Chapter 6: Home Sweet Base
The trip to Earth had been uneventful. That was something everyone on the Bebop was thankful for. They had been keeping an eye out but so far no one seemed to be following them, and for a change they had not made the evening news. The gunbattle had been the highlight of course but it was discounted as rival gangs fighting over territory. Either no one had gotten a good look at the Terminators or that bit of information was being suppressed. The only real source of activity was the building the 'freeze rays' Faye had suggested. With Arnold helping him Spike had made three of his contributions to at home destruction, heavily modified. Insulation was easy, but they didn't want to take any coolant out of anything they might need later.
As Jet piloted the Bebop into Earth's atmosphere and towards Black Mesa, under MPU's navigation, he headed for a small river that would take them to one of the main entrances of the base. The water was barely deep enough for the Bebop to land in but Jet was able to make due. Since going on the river would be safer then flying the other adults, except Arnold, had chosen to go out on the Bebop's deck and check out their new surroundings. It really wasn't much to look at.
"You sure that we're going the right way?" Spike asked, very bored. He wasn't one for sightseeing to begin with and the endless miles of canyon walls that surrounded the ship as they went really made things dull.
"It's supposed to be a secret base Spike." John reminded him. "What did you expect, a bunch of neon signs telling us how to get there?"
"It would have helped." Spike responded. "At least a hint that we're getting close would help."
"I think we just got one." Kyle said, pointing towards one section of the cliff. The others looked and saw what looked like a giant sewerpipe attached to the cliff face. Around it were metal support beams and walkways, most likely used for maintenance. The metal had fallen into disrepair but still looked fairly strong and sturdy.
"Hey Jet.." Spike started to say into his radio when he was cut off.
"I see it." Jet answered. "According to MPU there's a place about a mile ahead where we can set the Bebop and get into the main base." Sure enough a mile later they saw the entrance, sort of. What MPU had neglected to mention was that they had to climb up several ladders and cross several bridges to get to it. To be specific rope ladders and wooden bridges, all of which had not held up nearly as well as the metal structures.
"So are we going to chance it?" John asked. Everyone was saved the trouble of having to answer when a stiff breeze blew down the canyon. The wind took the wooden planks of the bridges and carried them off like playing cards.
"Guess not." Spike remarked as they watched the planks fall into the river.
"Lucky for us MPU was able to come up with an alternative." The others turned to see Jet walking out of the hangar. "This place has several helipads and some of them are still in good enough shape to land our ships on."
"And just leave them sitting out for anyone who happens to fly by to see?" Faye asked.
"We'll send them back on auto pilot once everything is finished." Jet replied. "We're going to have to take as many supplies with us as possible. Essentials only, that means food, water, and any weapons you can carry. We don't know how long we're going to be here so we might as well be prepared. The sooner we get in there the better so make sure you're ready to go in ten minutes. John, you and Kyle will fly anyone who doesn't have a ship of their own. That transport you borrowed should be able to carry the bulk of what we need no problem. The rest of us will carry whatever our ships can. And Faye, a word of warning, bring stuff that will be useful to all of us. If you don't the rest of us won't share anything with you." Faye snorted and gave Jet a 'so what' expression. "Just remember that John and Kyle are going to be transporting most of the food." Faye narrowed her eyes and scowled but still said nothing. It wasn't hard to know what she was thinking at the moment and John decided to head her off now before things got ugly later.
"I suppose we could have Arnold guard it. Simple shoot to kill orders should do the trick." Now Faye turned her angry expression towards John who, in spite of the situation, smiled. That only served to make her angrier and to turn her face red. That, in turn, only made John's smile wider, and now everyone else joined in. Knowing she wasn't going to win this one Faye turned and stormed back into the ship. "What's her problem?" That got a low chuckle out of the others. As they all headed inside to begin the loading procedures John realized he had forgotten just how much fun pressing Faye's buttons could be.
The next ten minutes went by smoothly. Because of his ability to lift heavy loads Arnold was designated to carry the bulk of supplies once they got to the base. After scrounging around they had managed to find several spare duffel bags lying around and filled them to the point where they were almost bursting. Those bags, along with the modified flame-throwers, were set in the back of the stolen transport. The others had to make due with using clothes with as much pocket space as possible and loading them to the breaking point. The only exception was Tomato, which rode along with Ed in the transport. They would need MPU to guide them with what little knowledge of the base's defenses he had. With all that taken care of the only thing left was seating arrangements. Kyle would be piloting and John was willing to give up his seat in the cockpit but to everyone's surprise Meifa had agreed to sit in the back of the transport with Arnold and Ed.
"You're sure about this?" John asked Meifa as they prepped for take off. It would only be a short trip but he could see that she still wasn't going to be comfortable with it.
"I'm sure." Was her only reply. John saw she was determined to do this and he wasn't going to stop her. Arnold walked into the transport carrying the rest of the supplies, followed by Ed and Ein. Meifa's gaze fell on the Terminator and while John could see the apprehension coming back she didn't look like she wanted to get away from him as badly as before. It was a sign of progress so John just turned and went back into the cockpit.
"She going to be okay?" Kyle asked as the door hissed shut.
"I think so." John answered as he sat down in the copilot's chair. "Takes a lot of guts to do what she's doing so quickly. I just hope Arnold knows enough not to push it."
