Rover Strike: The Spider Cartel

Episode 4: Wild Wild East

By Gerhard Naudé

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

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

Briefing Room
Road Rover Mission Control
United States Of America
11 June
7:00 PM:

It is early morning in the briefing room. At the table, all of the papers
and files have been neatly ordered and stacked. Merit, in a deactivated
state, is sitting in one of the chairs by the table. There is a yawn
coming from one of the doors. Striker walks in, his paw over his muzzle
and stretching his other arm. He is wearing a robe with the belt tied
around his waist. Once he stops yawning, he looks at Merit and walks
over to him. He pushes the activation button and Merit springs to life.

Merit:"Systems activated."

Striker:"Goeie morning, Merit."

Striker goes over to the kitchen area of the room and takes out a coffee
cup. As he goes towards the coffee machine, Merit stands up and walks
to the kitchen area as well.

Merit:"Initiating reply:'Good morning'."

Striker smiles and shakes his head.

Striker:"Merit, you don't need to say 'initiating reply'. You can just
         say 'good morning'."

Merit:"Code change accepted."

Striker puts his cup under the coffee tap and pushes a button. Warm
coffee is pumped into his cup. Meanwhile, Merit goes to a wall plug and
opens his toolkit. A rod with a plug appears and plugs into the wall.

Merit:"Initiating power recharging process."

Striker takes his cup, now full of steaming hot coffee and puts it on
the counter. He turns for the fridge.

Striker:"What did you find amongst those files, Merit?"

Merit:"My scans of the papers reveal no information regarding the loca-
       tion of the individual Antonio Vega nor of the Mayhem Mercenaries
       that is already known to us."

Striker opens the fridge and takes out some milk before closing the
fridge.

Striker:"Nothing, Merit?"

Merit:"Zero."

Striker sighs and pours some milk into his coffee. He then puts the milk
back into fridge, then takes some sugar and puts in about two teaspoons
into his coffee.

Striker:"That is unfortunate. Alex and I were rather interested in
         knowning what Vega is going to do after the Octo Cartel's fall."

Merit:"I do have some information that I found rather unusual."

Striker takes his coffee and takes a sip of it. He then turns to Merit.

Striker:"Oh? Wat is it?"

Merit:"The Octo Cartel never had posession of the plutonium core, despite 
       the fact that they were the ones who had purchased the device and 
       requested its subsiquent detonation in Paris."

Striker immediately stops drinking coffee and looks surprised at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, wat are you telling me here?"

Merit:"I am telling that the Octo Cartel never had posession of the 
       plutonium core, despite  the fact that they were the ones who had 
       purchased..."

Striker shakes his head and holds his paw out as a stop gesture.

Striker:"Wag, Merit."

He puts the coffee down on the kitchen counter, pulls closer a chair and
sits down on it. He looks at Merit.

Striker:"Give me a full report of you found regarding what you have told
         me just now. From the beginning."

Merit:"Accepted. Two months ago the Octo Cartel was contacted by the
       global illicit drug trade cartel, the Spider Cartel, regarding
       the purchase of highly advanced laboratory-grade medical equip-
       ment from the Octo Cartel by the Spider Cartel. Shanghai Hwong,
       instead of accepting money, wanted the destabilisation of the
       China Sea region to improve their foothold in several countries,
       including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and mainland
       China. This was agreed upon that a nuclear device would be traded 
       for the medical equipment. The Spider Cartel had the device stolen 
       by the Mayhem Mercenaries, with Antonio Vega as observer for the 
       Spider Cartel. Once the device was secured, Hwong was impressed by 
       the performance of the mercenaries and requested the detonation of 
       the device in Paris to initiate the war between North and South 
       Korea. Once the explosion and war took place, the trade was 
       completed and the medical equipment was transferred to the Spider 
       Cartel's control. Further information regarding this relationship
       between the cartel are not available from the current files."

Striker is silent for a moment, taking everything in while taking another
sip of his coffee.

Striker:"So, what you are telling me is that it is actually the Spider
         Cartel that was behind the crisis."

Merit:"That would be incorrect. The Octo Cartel is fully responsible.
       The Spider Cartel just completed the requirements of the trade."

Striker:"I suppose, but this does mean they are responsible for the theft
         of the device and detonating it on behalf of the Octo Cartel."

Merit:"Partly, but most of the charges are traced back to Hwong's requests
       and orders."

Striker nods again, then is silent for a moment.

Striker:"But, that leaves one large question: Why did the Spider Cartel
         trade a nuclear device worth a fortune; financially, militarily 
         and politically; for some medical equipment?"

Merit:"I found that confusing to my systems as well."

Striker:"Did the files say where the medical equipment was sent to?"

Merit:"Negative."

Striker:"Is there a location we can follow?"

Merit:"Affirmative. All communication to and from the Spider Cartel was 
       made from a governmental computer."

Striker:"Governmental?"

Merit:"Correct."

Striker:"Which government?"

Merit:"The broad-based government in Kabul, Afghanistan."

Striker raises an eyebrow.

Striker:"Afghanistan?"

Merit:"Correct."

Striker rubs his chin, then downs his coffee before speaking.

Striker:"Perhaps we should investigate this link between the Octo and
         the Spider Cartels and find out why the trade of a nuclear
         device for medical equipment took place."

He stands up and puts his mug into the sink. He then looks at Merit.

Striker:"Do you have important operations to carry out within the next
         few days, Merit?"

Merit:"None whose priority is higher than that of a mission, if that is
       what you are suggesting."

Striker:"Goed. Just be available to leave when I say so. I'm going to
         have a word with the Master about this."

Merit:"Affirmative."

Striker walks away from the kitchen to one of the doorways and goes out
of the room. Merit scans the dirty mug, then stands up and proceeds to
wash it.

Command Complex
7:47 AM:

The command complex is a circular room with dozens of computers, screens,
terminals and controls. In the centre of the room is a pillar-like
structure with a single doorway. Bright light is coming from the doorway,
bathing the Master who is standing there. Striker is standing before
him and has just told what Merit told him. The Master thinks about it
before speaking.

Master:"So you think we should follow up on this lead, Striker?"

Striker:"Ja, Master. The nuclear core/medical equipment deal is bother-
         ing me and I would like to find out what the Spider Cartel
         wants it for."

Master:"So do I. While the case is officially closed, this deal is
        quite curious. But what does the government of Afghanistan have
        to do with it?"

Striker:"I don't know, but I think that I might be able to find out if
         you would let us go to Kabul and investigate."

The Master thinks for a while more, then nods.

Master:"I agree. You and your team will be going to Afghanistan today?"

Striker:"Not my entire team, though. Most of them are tired from the
         recent events and I want them to rest."

Master:"Oh? Who won't be going?"

Striker:"Tanarus and Elexis want to spend the day together, so to speak.
         As does Alex and Vicki. Corsair is going out to Seattle to visit
         his friends for a LAN and to go to his parents' graves. Phoenix
         is going out with Colleen and Abrigale to the beach to join the
         other females having a small party there for a couple of days."

Master:"I see. What about Shephard and Merit?"

Striker:"Merit is going, and Shephard would never pass a change to go on
         mission. Unless he is busy eating, that is, but he will be going
         along."

Master:"Won't you be lacking some needed skills during your mission?"

Striker:"Not really. We are going to make an open investigation and if we
         need some help I can request it from the Afghan government."

Master:"I see, but just in case I want you to take a new cadet along on 
        this mission if you want."

