A NEW BEGINNING

Chapter Three

"The Manhunters"

23:31 - Planet Snivelak, Thug HQ, Bogon Galaxy

A debt fulfilled, as bargained with Slim, Angela Cross flew in the fighter of her choice that replaced her old, little transport. She was heading toward the planet Snivelak, a safe haven--possibly a utopia--for thugs of various kind. The proposition the mysterious brute had offered back on the Maktar Resort was too enticing, and based on what she learned from the fellow, she thought this made the perfect opportunity to befriend the thugs and amend their differences.

She found a vacant landing zone and positioned her ship for landing, bringing the aircraft to a slow and steady speed. Once she landed, the canopy hissed open and she stood up within the pilot's seat. Almost immediately, she surveyed the sights and sounds of Snivelak, trying to get a little familiar with it, for she had only been to the thug's headquarters once--and that was with a bag over her head.

Snivelak had changed very little since she had seen it; it still smelled rank because of its crimson, polluted waters and, as if to befit the overall effect of the world, even the sky--at night--was covered in a thick, red smog that never left the stratosphere, which also masked the stars to some extent. Vegetation on Snivelak was almost scarce, save for the few mutant mushrooms; the trees, all leafless, served more as a ghastly decoration rather than compliment the planet.

From afar, the same towering headquarters that belonged to the biggest thug organization in Bogon was still operational. This was evident by the occasional aircraft that would fly past overhead and toward the fortress, disappearing behind or off to the side of it. All around the main facility and its neighboring oil refineries, rocky structures that appeared to be volcanic, surrounded the scene, giving off the illusion that there was no other life beyond their borders.

Angel walked with a little conviction toward a group of thug henchmen that huddled near a transport by the edge of the landing zone. They seemed engaged in military conversation, giving separate reports and discoveries. When one glanced in her direction, the rest of the group instinctively turned and trained their weapons at her.

"What's your business here?" one of them inquired in a defensive tone.

Angel reached down behind her, into a back pocket, and revealed a business card. The insignia on the card was proof enough that she was someone important. The reptilians stepped aside, and then one of them gestured with his weapon toward the empty airship that hovered and awaited passengers.

"Welcome, stranger. Get on the transport. It'll take you directly to the base."

She did as she was told and walked past them, acknowledging with a nod to be polite. Once she climbed aboard, tailed by two of the guards, the airship closed its door and took off with a soft jolt. She sat down opposite of the henchmen, on a bench, and crisscrossed her gloved fingers. She looked down at her boots, realizing that the two Snivelakians were burning her image into their minds, either because of admiration or curiosity.

The ride in the airship finally concluded and its door reopened. The henchmen were the first to exit, and then her. When she stepped out onto the streets of the thug headquarters, she marveled at its complex but archaic design; for how ever long it had been erected, the base's automated defenses were older than what the Megacorp HQ used with turret and antiaircraft weaponry; however, it was its architecture that showed greatness and prosperity, probably a reflection of the thugs themselves. Street lamps lit the many ways around the base, and hundreds of thugs, both civilians and soldiers alike, cluttered the area. The place, a little different than what she had seen before, was more densely populated. There was undoubtedly more change for her to see inside.

Her escorts beckoned her to follow as they continued their walk toward the towering skyscraper off in the distance. She took in the different sights of the base, realizing the thugs had become more organized and militaristic in nature. But this new impression they made about themselves was only temporary when she saw a little brawl ensue after an argument pertaining to gambling and debt. She chuckled to herself while her escorts only shook their heads in disappointment.

Turning down another street, they came up to a small compound that housed various types of vehicles, tanks, and aircrafts, as if the thugs had been preparing for an all-out war of some kind for the last year. The hangar doors began to slide close, concealing the more secretive contents of the compound. It was strange seeing how things were being kept secret the further along they walked.

By the time they reached the entrance of the headquarters, Angel's legs had begun to grow weary. It had been a trek to get there, but she had a feeling that this would all pay off. Her escorts halted in front of the doors and turned around on one heel almost simultaneously. She gave a long stretch and shook her head to shake off sudden sleepiness.

One of her escorts reached down to retrieve a small radio device, "Go in. We will inform our superior of your arrival."

Together, they stepped forward and walked past her.

"So who is in charge now? I certainly hope it's not that ugly thug from before."

