Ziggy arrived at the storage unit to pick up the truck. As he went inside, pulling the keys out of his pocket, his cell phone rang. He checked caller ID, finding that it was Fresno Bob calling him and answered.
"Harris was just here looking through some papers." Bob warned him. "He knows you grew up at the orphanage. He said he's taking a team over there."
"Calm down Bob." Ziggy told him. "It's alright; it isn't time to panic yet."
"Harris is taking a gang of heavily armed ruthless gangsters to the orphanage, and you're telling me not to panic?" He asked incredulously. "Kerry's in there! Your mother!"
"So Benny did tell you." Ziggy replied. "Don't worry Bob, I have something in mind. Benny's taking care of it."
"Benny?" He roared. "You're relying on Benny to guard them against that bunch of psychos?"
"Trust me dad, I learned from the best." He said with a little smile. "I learned from Fresno Bob. Have you heard from Hicks?"
"I lost communication with him about half an hour ago." He answered him, furrowing his brows. "Ziggy, what about...?"
"Trust me, it'll be fine." Ziggy stated, before hanging up. Fresno Bob just growled in frustration as he put his cell phone away. He knew he couldn't go out to check on the orphanage himself, it would only arouse suspicion, and Ziggy still had to spring his traps, whatever they were. He just hoped that Ziggy hadn't over-estimated the security of his plan, and especially that he hadn't overestimated Benny's ability to keep Kerry and the kids safe.
Harris and about a dozen members of the Scorpion Cartel approached the orphanage by limo, pulling up outside. Harris stepped out, cradling his blaster in his arm. It was quite late, so most of the lights were out, but he could see that the light in the kitchen was on, and a shadow in the window let him know that someone was moving about inside. He could hear the sound of a woman's voice humming as he pulled closer. Obviously Ms. Foster was doing some work in the kitchen while the kids were asleep.
They approached the door silently, at which he pointed to one of his men and then to the door. He pulled out some lock tools and started to pick the lock.
Ms. Foster was busy working on preparing some meals for the day ahead. With so many kids to feed, she had always found it prudent to do as much prep work as possible before turning in for the night. At times it seemed like she was doing the work of a restaurant chef, housekeeper, nurse and nanny to dozens of kids at a time, and yet still only earned about as much as a waitress. Money wasn't the reason she took the job though. Once Ziggy had grown too old to stay at the orphanage, she had been doing the job so long; she genuinely loved it, and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
Her head jerked round as she heard the lock to the main door being triggered, and felt her heart racing a little faster. She was terrified for the kids' welfare given current circumstances. Although the orphanage was a good distance from the contested zones, she was still afraid to let the kids go outside and had kept them indoors as much as possible where she could keep an eye on them.
She reached to the stove, picking up a cast-iron skillet and made her way to the door of the kitchen, listening. She heard footsteps and knew someone was approaching. She moved to the side of the door and lifted the cooking tool high above her head as the door started to open. As she saw a large man in a suit come in the door, she screamed loudly, bringing the Skillet down across his back.
"Argh! Stop it! Kerry it's me!" Benny complained as he grabbed his shoulder in pain. She just breathed deeply and held a hand over her chest.
"God Benny you scared the bloody life out of me!" He reprimanded him. "What are you doing here?"
"Ziggy asked me to stay with you and make sure everything was fine." Benny told her, taking a seat. "How are the kids?"
"They're a little unsettled, but they're sleeping now." She responded as she got some frozen peas out of the freezer, handing them to Benny. "I'm sorry about the shoulder."
Harris pushed open the door to the kitchen, making his way in slowly as he panned around the room with his blaster, prepared for an attack. It never came though. Instead as he came in, he noticed a dressing gown hanging from a drying rack, which had been placed directly in front of an electric fan, causing it to move and flutter. There was a stereo on the counter, playing a track of a woman humming. Realising that was what he had seen; he kicked over the drying frame in frustration.
"Harris, we've checked the whole building, there's no one here!" One of his comrades informed him. "The beds haven't been slept in; no one's been here for hours!"
"We've wasted enough time here." He barked as he picked up the stereo, throwing it across the room and shattering it against the wall. "Come on guys, there's nothing here."
