MEGA MAN X: ISLAND OF AWAKENING
By Erico
CHAPTER TWO: ENTER OBLIVION
"All right Serges…" Violen harrumphed, folding his huge burly metal arms. Both he and Agile had warped in to Serge's secluded ocean going hovercraft to seek his progress, and a reason for the chaos that had erupted from it. "You might try running that all past me again…remember, I had my strength enhanced, not my mind." Serges rolled his robotic eye.
"I'll try." Unbelieving, Serges hopped onto his hoverplatform and maneuvered over next to the operating table. It was no different from before. The body of Zero remained intact, from the swirling mass of blond hair to the blood red armor and the green control chip cover embedded in his horned helmet. And Serges growled, cursing himself.
"I had all of Zero's parts reconstructed completely, along with the enhancements I built in. However, to turn him Maverick I needed to get into his mind while there was power in it. I also put power into his body and leg sections, figuring that his repair systems could work on the internal damage I couldn't find." Serge's good eye flashed with rage.
"Needless to say, Zero or someone who he trusted with his inner workings was a tricky, conniving sonofagun with a more than average brain on his shoulders. Something I missed in my cold scans of his brain was a little sub-routine I have only now discovered." Serges turned around se he could look into the faces of Agile and Violen. Agile's lanky purple frame was leaning up against a wall steadily, his blood red eyes and smirking grin betraying the sick and twisted pleasure he was receiving from Serge's discomfort. Serges merely tightened the force of his fist and shouted silent insults at Agile in his mind.
Of course, that was to be expected. Being Maverick altered you…it drowned out all emotions except those concerned with anger, violence, and destruction. So Serges knew that although he was annoyed at Agile, being Maverick only inflamed it, tried to worsen it. And Serges could see Agile's hand reach down precariously close to the hilt of his own beam saber, a curved and twisted thin rapier energy blade that was tinted as blood red as his eyes.
Serges and Agile had always been at each other's throats from the start. Agile being supremely overconfident having the height advantage, and Serges always cursing at him, building more and more weapons of destruction and plotting to sever Agile at the knees. Somehow, Violen, the huge and boisterous apelike Maverick acted as the control rod for the nuclear reaction that threatened the triad of Maverick leadership. Serges was thankful for that at least.
"So you're saying you underestimated them." Agile sneered. Serges managed to restrain himself from whipping up his Blitzkrieg Buster and hopping into the air, unleashing a spray of deadly plasma firepower that would scorch everything in sight with its circular range.
"Underestimated is a word I wouldn't use, Agile." Serges said through gritted teeth. "Perhaps was duped is one word I'd use. Whoever stuck this nice little sub-routine knew what they were doing, and didn't want anyone like me uncovering it in a cold sweep. The only way to find it would be to restore power to Zero's systems…all of them." Serges allowed himself a sick grin.
"Those devious bastards at the Hunters…I have a very good feeling they came up with this."
"You haven't told us what 'this subroutine' is, Serges." Violen mentioned in exasperation. "Remember, short term attention span and memory…you're not working with my limitations here." Serges waved a hand through the air, ever unflappable and levelheaded with the mace wielding Maverick.
"THIS, Violen. This subroutine had only one function. To route a simple binary code command to Zero's warp generator from his control chip's backup recovery program." Serges tapped in a few keys, letting his huge wall monitor blink in with a detailed schematic of the control chip that once existed inside of Zero's cranium. "The warp generator then would activate with its own sub-routine, and transport the control chip and all connected components to one very important place. The MHHQ." Serges grated his teeth. "As we speak, those foolish Hunters and their doddering leader James Cain are scrutinizing every aspect about it, and more than likely they're stumped beyond all reason." Serges turned about to face his two Maverick companions again.
"Let me tell you the good news and bad news from this. First, the bad news. I always did eat my dessert last…" Serges shook his head and refocused his thoughts. "First of all, they may be able to trace the control chip's warp path, back to the position it was transferred from. As a positive side note, I'm on a freakin boat, so all I need to do is alter my position a few miles and they're in the dark again. Also, this is bound to set off a few alarm bells with Cain and X. After all, Zero was supposedly blown to atoms along with the rest of Sigma's fortress when it crashed into the Sea of Japan. Now that they have Zero's control chip, they're gonna know something's up. Something with the word MAVERICK in it. Dollars to doughnuts they're gonna piece together the obvious puzzle and realize that some Mavericks went into Sigma's fortress before X made it blow and picked up the tattered shreds of the great Crimson Hunter Zero…and are now trying to reactivate him, bring him back online. And I'll tell you this, fellas; if the words 'Maverick', 'Reunification' and 'Zero' are all in the same sentence, they're gonna realize even in the dimmest bulb of the bunch we're piecing the sonofagun back together to go against them as a Maverick."