Striker:"Ja, I suppose we can. We are not going to do anything serious.
         Wat is his name?"

Master:"His name is Tybalt Merc. You will find him in his room in the 
        eastern residence wing."

Striker:"Reg, I will go and inform him that he will be going with us."

Master:"Very well. Now, go to Afghanistan and see what you can dig up 
        over there. Maybe there might be something more with this 
        recent incident than meets the eye."

Striker:"Ja, Master. We will leave in the hour."

Master:"Good luck."

Striker salutes and turns to leave. The Master then calls his attention.

Master:"Oh, by the way..."

Striker stops and turns to the Master.

Master:"Hubert says that he and the work crews have begun building that
        new Rover vehicle you requested."

Striker:"Ah. That is goeie nuus. When should it be ready?"

Master:"If all goes well, no more than one month."

Striker:"Goed. I look forward to seeing it."

Master:"I'm sure you will find it a great addition to your unit."

Striker nods and smiles, then leaves the room.

Afghan Government Complex
Kabul
Afghanistan
12 June
9:04 AM:

This is a large, walled complex consisting of several buildings. Most of
the buildings are riddled with bullet holes and the lawn still has
traces of bomb craters in them. All around the complex are Afghan soldiers
armed with AK-47s on guard duty or patrols. At the parking lot in front
of the main building most of the vehicles are pickups and minibusses. One
of the vehicles is the Rhino, parked near the entrace of the main building.

President's Office
Main Governmetal Building 
9:06 AM:

The office is a simple one with a desk, some chairs, a few paintings and
some curtains. Seated in chairs by the desk is Striker, Shephard and
Tybalt, which Merit stands behind them. Tybalt is a rough collie cano-
sapien who stands at 7 feet 1, has black fur and eyes and white shoulder-
length hair. He is wearing the standard Road Rover armor. Striker looks
at Tybalt.

Striker:"You all reg?"

Tybalt nods and speaks with an American accent.

Tybalt:"Okay, sir. It's just that I'm keen on getting into a fight sooner
        or later."

Shephard:"Heh. I think I might like this one, sir."

Striker:"Wel, just be patient. We first need to talk here with the Afghan
         president."

Just then the only door leading into the room opens and in steps the
current Afghan president: Hamid Karzai. They all stand up for him as he
closes the door. He smiles at them.

Karzai:"No, please. Sit down."

Striker:"Ja, Meneer Karzai."

They sit down as Karzai goes behind his desk and sits down. He looks up
at the Rovers.

Karzai:"It is a pleasure to meet some of the famous Road Rovers. What
        honour do we have of you visit to Afghanistan?"

Striker:"I take it you know about the recent events in Paris and Korea?"

Karzai:"Yes, I do. We Afghans have been through worse, but it still a
        very terrible shame. Destroying so many lives for petty crime.
        Why do you ask?"

Striker:"We are following up some of the connections the Octo Cartel had
         with other organizations. In particular the Spider Cartel."

Karzai stops smiling and frowns.

Karzai:"The Spider Cartel? You certain?"

Striker:"Ja, Meneer Karzai. Is there something wrong?"

Karzai:"I suppose you traced one of their transmissions to one of our
        computer systems, correct?"

Striker and the others are surprised by this.

Striker:"Ja, but how did you know?"

Karzai:"Simple. You are looking at the head of a government whose entire
        treasury funds is from the Spider Cartel."

The Rovers are now truly surprised. Striker is about to speak, but Karzai
holds up a hand to stop him.

Karzai:"Perhaps it would be best for me to explain this, from the very
        beginning."

Striker:"That would be best, Meneer Karzai."

Karzai takes a deep breath, then begins to speak.

Karzai:"After the fall of the Taliban regime, our government was having
        difficulties in running Afghanistan. We did not have the money
        to rebuilding despite promises of aid, and the warlords were
        becoming very restless. Our country was at the point of going
        to back to post-Soviet anarchy. Then a representive of the Spider
        Cartel came to us and offered to aid us by giving needed funds
        and making sure that the warlords don't start fighting again.
        In exchange, they wanted control of all of the poppy fields in
        Afghanistan and to build factories to process the poppies into
        opium. We were desperate at that time, so we agreed. We now get
        nearly 90 percent of our revenue from the Spider Cartel, and
        they are bribing the local warlords and tribal chiefs, thus
        keeping things rather stable in Afghanistan."

Tybalt:"But that's illegal. The opium wrecks lives werever it is sent
        out."

Karzai:"I know, but sadly farmers and their familes depend on the fields
        for their livelihoods and we need the money from the cartel or
        else Afghanistan will collapse into bloodshed that will cost
        even more lives."

Tybalt:"Bummer, that sucks."

Striker:"I can see your dilemma, but isn't your government recieving
         enough aid from the United Nations?"

Karzai:"I'm afraid not. All those promises of aid were forgotten once the
        Taliban left and without cartel funding we would be broke and
        unable to repair and rebuild the infrastructure of Afghanistan."

Striker:"Meaning that your country is pretty much in the hands of the
         cartel."

Karzai:"Basically, yes, but they don't run it. They pay us to keep their
        opium production and processing operational and away from any
        anti-drug agencies like the American DEA. They also pay the
        warlords and tribal chiefs from fighting amongst themselves or
        against us."

Tybalt:"But isn't war and lack of government good for cartel business in
        this part of the world?"

Karzai:"Not if it lead to another Taliban government. The Taliban wanted
        nothing to do with the cartel and its operations in Afghanistan
        and during those years there were frequent clashes and skirmishes
        between the Taliban army and the Spider Cartel security forces,
        with the Taliban being on the losing side most of the time."

Striker:"Probably because the Spider Cartel had better weaponry?"

Karzai:"Partly, yes, but mainly due to the fact that most of the Taliban
        fighters had their faith placed more in money that the teachings
        of the Koran. Nowadays, a large portion of the cartel's forces in
        Afghanistan are former Taliban members bought with drug money."

Tybalt:"Simple rule the world over: money talks."

Karzai:"And that was indeed true with the Taliban."

Striker thinks for a moment, then speaks.

Striker:"I can see the agreements you have with the cartel, but at this
         stage I cannot really offer any solutions to have them removed
         without having Afghanistan collapse again, Meneer Karzai."

Karzai:"That is all right. As soon as Afghanistan is economically and
        politically secure, we will have this scourge removed, but until
        then we must do what the cartel wants."

Striker:"I suppose we should leave this situation in the hands of time
         for now. At any rate, my unit's objective is information
         gathering and not to combat the cartel. Could you tell us what
         the cartel did on this computer, Meneer Karzai?"

Karzai:"Transmissions back and forth to their associates in the Octo
        Cartel, mainly about the business deal they had going on before
        the Korean war."

Striker:"Can you give us details?"

Karzai shakes his head.

Karzai:"No, I'm afraid I cannot. The cartel operative who worked at
        the computer erased any traces of data of the transmissions just
        before the Paris explosion. I can give you location of where
        you might be able to find him."

He opens a drawer in the desk and digs around. After a while he produces
a map of Afghanistan and a pen. He opens the map and makes a circle on
the map.

Karzai:"There. That is the location of the cartel's main administration
        complex, not far from Mazar-e-Sharif."

Striker takes the map.

Striker:"Dankie, Meneer Karzai. We appreciate it."

Karzai:"It is my pleasure. However, I must warn you that the cartel has
        eyes and ears everywhere and will not take your intrusion in
        the business lightly."