Arnold was aware enough of the fact that Meifa was uncomfortable around him and seated himself on the opposite side of the craft and as far away from her as possible. Ed sat down right next to him, smiling. When Meifa didn't say anything a look of disappointment crossed Ed's face. She was just trying to show that there was no reason to be afraid of Arnold. Inadvertently she had made Meifa more anxious by again showing how easily the robot could be accepted as a human being. Her thoughts were broken as a bark sounded off and they all looked to see Ein sitting right next to Arnold's feet. He looked slightly disgusted but he still sat there. After seeing that Meifa had noticed him Ein stood, walked over to her and barked again. Smiling, Meifa leaned down and picked him up. It was nice to know there was someone else who felt the same way she did, and was trying just like her, even if he couldn't really say it.
The trip up and landing was simple. The landing pads weren't very far from a tunnel entrance to the base. It was labeled 'Black Mesa: South Entrance- 1/2 mile' meaning they would have a bit of a walk ahead of them. That is if two thick blast doors weren't sealing the tunnel off. Fortunately there was what looked like a control panel on the side of the door. Before anyone could speak Ed was at it and pushing buttons almost at random.
"Ten Woolongs says she gets it in two minutes." John said as they watched Ed work.
"It's a high grade military system, even if it is old. Twenty says she'll need MPU and it'll take ten minutes." Faye challenged. Sure Ed might have defeated a modern system, Skynet, but she had MPU's help. Busting passwords was easy, disabling an entire security system that was….
"Blast door in motion. Stand clear." A flat, toneless voice announced. …hard? To make its point an alarm started sounding, followed by something nobody expected. From right in front of them and what seemed to be everywhere else was the unmistakable hiss of air pressure being released. Everyone had heard the sound before at one point or another, only now it was ratcheted up to an almost deafening roar. To complicate matters the blast doors ahead of them began to open and had a vacuum effect on the surrounding area. The onrush of air wasn't strong enough to drag anyone, though Ein was grateful that Meifa picked him up when the artificial windstorm started, but it was still a cause of suspicion for the rest of the group. All of them except Ed of course, who put her arms out and was pretending to fly.
"WHOOSH!!" She added to the howl of wind. After several seconds the wind died down and the roar faded, leaving them able to hear the echo of similar roars that were occurring all along the valley.
"Minute thirty-five seconds." John said, smirking at Faye.
"Quarantine protocol deactivated." The voice announced. "Please proceed."
"I thought this base was supposed to be abandoned." John said, pulling the auto-shotgun off of his back.
"Looks like someone left the light on." Kyle remarked.
"Probably all automated." Jet added. "It's up to MPU now." The looked towards Ed, who was booting up Tomato.
"There is a side door leading to a transit hub down this corridor." MPU stated. "It will be the fastest way to enter the main base."
"Well standing around here sure isn't getting us anywhere." Spike said, taking out his own gun and walking forward.
The group slowly walked down the tunnel, John and Spike taking point just in case they ran into any surprises. There were none and soon they came to the door MPU had told them about. Like the blast doors it was electronically sealed but Ed was again able to crack the code and let them in. Ahead of them was a long, twisting hallway that ended with what looked like another blast door but had the sign 'Level Alpha Freight' above it.
"Isn't this just a bit of overkill?" Faye asked sarcastically. "Something like this just for an elevator?"
"It was a government base Faye." John answered. "Anything a government builds is going to be paranoid to the point of insanity. You probably need a key code just to go to the bathroom in this place." He took a closer look at the freight door and noticed something. "There's no panel on this. How are we supposed to open it?"
"Probably from up there." Spike answered, pointing at something. The others looked up and saw a window leading to a separate room about ten feet up the wall. "How much you wanna bet you can't get there from down here?"
"Probably has bulletproof glass to." John added. "Anyone have an idea?"
"I've got one." Jet said. "Spike, let me have one of your grenades." He knew he didn't need to ask if he had any in the first place. This was Spike after all. Sure enough Spike reached into his coat and tossed one of his favorite toys to Jet, who caught it without looking. "Thanks. Now we need something to hold it in place."
"Will this do?" Kyle asked. As Jet turned to see what Kyle was talking about he noticed something coming at him and raised his other arm to catch it. Taking a closer look he saw that he had just been given a roll of duct tape. "You never know when stuff like that will come in handy." Kyle answered to Jet's unasked question as he reclosed one of the duffel bags.
"Good thinking." Jet complimented as he looked back up at the window.
"Leave it to men to think of bringing something like that to a place like this." Faye remarked.
"It's more useful then anything you would think to bring." Spike replied. Faye was about to respond when a gunshot caught everyone by surprise. Looking back they saw Jet lower his still smoking handgun then looked up to where he had aimed it. Jet had made a perfect dead center shot and the window now showed the impact of the bullet hit. It hadn't shattered the glass, it had barely even cracked it. That didn't matter because now there was a 'weak point' in the armored glass.
"All that's left is something to pull the pin with." Jet said, admiring his handiwork. Unfortunately nobody had packed string for this little trip so it was decided that tearing strips from Spike's coat would have to do. Fortunately Spike wasn't very attached to the coat, it would probably be shot full of holes anyway, and they only needed one sleeve to get the distance they wanted.
"I thought you were a detective, not some sort of demolition expert." Kyle remarked as Jet stood on Arnold's shoulders and attached the grenade to the window.
