Author Notes: I own nothing related to Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. I am simply borrowing the characters to have a little fun with them.
Music.
There was one thing he could always count on hearing at the base and that was music. It played when they were working out, making repairs and eating dinner and ranged from just before the war started back to mid-twentieth century. He never knew what was going to come on next, though he could tell who was controlling the playlist by the type of music.
Scout was in charge at the moment, with the sounds of the 'big bands' echoing through the rather cavernous command center. The acoustics weren't the greatest, but the area had been turned into an impromptu party setting when the music had started. Hawk had been dancing with Pilot, keeping it simple. She was still unsure of exactly what dancing was, but the times he'd glanced up, Power could see the smile on her face as Hawk led her around the floor. He smirked when Tank cut in, lifting Pilot right off the ground. She looked like she was going to protest, then simply put up her hands in a show of surrender.
He watched them for a moment, wondered when it was that he'd last danced. Too long, if he couldn't even remember the occasion. The others had danced at the base quite often and he'd envied their ability to drop their cares and just dance. He doubted there had ever been a time he'd been able to do that. Maybe when he was seven or eight and his mother had turned on some music?
That would have to change. But not at this moment.
Jon turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He needed to complete the journal entry, while the information was fresh in his mind. "Database Journal 47-12 Mark 15." Almost the end of another year. Would the start of the next one bring any relief, any little bit of hope to what was left of mankind? He thought of the old tradition of making resolutions for the new year. With fighting for their very survival, he doubted anyone would keep something like this in mind. But the idea gave him hope. He would give some thought to it later, perhaps even make a few of his own resolutions. "Hard to believe, but we've beaten Project New Order three and a half falls out of four. Dread's on the run. I should be happy – and I am. Question is, when will he strike back? And how?"
Jon looked up again as Scout cut in on Tank.
"Let Fred Astaire show you how it's done." The young man took Jennifer by the hand and waist, twirling her away.
He couldn't help but chuckle at the surprised 'whoa!' that escaped Pilot's mouth. She tried so hard to learn, but she just couldn't compete with their years of experience.
"Fred Astaire?" Tank asked Hawk. Tank's face showed his confusion. The disparity in the upbringings of Tank and Pilot to the rest of the team, possibly even most of society, was evident in situations like this. Both had been raised away from popular culture, their attentions focused only on their duties.
Masterson grinned, as much at the big man's confusion as Pilot's exclamation. "He was a younger man."
Jon's attention drifted back to the journal entry. He had no answers for the questions he'd just asked and didn't want to tempt fate by making any predictions.
"The system will tell us if there's an emergency. I think the world can do without Captain Power for half an hour." Hawk clapped him on shoulder, startling him. He'd been across the room. How had he missed him walking over?
It didn't matter. Matt had a keen sense of awareness when it came to Jon and he didn't want to receive another lecture about all work and no play, not stopping to smell the roses, or any other adage that would fit the situation. Jon forced a smile at him, though he knew Matt would see through it. "In a minute. I just wanna check –"
"How about some munchies, Captain?" He was cut off mid-thought by Tank and was more than a little shocked when a plate of food was placed on the console in front of him. What were they doing, ganging up on him? Jon laughed at the thought, until he saw Scout walk up beside Hawk with a glass.
"It's only mineral water, but right now it tastes like vintage champagne."
They were definitely ganging up on him. What could he do? He took the glass from his sergeant, deciding whether a reprimand was in order for all of them.
"I seem to have run out of dance partners."
Blue eyes met his as he turned. She stood there, hands in the pockets of her flight suit, a shy smile greeting him.
As the rest of his team stepped back, Power had to force himself not to gape at them. Whether Pilot was in on it or not, he realized Hawk, Tank and Scout had just set him up for the next dance with her.
And as she slowly moved around the chair, extending her hand to him, Jon realized he didn't want to fight this one. The 'vintage champagne' could wait. The 'munchies', the journal entry, the monitoring could all wait.
His fingers gently curled around hers as he stood, and he saw the flush on her cheeks. That same color had been there when he'd kissed her cheek on the jumpship not so long ago. She hadn't been able to look him in the eyes then, but she was now. Even with their three teammates watching them.
