"You alright, Spinelli?" Rhonda came over. She found her sitting alone. "I guess." She shrugged. "Guess I just need a minute. I just hate the fact I'm sidelined because of a damn injury I got toward my abdomen! And in the worst way too!" She exclaimed.
"Oh, cheer up, okay? You'll be back in action eventually." Rhonda started as Swoops flew over. He landed at Spinelli's boots. "Hey, where the hell were you?" She asked Swoops. He squawked.
"Hidden around the Hyperjet? Come on, boy! Don't you remember you have all of us? We're your friends!" Spinelli started as Swoops walked over to her arm. "Hey, you know what's crazy? I feel Swoops isn't considered to be much of our pet, you know? I know he's Ariel's pet but still, he's part of us!" She told Rhonda. "I suppose you're right. Besides, he does make quite an outstanding pet… Just as long as he doesn't try and poop near my clothing, especially my fancier clothing for Arnold to admire." She had a chirpy smile on her face and walked away.
"Two can play at that game if I could…" Spinelli grumbled. Swoops cocked his head like any other bird. "Don't look at me like that! I mean, sure, Rhonda probably has a little more thinner body, her breasts might be perkier than mine, but can't a girl just feel some love? Is that too much to ask for?" She vented. Swoops screeched.
"You're right. I'm not gonna have Arnold cheat on her, besides, he has a daughter! The least I can do is at least show how much I love and care for him…" Her voice went soft. Swoops replied with a squawk. "I know Rhonda may be a whole lot hotter and sexier than me, it's not like anyone would like to be with a rough girl like me, but I know Arnold loves that aspect of me, one of the reasons why I'm here now. He's helped me through the worst, Swoops, all I want to ever do is show him a bit of love…"
Swoops then replied with a minor screech. "Pfft, yeah right. Like me half-naked with stockings on, and my sports bra will make him notice me." Swoops squawked. "I know he notices me for who I am, but can't a girl at least show her love?" Swoops cocked his head side to side as any bird would.
He screeched. "Well, whatever the case is, I know Arnold loves me for who I am, and not for who I'm not. He may not love me as a girlfriend, but I know he loves me as his closest friend, pushing aside his childhood best friend, Johanssen. And Swoops? Thanks. Thanks for listening to me." She gave a small smile. "And all I just said, stays between us, please?" Swoops understood and nodded. "Thanks, boy." She lightly kissed his head. Swoops flew off.
She sat there for a minute and decided to look at the picture from earlier.
"I honestly wonder what marriage between me and Arnold would be like." Spinelli wondered.
"Strikes on multiple friendlies!" The Commander shouted. "I'm sending in more drones, crush that billion-dollar tank. RUN IT INTO THE GROUND!" Haidra demanded.
"I own these streets, Shadow!" Haidra angrily said.
"Impulse, deactivate the weapons lock, it's time we got hot and dirty!" Shadow said. "Ariel here. I manually deactivated the weapons lock. Raise hell out there, Arnold!"
"Thanks, Ariel!" The Hybrid went back into battle mode as fifty tanks rolled in.
KA-POW
"Confirmed hits. Over." The Commander said.
POW
CRASH
KA-BOOM
"Divinity Church units are taking fire!"
The Vulcan gun started firing away. "We're taking damage!"
KA-BOOM
"Diamondback down!"
Shot after shot from the 60mm cannon, drones were being destroyed into pieces. The Hybrid was an extraordinary tank with multiple capabilities.
A level two missile barrage was charged up.
PEW
PEW
PEW
PEW
KA-BOOM
CRASH
POW
BOOM
KA-BOOM
CRASH
All the missiles hit the targeted drones as the Vulcan gun was firing away, along with the main cannon. "Multiple strikes confirmed! We're taking heavy losses!"
"FIGHT BACK, SERGEANT!"
KA-POW
"Twin Rattler offline!" The Vulcan gun fired at several dragon helicopter drones.
CRASH
BOOM
KA-POW
"Dragon drones hit!"
Despite the number of Militia drones that were there, it was depleted quickly. The Hybrid was absolutely toying with them and ripping them to shreds.
