A few days after the parade, the Echo Squadron gathered in the zeppelin’s briefing room as the team waited for the briefing to start and they also had the Omega Squadron in attendance. It was a few days after the parade and already the team had enjoyed a moment of waving to crowds of cheering people only to get thrown back into the fire. But from what information was gathered, the Dean stated that this mission was of the utmost importance. Camo asked about their newest pilot,
“Jack is still in the course?”
“Actually, he just finishhed his training and he’s on his way.”,said Dark Snap Shot as he sharpened his traptanium arrows, despite his human hands.
Spy pointed out Omega’s presence, “So there’s a reason why you guys are here?”
Dark sighed and stated, “It’s probably something big if both squadrons are being briefed.”
Adagio, Dark’s 2nd spoke, “But on the bright side, we’ll be looking forward to working with each other.”
Aria noted, “I’m still ticked about all those books that Adagio and I had to arrange in order to join Omega Squadron. But at least I can kick some butt on this mission.”
Soon enough once Jack arrived and took his seat, Dro, who was working on the communications relay, spoke as the Dean’s image appeared on the screen, “We’re online and broadcasting on the squadron’s private channel.”
Cadence replied, “Thank you. Anyway, let’s commence with this briefing.”
As the briefing began, an image of the globe appeared on screen as she stated,
“After Camp Everfree, we have been looking into any additional grublin activity as well as any unusual energy signatures similar to the Mystic Shards. A few weeks ago, our top agent codenamed: Artemis has informed us that Rich Industries has delivered six advanced fighter planes to an island base on Sentry Island in the West Indies along with an advanced submarine.”
The screen shifted to Sentry Island as a map of the island was shown, “Sentry Island used to be a prison, but ever since Rich Industries bought the island, most prisoners were repurposed as test personnel. Its main facility has an aircraft hangar and runway which is a test site for weapons and aircraft like the six that are stored there while the port is used to house and maintenance a massive submarine.”
Spy asked, “How massive?”
“495 meters with a width of 116 meters and a submerged displacement of 810,000 tons. Ever heard of the Hunt for the Alicorn a few months back?”
Dro remembered, “I heard that a submarine went rogue as its captain attempted to nuke a city to end a conflict. His ship was sunk when an F-15 with three scratches destroyed the rail cannon.”
“Exactly, it’s a super-sized nuclear submarine powered by two liquid metal cooled reactors.”
Sonata was in awe, “I’m surprised that a sub that size could exist. But I thought you said that it was sunk.”
“Well, Artemis discovered that there were two Alicorn-Class Submarines planned to be built and they were completed when the call to disarm came in. While the Alicorn is on the bottom of the ocean, the sister ship is in the company’s possession.”
The submarine’s image soon appeared on the screen as they saw the specs of the ship as Cadence continued,
“According to the data, this super-submarine is called ‘The Striker.’ The sister-ship to the Alicorn.”
None of the squadrons spoke as the Dean continued, “The Striker is a submarine, but it can stage air operations like a carrier.” The ship’s image showed two barriers raising up and down before diverting to its main guns, “It also boasts some serious firepower and like her sister, the Striker has two main railguns on the port and starboard and a 600mm/128 caliber rail cannon in the flight deck.”
Dro noted, “So the sub’s attack range is similar to a carrier strike group, it could launch aircraft and fire the railguns from beyond enemy range or approach from underwater. Add the rail cannon into the mix and it will be a mobile version of the Stonehenge Railgun Network.”
Aria asked, “A real monster in steel if there ever was. So we have to capture it?”
Cadence nodded, “That’s right, if the Disciples deploy that submarine, we could be looking at another Alicorn Incident.” The image switched to a satellite image of the sub docked in port, “Omega Squadron is to handle the Striker, Blaster-Tron has downloaded his subroutines into a data stick for you to easily control every aspect of the sub and guide it away from the port before anyone knows what’s going on.”
Spy asked, “And Echo Squad’s mission?”
The screen turned to show six advanced planes, “Echo Squadron is to infiltrate the base and steal those planes. Those six planes are some of the advanced fighters of the company’s aviation department.”
The list went as follows as each plane and schematic appeared: The first was the ADF-01 FALKEN, a fighter that had no visible cockpit, but had cameras attached to the cockpit and uses a connection to flight interface or COFFIN system. The members of Omega noted how it was almost like the system on their XFA-27s. It had two canards and forward swept wings with a bottom stabilizer sticking out from the bottom of the fuselage while in flight.
The second was an aircraft that looked similar to the first one, but it had delta wings, no vertical stabilizer on the back, only one on the bottom. It was a next generation aircraft called the ADF-11 Raven, it uses pulse lasers instead of machine guns.
The third aircraft was familiar since they fought this one over Equestria Shores, the CFA-44 Nosferatu. But it seemed as if they modified it to have better defense plating without sacrificing its speed.
The fourth was a plane that looked more like a space shuttle, the ADFX-01 Morgan. A plane that can emit a powerful ECM defense which would force an opposing aircraft to ‘joust’ the Morgan, uses a mounted laser and fires burst missiles.
The fifth plane was a strange one, it was a black plane with forward swept wings, but the area beneath the cockpit was actually a large intake for its engines. It also possesses a COFFIN system and doesn't have any external lights like most planes do. This was the XR-45 Cariburn, a next-generation fighter with extensive air-to-air capabilities.
The last one was marked as ‘Top Priority’ it shows a large fighter with large wings, canards, thrust-vectoring nozzles and stabilizers that were nearly horizontal. But it was the cockpit that got their attention since there was a protrusion beneath the craft’s nose as the canopy’s three amber lights shone. Cadence decided to explain this one,
“What you are seeing is an advanced aircraft being developed at this very island - designated as XFA-33 Fenrir. This plane is the most advanced fighter in the manifest, it can possess twin machine guns, VTOL capabilities, COFFIN system and an impressive speed.”
Jack noticed, “A real wolf in the skies.”
“That's why these planes are so important. Due to the high risk of this mission, it will have to be carried out at night to avoid the enemy reacting to your presence much quicker.”
Spy asked, “So, what's your plan in getting us to the island?”
We cut to a shipping container onboard a container ship heading for the island in the dead of night as several flashes appeared in the container as a series of muffled voices spoke,
Spy: “Well, here we are.”
Dark: “On a ship heading for the island.”
Adagio: “Leave it to Cadence to give us a luxury route to the AO.”
Sonata: “Adagio, I saw your sarcastic comment from a mile away.”
Aria: “Well Sonata, since we're going to be in here for a while. Why don't we talk about your relationship with the boys.”
Sonata: “Aria, here's my answer. They're my brothers now.”
