Battle Cross

by EquinoxKnight01

Ashely Hofferson is the rookie of Battle Cross, a motorcycle sport. She came into the sport to avenge the famous Night Fury racer. She and her friends have to compete in the Grand League Tournament and make it to the finish line. Partnership from EquinoxKnight01 and THE NIGHTS RAGE! Modern AU/Speed Racer elements. Rated T for language and suggestive themes. Cover by HabouringLies.

25. Chapter 25

It's a dark day when the Author himself fails his own quiz. According to Rodriguez, I scored 3/10 on my own quiz. Now, it might be my destroyed pride talking, but I think some of the questions weren't even answer even if I did go back to check in earlier chapters. Like this question, for example; "What color is Alvin's hair?" …Beats me.

---

Before he knew it, Hector was slammed onto his back, lying on the rough dirt floor of the racetrack. With Alvin poised to strike again.

Imagine the shared surprise when both Alvin and Hector saw a ceramic blade cut of the red captain's right arm.

Back to reality, Hector winced when saw the limb land next to his head. A little relieved that the thought of losing limbs left to right wasn't only recurring with him.

"Aw come on-" Alvin started before being forcefully shoved away by Gronckle.

Nightmare was at his captain's side in no time as Gronckle found himself having a hard time wrestling a one-armed captain. "I have to admit, when you told me your plan earlier in the locker room, I was a bit confused. But now, man, you think of every possible scenario, don't you?!" Stewart held his hand out to help Night Fury up.

Night Fury snapped back to reality and clapped his hand with Stewart's. "How far ahead are Ash and Ronnie?"

If Stewart was surprised how fast Night Fury got over being attacked by three people at once, he didn't voice it. "They're about halfway through their first heat, but that lumbering Thunderdrum is catching up to them."

Hector nodded and turned to try to spot them from a distance. Wait a second, if Thunderdrum is there, where Murderous tackled Hector are- rather easily due to his recent injury. Hector fought to get out of the pinning position Murderous had him in.

Stewart was currently busy with a vengeful Exterminator that wanted to even the score from their last race. Catching on fire by, frankly his own hand, and own armor and weapons did not sit well with the guy.

"Argh!" It was bad enough that Hector himself was still stuck at the starting line, but with his other two teammates not relaying support to their female counterparts, this race would end sooner than expected if the rest of Team Elite ever recovered and joined the race. He needed to rid himself of this adversary and get into the race before another team even got another point. "Jefferson, get over here and assist!" Hector barked into his helmet channel linked to the Night Fury-520.

"What do you mean, forfeit the race?!" Virgil yelled right back at his sponsor.

"Turn back around and get Cameron to the medical station. My daughter's wellbeing is far more important than some race!" Rebecca couldn't believe how Virgil was speaking to her and what infuriated her more was how loosely the co-captain spoke of Cameron's current condition. How dare he not inform her of Cameron being attacked before the race!

Virgil didn't move to turn around or even slow down as he raced after Thunderdrum nor did he put this private conversation onto speaker for the rest of his team to hear. "Think about the consequences of what you're saying, Ms. Bateman! The contract binds Team Elite to finish the championships while its being broadcasted; the fines that would follow forfeiting would put our support groups in debt-"

"I am ordering you to disqualify you and this team, Virgil, and I will hear nothing of it! Turn around, now!" Rebecca cut off the link, too irritated to continue the conversation calmly.

Virgil clenched his teeth so hard; he might need to visit orthodontists for some fillings. Braking hard to a stop in the middle of a turn, his actions were mirrored by his teammates. "Head to the lockers, this race is over." Informing his team, fuming, Virgil couldn't have gripped his accelerator any more without breaking the handle bar from the rest of the bike as he turned around and headed for the starting line. He would follow orders, but he wasn't going to be happy about it.

Thoroughly confused at this latest development, Charlie and Joel were ecstatic that they wouldn't have to compete while Timberjack was injured. They followed suit almost too willingly, Virgil noted.

Peering over at the jumbo screen off to the side of the racetrack, Ash saw that Team Elite forfeited the race for whatever reason. Relaxing for a while, Ash smirked, knowing that she had a hand in their sudden leave from the race. Now all that was left was Team Suoredrum. In addition, by another look at the screen, most of their team was still brawling with her male teammates of HRT. All that was left were the twists and jumps of the slightly altered dirt portion of the second race. Happily thinking of how easy this race was turning out to be, Ash didn't even notice how close Thunderdrum had advanced upon her until it was too late.

With a wide swinging arc, Thunderdrum brought his shield down onto the unsuspecting Nadder. With the arrogant mindset of their last duel, Thunderdrum smiled from behind his visor at how easy taking down a light-class would be. He didn't even concern himself with the other one. A few swats of his shield and a victory for his team would be ensured.

But what neither of the two noticed was that while Zippleback was no longer Nadder's partner, Ronnie didn't seem to hold grudges for long and her sidekick needed her help. A well-placed butt of her pole near Thunderdrum's front wheel spokes added up to one jerk face flying from his bike while the officials were busy filming the fight at the starting line. Sure, what she did was illegal, but no one with authority was watching, now were they?

Ronnie released her staff as soon as it was caught in Thunderdrum's front wheel. "Whoops, I've seemed to have misplaced my weapon." Ronnie's mischievous voice rang through Ash's helmet.

A wide smile broke across Ash's face. "Butter fingers." Ash breathed out, realizing she was holding it in in anticipation for the upcoming one-sided battle with Thunderdrum's shield. Tucking her daggers away, rode up alongside of Ronnie. "So…" Ash led on, hoping her friend would notice her undertones of apologizing.

No such luck. "Hmm?" Ronnie wouldn't allow Ash to get off the hook so easily. "So what?"

After a series of triple jumps, Ash got right back to where she was and let Ronnie have it. "Fine. I'm sorry for being a…" Ash searched for words.

"A butthead." Ronnie supplied.

Fixing her jaw, Ash accepted her new title and continued. "Yeah, whatever. Look, I'm not going to go into the details, but I'm sorry for how I've been acting lately. It's just that… that stupid contract and our… captain!" Ash didn't want to say his name.

"Yeah, well, I forgive you, but I signed that contract too, Ash. I have fines too and my mom won't let me forget it. But did you really have to ditch me like that?" Ronnie responded back so harshly, Ash winced. "I don't have some super lawyer for a dad, okay? It was just me and my mom, who I might add doesn't exactly agree with my hobbies but loves me anyway, who still offered to help with the hefty fines.

"Sure, I had Frankie, but the guy works at a fast food restaurant! I didn't want to involve him in my mess…" Ronnie gunned it unnecessarily for the tabletop jump. When she landed it, she turned to face Ash who caught up with her to eagerly hear what she had to say. "You weren't there, Ash. I needed someone who was going through exactly what I was, but she decided to pack her bags and run away to Hector's fortress. Then you didn't talk to me as we trained. Now I know it's not my fault, but I can't seem to hold a grudge with you for some reason." Evidence of this a few moments ago with Thunderdrum.

Ronnie seemed to shake herself from all the drama between them. "Whatever, we got a race to finish and I'm not keen to having to listen to Hector scream at us for losing a race with no one remotely near us-" Ronnie was interrupted by an unknown strike at her back. Losing control of her 420, she and her bike swerved towards the guardrail before crashing in a heap.

Ash whipped her head around, searching for who attacked her best friend. Her piercing glare widened as she came face to face with a passing archenemy of hers…

The offensive shield was sticking out of the ground before Thunderdrum raced towards it and reattached it to his forearm. As he neared the halted Ash, he hefted up the damned staff that sent him flying off his bike and reared back to throw it at Nadder.

Deftly dodging the pole by dismounting her 420, Ash managed to sling her daggers at Thunderdrum at the contorted position she angled herself in. One of her daggers embedded itself into Thunderdrum's shoulder, causing him to lose balance on his bike. He fought for control with his one hand on the handlebar while his other was holding his shield, but in the end tumbled off his bike and lurched face-first onto the dirt track. Ash had a choice now; help Ronnie up or avenge her by pounding a dent into the one that attacked her. The latter seemed so much more satisfying to Ash as she crept closer to the two.

Ultimately, Ash put her friend first over some stupid race.

"Ow…" Ronnie stirred, nursing her head after straightening up. She felt like she was nailed on the back of her head by some football made of metal. Before she could think of what had happened to her, an all too familiar beeping came from her right. Realizing where she was, she knew that she couldn't escape in time. That is, until she felt herself being picked up and thrown away. Ash came just in time to move Ronnie out of the way as the NOOB bomb went off. Ronnie landing on her rear end, sat up to yell at whoever threw her like some rag doll. However, before she could say anything, her savior flew into her, causing the both of them to groan in pain.

