DISCLAIMER: I'm telling ya baby, it's not mine! This sort of thing isn't my
bag, baby!
(Ninja Burger and all products of Ninja Burger belong to www.ninjaburger.com.
Well, the infamous part six has arrived! Will the Dynax team stop the Back Draft Group?
Will the Battle Commission be destroyed? Will Mr. Bigg ever get on with the story? Will my readers ever review? We will find out…
…right now.
(Be prepared for major plot rip-offs!)
Part 6
The Dynax team was found very nervous with the Royal Tournament just around the corner. After bringing in the zoids for an over haul, all they could do was wait for the tournament to begin. "But we have no idea when or where the Back Draft group is going to attack!" Cassie complained, obviously stressing over the oncoming attack. "According the data we got before the link was severed, the back draft could attack anytime between 3:00 AM on Sunday and Midnight on Tuesday, with anywhere from 800 to 1,500 troops," Don said. "So, in short, it's 3 zoids versus 1,500 of them," Diego said. "That about sums it up. But what I can't believe is that the hotel's mini-fridge doesn't stock jerky!" Troy said in a disgusted voice. "WERE ABOUT TO GO INTO OVERWHELMING ODDS AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS YOUR STUPID BEEF JERKY!?" Cassie yelled. "Relax Cassie. If it's one thing that cheesy movies, fake wrestling and public television has taught me, it's that the underdog always wins," Don said re-assuringly. "All we've got to do is fly to the mother ship in a ship we stole, upload a virus that will attack all subordinate ships, thereby destroying their shield systems and attack the doomsday weapon that also is the ship's weakness," Diego said in a scientifical manner. "Diego, you just stole that entire concept from a movie we all watched last night," Cassie muttered. "Well, what's wrong with it?" Troy asked. "If we find the key power to the fleet and take it out, then we can attack them!" Don looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, in theory, it would work… and I could create a virus capable of freezing a system of that size," he said hesitantly. "Great. To save the world, we're relying on a battle plan that we saw in a movie," Cassie groaned. "Well, it worked for them!" Diego said. "Diego, the only reason that it worked for them because the movie would of done bad if humanity lost!" Don commented. "Well, let's do something to pass the time. Our zoids still have an hour left before they finish repairing them," Troy said. "I'm hungry!" Diego said. "Well, I saw Ninja Burger down the street," Don said. "Alright! Let's go!"
* * *
When they entered the restaurant, a cashier clad in proper ninja attire greeted them. "Welcome to Ninja Burger, where we guarantee your delivery in 30 minutes or we commit seppuku. Can I take your order?" she asked in a mysterious tone. "I'd like a double ninja burger, an onion death blossom, and a medium soft drink, please," Don asked. "I'll have a ninja burger with double wasabi with a soybean patty, French fries of our ancestors, and a medium cola," Cassie said. "I'd like three Ninja little human meals," Troy asked. "I'll have the same," Diego replied. When they got their food and went to their table, they dug in. "Troy, get some napkins, please," Cassie asked. When Troy returned, he looked in his kid's meal. "Wait a minute… where my toys!" he said angrily. Diego shrugged his shoulders like he didn't know what Troy was talking about. "Open up Diego…" Troy said. Diego shook his head. Troy sighed and pinched Diego's nostrils together. Diego started to turn purple when he finally opened up. "Alright! I got a shruiken!" Troy said. As they ate, the topic of the conversation turned back to the task looming overhead. "Of course, we'll need someone to stay behind to warn the Battle Commission if we fail," Don said. "I call it!" Diego said. "Alright. Now we need to find a way to get onto the main ship," Troy said. "Don't worry. I have this all planed out. Cassie, Troy and I will fly to the Whale King incognito. Then we split up, and as I make my way to the main terminal to upload the virus, while Cassie and Troy make their way to the engine room to cripple the engines. Then we meet up, and get off the Whale King, and make it back in time for tea," Don said. "Why do I have to stay behind?" Diego asked. "Well, you're our only chance at saving the Battle commission in case we fail," Don said. "Oh. I guess it makes sense," Diego said. They were all pretty silent for a while, when Don said, "Who wants to see me eat this burger with 5 orders of wasabii?" Troy snorted. "C'mon- that's kids stuff," Diego said. "Alright, make it ten! Without the burger!" he said. Don strode up, ordered it, and downed it in less then 5 seconds. "Well. I'm impressed," Troy said. Five minutes later, Don was frantically sucking on the ice dispenser. "Ah, the tears of a clown," Diego replied.
