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The Retaking of George Island
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AN:Okay, here we go. This will be the final chapter. Don't worry. I know better than to leave the story unfinished. There will be a wrap up in this chapter.
I have to warn you. Once this chapter is finished, so is the story. I will not be taking a break, then continuing the story. This will complete it. I'm considering a sequel, but it won't be out for a while. Next year, I'll be working on another fic which will be a major undertaking.
But, with that aside, let's get on with the story.
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The MASK agents gathered around for the briefing. Sven and Agent Gates were among them.
"So far, we know this." said Jeremy. "Darwood has the soldiers at the disposal facility as well as Agent Gates' daughter Julie under some kind of mind control. The mind control victims have little capibility for most tasks, but we have recently discovered they can be adjusted to use firearms, possibly M-16's. On the downside, getting past those minions is going to be a challenge, a big one. The good news is if we can counteract the mind control signal, the odds will be completely reversed. Darwood most likely realizes this as well, so he's not going to let that happen easily. That's why I'm counting on you to do your best.
"Here's my plan." he continued. "Currently, we have eleven vehicles here. The Bear has been rendered unusable in combat and the Marlin is unable to fight on land. Enzo will man the guns in the Behemoth's trailer base and Sven will operate the guns in the Mammoth's mobile base. The Bear can still be driven, so Max will use it to enter the facility while the rest of us keep the Foxes busy with the biggest doggone battle you've ever seen."
"Hey, I was in the Gulf War." said Rocky jokingly. "You'd better smile when you say that."
"Okay." laughed Jeremy. "Scooter and Agent Gates will ride along with Max. Once they make it into the facility, Max will use his stealth skills to help the other two into the computer room. Gates is more familiar with the interior, so he will be the guide. When you find the computer, Scooter will shut it down and free the troops.
"For the battle itself, there are four sides to the facility. Removing the Bear and Marlin from the battle leaves us with nine vehicles. We'll separate them into four groups. The Behemoth and Wolverine will attack from the north and the main gate. The Roc and Warhorse will attack from the west since there's more clutter on that side. There's a loading dock on the south side and the Dove and Mammoth will go in that way. The Skyhawk, Ferret, and Lightning will attack from the east because of the river, which prevents land vehicles from attacking that way.
"As you may be aware, Darwood has another new piece of equipment. It's large. It's intimidating. It's most likely well armed. However, I managed to contact the design crew. Bruce was one of the thing's designers. He says that the Behemoth can probably go toe-to-toe with it."
"Why does he say that?" asked Kenny.
"Because the Behemoth was based on a modified design of this thing." said Jeremy. "One other thing. I've called Captain Jeffries to assist with the Bluebird."
"I thought the Bluebird was unarmed?" said Chris.
"It is, but I'm counting on the same intimidation factor as Darwood's new vehicle." said Jeremy. "Back in high school, there was this other student who was very huge. Whenever there was a fight, he'd show up and the fight would end. He never threw a punch or attacked in any way. He just showed up and glared at the brawlers. He ended more fights through intimidation alone. We called him 'the Peacemaker'. I'm counting on the same principle here.
"If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd like to hear them." said Jeremy.
"I've got one." said Scooter. "Since the Mind's Pencil leaves its victims with the mental capacity of a clock radio, Darwood's sure to have left some of the base personel untouched. Now that I've hacked into the base's computer system, maybe I can contact some of them and get their assistance."
"That's not a bad idea, Scooter." said Jeremy. "You can probably make our task a thousand times easier. That is all. Get ready. This is not going to be easy."
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Wei climbed into the Mammoth. "Hey, Laura?" he asked. "You think you're up to this battle?"
"More than ready." she replied.
"I heard you and Jeremy talking." said Rocky. "Whatcha gonna do if you encounter that guy again?"
"I'll fight him to the best of my ability and try to see where the chips fall." said Chris.
"You okay, sir?" asked Max as he strapped into the Bear.
"I will be as soon as we release the soldiers and my daughter from their trances." said Gates.
"Good man." said Scooter.
The MASK forces moved out.
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"I think he just has a simple case of flash-blinding." said the doctor as he examined Marcus' eyes. "He should be fine in a couple of hours."
