Hey, my dear readers! ^^

So yeah, it took longer than I planned, but it's finally here.
Consider it as Christmas Gift from me. :D

I don't talk anymore, enjoy the chapter. :)

-o-o-

Chapter 9: Almost Buried

"I have a bad feeling about this." - echoed the last sentence from Leeta in the radio.
Meanwhile, Skye opened the built-in safe, all he found in it were two single items. One of them was a hard drive disk, possibly it contained the most important information they needed. The other thing however, really caught his eyes. It was an odd looking glass orb that was flooded with some kind of smoke that changed it's colors inside. The orb itself was fixed inside of a decorative case, so altogether it looked like a pendant. He picked up the strange item, and examined it it for a short time before discretely putting it into one of his vest-pockets.
"I guess we found what we're looking for." - he said to Lyco, showing the disk towards her, then he put it away. - "Seems like he didn't have time to deal with the safe in the end."
"I'm done with everyithing on my side too." - confirmed Lyco.
"All right. I'm giving the mark for the others to fall back."

In the hangar, Switch was working on the terminal unceasingly, trying to get all the data he was able to phis. However, the growing interference in the transmission, and constant lagging of his computer were really bugging him.
"Something's wrong here." - he thought aloud.
He felt emergency was approaching. He just thought to warn his teammates to be prepared for it. But before he could do that, a small red mark began flashing violently in a corner of his display.
"Uh-oh..." - that was all he could say before the hangar became flooded by intense light and noise.
"BASE OPERATING SYSTEM ON FULL CAPACITY." - sounded a mechanical voice, continuing instantly. - "WARNING! INTRUDERS DETECTED! ACTIVATING DEFENSE SYSTEM!"
"Watch out down there!" - shouted one of the gunners from the DRAGONFLY.
As he looked to his left, Switch noticed an intimidating automatic gun turret pointing right his way. The sight simply freezed him, and he felt time slowing down to an unbearable pace. At last, all the things he learned on trainings flashed into his mind, and he quickly jumped into cover right before the gun fired at him. Withing a mere moment, one of the guns on the plane turned to it's way and shot it to pieces. In the next moment, an enormus firefight began as dozens of other auto-guns opened fire onto the DRAGONFLY, which it returned from all it's guns.
"Don't panic!" - warned one of the gunners. - "The armor will handle this. Just shoot out those turrets quickly!"
Switch regained his consciousness in his cover, and tried to get back doing his task. Miraculously, the cable had no damage and it still connected his computer to the terminal. He quickly began working on it again.
"I must eliminate the security system somehow." - he thought aloud.

In the power plant, Panzer and his crew also noticed the troublesome changes. The entrance valve closed on them unexpectedly, making them unavailable to fall back. In their panic, the soldiers pointed their rifles to all directions, expecting to be ambushed.
"Everyone calm down!" - roared the wolf leader to them. - "There's no way they installed any defense in this room. It would be too dangerous to have a firefight inside here." - he reasoned logically. - "We have to cut ourselves out of here. Use the steel cutter on the door, Billy!"
On his command the mentioned soldier took out an item, and quickly stepped to the closed entrance. The hot beam that came out of the tool instantly began melting the thick steel surface of the valve, and he slowly began to cut an opening on it.

In the working room, Skye instantly reacted to the unexpected situation.
"Status report! What's happening, Switch?" - he asked into the radio.
"I have no idea!" - came the reply from the upset rabbit boy, whose voice was almost completely overwhelmed by the firefight in the background. - "The system got activated somehow. I'm trying to turn off the defenses."
"You better be hurry!" - interjected Simona. - "We can't leave the control room over here. The hallways are packed with auto-guns!"
"Stay low until Switch solves it!" - ordered Skye. - "Panzer, what's your status?"
"We also got stuck, but we're working on it already."
"Copy that. Lyco, could you contact Leeta outside?" - he asked from his escort.
"I can't reach her. Our communication is totally cut." - she replied worriedly.