Jack: “Dro, are they always act like this?”
Dro: “Trust me, Jack. Sonata was the taco-loving goof before she met us.”
They were lucky that the ship was practically at the island and as soon as the ship docked into port, they felt the crate being secured and lifted by crane. Both teams kept themselves secured thanks to their mag boots while trying not to alert anyone outside. Once the shaking stopped and the crate was secured on the ground, Dro activated his hemet's sensors to ensure that it was clear until they heard the voice of the workers outside,
“Well, this ship is refueled and ready to set off. Don't wanna be here when those things show up.”
“Yeah, I heard the rumors that moss-like monsters inhabit Archelon Fortress. But I don't know, there's some serious firepower here and our employers are looking to deliver this stuff to the island from Cobalt Cave.”
This brought up a red flag for the team since the mention of moss-like monsters sound like grublins. It makes sense too, since the Disciples of Malefor own Rich Industries. The prospect of cultists fighting alongside those abominations is frightening and if they don't complete their objectives, it might be a reality.
Once the workers passed, Spike utilized a Sword Crystal to cut open the container. Once the door was open, Dro’s gauntlet scanned for any movement, but detected none and signaled the others that they're clear. Once they were out of the container, Spy brought up a map of the island, the northwestern dock was where they landed and two red dots appeared on the northeastern dock and the hanger to the fortress itself,
“We’ve landed on the northwestern side of the island. The sub is docked in the northeastern port of the island while the planes are housed inside the hanger in the fortress itself, it's going to be tough getting in without raising an alarm.”
Dark figured, “It didn't stop you from getting into the battle station.”
“Distance didn't matter to us, but when it comes to getting passed the guards. We can't be detected or else we won't be able to make it into the fortress itself.”
Dark Snap Shot noticed, “What if we create a distraction for you guys to slip in?”
“What are you suggesting?” The human turned trap master pointed to the power station southeast of the submarine dock,
“Destroying the power station will create a diversion which would draw the guards away from their posts, allowing Echo Squadron to slip into the fortress.”
Sonata noticed, “The power station is a great distraction. The fuel tanks on the dock could be used to fuel up the sub.”
Both teams agreed with the idea, so both teams separated with Jack going with Omega. While Omega Squadron went to destroy the power station, Echo Team went off to find the entrance to the fortress. But they also had to search for signs of grublin activity since the sailors were determined to unload the cargo and set off as soon as possible.
The team had their weapons prepped with silencers in case they had to silently pick someone off. So far, they mostly focused on ducking and weaving as they avoided various trucks and patrols, most were cultist soldiers, evidence of the Malefor Skull on their shoulders. Dro whispered,
“Cultists? I guess they were hired in the guise of private security.”
“Whenever Malefor is involved, it would definitely have his ‘faithful’ guarding it.” ,said Spike.
Sonata noticed, “Spike, didn't your vision mention an island that once held prisoners?”
“Yeah, it did...but the next verse was something called ‘The Blush’ it's hard to interpret the meaning.”
Spy spoke, “We’ll figure it out once we’re in. But in the meantime, cut the chatter.”
The team continued their way through the island’s forested areas while avoiding various patrols until they stopped at a ridge as Dro’s visor zoomed in on a large metal door which had three guards guarding it. They knew from the briefing that this was their entrance into the fortress, so Spy contacted Omega,
“Dark, this is Spy, we’re at the fortress entrance, but there are three guards at the door.”
Dark spoke,“Adagio and I have just reached the power station, the power will be out for a moment, allowing you to slip in while the guards are distracted.”
Soon enough, Jack’s voice spoke, “This is Cooper, we just finished clearing the sub of soldiers. They've been keeping slave labor on this boat and they don't look qualified to work a sub.”
Spy asked with a bit of suspicion, “Are you sure?”
“Positive, One of the freed slaves on the sub works for some big shot clothes designer in Paris. The other states that she was studying abroad in the Comona Islands with a few friends when it was revealed to be a cult trap.”
This was unbelievable, death and destruction is one thing in a war, but use of slaves? That's where the line is drawn since now they know that the cult uses slaves as cheap labor. Spy ordered,
“Jack, treat them with food and water, they are gonna need it and we’ll see to it that these people are returned home safely once the mission is complete, but until then we need to stay focused. Get that sub fueled and set off once Dark and Adagio return.”
“Aye, aye!”
Adagio's voice spoke, “Don't worry about us, we'll be outta here with the sub in no time. It's getting you guys inside that counts, the charges have already been set and we're making our way back to the submarine dock.”
Sonata spoke through the channel, “Just be careful when you set off the bombs.”
Adagio just smiled, “I could say the same about you since you're going into a fortress.”
That was a good point that she made since Omega Team’s mission is to capture the Striker which was docked in the harbor while Echo Team's mission is to capture the Raven, Falken, Morgan, Nosferatu, Cariburn and Fenrir aircraft that's housed inside a hangar of a heavily armed fortress. Truthfully it seems like they got the dangerous end of the stick until Dark spoke,
“Just as a warning, some of the cultists we encountered started glowing purple as a mask-like outline appeared over their eyes. We heard a voice speak over the cultist and it would preach about Malefor and how the birth of the new world is coming. It would also state that Strykore's Return is inevitable.”
Dro had a thought about this process, “If I had to guess, the soldiers were implanted with control mods that connect to their brain while an outside force taps in and takes control of that form or magic could be involved.”
Spike figured, “So someone inside the fortress is mind-controlling and speaking through its victims. No one has that ability to do that except for the Darkness, Malefor and Strykore.”
Drago spoke, “The cult’s presence and whispers of grublins are clear evidence that this company is working with the cult.”
There was no doubt about it now, Equestria Shores, the Grublin presence, the Rich Industry Drone, Strykore, the Battle of Camp Everfree and the current operation all points to how close the cult and the company were working together. It was clear that the cult wants to spread chaos and destruction to bring about the birth of a new world - by issuing the destruction of the old. It made perfect sense, but the real question is whether the CEO of the company agreed to it or not. They did look up Filthy Rich’s dossier, he's a businessman and a family man as well. The idea of working with a cult isn't his style of business and Artemis even contacted them during the briefing that his sources inside the company say that Mr. Rich was nowhere to be found and he's currently investigating his whereabouts. That's when the suspicion that the cult silently ousted him came up, but they need information on what's going on and if Artemis can find Filthy Rich, they can get answers.
Soon enough, Dark spoke, “We're on the bridge of the Striker, inputting subroutine now!”
Adagio's voice warned, “Detonating the charges, you have at least 2 minutes before the backup power kicks in.”
