CHAPTER 11

ROLL'S SHOCKING FEAT

A light stream of whiteness blew from Iris's puckered lips, and she chuckled. She had never had the time to just sit and take in the delights of winter: light snow fell like sugar sprinkles; her breath was a warm, white gust; and the warmth from Zero's thigh touching hers kept her from feeling at all chilly. It really was a beautiful season. She could forget all of her troubles wrapped in its quiet, peaceful blanket.

The carnival was wrapping up after the fireworks. Carnies packed up their things, and parents dragged their kids off to their cars to take them home. Less and less people passed by their bench until the park was practically empty. Zero looked around, then cleared his throat. "It's pretty late," he said. "We should go back to the museum. It's not safe to be out here..."

"Yeah, probably..." Iris murmured, only partly listening. "...What do you think of this place?"

Zero raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand what you mean," he replied.

"We never had snow back then," she said, staring dreamily up at a lamppost. "Isn't it pretty?"

Zero fidgeted. In his experience, snow was a blinding distraction, and ice was a hazard that could get him killed... but then he glanced at her, and her fluffy coat, and the light dusting of white in her hair, and he smiled faintly; it suddenly was kind of pretty. "...Yes, it is," he answered.

She beamed. First she had been able to spend the whole afternoon with him, and now he was complimenting her... or rather, inferring a compliment. This was the closest that he had gotten to her since she had revived him. It gave her a warm feeling in her tummy, like a fuzzy, purring cat in her lap. Maybe things could get back to normal between them, after all. "Zero," she said quietly.

He looked at her, his cold, blue eyes softening a little. He had spent the whole afternoon with her, and it looked as though she was grateful; she was certainly cheered up. There was something in that soft smile she had that hinted at more than just cheer, though. His chest swelled; could it be that, even after all he had done, she might still want to be close to him? "...Yes?" he answered just as quietly, locking eyes with her.

She hesitated, stunned by his warm breath on her face. "Zero..." she began, "I..."

Just then, a dark shadow made them both looked up. A large buffalo Reploid stood over them, staring at them and blowing frost out of its nostrils.

Zero recognized him immediately, grabbed Iris and pulled her behind him as he leaped off the bench. "Blizzard Buffalo," he growled, putting up his fists. "So, has Agile recruited you, too?!"

"Wait," Buffalo said, his low voice almost surprised. "I'm not--"

"Save it," Zero huffed. "If it's a fight you want..."

Buffalo just stood there. Iris looked at him strangely; though he looked alert, he didn't look dangerous. "Zero, I don't think--" she began.

"Stay back," Zero warned her. "I'll handle him."

"But--" Iris tried again.

"I told you, get back!" he huffed, then leered at the Reploid. "Put up your fists, Buffalo!"

Buffalo raised his hands, and Zero hesitated. Those mammoth appendages were covered in tattered, greasy bandages; Buffalo couldn't possibly fight with them. What was going on?

A cry from behind the Reploid surprised him even more. "Waaaaaaaait!" Darren called as Roll and he rushed onto the scene. Darren hit a patch of ice and slipped, sliding on his face all the way to Zero's feet.

"Darren?!" Iris asked, kneeling over the downed human. "Are you OK?!"

Darren groaned as he forced himself up, but quickly stood between Zero and Buffalo. "Blizzard Buffalo's working for Dr. Thompson," he explained. "He's not a Maverick!"

Zero raised his eyebrow again. "Doctor who?" he asked.

Darren slapped himself in the face; he had forgotten that Zero had never met Dr. Thompson. "Iris, back me up, here!" he pleaded.

Iris, who did know Dr. Thompson, put her hand on Zero's arm. "She's a good person, Zero. If Darren says Buffalo's working for her, I'll believe that."

Zero hesitated a few moments more, then lowered his fists. "...I'm sorry," he apologized to the Reploid.

"Mr. Buffalo came to tell us to get back to the museum!" Roll piped up, clutching her cat toy. "He said there are Mavericks!... whatever that means."

Iris frowned, the good feelings of the day suddenly disappearing. "More Mavericks?" she asked. "OK, then, let's go!"

With that, she raced off for the museum, leaving Zero behind with the others. He sighed as he watched her go; maybe she really had outgrown him.

"Uh, Zero," Darren asked, giving him a puzzled look. "You're going, too, right?"