"When you make busts with a SWAT team you learn a thing or two about entering locked places. Maybe you kids could pick up a few pointers." Jet replied as he made sure the tape wouldn't hold down the 'spoon' of the grenade once the pin was pulled.
"Yeah right." Spike responded. Kyle only reacted with a grunt. There was no question that Spike was the best when it came to blowing things up and Kyle, being a self proclaimed weapons expert, probably knew more then his fair share about explosives. After making sure the grenade was secure Jet had the others retreat down the hallway and around a corner that would serve as cover.
"Now stand back and cover your ears." The others did as they were told. There was a startled yelp from Ein and everyone looked to see the dog was being picked up one-handed by Arnold. The data dog started to thrash and snarl in Arnold's grip but the robot ignored it and clamped his free hand firmly over Ein's head. Ein let out a furious bark but stopped when he realized that he couldn't hear himself. Arnold's hand was covering up Ein's ears so he would be safe from the noise of the explosion in such an enclosed space.
"Boy do I wish I had a camera." John remarked when he saw Ein react to what he had just figured out. He had never seen the dog so confused, and everyone else, even Meifa, couldn't help but smile or laugh.
"Here we go." Jet warned, and everyone else turned away from where the blast was going to come from. Giving the makeshift string a hard pull Jet felt it slack but waited for the double ping of the pin and spoon hitting the floor. He heard both and covered his own ears. The explosion made the ground shake and sent a shockwave down the hallway but that was the extent of what anyone felt. Making their way back to the elevator everyone saw that Jet's idea had worked. Glass was scattered all over the floor and the window to the security room no longer existed. Kneeling down John picked up a hand full of glass pieces and examined them.
"Safety glass." He announced. Instead of producing knife like shards this type of glass was designed to shatter into pebble like grains, making it safe for even the barefoot Ed to walk on them with no danger of injury.
"So who's going to go in there?" Faye asked. Kyle answered by glancing over at their resident hacker and getting an idea.
"Hey Ed. You up for playing a little more football?" He asked. Ed's eyes immediately brightened and she nodded enthusiastically. While everyone else was giving him questioning looks Ed ran over to Arnold, literally jumping up and down with excitement. "Arnold, do your thing and make sure she has a soft landing."
"Right." Arnold replied before picking up Ed and giving her (to him) a light toss up to the window. As the others watched with looks of mixed surprise and horror Ed easily sailed through the window and into the office, laughing the entire trip. They heard her land softly and let out a squeal of delight.
"Ed is good for three points!!!" She declared. The others breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at Kyle, some looking at him like had had gone off the deep end.
"Hey it worked before." Was the only explanation he gave. Faye and Meifa still looked at him like he was nuts but before anyone could read him the riot act Ed's voice drifted down from the room.
"Ed found elevator button!" In response the blast doors in front of the elevator slowly began to open. "Ed also got Bebop Bebop first class tickets to secret place, and lots of things for MPU to look at." She added. Looking around John noticed Tomato lying on the floor and picked it up.
"How good are your hands Ed?" He called up.
"Ed never misses." Came the reply. That was good enough and he handed Tomato to Arnold.
"You'd better not miss either." He warned.
"I won't." Arnold answered. Taking careful aim he threw the computer up towards Ed, who reached out and caught it with no problem. After hooking Tomato up MPU's voice began to filter down.
"I've attempted interface with the main computer but this security office is operating on a separate circuit. Between Ed and myself all security measures from here to the main operations center have been deactivated. A transit car is waiting below and will take us to the operations center where the computer network for the entire base will be accessible."
"Down it is." Jet said turning towards the elevator.
"Heads up!" A cheerful voice said a split second before Tomato came flying out of the security office. Kyle was closest and managed to grab the computer before it hit the ground.
"Don't even…!!!" John shouted before Ed leaped out of the office. "…try it." He finished quietly. He had only been thinking of Ed's safety but she proved that it wasn't necessary as she landed in a near perfect handstand.
"Edward gives Ed a perfect ten!" She proudly announced and switched to an one-armed handstand. "And Bebop Bebop goes wild!" She added as the others just stared at her, with Ein the only one complementing her. The others looked at one another silently agreeing it was best to leave it alone and headed towards the elevator. It supported all of their weight easily and descended very smoothly, quite good for something that was supposed to be abandoned for so long. They stopped a dozen or so floors lower and found themselves in what looked like a train station. Only this one had an added detail that most others didn't once you tried to get onto the platform.
"Ed, I thought MPU said all the security was shut down." Faye said, very annoyed. Ahead of them, blocking their path to what had to be the transit car, was a cage like structure and a securely locked door.
"Don't blame her." Spike said, getting a closer look at the door. "This thing has a couple of deadbolt bars across it, non electronic." He looked up and noticed something. "Looks like they didn't want to take any chances on someone getting this far." The others looked up and saw, on the other side of the metal bars, a walkway stretching the length of the platform and led into a door on a higher level. There was only one reason a walkway would be there and that was to allow whoever was guarding the door a clean shot at whoever might have broken in.
"Looks like her key didn't work on everything." John remarked.
"Let me try mine." Arnold said, walking up to the door as Spike got out of his way. Setting his balance Arnold raised one foot and kicked the door on one of the deadbolt bars as hard as he could. The bar snapped and the door bent but the second bar held, barely. A second kick snapped that bar as well and knocked the door off its bottom hinges. As the door slowly swung open at a crooked angle Arnold looked back at the others.