Just then, the front and back door of the orphanage were kicked in, and members of the Blue Crew flooded into the building. As the first of them arrived, Harris could see that they were as shocked as he was to run into each other here.
"Grover's set us up!" He yelled as he fired, taking the first of them down. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
Over at the Blue Crew's headquarters, Ronan made his way into the basement as he awaited word on his men. He had kept a few to hold down the building, and sent most of them to keep an eye on Spike Mike's mob, looking for any sign of Ziggy making the deal with them, but so far he hadn't heard anything.
He came back into the room, finding Hicks still chained to the pipes. As he saw the crime lord enter the room, Hicks pulled himself up, no longer relying on the restraints to hold him upright as he tried to gain as much of a position of strength in front of his captor as he could.
Ronan came over to him, looking into his eyes.
"You know I should probably thank you. Your information will be instrumental in me owning this city." He said elatedly as he pulled a large, sharp bowie knife from his belt. "You know, I'm so grateful, I think I'll do this quickly."
"Could I ask one thing before you do?" Hicks asked him. "Think of it as a favour. I think it's only fair since I helped you so much."
"You know what? I'm not in that much of a hurry." He responded. "What is it?"
"Could you tell me the time?" Hicks asked him. Ronan just checked his watch.
"It's about ten past ten." He replied. Hicks just laughed as he heard this. "What's so funny?"
"You know I'm on psych leave at the moment right?" He asked Ronan. He nodded in response. "Well I have this friend who likes to drop in every night at eight to check on me. Well now I'm over two hours late, and she is kind of protective. She's smart too, so I'm sure she's probably figured out where I am."
"So that's your brilliant plan?" Ronan asked him in a dismissive laugh. "Do you really think I'm scared of a girl?"
Almost on cue, there was an explosion and several screams from upstairs. Hicks smiled at him.
"That depends on the girl now doesn't it?" He said with a knowing smile. The door flew off its hinges, slamming into Ronan and taking him down as Gemma ran into the room. She looked down, satisfying herself that he was unconscious before recalling her helmet.
"Hicks, are you alright?" She asked him with a concerned look on her face as she surveyed his injuries. "What happened?"
"Let's just say I had a rough day." He responded.
"The military's moving in to secure the sector." She told him as she pulled out her cloud hatchet, preparing to cut him loose. She paused for a second looking into his face for a while, before pulling in, kissing him deeply, before she swung the weapon, smashing the chains from his wrists. She caught him as he slumped forward, helping prop him up.
"Why did you do that?" He asked her. "Why did you kiss me first?"
"I didn't know if I'd get another chance once I untied you." She answered as she helped him from the room. "Come on, we'll get you to a hospital."
Most of Spike Mike's gang had gone to the square by the old brewery to take delivery of the shipment. The handover point was deeply in the contested zone, and so Mike was taking no chances that the delivery would be interrupted. He had only held back enough men to secure the foundry, and had sent his most trusted lieutenants to receive the shipment from Ziggy.
As they heard the sound of the truck approaching, they started to fan out, taking up defensive perimeter positions, and covered the area with their blasters. One of the gangsters came over as Ziggy hopped out of the cab, morphing as he did so.
"Where's Spike Mike?" Ziggy asked as he approached.
"He's back at headquarters." The gangster told him. "I'm Rocco, you can deal with me."
"I don't deal with flunkies." Ziggy told him, snatching away the keys as Rocco reached out for them. "Mike and I have a deal. I need his assurance he'll stick to his side of the bargain, otherwise I take this straight to Ronan."
"Mike doesn't double-cross on a deal." He stated bluntly. "Now, give me the keys."
Ziggy looked between the keys and Rocco, before finally handing them over.
"Hand them over!" A voice called out. The Blue Crew filed into the area, laying down a curtain of fire. Ziggy dived into the back of the truck as the fire-fight began. Rocco followed him, using the edge of the truck for cover. He ducked back to change power cells, at which he noticed that the back of the truck was empty, except for a device a little larger than a briefcase, which Ziggy was working on.
"What the hell is that?" He asked him. "Where are the medical supplies?"
"I sold those ages ago, they're long since gone." Ziggy told him. "This is a little something I borrowed from Dr. K's lab. It's called an Electro Magnetic Pulse Generator."
