SCOTT could see the scene of the disaster zone well before he reached it proper. The tall plume of black smoke rising from over the horizon was a dead giveaway. Adjusting the course of Thunderbird 1 slightly, he raced his ship towards it at top speed, desperate to assist in whatever way he could.
"Thunderbird 5 from Thunderbird 1. I have a visual on the danger zone. Closing in now."
"Copy that, Thunderbird 1," John answered from the space-station. "Thunderbird 2 is about ten minutes behind you. Oh, and by the way, Scott, just to warn you. I've seen aerial imagery of the Stanton Labs building - it's not a good one."
"F-A-B, John," said Scott. "Just coming over the site now and…HOLY-" He broke off suddenly as the sight that met his eyes caused him to slam on Thunderbird 1's air-brakes and bring the sleek silver rocket to a sudden stop. He stared down at the colossal pile of rubble and twisted debris that covered a large open area. He found himself unable to say anything for a moment.
"Well, I did warn you," John remarked.
Scott felt his stomach churn. "John, please tell me there are people alive under all that?" he asked.
"I've run an underground scan and thankfully there are," said John. "I'm detecting ten life signatures down there. They're okay for now but if we don't get them out soon, they'll run out of oxygen."
Scott gritted his teeth. "Got it," he said before switching radio channels. "Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 2 - hurry it up, Virgil. Time's running out!"
Alarms blared and people shouted as the area around the collapsed building was cleared to allow for Thunderbird 2 to join Thunderbird 1 on the ground. Scott had been assisting in the evacuation order but stopped to observe as Thunderbird 2's main body lifted clear of Module 2. The door ramp lowered and a Bulldozer-Pod trundled out with Gordon at the controls.
Following instructions given by John, Gordon used the blade on the front of the Pod to clear away a vast amount of debris from the front of the building to allow Virgil to carry out the most difficult part of the job. "The path is clear, Virgil," Gordon reported. "You're up."
"F-A-B, Gordon," acknowledged Virgil over the radio. "Mole-Pod is GO!"
The second Pod in the Module emerged as a Mole. Virgil drove the vehicle up to the area that Gordon had cleared. He then tilted the Mole downwards and powered up the drill before tunnelling down into the ground. Virgil took it slow and steady, following a hologram path on the vehicle's computer that John had configured for him.
"Careful, Virgil," warned John. "That wreckage is massively unstable. You cannot deviate from the course or you might cause another collapse which would trap you as well as the people underground."
"Thanks for the confidence boost, John," replied Virgil sarcastically as he moved the Mole along the course, being careful not to go off it at all.
The ten laboratory workers and scientists were trapped under massive amounts of rubble that had once made up the main building. Without lights and very little space to move about, it was very claustrophobic and several of them had already given up hope. When they felt a rumbling sound, they began to panic, thinking that everything was going to cave in around them. But then the Mole-Pod burst out into the area where they were huddled together and found themselves feeling very relieved instead.
"Hey, guys!" Virgil called out. "I can get four of you in the cargo transport at the back and one in the cockpit behind me. I'll have to make two trips to get you all out unless those who are uninjured can follow me back up the tunnel?"
"How steep is it?" asked one of the scientists.
"Not massively," Virgil replied.
"Good," said the scientist. "I am Dr Bartholomew. Take the five most seriously wounded people up with you. I can follow with the rest."
"Understood," said Virgil. "Help me get them aboard."
Scott and Gordon waited anxiously for Virgil to re-emerge from the tunnel. A large group of Paramedics and Ambulances also waited to take the critically-wounded to hospital. After a few tense minutes, they heard the sound of the Mole-Pod in the hole and then it emerged backwards, returning onto its trolley and backing away from the entrance so that Dr Bartholomew and the remaining four less-injured employees could climb out.
"Is that everyone accounted for, Doctor?" Scott asked once the critically-injured were being seen to and taken away. "Our satellite detected only ten life signatures down below."
