Xenos sits in the pilot’s seat of The Landmaster as he drives it silently through a corridor. Viktor looks over from his seat.
“Everything okay back there?”
Arc nods. “We’re good.”
Ember frowns. “This is not what I would call ‘good’.”
She gestures to the shrunken down Shards in a box on one side of the vehicle. Snake frowns.
“This is no picnic for us either.”
Wolf grumbles. “Yeah. How long do we have to stay like this?!”
Jackal chuckles. “I think it fun! We like action figures!”
Arc sighs. “Until we find a way out of here.”
Auriel nods. “We couldn’t all fit in here otherwise. Even if the vehicle is a bit smaller too.”
Sereb growls. “Indeed.”
Arc shrugs. “It wouldn’t have fit in the corridors at full size.”
Auriel looks at her monitor. “And we’re cloaked as well.”
Rose giggles. “It’s much easier to protect everyone if they’re in one place too.”
Max gestures to Hammer lying on the floor of the vehicle as Rose holds her down. “Even her?”
Xenos grins. “Especially her.”
Hugh frowns. “We’re safest if she comes with us.”
Viktor turns to the Shards. “And she’s quite the bargaining chip if we need one later.”
Hammer chuckles as she looks over to Arc. “Now who’s the kidnapper?”
“Us, I guess.”
She glares at him. “At least you’re man enough to admit it.”
“Think what you will of me.”
Ember frowns. “Yeah! The Hero’s a better man than anyone in this place!”
“HA! Now there you’re wrong!”
Sereb growls. “Are we now?”
Hammer nods. “Yeah! I know a fella that’s ten times the man you are… Hero!”
“Is he now?”
“Right! And by the time he gets back from oversees I’ll have saved up some more money to hire him again!”
“To do what?”
“Track you fools down! You’d better watch your backs, as I’ll come for all of you as he finds you for me one by one!”
Rose tightens her grip on Hammer’s wrists. “You just keep quiet.”
“Enjoy the feeling of being hunted!”
Arc walks over to Ember and sits down as Hammer continues fuming.
“How’s she doing?”
Ember sighs. “Not good. Every little thing scares her. It was all I could do to keep her calm while you left us here to free the Shards.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Oh, I understand why you did it. But try explaining that to her.”
Arc puts a hand on Celestia’s back. She cries out frantically.
“Twilight!”
Arc pulls his hand back instinctively. “Woah!”
Ember moves Celestia to the side. “Don’t! She doesn’t like to be touched!”
“What about you?!”
“She seems to like me, I think. Not sure why.”
“Maybe it’s because you two have a mother/daughter relationship?”
Ember narrows her eyes. “Har, har.”
“No, I mean it. Remember, she was the one whom hatched and cared for you as a newborn.”
“So?”
“That means you two have a special bond. You can’t just expect her not to remember that.”
Ember groans. “She’s a mess! That and she can’t even see me through that headgear thing!”
“Maybe not. But look at how she reacts to your touch.”
Ember puts a hand on Celestia’s back. She relaxes and lays her head down contentedly as Ember sighs.
“I wish we could get that thing off her head.”
“Sunburst can probably take care of that. It not, Luna could…”
Celestia raises her head. “Twilight?”
“Has she said anything else?”
Ember shakes her head. “Nothing. Just various tones of that one word.”
Auriel turns her head. “We’re coming up on the main entrance now, Hero.”
Rose nods. “Someone take over for me.”
Hugh steps forward. “I will.”
Rose leans back as Hugh kneels down and takes Hammer’s wrists. She heads for Viktor’s console and sits down.
“Let’s see…”
Arc frowns. “What’s waiting for us out there, Hammer?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Rose looks up from the console. “Looks like over a hundred soldiers.”
Hammer gasps. “How could you possibly know that?!”
Rose grins as she points at the device before her. “Sensors.”
Hammer rolls her eyes. “Of course. And what else did they tell you?”
“That Stingray and Mio are in there as well.”
Max looks to Rose. “What about Diva?”
“No sign of her.”