The firefight was kept going in the hangar. Behind his cover, Switch tried to concentrate on his task, which was really hard because of the big noise of combat and the intense radio communication. He was typing in different commands without success. It took some failed attempts before he began thinking that his tries were being overwritten all the time.
"Someone's hacked my system." - he realized.
As he kept on trying, the fact became more and more obvious for him. However, the new situation didn't make him despaired at all.
"So someone out there think he's so smart." - he said with a smirk on his face. - "In this case, I guess I have to speed myself up a bit."
He quickly crunched his fingers, took a deep breath, and got back typing with lightning speed. He was fired up by the challenge that suited him pretty much. As he bombered his system with more and more commands, he saw that his rival couldn't keep up with him anymore. Making advantage of that, he finally was able to close out the mysterious hacker from the defense protocoll. After that, he didn't have any more problems with turning the defense systems offline.
"Got it!" - he cried out in enthusiasm, and noises of gunfire faded immediatelly. - "Okay, I made it." - he talked into the radio with shaking voice. - "Someone penetrated my system from outside. I'm going to give it a try to track him. But be cautious, he might do another trick."
"Copy that. Me and Lyco are on our way back. Everyone else fall back to the DRAGONFLY immediatelly!" - came Skye's order.
"We're on our way." - confirmed Simona.
"Only few more minutes, and we'll also be out of our trap." - messaged Panzer.
Meanwhile, Switch started a tracking program to find the location of the outside hacker. After that however, he saw that the person began giving commands in different protocolls with a very fast pace. It made him confused for a moment. At the next moment, a command was being given to the energy supply system. Switch knew instantly what the hacker wanted, and tried reacting to it quickly. But it was too late.

In the power plant, Panzer's teammate was almost ready with cutting a hole into the closed entrance door. As he finished with it, they pushed out the huge piece of thick iron from it's place, and it fell to the ground with a huge crash.
"Well done." - said the team leader approvingly.
Their ease couldn't last long though. The room suddenly got filled with the deafening noise of the turbines that revved up to full speed. Steam escaped from all the turbines, and everywhere from the intricate lines of pipes. The ground began moving under their feet.
"I guess it's really time to get the hell out of here!" - said Panzer, and he led out his team from the power plant.

Skye and Lyco were hurrying back to the way of the hangar. They were barely half-way when the shaking ground stopped them. The hallway got filled with the sound of the alarm, and shining red lights.
"WARNING!" - sounded the mechanical voice again. - "POWER SUPPLYING SYSTEM IS OVERLOADING! EMERGENCY! COMPLEX IS GETTING COLLAPSED! EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELLY!"
This sinister message was being repeated continuously, while the walls visibly began crumbling around the pair. Skye looked at Lyco.
"I hope you won't take this as an indecency from me, but we really gotta hurry."
Before Lyco could react anything, Skye picked her up in bridal style without hesitation, and using his super speed, they continued their way to the plane.

The hangar was also shaking and crumbling, the emergency sound echoed in it without a pause. Switch stared at his display intently.
"That bastard tricked me!" - he shouted in anger. - "But I'm still going to locate the place where you are hiding!"
His tracking program was continuously narrowing the area where the hacker's sign came from. It was already obvious he worked from somewhere pretty far away from them. But the zone was still too huge for a precise range. Meanwhile, the rabbit boy didn't notice as his rival was doing some more tricks in the background. As a last suprise, a small message appeared on his screen - "I guess your plane could use some reparation." - Right after that, the searching program losted contact with the hacker, as he disconnected from the system. Switch didn't have to think long about the message. As he looked up, he saw many of small drones flying right to the way of the DRAGONFLY.
"Look out for those! They're going to disassemble the plane!" - he warned the gunners, whom instantly targeted the small machines.
They were too tiny to be hit though, the guns could shot down only a few of them accidentally. As the first little robots landed on the plane, they instantly began to cut, drill, or weld it's surface. It was a very desperate sight, but at last Simona and Panzer arrived back with their teams. The soldiers began shooting down the drones with their rifles one after another, but there were too many of them, they were simply swarming the vehicle.
"I'm starting up the engine!" - sounded Simona's voice in the radio.
Seeing her running to the plane, Switch got an idea, so he picked up his computer and dashed to the DRAGONFLY as well. As he arrived into the cockpit, Simona was already sitting on her place, working on the engine starting procedure.
"We have to shake down these little insects somehow!" - she said to Switch, who just opened up the switchboard and connected his computer to the CCU.
"Let's see if they can handle a bit of excess voltage." - he said.
"Are you crazy?! What if you ruin an important system?"
"Still better than letting those ruin the plane completely."
Despite her doubts, Simona continued starting up the engines, while Switch finished preparations for his action. As he started it, the body of the plane suddenly began sparkling as the electric systems overloaded the drones with high voltage, making them chip off it one after another. In the cockpit however, some fuses also blown out from the switchboard before he stopped the process.
"Nicely done!" - sounded Simona's cynical voice - "Both the navigation and compass are malfunctioning now!"
"We can lift-off, can't we?" - he asked back confidently.
"Of course, but it will be quite hard to get back home without those!"
"Oh, come on! This shouldn't be a problem to You." - he smirked to her.

