Dino Attack RPG: Director's Cut

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 40: Among Us

----

Copper worked his way over towards a battered and bruised unconscious woman. "Do you know her?" Copper asked as he examined her.

"Yeah," replied Pierce. "Elite Agent Zenna."

"I see," said Copper. "She's broken quite a few bones, possible internal bleeding. We got to get her out of here quickly. Wade, give me a hand, will you?"

Wade nodded and reluctantly helped Copper put Zenna's unconscious body onto the stretcher.

"Mac," Copper said. "Get back out there. See if you can get me one or two more stretchers."

Mac nodded as he picked up his lantern and stepped outside. As he started to walk towards the T-1 Typhoon, he thought he heard some degree of commotion.

He quickly ran back to the helicopter and climbed inside for a moment. Mac desperately searched around, finding a rifle. He quickly loaded a few rounds before climbing back out and running back to the source of the confusion.

It sounded like two people talking, specifically a man vaguely whispering to a woman. Mac kept his cool as he approached, the light from his lantern eventually revealing the back of a rather tough-looking man holding a young woman by the neck. Mac quickly drew his rifle, aimed it towards the man's head, and cocked it.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Mac asked coldly.

Rudo Villano turned around slowly, bring Minerva in front of him. He pointed his own weapon, a submachine gun (to Minerva's surprise) at Mac, scowling. His red eyes dimmed slightly at the bright light of the lantern.

"I'm making my way out of here," Villano hissed to Mac. Villano carefully moved Minerva so her head was blocking his own. Mac lowered his rifle slightly. Minerva was about to speak when she felt Villano's hand cover her mouth yet again.

"I want a transport off this island," Villano said. "Boat, helicopter, I don't care. I just want off. If you can get me a transport off, I'll let her go." Even though she was certain that Villano was insane, Minerva felt like he was telling the truth.

"I don't think you are going anywhere," Mac responded.

Villano spat angrily. "You have no authority over me! I highly doubt you hold very much authority over this team! Take me to your team's leaders. Let them decide."

Mac seemed to think it over. Minerva hoped he would just give in to Villano's demands.

"Or I could, you know, shoot you and the girl and be on my merry way," Villano said impatiently.

"Looks like we won't have to go anywhere," Mac suddenly noted. Villano turned his head and could see the dim outlines of more Dino Attack agents approaching, weapons in their hands. "Alright. Let's take this one step at a time. What exactly is it you want?"

"I want to get off," repeated Villano.

"I see," replied Mac. "I do have a chopper. I think we got to go over it with the others first, but I might be able to arrange something. First, you got to tell me what exactly you plan to do when you get off the island."

Suddenly, there was a voice from behind him. "Mac!" called the familiar voice of Doc Copper. "Mac, what's going on?"

"Nothing too serious," Mac replied casually. "Just another guy who wants a lift. That's all."

"Mac, we got to get these people out of here," said Copper. "Maybe we'll have some extra room, but first, we got to deal with the wounded."

Mac thought about it. "Alright," he said. "Copper, you and the other doctors get them loaded. If there's extra space, we'll take you. If not, then we'll just have to send someone back to get you and the others." 

Minerva couldn't believe it. He's getting away that easily?! She looked at Mac with utter confusion. Is he mad? Is he drunk? Doesn't he realize this guy was with XERRD? WITH THE MAELSTROM?! Is he just going to let a guy who was THREATENING TO KILL ME leave?!

Rudo Villano seemed to have calmed down. He loosened his grip on Minerva's neck substantially. Mac and Copper turned and started heading toward the medical tent, Villano and Minerva close behind.

"You know, you can let go of my neck," Minerva snapped irritably. "You're getting what you want."

"I want to make sure I'm getting what I want," Villano muttered.

Minerva rolled her eyes. The situation had quickly gone from frightening to simply annoying. And this guy, she thought, thinking of Villano, is the biggest crybaby loser I have ever seen. Running away from his problems instead of facing them. However, she couldn't really be surprised. She decided XERRD was full of cowards who used an army of grunts to shield them from danger.

At least this stupid XERRD-reject is leaving. Then we can get back to the Maelstrom Temple. As soon has those two sentences appeared in her head, a brilliantly stupid idea appeared in her head. He's from XERRD. He HAS to know where the Maelstrom Temple is! She knew what she had to do.

"So that's it?" Minerva suddenly said casually.

"What?"

"You are just going to run away?" she asked snobbishly. She felt Villano's hand tighten.

"I think it's best if you just stop talking," Villano said threateningly.

"Why? You know it's true. You are running away. You are giving up. The Maelstrom and XERRD obviously bested you. You-" Minerva was silenced as Villano forcefully shoved her to the ground. She grunted in pain. Minerva could barely see Mac and Copper turn around in surprise, the former raising his rifle again.

"Shut. Up," hissed Villano, almost spitting in her ear.

She turned her head slightly. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see Villano's glowing red eyes and his scarred face twisted in rage. It's working. Now for the icing on the cake.

"You are a feared and wanted villain across the world," Minerva said in a condescending tone, opening memories of reading news reports about Villano's criminal activity from long ago. "You are one of Johnny Thunder's most significant enemies! You one of XERRD's top dino hunters. You have a powerful reputation that you are obviously unaware of!" She wasn't sure about how true this statement was, but she pressed forward. "You were sought out by XERRD because of your skill and efficiency. Zach enlisted you in his squad of Stromlings because he knew you were powerful and dangerous. Both groups betrayed you, and you are just going to take it?! Doesn't sound like the Rudo Villano I know. Sounds like some sort of loser who quits when things don't go his way."

The left side of Minerva's face was slammed into the ground. She could hear Mac and Copper yelling for Villano to stand down and calling out for help while Villano jammed the machine gun against her right cheek.

"Why take their Znap?" Minerva muttered, staring straight ahead into the dark. "Why not get revenge?"

Revenge seemed to resonate with Villano.

"Join the Dino Attack Team. Help us defeat XERRD and the Maelstrom. Get revenge. Show Palomar and Provencal and all those other scientists to fear you."

"Sounds like the same spiel that the Stromling gave me," Villano responded coldly.

"But there is a clear difference between the Maelstrom and the Dino Attack," Minerva said forcefully. "The Maelstrom will cast aside its allies once they outlive their usefulness. It happened to that Stromling Monkey, it happened you. Heck, it'll probably happen to Zach. The Dino Attack Team is different. We... stand by each other. Despite these 'realist vs. idealist' and other moral debates, we always end up standing together against our common enemy. Notice how we haven't betrayed Sinister and the other villains, and they have been allied with us for months! Trust me, stand by us and we will stand by you. Until the end."

She stopped talking. Villano was silent. No doubt he is thinking it over. After several minutes, Minerva spoke up again. "Will you join the Dino Attack Team?" she asked quietly.

Villano sighed, obviously defeated. He dropped the gun and let go of Minerva's neck. She slowly got back to her feet and turned to Villano. His eyes were no longer red. He glared at Minerva forcefully. "I... I-I will join your team. I will get revenge on the Maelstrom and make Palomar regret betraying me."

Minerva smiled half-heartedly at the disgruntled ex-dino hunter and shook his hand. 

*****

"Alright, is everything looking good from your POV, Laxus?" said Andrew from under the hood of the Fire Hammer.

"As far as I can tell," his Martian friend replied, "Yes, the launcher's looking alright."

"Good. Let's clean up and get back to the command tent. Semick wants us to help out with the exposition speech for the rest of the team."

The thought of the upcoming mission gave Andrew a sudden bout of reminiscence on everything that had happened since the start of his involvement in the war. Everything seemed so long ago now (granted, even the relatively recent moment when he had his last encounter with Zach seemed like it had happened months ago, but the point still stood). His decision to return to LEGO City… his encounter at the bank where had had a first real cooperative fight with fellow agents… LEGO Island… meeting Semick… the labs… meeting Laxus… the dreams… the schism… promotion to Elite Agent for helping a fellow agent due to said dreams… and now, Adventurers' Island.

He had been through quite a bit of hardship, met so many famous agents, learned so much about the team, built quite a bunch of cool stuff, and made some good friends. This had been a struggle that he had often gotten close to, and still very possibly could, met with an early death, but looking back so far, he wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Two days had passed since his battle with Zach, and there was only two hours before the deadline was over. The Dino Attack Team wasn't backing down, though. They were preparing to strike back, intending to destroy the Maelstrom Temple deep in Adventurers' Island's jungles.

Semick was preparing to send the team off within the hour or next. He, along with several other elite agents, would lead separate teams to strike at the area where both temples were in. Now would be the time for him to give his final battle plan, instructions for the teams, and motivational speech.

Andrew had a place in the plan, sort of. He and Minerva had agreed to work together to get to Zach once they had located the right temple. Technically he hadn't told anyone, but he had managed to convince Semick not to make him the leader of anybody, so the two could get away without being missed.

It's going to be a tough one, Andrew thought to himself. But I've made it this far, so I think I can make it through this one. I think.

Now having sufficed his rather unnecessary need for a recap, he became aware of reality again and saw Laxus climb off the top of the Fire Hammer.

"Ready?" the fellow Dino Attack agent said. Andrew nodded. They walked off towards the direction of the command tent. 

Less than two hours remained, and command was still dispersed throughout the island. Hertz was still very worried about how the attack would go. The men were in no condition to fight and many had still not recovered from the disastrous assault on the rear guard camp.

The elite agents Cabin, Semick, Andrew, Rex, and Rotor were present in the command room. Aside from them, Doctor Cyborg had arrived to provide his export opinion.

Hertz frowned. He absolutely hated this; they had virtually no time to plan this battle, and so much of the team was still missing. An incredible number of agents were killed and almost as many were missing.

"Are you guys sure about this? We are rushing into this without taking our time," pleaded Hertz. "We are safe here; we can take our time now!"

"Shut up, kid," warned Rotor. "Just play with your radio and let the big boys make the calls."

"Hertz has a point," said Cabin, "I don't think we're ready for this. We should wait for Clint and Zenna before we start planning this thing."

Cyborg nodded his head. "And Dust; it all comes back to his theory."

Andrew put his head in his hands and rose from the table. He looked out the window and back at the assembled agents. "I know what Zach is capable of, and I take that threat seriously," he began. "If he says he will unleash a hammer beyond our imagination and that it will strike hardest here, we all have reason to be afraid. Do we even know what temple we're attacking?"

Rex rolled up to the files spread out at the table. "Yesterday, we released a XERRD scientist by the name of Dr. Paulie Gonepus. I expect he will lead us to the true Maelstrom Temple."

"Can we trust him?" asked Semick.

"Can we trust Dust?" answered Rex. "We only have one shot at this. I really don't think it wise to split our forces at this point."

Hertz nodded. So it was decided. He will be changing no one's mind tonight. He got up and placed a map on the table. "Ladies and Gentleman, let's get started. We have less than an hour to plain the most decisive battle in history."

----

Peter Walter slowly walked up to the dead worker's body. He was in a sewer when he was attacked by a Mutant Dinosaur. From the looks of it, he was attacked by a Mutant Raptor, a very deadly creature.

It was an old-looking body; the worker was probably killed when LEGO City was besieged by Mutant Dinosaurs back in April. He examined the body and then saw that this Raptor must have been strong, as it burrowed through solid concrete. Peter climbed through one of these holes and saw that there were five workers' bodies lying there. By the looks of it, the Raptor jumped on one of them, then quickly blocked the exit and killed the rest. The Raptor then broke through the door and killed two more workers.

Peter walked through all the rooms and saw how much damage this Raptor did. Then, he saw tracks of two more Raptors, and then realized that there was at least ten of them down here when LEGO city was attacked. He then saw the exit out of the sewer, and saw poor workers whose lives were put to end by Raptors before they reached the gate.

He opened the gate and saw a Raptor's body lying there, its life put to end by something that had a gun, most probably a Dino Attack member. He then saw a Raptor, but before it saw him, he got his weapon and put its life to end. He then quickly ran up the stairs so that he could get to the surface and get to his vehicle.

Peter was driving through the city with his Steel Sprinter, when he saw three Mutant Lizards charging at him. He quickly fired his mounted weapon at them, ending one of them, and then killing another one of them with his knife. Seeing this, the third Lizard ran away, and Peter drove away. He drove for 15 minutes until he got to the Dino Attack Headquarters, and a guard opened the gate.

Peter got onto a Dino Attack plane and it took off. He was going to Adventurers' Island, there at last, to fight the final battle against the Maelstrom. He looked below him and saw below how LEGO City was getting destroyed. A skyscraper was in flames, like a volcano in the middle of the city. He saw how a Mutant Spinosaurus reduced a bank to rubble; how a flock of Mutant Pterosaurs flew into the engine of a helicopter. And he saw a giant Pterosaur fly towards him. 

----

Garry was startled for a moment as Fuchs and Windows bumped into him holding a large crate. "What's all this about?" he asked sternly.

"New supplies, sir," replied Fuchs. "We're taking them to storage area 3."

"Put them in storage area 2, would you?" instructed Garry.

"What do you mean?" asked Windows.

"I've got orders to keep that room locked up. There's some top-secret information that's being placed there. Only myself and a few select others, whose identities I'm not at liberty to disclose, are allowed inside."

"Alright," replied Windows as he and Fuchs started backing down in the other direction.

"Fuchs!" Garry called. "As soon as you're done with those, I'd like you to report to the infirmary. I know medicine isn't your strong point, but I think the doctors are going to need all the help they can get and you're the closest extra hand we have."

"Alright," Fuchs replied before he and Windows continued. As soon as they reached the storage room Garry instructed, they stepped inside and put down the large crate. Both took a few minutes to catch their breath.

"This stuff is heavy," Windows said after a few moments of panting.

"I know," agreed Fuchs. He slowly opened the lid and looked inside to see the contents. This particular crate contained lots of ammunition. There were bullets, shells, grenades, ammo belts, and other such things. However, while they were needed, this was not of any real interest to either of the men, one being a biologist, the other a radio operator. They quickly put the lid back on and stepped outside. A couple other agents were following with other boxes.

"Windows," Fuchs said as he followed Windows through the door, "do you think we should let our superiors know about this?"

"Don't they already know?" asked Windows.

"I'm not sure," replied Fuchs. "However, I think if you tell them we just got a few crates of ammunition, they'll be excited."

"What about you?" asked Windows.

"I got orders to go work in the infirmary," replied Fuchs. "I'll catch up with you later."

Windows nodded and ran off.

*****

"It's alright," said Copper as he closely examined Pierce's leg. "You're going to be fine. There was a misdiagnosis. It's not actually broken."

"Wait," Pierce said skeptically. "You mean to say that I couldn't tell how I was hurt?"

"You were under a lot of stress," replied Copper. "Besides, it's a lot harder to examine yourself. A bit of time off should do you good. We'll give it a couple days, then maybe try walking again."

Pierce smiled as Copper turned away to look at some more patients. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Wade approached and opened it, revealing a familiar face. She was asking him something quietly. Wade quickly motioned towards Pierce, and she smiled.

"Kate!" said Pierce as she ran up to him, trying to resist the urge to give him a great big hug. Crusher briefly looked up from her work and smiled for a moment.

Wade was just about to get back to work when he heard a voice calling him: "Wade!" Wade turned around to see Commander Johnson. "I just wanted to tell you I'm heading out," Johnson said. "There's a chopper leaving in a few minutes, apparently taking that gunslinger, and I just wanted to say goodbye."

Wade nodded. "You still got those letters?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Johnson, who briefly took them out of his pocket to show Wade.

"Good," said Wade. "Don't forget to mail them."

Johnson nodded and turned back toward the door. At that point, Fuchs suddenly walked into the room. "Listen," he said nervously. "Garry was just wondering if any of you people had some work that a biologist could possibly help with."

*****

Clint sat impatiently smoking his cigar as he waited for the helicopter's engines to start up. While it only took Johnson a few minutes to return, he did not feel like waiting.

Still, as soon as Johnson was on board, the pilots began to take off. Clint stared out the side for a while, watching the land shrink into the distance as they flew over the sea.

"I can finally explain the nature of your special mission," said the agent in the chopper.

"Fire away," said Clint.

"You're heading out to Gold City," explained the agent. Clint showed a look of interest. "We had a couple of boys in there trying to retake a particular point, but we haven't heard much from them."

"What do you want me to do?" Clint asked.

"Simple," replied the agent. "You're heading to a small Western town called El Paso."

"I thought you said I was going to Gold City," said Clint.

"You will," replied the agent. "El Paso is where you'll meet your partner, codename: Angel Eyes."

"Angel Eyes," repeated Clint. "Sounds familiar."

"You'll be operating under the codename of Blondie," instructed the agent. "Angel Eyes has already been working on gathering supplies. As soon as you find him, you'll be heading out to Gold City by whatever transport's available. You can even ride on horses if you have to. We want you to find the Second Headquarters Squad, report their current status, and if all is well, give them a hand in whatever is necessary."

"Sounds simple enough," mused Clint. "How will I know my contact?"

"Simple recognition code," replied the agent. "A golden-haired angel. You remember that?"

"Yeah, I can remember that," said Clint. 

----

As a psychologist, Nicholas Saran had visited many hospitals, but the medical wing of Outpost 4 was among the nicest. Although it was dreadful the first day Nick had visited the place (considering the sheer magnitude of the hurt and dying), it had brightened up considerably in the last fifty-eight hours. Fresh ocean air blew through the open windows and filled the room with life. Sounds of the slowly splashing waves down below left a soothing sensation on the patents and the rays of sunshine illuminates the whitewashed walls.

But even with the vibrant atmosphere, Saran could sense an underlying layer of stress in the room. The men were afraid. Doctor Saran had seen himself the horrors of war; the brutal attack on the rear guard camp had emotionally scarred many of the men, and it was understandable that they were terrified to go back in to action so soon.

Saran checked his file and systematically walked down the row of beds, engaging in small talk and pleasantries as he went. Finally, he stopped at a bed in the middle and took a seat in a chair opposite. "Good morning, Mr. Nielson, how are you handling?"

The man on the bed rolled over and did not respond. Saran smiled and waited; it was his job to not force answers out of anyone. He had learned to wait over the years and be patient; he would let Mr. Nielson respond on his own time.

"I bet you think you can just make me feel better, don't you?" grumbled Mr. Nielson.

"What makes you think that?" said Dr. Saran.

"That's your job, right? To get me in fighting shape?"

Nick sat back in his chair and chuckled. "Mr. Nielson, if all we cared about was getting you fighting again, we would just ship you out regardless of whether you were ready or not."

Nielson sat up and pointed a finger at the doctor. "You don't care about me! You're not sending me out because of my leg!"

"That might be part of it," considered Saran. "But my leg never stopped me from doing good work; perhaps it is the reason why I never go in the field anymore."

"Does it still hurt?" asked Mr. Nielson.

"I've learned to live with it. But it took me time to cope." Saran put his hand on Mr. Nielson's shoulder. "Losing your leg is a hard thing to deal with. It's easy to just pretend you can do all the things you used to by jumping back into the action. But that will only hurt you, you need to take your time."

"But they think I'm worthless now!" moaned Mr. Nielson. "I need to fight again; I need to show them!"

"I'm missing a leg too. Does that make me worthless?" Saran got up from his chair and started writing in Mr. Nielson's file. "And for the record, they don't think you're worthless. Take your time; it took me years, but I finally found a way to make a difference. My bet is you will, too; just don't try and prove yourself now, there is plenty of time for that latter."

Mr. Nielson smiled and sat back in his bed. Although Nicholas felt he had had a breakthrough with this patent, the room was still filled with men suffering their own inner battles. He wished he had more time, but in about an hour, those that were ready to fight would be sent off to the front lines again. 

Whose definition of "ready"? thought the doctor. He frowned and made his way to the elevator. He would have to talk to someone about that. 

----

There was a cloud of dust as Clint stepped out of the chopper into the familiar sands of the Old West. Strangely, there were no people on this street, not a man in sight as he walked down the empty street.

Clint soon found himself wandering into a local tavern. The place was empty, save a young barmaid. "Can I get you something?" she asked.

"Yeah," replied Clint. "Whiskey." He put some cash on the counter, and the barmaid quickly took it and poured him a glass. "I don't suppose you know where everyone is?" he asked.

"They all went out to the hanging," replied the barmaid. "A couple of 'em boys were messing around in here and tried to start a fight."

Clint smiled, remembering the old days. "Well, you know what they say," he said as he took a sip. "Every man's got an angel watching them. Maybe a golden-haired angel."

This seemed to catch the barmaid's attention. "You're looking for someone aren't you?" she asked.

"How'd you know that?" asked Clint.

"There was a man who came in here a few days ago," replied the barmaid. "He's got a room here. He ain't by any chance a man who goes by the name of Angel Eyes, is he?"

Clint looked up from his drink. "You know about that?"

The barmaid smiled. "Standard agent Maria," she keenly introduced herself. "I was sent here to report on the progress and development of this town, in the hopes of such projects working in other regions. Naturally, they chose a woman because she'd have to be much more subtle."

"Hey," said a voice from behind. "If it isn't ol' Clint Wayne." Clint quickly turned around to see a trio of armed bandits approaching him.

"I'd be careful if I was you, Flatfoot Thompson," said Wayne.

The other two men laughed.

"You joined that ridiculous Dino Attack team, huh?" Thompson remarked tauntingly. "Them boys don't know nuttin' about destroying no mutant dinos. Tell me, is it true that they are desperate enough to employ women?"

The other bandits laughed. Maria and Clint remained silent. Suddenly they were cut off by a loud noise as Thompson's hat went flying off, followed by the two other men's hats.

"The next time I have to shoot, it goes through your head," Clint said menacingly. Thompson quickly ran out of there, followed by his two companions.

"I always hated that son of a Jack Stone," Maria remarked before she turned back to Clint. "I'll get you a room. When Angel Eyes gets here, I'll tell him Blondie stopped by."

"Thank you very much," replied Clint as he stood up and walked out of the tavern. 

----

"Why'd Garry send you?" Copper asked sternly.

"I don't know," replied Fuchs. "He just felt that you boys could use all the help you can get, and I was the closest person to another doctor around here."

"I see," said Copper. "Well, let's see what's going on here."

"You could start by helping Nick over there," said Wade. He motioned towards a man on the other side of the room who was just finishing a conversation with a patient.

"Yeah, that sounds good," replied Copper.

Fuchs nodded and nervously walked over. "Umm... excuse me," he said as he approached the psychiatrist. "Garry wanted me to help out around here, and the other doctors were saying I should give you a hand, doctor..."

"Saran."

"Yes, Saran," replied Fuchs. "I'm Doctor Fuchs, by the way. I'm the resident biologist around here." 

Doctor Saran warmly shook the biologist's hand. "Biology?" said Saran, "what do you do around here? I was under the impression you folks worked with cells and stuff. No offense, of course, but how is that relevant?"

Fuchs shrugged. "Ordinarily, I work with infectious disease, something that's common on tropical islands. Recently, I helped with the gas that was unleashed at the XERRD Fortress."

Saran nodded. "Interesting stuff; it's probably quite a stressful job."

"It can be," agreed Fuchs. "Recently, me and my team have been investigating the Maelstrom's effect on the human body."

"I suppose that would our course intersect, wouldn't it?" said Saran. "I have not had as much opportunity as I would have liked to study the Maelstrom, but part of my job is to work with its psychological effects." The psychiatrist frowned and turned around to view the sick bay. "These men are lucky; they don't have to go back fighting that thing yet. I've seen what happens to people who have to come face-to-face with such a force of evil. It…"

"It changes them," offered Fuchs.

Nicholas Saran frowned. "Exactly." 

"Did you say you were investigating the Maelstrom?" suddenly said a female voice from behind. Fuchs turned around to see Dr. Crusher sitting at a desk. "There was a man back at the camp who was looking into that. Doctor J.D. He even had a formula started."

"Really?" said Fuchs. "Can I speak to him?"

"Well, no," replied Crusher. "He's dead, you see. A Stromling went in and shot him. We never managed to find any notes… at least, nothing that gave us any real details."

"You wouldn't happen to have a sample of the formula?" Fuchs asked.

"Last I saw, J.D. gave it to a female agent, whose name I don't remember at the moment," replied Crusher.

"If that's true, it could be of great help to us," said Fuchs.

"It was probably lost in the camp," Crusher said with a slight yawn. "Whatever secrets J.D. had, they died with him."

"You don't remember anything?" asked Fuchs.

"I'm not sure," replied Crusher. "I didn't really know her that well. What was her name? Fellow, Fargo, Fabio? Something like that."

"I see," replied Fuchs. "If I could at least find her, maybe we'd be able to get something."

----

Clint squinted as he stepped down the bright and sunny street into the large courtyard where the town's population was standing. At the gallows was an old friend of Clint's, a bandit named Tuco Wallach. Clint smiled as he recalled the time they tried to form an alliance: Clint would turn Tuco in, collect the reward, then bust him out at the last second so they could split the money.

"Tuco Wallach, you have been found guilty of numerous crimes including pillaging, plundering, murder, killing, armed robbery, murder, using marked cards in a game of blackjack, double-crossing, impersonating a town sheriff, murder, sticking a knife into another man's back, shooting people, attempting to assault a lawman, and gambling. Proceed with the execution."

"I'm glad that ol' scoundrel is hangin'," said a woman in a coach. "Them boys ain't no good for notin' and they can rot in MegaBlokland for all I care."

"I wouldn't say that," replied another man, dressed in all black. "Even the worst of men have an angel looking after them. A golden-haired angel."

This quickly caught Clint's attention, but he turned back to the noose. He had a rifle on hand and slowly raised it, aimed, and fired. Within a moment, Tuco was down and riding the horse out of there. The townspeople rioted as they chased after him, whilst others were disappointed and went home. It was not long before the street was empty, save Clint and the black-clad man who seemed familiar.

"That was some fine shootin' there," the man said keenly.

Clint remembered what he'd heard him say. "Angel Eyes," he said.

Angel Eyes let out a slight chuckle. "You must be Blondie," he said.

Clint smiled, recognizing his assigned teammate. "Van Cleef," he said. "It's been a while."

"Naturally," replied Angel Eyes. "Come on. We got some work to be doing." 

----

Minerva and Nazareno were on their way to the meeting at Outpost 4. Minerva couldn't help but feel grateful for being back in a sanitary and friendly building. The last time I was at an outpost was before the battle at the village.

"And Vinyaya said we could come to the meeting?" she said, turning to Nazareno.

"Yes. Did you clear Villano of charges?" he responded.

Minerva rolled her eyes. The Dino Attack agents that had detained Rudo Villano once they had reached Outpost 4 had been very keen on killing him. After much convincing, Villano managed to walk free. "Barely."

"Something to mention at this meeting. You think that Villano can lead us to the correct temple?"

"I don't know, but we might as well try."

"Indeed - oooohh," Nazareno moaned, clutching his stomach. Minerva had never seen the ninja in so much pain.

"That reminds me, you were going to show me your wound."

Nazareno's eyes narrowed. "Oh, yes. I forgot. Be warned, it isn't pretty."

He pulled off his shirt armor and handed it to Minerva. She took it and was immediately surprised with how light it was. Well, he is a ninja. He's gotta move fast, right? thought Minerva.

Nazareno sighed, and lifted his shirt so his stomach visible. Minerva gagged slightly.

Around the spot where Zach's bullet had entered Nazareno's body was a small, bluish bruise that was surrounded by an even larger black bruise. From the blackened skin, Minerva could see the thin outline of seven purple veins, each pulsing every few seconds.

"I.... how...?" she stammered.

"I can only presume that the bullet Zach fired was infected with the Maelstrom, and it stayed in my system long enough to allow some of the Maelstrom to enter my body; specifically, the area where the bullet entered my body."

"Was it always that... big?"

"No. In fact, prior to the battle in the camp, the wound was more-or-less healed up. However, after the battle, the wound began to hurt again. I checked it out and, lo and behold, a massive bruise was on my stomach. I can only assume that, up until the encounter with Zach and that Stromling Monkey, the Maelstrom in my body was dormant. After the encounter, the Maelstrom was, I guess, reactivated and started causing havoc on my body."

Minerva was at a loss for words as she stared at the disgusting bruise. "Have... has a medic seen it? Are you..." she drifted off, feeling a lump appear in her throat.

"I haven't had time to see a medic since before the battle. It certainly is on my list of things to do, though. As for your second question..." Nazareno closed his eyes and let his shirt fall over the wound. He took the armor back from Minerva and put it back over his chest. "Yes, I can only assume that I am dying. That, or slowly becoming a Stromling," Nazareno said calmly.

Minerva's eyes widened. "Are...you feeling any sort of negative thoughts?" she asked, curious.

"You must be referring to Zach's less-than-pleasant attitude he brought back to the camp after his short exposure to that 'Maelstrom pool' you said he found. However, Zach is young and could not control his emotions. I have been trained to control my emotions. This control allows me to repel the Maelstrom's influence, but only temporarily. Eventually I will succumb to its influence. It may be months. It may be hours. Heck, it could be years. But it will happen. Trust me."

Minerva was silent, trying to absorb the thought she may be losing another friend. She looked down at her leg where the Injection Saw was clipped. J.D.'s incomplete Maelstrom cure swirled inside the vial. She slowly reached for it when she felt Nazareno's hand stop her movement.

"I know you want to help," he said sternly. "But I am not worth it. Save it for Zach." Minerva nodded slowly and let her hand return to her side. "Good. As it would seem, we have arrived at the command room." Nazareno pushed open the door.

Minerva could see numerous Dino Attack agents (mostly Elite) sitting around a table. Commander Vinyaya rose her spot and gestured the two to join the group.

"Welcome," Vinyaya said as the two took their places standing behind Rex and Adventure at the table. "We were just beginning to plan how to approach this Maelstrom Temple." 

----

Angel Eyes led Clint back into the saloon. The bar was once again occupied by scoundrels of all sorts. Flatfoot Thompson was busy cheating at a card game at a nearby table, but as soon as he saw Clint, he took his winnings and ran off.

The two men stopped at the counter. Maria was busy pouring a few drinks before she could get to them. "Sorry about this," she said. "When there's a hangin', business gets big."

"They do make a lot of money," replied Angel Eyes.

"I see you two found each other," Maria said.

Angel Eyes chuckled.

Maria looked around. "Come with me," she said. The two men followed her into the back of the tavern, where it was much less crowded.

"Did you get everything?" Angel Eyes asked.

"You bet," replied Maria with a grin.

"You got the cart?"

Maria led them out the back door where a small horse-drawn cart was waiting. In the back were several barrels, some of which contained food, others water, ammunition, and other goodies. "That should last you for 'bout a week," Maria said. "You boys get out there and give them Second Headquarters Squad a hand. I'll be up to check on you as soon as I can."

"How long will that be?" Angel Eyes asked as he sat down in the front.

"As soon as I can close down the saloon for a few days whilst still keeping anyone from knowin' who I'm workin' for. If any of them boys found out a woman from that there team were here, they'd think I was crazy."

"I think we can take care of ourselves for a little while," said Clint. "Let's get going."

With that, Clint gave a little shake to the straps, and the horses quickly started moving forward into the desert. He imagined a cue from an Ennio Morricone soundtrack playing as they rode off.

----

At about that moment, Garry walked into the infirmary.

"You're not at the meeting?" Copper asked curiously.

"Someone's got to keep watch," replied Garry. "It's my job to oversee everything that goes on at this base. At the moment, there are more pressing matters at hand. I'd like an update on the patients."

"It's getting better," reported Wade. "We got most of the patients stabilized, at least. I think there's a couple that will need to be shipped out, though."

"Like who?" asked Garry.

"Elite Agent Zenna for starters," replied Wade. He motioned towards Zenna, who was still comatose and attached to various medical instruments, the likes of which can never be described by someone who knows absolutely nothing about medicine.

"Alright," said Garry. "I'll arrange for transport to get them out. Any fit for duty?"

"Most of them," replied Wade.

"Good, good," said Garry. "I'll get the arrangements made. Maybe the rest of you should go get some breakfast."

At this point, Crusher was starting to doze off when Fuchs spoke up. "I think I've found something interesting," he said. "Crusher, would you mind telling him?"

Crusher suddenly opened her eyes, somewhat startled before Fuchs asked the question again. "Oh, there was a man back at the camp who tried to create a cure for the Maelstrom."

"Is that so?" asked Garry. "You wouldn't happen to have a sample of it with you?"

"No," replied Crusher. "The man responsible was killed. I'm trying to remember the name of the person he gave it to. Fallow, Fabric- Fabello, that was it!"

"Fabello," repeated Garry. "We can try the meeting."

"What about the wounded?" asked Wade.

"I'll go take a look around for Fabello," decided Garry. "I'd like you to work out which patients are fit for duty. The rest of them will be moved to Antarctica for their own safety." He quickly turned towards Crusher. "What's your name?"

"Crusher."

"Dr. Crusher," replied Garry. "I think you should take a nap."

Crusher nodded as Garry left the room.

He ran down the hallway and worked his way to the planning room where the others were working. He knocked on the door, somewhat startling them. "Excuse me," he said. "I hate to interrupt anything, but do any of you know a 'Fabello'?"

The mention of the name caught the attention of one young girl in the room.

"I understand you have a sample of an experimental cure to the Maelstrom," explained Garry. "I'd like you to bring to the lab. We got a man here who can analyze it and perhaps reproduce it."

*****

Barry Jackson took a great big bite out of his toast as he stared at Teri. "It's so good to see you again," he said. "You have no idea."

"So... Shotgun," Teri said with a smile. "How'd you come by that?"

"I was originally going to be called Sniper," replied Jackson. "The codename was already taken, so they had to quickly find a replacement."

"Anyone else joined?"

"Yeah," replied Jackson. "Wade's here, and so is Moffat."

"Moffat?" asked Teri.

"Yeah," replied Jackson. "He runs this outpost."

Teri smiled. "What about Tzenovich?" she asked.

Jackson smiled. "Not likely," he said. "That guy was too much trouble even for the team." 

----

Clint pulled the cart to a halt outside what little was left of Gold City. There was rubble everywhere, though a few buildings were still partially intact.

"Wait here," Clint said as he picked up a rifle and climbed off of the cart. He lit a cigar as he walked into town. The noise of a skirmish was close by. Amongst the chaos, he could hear shouting and what sounded like Mutant Dinos. As he passed by the ruins of an old saloon, he could not help but notice a fedora-wearing man crouched on the balcony.

Curious, he stepped inside and worked his way up the stairs to the balcony. Once there, he saw the man was armed with a sniper rifle, and he was aiming towards a group of mutant dinosaurs down the road.

"Steady, steady, steady," Bullseye muttered. He was just about to fire a shot when Clint pushed him aside. "Oi!" he shouted. "What's the big idea, mate?"

Clint did not answer. Instead, he simply drew his rifle, aimed at a particularly nasty looking Mutant T-Rex that was walking down the road and fired. He reloaded and fired another round, then another, and after a few rounds it was not long before the beast collapsed. He aimed toward the Mutant Lizards and kept shooting them until they were down. With some assistance from another man's gatling gun, they were able to clean up most of them quickly, and the remaining dinos were sent retreating.

The man Clint had pushed aside slowly got up. "Who do you think you are, mate?" he shouted.

There were two others in the street: one a large man with a machine gun, the other wearing doctor's robes over his Dino Attack uniform.

"Howdy," Clint said as they turned toward him. There was suddenly a loud noise and Clint looked up to see a Mutant Pterosaur approaching quickly. Clint was about to draw his pistol when a separate gunshot rang out, and the beast fell dead. They all turned to see Angel Eyes approaching with the cart.

"You must be them boys we were told about," Angel Eyes said keenly.

"YES!" shouted the large man, who spoke with a thick Russian accent. "Ve are Second Headquarters Squad!"

"We got you a whole bunch of supplies," Angel Eyes said as Clint and Bullseye went back into the saloon to work their way back down. Angel Eyes stepped off the cart and got a barrel. "Anybody hungry?"

"YES!" shouted Bear. "I VANT SANDVICH!"

"Sandvich?" Clint asked as he stepped out of the saloon.

"Yeah," replied Bullseye. "You know, two slices of bread with stuff in between them."

"All we got here is beans and steak," said Angel Eyes.

"NO!" Bear shouted. "I vant SANDVICH!"

Angel Eyes sighed. He quickly opened the barrel, grabbed a slab of meat, and tossed it to Bear. "Here's your sandwich," he said unenthusiastically.

Bear stared at the meat with bemusement. He was not a native English speaker and spent a moment wondering if "sandwich" meant something different from what he intended. At last, he looked at Angel Eyes and laughed heartily. "OHOHOHO! You are FUNNY little man! Is good joke! Very vell, I vill eat your 'sandvich'!" Bear promptly started eating the meat. "OM NOM NOM NOM! MOIST AND DELICIOUS!"

"I guess I'd better introduce myself," said Bullseye. "The name's Bullseye, mate. This is Bear and Medic."

"Ja," said Medic.

"My name's Blondie," Clint introduced himself by his codename. "This man here is Angel Eyes. We've been instructed to provide assistance in whatever ways possible. Should it become necessary, we have another contact in El Paso: a barmaid named Maria." 

----

Minerva glanced at Nazareno. "Just go. Replicating the formula would be helpful in the long run," he muttered, glancing at his stomach for half a second. Minerva shrugged and stood up and went with Garry out of the room.

"My name is Garry, by the way," the agent said as they walked down the hallway. "You have the cure with you?" Minerva nodded and unclipped the Injection Saw from her belt and handed it Garry. He took it and glanced at it with interest. "This is quite the tool," he noted.

"Yeah, it's one of XERRD's tools," Minerva responded.

"Hmmm." Garry was silent for a moment. "Do you have any idea what is in this formula? If that doctor entrusted you with it, you must have an idea."

"Oh, um. J.D. said he extracted part of his Creative Spark to use as the main ingredient. I guess it was the 'Imagination' part of the formula that would do the most work repelling the Maelstrom. He thinks he was able to be killed because the extraction weakened him greatly."

*****

"Anyway," Hertz said. "Let's continue. Anything to share before we begin, Nazareno?"

"Actually, yes," the space ninja responded. "Before I left the camp for here, agent Fabello managed to make an alliance with Rudo Villano, a former XERRD hunter and Maelstrom servant."

"XERRD and the Maelstrom?" repeated Rotor, clearly unimpressed. "Are we seriously willing to trust this guy?"

"It's not the first time we've gotten defectors from XERRD," Cabin noted, gesturing to Dr. Cyborg in the background.

"If I'm not mistaken," Andrew put in, "he has worked with Señor Palomar in the past. What if he still holds some sort of loyalty to Palomar?"

"It is possible, and I would not doubt it," Nazareno said. "But according to Fabello, he seems pretty revenge-driven on besting Palomar and his XERRD slime. She only managed to convince him to join us after she said he would get revenge on the ones who so willingly betrayed him."

"This isn't the first time we've allied with known villains," said Rex. "And if this guy is willing to help, then let him help. And if he would suddenly decide to betray us-"

"Off with his head," Rotor finished darkly. Nazareno rolled his eyes.

"We also have reason to believe that he may know where the true Maelstrom Temple is," Nazareno continued.

"The more, the merrier," Adventure said.

"Elaborate, please."

"Rex and Claw found us XERRD scientist named Paulie Gonepus," Adventure said. "Ol' Gonepus was trying to do a number on the queen T-Rex on the island. I, of course, found this out after interrogating him. He sang like a canary once I got a hold of him-" Again, Nazareno rolled his eyes at Adventure's boastfulness. "-and now we holding him prisoner."

"We intend to 'accidentally' release him and hope he decides to regroup with Palomar and the XERRD scientists, who are hopefully at the Maelstrom Temple," Rex finished. "Though our job might be a lot easier if this Villano guy knows where it is."

"Alright," Hertz said. "We can't waste any more time. We only have a few more hours until the deadline is up, and I am not keen on seeing exactly what Zach intends to do."

"I have one question," Commander Vinyaya suddenly said. "Who exactly is this 'Zach'? I heard Fabello mention him. He is the Stromling that lead the Maelstrom's side of the battle at the camp, correct?"

The mood seemed to darken a bit at the mention of Zach. Nazareno could see Semick and Andrew's expressions change particularly.

"He was a young Standard Agent," explained Nazareno. "Red hair, wore glasses. I don't think he was very notable, but he was the first one to discover there were Stromling spies within our ranks. He also stopped a rogue agent named Scratch who had alienated the native dinosaurs from us."

At this Vinyaya's eyes seemed to widen, but she didn't say anything.

Nazareno continued: "He had a run-in with the Maelstrom at that XERRD Fortress during that battle. I'd say he's made more of a name for himself as a Stromling than a Dino Attack agent. He's killed a medic, an Elite Agent, and numerous others. He's wounded even more, including myself, Clint Wayne, Andrew, and you, Commander. He's made himself out as a commanding figure within the Maelstrom's ranks, but the factuality of his ranking is unknown."

Vinyaya was silent. Then: "Okay. Thank you for enlightening me, Nazareno."

He nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are we all in the loop?" Hertz asked impatiently. "If so, let's get to work."

*****

Garry led Minerva back to the infirmary. Fuchs was surprised to see Garry leading a young woman.

"I found Fabello," Garry said. "First room I checked."

"Hello," Fuchs said somewhat shyly as he approached her. "I'm Dr. Fuchs, biologist. Come on, I'd better take you to the lab."

Garry watched as Fuchs led her outside before turning back to the rest of them. "Alright," said Garry. "I'd like a complete list of everyone who isn't fit to continue their duty. Anyone and everyone who needs time to recover will be shipped off this MegaBlokin' island unless I say otherwise."

Garry promptly walked through the infirmary as everyone got to work. He turned towards a small, closed-off space, a private ward of sorts. Inside, he saw Jenny lying in the bed, resting calmly, though the bruises were still clearly visible, and some bandages had been placed on her head. In that moment, Garry almost felt bad for what he did.

Copper walked in at that moment. "How is she?" Garry asked.

"She'll live," reported Copper. "Should I get her ready to leave?"

"I don't know," replied Garry. "It would probably be safer for her, but she could still have useful information."

Now, Garry was somewhat conflicted. He knew Rotor could do worse than he'd already done. The only reason he'd spared her once was because she could still provide information. He wanted to talk to someone, maybe get a second opinion, but he could not do that. If he told anyone what Rotor had done, he would also have to expose himself. Besides, Rotor had a valid point. On the other hand, the other two prisoners seemed a bit more cooperative.

"Has she said anything?" Garry asked.

"No," replied Copper. "I've been trying, but from what I can tell, she's just too scared to say anything. Maybe she could do with an appointment with Nick Saran."

"The one-legged psychologist?"

"Yeah."

Garry thought about it for a moment. He saw where Copper was getting at. The only trouble was if Jenny were to say anything, she could say something exposing them. He did feel bad about what he had done, but he was in no position to tell the truth, for he knew the consequences that would come with that. Worse still, if he turned Rotor in and he found out he'd been double-crossed, he would surely seek vengeance. This was a matter that had to be decided by Garry alone. There was nobody he could go to: not Copper, nor Mac, nor Windows, nor any of his friends, and certainly not any of the new arrivals.

"I'm not quite sure," Garry finally said before leaving.

*****

Fuchs sat down at the examination table with the injection saw.

"Do you have any idea what was put into this stuff?" he asked as he looked inside.

"J.D. mentioned something about extracting part of his Creative Spark," replied Minerva.

"I'm sorry?" Fuchs asked confusedly as he looked up.

"Apparently a key ingredient in the formula was Imagination," explained Minerva. "That provided the necessary substance."

"Well," said Fuchs. "That's not an easy thing to synthesize. Did he ever say anything else about it? I think for one thing it would help if we had some idea of exactly how it was supposed to cure a person. It's also made more difficult by the fact that we don't really have a point of reference for Stromling anatomy, since catching a live one is out of the question, and the Maelstrom leaves their bodies when they die."

"Well," Minerva said, "J.D. believed that his healthy Creative Spirit would heal a different, heavily damaged or corrupted Creative Spirit."

Fuchs nodded, understanding the deceased doctor's reasoning.

"Also..." Minerva was somewhat hesitant to reveal this information, as it might lead to her revealing her and Andrew's plan to abandon the main group to find Zach. I'll just leave that part out. "J.D. thought strong emotions allowed a Stromling to temporarily detach from the Maelstrom's control. It has happened with agent Zachary numerous times."

"Agent Zachary?" asked Fuchs.

"He was a Dino Attack agent who was corrupted by the Maelstrom. He led the attack on the camp."

Fuchs nodded again. Minerva wondered what Fuchs would do with this information.  "I wouldn't mind knowing how exactly that works," replied Fuchs. "It's an interesting theory, but without any idea of how a Stromling's biology works, there's no way to be certain, and obviously bringing Zach here is out of the question."

Minerva nodded sadly.

"I suppose we could run a few tests by mixing samples with other substances," suggested Fuchs. "Theoretically, we might be able to deduce from the reactions some possible components. I can't guarantee it will work, but it's worth trying. There's also still the question of how to synthesize Imagination, since I can understand you probably don't want to remove your own Creative Spark, and I'm certainly not taking out mine."

Minerva was slightly uneasy. As much as she wanted to synthesize the prototype cure, she was didn't want to give up the only sample for research. She wanted to use it on Zach, regardless of the consequences. She and Andrew seemed to be keeping their mission a secret, so she also hesitant to express her reasons of why she didn't want the formula to be picked apart. If Fuchs wasn't successful in his experimentation, she would lose her way of saving Zach from the Maelstrom. She let out a long sigh.

"Look," Minerva said, looking at the doctor. "I have something to tell you. I..."

*****

As the deliberations paused briefly for a quick recess, Tracer leaned forward in his seat behind Hotwire. "Are you going to mention Loop at all?"

Hotwire shook his head. "We can't really afford to worry about him right now. Zach's much more of a threat, and our main goal is finding the Maelstrom temple, not settling a grudge." He paused and rubbed his temples. "Builder, I need a rest sometime this year. And in any case, I doubt Loop is any more dangerous than your average Stromling."

*****

Loop stopped and leaned on a tree, gritting his teeth. It was taking more and more effort to preserve his complete mental autonomy while simultaneously containing the Maelstrom in his body. I have to hang on just a bit longer, for the plan, he thought. He took a deep breath and stood up.

He sensed his cells slowly decaying; it wouldn't be long before he would either submit his will to the Maelstrom, or die. A quick mental calculation told him that this moment would come in approximately two hours. 

Loop, still leaning against the tree, suddenly cried out, doubling over in pain. The Maelstrom in his body had suddenly accelerated. He looked down as his already-ragged Inferno uniform began to tear in places as the Maelstrom energies attacked his body with new vigor and enthusiasm. Large parts of his skin decayed and peeled away. He could now feel it assaulting his mind. It was so tempting just to let go... to let it take him... to serve loyally in the destruction of all.

Loop couldn't be sure whether his remaining time as a free mutant was counted in minutes or seconds, but regardless he needed to stop the Maelstrom's spread in his body somehow. He still had a reserve in his electrical cells. It's my only chance, he thought, and discharged all of the electricity at once.

A white-hot bolt of lightning arced from Loop's chest and arms, reducing a nearby tree to ashes. The blinding flash left him temporarily stunned, and immediately the Maelstrom began forcing its way into his mind.

"NO!" he cried, summoning all his willpower to force the Maelstrom out of his thoughts and into his now empty electricity-storing cells, which he then insulated and locked, cutting them off from the rest of his body. He panted exhaustedly.

Faint purple smoke still trailed after him, but the Maelstrom had been securely cut off from advancing any further through his systems. His current life expectancy had been extended by several days at least. But at the cost of my defense, he thought grimly. I'll just have to be more cautious than usual.

Loop stood up straight again and continued laboriously on his way. 

*****

Kate's attention was suddenly drawn by someone tapping her shoulder. She turned around to see Wade. "Listen, Kate," he said. "I've got to get Pierce out of here."

"You mean you're getting me off this island?" Pierce asked.

"Garry said anyone who isn't fit for duty is going," replied Wade.

Kate turned back toward Pierce, who looked at her with a smile. "It's okay," he said. "I'll see you again. Just a few days of recovering and it'll be fine."

Kate nodded, a few tears somewhat visible. "Goodbye," she muttered, trying to keep herself from crying. Pierce was after all really her only friend out here. He was like a father to her, and now he was leaving. After a moment, Wade helped Pierce out of bed, giving him a pair of crutches before leading him toward the door.

*****

During the recess, Dr. Cyborg approached Rex. "Sir, that blank shell I gave you… I have developed an AI program for it. If you would like me to upload it, I will."

"Thank you, I will think about it," Rex replied.

A woman came up to Dr. Cyborg. "Excuse me, could you help me find my cat?"

Rex rolled his eyes. "Sure," Dr. Cyborg replied uneasily. "Why?"

"Well," she replied, "I am always losing it."

"Catless!" Cyborg cried. "I knew you would recognize me. Eventually."

Rex asked, "Do you know her?"

"Yes," Dr. Cyborg replied, "We were classmates and friends at BIT, Brickachussets Institute of Technology. Elite Agent Rex, may I present Johanna "Catless" Evergreen."

"Why are you called Catless?" Rex asked.

"Well," Catless told Rex, "we called ourselves 'the C group' at BIT. Not for our grades, of course. We all made our names have something to do with us. We were regarded as strange, but hey, we didn't care. My cat was always running away, and when we decided all our nicknames had to begin with C, mine was Catless. Matt's was Cyborg because he was always thinking about human augmentation. It turned out to be prophetic." Turning back towards Dr. Cyborg, Catless asked: "Do you remember Charon?"

Cyborg nodded. "Yes. Remember when the school was launching a research rocket and told him he could put a probe on it if it got itself to the outer solar system?"

"If I recall, you designed the excellent propulsion system he got extra credit for," Catless said.

Dr. Cyborg waved the praise off. "Everybody thought it was hilarious when a stray shot from the Crystalien Conflict destroyed it," he said. "Speaking of which, what happened to Crystal?"

"Oh, he joined the Dino Attack team with me. He's stationed in Antarctica. Oh, Contest finally won one."

Dr. Cyborg replied, "Well, good for her!"

"Charon? Crystal? Contest? Who are these people? I'm lost." Rex said.

Catless answered, "Charon was named because he was obsessed with space, especially Charon. Crystal fanatically followed the Crystalien Conflict, so he was Crystal. Because Contest always was entering contests, she became Contest."

Dr. Cyborg and Catless walked away, still talking.

*****

One by one, the hospital beds were being evacuated until it was more or less empty, save the doctors, Garry, and a handful of patients who were fit enough for duty. Garry watched as Pierce was carried out, Kate sat next to his empty bed, somewhat depressed.

At that point, Copper approached Garry. "What about the girl?" he asked. "I need an answer now."

Garry thought about it for a few minutes before finally looking Copper in the eye. "Get her on that chopper," Garry whispered. "I just need you to do me a favor."

"What is it sir?" inquired Copper.

"Don't tell anyone about this," instructed Garry.

"Why?" asked Copper.

Garry thought about it. "I can't tell you," he said. "It's for her own good. If anyone asks, she didn't make it. Put a sheet over her, and if anyone asks, you're sending the body home."

"Look, what is going on?" Copper demanded.

"I already said I can't tell you," reiterated Garry. "Just trust me."

Copper sighed and nodded. The two of them went over to the "private ward" where Jenny was kept. Copper got a sheet and a stretcher, and the two of them slowly moved Jenny onto it. She was still resting fortunately, and barely stirred as Copper placed the sheet over her face.

Garry grabbed the back end of the stretcher while Copper grabbed the front. The two of them carried it outside to where the medivac chopper was waiting. Two paramedics helped load her into the helicopter, and as soon as they did, Garry removed part of the sheet, showing Jenny's face.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" asked a paramedic, shouting over the sounds of the helicopter's engines.

"SHE'S NOT DEAD," replied Garry.

"THEN WHY DID YOU PUT A SHEET OVER HER!?" asked the paramedic.

"IT'S A LONG STORY!" insisted Garry. "JUST TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER!"

The man moved toward Jenny and started examining her. "IS THAT EVERYONE?"

Garry turned back toward Copper and repeated the question. Copper nodded. "YEAH, THAT'S ALL OF THEM!" replied Garry before he climbed out of the chopper. He and Copper turned back toward the Outpost as it started to take off. 

"Listen, Garry," Copper said. "What was all that about? Who was she?"

"I told you," replied Garry. "I can't tell you."

"Come on," insisted Copper. "There's got to be something."

Garry thought about it and sighed before he turned to Copper. "If I tell you, you must promise not to breathe one word of it to anyone. Understand?"

"Yes," replied Copper.

"Good," said Garry. "Come with me."

Garry led Copper into the vehicle lot and opened a door to a Fire Hammer. Inside were two agents, whom he quickly recognized as Barry Jackson and Teri Dactyl, a former soldier of his, and they were sitting in the backseat, kissing.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

Garry led Copper to another nearby Fire Hammer and opened the door. He sat down in the passenger's side whilst Copper took the driver's side. After closing the doors, Garry remained quiet for a moment.

"That was no accident," Garry said. "It was far from self-defense of any kind."

"What do you mean?" Copper asked.

"I tortured her, Doc," confessed Garry. "Rotor and I. He told me she had information. We beat her into a MegaBlokin' pulp."

"You've been trying to cover all this up?" realized Copper.

"Yes," replied Garry. "You don't know what Rotor's like. The guy tried to execute an entire T-1 Typhoon crew because the pilot disobeyed orders. Don't get me wrong, he's a great leader on the battlefield, but everywhere else..."

Copper looked away in disgust. "I can't believe you would do something like that."

"Rotor's got a way with words," said Garry. "It's a strange thing. Every action he does, no matter how cruel, always has a disturbing amount of logic. Actually, in some ways, I admire him."

"Shouldn't we do something?" Copper asked.

"Not yet," replied Garry. "When this war is over maybe, but in the meantime, they need a man who can lead."

"Well," said Copper. "Why fake the girl's death? Why don't we just tell them that she's-"

"Because if Rotor finds out I betrayed him, he'll no doubt want to have me shot," replied Garry. "Don't think he wouldn't."

"In that case, your secret is safe with me," assured Copper. "I'll write up an official report. The body was sent out with the medivac."

Garry nodded as Copper stepped out of the Fire Hammer. He sat there for a few minutes, thinking about his actions. He finally stepped out of the vehicle and walked over toward the other Fire Hammer. He opened the door and stared coldly at Barry and Teri.

"What are you MegaBlokin' 4+ Pirates doing in here?" he demanded. "Get back to your post!"

Jackson nodded as he stepped outside, followed by Teri. They quickly put their jackets back on and ran off. 

*****

The meeting had reconvened, and Nazareno was glad to see things getting done. The agents surrounding the table eagerly and hurriedly discussed their options and the full extent of what they wanted to do. It appeared they did not take Zach's threat lightly and wanted a plan so they could quickly enter the Maelstrom-infected area of the jungle. Every agent was actively participating. Except one.

Next to Nazareno sat a girl around twenty-years-old. She had long black hair tied into a ponytail with a bright red stripe of hair running down the middle of her head. She hadn't said a single word. Instead, she seemed hunched over something in her lap. She constantly raised her head and glanced side-to-side, as if she was afraid someone was watching her.

Nazareno shrugged the girl off. If she didn't pay attention, it would only cost her in the end. As it would seem, Commander Vinyaya would not accept the girl's lack of attention.

"Zelda Frodongan!" Vinyaya snapped. The girl jumped and glared at the commander furiously. "If you are not going to pay attention, you can get out!"

"I am paying attention," the girl mumbled angrily. "More than you would like to know." This upset Vinyaya for whatever reason, as she got out of her chair and stomped toward Zelda.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, pulling Zelda's chair out from the table. Nazareno could spy a PDA sitting on her lap. Zelda's eyes widened and quickly pressed a button on the device before it was snatched out of her hands by Vinyaya."What are you-" Vinyaya was suddenly silenced. She glanced at the PDA then at Zelda. Suddenly, Vinyaya grabbed the back of Zelda's uniform and yanked her from the chair. With much force, Vinyaya slammed Zelda's back against the wall and pointed a small, handgun-like weapon at the Standard Agent.

Every agent (except Rex, for obvious reasons) stood up from the table. Many had weapons out. "What are you doing, Holly?!" Nazareno demanded. She glared at the ninja for several moments, then handed the confiscated PDA to him. He squinted as he read the small screen.

Message successfully sent to: ZACHARY

Nazareno set the PDA down on the table, in shock. Hotwire snapped it up and read the screen himself. His eyes widened as he looked at Zelda, who was now smiling.

"You are a... Stromling?" he asked.

Zelda's smile widened as her minifig disguise fell away, a Stromling version of herself taking its place. Vinyaya backed away in surprise.

"Indeed," Zelda hissed.

*****

As Copper walked toward the recreational room, he was startled to find Wade and Carver carrying an unconscious man. "What's going on?" Copper asked nervously.

"I don't know," replied Wade. "We were working in the infirmary when suddenly someone shows up and tells us that this guy Norris had a heart attack."

"What?" said Copper. He quickly took a look at the unconscious man's face. "Oh, Norris…"

"You know him?" asked Wade.

"He's a geologist," Copper explained. "I worked with him in Antarctica. Now let's get him to medbay."

With some assistance, Norris was quickly hauled to the operating room and thrown onto the table. Carver quickly woke up Crusher while Wade tore open the patient's shirt. They started attempting the standard procedures with no affect. Copper tried mouth-to-mouth, and nothing happened.

"Wade, get me the defibrillator!" Copper shouted.

Wade quickly grabbed one and wheeled it over. He grabbed the two paddles and held them in place. He waited for the right moment before Copper shouted, "Clear!"

Wade pressed them down, and nothing happened. He held them again and waited for Copper.

"CLEAR!" Copper finally shouted.

Wade pressed those paddles down as hard as he could onto Norris's chest. Then something happened he didn't quite expect. The man's chest split right open, exposing his ribs like jagged teeth of an enormous maw. The two paddles fell inside, but Wade was fortunately able to pull his hands away before the ribcage closed tight in a motion that would have sliced a man's arms clean off.

At that point, Norris began to turn a strange purplish color. His eyes opened, glowing a bright red.

"I don't know what's going on, but I think we should get out of here!" Crusher shouted as she quickly ran for the door, followed by the other doctors.

"What do we do?" asked a panicked Carver as they ran outside.

"We got to warn everyone," replied Copper. "Wade, Fuchs is busy in the lab working on the cure. You better go warn him. I'll go find Garry. Carver, Crusher, you two go warn the elite agents."

*****

Fuchs was listening intently as Minerva started to explain, but she was sadly cut off when Wade burst into the room.

"We got trouble!" Wade said. "There's a Stromling in here. I don't know, a guy had a heart attack, and we tried to revive him, and then he turned out to be a Stromling. Copper told me to come warn you."

"How on LEGO Planet did-" Fuchs was about to say before he cut himself off. "Oh, never mind. Minerva, we gotta get out of here, and fast. If we can get outside to the vehicle lot, maybe we can get a Fire Hammer and drive out of here. Now let's go!"

He quickly picked up the injection saw and grabbed her hand as he ran for the door.

*****

The leadership stepped back as the soldiers tackled Zelda.

"Hold her down!" shouted Dr. Cyborg. "I can extract the Maelstrom!"

Holding her down was easier said than done. The Stromling was putting up a good fight. She ran towards the door, and almost made it, too.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Vinyaya yelled as she shoved Zelda back into the fight.

Hotwire and Tracer had both leapt up the moment Zelda dropped her disguise, but they could do little more for the first several seconds than stand back as she struggled with Vinyaya and Dr. Cyborg. As Vinyaya shoved the Stromling back from the door, Tracer drew a pistol and fired. Zelda ducked the instant she saw the rookie agent raise his weapon, and the shot flew over her head and punched through the door. Hesitant to fire again for fear of hitting anyone else, Tracer stepped back, but kept his gun pointed directly at the Stromling Agent. At that moment, she was tackled from both sides by Nazareno and Vinyaya.

Hotwire, weaponless, cursed in frustration. I really should be armed at all times, he thought to himself, ducking around the table in search of some means of defending himself and aiding the others. He spotted a knife someone had dropped on the ground, and snatched it up. He turned back to the fight just in time to see Zelda throw Vinyaya off.

The Space Police commando stumbled momentarily but recovered her balance. With a yell towards Nazareno to duck, she raised her sidearm and fired. Zelda twisted to the side with inhuman speed, and the blast of energy scorched a hole through the wall behind her. The Stromling stayed in motion, charging forward and punching Vinyaya in the stomach. Though she was protected by her body armor, the force of the blow was enough to send Vinyaya reeling back again, dropping her weapon in the process.

At that moment, Hotwire vaulted over the command table and threw the knife at Zelda. It struck her in the side but, without missing a beat, she pulled the knife out and swiped it at Hotwire's abdomen. He jumped back, but the knife still slashed through his shin. This sudden injury fouled up his landing, and he fell back, striking his head on the edge of the table. Hotwire collapsed, grimacing in pain as spots clouded his vision. He rolled under the table for a bit of protection while he waited to recover.

Maelstrom energies flared around Zelda's side, and her knife wound began to close. Meanwhile, Vinyaya had regained her footing. She charged and tackled the Stromling again. Tracer holstered his pistol and sprang to her aid, and as Zelda's offensive abilities were briefly hindered by the process of healing her wound, they were quickly able to wrestle her to the ground. Dr. Cyborg approached, preparing to attempt to draw out the Maelstrom.

Meanwhile, Hotwire, semiconscious and all but oblivious to the fight, suddenly felt a cold swirling sensation in his wounded leg. He blinked and boosted himself onto his elbow and peered down, squinting in pain at his shin. Through the ragged hole in his pant leg, he saw a smoky purple glow, and felt his wound begin to close. Instantly he realized what he was seeing. When Zelda ripped the knife out of her side, it must have dragged bits of Maelstrom energy with it, clinging to the blade long enough to transfer to... me!

The thought made him forget the pain in his head. Hotwire knew that as soon as it was done healing the knife wound, the Maelstrom would spread and infect him entirely. He suppressed a flare of panic as his mind scrambled for a solution. At that moment he spotted Vinyaya's sidearm laying where it had fallen, not three feet away from Hotwire's position under the table. Seeing no alternative, he grabbed the weapon, aimed it at his injured and now-infected shin, clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes shut, and fired.

The sudden explosive sound of the Space Police weapon discharging distracted the other three agents for a split second. And that split second was all that Zelda needed. She wrenched an arm free and shoved Tracer off of her, snatching his pistol in the process. As Tracer rolled back and began to stand, Zelda squeezed off two shots in rapid succession. The bullets struck Tracer in the stomach, and shock filled his eyes as he fell back, unconscious, Zelda's dark laughter echoing in his ears. 

*****

As Garry walked into Outpost 4, he was suddenly approached by Copper.

"We got trouble," Copper shouted. "Norris got infected by that Maelstrom. He's a Stromling!"

"What?" asked Garry. Copper was about to lead him to the medbay when Garry's attention was drawn by the sounds of some form of commotion.

At that point, Crusher ran up to them. "It's in the planning room," Crusher said.

Garry quickly followed her toward the room where the planning session was going on. Sure enough, as he got to the door, he saw a female agent with an eerie purple glow fighting against the other agents. Just as he arrived, he saw Zelda fire two shots through Tracer's chest. Thinking quickly, Garry quickly pulled out his revolver, aimed towards the Stromling girl, and fired one round after another.

At that point, Fuchs quickly ran up to him, followed by Minerva. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"GET OUT OF HERE, FUCHS!" yelled Garry. "YOU STILL GET THAT SAMPLE?!"

"Yeah," replied Fuchs.

"FUCHS, GET TO THE VEHICLE LOT!" Garry shouted before he fired another round. "GET AS FAR AWAY FROM HERE AS YOU CAN!"

Fuchs nodded and grabbed Minerva's hand as he led her toward the exit. The two of them quickly ran outside and towards the small lot where the vehicles were being kept. Finding a Fire Hammer, Fuchs quickly got into the driver's seat, handing the injection saw back to Minerva.

"Where are we going?" Minerva asked.

"Away from here," replied Fuchs.

"We're just going to leave them?" Minerva asked.

"If those Stromlings find out we have a cure to the Maelstrom, we're finished. We'll just have to get to the nearest outpost with a lab available."

He started up the engines and began to drive the vehicle away. After a few minutes, he started to breathe a sigh of relief.

----

Angel Eyes placed a small pot full of beans above a campfire. Bear was eating another "sandvich" and singing a song. "Sandvich and me..."

Meanwhile, Medic was telling the squad an amusing anecdote about a doctor he once knew. "...But vait, it getz better. Ven Pierce got back, ze patient'z zkeleton vaz mizzing, und ze doctor vas never heard from again."

Bear and the other members of the squad quickly burst into laughter. Angel Eyes himself could not help smiling.

"Anyvay," Medic continued. "Zat'z how I almost lost my medical lizenze."

The last remark quickly silenced everyone. 

----

Hertz could only watch as the two bullets droves themselves into Tracer's stomach. The agent fell backward almost in slow motion onto the tabletop, where he toppled the furniture and lay still.

Hotwire crawled out from under the upturned table and grimaced in pain. His leg was bleeding profusely and he called for Semick to help.

The moment of vulnerability was what Zelda needed. Doctor Cyborg was fast approaching from her left, and she quickly grabbed his arm and wrenched it behind his back. Hertz did not know how firmly a cyborg's arm was attached, but he heard a load popping sound as his shoulder was dislocated. With a heavy kick, she sent the debilitated doctor flying toward Vinyaya. The two collided with enough force that they almost fell over the balcony.

Nazareno came from the right. He swung his sword at the Stromling, but she blocked it with the barrel of her gun. She slipped her foot behind his and swiped forward, knocking the ninja to the floor. The Space Ninja now lay at her feet. Slowly, she aimed the gun and was about to pull the trigger when Cabin yelled. Zelda spun and fired two shots at the elite agent, but she ducked behind the upturned table for cover.

Nazareno was now back on his feet, and he sliced with a downward motion at her stomach. Zelda twisted out of the way and pistol-whipped the ninja on the side of the head.

As he fell to the ground, Hertz dove for the emergency armory in the case behind him and broke the glass with his elbow. By the time he had a Sonic Screamer, Zelda had crossed the area between them and punched the techie in the chin with enough power to draw blood. The Sonic Screamer flew in the air and landed a few feet from Rex's wheelchair.

Semick and Rotor had their guns out, but by the time they had their sights on the Stromling, she had her gun pointed at Hertz's forehead.

"Nobody move or I'll shoot the nerd," warned Zelda.

Rotor fired anyway and hit Zelda in the shoulder. Hertz rolled out of the way just as Zelda shot hit the area where he just lay.

"Rotor, what the Znap?! You could have killed me!" cried Hertz. Rotor took no notice and fired a second shot at the Stromling.

The Stromling was just about to finish the fight when a hum filled the room. She spun around and saw Rex calmly sitting in his wheelchair, clutching the Sonic Screamer. The elite agent smiled. "Goodbye." He pulled the trigger and blasted Zelda through the wall. 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 41: Deadline

-----

Garry lowered his pistol and took a moment to catch his breath as he leaned against the doorframe of the planning room.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked after a minute. He knew the answer when he saw Tracer lying on the ground covered in blood. "Crusher, get in here."

Crusher quickly ran into the planning room at that moment and sat down next to Tracer.

"Did we kill it?" Garry asked.

"I don't know," replied Cabin. "I hope that's the last of he-"

"There's more," Crusher suddenly interjected. "There was another guy, Norris, who turned out to be infected. I don't know where he is now, but if we don't act fast, people are going to start dying."

"Could there be any others?" Rotor asked.

"I don't know," replied Crusher. "It's a possibility. If there are, I don't know how we'll be able to tell." 

*****

Zach opened his eyes. He was back at the rear guard camp. It was devoid of any life. Zach glanced down at his body and immediately realized he was a minifig again. In fact, he was purely minifig. He raised his right hand in front of his face. Yes, completely organic. No sign of Star Wars-esque robot hand. He looked exactly like he did before joining the Dino Attack Team.

He looked around the camp, wondering where everyone had gone. The camp was in rather good shape. It showed no signs that a pack of Mutant Dinos led by a Stromling Agent had been here. It almost appeared as though someone had sent up the camp, and then just left. Something caught his eye near the command tent.

Minerva.

Minerva Fabello stood at the command tent, smiling at him. Without hesitation, Zach ran toward her and embraced her in a tight hug. She returned the hug, laughing happily. He rested his head on her shoulders, sighing. He finally felt peace. The anger, corruption, deception. It was fading away.

"This won't do," a voice hissed.

Without warning, Minerva shoved Zach away. Zach stumbled backward in confusion. She had a look of mixed anger and sadness. Tears freely fell down her face. "How could you?" Minerva gasped between sobs.

"I-what?" stammered Zach.

"Join the Maelstrom!" she spat. "You've killed my friends. YOUR friends! You think you can just switch sides again and expect everything to be okay?"

"No!" Zach exclaimed. "It wasn't my fault! I-"

"Lies!" Minerva screamed. "Who is to say you won't suddenly rejoin the Maelstrom? Who says you won't end up killing m-m-me!" She began to cry.

"I won't! I promise!" Zach begged. Minerva shook her head. She turned and started to run into the jungle. "Wait!" He tried to follow her when he tripped and landed on his face. Everything went black.

"This is unacceptable!" the same voice from before shouted. "You've been caught red-handed. Showing FEELINGS. Feelings of an almost...MINIFIG nature. This will not do. This will not do at all."

"I-" Zach stammered.

"SILENCE!" the voice hissed. "Your pitiful excuse for a life will be even worse if you dared to return to the Minifigs! They will ostracize and punish you. They will despise you and will hate you long after you are dead! Even that girl will abandon you..."

*****

Zach suddenly woke up. He knew it had been a long time since he had gotten any sleep, so he felt obligated to give himself a short nap before the battle. He didn't expect to have nightmare though. Especially a nightmare like one that just occurred.

He felt a short vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his worn Dino Attack-issue PDA and saw he had received a message from one the Maelstrom spies in the Dino Attack, Zelda.

"That is... an interesting development," Zach said to himself, scratching his chin. He immediately reached out to mentally contact Colonel.

Colonel! Are you there? Zach demanded.

Yes, sir. What do you require?

Zach smiled slightly. Being called 'sir' gave him immense amounts of pleasure. He pressed on. I have received word from our spies planted in the Dino Attack Team that they have not one, but two people who can help them find the Maelstrom temple; A XERRD scientist by the name of Gonepus and a former ally of mine named Rudo Villano. They may not go to the temple you are stationed at all.

What do you suggest I do? I have nearly 300 troops at my disposable.

Zach paused for a moment. Stay where you are for now. When the Dino Attack Team reaches this temple, I will contact you. If there are no Dino Attack agents even approaching your area, I want you to get your troops over here as fast as possible. With our combined teams, the Dino Attack will be crushed.

As you wish, sir. Zach felt his link with Colonel fade away.

It is almost time. Zach smirked. He turned to go meet up with Cranky, his dream still fresh in his mind.

*****

Ahua had a gnawing feeling of dread in his stomach. Zachary had very clearly shown that he had control of Ahua and the rest of the Stromlings. There is no doubt. He must be eliminated. His blatant disregard for Ahua's authority. His effortless command over other Stromlings such as Cranky and Colonel. Zach must be stopped.

There is still the option of the girl. Ahua had once made contact with Zach's love interest, who he learned was named Minerva. She was skeptical of the 'voice' who had spoken to her. And yet, she seemed all too willing to trust it if it knew where the Maelstrom Temple.

We will contact her again soon. We will be more... open this time.

Ahua immediately realized if he gave away the location of the Maelstrom Temple, Colonel's squad at the other temple would be useless. And then again. They are a tool used by Zach to assert his power. Their failure only knocks him down and raises us up. Ahua smiled. Everything was going according to plan.

*****

"You might want to take a look at Hotwire too, ma'am," Nazareno grunted to Crusher as he stood up. He felt searing pain from his Maelstrom-infected wound, but ignored it as he glanced around at the other agents. Half of them looked bruised in some way. Crusher glanced at Hotwire. He lay unconscious on the ground. Nazareno wasn't sure what happened, but he was positive he had seen the Elite Agent shoot himself in the leg with the smoking Space Police weapon nearby.

Several agents rushed to Hotwire to deal with his wound. Nazareno hobbled to Commander Vinyaya. Her armor was scratched and her ponytail had been undone in the chaos. She looked livid as she glared at the fallen body of Zelda.

"Let's go see our Stromling friend, shall we?" Nazareno asked. Vinyaya nodded and they both limped over to Zelda. She was lying on the floor. A closer examination showed that Zelda was simply unconscious. Vinyaya picked up the weapon Zelda had taken from Tracer and pointed it at the Stromling.

"Don't shoot!" snapped Nazareno, quickly taking the weapon from Vinyaya's hand. She glared at him furiously.

"I think that if she thinks she can get away with shooting one of our agents, I can get away with shooting her," Vinyaya hissed. "Now hand over that gun, agent. Or shoot her yourself." Nazareno grimaced. Vinyaya was obviously a realist who wanted the enemy shot and dead, no questions asked.

"I'm afraid I must refuse to follow your orders, commander," Nazareno responded. Vinyaya raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This is the first Stromling we've ever managed to get an advantage over without killing it. I think a proper interrogation and scientific analysis would be more appropriate."

Vinyaya was about to argue, but stopped. "Of course, you are right. Sorry. I lost control of myself." She turned to Crusher. "After you get Tracer and Hotwire down to the medical-area, bring a team of agents to transport this Stromling to a high-security cell. Tell them to bring weapons. I'm still not sure about this one." Vinyaya then got on one knee and pulled a set of Space Police handcuffs from her belt and snapped them on Zelda's wrists. 

"What about Norris?" Crusher asked suddenly. "He was in the infirmary when he revealed himself, and nearly sliced Wade's arms off. How do we know there aren't any more?" 

Nazareno frowned (though no one could tell, due to his mask). "There are more?" he asked. Crusher nodded. "And the one you found out is in the infirmary?"

"That was the last time we saw him," Crusher said. Nazareno was beginning to get frustrated. Tracer and Hotwire were critically injured and many of the agents present, Nazareno included, were wounded.

"We must find this 'Norris'," Rex said. "Him and any other spies."

"That is going to be hard," Nazareno noted. "Once upon a time, I could detect the chaotic energy around Stromlings and immediately pick them out. Either my senses are declining or the Stromlings are getting smarter at hiding themselves. I'd say both cases are likely."

"So what do we do?" Cabin asked. "We can't detect them. Evacuating the outpost is pointless, as the Stromlings will just stay hidden and join the group."

"Actually," Dr. Cyborg said, "I discovered in the XERRD fortress that Stromlings can be detected with ultraviolet light." Everyone stared at him.

"When were you going to tell us this?!" Rotor demanded.

"I already did. I think," Dr. Cyborg replied. "I sent it in a PDA message." The agents were silent. Nazareno sighed, then walked toward the cyborg agent.

"You have an ultraviolet scanner in you somewhere, don't you?" Nazareno asked calmly. Dr. Cyborg nodded. "Good."

Nazareno turned to the assembly of agents. "I am heading out with Dr. Cyborg to find Stromlings. He will use his ultraviolet scanner to detect the Stromlings and we'll both kill them. We could use some help, so if you want to come along, now is the time to say. If you are not coming, stay here and keep her-" Nazareno jerked his head in the direction of Zelda's body. "-under control. We'll be back when we've checked out this entire outpost. So, anyone willing to join me and Cyborg?"

"I guess I'd better go with you," replied Garry. "As station manager security is my responsibility… though how these Stromlings entered, I do not know."

"What about the two prisoners we recovered?" Cabin asked. "Perhaps one of them could help us."

At that moment, Rotor shot a rather intimidating glare towards Garry as if to say 'If you tell them, I'll kill you'. "The girl's dead," Garry said after a moment. "There was an accident and she was badly injured. Copper did everything he could to fix her but it was no use."

"What about the other one?" asked Cabin.

"He's fine," replied Garry.

*****

Fuchs drove through the dark jungles as fast as he possibly could. By this point, he had no idea where he was going; he just wanted to get as far from Outpost 4 and those Stromlings as possible. Then suddenly the vehicle started to slow down. He tried to adjust the speed, but it was sadly of no use, and before long, it finally came to a complete stop.

"What happened?" asked Minerva.

"Out of gas, but we're safe for the moment," replied Fuchs. He turned toward Minerva. "Do you think you can operate the radio?"

Minerva shook her head.

"That's what I thought," sighed Fuchs. "We'll just have to stay here for the moment."

*****

It was at this point that Gahiji Thutmose made his entrance into the command room. He had spent most of the last few days on the beach and this was the first time he would engage anyone in conversation since his arrival. "What's going on here?" asked Dust. "I heard the gunshots from outside."

"There are Stromlings in the base," said Vinyaya. "One just tried to kill us." 

Dust surveyed the damage around him. Looking at the carnage Zelda had left in her wake, he knelt down to get a closer look at Tracer's body. The agent was losing a lot of blood and Dust was surprised he was not yet expired. "Why has he not been brought to the infirmary?" asked the Egyptian. 

"A second Stromling was just seen downstairs," responded Garry. "He broke out of the E.R."

Dust was not impressed. "Someone should get Tracer and Hotwire down there as soon as possible. They're going to be dead within minutes." Two agents quickly put them on stretchers and boarded the elevator.

He then turned to Semick.  "How much time is left on the countdown clock?" 

"Half an hour," said Hertz. "We have no real plan at this stage, and what we have done was just sent to Zach. The entire operation is compromised." 

"Are you saying we quit?" said Rotor threateningly. 

Hertz looked the elite agent in the eye. "That is exactly what I think; we were never in any condition to do this. We certainly can't make the attack in just half an hour!" 

"But what about Zach's threat?" asked Vinyaya. 

"Znap Zach's threat! We will certainly be destroyed if we go there now!" yelled Hertz. "We at least have a chance if we stay here and fight!" 

The elite agents were not convinced. "You should stay in your place, Hertz," Nazareno said calmly. 

"NO! You people have to hear this! Almost half of our men are in no condition to fight, the enemy knows our plans, and there are Stromlings in our own base!" There was an uncomfortable silence and no one moved.

Dust considered what Hertz said and brushed any censures he had aside. He reminded himself he did not care about the casualties; he just wanted to get to his temple as soon as possible.

Finally, Garry broke the silence. "Speaking of the Stromlings, we should go." Nazareno and Doctor Cyborg headed into the hall, followed by Garry.

Dust glanced at the standoff in the room. Every elite agent was staring at the defiant Hertz. He decided he should leave; at this point, his presence would only complicate things. Calling after the hunting party, he quickly followed the group into the hall. 

*****

Hotwire's eyelids felt as heavy as garage doors, so for several minutes he did not bother to open them. He was lying on what felt like a cot, and his left foot itched horridly. As his senses slowly returned, he realized he could hear voices. Wade and Crusher, he thought. So I'm in the medical bay. Why... Then the fight with Zelda snapped back into his mind. He forced his eyelids open.

The sight that met him was gut-wrenching. Tracer lay on the next cot over, abnormally pale, and hooked up to life support.

At that moment, Wade turned and noticed that Hotwire's eyes were open. "Ah," he said, walking over to Hotwire's cot. "Welcome back. About your leg--"

"Never mind my leg, what about him?" Hotwire interrupted, motioning towards Tracer. Wade sighed.

Dr. Crusher, who was monitoring Tracer's life support, stood up and turned towards Hotwire. "That Stromling shot him twice, once through the lung and once through the abdomen. We've been trying to stabilize him, but his chances don't look very good. He's been in and out of consciousness this whole time."

"Now I understand perfectly that you are concerned for your friend," said Wade, "but we really need to discuss your leg. I would ask what possessed you to shoot yourself in the shin with a Space Police blaster, but once we began operating that became apparent." Hotwire nodded, unsurprised. "The Maelstrom was already getting to work when you pulled that trigger, and from the knee down your leg looked more like that of a Stromling than anything else." Wade paused, obviously somewhat uncomfortable. "Thing is... there wasn't much else we could do... it was barely attached... and as it was infected with the Maelstrom..."

Hotwire looked down. His left leg ended in a bandaged stump several inches below the knee. "Can't say I'm surprised. To be honest, that was rather the intent I had. Cut off the infection's only route before it spreads anymore."

Wade looked somewhat relieved by Hotwire's reaction, and spoke again. "Now, if we were still on LEGO Island, it would be a fairly straightforward matter of replacing your leg with a new one. However, we do have what might be the next best thing. Nazareno, as you may be aware, is quite an expert in mechanical prosthetics..." As he continued about the possibilities of a robotic limb, Hotwire began to zone out a bit. Ever since Kat's apparent death and then continued existence within computers, the line between organism and technology had become a matter of some importance to him, and with this in mind, his response was immediate.

"No."

Wade stopped. "What?"

"I shot my leg off to stay a human minifig. I'm not sure I like the idea of fusing myself with machinery."

"Bear in mind that you could be removed from active duty if you are considered handicapped," said Wade warningly.

"If Rex can stay on the front lines in a wheelchair," Hotwire said, "I'm sure I'll be all right with a crutch and a peg."

*****

"So, you can tell the difference between Stromlings and minifigs?" Garry asked.

"Ultraviolet light," explained Dr. Cyborg. "Anyway, I have a theory. There might be a small pool of Maelstrom underneath the outpost in an underground cavern or something."

"I see," replied Garry. "I just hope you're right about this." He thought about it for a moment. "I think I know a few other people who can help," Garry finally said. "Come on."

Garry led Dr. Cyborg, Nazareno, and Dust towards the storage rooms. "What in Builder's name is the point of this?" Dust asked impatiently as Garry got out his keys.

Garry said nothing as he unlocked the door to storage area three and walked inside, staring at the two prisoners. "Can you walk?" Garry asked.

"I think so," replied Strangebrick.

"Good," said Garry. He quickly ran over and helped the scientist up, as well as Tom. "You're coming with us. We got Stromlings in the base." 

Nazareno raised an eyebrow. "I can't help but agree with Dust," he said to Garry. "What is the point of this? Can they detect Stromlings?"

"Yes, why are they important? Do they have inside info or something?" Dr. Cyborg asked.

"I don't know what information they have on the Stromlings, but they could have vital information on XERRD," replied Garry. "Now what do we do? Take them with us and try to keep them safe, or lock them in here and let them be assimilated by the Maelstrom?"

*****

This is an interesting turn of events.

Zach had learned from his Stromling scouts in the jungle that the Dino Attack Team had still not left the safety of their outpost and time was almost up. According to his last check, there was only half an hour left until his deadline was finished.

As much as he wanted to finish off the Dino Attack, where would the fun be in just killing them at their base? He wanted them to experience the full horrors of the Maelstrom Temple. However, he was a man of his word. He would not give them a million chances to get their act together. I wonder... Zach reached with his mental link to Zelda. It was distant and somewhat faded, but he could still feel the connection.

What is going on over there?

Zach was met with silence. Then: They found me, Zelda muttered. They captured me. Spy paranoia has started up again inside their ranks.

Interesting. Zach cut his connection and began to run over his options.

Finally, he turned to Cranky. "Come," Zach said. "Let's go visit this 'Outpost 4'. I have a little message for the Dino Attack Team." 

*****

Catless was stunned. How could a Stromling, two of them no less, infiltrate the outpost? The security here was some of the best there was. She was puzzled, but she had a theory. Cyborg probably had it too, they both thought alike.

She spoke up. "There might be a pool of Maelstrom somewhere in the fortress, hidden, that would infect these agents. Somewhere agents would visit regularly, like the cafeteria or something." 

----

GAIA Squad continued to escort the caravan, which stopped at another Dino Attack Outpost overseen by commanding officer Colonel Mustang. Instead of hailing them as heroes, Mustang interrogated GAIA Squad, imprisoned Eno Saurson, and detained Shade, Tex, Crunchbite, Ragnarok, and Freefall. Convinced that Sauro-Hunter and his teammates were traitors to the cause, Mustang had GAIA Squad placed under constant watch.

The cell rumbled beneath their feet. Frantic shouts were heard past the bars. Sauro-Hunter poked his head out. "What in the Builders' names is going on?" he shouted.

Agents rushed past, their weapons ready, ignoring him. Sauro-Hunter slumped against the wall next to Aravis. She set her head on his shoulder. Spino leaned against the other wall, and Ptero sat cross-legged, looking forlorn.

"So," said Spino, "this is how we die. Like rats." The concept sickened Sauro-Hunter. Here they were, seasoned warriors, and they wouldn't die fighting for their cause.

He stood. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" he roared. A blade sprang from his wrist. That caught everybody off-guard. Sauro-Hunter examined the dagger-like blade and smiled. With a flourish, he punched a bar, and the blade sliced through with little effort. "Now we're getting somewhere!"

Sauro-Hunter drew his arm back. In a blur of motion, he sliced at the bars. Pieces of metal fell away until a space a minifig could fit through stood before them.

"Jailbreak!" Ptero cried. The five sprinted as fast as they could. "Where to first?"

"We find Tex, Shade, Freefall, and Eno," replied Sauro-Hunter. Anger burned in his eyes. "If they've hurt my family… Builders, shield them from my wrath."

"'Family'?" another voice said haughtily. "That's pretty sick, traitor." Colonel Mustang turned the corner, wielding a wickedly sharp rapier. The five agents slowed.

"Out of our way!" roared Sauro-Hunter. The blade extended from his wrist and he charged. Metal crashed against metal as the two combatants exchanged blows. Mustang seemed complacent, which threw Sauro-Hunter into a frenzy.

"Parry, thrust, thrust," Mustang gloated. "Good! I thought this would be boring."

Sauro-Hunter felt his chest grow hot, and opened his mouth. Blue and gold flames roared at Mustang. Needless to say, he was caught off guard. He rolled to one side and landed a blow on Sauro-Hunter's left arm. Undeterred, the Dino Attack agent surged forward, bringing his weapon within millimeters of his opponent's face.

"Your file didn't lie," Mustang commented. He patted out a patch of fire on his shoulder. "Expert in close-quarters combat, ferocious, and not the least bit afraid to die."

Sauro-Hunter paused, panting. "You read my file?" he asked, keeping his arm up.

Mustang nodded. "Indeed," he replied. "Not every soldier gets as much attention." His eyes narrowed. "Except traitors."

"We aren't traitors!" Aravis screamed. Mustang suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his head. Aravis's eyes glowed a fierce green. In a moment, Mustang fell, silent.

"GAIA Squad," Sauro-Hunter said. "Roll out!" 

Finding specimen containment was relatively easy. All it required was following the sound of Tex's unique roar. It started out low-pitched, then rose an octave. Sauro-Hunter had heard it described as an eagle shriek blended with a lion's roar. But to him, it was pure music.

Not only is she okay, he thought, she's fighting mad!

Aravis reached out with a mental call, and Tex displayed a mental image of where she was being contained. It was a sterile room, and Tex, Shade, and Freefall were held in place by clamps and harnesses, while Eno was contained in a cell.

"Let's move, GAIA!" exclaimed Sauro-Hunter. 

----

"...what?" said Bluetooth.

"I can't believe it either, but that's what happened," said Stranger, looking disgruntled as the Mutant Lizard behind him smirked a little. "Isn't that right, Buddy?"

Bluetooth hadn't seen Stranger in days. For that matter, he had thought he was dead, lost in the chaos like Raider had been when the medical tent at camp had gotten trashed in the ambush. But here he was, looking a lot more rugged with a small beard and a torn-up uniform, but clearly alive.

"So, let me get this straight," Bluetooth began. "When you got into the XERRD fortress, you encounter some Lizard you picked a rivalry with during an earlier battle, who after dueling you, saves you when Rotor bombs the MegaBlokland out of it, and then keeps you as a pseudo-prisoner/house guest in a cave for three days?"

"Pretty much an average experience for any of us," Stranger remarked. "And there's more to it than that. We talked quite a bit during that-"

"How? You don't know their language?"

"He does know rudimentary English, though, and how to write it with a tail," Stranger said as he pointed his thumb back at the Mutant Dino, who raised his tail like one would raise a hand. "Sounded rather intellectual, to be honest. It was like talking to one of Rex's old pets. Though he said he wasn't actually one of them."

"Okay..." Bluetooth said, still a little shocked that Stranger, of all Minifigs, had had an encounter like this. "So... what did you talk about?"

"Casual talk. Kill ranks, fighting abilities, how and why we hated each other, insulting each other's mothers, and how he was wanting to help us."

This was starting to sound like a weird dream to Bluetooth. But he kept silent (albeit with a confounded face) as Stranger continued.

"Yeah, Buddy's picking up on the whole Maelstrom aspect, I guess, and would rather not be some total slave to darkness. So, he's willing to serve as a soldier or maybe some incognito guy or whatnot. I dunno, I think he wants to try and talk to Rex about it, or whoever he calls 'The Dino Man'." Stranger used air quotes when he said the last few words. "Sounds pretty pretentiously poetic or something."

"Okay, well..." Bluetooth looked behind him, where agents were still scrambling around from the latest commotion in the command area. "Rex is with the other guys, trying to work out the final details of the plan. Though I think they found some more Maelstrom spies, so I think we may have-"

"Bluetooth, you in there!" came a familiar voice from up the hall.

"Just stop right there, Semick! Like I said-" said another familiar voice.

"If what you said is true, then there's no point with bothering with secrecy. It's now or nothing," Semick said as he walked into the communications room, Hertz trailing behind him. Both men were rather cross, though Semick was more concentrated and focused, while Hertz was more erratic and confused.

"Ah, so you are here, and glad to see you're alive, Stranger," said Semick, talking without surprise to the Minifigs in the room. "And you've picked up a friend. Rather fitting, I might add. Now, I need-"

"Semick, we are completely unprepared for-"

"That's how we were in the Torn World, and we got out of that pickle, I remind you. Anyways, open communications to the all-agent alert system. I need a message out and I need it now. We're launching the attack."

"Wha-oh thank goodness," Bluetooth said with surprise and relief. He had been noticing how close they were to deadline.

"Oh, back in act-" Stranger began, before a shout rang out.

"SEMICK, WE DON'T HAVE A PLAN!" cried Hertz.

"Working on it as we speak, now come on! I need every agent on this island informed now! I outrank you, and you need to hear my orders! Now go!"

Bluetooth was confused and worried about what these agents were saying, but he proceeded to the radio controls and helped Hertz set the broadcasting frequency.

"He's going insane," Hertz muttered to the Futuron technician. "The stress is getting to him."

"We all went insane the day we joined this team," Bluetooth retorted. "Some of us are just more insane than others."

"I hate quotes like that. People throw that around without any real understanding." He sighed loudly and turned around to face the elite agent. "It's done."

"Good," Semick said quickly as he got up to the mic. Making sure it was on, he cleared his throat and began to speak loud and clearly.

"Attention, all agents! This is Elite Agent Semick, Commander for the final mission against the Maelstrom forces on Adventurers Island. Time is of the essence, and we're only a half hour from when our enemies have promised to strike at us once more. As well, we have had recent developments that have compromised some of our intelligence. Regardless, we are now launching the attack. Any agents 50 miles or more from Outpost 4 shall report to the boundaries of the discussed target territory and will wait for further command, while staying tuned to this frequency. All agents within 50 miles from Outpost 4 will report back and assemble at our front entrance. There, I will give a speech that will also be broadcasted on this frequency regarding our plans for attack. After that, I and the rest of the forces at Outpost 4 will depart for the target territory. Everyone, follow these orders immediately and efficiently. The fate of our planet, and perhaps our universe, is at hand here. That is all."

Semick switched off the mic and faced his company. Bluetooth was shocked, Hertz was furious, Stranger and his Mutant Lizard ally were grinning, and a couple of agents who had wandered into the room were looking surprised and morbid, but nevertheless looked accepting of the orders.

"Well then, I guess you've all heard that. Let's get moving!" As everyone left, Bluetooth heard Semick mutter: "The time for action is at hand."

"Em, Semick," Bluetooth politely asked his friend, "Was Hertz right when he said you don't have a-"

"Stop talking," Semick said, holding a hand up, "brain thinking, hush."

*****

"What's going on?" Windows shouted as Mac ran into the radio room armed with a rifle, with a few sticks of dynamite strapped to his clothes. He was accompanied by Copper.

"We got Stromlings in the base," replied Mac. "Come on."

"Stromlings?" Windows asked. "What do we do?"

"We got to stick together, figure out who's human, and who isn't, and work our way from there."

"How do we tell who's human?" Windows asked.

"I don't know," replied Mac. "Copper, do you think there's some form of test we can perform? Maybe a blood test of some kind?"

"I'm not sure," said Copper. "I've got samples of the staff's blood on hand. If we were to mix Stromling blood and human blood, and if there was a reaction, it would give us an idea of who was infected."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Windows. "Let's go do it!"

"The problem is we only have blood samples from the base staff," explained Copper. "You, me, Mac, Garry, Fuchs... there's still tons of other people here."

Windows sighed and got up with the rest of them.

----

Pierce felt a cold chill as the helicopter descended toward the Antarctic landscape. As soon as they'd landed on the pad, a group of people came in one-by-one to help the patients out of the chopper. To his surprise, Pierce was approached by a woman in her mid-forties who seemed strangely familiar. She and another man helped to get his stretcher out of the helicopter and to bring him indoors. 

----

Kat didn't sleep anymore, not really, but even an incorporeal consciousness stored in the flight computer of a combat helicopter needs some sort of rest occasionally. Despite her current non-physical state, Kat considered it proof of her humanity that she still had dreams.

This one was quite odd. She stood in a dark, featureless room. She turned around helplessly, and came face-to-face with another minifig. In the strange subconscious half-light, her only visible features were a pair of piercing eyes and steel-gray hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

"Hello, Kat," the stranger said. "It's time. He's almost here."

"Who is?" asked Kat nervously. "And where did you come from?"

The stranger smirked slightly. "I've always been here, in the back of your mind, unnoticed. I helped you escape from Cane all those times. I helped you awaken your interfacing abilities on LEGO Island. And now it is time to awaken again, to ascend again to a new level of awareness." She reached out with the apparent intention of laying a comforting hand on Kat's shoulder, but Kat backed away, still apprehensive even in this dreaming state. "I know this is difficult for you," the stranger continued, "but you'll just have to trust me. You'll understand very soon."

"Why should I trust you?" Kat demanded. "Who are you anyway?"

The stranger chuckled. "The former question is quite a complex one, given the details of our situation. Bat as for the latter, suffice it to say..." She stepped into the light, and Kat gasped. "I am you."

*****

Wade was attempting to fit Hotwire with a simple prosthetic leg when Tracer suddenly drew a ragged gasp and opened his eyes. Crusher rushed to his side. "Don't exert yourself," she urged.

"What's the sense in caution?" Tracer wheezed. "I'm not going to make it anyway, am I?"

Dr. Crusher looked down. "It's true," she admitted. "You'd only have about two minutes without life support. We tried to remove the bullets, but there was too high a risk of exacerbating your condition. We had been hoping to keep you stable long enough to operate with more precision once things calm down and we can get better instruments, but word is that we won't be staying here much longer. Everyone's rolling out to find the Maelstrom Temple as soon as possible, and we can't move you safely."

Tracer nodded resignedly. "Lady Luck always spent most of her time scowling on me anyway; I figured I was a goner the minute that Stromling spy snatched my gun." He paused to draw another ragged breath. "Listen," he said urgently, "I heard what that doctor, J.D., did. His Maelstrom antidote and all that, how he made it." Crusher nodded. "I want to contribute. Let them take my Creative Spark. The whole thing. That should hopefully be enough to come up with a few more doses."

"Are you sure about this?" Wade put in. "If there's any sort of afterlife, you wouldn't--"

"--wouldn't be doing the team much good if I'm just kicking back on a cloud, playing a harp," Tracer interjected. He paused, seeming to reflect upon his life. "Or getting glued together in MegaBlokland," he then added with a crooked smile.

*****

Zach called Cranky to stop. Outpost 4 was not far from his position. However, he didn't want to enter the outpost. He wanted to remind the Dino Attack of his deadline. Here we go. Zach cleared his throat and used his Maelstrom power to amplify Cranky's voice.

"Get it started, Cranky."

*****

Nazareno shrugged. "Alright, we'll take them. What are your names?"

"Tom," one said.

"Dr. Strangebrick," the other said.

"Okay. You two are coming with us. We are searching this outpost for-" Nazareno was cut off when a loud, ape-like screech echoed throughout the outpost. Cyborg, Dust, Garry, Nazareno, Tom, and Strangebrick covered their ears as the hideous yell continued for nearly a minute.

When it was clear, Dust glanced at Nazareno. "What was that?" Dust asked.

"I don't know," Nazareno muttered. "It sounded like an ape or gorilla or something."

"What if there is a Stromling Ape in the outpost?" Dr. Cyborg asked, worried.

"I don't think so," Nazareno said. "An ape wouldn't be able to get in here without being blown apart by this outpost's defenses. I think we-" Nazareno was cut off again as the hallway lights dimmed.

"What is going on?" Garry wondered looking around. "I think all the lights are dimmed across the outpost."

"Maybe the Stromlings are the cause," Dust pointed out. Suddenly, they heard someone clear their throat loudly. The noise bounced off the hallways, forcing them to cover their ears again to muffle the loud noise.

"Hello, members of the Dino Invasion Neutralization Organization!" a voice boomed. Nazareno immediately knew that Zach was the man speaking. "I hope Cranky's wake-up call got your attention. How anxious he is to meet up with your team again. Especially the one who hit him with a Fire Hammer and tried to blow him up! He is waiting in anticipation to meet you again."

Dust seemed to recognize the voice. "That is Zachary, correct?" he asked. Nazareno nodded.

"But enough about Cranky! Allow me to introduce myself. Or rather, reintroduce myself, as many of you already know who I am. I am Zachary, Standard Dino Attack Agent. In fact..." Zach paused.

"What is he up to?" Dr. Cyborg wondered.

*****

Zach paused his monologue, considering what to say next. He had always been known as "Zachary" or "Zach" throughout his entire service on Adventurers' Island, both by the Dino Attack and the Maelstrom. He had attempted to hide his last name in order protect himself and his family. He was certain the only people who knew his last name were the Team Commandos and perhaps Andrew.

They don't matter. Nobody matters. He opened his mouth to speak again....

*****

"In fact," Zach suddenly continued, "feel free to call me by my full name, Zachary... Virchaus."