As Karzai talks, Merit looks towards the door leading out of the office.
He spots through the door, which is slightly open, a figure quickly
disappearing.

Merit:"Highly unusual behaviour."

He turns back to the group, who have stood up and shaking hands of fare-
well.

Administrator's Office
Cartel Drug Administration Building
10 Kilometres East of Mazar-e-Sharif
9:56 AM:

This a lavishly decorated office with expensive carpeting, desks and
chairs, curtains and paintings. Potted plants stand in the corner
while the window looks out over a large complex of factories and
greenhouses. The walls have wooden boards and the door has fancy
carvings into it. On the desk is a computer along the usual papers,
pen holders, name tag, telephone, etc. The administrator is sitting 
behind his desk enjoying a smoke while two figures are in front of 
his desk. One is seated in his chair, while next to him stands a very 
tall figure who is completely covered by a robe. The figure sitting 
in the chair to the Afghan administrator, is Carlos Peru.

Carlos:"I trust everything is going according to plan, senyor Nabdullah?"

Nabdullah:"I can assure you that all traces of the dealings have been
           erased and that all the officials are being closely watched.
           If they speak to any anti-drug agents, my informants will
           tell me and I will remove those agents."

Carlos:"Excellent, senyor. You certainly have proven yourself useful
        since the days of being the Taliban governor in Mazar."

Nabdullah:"It was either that or being executed by the heathen Northern
           Alliance."

Carlos:"That is none of concern. What is our concern is that operations
        run smoothly, and that is why you are here."

Nabdullah:"And that is what I will take care with the maximum efficiency
           and the minimum interfere..."

The phone on the desk begins to ring.

Nabdullah:"Excuse me for a moment."

Carlos nods and Nabdullah picks up the reciever, then answers.

Nabdullah:"Yes?... More informants on their way?.... No one saw you?....
           Excellent, Wahiri. I... What?... They're what?... Are you
           drunk?... Yes... Yes, I see... Don't worry. We will take care
           them, regardless of whom they are... Good."

Nabdullah puts the reciever back in its place, then dials a number and
picks it up again.

Nabdullah:"Akkubar?... Yes, its Nabdullah. Take your men and kill four
           agents leaving Kabul on the road to Mazar-e-Sharif... Yes,
           they are driving a black American jeep... They must killed...
           Yes, and ignore what they look like... I'm serious, yes...
           Very well. Good luck."

He puts the reciever back in its place and turns back to Carlos.

Carlos:"'What they look like'. What did you mean by that, senyor?"

Nabdullah:"My informant tells me the agents are two dogs, one American
           soldier and a robot."

Carlos' eyes widen and he sits up straight.

Carlos:"Did he say which organization they belong to?"

Nabdullah:"He didn't discover the name, but he does tell that their
           insignia is that of a dog's head in a star."

Carlos bangs his fist in anger on the table, startling Nabdullah.

Carlos:"Caramba! The Road Rovers!"

Nabdullah:"Road Rovers?"

Carlos:"Si! The Road Rovers! They are the most dangerous form of law
        enforcement there is! They destoyed our operations in Colombia
        two years ago!"

Nabdullah:"Have no fear. I've ordered my men to go in and destroy these
           infidels and to shoot them like the dogs they are."

Carlos looks sceptically at Nabdullah.

Carlos:"I doubt those men will even be able to put a scratch on those
        Road Rovers, Nabdullah."

Carlos looks at the figure next to him.

Carlos:"You ready for more enjoyment, Turwar?"

There is a low snarl coming from beneath the cloak. This startles 
Nabdullah again.

Nabdullah:"Forgive me for asking... but who is this Turwar?"

Carlos:"Show him, Turwar."

Turwar snarls again and turns to Nabdullah. He removes the robe over
his head. Nabdullah's face pales and he shrinks back into his chair.

Nabdullah:"Allah protect me!"

Carlos grins.

Main Road
1 Kilometer From Mazar-e-Sharif
10:31 AM:

This is a tarred road with several potholes leading from Mazar-e-
Sharif not far off. It runs amongst brush and rocky countrysides.
Along the road are several old tank wrecks, dating to the days of the
Soviet invasion. The Rhino is driving on the road away from the town.
Striker is driving with Tybalt in the seat next to him, while Merit
and Shephard are in the back.

Striker:"Where are you from, recruit?"

Tybalt:"Central US, sir. I live on a farm in that part of the country."

Striker:"And what do you do there?"

Tybalt:"Heard sheep, chase away intruders and play around with my family.
        Sometimes they take me into town to do some stunts at the country
        fair they hold."

Stirker:"Do you enjoy being a Road Rover?"

Tybalt:"Sure do, sir. I love it, especially now that I have a girlfriend
        too."

Striker":"That is goed to hear, recruit. What is her name?"

Tybalt:"Thunder, sir."

Striker:"Ah, ja. Phoenix told me about her. She is nice, né?"

Tybalt:"Very nice, sir. I love all those plushies she has."

Shephard then taps on Striker's shoulder.

Shephard:"Hate to interrupt, sir, but we got contacts behind us."

Striker:"Who?"

Shephard:"Three tactical pickups, followed a dirtbike. Shall we get our
          guns ready?" 

Striker thinks for a moment, then pushes a button that brings up the
window shutters.

Striker:"Keep them at hand, but do not take them out. The vehicles might
         not be hostile and we don't to trigger an international incident
         in ths country."

They all nod and hold their weapons on their laps. Behind the Rhino, three
pickups with machine guns mounted on the back are closing it. The pickups
are manned and driven by Afghans wearing black clothing and white turbans.
Some of them are armed with Kalashnikovs. In the distance, a lone dirtbike
is also closing in, its driver dressed in black and wearing a black helmet.
Tybalt looks into the rearview mirror and sees the Afghans' clothing.

Tybalt:"You know, those guys' getup look like that the Taliban used to
        wear."

Shephard turns and looks out behind at the pickups, which are rapidly
moving closer to the Rhino.

Shephard:"The recruit's right, sir. Those Afghans are dressed up like the
          Taliban."

Striker:"I was afraid of that. Karzai did warn us that many ex-Taliban
         fighters now work for the Spider Cartel. Get ready."

They all nod grimly. The three pickups reach the Rhino. One drives faster
and right in front of the Rhino, the second one getting onto the side of
the Rhino and the third right behind it. As this happens, the men manning
the first and second pickup's machine guns turn and take aim on the Rhino
and open fire. The bullets bounce off the armored sides of the Rhino.
Striker immediately turns and the Rhino goes off the road. He then puts
his foot down on the accelerator and the Rhino quickly speeds past the
two pickups back onto the road. The four pickups also speed up as they
set chase to the Rhino. Tybalt looks at Striker.

Tybalt:"Do we take out our guns now, sir?"

Striker:"Not yet, recruit. We will first see how many we can off our
         sterte before we commit our guns."

He pushes a button on the dashboard. The disc-shooter on the rear of the 
Rhino appears and fires several mines at the pickups. Two of the pickups
swerve out of the mines' way, but the mines strike the third pickup
behind the first two. The explosions send the pickup barrelling through
the air, sending its passangers flying off into the dirt. It crashes
along the side of the road. Tybalt whistles at the sight.

Tybalt:"Wow. I need one of these babies."

Striker:"Not as effective as I was hoping for."

He looks down at the dashboard for another button to push, then suddenly
he looks up and his eyes widen.

Striker:"Ai yai yai. More serious trouble."