Silence hung in the room for a very long moment before Violen timidly raised his hand.
"So what's the good news?"
"It's a boy." Serges jokingly replied. Violen raised an eyebrow and thought it over before scratching his head in befuddlement. Serges sighed. "All right, Violen. Don't blow out that high level brain of yours on such miniscule matters. Here's the good part. I kept the main portions of Zero's body separate from one another when I plugged juice into him. His legs, body and arms, and head were all separately activated from one another. If they had been connected when I gave the sonofagun power, then the warp generator would have blasted ALL of Zero back to the MHHQ instead of just his control chip. On that one count we lucked out."
Agile scoffed and shook his thin wiry head.
"Some luck, Serges. Without that control chip, we're dead in the water. Even BLANKS need a primitive form of a control chip to have battle instructions plugged in…and those are predictable as ROBOTS in most cases. The great Hunter Zero is no good to us if we don't have that wonderful little piece of silicon and metal transistors that holds all of what makes him a ruthless, bloody, grade A Hunter…"
"Shut up and don't tell us the obvious." Serges snapped back. Agile's eyes sparked on fire and his right hand shot down, pulling his beam saber free. With a hiss of plasma and activating electromagnetic fields, the blade shimmered to life, filling Agile's pale flesh colored face with an ominous red light.
"Don't push me, screwup." Agile growled, baring his robotic teeth. In response, Serges primed his Blitzkrieg Buster and began to build up a charge, his other hand reaching down to pull a proximity explosive free from a hidden compartment in his hoverplatform.
Violen's eyes bulged out in surprise, and he jumped in between them.
"ENOUGH!" He bellowed in a combination of aggravation, authority and wracked nerves. The outburst was enough to qualm the inner fires within the other two Mavericks, and finally Agile sneered, deactivating his saber.
"Not worth my time anyway. I'll save my blade for goring Hunters, not incompetents." Serges screamed out a curse and almost leapt into the air, but Violen bent down a bit and flung his morning star tail mace out, smashing it into the metallic deck only inches from Serge's hoverplatform.
"Serges, KNOCKITOFF." Violen said raggedly. That too was enough to finally douse the fires of rage within the other Maverick. Still, Serges couldn't help but flip Agile the bird when he was turned around.
"Look, you two just go off and prep our eight Maverick Generals for the assault on Paradise. Right now, being alone with my resurrection project is all I want, AND NEED. Backseat surgery is something you two think you excel at. When we begin the invasion…two days from now?…I'll arrive at Paradise and join you. For now, just let me work."
Violen let out his breath and looked around for Agile, noting with grim satisfaction the Maverick had already joined the vapor trails for their new and uncompleted base.
Soon enough though, Ice Fortress would be ready…Ice Fortress, from where hidden by all spying eyes and satellites, the Mavericks would rise again and fulfill the quest the great Sigma had begun. Violen shrugged, then activated his own warp generator.
The time of Awakening was coming.
For all of them.
"Cain's personal Audiodiary, December 18th, 2118. Late last night held something so impressive and so stunning that my mind still reels with the possibilities. In a stroke of luck and a copious amount of foresight from more than six months ago, Hazil programmed Zero's control chip with a final backup measure should he ever go belly up in battle. This was accomplished when X and Zero led the two man suicide attack on Sigma's Flying Fortress over Hokkaido, and succeeded in blowing it apart over the Sea of Japan. Zero was presumed dead, blown to atoms like Sigma and all the others in that fortress maze." Cain hit the pause button on his recorder and swiveled his chair around, making sure that the metallic box with its precious cargo still remained in its place next to his vidphone, while still out of sight.
"But Zero has now returned to us…in spirit, anyways. His control chip alone made the transfer back to us, and Hazil, X and I have come up with the following observations. One, Zero was not destroyed. Somewhere on this earth lies his body, either pieced back together, although more likely still shattered apart like some child's Tinker Toy collection. The fact that only his control chip returned to us implies that whoever holds his parts held all of them, and gave them all power…yet had the dumb luck, or shattering foresight to not have all of Zero fully connected as one whole being. Hazil tells me that the subroutine was so buried, it could only be discovered if power was active in Zero's systems. And by that time, the subroutine would have fulfilled its function."