* * *
It was 11:50 on Tuesday night. It was Troy's shift to watch the radar for any sign of the Back Draft attack. "Well, in ten minutes we can finally stop worrying and compete in the tournament," He said aloud. He went to the kitchen and pulled out some coffee. To his surprise, his teammates were awake too. "I though you all were asleep," He said. "Well, unlike you, we worry that things might not work out," Don said. "Well, I'd be sleeping like a baby if it weren't for the stupid radar," Troy complained. "Well, decafe coffee isn't going to keep you awake," Cassie said. "It's not the caffeine it's the taste that keeps me awake," Troy replied. He drank some and pulled a face. "Hey!" Diego said, pointing at the clock. "We made it! The attack parameters have ended!" Diego said. They all got up and cheered, like it was New Year's Eve.
It was then that Don's sharp ears caught something. A faint, high- pitched tone that sounded like… "The radar!" he said, as he took off for the terminal. "They're here! They're everywhere!" he said as the radar recognized hostile targets attacking various areas. "Do you have a lock on the Whale king?" Troy asked. "Yeah. It's 30 km. away at 16 degrees southeast," Don said. "Quick! To the hangar!" Cassie said. "Take this, Diego. Maintain radio contact with us. If we get cut off, you got to contact the Battle Commission and tell them what's going on," Don said. "Take the Battle Stag, it's the fastest," Troy said. Diego could only nod as the rest of the team made their way to the hangar. They piled into a small black aircraft that Don made out of assorted zoid parts, that Cassie had named 'The Junk Heap'. "Look at this thing! Half of it must be held together by duct tape!" she said. "It's designed to be a stealth craft, not a concept car," Don replied. Troy fell over for the sixth time trying to put on his wet suit in the cramped area. "Troy, why are you wearing a wet suit?" Cassie asked. "Because I'm gonna bust this Whale King apart, ninja style!" he said cheekily. "I swear, we should have gone to McDonald's," Cassie said while shaking her head. "So Don, how exactly are we going to get inside?" Troy asked. "Just leave that to me. You worry about your part," Don replied. "Meaning you have no idea," Cassie said. "I have some idea," Don said. "We'll use they're emergency pods launch bay as a docking port," Don said. No sooner had he said this when the Whale King showed up on screen. "Prepare to dock," Don said. They winced as the craft made a loud bumping sound. When the docking was over, Cassie whispered, "Do you think anyone heard us?" Don shrugged his shoulders and replied, "There's only one way to find out!" And with that, he shoved Troy into the hallway. They waited a few minutes, and then followed. They found themselves in a long corridor that didn't look like it was used in a while. Troy shot Don an icy black look of death. "Heh heh. My… uh… hands slipped, I swear," He said sheepishly. "Fine, I forgive you," Troy said. The he kicked Don in the butt. Hard. "My foot slipped. I swear," Troy said, savoring every word. "Alright, we're even. Now, down to business. Don pulled out a mini- projector and faced it to the wall. When he turned it on, it showed the interior schematics of the Whale King. With his other hand, he pulled out a small laser pointer. "Ok, we are here," Don said, pointing at a point in the map. " Now, Cassie and Troy, you want to follow this access corridor to Engine room C. I'll head towards the bridge terminal. Now, you have to use these explosives to cripple the engine, distracting the crew while I upload the program," Don explained as he handed Troy the explosives. "Oooh. Explosives," Troy said, reaching for the closest one. "Maybe I should hang on to these," Cassie said. "Right. Take this hallway down until you find this stairwell. Go up a floor and you should end up on a catwalk over engine C. Plant them on the terminal, radio conformation, and get back here as fast as you can," Don said. "We should check in with Diego every couple of minutes," Cassie said to Troy and Don. "Good luck!" Troy said, as they headed off.