Everyone else looks ahead too. Blocking the road ahead of them is a barrier
of barrels and burning tires. Behind the barrier are two T-50 tanks, two
more pickups and a truck full of Afghan soldiers. The tanks have their
barrels aimed at the Rhino. Striker quickly swerves the Rhino off the
road into the brush-covered fields. Just then one of the tanks fire. The
shell misses the Rhino and explodes behind it. One of the pursuing
pickups drives into the crater left by the shell and tips over onto its
side. The two pickups and the truck take off into the fields after the
Rhino, joining the one surviving pickup. A few moments later, the dirtbike
follows suit. The other tank turns its turret to the Rhino and fires. 
The shell explodes right behind the Rhino. Inside the Rhino, everyone is 
holding as they thrown about by the bumpy ride.

Tybalt:"Man, this is wild stuff! I'm glad I'm a Road Rover!"

Shephard:"I'm beginning to like this recruit. He should do well."

The Rhino smashes through a fence which has a sign written in Afghan
by it. Striker looks into the rearview at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, wat did that sign read?"

Merit:"It said 'Danger! Minefield!"

Tybalt's eyes widen as Striker pushes a button. Behind them, the three
pickups and the truck also go through the fence. A few seconds later,
the dirtbike also goes through into the field.

Tybalt:"Minefield? Did he say minefield?"

Striker:"Ja, and we are going to drive through it."

Tybalt looks in shock at Striker.

Tybalt:"What?!"

He looks back at Shephard, who is quite calm though trying to hang on
to his seat.

Tybalt:"He's joking, right? Right?!"

Shephard:"During a situation like this I've never seen him make jokes."

Tybalt's facial fur turns white and he cowers into his seat, covering
his eyes and praying. Behind there is a loud explosion as one pickup
strikes a mine and is thrown onto its side in front of another pickup. 
The second pickup smashes right into the overturned pickup and both
vehicles explode. The third one also strikes a mine and is blown straight 
up into the air. The truck immediately stops, its driver realising what 
is going on. The dirtbike, however, speeds past the truck and continues
into the field Meanwhile the Rhino breaks through another fence and 
Striker pushes the same button again, then another to open the shutters.

Striker:"Daarsy. We are out of the minefield and we have shaken off our
         pursuiers."

Tybalt opens his eyes and breathes a sigh of relief. His fur colour
immediately returns to normal. He then looks at Striker.

Tybalt:"Sir! That was nuts! We could have been blown to pieces!"

Striker:"Nee, we would have not, recruit."

Tybalt:"How?! How could we have gotten through like that?!"

Striker:"The Rhino is equiped with a electronic aura device that will
         render landmines inactivate within a radius of the Rhino. I
         turned it on."

Tybalt groans and collapses into his seat again. Shephard watches him,
then looks at Striker.

Shephard:"You know, sir, that would be a great way to break in newbie
          Rovers."

Striker:"I thought the same thing myself, Shephard. Come on, let's get
         back to the road and keep an eye open for any more hostiles."

Shephard:"Yes, sir."

Merit:"Task accepted."

The Rhino speeds on through the fields back towards the road. Behind
them, the dirtbike appears from the field and is closing in. As the
Rhino gets back onto the road again, Shephard looks behind them and
spots the dirtbike.

Shephard:"Hey, sir. That bike is still behind us."

Striker, surprised, looks up into his rearview and sees the dirtbike
closing in on them really quickly.

Striker:"How did he get through the minefield?"

Tybalt:"Perhaps he was lucky?"

The dirtbike draws up alongside the Rhino on Striker's side and the
rider looks at him. He then takes out something. That something is
quickly revealed to be a retractable knife. Merit makes a scan.

Merit:"That motorcycle driver is Ozzy Del Figulo."

Striker and Shephard look surprised at each other.

Striker, Shephard:"Ozzy?"

Tybalt is confused.

Tybalt:"Who's Ozzy?"

Ozari reads their lips and realizes what they are calling him. He lifts
his visor and shouts at them.

Ozari:"The name is...!"

Suddenly Ozari's dirtbike smashes into the wreckage of an old BRMP tank
and is thrown into the air. He screams, arms flailing as he flies some
distance into the back of a donkey-drawn wagon full of rotten fruit. As
the Rhino passes the wagon, Ozari is climbing out while being beaten 
with a thin stick by the wagon driver, who is busy shouting at him in
Afghan. Tybalt looks at Striker.

Tybalt:"What did Ozzy want, sir?"

Striker shrugs.

Striker:"Nothing important, recruit."

Tybalt:"Oh. Okay."

The Rhino speeds on, leaving Ozari struggling with the angry Afghan.

Administrator's Office
Cartel Drug Administration Building
10:46 AM:

Carlos, Nabdullah and Turwar are still here. Carlos is still talking with
Nabdullah (who keeps passing nervous glances at Turwar). The phone rigns
again and Nabdullah answers.

Nabdullah:"Yes?.... Ah, Akkubar. Have you..."

Nabdullah suddenly stands up, his face in anger.

Nabdullah:"WHAT?! They escaped??? How?... The minefield?... What do you
           take me for? A fool? No one could have gotten through the
           minefield like that!... You imcompetent idiot! What am I 
           paying you for?!"

He slams the reciever down on the phone.

Carlos:"I take it your men failed to stop the Road Rovers, senyor?"

Nabdullah looks back at Carlos, his nervousness returning.

Nabdullah:"I... I will send all my fighters after those Road Rovers..."

Carlos holds up his hand to silence Nabdullah.

Carlos:"Not this time, senyor. Allow those Road Rovers to come here and
        Turwar will take care them."

Turwar makes a low growl which makes Nabdullah jump in fright.

Front Courtyard
Cartel Drug Administration Building
10:59 AM:

The front courtyard of the large, white-walled building has only a few
hardy bushes and a crude parking lot in it. The flag of Afghanistan and
the Spider Cartel is flying above the building. The building is surrounded
by a high wall and at the entrance is a guard hut and a barrier. Afghan
soldiers can be seen everywhere, though they are dressed in predominantly
brown and white. Several pickups and sedans are parked in the courtyard
while a commercial helicopter sits on a helipad on the roof. The road
leading to Mazar-e-Sharif runs past the building. In the distance, the
Rhino has stopped and everyone has climbed out. Striker, Shephard and
Tybalt are looking at the building with binoculars while Merit is scan-
ning it.

Tybalt:"Some serious-looking opposition over there."

Shephard:"You think they might be hostile, sir?"

Striker:"I cannot honestly say, but after what happened back there I would
         not be surprised if they open fire on us."

Shephard lowers his binoculars and looks at Striker.

Shephard:"What is our plan of action, sir?"

Striker lowers his binoculars, still looking at the building. Tybalt does
the same and looks at Striker.

Tybalt:"Yeah. When do we fight, sir?"

Striker looks at the two.

Striker:"I don't know. I first need a report from Merit."

Merit:"A vehicle is leaving the location and is coming in our general
       direction."

The others quickly look into their binoculars. They spot a single pickup
driving from the compound towards them.

Tybalt:"Did they spot us?"

Striker:"Looks like it, recruit."

Shephard:"They don't look like they're eager for a fight as I see it."

Merit:"Your observation is correct. I cannot detect any signs of beha-
       viour that would be hostile or aggresive."

Striker:"What about weapons, Merit?"

Merit:"They are equipped with Kalashnikov rifles and pistols, but all of
       the weapons have their safety systems activated."