"Everyone who survived is accounted for," replied Dr Bartholomew bitterly. "At least three were crushed when the building came down. Another five, including two security guards, were murdered in cold blood right before our eyes."
The Tracy's exchanged shocked looks.
"You mean, this wasn't an earthquake that caused this?" asked Gordon.
Dr Bartholomew gave him a look. "Whoever said this was an earthquake?" he demanded.
"Whoever it was who called it in," said Virgil. "A passer-by I believe."
"Utter rubbish!" snapped Dr Bartholomew. "The building was brought down by some kind of laser! How we survived…I just don't know."
The brothers exchanged more worried looks. "How many hostiles were there?" Scott asked.
The doctor ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I don't know. Two or three at most. We only saw one. The other two she was communicating with."
"She?" Gordon said, a slight quiver in his voice.
"Yes," said Dr Bartholomew. "Wearing a strange suit. Silver. Metallic. Had wings and a horrendous sonic scream."
That was all Scott needed to hear. He turned away from the others and began walking towards Thunderbird 1, activating his sash radio as he went. "John…alert the GDF immediately. Stanton Labs was attacked by The Cabal!"
5!
4!
3!
2!
1!
"Thunderbirds Are Go!"
"OBSIDIAN"
CAPTAINS Rigby and Madison took their time in interviewing the survivors of Stanton Labs, making sure they had all the information they could get before reporting back to Colonel Casey at GDF HQ. What they'd learned was not at all pleasant and Colonel Casey felt equally disturbed when she was informed of the events that had unfolded.
"It definitely seems there were at least two, possibly three Cabal members involved, Colonel," Rigby was saying. "Silver Swan rounded up all the staff and kept them captive whilst someone else raided the labs for any kind of experimental tech they could lay their hands on."
"The White Ghost no doubt?" said Colonel Casey.
"Most likely," agreed Rigby.
"However, we have no way of knowing who fired the laser beam that ripped through the building and caused it to collapse, trapping them inside," said Hayley.
"Given the power of the technology, I'd hazard a guess it was probably one of their ships remote-piloted by Techno," said Rigby.
"How many casualties?" asked Colonel Casey.
"Ten survivors out of fifteen that were in the building at the time," said Hayley. "Sounds like Silver Swan and potentially The White Ghost took out the security and one other person before the building was brought down. Two more were crushed by falling debris. It's incredible that anyone survived at all."
Colonel Casey nodded in agreement. "This next question may be obvious, but I am going to ask it anyway," she said. "Do any of the survivors know what was taken before the building was destroyed?"
"Not for sure, and with the amount of wreckage there is, I doubt we'll know for sure," said Rigby. "Dr Bartholomew refused to give any details of whatever it was they were working on."
Colonel Casey frowned. "I know scientists can be awfully protective of their work," she remarked. "But if they've created something that The Cabal could use to endanger lives - then they need to tell us."
"Should we bring Dr Bartholomew in for questioning?" suggested Hayley. "Maybe in a more secluded environment, he may be willing to cooperate?"
"Yes, I agree with you, Captain Madison," said Colonel Casey. "May I leave that in your hands?"
Hayley nodded, and turned to walk out of the office.
Rigby noticed how troubled the Colonel was looking. "Bad is brewing, isn't it, Colonel?" he remarked.
"You're damn right it is, Captain," replied Colonel Casey, standing from her seat. "We've not heard anything from The Cabal in months, and it seems they've returned with a vengeance. Stanton Labs is a place where many, many things have been tried and tested. From cryogenic technology to advances in the medical industry. They do fine, efficient work. But in the wrong hands, some of the things they create could have lethal consequences for the entire world!" She'd been looking out of a window whilst she'd spoken. She now turned to Rigby and gave him a very serious look. "I believe it's time, Captain."
"Time, Colonel?" asked Rigby, slightly unsure of what she was talking about. "Time for what, may I ask?"
