In The Voyager's base within the Hub Dome, Finn was playing a racing game on an arcade machine against Elisa. Spectating was Jake, BMO and Seamus. "Come on, Finn! Final lap! You got this!" Jake cheered on Finn. "Crush that shrimp, Elisa!" Seamus encouraged Elisa. "I believe in both of you!" BMO exclaimed.
In the end Elisa won. "Woo! Yeah! I win!" Elisa celebrated. "Man, I'm terrible at driving!" Finn bemoaned. On the other side of the room in the lab area, Chad was examining the corpse of a mutant frog they brought from London. "Can you kids keep it down? I'm doing some work here!" Chad shouted.
Arriving in the elevator was Simon. "morning, everyone." Simon addressed the Voyagers in the room. "Hey, Simon. Wanna play a game with us?" Finn offered. "No, I'm here for work. There's some stuff on the way from London that I have to examine, probably some cups or a tattered movie poster." Simon rejected. The giant computer screen in the base activates, displaying Minerva's face.
"Good morning, Voyagers." Minerva greeted them. "Hi, mom." Finn replied. "Hello, Finn. We have completed loading supplies for your next mission on Fallback and Springer." Minerva informed them as they gathered in front of the screen. "Alright, a new mission!" Finn celebrated. "Where are we going?" Jake wondered.
The holographic globe in front of the computer screen has North America facing The Voyagers, zooms in on an area surrounded by massive lakes labelled "MICHIGAN", and highlights a city on the lower right of the area, labelling it as "DETROIT". "Your next mission is to Detroit, a city in a country known before the War as the United States of America." Minerva informed them. "Simon, what do you know about Detroit?" Finn asked. "Detroit was a city that used to be known for automobile manufacturing and was called The Motor City for that. But in my youth, crime and poverty was a major problem until in the late-twenties, one company restored… no, improved on the city: Sumdac Systems. They were founded by Isaac Sumdac, an engineer who formerly worked for the robotics company Kinetic Solutions Incorporated until their dissolution in Twenty-Seventeen. Just like K.S.I., Sumdac Systems manufactured robots that automated most services around the city from garbage collecting to policing." Simon explained. "So, what brings us to Detroit?" Finn asked Minerva.
"A radio signal, just like the last mission. We triangulated the signal to Detroit. In case you all forgot, this is the transmission." Minerva reminded them. The screen switches to a sound equalizer. "My name is *STATIC* Sumdac. Come to *STATIC* Michigan. You'll be safe here, I promise." a woman's voice played. "Sumdac, just like Sumdac Systems!" Finn realized. "Do you think she's a descendant of Isaac Sumdac, Mister Petrikov?"Chad asked.
"I think so, but Isaac Sumdac's only child, Sari, disappeared shortly before war broke out." Simon said. "Come on, let's go to Detroit!" Finn said as he threw his fist in the air. "Good luck, Voyagers. I won't come on your mission this time, but I loaded a prototype Minervabot on Fallback in case you need it." Minerva informed them. "Alright, see ya later, mom!" Finn said before he and the Voyagers enter the elevator. They then ascend to the hangar floor above them.
Shortly after the elevator pad passed the floor from below, Cogman arrives at the base as Minerva reappears on the screen. "Well, I am here. What is it that you wanted to talk about?" he asked Minerva. "You. I want to know more about the Headmasters. I have a little project and I need to do some studying on you." Minerva replied. "Umm… may it involve dissection?" Cogman asked worriedly. "Maybe." Minerva replied.
At the hangar, they enter Springer's cabin before he closes his ramp and starts up his rotors. Fallback parked himself just under the helipad, supplied and awaiting pickup. "Prepare for lift off!" Springer warned The Voyagers inside him. He takes off from the helipad, grapples Fallback onto his underside and flies towards the groundbridge raised into the air. "Here we go again!" Seamus panicked.
They pass through the groundbridge portal and end up above a ruined city under the midnight sky. "Are we dead?!" Seamus panicked as he covered his eyes. "We're all still alive." Springer said in annoyance. "How far are we to the source of the signal?" Finn asked Springer. All of a sudden, a fast projectile flies towards them from below and explodes on Fallback.
What was that?!" Jake wondered worriedly. "We're under attack! Evasive manoeuvres!" Springer exclaimed. He dodges several explosive shots but eventually the magnetic cables that carried Fallback are damaged. "Rear left cable is damaged! Fallback, are you okay?" Springer asked Fallback over the radio. "I'm not!" Fallback answered.
Another explosion hits Fallback and he falls off of Springer. He transforms and grabs onto Springer's underside, denting it. "Ow! Easy there, Fallback!" Springer scolded. "What else am I supposed to do?! Find a place to land!" Fallback insisted. Before he even realized it, another projectile hits Fallback on his back and he lets go of Springer.
"Fallback!" Springer cried out. "Take care of my saguaro!" Fallback yelled as he plummeted into the city. "What happened?" Chad wondered. "Fallback fell into the city! We need to find a place to land!" Springer answered. "We have to evade whatever's attacking us first!" Simon said.
All at once, multiple projectiles head towards Springer, seen through his cockpit window. "Everyone, it's been nice knowing you." Seamus mourned. The projectiles suddenly explode before they could hit Springer without turbulence. "Did they blow up on their own?" Finn wondered. "I'm detecting something flying next to us, something small like a human." Springer informed them.
