Rover Strike: Vortex

Episode 6: Striker's Trial

By Gerhard Naudé

All Rover Strike names © Gerhard Naudé
All Road Rovers names © Warner Brothers and rightful owners
Hotrod, Alana © David Fountain
Sunrise © Kristen Coughlan
Bugliose © Steven Today
Dylan © Dylan Rinalds
General Pard, Captain Sparrow © K9: The First
Vicki © Robert Baer Jr.

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

Holding Cell
High Court
Johannesburg
Gauteng Province
South Africa
11 November
3:21 PM:

The cell inside the High Court is made of sandstone and has a metal
door with a small barred window and a small hatch for food. A small
barred window looks out to the courtyard behind the court. There is
a simple bunk, toilet and washbasin here. Striker is now here,
kneeling at the bunk and praying softly.

Striker(praying):"... in the name of Christ, Amen."

Just as he opens his eyes, he hears the sound of a key turning in
the lock. Striker stands up and looks to the door. The door is
unlocked and opened by a police guard. Behind him in the hallway 
are more police guards.

Guard:"You have visitors, inmate."

Striker simply nods his head. The guard steps aside to allow the
visitors to come into the cell. It is Corsair, Bugloise and the Cape
Hunting Dog lawyer Sunrise, who has shape shifted into a black human
wearing a deep blue suit and matching tie. Both Bugloise and Sunrise
carry suitcases, while Corsair is carrying a simple backpack. Striker
smiles when he recognizes the group. Corsair grins back at the
cocker spaniel.

Corsair:"Nice to have a change of company, eh boss?"

Striker goes up to Corsair and grabs him by the shoulders.

Striker:"David, it is wonderlik to see you here. Did anybody else
         come along?"

Corsair:"Yup. Shephard came along and so did Hotrod and Cadwell. 
         Merit also managed to tag along for the ride."

Striker:"You have geen idea how much this means to me."

Corsair:"Hey, we promised Phoenix that we weren't going to let bad
         things happen to you."

Striker's eyes take on a look of concern when he hears his wife's
name.

Striker:"Phoenix! Where is she? Is she... still reg?"

Corsair:"Yeah. She's doing peachy. We picked her up from the island
         where the Elite Guard had been and brought her back home.
         She's none the worse for wear, but she misses you big time."

Striker:"Did Champion...?"

Corsair shakes his head.

Corsair:"Nope. Phoenix set his assets on fire before he could even
         do the deed."

Striker smiles with relief.

Striker:"Wel gedaan, Phoenix. Serves him right, the bliksem."

Corsair:"Oh, there are some of us who still want to have a chat with
         him about that matter, boss."

Striker:"I hope we all do. I'm just happy my Firefly is all right."

Corsair:"If you want I can get her on the line. I got a phone with a
         direct linkup."

Striker:"I would love that, but isn't she asleep at this hour in the
         States?"

Corsair chuckles.

Corsair:"I'll bet she is staying awake the whole time next to the
         phone, waiting to hear from her hubby."

Striker smiles and chuckles along. At that point Bugliose and Sunrise
step up.

Bugliose:"Pardon me for interrupting, but me and Sunrise need to talk
          to you about your case."

Striker turns to the two lawyers and nods his head.

Striker:"Reg. It's clear to me that saying 'I am innocent' simply 
         will not do around here."

Bugliose:"We're here to prove that to the jury, Striker."

Striker:"Bugliose, South Africa works on the Westminster model of
         justice. They don't use juries. You need to convince the
         judge who will preside over the case."

Bugliose is surprised by this news and scratches his head.

Bugliose:"Seems I might need to make some adjustments, but it won't
          change the overall case."

Sunrise:"What we would like, Striker, is some information from your
         side that could help your case."

Striker:"There isn't much I can provide. You should contact Norwood
         to help out. He still has access to some old EDF files and
         documents that could be of use. Oh! You must get Maska."

Bugliose:"Who is he?"

Striker:"He was a servant of my family for years, even after the
         massacre. Plus, he knows my former identity and the truth
         about what happened that day. He should be at the Vorster
         Estate."

Bugliose quickly pulls out a notepad and pen and writes down this
information.

Bugliose:"Good start here. Do you perhaps any personnel effects that
          we could use?"

Striker shakes his head.

Striker:"Nothing that the prosecution won't say I stole."

Bugliose:"Yeah, that would not help matters. Do you have anything
          else which we can use?"

Striker:"Niks. Only Norwood and Maska."

Bugliose:"It's not much, but we will need all the help."

Sunrise looks at his wristwatch.

Sunrise:"We'd better get going. We need to check in at our stro...
         residence and get to work checking evidence, police files,
         witnesses and so forth. We don't have much time to do it."

Bugliose nods in agreement and puts the notepad and pen away.

Bugliose:"I second that."

Striker turns to Corsair.

Striker:"Could you perhaps connect me to Phoenix? Just hearing her
         voice would lift my spirits greatly."

Corsair:"With pleasure, boss. Just give me a sec."

Corsair slides the backpack off and rests it on the bunk. He opens
it and digs around until he pulls out a device that looks like a
cellular phone. Striker looks at it.

Striker:"Trace?"

Corsair:"Nope."

Striker nods and looks on eagerly as Corsair dials a number, then
puts the phone to his ear.

Kitchen
Road Rover Mission Control
State of New Mexico
United States of America
At That Moment:

Though daytime in South Africa, it is still night here at RRMC. Most
of the buildings are quiet and dark. One of the exceptions is the
kitchen area. All the lights are on there, illuminating the entire
kitchen and the adjacent dining hall. Right now only Phoenix and
Dylan are here. Phoenix is wearing a light blue nightgown, while
Dylan has thick wooly pajamas. Both of them are wearing slippers.
Phoenix is seated at the kitchen counter, silently drinking coffee
while staring at a cellular phone lying on the counter. Dylan has
just finished making himself some coffee and comes to sit next to
Phoenix.

Dylan:"You all right, Phoenix?"

Phoenix nods a little, taking a sip of her coffee.

Phoenix:"Yes, I am. Thanks for the coffee, Dylan. It's delicious."

Dylan:"You're welcome, Phoenix."

He looks at the phone, then back at Phoenix.

Dylan:"Are you sure they will call?"

Phoenix:"Yes, they will. I can feel it."

Dylan:"Did they actually tell you they will be calling at this time
       of night?"

She hesitates to answer for a moment, then sighs and shakes her head.

Phoenix:"Not really. They only said they would call me on this day 
         or the next."

Dylan puts a paw on her shoulders.

Dylan:"Look. I know you miss Striker. We all do. And I'm sure that
       he misses you as well. But it won't do you any good to de-
       prive yourself of sleep. When the call does come and he is
       on the other end, you can count on us to let you know first."

Phoenix takes in what Dylan said, then sighs and nods.

Phoenix:"You're right, Dylan. I really want to hear his voice,
         though."

Suddenly the phone rings and vibrates loudly on the counter. Phoenix
immediately grabs it and answers. She eagerly puts the phone to her
ear while Dylan leans closer to listen.

Phoenix(into phone):"Hello?"

Corsair(over phone):"Hey, Phoenix. Corsair here. Hope I didn't go
       and interrupt your beauty sleep?"

Phoenix(into phone):"No, not at all. Where are you?"

Corsair(over phone):"We're at the high court here in Johannesburg.
       Or Joburg, as the locals call it. Me and Bugliose and Sunrise
       came to check in on Striker."

Phoenix holds the phone closer.

Phoenix(into phone):"Where is he?"

Corsair(over phone):"About a foot or so away. He seems ready to 
       snatch the phone away from me. I'll put him on... here you go, 
       boss. It's the missus."

Phoenix waits anxiously as Corsair hands the phone over to Striker.

Striker(over phone):"Phoenix?"

Phoenix presses the phone right against her ear and speaks in an
excited voice. Her tail wags eagerly behind her.

Phoenix(into phone):"Striker! Oh, Striker. Are you all right?"

Striker(over phone):"I'm fine, Phoenix, but I'm more worried about
       you. Did Champion harm you? If he did I swear I will..."

Phoenix(into phone):"I'm all right, Love. I'm all right. A bit
       roughed up, but we have such wonderful friends and family to
       pull us through. But I feel so helpless here. I wish I could
       be with you at your trial in South Africa."

Striker(over phone):"I would give all my earthly belongings to have
       you here. But I'm afraid the reality is that you would be in
       too much danger here. It is best that you stay back in the
       States, I'm sorry to say."

Phoenix(into phone):"But I feel as if I'm letting you down as a
       wife."

Striker(over phone):"Phoenix, the mere fact that you are concerned
       about me while remaining so strong is more than enough proof
       that you are a great wife. I would ask nothing more from God."

Phoenix(into phone):"Except perhaps a 'get out of jail free card'?"

Striker can be heard chuckling on the other end, and Phoenix cannot
suppress her giggle. Dylan chuckles along.

Striker(over phone):"Ja, maybe that. I'm not sure what the outcome
       of the trial will be, but at least with Bugliose and Sunrise
       defending me and all our friends supporting us I think that I
       will get a bit fairer trial than I would have gotten if my
       brother had his way."

Phoenix(into phone):"If only there was a way to turn you back into a
       human, then we could prove to your brother that you did not
       commit that terrible crime."

Striker(over phone):"Ja, but he can so stubborn and single-minded 
       sometimes that I think even turning back to Gerard Vorster
       won't convince him I'm innocent. Speaking of, do you all know
       about Franco and the Elite Guard?"

Phoenix(into phone):"Yes, and the Master has everyone of us here
       working on it full time or part time. Mark was not very happy
       about the Elite Guard still being around."

Striker(over phone):"Geen surprise there."

Dylan:"Are they really that bad?"

Phoenix(into phone):"Dylan here asks if the Elite Guard are really as
       bad as we all hear."

Striker(over phone):"Is Dylan there with you?"

Phoenix nods, looking at Dylan with a smile.

Phoenix(into phone):"Yes, he is. He's been doing the graveyard shift
       with me and gave some good comfort and coffee."

Striker(over phone):"Tell him I said dankie."

Dylan smiles shyly and blushes a little.

Striker(over phone):"To answer his question: ja, the Elite Guard are
       as bad as the stories say. Easily worse. While the KH Military 
       would not harm civilians, the Elite Guard would probably go 
       and cause bloodbaths just for the h*** of it. They are just
       a group of fanatical killers and outright criminals. Franco
       is the worst of them, making Adolf Hitler look like a saint
       by comparison."

Dylan shudders from the description.

Phoenix(into phone):"We'll keep an eye out for them, Strikie. You can
       count on us all."

Striker(over phone):"I know, my Love."

Someone can be heard speaking in the background.

Striker(over phone):"I must go now, my dear."

Phoenix is surprised and folds her ears back.

Phoenix(into phone):"What! Why?"

Striker(over phone):"The guards want me off the phone. It seems that
       visiting hours here are over. Just remember, Phoenix: I love
       you very much."

Phoenix smiles, tears in her eyes. One tear rolls down her cheek.

Phoenix(into phone):"I love you too, Striker. Keep in touch."

Striker(over phone):"I certainly will. Tot later, my Firefly."

Phoenix(into phone):"Sleep well, my Strikie."

The line then goes dead. Phoenix puts the phone down on the counter,
tears rolling down her cheeks. Dylan puts a supportive paw on top
of her shoulder and holds it tightly.

Dylan:"Feel better?"

Phoenix looks at Dylan, wiping her eyes and sniffing.

Phoenix:"I'm still worried about him, but at least I do not feel so
         depressed."

Dylan:"It was good to hear his voice, wasn't it?"

Phoenix nods and smiles, squeezing Dylan's paw.

Phoenix:"Wonderful. Thank you, Dyl."

Dylan smiles back, squeezing her paw back.

Dylan:"You're welcome."

Phoenix then notices the cups of untouched but still warm coffee.

Phoenix:"Let's drink some coffee and chat, and then go to bed."

Dylan:"Why not?"

They smile at each other, then pick up their cups and take a few sips 
before starting up a little casual conversation to pass the time.

Stronghouse
Sandton
Johannesburg
South Africa
5:01 PM:

The secret stronghouse belonging to the Cape Hunting Dogs is a large,
apparent luxury house in the well-established Johannesburg suburb of 
Sandton. While from the outside it looks like the other high class
houses, with a fine garden and high walls, inside it is a different
story. The house is devoid of the furniture and luxury items that one
would find in such a residence. There are some basic tables, chairs,
televisions, beds and other essential pieces of furniture. The Rhino
comes driving up the street and comes into the driveway. It stops as
the electrical gate slides open. Once the gate is open the Rhino
pulls in. The garage door is opened automatically and the Rhino pulls
into it before coming to a stop. The garage door and gate begin to
close. The doors of the Rhino swing open and out climbs Sunrise,
Bugloise and Corsair. Once out they go through the door into the
house. They come into the living room, which has a few chairs and
tables with a television. In the room are some humans, some working
on stacks of papers while others listen to the radio or watch
television news. One of the men, a fat black man in a grey suit, gets
up and walks over to the group.

