Sheila yawned and looked over the control panels for Big Duo, Big O, and Big Fau. The news of Dorothy not responding well to the antidote had shaken her, so she was looking over test results from the previous test to see what could be improved. She sighed. Seebach walked into the control room. They had opted to bring the kids, and so, had set up cots for them to sleep in so they could take them to the Sun Festival, which was opening later on that morning.
"It's late," said Seebach, "Why aren't you in bed? Is it about Miss Dorothy?"
Sheila nodded and Seebach grabbed her shoulder, nodding. "I'm worried too. Any word from the old man?"
Sheila shook her head. "I just heard traffic the MP's moving on the docks. He's probably there."
"Well, maybe they caught the guy. I just hope it brings peace to the old man. I'm gonna check the radar. MP boat patrols say the water's been choppy by the Wastes."
"It's probably a ruin collapsing into the water, or another sand dune being blown into the water," Sheila yawned. Seebach shrugged and went over to the radar, studying it. He yawned, looking over the screen for a few moments. Until it made a blip noise.
"Huh?"
"What is it, Michael?"
"I dunno."
Seebach studied the screen closer, and he saw a dot moving from the Wastes to the eastern portion of Paradigm City. Then another dot appeared, followed by another. They were staggered, as if they were walking in a line.
"Are you… MOBILIZE THE DRACO UNIT IMMEDIATELY! HAVE THE OMEGA AND FAUST UNITS ON STANDBY! I HAVE THREE UNCONFIRMED TARGETS MOVING WEST FROM THE WASTES, FROM CENTRAL POINT X-RAY, YOUNG, DELTA!"
Sheila sat up looking alarmed while SCA controllers began typing away furiously. She began readying Big Duo.
"What's going on?"
"There's something approaching from the Wastes. Ready Big Duo.
"But what about…"
Seebach kissed Sheila on the forehead.
"Just get me and Duo ready. I need the Grumpy Old Men as soon as possible, and get Dastun here. I got a bad feeling about this. I don't think they're friendlies… I love you. Keep the kids safe. We got this."
"Sir, we are unable to get a hold of Pilot Griffon and the Chief of the Military Police!" yelled one of the controllers.
"Just my damn luck! Keep trying! We need someone from the senior staff to be here! What about Pilot Kraken?"
"He's on his way with his machinist!"
"That's good enough for me! I'll conduct an initial assessment of the situation! Advise all MP patrols in the area to use caution in the area! PILOT EAGLE IS FALLING OUT!"
And Seebach ran to the hanger to get to Big Duo.
****
Roger was hot on the kid's heels. Despite being in his 40s, he was gaining ground, even as the kid knocked things over around him.
"STOP! I JUST WANNA TALK!" yelled Roger.
Dastun, now saw Roger. The dealer hadn't got far and ran into one of Webster's units. Dastun decided to double back and look for Roger.
Damn it! I'm too old for this shit!
The kid ducked around into a warehouse, hiding among the boxes as Roger came into view. He couldn't see him or hear him. Roger steadied his breathing.
"Look!" he called out loudly into the warehouse, "I just want to talk. I don't have any issue with you, only your guardian. I need to find him and you're the only one that can help!"
Silence. Roger strained to hear anything for a moment, then he continued.
"Let me start by asking your name! Can I ask what your name is?"
Dastun ran into view as the kid answered, the voice echoing off the walls, "It's Scott."
"Listen Scott," Roger began, "I don't know what Mr. Sampson means to you. But I know you know what he's planning. Otherwise, you wouldn't be freaking out about the amount of fertilizer that dealer sold you. You're just a kid. I know you know this will hurt a lot of people if Mr. Sampson has his way."
"So? Why do you care? Mr. Sampson told me a long time ago he tried to save the world, but people like you stopped him!"
Roger took a few breaths as Dastun caught up with him.
"I can't peg him down, Roger. Keep him talking," Dastun whispered and Dastun moved away, looking for the kid.
"What happened a long time ago is much more complicated than what Mr. Sampson's told you, Scott. Have you heard the other side's story?"
"Why do I need to hear their side?"
"So, you make your own decision on who's right. You're a smart kid. You deserve that much."
Silence. Roger looked all around him, but didn't see any sign of him. He kept talking, hoping Dastun was having much better luck than he was.
"I don't know what your guardian is planning to do, but I know it can't be good. If he sets this bomb off, he'll be responsible for hundreds of lost lives. He'll go to prison, leaving you alone, if you even survive. Do you understand? And because you helped him get the materials, even you could be tried and convicted as an accomplice, even though you're just a kid. No guardian would ever put their kid in a position like that, not one that cared anyway."
Silence again. The kid has to be listening. I'm close, thought Roger.
