"Grandma, do you have any of those old cactus bombs on you?" Travis ask.
"I always keep a few in my pockets," Grandma says, fishing around in her cardigan and pulling out three marble-sized green balls. "Why? These won't do a thing against those metal behemoths."
"Just trust me. I'm going to open the window, then you toss them outside, okay?"
Grandma nods and Travis creep over to the window. He silently counts to three, then he pop open the glass. Before the squadron can respond, Grandma tosses the cactus marbles out the window.
They land just short of the squadron and suddenly expand and explode, launching dozens of needles in every direction. The thin, poison-tipped needles easily shoot through the seams of the Battlesuits and the squadron begins to drop one by one, falling unconscious.
Once the last of the Battlesuits drops, Travis turn to the hovercar. It's time to get out of here.
"I jammed the squadron's communications signals so they couldn't alert anyone to our presence," Veta says, moving towards the driver door. "But I think they might notice a hovercar blasting out of here. And even if they don't, they must have the surrounding roads blocked off."
Travis steps in front of Veta to get in the driver's seat first, but she's right. Driving out of here might not be their best plan…but what other choice do they have?
"I can help with that."
Travis turns to find another police officer stepping out of the shadows and he tense. How many of these are they going to have to take down?
"Hold steady, it's me."
Travis hears a gravelly voice and thinks he recognizes the officer's face, but he's not sure how.
"Mrs. Fade, I'm here to help. But we don't have long," the officer says, his eyes trained on Veta. "Do you need me to put this one down?"
"I'd like to see you try, gramps," Veta snarls.
"It's all right, Baldwin," Grandma says. "I know it sounds insane, but she's on our side. At least, for now."
"Grandma?" Travis ask. "Who is—"
"It's a longer story than we have time for, but Bald—Officer Sanders here and I have a…" Grandma pauses. "History. From before I met your grandfather. We can trust him. It's good to see you by the way, Baldwin."
From the tense look that passes between Grandma and Officer Sanders, Travis can tell this history must have been serious. He can't believe Grandma didn't tell him about this MCPD connection earlier. Though if he know Grandma, she probably has a good reason.
"As captivating as all this geriatric gushing may be," Veta cuts in, "we really must be on our way."
"When I heard they were coming for you, I knew I had to help," Officer Sanders says. "I have an escape plan."
"Baldwin, that's—thank you," Grandma says, clasping her hands together. "That means the world."
"Of course I did it for you, but I also don't believe in a single thing our current president is doing. Consider this my own little act of rebellion," Officer Sanders responds, winking at Grandma with his bushy white eyebrow. "But it was not meant to include her."
Officer Sanders sets his eyes on Veta again, with a look of disgust.
"Trust me on this, Baldwin," Grandma sighs. "I'll explain it all to you once we're gone. But we have to move. Now."
Minutes later....
Travis sits behind the controls of a hijacked police transport with Veta beside him, looking out at Officer Sanders and Grandma sitting on their own stolen MCPD hoverbike.
"I configured that transport to get you wherever you need to go without any trouble, if you play it smart," Officer Sanders says. "I'll get myself and Mrs. Fade here to a secret safe house I've got stashed for a rainy day. But once word of what I've done here gets out, I'm going to be in a world of trouble. So we'll have to stay on a communications blackout to remain hidden. I suggest you do the same."
Officer Sanders is right, all four of them are fugitives now. Travis is so grateful for what Officer Sanders is sacrificing for them—he can add Officer Sanders name to the long list of reasons he needs to find Miss Artillery and bring President Victon down.
A few minutes ago, when they were deciding what to do, Officer Sanders offered to personally protect Grandma. Travis and Grandma agreed that it would be too dangerous for her to go with Travis and Veta, especially since Travis doesn't know how long he can trust Veta, if at all.
So before he got in his respective stolen transports, he hugged Grandma, knowing it would be the last chance they might have to talk for a while.
"Travis, you need to do whatever it takes to save your parents," Grandma said, already tearing up. "I know that means working with that witch for now, but you make sure to keep both eyes open at all times."
"I will, Gran," Travis said, forcing a lump back down his throat.
"Now go serve that Victon bastard's balls on a platter," Grandma said, wiping her cheeks. "And don't forget this."