Tybalt:"Maybe they want to talk?"

Shephard:"I hope not. I'd rather get into a shooting match."

They all lower their binoculars and put them away.

Striker:"Let us first see what they want. I would like to avoid any form
         of conflict if we can."

Tybalt:"And if we can't, sir?"

Striker:"Then fire at will."

Tybalt grins, as does Shephard.

Tybalt:"I like that idea."

They watch as the pickup drives up and stops a short distance. The men
all climb off, but keep their rifles lowered. One of the men walks to-
wards the Rovers. It is Nabdullah. He smiles nerviously at them.

Nabdullah:"Greetings and welcome to Afghanistan. You must be the famous
           Road Rovers."
 
Striker:"Ja, we are. And you are...?"

Nabdullah:"I am Administrator Nabdullah. I run the offices of the Spider
           Cartel AAA, that is Afghanistan Agricultural Administration.
           I am pleased to have met you, for we have troubles that
           require assistance from fighters such as you."

Striker raises an eyebrow.

Striker:"Troubles?"

Nabdullah:"Yes. A large portion of our security force were former members
           of the Taliban. A few days ago those fighters rebelled and
           began to terrorize the local farmers and conduct acts of
           banditry. Now I fear they might attack this compound. Would
           you please add us in repelling these infidels?"

Striker thinks for a moment, then pulls his team off to one side.

Striker:"Wat do you all think?"

Merit:"I find his request acceptable. We must keep the infrastructure
       intact and repair any damages rendered upon it."

Striker rolls his eyes.

Shephard:"Personally, I find his story is a bit too strange, sir. We
          got attacked by ex-Taliban soldiers who failed to stop us and
          now their 'former' employers tell us this?"

Tybalt:"Yeah, and we heard what Hamid said about the cartel's business
        here, sir."

Striker:"I'm also sceptical about his request. Unfortunately, I cannot
         tell if he is telling the truth or not. I have been trained to
         examine a person's eyes to see if he is telling the truth."

Tybalt:"And, sir?"

Striker:"His eyes show that he appears to be telling the truth. Maar that
         could also mean that he is an expert liar."

Shephard:"So what do we do, sir?"

Striker looks at Nabdullah, then back at his team.

Striker:"We will go along with him, but on the terms that we keep our
         weapons in case we need to fight. And keep your eyes open. If
         you spot the faintest hint of treachery, then prepare for a
         battle. Merit will keep a continious scan for any hostiles
         while we are in the compound."

Tybalt and Shephard nod.

Merit:"Task recieved."

Striker walks back to Nabdullah.

Striker:"We accept your request. On the grounds that we can keep our guns
         with us at all times."

Nabdullah frowns a bit, then quickly resumes his smile.

Nabdullah:"Yes, yes of course. You can take all the weapons you need with
           you. Now, follow me and my men back to the compound and I will
           further explain our situation."

Striker nods and turns to signal his team, then they climb into the Rhino.
Nabdullah does the same with his men. Once everyone is in their vehicles,
the pickups turns and drives to the compound, followed then by the Rhino.

Lobby
Cartel Drug Administration Building
11:09 AM:

The lobby is a pretty plain white-walled room with benches and potted
plants about. Stairs lead up to second floors that overlook the lobby
while doors lead to the various sections of the building. Soldiers are
visible on the second floor, but none in the lobby itself. Unit STRIKE
is being lead into the lobby by the nervous Nabdullah. Striker, Shpehard
and Tybalt all have their weapons at hand/paw. As they reach the centre 
of the lobby, Nabdullah stops and turns to them.

Nabdullah:"Please seat yourselves while I go and get your... um... your
           guide, yes."

Striker eyes him suspiciously.

Striker:"Reg. Go get him."

Nabdullah quickly turns to one of the staircases and walks fast up them
towards the second floor. Striker turns to his group.

Striker:"Be versigtig. I have a feeling this is a trap."

Shephard, Tybalt:"Yes, sir."

Merit:"Affirmative."

Just as the speak, all the doors leading out of the lobby close and is
followed by the sounds of them being locked. Metal sliding doors are
quickly pulled over the staircase entrances and locked as well. The
Rovers quickly ready their weapons, but the Afghan soldiers quickly
aim theirs at them. From the staircase, Nabdullah smiles to himself.

Nabdullah:"This was easier than I thought."

Striker turns to look at Nabdullah.

Striker:"You have proven that you are as treacherous as you Afghans are
         renowned to be."

Nabdullah:"I was just following my orders, infidel dog."

Striker:"And who's orders are those?"

Voice:"Mine, senyor."

Appearing on the lobby next to Nabdullah is Carlos. As he and Striker
spot each other, their faces become surprised.

Striker:"Commander Carlos!"

Carlos:"Caramba! It's that cocker spaniel who helped that traitor Illanov
        destroy our snow fortress in Colombia."

Striker:"Goed to see you as well, Carlos. Are you still getting frostbite,
         I hope?"

Carlos:"It is indeed a small world, senyor Striker. Your name is Striker,
        si?"

Striker:"Ja, it is. Maar yours is still mud."

Carlos:"Annoying as always. Speaking of, how is senyor Illanov? Is he
        chasing his tail a lot? Or is he still being toilet trained?"

Striker:"He has become much happier than he ever was, Carlos. It is a
         pity he is not here to meet you. I'm certain he would have
         loved repaying some outstanding debts from those two years
         ago."

Carlos:"A pity indeed. I would have loved having him meet senyor Turwar
        in the flesh."

Striker:"Who is Turwar?"

Carlos nods at Nabdullah, who then takes out a radio and speaks into it.
One of the dual lobby doors are opened and in walks Turwar, still wearing
his robe. The Rovers turn their attention, and their weapons to him.

Merit:"Sir, I am having some highly unusual readings from this Turwar
       individual."

Tybalt boldy steps towards Turwar and looks at his robe.

Tybalt:"So you are Turwar, eh? Well, let me see who you are before I
        make a punching bag of you."

Striker:"Tybalt, wag a..."

It is too late. Tybalt grabs the robe and pulls it off. Everyone but
Carlos gasp and their eyes widen as they see Turwar in his true form.
He is a very large monster who stands at 8 feet, has greenish leather-
like skin, large brown horns, triangular bloodred eyes and an extended 
muzzle with razor-sharp teeth and nostrils. His body has the appearance 
of an extremely skinny person with large knobs forming at his joints, a 
three toed foot (with sharp nails) and another nail forming from his 
heel. Turwar snarls loudly at the Rovers.

Shephard:"What... the h***... is that?"

Merit:"That is a very unusual creature."

Striker:"Ai yai yai! It's hideous!"

Tybalt:"Yuck! It's butt-ugly!"

Carlos laughs.

Carlos:"Impressive hombre, isn't he? I admit he isn't pretty, but is
        quite good when killing annoying doggy senyors."

Tybalt quickly gathers his strength and goes into a fighting stance.

Tybalt:"Let me at him, then! Come on! You and me!"

He punches Turwar in the chest, but all he gets is a loud thud. Turwar
doesn't even flinch. Tybalt then kicks Turwar's one leg, but it has no
effect either. Turwar roars, then kicks with surprising speed Tybalt in
the chest. Tybalt is sent sprawling onto the floor and slides to the
others. Striker helps him up, an angry look on his face.

Striker:"What were you think, recruit? You do not just rush in like you
         just did, understood?"

Tybalt:"Yeah... I mean, yes sir!"