"Scott, please listen to me. You shouldn't be involved with the sins of the past. It's over, and we have to move on and accept what has happened. You have your life ahead of you, and you can do so much with it. But you have to make that choice…"
Roger didn't finish as he heard Dastun cry out and loud crashing noise ahead of him.
"DASTUN!" yelled Roger and he ran over in the direction of the noise, finding Dastun pinned between the wall of the warehouse and some crates.
"He got the drop on me. You were getting through to him though. I heard him mumbling he didn't want to do this," Dastun said, straining to push himself free from the crates that pinned him. Roger began pushing as well to help.
"Damnnit Roger, go! Before he gets away."
"No…way! Just keep… pushing!"
Dastun and Roger managed to push the crates back enough for Dastun to get free and crawl out. Roger leaned on the wall to catch his breath while Dastun braced himself on his knees.
"Damnnit, I'm too old for this bullshit," groaned Dastun, huffing and puffing.
"Speak for yourself. I'm in my prime."
"Well, if you're in your prime, go after him. I'll catch up. I need to radio my unit anyway."
"I thought you were taking lead."
"And I thought he's related to your client, and you need answers. He took off out that door and turned to his left. Hurry."
Roger nodded and went after the kid.
****
Seebach was in Big Duo, flying in the direction of the Wastes in the night sky. Normally, Seebach would be thrilled about a nighttime fly over, but the situation weighed heavily on his mind.
"When I last saw them Big Duo, they were on the outer edge of the map and our radar covers about ten miles inland of the Wastes, so keep an eye out for them, buddy."
Big Duo's eyes flashed, and the afterburner flared up.
"Whoa! Easy buddy! What's got you all riled up?"
Seebach studied his radar map as they approached the Wastes. The targets now appeared on his map, but in blue, but they still had some distance to go.
"Michael, Big Duo is flying close to 250 knots. Slow him down!" came Sheila across the comm link through his helmet.
"I'm trying to Sheila, but something's got him fired up. Big Duo, help me out here. What's the hurry?"
Seebach studied the radar again.
"Sheila, what do blue targets mean again?"
"Are you serious right now, Michael? You're supposed to know this!"
"I know green is enemy and white is friendly! I've never seen blue."
"Blue's a target that's been recorded from a previous battle with one… of… the Bigs…"
It dawned on Sheila what she has just said.
"Michael, gain altitude. Stay out of enemy firing range!"
"What? But I don't see them and if I climb any higher…"
"Beck installed new cameras on the Knights! We can get confirmation that way!"
"But Sheila…"
"Just do it!"
Big Duo began to ascend higher on his own accord. Seebach groaned.
"Really, buddy? How's that even fair, you siding with my wife? Come on…"
But Seebach followed along and maneuvered the joy cons to level out Big Duo, continuing to fly east.
"I'm not seeing anything now… this bites! Wait… is that footprints in the sand… that has to be! Big Duo, hold a sec and let's hover for a moment."
Big Duo straightened himself upright as Seebach began searching the Wastes from his viewpoint.
"Man… come on… I hate this shifting sand… wait, what was that flash?"
"MICHAEL, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Sheila yelled into the comm.
Seebach banked hard left as a beam of light shot passed him, missing him by inches. The sudden turn caused Big Duo to spin wildly out of control, Seebach holding on for dear life.
"Damn… this! Big Duo! Fire them thrusters NOW!"
Big Duo increased the output of his jets and restabilized himself. Seebach adjusted his flight path, now flying southwest. As he did, he caught a glimpse of three megadeuses, trying to cross the large sand dune. Sheila, who was watching the video feed, zoomed in on them, capturing their images, and running them in a database Beck had set up for reference. The names Carnot, Fouche, and Robespierre came up on the screen, with an exclamation point inside of triangle appearing next to each name. However, they appeared different than before. They were all black, their eyes red, and their arms were gray. This did not sit well with Sheila.
"Michael, you're done with recon! Get back to the base and wait for Beck and Big Fau," she said, coming across the comm.
"But…"
"Big O had trouble fighting all three on his own, despite Roger being injured at the time, from what I'm reading. We need a game plan, especially if we can't get the Omega unit out. Fall back for now."
Seebach sighed.
"Come on buddy, let's fall back."
Big Duo flew back in the direction of the base.
***************************
Roger was running down the narrow alleys, trying to follow the kid in the dark. Every so often he would pause and try to listen, to the sound of footsteps hitting wet pavement, then following the sound's direction. He approached a four-way, looking all around him. He steadied his breathing.
Come on… I know you're close….
He got his answer when he heard a loud thump, followed by a groan of pain, then yelling.
"YOU IDIOT! YOU LED THEM RIGHT TO US!"
"They… they came from no where! I didn't have no where else to go…"
Roger heard the voices coming from his left and he walked silently, but quickly toward the voices, finally seeing a warehouse door cracked. He peered inside.