Barely taking his eyes off her, Jon unbuckled his weapons belt and placed it on the chair. He heard Scout chuckle, but all he could see was Jennifer's smile. And the sparkle in her eyes.
Yes, the world certainly could do without him for half an hour.
He reached for her hand, felt her fingers slip into his. A look flashed across her face as his hand moved to her lower back, drawing her in closer. Was she nervous? He knew physical contact was something that still occasionally bothered her, but her fingers brushed his arm, lightly held it as they danced. That shy smile remained.
She grew more uneasy as they continued dancing and he realized she'd seen the others and the way they watched them. How could he reassure her? How could he let her know that it was okay for them to be like this?
He lightly squeezed her hand and moved a little closer to her. And as she looked up at him, he couldn't help but smile. He would simply continue dancing with her until someone cut in or she decided she'd danced enough.
"Status report!"
Overunit Mead had heard the footsteps before the command had been given and had prepared a response in anticipation of Dread's arrival. The news he was reporting would be well received, given the extent of the damages Volcania had sustained. "Damage control reports Sections One, Three, Seven and Nine returning to online status. Repairs to primary laser systems -"
Dread cut him off, his attention on the vid screen in front of him. "So. Much. DAMAGE!" He nearly roared the last word. "We must move faster. Push the repair schedule ahead six hours."
"My lord?" His demand was simply not possible. Did he even understand how difficult the situation was? Did he understand the mechs they'd lost, the overunits and Youth that had died in the attack? They were pushed to capacity and with their already limited resources, there was simply no way to proceed faster.
"And run the defense simulation drill again."
Mead was incredulous. "My lord, we've run it five times already." The drill was essentially useless, now that Power had inflicted the damage. Better to wait until the perimeter defense systems had been re-calibrated following the repairs before adding in any necessary changes.
Dread turned away from the screen, pure evil crossing his face at the insubordination. Mead realized, too late, that his unrestrained comment had invoked Dread's rage.
"Then you will run it a sixth time. And a seventh." Dread advanced on him. "You will run the simulation and you will keep running the simulation until this base is secure."
Mead could do nothing but hope he lived through this. Though he dared not show it, all he felt was relief when Dread finally left.
Dread stalked into his chamber room, barely acknowledging his two BioDreads as they stood at attention, then saluted him as he walked past. He could feel Soaron's intense focus on him as he continued to his console yet ignored him.
"You are not well, my Lord?" The BioDread's voice held a hint of surprise. "The battle with power is –"
"- is over." Dread cut him off as he spread his arms, staring intently at the readouts in front of him. When he looked up, he spoke with conviction. "But the war, Soaron, oh that is something else again. When he sees me next, Power will find a very different opponent. Soon, I will throw off the bonds of this flesh and then we shall see indeed." The plans for his transformation to a fully mechanized form were in their final stages. Soon, he would be freed from the bonds of this human form. He would no longer require food or sleep. His quest for perfection would soon be realized and he would rain down his fury on Power and the rest of the human ilk that refused to submit to him.
Soaron and Blastarr closed ranks before him, Soaron putting its hands on its hips in a strangely human gesture as Blastarr spoke. "My Lord, you have a mission for us?" It raised its arm almost triumphantly at the prospect of blowing something up.
Soaron was already shaking its head in contradiction. "For ME, ground crawler! Not us!"
Blastarr waved its digitizer at Soaron, looking like it wanted to hit the creature for being insolent. "Something you wish ME to destroy?"
Dread ignored their antics, lost in his own thoughts. "We have been proceeding in error, my warlords. Until this moment, we have put all our energies into creating the New Order. But there can be no New Order and no gleaming perfect world until all resistance has been eliminated. THAT must be our new goal."
Soaron took several steps forward and spread its wings, nearly knocking Blastarr off balance. "And what of Power, my Lord?"
When Dread spoke, his voice initially carried regret. As he continued speaking, though, his animosity grew. "I once thought he could be saved, but no longer. There is no place in our perfect world for him or any of his kind."
As he spoke, Blastarr brought its fist to the palm of its hand in appreciation and anticipation of the damage it would get to inflict. It was ready to destroy something. Anything. And everything.
"We must find him, and we must hurt him. Badly. Poison his resources, cripple his supply lines, destroy his outposts. Strip him of everything he holds dear!" His voice suddenly became more menacing as the future came into full view. "Alive or dead, whatever it takes, we must push him from the face of this planet."