"Secondly, seeing as Zero's remains were scattered about a battle room inside of Sigma's fortress, there is almost a 100% chance that he lies in Maverick hands. I am fearful of that…Zero was strong, and more than a match for X. If the Mavericks manage to find some way to resurrect Zero without his control chip…Heaven help us." Cain's eyes began to mist over. He knew the destructive potential within Zero. That was an altogether frightening possibility.
"Hazil managed to retrace the warp signature of Zero's control chip, and he placed its origin point as somewhere in the mid to upper Pacific Ocean. Which means that the parts of Zero lie on a boat, and a boat is not something that our computers can trace easily." Cain furrowed his brow.
"The GDC, or Global Defense Council has a very impressive satellite network, and I have pleaded with them to let us use them to track down this boat. But above all else, they are International bureaucrats at their best…and they feel that looking for a small boat in the largest ocean of the world is little better than a massive goose chase. And goose chases do not make money, or restore faith in them. For the government organization that breathed life into us and gave us the carte blanche to stop human genocide, they are bound and determined to limit our powers." Cain chuckled wryly.
"Of course, they waste no expense in flaunting their wealth with resources that could be used to aid us. While, even as we speak a few influential members of the GDC are at their prized gem of the world, a place called Cornus Island. As a matter of fact…" Cain stopped talking, and reached for his TV, turning it on. Sure enough, there it was on CNN. The GDC's press conference, plastered across the world wide Television and Communications Grid for all to see.
"Oh, what fools us mortals be…" Cain sighed wistfully.
"Since the earliest days of our foundation, the Global Defense Council tried its best to realize a world envisioned by the emissaries of the United Nations before us. While that organization was disbanded, we learned from their mistakes and overcame them in the GDC." Councilman Emilius Cristoph, the GDC representative from the AmeriCanadian Alliance of North America beamed brightly, although it was clear to the more experienced eyes behind the cameras and news broadcast microphones that he was delivering little better than a canned speech.
Still, Emilius Cristoph was an enigmatic man whose sparkling blue eyes could dazzle anyone, and combined with his gray hair and disarming smile, seemed to be an exact replica of the elderly neighbor next door. As he stood atop the speaker's podium, he looked down into the hovercameras of the robotic drones and the questioning faces of the reporters sent from across the world. Cristoph smiled again, a wide smile that did two things. Made everyone feel more at ease, and also hide his own smirking realizations that this was little better than propaganda.
"But where the United Nations failed miserably, and inevitably led to its collapse in the year 2077 was the lack of foresight about the unity of the world members. It established a system meant to restrain violence and the horrors of warfare from occurring by use of trade embargoes and in more extreme measures…violence itself. But violence begets only more violence. The Security Council of the GDC eventually collapsed on itself, and with it went the entire foundation."
"But the GDC has taken steps. Violence amongst countries as a means of stopping violence is not the answer, and is more of a final horrific solution after all other means have failed. If the world is to survive, humanity must realize that we are a brotherhood, and if we mean to stop our extinction, we must band together and subdue the forces that seek to destroy us." Cristoph's tone was assertive and meaningful, with an edge of determination. Anyone at that assembly would have assumed he referred to the destructive forces that lay within each human being.
But Emilius Cristoph was also a racist, a fact hidden from the public view by his cautious and shy nature. Emilius Cristoph was one of a very large population on earth that felt reploids were a mockery of humanity, and should be wiped out at all costs…or humanity would be exterminated.
He shook his head, coughing for a moment before continuing. "Here on Cornus Island, the GDC has established the world's only true microcosm of the globe. People from all around the world work in peace and unity on this wide volcanic born structure, completing the various tasks that not only make Cornus Island COMPLETELY self reliant, but also serve to aid the various member countries of the GDC on the outside as well. I speak of course, of our hallowed Energen Crystal Mine, and the underwater studies conducted at the Deep Sea Base as well, to name only two examples. Cornus Island represents what the GDC hopes will be a model for all of the world to follow. All of humanity, banded together, working for a goal that will lead to ultimate peace and harmony for all." Emilius turned to the people standing behind him, all dressed in spotless white lab coats with the familial blue circle and red letters of the GDC insignia patch.
"And to introduce the newest addition to the workings of Cornus Island, I present the hallowed Japanese Engineer and Physicist, Tokiyama Hichiro." Cristoph took a few steps back and raised his left hand to point to the circular glass wearing Asian man standing at the forefront of the scientific team. Polite clapping fell over the crowd, and even Cristoph gave a perfunctory percussion period. Then taking a breath to steady himself, Tokiyama Hichiro stepped forth and adjusted his spectacles. He stood behind the podium and bowed slightly in the traditional Japanese fashion.