He saw the kid, getting up, and handing over the fertilizer to Sampson, who went over to a weird looking device. He opened the panel and began adding what the kid delivered.
"This won't be NEAR ENOUGH for the plan. But we have no choice now, the MP will be here any minute. Who else was here?"
"A man… in black… with weird eyebrows…"
Sampson stopped and glared at him.
"Was there anyone else with him? A female with short red-brown hair?"
Scott shook his head. "No, just him and an old grizzled-looking cop…"
Sampson cackled as finished adding the fertilizer.
"She's as good as dead anyway. The only one who knows the antidote is me!"
He laughed horribly once more and this infuriated Roger, but he stayed hidden.
If I go in now, I risk killing myself, Dastun, and everyone on the docks. Keep calm, Roger…
Roger continued observing the room. He saw a car in the corner, similar to the one he saw the other night. Sampson threw a bag at Scott.
"Finish wiring it and hurry! We need to have this ready to detonate."
The car is to make sure they're a safe distance before detonation. However…
Roger looked at his watch and pressed the dial a few times. The Griffon was not far from his location. He gave it the command to start and meet him at his current location. A timer began… 4:59 and counting down. Knowing Dastun, he knew he had enough men on the docks for them to spot it and follow it, thus bringing back up.
"Mr. Sampson, what about my antidote dose? I still need to take it…"
"You'll get it once you're done! Now hurry up and finish. My hands are too sharp for the delicate wires of the device…"
"I doubt he'll give it you, Scott. He's more preoccupied about getting this bomb done than making sure of your safety. Not a very parent-like thing to do…"
Roger walked into view calmly, with his hands held up, but with a scowl on his face. Sampson withdrew a gun from his overcoat and pointed it at Roger. Roger grimaced and stopped walking.
"You shut your mouth, Negotiator! You stay right where you are!" yelled Sampson.
"Sampson! Stop this now! The MP are all over the docks. If you want to escape, you would need to leave now and take your ward to safety."
"The fact that none of the MP are here means they have no idea where you are, Negotiator! Besides, I have a debt to pay, specifically to you…"
Roger gritted his teeth, feeling his temper rising.
"Lemme ask you one thing. Why did you target Dorothy, instead of me, if that was the case?"
Sampson let out a maniacal laugh.
"Your wife was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, Negotiator! I had plans that day to administer the poison to you. But, it worked out in the end. My ward heard your little gang at the apartment the other night, and I knew you were looking for something to cure her. There's no cure, Negotiator. Only I have it and have figured it out! She will die. It's only a shame you can't watch it happen! The poison I have here will make your death much worse than hers. But seeing as you took away my home, my livelihood, and my purpose on that fateful day, I decided that the last moments of your life suffering while those you loved watched you die would be a fitting fate for you!"
Roger clenched his fist, but heard the sound of running footsteps. Dastun ran into view, not realizing Sampson had a gun.
"Roger! We followed…"
"DASTUN, GET DOWN!" yelled Roger, running in his direction as Sampson took aim and fired. Roger tackled Dastun at the last second to the ground, covering both of their heads as heard the bullet whiz past them.
"You alright?" Roger groaned in pain.
"Never be…" Dastun stopped talking, staring ahead of him. Sampson, despite being old, was definitely a cyborg and could jump. He was in the air for a moment, and then landed near Roger and Dastun, who were still on the ground, pointing the gun at both of them.
"Well, I was hoping the wife would see you suffer, Negotiator, but I guess a friend will do! Scott, is it finished?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good," and Sampson took out a remote detonator and tossed it to Scott, who caught it, confused, "Detonate this thing so we can get out of here!"
"But…"
"It's fine if you breathe some in, as long as the antidote is administered within the first hour, you'll live."
Roger felt himself shaking in anger.
So… all that pain I put Dorothy through… it was for nothing! Dorothy's gonna die because he had the true antidote all along. And now… he's deliberately putting this kid in danger! No… No… I need to do something!
"Scott, please… you're just a kid…" Roger began.
"Roger…" Dastun hissed quietly, but Roger ignored him and kept talking.
"You shouldn't be worried about an old man's vendetta against someone you don't know anything about. You're just a kid, with his whole life ahead of him, free to make the choice to be whatever you want. That's what I fought for that day, all those years ago. And I'll do it again if I ever have to."
Scott's hands trembled with the detonator. He was looking from Roger to Sampson, wide-eyed and fearful. Roger looked straight into his eyes.
"My kids… I have three sons, two close to your age. I tell them whenever they ask about what I do or why I do it, my sins are not theirs. The battles I fought, that I still fight, they're only theirs if they so choose them to be. I would never pass my responsibilities onto to them unless I gave them all the necessary tools they needed to be a success. Because I want them to live and enjoy life, so that they too can pass that happiness on to those that they care about. Think of the people you will hurt. Not just me, but those that work here, live here. All those innocents, who don't even know me… is it worth it that they die over your guardian's quarrel with me?"