* * *
Even Diego couldn't sleep at a time like this. He paced the room waiting for some kind of response from his teammates. He heard a blast of static from the terminal, so he went to go check it out. "S.O.S! This is a distress call from Andromeda Thorne to anyone out there! The Back Draft Just attacked the hotel where the Royal Cup warriors are staying and are holding us hostage! If someone is out there please respond! This is not a joke!" Diego picked up the mike and said, "Hang on Andy! I'm coming for ya!" Diego quickly switched channels and sent a message to Troy, Don and Cassie. "Hey guys- I just got a message from Andy! The Back Draft's captured a bunch of warriors from the Royal Cup and holding them Hostage!" It took a minute for Cassie to reply. "Well get over there you big idiot! Someone's got to save them!" Diego nodded. But Diego was way ahead of her.
* * *
Up on the Whale King, Cassie and Troy finally found engine room C's catwalk. Troy eyes bulged as he looked into the abyss below that was full of mechanical and moving parts. "That's a nasty fall," he said to Cassie. When he didn't get a response, he looked up to see Cassie giving him the 'shh' sign as she pointed to a burly guard by the terminal. Troy nodded and gave her a string of elaborate hand gestures. Cassie furrowed her brow and shrugged her shoulders. The he took out a small flashlight, turned it on, and flashed his hand in front of the beam repeatedly. "What are you doing?" Cassie mouthed to him. Sighing, Troy got up and signaled for her to follow him. While faced away, Troy ran up and jumped on the guard's back. Trying to bring the guard down, he circled his arms around the guard's chest. Wow. He's got really well developed pectoral muscles… Troy thought. He looked down, and realized the guard wasn't a 'he'. "Oh my god! I'm terribly sorry!" he said as he jumped off and helped her up. When the guard was on her feet, she elbowed him in the ribs. "Cassie! Help me!" he said as he fell to the ground. Cassie leaped into the fray as Troy got up. Troy leaned against the railing, and pulled out a piece of jerky as he watched the guard and Cassie fight. "Troy, I could use some help over here!" Cassie shouted. "I don't think so. I like where this is going," Troy said in a pleased voice. Cassie quickly elbowed the guard in the head, knocking her unconscious. She stood up, grabbed the bag of explosives, and swung them at Troy's head. Troy ducked, as Cassie lost her grip and released the explosives. They could only watch as they fell out of reach. "Wow. That really sucks," Troy said. Cassie's vein in her forehead started to twitch. "Cassie, is something wrong?" he asked innocently "FIRST, YOU WATCH ME TAKE A BEATING FORM A GUARD WHO MIGHT AS WELL BE MIKE TYSON! THEN, YOU RESIST PUNISHMENT! FINALLY, YOU MAKE ME LOOSE THE EXPLOSIVES THAT WE NEED FOR THE PLAN TO WORK! AND YOU ASK ME IF SOMETHING'S WRONG?!" she yelled. "Wait- what did we need the explosives for again?" Troy asked. "We needed them to blow up the terminal!" Cassie said through clenched teeth. "Cassie, Cassie. If it's one thing I've learned throughout my entire childhood, it's that there's more then one way to break a computer," Troy said. He inspected the terminal and said, "See? Problem solved, my dear Cassiopeia. As you can see, this model requires extensive venting," he said scientifically, gesturing to a large vent pipe. "So?" Cassie said. "Well, with enough packing, this vent will be blocked, causing the unit to overheat, and thereby…" "…Destroy the machine," Cassie finished as Troy shoved jerky in the vent. "Troy, for someone like yourself, you're pretty smart." Troy smiled. "Wait- what do you mean people like me! Cassie! Wait! I'm talking to you!" Troy said, chasing Cassie as she made her way out.