Man:"Welcome back, Sunrise. How is Striker?"

Sunrise shakes her hand with the man's.

Sunrise:"Thank you, Billy. Striker is all right so far. The guards
         haven't roughed him up, and we got him in contact with his
         wife in America."

Billy smiles, clasping his hands together and giving a jolly smile.

Billy:"Wonderful. I'm sure her voice helped lift his spirits."

Corsair:"To no end, Mister Ntobe."

Billy:"Oh, please. Call me Billy. None of that mister stuff."

Corsair shrugs and chuckles along with Billy.

Billy:"Got anything more for the trial?"

Bugloise:"We managed to get a few details, nothing important. But he
          did tell us to go and get a person named Maska. He is a
          servant at the Vorster residence."

Billy thinks for a moment, and then shakes his head.

Billy:"No, sorry. There isn't a servant by that name at Vorster's
       place. He keeps a pair of sapiens as slaves, but I'm sure
       their names are not Maska."

Corsair:"I think he meant Maska from the Vorster ESTATE, Bill."

Billy:"Oh! That's different! Yes, I do know about the servant who
       works at the estate near George. I don't remember his name,
       but that could be your man."

Bugloise:"Anyway, Striker said we could ask Maska to testify in his
          defense. He is the only human who knows what had happened
          to the Vorsters."

Billy:"We can arrange you a flight from Joburg straight to George.
       From there you can go to the Vorster Estate. It's not far
       from the town."

Bugloise:"How soon can you do it?"

Billy:"One or two calls right now and it will all be ready by the day 
       after tomorrow."

Bugloise:"Thank you. We can't afford to waste time. Striker's trial
          date is looming fast."

Billy:"True, but I'm fast too, even if I don't look that way."

Billy gives a hearty laugh and everyone chuckles along. At that
moment Major Cadwell comes walking in. He is wearing a buttoned
shirt sans tie and brown pants and shoes. Everyone looks at him.

Cadwell:"Welcome back. How is Striker doing?"

Corsair:"Holding out good, especially when we let him chat with
         Phoenix. That perked him up a good deal."

Cadwell:"Good. Bill and I were preparing my testimony for the trial.
         I left the papers in my room."

Bugloise:"Thanks. We can sort out the bugs as the trial date draws
          closer."

Sunrise:"Settle in well, Major?"

Cadwell nods.

Cadwell:"Yes I have. It's not first class, but I've seen barracks
         bunks that are far worse so I don't mind."

Billy chuckles and pats his stomach.

Billy:"And I hope the meal was nice?"

Cadwell:"Oh yes. I loved it. You should tell my wife how to make it."

Billy:"Anything for someone who enjoys good food like I do."

Corsair:"Speaking of good food, where are Shep, Rod and Merit?"

Billy turns to Corsair.

Billy:"That's something I must talk to you about. Merit keeps on
       trying to sweep the house clean, but no matter how often I
       tell him that it's not necessary, he keeps doing it."

Corsair sighs.

Corsair:"Ignore Merit, Bill. He enjoys doing work, since that's what
         he was programmed to do in the first place. We're trying to
         convince him otherwise, but it's been mostly uphill."

Billy:"Even if he is a guest in this house?"

Corsair:"Even that. Be glad you don't have a broken leg, otherwise 
         he'd try to fix it."

Billy blinks a few times, then laughs loudly and pounds Corsair on
the shoulder. Corsair winces from the slight pain.

Billy:"Very well. I'll let Merit be. As for your two other friends,
       they've decided to go and tail one of the meercats."

Corsair looks confused at Billy.

Corsair:"Meercats? I didn't know they could live in the big city."

Billy:"Oh, forgive me! By meercat I mean one of Vorster's spies who
       regularly walk by here. They try to look like ordinary
       pedestrians, but then they stand on their toes to look over
       our fence now and then. Just like a meercat. Your friends are
       following one right now."

Bugliose:"You sound rather blasé about these spies, Billy."

Billy:"They're a nuisance, but they're amateurs. That's the problem
       with the National Intelligence Agency: too many new people who
       have been watching too many spy movies. I'll be glad if your
       friends found whom they are reporting to. Then we can do some-
       thing to rattle the NIA and pull Vorster's whiskers."

Corsair grins.

Corsair:"We'll be glad to help. We're good at pulling the bad guys'
         whiskers."

Billy laughs again.

Billy:"I like you already, my dear friend."

Cadwell:"You guys must still be careful not to cause an international 
         incident, Corsair. We're here for the trial, remember?"

Corsair:"Don't worry. We're just going to let Vorster know that we
         want a fair trial."

Billy:"Speaking of which, we got it over the news who will the be the
       judge at the trial. She's Judge Angie Khumalo, and she comes
       highly recommended by the president."

Bugliose:"Let me guess: she's very anti-mutant, right?"

Billy:"That's just it. She isn't anti-mutant. She is the most pro-
       sapien judge on the bench."

Sunrise, Bugloise and Corsair are surprised by this news.

Corsair:"That's a surprise."

Billy:"I know. Seems the prosecution is so confident of their case
       they will even welcome her at the trial."

Bugloise:"And that will be their undoing. I'm ready to go and prove
          their confidence in their case is misplaced."

Sunrise:"So am I."

Billy:"Then let's get started. I'll have a room cleared out for you
       to work in and make arrangements for you to go to George."

Sunrise:"Thank you, Billy."

Billy grins and winks.

Billy:"Anything for the cause of justice."

Billy leads Sunrise and Bugloise through the house, while Corsair
heads for the front door. Cadwell watches him go.

Cadwell:"If you're going to go looking for Shephard and Hotrod,
         they went up the street."

Corsair:"Thanks, Will. Seeya later."

Cadwell:"Bye."

Corsair opens the front door and steps outside. Cadwell goes and
sits down in front of the television to watch the news.

Meeting Room
KHA Alexander
Somewhere Over The Himalayan Mountains
19 November
09:35 AM:

General Stalker is here seated at the head of the table. Sitting
by the table is Generals Trigger, Wolfeye, Black and Sky. Also here
is the new Gamma Squadron leader, General Thrax. He is an Arctic
Wolf wolf-sapien, but his white fur has turned into an odd light
green color, and the tips of his ears and tail, his paws and his
feet have grey fur. His eyes are red, but have a purple hue to them.
He is wearing the same Mark 2 Emerald Suit as Black and Wolfeye. Two 
empty chairs stand on the opposite end from Stalker. Through the 
window one can see the snow blowing past, obscuring the view of the 
range of mountains. On the table are folders and several glasses of 
water. The door to the meeting room swings open and a Lambda Trooper 
comes in. He salutes the generals.

Trooper:"Excuse me, Supreme General. General Pard and Captain Sparrow
         are here to see you."

Stalker:"Send them in."

Trooper:"Yes, sir!"


The trooper goes back outside. Moments later two wolf-sapiens in
formal uniforms come in. One wolf's uniform has the markings of a
general, while the other has the markings indicating the rank of
captain. The two officers come up and salute.

General:"Greetings, sirs."

Stalker and the others nod their heads and acknowledgement.

Stalker:"Welcome, General Pard and Captain Sparrow. Please, be
         seated."

General Pard and Captain Sparrow go to the two empty chairs, sit
down and pull themselves up to the table.

Stalker:"I trust your flight was not too rough in this weather."

Pard:"I've weathered worse weather, sir."

Stalker:"Good, good."

Stalker leans forward, folding his arms on the table.

Stalker:"Now then, General Pard. You and your Celtic Squadron are not
         the most well-known squadron in the KH Military and often
         your small force tends to integrated with the larger forces,
         usually Omega and Epsilon."

Sparrow:"And we get none of the credit."

Pard elbows Sparrow hard.

Sparrow:"Sorry, sirs."

Stalker:"Quite all right, captain. Your frustrations are justified."

Stalker looks back at Pard.

Stalker:"I know that there has been some bad blood between us, but let
         us put that aside for now, shall we?"

Pard simply nods his head.

Pard:"Yes, sir."

Stalker:"Good. Now, you know my predecessor General Franco and his 
         Elite Guard. Am I correct?"

Pard growls loudly at the mention of the name.

Pard:"Too well. He killed many of my pack when he took over and he
      decimated my squadron with his bouts of bloodlust. He's the
      reason Celtic is now so insignificant in the KH Military. May
      the maggots feats on his remains."

Trigger:"We have some bad news in that regard, General Pard."

Pard raises a curious eyebrow.

Pard:"What is it?"

Trigger:"We've kept this news from most of the KH Military until we
         were sure about it. But there is no denying it: General
         Franco was not killed by Striker and did not die on the Ion
         Cannon back in 1973. He and his Elite Guard are alive and
         well today."

Pard and Sparrow are stunned at the news.

Pard:"What! How is that possible?"

Trigger:"We are not sure, but somehow Franco survived the headshot
         that Striker gave him and managed to get into an escape pod
         before the Ion Cannon exploded. As for the Elite Guard, it
         seems that the Earth Defense Force did not mop them up as
         we previously assumed."

Pard:"When did you find out that he was alive?"

Trigger:"Only in the last few days. General Sky here discovered he
         was behind nearly all the villain attacks on the Road Rovers
         in the period before and during Striker's wedding. General
         Wolfeye had engaged Elite Guard forces in the Pacific, but
         they managed to escape for the most part. And those whom we
         did capture committed suicide before we could interrogate
         them."

Black:"I'm not so sure on that part. They seemed eager to talk."

Black gives a suspicious look at Sky. Sky just calmly looks back.

Sky:"You're accusing me of making them kill themselves so I can be
     the only source of information on the Elite Guard?"


Black:"That thought does cross my mind."

Stalker looks at both Black and Sky, growling.

Stalker:"That's enough, you two. We have other business to attend to
         here."

Sky and Black nod their heads, though Black does not lose the look
of suspicion on his face.

Pard:"What about Diehard, Champion and Spectre? Are they alive too?"

Trigger:"Yes. All three of them are alive and still serving in their
         original roles."

Pard growls through clenched teeth.

Pard:"I cannot believe that monster is still alive. I would love to
      put him into a shallow grave."

Stalker:"And you're going to get that chance now."

Pard stops growling and looks at Stalker.

Pard:"Excuse me, sir?"

Stalker:"I'm assigning you and your Celtic Squadron the mission of
         hunting down Franco and his Elite Guard."

Pard and Sparrow look at each other in surprise, then back at the
Supreme General.

Pard:"You mean we're going to be running a big mission by ourselves,
      sir?"

Stalker:"Not entirely alone. General Thrax will come along and provide
         some of his chemicals and toxins as well as additional
         firepower if needed. And General Black's Epsilon Squadron
         will be available to help out. But as far as leading, 
         planning and carrying out the operation goes you, General
         Pard, will be in change."

Pard is still surprised, but before he can reply Stalker cuts him
short.

Stalker:"And if you and your pack succeed in this mission, Celtic
         Squadron will be promoted to full squadron status, indepen-
         dent of Alpha, Delta, Gamma, Eta, Omega or Epsilon. How
         does that sound, General Pard?"

Sparrow:"Are you serious, sir?"

Stalker:"As serious as I am about hating Franco and wanting my former
         Supreme General dead."

Sparrow quickly turns to Pard and whispers to him.

Sparrow(whispering):"This is it, Pard! This is the chance we have all
       been waiting for! What YOU have been waiting for!"

Pard nods his head, but keeps looking at Stalker.

Pard:"But why assign this important mission to the Celtic Squadron?
      The others could handle it."

Stalker:"True, but the problem is that Franco knows me, Trigger, 
         Wolfeye and Black. Plus we don't know how much information
         they have gotten on Eta and Gamma, but they certainly would
         know about them either through the media or by contacts
         with some of our enemies. That's why I'm choosing Celtic.
         Celtic Squadron is not well-known and neither are you,
         General Pard. I'm sending you in as a wild card into the
         Elite Guard's midst."

Stalker points at Pard, looking very serious.

Stalker:"Your mission, General, is to find the Elite Guard forces,
         capture or kill as many of their troops and destroy their
         arsenals, and to make sure that Franco is well and truly
         dead. You accept this, General Pard?"

Pard and Sparrow whisper back and forth a few times, then the two
of them look back at the Supreme General and nod their heads.

Pard:"I fully accept this mission and will complete it to the best
      of my abilities."

Stalker grins and leans back in his seat.

Stalker:"Excellent choice, general."

He then looks at Thrax.

Stalker:"General Thrax."

Thrax turns to Stalker and replies in a raspy voice.

Thrax:"Yes, General?"