Zero shook himself out of his thoughts and ran for the museum as well, the others trailing behind him.

"Professor!" Iris exclaimed as she ran through the museum doors. "What's going on?!"

Professor Smith and Snake Man were at the front entrance, waiting for them. "Three Mavericks appeared in different parts of the world," Smith explained. "They're definitely Agile's."

"There's also good news and bad news," Snake Man added. "The bad news is that Bass broke open the safe and stole his Buster back... but the good news is that he got rid of one of the Mavericks, so there're only two now!"

"Wow..." Iris said quietly, the others entering the museum behind her, "Bass stopped a Maverick?"

"Yeah, but he's in really bad shape," Smith said. "I've got him in the infirmary downstairs. Go and get your armor, and you can see him before you go."

"If you ask me, the jerk deserved it," a familiar voice huffed. Iris turned and smiled. Sharon stood nearby, clad in her old, red armor. She grinned and gave Iris a thumbs-up.

"Hey, great!" Iris said. "Now you can help us out!"

"Right, she can," Smith said with impatience. "Iris, you're with X and Sharon. Zero, you're with Darren. Now, please, go and get your armor, all of you!"

Iris, Zero and Darren raced off to gather their supplies, and Blizzard Buffalo lumbered over to a bench and sat down, exhausted from the running. Roll looked around, suddenly alone. "Um... what can I do, Professor?" she asked.

Smith scratched his chin. "Well, X already set up the teleporter, so I really don't think we have anything for you to do," he said, smiling sympathetically. "Sorry."

Roll sighed and squeezed her toy again.

"Ugh, where did it go?!" Darren grumbled as he dug through the junk in the storage room. Zero had already changed into his armor, and Iris and he were paying Bass a visit... but he couldn't find his shield vest. "I just put it here this morning! How does everything get lost so fast?!" he ranted.

"Well, this IS a museum, too," Sharon remarked as she walked in. "You can't expect everything to be kept in one spot... Anyway, I've got something for you."

Darren looked up. "Oh, yeah?" he asked. "What's that?"

Sharon tossed him a small, shiny thing that looked like a portable music player; it had a monitor and a set of controls. He frowned. "I'm not going to be needing elevator music," he huffed.

"Hold up, will ya?" she pressed. "It's an iMarc Mini. The prof said he wants to figure out just what Agile wants with all of the stuff he's been sending his goons after. He's too busy monitorin' the Mavericks, so he wants you to do it."

Darren huffed, exasperated. "Well, how'm I going to do it?!" he demanded. "I'm going to be running around getting shot at!"

"It's automatic," Sharon repeated what Smith had told her. "Just give it all the data we already have, and it'll check it against all the sources it knows to find a conclusion on its own. I mean, it doesn't do all the work, but it helps narrow things down."

Darren scratched his head and stared at the gizmo; that did sound pretty handy. "...OK, that sounds good, but I'll need to test it first," he said. "I know! I'll run a check on that OPGFXXX chip of yours."

Sharon smiled. "Awesome thing to test with," she agreed. "OK, I've gotta go hook up with the others. Find yer stuff and move yer butt!" With that, she was gone.

Rummaging around in the clutter, Darren's hand finally touched the edge of the shield vest, and he triumphantly yanked it out. "AHA! There we go!" he announced. "Nothing can hide from me!"

Just then, Roll came to the door. "Hi, Darren," she said.

"Hey, Roll," he replied, throwing on the vest. "Come to see me off?"

"I guess," she said. "Why are you going, though? These Mavericks are tough even for Zero and Iris..."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, calibrating the gun, "but Zero might need me to fix a machine or something; these places are always full of them."

"Machines? Well, I'm good with them, too, so..." she trailed off, then beamed at him. "Can I come, too?"

Darren fell over without even tripping. "What?!" he asked. "No! No, you can't come!"

Roll looked surprised, then frowned. "Well, why not?!" she asked. "I'm learning a lot about machines!"

"Roll, this is dangerous business!" Darren replied. "Did you see Bass?! You could get really hurt!" He zipped up the vest and walked past her.

"Oh, come on!" she protested again. "It's no fun just waiting around here!"

"Well, tough," Darren replied.

She snorted and folded her arms, pouting.