As stated, an explosion appeared on the other side of the island as the lights going out three the guards in disarray, leaving them open to silent attacks by the team while Dro siphoned power to the door as it opened, allowing the team inside after hiding the knocked out guards in the bushes. As soon as the door closed, the power to the fortress was back on as Spy contacted Omega,
“Echo to Omega, we’re inside the fortress, we’ll be making our way to the hangar.”
Dark smirked, “The temporary blackout worked for us as well, Blaster-Tron’s Data File worked, we have control of the submarine’s systems. We’re going full steam ahead towards the ocean.”
Spy commended, “Nice work with the sub, see you at the rendezvous point.”
Dark nodded, “Acknowledged. Snap, you're on the helm, get this boat out of here. Adagio, fill the ballast tanks, let's head under as soon as we reach deep water."
Dark Snap Shot stated, "There's a nice target in front of us and it's the sea, time to haul anchor and go meet her. Echo Team, Jack will act as your advisor through the duration of the mission. He’ll monitor your progress and update you on your objectives.”
The team were relieved to know that the Alicorn Class Submarine Aircraft Cruiser is now in their hands. But they still need to find the hangar bay and get those planes out of here. So the team made their way through the fortress as they did their best to avoid any patrols. Security cameras weren't an issue since Dro had a field around the team to mask their movements. Soon enough, they came to a door as Jack came on the comm,
“Guys, after looking over the layout, that door leads to the main hangar bay where the planes are stored. There's a number of enemies from grublins to cultists occupying the hangar, they're unaware of your presence so I recommend a Door Slice Maneuver so you can get the drop on them.”
Spy, knowing that it's best for getting a surprise attack, decided, “Dro, slice that door, let's go in quietly.”
The tech expert went to the control panel by the door and worked his magic while the others took their positions by the door. As he typed away, he figured, “Almost got it…there, the door’s open.”
Once the door opened, they were greeted with a huge hangar as several grublin and cultists roamed about. Spy held out his crossbow and aimed at a grublin axman, he fired as the bolt struck the abomination in the head, killing it instantly. This caught the attention of the other guards as they opened fire, but Sonata used her shield to block the shots while using her pistol to gun down the grublins.
Spike used his blaster rifle to take down the cultists until one of them start to glow purple as a mask outline appeared over his eyes,
“I will direct this personally!”
Spike was surprised since this was the mind control that Omega encountered. So, he dual wielded his blaster rifle and pistol as the soldier stated,
“If I must tear you and your squadron apart, I will.”
“You have to try harder, the last guy that said that was a few inches shorter.” The possessed cultist fired a laser blast from his arms as Spike peppered him with blaster fire. When Spike noticed that he was going to do it again, he quickly threw a throwing star that was bathed in napalm as the heat melted away the cultists armor. As the cultist himself disintegrated, the mask visor disappeared as the voice stated,
“Releasing Control.”
Camo and Dro were back to back as they used vines and cables to trip them up and bomb them with lasers and jalapeño peppers. As for Spy, he’s been using his sword to cut down grublins and a silenced pistol for the cultists and soon enough, the hangar was clear and the six planes were dead in sight. The planes themselves were parked next to each other as the six members of Echo Squadron approached.
Spy eyed the ADF-01 as he looked it over, from its forward swept wings to the laser cannon that was built under the nose of the craft. The craft itself was everything like it was shown in the briefing and this could cause chaos if it were in cultist hands. While his Apalis was more fit for dogfighting, the Falken was solely meant to destroy a target, air and ground.
Dro’s gaze was on the ADF-11 as he looked over the schematics which included it's weapons such as its pulse lasers, laser cannon and UAVs that can be launched from the plane’s wing. Looking over the schematics of his F/A-12, he was figuring out a way to incorporate a pulse laser cannon from the Raven, but at the cost of delay in firing shot after shot.
Ter eyed the familiar CFA-44 which the Shadowbolts were using during the air battle when their vacation came to an abrupt end. But unlike the Shadowbolts, this one was focused on improving its defensive plating. The most memorable thing about the craft is that it had its ADMM drive missiles in its bay doors. While his Lone Shark doesn't stack up to this plane, considering that it's more about a pilot's skill rather than the craft and the Nosferatu would handle well with him.
Camo stood in front of the ADFX-01 Morgan which had the large laser cannon mounted on the craft and how it compared to the previous planes with this weapon. He remembered that this plane has an emergency ECM defense system in the nose as the briefing explained. When compared to his YV-21, the Morgan’s ECM would definitely scramble his missiles.
Sonata was face-to-nose with the XR-45 Cariburn as the siren placed her hand on the nose and dragged it to the ladder designed for the pilot to climb into the cockpit. She took notice of the hook on the front gear and the tail hook on the back which made her realize that it was designed to take off and land on carriers, like her Wyvern.
As for Spike, he had the XFA-33 Fenrir, which was essentially a Top Priority objective, considering that the original man behind the plane’s design was a dictator and war profiteer before being ousted by his people. The craft was huge as the wingtips slant at a 50 degree angle, it has three engines with one being the VTOL engine, near horizontal stabilizers and the flight interface system. When comparing Fenrir to his F/A-37, he realized that the potential danger of Fenrir would be terrifying if an enemy ace squadron flew it. Spike could only gasp,
“Look at these planes, I guess it's important to be placed in this fortress.”
Dro looked at the planes’ status, “But we can't just grab these planes and leave, we need to first fuel them up since they were most likely delivered via cargo ship. But Fenrir seems fresh off the assembly line.”
Drago figured, “If I had to guess, I’d say Archelon Fortress is also a factory for Fenrir.”
Spike wasn't surprised, “So there's going to be more of them flying around.”
Spy eyed the fueling station nearby and motioned the others to help fuel the planes and prep them for takeoff. After attaching the fueling hoses to the fuel ports of each plane while keeping an eye out for guards, Jack contacted them,
“Wait, don't leave the fortress yet! There's a familiar energy signature in the fortress - I’m talking about a Mystic Shard here!”
Spike asked, “Wait, there's a shard here?!” “There is, but unfortunately it's connected to the base’s main reactor and removing it…”
Spike finished, “Would cause the core to overload and destroy the entire fortress as well as stopping the production of the XFA-33.”
Dro brought up the fortress map as the human Imaginator on the sub connected the route to the core, “Your path to the core will be through the hangar and passed this heat source. According to the layout, that's the Central Chamber if any remaining civilians are in the fortress, they're being kept there.”
Spike figured that this was going to be his task since finding the Mystic Shards was his priority, but the central chamber may have people being held against their will. The Trap Ranger asked,
“Jack, does the sub have any carrier-based transport planes in stock?”
