KAYO and Rigby found themselves in a state of complete apprehension. All it would take now was a wrong word or move and The White Ghost could end Hayley's life in an instant.
"Ghost…" Kayo said, finding her voice.
The White Ghost's face, although concealed by the white helmet of her suit, was glaring hard back at her. Kayo could feel the hatred that Laura McCullen felt burning at her.
"Let Captain Madison go," Captain Liberty ordered.
"Why?" The White Ghost asked. "You have my crew, I have one of yours. A fair trade."
"Laura…don't do anything you'll later regret," Hayley said, trying to sound calm despite knowing that an arm was phasing right through her body. The discomfort was nothing like she'd felt before.
"Don't talk to me about regret!" snapped The White Ghost. She turned back to Kayo and Liberty. "I don't know how you were able to find where I was, but I am beyond sick of you interfering with my life!"
"Maybe if you'd picked the right path, you'd be free," Captain Liberty said, which only made her even madder.
"YOU THINK I WANTED THIS?!" she roared. "I NEVER ASKED TO BE GIVEN THIS POWER! THIS CURSE! YOU THINK I WANT TO BE ON THE VERGE OF DEATH EVERY SINGLE DAY?!"
"Smooth, Rigs," Kayo muttered. "Real smooth."
"Miss McCullen," said Captain Liberty, also having realised he could've worded what he'd said better. "I understand you. But is a life of crime really the way to get help?"
"It's the only way I know!" growled The White Ghost.
"No, it isn't, Laura," Hayley said. "Remember what I said to you on the Ice Fortress. You can be helped and we will help you if you'd just let us."
"Speak again and you'll be dead, Captain!" hissed The White Ghost. "Remember, my arm is right in your body."
"But you don't physically have her," said Kayo, giving Hayley a knowing wink.
"What do you mean by that?" demanded The White Ghost.
Hayley however quickly caught onto Kayo's secret nod and knew what to do. She therefore dropped down so suddenly that she got clear of The White Ghost's arm.
"What?!" exclaimed The White Ghost and stopped her phasing in order to try and grab her.
This was the chance Kayo had needed. She produced her black nanotech shield from her right arm and flung it at The White Ghost. It tripped her up and she fell to the floor, close to where Hayley had dropped down. She reached out and tried to grab her but Hayley kicked her in the helmet and knocked her back
"HAYLEY, MOVE!" Kayo shouted and she did so without hesitation and Captain Liberty now moved in. He lunged forwards and swung his own shield around on his arm to knock The White Ghost away before she had a chance to recover. She landed on her back. Kayo now moved in to catch her but she managed to phase herself through the floor.
The robbers began cheering The White Ghost on and jeered when she escaped from Kayo.
"HA! YOU LOST HER!" laughed one of the men.
"SHUT UP!" Captain Liberty shouted and threw his shield at them. It narrowly zipped over their heads causing them to shriek in alarm and then into silence.
The White Ghost suddenly reappeared from the wall and grabbed Kayo from behind. "Got you!" she hissed.
"Have you?" Kayo remarked firing a pair of short-blast jets in her boots that sent them both flying backwards across the room and slamming The White Ghost into the wall.
"AARGH!" The White Ghost exclaimed, letting go and falling to the floor. Kayo landed a few feet away and turned to face her adversary. "You will PAY for that!" snarled The White Ghost and lunged forwards again with her hands outstretched. But Captain Liberty's shield now appeared from the left and knocked her over into the teller's counter. She hit it hard and groaned loudly as she fell to the floor. Kayo and Captain Liberty stood themselves strong and got ready for the next attack as The White Ghost slowly began to pick herself up off the floor. "Okay…you won't pay for this," she said with gritted teeth. "You will DIE FOR THIS!" But before she was able to attack, a taser blast came from across the bank. It struck The White Ghost and spread throughout her suit. "YAAAAARRRRGGGH!' she screamed before collapsing on the ground again, much to the dismay of the robbers.
Kayo and Captain Liberty looked around to see Hayley had shot the blast from her weapon. "Sorry," she said. "This needed to end."
"Agreed," said Captain Liberty. "Well done. Let's get these morons out of here."
