1
By Mr. Bigg
A/N: For anyone who gives a darn about this story, it is six parts long. I'm thinking of continuing after this (You know, like how the team got together and stuff) but I need input from my fan(s), so please reviews with your suggestions.
Part 3
Diego sat at the table with Cassie. Don and Troy were in the kitchen, just about to bring out dinner. Despite Troy's obsession with jerky, he was quite talented at preparing salads and desserts. Don, on the other hand, was a master of European and Oriental cuisine. From pressed-duck to microwave able Mac n'Cheese, they were clearly the chefs of the group. Troy brought out the first course, and the four dined on a delicious salad nicoise. "Troy, you got a letter, from… Mary Champ?" Cassie said, a smile growing on her lips. "Don't tell me you, and her are…" Troy nodded sadly. "TROY'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND! Ohmygawd! Ialwaysknewyourwere immaturebutwhoisshewhat'sshelikeisshe-" Don placed a hand over her mouth. "Breath Cassie," he said. "What's the letter say Troy?" Diego asked. "She's invited us to the Tournament ball," he said. "You mean that really fancy dance before the tournament?" asked Cassie, her eyes widening. "Yup. She's invited me as her date." Diego choked on his salad. "Dates? As in, boy girl?" he asked. "Well, I certainly hope so, Diego," said Don. "But I can't ask a girl on a date!" Don gave him a weird look and said, "Ok. Welcome the introductory course called Dating for the Mentally Unstable. "No offense, but I would rather take surfing lessons from a man in Kansas," Diego said. "Hmph. Fine. Be that way," Don pouted. "So," said Diego between chews, "does anyone know anything about that Toros team?" Cassie looked at Don and Troy, who shrugged their shoulders. "Well, I guess some good-old fashioned hacking will do, wouldn't you say, Don?" asked Cassie. "Yeah, I think I can. It might take a couple of hours. Why bother? We could just warn the Battle Commission," said Don "What? And ruin the plot?" asked Don. "Hmm. Good point. Any hoo, I should be done by daybreak if I start at 8:00," said Don. "That's a pretty long time," said Cassie. Don got up and went into the kitchen. "And for the main course, Fillet Mignon, a la Beurre," he said, returning with a tray of steaks with parsley, red pepper chunks and butter smothered on them. They were quickly devoured, and Troy jumped up to get the dessert. "And, for the piece de resistance, or whatever they say, Cheesecake and Raspberries!" he stepped through the door at the same time Diego spilled his drink. Troy, slipping on the liquid, fell, throwing the cheesecake up. The cheesecake landed in the salad bowl, which, in turn, banged into the steak platter. Soon everyone was covered in salad, hardboiled egg slices, meat sauce, cheesecake, and (in Troy's case) cherry cola. Don slid a finger across a patch of splattered cheesecake. "Hey- that IS good!" he exclaimed. He began running his hand on the patches of cheesecake, as Cassie and Don did the same. "Well, It saves me the clean-up job," said Troy. After the table was licked clean (then taken out back and hosed down by Troy) Cassie and Don went to work. Actually, Don went to work and Cassie watched TV. Don started up the computer and got a soda from the connivance room (it was modeled after a convenience). He stood up, cracked his knuckles, and got to work.