“As a matter of fact, there's a flight of C-1s on standby in case you find any prisoners. We're not going to the rendezvous yet since Snap decided to hold position after discovering that there could be more civvies in the fortress.”
Spy spoke, “Spike, while we fuel up the planes, you head into the core and find that Mystic Shard.”
Spike nodded before stating, “I’ll take Sonata and Ter with me in case we encounter resistance.”
The team nodded as the trio separated from the others as Spike and Drago merged, becoming Megaman Ranger, while Ter and Sonata supercharged which were different from when they first started out. Ter now possessed an orange mask which covered most of his face except for his hair and mouth and he had a lot more armor plating on the shoulders and legs. Sonata went from her casual outfit to a more-ninja styled look with a hood covering her head and a yellow mask covering the bottom of her face while sporting a ninja suit with similar colors to her casual outfit. Her weapons were different from when she first supercharged since her guitar shield can turn into a throwing star and the neck sword became a katana, she can still summon her shield cannon, but it's a more quick and efficient approach.
They made their way across the hanger and went towards the waypoint that led to the chamber. When they arrived, they were met with grublins, swordsmen and bowmen to be precise, the abominations noticed them and attacked as the three spread out and took down each individual squad. Megaman initialized a break saber crystal on his right arm to cut down the Orc swordsmen before using a charged buster shot on a group of orc bowmen, no survivors. Ter slammed his rocket launcher to the ground and fired several burrowing rockets at a group of bowmen as the initial impact annihilated the ranged enemies. Sonata disappeared and reappeared multiple times, confusing a group of swordsmen before tossing several throwing stars and an explosive jalapeño taco bomb in the middle of the group, destroying the abominations completely.
Megaman sighed, “I knew we would encounter resistance. But at least this door will lead us to the central chamber.”
Ter hefted his launcher as he said while twirling a spirit gem in his hand, “Didn't break a sweat and it's also a good time to gather energy.”
They agreed as they absorbed the spirit gems as the energy from the gems transferred between the two until Sonata’s voice called out,
“Spike, you need to see this.”
The boys, curious about what their siren sister saw, followed her through the door.
Upon arriving in the central chamber, they saw that it was nothing like a prison since most of the cells were demolished to make way for these strange...pods? That's what darted the room, these pods were spread across the room on terminals as tubes connected to them and beyond. Megaman spotted two pods, one contains a Grublin, Hero Orc specifically and the other was a human man wearing an orange jumpsuit as Sonata pointed out,
“Looks like one of Sentry Island’s original Inmates.”
The Trap Ranger approached the motionless man in the pod as he questioned why there was a Grublin in the pod next to him.Ter pointed out,
“There's more.” He motioned towards the other pods, the occupants of the pods were children, teenagers specifically since they happen to be around their age. But that wasn't until they saw movement in the first two pods as the Hero Orc seemingly melted in its pod as the inmate woke up to Megaman’s surprise,
“No way! He's still alive!” The man banged on the glass door screaming for help as tiny robots were swarming around his skin as the Trap Ranger tried looking for a way to force open the pod. He looked back to the man in the pod to realize it was too late as the inmate screamed in agony as blood splattered the glass as he melted down. Megaman immediately yelled,
“Get them out of there! Hurry!”
The three soon went to work on the pods that had living human occupants as Ter slammed the butt of his rocket launcher at one of the pods before prying it open as the occupant fell out. The brawler caught him before prying open another pod with his strength, rescuing another. Megaman initialized his sword crystal to carefully cut open one pod without harming the victim, rescuing the victim in the process and initialized a strength crystal to pry open another pod. Sonata used her katana to pry open a pod, saving the occupant and used her throwing stars to disable and open the last pod as the last occupant, a girl with forest green hair fell into her arms. She announced,
“Okay, that's the last of them!”
As the survivors began to get back on their feet, one of them, a teenager with a blue shirt, red ball cap and a pair of headphones around his neck spoke,
“Ugh, thanks for helping us out of there. I feel like someone hit me in the head multiple times.”
Megaman helped the boy up while stating, “We don't leave anyone behind although the same couldn't be said about that inmate.”
Another survivor who was surprisingly a werewolf girl spoke, “I’m glad you got here when you did...if it were different and... I wouldn't want to think about it.”
The next survivor, a Japanese girl with a fencing sword around her waist spoke with a shaken voice, “Some of the creatures and the inmates were...processed.”
Ter asked, “Processed?” The survivor from the last pod spoke, “Those swarms of little robots...they melted their bodies into gray liquid and pumped through these tubes.”
The trio looked at the large tubes overhead and thought, ‘We're onto something big if they're taking the genetic material from victims, even willing grublins.’ Sonata asked,
“For what purpose? What are they doing with genetic material?”
One survivor, a girl with blonde hair who had a look of annoyance, said, “It doesn't matter, I just want to leave this place and go home.”
The Japanese girl stated, “What Chloe’s trying to say is that we’re glad that you got here before it happened to us.”
The boy with the headphones muttered, “At least show some gratitude to our rescuers.” He soon asked, “So, who are you guys?”
Megaman looked at the others as both brawler and siren nodded before turning back to the survivors and said with a smile, “We're the Echo Squadron.”
The survivors, upon realizing who their saviors were, looked shocked and surprised. No doubt that they heard rumors of the independent squadron with the aforementioned name with the emblem being a dragon skull. The wolf girl asked,
“Not that I'm not grateful for being rescued, but what brought you guys here?”
Ter crossed his arms, “We could say the same about you.” The forest green haired girl stated,
“Study Abroad Program, a group of us joined the program and several foreign students like that group would join us since it was international and it was taking place in the Comona Islands.”
The Japanese girl sighed, “But it turned out to be a trap, we were pulled from our apartment and brought here. Some of us were sent to maintain a massive ship in the harbor while we were sent to be processed.”
Megaman realized something, he recalled Jack saying that a girl that he rescued on the Striker was from a Study Abroad Program...so he asked, “Is there anyone that you're missing?”
The boy with the cap realized, “Our friend was sent to work on the ship...she's the sister to our rocker friend back home and... I don't think…”
“Don't worry, a second team has already secured the submarine and the slaves are freed, your friend was among them. Omega Squadron is already taking the sub to the rendezvous point.”
The group of survivors were surprised that not only they had a second team, but the ship was actually a submarine. Sonata stated,
“Well, we made it this far.” She turned her comm on, “Striker, this is Echo 5, we rescued a group of survivors that almost became an organic milkshake. Where do those tubes lead?”
“Those tubes seem to converge on the power core, the very core that holds the Mystic Shard. There's a tram station that could take you to the core, but the next chamber is overrun with grublin flies.”