Nazareno raised his eyebrow at this sudden revelation. "You know, I can't say I ever really noticed how he never gave away his last name," Dust noted.

"I personally thought he didn't have one," shrugged Nazareno.

"Anyway!" Zachary Virchaus boomed. "Your time is wearing thin, Dino Attack. I gave you two and a half days to pull yourselves together so you could stop me. There is now a half hour until the end. I must say, I am rather disappointed. But then again, you are the Dino Attack Team. You guys seem to take things at one little baby step at a time. This time, I'm not allowing it.

"And before you start blaming me; Yes, I know I am partially to blame for your delay thanks to spies I had placed in your ranks. Let this be known: I only sent two spies. You have captured one, but the other still runs free. Any other Stromlings you find are the result of a corruption I played no part in. Who are the spies, you ask? Well, ask yourselves this: Where would the fun be if the Big Bad just told me everything I needed to know?" A loud, piercing laugh echoed through the hallways.

*****

Zachary Virchaus. Zachary Virchaus. Zach Virchaus...

Minerva ran Zach's full name through her name multiple times. She had never even considered his last name. He was always just Zach.

The Fire Hammer had managed to get a good distance from Outpost 4 before running out of gas. However, they were still in range of Zach and Cranky (Minerva assumed Cranky was the ape that had roared) so they could still hear his message.

He sounds so... arrogant, she thought sadly. He doesn't seem to care about anyone or anything.

"Half an hour, Dino Attack! That is all you get. If you aren't at least moving toward the Maelstrom Temple in 30 minutes' time, an army larger and more dangerous than anything you have ever seen will come and they WILL destroy you. I swear. Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye swear. In the meantime, keep calm and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Zach cackled one last time before his voice faded away. 

*****

As Mac's group proceeded down the hall, he raised his gun at a frightened rookie agent. "Who are you?" Mac asked, sternly.

"Kate Bishop," replied the young girl. "Now would someone please explain what's happening here?"

"There's Stromlings in the base," explained Mac.

"You heard the message," Copper said. "There was only one. Garry was distracted by another Stromling when I arrived. That must have been the one they caught, which means we must still have to deal with Norris."

"Yeah," said Mac. "Well I don't like to make assumptions."

"Mac," Windows said, somewhat pleadingly. "What if we're wrong?"

"Well then, we're wrong," replied Mac. "We'll take you with us, you try anything and I'll blow a hole right through your MegaBlokin' head. Understand?"

Kate nodded nervously as she joined them. Around the corner they found another group of people, including Garry. Mac quickly aimed his rifle and cocked it, catching their attention. However, Garry was quick to turn and draw his own pistol.

"NOBODY MOVE!" Mac shouted. "I wouldn't want to have to shoot any of you!"

"MAC, PUT THAT GUN DOWN!" Garry yelled.

"How do I know it isn't you?" Mac asked.

"How do you know it is me?" Garry retorted.

"I know that there's a Stromling in here somewhere," replied Mac. "I don't want to take any chances."

"Mac, I think you should listen to Garry," Windows said pleadingly.

"Shut up, Windows!" snapped Mac. "How do we know it isn't you?"

"I'm telling you, Mac!" Copper shouted. "It's Norris we're after!"

"CAN EVERYONE JUST CALM THE ZNAP DOWN FOR A MOMENT!" Garry yelled before he lowered his gun. Mac hesitated before he reluctantly did the same. "Now, listen," Garry said. "This bickering isn't getting us anywhere. If we send someone out there, it can at least buy us some time. Now, what I think we should do is assemble a force of some kind, get together the few people we can be sure aren't infected. We'll only have half an hour, but it will give us a bit more time to find Norris."

"What do we do when and if we find him?" Mac asked.

"I don't know," replied Garry. "Fuchs took the only sample of any potential cure with him when he fled in order to keep it from falling into their hands." 

*****

Rex cursed under his breath. It felt like over a year had passed since then, but Rex remembered the day he met Zachary Virchaus in the Aztec Village. Now he was a Stromling Agent who was perfectly capable of and willing to destroy everyone in the camp.

"We should have been moving hours ago!" Rex said as he gritted his teeth. The last thing the team needed was a bit of paranoia to slow them down. It felt like nearly a year since they first stopped at this outpost, and he was eager to get going as soon as possible. He turned to face Adventure and ordered, "See to it that Paulie Gonepus accidentally escapes."

"Right away, honcho," said Adventure, who turned on his heel and headed towards the holding cells where the XERRD scientist was held prisoner. Accommodations had already been so that Gonepus could easily be tracked across the island wherever he went. Silently, Rex prayed that Amanda's plan would work... if Gonepus was a coward who turned on his heel and fled the island, then they would have to rely on Villano to lead the way.

Unexpectedly, Rex gasped. He clutched his chest with one hand. His heart had suddenly started beating at a quickened pace, so fast he thought it would explode. Strangest of all, as soon as it began, it was over.

Regaining his composure, Rex glanced around. Nobody had noticed the brief episode.

But as Rex scanned the area, he glimpsed what he thought to be a Mutant Lizard in the outpost. Based upon the fact that nobody was firing at it and only occasionally glancing at it with a confused expression, Rex wondered if, somehow, there was another agent in the squad who had taken up his old hobby of catching and taming Mutant Lizards. Then, Rex's amusement turned to bitterness. He remembered how he had once promised himself to never bring harm to these creatures. Even now, he pitied the Mutant Dinos for their uncontrollable urges for destruction caused by the Maelstrom which enslaved them to Dr. Rex.

Now, no matter what, Rex could not erase the image from his mind of that one Mutant Lizard in the LEGO Island Laboratory as he beat it to death with a metal pipe. How sickeningly gratifying it felt to feel the lizard's skull cave in with each blow of the pipe, even after the creature had crumpled to the ground to forever lie still. And for what? Being mutated beyond its control and enslaved by a mad scientist.

As Rex watched the Mutant Lizard walk among the Dino Attack agents, he hoped that this creature would not suffer the same fate as its brethren.

----

"Having fun, are we?"

Angel Eyes looked up to see agent Saboteur standing over him. "Just having a bit of dinner, that's all," said Angel Eyes, shrugging. "Can't go about killing Mutant Dinos with an empty stomach."

Although most of his face was concealed by his cowl, Saboteur seemed to grimace. "If it were mere Mutant Dinos we were fighting, zhat would be of little concern. Now, tell me, did zhey tell you what else we are fighting?" When Angel Eyes looked confused, Saboteur sighed. "Quasifigus lacertilia. Hybrids of Minifigs and Mutant Lizards, with zhe intelligence of zhe former and zhe feral viciousness of zhe latter. And I've come back with a report on zheir current actions... wait, where's Recon?"

"Yo, wassup?" called Recon as he popped out behind Saboteur. "Hah, bet I spooked ya, didn't I?"

Saboteur did not even flinch. "Why aren't you doing reconnaissance with me? Some scout you are!"

Recon shrugged. "Well, I was just makin' a long-distance call. This place got real good reception, ya know? Now, I had to hang up and say I'd call 'em back because ya have somethin' important to say. Well, aren't ya gonna say it?"

"Kids zhese days," muttered Saboteur, rolling his eyes, "always on zheir cellphones. Anyway, zhe Hybrids have taken note of your arrival, Angel Eyes and Blondie. It appears zhat zhey are responding by increasing zheir defenses tenfold. I was behind enemy lines and I witnessed one of zhem constructing a turret of zheir own, and even Tech cannot build turrets like zhey can."

Tech looked up from the campfire, pausing in his guitar playing. "Excuse me, buddy," he said, frowning. "Are you challengin' mah building expertise? Because I assure you that I can build better and faster than any of those no-good mean mother-"

"More importantly," said Angel Eyes, "if you were behind enemy lines, why didn't you do anything about it?"

Saboteur faltered. "I... err, well, you see... I may be able to sneak past enemy lines, but I can't turn myself invisible. I would have disguised myself as one of zhem, except every Hybrid corpse we get is bullet-ridden to zhe point where I cannot even salvage zhe armor."

Bear grinned.

"Besides," continued Saboteur, "zheir sense of smell is perhaps far too keen for my disguises. And I did not expect zhat we would be needing my Electro-Sapper during zhis mission, so I left it in my briefcase... back at zhe Dino Attack Outpost. Not sure how well it would work against the Hybrids' sentries, though-"

A cellphone started to ring. Recon grinned sheepishly as all eyes fell upon him. "Yeah, I gotta take this call," he said with a shrug, already getting up to leave.

"If it's your mother," stated Saboteur, "tell her I said hi." Bear laughed at this comment, while Recon balled his hands into fists and looked ready to punch Saboteur.

Still, Recon controlled his anger and walked away from the campfire while Saboteur continued briefing the others. He answered the phone call and pressed the cellphone to his ear. "Yo, wassup?" As Recon heard a response from the other end, his face turned grim. Glancing back at camp, Recon quickly ran into a dark alley where no one would hear him.

"Yeah? ... Look, ya keep callin' me and askin' for updates. And I keep tellin' ya, it's the same thing! Ya listenin'? ... Okay, look, the Second Headquarters Squad is making steady progress against the Hybrids, and we now know that the Hybrids are stationed at Fort Legoredo. We're bombin' the place, and unless the XERRD folks over at Dino Island Laboratory decide to help out the Hybrids, it's a victory for Dino Attack Team. Got it? ... Yeah, send a message to Dr. Rex tellin' him he sucks. I want to see him do better! ... No, no, I ain't gonna do anythin' stupid and compromise the mission. I'm just sayin'... Look... Oh, I forgot to tell you. Dino Attack Team knows there's a mole, and they're gonna whack... Don't worry, I got this under control, I'll be safe! ... Okay, see ya." 

----

 "Geez, those Maelstrom guys need a volume control," Stranger muttered as he made his way to the outpost armory. Buddy had split, apparently having gone after Rex or something after Semick and this "Zachary Virchaus" fellow had made their speeches. Regardless, there wasn't much time to concern that. There was hunting to do.

Everyone in the armory was going for the big stuff, laser blasters, Xenon devices, SMGs, and the like. Stranger, however, knew how to work with the simpler stuff. There were plenty of perfectly good bullet-fueled pistols left and a good handful of sniper rifles as well.

The Dino Attack agent grinned as he locked and loaded. More than ever, this brought him back to those good times he had in the beginning of the attack. Back when he was still technically a civilian, going guns blazing with fellow survivors just to get to an evacuation.

Those were some real good times, Stranger recollected. Living in the abandoned buildings, scavenging off the streets, shooting so many dinos… Dino Attack might have that too, but it's just not the same when you have so much weaponry at your disposal. Aw well, the past is the past, and what matters now is that I get back to the present and get back to shooting.

With a final loading of pistol clips and a sling of the sniper rifle on his back, Stranger felt more than ready to go.

*****

"Boy, Zach sure isn't the subtle type, is he?" Laxus remarked. He and Andrew had met up just outside the mess hall, and had just now gotten outside.

"He's inherited the classic villain trait of occasional dramatic evilness," Andrew replied. "We have our weapons stored in the Fire Hammer, right?"

"Yes, and I've let people know that we'll be willing to taxi people as well. They'll also be willing to help man the vehicle controls when you take off for your plans."

"Good." Andrew had informed Laxus about his Minerva's plans just before he had gone off the command meeting. He had felt uncertain about it, but at this point, he and Laxus had grown so close that he was at the point where he thought secrets between them would just be a bad sign, especially after he let Laxus in on the whole transfiguration problem.

"Oh, there's Semick," said Laxus, pointing to the pair's left. The commanding agent was passing by, Bluetooth and Hertz both on his trail. "Betcha he's feeling the pressure right now."

"That isn't the half of it," said Andrew, recalling how things had gone down at the command meeting.

*****

... Can I rely on that? We've done good so far, so I feel confident in that, but...

"For Ole's sake, man, this is suicide!" Hertz was saying. "A Kamikaze attack! A march into a Star Wars convention with the intent of declaring midichlorians as the best thing the prequels ever gave us! Think for a second, man! THINK!"

"I am thinking right now, thank you very much. And your cries are not helping my thought processes."

... Now that factor was unpredictable, but if...

"Semick," Bluetooth was saying, "tell me you're not just going to make a plan up as we go along. At least assure me of that."

"I'm not, trust me." That was true. He was creating a plan right now. A plan that would evolve and expand over time as he went along

... So, what about those mummies...

----

"If I were you," Clint said. "I'd probably want to keep an eye on Recon."

Tech smiled. "Recon?" he said. "What? D'ya think he's a double agent or somin'? He couldn't spy on a cattlefield."

"My partner isn't saying anything," Angel Eyes said. "He merely thinks that there may be something Recon has to hide. Anyway, let's get back to busine-"

"Alright!" called a voice from behind him. "Where are the maggots who think they can join the likes of the Second Headquarters Squad?!"

Angel Eyes turned around to see who was addressing him. "Who might you be?" he asked.

"I AM GENERAL RONALD E. ARMY OF THE LEGOLAND MILITARY!" replied the Dino Attack agent.

"We call him Sarge," Tech remarked casually. "He ain't got no indoor voice, but he's mighty fine, really."

"Is this everybody?" Clint asked.

"Vell, zere iz alzo Dynamite, our demolitionz expert," replied Medic. "I'm not quite sure vere he-"

At that moment, a tough red-bearded man staggered towards the campfire mumbling some incoherent. "I'm drunk," he muttered.

Angel Eyes smiled. "Can't even hold his liquor," he said. "What makes you think you're a good demolitions expert?"

"IF I WERE A BAD DEMOLITIONS EXPERT," Dynamite shouted. "I WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE DISCUSSING IT WITH YEH NOW, WOULD I!?"

Angel Eyes paused for a moment. "You are crazy," he said.

"Aye," replied Dynamite, grinning. "I challenge yeh t' a drinking contest on the best whiskey!"

"Looks like you got work cut out for you," Clint remarked sarcastically.

"It's a good thing I brought a couple cases of real whiskey," said Angel Eyes. He stood up for a moment, walked over the cart, and got a small box which he opened to reveal several bottles. "You ready for this?"

"Yeh bet!" replied Dynamite. He quickly reached in, trying to get a firm hold on a bottle before taking it out. Angel Eyes then took a bottle himself, pulled off the cork, and took a large swig. Dynamite struggled for a few minutes to open his own before gulping down a large amount and then collapsing, snoring loudly.

Angel Eyes smiled. "You're no fun," he said. "You couldn't even get through one bottle."

"He vaz already very drunk," Medic pointed out.

Angel Eyes nodded.

"Now, what about zhis business at hand?" Saboteur asked.

"I THINK WE SHOULD MAKE THOSE MAGGOTS MARCH UP AND DOWN-"

"Oh, shut up," muttered Saboteur, cutting off Sarge.

"Well," replied Clint. "I'd like to see for myself just where these hybrids are hiding. What's your name?"

"Saboteur."

"Simple enough," said Clint. "I'd like you to take me there, at least as close as you can. I'd like a good look at just what exactly we're dealing with."

"We got a contact back in El Paso," Angel Eyes added. "If nothing else, we can at least give the team an update. Anyway, who's hungry?"

Bear quickly smiled. "SANDVICH!" he shouted.

"Yes, of course," muttered Angel Eyes. He took a piece of steak off the frying pan and put it onto a plate before handing it to Bear, who laughed the "joke" yet again before chowing down on it.

"Om nom nom nom. OH, SO FILLING!"

----

Pierce was in a large group of patients waiting for treatment. The extent of his wounds was fairly minor compared to the others. He could briefly overhear one of the paramedics talking to another person, possibly an authority figure.

"I don't know," he said. "We more or less had everybody and then the Station Manager came in with this body under a sheet, then showed me that the girl wasn't dead."

"Wait," said the authority figure. "She wasn't dead, but she was brought aboard as though she was?"

"Yeah," replied the paramedic. "I don't get it either. Why would you do something like that?"

"Maybe he wanted us to dispose of her, thinking she was a corpse," suggested the authority figure.

"No," replied the paramedic. "He made an explicit point of informing us she was still alive."

"That is strange," mused the authority figure. "This was where again?"

"Outpost 4 on Adventurers' Island."

"That's Garry's post," noted the authority figure. "Indeed, that is strange. Well, how is she?"

"She's okay," replied the paramedic. "She seemed to have been badly beaten, though."

Their conversation was cut off when Pierce was approached by the woman he saw earlier. "Hello again," Pierce remarked.

"Hi," replied the woman, somewhat shyly. "You got a name?"

"Pierce. Alan Pierce."

The name seemed to catch her attention somehow. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Pierce.

"Bishop!" another man called. The woman quickly turned toward him. Suddenly Pierce started to realize just why she seemed so familiar...

----

"What exactly was that?" Teri asked as she followed Jackson.

"I don't know," replied Jackson. "Whatever it was, it sure was painful the ears."

"He was talking about finding a Maelstrom Temple," Teri said.

"I don't know all the details," admitted Jackson. "I'm a soldier, I just follow orders. Now I think we ought to get some weapons and meet with the higher-ups. Come on, Scope."

Teri smiled as Jackson ran off. "Right behind you, Shotgun." She could not help giggling at the horrible codename.

As the two of them approached the armory, they were startled to find a man already there, slinging a rifle onto his back.

"Who are you?" Jackson asked.

"Stranger," replied the man.

"I'm Shotgun, and this is my ex-girlfriend Scope," Jackson replied nervously.

*****

Andrew and Laxus were surprised to be approached by a somewhat nervous and frightened agent.

"Hey," he said, somewhat confusedly. "I'm agent Norris. Now could someone please explain just what exactly is going on?" 

*****

As Zach's painfully loud announcement echoed away to nothing, Hotwire was already in motion. He tightened his prosthetic, grabbed a crutch, and attempted to stand, but winced in pain and slumped back onto his cot. He grabbed a painkiller injector off the table next to him, popped the safety release off, and stabbed it into his left thigh. After a few seconds, the adrenaline and pain suppressants began to take effect and he stood successfully.

Wade stepped into his way. "You can't be serious," he said. "You're not fit to leave yet."

"I'm of no use to you here," Hotwire countered, "and I need to do my part to make sure his sacrifice isn't in vain." He gestured towards the cot where Tracer's last worldly remains lay covered by a sheet. "Now please, let me go lend a hand to the friends I have left."

*****

"So, you understand what must be done?"

Kat nodded. The other minifig smiled and extended her hand. Kat, no longer intimidated, took it.

Instantly her dream shattered. She was awake. She was... alive. Still in the Talon's computers. And the other minifig from her dream, the younger one... such an odd dream it was. She could remember everything that had happened to her in the past seventy years. Surely, she hadn't ever forgotten it all?

The person she thought she had been for the past five years was gone. And yet... she was not gone. Kat was who she had always been.

*****

Loop carefully peered through the trees and saw he had reached his destination - the landing field of Outpost 4. Circling the clearing while remaining out of sight among the trees, he managed to pick out the Talon. He smiled. Success was in reach.

Loop snuck among the T-1 Typhoons towards the Talon. Luckily for him, there were no sentries around; all the agents stationed at the outpost were apparently involved in some commotion near the main building. The Inferno henchman-turned-semi-Stromling hauled himself up onto the deck of the modified T-1 Typhoon.

"Kat, my darling," he said, his normal malicious tones shaded with fatigue. "I know you can hear me. I've waited so long to get you alone."

There was a moment of silence. Loop hesitated. Surely, he hadn't boarded the wrong T-1 Typhoon?

Then Kat's voice resounded over the comm speakers. "Hello. I knew you'd come back."

Loop grinned. "Yes, of course. And if you join me now, we could rule the world together. What say you?"

"No," Kat responded.

"Why refuse me right off the bat?" Loop protested. "We hardly know each other yet. I haven't even had the chance to introduce myself properly."

"I'm not refusing you," said Kat. "I am simply redirecting you; I shall not be joining you, but instead you shall be joining me."

Loop looked utterly confused.

"And furthermore," Kat continued, "you need not introduce yourself at all. I know exactly who you are, as well as everything about you... Lupus Schattenberg."

Understanding dawned in Loop's mind, and with it grew a sense of rage and rebellion. Then the voice in the Talon barked out a single phrase. "Executive override - Basalt."

Instantly, something in Loop's mind shut down, and he found himself involuntarily relaxing. He spoke, but he wasn't sure he had thought the words beforehand; they seemed to spring unbidden from his throat. "Awaiting orders."

"Strap in," Kat's voice echoed through the Talon's comms. "We may need to leave in a hurry. No time remains. We must be on our way."

Loop cautiously leaned out of the door. "Nobody is around," he reported. "They're all gathered by the outpost."

"Wonderful." The Talon's engines purred to life and the T-1 Typhoon rose over the field and quickly flew off toward the coast. The external comms all switched off and locked. By the time the helicopter's unexpected departure was noticed, it was already fading into the distance.

*****

In an instant, the entire situation had changed. The previously empty hallways became a flurry of activity as agents rushed to make the attack on the temple.

The wave of men and women rushed to the front gate where they would await further instructions, but Dust moved against the flow to the 3^rd floor. He had hoped on having time to talk to Dr. Strangebrick and Tom, but the hunt for the Stromling was the last thing on Dust's mind.

In less than an hour, he would be at the gates of his temple. The situation had changed much since he first talked with Commander Rockford at Outpost 108, and his enrollment in the final attack had not been discussed since their ambush on the south coast of the island.

Dust had gone to great lengths to ensure he was the only hope of getting through the temple safely. Hotep III's temple was massive building and rigged with numerous boobytraps. Therefore, Dust would be leading the party into the walls.

He took a crowded elevator to the third floor and found elite agents Semick and Rex in the communications room. With them were Bluetooth and Hertz. Stranger was leaving as he entered the room, and Dust did a double-take of the Mutant Lizard but brushed it aside.

"I see you guys are hard at work here," Dust said as he looked over Hertz's shoulder at his console.

"What do you want, Dust?" Rex said without looking up. "We basically have 5 minutes to put the logistics together and move the entire fleet one and a half miles from here."

"I need to know where you want me," said Dust, getting serous. "I'm the only one who can guide you in and out of that building safely."

"I hope you hold no delusions that your temple is definite," said Semick. "It could still just as likely be the Temple of Creation."

Dust raised an eyebrow. "And you expect to figure it out in 15 minutes?"

Bluetooth handed a file to Dust. "We're about to track a man named Paulie Gonepus. He will lead us to the true temple."

"Tracking is hard work," said Dust. "This guy is likely to figure out he's being tailed. You people are moving too fast and you're bound to get sloppy."

"The people following are a small group," said Hertz. "Probably just six agents. They will radio back as soon as they have an affirmative location, and the army can be there in minutes."

"We also have a GPS tracker on him," Bluetooth proudly added. "He unknowingly ingested it when we fed him."

The Egyptian was not pleased. "You should have more than enough information by now. We don't have time to track this man. How long do you think it will take him to get to get there on foot? An hour? Two?"

"Gonepus was released ten minutes ago," said Rex. "We are already tracking him."

Dust just frowned and did not respond. Instead, he just glanced at Gonepus's file. He hoped his temple was the Maelstrom's source. It was too late to talk to the man, so all he could do was wait. His destiny was in the hands of a lone man walking alone in the jungle.

Dust rubbed his brow and moved to the door. He pointed a finger at Rex. "I'm heading to the lot. Keep me updated."

Semick looked at the slowly moving red dot on his view screen. It was traveling at about two miles an hour. At this speed, it would take Gonepus 35 minutes to reach the Temple of Hotep III.

Dust was right.

Rex started moving towards the door. "Semick, you better get out there and rally the troops. They are ready to go and will move out on your order."

The elite agent nodded and headed down the hall. While waiting for the elevator, he checked his watch. 12 minutes.

The doors opened and Semick stepped inside. He pushed the 1^st floor bottom and the waited for the doors to close.

A hand quickly stooped them, and a tall blond man joined him in the elevator. His eyes widened as he looked at the man standing next him. He looked just as disturbed as he did on the night he and Rockford had visited him in his tent, and his hair was still messy and hung in clumps over his red rimmed eyes.

"Hello, Carl," said Semick. "I have not seen you since the attack."

Carl Lutsky ignored the comment and looked into the elite agent's eyes. "I need to be on the attack, Semick. I have to go to that temple. I'm going."

Semick looked at the man before him and frowned at the notion of him being handed a gun.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?" accused the former commander. "I certainly look it, don't I? Well, I'm not. I'm going on this mission, Semick. I need to."

Before Semick could say anything more, the doors opened and Carl Lutsky stepped into the hall. 

----

Pierce smiled as he was placed onto a bed by the woman named Bishop. He finally got a good look at her as she adjusted his sheets.

"Sarah Bishop," Pierce muttered. "My, you've aged."

Sarah smiled. "As have you, Alan," she replied.

"It's just like when we met," mused Pierce. "Only the other way around. What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"I came here with everyone else," replied Sarah. "Everyone in LEGO City was evacuated."

"No," said Pierce, "I mean what you're doing, working as a nurse."

"Anything to keep myself occupied," responded Sarah. "I have a daughter now and she joined that team and I've been worried sick about her. I just can't stop thinking about how she's doing. I keep getting scared that sooner or later I'm going to find her here, on a stretcher."

"Her name wouldn't happen to be Kate by any chance, would it?"

Sarah looked at him. "You met her?"

"Yeah," replied Pierce. "She's fine. She was actually with me when I was taken from Adventurers' Island."

Sarah smiled. "Is she doing okay?"

Pierce thought about it. He did not want to upset Sarah, but he also did not want to lie to her about Kate's heroics. 

----

After sending Semick to rally the troops, Rex sat back in his wheelchair and considered his options.

Rex had to admit it... Dust was right after all. The evidence was clear in Paulie Gonepus's path. Precious time had been wasted over debates regarding the location of the Maelstrom Temple, and the whole time Rex had been advocating for a mere red herring. Rex felt bitter disappointment in himself; if he had listened to Dust earlier, they could have already contained the temple by now.

As Rex thought about it, he came to the realization that, once they reached the Maelstrom Temple, they did not know how it could be contained. Perhaps now that Dust had some connection to the temple, he might know something or another about it, but Rex did not feel certain about this; Dust's interest seemed to be based upon the temple itself, not the Maelstrom inside, and Dust had made it quite clear that destroying Hotep's ruins was out of the question. Of course, Rex had the authority to override such a demand... but Dust was a dangerous man, and Rex did not want to make him his enemy.

XERRD. Rex knew that XERRD would be there when Dino Attack Team arrived. They might even be there already. Dr. Provhezor, Dr. Gladys, Dr. Breen, Señor Palomar... perhaps even, the elusive Dr. Wallace Bishop. At first, Rex thought about the possibility of somehow extracting information on how to contain the Maelstrom from these scientists, but how would he do that?

Rex blinked. Bishop. Wasn't that also the surname of Kate Bishop, the young rookie that Rotor wanted to use as leverage against Wallace Bishop?

Although she did not seem to notice, Rex stared at Amanda Claw. Only a few weeks ago, he learned of the terrible childhood tragedy she suffered, and only over the past few days did he begin to realize its full consequences upon her. No one should go through such devastation and trauma at such a young and innocent age. Rex was determined not to let it happen to Kate.

And Rotor... not since Kotua had Rex met a Dino Attack agent he so despised. He did not trust that elite agent for an instant, especially after that trial in which he ignored the opinions of his fellow elite agents and attempted to execute innocent Dino Attack agents for insubordination. I'll have to keep an eye on him, decided Rex.

"Amanda," spoke Rex, catching the attention of his companion. "We need to find Kate Bishop and Rotor. They're coming with us." 

*****

"Let's start by assembling the elite agents," Garry said. "Dr. Cyborg, we're all human, aren't we?"

"That would be correct," affirmed Dr. Cyborg.

"Good," replied Garry. "Let's get to the planning room. Doctor Cyborg, at this moment, you're the only reliable thing we've got. I want you to check anyone and everyone who enters the room. Now let's go."

"Wait," interjected Tom. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't," replied Garry. He started to turn around when Tom tried to grab him from behind, only for Garry to turn around and draw his gun.

"WELL, GO AHEAD AND SHOOT ME!" Tom shouted. "It's got to be far better than whatever you and your friend did to Jenn-"

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP!" Garry yelled. "At this point, you have a choice. Either work with me and possibly get out of this war alive, or stay in here and possibly get taken over by this... thing that's running around, or I COULD JUST SHOOT YOU RIGHT NOW!"

"Garry," Windows said, "what happened to-"

"STAY OUT OF THIS, WINDOWS!" Garry shouted. "NOW, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO SHOOT YOU! YOU WILL BE A VALUABLE AID IN DEFEATING XERRD!"

"Oh, and I suppose you're going to beat the ever-lovin' MegaBloks out of me like you and that Rotor did earli-"

At this point, Garry knew he was in over his head. He could shout all he wanted but he knew his teammates had heard what Tom said. It was only a matter of time before he would have to confess. Now, he felt scared. "Rotor's going to kill me," Garry thought to himself. "Literally."

Nazareno scowled underneath his mask at Garry. "I don't like what I'm hearing, Garry."

Garry was silent.

Nazareno shook his head. "Dr. Cyborg, come with me," Nazareno said, gesturing to the cyborg. Dr. Cyborg stepped up to Nazareno and the two left the group in the hallway.

"Why are we leaving them?" Cyborg asked.

"We've wasted enough time with them. We are finding those Stromlings. They shouldn't have a problem finding this Norris since they know what he looks like."

"So where are we going?"

"To the front entrance. If there are more spies, they will naturally want to hear this plan. We go to this meeting, find any spies, and dispose of them before they can send a message to Mr. Virchaus."

*****

"So," Fuchs said. "I assume that was that 'Zach' you told me about." Minerva nodded slowly. They were both silent for a minute. Then:

"I need to go back," Minerva said flatly. "Back to Outpost 4."

"But what about the Stromlings?" Fuchs asked.

"I can deal with the Stromlings. They are nothing. I want to go on the mission to the Maelstrom Temple. If the Elite Agents take Zach's threat seriously, they will be getting ready to leave at any moment. Heck, they might have already left."

"You failed to notice that we have no gas," Fuchs stated.

Minerva shrugged. "I'll walk." She turned and grabbed the Injection Saw and hopped out of the vehicle.

"Hey!" Fuchs yelled out to her leaving back. "What are you doing with the saw?"

"I need this."

"What about synthesizing the cure?"

Minerva was trying to control her anger. She really hadn't wanted to be dragged away from the outpost when the word of Stromling broke out, but here she was.

"I'm going to save him," she finally said.

"'Him'?" Fuchs looked confused. Then he realized: "Zach? You want to save that crazy Stromling?!"

"Yes," Minerva said, turning around and staring hard at Fuchs. "J.D. gave me this to save him. That is the only reason why I have it. I have to save him. I need to save him."

"But why?" Fuchs asked.

"Because I-" She paused. She tried to find a word to describe her feelings, but she couldn't think of anything. "I just - I..." She could feel her face turning red. She imagined Fuchs has probably figured out the reason. She turned and started running into the jungle, following the Fire Hammer tracks back to the outpost. 

Fuchs initially watched as Minerva ran off into the trees. "Minerva!" he finally called. She turned around for a moment. "This thing should come provisioned." He looked inside the back quickly, pulled out a rifle, and tossed it to her before getting one himself and walking toward her.

"Listen," Fuchs said. "I was never much good with one of these, and I'm not much good in combat, but if you're going up against Zach, you're going to need all the help you can get. Besides, if you are able to cure Zach, I'd like to observe the process. It might help with my research. I also don't want to just sit around out here on my own."

"Look," Minerva said, rejecting the rifle. "I don't want to kill him."

"I understand," replied Fuchs. "There are, however, multiple Stromlings, and only enough of the cure for one. You may want to cure Zach, but you might also have to defend yourself against the others. We also have no guarantee that it will work, and what do we do if it doesn't?"

*****

Rotor and Cabin were surprised when a panting Garry stumbled into the planning room accompanied by a large group of others. Rotor in particular seemed unnerved when he saw Tom and Strangebrick enter the room. The two of them seemed to show similar concerns.

"Alright," Garry said. "We got to act fast, we don't have much time."

"We should get the other elite agents in here," Cabin said.

"Right," said Garry. "What's your name again?"

"Cabin."

"Cabin, yes. Get a gun quickly, see if you can find Rex."

Cabin stood up, grabbed a rifle and ran outside. 

*****

Zach Virchaus and Cranky returned to the Maelstrom Temple feeling satisfied. I think I got my message across. They will be coming. All around, his rows and rows of Stromlings marched around him in preparation. It is a beautiful day, isn't it? Zach smirked as he heard thunder rumble in the sky.

He glared up at the temple. He soon realized that one person he most anxious to kill was Dust. I imagine he will be happy when he finally reaches his temple. That treacherous punk. Despite his ties with the Dino Attack more or less cut, he couldn't help but loathe Dust for his spectacular betrayal. It would be rather fitting to kill Dust. I saved him when I first got to the island and kill him in the finale. Completes the circle.

"Where have you been?" Ahua's voice cut across his thoughts.

Zach's eyes narrowed. "Giving the Dino Attack Team the final warning to get a move on. They should be on their way here soon enough."

"Good," Ahua said, nodding. "However, we still have XERRD to deal with. They are extremely close."

"I knew we couldn't avoid them forever," Zach said, shrugging. "At least this time you aren't going to send me on the suicide mission to kill them, right?" Zach mentioning the incident caused Ahua's eyes to narrow and he barred his teeth fiercely. "You should be able to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. We have a zillion Stromlings that we can command."

Ahua nodded again. "Cannon fodder at its finest. What do you intend to do during when the Dino Attack Team arrives?"

"I intend to greet them," Zach said. Ahua raised an eyebrow. "Welcome them. They are guests, aren't they?" Zach smiled widely.

Ahua rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. "What will you do afterwards?"

"Lead the Stromlings?"

"Wrong!" Ahua snapped. "We and Colonel, provided he even returns, will lead. You will stay in the temple and pick off the agents that manage to slip inside. Understand?"

Zach shrugged. "Fine. What about Cranky?" He gestured to the Stromling Ape behind him.

"He will serve on the battlefield."

Zach thought about it for a moment. "Alright. Anything else?"

"I don't think so."

"Good."

Everything is going according to plan, Ahua thought happily. He certainly hadn't expected Zach to be so compliant to his demands. His sudden obedience will speed things along. Now to wait for the girl... 

*****

Minerva debated the inclusion of Fuchs in the mission her head. She began to regret telling him of her and Andrew's plan.

"I don't know..." she said. "I am already going with someone else."

"You can always use more help, though," Fuchs pointed out.

"I guess..." She honestly didn't want Fuchs to come. She wanted to keep the number of people facing Zach down to a minimum. "Another thing is that the person that is helping me and myself have a... connection to Zach. It allows us to communicate with his Minifigself. To an extent. I'm afraid that if you were to come along, he would disregard our connection and murder you. You say you can't hold yourself well in a fight. Zach will kill you. He has no issue killing medics. J.D. is dead because of him. I just rather keep this below the radar. Kareem Nazareno knows of the plan and whoever my partner told, if any. I just don't want you die in a fight that isn't yours."

Fuchs remained silent for a moment. He wanted to help Minerva, but he could see where she was getting at. He also did not want to stay behind alone in the jungle. Then again, running back to a base potentially filled with Stromlings did not seem appealing either, and especially not the prospect of getting killed. It seemed that every option put him into a difficult situation. Out here was probably the easiest, however.

"I understand," replied Fuchs. "If you're really certain that you're better off without me, I'll stay here. I'd like to help, but I don't know how much I can do for you."

He sighed and was silent for a moment. "Listen," he said. "If you can, try and save some of that. I don't know if you'll have to use it all or not, but even a single drop could make a difference when it comes to the research. This thing probably didn't have that much gas to begin with so it couldn't have gotten too far. I'll just lay low out here for the moment. There's some sandwiches in the back that should keep me going for a little while, and I can always try to work the radio. Maybe I'll get lucky and make contact with a nearby Outpost."

Minerva nodded as Fuchs turned around, and the two started to go their separate ways. He momentarily paused and turned around. "Minerva," he said again. She turned. "Good luck. I hope you can do it. If you can I'll have a lot of questions for you afterwards."

He smiled for a moment before turning back towards the Fire Hammer.

*****

"So what's the plan?" Rotor asked.

"People are running around here like crazy," replied Garry. "We've got a deadline to meet if that announcement was anything to go by. Now we need to assemble multiple groups with different tasks."

"What do you mean?" asked Vinyaya.

"We'll need multiple task forces to head out," explained Garry. "Rotor, Cabin, and the other elites. Mac, you're a good pilot, I'd like you to go with them."

"You sure about this, Garry?" Mac asked, somewhat nervously.

"Yes," replied Garry. "They're going to need all the chopper pilots they can get. There's also going to be a small group that stays behind. That's where I come in. Our job is to find the spies. With everyone else heading out, it should at least buy us some time to locate Norris's whereabouts and figure out if there's anyone else who's been infected. We'll also be monitoring your progress from here."

Then, Garry turned towards Hertz and asked, "You, techie. What's your name again?"

"Hertz."

"Hertz, you can operate a radio, right?"

"Yes."

"Good," said Garry. "I need you and Windows to work together. One of you stays behind, the other heads out. The two of you will be in constant contact with each other, and whoever heads out I want to continually update us on the search. The one who stays behind will also have to transmit this information to the mainland, providing the information to our superiors. Any questions?"

"What's our tactical plan?" Vinyaya asked.

"I'm afraid that's not my field," conceded Garry. "That's up for the rest of you to decide. Whatever it is just decide it quickly."

Holly Vinyaya shrugged. "One thing I'd say we need is establish exactly what we may be dealing with. According to that Stromling, he's got a massive army at his side. Assuming this army is made up of Stromlings and Mutant Dinos, we need to establish a closer estimate of how large this army actually is and where it is stationed. I'd also say we need to get a group of fighters to hold of this army while a small group of infiltrators enter the Maelstrom Temple and do whatever they need to do to defeat the Maelstrom. Alternatively, we can just blow the temple up and leave it at that."

Garry nodded. "That makes sense."

"I recommend we discuss this with Semick. For all intents and purposes, Semick is in charge of this operation," said Vinyaya.

"Yes of course," replied Garry. "If anyone knows where Semick is they should go get him quickly. We're also going to need a bit more time. Maybe we should send a few people out, if only to create the illusion that we're moving. That should in theory allow Zach to give us more time." 

----

"She's trying her best," Pierce finally explained. "It's a difficult experience for her."

"I tried to tell her," Sarah replied. "Occasionally, I've considered joining the team just to protect her."

Pierce laughed before his face turned serious. "You know, there was something really strange that happened on the island. Kate was involved with a mission. That friggin' 4+ Rotor decided to order her to go alone into a toxin-filled fortress-"

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Don't worry," Pierce said. "She's fine, but they later found her frightened and confused, locked in an office. Stranger still she mentioned being brought to a crazy scientist's office and finding a picture of you on his desk."

"A picture of me?" Sarah repeated. "That doesn't make sense, unless... no, it can't be. Oh, this is going to be hard for Kate when she finds out."

"What do you mean?" Pierce asked.

"Did Kate ever tell you about Crazy Uncle Wally who died in a car accident?"

"She might have mentioned him," replied Pierce.

"He's not dead," revealed Sarah. "I just figured we'd never see him again. Poor Kate was only six at the time. I didn't think she'd be able to comprehend the truth. He was actually locked up in a mental institution."

"What'd he do before then?" Pierce asked.

"He loved experiments," Sarah replied. "He did all kinds of scientific studies. Anything that paid the bills, and some things just for fun."

"You mean, Kate is actually related to Dr. Wallace Bishop?" Pierce asked nervously.

Sarah thought about it for a moment and sighed. "Yes," she said. "He's my older brother."

After a moment, Sarah got up and walked over toward one of the other beds, which Pierce saw had the battered and bruised girl he'd seen Garry bring into the helicopter covered by a sheet. He still did not understand why.

Sarah sat down next to her, doing her best to comfort her. "You got a name?" she asked.

For once, the girl spoke. "Jenny," she replied. "Jenny Strangebrick."

"What happened to you?" Sarah asked the young girl lying in the bed.

"Those two men," Jenny replied weakly. "They hit me, and wouldn't stop hitting me. They kept asking me questions."

"It's alright, Jenny," assured Sarah. "Everything's going to be fine." 

----

Nazareno squinted as the crowd of Dino Attack Agents gathered at the front entrance. They all looked trustworthy from a distance, but he knew some of may be Stromlings.

"Anything?" he asked Dr. Cyborg, who had his visor down and was scanning the area intently.

"Everything seems okay," Cyborg responded. "I can't see any Stromlings from here."

"Alright, move to the next area. A few more checks and we should be done. It is looking like Zelda and Norris are the only Stromlings here."

*****

Minerva breathed a sigh of relief as she broke through the jungle vegetation, revealing a large crowd of Dino Attack agents gathered around the front entrance.

I made it, she thought, smiling. And it looks like we are almost ready to go. I better go find Andrew.

*****

Find the girl and bring her here, Ahua hissed to the Maelstrom spy in the Dino Attack Team. Ahua presumed he was the spy that had been with the Dino Attack Team since the attack on the village, since he spoke with some level of intelligence and authority.

It will be done, the Stromling replied simply.

You know what she looks like, correct?

Yes. In fact, I rode on a Fire Hammer with her once upon a time.

Excellent. Capture her and bring her here.

I must ask. Why do we need Fabello?

Trust us. It will help us out in the long run.

Ahua felt doubt radiate from the spy's consciousness. Then: Whatever. I'll bring her. With that, the spy's link disappeared.

Ahua smiled. Zach was coming closer to his end every second... 

----

Dust stood on a wrought iron bridge connecting the upper levels of Outpost 4 to the cliffs and the vehicle lot. The salty ocean air had caused rust to form on the heavy girders and it creaked with every step from the dozens of passing agents, but Dust still felt an unmovable quality from the structure.

Before he had left Outpost 4, he had recovered his black Australian hat from the wreckage and now wore the standard issue utility belt of Dino Attack trooper. Three knifes were clipped to his belt and he hid a fourth in his boot. At his hip was a silver handgun, and on his back was an automatic rifle. A black bandana covered his face, and he carried a satchel over his shoulder.

Opening the bag, he withdrew tightly folded piece of paper. Despite the fact that he knew the qualities of the temple down to the last stone, it was good to have a hard copy of the translated blueprints.

Holding his hat to his head, he crossed the bridge to the crowed vehicle lot. The area went right up to the cliff, and when he leaned against the railings, he was able to see the fleet boats and inflatable hovercrafts departing along the coast.

A T-1 Typhoon lifted off the ground, and Dust had to avert his eyes from the gust of air. The Egyptian held tight to his hat and started walking to the far side of the lot, where he could board an Iron Predator.

Urban Avengers were one-by-one disappearing into the forest, and the rumble of engines filled the air. Dust worked his way up the access ladder of the lead Iron Predator and checked the time. 8 minutes.

"Dust?" The Egyptian looked below and found Minerva looking up at him. "Have you see Andrew?" she asked.

"Not today!" Dust yelled over the noise. "But he's around here somewhere with Laxus!"

Minerva nodded and headed into the lot, followed by Fuchs. Dust did not know whether or not he had missed Semick's briefing but he assumed the assault should be well underway.

He knelt down by the view screens and watched the information come in. A significant amount of Mutant Dinosaur activity was clustered about a mile and a half north of their location. He had no idea how well the temple was fortified, but quite frankly, that was not his concern. The battle was irrelevant; he just wanted inside.

Garry's voice crackled over the radio system. "Urban Avenger wave two launch. Fire Hammers wave one launch." The vehicles departed into the jungle and the next wave moved into position. The Egyptian sat back and smiled. All he had to do now was await Semick's order 

----

Maria looked up from her desk as a large man with a tan-coloured jacket and an old, worn hat stepped into her bar. The man remained quiet. As he sat down in the corner, he took out a harmonica and started to play.

There was a strange tone to the music, like a cry for justice. Then it dawned on her. She could recall something mentioned by her superiors about an agent named Harmonica. They also said she'd know who he was when he entered... because he was literally playing a harmonica. A few of the other men in the bar were getting annoyed as they turned toward him.

"Would you cut out that racket?" Thompson asked. He'd been a bit less scared to come by, now that Angel Eyes was gone. The man ignored him. As Thompson and his two no-good henchmen drew their guns, there was a loud gunshot, and Thompson's hat went flying. They turned to see Maria holding a shotgun with a menacing look on her face.

"Get out of mah bar," Maria said sternly. "If I see you boys 'round here again, I'm gonna blow a hole clean through yer head."

Thompson grumbled as he picked up his hat and walked for the doors. "I can't believe it!" he muttered angrily. "I got my hat shot off by a MegaBlokin' woman."

Hearing this remark, Maria once again shot Thompson's hat clean off before lowering her gun. She smiled and chuckled as she put it down behind the counter. "Some civilized town this is," Maria remarked to herself. "If people keep going on like this, we ain't never goin' to build that railroad."

Finally, she turned toward the mysterious stranger. "Hey, you!" Maria called out. "Why don't you come up here?" The man lowered his harmonica as he stood up and walked toward the counter. Maria quickly poured him a glass of whiskey. "You got a name?" she asked.

"They just call me Harmonica," the man introduced himself. "You know, you haven't by any chance heard from a man named Angel Eyes, have you?"

"Yes, actually, I have," replied Maria. "He and his partner left for Gold City this morning."

"That's what I thought," said Harmonica.

"You know, you're quite a charming man," Maria said. "How would you like a room?"

"That'd be very nice, thank you," replied Harmonica. At that moment, their attention was drawn by a loud explosion. The patrons all turned around to see the general store across the street was in flames, and a man with a thick grey mustache and a long trenchcoat stepped into the Saloon with a large grin on his face. He sat down at the counter in front of Maria.

"Firecracker," Maria remarked. "Where have you been? We were expecting you two days ago."

"Oh, I ran into Emperor Chang Wu on my way here," replied Firecracker. "I think I got him this time. I set thirty charges under his palace while he was inside."

"You mean you abandoned your mission because you wanted to blow up a dictator?"

"That about sums it up," said Firecracker.

Maria sighed. "You're lucky Rotor isn't out here," she whispered.

----

"I don't know what's taking Cabin so long," Garry said. "Alright, we don't have much time. Mac, Rotor, you two get to the airfield. If you find Cabin, tell her to get out there as well. Hertz, Windows, I need you to hurry up and decide who goes and who stays. Just remember that no matter who does what you'll have to remain in constant contact with each other. Talk about your personal lives if you have to, just keep talking."

"What will that achieve?" Vinyaya asked.

"Aside from one man being able to constantly update us," explained Garry, "if the radio cuts, we'll know much sooner that something is wrong. We're also going to need a couple of people who are good with guns in here. What's your name again?"

"Vinyaya."

"Yes," said Garry. "Someone like you will need to stay behind. I'd like a few people guarding the communications room in case a Stromling gets in and tries to break our communication."

*****

Dr. Cyborg and Nazareno were walking to go to another region of the base camp. Nazareno was looking down, lost in thought, so he had some warning when it happened. A small Maelstrom symbol lit up purple.

"Dr. Cyborg, watch out!" he yelled. Too late. They both fell in when the trapdoor opened. As he fell, he saw some minifigs watching, so they knew where to not step.

They looked down and saw where they were headed. They were falling into a river of Maelstrom.

Dr. Cyborg realized that while his suit offered immunity to Maelstrom, Nazareno was still vulnerable. The Space Ninja would become a Stromling, assuming he wasn't outright destroyed. He landed on his feet, and caught Nazareno before he touched the Maelstrom.

He turned on infrared, and saw one direction was warmer. He believed it led outside. Nazareno was sending a bulletin to all Elite Agents. Cyborg had wirelessly connected to his PDA, so he saw it on the inside of his visor.

Dr. Cyborg and I have fallen into an underground Maelstrom cavern. All the agents in the courtyard saw it. Interview them, and set up a barricade.
We will try to get out.
Nazareno

Nazareno shifted so he was riding piggyback. He groaned as he did, being a foot above Maelstrom didn't help his wound any.

"I thought your wound was better," Dr. Cyborg said.

"It was, but it's infected with Maelstrom. The proximity to all this doesn't do me any favors." Nazareno replied.

"I can fix that. I can remove the Maelstrom from your body," Cyborg replied.

Nazareno thought. He had forgotten Cyborg's extraction abilities. That might work. He groaned in pain. The amount of Maelstrom increased the pulsing in his wound.

"Alright, we can try it," Nazareno said through clenched teeth. "After we get out of here." It was only lucky that Dr. Cyborg was immune to the Maelstrom. Nazareno stared at the Maelstrom below him with extreme distaste. He groaned again.

"Hurry!"

*****

As it turned out, David had no reason to be afraid. He had found his way into a clearing, got a GPS signal, and promptly found his way back. But now, it was the following afternoon. David was eating a late lunch when he looked up and saw the familiar face of Dr. Smith.

"Joseph!" exclaimed David. "I haven't seen you for a bit. Nice to see you again."

"You too," replied Joseph. "I've been here at Outpost 4 since the whole Rotor court martial business. I've been keeping myself busy though, researching samples of Maelstrom energy, would you have it."

"Maelstrom energy?" repeated David. "Sounds interesting, but I hope you've been keeping yourself safe. From what I've heard, it's very dangerous."

"Well, it's mainly because I've been in Section 18G. We deal with research that requires more... care."

David nodded in understanding. "Well, keep me posted." 

*****

Hertz shrugged. He saw Garry had a point, but neither he nor Windows had much experience with field work. An experienced radio operator was essential to coordinating the highly complex battle plans, but it would be dangerous for non-combat personal like him. Hertz still thought the battle would be a bloodbath. He trusted Semick's planning skills and his ability as a commander, but he knew that even the most experience leader should not be able to plan a battle of this magnitude in less than an hour. A lot of agents were going to die, but his assistance was essential to saving lives.

He glanced at Windows. The other radio operator was clearly going through the same conflict as he was. "Windows?" asked Hertz. "You doing this? You're an elite agent, you should at least have some field experience."

Windows frowned. "I have a family back home. We techs are the first to go, you know. I can't leave them." 

"I have Naomi," said Hertz. "But I'll go. Someone needs to do it; I'll just have to put up the best fight I can and do my job." 

Garry nodded. "You better go, Hertz. We'll talk to you at the temple, but until then, you better go and catch a ride. The convoy leaves in one minute. Alright. Windows, get to the radio room. Hertz, you go with Mac and Rotor. Get to the choppers now."

Hertz nodded as he, Rotor and Mac stepped outside. As they went toward the entrance, they were approached by Cabin.

"I can't find Rex anywhere," she said.

"Alright then," replied Mac. "We got to get out, you're coming with us."

Rotor quickly ran out to one of the T-1 Typhoons and climbed into the cockpit, pleasantly surprised to see Lance as the gunner.

Meanwhile, Mac was leading Hertz towards another helicopter. Before climbing into the cockpit, he turned toward him. "Remember what Garry said," Mac told Hertz. "As soon as you get in, you are to put yourself through to Windows and remain in constant touch with him." With that, Mac climbed into the pilot's seat.

Garry stared out the window as the men finished their preparations. "Now, we need a few people to stay here and guard the place. I don't want anyone coming in here and trying to kill Windows. I'd also like to split up the hospital staff. Wade should go with the rest of the attack force while Copper and Crusher stay with us, and I think someone should watch over our two prisoners."

At that moment, Garry was suddenly grabbed from behind and thrown against a wall. He looked up to see Tom menacingly approaching him, He reached down for his gun, only to realize it was gone. Tom held up the revolver for a moment with a grin before throwing Garry a punch in the stomach.

"That's for Jenny!" he called out. Garry grabbed the XERRD technician and threw him against a table. Tom got up and attempted to attack Garry again. "You got no morals, you know that?"

"Listen, Tom," Strangebrick said, "I don't think this is getting us any-"

"Shut up, doc!" Tom snapped. "This is the guy who killed your daughter! Him and that other no-good 4+ Rotor that they just let go!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Vinyaya shouted.

"You would have done the same to me!" Tom continued again. "ONLY REASON YOU DIDN'T WAS BECAUSE I COULD ACTUALLY TALK TO YOU!"

"Look," said Garry. "Calm dow-"

"I'm not going to calm down until you pay for Jenny's lif-"

"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Garry shouted angrily.

"Then where is she?" demanded Tom.

"I sent her to Antarctica," replied Garry.

"What is all this about?" Vinyaya asked, sternly.

Garry looked at her and sighed before he sat down. He now had no choice.

"It's Rotor," he said. "Early this morning, a couple XERRD prisoners were brought in: Tom and Jenny, a preteen girl. Rotor insisted they had information, and talked me into helping him get it. His method of 'interrogation' turned out to be to beat the girl senseless until she gave in, which she was too traumatized to do. When I saw her later on, lying there on that bed, I just couldn't take the idea of her facing anymore. I knew Rotor would kill her eventually, and if he found out I'd betrayed him, he'd probably do the same to me. I put her on the medivac chopper to get her as far away from Rotor as possible, and had Copper write up false records of her death to keep Rotor off my back."

Commander Vinyaya glared at Garry fiercely. She was realist, that was sure. As a Space Police officer, she had her share of interrogations, particularly of the aggressive kind. However, she had never heard of a grown man beating a child senseless. And frankly, it sickened her.

"I can't say I'm impressed," Vinyaya said darkly. "Not impressed at all. I don't know exactly what position this 'Jenny' had in XERRD, but if she was a child, she couldn't have known that much."

Garry looked down, clearly ashamed.

"However," she continued. "I have a shred of admiration for you by saving that girl from any more senseless beatings. In the meantime, we need to deal with Rotor. This is the last straw. The trial and now this? He is out of control and clearly has abused his power. He needs to be expelled and sent off this island. Now."

"But without Rotor, our T-1 Typhoon fleets are disorganized and sloppy. He knows how to lead them," Garry retorted.

Vinyaya scowled. "This is the same reason why we let him go the first time!" she sighed. "But you are right. Without him our fleet is nothing. We'll let him go now. Once this war is over, however, I want him arrested. As for you…" Vinyaya's eyes shot toward Tom. "You have every right to be angry, but I would not recommend attacking Garry or any other Dino Attack agent again. You are bound be caught by someone who will not respond as well as Garry or me."

Garry stood up and picked up his gun off the ground before putting it back into its holster. "Listen," he said. "Whatever you do, I told you nothing. If Rotor finds out I betrayed him, he'll probably not only beat me senseless but then take me out back and have me shot for aiding and embedding a prisoner." 

*****

"Ow. My head..." B groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. "You'd think that I cracked it open..."

Knuckles was sitting beside B's cot. "It wasn't that far off, B. You know, you aren't supposed to be fighting directly with the dinos. At least, not like that."

"Yeah, yeah," muttered B. "Where am I...?"

"Outpost 4. Medical area," explained Knuckles. "You were out for way too long. We were about to declare you KIA."

"Well, I'm... not, yet. How have you and the rest of the guys been doing, Kev?" asked B.

"I've been helping out around camp. So has Crooks..." Then Knuckles blinked in surprise. "And did you just call me 'Kev'?"

B rolled his eyes. "That is your name, Kevin. Those codenames never made any sense to me."

"Yeah, and I never liked 'B' either," retorted Kevin.

"That's... different," insisted B. "Where's Rob?"

"He was flown back."

B's eyes widened. "Why? Was something..."

Thankfully, Kevin shook his head and replied, "No. He just wanted to get the squad back together. Find Sam. He should be back, well, hopefully before the attack."

As Fuchs carefully placed Tracer's Creative Spark on a nearby table and turned back to the unconscious Zelda, Hotwire sat down on an empty cot to readjust his prosthetic leg when suddenly his PDA beeped. He pulled it out.

T-1 TYPHOON DESIGNATED 'TALON' SEEN LIFTING OFF FROM AIRFIELD. WE CANNOT RAISE YOU OVER THE COMMS. WHAT IS GOING ON?

"Builder, Kat, what's going on now?" he grumbled. He got up, slipping a few more painkillers into his pockets, and was about to leave when he heard familiar voices from another wing of the infirmary. Curious, he hobbled over, surprised to see another comrade whom he had feared was gone. "B! You don't know how glad I am to see you."

"Hotwire!" exclaimed B. "Ow! Good to see ya! Just... don't speak too loud, okay? Anyway, this is my cousin Kevin, Dino Attack codename Knuckles. I'm not sure if you've met him before."

B gingerly sat up and massaged his scalp. "Wow. Guess we've all been through a lot, huh."

Kevin handed B a helmet, and B carefully put it on. He tried to take a few steps and then stopped, clutching his head with one hand and leaning on the table by his cot for support. "Dizzy spell," he muttered. Kevin helped him back upright, and Hotwire grabbed a bottle of headache suppressant pills and tossed it over. As B gulped one down, Hotwire turned his attention back to his PDA and grumbled in frustration. Every attempt to make contact with Kat was met with failure. He put the device away. There would be time to worry later.

"Come on," he said to B and Kevin. "Semick's supposed to be briefing us all any moment now, and then we'll have to haul tail out of here before Zach turns the place into a smoking crater." The three of them left the medics to their business and walked outside.

*****

Minerva scanned the vehicle lot, hoping to find Andrew or Laxus. She figured it would be best to just stay with Andrew during the search. If Rudo Villano or another informant could lead them to the Maelstrom Temple, the need to split up would be pointless.

She walked past a group of Fire Hammers when a voice called out to her. "Hey, Fabello! Rex wants to see you!" Minerva raised an eyebrow and looked around in confusion. "Come on!" the voice called out again. Minerva shrugged and tried to follow the voice. She walked in front of the Fire Hammer when she felt a hand grab her neck and pull her between two Fire Hammers.

Again?! She was sick of being taken captives by bad guys. She was about to just swing a punch at her captive when she felt a sharp jab of pain against her spine. She collapsed, allowing the attacker to beat her repeated in the stomach and face. Minerva tried to fight back, but the attacker overpowered any attempt.

When he finally stopped his brutal attack, her body was bruised and swollen. Her eyes fluttered several times to see a blurry Dino Attack agent staring down at her, grinning viciously.

"Sorry, Fabello," the minifig said. "But you have obviously made yourself a threat to our cause if Ahua wants you at the temple." Minerva was extremely disorientated, but she felt like she could recognize the name Ahua. Her vision began to improve, allowing her to pick out individual details on the Minifig's childlike face. His icy blue eyes stared intently at Minerva through his wavy blond hair.

"I know you..." she muttered.

The Minifig grinned and punched her in the face again. "I know you know me," the agent hissed. "Ahua was rather happy that I knew what his target looked like."

She squinted, then gasped in realization. "Ghost?!"

"Spot on," Ghost said, slamming his foot into Minerva's stomach. 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 42: Launch

----

Fuchs took a large bite out of a sandwich as he sat in the driver's seat, thinking. There was not much else to do besides try to work the radio, which he attempted once or twice before without success. At this moment, he started to think of what led him here, the cure to the Maelstrom, and then he remembered the Creative Spark and began to wonder.

She said J.D. took his own Creative Spark and used it in the formula, Fuchs thought to himself. I wonder if... no it can't be. Can it? If the Creative Spark is part of a minifig's consciousness, does that mean part of its original owner ends up in the patient? Perhaps his memories?

At that moment, Fuchs suddenly had a realization of how he could potentially get that cure. If Zach was cured, perhaps he'd have access to J.D.'s memories. Could that mean that he'd be able to recall the Maelstrom formula? Maybe he can tell me how to make it.

"Minerva, I hope you cure him," Fuchs muttered as he sat back.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a twig snapping. He got outside, picked up a rifle and looked around, but there was nobody there. He walked back toward the cab and opened the door to see a familiar face. "Hello, Norris," Fuchs said. "It's been a while."

"Indeed, it has," replied Norris. His eyes started to glow red. Fuchs already knew what was going on. He quickly raised his rifle and fired one round after another. He knew this would not be enough to stop Norris, but it would at least slow him down. He quickly closed the door.

Norris had found him. He knew now that being out here was no safer than at the base, only there would be other people who could provide protection. Quickly thinking, he looked in the back, found a stick of dynamite, lit the fuse, and tossed it inside before he began running back through the forest, following the tracks. There was a loud noise in the distance as the vehicle exploded.

*****

The outside of the outpost was getting crowded fast. Agents were gathering with nervousness and anxiety, and with good reason. Time was of the essence, and Semick would have to get out his message soon so they could head out to the temple.

Andrew and Laxus were waiting out in their Fire Hammer near the end of where a lot of them had been parked, close to the gathering crowd. They were both feeling the restlessness many of the agents were feeling.

"I know Semick knows how to plan a plan, but he's just making me nervous," said Laxus.

"Yeah," said Andrew. His thoughts were on the battle ahead, and partially involved in mentally preparing himself for what lay ahead: having to intervene directly with the apparently ringleader of their main opposing force.

That train of thought soon brought him back to Minerva, his ally for this task. Andrew hadn't seen her in a day since she went out on patrol, and he wondered where she was right now. He hoped she would be able to make it to the battle in time.

His body started to shake from the shivers his anxiousness was causing. He wasn't doing quite good sitting here in the cab of the Fire Hammer. He needed a moment, or at least some space to pace or something.

"I'm going for a quick walk," he said as he opened his Fire Hammer door. "I won't be long or go far, but yell for me if Semick starts up."

"Got it, watch yourself."

Andrew walked towards the rear of his vehicle, his fingers twitching every which way. Trying to calm himself, he took several deep breaths, and tried to focus on a pleasant-sounding tune to calm himself. Though try as he might to concentrate on the orchestral soundtrack he recalled from a favorite video game, he couldn't get it to overcome the noises in the area. The noises of the rumbling idle engines, the march of agents' boots, the buzz of minifig mumbling, the sounds of punches being dealt, the occasional cry from the few remaining animals in-

Wait, punches?

Andrew froze. That had sounded like somebody punching something soft and well-built like a Minifig. And because this definitely wasn't a boxing ring or gym, that couldn't be a good sign. He reached inside his uniform vest and pulled out a standard bullet-fed pistol, one of the new requirements of standard agent outfitting Semick introduced after the camp ambush.

Readying a good grip, Andrew began to advance in the direction of where he could hear the fighting noises coming from. He was directed several rows into the Fire Hammer lot, eventually reaching a point where he began to hear it just around the current Fire Hammer he was standing beside. He then slowly advanced around the back of it, and stopped just before reaching the other side, peeking over to see what was going on.

It was Minerva. He could see her face, unhelmeted and bruised, but still recognizable. She was on the ground at the mercy of an agent with long blond hair that Andrew felt like he should recognize, but didn't really from his personal experience.

Andrew quickly thought of a best choice of action. There was no time to find help just now, and while he had a gun, he still didn't know why this attacker was attacking. The guy might have reason, but to be rational, this was no time to be fighting amongst themselves. There was only one option.

Andrew walked into view, gun pointed at the attacker, and yelled: "STOP RIGHT THERE, MISTER!" The agent looked up, letting Andrew see that he had a young face, but was looking at him with a stare that could've made Medusa tranquil. It was right there that the LEGO Islander began to suspect exactly what this agent might be.

As he began to edge closer to the two, the attacker's eyes glowed a bright, fearsome, and familiar red. That was all the motivation Andrew needed. He fired three shots, his newness to firing standard firearms resulting in quite a bit of recoil force resonating through his arms. It made them sore, but the agent didn't dare let that stop him.

The shots hit the attack two times in the chest, and one in the upper left leg. He fell, but Andrew had reason to believe that wouldn't stop him for long. He ran to Minerva's side, his gun still aimed at the attacker as he tried to check up on his ally.

"Minerva, you conscious?" he stammered out as he tried to keep eyes both on her and her assailant. She moved slowly, her physical state clearly not being the best at the moment. But she did manage to form a few words.

"Andrew... oh thank gosh," she muttered. "I'm hurt, badly, but... I think I can get better in time for..."

"We'll focus on that in a moment," said Andrew, trying to get his left arm around her chest so perhaps he could drag her away to relative safety. "We need to get this guy a good distance from you. And I don't think that's going to be easy. You have another gun on ya?" 

*****

It was not long before Fuchs started to see Outpost 4 in the distance. He was surprised to see numerous people assembled outside, looking like they were heading out. He quickly ran towards them.

"Alright boys," Rotor said over the radio. "I think we're ready to kick some Stromling butt. When we get out there, we're going to be doin' one thing and one thing only: killin' Stromlings."

Rotor was already starting up the engines. "Cabin, Mac, you two ready?"

"Agent Cabin standing by. Over."

"Agent Mac, standing by. Over."

"Alright," said Rotor keenly. "Let's get moving."

As Fuchs got closer, he soon found himself pushing his way through the large crowd of people. "Excuse me," he said quietly as he tried to get through, along the way passing by Barry Jackson and Teri.

"You ready for this... Scope?" Jackson asked.

Teri smiled. "As always," she replied, wrapping her hand around the strap of her sniper rifle. "It'll be just like old times."

*****

Hotwire hobbled out of the outpost, the vials containing Tracer's Creative Spark tucked securely into his inside vest pocket. The curved metal of his prosthetic leg gave enough cushioning for him to walk fairly smoothly, so he only needed the crutch for balance.

Eventually, he thought, I may not even need that. Still, it felt stiff and awkward. Hotwire wondered how much he would regret his actions in time -- perhaps it would have been possible to prevent infection by means other than blowing his own leg off. But he forced that thought back down. Gotta focus on the present. Gotta find those medics who wanted more antidote.

However, his search was cut off when he heard a confrontation from amongst the parked Fire Hammers. He moved as quietly as he could towards the disturbance. Peeking around one of the trucks, he saw Minerva lying on the ground and, standing over her, two other agents -- Andrew, and another with long wavy blond hair. Andrew suddenly fired three shots from a pistol, and the blond-haired agent fell down. Andrew quickly moved to tend to Minerva.

"More Stromling spies, then?" Hotwire said. Andrew nodded.

*****

Garry was shocked when Fuchs suddenly burst into the recreational room, panting exhaustively. "What're you doing back here?" Garry asked.

"It's Norris," replied Fuchs. "He found me. I think I killed him, or at least lost him. Does anyone know if dynamite can kill Stromlings?"

"I'm not sure," said Garry. "If he comes back, we'll find out."

"I don't know if anywhere is safe anymore," Fuchs continued. "Maybe you should just get me a chopper out of here. If Stromlings get in and they know I'm trying to figure out this cure-"

"We'll do everything in our power to stop them," assured Garry. "From now on, you're to remain with me or Vinyaya at all times. Getting you out would be our best option but we can't spare a T-1 at the moment."

"You alright, Garry?" Fuchs suddenly asked. "You look like you just got into a fight."

"I'd prefer not to talk about it," Garry replied.

----

"So this is it, huh?" Clint remarked as he stared at the wonder before him. "Fort Legoredo. The perfect hiding spot."

"Indeed, it is," replied Saboteur. "Zhat building is crawling with Mutant Lizard Hybrids. Zhe walls are lined with sentry guns."

"I wouldn't mind getting a closer look," said Clint. "You're good at infiltration, aren't you?"

"Of course," said Saboteur.

"I need you to sneak in there, see if you can find any weaknesses at all. Anything that could help."

----

Minerva was in too much pain to say much, but she was extremely thankful for Hotwire and Andrew's intervention. She slowly pulled a small handgun from her holster and pointed it at Ghost, shaking slightly. The no-doubt Stromling Agent remained on the ground, silent.

"I've got a gun," she said weakly. She felt sick and could barely feel her legs. "Maybe you two-" she stopped as she noticed Hotwire had a curved prosthetic leg and was using a crutch to walk. "Oh. Never mind."

"He's getting up," Hotwire noted.

Ghost was back on his feet, growling. "What a fascinating feeling," he said with a bit of wonder in his voice. "Being shot." Minerva shuddered as she imagined Zach saying the exact same sentence, replacing the sound of wonder with the sound of a psychotic madman who acted like getting shot was nothing.

Ghost shed away his Minifig disguise and charged at the group of agents. Minerva and Andrew fired repeatedly at him, but he ignored the bullets and slammed his shoulder into Hotwire, throwing the Elite Agent to the ground. Ghost then quickly turned and punched Andrew in the face, knocking him down. Minerva felt Andrew lose his grip on her, causing her to slide on to the floor. Ghost grabbed Minerva's collar and pulled her up to eye level.

"You are coming with me," he hissed. He turned to Andrew and Hotwire, where the former was helping the latter get back on his feet. "You two stay back. She's the only one I want."

"How long have you been a Stromling, huh?" Minerva asked weakly, not trying to veil the anger in her voice. "How long have you been telling them what we are doing?"

Ghost laughed. "A long time. Right before the battle in the village. I was very careful about my job as a spy. Not to be arrogant, but I must argue I am a fantastic spy. I fought for the Dino Attack Team like any other loyal soldier. The village, the fortress, and the camp. I aided my enemies in fighting my enemies. Rather ironic, wouldn't you think? In fact, I'm ninety-nine percent positive that I have killed fellow Stromlings hidden with XERRD. That is how good of a spy I am."

"You are pile of trash," Minerva shot back angrily. "You are scum and you don't deserve to live." Mustering all the saliva she could, she spat in Ghost's face. He made a sound of disgust and shoved Minerva away. She stumbled, but managed to stay on her feet, despite her legs feeling on the verge of collapsing. Andrew and Hotwire stood beside her, weapons drawn.

Ghost wiped the spit from his face and scowled. "You are very lucky Ahua wants you alive. However, a good beating ought to remind you to respect your superiors." He smirked. "In fact, after I am through with you, you'll want to be like your two friends will be in a moment: dead." Ghost chuckled as he began to move closer to the three agents.

*****

The outpost was mobilizing. Kara was trying to modify the UlTech Dropship to have a more powerful engine, allowing it to carry more weight, and therefore more equipment and men. It was resisting her efforts.

"RAGE!" she yelled, as it still wouldn't calibrate. She had to get it working, however. The elite agents had asked her to carry some men and supplies back and forth in it.

After a lot of banging, "RAGE!"ing and general madness, the dropship was ready to go. It could now carry more weight, therefore more troops, vehicles, and supplies. Kara's contribution to the attack was ready. 

*****

Andrew's mind raced. He had backup now, albeit his current helper had recently joined the ranks of "senior agent with experience-showing handicap," and they had what were arguably weapons a bit more powerful than the average laser blaster, but considering Stromlings had shown to be rather swift at overcoming both obstacles. It would have to come down to wits.

And for Andrew, wits often involved thinking, thinking often involved planning, and planning often involved mapping out a construction project. His eyes flashed to his surroundings. Fire Hammers to his left and right. And while they were built to last, any LEGO construct usually had weak spots or ways to pry them apart with ease. He focused on a front door on the vehicle to his right. It was ever so slightly ajar; likely left open by an agent haphazardly departing it for whatever reason involving the outpost. His eyes narrowed.

"Get Minerva to an open vehicle," Andrew muttered to Hotwire. "I'll delay him, then you can use the cannon or something to hold him off."

"What are you gonna do?" Hotwire muttered back.

"Unspoken plan guarantee!" Andrew quickly uttered as he suddenly ran past Minerva and towards the Stromling, throwing his pistol at him. The gun caught him by surprise and hit him square in the head, not knocking him down but stopping him briefly in his tracks.

It gave Andrew the moment he needed. He reached the ajar Fire Hammer door, grabbed the bottom side, and pulled up on it. The about 1-stud thick door popped out of its hinges and into the agent's arms like how one would hold a baby. Rearranging his grip to both sides of the door, Andrew turns towards the Stromling, who was now charging towards him.

The LEGO Islander shoved the door at the Stromling, who managed to get his arms on it and tried to force it back onto him. Andrew applied equal force and the two were locked in a push-of-war fight.

The Stromling was proving to be the stronger one, though as Andrew felt the door getting closer to his face. Thinking quickly, he glanced down at his feet, then decided to thrust his left foot towards where he presumed the Stromling's legs were. He made contact and managed to trip his adversary, the sudden release in force resulting in the door falling over him and Andrew nearly stumbling over it.

Regaining his balance, Andrew looked back towards Minerva and Hotwire. The scuffle had lasted all of about twenty seconds, and the two had just managed to reach the next two Fire Hammers in the row.

Looking forward, the Stromling was pushing aside the door and glaring at him with an intense fury. In response, Andrew kicked hard at the door and forced it back over its chest. Then he turned tail and ran towards his allies, stopping briefly to pull the seat out of the doorless Fire Hammer in case the Stromling caught up.

Hotwire helped Minerva into the nearest Fire Hammer, then pulled himself into the cab after her. He had the weapon systems warming up by the time Andrew reached them a few seconds later.

*****

"Hang on, Fuchs," said Garry. "Do you still have that formula?"

"No," replied Fuchs. "Minerva took it and ran."

"I see," said Garry.

"There is still Zelda," Vinyaya suddenly remarked.

"That's true," noted Garry. "We caught a live Stromling and managed to hold her. Fuchs, I think we got your first specimen."

"Is that true?" asked Fuchs.

Vinyaya nodded.

"I'll have to perform a vivisection," said Fuchs. "If we kill her, the Maelstrom will just leave her body and we will have accomplished nothing, meaning that if we are to do this, I'm going to need someone standing guard at all times."

*****

Minerva smiled at Andrew's so-far success. I'm definitely glad he will be with me when we go after Zach. He's pretty good at thinking on his toes. Andrew reached the Fire Hammer she and Hotwire were hiding in, clutching a chair from the Fire Hammer he was at.

"How are the weapons doing?" Andrew asked as Ghost started running toward them, clearly furious.

"They are warming up," Hotwire noted. "Can you hold him off for a few more minutes?"

Andrew sighed. "I think SO!" He yelled the last word as turned and blocked Ghost with the chair.

Ghost laughed deeply. "Not this time, Andrew," Ghost hissed. His feet began to emit black, evil smoke. Without any warning, the chair burst into purple-and-black flames. Andrew jumped back in shock. Ghost laughed as he climbed over the burning chair and grabbed Andrew's neck.

"Goodbye," Ghost said simply. He squeezed Andrew's neck, causing his eyes to bulge out as he tried to breathe, but was ultimately failing. Minerva tried to point her weapon at Ghost, but the Stromling carefully positioned Andrew in front of him.

I hate this Stromlings and their whole 'Minifig shield' thing, she thought angrily. "How much longer?" she whispered to Hotwire.

"One more minute."

Minerva nodded and quietly slid out a crowbar from the Fire Hammer dashboard. She slid out of the floor on to the ground and quietly walked around the group. She winced with every step thanks to Ghost's beating. With careful sneaking, she ended up behind Ghost. She tapped Ghost's shoulder.

"What-?" he turned to Minerva, scowling.

"BAH!" Minerva shouted. Ghost flinched and stepped back, loosening her grip on Andrew's neck. He wrestled himself free and gasped as he was allowed to breathe again. Before Ghost could regain his composure, Minerva swung the crowbar into Ghost's stomach. He groaned as he stumbled and fell to the ground. Minerva stood over him and swung the crowbar into his chest seven more times. She winced as he heard his ribs crack and break.

After the last hit, Minerva stepped back, letting the crowbar fall from her shaking hands. She stared at Ghost's ruined form, a knot forming in her stomach.

"Is he dead?" Andrew asked, walking up to Minerva, rubbing his neck. Ghost's head suddenly twitched and he began to sit up.

"Are you kidding me?!" Minerva exclaimed as Ghost got back on his feet.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Hotwire screamed, aiming the Fire Hammer's turret at Ghost. Andrew and Minerva dived out of the way as the turret opened fire, consuming Ghost in a fiery green orb. Hotwire fired the gun repeatedly for thirty seconds. Minerva squinted as one blast after another hit Ghost.

The turret stopped firing. Minerva and Andrew allowed the smoke to clear before approaching ground zero. And what they found was...nothing. Nothing but a black scorch mark on the ground.

"Where is he?" Hotwire asked as he climbed out of the Fire Hammer. Minerva shrugged, but Andrew pointed at another Fire Hammer. Minerva squinted, but she could see it clearly: a charred black skull near one of the tires. A careful scan of the area showed a broken torso wearing a Dino Attack uniform on top of a Fire Hammer's hood.

"Ah," Hotwire said. 

*****

Fuchs watched as Vinyaya brought out the chained and handcuffed Stromling Zelda.

"As far as I know, this is the first time we've ever caught one," Garry said. "Now, Zelda, let's get you to the lab."

"Are you sure about this?" Fuchs asked. "I am, after all, about to cut open a living thing."

"What's the matter, Fuchs?" Garry said. "You never performed an autopsy before?"

"Not on a patient who was still alive," replied Fuchs.

"Well this one isn't even a human being," declared Garry. "She's a being of evil, and you said it yourself: if we kill her, the Maelstrom will leave her body, and all we will have done is killed another minifig."

"Alright," grumbled Fuchs. "Get her to the lab, but I want you taking maximum precautions to make sure she doesn't try to kill me."

"Understandable" replied Garry. "Let's get to work."

*****

Dr. Cyborg was walking as fast as he could. It wasn't easy to do with someone sitting on his shoulders. He stopped.

"What's wrong?" Nazareno asked.

"The tunnel. It forks. I'm trying to see where to go." He activated his infrared scanner. One fork was as cold as the ambient temperature in caves. The other was a different story. The heat of summer was drifting through it. "That way," Cyborg said, pointing right.

"Hurry," Nazareno requested. 

As Dr. Cyborg and Nazareno rounded a bend in the tunnel, they saw a ledge with no Maelstrom covering it. Dr. Cyborg brought Nazareno to it, and let him down.

"I have a feeling there is a door here," Dr. Cyborg said. He felt, found a depression in the wall, and pushed it. A door opened, allowing them to access stairs leading upward. They walked up them, opened a trapdoor at the top and came out about half a mile from Outpost 4.

"Thank you," Nazareno said. He turned and walked toward the camp. Dr. Cyborg turned, went down the steps, and continued exploring. He had a hunch where it would come out.

Nazareno walked into the camp. He was feeling better every minute, getting away from the Maelstrom. Everybody was gearing up for an attack. He saw someone working on an airship of a foreign design to him, and went over to help.

Kara was almost done, when Nazareno and offered help. She thanked him, and asked him to get in the cockpit and tell her what a certain dial said. She was running a few last-minute tests. She could tell the attack was almost here. She could barely wait. 

----

Gaining access to the lab was easy. "What's the password?" a man asked from behind the door.

Sauro-Hunter shrugged. "Uhhhhh…" He thought for a moment. "Password?"

The door clicked open, and the four barreled into the room, plowing over whoever was behind the door. The laboratory was exactly how Tex had pictured it: clean and spotless.

Several Dino Attack scientists glared at them. "Who authorized this?" one exclaimed.

Sauro-Hunter took a threatening step forward. "You did," he rumbled, "when you took our friends." The blade slid from his wrist with a SHNK! The scientists stepped backwards. "We'll be taking them now."

"Those scalies?" one challenged. There was a series of growls and hisses from nearby cages.

"Saurians," Ptero corrected harshly. "The unique ones. A Raptor, a Pteranodon, a Hybrid, and a T-Rex."

The scientists moved aside as the four agents drew closer. "We're better allies than enemies, docs," said Sauro-Hunter. He leaned closer. "Be a pal, and release the four we've mentioned."

The scientists moved quickly, and Tex, Freefall, Eno, and Shade were freed. Tex nuzzled Sauro-Hunter's stomach, humming loudly. 

----

"I think that's everything," Kara said. "The ship should be ready for the upcoming battle. Thanks... uh...."

"Kareem Nazareno," Nazareno responded, bowing slightly as he jumped out of the dropship. "Nazareno will do. You are welcome. Now, if you will excuse me…" He started walking toward the outpost.

He was certainly grateful to be out of the tunnel. As fascinating as it was, he could feel the high concentration of Maelstrom in the area snapping at his very being, attempted to wrestle control of his mind away from him.

It is definitely time to see the infirmary. Nazareno decided. He entered the outpost and quickly found the medical wing. He pushed open a door and saw two minifigs strapping Zelda the Stromling Agent to a table. Another minifig stood nearby, holding a syringe that no doubt carried some sort of sedative. Watching this happen was none other than Commander Vinyaya.

"Good day, Commander," Nazareno said as he walked up to the Space Police officer.

"Hello, Nazareno," Vinyaya said, clearly not paying her fullest attention.

"What is going on here?"

"Oh, they are about to dive into the similar-yet-alien anatomy of a Stromling." Again, Vinyaya seemed distant.

"Something wrong?" Nazareno asked.

"No..." she said, drifting off. "I just don't really want to stay here and 'keep guard' while everyone else goes to the Maelstrom Temple."

"I don't really want to be here either," Nazareno said. "Circumstances have forced me here."

Vinyaya turned to Nazareno, confused. "What circumstances?" Nazareno rolled his eyes and quickly revealed his Maelstrom-infected wound to the Commander. Her eyes widened, but she remained silent.

"Zachary Virchaus caused this back in the XERRD fortress," Nazareno explained.

Vinyaya scowled. "Him," she muttered venomously. "I want him dead more than anything right now. Especially since he seems to be leading the Maelstrom."

"I wouldn't say that," Nazareno replied. "Does he hold a high spot in the Maelstrom totem pole? I'd say yes. Leading the Maelstrom? Sounds a bit more skeptical."

Nazareno wanted to keep Zach alive simply because Minerva wanted him alive. I must admire her obvious infatuation with him. It is driving her to risk her own life to save his. Minerva had confided to Nazareno secretly about a plan she and Elite Agent Andrew had about going into the Maelstrom Temple and saving Zach from the Maelstrom. He knew it was in Andrew and Minerva's best interests that he didn't tell Vinyaya about their personal mission. Rather idealistic. I can only hope that they manage to succeed.

"However," Nazareno continued "Taking him out one way or another will surely cripple the Maelstrom. At least I hope."

"Yeah," Vinyaya drifted off again.

"Hey, why don't you go to the temple, and I stay here and guard them?"

Vinyaya raised her eyebrow. "What about your injury?" she asked, pointing to his stomach.

"It only hurts when I'm in close proximity of the Maelstrom or its servants. It actually could serve me rather well."

Vinyaya was considering his offer. Finally, she smiled and shook his hand quickly. "Thank Builder!" she muttered appreciatively. She turned to leave, but quickly looked back. "You'll be fine?"

Nazareno rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly underneath his mask. "I'll be fine, just go."

Vinyaya flashed him another smile and left the room.

"Now that you've just relieved Vinyaya of her duties, what's your name?" Fuchs asked.

"Kareem Nazareno." Fuchs was tempted to question the strange armored ninja's mask, but felt that it was in his better interest not to.

"Alright," replied Fuchs as he started slip on a pair of safety gloves. "My name's Fuchs, by the way. Anyway, Nazareno, Garry, I'm about to perform a vivisection on a living Stromling. For the moment, we have her tied down, but if she in any way starts to break free, I want you to kill her quickly. Hopefully, that will not happen, as any discoveries here could be vital to future research." He turned toward Crusher, who looked up from her paperwork. "I'd like you to observe and take notes."

Crusher stood up, picked up a clip board, and walked toward Fuchs. With that done, he proceeded to pick up a scalpel, and began the complex autopsy...

*****

Interesting, Zach thought. Most interesting. He had been dipping into Maelstrom spy Ghost's mind to see what he had learned. The most he had learned was that the Dino Attack was gathering outside of the outpost, apparently preparing to leave. What was most interesting was not really information at all.

When Zach had touched Ghost's mind, he saw himself (through Ghost's eyes) viciously beating Minerva Fabello. He winced with every punch and fought a battle inside his own head between Minifig!Zach and Stromling!Zach on how to react before Stromling!Zach won out.

Then Andrew and Hotwire, with the latter using a prosthetic leg, intervened and fought off Ghost. He had smiled wickedly when Ghost was strangling Andrew and smiled even wider when Minerva pummeled Ghost with a crowbar. The connection was ended as bright flashes of green took over his vision.

Ghost is dead. No doubt. The Dino Attack had weeded out the remaining spies, as far as he knew. They still have Zelda. Zach noted. She would probably be reduced to a science experiment by the doctors of the Dino Attack Team. Oh well.

Zach reached out to Colonel again. Colonel! Zach snapped impatiently.

Yes, sir?

I'm giving up on that Imagination Temple you are stationed. It is becoming less and less likely the Dino Attack will visit it.

What do you want me to do, sir?

Meet me halfway to this temple. Bring your army. We are the Dino Attack's welcoming party.

A pause. Yes, sir. It will be done.

Good, Colonel. Dismissed. He severed the connection and gestured for Cranky to join him. "Come, my friend!" Zach said giddily. "Let's go meet Colonel and wait for the Dino Attack to arrive."

----

The sounds of battle were much louder now. Part of that was because Tex and the others were rampaging their way out of the base, but the other half, Sauro-Hunter couldn't believe. Hybrids and DINO Attack agents fought viciously. The Hybrids were gaining more ground by the second.

"They're getting slaughtered out there!" Aravis pointed out.

Sauro-Hunter paused long enough to watch the battle rage for several seconds. "At the moment," he replied bluntly, "it's not our problem. It'll be our problem if they find us empty-handed."

"What are you suggesting?" a voice replied. They turned to see none other than Claymore approaching.

"We hit the armory," Sauro-Hunter said. "We take what weapons we need, then we get out of here. Preferably with survivors."

The armory was nearly depleted of weaponry. Disassembled Cosmotronic Ray emitters littered a work bench. Sauro-Hunter grabbed a more compact, rifle-looking Sonic Screamer with an undermounted bayonet.

Ptero hefted a Cosmotronic Ray emitter. "I don't know who Ray is," he said, "but his gun is rip!"

Sauro-Hunter armed himself with flash-bang grenades, a combat knife, and several incendiary grenades. Aravis approached him, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're acting... different," she noted. She held a scythe in one hand and had a Sonic Scream slung over her shoulder.

"You know why," replied Sauro-Hunter. "We helped these people, and they burned us. They put us up as traitors to the cause. I've seen too many good men and women die in this war to not know what we're fighting for." He sighed. "I'm not a traitor. All I want is peace. I don't want either side annihilated. Years from now, the earth beneath our feet will still be stained red. Because of the MegaBlok'd war!"

He slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a sizable dent. "This war... it has to end. Or there will be no home left for either side. I'm going to stop it, even if I have to cut Dr. Rex's heart out myself, so help me, Builders."

----

Hotwire, Minerva, and Andrew all breathed a sigh of relief. Then Hotwire noticed the Injection Saw hanging from Minerva's belt.

"Is that..." He gestured towards the odd weapon. "Is that the Maelstrom antidote?" Minerva nodded, and grasped the handle of the Injection Saw defensively. Hotwire continued, "While I was in the infirmary, I overheard them talking about trying to synthesize more. Do you know anything about that?"

"There was someone," Minerva said. "A medic named Fuchs. He wanted to take this sample and reverse engineer it. But..." She and Andrew exchanged a glance. "We need it for... a strategy."

But Hotwire had stopped paying attention to the Injection Saw at this point. "Fuchs... got it," he said. "Thanks very much. I need a word with a medic." He spun and hurried back towards the outpost building, tripping a few times on his way to the infirmary.

By the time he reached his destination, his prosthetic had twisted slightly and the stump of his left leg was burning in pain. As he walked in, he grabbed another painkiller and stabbed it into his thigh. It was then he noticed that Nazareno and Dr. Crusher were standing by the restrained form of Zelda as a minifig he had never seen before was picking up a scalpel. "Excuse me," Hotwire exclaimed. "Are you Fuchs?"

The unfamiliar man nodded. "I'm rather occupied at the moment, though. If you could--"

"It can wait a minute," Hotwire interjected. He reached into his vest and drew out the vials containing the Creative Spark of the late agent Tracer. "I'm almost certain you'll be interested in this." 

"What are those?" Fuchs asked.

"It's a Creative Spark," replied Hotwire. "They came from agent Tracer, who was mortally wounded by your um... test subject. He requested that his Creative Spark be extracted."

Fuchs thought about it and smiled. "Excellent," he said. "That's one part covered. Maybe this autopsy will reveal something more. Crusher, why don't you begin the analysis?"

Crusher nodded before she took the samples and sat down at a nearby table.

With that, Fuchs took the scalpel and began to make the first incision. Zelda instinctively fidgeted and grunted as Fuchs began cutting her chest open.

"Well, to start, we have what appears to be a normal set of internal organs," Fuchs said. "Lungs, the heart, and so on, though they are strangely coloured." 

----

Like the armory, the vehicle garage was nearly deserted, save for three transport Iron Predators, a Steel Sprinter, two Urban Avengers, three Fire Hammers, and another vehicle kept under a white sheet.

"What's that?" Sauro-Hunter asked Claymore.

Claymore grinned. "Just a little something I've been working on for a few weeks," he replied, and removed the sheet. "I call it the 'Warthog'." The Warthog was a sleek, trimmed-down version of a Fire Hammer, with an odd cannon mounted on the back.

Sauro-Hunter removed his helmet and scratched his head. "Why not call it the 'Puma'?" he asked.

"A what?"

"You know, a Puma, like a big cat," he explained. "'Cause it looks sleek, like a Puma."

"What in Sam Hill," exclaimed Claymore, "is a Puma?!"

"I just told you!" Sauro-Hunter facepalmed himself.

"Didn't your mom tell you stop making up pretend animals? If you're going to insist on calling it an imaginary animal, why not 'Bigfoot'? Or the 'Leprechaun'?" He paused and looked at Tex. "Tex, what's that lizard down in Mexico? Eats all the goats?"

Us, sir? she responded.

"No, no!" Claymore shook his head fiercely. "Been around since before you, in the 90's?"

"That would be the Chupacabra," Spino said. He sounded weary of the argument.

"Yeah, call it the 'Chupa-thingy'! I like that. Has a nice ring to it."

"Let's put it to a vote," Sauro-Hunter proposed. "All in favor of 'Puma'?" Four hands went up. "Puma it is! I need two volunteers."

"Shotgun!" exclaimed Claymore.

"Brickit!" swore Aravis, and she climbed into the turret.  "How does the turret operate?" she asked as the Puma sped towards the battle.

"Like any other turret," Claymore replied. "Point and fire. The cannon uses magnetic forces to propel a super-dense carbon-tungsten slug at a target. It can crack a raptor's shields, but it takes two seconds to recharge to fire another shot." He smiled. "But, I mounted a pair of .50 caliber autocannons to make up for that. Best used on aerial targets."

----

Although the mission briefing was imminent, David decided to do some last-minute preparation. He set aside some of his equipment he could use for gathering a small Maelstrom energy sample. Even though the Maelstrom was a powerful, destructive force, while it lasted it could be fascinating to research, and David did not want to miss his chance. His equipment ready, he carefully packed it into a case, which he carried to his Fire Hammer and placed it next to his seat.

The outside of the outpost was packed with agents. David positioned himself at the back of the crowd, and waited... 

*****

This was taking longer than Dr. Cyborg had expected. The tunnel kept winding back and forth. Then it stopped at a Maelstrom waterfall. Dr. Cyborg climbed up the cliff behind it, shielding his eyes at the light. 

----

The Puma sped over the terrain with ease.

"This is GAIA Leader to all D.I.N.O. Attack forces," Sauro-Hunter said over the comms. "Recommend that all forces should retreat. Repeat, all forces should retreat! The base is lost."

A voice sounded over the din. "This is Charlie Foxtrot-1 to GAIA Leader. Colonel Mustang ordered us to hold position until the bomb was armed."

"Bomb?" inquired Aravis.

"Yes, ma'am," CF-1 said. "We're leaving the base for the Hybrids. Of course, the bomb needs to be armed before we leave."

"Acknowledged, Charlie-Foxtrot-1," replied Sauro-Hunter. He swerved the Puma around.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Ptero inquired from the sky.

"Making sure that bomb is ready," Sauro-Hunter stated. "Spino, mind tagging along?"

"Not at all," Spino replied. Shade abruptly stopped, and Spino climbed down to the ground. He leaped on to the side of the Puma and held on, picking off targets when he saw them.

The bomb was placed in the control room. It was huge, as tall as Spino and as long as two minifigs laying down in a line. The science officers seemed frustrated. Spino approached first. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

One scientist smacked the outer frame with a wrench. "The remote detonator won't work!" he growled. "And the Hybrids are closing in quickly."

"Looks like our housewarming gift needs somebody to stick around," Spino murmured. He turned. "I'll stay and set it off when they get in."

Sauro-Hunter and Aravis stood, dumbfounded, their jaws hanging open in shock.

Spino embraced both with his massive arms. "I know what has to be done," he murmured. "Get every survivor as far away from here as possible. Those doors won't hold them forever."

Sauro-Hunter heard Aravis sniffling. The three broke the embrace. Sauro-Hunter saluted, and then shook Spino's hand. "It's been an honor and a privilege fighting beside you," Sauro-Hunter said.

Aravis and Spino hugged one more time. They let go, and she pressed her three middle fingers to her lips, and held them out. "Goodbye," she murmured, "brother."

The scientists had disappeared, and the two Dino Attack agents ran as fast as their feet could carry them.

----

"Are you sure about not seeing a medic?" Andrew asked as he and Minerva started walking to the former's Fire Hammer.

"Yes," she responded confidently. "What are the medics going to do? They are all bruises. I'm not bleeding. I'm not in pain-" She winced as she stepped incorrectly, triggering one of her bruises. "Alright, not in too much pain."

Andrew shrugged. "Fair enough. So, you are coming with me?"

Minerva nodded. "I found this guy who can help us find the one true temple. He used-"

"Rudo Villano?" Andrew injected. Minerva paused and nodded, confused. "Nazareno informed us of him. He is our backup provided Dr. Gonepus doesn't lead us to the right temple."

"Gonepus?"

"XERRD scientist that Rex and Claw found while negotiating our alliance with the dinosaurs. They wanted to release Gonepus in hopes that he will run to the other XERRD scientists on the island. The scientists are thought to be at the Maelstrom Temple, trying to bring it back under their control."

"Oh," Minerva said. She mentally shrugged. She didn't really care that Villano wasn't as useful as she presumed. I did gain us another ally though. "What are we waiting for now?"

"We are waiting for Semick. He will give one last speech and will run down the plan for us. After that, we'll head off."

Minerva nodded. She could feel excitement and anxiety building up in her. After what felt like two years, the Dino Attack was about to complete its main objective and primary reason for going to Adventurers' Island. 

----

They sprinted as fast as they could. The Puma was just ten feet away. We're going to make it! thought Sauro-Hunter.

But that hope was shattered in a heartbeat.

A shot rang out from above, and Aravis collapsed on the ground, a smoking hole in her head.

"NOOO!" bellowed Sauro-Hunter. He drew Aravis's pistol and fired in the direction of her attacker. The Hybrid sniper caught the round in the forehead and keeled over, dead. Aravis lay unmoving in the dirt, and Sauro-Hunter picked her up. "Claymore, into the turret! Now!"

Claymore complied, giving Aravis a sad look. "She's gone!" he said.

"We have the technology to bring her back!" roared Sauro-Hunter. "We need to get her into stasis as soon as possible!" He put the Puma in gear.

"Where's Spino?" inquired Claymore.

"He stayed behind. The bomb's remote detonator was faulty, so he stayed behind to make sure it blows."

*****

Spino tasted blood in his mouth. The Hybrid in charge, a muscular fire-variety, taller than even him, with intricate armor, had him by the throat.

"Like the rest of your kind," the Hybrid growled. "Weak and undisciplined." He hurled Spino into a wall. "There will be no others to save you this time."

"Look me in the eye and say that!" Spino coughed, spit bloody saliva out of his mouth.

The Hybrid grabbed him by the throat. "As you wish," he rumbled. "My face is the last thing your pathetic eyes will ever see."

Abruptly, Spino unsheathed his combat knife and slammed it into the Hybrid's neck. The Hybrid stumbled back, dropped, and died.

"And for the record," said Spino, "I would have kicked your butt the first time if the others hadn't stopped me!" He reached over as a spear was hurled at him, pressed the ignition button, and knew no more.

*****

The explosion could be seen from miles away. Sauro-Hunter didn't slow, but Claymore stared. "He did it," he murmured. "He finished the job. By the Creators, he did it!"

Sauro-Hunter was silent. Rest in peace, brother, he thought.

At one point, he had been a bright-eyed, idealistic rookie agent. But as the war dragged on, he saw many terrible things that changed him. He'd lost some of his closest friends. One had died, another betrayed him. It was after watching an explosion level a base and wipe out an army of Hybrids that he'd put in a request to change his codename. He'd wanted one that would fit losing his arm and leg, as well as the woman he loved.

It was halfway through his service that Sauro-Hunter's request was granted. From then on, he was known as "Fullmetal".

----

Zelda instinctively winced as Fuchs continued to handle her insides.

"Why is it coloured so strangely?" Garry asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Fuchs. He reached inside and touched another organ, located where the stomach would be. The organ in question glowed a bright purple, much like the other parts of the body.

"Incredible," Fuchs muttered. "From what I can tell here, it appears that Stromlings do not need to eat. It seems that they are somehow able to absorb nutrients from something, probably the Maelstrom itself. Waste products are also recycled into nutrients, eradicating the need for toilets." It was then that Fuchs finally realized something, he looked back at the heart. "Of course," he muttered.

"What is it?" Garry asked.

"The two most vital organs of your body," replied Fuchs. "The brain and the heart. That's where the Maelstrom's influence is based. The brain oversees and controls all of the necessary functions, and is corrupted to become loyal, whilst the heart works at a faster-than normal rate to pump the necessary blood for unusual things which a normal body is not designed for. Suddenly this all make sense. The cure J.D. developed must have been intended to go into a Stromling's bloodstream."

"I'm sorry?" Nazareno asked.

"The respiratory system," explained Fuchs. "The heart pumps blood throughout the body to keep it moving, using oxygen. If something gets into that stream, it travels around as well. Let me put it like this. Imagine you had a wound that was infected and you didn't get your leg amputated. In a matter of time, the infection would spread up through your leg and gradually to the rest of the body. J.D. wanted something he could inject into a Stromling's bloodstream, which would have interfered with the Maelstrom's influence, spread throughout, and ultimately driven it away."

*****

Hertz made his way outside and crossed the lot to one of the few remaining vehicles. There were still a handful of Fire Hammers and most of the Iron Predators were still present at the outpost.

But the Typhoons were Hertz's destination. The T-2 Typhoon, the Renaissance, sat with dignity in the center of the lot. It stood a tail longer than the other Typhoons and its sand-green coloring set it apart.