"You'd better not be exagerating to make him useless in combat." warned Darwood.
"I'm not! I'm not!" said the doctor. "He should be fine in two hours, tops."
"Very well." said Darwood. "Come along, we have a battle to prepare for. MASK is sure to be on the way."
The Foxes left the infirmary. A radar tech watched them leave, then walked over to the doctor. "Two hours, huh?" she asked. "How long will he really be ready?"
"Closer to six." said the doctor. "Hopefully, this MASK will arrive before then. Unfortunately, removing one gun may not be enough."
"I've seen it happen." said the radar tech. She left the infirmary and returned to the radar monitor. She turned her computer back on and found a text file.
She opened the text file. It read "My name is Scooter. This is not a dream. To respond, just write a text file."
The radar tech wrote a text file reading "I am a radar tech. Who are you?"
A few seconds later, she got her response. "I am with MASK. We are seeking to rescue you and your colleagues."
"You should rescue Agent Gates." she wrote.
"We already have. He is with us." wrote Scooter.
"What do you need me for?" wrote the radar tech.
"We need someone on the inside. We need someone to operate the computer system." wrote Scooter.
"Why can't you?" wrote the radar tech.
"I can't take control of the system. I can only upload and download files. I'm sorry." wrote Scooter.
"I'll see what I can do." wrote the radar tech.
"Thank you. I'll contact you when I get inside." wrote Scooter.
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At the gate to the loading dock, the Bear parked next to the Dove and Mammoth. "We've got an insider." said Scooter.
"That's good." said Max. "We could use the help."
In the woods on the west side of the base, Chris and Rocky parked their vehicles. Through the fence, they could see a hangar and the soldiers' barracks. An alleyway just wide enough for a small truck was between them.
On the other side of the river to the base's east, Jeremy, Caitlin, and Liam parked where they had the best view of the base.
Kenny and Michael drove down the road to the base. Just over a day earlier, Hack and Slash drove down the same road with the same intent.
"You guys know the plan?" asked Laura.
"Yeah, we go in a couple of minutes after you guys." said Max.
"Ready?" asked Wei.
"All set." said Scooter.
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Jeremy's White Hawk probe flew above the Behemoth. Just before the truck reached the northern side of the base, Jeremy dropped the probe and yelled "Now!"
Caitlin and Liam transformed their vehicles and took off. Jeremy drove further down the road for an adequate take off and transformed the Skyhawk.
Kenny tore through the fence and transformed the Behemoth. Michael did the same with the Wolverine.
Rocky transformed the Warhorse and shot out a section of fence. He and Chris then drove into it and down the alleyway.
On the south side, the Mammoth and Dove drove into the base through the loading dock. Max sat there and started his watch. "Two minutes." he said.
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"Looks like Darwood was right!" said Gearbox as he started up the Monster.
"Let's show them who's in charge!" said Rocks as he climbed into the Lion.
"Looks like we caught 'em napping." said Caitlin.
"Don't let up your guard." warned Jeremy.
Dr. Frankenstein, Skull, and Crossbones ran for the hangar. "Frankenstein, did you relax the control signal so the soldiers can use their guns?" asked Skull.
"What do you think?" asked Frankenstein. "Of course I did." Crossbones joined Skull in the hangar and Frankenstein climbed into the back of the Monster after Gearbox transformed it.
"Something's going on in that hangar." said Enzo.
Suddenly, the doors to the hangar opened. A gigantic vehicle rolled out. The metalic green body looked like the fuselage to a cargo plane. It was divided into two sections, a main body and a trailer. The main body rode on six wheels similar to the ones found on monster trucks. Four more wheels like them were mounted to the trailer. The Foxes' foxhead emblem adorned the nose of the main body just below the windows of the driver's compartment.
"Holy cow!" yelled Kenny.
"These guys have been busy." said Wei.
"Look at them!" said Crossbones. "They look like they just saw a dragon!"
"If you thought that was astonishing, watch this!" said Skull. He pushed the transformation switch.