Megaman realized, “Conventional weapons won't do us any good against that many; they’ll tear us apart.”
The last survivor raised her hand, “Wait, maybe... I can help you.” She erected a protective field around herself, “This magic field can help get a small team through if they stay close.”
Megaman noted, “That's very helpful, Ms…”
“Oh um...Blush, Wallflower Blush.” She answered as her face turned red. But her name made him flashback to his vision, ‘The Blush will lead to the Mystic Shard that sleeps.’ He knew that his vision meant that he would meet her to get the shard. So he stated,
“We appreciate your help, Wallflower.”
Soon enough, that girl, Chloe asked, “What about us? We can't fight, we don't have superpowers.”
“Megaman, the Striker has surfaced and Dark took off in a C-1 to do a pickup. But you need to regroup with the rest of Echo Squadron back in the hangar.”
The Trap Ranger thought about this since they couldn't afford to go back, but they can't just leave them behind, if the grublins or cultists see the survivors they’ll kill them and since they tried to liquefy them, they'll show no mercy. So he turned to the heavy hitter,
“Ter, escort the survivors back to the hangar. Link up with the rest of the team and assist in getting the survivors onto Dark’s plane when he touches down. After that, remain with the team and prepare to evacuate once we're done in the core.”
Ter asked, “Are you serious?”
“Ter, the path back to the hangar will most likely have reinforcements, a strong warrior is needed to make sure the survivors get out safe.”
The brawler reluctantly agreed as he directed the survivors to follow him while Megaman, Sonata and Wallflower went into the infested chamber.
As soon as they entered the chamber, there were hundreds of Grublin flies buzzing about as the abominations attempted to dive bomb the small team, only to be blocked by Wallflower’s barrier. She held one hand up, maintaining the barrier as she pointed out,
“Like your guy said, the tubes lead to the power core, we can follow the tubes to the tram station to get there.”
The group made their way across the chamber as they followed the tubes. The Trap Ranger noted,
“You seem pretty adept in magic.” She sighed while keeping her focus, “I spent most of my time learning about nature as well as magic. I don't really have a lot of friends…”
“Where are you from exactly?”
“Canterlot City, I’m a student at CHS and founder of the Gardening Club.
Sonata realized, “Camo’s actually a member of that club since he's practically a good gardener.”
Wallflower realized, “The boy with the red and yellow eyes and outgoing personality?” She blushed, “There's also something about him...that draws me to him besides his personality…like pheromones from plants mixed with dragons.”
The Trap Ranger stated, “He’s actually on this mission right now. Camo’s with the rest of the squadron prepping for evac.”
Wallflower realized, “He’s...here!? I...I help you and I get to see Camo again!?”
The two realized that this girl seems attracted to their resident gardener, ace and occasional prankster as both thought,
“Fluttershy just got a Romantic Rival.”
She also added, “I was actually there that night of the Fall Formal…”
Sonata realized, “The Battle of CHS?”
Wallflower stated, “A clash between good and evil and CHS’s most infamous event.”
Spike couldn't forget that night when Sunset was evil and a bully as she attempted to destroy the school, it was the night that the Skylanders first clash with the Grublin Horde in this world which ended when his dragon counterpart stopped her and he got his humanity or regained his humanity after discovering that he had a past at Camp Everfree. But the Battle of CHS was old news, but the school’s banner showed his dragon counterpart bringing down Sunset’s demonic form. It was an interesting night after all since it led to the Creation Event which brought Spy, Dro, Ter and Camo into the world. But before he could dwell more, Sonata whispered,
“Look alive, two cultists down that ramp. We can't rush in because of those overgrown flies.”
They spotted two cultist soldiers minding their own business at the bottom of the ramp - which is where they need to go. Drago whispered,
“We’re not going anywhere unless we take those guys out.”
The Trap Ranger initialized a Sniper Crystal as his buster arm turned into a rifle arm with a scope while Sonata had a firestar ready. The duo took aim at the soldiers and took them down at the same time, allowing Wallflower to pass through and progress through the chamber. While no mass alarm went off, the diversion with the power station knocked out the alarm system for the base. So any soldiers that see them won't sound the alarm which gave them the element of surprise.
Soon enough, they encountered a group of soldiers with a few orc bowmen as Wallflower realized,
“They're here for a fight?!” Megaman ordered, “Get to cover and stay there until the fighting is over!”
The girl nodded as she went to cover while still holding the barrier. That's when the duo went into a firefight as they kept within the barrier as the buster and cannon shots were exchanged with the crystals and bullets from the enemies. Sonata used her shield cannon to take down two soldiers and bowmen.
In the command center, the overseer of this battle was a Hero Orc that was standing at a console watching the fight until it picked the last soldier as the cultist showed signs of mind control, including that domino mask outline.
“I am Assuming Direct Control!”
As they saw this, they knew for certain that the possessed soldier had to be taken out. The possessed soldier fired powerful blasts from his arms as the voice spoke,
“You cannot stop what is to come, Echo Squadron.”
Sonata flung two gravstars at the soldier as the gravity manipulation from the stars anchored him down, “That's what they all said and yet, we’re still here.”
The soldier fired a shockwave which nearly blew Megaman off his feet as Drago said, “That mind controlled soldier not only has an increased armor, but shields as well.”
That gave the Trap Ranger an idea, “Battle Crystal Initialize!” He tossed a Tech Crystal with the image of a lightning bolt as his buster arm took the shape of an electric generator with a barrel.
“THUNDER BUSTER!” He shot the possessed soldier with the new cannon as the electricity sent the soldier into a frenzy as his shields went down,
“Strykore will return and we will have what we desire!”
The sixth ace rolled his eyes, “Yeah, tell me something I don't know.”
“This time, she will not protect you from us, Megaman!”
That caught him off guard, ‘Protect me from them? Could this coincide with what happened to me at Camp Everfree?’ But he knew that the Shards hold the secrets of his past, so he finished off the soldier with a fire grenade as the eerie voice stated,
“You cannot stop us!”
After that fight was over, he signaled to Wallflower to keep moving as they made their way towards the next ramp, but at that point, the girl was beginning to move much slower as she felt herself tiring out,
“I...will hold on...as long...as I can.”
That caught their attention since they're going to be easy pickings for the grublin flies if the barrier falls. That's when the current noncombatant noticed a door at the bottom of the ramp,
“I can see the exit...need to...get there soon.” That's when she started to pick up the pace and make her way towards the exit. As for the two aces, they kept within the barrier while firing several shots at pursuing grublins and cultists as the trap ranger stated,
“Don't worry, we're almost through!”