* * *
On the ground, Diego managed to find the hotel where the pilots were being held hostage. After a series of running, ducking, and rolling on the ground, he made his way to the back door. Looking around, he ducked inside. Once inside, he found that navigating through the hallways was impossible, because the place was crawling with guards. Remembering his escapades in the Back draft base, he jumped into the nearest ventilation grate. He was crawling around for about 15 minutes, when he came to a stop. "It might have been nice to find out where I'm going before I get there," he mumbled. He paused, but his sharp ears picked up a voice. A very distinct voice. "Hang on Andy! I'm coming!" he cried valiantly as he made his way toward the voice. When he arrived, he found himself above a large room that was most likely a laundry room. He saw a large group of people (Andy was one of them) in the center of the room with their hands on there heads. 3 guards patrolled the room, each armed with a gun. Waiting until the coast was clear, he jumped down and signaled to Andy he was there. She smiled, but it quickly disappeared when a guard walked by her. "What's so funny, girlie?" He asked. "Hey Roy- she's a pretty little thing isn't she? Maybe we could take her with us!" Joked one of the other guards. The guard bent down, when Diego pounced, slamming into him and knocking him out. He jumped right back up, taking out the other two guards. Andy jumped up, screaming, "DIEGO!" as she hugged him. Diego managed to pull her off and said, "Be quiet! We're gonna have a hard enough time escaping already…"
Meanwhile, Don was in the process of hiding in the ship's lounge. This cabinet smells bad he thought. They should really use Lysol or something… his thoughts were interrupted when static blared over his communicator. "Don! We're done over here! The explosion should happen…" Their conversation was interrupted by a loud booming sound. Don heard sirens blare and the footsteps of personnel running down the corridor. Don stepped out of the smelly cabinet, and waited for the sound of the footsteps to thin. Cautiously, he stepped out into the hallway and made his way to the bridge. Surprisingly, he found that it was still staffed. "Give me a damage report!" Demanded the man at the helm. "General Otile, the control terminal for engine C has been heavily damaged! We're loosing control over it!" said the radar man. "It's starting to overheat! Any more pressure will cause it to explode!" General Otile gritted his teeth. "Can we make an emergency landing?" he asked. "Not without sustaining heavy damage! The landing would cause the engine to self destruct!" The radar man said. "Initiate auto- pilot to fly along these coordinates. There shouldn't be any one near there. When you're done, make your way to the escape pods," General Otile said. "What about you sir?" asked the radar man. "I'm staying here, to make sure the ship makes it," General Otile replied. "Yes sir!" The men said. After a few minutes, they all shook hands with Otile, wishing him good luck, and filing out in an orderly fashion. When they left, Don snuck in and went to a terminal. He inserted a disk and started typing. "You! What do you think you're doing?" Otile said. He ran over and tried to grab him, but Don jumped out of the way. Otile hit his head and fell to the floor, unconscious. Don finished typing and started to leave. When he noticed Otile was still on the ground, he sighed, went back, and picked him up. "You're a big boy, aren't ya?" He said as he dragged Otile to the escape pod bay. When he got there, he was rather surprised to find Cassie and Troy waiting in the hall versus in the ship. "What's going on? Why aren't you guys in the ship?" He asked. Cassie whimpered as Troy said, "Well being in the ship actually RECQUIRES HAVING A SHIP TO BE IN!" Don put two and two together. "The ship's gone?" He asked. "Yeah. Someone must have found it when the escape pods were launching," Troy replied. "We've got about 5 minutes before the ship goes boom. What are we going to do?" Cassie asked. "Wait- I got an idea. Follow me," Don said as he went down the dark hallway.