Stalker:"Are those special tools ready for the Celtic Squadron?"

Thrax:"Oh yes, sir. My toxic weapon systems are all ready to be
       transferred to the Celtic Squadron."

Stalker:"Good. Begin the deliveries of those systems to the Celtic
         Squadron immediately."

Thrax:"Right away, general."

Stalker nods and then looks at Sky.

Stalker:"Sky."

Sky:"Yes, sir?"

Stalker:"Is your intelligence briefing on the Elite Guard ready?"

Sky:"I have it all ready, general. The information is in the folders
     on the table."

Stalker:"Thank you."

Stalker looks back at General Pard and Captain Sparrow.

Stalker:"Take those folders and study the latest intel on Franco and
         his Elite Guard. Gather your squadron and rendezvous with
         General Thrax's squadron to get your new weapons."

Pard, Sparrow:"Yes, sir."

Stalker nods, then gets up and looks at everyone around the table.

Stalker:"Meeting adjourned. Dismissed."

The officers all get up and salute Stalker, who salutes them back.
Stalker turns to look out the window at the falling snow while the
other generals file out of the room.

High Court
Johannesburg
South Africa
10 December
12:31 PM:

The Johannesburg High Court is a large, squat, sandstone brick
building amid the taller skyscrapers in the city centre. A large
black fence surrounds the building, while the South African flag
blows in the wind on a mast by the entrance. At the moment the court 
is surrounded by police officers in riot gear, while more officers 
are separating two groups of protestors: one is a pro-sapien 
organization and the other belongs to anti-mutant demonstrators.
There is chanting, singing, dancing and waving of placards from both 
sides. Also here are large numbers of news crews from both the local 
SABC and e-TV as well as international news agencies like CNN, BBC 
and the CCTV. Amongst the news crews are Melanie Malloy and Samuel 
Knowles. Both of them are using equipment belonging to NBC News. 
Melanie is reporting the day's events while Samuel holds the camera 
steady.

Melanie:"Today saw the start of formal court proceedings, where the
         defendant was charged and asked to plead. Striker pleaded
         not guilty to the 64 counts of murder and 1 count of abduc-
         tion. Judge Angie Khumalo then adjourned the court until
         tomorrow, when the prosecution will begin calling witnesses
         and laying evidence against the accused. The court case has
         drawn major attention both national and international, for
         it has become the focal point for the global sapien issue
         that has strained relations in the United Nations and was
         the main reason for the dissolution of NATO. Many will be
         following the trial until its outcome, which is expected to
         last a week. This is Melanie Malloy for NBC News outside
         the High Court in Johannesburg, South Africa."

Melanie waits until Samuel gives the a-okay, then turns off the 
microphone and takes out the earphone.

Courtroom
Johannesburg High Court
South Africa
11 December
9:03 AM:

The courtroom is a square interior divided into several sections.
Up front are the judges’ bench and the doors leading to them. In front
of it are the tables and benches for both the prosecution and the
defense. Behind those benches is the gallery, with each row of seats 
elevated slightly higher than the one in front of it. Against the
wall between the judges bench and the benches of the two legal teams
is the witness box, while opposite it is a stage for the media crews
to set up. Right now the courtroom is very busy. The gallery is
filling up with spectators, a few representatives from the two camps
on sapiens/mutants (who are kept apart by police) and the human
Rovers (who are seated right behind the defense bench). Striker is
seated in the defense bench in his orange prison overalls along with
Sunrise (in human form) and Bugloise. In the other bench is the
state prosecution team consisting of three lawyers, one of whom is a 
Zulu man in a grey suit called Zwelimzima Khwezi. The tables of both 
the defense and prosecution are covered with papers. All the doorways 
are guarded by armed police officers. The judges bench is currently 
empty, but all the needed papers and pens are there and the micro-
phones are set. Meanwhile news cameras have been set up on the one 
side of the courtroom, where the cameras are aimed at the judges bench, 
the witness box and the lawyers' tables. Everyone is milling about and
talking to each other when the door by the judges bench opens and an
officer steps out. He makes an announcement in a loud and clear voice.

Officer:"Ladies and gentlemen! Her honor Judge Angie Khumalo!"

Everyone immediately quiet down and stand up while the cameras focus
on the judge and her fellow advocates as they enter. Judge Khumalo is
a large, heavy-set Xhosa woman who is wearing a large red and black 
judge's frock. Her fellow advocates are dressed in black frocks. All
of them carry papers. Khumalo and the advocates take their places, 
then she speaks to the gathering in the courtroom.

Khumalo:"Be seated."

Everyone immediately sits down. An officer comes up with a dossier.

Officer:"Now in order case number 10607. State versus Striker. 64
         counts of murder and 1 of abduction."

The officer comes up and hands over the dossier to Khumalo. She
takes the dossier, then looks at the prosecution.

Khumalo:"Mister Khwezi, you may begin with your case."

Zwelinzima:"Thank you, your Honor."

Zwelinzima gets up and goes before the court to make his opening
address.

Zwelinzima:"Doubtless everyone present has heard the story of the
            Vorster massacre, which took place in 1979. Today, more
            than 30 years later, we shall see justice done. For
            today, this mutant..."

He indicates to Striker.

Zwelinzima:"... will face justice for his role in that senseless
            and bloodthirsty act of violence."

He then turns to Khumalo.

Zwelinzima:"I now request to bring in our first witnesses."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Zwelinzima looks to the officers at the witness box and nods. Two
of them go and open the door. A moment later the first witness
comes in: a Caucasian man in his late 60s wearing a grey suit.
Striker leans closer to Bugliose.

Striker(whispering):"I remember him. He was the officer who took my
       testimony following the massacre and was the last person to
       see me in human form."

Bugliose(whispering):"Thanks for the info."

Striker nods and then both he and Bugliose turn their attention to
the witness stand. Zwelinzima goes up to the witness.

Zwelinzima:"Please state your name and occupation, sir."

The man nods and clears his throat before speaking.

Man:"My name is André Groenewald. I'm the owner of a private security
     company named Rhino Securities. I was a former member of the
     South African Police from 1970 until 1995, when I left the force 
     to start my own business."

Zwelinzima:"And where were you stationed during 1979?"

Groenewald:"I was a police sergeant at the station in George in the
            southern Cape, of which the Vorster Estate was in our
            jurisdiction."

Zwelinzima:"Please describe to the court what happened on the day the
            Vorster massacre took place, Mister Groenewald."

Groenewald:"It was early in the afternoon when we received the phone
            call that there had been a massacre at the shore on the
            Vorster Estate, where a wedding ceremony was taking place.
            The call was made by Gerard Vorster from the mansion.
            When we arrived at the mansion about 30 minutes later,
            Mister Vorster was distraught and crying, but he was able
            to give us directions to the crime scene. When we arrived
            there, we found bodies scattered around the site. All the
            vehicles were either severely damaged or destroyed, some
            a short distance from the scene, indicating that some of
            the attendants had tried to flee."

Zwelinzima:"Were there any survivors?"

Groenewald shakes his head.

Groenewald:"None. They were all dead by the time we got there."

Zwelinzima:"What did you do then?"

Groenewald:"I told my men to secure the scene and follow the standard
            crime scene procedures, then I went back to the mansion
            to take Mister Vorster's testimony."

Zwelinzima:"What did he tell you?"

Groenewald:"He told me what he had witnessed and the discovery he made
            when he got to the wedding ceremony. He also hinted that
            his brother, Pieter Vorster, might have had some business
            trouble with someone who could be behind it. I don't
            remember who it was. After that, I went back to the crime
            scene, and that was the last time I saw Gerard Vorster."

Zwelinzima:"Describe what happened later that day."

Groenewald:"Around 7 or 8 in the afternoon we got a call that there
            was an explosion at a power station not far from the
            Vorster Estate. I immediately went over there with some
            of my men. When we arrived, we found the station was
            mostly destroyed and on fire. Nearby we found one of the
            Vorsters' employees, who said that Gerard Vorster had
            gone into the station and that he saw some men flee the
            scene right before the explosion."

Zwelinzima:"Who were the men?"

Groenewald:"The men, we later learned, were humanoids like the one
            sitting over there."

He points to Striker.

Groenewald:"They were all heavy armed and numbered about a hundred or
            so. We had put up a police cordon around the area, but
            they had mostly escaped."

Zwelinzima:"Mostly?"

Groenewald:"The next day, one of our officers in George spotted that
            one..."

He points to Striker again.

Groenewald:"... on the streets robbing a store."

Striker immediately gets up, very angry.

Striker:"That's a lie!" 

There is a commotion in the crowd while Sunrise and Bugloise try to
calm Striker down. Khumalo bangs her hammer loudly.

Khumalo:"Order in the court!"

The crowd settles down, then Khumalo looks sternly at Sunrise and
Bugloise.

Khumalo:"Mister Bugloise and Miss Sunrise, please tell your client to
         refrain from such outbursts or I will have him removed from 
         the courtroom."

Sunrise:"Yes, your honor."

Sunrise and Bugloise ease Striker back into his seat and whisper
to him. Khumalo looks back at Groenewald.

Khumalo:"Please continue, Mister Groenewald."

Groenewald:"Yes, your honor. As I said, one of my officers saw the
            suspect, pulled out his firearm and told him to put his 
            hands in the air. At that point the suspect bolted and
            the officer gave chase. He called in additional units,
            but by late that night they had completely lost track of 
            the suspect."

Zwelinzima:"And that was the last time the suspect or his accomplices
            were seen?"

Groenewald:"Yes, it was. As I said we put a cordon in and around
            George and issued bulletins to other stations, but the
            suspects had managed to escape. From that point we were
            left with the crime scene and dead bodies."

Zwelinzima nods, then looks at the judge.

Zwelinzima:"That will be all from my side, your honor."

Khumalo:"Thank you, Mister Zwelinzima."

As Zwelinzima heads back to his seat, Khumalo looks at the defense.

Khumalo:"Does the defense have questions for the witness?"

Sunrise stands up and nods.

Sunrise:"Yes we do, your honor."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Sunrise steps up to the witness box and looks at Groenewald.

Sunrise:"Mister Groenewald, could you perhaps tell us what you
         think were the weapons used in the massacre?"

Groenewald:"At first glance we thought it was caused by small arms
            fire such as AK-47s. Many of the anti-apartheid groups
            used such rifles. However, forensics later confirmed they
            were due to heavy caliber machine gun fire."

Sunrise:"What kind of machine guns?"

Groenewald:"I cannot remember the exact names, but the forensics said
            the bullets were fired from guns that one would find on
            military aircraft. They couldn't specify which aircraft
            that was. Also, some of the vehicles were destroyed by
            rocket or missile fire and that there craters on the scene
            that were the likely result of explosives."

Sunrise:"Indeed a lot of firepower, Mister Groenewald."

Groenewald:"Yes, it was. I was rather shocked at the ferocity of the
            attack on unarmed civilians."

Sunrise:"You think one person could have done it?"

Groenewald:"Well... it is not very likely, but it was possible."

Sunrise:"I see. One person apparently carrying heavy aircraft machine
         guns and rocket launchers, carrying out a lightning attack
         upon 60 or so civilians and kills them all before they could
         escape. A bit far-fetched isn't it, Mister Groenewald?"

Zwelinzima immediately gets up and looks at Khumalo.

Zwelinzima:"Objection, your honor. The defense is attacking the inte-
            grity of the witness, rather than focus on the facts."



Khumalo:"The defense is focusing on the facts, Mister Khwezi. Your
         objection is denied. Please proceed, Miss Sunrise."

Zwelinzima sits down while Sunrise turns her attention back to the
man in the witness box.

Sunrise:"Now, you said you spoke to one of the employees who had seen
         the events at the power station. Was he positively sure that
         it was Gerard Vorster who went in there?"

Groenewald:"Yes, he was absolutely certain. He had followed Mister 
            Vorster to the station from the estate."

Sunrise:"Could he positively identify the individuals who were at the
         station at the time?"

Groenewald:"No, he said it was too dark for him to make out who they
            were. He was able to make out the vehicles and weapons
            used, though. Tracks on the road to and from the station
            confirmed this."

Sunrise:"So you could have assumed they were humans?"

Groenewald hesitates, and then nods.

Groenewald:"Yes, we assumed automatically they were humans. It was
            only when the new evidence appeared on television that
            we thought that they could have been non-humans."

Sunrise"But you cannot positively be sure."

Groenewald:"No, we cannot."

Sunrise:"All right. Were there any bodies in the wreckage of the
         station that you could find?"

Groenewald:"No, we did not find any bodies, human or otherwise, in
            the ruins. We went through it thoroughly."

Sunrise:"Did your witness see anybody resembling my client run from
         the power station before or after the explosion?"

Groenewald pauses to think, then shakes his head.

Groenewald:"No, I don't recall him telling me of a creature that 
            looked like that."