"Time for Project Obsidian to be unleashed," said Colonel Casey. "What news from the testing site?"
Rigby looked concerned. "From what I've heard, all test have so far been satisfactory, but-"
"That's more than enough for me," said Colonel Casey. "I want Project Obsidian loaded on a plane at the first available opportunity and then flown over here for final testing and my approval. See that it is done, Captain."
Rigby shifted uncomfortably. "With the greatest of respect, Colonel. Do you really think this is the right course of action?"
"I understand where you're coming from, Captain," said Colonel Casey. "But although we and the might of International Rescue outnumber The Cabal, they are far more deadly just as themselves than anything we have in our arsenal. Remember, it is not the job of International Rescue to be taking them down, although they've done a pretty good job at it before. It is high time we had a heavy-duty weapon of our own to fight back when The Cabal comes to take us on. On your way, Captain. Leave me to handle the security side of this mission."
"Project Obsidian, you say?" said Jeff, scratching his cheek with interest. "And you say this is an anti-Cabal kind of device?"
"I wouldn't call it a device as such, Jeff," said Colonel Casey, her hologram showing from the projector in the middle of the table. "But it should help level the playing field whenever The Cabal decide to show themselves. I've no doubt The Hood has some kind of endgame that he's been scheming up."
"Wouldn't surprise me if he's been cooking one up ever since he was incarcerated after returning from the Oort Cloud," remarked Kayo. "My uncle is a man who will never let anything slide."
"What is Project Obsidian, Colonel?" asked Jeff.
Colonel Casey was rather hasty in her response. "I'm afraid I cannot disclose any details yet, Jeff," she said. "I intend to unveil it to a select few in the coming weeks once the final testing has been completed. I had been hoping for a few more months but following The Cabal's attack on Stanton Labs, I'm afraid they've forced my hand."
"Meaning?" Kayo asked.
"Meaning I need to get it passed out for duty as soon as possible," Colonel Casey said. "At this very moment, Captain Rigby is on his way to Camp Leigh on Leigh Island in the North Pacific where Obsidian has been undergoing tests in a top secret underground location. Tomorrow it'll be transported to GDF HQ for the final testing and then unveiled to those who are involved with anything to do with taking the fight to The Cabal."
"Interesting," said Jeff. "But where do we come in?"
"This is an important cargo that needs to be protected at all costs, and with the utmost secrecy as well," said Colonel Casey. "Very few people know about Project Obsidian, but as we've learned, The Cabal seems to have a disturbing knack for knowing about things that are related to GDF…and in some cases, your business."
Jeff and Kayo exchanged looks, knowing that she was referring to the McGinley brothers and when Scott had crash-landed.
"Also, a cargo plane with a GDF fighter escort could well attract unwanted attention from any other unwelcome parties," Colonel Casey added. "And whilst I doubt they'd make any attempt on the plane if fighters were there, it could cause some gossip and potential spies to come searching. I need an escort that will remain concealed from both the naked eye and all forms of radar."
"In other words, Thunderbird Shadow?" said Jeff.
Colonel Casey nodded. "That is if you and Kayo are prepared to go through with this plan?"
Jeff looked at Kayo. Kayo looked at Jeff. Then both looked back at Colonel Casey.
"What would happen if The Cabal got their hands on Project Obsidian?" Jeff asked with his eyes narrowed.
"They cannot be allowed to," replied Colonel Casey firmly.
There was a pause as the three exchanged looks with one another.
Kayo then finally broke the silence. "Where do I meet the plane?" she asked.
Silver Swan and The White Ghost entered the command room at The Cabal's secret base of operations feeling very pleased with themselves.
The Hood turned around in his chair to face them. "Swan. Ghost. Report."
"Mission successful, boss," said Silver Swan. "Hey, Tech! Got some early Christmas presents for you."