(Ninja Burger and all products of Ninja Burger belong to www.ninjaburger.com.
Well, the infamous part six has arrived! Will the Dynax team stop the Back Draft Group?
Will the Battle Commission be destroyed? Will Mr. Bigg ever get on with the story? Will my readers ever review? We will find out…
…right now.
(Be prepared for major plot rip-offs!)
Part 6
The Dynax team was found very nervous with the Royal Tournament just around the corner. After bringing in the zoids for an over haul, all they could do was wait for the tournament to begin. "But we have no idea when or where the Back Draft group is going to attack!" Cassie complained, obviously stressing over the oncoming attack. "According the data we got before the link was severed, the back draft could attack anytime between 3:00 AM on Sunday and Midnight on Tuesday, with anywhere from 800 to 1,500 troops," Don said. "So, in short, it's 3 zoids versus 1,500 of them," Diego said. "That about sums it up. But what I can't believe is that the hotel's mini-fridge doesn't stock jerky!" Troy said in a disgusted voice. "WERE ABOUT TO GO INTO OVERWHELMING ODDS AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS YOUR STUPID BEEF JERKY!?" Cassie yelled. "Relax Cassie. If it's one thing that cheesy movies, fake wrestling and public television has taught me, it's that the underdog always wins," Don said re-assuringly. "All we've got to do is fly to the mother ship in a ship we stole, upload a virus that will attack all subordinate ships, thereby destroying their shield systems and attack the doomsday weapon that also is the ship's weakness," Diego said in a scientifical manner. "Diego, you just stole that entire concept from a movie we all watched last night," Cassie muttered. "Well, what's wrong with it?" Troy asked. "If we find the key power to the fleet and take it out, then we can attack them!" Don looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, in theory, it would work… and I could create a virus capable of freezing a system of that size," he said hesitantly. "Great. To save the world, we're relying on a battle plan that we saw in a movie," Cassie groaned. "Well, it worked for them!" Diego said. "Diego, the only reason that it worked for them because the movie would of done bad if humanity lost!" Don commented. "Well, let's do something to pass the time. Our zoids still have an hour left before they finish repairing them," Troy said. "I'm hungry!" Diego said. "Well, I saw Ninja Burger down the street," Don said. "Alright! Let's go!"
* * *
When they entered the restaurant, a cashier clad in proper ninja attire greeted them. "Welcome to Ninja Burger, where we guarantee your delivery in 30 minutes or we commit seppuku. Can I take your order?" she asked in a mysterious tone. "I'd like a double ninja burger, an onion death blossom, and a medium soft drink, please," Don asked. "I'll have a ninja burger with double wasabi with a soybean patty, French fries of our ancestors, and a medium cola," Cassie said. "I'd like three Ninja little human meals," Troy asked. "I'll have the same," Diego replied. When they got their food and went to their table, they dug in. "Troy, get some napkins, please," Cassie asked. When Troy returned, he looked in his kid's meal. "Wait a minute… where my toys!" he said angrily. Diego shrugged his shoulders like he didn't know what Troy was talking about. "Open up Diego…" Troy said. Diego shook his head. Troy sighed and pinched Diego's nostrils together. Diego started to turn purple when he finally opened up. "Alright! I got a shruiken!" Troy said. As they ate, the topic of the conversation turned back to the task looming overhead. "Of course, we'll need someone to stay behind to warn the Battle Commission if we fail," Don said. "I call it!" Diego said. "Alright. Now we need to find a way to get onto the main ship," Troy said. "Don't worry. I have this all planed out. Cassie, Troy and I will fly to the Whale King incognito. Then we split up, and as I make my way to the main terminal to upload the virus, while Cassie and Troy make their way to the engine room to cripple the engines. Then we meet up, and get off the Whale King, and make it back in time for tea," Don said. "Why do I have to stay behind?" Diego asked. "Well, you're our only chance at saving the Battle commission in case we fail," Don said. "Oh. I guess it makes sense," Diego said. They were all pretty silent for a while, when Don said, "Who wants to see me eat this burger with 5 orders of wasabii?" Troy snorted. "C'mon- that's kids stuff," Diego said. "Alright, make it ten! Without the burger!" he said. Don strode up, ordered it, and downed it in less then 5 seconds. "Well. I'm impressed," Troy said. Five minutes later, Don was frantically sucking on the ice dispenser. "Ah, the tears of a clown," Diego replied.