Skye was giving all his energy to escape from the crumbling hallways with Lyco as quickly as possible. They almost reached the entrance to the hangar, but in the very last time it collapsed. He could barely avoid to crash into the debrish. They both tried to move the ruins, but it was impossible.
"Skye, we're ready to take off. Where are you?" - asked Simona in the radio.
"We're closer than you think, just have a little problem here." - he replied, then checked the map of the base in his visor to find another way out. - "Begin to lift-off, Simona! We could jump in the plane on 15th level."
"Roger that."
"Sorry, but you have to run on your own foot from now on." - he said to Lyco jokingly, but almost out of breath.
"I just began getting used to the comfort." - she laughed back, as they started their way up.
After climbing quite some stairs, they reached the mentioned higher point of the hangar. Just as they arrived, the DRAGONFLY appeared too. On the edge of it's opened ramp, their teammates waited for them to help them in. They jumped into the plane, which continued ascending afterwards.

Skye hurried into the cockpit, and took his seat quickly.
"Full power to the rotors! Let's get out of here!" - he ordered.
Their plane began ascending faster, while platforms were collapsing all around them, and debris fell down from the heights. Abruptly, an emergency signal warned them.
"Collision warning!" - confirmed Simona. - "The entrance is closing above us! Impact in 30 seconds!"
The huge valve that was the entrance of the hangar almost totally closed on them. It was clear they couldn't make it out in time. Skye had to act quickly.
"Arming all top vertical missiles!" - he said, while he switched some buttons on the console above his head. He waited all of them turning from red to green, as well as the trigger on the yole in front of him. - "Fire!" - he shouted afterwards, as he pulled the trigger.
From the top of the plane, dozens of rockets shot out right to the way of the completely closed entrance. As they impacted one after another, their explosions just made the robust structure of the valve cracked, but it was enough for the DRAGONFLY to break through it with a huge crash. After getting out of the underground hangar, their eyes didn't have much time getting used again to the shining light of the sun, before receiving many new emergency signals on their displays.
"AA guns targeting us!" - the navigator shouted.
Skye pushed the throttle all the way forward, shooting out to the way of the city's collapsing buildings.
"The whole city is getting destroyed! Which way should I go?" - he asked.
"I have no idea! Neither of our navigating systems are operating!"
Skye was using all the flying abilities of him and the airplane to avoid all the heavy debris that fell around them, but some still crashed into the DRAGONFLY. The continuous ordeals were testing it's tolerance to extreme levels, and several systems got malfunctioning one after another.
"We won't be able to fly much more this way. Try to find out something!" - he said.
Simona quickly thought for a solution. - "Ms. Leeta, can you hear us?" - she talked into the radio.
"Yes, thank goodness! I was getting worried for you!" - came her relieved reply through the noisy transmission.
"We need an orientational point. Please, shoot up a signal flare immediatelly!"
"Right away."
"Skye, fly above the buildings. I'll locate our way out in a few seconds." - she instructed him firmly.
"Hope you'll make it quick." - he replied with a smirk, and pulled his yole toward himself, making the plane to ascend. As it could be expected, right after reaching high enough, the signals once again began warning them of being targeted, and the AA guns took them under cross-fire. Luckily, Simona was quick to notice the signal flare.
"There it is! Turn 36° to the left!"
Skye did so right away, while hurriedly descending back to the cover of buildings. A couple of signals still stayed active though.
"Homing missiles approaching!" - warned one of the rear gunners.
A group of missiles were chasing the DRAGONFLY. The rear guns took them under fire, but those were too small of targets for them. They could hit only a couple of them, while the others neared the plane dangerously. Even Skye's breakcneck maneuvers were'nt enough to get rid of them.
"These are laser missiles! Activate the anti-missile system!" - he commended.
Simona tried to do so, but only an error signal flashed on her display.
"It's malfunctioning!" - she confirmed desperately.
Skye knew they were running out of time. He had to find a way to shake down those rockets. Abruptly he saw a high skyscraper not far from them collapsing, and it just seemed to cross their way. He kept going towards it with full speed. The others in the cockpit looked at him worriedly.
"We're going to fly below it." - he finally said.
"I feared you would say something like that." - replied Simona resignedly, as she intently watched their nearing fate.