It was noble of Ash to take the hit for Ronnie, but it still hurt like hell. Lying down aside Ronnie, Ash peered over to her long forgotten partner. "Who's the sidekick now?"

Ronnie stripped off her helmet to release her throbbing head before cracking a grin at Ash. "Well, my name is branded on your sorry butt. So I guess I'm the dominant one in this relationship..." Ronnie chuckled into full-blown laughter.

As her lips quivered from trying to contain how good it felt to see Ronnie laugh after so long, Ash soon joined Ronnie in a fit of laughter.

Ronnie ceased her laughter suddenly and looked at Ash with urgency. "Thunderdrum is getting up and the finish line is right there! You gotta go, Ash!"

Ash didn't budge. "I'm not abandoning you again, Ronnie." Taking off her helmet and giving Ronnie a genuine smile, Ash said, "I'm here."

Ronnie seemed to relax at her friend's reassurance but tensed back up when Thunderdrum managed to get back onto his bike to finish the race. "Hector's not going to be happy about this…"

"I don't care."

---

Team Suoredrum won the second race of the championship and neither captain of the losing teams was taking it well. The crowd booed the victors off the track while the officials tried and failed to break up the still continuing brawl that took place on the starting line. Apparently, earning his team a victory wasn't enough, Thunderdrum had to go and whack Night Fury upside the head just as the captain managed to swat away Murderous. Night Fury sic-ed his 520 on Thunderdrum and started to wail on the sore winner, causing the other members of each opposing team to resume an even greater fight.

An official's EMP grenade discouraged any more outbreaks and the teams filed off the track and into their designated locker rooms.

"Ugh!" Hector had been growling assorted animal noises the whole trip to the locker room. If he was snarling inside his helmet, he was clawing the walls and punching the nearby doors as he passed. For all his teammates knew, he was too pissed to yell at them with any coherent words. This was the second lost for Team HRT and it seemed like the races themselves were lasting less and less time. In addition, Hector's patience was getting thinner.

Ronnie didn't know whether Hector knew how close Ash and her were to winning the race, but she decided not to inform him of this. For one, by the angered sounds he was producing, it was likely Hector would rip them apart, and two, it was kind of humorous to see Hector acting like this. A nudge from her left, Ronnie leaned over to whisper, "I don't think we should be talking while Hector is raging, Ash."

Nevertheless, Ash didn't bother lowering her voice. She didn't care what Hector would if he overheard. "What do you say we go visit Frankie after the showers? I could use something to eat after being sent flying by that stupid NOOB bomb."

"There's food here." Ronnie reminded her with a knowing expression.

"I think I'd rather be around Frankie than eat with Hector as he is now…" Ash shoulder Ronnie and turned the both of them down the hall towards the parking lot.

Stewart saw that Ash and Ronnie were no longer following them so he spoke up in hopes to calm down his captain with the absence of Ash being there to fire him back up. Taking off his helmet and rubbing his helmet hair around, Stewart tried, "We've got one more race and Team Elite forfeited. We're still in this race, Hector."

Not immediately answering, Hector roughly shoved the locker room door open and entered as Stewart and Teddy followed. Hector paced back and forth, as the two sat themselves down and started unhooking their armor pieces. Then, without warning, Hector took off his helmet and threw it across the room. It crashed into a row of locker, denting the doors greatly before falling to the floor. Disregarding to walk over and pick it up, Hector stiffly dropped onto the bench. Teddy and Stewart quickly scooted over as to not anger their captain.

"It's just a race? There will be more?" Teddy didn't sound convinced with his own pep talk. Surprisingly, Hector didn't attack him for the lame attempt.

"It's not just a race…" Hector contemplated telling them the real reason for the championship. Moments passed before he rested his elbows on his knees, clasped his fingers, and set his chin down on them. "HRT is having some financial problems right now… My dad and I risk bankruptcy and losing this company."

Stewart's eyes widened as Teddy let out a low whistle. "Okay, maybe there won't be any more races… What?" Teddy appeared apologetic when Stewart gave him a warning glance to stop talking.

"What do you mean, 'financial problems'? HRT is the most renowned company on Berk." Stewart hadn't thought of the championship as nothing more than a way to get further sponsors and maybe a signing contract with some video game developers. But it didn't make sense, why would HRT even be having problems as the number 1 benefactor to the sport of Battle Cross?! The sport was relatively new.

"Building 420s and their unique armors aren't without their expensive materials and patents. And it probably didn't help that my personal projects weren't funded by myself." Hector muttered that last part into his hands. News of HRT potentially closer was as shocking to him as it was to Stewart and Teddy. He would only found out about it the day he told Solomon that he would become the captain for Team HRT. While at the time, this development didn't seem urgent since Hector arrogantly thought he would win the championship, after this two devastating losses, he was starting to sweat. His mother! He was so absorbed in thinking of all the toys and gadgets he would lose that he didn't even bring his mother into the equation.

He had to get out. Get out before this pushed away his mother from coming back. There's nothing like coming to a financially broken family to steer her away forever. Hector swiftly got up and exited the room to find his mother before the rumors got to her first. Running down the halls towards the elevator, Hector's mind raced for one plausible reason he could give his mother to stay. Once inside the elevator, it came to him. It was going to be costly. He might have to sell a few of his armors and bikes, but it'll all be worth it in the end. That is, if he times it right.

Pressing the button "G" for the garage's parking lot, Hector prepped himself for his possibly illegal mission.

---

Finally arriving to the destination she saw from a distance, Valarie closed in and knelt down to reach for the flowers. If she had to admit, the flowers seemed to be the only thing around that didn't give her any negative feelings. When she plucked a particularly bright tulip, her face hardened into a frown once she discovered that it was a fake, plastic arrangement. It seems that I'm surrounded by false elements… Plucking the phony petals of the bud, Valarie was unaware of someone standing behind her until they made themselves known with a clear of their throat. Valarie clearly heard them, but she did not turn to face them. "Yes?"

"Drake wants his report." The young man was probably a couple of years Hector's elder, but was dressed in slacks. Schooling his voice to sound professional despite his voice not maturing yet, he answered to the woman's back with his suit jacket slung over his shoulder. "You didn't file your routinely report last week."

A woman, donned in more casual clothing, stepped up and obscured Valarie's sun light. "He's getting impatient. No doubt entertaining the idea of an actress foolishly attaching herself to her fake family."

Valarie laughed wryly at the woman's choice of words. Was she not just thinking of bogus views a moment ago? "Did Drake ask that you relay bitterness as well, Mikaela?"

Mikaela sniffed, "Did he send you to infiltrate the Haddock's garden, Valarie?"

"Enough." A voice like crunching gravel silence the two before their banter began. As the older gentleman stepped forward in front of his subordinates, he noted that his presence made Valarie turn around to face his group. The man had a dress shirt on with a loose tie around his neck and suspenders digging into his shoulders.

"Captain Grayson." Valarie greeted, still kneeling on the ground by the flowerbed.

Taking off his straw porkpie hat, Grayson sighed at his agent while combing through his peppered hair. "Valarie, why didn't you send in your progress?" Grayson was never one for greetings.

"I was busy with the daily dramatics of being a raped mother that accused her husband, left for a couple of years only to return to a distraught son, Captain Grayson." Valarie responded with a tone of such a woman with that story wouldn't possess.

Mikaela opened her mouth to reprimand Valarie for her mocking answer towards their captain. However, she stopped when Grayson raised a hand to halt her advances.

"Valarie, play the aspiring actress all you want, but I need something to report back to the big wig back at Fort Suoredrum." Grayson spat out his nicotine gum and reached to open up a fresh one. The gum landed in the flowerbed.

Not at all outwardly bothered by Grayson's intimidating figure, Valarie retrieved her report from her pocket and handed it to the older man.

Grayson usually would've taken it and left, but he unfolded it and read it there while glancing at Valarie. Peering down to read its content, Grayson furrowed his brows and crumpled up the piece of paper before flicking it back at Valarie. Neither person flinched when it bounced off Valarie's forehead. "My patience is running thin here, Val. You didn't acquire any passwords or codes while being here?"

Valarie reached up and felt the spot the paper bounced off her forehead. "You'd be surprised how secure such things would be. Imagine my shock when the guards weren't just handing it to me as soon as I walked through the front doors." Straightening up to stand, an emotion finally appeared on Valarie's face. Irritation. "I'm aware of my schedule, Captain, but if this mission were easy, Drake would've sent your team in to extract the bank accounts of HRT." Valarie pushed past them and dismissed herself from their little meeting. "If you'll excuse me, I have an estranged son to coddle."

Mikaela was held back by her captain.