Sunrise nods, then looks at Judge Khumalo.

Sunrise:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Thank you, Miss Sunrise."

As Sunrise walks back to her seat, Khumalo looks at Groenewald.

Khumalo:"Thank you, Mister Groenewald. You may step down."

Groenewald:"Yes, your honor."

Groenewald gets up and climb out of the witness box. He is then
escorted out of the courtroom by the police.

Recreational Area
Road Rover Mission Control
State of New Mexico
United States of America
12:31 AM:

This is the recreation area where there are all kinds of games and
relaxation facilities like pool tables, arcade machines, a dance
floor, a DJ station, vending machines and so forth. Right now, there
are a few Rovers here, all watching television on a big plasma TV
screen. Phoenix is seated on the couch, flanked by her mother and
father. Illanov and Vicki are also here along with Tanarus, Elexis,
Dylan and Alana. They are watching the live broadcast from the 
Johannesburg High Court. At the moment a forensic specialist is giving 
details about the Vorster massacre and power plant scenes and autopsy 
reports. Phoenix sighs as she listens.

Phoenix:"All these details are so mind numbingly boring."

Vicki:"No kidding, and my family are all lawyers. You never get used
       to it."

Alana:"I can see why."

Dylan:"Still, it gives me a better idea of the ordeal that Striker
        experienced when he saw his dead family. It must have been an
        awful experience."

Alana:"I think that is the understatement of the year, Dyl."

Tanarus:"Regardless of whether this is boring or not, it might be
         essential in proving Striker's innocence."

Elexis:"Or guilt, if the prosecution plays their cards right."

Aydrian:"We should remain positive. The trial is only beginning."

Aydrian gently pats his daughter's shoulder. Phoenix puts her paw
on her father's without taking her eyes off the television. On the
screen the forensics expert keeps on answering questions put forth
by the prosecution and defense.

Courtroom
Johannesburg High Court
South Africa
12 December
9:18 AM:

Everyone is back in their places for the second day of the trial. 
Again Judge Khumalo comes in while everyone stands, then she orders
everyone to sit. Once everybody is seated she looks at Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"You may proceed, Mister Khwezi."

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor."

Zwelinzima gets up and faces the court.

Zwelinzima:"Yesterday we all heard about what had happened in the
            past. Today, we will hear about the accused mutant's
            more recent activities in the past few years."

Striker growls very softly, but doesn't do anything else. Zwelinzima
turns to the judge.

Zwelinzima:"I request to bring in our next set of witnesses."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Zwelinzima looks to the officers at the witness box and nods. Again
two of them go and open the door and the next witness is brought in:
a police officer in his late 30s and wearing his uniform. He is led
to the witness box.

Zwelinzima:"Please state your name and occupation, sir."

The officer nods and begins speaking.

Officer:"Officer Govan Mokaba. I'm a member of the South African 
         Police Service in the Cape Peninsula since 1999."

Zwelinzima:"Now, Officer Mokaba. Describe to the courtroom what you
            did on the 24th of August, the year 2003."

Officer:"On that day I began my daily patrol in the Muizenberg 
         district in Cape Town where I was assigned. It was routine
         duty and the first call I got that morning regarded a minor
         collision at an intersection. I had just arrived at the
         scene where I received another, more urgent call."

Zwelinzima:"And this call was?"

Officer:"A figutive had been spotted in the city along the group
         known as the Road Rovers. The traffic helicopter has spotted
         the suspect vehicle, a black jeep, in my area and the order
         was given to pursue and force the suspect vehicle to stop."

Zwelinzima:"What did you do then?"

Officer:"I got into my patrol car and followed the directions given
         by helicopter to the suspect vehicle. Soon I came onto one
         of main roads right behind the black jeep. Behind me were
         several other cars in pursuit. Our sirens were on, but the
         suspect vehicle, which was with several Road Rover vehicles,
         sped up. So we then gave chase for a while. After about a
         minute or so we tried to force them off the road, but they
         kept going. At one point they got onto a part of the N1 that
         came to a dead end and I thought we had them. But then they
         drove their vehicles over the edge and began to fly with
         them."

Zwelinzima:"Fly, Mister Mokaba?"

Officer:"Yes, fly. I don't how they did it, but their vehicles looked
         like had the ability to fly. We could only watch as they 
         flew off. I radioed in to headquarters and told them to get
         air support. I was then told to return to the station, and
         so I did just that."

Zwenlinzima:"Do you think that all that happened was proof that the
             suspect was indeed resisting arrest? That he might have
             had something to hide?"

Officer:"It seems to me that way. If he was innocent he could have
         accompanied us to the station from where the matter would
         have been sorted out further."

Zwelinzima:"But instead of pulling over and letting you do your work,
            the suspect and his allies flee law enforcement and
            ignore police orders to pull over."

Zwelinzima turns to the courtroom.

Zwelinzima:"Does this sound like the actions of somebody who is
            innocent? Or does the accused indeed have something to
            hide? Or is it simply that he knows what the crime was
            that he committed and was avoiding arrest?"

He paused for a brief moment, then turns to Khumalo.

Zwelinzima:"Nothing further, your honor."

Khumalo:"Thank you, sir. You may be seated."

Zwelinzima heads back to his seat while Khumalo looks at the defence.

Khumalo:"Does the defense have questions for the witness?"

Bugloise stands up and nods.

Bugloise:"The defense does, your honor."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Bugloise nods again, then walks up to the witness box and looks at
the officer.

Bugloise:"Mister Mokaba, you are aware of what role Road Rovers has,
          correct?"

Officer:"Yes, I do. They are a kind of international police force.
         Freelance, I believe."

Bugloise:"Actually, sanctioned by world governments. But you are
          correct. They are police. Now, being a police officer,
          you know that an important operating procedure is not to
          interfere in other police operations lest there be the
          chance of an operation failure?"

Officer:"Correct. We have to make sure of that with our superiors."

Bugloise:"Then would your actions have not been interfering in the
          operations of the Road Rovers, who were on a mission in
          the city?"

The officer looks a little uncertain.

Officer:"They had a suspected criminal with them. They should have
         allowed us to arrest the suspect in question and accompany
         us to the station."

Bugloise:"And yet there were channels you could have used to make
          it possible to interview the suspect with interfering in
          official police business."

Zwelinzima immediately gets up.

Zwelinzima:"Objection, your honor! The Rovers were not in a police
            action!"

Khumalo looks at Bugloise.

Khumalo:"How do you respond, Mister Bugloise?"

Bugloise:"Your honor, the Road Rovers had arrested a suspect named
          Donovan Bell in Cape Town on suspicion of smuggling and
          turned him over to police custody."

Bugloise looks at the officer.

Bugloise:"Is that correct?"

The officer looks uneasily at Zwelinzima, then back at Bugloise and
nods his head slowly.

Officer:"Er... yes, that is correct. The Road Rovers did indeed ask
         us to take over custody of Mister Bell. He was subsequently
         deported to the United States, where I believe he was
         convicted."

Khumalo:"That's enough. Mister Zwelinzima, your objection is over-
         ruled."

Zwelinzima frowns, but nods his head anyway as he sits down again.

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor."

Khumalo looks back at Bugloise.

Khumalo:"Any more questions for the witness, Mister Bugloise?"

Bugloise:"None, your honor."

Khumalo:"Be seated. Thank you, Officer Mokaba. You may go."

Bugloise goes to sit down at the defense bench, while the guards
escort the officer from the courtroom. Hotrod leans over to Corsair
to whisper.

Hotrod(whispering):"Seems the prosecution tried to pull a fast one 
      on us."

Corsair(whispering):"Yeah, but luckily Bugloise put him in his place.
       Let's hope he can do it again and get the boss a not guilty
       clearance from the judge."

Hotrod(whispering):"I hear you."

They turn their attention back to the court proceedings. Zwelinzima
has gotten up again and has called for the next witness. The door is
opened and the guards bring in the next witness to the stand. It is
Ozari del Figulo. Striker, Corsair and Shephard stare in surprise as
Ozari takes the stand.

Corsair:"You gotta be kidding me."

Hotrod:"You guys know him?"

Shephard:"Yes, sir. All too well."

Corsair leans forward to whisper to Striker.

Corsair(whispering):"Boss, we really have to do something about Ozzy
       one day."

Striker(whispering):"I definitely agree, David."

Sunrise leans closer to Striker.

Sunrise(whispering):"Who is he? You seem to know him."

Striker(whispering):"Ja, we do. Let me explain."

As Striker begins to tell Sunrise, Zwelinzima gets up and goes to the
witness stand. He looks at Ozari.

Zwelinzima:"Please state your name, sir."

Ozari:"My name is Ozari del Figulo..."

Suddenly he gets up and shouts, glaring in particular towards the 
defence bench.

Ozari:"And if anybody dares to mispronounce my name I personally will
       stab his face off!"

A commotion breaks out in the courtroom. Judge Khumalo bangs her 
hammer loudly.

Khumalo:"Order in the court!"

The commotion quickly dies down. Khumalo then looks at Ozari.

Khumalo:"Mister del Figulo. Please get back your seat and refrain from
         such outbursts."

Ozari:"Sorry. Just making things clear."

Khumalo:"Just sit down, Mister del Figulo."

Ozari quickly nods and sits down again. Zwelinzima clears his throat
and speaks.

Zwelinzima:"Let's try again. Name and occupation?"

Ozari:"Well, as I said my name is Ozari del Figulo. I'm unemployed at
       the moment, but I used to work as a plumber in Lisbon."

Shephard(whispering to himself):"My a**."

Corsair(whispering):"Ditto."

Zwelinzima:"And do you know the suspected seated over there?"

Zwelinzima indicates towards Striker. Ozari nods, frowning a little.

Ozari:"Oh yes, I know him very well. He's the one who ruined my life."

Zwelinzima:"Is that so? Tell the court what he has done to you."

Ozari:"Well, during the Techno War a couple of years ago I had lost
       my job and I was forced to scavenge for food amid the chaos
       of the war. It was during one of my searches for food that
       that mutant came and assault me. He had put me through a lot
       of pain, and all I was trying to do was survive."

Striker is struggling not to burst out in anger, but his claws are
digging into the wooden table.

Ozari:"After that, I tried to flee from him. I traveled all around the
       world to escape, but he followed me wherever I went. He and
       his group assaulted, beat and kicked me often and they always
       called me names. This torture had gone on ever since."

Corsair leans closer to Hotrod.

Corsair(whispering):"He's so full of it, it ain't even funny."

Hotrod(whispering):"No kidding. Bugloise and Sunrise will make mince
      meat of his testimony."

Corsair nods, then he and Hotrod look back to the witness stand.

Zwelinzima:"So do you believe that, in light of your experience, that
            this suspect would be able to kill indiscriminately?"

Ozari:"I'm surprised that I'm still alive today, so I would expect
       nothing better from him."

Zwelinzima nods and turns to the court.

Zwelinzima:"And there we have it. This suspect is no angel, ladies and
            gentlemen. He is a monster, willing to torture and kill
            without provocation or reason."

Zwelinzima then looks at Khumalo.

Zwelinzima:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Thank you, Mister Khwezi. Be seated."

Zwelinzima nods and goes to sit back down, while Khumalo looks at the
defence.

Khumalo:"Does the defense have questions for the witness?"

Sunrise stands up and nods.

Sunrise:"The defense does, your honor."

Khumalo:"Proceed, Miss Sunrise."

Sunrise walks over to Ozari and looks at him.

Sunrise:"Mister del Figulo. You claim that my client had attacked and
         caused you grievous bodily harm, right?"

Ozari:"Yes, I do."

Sunrise:"If that is the case, then how come I do not see any kind of
         scars or visible injuries?"

Ozari grins smugly, then takes hold of his shirt and lifts it up a
little. Once can see several bruises on his body.

Ozari:"You see them now?"

Sunrise looks at the bruises.

Sunrise:"Are these injuries really the result of my client's alleged
         attacks, or are they self-inflicted?"

Ozari:"Yes, it is."

Sunrise then turns to look at Zwelinzima as Ozari lowers his shirt.

Sunrise:"Has the prosecution verified that these injuries are the
         result of my client's abuse, or whether they were the result
         of something else?"

Zwelinzima quickly turns to his prosecution team and they all start
to whisper. Judge Khumalo then looks at them.

Khumalo:"Well, Mister Khwezi? How do you respond?"

The whispering continues for a few moments, then Zwelinzima gets up
and looks at Khumalo.

Zwelinzima:"Your honor. The witness cannot provide hospital records
            to prove that his injures are the result of abuse because
            the suspect had attacked him in a hospital. Thus the
            witness had been reluctant to have his injuries written
            in record."

Cadwell leans closer to Shephard.

Cadwell(whispering):"Is anything he says true?"

Shephard(whispering):"No, sir. It's all bull."