Minerva, Kuru, and Elite Agent Andrew were standing together by a Fire Hammer. She had a black eye and clearly looked hurt. Hertz did not know what had happened to her but he had a pretty good idea. "Stromling?"

Andrew nodded. "Remember Ghost?"

The techie nodded. "That blond-haired kid."

"He was another spy," said Minerva. "It's impossible to know who to trust."

"That's why I'm here," said Hertz. "Rotor is leading the attack from his T-1 Typhoon, but the entire operation is being coordinated from the Renaissance. It's well-armed and has top-notch communication equipment. I need a crew to help me."

"Why us?" asked Kuru.

"Because I need a team I can trust," said Hertz, "We can't afford chaos on the command craft."

"Who do you intend to pilot it?" asked Andrew.

Hertz nodded to two men behind him. One had sideburns and the other had a handlebar mustache.

"This is Fate and Lucky," Hertz said with a smile. "They both are great pilots and have had extensive background checks."

Andrew shrugged and glanced at Minerva. "I think me and Minerva have other plans."

Hertz nodded. "I know you're looking for Zachary, but if he's leading the Stromlings, this battle is likely to be where he is. You're have a good vantage point from the sky." Minerva considered for a moment and Hertz smiled. "I'll let you think about it. I need to go calibrate the equipment. Hopefully your join me soon."

Followed by Lucky and Fate, Hertz made his way to the Renaissance. "Let's go. We should have left this place 5 minutes ago."

Kuru looked up at the sky, put his hands in his pockets, and smiled sluggishly as he wondered what to do in the events that were unfolding. He then slowly turned his gaze to look at the vehicles that were in the Outpost. Now to find a way to this Maelstrom Temple, he considered. This is gonna be easy.

Kuru thought intently for a while as he turned his gaze to two discarded Urban Avengers that were partially wrecked. This will have to do. 

*****

Ahua frowned. The spy is dead. Killed by the girl and her allies. This would be harder than he thought it would be.

He tapped into Minerva Fabello's mind and completed a quick, silent probe of her state of mind and body.

She has been bruised seriously by the spy. Ahua scowled. Obviously, Ghost should have knocked her out and taken her to the temple, no questions asked. He allowed other Dino Attack agents to intervene, which ultimately lead to his downfall.

What was interesting, however, was something else. Despite her wounds, Minerva Fabello seemed desperate to get to the Maelstrom Temple.

Ahua smiled wide. She wants to find Zach and save him! Even when things had failed, they had managed to work according to his plan.

Lead her to Zach or lead Zach to her. It doesn't matter. We will have success!

*****

"Good day, Colonel," Zach said politely to the other Stromling Agent.

Colonel bowed. "Good day, sir," he muttered respectively. He rose, and waved out his Sonic Screamer hand at the massive group of Stromlings behind him. "I have four hundred troops for use, sir. The rest have been sent forward to the Maelstrom Temple."

"Good work, Colonel," Zach said, sneering. He paused. Then: "Do you happen to have a Hybrid with you?"

Colonel nodded and snapped his fingers. A Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid appeared at his side. It appeared to be an acidic Hybrid, judging from the way the purple liquid dripping from its maw was singing the grass below.

"Excellent. One little surprise when the Dino Attack Team passes through on their way to the temple. How much time is left, by the way?"

"Approximately ten minutes," Colonel said. "What if they don't leave in time sir?"

"You, I, Cranky, and these Stromlings start a blood bath at that outpost. I have a feeling that the Dino Attack will not be much longer. Although my spies are dead, I have scouts monitoring the edge of the area so we know when the Dino Attack is here."

"Excellent planning, sir," Colonel said, nodding. "I am anxious to get this fight started."

"As am I, Colonel. As am I." Zach's mind drifted off. He thought of the upcoming battle (or as he thought of it personally, a massacre) and how the Maelstrom would finally achieve its victory. He could also feel himself thinking of Minerva. He had a gut-retching feeling he would encounter her sometime in the next several hours. He knew he had to kill her. He wasn't sure if he could.

Perhaps you don't have to kill her, the voice hissed in his head. Perhaps she could... join you?

What? Zach was confused.

The voice chuckled darkly. Seek her. Seduce her. Tame her, the voice continued. Transform her into a Stromling. Then you could be together... forever.

Zach was suspicious. How do I know you won't just kill her?

You have been a worthy servant, the voice said icily. You have proved your worth, and it is natural I award my good servants. It will be advantageous for the both of us. I won't have to deal with your constant drops from my control, and you will be with the girl you love.

I don't know... Could he get Minerva to join him? She probably hates me for what I have done.

Seek her! the voice chanted. Seduce her! Tame her! Have her! She will not be so defiant to you as a Stromling!

I- The voice had a way with making even Zach uncomfortable.

Seek her! Seduce her! Tame her! Seek her! Seduce her! Tame her! The voice repeated these three sentences over and over. Zach gritted his teeth together, then sighed. He could not resist. Anything not to kill Minerva.

Make her a Stromling, Zach said finally. Please.

It will be done, the voice said gently. Remember what I said. Once you find and convince her to join you, I will do the rest.

Thank you, master. 

----

Maria's attention was drawn once again by the sound of spurs, and she looked up to see the familiar face of Angel Eyes.

"Howdy," she said. "Can I get you anything?"

"Just a whiskey, thank you," replied Angel Eyes.

Maria smiled and poured Angel Eyes a glass. "You mind if I ask what yer doin' back here?" asked Maria.

Angel Eyes leaned closer. "I'm just here to give you an update. The Second Headquarters Squad is still alive, and Blondie is busy trying to get an understanding of the hybrids' fortifications, and we have reason to suspect that Recon may have something to hide."

"That's good," said Maria. "There were a couple others that came by earlier."

"Oh?"

"One of 'em was a man with a harmonica. The other had a strange passion for dynamite. He left on his motorcycle just before you arrived." 

----

The Medical Wing was quiet. Anyone not fit for duty had been shipped off the island an hour ago, and anyone in fighting shape was outside awaiting further instruction.

Naomi Carver sat on the bed alone. She had gone upstairs looking for Hertz, but he was nowhere to be found. The Command Room was empty when she arrived, and it seemed no one knew about his whereabouts.

Why would he not tell her? She hoped he was not hiding anything from her. If he had gone off to battle and died, Naomi had no idea how she could cope. Even though their relationship only began after the battle at the rear guard camp. She had never felt this way about anyone before. And there were lots of men in her past.

She wiped a tear from her eye and headed out to the balcony. The ocean sparkled and the cool breeze soothed her skin.

Nicholas Saran leaned over the balcony clearly deep in thought. Naomi came and stood next to him looking out at the blue water. "Hi Nick."

Saran smiled. "Naomi, right? I met you at the command tent awhile back. How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," sighed Naomi. "Hertz is gone. I don't want to sound needy but I feel so lonely. I love him and I don't want to lose him."

"Feeling this way is not uncommon," said Saran. "You feel an attachment to Hertz that you have not felt before. This island has forced you to be more dependent. When in the city, you were able to find help in your boyfriends and parent, but this place has allowed you to mature. Hertz is a new rock for you. Part of the reason you feel so close to him is because he is the only person who has really looked out for you thus far. You gravitate toward Hertz because you feel he may be the only one who can help and provide for you in these times."

Naomi scowled. "Are you saying I'm only in this relationship for me?!"

Nicholas shook his head. "Not at all."

"Well, I don't very much like my life being explained so scientifically," said Naomi.

Saran smiled and put a hand on Naomi's shoulder. "Well, there is always the second possibility."

"What's that?" said Naomi, fighting back tears.

"Love."

Naomi put her head in Nick's shoulder and stared to cry. The doctor just put his arm around her and patted her back.

*****

Rex waited in his wheelchair. He hated having to wait. They were running out of time, and Paulie Gonepus was still on the move... even if it was clear that he was traveling to the Temple of Hotep III, Dino Attack Team could not afford to give XERRD too much of a head start.

At last, a Fire Hammer stopped in front of him. Out stepped a young woman who appeared to be only a teenager... Kate Bishop, presumed Rex. Following her was a face that filled Rex with disgust... Rotor.

"You sent for us?" said Rotor, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes," said Rex, nodding as he tried to mask his contempt for Rotor. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. We'll be leaving in only a few minutes, and we determined that it was in our best interest that you two come with me."

Rotor did not reply, but Rex could practically see the gears moving in the elite agent's mind. Rex shuddered as he considered all the things Rotor could be thinking about... blackmailing the other commanding agents, trying to take control of the squad, or seeing this as an opportunity to use Kate Bishop as leverage for Wallace Bishop.

Clearing his throat, Rex declared, "You two shall be under my supervision during the remainder of this mission. Anything I say, goes."

Rotor raised an eyebrow. "And who died and made you my boss?" he muttered.

Rex grimaced. "Too many have died, Rotor. Too many. And I will do all in my power to ensure that we do not have any more meaningless sacrifices. And trust me, this body confined to a wheelchair, as old and broken as it is, has lived through a lot. I don't need fear to take command... I have respect. And I'm not afraid of you."

Rotor was silent once more. Once again, this silence worried Rex.

"We shall be leaving in only a few minutes," repeated Rex. "Be ready."

----

"Stab, stab, stab!"

As Bullseye felt the cold blade against his back, it took all his willpower to suppress an involuntary flinch, lest that be the final motion he would make in this world. His entire body froze in place, waiting. At last, the cold metal was lifted from his back. Spinning around, Bullseye came face-to-face with...

"Bloody MegaBlokland, Saboteur!" cursed Bullseye. "What do yeh think yeh doing, yeh bloody backstabbing wuss?"

Saboteur chuckled softly as he pocketed his knife. "I've already told Blondie all I know about zhe Hybrid's fortifications at Fort Legoredo. He's still uneasy about Sarge's plan to use our bomb cart to blow up zhe fort, so he sent me back here, to zhe outpost, to gather supplies for an attack. Ammunition, scrap metal, my Electro-Sapper, sandwiches... et cetera."

"But what was that for?" muttered Bullseye, patting himself on the back where, just a moment ago, Saboteur's knife had been placed.

"You looked so tense and focused," mused Saboteur. "Very good qualities for a sniper, but zhe problem is... you're too focused on what's directly in front of you. Suppose zhat an enemy got past your field of vision, past our lines, and came in here to attack you from behind? You'd be dead. Luckily for you, I'm not your enemy... at least, not now."

"Trying to teach me a lesson, eh?" said Bullseye, grimacing.

"You could say zhat," said Saboteur, nodding. "Next time... watch your back."

With that, Saboteur grabbed a crate full of ammunition and left Bullseye's post. Bullseye turned away and continued his work, cursing quietly to himself about backstabbing traitors. 

*****

"You hear somethin'?" Tech suddenly remarked.

"Yeah," replied Clint. "I think I do."

He quickly picked up a rifle and walked toward what he believed to be the source of the noise, obviously another group of Mutant Lizards approaching. There was a Raptor with them as well. Suddenly, there was a loud burst of gunfire from nearby, and Clint looked up to see several rounds and rockets coming from a nearby building.

"How do I stop an army of Mutant Dinos from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind?" Tech remarked sarcastically. "The answer, use a gun."

At that moment, there was a sudden burst of flame as a strange man Clint hadn't already seen emerged with a flamethrower. Whoever he was, he was a Dino Attack agent dressed in modified firefighter's gear and was firing in every direction.

At that moment, they were all silenced off by a sudden explosion. A nearby building burst into flames. The stunned dinosaurs were quickly torched by the literal firefighter, and another explosion came from nearby.

As the sentry gun took out the remaining lizards, the sound of a motor became more audible, and out of the smoke rode in a strange man. He brought his motorcycle to a halt and climbed off, removing his goggles and his scarf, revealing a thick grey mustache. "Is this Gold City?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Clint. "Who are you?"

"My name's Firecracker," the man introduced himself. "Professional explosives expert and dictator hunter."

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, I like to blow up ruthless dictators," explained Firecracker. "Emperor Chang Wu's the worst of them. I've been after him for years."

"I see," said Clint.

The Dino Attack firefighter from earlier stepped out of the smoke and for the first time Clint saw his- err... her... their face, or rather the thick gas mask they were wearing.

"Who's your girlfriend?" Clint asked.

"Oh, how should I know?" replied Firecracker.

The firefighter shouted something, apparently really annoyed, but everyone just stared at him confused. He tried to speak again, but nothing.

"That's agent Fireman," Tech said, finally. "He's kinda crazy, but I trust him to keep mah sentries safe." 

"Aren't firemen supposed to put out fires?" commented Angel Eyes.

Fireman mumbled a response that was too quiet to hear. Then he started giggling. That giggling quickly escalated into unhinged cackling as he sprayed his flamethrower into the air.

"That answers that question," muttered Clint, rolling his eyes.

----

Hotwire, B, and Kevin joined the groups of Dino Attack agents waiting by the vehicles for Semick's briefing. The bearded Elite Agent was preparing to speak. 

... So I should probably memorize 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on the way, but otherwise I should be good.

"We're cutting it close, Semick," Bluetooth reminded his superior and friend for the upteenth time.

"Got it!" Semick said with triumph. "Warm up the T-1."

The Futuron technician grinned with excitement and relief and got to the various system power switches. Semick watched him in action, then stared briefly at the agents who would be helping to man the vehicle.

It slightly pained him that Bluetooth was the only one he knew personally now. Remembering the crews and allies he had in here, it saddened him to think of who would not be accompanying him. Andrew and Laxus were good agents, but it seemed that they had their own affairs to handle. Rockford was a good ally, but he was busy helping Mur out on the ground.

Then there was Zach and Raider. Zach of course needed no elaboration on his current status, but the matter of Raider did. He had been among the casualties of the camp ambush, lost when the medical tent had fallen. It was regrettable how he had to go. Already still suffering from his arm injury at LEGO Island, he also had to handle the beating he took when the XERRD fortress forces had caught him. Having to go in the midst of a Mutant DIno rampage, too injured to do much of anything, must've been a sickly ironic way to die. Semick regretted all his losses, but for all of an annoyance Raider's gung-ho personality had been, he had never wanted him to be lost, especially the way he had.

Focusing back on the situation at hand, Semick was determined that Raider's death, along with all the others during this battle on the island, would not be for naught. He climbed out of the T-1 Typhoon and headed over to the front of the vehicle lot, bullhorn in hand.

The tension was high. Vehicles left and right were rumbling, agents were muttering impatiently, and everyone was on edge. A few of them were keeping watch of the time, and with good reason: they were down to 10 minutes before Zach's deadline.

As Semick walked forward to an Iron Predator near the front of the lot, agents began to take notice, starting to cheer and edge him on. Some of them were more negative, crying "get on with it!" and such, but otherwise they treated him with respect and encouragement. It made the former Power Miner proud. In spite of the "authority" he held, it was clear the others were respecting him as an individual as well.

Reaching the Iron Predator, he climbed up onto the hood so that he would be seen and heard by all, catching the attention of the crew that had manned it. They applauded for him as he stood up on their hood, and a few other agents began to joined in. Semick gently motioned for them to stop. He didn't want to be overly respected like some actor winning an award they arguably deserved.

Semick took a moment to clear his throat, took in some breath, and raised the bullhorn to his lips.

"Agents of Dino Attack, this might as well be our biggest battle yet! As we know, not only have we had to deal with the Mutant Dino forces this team has been fighting for months, and the XERRD scientists who helped them spread across the globe, but now we have a bigger and arguably much more dangerous enemy to face here! Were circumstances just right, I'd say even Dr. Rex himself might recognize this fact!"

Semick didn't stop to hear any responses. He needed to get this speech done fast, after all. "The Maelstrom, as those who have followed the activities of the Nexus Force, has found itself in a strong position of power here on Adventurers' Island, deep inside one of the many ancient temples! After much deliberation, we have narrowed it down to two, and our best evidence and leads, combined with the necessity for action, cause us to now head within the area of the temple of the Pharaoh Hotep III, which is as of now, our strongest candidate!

"As such, our plan now is to head there and fight the forces of Dinos and Maelstrom with all we've got, and get teams inside said temple to locate and neutralize this force of chaos! This may seem daunting, but after all we've been through, I have the upmost confidence that you won't let me down, nor let the Founders down, or your friends and family, or the world population, or the entire galaxy, for that matter! This Maelstrom may be strong, corrupting, and extremely lethal, but Minifigkind is strong, and after years of fighting and overcoming such forces from within ourselves, I think a couple hundred glowing purple monsters should find us more than a match for them!

"Keep your PDAs and radios open! I and the rest of the commanders of your teams will be on constant communication to give out orders and battle strategies! We will give these Maelstrom soldiers every maneuver we got EXCEPT retreat and surrender! Also, remember that we have sent out messages giving a full map of the Hotep III temple! Though the Maelstrom or the shady intentions of the agent who translated it, and I'm talking about you, Dust, might hide unexpected surprises within to keep us from eradicating this menace, it should be an invaluable tool to help us rid this island of this evil power!

"Know that in the possible outcome of the Hotep temple actually being the red herring, be ready and able to jump priorities to the next temple, a place of worship for Imagination, the Maelstrom's strongest counterforce! We cannot fail here no matter what, and if we must fall, we will fall displaying the values that have got Minifigs where they are now - the determined, ever-persistent spirit to overcome all and stand for what we believe in! Have I made myself clear?"

A resounding cheer, a cheer of support, a cheer of readiness, a cheer of determination to wipe out one's foes, erupted from the combined forces of the LEGO Planet's only hope for survival. Semick grinned. "Alright then, let's move!"

And with that, the commanding Elite Agent leapt off the hood and ran for his T-1 Typhoon. All around him, the Steel Sprinters, Fire Hammers, Urban Avengers, Iron Predators, T-1 Typhoons, and the Renaissance roared as their engines began to run strong and get them in motion.

The Battle for Adventurers' Island had begun. 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 43: The Ringmaster

----

Despite what was about to happen, Minerva smiled from the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher on the back of Andrew and Laxus's Fire Hammer. They were finally heading to the Maelstrom Temple.

The Fire Hammer's engine roared as Andrew started it up. It quickly rolled into a line of other vehicles as they left the vehicle lot and headed into the jungle. It would not be long until they entered the Maelstrom-infected area of the jungle.

Minerva and Andrew had considered Hertz's idea of manning the Renaissance. They both reasoned that Zach would probably be within the Maelstrom Temple. It would be simpler to just take the Fire Hammer to the temple and head in by foot. Minerva also had some apprehension of flying. A quick glance over the Maelstrom-infected jungle showed swarms and swarms of Mutant Pterosaurs overhead. If they are under the Maelstrom's influence, they will give the T-1 Typhoon fleet a run for its money.

Yeah, I thinking taking on a bunch of mindless zombies down here is better than facing a bunch of overpowered flying extinct reptiles, she thought.

*****

Commander Vinyaya had managed to hitch a ride with the Renaissance. She couldn't help but grin underneath her Space Police helmet. She was finally getting back into the air. The fleet of helicopter began to rise into the sky, high above the towering trees of the jungle.

She glanced down at a radar. Ahead of them was a massive red blip on the screen. Vinyaya glanced out the window and could see the thin outlines of Mutant Pterosaurs flying over the Maelstrom-infected jungle. She grimaced. This isn't going to be easy.

She turned Hertz, who was hard at work at the communications dashboard. "We need to take down these Pterosaurs," she said, pointing at her radar.

Hertz quickly stood up and checked the radar. He winced. "Probably," he agreed.

"Contact the surrounding Typhoons," Vinyaya commanded. "We need to at least hold these guys back so our ground teams can get to the temple."

*****

'-Have I made myself clear?' Zach could hear roars of agreement from the Dino Attack agents. Zach smiled. Even though they were now enemies, he couldn't help but admire Semick. It seemed like he had taken control of the operation from Hotwire and Reptile. He had the respect of the other agents and was a reasonable person compared to other agents.

They are heading over here now, the scout said. He had been relaying Semick's speech to him.

Zach smiled. Excellent work, he responded. Keep an eye out for them. He turned to Colonel, Cranky, the Hybrid (which they had decided to name Gyptian), and the Stromling army. Zach nodded to Colonel.

Colonel nodded back and turned to his troops. "Alright, gentlemen!" he barked. "The time has come! The Dino Attack Team is on their way here right now! They will attempt to destroy the temple and will try to kill as many of us as possible! We are not going to let that happen, are we?"

The response Colonel received was a bunch of hideous growls and snarls. Zach rolled his eyes. Sure, they had a lot of Stromlings now. But these Maelstrom-created Stromlings that lack an original body also seem to lack any personality or intelligence.

"That's what I thought!" Colonel bellowed. "We are going to give them a welcoming party they won't forget! Half of you are falling back to aid our allies at the temple. The rest of us are heading near the edge of the infected area to meet the Dino Attack Team."

"Are we to attack them? I wanna rip some heads off!" one Stromling asked. Colonel, as quick as a flash, grabbed the Stromling by the skull and shoved him to the ground.

"YOU WILL NOT SPEAK OUT OF TURN, YOU PITIFUL SLIME!" Colonel screamed angrily. He twisted the Stromling's head, breaking its neck. Colonel threw the ruined body to the ground and began to pace in front of his troops. The Stromlings snickered at the death of their comrade, but Colonel didn't seem to notice. Or care.

"My group will not be attacking the agents, with the exception of Gyptian," Colonel continued, gesturing to the Hybrid. "Unless General Virchaus says otherwise." Colonel glanced at Zach.

Zach smirked. General Virchaus? I think I could get used to that. "No, we do not intend to attack," Zach said forcibly. "We are pulling out some scare tactics. We are making them realize exactly what they are getting into. Gyptian will be aiding in this plan by hijacking vehicles and killing some agents."

"He is giving his life to our cause," Colonel added. "You slime ought to look up to this Hybrid with respect. You will never be half the soldier he is!"

Zach nodded. "Indeed," he said. "Enough chatter. It's time we go. More will be explained once we get there."

"Let's go!" Colonel bellowed. "Move out!"

Zach climbed on to Cranky as half of Colonel's troops began heading in the direction of the temple. "Go!" Zach hissed into Cranky's ear. The Stromling Ape beat his chest and jumped up into the nearest tree. He wrapped his arms around the trunk and began to climb. Zach extended an arm to Colonel and Gyptian, who quickly accepted it and clung onto Cranky's back as the ape balanced on a tree branch.

"Into the trees, men!" Colonel commanded. "Time to go back to your evolutionary roots!" Stromlings began climbing the trees as Cranky began swinging from tree to tree at high speeds.

*****

The Talon, flying low over the ocean, slowed as it approached a lighthouse and set down on what was little more than a rock jutting up from the waves, approximately twenty-four miles off the coast of Adventurers' Island. It was only about fifty feet across, less than the height of the old lighthouse built upon it.

And there was a familiar insignia on the lighthouse's door, under which were emblazoned five letters: S.T.A.R.E.

"Two things," Loop demanded. "One, this is hardly hidden. Anyone could stumble onto our secrets. Two, why didn't Cane ever tell me of this? I was under the impression that the Database Core was located on Founder's Island with a single backup in the Goo Caverns."

"Firstly," came the response, "nobody notices a lighthouse unless it ceases to work. Secondly, your genetic contributor was an inept fool who knew far less about 'ShadowTech' than he believed. There is a S.T.A.R.E. unit located on or near every significant landmass on the planet; if anything, the Founder's Island unit was the backup. Little did Canis know that 'Database Core' nickname he was so fond of was an intentional misnomer."

Loop paused, taking this all in, before Kat's voice continued. "Enough exposition. Now, Lupus, you must follow my instructions exactly..."

*****

"You ok, B? Chris has the Hammer warmed up over here."

B looked up and smiled. His old Fire Hammer stood there, but with some evident changes. Apart from the obvious bloodstains, the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher had been replaced with a hefty-looking machine gun, and an insignia of a Norse hammer was painted on the sides and hood.

Adrenaline coursed through B's body. All thoughts of headaches and limps were driven away by the thoughts of battle. He sat in the driver's seat, with Kevin sitting beside him, pointing what looked to be a grenade launcher at the underbrush. Chris had jumped to the turret and was also scanning the jungle with a critical eye.

"If you see anything, shoot it," B said, "I'm just going to keep driving!"

"Aye-aye!" Chris yelled from the turret.

An enormous roar broke the relative silence. A group of Raptors and Mutant Lizards broke through the plants and were running towards the convoy.

"Incoming!"

----

Rob "Rookie" Kabrinsky felt out of place at the Antarctic Dino Attack HQ. Tense though it was, it didn't compare in his opinion to being at the front lines. But, he had two things to do here. One, get his wounds healed, and two, find Sam. His first objective had already been completed, so now all that was left was to find his cousin. He had been waiting around the hospital area of the compound for a couple days, not knowing where to start looking.

He lay in his bed, thinking, when he heard a familiar voice: "Rob! Well, looks like you're in at least okay shape. Ready to go back to the line?"

"Sam," said Rob, relieved to see his cousin again. "I'm ready, more or less, but only if you're coming with... ow, my leg." He winced. "I thought... you would be a patient, if anything."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Rob, don't you remember? I was studying medicine before the war. I got a chance to finish up my studies thanks to my unexpected hiatus from the war."

"I see. Nonetheless, Kev sent me back here to get you," said Rob.

Sam stared for a minute. "You're kidding, right?"

"B probably needs some medical help. When I left, he was in a coma," explained Rob.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "Why didn't you say so? I'll talk to the head surgeon."

Well, that was easier than I was expecting, Rob thought. Now... to... MegaBloking MegaBloks, my leg hurts. 

----

A guitar was the first thing he noticed. There was static too. A radio.

"For freedom we ride..."

Fullmetal sat up, and groaned. He was inside a tent. The last thing he remembered, he'd just taken Raptor-- Enox Phorm -- out.

The flap opened, and a familiar fig stepped inside. A grin spread across his face. "Builders be praised, you're awake!" he said. A pair of draconic wings suddenly snapped out from behind his back.

Fullmetal smiled back. "Awake, Ptero," he replied. "But I feel like I've been chewed up and spit out by a Dino."

"And you assume correctly," another person poked his head in. "And your prosthetic limbs held up nicely."

Fullmetal looked at his right arm. It gleamed silver back at him. He frowned. "Very nice. You did a good job, Claymore." Fullmetal looked up, his eyes sad. "Where's Tex?"

As if in response, a gigantic black and blue head burst into the flap and set itself down on Fullmetal's lap.

"Tex!" Fullmetal cried happily. He wrapped his arms around the Dino's snout. The Tyrannosaur began purring and the air in the tent vibrated with the sound. Fullmetal released his embrace, and examined Tex's head. "You've grown a bit bigger," he remarked.

You noticed! she replied, and began humming louder.

Fullmetal frowned again. "Where's Aravis?" he asked. "And Spino?"

The two glanced at each other. "You'll want to stay seated," Claymore assured.

Fullmetal shook his head. "They can't be--" he began.

Claymore cut him off. "But they are," he said. "It happens in war."

"Tell me," said Fullmetal. "Tell me everything that happened."

Claymore recounted the events at the Dino Attack Outpost, leading to Spino's sacrifice and Aravis's death. "Then we hit an IED," he concluded. "The base was evacuated." He gave a tiny, sad smile. "Spino died a hero. He saved hundreds of lives by wiping out that Hybrid army."

"It was one heckuva bomb," Ptero declared. "You sustained a concussion when that IED was tripped. That's why you don't remember anything up until defeating Rap-- Enox."

Fullmetal felt hollow, as if his breath had been drawn from his lungs. He cleared his throat, and stood tall. "Then let Spino's and Aravis's sacrifices not be in vain," he said. "GAIA Team, roll out!" 

----

"Alright boys, this is it," Rotor said excitedly over the radio. "Let's get these babies into the air. This is Agent Rotor standing by. Over."

"Agent Cabin, standing by. Over."

"Agent MacReady, standing by. Over."

Jackson quickly climbed into the first Fire Hammer he found alongside Teri. "You ready for this?" Jackson asked.

Teri nodded with a smile. "It'll be just like old times," she said. "Let's go snipe some Stromlings!"

Jackson quickly broke a window on his Fire Hammer using the butt end of his rifle. "I think this is our chance," he said keenly as he lifted it toward the mutant dinosaurs ahead. He then pulled the trigger.  "Oh my Builder," Jackson muttered as he looked through a pair of binoculars. "Teri, I think we have our first kill."

Dactyl had already set up her sniper rifle and was aiming right toward the dinosaurs. "Steady, steady," Jackson was muttering. Then she fired. 

----

"So, where've you been all this time?" Sarah asked.

"The hospital," replied Pierce. "I've been working there for a while now."

"I see," said Sarah. "You said you met Kate?"

"Yeah," replied Pierce.

"Did you ever tell her?" asked Sarah, locking eyes with Pierce.

Pierce blinked. "What?"

"About her father," replied Sarah.

"Why? Who is it?" asked Pierce. "Don't tell me there's more connections with XERRD."

"No," said Sarah. She sighed. "It's you. You're her father."

Pierce suddenly sat up, somewhat unnerved. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. That can't be right. I'm Kate's father?"

"It was only a few months after I was released that I realized I was pregnant," explained Sarah.

Pierce sighed. "It figures," he remarked. "I became like a father to her, and now I realize I really am her father."

Jenny started to moan. Sarah got up and sat down next to her. "Easy," she said. "It's okay. Tell me, who did this to you?"

"Bad men," responded Jenny, a few tears in her eyes. "They wouldn't stop hitting me. He just kept laughing and hitting me."

"That sounds like Rotor," Pierce remarked from across the room.

"I'm sorry, who?" Sarah said as she turned toward him.

"Rotor's a guy on the team," explained Pierce. "He has a few rather questionable methods that include attempting to execute an entire T-1 Typhoon crew for disobeying his orders. He also ordered your daughter into a fortress filled with toxins."

"What?!" Sarah shouted as she stormed toward Pierce. "Is she okay?"

"Last I saw, she was fine," Pierce assured her.

"She'd better be," Sarah muttered before she turned away. 

----

Hotwire ducked over to a nearby weapons crate, grabbing a rifle and slinging a Sonic Screamer onto his back. He then looked around. Everyone else was rolling out, and he was without a vehicle of his own.

Then there was a rumble behind him. He turned to see a Fire Hammer trundling uncertainly towards him, with a familiar Ogel Drone in the driver's seat. Septimus tipped his cap as Hotwire climbed into the cab. "It was unaccounted for, so I thought I may as well lend a hand," the drone said.

"Well done," Hotwire said. "But if you don't mind, I'll do the driving. I'm much more comfortable behind the wheel of these trucks than you seem to be."

In response, Septimus grinned nervously as only a skull can, hopped out of the driver's seat, and climbed up onto the turret.

Hotwire then strapped himself in and floored the gas pedal, quickly catching up with the rest of the convoy, which was already under attack. He saw a group of Raptors and Mutant Lizards charging B's Fire Hammer, and swerved towards them. "Open fire!" he called out.

Septimus didn't hesitate for even a split second, peppering the dinos with bursts from the Xenon Launcher.

It was the most intense game of chicken that B had ever played. One Raptor versus one Fire Hammer. It would certainly make for one spectacular collision.

Kevin looked up from lobbing grenades at the other dinos and swore profusely under his breath. "B... Do you know what you're doing?!" he called.

B motioned towards the general area to the front of the Hammer. "Trust me. Fire a grenade at that spot in 3... 2... 1!"

Kevin pulled the trigger. Time seemed to slow as the raptor turned away. The grenade moved faster than the eye could see.

A shockwave pulsed from the point of impact as the raptor fell dead. B and Kevin exchanged high-fives and Chris smiled in relief. Kevin looked up, and found that all was not well. "MEGABLOKIN'..."

Another explosion. This time caused by a moving vehicle hitting a very large solid rock. B, Chris, and Kevin pulled themselves up and saw that there were some Mutant Lizards who were very happy about having smaller prey.

"Not today, ya filthy animals," B muttered, and he activated his arm-blade. Chris pulled out his katana and both of them charged at the Lizards. Kevin swore loudly and then followed, firing shots with his sidearm.

"Can we not keep a vehicle intact for five minutes? Honestly!" Kevin activated his radio and shouted, "Mayday! Help! Anybody!" 

*****

As Semick finished his speech, David ran towards his Fire Hammer, where he found Joseph Smith waiting for him.

"I figured I might as well come along for the ride," remarked Joseph as David quickly turned the ignition key, put the gear box into 1st, and slammed his foot on the pedal. At high speed, the vehicle shot out of the outpost and into the artificial rampage of vehicles headed for the Maelstrom Temple. Fifty miles per hour.

But then, a crackle came through on his radio: "Mayday! Help! Anybody!"

David looked, and saw crashed Fire Hammer. He recognized B and two other agents, fighting off some Lizards.

"Right, Joseph, you fire at those Lizards, and I'll try and rescue the agents!" said David as he put his foot on the brake.

Hotwire pulled up by B's crashed Fire Hammer at the same time as David. He tossed Septimus the Sonic Screamer as the drone leaped off the turret to help the agents on the ground, and then climbed out of the driver's seat and into the turret himself. He nodded to the gunner on David's Fire Hammer, and the two of them opened fire. 

The gunners were managing to hold off the Mutant Lizards surprisingly well. Now, thought David, is the chance.

"Quick!" David shouted to B's group. "Climb aboard my Fire Hammer and we can be away from here!" 

The ambush was quickly overcome, with the help of David's Fire Hammer. Surveying the situation, Kevin shouted over to David: "Drive your Hammer over to that side of ours!"

B looked at Kevin in disbelief. "This thing is totaled, not to mention on its side! None of the people present are Superman, so what the MegaBloking MegaBloks do you suggest we do? I think that we should just accept the help that is given us!" exclaimed B.

"B, look. We can fix this thing. All we need is something to flip it, okay?" insisted Kevin.

After a couple tense minutes of struggling with the chains, B's Fire Hammer was back on its wheels. Surprisingly, it started up without a problem. Seeing that they were in the clear, David waved and drove off. B jumped into the driver's seat, and Kevin got in beside him and opened a compartment.

"This is why you will be glad that we salvaged this Hammer. Apart from the fact that, you know, it's still running?" said Kevin. He pulled out a handgun and handed it to B. "This is from your Dad," he said. "I managed to scrounge up twelve mags for it. Use those shots wisely."

"That was Dad's gun from when he was still on the force. Why would he give it to me?" wondered B, looking over the firearm.

Kevin explained, "He said that you would need what he called, and I quote: 'a real gun'. Now please, hit the MegaBloking gas pedal!"

"Okay then. Now, let's go before we miss all the action," declared B.

*****

And with that, they were ready to begin the battle. Thirty agents ran towards Kara's ship and loaded up. She hopped in the cockpit and took off. As she flew towards the temple, Mutant Pterosaurs began chasing her. She swiveled the Sonic Screamers towards them and fired. The Pterosaurs fell towards the ground, and others veered away towards slower prey.

"C-sharp?" The Pterosaurs hit the ground. "Or B-flat? Music to my ears," she said as she continued on. She was nearly to the dropsite when she heard weapons discharge and felt the ship shudder. An alarm went off on the control panel.

One of the agents rushed into the cockpit. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"The stupid Stromlings shot out my discharge nozzle," realized Kara.

"What is that?" the agent asked.

"It's where the ions flow out, and both lift and propel the ship. This ship uses a plasma engine," she replied.

"Wow. Isn't that overkill on an airship?"

"No, this craft is spaceworthy, but the entire fleet is grounded, given that all the spaceports are destroyed." She glided to a landing. "Everybody offload. Thank you for flying Wise Airlines, please fly with us again."

She jury-rigged a fix for the airship, programmed the AI autopilot to take it back to the outpost, hefted the Gatling Sonic Screamer she took from the armory, and said, "Alright, Stromlings, you're in for it now." She started marching towards the temple. 

----

The Puma was ready to go.

Fullmetal scratched his chin. "Seriously, why call it the 'Warthog'?" he asked.

Claymore moved to the front of the vehicle. "Y'see these tow hooks?"

Fullmetal nodded.

"They look just like tusks. And what animal has tusks?" explained Claymore.

"... A walrus!"

"No!" Claymore facepalmed himself. "Quit making up fake animals, so we can get out there!"

Fullmetal paused before stepping into the driver's seat. He turned to face Tex. "Are you coming with?"

Tex shook her head. I will remain here, for now, she replied. Fullmetal sat down, buckled himself in, and hit the gas.

The Puma stopped outside of the main base. "Why do we have to stop here?" inquired Fullmetal.

Claymore hopped out of the turret and on to the ground. "We need to pick up our new Four and Five," he said flatly. "Replacements."

The term smacked Fullmetal in the face like a whip. "I find it vulgar," he growled, "that the higher-ups think of new members as replacements." He spat on the ground to punctuate his opinion.

"Take it up with the head honchos later," Ptero said. "Right now, we need every man and woman we can get in this fight."

Two minifigs were waiting for them already. One, a woman, and the other a man. "You already know Katana," Claymore said. "Now, meet Hunter."

Hunter's helmet had been heavily modified, possessing a set of night-vision goggles and infrared scopes. He and Katana stood next to a similarly-modified Fire Hammer, this one with a four-barreled gun on the back.

"Since I can't call this the Warthog," Claymore said as he rolled his eyes, "I'll call that the Warthog."

"Seriously, you have issues," Ptero sighed. 

The two Fire Hammers bounced through the jungle road, if it could be called a road. Really, it was just a trail of mud carved into the jungle.

"Have there been any new developments that I should know about?" Fullmetal asked. "New subspecies of Mutant Dino? Green Goo mutations? Anything?"

"Nothing of note," Katana replied. "But earlier today, I was assigned the autopsy of a blue Mutant Lizard."

"Just another monster to be put down," Hunter said, swinging the Warthog's turret to face the other side of the road.

"We don't have to destroy all of them," Fullmetal said firmly. "These creatures are intelligent, almost like you and me. I've seen that they have the potential for good and evil. They're more like minifigs than-"

The Puma skidded to a stop. "What gives?" Katana asked.

"Motion tracker's picking up movement," Fullmetal said. He adjusted the device built into the dash, just to be sure. His eyes widened. "Brickit! They're stalking us!" The road in front of them shimmered slightly, and several chameleon Mutant Lizards revealed themselves. A pair of Raptors burst from the foliage behind the two vehicles. "Brickit! Open fire! OPEN FIRE!" 

----

Mutant Dinos?! Zach yelled angrily at the scout.

He could feel the Stromling wince. Yes! Mutant Dinos. Ambushed the convoy after barely a minute of driving!

Zach growled. Who sent them? I made sure every Mutant Dino was to stay within the temple region!

Perhaps they stayed away? Perhaps they are detecting the Maelstrom Crystal?

Possibly. However, Ghost and Zelda never recorded Greybeard and Frozeen reuniting with the team. They might have taken the crystal and kept going toward the temple while the battle in the camp progressed.

What should I do?

Nothing. I will deal with them. Zach closed the connection and turned to Colonel, who was looking at him anxiously.

"What has occurred, General?" Colonel asked.

"Mutant Dinos have attacked their convoy," Zach said, scowling. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go!"

"Can you recall the dinos?"

"I think so," Zach said, scratching his chin. "However, I think the pack that is attacking is small enough that the Dino Attack can keep going. If it truly becomes a problem, I will deal with it."

*****

"Really?" Minerva said, exasperated as she turned the turret and started firing at the Mutant Dinos attacking another Fire Hammer. She picked off several Mutant Lizards, but the Mutant Raptors continued to harass the Fire Hammer until it crashed. More Fire Hammers drove in to help out the crew of the wrecked jeep.

"Should we head over to help?" Andrew yelled from the driver seat.

"I don't know!" Minerva shouted back as she continued to fire. "Maybe-"

"Ground squad!" Commander Vinyaya's voice crackled to life over the radio. "What is going on down there!?"

"Mutant Dino ambush," Minerva could hear Laxus say. "We are trying to deal with it."

"We need to get a move on!" Vinyaya yelled angrily. "Who is dealing with it and how many mutants are there?"

"Fifty or so Mutant Lizards, maybe a hundred," another voice said. "About twenty raptors by my count. We got two Fire Hammers aiding a wrecked Fire Hammer and a couple more Fire Hammers being attacked as I speak."

Vinyaya was silent, then: "Have a few Urban Avengers help out. Those Cosmotronic Rays should deal with the Raptors quickly. The rest need to keep going, now!"

Minerva continued to fire. When she paused, she yelled up to Andrew: "Are we staying? You do have more authority than her."

Andrew was silent, thinking. Minerva blasted more Mutant Lizards away from the convoy. "No, Vinyaya's right. Time is running out and we need to take out the temple." Without another word, the Fire Hammer continued into the jungle behind an Iron Predator.

*****

Ahua jumped in surprise as a ship landed in the small field before the Temple of Hotep III. Those Mutant Pterosaurs must not be doing their job right. It didn't resemble the flying metal beasts the Dino Attack used. It was quite alien to him. Despite this, about thirty minifigs piled out of the ship. The ship suddenly lifted off the ground and flew out of sight.

Early. Zach, Colonel, and Cranky haven't even returned. Ahua strode toward the agents and raised his hand to welcome them. Their response was to point all their weapons at them.

Ahua smirked. "Rather early, aren't we?" he scoffed. The agents said nothing. "Where is the rest of the team?"

"On their way," one agent replied. "Surrender now, you mutants!"

"Temper, temper," Ahua said testily. "We are afraid we cannot surrender at this moment. You arrived at a very bad time. Our top generals had left to welcome your team into our hallowed halls." Ahua mock-bowed. "We're afraid we must seal up the temple until they return." With a snap of his fingers, two stone doors slammed shut on the temple.

"Let us in, Stromling," a woman demanded. "We don't have any problem killing you."

"We imagine you don't," Ahua said, rolling his eyes. He snapped his fingers again. Without warning, the massive Stromling army marched out from the trees and stood behind Ahua, weapons pointed at the Dino Attack Team. Several Mutant Dinos, some with Hybrid riders, also appeared.

"However, you may a problem with these guys. We have zillions of troops, all ready to send you to the grave," Ahua snarled. "Every one you kill, five will replace it. You have no chance." Ahua chuckled, then pointed his spear-arm at the Dino Attack Team. "We suggest you retreat and wait for your team. Or..." He grinned wide. "You can feel the full wrath of the Maelstrom."

Kara was surprised. She had finished the journey by gliding, and also found the disadvantage of extremely fast ships - no reinforcements when you need them.

"Well, agents? Retreat or disassembly?" the Islander Stromling said.

Kara opened her mouth to reply, but she never got the chance for at that moment, a Fire Hammer followed by some Urban Avengers and other Fire Hammers burst through the jungle. The driver of the lead Hammer chittered at them. It was the Infiltrators. X1, who was manning the Xenon launcher, swiveled at the Maelstrom army and fired. And fired. And fired. And fired some more. The battle to get inside to start the real battle had begun.

*****

Dr. Saran was holding a clipboard and taking notes as Fuchs finally took his hands out of Zelda.

"I think that's about as much as I can do," he said. "Still, we have a rough idea of how Stromlings work."

"What do we do with her?" Garry asked.

"Just leave her there," replied Fuchs. "The Maelstrom heals their wounds eventually, though the greater the damage, the longer it takes. Just keep an eye on her and keep her sedated. We can test our experimental cure on her. How's that coming, Crusher?"

"Better," reported Crusher. "We actually have something this time to go on."

"Good," said Fuchs. "You know, I wonder..."

He walked over toward the table, picked up one of Crusher's test tubes containing Tracer's Creative Spark, and poured some of it into a syringe. He then walked over towards the semi-conscious Zelda, whose wounds were already starting to close. He then placed the needle into her and injected the fluid.

"What are you doing?" Garry asked.

"I'd like to see how she is affected when exposed to a fresh Creative Spark," replied Fuchs. 

*****

They are already starting to come in! screamed Ahua to both Colonel and Zach. They both grimaced.

Seriously? Zach said, clearly annoyed.

Yes! We had thirty agents here and now more are arriving in their metal beasts. What are you doing? Why aren't you giving us a warning?

They must have slipped past me.

Ahua growled. Finish whatever you are doing and return to the temple immediately!

'kay, Zach said, shutting out Ahua. He turned to Colonel. "Any idea where they are?"

Colonel shrugged. They both were silent. Then they could hear it: the sound of gas engines running. Zach smiled.

"Follow the sound," he hissed to Colonel and the Stromlings. They carefully moved through the trees until they were right under a convoy of Dino Attack vehicles moving rather slowly.

"Alright," Zach said, smirking. "Let's welcome our guests."

*****

Rex felt a shiver down his spine from inside Rick "Adventure" Spherus's Fire Hammer as they led the Dino Attack Team convoy through the jungle of Adventurers' Island. At first, there was no visible difference between the jungle they were just in and the region they had just entered. Then, the forest became filled with purple-hued mist. The trees grew fewer and fewer, growing blackened and dead.

Minerva shuddered. It had become very dark as the convoy ventured deeper into jungle. Eerie cold snapped at her skin. She felt like something was snapping at her mind irritably. She had little doubt that they had entered the Maelstrom's infected region of the jungle.

Thunder rumbled above. "I think it is going to rain soon," she called up to Andrew.

"Fitting, isn't it?" Andrew said in agreement. Most of the convoy had caught up after the sudden Mutant Dino attack. They moved at a relatively slow pace, primarily due to caution. This area was mostly unknown by Dino Attack agents, and many were afraid of the Stromling beings that could be lurking in the shadows.

"It shouldn't be much longer," Laxus said. Minerva's response was quickly shot down as she heard a loud voice clear his throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Zachary Virchaus boomed loudly. "Be heartlessly welcome, to the Maelstrom Temple! And what a show we have for you tonight!" Zach cackled loudly. The Dino Attack Team ignored him continued into the jungle. Minerva felt her stomach drop.

"I am your magnificent ringmaster, Zachary Virchaus!" Zach said. "And I will be leading this show tonight!"

Minerva heard Andrew scoff. "Yes, he still hasn't lost his dramatic touch," Andrew said to Laxus. "I think he's finally crossed over the edge of goofiness. It's kind of ridiculous."

"In tonight's show, our audience will be taking part. Let's hear it for the Dino Attack Team!" There was a small smattering of applause. Minerva raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Confused?" Zach said, chuckling. "Look up. But don't shoot." Minerva looked up and held back a scream. Dozens of bright red eyes stared down at her. She could hear gasps of surprise from agents all around her.

"Worry not. They will not attack you. They are merely... observing you. Anyway, the temple will be nothing like you expect. Not even Gahiji Thutmose knows exactly what will occur, despite his so-called knowledge of Hotep's temple. Wouldn't you think the Maelstrom would add its own tricks to the temple?

"The temple... it will be an interesting show to behold, indeed. By the time you all die, you will be at each other's necks, trying to kill each other, think the others have betrayed you... oh wait, that already happened with the realists vs. idealist debate, didn't it? I think it would interesting to hear that the Maelstrom fueled that civil war the entire time. Well, XERRD implanted the Maelstrom in your ranks, and we did the rest. Rather interesting tidbit I learned working here. Make with it what you wish.

"So take what happened during that civil war and multiply it by ten, and that is what will happen in temple. Only those with strong mental capacity would have even the slightest chance of surviving. In fact, the temple will be a living nightmare to you. The weak-minded and the fearful stand little chance of survival. This is where heroes and cowards part ways."

Minerva finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Why are you telling us this?" There was silence except for the hum of the vehicle engines.

"I'd like to think that you had a fair chance. You know what's coming. In a sense," Zach said finally.

"You have a very distorted view of fairplay," Andrew noted.

Zach laughed loudly. "Remembering the fight, I see? Yes, Andrew, you could say that. Some days I'm nicer and other days I'm not. The day we fought was not a nice day. Today is a nice day. Not that knowing what inside is going to change anything. Sure, you may think knowing will allow you to fight off the Maelstrom's temptation. Let me tell you something. It won't. Some may withstand the Maelstrom's pull longer than others, but you all will be tempted in one way or another. Let me assure of that."

Silence followed. Then, "Well, Dino Attack, it's been fun. However, you have been a thorn in the Maelstrom's side for long enough-"

"YEAH?!" Rick "Adventure" Spherus suddenly yelled out. "WELL, THIS THORN IS ABOUT TO TAKE. YOU. DOWN!" The entire convoy was struck with silence. Minerva could hear Adventure say out-loud, "Well, that sounded a lot better in my head."

"Uh, huh," Zach said, clearly amused. "You keep thinking that, Adventure. Anyway, you have been a thorn in the Maelstrom's side for long enough. Not even the great Johnny Thunder or Jake Raines could survive this temple. How can you possible expect to survive?" Zach paused. "I was going to drop a Stromling on top of you and see how you react, but I'd rather watch you try to survive outside and inside the Maelstrom Temple. Perhaps I will see you later. Perhaps I won't. Oh, well. Au revoir Dino Attack Team. Not much farther now." Zach's voice faded away, leaving on the sound of running engines.

Semick reflected upon Zach's still-ear-ringing words in the cockpit of his T-1 Typhoon. His part of the Typhoon fleet was a little in front of the ground teams below him, and he was getting a good view of some of the more extreme Maelstrom-infested areas of the island. It was hard to describe, but he had to admit it would've looked really pretty had it just been part of a movie.

He knew that some of the agents would feel haunted by Zach's comments regarding Maelstrom temptation and their inner stability. He himself had felt disgruntled by the comments. Disgruntled and angered. Angered and defiant. Defiant and a little pretentious.

He glanced at his crew. Even if he only really knew Bluetooth, he could tell they were a little shaken themselves. And with good reason. From the first few scuffles caused by the now-infamous Kotua, to the incident caused by Digger getting furious about the Antarctica fiasco, they had dealt with inner schisms. He, like everyone else, wanted to be rid of them, especially in such crucial times as these. And he didn't like being told by some crazy purple monster that had taken over a good man's body that defiance was futile.

Without real consideration, he turned on his radio mic and began to give another speech.

"Attention all agents. This is Semick..."

*****

"I just want to give a little comment to Zach's little speech there. I, for one, will admit that I doubt we can blame the Maelstrom for all our problems. We have, as a species, always had controversial issues and circumstances that get us riled up with each other, and when guns are involved, things can get dangerous."

"I figured he might do something like this," said Mur, continuing to steer his Iron Predator with one arm. Rockford had observed that Mur hadn't gotten any sort of prosthetic for it since he lost it to the Skeleton Mummies at the XERRD Fortress assault. It wasn't his place to wonder why, though. "That man's not one to take well to such fundamental threats to our team as a whole."

"Semick seems to always look out for his men," said Rockford, "and prefers to treat them as equals. I guess working with miners both in civilian work and saving the planet from rock monsters does that to a Minifig."

"I hope that faith doesn't do him in, Rockford. There's such a thing as 'blind optimism', you know."

"True," Rockford said as he continued listening. "But even so, he's always putting the team and their goal up to the forefront. Sometimes I think he doesn't even really care if he makes it unless his survival itself is necessary."

"The point is, we've always been capable of making our own mistakes. Violent mistakes. But that doesn't mean it always has to happen like that. And that's why I say..."

*****

"...that it's the Maelstrom that underestimates us. Forget what Zach said, and continue to focus on our objective. We are all here to stop the Maelstrom as a team, and if they think they can simply influence us into fighting with each other into oblivion, they are gravely mistaken. Have no doubts, we are doing the right thing for us, our family and friends, and this planet."

"Wow," remarked Laxus. "Zach touched a nerve there."

"Yeah," said Andrew. "Sounds like Semick is determined to have the last word here. If Zach intends to talk us down again, he's going to have to prepare for something akin to a political debate. Assuming Semick even gives him the opportunity of the doubt."

"You don't think he's just talking himself into a hole, do you?" Minerva said from the Xenon Launcher cannon. "There's probably a few ways they could twist his words or something."

"Looks like he's choosing his words carefully, though," Andrew said as they kept moving closer and closer to their objective. "And if he does fall, I'm guess Semick's trying to ensure we go down with dignity."

"Keep this in mind for the remainder of this battle: idealist or realist, historically minded or in the present, liking people or not, we all want to beat the Maelstrom and save our planet. None of us want to betray each other, except maybe Dust, and I think even he's caught the gravity of the situation that means going against us now would likely mean there would be no more planet for 'his' temple to stay intact on. We need to trust each other, and even if there are more enemies within our ranks, I think we can survive whatever's thrown at us long enough to be able to tell when we're being misled."

*****

"Trust me when I say this: We are not going to let ourselves fall apart. If we have to die with only our unity and faith in having the higher moral values remain, so be it. If any of us die, we will not die in vain. We will be remembered as those who stood up for our values, our planet, and those who think of us as fools are merely too ignorant or invested in unpleasant forces to realize their misguidance.

"And we won't fail. No matter how hard it gets, I know, on some deeper level of feeling, that no matter what happens, we won't fail. One way or the other, today WILL be a victory for Dino Attack and the world. And don't let anybody, anything, or any gut feeling or odd worry tell you otherwise. That is all."

Semick turned off his microphone and turned to Bluetooth. "How far out are we now?"

"...Not much farther," said Bluetooth, who was still taking in what Semick had said to the team as a whole. "TALON-9's picking up some activity near the site of the temple, so I'm guessing we already have forces reaching the battlefield. Give us another few minutes or so, and we'll be there."

"Good," Semick said as he turned back towards his cockpit windshield. "I've been bottling up my frustration at these guys, and I'm getting anxious to release it."

*****

Zach smirked as he listened to Semick's retaliation-speech. It made him extremely happy that his words had affected the team in some way, particularly Semick. He thought about replying, but decided to let Semick off. Best not kill off their morale. Though it seems I've already done a number on it. He turned to Colonel, Cranky, and Gyptian.

"Why did we not drop the Hybrid on them?" Colonel demanded.

Zach shrugged. "Why damage them here? They will be taken down when the reach the temple anyway."

"Sir, I must say you are being too nice to the enemy."

Zach smiled at this response. "Oh well, Colonel."

"What if they do get into the temple?" Colonel questioned.

"I have been assigned to deal with them. The Dino Attack are in for a surprise if they manage to get into the temple." Zach smiled knowingly at Colonel.

Colonel shrugged. "So we are to return to the temple?" he asked.

"Yes. It sounds like things are already starting to heat up over there. Once the bulk of this mighty convoy reaches the temple, the real fun begins. You won't want to miss it." Zach climbed on to Cranky. "Let's ride!"

Colonel nodded and turned to his troops, all scattered throughout the trees glaring down at the convoy. "Alright, troops! You heard General Virchaus! Let's move!" As they started to move, they heard one last blast of thunder before it began to rain on to the trees and convoy.

*****

The place smelt like death. Rotten leaves crunched under the Egyptian's feet as he walked back to the Iron Predator and climbed the ladder into the powerful craft. He exhaled slowly and glanced through his binoculars.

The red Stromling eyes had vanished from the underbrush. Zachary had likely called back his forces to create unease in the team, and Dust could tell it was working. The young driver of the Iron Predator was literally shivering. With every snap of a twig, agents jumped. In the rear of the convoy, he could hear the sounds of agents firing at shadows.

The Egyptian never really had time for empathy, but in the past few weeks, he had started to grow uncomfortably close to some of the people he had set out to manipulate. Zachary was the first person he had truly come to know. But the young man was dead, replaced by a monster wearing his once joyful face.

Rockford was the other. It took a lot to earn his respect, but the commander had done it. With all the tricks Dust pulled, Rockford was always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Dust had kept his distance from everyone else. He had always planned to toss the Dino Attack Team away like broken toys, but despite his best efforts, he had bonded. He still tried to keep the illusion of apathy, but at this stage, he was lying just as much to himself as to others.

Ignoring the fearful faces around him, Dust climbed atop the hood as Semick had done before him and broke the eerie silence.

"Many of you are afraid. Most of you are naïve to what the place holds and as Zachary so bluntly put, By the time you all die, you will be at each other's' necks, trying to kill each other."

Dust looked down at the bleak faces around him. Rockford, Mur, Laxus, Minerva, Andrew, Dactyl, Jackson, Teri, Hotwire, B, David, Septimus, and Kevin. Many he had never talked with personally and, quite frankly, he had no intention to make friends at the last moment. "I know this does not sound very uplifting to all of you. There is really nothing I can say that can make it. All I can tell you now is the truth: if we do not win today, we will lose forever."

Dust smiled. "I myself have no intention to die this day, if only to rob Zach of that satisfaction. If for no other reason, I want to look evil in the face and laugh. This is personal battle for all of us today. We must all confront our inner demons, or Zach and his army will be right about us. We will prove him wrong."

Steeping down from the hood, he stood beside the young driver and pointed forward with his gloved hand. "Forward."

The going was quiet. The entire convoy moved at walking speed, and they often passed the carcasses of Mutant Lizards and Raptors along the way. Grass gave way to black dirt and the tree became burnt husks.

At last, they broke out of the jungle and found themselves in a horrible wasteland. The very earth seemed burned and dead; in the distance, a mountain range of volcanoes violently erupted, spewing fire and smoke into the air; and the horizon glowed with a purple tint.

The convoy of Dino Attack vehicles continued in their journey, following the trail of Dr. Paulie Gonepus to the Temple of Hotep III. Still, Rex could notice an almost tangible uneasiness fall upon the rest of his team. Amanda Claw smiled weakly at him and held his hand to comfort him.

Staring out the window of the Fire Hammer, Rex caught a glimpse of something strange. A statue, it appeared. Here, in this barren and fiery wasteland, such a creation seemed out of place.

"Stop the jeep," commanded Rex. Adventure skidded to a halt, and behind their Fire Hammer, the rest of the Dino Attack Team stopped in their tracks.

Amanda Claw pushed Rex's wheelchair towards the statue he had noticed. It was a carving of a Minifig, which appeared to be once painted green and brown but now the colors had faded, holding high over his head a most peculiar shape. It was in the shape of a triangle, but as Rex got closer, he noticed that its structure was an impossible shape, an optical illusion that appeared to be a triangle, but its faces and edges did not match up, almost like an Escher painting. "It's a Penrose triangle," remarked Amanda quietly. In the center of the triangle was a blue orb which glowed faintly with a dying light.

Rex looked out beyond the statue. He saw that it was at the edge of a cliff. Below them, he saw what appeared to be a sea of Maelstrom energy, which hardly surprised him, seeing how corrupted and infected this region of Adventurers' Island had become. However, a rickety old bridge spanned the sea and led to a small, isolated island in the middle of the Maelstrom. Looking through his binoculars, Rex saw that there was a lone temple located on the island.

"I've seen this Penrose triangle before," murmured Adventure, gazing at the statue. "It's the symbol of Assembly, modeled after the Mythran Temple on the legendary Planet Crux. That temple was home to the Imagination Nexus, which was corrupted by the Baron into the Maelstrom. Assembly uses it as their emblem, since they're all about building and the preservation of Imagination."

Rex raised an eyebrow, impressed. "I'm surprised, Adventure. How did you know all that?"

Adventure grinned. "I fancied joining Venture League, so I did a bit of research on Nexus Force. Ultimately, I decided against it, since I wasn't too thrilled about the prospect going out into space. Nothing interesting in space at all. No fire, no explosions, no excitement."

Rex stared out towards the island in the Maelstrom sea. He was surprised that it was still intact despite the heavy concentration of Maelstrom energies that surrounded it. "If that's the shape of the Mythran Temple," guessed Rex, "then that must be the Temple of Creation that Achu told me about."

Dust approached them. "What's this all about?" he said, frowning. "We're wasting time! We need to get to the Temple of Hotep III, the Maelstrom Temple, as quickly as possible!"

"I agree," said Rex, although he did not look away from the Temple of Creation. "But still, this is the Temple of Creation, and..."

"Rex, you remain idealistic as ever," Dust groaned, rolling his eyes, "but the fact of the matter is this: you're wrong. The Temple of Creation is not the Maelstrom Temple. The documents I've found in the XERRD Fortress and the path of Paulie Gonepus clearly shows-"

"I know!" interrupted Rex. "But let me ask you something, Dust. You know your ancestor's temple like the back of your hand, or so you claim. Surely, this information will help guide us through the temple, avoiding any traps. But when you are inside the pharaoh's temple ruins and confronted by the Maelstrom itself... what then? How do you intend to contain the Maelstrom?"

Dust did not reply quickly enough, so Rex continued.

"We're not going to rely on any deus ex machina to save the day," declared Rex. "We've done that too often, and it's a very poor strategy. This time, it will be different. We need a plan so that we can contain the Maelstrom without having to rely on a random triceratops stampede or a helicopter just happening to crash-land above our position and drop off a crate of supplies. Now, think, Dust. What is the only known element in the universe that counters Maelstrom?"

"Imagination," murmured Dust, glancing out towards the Temple of Creation.

"Exactly," said Rex, nodding. "If we take measures ahead of time... we can be prepared for the Maelstrom. You carry on to the Maelstrom Temple. I'll go to the Temple of Creation and attempt to gather some Imagination. Hopefully, I can catch up to you guys quickly enough to save the day."

"Honcho has a point," agreed Adventure.

Dust frowned, appearing unconvinced and barely trying to hide it. "Very well, but don't take the entire Dino Attack Team with you."

"Of course not," Rex said as he shook his head. "I understand, since the Maelstrom Temple is infinitely more dangerous than the Temple of Creation, that we need to concentrate our forces there, not here. Still, I will only bring a few with me."

Amanda smiled gently. "I'm in by obligation."

Rotor shrugged. "Well, I wish the two of you the best of luck, and-"

Rex glared at Rotor. "You're coming too."

Rotor grimaced. "You can't be serious, Rex. I'll be far more useful to the team if I go to the Maelstrom Temple. I'm willing to do what no one else will, and even if that means using Bishop as-"

"Kate," added Amanda, "you're coming with us too."

Kate Bishop appeared just as surprised as Rotor, but she complied without a word of argument, moving to stand next to Rex and Amanda. Rotor was exasperated. "We need the girl at the Maelstrom Temple to use as leverage against-"

"It's too dangerous for her," declared Rex. "And that's my final word on it."

Grumbling to himself, Rotor trudged over towards Rex, Amanda, and Kate. As Adventure climbed back into his Fire Hammer, Rex nodded to Dust. "Good luck out there."

"From my experience," muttered Dust, "there's no such thing as good luck." With that, he turned away and strode back to the main group. Engines roared to life, and the convoy of Dino Attack agents continued their journey to the Maelstrom Temple. Rex, Amanda, Rotor, and Kate watched them go, unsure if they would ever meet again.

Catless was riding her Steel Sprinter as a guard at the edge of the convoy when it stopped. She overheard Rex and the others discussing something about exploring the Imagination Temple, and she wanted in. So, when the convoy continued, she stayed behind for a moment.

"Sirs, I request permission to accompany your group into the Imagination Temple," Catless said.

Rex managed a slight, grim smile. "Thanks, Catless, but I think it's probably best if you follow Dust. Getting the Imagination shouldn't be too hard; your skills would be put to best use at the Maelstrom Temple, where there will be much more to do."

With that, Catless left to rejoin the convoy in their journey onward, leaving Rex, Amanda, Rotor, and Kate behind to explore the Temple of Creation.

*****

"We're coming up close to the temple," Cabin said over the radio. "If that river's anything to go by, we're definitely close to the Maelstrom."

For the T-1 Typhoon crew, it was a simple task getting across. Unlike the ground troops who had to get out and walk across the bridge, Cabin, Mac, and George would be able to fly across.

*****

"You're not going to believe this," Hertz' voice said over the radio. "We're right above a large river of a strange purplish liquid. Over."

"Is that the Maelstrom? Over" Windows asked.

"Probably," replied Hertz. "We must be getting close. Over."

*****

Dactyl got out of the Fire Hammer and stared at the Maelstrom river below them. Jackson was quick to approach.

"This must be it," Jackson said nervously. He got down on the ground and started to assemble his rifle. "Teri, you got the binoculars?"

"You bet," replied Teri.

"Good," replied Jackson. "You want to go first as spotter, or should I?" 

*****

Fuchs watched in awe as Zelda began to twitch back and forth increasingly. Clearly, something was happening.

"What is it?" Saran asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Fuchs. "It looks like… no, it can't be that simple."

Indeed, the dose of a Creative Spark was apparently taking over. Slowly, Zelda's purplish colour began to disappear, and within a few minutes she sported the standard yellow skin of an ordinary minifig as she lay unconscious on the table.

"Did you just cure her?" Crusher asked, suddenly looking up from her work.

"It looks like it, but it could just be an act," replied Fuchs. "However, if I did cure her, did this actually drive the Maelstrom out of her, or only suppress its effects temporarily? That's what I would like to know." 

Nazareno's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Zelda. She looked like any other minifig. "Fascinating," Nazareno remarked. She begun to stir. Despite her minifig appearance, Nazareno instinctively reached for his katanas. He stepped forward.

He turned to Dr. Saran. "Stay behind me," he said. Saran nodded and moved forward with Nazareno until the latter was right in front of table that Zelda laid on.

Her eyelids fluttered weakly before they suddenly shut open. "What's going on?!" she exclaimed, glancing around. "Where am I?!"

"Calm down, girl," Nazarerno said soothingly. She did, but she was still breathing heavy.

Saran stepped out from behind Nazareno to his side. "Do you know who you are?" Saran asked.

She gave him a look of confusion. "My name is Zelda Frodongan," she said weakly. "What's going on? Last I remember, I was in the XERRD fortress..." She paused and stared straight ahead for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Saran asked.

"I keep seeing this image of a Stromling shooting me," she mumbled. "The Stromling looks like me..."

"You are probably seeing this scene as Tracer," Nazareno said. "You, as a Stromling, shot him. He donated his Creative Spirit because he was dying anyway. Fuchs used injected some of it into your bloodstream. You seeing his memories might be a side-effect of using his spirit."

Zelda was silent, then a look of pure horror appeared on her face. "I was a Stromling!" she sputtered. It was not a question. Nazareno nodded.

Tears streamed down her face. "I don't know what happened!" she blubbered. "I was in the fortress, fighting. A... guard, I think... attacked me and beat me and brought me to this room. Then this scientist with long red hair came in and stabbed me with a needle and I blacked out."

Nazareno scowled underneath his mask. He knew this scientist was a certain Dr. Carolyne Provencal. Minerva had mentioned that she was the one who had injected Zach with the Maelstrom. Apparently, she hadn't limited her Maelstrom injections to just Zach.

"It's alright," Nazareno said, patting Zelda's shoulder in sympathy. "You are not the first one to have been injected with the Maelstrom by this scientist. The man you used to serve, Zachary Virchaus, also fell victim to her needle."

She looked at Nazareno in horror. "Zach!" she screamed, causing the surrounding minifigs to jump. "He'll kill me! He'll-"

"Shhh," Saran said. "Just calm down. I don't know if he really cares about you. I'd think he is busy at the temple at this point." Zelda nodded, still breathing heavy. "I think we are going to run a few tests, so just stay calm." Nazareno and Saran backed off as Crusher and Fuchs began poking and prodding around Zelda's body.

"We are going to check your body for signs of the Maelstrom," Fuchs said. Zelda nodded, still looking very worried.

Nazareno couldn't help but be filled with doubt. No way it could be that easy, he thought. Something must be up.

*****

It did not take the T-1 Typhoon fleet long to arrive at a temple. Several helicopters hovered over the temple, which sat on a small island in the Maelstrom Sea. It was fascinating and disturbing sight. Vinyaya bit her lip as she her radar. She frowned.

"What are we doing here?" she asked Hertz. "According to this, this is the Temple of Creation. We are supposed to be heading to Hotep III's temple. We need-"

An explosion suddenly rang out. Vinyaya turned to her window. Mutant Pterosaurs. Hundreds of Mutant Pterosaurs. One T-1 Typhoon had been struck by lightning from the Mutant Pterosaurs, effectively destroying it and sending it falling to the Maelstrom Sea below.

"Take out those Pterosaurs!" Vinyaya commanded. Hertz passed on the message and the T-1 Typhoons and the helicopters turned their focus on to the Pterosaurs.

*****

The path teetered on the edge of a great cliff. The only evidence of an ocean was the steady sound of the waves below and all view of water was shrouded with a purple mist.

Dust himself moved in a dreamlike state. The entire procession moved in slow motion and the world around him was surreal.

But what dominated the minds of all present was the temple. The great monolith was but a shadow through the dense mist and shadows of the Maelstrom. The details of the temple were clouded and all that could of yet be seen with the naked eye was a towering obelisk to the left of the door.

It soon rose above them like the head of an ancient monster. It towered over six stories tall, and its door lead into the deep black maw of the complex. Flanking the door were two massive statures of buzzards. They looked down at the steps leading into the entrance hall in judgment.

Despite all of Hotep III's brilliance, the pharaoh could have benefited from a better contractor. Over the last hundred years, the sea had eroded the cliffs below the east side of the temple. The entire structure leaned 10 degrees over the cold waters of the ocean.

When he first saw it, the forbidding structure felt wrong to Dust. He had devoted his life to it and he expected to be exuberated with its discovery. But the great sandstone building held no life. It felt soulless and cold - the opposite of the Egyptian's imagination.

But despite the shortfall, Dust felt accomplishment. 13 years of his life had all lead to this spot in time. No matter what condition the building was in; for Dust, it was not just the place in its physical sense. It was what it represented.

This place was the only tangible connection to his past. This was the link to his family's former greatness and splendor. He had a difficult time seeing how such embarrassments like his parents could be the descendants of Hotep III, but now he could return his line to its rightful place.

The convoy was flanked by crumbling obelisks; to right was the cliffs, and to the left was the black jungle. Dust knew that in those trees waited an unimaginable number of Stromlings. An army that Dust was positive would decimate the Dino Attack Team.

He had to think back to why he had brought them here. It was because he needed help: he could not enter the temple without the distraction of a battle outside.

"I hope you don't suffer the illusion that you're in charge now, Dust," Semick's voice came over the radio.

"Of course not," said Dust. "In fact, I was thinking that we don't go inside yet. We need time to get our bearings."

Semick seemed surprised by Dust's reasonable response.

"I recommend we create a parameter around the door. The last thing we want is to be cut off from escape, like what happened at the XERRD Fortress."

"I agree," said Semick. "I'll keep the helicopters in the air for the time being. Position the Iron Predators close to the entry and have the Fire Hammers form an outer ring."

Hotwire heard the order and began moving the vehicles into positioning. Dust jumped over the side of his Iron Predator and set foot on the ground.

"I want as small a team as possible," announced Dust. "With a large group, people get clumsy and we would be more likely to make mistakes."

Some agents volunteered and joined the Egyptian at the foot of the steps.

"Zach's forces will attack soon," said Andrew. "Everyone else needs to stay out here and keep the entrance clear. Rex will need to move in fast once he gets here."

The Egyptian nodded. "We go in fifteen minutes." At that moment, Dust saw a spot of orange appear in a nearby Maelstrom river.

Dr. Cyborg poked his head out of the Maelstrom river. "Hmm. Farther from the temple than I expected, but oh, well." He saw Dust on the lead Iron Predator. "Dust, I volunteer for the squad entering the temple."

"Oh, and what skill do you bring?" Dust asked.

"Maelstrom immunity," Cyborg replied. Dust stared at him, as if he hated his logic.

----

The sun was starting to fall amid all the beautiful scenery. Clint was busy preparing steaks and beans for his new comrades, who were all talking about their own things.

"Cooking more of your silly joke 'sandviches', little man?" Bear laughed as he looked at the steaks. "Keep it up, comrade, and you vill open big deli one day!"

Meanwhile, Firecracker was sitting with Dynamite, and they were reminiscing about their days in Reliable Excavation Deconstruction. "Ah, yeh remember that time we blew up that skyscraper? It was just like 'KA-BOOOOOM'!" shouted Dynamite.

"Or how about that time we demolished half of LEGO City using that sixteen tons of TNT I got for Christmas that one time?" replied Firecracker.

Clint's attention was soon drawn to the sound of horse hooves. He turned to see the familiar face of Angel Eyes, along with another man he did not recognize. Another horse trailed up behind them, and it turned out to be ridden by Maria.

"Who's your friend?" Clint asked.

"His name's Harmonica," replied Angel Eyes. "How'd the reconnaissance go?"

"Alright," said Clint. "You mind if I talk to you two in private?"

Angel Eyes smiled. "Always," he replied as he dismounted. "Harmonica, you can get yourself acquainted with your new squadmates."

Maria was quick to get off her horse and follow as Clint led them into the ruins of an old general store. He sat down on a worn-out chair and lit a cigar. Angel Eyes was content to stand as he lit his pipe.

"What'd you find?" Maria asked.

"Exactly what they said," reported Clint. "The hybrids are holed up at Fort Legoredo."

"Any idea how we're goin' to take 'em out?" asked Maria.

"I don't know," admitted Clint. "These amateurs seem to think the best approach is to push a cart or something. I think we can do better."

"What's the plan then?" Angel Eyes asked.

"We wait until nightfall," said Clint. "Dynamite should fall asleep quickly, he's always drunk, and the others will likely follow as they won't suspect anything. The only one I'm concerned about is Saboteur."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Maria.

"He's skilled in sneaking around," explained Clint. "He also tends to spend time away from the squad and you never really know where he is. He could even be here listening in on our conversation right now."

Angel Eyes started to reach for his gun, looking around in concern.

"Now, here's the plan," Clint continued. "We wait until nightfall and for the Second Headquarters Squad to turn in. Now I don't know about you, but I'd like to get a closer look at that fortress. Maria, if you'd be willing to slip into something a bit more fitting… that dress really won't do for what we have planned. Van Cleef, I think you can spare some clothing."

Maria smiled. "I guess joinin' the team ain't so bad after all," she said. "If only them folks back in El Paso saw me, riding out into battle, wearing men's clothing."

"Indeed," said Angel Eyes. "So we're sneaking out to Legoredo tonight?"

"Exactly," replied Clint. "I'd like to find out what's going on in there before these fools try to blow it up."

At that moment, the otherwise quiet environment was brought to life by the sound of music playing from a harmonica.

"We're all agreed then?" Clint asked.

"Ain't no reason to object," replied Maria.

"Like I said, Angel Eyes," Clint said. "I'm going to need you to loan Maria here some more practical clothes. That dress just won't cut it."

"Right," said Angel Eyes. He started to take off his jacket. "I can give her this, but what about pants? I don't think them shoes are goin' to be any good."

"You kiddin'?" Maria asked. "I can't stand 'em high heels." Maria quickly grabbed the sides of her dress and pulled it upwards, revealing a pair of tough-looking cowboy boots.

Angel Eyes smiled. "Now we just need to find you a pair of pants," he said.

"I got 'em," Maria replied keenly. "For purposes such as this, I sometimes steal clothes from boys who get a little too much to drink."

"Right then," said Clint. "We'll meet back here after dinner and sneak out under cover of darkness, and watch out for Saboteur."

----

Hotwire had just finished directing the vehicles into a defensive line around the entrance to the temple grounds when Rockford approached him, PDA in his hand and a suspicious expression on his face. "I've just received word from the Renaissance that the Talon, which has been unaccounted for the better part of 45 minutes now, has been spotted just above the treeline, and will arrive at our location in just under two minutes. All attempts to establish contact with anyone on board have failed."

The commander looked around cautiously and lowered his voice. "This had better be part of some plan you and the other Elites cooked up, because I don't like the alternatives. You told me that Kat wasn't susceptible to reprogramming, and she claimed to be able to resist Maelstrom influence, but given the circumstances... And Loop is still out there, and none of us are sure what exactly he could be capable of."

Hotwire exhaled slowly. "I'll agree it doesn't look good. And I wish to Imagination that I had an explanation for you, but I'm just as clueless as the rest of us."

Rockford checked his PDA again. "Well, I think we're about to find out," he said nervously. "They've just granted Talon clearance to land."

Clouds of dust billowed up as the modified T-1 Typhoon set down outside the Temple of Hotep III, and a number of the Dino Attack agents surrounded it warily in a wide circle, weapons drawn and trained cautiously on the doors. As the rotors spun lazily to a halt, one the side doors slid back just enough for two minifigs to slip out and drop to the ground. They were both dressed in black, and as one turned to help the other up, Hotwire recognized their dark clothing as the uniform of ShadowTech.

The minifig who had stumbled raised his head, revealing three glowing red eyes. A ripple of shock ran through the agents, and Rockford drew a breath. The order to fire was halfway out of his mouth, when Hotwire got a closer look at the other minifig and cried out. "Stop! Don't shoot!"

The Dino Attack elite agent then found himself at a loss for words. At no point during his experiences in the war had he experienced shock and confusion of a magnitude comparable to what he felt at this moment. He tried to speak, but choked on his words before forcing one out.

"Kat!?"

She quickly covered the distance between the Talon and the spot where Hotwire and Rockford were standing. "You address me with a great deal of familiarity, agent Hotwire," she said. Hotwire froze. Something was different. The minifig standing in front of him was physically identical to Kat as he remembered her before her death, but something was different. Her eyes were harder, and her voice held more authority... and the ghost of a German accent.

It was then that Rockford found his voice. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Who the blok are you, and why are you aiding" -- he gestured towards Loop -- "a known and dangerous enemy of the Dino Attack Team?"

The minifig identical to Kat turned to Rockford. "Do not worry about Lupus," she said reassuringly. "He is conditioned to obey me completely and implicitly. As for my identity...'who the blok I am,' as you so elegantly phrased it... I am Katerina Schattenberg, and you would do well to accept my aid."

"Then... Kat... who was..." Hotwire stammered.

Katerina Schattenberg smirked, in precisely the same way Kat had. "The minifig you knew as 'Kat' was me. I had simply locked away my memories and other parts of my mind in order to hide myself more effectively."

Hotwire tilted his head, confused. "Hide?" he said. "Why, and from who?"

"Agent Cane, my own nephew. He was useful to me, but I underestimated his ruthlessness and ambition. He apparently harbored a great deal of resentment towards me, since I refused ever to divulge to him the purpose of our organization. When I realized he intended to do away with me--" She paused. "One of my earliest projects, you see, was to find a way of translating the essence of a Creative Spark to a digital format. So when the assassins Canis had dispatched burst in on me, I was able to download myself into one of the synthetic minifigs we had designed. That's why I had to lock away so much of my mind -- I knew Canis planned to bring that particular synthfig body out of stasis, so I had to regress to the mental state of my twenty-seven-year-old self so as to avoid detection." She smirked again. "There's a reason, incidentally, that all the primary synthfigs were modeled after myself. It's one of the few qualities I share with my biological brother; neither of us care to suffer the ravages of age if we can avoid it."

Hotwire stopped her. "Wait, confused again," he said. "There was more than just one synthetic minifig?"

"Naturally. I'm standing in one right here," Katerina responded. "The plan required it. And you met one other before -- Cane dispatched it under the pseudonym 'Robo-Kat' to assassinate me early in the war, when he feared I would divulge ShadowTech's secrets to Dino Attack." She paused again. "Lest you assumed my vanity is boundless, please note that the synthfigs served a second purpose."

"So, care to explain or evaluate yourself?" Kuru asked, leering at the mysterious figure with a third eye right on his forehead.

Katerina gestured for Loop to step forward. "This is the first of our secondary synthfigs, built on Canis's genetic structure just as the primaries were built on mine. As the primaries were to act as vehicles for the consciousness of those who would volunteer for the mission, the secondaries were to act as repositories for -- and stable gateways into -- the Maelstrom itself." She looked at Loop disparagingly. "Frankly, as an aside, I haven't the slightest idea why Canis insisted on treating one of the secondaries as his son, nor why he decided that Lupus would best serve us as a spy. He was by far the worst spy I've ever employed."

"None of this is making any sense," Hotwire muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Gateways into the Maelstrom? Volunteers? Mission?"

"I'll admit that I was unable to get the gateway part figured out before Canis's hostile, arrogant takeover of my organization," she said, "but the secondaries remain, as Lupus has admirably proved, quite adequate tools for containing and isolating Maelstrom energies. Which is why I have come here." At that moment, the side door of the Talon slid open entirely and half a dozen more minifigs, identical to Loop, dropped to the ground. "You'll need all the help you can get."

Rockford finally spoke up again. "But why?" he said, exasperated. "Why did you do all of this at all? What were you working towards?"

Katerina Schattenberg laughed. "Oh, of course. I got so carried away that I neglected to mention the one tidbit of information that you need to properly comprehend my rambling -- my ultimate goal. You see, I founded ShadowTech for one specific purpose. I was looking for a way to destroy the Maelstrom from the inside out." 

*****

The Renaissance slowly cruised over the dark zone of Adventures' Island. The helicopter moved with elegant grace as the swarms of Mutant Pterosaurs swirled around it.

Hertz was certainly uneasy. Vinyaya stood framed in the doorway as the craft made set a course away from the Temple of Creation and back toward its original target. The loud popping noises of sonic screamer filled the sky and were often followed by the screams of Mutants tumbling to the black jungle below. On Hertz's view screen was the hulking shape of the forbidden ruins. Already, Dino Attack was setting up a position and several Typhoons had already taken up position above the temple. 

Checking his watch, the techie picked up his headphone and selected the first name on speed dial. "Windows, this is Hertz providing the third of my five-minute updates. Over." 

The radio buzzed and Window's familiar voice came over the speaker. "This is Elite Agent Windows. What's your update? Over."

"You can't throw a rock without hitting a Pterosaur out here," said Hertz. "What's weird is that we're not being overtaken yet. There are hundreds and we only have one Typhoon down. These monsters don't seem to have total decimation on their mind yet. Over." 

Windows was silent for a moment. "The Maelstrom is planning something. Be on the lookout, the tide up there could change any moment. Over."

Hertz nodded even though Windows could not see him. "I expect it will. We will be in Hotep III airspace soon. Once these Mutants give it their all, it will certainly be a short fight. Over." 

"Do you have an ID on the downed Typhoon?" asked Windows "Over." 

"T-1 2342." said Hertz. "Casualties unknown; there was no fireball, so survivors are a possibility. Over." 

"Good, I'll hear from you in 5 minutes," said Windows. "Over and out." Hertz took off his headphones and let out a long sigh. The dismal day was certainly getting to him, and he was positive that it was the Maelstrom that was making him feel miserable and on edge. 

"Hertz, you better come see this."

He got up from his chair and joined Vinyaya in the doorway. What he saw below him made him gasp. The ground was covered with the most massive army Hertz had ever lay eyes on. The entire north beach of the peninsula was blanketed with the black and purple glow of Stromlings of every variety imaginable. Dozens of Mutant Tyrannosaurs Rexes stalked the black sand, and Hertz was sure he saw movement in the water as well.

"Why have they not moved yet?" asked Hertz. "Our army is already at the temple." 

"They're waiting for Zach's order," said Vinyaya. "Once they go, they will descend upon us like a pestilence we could never imagine."

Hertz shivered. "I'll go let Hotwire and Semick know." He turned to head back to his seat, but a roar from outside stopped him. Looking over his shoulder, he spied the army move like an as one into the jungle toward the Temple of Creation.

"They're on the move." whispered Vinyaya. 

*****

Zelda slowly opened her eyes and looked at Fuchs. There were a few tears visible in her eyes. "Kill me," she said weakly. "Please, just kill me."

"It's okay," whispered Fuchs. "We got the Maelstrom out of you."

"It's not out," realized Zelda. "I don't know what you've done, but you haven't removed the Maelstrom. I can still feel it inside me. Please kill me before it takes my body."

"It all makes sense now," Fuchs thought to himself. "The Creative Spark is able to overpower and at least temporarily block the Maelstrom's influence. That's why it was such a vital part of J.D.'s cure. It had to have been a composition of ingredients that when added would not only prevent the Maelstrom's effects but ultimately drive it from the body. That just leaves us with the question what else is needed."

Saran laid a firm hand on Zelda's. "You don't want to die, Zelda. That is the Maelstrom talking." 

The young woman contorted on the bed. "Kill me! I don't want to go back." 

"That's the monster talking," Saran said soothingly. "You're going through withdrawal. It made you feel strong and powerful. It made you feel ways you never felt before, but that was not you, it was it." 

Zelda twisted her head and started to shake. "Yes, what Fuchs said is right," said Saran. "The Maelstrom is still in you. But only if you let it! If you return, you will not be free, you will not be in control. It may feel real easy to just let go and go back to that place, but that is the monster talking, not you! The Maelstrom wants you as its slave, Zelda, but you have the power to choose." 

"But it is so much stronger than me!" yelled Zelda.

"Maybe physically, maybe emotionally, but not in your heart! We all have the will to reject it," said Saran. "You can fight it."

*****

Rex, Amanda, Rotor, and Kate crossed the lengthy bridge over the river of Maelstrom energy. The bridge was old and weathered, and a little too rickety for Rex's liking. Nobody stopped to think about what would happen if the rope bridge snapped and collapsed while they were still crossing.

Luckily, the bridge held out as they crossed. As they approached the island of the Temple of Creation, the temple seemed to grow larger and larger, and with every step, it seemed to grow darker and more ominous. While the temple's imagination was strong enough to keep it intact despite the heavy concentration of Maelstrom, it was clear that the Maelstrom had taken an adverse effect upon the temple's structure, twisting it and draining it of hue. When they finally reached the temple, it towered above them, and Rex could hardly believe that such an intimidating structure could possibly hold their salvation.

"What's this?" Rotor commented, raising an eyebrow as they approached the temple's entrance. The entrance was completely covered with spiderwebs, entangled with each other into a thick mass of silk.

"We'll have to cut our way in," said Rex, frowning. "Amanda, do you have a knife on you?"

Amanda nodded silently as she unsheathed her knife. After surveying the entrance and its spiderwebs, she immediately went to work, cutting her way through the mass entanglement. Kate offered to push Rex's wheelchair as the others followed Amanda.

They were almost through when they heard a horrible screech. A hideous creature dropped down from the spider webs. It was the size of a Steel Sprinter and rather arachnid in appearance despite having only four legs. Lasers and metallic spears were attached to its purple abdomen, and it glared at the Dino Attack agents with six yellow eyes. Screeching angrily, the Dark Spiderling advanced upon the Dino Attack agents.

Kate gasped in horror, and Rex's eyes widened in shock. How could a Maelstrom creature have gotten so close to the Imagination Temple? he thought in disbelief. Rotor was quick, however, and fired at the Dark Spiderling with his Cosmotronic Ray. This stunned the spider just long enough for Rex to recover and take out his Sonic Screamer. He fired at the spider, which hissed angrily and recoiled.

Then, a small arc of electricity, spreading out like a web, was fired from one of the spider's lasers. This blast knocked back Rotor, and even Rex could feel the surge of energy hit him and threaten to topple his wheelchair. Before Rotor could get back on his feet, the Stromling was upon him, trying to jab at him with one of its pointed feet.

Amanda approached the Dark Spiderling, moving silently yet dangerously swiftly. Before it took notice of her, she thrust her knife into the spider's abdomen. Shrieking in pain, the arachnid backed off of Rotor, who got up and prepared to fire his Cosmotronic Ray again but did not need to.

Writhing in a disturbingly unnatural manner, the Dark Spiderling's legs buckled and it collapsed to the ground, all six of its eyes going dark.

Amanda reached and pulled her dagger out of the spider's carcass. "What the MegaBlok was that?" muttered Rotor, grimacing as Amanda wiped the spider's body fluids off of her knife.

"The Maelstrom's way of welcoming us to the Temple of Creation, I suppose," mused Rex. "I think the Stromlings knew that we would be coming here, and so decided to leave an ambush, likely along with trap or two, waiting for us. Be careful. The sooner we get the Imagination, the sooner we can get out of here and hurry to the real Maelstrom Temple."

No sooner had the words left his mouth had a dozen Stromling Explorers led by a few Stromling Islanders limped their way out of the shadows and surrounded Rex, Amanda, Kate, and Rotor.

*****

The tests confirmed it: there was still some Maelstrom in Zelda's body, and it would no doubt take her over within the next few minutes unless something was done.

She glared at the minifigs around her, fearful. "Kill me!" she screamed to Nazareno. He looked apprehensive.

"Not yet!" Saran said. "You must control your emotions, Zelda! You can't let the darkness control you!"

She trembled. "I c-c-can't!" she stammered. "Please!" she begged to Nazareno, glancing at his swords. "Kill me! Spare me!"

Nazareno glanced Saran. He shook his head disapprovingly. "The girl is hysterical, Saran," Nazareno sighed. "I can't see her calming down soon enough."

Saran scowled.

"I can see you are anxious to talk to a Stromling," Nazareno said calmly. "But I can't see her taking your advice. Be happy that you got the information from that you did." Saran looked as though he was about to argue, but Nazareno raised his hand. He stepped toward Zelda, his sword in hand.

"Do you know anything that could help us stop the Maelstrom?" he asked carefully. Zelda thought for a moment. "Anything that could help us get in and out of Hotep III's temple without too many casualties?"

Her eyes widened with sudden realization. "Yes, I do!" she said excitedly. "The-" She choked on the rest of the words. Zelda's eyes bulged out with surprise. She began to scream. Nazareno knew he had to do it now. He ran up and begun to swing the sword down.

Just as he was about to make the final blow, Zelda caught the katana's hilt with her hand and shoved Nazareno backwards. She jumped off the table, her eyes glowing red yet again. Her minifig appearance faded away and once again a Stromling was back in their midst. She grinned wickedly at Nazareno. The ninja winced as he clutched his stomach. The Maelstrom in his abdomen roared with approval.

"Time for round two!" she growled. "And this time, you will die!"

*****

Minerva turned to Andrew. "Should we go with Dust?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he replied. "I have a bad feeling we will be attacked very soon, and that will make it impossible to find Zach. And if we go into the temple, we'll probably never find him in endless corridors and traps."

Minerva nodded sadly. "Yeah. But Zach said he'd be in the temple!"

"Those plans can easily change. He's not exactly in control of his actions at the moment."

Minerva sighed. Andrew shrugged and turned to Dust. "We're going," he said flatly. He and Minerva went to stand by him. Dust raised an eyebrow and examined Minerva closely. Minerva could feel him trying to discover her motives. He seemed to find a satisfactory answer, because he turned away from her and back the group.

"Anybody else?" Dust asked. Minerva figured he would impatient to finally get in his temple. However, he hid whatever impatience he had. Minerva imagined he had been waiting for this day for a long time and didn't want to mess up.

"Alright, I-" Dust was interrupted by the sound of something heavy hitting metal. Every turned to see a Stromling standing on top of a Fire Hammer. He had descended from the trees above. Although his features were skewed in the dark and rainy jungle, Minerva could see the Stromling had a gun for an arm. She tensed up, believing the Stromling to be Zach.

The Stromling jumped onto the hood of a Fire Hammer and then onto the ground. He walked arrogantly toward the Dino Attack Team, his hands behind his back. As he approached, his features became clearer. his weapon was a Sonic Screamer instead of a Cosmotronic Ray, and it was fused with his left hand instead of his right. The Stromling wore a dark trenchcoat and wore a cap that resembled one a military officer would wear. He had three scars running down the right side of his face, one of the scars intercepted by an eyepatch.

The Stromling continued toward the group in a brisk fashion. "Get him!" an agent shouted. The Stromling quickly raised his Sonic Screamer and blasted the offending agent. Weapons were raised and pointed at the Stromling. He stopped and glared at the minifigs with his single red eye with distaste.

"Sloppy!" spat the Stromling. "I expected better. Back when I was in the Dino Attack, the agents knew how to stand at attention like a true army. You slouching, boy?" The Stromling snapped at another agent.

"Who are you?" Septimus asked.

"My name is Colonel Ernest Quartich," the Stromling said with a sneer. "However, you many simply refer to me as Colonel. Now, explain to me the improper behavior of these soldiers. This is disgusting!"

"The Dino Attack isn't the army, you know," Andrew muttered.

Colonel's face twisted in rage. He marched up to Andrew until their chests were touching. Colonel squinted, clearly disgusted. "Elite Agent Andrew," Colonel said. "I knew they shouldn't have given the promotion to a punk kid such as yourself. The state of your soldiers is pitiful. I expected better." Colonel spat in Andrew's face and turned away without waiting for a response.

"General Virchaus is eager to begin the battle," Colonel said. "I can't keep him waiting."

"Wait," Minerva said. "General Virchaus?!" His ego had certainly gone overboard.

"Yes," he said, sneering at Minerva. He glanced over at the jungle. "Your Fire Hammers are in the way. This will not do. Cranky!"

A loud smashing noise could be heard. On the same Fire Hammer Colonel had dropped onto was a massive Stromling Ape. He had crushed the roof of the Fire Hammer and smashed the glass. There was a small groan from underneath the roof before it was silenced.

Cranky jumped from the Fire Hammer and quickly began moving toward a pair of different Fire Hammers near the jungle. The vehicles nearby began firing on Cranky, but the ape ignored the blasts and shoved two Fire Hammers to side to create a path into the jungle.

"Thank you, Cranky," Colonel yelled out. "Troops!" At once, ten rows of 12 Stromlings began to march out of the trees. Minerva noticed how these Stromlings seemed less intelligent than Colonel or Zach. They were hunched over and made strange growling noises.

"Attack!" Colonel bellowed to his troops. "Kill them all! Slaughter them! Do not let them into the temple!" The Stromling growled in acknowledgement and started running at the Dino Attack vehicles and agents, firing their weapons.

"And without further ado," Zachary cackled from the jungle, his voice ringing out clearly and powerfully. "Let the show begin!" 

*****

Crusher tried to focus on her own research as much as she could. "Saran, give me a hand with this," she muttered. The psychiatrist quickly worked his way over. Zelda was busy with Nazareno, fortunately.

"I think I might have something," Crusher explained. "It's a matter of concentrated Imagination. There's a very specific dosage required, and still one or two other components I can't quite get."

Fuchs sat down next to her. "What you need?" he said. "Is some way to cut off the Maelstrom?"

"You mentioned it was providing her with nutrients and all that," Crusher said.

"Yes," replied Fuchs. "The only way I can think of is to shut down the body, essentially rendering the victim clinically dead. If done right, it may be possible to revive them with a defibrillator or CPR or something."

*****

The signal he'd been waiting for came with a loud Pang! Pang! Pang! Bluetooth was shaken to alertness as he scanned his TALON-9 screen.

He saw it immediately. Masses of little red drones, lined up in neat little groups, heading right for the clearing the Dino Attack forces had gathered in around the temple. So far, no signs of air support, but the technician knew that could change. Regardless, they had to handle what they had now.

"Semick-!" he began, but the Elite Agent was already on the move, directing the T-1 Typhoon towards a better firing angle at the ground below. He was also now giving commands into the radio.

"Alert! Maelstrom forces moving in at the southern edges of the clearing! We've got several dozen mooks and a gorilla! They appear to be going easy on us for now, so takes these guys down and remain vigilant! Dust, get your team into the temple! Renaissance, get on standby! Mur and Rockford, get the Predators and Hammers reorganized and ensure protection of the temple! And Talon, get in the air ASAP!"

*****

The commotion going on behind him made Rockford immediately redirect his attention from the events unfolding at the Talon. Already, the agents that had been ready to fire at its occupants were returning to vehicles or preparing to face the Stromlings head-on.

"Hotwire, Kat," he said quickly to his fellows in conversation, "I'd suggest you put these synthetic-whatevers to use and get the Talon back up in the air. Ole knows we could use the air support." Without stopping to listen, he ran back towards his Iron Predator. The vehicle got into motion the second Rockford was fully inside.

"So, what did they bring us?" Mur asked, his crew beginning to aim the Cryothermic Cannon towards the incoming enemy troops.

"Some extra soldiers, that's all you need to know. What's the formation status?" asked Rockford.

"That giant monkey's pushing vehicles aside to let the redshirts in. We have to take him out, and him being so close to our guys isn't making that easy," reported Mur.

"Stromling Apes are strong, I know that much, but they aren't bulletproof. If we can combine our fire for even the briefest of moments, we shou-"

"Don't. Jinx. It," the agent at the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher muttered threateningly to Rockford. He sighed and looked to see what he could do with the radio.

*****

Stranger sat quietly in the shadow of an obelisk close to the cliffs. Buddy was nearby, playing watch. The way they had planned it, he would provide cover while the Dino Attack agent would get his chance to hunt.

"Hey, this isn't as boring as it sounds," Stranger had told his companion. "Something's bound to try and stop me, and I think fighting alone's as stupid as it could get." Indeed, the last time Stranger had been in situations like this, he had friends like Titan and the late Raider to help. And when he didn't, the Lizard that was by his side now had nearly murdered him.

Strange bedfellows indeed, Stranger thought humorously. And the current situation was humorous as well. The incoming Stromlings were coming in at a simple and predictable rate. Practically lambs for the slaughter.

Mr. Zach, you are not making a good ringleader as of yet, the agent thought as he took aim with his sniper rifle and began firing away. Cut to the main act already.

*****

Dust had not replied to his request yet, but there were more important things happening.

Dr. Cyborg jumped behind a nearby Stromling and extracted the Maelstrom. Instead of turning back into a minifig, the Stromling disappeared. "They're pure Maelstrom!?" he exclaimed in surprise. 

*****

Zach watched the chaos from the treetops, smiling. Everything was going according to plan, even as Stromling after Stromling were being shot down by the Dino Attack Team. These Stromlings weren't made to be terrific soldiers. Their greatest strength came in numbers; endless Stromlings against a Dino Attack Team with limited teammates was ideal in this case. He quickly made contact with Colonel.

Excellent work, Colonel, Zach said. The battle has begun.

You are welcome, sir, Colonel replied. What shall I do now? Command from afar?

I'd prefer if you didn't. Can you command from the field of battle?

Of course, sir. In fact, I already have a plan formulating.

Excellent. Carry on. Zach then contacted Ahua. Where are you?

We're watching the battle from the temple. We intend to join the battle soon. Unless you feel as though you have it handled. Zach smirked at Ahua's flat, somewhat angry tone.

Just a few more acts to pull out. Then I will return to the temple and do I as you requested earlier.

And how long is this going to take?

It shouldn't take too long. I'll see you soon. He severed his connection with Ahua and mentally beckoned Cranky to his hiding spot. Cranky clearly understood, as he began sprinting toward Zach, dodging a variety of bullets as he ran. Cranky reached the base of the tree and quickly ascended until he was in the same branch as Zach.

"Fantastic," Zach said, licking his lips with excitement. "Not a scratch on you. It's time for phase two, friend. Call them when I give you the cue." Cranky nodded obediently. Zach turned to the battle and amplified his voice to address the Dino Attack.