The three jumped the barrier to the ramp leading to the exit. As buster shots and cannon shots hit and brought down several grublins and cultists, they just needed to hold off a little longer until they got through the door. But as the door to the tram station opened, Wallflower turned around with a look of determination as she created a massive shockwave which blasted all cultists and grublins away, including the flies infesting the room. As an added measure, Megaman fired three more buster shots before the door closed while Wallflower was panting over the amount of force that she emitted for that blast.
After that was over, the trap ranger contacted the rest of the squadron, “Spy, status report.”
The leader of the squadron spoke, “We're fine, Dro just opened the fortress gate allowing Dark’s C-1 to land. It was around the same time that Ter and the rest of survivors showed up.”
Blaster-Tron’s voice spoke, “Terrafin's group made it through, Spike. No casualties.”
Sonata, relieved that the survivors were okay, “Good, we're going to get them home after this. But first, we need to use this tram to get to the core and grab the Mystic Shard.”
The trio boarded the tram and made their way to the core of the fortress.
As the tram made its way across the track to the reactor, Megaman looked at Wallflower since she was the one that the first shard had mentioned. He knew now that he had to meet her in order to find the second Mystic Shard and she pretty much lead them right to it. He knew from interacting with the first, that the shards were connected and when one is found, it sends the user a vision of the location of the next one. But also considering that Wallflower and those teens were trapped in those pods waiting to be turned into an organic milkshake meant that the shard knew that innocent people were in trouble. So he decided to ask,
“So Wallflower, what did you think of the other survivors?”
The forest haired girl figured, “Well, the boy in the red cap prides himself to be a DJ like Vinyl Scratch, is friends with some fashion model whom he often considers his ‘bro’ and is in a relationship with some blogger. But that blonde, ugh, she considers herself above everyone else, she's a bully and looks down upon them, like Sunset Shimmer, but unlike her, that girl's daddy is a mayor. The fencer actually is from the same city as the first two, she thrives on being a good swordsman."
Sonata figured, "That's what Spy is, an excellent swordsman especially with his twin katanas."
Wallflower finished, "But that wolf girl...she's from New Salem.”
Sonata was surprised by the mention of that city, “I’ve heard of that city, I think my sisters and I did a few concerts there. Something about a high school for monsters?”
“Exactly, she's the first New Salem local that I’ve met.”
Megaman figured, “A DJ, a Fencer, a girl with a superiority complex, a wolf girl from New Salem and you. If people are getting kidnapped and forced into labor or melted down for some reason, we need to put a stop to it.”
Soon enough, they felt the train reach the core as the door opened, “And destroying this fortress is a start.” As the group disembarked, they followed the large tubes that darted the sides of the massive structure as he contacted Jack,
“Okay, all the tubes lead to this one spot. Jack, what are they up to?”
“The tubes are being fueled into some kind of superstructure, a hybrid of organic and inorganic material. According to these readings-it's MASSIVE...Spike, if these calculations are correct, the superstructure is some kind of robot.”
That wasn't until the team entered a large clearing as the team got a look at the robot, “Not just any robot…” Due to his involvement at Capybara Island, he recognized the shape of the thing’s head and body as it was suspended from its wrists,
“A Mecha-Golem!”
“Exactly.” There was a shudder which startled the group as four tubes opened up as it injected the processed material, “I don't believe this...the cult of Malefor has processed their own disciples, prisoners and grublins as sacrifices. They will most likely require more to complete this Golem.”
Megaman was surprised since he didn't think that the cult would liquify people and turn them into that, he asked,
“What do they get by turning their victims into this golem shell?”
“If I had to guess, it had something to with the grublins losing the original golem at Capybara Island, which I read was the first major battle that you participated in as a human. The cult decided to use the company to build a new golem of the deep using technology under the name, 'Project: Reaper’ but they needed to make it act like the original, operating to cause destruction. So in order to lay the framework of the Mecha-Golem, they melted down grublins into a paste to fuel it. But they saw fit to use it as a form of execution for prisoners or disobedient members. This is some sick stuff that these people are doing.”
Sonata realized, “So that's why they're building it to look like the Golem.”
The sixth ace asked, “How much more would it take to complete it?”
“It's hard to say, but this robot is practically an embryo considering that it only has its arms, torso and tail.”
“So it's not alive yet? We can still stop it from being...created?”
“Precisely.”
Wallflower was shocked by this as she shook her head at the golem, “This thing...all those people who were melted down...only to be turned into this thing. It's...It’s an abomination!”
Megaman noted, “My thoughts exactly. Jack, how do we destroy this thing?”
Jack stated, “Those tubes that are pumping the golem with the paste are the weak points. Destroying them will cause the machinery to collapse and the golem to fall.”
That's when the trio knew what to do with the giant robot in front of them. But before anyone could get a shot off, the tubes closed as several wyverns began to drop grublins onto the platform. The trio knew that they just needed to hold off until the weak points open in order to destroy this hybrid. Sonata tossed Wallflower a blaster pistol as they held their position and cut down as many grublins as possible. The swordsmen and axmen that got close were chopped in half from an arm sword or a katana while blaster fire, buster shots and throwing stars dealt with the enemies at range.
Just as more wyverns began dropping more troops, the injection tubes opened as Sonata fired a shot from her shield cannon and destroyed the first tube. Megaman managed to fire a charged shot, destroying the second tube before the last two closed. The grublins were determined to keep their project alive as they tried to fight off the trio, but a fire bomb crystal made short work of it. Sonata figured,
“These guys really don't want us destroying this husk.”
Megaman stated, “I don't think they wanted us in here in the first place.” He evaded a dark crystal by changing his Traptanium frequency from solid to wave as he turned intangible. After that, he turned tangible again and used a charged Mega Buster on the bowman that attacked him as well as the group surrounding it. That was when the tubes opened,
“The tubes are opening! Now’s our chance!”
Wallflower turned her pistol to the tubes as several well placed shots shattered the tube as Megaman used a charged shot on the last tube, destroying it completely. Soon enough, the Mecha-Golem’s supports began to collapse as the husk dipped into the pit. As more of the machine collapsed, the husk itself slightly jolted before falling into the pit completely. The three looked over to see that the machine had disappeared before they diverted their attention to the main target: The Reactor.
Megaman contacted the others, “Echo 6 to Squadron, Status Report!”
Dro spoke on the comm, “It's Dro, we are holding, but they're trying to break through the doors! Tell me you got good news!”
The Trap Ranger made his way to the reactor as he said, "Prep the engines on those planes because I’m going to overload this reactor and blow it sky high!”