Cadwell(whispering):"I suspected as much, but does the judge know?
       That's what worries me."

Shephard(whispering):"Me too, sir."

Khumalo looks at Sunrise.

Khumalo:"I accept the prosecution's reasoning. You may proceed with
         questioning the witness, Miss Sunrise."

Sunrise:"Your honor, I object. The prosecution cannot prove beyond
         reasonable doubt that the witness's story is credible."

Khumalo:"If so, could you prove beyond reasonable doubt that the
         injuries that Mister del Figulo received was not from your
         client's actions?"

Sunrise paused for a moment.

Sunrise:"No, your honor."

Khumalo:"Objection overruled, then. Proceed with questioning the 
         witness, Miss Sunrise."

Sunrise:"Yes, your honor."

Sunrise turns back to Ozari.

Sunrise:"Mister del Figulo. Where did you say my client allegedly
         attacked you first?"

Ozari:"It was in Romania, just when the Techno War was starting."

Sunrise:"But you said earlier that you were a plumber from Portugal.
         How did you end up in Romania?"

Ozari:"I was working there on a contract for my company just before
       the war broke out."

Sunrise:"A bit odd for a plumbing company. What it its name?"

Ozari frowns in thought for a moment before answering.

Ozari:"Tesco Plumbing."

Sunrise looks skeptically at Ozari, but continues.
 
Sunrise:"So, when the war broke out you ended up in Romania and with
         no job."

Ozari:"That's right."

Sunrise:"Then why didn't you flee back to Portugal? Surely your
         company or your family would be concerned about your well-
         being. Why stay in Romania in the middle of a war?"

Ozari seems to struggle for an answer. Sunrise takes her chance and
looks at the court.

Sunrise:"Because he wanted to make himself rich off the victims of
         that terrible war. I have it on good authority that Mister
         del Figulo here is a mugger and a thief. A petty criminal
         off the streets."

The courtroom breaks out into a commotion. Zwelinzima immediately
jumps to his feet.

Zwelinzima:"Your honor, I object!"

Khumalo bangs her hammer, calling for order. At first she is ignored,
but when she raises her voice and bangs her hammer again the court
calms down.

Khumalo:"I will have order in this court."

She then looks at Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"You were saying, Mister Khwezi?"

Zwelinzima:"Your honor, I am objecting to the defense’s accusations
            that the witness is a criminal. It's a blatant attempt to
            attack the credibility of the witness."

Sunrise takes her chance to speak with the judge.

Sunrise:"Your honor, the witness is a dubious character whose story
         does not hold water. He has a criminal record and it has 
         been consistently proven that Mister del Figulo attacked my
         client, not the other way around."

Khumalo:"Do you have any proof to back your claim, Miss Sunrise?"

Sunrise:"I can provide dockets and criminal records as evidence in
         a matter of days, your honor."

Khumalo:"So you do not have it here?"

Sunrise pauses, then speaks.

Sunrise:"No, your honor. But I will have it here soon."

Khumalo:"I see. Well, until you can provide that proof to me in
         person, I regard Mister del Figulo as a credible witness
         in the court."

Sunrise and everyone in the defense is surprised.

Sunrise:"Your honor..."

Khumalo looks sternly at Sunrise.

Khumalo:"That is all, Miss Sunrise. Do you have any further questions
         for the witness?"

Sunrise pauses again, then sighs.

Sunrise:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Then be seated."

Sunrise heads back to the defense bench, where a stunned Striker is
watching as a smug Ozari being escorted from the witness stand by the
guards. She sits down next to him.

Striker:"I cannot believe that Ozzy's testimony was accepted."

Sunrise:"Not for long. Striker, do you where I can get criminal
         records of Ozari? One look at those by the judge and Ozari
         will be taken out of court and into prison."

Striker quickly looks back at the others.

Striker:"Did we ever arrest him?"

Merit:"No, but we had turned him to law enforcement officials once
       before."

Sunrise and Bugloise look at Merit.

Bugloise:"Where was this?"

Merit:"In Rome, while we were on a mission to recover Longbow One."

Hotrod:"Oh yeah! I remember it now."

Shephard:"So do I. I took him to the police myself."

Sunrise:"Good. Once the court is adjourned, you can give the info so
         we can get a criminal docket on Ozari."

Everyone nods their agreement. The court case then continues with
another witness testimony.

Study
Norwood Residence
New York City
United States of America
13 December
5:05 AM:

The sun has not yet risen, though the faint orange glow on the horizon
suggested that it was going to soon. Still, it was dark at the Norwood
residence barring one exception: the light in the study was on. Seated
at his study desk was Markus Norwood, still wearing his sleep clothes
and drinking a cup of coffee. He is watching on a nearby television a
live broadcast from the courtroom in Johannesburg. The trial is back
underway, this time with the defense calling up its witnesses. Taking
the stand is Corsair. Bugloise comes up to him.

Bugloise:"Please take your name and occupation."

Corsair:"Okay. My name's David Larken. I'm a computer technician for
         the Road Rover unit named STRIKE."

Bugloise:"And the defendant is the unit leader and therefore your
          boss?"

Corsair:"That's right."

Bugloise:"How did you come to know the defendant?"

Corsair:"Well, I had gotten in trouble with the GONV a few months or
         so before the start of the Techno War. The GONV took me, my
         friends and my mom and dad to Hawaii to be executed. Unit
         STRIKE managed to save me and my friends, but my parents had
         already been poisoned. They tried to help, but my folks did
         not make it."

Corsair pauses briefly, then continues.

Corsair:"Anyway, after being rescued Striker asked me if I could join
         up with Unit STRIKE. At first I joined because I wanted to
         get revenge on the GONV. After the Techno War, I stayed on 
         as a full-time unit member."

Bugloise:"So you know the defendant well?"

Corsair:"Maybe not as well as his wife, but he's certainly no stran-
         ger to me."

Bugloise:"Could you describe the defendant's personality?"

Corsair:"He keeps much to himself, but he is friendly enough to live
         with. He does sometimes rake me on the knuckles, but it's
         like a father-son thing. During missions he can be very
         serious and such, but between missions he's pretty cool."

Bugloise:"So you don't see any murderous behavior in him?"

Corsair shakes his head.

Corsair:"Nope. Not that I could see. He would attack people during
         missions to get the job done, but not to go and kill a guy
         in cold blood."

Bugloise:"Does the defendant care for all those around him?"

Corsair:"Yes, you bet. More than once he saved my skin."

Bugloise:"Would you, in your opinion, think that the defendant would
          be able of doing such a heinous act like what he is being
          accused of?"

Corsair shakes his head.

Corsair:"No way. Even under the worst circumstances I've never seen
         him wanting to go on a rampage. He might get really cheesed
         at somebody, but not enough to go and kill."

Bugloise nods and looks at Judge Khumalo.

Bugloise:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Thank you and be seated."

As Bugloise heads for his seat, Khumalo looks at the prosecution.

Khumalo:"Does the prosecution have questions for the witness?"

Zwelinzima gets up and nods.

Zwelinzima:"The prosecution does, your honor."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Zwelinzima comes out from behind the table and walks over to the
witness stand. He looks at Corsair.

Zwelinzima:"Mister Larken. You said that you had gotten in trouble
            with the GONV. Just what is the nature of this trouble?"

Corsair:"Well, I had done some computer work for the GONV, making
         online purchases of property and minerals in exchange for
         great computer rigs. But at that time I didn't know that I
         was working for the GONV. When I discovered its plans, the
         GONV decided I was no longer useful and ordered my death to
         cover its tracks."

Zwelinzima:"So you admit to collaborating with an organization that
            has been charged with war crimes."

Corsair:"Well, yeah, but back then I didn't know what the GONV was."

Zwelinzima:"Didn't know? Or did not want to know? Maybe you didn't
            care who it was as long as they kept bribing you."

Corsair:"Look, I thought I was doing legit... I mean legitimate
         work before I found out I was being tricked. Once that
         happened I switched sides and came forth to the authorities."

Zwelinzima:"By 'authority' I assume you mean this so-called STRIKE?"

Corsair:"Yeah, that's right."

Zwelinzima:"Did they press charges?"

Corsair:"No, they didn't. When I helped them beat the GONV in the
         Techno War they decided I had made up for my mistakes."

Zwelinzima:"No charges pressed. No trial. No prison sentence. Rather 
            typical for an organization that likes to harbor those
            who hide from the law like the suspect."

Bugloise immediately gets up.

Bugloise:"Objection, your honor! This is a direct attack upon the
          integrity of my client's organization as well as their
          members."

Khumalo:"Objection noted. Proceed, Mister Khwezi."

Bugloise:"But your honor..."

Khumalo looks sternly at Bugloise.

Khumalo:"Objection noted, Mister Bugloise. Now please be seated."

Bugloise nods and sits down. Zwelinzima turns his attention back
to Corsair.

Zwelinzima:"Now, back to the defendant. You said that you never saw
            him behave in a fashion that looked suspicious?"

Corsair:"No, not ever."

Zwelinzima:"So that could mean he did not display his true self when
            you were around."

Corsair:"Well, yeah, but Striker is rarely alone. He's always with a
         friend or with family members and they would all say the
         same thing as me."

Zwelinzima:"And just who are these friends and family? Are they human
            or are they non-human?"

Corsair:"Nearly all of them are sapiens, though there are few humans
         like me."

Zwelinzima:"Ah. A nice little cabal of lying mutants."

Sunrise gets up right away.

Sunrise:"Objection, your honor! This is defamation of my client and 
         his family!"

Khumalo:"Objection noted, Miss Sunrise."

Judge Khumalo then looks sternly at Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"Mister Khwezi, please refrain from using such remarks in
         this court."

Zwelinzima nods, but still has a slight smugness on his face.

Zwelinzima:"Sorry, your honor. I have one last question for the
            witness."

Khumalo:"Proceed, but watch your words."

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor."

Zwelinzima looks back at Corsair.

Zwelinzima:"You said that the suspect would attack people during,
            according to you, missions. Are these attacks violent in
            nature?"

Corsair:"Yeah, these attacks are sometimes violent, but the bad guys
         we fight are rarely peaceful either and they almost always
         attack us first."

Zwelinzima:"Hmmm. A violent profession for a violent suspect."

Sunrise is about to protest, but Zwelinzima quickly turns to the
judge.

Zwelinzima:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Be seated."

Zwelinzima nods and heads back to his seat, while Corsair is escorted
from the witness stand. Norwood watches, then shakes his head.

Norwood:"Ugly business."

He takes a sip of coffee.

Courtroom
Johannesburg High Court
South Africa
2:04 PM:

A new witness has been called to the stand. Major Cadwell, dressed in
his formal army uniform, is testifying on behalf of the defense.
Sunrise is asking him questions.

Sunrise:"When did you first meet the defendant?"

Cadwell:"The first time I saw him was during a rescue mission onboard
         Air Force One, but I did not really get to know him until the
         Colombian War a week or so later. After that I became a 
         liason to the newly formed Unit STRIKE for the United States 
         government and I got to know him a good deal better. Though
         the defendant and I were not quite on a friendship level, we
         did have a good formal relationship."

Sunrise:"Could you perhaps describe my client's behavior in the first
         few months that you've known him?"

Cadwell:"At first he was very withdrawn and kept to himself mostly
         until it was time to carry out a mission. He was always very
         serious, quiet and somewhat cynical I think. He placed a high
         priority on getting the missions done successfully. Despite
         this he worked well in the team and did his work impeccably."

Sunrise:"And then after the Colombian War?"

Cadwell:"I never met him often, so I could notice clearly the change
         in his behavior. He was more open, smiled a lot more, was
         far less cynical and much more friendly. He was and still is
         reluctant to open up to strangers and keeps to himself a bit,
         but it was not as bad as during the Colombian War. He had
         definitely changed, especially after the Iron Fist crisis. He
         became quite a nice guy."

Sunrise:"Did he ever behave in a suspicious manner? Perhaps something
         that indicated he had a criminal nature or was engaged in
         criminal activities?"

Cadwell shakes his head.

Cadwell:"I never saw any such behavior that pointed to something that
         was criminal, even during the Colombian crisis. Absolutely
         nothing."

Sunrise nods, then resumes the questioning.

Sunrise:"As a ranking officer within the Pentagon you have access to
         Striker's files when he was employed by an agency called the
         Earth Defense Force. Is that correct?"

Cadwell:"I was granted full access to his personel file, yes."

Sunrise:"And you've read it in detail?"

Cadwell:"Full details. Nothing was left out."

Sunrise:"Right. Now, in those files were there any mention of my
         client being engaged in criminal activity or that he had a
         criminal record?"

Cadwell:"No. The only thing was that he has been wrongly accused of a
         crime he did not committed."

Sunrise:"And what crime is that?"

Cadwell:"The Vorster massacre."

