"Hey Max have you seen Berto?" Shock asked when he found Max and Steel in the training room. Stopping in the middle of the simulation Max walked over.
"No I haven't seen him in a couple of hours." Max replied as Steel detached from his chest. "Why is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong I was just wondering where he'd disappeared to. Thanks anyway." Shock replied, not wanting them to know about their search for Makino. Before he could leave the room Steel spoke.
"I last time I remember seeing him, he was heading in the direction of the Medical Bay." He told Shock who brightened and nodded. Quickly thanking him Shock rushed out of the room leaving Max and Steel wondering why he was in such a hurry. With a shrug Max and Steel resumed their training. As Shock flew through the hallways of N-Tek he tried to work out why Berto still hadn't returned and that's when he rolled his eye.
"Of course he'd be hanging out with Jessie. Though I suppose I shouldn't really pick on them since we did go through a lot after the Arctic incident." Shock said out aloud as he picked up the pace. After he finally arrived at the Medical Bay he took a moment to roll his eye again once he found his partner and the young scientist now snuggled up together and fast asleep. "Well this is a problem. Should I wake them or leave them alone?" Shock muttered. Flying over to them he prodded Berto's shoulder but he just made a noise in his throat and snuggled closer to me. Shrugging he flew over to my side and prodded my shoulder this time and I mumbled something that Shock didn't get. "Huh? What did you say Jessie?" He asked and with a yawn I opened one eye.
"I said…what's going on?" I asked him as Shock hovered in front of me.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to try searching for Makino again." Shock told me and I sat up, a little more alert.
"Sounds like a plan." I answered rubbing at my eyes. When I reached over to shake Berto's shoulder we both heard him speak.
"Five more minutes." He mumbled and I laughed, waking him. "Huh…what's so…funny?" He asked as he opened his eyes.
"That's my line." I joked and he managed a smile. "Shock wanted to know if we wanted to go snooping around N-Tek and see what we can find out about Makino."
"I didn't actually use the word 'snooping' but ,yeah, that's the general idea." Shock replied as I stood. Once in the hallway I asked where we should search first.
"I was thinking about using Forge's computer but that's a problem for obvious reasons." Berto said as we walked beside each other with Shock flying around our heads. "What to do?"
"If only there was something that would get him away from N-Tek." I replied. "But what?" For some reason luck was on my side and a short time later we found ourselves in the Com Room.
"I called you here because I have something to tell you two." Forge told the three of us who stared at him. "Mainly you and Shock, Jessie." He added and I looked at Berto.
"Berto stays as well." I told him and Berto gave me a grateful smile. "Or no deal." Running a hand through his hair Forge shrugged.
"First I know you're curious about who Makino is and how he's connected to your mother and the Tachyon missile she was working on. But there's a good reason I didn't tell you. Despite what you might think I didn't want to put you two in danger. After you two proved yourselves that you're capable Turbo users I realized that this is something that I can't keep hiding. So where should I begin? Maybe who Makino is? Or where Shock originally came from?" Forge said and I blinked.
"Isn't Shock from Earth?" I asked as Shock flew over and hovered in front of Forge, curious. "Then where is he from?"
"Or where you got your powers from?" He added and I stared at him, puzzled. But before he could answer anything alarms started ringing throughout the building and I groaned. Giving me a sympathetic look Berto asked the commander what was going on.
"It's the defense grid. It's gone down." Forge answered before he raced away and I stared at Berto this time.
"What's the defense grid?" I asked him and he motioned me and Shock to follow him to the Com Room. As we hurried through the hallway I complained about not getting any answers.
"Don't let it get to you. It's just bad timing." Berto said and I sighed as we reached the room. Hurrying inside we found Forge, Max, Steel, Kat and Jefferson already waiting for us. As Berto moved over to the computer I asked why the alarms had gone off. When no one answered I crossed my arms in frustration.