He sighed. "Look, I know you're all for action," he said, "but you don't have anything to fight with... not to mention that you haven't gotten used to that Reploid body yet, and--"

"Yo, Darren!" Sharon's voice came from down the hall. "Some time this century!"

Darren sighed and turned away. "Look, it's too dangerous, OK?" he finished. "Don't ask me again!" With that, he ran down the hall towards where the others waited.

Roll watched him go and sighed crossly. "...But I want to help, too..." she murmured.

"What the hell?! What happened?!" Agile ranted, throwing his wine glass against the wall and startling a nearby technician. "Slash Beast got trashed by a peashooter?!"

"I must admit," Golgi sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair, "I didn't expect that deranged old robot could still put up a fight... but don't worry; I have another plan."

"Oh?" Agile asked, turning an evil eye on her. "Is this one going to blow up like the last one?! Your plans are worthless! I've got a mind to--"

"Sshhh," she whispered, putting her finger on the angry Maverick's lips. "Have a little faith. They're going to split up for the other two Mavericks, right? Well, that's when we'll strike. While they're away, we'll attack the museum and get back everything they took."

Agile thought for a moment, then grinned wickedly. "How sneaky! Except... they can come back in a wink with that teleporter. We have to put it out of commission!"

"Don't worry; I'll tell the Mavericks to destroy the teleporter first," Golgi answered, pulling out her communicator.

"Why bother?" Agile cackled. "Now I'VE got an idea! You, there!" he pointed to the nervous technician.

The Reploid turned around, sweating violently. "Y-yes, Mister Agile?" he stammered.

"Get some other tekkies together and hack the museum's systems!" Agile ordered. "Jam up their teleporter so they can't get back!"

Suddenly realizing that Agile was not going to kill him (yet), the Reploid happily saluted and raced off.

"Now the Mavericks can attack the museum, and all of their best Hunters will be miles away!" Agile laughed. "It'll be like taking candy from a baby!" He laughed wildly.

Golgi smiled, but in her mind she cursed. Agile was getting too smart for his own good.

"All right, here's the lowdown!" Smith announced as the Hunters convened at the teleporter. Roll stood nearby, still looking peeved. "There are Mavericks in two places: the main Canadian power plant in Toronto, and the Smithsonian Water Research Museum in Washington. Zero and Darren will go to the power plant, and you three go to the museum."

"Right," X replied, nodding to the professor. "Start up the teleporter!"

Smith activated the machine, and X stepped through it and vanished, and Sharon did the same. Iris was about to get into the teleporter when Zero put his hand on her shoulder. "Iris, did you want to say something to me earlier?" he asked.

Iris looked at him, then over at the professor, who was nervously eyeing the map. She shook her head. "It can wait," she answered. "Maybe when we get back." With that, she hopped in the machine and disappeared.

Zero sighed. "...Right," he said quietly.

"OK!" Smith announced, readjusting the machine. "Zero, it's ready for Darren and you."

Zero nodded silently, then stepped into the teleporter and vanished.

"All right!" Darren said, adjusting his cap. "Last in, first out!"

Roll grumbled to herself. Darren and she had just had an awesome time at the carnival, and now he was just rushing off into danger, and not letting her come, to boot. She was mad, but also worried. What if he came across a machine that needed two people to fix? What if he needed someone to hold a light for him, and Zero was busy? What if...

There was a whump, and she snapped out of her thoughts; Darren had tripped over his own feet again, and he was picking himself up off the floor. "I'm OK..." he mumbled, getting back on his feet.

Roll blinked. Something had bounced out of his pocket when he fell; it was the iMarc Mini that he had been given. She gulped; he needed that!

"OK, let's try this again," Darren said as he stepped into the teleporter.

"Darren, wait!" Roll yelled, grabbing the device and rushing for the teleporter. "You forgot your--"

"Roll, stop!" Smith shouted, but it was too late; Roll hopped into the device and vanished along with Darren. "Oh, great!" he groaned as he hit the computer's buttons. She had no combat capabilities; he had to get her back before she got hurt.

Suddenly, the controls sparked, and Smith leaped away as electric bolts arced across them, filling the room with smoke. "Agh!" he coughed as he reeled back into the hallway. "What the?!..."

"Professor!" Snake Man exclaimed as he ran in. "You've gotta come and look at the computer! We've been hacked!"