At the lookout point beside the city, Leeta was watching the events through her binoculars. In different circumstances, she would have been more than happy to see New-Megaopolis getting destroyed, but at that very moment the scene was terrifying for her instead. It sent shivers down her spine, seeing the plane flying towards a collapsing tower building, while being chased by missiles. She heard all the radio communication meanwhile, so she exactly knew what was the pilot's intention. As they neared to the building, the transmission became less and less audible, while Simona began counting down in it.
"Collapsing in five... Fou-... Three... -wo... On-"
Nothing but static noise was left in the transmission afterwards, while the thick dust storm coused by the collapsed tower completely covered the scene. Only the blunt lights of exploding rockets could be seen through it a several moments later. Despite the rumble of the collapsing buildings all around the city, the silence of the radio was more unbearable.
"DRAGONFLY, do you hear me?" - she tried to call, still being in shock by the view. There was no answer, she began to fear the worst. - "Lyco?" - she asked with choked voice.
After torturous moments of waiting, and feeling hopelessness, a monotone noise caught her ears. She looked again into her binoculars excitedly, and at last saw the DRAGONFLY appearing from the dust storm, gloriously flying away from the city. Leeta felt a huge rock falling down from her chest. A few minutes later the plane landed next to the camp site. It was visibly worn, damages designed it's body, fluids and smoke escaped from several parts of it. The faces of soldiers getting off the plane shown huge relief. When finally Lyco and Skye appeared, Leeta ran to her twin sister and they gave each other a tight hug.
"I'm so glad you're all right. I was so worried." - she said with shaking voice.
"Luckily I was in good hands." - answered Lyco.
Meanwhile, Skye called his men together and gave his commands.
"Okay, so Simona tries to repair the navigation. Switch, you take a few men and ready the plane to be able taking us home. The others help the wolf ladies picking up theirs stuff."
As everyone went to do their tasks, Skye walked over to the lookout point, and watched as the complete city disappeared from the face of Mobius. He heard Panzer walking up behind him.
"It's a waste that base got destroyed." - said Skye disappointedly. - "It had some huge potentials."
"If you ask me boss, at least it couldn't be anyone else's either. This fact makes me more relaxed." - answered the wolf wisely.
After finishing their job, the team got on the plane - even Leeta after they could convince her she won't get die on it - and started their way back home.