* * *
It was 11:50 on Tuesday night. It was Troy's shift to watch the radar for any sign of the Back Draft attack. "Well, in ten minutes we can finally stop worrying and compete in the tournament," He said aloud. He went to the kitchen and pulled out some coffee. To his surprise, his teammates were awake too. "I though you all were asleep," He said. "Well, unlike you, we worry that things might not work out," Don said. "Well, I'd be sleeping like a baby if it weren't for the stupid radar," Troy complained. "Well, decafe coffee isn't going to keep you awake," Cassie said. "It's not the caffeine it's the taste that keeps me awake," Troy replied. He drank some and pulled a face. "Hey!" Diego said, pointing at the clock. "We made it! The attack parameters have ended!" Diego said. They all got up and cheered, like it was New Year's Eve.
It was then that Don's sharp ears caught something. A faint, high- pitched tone that sounded like… "The radar!" he said, as he took off for the terminal. "They're here! They're everywhere!" he said as the radar recognized hostile targets attacking various areas. "Do you have a lock on the Whale king?" Troy asked. "Yeah. It's 30 km. away at 16 degrees southeast," Don said. "Quick! To the hangar!" Cassie said. "Take this, Diego. Maintain radio contact with us. If we get cut off, you got to contact the Battle Commission and tell them what's going on," Don said. "Take the Battle Stag, it's the fastest," Troy said. Diego could only nod as the rest of the team made their way to the hangar. They piled into a small black aircraft that Don made out of assorted zoid parts, that Cassie had named 'The Junk Heap'. "Look at this thing! Half of it must be held together by duct tape!" she said. "It's designed to be a stealth craft, not a concept car," Don replied. Troy fell over for the sixth time trying to put on his wet suit in the cramped area. "Troy, why are you wearing a wet suit?" Cassie asked. "Because I'm gonna bust this Whale King apart, ninja style!" he said cheekily. "I swear, we should have gone to McDonald's," Cassie said while shaking her head. "So Don, how exactly are we going to get inside?" Troy asked. "Just leave that to me. You worry about your part," Don replied. "Meaning you have no idea," Cassie said. "I have some idea," Don said. "We'll use they're emergency pods launch bay as a docking port," Don said. No sooner had he said this when the Whale King showed up on screen. "Prepare to dock," Don said. They winced as the craft made a loud bumping sound. When the docking was over, Cassie whispered, "Do you think anyone heard us?" Don shrugged his shoulders and replied, "There's only one way to find out!" And with that, he shoved Troy into the hallway. They waited a few minutes, and then followed. They found themselves in a long corridor that didn't look like it was used in a while. Troy shot Don an icy black look of death. "Heh heh. My… uh… hands slipped, I swear," He said sheepishly. "Fine, I forgive you," Troy said. The he kicked Don in the butt. Hard. "My foot slipped. I swear," Troy said, savoring every word. "Alright, we're even. Now, down to business. Don pulled out a mini- projector and faced it to the wall. When he turned it on, it showed the interior schematics of the Whale King. With his other hand, he pulled out a small laser pointer. "Ok, we are here," Don said, pointing at a point in the map. " Now, Cassie and Troy, you want to follow this access corridor to Engine room C. I'll head towards the bridge terminal. Now, you have to use these explosives to cripple the engine, distracting the crew while I upload the program," Don explained as he handed Troy the explosives. "Oooh. Explosives," Troy said, reaching for the closest one. "Maybe I should hang on to these," Cassie said. "Right. Take this hallway down until you find this stairwell. Go up a floor and you should end up on a catwalk over engine C. Plant them on the terminal, radio conformation, and get back here as fast as you can," Don said. "We should check in with Diego every couple of minutes," Cassie said to Troy and Don. "Good luck!" Troy said, as they headed off.