Smith followed him back to the computer room, where Dr. Thompson and her Reploids watched the screen nervously. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Thompson pointed at the screen. Smith whirled around to see that the monitor glowed an eerie purple, the Maverick symbol blazing brilliantly in its center.

"They've hacked the whole system," Snake Man reported as he tapped at the controls. "We can't get in at all!"

Smith growled. "Of course they'd do this now..." he grumbled.

"Why, yes," a familiar voice came from the computer's speakers, making his hairs stand straight up. "Without the Hunters, your 'base' is one big target. You're as bright as always, professor."

The Maverick symbol on the screen disappeared, replaced with Golgi's luscious upper half. She had a satisfied grin on her lips as she eyed the shocked group.

"Golgi!" Smith huffed.

"Hey, sweetie," she said as she blew a kiss, "did you miss me?"

Dr. Thompson stood up, looking downright furious. "You thievin'-ass bitch!!!" she yelled. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Ohh, well, hello, Emma," Golgi cooed. "I didn't know you were there, too... You never did have good taste in friends."

"You would know!" Thompson snapped. "Why, I oughta--"

The image changed to Agile's sinister grin, and he laughed. "ANYWAY, you guys have some things that belong to us!" he said. "We're going to come and get them, so why don't you get 'em all wrapped up or something? Thanks so much! Oh, and your Hunter friends won't be back any time soon... so don't bother hoping they'll come and save you!"

"Agile..." Smith growled. "Why are you doing all this? What do you want?!"

Agile laughed giddily, then cut the transmission, leaving them to stare at the glowing Maverick symbol.

With a whump and a crash, Darren landed face-first on a cold, cement floor. That teleport ride was definitely the bumpiest one he had ever undergone; maybe the device needed some fine-tuning.

He sat up and saw that he was sitting in a small, dark corridor, where a loud, electric hum filled his ears; at least he had made it inside the power plant. The only visible light came from a nearby door, which Zero stood before, fingering his Z-Saber.

Darren got up and crept over to him. "What's the word?" he asked quietly.

Zero silently pointed out the window; dozens of small, sparking, robotic jellyfish were floating around in the hall, looking this way and that, as if they were searching for something.

"Mavericks?" Darren guessed.

"They know we're here," Zero growled. "I don't know why..."

Suddenly, something poked Darren in the shoulder; he gave a surprised yelp and whipped around. Roll stood behind him, smiling cheerfully. "What're you guys looking at?" she asked.

Both Zero and Darren gained horrified looks; she wasn't supposed to be there! "Roll?! What--" Darren started, but Zero shushed him; the jellyfish might be able to hear them. "...Roll," he started again in a hoarse whisper, "what are you doing here?!"

Roll held up the iMarc Mini. "You dropped this," she answered, "so I thought I'd give it back... of course, you were already out the door, so..." She beamed.

"I told you you couldn't come!" Darren snapped, snatching the device away. "This is dangerous!" He pulled out his communicator and opened it. "I'm calling Professor Smith to send you back right now!"

"Awww, come on!" Roll protested hotly, balling her fists. "I just wanna help! You guys're always runnng off, and it's no fun just sitting at the museum..."

Zero frowned and turned on her. "We're not here for 'fun,'" he chided coldly. "These are matters of life and death. You have no place here."

"Says you!" she snapped. "I always had to watch Rock run off to fight, and I always wanted to help... and now that I have this new body, I'm gonna do just that!"

Zero looked at her crossly, but he could see where she was coming from; Iris had always complained that she couldn't help her brother when he rushed into danger, and now she was just as strong as he had been. However, Iris was more mature than Roll; she understood the dangers of combat. Roll wouldn't last on a mission. He shook his head. "No," he simply replied. "You'll go back to the museum."

Roll opened her mouth to protest, but the argument was interrupted by a groan from Darren. "Ohh... we've got a problem," he uttered, sounding panicked. "I can't reach them!"

"What?!" Zero hissed.

Darren held up his communicator; it emitted only static. "Fine time to break down..." he grumbled.

Zero glared at the static. The museum's communications breaking down just as they all left seemed far from coincidental.

Roll scratched her head, then giggled. "Well, that's that!" she announced. "I'm coming, too!"

"No way!" Darren protested. "I told you before..."

"What, are you gonna make me hide until you get back, hoping the bad guys don't find me?" Roll pointed out wryly.