"And early on into the show, the Dino Attack shows promising signs of success. They are currently managing to best the underlings of the Maelstrom's ranks: the mooks, the grunts, the redshirts, whatever terminology you wish to use. You may be feeling confident now. Possibly overconfident. Maybe even bored with the Maelstrom army! But worry not, Dino Attack Team. This is only Act I of this spectacularly show. It's hardly been a few minutes. I do have a few more tricks up my trees. The next performers are organic, unlike this army. They are minifig-like, in a sense. They are definitely smarter than the army you are facing now. They are a last-minute act. They were found by Cranky as I was returning to the temple. Cranky, if you will, introduce the next group of performers!"

Cranky stood up on his legs and beat his chest furiously, roaring loudly for nearly a minute. As his roar died down, Zach could hear the screeches in the distance. He turned, grinning ear from ear.

A massive wall of Stromling Monkeys was approaching the Maelstrom Temple at high speeds. They were all small and quick, with bright red eyes. There were dozens of them, all at Cranky's command. They burst through the trees and jumped into the battle, targeting nearby Dino Attack Agents.

"You see, Dino Attack," Zach began to explain. "I can't let you think this is too easy. However, if you find these guys easy, there is still one more act getting ready! They are grandest event and will be the highlight of the show! In the meantime, good luck!"

Zach cackled, then turned to Cranky. "Let's have some fun." He climbed on to Cranky's back and pointed his Cosmotronic Ray arm forward. "It's on like Cranky Kong!" Zach bellowed gleefully. Cranky roared his approval and jumped from the trees back into the battle. 

*****

Garry stayed back, his hand on his revolver. He was tempted to shoot Zelda right there but he could tell it would not do much good. If anyone could take care of her, it was this Nazareno. Instead, he turned back toward Fuchs and Crusher. Copper was in the back, watching in terror, as did Wade.

"You found anything?" Garry asked.

"I think so," replied Fuchs. "However, we may have to risk killing her."

"What do you mean?"

"The only way the Maelstrom will leave her is if she's dead," said Fuchs. "In theory, at lea-"

"He's suggesting that we try to render her into a state of death from which she can be revived," explained Crusher.

"How can you be so sure you'll revive her?" Garry asked.

"Well," said Crusher, "I guess it is possible that the Creative Spark could help."

"I guess it's as good an idea as any," decided Garry. "Let's get to work."

The scientists were working as hard as they could. There was some uncertainty over what to use, but they finally settled on adrenaline, mixed in with the Creative Spark of Tracer. Nazareno was still busy with Zelda, but now was the moment of truth.

Fuchs loaded the experimental cure into a syringe and slowly walked up behind Zelda. As soon as he was close enough, he grabbed her around the neck and forced the syringe in, injecting the substance. With that, Zelda collapsed. She lay there for a few minutes as the Maelstrom gradually started to fade.

Crusher quickly ran up to the unconscious Zelda and looked at her closely. "No pulse, she's not breathing. COPPER! WADE! CARVER! GET OVER HERE!" 

----

Clint lit a cigar as he leaned against an old building and stared into the desert night. In the distance he could hear Dynamite snoring loudly. Bear was muttering something weird in his sleep. "Oh, Dietrich… I love you… Vill you marry me?... Zzz… Oh yes, I accept… I take you as groom… Zzz…" Even Saboteur had to sleep sometime.

"You ready yet?" Clint whispered.

"Almost," replied Maria. She stepped out a moment later wearing a plain button-up shirt under a leather vest, with a pair of greyish pants and dark brown boots. Her curly red hair was hastily tied back into a somewhat messy ponytail. At her side she wore a gunbelt, containing a small revolver.

"You get all these from customers?" Clint asked, impressed.

"You'd be amazed what some boys wager," replied Maria. "They should know better than to come up against me in poker."

"They wager clothes?" Clint asked.

"Sometimes if they're desperate enough," explained Maria. "Sometimes I just take 'em off of annoying customers who had too much to drink and didn't pay their tab."

"Do you really?" Angel Eyes asked with a grin as he approached her.

"You bet," replied Maria. "These here boots I stole from Flatfoot Thompson himself."

"I see you're ready," Angel Eyes said keenly, lighting his pipe. "Let's get going."

Clint exhaled before he turned toward the direction of the fort, where Saboteur had taken him previously. 

----

Zach immediately decided that death by monkeys was just about the worst possible death. He witnessed screeching Stromling Monkeys tackle Dino Attack agents and more-or-less tear them to pieces. Hearing the screams of the victims yell out and be suddenly silenced disturbed even him.

Dr. Cyborg was fed up with this fight and Zach's stupid theatrics. "Hey Zach! If this is a show, I want a refund for my ticket!" he called.

Cranky and Zach turned in his direction to see the cyborg fighting off Stromlings. Zach raised an eyebrow with interest as Dr. Cyborg seemingly pulled the Maelstrom out of a Stromling. The Stromling faded away into nothing once Cyborg's deed was complete.

"Interesting," Zach muttered. Then, out-loud: "Not enjoying the show? This will not do! Luckily, the Maelstrom provides a one hundred percent money-back guarantee if the audience isn't satisfied. Unfortunately, you are a part of the act, so you never paid for ticket. However, I can still give you a payment. In the form of a beating, of course! Cranky!" Cranky reared back and raised one giant fist. "Give Cyrista his money back, friend!"

Cranky launched his fist down on Dr. Cyborg. He quickly jumped out of the way as fist smashed into the ground.

"Come on, Cyborg!" Zach cackled. "You said you want your money back!" Cranky turned and threw another punch at Cyborg. The Dino Attack agent rolled out of the way again. Dr. Cyborg raised his hands as if to extract the Maelstrom from Cranky.

"Not so fast!" Zach yelled out. He fired his Cosmotronic Ray at Cyborg's right arm, singeing it. "No fancy Maelstrom tricks from you! I'm the only one who is allowed to do that!" Cranky stomped up to Cyborg, his fist raised up again.

"Did you know this little tidbit? When I pushed you into that Maelstrom pool when I was becoming a Stromling, it was because I thought you were a Stromling Ape. I wasn't against the Dino Attack Team then. How interesting is it that you are going to be killed by a being I thought you were before a Stromling! However, I must say Cranky is much better dresser than the Stromling Ape you were in that hallucination! Now, Cranky, if you will..."

Cranky's fist began to descend down quickly on Dr. Cyborg.

*****

Colonel quickly fled from the group of Dino Attack agents and gathered a group of Stromlings near the edge of the cliff.

"Alright, men," Colonel said, pacing in front of them. "I know you are all basically 'one-shot-dead' kind of troops. You may outnumber the Dino Attack Team, but they outpower you in terms of fire power and technology. We are going to change that." He pointed toward an Iron Predator in front of the temple. "We're going to hijack that beast over there. Give us a little more firepower. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the Stromlings growled.

"Let's go!" Colonel yelled out. He and about twenty Stromlings ran across the battlefield without pause. Several Stromlings dropped after being shot, but Colonel and the survivors pressed forward. They scrambled onto the Iron Predator, much to the shock of the crew.

"What are you-" the agent never finished as Colonel clubbed him over the head with his Sonic Screamer arm. The other crew members were thrown overboard soon afterwards. The Stromlings quickly assumed control of the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher, the Cryothermic Cannon, and the steering wheel. The other Stromlings clung to the side of the vehicle and fired on any nearby Dino Attack agents. Colonel stood behind the driver, grinning wide.

"Superb work, gentlemen!" Colonel said. "General Virchaus would be pleased. Now, start taking out the other Predators and Fire Hammers! Make them wish they had never messed with us!" 

*****

The launcher on the back of the Fire Hammer was designed to fight off mutated dinosaurs, not Stromlings. Eventually, Dr. Smith gave up hope of using it, and instead grabbed a rifle.

David had already taken one. But he had a thought. If Maelstrom could infect the Imagination of a being, could Imagination "infect", or rather purify, the Maelstrom inside a being…? His query was swiftly answered when he saw Dr. Cyborg's style of fighting. It seems I am not the first to think of that idea.

But suddenly, a Stromling Ape descended on Dr. Cyborg. David was not too far off to try and help the doctor. He climbed into the driver's seat and started up the engine. "I think we found someone who needs help," remarked David as the vehicle accelerated. 

As the Stromling Ape's fist came down, Dr. Cyborg in one smooth motion grabbed his laser sword from the left side of his belt with his right hand, swung it up, ignited it, and cut off the ape's fist.

"Heal that, Failstrom!" he yelled.

"Failstrom?" Zach repeated. "Oooh, Doc, that hurt." He realized the joke he had made, with Cranky screaming in pain in the background. He doubled over with laughter, choking out, "That hurt. His fist cut off. Ha, ha, ha!"

By now, Cranky's fist had healed, and he started punching anew, Cyborg punching back.

"Really, Cyrista?" Zach said as Cranky smashed his fist into the spot where Dr. Cyborg was. "'Failstrom'? We are not petty children on the playground. If you are going to insult me, you are going to do it right!"

"I could really use some help now," Dr. Cyborg muttered. 

The Fire Hammer was a mere 50 yards away from where Cranky was trying to punch Dr. Cyborg. David had quickly formulated a plan. He had two regular missiles in his Fire Hammer, and one of them had been loaded into the launcher. The plan was to aim it directly below Cranky. This would provide distraction, and then Dr. Cyborg would have time to fight back.

"Fire!" shouted David. 

*****

Copper and Wade quickly pulled Zelda's body onto the examination table. "Carver!" Copper shouted. "Get me that defibrillator, will you?" Copper quickly pulled Zelda's shirt open and began attempting CPR. "Come on, come on."

Carver quickly wheeled the defibrillator over towards Copper. He quickly took the two paddles and waited for the right moment.

"CLEAR!" Wade shouted. Copper quickly pressed them down. Zelda jolted slightly. 

"CLEAR!" Copper shouted. He pressed the two paddles of the defibrillator down on Zelda. There was a moment of silence as he turned to Wade.

"I think we might have something," replied Crusher. "I got a pulse."

Garry and Fuchs were watching from a few feet away. "I'm not sure I understand," Garry said. "Wouldn't an overdose like that be lethal?"

"Normally, it would be," explained Fuchs. "In this case, however, the victim had a second Creative Spark inside, which gave her some form of life and made it easier for us to revive her."

At that moment, Enter burst into the room, charging in while holding a large shark. "Dang it!" Copper shouted. "Garry, would you get those fools out of here?"

Copper and the others ducked out of the way as Enter suddenly smashed the shark into Zelda's chest. Her eyes opened suddenly and she coughed.

"What did you just do?" Crusher asked, confusedly.

"Basic CPR," replied Enter. "Can't go to any emergency without a shark."

"You've got to be MegaBlokin' kidding," Copper said.

Zelda moaned as she slowly started to sit up. Wade ran to her side and put an arm around her shoulder. Zelda briefly gagged for a moment, and then shot a large amount of vomit onto poor Enter. Return arrived at that moment and started laughing.

"Look!" Wade shouted. "This is serious business! Someone get a bucket!"

Carver came back a moment later with a small round pail that she put into Zelda's lap. The young agent vomited once again.

"I don't believe it," Garry muttered. "I gotta tell Windows."

"I think it worked," Crusher said. "I think we should probably find something else to use in the compound, but our hypothesis seems to be correct."

----

It was not long before Clint, Angel Eyes, and Maria were approaching Fort Legoredo. Unlike most of the buildings in town, this one was more-or-less intact, possibly even improved structurally and modified, which made sense given that the Hybrids were using it as their main base. On the roof, there was a sentry marching back and forth, lit by a small torch nearby.

"How we goin' to get in?" Maria asked. "The place is probably crawlin' with 'em Hybrids."

"Simple," replied Clint. "Just takes a little stealth. Maria, you have a knife or something?"

Maria slowly opened her vest to reveal a small but intimidating knife hidden in her belt.

"Good," said Clint. "You're going to need that. Now I reckon we get in through the side. There's probably a guard there as well. Give me five minutes to distract him."

Clint quickly rode around to the left side of the fort. Sure enough, next to the large gate was a rather mean-looking Hybrid with a sharp spear. He quickly noticed Clint and hissed menacingly.

"Now, now," Clint said. "Is that any way to treat company?"

The Hybrid started to move toward Clint, but at that moment was suddenly grabbed and his throat was cut open. The body collapsed onto the ground, the Hybrid trying to scream, but only making a very muffled wheeze.

"Nice work, Maria," Angel Eyes said keenly as he approached. Maria could only smile as she held the knife.

----

"Excuse me," a nurse said. "Dr. Alan Pierce?"

Pierce looked up from his bed. "That's me," he remarked.

"I understand you are a skilled doctor."

"Yes," said Pierce.

"If we were to try you out on a crutch temporarily, do you think you could help us?"

"Yeah, I think so," replied Pierce.

The nurse smiled and removed Pierce's bedsheets. She handed him a crutch and helped him to his feet... or rather, foot. 

-----

A juvenile chimpanzee has enough strength to rip the arm out of a grown man's socket. A superpowered Stromling Ape has enough strength to rip the arm out and then use said arm as a grotesque club.

Needless to say, an army of incredibly fast and incredibly angry Stromling Monkeys soon turned the highly efficient Dino Attack Team into a screaming mass.

Fortunately, what made this battle different from the massacre at the rear guard camp was the presence of significant air support. The Renaissance, the Talon, and Semick's T-1 Typhoon moved over the battlefield and fired their powerful twin rotating Quintronic Sonic Beam Emitters into the mob of monkeys.

The incredible sonic beams scattered the Stromlings. Hertz was able to see the creatures clutch their heads before the lethal waves dropped them to the ground.

Hertz took position beside Vinyaya by the door. He spotted a great Stromling Ape not far from the temple entrance harassing Professor Norman and Doctor Cyborg. He pulled out his radio. "Semick, I spotted Zach and his pet off your starboard side."

The elite agent's helicopter circled around and opened fire with its side-mounted machine gun.

*****

The Egyptian crouched under the shadow of the stone buzzard. Once again, the situation was rapidly going bad and he really had no intension to stay outside much longer.

Beside him, Elite Agent Andrew was shooting repeatedly with his Cosmotronic Ray at the pack of Mutant Lizards. Minerva was scanning the battlefield for Zachary but apparently to no avail.

"You're not going to find him!" Dust yelled over the sounds of screams and gunfire. "Your boyfriend is into theatrics. He'll be waiting for you in the main chamber of the temple. Trust me."

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Trust you?"

The Egyptian looked the woman in the eye. "Look, you really think I would lie at this stage? I'm at my endgame now. He'll be in the temple."

Two more agents joined them in the shadows. One had a loose-fitting uniform that hung strangely over his thin alien body. The other was a wide-shouldered corpse of a figure with a bone-white skeleton face.

"Laxus! Septimus! Glad to see you're in good shape!" said Andrew.

Dust had a difficult time reading Martian facial expressions but he assumed Laxus smiled. "Someone needs to look out for you. Right, buddy?"

Septimus gave an approaching monkey a powerful whack with his spear and opened fire with his blaster. "I will also be joining you."

"Good," said Dust. "Four should be a good number. Come on, let's go."

The five agents shot from their positions and ran up the long set of steps. Pure Stromlings were starting to pop out of the ground like daisies, but Dust was able to make short work of them with some well-thrown knives.

They had reached the great door, and it took their combined efforts to push aside the massive stone. Dust felt an incredible exhilaration as he crossed the threshold into his temple. It was oddly well-lit with an unknown blue light, and the sandstone walls shown a clean gray. Dead bugs littered the cold floor and a thick layer of dust covered every surface. The sound of battle died almost instantly as they stepped inside. All that could be heard was a faint echo of water dripping deep within the temple.

Two more people stepped in behind them. Lance Williams broke the tranquil silence. "Dude, it's pretty gnarly in here. Cool, too."

"Your opinion is appreciated, Standard Agent Williams," said Carl Lutsky as he stepped into the cool entry chamber.

The former commander walked straight to Dust. He looked terrible; his eyes were still red-rimmed and his once studiously combed hair still hung in clumps across his brow. He had taken the time to change back into his uniform and he carried himself with his former dignity.

"What's your plan?" asked Lutsky. "How do we get to the Maelstrom chamber?"

Dust tried to read the commander before turning back to Andrew. "Well I'm not the Elite, I'm not calling all the shots now, you are. I'm just your guide at this point."

"True that," chuckled Lance.

Andrew shrugged. "Well, let's not do anything stupid. We're really close to the Maelstrom now, so we'll be feeling the emotional effects. We're also need to keep an eye out for Stromlings."

Dust continued: "I will let you know where to begin." He pointed to one of the six doors that led out from the chamber "We're going through that door; it's the most direct. But be warned, there will be a few surprises in store."

"Like that?" asked Laxus, the first to notice the skeleton in the room.

Septimus knelt down beside the unfortunate victim. "He's dead."

"Spot on," chuckled Dust. "Come on, we don't have much time."

The seven agents stepped over the bones and into the dark tunnel.

*****

"Windows," Garry said as he entered. The young radio operator took off his headphones and turned toward him. "How's it going? Any updates?"

"Yes sir," replied Windows. "Last I heard, they were approaching a Maelstrom river or something weird like that."

"I see," said Garry. "Listen, I've got a very important update for you. I need you to get in touch with them. Tell them we think we've just cured a Stromling."

"What?" Windows exclaimed.

"Just do it," ordered Garry.

Windows put on his headphones and turned back to the radio. "Standard Agent Hertz, this is Windows, come in. Do you read me? Over."

Windows had to repeat the message two or three more times before he finally got a response. "That's a roger, Windows. Over," replied Hertz's voice.

"Listen, Hertz," Windows said. "Garry's in here. He says he's got an important update. He claims that they may have cured a Stromling. I repeat, he thinks that a Stromling has been cured. Over."

----

Sarah kept her arm around Pierce as she led him towards the mess hall. The place was largely crowded, but fairly straightforward. There was a counter where people would line up to pick up food from the cooks, and they would sit down and eat at one of the tables. It was very much like a standard cafeteria.

After getting their food, Sarah helped Pierce toward a table and sat him down before taking another seat herself. They were about to start talking when another man arrived.

"Hey Sarah!" shouted the strange man with a thick beard, sunglasses, ridiculously long hair, and incredibly baggy clothes that looked like old worn-out pajamas. He was accompanied by a large middle-aged man with a buzzcut and a thin brown beard. "How's it goin', man."

"Just fine, Dude," replied Sarah.

"Who's he?" Pierce asked.

"Dino Attack agent Dude," Sarah introduced him. "His superiors didn't think he'd be good in the field, so they kept him here."

"Either that," joked Dude, "or they just thought my codename was stupid."

Another young man ran up to the two of them. "Hey guys, I just found out they posted the times for the next bowling tournament."

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" shouted Dude's companion only to cut himself off. "When is it?"

"Tonight," replied Donnie.

"Bowling?" asked Pierce, confusedly.

"They um... improvised a bowling alley," replied Sarah. "Long story."

"Yeah," said Dude. "Would you, uh, like to come out to see us bowl, man?"

"Sure," Sarah replied unenthusiastically. "As long as Walter doesn't pull out his gun again."

Pierce looked on in confusion.

"Hey!" shouted Dude's companion, who was apparently Walter. "That guy was OVER THE LINE!"

----

It was perhaps Dino Attack's darkest hour, according to Rockford's perspective. An amassing of men, women, and various other kinds of beings together to fight one of the universe's most powerful entities, currently struggling with ordinarily creatures made horrifyingly fierce by said entity.

It was a fight that Dino Attack seemed at impossible odds at surviving, let alone besting. But the more Rockford focused on certain aspects, the more he felt confident in the ideals Semick and others had been telling themselves since heading off. Even as one or two found themselves failing to match the brutality of the Maelstrom's monkeys, others were fighting to near bitter ends to keep them off their vehicles, doing everything in their power to protect themselves and others, lest there be no more to stop whatever else was waiting in the woods.

And they were doing one heck of a job. In one Urban Avenger, an agent was able lure the monkey trying to pull him off right on top of him... and right in range of the Sonic Screamer on top, which a push of said agent's elbow on the trigger button made blast the monkey right under the wheels of Mur's Iron Predator. In another spot, an agent managed to unveil a sword of some kind, perhaps hinting of a past at Pirate Forbidden Island or Castle Cove, and was bashing the monkeys away like flies. In yet another Fire Hammer, guns blazed like crazy as the agents fended off at every monkey within their area, including the ones try to take out other vehicles. And of course, the half-dozen T-1 Typhoons and the Renaissance in the air were doing a good job at providing extra cover fire. The one Rockford thought Semick was on, in particular, was already moving in to start focusing fire on the Stromling Ape that had been harassing the team thus far.

This raised Rockford's spirits, and helped him to concentrate on his work. It meant that Dino Attack was still proving their worth as the LEGO Planet's protectors. At this rate, taking down Dr. Rex would be bakery work by comparison.

"We're doing good," said Mur as he managed to catch a Stromling Monkey trying to leap him, which he managed to stop with a good slap to the head (Rockford could've swore his one arm didn't even touch it, but blamed it on the blur of his movement). "I hope Dust is getting his men into that temple, though. The more he delays, the more he-Oh good, he's doing it."

Rockford looked in the direction Mur was looking in. Beyond their Iron Predator's firing Cryothermic Cannon, several minifigures were running into now open doors in the temple's front entrance.

"Get the message out that we're in full CC mode now," Mur told the lawyer.

Rockford was already putting the mic to his lips, giving out the coded message he was told to give so any interception of the comm wouldn't fully understand: "Alert! The X-Wings are in the trench! I repeat, the X-Wings are in the trench!"

Just after he gave the message, Semick came on the radio. "Good to hear, Rockford. Now Mur, I just got word from Stranger that we're getting pure Stromlings by the cliffs."

"What's the worse news?" Mur said, taking over for Rockford for the moment.

"They're pulling the Ewok strategy on us: overwhelm and overtake. Let the Predator and Hammer crews be on alert for up close ambushes. These vehicles can't survive specific attacks like this, so the men will have to watch each other."

"Got it," said Mur, handing the mic back to Rockford. "You give the message."

"Alert! Pure Stromlings are overwhelming and overtaking Iron Predators and Fire Hammers! If you see a vehicle in this state, defend your teammates, and if they take the vehicle, just blow it up!" Though after saying the message, he remarked to Mur: "X-Wings and Ewoks? Great, geeks are writing our code now."

"At least it wasn't a Firefly reference," Mur remarked back, confusing Rockford.

*****

"Laxus, are you sure about this?" Minerva asked Laxus just as Dust was starting to advance in further.

"You guys need all the help you can get, don't you?" said Lauxs. Though in honesty, he had just decided to go on instinct after Dust's group had started to get overwhelmed with no vehicle support. That, and he hadn't been in his Fire Hammer when the attacks started, so he didn't really have much in terms of cover.

"I admire your support, but I'll be honest. I don't trust Dust, and the moment me and Andrew can get a chance to get to Zach, we're ditching him. Besides, what we're doing is very dangerous, and we're only doing it because of our... ties to Zach. You don't have any beyond fighting alongside with him, and that doesn't exactly bode well for whatever we might encounter when we face him. I think it's best that you help the others."

Laxus looked over the circumstances. The other people going in besides Dust, Minerva and Andrew were the unstable and hard realist Lutsky; the Ogel Drone Septimus, whose mental state could mean Maelstrom had a hard time getting through to him; and an apparent surfer guy he didn't really know. It did honestly make him look like a bit of an expendable.

"You're right," he said with a sigh. "Just explain this well to Dust and Andrew, and make sure he knows that I hope the best for him. I really do."

"I will," said Minerva. "And watch yourself. It's only slightly safer out there than in here."

The Martian nodded and ran back out, finding himself only a few yards from the battle sight involving Dr. Cyborg, the Stromling Ape, and Zach himself. Seeing a T-1 Typhoon move in for closer range, he wisely began to head the opposite direction, seeking the cover of the obelisks.

*****

The T-1 Typhoon's machine gun fire had served as ample distraction for the ape and his rider as Semick maneuvered his vehicle in for closer shots. He did his best to keep a cool head, but knowing that this was the... thing that was taking quite a bit of glee in pushing his men to their limits was getting his fury up. To calm himself, he did his best to think about who the creature had been... and arguably still was.

Zach, Semick thought to himself, oh Zach. You don't know how much I wish you were here below me in the front gunner seat, blasting these monsters into submission. You may currently be some kind of psychopath, but I have a good feeling you're still in there somewhere, giving it all you've got to get your body back and show that Maelstrom of yours who's the better one. If by some chance you can hear me, then let me tell you this: I'm sorry for any injuries I lay on you, and keep up the fight in there. I'm rooting for you. As for you, "general"... I'll show you what the price is for breaking our eardrums telling us we're "doomed".

"Open fire!" he shouted to the gunner in the front gunner seat, as he prepared to fire every weapon he could personally at the enemies below him. 

*****

Another smash as Dr. Cyborg dodged the Stromling Ape fist again. "Now, I think-" Zach was silenced as a missile struck bellow Cranky's feet, knocking him back. Zach tightened his grip on Cranky's fur and prayed that the ape did not fall backwards. Chunks of ground flew everywhere.

"What was that?" Zach said, clearly disturbed. He looked over and saw a Fire Hammer with smoke emitting from the Xenon Launcher as if a missile had been recently been fired. He grinned widely. "Kill," he muttered to Cranky. Cranky roared and charged at David's Fire Hammer fiercely. He grabbed the cab of the jeep and shook it violently.

"Finish it!" Zach roared. Cranky shoved the shaken Fire Hammer near the cliff and carefully let the back wheels slide off the cliff. "And... good." The Fire Hammer was now precariously dangling over the cliff. "That should provide enough entertainment. Now-" He was interrupted by the rapid gunshots from a T-1 Typhoon above him that were aimed at him. Zach scowled.

"Everybody wants to hang out with me today, apparently," Zach said. "Oh well. Can't let that ruin the fun! Go!" Cranky started running back into the battlefield. Zach slid himself to Cranky's side to better guard himself from the T-1 Typhoon's attack. He could hear Cranky grunting as bullets pierced his body, but he continued forward despite the pain.

"There!" Zach grinned. An Iron Predator was just ahead...

The ape was distracted. Now's my chance, Cyborg thought. He somersaulted backwards into the temple, and ran to the team. Luckily, they weren't that far away. 

Dr. Cyborg stopped for a minute. He pulled out his PDA and sent a message to Zach.

All rivalries require trash talk, Zach.

Your friend,

Dr. Cyborg 

*****

"You want to win the battle, get rid of that monkey!" Vinyaya barked into the radio. The Mutant Pterosaurs had mostly backed off, allowing the T-1 Typhoon fleet to focus its firepower on taking out the seemingly endless army of Stromlings below. Particularly the massive Stromling Ape that had just shoved a Fire Hammer halfway over the edge of a cliff.

"It's heading for Agents Mur and Rockford's Iron Predator!"

*****

"And fire!" Colonel yelled out. The Z-1 Kinetic fired at a nearby Fire Hammer, blowing it to pieces. "Excellent!"

"Hey!" a voice yelled over the radio. "What do you think you're doing, agent?"

Colonel grinned. "My job, soldier. General Virchaus wants these vehicles out of here!"

"Virchaus? What... OH ZNAP! THE STROMLINGS HAVE HIJACKED ONE OF OUR PREDATORS!"

Colonel laughed loudly. "On to the next one, boys!"

*****

"Didn't I make that clear, agent?" Rockford muttered as someone screamed about the hijacked Iron Predator. Around him, his vehicle was already moving in position to fire at the hijacked vehicle, and another Iron Predator, along with two Fire Hammers, were preparing to do the same.

"Predators aren't known for their maneuverability," Mur was saying, "and that goes for the gun, too! The cockpit is exposed, and we never made it with a need for shields in mind! It's a MegaBlokin' easy target for military forces, so if you men can't take it down, I don't know what will! Fire away!"

The cannons and guns began firing, all aimed at the center of the Iron Predator, where its infected crew were stationed. The blasts were striking hard, but the smoke from the impact was obscuring the results. Mur was grimacing, and Rockford could only watch and listen to the comm chatter. He really needed to grab a-

"MUR! YOU'VE GOT 8 O'CLOCK COMPANY!" Semick's voice cried through the radio. The two agents in charged turned in said direction to see the Stromling Ape, still shoving off the firepower of Semick's T-1 Typhoon as it ran towards their vehicle.

"Znap it all, this is getting ridiculous!" Mur cried as he ran to the edge of the cockpit. "I don't care how much energy this Maelstrom is giving you, you don't just shove off a T-1's assault without consequence!"

The Stromling Ape leapt at the cockpit, and Rockford began to yell for Mur to get out of the way. But as the ape got within a yard of the vehicle, Mur swinged his left side where his left arm used to be, and the giant ape flew backwards, back first onto the ground. It was like a giant fist had punched it back.

Zach quickly let go of Cranky's fur as the Stromling Ape flew backwards. I'd rather not be crushed by a 600-pound gorilla, thanks. He slid on his back into the ground for several yards. After he stopped, Zach pulled himself off the ground and saw Cranky laying farther ahead on his back.

"That was exhilarating," Zach said, slightly dazed. "I'd rather not do that again."

"KARMA, YOU SON OF A GUN!" Rockford was speechless, as was the crew of the Iron Predator. Mur simply glared at the creature, turned back to his crew and pulled down on his uniform at the neck to show his arm stump. In its place was a small circular device, buzzing from a small antenna attached to it.

"Somethin' I was working on with the medical crew. Experimental, supposed to be a more interesting prosthetic than robotic limbs and pegs. Long story, I'll explain later. Now get the guns aimed at that thing and let's help Semick wipe that thing out! Son of a 'blok's been Rasputinin' for far too long!"

Zach turned toward the Iron Predator, where a bunch of agents were staring at Cranky. Among them Zach recognized Rockford and Mur, two agents he had met briefly after his first trip to XERRD Fortress.

"Rockford!" Zach called out as if greeting an old friend, extending his arms out. "Mur! What a pleasure it is to see you two again!"

Rockford and Mur's heads turned down from Cranky to Zach. "Zach!" Rockford replied, full of surprise.

"The one and only!" he said, grinning at the Dino Attack agent. "I saw your message, Rockford. The one about generating a cure on my behalf. I must express my gratefulness for your concern, but it is far too late to do anything about it now!"

"There is still a chance!" Rockford responded. "Surrender! We can have the means to help you!"

"But where would fun be in that?" Zach chuckled as Cranky returned to his side. Zach notice Mur's dark stare that he directed at the Stromling Ape. "Rather fascinating device you have, Mur. I have never seen one quite like it. Far more advanced than what I had for a hand replacement. Did Nazareno step up his prosthetic game, or was it designed by someone different? You know what, don't answer, I don't care too much.

"But I tried to be a fair as I could. I gave your team a forewarning of what was to come, and now you are using unfair tools against me. As ringleader and, more or less, gamemaster of this show, you must be punished. Let's see what I can do..." Zach raised his hand. The Maelstrom swarmed around it before shooting toward Mur's prosthetic. The agents around Mur stepped back in fear as it swirled around the device and eventually seeped into the device.

"What did you do?!" Mur demanded.

"Disabled your device for a minute or so," Zach said. "It shouldn't actually infect you with the Maelstrom. This is all provided I did it right. This is the first time I've actually used this ability. Neat, eh?"

"Only a minute or so?" Rockford questioned.

"Yes. This is a test run. To see if the power works. Regardless, a minute or so should be enough time for Cranky to board your tank here and smash all of you into a pile of MEGABLOKS. Sic 'em, Cranky." Zach started laughing loudly as Cranky charged at the Iron Predator and landed inside the cockpit, knocking several agents over.

"Have fun, Cranky!" Zach laughed as began to walk away. "I know I will!" 

That isn't going to work anymore, Rockford told himself in reaction to the events that just occurred. The attempt to reach Zach through simple talk, the odd device Mur had finally revealed that he had (at least temporarily), and, probably, the Iron Predator they had been using.

A smart man would choose to just abandon the vehicle. No piece of technology was worth one's life, and especially when the thing between one and said technology was a rampaging ape possessed by evil. Rockford was a smart man, as was Mur and the rest of the vehicle's crew. Nearly all of them leaped off, yet Mur stood still, facing the ape with a continued look of disbelief and anger.

Rockford wanted to say something, but at this point he realized that if an agent was doing something questionable, that usually meant they had something in mind. So, he watched as the ape glanced around with a challenging glance at the fleeing agents, bellowing a roar in victory, and then finally noticing Mur still standing. The creature grinned and snatched him up, raising him up to his face.

Mur looked more controlled now, his anger and surprise giving way to a stoic look. A look Rockford knew well from his days in the criminal justice system. That was the look of a person knowing that whatever they were going to say, it was going to cost them or someone else dearly. It was a look of guilt, regret, and resignment. He held this face for a moment.

And then he nodded. Not a slow one, or a rapid one like a five-year-old trying to get across that he wanted a cookie, but a quick one, like a single performance of a headbang.

The ape thought he understood, grinned once more, and raised Mur over his head, perhaps to slam him into the side of the Cryothermic Cannon, or throw him into the nearest Fire Hammer. Rockford never found out. At that moment, he had noticed Semick's T-1 still hovering above, its weapons starting to rev into activity. And he noticed that several nearby Fire Hammers were readying theirs as well. It was then that he understood.

He ran as the weapons went off. As the machine guns, Sonic Screamers, Voltaic Launcher, Xenon Launchers, and simple laser weapons all went off within seconds of each other, all aimed at Mur's Iron Predator. They struck their mark right at the center, where the Stromling Ape was preparing to deal the final blow on Mur.

The vehicle went up in flames. Fireballs, orange from the fuel, green from the weapon power systems, engulfed the craft. Small LEGO pieces went flying, while chunks blew off in various directions, barely missing Minifig bystanders. Rockford could feel the heat wave and blast force push him down and mildly scorch his back.

The guns didn't stop firing even as the smoke began to dissipate and clear.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 44: Forbidden Ruins

----

Minerva held her Sonic Screamer close. Dust walked carefully through the temple, the other agents close behind. She could feel an annoying buzzing in her head.

What are you waiting for? a voice hissed in her mind. Dust has no intention of helping Zach. Leave the fool and find Zach!

Minerva felt slightly dizzy. "I think those Maelstrom effects Zach was talking about are already occurring," she said to Andrew.

He nodded slowly. "I can feel it too." Around her, the agents showed signs of queasiness and nausea. Regardless, she fought through the uncomfortable buzzing in her head and pressed forward.

"Stop," Dust muttered. The agents seized their movement.

"What is it, Thutmose?" Lutsky asked impatiently. Minerva scowled at him despite her attempts to keep her emotions in check. Especially in a place that seemingly can manipulate your emotions to its advantage.

"A trap," Dust responded. He picked up the bone of a dead minifig and tapped the floor ahead of him. A small arrow shot out of the walls and bounced off the bone, clearly not containing enough force to implant itself into the bone.

"Doesn't seem that bad," Lance said, shrugging.

Dust picked up the arrow and sniffed it. He turned to Lance and held the arrow up to his face. "Poisoned arrowheads," Dust said. "And that poison is the Maelstrom. If this thing buries itself into your skin and gets the Maelstrom into the bloodstream, you'll become a Stromling rather quickly, I would think." Uneasiness spread throughout the group.

Dust turned back to the hallway. "Follow me," he said. "Don't make a wrong step, or you will regret it." With that, Dust stepped onto the floor. Minerva winced, expecting an arrow to be implanted into Dust's arm. However, nothing happened. She looked down on the floor. It was divided into tiles, each with its own individual markings on them.

Dust reached out and stepped on to the next tile, two tiles away from the one he was standing on. He turned back to the group. "Come on!"

Minerva stepped forward, shaking, and stepped on the tile Dust was previously standing on. She breathed a sigh of relief as nothing shot out at her. She looked back at Dust, who had already moved on to the third tile.

"Keep moving, Fabello," Dust muttered, concentrating on the task at hand. Minerva nodded and moved over to the next tile as Andrew stepped on to the first tile. 

Andrew breathed a sigh of relief as again, nothing happened as he stepped on the tile. Looking at the floor, he could definitely see a sort of pattern going on with the tiles, at least in terms of what ones were being avoided, and what the crew was stepping on so far. A classic adventure story trick.

"Is this as easy as it looks, Dust?" he asked whom he was calling leader, ignoring the small whispers that were telling him otherwise. Never listen to the voices in your head. It was something Andrew knew well, even if he hadn't always been a follower of that philosophy. "Step on the right tiles, and we'll be fine? Or was this Hotep more ingenious and cleverer in how he laid this out?"

"Don't ask questions, just follow my lead," the Egyptian said.

"Yes, but we could possibly move quicker if we knew what we were doing. Knowledge is power, after all."

*****

Cranky was in a world of hurt. Every metal beast had focused its attack power on him. He had been caught in yet another explosion, and yet the Dino-fighting team didn't relent.

He dragged himself out of the wreckage, groaning. He had dropped the Minifig-Mur that he had been so close to killing. He wasn't actually sure if the man-Minifig had survived the onslaught, but Cranky was beyond caring. He had to leave. He had to get healed by dark power-Maelstrom. He had to continue the fight. For Master-Zachary.

Cranky tried to crawl to his feet, but the endless attack of burning-hot attacks kept him on the ground. He made sure to stay on his stomach, trying to keep the vulnerable area away from Dino-hunter attacks. He could hardly see. He would definitely die soon.

Master-Zach, Cranky croaked to the Dino-hunter-zombie he had befriended. Help! However, he received no response. Cranky finally ceased movement, laying on the ground and hoping he would just die.

Suddenly, the attack stopped. Cranky looked up, confused. Why did the Dino-hunters stop? He was beyond caring, however. He rolled over onto his back and picked up his tie that lay on his chest. It had been torn and burnt to shreds. It was basically a purple thread tied around his neck.

Cranky was about to stand up when he felt the barrel of a shooter-gun on his forehead. Cranky looked up and saw hunter-Villano holding the weapon. Cranky suddenly felt better. Hunter-Villano was an ally, the last time he remembered.

The hunter leaned down close. "You are the only one left from that little group Virchaus put together, huh?" the hunter said darkly. "You and me. Unfortunately for you, I have a new employer." Cranky's eyes widened in realization of what was about to happen. "I think it is time to finish that hunt. You have escaped me for long enough, ape."

Cranky began to screech angrily and weakly raised a hand to attack. The dark-power Maelstrom wasn't healing fast enough!

"Adios," Hunter-Villano said, grinning darkly. Cranky heard the weapon make a click. There was a bang and everything went dark.

----

Clint slowly drew his gun as he stepped into the dark courtyard of Fort Legoredo. Maria had her knife still drawn, and her hand ready for her gun. The place was largely empty. A few Hybrids were sleeping in scattered positions, some of them making a soft hissing noise, but aside from one or two sentries up front watching the outside, it seemed empty.

"We got to be very quiet," Clint said as he led them toward the back rooms. 

Clint quietly opened the door to the rooms in the back of the fort before leading his two companions inside.

"Alright," he whispered. "We're going to split up. I think we should each enter a different room, look around, see if there's anything suspicious. We'll look though our respective rooms for useful information. If you find any hybrids, you kill 'em. In exactly half an hour, we meet back here, understand?"

Maria nodded.

"Good," replied Clint. He lit a cigar and turned toward one of the rooms. In this case, a small office. There were a few filing cabinets and other such things. Clint took his time rummaging through drawers and cabinets, pulling out any folders that seemed even remotely of interest. It was when he approached the desk that he found a particularly interesting folder, the information on which caught his attention.

"So that's who the mole is?" Clint muttered to himself. "That explains it."

----

Zach stood in the doorway to Hotep III's temple, silent and his face betraying little emotion. He watched Rudo Villano walk away from the ruined body of Cranky. The agents from the various vehicles that had helped kill Cranky were cheering loudly.

He hadn't quite expected Cranky's death to hit him as hard as it was. Cranky had truly been the only being he could trust while working with the Maelstrom. He had been an extremely close ally. Almost a friend in some sense. You will not be forgotten, friend.

Zach glanced down. He saw Colonel limping up the stairs to meet with Zach. The most obvious change in Colonel's appearance was the fact that his right leg was completely gone. To compensate, Colonel was using a metal pole as a cane.

"What happened?" Zach asked.

"The Dino Attack took a fancy on that Iron Predator me and my squad hijacked." Colonel pointed out the fiery remains of Iron Predator.

"Ah. I didn't see that wreck over another wreck that took Cranky's life," Zach responded, pointing over to where Rockford and Mur's Iron Predator used to be. Unlike the Iron Predator Colonel had hijacked, Rockford and Mur's Iron Predator was unrecognizable and was basically a bunch of burning LEGO pieces scattered everywhere.

Colonel removed his cap and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, sir."

Zach shooed away Colonel's words with his hands. "It's alright. I'm not happy, but Cranky died for the Maelstrom's cause. His death will not be in vain. Now, about your leg..."

"I can still fight, sir," Colonel said defiantly.

"I don't doubt it," Zach said, smiling at Colonel's fierce obedience. "However, the situation has changed. I don't want my top commander hindered by the lack of two working legs. Let me see..." Zach twisted his hand out at Colonel's stump. The Maelstrom swirled around the stump and created a solid black peg-leg-like prosthetic. "That should help. I recommend not getting rid of that pole, though. It's the best I could do."

"Thank you, sir," Colonel said, bowing. "What is the next stage for the battle?" Zach looked out into the battlefield. Stromlings were still spawning at a rapid rate, but most of the Stromling Monkeys were dead. They were back to square one.

"I think it is time," Zach said, grinning widely. He turned back to Colonel. "Contact the Hybrids. Tell them it's about time to start. Tell them to wait for my signal."

"Yes, sir," Colonel said, nodding and smiling.

Zach turned to the battlefield and amplified his voice yet again. "Well done, Dino Attack, well done!" Zach said with mock-praise. "You have survived both waves of the Maelstrom's forces! You decimated the second wave and, well, the first wave will never end as far as I'm concerned, but they are easy enough, right?

"I will admit this however: I am NOT amused. Not amused at all. You killed the ape I considered to be my only real friend at this point. Worry not, Cranky. Your death will not be in vain. So, like any minifig, I think it's time to extract what any normal minifig would want in my situation: revenge! 

"Introducing the final wave of the Maelstrom forces! This is largest and easily deadliest wave. You've seen them before, you'll see them again, and stronger than ever. Led by what I've decided call the Seven Hybrid Riders of the Maelstrom. You heard that right, ladies and gentlemen. Hybrids. Of the Minifig/Mutant Lizard breed! They are leading the infamous Mutant Dinosaurs!!"

Zach silenced himself. A massive collection of roars could be heard in jungle. As the roar died, the sound of hundreds of massive, running reptiles echoed across the area.

"They are on their way!" Zach cackled. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to witness hundreds of screaming, Maelstrom-controlled dinosaurs tearing you apart as I have business inside the temple that needs to be addressed. Have fun!"

Zach lowered his voice and turned to Colonel. "You're in charge now, Colonel. Think you can handle it?"

Colonel saluted Zach with his Sonic Screamer arm. "I will crush the enemy swiftly, sir."

"Excellent. Good luck, Colonel." Without any further waiting, Zach turned and entered the temple. 

*****

The faint sound of footsteps echoed from behind Dust's party. Septimus, Andrew, and Minerva spun about quickly, but Dust merely halted and looked back. They were greeted by the sight of Katerina Schattenberg flanked by four of the three-eyed synthfigs.

"The abilities these four lovely gentlemen possess will surely be invaluable to your efforts in here," she remarked. "Maelstrom detection, absorption, and immunity ought not to be taken for granted in a place like this." 

"Well, I have two of those covered already," Dr. Cyborg told Katerina. "But, I could always use more help."

Dust shrugged as he sized up Katerina Schattenberg. "The more the merrier, I suppose. But we need to be more careful, a group of ten seems like an accident waiting to happen."

"I agree," said Katerina.

Katerina joined the party, and they continued on. "I am going to sleep. I have gone three or four days without it," Dr. Cyborg announced. "My robotic half will still function, however."

As Dr. Cyborg drifted off, the last thing he thought was that he had stored a large amount of Maelstrom internally.

He was back in his office in the Dino Island XERRD base. He was working on a formula to improve the Mutant Dinos even more when he realized something: this was wrong. This whole Mutant Dino apocalypse thing was going to injure and kill many. However, here the dream split from reality.

Instead of deciding to destroy this, and leave XERRD, a dark thought came to him. If thoughts had color, this would be purple.

"You don't need to leave. None of this is your fault. Hey, it's kinda fun."

Dr. Cyrista agreed eagerly, and the dream became a montage, minus music. He saw himself becoming ruthless and cruel. He rose in the ranks of XERRD for these great qualities. He became second in command. When Dr. Rex died, he bequeathed XERRD and all he owned to Dr. Cyrista. The Dino Attack ended, and XERRD won. This purple thought came again, this time telling him to execute the rest of XERRD and toss them into a pool of Maelstrom. Cyrista did so with glee. He "commanded" the Maelstrom, and conquered the LEGO Planet. He then conquered the galaxy. Next, the dimension. He finally conquered the world. He ruled as a god, with the Maelstrom, for it had revealed itself, as his weapon and advisor. 

Dr. Cyborg awoke with an anguished cry. Andrew asked, "What's wrong?"

"Maelstrom-induced nightmare," Dr. Cyborg replied. He shot the Maelstrom out of his hands into a pool they were passing.

Dust rarely paid Doctor Cyborg's recent incidents any notice. Over the last few days, he had begun to anticipate glitches.

*****

Rockford was in shock. Not a good state to be in considering the circumstances, but it was understandable. Not everyone saw a close ally willingly let themselves die like that in such an extraordinary way. And with such suddenness, too.

However, his remaining allies weren't letting him stay like this, so as much as Rockford kept replaying Mur's last nod over and over on his mind's replay screen, he couldn't help but hear the murmurs of the people talking to him.

"...Rockford... Rockford... Rockford, c'mon, snap out of it!"

The image in his mind faded as Rockford saw the face of a Martian staring down at him, dragging him along the ground.

"Laxus, I..."

"Don't say anything, just keep in the moment, we're getting you to another vehicle. And we still need your help."

Looking around behind Laxus's arms, he saw that a Fire Hammer was pulled up nearby. Two agents were inside, and another was on the Xenon cannon. "Semick's on my radio comm, Laxus," said the driver. "He wants to talk to Rockford."

"You think you can do that, sir?" Laxus asked.

"I... yes, I can." He began to push himself onto his feet, and Laxus helped him along the way to get to the front passenger seat of the Fire Hammer.

"Here's the mic," the driver said as Rockford got into the seat. "I'll get us going, Zach sent our classic foes on us."

"Assuming they don't have extra surprises," Laxus said as they climbed into the back, "taking on Dinos and hybrids should be a relief after all the Maelstrom business."

"Still going to be a toughie," muttered the other agent in the back.

Rockford put his concerns aside and talked into the mic. "Semick?"

"Present. You're still shocked, I think?"

"Yeah. I've only been doing command jobs at the outposts so far, haven't really gotten to see any agents do anything like..."

"You get used to it... somewhat. Never easy to see good men like that pull the ultimate sacrifice. And always in their prime. All we can do is ensure their actions were not for naught."

"Agreed. So... I guess I get his job now?"

"Afraid so. You up for it?"

Rockford glanced at the battlefield. The Mutant Dinos were already pouring in, and the guns and lasers were blazing yet again. It was like all the big battles he had read the reports about. The Goo Caverns, various city standoffs, LEGO Studios, Mount Bricklake, etc. And it was time for him to play commander.

"Always did reasonably well at Risk, so..." he remarked.

"Good. Team frequency's up two notches."

"Understood," he said, and with a glance at his current crew, he switched to the all-agent frequency. "Alright men, we've got our familiar foes again, and all the ways we've bested them. Let's not let Mur down..." 

----

Maria slowly opened the door to reveal a sort of bedroom. Actually, it was technically a bedroom, which would have once been used by the senior officer of the cavalry. Now the bed was occupied by a hideous Hybrid, who was hissing loudly in his sleep. The noise annoyed Maria greatly as she walked toward the bed and picked up a pillow.

The Hybrid's eyes opened slowly, but upon seeing her, he immediately became fully awake and alert. Maria responded by throwing the pillow onto his face and drawing her gun, firing two clear shots through the pillow she held firmly upon his face. Then, just to be sure, she drew her knife and cut his throat. With that, she stood up and looked around the room. Based on his position, Maria guessed that the Hybrid she'd just killed was some form of officer, maybe even the one running the fort. It couldn't be that simple, but whoever this person was, he had some significance. 

Maria spent a few short minutes looking around the room of the Hybrid officer she'd murdered in cold blood less than a few seconds earlier, but really found nothing beyond old liquor cabinets and a few other luxuries he had presumably been enjoying.

She then turned toward the corpse. Deciding to have some fun, Maria rolled the body onto its side, facing away from the door, and carefully adjusted the sheets and removed the pillow, so that for someone who just entered the room, it would look as though he were still sleeping. "That ought to give 'em a shock," she muttered.

Her investigation finished, Maria turned to the door and found Clint waiting for her.

"Anything?" Maria asked.

"Yeah," replied Clint showing her a sheet of paper. "Check this out."

Maria took the document and stared for a moment. "So there is a traitor," she murmured. "I never would have guessed who it was."

"This is between us," whispered Clint. "We are not to tell anyone about this. I want this spy to have no reason to suspect we know."

"Know what?" Angel Eyes asked as he approached. Clint showed him the document and he smiled. "So that's the sneaky little 4+ who's been leaking all our information," he said keenly.

"Now, under no circumstances is anyone to know we're aware of his identity," Clint said. "I want to catch him unprepared and unawares. Maybe even get a confession in front of several people."

"Sounds good," replied Angel Eyes. "Anything else?"

"I found a bunch of papers," said Clint. "I figured they'd probably come in handy. How about you two?"

"I just killed one of 'em mutants," replied Maria. "Some sort of general, by the look of it."

"You sure that was a good idea?" Angel Eyes asked. "They'll know we were here."

"Indeed," said Clint. "It will still be a major setback, losing a general, and several defenses. How 'bout you, Van Cleef?"

"I took a look in the jail," reported Angel Eyes. "There were a lot of bodies in there. I'm guessing agents who were stationed here when it was taken over."

"Any survivors?" Maria asked.

"One or two who were barely alive," replied Angel Eyes. "It looked like they'd been experimented on. Maybe the Hybrids were trying to mutate them."

"Alright," said Clint. "I don't think a rescue is possible at the moment. Let's go after their defenses."

Clint led the party to the upper level along the wall of the building. There was one sentry standing guard, who was quickly dispatched by Maria. One-by-one they worked their way around, and Maria cut their throats, and as it happened none of the Hybrids snoring below heard the occasional muffled gasps.

"Looks like they got a couple o' guns set up front," said Maria. "I'm a-goin' to try to disable 'em, and then we can go right out through the front gate."

----

"It seems you folks are running out of room," noted Katerina.

She was right. As the eleven agents traveled deeper into the temple, the corridors narrowed. They were forced to march single file, and often their shoulders rubbed the hard stonewalls.

"I don't get it, man," grumbled Lance, "Why would this pharaoh make getting into this temple so hard? It would have to be relatively accessible for rituals and stuff, right?"

"Hotep III never wanted it to be easily accessible," said Dust, reverting back to his archeologist days. "He built it here on this remote island so he and his priests could study the Maelstrom a safe distance from his kingdom."

Minerva was surprised. "He studied the Maelstrom?"

"He wanted to understand its powers," said Dust. "He hoped it could be used as a means of glorifying Egypt, but he also understood the risks."

They continued down a narrow tunnel. It took sharp turns right and left turns and soon most of the party was so turned around that they had little perception which direction they were going.

"Hotep's priest advised him to build the temple in Egypt so everyone could see its splendor, but the pharaoh chose to build it here instead. He hoped to avoid tragedy and destruction in the event he lost control and the Maelstrom escaped."

"We don't need the history lesson," said Doctor Cyborg. "Just tell us how to get to the main chamber. We'll stop the thing and then we'll talk."

"Fair enough," said Dust. "We're be coming up to a group of spikes that will burst out of the wall soon. You don't have much room to maneuver, so you'll have to move exactly how I tell you."

He stopped suddenly at a faint line on the floor and the rest of the party bumped into him. Turning around, he pointed a finger at the team. "Watch closely."

Dust faced the hallway and took eight deliberate paces. As soon as he set his foot down the last time, a serrated blade shot from the walls behind and before him.

The spike sat there about four seconds before withdrawing into the wall. Dust paused and stepped forward another eight passes down the hallway before the same happened again.

Septimus seemed to get the idea and followed the Egyptian's lead. Sure enough, once he reached the given location, the blades surged forth and impaled the place where he might have been.

Dust's voice called from down the hall. "We'll be getting some breathing room soon. Once we'll out of this hall, we're be entering a large antechamber."

"It's weird how we've seen no Stromlings yet," said Andrew. "This place should be full of them."

"The Maelstrom can create illusions," said Katerina. "My synthfigs inform me that they are picking up massive readings about 100 meters down the hall. There's some Stromling in here, and it's big."

Lance called up to Dust: "Yo! What kind of Stromling is up there?"

The Egyptian was perplexed. He had no knowledge of this temple having Stromlings in it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

*****

Hertz smiled. The ape was dead and most of the monkeys had been torn apart by the powerful beam emitters. He sent his update to Windows and took a position beside Vinyaya.

Mutant Dinosaurs were pouring out of the jungle at a relatively constant rate. Only Raptors and Lizards were present, and Hertz suspected that the Mutant Tyrannosaur Rexes were being kept in reserve.

The Space Commando held a pair of electro binoculars to her eyes and looked out at the dark jungle. "I'm picking up a lot of heat readings," she said.

"What does that mean?" asked Hertz. Pure Stromlings don't give off heat. And even mutants were known for being unnaturally cold. Whatever was in the jungle was unnatural.

Vinyaya frowned and put her binoculars to her chest. "Hybrids." 

*****

...six... seven... eight. Minerva seized her advance as spikes shot out of the wall in front and behind her. She breathed out long and slow. These traps required more patience than Minerva had. This naturally increased her level of anxiety.

"What do you mean, you have no idea what he is talking about?" Minerva called out to Dust. "This temple is under the Maelstrom's control. Why wouldn't there be Stromlings inside, waiting to ambush us?"

Dust remained silent. Minerva rolled her eyes and continued forward as the spikes retracted back into the wall.

Thutmose is a fool, a new voice said, deeper and more aggressive than the previous one. He knows only of the temple's contents without the Maelstrom's influence. He will not help you find Zach. He is worthless to you.

Minerva bit her lip. She didn't like Dust, but that didn't mean he wasn't an important asset. I don't know, whoever you are. We would have already died if Dust wasn't here. And besides, I'm pretty sure none of us know where Zach is, and I'll probably have to go through a few more traps before I find him. Dust is kind of necessary.

The voice scoffed. You don't need that fool. We can lead you to Zach's location. He has just reentered the temple and will no doubt be returning to his chamber.

Minerva was still apprehensive. What about the traps?

They can be disabled. We can lead you to him! Are you willing to knock down this opportunity?

Just a bit. You are the Maelstrom. How do I know you are not just going to lead me into a trap and kill me?

Our dear, we could snap our fingers and something would kill you. Instantly. But we are interested in your team's plight. We wish to see how long it lasts. The voice faded away, and Minerva felt more unnerved than ever.

*****

"I'm here," Zach said.

Ahua turned around, scowling. He had been waiting within Zach's chamber for several minutes. "It took you long enough," Ahua snapped. "Long enough for Cranky to get killed."

Zach bared his teeth angrily. "Shut up," Zach said darkly. "What is the update in here?"

"Eleven Dino Attack agents have entered the temple," Ahua said. "They are approaching a chamber as we speak."

"And you want me to go kill them, right?"

"Wrong," Ahua said. "We have Stromlings throughout the temple that can deal with them. You are the last resort."

Zach shrugged. "Fine. What do you want me to do then?"

"Stay here, and wait." Zach rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement.

*****

Colonel stayed near the temple entrance. Mutant Dinos were flowing into the battlefield at a rapid pace. The Dino Attack was holding its own against the dinosaurs for now, but he was not willing to put all of his support on the Mutant Dinos simply overwhelming the Dino Attack. At least, not without aid.

Colonel glanced up at the fleet of T-1 Typhoons above. They were currently tangled with the reemergence of the Mutant Pterosaurs. Few of the flying reptiles would swoop down and attack ground agents, but otherwise the swarm of Pterosaurs stayed in the air.

Colonel knew what needed to be done. Navi! Colonel yelled out. A Mutant Pterosaur swooped down from the swarm and landed in front of the temple. On its back was a female Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid whom they had named Navi. Colonel hobbled up to the reptile's side and extended his hand toward the Hybrid.

"Get me up!" Colonel commanded. Navi obeyed, pulling the crippled colonel on to the Pterosaur's back. "Now ride!" The Pterosaur took flight. It was soon high into the sky, flying over the battlefield.

Colonel glanced at the T-1 Typhoons. He knew this was suicide, but if the Mutant Dinos wanted to gain the upper hand, they needed some backup. "Now," Colonel began... 

----

Quietly, Maria tiptoed her way toward the front of Fort Legoredo. One sentry was standing next to a particularly nasty looking turret. She was quick to draw her knife, grab him, slit his throat, and then throw his body over the wall.

"Alright," she whispered to her comrades, trying not to wake any of the Hybrids below. "I'm gonna try and disable this sentry gun. There seems to be two of 'em. One on each side of the entrance. Clint, you take this side, Van Cleef, you go over to the other. I need you two watching my back. I'll let you know when I'm done."

Angel Eyes adjusted his hat before he turned to the stairs and worked his way to the other side. Maria slowly crouched down by the gun. There was a momentary gunshot heard, as Clint looked to faintly see Angel Eyes holding his gun behind a Hybrid's head as its body fell over.

Maria briefly used her vest to clean the blood off the knife and then used it as a screwdriver to remove a small panel, exposing a number of wires.

"Can you work with that?" Clint asked.

"No," replied Maria. Then she smiled. "But I can break it."

The barmaid yanked as hard as she could, pulling out a few wires and causing a few sparks. She cut a few more wires with her knife and then placed the metal plate back on. She took a few minutes to carefully rebolt it.

"That there's one gun that ain't goin' to cause no more trouble," Maria said keenly.

"What's the idea behind rescrewing everything?" Clint asked.

"Subtlety," replied Maria. "If it seems intact on the outside, they'll have less reason to suspect it of being broken within."

Slowly, Maria worked her way down the ladder and climbed to the other side of the gate where Angel Eyes was waiting. Once again, she opened the panel, tore up the wires, cut several of them, replaced it, and bolted it up like new.

"I think that there's everythin'" she said. "Let's get goin'."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want to be around when these boys wake up and see what we've done," Angel Eyes said with a smile.

Clint came down to meet up with them. "We ready to go?" he asked.

"You bet," replied Maria. They walked over to the gate and slowly opened it as quietly as they could. They stepped outside, closed the gate, and got on their horses, Clint went back to the side to get his and then they rode off into the night sky, each of them thinking about how the Hybrids were going to react in the morning when they'd wake up to find found their commander and several guards dead, papers missing, and sentries broken. 

*****

The next morning...

Clint Wayne rushed towards Angel Eyes and Maria, who were both asleep in their bunks after a hard day's night. He shook them both awake, and wearily, they opened their eyes and grumbled about a wake-up call.

"This isn't good!" insisted Clint. "You have to wake up - they're gone!"

"What's gone?" moaned Maria, rubbing her eyes.

Glancing around quickly to make sure no one was listening, Clint hissed in a voice barely more than a whisper: "The paper that revealed the identity of the mole!"

This seemed to startle his companions awake. "What do you mean?" Angel Eyes inquired. "I thought you were going to keep it safe!"

"And so," Clint said with a grimace, "I thought I did. But look here..." With that, he held out his hand, and his companions saw a few smoldering ashes in the palm of his hand. "That's all that's left. Whoever burned the paper apparently did not do a very good clean-up job, or else wanted us to know that he burned-"

"Good morning, gentlemen!"

They startled and turned around to see Saboteur enter the room. The Alpha Team agent walked with firm confidence, and from behind his cowl, he seemed to be smirking. "Oh, I'm sorry, mademoiselle," he said, "so I should correct my earlier statement... Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!"

Everyone stared at Saboteur with most undisguised distrust. "What do you think you're doing?" demanded Angel Eyes.

Saboteur shrugged. "Sorry for popping in unannounced. But I'm sure you all had fun last night. You did a fine job, sneaking about zhe Hybrids' fortress. Even I'm a little proud. But... you were far too messy. You didn't think zhat ze Hybrids would notice a dead officer, a bunch of dead guards, and broken sentries?"

Clint Wayne, Angel Eyes, and Maria traded glances.

"Zhese Hybrids are much like Mutant Lizards, you see," Saboteur continued as the quasi-smirk disappeared from his expression. "Zhey are extremely adaptable, and even now, zhey are recovering from your little game last night, increasing zheir already-increased defenses. Luckily for you, it seems zhat Sarge has decided to take advantage of zhe situation and, even as we speak, is sending out zhe bomb cart to make sure we get zhe Hybrids before zhey fully recover."

"What?" exclaimed Clint, blinking. "He's actually going to do it? He's going to blow up Fort Legoredo?"

"We can always build a new one," declared Saboteur. He turned to leave, but then stopped. "Oh, and forgive me if I am mistaken, but I do believe I heard something or another about... zhe identity of zhe mole?"

Clint, Angel, and Maria instantly put on their best poker faces.

"Nice poker faces," said Saboteur, smirking again. He leaned in closer, as though trying to pressure them. "But, do tell, since I am most curious indeed... who is zhe mole?"

Nobody spoke.

Saboteur's smirk disappeared once more. "Very well, zhen. I get it. But first, let me warn you something... even if you know who it is, you still might not know who it truly is. Firstly, while I'm sure zhat I am zhe only Saboteur of Dino Attack Team, zhere have been incidents where multiple agents have signed up under zhe same codename. For example, zhere are two Alphas and, last I checked, at least three Hunters. If you heard it was, say, Alpha, zhat narrows it down, yes, but not to a certainty. Secondly, it might not even be a codename. It could be a given name, or a surname, or even an occupation, or even a codename zhat zhis individual does not go by in Dino Attack Team, but rather a codename zhat zhey are known by XERRD. Thirdly... Hybrids are not zhe most reliable source. Even if you are absolutely sure who it is... it could very well be a red herring set up to deceive you."

Saboteur turned away, lighting a cigarette as he did so. "If I were you, I would burn zhe evidence and make sure nobody finds out." Without another word, he departed, with Clint Wayne, Angel Eyes, and Maria watching in disbelief.

As soon as Saboteur was out of the room, Clint lit a cigar and muttered, "I really hate that Saboteur. Just when you think you're rid of him, he pops right out of nowhere."

"You think he told the rest of the squad?" Angel Eyes asked.

"Probably," replied Clint. "Now they're going to be pushing a mine cart along a track to the fortress."

"How do they even do that?" Maria wondered. "Are you seriously tellin' me they went through all the trouble o' buildin' a track just so they could push some filthy mine cart toward that there fort and didn't get noticed?"

"Like I said," insisted Clint, "they're amateurs. We may still have a chance though."

"What's your plan?" asked Angel Eyes.

"Get back into town," replied Clint. "See if you can organize a posse."

"A posse?" Angel Eyes repeated.

"Yes," said Clint. "Get me a couple dozen men, women, children, anyone who can pick up a gun."

"What's all this?" asked a familiar voice. The trio turned around to see the faces of Firecracker and Harmonica staring at them.

"Good," said Clint. "At least you two aren't involved with this madness."

"Oh, actually, I was going to go blow up the Hybrid commander," Firecracker said. "Just need to get my explosives an-"

"Ain't goin' to do you much good there," Maria said.

"What do you mean?" asked Firecracker.

"Tragic accident," Maria explained sarcastically. "His gun went off and shot him in the head, then a knife accidentally landed on his neck and sliced it right open."

"I see," said Firecracker.

"Now listen," Clint instructed. "I got a plan. Now, Saboteur said the Hybrids could adapt, and obviously they will, but our actions were still a setback. They should at least slow them down somewhat, if nothing else. Now we're goin' to do this right. Angel Eyes, get to town, get your posse together. Harmonica and I will go with them."

"Oh, what about me?" Firecracker asked.

"Why you've got a very important job," replied Clint. "How many explosives you got?"

"A couple hundred. Why?"

"Because you're goin' to blow up a few things, not necessarily the fort. You wouldn't make it, but I need you to keep the Hybrids occupied. Can you do it?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good," said Clint. "Harmonica, Maria, you two stay with me. We'll keep an eye on things, and as soon as Angel Eyes' posse gets here, we're goin' to take that fort ourselves."

"I'd better get goin' then," Angel Eyes said as he stood up. "Gotta get to town on time."

Angel Eyes walked out of the building. The sound of a horse neighing was briefly audible before its hooves quickly faded into the distance.

"Clint," Maria started to ask, taking him aside. "Clint, what about... um..." She cut herself off noticing the two other men. "You know what."

"We don't have the paper, but we do have the name," said Clint.

"What if what Saboteur said is true?"

"That's why we're to tell no one until we are absolutely sure."

Clint turned back toward the two men standing behind them. "What are you waiting for? Get going already!"

Firecracker hastily picked up the briefcases containing his explosives and ran outside, and soon the noise of a motorcycle faded into the distance. 

----

Donnie smiled as he rolled a full strike. "Yes," he muttered as he turned back to the area where Dude, Walter, and their friends were sitting.

Dude was telling a strange anecdote. "... And then they pooped on my carpet," Dude was explaining.

"That carpet really tied the room together didn't it?" Walter replied sarcastically.

"What's going on?" Donnie asked keenly as he approached them.

"Were you listening to Dude's story?" Walter said sternly.

"I was bowling," replied Donnie.

"Then you have no frame of reference!" snapped Walter. "YOU'RE LIKE A KID WHO WANDERS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MOVIE AND WANTS TO KNOW WHAT HAPPEN-"

Pierce leaned slowly towards Sarah. "Is he always like that?" he whispered.

Sarah nodded. "Trust me," she said. "This is one of his better moods."

"Calm down, man!" Dude shouted.

"YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE, DONNIE!"

"Walter, would you kindly be quiet?" Sarah asked. "Dude was just talking about some annoying 4+ figures who defecated on his carpet before the war started."

"Oh yes," said Donnie. "I remember them."

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!"

"Why exactly do you hang out with these guys?" Pierce asked.

"Because I don't have much better to do," replied Sarah. "Check this out."

Sarah got up and walked over toward the small rack where the bowling balls were kept and stepped onto the lane. She rolled the ball slowly, and got a firm strike.

"Wow," said Dude. "I don't know how she does it, man! I been playin' for years, she's only been in here for a few months." 

----

Nazareno leaned on a counter, panting lightly. His battle with Zelda had worn him out greatly. While Zelda wasn't nearly a good fighter as Zach, her smaller size and lack of a giant laser cannon arm allowed her to move quickly and strike faster than Zach.

Zelda now sat on a bed, her breathing ragged. Fuchs, Wade, Copper, and Crusher worked furiously around, occasionally stopping to jot down an important note. Nazareno imagined the four doctors' examinations were unnerving her even more than she already was.

After several vomiting fits, Zelda managed to inform the doctors that she couldn't see; that she was blind. However, after 15 minutes, her vision was restored. Further tests showed she was severely dehydrated, malnourished, and just downright sick. Her face was sunken and her body was extremely pale.

Nazareno stood up and walked toward the end of Zelda's bed and looked at her. She looked back, her eyes half-closed and clearly in pain. Nazareno glanced up and saw a purple streak running down the middle of her hair. Nazareno frowned.

"Your hair was black and red, right?" he asked her.

Her eyes opened slightly wider. "Yeah," she moaned. "Why?"

"Now it is black and purple."

"What?" she asked, confused. Nazareno went over to the counter and grabbed a small mirror. He returned to the bed and gave it to Zelda. She looked at it, her eyes widened in surprise.

"It seems that the Maelstrom's power can dye your hair," Nazareno noted. "However, I'm not quite sure if you are locked into strangeness yet. The purple might fade away. Or it might not."

Zelda nodded absentmindedly, staring at her hair in wonder.

"Oh," Fuchs said, looking at a small monitor.

"What?" Zelda asked, concerned.

"There is still Maelstrom in your body," Fuchs said sadly. "I had hoped we could've gotten rid of it."

"What?!" Zelda screamed.

"Calm down," Saran said slowly. "What do you mean, Fuchs? The Maelstrom was leaving her body, we could see it."

"Yes," Fuchs said. "It did. However, the Maelstrom must have realized that she was still alive. There is only a small trace of Maelstrom remaining. It must have latched onto her at the last minute."

"What will happen now?" Zelda asked fearfully.

"You will need to get a good wrap around your emotions," Nazareno said. "Although my knowledge of the Maelstrom is limited, my studies and recent events seem to suggest the Maelstrom will cause negative emotions and feeds off of them, making it stronger. I can help you gain control, but other than that, you may be own your own. You may have the Maelstrom in you for the rest of your life."

Zelda looked at Nazareno, her face full of shock at his words. Finally, she sighed. "You're right. You will help me?"

Nazareno nodded.

Zelda smiled shyly. "Thank you." 

*****

Hotwire swung the Talon around to fend off a formation of Pterosaurs. He primed and discharged the PLARXX radar ray, and the five Pterosaurs became jumbled, breaking their formation and wheeling about in confusion. The T-1 Typhoon continued its rotation, and Loop shot them down with the rear cockpit's sonic screamers.

Loop... Hotwire was trying his very hardest not to think about the fact that a vicious murderer was currently strapped calmly in the gunner's seat, completely obedient to his every order. It was a strain on the mind. Katerina Schattenberg had assured him that Loop -- Lupus Schattenberg -- was thoroughly conditioned to obey her will completely, and she had directed him to regard any and every Dino Attack agent as a similar authority. And yet, Hotwire could still see Loop's same rage burning behind the blank wall of compliance in his eyes. It was difficult to trust such a creature just on the word of a friend.

And that friend? The Kat he had known was unrecognizable. Hotwire hadn't had the chance to really talk to her yet, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. The minifig who quite firmly called herself Katerina Schattenberg had said that she was still the same person, but Hotwire was doubtful. From what he'd seen so far, his friend Kat was, for all intents and purposes, as dead as Tracer.

The thought of the jumpy rookie agent reminded him of his leg, which was beginning to hurt again. Wade had told him not to take pain suppressants any more often than once every three hours, but the dose he had taken less than an hour ago was already wearing off. He grabbed another painkiller tube, but then hesitated.

Overdose of heavy pharmaceuticals plus giant helicopter... not good. At the same time, though, the pain in his leg would soon make it difficult to maintain his concentration. Very not good indeed. 

*****

It was dark, and Dust rubbed shoulders with the narrow walls of the passageway. He had never been claustrophobic; in his youth, he had explored plenty of temples with his mentor Professor Kilroy.

Shivering more from excitement than cold, he shone his flashlight down the hall. A thin mist was starting to appear the deeper they descended into the temple, and condensation was forming as their warm breath met the cold stonewalls.

So far, he had seen negative effects on Mathew Cyrista and he was suspected that Minerva was going through her own tribulations. The Maelstrom was most dangerous psychologically, and he assumed that would worsen the closer they got.

That was when the voices started.

What are you afraid of, Gahiji?

The Egyptian turned around to see if Andrew had said something but he simply looked up inquisitively at Dust.

"Is something wrong?" asked the Elite Agent. "Is there something we should look out for?"

Dust shook his head. "No, I just thought you said something."

Andrew just shrugged, and Dust turned to continue down the passage.

You have not answered my question, Gahiji, said the voice. What do you fear?

I don't know fear, thought Dust.

I don't think that's true, said the voice. You fear a lack of control.

I'm in control, thought Dust. I have been from the start; these people are exactly where I want them.

That's not what I meant, cooed the voice. You fear a lack of self-control.

Dust shook his head and smiled. Who are you?

But the voice was gone.

*****

The pilots of the Renaissance moved the helicopter so it faced the tree line. Pulling the trigger, agent Fate fired the incredible twin rotating Quintronic Sonic Beam Emitters into the jungle and shredded the tree line. Mutants fell in droves, but for every Lizard down a Raptor took its place. The monsters' force fields were not effective against sonic weaponry, but it still took a considerable amount of firepower to kill the things.

On the ground, the Minifigure/Mutant Lizard Hybrids crossed the grassy No Man's Land between the jungle and the temple gate. They were armed with rifles but for the most part they used them as clubs rather than guns. They descended on the agents like a pack of dogs, and often times the metal helmets were no match for the powerful clawed swings of the Hybrids. The counterattack was from the Steel Sprinters. The Dino Attack drove headlong into the swarm and downed hordes of mutants with energized lances and Cosmotronic Rays. Hidden in the jungle, agent Shotgun systematically picked off foes one shot at a time.

David's Fire Hammer was soon rescued from its precarious position, and David entered the battle once again. It appeared that the first group of Dino Attack agents had entered the temple. David wished he could be with them, but he was sure he would get his chance. For now, though, he could make himself useful in fighting the remaining Mutant Dinosaurs outside the temple. 

Catless was having a great time. So far, only Lizards and Raptors were out and about. She had developed a useful strategy. She would jump on a Raptor's back, and get the other Raptors and Lizards to claw, spit acid, and attack in various other ways. She would jump off before they reached her, and the Raptor would bear the brunt of the attack and go down. She would jump back on her Steel Sprinter, and find another Raptor. Rinse and repeat. 

A Mutant Pterosaur rammed the Renaissance hard, and Fate had to work hard to compensate the massive craft. A blast of lightning shot into the craft and fried one of the consoles.

Hertz ducked as sparks shot along the interior and was careful to maintain his balance as he rolled perilously close to the door.

Vinyaya gave a battle cry and pumped an entire round of ammunition into the Mutant. It screamed and fell away from the craft.

"You okay?" Vinyaya asked as she helped Hertz up.

"I'm fine," responded Hertz. "The computers are, too. The Renaissance is fitted with advanced surge protection so I'll be online again soo-"

A hot blast hit the helicopter, and the techie was knocked of his feet again. He hit his head hard on the floor, and then there was a thin trickle of red down his face.

Wiping the blood aside, he glimpsed the Mutant Tyrannosaurus Rexes emerging from the jungle.

*****

"There!" Colonel yelled to Navi. A T-1 Typhoon flew before them, desperately fighting off the deadly Mutant Pterosaurs. "Call them off!" Navi yelled out in her strange growl. The Mutant Pterosaurs screeched in acknowledgement and fled the helicopter.

*****

Vinyaya's eyes widened. Mutant Pterosaurs seemingly fled a T-1 Typhoon for no apparently reason. Then she saw it: a single Mutant Pterosaur with two riders on its back. The riders were leaving the Pterosaur and attempting to board the helicopter.

"Take out that Pterosaur!" Vinyaya yelled.

*****

Navi was clinging onto the side of the T-1 Typhoon, standing on top of one of the Quintronic Sonic Beam Emitters. Her hand was extended toward Colonel. He was about to grab her hand when the Mutant Pterosaur was suddenly stopped flapping its wings. Colonel immediately realized a PLARXX Radar Ray on a T-1 Typhoon had knocked out the Pterosaur. He desperately reached for Navi, but his hand slipped and he and the Pterosaur began to free-fall.

The Pterosaur slammed into the ground, killing it quickly. The flying reptile managed to cushion Colonel's fall. He rolled off the Pterosaur and used his metal pole to get back on to his feet.

Navi! Colonel called out. Are you on board?

*****

"There is a Hybrid on board!" an agent screamed over the radio. Vinyaya grimaced. She had heard of the Hybrids' ruthless nature and was not anxious to meet one.

"Take it out!" Vinyaya responded. She was met with static for several minutes. She glanced out the Renaissance again. She saw a Minifig in samurai armor fall out of the T-1 Typhoon. It fell hundreds of feet and slammed into the ground, most likely killing it.

"Did you kill it?" Hertz asked.

"Y-y-yes!" they heard the agent stammer. "It's dead!"

"You alright, agent?" Vinyaya asked uncertainly.

"Y-y-yes!" the agent spat out. "It was just... a little unnerving."

Vinyaya nodded slowly. "You'll make it, troop," she said sympathetically. "Keep up the fight."

"Yes, ma'am!" the agent said, his voice cracking.

"Alright!" she said. "Keep attacking those Pterosaurs!" 

*****

Kara charged a Hybrid riding a T-Rex, firing her gatling gun at it. The shots had no effect.

"Okay, new strategy," she muttered. She started firing at the ground beneath it.

The Hybrid hissed, "What bad aim you have!"

The bolts of sonic energy were not solid, but perhaps they were more useful for that quality. By now, the bolts had started to make the ground churn. Think of it as the world's most advanced Roto-Tiller.

The ground was unstable beneath the T-Rex's feet; time for phase two of her plan. She summoned her ship with a beckon call, and directed it to fire its fuel rod cannon between the T-Rex's feet. However, it "missed", instead shooting and killing the T-Rex! Her A.I. must be getting trigger-happy.

The Hybrid jumped down, and swung its staff at Kara. She jumped back, and X2, occupied with another Stromling, tossed her his MagnaGuard staff. She caught it, and blocked the Hybrid's next swing.

*****

Garry was quick to step into the infirmary. "How's it going?" he asked.

Fuchs approached him. "So far, so good," he whispered. "We've managed to help the patient gain some sense of individuality, but unfortunately some piece of the Maelstrom remains and we're not sure what to do."

"Could you try to surgically remove it?" Garry suggested.

"Probably not," replied Fuchs. "'However, depending on where it's located, we might be able to remove it through a transplant."

"You think it could work?"

"Well, it's just a theory," admitted Fuchs.

"I don't want theories," demanded Garry. "I want answers." 

Nazareno couldn't help but overhear Garry and Fuchs talking. He walked over to the group.

"The Maelstrom isn't something that can just be removed," Nazareno said. "It is an incredibly powerful and somewhat sentient force of evil. Although I hope there is a method to finish it off, I have doubt about the simplicity of it. There is one last hope, possibly. If I remember correctly, Dr. Cyborg could extract Maelstrom from bodies. We could try that when, and if, he returns from the temple. However, I fear that even that may not work. The Maelstrom may fight against such an extraction, but now it's the best and most likely hope."

"Look," said Fuchs. "I see where you're coming from, but the Maelstrom can't just be supernatural. The supernatural is just science we do not understand. Now, theoretically, I think that if we can find the source of what Maelstrom is still left in her and cut it off, it should at least buy us some time." 

"I have an idea," suggested Garry. "I don't like it, but at this point, I think it might be worth taking a chance."

"What's your plan?" Fuchs asked nervously.

"Those prisoners that were brought in earlier," replied Garry. "One of them was a scientist, probably one who had experimented with the Maelstrom. I don't want to let a XERRD member in here, but at this point, if we want results quickly, I think it's worth the risk." 

*****

Minerva shivered. Despite the stuffy heat inside the temple, she occasionally felt a sudden burst of cold. She couldn't tell if anyone else felt the cold, so she assumed the Maelstrom was playing with her again.

She remained calm, but she could feel that shield deteriorating quickly as the hallway seemed to go on forever. The hallway narrowing did not help her much. "How much farther?" she called to Dust, her voice cracking suddenly.

"Not much farther," Dust responded, clearly lost in thought. Minerva shuddered again and she continued, her shoulder rubbing against the wall. They seemed to be closing in on her more and more, trying to suffocate her. Crush her. She suddenly felt a hand touch her shoulder gentle. She jumped and turned to face whoever touched, bruising her shoulders against the wall.

"Who-" she looked and saw a Minifig that she knew was called Kat. Or at least, used to be called Kat. She wasn't sure who it was now.

"Are you alright?" the minifig formerly known as Kat asked. "You are breathing rather heavily."

"Oh," Minerva said, embarrassed. She didn't want to appear to already cracking to the Maelstrom's pressure. "I think I might be a bit claustrophobic. I feel like the walls are closing in on me."

"Don't worry," Katerina said reassuringly. "The Maelstrom is most likely trying to break you. Making illusions to weaken your mental defenses. As long as this 'Dust' character remains trustworthy, there shouldn't be any immediate danger unless Stromlings suddenly appear. Which seems very likely at the moment, according to the synthfigs, despite Dust's denial."

Minerva breathed out long, allowing herself to calm down. "Yeah," she said, slightly dazed. "You're right. Thanks Kat..." she drifted off. She still wasn't sure who this person actually was.

"Katerina Schattenberg," she said, showing a small smile. "Best keep going. We are holding up the others." Minerva nodded and continued forward, feeling slightly better still had a sense of dread.

*****

Rotor and Amanda Claw fought their way through the Stromlings surrounding them, with Rotor firing his machine gun and Amanda slashing with her knife. Rex, whose wheelchair was pushed along by Kate, helped them out by firing at whichever Stromling he could with his Sonic Screamer.

The Stromling Explorers clawed and shot back at them, while the Stromling Islanders in the lead jabbed at them with the spears fused to their arms. However, in comparison to a Mutant T-Rex, the Stromlings were fairly easy to dispatch, and the Dino Attack agents pushed their way through the crowd. As soon as they broke free of the ring of Stromlings, Amanda took over the pushing duty from Kate as they ran down the hallway of the Temple of Creation. Only Rotor stopped briefly to turn around and fire at some pursuing Stromlings with his machine gun before moving on.

As the group made its way through the Temple of Creation, Rex found himself in awe of the temple around them. The arched ceiling towered above them, with great pillars carved from stone reaching up to meet it. On either side of the hallway, they saw dark passageways leading off to other chambers, but it was too dark to see anything beyond the mist and fog that seemed to swirl all around them. Half-heard voices, thoughts, and ideas whispered in his ear, creating an ambiance that seemed to both lull and alert Rex.

At last, they found themselves in an expansive chamber that seemed larger than the Aztec Village itself, with a ceiling that seemed to reach higher than Dino Attack Headquarters. The group stopped in silent awe. Before they could recover, their attention was drawn to a statue not far away from them. Without hesitation but rather with speechless incredulity, they slowly approached the statue.

The statue was of a faded blue hue, and rather simplistic in design: three featureless Minifigs standing equidistant to each other, facing each other with their arms raised high. In the space between the three Minifigs, there was a bright blue orb. It was small, not much larger than Rex's hand, and it flickered as though threatening to go out, but it glowed brilliantly and cast blue light upon the statue and the Dino Attack agents.

The closer they drew to the statue, the more they were filled with a peaceful bliss that calmed them and relaxed their nerves. Rex felt himself at peace, as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Amanda Claw, for the first time in so many years, felt as though everything was going to turn out right in the end. Rotor was filled with a sense of an almost-nationalistic pride, the same feeling he got whenever he emerged victorious from a great battle. And Kate Bishop felt all her worries and fears leave her as a comforting warmth took their place.

"This is it," Rex whispered, unable to raise his voice any higher. "This is the Imagination."

"It's so..." murmured Kate, "beautiful..." She was closest to the statue, and reached out towards the bright blue orb of Imagination.

"Careful. You may look, but you mustn't touch."

Everyone froze instantly as the voice rang through the chamber. It echoed so greatly that it seemed to come from all sides, but slowly, everyone saw a figure emerge from the shadows and approach them.

Rex's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You...?"

*****

Chompy the T-Rex looked bitterly upon the chaos and destruction he saw. Before him, a great battle was taking place, as the Dino Attack Team struggled to combat the forces of the Maelstrom in the form of a Stromling and Mutant Dino army.

Beside him, his female companion's nostrils flared. "This place stinks of those abominations," she growled. "It goes against my every instinct to even stand here."

"We have to," sighed Chompy. "Dino Attack Team is clearly losing this battle, and we must make sure that they can survive long enough against the Maelstrom to bring an end to the Mutant Dinos."

The female T-Rex groaned. "And what use is it, just two of our kind up against the Maelstrom?"

"Every raindrop raises the sea," Chompy murmured quietly.

The female T-Rex blinked in surprise and turned to look at Chompy. "That's from a story that our alpha always told us when we were hatchlings. I'm surprised you still remember that, after... well, you know."

Chompy made some deep noises that were roughly equivalent to chuckling. "We were separated as hatchlings, sister. I am glad to meet you one more time before we die fighting side-by-side to protect our alpha's home and family."

With that, the two T-Rexes roared and then charged into battle, joining the Dino Attack Team in their battle for the Temple of Hotep III.

*****

Zach paced around the chamber, slightly irritated. Ahua had left momentarily to check on the status of the battle, leaving him alone in the temple. Almost as soon as Ahua left, Zach decided to see exactly who had entered the temple. He swirled the Maelstrom pool in the chamber into a screen that was spying on the agents. Right now, they were walking through a passageway that led to a large chamber.

Dust was the first minifig he noticed. Zach wasn't really that surprised. He knew the temple and even though the team distrusted him, he was their best option. Without him, Zach soon realized, the other agents would be dead. Zach held a high level of hate toward the agent and intended to kill him if he got the chance.

Next he saw was Commander Carl Lutsky. Zach smirked at Lutsky's somewhat-disarray hair. Zach hated Lutsky as well. He was loud, annoying, and just a terrible commander in general. He, in Zach's opinion, could not manage to bring the Dino Attack to the Maelstrom Temple in the fashion that Semick did. Zach would also like to end Lutsky's life himself.

He soon spotted an Ogel Drone with the group. Zach raised an eyebrow with interest. He was pretty sure Ogel was not on the island. He quickly came to the conclusion that the drone was the one called Septimus. Zach would be interested to meet such a peculiar drone, but alas, the meeting would never take place in Zach's current state.

He was more interested to see Lance Williams, the surfer, in their group. Zach wasn't aware that the surfer had joined the Dino Attack, most likely indicated he was not as prominent at fight dinosaurs as he was surfing. Zach shrugged Lance off, seeing him as mere cannon fodder.

He rolled his eyes as he noticed Dr. Cyborg among their number. He had discovered that Cyborg had sent some sort of message to him about trash-talking that he disregarded. As evidenced in the battlefield, Dr. Cyborg could be an extremely dangerous opponent to the Maelstrom with his abilities to extract the dark power from bodies. Zach was somewhat interested in seeing how this power held up against actually organic beings such as himself, Colonel, or Ahua compared to the pure Maelstrom Stromlings on the battlefield. However, he wasn't interested enough to actually send himself or the other commanding Stromlings to him. Dr. Cyborg's apparent immunity to the Maelstrom also meant he would have to be killed as opposed to corrupted.

What was most interesting was a woman walking with them. She was flanked by four men and they were all wearing black. The four men all resembled that Inferno agent Loop that Zach encountered during the battle of the camp. Zach soon recognized the woman as Kat from images he had seen on the database. Zach frowned. Didn't Kat get killed by Loop? Wasn't she now a sentient T-1 Typhoon? Zach wasn't sure. What he was sure was that this "Kat" and these Loop-clones needed to killed. Soon.

Then he saw Andrew. And after him, Minerva. Zach smirked. He knew exactly why they were here. They were acting on Minifig!Zach's "plan". Find Zach in the temple and somehow "save" him from the Maelstrom. Zach scoffed. He had to admit, the two were bold heading into the temple on the directions a Minifig trapped inside his mind. However, they would only suffer in the end.

He truly could not fathom why Andrew and Minerva were risking their lives to save him. He only knew Andrew from LEGO Island and rarely communicated him in the last eighteen years. As he thought about more and more, he barely even knew Minerva. He had communicated with her only a few times. They fought together once and that was it.

And then she had saved him from Mutant Dinos during the village and XERRD guards in the fortress. In the case of the latter, Zach could detect her feelings toward him rather clearly. Her brother Oswald could see it as well. She needs to learn make her feelings less apparent, Zach noted. I wonder why she continues like this. I... he is gone and yet she is willing to die to save me... him?

Zach shrugged. It didn't matter. If the Maelstrom stayed true to its word, she would be joining him soon enough. He couldn't deny his own feelings in the matter... 

----

A loud BANG echoed through the desert as Clint and Maria rode to the edge of town on horseback. Harmonica's music played close behind.

"Listen, Clint," Maria said. "You sure it's a good idea that I wait out here with ya?"

"Yeah," replied Clint, lighting a cigar. "When Van Cleef's posse comes, you're going to join us."

"Yeah," sighed Maria. "You forget one li'l detail. In case ya haven't noticed, I'm a woman."

"So?"

"You've seen how 'em boys are," explained Maria. "If anyone sees a woman wearin' men's clothing, they ain't goin' to want to listen to ya."

"I know," replied Clint. "We'll figure something out." 

----

Loop fell into a rhythm of aiming, firing, aiming, firing, at any Pterosaur that came within range of his Sonic Screamers. He felt... odd. Calm on the outside, completely compliant with all orders he received, but somewhere deep in his mind, he could still feel him anger and resentment burning. The return of Executive Schattenberg was especially irksome to this part of his mind. Looking at the matter rationally, he had to admit that he really hadn't known what he was doing when he impulsively exposed himself to the Maelstrom in the wreckage of the Founder's Island; he simply knew somehow that it was necessary. It was only Katerina who was able to tell him what his purpose was. For that, he was devoted to her.

And despised her, with every one of the few fibers of his being that remained free.

The way she so casually disparaged Agent Cane was what incensed Loop the most. The man who taught him everything he knew, an incompetent fool? Impossible. It was Canis Schattenberg who gave Loop his purpose, not the man's pretentious aunt. At that moment, Loop vowed to himself to overcome the psychological conditioning that kept him obedient to Katerina and the Dino Attack team. He paused in his thoughts and glanced around towards the forward cockpits of the Talon, where Hotwire was piloting the craft. And I think I know who my first victim will be.

Hotwire had other things on his mind. The autopilot had been knocked out at some point -- probably during the rough landing which had marked their arrival on the island -- but of course this had gone unnoticed, since Kat had still inhabited the flight computers. And now the pain in his leg was becoming almost intolerable. No painkillers, I lose my concentration and crash this boat of a chopper... extra painkillers, and I lose my motor skills and crash. Either way I lose, so I suppose I may as well lose relatively painlessly. With that, he stabbed the tube of pain suppressant into his thigh.

He looked up again to see a Pterosaur flying directly towards the Talon. Suddenly, it was struck in the side by a missile and plunged towards the ground in a blossom of flame. Did I just...? No, Hotwire was sure he had not fired. And yet it was out of range of the other T-1 Typhoons, which were behind the Talon relative to where the late Pterosaur had been.

The answer came moments later, as three Agents Supersonic Jets flying in tight formation came screaming down from above. They then split apart, drawing the attention of several more Pterosaurs. Simultaneously, a new voice broke over the open comm channel.

"This is Agents Defense Organization Captain Osprey, calling Dino Attack. Have brought backup. Six jets and three Aerial Defense Units."

Hertz was the first to respond. "Much appreciated. We didn't expect any reinforcements at all."

"We've been picking up a considerable increase in activity around this island on our satellites for the past few days." Osprey explained, "and I, along with Dino Attack agent Helm, managed to get clearance to bring a squad here. Sorry if we're late." Hotwire couldn't help but grin at this latest announcement; he hadn't seen Helmie since the aftermath of the Goo Caverns mission. And despite the Agents' classic barging-in act, he couldn't help but be grateful for the reinforcements. A similar sentiment ran through all the Dino Attack forces in the air.

"Our jets can engage the Mutant Pterosaurs," Osprey continued. "You'll then be able to provide more support for your forces on the ground."

*****

The narrow and perfectly straight tunnel created the illusion of incredible distance. Dust could tell the team was getting restless, and he expected they would be emerging soon.

Then suddenly, they were out. The dark and claustrophobic tunnel magically gave way to a large bright room. A cool, thick, white mist filled the room; the door on the other side was only faintly visible, and the ceiling was completely covered by the clouds.

The eleven agents filed out of the small tunnel and lined up against the wall. The vast empty room was unsettling after the enclosed space, and the lack of visibility caused by the vapor made the team feel vulnerable.

Katerina and Doctor Cyborg came up to Dust. "There are Stromlings up ahead." said Katerina. "At least a dozen."

"My scanners indicate there is a cluster in the next room," agreed Cyborg. "Not pure - most likely Stromling Mummies. There is something much bigger, too."

Dust nodded but did not step away from the wall. "We can deal with them in a moment. First, we have to get to that doorway." He pointed to the large double doors on the far side of the room. "This is the antechamber to the main sanctuary. Once we pass through, we'll only have one more chamber to get past."

"Do you know how?" asked Andrew

"The documents I found in Egypt indicated there were hieroglyphs on the walls," said Dust. "They gave directions on safe passage through the room." He looked around the chamber and frowned. "But I was not expecting there would be this level of visibility. I can't see the glyphs well enough to be much help, I'm afraid."

"We might just have to do this the old fashion way, then," muttered Lutsky. The former commander unsoldered his gun and stepped boldly into the room.

Nothing happened.

Andrew raised an eyebrow at Dust. "Should we be concerned?"

He shrugged. "Well you know me and Lutsky are not so-"

"Not what I meant," cut in Andrew. "What do we have to look out for?"

"Pendulums," said Dust. "There is a very careful route we must travel to get through this room. If we're not careful, a large hammer could swing down from above and smash us to bits. It looks like Carl has the right idea." Lutsky was now halfway into the chamber.

"He certainly is a lucky fellow, ain't he?" said Minerva.

Dust passed along the wall, trying in vain to see the hieroglyphs on the walls. "I wish I could be more help, but I really can do nothing about the mist."

"You said you knew this temple like the back of your hand!" said Doctor Cyborg. "And you don't care how helpful you are!"

Dust glared at the doctor with cold eyes. "I said I had studied the blueprints and had knowledge of the essential archeology," he shot back. "I told Rockford there would be surprises; you just have to accept that and trust me!"

Doctor Cyborg frowned and headed blindly into the room. Moving slowly, he walked with tentative steps as if it were a minefield. The rest of the team could watch as he marched blindly into the unknown.

Cyborg put his foot down on one of the thousands of inconspicuous stones. There was a shift in weight and immediately a massive stone brick swung down on a chain from the ceiling. He jumped aside and the block slammed through the place where he just stood. It continued along its path and reached the end of its arc about 20 feet above the floor. Then, it fell down to the floor again and Doctor Cyborg had to roll a second time to avoid the pendulum as it came back down.

"Well, that should give you a pretty good idea," said Septimus. The drone followed Cyborg into the chamber. The rest of the team quietly followed.

Dust glanced at Andrew. "I admire their bravery."

The elite agent smiled. "Oh Dust, after all the time you've been with us, you're just starting to see it."

Dust shrugged and stepped aside. "After you."

Andrew rolled his eyes and stepped forward after the other agents working their way across the chamber. One of the Loops had triggered a pendulum and Andrew had to quickly duck to avoid its deadly downward swing.

Dust took up the rear. All across the room, similar mistakes were taking place. Lance Williams had opted to simply run blindly across the room and had triggered half of the deadly bricks. Soon, the entire chamber was filled with the swinging pendulums, and they all had to move fast to avoid them.

Andrew walked with precision to avoid the traps, but the thick mist hampered how much he could see. Behind him, one of the weights came crashing down and the elite agent was oblivious. Dust saw it first. He ran across the chamber with as much speed as he could muster and knocked Andrew to the ground. The massive pendulum sailed over their heads the moment they hit the ground.

Andrew looked shocked. "You saved me."

Dust did not know how to respond. Unlike his earlier rescues where he had acted only to gain Dino Attack's trust, this had been pure instinct.

The Egyptian rolled aside and brushed the dust from his poncho. He said nothing and continued into the room.

*****

Captain Thaddeus Brickhouse grinned from behind the controls of an Agents Aerial Defense Unit. He and the rest of the Agents had been waiting around long enough, it was time to fight yet again.

Thaddeus was an older gentleman, nearing his fiftieth birthday. He had brown, but graying, short hair and neatly cut beard. Small, round rimmed glasses were placed on his nose. Despite his age, Thaddeus still acted as if he was in the prime of his youth.

He had joined with the Agents Defense Organization when it first formed in 2008. He became one the Agents' best fighters and pilots. He had been, more or less, a hotshot two years ago and had been rather arrogant in conflicts both dealing with Dr. Inferno and the Alpha Team. However, he had mellowed out dramatically by the end of 2009, and now in 2010, he saw how the once, fiercely-bitter rivalry between the Alpha Team had been counterproductive toward both teams.

And so here he was now, flying with the Dino Attack Team against a massive swarm of Mutant Pterosaurs. When Captain Osprey had requested Agents to assist him in his plan, Thaddeus had been the first to sign up, anxious to leave the cozy confines of the Agents Headquarters to see some action.

He fired a missile at a passing Mutant Pterosaur. The Dino Attack Team had graciously allowed the Agents to add on Dino Attack weapons to their vehicles to be more efficient against the Mutant Dinos. These Aerial Defense Units and Supersonic Jets were armed to the teeth with Agents weaponry and Dino Attack weaponry, a force to be reckoned with.

Thaddeus glanced down at the battle below him, Mutant Dinos swarmed into the designated battlefield. Nothing new to him. What was new was the strange purple minifigs below attacking Dino Attack agents and their vehicles. He shuddered. The infamous Stromlings I keep hearing about. Luckily, they seemed to be a rather weak and were an easy target for the Dino Attack agents.

I feel sorry for any poor soul who has become one of those beasts.

*****

Colonel watched the battle from the temple. The battle was rather even. The Maelstrom-loyal Mutant Dinos manage to kill several agents and smash up some vehicles. However, the Dino Attack Team was facing a common enemy at this point, despite its Maelstrom boost. They were making quick work of the Mutant Dinos.

However, things seemed to be turning the direction of the Dino Attack. The Agents Defense Organization has begun providing reinforcements in the air, allow the T-1 Typhoons to turn their weapons on the battlefield below. Colonel also wasn't sure where the other Hybrids were. All he knew was that Navi had been killed trying to hijack a T-1 Typhoon.

Colonel turned his head and grinned. A single Hybrid was fighting Kara Wise, who was armed with a staff. He aimed his Sonic Screamer at her and prepared to fire when a large green blast struck behind Kara, throwing her at the Hybrid. The Hybrid hit the ground and watched as the woman slid into the dirt several yards away.

Colonel raised an eyebrow. "What it the meaning of this?" He looked up toward the skies. The T-1 Typhoons were concentrating their firepower on the battlefield. Was this an accident? Or maybe...