"Can't beat a key like that." Spike said as he stepped through the door and towards the transit car.
"Men." Faye grumbled as she glanced at Arnold. "Even the fake ones." That got a snicker from the other humans but Arnold remained silent. As they got closer to the car its door slid open in response to their approach.
"Now that's service." John said as he stepped inside. The car itself wasn't that much different then ones they had ridden on before. Plain seats, a little legroom, but not much else. The only real difference was this one ran on a rail that was above the car instead of underneath it. Once all of them were inside the door slide shut and the car lurched forward as it began to move.
"Good morning, and welcome to the Black Mesa transit system." A pleasant sounding female voice said over a speaker mounted in the ceiling "This automated train is provided for the security and convenience of the Black Mesa research facility personnel. The time is 9:49 a.m., current topside temperature is 86 degrees with an estimated high of 105. The Black Mesa compound is maintained at a pleasant 68 degrees at all times."
"Am I the only one wondering how a base that's supposed to be abandoned for sixty years be working like it just opened?" Kyle asked as the voice continued.
"Probably has a bunch of Earthers living here." Faye suggested. "If I was living on a planet where a meteor could fall on my head this is the kind of place I would hang out."
"That doesn't make sense." Jet replied. "If there were people here we would have heard something by now. An alarm, vehicles," He managed to stop himself before he said gunshots so he didn't scare Meifa. "But nothing so far. The only thing that even comes close to a person is that." He nodded towards the speaker.
"Do you have a friend or relative who would make a valuable addition to the Black Mesa team?" The voice asked.
"And she's probably been dead for years. It's like the base has been maintaining itself for all this time."
"Now there's a scary thought." John said. Everyone silently agreed with him. Something like that would be a bit to close to Skynet for their comfort. The rest of the short ride was quiet except for the recorded voice and Ed dashing from one part of the car to another, trying to absorb all the scenery they were passing.
"Now arriving at sector A command and control facilities. Please stand back from the automated door, and wait for the security officer to confirm your identity. Before exiting the train, be sure to check your area for personal belongings. Thank you, and have a very safe and productive day."
In spite of the fact that there was no security guard the door opened and they found themselves in another transit station, this one with no blast doors or bars guarding it. As they left the terminal they walked into a T-junction of hallways. To the right was a hallway labeled Living Quarters, to the left there was a double label 'Surface' and 'Armory'. Straight ahead was labeled 'Central Command'
"I guess this is home for now." Jet said as he looked around. "Let's drop off our stuff and see what we can find in the computers this place has." The living quarters were built like most apartment buildings would be. There were several halls of individual rooms, enough for everyone to have their own, as well as a cafeteria and lounge area, not unlike what the Bebop had. After dumping their stuff in the lounge they began to pick out the best rooms they could find but they that proved to be impossible.
"All the money they must have spent on this place and the best they could come up with is this." Faye griped. She had set her sights on getting the best room for herself but found that while they were comfortable rooms they were all exactly the same.
"I'm sure if they knew you were coming they would have fixed it up real nice." John replied, smiling at the glare Faye sent his way.
"Yeah, by putting bars on the door to your room." Spike added. When he noticed Faye glaring at him he just shrugged. "I suppose electrifying the door would be easier." The others laughed at that one.
"Let me tell you something lunkhead…" Faye began.
"I guess this means we're officially settled." Jet remarked as he watched the two of them fight. "Who's up for finding more about this place?"
"ME ME ME ME!!" Ed shouted frantically waving her hand.
"I think she speaks for all of us." John said.
"Then grab Tomato and let's check out central command." Jet said. Ed was at his side in an instant, balancing Tomato on her head.
"Come on come on come on!!" She pleaded, tugging on Jet's hand.
"What about them?" Kyle asked, looking over at the still arguing Faye and Spike.
"Leave em." Jet answered. "With any luck they won't notice we're gone and we'll have some peace and quiet." Spike did notice that they were leaving and, getting bored, decided to follow them.
"HEY!! I'm not finished yet!" Faye shouted after Spike now noticing that she was almost alone. Turning bright red from looking so foolish she trudged after them.
Central Command was broken up into three basic sections, Administration with its numerous offices and data storage areas. Communication to monitor all incoming and outgoing transmissions to the base. Finally was the largest area, Security. This was also broken into three sections. One section monitored activity inside the base, one for observing the land surrounding the base, and a third that kept track of all air traffic for almost a hundred miles in every direction. Deciding Security was where they could get a majority of their answers everyone was gathered around a bank of computers in base security, watching Ed hook her own computer up.
"Accessing Black Mesa mainframe." MPU said when the hook up was complete. "Connecting. Decoding in progress. Decoding complete, Black Mesa mainframe is now at your command." Ed giggled at the news and hopped into a chair in front of what looked like the main computer terminal.
"What would Bebop Bebop like the all knowing Ed to tell them?" Ed asked dramatically.
"The most important thing to know is if there's anyone else here." Jet told her. After typing in a few commands she turned around in her chair.
"Everywhere eyes and ears tell Ed and MPU that new play place is ghost town." She announced.
"I guess that's a no." John said. "What about how this place is in such good condition."
"Whatever that voice was called it the Quarantine protocol." Kyle added. "Check under that." Ed typed more commands and a large screen in front of them turned on. Unfortunately it was displaying mostly technical layouts, complex equations and what looked like chemical formulas that quickly scrolled by.