* * *
The Council of seven had assembled a small group of the Backdraft's commanding officers, as well as a few of there bests pilots. "Dr. Laion, we feel that your plan, though bold, is risky. The destruction of the Battle Commission would benefit our situation and eliminate most threats to our… unsanctioned battles, but the fact of the matter is, Dr. Laion, is that witness. If he is not silenced in time, the outcome could be catastrophic for our forces," said one of the Council. "If you allow me enough access, I could find him out, and we could silence him before he reveals our plan," said Dr. Laion. The Council of 7 formed a huddle, and after a few minutes of harsh whispering, the huddle broke. "Very well, Doctor. Take a few of our best hackers and find him within 24 hours. If we delay any more, the outcome could be affected most deeply…"
* * *
Several hours, eight cases of soda, and around 2,700 cheese doodles later, Don looked up from the screen. "Got him! I just need a few minutes to download the information and end the disconnection." He left to take a trip to the bathroom. When he entered, he said "Hmm. That's funny." Troy rolled off the couch and stood up. "What's funny?" he asked. "Well, when the green light goes off, it means I'm downloading a file. When the blue light goes off, it means someone's uploading a file. In short, someone's downloading a file from us," Don said scientifically. "But what are they downloading?" asked Diego. "That's what we're about to find out," said Don from the terminal. "I'm typing, some more typing, a few minutes of typing, throw on some typing, a little extra typing, chicken a la typing, and we're winding down with some typing, and we're done! They are downloading…" he stopped talking, and turned pale. "What? What's with the dramatic pause?" asked Cassie. "They're…uh… Downloading everything!" he said, gulping. "Everything? What's that mean?" asked Troy. "Well, it's something along the lines of identity, location, transportation, affiliates, armaments, schematics and so on!" screamed Don. "Calm down Don, this isn't a time to panic…" said Diego. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! THIS IS A PERFECT TIME TO PANIC!" bellowed Don. "Can't you stop it?" asked Cassie. "I'll try," said Don. He typed for a few minutes, but the download continued. Now Diego and Cassie were panicking to. "Dear lord, do I have to do everything?" questioned Troy. He got up, strode over to the computer, and with a neat flick of the wrist, unplugged the computer. Don looked up at Troy, then at the blank screen. "Troy, your idiotic logic never ceases to amaze me," he said. Diego just laughed and walked over to the TV. Troy looked at Cassie expectantly. "Well? How about a thank you, little lady?" he said in a western accent. "I might consider it if you put on some pants," she said sweetly. "Though I like your boxers. Batman makes a bold statement." Troy smiled weakly and ran into his room. "Ahh… just in time for Saturday morning cartoons," sighed Diego, switching on the TV. Don came in the next second and said "Well, c'mon Diego. Let's go." Diego looked up. "Go? Go where?" "Wow. You really are a simple creature, aren't you? We're going to find Toros!" Diego pouted. "Can we go later? Astro-Gladiators 3105 is on!" he said, pointing to the screen. "I bet you've seen this before, anyways," said Don. Diego gritted his teeth, looking for a valid excuse to keep watching. "Where is this place if it's so important?" he asked. "In the desert," Don replied calmly. "You're telling me I'm missing my cartoons so I can drag you all into the desert?" Don nodded. "What am I, Moses?" asked Diego, getting up from the couch and walking to the cockpit. With a grind of the motor, they were on their way.
* * *
"Hey Doc! There's something big coming our way!" screamed Jaime. "Wow! That is big! What is it Jaime?" said Leena, walking into the room. "Well, if this file is right, it's an old model Hover cargo. It's designed as a moving base, capable of storing up to six zoids. I'm surprised it's in such good condition," said Jaime. Little hearts formed in Dr. Toros's eyes as he looked at the screen lovingly. "So, uh… how much do you think one of those would cost?" he asked, inching towards his wallet and his keys. "Well, I don't know… oh no. No no no no no no no NO!" He stood up and chased after Toros, who was making his way to the hangar. "It's to late Jaime! BWA HAHAHAHA!" Toros made a running leap into the truck. He quickly locked the doors and Jaime was banging on the windows. He put the keys in the ignition and took off. He was about 10 minutes out of the base when Brad popped up in the back seat. "Going somewhere Dr, Toros?" he asked. "Um… er… Just going on a drive, that's all! Yep, that's right! Just going on a drive!" Toros stammered. "Yeah. Sure. I suggest you turn this vehicle around," Brad said with an evil glint in his eyes. "Awww, you and Jaime are no fun!" whined Toros, turning the car around. When they came back, they found that the Hover Cargo was headed straight towards them. The Toros and Brad got out of the truck, and watched as the Hover Cargo came to a stop. "Would ya look at the size of it!" said Jaime, who had also come out to join them. A small hatch about 50 feet up the side opened up. A figure popped out and yelled "IS THIS THE TOROS BASE?" "YEAH… WHO WANTS TO KNOW?" Jaime yelled back. What happened next was… unexpected. Brad, Jaime and Dr. Toros heard something that sounded like "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THIS JERKY!" The next thing they knew, the person on the hover cargo got hit with what appeared to be a large crate. The force of the hit knocked him out of the hatch as he fell 50 feet to the rocky desert floor. The crate exploded on impact, revealing