Darren opened his mouth, but realized that she had him; if she stayed and was caught, the alarm would be raised. He sighed wearily. "...Fine..." he mumbled.

Roll beamed. "Thanks, Darren!" she laughed. "You won't regret it!"

Zero already did. It was bad enough that he had to keep an eye on the clumsy engineer, but now he had to babysit as well. "...Come on," he sighed, and started for the door.

Darren lifted his gun and turned to Roll. "Whatever you do, stay behind us," he told her.

She frowned at the remark, but since she had no way to defend herself, she could see the logic in it. She nodded and stood back.

Zero hesitated, eyeing the floating jellyfish just beyond the wooden barrier. They looked very weak, but there were a lot of them, and they might have some special power that he couldn't see. He pulled out his gleaming saber and waited.

One of the jellyfish drifted close. In an instant, he kicked down the door and slashed it into oblivion. Immediately the swarm flew at him. While he swung at the nearby ones, Darren leaped out and fired a Lightning Web into the approaching mass, snaring them into a squirming, sparking pile. As Zero worked on that heap, Darren netted another gaggle of jellies, and then a third. Finally, the Z-Saber pierced the final wad and the halls quieted.

Darren wiped his brow. "Boy, that was harsh..." he said.

Zero sheathed his blade and harrumphed. "Don't think that was all," he warned. "Let's keep quiet and figure out--"

"YEAH! Awesome!" Roll's ecstatic voice made them jump as she stepped out of the doorway, clapping happily. "You guys totally clobbered 'em! What's next?"

Zero growled. This girl could be even more of a liability than he had thought.

Darren was slightly more forgiving. "Look, Roll," he said, "if you come with us, you have to keep it down. We don't want them knowing where we are."

Roll smiled and nodded, glad to be accepted at last. "OK!" she exclaimed. "You won't even know I'm here!"

Zero snorted and started down the hall, not looking back.

"Hey, Zero, wait up!" Darren called, rushing after him. Roll, not wanting to miss anything, gave chase as well.

Zero's suspicion that their presence was known gained more ground at the first corner; another slew of jellyfish robots appeared just as they came to it. There had to be twice as many now as there were at the first encounter, and they were just as eager to take down the Hunters.

"Woah!" Darren gasped as he bagged up six with a Lightning Web. "They're gettin' frisky!"

Zero sliced away, but his thoughts never reached his mouth. What had happened to the humans running this plant? More importantly, how did the Mavericks know where they were?

Roll, contrary to her pledge, was right in the thick of the fighting. "Yeah! Get 'em, Zero!" she cheered, pumping her fists. "Get 'em!"

A particularly angry jellyfish appeared behind her and dove for her head. "Roll!!!" Darren yelled.

She spun around, but only saw Zero's back as he leaped over her and split the robot in half. He growled in her direction, then bounded back. Suddenly remembering her vow, she jumped back and let the boys finish off the remaining enemies.

"Oh..." Darren panted, looking at his gun. "I don't know how much energy I have left in here..."

Zero shook his head. "I don't like this," he said, then kept walking. Darren silently followed him. Roll hesitated, then went along, frowning. What was Zero's problem? She was just trying to give some sideline encouragement; he didn't have to growl at her like an angry dog.

They turned the corner and Darren pointed. "Hey, look!" he said. Next to a door on the wall was a small computer terminal, probably for the plant's employees to check in for work and send messages to other parts of the building.

Zero looked at him. "What about it?" he asked.

Darren pulled out the iMarc Mini. "I can hook this into that and poke around in the computer system. Maybe then, we can guess at what they're after here!"

Zero thought about it, then nodded. For a clumsy human, he had some good ideas.

Darren walked over and held the device before the terminal, hitting several buttons quickly. He was not absolutely certain of how it worked, but he could guess. Within a minute, he was waiting for a connection into the plant's systems.

Roll scampered up next to him. "Can I help?" she asked.

"I think I've got it," he replied.

The computer beeped and an image of several lines and squares appeared on the monitor, a green dot blinking in the far left corner. Darren looked it over and beamed. "Bingo!" he exclaimed. "We've got a map!"

Zero leaned in and scowled at it. "So, what could be here?..." he asked.

Darren scratched his head. "Well, this is a power plant..." he reasoned, "so I bet it has something to do with that." He studied the map for a moment more, then his eyes lit up. On the first floor, flanked by two storage chambers, was a large square room marked REACTOR. "There!" he exclaimed, pointing. "Maybe they're after something there!"