In the underground hangar of the headquarters in New Mobotropolis, Tails was waiting for the team to arrive back. It was late night already, so only a few staff members were present aside of him. Though Sonia stubbornly insisted to stay too, her parents convinced her to go home in the end. Anyway, she asked Tails to give a message to his son, when he arrives back. He smilingly remembered how jumpy she was while they were following the progress of the mission. She possibly was the most worried person in the control room. He was glad from his heart for his son to be together with such a unique girl. He barely finished his thinking, when the DRAGONFLY finally landed in the hangar. It's engines stopped with such a huge sigh as if it was a salvation for them to finally rest down. The plane was in suprisingly bad shape. It's body was full with bullet marks and bashes. Seemingly they gave it some quick reparations, but in the eyes of a laic it could easily seem to be a miracle it could still fly. As the soldiers got off the plane, Tails spotted two familiar faces among them. He right away walked to the wolf twins, whom waved him with smile on their faces.
"It's good to see you again." - he greeted them.
"It's been way too long!" - rejoiced Leeta, who was still a bit pale because of the experience of flying.
"Though the joint mission with your son was really nostalgic." - added Lyco, making all three of them laugh.
Meanwhile, Skye gave his congratulations to his soldiers, and sent them to rest until new order. While leaving, they saluted to Tails and the wolf twins on their way. Aside of the three of them, only Skye, Switch, Simona and Panzer stayed there. Tails stepped to his son and shook hands with him proudly.
"We've been observing the whole mission from the control room. Well, at least the part we could observe before Leeta lost contact with you. Anyway, you did really professional." - he recognized.
"Thank you, but we're not finished yet." - replied the tired boy. - "We still have to analyze the datas we've gathered."
"You should rest first." - Tails warned him - "The council will have meeting until late afternoon tomorrow, so you'll have plenty of time to give your report."
"If we begin working tomorrow morning, we could make it in time easily." - added Switch.
Finally, they agreed to get working on data analysing next day early morning. Tails, Leeta and Lyco started to leave the place together.
"Of course, you're our guests as long as you want to stay." - he told to the wolf ladies, while they were walking to the exit of the hangar. - "Mina was really excited when I told her you'll pay a visit here."
Simona and Panzer headed to the way of the locker rooms. As Panzer looked back to his other team mates, he saw Skye giving an odd item to Switch from his vest-pocket. He didn't gave more attention to it though. He couldn't wait to finally get home and rest a bit. And he still had something to do first anyway.
"Do you have any idea of what could this thing be?" - asked Skye from his smart friend.
"Not at all. I'll check it tomorrow. By first glimpse it doesn't seem dangerous." - he replied while isnpecting the orb in his hand, then he gave it back to Skye.
The fox boy just nodded, then he heard his father shouting back to him from the exit.
"Oh, I almost forgot son! Sonia wants you to give her a call, no matter how late it is!"
His voice echoed throughout the hangar, and made the boy's face flushed. He was glad there was no one else there aside of them at that moment. Finally the two boys also headed to the locker rooms.
"Those embarrassing demands, huh?" - joked Switch sarcastically, making Skye laughing nervously while scratching the back of his head.

Panzer left the locker room before he would've met the two other boys. He wasn't heading to the exit right away though. As he reached the door with a sign MISSION CONTROL on it, he used his entrance card on it's panel allowing himself in. As he stepped into the room, he saw Jacques D'Coolette sitting in a chair on it's other end, waiting for him.
"That was quite action packed." - he said, while getting off of the chair.
"We had a little trouble in the final part, but we made it without much problems." - answered the wolf boy, before giving full report of all that happened during their mission. Jacques didn't hear anything interesting except for one thing.
"He planned to occupy that base?" - he asked back in interest. - "What would he wanted to do with it?"
"I have no idea. That place had some interesting innovations, and it was hidden pretty well. It indeed would've had quite some options of usage."
The young coyote was thinking over the things he just heard. Though he had a pretty long day, and he felt too tired to find any conclusions.
"Is that all?" - he finally asked with a sigh.
"Oh yes. Back here in the hangar, I saw him giving over an odd looking item to Switch. I couldn't see what it was, but it surely looked strange." - replied Panzer, finishing his report.
"I see." - confirmed Jacques with a hint of disappointment, then continued. - "We'll be waiting for the time being. I'm curious of what they'll report to the council tomorrow. Try being there when they analyse the gathered information. I want to know, if Skye conceals anything in front of the Council."
After discussing everything they wanted, Panzer left the room. Jacques stayed there for a couple minutes more, still trying to process all the information he heard. Finally he decided to meet Lord Maximillan only after hearing Skye at the Council's meeting, so he would have a clearer vision about the happenings. He hoped Panzer would find something that would be good for him to give Skye some unpleasant moments in front of the Council.

To be continued...