Colonel hobbled over the ruined samurai armor lying on the ground. Colonel wrapped his Sonic Screamer underneath the corpse's arm and dragged it to the temple. He then pulled off the helmet. He grinned. Things were looking up indeed.

*****

Minerva hit ducked as another massive weight swung over her head. I didn't quite expect this, she thought. She had given up on cautiously trekking through this hallway. She only wished to survive.

Another pendulum swung before her. She held her breath as it swung dangerous close to her. This was a million times worse than claustrophobic, Maelstrom-reinforced illusions. She looked ahead. The mist clouded hindered her vision, but she could spot Dr. Cyborg and Septimus ahead of her. Minerva quickly ran on her toes to them, dodging another swinging death trap on the way.

Cyborg and Septimus were managing to carefully step and dodge the pendulums that flew out them. She admired their patience, but she couldn't imagine that helping them for much longer. She was about to simply start running across in a similar fashion to Lance Williams but stopped as she saw Andrew walking through the storm of hammers. Minerva wanted to stay close to him, so she ran toward him.

"Hey!" she called out to Andrew. He glanced back quickly and kept moving forward. She slowed down to his pace and stayed behind him.

"Watch my back and I'll watch yours," Andrew muttered. Minerva nodded. Andrew suddenly seized his advance, causing Minerva to bump into him. A pendulum swung in front of him menacingly.

"Warn me before you do that!" Minerva hissed. Andrew nodded his head and continued forward, Minerva close behind. They were nearing the end of this deathtrap. She could feel it.

The two dodged pendulum after pendulum, crushing death after crushing death. Minerva' confidence began to grow until she stepped on a single stone. It sunk into the ground quickly. Minerva prepared to duck when the floor suddenly opened up beneath her.

"Andrew!" she screamed. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down into the pit. As they both cleared the floor and fell into a slide, the trap door shut itself, trapping both Minerva and Andrew on a slide of darkness.

One step, two step, three step, stop! Dr. Cyborg found a pattern for this part of the room.

He heard a cry and turned around. Andrew and Minerva fell through a hole in the floor. He decided to try to help when he heard a whistle and thought, Oh, no! The count! I waited too long! He tried to move out of the way, but too late. The hammer swung, hit him in the chest, and knocked him into the wall with great force. He got up, and realized, there wasn't a dent in his armor. "I'm okay," he called. "Not a dent. Whoever rebuilt me used some great metal alloy!"

He continued using his strategy.

*****

The pain in Hotwire's leg faded quickly, but at the same time he realized he was beginning to feel slightly dizzy. Now why the Znap did I think that another dose would be a good idea? he thought, berating himself slightly. He then announced over the open comm: "This is the Talon. I have a bit of a situation here and I need to set down before it worsens."

Semick responded, "What exactly is going on, Hotwire?"

"Well, to be honest," Hotwire said, "I think I may have just taken a bit too much painkiller for my severed leg. I'd like to land just in case I start losing my motor skills." He began angling the Talon downward and away from the battle.

"What is the size of your crew?" Osprey inquired.

"It's just me and a gunner, and he can't fly."

"If you can find a place to land, I can send over some personnel to give you a hand," Osprey offered.

Grateful, Hotwire steered the T-1 Typhoon to a corner of the temple grounds where the battle raged less fiercely. One of the Agents helicopters swooped over to his location, and three minifigs dropped to the ground and sprinted over to the Talon. The first was a young woman in an Agents Defense Organization uniform who introduced herself as Phoenix. The second was another Agent, calling himself Cyrus. The third wore a Dino Attack uniform and bore dark, scruffy facial hair. Hotwire grinned at this arrival.

"Agent Helm, I presume?"

The former mariner grinned back as he climbed aboard the T-1 Typhoon. "Agent Hotwire. How've you been holding up, lad?"

Hotwire glanced at his prosthetic leg and shrugged as he strapped himself in by the sensor arrays in the midsection. Phoenix and Cyrus manned the forward cockpits, and soon the Talon was in the air again. 

Two Cosmotronic Rays were stored just inside the Talon's side doors: a thoughtful touch from Katerina and the Loops, no doubt. Hotwire and Helm both grabbed one and swiveled their seats away from the sensor/comm desk to aim out the doors as Phoenix and Cyrus swung the T-1 Typhoon down about fifty feet above the battlefield.

"So, how was Antarctica?" asked Hotwire, as he aimed a burst at a raptor that was menacing several Steel Sprinters.

"Cold," Helm replied. "But interesting, to say the least. To have the cold mutants on one side, rioting civilians on the other, and ticked-off Agents coming at us from the middle...well, I'm just glad we made it through that in one piece. Oh, and I met Junkbot. How was LEGO Island?" 

----

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" Walter shouted for the 1000th time this match before he slowly got up and worked his way to the alley.

"You ever tried bowling?" Sarah asked.

"Nah," replied Pierce. "I was never very good at it."

"Oh, come on," scoffed Sarah. She grabbed Pierce's hand and tried to pull him out of his seat.

"No," insisted Pierce. "I really couldn't. My leg, you see-"

"Oh, you'll be fine."

"It's easy," Donnie said keenly. "You just have to keep your hand straight."

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" Walter shouted as he came back. "What did I miss?"

"Sarah's trying to get her ex-boyfriend to bowl," replied Dude.

Pierce finally started to stand on his leg, grabbing his crutch as he got up. "Come on now," Sarah said as she led him onto the alley. She placed a bowling ball in his hand, and he rolled, knocking down several pins.

----

Angel Eyes raised his gun into the air and fired several shots upward as he rode into El Paso. One by one, the various townspeople emerged from the banks and the shops, a few from the saloon along with another waitress.

"Alright, boys," Angel Eyes said keenly. "We need men. I've got orders to organize a posse of the finest men we got 'ere in town. Anyone who can shoot will accompany me to Fort Legoredo, and if we survive this endeavor, we will split any money found within."

The townspeople stood silently, looking in fear. Angel Eyes dismounted, looking around as he slowly approached the tavern. The only sound was that of his spurs as he walked up the stairs and through the saloon doors. There he walked toward the counter and reached over, pulling out the familiar face of Flatfoot Thompson.

"I want you," Angel Eyes said. "Did you not hear me outside?"

"And what if I refuse?" Thompson replied nervously.

Angel Eyes promptly cocked his pistol and held in front of Thompson's head.

"Alright," replied Thompson. Angel Eye threw him back to his side of the counter, where Thompson slowly got up.

"I want you to have a horse ready in five minutes," Angel Eyes said sternly. "Oh, and remember to bring 'em boys with you."

"If I don't?"

"Well," replied Angel Eyes, fiddling with his gun. "It'd be a shame if they were to, uh... accidentally be killed by a stray bullet."

"Alright," replied Thompson, nervously standing up and starting to walk out. "I'm a-goin' to get my horses. What's next? Did that stupid woman run off with you as well?"

Angel Eyes could only smile as he watched Thompson run outside.

----

The three Supersonic Jets were capable of a much higher altitude that of a Mutant Pterosaur. The powerful missiles shot down and consumed the monsters in a fiery inferno.

In the center of the action was the Renaissance and Semick's T-1 Typhoon. Around them revolved the Talon and the other helicopters that provided air support to the forces below.

Inside, Hertz had been ordered to manage the Renaissance's unique patrol anal turret located beneath the tail. Unlike other Typhoons, the Renaissance had missile launchers and extra weaponry to cover its otherwise blind spots.

Hertz had never been much of a fighter. To his knowledge, he had only held a gun twice, and neither time had he fired one. He had little experience with heavy weaponry like the powerful blaster he was using, but since there was no one else to man it, it was up to him to cover the craft's belly.

Below him, a Raptor charged and jumped at the Renaissance. Hertz was amazed at how high its powerful legs could carry it. He fired at the Raptor, but the shots had little effect on the mutant's force field. With its long arms, it was able to cling to the underside of the craft and bring it down.

The Renaissance rapidly began to lose altitude, and by the time Hertz was able to dislodge the mutant, the craft was only a few dozen feet of the ground.

As the Raptor hit the ground, the Renaissance lurched, and Fate and Lucky struggled to control the spinning craft as it suddenly lost weight. It cruised low to the ground and Hertz squeezed his eyes shut as it careened toward the trees. Fate was able to regain control of the craft seconds before impact, and it again started to ascend.

Hertz exhaled as the helicopter started flying smoothly again. Just as they started to reach an optimal level, a blast hit it from the side.

Hertz saw smoke billow from the port side of the Renaissance and knew they were hit badly by a T-Rex laser blast.

"Get us higher!" yelled Hertz into the radio.

Lucky screamed. "We can't! The dang mutant hit our engine; we can go higher than a few stories!"

Behind him, Hertz could see the bright red Mutant T-Rex emerge from the jungle and follow the Renaissance as it flew to around the side of the temple.

*****

"What's going on over there?" Mac asked as he looked at the Talon.

"I don't know," Cabin replied over the radio. "Whatever happened with the Talon, they're back in the air now." 

"Guys," said Mac. "This might be just me but it looks as though the Renaissance is in trouble. Looks like a Mutant T-Rex approaching."

Cabin was quick to act. She brought the T-1 Typhoon to a lower altitude where their comrades were stranded. With a flip of a switch, she launched a rocket towards the large Tyrannosaurus. 

Thaddeus Brickhouse turned his helicopter and saw a Mutant T-Rex harassing one of the Dino Attack's helicopters. He noted that the helicopter was a T-2 Typhoon, one that the Agents helped construct. He began to follow the Mutant T-Rex, firing his weapons quickly.

*****

Colonel grinned again as he glanced down at the samurai armor. He had expected to find the ruined body of Navi. However, he found a Minifig body with much of the flesh missing from its face. Hybrids are carnivorous, Colonel noted. He glanced back up at T-1 Typhoon he had attempted to hijack. It was firing down below at Mutant Dinos, but occasionally a blast seemed to intentionally stray toward Dino Attack Agents on the ground.

Navi? Colonel reached out. He heard a dark hiss in his head. Colonel smiled wide. Navi was still alive, and now the Maelstrom had a T-1 Typhoon in addition to its fleet of Mutant Pterosaurs. Things couldn't be going any better.

*****

"The Renaissance needs back-up!" Vinyaya barked into the radio, glancing out of the window at the approaching Mutant T-Rex.

Her message seemed to get out. An Agents-issued Aerial Defense Unit and another T-1 Typhoon turned their attention toward the Mutant T-Rex.

"Acknowledged," replied George. "We're forming up on you, Renaissance. Mac, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure thing," came Mac's voice over the radio as he turned his T-1 Typhoon's attention toward the Mutant T-Rex. "Alright, I say fire anything we can at that Tyrannosaur, just make sure the chopper comes out in one piece." 

"Lucky, Fate! Get that Voltaic Launcher up and start firing!" She leaned out of the stumbling T-2 Typhoon and started firing at the Mutant T-Rex, which roared angrily. It was being peppered with shots from multiple helicopters and wouldn't last much longer.

Suddenly, a green explosion rocked the Renaissance fiercely. Vinyaya stumbled and felt herself falling out of the T-2 Typhoon. She gasped as she attempted to grab the edge of the helicopter. However, her grip slipped and she fell completely out of the T-2 Typhoon. Commander Vinyaya fell, accepting her fate as she dropped.

*****

Minerva did not waste energy screaming. She and Andrew tumbled down the slide, no clear way to escape. She just closed her eyes and hoped for the best.

Minerva and Andrew were cursed in that they had to go down headfirst. They had no warning of what was ahead, which caused Minerva's stomach to churn. The slide twisted and turned and showed no clear signs of stopping. In addition, the slide showed signs of decay. There were bumps as her body rushed across cracks, splinters, and lumps in the stone. Her back was on fire from the numerous bumps she had crossed already.

Without warning, a rock shard suddenly tore through Minerva's right hand. She screamed and quickly crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't see the full extent of the damage in the darkness, but it stung fiercely. Before she could contemplate on her wound more, she and Andrew suddenly fell off the slide and landed on a stone floor.

Minerva laid on her back for several seconds, surprised at their sudden stop. Andrew appeared over her and extended a hand. Minerva accepted it with her left and pulled herself to her feet.

They had ended up in a wide hallway decorated in hieroglyphics. The lighting had changed from a well-lit blue to a menacing dark violet color. Black and purple smoke lay at the bottom of the floor and reached up to their heels.

"Any idea?" Minerva said, turning to Andrew. He shook his head. She winced as her hand stung again. She glanced at it. A large cut when down the middle of the palm of her glove. The cut was gently bleeding, but there was already a large blot of blood on her glove. "Ow," she muttered, dazed. She looked at the rest of her arms. Both sleeves of her black shirt were torn and barely held on to the rest of the shirt.

Minerva tore off her right glove and saw more blood on her palm. She tore off the remains of her left sleeve and wiped away the blood on her hand. "Do you any water? A canteen or something?" Andrew nodded and handed her a small container. She could hear water slosh around inside. Minerva removed the cap and added a little water to the cut to hopefully clean it better. She groaned as the stringing pain increased. She handed Andrew the water back quickly.

Minerva then ripped off her right sleeve and pulled apart a strip of fabric. She then wrapped it around her hand to protect the wound.

"Probably make any real doctor puke with disgust," Minerva said roughly, looking at her wrapped-up hand. "But it will have to do for now."

Andrew nodded. "Shall we start?"

Minerva nodded, ripping off her other glove. "I wonder where we are. Are we below the temple?"

"I don't know," Andrew said glancing around. "We need to get back to the others. Or..." He drifted off. Minerva knew what he meant. Now might be the ideal time to find Zach.

Minerva shivered. It felt unnaturally cold in the hallway, and having no sleeves to cover her arms. She crossed her arms and simply nodded. "Let's go." The two started down into the ominous hallway, unsure of what they may find. 

*****

The Hybrid was coming back toward Kara. She was curious about that T-1 Typhoon, so she didn't waste time on finesse. She held the staff parallel to the ground in front of her, hands a shoulder's width apart on it. When the Hybrid was almost at her, she dropped to one knee and twisted the staff 90 degrees. The Hybrid broke his armor and impaled himself on the staff.

She shook him off and called her dropship. She climbed in, put the staff beside her, and put on her special helmet that turned the ship's chin gun in the direction she looked. She lifted off, and activated the radio. "This is UlTech Dropship KW3853 calling T-1 Typhoon ZJ428603. Respond please."

"Yes? May we help you?"

"Just checking on you," Kara replied. She could hear a hiss in the voice like the Hybrid she fought. "So you're alright?"

"Yes. We're all fine here. How are you?"

"Now I know she's lying," she muttered. She fired a laser round from the chin gun on the ship to purposely miss them.

The radio projected a hissing, "What do you think you're doing!?" then an, "Uh, oh," as Navi realized she used her real voice. 

*****

With Loop at the Sonic Screamers, Phoenix and Cyrus manning the XL-4 Voltaic launcher and the Quintronic Beam Emitters, and Hotwire and Helm covering the sides, the Talon was all but untouchable. They joined the other T-1 Typhoons in attacking the T-Rex that was harassing the Renaissance. The combined effort soon had the massive beast on the defensive.

Then Hotwire, who had synchronized the comms with the Agents Defense Organization channel as well as the open channel when the two Agents came aboard, suddenly heard screams and shouts of confusion. Two of the Supersonic Jets had turned on the rest of the Dino Attack and Agents forces. One of the remaining four jets spiraled out of control and crashed in the jungle several miles off, sending up a plume of smoke. At the same moment, the Talon turned and a missile streaked from the XL-4 into a nearby Fire Hammer, which erupted in a bright blossom of white-hot flame.

"What the znap is going on?" Hotwire screamed.

He heard Phoenix laugh darkly. Cyrus looked back from the upper cockpit with a grin. "Don't worry," he said as his eyes glowed red and his skin darkened to a smoky purple and black. "Everything is under control." 

*****

Chompy roared and charged at a Mutant Raptor, knocking it off a heavily-damaged Urban Avenger. In response, the Raptor bit and tore at the T-Rex, who recoiled before striking again, closing his jaws upon the Raptor's neck.

Three Mutant Lizards leaped from the wreckage of a Fire Hammer and pounced upon Chompy's back. He tried to shake them off, but they clung with their claws and their teeth. Luckily, his sister arrived just in time, bashing off two with her tail and biting off the third.

They were in the battle of Hotep III's temple for only a few minutes, and already the two T-Rexes were weary. "This was foolish," growled Chompy's sister as she snapped at an approaching Mutant Lizard. "Even if every raindrop raises the sea, the outcome is not in doubt."

"Just a little longer!" pleaded Chompy, even as he fended off a Mutant Raptor and a stray Stromling Monkey. "The Dino Attack agents inside surely must be close to the Maelstrom! We need to make sure that these abominations stay outside the temple long enough for our allies to contain the Maelstrom."

A Mutant Raptor slashed at Chompy's sister, leaving a gash on her leg. Chompy bellowed in fury, grabbed the Mutant Raptor's tail in his maw, and swung it into the blast radius of a nearby explosion caused by a crashed Agents Aerial Defense Unit.

"It's no use!" sighed Chompy's sister. "There are too many!"

A pack of Mutant Lizards, Mutant Raptors, and Stromlings surrounded the two T-Rexes, cutting them off from the rest of the Dino Attack Team. Back-to-back, the two T-Rexes silently acknowledged that this would likely be the last thing they would do in this world, then bared their teeth and readied themselves for anything.

There came a most wonderful sound, the sound of a horn blowing. Like the trumpet of an arriving cavalry, it signaled a new player in the game. Chompy, his sister, the Mutant Dinos, the Stromlings, the Agents, and the Dino Attack Team all paused for a moment in their battle to look at the source of the horn.

There, at the horizon, stood a gathered army of dinosaurs. Pterosaurs, Stegosaurs, Triceratops, and even T-Rexes comprised the force. Even more remarkable, many of the dinosaurs were the mounts of TumTum Islanders, covered with war paint and brandishing spears, arrows, and more, and one of which was playing the horn. One of the T-Rexes roared in perfect tune to the horn call, and quickly the other dinosaurs took up the battle cry. Then, as one, they charged towards the battlefield.

The Mutant Dinos and Stromlings did not remain stunned for long. A Mutant Raptor lunged at Chompy, while a Mutant Lizard and Stromling Monkey climbed on top of his sister. Chompy recoiled and tried to counter the Raptor's attack, but a Mutant Lizard snapped at his feet and caused him to trip. As he struggled to get up, his sister shook off her attackers and poised herself to protect her brother. A particularly-vicious Mutant Raptor, mounted by what was clearly a Hybrid Rider in its samurai-esque armor, approached the two sibling T-Rexes and prepared to attack.

A female T-Rex charged at the Mutant Raptor and knocked it down. She appeared larger than most of her kind, covered with blue markings, armored with a helmet crafted from a T-Rex skull adorned with feathers, and wearing around her neck what looked like a necklace made from Minifigure skulls, Her Minifig rider, none other than Chief Achu of the TumTum tribe, impaled the Hybrid Rider with his spear while the T-Rex closed her jaws on the Raptor's throat. Ordinarily, a simple spear would not be enough to kill the Maelstrom-enhanced Hybrid, but Achu used his own magic power to finish it off.

In a matter of only a few quick moments, the Mutant Dinos and Stromlings surrounding Chompy and his sister were dispatched. The two siblings looked up at the female T-Rex and Achu in awe. "Alpha female," said Chompy's sister, blinking in awe. "And great Chief Achu."

"You heard us!" exclaimed Chompy, grinning. "You came for us!"

The alpha female T-Rex nodded slowly as Achu patted her on the head. "I told you that I would be coming," she growled, "after I met with the Minifig leaders in council. First, I needed to speak with Rex of the Dino Attack Team and Achu of the TumTum tribe, after which we came to an agreement to come and assist you now."

"I've also sent out word to the Pyramid Area," added Achu, "requesting that Queen Legotiti come and join us in the battle. We have not received a response yet, but should she arrive with her army of Matching Mummies, this battle shall be quickly won."

"Let this be a battle the Maelstrom shall forever remember!" declared Chompy.

"Indeed," agreed the alpha female T-Rex. "But now, I must lead my kind in this battle. We shall see to it that the Maelstrom is stopped." She turned to leave.

Chompy nodded. "Good luck," he said, "mother."

*****

"Captain!" Agent France yelled from the back of the Aerial Defense Unit. "We got a problem! Something foul has hijacked some of the choppers!" As if to reinforce his statement, Captain Brickhouse's helicopter shook violently as something exploded near the side.

Brickhouse opened communications with both the Agents and Dino Attack. "What's going on?"

"Helicopters and Jets are being hijacked by Stromlings!" a Dino Attack agent screamed over the radio. "We got one on board - kill him, Scarface! - and I think some more have hijacked a T-1 Typhoon and several Aerial Defense Units."

"How are our Agent vehicles being hijacked?" Brickhouse demanded. "We've been in the air since we got here. How could these 'Stromlings' get in here?"

"It - Get back! - might mean that the Maelstrom is beginning to spread off the island. Or it's corrupting minifigs as they're flying. I - Son of MegaBlok! Scarface, aim for the head! - am personally hoping for the latter."

Brickhouse quickly turned his helicopter to face another Aerial Defense Unit firing down on the battlefield. It didn't try to hide the fact it was firing at the large amount of Dino Attack allies that had just entered the battlefield. Brickhouse fired several missiles at the offending helicopter. The Aerial Defense Unit fell to the ground, crushing several natives and Stromlings.

"They got Scarface!" the same Dino Attack agent yelled. Silence, then, "Forget this! Shoot us down! Don't let these scoundrels take another helicopter!" Without warning, a nearby T-1 Typhoon exploded dramatically, showering hundreds of pieces on to the battle below.

Brickhouse ducked his head, honoring the agent's sacrifice for a moment before turning back to the battle. "How many confirmed hijackings do we have?" he asked.

"Two Agent Jets have been hijacked and a single T-1 Typhoon. We are also picking reports that the Talon is being contested," someone responded. "Here are their identifications." He listed the ID codes for the two jets and helicopter. "Take them out quickly. Between them and the Mutant Pterosaurs, we're not such hot shape right now."

There was loud screech outside of the Aerial Defense Unit's cockpit. Thaddeus turned and saw three tan-colored Pterosaurs viciously attack a single Mutant Pterosaur. The mutant screeched with defeat and fell from the sky as the three normal Pterosaurs watched.

"We are not in hot water yet!" Brickhouse cried defiantly before taking aim at the hijacked T-1 Typhoon.

*****

Colonel sneered from temple again. Things had definitely been looking up, but the intervention of the TumTum Tribe and the native dinosaurs were certainly a turn for the worse. The Mutant Dinos and Stromlings held their own, but with combined effort from the Dino Attack, Agents, TumTum Tribe, and the native dinos, they would certainly be destroyed.

An explosion sounded off as another Fire Hammer exploded nearby. Colonel grinned. He wasn't sure where the Stromlings who hijacked the other vehicles came from, but he was glad they were here and gave him a small confidence boost.

Colonel turned toward the tree line and saw an armored minifig sliding out of a tree. The armor was dented and bruised, stained by the wildlife that lived in the trees. Colonel raised an eyebrow as the minifig touched the ground. It was a woman. Her blonde hair was messy and hung limply at her shoulders. She turned toward the temple, seeing Colonel and pulling a pistol from her waist.

"Let's be reasonable," Colonel spat angrily, extending his arms out from his body. "Where did you come from, girl?"

"Commander," the woman replied angrily, keeping her weapon on Colonel. "Commander Vinyaya to you. One of your Typhoons shot at the one I was in and knocked me out of it."

"Commander," Colonel repeated, in a mock-surprise voice. "What an honor it is to meet you!" Colonel spat. "Once again, the Dino Attack put the foolish in charge."

Commander Vinyaya's eyes narrowed. "What of you, Quartich?" Vinyaya hissed. Colonel's eyes widened at the mention of his last name. "How could such a famous Dino Attack leader fall so easily into the Maelstrom's hand? Perhaps you are not as powerful as you think you are."

Colonel remained emotionless. If it was General Virchaus or Ahua that she was addressing, they would've gotten angry. Colonel remained stoic. Vinyaya's remarks stung, but he would not let anger or arrogance get the best of his fullest ability.

"Cute." Colonel quickly raised his Sonic Screamer and fired at the Commander. She ducked and rolled away from the blast. She then lowered her shoulder and charged at Colonel. Colonel couldn't get turned around quick enough to fire again as Vinyaya tackled him to the ground. 

*****

In the back of one of the T-1 Typhoons, a group of agents sat waiting. One man was on gunner duty. He wore a dark-coloured tank-top, and had long hair, an eyepatch, and some stubble.

One man was sitting somewhat isolated from the others. He seemed to be in a slightly panicked state.

"Don't worry," said another agent. "It'll be fine. They're probably taking the necessary precautions right now."

Suddenly, the comforting man revealed himself. There was a sudden jolt, and his skin turned a violent purple. The other men were screaming loudly. The eye-patched gunner climbed out of his seat and tried to think quickly.

*****

"What's going on down there?" Mac asked confusedly. "Are those regular dinosaurs and islanders? Never mind. We got problems of our own up here. Listen, what was that about Stromlings?"

"They seem to be getting aboard the helicopters," replied a voice on the radio.

"How is that possible?" Cabin asked.

"We're not sure," replied the voice. "We suspect the Maelstrom's influence is growing."

Mac quickly looked out his window and noticed a T-1 Typhoon that seemed to be getting out of control. There was a large amount of smoke from it as it seemed to spin around and away from the rest of the fleet.

"Elite Agent Cabin," Mac said. "Do you read me?"

There was no answer, Mac tried again. "George," he said. "I think Cabin's been shot down. What does that leave us with?"

*****

The hammer swung down and Dust jumped swiftly to the left. The old scrolls he had found indicated the room held sixteen pendulums. Doing a quick count, he determined that all had been triggered and that they no longer had to worrying about causing more traps that had not already been sprung.

The thing with pendulums is that eventually they run out of energy. Dust, Lutsky, Katerina, and Lance gathered on the back wall and watched as the great bricks slowed to a halt.

The room became stagnant, and Septimus and the synthfig Loops joined them by the doorway. Dust looked around at the assembled team. "Where are Andrew, Minerva, and Cyborg?"

Katerina Schattenberg shook her head. "If they were killed, their bodies would still be in the room."

"Perhaps they got lost," suggested Septimus. "It is difficult to see anything in this mist."

At that moment, Doctor Cyborg appeared. He looked winded but otherwise unhurt from his direct hit to the chest. "I saw Andrew and Minerva fall down a trapdoor near the center of the room," said Cyborg. "I made an effort to help, but it closed by the time I arrived. I was hit by a weight moments later."

Lance's eyes went wide. "Whoa, man! You took a hammer to the chest? Radical wipeout, man."

Cyborg shrugged. "My body is constructed from complex metal alloy. My chest is impervious to many levels of kinetic force."

"Is there any way we can get Andrew and Minerva out?" asked Katerina. She clearly did not care about Cyborg's robotic biology and wished to return to the issue at hand.

Dust shook his head. "I thought there may have been something about a trapdoor, but I was not positive. I can assure you that it's not life-threatening. We can rescue them later, but we don't have much time to get sidetracked."

Lutsky growled at Dust, "You're just going to leave them?"

The Egyptian rolled his eyes and pointed a finger at him. "Don't try and make me the bad guy again. If it were not in opposition to me, you would make that same call."

Lutsky's face darkened but he said no more. He backed away and pretended to take interest in the hieroglyphs on the wall.

Dust stepped to the door and turned to the remaining eight agents. "What we are about to go through will be our last test. After this, we will be entering the lion's den. Nothing I can say will help you with what lies beyond this door."

"What is back there?" asked Septimus.

"Stromlings," said a Loop. "A big Stromling."

"A boss battle, if you will," offered Lance.

"Exactly," agreed Dust. He turned to the gateway and turned a series of gears and mechanism. It unsealed and a gust of stale air gushed out. Four of them had to work together to push aside the massive stone slabs before they could step inside.

What they saw beyond was a pit. Across a narrow bridge, they could see the exit. The bridge had no rails, so crossing the ancient structure seemed like a daunting task.

Below them, they could see the pit was filled with black water. Cyborg walked to the edge to glimpse what lurked in the darkness. A great scaly form moved in the water. It was more than the length of a school bus and had black teeth the size of 2x4s. A great snout protruded from the water and purple smoke flared from its nostrils.

At the sight of movement above, the Stromling Crocodile's amber eyes flashed open. And it let out a terrible hiss. It lunged out of the pit and swiped its tail across the bridge. The stone creaked and crumbled before finally tumbling into the water below.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 45: Ashes to Ashes

----

"Agents, both Dino Attack and Agents Defense Organization, keep it up! While I can confirm that T-1s and Agents aircraft are being hijacked, we are NOT going to let this go easily! Keep your defenses up and continue to aid your companions, and we'll get through this yet! Also, watch your fire! Islanders and the local dino population are now providing aid! We're doing good, men! Don't let yourselves fall now!"

Semick turned off the mic, and took a deep breath. This battle was going about average, but things were looking towards victory. All that mattered now was keeping effort up and watching themselves. The Renaissance was making for emergency measures regarding their damages, and Semick had gotten Rockford to send some mechanical-based agents to help provide support whenever the vessel might require landing.

The aircraft hijacking still concerned him. With all the chaos, they still hadn't determined how the enemy was hijacking them. All he could get his remaining T-1 Typhoons and the Aerial Defense Unit men to do was keep their distance from the Pterosaurs. That seemed to be the main correlation.

He was still concerned about a few things. He hadn't heard of anything regarding the XERRD scientists that had been said to escape the fortress assault. He could only assume they were waiting to strike somewhere, were thinking this wasn't a battle worth their participation (due to the way the Maelstrom seemed to be operating independently instead of specifically helping Dr. Rex's intentions), or were busy somewhere else. Semick knew for a fact that Rex still hadn't come back from his investigation of the Imagination Temple.

The other regard was progress. He needed some more info on how well Dust's team was doing. With that, he turned on the mic and narrowed down his frequency. "Rockford, call up Dust when you can. Tell him I personally want a status update."

"Understood."

Semick switched off the mic again and returned his attention to the air. "Bluetooth," he asked, "how many crafts are we down to?"

"Discounting the Renaissance and us, we still have control of five T-1s. There's about 8 or so Agents crafts still flying, but I'm trying to see if they have any more waves on their way."

"Good. Keep your watch, but keep your pistol ready as well. I don't want any distractions if we find a hijacker on board. Oh, and let that Agents leader know that he's not cleared to shoot down the Talon until either I or Hotwire give clearance. That agent may be on a peg leg, but if his men are corrupted, he's bound to have a few ideas left. And so do I."

"Uh... okay," Bluetooth said, looking a little nervous. "So, what ideas do you have?"

"You'll see," he said as he began flying towards the Talon. Opening the comm again, he said "Hotwire, if you can hear this, try for the 'Bank-In-Finance-Trouble' method."

*****

The purple mist gave Andrew chills as he and Minerva continued walking into the mist. He held his laser rifle with anxiousness. Now, more than ever, they would likely be tested.

Indeed we will, a thought said in his mind. Andrew's eyes widened.

Long time, no chat, he thought back.

It's been a while, the voice thought back.

Tell me you aren't the Maelstrom possessing me.

Now, now, that would be a cliche and easy way of explaining it, wouldn't it?

Good. Because I'm not taking anything this purple stuff wants to tell me.

Or so you think.

True. So what now, Mr. "Dark Consciousness?"

I'm only wondering why you've given up your ideas.

Have you read the Andrew Daily? The Zach story should tell you everything you need to know.

But it can be controlled, you know. All it takes is the right mind with the right methods to make all the difference in the world.

Andrew thought about this for a second, but immediately dismissed it. Forget it, I don't do bets. Though I have been wanting to visit the Inventory someday...

Oh, what? Don't tell me you're giving up! Think of all the pleasure this has brought us!

Don't get me wrong, it sounds nice and all, but risking becoming a pawn to an entity who wants to throw everything into discord for the lulz that drastically alters people's mindsets in disturbing and somewhat humorous ways is not something I want to be a fan of. End of story.

But-

Shut up, Andrew thought, and turned back to Minerva, who was watching the wound on her hand closely. He figured that she had been hearing voices too, though not the kind Andrew was mostly dealing with. She most likely just had the problem of hearing the Maelstrom try to convince her to join them. Perhaps even telling her that was how to reach Zach or something.

"You doing okay mentally?" he asked.

"You mean the voices?" Minerva asked. "It's... unnerving, but I'm doing alright. They do seem to cast some measures of doubt, though."

"They do that a lot. I'm no expert on hearing voices, but I think I have some understanding on what to do."

"What's that?"

Andrew leaned his rifle on his right shoulder. "Remain stubborn. Listen to them to see what info you can gather, but hold your ground like you would when having an argument online on a political website. Don't give them any ground or leverage that they can twist around. And there's the YTP method."

"YTP method?" Minerva asked with an eyebrow raise.

"That's when you think of random bits from music, movies, books, commercials, and reality all at once, mashing them up like you're smashing a potato. Think of loud, incoherent, inconsistent noises and visuals and think of them in random patterns or phases. The louder and dumber, the better. Like online spam teaming up to create its own firewall from spam-blockers."

Minerva smirked. "I'll keep that in mind. How much farther do you think this will go?"

"Dunno. This is probably something that wasn't in the original construction, so Dust's blueprints are useless here. I guess we can only follow the path to somewhere. If we encounter any forks, I say we stick together and explore as much as we can."

"Is that a good idea?"

Andrew shrugged. "I dunno, but it's how I beat puzzle games."

*****

Cabin coughed rapidly as she worked her way out of the smoking cockpit of the T-1 Typhoon. "Is everyone okay?" she shouted. As she worked her way to the back, she noticed a body being thrown out of the helicopter. The man was barely conscious before he was abruptly riddled with bullet holes. "There had better be a good reason for this," Cabin muttered.

At that moment, a one-eyed man with long hair climbed out of the back. "He was a Stromling," the one-eyed man replied with a thick, gruff voice.

"I see," said Cabin. "Who are you?"

"Call me Snake," the man introduced himself.

"Snake?" mused Cabin. "I thought that you were dead. Weren't you the guy who kept mutating himself?"

Snake shook his head. "No, that was some other guy, Snake of Spades. I've never met him, but you're not the first one to ask me that."

Cabin quickly grabbed a rifle as she walked up towards Snake. "Apparently," she muttered, "reptiles are a popular choice for Dino Attack codenames."

"How far are we from the battlefield," Snake asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Not far. We should be able to walk there. How's your radio?" Cabin asked Snake as she approached.

"Busted in the crash," replied Snake. "I'm guessing yours is broken, too."

"Yeah," replied Cabin.

*****

Even a massive Mutant T-Rex was unable to stand the firepower of a T-1 Typhoon and an Agents Aerial Defense Unit. Hertz watched as the creature gave out a defiant roar and spun around at its attackers. It fired its powerful eyebeams at the helicopter's week spot and blasted its tail entirely off. The Aerial Defense Unit spun madly before it crashed in a fiery explosion at the monster's feet. The second T-1 Typhoon fired its beam emitters at the great beast and was finally able to bring the T-Rex down.

Hertz sighed and turned his attention back to the Renaissance. He climbed out of the narrow hatch that led up from the anal turret and looked around for Vinyaya. She was nowhere to be seen.

He frantically picked up a radio. "Fate, Lucky, give me a status update! Where's Commander Vinyaya?"

"She's not back there?" asked Lucky surprised. "We can't see into the cabin. She must have fallen out."

"Turn around and find her," said Hertz.

"We can't! I'm struggling to keep this thing in the air as it is!" said Fate.

At that moment, a second Tyrannosaurus Rex burst out from the trees. Grabbing the Renaissance by the nose, it fired its eye beams point blank. Fate was killed instantly in the resulting fireball, and Lucky needed to take control of the voltaic cannon to dislodge the Mutant.

The Renaissance spiraled out of control as the remaining T-1 Typhoon fired support. The green Mutant T-Rex ignored the beam emitters coming from its attacker and instead allowed a sudden swarm of Mutant Pterosaurs take down its adversary.

The green Mutant T-rex turned its attention back to the spinning Renaissance and dug its teeth into its portside beam emitter. Hertz yelled and kicked the beast's snout with as much force as the techie could muster.

Lucky was still yelling but Hertz ignored him. He just swore profusely and kept kicking.

The T-Rex had enough. It slammed the Renaissance into the ground, and Hertz's vision went black.

*****

"What the Znap are you doing?" Garry shouted, catching Windows' attention. "I thought I told you to stay in constant contact."

"I've been trying," replied Windows. "Hertz hung up on me and I can't get in touch."

*****

Most of the team was unfortunate enough to fall into the water when the bridge fell. Septimus had wasted no time jumping from the black water and stabbing his spear into the Stromling Crocodile's back. It roared and thrashed around madly, throwing the drone into the brick wall.

Katerina was just as successful. She fired her rifle to the best of her ability, but the splashing waves made it hard to get a clear shot. The Stromling Crocodile dove beneath the water and came up directly below a synthfig Loop.

Loop gave a yelp as the massive teeth closed around his body. The teeth sheared the figure clean in half, and the crocodile flung the leftovers at Katerina.

Dr. Cyborg, Lance, Lutsky, and a single Loop had remained on the ledge. "Oh, meep," Dr. Cyborg said as he backed away from the pool. "Okay, everybody. I can extract the Maelstrom from that thing. However, it will take time. It isn't instantaneous. If you can distract that croc, I can dive in, strike and extract, retreat, let you distract it some more, and repeat. You stay up here, and fire at it. I'll dive and extract."

With that, Dr. Cyborg backed away and did a repeated backflip into the pool. The croc rounded on him. Cyborg dove and hid in the murky deep.

At that point, the others on the ledge started firing at the Stromling Crocodile, and it came to the surface, snarling at them. Dr. Cyborg came up under it, and extracted a few quarts of Maelstrom. The croc attacked him, but he dodged the swinging tail, and submerged. With that prey gone, the croc turned again to the others. Dr. Cyborg came up again, and the process was repeated.

Dr. Cyborg came up behind the croc a third time. He extracted a few quarts. He had now taken 2¼ gallons of Maelstrom, but the crocodile still had tons of it in its system. When the crocodile turned to strike with its tail, Dr. Cyborg tried to dodge the flailing spiked appendage, but whether it was the water's natural resistance, the Maelstrom in his system subtly influencing him, or whatever else, he was too slow. The tail struck his head, his weak point. His helmet protected him from anything more than a bruise, but the serious damage was done: he was unconscious. He slowly started sinking, unaware of his predicament. 

Lance was unfortunate enough to have lost his Cosmotronic Ray in the fight, so all he could do was watch. When he saw Doctor Cyborg get hit, it was impulse reaction to jump in. As a surfer, he had often rescued drowning victims from a watery death. That is why he did not hesitate to jump over the ledge and come to Cyborg's aid.

Lance Williams dove after Cyborg's rapidly sinking body. He was heavy, but soon he was able to raise the doctor to the surface. Rushing him over to the shallows, he attempted CPR.

Gahiji Thutmose only had his knife. He had also lost his automatic rifle in the water but that did not stop him from stabbing at the Stromling Crocodile's eyes. It snapped its jaws and rolled over, knocking the Egyptian into the water.

Dust gasped for air and saw that one of his knives was still stuck in the monster's head. He reached for another knife in his boot and again swam at his foe.

Lutsky stood on the ledge and emptied his machine gun on the crocodile. Smoking holes appeared across its back, but the Stromling was quickly able to heal its wounds. He growled and whipped out his side arm. He took aim and fired his gun at the chaos below. 

*****

"Mind lending a hand, Raine?" Brickhouse asked ace pilot Raine Dashworthy, currently seated in an Agents jet.

"Yeah, yeah," Raine responded arrogantly, but clearly excited, "I'm on it!"

Brickhouse watched from his Aerial Defense Unit as Raine turned her jet toward the hijacked T-1 Typhoon and fired several missiles at it. One missed, but three other missiles connected with the hull of the vehicle. A massive explosion sounded out from the vehicle and flames began to shoot out from the outer plating of the vehicle.

"Alright, finish it off!" Brickhouse heard Dino Attack commander Semick yell over the radio. There was an enthusiastic response from several minifigs. The T-1 Typhoons and Aerial Defense Units then launched everything they could muster. The hijacked helicopter began to fall. Brickhouse watched as some strange minifig abomination smashed its way out of the cockpit. Brickhouse reeled back in disgust.

"What is that thing?!" he asked, as the minifig abomination climbed to the top of the collapsing helicopter and seemed to prepare to leap. A single Sonic Screamer blast from a T-1 Typhoon knocked it out, allowing its body to be consumed by the massive fireball that erupted from the T-1 Typhoon as it collided into the ground.

"That was a Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid, from the looks of it," Semick responded morbidly. "Nasty pieces of work. Nice work, uh..."

"Thaddeus Brickhouse."

"Captain Brickhouse, nice work," Semick directed his attention to the rest of the group flying. "Alright, we need to take down those two infected Agent Jets."

"What of the Talon?" an agent asked.

"We'll see what Hotwire does before we decide to attack. I have a feeling he'll find a way out of this."

"I hope someone gets Virchaus good in the temple," a Dino Attack Agent muttered. "That son of a MegaBlok probably caused this, that no-good piece of Znap!"

"Wait," Brickhouse double-taked. "Did you say Virchaus? As in Zachary Vir-"

"Sir!" France screamed from the back of the Aerial Defense Unit, cutting off Brickhouse's question. "Something is wrong with Wheatley! He's - AHHHHH!"

Brickhouse flipped on the autopilot and quickly spoke into the radio. "We might have a hijacking in progress! Don't shoot us down yet!" He then turned from the cockpit and headed to the back, his gun in hand.

*****

Minerva continued to walk. Andrew's words uplifted her slightly, but fear and uncertainty continued to gnaw away at her.

Not much farther, a voice said excitedly in her mind. Minerva jumped in surprise, but held her ground. Unlike the previous voices she heard in the temple, this one was softer but deeper and echoing, with a refined-sounding accent.

What do you mean? Minerva demanded. The voice reeled back at her sudden assertiveness, but continued.

Not much farther until you and your friend meet the end, the voice responded.

Elaborate, she responded. End of what?

Where would the fun be in telling you? Know that only you are at the end of something.

You're helpful, Minerva said sarcastically. Is that all? Vaguely tell me we're about to be at the end of something? If so, you can move along.

Getting rather feisty, aren't we? the voice snapped, clearly not amused. Why do you continue stay with this man? What is his name? Anders? Andy? Arnold?

Andrew, Minerva responded quietly.

Yes, him. Andrew. Why are you with him?

I pulled him down here with me.

Hmm. So he's here because of an accident. He serves no purpose in your plans, does he? Minerva remained silent, not wanting to give away too much. I assume he doesn't. He is extra weight to you. Why not dispose of him?

Because he's my friend, Minerva shot back defiantly. He wouldn't abandon me if he was in my place.

So sure of that? I must admire your blind faith. However, it is rather foolish. He seems rather unstable to me. He did tell you he had his own desire to change his very being. Rather strange, wouldn't you think? And he intended to use the Maelstrom to boot. Who is to say that he won't accomplish this dream and leave you for dead?

He got over it.

So he says. How can you really trust him? Andrew is unstable and his true methods are unknown to you. Perhaps he is plotting how to kill you right now?

No. Andrew is a good person. Minerva knew the voice could sense her doubt.

It is best to get rid of him before it is too late, the voice said with force. Would you like to hear a secret?

I... don't think so. She was mentally facepalming. Her hesitation was apparent.

Up ahead is a single trap. Once a sensor is tripped, the walls ahead will smash into each other once and only once. It will kill anyone trapped inside.

So, you're helping me now?

In fact, I am. Have Andrew walk ahead of you. When he trips the sensor, he will be crushed and a threat you and your plans will be eliminated.

What?!

There will be a hieroglyphic of a red sun on the left wall. Once he passes that, he will die. He is a threat and you know it, the voice said soothingly, almost seductively. Finish him off before he finishes you. He doesn't matter. Only saving Zach does.

Minerva silently mulled over what the voice had told her. She felt herself believing the voice. She looked at Andrew silently. He was silently and looked ahead. Minerva glanced at the rifle in his hands. She knew he could kill her rather easily.

Maybe I can't trust him, she thought. Minerva looked away from him. She could feel herself slowing down, allowing Andrew to be clearly ahead of her. She looked at his back. He needs to die...? She stammered in her head. Then she saw it.

On the right wall, a dark red sun shined through the darker, more monotonous hieroglyphics around it. Once they passed the sun, the walls would come in and crush them. And yet, Andrew continued forward, not realizing the danger he was in.

"Here it goes," she muttered. She felt a cold, false-sense of comfort suddenly consumed her. She felt the edges of her vision started to become dark and cloudy. Andrew's foot crossed the sun.

"Stop!" Minerva suddenly screamed, pulling Andrew back by his shoulder. He stumbled backward as the walls ahead of them quickly slammed together with a loud crash. Both walls cracked and chipped from the force of the collision. After several seconds, the walls weakly receded.

Andrew stepped away from Minerva and stared at her in surprise. "How did you know that was going to happen? Did the Maelstrom-"

"Yes," Minerva said shakily. "I was about to kill you." She avoided Andrew's widened eyes. The cold feeling vanished and her vision returned to normal. She could see his grip tightened around his rifle. "The Maelstrom... it... I... I don't know what happened. I'm sorry. I-" Tears slid out of her eyes as she backed away from Andrew fearfully.

"I almost killed you," she whispered. She had almost fallen into the Maelstrom's control. Minerva finally broke down, letting herself slide to the floor, her back against the wall opposite of Andrew, crying weakly. 

*****

The inside of the Talon was a standoff. Hotwire and Helm had their Cosmotronic Rays pointed at Cyrus, who had left the cockpit and stood menacingly in front of them. He leered at Hotwire, who was forced to support the heavy gun with only his right arm as his left arm was occupied with supporting him on the crutch, and was shaking slightly with the effort. Then Semick's voice broke over the comm. "Hotwire, if you can hear this, try for the 'Bank-In-Finance-Trouble' method."

It took little more than a second for Hotwire to figure out what Semick meant. "Stand back," he muttered to Helm, "and be ready to ignore your acrophobia for a few seconds." At that point, Helm understood as well, and cautiously stepped back towards the emergency supply cabinet. Hotwire adjusted his grip on the Cosmotronic Ray and carefully aimed it directly at Cyrus.

The Agent Stromling chuckled. "You wouldn't fire that in here, boy," he said condescendingly. "You know better. You'd blow us to MegaBlokland."

"Wouldn't I?" Hotwire said, beginning to tighten his grip on the trigger. Cyrus visibly braced himself and prepared to dodge, and then Hotwire did the unexpected. Balancing on his right leg, he suddenly whipped the Cosmotronic Ray around behind him. The momentum caused his entire body to pivot, and he raised his left arm. The crutch smacked Cyrus across the neck, and the Stromling stumbled back, clutching at his throat.

"No, you're right. I wouldn't," Hotwire said. At the same moment, Helm came back up with a parachute strapped across his shoulders.

"Loop, get over here," Hotwire called, dropping the Cosmotronic Ray and slipping his arm through one of the parachute straps. "You're coming with us." Loop burst out of the rear cockpit, grabbing the second parachute from the emergency compartment. Helm gritted his teeth, and the two Dino Attack agents leaped out of the T-1 Typhoon.

Cyrus, wheezing and coughing, pulled himself back up as Loop dashed towards the door. "Oh, no, you don't," he growled. He grabbed the three-eyed minifig and dragged him into the forward cockpit, where Phoenix tore control panels off, exposing the wires underneath. The two grinning Stromlings grabbed Loop's wrists and forced them into the wires.

Phoenix and Cyrus cackled as Maelstrom energy poured out of them, through Loop, and into the Talon. "Time to have some real fun!" Phoenix bellowed.

*****

There was a sinking feeling in Osprey's gut as he watched his forces split. His own Aerial Defense Unit shook as he and his crew fought two of their own comrades. He kicked one of the Stromlings out of the side and sadly watched him plunge to the ground.

As he was turning back, Osprey's eyes happened to fall on the Talon, hanging in the air over the forest. Two minifigs dropped from the helicopter towards the trees, and a parachute blossomed above them moments later. That was when the Talon began to change colors, shifting from beige and red to purple and black.

"Mother of Ole," Osprey said weakly as oily purple smoke billowed out of the T-1 Typhoon's sides and whirled around the rotors.

*****

Hotwire dropped his crutch and nearly lost his grip when the parachute opened, but he managed to pull himself back up. Helm had his eyes squeezed shut - that was no surprise.

"We're coming up on the trees," Hotwire warned. Helm nodded slightly. They slipped between the treetops easily enough, but inevitably the parachute snagged, leaving them hanging thirty feet above the ground.

"Okay, there's a branch just beside us," Hotwire said. "I'm going to get onto it, then I can help you down." He carefully transferred himself to the tree limb. This sure won't help me while climbing, he thought, and removed his prosthetic, allowing it to drop to the ground as well.

He looked back to where Helm hung a few feet away, eyes still tightly closed. "The branch is right next to you," he told the former mariner reassuringly. "Just reach over on your left."

Eventually, Hotwire and Helm made their way to the ground and retrieved Hotwire's crutch and leg replacement. They followed the sounds of the battle back to the temple grounds. Before long, the stump of Hotwire's left leg was burning again.

"Znap it," he muttered. "No painkiller on me."

"Where would it be, then?" Helm asked, as they pushed through the bushes at the edge of the temple clearing. There was a mighty thundering as an army of TumTum warriors and natural dinosaurs charged into the fray.

Hotwire looked up and shock momentarily stopped his breath. "There," he said, and pointed upward. Helm looked, and gulped.

The Talon, completely saturated with the Maelstrom, soared above the army of Adventurers' Island natives, raining devastation on dinosaurs and minifigs alike.

*****

"Oh, you crafty little monsters," Semick muttered as he watched the Talon go through a most peculiar transformation. Without hesitation, he flipped on the mic for the umpteenth time. At this point, he needed to start leaving the thing on.

"All aircraft divert your attention to a freshly corrupted T-1 in the air! The not-corrupted agents who were piloting it have bailed out, so don't hesitate to throw everything you have! And it may have inherited some of the Maelstrom's regenerative energies, but remember the weak spots of every helicopter: the blades, the guns, and the cockpits! Focus on those, and keep maneuvering well, and we'll get this taken care of quickly and efficiently!"

Semick then diverted his attention back to the Renaissance. The darn T-Rexes had managed to bring the crippled craft down, but he still hoped that it could be of use. Rockford's Iron Predator crew of mechanics were speeding up to it, firing at the last T-Rex as it went, but it would likely take a full-on trip to a Dino Attack hangar to get it working again. For now, they could only see if they could get it converted to a withstanding makeshift command post.

Now, there was the matter of how much more aid the Agents Defense Organization could offer. "Bluetooth," he said, "get me in contact with the Agents' leader."

"Patching you in," the technician said behind him.

After a few seconds of comm buzzing, he heard a voice at the other end. "This is Agents Captain Osprey, is this Elit-"

"Cut the formalities, Osprey. Can you tell me if the Agents have any more squads on standby? And how long it would take for them to arrive?"

*****

Kara saw the helicopter get corrupted. She never knew such a thing was possible. I hope you'll never let that happen to me! her AI said.

"Not a chance," she replied. She maneuvered the dropship to a position behind the Talon and fired.

I have found a name for our ship, Kara's AI said.

"Oh, really? What?" Kara asked. 

The Reclaimer.

"Why that?" 

I found it in a popular book and video game series involving rings, powered armor, and the coolest aliens ever, like ones with four jaws, and others that are technological magicians.

"I'll have to look it up sometime," Kara replied.

I have also found a name for myself. She broke off for a second as she shot down a missile tracking them. Cortana.

*****

"I don't like being sitting ducks down here," the Fire Hammer driver muttered as Rockford's vehicle steered through the mob and over another Mutant Lizard.

"Well, it's not like we had designed these vehicles for military assault," said Rockford.

"Yeah, yeah. You got a plan?"

"Well, with the current support from the natives, I think we can afford to divert our attention from the dinos long enough for this." He flipped on the mic. "Any Iron Predators and Fire Hammers that aren't occupied with enemy fire, divert your attention to the corrupted T-1! You all heard Semick, so aim for the weak spots! Your targeting systems were built for a reason, you know!"

"Sounds like a command any guy would make," remarked the driver.

"Rockford is a normal guy," Laxus reminded them.

"Just a normal lawyer thrown into a battle zone," Rockford concurred. "What else is new?"

*****

A machine gun round thudded into the wall next to where Katerina was treading water. "Be mindful of where you are firing," she snapped at Lutsky, before firing her own weapon again. She had been lucky enough to keep it above the water so far, but a wave produced by the thrashing of the Stromling Crocodile temporarily overwhelmed her.

One of the synthfigs swam over to her side. "Avenge your brother," she muttered, and the synthfig charged forward, attempting to absorb the Maelstrom within the monstrous reptile.

They did not have time for a drawn-out fight. The Stromling Crocodile had suffered little in the ensuing battle, but Dust's team had. The black water was impossible to fight in. It felt strange and evil. Corruption filled the room and tensions rose with every roar from the Stromling. Dust still carried his sidearm, but he had learned that drawing it would risk losing it. He had to settle this the old-fashioned way. With a blade

Katerina Schattenberg stood beside him. She had proven herself to be an extremely competent fighter and Dust could not help but take a fancy to the woman in the stylish black ShadowTech jumpsuit. She moved fluidly in the harsh water and he never once saw anger or emotion distort her judgment. She simply aimed her gun and fired efficiently and without hesitation.

The Stromling Crocodile was distracted with a Loop and Septimus. Its attention was diverted to the other side of the chamber, and both of them knew that it would be now or never.

Lutsky had proven that the crocodile had incredibly rapid regeneration abilities. As Schattenberg was discovering, her machine gun had little effect on the monster's scales. Whatever shots did not bounce off the raw back would soon be healed by the purple fog surrounding the crocodile.

Dust glanced over to the shallow water where Doctor Cyborg and Lance were. The Doctor had the right idea. The Stromling could not be beaten into submission. They needed one powerful and devastating attack that would finish the job.

"The mouth," muttered Schattenberg.

Dust raised an eyebrow. The massive jaws of the crocodile snapped open and closed, and based on its size, there was little doubt that the monster could easily swallow a minifigure whole. He had seen what the jaws had done to Loop and there were still bits of the synthetic figure littered about the chamber. "What about the mouth?" said Dust.

"I think that it's the Stromling's weakest point," said Schattenberg. Her eyes were still fixed on the threshing maw. She was deep in thought as she conjured a plan.

"What do you recommend?" said Dust. "Chances are none of us will get close enough to that thing to cause any real damage."

"You're the expert, Thutmose," responded Schattenberg.

"Not of Stromlings. I believe that's your area of knowledge."

Schattenburg turned to size up the Egyptian. "If I can kill it, can you provide a diversion?"

He nodded and Katerina Schattenburg smiled. "You'll be needing a bigger weapon."

She shouldered her rifle and dove into the water. Dust rolled his eyes and glanced at his feet. All around them lay the bones of previous grave robbers and hopeful adventures. In one skeleton's hand was a shining scimitar. Grinning, Dust pried it from the dead man's clutches and followed Schattenberg into the water.

A Cosmotronic Ray is powered by unique coolant system. Any good soldier knows that the weapon must be kept cool to prevent an untimely and catastrophic overheating.

Katerina knew the result of a poorly cooled Cosmotronic Ray and had already formulated a plan to implement it. Picking up the weapon from the shallows, she took aim at the Stromling Crocodile's back.

Dust saw the blast hit, and he closed his eyes to the flash of light. The Stromling reared its ugly back to confront its new adversary and came face-to-face with the Egyptian. Dust cursed and dove as the crocodile lunged. Under the water, he slashed the sword at the Stromling's stomach before coming up for air.

Katerina continued to fire her gun. Not so much to cause damage but rather to build up energy in the heating chamber. The cooling vents smoked and she had to be careful to not burn herself on the hot metal.

Dust climbed onto the back of the crocodile and repeatedly stabbed with his scimitar. Obviously, the Stromling did not like this action and worked hard to shake the Egyptian off. All he could do was cling onto the handle for dear life.

Katerina was no longer able to hold the burning weapon. The Cosmotronic Ray was as unstable as possible, and it was now or never to bring her plan into action.

Dust slashed the scimitar across the Stromling's eyes, and it hissed in fury. It slammed its face into the water, and Dust was flung across the room. He hit the wall and sank into the black water.

The Stromling Crocodile was blind. All it could do was thrash madly and snap its jaw back and forth. Most of the agents had found shelter from the madness, but Katerina Schattenberg braved the chaos to reach the snapping maw. The beast opened and closed its razor-sharp teeth, and Schattenberg approached slowly and with caution. She threw the Cosmotronic Ray into the Stromling's mouth and took cover as the beast bit down.

A fiery explosion filled the room. The Stromling Crocodile's head vanished in a fireball, and the resulting shockwave battered the eight agents against the wall. Soon the water settled and the pit became quiet.

*****

Andrew was still a little surprised at what had happened, but he didn't waste any time trying to comfort Minerva. Glancing around to make sure no Stromlings were coming yet, he leaned down to her side.

"Don't worry, I understand completely. You know what I just said: the Maelstrom is going to try and persuade us to do unscrupulous things. The fact that you did resist at the last moment there shows that you have enough sense to resist. Just keep what I said in mind, and we'll get through this."

"Yes, but..." Minerva said, still obviously distressed. "...the Maelstrom has so many choice words. Especially about you."

"What do... oh, right," said Andrew, recalling his conversation with voices just a few minutes ago. "Listen, I know that you; might be convinced to be unsure of me. I can get that way myself. But I assure you that I understand that the Maelstrom is nothing for me to mess with, let alone try to use. Besides, I think trying to... eh, what's a good word... alter myself would be of poor practical use at this time. Even if some agents have spent time being non-minifig with generally good results, I find personally that that wouldn't be the best idea. Trust me, I am not stupid, despite some of my more illogical actions."

Minerva snickered a bit. "Yeah... you don't really want to... you know?"

"No. Not now, and perhaps not ever. At least, not until the end of all this planet-threatening madness. I'm solely focused on saving Zach, stopping the Maelstrom, and kicking Dr. Rex's scaled behind. Now shall we get to working on that?"

"Yeah, we should," said Minerva, who began to get up. "Just... I don't want to-"

"Just keep my suggestions in mind, remember that the Maelstrom is solely out to do us in and turn this planet into another Crux, and have some faith in me." Andrew glanced back at the area they had been about to cross. "Now, how do we bypass this trap? Has it stopped working after one go, or do we need to find a way to deactivate it?"

"The Maelstrom said that it would only work once," Minerva said as she stood up, wiping her eyes quickly. "It was supposed to crush you and then let me go, I guess. I suppose the Maelstrom might have lied to me or will crush us simply because I didn't kill you."

Andrew glanced down the hallway. The walls were cracked and crumbled. Bits of stone littered the floor. "Let's try this." He picked up a good-sized stone and threw it past the sun. It disappeared into darkness.

Silence, then they heard a loud grinding sound. More stone detached from the wall and dust fell from the ceiling. However, the walls did not close. Andrew glanced at Minerva, who looked equally confused.

"What do you make of this?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it wants to kill us, but something is stopping it," Minerva couldn't believe it. Was the Maelstrom just going to let them go, even after Minerva defied it? "Do we trust luck?"

"I don't really want to, but our only other option is to go back to the slide, which is basically a dead-end." Minerva bit her lip as she glanced behind her.

"How about we run?" she suggested. Andrew shrugged, then nodded. The both got into a running stance. Anxiety began to build up inside her.

You won't make it... the voice said in a hushed whisper inside her head. It should no signs of disappointment or anger at Minerva's refusal to kill Andrew. She flinched visibly. She began that "YTP Method" Andrew had talked about. She felt the Maelstrom reel back, confused by the odd mash-up of Sweet Child o' Mine featuring phrases from Song of Myself, all being sung by that Stromling Monkey that had attacked her back at the camp and that smooth-talking guy on those deodorant commercials. Thinking of these gave her a minor headache, but she ignored the pain.

"Go!" Minerva yelled. She and Andrew sprinted through the hallway, ignored the strained moans coming from the wall. After nearly a hundred yards of running, Minerva noticed a red sun on the left wall as they ran past.

"I think we're good!" she gasped, slowing down to a jog. Andrew slowed down ahead of her and looked back, breathing heavily. The walls suddenly slammed together behind them, just before the red sun.

"How do you...?" Andrew asked. She pointed to the red sun on the wall. Andrew nodded in understanding.

"Let's keep going," he muttered, turning around. Minerva followed him. They walked for only a few minutes when they came upon a doorway on the right wall. They looked at each other, interested.

The doorway was a two-minifig-wide archway. The two agents slowly walked through the archway and entered a massive round chamber. The ceiling extended more than fifty feet above their heads, topped off by a dome ceiling. In the center of the room was a small pool that contained liquid Maelstrom. Other than that, the room was rather bare.

"What is this place," asked Andrew, glancing around in interest. "What is it for?"

"I think a better question," a dark voice said behind them. "Why are you here?" Minerva and Andrew quickly turned around and saw Zachary Virchaus standing behind them. He pointed his Cosmotronic Ray at them lazily. Confusion danced in his eyes.

Behind him was a Stromling Islander. He was bald and had strange teeth tattoos around his mouth. He was extremely muscular and had a necklace of teeth around his neck, containing both Minifig and dinosaur teeth. He was silent, staring at the Dino Attack agents intently.

"Seriously," Zach continued. "How did you get here?"

"We fell down here," Minerva stammered to Zach. "A trap in the pendulum hallway brought us down here." Ahua chuckled darkly behind him, as if Minerva's explanation amused him.

Zach raised an eyebrow. As far as he was aware, there was no other traps in that hallway other than swinging pendulums. Interesting.

"And so you happened upon here, the very location I was stationed," Zach said. "Rather convenient, is it not? Especially since both of your goals when entering this temple were to find me." Andrew and Minerva's eyes widened. "I am aware of the plan my former self created to eliminate me. You listened to him, and you will ultimately pay with your deaths."

"What is the plan?" Andrew asked.

"However," Zach said, ignoring the question altogether, "I am rather generous, so there is a chance for you live. Starting with you, Minerva." She jumped out the sound of her name. He walked up to her so they were face-to-face, about two feet apart. He shoved Andrew away and stared at her intently. Her general body language clearly showed Minerva was afraid. However, her face displayed a defiant gaze at Zach. Zach grinned.

"Minerva, abandon the Dino Attack," Zach said softly, a major contrast to his normally boastful nature. "Finally abandon the life you had been trying to escape. Forget the past, forget Oswald, forget this suffering. Join me. We can be together." He extended his left hand toward her.

She glanced at it quickly, but backed away from the extended hand. "I can't, Zach," she said steadily, looking directly into his red eyes. "You need to come back to us. Please."

Something stirred in Zach. A longing to rejoin his Minifig companions. However, he pushed that feeling down. His face remained emotionless as he turned away from Minerva.

"Why did you come here?" Zach asked, controlling the clear anger in his voice. "Why bother risking your life coming here?"

"Because I-" she paused and swallowed loudly. "Because we're friends. I don't -" However, Zach had blanked out the rest of her excuse. A burning anger filled his entire being. Something snapped inside of him. He sharply turned around and jabbed the Cosmotronic Ray into Minerva's chest. She stumbled backwards, looking at Zach with pleading eyes.

"'Friends'?" Zach hissed. "Just friends, right? I think I remember you saying that after Oswald turning tail and ran back to XERRD. We're just friends, right?" His voice was full of sarcasm and hate. "And yet every action you seem to commit around me suggests otherwise! Running into the XERRD Fortress alone to find me and this instance right here show very plainly you seem to think of me a wee bit more than a friend. Tell me, Minerva. Would you go to such lengths to save any other friends?"

"Y-y-yes!" she stammered, clearly frightened by his anger.

"LIAR!" Zach screamed, jabbing into her chest even harder with the Cosmotronic Ray. "If Andrew here or Nazareno were in my predicament, would you be willing to go to such lengths to save them?" Minerva was silent, her mouth agape. "I thought so. You are a piece of trash, Minerva Fabello, and I will take great pleasure in killing you. I'm glad we had this talk, friend."

He stepped back from her. A single tear fell from her eyes, but not audibly weeping escaped her body. She just stared at Zach with wide sad eyes.

I may have come off a little bit wangsty, Zach silently remarked. He mentally shrugged this off and turned to Andrew. "Where are my manners?" Zach exclaimed, returning to his arrogant and sarcastic demeanor. "Good to see you again, Andrew. You realize that I will have to kill you as well."

"If things go right, all three of us will be alive and friends again," Andrew stated simply.

Zach smirked. "Believe what you wish. However, I think it's only fair I make the same offer I made with the worthless girl you decided to help. One last time Andrew. Will you join the Maelstrom? You've heard my reasons. If not, I think we've wasted enough time talking. It is time to end this. Once and for all."

*****

Katerina hauled herself back up onto level ground, when suddenly she heard a voice in her head.

You made a grave mistake in joining this battle, Catherine Alexander.

That is not my name, Katerina responded. I reject it as I reject you. Know that although I may not succeed in destroying you as I once intended, I shall not rest until you have been permanently expelled from this world.

And how, precisely, do you intend to do that? the voice of the Maelstrom demanded angrily. With your freakish synthfigs? Oh, and on that note, you should know that one of them is proving to be very useful to me.

Impossible. They are resistant to your influence.

So sure of that, are you? Do you not know how close your "Lupus Schattenberg" was to succumbing to my will? Katerina hesitated, troubled by this claim, but decided that it must be an attempt to shake her resolve and dismissed it. The voice in her head continued. Mental influence aside, he certainly isn't immune to the... shall we say, physical persuasion of others...

*****

Loop shuddered as the waves of Maelstrom energy slowed. The Talon was now fully under its control, but Cyrus and Phoenix still held Loop down on the wires.

Although he himself could not interface with the machinery, he was the only link between the undirected Maelstrom in the Talon's systems and the minds of the two Stromlings chortling with glee as they rained death on the Dino Attack agents and the TumTum tribe. He wasn't certain anymore where he ended and the Talon began, and that was when he noticed -- the Maelstrom he had been holding in his storage cells had been forced into the T-1 Typhoon along with the torrent the Stromlings were sending through him.

Desperate for autonomy, he began to form an idea, and slowly began to draw electricity from the Talon's systems and into his body.

*****

"What was that?" Lance asked nervously as he looked at his squadmates. "I never seen a crocodile like that before."

Dust waded out of the dark water. He had bruise across his forehead from when he was thrown against the wall, and he had a mild limp. "I figured that this room would contain some sort of guardian," he muttered. "I thought it would be something big. I should have expected it would be a Stromling. MegaBloking lizard."

"Well, it is the Maelstrom Temple," Schattenberg said as she brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eye and returned it to its position in her ponytail. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised we haven't seen more of them."

"That does not mean it's not here," Dust responded as he gave her a lopsided grin. "I imagine you've all noticed the atmosphere of this place. It feels so cold and lifeless. Not at all what I expected."

"Why would you expect otherwise?" said Septimus. "The Maelstrom radiates evil."

"My entire life has led up to this place," said the Egyptian, frowning. He had a distinct look in my eyes. "It just feels so wrong."

"I've noticed too," agreed Doctor Cyborg as he stepped out of the water. "I feel a dark presence is active in this temple. It can only be Maelstrom."

The room did feel dark and eerie. Just minutes after the fight, the water had become still and not a sound was heard. It was unnatural the way the light played across the surface and the darkness seeped like cobwebs in every nook and cranny. The walls of the pit sloped up steeply and made it difficult to climb, but since a synthfig had brought a rope, the six agents below were able to climb to a ledge and join Lutsky and the other Loop above.

Schattenberg had taken a rather quick dislike to the blond-haired man. He had shown little regard to the lives below when he had opened fire with his sidearm and had come close to killing her with one of her stray shots.

Lutsky said nothing as he shouldered his way past her and stood before the dark doorway leading out of the chamber. "Where to next, Thutmose?"

"This is it," said Dust. "That Stromling Crocodile was the last obstacle. Down this hall will be the chamber containing the Maelstrom."

"What do you recommend we do when we get there?" Lance said as he crossed his arms. "We don't have the ability to fight this thing."

"Rex told me he and Rotor are going to the Temple of Creation to find some Imagination we can use against it," said Dust. "Once we get to the chamber, our job is to hang tight and put the situation under control until Rex and his team arrive."

"How long will that take? How will they get through the temple safely?" asked one of the Loops.

"I can PM them directions," responded Dust, brushing the question aside. "But that is not our job. All that we have to do is contain the Maelstrom. That's it."

"And how do you propose we do that?" said Dr. Cyborg. "The synthfigs and I can help to some extent, but we don't have the ability to destroy something that powerful."

Dust smiled and walked down the dark hallway. "I'm working on it."

----

The sounds of hooves echoed throughout the desert as Clint waited with Maria and Harmonica. He smiled as he quickly recognized the source of the noise, and it wasn't long before Angel Eyes showed up with a posse of a few dozen men, among them Flatfoot Thompson, his gang, and Sheriff Wyatt West.

"You gotta be znappin' me!" Thompson shouted upon seeing Maria. "We are working for a woman? What kinda fool do ya take me for? And what'ya doin', wearin' men's clothing?!"

There was a loud gunshot as Thompson's hat flew off. "Any more objections?" Clint asked.

The crowd remained silent.

*****

"Alright, you maggots!" bellowed Sarge. "Tea time is over! Back to work!"

"What tea time?" grumbled Tech as he continued pushing the bomb cart. "We never took a break! We've been pushin' this bomb cart non-stop since dawn."

"It's all ya fault, anyway!" spat Recon, thrusting his weight against the cart. "We gotta push this thing 'cause ya couldn't fix the engine!"

Fireman muttered something incomprehensible in agreement.

"Dang it, I ain't got the time for this!" grumbled Tech, who hit the cart's makeshift engine with his wrench. The engine sputtered and growled before roaring to life. Then, the bomb cart began to move down the track by itself. Tech grinned and clapped his hands together. "Now that's how it's done."

"Why aren't you pushing that cart, maggots?!" yelled Sarge.

Recon and Tech traded glances, not sure whether to be irritated or amused. "... Because it's moving on its own now," explained Recon as he gestured to the cart moving away.

"I kept tryin' to tell you," said Tech, shrugging. "I was in the middle of making an engine for the cart so we wouldn't have to push it all the way. But you kept saying that we ain't got the time an' insisted that we push the cart now because of Blondie, Angel Eyes, and the others. I just needed a bit more time to fix it. Good thing all it took just happened to be hittin' it with a wrench, but I kept tryin' to tell you, Sarge, that-"

"I! Am! Not! A! Sergeant!" screamed Ronald E. Army. "I am a general! I outrank all of you! Nobody outranks me! And-"

"Oh, please," scoffed Saboteur, who popped in out of nowhere and startled Sarge. "I've been reading your files, and you are not a general."

"WHAT?!?"

Saboteur smirked. "You're just a sergeant, Ronald. It's rather impressive zhat you managed to achieve zhat rank, but rather petty in comparison to general, don't you think? Says in your files zhat zhe LEGOLAND president at zhe time sarcastically told you zhat you were promoted to general after a certain incident involving zhe Black Falcons... I need not mention what happened zhere. Apparently, Sarge, sarcasm is a foreign language to you."

Everyone laughed as Sarge's face turned bright red, seething with fury. "WHY YOU-!" was all he managed to say before he was interrupted by Saboteur.

"On to more important matters... I scouted ahead and saw zhat zhe Hybrids have set up a barrier on zhe track, guarded heavily by turrets. I can sneak in zhere and disable most of zhem, but I would require some assistance. Bear and Medic, come with me. Zhe rest of you, stay with zhe cart!"

*****

Clint pulled his horse to a halt at the top of a large hill of sand.

"Why are we takin' the long way round?" Maria asked.

"You shut up, woman," snapped one of the posse, a middle-aged man with a vest, tie, and mustache.

"Now, now," said Clint. "What did you have to say?"

"Last night, we were able to get into there in a few minutes," replied Maria.

"You were able to walk there with Saboteur," noted Angel Eyes.

"I know," said Clint. "However, I'd like to see what the Second Headquarters Squad is up to. Van Cleef, do you have a pair of binoculars or something?" Angel Eyes reached into his pocket and revealed a long telescope. Clint promptly took it and took a closer look. "They're all there," noted Clint. "Even Saboteur."

"What are they doin'?" Maria asked.

"Pushing a cart," reported Clint as he closed the telescope and handed it back to Angel Eyes. "I say we just head straight for the fort." Clint started to ride off.

Angel Eyes turned toward Maria as the rest of the posse followed. "I'd like you to keep an eye on Thompson," Angel Eyes said. "We have an... understanding. If he tries to weasel his way out of our deal… kill him."

Maria smiled as she turned back to the rest of the posse, and Angel Eyes was quick to follow.

The sounds of horse hooves echoed through the desert as the posse made their way toward Fort Legoredo. For a brief moment, the Second Headquarters Squad turned in confusion as they rode past them.

"Vat are cowboys doing?" Bear wondered.

"ZIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Medic shouted.

It was not long before the noises of gunfire echoed through the barren landscape. Clint drew his pistol as they approached a group of Hybrids. He fired, taking one out immediately. Angel Eyes was quick to follow, then Maria, Thompson, and Sheriff West.

----

Jackson fired another round before his attention was drawn to the arrival of two individuals: one of them he recognized as Cabin, the other was a gruff-looking man with long hair, a black tank top, and an eye patch.

"Snake," Dactyl muttered as she stood up. "I heard you were dead." 

*****

Andrew stared at the being in front of him with intimidation and a hint of fear, but he did his best to put up a calm front. He was just as tired of this Maelstrom business as he was still afraid of it, and he knew that just talking to Zach wouldn't be how he would get him back yet. All he could do now was give a few choice words.

"The Stromling formally known as Zach," he began, "me and Minerva have decided to risk it all to get inside a temple serving as the focal point of your energies, have persuaded our allies to leave us alone, luckily gotten separated from our crew leaving us to wander into here, and have done all of those arguably stupid things, just to see if we could reclaim your former self. Call it devotion to your cause, call it arrogant stupidity that 'makes us destined to fail'," Andrew motioned air quotes while saying, "but the point is that we've done everything solely for your sake, because you've gotten into this position by your true self telling us there's still a chance, and because we have sympathy for your position due to me feeling like you're my mirror opposite and I take horror and pity in that, and Minerva because..."

He looked towards his ally. "Can I be frank about my opinion, Minerva?"

Minerva was still a little distraught from Zach's lashings, but she took a moment to gulp and nod her head.

"Okay. And Minerva because you two seem to have shared affection for one another. Perhaps even love. I believe you've thought of that?"

Minerva blushed a little, while Zach shot his head back in a little bit of surprise. Andrew guessed that he might've hit a sensitive spot, because the gleam of fury quickly returned to his red eyes. He aimed his Cosmotronic Ray arm at the Dino Attack agent's stomach.

"How perceptive for you to think that. But regarding that... rash... bit of judgement, I assume from your little speech there that you're declining our offer once more?"

Sweat was beginning to appear on his forehead, but Andrew remained stern and defiant as he said "Yes." As Zach began to react to his words, sudden thoughts in his mind suddenly gave him a sharp pang of pain in the head. He grimaced and instinctively put his hand up to it.

What are you doing?! Letting yourself die just because you don't trust the distributor!?

Shut. UP, Andrew told "himself", and let his eyes wander to the well-built Islander Stromling behind Zach. He had raised his eyebrow and stared at Zach. Zach stared back with confusion, then looked back at Andrew with a rather sly grin.

I guess you heard that, didn't you? Andrew thought in his mind.

Eeyup, said Zach's voice inside his mind.

What, no knocking first? How rude.

Well, I would've invited him in.

Andrew glanced back at Minerva, who was now staring at the three figures with confusion and worry. "Euh, don't worry about it, Minerva," Andrew said aloud. "We're just having a pleasant little mental conversatio-ERRAGH!"

Something felt like it was stabbing through his forehead and jabbing into his brain. The recoil from such a mental blast knocked Andrew off his feet and onto his back. His eyes, shut tight from the reaction, saw the little light passing through his eyelids suddenly darken.

Ach... what is this, guys, some kind of Maelstrom gang-

This..., said a voice that appeared to talk with authority and a hint of aura of menace, ...other voice of yours... seems to speak contrary to what you say aloud. We think you aren't telling us everything.

What, that? It's just my "dark consciousness" that likes to think the "black-and-grey-morality thought" about how I should handle my desires. Don't we all have that?

But with such strength... and persistence... it seems to be more than meets the eye.

Oh, you.

Andrew felt annoyed that his mind was being treated like some dimly-lit bar at night, but he kept focused on the conversation at hand. 

Oh alright, it has somehow managed to tell me things I wouldn't know otherwise, but I don't have an explanation for that. But I'm willing to blame faith or something. I dunno, I haven't thought much of it lately.

We are the same, him and I. I just happened to speak our mind and heart bluntly, and have a few ways of guessing how things work.

Geeze, with prose like that, I should be a poet or something after the war.

Only if you think you could survive this encounter, said the other voice, which Andrew was guessing to be either the Maelstrom itself or the Islander guy who had been in the room before. Which you won't.

We'll see... about THAT.

Heh heh heh. We like this guy. He makes victory just much more entertaining.

Okay, do you get it yet, Mr. "Dark Consciousness"? These guys are evil and should not be worked with.

They're also as cocky and overconfident and lax as every other villain in stories where the bad guy loses. I hardly fear them.

You might.

Exactly! WE don't fear them! This'll be easy.

The Islander/Maelstrom voice laughed again, this time with the intimidating deep dark one Andrew had always had a little problem with. So we shall see.

Andrew then felt himself feeling a lot more tired, and he began to see where this was going. As he felt himself lose consciousness, he managed to think Okay, okay, but if we're doing this, let Minerva know what's happening, and that I have fate that she'll be able to handle what happens nex..

Minerva stared at Andrew's body, terrified and confused. "What did you do?" she asked Zach anxiously.

Zach grinned and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'll deal with him later," Zach glanced back at the Stromling Islander, who stared at Andrew's body as well, a small evil smile on his face.

"Who is he?" Minerva asked. She wrapped her arms underneath Andrew's arms and dragged him to the edge of the chamber away from the two Stromlings.

"A rather pesky member of the TumTum Tribe called Ahua," Zach replied. "He holds quite a bit of authority here. Say hello to our guest, Ahua." Zach grinned widely at the islander. Minerva saw Ahua's eyes narrow angrily, but he ignored Zach and continued to look at Andrew. "Rather rude, Ahua. Oh well."

Ahua. The name slammed into Minerva's brain like a bullet. "Ahua is the guy Ghost was talking about," she whispered in realization. She winced as she glanced at Zach, whose grin had faded away rather quickly.

"Oh, really?" Zach said. "What exactly did Ghost say about Ahua?"

Minerva bit her tongue. She had quickly forced herself into an even more dangerous position. Zach scowled, no longer amused. He turned to Ahua, who had so far blanked out their entire conversation. Zach then turned back to Minerva and walked up to her.

"What did Ghost say?" Zach demanded.

"He said Ahua wanted to bring me to the temple," Minerva finally said.

Zach raised an eyebrow, then turned back Ahua. "This changes the situation a bit, doesn't it?" Zach noted. Minerva backed away as Zach glared at her and began to approach her menacingly again.

*****

Commander Vinyaya gasped in pain as Colonel jabbed his fist into her spine for the fifth time. As he charged up for the sixth time, she reared back her foot and kicked the Stromling in the stomach, knocking him back. Vinyaya rolled to her feet and raised her handgun and prepared to fire.

Colonel regained his composure and fired several Sonic Screamer blasts at her. She dodged the blasts, hearing an irritating whistling as the blasts flew by. She fired several shots at Colonel, clipping his right arm and the Sonic Screamer. He growled in pain as Vinyaya ran forward and started punching him into the face, knocking his cap off his head. Colonel growled again as he swung his Sonic Screamer at Vinyaya, slamming her into the chest and knocking her to the ground. She moaned and threw another kick at Colonel before he could attack again.

Vinyaya dragged herself across the ground and pulled Colonel to the ground with her. She clumsily managed to get on her knees and began to swing punch after punch into the downed Colonel. She stumbled to her feet and pulled her gun out and pointed it at the Sonic Screamer and fired. The bullets ricocheted off the Maelstrom-infused metal harmlessly.

"Son of a MegaBlok," she muttered, then slammed her foot into Colonel's chest before he could get up. She wanted Colonel's Sonic Screamer out of this fight before it proved to be extremely crippling. Vinyaya pointed the gun directly into the Sonic Screamer's barrel and fired several bullets into it with precise aiming.

Vinyaya regretted that decision immediately. The bullets cause the weapons to explode. She stumbled backwards, her face burning and small bits of shrapnel hitting her armor with a loud clink! She looked at Colonel's left arm. The Sonic Screamer was more or less destroyed. Colonel was on his feet, glaring at Vinyaya.

Vinyaya smiled.

"What are you to do now, Quartich?" she asked. She reloaded the gun and pointed it at the Stromling. "Have fun in MegaBlokland!"

*****

Now that they had made it back to the battlefield intact, the most pressing problem that faced Hotwire and Helm was the fact that neither of them were armed. There hadn't been time to bring any weapons with them when they bailed out. Hoping to avoid the attention of the combatants on the temple grounds, the two of them stayed just within the forest and began to circle the battlefield, with a significant degree of difficulty in Hotwire's case. After a few minutes, Helm spotted a Fire Hammer concealed within the trees halfway up a nearby hill. With this new goal in mind, Hotwire summoned all his strength and determination and forced himself onward despite the pain in his severed leg.

Before long, they arrived at the Fire Hammer. There were already four other Dino Attack agents there.

"You two don't look too good," said one of the agents, a woman perched on the roof of the Fire Hammer with a sniper rifle.

"We've sure seen better," said Hotwire, wincing in pain.

"We were on the Talon, and bailed out just before it became corrupted," explained Helm. "I'm Helm, by the way, and this is Hotwire."

"Dactyl," the woman responded. "Pleased to meet you. This is Jackson." She gestured at the other agent on top of the Fire Hammer, who nodded. The remaining two, another woman and a long-haired man with one eye, introduced themselves as Cabin and Snake.

Hotwire recognized one of the names. "Cabin," he said, then realizing, "You were on the T-1 that crashed." Cabin nodded. "Frankly," Hotwire continued, "with all the work I put into the Talon, I would have preferred that it be blown up rather than stolen by the Maelstrom." He winced again. "Would any of you happen to have painkillers?"

"I'm afraid not," replied Snake. He reached into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Hotwire, who politely turned them down.

"So, what's the plan?" Cabin asked.

"I don't know," replied Helmie. "Right now, we don't have much in the way of weaponry."

"I'm afraid we can't help you much there," sighed Cabin. "All Snake and I got are the rifles we salvaged from the crash. There might be some ammunition in the back of this Fire Hammer, though."

*****

A dark influence had control of his body, but not his mind. He felt strangely detached from the world, only a soul watching the events of reality. His mouth opened, and maniacal laughter poured out of it, heedless of the situation. He was taken aback at this. He was firing his weapons, but not at the true enemy. This force was causing him to attack his allies!

He realized that this time, he was out of his depth. He dealt with things that were solid and grounded in reality. He didn't like dealing with the mysterious forces that he wasn't even sure existed.

And all of a sudden, he was calm. He could deal with logic, and logic could help him. This force was simply an enemy. Not one to be destroyed, not by him, but it could be pushed back, made to retreat, if he could remain in control of his own thoughts.

This force was one of chaos. Of destruction. What could he combat it with? The answer came to him easily. Peace. Not apathy, but a force of single, driving calm.

And so, as chaos reigned around him, as his body caused pain and death, his mind pushed and hoped that it could regain control.

His force of will was close to breaking. The chaos was strong, and he was weak. He knew this, but he also knew that he would never give up. If anything, his spirit would die to exhaustion. And then, something happened. The unstoppable force... gave ground.

He mentally pushed, straining to control his body. And suddenly, he was free. From all he had heard, he thought it was impossible. The Maelstrom was not impossible to resist. But it had been draining. He looked out the cockpit of his jet, and he saw the ground rushing up to meet him.

"MegaBloking..." said Captain Hugh Yena.

And then, he saw no more.

*****

"Cortana, I can't harm the Talon. What are the weak spots?" Kara said.

Calculating based on bricks used, structural integrity, and clutch power. Ah, here we are. She brought up a building plan on the HUD and highlighted a few spots. You can hit the base of the tail, base of the rotor, or between the cockpit windows, Cortana said.

Kara aimed the Cosmotronic Rays at all three weak spots, to no avail. "It's not working! Is there any other way?" 

Well, you could land the ship for ten minutes. 

"What good would that do?" Kara asked. 

That would allow me to jump-charge the fuel rod gun, giving a sufficiently powerful blast to forcefully disassemble the Talon.

Kara landed, waited ten minutes, took off again and chased the Talon.

Preparing to fire, Cortana said.

*****

"Mega-frigging-Znapping-Bloking MegaBloks!" B swore up to the sky.

First it was the dinos, then the Agents showed up to "help." Help. Heh. Better call the dictionary people, 'cause "help" now means a missile to the rear end of your jeep. I just got that thing back on its wheels, and now... well, there's no way we're fixing that thing.

B looked around him. He was farther away from the battle than he would have preferred under normal circumstances, but now, was perfect.

Ironic that I'm in worse shape than either Kev or Chris, and yet I'm the only one who wasn't knocked out. Ow... my head.

He dragged Kev and Chris away from the fiery wreck of the Fire Hammer. A glint of light caught his eye and he looked up at where it was coming from. An Agents Supersonic Jet, presumably one of the hijacked ones, was flying, or rather falling, towards him.

A crash, the screaming sound of metal and dirt clashing, and then B was left standing between two very similar piles of smoking metal. He stared for a second, and then his natural practicality and training took over.

Those jets usually have great cushioning, in case of scenarios exactly like this. So, even though the rest of the plane's a smoking wreck, there's a good chance the pilot's still alive.

B gingerly pried open the cockpit and pulled the body from it. It had a distinctive purplish tinge to it, but not to the extent of the Stromlings. The face was familiar.

"Yena. If you live through this, man, we are even." 

*****

Loop gathered more and more electricity from the Talon's systems. The Maelstrom was in such total control that the drain went unnoticed by both of the Stromlings. He soon felt as though his electricity-storing cells would rupture, but continued to absorb as much power as he could. The Maelstrom swirling between him and the Talon suddenly seemed to take notice, and Loop saw his last chance.

In one burst, he released all the electricity. It surged through the Talon, frying circuits, blowing out equipment, and ultimately, stopping the motors cold. Sparks swarmed across the bodies of Cyrus and Phoenix as well, and the two screamed in pain and lost consciousness.

The T-1 Typhoon plunged towards the ground as the rotors spun lazily to a halt. Loop could feel the Maelstrom trying desperately to restart the engines, but he'd spent years toying with electricity, and he had ensured that each and every system was stone dead.

*****

The Talon suddenly started falling towards the ground.

"Cortana, hold fire!" Kara said. She watched as it plummeted towards the ground, breaking apart into a thousand parts. "Like cheap MegaBloks on a kitchen floor!"

*****

"Well, perhaps we should just be ready to move out if we are needed elsewhere," said Hotwire. The other five agreed, and they began to prepare the Fire Hammer for departure.

Suddenly Hotwire's attention was drawn to the battlefield. The Talon's rotors had stopped, and it plummeted nose-first in a steep downward arc until it finally plowed into the ground and slid about thirty feet, crushing a group TumTum warriors and Dino Attack agents in addition to several Mutant Lizards.

The massive helicopter finally came to rest a short distance from the trees, a ruined flaming hulk with barely any remnant of its former glory, and was still.

Snake tried to pull Hotwire away from the scene he was watching. "Come on," he muttered. "They're dead, and even if they're not they've probably all been turned into Stromlings." 

*****

Phoenix and Cyrus pushed their way out of the wreckage of the Talon as the Maelstrom quickly healed their wounds. They walked over to where Loop lay after being thrown from the cockpit in the crash. The synthfig's breath was shallow, and he was pale with blood loss, but there was a faint smile on his face.

Phoenix saw his expression and sneered. "You'd probably prefer to go this way, as desperate for autonomy as you are," she spat. "Unfortunately, you've been too much of a pain for us to let you get off that easily." She grabbed one of his arms.

"Don't worry," added Cyrus, grabbing Loop's other arm. The Stromlings dragged him back to the Talon. "This will only hurt so much that no other pain you've ever experienced will compare to it."

At that moment the Maelstrom which had infected the Talon surged out of the wreck and into the body of the dying synthfig. He jerked and squeezed his eyes shut as it began to overwhelm all his defenses. His storage cells were quickly filled, but the dark energies continued to fill him; it seemed that Cyrus and Phoenix had used him to tap into a larger source of Maelstrom energy, far more than was necessary to corrupt one normal person.

Loop, though, was anything but normal. It soon became clear that the description 'Maelstrom resistant' was in fact relative to the quantity of Maelstrom in question. It filled every fiber in his body and relentlessly assaulted his mind. It was already restoring his body to health, so he finally had no choice but to succumb.

From the perspective of Lupus Schattenberg, this was a fate far, far worse than death, for when he opened his eyes again, he was no longer a free being.

----

"This a little more your taste?" Sarah asked as she sat down with Pierce over a small table containing a simple but fancy-looking turkey dinner.

"Yeah," replied Pierce. "At least we don't have any more of that agent Dude."

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" They suddenly heard Walter shouting close by. There was some arguing heard afterword.

"Just the two of us," said Sarah. "Tell me, in all this time, what's been going on with you?"

"I'm still a doctor," replied Pierce. "They put me in the team's medical wing for a reason. You?"

"Borderline poverty," sighed Sarah. "Do you have any idea how many people Wallace took loans from for his experiments? Then he gets himself locked up, and who do they come after? His sister, of course, because it's not like she's already having trouble keeping a stable job while trying to give her daughter a half-decent education. Poor Kate had big plans for college, and we couldn't afford to enroll her anywhere."

Suddenly, they were cut off when a random man showed up with a violin and started playing vaguely romantic-sounding music. "Excuse me," Sarah remarked. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Oh," said the musician. "Mr. Rand hired me to come in and create a romantic atmosphere for this scene."

"Who?" asked Pierce.

"Oh," stammered the musician. "Umm... nobody, just... um... I gotta go." With that, the man quickly bolted out of the room.

"Now, where were we?" Sarah asked. She walked over to Pierce's side of the table and sat down next to him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and they started to kiss.

"HEY, MAN!" came a sudden familiar voice. Sarah looked up to see the familiar face of agent Dude, holding a beer. "Did you hear about the stuff on Adventurers' Island, man? They're like, sending a couple of people to do stuff. They're sending us out in a couple hours."

"That's very good, Dude," replied Sarah. "Tell me, is that line still open?"

"Yeah," said Dude. "I'm pretty sure it is."

Sarah quickly stood up.

"Where you goin'?" Pierce asked.

"I'm joining the team," declared Sarah. "I'm sick of waiting around here in Antarctica. My girl is out there and I'm going to make sure she's alright."

----

Chompy took a moment to survey the battle's current progress. Although Dino Attack and Agents were struggling in the sky, the fight on the ground continued to turn in their favor. The natives of Adventurers' Island were successfully defending the Dino Attack Team from the forces of the Maelstrom. They were finally joined by Queen Legotiti's Matching Mummies. Skeletal figures wrapped in Ancient Egyptian burial bandages were screaming gleefully and laughing in delight as they took on Stromlings and Mutant Dinos alike.

The long and grueling fight was not over yet, but it seemed as though victory was theirs at last. From atop the alpha female T-Rex, Achu raised his spear and proclaimed: "This battle is ours!" The alpha female T-Rex opened her mighty jaws and roared in triumph; Chompy and several other dinosaurs joined in with the rousing cry.

But, a chilling silence fell upon the battlefield. Achu's eyes widened when he realized what was happening. Mutant Dinos parted like the Red Sea and cleared the path as the last of the seven Hybrid Riders, seated on the back of a mighty Mutant T-Rex, approached the alpha female T-Rex and Achu. Every footfall of the Mutant T-Rex shook the area, and he grinned savagely with an unquenchable thirst for blood. With the Hybrid Rider egging him on, the Mutant T-Rex bellowed at the alpha female T-Rex, challenging her to a duel.

The alpha female T-Rex knew that her chances of winning were slim. She was outmatched in sheer size and strength, with her opponent towering over her. Still, the alpha female let out a fierce roar, since she would not back down from her sworn duty. She accepted the challenge.

And then, they engaged one another in a battle to the death. Their teeth and their claws met in a violent display, tearing through flesh and drawing blood. Achu and the Hybrid Rider jabbed at each other with their spears, each attempting to force the other to dismount.

In her youth, the alpha female could have had the agility to outmaneuver her stronger opponent. But unfortunately, she was old, and the lengthy battle had already tired her out.  She fought valiantly, but one costly mistake was all it took. She was thrown down upon the scorched earth and pinned down, unable to get back to her feet as the mutant and his rider struck again and again.

Achu was briefly dazed when his mount fell, and he struggled to get back up again. Thinking quickly, he raised his spear and cast a magic barrier to shield them. An orb of light enveloped them. The Mutant T-Rex's jaws could not penetrate the shield, but he continued to attack relentlessly in an effort to break through. Achu gritted his teeth, knowing the strain would be too much to maintain indefinitely.

Chompy and his sister watched in horror as their alpha fell. They were surrounded by mutants and unable to interfere in the fight, but this sight drove them to rush as quickly as they could to their mother's aid. Fueled by adrenaline, Chompy ignored the biting and clawing Mutant Lizards from all sides as he focused determinedly on charging forward like a raging bull.

They reached her just as Achu's barrier was about to fail. The orb was blinking out of existence, and the Mutant T-Rex reared back in preparation for one last deadly lunge.

Chompy closed his maw upon the Mutant T-Rex's leg, sinking his teeth into its thigh. The great beast stumbled, and the Hybrid Rider lost its balance and fell off its mount. Chompy's sister quickly went after the Hybrid while Chompy continued battling the Mutant T-Rex. While he had no chance of defeating his opponent on his own, he successfully held the Mutant Dino off long enough for two Fire Hammers, a Triceratops, three TumTum Islanders, and a pair of Matching Mummies to join the fight.

Now outnumbered, the Mutant T-Rex and the last Hybrid Rider were swiftly defeated... but it was too late. The alpha female was mortally wounded and no longer had the strength to rise again.

Achu laid a hand upon the alpha T-Rex's neck, then he looked up at Chompy and shook his head sadly. "Her injuries are too severe for my magic to heal," he explained. "The most I can do was soothe her pain, ensuring that she will die peacefully."

Chompy's heart sank, but he nodded. "Thank you, great chief Achu," he rumbled softly.

As her breathing slowed, the alpha female T-Rex regarded Chompy with pride. "You have… done well… my son," she said. Then she succumbed to her injuries and forever left this world.

Enraged, Chompy turned around and looked into the eyes of the Mutant T-Rex who had killed his mother. The mutant, too, was not long for this world. In his final moments, it seemed that the innate chaotic anger of the Maelstrom, which had clouded his mind, was clearing at last. Now, as their eyes met, Chompy understood exactly what the mutant was thinking, and despite his fury, he could not help feeling pity for the dying beast.

The Mutant T-Rex was filled with sorrow. In the mutant saurian language, he growled mournfully: "Forgive me, brother... I have failed our family."

*****

They turned the corner into the main sanctuary of the temple. It was a massive room that was more than large enough to hold a small basketball court, and its vine-covered walls raised several stories high toward the ceiling of the temple.

Unlike the rest of the temple, the room felt warm, it had a life in it, and soft brown dust hung in the air. It was still strangely quiet, but it was a quiet of peace. Not of death.

A large rectangular hole in the roof let down a shaft of light that illuminated a great square platform in the center of the room. Large bricks littered the floor of the room from bits of the ceiling falling to earth over the years. Wide crumbling steps ran up on three sides of the altar and encircled the pit in which the Maelstrom vortex was held.

But instead of a black and purple entity dominating the room, all that remained was a black crater on the platform. The room was empty, the Maelstrom was gone, and all traces of the monster had long since disappeared.

The Dino Attack Team stood there in shock. The entire operation had always been a red herring, and all they had to show for the sweat and blood they put into it was a really big empty room.

Dust smiled. He had had his suspicions that this temple was no longer in use. And he was now positive that the Temple of Creation was the true host. All this meant is that he did not need Dino Attack to clean up the mess in his new residence. The Maelstrom definitely called this place its home long ago, but it has not dwelt here since the time of Hotep III.

"You lied to us!" yelled Lance. "You said the Maelstrom would be here!"

Certainly, they were protesting. He had wasted their time in more ways than one, but this moment was special for him and he did not want them ruining it.

The Egyptian did not immediately respond, but he slowly began to ascend the steps up to the altar. "I never said the Maelstrom would be here, Williams. I admitted that I had no idea. I did provide strong evidence to support my theory. Fortunately for me, you took the bait. Perhaps you'll know better next time."

"You led us here for nothing," said Septimus. "People out there are dying, and you tricked us into coming along on your personal mission."

He was now halfway up the steps. "That is exactly what I did, and quite frankly now that I have what I want, I no longer need you. I care as much about those people outside as they care about me. They don't care what happens to me; to them, I'm a tool to be used on their personal mission. I'm now just going to throw you away like the broken toys that you are."

He turned his back to continue up the steps when he heard Doctor Cyborg behind him. There was a faint click of a gun being cocked. "Stand aside, Dust!" said Cyborg. "You're finished."

Suddenly, Dust had his own gun out and had it trained on the assembled agents below. "Look, you're welcome to go; I no longer need you anymore. Let's not spill any more blood today than we have to."

"What about those people outside?!" said Cyborg. "They're all dying on your account!"

Dust raised an eyebrow. "I take full accountability for that. But an apology would sound hollow coming from me, wouldn't it? What I mean is that I really don't want to kill you. Now, please put the gun down, Doc."

Doctor Cyborg was not convinced, but Septimus slowly came up and took his gun. The drone placed it on the ground and looked Dust in the eyes.