Zero nodded. This was Canada's main power plant, so its reactor was certainly powerful. It seemed like the best place to go.

While Darren plotted a course to take, Roll peered over their shoulders and something else on the map caught her attention. Not far from the blinking green dot was a small room marked TELEPORTER. Hadn't Zero said that they couldn't warp back to the museum if they couldn't communicate? Maybe they could use what was in that room instead! That was how she could be helpful; she would find that room so they could get out after the mission was done.

"OK, I've downloaded the map," Darren said, shutting off the terminal. "Let's get moving."

"Keep an eye out," Zero growled, drawing his Z-Saber again.

They started through the halls again, weapons at the ready. Several more jellyfish came at them, but Darren's gun and Zero's sword made quick work of them. Trying to avoid another of Zero's angry growls, Roll stayed a distance behind them. She wasn't just doing nothing, though; she was looking over each door they went by, trying to find the one that had the teleporter.

The robots destroyed, they kept running. "We're coming to some stairs soon," Darren advised them.

Roll looked around frantically. The teleporter room was on this floor; she just had to find it before they went downstairs. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Right across from a wide, long staircase was a sliding door marked TELEPORTER. At last! "Darren! Zero!" she called, racing over and pushing it open. "Look what we can--"

Her words were cut short by a furious snarl. She looked in the doorway and found herself face to face with a tall, wide, green and yellow robot with long, sharp claws, a single eye, jagged fangs and what looked like a spikey goatee on its chin. It raised its claw and swung.

With a scream, she fell backwards, the nails just grazing her cheek. In horror, she realized that it actually stung; it hurt! She was so shocked, she couldn't move.

The monster's eye lit up a bloody red as a gun popped out of its mouth, aimed right for her. She winced and braced herself.

There was a clatter and a zap, and she opened one eye. The robot's head lay at her feet, fluids dripping from its severed neck. Zero stood over her, and Darren had his smoking gun pointed at the body's side. Neither of them looked happy.

"Roll!" Darren snapped. "What were you thinking, just opening doors?!"

She blushed and fumbled with her words. "I... I just..." was all she managed.

Zero glared deep into her eyes. "Listen well," he whispered coldly. "You don't SAY anything, TOUCH anything or DO anything unless I tell you to. Got it?!"

She bit her lip and looked at the floor. "...Yessir," she mumbled.

He sheathed his saber and looked away. "Now let's go," he said, walking off.

As she got to her feet, Darren gave her another cross look. "Look at that!" he said, motioning to the scratches on her cheek; she touched the stinging wounds and shuddered. "I told you to be careful!" he scolded.

She hung her head, feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes. "Why are you guys so angry..." she mumbled.

He looked at her, then sighed, his frown receding. "We're not angry..." he said quietly. "We don't want you getting hurt, that's all... You have to take it easy in this new body of yours... Now come on. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

With that, they followed Zero's path down the stairs. Roll, however, was still upset. Both Darren and Zero were treating her like unwanted but delicate luggage, and whenever she tried to help, it just got them angrier. How could she make them see that she could be useful?

Several flights of steps and two more jellyfish confrontations later, the party arrived at two imposing, heavy doors. They had the familiar yellow-and-black stripe patterns across their bottoms, and a sign on the left-hand one announced "DANGER!" in big red letters.

"That's a power plant door if I've ever seen one," Darren chuckled.

Zero grabbed the side of the door and pulled it open, and they walked inside. The green-glowing core of the plant stood at the end of a long hall, in a wide, tall chamber all its own, humming warmly. Roll thought it almost looked pretty. Still, aside from the lights being on, the room was empty.

All of them were a little taken aback. "Nothing?" Darren asked. "That's weird... I was sure they'd be here..."

Zero frowned and shook his head. "Let's go," he said, turning around.

Roll was about to move too when she heard something. There was one other door in the room besides the one they had come from, and it had just clicked. Someone was coming in. "Guys--" she started.

Before she could say anything else, the door flew open and several humanoid Reploids came out bearing guns. Right away they surrounded the Maverick Hunters and raised their weapons.

"Well, you wanted something..." Zero growled at Darren. He laughed sheepishly.

Roll looked at the Reploids. None of them really looked like soldiers. They looked out of shape and nervous with the guns, like they were cubicle-bound office employees or something.