"Can anyone read that stuff?" Spike asked.
"Ed can." Ed announced
"Anyone else?" Faye quickly asked. Everyone was confused enough by what they saw and having Ed explain it would lose them completely.
"I can." Arnold answered.
"Then how about you give us a translation." Kyle said. "A simple one." He quickly added.
"Because it was so well hidden this base was meant to maintain its status as a functional and viable position, even after it was officially closed down. It would be the fallback position for the leaders and scientists of the nation that had originally built it, but only as a last resort. Rather then spend money to maintain the base the quarantine protocol was developed. Using a series of powerful air pumps all the air from the base would be removed, and replaced with only trace amounts of inert gases. In theory this would prevent breakdown of equipment."
"That is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard." Faye remarked. "They go through all this just so they can save a few bucks? It doesn't even sound like it would work."
"Yes." Arnold replied. "The cost of building the pumps and making the base sections airtight was a fraction of what it would have been to maintain them by regular means. It also proved to be very effective. Aside from areas that have been compromised by meteor strikes all sections under the protocol have survived completely intact and equipment seems to be in perfect working order."
"Then how about we wander around for a while?" Spike asked. "There's nothing to do just hanging around here so we might as well do some exploring."
"Shouldn't we wait until we know which areas are dangerous and should be avoided before we do that?" John asked.
"The only area that is extremely hazardous is the waste disposal plant." MPU said. "Everywhere else is safer but I advise caution when dealing with unfamiliar terrain."
"All right, It would be a good idea to know the layout of the place." Jet agreed. "But where do we start?"
"Ed knows where Ed wants to go." Ed spoke up. "Ed want's to go see blast off!!" She announced and pointed to the screen. It displayed several angles of a giant rocket engine inside of a blast silo.
"Looks like they never dismantled the old rocket test labs." Jet said, looking at the sector data displayed on a different screen. "They must of left this place in a hurry to, fuel and oxygen are still being stored for it." He stopped as he realized something. "Looks like Ed has a good idea in going down there after all."
"Lots of good stuff to put in Spike person's freezethrowers." Ed put in.
"Freezethrowers?" Kyle asked.
"It's a good a name as any." Jet replied. Spike shrugged in response, he really didn't care what they were called. "And she's right, I'm sure no one is going to care if we take some of the liquid oxygen. But we're not going to set the engine off." He added, noticing Ed's expectant look. "That would use up any spare ammo we would have." Ed looked disappointed but didn't complain. She could understand why it was important that they not do what she wanted so she didn't press it. "I'll go and I want someone else to come with me, just to be safe. Any takers?" An awkward silence followed, with everyone looking at everyone else. "Don't all volunteer at once."
"Why don't you take Arnold?" Spike asked. "You can have him fill the tanks and if any accidents happen he can just shrug it off." Jet frowned.
"You're just suggesting that so you don't have to do any work." He accused.
"Yeah, pretty much." Spike replied nonchalantly. Jet's frown deepened.
"Lucky for you your excuse makes sense." Jet finally said. "How about it Arnold?"
"I'll help in any way I can." Arnold replied.
"Then go get the packs, it's a long walk." Arnold nodded and left. "What do the rest of you intend on doing?"
"I figured I'd take a look at what kind of stuff they have in that arsenal." Kyle said. "See what kind of options we have if the T-1000 actually finds this place."
"I'm with him." Spike added. Faye just rolled her eyes.
"Nothing looks interesting in the place so I guess I'll stay here." She said.
"English translation: there's no gambling and nothing she can steal." John inputted. Ignoring Faye's death glare he continued. "I'd better stay here too. Someone has to keep an eye on the kids." He motioned not only to Meifa and Ed but to Faye as well.
"Just be thankful that there're witnesses around." Faye growled.
"Meifa, I can't really force you but I would feel better if you stayed here for now. Just until we figure out how safe it really is out there." Jet told her.
"It's okay Jet. I don't want to get in anyone's way." Meifa answered.
"You wouldn't." Jet assured her. "But the rocket silo doesn't really look that safe and I would prefer that you don't go with anyone who's trigger happy." He stated, looking at Kyle and Spike. Spike had no real reaction but Kyle looked slightly insulted. Jet knew neither of them would put Meifa in danger but with all the violence she had been around lately being around more gunfire and explosions wasn't really the best idea right now.
"And what does Ed do?" Ed asked.
"You've got the most important job of all Ed." Jet answered. "You're going to stay here and be our eyes and ears. If we get lost and need help you'll need to tell us what way to go."
"Navigator Ed will see all and hear all!" Ed declared as she spun around in the chair. "Give Bebop Bebop best map there is."
"We know you will." Jet told her. "If there's nothing else I suggest we get going."
"There is one more matter of importance." MPU stated. "Many of the doors still have active locks and cannot be opened from here. I have opened all areas that I can and changed the codes needed to open the doors that I cannot. Simply press zero then enter on the code pad and the door will open."
After Arnold returned with the newly dubbed Freezethrowers and all radios were checked and found to be in working order the two groups went their separate ways. Kyle and Spike reached their destination first, they had to climb several flights of stairs and go through three security checkpoints but they eventually found the entrance to the armory. Spike pressed zero and enter on the pad next to the door as instructed and as promised it opened with no difficulty. The inside was dark and knowing room layout probably hadn't changed that much in sixty years Spike reached over just to the side of the door, found a light switch and flipped it. One by one lights in the ceiling began to come on, reaching further down the room as they went. When all of them were on the two got a their first good look at what kind of firepower Black Mesa had to offer.