The Juggernaut's main body separated from its trailer. The upper half of the main body rose up on a turntable and guns folded out of the front. At the rear of the upper half, a missile battery and radar dish extended from the body. A small gun turret folded out of the front of the bottom half.
The Juggernaut's trailer began its transformation as well. The sides folded open to reveal gun turrets. The roof elevated and rotated, revealing a pair of laser cannons and a command pod. A bank of computers lined the lower level.
"Now, let's show them a few things." said Crossbones as he went to the computer bank.
"Looks like we're a little outgunned." said Sven.
"Yeah, LOOKS like." said Jeremy. "Rocky, let 'im have it!"
"Safety, on!" called Rocky from the alley.
A yellow beam shone from his mask and bathed the Juggernaut's trailer base. Crossbones tried to activate the laser cannons, but they didn't respond.
"Uh oh." he muttered. "Uh, Skull. How important was this thing to the plan?"
"Tell me what part of it isn't working." groaned Skull.
"Nice shot, Rocky!" said Jeremy.
"Yeah, but there's a problem." said Rocky. "I only got the rear half because it already separated. What's more, the thing was so large, the weapons shutdown will only last five minutes."
"What's the recharge rate on your mask?" asked Jeremy.
"Ten minutes." said Rocky.
"I think we can hold out until then." said Jeremy as he checked his watch.
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Max also checked his watch. The two-minute timer ran out. "Let's go." he said. He drove the Bear into the loading dock and parked.
The three climbed out of the Bear. "Alright, we get out here and start looking for the main computer." said Scooter.
"Are you still in touch with that radar tech?" asked Gates.
"I got 'im." said Scooter. "He said he'd render assistance when we got inside."
AN:The radar tech gave no indication that she was female and Scooter had no reason to assume so.
"Well, call him." said Max.
"Working on it." said Scooter. He started working on his laptop. "Okay, it's sent."
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The radar tech received Scooter's text file. It read "We're in the building. Loading dock. Can you see us on camera?"
The radar tech checked the security cameras. "Yes, I see you." she wrote.
"Can you shut down any security measures between us and the computer lab?" wrote Scooter.
"I'll see what I can do." wrote the radar tech.
"Thank you." wrote Scooter.
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Outside, the battle continued. The base soldiers fired at the MASK aircraft. Or rather, they fired in their general direction.
"Well, it's nice to see Darth Vader's stormtroopers found work." joked Liam.
"Such awful marksmanship!" said Caitlin. "I'm paying taxes for this?"
"Frankenstein, I thought you said the soldiers could use guns!" yelled Gearbox.
"I said they could shoot!" yelled Frankenstein. "I didn't say they could aim!"
"Come on! Work!" yelled Crossbones as he tried to use the laser cannon.
Just then, the five minutes on the Juggernaut ran out. The laser cannon fired and narrowly missed the Mammoth. "Finally!" yelled Crossbones.
"Guys, the Juggernaut can fire again!" yelled Jeremy over the communicator. "Repeat, the Juggernaut is a threat again!"
Darwood and Slash flew in behind him. "Prepare to take him out of the sky." said Darwood.
As Darwood and Slash were lining up Jeremy in their sights, Jeremy received a communication. "Jeremy, it's Captain Jeffries. I'm near the base. I can see you're in a little danger."
"If you can turn off your sound baffles, do so." said Jeremy. "That will aid in the intimidation factor."
"Roger." said Jeffries.
A loud roar was heard after that. "What's that?" asked Slash. He and Darwood turned around to see the Bluebird behind them.
"Break off the attack!" yelled Darwood.
"Nice work, Jeffries." said Jeremy.
"No problem." said Jeffries.
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In the building, Max, Scooter, and Gates reached the computer lab.
"Radar tech says there's motion sensors in the computer lab." said Scooter. "Says there's nothing he can do about them."
"Not a problem." said Max. "Whisper, on!"
Max was surrounded by a blue force field. He entered the lab and started looking for the control for the motion sensors. After switching it off, he motioned for Scooter and Gates to enter.
"Okay, if I were a mind control signal, where would I be?" asked Scooter.
"It's not this one." said Gates as he looked over one computer.
"Not here either." said Max.