Whilst the Police and reinforcements from the GDF arrived to take the robbers away, Kayo found herself standing over the now unconscious White Ghost with an immense feeling of relief and satisfaction flowing through her veins. "Got you at last, Ghost," she said to herself.
Colonel Jennings walked down the ramp of the GDF Flyer that had brought her there and watched as Captain Liberty, Hayley and Kayo approached her whilst two soldiers removed The White Ghost, now unmasked from the bank. She was strapped to a gurney.
"This is a momentous occasion," Colonel Jennings congratulated. "This is the last member of The Cabal to be captured."
"It's been a long time coming, Colonel," said Captain Liberty.
Colonel Jennings smiled. "A big well done. To all three of you," she said.
Kayo remained silent. Deep down she was still unsure about the Colonel's change of heart.
"Thank you, Colonel," said Captain Liberty. "Madison should take the credit though. She's the one who took her down."
Hayley tried not to blush. "Just doing my job," she said.
"Indeed. Well done, Captain," said Colonel Jennings. She then turned to Kayo. "Miss Kyrano."
"Colonel," Kayo replied, trying not to sound suspicious.
To Kayo's surprise, the Colonel walked up to her and held out a hand. "Thank you for bringing down The White Ghost," she said.
Kayo hesitated for a second, then took Colonel Jennings's hand to shake it, still unable to believe what was happening. "You're…welcome," she said, surprised.
Colonel Jennings just smiled. "My pleasure," she said. "Would you care to join us at Aquatraz?"
"Aquatraz?"
"Yes," said Colonel Jennings. "The rest of The Cabal are already there. No reason not to put her in there as well." She then turned to Hayley. "Madison, I have another job for you."
"Yes, Colonel?"
"I need someone reliable to make sure that those robbers are taken to maximum security until they can be brought to trial," said Colonel Jennings. "Can you do that for me?"
"Of course," said Hayley. But secretly she was a little disappointed at not being asked to deliver The White Ghost to Aquatraz.
"She's waking up!" one of the soldiers suddenly called.
All eyes turned towards the gurney where Laura was starting to come around. "What's this? No! NO! LET ME GO!" She tried to pull herself free but the straps held firm. "WHAT IS THIS?!" she yelled in a panic. "I CAN'T ESCAPE!"
"Of course you can't," said Colonel Jennings as she came over. "You've eluded the GDF for long enough, Miss McCullen. This gurney has been built with special dampeners. Your phasing won't work for you now."
Laura's eyes were filled with rage. "Let…me…GO!" she shrieked. "I HAVE RIGHTS! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME-AAAAARGH!"
The gurney suddenly sent another electronic charge through her body to knock her unconscious again. Kayo couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Laura's face change in a way that she saw right through her body like she wasn't even there. She knew Laura was in great pain with her condition and feared that the charge might have made it worse. However, she remained silent as the gurney was wheeled onto the Flyer.
"Shall we?" said Colonel Jennings as she invited Kayo and Captain Liberty to board the Flyer.
"Thanks, but I'll make my own way to Aquatraz, Colonel," said Kayo pressing her wrist-controller which deactivated the camouflage on Thunderbird Shadow which was still sitting on the top of the convenience store.
Colonel Jennings, Captain Liberty and Hayley watched as Kayo headed back to her ship. "Do you both wish you had a craft like hers?" Colonel Jennings asked.
"The bike that comes with it definitely," said Captain Liberty.
"I'll leave the flying to those who can," remarked Hayley as she walked away to deal with the robbers. "I'm more of a land and water person."
Jeff listened with interest as Kayo filled him in on what had happened. "So The White Ghost is finally in custody," he said. "Boy, that is good news. We've been needing some of that."
"I'd like to say I'm over the Moon by it, Mr Tracy," said Kayo. "And yet…something feels off."
"In what way?"
"Colonel Jennings has had a complete change of attitude towards us," said Kayo. "She's actually invited me to come to Aquatraz and see the new special block that's been created for The Cabal."
"People's opinions can change, Kayo," said Jeff. "Maybe Martha's had a quiet word with her during some downtime. They are still friends after all."
"Maybe," said Kayo. "Perhaps she just had a mad moment because I took down Captain Liberty in front of a crowd of people?"