* * *
Even Diego couldn't sleep at a time like this. He paced the room waiting for some kind of response from his teammates. He heard a blast of static from the terminal, so he went to go check it out. "S.O.S! This is a distress call from Andromeda Thorne to anyone out there! The Back Draft Just attacked the hotel where the Royal Cup warriors are staying and are holding us hostage! If someone is out there please respond! This is not a joke!" Diego picked up the mike and said, "Hang on Andy! I'm coming for ya!" Diego quickly switched channels and sent a message to Troy, Don and Cassie. "Hey guys- I just got a message from Andy! The Back Draft's captured a bunch of warriors from the Royal Cup and holding them Hostage!" It took a minute for Cassie to reply. "Well get over there you big idiot! Someone's got to save them!" Diego nodded. But Diego was way ahead of her.
* * *
Up on the Whale King, Cassie and Troy finally found engine room C's catwalk. Troy eyes bulged as he looked into the abyss below that was full of mechanical and moving parts. "That's a nasty fall," he said to Cassie. When he didn't get a response, he looked up to see Cassie giving him the 'shh' sign as she pointed to a burly guard by the terminal. Troy nodded and gave her a string of elaborate hand gestures. Cassie furrowed her brow and shrugged her shoulders. The he took out a small flashlight, turned it on, and flashed his hand in front of the beam repeatedly. "What are you doing?" Cassie mouthed to him. Sighing, Troy got up and signaled for her to follow him. While faced away, Troy ran up and jumped on the guard's back. Trying to bring the guard down, he circled his arms around the guard's chest. Wow. He's got really well developed pectoral muscles… Troy thought. He looked down, and realized the guard wasn't a 'he'. "Oh my god! I'm terribly sorry!" he said as he jumped off and helped her up. When the guard was on her feet, she elbowed him in the ribs. "Cassie! Help me!" he said as he fell to the ground. Cassie leaped into the fray as Troy got up. Troy leaned against the railing, and pulled out a piece of jerky as he watched the guard and Cassie fight. "Troy, I could use some help over here!" Cassie shouted. "I don't think so. I like where this is going," Troy said in a pleased voice. Cassie quickly elbowed the guard in the head, knocking her unconscious. She stood up, grabbed the bag of explosives, and swung them at Troy's head. Troy ducked, as Cassie lost her grip and released the explosives. They could only watch as they fell out of reach. "Wow. That really sucks," Troy said. Cassie's vein in her forehead started to twitch. "Cassie, is something wrong?" he asked innocently "FIRST, YOU WATCH ME TAKE A BEATING FORM A GUARD WHO MIGHT AS WELL BE MIKE TYSON! THEN, YOU RESIST PUNISHMENT! FINALLY, YOU MAKE ME LOOSE THE EXPLOSIVES THAT WE NEED FOR THE PLAN TO WORK! AND YOU ASK ME IF SOMETHING'S WRONG?!" she yelled. "Wait- what did we need the explosives for again?" Troy asked. "We needed them to blow up the terminal!" Cassie said through clenched teeth. "Cassie, Cassie. If it's one thing I've learned throughout my entire childhood, it's that there's more then one way to break a computer," Troy said. He inspected the terminal and said, "See? Problem solved, my dear Cassiopeia. As you can see, this model requires extensive venting," he said scientifically, gesturing to a large vent pipe. "So?" Cassie said. "Well, with enough packing, this vent will be blocked, causing the unit to overheat, and thereby…" "…Destroy the machine," Cassie finished as Troy shoved jerky in the vent. "Troy, for someone like yourself, you're pretty smart." Troy smiled. "Wait- what do you mean people like me! Cassie! Wait! I'm talking to you!" Troy said, chasing Cassie as she made her way out.
