public
           floors secured and we're escorting out anyone who
           managed to get down here."

Hounder:"How many of your men are here?"

Operative:"I got about a quarter of the building's guards here.
           The others are trapped in the upper floors trying
           to contain the problem."

Mei Jing:"Is this a major systems malfuction?"

Operative:"We first thought so too, until we discovered that
           somebody has shut down the elevators, shut off the
           escalators and locked some of the doors. I think this
           is a deliberate act of sabotage."

Hounder:"Right, then we'd better get this building secured. Make
         sure this lobby is secure. My operative team is on its
         way here."

Operative:"Yes, sir!"

Hounder then looks at Mei Jing.

Hounder:"Road Rovers or KH Military?"

Mei Jing:"I hope its the Road Rovers. I want to get them back
          for getting away from me in Baytown."

Hounder:"And leaving you without your suit."

Mei Jing:"... that too. But this time they won't get me again. I
          had my nanosuit fitted with an anti-EMP upgrade."

Hounder:"Good. Okay, let's wait for my team and get ready to go
         in."

Hounder goes to get operative body armor and weapons. Meanwhile, 
Mei Jing transforms her dress into her operative outfit and waits
for Hounder and his team. Above the sound of gunfire can be heard
on the upper floors.

Rooftop
Xianfeng Dui:

The Strikers all come landing on the roof, weapons ready to take
on any surprises. But the roof is clear and soon they all gather
around. Below them they can hear the battle raging.

Corsair:"Sounds like a party downstairs."

Illanov:"What's the plan, comrade?"

Striker:"We go down in a group with weapons ready. The stealth
         option is clearly out the window now, but hopefully the
         building's security will be too busy fighting whomever
         is attacking. Where can we enter the building?"

Corsair:"Our best bet is that skylight over there, boss. Its over
         a cafeteria overlooking the city."

Striker and his team go to the skyline and look through it. Down
below they can see the tables and chairs of the cafeteria. Against
the one side of the room is the cafeteria, with bright signs
showing food and drink for sale. There isn't anyone below, but the
room is lit up by the blinking red light of an alarm.

Striker:"Goed, all clear. Break the glass and head on down. And
         keep your eyes open."

Phoenix:"We do it stealthy or forgo stealth?"

Striker:"Forgo stealth, but let's also not draw unwanted attention
         to ourselves."

Phoenix nods and puts her paws to the glass. Her paws heat up
until they are red-hot. The glass shatters from the heat and falls
down onto the table below. Using ropes, Unit STRIKE climb down
one by one to the cafeteria. As they land, they ready their 
weapons and scan the cafeteria. There is no one else around, but
the sound of battle can be heard coming from the corridors outside.
Soon they are all down on the floor.

Shephard:"All clear, sir."

Striker:"Goed. Stay close and proceed forward with caution. 
         David, you have the directions ready?"

Corsair:"Right here, b..."

A bang noise from the cafeteria immediately draws their attention.
Striker immediately signals his team to be quiet and spread out
as they approach the cafeteria. They slow move in, weapons ready.
They go around the counters, sweeping the area. Then into the
kitchens. Phoenix notices a counter cupboard closing slightly.
She points to it. Unit STRIKE approaches the cupboard, weapons
aimed at it. Striker gestures to Illanov to the open cupboard.
Illanov nods and approaches it from the side. He grabs the
cupboard and swings it open quickly. Hiding inside is a man
dressed in green janitorial overalls. He gasps.

Janitor:"Aaah! Why is everyone trying to kill me?"

Illanov:"We're not here to kill you, comrade. Unless you try
         and be clever."

Janitor:"I'm just here to mop the floors!"

Striker:"Get out of there and put your hands in the air."

The janitor nods quickly and climbs out of the cupboard with
his hands up. The Strikers keep their weapons aimed at him to
be certain.

Striker:"Can you tell me what is going in here?"

Janitor:"Why do you ask? Who are you?"

Striker:"We are Road Rovers."

The janitor groans.

Janitor:"Oh no. Now you guys. First the drones go beserk, then
         the lab wolves escape."

Striker:"Explain."

Janitor:"The patrol drones began shooting at everyone here
         with no warning at all. Security is panicked and they
         can't stop the robots."

Striker:"And the wolves?"

Janitor:"Some of the scientists experiment on a handful of 
         wolf-sapiens. I often have to clean their cells. I
         spotted them running in the corridors and attacking
         a guard for his firearm. With all this, I decided to
         hide in here before you turned up."

Illanov:"Are these wolves from the KH Military?"

Janitor:"I don't think so. Many of them were young puppies
         when they first came here."

Phoenix:"What experiments did they conduct on them?"

Janitor:"I don't know what exactly they did. Something with
         narcotics and chemicals, I think."

This peaks the team's interests. Phoenix presses him.

Phoenix:"Where are these narcotics and chemicals kept?"

Janitor:"Two floors down there is a laboratory that you can
         only enter through some airlocks. It has the biohazard
         signs on the glass windows. You cannot miss it."