Hammer frowns. “Really?! She’s never around for the important stuff.”
Hugh looks to Arc. “What should we do, sir?”
Viktor grins. “How about another few rounds of grenades?”
Hammer screams. “WHAT?!”
She squirms angrily as Hugh struggles to keep her restrained.
“Stay down!”
Auriel puts a hand to her cheek. “Together we should be able to repeat the earlier plan with explosives and surprise our enemies.”
Hammer cries out. “Leave my sisters alone!”
Arc shakes his head. “Hammer’s right. Stingray and Mio could be badly injured by our grenades.”
Ember frowns. “But Mio has shields!”
Rose nods sadly. “But if she does not see the attack coming…”
Snake grins. “So what!?”
Wolf clenches a fist. “Yeah! Take those two out!”
Jackal grimaces. “They not good ladies!”
The rest of the Shards nod in agreement. Arc sighs.
“Just leave this to me, everyone.”
Auriel groans. “Well, we do have to do SOMETHING!”
Arc nods. “Right.”
He looks down at Hammer.
“And I think I know exactly what that is.”
A few minutes later Arc walks into the massive elevator room. Every android aims their weapon at him as Stingray and Mio step forward.
“Turning yourself in, eh?”
Mio looks around. “Keep an eye out for his friends! This is most likely a trap!”
Arc shrugs. “Not really. In fact, I’ll tell you exactly where the others are.”
Stingray raises an eyebrow skeptically. “Oh really?”
Arc points behind himself with a thumb. “Inside my vehicle just around the corner.”
Stingray frowns. “Call them out into the open! I want to see everyone!”
“The best I can do is one of them.”
Mio grimaces, her staff aglow. “We’re not in the mood to play games!”
“Neither am I, as I’m on a schedule here. So let’s get this thing moving.”
Pointing his spear out into the corridor, Arc motions to someone. A few moments later Rose steps forward with Hammer in front of her. She roughly pushes the injured young woman onto her knees. Stingray gasps.
“HAMMER?!”
Mio looks to Arc angrily. “Release our sister at once!”
“Fine. But we want something in return.”
Stingray narrows her eyes. “What is it?”
“To leave.”
Mio scoffs. “That isn’t going to…!”
Stingray sighs. “Fine.”
“What?!”
Stingray shrugs. “The general says he can go.”
She turns back to Arc.
“Tell you what, Hero. I’ll let you and your friends pass unharmed in exchange for Hammer’s safe return.”
Rose frowns. “What about the others?”
Mio shakes her head. “We can’t let the Shards go. They belong to us, after all.”
Arc seethes. “So you think you OWN them now?!”
Stingray shrugs. “More or less. They’ll be properly cared for back in the research lab. Nutrition, housing, shelter, medical care. It’s everything they wanted, right?”
Mio smiles. “This could be their place in the world.”
Arc shakes his head. “They wanted a place to call their own, yes. But you’re not offering the one thing they really need.”
Stingray rolls her eyes. “What’s that? Income?”
Mio thinks for a moment. “A place in the Organization?”
“Freedom. Under you, they’re nothing but a science experiment.”
Mio sighs. “But they’ll be helping us make the world a better place!”
Stingray nods. “Like they wanted.”
Arc shakes his head. “I’m not leaving them with you. Now are you going to let us pass, or are we going to fight it out?”
Mio turns to Stingray and whispers. “Hammer’s defenseless as it is. A firefight isn’t something that she would do well in right now. Especially in her condition.”
“So what are you suggesting we do?”
“Getting Hammer back safely needs to be our top priority.”
“But what about our orders?!”
“I’m sure the general would understand the loss if it meant we kept Hammer from getting killed here.”
Stingray sighs. “Fine. For better or worse, she is one of us.”
Hammer groans. “You know I can hear you, right?”
Mio smiles smugly at Hammer. “Good. Then you should appreciate the vast sacrifice we’re making to get you back safe and sound.”
Stingray nods. “Right. Even if you did try to turn us against our true love.”
Hammer cries out. “He’s FORCING you to think that! Didn’t you understand a word I said before?!”
