Place: BioLabs Main Facility – Collins' Office
"And then he said either Japan gets what he has asked for or he will forget to tell us everything about the Dragon Warriors" Edward says to President Manahan, whose face is displayed on the view screen. "This is not good, we can't let the Empire think they can get away with blackmailing us" Manahan says "Something needs to be done". Edward nods in agreement. "I agree Mr President, but what CAN we do?" He asks "We can either give them what they want or we don't and we lose out on vital intelligence". President Manahan was in a delicate position, they needed the intelligence on the Dragon Warriors but he did not want to give away any of the technology on Zordnia Island, even to a close ally like the Empire of Japan. "It would seem that the Japanese are more advanced than we thought" Manahan says "So I suppose giving them the tech filled with booby-traps would be out of the question. Dam them". Manahan had been thinking of a way to get the information from Kakeru and not give them any technology, but every idea he came up with was not feasible or would run the risk of heightening tensions between the two powers. And after the North Island Crisis, raising tensions was the last thing he wanted to do. Even though the North Island Crisis had taken place 21 years previously, tensions between the Empire of Japan and the United States of America had returned to a semblance of normalcy, but it had taken over 4 years for relations to return to pre-crisis levels, though a degree of animosity remained in the empire of Japan towards the United States.
"So, what do we do Mr President?" Edward asked. "I can't return to Zordnia Island as I have a campaign rally in Florida" Manahan says "Bring Kakeru to your office, I'll speak to him directly". Edward nods and says "I'll have him brought here at once". Edward presses the intercom and says "Commander Meyers, please bring our guest to my office at once". He clicks off the intercom and sits back. "How do you think they know about the Dragon Coin?" Edward asks "The spies only ever funnelled the booby-trapped tech to the Dragon Warriors". This was indeed a mystery. Since they had found out about the spies, BioLabs had rigged the technology being copied so that when the Dragon Warriors used it, it would self destruct. None of the copied technology went to Japan. "Could there be a second spy-ring on Zordnia Island?" Manahan asked, hoping to god there wasn't. "No, we've isolated all the spies and 'allowed' them to go to their sponsors with rigged technology" Edward says. Manahan smiled, but that smiled faded when he noticed Kakeru being escorted into the office. "Mr President, I had no idea I would be speaking to you" Kakeru says, bowing to the screen while still keeping hold of his coffee. "Let's cut the crap and get down to business" Manahan said, glaring at Kakeru "What do you want?"
"For the information I have on the Dragon Warriors, the Empire of Japan would like all the information you have on Project Ranger, including the green transformation device AND the Dragon Coin" Kakeru says "Do we have a deal?" Kakeru knows that President Manahan has only two choices, give Japan what it wants or lose out on potential valuable information on the Dragon Warriors. "As much as I hate to say this, we have a deal" Manahan says "Now what is this intelligence you have on the Dragon Warriors?" Kakeru smiles and replies "Oh no, I will not give you the intelligence on the Dragon Warriors until I have, in my hands, what you have agreed to give me". President Manahan repressed a snarl and said to Edward "Can you get him all the information you have on Project Ranger, including a prototype transformation device and the Dragon Coin". Edward looked at Commander Meyers and said "Have Dr Zaskin bring a copy of all the information we have on Project Ranger, including the green transformation device and the Dragon Coin". Commander Meyers nodded and left the room. "Until I have what I have requested in my hands, I will say nothing else" Kakeru says with a maddening smile.
Place: BioLabs Main Facility – Main Research Laboratory
Commander Meyers watched as Dr Zaskin placed the last of the hard-drives into the armoured case; next to the green transformation device and the Dragon Coin. "What do you think they'll do with this?" Zaskin asks as he closes the case. "I have no idea doctor" Commander Meyers says "But if they want the Dragon Coin, they must have the..." Zaskin shakes his head, dismissing what Commander Meyers was about to say before he said it. "Impossible, simply impossible" Zaskin says "All our records indicate it was destroyed centuries ago". Zaskin locks the case and places it on the trolley. "I'm just saying, if they have want the Dragon Coin then they must have a reason for wanting it" Commander Meyers says "Thank-you doctor" Commander Meyers wheels the trolley out of the laboratory.
Place: BioLabs Main Facility – Corridor
As Commander Meyers pushed the trolley down the corridor, he looked at the case containing the green transformation device and the Dragon Coin. Ever since Kakeru Shishi had arrived on Zordnia Island, Eric knew that the plan had changed. Since the Chinese had captured Kakeru Shishi, necessity had required that the plan be changed. He was all set to implement the new plan when it had to be changed yet again when Collins' had Kakeru teleported directly to Zordnia Island. After saying a secret code-word to Kakeru, Eric knew what the new plan was. He only hoped that this plan would actually work with no interruptions.
Place: BioLabs Main Facility – Collins' Office
Kakeru Shishi watches as Commander Meyers wheels in the trolley with the hard-drives, green transformation device and the Dragon Coin. Kakeru picks them up and places them in a plain shoulder bag. "We held up our end of the bargain" Collins' says "Now you keep yours". Kakeru did not like Edward Collins, he found him to be a typically arrogant American businessman who did not have the style as a Japanese businessman would have. He would have liked nothing better than to renage on his promise and leave with what he came for, but he always kept his word. "The Dragon Warriors are not yet powered by The Grid, but they are getting close, VERY close" Kakeru said "They have begun the Ancient Heritage Initiative, which has recovered numerous weapons from China's past. They have also launched several large-scale archaeological expeditions aimed at tapping their nation's rich history for magical artifacts and weaponry" he pauses, then adds "They already have one such mystical weapon, but what it is, I have no idea". Kakeru grips the bag more tightly then says "Now, if you would be so kind as to teleport me to Hawaii, I have a plane to catch...". Collins' grunted at kakeru and replied "You really are a stupid Jap if you think we're going to let you go". For his part, Kakeru simply smiled maddeningly at Collins and replied "Oh, but you ARE going to let me go, because when I am teleported to Hawaii, you will be unconscious..."
"What the fuck are you..." the rest of Collins' sentence was cut short by a series of stunner-blasts that hit him in the head and lower back. He was thrown forward several feet, where he smashed into a bookshelf. Collins' collapsed and vanished under the heap of broken shelfs and books. "You took your time" kakeru said, watching as Commander Eric Meyers holsters his Cyber-Blaster. "I suspected he might try and betray you" Meyers said "So I simply screwed him over before he could screw you over". Kakeru nodded, glancing at Collins' unconscious body. "We don't have long before your former compatriots come after us" he said to Eric "We need to get to the teleport controls". Eric shook his head and replied "No need, I have routed controls to Collins' computer console...". Eric moved to the console, turned it on and worked the keyboard. "I've set the coordinates for Hawaii, specifically the Imperial Naval base at Pearl harbour" Eric said, tapping a few last keys before standing next to Kakeru, who asked "Won't they be able to track us?". Eric just smiled as the crackling of energy washed over their bodies as they were teleported away. A few seconds later, the console in Collins' office exploded into flames.
Place: BioLabs Main Facility – Collins' Office
Upon hearing the sound of the exploding console, Wes and three Silver Guardians rushed into the office. Upon finding his unconscious father laid on the office floor, smoke is billowing out of the terminal and the office is starting to urgently pulls things away to get to his father, the three Silver Guardians help Wes pulls things away, the four of them carry the unconscious form of Wes' father into the hallway just in time as the burning remains of the monitor explode once again, spreading the fire all around the office.