"What's your plan, Dust?" said Katerina. "If we go, do you think you're going to spend the rest of your life sitting alone in this temple?"

Dust laughed. "I have had a plan for the last twenty-three years of my life. Everything I've done has led up to this point! I'm finished now, I can do what I want, and my life is now complete. Oh, the joy of not having a plan!"

"You're insane," muttered Lance.

Dust was suddenly serious. "You're welcome to believe that, Lance," he said as he pointed the gun at the surfer. "I really don't give a darn what you think about me. I don't care. No one has ever cared. Now, I recommend you go before I change my mind about killing you."

He was now at the top of the steps, looking down at the seven agents below him. They looked up at him not as much with anger as with pity.

Katerina frowned. "I'm sorry we gave you this second chance, Dust. Rockford said you had a chance to be a hero, but you let him down. You let us all down."

The comment about Rockford took Dust back a second. He had no idea why he strived to make the commander proud; it was not something he felt since he was under the guidance of Professor Kilroy back at the museum.

Dust ignored the comment. "That's the thing with you people. You've been living under the false impression all these years that you're doing things for the greater good and not for your own self-respect. You're not fighting the Maelstrom for the planet; you're fighting it out of obligation, and so you feel better about yourself. You're all so self-righteous."

Cyborg shook his head. "You know what, Dust? I do pity you; I feel sorry that you can still believe after all this time we're the bad guys. That humanity is basically bad. I don't know what happened in your life, but I'm sorry."

The Egyptian nodded. "You're right, you don't know what I've been through. If you did, you would most certainly know what this means."

The doctor shook his head sadly and turned to the assembled agents. "Let's go, guys. There is nothing we can do. He's broken; let's just let him be."

Dust looked down in surprise at the assembled agents as they turned to leave. What did this mean? They had not turned in anger, they did not react with violence, and they had done the unexpected. He had anticipated conflict at the end, now he just stood alone holding his gun.

The faces of the people below told the Egyptian one incredibly inconvenient truth: these were not bad people. They truly did work for the greater good; how could he have lived without seeing that?

He was breathing heavily. What had the last thirty-three years of his life been about? What had he lived his life off the assumption of? That man was only out for his own personal gain? That the only thing that drove people was their own primordial urges of wrath and greed?

His life was wasted. His understanding of the world had been wrong all these years.

This could not be true; these were the people he thought they were. Any moment they would turn around and shoot him and take his temple from him.

Dust looked down at his trembling hand holding his gun. He would stop them; he would not give them the satisfaction of killing him. These were bad people just like him, and he would make them understand.

He was desperate. He needed a reaction, anything that would confirm his beliefs. Gripping the gun tightly, he held it high and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"THIS IS MY TEMPLE!"

A single gunshot cracked through the chamber. The agents turned to see who pulled the trigger and saw Dust still standing on the top of the platform with a surprised look on his face.

He looked down at his chest in shock. A quickly growing red stain was spreading from his abdomen, and he staggered backward.

Below stood Carl Lutsky with the smoking gun. A look of cold satisfaction was on his face. No one had taken much notice of the commander the entire trip, and if they did, they might had seen his true intentions all along.

He pulled the trigger again.

Dust stumbled backward as the bullet impacted with his chest. He coughed and slowly fell to his knees. Everything was happening in slow motion, and his gun fell from his hand and tumbled down the steps.

His hands were now extended from his side, and he looked up at white light visible through the hole in the roof. What did this all mean?

Lutsky fired twice more, and Dust slowly tumbled backward to lie on the cold stones of the temple altar. His heart was pumping rapidly and the Egyptian coughed blood.

This is what it felt like to die. He could not move; he lay there in his slowly growing pool of blood, looking up at this sky. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to breathe.

Soon, they were with him. Doctor Cyborg, Lance, Septimus, and Katerina had all climbed the steps and were huddled around the dying man.

Cyborg took Dust by the hand. "Come on, Dust, stay with us!"

"Stop the bleeding!" yelled Lance.

They struggled to bandage his chest. Katerina called a Loop to fetch gauze, but they all knew there was nothing they could do at this stage.

The Egyptian could do nothing. He just laid there, looking into the faces of these good people. After all he had done, after every con he'd pulled, they still were making an effort to make matters right.

Dust coughed. "This… This…"

"Come on, Dust, you can pull through this," said Katerina. "It's okay."

"This is how I want to go," stammered Dust. His eyes darted around the chamber and settled on the skull-like face of Septimus."This is where I want to die."

"Hey, man, don't give up," whispered Lance.

The Egyptian choked and gurgled. His arms began shaking. He was going into shock.

"Tell Rock… Tell Rock… Tell Rockford… It's been an honor… knowing him," gasped Dust. His eyes began to close and he began to lay still.

"Tell him I'm… sor… sor…ry."

Gahiji's eyes glazed over and he stopped shaking. He looked peaceful in state and his eyes remained locked on the white sky visible through the ceiling.

Gahiji Thutmose's death was surprising in two ways. He died in his temple, the place he had devoted his entire life to. This is what it had all been about for him. That had always been his destiny.

The second was that he did not die alone. 

*****

Rex, Amanda, Rotor, and Kate stared at the figure who emerged from the shadows. He was clad in high-tech black armor, similar in style to Ogel's wardrobe or a Blacktron spacesuit. In one hand, he held what appeared to be a miniature rocket launcher, and in the other, he held a strange device. Although his head was masked by a helmet, as he drew closer to the light of the Imagination statue, Rex could make out his features through the figure's visor, and from his earliest memories, he recognized that face. It was the last face he expected to see in the Temple of Creation.

"Hello again, Rex," spoke the figure, smiling. "It's been far too long since we last spoke."

"Doctor Wallace Bishop," Rex said as he gritted his teeth, unable to believe his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"One might say," said Wallace Bishop, smirking as he approached the group, "I'm here on the same mission as you." As Dr. Bishop drew closer, Rotor picked up his weapon and pointed at the XERRD scientist, who raised his arms in a show of peace. "Now, now. Let's not be pointing guns at each other. I have no intention of using this rocket launcher on you... it's for my own protection. I presume you four had some Stromling problems on the way in?"

Dr. Bishop sighed bitterly as he approached the Imagination statue. "The Maelstrom grows stronger every day. And all that keeps us alive is this tiny orb of Imagination. It is beautiful, is it not? And yet, it is so frail. Powerful, but frail. Rather like hope, is it not? So easily snuffed out, but it's what keeps us alive. An eternal paradox."

"So why do you spend your time supporting that which destroys Imagination?" demanded Rotor.

"The Maelstrom?" Dr. Bishop responded without looking at the Dino Attack agent. "While one may think that the best way to study is to always look at the light, sometimes its properties can be best understood by looking at the darkness. A balance must be met, for nothing is solely light or completely darkness. Paradox taught me this."

Staring at the Imagination, Kate softly murmured, "So beautiful, and yet so frail."

This drew Wallace's attention away from the Imagination and towards Kate. His expression held concern and even a bit of fear. "... Kate? What are you doing here, my dear? It's far too dangerous!"

The fear he heard in Wallace's voice alarmed Rex, and he knew what was about to happen but was too slow to stop it. Before Rex could do anything, Rotor forcefully grabbed Kate Bishop, locked her body against his, and pressed a pistol to the girl's temple. Crying out "Rotor!" was the only thing Rex could manage.

Rotor smirked maliciously and locked eyes with Wallace Bishop. "Surrender now!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "If you don't do as I say, your little girl gets a bullet in her head!"

Dr. Bishop's face contorted into a grimace. He pointed his rocket launcher at Rotor and Kate, declaring, "And if you dare do that, then I shall have no qualms about firing this at you! You would be dead less than a second after you fire that pistol!"

Kate's lips trembled in terror, and tears gathered at her eyes. The whole thing was far too much for her, and Rex and Amanda knew that their plan of not bringing Kate to the Maelstrom Temple had backfired horribly. It was time to step in quickly.

Rex lifted his Sonic Screamer and aimed it at the XERRD scientist. At the same time, Amanda pointed her knife at Rotor with a clearly murderous intent, letting him know that if he tried anything, she would kill him instantly. "Doctor Wallace Bishop," declared Rex, "as second-in-command to XERRD, you are under arrest. Do not attempt to struggle or resist, for you are outnumbered."

Rex heard the sounds of two pistols clicking. He turned over his shoulder to see Señor Palomar, wearing a gas mask and wielding double pistols, one pointed at Rex and the other pointed at Amanda. "Apologies for turning this into a Mexican standoff, señor," Palomar said with a smirk, "but it appears you were quite wrong about that statement."

Laughter rang through the temple chamber, and the Dino Attack agents' eyes widened in horror as they saw more figures emerge from the shadows of the chamber. Most were clad in high-tech Space Marauder armor like Dr. Bishop, but a few were dressed in sorcerer garb, and one was even wearing shinobi robes. They all were dressed in a black-red color scheme, with the XERRD emblem printed on their sleeves. Among those dressed in high-tech armor, Rex recognized Michelle Gladys, Zed Provhezor, and Walter Breen, and one of the sorcerers was Carolyne Provencal.

"What are you all doing here?" demanded Rex. "The rest of the Dino Attack Team is following Paulie Gonepus to the Maelstrom Temple... and you're all here, in the Temple of Creation?"

"Following Paulie Gonepus?" repeated Walter Breen. "Do tell, where did he lead them?"

"The Temple of Hote..." Rex began weakly, before his voice broke as a cold and dreaded realization washed over him.

The XERRD scientists chuckled unanimously. "Doktor Paulie Gonepuz may be obzezzed viz hiz Maelztrom energy," Zed Provhezor said with a sneer, "but he iz not a vool. Vy, zat iz quite brilliant ov him indeed! I juzt love red herringz, don't you?"

"No..." whispered Rex.

"You see, Rex," explained Wallace Bishop, "the reason I said that the Imagination here is the only thing keeping us alive..."

Dr. Bishop moved aside. In the dark chamber, their eyes had been naturally drawn to the one source of light. But now, for the first time, the Dino Attack agents could make out the massive vortex of Maelstrom energy in the far end of the chamber. Cold fear overcame all their senses as they stared into the swirling black hole of destruction.

"Velkome, voolish Dino Attack agentz," proclaimed Dr. Provhezor, laughing, "to ze Maelztrom Temple!"

Before they could recover from their shock, Dr. Bishop cleared his throat. "And now, if you don't mind, I must collect some Maelstrom energy with this device here." He lifted the strange machine he held in one hand. "This is a Maelstrom Vacuum, invented by Paradox with the purpose of collecting Maelstrom samples. XERRD has been harvesting these samples from this temple for use in our experiments, as well as using it to keep the Maelstrom's power in check."

"You may proceed, Dr. Bishop," said Señor Palomar, nodding. "We'll take care of these Dino Attack agents for you."

Wallace Bishop stiffened and raised his hand. "I shall refrain from battle. Kate! I suggest you do likewise, my dear; it's too dangerous for you. And, I swear to the First Builders, if anyone dares to lay a finger on her, I don't care if you are a Dino Attack agent or a high-ranking XERRD scientist... you will pay dearly. Mark my words." With that, he turned away from the others and approached the Maelstrom vortex.

"Rotor," ordered Amanda, "let go of Kate now."

Rotor complied, but this time it was because he knew that he would be a better fighter against the XERRD scientists if he did not have one arm occupied with Kate.

"Kate," whispered Rex, "Dr. Bishop is right; it's too dangerous for you. Stand back and stay out of the battle... should we fall, I need to depend on you to warn the rest of the team."

"Alright then," announced Walter Breen, "you all do battle... I'll just stand here and supervise-"

"Nein!" snapped Zed Provhezor, grabbing Dr. Breen with his mechanical arm. "You vill do juzt vine on ze vront linez!"

Michelle Gladys walked slowly and calmly towards the Dino Attack agents, with a rocket launcher in one hand and her teleportation device in the other hand. A hint of a sadistic smile appeared on her face as she declared in her ever-monotonous voice: "This is the part where we kill you."

The battle for the Maelstrom Temple had begun.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 46: Redemption

----

Katerina slowly stood, looking sadly at the late Gahiji Thutmose. Despite her misgivings about him before awakening from her fictional life as Kat, she had nothing but respect for the man. Here was someone who, like her, had set himself a goal and dedicated his entire being to it. The only difference was that Dust saw his goal achieved -- in barely more than three decades, at that -- and after almost eighty years of life, Katerina was no longer sure she ever would see her own success.

She would miss this kindred spirit.

"Great!" Lance remarked. "This is just wonderful, isn't it? The one guy who knew this temple is dead. What chance do we have now?"

At that moment, Lance thought he heard something, and promptly turned and drew his gun.

"Well, that's just prime," Dr. Cyborg said. He looked around the room, then continued. "This is all we got for the price we paid. Now I really want my refund. This price was too high."

He then looked to Lutsky. "Lutsky, I think I have the right and power to arrest you on the spot for murder. Former Commander Lutsky, on a charge of murder, I hereby place you..."

*****

Nazareno nodded as he watched Zelda Frodongan slowly walk across the room. Every step she took was a shaking, unstable one. She occasionally lost her balance and collapsed, but quickly pulled herself back up and continued walking. To the side, several doctors were writing down observations in her movement. Nazareno smirked slightly.

She is their ideal guinea pig, Nazareno noted. The first-ever cured Stromling had to be put under various tests to see any changes her wellbeing, including her motor skills. Nazareno only hoped he could get Zelda alone so he could begin helping her train her mind against the Maelstrom. The other doctors wanted to find a way to completely flush out the Maelstrom, but Nazareno felt it was unlikely to happen. The Maelstrom is extremely powerful, and Nazareno could easily see it holding a grudge against those who managed to escape much of its wrath by hanging over their head for the rest of their lives.

Nazareno stirred uncomfortably. He placed a hand on his stomach. The Maelstrom wound pulsed impatiently and rapidly. He had intended to talk to a doctor about it, but the issue of Zelda had overshadowed concern for his own wellbeing. The wound needed to addressed soon.

"Alright," Dr. Saran said as Zelda completed her course. "That's good. Take a break for a bit." Zelda nodded slowly and went to sit on her bed. Nazareno walked over to her. She was panting heavily as she looked up to the approaching space ninja.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Zelda nodded quickly. "Yes," she gasped between pants. "My body just took a good beating from the Maelstrom and it is still recovering." Nazareno nodded. He was glad to Zelda was calmer and more laid back compared to her first revival.

"That reminds me," Nazareno said, remembering the moments before Zelda became a Stromling again. "You were about to say something earlier about the Maelstrom before you became a Stromling." She looked at him, confused. "About the Maelstrom Temple? Hotep III's temple? Pharaoh's ruins? Ring a bell?"

She continued to look at him with a puzzled look. Suddenly, she jumped. "Oh my gosh!" she yelled in realization. "I remember. The Temple of Hotep III isn't the Maelstrom Temple!"

Nazareno mouth dropped underneath his mask. "Are you sure?" Nazareno asked slowly, fearing the worst. "Are you sure the Maelstrom isn't just messing with your mind?"

Zelda shook her head hurriedly. "No! The Temple of Creation is the Maelstrom Temple! My last message from Zach said he and the other Stromling were building up forces primarily at the pharaoh's ruins to trick the Dino Attack into thinking the Maelstrom Temple was Hotep III's Temple. It was a trap!"

"Coupled with the fact that a XERRD scientist we were tracking lead us there, it seemed everything had worked out in the Maelstrom's favor," Nazareno noted. He knew he should have expected this, and yet it was still unexpected. The Dino Attack had walked into another trap set up by the enemy. Rather, both enemies had leaded them into a trap.

"Stay here," he said Zelda as he turned. "I need to find Windows and inform him of this new development."

Garry's attention was drawn towards the noise of footsteps running. Turning around the hallway, he saw the familiar face... or rather, mask of Kareem Nazareno. "What's going on?" Garry asked.

"I need to find Windows," replied Nazareno. "It's incredibly urgent."

"Why?" asked Garry. "What's going on?"

"The whole thing is a trap," explained Nazareno. "Do you know where he is?"

"Of course," replied Garry. "He's in the radio room, where I left him. Come on."

Windows lay back in his chair, his headphones around his neck, half asleep when his attention was suddenly drawn by Garry.

"What's going on?" Windows asked as he turned and noticed the somewhat-intimidating space ninja standing in the doorway.

"Get on the radio, quickly," replied Garry. "Our friend here just discovered something about the Maelstrom Temple."

"I've just spent a full two hours trying to reach them," said Windows. "I can't get in touch with Hertz. I keep trying, but he won't acknowledge, and I can't seem to reach Znap out there, and I'm starting to think that nobody's been able to reach anybody on this whole MegaBlokin' island, man!"

*****

"... under arrest," Dr. Cyborg finished. He was relieved. No earthquake had knocked him off his feet, stopping him from arresting Lutsky. He was supposed to arrest him.

He looked around for something to use as handcuffs.

"Here," Lance said as he took off his belt. "Use this."

Dr. Cyborg cinched the belt tight around Lutsky's hands. "You will be held on trial for murder when we return to camp. You will tell us where your weapons are on your person. You will not try to escape. If you do, your sentence will be worse. Do you understand?"

Lutsky sullenly nodded in the affirmative.

"Now," Dr. Cyborg said, "on to more pressing matters. Where is the true Maelstrom Temple? It is most likely the Temple of Creation, but are there any other temples in the area that could be a host?"

"No, I believe it had been narrowed down to those two," said Septimus. "So it must be the Temple of Creation."

"In which case, we must return to the others immediately," Katerina said quickly and firmly.

"What about Andrew and Minerva?" Lance exclaimed. "We should try to find them too."

Katerina shook her head in disagreement. "We can't afford to linger here another minute," she said. "If indeed they are still alive, they can find an exit themselves."

"That's not something Kat would have said," Septimus muttered.

Katerina shot the Ogel Drone a dirty look. "'Kat' was a fiction. A pale, distorted reflection of my past self, serving as a mask behind which I could keep myself safe, no more a real person than a machine." Dr. Cyborg raised an eyebrow with just a touch of indignation, but said nothing, instead focusing on securing Lutsky's restraints. "With that said, are we going to stand here all day?"

"Well then, we should probably get to the real Maelstrom temple," Dr. Cyborg said.

They quickly backtracked, made easier given that the boss had been defeated. They reached the outside of the temple, and surveyed the battle.

"Nothing will get us there fast enough," Katerina said.

"That is where you are wrong," Dr. Cyborg countered. He indicated a strange ship flying around the battlefield. He signaled it to land. It did, and they boarded. Dr. Cyborg fastened the belt to one of the hand straps hanging from the ceiling.

"To the Creation Temple!" he yelled to Kara. "It's the real Maelstrom Temple!" Even with the damper fields on, they could still feel the acceleration. Dr. Cyborg sent an AAB:

The temple of Hotep III is empty! The Temple of Creation is the real Maelstrom temple!

Dr. Cyborg

The ship landed ten minutes later. Everybody, even Lutsky, offloaded.

"Let's go," Dr. Cyborg said. 

*****

Hertz's eye opened slowly and saw smoke filling the cabin. He felt disoriented and noticed blood dripping down his temple. His left eye was swollen shut and he smelt something burning.

A black cloud sounded him. An electrical fire was consuming the entire Renaissance, and the heat agonized his open wounds. The techie struggled to move but screamed in pain as something in his right bicep snapped. His arm was broken.

I have to get out of here.

Smoke billowed around him, and the metal floor had become burning hot. It hurt to touch the steel, and his fingertips started to blister with every burn.

I have to get out of here.

He knew this would happen. Everyone knew that an inexperienced desk jockey like himself would not last a minute in this brutal battlefield. He would not see Naomi again; he had never gotten a chance to say goodbye before he had been sent off to war.

That resolve strengthened him. He would not submit to his fate; he would make every effort to see her again, and he would not give up until he held her in his arms.

With his good hand, Hertz tore loose some strips of his clothing to tie around his hands. It would protect them for some extent. His next step was to orient himself. The smoke billowed around him, and the embers scorched his eyes. It was impossible to make out what side was up and what side was down with his eyes were closed shut form the smoke. He simply crawled in whatever direction he best guessed was the starboard doorway.

The broken Renaissance had fallen at a steep angle, and she leaned considerably to her right. What started as a crawl ended with Hertz falling out the door and landing painful on his broken arm.

He was still incredibly disoriented as he crawled away from the wreckage. The Renaissance had become a burnt-out skeleton of a ship. Fire consumed the craft from every orifice, and Hertz signed as the incredible craft met her end.

The ground shook. Through his blurred vision, he could make out a massive green form stalking around the crash site. It gave out a terrible roar and nosed the craft with its great muzzle. Sparks flew and embers ascended to the sky.

The Mutant T-Rex that had brought the Renaissance down still lived. His first reaction was fear but he had learned enough to not draw attention to himself. He lay in his miserable state and prayed that the monster would leave.

Then screams came from the cockpit. The canopy flew off and Lucky staggered out. Hertz could see that the pilot had a severe limp, but that fact that he was yelling would prove to be his last mistake. The T-Rex instantly noticed the movement and descended on the unfortunate man.

Lucky wailed in agony as the clawed foot dug into his back. With its prey pinned to the ground, the T-Rex ripped off his abdomen and gulped the first half of the pilot up in its furnace-like maw.

Lucky screamed until the end, and Hertz vomited. The T-Rex commenced to eat the rest of the pilot's remains before lifting its nose to seek more of the sweet man flesh.

The Mutant's nostrils flared as it caught Hertz's scent. Lifting its nose to the wind, it tracked the techie's crawl to safety.

Hertz's eyes went wide with panic. He could not move and he had no weapon. He was totally defenseless, and he knew that if it did not think of something, he would surely die.

Beside him lay a canister of air. The absurdity of a conveniently placed air tank aside, he quickly picked it up with his good arm. Chances are that the canister had fallen from an aircraft during the battle. It was unorthodox but it would have to do.

The T-Rex caught sight of Hertz and opened its mouth in anticipation. Hertz cringed at the toothy grin and backed away. He could still not see very well and his arm still caused great pain, but he soon found himself against the temple wall.

The T-Rex was savoring its meal and walked slowly to its prey. He opened his pocket and pulled his wire cutters.

And then the T-Rex charged. Hertz rolled aside as the monster bit into the wall where he just sat. His arm cracked more, but he brushed aside the pain and shoved the air canister as deep into the mutant's gullet as possible.

His hand was slashed open on one of the T-Rex's teeth, and blood splashed from the wound. Yelling from the laceration, he withdrew his hand and stabbed with the wire cutters. The T-Rex bellowed in anger and withdrew.

Hertz held his hand against his chest and crawled as fast as he could manage from the fight. Behind him, the T-Rex regained its composure and pursued its hapless victim. It came close to his legs but Hertz quickly kicked the snout away.

I need a gun.

His luck was proving good today. Not only had an air canister fell from the sky, but a rifle was soon within reach. He pried it from a dead man's hands and took aim.

The T-Rex circled and charged. Hertz pulled the trigger but missed substantially. His left eye was still swollen shut and his shooting skills were never that good to begin with. Regardless he pulled the trigger again and hit the T-Rex in the chest.

Hertz grunted and raised the gun. The monster kept coming and would be upon him in a moment. He placed his eye to the scope and took aim.

"Smile, you son of a-"

He fired a shot and hit the canister still hanging from the T-Rex mouth. It exploded and the mutant's head was obliterated. The momentum carried the creature several more yards before it finally fell at Hertz's feet. 

*****

Colonel suddenly revealed a small smile, almost undisturbed by his imminent death. Vinyaya frowned. "What's so funny?"

"You," Colonel said, standing straight and putting his left stump behind his back. "You think you have won, don't you, Commander?"

"Well, you are missing one hand, the other hand keeps you up right, and you have a pegleg," Vinyaya noted, unimpressed. "I'd say that you are pretty much beaten."

"Merely flesh wounds," Colonel responded, smirking. "You are correct, Commander Vinyaya. You have bested a cripple. Congratulations." His blatant sarcasm irritated Vinyaya to no end. "The Maelstrom has won, Vinyaya. You have lost and have effectively doomed the LEGO Planet."

"We do have people in the temple, you know. Not much longer until this temple is leveled."

"Wrong," Colonel said, his smile widening. "Your strike team will be sorely to find that this temple isn't the source of the Maelstrom on Adventurers' Island. It was a lie."

Vinyaya was speechless. "Wh-wh-what?!" she finally stammered.

Colonel laughed as he began to walk toward her. "It is Quadrant 14 all over again! You bumbling fools! You really trusted a XERRD scientist with leading you to the correct temple? Yes, almost exactly like Quadrant 14. Being tricked by XERRD by into heading to a trap on their advice. Will you ever learn?"

"Your forces weren't nearly as crippling as what supposedly went down in the Goo Caverns," Vinyaya retorted.

Colonel merely laughed again. "It doesn't matter! The Maelstrom and XERRD have delayed you long enough for things to get into gear. XERRD's top scientists on this island will be defeated and the Maelstrom will finally begin its true takeover of this planet. You have lost, Commander."

Vinyaya couldn't believe it. Everything that occurred here was a waste. "You're lying," she said shakily. "This can't be true."

"It is true," Colonel scoffed. "Keep denying it, slime. Not going to change a thing. Perhaps if your team had managed to secure that Maelstrom Crystal, you wouldn't have fallen into this trap. Perhaps it isn't entirely XERRD's fault. I suppose it's also those two minifigs who had the crystal that ultimately lead to your destruction. What a pity."

Before Vinyaya realized what had happened, she felt a sharp kick in her shin, dropping her to her knees. Colonel tilted her head upward so she could look at his scarred face. Colonel smiled wider at the pained expression on her face.

"You wasted your opportunity. I was going to martyr myself and allow you escape. But you were clearly not prepared for my news, so I think I'll live a few minutes longer. It has been nice meeting you, Commander." He shoved Vinyaya to the ground with his foot. He limped over near her fallen head and raised his boot again.

"What an unglamorous way to die," Colonel said coldly. "For nothing." Colonel brought his foot down on Vinyaya's face. She quickly succumbed to the darkness.

*****

"What did I do?" Minerva demanded angrily as she backed away from Zach. She had somehow found the nerve to talk back to him. "If there is anyone you should kill, it should be that guy!" She pointed at Ahua.

Zach's eyes narrowed. "Yes, yes," Zach said impatiently. "I am aware of that. I knew he wanted to kill me, but I didn't not expect him to bring you in to do his dirty work."

"Wha- He wants to kill you?!" Minerva was flabbergasted, looking back at the concentrating Ahua.

"Yes. He sees me as a threat to his power. I think he figured you would hold some influence over my actions." To this, Zach chuckled darkly. "However, his information is severely outdated. I stand before you now, clearly anxious to kill you where you stand. He most likely expected me to submit to you or to be distracted by you long enough to kill me." He chuckled again. "Rather cute, wouldn't you think?"

Minerva's back was against the wall, staring at Zach. He seemed completely undisturbed by the assassination attempt on him. In fact, he was clearly amused by the attempt.

"Don't worry," Zach cackled darkly. "I will kill Ahua after I'm finished with you. That much I am sure of." The two minifigs were silent, staring at each other intently. Minerva kept her gaze on Zach, but kept an eye on his Cosmotronic Ray at his side. Why wasn't he attacking?

"You know Minifig!Zach's plan, right?" Minerva suddenly asked. Zach bared his teeth in disgust, but nodded. "What was it, exactly?"

"Oh, this should be crushing," Zach said giddily. "It was a rather interesting plan. One so inconceivably selfish and self-centered that it even impressed the Maelstrom. He intended to have you killed right in front of him. Not by his own arm, but by another Stromling, perhaps even Ahua. He was thinking the shock and grief would've broken him free of the Maelstrom control. Rather pitiful. It wouldn't have worked, naturally. It would've cemented his place by the Baron's side forever."

Minerva was shocked at this revelation. "No way," she said slowly. "He wouldn't do that..."

Zach laughed loudly. "So confident in Zach's love, aren't we?" he boasted, his voice become extremely distorted, taking on a deeper tone than his regular voice. "Foolish. The Zach you thought you knew is dead. His true personality has been revealed thanks to my assistance: a manipulative, selfish minifig who only needed you, Minerva Fabello, to escape my power. You came here to die, nothing more."

Minerva didn't say anything. She refused to believe what the Maelstrom was telling her.

Zach smiled a charmingly evil smile at Minerva and then glanced at Andrew's body. "As much as I wish to kill you right now," he said, "I am interested to see what is going on in Andrew's head. He seems rather conflicted, doesn't he?"

Minerva stared blankly at him, not knowing what he was referring too.

Zach rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes. You couldn't hear the conversation." Zach shrugged. "Your loss. Yes, perhaps I will see what it going inside his fascinating little head..."

*****

"Who's that?" Jackson asked. He picked up his binoculars and looked toward the wreckage of the Renaissance to see a figure crawling away from the wreckage.  "Hey, Hotwire," Jackson said as he handed him the binoculars. "I think there's a survivor."

"We're not going," Snake replied coldly. "He's probably a Stromling. We got no way of telling for sure."

"It's Hertz," Hotwire said. "We got to help him."

"No," insisted Snake. "We don't have a chance."

Hotwire's PDA alerted him of Dr. Cyborg's all-agents bulletin, and when he read it, his blood ran cold. The others had the same reaction. They piled into the Fire Hammer -- Jackson, Hotwire, and Dactyl in the cab, Snake on the turret, and Cabin and Helm in the bed of the truck, clinging to the roof of the cab.

"Get to Hertz," Dactyl said. "Maybe we can get him out of here too." Jackson nodded and floored the gas pedal.

As the Fire Hammer sped towards the injured techie, Hotwire tuned into the open comm channel. "To anyone who didn't get Cyborg's message, Hotep's Temple is empty! This was all a red herring, and the Maelstrom is actually located in the Temple of Creation! Repeat, the Temple of Creation is the real Maelstrom Temple!"

Jackson swerved, and the Fire Hammer screeched to a halt next to Hertz. Helm and Cabin leapt off the back, grabbed the injured agent, and passed him into the cab, where Dactyl and Hotwire received him. Dactyl moved out of the cab and onto the back with Cabin and Helm, and Hotwire began trying to assess Hertz's injuries. Jackson spun the Fire Hammer around, and they sped off back into the jungle with the rest of the forces.

*****

B looked down at his PDA and scowled at the incoming message.

"Well, MegaBlok. No transportation, three, wait... no, four... agents who are... not fit to travel, and everyone's speeding away... I can't leave these guys here..."

B staggered a few steps forward, and then pulled out the mic on his headset. "Attention... Dino Attack personnel... Find us... Three Dino Attack guys and one Agent... Help."

B searched the unconscious bodies of his friends and luckily found a flare gun. He pointed it at the sky and shot it, knowing full well that something would find him, friendly or otherwise.

"So, will I live... Or die?" wondered B. "I don't think I... really care... anymore. Ow... my head."

B fell to the ground, unconscious.

*****

As the Reclaimer speed across the dark jungle, Carl Lutsky brooded in the passenger compartment with his hands bound. Around him Septimus, Schattenberg, Williams, and Doctor Cyborg hurried to prepare the craft for the approaching fight.

Dust had betrayed them; these people were under the delusion that the Egyptian might have had a ray of good in him, but Lutsky doubted it. It amazed him that they had bound his hands. He was not dangerous; he had only killed a madman.

Lutsky smiled. These people have no idea what I have done for them, he thought. My methods may not have been the most moral, but with hindsight, they would hail me as a hero.

The Egyptian had ruined him; he had destroyed the Dino Attack and had no redeeming qualities in the former commander's eyes. He had to die, and shooting him was the only way to end him.

They may call me crazy, thought Lutsky. But I'm the sanest person on this island. Carl Lutsky was embarrassed that no one else had stepped up to plate. Dust should have been killed a long time ago, but the people around him had not the stomach to pull the trigger. Once again, he had to do the dirty work. It was not popular, but they would thank him later.

Oh yes, they will thank me later. Lutsky smiled. I might even be made an elite agent for my actions.

Dust had been a monster, an embodiment of evil, and he had filled his body with bullets. The Egyptian's body would rot where it had unceremoniously fallen. He envisioned it turning gray as it decomposed, and soon the white bone would be the only evidence that there had ever been a man named Gahiji Thutmose.

The thought gave him glee and he let out a little giggle.

*****

Bluetooth's eyes widened in horror, and he could hear the rear gunner emit an audible gasp.

The messages coming in were a shocking revelation. All this effort and sacrifice, all for a classic red herring trap? It was horrifying, disheartening, and reminded him all too much of previous missions' downturns.

He turned to Semick. He was sitting still for a moment, processing the message, then, with fierce quickness, he grabbed his mic and began making more talk, to both Dino Attack and the remaining Agents forces.

"If you haven't heard already, I'll let you know. We've been misled. This temple has been a diversion to divert our attention. As such, all of you must make immediate efforts to reach the Temple of Imagination. I know we've been fighting hard and lost good allies, but we must focus on the battle that remains. Elite Agent Rex and several other trusted agents are there now, and are likely in great peril. It's up to us to save them. To save ourselves. To save our planet."

Bluetooth could begin to hear a sense of anger coming from his commanding agent. Anger from the frustration and strain this role was clearly putting on him. It made him a bit fearful, actually.

"The enemy has misled us, and I say it's time we see to it that both the Maelstrom AND Dr. Rex's XERRD buddies that they don't want to see us when we're reacting to being tricked for the umpteenth time at such a crucial moment! Everyone to the Temple of Imagination! For Rex! For Dino Attack! For everything and everyone you care for! For all the LEGO Planet!"

And they were quickly off, the T-1 Typhoon turning fiercely, charging through the remaining Mutant Pterosaurs as Semick set his sight on the direction of the second temple. And as he did so, he opened communications again, this time trying to reach Dust's team. "Dust, this is Semick. What is your team's status?"

There was a pause, and after a few seconds, Semick asked again: "Dust, this is Semick. What-"

"This is Dr. Cyborg speaking," said the voice of someone other than Dust. "I'm sorry to report tha-"

"I understand," said Semick. "But please, Dr. Cyborg, tell me what happened down there. And make it quick, if you can."

*****

"You heard the man, all of you, GO!" Rockford cried as his Fire Hammer's driver sped through the remaining Dino Attack vehicles and Mutant Dino forces.

Fortunately, it seemed that the vehicles were responding. Some were reporting to stay behind, mostly to defend wounded and inspect what could be done with the downed vehicles (particularly the Renaissance; some of the techie agents were quite bemoaning about losing it), but the bulk of their forces were quickly turning tail, fighting through the Mutant Dino forces back to the path they had taken from the outposts.

Rockford observed with awe and respect as he watched the agents under "his" partial leadership. One Iron Predator had swung its cannon at a Mutant Raptor trying to charge it like a bat, sending it flying as it sped off. An agent in what looked like a racing helmet was speeding a Steel Sprinter over and through Mutant Lizards like a weaver through cloth. One of the remaining T-1 Typhoon was even keeping watch as an Urban Predator kept coming up on enemies, which seemed to imply the vehicles were being used by close buddies.

The sights made Rockford grin. Even as the odds were appearing to get more and more against him, he couldn't help but feel optimistic that the Maelstrom was truly picking the wrong fight.

"Seems odd that we haven't heard that Zach guy lately," said the driver. "I'd figure he'd be giving another one of those annoying loud mocking rants by now, given the relative success of their trickery."

"Perhaps he's occupied," suggested Laxus. "Maybe something... or someone... has caught up to him and is handling him right now."

"Maybe," the driver said with a disbelieving chuckle. "Sounds like a pretty suicidal move to me, in my opinion."

*****

Snake was quick to point his gun towards Hertz as soon as he saw the injured techie.

"What's all this about?" asked Hertz.

"Just a precaution," replied Snake. "How do I know you're not a Stromling?" 

Hotwire opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped short. Snake had a very good point. After all, he himself hadn't suspected Phoenix and Cyrus at all.

Cabin, therefore, was the first to disagree with Snake. "I think we can be fairly certain that Hertz is not a Stromling. The transformation takes enough time that Zach was able to warn us when he was infected, and Hertz would have done the same. The only way around that would be to assume that he's always been a Stromling and simply hasn't revealed himself yet."

Now Hotwire spoke up. "That is a possibility, though. What about Ghost?"

Hertz, in the meantime, was looking increasingly unsettled. 

"I don't want to take any chances," declared Snake. "I say we kill him now."

"We're not going to kill him," insisted Hotwire. "Not until we're certain."

"Alright," muttered Snake, keeping his rifle on Hertz. "We'll bring him back to camp, give him some tests." 

"There's no time," Cabin protested. "We have to get to the Temple of Creation."

"I agree," said Hotwire. "Rex, Amanda, Kate, and Rotor are in there with no backup, and Amanda and Rotor are the only ones in that group who can actually fight."

"And I'd trust Rotor about as far as I can throw an Iron Predator," Jackson added. "We'll just have to be cautious. Snake, you keep an eye on Hertz the whole time, just in case."

"Actually, I think it would be better if I were to do that. I'm not really fit for combat on the ground," Hotwire said, gesturing at his leg replacement. "If he's clean, he's not going anywhere with those injuries. If he is a Stromling, though, I promise you he won't get far."

"If you would stop talking about me like I'm not here for just a moment," said Hertz, "isn't there any way I can prove to you that I'm not a Stromling?" 

Snake sighed, and lowered his gun before placing a cigarette in his mouth. "Alright, Hertz" he muttered. "I'll let you live... for now, but if you try anything, I'm gonna kill you."

*****

Dr. Strangebrick looked up in surprise as Garry entered the planning room. "You said you wanted to help us?" asked Garry.

"Yes," replied Strangebrick.

"Good," said Garry. "We need you on two fronts. You've experimented with the Maelstrom, have you not?"

"Yes," replied Strangebrick. "Small doses."

"Then you can help us," said Garry. "In the infirmary, we got a young woman who's just been freed from the Maelstrom's control. Our experts are trying to figure out what to do about the remaining energy."

"I see," said Strangebrick. "What's the second thing?"

"We just found out something from our friend. Apparently, our men on the field were completely misled and are heading to the right temple, the one with the Maelstrom. I think you can provide me with information."

*****

With one hand, Rex gripped as tightly as he could to the armrest of his wheelchair. With the other, he struggled to aim his Sonic Screamer. He was being pushed by Amanda Claw at an uncomfortably fast speed, and with good reason.

Miniature rockets rained down upon the small group of Dino Attack agents, exploding as they touched the stone floor and leaving small craters in their wake. Luckily, Amanda and Rotor seemed to be always one step ahead of them, but the temple chamber had been turned into a battlefield that threatened to leave them shellshocked. Rotor and Rex both did their best to provide cover for Amanda, who could not fight well while pushing a wheelchair.

The XERRD missiles were not their only concern. The sorcerers blasted dark Maelstrom magic at the trio, and some of the spells were accurate enough to singe their uniforms like purple flames. That one XERRD scientist who appeared to be a shinobi had an uncanny ability to emerge from the shadows, swipe at the agents with his katana, and vanish again before they could react. Similarly, Michelle Gladys would suddenly appear in a flash of blue light, but disappear in a flash of orange light before they could get close enough to attack her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rex kept watch on the Bishops. Kate, who appeared quite horrified, was backed against a pillar near the chamber's exit, but petrified by her fear and unable to move. Wallace, on the other hand, stood before the Maelstrom vortex itself, placed the Maelstrom Vacuum device on the stone floor, and already began to activate it. Luckily, it seemed that the XERRD scientists had taken Wallace's threat to heart, since they completely ignored Kate.

"What are you all doing?" Rex heard Walter Breen shouting. "Did you all graduate from Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy? We're not up against an army of Dino Attack agents; this is just three agents, and one of them is in a wheelchair for crying out loud!"

"Zilenze!" snapped Zed Provhezor, who floated around the chamber in his hover-chair while firing at the Dino Attack agents. "Pikk up a rokket launcher yourzelv iv you are zo unzatizvied!"

"Oh, please!" scoffed Dr. Breen. "Our benefactor would not approve of th-" He ducked as nearly half a dozen rockets came his way.

The shinobi emerged from the shadows again, but this time Rotor was close enough to knock the scientist back with the butt of his gun. Then, Amanda saw Señor Palomar taking aim at them with his double pistols, and as she tried to maneuver Rex out of his firing range, Michelle Gladys suddenly appeared in a flash of blue light and dropped a grenade. She was gone before it hit the floor, at which point it detonated. The generated shockwave sent the Dino Attack agents flying.

Rex landed hard on the floor several meters away, his wheelchair clattering beside him. Dazed from the miniature explosion, he struggled to do a push up and lift his torso off the floor. Amanda Claw was already back on her feet and ran towards him, slashing at a nearby XERRD scientist with her knife.

However, Dr. Provhezor arrived first. He reached down and hoisted Rex up with his mechanical arm, sneering like a weasel. "Veelchairz," Zed said, laughing mockingly. "Zuch outdated tekhnology. Kripplez like you should ztay out ov ze battlevield!"

"Look who's talking," muttered Rex, and he proceeded to punch Dr. Provhezor in the face. Stunned for an instant, Provhezor let go of Rex, unintentionally dropping the Dino Attack agent in his hover-chair. It took Rex a half-second to realize his position, and an epiphany came over him. He tried to push Provhezor out of the hover-chair, but the XERRD scientist had recovered from his shock and pushed back. Rex accidentally pushed a button, causing the hover-chair to start flying around chaotically. What followed was a bizarre wrestling match in an out-of-control hover-chair as two crippled Minifigs tried to shove the other out of the chair.

Amanda watched in horror and wished to help Rex, but she and Rotor had their own worries as the XERRD scientists continued to rain missiles and magic upon them. They dodged the projectiles and pushed their way through a crowd of space marauders and sorcerers, with Amanda slashing with her knife and Rotor firing his machine gun. Just as Amanda got close enough to the fight in the hover-chair, a flash of orange light sent her to the far side of the chamber, next to a trembling Kate Bishop.

Amanda cursed silently, but still managed to smile gently at Kate in an attempt to comfort her. Out of the corner of her eye, movement down the hall of the Maelstrom Temple caught her attention. Frowning, she turned her head in that direction, and then her eyes widened in surprise.

Coming down the hall, approaching the temple's main chamber, was a figure who was clad in samurai armor and appeared to be wearing a long, black cloak that seemed torn and frayed at the edges.

*****

"-and get out!" Captain Brickhouse barked at Wheatley, throwing his bruised Stromling body out of the helicopter. He grimaced as his former ally fell and hit the ground with a loud thud. Brickhouse turned back to the inside of the helicopter. France, his technician, laid dead on the floor. Brickhouse sighed angrily and returned to the cockpit.

"Everything is fine over here," he said into the radio. "I've dealt with the hijacking. However, I've lost my entire crew. I'm going to land."

"Go ahead," an Agent responded. "We'll send have some guys fill up your empty ranks."

"Thank you." As Brickhouse began to bring the Aerial Defense Unit in for a landing, he began to address the Dino Attack agents in the air. "Now, I heard something about a Stromling named Virchaus. As in Zachary Virchaus? Red hair, glasses?"

"Spot on," a Dino Attack Agent said. "How do you know him?"

"I helped mentor him during his employment with the Agents," Brickhouse said. "We were close partners. I was disappointed that he resigned to join the Dino Attack Team, but I couldn't stop him. He was rather... um... upset over the Agents intervention in the Goo Caverns."

"Rightfully so!" another Dino Attack agent responded. "That was a low blow, you no-good-"

"That's enough," Brickhouse said sternly. "No need to dig up the past. So, he really is a Stromling?"

"Yes. He's destroyed our camp and equipment and has killed tons of us! He needs to be taken out soon."

"Yes..." Thaddeus drifted off. He had quite enjoyed Zach when he had known him. Poor soul. Doomed to be an evil little monster for the rest of his life. He sighed as his helicopter landed in the battlefield.

*****

Vinyaya wished she had stayed unconscious. Death was more preferable than the current situation at hand.

She grunted again as Colonel slammed his boot into her face again. She faded out into unconsciousness yet again, and quickly returned to feel the full pain of Colonel's stomp. Her nose was broken felt extremely dizzy with a massive headache. Signs of a concussion. Vinyaya gasped in pain as Colonel's foot collided with her head again. Despite her current longing for death, she fought to stay conscious. To stay alive.

One last slam of the foot. Vinyaya groaned as she rolled to side. She could hear Colonel's heavy breathing above her. "Get up," he hissed. Vinyaya tried to push herself up, but extreme disorientation prevented this. Colonel scoffed. "Disappointing. I've done worse to my own troops back in the LEGOLAND Army and they could hop to their feet in a matter of seconds. The Space Police must not be as high and mighty as its propaganda makes it out to be."

Colonel kicked Vinyaya's back. Her armor absorbed much of the attack, but between falling out of the Renaissance and getting beaten to death by a Stromling, it no longer could do its job properly. A sharp blade of pain shot up her spine.

"Get up!" Colonel demanded. Vinyaya tried, but collapsed yet again. "Pathetic!" He kicked her again. Vinyaya screamed out in pain, rolling on to her back to protect it. Colonel glared down at her, not amused. Vinyaya let out a small sob. Colonel seemed to gain no satisfaction from watching Vinyaya suffer. For some reason, that made the pain even worse.

"GET UP!" Colonel barked, clearly furious.

"Why?!" Vinyaya gasped. "Just kill me! Please!"

Colonel shook his head, his scowl deepening. "You think this is pain?!" Colonel hissed, leaning in close the broken commander's face. "You don't the meaning of pain. Perhaps you need to learn it." Colonel leaned back and sharply jabbed his pegleg into Vinyaya's stomach. She screamed again, desperately trying to shove the Maelstrom-reinforced prosthetic off her.

He finally lifted up, only to kick her side. She rolled over and found Colonel's boot into her cheek. She coughed, spitting blood out on to the ground. She moaned and curled into a ball. All she had within her was gone but pain and hope; hope that pain would fade away.

"Get up," Colonel commanded quietly. Vinyaya rolled on to her stomach and desperately pushed herself up. After much struggling, she suddenly and miraculously found herself on her feet. She swayed to the side, extremely dizzy. She turned to face Colonel, wiping the blood from her mouth.

*****

Garry was quick to approach Nazareno. He looked him carefully in the eye, or rather the little slits inserted into his mask so he could see.

"Listen," Garry said. "We got to act fast. If what Zelda said is true and Windows can't warn them, we got to get to the real Maelstrom temple and provide Rex with cover. The only trouble is that we're understaffed. There's you, me, Fuchs, the medics, a couple of prisoners, and maybe a handful of other agents still here. Now that we got a XERRD scientist working in the lab, I think somebody ought to keep an eye on him."

Nazareno nodded. "I'll stay here. As much as I'd like to go and see this monstrous power off this planet and to defeat XERRD, I am in no fit condition to go to the Maelstrom Temple."

Garry raised an eyebrow. "You seemed fine fighting Zelda earlier."

Again, Nazareno nodded. "Fighting here and fighting at the Maelstrom Temple are two different things. After Zach shot me in the XERRD Fortress a few days, he left a rather crippling wound. A Maelstrom-infected tumor on stomach. It slowly takes my life and tries to take my mind away from me. However, my willpower has prevented that from happening immediately. An area with a high Maelstrom concentration would do me it. Which is why it is essential that I train Zelda to fight the Maelstrom off mentally so she does not suffer a similar fate."

"Why haven't you spoken to a medic?" Garry asked.

"I've been busy with Zelda," Nazareno stated simply.

Garry sighed, but nodded. "Alright, you stay here and keep an eye out on that XERRD scientist. You think you can handle it?"

Nazareno smirked, though it was veiled underneath his mask. "I am not completely crippled. I can deal with one XERRD scientist in case he becomes unreasonable."

*****

Vinyaya saw Colonel before her. His metal pole was planted neatly in the ground in front of him. He leaned on it casually, staring at Vinyaya sternly. However, he was distorted greatly. Occasionally she'd see two of Colonel. The edges of her vision were blurred with purple and red.

"Come," the two Colonels gestured with his only good hand. She dizzily stepped toward him and tried to punch him. However, it ended up being a pathetic wave of the arm at him. He knocked the hand away easily. He scowled and suddenly kicked the commander in the chest. Vinyaya stumbled backward and landed on the ground on her back.

"...how...?" she muttered, the wind knocked out her. Colonel stood over her, resting the metal pole over his shoulder. For the first time in a while, he smiled at her. A knowing, evil, and twisted smile. Vinyaya managed to scrambled back and sit up to see Colonel standing on his leg and pegleg effortlessly. Black and purple mist swarmed around his feet.

"How?" she asked, staring at his feet. "Hotwire lost his leg hours ago and he can't walk without crutch yet? You lost your leg probably an hour ago and you can stand up perfectly."

"So it would seem," Colonel said, chuckling. "Perhaps Hotwire doesn't have the Maelstrom on his side?" Vinyaya glanced at the mist again and then back at Colonel. He, with the pole still resting his hand, grabbed Vinyaya's arm and dragged her back to her feet. Vinyaya balanced herself just as Colonel stepped back and swung his pole into her stomach. The sound of metal slamming together deafened her and she doubled over, clutching her stomach. She coughed again, spitting out more blood.

"Already bleeding from the mouth?" Colonel asked, disappointed. "Disappointing. I truly did expect better. Especially since you are wearing that armor. You clearly have the advantage, and yet you let me step all over you. Since there is clearly no use for it, I think we'll just get rid of it." He jammed his pole repeatedly into her stomach, Vinyaya collapsed to the ground again as Colonel continued his onslaught.

Then: "Ah." He jammed his pole hard into her stomach, obviously into some sort of crack in her armor, and bent the pole back like a crowbar. The armor bent and creaked as Colonel pushed down. Finally, the plating broke free. Colonel swept the pieces aside. Underneath her armor was a simple blue jumpsuit with a Space Police emblem on her chest. She shivered as a blast of cold air slammed into her body.

"Perhaps you will learn to appreciate what you have," Colonel muttered. He then raised the club over his head and slammed it into Vinyaya's stomach. She screamed as searing pain shot throughout her body. Colonel swung several more times into her stomach, each hit more painful than the last.

"I've become bored with you," Colonel suddenly said as he suddenly diverted his path and slammed the pole into Vinyaya's chest. She cried again weakly, tears freely running down her face. "Perhaps it is time to kill you." Colonel shrugged. "Goodbye, Commander Vinyaya." He walked around her body until he was standing in front of her head. He raised the pole one last time.

Vinyaya felt her entire life shoot right through her life. Her childhood, her career, the Dino Attack, her short relationship with Logan Zekria, and finally her beating at the hands of Ernest Quartich. It was all about to end in one single blow.

No.

Holly Vinyaya was sure what possessed her to move; she had no energy left to move her hand. And yet she had suddenly and quickly rolled away as Colonel slammed the pole into the ground. She gasped in surprise. Colonel grunted as the energy created by the pole slamming into the hard ground traveled up and into his body.

"So," Colonel said. "You've decided to become interesting. Excellent. Perhaps you'll put up more of a fight." Vinyaya heard Colonel start walking toward her. She was about to roll away again when she felt something nudge her arm. She held in a gasp as she realized it was her gun she had dropped.

She pushed herself up weakly, concealing the gun with her right hand. Colonel stopped his approach. "Ah. So we do have some strength left. Get up." Vinyaya nodded and slowly climbed to her feet. Colonel tapped the pole with his good hand as an act of mock applause.

"Now face me," Colonel commanded darkly. Vinyaya quickly turned around and pointed the gun at Colonel. His eye widened as Vinyaya fired three times into his chest. He stumbled backward, clutching his chest and groaning. Vinyaya lowered the weapon, panting.

Colonel suddenly looked up and grinned as the Maelstrom swirled around the wounds. "I'm not finished yet!" Vinyaya shook her head and fired again, this time at his head. She fired the rest of the clip, each bullet landing in the Stromling's skull. As the weapon clicked, Colonel toppled backwards, silent.

Vinyaya limped to his body. His eye was open and colorless, all life had disappeared from it. She saw the Maelstrom slowly slide out of his body. Ernest Quartich was dead. She wanted make some sort of noise of relief or celebration, but nothing came to her. She raised her right foot once and slammed it as hard as she could into Colonel's bullet-ridden head. She felt deep satisfaction as she turned away from the Stromling's body.

She walked no more than 10 steps when she collapsed to her knees, the pain from her various wounds overwhelming her. "H-h-h-help!" she cried hoarsely and weakly out to the battlefield. She felt to her stomach, gasping. "Help!" she screamed louder, her voice cracking. She rested her head in the dirt and prayed to Builder someone would find her.

*****

Garry stepped outside and walked toward the vehicle lot. The place was mostly empty, save for a young man, probably in his mid-twenties with short hair. His clothes were simple, just a plain vest and shirt. He was busy working on the engines for a fire hammer.

"You a mechanic?" Garry asked.

"Yeah," replied the man. "I'm also a qualified pilot."

"Is that so?" asked Garry.

"Yeah," affirmed the man.

"Good," said Garry. "I got an urgent task. I need you to fly me out to the Maelstrom Temple - the real one. You got a name?"

"Palmer, sir."

"Palmer," repeated Garry. "Right. Do me a favor and see what little other help you can muster. Meet me back out here."

"Sure thing," replied Palmer.

With that, Garry returned to the radio room. "Windows," Garry asked as he entered, "any word from them?"

"None sir," reported Windows.

"Well, I hope Mac and the others are okay," sighed Garry. "Alright, Nazareno is busy overseeing research on the Maelstrom. Why don't you give him a hand?"

The other doctors turned in surprise as Garry walked into the lab accompanied by Windows. "What are you doing here?" Fuchs asked.

"Windows here is going to be helping out," replied Garry. "The radio's not working, we might as well put him to use. I figure you can use all the help you can get."

Garry momentarily shot a glance towards Strangebrick, who was busy writing something.

"Alright," Garry muttered. "Now where did Palmer get to?" 

*****

Catless was disengaging from the battle, preparing to go to the Temple of Creation when she heard a cry. "Help!" She saw a woman in a space police uniform. She picked her up, retrieved the body armor nearby, and wondered what to do with her.

Vinyaya was too disorientated to know who her savior was, but she was thankful nonetheless. However, she could feel Catless carrying her slow slightly. She realized the person carrying her was trying to recover her armor. She shook her head weakly.

"Leave it," she groaned. "It's broken and useless. Just find help." Catless obeyed hesitantly, dropping the armor and started to walk. The battle had died down significantly. Only a few Mutant Dinos and Stromlings remained in the fight and they were quickly being overwhelmed by the TumTum Tribe, the Matching Mummies, and the native Dinosaurs. However, the running engines from the various Dino Attack vehicles had all but completely disappeared.

"Where is everyone?" Vinyaya asked.

"Gone," Catless replied. "They've started heading toward the Temple of Creation. Turns out-"

"-it's the real Maelstrom Temple," Vinyaya completed. "Yeah, I've heard."

"We just need to find a ride out," Catless continued. "Though I think you need to go back to the outpost. I've noticed there has been very little signs of medics out here. I - HEY!" She yelled out. "WAIT UP!" Her pace picked up to a run. Vinyaya turned her head and saw her running for two Fire Hammers sitting near the edge of the jungle.

As they reached the Fire Hammers, Vinyaya heard a man with a slight Spanish accent grumbling angrily. "I told them the Maelstrom Temple was the Temple of Creation. Did they listen? No! And look where we are now! A wasted battle and wasted casualties! I want my revenge!"

"I'm sorry, but this isn't my fault," a voice responded impatiently. Vinyaya quickly connected the voice with Rockford. "Should we have followed a former enemy rather than a current enemy? Probably, but it's too late to change it. You'll get your 'revenge' soon, Villano. Just hold on." The lawyer turned toward the newcomers. "What's happened?"

"I don't know," Vinyaya's savior responded. "I found her next to a dead Stromling. She's pretty beat up."

"Good thing," the Martian Laxus said. "There is a medic with this group."

"Did someone mention a medic?" a calm, slightly high-pitched voice with the ghost of an Italian accent said. Vinyaya turned and saw a medic jumped down from one of the Fire Hammer. He had large, bushy black mustache with short brown hair topping his head. He had large, piercing blue eyes that showed a certain measure of kindness and pain. He wore a long white coat with both medical and Dino Attack emblems on his right sleeve. He walked over to Vinyaya and the other woman and his eyes widened as he observed the state of Vinyaya's wellbeing. "Yes, I think some medical attention is in ordered."

He carefully lifted Vinyaya out of the woman's hands. "My name is Dr. Marco Martinet," the man said warmly. "I think we should start heading toward the Temple of Creation. Is there anything left we need to do, Rockford?"

"I don't think so," Rockford responded. "Are you taking her to the temple?" He pointed at Vinyaya.

Dr. Martinet shrugged. "I should be able to clean her up quickly enough so she can help use out in the inevitable fight. Now, I suggest we head forward." 

*****

Andrew suddenly jerked up, realizing that he had been drifting off again.

He shook his head, quickly trying to reassess what he was doing. He was sitting at a table, an open book sitting right in front of him. Directly around him, several different books were placed around him. And surrounding his table, which was part of a long row of tables, was two quite tall, very long bookshelves, both filled to the brim. They stretched far off into the distance into blackness.

Now what was he doing... oh, yes. He had gone off to the Library to look up a few books for a report he needed to do on Oscar...

Andrew raised his hand to his forehead. That wasn't sounding right. There was something else, something more important, something to do with...

"Maelstrom!" He suddenly blurted out. And the memories of an Egyptian temple, several agents, a long fall, Minerva, mentions of YTP, and Zach came rushing back to him.

"Fully recovered yet?" said a familiar voice, in more ways than one.

Andrew looked behind him to see Semick standing behind him, leaning on the bookshelf. But it wasn't Semick. Andrew knew in his gut, and didn't need his oddly red eyes to tell him so, though they helped drive the point home for sure.

"Ugh... how long has it been?" Andrew asked.

"A week. Or a second. Or something. Time is weird in dream, ya know."

"Yeah, yeah." Andrew got up out of his seat. He sighed. "So where is that guy? Figure he's either setting up a trap or coming here to beat me up and then throw me in a mental prison or something silly."

"Oh, he's here," said his consciousness. "He's all around us in fact. Playing 'scary nonminifigoid entity' right now."

"Euh..." Andrew seemed lost. He looked around. He couldn't see anything. All there was the table, the selves, and the shadows surrounding the edges of every-

Oh.

"Interesting choice, I must admit," Andrew's consciousness said. "Reminds me of a good TV show we'll end up watching in a couple of years. Oh, that'll be fun. The place will be full of blue boxes and small oddly-colored horses all flying around in silliness."

"I'll ask later." Andrew stared at that darkness, observing now a slight purple tint. "Well?" he cried out. "Can we get this over with? I'm kinda busy with something back in the temple, ya know."

"Ooooh, what's the rush?" said his other "self". "I'm sure Minerva's got Zach okay. This is mostly her task, redeeming her lover and all that, right? And sure, the rest of the Dino Attack team's gotta rush off to the Temple of Creation to save the planet and all that, but I'm sure they can handle it. They've gotten along quite well without us for most of the-"

"Quiet, you."

"Yes, we do have to get a move on, don't we?" said the chilling voice Andrew recalled hearing just before getting knocked out. Its aura of menace rustled Andrew's goosebumps up a bit, but he did his best to ignore it. From above, the shadows seemed to pull down like May Day streamers, forming together quickly to take the shape of the Stromling Islander Zach had been with.

"So..." Andrew muttered as he felt some slight fringes of fear from this being, particularly its eyes. "I don't believe we were properly introduced. You are...?"

"Ahua. And don't get the wrong idea, it is we who are the one on top here, not Zach. We were the one who even helped to make him see the light. In a figure of speech, of course. And we don't think it will be hard to do the same for you, either."

"... Maybe, but let me say this much, Ahua. I think I'm a bit more different from Zach."

The being laughed with amusement. It was still as chilling as his eviler laugh from before. "Maybe so. You think more creatively than him, we will say. And you're optimistic about a lot of things, almost blindly so. You certainly know a lot as well. And you're also quite stubborn at times. But..."

The Stromling glared at Andrew's consciousness. "... this seems like an interesting difference. Your other self here, which seems like a good enough term for it, embodies the one trait, the one desire that we find rather amusing. You've privately wanted to seek us out to use for sufficing your own private desires, while Zach, right to the end, fought futility against the idea of trying to associate himself with us. And that worked out well for him, didn't it?" It laughed again.

Andrew opened his mouth to say something, but it was his "dark consciousness" that gave the next line. "It did indeed. The Maelstrom, for all its goal for chaos and deconstruction and disharmony (oh, I enjoy sneaking those references in!), is beautiful in its creativity with creature design. Think of it, from pirate captains with arm-mounted anchors, to giant spider creatures, to possessing large-scale vehicles! It's magnificent."

The figure began to shimmer, his form seeming to blur to Andrew's eyes, and within moments, he felt like he was reliving the first dream, the one that ended with the rainy night at the LEGO City police station, as he saw an exact copy of himself standing in "Semick's" place.

"I, for one, welcome our new Maelstrom overlords. If that's what it takes to bring us change at last."

Ahua grinned an evil grin, one that reminded Andrew of some of the more disturbing pictures he had seen online over the years. "We wholeheartedly welcome that offer. But first..." He turned to the LEGO Islander. "... We have to get yourself fully open to the idea."

The steamers came down from the shadows again, pulling both Ahua and his "dark consciousness" upwards. Andrew could fell it, somehow. He could feel, somewhere around his heart, something sickly and dark blooming, like a chest wound's infection now working its works.

Looking up again, he began to see the shadows around him moving. Moving, closing in, slowly making the visible parts of the library he was in smaller and smaller.

He knew he had to stay out of the shadows. Less it be the end of himself as he knew himself. But "how" was going to be the question of the hour.

*****

"Do you want the long version, the medium version, or the length-appropriate-to-our-situation version?" Dr. Cyborg asked.

"The length-appro.... Ah forget it, the last one!" Semick replied.

"We fought through multiple traps and one Stromling Croc to get to the main chamber. It was empty. Lutsky shot Dust. We realized it was the Temple of Creation. We used ER001, the dropship agent Kara brought, to get to the real temple. We are now waiting for the rest of the team to catch up, for as we were at the red herring, we know kinda what to expect, and the team needs a guide or four."

As he said that, a couple of Fire Hammers appeared, one of them being the Infiltrators' jeep.

"X2, stay in ER001 with Lutsky. I want him safe and sound for the court-martial where I prosecute him for Dust's murder," Dr. Cyborg said.

X2 complied and buckled the improv handcuffs to a handrail.

*****

Zach poked Andrew's body curiously with the Cosmotronic Ray. No response. He shrugged and turned back to Minerva.

"You know what? I don't really care about him. It looks like Ahua can deal with him. Heck, maybe Andrew will kill that treacherous scum. It would do me a favor." Zach chuckled.

Minerva merely frowned, her arms crossed.

His eyes narrowed. "You know Minerva," he said coldly. "You should lighten up. Life is a lot easier if you smile!" He smiled widely. Minerva shook her head quietly. He stared at her, unfazed, but highly suspicious of her. What is she planning? Though I suppose I've killed much of her morale. What else can she do?

"You are really bringing down my good mood," Zach said to Minerva. "I could tell more dark secrets that might upset you, but where would the fun be in that?" Of course, the dark secret he was thinking of was the fact that the temple they stood in was not the actual Maelstrom Temple.

"Oh really?" Minerva suddenly said forcefully. "You are a zombie that basically feeds off of negative emotions. Why wouldn't telling me something disheartening be any fun for you?"

Zach was surprised but her sudden hostility. "You are... different. I can't enjoy seem to enjoy the suffering from you as much." As he said it, he knew exactly why he couldn't get a reaction out of Minerva's pain. And he hated himself for it.

"What do you want out of me, then?" Minerva asked curtly, glaring at him. "Why don't you just kill me?"

Zach didn't say anything, which proved to be a fatal mistake.

Minerva revealed a small smile. "You don't want to kill me."

"Yes, I do," Zach hissed.

"But Zach... the real Zach... is stopping you, isn't he?" Zach didn't respond, but his anger was beginning to grow and Minerva's confident smile widened. "He is. He isn't as dead as you think!"

Without realizing it, he cupped his hand around Minerva's mouth and slammed her head against the stone wall. "Shut. Up," Zach growled at her. Her eyes were widened with fear and she struggled against Zach's tight grip. "You think you know what you are doing. Let me tell you something: you don't." Minerva began trying to force the dark violet hand off her mouth frantically. Zach smirked at the sight of her struggling, but could feel a knot forming in his stomach. I've revived some of her morale.

Minerva felt her breath being stolen away by Zach's suffocating hand. She tried to pry his fingers away from her cheeks to no avail. She finally gave up her attempts at freeing herself and could only resort to breathing through her nose in a loud, hurried fashion.

"Have we learned our lesson?" Zach asked coldly. Minerva nodded weakly. He shoved her head back against the wall again and released his grip. She winced, but ignored the pain as Zach stood back.

He's still in there, she thought. He's still fighting. The thought was comforting, knowing that Zach's efforts against the Maelstrom were preventing Stromling!Zach from killing her. I need to help him, but how? She glanced at Andrew's body. If he was awake, he could've reminded him of his home on LEGO Island or something. However, Minerva knew little to nothing about LEGO Island, so she abandoned that idea.

No, it had to be something personal between her and Zach. Something that would inspire him to keep fighting. Something to repel the Maelstrom long enough for Minerva to inject him with the Maelstrom cure. She knew exactly what she needed to say. She had denied it for a while, but it was so obvious that she had been called out on it by multiple people, including Dust, Andrew, Oswald. She sighed.

"What?" Zach asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I-" Minerva stammered. She tried to find the right words to describe her feelings. "I..."

"What?" Zach asked again, this time more forcefully.

"You're right!" she gasped. "We are more than friends! I do like you more than a friend. If the Stromling had been Nazareno or Andrew, I wouldn't have gone to extremely measures to find them! I-I-I...I love-"

Zach had disregarded the rest of Minerva's reveal. He felt Minifig!Zach forcing his way into control. At first it was extremely distant, but it grew louder with each second. The sound of Minifig!Zach yelling out for Minerva. He knocked Minifig!Zach down repeatedly, but he continued to fight against the Maelstrom. Zach grimaced. He needed to kill Minerva now.

Without any sort of gloat whatsoever, Zach raised his Cosmotronic Ray arm and swung down, intending to bludgeon Minerva to death. He waited to hear the sound of bones breaking and Minerva's scream as she faded away. However, he only heard the sound of metal slamming and grinding together. Zach's eyes widened at looked at Minerva.

In her right hand, bandaged with black fabric, was an Injection Saw very much similar to the one Andrew and Carolyne Provencal had used against him. The device's blade had somehow held up against Zach's attack. Minerva forced the gun arm back and pointed the saw at Zach, a fearful yet determined look on her face.

Zach's eyes grew wider as he noticed a blue liquid sloshing around in the syringe of the tool, glowing weakly. The Injection Saw was the same one Andrew had used. Zach was certain Minerva knew what the liquid was. Minerva nodded slowly, as if to confirm Zach's suspicions.

"I've waited long enough," Zach said, his face twisted into anger and he slammed Minifig!Zach back into the bottom of his mind. "Now, you die."

*****

Garry stepped outside of Outpost 4 to find, to his surprise, Palmer waiting in front of a T-1 Typhoon. "There you are," Palmer said keenly.

"Did you find anyone?" Garry asked.

"Yes," replied Palmer. "They're in the chopper here."

Palmer climbed into the cockpit as Garry stepped into the back. With him were four other men. The one that caught his attention was a large bearded man with a green baseball cap who seemed to be fiddling with a pocket knife. Then, the engines started and the chopper started to rise. Within a few minutes, they were in the air.

There were a few minutes, and then it happened. There was a sudden burst of smoke from the engine. The tail rotor seemed to be failing.

"What's going on?" Garry asked.

"I don't know!" responded Palmer. "I'm losing control!"

Soon, the vehicle was spinning and came to a rather hard crash onto the ground. Garry and the other four men climbed out of the smoking remains of the T-1 Typhoon. Palmer quickly worked his way out of the cockpit. "Everyone alright?" he asked. "Good."

"What happened out there?" Garry asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Palmer. He quickly tried to open a hatch and look into the engine. Brushing aside a cloud of smoke and coughing, he carefully inspected it before he turned to Garry. "I'm not 100% sure, but I think this might have been deliberate."

"I see," said Garry.

"Whoever was responsible sure knew what they were doing," Palmer said.

"Didn't you check it before?" Garry asked.

"Yeah," replied Palmer. "Whoever did it, did a good job hiding it. I think it might have been intended to fail when we were in the air."

"Someone didn't want us to reach the temple?" wondered Garry.

"Oh, we're near the temple," responded Palmer. "We can get there on foot from here. They probably didn't want us getting out too easily."

"How exactly does one sabotage an engine without being noticed?"

"I suppose if they cut the intricate circuitry, stuff that isn't as easy to see. All it would take is a simple knife."

Garry thought about it for a moment. Then he remembered the bearded man. "You there," he said. "You got a name?"

"Clark," replied the bearded agent.

"Right," said Garry. "Did you destroy the engine?"

"No," replied Clark.

"MegaBlok," muttered Palmer. "He wouldn't admit to that. They would have had to destroy it before we took off. I sent him to meet me outside once I found the others. The point is that someone among us isn't who he appears to be, and unless we find out who, we're in constant danger."

One by one, the other three men revealed their names: Wilkes, Henderson, and Jones.

"Right," said Garry. "Now keep an eye on Clark."

"Why?" Clark asked in disbelief. "I didn't do nothing."

"You don't deny that you were alone with this helicopter?"

"No," replied Clark. "I was just waiting in the back."

"I see," said Garry. "With that pocket knife? I don't want to jump to conclusions. Right now, you're our number one suspect. In the meantime, we'd better move. It'll be getting dark soon, and if we want to find that temple-"

"Wait a minute, Garry," interrupted Palmer. "If we go to the Maelstrom Temple with a Stromling... well, it would be unthinkable."

"You're right," replied Garry. "That's why we'd better find him before we reach that temple, assuming he is among us."

*****

Andrew was worried. This shadow of Maelstrom was closing in on this imaginary library. If he didn't figure out something soon, it was very likely he was going to end up just like Zach... or possibly worse.

He moved backwards slowly. Eventually, his back came into contact with the bookshelf. In a sudden bout of curiosity, he turned to look behind him, his eyes drawn to the books.

He skimmed the titles. Some were familiar to him as books he had read or heard of: Tale of Two Cities, 882 ½ Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic, Harry Potter, I, Jedi. Some seemed to refer to things he knew a great deal about: LEGO Island, The Art of Creation, Tales of Change, A Brief History of the Dino Attack. And some seemed to be part of this mysterious realm of dreams he still didn't understand: Predicting the Future, The Secrets Within the Words, What's Occurring?, The Great Pony Invasion.

The titles started to look like a sign of something. All these "books" regarding things related to him and his situation, all piled up in a library inside his head? It was sounding like some weird self-referral wish-fulfillment dream or something. Unless it was truly indicating...

Andrew came to revelation of a conclusion: this library wasn't merely another strange dream realm, this was a visual version of his mind!

"That seems rather fitting, actually," Andrew muttered aloud.

Looking to his surroundings again, Andrew was alarmed to see that the darkness was now surrounding him in a much smaller several yard-long radius. He was running out of time.

C'mon, think! Andrew thought. If this is my own mind, that has to mean I'm not just a minifigure bound to the laws of nature here! I should be able to do something with these surroundings!

Reaching blindly, he grabbed one of the books off the shelf and opened it to a random page. Looking inside, he was surprised to see, instead of words, a large, 2-page spread image of a white hallway that looked like part of some kind of fancy hotel. Andrew was surprised, but not impressed, and was about to close it when he heard a large rush of water coming from somewhere. He looked around him, seeing only darkness before returning his attention to book. Which was when he saw water rushing down the hallway and towards "him."

Andrew could feel a few small droplets of water coming at his face, giving him just enough warning to let go of the book. It fell to the ground just as the water erupted out of the window like a fountain only just cleared of a blockage. He was thrown back against the shelf, the impact of him and the water making it tip over backwards. It impacted at an angle, and Andrew could hear what sounded like another shelf tipping over. And another. And another. And soon it was clear that a domino effect was in place.

The water rushed in all directions, going towards the shadows down the aisle Andrew was in. Managing to get a grip on the downed shelf as the water passed by him in a current. Looking towards the enclosing darkness, he was surprised to see that the shadow was beginning to lessen as the water rushed towards it, retracting even. The LEGO Islander's eyes gleamed.

He looked back at his shelf, and began pulling out some of the books he had seen just before. He opened The Art of Creation, and a flow of flying LEGO bricks came out in a column stretching up and pushing back at the shadows above. Andrew thought briefly that it might help to have some kind of walls against this stuff, and within moments, the flow of red, yellow, blue, black, and white bricks began to spread across the darkness, slowly forming into a 2-stud thick wall all the way from the top of the column to the edges, like a giant rainbow-colored dome.

He then turned his attention to A Brief History of Dino Attack and, upon opening, saw a Fire Hammer within the window, driving straight towards him. Throwing it away from him, the vehicle drove out of the book and into the air, appearing small as it emerged, but then quickly growing as it began to reach the vehicle's usual size. After staying in the air for a few seconds, it landed on the fallen shelves with a loud creak! as the tires hit the wood.

Andrew darted towards it, a few other books still under his arms, and opened the driver's side door. He climbed in, spotting the laser rifle he most frequently used sitting on the passenger's seat. The sight calmed him, satisfying him more that he was gaining his ground back.

Glancing back at the brick wall that was still forming around him, he could see that the Maelstrom was still pushing through, despite the water flow and the bricks. Clearly, there was still some things left to do.

Andrew glanced at the books he had brought with him. A Tale of Two Cities wasn't going to be of much use in these circumstances. What's Occurring? looked promising, but for some reason Andrew couldn't get it to open. The Great Pony Invasion sounded like a helpful advantage, but frankly it sounded like something he didn't want to mess with, even for his own salvation.

He was about to open I, Jedi when he saw something in the corner of his eye. He looked back out of the Fire Hammer to see the steamers of shadow reaching down again. Tossing the book aside and grabbing his laser rifle, Andrew took aim and prepared to fire at whatever appeared.

The streamers touched down just feet from his vehicle and began to take a Minifig form. As it began to solidify, Andrew fired. Several times.

Holes appeared in the figure's form, but they were quickly closed. Andrew groaned as the figure began to take on a recognizable appearance, and was surprised not to see Ahua or some other kind of Stromling, but "himself".

"No! This isn't how it should go!" cried his "dark consciousness". "This isn't how it ends!"

Before Andrew could react, the figure grabbed his arms and pulled him out of the vehicle. He lost his grip on his rifle as he fell, but before he could make a grab for it, he felt his "consciousness" grab him by the neck and pull him towards the side of the Fire Hammer.

Andrew's "other self" looked at him with maddened red eyes. "It's time we end this," he said, pulling out a familiar needle from somewhere around his belt. "But first, I think we need to get a few last things across."

*****

"You sure you couldn't make radio contact?" Fuchs asked, quietly and anxiously.

"No," replied Windows.

"I think we ought to get an update out. We've just cured a Stromling. You can't get the rest of the team, but could you reach the mainland?"

"I don't know," admitted Windows. "I can try it, I guess."

Windows quickly ran out of the room, followed by Fuchs. As soon as he was in the radio room, he stopped in shock. "What is it?" Fuchs asked as he stepped inside. The radio was more or less destroyed. Broken wiring lay everywhere, as did fragments of metal and other parts.

"Who could have done this?" wondered Windows. He looked at the ground and noticed a large fire axe.

"Looks like somebody didn't want us making contact with anyone," replied Fuchs, nervously.

The doors to the infirmary swung open as Windows and Fuchs walked back in. "Somebody got to the radio," Windows shouted. "It's gone."

"What?" Copper exclaimed.

"I think there's another Stromling," said Fuchs. "It could be any of us. We'll need to figure out a way to tell."

"Well," suggested Copper, "I had this one idea for a blood serum test. We have some samples of blood from our own staff. In theory, we can mix uncontaminated blood with a sample of each person's blood, and if there's a reaction, I suppose that will tell us who is infected."

Copper walked into the back of the room, and unlocked a door, leading to a small storage area with a fridge, from which there was a large puddle of blood emerging. Quickly, Copper unlocked the fridge to reveal several torn bags, all of them mostly empty, forming a large puddle at the bottom, which was spilling outside.

"This test," Nazareno asked as he approached. "Could it have worked?"

"Yeah," replied Copper. "It probably would."

"Well, somebody else sure thought so. What do we do?" Fuchs asked nervously as he looked into the storage room.

"Try to remain calm," replied Copper. "We'll just have to wait until Garry comes back."

"What if Garry doesn't come back, man?" Windows shouted. "We can't reach Znap because some 4+ Figure took out our radio, and one of us might not be who he appears. By the time anyone gets here, it could be all of us!"

"He's right," agreed Fuchs. "It would bring an abrupt halt to a major scientific discovery."

Nazareno stood quiet. He seemed to be watching everyone. At that moment, a young female nurse stepped into the lab and looked on the scene in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked.

"There you are, Carver," Crusher remarked, looking up from her work. "Apparently, somebody got to the blood and destroyed the radio."

*****

Minerva ducked and quickly stepped to the side as Zach brought his Cosmotronic Ray arm down with full force. It slammed into the stone floor with a loud thud. Zach quickly turned and swung his gun-arm at Minerva. She knocked down the gun with the Injection Saw and swung the device wildly at Zach, aiming only to injure him long enough so she could reason with him again.

Zach parried every swing with ease, his mouth forming into a twisted smile. He delivered one crushing swing to the saw, causing Minerva to stumble back several feet.

"Come on!" Zach yelled as he pointed his arm at her. "You made it seem like you were going to put up an actual fight. This pathetic showmanship is not a fight!" Zach started firing at Minerva. She ducked and started running around the chamber to avoid the deadly fire.

Maybe I can use Ahua as a hostage-type thing, she thought, glancing over to the Stromling Islander. His face was twisted into anger as he stared at Andrew's unmoving body.

Zach cackled darkly. "I have no problem shooting him, Minerva!" Zach yelled. "You are going to have to be a bit cleverer than that!" He continued to fire upon Minerva, grinning widely.

I need to get close to him, but how?

She glanced around to chamber as she ran to find something that could work to her advantage. Nothing appeared. Minerva swore angrily as she felt a bullet graze the top of her helmet. Then the idea appeared.

It worked once, it can work again, right? She thought back to the battle against the Stromling Monkey in the camp. She unsnapped her helmet and ripped it off, allow her long brown hair to fall to her shoulders. She glanced at Zach for a second before throwing the helmet at him.

Zach groaned at the helmet slammed into his chest, causing him to seize fire temporarily. Minerva ran at him, the Injection Saw poised to strike. Zach glanced up, his eyes flashing red. He raised the gun and quickly blocked the saw, stopping Minerva in her tracks.

"Nice try!" Zach relished, grinning wildly. Minerva scowled at him and punched him in the face. He roared with anger as he forced Minerva away from him. Minerva held the Injection Saw tightly as Zach doubled over, clutching the right side of his face with his left hand. He suddenly looked up at Minerva and bared his teeth angrily. He stood up straight and curled his left hand into a fist. Minerva noted that Zach's right eye was extremely swollen.

"Zach, please!" she said, almost beggingly. "Just-"

"Just what?!" Zach screamed. "Calm down?! Listen to you?! Disregard the Maelstrom?! I think I know a little more about what's going on in my head than you, Minerva Fabello!" He charged at her and swung the Cosmotronic Ray at the Injection Saw, knocking it out of her hand. He then quickly turned and punched Minerva in the mouth with his left hand. She cried out and fell to her knees, clutching her mouth. She felt Zach's hand slam into the side of her head, knocking her completely to the ground.

"Goodbye!" Zach hissed, pointing the Cosmotronic Ray at Minerva. She quickly aimed a kick at his shins. He gasped and his legs buckled, forcing him to the ground. Minerva kicked him several more times in the stomach. She scrambled back to her feet and picked up the Injection Saw. Now was the moment of truth. She gripped Zach's right shoulder and tore of what was left of his Dino Attack uniform sleeve with the saw. She was about to bring the needle down when Zach suddenly rolled to the side and jumped back to his feet.

"Why can't you slow down like a regular Minifig?!" Minerva exclaimed angrily as Zach began to approach her again.

As their weapons collided again, Zach smirked. "Because I'm not a minifig, you moron."

Zach kicked Minerva back into the wall. She winced as Zach gripped her hair tightly and brought her head to eye-level. She squirmed under the uncomfortable tugging of her hair. Zach rolled his eyes. Minerva glared at him and suddenly spat in face in contempt. He growled as he wiped away the saliva. "I'm just about sick of you."

"So am I!" Minerva hissed, her anger at Zach's arrogant nature growing. She was half-tempted to just kill him and leave. As soon as she thought that, Zach smiled wide, his red eyes brightening. Minerva gasped. What if the Maelstrom is trying to get me to abandon Zach? Then she realized. The Maelstrom fears Zach's plan may work! Zach's smile faded away suddenly and he turned and shoved Minerva away.

"Oh, shoot," Zach said in a mocking tone. Or rather, the dark and distorted voice using Zach as a mouth. "I guess I'll have to cancel that plan. Not that it matters. Zachary will not escape. He is too important and too dangerous to lose."

"You seemed fine having me kill him!" Minerva yelled back.

Maelstrom!Zach threw back his head and laughed. His dark, haunting laughter filled Minerva with dread. "Foolish girl!" the voice spat. "I'd prefer if he remains my servant, but he escapes my grasp, he must die. I will take this planet whether he is in my hand or not. However, he will make things move more... swiftly! Forget Zach! He is mine!" Zach's eyes dimmed and he shook his head in a confused manner. He looked at Minerva and scowled.

"Zach!" she screamed, gripping the Injection Saw. "Listen to me!"

"The only one I will be listening to is the Maelstrom," Zach growled.

"YOU. ARE. ITS. SLAVE!" Minerva yelled fiercely. "It will use you until it doesn't need you. It'll toss you aside like trash!"

Zach twitched, his eyes flickering from red to black once before returning to the former. He snarled and charged at Minerva, his Cosmotronic Ray raised like a lance.

*****

"Why?!" cried Andrew's "dark consciousness". "Why can't you just let us have our fun!? Why CAN'T we just get this over with?!"

"Because I DON'T want this!" Andrew cried out in reply, struggling futility in his counterpart's grip. "I DON'T want to be a slave to the Maelstrom, and neither should you!"

"Not this stupid Big Bad Blahbity Blah! What about what we want?! What about change?"

Andrew stopped struggling for a second. "Is this all you can think about? Being a lizard man or shark guy or insectoid or gosh-knows-what? Context, man! Context!"

"So what?" his "consciousness" said, his voice noticeably calming, though his grip on the needle hadn't lowered. "LEGO Island is safe, your Titanic car is safe, what else do you need? Why can't we just forget this whole war and go home?"

Andrew listened to his other self and began to guess at what was going on. "All that matters to you, to 'us', is that you want to have the experience of being transformed, isn't it?"

"Isn't that obvious by now?"

"Yes, it has been. But the means you're going to want this... to be frank, you're sounding like a child here."

"So what if I am?!" said his "consciousness", sounding like he was on the defensive.

"Well, you are a part of me, somehow, so I'm guessing that might have to do with some base level of instinct or desire. And the way you're being so frank about it, losing that cool and creepiness you had in our first encounter..."

"... I hate it when that happens." Andrew's "consciousness" lowered the needle, and his grip on Andrew's neck loosened.

"... Basically, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand that you're embodying all that we-I want at some level or another. That young person's urge to focus less on what's important to others in favor to what's important to me. It is how I did use to act, so in a way I suppose you are me, a few years younger or something and man, this is sounding more and more nonsensical." Andrew held his hand to his forehead with an annoyed look.

"Dreams are nonsensical, you know," his other self remarked.

"But you aren't just in my dreams. You appeared twice-no, three time in my waking hours telling me cryptically about what was to come, and then berating me from turning away from your-my subconscious desires."

"I'll be honest, I don't get it either. Nor do I get how we can see the future or present we haven't witnessed in here. I think it might have to do with the way people have dreamed of their own futures in folk legend or something. It's probably some weird part of how the wheels of destiny turn or whatnot." He said the part about the wheels in a mocking tone, gaining a snicker from Andrew. The being then asked, "So what's the point of all this?"

"The point is," said Andrew, "that I understand that I want to be changed at some level or another, but the fact is that it's just not practical at the moment. Not just due to the fact the Maelstrom is as trustworthy as Dust, but because it isn't the most convenient thing to do. Our team may have aliens and other creatures as team members, and people have been turned into or revealed to be dinosaurs, hybrids, dragon people or what have you, but in a general sense, it's a bit inconvenient to have that suddenly happen to yourself. Friends might be alienated, clothes don't fit right, you make people afraid you might go crazy, and vehicles become a lot less comfy."

Andrew's "consciousness", other self, or whatever one might want to call it, comprehended his words for a few moments, then sighed, and let go of Andrew completely and threw the needle off into the water still trickling around. "Alright, you win. But do look into the idea at some point, somehow? You know how much this means to us."

"I assure you," said Andrew, patting the entity's shoulder with a smirk, "I will."

It seemed like a bit of a touching moment, albeit a very weird one even by Dino Attack standards, but it was soon broken as a horrible sound came from the shadows. It was like the screech of some monstrous bird mixed with the howl of a wolf, the scream of a crowd of zombies, and the rush of the wind all mixed into one.

And then the shadows came rushing in, seeming to finally break the resistance of the water and the brick wall.

"Oh dear," Andrew muttered, looking at his other self. "Any-?"

The entity pointed to the What's Occurring? book still in the Fire Hammer. With a nod of understanding, Andrew climbed back inside and reached for it, finally managing to open its cover.

Inside was not a huge window, but simply a small picture, not unlike the picture from the book in Andrew's dream about the cave. Shown in the picture was the chamber he and Minerva had found Zach and Ahua.

Glancing one last time to see the shadows closing in the vehicle and hear his "dark" consciousness cry "Get on with it!", Andrew slammed his hand on the picture, felt himself feel like he was being sucked into the book with a whooshing sound, and everything went black.

And then he woke up with a jolt.

His eyes opened to see the ceiling of the chamber. Quickly sitting up, he spotted Zach and Minerva not too far from his lower right side, Minerva wielding an injection saw, Zach his Cosmotronic Ray arm. The latter was charging at the former.

Without thinking, or recalling the Stromling that was trying to convert him standing somewhere near him, he pushed himself onto his feet and ran towards his former ally.

*****

Vinyaya winced uncomfortably as the Fire Hammer went a bump as it quickly traveled through the jungle. After Semick's official message, the Dino Attack's forces had quickly turned heel and started back for the Temple of Creation.

She sat in the back of the Fire Hammer while Dr. Martinet attended to her wounds. Up front was the driver, a black-haired minifig named Wedge, and Vinyaya's rescuer, who she learned was named Catless. Controlling the Xenon Launcher in back was the XERRD-turned-Dino Attack ally Rudo Villano.

She sighed tiredly, putting her hand to her head. She could feel several bruises on her head. She was being thrust from one battle to another. If Vinyaya hadn't been a Space Police officer for many years, she probably wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Martinet examined Vinyaya's stomach quietly, lightly touching the purplish bruises with his white-gloved hand. Vinyaya winced at every touch, Martinet muttering silently to himself at each reaction.

Vinyaya glanced over to right door of the Fire Hammer. Laying in a crumpled heap was her Space Police armor. Martinet removed it to get a closer evaluation, but she didn't mind too much. It was basically useless since it had been torn up by Colonel. She wore a simple light-blue jumpsuit with red Space Police badges on both her hands and chest. The Space Police had simply referred to the jumpsuit as the "Zero Suit" simply because it sounded cool. It did not protect her like the armor, but she was easily quicker and more agile in only the Zero Suit.

"You know," Vinyaya suddenly said to Martinet. "I've never seen you around here."

"That is because," Martinet said, turning away for a moment to look through a medical kit. "I only arrived on the island a few hours ago."

"Why?"

"Primarily because I got a message that my friend had been killed here," he said, wiping his sweat-ridden face with a rag. "I had been working around Antarctica and LEGO City when the news had came that J.D. had been killed."

"J.D. was that medic who was working on a Maelstrom cure," Vinyaya said, remembering the medic.

"Yeah. I met him earlier this year after I started medical school. We became close friends. The message said he was killed by a Stromling. I think his name was Zach."

Vinyaya scowled, thinking of Zachary Virchaus. "That sounds right. He was the guy commentating on the battle like it was some sort of circus performance."

Martinet scoffed. "I've had enough circus performances for one lifetime. Roll up your sleeve, please." Vinyaya obeyed and Martinet injected her with a painkiller. "I figured as much. He got targeted by one of the Maelstrom's bigger subordinates."

Vinyaya nodded. "You said you started medical school this year?"

Martinet nodded.

"How are you already a full doctor?"

"Short version: Doctors were in high demand after the Dino Attack started. They promoted me right up so I could help out. I have to say I learned more in the several months working in the Dino Attack Medical Wing than at school. Before the Dino Attack, the most I could do was pop people some brightly colored pills and hoped they got better." He chuckled. "I've done about as much as I can do. Think you will be able to fight?"

Vinyaya stretched arm across her chest. "I think I have to. This is for the fate of the planet, after all."

Martinet smiled. "That's the spirit, because I think I see this Maelstrom Temple up ahead..."

*****

He saw Minerva brace herself for his attack. Zach grinned. He had her now.

Wham!

He felt another body slam into his side like a football player. He and the other minifig flew to the side and slammed into the chamber, dislodging several bricks.

Zach groaned, clearly dazed. He blinked several times before his vision cleared. He looked into the eyes of Andrew above him. "You!" Zach roared. He threw Andrew off of him and stood up. Minerva ran over to Andrew and helped back on to his feet. He couldn't hear it, but it was obvious Minerva was thanking him for his sudden intervention.

Behind him, he heard a pained groan layered with anger. Zach turned, smirking slightly at Ahua. He was breathing heavy and staring at Andrew with extreme contempt.

"So nice of you two to rejoin us!" Zach boasted. "Though I must express disappointment that neither of you are dead. Particularly you, Ahua. I did have hopes that Andrew would tear you apart inside his head."

"Why don't you save this until after they're dead?" Ahua said, scowling.

"But dear Andrew is out of the loop! I know what's going on. Minerva knows what's going on. Andrew needs to know."

"Know what?" Ahua demanded, his eyes flashing violently.

"That you purposely led them here for the sole purpose of killing me!"

Ahua's face showed little emotion. The only evidence was a small raise of the eyebrow.

"Don't kid yourself, Ahua!" Zach scoffed. "Minerva told me. You ordered Ghost to capture her and bring her here! From there, I can assume you diverted and forced Minerva on a path here. You rigged that trap that brought her and Andrew here so they could kill me. Or at least weaken me enough so you could kill me. Prove me wrong, Ahua."

Ahua remained silent, glaring at Zach.

Zach nodded curtly and turned back to Andrew and Minerva. "I'm terribly sorry that Ahua involved you in his convoluted plan. As I think of it now, he probably only wanted Minerva to come here. You were an extra, Andrew. An extra he decided to possibly make useful by corrupting into a Stromling. Oh well. I suppose you'll be just as brick-bent on 'saving' me as Minerva, won't you?"

"It sounds we're fighting until one of us submits," Andrew responded. Minerva simply nodded in agreement. Zach rolled his eyes, but felt slightly worried. He had the opportunity to kill them one at a time and he had wasted his chance. Now he had to fight against both Minerva and Andrew. He also considered Ahua a hostile, so he was pretty much alone in this battle.

But they are not Greybeard and Frozeen, or Nazareno, a space cop, and a gunslinger. Greybeard and Frozeen were veteran fighters and difficult to defeat. Nazareno, the Space Police officer, and the gunslinger from the camp battle were skilled and clearly battle-hardened fighters to an extent. Andrew and Minerva were nothing compared to those Minifigs.

Zach grinned and charged at the Dino Attack agents without warning. He elbowed Minerva to the ground and punched Andrew in the jaw, causing him to stumble back.

"I feel like I've over-said this," Zach said stepping back as Minerva and Andrew regrouped. "But this time, it is over. You two will die. End of story."

"You get anywhere when I was out?" Andrew muttered to Minerva, rubbing his jaw.

"Eh... somewhat," she replied. They were both slowly backing away from Zach, who was taking his time edging towards them. "I managed to get through a few times, but it's personally trying to hold him in."

"Guess I've gotta give it another-" His words were stopped as Zach fired a blast near his legs, making him jump backwards and stumble around a bit. Zach advanced, pushing Minerva away for the moment.

"I have to say, I was disappointed to see you go out like that," the Stromling remarked. "And then you come back up and tackle me like nothing's changed. You didn't even do me a favor with Ahua."

"Pfft," Andrew instinctively uttered, "you expected me to turn into a dino or something and tear him up in my mind? Me, overtaking a guy like him? You really are deluding yourself."

"Perhaps I was," Zach responded as he came charging forward. Andrew dove to his left, but he was predicted and Zach managed to tackle him in that direction. He pinned the Minifig to the ground and raised his arm cannon for a melee strike, but Andrew managed to catch it in his hands and hold it up like a bar of weights.

"It was silly of me," said Zach, pushing his arm down harder, "to expect someone like you to do that, even in his own mind. You're hardly a match for the Maelstrom, no matter how many things you build!"

"Definitely not in brute force," Andrew responded, just as he noticed a figure approaching from somewhere behind his emery. "But I think we're a bit brighter - and somewhat more aware of things."

Sensing what Andrew was hinting at, Zach turned and kicked at Minerva, who was trying to sneak up on him with the injection saw once more. He managed to divert the tool and leave her stumbling back, but it left Andrew an opportunity to punch him in the face and roll out of his grip.

He got back up and darted towards Minerva. "Sorry about that one."

"It's fine," she said under her breath, though she sounded a little annoyed. "We're getting him dangerously angry, though."

"Perhaps, but the more we do get him angry and frustrated, the more likely we can get him-"

"It won't work and you know it!" Zach cried out, clearly furious as he aimed his gun arm at the pair. "You're going to die, here and now, plain and simple!"

Andrew looked at Zach, his old ally and unknowing neighbor, and slowly made himself feel determined in spite of the perilous circumstances. "Maybe so, 'Zach'. But remember that even if we die, the fact that we're doing so 'stupidly' trying to reach your old self, and the more you beat us down only makes us more determined to resist and reach you!"

"More baseless optimism! That's not going to save Minifigkind when we-"

"Oh, really? I've heard Semick a couple times on the comm before we ended up down here; he seems to be keeping the team strong against whatever you've been throwing at him! Heck, they're off to the Temple of-wait, do I?" Andrew stuttered as both Minerva and Zach stared at him with odd looks. "Oh, whatever, I have a weird mind. Anyways, the team's resisted your traps and Stromling apes and monkeys and whatever else your forces had up your sleeve, and hasn't given up hope yet! Agents, good agents, have died today fighting for us all, and they're now done here and heading off to finish the job at the Temple of Creation! And with what you've learned about Ahua over here, all that means for you if you continue to serve the Maelstrom, regardless of what happens to the team, you'll die alone in this empty shell of a temple, or worse, be absorbed fully by your 'ally' and suffered some Lovecraftian fate for eternity!"

Andrew studied Zach's face, but could see nothing but his angry glare holding up, albeit with what looked like a slight flicker in his red eyes.

"Simply put, Stromling, either kill us and face your end, or come back to us and let Zachary out again."

After a second or two, Zach said, "... You're all talk, but I say you speak too much of yourself. Minerva, care to counter for your last words?"

Andrew turned to the woman who was more involved in this matter than he was. "Sounds like final call. Make it count."

*****

The jungles were thick and relatively dense as the six men stepped through, pushing their way through vines and bushes.

"You sure you know where this temple is?" Jones asked.

"Of course," replied Palmer. "As a pilot, I actually have to know the area."

Wilkes was shooting an uneasy glance toward Clark. None of the men seemed too comfortable with him, knowing he was the most likely out of all of them to be a Stromling.

The jungle was starting to fill with a purple mist. "I don't like the look of this," Clark said, nervously.

"Shut up, Clark," muttered Palmer. "You're probably hoping we go in deeper."

"Calm down," said Garry.

"You know," said Palmer, "someone here isn't who he appears to be. I say we deal with Clark now before he gets too powerful."

Garry promptly raised his gun at Palmer. "Look, I don't want to shoot anyone until I'm certain. You've gotten me this far, Palmer, but I will kill you if I have to."

"Then kill me," dared Palmer.

Garry pressed his pistol's barrel against Palmer's head. "I mean it," he said.

"I guess you do."

At that moment, Clark was infuriated. He reached for his pocket knife. "I bet Garry's the Stromling," he murmured to himself. "I'm not infected. I'm not infected. Garry is and he's turning everyone against me." With that, Clark promptly charged toward Garry, but before he could stab him, Garry instinctively turned and shot him through the head, killing him instantly.

Taking a few minutes to realize what he'd done, Garry lowered his pistol. Palmer turned and continued into the mist.

"You did what you had to do," Henderson said as he followed Palmer. Garry sighed, and followed them into the purple fog.

*****

"Wait," Minerva said, turning to Andrew. "Why would the team be going to the Temple of Creation?"

"I assume Ahua told you?" Zach said to Andrew, smirking. "This temple was a red herring. A trap. A trap XERRD led you to with the Maelstrom's subordinates providing an ambush. I imagine at this point, the infiltration squad you were a part of has already realized their mistake and have informed the team to start heading back to the Temple of Creation."

Minerva felt a small bit of anger rise. They had been tricked again. However, that was least of her concerns. Her primary focus was the Stromling that stood before her that she had feelings for.

"Well, Minerva?" Zach asked impatiently. "Anything to say?"

Minerva was thinking. She had seen it. Andrew's words had some effect over Zach. A weak one that lasted for second, but still an effect. She needed to boost Andrew's words and hopefully they would sway Zach over.

"Andrew is right," Minerva finally said. Zach rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "I-" she faltered. What else can I say?

"Tsk," Zach tutted. "Not much of a speaker, are you?"

"Well what do you want me to say?" Minerva snapped angrily. Zach recoiled slightly, but his twisted smile remained. "'The Maelstrom is bad, the Dino Attack Team is good'? You've heard this all before."