Mio giggles. “Yes, Hammer. But nevertheless we have a job to do.”
Hammer frowns as she looks away. “You two really are a couple of hopeless fools, you know that?!”
Stingray shrugs. “Maybe. But even after what you did, we won’t abandon you to the Hero, Hammer.”
Mio sighs. “It’s a small price to pay to keep you around.”
Hammer narrows her eyes. “Gee… thanks.”
Stingray turns to Arc. “So how should we do this?”
“I want you to order your guards to stand down. You and Mio will step onto the elevator with me and my companion, who will keep Hammer restrained. We’ll ride the elevator to the ground level where I will order your sister’s release just as soon as I’m sure there’s no funny business up there.”
Stingray frowns. “Fine.”
She motions for her troops to stand aside. They do so as Arc steps out into the corridor and motions to Xenos to drive The Landmaster into the room. He and Rose, along with Hammer, walk past the androids and onto the elevator. Mio presses a few buttons and the elevator begins its ascent. Auriel stands up and looks to Xenos.
“Take over watching the Shards for me.”
“Um… okay.”
Hugh frowns. “Something wrong?”
Auriel heads to her station and puts a claw on the Bloodstone casing. “I want to be ready. Just in case.”
Max grimaces. “That’s wise. I smell a double cross coming our way.”
Viktor laughs. “As long as Rose has Hammer, they wouldn’t dare!”
Ember nods. “Yeah? But after they let her go anything could happen.”
Celestia looks up. “Twilight?”
Ember turns her attention back to Celestia. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”
Celestia offers her a small smile. “Twilight…”
Meanwhile, Stingray walks over to Arc as the elevator continues on its way.
“I just want you to know that we’ll be looking for a way to get you back for this!”
Mio tightens her grip on the staff in her hands. “Right! Anyone who hurts one of us…!”
Hammer groans. “I’m fine! Really!”
She winces in pain and leans forward. Stingray looks to her.
“Just a bit longer, Hammer.”
Mio nods. “We’ll make sure you’re healed up in no time.”
She glares at Arc.
“Some hero YOU are!”
“Think what you want, Mio. But your sister’s only alive right now because of me.”
Stingray narrows her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ll let Hammer tell you later.”
Auriel’s voice comes over his earring.
“We’ll be reaching the ground level soon.”
“Anything I should know about?”
“No idea, as our vehicle’s scanners still can’t track anything out there.”
Stingray grins. “And you won’t either!”
Mio smiles smugly. “Right. Our security is second to none.”
Rose looks over. “We got in.”
Arc nods. “Easily, I might add.”
Hammer grits her teeth. “And as soon as I figure out how you and your buddies got in through the lake, that leak will be PLUGGED!”
Mio frowns. “Count on it!”
Stingray looks at him wickedly. “Then we’ll find you… Hero.”
Arc shrugs. “I’ll be long gone by then. But good luck with that.”
He turns to Hammer and kneels down in front of her. She does not look up.
“Sorry for all this.”
Hammer grits her teeth both in anger and in pain. “I swear… that I’ll make you pay for this one day.”
Arc sighs. “Yeah, I… kinda deserve it after this.”
Hammer looks up to him, confused. “You… agree with me?”
“Kinda. I mean… it wasn’t my intention to have anyone harmed. Not you, your sisters, or anyone in the base.”
Hammer frowns as she looks away. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“But as they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy.”
Hammer grunts. “You started this mess!”
Mio shakes her head. “No, Hammer. We did.”
Stingray grits her teeth. “It doesn’t matter who started it! But we’ll be the ones to end it!”
Mio nods soberly. “That we can agree on.”
Hammer cries out. “You’re darn right! As soon as Arc gets back, he’ll…!”
Stingray rolls her eyes. “Will you stop talking about the guy who walked out on you?!”
“He didn’t! There was a case he had to leave the country to…!”
Mio sighs. “Hammer, did it ever occur to you that he was just trying to break it off?”
“No way! Why would he have wanted to…!”
“Because you’re too pushy!”