Behind the mask, Cross still hadn't forgiven the previous Thug Leader for taking her hostage and using her as bait. At the thought of possibly seeing that thug again, she promised herself she would be sure to give him a good boot where it belonged, and then some.

The Thug-4-Less Brute from the Maktar Arena swiveled in his chair just in time to see the newcomer, the new champion of the Maktar Arena, step into his office. He began to rise from his chair, with his massive hands clasped behind him, and greeted the possible recruit with a flirtatious growl. "Grr. Nice to see you again, warrior. Please, have a seat so we can get right down to business."

He sat after seeing to it she rested in a comfortable chair across from him. He reclined in his chair, opened a box full of expensive cigars, and took one. He pinched the thick, rugged thing of a cigar between his big lips, and lit it with a match, giving strident puffs thereafter. A few rings of smoke went into the air in front of him.

"I take it you had enough time to reconsider joining the Manhunters?" he said. "Please, remove the mask. I would like to see the real eyes of the fighter in front of me. After all, this business it built on trust and loyalty."

Dark Angel was a bit hesitant to remove her mask, but she complied just this once to win the favor of the thug brute. Reaching up to clasp the sides of her mask, she carefully removed it, and revealed her true self. Her long hair, tied back into a sort of ponytail, flowed down her back.

Seeing this, the brute cracked open a smile. "Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful eyes I guy ever lay eyes on?"--he held his cigar in between his lips--"And that your armor makes you look scary?"

"Hehe! No, to both, but you're the first." She placed her helmet down on her lap, thumping it with her fingers.

"Truly? That's a shame. I figured a good looking lady such as yourself was used to compliments. I actually feel kind of bad being the first. I mean, look at me, I'm a thug."

"That may be true, but you do seem different from all the rest."

The thug broke into laughter at her modesty. "You're too much. Anyhow, let's put these informalities aside..." He opened a binder on his desk, revealed some photos, and slid them over to her.

"These were taken from the surveillance systems of Todona's orbital satellites. If you look closely, you'll find something fascinating."

He watched as her eyes studied the images. The images had been taken from an unknown satellite source, showing a different tale of the thief in his ship, who had removed his disguise.

Cross's face became contorted in thought, contemplating whether or not the thief in the images was really someone she knew. Judging by the physical appearance of him, his ears were similar to hers, striped just the same, but characteristically different in species--he was definitely a lombax. He varied in size and type of lombax, failing to be the Ratchet she knew. The consideration of the thief being from her own galaxy was becoming very plausible, but she would have to actually meet this person to be certain.

"With this knowledge, we can arrest him anytime. Why not fetch him before he strikes again?"

The thug leaned over his desk, put out his cigar, and inhaled deeply. "If we did that and failed, he would be lost to us forever. Why let him know that we're on to him when we can catch him--his buddies too--in the act again, have enough evidence, and put the furry scum--no offense to you--away."

Cross closed her eyes for a moment and moved them behind their lids. "That makes sense. So what do you, the Manhunters, have in mind then?"

The brute rose from his desk, walked over to her, and took a seat atop the edge of the desk. "It's all to be explained shortly. C'mon, I want you to meet the team."

In another area of the Thug HQ, Angela Cross was led through a series of corridors. Eventually, she and the thug went into a double door that marked a laboratory wing. Inside, there were four people of different origin: a Vukovar tribesman from the planet Barlow; a Jobian tribesman, a distant cousin of the first; a Blargian trooper from Orxon, of the Solana galaxy; and the last member, not including herself, was a Thug-4-Less Elite henchman. The group looked like an uncanny bunch that didn't seem to get along together...at first.

"So these are the fantastic four, huh? Not perfect, but no bad either."

The four members finally looked over to their visitors and walked over one by one, standing in single file. Each member had a distinct look: from the Vukovar tribesman garbed in his thick armor and mask, to his distant cousin, who was less noticeably fashioned in similar uniform; the Blargian trooper was in his white space suit, an armor, including a complete mask, that made him look like an astronaut more than a specialist; and, as for the thug henchman, the tall but lanky reptilian, seemed to be more of the serious type, being fitted in complete commando suit, shoulder plates, mask, and armed with a powerful Thrasher Cannon.

The thug brute began to name every member. Each member acknowledged with their individually unique gesture.

