Zoalords 16
Uprising
The Star Tower, CHRONOS headquarters. Moscow, Russia
6:32 PM local time
Star Tower rose high over Moscow, a shining, modernist symbol of CHRONOS' power and prosperity. Unlike Cloud Gate and The Pillars of Heaven, Star Tower was a single building, reaching for the heavens. It was the tallest building in Europe.
A tall, handsome man in a blue suit and blue and gold striped tie walked into CHRONOS Zoanoid Processing Application Center. The clerk, bored by the constant influx of applicants for 'enhancement', looked up to the well-dressed man.
"Name."
The man smiled, "Gaster."
The blue suit ripped away to reveal a massive, purple skinned Zoanoid with large shoulders brimming with bio-missiles. "For Zeus!" He unleashed the missiles, guiding them deep into the facility. Half of CHRONOS' Russian Headquarters disappeared in a ball of fire.
Gaster's last thought was merely a regret that Lord Vorsted was not here to personally see it.
Cloud Gate, Tokyo, Japan
Ishi paled as the message came through his earpiece, "Lord Vorsted!" He turned from his station to the assembled Zoalords, "There's been an attack on Star Tower! Massive casualties are reported . . ."
Zoalord Johnatan Vorsted's icy features suddenly registered shock and horror. His base was under attack! He fled wordlessly, leaving Czyvek and Ishi scrambling to secure Cloud Gate from similar attack. Mirabilis remained behind, certain that Guyot would take advantage of the situation. Caerleon and Bin Jamar could supply aid in Russia. By the time Lord Vorsted reached Moscow, the fire was burning out of control. Zoanoids were fighting a losing battle with the fire until Vorsted used his powers over cold and water to finally extinguish it. Over three fourths of Star Tower had been destroyed, thousands were dead and many were missing.
All CHRONOS bases on Earth were immediately placed upon lock-down. Who knew where the next attack might be?
Cloud Gate was being patrolled by Enzymes of various makes. Czyvek's scientists had managed to recover the data to recreate Enzyme I, and had created versions IV and the flight-capable Enzyme V themselves. As Cloud Gate no longer produced the mindless, doomed and outdated Enzyme III. They were protected by Enzyme I, II, IV and V. There were other, experimental Guyver-Killers and powerful Hyper-Zoanoids as well. Scouts were everywhere, less conspicuous but no less important, eyes and ears and snouts searching for any sign of the enemy.
"Gaster was a Hyper-Zoanoid designed by Doctor Barcus himself. He was among the Zoanoids murdered by Aptom immediately before the destruction of Relic's Point. Agito must have somehow gotten his hands on the design and recreated the type as a Libertus." Zoalord Mikhail Czyvek felt a headache coming on, "If Agito can recreate Gaster, what else can he create?"
"This was no random attack," Mirabilis mused, "This was a message. He wanted to show that the new head of the CCI is helpless in his own country."
"He succeeded," Czyvek replied sadly, "How many more people will die in this senseless war?"
Guyot's base
Agito was as surprised as anyone else that one of his agents had attacked Star Tower. He had been unable to contact most of his agents for several days, and Russia had become one of the most difficult countries in which to operate since Vorsted's appointment. He was pleased that his people could strike even under the heavy hand of CHRONOS Central Intelligence. CHRONOS' credibility as an invulnerable power had been shattered. The Fall had begun.
Martial Law had been lifted, though Japan was on high alert. Zoanoids were everywhere, both openly and in human disguise. With Vorsted preoccupied and the more lenient Czyvek in charge, however, it was a far better situation for everyone. Several of his agents in Japan had been able to join him in Guyot's base. Though understandably suspicious, they had quickly adapted to the situation.
Mirabilis was still in Japan, actively searching for Agito, or, more likely, Guyot, while Czyvek was directing the Zoanoids in their search and trying to protect Cloud Gate, Relic's Point, Takeshiro and several other facilities. Any attack would instantly be met by Mirabilis, an attack on whichever base was currently hosting Czyvek's girlfriend would bring Czyvek as well. Agito knew now that there were too many separate bases producing Unit Remover Zoanoids to destroy them all. They would have to find a way to counter them. Guyot's knowledge of Unit Removers could be key to that.
Of course, CHRONOS wouldn't produce many Unit Removers. Czyvek in his naiveté did not realize that once the Unit Remover Zoanoids had served their purpose and the Guyvers were in Archanfel's hands, they would have outlived their usefulness and become a liability. They would be destroyed. He wondered if Czyvek had figured it out yet.
The Ark
It was, perhaps, the most powerful blow struck against CHRONOS since Lord Yentsui's death. When Aptom had attacked Cloud Gate, Czyvek had not only managed to destroy the cannibal but also to save the structure itself. CHRONOS' Russian Headquarters was almost a total loss. Worse, it housed several important, top-secret projects. It also struck a morale blow, while the leader of CHRONOS Central Intelligence was busy searching for Guyver III in Japan, his own homeland and home base had been attacked. CHRONOS' credibility and power was in question. If a single traitorous Zoanoid could take down Star Tower, what could an army of them do? And all of this had happened within less than two weeks of Vorsted's appointment as head of CHRONOS Intelligence.
It was an unmitigated disaster
Barcus was in a state of mild shock. He had personally created the Hyper-Zoanoid Gaster, and now Agito had somehow managed to use his own design against CHRONOS. How many of his other designs had the terrorists managed to reverse-engineer?
Moscow, Russia
Lord Johnatan Vorsted stood in the smoking rubble of Star Tower. He was shaking with rage. Now he understood Czyvek's obsession with stopping Guyver III. Gaster was a CHRONOS-developed Hyper-Zoanoid, the fact that Agito had managed to reproduce it, without the aid of Doctor Hekkering, was a testament to his adversary's intelligence. Makishima had to be stopped. As he looked across the ruins of Star Tower, Johnatan Vorsted swore that he would rend Guyver III limb from limb.
Fukamachi residence
"Please, Sho. Don't do this!" There were tears in Mizuki's eyes. Fukamachi Sho took his wife in his arms. "I have no choice, Mizuki-chan. Especially now. I can let them come here and fight their Unit Remover Zoanoids and get you all killed, or I can go to them, and they'll leave you alone." "
You don't know that. Do you believe that the other Zoalords wouldn't lie to Czyvek? You can't trust them . . ." Tetsuro reasoned. "I have no choice." Sho replied.
Mizuki's voice broke, "Do you want our child to grow up under CHRONOS?"
Sho held his wife more closely, and smiled sadly, "I want our child to live. I want you to live. If that means my death, then it is a small price to pay."
To be continued . . .