Striker:"Do you know how to use the airlocks?"

Janitor:"Me? Not a chance. That is far beyond my salary."

Striker:"That's genoeg for us. We're letting you go."

Janitor:"Good. I'm staying right here in my cupboard until the
         situation has drastically improved."

The janitor immediately climbs back into the cupboard and slams
the door shut.

Janitor(inside cupboard):"Now go away before someone sees you!"

Striker:"Goeie advice. Let's go."

They all leave the cafeteria and make their way to the doorway
that leads out into the corridors. There they immediately see
the walls are riddled with bullet holes. They check the corridor
and see nobody about. Striker leads them on and follow the
planned route given by Corsair.

Corsair:"... then left to the main stairwell."

Striker:"Reg, stay focused."

Suddenly there is loud gunfire and a security operative crashes
to the floor from around the corner. Unit STRIKE stops, then a
Patrol Drone comes around the corner, its gun barrels smoking.

Drone:"New targets sighted. Terminating."

Striker:"Take cover!"

They immediately run through a nearby door as the drone opens
fire. Bits of plaster is blown out of the walls and narrowly
miss hitting the Strikers.

Drone:"Engaging pursuit mode."

The patrol drone drives up to the doorway and turns into it.
Suddenly Kenya comes jumping out of the door and lands on
the drone between the gun barrels. She is snarling and
welding a machete in her one paw. The drone tries to shake
her by turning violently, firing its guns to try and get the
wild dog off it.

Drone:"Error! Close proximity breach."

Kenya:"Breach? Here's a REAL breach!"

Kenya starts stabbing and slashing the robot's body, sending
sparks and pieces of metal fly. The drone keeps trying to
shake until Kenya manages to hit a critical component. There
is a small explosion that sends sparks and smoke flying up
and the drone comes to a complete standstill. Kenya jumps
off it as the Strikers come back out. Kenya grins.

Kenya:"First blood for me."

Striker is not happy with Kenya.

Striker:"Warn us before you do something like that, Kenya!"

Shephard, on the other hand, is very pleased with his canine
girlfriend.

Shephard:"Don't worry, Ken. I thought that was great."

Kenya:"Your approval is what I'm always after, Sheppie."

Striker facepalms. Illanov and Corsair look at one another.

Corsair:"At least we're not the ones getting the boss angry
         this time, Russian."

Illanov:"A rare moment of agreement there, American."

Striker(between clenched teeth):"Keep moving!"

The team moves past the defeated patrol drone and on down
the corridor. As they do, they fail to notice that a ceilin-
mounted security camera is watching them.

Elevator Lobby
1st Security Floor:

This is where the elevators from the lower floor stop from
going any higher. Past them is a number of security gates
and scanners with two adjacent security offices and beyond
them another set of elevators that go further up. Right now
a small team of Security Operatives are holed up in the
offices while by the lower elevator doors some scientists
are busy helping the injured. The emergency fire escape
door near the lower elevators swing open. Hounder, Mei Jing
and a team of Vanguard soldiers and Task Operatives come
in. A security operative goes up and salutes.

Operative:"Captain Hounder! We're glad you're here. Things
           are bad here."

Hounder:"Casualties?"

Operative:"Five so far. We got the injured back here, but
           the others are trapped. We tried to help, but a
           lot of the security doors are shut tight. We
           tried opening them remotely, but we keep getting
           locked out."

Hounder:"Hostiles?"

Operative:"So far it seems to only be the Patrol Drones that
           have gone crazy, but I've gotten no reports from
           the robotics labs about the LICU's being held
           there. The operatives in that sector are answering
           our calls."

Hounder:"Any visual on the cameras?"

Operative:"Nothing. Whoever is controlling the drones are
           controlling the security cameras too. We can't see
           what is going in the building."

Hounder:"Right. In that case, where are the servers that control
         all of these?"

Operative:"Five floors above it, right below the main biological
           laboratories."

Hounder:"That's our goal, then. Get to the server rooms and shut
         everything down so we can retake the building..."

Task Operator:"Hostiles, sir!"

Coming around the the elevators is a pair of Patrol Drones. They
immediately open fire, forcing most of the Vanguard to take cover
behind whatever they can use for shielding. But Mei Jing takes
off and dashes around one of the security booths. A patrol drone
takes aim and fires, but the panda's rapid movements, dives and
somersaults make it difficult for the robot to lock on. Mei Jing
does a series of leaps until she lands right in front of the
drone. Before it can fire again, she throws a pair of energy
shurikens at it, sending sparks flying. She immediately slides
on the floor to dodge the second patrol drone's shots. When she
gets to the drone the panda leaps through the air, tossing 
shurikens into it. The drone's turret burst into flames and
comes to a stop. Mei Jing lands gracefully and stands up. Hounder
and the others come out of cover.

Hounder:"Nice work, Mei!"

Mei turns around and bows gracefully. Unbeknownst to her, the
security cameras were fully focused on her. Suddenly the panda
jerks straight up, then her arms and legs move about wildy. Her
eyes widen in shock while Hounder looks at her in confusion.