"This fine gent is Vukar, from Barlow. Vukar is our air and ground vehicular expert. Need to get somewhere? He'll get you there safely and quickly."

Vukar saluted toward the two with two swords crossed in front of his chest. "Rarr! Thar is no place I can't take you," he said, stepping aside and suddenly retiring to the area from which he came. He stood in front of a big-screen monitor as before.

"This next fellow and Jobian tribesman is Jak, but we refer to him as Jobe. Jobe is our weapon specialist. There isn't a weapon he can't get his claws on without a little persuasion."

Jak, preferably Jobe, simply bowed his head toward Angela. "No weapen is too hard to fine. I shoots for the pleasure."

He, too, joined his distant cousin Vukar by the screen, and both of them watched over the words and images that flashed across the screen. It appeared they were watching a security video that showed the events outside the headquarters.

"From the distant galaxy of Solana, we have here a former trooper (of Drek) turned communications agent. Sandz."

"From Solana?" asked Cross.

"Certainly. That's why his specialty is invaluable. He manages communications for the team and intercepts almost any broadcast, including those of Solana, so we can stay on top of all things that concern bounty hunters everywhere."

"Yes, that is what I do. Solana and Bogon are connected when it comes to news and me. We will always be a step...ahead, you know?" Sandz chuckled to himself, turned sharply, and returned to the monitor screen where his teammates stood. He bumped one of them to the side, spouting something about how their ugliness would mess up the uplink.

Angela shifted her weight to one side, placed a hand on her hip, and then began tapping her helmet against her armor-covered thigh. "And this is...?" she said, her eyes stopping on that of the fourth member of the group.

The thug brute chuckled. "This fellow thug, one of the highest in his class, is none other than Stravek. He's the demolitionist expert. He'll help get you past some of the toughest barriers out there on the field."

The elite henchman raised his big weapon. "Boom! Haha! I will see to it," he said and curled his lips into a long, sharp-toothed smile.

Angela suddenly laughed, already taking a liking to the thug's personality. After a moment, she grew serious again, and then brought up her helmet, as if to pull it on.

"Who is the boss of this elite group? You?" she asked, becoming Dark Angel again when she pulled on her helmet.

The thug brute laughed and looked sheepish. "No, no. Don't I wish it, sometimes. I'm just the recruiter. The name's Griff. The boss behind the team only makes her appearance time to time to relay orders."

"Her?"

"Yeah. A fine woman and leader. You'll see who she is sooner or later..."--he was interrupted by Sandz--"See? I spoke too soon! Come, let's see what the Manhunters' first mission will be like."

Griff, Stravek, and Angel went over to the screen to join the others. A message had been received on an encrypted channel, supposedly something from the boss of the Manhunters. Sandz typed in some commands on a keyboard to decode the message, and then a vid-memo appeared on the screen, the syntax of the message was a little blurry, but soon transformed into legible text.

"This is interesting," said Sandz, reading over the message quickly.

Angel studied the avatar of the team leader whose dark silhouette of a bust was all that could be discerned. She wondered why the leader's face remained cryptic. Dismissing her muse, she turned her attention to Sandz, who began to translate the message into something more verbally comprehensible for his teammates.

"From the boss, according to the reports from Jakata City, Jakata, the thief is on the move again, looting one of Megacorp's transportation manufacturers. And this time he has an accomplice, possibly robotic. If we leave now, we should be able to capture them."

"If thiz thief has a friend, then let me at him. I will make short werk of him," Stravek said.

"In that case, Shravek and Dark Angel, you two can handle this first mission. It will give you both some field experience." Griff made the suggestion. "Are you in, Angel?"

"What will be my field of expertise?" she asked.

"We need a trooper out there who can give us an overview of the situation. Your combat skills are something short of amazing, so you should have no problems gathering intel."

Dark Angel nodded. "Very well. Then count me in. I'll be glad to lend a hand in this for Megacorp. This job seems to be a little more exciting than my 'microscopic' one."

The members of Manhunters looked at each other in confusion.

"Enough talk!"--shouted Vukar--"I will fly yer two to Jakata. Gear up, quickly."

Angel announced, "I need to stock up on my weapons."

Jak stepped toward her. "Follow me, then. I will take youz to the weapons storage room."

Jak and Dark Angel exited the meeting room, heading to the weapons storage room, and being followed by the ever ready Stravek.