"Forget about her attitude. At the end of the day, the punishment will be solely on her for failing to meet the time limit Drake gave her." Grayson watched her retreating form and narrowed his eyes when he saw that someone was following her. It wasn't someone from his squad. Instead of investigating this, Grayson waved for his team to leave. Valarie was known for making enemies, whoever this new adversary was, and it was her problem.

"Our ride is here." Liam, the silent member of the team, announced.

Grayson nodded and his team vanished.

---

"I want you gone by tonight…"

"I beg your pardon, but we are not leaving. We have a life here!" The woman defended.

"Dear, calm down-"

"You expect me to calm down, Reginald? This young man is coercing us to live our home!"

"Margaret, think about it. With the money he's offering, we can now send Lindsey to her dream university." Reginald informed his wife of the possibility. "And we would have enough money to purchase that house you wanted. The one with the lion paw bathtub…"

Margaret was persuaded easily after that.

Hector held out the paper, waited for them to sign, and traded the rest of his inheritance for the keys to his old house.

…

"It's all according to plan now, Jefferson! I can now offer my mother a reason to stay… we'll be back at the house and everything will go back to normal." Hector fantasized the old days when his family was back together.

Jefferson didn't want to rain on his master's parade by stating his doubts that it would be that simple, so he eagerly listened as Hector informed him of his plan. Jefferson smiled at the notion of a skip in Hector's step.

"Now all I have to do is find her and give her the great news." Hector exited the tower and walked outside. "I don't know if I should order catering or take her out to dinner- There she is!" Hector spotted his mother walking away from a flowerbed. He jogged to catch up with her. "Things are finally turning around, Jefferson…" Hector held a wistful smile.

"Yes, I hope for the better, Mr. Haddock."

---

The next day, it was the third and final race of the championship. Team Elite has paid its multiple fines and their team is halfway home to Bog Isle. Meanwhile, Night Fury got back from a close brush with the law, Nadder and Zippleback were partners again and indifferent about the ending results of the championships, Nightmare and Gronckle received yet another set of mystery orders from Hector, and Team Suoredrum knew what was at stakes with the looming threat of Reptile therapy. With everyone on edge, off the racetrack too, it's a wonder why no one outside the business couldn't pick up on it.

For the last race of the championship, the track wasn't behind the HRT tower. As unnerving to Hector as it was, the ending race was held at the track that held the cave-in that took his leg. Hector and Solomon both knew that the broadcasting ratings would soar through the roof, but Hector's stomach was turning just being here. What made it even worse was that the starting line was inside the cave! Hector was thankful for the dim lighting in the cave; else, everyone could see that he was visibly shaking in his armor.

Although his mother disapproved of the location greatly, it was a necessary risk for a means to an end. Either Hector won and the problems HRT had would disappear or he'd lose and go to plan B. It didn't matter which choice happened, this race had to happen. At this damning space of all places.

Focus. The starting lights were counting down.

The instant the race started, Hector jumped off his bike and tightly gripped his Eskrima. Gronckle and Nightmare dismounted and tackled Nadder and Zippleback to the ground. Just as his teammates went down, Hector whipped both Eskrima to both sides of him.

Red Death, bemused at Night Fury's antics, held his team back so not to have them run into a trap. What was Night Fury up to?

Each Eskrima embedded itself into the electrical grid that functioned the poor lighting, cameras, and alarm systems while the other one struck the camera feed. There was a blackout in the cave and Hector had to act fast to take full advantage. Getting back onto his recently modified 520, he spun it to face Team Suoredrum behind him. Gunning the engine, and holding the brake, Hector took aim as the cannon at the front of his bike spooled and charged. Achieving loaded power, Night Fury yelled over his shoulder, "Get out of here! NOW!"

Nightmare pulled a fighting Nadder as Gronckle dragged the still confused Zippleback behind them, both hauling ass to get their teammates out of the danger zone.

Night Fury pulled a wheelie and shot the ceiling of the enclosure. Without waiting to see if it did the trick, Hector ditched his bike, retrieved his weapons and mounted the nearest 420. Tearing up asphalt, Night Fury zoomed out of the cave and braked hard next to a stunned Nadder. Before she could protest, Night Fury pulled her to sit behind him. Now that its owner was mounted, the Nadder-420 could travel to its regular speed without restraint from its theft prevention system not being recognized Night Fury. Send a weak wave to the rest of his team, Night Fury sped off to begin the final race.

Before Ronnie, Stewart, or Teddy could say anything, the cave behind them collapsed. With shouts of surprise, the trio realized that they were a little too close for comfort and ran for their lives. Without their bikes, they barely managed to escape the crumbling starting point. "Has Hector lost it?!" Ronnie screamed into the team's comm. link. There are still people in there!"

"You're welcome to go in there and help Thunderdrum if you're that concerned, Ronnie…" Hector radioed in shortly after.

Even mentioning the person made Ronnie huff in frustration, no longer as mad as she was at her captain. "Well, how are we going to finish the race now, genius? You buried our bikes!"

"Obviously, Hector's going to be finishing the race alone."

"Alone? Didn't you see him take Ash with him? Why didn't he just take his own bike? Explain that, smart one?" Ronnie stared at Stewart, awaiting his logical answer. When she saw that he had none. "Yeah, I thought so."

Ash was utterly confused and shocked at Hector's actions. Why did he blow up the cave with Alvin and his team still inside? And why weren't the officials or authorities stopping the race?! Didn't they just witness the multiple homicides on live broadcast?! But as more and more questions flooded her head, Ash was brought out of her thoughts when the person in front of her addressed her.

"…Ash, are you listening!"

That was when Ash noticed her surroundings. Where she was. But something more important. The stadium was in a blackout. Ash couldn't even see the crowd. Suddenly, Ash flinched and look behind her. The thunderous boom of the cave shattering came through her helmet as she guessed it must've been feedback from one of her teammates flailing their arms about from a distance.

"Wake up, Ash!" Ash felt someone nudge her a bit too roughly. If she didn't reach to grip onto the person, she would've fell off. "Stop shoving me, Hector!" Ash knew instantly who it was once someone in the crowd took a picture and the flash revealed the dark prince driving her bike. Wait a second… "Why are you on my bike, Hector?!"

"Technically, its my bike. I built it." Hector answered back with a smirk in his tone. "But that doesn't matter right now. I have a race to win." Hector said, as if Ash wasn't there or the fact that the two of them were on her bike to begin with.

Irked at his usual attitude, Ash pushed it aside to get to the real issue. "Why did the cave explode like that? And why is the race still on?"

"I shot the ceiling, but not before cutting off almost all the power in the stadium." Hector expertly manuerved the obstacle course while answering Ash's questions. "And what's with you and Ronnie lately. Why do you suddenly care about those lowlifes?"

"Uh, maybe because we could all go to jail for killing them? Did you figure that into your secret plan?"

"Please, the armors can withstand an explosion. And it's not as if Alvin and his team were just standing there twiddling their thumbs as the ceiling came down on them."

"Do you hear yourself right now? They could all be crushed right now and all you care about is this stupid race. I thought you were smarter than this, Hector."

"I am smarter. As a matter of fact, I think it's time I got rid of some dead weight!" Having enough of her company, Hector skidded to a stop and threw Ash off the bike. Dismounting, Hector activated his night vision and brought his foot down onto Ash's back. Due to the spot Hector's foot was, Ash was temporarily immobile. Hector reached down and ripped her helmet clean off. Hector knew how hard it was to detach a helmet from an active armor and he guessed that the action caused some injury to Ash's neck, but Hector had other priorities to deal with instead of tending to his teammate.

"You don't know what's a stake here, Hofferson. If you care so much about those idiots, go back and rescue them for all I care!" Night Fury stepped off Ash and got back onto the bike, positioning her helmet on the handlebars before speeding off into the darkness.

Ash got up as soon as Hector got off her. But it was too late to retaliate. Night Fury had gone to finish the race. Pain shot up her spine forcing Ash back onto the ground. Rolling her back, Ash winced when she discovered her neck was the source. Taking a deep breath, Ash cracked her neck and stifled a cry. Massaging her neck, she felt better but her neck was still sore. Before she thought of what to do next, the lights in the stadium suddenly came on and Ash was blinded. Blinking her eyes back into focus, Ash faced the jumbo screen of the stadium. Her eyes widened when she saw the screen mirror her face.

The camera zoomed out and broadcasted the rest of Team HRT. Ash breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ronnie safely off to the side, safe. Not willing to admit it aloud, Ash was glad Stewart and Teddy were all right too. Nevertheless, when Night Fury came into view, racing towards the finish line, Ash cursed.

If only I ripped off his helmet to reveal the idiot to everyone… Ashes cursed under her breathe.

"Dude, look how hot she is…"

"Wow, I've never seen her up close before. She really is attractive…"

"We love you, Nadder!"