"SHUT UP NEGOTIATOR! YOU'VE SAID ENOUGH! SCOTT, DETONATE THE DAMN THING, NOW!" and Sampson pressed the barrel of gun into Roger's temple, while Dastun slowly moved to ready himself for a tackle, careful to not attract Sampson's attention.
But Scott wasn't listening to Sampson. His eyes were on Roger. Roger didn't look away.
"If you want to continue your guardian's quarrel with me, fine, but just kill me. No one else deserves to die because of something that happened before you were born," Roger said quietly.
Scott now had tears in his eyes and before Sampson could say anything, Scott withdrew a boxcutter and sliced all the wires on the bomb. Sampson look horrified at what he had done and turned the gun onto him.
"YOU STUPID BRAT! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DONE!"
Scott dropped the detonator, terrified, as Dastun got up and tackled Sampson to the ground, pushing the gun away from him.
"GO! Get the kid! I got him!" yelled Dastun as he held tight to the struggling Sampson.
Roger got up and ran to Scott, bending down to his level. Roger looked him over. He was fine, physically, but mentally, the kid was shaken. He looked down and saw the state of his shoes.
"Looks like you could use some new shoes. You alright?" Roger asked quietly, with a small smile.
"Why… why did you help me? After everything we did?" Scott asked, shaking, looking visibly upset.
Roger took his jacket off and put it around Scott, wrapping him tight in it.
"I helped you because I know those eyes you have. A long time ago, maybe a bit younger than you, I had the same eyes, full of fear, doubt, and hopelessness. But then I reached out and someone helped me. I could see you had those same eyes, and you were trying to reach out, but needed help. That's what me and my wife do for a living. We help people who are confused, afraid, lost, who don't know what to do. And when we start a job, we always see it through. We make sure that our clients are in a better place than when we found them in. And, as it just so happens, you're now my client. I promise to help you, if you'll let me."
Roger hugged Scott, and Scott, who had rarely experienced kindness or affection, broke down, crying hard, until Roger heard a groan of pain and turned around. Sampson had kicked Dastun away from him and was making his way to the car in the corner, getting inside and driving out of the warehouse. Roger tensed up. He turned back to Scott.
"Can you do me a huge favor?"
Scott nodded.
"Can you keep an eye on Chief Dastun over there for me? I know he looks a bit scary, and he sounds grumpy, but he's my friend. If you trust me, you can trust him. Just wait with him until the other MPs get here. I have to go now…"
Roger smiled, picked up the kid, and ran over to Dastun, setting Scott down as Dastun groaned, getting to his feet slowly. Roger kept running.
"Stupid cyborg… Roger! Damnnit! Where the hell are you going?"
"He has the antidote, Dastun! I need to get it for Dorothy. Stay here with the kid!"
"ROGER! THIS IS MP BUSINESS!"
"I'll bring him in alive! But I need that antidote!"
Roger ran out of the warehouse, where the Griffon was waiting for him, and he climbed inside, giving pursuit. Dastun didn't know what to say. He looked down at the kid, who was shaken. Dastun adjusted Roger's jacket on him.
"Come on, stay close with me. We need to find my men."
Scott nodded as Dastun's radio crackled.
"Chief Dastun, sir!"
"Go…"
"The SCA has reported a sighting of three megadeuses, crossing the Wastes and marching on Paradigm from the East. It's a purple event, sir!"
"WHAT? Are you sure?"
"Positive, sir! Machinist Eagle has confirmed it on the database!"
"That's all we need right now! Where are the MP mecha units?"
"They are getting mobilized, sir! But the SCA needs a senior staff member to be present!"
"Gah… get my wife on the line! She should be home in Electric City! I'm wrapping up the terrorist situation over on the fishing docks. Have the mecha units mobilized, and lined up at rendezvous point, Sierra, Quebec, Kilo! I'll meet them over there with two platoons! I'll have the remaining three stay here and wrap up. I also need the bomb squad and a unit from PERG's decommissioning squad for an explosive device! Note that the device in question contains an organic toxic substance! Where are the Draco and Faust units?"
"In mobilization. They will be the first to make contact, sir!"
"Then we provide back up! Dastun out!"
Dastun turned to look down at the kid as he began walking with a bit of limp out of the warehouse.
"You wanna see something pretty cool?"
Scott looked at him confused. "I'm not… I don't…"
Dastun smiled. "You're not in trouble. Like Roger said, you will not be punished for what your guardian did. You could be tried, but I'll make sure that won't happen. But, you'll have a chance to see what Roger was talking about, and I think that's something you need to see."