"Alastor, Divinity's assault units are taking heavy losses!" Haidra radioed Alastor.
CRASH
KA-BOOM
"Don't fret. He's wasting his time with our drones. He can't reverse this, the Cloudburst is here to stay, and he can't do anything about it." Alastor replied.
Around twenty drones were now left from the fifty that had arrived.
KA-BOOM
POW
CRASH
BOOM
KA-POW
KA-BOOM
CRASH
KA-POW
BOOM
"Strikes on multiple friendlies!" A max-level missile barrage took out ten more drones alone. Less than nine drones remained after the Vulcan gun took out another dragon drone.
"Dragon down!"
The Hybrid dodged oncoming bullets as it spun around and took out the twin rattler behind.
"Twin Rattler down!"
BANG
"Confirmed hit on Diamondback! It's still in the fight!"
The tanks were awfully slow at firing and had terrible aim, making it easier for Shadow and the Hybrid.
KA-BOOM
CRASH
"I lost a Diamondback!"
The Hybrid charged up a level two missile barrage.
PEW
PEW
PEW
PEW
PEW
KA-BOOM
CRASH
POW
KA-POW
CRASH
"Multiple units offline! Two remain!" The Hybrid looked to the side and saw a Mamba drone.
Missiles shot from the Mamba drone, but the Vulcan gun shot at them, destroying the missiles. It fired back a missile.
PEW
CRASH
KA-POW
"Mamba offline!"
A Twin Rattler rolled in and immediately shot at the Hybrid, but missed. The Hybrid avoided the shots, and fired back.
CRASH
BOOM
The Commander was speechless. "S- Sir, h- he wiped them out… We're gonna need more tanks!"
Haidra stopped him. "No. Now, he needs to face me." The Hybrid was back in pursuit mode.
Shortly after, the Hybrid came to a stop as an unknown broadcast displayed inside the Hybrid.
"Shadow, just stop! Stop acting like a hero, stop acting like you can save… anything!" Haidra started. "So you wasted your time fighting my drones, huh? Well, I still got the Cloudburst." Haidra said in a bragging tone. "You wanna finish this? Come to 4050 Vine Street, and THEN it'll be over!" The broadcast cut out.
The Hybrid roared off toward the designated street, with a surprise coming…
"Arnold, you have to buy me a little more time! I nearly have the devices ready, but I need more time to install them!" Phoebe radioed. "I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I'll buy you as much time as I can, Pheebs, just hang on."
Minutes Later
The Hybrid arrived, with a bank alarm going off in the background. "Impulse, get the exits of this area blocked off, she's not getting away!"
"Are you sure, Sir?" Impulse asked. "Get the Hyperjet to scan the Cloudburst. Find a weakness! I'll take out the Cobra Tanks on guard!"
"Sir, you're entrapping yourself with an enemy that has you severely outgunned!" Impulse warned. "No. I'm trapping her." Shadow sternly replied.
"He's doing the right thing here." Spinelli said. "What? How so? Impulse said it! He's outgunned against huge tanks with impenetrable armor!" Rhonda replied.
"If there's anything I learned from Arnold, brute force is not always the answer. I know what he has in mind, and I'm sure of it!" Spinelli replied as the Hyperjet took off. "Sooo?"
"Seven Cobra Tanks are guarding the Cloudburst tank, it's not gonna be easy, but as long as he stays out of sight, he'll take them out without them even knowing."
"Whatever he has in mind, he better work fast." Stella came over.
The Hybrid used its battle mode to sneak around more quietly so the Cobra tanks wouldn't detect him faster.
BOOM
KA-POW
With the newly discovered weakness in the Cobra tanks, they blew up into flames and pieces.
"Cobra tank offline, maintaining search pattern." The Militia Commander said. "It's over, Shadow! Hillwood's dead!" Haidra exclaimed as the Hybrid raced around to keep out of sight, and to the next Cobra drone.
One Cobra caught him, but surprisingly, they didn't lock on immediately.