"Do you think Dredd's behind this?" Kat asked and Forge scratched his chin, thinking.
"Its most likely him. With the grid down we're in danger of them attacking." Forge answered and as one Max and I spoke up.
"Them?" We said and I resisted the urge to giggle, still fuming about getting no answers. Apparently Max was being kept out of the loop as well but at least he didn't have amnesia.
"So the invasion's started? After all this time?" Kat said and when I glared at Forge he frowned back at me.
"Is this because of Makino?" I asked but he didn't answer me. Before I had time to ask anything else, everyone but Berto, Shock and I left. "Okay now that is just mean. He promised to tell me something and now…" I sighed and Berto walked over to me.
"If it makes you feel any better he does this a lot." Berto told me squeezing my shoulder.
"Not really but thanks. What should we do now?" I asked him and Shock. "Because I want to know what this defense grid is." When Berto hesitated I crossed my arms and lowered my eyebrows at him. "Now you're keeping secrets from me? Great." I grumbled.
"The truth is…I don't know myself. I want to help but I'm in the dark as much as you two are." Berto explained and after studying his face for a few moments I realized he was telling the truth.
"Sorry Berto. I just want to know so badly. Come on, let's go help." I replied and together we went after our friends. By the time we reached the hangar we found the place deserted and that put me on edge. Looking around I tried to figure out where everyone had gone. As I did Shock hovered nearby and, noticing the anxious look on my face, asked if I was alright.
"Something's really wrong. Not here but in Copper Canyon." I said and both Shock and Berto stared at me, confused.
"What do you mean?" Berto asked me and I shrugged. Using his wrist computer he attempted to get into contact with anyone outside N-Tek. After several failed attempts Max finally picked up.
"A little busy at the moment." He said the second he answered.
"What's going on?" I asked suddenly and that's when I heard the sounds of a battle being waged.
"The invasion's started. We need every available N-Tek agent to help so that's means you and Shock, Jessie." I heard Forge say and I frowned. "And before you say anything now's not the time to argue."
"Fine we're on our way." I said before the call ended. Turning to Shock I asked if he was ready to kick some alien butt.
"As always. " He answered. "Let's rock, Flight!" He called out as he linked with me.
"Copycat." I replied but before we switched modes Berto hurried over to me. "What's up, Berto?" I asked my boyfriend.
"Are you sure you want to fight?" He asked me and I sighed, knowing what was coming. "I'm not going to stop you or anything, because that's not even possible" I had to laugh at that "I just want you to make sure that you come back to me safe." When Shock coughed he managed a smile. "You as well Shock." He added and I heard Shock laugh in my head.
"I'll give you two a moment. Just hurry." Shock said and detached from me. Flying a few feet away he waited.
"It's kinda hard to promise to be careful when we're trying to prevent an alien invasion." I pointed out and Berto raised an eyebrow at me. "But I can promise that we'll stop Makino and come back safe. Will that be enough?" I asked him and for the longest time he didn't answer. Then he stepped forward until he was almost nose to nose with me and I blinked up at him.
"Okay I'll hold you to your promise." He grinned before he leaned down and kissed me. A little surprised I still kissed him back and for the next few seconds I completely forgot about the invasion. Until Shock flew over and coughed. Reluctantly we broke apart and I couldn't help the silly grin on my face. Linking again we changed to Flight mode and as we took to the air I waved to Berto. Even though I promised that we'd come back I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep it when I caught up to my friends and saw the alien ship that we were facing.
Back at N-Tek Berto was still standing in the hangar. Having watched his girlfriend and her partner leave to fight against an alien invasion he wondered if he'd done the right thing by letting them go. Eventually he shook his head when he realized that he couldn't have stopped them if he tried.
"Just come back safe." He said out aloud before he ran to his lab. Once inside the room he hurried over to his computer and got in radio contact with his friends. "Commander Forge, what's the situation?" He asked.