"It's gotta be hooked up to a sonic wave projector." said Scooter.
"I don't know if the base has one." said Gates.
"What the..?" asked Scooter. "It's not any of these!"
"But, if it's not here, where is it?" asked Max.
"Wait, I just thought of something." said Scooter. He activated his communicator and said "Michael, we're in the computer lab. The control signal is not being broadcast from here."
"What?" replied Michael. "Hold on." He activated his sensors and checked them. "Oh no." he said. "Scooter, I have some bad news. The control signal is being broadcast from the Juggernaut!"
"Oh darn." said Scooter.
"You mean we have to go all the way back out there?" yelled Max.
"'fraid so." said Scooter as he ran for the door. Max ran after him. Gates watched them run off and entered a stairwell.
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Rocky did his best to trade fire with the Juggernaut. Finally, his mask told him it had recharged. "Let's do this again." he said. "Safety, on!"
Another yellow beam shone from his mask and hit the Juggernaut. Crossbones struggled to fire the laser cannon. "Ah, not again!" he yelled.
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Scooter and Max ran towards the entrance of the building, then Scooter stopped and said "Wait, where's Gates?"
"Uh oh, he must be going after something...or someone!" said Max.
"Go get him!" said Scooter. "I have a computer to shut down!"
Scooter ran out of the building while Max ran up the stairs.
After Scooter got outside, he noticed the Juggernaut and ran for it. He dodged weapons fire and a few explosions and finally ran into the Juggernaut's computer center. Before he could get to the control signal computer, he received a kick to the stomach and fell like a stone.
"Softening up the target, huh?" asked Crossbones. "Guess I'll just soften you up, then."
Chris watched the whole thing take place. "Aw, man." he said. He climbed out of the Roc and ran over to the Juggernaut. He vaulted over one of the gun turrets and flew into Crossbones foot first.
"Thanks, man." said Scooter as he got to his knees.
"Work on that computer." said Chris. "I'll handle him."
"Rematch?" asked Crossbones. "You got it."
Scooter crawled over to the control computer and went to work. Chris and Crossbones faced each other and struck their martial arts poses. Then, Chris jumped in and threw a straight punch to Crossbones' face. Crossbones blocked and returned with a spin kick. He grazed Chris' shoulder.
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In the building, Gates walked into the infirmary to find Marcus in an office chair. "Come to kill me?" asked Marcus.
"How did you know it was me?" asked Gates.
"My vision is coming back a little." said Marcus. "Not enough to be able to fight you, but I can tell it's you, Mr. Gates."
"Why did you shoot my daughter?" asked Gates.
"Malcolm is a friend." said Marcus. "I couldn't let his enemies destroy him. So, I had to intervene."
"You know what Malcolm is planning." said Gates.
"That I do." said Marcus. "I know that his insane plan to follow in Miles Mayhem's footsteps will most likely destroy him, but I also know there's no talking him out of it. He's too focused on his goal."
"What about the innocents who will be destroyed?" asked Gates.
"Alas, if only I could prevent that." said Marcus. "I only eliminate the direct threats to him, no innocents, no collateral damage. I try to be reasonable, but it doesn't always work. By the way, your daughter was the lucky one. She was the first one to survive an assassination by me. She was in a lot of pain, but she was alive to feel it."
"And I am here to avenge what you meant to do." said Gates as he raised his sidearm.
"You're forgetting something: the Mind's Pencil." said Marcus. "Ah, you have to appreciate the irony created in mind control. The one you're getting revenge for ends up getting revenge on you."
Gates was a little surprised by his statement, then turned to see Julie, his own daughter, holding a gun on him.
"Do your worst and she does even more." said Marcus. "My son once told me he hated me and never wanted to see me again. It was the most painful thing I ever experienced. This should be a thousand times worse."
Max burst through the door. "Gates, where did you...oh." he said.
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Chris threw a roundhouse kick and struck Crossbones in the shoulder. Crossbones turned and struck Chris in his arm. Chris' arm went numb. "Pressure point." he groaned.
"More to come." said Crossbones. He lurched towards Chris and delivered a series of kicks towards him. Chris blocked each one and responded with a roundhouse to Crossbones' back.
