'It seems Behemoth is handling business as expected.' Endgame mused to herself as she sat plugged into her throne, watching a holographic projector that showed Tua and Dean's battle against Behemoth. 'Let's see how F18 is doing.' she mused as she pulled up a second projector that showed Ricky and Jack, in addition to Soar having an ariel dogfight with the Jets Crusher. 'F18 and Behemoth will take care of business with these two Guardian teams, but I still have another fully charged Megacore that is ripe for the plucking.' she thought with a mechanical smile as she pulled up a third holographic image and showed her footage from inside the San Francisco 49ers stadium. 'I will have at least two Megacore's if not more this day.' she thought as with a single thought she activated the 49ers Crusher, and it walked forward towards it's master. 'Treasure Hunter, bring me the 49ers Megacore...'

-Later-

"Any of you Guardians ever been to San Fran?" the 49ers Rusher Pick Ax asked the team of assembled Guardians before him.

"I thinks it's safe to say all of us where born in Ohio." Amara answered for her fellow Guardians.

"Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the bay area." Pick Ax said with a big smile on his face, which earned one from the four rookie Guardians.

"Always wanted to visit California." Hunter mused with a big grin. "I guess going to Cali on Guardian business still counts as visiting California." Hunter joked, which earned a laugh from Pick Ax and his three fellow Rookies.

"When does the charity event start?" Jessica asked Pick Ax.

"About an hour and a half." Pick Ax answered. "Wanted you four here early so we could set up some defenses in the event Endgame, or even Wild Card or the Anticorians showed their ugly faces." Pick Ax said with a serious tone, a sentiment echoed by the four rookie Guardians. "Speaking of Endgame, I heard about what happened to Joseph and Kristie two days ago, are they OK?" Pick Ax asked in a concerned tone.

"As much as I hate to word it like this." Juniper began in a worried tone. "Kristie got off lighter then Joseph did. Kristie was stabbed in the stomach, while Joseph had his bad knee impaled by an ice sword. I think it's pretty obvious that both of them are still in the HOK's medical ward getting healed." Juniper said in a serious tone, which earned a silent nod from Pick Ax.

"I hate to change the subject, but where do you keep the Megacore?" Layla asked the Rusher.

"Follow me." Pick Ax instructed the four rookies, who fell in behind the Rusher as he walked into the main hallway.

-Later-

"Here is the vault." Pick Ax said as he approached a standard looking vault door, but the four rookies knew that the Megacore vaults where anything but standard.

"What kinda traps or defenses do you have to keep the Megacore safe?" Jessica asked the Rusher. With a big grin, Pick Ax opened the vault by pressing a hidden button on the vault door swung open, revealing a grid of red and gold colored lasers.

"I don't see anyway around those lasers." Hunter said as he tried to use his math skills to find a way through the laser grid, but he couldn't find a weakness in the laser grid.

"The grid changes every few minutes, and you need either my voice identification, or a Shield Coin from an NFL-R to turn off the lasers, but that's just the first layer of defenses." Pick Ax said with a proud smile.

"Since we can't see the other defenses, mind telling us what they are in case our backs are against the wall?" Juniper asked.

"Gladly." Pick Ax answered as he took a breath before continuing. "We have several layers of lasers, but we also have several solid gold walls around the Megacore itself. After all, prospectors came to California looking for gold among other things, so why not protect the Megacore with it?" Pick Ax joked, which earned a big laugh from the Guardians... but also a slow mocking clap from behind them.

"Very clever, very clever indeed." a cruel mocking female voice said as Treasure Hunter walked out from another corridor, which made Pick Ax take a fighting stance in front of the four rookie Guardians.

"Armor up!" Pick Ax yelled as he lunged at the Crusher.

"Enter the Rush Zone!" all four rookie Guardians yelled as their armor formed around their civilian attire, and just in the nick of time to, as Pick Ax was thrown off the Crusher and hurled back towards them, only to be caught by Jessica.

"Thanks for the save." Pick Ax thanked the Pewter visored Guardian, who gave a gentle head nod.

"Four Guardians and a Rusher, versus Treasure Hunter... hmm... it seems I'll be taking the 49ers Megacore to go." Endgame's voice mocked from the Crushers mouth.

"Your awfully confident for someone who sent a bucket of bolts to do your dirty work." Hunter hissed at the Crusher.

"I've proven my Crushers are more than a match for you Guardians, especially you... rookies." Endgame said the word rookie in a mocking tone of voice.

"Why don't we show you what these 'rookies' are capable of." Layla hissed at the Crusher. In response Treasure Hunter reached behind it's back and pulled out a rather large and rather lethal looking metal pick ax.

"Guardians Unite!" the four rookie Guardians yelled as they all at once began firing blue energy blasts at the Crusher, only for it to raise it's weapon and deflect the blasts off to the side. Treasure Hunter responded by charging at the five who opposed it and took a swing at them with it's pick ax, to which Pick Ax and the four rookies barely dodged. Jessica quickly formed her hard light swords and charged at the Crusher, which resulted in the rookie and Crusher exchanging blows with their bladed weapons.

"Take this!" Layla yelled as she fired of her sonic roar at Treasure Hunter, which knocked the Crusher off-balance, and allowed Jessica to land a strong blow on the Crushers metal bearded face, drawing a line down it's face.

"Super Kick!" Juniper yelled as she formed a swirling ball of energy on her right foot and lobbed it at her enemy, striking it in it's mining helmet covered head, which was soon followed by Hunter firing energy blast after energy blast at his metal enemy.

"Enough!" Endgame's voice yelled as this battle was draining her patience, as Treasure Hunter's body began humming with a purple aura, and Pick Ax knew what that meant.

"Engage your defenses!" he yelled at the Guardians, but only one of them had time to as Jessica had barely activated her shield when Treasure Hunter emanated a pulse of Negacore Energy that struck Hunter, Layla and Juniper ans sent them flying in different direction, and when they landed in tumbled heaps, their armor deactivated from the blow, leaving only Jessica and Pick Ax still standing.

"Three down, only two to go." Endgame laughed as Treasure Hunter eyed Jessica and Pick Ax. "I overheard you say Pick Ax that only you, or a Guardian's Shield Coin can deactivate the defenses in the vault, so which one of you would be willing to turn off those defenses for me?" Endgame mocked the remaining two who stood before her Crusher.

"How's this for an answer!" Jessica yelled as she once again formed her swords in both hands and lunged, along with Pick Ax who jumped behind her.

"Pathetic." Endgame mused as Treasure Hunter waited till they where in range and then fired a stream of purple lightning from Treasure Hunters fingertips that struck the Guardian and Rusher, sending them flying backwards, and they lost consciousness upon hitting the ground. "To easy." Endgame laughed as she walked up to Jessica and picked up her knocked out body and put her NFL-R up to the vault door, and with a beep and a green light, the defenses in the vault grinded to a halt, and Treasure Hunter walked into the vault, and a few minutes later exited the vault, with the 49ers Megacore. Endgame turned to leave, but as she was prepared to return to her headquarters, she walked up to Layla and activated the communication app on her NFL-R.

"Layla, is everything alright?" RZ asked through the app in a concerned tone.

"If you consider losing your eighth Megacore a good thing." Endgame mocked the Guardians leader. "Let this serve as a lesson RZ, I could kill Pick Ax, and your four Guardians, but as I said to Joseph Sanders, there will be a time when you all come to me, and that is when you will die..." Endgame left it there as she turned off the communication app, and made haste to exit the stadium and return home.