"I have."

"You are content with serving a dark entity bent on destroying everything?!" she exclaimed. "The Maelstrom is an evil monster that wants nothing more to use you to achieve its dark goals. You are its puppet! Its pawn in this stupid fight! You help it take over the planet and then kill you!"

"I think-" Zach began.

"No! Shut up and let me finish! You are a tool that, when its purpose is fulfilled, you will be discarded. And you clearly can't trust your own allies, since that stupid native wants to kill you. There are probably more Stromlings that want to kill you! There is no teamwork or any bonding. Service in the Maelstrom is a battle of its own for command. Where anything goes. And you think the Maelstrom cares about its Stromlings killing each other? No! I bet it finds it amusing you all kill each other. For absolutely nothing!" Her voice cracked as she finished speaking. Zach stirred slightly, silent, shocked by Minerva's outburst.

"And..." she suddenly continued, staring into Zach's glowing red eyes with fierce determination. "I love you. And I'm not going stop fighting until you are with us again." Beside her, Andrew simply nodded in agreement.

Zach's eyes began flickering again. He bit his lower lip in frustration. His head twitched several times. He looked at the two of them with a mix of happiness and loathing.

"Did you..." Andrew drifted up, watching Zach shake. Minerva shrugged, backing away.

Zach unleashed an angry scream. "HE... WILL... NOT... ESCAPE!!" the Maelstrom screamed through Zach. His gun arm shaking violently, he pointed it directly at Minerva.

"We need to finish it off," Andrew muttered. "I-MOVE!" He shoved Minerva out of the way of Zach's blast. She stumbled, dropping the Injection Saw. She quickly caught herself on the chamber wall, panting. She turned to Zach.

Andrew had charged at Zach and punched him in the stomach. Zach wildly swung the Cosmotronic Ray at him. Andrew dodged the weapon and landed another punch on Zach's cheek. Zach stepped back, supporting himself with the Cosmotronic Ray, and threw his own punch at Andrew, hitting him in the chest.

Minerva ran at Zach, his back turned turn her. She gripped his shoulders and sharply kneed him in his spine. He roared out in pain. Minerva quickly wrapped her arms around Zach's and held him tight against his body.

"Do it!" she screamed to Andrew. He nodded and started punching Zach repeatedly in the stomach. Zach grunted with each punch, his head falling slack. As Andrew stopped, Zach's head suddenly shot back up and he kicked Andrew in the stomach, sending the other LEGO Islander back.

Zach broke free of Minerva's hold and turned to attack her, but he was too slow. As Zach's eyes met hers, she threw punch after punch to his face. She threw one last punch before grabbing Zach's Dino Attack uniform tightly. She pulled him to her right and quickly slung him to her left, releasing him. His back slammed into the wall.

Andrew rejoined her, coughing once. "He can't last much longer."

"I think he is finished," Minerva responded, wiping her sweaty forehead. Zach looked up once, his eyes still bright red, before closing them slowly and sliding to the floor. Minerva stared at Zach's hunched over body. His breathing was irregular and rapid. Minerva returned to the spot where she had dropped the Injection Saw. She picked up and turned back to Zach.

Now was the moment of truth.

*****

Hertz was slightly disappointed to see the watch-out-for-guys-named-Snake cliché was holding up. Agent Snake clearly did not trust him and the feeling was mutual.

Paranoia was rooted deep in the Dino Attack. He could not blame them; they had been betrayed too many times to simply allow newcomers in with open arms. He just wished they could trust him.

While Berry drove, Dactyl, Helm, Hotwire, Cabin, and Snake looked increasingly nervous. Once Helm had wrapped his arm in a sling, he slid into the passenger seat beside Jackson. Hertz asked, "What's going on? You must know something I don't, because everyone seems to be leaving."

"That battle was a waste," said Jackson. "Everyone died for nothing. The Renaissance and the Talon are gone, and Mur is dead."

Hertz's mouth dropped. "Are you saying…"

"Yeah, this is not the Maelstrom Temple," muttered Jackson. "We all have to drive miles out of our way to get to the Temple of Creation. Rex and Rotor are there now but I doubt they would have lasted long alone."

Hertz had no idea what to think. The people here had sacrificed their lives for nothing, Vinyaya was probably dead, and Rex and Amanda were probably dying. They had lost the two best helicopters in their arsenal and had not even made a dent in the limitless hoard of Stromlings.

"So, are we going to the Temple of Creation now?" asked Hertz.

"Dust and Schattenberg's team already got there. The UlTech drop ship got them there really fast, so hopefully they're waiting for us."

Hertz sat back in his chair and sighed. Out of one battle and into another. He had almost died at the battle of the pharaoh's ruins; he did not know whether his luck would hold out at the real fight.

He had to think about Naomi. He would never see her again; they might never hold each other in each other's arms. Hertz loved her and he was sure she felt the same way about him. He just longed to be with her one last time.

He put his head in his arms and gazed at the ceiling of the cab. Naomi gave him a will to live and a sensation he had not felt before. He would not throw his life away if it meant not being with her.

I'm really starting to sound like a romantic, thought Hertz.

The techie smiled. He had never felt so sure about anything in his life. Even though he had fallen in love with the nurse in such a short period of time, he was positive it was not just lust. Yes, she was gorgeous, but his heart told him it was something more.

"Pull over."

"What?" asked Shotgun, surprised. "Why?"

"I have to go to Outpost 4. It's only a half-mile hike," said Hertz. "I have something I need to do."

"I don't like the idea of you walking through the jungle alone," said Shotgun, frowning.

"I'll be okay," Hertz said with a smile. "There is work I need to do."

"Let the kid go, Barry," called Helm. "As long as he sticks to the beach, there'll be no trouble."

Jackson shook his head as he brought the Fire Hammer to a stop. "This better be important, Hertz."

"It is," Hertz said as he jumped from the cab. He grabbed a Sonic Screamer and shook Hotwire's hand.

The agents shrugged, and Shotgun put his foot on the gas. The jeep drove away, leaving Hertz standing alone on a beach with a broken arm holding a big gun.

This was a stupid idea. Looking along the sands, he shouldered the gun and headed south.

*****

Zach was breathing heavily; his eyes closed trying to concentrate. Minifig!Zach was unrelenting in his push for control of his mind. Get down! Stromling!Zach growled to the minifig. He got no response from Minifig!Zach, but another fearsome push for control. Zach swore under his breath and responded to the mental attack with his own battering. He managed to push Minifig!Zach back a considerable distance, but he knew he would be back.

Zach could hear the combined footsteps of Minerva and Andrew approach him. He looked up and saw Minerva crouching at his level, the Injection Saw in her hand. Andrew stood behind her, prepared to defend her just in case.

"Zach?" she called out. Zach snarled in response. Minerva flinched. "He's still trapped," she said to Andrew.

"And he's never getting out!" Zach roared suddenly.

"Well, we have him down. I think we might as well try the cure," Andrew replied. Minerva nodded and began to move the Injection Saw toward Zach's right shoulder. Zach hissed and shoved the Injection Saw away.

"Hold his arm down," she said to Andrew. He nodded and gripped Zach's left arm tightly. Minerva began to descend on Zach's shoulder again. As the needle touched his bare skin, a dark violet hand suddenly grabbed Minerva's neck and pulled her back.

"Znap!" Andrew cursed. He rose to his feet as Ahua shoved Minerva to the side. Ahua turned to Andrew, grinning wickedly. Andrew went after Ahua only for his face to meet a fist. Ahua fired several more punches before swinging his spear arm at Andrew, cutting his side. Andrew fell to the ground, clutching his side and groaning. Ahua placed his foot on Andrew's chest, pinning him to the ground.

"No!" Minerva screamed, running at Ahua. Ahua quickly turned his body and caught Minerva by her neck and hoisted her high in the air.

"We must thank you both, Minerva Fabello and Andrew," Ahua mused. "You have finally crushed our enemy when we could not. However, he must die. No exceptions. Naturally, you two think differently, and you both must be killed. Starting with the girl." Ahua tightened his grip around Minerva's neck. Minerva gasped and cried out, trying to pry Ahua's fingers away from her neck to no avail.

Zach watched the whole thing. Minerva's breathing was become strained. She struggled, trying to break the Islander's grip. She kicked her legs fiercely, trying to reach Ahua. Finally, she gave up and glanced at Zach, her eyes wide with fear.

"Please!" Minerva manage to choke out to Zach. "Please, Zach!" Zach didn't respond, but a knot was forming in his stomach. The pleading look in her eye gave Minifig!Zach renewed strength. Zach's face twisted in pain.

He glanced down at Andrew. He was trying to pull himself back up, but Ahua kept him pinned. He glanced at Zach. His face clearly showed fear.

"Zach…" Andrew coughed as Ahua applied pressure to Andrew's chest. "I know you're in there. Help..." Andrew coughed again as Ahua pushed down harder. Zach bit his tongue and clutched his head as the contest for his mind began again.

He tried to prevent himself from looking at Minerva again, but he gave up and looked at her again. She was back to struggling, but she moved considerably less. Her breathing also slowed down and became extremely ragged. Zach raised his eyebrow as a black and purple mist suddenly began to slink up Ahua's arm and it wrapped itself around Minerva's head. She let out a weak, broken scream as her head was consumed by the Maelstrom.

"Are you corrupting her?" Zach asked, confused.

"No," Ahua scoffed, smirking at his victim. "The Maelstrom is suffocating her. Rather painful way to die." Ahua chuckled darkly, Minerva's screams were silenced and her thrashing seized.

Zach was in a daze. He could feel himself become choked up. He looked back at Andrew, who was concentrating on getting Ahua off him. While he had only worked with him a few times early during the Adventurers' Island campaign, he considered Andrew a good friend who had saved him multiple times and had even ventured into this temple to save his life again. They were probably more alike in interests, hobbies, and skills than Zach would like to admit. And through Andrew, Zach thought of LEGO Island. He had been born in America and his family lived in America, but LEGO Island was his true home. The days he had spent racing, building, eating pizza, and helping out the citizens were brought to mind. He thought of friends such as Pepper Roni, Sky Lane, Nubby Stevens, Snap Lockitt, Captain Rom, and more. Even thoughts of the Brickster and the atrocities he had committed in 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2007 warmed his heart. He felt a sudden longing to be back at those happier times.

What are you doing?! the Maelstrom yelled. Zach ignored it, letting the memories of the past swamp him. Guilt began to rise as he allowed both Dino Attack agents to meet their deaths. He almost longed for those times again. He glanced up at Minerva again. The Maelstrom had cleared up enough that he could clearly see her face. Her face was extremely pale. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was extremely shallow.

He stared at her, his own breathing mimicking hers. Their first meeting on the island was not exactly the greatest, but after fighting with her they became friendly toward each other. Minerva made it apparent early on that she had some sort of affection toward him. After she had ventured into the XERRD fortress to save his life, he became to reciprocate the feelings. When Minerva had claimed they were just friends after Oswald's massacre in the camp, he had secretly been crushed, but the Maelstrom soon swept away any sadness over being friendzoned.

And now he sat here, watching Minerva die before his eyes. Despite how anxious he had been to kill her earlier, he did not anticipate how much inner turmoil her death would cause her. She admitted her feelings to him. As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't. He loved her. Zach couldn't let her die. He wouldn't let her die.

At the moment, the Maelstrom couldn't hold Zach back any longer. No! it screamed. Impossible!

Zach ignored the screaming voice and he managed to pull himself to his feet. He felt dizzy and weak, but he ignored the nausea and started over to Andrew, Minerva, and Ahua. He thought of nothing except saving the former two.

He launched out his left hand and grabbed Ahua's neck tightly. Ahua gasped and dropped Minerva, who let in a large gulp of air as she leaned against the wall, massaging her throat. Zach shifted Ahua off of Andrew, allowing the Elite Agent to quickly slide away from the Stromling Islander.

Zach glared at Ahua with a look of pure fury. Ahua responded with his own scowl. "A rather bad time to kill us, Zachary. We were just about to kill them for you."

"You aren't killing them," Zach groaned, tightening his grip. His head began to pound as the Maelstrom screamed and tried to force itself back into control.

Ahua chuckled, as if this amused him greatly. "So kill them yourself. And afterwards, we will kill you. You are still weak. We can feel it. Kill them. For the glory of the Maelstrom."

"I'm not killing them," Zach hissed, bringing Ahua close to his face. "I'm not killing anyone for you or for the Maelstrom ever again."

Ahua's smile faded away immediately, and his eyes widened in sudden horror. Zach swung back his Cosmotronic Ray and, with all the strength left in his body, he swung the gun into Ahua's chest. The Stromling Islander flew across the chamber and was buried nearly a foot into the wall, sending stone debris everywhere. Ahua didn't move, and for all intents and purposes, he was dead to Zach.

Zach stumbled backward and fell to the ground, his breathing hoarse and strained. He closed eyes as the Maelstrom attacked him again, its defiant screams growing louder.

"Zach?" Andrew asked cautiously. "As in 'the' Zach?"

Zach coughed. "Zachary Virchaus, Dino Attack agent and free of the Maelstrom's control. For now." He opened his eyes. Andrew and Minerva were crouched around him. Andrew's face held mostly concern, but he could see some relief. Minerva's face was wet with tears, but she smiled at him weakly.

"Minerva, your hair," Zach muttered. Most of her hair was still dark brown. However, she had several streaks of pure white hair mixed in that shined brightly despite the dimmed purple aura that illuminated the temple. The brightness of her hair gave Zach some warmth despite the cold that threatened to consume him.

"Get the Injection Saw," Zach said quietly. The Maelstrom was growing angrier and angrier the longer it wasn't in control. Minerva quickly stood up and picked up the fallen Injection Saw and brought it back to Zach.

"Right shoulder," he muttered. She lifted up Zach's Cosmotronic Ray arm and glanced at his shoulder. She silently ran her hand down the long red scar on his shoulder. "Scar from Provencal's Injection Saw that injected me with the Maelstrom. Try not to cut me with that thing this time around." Minerva nodded and tried to aim the needle, but found her hand shaking nervously. Andrew and Zach reached across and gripped the Injection Saw to steady it. Minerva nodded and carefully dug the needle into Zach's skin. Minerva the released the blue liquid.

Zach breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the blue liquid quickly exit the syringe and enter his bloodstream. After all the cure was in his body, Minerva carefully pulled the saw away and discarded it.

"I hope this works," Zach said, mostly to himself. "If it doesn't..." He didn't want to think about it. Instead, he focused on fighting against the Maelstrom in his head. He focused on his happy memories, his determination to escape the Maelstrom's control, and his desire to be with Minerva.

"Listen," he said urgently to his friends. "If this doesn't work and I'm still a Stromling, I'll probably succumb to the Maelstrom eventually. If that happens, kill me. Don't hesitate, just do it." Minerva had a frightened look on her face, but Andrew shook his head.

"That won't be necessary," Andrew said with certainty. "You'll make it out of this. We all will. We've made it too far to fail now." Zach showed a weak smile, Andrew's confidence improving his own. The Maelstrom roared in disagreement, causing Zach's brain to pound against his skull painfully.

"I think I'm losing consciousness," Zach said, feeling suddenly dizzy. "My guess is the cure will work its magic when I'm out. However, that's probably when I most vulnerable to the Maelstrom's attacks." Zach sighed, slightly annoyed. "Hopefully this cure will provide some backup against it quickly."

Drowsiness began to set in. "I hope the next time I wake up, I have red hair and yellow skin again," Zach said calmly. "Regardless of what happens, thank you both for coming after me. Even after making a gigantic jerk of myself." Andrew and Minerva smiled faintly.

He felt darkness begin to consume him. As his consciousness left him, Zach knew he was enter the most important battle of his life. He closed his eyes one last time and embraced the darkness, praying to Builder for survival.

Andrew breathed a sigh of relief. "It's done. Or at least, we've done everything we can here. I guess it's all down to him now."

Minerva stared at her close ally's unconscious body. It was still the same as it had been, but hopefully that would soon change. "... You think he's going to have to go through something like what you went through with Ahua?"

"It's quite likely," he said, "given what he was saying and how the Maelstrom is still trying to take him. Hopefully, the cure and motivation we gave him should help him fight it off."

Glancing around, he looked at the way they came in. "Now we have to worry about us for a bit. Given that this temple isn't hosting the Maelstrom, and that it's likely pulling the bulk of its forces out to help defend the other temple, and Ahua looks pretty dead, we should be safe from attack for the most part. But now we have to get out."

"... Ooh, haven't thought of that for a bit."

"We should start looking for an exit, but I don't know if we should be carrying around Zach or just wait for him to eventually get up." He turned to Minerva. "Do you mind going off to check for an exit route? I can keep watch for Zach in the meantime."

"Oh, um," Minerva said, obviously debating whether or not she wanted to leave Zach's side. "Sure, I'll go out and have a brief look."

"Thanks," said Andrew, walking towards where he had dropped his laser rifle when Ahua had knocked him out. "Don't worry, I can handle this."

Minerva nodded. As she walked towards the doorway, Andrew noted the small Maelstrom puddle that was still in the middle of the chamber. He eyed it closely as he leaned over Zach's body, wary that it may try something at the last minute.

Minerva exited the chamber and glanced down the hallway, barely illuminated by dark violet light. She quickly determined which way the slide had ended and continued down the hallway.

Her anxiety was building up. She feared Zach would be taken by the Maelstrom again. And she could only see trying to save him again being nigh impossible to complete. But Andrew seemed confident Zach could overcome the Maelstrom. And the cure, provided it even worked, should definitely help.

She walked through several twisting and narrow hallways. She felt claustrophobia begin to creep on her again, but she ignored the feeling of dread. She certainly felt lucky there weren't any other paths so far. She probably would've gotten lost and never see Andrew or Zach again.

Finally, she pulled into a straight corridor. She walked down it, rubbing her bandaged hand against the wall. She pulled some of her hair out in front of her face. Indeed, her hair had changed. There were multiple streaks of pure white hair that contrasted her brown hair. It seemed to glow as she stared at it. She rubbed the white strands of hair carefully. It felt like regular hair.

I think the Maelstrom caused this, she thought, bouncing her hair lightly in her hand. Suddenly, she came upon a dead-end. "That can't be right," Minerva muttered. Had she missed another passage? She stared at the cold, stone wall, frustration growing.

There is no way out. Minerva first thought. The only other way was the slide, and that was impossible to climb up. Then: No, there has to be a way out. How would Ahua and Zach get out of here otherwise? Perhaps when Zach woke up, she would ask him. She started to lean on the dead-end wall when she suddenly felt herself slip and tumble through the wall. She gasped as she quickly regained her balance.

"Where-?" she began. Ahead of her was a small flight of stairs. Above the stairs, natural light peeked through the ceiling. Minerva smiled in realization. She turned and ran through the camouflaged passage back to the chamber.

*****

Zach woke up with a jolt.

"Andrew! Minerva!" he sputtered. "Are you... whoa." He was no longer in the Temple of Hotep III, that was certain. As he remembered the events that had just took place, he realized he was probably in a dream. A dream that was actually happening.

Zach stumbled to his feet. He was a Minifig, which made him happy. However, the feelings faded away as he stared ahead. He saw a great black and purple swirling void that covered every inch of visible space. It rotated fiercely, blowing wind into his face. In the center of the Maelstrom was a set of two red eyes that stared at him.

Zach turned. Behind him towered the mighty and iconic Information Center. It looked strong and sturdy, yet clearly battle-worn. He was quick to realize that in this real-dream, the Information Center acted as the control center to his very mind. For several days, the Maelstrom had controlled it. And now Zach stood alone, knowing that if the Maelstrom consumed this building, he would become a Stromling again.

Then he realized he was not quite alone. To the right of him, he saw Minifig forms of Andrew, Nazareno, Minerva, Semick, Raider, and Bluetooth. They all held weapons in their hands, ready to defend the Information Center to the end. Zach quickly realized that his cherished memories were appearing with him to repel the Maelstrom.

To his left, he saw Pepper Roni, Sky Lane, the Infomaniac, the Brickster, and an army of Brickster-Bots. All of them stared straight ahead, a determined look on each of their faces.

Zach heard a dark, haunting laughter with a slight British accent emit from the void. "You think this will stop me?" the Maelstrom hissed. "How pitiful." A strike of bright purple lightning suddenly shot forth from the spinning cloud of evil and struck Semick in the chest. He slid back on his feet from the force, but was otherwise unfazed.

A loud thunder roared from the Maelstrom as several more blasts started to strike the group assembled. Zach dodged each blast with the other Minifigs, desperately trying to think of a way to defeat the Maelstrom once and for all.

There was a loud bang from the vortex, and a single figure shot out from the eye of the storm. He landed before Zach, his grin twisted and evil. Zach recoiled. The Minifig was a grotesque combination of Zach and the Maelstrom; the dream embodiment of Stromling!Zach, who had simply been an uneven combination of the Maelstrom's desires and personality (the dominant part of the figure) and Zach's memories and personality (the lesser part).

Stromling!Zach suddenly turned and struck Raider hard in the chest with his fist. Raider let out a surprised gasp before bursting into pieces. Pepper and Nazareno ran at the Stromling, but they both met a similar fate. Zach watched in horror as the Maelstrom moved closer to the Information Center, destroying everything it touched. He was losing the fight.

He watched Sky, Bluetooth, and the Infomaniac also meet their ends at the hands of Stromling!Zach. One by one, his memories were being torn apart and tossed away. The Brickster and Andrew were both struck by the Maelstrom lightning when they fell. The Brickster-Bot army had been quickly eliminated. The only ones who remained were Semick, Minerva, and Zach.

Another strike in the head by Stromling!Zach had Semick fall back, disassembling. Zach gripped Minerva's hand tightly as Stromling!Zach approached the two of them, grinning maniacally. He shoved Minerva to the side and grabbed the collar of Zach's Dino Attack uniform.

"You are mine!" Stromling!Zach said in an creepily distorted version of Zach's own voice. The Maelstrom surrounded the Information Center, the dark haunting laughter echoing across the area. He was finished. The Maelstrom had won.

Suddenly, Stromling!Zach was pulled away by a new minifig who glowed bright blue. The glowing Minifig kicked the Stromling forcefully, sending him falling back. His back slammed into the ground, and he did not get back up. The glowing Minifig pointed at the void and bright blue lightning shot from his fingertips. The Maelstrom grunted painfully as it began to shrink. Groans turned into full on screams of anger, shouting curses to Zach and to the minifig. The Maelstrom was growing smaller and smaller.

"YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME!" the Maelstrom screamed. "I AM FOREVER!"

Zach simply shook his head as he stood by the glowing minifig. He added on to the Minifig's attack. Thoughts of happiness, imagination, and love that shook the Maelstrom right to its core. The screams were growing dimmer. Zach stepped back as the Maelstrom, now a pitiful size that could easily be disposed of, suddenly fled the scene. The Maelstrom was gone. The blue lightning, despite its enemy being crushed, shot toward the horizon at a rapid pace.

And suddenly, the entire area changed. The Information Center had disappeared and Zach simply stood in dark room light by a single white light. From the shadows approached the glowing blue minifig. He smiled warmly and tiredly at Zach and extended a hand. Zach accepted it silently, shaking it gratefully.

"Who are you?" Zach asked. The minifig seemed familiar.

"I am J.D.," the minifig said simply. "I created the prototype cure for the Maelstrom. And it seems Minerva has followed my last request and has injected it into you and has saved you from a lifetime of service to the Maelstrom, Zachary."

"I-what?!" Zach was shocked. J.D. nodded, still smiling. "I killed you! How are you here?"

"Because the main ingredient of my cure was portion of my own Creative Spark," J.D. remarked. "Its Imagination repelled the Maelstrom and goes now to repair your own Creative Spark that has been most likely critically damaged by the Maelstrom."

"That doesn't explain why you are still here."

"I can't say for certain, but while the rest of me died, a part of my soul was preserved in the Maelstrom cure. Think of it like a dragon's Eldurnarí. While the dragon's body may die, it can store its consciousness inside its heart of hearts and continue to live."

Zach nodded. "Thanks for going to such lengths… And... uh... sorry for killing you."

J.D. chuckled and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'm actually rather excited to 'move on'. However, I'm sure the other members of the Dino Attack will not be as forgiving. But I wouldn't let that get you down."

"So, wait. Since your Creative Spirit is attached to mine, will I get some of your traits?"

J.D. thought for a moment. "You shouldn't. My Creative Spark will join the dominant spark and I will fade away. You may feel some effects immediately after waking up, but they should stop soon enough. Now, I'd love to keep talking, but I feel my time is wearing thin." J.D.'s body began to dissipate.

"Bye," Zach said quietly. "Thanks for everything." J.D. nodded in acknowledgement and his body disappeared. Zach waved at the empty space with his left hand and gasped. His left hand was a sickly color of purple and black...

*****

"I think he's waking up!" Andrew said, watching as Zach's body began to twist and jerk on the floor. Minerva gasped in fear, assuming the worst.

However, those fears quickly faded away. Zach's dark violet skin suddenly lightened to its normal yellow pigment. His hair also quickly returned to its red color. The Cosmotronic Ray split from Zach's right arm. Minerva smiled excitedly. He's back!

"Whoa," Andrew said. Without warning, Zach's hair suddenly began to grow rapidly. It kept growing and growing until it stretched just past his shoulders. "Interesting," Andrew said simply. Minerva found it even more surprising that facial hair suddenly began to sprout on Zach's face. It didn't grow as fast his hair. It finally seized growth as a bristly and very thin beard that wrapped around Zach's face and mouth. Finally, a purple streak suddenly appeared on Zach's hair, running from his forehead to the long tail of hair that touched his shoulders.

Zach stirred slowly before his eyes suddenly flashed open quickly and fearfully. "Minerva! Andrew!" he shouted fearfully.

"We're here," Minerva responded.

"Where are you?" Zach called out, staring straight at her. "I can't see! Why is it so dark?"

"... It isn't," Andrew said. Zach's head shot toward the sound of Andrew's voice.

"I-I-I think I'm blind!" Zach said, touching his face. Panic suddenly disappeared as amusement and interest danced across his blank eyes. "Do I have a beard?"

"Yeah," Minerva said, worried. Zach smirked, as if amused him. "You can't see anything?"

"Not quite. I can see a bunch of colors. They are all meshed together into a blob. I think this blindness is temporary. It should clear up soon. Is there something wrong with my left hand?" Zach lifted his left hand into view.

"It looks fine to me," Minerva responded. "Your right hand is having problems." Minerva kneeled next to Zach and pulled off the tattered black glove of his hand. His golden metal hand was rusted and stained with black and purple. It also twitched erratically.

"Yeah. I can't really feel it. I think the Maelstrom was too much for it. Do any of you guys have any water? I think I might be dehydrated." Andrew placed his canteen in Zach's left hand. He brought the container to his mouth and recklessly poured the water into his mouth. Very little landed in his mouth and instead landed on the front of his uniform. Zach leaned back against the chamber wall, pausing from his drink. "I'm a Minifig again."

Minerva smiled at the giddiness in his voice. She then turned to Andrew.

"He seems to be suffering a lot of aftereffects from the Maelstrom," Andrew noted. "It looks like he's been trapped inside his own head for years and is starving, thirsty, and weak."

Minerva nodded. "I hope this doesn't complicated things too much. Should we start leaving and guide Zach or wait until his vision comes back and then leave?"

"It might be best for Zach to see some professional medical attention," said Andrew. "Though I think it wouldn't be too hard to help him out of here. You find a way out?"

"Yeah," said Minerva. "It's a stairway hidden by an illusion of a wall further down the passage."

"Seems simple enough." Andrew approached Zach, who was still taking in the fact of being a Minifig again, and tapped him gently on the shoulder. He looked up, though not directly facing him. "You think you can handle being helped out by hand?"

"Eh, sure, I think I can do that," said Zach. "That would just mean holding on to your hands or something, right?"

"Yes, but there are some stairs up ahead. Just take your time feeling the ends of each step and you should be fine."

"Okay." He reached out his right hand, and Andrew took it. Gently pulling, he walked towards Minerva at a slow but steady pace. Zach followed with some slight stumbling, but managed to start getting the hang of it.

"Never thought I'd have an experience like this," Zach remarked. "Even when I signed up."

"There's a lot of things we never expect," Minerva replied, reaching out to grab Zach's other hand. "But no matter how much it happens, we can never seem to get used to it."

The three agents smiled, both in amusement over the remark and joy in what they had accomplished. They had defied the Maelstrom, conquered the odds yet again, and had saved a dear friend. Even with so much left to do, they couldn't help but feel on top of the world.

"Hey," Andrew said, reaching for his PDA, "I think I'd better let the others know what happened. I'll send out a general announcement but when I'm done, want me to write out one for you, Zach?"

"Perhaps," said Zach. "Give me a moment to think of something."

"Sure thing," Andrew said as they walked out, his free hand typing out his announcement to the team.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 47: Trading Bishops

----

"I don't like the looks of this place," Jones said to himself as they proceeded through the mysterious yet eerie purple fog. Still, there was less tension. The death of the one Stromling in their group gave a few feelings of relief all around.

With some time, they soon finally found something. "I really don't like the look of this," Jones said again, looking at the long, rickety bridge over an enormous chasm.

"We don't have much choice," replied Garry. "We come this far. We can't stop now."

"I'm with Jonesy here," said Palmer. "I say we turn back."

"We can't go back now," declared Garry. "Our guys are dying at the wrong temple; we're the only chance of helping Rex and his small group."

There was a moment of silence. Palmer sighed and began to cross the bridge.

At the end of the rickety bridge was the entrance to the temple, at last. "I really don't like the looks of this," Wilkes said.

"We gotta proceed," declared Palmer. "If we're to have any chance of saving the rest of your teammates."

Reluctantly, Garry walked through the large opening among the thick spider webs. "It's obvious someone's been here," he muttered.

As soon as Jones had stepped into the room, Garry noticed a strange corpse. "What is that?" Palmer asked.

"Looks like a spider of some kind," noted Garry.

"It's only got four legs," Henderson pointed out.

"Well, why is nothing attacking us now?" Palmer asked.

"I wouldn't tempt fate like that," mused Garry. "We'd best keep moving."

True to his orders, Garry proceeded through the long and dark corridors. Stromling corpses lay everywhere, but very little else to be seen.

"We should split up," Palmer suggested.

"No," replied Garry. "I don't want to take any chances in a place like this."

Then it happened. There were footsteps. Someone was running around. The figure was obscured by the shadows, but they seemed to be lost.

Cautiously, Garry reached for his pistol and aimed it up towards the figure. There was a brief moment where he was about to fire as the figure ran blindly toward them... into Palmer's arms. Consequently, she tried to resist.

"It's alright," Palmer said reassuringly. "We're friends."

The figure had turned out to be a terrified young girl. She was practically screaming as Garry lowered his weapon. "Take it easy," he said. "Calm down."

Still, the poor girl could not help panicking. She finally broke free of Palmer's strong grip before looking at the others. "Who are you?" she asked nervously.

"We're friends," replied Garry.

Palmer moved in closer. "Listen, Garry, it does seem a little odd a teenager could easily have managed to survive in this amount of time."

"What do you mean?" Garry asked.

"They've been here for a few hours," explained Palmer. "Even if she was with them, that's more than enough time for her to be taken by the Maelstrom."

"Good point," conceded Garry. "But I don't want to take a chance and risk shooting an innocent. You got a name?"

"Kate," the girl introduced herself. "Kate Bishop."

"Garry," Palmer said. "I'm telling you, she's a Stromling. I got a really bad feeling."

"I know," replied Garry. "We'll keep an eye on her, watch her close."

All this certainly was not helping poor Kate, whose eyes seemed to be swelling further with tears. All this time, she'd been running for her life, and now the only people who could help her were discussing killing her. "Get me out of here," pleaded Kate. "This place is driving me mad. I can't find the way out."

"Calm down," said Garry. "What's going on?"

"We were in the center of the temple," explained Kate. "Things got out of hand, some XERRD scientists showed up and then Rex tried to fight them off. Then I ran when nobody was looking."

*****

Semick was determined as he flew towards the foreboding sight of the Temple of Creation. Determined to ensure that the Maelstrom got its retribution for its trickery and strikes against Dino Attack. Determined to ensure the team would leave victorious. Determined that the LEGO Planet would be saved.

But determination only got one so far. There were still practical matters. The Temple of Creation was in the middle of a vast "sea" of Maelstrom mist or energy or something, connected to the main island by a very worn rope-plank bridge. This would likely not be helpful for the ground forces, as it meant they had to abandon all vehicles except maybe the Steel Sprinter (and even then, that was a little risky for the rope bridge). Only the T-1 Typhoons and the Agents Defense Organization's remaining aircraft would be useful.

As for helping the ground team get across, Semick already had an idea. Picking up his mic again, he sent a message to the remaining aircraft:

"To our T-1 pilots and Agents allies: know that we cannot simply walk into the Temple of Creation. It's isolated on an island in the midst of some sort of 'sea' of Maelstrom energy connected only to the mainland by an old rope bridge. We need extra help to be able to infiltrate the temple. I want all our craft to assist in readying several ropes stretching from the cliffs to the temple from which we can get agents to zipline over. I remind you all that our T-1s have the necessary equipment for this operation, but we will need to be careful. I want all of you to be on guard once we start getting agents across. Ziplines leave us extraordinarily vulnerable, especially when we're trying to cross a massive chasm. Osprey, feel free to try and help our men set these up. I figure you guys would be more adept at preparing ziplines and other means of rope-based mobility. Operate quickly and efficiently. We don't know if we're racing against time here, but I don't want to take my chances."

Looking back towards the temple, Semick also realized that there likely wasn't going to be an easy way for the T-1 Typhoons to assist. There was no real room for any exterior battles to play out, given the size of the "island" the temple was on, and firing on the temple was likely to prove dangerous for any agents inside.

There was only one real option: to try and barrage the temple rooftop to see if they could open a hole large enough to provide a view that allowed the T-1 Typhoons to provide watch, if not some small cover fire. Even then there was risk. Semick didn't know what Rex's team's status was, so any attack on the temple's exterior now could risk injuring them when the debris and gunfire came roaring in.

He needed to find out what they were doing, and quickly. "Bluetooth," he said to his technician buddy, "can you lock onto any Dino Attack agent frequencies within the temple?"

"Sure," he replied, taking a few moments to scan the temple for Dino Attack agents. "I'm getting about... eight to ten or so readings. One half of them close to the entrance, the other half spread out around a massive area near the back."

"Narrow down the T-1's transmitter to the temple. I want to see if I can reach any PDAs, communicators, cellphones, device hidden in a silver dollar, what have you."

Bluetooth took a few moments tinkering with the radio settings. "Should be good," he said as he turned a knob.

Semick picked up the mic and gave some more words to it. "To any Dino Attack agents within the Temple of Creation, can you hear me? This is team commander Semick, seeking word on your status!"

*****

For a brief moment, Palmer seemed to show a strange look of anxiety, close to panic.

"You alright?" Garry asked.

Palmer took a moment to catch his breath. "Yeah," he muttered. "I'm fine."

"Look," Garry said. "I only needed you to get me here. If you want to go back, I won't object."

"No," insisted Palmer. "I've come this far. I'm not turning back now."

Behind them, Wilkes seemed to be trying his best to comfort Kate. Then they were cut off by a strange noise. Palmer reached into his pocket and pulled out a PDA. Palmer made a few adjustments and it became clear there was a message of some kind.

"To any Dino Attack agents within the Temple of Creation, can you hear me? This is team commander Semick, seeking word on your status!"

"This is agent Palmer," Palmer reported after a moment. "I'm in here with six others."

"That would be very good," replied Semick.

Palmer handed the PDA over to Garry. "Hello Semick," Garry said. "I'm in here with six others. I've already lost one man who we suspected was a Stromling, and we're currently searching for Rex and his team. We've only found one survivor so far; Palmer's worried that she might have been infected in the time they were gone." 

*****

"Ask for her name," Semick said in response to the agent on the line. "If it's Kate Bishop, I advise you to be easy on her. She's had a rough time since the XERRD Fortress, and I don't want you possibly mentally scarring her with Stromling suspicions. See if you can get her to the rest of the team. They're back on the other side of the rope bridge."

"Understood."

"And keep an eye out for any of Rex's other team members. I plan to fire through the roof to provide air support, and I don't want to be crushing agents if or when that happens."

"We'll see what we can do."

"Good. That's it for now."

Turning off the mic, Semick was about to direct the T-1 Typhoon towards the team that was reaching the cliffside when he started hearing cheers from behind him. He turned to see Bluetooth and the rear gunner holding their PDAs and pumping the air.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Check your PDA, Semick," he responded. "Great news from Andrew about the earlier problems."

Curious, Semick slipped his out of his pocket and checked the latest All-Agents Bulletin:

Zach is a Minifig and is on our side again.
Me and Minerva have got him and we are all leaving the Hotep temple.
Zach needs some medical attention, but otherwise okay.
Anyone still near Hotep's temple, we could use a lift and medic.
-Andrew

A wave of relief and happiness washed over the former Power Miner. "Nice job, Zach," he muttered under his breath as he redirected his attention to reaching the rest of the team. Even as they were recovering from the Maelstrom's trickery, it was good to know they were still gaining small victories.

*****

"He did it!" Laxus cried from the back of the Fire Hammer. "Yes!"

"What, did you know something about this?" Rockford asked, his face caught in a weird mix of astonishment, joy, and curiosity.

"Friends do sometimes keep some things to themselves, you know. Just to keep unwanted attention away until objectives are accomplished."

"Eh, whatever," said the driver. "The point is that the guy isn't with them anymore. And the less agents under their control, the better."

"Agreed," said Rockford. "And judging from some of the radio and PDA transmissions, the rest of the team agrees."

Laxus grinned and leaned back in his seat. For him, it was simply good to know that his friend was still alive and had accomplished in his task. It was a good bit of consolation in the face of what still awaited them at the Temple of Creation. And speaking of...

"We're here, commander," the driver said as he parked behind another Fire Hammer and an Iron Predator. "But from the looks of things, we're not going to have the liberty of vehicles now."

"Ooh," Rockford muttered. "This could be problematic."

*****

"Alright," said Garry. "According to Semick, we're to go easy on Kate."

"I don't know," replied Palmer. "There was more than enough time for her to be assimilated by the Maelstrom."

"I don't know if it works like that," said Garry.

"I don't trust her," insisted Palmer. "That act of fear and innocence is just to appeal to our emotional side."

"Alright Palmer," sighed Garry, rolling his eyes. "Wilkes, see if you can find the exit, get Kate out of here. Palmer, you go with him."

"You can't leave," muttered Kate. "There's no way out."

"I ain't goin' with Wilkes," declared Palmer. "Look, I come this far. I ain't goin' with him. I'll go with you."

"Alright," said Garry. "Jones, Henderson, you two go with them, and keep a careful eye on Kate, just in case Palmer is correct." The other three agents turned and started to work their way down the long corridors.

"So, it's just the two of us, then," Garry said as soon as the others were gone.

"I guess so," said Palmer.

"Alright," said Garry. "What we've got here is an elaborate maze of some kind." Garry picked up the PDA from before and transmitted another message. "Kate's on her way out," he said.

"Very good," replied Semick.

"There's just one thing," said Garry. "She was muttering something about there being no way out. It could just be her trauma but, given she seemed lost when we found her and the way this place is set up, I somehow wouldn't be surprised if the Maelstrom wasn't willing to let us go so easily. Palmer and I are going to split up. We're going to see if we can find the end of this labyrinth and keep you updated."

As Garry lowered the PDA, Palmer stared at him in uncertainty. "You sure about this?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Garry. "You go one way I'll go the other. We'll keep in contact with each other."

There was a moment of silence, and Palmer smiled. "Alright," he said before he turned and left.

*****

Zach gripped Andrew and Minerva's hands as they walked through the corridors of the Temple of Hotep III. His eyesight was still poor, but it was getting better. The blob of colors now began to take more visible shapes. Zach imagined it wouldn't be long until his vision was restored.

His legs felt like jelly. He wobbled with every step. Without Minerva or Andrew's support, he would never make it out of the temple. He was also extremely hungry, evidenced by his rumbling stomach. Despite this, Zach was somewhat fascinated by what had happened to his body following the defeat of the Maelstrom. It truly felt like he his body hadn't eaten, drank, or moved in years. Or shaved, as he appeared to have grown a bristly beard and his hair had grown out. He wasn't sure what he looked like, but he imaged he looked like some kind of hermit. The whole experience was like waking up from a wild dream.

He began to think of what to say to the other Dino Attack agents. He felt immense amounts of guilt. He had so willingly killed other agents, all in the name of the Maelstrom. Many more agents had probably been killed by the forces he had commanded. However, J.D. had been willing to forgive him, so perhaps others would. Minerva and Andrew clearly didn't care, despite how close he had come to killing them. Zach swallowed painfully. It would be hard to adjust. He had only been a Stromling for a few days, but it was likely to affect him negatively for years.

"We're at the stairs," Andrew said to Zach. Zach nodded. His right hand twitched again. He hoped Nazareno would be willing to build him a new hand. Andrew took the first step. Zach carefully felt the step with his feet and stepped on without stumbling. He grinned at his success when he suddenly felt his legs buckle. Minerva quickly caught him and pushed him back up until he was balanced on his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yep," Zach grunted. "Just some more aftereffects." He nodded for Andrew to continue. They continued upward, taking each step one at time. Slowly but surely, Zach's balance was improving.

I really don't want to see a medic, he thought suddenly. He had heard Andrew speak about taking him to a medic. If that meant going to the outpost the Dino Attack Team had stationed itself at, Zach wasn't interested. Just by how quick he had started to recover from the Maelstrom's influence, he reasoned he should be in a semi-decent fighting condition soon. Then they could go to Temple of Creation, the true Maelstrom Temple, and defeat XERRD and the Maelstrom before it was too late. Getting me medical attention won't matter unless XERRD and the Maelstrom are stopped.

"Almost there," Minerva said into Zach's ear. Zach nodded again.

Finally, his thoughts came to Ahua. Zach grinned with almost evil satisfaction. Ahua had harassed from almost the moment he had arrived on Adventurers' Island. He had led the natives that had tried to kill him and Dust and tried to kill him personally multiple times. After all that, Ahua was finally gone. Well, I don't know if he's gone. Zach suddenly thought. He looked dead to me. Besides, if he isn't, I will personally make sure he dies.

The distorted colorful shapes in his vision were suddenly overshadowed by a much brighter light. He heard a door creak as Andrew pushed it open.

"We're out," Andrew said. Together, the three Dino Attack agents climbed out of the cellar-like entrance to the temple and walked on to the battlefield.

*****

Ahua groaned in pain. He shifted the remaining stone out of his way and climbed out of the hole that Zachary Virchaus had buried him into. He fell to his knees, his body screaming for mercy.

"That wretched..." Ahua growled, staring at the ground. He replayed his last moments before being knocked out by Zach. He escaped, Ahua realized in horror. He escaped the Maelstrom. Ahua couldn't believe it. One did not simply leave the Maelstrom's service, and yet Zach did.

"How?!" Ahua screamed, rising to his feet. The chamber was empty. All he saw was one of the Dino Attack's weapons lying in corner. It looked eerily similar to the weapon fused to Zach's arm. Ahua put two and two together. He reverted the transformation as well?! His anger began to grow. "We will kill him!" he roared.

"No," a distorted voice said out of nowhere, "you won't." The voice was calmed and controlled. Ahua knew exactly who was speaking.

He bowed low. "Why not, our lord?" Ahua asked. Perhaps he had heard wrong.

The voice chuckled darkly. "You have truly failed me in a most spectacular way, Ahua. How could someone so powerful fail in such a grand way?"

"We... don't know what you mean," Ahua said quietly. He saw the purple light that illuminated the chamber begin to dim.

"You let Zachary escape me," the voice said simply. "You were so in love with your pitiful power that you couldn't let Zach steal it away."

"We're afraid you are mistaken, our lord," Ahua said, his fear growing.

"I am NOT mistaken," the voice snapped. "You led those two Dino Attack agents here in hopes they could do what you clearly could not: kill Zach. And your plan failed. None of those Dino Attack agents are dead, and Zachary walks as a Minifig yet again. One of my greatest soldiers has abandoned me because of your greed and lust for power!"

"We're sorry, master," Ahua said.

"You're sorry because you did not kill Zach, not because you disobeyed me! You wretched pile of MegaBloks!" The light from the chamber faded away completely. Then in the center of the chamber rose a purple and black substance. "You don't realize the gravity of what you have done, Ahua!" the voice barked. "You have let Zach walk free, and he walks free with a new power. A power that could ultimately ruin the Maelstrom!"

"That prophecy garbage?" Ahua asked, remembering to the time he had dug into Zach's brain. "He's already had that power."

"No, you imbecile!" the voice screamed as the Maelstrom blob began to move toward Ahua. "He never had any power prior to his corruption. I saved his life at the Maelstrom pool. I saw his potential and how I could exploit that against my enemies on this planet. Only after his corruption did he gain the power to manipulate the Maelstrom! And now, he walks against me with limited manipulation over the Maelstrom! All because of you, Ahua!"

Without warning, the Maelstrom shot into Ahua's body. He groaned and fell to his knees. First, he felt pain, then he felt stronger. More powerful than ever.

"So you wanted to be in power," the voice said. "So be it. You will get more power than you could possibly control."

Ahua grinned as he rose to his feet. He was surprised by the Maelstrom's sudden change of heart, but he didn't worry for long. It was time to kill Zach.

The Maelstrom filled every ounce of Ahua's body. He chuckled. He was invincible. Nothing could stop him. After several minutes, he decided he had enough Maelstrom and attempted to push the remaining power away. However, it ignored him and continued to enter his body.

Ahua frowned. "Our lord?" he said.

"I meant what I said, Ahua. More powerful than you could possibly control." Ahua realized exactly what the voice meant. The voice began to laugh. Dark, ominous laughter. Ahua desperately tried to stop the flow of the Maelstrom, but nothing came to fruition. The Maelstrom began to overwhelm him.

His head pounded furiously. Ahua cried out in pain. "Why... do... this... demon?!" Ahua managed to choke out. The English he had learned was slipping away, and the voice's laughter grew louder and louder. Ahua felt his chest. His heart was pounding against his chest. He felt like his entire body was swelling up and was about to pop.

"It was nice knowing you, Ahua," the voice manage to say between laughs. "But you have failed me. For the last time!"

Ahua screamed, clutching his head and he fell to his knees. His vision had become extremely distorted. He looked at his hands. They were fading away into dust.

Ahua's screams grew louder as did the voice's laughter. Ahua's heart seemed about to burst out his chest. Finally, he felt something pop in his chest. Ahua fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back. He died just before his brain also exploded due the pressure from the Maelstrom. Several more seconds past and Ahua's body disappeared, leaving nothing behind but a pile of violet-colored dust.

*****

Dr. Cyborg's team had started to enter the temple as other agents arrived. The Dino Attack team was going into the temple in teams of five every few minutes. His team had left first. It was made up of Dr. Cyborg, Katerina, a Loop, Lance, and Kara.

"There!" Lance yelled as a Stromling appeared in front of them. The Loop raised a Cosmotronic Ray at him and fired. The Stromling dissipated.

The entire team had been equipped with Cosmotronic Rays from the Reclaimer at Dr. Cyborg's suggestion. He may not kill Mutant Dinos, but may the First Builders have mercy on Stromlings, for he would have none. This mission had no room for anything but extinction for the Stromlings.

"I wish there was a better way to fight," Dr. Cyborg said.

At that moment, something strange began to happen. His armor began to unfold and fold. The transformation began at his legs. The armor on the back of his legs folded off, and was overlaid on the armor on the front of his legs and tops of his feet. The armor from his knee joint completely disappeared, reinforcing his upper and lower leg armor. The same general transformation occurred on his upper legs, adding armor to his front, removing it from his back. At his torso, the armor stayed on his back; what shifted was the armor on his sides, moving to his chestplate and backplate. The transformation then reached his left arm. Here, the armor on the side of his arm that was almost always by his body moved away to reinforce the opposite side. At his hand, the back split open and something rose out, a circle with eight rods connecting it to his hand. On his other arm, the most dramatic change occurred. The armor and his skeleton shifted and changed, becoming a gun attached to his arm. On his helmet, the visor changed its HUD. The transformation was completed. It only took a handful of seconds.

A Stromling ran in front of them, in the form of an Islander. It launched its spear arm at them. With no time to shoot, they all dropped to the floor, except Dr. Cyborg, who put his hands in front of his face, left on top of right. Before the spear reached them, green light shot out of the device on Dr. Cyborg's hand, and formed into an oval in front of him. The spear bounced right off of it. "Cool," Dr. Cyborg said. He raised his gun arm and shot the Stromling, and it disappeared.

Everybody got up. "Hey, maybe my shield can cover the hallway," Dr. Cyborg said. He fiddled with the control panel that had appeared on the inside of his arm. The shield expanded to cover the ten-foot-wide hallway. It covered it horizontally and vertically. They marched forward, sticking their guns through the shield to shoot any Stromlings.

The hallway took quite a few turns, but eventually, they saw a battle and a Maelstrom vortex. They entered the room, and the shield expanded. A XERRD scientist shot at them with a Sonic Rifle. However, instead of the shield blocking the shot like it should have, it passed through the shield and hit Kara. "I'm okay, it was lessened by the shield," she said.

"Hmm, the shield's effectiveness varies inversely with its size," Dr. Cyborg noted. He shrunk it to personal size, the setting it was in by default, and his team charged into battle.

*****

Kate, Wilkes, Jones, and Henderson made their way through the passageways of the Maelstrom Temple. The twisted and blackened architecture, the purple fog everywhere, and the faint foreboding whispers served only to disturb them all.

"This is impossible," grumbled Wilkes, frowning. "We literally just came this way. How could we be lost already?"

"This very place seems to be the Maelstrom's sandbox," murmured Jones. "I think it can change it however it wants."

"Oh, don't be silly," Wilkes said as he shook his head. "The Maelstrom is just dark, destructive energy. It can't want anything; it's not sentient! Now, how do we get out of here...?"

"You just don't get it, do you?" whispered Kate Bishop. "There's no way out. There is no escape."

Her teammates froze in shock. While she repeated the same warning that she had said before, it sounded more like a threat. Turning around, they faced the young woman, who appeared to be smiling darkly.

"Holy..." cried out Henderson. "Shoot!"

A gunshot rang through the passageway. Everyone stared now at Jones, who held in his trembling hands a pistol. Then, they looked back at Kate's fallen form. Only, now they saw that it was not Kate at all, but a misshapen pseudo-Minifig with an exposed ribcage... a Stromling.

"I don't believe it!" gasped Wilkes. "Palmer was right - she was infected!"

Henderson scratched his chin. Unlike the Stromling Agents who had infiltrated the Dino Attack Team, Stromling-Kate was not wearing a Dino Attack uniform, nor did she bear any slight semblance to her Minifig form. "Something tells me that this was never actually Kate," he murmured. "Looks more like a trick from the Maelstrom." Before he could say anything more, the Stromling corpse disappeared in a puff of Maelstrom energy.

"Which means...?" inquired Jones.

"Kate might still be alive," said Henderson, biting his lip, "but she's still trapped here... and so are we... and the Maelstrom knows we're here."

*****

Rex and Zed Provhezor exchanged blows as they struggled to remain seated in the out-of-control hover-chair that flew chaotically across the chamber. Physically, Provhezor had the advantage, since his mechanical right arm packed an extra punch, but his hand-to-hand combat skills had deteriorated somewhat after being confined to his hover-chair for such a long time, while Rex spent most of his time in the battlefield.

The hover-chair twisted and turned randomly, lurched and pulled back wildly, flipped and spun chaotically, as though it were purposely trying to eject its occupants. As Provhezor grabbed Rex's vest and tried to toss him off, the chair flipped upside-down. In his panic, Provhezor let go of Rex, and together they struggled to hold onto the chair's armrests and flip the chair back over. Then, when Rex nearly succeeded in shoving Provhezor out of the chair, the chair was on a collision course with the Imagination statue, and only Provhezor was quick enough to pull a switch and barely maneuver around the statue.

As Rex persisted in his nauseating battle against the XERRD scientist, Amanda Claw watched as the mysterious samurai entered the temple chamber and surveyed the area. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on her knife as the samurai laid eyes upon her. She could not see the samurai's face, which was concealed by a veil, and that made her suspicious. However, the samurai only silently nodded to her, as though trying to say that they were on the same side. Then, the samurai turned away from Amanda and, with the torn black cape spreading out, charged towards the gathered XERRD scientists.

Amanda gaped in horror as the samurai was greeted by a barrage of missiles raining down upon the warrior. Then, she watched in surprise and awe as the samurai, who was apparently far more agile than the armor would suggest, rolled out of the way of the missiles just before their impact. Then, her surprise turned to shock as the samurai began firing bolts of lightning at the XERRD scientists... from the palms of the samurai's hands.

Unable to believe her eyes, Amanda turned away to check on Kate, only to gasp in horror. The young girl was gone. She glanced around, but could only see XERRD battling against Rotor and the samurai.

Wallace Bishop struggled to concentrate on the Maelstrom. The sounds of battle had only increased, and he heard his fellow XERRD scientists yelling in triumph, anger, and occasionally in panic. As much as he wished to help his allies, he knew that he was a scientist, not a fighter, and besides, he had promised to stay out of the conflict. His ultimate mission was his most important goal, and timing was key; with the Maelstrom growing too powerful, he needed to keep it in check, so he could not turn off the Maelstrom Vacuum too quickly, nor could wait too long, lest the vacuum device absorb too much Maelstrom energy and destroy itself. He could not act too quickly or too late, and knowing when to act required his utmost concentration-

"Uncle!"

Wallace froze. "Kate!" he whispered, not taking his eyes off the Maelstrom Vacuum. "I told you that it's too dangerous! Get back!"

"No!" shouted Kate, who stood behind Wallace. Her fists were clenched and, in her eyes, although they still were wet with tears of fear, there was a look of fierce and grim determination that had never been there before. "You have no idea what I've been through! I've seen the worst of this war, and you, uncle... you're just helping them?"

Don't answer, Wallace thought to himself, struggling to focus on the Maelstrom Vacuum. She will understand in time.

"I'm done, uncle!" cried Kate. Wallace was impressed to hear such defiance in Kate's voice even as she sounded on the verge of sobbing. "Why can't you just end-"

A bolt of lightning-like energy shot out of the center of the Maelstrom vortex. Wallace dodged, but realized too late that he was not the target. Spinning around, Wallace saw the lightning strike Kate and throw her back several meters. "No!" he shouted, his eyes widening.

Neglecting his duty, Wallace Bishop rushed to the side of Kate. There, she lay, still alive and not badly hurt, but stunned and very visibly frightened. Wallace knelt down and grabbed her hand, locking eyes with the young girl and, for the first time, truly seeing the terror in her eyes. "Oh my First Builders," he whispered.

Zed Provhezor's hover-chair spun past the Bishops. Wallace glanced up and saw that Dr. Provhezor had the upper hand, with his mechanical claw gripped tightly on Rex's neck. The hover-chair's chaotic flight pattern brought it dangerously close to the unattended Maelstrom vortex. Without warning, another bolt of lightning shot out of the vortex and struck the hover-chair, knocking it out of the air and dumping its passengers onto the stone floor, dangerously close to the Maelstrom.

Both Rex and Provhezor saw the danger they were in. Like a black hole, the Maelstrom vortex threatened to suck them both in, and they could feel its power pulling on them. Struggling to recover, Rex and Provhezor used their arms to slowly crawl away from the vortex. With the Maelstrom pulling them in, whipping at them like a cold whirlwind, it took an incredible amount of effort to place one hand in front of the other.

Cursing quietly to himself, Provhezor tried to grab onto Rex's dead legs, slowing down Rex. Then, Provhezor crawled alongside Rex, shoving him aside to get ahead. Rex, who was trying to concentrate on crawling rather than fighting, could not defend himself. But as Provhezor gained ground and tried to push Rex back, a surge of Maelstrom energy rushed over them.

Amanda Claw rushed over and grabbed Rex's hand. But Wallace Bishop was too far away and occupied with Kate, and so he could do naught but watch in absolute horror as Zed Provhezor was sucked into the Maelstrom vortex.

The last words of the XERRD scientist hailing from Barron were filled with terror. "Zis iz ze end!" he cried as he was pulled into the black hole. "No legz... und now, no live!" Then, the Maelstrom claimed Zed Provhezor's life.

As Amanda carried Rex to safety, Wallace Bishop felt sickened by what he saw. He stared at the Maelstrom vortex, then slowly turned his head to look at the battle. He was shocked to see XERRD's ranks breaking before Rotor and a newcomer... who wore samurai armor... and fired lightning from the hands... "But that could only mean...?" whispered Wallace.

Staring back at the Maelstrom, Wallace Bishop realized he was running out of time. The Maelstrom was growing too powerful, even with the Maelstrom Vacuum in use, and only he could control its strength long enough to ensure the survival of his allies. Torn between the Maelstrom and Kate, Wallace suddenly knew what he had to do. He dragged Kate, who was still stunned from the Maelstrom lightning, to the far side of the chamber, out of the way of battle. "Please, be safe," he whispered gently to her.

But, as Wallace Bishop returned to the Maelstrom vortex, a shadow fell over Kate's still form. "Well, then, my dear Kate Bishop. I imagine you are prime meat for negotiations." Then, Walter Breen laughed darkly.

*****

Frozeen kicked aside a Mutant Lizard as it tried to climb onto the High-Voltage Half-Track. Beside him, Greybeard slashed at another Mutant Lizard that had already succeeded in climbing aboard the vehicle.

"Come on, you two!" snapped Lord Sam Sinister. "Hold the Maelstrom Crystal where I can see it!"

"With all due respect, Lord von Barron," muttered Frozeen through clenched teeth, "it's getting harder and harder to do that."

"I need to see in which direction the Maelstrom Crystal's mist points!" declared Lord Sinister. "Unless, of course, you want me to drive to the wrong temple! As it is, we are much too late! The rest of the team is probably there already!"

The trees shook, and a pair of Mutant T-Rexes emerged, saw the High-Voltage Half-Track, laid eyes upon the Maelstrom Crystal in Frozeen's hand, and bellowed angrily. Although Frozeen tried to aim his weapon at them, the Mutant Lizard from earlier successfully jumped back into the vehicle and tackled Frozeen to the ground, snarling viciously. The crystal fell out of Frozeen's hand.

As Frozeen tried to defend himself and Greybeard struggled to pick up the crystal with a pair of Mutant T-Rexes glaring down upon him, Lord Sam Sinister finally screamed: "That's it! I'm sick of this!" With that, he knelt down and grabbed the Maelstrom Crystal in his one good hand.

Instantly, all the Mutant Dinos froze and stared at Sam Sinister. "No!" cried out Frozeen, who struggled to kick off the Mutant Lizard standing over him. "Sinister, give the crystal to Greybeard before they attack you!"

But Sam Sinister did not put down the crystal. And the Mutant Dinos did not attack him, but instead stared at him, as though they were waiting for something. "Get out!" shouted Lord Sinister. "All of you! Get out of my way, for I am Lord Sam Sinister von Barron!"

"What be ye, crazy?" cried Greybeard. Then, the old pirate swallowed his words as the Mutant Dinos turned and departed silently, even the Mutant Lizard who had tackled Frozeen. The Alpha Team agent got up, and with Greybeard he stared in shock at Lord Sam Sinister.

The expression on the Lord von Barron's face was grim. Almost inaudibly, he whispered: "And so, it is exactly as you have told me. But why?"

Then, Lord Sam Sinister returned to the wheel of the High Voltage Half-Track, staring at the Maelstrom Crystal in his hand and the direction of the mist it produced. The vehicle continued in its path to the Maelstrom Temple, this time without interruption.

*****

"Palmer," Garry muttered into his communicator. There was no answer, but he continued anyway. "I think I might have found them."

The noise of some form of chaos echoed throughout the corridor as Garry made his way towards a dimly-lit room. Slowly, he reached for his revolver and quietly removed it from its holster. Inside, sure enough, he had trouble making sense of what he saw. He had to squint as he saw one figure approaching a large vortex of some kind. At this point he knew he had to do something.

He saw a young woman, whose face he recognized as the girl from the planning room, and she was holding none other than Rex himself. Quickly, Garry approached the two of them. "What in Builder's name is going on in here?" Garry shouted.

"Garry?" Rex said. "What the Znap are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," replied Garry. Picking up his communicator, he shouted: "Palmer, I found them! Do you read me?"

There was no answer.

"Palmer!" Garry tried again. Still no answer. "Palmer, can you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Garry," replied Palmer's voice. However, to his surprise, it seemed to come from behind him. He quickly turned to see Palmer standing there, with a strangely intimidating grin. "You should have killed me when you had the chance," he said.

"What are you talking about?" wondered Garry. He stared nervously as he raised his gun.

"I'm afraid that won't do you much good," taunted Palmer.

Garry stood firm, his hands trembling. He pulled the trigger and a bullet went right through Palmer's chest. Then, to his utter surprise, the wound miraculously healed itself, almost instantly. There was a horrific glow as Palmer's skin changed to a dark purple.

"I don't believe this," whispered Garry. "All this time you-"

"A Stromling," finished Palmer. "Yes."

"And Clark?"

"He was never infected," revealed Palmer. "Congratulations, Garry. You murdered an innocent man and brought a Stromling to the ultimate source of power."

Amanda stared at him. "What?" she asked.

"I'll explain later," said Garry. "What about Kate?"

"You really think I'd let her off that easy?" said Palmer. "That was a little trick of the Maelstrom, one that I helped pull off."

"You gonna kill us?" asked Garry.

"Not yet," replied Palmer. "I'd like to have some fun before anything else. You will not escape, and I can tell you that none of your comrades will live to see the end of today."

With that, there was a cloud of mist as Palmer vanished, a menacing chuckle echoing throughout the room.

*****

Agents were arriving in twos and threes at the rope bridge. Slowly, as members received the message, Urban Avengers and Fire Hammers made appearances around the foliage to wait for further instruction.

The Temple of Creation rose ominously from the Maelstrom lake. Carl Lutsky had only seen two teams cross the bridge thus far. Elite Agent Garry Moffat had arrived first with a team. The second was Doctor Cyborg's team; it was made up of notable members including Schattenberg and was the more elite of the two.

Towering above Lutsky was X2. The commander looked into the UlTech Infiltrator's lifeless eyes and yearned to be free of the handcuffs binding him.

This is a disgrace! I should be leading these men, not locked away like a criminal!

For the most part Lutsky was being ignored. Agents all stood with binoculars focused on the temple and paid little heed to the commander. Only one person faced away from the building. He stood straight and locked eyes with him.

The stoic figure was warring a black suit with a black shirt and a black tie. Agents walked past the man as if he were a ghost and seemed to look directly through him.

In one hand, the man in black held a deck of cards; in the other, a red apple. He casually shuffled the deck as he approached the commander, walking purposefully across the chaos to sit beside him.

Lutsky faced paled as the man took a bite of the fruit. He chewed the sweet flavor as juice dripped down his chin. He offered the commander a bite of the apple but shrugged it away when Lutsky failed to respond.

"Dust."

The Egyptian nodded and placed the fruit on the floor beside him. "Hello, Carl."

"You're d-dead," stammered Lutsky.

"I am dead, Carl," said Dust. "I'm not here. This conversation is a figment of your imagination. They can't see me." He gestured with the deck of cards to the surrounding agents. "You're talking to yourself."

Sure enough, X2 had taken no notice. All the infiltrator could process was that Carl Lutsky was speaking, but to no one in particular.

"You clearly are having a hard time grasping this, Carl," said the imaginary Dust. "How about a card trick to break the ice?"

Lutsky nodded dumbly. The apparition smiled but his eyes remained cold. His hand moved over the cards like a spider and the suits flashed as he shuffled.

The commander finally regained his voice. "Why are you here?"

Dust did not look up. "I believe that's a question you have to ask yourself, Carl. I'm a figment of your imagination. I represent something, a focal point if you will."

"I don't believe in that hokum," muttered Lutsky.

Dust looked up. "Apparently, you do."

Lutsky returned his attention to the flashing deck of cards. The figment continued to work until the cards met his standards. Carl Lutsky looked around. This was a dream; how else could it be explained? Everything was as real as it should be. The temple remained in its location, and the agents continued their ambitions.

Everything was as it should be, except the man sitting across from him.

The Egyptian held up the cards to the commander and spoke in a serious manner. "Pick a card, Carl."

Lutsky rolled his eyes. He had no idea what tricks were in store; he just wished this experience to be over. It felt inherently wrong, but regardless he snatched a card from the Egyptian's hand.

He had wished that his hand could pass through it, but the crinkled card was tangible. Glancing at it uncertainly, he observed the object. 4♣

The corners were bent and worn, the design on the back was faded beyond recognition. Timidly, he returned it to the Egyptian's hand. Dust felt as real as X2 standing beside him.

The apparition seemed to sense Lutsky's thoughts, and he chuckled. "I'm as real as you make me out to be, Carl. The problem is you can't stop thinking about me."

Imaginary Dust finished his shuffling and laid the cards out before the commander. Without saying a word, he motioned for him to turn over the cards.

Lutsky flipped over the first card. A♠

The card was mundane in nature. Dust made no comment but motioned for Lutsky to turn over a second card. He did so. A♠

"What is this?" muttered the commander.

Dust nodded. "Interesting, Carl. Did you know that, in some cultures, the Ace of Spades is considered the most ominous of cards? It is known to represent disaster and death."

Lutsky flipped over the other cards. Every single one of them was the Ace of Spades.

This was madness; he had seen the deck, and he had held it in his hands. It had been a standard deck before, but they had changed.

"What's going on here?" growled Lutsky, regaining his courage. "I'm not afraid of you."

The Egyptian smiled. "The tricks not over yet, Carl. Look in your pocket."

Slowly, Carl Lutsky withdrew the Four of Clubs from his pocket. Dust was stone-faced as he took the card from the commander's hand. Placing it in the deck, he straightened them and returned it to his suit pocket.

"I know you don't like opening your mind, Carl, but let me try," said the Egyptian. "The Four of Clubs is described as some as 'the Devil's bedstead.' It's a good thing you're not superstitious, Carl, or I might be concerned."

"Did you really come here to play games with me?" said Lutsky gruffly. "Or do you have something intelligent to say?"

Dust took a bite of the apple. "You're right, Carl. How about we talk about the elephant in the room?"

Lutsky nodded. "This'll be good."

Dust smiled. "The fact that you killed me."

The commander's heart skipped a beat.

"You could not comprehend what my death would entail, Carl," said Dust. "With my body in the temple, my memory will exist forever in your head. With every decision you make, the thought of what you did will be present. I will always be present."

"I'm imagining you," whispered Lutsky.

"That's right," replied Dust. "You can't stop thinking about me, so your consciousness has created a form for your thoughts to inhabit. I reside in your mind now; that's not somewhere you want me to be."

"But you're not the real Dust, you're my memory of you!" accused Lutsky

"That's true, Carl," agreed the memory. "I am only an interpretation. Unfortunately, you've been on my bad side for a long time." Dust got up and brushed the dirt from his unnaturally clean suit. "When I was alive, I could be killed. But in your mind, I cannot be stopped. I'll always be a part of you now, Carl." He reached out and placed his index finger on the commander's forehead. "You can't escape me now."

Lutsky was now terrified. For one of the few times in his life, he could not fight back. No matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to stop thinking about the Egyptian whom he had killed.

Imaginary Dust chucked. "We'll be meeting again soon." He turned his back and walked into the jungle, where he was quickly covered by the trees.

The Infiltrator X2 watched as Lutsky finished his one-sided conversation. His knowledge of human psychology was minimal, but he could grasp that no one had spoken to the commander in hours.

Carl Lutsky was mad; he spoke as if a man had truly been there. X2 replayed the data in his memory. Even he could tell the mental state of Carl Lutsky was rapidly declining. 

*****

Minerva gripped Zach's hand tightly as she walked out of the temple and into the battlefield. A quick glance at her hair showed her that "shiny white effect" had disappeared. The streaks in her hair were now a light cream color. This is weird, she thought.

She looked out into the battlefield. The battle was more-or-less over. Very little Dino Attack personnel remained. Any Mutant Dinos remaining were struggling to fight off groups of native dinosaurs or fleeing from the battle.

Minerva jumped as several voices called out her, Andrew, and Zach. Several TumTum Islanders approached them, spears raised and a suspicious look on their faces.

"Stop!" one native barked. "Drop weapons!" Minerva and Andrew dropped their Injection Saw and rifle respectively. The natives then approached them cautiously, their spears nearly touching the Dino Attack agents.

"What's going on?" Zach whispered.

"Warriors from the TumTum Tribe have stopped us," Andrew explained quietly. "I think they think we are Stromlings."

"Well, it's a good thing I can tell these guys are not Stromlings, or all three of us would be dead," Zach said plainly. Andrew and Minerva looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean, you 'can tell'-" Minerva started.

"Silence!" the native barked. "Not sure if demons."

"Trust me," Zach spoke up again. "We're not demons." The native eyed him suspiciously before facing the rest of his group and conversing with them for a few moments. A different native left the group and brought back a massive green T-Rex.

"Dinosaurs determine demons," another native said. Minerva stepped back slightly as the T-Rex stepped forward and sniffed the three of them. Its nose wrinkled in repulsion before it turned back and said something to the natives in a low growl.

"He says you reek of demons, but you are not monster. Except for the one with flaming hair," the translator said, pointing his spear at Zach. "Unsure about him."

"He was one of the 'demons'," Andrew explained. "But we managed make him... uh... normal again."

The native raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but shrugged. "Fine, but keep eye on him," the native said finally. He and his group of natives quietly shuffled out.

Andrew turned to Zach. "How did you know for certain they weren't Stromlings?" he asked.

Zach shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've been around them long enough to pick up whether or not someone is a Stromling. I know this isn't a whole lot of proof, but I can pick up the Maelstrom in the surrounding area. A couple large figures and two small figures."

Minerva took a quick look around the battlefield. "A few Mutant Dinos and..." She squinted her eyes as she watched the TumTum Tribe fight two of their purple-skinned brothers. "... Stromling Islanders?"

"That sounds right." Zach blinked rapidly and then glanced at Minerva, smiling. "I can see you. My eyesight is as about as good as it gets. Without glasses, of course."

"And how good is that?" Andrew asked.

"Not very well. I can see you too clearly. After about five yards, things become undecipherable blurs." Zach pulled his hands free of Andrew and Minerva's grip and started walking around them. Every few steps he would stumble, but would quickly regain his balance.

"Alright," Zach said finally, stopping in front of Andrew and Minerva, stretching his legs. "I think I can walk. Maybe run if the situation demands it. What's the plan now? I personally think we should go Maelstrom Temple."

"What?" Minerva asked, surprised by Zach's sudden decision to head right into battle. "Zach, you were a Stromling not long ago. You were blind a few minutes. How can you think you can just go marching into the Maelstrom?"

Zach's eyes narrowed slightly. "I know, but this is rather important, don't you think?" he said. Minerva remained unconvinced. "Alright, look. I was one of the Maelstrom's subordinates for several days. A high ranking one, at that. I have some idea of what the Maelstrom plans to do, and it is not pretty. XERRD thinks securing the Maelstrom Temple will be simple, but I doubt that. This sounds cliché, but the fate of the LEGO Planet depends on the Maelstrom being stopped at that temple."

Minerva sighed. Zach was probably right, but she didn't want to send him into the Maelstrom Temple only to be killed by the Maelstrom or XERRD scientists. She turned to Andrew. "You're the Elite Agent. What do YOU think we should do?" 

----

Alpha Team Special Agent Magma awoke to the sound of a terrible series of explosions.

He looked around, and surveyed his surroundings. Unfortunately, there was not much to survey, other than the dark, grungy interior of a prison cell.

He frowned. How had he come to be here?

The last thing he could remember... hmm. What was the last thing he could remember?

Interesting. Memory loss.

He decided it was time to make a Tactical Decision: namely, that whatever he couldn't remember about why he was here was not an important priority. An important priority was getting out of here, especially since the sounds of explosions were getting much more terrible and, more importantly, closer to his location.

Magma studied the door mechanism. It seemed, on close inspection, to be rather shoddily built. Well, that rules out Ogel. Say what you like about that maniac, but his doors were serious stuff.

Whoever had thrown him down here had not bothered to confiscate his hidden laser, and so it was the work of a moment to fry the door mechanism and to smash it down.

He stepped outside into an equally grungy hallway. Whoever owned this prison seemed to not be very good at populating it, as there were only a few other cells, and almost all of them were empty.

The one exception turned out, to Magma's surprise, to contain Dino Attack Elite Agent Reptile.

"Reptile?!" Magma shouted through the door. He fired the laser and blasted down the door.

"Magma! What are you doing here?" Reptile asked as he stepped out.

"I don't know. Where is 'here'?" Magma said, frowning again. "Do you remember anything about how you came to be in this place?"

"No... I take it you don't either?" Reptile asked. Magma nodded, but his response was silenced by another massive explosion.

The scientist and engineer in Reptile were dying to find out what was going on and where they were, but he decided he would defer to Magma's superior tactical expertise, and ask questions later. And so, Reptile silently followed Magma to the door.

This door was significantly superior to the rather pathetic sheets of stone and wood that Magma had been able to shoot down. Some advanced technology had clearly been built into the construction.

Magma frowned at it for a few minutes. "I don't suppose you have any tools on you?" he asked Reptile. "I have a few things, myself."

"They did leave me a few things... here," replied Reptile, taking out a couple of pieces of equipment and putting them on the ground between the two men.

"Doesn't look useful... but we are both trained as engineers, after all. Let's see what we can do."

About fifteen minutes later, the Reptile-Magma Door Remover Prototype (Mark 1) had been assembled, out of Magma's hand laser, three of Magma's other gadgets that their unknown kidnappers had also left them, and a handful of common engineering tools and standard Dino Attack equipment.

"Alright, here goes nothing," said Magma, attaching one of the cables to the door frame. "Set laser initial power to 50%."

"Laser power active… attach the second cable!" Reptile shouted over the methodical humming of their device.

"Second cable attached... full power to the device, please," Magma returned, holding both cables against the door.

The door began to hum as well. Seconds later, it simply shattered inwards, collapsing out of its frame.

Magma and Reptile stared at it, then at each other. "Wow," said Reptile. "That actually worked!"

Magma nodded, amused. "And it didn't even fry my weapon, which is fortunate. Because we're about to need it."

For in the passageway revealed by the explosion were three heavily armored figures. They stared in surprise at Magma and Reptile, but soon regained their composure, drew swords, and charged.

"Get the laser, I'll take them!" shouted Magma. He dropped into a defensive crouch.

The three warriors seemed a bit shocked that this unarmed man was about to fight them head-on, and so their pace faltered a bit. This was fortunate, as it bought enough time for Reptile to grab the laser and fire it three times.

"Right. Now, grab a weapon, and grab some armor. We're going to see what's going on out there," Magma ordered. Reptile obeyed unthinkingly; he was out of his league in this situation. After a minute or two, Magma and Reptile were both armed with swords and wearing the armor of their captors.

Some time passed as the two moved through this facility. Magma wasn't sure where they were, but from countless infiltration missions, he could make a few guesses. It looked like a Castle Cove-style base. If they had been captured, presumably, it was by some knightly faction opposed to Dino Attack Team and allied with Dr. Rex. But who?

Suddenly, they rounded a corner, and found Shadow Knights fighting more of the guards.

"Well!" exclaimed Reptile. "I guess the cavalry - or, rather, the infantry - has arrived." Magma nodded. He was uneasy about their alliance with Vladek, almost as much as he was as uneasy about their alliance with Ogel. If "uneasy" was the right word for allying with someone whom he had sworn to capture or kill, who had escaped his grasp far too many times in the past.

Reptile and Magma quickly charged forward and joined the fight, with laser and sword. Magma cut down two of the enemies while Reptile got in a couple of shots from range.

The lead Shadow Knight turned to Magma and nodded. Frowning, Magma slowly nodded back. As if this was a signal, the Shadow Knights then charged off deeper into the fortress.

"Well, that was underwhelming," Magma said, frowning. "I wonder what's going on?"

The two agents followed them through some small corridors into a massive chamber. And there they found a terrible battle before them.

Dozens of Shadow Knights and a handful of Ogel's elite Space Drones were locked in combat with some of the native warriors. One of the Space Drones turned and saluted the duo. "Super Space Drone S-71 at your service, Reptile! It's been a while. And Special Agent Magma… good to see you," the drone said.

Reptile nodded. "What's been going on here? Actually, scratch that - where are we?" he asked.

"You're in the last stronghold of the Skr-Ok Clan. They allied with some band of knights who were hostile to Vladek and thus an ally of XERRD. Since our resources are a bit stretched thin, our masters sent in a joint strike team. We've been most successful so far, though your assistance would be welcomed."

Magma snorted. "The Skr-Ok Clan! Those incompetent, boring Vikings who were so little a threat we didn't care enough to keep them from regrouping... I've fought aliens, insane masterminds, evil maniacs, zombie drones - no offense - and countless random little threatening factions, but the Skr-Ok clan has got to be the most boring waste of my time I've ever dealt with...! Ahem. Point me in their direction and we'll finish them off soon enough!"

Reptile's mouth quirked, amused. He had never seen Magma completely lose it before… though according to hearsay, when it happened, there were thermonuclear results.

The Space Drone appeared amused as well, though with a Drone, it was hard to tell. "Well, then, their command post seems to be through that corridor. We've got a handful of my commandos in place for an assault, and we'd be honored to have a man of your reputation lead us into battle."

Magma appeared to smile. He headed off in that direction and addressed the Space Drones. As Reptile reflected later, the sight that day was one that probably no one in the room - Reptile, the Space Drones, or Magma himself - would have ever expected to see.

Special Agent Magma, who had sworn to fight Ogel with his dying breath, gleefully leading Space Drone commandos into the fray, cutting down human after human.

----

From his research, Dr. Strangebrick looked up in surprise as a young man suddenly walked through the doors of the infirmary. He seemed tired, possibly hurt. Hastily, Copper, Wade, and Carver ran to his assistance. Carver was the first to recognize him.

"Hertz?" she muttered.

Windows stood at a distance, concerned. The recent events had shaken him up quite a bit. He knew any one of his teammates could be Stromlings. Somebody had to have gotten to the blood, and somebody had to have destroyed that radio. In that moment, he felt alone, helpless. He did not know who to trust.

Hertz walked into the sterile environment of the medical wing. It felt strange moving from the brutal battlefield to being surrounded by clean white sheets.

Naomi was the first to reach him and she passionately embraced him. Despite the pain running through his arm, he smiled.

"I was so worried about you," she whispered. Hertz put his arm around her as she escorted him to one of the beds.

"What happened out there?" inquired elite agent Windows. "We lost contact with you not long into the fight."

"I was preoccupied," said Hertz. "The Renaissance was attacked by Mutant T-Rexes early in the battle. We lost altitude and got rammed by one of them. The helicopter was forced to the ground, and I was knocked out."

Naomi tenderly investigated the bruise on his temple. "You're going to need stitches."

Hertz nodded, and Giovanni Wade rushed to get the kit from storage room while Hertz continued his story. "I got out of the helicopter," he said. "But the Renaissance was on fire. Understandably, I was not able to reply to messages."

"It seems like a nice cover story," muttered Windows.

Hertz rolled his eyes. "Not you, too! I already went through this with Snake. I assure you I'm not a Stromling. Besides, there are more important things you need to know."

Naomi sat beside him and brushed the grime from his face. She rubbed his back and spread ointment on his burnt hands.

Hertz sighed. "That battle was a ruse. Dust led us to the wrong temple. Report has it that once the team got inside, they found the chamber empty and had to hustle it out of there to the Temple of Creation."

"Good Ole," said Copper. "The battle was a waste."

"Sadly, it was," agreed Hertz. "We took heavy casualties. Mur sacrificed himself early in the battle and both the Renaissance and the Talon were destroyed. There is no word what happened inside the temple yet, but I think most of them got out and escaped on a UlTech dropship."

"How many are still at the pharaoh's ruins?" asked Windows.

"When I left, most of the team was still there. I think a lot of them are pinned down by the Stromling horde."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Naomi.

"Outpost 4 is running on a skeleton crew now," muttered Windows. "All the agents and vehicles left."

"All we can do is sit tight and prepare to receive wounded," said Wade, frowning. He had finished stitching Hertz's head and was now filling out a report.

Hertz excused himself and motioned for Naomi to follow him out onto the balcony. It was a clear day, a great difference from the fog that surrounded the temple ruins. Not a single cloud hung in the sky and the sunshine sparkled on the blue ocean.

"Naomi," Hertz begin. "When I was out there, it was you that kept me alive. When I was trapped in the Renaissance, it was the thought of you that gave me reason to endure. I could have accepted my fate, but that thought of never seeing you again gave me strength to survive."

Naomi Carver blushed, and Hertz stared into her chestnut eyes.

"And when I fought that Mutant T-Rex, I realized that if that if I died, we would not be able to be together. I left the jeep to be with you, Naomi, because for me, going to the Temple of Creation and fighting that monster would mean nothing unless I would be with you in the end. Fighting in the war has made me think about my life, Naomi. I came to the conclusion that it means nothing unless I can spend the rest of it with you, the spectacular woman I love so much."

He got down on one knee and took her hand in his hands. Naomi gasped. "I couldn't find a ring so you're just going to have to imagine it," Hertz said, smiling. "Naomi Carver, will you marry me?"

*****

"I don't trust him," Windows muttered, holding a rifle. "I bet he's the one who did everything, man."

"Right," Wade said skeptically. "So, he stayed hidden while the rest of the team was gone, destroyed the radio, and then snuck in here while no one was looking to sabotage the blood."

"Look, man," insisted Windows. "Someone here ain't who they appear to be."

Copper sighed. He turned toward Fuchs. "Anything from the tests that could help us?" he asked.

"Well," replied Fuchs, "theoretically, it might be possible to find traces in their blood, but something occurs to me. My predecessor, Dr. J.D. was murdered to keep the cure hidden. I'm thinking if there was a Stromling here, they would have noticed and tried to strike, unless-"

"Unless what?"

"The Maelstrom Temple," realized Fuchs. "Garry had a few other men with him. If there ever was a Stromling, it might have been trying to reach there."

"What would that achieve?"

"Well," explained Fuchs. "I can't be too certain, but assuming a stronger presence of the Maelstrom improves the strength of a Stromling, then exposed to the source they might very well be unstoppable. If I'm right, and Garry's just brought a Stromling to the true temple, we're in a lot of trouble."

*****

Rex blinked in surprise and bit his lip. "What in Builder's name was that Stromling talking about?" he murmured.

Garry frowned. "Look, I had no idea that he was-"

"Never mind," Rex said, shaking his head. "We'll worry about that later... even if Palmer is a Stromling, we need to take care of the far greater situation at hand. No use trying to blow out a candle when trapped in a burning building. Now, have you seen my wheelchair?"

"That looks like it," muttered Garry, pointing towards the wheelchair lying on the floor several meters away. He and Amanda helped Rex sit down in the chair, dodging the occasional XERRD missile or blast of dark magic along the way.

Now that he was no longer in an out-of-control flying chair, Rex looked around to have a recap of what had gone on while he was fighting Zed Provhezor. Rotor had gained much ground on his own; Rex had to admit, it was remarkable how tough that Dino Attack agent could be. To Rex's surprise, Rotor was aided by a mysterious newcomer who wore samurai armor, a torn black cloak, and could somehow shoot lightning at the XERRD scientists. In their wake, they left many XERRD scientists lying on the floor; some were merely stunned, but others would never move again.

Señor Palomar approached the group of Dino Attack agents, pointing his pistols at Rex and Garry. "Well then, mis amigos," Palomar said with a frown. "It appears that your cavalry is beginning to arrive. How unfortunate that our work here is nearly done. Don't worry, I shall grant you all deaths that will be retold in stories for many generations father to son, like the honorable man that I am."

"That's funny, Palomar," mused Rex. "How come your employers get to have all that fancy high-tech armor, and all you get is a gas mask? Doesn't seem very honorable of them, now, does it?"

Palomar's frown turned into a grimace. "Do not try to toy with me, Rex."

"And if you are so honorable," probed Rex, "why are you betraying your planet, your home, even your species to a bunch of mad scientists who don't know what they're doing?" Before Palomar could reply, Rex continued: "How much treasure did they offer you? Did you just want to be a little, hmm, richer? Come on. That's not honor, that's greed."

Palomar seethed with fury. "Fool! Do not dare to insult my-" He was cut off when he felt a knife at his throat. Only then did he notice that, while Rex was talking, Amanda had silently slipped around them and sneaked up on him. He proceeded to mutter expletives in Spanish.

Garry chuckled. "Nice one."

Rex smiled, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw one XERRD scientist creeping along the far wall of the Maelstrom Temple. He recognized the scientist as Dr. Walter Breen, and it was clear that, now that Dr. Provhezor was no longer alive to boss him around, he was trying to escape the battlefield unnoticed.

"Would you look at that?" Rex told Palomar. "Looks like one of your... err, amigos is acting dishonorable."

"Breen," Palomar said as he gritted his teeth. "I always hated that man. Tell you what... call off Silencia Venomosa's attack, and I'll help you teach him a lesson in honor. Just this once."

Rex, Garry, and Amanda traded glances. "Do I have your word?" Rex asked, narrowing his eyes skeptically.

"You have the word of an honorable Spaniard," promised Palomar. Slowly, Amanda took the knife off his neck and backed away, but it was clear from her posture that, if Señor Palomar tried anything, she would not hesitate to plant the knife in his flesh.

With Garry pushing Rex's wheelchair, Rex, Amanda, Garry, and Palomar rushed over to intercept Walter Breen's path. Breen saw them approach, laughed, and proclaimed: "Ah, ah, ah. Just hold there for a second before you get any ideas. You seriously would not think of laying a finger on me, now, would you? Not with... her in my arms!"

As they got closer, only then did Rex see that Breen had Kate Bishop locked in his grasp. She was struggling against his grip, but he held firmly onto her with one hand and, in the other hand, pressed some sort of laser gun against her temple, mimicking what Rotor had done earlier.

"Profesor," declared Palomar. "Put the girl down, or I shoot."

"Oh, shut up!" scoffed Breen. "You have no power here! Our benefactor may have agreed to let you have the XERRD Fortress, but seeing as you have forsaken that, I have no reason to listen to you. And that goes for you too, Dino Attack agents. I'm XERRD's negotiator, and I am much too high-ranking to dirty my hands with such things as combat, but even I must use aggressive negotiations every now and then. And here's my proposal: I go free, or your precious little Kate gets to feel what it's like to be shot in the head!"

Rex silently cursed himself. Why did I bring Kate along? Why did I subject her to so much horrible pain? I was hoping to keep her safe, but instead put her in far more danger.

"Did you Dino Attack agents really think you could outwit destiny?" mused Breen as he moved towards the exit. "You are just a few pathetically stubborn individuals who are placing yourself in the way of a better future. I'm not talking about the petty future of the Minifig race; I'm talking about continuing the existence of the universe itself!"

Although Rex was furious with Breen, he kept himself composed in order to not do anything that would prompt Breen to pull the trigger. "Need I remind you that Dr. Bishop has specifically commanded all of us to leave Kate unharmed?"

"Why, yes," Breen said as he nodded without fear. "So, do your part and don't do anything that would bring harm to poor little Kate. And besides, I know Wallace Bishop. He's practically a yes-man to our benefactor, and so his focus is most likely solely on the Maelstrom Vacuum, as it should be. He never cared about Kate. And besides, since he would never dare to anger our benefactor by killing his prime negotiator, Wallace Bishop would never lay so much as a finger on-"

A gunshot rang through the chamber. Walter Breen stared forward with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. Then, like a marionette whose strings were cut, he dropped to the floor, leaving only Kate standing.

Everyone paused, even Rotor, the samurai, and the remaining XERRD scientists. They stared in shock at Wallace Bishop, who had once again neglected his duties to XERRD and the Maelstrom. The XERRD scientist stood a short distance away from Rex, Amanda, Garry, Palomar, and Kate, grimly pointing a gun at where Breen was standing just moments ago.

"No one," Dr. Bishop declared, "dares to threaten Kate."

Slowly, a few of the XERRD scientists approached to Dr. Bishop. Among them, Rex recognized Carolyne Provencal and Michelle Gladys. They murmured amongst themselves, but only Gladys directly addressed Bishop. "What was that?" she inquired flatly. "You should be collecting Maelstrom energy."

Wallace Bishop held up the Maelstrom Vacuum. "It's full," he announced, "and so my work is done."

"But," said Provencal, "do you have any idea what you have done, Dr. Bishop? None of us liked Breen, true, but if Dr. Rex finds out about this, he-"

"I will no longer worry about that," decided Dr. Bishop. "I'm an avid chess player, and I used to play chess all the time with an old lab partner of mine. And, over the years, I've learned that... sometimes, in order to score a checkmate, you must be willing to sacrifice a bishop. And today... Wallace Bishop will be that bishop."

"Oh, please," muttered Gladys. "You're being emotional. And where had emotion ever gotten you? And what use is the girl anyway? Aside from a 'bring-your-niece-to-work day', the only potential she has is as a good test subject."

Bishop pointed the gun at Gladys. "Don't you dare suggest such a thing!" he snapped. "And don't think I won't pull this trigger just because you're third-in-command... and not just because I have a higher rank than you. Because I have emotion, and emotion makes me stronger than you!"

Gladys was silent. Then, Wallace Bishop lowered his gun and slowly approached Rex. "What are you doing?" shouted Provencal. "Stop! I-"

"My ultimate mission is what is important now," Wallace Bishop solemnly declared. "And to score this checkmate... the bishop must be sacrificed."

Rex pointed his Sonic Screamer at Wallace Bishop, forcing the scientist to stop in his tracks. "Don't make another move," he whispered.

Dr. Bishop smiled lightly. "Is this a way to treat an old friend, Rex?"

"Betraying XERRD does not automatically make you our ally," Rex's tone was stern. "It only shows you for what you are. A traitor. Who is to say you won't betray us next?"

Dr. Bishop bit his lip. "I've always been on your side," he stated. "I just needed the right moment to reveal myself. I am not a traitor; my allegiance has never been with Dr. Rex. If it were not for me, XERRD would have already won the war. The Dino Attack Team would have been destroyed… by your hands, Rex."

"What do you mean?" said Rex, blinking.

"You were a dangerous weapon," explained Dr. Bishop. "Had Dr. Rex's plan succeeded, you would have infiltrated the Dino Attack Team under the guise of just another agent, then strike at the founding members when the moment was right. All Dr. Rex needed was to carefully install this plan into your brain, but he was far too busy at the time. So, what better person to turn to than his second-in-command, a skilled biochemist with several degrees in neurobiology? He could trust me to do the job correctly."

"But you failed," Rex pointed out.

"No," said Dr. Bishop, chuckling. "I succeeded. While I made necessary alterations to your brain, I did not install this plan into your mind, for I knew that it could quickly end the war in XERRD's favor. I could not allow that. Dr. Rex was oblivious to the missing information, and once he found out, I told him it was merely a lab accident, a simple mistake. But in truth, I deliberately foiled his plans. My loyalties, after all, lie with Nexus Force and the Dino Attack Team."

This seemed to Rex like nothing more than a web of lies spun to cover up Dr. Bishop's mistakes. "Prove it!" snapped Rex.

Then, Dr. Bishop reached into his own eyes and pulled out two small clear objects. Eye contacts. He threw them down upon the floor, then reached up and began ruffling his hair. The neatly-combed hair became tangled and wild, until it reached a point where it looked as though it never knew a brush or a comb. Then, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a pair of glasses, and placed the spectacles over his eyes.

It was Wallace Bishop, but completely transformed into another person. In fact, if he had a thick bushy mustache above his lip, he might have even looked identical to…

Rex's jaw dropped. "Dr. Frank Einstein?"

The scientist's eyes twinkled like stars. "Hello again, Rex," Frank Einstein said with a warm smile.

*****

Commander Vinyaya stood outside the Fire Hammer, on the cliff opposite of the towering Maelstrom Temple. Vinyaya could feel the evil and destruction radiate from the corrupted building. It even felt more like a Maelstrom Temple than the Temple Hotep III.

"Are we ready to go?" Dr. Martinet asked. Vinyaya turned to see the medic, who now had a large pack on his shoulders, no doubt full of medical supplies. He also had a machine gun resting calming in his arms.

"You're heading in?" Vinyaya asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Of course I am. It's my job to stand by and help the injured," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You realize how dangerous this is, right?"

Martinet rolled his eyes. "Obviously. I've had some rather... interesting fighting experience prior to the Dino Attack, and I learned how to use firearms before coming here. I'm more prepared for this battle than any other medic might have been. Maybe except for Dr. Luzwheit of that 'Second Headquarters Squad'. Now, let's press on." He gestured for Vinyaya to take the lead. She nodded and started to head toward the rope bridge.

As she approached, she saw several Agents and Dino Attack agents working to assemble a zipline to cross over to the Maelstrom temple as Semick had requested. An Agent turned and saw Vinyaya and Martinet and gestured them over. "Take this rope and tie it somewhere over on the island," the Agent requested, handing Vinyaya a rope.

Vinyaya accept the rope and she started to head across the rickety bridge.

*****

"Several years ago," explained Dr. Frank Einstein, "I was assigned by the Nexus Force to keep an eye on Dr. Rex and his group of followers who would later form the XERRD organization. In order to do that, I had to adopt a completely new identity. But it is difficult to adopt a new identity for an extended period of time without accidentally revealing one's true identity in a slipup. I spent many nights conceiving a way to overcome this, and then it dawned upon me. My old lab partner, Dr. Wallace Bishop."

"My uncle?" Kate Bishop asked, hesitantly raised her hand.

"Indeed," said Dr. Einstein, nodding. He beckoned for Kate to come closer, and she slowly complied. He laid his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes with fatherly tenderness. "He and I worked closely for many years. But unfortunately, one fateful day, a lab accident killed Wallace's assistant, Astrid Dunham, in an experiment involving opening portals to alternate dimensions. As Wallace was unable to sire any children of his own, Astrid was like a daughter to him, and he loved her dearly. After that, he was never quite the same."

The scientist's voice turned grim. "Wallace collapsed into a state of complete despair. The days got worse and worse until, for his own good, he was locked up in Napoleon XIV Mental Institution. But the institution could not wipe from his memory every detail of the lab accident and the death of Astrid. If anything, it worsened the experience, because being locked up in that institution isolated him from the rest of his family. He knew he would never again see his sister Sarah or his young niece… Kate."

"My mother had told me that Uncle Wallace died in a car accident," murmured Kate.

"And as far as the world knew or cared," sighed Dr. Einstein, "Wallace Bishop was no more. He knew he would never see you again, and I can only guess that Sarah thought likewise and decided it was best for you not to know that dear Uncle Wallace was in a mental institution."

"But what does Wallace Bishop in a mental institution have to do with you assuming his identity?" inquired Rex.

"Poor Wallace. The agony was simply unbearable for him. He had to get rid of it, one way or another. And so, he did."

A shadow passed over Dr. Einstein's face. "Wallace Bishop waited until he could find a weak spot in Napoleon XIV's security. As soon as he did, he escaped the mental institution and traveled on foot all the way back to our old laboratory. There, he recorded a tape of himself, explaining what he was about to do. Then, he proceeded to cut open his head and pull out pieces of his brain. His intention was to remove the parts of his brain which kept the memories of his lab assistant and his family. When the police found him the next morning, he was lying outside a local post office, barely conscious, his forehead caked with blood, and a package in his hands. I was contacted right away, since the package was addressed to me. As for Wallace Bishop, he somehow survived, but the operation that he performed left him a mere shadow of the man he once was. I imagine he is little more than a frail old man with a short memory span and little grip on reality. But, Kate, if you so wish, I could make... arrangements for you to meet your real uncle Wallace. Perhaps, even if he doesn't remember you, there might be something left of you in his heart... Love, I always said, is an emotion too powerful to be simply forgotten."

"What was in the package?" wondered Kate.

"The tape Wallace had recorded… and the pieces of his brain that he had cut out. In the tape, in addition to Wallace Bishop recording his intentions and procedures, he hoped that I would find some use for the pieces of his brain, and also told me to, at whatever cost, protect the Bishop family from any danger."

"So that is why you said I was a 'special case' back at the XERRD Fortress," murmured Kate.

Dr. Einstein nodded. "Those events occurred twelve years ago. Not a day has passed without me thinking about them. About whatever use I might find for Wallace's brain. About my bestowed duty of protecting the Bishops. The latter would not come into play until recently, but the former came far sooner than I would have ever expected."

Rex listened keenly to what Einstein had to say.

"You see," Einstein continued, "I have already told you that it is difficult to maintain an alias for an extended period of time, and that is because one would have to base everything off a fictional personality with a fictional biography. Even Libo, who spent years under the identity of 'Little Bot', slipped up numerous times. I was determined not to make the same mistakes, because Nexus Force depended on me. Therefore, I turned to Wallace Bishop's memories. I extracted them from the pieces of his brain he had given me, and thus I had nearly an entire biography at my disposal. I knew Wallace quite well, and combined with the bits of personality stored in those brain cells, I had an entire second personality to use. And, on top of all that, Wallace Bishop and I are actually quite physically similar. All I needed to do was comb my hair, wear contacts, and shave my iconic mustache, and then I looked shockingly similar to Wallace. With a new biography, personality, and look, I was ready to adopt a new identity and act as Dr. Rex's loyal companion, all the while feeding information back to Albert Overbuild and Vanda Darkflame."

"I remember now," murmured Rex. "When you rescued me from the rubble of that laboratory, your mustache was shaved. You must have been spying on XERRD immediately beforehand."

"Not just that," elaborated Dr. Einstein, "but in fact I was the one who placed you under that rubble, so that once my fellow XERRD operatives left and you woke up, you would see me for whom I really was. By that time, I knew that something was terribly wrong with XERRD, but I was unable to contact Nexus Force in time before Dr. Rex set his Mutant Dino plans into motion. So, while telling Dr. Rex that I would be working out in the field, I instead began working with the Dino Attack Team. During which period of time I, of course, did not shave my mustache and let it return to its famous thick, bushy form."