"Do you mind?" yelled Scooter. "I'm trying to work here!"
Using his good arm, Chris chopped Crossbones in the shoulder and followed with a spin kick to his flank.
Crossbones returned the kick with another kick to Chris' flank. He followed with a series of punches to Chris' chest.
Crossbones grabbed Chris by his shirt collar and bent him over the gun turret. "Say it!" he said. "Say it!"
"Yeah, I'll say it." said Chris. "Don't mess with Texas!" He slipped out of Crossbones' hold and forced him onto the turret face first. "Now, you say it!" he yelled.
"No!" groaned Crossbones.
"Say it!" yelled Chris.
"Muetai!" yelled Crossbones.
Chris let go of him and said "There! The match is over."
"Muetai?" asked Scooter.
"Shouldn't you be trying to shut that thing down?" asked Chris.
"You mean like this?" asked Scooter. He flipped a switch.
The soldiers stopped firing their M-16s. "Hey, can anybody else think?" asked one.
"Check your guns." said another.
"I've got half a clip left." said a third.
"Get those dirtballs." said the other. They aimed their guns at the Foxes.
"Uh oh." said Frankenstein. "Darwood, the soldiers are coming out of their trances!"
"What?" yelled Darwood. "Call the Foxbat! We have to get out of here!"
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"Kindly drop your weapon." said Marcus. "We wouldn't want your daughter to get hurt now, would we?"
"I hope Beelzebub has a devil set aside for you." said Gates as he dropped his gun.
"This is so precious." said Marcus. "I wish I had a video camera so I could preserve this moment. Julie, would you be so kind as to shoot your father?"
Little did Marcus realize, the control signal had been shut down. Julie realized who she was aiming at when she came to her senses.
"I said 'shoot him'!" yelled Marcus.
"No." said Julie as she turned to face Marcus. He gasped just before she pulled the trigger.
The shot sent him sprawling into the desk behind him. He grabbed his arm, then looked at his hand as he pulled it away.
"What?" he yelled. "Blood? MY blood?"
"Now, I wish I had a video camera." said Max.
"That's MY revenge!" said Julie. "For shooting me. For using that thing on me. For trying to get me to shoot my father."
"Julie?" asked Gates.
"Father." she said. "You came for me."
"I came for Gilford." said Gates. "Finding you here was a relief...and a shock. Thank goodness you're alright."
"Uh, sir?" said Max. "While you and your daughter were having your little reunion, Gilford booked."
"We have to go after him." said Gates.
"Shouldn't be too hard." said Julie as she pointed at the floor. "Just follow the blood trail."
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Marcus staggered down the hallway crashing into the walls partially due to shock. Finally, he managed to get outside to find the soldiers assisting the MASK agents in their battle.
Darwood converted the Firefox back into a car and drove up to Marcus. "Gates and his daughter are free." groaned Marcus as he climbed into the car. "We have to get out of here."
"I agree." said Darwood. He turned and faced the battle.
The Foxbat landed and started collecting the Foxes' vehicles, even the Juggernaut. After all were collected, it took off. Only the Firefox was left.
"There's Darwood." said Scooter. "Let's get him!"
"Fox, on!" called Darwood.
A white flash of light burst from his mask. All of their opponents were left extremely confused. Darwood used the confusion to escape by turning the Firefox back into a plane and flying after the Foxbat.
After the confusion wore off, everyone looked around and noticed Darwood was gone. "I hate it when he does that." said Kenny.
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After a few hours, the MASK agents and soldiers had everything sorted out.
"And so, without the control signal to sustain your mind control," said Laura to the troops "your brains should heal over the next week or so. You'll have a slight headache, but I think you'll find that preferable to lifelong servitude."
"Laura says I should be fine." said Chris of his injuries. "I'm going to see a specialist about this arm, though."
"Good to hear that." said Scooter. "Chris, I'm sorry I yelled at you in the Juggernaut. I realize that you were doing your best."
"It's a stressful job." said Chris. "I understand."
"One question, though." said Scooter. "Muetai?"