“And overbearing.”
Stingray shakes her head. “Getting too serious too fast drives men away!”
Hammer glares at her sister. “No, it doesn’t!”
Mio giggles. “Oh really? You said before that you’d had him over to your apartment twice. I bet you just threw yourself at him, didn’t you?”
“Well… I wouldn’t say I necessarily…”
Arc grimaces. “Uh… can you three talk about this after we leave?”
Stingray grins wickedly at Hammer. “You did, didn’t you?!”
“Okay, maybe a little.”
Mio makes kissy sounds. “Did you sleep with him?”
“WHAT?! NO! I mean, I offered. But he didn’t want to!”
Stingray laughs. “You mean he turned you down?”
“Yeah! Wait, no! I mean…!”
Xenos turns to Hugh from inside The Landmaster. “Can we please cut this transmission?”
Hugh shakes his head. “Viktor could. But we need to keep our ears open.”
Viktor frowns. “Right. After all, who knows when the commander will need us.”
Max sighs. “This is hard to listen to though.”
Ember groans. “Yeah. The Hero really did a number on Hammer’s emotions.”
Auriel gasps as she listens intently. “I knew she was… interested in him. But I wasn’t aware things had progressed quite THIS far.”
Snake’s jaw drops. “Wait a sec! The Hero was into… HAMMER?!”
Wolf makes gaging sounds. “That’s just sick!”
Jackal claps his hands together. “Well I think it sweet!”
Snake rolls his eyes. “You would.”
Meanwhile, Stingray facepalms. “Hammer, you can’t DO that?!”
“Do WHAT?!”
Mio rolls her eyes. “Throw yourself at any man who’ll take you. It isn’t dignified!”
“Arc wasn’t just ANY MAN! He loves me! And I love him!”
Arc winces inside his helmet as Hammer continues.
“When he gets back, we’re gunna…!”
Stingray groans. “He didn’t love you, Hammer! Don’t you see!”
Mio sighs. “Stingray is right. If Arc truly loved you, he’d be here for you when you needed him. Not supposedly traipsing around the world.”
“But…!”
Mio continues. “And where is he now?”
Hammer opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out for a long time.
“I misjudged him… didn’t I?”
Stingray nods soberly. “Yes, Hammer.”
Mio smiles at her sister. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. After all, Arc really was pretty good looking.”
Stingray grins sneakily. “Yeah. And he DID stick around quite a bit longer than any of your other boyfriends to date.”
Hammer nods sadly before responding. “He… isn’t coming back… is he?”
Mio shakes his head. “No, he’s not.”
Stingray bows her head. “Tell you what, Hammer. In the off chance that he does, Mio and I promise to give him a fair chance this time.”
“You… you mean it?”
Mio nods. “Yes, indeed. After all, he did make you very happy.”
Stingray sighs. “Right. But his return really is a big ‘if’.”
As the elevator reaches the top Rose forces Hammer to stand. She does so with great difficulty as she winces in pain.
“Ow! Watch it!”
Arc turns to Rose. “Treat her with kid gloves. I don’t want Hammer hurt any more than she already is.”
“Yes sir.”
Arc turns to Stingray and Mio as he points his spear. “You two back up. Don’t interfere with what happens next.”
The pair angrily nod as Arc turns to The Landmaster and raises his gauntlet. Slowly the vehicle begins to return to normal size.
“Open the back hatch.”
Nodding, Xenos presses a button. The back doors fly open and the Shards hop out. They line up as Sereb begins the process of returning them to normal size. Max brings up the rear clutching his spear as he makes his way over to Arc.
“Everything okay out here, sir?”
“So far so good. We just need to wait for my mount to finish his task.”
Rose turns to Arc. “Then what, Hero?”
Arc chuckles. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
He turns to watch the growing group of Shards.
“This is the beginning of the final act. All we need to do now is finish the show and take our bows.”
Meanwhile, Stingray moves her hand to her belt and deftly pulls something out. She carefully slips it into her sleeve and continues observing the situation before her intently.
“Keep at it, you freak. It won’t be long now…