Techno had been working nearby. He turned as Silver Swan and The White Ghost approached and handed to him a box with an unusual device inside of it and a second box with several test tubes containing a milky-blue liquid. "Perfect," Techno said, admiring the test tubes in particular. "These will come in very handy for Operation Blizzard."
"Operation Blizzard?" asked The White Ghost with interest.
"Never mind about that," The Hood said sharply. "I want a word with you both. Alone. Would you excuse us, Techno?"
"Of course," said Techno and he headed towards the doors to head down to his laboratory.
"Is there a problem, boss?" Silver Swan asked.
"We did as you instructed," added The White Ghost.
"Yes….mostly," said The Hood. "I am pleased you've been able to get what I wanted from Stanton Labs. however…I don't recall telling you to destroy the entire BUILDING?!"
"That wasn't our idea, boss," said Silver Swan. "That was the new guy's decision. As soon as we were out, he blasted through under the roof and down it went."
"Said we were fools for having left people alive who could tell on us," added The White Ghost.
The Hood snarled and looked away momentarily. "I knew sending him on this was a mistake. Let me guess, he's back in his quarters sulking."
"Mourning is more like it," said Silver Swan. "He's hardly spoken to any of us since you brought him into our ranks."
"Just keeps to himself and doesn't come out unless you ask for him," The White Ghost said.
The Hood snarled again. "It may take some time, but he'll come around to our ways," he said. "And anyway, we need to be ready for our next assignment."
"Our next one already?" asked The White Ghost.
"Not you, Ghost. You've earned a rest," said The Hood, sounding almost kind for once. "Swan and I will be taking this next one. It's a flying mission anyway."
"What's the job?" asked Silver Swan eagerly.
The Hood broke into a smirk. "We're gonna steal a GDF cargo-plane, right out from under their noses," he said.
Silver Swan grinned. "Excellent," she said. "I'd better get some rest then." She turned and left.
The White Ghost waited until Silver Swan had left before removing her hood and mask. She then looked at The Hood. "Boss…did you really have to give the new guy that-"
The Hood quickly cut her off. "We've been over this, Laura," he said. "International Rescue and the GDF still outnumber us despite our advanced technology. If we're to succeed, we need more people and just as many weapons. That includes you-know-what. Now…go get your rest. I will have your next mission ready for you very soon."
Laura saw no point in arguing. She turned and walked out of the command room, her head low. As the doors closed behind her, a singular tear trickled down her cheek and splashed onto the floor.
The Sun was just beginning to rise over Tracy Island as the cliff-face that concealed the launching pad for Thunderbird Shadow began to swivel round to reveal the small stealth aircraft on its yellow turntable. The table then turned so that the nose was pointing skywards rather than downwards.
5! 4! 3! 2! 1!
Thunderbird Shadow's twin engines fired and the clamp holding it to the pad was released. It dropped back and away from the cliff and over the house before flipping around into a horizontal flying position and quickly zoomed away from the island.
"Thunderbird Shadow is GO!" announced Kayo.
The Sun was fully up by the time Kayo was approaching Leigh Island, home of one of the GDF's top-secret military bases. Because of this, she'd not been given permission to land there, only that she was to fly around at a distance some five miles off the island's coastline and wait for the cargo plane to depart so that she could rendezvous and provide its escort to the mainland.
On the ground, Captain Rigby was overseeing the final preparations before the aircraft's departure. He stood near the end of the loading ramp located underneath the tail section of the plane and watched as a large white and blue crate was loaded aboard. On the side were the letters P-O: Project Obsidian.
One of the technicians came down the ramp and up to Rigby not long after the crate was loaded. "All is set, Captain," she reported.
"Is the course set?" Rigby asked.
"Yes, sir. Uploaded and locked in."
"And the cargo?"
"Secured. All we need now is a security detail for it."
"That part is in hand so Colonel Casey informs me," said Rigby. At that precise moment, his wrist communicator began to beep. "Right on que," he remarked and turned away before accepting the call. "Rigby."
