"RZ, we've taken out the last of the surveillance Blitz Botz," Ricky said through the communication systems of his NFL-R, "We'll meet up with Claw and check for damage in the Megacore Vault, then we'll head home." Ricky informed his leader, the three Guardians had arrived in North Carolina and had easily taken out the few Blitz Botz around and inside the stadium.
"Sounds good Ricky, Ish's team is preparing to assault Wild Card's lair in Denver, if you are able to finish, I'll have your team link up with Ish, and both teams can assault the lair together." RZ informed the Mexican-American Guardian.
"Will do." RIcky said simply as the call ended and the trio began walking towards the Megacore vault, only to be met by Claw, the Panthers Rusher.
"Thanks for coming so quickly Guardians, "I can take on a couple of Blitz Botz, but Wild Card is usually not far behind his robotic minions." Claw said wisely as he proceeded to lead them towards the vault.
"It's not a problem at all, we are always ready to help." Joseph said simply.
"Thanks Joseph, how's it feel to be part of the team?" Claw asked the rookie Guardian.
"Feels awesome, feels like I've found my purpose." Joseph said simply as they reached the giant steel door of the Panthers Megacore vault.
"Door took minimal damage during the attack, then again those Botz are designed for recon as opposed to attacking," Claw said as he rubbed his chin, "regardless we are still going to check on the status of the Megacore." Claw said as he pressed a few hidden buttons on the door, and it swung open, only to reveal pitch darkness.
"Can't see a thing." Marty said, which earned head nods from his friends.
"We keep the Megacore in pitch blackness, it's a last layer of defense in case someone get's into the door, fun fact, we have white noise machines in here in order to drone out the subtle hum of the Megacore energy, also we've placed the Megacore inside an invisible force field that also cancels out any light inside the vault, I know it's extreme, but it's survived several attacks in the past." Claw said proudly, and that earned head nods from the Guardian trio.
"How do we know it's in here?" Ricky asked Claw.
"My eyes can see rather well in the dark, but I know your eyes can't see it, seeing as it's to risky to turn on th lights in here, turn on your night vision." Claw ordered, as the trio pressed a button on their wrists, and their night vision was turned on, and they could vaguely see a podium with the Panthers Megacore sitting on it.
"I can see it.-" Joseph said as a new voice entered the room.
"As can I, Guardians," Wild Card's voice called to them as the three Guardians and Rusher, turned and saw the armored man standing behind them, I'll make it simple, hand over the Megacore, or I will destroy you." Wild Card hissed at the four of them.
"Your not getting this Megacore, Wild Card." Claw snarled as the four of them took up a fighting stance, as Wild Card fired a purple colored energy blast at them.
"Defense engage!" all three Guardians shouted as a blue hard light shield came out of their NFL-R's and protected them from the attack, and they retaliated by firing their own blue energy blasts at Wild Card, who proceeded to run towards the attack and front flip into the air and lunge over the attack and land in front of them, where with a well placed sweeping kick he swept out the legs from under Ricky and Marty, but missed Joseph who back flipped away from the attack and into the pitch black vault.
"Stay down!" Wild Card said with an evil laugh as he put his foot unto the back of Marty's head, and applied pressure, only for Ricky to fire an energy blast at Wild Card, which struck him in the purple glowing W in his chest.
"Good shot," Wild Card said in a mocking tone, "here's mine." he laughed as he fired a cylinder from his wrist and once it was in range it detonated with a blinding light, which disoriented Ricky, Marty, and Claw, which gave Wild Card time to launch ana energy net at them that ensnared them and entangled them inside the net, where the electricity coursing thought the net caused all three of them to pass out almost instantly.
"Three down, one to go." Wild Card said with an evil laugh as he walked into the vault and began looking around for Joseph, but was instead met with a punch to the face which sent him flying backwards and out of the vault, and Joseph retreated back into the dankness.
"You cannot hide in the dark forever, Guardian." Wild Card hissed as his glowing purple eyes tried to peer through the dankness and find the rookie Guardian, but before he could, a strong blast of wind hit him in the back and sent him flying through a nearby wall, as the source of the wind, Stellaria, walked into view.
"Stand down, Wild Card," she said with a laugh as she walked up to the hole in the wall, "I'll take the Megacore if you don't mind." she laughed as Joseph ran out of he vault and took up a fighting stance.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Stellaria," Joseph hissed as he prepared one of his abilities, "where are your friends, or did they just send you alone?" Joseph snarled as he activated his copied ability from Troy and began rushing at the female Anticorian, only to be lifted off the ground by an anti-gravity attack from Angkoro who stepped from the shadows as well.
"Trying running at light speed in zero gravity, Guardian." Angkoro mocked as he blasted the rookie Guardian into a wall, where he landed in a crumpled heap.
"That was almost to easy, Wild Card as we planned softened them up, and we where there to finish them off." Angkoro said in a delighted tone as he walked into the pitch black Megacore vault, and using his alien technology, easily found the hidden Megacore and levitated it into his arms with one anti gravity wave, and shortly there after excited the vault.