* * *
On the ground, Diego managed to find the hotel where the pilots were being held hostage. After a series of running, ducking, and rolling on the ground, he made his way to the back door. Looking around, he ducked inside. Once inside, he found that navigating through the hallways was impossible, because the place was crawling with guards. Remembering his escapades in the Back draft base, he jumped into the nearest ventilation grate. He was crawling around for about 15 minutes, when he came to a stop. "It might have been nice to find out where I'm going before I get there," he mumbled. He paused, but his sharp ears picked up a voice. A very distinct voice. "Hang on Andy! I'm coming!" he cried valiantly as he made his way toward the voice. When he arrived, he found himself above a large room that was most likely a laundry room. He saw a large group of people (Andy was one of them) in the center of the room with their hands on there heads. 3 guards patrolled the room, each armed with a gun. Waiting until the coast was clear, he jumped down and signaled to Andy he was there. She smiled, but it quickly disappeared when a guard walked by her. "What's so funny, girlie?" He asked. "Hey Roy- she's a pretty little thing isn't she? Maybe we could take her with us!" Joked one of the other guards. The guard bent down, when Diego pounced, slamming into him and knocking him out. He jumped right back up, taking out the other two guards. Andy jumped up, screaming, "DIEGO!" as she hugged him. Diego managed to pull her off and said, "Be quiet! We're gonna have a hard enough time escaping already…"
Meanwhile, Don was in the process of hiding in the ship's lounge. This cabinet smells bad he thought. They should really use Lysol or something… his thoughts were interrupted when static blared over his communicator. "Don! We're done over here! The explosion should happen…" Their conversation was interrupted by a loud booming sound. Don heard sirens blare and the footsteps of personnel running down the corridor. Don stepped out of the smelly cabinet, and waited for the sound of the footsteps to thin. Cautiously, he stepped out into the hallway and made his way to the bridge. Surprisingly, he found that it was still staffed. "Give me a damage report!" Demanded the man at the helm. "General Otile, the control terminal for engine C has been heavily damaged! We're loosing control over it!" said the radar man. "It's starting to overheat! Any more pressure will cause it to explode!" General Otile gritted his teeth. "Can we make an emergency landing?" he asked. "Not without sustaining heavy damage! The landing would cause the engine to self destruct!" The radar man said. "Initiate auto- pilot to fly along these coordinates. There shouldn't be any one near there. When you're done, make your way to the escape pods," General Otile said. "What about you sir?" asked the radar man. "I'm staying here, to make sure the ship makes it," General Otile replied. "Yes sir!" The men said. After a few minutes, they all shook hands with Otile, wishing him good luck, and filing out in an orderly fashion. When they left, Don snuck in and went to a terminal. He inserted a disk and started typing. "You! What do you think you're doing?" Otile said. He ran over and tried to grab him, but Don jumped out of the way. Otile hit his head and fell to the floor, unconscious. Don finished typing and started to leave. When he noticed Otile was still on the ground, he sighed, went back, and picked him up. "You're a big boy, aren't ya?" He said as he dragged Otile to the escape pod bay. When he got there, he was rather surprised to find Cassie and Troy waiting in the hall versus in the ship. "What's going on? Why aren't you guys in the ship?" He asked. Cassie whimpered as Troy said, "Well being in the ship actually RECQUIRES HAVING A SHIP TO BE IN!" Don put two and two together. "The ship's gone?" He asked. "Yeah. Someone must have found it when the escape pods were launching," Troy replied. "We've got about 5 minutes before the ship goes boom. What are we going to do?" Cassie asked. "Wait- I got an idea. Follow me," Don said as he went down the dark hallway.