"Ohayoo Gozaimasu, valued members of the press. As the Honorable Delegate Cristoph has stated, I am Tokiyama Hichiro. I am the leader of a team of GDC hired technicians, scientists and engineers from all over the world. For the past year, we have been working with all speed on a project by all members of humanity in a goal that will forever stand out as a landmark for future generations. United by a common goal, we went beyond the boundaries of our countries and learned that underneath all…all the faldoral, I believe the word is…humanity is so very much alike, no matter what the region or language." More polite clapping, and Tokiyama could deduce that the canned speech he was reading in the corner of his glasses was having the desired effect. The Japanese Scientist had to hand it to that man Cristoph. He was many things, but above all else, he played the crowd like a Stradavarius Violin."
"But you have not yet been told what the purpose and nature of this giant construction project is, and I believe you all are…itching to see the finished product?" There was a few low laughs about the crowd, and some flashbulbs went off, immortalizing Tokiyama Hichiro on digitized film.
The scientist stepped back to his group of scientific leaders and shook all of their hands vigorously for a few moments, and then all of them turned back to grin happily at the audience, and the members of the GDC that watched in interest. Tokiyama took in a deep breath and began to speak again.
"Cornus Island stands for what the world can become with enough effort. A global community where all nations work together, brother and brother turning their weapons into tools of creation and not destruction. But for all the good that Cornus Island offers, there are still those forces, human and natural alike that threaten us. To combat this problem, the scientists from around the world worked in secret with the GDC's help, and we have now succeeded in creating a guardian being for the island. Honored members of the press, it is my great honor to introduce you to the world's Ninth Wonder of The World…The Cornus Island Defense Mobile Dinosaur Tank!"
A sudden rumbling suddenly became heard throughout the assembly, and behind the temporary stage and podium of the scientists and the delegates of the GDC, the air shimmered and quivered with unnatural power.
And then as if born from the wind itself, a greenish glow began to overcome the air, replacing it…a glow that soon calmed down to reveal in its place a metallic presence.
It towered above the audience, a massive green metallic behemoth that bristled with white shards of metal along its back. The tank was a perfect oversized model of the Stegosaurus, save for the noticeable rivetwork and the treads underneath that provided propulsion. The crowd literally cried out in fear and shock, and even Cristoph's mouth fell open a bit.
The Dino Tank was a very menacing sight indeed. Tokiyama cleared his throat and spoke up again.
"I now present the main designer behind the island defense vehicle, Doctor Faahzid Bannash." Tokiyama Hichiro stepped back a few paces and bowed slightly as another member of the scientific team stepped forth. Faahzid was most definitely Middle Eastern, and by his name, a devotee to the Religion of Islam. He pushed back his coarse hair and gave his bronzed features a quick nod at the audience before accessing the podium's holographic controls. Within a few clicks of the keyboard, he had brought up two gigantic rotating holographic models of the tank on either side of him. The crowd remained silent, watching in sheer awe as they watched.
"I commend all of you for being here. Surely, this will be a moment in history that should be recorded by all means possible. This represents the greatest hope for preserving the legacy that lies on this island. And I am sure that many of you wonder what exactly this tank is capable of. My purpose here is to tell you EXACTLY what it can do." Faahzid smiled a bit. "One of the things that I appreciate about the GDC is its openness. Unlike if this had been developed by any one country, its unification by all member nations and workers allows us to show you its true nature. There is no lies, no hidden secrets, no dark corners about it." Faahzid blinked, then spoke up again.
"As you all noticed, it seemed to appear out of thin air. That is because the Dino Tank is equipped with a short term cloaking device. It cannot sustain cloak for very long, and if it is using power for other things, the period of cloak drops even shorter. Nonetheless, while it is in cloak mode, it cannot be detected by ANY MEANS. Not even infared or metallic detection. The cloaking barrier envelops the entire craft with a highly advanced electromagnetic shield that allows light molecules to pass through everything, so you can effectively see through it. The shield also blocks all emissions, which is why it cannot be detected. Many years have gone into this particular device, due to the fact that the electromagnetic field's harmonics had to be developed intricately so that it would not pose a threat to biologics. Like something out of science fiction…we have made it science fact." Murmurs of stunned awe filled the audience, and datapadds worked furiously to record his words. This was something that happened only rarely…
"The Dino Tank's primary power source relies on Cold Fusion, like many craft of today. But the Dino Tank's power demands are immense, and a simple Cold Fusion Generator is not enough to supply the raw energy needed for all of the craft's functions. It was therefore an obstacle we had to overcome. The most obvious solution was to build a series of Cold Fusion Generators in the lower decks of the Dino Tank, and this would more than supply all the required power demands." Faahzid grinned broadly, inferring to all watching that he had an ace up his sleeve. The other scientists watched simply, beaming with a childlike giddiness that betrayed they were party to the secret as well.