"Yeah, go Ash Hofferson!"

The crowd behind her cheered her on as she stood there, a little embarrassed at the praise and comments she received from the fans in the stadium. Her fans. When the cameras focused back on her, Ash gave 'em a show. First, she smiled, and then she pulled a smolder and laughed at the crowds' instant reaction. For the first time in awhile, Ash was genuinely happy. Her captain forgotten, Ash hopped over the guardrail and greeted her fans up close. Although, she kept a safe distance from her ecstatic fan boys. Ash didn't even notice the cameras cut back to Night Fury has he won the final race of championship. Neither did her gathering.

"Winner: Night Fury! Team HRT has taken the last race!" The announcer was interrupted by the officials who stormed the announcer's box in hopes of stopping the man before it was too late. However, they arrived out of time. Truthfully, the officials couldn't decide whether to give Team HRT a win or not. Most of the race wasn't broadcasted to prove this victory. In addition, the fact that the emergency crews still haven't located Team Suoredrum was worrying them deeply. There were hundreds of thousands people in the stadium, this new development wouldn't go unnoticed.

"What's going on here?!" Solomon entered the room and everyone fell silent. The founder of the sport admittedly had trouble getting there what with the blackout and scrambling security trying their best to avoid any rioting or pillaging.

The head of security was thrusts forward and before he could reprimand whoever was responsible for shoving him, Solomon had already locked eyes with the man. "Sir, the instant the race started, there was a commotion at the starting line. Without warning, the lights and power went off in the enclosure and we lost the camera feed." The man repeated what his lead technicians told him just a moment ago.

"I see. And what is this about Team HRT winning?" Solomon inquired.

All eyes went to the announcer and the man visibly paled. "Well, Mr. Haddock, the captain of Team HRT, Night Fury, crossed the finish line." The announcer quickly resumed when he saw that the room regarded him with annoyed stares. "Well, as you know, the finish line is synced to each of the competitor's 420s and once they acquired enough points and cross the finish line, the race will be ended and the winning team will be decided…" The announcer pointed at the tech team to continue where he left off.

The lead technician glared at the announcer before schooling his expression. "As he was stating, yes, the system decided that the winning team is HRT due to this race's function only requiring a lap point because of the obstacle course and it being the final race. Although, it is unclear whether or not the race was in fact won fairly." The technician scanned the room to see whom he could pass the responsibility hot potato to next, but Solomon still had his gaze fixed on him. He could only guess that the question of forfeiting the founder's team didn't sit well with Solomon. The technician waved to the emergency crew captain to change the subject.

The emergency crew captain grimaced, but thankfully got his report from a subordinate. "In regards to Team Suoredrum, my men have recovered them and the medical teams are standing by…" The captain leaned over to hear the latest news radioed into his earpiece. "I copy that last mission. Mr. Haddock, the team that was uncovered is refusing medical care and is starting to be harassed by the patrons in the crowd."

Solomon stiffened before barking orders left to right. "You, send your guards down there to stop this before it gets out of hand! Captain, thank you and your men for their fast recovery of the victims! You, announce that all teams gather at the finish line! And, you, make sure the power and broadcasting are 100 percent back online. And will someone retrieve Night Fury!"

Night Fury was already on his 520, riding away to an unknown destination.

---

"Congratulations, Team HRT, on finishing the final race of the championships!"

Team Suoredrum did their best to show their clear displeasure of bury buried alive and their enemies coming out victorious. They all openly glared at all the members of Team HRT, minus their captain, as Alvin was trembling in his armor.

Team HRT was missing their own captain, but only the female team members were angry at this. Ash filled in her friend on how exactly their captain won and Ronnie was now in the same boat as Ash, thoroughly done with Hector. Stewart and Teddy, who had knowledge of Hector's plan, wondered where Night Fury went off to.

"But, there's a twist!" The announcer instantly earned the attention of both teams and the audiences in the crowd and of those watching at home. "Due to a three-way tie, the championships must now be won by a final battle between each team's best fighters!"

While Alvin's team argued who would be chosen to represent their team, Stewart's nerves were on edge as he searched and called for his captain. "Where's Hector?!"

Ronnie started to worry too. Stealing a glance at Team Suoredrum, she visibly flinched at how bloodthirsty they appeared. The teams of criminals activated their armor and weapons and were actually fighting each other for the chance to get payback.

"With the captains of each team, please step forward!" The announcer pointed to the cage where the duel would be held.

Everyone in the stadium fell silent as they all watched who stepped into the cage. Even Alvin's team stopped fighting to gape at who took center stage.

Team HRT's Nadder, aka Ash Hofferson, stood in the center of the cage in her fighting stance. Her helmet on, armor activated and fully charged, Ash beckoned her opponent to come forward to fight her.

"Are you crazy?!" Stewart jumped first and ran for the cage, but the officials held him back.

Ronnie shoved past them and grabbed onto the chain link wall of the cage. "Ash, get out of there! Those guys are in another league!"

"I don't see what the big deal is…" Ash rolled her shoulders and felt the slight pinch of her neck. "I won the fight against Hector and he's a captain."

"No, Ash, we fought Hector, and we barely won. Those guy don't have the restraint Hector has, they will kill you!" Ronnie raised her voice even louder, trying to get through to her best friend.

"Ronnie's right, Ash. It's just a race, there will be others. One, I might add, that won't involve these killer clowns!"

"You guys have no faith in me," Ash glared at her teammates. "I've surpassed Hector and I'm going to win this fight with or without your support-"

"Ash, would you just shut up and think!" Stewart got into the cage somehow and stared down Ash. "There's a reason you never won against me back then or Hector right now in the present! You're too impulsive a-and you keep trying to prove to everyone how great you are! You come out swinging without using your head and end up hurting yourself more than you're helping yourself! Would you just grow up!"

Narrowing her eyes, Ash scowled fiercely as she walked right up to his face. "That's a laugh coming from you, Stewart. I'm supposed to take advice from the guy that's been following Hector blindly these last few months?" Ash laughed in his face derisively.

Stewart shook his head at her attitude. "You still don't get the gravity of what's going on here. Look around you, Ash. Half an hour ago, those guys had a cave on top of them and now that they're out, they can't wait for the chance to tear us to pieces. These guys are pissed and they are hardcore criminals. This whole championship is rigged, Ash. We almost killed them and now they want us to have a duel with the most bloodthirsty of them?! All of this for a trophy?!"

Ash thought of Stewart's words for all of a moment before she made her decision. Walking past Stewart towards the exit of the cage, Ash called out to the announcer. "Hey, I'm…" Ash's team members relaxed when they saw that Ash was going to forfeit. Stewart managed to get through to her.

"I'm fighting. Escort my team mate out of here so we can start this thing already."

"What?!" Stewart lunged at Ash. If she wasn't going to listen to reason, he'd have to drag her from the cage, kicking and screaming. But as he reached for her, Stewart fell flat on his face, his own armor deactivated by the officials. "No!" Stewart yelled from inside his shell of armor.

On sidelines, Teddy and Ronnie were deactivated as well. They could only watch as Ash fought. The guards picked them up and set them up on a bench to witness their teammate make the worst mistake of her life.

"Will the other fighter come forth?" The announcer called for someone from Team Suoredrum.

By order of Drake, Alvin was chosen to fight for his team. Taking his time walking up to the cage, Alvin grew more and more intimidating to Ash as he got closer. Now standing in front of her, Ash felt a tinge of regret in her brash decision. A foot taller than Ash, Alvin towered over her in his fearsome armor. It was then that the revelation of how dangerous Red Death was that Ash thought of Stewart's warning. Although she thought Stewart didn't make sense when he said Hector had restraint while fighting them, it was actually the fact that Hector had more control than his rival. Red Death had just survived a cave collapsing on his head and Ash grew certain that he held no reserves for their fight. She wasn't Hector, but she was on the team responsible.

Steeling herself, Ash brought both of her daggers to either side of her and got into her stance. Once Alvin mirrored her, the announcer began the fight.

---

Haddock Household

Hector drove up the driveway and pressed a switch on his wrist to open the garage. Parking and spreading a tarp over his 520, Hector took off his helmet and ventured into the house only to come home to the smell of breakfast. Bemused at the sight of the meal at night, Hector sat himself down before spotting his mother coming into the dining room from the kitchen.

"It's like we never left. I'm surprised how tidy this house still is…" Valarie mentioned regarding less than satisfactory hygiene habits. "Do you guys hire a cleaning service?"

Hector held a light smirk at her question. "Something like that." He remembered back to earlier when he threatened the current family living at the house to vacate the premises. "What's all this? Bacon and pancakes? You didn't have to cook, I would've taken you out for dinner." Hector waved over the table of food.