He pressed a red button on it, at which a timer started ticking down.
"When this goes off, every electronic device within three hundred yards will be fried, including those high-tech weapons you all value so much." He explained as he reached for his morpher. "Have fun when the military arrives."
With that, he activated his teleportation power, leaving Rocco alone in the truck with it. He got out of the truck and started to run.
"Guys it's a trap!" He screamed as he started to run. The pulse activated, sweeping across the area. The square suddenly fell silent as both gangs found their weapons useless.
Just then, a number of APC's drove into the area, sealing off all the exits to the square. Soldiers disembarked, covering the square with their weapons. One officer fired a warning shot, letting the two factions know that their weapons still functioned.
"Everyone stay right where you are!" He ordered them. "Throw your weapons on the ground and get your hands where I can see them! Anyone resisting arrest will be shot!"
One by one, all the gangsters complied with the order. Ziggy watched on from a safe vantage point, satisfied by the result. His plan was moving along exactly as he had envisioned. He flipped out his cell phone, calling D46.
"The deal went exactly as I planned." He informed him. "You're good to hit the foundry."
Back at the orphanage, the battle spilled out onto the street outside. As the Scorpions tried to retreat, some soldiers arrived, surrounding them.
"Everybody freeze!" Colonel Truman screamed as they covered them. Harris and two of his men just jumped into the limo, gunning the engine and pulling away as fast as they could, slamming into a jeep as they went. Several blasts rebounded off the vehicle as they escaped.
"Leave them; we'll pick them up later!" Colonel Truman ordered his men as they turned their attention back to the fight in hand. As the Scorpions and the Blue Crew realised they were hopelessly outnumbered, they surrendered. The soldiers started rounding up the gangsters as Colonel Truman got onto the radio.
"Chas, we've dealt with the disturbance you reported at the orphanage." He informed him. "Harris and a couple of Scorpions got away, but we've sealed down the sector."
"Thanks for the update. The disturbance in the contested zone is under wraps." Chas replied as he activated the city map on the screen. He changed the Blue Crew's territory and the contested zone to red, indicating that they were now under military control. There were now only two territories left under control of the mobs. He smiled as he noticed this, realising that Ziggy's plan was working. The Cartels were on the run. Now all they had to do was hope for the best with the final stages of the roundup.
Spike Mike paced nervously in his office as he awaited word from Rocco about the delivery. It had now been almost half an hour since the scheduled pick up, and he was starting to get edgy.
He pulled out his cell phone, dialling Rocco. Every time he tried, all he would get was his voice mail. He finally lost his patience, throwing the phone across the room.
Just then, there was a huge crash from the lower floor. Spike Mike grabbed his blaster and ran out onto the catwalk, looking down as he saw the Go-Onger skidding to a halt, having driven through the doors. Four of his men were already down, injured by flying debris. Marcus activated smoke launchers on the vehicle, filling the lower floor with thick, black smoke, blinding the remaining henchmen.
He activated the heat-vision on his visor and made his way through the foundry, taking down guards as he went. Spike Mike fled back into his office, closing and locking the door behind him, before taking cover behind his desk, his blaster at the ready. He started breathing rapidly in his panic as he heard several blasts and a few screams. He was unsettled further when the noises stopped.
Just then, the doors flew open and Marcus strode in, firing off a blast which caught him high on the shoulder. His blaster skittered across the floor away from his grip. Spike Mike started to crawl over to it, but just as his fingers reached it, Marcus stepped on his wrist, pinning it painfully to the ground. Spike Mike looked up at him, tears running down his face, the fear in his voice obvious.
"Please don't kill me!" He begged him.
"How many people have asked you the same thing?" Marcus snarled, kicking his weapon away. He grabbed the crime boss, slamming him onto the desk and shoving the blaster into his face. "How many lives have you ruined? How many people have you murdered in cold blood?"
"You can't do this; please I'll give you anything!" Hs screamed as he closed his eyes. "Just please don't kill me!"
Marcus just looked down on him in disgust and smashed him in the face with his elbow, knocking him unconscious. He then pulled out his radio and contacted Chas.
"Spike Mike's ready to be picked up." He stated as he made his way back to the Go-Onger. "Send the guys in. This sector's secure."