The mechanic acknowledged this as the Trap Ranger reached the reactor’s control panel. After typing in the commands, the reactor pylon itself opened, revealing the blue Mystic Shard from his vision. Noticing how it was connected to the reactor suggests that the cult was using the gem itself to stabilize the reactor and power the base. Due to previous experience from Camp Everfree, the blue bomber reached his armored gauntlet into the reactor and pulled the Mystic Shard from the terrible machine as it shined blue as its power returned. He held the gem in his hands as he felt himself get pulled into the shard’s secret.
Spike was soon back in that hallway again, not merged and in his regular clothes. He slowly made his way to the door as he took notice of the objects beside him.
In the Birth Memory, there were gurneys, hospital beds and IV bags aligned in the corridor, but this one had books, gym equipment and champagne bottles. If it had something to do with Scorch Dragonfire and himself, he needed to find out since the revelation of Strykore's Return. As soon as he opened the door, he was met with a familiar site - The Gymnasium at CHS...but it had a small table in the middle with two people sitting there.
As he got closer, he figured that it was Scorch and Celestia, mainly due to the fact that Scorch's head is obscured by the nearly darkened gym and the Principal was actually wearing a nice red dress as her hair was brushed down. He heard Scorch speak,
“I must admit, being with you has lifted my spirits ever since you found me.”
“You've been jumping from world to world before you landed in my yard and you were hurt when I found you.”,Said Celestia.
Scorch assured, “But it brought us together in the end.”
She connected her hand into his as she said with a smile, “It did and we have a family now.”
Spike noticed that they were wearing a wedding ring as he watched the couple exchange banter about Luna and Cadence babysitting their child and how it's one of the few chances they have to be together due to their jobs and parental duties. That's when he noticed Scorch pull out something familiar as Celestia realized,
“A Mystic Shard?!”
The man nodded, “As much as I love you, I did say that one day Strykore will return. As for the Shards, they keep the prophecy of Strykore's Return, so when the time comes, the chosen will defeat him once and for all. But they also store memories and hold a large amount of energy and I wish to save this moment with you, my Bright Sun.”
Spike was confused, “Prophecy?”
Celestia agreed to the option, smiling while calling him her ‘Armored Dragon’ as the blue gem began to glow. After that, Spike was consumed via bright light as the voice spoke,
“You have collected the second Mystic Shard and I’m sure you’ve heard him mention the prophecy. It's for Strykore’s Return and eventual defeat. I will recall what was read.” The incorporeal voice paused before recounting,
“In a time where peace reigns,
Where Heroes take flight,
Grave Danger occurs,
Behind the scenes,
Where Hell Screams,
And Demons Arise,
Beware the Light Eater’s Return,
For no one can stand against him.
But in his return,
There is Hope,
Arise the Twins of Dragons,
Only they could survive,
The trials of reunion,
And defeat him,
Once and for all.”
After being told of the prophecy, the image shifted to Celestia and Scorch sitting on the beach with the beach house in the background. Spike knew all too well that this was Equestria Shores as the principal leaned her head on the man’s shoulder. That wasn't until he was brought back to reality.
Soon enough, he was back in Archelon Fortress, but he was actually on the tram instead of the reactor with Sonata and Wallflower looking over him with the Mystic Shard in his hand. He asked,
“I collapsed after grabbing the shard?” Sonata nodded as she stated, “Wallflower and I managed to carry you back to the tram. We need to get back to the hangar as quickly as possible since removing the shard caused the reactor to destabilize. We have at least 10 minutes before the reactor overloads and blows this whole fortress apart.”
He knew for certain that they needed to regroup with the team and get out of the fortress before it blows. But as the train made it to the flight deck station, the train suddenly shook as the ground exploded next to them - And a giant metal arm grabbed onto the track before pulling the rest of the body in perfect view of the team. All Megaman could think of was,
“You gotta be kidding me!”
Wallflower asked, “I thought we destroyed this thing?!”
Sonata hefted her shield cannon, “It must've gone active when we dropped it into the pit!”
The Mecha-Golem raised its tail in a sideswipe motion as the Trap Ranger yelled, “Hit the Deck!”
The three dove for the floor as the tail smashed through the upper part of the train. After that was done, most of the upper half of the train was nothing but rubble, leaving the trio exposed to the Golem's amber eyes. Sonata fired several shots at it which deflected off its armor. She was shocked,
“That armor’s too thick, our shots won't work!”
The Trap Ranger figured, “This thing was still in development, so they must've left some weak points!”
Wallflower realized, “What about the glowing parts on it?” The team noticed how the Golem's eyes and chest were of an amber color which was pretty much a sign saying, ‘Shoot here!’
Sonata now knew, “Landing a few good shots on the weak points could stop this thing for good!”
The siren shot at the eyes as the robot shot a glare at her and used its energy breath, it missed the train because a shot to the eye from Wallflower’s pistol caused it to jerk up. The damage to its eye was minimal, so multiple hits to the weak points with either a unified attack or heavy weapons would be enough to destroy it.
Megaman fired several charged shots at the other eye as they both hit the target, but as he fired regular buster shots, the mechanical abomination jerked to the right, avoiding the shots before its tail shot up from the tracks behind their train, destroying them completely. The trio soon jumped from their train and took cover in the station as the robot ripped a large hole through the building as the full moon illuminated the Golem. Soon enough, the mouth of the robot began to glow as it began to charge up its weapon. The team took cover as several energy balls shot at them or over them. After the impact, the team began to open fire on the Golem's weak points.
They concentrated their fire on the individual weak points on the robot as Drago warned, “We have 5 minutes left until the base blows!”
Megaman asked, “How are we going to do that with this thing still alive?”
Drago decided, “Reach out with the Traptanium for anything that you can use to beat it faster.”
Megaman realized what his spirit companion was saying which reminded him back when he first activated the gauntlet. The Traptanium Wave Roads, his abilities and all the things that Drago had taught him. He decided to put those teachings to the test as he held his right hand out like he was reaching for something while yelling,
“The Trap Ranger is in danger! I reach out to the very crystals that we use and ask for anything to help us win this battle! Lend me the power!!”
Upon saying that, a blue beam hit Megaman as he was consumed in a bright flash which blinded the girls while the robot’s sight was scrambled. After what seemed like an eternity, the light faded to reveal the blue bomber, but he was different.
Spike was still in his Megaman armor, but he felt taller, and felt the sting of a neural link hitting him as his head up display stated,
‘Link Complete, Pilot Confirmed.’