"This is almost like being back at my old job." Kyle remarked as he began to look at the weapons. The room was like a long hallway and on the right side was an equally long rack of guns and ammunition. On the left was a second rack filled with metal boxes labeled with words that drew Spike right to them.
Danger: High Explosives
Kyle was examining the gun racks as Spike gave the explosives his attention. Without realizing it he was listing the entire inventory and his thoughts out loud.
"Glock 18, .357 Magnum, SPAS 12, MP5. That explains all the nine-millimeter ammo. It's like they were actually expecting to have firefights underground." Though none of these weapons was what one would call under powered they were ideal for fighting inside buildings and underground without fear of overpenetration or ricochets. He paused when he came to the MP5s, noticing something out of place.
"They must have been expecting tanks to." Spike remarked. Kyle turned around and saw Spike holding a small metal tube in one hand and what was without question an RPG rocket in the other. "There's at least twenty here and I'll bet you there's a lot more where they came from." Spike said as he slid the rocket back into its metal storage tube.
"At least that's normal military hardware." Kyle said as he turned back and grabbed an MP5. After Spike put the rocket back Kyle handed him the weapon. "See anything wrong with this picture?" Spike only needed a cursory glance to see what Kyle was talking about.
"I didn't think MP5s had a grenade launcher attached to them." Spike said as he opened the weapon to examine it.
"They don't." Kyle answered. "They're too fragile and would break apart if someone tried firing one. This has to be some kind of fake to scare whoever they were planning to use it against."
"I'm not so sure about that." Spike said as he turned back around. Kyle saw him reach into an already open metal container and pull out a grenade just like the ones that would be used in this type of launcher. "I don't think they'd have these things around if they didn't have anything to load them into." He placed the grenade into the launcher and snapped it shut. "Perfect fit." He said, handing the gun back to Kyle.
"Only one way to find out for sure." Kyle said as he grabbed a clip for the gun and inserted it. "We're not that far from the surface so we might as well give these things a test."
"We might was well give these a try to." Spike said, tossing two small bags at Kyle's feet and a remote control that had one large button in the center of it to him. Kyle was able to ID them quickly. Satchel charges, remote controlled.
"What about you?" Kyle asked as he put the remote detonator in his pocket. He was going to need both hands to carry all of this.
"You don't store the ammo unless you store the gun to." Spike said, walking over to a longer metal container on the same side as the explosives. Unlocking the clasps he opened it and both saw a green, fairly high tech rocket launcher, complete with scope and laser sighting. Spike lifted it out and placed it on one shoulder, surprised at how lightweight it was. "Let's see if those old timers knew what they were doing when they made this stuff." Spike said as he grabbed two ammo tubes with his free hand. The two left the room and began following the signs that led to the surface.
Security Command
"Why can't Ed go exploring?" Ed asked for what seemed like the millionth time. It had taken only five minutes for her inquisitive nature to become overwhelming and despite the fact she could see almost the entire base already she wanted to get out and see it for herself.
"Because you need to stay here and operate the equipment. You'll be able to look at everything from in here." John answered, trying to reason with Ed. That was proving to be an exercise in futility.
"MPU can look and see just as good as Ed. So can John person. No fun to look at places in pictures, Ed wants to meet places in person." When John didn't immediately answer Ed went into her sales pitch again. "Ed will only be gone for a minute. Come back quick if you call. Ed will be really really really reallllllly careful. Promise Promise."
"Ed..." John began
"PLLEAASSSEEEEE?!?!" She was now giving him what most parents would refer to as 'the old sad soulful eyes routine' and didn't even seem close to giving up. He turned to Faye for help.
"Don't look at me." She said. "I'm the one who told you to ignore her." So much for getting help. At least it gave him an opportunity to get out of this.
"Tell you what Ed. You can go but only if you take Faye with you."
"WHAT?!" Faye shouted.
"YAAAYYY!!" Ed shouted at the same time and rushed over to Faye. "Let's go Faye Faye! Ed wants to look at neat stuff." She said, trying to drag Faye by the hand.
"NOW WAIT A MINUTE!!" Faye shouted, trying to fight/ignore Ed while yelling at John. "Give me one reason I have to get stuck doing this!!"
"If you insist..!" John almost shouted back.
"I'll go with her." A quiet voice said. All noise in the room stopped and they turned to see Meifa quietly standing off to the side. In the chaos of the moment it had been easy to forget that she was there.
"You don't have to do that Meifa." John told her, slightly embarrassed at his behavior in front of her. "I'm sure Faye can tolerate Ed for a little walk." Faye started to protest but John shot her a look that said 'Shut up and agree!' She was about to explode again but Meifa spoke first.
"It's all right, I want to go. I haven't done anything to help so far and I don't want to feel like a burden."
"You're not a burden." John assured her. He could see she really wanted to help and if nothing else it would take her mind off the situation for a while. After thinking it over he made his decision. "Okay, you can take Ed and look around a little. But.." He quickly added. "don't go anywhere that we don't know about already. Ed, no going off on your own. You stick with Meifa and if she tells you to do something you do it."