"We'll be taking this Megacore if you don't mind." Angkoro mocked as he handed it to Stellaria and they prepared to teleport back to their hidden location.
"What if I do mind!?" Joseph yelled as he somersaulted to his feet and began firing rapid fire energy blasts at the two Anticorians before him, and the attacks struck them both and send them flying backwards, as well as Angkoro dropping the Megacore, and it rolling around on the ground, and Joseph using his copied ability picked up the Megacore, and felt his strength increase, for he knew that Wild Card was not the only one to receive a power boost from the Cores, the Guardians could also increase their strengths by using the Megacores.
"Don't take things that don't belong to you." Joseph mocked as he turned around and came face to face with Zich, who had somehow snuck up behind him.
"Where do you Anticorians keep coming from?" Joseph asked as he back-flipped out of the way or the larger Anticorians incoming punch, only to be blasted by a gravity blast, and a wind blast from the previously defeated Angkoro and Stellaria, and the combined attacks had him pinned down from the increased pressure of gravity and air, and they forced him down unto one knee.
"Not so tough when you can't move." Stellaria mocked as she walked up to the immobilized Guardian and recaptured the Panthers Megacore.
"We will see ourselves o-." Angkoro never got to finish due to a loud roar tearing through the hallways, and from around the corner walked a giant black mechanical panther, and Stellaria recognized the technology as the same that had almost killed her in New England.
'Fools, did you really think you could escape me when you put yourself into the open?' the being underneath the construction yard thought to itself as it controlled the mechanical behemoth, as she was looking at the Anticorians through the panthers purples eyes, and with a snarl, the panther lunged at the three Anticorians, and took a swiped with deadly looking mechanical claws, that glowed with a weird purple energy.
Angkoro dodged the incoming attack but was forced to release his gravity pressure on the rookie Guardian, who jumped up and ran out of the way to where his captured teammates and Rusher was still in the net.
"RZ, we've got a situation, we've got Wild Card, the Anticorians, and whatever the heck this new threat is!" Joseph yelled into his NFL-R, as he freed his friends form the net, and they quickly regained consciousness and took up fighting stances.
"Retreat, we cannot hope to win this battle, bring Claw with you to the HOK at once." RZ ordered his four allies, who nodded and activated the Panthers passageway and jumped through it, all expect for Joseph, who silently decided to stay behind and defend the Megacore, which did not go unnoticed by RZ.
"Joseph, what are yo doing?" RZ asked in a concerned tone.
"I'm not leaving the Megacore to the winner of this battle, somebody has got to defend it." Joseph said with determination as he cut off the line of communication and began firing energy blasts at the mechanical panther, to which the blasts just bounced off of it's armor, and innocently struck the walls.
The Anticorians where firing energy blasts, gravity blasts, and wind blasts at the panther, to which they all just bounced of it's armor, when suddenly Joseph had an idea.
"Focus all fire on it's eyes!" he ordered as he shot an energy blast at it's purple glowing eyes, and even thought the attack just bounced off, the panther growled and turned to face the rookie, and even Angkoro had to admit that seemed like a decent plan, so all three of them began firing at it's eyes, and shortly there after, one eye cracked and then went out, and the panther, as well as the being controlling it roared in pain, so it emanated a smoke screen rom it's mouth and vanished behind a thick inky smoke, leaving only th Guardian, and the Anticorians, both groups exhausted and running on fumes.
"Another time, Guardian!" Angkoro snarled as he teleported himself and his allies out of the stadium and back to their hidden location, leaving Joseph to pick up the Megacore and tuck it under his left arm, as he walked up to where Wild Card had been thrown through the wall, and was still lying there, but upon approaching his body fell into pieces, revealing it had been a Blitz Bot the whole time, but once again a holographic display emanated from it's purple eyes, revealing Wild Card sitting on a metal throne.
"Took you long enough to win this battle." Wild Card said in a mocking tone.
"Look who's talking, you're the coward who didn't even show yourself for this battle, and that's why the Panthers Megacore will be safe and sound." Joseph mocked as he turned away from the Blitz Bot.
"There it one detail RZ overlooked," Wild Card said in a slow and evil tone, and that made Joseph turn back around, "I allowed him to find the signal for te glasses, and let's just say, I was ready for your friends." Wild Card said with an evil laugh as the display shifted to the right and showed the Guardians from Ish's assault team all hanging from the ceiling and restrained by energy cuffs, and their NFL-R's had been removed.
"What do you want, Wild Card?" Joseph hissed in disgust.
"You know what I want, but since your new, I'll tell you anyway, I want a Megacore per hostage in the next seventy-two hours or else I'm keeping them, tell RZ." Wild Card said with an evil laugh as the transmission ended.
It was a massive battle this chapter, so Wild Card has captured half the Guardians, and is demanding a Megacore per hostage, what will happen, well there is only one way to find out.