its contents to be… smoked jerky. A blood- curdling scream pierced the air, followed by "YOU MONSTER! IS NOTHING SACRED TO YOU? NOTHING?!" A different voice bellowed "FIVE SECOND RULE!" Two other figures leapt down and started stuffing their faces, their pockets, anything, with the scrambled. After their cheeks, pockets, belt loops, and anything else, was stuffed, they noticed they had spectators. "Umm… do you want some?" Troy asked, spewing meat chunks everywhere. "No… thanks," said Brad, a little disgusted. "Excuse me, but can I ask what you're doing here?" Jaime questioned. Don stopped twitching, got up, dusted himself off and shot an evil look at this two team members, who were to oblivious to notice. "You'll have to forgive Diego and Troy. They're idiots. Anyhoo, we happen to be looking for a Dr. Toros. Would you know of his whereabouts?" Don asked. "I should certainly hope so, considering he's right here," Brad said, who at the moment was looking at the Armordillo with hearts in his eyes. "It's so big and shiny," he said, as he stroked one of the massive treads. "Excuse me, Doctor, but we need to talk to you about some thing very important. Can we come inside?" asked Don. "Sure thing. What's the matter?" Brad said, taking the Dr.'s cue. "You'll find out in a minute. HEY! CASSIE! THIS IS IT!" Don screamed at the Hover cargo. "Who's Cassie?" Jaime asked. "Satan in drag," Troy muttered. "The angel of Death herself," said Troy. "Did the air just get colder?" Jaime questioned. Troy and Diego froze, and without turning around, said "She's right behind us, isn't she?" and with that, they took off like a shot. As they ran for the ladder to the Hover Cargo, Troy shouted "ALL ABOARD! WOMEN AND IRISH FIRST!" When they arrived at the ladder, they fought each other for it. Diego pushed Troy, and started to ascend, when Troy jumped up and grabbed his foot. He started to climb, when Diego hit him with a stick. Troy fell to the ground, and seeing Cassie approaching, he followed his instincts and curled into a ball. Cassie punted him (he flew 20 ft) and proceeded up the ladder to get Diego. She grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Troy got up, his butt sore from Cassie's whooping. He ran for the base, when Diego landed on him. Cassie jumped down, as all the men looked at her in shock. She looked back, cocked an eyebrow, and asked very innocently, "What?"
End of part 3
By Mr. Bigg
A/N: For anyone who gives a darn about this story, it is six parts long. I'm thinking of continuing after this (You know, like how the team got together and stuff) but I need input from my fan(s), so please reviews with your suggestions.
Part 3
Diego sat at the table with Cassie. Don and Troy were in the kitchen, just about to bring out dinner. Despite Troy's obsession with jerky, he was quite talented at preparing salads and desserts. Don, on the other hand, was a master of European and Oriental cuisine. From pressed-duck to microwave able Mac n'Cheese, they were clearly the chefs of the group. Troy brought out the first course, and the four dined on a delicious salad nicoise. "Troy, you got a letter, from… Mary Champ?" Cassie said, a smile growing on her lips. "Don't tell me you, and her are…" Troy nodded sadly. "TROY'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND! Ohmygawd! Ialwaysknewyourwere immaturebutwhoisshewhat'sshelikeisshe-" Don placed a hand over her mouth. "Breath Cassie," he said. "What's the letter say Troy?" Diego asked. "She's invited us to the Tournament ball," he said. "You mean that really fancy dance before the tournament?" asked Cassie, her eyes widening. "Yup. She's invited me as her date." Diego choked on his salad. "Dates? As in, boy girl?" he asked. "Well, I certainly hope so, Diego," said Don. "But I can't ask a girl on a date!" Don gave him a weird look and said, "Ok. Welcome the introductory course called Dating for the Mentally Unstable. "No offense, but I would rather take surfing lessons from a man in Kansas," Diego said. "Hmph. Fine. Be that way," Don pouted. "So," said Diego between chews, "does anyone know anything about that Toros team?" Cassie looked at Don and Troy, who shrugged their shoulders. "Well, I guess some good-old fashioned hacking will do, wouldn't you say, Don?" asked Cassie. "Yeah, I think I can. It might take a couple of hours. Why bother? We could just warn the Battle Commission," said Don "What? And ruin the plot?" asked Don. "Hmm. Good point. Any hoo, I should be done by daybreak if I start at 8:00," said Don. "That's a pretty long time," said Cassie. Don got up and went into the kitchen. "And for the main course, Fillet Mignon, a la Beurre," he said, returning with a tray of steaks with parsley, red pepper chunks and butter smothered on them. They were quickly devoured, and Troy jumped up to get the dessert. "And, for the piece de resistance, or whatever they say, Cheesecake and Raspberries!" he stepped through the door at the same time Diego spilled his drink. Troy, slipping on the liquid, fell, throwing the cheesecake up. The cheesecake landed in the salad bowl, which, in turn, banged into the steak platter. Soon everyone was covered in salad, hardboiled egg slices, meat sauce, cheesecake, and (in Troy's case) cherry cola. Don slid a finger across a patch of splattered cheesecake. "Hey- that IS good!" he exclaimed. He began running his hand on the patches of cheesecake, as Cassie and Don did the same. "Well, It saves me the clean-up job," said Troy. After the table was licked clean (then taken out back and hosed down by Troy) Cassie and Don went to work. Actually, Don went to work and Cassie watched TV. Don started up the computer and got a soda from the connivance room (it was modeled after a convenience). He stood up, cracked his knuckles, and got to work.