"Hey, Rigs."
"Kayo?" Rigby said in surprise. "What are you-" Then he realised. "Ohhhh, are you the security escort for the plane?"
"I sure am," Kayo replied. "I'll be flying in stealth-mode. So if anybody tries to intercept the plane, the plane is all they will see."
Rigby grinned. "Perfect," he said. "The plane's just been loaded up. It'll be taking off in five minutes."
"F-A-B. I'll be waiting," said Kayo, adjusting Thunderbird Shadow's course to head for the rendezvous point off the Eastern side of the island.
At 08:00 hours on the dot, the large CX-92 Cargo Transporter lifted off the runway and turned its course to head due East towards the United States. After clearing the mountains and heading across above the Pacific, it was soon approached by the invisible Thunderbird Shadow which was already in stealth-mode.
Kayo had wondered whether she needed to inform the crew of the aircraft that she was there in order to reassure them that they had protection. Then again, if she remained quiet, that would help surprise anyone who tried to cause trouble. In the end, she decided that informing them was the best course of action. She opened a radio link. "International Rescue Thunderbird Shadow calling GDF Transporter CX-92. Do you copy?" She waited for a response from the aircraft and was rather concerned when one didn't come. "GDF Transporter CX-92, I say again, this is Thunderbird Shadow of International Rescue. Are you receiving me? Over." Still no response came, making Kayo feel very uneasy. She changed frequencies. "Kayo to Rigby. Something's wrong. I can't get the pilots on the radio."
Rigby frowned. "There are no pilots," he answered. "The plane's on remote-control guidance."
Kayo stared. "Then who is aboard the plane?" she asked.
"Nobody," Rigby said. "It's just a plane with important cargo. No actual GDF personnel are aboard."
This didn't please Kayo. "You could have mentioned that when we spoke a short while ago," she said in a huff.
"Didn't Colonel Casey mention it?" Rigby asked.
"No, she didn't."
"Oh…well it's to minimise any potential casualties in case the flight gets intercepted," Rigby said.
Kayo clicked her tongue. "I can understand that," she said. "But if this cargo is so important, it should have security guards with it at all times."
"Who needs security guards when we have you?" Rigby asked with a knowing wink.
This brought a smirk to Kayo's face. "True that," she remarked. "Okay, Rigs. I'm in position above and behind the aircraft. I'll make sure it gets to its destination safely."
For thirty minutes, the two aircraft flew in formation, continuing their journey towards the USA. Kayo watched the aircraft closely as well as the skies around and also regularly checked the radar scope for any signs of potential trouble. Little did she know how close trouble actually was.
Coming in hot from behind the CX-92, two small objects emerged from the clouds and began to close in on the large transporter. The Hood was leading in his high-altitude Vulture-suit followed closely by Silver Swan. their progress was being monitored by Techno back at the control desk in their secret base.
"Watch out for the cloaking-cameras," Techno warned them. "Stay in the blind-spots."
They soon reached the aircraft and, using gecko-suction-cups on their hands and feet, attached themselves to the underbelly. Now they would be able to use the unusual creation that had been stolen from Stanton Labs.
"Deploy High-Altitude-Vacuum-Seals," Techno said.
"This better work, Techno," said The Hood.
"Now that I've tinkered with it, it will," said Techno with confidence.
The Hood and Silver Swan placed two small silver discs on certain parts of the aircraft's underbelly which then emitted a purple glow that spread across between the two pairs. This had created a phasing window to allow them to pass right through the body and enter the aircraft itself. They were in, but they weren't home and dry yet.
"You have thirty seconds to get to the cockpit and override their security," Techno informed them.
The Hood hurried forwards towards the cockpit whilst Silver Swan began to search the plane for anybody that could cause them problems. Using a laser cutter to destroy the security panel, The Hood soon gained access to the cockpit. He then took out a small tablet-like device and plugged it into the control console. "Cloning transponder system," he said.
