Within the meeting room inside the main base Jerome waited for Morgan, Flamer and Nas to take their seats.
"Alright you three, I have a mission for you." said Jerome.
"More robots?" asked Morgan.
"Not this time." Jerome informed "I'm sending all three of you on an escort mission."
"Escort mission?" started Nas "Who are we escorting?"
"Princess Joan and her sister Brook." answered Jerome "You are to go to the village and take her to the hotel where she'll be staying."
"Sounds easy. Especially with no robots to deal with."
"There may not be any robots Flamer, but Felina has sent multiple alerts that Clayton and his gang has been hanging around the area."
"Clayton. He was there when the robots ambushed us near the plane." said Flamer.
"Then it would pay to be vigilant. He may be plotting something with the Robot Master." said Jerome.
"Who is Clayton?" asked Morgan.
"Clayton was once a member of the team." answered Jerome.
"Yeah, until he and Flamer got into a fight." added Nas.
"A fight?" wondered Morgan.
"Over Jen." said Flamer "He and Jen grew up together, so he thought he had first dibs on her. Unfortunately for him Jen had her eyes on someone else."
Two years ago 0800 hours
In hangar, on a dark and stormy night, Jen walked through the back entrance to see Flamer waiting beside the Faller 9.
"You lose him?" asked Flamer, wrapping his arms around Jen's waist.
"Yeah." answered Jen, wrapping her arms around Flamer's neck "He's been following me around all day, bugging me."
"Well we're alone now." smiled Flamer, leaning closer to Jen's face.
"Yes we are." smiled Jen, pulling Flamer closer for a kiss.
As the two stood kissing the back door opened up and there stood Clayton, looking Flamer with fire in his eyes.
"You rather kiss this little wimp than to kiss me?!?" growled Clayton, stepping closer to Jen and Flamer.
Flamer pushed Jen behind him as they backed from the angry seething bear.
"She chose me so just leave her alone!" ordered Flamer.
"I was the one who grew up with you!" yelled Clayton "I should have been your first!"
"I don't love you!" said Jen.
"You will!" growled Clayton, lunging for Flamer's neck.
Clayton threw Flamer onto a, trying to choke the life out of him. But Flamer managed to conjure up enough fire power and punched Clayton in his left eye.
"AHHHH!!!" yelled Clayton, holding to his left eye as Flamer ran to Jen.
"Are you okay?" asked Jen, holding onto Flamer.
"I'm fine." said Flamer, watching Clayton to make he doesn't try anything again.
"What's going on in here?" asked Jerome, barging through the back door, seeing Clayton holding to his scarred eye.
"He tried to attack us." spoke Flamer.
"Is this true?" asked Jerome.
"No! They attacked me!" lied Clayton.
"He's been bothering me all day!" said Jen "He tried to attack Flamer because we were both in here kissing."
"Is this true?" asked Jerome.
"They're lying!" seethed Clayton "They both just want to get me in trouble!"
"Then you wouldn't mind if we check the footage." said Jerome, pointing at the security camera overhead.
Clayton, gritting his teeth in anger, pushed Jerome out of the way and ran out the door and away from the base, swearing vengeance on Jen and Flamer and the rest of the Robot Protection Squad.
"And that's what happened." said Flamer.
A hush fell over the room for a minute, until Jerome began speaking again.
"You three best be on your guard." said Jerome.
"Definitely." answered Morgan ready to take on the mission.
Above the island a helicopter flew over, hovering over the village above a landing pad. Two female echidnas stepped out. One red, one yellow. The red echidna wore a fancy jewels around her neck and wrists as the other wore normal clothes. The two echidnas approached Nas, Flamer and Morgan, who had been waiting for them to arrive.
"You must be the escorts." said the yellow echidna.
"You must be Princess Joan?" asked Morgan to the red echidna.
"Yes. I am." answered Princess Joan.
"Then you must be Brooke?" asked Flamer.
"Correct." answered the yellow echidna.
"Why do you not dress in royal clothes?" asked Morgan to Brooke "Aren't you both princesses?"
"Actually..." started Brooke "Joan, being the oldest, makes her the next in line to become queen."
"That's right." said Princess Joan "Where we come from our customs are the oldest of two siblings always becomes the next in line to rule."
"Oh." said Morgan, now understanding how their customs work.
"Listen, enough chitchat, we need to take the two of you to the hotel, quick." said Flamer.
"Alright." agreed Brooke "Go on Joan."
"You're not coming?" asked Nas.
"Just going to stay behind a bit. Make sure everything is in tip top shape." said Brooke.
"Suit yourself." said Nas, shrugging his shoulders.
"As soon as we get the princess to the hotel we'll come back for you." said Morgan.
"That won't be necessary." said Brooke "I can just ask for directions and get there when I'm done."
"Very well." started Flamer "Let's take Princess Joan to the hotel. You stay safe."
"Same to you." said Brooke, before going back to the helicopter.
In another part of the village a black van pulled into the back of an abandoned warehouse. Clayton stepped out from the driver's side door to meet a couple of robots who had been waiting for him.
"Where are the others?" asked one of the robots.
"They're in the back." answered Clayton, heading to the back of the truck and opening up the doors to reveal androids resembling Jerome, Mikayla and Nas.
"You come out." commanded one of the robots to the Nas android.
The Nas android stepped out from the van, retrieving a device from one of the robots.
"You are sure they meet the Master's standards?" asked one of the robots.
"I went through every piece of scrap metal I could find, I know they will." answered Clayton.
"You better hope so." said one of the robots "For your sake at least."
That night, within the walls of the hotel, Princess Joan, Flamer, Nas and Morgan all slept within separate rooms. Quietly, two shadowed figures entered into Nas' room, covering his mouth and dragging him out of the hotel.
"Huh?" gasped Morgan, waking up after hearing the door close downstairs.
Morgan got out of bed and looked around in each room to see if anyone else had woken up.
"Nas?" whispered Morgan, opening up Nas' door to see him sleeping in his bed "Thank goodness."
As Morgan went back to his room the Nas robot awoke, it's red eyes glowing in the dark.
"Showtime."