Sunrise:"How did the EDF know this?"

Cadwell:"They had some of their own agents on the ground there and
         they had seen what had happened there."

Sunrise:"Ah. During his service in the EDF, was there any mention of
         criminal behavior, misconduct or otherwise bad actions?"

Cadwell:"None significant enough to warrant a fine, much less an
         arrest."

Sunrise:"So in light of all of this, do you or your government think
         that my client would have been able to commit such an atro-
         city?"

Cadwell shakes his head again.

Cadwell:"From my point of view and that of the US government it is
         highly unlikely he would have been responsible."

Sunrise:"Thank you."

Sunrise then turns back to Khumalo.

Sunrise:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Thank you and be seated."

Sunrise nods and heads back to her seat while Khumalo looks at the
prosecution.

Khumalo:"Any questions for the witness, Mister Khwezi?"

Zwelinzima gets up and nods.

Zwelinzima:"I do, your honor."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Zwelinzima walks up to the witness stand and looks at Cadwell.

Zwelinzima:"Major Cadwell, you said that the suspect, during this war
            in Colombia, was not really what one would call a very
            social individual, right?"

Cadwell:"Correct."

Zwelinzima:"And he would spend time alone?"

Cadwell:"Quite often."

Zwelinzima:"How long?"

Cadwell thinks for a moment.

Cadwell:"Oh, sometimes between a few minutes to or an hour. Maybe two 
         or three at most."

Zwelinzima:"And no one would see him during that period?"

Cadwell:"Not unless it was something relating to a mission."

Zwelinzima:"Ah. A loner who goes missing regularly. In country that
            was and still is known to be critical to the illegal
            narcotics trade."

Cadwell looks surprised.

Cadwell:"He was at the United Nations bases at those times and I can
         assure you he was not involved in the use or trafficking of
         drugs."

Zwelinzima:"You absolutely certain?"

Cadwell:"I don't have any record of him going AWOL during the campaign
         there, not has there been any reports of drug use amongst the
         Road Rovers."

Zwelinzima:"And what of your own soldiers? Surely it could not be so
            clean?"

Cadwell:"Well, there were a few very isolated incidents but nothing to
         go and split hairs about."

Zwelinzima:"And yet you have no evidence that the suspect was involved
            in those incidents?"

Cadwell:"No. There is no proof he did those things."

Zwelinzima:"And there is also no proof that he didn't, if one is to
            believe what you said about him."

Sunrise gets up, getting everyone's attention in the courtroom again.

Sunrise:"Objection, your honor! This is a murder trial, not a drug 
         case."

Khumalo:"Objection noted."

Khumalo looks at Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"Please remember, Mister Khwezi, that the charges laid against
         the defendant are that of murder and abduction."

Zwelinzima nods, though he still looks a little smug.

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor. I am simply pointing out to the court the
            character of the suspect in question."

Khumalo nods.

Khumalo:"I understand, but do try not to stray from the case at hand."

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Zwelinzima turns his attention back to Cadwell.

Zwelinzima:"Now, moving on. You told the court about this personnel file
            of the suspect when he was part of this Earth Defense Force.
            Just what is this EDF?"

Cadwell:"I cannot reveal much about the EDF since it is still mostly
         classified, but I can say that basically the EDF was the Cold
         War equivalent and forerunner of the Road Rovers."

Zwelinzima:"You mean that the EDF was full of mutants?"

Cadwell:"No, all of its members were human. Striker was the first 
         non-human sapien to be drafted."

Zwelinzima:"Drafted?"

Cadwell:"Yes. Due to the sensitive nature of the EDF agents were not
         simply asked to volunteer. They were chosen and conscripted
         into the EDF's ranks."

Zwelinzima:"And how did they screen potential recruits?"

Cadwell:"That is classified, but I can assure you that it was a very
         thorough process."

Zwelinzima:"I see. And the suspect underwent the same process?"

Cadwell:"Yes, he did."

Zwelinzima:"Yet you cannot tell the court what that process is."

Cadwell:"Afraid so. Classified information, like I said."

Zwelinzima nods thoughtfully, then moves on.

Zwelinzima:"Now, about that personnel file of the suspect. Where is
            it?"

Cadwell:"In our filing system at the Pentagon."

Zwelinzima:"You mean it is not here?"

Cadwell:"I had no authorization or clearance to remove the file from
         the building."

Zwelinzima:"So, you're saying that you have no proof to back up your
            story."

Cadwell frowns.

Cadwell:"My testimony is not a story. The personnel file is real and 
         is proof. I have seen it with my own eyes."

Zwelinzima:"So you claim. But for all that the court knows, you could
            be telling us lies here."

Cadwell now becomes angry.

Cadwell:"I beg your pardon."

Sunrise gets up again, but before she can speak Judge Khumalo bangs
her hammer to get Zwelinzima's attention. She looks sternly at him.

Khumalo:"Mister Khwezi, just who is being accused here? The defendant
         or the witness?"

Zwelinzima:"I was just pointing out to the court that the witness'
            testimony has some gaping holes in it."

Khumalo:"That and attacking his integrity. You keep making accusations
         like that and I will have you in contempt."

Zwelinzima is looking less sure of himself, but nods anyway.

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor."

Khumalo:"Do you have any more questions for the witness?"

Zwelinzima:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Be seated."

Zwelinzima heads back to the state's bench while Cadwell is escorted
from the courtroom. Corsair leans over to Hotrod.

Corsair(whispering):"I'm really starting to hate that guy."

Hotrod(whispering):"Me too, but the judge knows how to put him in his
      place."

Corsair(whispering):"Yeah, but he keeps poking holes into our testi-
       monies. And I'm beginning to wonder whether the judge is really
       on side."

Merit leans over and speaks in low volume.

Merit(low volume):"But is the judge not supposed to be impartial to
     either the prosecution or the defense?"

Corsair(whispering):"Well, yeah..."

Hotrod(whispering):"Relax, bud. Merit's right. The judge is unbiased,
      so Striker is getting a fair trial here."

Corsair(whispering):"I hope so, but I'm still worried about this."

Hotrod(whispering):"Just relax. Justice will prevail."

Corsair(whispering):"I hope you're right."

They all turn their attention back to the court proceedings as the
next witness is called to the stand. The guards escort in the
witness: it is Maska, dressed in his best suit. Striker smiles when
he sees Maska, and Maska returns the look. Striker leans over to
Bugloise and whispers.

Striker(whispering):"I'm glad you managed to find him."

Bugloise(whispering):"It wasn't too hard, but I wanted to keep him
        out of sight. I wanted to catch the prosecution off guard."

Striker(whispering):"I hope you have. You explained to him about the
       importance of my identity?"

Bugloise(whispering):"The whole deal. He won't tell the court that
        you are really Gerard Vorster, but his testimony will be very
        powerful."

Striker(whispering):"Especially since everyone in my family, inclu-
       ding Adriaan, love him and won't doubt his word."

Bugloise(whispering):"That's a bonus."

At they finish whispering, Khumalo looks at the defense.

Khumalo:"The defence may proceed."

Bugloise nods and gets up. He then heads over to the stand where is
Maska is and looks at the man.

Bugloise:"Please tell the court your name and your occupation, sir."

Maska clears his throat before speaking.

Maska:"My name is Maska Mokitlane. I was a worker and gardener at the
       Vorster Estate in George and now caretaker of the estate on
       behalf of the Vorsters."

Bugloise:"How long have you worked for the Vorsters?"

Maska:"I have worked for them since 1942, taking over the role from
       my father."

Bugloise:"Could you tell the court where you were on the day of the
          Vorster massacre and what you had seen on that day?"

Maska nods, takes a deep breath and then continues.

Maska:"On that day I got up early in the morning and started to dress,
       because the wedding ceremony was to start soon and at that time
       my home was a good distance from the place where it was to take
       place. I managed to get dressed and leave, but then I punctured
       my bicycle wheel and I had to walk to the ceremony. As I got
       closer I could see smoke coming from the area. At first I
       thought it was a fire, so I ran to see if everyone at the wed-
       ding was all right. As I got closer, I saw three helicopters
       take off and fly away. Confused, I kept going. Then I saw the
       first burning vehicle and bodies. I was shocked and ran on to
       the ceremony area. There I found all of the people lying dead.
       Everyone there was dead. I tried to find anybody alive, but I
       could not. I then panicked and began to run back to the estate
       to get help."

Maska sniffs and wipes his eyes. Bugloise lets him do this before 
asking the next question.

Bugloise:"What happened next?"

Maska:"I later reached the estate and I saw the police were leaving.
       Then I saw Master Gerard Vorster leave the building. At first
       I was overjoyed he was still alive, but as I saw his face I
       could see that he had murderous intentions. He also carried
       a revolver his father kept in the study. I decided to follow
       him."

Maska clears his throat again before continuing.

Maska:"It had just turned to night when I followed Master Gerard to
       the power station. I saw him go inside, but I stayed outside
       and watched. A few minutes later there were bright flashes
       from inside the building and a rumbling noise that sounded
       like distant thunder. Then I saw dozens of wolf-men run out
       with weapons and climb into vehicles. When I saw those wolf-
       men I panicked and ran away from the plant. I had reached the
       trees when the plant exploded behind. The blast knocked me
       down, but I quickly got up and looked behind me. The station
       was destroyed and the wolf-men were fleeing up the road. I
       then turned and ran back home."

Bugloise:"Now, those wolf-men you saw. Could you see their faces?"

Maska nods.

Maska:"Yes. The lights at the plant were bright enough for me to see
       them."

Bugloise:"And did any of them look like my client?"

Maska shakes his head.

Maska:"No. None of them ever looked like him."

Bugloise:"You certain?"

Maska:"Definitely. I never saw him anywhere on that day until his
       face appeared on television."

Bugloise:"All right. Back to the scene of the massacre. Could you
          tell to whom the helicopters belonged to?"

Maska shakes his head.

Maska:"No. I was too far away to make out any markings on them. And
       I was more concerned about those at the wedding."

Bugloise:"Were these helicopters civilian or military?"

Maska:"Two of them definitely looked like army helicopters. I am
       certain of those two."

Bugloise nods his head, then turns to Judge Khumalo.

Bugloise:"No further questions, your honor."

Khumalo:"Be seated."

Bugloise heads back to the defense table, while Khumalo looks at the
prosecution. But Zwelinzima and his fellow prosecutors are exchanging
frantic notes with a man in a suit in the audience gallery behind
them.

Khumalo:"Mister Khwezi."

Zwelinzima immediately looks at the judge.

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor?"

Khumalo:"Do you have questions for the witness?"

Zwelinzima and his prosecutors quickly exchange a few words with the
suited man behind them. After a few seconds of near total silence in
the courtroom, Zwelinzima looks back at Khumalo. He has a disappointed
look on his face.

Zwelinzima:"The prosecution has no questions, your honor."

There is immediately an commotion in the courtroom, while Bugloise and
Sunrise give each other surprised looks. Khumalo bangs her hammer.

Khumalo:"Order in the court!"

It takes a few moments, but the court soon settles down. Khumalo then
looks back at Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"Are you certain about your position, Mister Khwezi?"

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor."

Khumalo shrugs.

Khumalo:"Very well. Next witness."

As Maska is escorted from the witness stand, Striker is grinning
widely while the others are giving each other pats on the back.

Hotrod(whispering):"Looks we spiked the prosecution big time."

Corsair(whispering):"Yeah. Good ol' Maska's testimony is sure to get
       the boss off the hook."

Sunrise(whispering):"I'm just a little nervous about that. Zwelinzima
       and his team were talking to the fellow behind them. And that
       fellow seems to have told them not to ask Maska questions."

Striker(whispering):"I think I know who he is and what he told the
       prosecution. He's is from Adriaan's administration and he told
       Zwelinzima that the president did not want him to question
       Maska."

Bugloise(whispering):"Why?"

Striker(whispering):"Maska was looked up to as a grandfather by me,
       Pieter and Adriaan. So if Zwelinzima was going to question and
       accuse Maska like he did with the other witnesses, then 
       Adriaan would not have been very happy."

There are grins all around the defense table. At that moment Judge
Khumalo bangs her hammer to get court proceedings going again.

High Court
Johannesburg
South Africa
15 December
8:01 AM:

Things are much the same as before, though the number of demonstrators
have increased. And so have the number of police officers guarding the
courthouse and keeping the various groups apart. The media are at 
their posts, telling the world the latest on the trial. Melanie is
among those reporters.

Melanie:"Today the prosecution will deliver their final arguments 
         before Judge Khumalo. So far the trial has had its twists and 
         turns, but nothing concrete has been produced that could 
         secure a guilty verdict. However, sources in the court have 
         hinted that the prosecution may have a trump card that they 
         have yet to play. This could very well determine the final 
         outcome of this marathon trial. Tomorrow the defense will get
         its turn to make their closing arguments. This is Melanie
         Malloy for NBC News."