Shephard aims his M-249 at Turwar.

Shephard:"Then let 'em eat lead!"

He opens fire on Turwar, but all the bullets he fires just bounces off
Turwar' skin and falls on the floor. He quickly stops firing.

Shephard:"Crap! This thing has kevlar skin or what?"

He quickly takes out his Desert Eagle and fires a single round at the
head of Turwar. The bullet just bounces off again and lands with the
bullets on the floor. Turwar then makes a low gutteral chuckle.

Tybalt:"Man, we're in serious trouble now!"

Carlos chuckles and looks at Turwar.

Carlos:"Finish off our hombres, Turwar."

Turwar:"Rhesh!"

Turwar's claws suddenly begin to sprout massive scythe-like blades
from each of them until they are as long as half of Turwar's height.

Tybalt:"Those are some nasty meat cleavers!"

Turwar roars and prepares to jump at them.

Striker:"Scatter!"

They all quickly run in various directions as Turwar jumps at them with
his scythe blades. He just barely misses Striker and lands and spins at
his nearest prey. He swipes at Striker, his blade just missing the
spaniel's back. Striker quickly whirls around and fires a sonic blast
at Turwar. Turwar is knocked back a little bit, but it does not stop
him. He roars and lunges at Striker. Striker quickly jumps out of the
way and Turwar flies over him. There is a loud thud as Turwar's head
connects with the wall. Turwar removes his head from the wall, leaving
a large crack in. He shakes his head and goes again for Striker. Seeing
what had happened, Tybalt, who is hiding with Merit, gets an idea.

Tybalt:"You know, I might just be able to make it up to Striker and get
        us outta here."

Merit:"Please explain."

Tybalt:"Nope. Just watch me."

Tybalt jumps out of cover and grabs a clot of earth from one of the
plant pots. He then takes careful aim at Turwar, who is busy slicing
away at a bench to get at Striker. He throws and hits Turwar on the
back of the head. This gets his attention and Turwar turns to look at
Tybalt. Tybalt gets in front of a door and waves at Turwar.

Tybalt:"Hey you! Yeah, big ugly! Get a load of this!"

Tybalt turns around, then proceeds to moon at Turwar. This clearly
annoys Turwar and he roars. He lunges full force at Tybalt, who keeps
mooning him. Just at the last moment Tybalt jumps out of the way. The
flying Turwar smashes through the door, and hits the wall behind it.
He quickly recovers and comes out of the now-open doorway, still angry.
Tybalt is standing on the opposite site of the room.

Tybalt:"Want more?"

He moons Turwar again. Turwar roars and lunges again at the Rover and
again Tybalt jumps out of the way the last moment. This causes Turwar
to smash into the wall behind Tybalt. As Turwar tries to get his horns
loose from the wall, Striker sees that the doorway is now open for them
and signals the others.

Striker:"Gou! Out the door!"

Merit runs out first, followed by Shephard and Striker. Tybalt is the
last to go just as Turwar gets loose from the wall and spots Tybalt going
through the door. He roars and runs quickly after them. Carlos and
Nabdullah watch them go.

Nabdullah:"They have escaped!"

Carlos:"Only for a moment. Turwar will catch up to them soon. Tell me,
        where does that door lead to?"

Nabdullah:"The cellars. Why?"

Carlos:"Are there any security cameras down there, senyor?"

Nabdullah:"Er... yes, of course."

Carlos:"Good. Lead us to the security room and let us watch Turwar take
        care of these hombres."

Nabdullah:"O-of course."

Nabdullah begins to lead Carlos and some of his men towards the security
room.

Cellar Corridor
Cartel Drug Administration Building
11:19 AM:

This is a sandstone-walled corridor with only some light bulbs in the
ceiling. Striker, Tybalt, Merit and Shephard come running around a corner.
Behind them, the roar of Turwar echoes through the corridor. As the Rovers
run further down, Turwar appears around the corner. He is clearly running
faster than the Rovers themselves.

Shephard:"He's gaining on us, sir. And fast!"

They come to an intersection. Striker points at it.

Striker:"In here, gou!"

They dodge into the other corridor just as Turwar is about to catch
Shephard. Turwar runs past, but quickly readjusts his course and goes
into the corridor. Nearby, a security camera picks up what is happening.

Security Room
Cartel Drug Administration Building
At that moment:

This is a typical security room with computer monitors in the walls and
terminals around. Several soldiers are busy monitoring the screens.
Carlos and Nabdullah are here and are busy looking at the monitor
showing the intersection in the cellar.

Carlos:"Where does that lead, senyor?"

Nabdullah appears to be slightly nervous.

Nabdullah:"That corridor is... a dead end, yes."

Carlos grins.

Carlos:"Then it is all over. Is there a camera there?"

Nabdullah:"Er... no, sorry."

Carlos:"Pity. Perhaps all that we will see then will be the mutilated
        bodies when we go investigate."

Nabdullah gulps and begins to sweat.

Storage Room
Cartel Drug Administration Building
11:22 AM:

This is a small, square room with only a single exit leading out. Two
massive wine kegs are facing towards the exit while the walls beside
them have wine racks filled with full wine bottles. Several empty bottles
are on the floor as well. The Rovers rush in and find that they are
trapped.

Striker:"Ai yai yai! A cul-de-sac!"

Tybalt:"What's that?"

Merit:"Cul-de-sac is a French word that translated into English means
       a dead end corridor or street."

Tybalt:"Bummer! That blows!"

Striker:"Turn around!"

They turn to go back the way they came, but they suddenly find the
snarling Turwar standing in the corridor. They step back, their weapons
aimed at him as Turwar steps into the room, bandishing his blades.

Shephard:"Crud! Wish I had a flame-thrower to see if this thing is
          fireproof!"

Merit:"I would note that Phoenix should have been a better option than
       a flame-thrower."

Striker sighs for a moment, thinking of his love.

Shephard:"Yeah, that would be great right now. But she's at a girl beach
          party back in the States."

Tybalt:"And here we are facing a nasty thing with sharp blades who is
        about to slice us up here in a cellar in Afghanistan! Bummer!"

Turwar roars and prepares to attack, but then begins to snuff the air. He
lowers his guard and looks at one of the wine racks. He retracts one of
his blades and grabs a bottle. He pulls the cork with his teeth, then
proceeds to drink out all the wine. Once he is done, he drops the bottle
and grabs a second. After belching loudly, he opens the bottle and drinks
more wine. Soon, he retracts his other blade and begins to empty two
two bottles at the time. The Rovers watch surprised at Turwar.

Shephard:"Looks like it likes the drink."

Tybalt:"And a lot of it, I would say."

Striker whispers to the others.

Striker(whispering):"Let us sneak past him while he is busy."

They all nod and begin to silently sneak past Turwar, who has begun to
hiccup after belching again. As they get past Turwar into the corridor,
they take off running. Turwar turns to look and roars at them, but his
roar is interrupted halfway with a hiccup. He also takes off, but he
is swaggering and hiccuping as he runs.

Security Room
Cartel Drug Administration Building
At that moment:

Carlos and Nabdullah are still watching the screen showing the inter-
section. On the screen the Rovers can be seen coming from the side
corridor to the storage room and run down the corridor. After a few
moments Turwar appears, very drunking and swaggering. He runs into the
wall opposite the side corridor, then resumes his chase.

Carlos:"What the? Caramba! Turwar's drunk again! But how did...?"

Nabdullah swears, becoming angry.