Valarie shook her head. "No, no. That would've been nice, but I wanted a nice sit down dinner with just the family."

Hector's mind was occupied with thoughts of how he could've took his mother out when he came there on his bike. "Huh? Oh, um, Dad's still busy at the championships. You know, paperwork and all that." Hector shrugged his shoulders. Eager to change the subject, Hector pulled out a chair for his mother and asked to see if she wanted any orange juice.

"Yes, thank you, Hector." Valarie shifted in her seat, getting comfortable. Thanking him again for the drink, she waited for him to sit down across from her before inviting him to dig in. "I hope you don't mind breakfast. The moment I stepped in this kitchen, I felt a tad bit nostalgic and this happened."

"Red velvet pancakes and thick apple wood bacon? Of course I don't mind." Hector laughed at the idea of being bothered of eating breakfast for dinner. "So, how was your day? I couldn't find you yesterday after the second race." Hector asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Valarie stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, hoping Hector didn't catch her hesitation in answering. But he did.

"What's wrong?" Hector raised a brow before setting down his utensils. The young man couldn't think of anything for her to worry about. Everything was perfect. Safe Solomon's absence, but Hector noticed that she paused when he mentioned the race.

"Hector, are you alright?"

Hector stared at her dumbly. It was a loaded question; he didn't know what answer to give her that would help calm her down. "I don't understand." Hector responded honestly.

Valarie's mouth turned downward into a frown. "I mean, are you happy with your life?"

"Yeah, you came back and we're a family again." Hector answered with a small smile. But he still felt that it wasn't the answer she wanted.

"Your racing career." Valarie hinted. "It's not too dramatic, is it? You're not being pressured into anything?"

Placing his elbows on the table and leaning closer, Hector questioned her bluntly. "What are you asking?"

Valarie's frown deepened. "I've heard rumors that HRT is having trouble, financially, and this championship is a way to save the business from bankruptcy. Are you following me now?"

Hector lowered his eyebrows at his mother's tone. "What of it?" Hector's stare intensified.

"Is Solomon pushing you past your limits to win this event? I don't want to see you get hurt just for a race."

Hector's stance relaxed once she uttered that last sentence. He leaned back and resumed eating. "Thanks for your concern, Mom, but I don't break easily. It'll take a lot more than some pressure to see me crack." Taking a bite of his bacon, Hector continued. "Don't worry about me or HRT business," Hector stated firmly. "Just focus on staying at home and making these pancakes. You've had enough drama in your life."

Valarie's eyebrow twitched at his 'stay-at-home' mother bit, but her son wasn't looking. "There's still another matter to discuss."

"Hmm?"

"I'm aware of your comeback into racing, but as of tonight, I don't think you should be doing anything extreme. Think of your condition, Hector."

Wiping his mouth with a napkin before setting it down on his plate, Hector glanced at his mother as he got up to clear his place. "We'll see." He got up to put his dishes away.

Valarie put her foot down. "No, Hector. That wasn't a suggestion, Hector. You will no longer be racing for HRT with your-"

"My what? Condition?" Hector locked his sights onto her. "My leg has not and will not hinder my life. I've accepted the weakness and made it my strength. As for your suggestion, while your intentions of stepping in to be a good mother in absence of my teenage years," Hector noted the hurt look in her eyes, "I am eighteen years old and you have no authority over my life anymore." Walking back to the table, Hector held out his hand. "Are you done?"

Following his gaze, Valarie saw that he was referring to her plate not their conversation. After nodding, she left the table to go into the living room. Flicking the television on, she went through the channels until she stopped at one. "Hector, get in here!"

Waltzing in with suds still on his cleaning gloves, Hector scanned the room for any intruders before his eyes fell on his mother. He had just started doing the dishes before he was called into the living room. "What is it?" Directed to the television, Hector's eyes were attached to the screen as he walked over to sit down next to Valarie on the couch.

"For those just tuning in, we are here tonight as two of the best fighters of each team duke it out in the cage in the HRT Championship Race! Representing Team HRT is the fearsome Nadder while fighting for Team Suoredrum is the infamous Red Death. I gotta tell ya, folks, for a brawl like this, the crowd wanted Night Fury to fight his rival, but Nadder sure is giving 'em a show!"

"I need to go." Hector stood, giving his mother an apologetic look. His night with his mother was ruined. He was foolish to think that the championship would end with his win that night. Now he had to clean up the mess back at the stadium. He'd bet that the crowd would love to see Night Fury come back to help Nadder in the final battle against Red Death. The ratings would shoot through the roof and the financial problems would vanish.

"I know." The sight of Hector, still donned in his Ultimate Obsidian armor, with yellow cleaning gloves and an apron tied around his waist was a humorous one, but he meant all business. "Be careful."

"I'll be back in a few hours…" Hector left for the garage, but came back to the living room.

"What is it?" Valarie looked up.

Hector thought for a moment why he came back, but then he reached over and unclasped his wrist device. "Here," Hector knelt down and put it in her hand, "Jefferson will give you anything you need. Just ask. I'll be back." Hector nodded before swiftly exiting the house.

Hearing the retreating sound of Hector leaving, Valarie's curiosity was piqued at the device. She's seen it on Hector's person at all times. When she clicked on a random button, imagine her surprise when the most recent banking transactions. The first report was about the sizeable withdrawal with the house's address. Valarie derived a conclusion and could only guess that her son emptied his bank account to buy back the house. Feeling a twinge of real emotion, Valarie shook herself and took out her cell phone. Dialing in, an annoyed male voice yawned a, "What is it now?!"

"I received the master access code to HRT towers. As it turns out, it was never written, it was solely in a device that Hector carried on his person."

"Finally, some progress, Valarie. I send the jet immediately-"

"No, I will not leave until I tidy up here. You hired me because of my clean track record, correct?" Valarie quickly added as she could practically hear the annoyance from over the phone.

"Yes… Just be sure to cut all ties at Berk before coming here. When you debrief me of your assignment, I want you to have a clear conscience…" Drake let the order linger before he hung up.

"What a paranoid man." Valarie commented before dialing for a taxi. She had to wait ten minutes before the driver arrived. Once comfortable, she requested to go to HRT towers.

Peering at the rear window, the taxi driver asked, "You got clearance, lady? Security's a bitch over there."

Holding up her new wrist accessory, Valarie smiled. "Don't worry, I have clearance." To everything.

---

Ash jumped back for the third time since the beginning of the fight. She'd been on the defense for too long and the crowd was starting to turn onto Red Death's offensive fighting. What did they expect? Ash had already both her daggers at him but Red Death only shrugged it off and continued swinging those swords around. Now Ash was down to her quick reflexes and wits. Cursing her stubborn decision to stay with her light-class armor, Ash discovered that Red Death's armor wasn't light or heavy class, but like Hector's, it was a hybrid-class.

Retrieving her last spare dagger, Ash charged for Red Death. Once in range to attack, Ash threw a punch. It surprised her when it connected and Alvin's head whipped around from the impact, but then he spun to kick her in the stomach, sending Nadder skidding back. Before she could refocus on what was in front of her, Alvin got right in her face and slashed wildly at her. Her guard shooting up in front of her, Nadder's forearm guards took the brunt of the attack. The moment Ash assumed Alvin paused in his attack; she tried kicking him away to get some distance. But her leg was caught and Ash felt herself being thrown through the air.

Crashing against the reinforced chains-linked fence, Ash knew she had to get up and quick before Alvin had a chance to- Ash suddenly twirled along the fence, barely avoiding the flying sword that would've skewered her. Looking up to find Alvin, Ash grunted when she found him. Red Death's forearm slammed into her neck, pinning her to the wall. Alvin reached over and pulled his sword, readying to stab Ash as he held her still. Ash raised her hands to push against Alvin's helmet, but with her awkward position, she didn't have enough of an angle to really do anything. Struggling to get free, Ash's eyes widened as she watched Alvin drop his sword before taking off his helmet.

"I'm going to enjoy pounding Hector's favorite toy into paste." Alvin glanced up and down Ash's armor, his mouth cracking into a leering grin. He reached over and pulled off Ash's helmet. "Ooh, what a scary face…" Alvin snickered at the piercing glare he was receiving from Ash. "You don't scare me, girly. As a matter of fact," Alvin leaned in close, "having you like this kind of turns me on- Whoa!" His tongue flicked at her button nose before backing away when Ash moved to head butt him. "I gotta tell ya, I was a little surprised your captain wasn't here to fight me. However, I'm not disappointed, his toy is plenty entertaining. Here, let me help you lose this pathetic armor…" Alvin reached down to pull at Ash's chest piece.

The instant Alvin broke eye contact; Ash ripped her dagger from his chest piece and scored a long cut across Alvin's face. After releasing her with a howl of pain, Alvin's hands flew towards his scarred face, backing away from Ash. Alvin didn't even feel the EMP sticky bomb attach itself to his arm, but he did feel Ash shove him away from her.