Courtroom
Johannesburg High Court
South Africa
1:45 PM

The court is back in session and everyone is in their place. Maska,
Billy and a few leadings pro-sapien supporters have joined the Rovers
behind the defense table. Meanwhile, more government employees as
well as Ozari and the prosecution's witnesses have taken their seats 
behind the prosecution's table. The media cameras of the world are 
keeping their lenses focused on Zwelinzima, who is making the closing
arguments for the prosecution. He is facing the courtroom, standing
near a projector screen and a projector on a table.

Zwelinzima:"... in short, the defendant is a brutal monster. A killer
            typical of its kind, who go and kill innocents for his
            own sadistic ends. Such creatures are a grave threat to
            mankind and nothing less than a guilty verdict will show
            to them and their kin that justice is mightier than any
            of their machinations."

Zwelinzima then goes to the table and projector and leans on it.

Zwelinzima:"And yet there are some in this courtroom who say that I
            have presented nothing that proves beyond the shadow of
            doubt that their 'client' is guilty."

He makes a quick glance at the defense.

Zwelinzima:"True."

He then looks back at the court.

Zwelinzima:"But someone once said that a picture is worth a thousand
            words. That is so true. And today, it will be proven so
            once again."

He turns on the projector and pushes a button to bring up the first
slide on the screen. The image shows Striker, wearing full military
camo-gear and carrying several guns and rifles. He is standing on a
dead body, while all around him are the scenes of the massacre from
the wedding. There is a smug grin on his face. Many in the courtroom
gasp and the next moment there is jeering directed at Striker, all
from the anti-mutant supporters. Striker is staring at the image,
completely horrified. Sunrise and Bugloise are also staring in shock
at the image, as are the Rovers. Khumalo bangs her hammer to get
order.

Khumalo:"Order in the court!"

But her call for order seems to go unanswered and almost right away
a scuffle breaks out between several members of the pro-sapien and
anti-mutant camps. But the court guards quickly rush in to restore
order. As this happens, the Rovers all take this opportunity to talk
to each other.

Hotrod:"As Hunter would say: I would not have predicted this!"

Corsair:"Dude, this blows a mega hole into our case. That photo is
         dynamite."

Bugloise:"So this the prosecution's trump card. Striker, is that
          really you?"

Striker:"Nee, it is not! I never did anything like that!"

Merit:"Actually, my initial scanning of the photographic images
       indicate that the individual displayed there is indeed you,
       Striker."

Sunrise:"You sure of this, Merit?"

Merit:"I am 76,3% percent certain, though my initial scanning was done
       in haste. More careful analysis of the image could increase or
       decrease that percentage."

Cadwell:"You're telling me that is really Striker at the scene of the
         massacre?"

Striker:"I was there, but not yet in cano-sapien form and certainly 
         not in such a posture! Aikona!"

Striker quickly looks at Maska.

Striker:"You believe me, reg Maska?"

Maska recovers from his shock and nods.

Maska:"Yes, Master Striker. I know you would not dare stand like that
       over the bodies of your family. But that photograph looks so 
       real."

Sunrise:"Corsair is right. These photographs are enough to swing the
         whole trial to the prosecution's favour. And Maska's..."

Suddenly the judge bangs her hammer again for order and the court
starts to settle down. The Rovers immediately stop and turn their
attention back to Judge Khumalo. Once the commotion has died down
completely, she looks sternly at the audience gallery.

Khumalo:"Any more disturbances and I will order all non-essential
         people in this trial to be removed from this courtroom."

She then looks back at Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"You may continue, Mister Khwezi."

Zwelinzima:"Thank you, your honor."

Zwelinzima turns back to the courtroom.

Zwelinzima:"As we witnessed, this picture is both a powerful and
            damning witness to the suspect's completely lack of
            respect for human life. I would show more slides, all
            exposing this mutant's crimes to the world..."

He looks at Khumalo.

Zwelinzima:"... if the court wishes me to continue displaying these
            provocative images."

Khumalo:"I think we have seen enough for today, Mister Khwezi. But
         you can display the other images to me and the defence in
         private later."

Zwelinzima:"Yes, your honor. I fully understand."

He turns back to the court and points at the projected image.

Zwelinzima:"That, ladies and gentlemen, is the final proof that this
            suspect deserves his punishment from the hand of justice.
            He and his defense tried to deceive us into believing 
            that he was innocent. But that sandcastle of lies has now
            crumbled before this. The naked truth."

He strains himself and looks every bit triumphant.

Zwelinzima:"The prosecution hereby rests its case."

A loud applause comes from the anti-mutant section of the courtroom.
But the judge's hammer immediately silences them. Khumalo looks at
Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"Thank you, Mister Khwezi. You may be seated."

Zwelinzima goes back to the prosecution table and sits down. Khumalo
then looks at the defense team.

Khumalo:"Will the defense now give its closing arguments?"

Bugloise and Sunrise quickly exchange a few whispered words. Bugloise
then gets up.

Bugloise:"Your honor. The defense is requesting a postponement of the
          trial in light of this newly presented evidence. We wish to
          see and examine the slides before delivering our closing
          arguments."

Khumalo nods and looks at the prosecution.

Khumalo:"Does the prosecution have any objections to the request of
         the defense?"

Zwelinzima shakes his head, a smug smile on his face.

Zwelinzima:"Not at all, your honor."

Khumalo:"Very well. The defense’s request is granted."

She writes down on the papers before her.

Khumalo:"The trial is postponed until Wednesday. Court is adjourned."

She bangs on her hammer again. Then she and her fellow advocates get
up and file out of the courtroom. Meanwhile, the courtroom is filled
with the sound of conversation. Striker is escorted by the guards to
his cell, while the Rovers gather around again. Zwelinzima and his
team gather their evidence and prepare to leave. As they do, they
flash victorious grins at the defense, who reply only with grim looks
on their faces.

Stronghouse
Sandton
Johannesburg
5:55 PM:

Everyone is now back at the stronghouse as the sun's rays reach deep
into the house through the windows. Sunrise, Bugloise, Cadwell and
Billy are at the dining room table, going over all of the evidence,
including the photos of Striker. Through the arched doorway one can
see Corsair, Hotrod, Shephard and Merit sitting on the couch and
watching television. Cups of coffee are on the table. Bugloise is
closely examining the photo shown first at the trial. He then sighs
and tosses it onto the table.

Bugloise:"Forget it. I don't see anything in that photo that proves it
          is a fake."

Sunrise nods, wiping her tired eyes.

Sunrise:"Neither do I. What about you, major?"

Cadwell shakes his head, taking a sip of his coffee.

Cadwell:"Nothing. These pictures are too real... and simply d***ing 
         evidence."

Billy:"I agree. I am hoping against hope that these photographs are
       forgeries. But even now I'm hearing that some pro-sapien
       supporters are starting to wonder if Striker is really guilty
       after all."

Sunrise:"We cannot give up now. We did manage to get that police
         dossier that proves Ozzy del Figulo is a criminal and not
         a reliable witness."

Cadwell:"But that will mean bupkis unless we can disprove these
         photographs."

Bugloise:"The major's right, Sunrise. The prosecution will just shrug
          off our bringing of Ozari's testimony into doubt. We got no
          leverage here."

Sunrise sighs, leans back in her seat and picks up her tea. She looks
at the photographs.

Sunrise:"Then Striker will never taste freedom again."

She sips the tea as everyone around the table just murmurs their sad
agreement on the matter. In the living the Rovers are watching a
science fiction program, but they seem to be in low spirits. Merit,
however, is looking curiously at the television as a space ship
explodes into a large fireball and loud noise.

Merit:"That television program is completely in error. There is no
       oxygen in space, therefore there should be no sound or fire.
       Also, the debris are moving at such high velocity that the
       friendly craft's hull would be punctured and severely compro-
       mised."

Hotrod:"Dude, chill. This is science fiction. They do those things
        so the audience can enjoy it."

Merit:"But it is using incorrect facts that can mislead the general
       audience."

Corsair looks annoyed at Merit.

Corsair:"Oh, Merit. Quit knit-picking at every friggin' thing that
         only you can see."

In the dining room Sunrise perks up when she hears Corsair's words
in the living room. She turns in her chair to look at Merit.

Sunrise:"Merit? Are you busy with anything important?"

Merit looks towards at Sunrise.

Merit:"Not at present. I am currently in idle mode."

Sunrise:"Then would you mind coming over here for a minute or two?"

Merit:"That is affirmative."

Merit gets up and walks on over to the dining room table. Sunrise
picks up several of the photos and holds them out to Merit.

Sunrise:"Take there and scan them for us. Check for any kind of detail
         that would be out place. Anything, no matter how small or
         insignificant."

Merit:"Executing command."

Merit takes the photographs, holds them up and begins to do a complete
and thorough scan of them. The others around the table watch in anti-
cipation as Merit does his work.

Courtroom
Johannesburg High Court
16 December
9:00 AM:

The court is back in session and all the main parties are at their
places. However, in the audience gallery the number of pro-sapien
supporters have declined, while the number of anti-sapien supporters
have increased. But now there are also more police officers inside
the courtroom to prevent a repeat of yesterday's scuffles. Zwelinzima
and his team are sitting confidently at their table with Ozari and

their other witnesses right behind them. Sunrise and Bugloise are
seated with a dejected Striker between. Behind are the Rovers along
with Billy and Maska, who are keeping their faces as expressionless 
as possible. Once Judge Khumalo has brought the court to order she 
looks at the defense.

Khumalo:"Is the defense ready to deliver its final arguments?"

Sunrise is the one to get up.

Sunrise:"Yes, your honor. We are ready."

Khumalo:"Proceed."

Sunrise:"However, I must first highlight the falsified evidence used 
         by the prosecution yesterday."

The gasp in the court is clearly audible and is immediately followed
by jeers from the gallery. Zwelinzima and his team look surprised at
Sunrise, but quickly regain their composure. Striker is looking sur-
prised at Sunrise. Judge Khumalo bangs her hammer to get order. Once
things settle down she looks at Sunrise.

Khumalo:"Do you have reason to claim that the photographs displayed
         in court yesterday are not real?"

Sunrise:"I do, your honor. With your permission I will point this
         out before the court."

Khumalo then looks at Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"How does the prosecution respond to this?"

Zwelinzima looks at the judge.

Zwelinzima:"Your honor. These photographs are been tested over and
            over again for signs of falsification or reproduction
            for years. Nothing has been found to indicate that they
            are not real."

He looks smugly at Sunrise.

Zwelinzima:"But if the defense wants to make a fool of itself before
            the court, then they are welcome."

Khumalo nods and looks at Sunrise.

Khumalo:"You may proceed, Miss Sunrise."

Sunrise:"Thank you, your honor."

Sunrise nods to a pair of security guards. They bring up the screen
and projector used by the prosecution the day before and set them up.
Once everything is ready Sunrise goes to the projector, turns it on
and brings up the photo first shown in court yesterday. She turns to
the court.

Sunrise:"As the prosecution indicated yesterday, this photograph
         allegedly shows my client at the scene of the crime. There is
         no signs that this was not forged, staged or created from
         thin air. Except..."

Sunrise takes out a long stick and points the tip at a tree on the
background.

Sunrise:"The shadow of this tree falls in that direction and length.
         Judging from the photograph, the time that it was taken can
         be determined as immediately or shortly after the massacre
         took place. Which is to say early morning."

She looks at Zwelinzima.

Sunrise:"Is that right, Mister Khwezi?"

Zwelinzima keeps smiling smugly and nods, humoring Sunrise.

Zwelinzima:"Absolutely. The forensics expert and witnesses can all
            testify to that account."

Sunrise:"And from the photograph you can say that the one who took
         it was looking towards the north, right?"

Zwelinzima:"Actually, north and slightly to the east. But yes, that
            is the general direction."

Sunrise nods and turns her attention back to the screen. She taps the
tip of her stick on the tree again.

Sunrise:"Which means that the shadow of this tree is on the west side
         of the tree."

Everyone focuses their attention on the tree. Clearly one can see the
shadow on the west side of it. Sunrise then turns to the court again.

Sunrise:"But if the tree's shadow is on its west side..."

She then taps the tip of the stick on Striker's image on the screen.

Sunrise:"... then what is my client's shadow doing on his EAST side?"

It takes a few moments before this revelation sinks in. Zwelinzima's
smug look vanished as soon as he realizes what is going. Suddenly a
voice shouts out from the gallery.


Voice:"Hey! That's a fake!"

The courtroom erupts into a chorus of loud murmurs. Khumalo bangs her
hammer several times before there is order. Once things quiet down,
Khumalo looks at Sunrise.

Khumalo:"How did you come across this sign when others have failed
         to find it, Miss Sunrise?"