Nabdullah:"That monster must have gotten in my wine storage room!"

Carlos looks surprised at Nabdullah, who has suddenly realised that he 
said something that he did want to reveal.

Carlos:"YOUR wine storage?"

Nabdullah quickly becomes very nervous and gulps.

Nabdullah:"Er... well, we do have to... um... please ourselves... for
           morale, of course..."

Carlos quickly becomes very suspicious of Nabdullah.

Carlos:"And here you told me that the corridor lead to a dead end. I
        have a feeling you are not telling me everything, senyor."

Nabdullah, desperate to salvage something, quickly takes on a defiant
stance.

Nabdullah:"You told me that this Turwar would take of the Road Rovers,
           but now he is like a common drunkard!"

Carlos gives Nabdullah

Carlos:"Turwar is a very good assassin, but he is also an alcoholic. I
        sent him in because YOU did not inform me about this storage
        room, senyor. Maybe when he sobers up, he and you should have a
        little meeting."

Nabdullah looses his defiant stance and becomes frightened. Carlos points
at the screen.

Carlos:"Where does this corridor lead to, senyor?"

Nabdullah:"Err... it leads to another storage room... I think... no, I
           mean I know."

Carlos keeps looking suspiciously, then digs in his clothing. He takes out
two Ingram uzis and motions to the Afghan guards. 

Nabdullah:"What... what are you doing?"

Carlos looks at Nabdullah as he loads and locks his ingrams.

Carlos:"Since I cannot rely on you and Turwar is too drunk, I will try and
        clear this mess that is your fault."

Carlos leads the soldiers out of the security room. Nabdullah watches with
a pale, frightened and sweating face as they leave.

Wine Distillery
Cartel Drug Administration Building
11:28 AM:

This is a large, expansive room with sandstone walls. The room has rows of
wine kegs and wine distillery equipment. Small windows high up in the walls
bring in the sunlight from outside. The Rovers run into the distillery and
look around.

Merit:"My readings indicate that this room houses an alcoholic beverage
       distillery production and storage containers."

Tybalt:"Uhhh... yeah."

Striker:"Merit, is there any other exits besides the one we just came in
         through?"

Merit:"There no other normal corridors leading from this room. There are
       ten windows that are located at ground level outside."

Striker:"Nee, they are too high up and we would be in serious danger from
         the guards outside. Anything else, Merit?"

Merit:"There is a ventilation shaft that is connected to a maintenance
       shaft. It is located just north east of our location."

Snarls and hiccups become more audible from the corridor as Turwar is
closing in on them.

Striker:"That is it, then. Come on!"

They run off into the one of the rows between the wine kegs towards the
ventilation shaft. When they reach the end of the row, they spot the
vent grate high up in the wall.

Striker:"Ai yai yai."

Shephard:"That's quite a jump, sir."

Tybalt:"Leave it to me, sir."

Tybalt steps back a short distance as the others step aside. Tybalt 
then sprints up to the wall. He jumps and pushes his legs against the 
wall. He launches himself upwards, then quickly turns around and does 
the same with a wine keg. Again he is launched higher, right up to 
the level of the grate. He grabs hold of it. The force of his falling
body pulling at the grate pulls it off. Tybalt lands on his feet as
the grate lands with a loud "CLANG".

Tybalt:"Ta-da."

Shephard:"Nice moves, recruit."

A loud drunken roar comes from the other side of the room, followed
by human voices.

Striker:"Do not waste time, recruit. Jump back up there and help pull
         us up!"

Tybalt:"Sure, sir."

Tybalt repeats his jumping procedure, this time grabbing the edge of
the ventilation shaft. He pulls himself up into the vent, then
turns around and holds his arms out. Shephard squarts and cups his
hands. Striker looks at Merit.

Striker:"Step with your one foot into his hands and he will boost
         you up to Tybalt, Merit."

Merit:"Affirmative."

Merit steps into Shephard's hands and Shephard boots him up. Merit
grabs hold of Tybalt's paws and Tybalt pulls him up into the vent.
Then, Striker follows suit and is pulled up into the vent. Striker
then grabs hold of Tybalt's feet and pushes him slightly out of the
vent to reach Shephard. Shephard jumps and grabs hold of Tybalt, but
as they pull him in, Carlos and the Afghan soldiers appear. They
all quickly take aim and open fire at the Rovers. Striker and Tybalt
quickly pull Shephard in as bullets hit the wall around them. One
bullet grazes Shephard's boot and Striker's ear. Shpehard is unhurt,
but Striker yelps in pain. He and the others crawl into the vent
nonetheless. As they disapppeared into the vent, Carlos quickly
turns around and walks out of the room. Nearby, the drunk Turwar
stumbles about to the vent, then falls flat onto the floor. He
starts snoring loudly.

Administrator's Office
Cartel Drug Administration Building
11:37 AM:

Nabdullah's office is locked and currently unoccupied. The vent at
the floor next to a potted plant is opened and out crawl the Rovers
from it. Striker is hold his one ear, blood coming from between his
fingers. He looks at Tybalt, holding out a hankerchief.

Striker:"Can you bandage my ear, Tybalt?"

Tybalt takes the hankerchief.

Tybalt:"No problem, sir. I know some basic medical stuff."

Striker:"Goed."

He sits down on a chair while Tybalt begins to bandage his ear. 
Shephard, his M-249 at the ready, looks at the name tag.

Shephard:"Hey, sir. This is that b***ard Nabdullah's office."

Striker:"You certain, Shephard?"

Shephard:"Says so on the name tag here."

Striker thinks, looking at the computer. He then looks at Merit.

Striker:"Merit, open the computer case and take out the harddrive.
         You and Corsair will then later hack into it and see what
         he has on file."

Merit:"Disassemble the computer? That is against my programming."

Striker:"That's an order, Merit. Besides, you can reassemble the case
         so that Nabdullah will not immediately know we stole the
         harddrive."

Merit:"That I find acceptable. Executing command."

Merit goes to the computer, opens his toolkit and begins to unscrew
the computer case. Meanwhile, Tybalt finishes up on Striker's ear 
while Shephard keeps watch at the door.

Striker:"Dankie, Tybalt."

Tybalt is confused.

Tybalt:"Excuse me, sir?"

Striker:"Sorry. That means 'thank you'."

Tybalt understands and smiles.

Tybalt:"You're welcome, sir."

Striker walks to the window and looks out, Tybalt following and doing
the same. They spot the Rhino parked right underneath the window.

Tybalt:"There's our ride, but how are we going to get to it, sir? 
        This place is probably swarming with Afghans by now and that
        nasty Turwar critter will soon be back after us once it gets
        sober."

Striker:"Ja, I do not expect our investigation take such a turn for
         the worse as it did."

He thinks for a moment, then looks at Tybalt.

Striker:"Can you jump down onto the back of the Rhino and then kick
         in the rear window to get in?"

Tybalt looks down at the Rhino again, then confidently back at
Striker.

Tybalt:"Piece of cake, sir. But what do I when I get in?"

Striker:"I will explain to you how to operate the Rhino's flight
         mode and defence systems. You will take off and fly along-
         side the office window so that the rest of us can climb
         on."

Tybalt:"Show me the way, sir."