"It's bad. Our ground forces are being decimated and the Ultralinks are taking over our weapons and vehicles, turning them against us." He explained.
"Any word on Max Steel or J-Shock?" Berto asked but before Forge could answer I called out from the battlefield.
"Hey what did I miss?" I said and inside the lab Berto grinned relieved. A short distance away Max Steel flew towards me and waved.
"What kept you two?" Steel asked and I blushed slightly. "Actually I can guess. Just as long as you're ready to kick some alien butt."
"Heh that's what Jessie said earlier." Shock commented and I giggled. "To answer your question definitely." Flying towards the ground I could see what he meant by 'decimated' when I saw a dozen monsters trashing the few tanks that were still fighting what was beginning to look like a losing battle. Then I stopped in midair when I saw a huge purple ship hovering in the sky and as I watched on I saw it fire several objects into the air. When I realized they were Ultralinks I could only stare in amazement as they went after the tanks below us.
"Those are Ultralinks?" I said as I saw several of the tanks suddenly turn into monsters. "Are you one of them?" I asked Shock and I heard him growl in my head.
"I'm nothing like them." He answered. With a shrug I flew towards the Ultralinks. Landing we changed modes and I went after the nearest tank monster in Strength mode. Before it had time to open fire I slammed into it, knocking it over.
"Coming through!" I yelled as I ran through a group of Ultralinked monsters, knocking them left and right. When I stopped I saw three Jump Jets in the air and to my horror I saw Forge falling from one. Before I could go and rescue him I saw Max Steel catch him and together they flew towards the purple ship before disappearing into it. "That was pretty surprising." I commented and when Shock didn't answer I sighed. "Is something wrong?" Detaching he watched the ship for a few minutes.
"If they're Ultralinks like me then…does that mean that I'm from outer space? If so then I'm part of an invading force. I'm a bad guy." He said and I frowned at him.
"You're my friend and partner. You may look like them but that doesn't make you one of them. Well it does but you're not the same as them. Okay that made no sense." I replied and I heard him chuckle.
"I think I know what you're trying to say. I may be an Ultralink but I'm one of the good guys." Shock said and I nodded. "Thanks Jess." Linking with me again we changed to Speed mode and went after the evil Ultralinks. As we fought to stop the impending invasion Max, Steel and Forge were trying to bring down the alien ship. Of course I wouldn't find out until later what happened as I was fighting for my life and the fate of Earth. As we ran through the Canyon I saw the remaining two Jump Jets under heavy fire and changing modes I took to the skies to help, only to run into the Ultimate Elementor. Surprised I almost smacked into him and he laughed at me.
"Miss me?" He said and I growled at him. Instead of answering I flew at him only to get hit by a blast of water that slammed me into the ground. Before I had time to recover he sent a tornado my way and I was sucked into it. Then he threw me into the canyon wall and I tumbled to the ground, changing to Base Mode. As I lay there groaning the Ultimate Elementor landed and began to laugh at me. Still groaning I stumbled to my feet just as the ground opened up and trapped me.
"Let's rock…uh…Strength mode." I managed, still dizzy and once I changed modes I broke free. "Let's try that again." I said shaking my head and rushed the Elementor again.
"This is a bad idea." Shock commented and he was right as the Elementor combined two of his powers and I was struck by a gust of wind combined with lightning. Letting out a cry I was again thrown and ended up hitting the ground instantly going back to Base Mode. "Well that was shocking." Shock commented and when I didn't answer he sighed. "It was a joke." Again I didn't comment and he panicked when he discovered I was unconscious. "Hey Jessie!" He yelled into my head and his voice woke me.
"Uhhh…Shock?" I mumbled and he sighed, relieved, as I slowly sat up. "What happened?" Seconds later I saw the Ultimate Elementor towering over me and I groaned. "Oh no…not you again." This time I rolled and then jumped to my feet, dodging the incoming blow.