Sunrise indicates to Merit in the gallery, where the other Rovers are
now sitting with smug grins of their own.

Sunrise:"The robot over there detected the discrepancy after doing a
         scan of the photographs."

Khumalo looks at Merit, then back at the stunned Zwelinzima.

Khumalo:"What does the prosecution have to say?"

Zwelinzima snaps back to reality, then quickly gets up.

Zwelinzima:"Your honor, it is just a simple trick of the light! The
            defence is making absurd accusations!"

Khumalo:"What do you mean by a trick of the light, Mister Khwezi?"

Zwelinzima:"It's just a shadow cast by another tree over the suspect
            in the photo!"

Sunrise:"And yet Striker's west side, which is supposed to be shaded
         as well, looks as if the sun is shining there."

Zwelinzima struggles for an answer, but Khumalo shakes her head and
looks sternly at the prosecution.

Khumalo:"Well, Mister Khwezi. Unless you can explain to me how the
         accused's shadow can do tricks like in the photograph, I am
         throwing the evidence out of court."

A resounding cheer breaks out from the pro-sapien supporters in the
gallery. Zwelinzima slumps into his chair, still flabbergasted at
the judge's decision. The anti-mutant supporters are keep quiet, but
are fuming quietly over the decision. Striker looks back at Merit,
a very excited look on his face.

Striker:"You were the one who found out the truth?"

Merit:"It took several in-depth scans, but I managed to locate
       the indicators in the photographs."

Striker breathes a sigh of relief, then takes hold of Merit's shoulder
and squeezes.

Striker:"Merit, I am forever in debt to you."

Merit:"In debt? But I have not granted a monetary loan to you."

Corsair rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Striker just chuckles and
looks forward again as the court settles down. Khumalo looks back at
Sunrise.

Khumalo:"Is there anything else, Miss Sunrise? Or do you wish to begin
         your closing arguments?"

Sunrise:"Just one more, your honor."

Sunrise heads back to the table, picks up a folder and walks over to
the judge.

Sunrise:"The folder I hold contains a police docket, acquired from the
         police in Rome, Italy. It was written up when the Road Rovers
         brought in the prosecution witness Ozzy del Figulo..."

Ozari casts a dagger look in Sunrise's direction, but she does not
notice him.

Sunrise:"... to the police station on a charge of attempted assault."

Zwelinzima's face goes pale as she holds out the folder to Khumalo. 
The judge takes the folder and opens it.

Khumalo:"Is this the criminal evidence that you mentioned earlier?"

Sunrise:"Yes, your honor."

Khumalo starts to read the documents in the folder. It only takes her
a few moments to close it and look up again.

Khumalo:"Very well. In light of this evidence, I hereby declare that
         Mister del Figulo is not a credible witness. Therefore, I
         am having his testimony thrown out."

Again there is applause from the pro-sapien camp, though it is more
subdued this time. Zwelinzima slumps ever more into his chair, seeing
his case being torn apart. Ozari is grumbling to himself, looking at
the grinning Rovers with seething anger. Corsair leans over to Hotrod.

Corsair(whispering):"Now I see why some people like being lawyers.
       There is great satisfaction in tearing apart your opponent's
       case to the ground."

Hotrod(whispering):"Oh yeah. Now all we got to do is wait until the
      judge clears Striker."

Corsair(whispering):"Yeah, this case is in the bag."

They turn their attention back to Sunrise, now joined by Bugloise,
as they begin their closing arguments.

Throne Room
Elite Guard Headquarters
Unknown Location
At That Moment:

Franco is sitting on his throne, growling in anger from seeing the
trial, which is being shown on all the monitors, tip in favor of
the defense. Champion is standing a safer distance from throne,
while Maya is carefully snatching an empty plate food away before
scooting off to the kitchen. At the foot of the throne is a very
nervous Spectre. Franco bangs his fists on the armrests of his 
throne.

Franco:"No! Striker was so close to being out of my fur! Now thanks
        to that useless piece of scrap metal of a robot, everything
        is going apart!"

He looks down at Spectre.

Franco:"Spectre! How could you have let such a detail slip through
        the forged photographs you and your people had made?"

Spectre:"Monsieur General! I assure you I did not know about that!
         All I did was morph into Striker and pose for the photos
         in front of a large television screen showing the massacre
         scene! The ones who produced it are at fault!"

Franco:"Then find them and bring them before me! Now!"

Spectre:"Oui, General!"

Spectre quickly turns around and makes a hasty retreat from the throne
room. Suddenly the communicator on Franco's throne beeps. He picks up 
the reciever and answers.

Franco(into com):"What?"

Mister T(over com):"General Franco. We have just seen what had hap-
        pened at the trial. Most unfortunate."

Franco(into com):"Unfortunate? H***, I am angry! Now that mongrel
      Striker will walk free and that itself will seriously undermine
      my plans!"

Mister T(over com):"Calm down, General. You may yet turn this to
        your advantage."

Franco(into com):"I would love to hear how I can do that."

Mister T begins to explain what Franco should do. The more Franco
listens, the more his anger is replaced by a wicked grin.

Franco(into com):"Brilliant idea! Tell your leader that I truly
      appreciate his assistance."

Mister T(over com):"Let's first see if this works, General. Then
        we will talk again."

Franco(into com):"Good idea. I'll give out the orders."

Franco puts the receiver down, then picks it up again. He starts to
make a new call.

Recreational Area
Road Rover Mission Control
State of New Mexico
United States of America
19 December
10:02 PM:

The recreational area is now packed with Rovers of all stripes, with
all eyes on the television screen. Phoenix is sitting at her usual
spot on the couch, flanked by her parents. Illanov, Vicki, Alana,
Dylan, Tanarus and Elexis are also here, along with the Master and 
all the others. On the plasma screen Melanie Malloy is seen standing 
outside the Johannesburg High Court, giving the forecast for the trial 
today.

Melanie(on screen):"Today Judge Angie Khumalo will pass judgment in
       the trial that has seen its fair share of drama, twists and 
       turns. It is expected that she will clear Striker on all the
       charges. In fact, many legal experts have said that it would
       be very surprising if a guilty verdict is given today."

Elissia and Aydrian, who are each holding one of Phoenix's paws,
give a supportive squeeze. Phoenix smiles, but does not take her eyes
off the television.

Elexis:"I'll be glad when Striker is released. This trial has been bad 
        for him and for Phoenix."

Alana:"Yeah, not to mention we're running low on coffee from staying
       up in the nights."

At that moment Hubert a few Rovers come in with trays of hot coffee.
They begin to pass out the warm mugs as the focus on the screen starts
to shift to the courtroom for the proceedings.

Courtroom
Johannesburg High Court
16 December
09:48 AM:

The courtroom is packed once again and everyone is at their places. 
The big change now is that the number of anti-mutant supporters has
decreased significantly, while the number of pro-sapien supporters
has grown to a very large group. Everyone at the defense table is
looking satisfied, though still a little tense. Behind them the
Rovers, along with Billy and Maska, have the same looks on their
faces. At the prosecution table Zwelinzima and his prosecution team 
are sulking, clearly knowing which way the verdict will go. They all 
listen to Judge Angie Khumalo as she reads her verdict. She has come 
to the crucial point in her judgment.

Khumalo:"In light of all the testimonies and evidence that has been
         presented in this courtroom, I do not regard the prosecution's
         as being credible or convincing."

She flips a page on the papers containing her judgment.

Khumalo:"Therefore, I find the defendant not guilty."

The courtroom explodes into cheers and loud applause from the pro-
sapien supporters. The Rovers all shake hands with big smiles on their
faces. Bugloise and Sunrise are clapping each other on the shoulders.
Striker breathes out a sigh of relief, then says a quick prayer of
thanks before turning around and hugging an overjoyed Maska. The anti-
mutant group is clearly unhappy, but keep their dissatisfaction to 
themselves. The world media cameras all shift to focus on Striker and 
the jubilation in the gallery. Judge Khumalo bangs her hammer once 
again waits for the cheering to settle down. Once things are less 
noisy and all attention has turned back to her, she speaks.

Khumalo:"I would ask that the jubilation be withheld until after..."

Suddenly there is the sound of machine gun fire from somewhere inside
the building. Immediately there is a dead silence in the courtroom
as all eyes look in alarm towards the main door that leads into the
room. Suddenly the door bangs open and a group of heavily armed cano-
and felo-sapiens, lead by a large rag doll cat, bursts into the
courtroom. The big cat looks in anger at the standing Khumalo.

Cat:"You traitorous, bribe-taking human scum! You will not have
     Striker!"

Before Khumalo can respond the cat opens fire with R-5 rifle. The
shots hit the judge and sends her collapsing into her seat. The other
sapiens open fire on the courtroom guards. Immediately there is now
utter pandemonium in the courtroom. As the wild shootout between the
guards and the sapiens occur, panic grips many spectators and they
rush in all direction. Many of the camera crews are bravely keeping
their lenses pointed at the action while the reporters duck down.
Some of the wiser in the courtroom duck down onto the floor. 
Among them are the Rovers, who rush under the defense table.

Cadwell:"We have to get out of here, quickly!"

Corsair:"Yeah! This isn't a happy place anymore!"

Striker:"Where's your transport?"

Billy:"The in the court parking lot! We must get there quickly!"

Striker:"Let's go! It is too dangerous here!"

Everyone quickly nods in agreement, then begin to crawl along the
floor to the door used by the advocates. Billy and Cadwell help
the older Maska along. Suddenly a strong paw grabs Striker's 
shoulder. The Rovers immediately stop and look. The rag doll cat is 
kneeling right next to Striker.

Cat:"Come! We will take you safety!"

Striker growls in anger and punches the cat in the face very hard.
The cat goes sprawling on the floor. Striker then keeps leading
his team to the door. Just as they reach it, Ozari steps right in
front of the group with a knife ready. They stop in their tracks
as Ozari waves the blade at them.

Ozari:"I still got some unfinished business with you!"

Hotrod:"Get out of the way, you moron! There's fighting going on
        in this courtroom!"

Ozari:"Why should that stop me?"

Suddenly a group of panicking spectators run for the door. Ozari finds 
himself being swept away by the rushing crowd through the door. He 
tries to get past them, but to no avail. Striker then points at the 
nearby door used by the witnesses.

Striker:"Through there! Run!"

The group run for the door. Striker kicks it open, then lets the
others go through first. Once everyone is through, he himself
rushes through and closes the door behind him. In the courtroom
the chaos continues in full view of the cameras.

Recreational Area
Road Rover Mission Control
At That Moment:

Everyone in the room is staring in shock and astonishment at the
carnage in the courtroom. Not a few cups of coffee have been dropped
on the floor, while some Rovers, among them Phoenix, are standing
up.

Alana:"As Hunter would say: I would not have predicted this!"

Phoenix:"Oh God! Striker!"

Dylan:"Look! They've gotten out of the courtroom!"

Tanarus:"Bloody h***! Those sapiens have gone and messed up the
         entire trial!"

Illanov:"Bolshoi! And the whole world is watching! What are those
         fools thinking?"

The Master quickly turns to Tanarus.

Master:"Tanarus, call the Road Rovers at the Cape Hunting Dogs' ranch 
        and tell them to go and get Striker out of South Africa imme-
        diately!"

Tanarus:"Yes, Master!"

Tanarus quickly runs out of the room. The Master then turns to the
others.

Master:"The rest of you get to the briefing room immediately. The
        situation has drastically changed and will need to respond to
        it."

Everyone nods and begin to quickly file out of the recreation area
with the Master. Elissia looks at Phoenix.

Elissia:"Look, Phoenix. You don't need to bear all of this. You can
         sit this out if you wish."

Phoenix:"Mom, I can handle this. It's tough, but I'm willing to tough
         it out."

Elissia doesn't look convinced.

Elissia:"Are you sure, my dear?"

Phoenix nods.

Phoenix:"Yes, mom. I am."

Aydrian puts his paw on Phoenix's shoulder while looking at his wife.

Aydrian:"Phoenix is right, dear. Our daughter has been through many
         tribulations. She's proven herself to be a tough young lady."

Elissia:"Well, if you think you can handle yourself, Phoenix, I will
         not interfere. But remember: I and your father support you
         and are there if you need us."

Phoenix smiles and hugs her mother.

Phoenix:"Thank you, mom."

Aydrian smiles as well as Elissia hugs her daughter.

Aydrian:"You mother and I will watch the news and keep you up to date
         on what is happening to Striker."

Phoenix:"Thank you, father."

Aydrian pats his daughter's shoulder. Phoenix then follows the others
to the briefing room as Aydrian and Elissia turn their attention back
to events on the television. Striker has been cleared of the criminal
charges in court, but now these mysterious sapiens have gone and upset
the situation. Who are they? What are their motivations? And is Franco
perhaps behind their vicious attack?


THE END