Striker quickly begins to explain how to operate the Rhino's systems
and what he should do. Meanwhile, Merit has opened the computer case
and is busy removing the harddrive. Striker finishes with Tybalt and
then open the window, careful not to attract any unwanted attention.
Once done, he steps back for Tybalt. Tybalt climbs onto the edge of
the window, making sure no-one spots him, then looks down at the
Rhino. He takes aim, then jumps. He lands onto the back sail of the
Rhino, but none of the soldiers spot him. He then quickly gives a
powerful kick to the rear window of the Rhino, knocking it out of
its frame. The noise it causes attacts the attention of several
soldiers, who spot Tybalt and take aim on him. Tybalt quickly jumps
into the Rhino as the soldiers open fire. The bullets bounce off
the armor plating, but they smash into the bulletproof glass and
leave pockholes in them. Inside Tybalt crawls to the front seat,
then turns on the Rhino and activates the window shutters. He then
puts the Rhino into flight mode while more soldiers open fire on
the vehicle. Tybalt awkwardly guides the Rhino up and against the
office window. Striker turns to Shephard and Merit, who has just
finished up closing the PC case and carrying the harddrive.

Striker:"Get in! Gou!"

Shephard:"Yes, sir!"

Merit:"Confirmed."

Striker opens the front door and gets in next to Tybalt while Shephard
opens the rear sidedoor and gets in, followed by Merit. Once they
close the doors, Tybalt and Striker exchange places. At the office,
the door is suddenly broken open and Carlos and several more soldiers
rush in. They all open fire on the Rhino, which quickly flies over
the courtyard and up into the sky. They stop firing as the Rhino flies
well out of range. Carlos swears.

Carlos:"Caramba! They've escaped! Heads will roll!"

He thinks for a moment.

Carlos:"Especially that of a former Taliban governor."

He walks out of the office, leaving the other soldiers to watch the
Rhino disappear into the horizon.

Briefing Room
Road Rover Mission Control
United States Of America
5:54 PM:

The briefing is still as it was, except now Striker, the Master,
Illanov, Merit, Hubert and Shephard are here. Hubert is busy working
on a laptop that is connected to the harddrive on the table via a
cable from Merit. Striker, Illanov and the Master are seated around
the table with Hubert while Shephard is at the fridge busy getting
some snacks. Striker's ear has now been treated and has a proper
bandage around it.

Striker:"I am glad that you told us to take along Tybalt, Master. If
         he wasn't with us, we certainly would have been either cap-
         tured."

Master:"I'm also glad about that. He's proven himself and he should
        fare well in future missions."

Illanov:"But why didn't you ask the rest of us to come along, 
         comrade?"

Striker:"Because I wanted you all to rest and I did not expect the
         investigation would turn out as it did. It was a pity that
         especially you did not come along, Alex."

Illanov:"How so?"

Striker:"We encountered an old assosiate of yours at the cartel's
         compound. A certain commander whom you met and captured in
         that snow fortress in Colombia."

Illanov growls.

Illanov:"Carlos Peru, neyt?"

Striker:"Ja, Alex."

Illanov:"It was a pity then, comrade. I hope you did hurt him for
         me."

Striker:"I'm jammer, Alex, but I could not get near him. His body
         guard and assassin, Turwar, was on us before we could act."

Master:"I've heard about this Turwar person from previous reports of
        the cartel's activities. How does he look?"

Striker:"He is a mutation, Master. He is hideously malformed, has
         power blades coming from his claws and his skin is so tough
         Shephard's bullets couldn't penetrate him. He is also very
         fast on his feet."

Master:"My goodness. How did you escape from him?"

Striker:"Turwar is an alcoholic and got himself drunk on several wine
         bottles. He is not so dangerous when he is not sober."

Illanov smirks.

Illanov:"Then I think I should take along a few bottles of Vodka next
         time, eh comrade?"

Striker chuckles.

Striker:"That would certainly help, ja. And after that you might just
         find Carlos."

Illanov:"I will savour that moment, comrade."

Master:"Back to the investigation. What did you find?"

Striker:"Niks so far, Master, but I am hoping that the files on the
         harddrive will have something for us."

Hubert:"And it just did."

They turn to Hubert, who is now looking up from the laptop.

Master:"What did you find?"

Hubert:"A folder I found had all the records of the trade of the core
        for the medical equipment, codenamed Red Talon. According to 
        one file, the medical equipment were airlifted to a cartel 
        research facility in Africa. Another file shows that it is 
        needed by the head of some kind of special project called
        Project Trojan."

Master:"Where is this facility?"

Hubert:"The facility is located in the northern jungles of the Demo-
        cratic Republic of the Congo.

Striker:"Maak sin. The cartel bribed Afghan warlords and former 
         Taliban fighters for its security force in Afghanistan,
         so more than likely some of the rebel groups that fought
         or are still fighting in the DRC would be on the cartel's
         payroll."

Master:"Who is the project leader?"

Hubert:"His name I don't recognize, but I think Striker should know
        him."

Striker:"Oh? Who is it?"

Hubert:"He is a South African."

Striker's ears perk up and sits forward a bit more.

Striker:"His name?"

Hubert:"Wouter Basson, I think."

Striker's eyes widen in surprise, then he begins to growl.

Striker:"Wouter Basson. Doctor Death."

Illanov:"Chilling nickname, comrade. Who is he?"

Striker:"Doctor Wouter Basson was head of the apartheid government's
         biological weapons program, where he designed some very deadly
         or dangerous agents, such as bacteria that would only kill
         black people or reduce their birth rates. They were never
         able to convict him of any of those charges and he said he was
         only a medical doctor."

Illanov:"Judging for whom he is working for, I would doubt his state-
         ment."

Hubert:"It could be that he is the one behind the cartel's creation
        of the Hivagen drug to cure aids."

Master:"Maybe, but this project he is working on sounds rather more
        like a suspicious business."

Striker:"Should my team investigate the facility later on?"

Master:"Yes, but not right now. Wait until all your team members have
        return. Meanwhile, Hubert will keep checking the files for
        more information about Project Trojan. Until then, take some
        time off to rest."

Striker nods.

Striker:"Reg, Master."

He stands up, as does Illanov. Illanov pats Striker on the back.

Illanov:"Come along, comrade. Since I mentioned Vodka, how about we
         sample some. It will help restore your energy."

Striker smiles and nods at Illanov.

Striker:"Dankie, Alex, but don't give me too much to drink. I would
         hate to have Phoenix find me and you singing in a drunken 
         stupor."

Illanov laughs.

Illanov:"Sure, comrade."

The two of them walk out of the briefing room. The Master remains with
Huber and Merit as they keep hacking into the harddrive. Shephard
keeps making snacks he takes from the fridge.

Administrator's Office
Cartel Drug Administration Building
Afghanistan
At that moment:

Carlos is sitting in the chair behind Nabdullah's desk. He is on the
phone and speaking to the person on the other end.

Carlos:"Si, they got away clean... They took the harddrive from that
        fool Nabdullah's computer... I interrogated him about what
        was on it before I subjected him to disciplinary termination...
        No, Turwar had passed out so I had to do it myself... A wine
        distillery and storage that Nabdullah ran for himself... No,
        he certainly did not tell us about that... The harddrive
        content? Yes, he told me and I can say that Project Trojan 
        is in danger... Si, those Rovers now know what is going on...
        Si... Si... Si, I'll send Turwar over there as soon as he has
        woken up... Si, senyor... Adios."

He puts the reciever back onto the phone. Unit STRIKE has managed to
get into Afghanistan and get out with valuable information about the
cartel's operations. But what is this mysterious Project Trojan? What
is Wouter Basson doing in the Congo? What is the Spider Cartel's
sinister plans?


THE END