* * *
The Council of seven had assembled a small group of the Backdraft's commanding officers, as well as a few of there bests pilots. "Dr. Laion, we feel that your plan, though bold, is risky. The destruction of the Battle Commission would benefit our situation and eliminate most threats to our… unsanctioned battles, but the fact of the matter is, Dr. Laion, is that witness. If he is not silenced in time, the outcome could be catastrophic for our forces," said one of the Council. "If you allow me enough access, I could find him out, and we could silence him before he reveals our plan," said Dr. Laion. The Council of 7 formed a huddle, and after a few minutes of harsh whispering, the huddle broke. "Very well, Doctor. Take a few of our best hackers and find him within 24 hours. If we delay any more, the outcome could be affected most deeply…"
* * *
Several hours, eight cases of soda, and around 2,700 cheese doodles later, Don looked up from the screen. "Got him! I just need a few minutes to download the information and end the disconnection." He left to take a trip to the bathroom. When he entered, he said "Hmm. That's funny." Troy rolled off the couch and stood up. "What's funny?" he asked. "Well, when the green light goes off, it means I'm downloading a file. When the blue light goes off, it means someone's uploading a file. In short, someone's downloading a file from us," Don said scientifically. "But what are they downloading?" asked Diego. "That's what we're about to find out," said Don from the terminal. "I'm typing, some more typing, a few minutes of typing, throw on some typing, a little extra typing, chicken a la typing, and we're winding down with some typing, and we're done! They are downloading…" he stopped talking, and turned pale. "What? What's with the dramatic pause?" asked Cassie. "They're…uh… Downloading everything!" he said, gulping. "Everything? What's that mean?" asked Troy. "Well, it's something along the lines of identity, location, transportation, affiliates, armaments, schematics and so on!" screamed Don. "Calm down Don, this isn't a time to panic…" said Diego. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! THIS IS A PERFECT TIME TO PANIC!" bellowed Don. "Can't you stop it?" asked Cassie. "I'll try," said Don. He typed for a few minutes, but the download continued. Now Diego and Cassie were panicking to. "Dear lord, do I have to do everything?" questioned Troy. He got up, strode over to the computer, and with a neat flick of the wrist, unplugged the computer. Don looked up at Troy, then at the blank screen. "Troy, your idiotic logic never ceases to amaze me," he said. Diego just laughed and walked over to the TV. Troy looked at Cassie expectantly. "Well? How about a thank you, little lady?" he said in a western accent. "I might consider it if you put on some pants," she said sweetly. "Though I like your boxers. Batman makes a bold statement." Troy smiled weakly and ran into his room. "Ahh… just in time for Saturday morning cartoons," sighed Diego, switching on the TV. Don came in the next second and said "Well, c'mon Diego. Let's go." Diego looked up. "Go? Go where?" "Wow. You really are a simple creature, aren't you? We're going to find Toros!" Diego pouted. "Can we go later? Astro-Gladiators 3105 is on!" he said, pointing to the screen. "I bet you've seen this before, anyways," said Don. Diego gritted his teeth, looking for a valid excuse to keep watching. "Where is this place if it's so important?" he asked. "In the desert," Don replied calmly. "You're telling me I'm missing my cartoons so I can drag you all into the desert?" Don nodded. "What am I, Moses?" asked Diego, getting up from the couch and walking to the cockpit. With a grind of the motor, they were on their way.