Dread watched with pride as Soaron raised its digitizer and extended it, also anticipating the glory he would bring to their mission.
Turning to leave, Soaron verbally assaulted its BioDread brother. "Out of my way, crack case."
Blastarr growled at it as both left Dread's chamber, setting out in opposite directions.
Shouts erupted as a ragtag group of resistance fighters picked their way quickly through the maze of barely standing buildings, all the while firing blasters at the advancing mechs. Power and Hawk brought up the rear, blocking their escape as they picked off the mechs with their more advanced weaponry.
"Tank, Scout, angle off! Open up a second front! Give us some time to get these people out of here!" Jon ordered his lieutenant and sergeant as he and Hawk jumped over some debris on the ground.
Scout and Tank moved into position and began eliminating the mechs with deadly accuracy, sparks flying as the metal soldiers fell to the ground. With the fight more under control, Jon and Hawk herded the group toward the jumpship.
Blastarr's voice roared over their retreat. "Search and DESTROY! Take no prisoners!" The additional troops accompanying the BioDread advanced with their armored vehicle, weapons ready to eliminate anything organic that crossed their path.
Scout poked his head out of the building he'd taken cover in and immediately pulled back as the mechs came into view. Quickly formulating a plan, he waited, blaster ready, until the entire squad passed by. As Blastarr rolled through, Rob keyed in a code on his wrist controller. A mech shimmered into view where he stood, camouflaging himself just as Blastarr turned eyes on him.
"Move out!" the beast demanded, and Scout immediately followed the order.
With Blastarr now in front of the group, Scout converged on the mechs, planting a charge on each of their mechanical backs before retreating to find cover. The detonations began and the torn apart mechs went down in a heap of sparks and broken metal.
Not a hundred yards away, more troops began climbing over rocks, firing at Tank. He held his ground, still providing cover for Scout as he continued his mission.
With his holocam still activated, Rob climbed on board the now stopped armored vehicle. "Taxi!" he called, knocking the head off mech driving the vehicle just as Blastarr came into view.
Explosions erupted all around them as Tank fired mercilessly at the remaining troops. Blastarr returned fire with its fingertip electron blasters, its energy shield raised to protect itself from the Power team's onslaught.
Blastarr turned to the armored vehicle. "FIRE!"
"Yeah!" Scout responded from his position in the turret.
Blastarr's head reversed direction, as if not understanding the cry. "FIRE!"
Scout once again followed orders, directing a ten second burst of the laser cannon right at the BioDread. With a roar, Blastarr went down, fingers twitching.
Regrouping with Tank, Scout took down the holocam to conserve power in his suit. "He's out of it for a while. Let's get out of here before reinforcements arrive." Though he and Tank would have loved to destroy the beast, they knew the more important mission was to get the other fighters to safety.
Dread sat in his interlocker throne, his focus solely on his defeated BioDread. "Blastarr!" He repeated the name again, then spoke slowly and with conviction. "Blastarr, I command you to get up."
Blastarr's agonized voice came through the communications system. "Great. Pain."
Dread focused every ounce of his energy on the connection he had with the BioDread, his right hand twitching as if by sheer will alone, he could make the beast rise. "You. Will. Move." His hand slapped at the console. "By my will and by my blood you WILL move."
Though he couldn't see him, he could feel Blastarr clench its fist as he clenched his own. "Do NOT stop. Keep moving. I command you to keep moving." His voice became more determined and deadlier as Blastarr slowly climbed to its knees, then its feet.
It was not whole. It was moving, but it was no longer perfect. "System…disruption…"
Through its visually distorted display, Dread watched in disgust as Power's ship faded from view.
"Power is escaping!" Despite its malfunctions, Blastarr still retained enough control of its circuitry to track the ship as it banked left.
"Full magnification! Let me see them!" Dread ordered. Through their connection, the jumpship once again came into view, then disappeared through a blinding ring of light. "Teleportation! They DO have the technology!"
Blastarr's still unsteady voice came through. "It is good?"
"Good?!" This was far better than anything Dread had come across in months. "My warlord, thanks to you, I now possess their greatest secret. And with it, I can destroy them, once and for all!"