Hounder:"Er... is that a victory dance, Mei?"

Mei Jing:"Something's wrong with my suit! I cannot control...
          hmmpf!!!"

The suit's nanobots turn her facemask into a gag, silencing her.
Then the suit turns her around and begin to run to the stairs
behind the other elevators. Mei tries to scream, but the suit
is keeping her muffled. Within seconds she is out of sight.

Hounder:"Mei? Mei!!"

Hounder looks at his team.

Hounder:"Move! Move!"

Hounder and his operatives begin running after the panda while
the security operatives lead the survivors and injured out through
the door the team has come through.

Bio Research Laboratories
7th Security Floor:

Unit STRIKE enters through a pair of sliding doors into the
laboratories. Corsair reprograms the sliding doors to close on
his command while the others look around. They find themselves
looking down a corridor with glass-walled rooms on either side.
There are dozens of computers, laboratory equipment, beakers,
storage tanks and freezers. Several of the rooms have secure
airlocks with lockers for hazmat suits. On the glass are a
number of notices, warnings and biohazard symbols with versions
in English and Mandarin.

Illanov:"Bolshoi. This is one of the most advanced biolabs I've
         seen outside the military."

Striker:"You think the Vanguard have the Hallucin-Venom here?"

Illanov:"Dah. This is the perfect place to store it."

Striker:"Goed. Corsair and Kenya check the rooms while the rest
         of us provide us. Positions, everyone."

With the rest of the team covering them, Corsair and Kenya begin
to check the rooms. They look through the glass to see if they
can see anything that looks like their target. After a while
Kenya spots something inside a secured room: a large, cylin-
der shaped freezer with a label saying "HALLUCIN-VENOM STORAGE:
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY". She grins.

Kenya:"Aha! Found it!"

Corsair comes over and looks.

Corsair:"Jackpot. Let me get the door open and then we can go in
         and grab the drug."

Kenya:"You have the cooler bag?"

Corsair:"Yeah. You take out of my backpack while I work."

Kenya:"Okay."

While Corsair begins to work on the scanner device next to the
sealed door, Kenya digs around in his backpack. She pulls out a
folded-up cooler bag and then unfolds and unzips it. Corsair
manages to hack the door and it begins to open.

Corsair:"There we go. Now we..."

Suddenly the door slams shut again before Corsair and Kenya can
enter. They both look surprised.

Kenya:"Hey! What is going on?"

Corsair:"No idea! It's not supposed to do that."

Striker:"What is going on?"

Corsair:"The door was opening and then it shut in our faces
         again."

The next instant all the lights go dead. The only illumination
comes from the red alarm lights and the computer screens. The
Strikers look around with concern.

Phoenix:"Do the Vanguard know we are here?"

Shephard:"I thought they had their hands full with the robots."

Suddenly all the computer screens flicker. Then a window pops
up with a live video feed. On the feed is a stylized grey skull
with a pair of bright grey lights in the eye sockets. Illanov
recognises it immediately and growls.

Illanov:"Matrix!"

Matrix:"My organic nemesis, Alexander Illanov. I did not have
        a high probability calculation of locating you and your
        cohorts here."

Illanov:"And I should have guessed you had taken control of the
         robots here."

Matrix:"This organisation believes it can engineer my machines
        for it own purposes. I intend to demonstrate that the
        GONV is still a meaningful threat and to stop the
        Vanguard's rise to prominence."

Phoenix:"I hardly imagine you working with us, Matrix."

Matrix:"I am not cooperating with you organics, Road Rovers. I
        seek to stop the rise of another organisation similar
        to yours to oppose me."

Kenya leans over to whisper to Corsair.

Kenya(whispering):"Who is this fancy desktop wallpaper?"

Corsair(whispering):"That's Matrix, an AI that controls the GONV,
       the supercomputer that we fought during the Techno War."

Kenya(whispering):"So, a bad guy?"

Corsair(whispering):"He ticks all the right boxes for being one."

Matrix:"But your presence here provides the opportunity to also
        end your existance. Prepare for your demise."

Illanov growls and looks at Striker.

Illanov:"Comrade, we need to purge the GONV from the building's
         computers if we are to get the Hallucin-Venom."

Striker:"Any suggestions how we can do that?"

Illanov:"Shut down all the servers of this building."

Striker looks at Corsair.

Striker:"Where is the server room?"

Corsair:"One floor below us, boss."

Striker:"Alex, Kenya and I will go down to the server room and
         shut it down. The rest of you stay here and keep this
         room secure."

Matrix:"You are aware that I am listening to you, correct?"

Striker snaps at Matrix.

Striker:"Do not try to be clever, Matrix! We know very well you
         can see and hear anything we do here."

Matrix:"Ah, it actually is more intelligent than expected."

Striker growls and leads Illanov and Kenya out of the room while
the others take defensive positions to cover the entrance. All 
the while Matrix watches them from the screens.