"But it is not the only option, and the multiple Fusion Generators would have required intense maintenance and observation to keep them all in check. It would make it grossly unfeasible, and therefore unusable to us. That is when our scientific team had a breakthrough. As you all may or may not know, Energen Crystals are valued about the world. Their incredible perfection and design gives them almost unlimited capacity to transfer data and light signals through them, like massive bobsled chutes with the transmissions riding on the downwards spiral. Thanks to the discovery and application of Energen Crystals, mankind was able to design and create for the first time in history, quantum computers that use light transmissions instead of electrical impulses. We knew what Energen Crystals could do…and many thought that what we were planning with them was fantasy." Faahzid chuckled. "Once again, science fiction has become science fact."
The rotating holograms of the Dino Tank focused in and dropped down, going through the hull and zooming the display onto the engine room. More murmurs of shock filled the room as it was revealed to everyone's eyes that the tank was powered…BY A SINGLE COLD FUSION GENERATOR!
"We are able to utilize only one Fusion Generator in the tank, because its power output is placed in the crystals. What we discovered is that if the molecular design of the processed Energen Crystals is altered, we could effectively turn these shimmering shards of highly compressed carbon and zinc into STORAGE BATTERIES." That stunned the audience silent, and Faahzid continued. "Not just an average storage battery, by any means. It is perhaps the most efficient rechargeable design...and the best part is that it was created by the earth's natural geological actions. Energen Crystals are borne out of volcanic eruptions, much like gold deposits and obsidian. And on Cornus Island, one that was formed FROM a volcanic eruption, we hold one of the best producing Energen Crystal mines on earth. It takes only two hours for an Energen Crystal Battery, as we call them, to be completely charged by the Cold Fusion Generator on board. What is surprising is that the charge in the Crystal builds exponentially. For every joule we transfer into its intricate molecular pathways, it activates an internal process we do not yet completely understand and creates two more! Therefore, a charge of two hours connected to the Fusion Generator holds enough power within the crystal battery to power the Dino Tank's entire energy needs for five days…in normal power use. Once the charge is drained, the tank merely switches over to a similarly connected crystal and informs the crew on board that the crystal needs recharging. Initial experiments show that these ultrapure Energen Crystal Batteries can be reused upwards of at least 200 times before their internal pathways degrade beyond the point that they can store power. When this occurs, the Energen Crystals are simply low level quantum computer circuits, and can be used in computers for as long as it is required. There is no waste, no difficult containment units, and most impressively, no dangerous radiation. The power within the crystals is just that…Within the Crystals. They remain cool to the touch even fully charged, and do not emit dangerous levels of radiation. In effect…they emanate less power than the average TV screen." That brought chuckles, and Faahzid cleared his throat, bringing the holographic displays away from the craft's interior and once more viewing the Dino Tank as a whole.
"The Dino Tank is capable of achieving speeds up into seventy kilometers per hour on its treadmills alone, however we have also designed it with secondary propulsion in the manner of thrusters and hoverjets. This allows the Dino Tank to not only service itself on land, but it can also go out to sea. With all of its thrusters firing, the Dino Tank can push itself up to speeds of three hundred miles an hour if it's airborne. While this does create a substantial drain on the Energen Batteries, we have designed the Engine Room to equip ten Energen Crystal Batteries at once in such massive mobility situations."
"Aside from its defensive cloaking mechanism which you have all seen in action, the Dino Tank is built with thick armor plate to absorb heavy artillery from everything such as explosive shells to the newer plasma blaster weaponry. And of course, this is not a craft that is easily boarded! Its electromagnetic shield can be altered to serve as an anti-warp particle shield, effectively blocking the warp signatures of enemies from penetrating the craft on the outside."