Meanwhile, Ziggy made his way to the safe-house he'd evacuated Ms. Foster and the kids to, finding her and Benny sitting in the kitchen with a couple of large mugs of hot chocolate. She set down her cup and ran over to him, snatching him into a tight, passionate hug.
"I'm fine mom, I'm alright, I promise." He assured her. "How is everyone?"
"The kids took a while to settle down, but they finally got to sleep." She told him. "Other than that, everyone's safe and well."
"How are you holding up Benny?" Ziggy asked him.
"I'm a little sore." He admitted, stroking his shoulder. "I found out what a cast-iron skillet feels like. Maybe I should have called before I came round." Ms. Foster just laughed as he said this. She still felt guilty about hurting her long-time friend.
The radio crackled into life, and Harris' voice came over the air waves.
"Everyone get back to the race track NOW!" He roared loudly. "The orphanage was a trap! We've been set up!"
Ziggy looked at the radio in alarm as he heard this. He hadn't counted on anyone escaping the ambush at the orphanage. Now that Harris had escaped, he was sure that he was going to want answers.
"I need to get going." He told her, gathering up his jacket and making his way to the door. "Benny, stay here with mom, make sure no one comes in that you don't know."
"Ziggy where are you going?" Kerry shrieked as he prepared to leave.
"Dad's still at the race track." He reminded her. "Now they know they've been sent on a wild goose chase around the whole city, they're going to want answers. How long do you really think it'll be before they start to suspect dad?"
"Ziggy, the entire Cartel's going to be back at the race track by the time you get there." Benny reminded him. "You've set them all up; they'll be out for blood, its suicide!"
"Dad's in there all by himself, his life's in danger. I can't leave him." Ziggy replied abruptly. "Call Chas, have him send the military to the race track, but give me ten minutes first."
"Ziggy..."
"I started this mom, now I have to finish it!" Ziggy interrupted her. "I can't just let dad bite the bullet for me. I have to try."
With that, he turned and ran from the safe-house, leaving them alone together. Benny just held her as she wept.
"He knows what he's doing; you have to have faith in him." Benny whispered to her softly.
"I wish I could." She murmured. "I'm scared Benny."
"So am I Kerry." He replied sadly. "So am I."
Over at the race track, the Scorpions barged into Fresno Bob's office after their hectic night. Fresno Bob had anticipated that they would return to the race track once they started getting reports of the hits on all the other cartels.
"Bob, thing are going nuts in the city." One of them called out. "We've been hearing reports from all over the city. The military's taken everything; we're all that's left!"
"What do we do boss?" Another asked him.
"What do you think we do? We fight!" Harris shouted as he came into the room, shoving his way to the front. "We fortify this place, get it on lockdown and we take out anyone that dares to set foot on Cartel soil!"
"Do you really think we have the manpower to take on Truman by ourselves?" Fresno Bob asked him. "I wonder what you're using for brains Harris!"
"Oh I've got brains alright; I have enough brains to know that we've been set up." Harris answered him. "We've been out there all night chasing our tails."
"What are you saying Harris?" Bob asked him. "I'm not sure I like your tone."
"Spike Mike, Ronan, me, we've all been set up!" He snapped, pounding a fist on the desk. "First the deal gets crashed by the military, then Ronan's place gets trashed by the Silver Ranger and finally both myself and the Blue Crew turn up to an empty building, only to have Truman show up!"
He leaned in closer, glaring at his boss angrily.
"They've been one step ahead of us the whole night, like they knew every move we were going to make." He hissed menacingly. He grabbed the desk, throwing it aside. "You sold us out you two-faced son of a bitch!"
"You're way out of line Harris!" Bob said with as much authority as he could muster. "I'm going to have you buried under the stables for this!"
"Why don't we ask them what they believe?" Harris asked him. "I say it's time for new leadership. Anyone that wants to follow me, raise your hand."
Fresno Bob watched in horror as all his men raised their hands. Harris just sneered at him.
"Get out of here. Grab all the weapons and ammo you can and lock this place down." Harris ordered them as he took off his jacket. He pulled off his tie and his shirt, handing them all to one of his henchmen and gesturing for them to leave the room. He pulled a set of brass knuckles out of his pocket and slid it onto his hand. "My first order of business is to take care of the traitor."