"That would do it," Jeff said. "I haven't actually spoken to this new Colonel. It's something that I feel I should do."
"I'll keep an eye on her," said Kayo. "I wish this hunch would just go away though. I want to believe that her attitude has changed, but-"
"Kayo, don't let that get to you now," said Jeff. "Focus on The White Ghost. She's no longer a threat. Put her away with the rest of The Cabal and then come home. We'll celebrate this tonight."
Kayo managed a smile. "I'd like that," she said. "Thank you, Mr Tracy. Thunderbird Shadow, out."
Scott and Gordon walked in just as Kayo had finished signing off. "Is it true, Dad?" Scott asked. "Has The White Ghost been caught?"
"Indeed she has, son," Jeff replied. "Kayo, Captain Liberty and Hayley took her down this morning. She's on the way to Aquatraz as we speak."
"Captain who?" asked Scott.
"Rigby's new identity," Gordon said.
Scott frowned. "I thought that was just for show?"
"Apparently not, Scott," said Jeff. "He's taken the identity full time it would seem."
"Lame," remarked Scott.
"You've never liked him, have you?" said Gordon.
"I dunno, Gordon," shrugged Scott. "There's just something about the guy that bothers me. Never been able to explain it."
"Well I hope whatever it is, Scott, you resolve it with yourself," said Jeff sternly. "Captain Rigby is a good ally, and we need all the allies we can get in this dangerous world we live in."
"I know, Dad," said Scott, looking slightly ashamed of himself. "Sorry, Dad."
Jeff smiled as he walked past his eldest son and squeezed his right shoulder. "That's my boy," he said proudly.
Gordon waited until Jeff had left the lounge before speaking again. "You're not jealous of him, are you?" he said with a slight tease in his voice.
Scott frowned. "Excuse me? Why would I be jealous of him?"
"Because he and Kayo, you know?" Gordon began.
Scott had a look of utter bewilderment on his face. "The heck are you talking about?" he asked.
Gordon just shrugged. "If you know, you know, bro," he said and then walked away, leaving Scott trying to figure out what had just happened.
Thunderbird Shadow led the GDF Flyer towards Aquatraz. The lone aircraft platform which was the only part of the prison to be above the surface of the water appeared on the horizon. Kayo moved Thunderbird Shadow aside and circled to allow the Flyer to land before touching down and landing herself. By the time she'd climbed out and re-joined Captain Liberty and Colonel Jennings, the soldiers were moving The White Ghost down the ramp and still strapped to the gurney.
Quinten Sharpe, the Warden of Aquatraz was waiting by the entrance with guards to greet them. "Colonel Jennings," he said, adjusting his tie. "We meet in person." He held out his hand and the Colonel shook it.
"Pleasure, Warden Sharpe," Colonel Jennings replied. "An exciting day. We have the last member of The Cabal."
Warden Sharpe looked at the new arrival who had a Hannibal Lecter-like muzzle over her mouth to stop her from swearing or spitting at anyone like she'd tried to do whilst on the Flyer. "Laura McCullen - aka The White Ghost," he said as he walked up to her. "We've been waiting a long time for you. Welcome to Aquatraz. Or if you'd prefer…hell."
Laura snarled behind the muzzle and tried once again to break free but the dampeners were still working so she was unable to.
Access from the surface to the prison was via a large elevator that could hold up to twenty people. Kayo, Captain Liberty and Colonel Jennings joined Warden Sharpe and the guards as they took Laura down several hundred feet to Aquatraz - the prison that was made up of numerous decommissioned vessels that had been converted into large blocks housing the world's most dangerous convicts.
Whilst Laura was electronically processed into the prison's system, Warden Sharpe took the guests to the main control tower located in the middle of the complex. He pointed to the newest part of the prison - Block H - built from the sunken hulk of a former United States Navy Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier. "There it is," said Warden Sharpe proudly. "One massive block for the most dangerous of them all."
"The Cabal certainly fulfils that category," agreed Colonel Jennings.
"Is that one ship just for them?" asked Kayo.
"Correct," said Warden Sharpe. "As you can see, Miss Kyrano, there is no access tunnel. It is completely separate from the rest of the complex."
"Are there no guards?" asked Kayo.