Just then, a wacky laugh came from the door. "Well, well, well!" a high, wavy voice giggled. "What have we got here?!"

A truly bizarre Reploid ambled out and stood behind the soldiers. It floated about a foot off of the ground and had two wiry legs and two wiry arms dangling from its space-saucer body. Its purple face was smooshed onto the top of its chest without a neck. "Well!" it laughed, flapping its left appendage around in a weird wave, "fancy seeing you here, Zero!"

Zero bared his teeth at the creature. "Gigavolt Man-O-War..." he snarled.

"Gigavolt..." Darren said, then his eyes widened. "Woah! Is he one of those 'New-Generation Reploids?!'"

Gigavolt spun around and laughed giddily. "Ha-ha! Right you are, kid!... though we're not exactly 'new' any more, are we? Hee hee hee hee!"

Roll was confused. Was this guy bad or what? She really couldn't tell... and what was all that about "New Generation" Reploids?

"Anyway," Man-O-War said, calming down and glowering at them, "you guys hafta get new watches! You're too late to stop boss Agile's plans..." he paused and cracked his nonexistant knuckles, "but you're just in time for a thrashing!"

"What are you after here, anyway?" Darren asked. "You didn't come to steal the core?"

"HAH!" Gigavolt laughed again. "You think I'm gonna tell you?! No way!"

Just then, one last Reploid came out of the door, carrying a large, blue container on his back. "Sir..." he groaned (it must have been very heavy), "where am I taking this thing?"

Gigavolt's smile died and he banged his head into the wall. "D'oh!" he yelped.

Darren recognized what the container was; it was a portable power pack, used for storing energy to power things, like a generator. "Oh, is that it?" he asked.

"Thanks a lot, stupid!" Gigavolt yelled at the Reploid. "Now the WHOLE WORLD knows!" He turned and fumed at the Hunters. "Well, I guess I can't let you live now!" he chortled. "Guards, get rid of 'em!"

The gunmen raised their weapons, but Zero was too fast for them; in ten seconds, half of the guns were sliced in half. Darren fired Lightning Web blasts and pinned the other soldiers to the walls.

Gigavolt banged his head against the wall again. "Shoot! Nuts! Angry words!" he yelled. "I shoulda known you guys were no good!"

"We'll be taking it back now," Zero said, raising his saber. "Drop it or else."

Man-O-War turned on him, grinning wickedly. "When are stupid Hunters gonna learn we always pick 'or else?!'" he snickered. "Come on, grandpa!"

"Roll, run!" Darren hissed at Roll as he raised his gun.

Roll started to object, but a look from Darren stopped her cold. She ran around the other side of the core to find a safe spot... only to run into the Reploid carrying the pack. "Agh!!!" he yelled, jumping at her presence. "You stay away from me!"

She frowned and balled her fists. If that thing was what the Mavericks wanted, she wouldn't let them get it. With a cry, she tackled him.

"Eeegh!" he cried, struggling to move. "Boss, help me!" he yelled. "She's nuts!"

"Eh?!" Gigavolt asked, whirling around. He raised one hand and a bolt of lightning flew into Roll, knocking her into the wall. "You! Go back to base right now!" he snapped.

The Reploid with the pack vanished, and Roll groaned loudly. Once again, she had blown it... and now she was hurt.

"Roll!" Darren yelled, angrily aiming at Gigavolt.

"That does it!" Zero snarled, rushing in with his Z-Saber and swinging.

As slippery as the creatures he was based on, Gigavolt slid away from Zero's slice and then bounced over Darren's shot. "You think I haven't learned since last time?!" he giggled wildly, raising his spindly arms. "Well, see how you like THIS!!!"

His arms stretched like taffy and grabbed Zero and Darren by the chests, and they shuddered like rag dolls as electricity pumped into them. He then swung his whole body and slammed them against the walls, then against each other. "Ha ha ha ha!" he laughed. "My very own action figures!"

Roll coughed as she managed to get to her feet. The shock had stunned her, but it was wearing off. She winced as Zero and Darren crashed into each other again, but she had another feeling besides pain... A hot, burning swelling in her chest. The boys were helpless as long as they were in that monster's grip; she had to distract him somehow! She had to save them! But how?