Appearing more animalistic than before, Red Death glared at Nadder with clenched teeth and blood trailing down the side of his face. "You'll pay for that-" The EMP went off and Red Death stiffened while still maintaining his balance. Alvin seemed to be shrugging off the surges of electricity well, but once Ash added another one, he couldn't hold it in. Red Death roared in pain. Squeezing his eyes tight, Red Death tried his best to compose himself. He wasn't aware of Ash standing in front of him, relishing the show. Red Death was open and now Ash finally had a chance to go onto the offensive.

Wrenching her other dagger off his armor, and some fragments of armor, Ash went into a frenzy slashing the exposed chest piece, its wires and circuits spraying left to right. Dodging Alvin's frantic retaliation swing, Ash stabbed his chest and brought herself up to knee him at the chin. Springing off Red Death, Ash landed a foot away before lunging to deliver her last powerful right hook. Still standing, although temporarily dazed, Red Death was about to lose his balance. But before that, Ash spun to kick him away. Crashing into the cage wall, created a dent, Red Death's head bowed. Like a ghost of Night Fury, he fell, defeated.

Panting with heavy breathes; Ash's face broke out into a smile as her fans cheered for her. She'd won! Although she no longer wanted to avenge Night Fury, she beat Red Death! Take that, Hector! Ash dropped her daggers as her victorious grin was mirrored onto the jumbo screen.

"If you don't want an hourly dose of Reptile, I suggest you get up and end this, Alvin…" Drake radioed into Red Death's helmet.

Lying on the ground, defeated and about to pass out, the shock of his father's threat shook Alvin out of it as he gripped his sword and desperately raised it to-

It was too loud. She didn't hear her teammates. The lights were flashing. She didn't see them waving their arms frantically at her. Everybody's attention was drawn to the winner of the championship race. She was happy.

Ash was falling down to her side. She didn't know why, but she lost her balance. Failing to right herself, she fell with a thud onto the cage floor. Either the crowd suddenly quieted or she was in her own world, it didn't matter. When she looked down her body, Ash was horrified to see that Alvin's sword had impaled her right through her left kneecap. With her eyelids closing, the last thing Ash saw was Alvin staring at her. Remorse in his eyes. And fear.

---

It was dark, Ash was swimming between consciousness, but she heard the shouts of the world outside her head.

"Deactivate Red Death's armor!"

"Get security here, now!"

"Call a medic!"

"Hey, sweetie, what's your name…? Ash, hi, my name is Amy- No, don't close your eyes, keep them open and keep talking to me! Ash, you've been hurt, but it's going to be okay- I'm losing her, hurry up with the stretcher! No, get a chopper- We need to operate before it gets infected!"

"Ronnie, calm down-"

"Shut up, Stewart, you should've been the one in that cage, fighting that monster!"

"It's not his fault Ash-" The sound of a fist connecting to a jaw rang out.

"You chickened out, you piece of shit!" Ronnie screamed at the both of them before being deactivated.

"You know what, I don't even care! She had what was coming to her!" Apparently, Stewart left the scene.

"Hey, you don't mean that…!" Teddy called after him.

---

Hector sat in the waiting room at the hospital along with his team. When he first arrived, he knew the burning question all three of them had. "Where were you?" But none of them verbally asked. They were still reeling from the events of earlier. Now, he waited for the results of Ash's surgery.

Ash had to have her leg amputated. The fault could've been on the medical crews that couldn't decide whether to wait for a helicopter or just drive to the hospital. Maybe the fault landed on Team HRT for allowing it to happen as they watched from the sidelines. Hell, some thought the officials should be the ones to be blamed for even holding the event. But honestly, Hector admitted that he dropped the ball on this one. To his teammates, as soon as he walked in, he took blame. But they didn't listen or care. They just sat there, like zombies, after learning of Ash's fate.

Solomon was off to the side with Ash and Ronnie's parents, dealing with his own demons. He couldn't believe he condoned the event. The fear of losing his company should never have come before the safety of a little girl. Solomon still felt the slap he earned from Audrey as soon as they arrived to the hospital. His longtime friend, Archibald, couldn't even look at him. Solomon thought back to his ex-wife and of her disappearing without a trace. Shaking his head, Solomon never felt so demoralized.

Finally, the doctor that informed them of Ash's surgery, came into the waiting room with her assistant. Before the woman could even speak, she was bombarded on all sides.

"Did she make it- Sorry. How is she?" Stewart had been reprimanding himself a lot tonight. But he did managed to ask what everyone was thinking.

The doctor recognized the crowd when she first informed them, but she could only discuss the results with the family. She turned to the adults present. "May I speak to the parents of Ashley Maverick?"

There was clear shock and tension in the room at what the doctor uttered. Team HRT was scandalized at Ash's last name, they couldn't believe it. Solomon was confused, while Archibald was surprised of the last name being used in the medical records. He turned to Diana for an explanation. But before anything, Hector stood up and briskly walked right up to the doctor. "Where is her room?"

"I cannot disclose that information until you verify whether you are family or a friend of the family." This wasn't the first time she had to deal with concerned ones and their bad attitude. She wasn't fazed by the withering glare she received from the armor teenager.

"I don't have time for your games, doctor. Answer me." Hector reached for his weapon.

"Hector, calm yourself down-"

"Answer me…" His Eskrima lit up as surges of electricity coated the baton.

"Nurse, notify the authorities. We have an issue here-"

Just then, the alarms went off as klaxon blared through the speakers. The doctor's eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. "Oh no…" Before the doctor could turn to leave, her wrist was grabbed. As it turned out, it was Ash's father.

"What's wrong, tell me!" Archibald insisted with worry in his eyes.

The doctor bit her lip before answering. "Before I came to inform you of Ash's condition, she had a visitor."

"Who?" Hector piped in, his weapons still drawn.

"It was a family member, so I gave permission-"

That's all Hector had to hear. With the development of Ash's last name being Maverick, and the visitor being family, only one person came to mind. Alvin. "What room?!"

"Room 714. I'm sorry, I knew he appeared suspicious but he was persistent-"

Hector was already running down the halls, the numbers on the doors whizzing by until he came upon the room. Exploding into the room, Hector only saw a glimpse of red before he knew it was too late. Clenching his fists, Hector lost his temper in the empty room. He ripped the bed to shreds, broke the medical equipment into irreparable pieces, and put dents into the walls of the room. Hector was on a rampage in a dangerous armor. If it wasn't for his team tackling him to the ground, who knows what could've happened to the rooms holding actual patients.

After being successfully pinned by his team, Hector let out a snarl to be released. Before the security arrived to detain him, Hector used his Eskrima to throw off his team before exiting the room. As he charged down the hallways, he barreled down the guards and whoever tried to stop him. Once out of the hospital, Hector got onto his bike and sped off.

Arriving at the empty airport strip, Hector prepped his stealth bomber and checked off the requirements for emergency flight. He was unaware of the incoming calls due to his missing wrist device. If only he had it, he would've received the message his mother left him.

Taking off, Hector set his destination for Fort Suoredrum. With his armor's overall power at less than 25 percent, his weapons dead, and his bike in need of refueling, Hector knew he was heading into the serpent's den unprepared. That's what he gets for wearing the armor for extended periods of time without properly charging it. But it didn't deter him. It was Hector's fault Ash was in this mess and if he knew Alvin as much as he remembered, he had to get their quickly. There still the looming fear of what the mad scientist would do with a new test subject for his Reptile.

---

Touching down onto the deserted airstrip, Hector slowed down before navigating to a stop. Pressing a button to release the latch to unload his 520, Hector's helmet transformed around his head. He tapped his wrist to synchronize to his bike, but when nothing happened, Hector frowned. Then he remembered that Jefferson was with his mother. Hesitating to exit the plane, alone, in unknown territory, Hector was going in solo. It didn't sit well with him. Of course, all these years, going solo was exactly what he wanted, but memories came flooding of Drake and his son. With less than a quarter power left, Hector wised he at least had somebody to watch his back-

"What are you waiting for?"

Hector jumped a good two feet before bumping his head onto the roof of the bomber. He just got there and he was already ambushed?! Hector turned from the controls and once he learned who had boarded his plane, his jaw hit the floor.

"Ronnie?! What are you doing here?!" Hector yelled at the teenager. Of course, it was Ronnie. Since day one, only she could sneak up on him and scare the crap out of him!

"We're here to rescue Ash… duh." Ronnie gave him a wide toothy grin. "You didn't think I'd let you go after the baddies alone, did ya?"

Secretly glad that he had someone to watch his back, Hector was still irked with her. "How did you get on the plane?"