"That's left over from the World Styles Confederation." said Chris. "Basicly, it's a surrender. You know, crying 'uncle'."
"Given the situation, I can see why he didn't want to say it." said Scooter.
The radar tech walked over to them. "Excuse me, are you Scooter?" she asked.
"Yes, I am." said Scooter. "Wait, are you that radar tech?"
"Yes."
"Thanks for your help." said Scooter. "We have since learned it was unnecessary, but thank you nonetheless."
"I have the pictures you need for your report." said Sven.
"Thank you, Sven." said Jeremy.
"Jeremy, can I talk to you?" asked Gates.
"Sure." said Jeremy. He walked over, then turned to Sven and said "Oh, one more thing. I relayed your actions to my superiors. They said you performed very well under the circumstances. You and the other fifteen tryouts are now officially on reserve status. If we need your particular talents, we'll call you. Nice work out there."
"Thank you." said Sven. He turned, threw his fists in the air, and let out a cheer in Swedish.
"What's up?" asked Jeremy.
"The Foxes had a strong chance of winning this one." said Gates. "Your actions proved very useful in his defeat. But what almost helped him to win was him targeting my daughter. Given our past history, I know I was an easy target for him. For that reason, I am stepping down as commandant of this facility."
"That sounds like a reasonable action." said Jeremy. "If I had a daughter like Julie, I wouldn't want her in danger either."
"I will now be taking my retirement in Sacramento instead." said Gates. "I will be leaving a few suggestions for my successor."
"I hope one of them will be to dispose of some of those more dangerous weapons." said Jeremy.
"That will actually be my last order while I'm here." said Gates. "I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your efforts."
"You're welcome, sir." said Jeremy. "It looks like the MASK/Foxes battle just went into overdrive."
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AN:And there, we have the thrilling conclusion. I have a few ideas for sequels, but they won't be seen for a while due to my work on another fic which will be a major undertaking.
I'm relieved that I made my deadline, even if it was only by a few hours. I would've had this done sooner, but my sister had the computer tied up this past few days. Thank you all for reading.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, one of Gates' lines to Marcus (I hope Beelzebub has a devil set aside for.) was a reference to "Bohemian Rhapsody".
And now, three final profiles. We will see those for Darwood's assassin, the first MASK 2 alternate, and Gates' daughter.
Marcus Gilford
Allegiance:The Foxes
Position:Assassin
Birthplace:Baltimore
Mask:Shockwave (fires a powerful fireball)
Vehicle Code Name:none
Bio:Marcus was a classmate of Malcolm Darwood's in college and was with him the night he ran into Miles Mayhem. They were both given a chance to prolong the life and cause of VENOM in the case of their defeat. Marcus was the more mean-spirited of himself and Darwood and found pleasure in exacting torture on his enemies. This led to him becoming Darwood's chief assassin and a long string of eliminating those who got in the way.
Sven Ericsen
Allegiance:MASK 2 (alternate)
Position:Spy Photographer
Cover Job:Nature Photographer
Birthplace:Stockholm
Mask:Freezeframe (takes pictures that analyze their subjects)
Vehicle Code Name:Bat (Saab 9-3 Viggen/spy plane)
Bio:Sven always had a thing for nature. Eventually, he discovered a love for photography as well and decided to combine his loves. He used his talents to expose companies' voilations of environmental laws and bring about justice for nature. However, Darwood Enterprises always managed to elude prosecution. When Sven discovered Darwood's possible ties to VENOM, he started asking around for ways to fight them. This got him to try out for the second MASK team.
(The Bat was not seen in this fic.)
Julie Gates
Allegiance:FBI
Position:Field Agent
Birthplace:Sacramento
Mask:none
Vehicle Code Name:none
Bio:A third generation FBI agent, Julie was a classmate of Jeremy Sanchez at the FBI Academy and a determined investigator. Shortly after the death of Miles Mayhem, she joined her father in the investigation of Malcolm Darwood's ties to the VENOM leader. This is what almost killed her. Darwood thought she was getting too close and had Marcus try to kill her. A lucky miss saved her life. She returned to the FBI after recovering.
Thank you very much. It's been great having you.