"Looks like those Cobras don't lock on immediately. If I'm out in the open for too long near them, they will catch me." Shadow told himself. The Hybrid went into battle mode as it waited for the Drone to pass by.
The visible blue sensor scanned around the area, when it found its target, the sensor would turn a bright red and turn aggressive immediately.
The Cobra tank rolled by while its sensor scanned around. A second Cobra drone would roll behind it.
The Hybrid slowly crept behind them. The sixty-millimeter cannon was locked on.
BOOM
KA-POW
Cobra Drone offline! I got support nearby, I'm sending it in!" The Commander said.
Surprisingly, the Cobra in front didn't react and kept its search pattern.
"Look around, Shadow! Look at all the good you've done!" Haidra exclaimed.
KA-BOOM
POW
The Hybrid destroyed the Cobra tank in front and raced away as the programmed Cobra neared the area.
"Cloudburst scan almost complete, Sir." Impulse said.
"Sir, we got three Cobras left in the field!"
The Hybrid crashed through a gas station as it went back into battle mode.
CRASH
KA-POW
"We lost one, programming Cobra to respond."
"Your escort is almost gone, Haidra, protect the Cloudburst. Withdraw." Alastor ordered. "He can't defeat me, the Cloudburst is too powerful!"
The Hybrid soon encountered another Cobra tank.
POW
KA-BOOM
"Cobra Tank down. Holding formation."
"What do you think you're doing?" Alastor asked Haidra. "Finishing the job."
"This is NOT the plan we agreed upon!"
"It's a plan that works!" Haidra replied, angrily as the Hybrid raced off. "Alastor can CHOKE on his toxin, Shadow, he just wants you to suffer, I just want you dead!"
The Hybrid raced around, crashing through streetlights, structures, and poles as it was completely dirty, muddy, splattered with dust, and extremely scratched up.
He soon found the last Cobra.
POW
KA-BOOM
Conveniently, Impulse finished the scan on the Cloudburst tank.
"Sir, the Cloudburst has been mounted directly onto Haidra's personal tank. Both are too well armored for a direct assault." Impulse informed. "How's the Cloudburst operating?" Arnold asked as the Hybrid was back in pursuit mode.
"Its power source is internal, but the device is modified with a coolant system to avoid overheating." Impulse replied. "That's our weak point. A rupture will set off a chain reaction, destroy the Cloudburst device, and could take out the tank as well."
"I'm reconfiguring your scanners to locate the vehicle's coolant lines. Good luck, Sir." Impulse said.
The Hybrid went into battle mode to quietly search for the Cloudburst tank.
Within a few minutes, he found it and slowly crept up to it.
The Hybrid soon scanned the tank.
"The coolant lines run close to the surface of the tank, a shell of the 60mm cannon should rupture it, but one strike won't be enough, and I can't stay near that gun. Attack and fallback is my only option." Arnold told himself.
The coolant lines led to the main power core of the tank to avoid overheating. Four main coolant line points were seen on all four sides. Left, right, behind, and in front of the tank. The gun on the tank was enough to rip the Hybrid in shreds with two shots, so attack and fallback was the only choice. Once he loses sight, the Hybrid goes back for another strike.
BANG
KA-POW
The rear coolant line was ruptured. "Gotcha in my sights!" Haidra angrily said as the Hybrid raced away. "YOU CAN'T HIDE!" The Cloudburst tank raced after it.
The two tanks raced through the streets, ripping through structures and crashing through garbage, Haidra was determined to kill her arch-nemesis.
The Hybrid took an abrupt turn to the left, and then right into an alleyway, and left once he got out of the alley.
"COME OUT! NOW!" But Haidra lost sight.
"He's trying to overheat the cloudburst, leave now." Alastor said. "HE CANNOT WIN!" Haidra shouted.
"You will have your chance to kill him." He replied. "I'm not waiting anymore!" Haidra replied as the Hyperjet flew back to the lair.
The Hybrid was in battle mode once again, creeping around to see where the Cloudburst tank was while a streetlight was knocked over.
"I don't need permission to kill you!" Haidra exclaimed to Shadow.