"Ed will listen really good." Ed promised. John nodded his approval and Ed ran right for the door, apparently forgetting what she had just been told. She opened the door but instead of running out she looked back at Meifa. "Come on." She said, excited but not at all impatient. "Lots of neat stuff to see." She insisted. Meifa smiled at Ed's excitement and followed her out the door, followed closely by Ein. After the door shut John turned to Faye.
"We can beat up on each other all we want but we can't let Meifa get caught in the middle. The last thing we need to do is ignore her and make her feel useless."
"I wasn't trying to do that." Faye replied, calming down slightly. She was still angry but she could see his point. It was weird but deep down she didn't want to be mean to the girl anymore then he did. (He's making my conscience come back again.) She thought with some amusement/annoyance.
"I know." John said in understanding "I'm just saying that..." The conversation was put on hold as one of the control panels started beeping angrily and flashing red. "What now?" Pressing the button that was flashing the screen brought up a picture of the disturbance. On a crater dotted helipad there were two figures that they recognized as Spike and Kyle. The disturbance itself had been caused by a now collapsed guard tower that, judging from the smoke and blast damage, had been hit with explosives. Kyle was lowering his weapon but what caught Faye and John's attention was the rocket launcher Spike was carrying. "You're kidding."
"Forty Woolongs says lunkhead is the first one to blow himself up." Faye stated as she sat down next to John, their argument now forgotten.
On the helipad the two were admiring the destruction Kyle had just caused.
"Impact grenades, not to shabby." He said as he opened the launcher and let the empty shell drop to the ground. Switching the MP5 off of safety he took aim at chunk of rubble and fired a three round burst. The fact that the gun could fire at all was surprising but as a bonus there was almost no muzzle climb. Switching to full auto Kyle emptied the entire fifty round clip in one long burst. After the gun clicked empty they could see all the bullets in one small grouping. "Why the hell were we never issued hardware like this?" He asked, impressed by the weapon's performance.
"Probably because it's the best option." Spike remarked as Kyle threw the two satchel charges at the tower rubble.
"Probably." Kyle agreed as he flicked open the cover to the remote's button. "Fire in the hole." He warned and pushed the button. A larger explosion ripped through the area and formed a small crater.
"Not bad." Spike said as he opened an ammo tube and inserted a rocket into the front of the launcher. Taking aim at a still intact guard tower Spike looked through the scope and put the crosshairs near the center of the tower. Pulling the trigger Spike saw the rocket literally jump out of the launcher and stay in midair for a split second before its engine ignited. It flew right at the tower and struck just where Spike had aimed. The explosion dwarfed the first two and blew out the entire midsection of the tower, sending it crashing to the ground. "I could get to like having one of these." He commented.
"Big surprise." Kyle responded. "Think that laser sight still works?"
"It should." Spike said as he loaded his second rocket. Taking aim at the helipad's control tower he turned on the laser and set it base of a RADAR dish. "Ten says I can blow that thing off the roof but not damage anything but the base of it."
"Bet." Kyle said. Spike may have been good but Kyle didn't think he was this good. Spike pulled the trigger and the rocket took off. Taking his eye off the scope to get a better look Spike shifted the launcher to the right slightly and saw that the rocket was going wide right of it's target.
"Damn!" Spike cursed. Knowing he lost the bet he lowered the launcher so now the barrel was pointing almost straight down. In response the rocket went into a nosedive and detonated when it slammed into the ground. The explosion was a good distance away from Spike and Kyle but the shock wave from it was still enough to knock both of them off their feet.
"What the hell was that?!" Kyle asked as he sat up.
"They had all the best weapons to choose from." Spike said calmly as he lay on his back. "So do they ask for launchers that use lasers for lock on capability?" He asked as he sat up. "No. They had to ask for ones that have TRACKING LASERS!!!" He shouted and angrily threw the launcher.
Back in Security Command John put a twenty Woolong bill into Faye's open hand, not looking at her 'I told you so' smile.
"This is only twenty." Faye protested when she looked at the money. "The bet was forty."
"You lost twenty to me earlier." John replied. "That makes us even." Faye humphed but didn't say anything as she put the money in her pocket. As the two watched Spike and Kyle pick themselves up they heard the door open, followed by a familiar bark. "So have fun?" John asked as he turned around in his chair. If he had any other questions he forgot them when he got a good look at the new arrivals.
"Security officer Ed reporting for duty!" Ed exclaimed and giving a perfect salute. The fact that she could even salute at all was something of an accomplishment. She was now wearing a black armored vest that was so large on her she had to keep both arms straight out to the side to keep it from sliding off. Even then the very bottom of the vest was no more then half an inch above her ankles. On her head she wore an odd looking blue and gray helmet, also far too large for her. In fact when she saluted the helmet dropped over her eyes but didn't fall off. She paid it no mind and held her salute. "What does John person and Faye Faye think?"
"Think about what?" Faye asked as she turned around in her own chair. Like John she was silenced by the even odder then usual looking Ed. That silence lasted for several seconds before John gave an answer to Ed's question.
"Pfffft… HA HA HA HA!!" John was actually doubled over with laughter and Faye was trying desperately not to join him, covering her face and turning around. She had sworn never to encourage any of Ed's antics and laughing would definitely be a sign of encouragement. However even turned around Ed and the others could still see her shaking as she tried to, unsuccessfully, contain her own fit of giggles.