Adopting a thoughtful expression, Ronnie rubbed her chin before answering. "I guess when you were loading up your bike. I snuck onboard, but I didn't have enough time to load my own bike before you decided to take off."

Hector wanted to ask another question, clearly stalling the evitable, but Ronnie wouldn't have it. "No more questions, we have to go already. Who knows what Ash is going through right now…" Ronnie looked at the ground solemnly at the thought.

Hector stood there awkwardly, not having the slightest clue what to say to her. How could he reassure Ronnie when he was having doubts himself? "Hey, don't worry about Hofferson… she's… a girl?" Hector wanted to slap his forehead. He couldn't compliment Ash for the life of him.

Rolling her eyes at Hector's lame attempt to calm her, Ronnie readied herself. "Come on, let's go! A sexually-frustrated boy and an awesome girl should have no problem rescuing Ash!"

Well, if that last statement didn't bring down his morale and downright hurt his feelings, Hector's doesn't no what will. Hector dejectedly followed Ronnie to the outside. As soon as the two of them stepped foot outside, they had trouble not stepping on each other's toes. Like the stadium, the surrounding area was in a blackout. Hector couldn't make out anything within the five-mile radius. Switching his night vision on, Hector knew he had work search quickly else, he wasted the remaining power he had. There!

Maverick Enterprises, a tomb-like building miles away, stood as the tallest structure in Fort Suoredrum. Hector could make out the lights on the top floor.

"By bike, we should make it there in half an hour, maybe quicker." Hector judged the distance and estimated time of arrival. Mounting his bike and connecting into the system, Hector paused his preparations when Ronnie got on behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Weren't you listening? I didn't have time to load my bike on."

Hector shook his head and warned his passenger to hang on. Then he shot off, determined to shorten the distance as fast as possible.

The pair was traveling for a good ten minutes before one of them broke the silence.

"Where did you go?"

He should've prepared for this. "I don't know what you're talking about-"

"After the final race, the power came back on, and you were gone." Ronnie refreshed his memory.

"In the locker room."

"Really? You didn't hear the announcer start the match? O-or, yeah! You couldn't be found by the security guards because you weren't there, Hector! Where were you?"

"I went home, okay?!"

"Oh, what was so great at the tower-?"

"Not the tower. My- the house I used to live in before my father was sent to jail…" Hector swerved to avoid a pothole and accelerated dangerously. "I went home to my mother, whom I haven't seen in years… She came back." The bike over shifted. "But, of course, any good things that happen in my life have to be interrupted. I didn't think the officials would call for a death match when I left, I assumed another event would take place tomorrow!" Abandoned buildings and light poles whizzed by in a blur as the Night Fury-520 speedometer climbed even higher. Ronnie held on as Hector jerked back and forth to avoid ditches and potholes on the ruined road.

After Ronnie heard the familiar spooling coming from the front of the bike, she nudged Hector to slow down before he killed the both of them.

"Now Ash had to get her leg chopped off! And it's my fault!" Hector lowered himself closer to the bike as he continued to squeeze the accelerator with his claws. "I am killing myself try to be the best I can be and I keep failing everyone around me!"

Ronnie was scared for her life. She didn't have the night vision function Hector had so she had to put her life in his hands as he sped through the darkness at wild speeds. However, as they went faster, Ronnie worried for Hector as she heard him slowly unwind. She gasped when she felt the 520 spit out blue shots from the front. Her eyes widened when she saw them explode against the wall of some building and then she started screaming when she did not see Hector slow down and kept a straight line for the wall.

"Alvin!" Hector jumped off his 520, Ronnie in tow, as the bike crashed into somebody.

Ronnie had a death grip on Hector, hanging onto him as they both dismounted his bike. Detaching herself from Hector in shock, she landed on her backside, and was stunned by the lights and her surroundings. They were now in, what looked to be an office lobby, a run-down one at that. There were papers, office supplies, and chairs scattered around the floor. Standing up, Ronnie witnessed the scene in front of her with dread.

The 520 had collided into Red Death as its owner viciously attacked the victim of the run-in. Night Fury lowered himself to the same level of fighting as his rival and Ronnie was mortified at Hector's ruthlessness. If he wasn't smacking Red Death with the Eskrima, Hector was tearing apart Alvin's armor.

After a few moments passed, Hector halted his assault and turned to stare right at Ronnie. "Go find her!" It sounded more like an animalistic growl than it did a coherent order, but Ronnie obeyed almost immediately, she didn't want to know what would happen if she stayed a minute longer. Once Ronnie was out of the room, Hector clenched the lifeless body of Red Death and hurled him away into a secretary desk.

…

Ronnie was crawling from exhaustion down the hallway, checking every room before resume her less than modest search for her friend. With the elevator broken, Ronnie was forced to climb 20 floors to get the top where she guessed Ash would most likely be. The top floor was the only one that had working lights. Weakly opening the next door, Ronnie shot up to her feet when she saw Ash lying down in a stretcher. Throwing caution to the wind, Ronnie ran inside to Ash's side.

"W-who's there?"

Ronnie turned to see a ragged man step into the light from the corner he hid himself when Ronnie opened the door. Ronnie instantly went on the offensive, but her eyebrow quirked when she saw that the man flinched, bringing his hands to guard his face.

"P-please leave her a-alone; she's been through enough trauma t-tonight…" The bent over man peeked through his fingers.

"You mean, you're not experimenting on her?" Ronnie questioned, her staff still raised anxiously.

Fervently shaking his head, the man held his hands up in defense. "Of course not. I've being held here captive-" The man jumped at a noise he heard from down the hall. "You must leave now!" Whispering cautiously, the man moved to shoo Ronnie out the door.

"I'm not leaving without Ash!" Ronnie held her ground.

Shushing her harshly, the man rapidly began nodding. "Alright, alright, please be quiet. You must take your friend and leave while you still can!" Receiving a questioning stare from the teenager, the man continued. "There are guards that routinely come around to check up on the captives here! Please, you and your friend must move swiftly!"

Ronnie nodded in understanding and gathered Ash up in her arms. She stopped when the mysterious man rolled a wheelchair up to her. "Thanks-"

The man bobbed his head and waves his arms. He took the gratitude, but he wouldn't calm down until Ronnie was safely gone. "Go down the hall and make a right. A freight elevator is still working and it can take you down to the garage…"

Securing Ash in the wheelchair, Ronnie rolled them out the door. But she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "What are you doing, we have to go-"

Holding up a hand, the man shook his head. "No, the guards will be alerted if they come into an empty room. I must stay behind. Go!"

"But-"

"Please… it would break my heart if you ended up being captured along with your friend… Down the hall, make a left! The freight elevator!" The hobbled man shooed Ronnie out the door.

At the end of the hall, Ronnie stopped to face the man hanging out of the room watching her impatiently. "Thank you." Then she was gone.

Nodding, he waved before stepping back into the room. Letting out a deep breathe, the man ripped off his face and stood straighter. Flicking on the overhead lights, Drake Maverick smirked at his acting performance. He couldn't believe how naïve the teenager was. Pulling up a tablet device, he watched the security cameras track Ronnie heading into the elevator.

…

As it turned out, Hector discovered that he was only fighting an empty shell of Alvin's armor controlled by a dummy AI. Settling down and collecting his senses, Hector managed to calm himself down. He jumped when he heard someone access his comm. Link. "Hector, where are you?! There were some mercenaries following us and I got away, but they'll be coming soon!" Ronnie relayed. "I'm on my way!" Hector radioed in. He turned and grimaced at the sight of his totaled bike before briskly running for the stairwell. He hoped there was reliable transportation in the garage.

With his last ounce of luck, there was a stripped down outdated 320 parked in the garage. Mounting it and starting it up, Hector tore out of Maverick Enterprises towards the deserted airport.

…

Arriving at the airstrip, Hector saw his bomber already traveling down the runway. He didn't know Ronnie knew how to pilot a plane or where the mercenaries chasing Ronnie were, but he didn't care. He sped after the bomber. When he was close enough, he jumped off the bike and pulled himself onto the unloading bay latch. About to pull himself further in, Hector froze as his armor ran out of power and started its lockdown sequence beginning at his lower sectional… "Ronnie!" Hector yelled over the rushing runway under him. His eyes widened when the plane went over a bump and he lurched towards the opening. Clawing at the floor to steady himself, he anxiously called for Ronnie again. Hector seemed to relax when he heard footsteps nearing him. He breathed a sigh of relief when saw the person exit the cockpit.

Hector watched in shock as Ash walked over to his prone form. She was walking! But the doctor said Ash had to have her leg amputated… As of that moment, it didn't matter, Hector's armor was locking down and he wasn't fully in the moving plane. "Ash," Hector reverted back to calling her by her first name, "pull me in!"