Afterwards, he looked at himself and realized that he was piloting some high-tech mech suit. His torso was exposed, but his armor offered protection, his mech legs were armored with jet boosters while his left arm had a dragon style arm cannon while his right hand held the tomahawk. The mech also had a set of dragon-like wings on his back with boosters as well. He also realized that his helmet was full as the faceplate closed over his previously exposed mouth. He looked at the Mecha Golem and smiled,
“Let's roll!”
With a blast from the jets, he soared towards the robot as he fired his arm cannon at the eyes, damaging them. The Mecha-Golem tried to use its energy breath, but the Trap Ranger’s Mech Suit gave him a boost to his reflexes as he swiftly dodged it before retaliating by throwing his tomahawk at the machine’s jaw which did penetrate the armor a bit before the war axe returned to its user. Spike was impressed,
“I feel much more powerful now. Just enough to protect my friends!”
Soon enough, the Trap Ranger fired another shot at the Mecha-Golem, it didn't hit the weak points though, but the impact of the buster shot did make it mad as it began to fling its arms around in an attempt to swat him from the skies. He evaded again and changed his buster to a chain gun and fired on the head, which hit both eyes as damage was shown, but there was a spark at the top of the robot’s head as the mechanical monstrosity whipped its tail at Spike, there wasn't enough time to dodge as the tail knocked him out of the sky and sent spiraling towards the ocean.
The Mecha-Golem, upon seeing the annoying pest impact with the water, laughed as it turned back to the girls as Wallflower yelled in shock,
“MEGAMAN NOOO!!!”
Meanwhile in the ocean, the Trap Ranger was slowly sinking towards the bottom, his eyes were closed, but he could hear voices calling out for him as images appeared in his mind, Camp Everfree, CHS, the Directors, Echo and Omega Squadron, the survivors that they rescued, himself as a kid standing next to a woman looking out Lake Everfree, seeing his own smiling face with the woman's hand on his shoulder.
Soon enough, the voices and the images were so much, his eyes shot open, but they were glowing white as his green hair shined. He soon shot up from the ocean as electricity built up around him as he broke the surface.
His reappearance caught the Mecha-Golem's attention as the Trap Ranger landed near his friends and with a flick of his wrist, both arms of his Mech Suit shifted into tesla cannons as Megaman became a conductor of electricity as several sparks gathered around him. The girls watched in amazement at the concept of their friend’s power. Not only did he summon the mech suit, but he had a sort of super state that was triggered when he fell into the ocean.
As soon as the cannons reached their peak, he fired a beam of lightning which shattered the Golem’s weak points, including the final point in its head. After that was over, Megaman's eyes and hair stopped the light show as the mech suit vanished into a bracelet around the Trap Ranger’s right arm. Sonata was impressed,
“That was amazing! I didn't know you could do that!”
Megaman was a bit dazed by it until he figured, “Neither did I.”
But it was best to remember that they were still on a time limit since they needed to get to the hangar and leave the fortress. But that was when Wallflower yelled,
“LOOK OUT!!” The trio saw the husk of the Mecha-Golem, on fire and leaning towards the platform. They jumped back as the robot hit the floor before sliding down to ground outside, but unfortunately Wallflower was sliding down the tilted floor as well and close to falling off, but she was saved because Megaman jumped after her, grabbed her hand and used a claw crystal to anchor them in place which was close to the edge as the robot itself exploded beneath them, flipping the floor of the station as the two tumbled the other way as their old train flung all three of the them into a hole that was made during the fight.
After that was over, the team were lying in the ruins of the former chamber. Megaman managed to get up while moving a piece of rubble off him before noticing the other two. He checked on Sonata to find that she was okay before moving over to help Wallflower up as the Trap Ranger used a Strength Crystal to lift a piece of debris off of her as the forest-haired girl managed to get up. Soon enough, Jack’s voice came on the comm,
“Striker to Echo 6! Come on, Spike, don't leave me hanging!”
Megaman got on the comm, “I’m here, Jack. Did the survivors get out?”
The human Imaginator sighed, “All survivors are on board and the sub is vacating the area while the rest are still waiting on you.”
But they were interrupted as several Grublin flies appeared which was a sign for the trio to run as that eerie voice spoke,
“Echo Squadron, Omega Squadron, you’ve changed nothing!” Megaman fired a few shots at the flies before running, “You're transgressions here have our full attention.”
As the trio fled to the hangar, the purple eyed Hero Orc walked around the command center, “For the combined powers of Malefor lead to birthing a new world from the ashes of the old.”
As the trio ran, they caught the attention of several cultist soldiers which pursued them. The soldiers themselves fired several shots at them, but missed due to the shaking and small explosions caused by the reactor overload as the team reached the hangar where the first four aircraft, Falken, Raven, Nosferatu and Morgan have already pulled out from their parking spots as the ADF-11 pointed its nose at the soldiers before firing several shots of pulse lasers to cover them. Sonata had already boarded the Cariburn while Wallflower boarded Fenrir, but due to the constant rumbling from the reactor overloading, the loading ladder for Fenrir had collapsed as Spike ran towards the plane.
The Trap Ranger was determined to get aboard that plane, so jumped onto the collapsed ramp before leaping towards the open cockpit. When it seemed like it was slow-motion, the push off from his jump made him sail towards the Fenrir's cockpit, only for him to grab the edge of the open cockpit as the soldiers began to open fire despite the cover fire from Dro. Wallflower grabbed the dangling pilot and pulled him into the plane as the canopy closed and the plane immediately started as its engines fired up and the Fenrir took to the skies followed by the other five.
Spy pointed out, “An explosion blocked off the fortress gate!”
Spike stated as he settled in his seat with Wallflower on his lap, “There's the exhaust vent in the back of the hangar, large enough for a plane! Hang on!”
Soon enough with Echo 6 in the lead, Echo Squadron zoomed out of the fortress via the exhaust vent and the six aircraft cleared the fortress as several explosions erupted from within as Echo Squadron formed up with the XFA-33 as the lead plane.
As the squadron escaped, the Hero Orc was trying to stop the overload until the mask outline appeared over its eyes as it was knocked by an explosion only to grip onto the control panel, the eerie voice stated,
“You have failed! We will find another way!” The creature could only watch as the red eyes and two other images on the screen looked disappointed before the voice stated, “Releasing Control!”
Soon enough, the outline disappeared as Hero Orc looked in shame, knowing that it failed until it looked at the coming explosion as it consumed the unfortunate creature.
Back outside the fortress, the grand finale happened as Archelon Fortress exploded as the six planes made their escape. Although the explosion was contained at the island, it had also sent out a shockwave towards the squadron. But just as the shockwave caught up, all six planes went to Hypersonic, zooming away from the island as Spike stated,
“Echo 6 to Squadron, we're away! Let's head for the rendezvous point at Outpost Charlie!”