"A little backup would be nice." Shock said as I continued to dodge the Ultimate Elementor.
"Backup coming up." Berto suddenly spoke and to my amazement I saw three C.Y.T.R.O's fly towards the monster. "Heads up!" He yelled and I moved back a few feet as all three robots opened fire. At the same time I saw a compartment open up on the original C.Y.T.R.O and my Turbo sword shot toward me. Jumping into the air I grabbed it and grinned. Rushing the Elementor I leapt at its face and swung the sword at its head, aiming for the four Ultralink cores. Roaring in pain when the Turbo sword connected it managed to stay upright and whirled around, letting out a roar.
"Now you went and made it mad." Shock said as I dodged its claws and leapt onto its outstretched paw. Confused it didn't react for a few seconds and I used the time to take another swing at its head. Dodging at the last second it used its other claw to swipe at me. I managed to dodge but not without losing my sword in the process. Instead of freezing up like I did against Dredd I dodged an oncoming blow and leapt back a few feet.
"Let's rock, Shock mode!" I called out and I changed modes. Confused the Ultimate Elementor looked on as the green Turbo energy engulfed me and Shock. Once it faded the Elementor took one look at me and laughed.
"That's your big plan?" It growled and I grinned as I charged up the mode. When I didn't run it narrowed its eyes. "Fine then I'll make this quick." Rushing me it didn't notice the two cartridges on my arms light up until I unleashed a blast of Turbo energy that stopped the Elementor in its tracks. Again it let out a roar that shook the ground and it fell to its knees.
"Did you get a charge out of that?" I asked and I heard Shock groan. "What? It was funny."
"That wasn't funny." Shock told me and I frowned. Before we could argue Berto interrupted.
"Um guys?" He said and we both shouted "What?". Wincing from the loud reply he rolled his eyes. "The Elementor's charging." He told us and I only just managed to move in time.
"Fight now, argue later?" I asked Shock before we quickly changed to Speed Mode. Rushing past the Elementor I retrieved my sword then I began striking it again and again, hitting it around the legs and soon it toppled to its knees. Grinning I leapt upwards and slammed the blade into its face. This time it toppled forward with a grunt and lay dazed. "Huh not so smug now are you?" I taunted it as I spun the sword around. Caught up in my win I didn't see several Ultralinked monsters advance on me until they opened fire and I again lost my sword when one of the blasts knocked it out of my hands. "Oh man!" I complained as I glared at the monsters.
"Move it Jessie!" Shock shouted and I sighed. Racing around them I moved a short distance away and changed to Strength mode.
"You didn't have to yell." I sulked as I grabbed one Ultralinked monster and used it to clobber the other monsters until they were all in pieces on the ground. When I stopped to catch my breath I heard Berto's voice on the other end.
"Never mind the sword, Kat and Jefferson could use some backup." Berto told me and I changed modes. Taking off I went after the ships attacking two of my friends. Still sulking a little I almost didn't realize that Shock said something. If I hadn't looked up in time I would've slammed face first into an alien ship.
"Whoa!" I yelped as it opened fire and I ducked, making the ship collided with another coming from the opposite direction. "That was awesome!" I yelled as they exploded in midair, raining debris on the canyon floor. Laughing now I went after any remaining ships still pursuing my friends. Soon we had them on the run and I thought the invasion was over…until I saw the Elementor come after us. "Not him again." When I saw all three C.Y.T.R.O's flying towards him I grinned but then the Elementor did something unexpected. Raising his hands he somehow called up a fire tornado that sucked all three robots into its vortex. I rushed to help but several ships emerged from the alien ship and I found myself on the run. Thinking on my feet, figuratively, I took a chance and rushed at the ground far below. As we were about to hit the ground I slowed my descent and grabbed the Turbo sword before I took to the air again, causing two alien ships to slam into the ground and burst into flame on impact. Turning around I went after the ships chasing me and as I dodged I found myself right in the firing line. When the ship in front of me fired I held up the Turbo sword on instinct.