Ash stopped and peered down at Hector with a mischievous grin. "You wanna know something interesting, Hector. Dad told me about your little bankruptcy problem your dad is having with HRT. And we both guessed that Solomon started the championship to earn enough money to fix this. But here's where it really gets good… I technically won the race. You might've crossed the finish line, but the racetrack system registered my 420's signature and named me the winner. And I won the death match…"

"You get the championship money." Hector concluded.

"Yeah, Haddock, I do get the money." Ash brought her foot down onto Hector's back. "You know what, Haddock; I think it's time to get rid of some dead weight…" Ash tensed her newly acquired leg, booting Hector off the plane, all the while with an evil smirk on her face. It was payback time.

"Ash, what are you doing-" Ronnie shouted, but she was too late to do anything for Hector.

Hector made a mad swipe, desperate to slash that smirk off her face, but his armor finalized its lock-down sequence and Hector's arms were forcefully locked to his sides. In the dead shell of his Ultimate Obsidian, Hector Percy Haddock plummeted to the unknown territory of Fort Suoredrum.

Upcoming sequel - Battle Cross: Endgame

Following the plummeting object with his binoculars, Drake scrolled his finger and made his device zoom in on what looked to be an obscure object falling from the plane. At the limit of focus, Drake immediately radioed in his team of specialists. Then he got his notepad out and started jotting down the coordinates, "head 27.8 miles out northeast and scan the 8 mile radius for cargo that might've dropped from the Haddock's bomber." Drake assigned Grayson and his team to locate the special cargo. "I want your team prepped and ready to go yesterday, Captain Grayson."

---

The resounding boom of an armor falling a thousand feet signaled Drake's mercenaries to its location. A team of three charged towards the crater with their guard ready for a fight.

"Unregistered armor, three o'clock at my position!" The scout of the group called in.

Grayson furrowed his brow. They found something already? Clicking into the radio, Grayson told the scout to make sure. "Use your infrared and triple-check for hostiles in your sector." Next, he ordered his sniper to coordinate onto the scout's position. "Boss said this kid's armor is practically a dead weight."

Grayson was about to order his team to another location, but then his scout reported in. "What did you get, Liam?"

The scout felt someone boring their eyes at his every movement, but there was only him and the sniper of his team and the prone armor. Unless his gear was faulty, Liam ignored the gut feeling. "No activity readings, sir. Just a deactivated armor."

"Alright, I'm still a ways from your position. Configure your P.O.V cam with the Boss' feed to confirm a positive."

"Yes, sir. You get that, Mikaela?" Liam nodded to the sniper. Mikaela handled most of the technical dealings on missions.

"Already sent it in. Awaiting his answer."

"Bring it in." Drake's voice came in through Mikaela and Liam's comm. links.

"Yes, sir."

"With the resources on Fort Suoredrum, we are unable to cut into this advanced hybrid armor, Mr. Maverick…"

"How perceptive of you." Drake dismissed the failed researcher. It was no secret that his business was shot to hell and most of the sellers for said 'resources' had long since written Maverick Enterprises off the sellers' list.

Drake rapped a knuckle against the visor of the armor. "I know you're in there. I can only think of one person smart enough to construct an armor that can withstand an advanced plasma cutter.

"Sir, your visitor has arrived." An assistant peeked his head through the door, informing his superior.

"Hn" Drake grunted in acknowledgement, dismissing the assistant before bending down to marvel the slightly nicked chest piece. "Working together, side by side, imagine what we could accomplish. The Reptile serum you introduced to me is almost perfected, Hector. All I need is your final draft and we can change the medical world!" Drake finished with a dramatic wave of his hands. When he didn't get the response he wanted from the locked down individual, he huffed before fixing his hair.

"My charm might not be enough for you to come out of your 'shell', but maybe my guest will. She's come a long way…"

The visor to the armor suddenly parted and its occupant glowered at Drake. But then the person's colored face contorted. The young man in the armor blew out his air and started to breathe in and out very heavily. The teenager's glare intensified at the thought of Ash coming back to mock him.

The door to the room clicked and in walked Drake's special guest.

Hector's eyes struggled to see who it was, but from his locked position, he couldn't tilt his head to look. His breathe hitched when he heard her voice.

"If it isn't my baby boy."

Hector lost it.

…

Ashley Hofferson, CEO of HRT, walked the halls of the tower towards her personal elevator. Once the elevator signaled that it had arrived at her destination, Ash stepped out and made her way to the training cage. Ash pulled some bullshit contract together and forced Nightmare and Gronckle to train her four times a week. With the threat of hefty fines looming over them, they conceded and agreed.

Trading blows with a dejected Nightmare, Ash thought back to the past events of the last three months. After landing in Berk, thanks to the bomber's autopilot, Ash formed a lie to get back into good terms with Ronnie. Afterward, she collected her reward money and struck a deal with Solomon Haddock. Give her his company or risk the evidence of his rigged competition to the authorities. Then, Ash gave herself a break and rekindled her friendship with Ronnie. Then she had to get to work training to get stronger.

Stepping over an unconscious Gronckle, Ash turned to Nightmare. It only took Ash moments to defeat the ghost of her teammates. The next trainer, an added bonus, meekly walked in. Without waiting for her opponent to get ready, Nadder charged at Timberjack. As per usual, the young prodigy didn't give Ash the fight she wanted and Timberjack was taken down easily. Finally, the last trainer, an AI in one of the Night Fury armors, was remotely activated online by the digital butler Ash's father gave her that fateful day, the Night Fury armor booted up and got into stance, ready to train with the young woman for the day.

Getting into her stance, daggers raised, Ash steeled herself. She had to be ready.

It could happen tomorrow. Maybe next week. Even that very moment. Ash was aware at all times, whether she was hanging out with Ronnie and Frankie or training, she was on guard. It would happen eventually.

Night Fury would return with a vengeance. And Ash had to be ready for his vindictive arrival. But for now, she trained with the copy of her former captain.

---

(A/N) Second to last chapter of Battle Cross. The upcoming final chapter, Origins, will detail the prequel to Battle Cross.

Answer key of the quiz:

What are Ash and Ronnie's birth names? (Answer: Ashley Hofferson and Veronica Thompson)

What relationship does Hector have with Archibald? (Answer: Archibald is Hector's god-father, but is referred to by Hector as his uncle)

What is Hector's grandfather's name? (Answer: Aslan Haddock)

What program ID is Jefferson? (Answer: AI ID number: 03.26.10 )

What model "civilian" vehicle does Ronnie drive? (Toyota Tundra)

What color is Alvin Maverick's hair? (Answer: Bleach blonde)

What does "420", the main model of bikes in Battle Cross, stand for? (Answer: 420 varieties of armor, weaponry, and upgrades)

Who was Cameron Bateman's first friend? (Virgil)

Why did the story's rating change from "T" to "M"? (RAGE was worried the story might be taken down due to some suggestive themes and because of the past purge going on with the "Fan-fiction" site combing through and deleting stories with inappropriate content)

Name each character's last names.

Answer: Bateman, Haddock, Hofferson, Johnson, Maverick, Thompson, Thorston, and Thug.

Equinox: I apologize for the long wait. Allow me to tell you in detail what happened during the gap of updating. I've just been working long hours, earning some money, burning through said money on video games, playing said video games, not updating my stories because of this… I'm forgetting something… Oh yeah, procrastinating on my projects for college and then rushing through them three hours before the classes started.

Equinox: "But it gets better! I'm dating Emily! Some of you may or may not know who this person is, but I mentioned her a few times in my other story, Oh My Gods…"

Rodriguez the Panda: "He's still in denial, isn't he?"

RAGE: "Yes."

Rodriguez the Panda: "Is he ever going to snap out of it?"

RAGE: "Probably when the restraining order takes effect…"

Emily: "Is he still going?"

RAGE and Rodriguez: O_O' "Eh…?"

Equinox: "Anyway, while I found a job close to my major, she ended up working in a warehouse. May I remind you that her major is marine biology, not even remotely close to her major! HA, that's what you get for friend-zoning me! XD I doubt she'll ever see this post and rip me a new one. In the past, she made it clear she didn't want anything to do with my writing- GAH!" T_T

Emily: "It'll surprise me if people continue to read your stories. You never stop rambling in your author notes…"

"Unlike you, my panda followers are loyal…" Equinox muttered under his breath.

Emily: "What was that?" (￣∩￣#)

Equinox: ==(/*o*)/ *Bolts*

"Leave a review and compliment Emily so I can live to write another day, my loyal pandas!"

Tune in soon for the next chapter of EquinoxKnight01's cooperative story! Questions will be answered, past will be revealed, and the origins of some characters might surprise you… Until next time, on Battle Cross!