"Of course," said Warden Sharpe. "But they don't interact with the prisoners. Robot drones deliver the food to them etc."
"How do we get over there?" asked Captain Liberty. "I want to see Ghost locked up in person."
"A transport submarine will take you and the prisoner over there," said Warden Sharpe.
"You two go ahead," said Colonel Jennings. "This case is a lot more personal to you than it is to me."
Kayo and Captain Liberty nodded.
As soon as the processing was complete, Laura was moved into the transportation submarine that involved having to pass through Block B, an old Tanker and out towards Block H. When passing through, the group had found themselves being looked and jeered at by the inmates. Kayo tried her best to keep her calm but was somewhat intimidated by all the attention she was getting. Especially from the big brutes.
The doors opened and Kayo led the way out into Block H. After going through at least three security checks, they finally reached the main chamber located in the cleared out middle section of the Aircraft Carrier where the hangar used to be. Unlike the other blocks which were full of around a-hundred steel cylinders that the inmates were kept in, this one had only five that were visible. They were spaced out and there was clearly room for more. A large platform took Kayo, Captain Liberty, Laura and four guards up to the same level as the cylinders and they moved along the walkway that was lowered from the ceiling, between them.
Kayo and Captain Liberty now found themselves looking at the faces of their deadliest foes who were housed in each of the cylinders - all of whom looked absolutely enraged at the sight of them. First they passed Herman Schultz, The Shocker. It looked strange seeing him in just prison clothes and not his yellow quilt suit with shock blasters. The cell opposite contained David Kruger, The Black Phantom. Kayo didn't even look at him for she knew he was shouting abuse at her. He held a fierce grudge against her for the death of his father in the submarine they'd tried to hi-jack for The Cabal. Kayo hadn't killed him directly but had unintentionally set in place the chain of events that led to his death. The next cell held Noel Casey, Techno. Seeing him sickened Kayo for she knew his own choice to join The Cabal was the reason why Colonel Casey was no longer in charge of the GDF. he just gave her a look of disgust before turning away. Kayo's eyes then fixed upon what she called her greatest rival - Catherine Cuthbertson, formerly Havoc, and now Silver Swan. Unlike Schultz, Kruger and Noel, all of which were in prison uniform, Silver Swan remained in her silver winged outfit, but like the special dampeners that had been used to prevent The White Ghost from phasing, this cell had something similar that prevented her from using her suit's abilities. Seeing Kayo again after many months caused her to see red. She began to shout and shriek and tried punching the reinforced glass on the front of the cylinder. It was also soundproof so Kayo couldn't actually hear what Silver Swan was saying. It had been the same with Kruger.
Having reached the end of the walkway, Kayo now found herself facing the last cell. Inside it she could see the back of the most familiar figure of all. The man who had caused her and her family so much grief and pain over the years. Her uncle - The Hood. Despite having his back to her to begin with, The Hood seemed to sense that she was there. Slowly, he turned his head to the left and his left emerald eye caught sight of her. Then he stood up and turned around fully to face her before walking up the glass.
Kayo, knowing the controls of how to communicate, pushed the button that would allow communication between the two. "Hello, Uncle."
"Hello…Tanusha…" The Hood began. "You've finally come to visit after all this time."
"Sorry I couldn't make it sooner," said Kayo, without sounding sorry at all. "I just wanted to see the collection completed."
The Hood raised an eyebrow. "Collection?"
A whirring sound came from above. Kayo, The Hood, Captain Liberty and the rest of The Cabal looked up to see a sixth cylinder being lowered from the ceiling. It stopped at the opposite end of the walkway to where The Hood's was. Then the other Cabal members saw the guards bring up Laura, now in a power-dampening straight-jacket was removed from the gurney and almost thrown inside the cell. Seeing this enraged Silver Swan even more as she saw Laura as her only friend.
"So you finally caught her?" said The Hood, unimpressed. "Took you long enough."
"She's a threat to the world," said Kayo. "Just like the rest of you. The people know it, too. You tried to keep your little Cabal a secret, Uncle. Secret's out. Even if by some unfortunate turn of events you do manage to ever get out of here, you'll be hunted by every single global authority. And that's not just the GDF."