"Acknowledged," said Techno. "Launching decoy drone." This was launched from the Cabal Cruiser which like Thunderbird Shadow was also flying nearby and in stealth-mode. It fired a small drone out of its nose that passed undetected underneath Thunderbird Shadow and the CX-92 before continuing on.
"Entering a new flight-pattern," said The Hood. He adjusted the settings on the plane's heading control and the large aircraft began to bank to the left.
Kayo was taken by surprise by the sudden change of course. "What the?!" she exclaimed. She was just about to call up Rigby again but stopped. She needed to be sure of something first. "Thunderbird Shadow to Thunderbird 5. Come in, John."
John's hologram appeared. "Go ahead, Thunderbird Shadow."
"John, the CX-92 has altered course unexpectedly," Kayo said. "I need you to run a thermal scan of the aircraft and tell me if anybody is aboard."
"Stand-by," said John. "Scan commencing." There were a few moments of silence before he spoke again. "Confirmed. I'm detecting three life-signs aboard. One in the cockpit. One walking through the cargo bay towards the cockpit and one right in the middle of the cargo bay."
"Rigby said nobody was aboard," Kayo said. "It must be The Cabal. But how the hell did they get aboard without anyone seeing them?"
"Maybe they're taking the plane back to their hideout?" John suggested. "Hey, this could be our chance to follow them back to wherever it is they've been hiding and the GDF can take them down once and for all?"
But Kayo had other ideas. "Normally I'd be right on board with that idea, John," she said. "But that plane is carrying something that cannot be allowed to fall into The Cabal's hands. Whoever is aboard, I'm gonna take them out!" And with that, she moved Thunderbird Shadow over the top of the transporter and lowered the landing legs before clamping down on the top of the fuselage.
Silver Swan thought she felt a slight bump on the top of the aircraft but assumed it was a minor bit of turbulence and therefore didn't think anymore of it as she made her way to join The Hood in the cockpit. They both opened up their helmets so they could see their own faces properly.
"Did you find anyone?" The Hood asked.
"Nobody," Silver Swan replied. "We're the only ones on the entire plane. I'm kind of disappointed. I was looking forward to hurting someone."
"Just the two of us aboard then," said The Hood.
"Yes," said Silver Swan. "Just us and whatever is in that crate."
The Hood looked back down the corridor between the cockpit and the cargo bay. "Ah, yes," he said. "The so-called anti-Cabal device our spy informed us about."
"Do we know what it is?" asked Silver Swan.
"Not a clue," replied The Hood. "But whatever it is, it's ours now." He began to cackle evilly and soon Silver Swan began to join in.
"God, you sound like utter cartoon crooks when you do that!"
The Hood and Silver Swan felt silent in an instant. They looked directly at each other for a second before turning their heads to look at the cockpit door. Both jumped in surprise to find Kayo standing there in her new nanotech suit.
"What?! Kayo?!" spluttered The Hood and he and Silver Swan readied themselves for an attack. "How did you get in here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Uncle," Kayo replied.
"Grrrrr!" growled Silver Swan, and without thinking activated her sonic-scream device at Kayo. But Kayo activated the nanotech shield on her left arm, sending the waves bouncing back at the two villains. It caught them both off guard and thrust them back into the control panel. It also caused several of the cockpit windows to shatter causing a decompression.
"OUT! OUT!" roared The Hood, lunging forwards into Kayo and forcing her through the doorway down the corridor and into the cargo bay with Silver Swan following behind, only just escaping before a reinforced door closed over the open doorway, sealing the cockpit off from the rest of the aircraft.
Kayo managed to flip The Hood off of her and then jump back onto her feet only to be knocked into the side by Silver Swan.
"I see you've upgraded your suit," Silver Swan remarked. "It won't help you."