"Jessie!" Berto yelled , thinking I was done for. But then he stared as I hovered, unhurt and he laughed. To my surprise, and relief, the sword's blade had blocked the energy blast. In the seconds leading up to the blast Shock had detached and linked with the sword, making the blade longer and causing it to glow a light green.
"Nice timing Shock." I said. "Let's rock and roll!" I yelled rushing after the ships. As Berto looked on, impressed, I took down the remaining ships by either deflecting their blasts back at them or slashing right through their hulls. Pretty soon all the ships that had chased me were destroyed and I hovered in midair, taking a breather for a moment. "That…was fun." I gasped before I went after the Elementor, only to find a third ship in the air. "Who's that?" I asked and I got a call from Kat.
"It's Molly. She just took the Ultimate Elementor down." She told me and I smiled.
"Yeah but I softened him up first. Still that means he's out of the fight. What about Max Steel and Forge? Any word from them yet?" I replied and when she told me that no one had heard from them since they entered the ship I couldn't help worrying about them. Soon I saw someone falling through the air and when I saw it was Max I grinned. In Flight Mode he flew down towards a ledge and I joined him, happy that my friends were safe as I watched Kat and Jefferson fired at the ship. As separate explosions ripped through it I cheered and even Shock joined in when he detached.
But when I saw Max and Steel giving the ship a depressed look I stopped and stared at them. Within a few minutes we were joined by Molly, Kat and Jefferson. Even Berto, who told me later that he'd shown up in the ROCC vehicles that N-Tek brought in to retrieve the Ultimate Elementor. He told me that they needed him to help retrieve the monster but I knew that he secretly dropped in to check on me. And I soon discovered I was correct when he gave me a quick hug.
"Thanks for keeping your promise." He said and I nodded, trying not to grin.
"I'm glad we're all safe." Molly said and when I heard Max sigh I knew that something was very wrong.
"We're not all okay. Forge…didn't make it." Max told us and I gasped, suddenly feeling terrible that I'd been so horrible to Commander Forge. In the silence that followed I could feel tears threatening and I felt Berto wrap his arm around my shoulders.
"I'm sorry I said anything bad about him." I sniffed as we stood there, silently mourning our friend. Then I heard someone speak behind us and as we all turned around I saw Forge lying on his side, clutching his shoulder and I stared.
"I am not cleaning that up." He said and I grinned, wiping my eyes as Steel shot over and hugged him.
"I guess we're on speaking terms again." Forge said as we all hurried over. Thinking he was fine Max went to help his uncle up, only for Forge to cringe. Confused I watched on as Forge lifted his left arm and we all gasped. Instead of seeing his arm there was…nothing. As I stood there, feeling a little woozy, Berto spoke up.
"Umm where's your arm?" He asked and I just managed not to giggle at that comment. I guess we all react differently, I thought to myself. Then we all heard a thud and when we turned this time I couldn't stop myself from giggling when I realized that Jefferson had passed out.
A while later we were all standing around the Medical Bay as Forge tested out his new cybernetic arm. As I watched, Berto asked Forge what he thought of his new arm. Then to my amusement it went all face hugger on him and he had to use his other arm to pull it off his face.
"Uh your new hand might take a while to learn how to communicate with your brain." Berto told him as everyone else laughed, including me of course. Then I found out something unsettling when Max was talking about taking out Makino and his mother ship.
"That wasn't the mother ship. It was an advanced ship to start the invasion." Kat and Jefferson explained and Max suddenly said he needed to sit down. Overwhelmed I sat heavily on the floor and Shock joined me moments later, equally as shaken up by that piece of news.
"So it's not over?" I asked and Berto gave me a pat on the shoulder.
"It's only just beginning." Forge told us and I groaned. What I didn't know was that Dredd was working for Makino and that we would eventually face the alien in the future.