Grandma handed him the letter sent from his parents—she must have grabbed it somehow in all the chaos.
"Don't you ever forget where you come from," Grandma finished. "Or what matters most, in all of this."
"I won't. I promise."
Now, with Grandma's words still ringing in his ears, he watch as she speeds off on the back of Officer Sanders's hoverbike.
That is, until Veta grabs control of the police transport.
"Oh, you do not—"
"Please, chicken," Veta interrupts. "I'm a tech genius who makes toys like these for fun, remember? Besides, I'm taking us to my most secret lair in Hoshi City. Unless you have a better plan?"
He blinks at Veta, because unfortunately, he don't.
"Divine. Now sit back and enjoy the ride, darling."
As Veta sends them hurtling forward just under the tree line, Travis figure that enjoying anything is going to be fairly impossible for a while….
After a tense and mostly silent ride, Travis and Veta manage to make it to her secret base undetected. Whatever Officer Sanders did to cover the theft of the transport (paired with some quick-rigged anti-tracking tech from Veta) worked perfectly.
Except now he stands outside a toy store in the Eastern Fringes with Veta—the same one that was his favorite as a kid.
"Your base is here?" Travis nearly shout. Is there no end to the bottomless pit of Veta's creepiness?
"Relax, jitterbug," Veta sighs. "You think I'd park a stolen police transport outside my favorite secret hideout? You're so lucky you have me or you'd be caught in five minutes flat."
Veta whips up a homemade lock-pick to get into the dark toy store. "I've got a Telepoint to the base in there. Only way to get in or out of a doorless and windowless room, created by some wickedly diabolical beautiful mind."
Travis hasn't seen one of Veta's golden Telepoints since the one she used to pull him to her lair underneath the Bloater fusion plant. So many fond memories, he thinks as he follow Veta.
Once inside, Veta points to a Not For Sale display case filled with rare action figures.
"Well, can you guess which one is my precious?" Veta sings.
He has no patience for Veta's games, but then again, he already knows which figure is the Telepoint. A gold-cast version of Gravitate Hero of Tomorrow action figure.
Not waiting for Veta, he opens the case and snatches the golden Telepoint, then grabs a hold of Veta.
"Wait, there's something I need to tell—"
Before Veta can finish, they're enveloped in a flash of teleportation energy and Travis close his eyes.
When he opens his eyes again, he finds himself in a windowless room. The walls are lined with pictures of him, ranging from his tween years all the way to last year, posing in his original Gravitate costume. He'd be freaked out enough by that creepy collage, but then he see what's in the center of the room…
Someone tied to a chair, bound and gagged.
Someone who looks exactly like Karla Yuu.
"Veta, what the hell is wrong with you?"
The words slip out of Travis mouth before he can form a coherent thought. Though the moment he does, he realizes that this woman isn't Karla—she just looks an awful lot like her, right down to the black clothing, gold jewelry, and braid-bun. He has no idea why Veta has kidnapped this woman, but his first priority is getting her free.
"See, I meant to explain this before we arrived," Veta sighs as Travis pull off the ropes. "That's Juhi Yuu, Karla's sister. But I promise I mean her no harm, I just need her here to—"
But Juhi's fist connects with Veta's jaw before she can finish speaking.
"You bring me here after what you did to my sister?" Juhi screams. "Do you know how many times I've dreamed of killing you?!"
Travis watches as Juhi lunges for Veta's throat, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Karla even has a sister.
Travis rushes forward and peels Juhi off of Veta, restraining both arms behind her back.
"I will decimate you, you murderous cow!" Juhi screams, flailing in Travis arms. "I don't know how you're still alive, but I will make you die a thousand deaths!"
Juhi is lost in full-on rage mode. And who can blame her, since this must have been the lair where Veta torture Karla.
"That's all well and good," Veta coughs, "but notice how I let Travis here untie you? And how I didn't fight back just now? I'm not going to hurt you. I need your help."
"You need my help? You need my help?!" Juhi screams. "I will end you!"
"I admit, it's an unlikely scenario," Veta tries. "But there was no one else to call on with such short notice. We need your unique skill set."
"Hey crazyface," Travis cut in. "Did you ever think kidnapping and restraining Juhi might not have been the best way to 'call on' her?"
"Well, I don't…" Veta mutters, shrugging. "Old habits?"