"Ed is glad John person and Faye Faye like it." Ed said as she pushed the helmet back up.
"Don't… mention it…" John said, trying to stop laughing. He looked back up at Ed and couldn't help but start up again. After finally being able to calm down enough to talk straight John took a more critical look at what Ed was wearing. "Can I take a look at those?" Instead of answering Ed tossed him the helmet. She then crouched down, putting the vest on the floor, and jumped right out of it.
"Ed knew John person would like Ed's presents." Ed stated as she picked the vest up and brought it over to John. Taking the vest John found that while it was bulky it was also very light. The front and back were divided into square sections of varying size and knocking on one with his knuckles John discovered that they were solid insertion plates, much stronger then just kevlar.
"Not quite as good as the ISSP vests but not bad for something so old." John commented as he put the vest over his head. He snapped the front and back together and while it wasn't the most comfortable fit it did give him the feeling of being well protected. He took a closer look at the helmet and decided that without some sort of visor it was impractical for combat situations. Plus the fact that anyone who wore it would look ridiculous, not just Ed.
"Can you use it?" Meifa asked, adding her first comment to the conversation. "I didn't know if any of them would be able to fit you."
"You found these?" John asked. He had assumed that Ed would be the one to find something like this when no one was looking for it.
"Yep Yep." Ed confirmed. "She found very secret place while we were exploring."
"There are more of those vests there, and weapons." Meifa added.
"Sounds like you hit the jackpot." John said. "Could you show me where it is?" Meifa nodded. "Good. Ed you stay here and keep an eye on things."
"What about me?" Faye asked, annoyed.
"Ed knows more about using this stuff then you do. Just let her do all the work." That sounded just fine to Faye so she just turned around and went back to watching Spike and Kyle stumbling back inside.
The very secret place was actually a smaller security office tucked into a corner near the transit station. At the front was a desk with several computer monitors on it. Farther back were several open lockers containing duplicates of the body armor John now wore. Next to those lockers was a wall-mounted gun rack holding several combat shotguns.
"We couldn't tell if the guns were loaded so we never touched them." Meifa said as he took one of them off the rack.
"That was the right thing to do." He told her as he checked the slide. "It's empty." Rummaging around in one of the lockers he found two boxes of 12 gauge shotgun shells, giving him a total of twenty-four. He also noticed that it was a different type of shell then what was used in the auto shotgun he currently had, meaning that the one clip he had was it. "Better take two of them." He said as he put the shells into his pocket and reached for a second shotgun. Attaching straps to them so he could carry the guns on his back John finally grabbed one of the vests and handed it to Meifa.
"Do you want me to carry more?" She asked as John slung both of the shotguns over his shoulder.
"No thanks. I can handle this." He answered, picking up two more vests. "You really found a gold mine here. No telling how much all of this is going to help us." He meant every word of it and was glad to see Meifa smile at the statement.
Faye and Ed turned towards the door when they heard it open and saw John and Meifa walk in, their arms loaded.
"Find anything useful?" Faye asked sarcastically.
"Yes, as a matter of fact." John answered as he put the vests down. "We even brought you a present." He said as he took one of the shotguns off his back and handed it to her. He then dug into his pockets and took out two handfuls of shells. "Twelve is the limit. You want more you'll need to ask Spike and Kyle when they get back." He dropped his voice to a whisper before continuing. "Before you ask no you don't have a vest. That's because you and I both know we couldn't get you into one even with a crowbar." He added in a serious tone but with a teasing look in his eyes.
"You didn't have to point that out." Faye hissed as she turned red with embarrassment and gave John a shove. "Idiot." She added as she sat back down. John smirked at her reaction and was about to sit down next to her when his radio came to life.
"Can anyone hear me?" Jet's voice asked.
"Loud and clear Jet." John answered. "You two in trouble?"
"Kind of." Jet answered. "We finally made it over to the silo and were in the control room right now but we've hit a snag. The computer told us that the oxygen was stored in this area but what it didn't say was that there was more then one level to this place." Inside the control room Jet and Arnold were looking through glass that had to be over a foot thick into the silo itself. The massive rocket engine hung from the ceiling and dominated the view but inside there were two more levels of walkways and doors leading to who knows where. The main control panel said that while electricity was flowing to the engine fuel and oxygen were not.
"I'll get Ed right on it." John said and nodded towards Ed, who went into action. As she typed several schematics of the silo came up. "All right here's what you do. There should be a second door in there that'll lead into the silo. Once you're inside go one level down and out that door. Follow that path and it'll lead you right to the fuel stores."
"Got it." Jet said and the turned off the radio.
Earth orbit: That same time
The T-1000 had been orbiting Earth for several hours now, waiting. He couldn't track the Bebop itself with all the other ships and debris but he could monitor radio traffic just fine. When he had set up interference of their radios back on Mars he knew that the humans would change the frequency so that they couldn't be tracked. What they didn't know was that the T-1000 had used that time to scan their communicators and record every frequency they were capable of operating on. That narrowed the search considerably and he had been monitoring the most likely frequencies the humans would choose as soon as he reached Earth. He had gotten lucky and got a weak but still solid signal. It was brief but he managed to track it with reasonable accuracy, it was a couple of hundred square miles on one of the landmasses but time was one thing he had plenty of. Activating the engines of his stolen craft the T-1000 began a descent into Earth's atmosphere, and towards the prey he had been tracking.