The Hood remained unphased by this. "I'd take my chances as always, Tanusha," he said. "It always worked until you had to ruin everything…everytime," he finished bitterly.
Kayo just shook her head. "You used to be a good man," she said. "You were always supportive when I was very young. And yet…you've become this."
The Hood's eyes narrowed. "And we both know who's to blame for that," he said darkly.
Now it was Kayo who narrowed her eyes. "I know Mr Tracy never agreed with your ideas," she said, "but-"
"Who said I meant Jeff?" asked The Hood.
Kayo fell silent. "Huh?"
"Come now, Tanusha," smirked The Hood. "Jeff and I did have our fallings out and he was the ultimate reason that I became the villain that I am. But he wasn't the one who sent me down that path. Tell me, does he even know that Jeff was found and returned safely back to Earth?"
Kayo went pale as she suddenly realised who he was talking about.
"You haven't spoken to him in years, have you?" The Hood realised. "Well…that is interesting."
Captain Liberty then appeared. "Alright, Hood, that's enough!" he snapped. "Kayo doesn't want to hear your pathetic voice anymore."
The Hood looked at him with bemusement on his face. "Well, well, well. I must say, Captain. That new outfit looks very smart. Congratulations on your promotion to comic book character." He began to laugh but it was swiftly silenced as Rigby turned off the microphone.
"Ghost is locked up," Captain Liberty said to Kayo. "Let's go."
Kayo said nothing as Liberty walked her away, much to the satisfaction of the remaining Cabal members, although Laura just looked angry at being imprisoned and tried shouting abuse at them as they headed away.
The controllers who monitored security and all the controls that operated the doors of the prison complex were surprised when the doors of their room opened to allow Warden Sharpe and Colonel Jennings to walk in.
"Warden. Colonel," said the main controller.
"Just checking on the prisoner transfer to Block H," said Warden Sharpe.
"Ah, yes," said the controller. He brought up some video footage from the CCTV cameras showing The White Ghost inside the cell.
"Excellent," said Warden Sharpe. "Show us them all."
The screens now showed all the inmates of Block H all at once. Colonel Jennings looked at the figures of The Hood, Silver Swan, Noel, Schultz, Kruger and Laura all locked and secured inside their cells.
"The set is complete," said Warden Sharpe. "I think this calls for a celebration. Champagne, Colonel?"
"I'm on duty, Warden," said Colonel Casey. But after thinking for a second she changed her mind. "Maybe one wouldn't hurt. I'm sure you boys won't tell?" she added, giving the two controllers a flirty look with her eyebrows.
The controllers were unsure what to say to this at first.
"N-No, Colonel," said one.
"Nobody will hear," the other added hastily.
"Glad to hear it," snapped Warden Sharpe. "You'd be out of a job otherwise. Come, Colonel. We'll go to my office."
They headed out, leaving the two controllers at a loss for words.
The transport submarine left Block H to head back to Block B and the main complex. Captain Liberty looked at Kayo, who hadn't said a word since he'd cut The Hood off. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," came the blunt reply.
"Whatever he said, don't let it get to you," Captain Liberty said.
Kayo didn't respond. She was definitely troubled by something, Rigby could tell, but given her abrupt response, he didn't want to push the matter any further.
Colonel Jennings entered the Warden's office whilst the Warden himself closed the doors behind them. He took some glasses out of a cabinet and then unlocked one of his drawers to take out the bottle of champagne. "Have you ever had Vintage 1993, Colonel?" he asked.
"No, I can't say that I have," replied Colonel Jennings.
"Someone once said it was the best year for champagne," said Warden Sharpe. He scoffed. "Actually it wasn't apparently." He removed the paper covering and popped the cork before pouring some into the two glasses. He then picked them up and walked around the desk to hand one to the Colonel. "Here you go, Col-"
BANG!
Warden Sharpe cried out in alarm and dropped the glasses. They hit the floor and smashed, spilling the champagne on the floor. He then fell to the floor himself, surrounded by thousands of pieces of broken glass. He hadn't even had a chance to register the stun-gun in Colonel Jennings' hand before she'd pulled the trigger.
Colonel Jennings looked down at the warden and smirked with triumph. "Phase Two completed," she said out loud to herself. "Now for Phase Three!"