"In terms of firepower, the Dino Tank utilizes defense type weaponry, mainly. Short range plasma multibarrel turrets have been installed on the rear, sides, top and front of the craft. It can also fire off condensed electromagnetic energy pods, which have homing capabilities and are designed to short out enemy electronics. In the most dire cases of attack, meaning should an enemy be able to climb its way on board the Dino Tank and avoid the EM shield, the plasma cannons and the EM pods, the entire hull of the Dino Tank can be electrified, giving anyone who risks boarding…a shocking surprise." Laughs galore at that joke.
"The Dino Tank is designed for defense, to protect the island from exterior forces that would threaten what Cornus Island holds. But even the Dino Tank cannot reach everywhere. The craft also comes equipped with a fully loaded Hangar Bay, which can hold a maximum of twenty eight Type 2 Chimera Mechs, and thirty two Landchaser Cycles. These secondary smaller vehicles serve as subsidiaries to the tank, allowing personnel to go anywhere and do anything, such as critical rescue operations."
"The Dino Tank stands at an impressive 75.2 meters high, and is 89.45 meters long from its tail to its nose. It weighs approximately 110 Metric Tons, cost two hundred million GlobalDollars to make, and is equipped with the latest in computer technology. It is staffed by a full time complement of one hundred humans and fifteen human class reploids, and it has taken approximately 11.68 years from its earliest stages in planning to make."
"The Dino Tank will be stationed at Cornus Island on a permanent basis, going about wherever it is needed. It stands as a symbol for all the world, of power put to one means; protection. It is not meant to ravage about in other countries and enslave populaces, it is meant to protect them from those who would do them greivous harm. I have valued every moment of working on this project with all my fellow scientists from across the world, and it is my sincere hope that if people like us can join together and accomplish something this magnificent, then there is a real hope for the entire world. On behalf of the GDC and everyone here, I would like to thank all members of the press for covering this story. Information packets will be handed to you by our representatives as you leave the island. If you wish for an interview, we shall be here for another two hours." Faahzid bowed slightly, and then the reporters began shouting out questions.
On the other end of a Television Monitor, the transmission was silenced as Agile's dextrous metallic hand punched the off button to his remote.
He frowned and narrowed his blazing red eyes, rubbing a hand about the bottom of his stubbled chin. Then he nodded his head, and reached over to activate his comm.
"Agile to Serges. Agile to Serges. Over?" It took a few seconds, but he got his response.
"What is it, Ag?" Serges said with a tired voice. Agile swiveled about in his command chair and looked about the room, still unfinished as robotic workers droned about, welding floor plates and console panels into place.
"I just finished watching a pretty interesting press conference from Paradise. It seems that the GDC built a new toy." Serges' end of the line was silent for a moment before he spoke.
"Oh? Something that might help us?" Agile grinned feverishly, baring his white synthteeth to the open air.
"Immensely. It's a hulking Dino Tank with every mode of defense, a self sustaining energy capacity, a hangar bay filled with Mechs and Landchaser Cycles, hovercapacity and a fifteen reploid crew complement."
"Herm…" Serges said thoughtfully for a few moments, scratching the base of his chin. "Agile, I see definite possibilities here. Who's our most ruthless Maverick?"
"Of the generals?" Agile asked. "If it's them you're talking about, it'd have to be the one that just hurled Violen across the room recently and almost sliced his tail mace off. Goes by the name of Wheel Gator."
"Self proclaimed?"
"No…I gave him the name." Agile said, grinning again. "Somehow Jasper didn't seem to fit him."
"I see…" Serges mused. "Well, we'll make the Dino Tank one of our targets when we attack Paradise then. Tell Wheel Gator that's his new assignment. Now, I still gotta work on Zero some more, all right?" Agile nodded.
"Rightyo. I'll tell Violen ya said hi." Agile quipped. Serges shut off the connection without further comment.
Agile picked himself up out of the command chair of the new Maverick base called Ice Fortress. He looked about himself, and was pleased to see that construction was going well. With any luck, the entire Fortress would be fully assembled by New Year's.
He laughed, a laugh that echoed about the metallic hallways and rattled off of the Mavericks and robotic worker drones inside of the structure. But the laugh carried out.
And finally found its way free of the metallic structure that stood out in the Arctic Ocean like an immense oil rig. Agile had to laugh.
He and the other Mavericks were planning the largest Uprising yet seen, in a massive coup de grace that no one would be able to stop. And the forces that be didn't know where the Mavericks were.
The North Pole. Ice Fortress. Truly, it was the best location they could have picked. No one placed satellite cameras above the North Pole.
By New Year's Ice Fortress would be complete.
And Agile knew what a great New Year it would be.