The Cloudburst had the same blue sensor scanner as the Cobra tanks. The sensor scanned around, while the Hybrid rolled into position to shoot the front coolant line.
BANG
KA-POW
"LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT REAL DAMAGE LOOKS LIKE!" Haidra shouted as the Hybrid took off, the Cloudburst raced after it.
The front and rear were lit on fire with the coolant lines being ruptured and overheated. The main cannon was also slowly being destroyed in the process. The main cannon had deadly energy that could evaporate anything it shoots.
"COWARD!" Haidra exclaimed while racing after the Hybrid.
The Hybrid drifted into corners to try and lose the tank. Ripping through trees, street lights, whatever stood in the way would be destroyed by both tanks.
The Cloudburst tank was a freak of technology with it being able to keep up and chase after the Hybrid.
After two minutes, she lost sight.
"The cloudburst is not bait, Haidra. It is MINE!" Alastor said. "And Shadow is mine!"
"You tried so hard for so long! But what are you really, huh?! You're just a man in a suit playing hero!" She exclaimed while the Hybrid crept up to the left.
POW
BOOM
"STAY AND FACE ME!" Haidra shouted. The Hybrid raced away once again, with the Cloudburst racing after it and shooting a lot more shots this time, wanting to evaporate the vehicle.
The main cannon was in more danger of being destroyed from overheating.
Every shot fired at the Hybrid missed but only by inches. The Hybrid drifted into several corners, trying to escape from her sight.
The Hybrid then raced through mud, splattering it over the vehicle and throughout the streets.
After three minutes, the Cloudburst tank lost him again.
"The Cloudburst won't withstand another strike. Retreat!" Alastor warned. "No! This is to the end!" Haidra angrily replied.
The Cloudburst tank started scanning around the area, while Shadow used the radar to constantly track its movements, where it was, and when to strike.
"You don't deserve friends, you don't deserve your wife, you don't deserve ANYONE!" Haidra angrily said to Shadow.
"Before I kill you, you'll know the truth…" She said.
The Hybrid saw the Cloudburst tank, but it was squeezed between a tight street, making it harder to hit the last coolant line.
Once the tank was out, he moved around to the other side of the street to get close to the final line.
POW
KA-BOOM
The main cannon was now destroyed. All coolant lines were destroyed as well, and disabled all defenses.
"The explosion disabled the main cannon, now I can get in close and concentrate fire on the cloudburst." Shadow told himself while the Hybrid drove away, making the Cloudburst immediately lose sight of where he was.
The Hybrid soon drove back to where the Cloudburst tank was. A max-level missile barrage was triggered.
All the missiles shot from the Hybrid and toward the Cloudburst.
KA-BOOM
CRASH
POW
KA-POW
BOOM
BANG
CRASH
KA-BOOM
CRASH
POW
KA-BOOM
The missiles depleted the armor defenses severely, leaving it vulnerable to the Vulcan gun and 60mm cannon.
BANG
KA-BOOM
The cannon fired at the cloudburst along with the Vulcan gun, depleting the armor more and more.
CRASH
BOOM
KA-BOOM
Flaming pieces of debris exploded off the Cloudburst tank, forcing Haidra to exit the tank.
Pained breathing and groaning was heard as she weakly exited the tank. Shadow launched over to the tank and landed right where she was exiting. Creaking was heard as he immediately grabbed the back of her collar, grappled up to a rooftop, and out of the toxin.
KA-BOOM
BOOM
CRASH
KA-POW
A fireball exploded and poured black smoke from the area, where the Cloudburst tank ultimately exploded into flames and teeny-tiny pieces of flaming debris.
Shadow and Haidra were knocked over on the rooftop right as they had grappled up. The bank alarm sounded in the distance.
Haidra was knocked out, while Shadow was on his back, slow to get up and letting out pained groaning.
After a few seconds, hands were wrapped around his throat. It was Haidra who regained consciousness and immediately tried to choke out Shadow.
Shadow turned over Haidra onto her back and started punching her face hard and repeatedly.
After five or six punches, the mask was ripped off Haidra's head revealing…
So who is under the mask? If you come back for the next chapter, you'll find out!...