* * *
"Hey Doc! There's something big coming our way!" screamed Jaime. "Wow! That is big! What is it Jaime?" said Leena, walking into the room. "Well, if this file is right, it's an old model Hover cargo. It's designed as a moving base, capable of storing up to six zoids. I'm surprised it's in such good condition," said Jaime. Little hearts formed in Dr. Toros's eyes as he looked at the screen lovingly. "So, uh… how much do you think one of those would cost?" he asked, inching towards his wallet and his keys. "Well, I don't know… oh no. No no no no no no no NO!" He stood up and chased after Toros, who was making his way to the hangar. "It's to late Jaime! BWA HAHAHAHA!" Toros made a running leap into the truck. He quickly locked the doors and Jaime was banging on the windows. He put the keys in the ignition and took off. He was about 10 minutes out of the base when Brad popped up in the back seat. "Going somewhere Dr, Toros?" he asked. "Um… er… Just going on a drive, that's all! Yep, that's right! Just going on a drive!" Toros stammered. "Yeah. Sure. I suggest you turn this vehicle around," Brad said with an evil glint in his eyes. "Awww, you and Jaime are no fun!" whined Toros, turning the car around. When they came back, they found that the Hover Cargo was headed straight towards them. The Toros and Brad got out of the truck, and watched as the Hover Cargo came to a stop. "Would ya look at the size of it!" said Jaime, who had also come out to join them. A small hatch about 50 feet up the side opened up. A figure popped out and yelled "IS THIS THE TOROS BASE?" "YEAH… WHO WANTS TO KNOW?" Jaime yelled back. What happened next was… unexpected. Brad, Jaime and Dr. Toros heard something that sounded like "I'M SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THIS JERKY!" The next thing they knew, the person on the hover cargo got hit with what appeared to be a large crate. The force of the hit knocked him out of the hatch as he fell 50 feet to the rocky desert floor. The crate exploded on impact, revealing its contents to be… smoked jerky. A blood- curdling scream pierced the air, followed by "YOU MONSTER! IS NOTHING SACRED TO YOU? NOTHING?!" A different voice bellowed "FIVE SECOND RULE!" Two other figures leapt down and started stuffing their faces, their pockets, anything, with the scrambled. After their cheeks, pockets, belt loops, and anything else, was stuffed, they noticed they had spectators. "Umm… do you want some?" Troy asked, spewing meat chunks everywhere. "No… thanks," said Brad, a little disgusted. "Excuse me, but can I ask what you're doing here?" Jaime questioned. Don stopped twitching, got up, dusted himself off and shot an evil look at this two team members, who were to oblivious to notice. "You'll have to forgive Diego and Troy. They're idiots. Anyhoo, we happen to be looking for a Dr. Toros. Would you know of his whereabouts?" Don asked. "I should certainly hope so, considering he's right here," Brad said, who at the moment was looking at the Armordillo with hearts in his eyes. "It's so big and shiny," he said, as he stroked one of the massive treads. "Excuse me, Doctor, but we need to talk to you about some thing very important. Can we come inside?" asked Don. "Sure thing. What's the matter?" Brad said, taking the Dr.'s cue. "You'll find out in a minute. HEY! CASSIE! THIS IS IT!" Don screamed at the Hover cargo. "Who's Cassie?" Jaime asked. "Satan in drag," Troy muttered. "The angel of Death herself," said Troy. "Did the air just get colder?" Jaime questioned. Troy and Diego froze, and without turning around, said "She's right behind us, isn't she?" and with that, they took off like a shot. As they ran for the ladder to the Hover Cargo, Troy shouted "ALL ABOARD! WOMEN AND IRISH FIRST!" When they arrived at the ladder, they fought each other for it. Diego pushed Troy, and started to ascend, when Troy jumped up and grabbed his foot. He started to climb, when Diego hit him with a stick. Troy fell to the ground, and seeing Cassie approaching, he followed his instincts and curled into a ball. Cassie punted him (he flew 20 ft) and proceeded up the ladder to get Diego. She grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Troy got up, his butt sore from Cassie's whooping. He ran for the base, when Diego landed on him. Cassie jumped down, as all the men looked at her in shock. She looked back, cocked an eyebrow, and asked very innocently, "What?"
End of part 3