As he finished his sentence, his radio turned to static as it tuned to another channel on its own. "Follow me, I'll take you someplace safe." a woman's voice informed them. The hologram switches to a local map with a dot pinging at a location far from where they are. Seen from the cockpit window looked like what appeared to someone flying with a jetpack coming from behind Springer, leading him somewhere. "What was that?" Finn wondered.
"I don't know, but apparently we have to follow it so we don't get blasted." Jake said. Springer redirected towards the flying object and turns around. "Do you think Fallback will be okay?" Elisa asked Chad. "I sure hope so; he has most of our equipment." Chad said. As they fly away, Fallback's unconscious body is approached by a tracked military-looking robot.
The flying object leads them to an abandoned L-shaped factory at the corner of a junction. They land just in front of the bay doors serving as the front door, as does the mysterious flying object. Seen from Springer's cockpit window, the object reveals to be a woman wearing a yellow skirted bodysuit, a flight helmet, and a winged jetpack. "I think that's a lady!" Jake observed. They exit from Springer and approach the woman, Jake walking on all fours passing himself off as a normal dog.
"Thanks for saving out bacon back there." Finn thanked the woman. "No problem. I promised anyone coming here that they'll be safe and I intend to keep that promise." the woman replied. She takes off her helmet, revealing a young Indian woman with blue eyes crimson hair styled into pigtails. "Name's Sari Sumdac, I used to be in charge in these parts." the woman introduced herself. "Wait… Sari Sumdac?" Simon said under his breath as he realised something.
"Hi, Sari. I'm Finn, my dog here is Jake, the big lady is Elisa, the one with the schnozz is Seamus, the one with the lab coat is Chad, and the one with the tie is Simon. Together, we're The Voyagers!" Finn introduced everyone. "Hey, my nose is not that long!" Seamus rebutted. "So, what brings you here to Detroit?" Sari asked them. "We're trying to look for other humans and we found your broadcast and decided to check it out." Finn answered. "Yeah, that broadcast really shouldn't be up." Sari said.
"Figures; there were some rockets or something shooting at us." Finn said. "Could you explain that to us?" Simon asked. "It all started a year ago…" Sari began. "The citizens of Detroit were living in peace, close to what it was before the war. My family were in charge of everything, food, defence, economy, just like before the war. All of a sudden, inactive robots scattered throughout the city were reactivated and attacked the citizens. Some managed to escape Detroit, and some stayed behind and tried to exterminate them. I'm the only one left; everyone else either left or got blasted." Sari explained. "We've encountered something like this before. We met the Queen of London and she stayed behind when some mutant frogs attacked." Finn commented. "Huh, so I guess there is still civilisation outside the States." Sari said.
"By the looks of things, you need some help with these guys." Finn said. "That would be appreciated, but I don't want anyone else to get hurt, especially a kid." Sari said. "Hey, I may be a kid, but I know my way around a sword!" Finn refuted. "Yeah, I'm sure you do." Sari said in doubt. "Hey, we lost our Humvee with all our stuff. Can you help us get it back?" Seamus asked Sari.
"A Humvee? You wanna risk your life for a Humvee?" Sari said, frustrated. "Yeah, we really need it, and I mean really." Finn emphasized. "What's so important about this Humvee?" Sari wondered. "It's got all our tech on it, tech that could help you with this robot problem." Chad said. "Really? What kind of tech?" Sari wondered as she crossed her arms.
"Five compact laser pistols able to burn five-inch-diameter holes through ten feet of titanium, that's what kind of tech we have." Chad explained sternly. "Where'd you get that kind of tech?" Sari wondered. "My mom made 'em." Finn answered. "Your… mom?" Sari repeated in confusion. "Yeah, she's a sciency kind of person." Finn said.
"Well, I guess I can help you out. But the kid and the dog have to stay here." Sari accepted. "Aw, come on! I can take a coupla robots, I've been in bigger scraps!" Finn insisted. "He's right; he's taken on giant worms, giant frogs, and giant robots!" Simon recounted. "Man, are mutations that bad out there? Well, in any case, you still have to stay here. I can't have too much people coming along." Sari denied. "Hmph!" Finn pouted.
"Stay here in the factory, I've got plenty of food stocked in the fridge, but it's mostly vegetarian since the livestock fled too. I also have some video games to keep you busy." Sari instructed. From Finn's backpack, BMO emerged. "Did somebody say video games?" BMO asked with a smile. "Is that a MO?" Sari asked. "Uh, yeah, it is." Finn conformed nervously.
He grabs BMO and turns his back to Sari to talk to BMO. "I thought you were back in the Hub Dome. What are you doing here?" Finn asked BMO. "I miss you when you're gone, so I snuck into your backpack! I want to travel off in exotic places and meet new exciting people!" BMO said. "Umm, are you talking to your MO?" Sari asked Finn. "Yeah, he's a naughty one." Finn said.
"So yeah, now that I think about it, I'll have to stay here and watch BMO; he gets into trouble when you're not careful." Finn said. "Okay… so I'm gonna go with your friends and find your stuff. Take care." Sari said as she walked towards Springer's loading ramp. Simon approaches Finn as the rest of the team enter Springer. "There's something up about her, I can feel it." Simon whispered into Finn's ear. "Didn't you say 'Sari' is also the name of Isaac Sumdac's daughter?" Finn remembered.
"It might be an ancestor-namesake-thing, but I'll keep an eye on her." Simon said.
To be continued…