"We'll see about that," retorted Kayo.
Silver Swan then lunged at Kayo only for Kayo to release the Nano-shield off her arm, swinging it across at Silver Swan and knocking her clean off her feet where she fell hard on her back. The shield bounced back towards Kayo who reached out to catch it, just as her suit's sensors warned her of an attack coming from directly behind. She therefore instead of catching the shield moved quickly out of the way allowing it to slam into The Hood's face, knocking him over as well. The sharp impact gave him a nasty cut across his forehead. He fell to the floor and wiped his hand over the cut. He looked at the trickle of blood, then snarled viciously at Kayo. "How could you inflict pain on your own dear uncle?" he asked.
"Easily," Kayo replied, not sounding the slightest bit regretful.
Silver Swan then performed another sonic-scream attack, knocking Kayo back into the side wall again. As Kayo grunted and then dropped to the floor, The Hood noticed something. Some of the nanites had been temporarily removed and her regular suit was slightly visible on her left arm.
"Swan! Sonic attacks disrupt her suit. Pile it on!" The Hood said and began to attack Kayo with his own sonic screech. Silver Swan quickly did the same and Kayo found herself being pinned to the floor as the sonics disrupted her.
"NNNYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" Kayo cried as the sonics vibrated through her suit and helmet. One she could have just about handled, but two was too much and she collapsed on the floor, defeated.
Realising Kayo was down, Silver Swan and The Hood stopped their sonic attacks.
"Ha!" said Silver Swan triumphantly. "You see, Kayo? I told you your upgrades wouldn't help you."
Kayo just groaned as the ringing in her eyes made her unable to focus.
"Restrain her," The Hood ordered. "I'll take a look at our latest acquisition."
"With pleasure," Silver Swan said.
Whilst Silver Swan proceeded to bind Kayo with zip-ties, The Hood went up to the large crate in the middle of the cargo bay and used the same device he'd used to access the cockpit to unlock the crate. With a hiss of steam, the front side of the crate opened up, like a cryogenic chamber being opened.
Kayo was starting to recover and had realised what Silver Swan was doing. She began tugging at the cuffs that were holding her arms behind her back whilst trying to kick her legs against Silver Swan who was trying to cuff her boots. "Get off me!" she ordered.
"Shut up!" Silver Swan snapped and punched Kayo's helmet, disorientating her so she could continue.
The Hood hadn't noticed any of this and had entered the crate. Inside he found a very large object was inside the crate, but thanks to the icy-cold steam he couldn't quite make out what it was. "So…what do we have here?" he asked.
Kayo grunted in annoyance as she felt the zip-tie around her boots tighten.
"There," said Silver Swan. "That should hold you until we get back to base."
"RRAAAAARRR!" The loud bellow made Silver Swan and Kayo jump. Both turned their heads to look at the now opened crate where it had come from. They both knew straight away that it wasn't The Hood who'd made the noise.
Seconds later there came a loud WHACK followed by an "AAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGGH!" from The Hood who came flying backwards out of the crate and across the cargo bay, slamming into Silver Swan as he went and causing them both to go spiralling across the cargo bay, bouncing off the floor and crashing into the bulkhead at the end.
Kayo blinked in surprise, then used the opportunity to give an almighty tug on the zip-ties around her wrists, breaking them and then managing to quickly cut the ones around her boots, freeing herself. As she then got to her feet, she looked over at The Hood and Silver Swan, both of whom were lying dazed on the floor. Then she heard the sound of something moving off to her right. She turned her head back towards the crate and froze at the sight of a large chunky object slowly beginning to emerge from within. It was a man in a large suit. A white and blue suit to be exact with silver boots and a glass dome around the top. The design looked somewhat familiar. She then saw the face of the person inside. It was a man, and at first she didn't recognise who it was. That was until the person spoke.
"Never fear…Obsidian is here!"
Kayo's mouth fell open in shock. "Fuse?!"