The door Gigavolt had come through was still open. She raced inside to find a storage room. Maybe there was something in here she could use! Darren and Zero's yells in her ears, she looked around. There were glass jars, old batteries, a broom, and several metal rods in the corner... Metal rods? That was it! She grabbed one and raced back outside.

"Round and round and round we go!" Gigavolt Man-O-War laughed as he swung the boys around in the air. "Where you stop... only I know! Hee hee hee hee!!!"

Suddenly, something hard beaned him in the head, making it lose its shape for a few moments. He whirled around to see Roll with a metal rod in her hands. "Leave them alone!" she yelled.

"Roll!... Run..." Darren gasped.

"Leave them alone?! Leave them alone?!" Gigavolt snarled, his crazy eyes narrowing at her. "Who d'you think you're talking to, missy?!" He dropped Zero and Darren and turned his full attention on her.

Sparks shot through Zero's armor; he couldn't move. Darren was in the same state. Roll swallowed hard; she was on her own. Still, she glared at the jellyfish and bit her lip. She was the only one who COULD do anything, so she WOULD do something. With another cry, she swung the rod.

Gigavolt slid away and came back. "What are you, anyway? A maid?!" he snapped. "It's gonna take more than a pole to shut ME down!"

"I'm no maid!" she declared angrily. "My name is Roll, and I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!"

Gigavolt just laughed. "You think I care what your name is?!" he asked. "You're just another lightning rod!"

She swung the rod and hit him in the side, but his body just reshaped itself. Laughing, he grabbed the pole with one hand and her with the other. He snapped the pole in half and zapped her, sending her flying against the back wall.

"D... Damn..." Darren managed, trying to get up but unable to. "R... Roll!..."

Roll's eyes flickered open, electricity still jumping through her joints. She tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't respond. Her eyes fell on the rod, which was now broken and jagged at its edge... jagged and sharp. She stared at it for a long moment.

"I don't usually hurt little girls," Man-O-War snickered, "but you've just pissed me off! Bye bye!" He raced at her and lifted his arms.

Roll glared at him and held out the rod. Gigavolt couldn't stop in time and crashed right into it, the jagged metal shooting out of his back. Whatever goo was inside of him spilled out all over the place.

He, of course, was shocked. "Woah..." he gurgled as he fell backwards, his spindly body unable to support him, "didn't see... THAT comin'..." He coughed and sputtered, then grew silent.

As soon as he was gone, all the electricity in the Hunters seemed to evaporate. All of his soldiers dropped their weapons, freed themselves and ran away screaming. Darren and Zero got to their feet and ran over to Roll. "Are you OK?!" Darren asked.

Roll winced as he helped her to her feet. "Ugh... I... I'll be OK..." she managed, then almost fell down.

Darren caught her and held her up. "Easy!" he said. "You're not used to this, are you?"

She coughed again, then looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Darren... Zero," she apologized. "I couldn't stop them... They stole it..."

"Yeah..." Darren admitted, then smiled at her. "But look what you DID do. You saved us!"

Zero folded his arms and nodded. Maybe Roll wouldn't be as much of a burden as he had thought.

Feeling a little better now, she moved away from Darren and stood on her own feet. "There... I think I'm OK now!" she announced.

"Good!" Darren said, but then his smile faded. "I wonder, though... What about the museum?"

Zero frowned. Not being able to contact their friends was a bad sign. "We should find another way back."

Roll's eyes lit up. "I know just the thing!" she announced.

"You see?" Roll said, leading Zero and Darren into the room she had opened. "I saw there was a teleporter in here!"

Darren and Zero looked, then frowned. What was left of the teleporter was a shattered mess. "Those Mavericks..." Zero growled.

Roll blinked a few times, then smiled. "Don't worry!" she said. "Darren and I can fix it!"

Darren beamed. "Yeah! We can, can't we?" he agreed. "Let's get right to work!"

Just then, though, his iMarc Mini beeped. He pulled it out and smiled even more; the analysis of Sharon's OPGFXXX chip was finished. "...Right after I call Sharon!" he said, whipping out his communcator.

"I'll get working on it," Roll said, walking over to the mess. "Zero, could you help me clean this up?"

Darren bit his lip as he tuned the communicator to Sharon's frequency. If they couldn't reach the museum, he just hoped he could reach the others. Maybe they knew what was going on... or were just as in the dark as they were.