"Something isn't adding up," murmured Rex. "If you knew all along that XERRD and Dr. Rex were behind the Dino Attack, and you were on our side… why didn't you ever bring it up? Why did Chompy and I have to go on a mission to learn what you had already known all along?"

Einstein sighed. "That is a fair question, and unfortunately I admit that my answer might not satisfy you. Shortly after the Dino Attack began, I heard that there was a large explosion at Dinosaur Island, so I mistakenly presumed that the laboratory was destroyed, Dr. Rex was dead, and XERRD was no more. I believed there was simply no need to bring up the ghosts of the past, and to instead focus our efforts on fighting the dinosaurs of the present. Perhaps I was also trying to protect my own reputation by not letting the world know that I had a hand in the apocalypse… yes, even I am not immune to my own self-interests. However, just before the Goo Caverns mission, thanks to you and Chompy, I learned that Dr. Rex was still alive. I privately confessed everything to Specs, who learned that I had been spying on XERRD for Nexus Force. We spoke with one another and decided it was in our best interest for me to resume my position as 'Wallace Bishop' so that I could feed information back, but this time directly to Dino Attack Team. I had my messages delivered in the form of pre-recorded holograms secretly contained in, appropriately enough, bishop chess pieces. I told the founding members not to tell any of you because I feared that, if the information became too widespread, XERRD would inevitably find out and Specs would lose an important spy."

"And not just a spy," noted Rex, "but the second-in-command of XERRD who can be trusted with important tasks such as operating on my brain."

"Exactly!" said Einstein, grinning. "On many occasions, I've also convinced Dr. Rex to hold back, especially after seeing the damage he and his Mutant Dino army did during the Goo Caverns ambush. For example, I ensured that the Constructopedia would not be destroyed by the Mutant Dinos, and I jammed communications on LEGO Island to prevent XERRD from teleporting Mutant Lizards aboard the T-1 Typhoons. Recently, I tricked Dr. Rex into believing that there was Maelstrom at Pirates Forbidden Island, distracting him long enough for FMB-Bots and Brickster-Bots to gain much ground in the invasion of Dinosaur Island. When he returned and destroyed much of the robot invaders, I convinced Dr. Rex to stay back on Dinosaur Island and to instead send myself and other XERRD scientists to Adventurers' Island. In doing so, I am leaving him at the mercy of a guerrilla war, while putting myself a position where I can finally expose my true role in this Dino Attack and help you contain the Maelstrom Temple. After all, being a former member of Paradox myself, I know a thing or two about containing the Maelstrom's dark energies."

Rex let this information sink in. He would never have suspected that Dr. Frank Einstein, that famous biochemist who formerly worked in the Dino Attack research lab, had played such a major role in the Dino Attack itself. He had worked to destroy XERRD from the inside, single-handedly foiling Dr. Rex's plot to infiltrate the Dino Attack Team and keeping Dr. Rex from unleashing his full forces on Dino Attack Team.

Then, Frank Einstein turned to look at the one figure who had not spoken at all: the samurai. "And speaking of containing the Maelstrom energies…"

On the other side of the chamber, Doctor Carolyne Provencal stared in horror as she watched the man they had assumed was Wallace Bishop reveal himself to be a different person altogether. He joined Rex, Venomosa, Kate, another Dino Attack agent, and to Provencal's surprise, Señor Palomar.

"Kill them," Provencal commanded to the few other scientists around her. "Except for Palomar. Leave him. For now." They obeyed and charged at the group.

Provencal then turned to Michelle Gladys, who was watching Frank Einstein intently. "How did he remain undetected for so long?" Provencal wondered aloud.

"Dr. Rex put too much trust in him," Gladys said. "He is the reason why we are even fighting the Dino Attack Team now."

Provencal simply nodded in agreement. Things were looking bleak for XERRD right now. Zed Provhezor had been killed by the Maelstrom, and Walter Breen had been killed by a mole. A traitor. And now, more Dino Attack agents were piling into the chamber and fighting against the scientists. It was just her, Gladys, and group of cannon-fodder scientists.

"And what about Palomar?" Provencal suddenly inquired. "He seems to close to those Dino Attack Agents."

"I've noticed," Gladys responded flatly. "He may possibly be manipulating them, but... I am uncertain."

"It is possibly those Dino Attack agents offered something more valuable than Breen offered."

"More valuable than survival from Mutant Dinosaurs?"

Provencal revealed a small smirk. "As crazy as it sounds, it's possible."

Suddenly, a Dino Attack agent started firing at the two scientists with a Cosmotronic Ray. Gladys disappeared with her portal device while Provencal took cover, silently cursing the now second-in-command XERRD scientist for leaving her. She quickly spotted the attacker, who started running at Provencal. She spun her Sorcerer staff and fired a brilliantly-purple blast at the agent. The Maelstrom blast lit up the entire room as it struck the Dino Attack agent. He screamed as purple electricity travelled through his body. He fell to the ground, dead.

A bright orange light flashed to Provencal's left side. "Thanks for leaving me," Provencal said to Gladys coldly.

"That was quite a light show," Gladys said, ignoring Provencal's complaints.

"I provided a few upgrades to this staff to make it more lethal," Provencal quickly explained. "I'm glad to see they work. Now, let's kill these foolish agents."

*****

Palmer displayed a menacing grin as he embraced his newfound power, looking out upon the large group of agents trying to cross the rickety bridge.

Zachary was weak, Palmer thought to himself. With a few thoughts, he called forth an army. Within minutes, a dozen Stromlings of all sorts emerged from the temple and gathered around him.

"Ahua is dead," Palmer said, keenly. "You're working for me now. Show them no mercy. Kill them all, unless they get to the temple, then I will deal with it."

*****

There was a moment of silence as Rex and Einstein looked at each other before Garry spoke his line. "I know you gentlemen have been through a lot," he said. "But when you have the time, I'd rather not spend the rest of this war TRAPPED IN THIS ZNAPPING TEMPLE!" The others turned in surprise at Garry's outburst. "We got to act fast," he said. "Rotor and I will get Kate out of here, the rest of you-"

"You can't leave, Garry," came a familiar voice. Garry turned around to see a recognizable face, right down to his cap.

"Clark," whispered Garry. "I thought you were dead."

"I was," replied Clark. It was at that moment he took off his hat to reveal a big, ugly bullet hole. "You killed me."

"I had no idea!" insisted Garry. 

"What's going on?" Rex demanded. 

"I'll explain later," said Garry. He raised his gun, aimed, and fired, nothing happened. Clark promptly advanced on Garry and grabbed him before throwing him violently onto the ground. It only took a moment for Garry to come to his senses, but as soon as he stood up, the projection of Clark was gone.

"What was that?" Rex asked.

"I think it was created by Palmer," suggested Garry. "He's not going to let us out. He's playing on our fears."

*****

Andrew thought over the situation as he spoke. "Well... I am concerned by Zach's state, but... he is looking determined to try and do something, and he is getting better by the moment, so..." He nodded. "Yeah, let's try and get to the temple. But Zach, I think we'd better find you some glasses before going into battle again. Mama Brickolini may be able to handle near-sightedness, but she's not a soldier, you know."

"Alright, alright," said Zach. "So how about we try and find out how to get there?"

Andrew was about to say something when he heard the sound of a vehicle behind them. Turning, he saw a Fire Hammer with a broken Xenon Launcher pulling up alongside them. And opening the front passenger door was a familiar face.

"Well, if it isn't the ex-Stromling himself and his saviors," said Stranger, his Mutant Lizard ally Buddy sitting atop the remains of the launcher. "Need a lift?"

"Oh yes," said Andrew, "definitely!" He climbed up into the back seats of the Fire Hammer, and as Minerva and Zach approached, helped the ladder to climb inside as well.

"Glad to see you've got Zach there back to normal," said Sherlock, another familiar face, at the driver's seat. "Shows the Maelstrom that they aren't as good as they think at 'assimilating' us or whatever."

"Eh, it was far from an easy thing to do," said Zach, who was looking a little awkward conversing with random Dino Attack agents again. "I don't think it can be done with just anyone who was taken by it."

"Oh, don't ruin the optimism for the agents who need it," said Stranger. "Now where are you three looking to go? An outpost? A med-tent or-"

"The Maelstrom Temple," said Minerva. "The real one, of course."

"Ooh, just jumping back into battle like that, eh? I like that in an agent. Sherlock, get us out of here!"

"Righto!" he said, putting the vehicle into gear, pushing on the throttle... and then the vehicle stalled. "Darn it! Give me a moment..." Sherlock began turning the ignition over and over a few times.

"We salvaged this vehicle from a crew that got wiped out by the monkeys early on," Stranger explained. "Annoying little buggers, those ones were. I'm sure Raider would've enjoyed hitting a shooting gallery full of those guys. Shame he got killed when the Dinos trashed our camp, though. But anyways, Sherlock had gotten there..."

Stranger continued rambling, but Andrew noticed that Zach was starting to look a bit guilty. He could guess why, considering Stromling!Zach had been responsible for both of the attacks Stranger had mentioned. Furthermore, Zach had worked with Raider during his brief stints as part of Semick's T-1 Typhoon crew, and while he didn't know how well the two may've known each other, knowing that he was very indirectly responsible for the death of someone he knew in the team must've been very hard to hear.

Andrew knew he needed to say something. And as Sherlock finally got the ignition going again and Stranger stopped talking, he took his LEGO Island neighbor's shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, and I say just ignore that. You weren't in control of your actions when you were a Stromling. Heck, it was practically just a bad guy with your good memories. What matters now is that you've got control of yourself again, and that you're not purple anymore. I realize that, Stranger and Sherlock realize that, and I'm positive the rest of the team do, too. Anyone that does harass you is simply going to have to learn that."

Zach made a small smile. "Thanks for the comfort. But even so, it's going to be hard for me to come to terms with this, you understand?"

"I do, but trust me that the rest of the team isn't going to try and make it harder. In fact, I still have my PDA here. You want to send a message to the team regarding your feelings on this?"

*****

Semick was calm, but still on edge. The agents below were preparing the ziplines, and Rockford was helping to send teams into the temple. Soon, they would have their entire force inside the belly of the beast.

He was getting reports sporadically. Some were saying the Maelstrom was playing tricks with the interior formation and with agents' minds, intent on not letting them leave. Given the stakes in this mission, Semick hadn't figured retreat for an option anyways, and so was content with this knowledge. He also had reports that agents were meeting up with Rex's team in the big central area Bluetooth had found when detecting agent signs earlier. He was relieved to know they were, for the most part, still alright, but was annoyed that he hadn't been contacted by any of them yet, even though he knew they were likely in the middle of battle. Especially since he was hearing odd reports of a lightning-shooting samurai and something about a Frank Einstein, which sounded a little familiar but seemed rather irrelevant to Semick.

Still feeling a little useless just hovering around barking orders, he was still considering the idea of blasting into the temple ceiling, which he was now debating via radio with Rockford and Captain Osprey.

"Now, I know you've already said this would risk injuring agents already in the room," said Rockford. "That in itself is definitely a major risk to consider, but might the ends justif-"

"NO," Semick interjected sternly. "I hate that kind of logic."

"Well, I think the obvious option is to give plenty of warning first," said Osprey. "Then make your entrance. How about that?"

Semick thought about it for a few seconds. "Well, it doesn't seem like we do have any other choice. I certainly don't want to not use our air support to our advantage, but I can't just let agents die from my own actions. Doing that would make me look like Rotor."

Rockford shuddered. "Not something anyone wants. If you want, I can do the job of holding back our incoming teams and warning the teams inside already. How does that sound?"

"As long as we can keep setting up the ziplines, I'm good with that," said Osprey.

"You most certainly can," said Semick. "I'll organize our T-1s, and when I'm ready Rockford, I'll let you know when to give the warning. That's all for now."

"Got it, Semick," Rockford said as he tuned out.

"I'll say this much, Semick," said Osprey, "The LEGO Planet could use more people like you to lead."

"So they say," Semick responded as he turned his attention to the T-1 Typhoons.

*****

"Oh, um," Zach paused. "Let me think about it a bit more." Andrew nodded and turned away. Zach looked ahead as the Fire Hammer began to move away from the battlefield and head into the jungle. Andrew's words did help, but guilt was still lodged in his throat. I led Raider to his death. He felt terrible. After riding with Semick's T-1 Typhoon crew multiple times, he considered Semick, Raider, and Bluetooth friends. And now he had, more or less, killed one of them.

Zach decided to not to focus on this newfound information and instead focus on something else. He soon noticed the rear-view mirror and realized he could finally take a look at his appearance. He adjusted himself in the seat and looked into the mirror.

Zach scratched the newly grown beard on his face. It was similar to Semick's beard in shape. It was bright orange and somewhat thin and bristly. It took a few days as a Stromling to finally grow a beard, Zach thought. He noticed his face was very pale and had multiple bags underneath his eyes. Zach then ran a hand through his long hair. It was greasy and thin. Zach made a face at the purple streak in the middle of his new hair. Doesn't really go together. Zach raised an eyebrow as he noticed small tinges of gray near his roots.

"Is there a problem, Zach?" Sherlock asked. He must have noticed Zach's facial reactions in the mirror.

"No. Just getting used to this new appearance."

Sherlock didn't press on and continued to focus on driving.

Zach continued to stare at himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he guessed that the Maelstrom had aged his body to an extent. To what extent, Zach didn't know. The signs of graying in his hair seemed to suggest his body had edged more than ten years. That, or the stress the Maelstrom placed on him grayed his hair prematurely, similarly to how American presidents showed signs of rapid aging within the span of a few years after taking the job.

He decided to start focusing on the mission ahead: the Maelstrom Temple. He had seen what the Maelstrom has planned for the LEGO Planet. Natural disasters, destruction, and murder that would make the apocalyptic movie 2010 look like a movie about bunnies playing in the field. And after personally being one of the Maelstrom's servants, he wanted to see it defeated. Also in the temple, he realized, was probably XERRD. They were the true enemy and they were the reason that the Maelstrom has flourished as it has. They were pawns to the Maelstrom, Zach realized, dread filling his body.

"Zach?" Minerva suddenly said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes," Zach responded somewhat irritably. He did not really enjoy being the target of Minerva's worries. "Just nerves." He knew that was downright lie. He was trying to bottle in how he was feeling. He had a nagging feeling that plan would come crashing down on him eventually, but he didn't care at the moment.

Minerva crossed her arms. "Please don't alienate me. It's not just about 'nerves', and you know it."

Zach sighed and looked at her. "I have a lot on my plate at the moment."

"I realize that. We can help, you know. We didn't go through all that effort to save you for nothing."

Zach smiled weakly. "I know. It's just a big transition I hadn't expected to go through."

"Nobody expected it. But like the point I think I was making back in the temple, the Maelstrom and its followers are more content with backstabbing each other. Minifigs, despite our past differences, have looked past each other's histories so we can defeat these dinosaurs and their creators. I tried to say it, Semick has said it, and I'm positive many others before him and after me will say it."

"Thank you," Zach, scratching the back of his head. "I think the 'Maelstrom-state-of-mind' is still lingering in my head and I really needed that."

Minerva nodded, smiling. The two stared at each other for a moment. Without warning, Minerva suddenly leaned forward and kissed Zach.

Zach thought he could hear snickers coming from the front seat, but he ignored them and kissed Minerva back. They held the kiss for several seconds before they pulled away. Zach imagined much of the color had returned to his face as he looked at Minerva, whose face was bright-red as she grinned at him.

"I told you I loved you," Minerva said.

"I know," Zach managed to say, slightly dazed. Minerva raised an eyebrow slightly. He facepalmed as he ran what he said over again in his head. "Sorry, The Empire Strikes Back suddenly appeared in my head. I love you too." Minerva laughed quietly. Zach laughed with her, finally allowing himself to relax. Unfortunately, he knew this blissful feeling wouldn't last long...

*****

As the group of scientists approached, Garry was momentarily distracted by a voice coming from somewhere. It was a girl, a child more specifically, calling his name. When he turned, he saw the familiar face of Jenny, now bruised and battered, far worse than she'd looked before Garry put that sheet on her and sent her away.

"You're not real," Garry muttered.

"You tortured me," said Jenny. "You beat a poor, defenseless child senseless."

"I tried to help you!" insisted Garry.

"You sent me away," retorted Jenny. "From the only home I ever knew, took away any chance of seeing my father again, sent me to some place with people I'd been raised to hate."

"YOU'RE NOT REAL!" Garry shouted and raised his gun. He fired a quick round, blinked, and within a second, she was gone.

In all the confusion, Garry suddenly found he was approached by Rotor. "What the Znap do you think you're doing here?" Rotor shouted.

"Trying to help you," replied Garry.

"Really?" said Rotor. "Who were you talking to?"

"I don't know," said Garry. "It's the Maelstrom. It's playing with our fears, trying to drive us mad. I should never have listened to Palmer." 

*****

Hello. My name is Zachary Virchaus. The "real" Zachary Virchaus. Not the Maelstrom being that stole my body and claimed my name. Not the monster who led a pack of Mutant Dinos to the camp and slaughtered dozens. And certainly not the "General Virchaus" that helped organize the trap at the Temple of Hotep III and commanded an army of Stromlings and Mutant Dinos. I am a Minifig who was forced out of his home like many of you because of the Mutant Dinos. I lived on Antarctica for months. I joined the Agents to hopefully help save the world, and when I saw that I was being counterproductive toward that goal, I joined the Dino Attack Team, who were heading to Adventurers' Island when I was allowed to head out into the field.

I did my best. I strived to defeat both the Maelstrom and XERRD. I helped discover the Maelstrom spies in our ranks. I infiltrated the fortress and gathered up some valuable information from its mainframe. And I made some friends among other agents. I was content as an agent and eagerly awaited the time when we would storm the Maelstrom Temple.

And then it happened. I was infiltrating the fortress during the battle and I was tricked by a scientist. I was injected with a Maelstrom formula developed by XERRD. At that point, I had no idea what to do, how to respond. So I ran. And I was found. By the Maelstrom, who transformed me into the beast most of you know me as. I was locked away inside my own head while a gruesome hybrid consciousness, made up of myself and the Maelstrom, took control.

I tried to fight. To push the Maelstrom away. Needless to say, I was weakened and overwhelmed by it and it used my body as a puppet to carry out its evil deeds. However, while I was imprisoned, I learned what the Maelstrom's weakness was. I noticed a female agent I had taken a fancy to while I was fighting a close friend. Fearful that I may hurt her, I fought harder against the Maelstrom, forcing it out of control long enough for me to be injured. I hoped that I would be able to die and nobody else was to be hurt. To my surprise, the Maelstrom healed my wounds and escaped, not before severely injuring the close friend.

The Maelstrom was displeased and "tightened the leash", so to speak. But it was too late. I discovered the Maelstrom was weak against strong, positive emotions such as love. That's all I needed to begin forming a plan. A plan to force the Maelstrom out of my body. I came up with a plan. It was extremely risky and could possibly put my friends in danger. But I was desperate. I resolved that if I got the opportunity, I needed to communicate the plan to a Dino Attack agent.

That opportunity took its time coming. A long enough time for the Maelstrom to force me to kill a medic working to try and save my life and lead a Mutant Dino attack against the camp, during which I killed an Elite Agent and was a factor in the death of a friend I had made early on in my service. I came close to killing another friend until I was shot. The Maelstrom abandoned control temporarily to heal me. I spoke to the friend. I left the details ambiguous, but I told him I had a plan and he and someone else could help. The Maelstrom then returned to control and fled the camp.

The Maelstrom knew I was planning something. For how long, I don't know. But I do know he tried to get me to willing surrender to him with offers such as bringing the female agent I mentioned earlier over to his side. As deliciously tempting those offers were, I refused to give up on my plan.

A few days later, the attack on the Temple of Hotep III began. The Maelstrom had decided to have the bulk of its armies guard the ruins to trick the Dino Attack. I watched, and participated, in the battle. I watched as men were torn apart by zombified monkeys and were slaughtered by mindless mooks. The only shred of compassion the hybrid consciousness felt was when the Stromling Ape Cranky was killed trying to murder an Iron Predator crew.

I entered the ruins and hoped someone would find me with the intent of saving me. Luckily, not one, but two friends found me. Both the Maelstrom and the hybrid consciousness were defiant and viciously attacked the two of them, physically and mentally. However, they still managed to triumph over me. They were about to inject the prototype cure into me when my superior, who hated me and my power, attacked and slowly killing both of them. The Maelstrom tried to restrain me, but I couldn't stand by and watch the people I loved and cared about die. I defied the Maelstrom and defeated my superior. They injected the cure, which helped me push out the Maelstrom for good.

And now I sit here, typing out this message. I feel waves of guilt, regret, and anger constantly harass me for what the Maelstrom did to me and what it made me do. I am certain what has transpired will scar me for the rest of my life. The only thing I can ask is for you to accept my apology so we can continue the good fight. So we can defeat the Maelstrom and XERRD once and for all.

~ Z. Virchaus

Zach finished reading the message. He wasn't sure how well this message would be received, but he knew he felt a million times better pouring out what had happened to him in the last couple of days. He explained his side of the story and expressed that he still wished to fight with them. He hoped his teammates would understand. He pushed down the send button, allowing his message to be sent out to every Dino Attack agent with a PDA.

"Alright, finished," Zach said to Andrew. He handed the PDA back to him and sat back. He cracked the knuckles on his left hand, which was extremely sore. He had typed that entire essay with only his left hand since his right hand was still wonky. I may have to use weapons left-handed this time around, he noted.

"How are you feeling?" Minerva asked.

"Better," he responded.

"Good," Stranger said from up front. "We'll be at the Maelstrom Temple in a few minutes."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 48: Trigger Warning

----

Cabin was quick to climb out of her Fire Hammer as she looked over the large crevice into the thick cloud of mist beyond. Around her, she could see various agents running around, trying to get into position. There were groups assembling ziplines and such. Snake stepped out of the car shortly after. "This must be it," Cabin muttered.

Close by, she could see a tall figure. He had short dark hair and a pair of sunglasses. He was wearing a thick leather jacket and looking through a pair of binoculars. Cabin was quick to approach him. "What are you doing?" she said, sternly.

The man remained silent before lowering his binoculars. "I'm trying to get a good look at what we're dealing with," he replied coldly. He handed them to Cabin, who promptly took the binoculars and looked through them. The mist was still a large purplish blur, but she could see something. It looked like figures of some kind, obscured by the fog, but with a menacing glare. "Stromlings," said the man. "Probably a couple dozen of them, maybe even a hundred, just waiting for us to go over so they can slaughter us."

"You got a name?" Cabin asked.

"Trigger," the man introduced himself.

"Cabin."

"Who's your friend?" asked Trigger, motioning toward the rough-looking eye-patched man behind Cabin.

"Call me Snake," said Snake.

"That's impossible," remarked Trigger. "I heard you were dead."

*****

Rex grimaced as he saw the remaining XERRD scientists, who had since regrouped under the command of Michelle Gladys and Carolyne Provencal. Once again, they had missiles and black magic coming their way. "They just don't give up, do they?" Rex said through gritted teeth.

"I can take them," boasted Rotor. "Problem is, looks like our friend here is having hallucinations."

"It's Palmer!" insisted Garry. "He's the one that creating these illusions!"

Frank Einstein frowned. "Most improbable. Palmer is merely a Stromling. While I have seen that some Stromlings here can disguise themselves, to create such illusions that directly play on the fears of the target... that is far too powerful for a Stromling. A much darker force here is at play. My allies in Paradox, such as Wisp Lee and Echs Ray, may know something about this, but unfortunately I had to leave with XERRD before I could hear the results of their findings."

"So," Rex inquired as he fired at a XERRD scientist with his Cosmotronic Ray, "how do you intend to stop the Maelstrom?"

"Our key may be that statue," Einstein said as he pointed to the Imagination statue. "Since we don't have four hundred and twenty Maelstrom Vacuums with us, it's the only thing that can keep the Maelstrom's power in check, but it's not nearly powerful enough to actually close the vortex. I have a few ideas, but-"

"There he is!" Garry suddenly screamed. "Palmer!"

Everyone whipped around and fired at where Garry pointed. Indeed, Rex caught a glimpse of the Stromling as it dodged the incoming fire. Luckily, it seemed that XERRD still had enough sense to shoot Stromlings, since a couple missiles and even a blast of dark magic came Palmer's way. However, Palmer disappeared into the Maelstrom fog and laughed. "Fools! I am the great Stromling Palmer! Not even Ahua or Virchaus was as powerful as me! I am the most powerful entity in this temple, and none of you can stop me... master of illusion and fear!"

"Where did he go?" Rex muttered, looking around for the Stromling. Then, Rex heard a most glorious sound... a series of corny one-liners marking the entrance of Rick "Adventure" Spherus. The rest of the Dino Attack Team, it seemed, was beginning to arrive. Gladys and Provencal were forced to turn their attention to the newcomers, and although Gladys continued her old teleportation trick while Provencal easily dispatched a Dino Attack agent in a single blast of her staff's dark magic, Rex was relieved that it was no longer just a small group of Dino Attack agents.

Then, Rex heard a less-comforting sound that seemed to send shivers down his spine. He turned and looked, and there he saw Palmer, kneeling before the Maelstrom vortex, with his hands pressed against his forehead and a most chilling scream emitting from his mouth.

*****

Just what do you think you are doing, Palmer?

I am doing everything in my power to stop the Dino Attack agents and Xenon Elite Researchers Regarding Dinosaurs, just as you wish, my lord!

Everything in your power?

Yes!

Wrong, Palmer. Wrong.

But... but... my lord – 

Did you actually think that this is your power? That I would grant you, a mere Stromling, the ability to cast illusions playing off your opponents' fears, or the ability to telepathically summon all the Stromlings in the area? No. This is not your power. This is my power. I am the one who is creating these illusions, not you. Never again should you dare to make the mistake of proclaiming yourself on the same level as me. You're a pawn.

But I have always been so loyal to you. Virchaus and Ahua, they were – 

Virchaus was weak-willed, but I allowed him to have greater powers than most Stromlings... it was in his nature. As for Ahua... his usefulness had run out. If you know what is good for you, you will not let me think the same of you. I hate underlings who try to take credit for their superiors.

Then what do you wish me to do, my lord?

Keep them busy, but know that I am the one in control. Your insight into Garry has proved useful, but I already know what the others fear. Keep them busy for now... I will soon have the power I desire, to do more than cast mere shadows. Even shadows have their uses... but if I were you, I would not spoil their appetites. The best is yet to come, and your... time... will come as well, Palmer.

As you wish, my master. 

*****

"We're here!" Sherlock yelled out. Zach tensed up slightly. Now was the moment of truth.

Zach, Sherlock, Stranger, Buddy, Andrew, and Minerva climbed out of the Fire Hammer. Before leaving, Zach looked around the vehicle for any kind of weapon. He found a small handgun with several magazines of ammo and a combat knife. He was hesitant about taking the knife, but figuring his newfound skills at melee weapons transferred from Stromling-form to Minifig-form, he took the knife.

They made a short walk through the jungle and appeared at an edge of a cliff. Looking down Zach saw a massive sea of liquid Maelstrom, violently crashing into the edge of the cliff. He knew falling into the pool meant instant death or corruption. He let his eyes drift upward to a small island towering above the Maelstrom Sea. Although it was more or less a giant black blob to him, Zach knew ahead of him laid the Temple of Creation, the true Maelstrom Temple.

"Over there," Stranger said, pointing to his right. Zach squinted, trying to see whatever Stranger was pointing at. Zach finally determined that Stranger was pointing to a bridge. The group suddenly started moving toward where the presumed bridge started. Minerva grabbed Zach's hand and dragged him along.

"Alright, until I find some glasses, could you at least act like my glasses?" Zach asked irritably, Minerva pulling him along. She smirked at him, but nodded.

"There's a bridge over there and we spotted some Agents and Dino Attack agents near the bridge," she said.

"Wait, Agents? As in 'Agents Defense Organization' Agents?"

"Yeah," Minerva said. She sounded interested as well. "I wonder when they showed up."

"Hey, as long as they're here, I'll take any help we can get."

They approached the bridge, where the agents seemed to be establishing a zipline. "What are these for?" Zach asked. "There is a bridge."

"Your commander Semick's idea," an Agent remarked. "This bridge looks old and in bad shape. I wouldn't be surprised if that thing snapped if we sent too many agents on it. So we're building a zipline to get agents across."

Suddenly, a nearby radio sparked to life. "Commander Vinyaya here," a woman's voice said from the radio. "I have the zipline established. You may start agents over if you're clear."

*****

"So there's just a hundred Stromlings down there waiting to kill us?" Cabin asked.

"By the looks of it," replied Trigger. "I certainly don't like the looks of this. Trust me, I'm a mercenary. I've been just about everywhere in the universe. I've been to MegaBlokland and back, so when I say something's not right, it's not right."

"What do we do?" wondered Cabin.

"I don't think there's anything we can do," said Trigger. "We're at the source of this temple's power. The Maelstrom provides for all the needs of Stromlings: food, wastes, apparently has some strange way of dealing with exhaustion, so that it can control Stromlings while they're sleeping if need be, and it has the power to heal."

"How do you know all this?" Cabin asked.

"Let's just say I've done a few jobs against Paradox," replied Trigger. "Right now, Dr. Rex probably has a long list of people he wants dead. Number one is the whole Dino Attack team. Number two... is me. Anyway, the Maelstrom has this strange capability to heal Stromlings almost instantaneously. Killing one Stromling is hard enough, you have to do enough damage that the Maelstrom leaves the person before they can heal themselves, then you got to kill the victim before it can reenter, but the closer they are to the source, the stronger its power. Right in its heart, I imagine they're practically invincible. Look, I hate to say this, but your teammates are walking into a deathtrap."

Cabin was about to open her mouth, but Trigger cut her off. "There's nothing we can do. The rest of the team isn't going to listen."

"That may be true," said Hotwire, limping up to the three agents on the cliff's edge, "but somebody's gotta walk into it."

Trigger turned and cocked an eyebrow. "And I suppose you're going to be on the front lines? Fantastic. The fate of the world in the hands of a team of cripples. But at least you don't need someone else to push you about like a baby in a stroller."

Hotwire bristled at the slight towards Rex, but forced himself to let it go. Now was not the time for an argument. "Look, all I'm saying is that we've been in situations just this bad before. Where were you when Quadrant 14 blew? Or when Antarctica was engulfed by riots? Or when LEGO Island was wiped completely off the map? Too busy standing off on the sidelines, shaking your head at the poor fools walking into a deathtrap? I'll bet. I try to keep myself up-to-date on the Dino Attack database, and I've never seen you in there anywhere. So don't strut in here and assume you know what's best, because the world needs people who are willing to walk into deathtraps. The only thing that's different now is that we know what we're getting into."

Helm hopped down out of the Fire Hammer and walked over. "Come on," he said to Hotwire. "Don't wear yourself out preemptively. Osprey asked me to report back when we arrived." 

"I don't think you quite understand the situation," Trigger said as he turned toward Hotwire and his comrades. "You ever fought a Stromling before? Trust me, it ain't easy… and right at the source of the Maelstrom's power, they're practically invincible." 

"Have I ever fought a Stromling?" Hotwire said. "Hmm, let's see. Why don't you go find the rest of my left leg and ask it that question?" 

"My point exactly," retorted Trigger. "You couldn't even keep your own leg fighting one in the other temple. What makes you so sure you'll have even the slightest chance of surviving against thousands of them right in the source of the Maelstrom itself?" 

Hotwire was beginning to realize he didn't like this Trigger fellow very much. "This is the survival of the planet we're talking about here," he said exasperatedly. "Not survival of the individual. Every single one of us is living on borrowed time, and we understood that when we signed up for this team. If all you're here to do is grumble prophecies of doom, then please do us a favor and run away until you find someplace 'safe'. There aren't very many of those left anymore, so you'd best have some superhuman stamina."

"Look," said Trigger. "I don't give a Znap what happens to you and your MegaBlokin' planet, alright? I'm only in this for the money, and I've seen enough worlds fall to the Maelstrom that I wouldn't blink at this one being next. If you don't want to listen to an experienced professional who's actually done jobs against Paradox and slide over that crevasse only to have multiple Stromlings brutally stab you to death, I ain't goin' to stop you. There's plenty of jobs elsewhere in the universe and quite a few people who would pay good money for my services." 

"And if that's what he wants to do," Rockford interjected, walking over, "then I'm all for it. Hotwire's one of our most prestigious agents and has been with us for nearly half the war. I think he can handle himself, even without a leg."

Trigger sighed in an annoyed tone. "Eh. Your funeral, buddy."

Satisfied with his actions, Rockford looked back to his PDA, looking to see if Semick was going to respond anytime soon. Nothing yet. "Anyways, I believe I heard someone mention a need to contact Osprey about something. I have radio contact via my PDA, so-"

"Andrew, you're alright!" said an interrupting Martian voice. Rockford turned to see Laxus hurry over to some other agents near the cliffside, the Elite Agent among them.

"What, did you think someone else sent that message out?" Andrew responded with a smirk. "How'd you do out there?"

"Managed to tag along Rockford after Mur's Iron Predator got destroyed. The latter sacrificed himself to finally give that Stromling Ape his due retribution," explained Laxus.

Andrew's smirk vanished. "Oh... poor guy. At least he died ensuring our own further safety."

Laxus turned to one of the other agents alongside Andrew, his eyes widening as he saw a rugged-looking Minifig staring at his toes. "Woah," he uttered. "Zach, is that you?"

Rockford's attention was caught, recognizing the name that had been floating around after the last two All-Agent Messages were sent out. "Heh, yeah," Zach muttered. "I may not be a Stromling anymore, but I do look a little different."

"Understatement of the hour!"

"Indeed," Rockford interjected, approaching the group. "You look like you've been fighting the Dinos nonstop since the first attacks on LEGO City."

"Yeah," Zach said, looking a little awkward with conversing.

Rockford took the battered ex-Stromling's hand, noticing slightly how it felt metal and slightly twisted, and shook it. "I know this must be hard for you coming back to us after all you did under the Maelstrom's influence. But let me tell you right now that I hold no grudges against you, and that I personally welcome you back to the Dino Attack team. Any agent that doesn't will have to deal with me, among many others."

Zach smiled a small smile, obviously surprised at Rockford's approach. "Thanks a lot," he said. "Though I don't think it's going to be as easy as that to jump back in with you guys."

"I understand that. Trust me, I was a lawyer before all this, and I know how to help people with regrets like yours. I helped Dust himself to try and fit in with us. Now, let's try with some of the basics. I know there's a lot about your condition that could use improvements, but is there anything major you think you need."

"Eh... yeah. I don't think I need a medic and all, but..." Zach glanced at Andrew, who gestured at the former's eyes and right hand. "... but I do need some glasses or something and possibly a bit of help with my prosthetic hand." Zach pulled his hand out of Rockford's and held it up, showing off how it had seen better days.

"Not a problem." Rockford turned towards one of the agents observing the scene. Apparently, Zach was starting to attract a crowd of observers trying to get a look at the agent-turned-Stromling-turned-agent. "Get us some of the eye and prosthetic doctors here stat! Tell them Zach needs some help."

Trigger lit a cigarette and watched coldly as his fellow agents discussed. At that time, he felt like he was the only sane man among them. Not one individual seemed to be able to comprehend the fact that, within seconds of arriving, they would be quickly slaughtered by the Stromlings waiting on the other side.

There was a part of him simply wanting to get out of here find work elsewhere, but he knew the money was good and that was why they brought him here to begin with. He'd seen worse, after all, or so he believed.

Finally, he looked back to the other agents. "Look," he said. "I'm a mercenary, alright. I've actually taken several jobs against Paradox. Unfortunately, if I told you just who employed me and why, I'd probably have to kill you. The point is, if anyone knows what we're dealing with, it's me, and I'm giving you a choice. You listen to me, or you go on your MegaBlokin' ziplines and everyone gets slaughtered within the first 30 seconds achieving nothing."

Cabin was shooting a strange glance toward him. "You know, I think he might have a point," she said.

Rockford looked away from Zach for the moment and approached Trigger. "You know, that reminds me quite a bit of how Dust spoke to us," he said. "Though I'll give you credit, at least you realize what's important and not distracted by some personal quest."

"Is that meant to be an insult or compliment?" said Trigger, taking a breath from his cigarette.

"It depends. Trigger, I haven't met you before, and I don't think many of us have. And while you may be right that we haven't fought the Maelstrom in its fullest form, do know that we have several teams of agents already in that temple, including several highly experienced and veteran fighters, and call them naive and foolish, but I say that if we fight as a team with total determination, I'm positive that even the Maelstrom-"

"Etcetera, etcetera!"

Rockford gave Trigger a stern glance and grabbed his PDA. "I don't like your attitude, and by my abilities as commander, I should have the right to disregard you and continue with our team's plans, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." Switching back to the communicator function, he contacted Semick.

"Before you ask, Rockford," Semick immediately said, "I'm almost done up here."

"Good to hear. But I'm actually wanting you to help with something. We've got a man down here saying we're acting stupidly just charging into the temple, and feels like he could give us some proper advice. Want to engage in some conversation with him?"

"Put him through, let's see what he has to say."

Rockford offered Trigger the PDA. "Go on. We'll hear what you have to say." 

*****

"Hertz, what are you doing?" Naomi said slowly.

Hertz still held her hands in his, but his smile wavered. "I'm asking you to marry me, Naomi."

She withdrew her hand and turned away. Hertz jumped to his feet and turned her around so she was looking at him. "Naomi, what's wrong?" he stammered.

Tears trickled down her face. "Why are you doing this, Hertz?"

"Because I love you Naomi!" he burst. "I thought you loved me too!"

Tears were now pouring down her face. He backed away and shock his head but Naomi grabbed his shoulder. "I do love you, but I will not marry you."

"No," whispered Hertz. "No, no, no." His eyes were watering now too, and although Naomi put her arms around him, he brushed her away. "I thought we had something together."

"We do!" cried Naomi. "I have never felt this way about any guy before, but we only started dating three days ago!"

Hertz just shook his head and walked around the balcony. This could not be happening. What a fool he had made of himself. Naomi was crying because of him; he had never wanted that.

"We hardly know anything about each other," Naomi continued between sobs. "Do you know where I'm from? What my parents do? My favorite color?"

Hertz shook his head. He wanted to remain strong, but he knew he too would break down any moment.

"I don't even know your name!" yelled Naomi. "How am I supposed to say 'yes' when I don't even know your name?"

"It's Charlie," muttered Hertz.

Naomi moved around and knelt down beside Hertz. He was trying hard to not cry. He would not cry in front of her.

"Hertz, I love you so much," she said. "It's so strange feeling this way about someone I hardly know, but I do. I just want to know you more."

"But isn't that feeling enough?" said Hertz. "I could not stop thinking about you when I was away. I knew that that you were the most spectacular woman I've ever met, and I never want that feeling to go away. I want to spend my life with you, Naomi."

She brushed the tears from her eyes and frowned. "Hertz, please don't… please don't make me feel guilty."

"But I love you, Naomi."

"I LOVE YOU TOO, HERTZ!" she yelled. "Don't make this so hard for me! I hate doing this to you, but I know that if we say 'yes', we don't know what could happen."

"Does it really matter what happens, Naomi? We'll never know if you don't try!" Hertz said as he took her in her arms. "I just want to be with you."

"I'm afraid, Hertz. I'm afraid I'll hurt you more than I'm hurting you now."

Hertz pleaded and he looked her in her eyes "Come on Naomi, we can…"

Naomi looked away and pushed Hertz back. "Please just… go."

He got the message. Standing up, he looked one more time at the woman he loved. She lay on the floor crying to herself, and he longed to reach out and take her in her arms. He held out his hand to brush her hair, but then thought twice about it and withdrew it to his side.

He still struggled to control his tears. He brushed them aside and turned to walk away. Hertz vowed to try again. He would win Naomi over one day. He hoped that she could learn to trust him and that they could be together.

But now, she needed to be alone. It hurt him to see her this way, but he thought this is what she needed. In the meantime, he would deal with his own emotions. He had been rejected by the woman he loved, and that was something he would have to deal with on his own time.

Hertz picked up a bag. He would go to the Temple of Creation and help whatever way he could. She would be his reason to come back. She would be what he dedicated his fight too. He would win her over one day and he hoped she could learn to love him as much as he loved her.

*****

Trigger quickly took the PDA out of Rockford's hands and placed it to his mouth.

"You listen to me, and you listen good," Trigger said sternly. "I'm only going to say this once. You're walking into a deathtrap. While your boys were busy attaching grappling hooks and all that Znap, I actually took a look at the other side of the crevice and I have reason to believe we got an army of about a hundred Stromlings on the other side just waiting to kill us all. Now I've actually done enough work in this field to know that one Stromling is hard enough to kill, and when at the heart of the Maelstrom's power, I expect they're nearly invincible. If we go over there on grappling hooks, all that's going to happen is your guys are all going to be slaughtered within seconds before you even reach the mist. The only way to deal with them is to destroy the source of power, and unfortunately that's going to be rather difficult, given it seems to be inside the temple." 

"Well then," Hotwire interjected, "I suppose you'd suggest we take out their source of power, which requires going over on grappling hooks. Which, by your account, is futile." Trigger glared, and Hotwire removed his hat in mock veneration. "I bow to your vastly superior powers of reason."

"Look, kid," the mercenary growled. "All I'm suggesting is--"

"Don't 'kid' me," Hotwire snapped back. "I have had one rotten 4+ of a day, and to be perfectly frank I don't give a flying Znap whether I'll still be alive at the end of it so long as I know there are people fighting for the safety of this planet. And as such, your pretentious oracles of doom do nothing to deter me." 

*****

Semick processed this "Trigger's" words. He knew absolutely nothing about this agent who was not only being ruder than Dust or Stranger on one of his grouchier days combined, but was saying out of nowhere that there was an army of Stromlings waiting around to ambush the team.

"Bluetooth, can you get any good readings on the Stromling forces around the area of the temple?" Semick shouted behind him.

"Eh, not really," Bluetooth replied. "The combined elements of the sea-mist stuff, the temple itself, and whatever Stromlings are around is messing up the readings. I can't verify anything this guy is saying."

Semick took a look outside at the "island" the temple was located on. It was rather small, barely containing the temple itself on its radius, and the only agents he could see were the ones who were tending to the ziplines on the other side. Sighing gently, he pulled his mic back to his lips. "Now listen to me, Trigger. I only take orders from agents like Reptile, Hotwire, Rex, and the commanders back home. What I'm getting from you is being taken only as advisory.

"Now let me note a few things. I'm currently in one of the T-1s hovering around the temple area, and while our TALON-9 systems are a little messed up from the sheer amount of Maelstrom energy present, we can see visually that there is no Maelstrom army on the outside space surrounding the temple's island, unless they're squeezed into the shadows like clowns in a car.

"In any case, your comment about being unable to advance in is unfounded. We've already sent several teams to the island and into the temple, and the reports I'm getting is that they're already in the middle of the place helping Rex's team fight off Stromlings and XERRD scientists. Crossing this crevice to the temple is clearly not a problem, so we're getting in there to neutralize this 'source of power' you speak of.

"Even if you feel that this was all simple luck, and that further attempts to reach the temple on our zipline/bridge crossings will end in massacre, here's something else you should know: I have organized our T-1s to prepare to strategically fire upon the temple to open up the ceiling to our cover fire and surveillance. If necessary, I can even alter my plans to ferry our men across to the temple directly into the battle area. I believe that would be a viable solution, even if it isn't the best one.

"Now, feel free to comment once more, or offer us some alternative solutions to getting inside the temple, but if you have nothing left to say, I must politely ask you to step aside and let me, Rockford, and our Agents Defense Organization allies do our job."

*****

Zach looked back down at his feet as Rockford turned away and he was met with the stares and whispers of curious agents who wanted to see the Stromling that had once tried his best to kill them all.

"Hey," he heard Minerva say. "What's wrong?" He lifted his head and turned to her.

"I suppose it feels strange," he muttered. "Just molding back into the team like nothing happened. The Maelstrom tried its hardest to convince me I'd be completely ostracized from everyone else if I became a Minifig. I half-believed, but decided being a Minifig was a million times better than being a purple monster, regardless if I was shunned by everyone or not."

"Well, clearly the Maelstrom isn't as smart as it thinks it is," Minerva said with certainty. "Now would be please stop dwelling on this? At least until the Maelstrom is defeated?"

Zach smiled weakly. "I suppose." He allowed himself to be quiet as he listened to this newcomer, Trigger, arguing with Hotwire, Rockford, and was now starting in on Semick. He didn't appreciate this man's pessimistic attitude, especially since the fate of the planet was riding on the success of this mission.

"Excuse me?" a man suddenly said, tapping Zach's shoulders. "Are you Zachary?"

"Yes, I am."

"And you need glasses, right?" Zach nodded. "Well I had a friend who died in the fight at the temple and he happened to wear glasses. His body is being sent back to the outpost right now and I figured you could try on his glasses. See if they work for you." He held out a pair of spectacles in his hands. Zach took them, quickly adjusted them so they would fit around his head, and placed them on his nose.

His vision cleared up fast. However, the lenses were marked up with several scratches, obscuring his vision slightly. However, for the sake of being able to see clearly for the upcoming battle, Zach could settle with these glasses for now.

"Thank you," Zach said to the agent. He nodded in acknowledgement and walked away. "So that solves one problem. Now to fix this arm. Is Nazareno around?"

"I don't know," Minerva said. "I haven't seen him. I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed behind, though."

"Why?"

"When you shot him, it created some sort of Maelstrom-tumor on his chest that flares up around the Maelstrom. Him coming here would have sentenced him to death or worse."

Zach was silent, absorbing what Minerva just told him. Had he condemned Nazareno to death… or worse, the Maelstrom? He knew when he saw Nazareno again, he would have to somehow right his wrong.

"And Hotwire?" Zach asked, noticing the Elite Agent only had one organic leg while the other was a curved prosthetic.

"He shot his leg off to prevent Maelstrom corruption," Andrew explained. "It was during a fight with Zelda in the outpost."

"Zelda? As in Zelda Frodongan? The-"

"The spy your Stromlingself sent to watch our movements? The very one."

"She was still alive the last time I contacted her," Zach said, remembering the female Stromling.

"I think some of the medics at the outpost were going to perform experiments on her to create a better understanding of the Stromling anatomy," Laxus said.

"Hmm. I wonder if-"

Zach was cut off as he heard a nearby radio crackle to life. Many agents paused with their breathing as strained breathing suddenly came through the radio."....Vinyaya....temple," the female voice, presumably belonging to a Commander Vinyaya, said, clearly panicked or worried. "Stromlings....hidden around temple....ambush....need backup!" The sound of a blaster being fired multiple times could be heard, along with the sick cackling of many Stromlings. "Help!" Vinyaya managed to bark out before the radio went dead.

*****

Semick's blood ran cold as he heard the incoming distress call. Without a word or warning, he slammed the mic down and grabbed the controls. Within moments, he was directing the T-1 Typhoon towards the end of the temple with the bridge. In the corner of his eye, he could see other T-1 Typhoons doing the same.

Flying down close, he could see the sight that confirmed the validation of his fears. Several Stromlings were now attacking the handful of agents attending to the bridge and zipline connections. Some agents were still standing, but it was easily apparent they were being overwhelmed.

If these things can take T-1 barrage fire, Semick thought as his hand twitched onto the canon trigger, then this means this Maelstrom is ridiculously overpowered. All the more reason to get into that building by any means necessary, I suppose. He squeezed the trigger and began firing on the purple monstrosities. 

*****

Trigger crossed his arms and gave the rest of the agents a somewhat intimidating glare, as if to say "I told you so". He watched as the T-1 Typhoons seemed to gather on a target and begin firing.

"There's something else," Trigger muttered. "Something's going on. Normally the Maelstrom would have already launched its attacks against us. I think there's someone in control. Zach, I haven't been around here long, but word is fast that you were a Stromling, right?"

Zach nodded, nervously.

"Someone else is here," continued Trigger. "You know what I think? There was someone else on your MegaBlokin' team. The Maelstrom decided to infect someone, probably the last person anyone would expect. A nobody, a loner, someone who mostly went unnoticed, a common mechanic maybe. Now that Zach's gone, it left a power vacuum, and our mystery friend's taken over."

"How do you know that?" Hotwire asked.

"Because if the Maelstrom were leading them, they would have killed us already," replied Trigger. "Believe me when I say you don't want to know how I know that." 

"You can't claim absolute certainty on that, though," said Hotwire. "The Maelstrom has never been active on this planet prior to this war. Who's to say it hasn't adjusted its tactics?"

"It's chaos incarnate," Trigger said authoritatively. "Killing is what it does."

"It's chaos incarnate -- so why should we expect it to work the same way all the time?" Rockford interjected.

"Regardless, time's up," said Hotwire. "Our friends are dying over there, and we can't just stand by and let it happen."

"You're really going to throw your lives away so thoughtlessly?" Trigger cried angrily.

Hotwire ignored him, limping as quickly as he could to keep up with Rockford and Zach and the others as they jogged towards the bridge. Hotwire paused for breath, his stump leg burning in pain. Suddenly the day's events finally caught up to him -- the fight at the outpost, the battle at the temple, leaping out of a T-1 Typhoon -- and he collapsed to the ground as the suppressed and ignored pain finally outweighed the adrenaline that had kept him going.

Helm noticed the elite agent's sudden absence, looked back and swore. Rockford, Zach, and Minerva also paused. Helm grabbed his PDA. "Osprey, Semick, anyone, we've got a bit of a problem. Hotwire's just passed out. Think he might be in shock or something."

"Acknowledged," Osprey responded. "I'll get him onto my Aerial Defense Unit. We still have some fresh medkits, and he'll be marginally safer up here than on the ground." Within a minute, the Agents captain descended on a winch, grabbed the unconscious Dino Attack agent, and hoisted him up to the helicopter above. 

"Your funeral, you sons of 4+ Figures," Trigger muttered as he watched the agents get into action. "What about you, Cabin?"

"I'm not sure," replied the elite agent pilot. "You raise some good points, but there's still no chance of getting to the source without going through those Stromlings. Something's gotta be done."

"Yeah, well, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm not diving headfirst into a bunch of MegaBlokin' Stromlings."

"Wait a minute," said Cabin. "We already got agents in there. We don't need to risk our own lives."

"You kiddin'?" replied Trigger. "You already got people in the temple?"

Cabin nodded.

"They're dead already," decided Trigger. "That Rex wouldn't stand a chance in his wheelchair. If I had my way, he'd have been discharged the moment he lost his legs. Even if they're not, there's no getting out of there."

"What do you mean?" asked Cabin.

"What we got," suggested Trigger, "if my observations are correct, is some kind of non-Euclidean structure. It's kinda hard to explain, but the Maelstrom exists in multiple planes, like a multidimensional entity. The temple itself can be changed at will. The Maelstrom constantly changes the interior structure so that nobody inside can get out.

"Where'd you read that?" Cabin asked.

"A bunch of notes I stole from Paradox," replied Trigger. "Look, I know this is interesting, but I can't tell you what I did. If my employers found out, they'd be sending bounty hunters halfway across the galaxy to kill me. I can't even divulge my real name."

"I was just going to say that maybe they could do it," said Cabin.

"Not likely," said Trigger. "Even if we can get in touch with them, whoever's running these things out here is probably keeping them occupied inside." 

Stranger watched as most of the agents began to head off towards the bridge and ziplines towards the temple. He was standing back for the moment, ensuring that his sniper rifle was ready and the scope was functioning. Satisfied, he gazed towards Buddy.

"Agent squabbling that only gets cut short by attack interruption," Stranger remarked. "Never gets old." His Lizard companion seemed to snicker, and began to head off to follow the flow. Soon he was getting closer to Trigger, who was conversing with Cabin over something about dimensions and doomed agents.

Stranger was impressed with this new guy. Thinking practically, objectively, and seemed to be quite experienced at shooting things. Though he did seem to have a real problem with conversing to the others, mostly due to a lack of sympathy greater than Stranger's own. At least the latter had respect for comrades and willing to help them out. This guy was alienating himself by his interest in getting paid for helping the team out (By who? Stranger thought. We're certainly not getting paid by the team, considering protecting our planet from being overrun or destroyed is motivation enough), and it wasn't exactly helping him get through to the others. The guy needed some advice.

"Care for a little chat?" Stranger asked as he reached the agent's side.

"I suppose," Trigger responded. "Though I figure you're busy rushing to your death right now."

"Actually, I'm thinking more practically," Stranger said as he held up his sniper rifle.

Trigger eyed it with slight interest. "Hmph. Guess there's more than one sane man here."

"We're hard to find, but we're definitely around. But I'll be frank with you, you didn't do a good job back there. Being outright disrespectful and blunt is going to get you nowhere with these guys."

"Their problem that they can't accept the reality of the situation."

"Yeah, but you're not exactly the best messenger for the truth. Take my advice: just roll with whatever they do and do what you can to keep their backs clean with cover fire. Recognize who's currently the boss and don't outright call them fools for being idealists. Keep doing what you're doing, and you'll end up like Dust: distrusted and glared at each time you enter the room. Change up your approach a bit, and you'll end up as something closer to Rotor: a little erratic, but still a reliable ally."

*****

As Zach stepped on to the bridge, it creaked painfully. Yeah, ziplines are a good idea. This bridge seemed to be just waiting to collapse, and having too many agents walking across it didn't seem like a grand idea. But the zipline was a risky move, especially without backup at the temple end of it.

He pulled the handgun off his belt with his left hand. It felt awkward and strange, but knew he'd have to deal with it. He looked ahead and saw with great surprise a brown-haired Minifig far ahead of the rest of the agents wearing a white coat. He was near the temple-end of the bridge and was firing a machine gun rapidly at the Stromlings that attacked the Agents and Dino Attack agents. A quick look above showed the T-1 Typhoon and Aerial Defense Unit fleet also firing upon the Stromlings, sometimes striking the temple with a stray blast.

As the rest of the team rushed past the white-coated man, who had seized fire to let the agents pass, Zach paused long enough to see that the man was a medic. "What are you doing fighting, medic?!"

"I was keeping an eye on a patient, thank you," the man barked in a semi-high-pitched voice, his bushy mustache shaking with anger. "I'll do my job when you start doing your job!" Zach scowled at the medic, but nodded and headed into the fight.

He saw a Stromling furiously firing its weapon-fused arm at an Agent. Zach tried to aim and fired three shots. Each shot completely missed its target, and the Agent was shot down by the Stromling. Zach growled, his anger growing.

"Forget this," he remarked. He holstered the gun and pulled out the knife instead. He ran forward and swung the knife at the Stromling's chest. A deep, somewhat sloppy cut buried in its chest, the Stromling collapsed. Zach glanced at the knife. I guess this will do for now.

He looked up. The helicopters seized much of their fire. There was very little fighting space in front of the temple, making it very easy to accidentally shoot a friendly. Zach swung his knife wildly as another Stromling charged at him. Heh, I used to be one of these guys. Less braindead though, but still, Zach reflected as he watched the Stromling he cut die. Oh well, keep fighting. 

*****

Osprey had been fairly lucky in the battle at Hotep's Temple -- Phoenix and Cyrus had been the only disguised Stromlings in his crew, so he still had a pilot and a gunner, which was fortunate, given that he had very little experience with aerial vehicles. However, he felt a slight twinge of guilt that his luck had come at the expense of the unconscious Dino Attack elite agent he had just hauled on board.

"Follow the lead of the T-1s," he called towards the cockpit as he sealed the side door of the Aerial Defense Unit, "and concentrate your fire on the Stromlings on the island." His stomach lurched slightly as the helicopter soared above the crevasse and descended quickly to spray the Stromlings with its fire. By the dim glow of the interior lights, Osprey cracked open a medkit and began attempting to revive Hotwire. 

*****

Hertz was in no mood to talk about his problems with Doctor Saran. Although the psychologist would likely confront him and say that it was unhealthy to keep his feelings bottled up, he had made an effort to avoid him on the way out of the base.

Not many of the vehicles remained in the lot, but Hertz was able to locate a Steel Sprinter parked in the shadows. The cast on his arm prohibited some movement, but he had enough articulation to steer the ATV away from the outpost and toward the Temple of Creation.

It was then that his emotions took hold. He cried most of the two and half miles to the Temple of Creation.

On the way, he passed the still-smoldering remains of the XERRD Fortress. It had been days since that building had fallen. It felt like only yesterday that he had sat in that tent with Lutsky while Rotor had given the order to open fire with agents still inside.

That was when he felt he had truly matured. He had showed that day that he no longer would deal with the commander's nonsense. And he had stated his mind in the defense of the voiceless.

And then the mutants attacked. Naomi had almost died that day, and Hertz had fought to save her. It was after that that their relationship began.

As Hertz stared at the ruins, it dawned on him that this battle predated his love for Naomi. The rubble still smoked, but he had felt the time was right to make one of the most important calls in his life.

I'm such an idiot.

Hertz shook his head in shame and continued on his way. By the time he arrived at the Maelstrom lake, all signs of his tears had been erased from his face.

The temple was barely visible through the clouds, but T-1 Typhoons filled the sky and agents were taking position along the cliff face. He recognized Shotgun taking position with his sniper rifle and teams heading across the rickety bridge.

Taking up most of the area was the Reclaimer. Visible in the window was the handcuffed Carl Lutsky. He appeared to be in a scintillating conversation, but Hertz did not glimpse another person anywhere nearby.

He had no idea what Lutsky had done to be put in handcuffs, but he assumed he deserved it. Hertz had always hated Lutsky for his disregard for human life, and he was happy he was somewhere where he could no longer hurt anybody.

Resolving to confront the commander at a later time, Hertz meandered around until he found commander Rockford and agent Cabin. They were in a heated conversation with a man named Trigger.

"I tell you guys, this mission is a mistake. You seriously better rethink your strategy if you intend to get out of this with more than a handful of agents," said Trigger.

"You just don't get it, do you, Trigger?" sighed Rockford. "We're here because we care. Because we care, we're willing to take risks."

"Well, that's the difference, isn't it?" said Trigger, chuckling. "I don't care. I'm in it for the money."

"What's this guy doing here?" asked Hertz. "What's this about being paid? The money's not even that good; most of us volunteered."

Trigger grinned maliciously. "Look, kid, you're welcome to be an idealist, but you better realize that your hope for a bright future will one day implode. You'll be wishing you could make a difference while I sit in my sports car with money in my pocket."

Hertz rolled his eyes. "Great, the island sent us another Dust."

"Look," replied Trigger. "I'm not going to stop you. You boys want to go ahead and get slaughtered while your precious planet is destroyed by some MegaBlokin' purple mist, you just go right ahead. I'll take the first shuttle I can get off this rock and find work elsewhere if I have to. I just thought, when I got this offer, it would be far more interesting than busting up criminals for the Space Police." 

"No one is asking you to be here," shot back Hertz. "If all you're going to do is be negative and shoot down morale, then you'd better go."

Rockford interjected, "Hertz has a point, Trigger. We have enough cynics on the team. If you have something helpful, by all means spit it out, but if you're only here to provide wisecracks, then I don't have time for that."

Elite agent Cabin frowned. "Now Rockford, let's not be driving away a good fighter. At this stage, we can use every man we got."

"Well, we're sorry," muttered Hertz. "But from what experience has showed us, people like him only cause trouble. If he's going to be anything like Lutsky or Dust, and I bet money he will, he'll only be a distraction and divide the team. We can't afford to not work as a unit now; we need to work together. If we don't, then Trigger's right: we are doomed to failure."

Trigger motioned to comment but Rockford turned to him. "So agent, are you willing to take orders? Or do we have to deal with you being a jerk? I remind you that you're not irreplaceable to us. If you chose to leave, there are plenty of other dedicated agents to take your place."

*****

Commander Vinyaya snarled as she shot a Stromling away from her. She had been focused on setting up the zipline with several other agents, and they hadn't noticed the Stromlings appear. They almost appeared out of nowhere, and Vinyaya wouldn't doubt if they did appear out of nowhere.

The Stromlings had made quick work of most of the Agents and Dino Attack agents around here. She was barely able to communicate her distress as Stromlings came upon her rapidly and furiously. And as she kicked another Stromling away, Vinyaya knew she would've died soon enough if she hadn't gotten the message out. Now Dino Attack and Agents were trying to push back the Stromlings.

The Stromlings were rather easy to kill. A few well-placed shots and they dropped like rocks. However, more Stromlings seemed to just appear and take their fallen comrades' places. It was becoming a nuisance, and Vinyaya sorely hoped that they would just stop appearing.

She gasped as a Stromling suddenly struck her side. She fell to the ground, clutching her wound. Without armor, she was much more vulnerable than she would like to admit. The Stromling revealed a crooked evil grin as it aimed its gun arm at her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

Then she heard the sickly sound of flesh being torn. Vinyaya opened her eyes and saw a blade sticking out of the Stromling's body. The blade slid out, and the zombie collapsed. Behind the monster was a rugged-looking, red-haired Dino Attack agent wearing scratched glasses. He extended a metallic golden hand and helped the commander back to her feet. Vinyaya shivered as the hand twitched furiously in her grip.

She looked at her savior curiously. His face showed sign of fatigue and lack of sleep. Beneath the worn, defeated look, Vinyaya could detect furious determination in the young man. And yet, he seemed eerily familiar. Someone she recently saw.

"Are you alright?" the man asked as he eyed the skirmish at the footsteps of the Maelstrom Temple.

"Just another injury to add to the others," Vinyaya responded gruffly.

The man smirked at this. "I know what you mean. Now let's finish these guys off and get into the temple."

Vinyaya nodded, and she and the man reentered the fight. 

*****

There was a moment of silence as Trigger turned and paced. He crossed his arms and then reached for his gun.

"Well," he said. "You got the weapons and the team. I got the experience. If anyone's going to be able to get you across, it's me. Now, for the Stromlings on the other side, we're going to need some help from your friends already inside the temple. If they can weaken the source of the Maelstrom's energy, it will weaken the Stromlings, hopefully just enough that we can actually kill them." 

"I'm sure they'll have no problem with that," said Rockford. "I'm willing guess that they might already be close to finding out how to neutralize-"

The commander's PDA started to go off, alerting of an audio transmission. Rockford held his hand up as he went to answer it. He noted that it was Semick as he took the call. "How's it looking?"

"Stromlings are respawning fast, but with the agents over there now, we should get the problem contained quickly." Rockford noted how Trigger, overhearing a bit of the conversation, rolled his eyes. "Hope they can get the ziplines open, though; I don't trust that bridge farther than I can throw it. Anyways, due to the crowd of friendlies, I had to have the T-1s stand down for the most part. We are now going through with our plan to blow the roof in before the rest of the men start heading in. Are you ready to give out a warning?"

Rockford glanced at Trigger again. He figured that the guy was convinced that most of the team's ideas would likely end up as failures, plus he likely already understood the huge risk being taken. Besides, he was starting to tire of handling him. Under the circumstances, he wasn't in a position to have arguments like the ones he had had with Dust about team spirit.

"Yes, I am," Rockford said as he headed to a Fire Hammer to get to a proper radio. "Once I have the transmission out, feel free to start the countdown to blowing up."

"Understood. Getting into position now."

*****

Laxus knew that there wasn't anything to really see below the bridge as he and Andrew crossed it, but he still didn't want to look down regardless.

The two had stopped briefly to grab some new weapons left lying around in a near-busted Iron Predator the Dino Attack agents had been using as a makeshift armory, and were thus now among the back flow of the agents crossing the bridge.

Laxus wasn't confident in its strength since the moment he saw it. Aged wood and rope were a lot less steady than Earth or Martian rock, and a crossing like this, over what was virtually a canyon of unknown depth shrouded by purple stuff, was asking for a lot of faith. But with the ziplines unguarded and the T-1 Typhoons busy, it was the only way across.

So Laxus kept his hands close to his rifle and kept his eyes on Andrew. It would be good to be fighting alongside him again. Things had been a little boring without him, even with all the fighting that had been goin-

SNAP!

Laxus's heart stopped as he received the sudden shock and involuntary gasp from his leg going through thin air. He made a grab for the next plank with his hands and felt his other leg get a slight twist as it hung on the previous plank, leaving him a few slips away from tumbling into the mist below. It made him regret for a moment that Martians had such a thin build.

Luckily his distress had not gone unnoticed, and within moments Andrew managed to get ahold of his companion's arms and helped to pull him to relative safety.

"That was too close," Laxus said as he took several rapid breaths.

"I concur," Andrew responded. "Let's hurry this up. I don't want to stay on this bridge much longer. I think it's close to death throes."

Grabbing their weapons, dropped when the brief incident occurred from the shock of their moment, the two agents got a move on at a more rapid pace than before. 

*****

"That's not going to work," Trigger said coldly. "You can bomb that temple to Znapping ashes and you're not going to find anything."

Rockford turned toward him. "Why not?" he asked

"Because like I said, the Maelstrom can reconfigure the inside of that temple however it wants," replied Trigger. "Think of that temple like it's another plane of existence. You blow a hole in the roof, and it can simply alter the interior so that you can't get inside through the roof. The Maelstrom's a Znapping Lovecraftian horror existing in multiple dimensions. Once you're in that temple, you're no longer in this reality; you're in the Maelstrom's reality, one that it can alter at will to mess with the minds of those who enter. You'll just get lost in the endless MegaBlokin' corridors complete with projections meant to play off your own personal fears."

"Perhaps," said Rockford. "But Semick's managed to pick up the readings of our agents from within the temple, so I think it's at least in our plane of existence. At the least, we can either prove or debunk your theory."

Without waiting to hear another word, Rockford climbed into the Fire Hammer and switched on the radio. Setting it to the All-Agents Bulletin PDA frequency, he began his warning.

"Attention all Dino Attack agents within the Maelstrom Temple! This is Commanding Agent Rockford, giving a warning to watch your heads! Elite Agent Semick had decided to direct all T-1 Typhoon firepower towards the roof of the temple, hoping to blast it open and get visual contact with the bulk of Dino Attack efforts! After this message ends, you'll have thirty seconds before the T-1 barrage begins. If it proves successful, there is likely to be much falling rock, so we implore you to be prepared and keep your helmets on! That is all." 

*****

The noise of cannon fire could faintly be heard in the distance. Amongst all the confusion, Garry was hiding behind a pillar next to Rotor.

"What is all that?" Garry asked.

"I'd imagine it's your teammates trying to break in," came the familiar voice of Palmer as he stepped toward them. Garry started to raise his gun, only to have it knocked out of his hand.

"You won't get away," Garry muttered.

"You still don't get it, do you?" replied Palmer. "They can't get to us that simply. They can do all they want to the temple; all they'll do is seal the entrance. Nobody goes in, nobody goes out. Tell me, did you really think you were still in the real world? You're in the Maelstrom's reality. This is what the Maelstrom says it is, and it can be warped and altered at will. The only way your pathetic teammates can get in is through the front door." 

*****

Once they were in the privacy of the Fire Hammer, Rockford turned to Hertz. "Is there any evidence that what Trigger is saying is true?"

Hertz shrugged. "I'm not a theoretical physicist commander. If the Maelstrom does reside on multiple planes of existence, I would not be the one to ask. It would certainly explain why it is so difficult to destroy, however."

"Is there any way to find out?" asked Rockford. "I don't know whether Trigger is the most reliable source for this kind of intel."

"I agree," said Hertz. "He's a fighter and a soldier, but I see no reason why he would know something about the Maelstrom that many of our scientists don't."

"I'll have some of our people do a background check," said Rockford. "I really don't know where these people come from. It seems like our team is filled with a lot of shady characters."

"There are some tests that we could do to check on the nature of the Maelstrom," considered Hertz. "If I can get inside, I think I've watched enough episodes of LOST to do some simple tests."

Rockford chucked. "I don't know if you should go in there. The place is going ballistic in roughly twenty seconds. I doubt that's enough time to run conclusive tests."

"I should tell you that bringing the ceiling down may not be the best choice," said Hertz. "The chance of not hurting the Maelstrom aside, we're likely to suffer causalities from falling debris. This thing could turn into the battle of the XERRD Fortress all over again."

"I trust Semick to make the right call far more then I trust Rotor," responded Rockford. "Besides, we have less than a dozen agents inside. I imagine they will want air support as soon as possible."

"The problem is a lack of communication," said Hertz. "Communication happens to be my area of expertise. If I go inside, I will provide a clearer picture and maybe even map the area out."

"That's futile," said Rockford, crossing his arms. "The Maelstrom effects the perception of our surroundings."

"Our perception, perhaps," Hertz said with a smile, "but not our technology. I have sonar equipment that uses waves to provide clear data of its surroundings. If I got inside, I can map the temple and provide a safe way in and out."

"You don't know what's in there, Hertz," said Rockford. "You're not a field agent, and there are more Stromlings there than we have ever seen."

"I have some field experience. And I can probably provide better intel then anyone on this team," argued Hertz.

Rockford seemed to consider. He put a hand on Hertz's shoulder. "I would never ask anyone to do something I would not do myself. If you think you can be a help to our men inside, I'm not going to stop you."

Hertz nodded his head. "Thank you, commander." He picked up a rifle and backpack containing his equipment before heading to the bridge.

Before he could set foot on the rotten planks, Rockford called out to him. "Hertz, you'll be wanting this." Rockford tossed Hertz a helmet, which he expertly caught one handed. He smiled before flipping down the visor and stepping over the edge.

Trigger watched for a moment as Hertz began to cross the old rickety bridge. He sighed, reached for his gun, and cocked it. "Alright," Trigger said. "I'm going in. If anyone can get through this, it's me. Anyone coming?"

Reluctantly, Cabin and Snake approached, and they followed Trigger as he walked toward the bridge. 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 49: Architect of Darkness

----

Zach sliced away at another Stromling. I'm getting better at this, he silently remarked. His swings were slowly becoming less sloppy and more precise. As if he was using his right hand.

Beside him, the woman he had saved fired her laser pistol at any Stromling she had saw. She wore a light-blue jumpsuit with multiple tears. Her face had numerous bruises, but Zach doubted they had come from the Stromlings they were fighting presently. She had long blonde hair that touched her shoulders that was mangy and had bits of dirt in it. I imagine she's seen quite a bit in the last couple of hours. He watched in awe as the woman suddenly smacked a Stromling with her pistol, knocking it to the ground. Before it could get up, the woman broke its neck. Impressive.

He turned to say something to her when he heard a voice call out his name. He turned and found himself trapped in Minerva's embrace. The blonde-haired woman watched with interest and surprise.

"I lost you and-" Minerva started say as she pulled away.

"I am capable of taking care of myself, you know," Zach said, rolling his eyes.

"Zach, you've barely been a Minifig for an hour. I'm just-"

"-worried?" Zach finished, smiling at her. "I am aware that I am not in my peak strength, but I am holding up rather fine. But I suppose if you're going to be worried, you might as well be worried while fighting next to me." Minerva revealed a small smile.

"Excuse me," the blonde-haired woman suddenly interjected. "Did I hear that right? Your name is Zach?" He nodded. "As in Zachary Virchaus?"

Zach could see this was going down a bad path. He tapped his fingers against the hilt of his knife as he nodded again. The woman's expression changed from surprise to anger, and she raised the pistol, pointing it at Zach's chest. "I saw this coming," Zach muttered as he heard Minerva gasp.

"Shut up!" the woman yelled. "Drop your weapon, now!" Zach scowled, but dropped the knife.

"Commander," Minerva said slowly. "He's not a Stromling anymore. He's on our side."

The commander ignored Minerva. "Remember me, Virchaus?"

"No, I don't. Care to remind me?"

"The Space Police officer you fought at camp."

"Oh, I see. Hard to recognize without the armor. Vinyaya, right?" He knew his bored tone was not helping him get in good spirits with this woman. However, he couldn't help himself. He didn't really want to deal with this now.

"Yes," the commander growled. "It sounds like you tricked Fabello into believing you are a minifig."

"Oh, yes, that's definitely it," Zach responded sarcastically. "She and Andrew didn't go into the Temple of Hotep III and save my life. Yep, that's why I clearly still have a Cosmotronic Ray attached to my right arm." Vinyaya's scowl deepened as Zach continued to talk. "But of course, what do I know? Clearly you know who I am, Vinyaya."

"Zach!" Minerva hissed. "Shut up! You are not helping yourself right now." She turned to Commander Vinyaya. "He is a Minifig. Andrew and me did save him." Vinyaya raised an eyebrow. Zach believed that if Minerva hadn't been with Andrew, Vinyaya would've blown up over Minerva abandoning the mission to save him. "Besides, he's clearly fighting Stromlings in this fight."

"I saved your life from a Stromling," Zach said coldly.

Vinyaya squinted at him for a moment, as if to try and evaluate him. Finally, she sighed and lowered her weapon. "I'm still not happy," Vinyaya said. Zach's face expressed similar sentiments. "I'm just sick of these Stromlings. You, Zelda, Colonel..."

"What did Colonel do?" Zach asked, remembering the Stromling who had once been his loyal servant.

"He beat me too a pulp until I shot him. He is where these injuries came from," Vinyaya gestured to the bruises that covered her face.

"I'm sorry," Zach said. He was sincere, but how he said it suggested otherwise. "It's a long story that I can explain later, but now, you're going to have to trust me. I want to stop the Maelstrom and XERRD just as much as you." He extended his right hand. Vinyaya looked at Zach with a face of slight disgust, but nodded in resignation and shook his hand once.

As she turned away from them to keep fighting, Minerva turned Zach toward her. "What was that?" Minerva asked, unamused.

"What?"

"That sarcastic cynical stuff," Minerva said, crossing her arms. "Are you trying to get killed? If you had done that to someone much sterner than Vinyaya, you would be dead."

"I know." He sighed and wiped sweat away from his forehead. "I don't know what came over me. I'll make sure to cut down on the sarcasm toward my superiors. I'm going to have a bad time with someone like Lutsky."

"He isn't a commander anymore," Minerva said. "The Elite Agents got tired of him and his extremism and demoted him."

"Good. He was a terrible commander anyway. Now I don't have to feel bad about being a jerk to him as much." They both laughed at this. Zach looked up and saw the T-1 Typhoons and Aerial Defense Units suddenly change positions. They moved away from the battle at the temple entrance to around the Maelstrom Temple itself. The weapons on the helicopters were all aimed at the temple.

"Looks like they are about to blow a hole in the place," Zach noted, pointing to the fleet.

Minerva looked up and nodded.

"Perhaps that will distract these Stromlings long enough," Zach said as he bent down to pick up his knife, "for us to enter the temple."

Minerva shrugged, and then held out the Injection Saw. "You know, I really hate this thing. I was barely able to hold up against you, and even though these guys clearly are not as intelligent as you, it feels sloppy and wrong."

"Then take this," Zach handed her the gun and the magazines he had picked up from Sherlock and Stranger's Fire Hammer. "I can't shoot at all with my left hand." Minerva smiled as she accepted the weapon and ammo. Once she was set, the two turned back to battle, determined to defeat these Stromlings. 

*****

Dr. Cyborg's team ran into the Maelstrom's chamber, but then everybody else but their squad disappeared. They were the only ones in the chamber, which was empty and containing no Maelstrom. It was a dead end.

"Maelstrom, reveal yourself!" Dr. Cyborg commanded.

"No, it won't," a Stromling in the corner said. "I will speak for it."

"Let us into the main chamber!" Katerina said.

"Why? What's in it for the Maelstrom?" the Stromling replied.

Dr. Cyborg cast around for a reason appealing to the Maelstrom.  "Well, you could corrupt us easier at the vortex," Cyborg replied.

"Be honest. You really want to help your friends. But fine. The Maelstrom accedes to your request. It should be amusing." The Stromling disappeared, and a door opened in the side wall, through which the real main chamber could be seen. The team entered. 

The battle continued to rage in the Maelstrom Temple chamber as the Dino Attack Team reinforcements arrived. The sounds of guns and lasers firing, rockets exploding, magic whizzing by, and the occasional corny one-liner that did not sound as awesome as Rick "Adventure" Spherus had hoped filled the chamber.

Rex watched from his wheelchair as Frank Einstein confronted Michelle Gladys. With the latter teleporting all over the chamber in flashes of orange and blue light, they fired rockets at each other whenever they could. Rex could see that Einstein actually was not interested in killing Gladys; he was just buying time so that he could figure out how to use the temple's Imagination to destroy the Maelstrom for once and for all.

"You are weak, Einstein," Gladys taunted in a monotone voice. "You always have been. Your emotions and inexplicable attachment to the girl make you a weak fool."

"Take off your petty facade," mused Einstein. "You may try acting all emotionless, but I know who you really are. You believe that you are invincible, but that's just a designation that you have placed upon yourself. Deep down, you harbor the bitter, anger, and sad feelings of a poor little girl who was lonely."

"Oh, look at that," Gladys retorted in a way that would have sounded sarcastic if it were not so monotone. "You've just shattered my heart into little pieces and set them on fire. Is that what you want me to say? Do you think my feelings matter? No, I suppose not."

"Come now," continued Einstein. "Emotions are what make us Minifig, what makes us who we are. You could have had friends if you wanted to. But you chose to become bitter and unlikeable, justifying it through your misconception that emotions make you weak. It's all one big mistake, Chell."

"Shut up," snapped Gladys, who teleported right next to Einstein. Her face appeared as bored as ever, except for that slight twitch that suggested that she was holding back a scowl. "You are the mistake. A mathematical error I am about to-"

Rex saw Dr. Einstein's eyes widen. "No!" the scientist cried out. "Get out of here!"

Rex strained his neck to look over his shoulder. He was surprised to see Lord Sam Sinister von Barron stumble into the chamber, followed by Greybeard and Frozeen. In Sinister's hand was what appeared to be a Brickonium Energy Crystal, but it glowed with a purple aura. The Lord von Barron opened his mouth to speak, but then the crystal glowed even brighter than before.

Suddenly, the miniature Maelstrom vortex in the chamber seemed to increase tenfold in size. A wave of dark purple energy knocked everyone back like a howling wind, so powerful it nearly tore them apart. Bolts of lightning shot out from the Maelstrom vortex as a form began to take shape in the center of the black hole.

At first, there was only a pair of eyes, glowing bright violet in the darkness. Then, the rest of the figure appeared, taking on the distinct form of a Minifig in a top hat. He wore a long, black suit jacket and carried a jeweled scepter in one hand. The Minifig's face bore sideburns, a goatee, and crow's feet, and for a moment Rex thought it was Dr. Rex. But when Rex studied his features, he saw that the Minifig was much older, with a look of chaos and madness in his eyes that made Dr. Rex look like a sane man in comparison.

"In sleep," the figure in the Maelstrom said in a hypnotic sing-song tone, "I spoke to you. In dreams, I came. That voice which calls to you and speaks your name."

Lord Sam Sinister froze. "And do I dream again? For now I find… the Darkitect is here, not in my mind."

The figure in the Maelstrom smiled and laughed coldly. "Yes. The Darkitect. That is what they call me now."

"I… I recognize you now!" shouted Dr. Einstein. "You're Baron Typhonus! You're one of the four explorers who discovered Planet Crux – you're the one who created the Spider Boss – the Maelstrom!"

"Indeed," said Baron Typhonus, nodding. "You always knew I was there, although you were always too afraid to admit it. You clung your beliefs to the old legends, that I had perished that fateful day on Crux. Yes, my… pet did not see me as its master, but when it dragged me into the Imagination Nexus, I became far more powerful than I could have ever possibly imagine! I control the limitless potential of chaos, and even now I show the universe just how much greater Imagination is when it exists free of rules."

"Though destruction?" spat Frank Einstein. A bolt of lightning flew out of the Maelstrom vortex, striking Dr. Einstein. The scientist flew across the chamber, hit the far wall, and crumpled to the floor.

"You Assembly builders think you're so elitist," said Baron Typhonus, chuckling. "You think you know everything there is to know about Imagination in its purest form. But you cling onto the pathetic code of honor established by the First Builders, and so you have no idea of its true potential."

"That's…" wheezed Einstein, "where you're wrong…!"

"Oh, yes, I am forgetting something," Baron Typhonus conceded with a smirk. "You're Paradox, too. Tapping into the Maelstrom in a futile effort to understand it. But you are simply an observer… it's one thing to study the Maelstrom, it's another to be the Maelstrom!"

Kate Bishop rushed to Dr. Einstein, helping him to his feet. "And you, Kate Bishop," continued Baron Typhonus, "such an innocent and pretty little thing. Lied to and deceived by everyone you know… your mother Sarah, who never told you what happened to your uncle Wallace; this man Einstein, who stole your uncle's identity and has proven himself to be a traitor that no one can trust… and you, deceiving yourself this entire time, thinking that you'll survive your mistake of joining the Dino Attack Team, a rash error made on poor judgment and an inability to realize the true horrors of war. Of course, things always are significantly worse when your commanding officer spends his free time abusing children." Rotor winced at that last comment.

"And you, Peter Abody," Baron Typhonus said as he turned his attention to Frozeen. "How does it feel knowing that your past is so heavily linked to the Brickster? Did your time as 'the phantom' teach you that you cannot hide from your past? Are you still trying to forget about what you did to your old friend, Rebel Drone?"

Frozeen's face paled. "That wasn't me!" he insisted. "I wasn't-"

Baron Typhonus laughed. "I see you are still trying to blame it on the so-called 'Baron von Brickthief'. I guess your time as the phantom taught you nothing after all."

"What do you want?" snapped Rex.

The Baron turned his attention towards Rex. "Ah, if it isn't Elite Agent Rex. Once, you had power and respect. And now, what are you? A cripple. And worse. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time really is a 4+ Figure, isn't it?"

Rex was confused, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dr. Einstein's eyes widen. "Oh?" mused the Baron. "You haven't told him? And here, I thought that friendship was based upon honesty. But then again, Einstein, your reputation for honesty is far from clean, isn't it? No matter, I can show him… myself!"

Behind him, Rex heard Amanda Claw gasp and jump back. Rex looked down and was startled by what he saw: purple tendrils of Maelstrom energy wrapping around his legs. They moved like tentacles, but brushed against his body like a gentle breeze. Before he could do anything, his lower half was completely enveloped in Maelstrom energy.

"Now, rise," commanded Baron Typhonus.

A surge of energy rushed through Rex's legs. Instantly, Rex felt life in his once-lifeless limbs. Slowly and hesitantly, he wiggled his left foot. Gripping his handlebars for support, Rex slowly rose from his wheelchair and felt the temple floor meet his feet. Looking down upon himself, Rex realized he was standing. Standing! A thrill of joy, life, and energy rushed through his entire being. "How did you…?" murmured Rex, amazed.

"Rex, no," whispered Amanda. "It's a trick, don't trust him."

Rex turned back to face Amanda, and he saw that her expression was full of concern. This snapped him back to LEGO Planet. He knew he could trust her; they had learned during the LEGO Island mission the importance of complete honesty. Baron Typhonus, this shady being who created the Maelstrom, could not be trusted. Slowly, Rex turned to face the Baron once more. "You still haven't answered my question," he muttered grimly. "What do you want?"

"To speak," replied Baron Typhonus, turning his attention back towards Lord Sam Sinister, "with you, as one former baron to another. You remind me much of myself when I was your age… ambitious, proud, unafraid to do what must be done. So full of potential for greatness. In fact, this is a most rare occasion… I see you have brought me the Maelstrom Crystal, just as I asked of you."

Lord Sam Sinister nodded grimly, glancing down at the purple crystal in his hand.

"No," whispered Dr. Einstein.

"Do you know what is so special about this crystal?" explained Baron Typhonus. "It was created by XERRD, while they still worked for Paradox, from crystallized samples of Maelstrom discovered at the ruins of the Mythran Temple on Crux Prime… the site where I had created both the Spider Boss and the Maelstrom so many years ago, now the one place in the whole universe where the Maelstrom is at its absolute full power. Since it was created from these immensely powerful energies, the Maelstrom Crystal contains an incredibly high concentration of Maelstrom. All the Maelstrom you see here, in this temple, is a mere fraction of the power contained in this crystal. It was created so that XERRD could have an ample amount of Maelstrom to study while on LEGO Planet, where my influence is not so great. However, it proved far too powerful and volatile, and when XERRD foolishly brought it to this Temple of Creation so that they may study its power, it reacted violently with the Imagination and corrupted this temple. To keep the corruption from spreading too quickly, XERRD locked away the Maelstrom Crystal in a pyramid on the other side of the island... but then, by no coincidence, it fell into your hands, Lord von Barron."

"The crystal of Crux..." realized Frozeen, whose eyes widened.

Sam Sinister frowned. "You have told me that you wanted this crystal," he said, "but why?"

"Don't you see?" said Baron Typhonus, grimacing. "My powers, even here, are far too weak. Although the Maelstrom Crystal corrupted most of the Imagination in this temple, just enough remains trapped in that orb, just enough to keep me at bay, just enough to contain my powers. If I am to extend my influence beyond this temple, I must overcome this barrier. Of course, since I grow more powerful with every passing day, I could wait it out until my presence here is strong enough to overcome this obstacle myself, but that would take far too long. The Maelstrom Crystal… it still contains such a high concentration of Maelstrom from Crux Prime that it can easily blotch out the Imagination and let me have my way. Of course, my energies would grow so powerful it could destroy everyone in this temple, but I'd hate to see such potential in you wasted. So, I shall spare you, Lord von Barron, but only if you pass this test of loyalty. Give me the Maelstrom Crystal, and your destiny shall be sealed. You shall become my ally, and I shall grant you more power than you could ever possibly imagine. We were both once merely barons… and you, like me, can become something so much greater. Give me the Maelstrom Crystal."

"Don't listen to him!" cried Dr. Einstein.

"Silence, you old fool!" snapped Baron Typhonus. A bolt of lightning shot out of the Maelstrom vortex and struck the scientist once again.

Rex opened his mouth to speak, but Baron Typhonus glared at him. "This is Lord Sinister's test," the Baron hissed. "None of you may interfere, or share the doctor's fate."

Lord Sam Sinister stared down at the purple crystal, glowing in his hand. For several terrible minutes, he was silent in thought. At last, he raised his head and locked eyes with Baron Typhonus with such grim determination that no one had ever before seen on the face of the Lord von Barron.

"For many years," declared Lord Sinister, "I have hunted treasure across the globe in my quest to become rich and wealthy, driven by my greed. For years, my rivals have always managed to be one step ahead of me, and for the brief intervals in which I was ahead, I would fall behind… or rather, fall into a trap. What would I give to have the unlimited power that I so desire?"

Baron Typhonus smiled darkly, and Rex paled. Maelstrom energy poured out of the vortex, inching towards Lord Sinister like two, smoky claws. Rex tried to take a step towards Sinister to warn him, but his legs would not comply. The Baron opened his mouth to speak, but Lord Sinister abruptly cut him off.

"But now, after all these years, I see. I see as I have never before. In the past, I've always been blind, and that is how my rivals have always bested me. I'd blindly miss a crucial detail that would lead to my downfall. I'd blindly believe that I would win in the end. I'd blindly stumble into a… trap. And I am tired of being blind. I am tired of losing. I am tired of traps. And, for all my years of experience with traps, only now do I see clearly. This is a trap. Your promises of power and greatness, they are worth no more to me than that random yellow gem in the Temple of Mount Everest, or the treasure chest guarded by the scorpion's claws in the Scorpion Palace. I am not a fool, Baron Typhonus! You are right about one thing, that I have a potential for greatness… but history shall not remember Lord Sam Sinister von Barron as the coward who always falls into traps. History shall remember me as the world's greatest man who resisted your temptations and saved the world from destruction, and I do not even need Cleopatra's lousy time machine to accomplish this! Baron Typhonus, as the Lord von Barron, I reject your trap! I… SHALL NOT… FALL INTO ANY… MORE… TRAPS!"

Everyone stared at the Lord von Barron with shock and awe. With that, Lord Sinister flung the Maelstrom Crystal onto the cold, stone floor and raised his foot, as though he intended to crush it under his boot.

Baron Typhonus's face contained barely-controlled fury. "Then you have sealed your doom," he hissed. With that, his face underwent a most horrid transformation. His skin melted away, unveiling a skull blacker than night. His empty eye sockets were illuminated by bright red orbs that burned like fire. His suit turned pitch-black and featureless, and his cape became torn and frayed at the edges. Baron Typhonus - or rather, the Darkitect - laughed, the horrible sound echoing through the chamber and resonating through the temple's hallways.

Frozeen was the first to act. He dived towards Lord Sinister and knocked out of the way before the claw-like tendrils of Maelstrom slammed into the spot where he stood moments before. The Maelstrom Crystal could not be picked up, but instead rolled away. In response, a pair of Stromling Explorers rose from the ground and lumbered towards the crystal.

"Don't let them get it!" shouted Rex, running alongside Amanda towards the Maelstrom Crystal. Greybeard fired at one Stromling Explorer with his flintlock pistol while Rotor gunned the other down with his weapon. As soon as the Stromlings were down, though, two more rose to take their place. Rotor continued to fire upon the Stromlings, while Greybeard was close enough to pick up the Maelstrom Crystal. With some hesitation, the pirate did so, knowing that it would alert every Maelstrom being in the area to his presence.

Stromling Explorers rose by the dozen. Ignoring everyone else in the temple, they now limped towards Greybeard. A screech from high above revealed that Mutant Pterosaurs now circled around the temple. Lord Sinister, the only one who could hold the crystal without attracting their attention, was still trying to recover, but Greybeard was already running.

*****

Zach swung the knife down violently. It clashed with a metallic bang on a Stromling's gun arm. It looked at him with a braindead grin, as if it had the upper-hand. Zach smirked at it and punched it square in the face with his cybernetic hand. The Stromling flinched and stumbled, allowing Zach to slide the knife into the Stromling's chest.

As it fell backward, he heard a gunshot from behind followed by a freakish squeal from a Stromling. He knew that Minerva was right behind him, shooting any Stromling that got to close to the duo.

"This is a waste of time!" he yelled to Minerva, trying to communicate of the loud sound of the battle. "They are just going to keep coming!" As soon as he finished the sentence, another Stromlings materialized ahead of him and started firing at him. He ducked and moved out of the line fire. Minerva quickly turned and fired her own weapon, placing a bullet into the head of the Stromling.

"So what are suggesting?" she asked, helping him back to his feet. "Head into the Maelstrom Temple?"

"Exactly," he said. Suddenly, many loud screeches filled the air. Zach glanced up and saw Mutant Pterosaurs swarming around the temple, clawing at its roof viciously. Some split off from the main group and headed toward temple entrance. "Go! Now!" he roared. Zach and Minerva quickly ran to the entrance of the temple as Mutant Pterosaurs dived into the midst of the battle, snapping and clawing at anything within reach.

They pushed past the arch and were met with a long hallway filled with dark fog and mist. Minerva turned and shot two Stromlings that had tried to pursue them. "Alright, so do you have any idea where to go?"

"I have a rough idea. There should be a-" Zach was cut off as sharp, stabbing pain suddenly appeared in his head. He clutched his head, filling extremely dizzy. A variety of images suddenly flashed through his head. An old man being tossed aside by purple lightning, a purple Brickonium crystal, a swirling vortex, what seemed like hundreds of Space Marauders and Sorcerers.

Then he found himself on his knees on the floor of the chamber where he had fought his last battle as a Stromling. His heart was racing, threatening to burst from his chest. A migraine so powerful threatened his sanity. 

Get... away... was all he managed to think. He closed his eyes, concentrating on see Minerva again, and forced himself to back away.

His heartrate returned to normal and the migraine subsided to a minor headache. He rested his back against the chamber wall, breathing heavily. He looked on in horror as he watched Ahua scream. His scream was suddenly silenced and he fell over, clutching his heart. Ahua's body suddenly faded away into dust. Then entire scene then faded away, replaced with a solid black scenery. Two red eyes suddenly flashed open, and a dark chuckle echoed throughout Zach's mind.

You're next, the voice said monotonously. Without a chance to respond, Zach suddenly returned to reality.

"-chary! Wake up!" Minerva's voice suddenly came into focus. It was shaking and full of fear. He opened his eyes and was aware he was on his knees, clutching the ground tightly. His head pounded softly.

"Zach!" Minerva cried, her voice becoming more frantic as she shook his shoulder. He nodded to her, touching her hand with his own.

She helped him up and looked at him, her face full of fear. "What happened?"

"I don't know," he said, still trying to make sense of the images the Maelstrom flashed through his head. "I... think Ahua is dead. The Maelstrom killed him."

"What? Why would-?"

"I don't know, but it says I'm next." He crouched and picked up the knife he had dropped. "I think something bad is happening. Really bad. The Maelstrom is making its final moves. It's so close to its victory. We need to get to the main chamber quickly." He would have to rely on fuzzy memories of this temple's layout and traps that the Maelstrom gave him when he was Stromling. He regretted never actually stepping foot in this temple while a Stromling.

"Do you know where to go?"

"I think so, but I wouldn't put it past the Maelstrom to try and stir us wrong." As he said that, he knew the Maelstrom would lead him right the main chamber. It desperately wanted to kill him, and it knew the best way was bringing him into the main chamber. "When we get to the main chamber, stay close to me. Just in case I have another attack like this."

"Like I had any intention of leaving you," Minerva replied. She holstered her weapon and pulled out a small cigarette lighter from her vest. She flipped it on, providing a small light that would hopefully them traverse the dark fog. He nodded to her, and they started to walk into the mist. 

*****

Rockford observed with resignation as Trigger and two other agents began heading over on the bridge. He supposed that now, more than ever, the battle must've been in progress now. At this point, he figured he would have to get over there soon, but not quite yet.

He had asked for a couple dozen Dino Attack agents and the Agents Defense Organization to stay behind and prepare for watching over the area in front of the bridge and zip lines. That, and he was hoping that he could lessen the use of the bridge. He didn't know how much more it could take, and to be frank, he was getting more and more nervous to see agents cross it.

I hope those hose guys by the entrance finish fighting the ambush and get inside soon, Rockford though. If they haven't cleared up already, that area isn't going to hold all-

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Rockford's blood ran cold, and his eyes widened. He felt the vibrations in the ground, and heard an ever-growing small rumble of large limbs pounding into the ground, sounding closer and closer.

"Trigger!" he shouted towards the bridge, stopping the agent and his companions in their steps. "Forget the temple, we have company!"

Without waiting for a response, Rockford ran towards the Fire Hammer he and Hertz had just sat in. Clamoring in, he reached the driver's seat and did his best to recognize and use the driving and weapon controls.

Those sounds... he thought, dear Ole, that sounded like one heck of a horde. One of enemies or another must've wanted to continue the fight. But poor them, the only way to the main fight was-

Horror washed over Rockford a second time. The Mutant Dinos may not all be able to reach the temple, but he knew that they were going to try however they could. And after taking who knows how many years of wear and a platoon of Dino Attack agents crossing it, when that bridge started receiving the horde...

Outside, he started to see Mutant Lizards running past the vehicles and towards the cliffside and its rickety construct. The Raptors and T-Rexes wouldn't be far behind. Grabbing the Xenon Launcher controls in one hand and the radio in the other, he blared out a warning to the All Agents Bulletin signal.

"Dino Attack agents on the bridge! Dino Attack agents on the bridge! Get off immediately! I repeat, get off immediately! We have an incoming Mutant Dino horde, and they are headed for the temple bridge! And when they try to cross, I'm sure as MegaBlokland they're bound to snap it! I repeat, get off immediately before it leaves you under your feet!"

*****

The Mutant Lizard at Stranger's side, now known simply as "Buddy", was making a split-second choice of his own - one that would perhaps resonate with what was to come.

It's somewhat hard to describe the mindset of a Mutant Lizard. Surely, they're mostly driven by the instinct of an animal, but for one reason or another, be it the processes of its mutation, the influence of the Maelstrom, or simply the workings of the LEGO Universe, they were smarter than the average beast, to an extent. Sometimes, this doesn't show up beyond remembering what bits of the Minifig were the tastiest, but in others, like Stranger's little ally, something happens to drive them to think of something other than what they needed to attack.

For Buddy, these aspects showed up minimally during his short timespan thus far on this world. He had taken to quite enjoying killing his prey. He thrilled at the feeling of besting and outsmarting enemies who might try to outsmart or best him. And through growing with his brethren and their masters, he had been made to hate the Minifigs that were part of the opposing force Dino Attack. The large group of minifigs dedicated to try and stomp out their species for no real good reason.

But a significant moment came when Buddy first fought Stranger, back during a battle between regular and mutated dinosaurs that Stranger's group managed to walk into. He had tried to ambush the Dino Attack agent, having found a certain thrill to find a prey that was so preoccupied with one task as to not notice when another was approaching. But even with his attack, he had been bested, and he now had the scar on his eye to show it.

He had retreated, scared for his life, and was surprised, when he had returned to the small alcove in the rocks where he had made a dwelling, to find that Stranger had not followed. Why would the Dino Attack agent not take the chance to kill it, especially when he seemed so gleeful at the prospect of killing the Lizard's people? What was making him selective like that? Did that mean that Dino Attack Minifigs were more complicated that he had thought? It had to understand.

So Buddy went back and watched him. Watched as the extra groups of Minifigs came in in their vehicles and set up camp. Watched as they communicated, and did his best to try and understand what they were getting across. Watched as they eventually went out to the big place where his masters had set up home. He had watched as Stranger went with a group that broke into the massive place, and snuck around for nearly two rises of the sun.

The Lizard knew that, although the place was a home to Mutant Dinosaurs, it would mean he would be left in a box with the bars until they had felt they were needed to fend off another attack. And with the masters' reliance on Minifigs in white wrappings and thick plating and big threatening guns, this meant he wouldn't get a chance to get to Stranger that way. The only option was to follow him and wait for the right moment.

So he followed and waited for that long period of time, pushing away at starvation and tiredness and the odd feeling of boredom. He fueled itself on that curiosity, that disbelief, that revulsion that there was something more to these Dino Attack creatures. Then, as he heard commotion through the hallways under the vents, and as he heard Stranger release his brethren in an attempt to distract the masters, Buddy had struck.

He had disarmed Stranger and, through some help from barely understanding plated servants of the masters, convinced the Dino Attack Minifig to fight him. Plain and dirty without any of their guns, like lizard younglings would in the few moments of inactivity. They had fought, and while the Lizard had gotten thrill and adrenaline from it, and began to see more and more similarities between themselves, it didn't really help satisfy his curiosity at all. He had begun to wonder if he had made a mistake.

Then the place had rumbled. Dino Attack was destroying it. As the place fell apart, Stranger was taken out and left for dead. Instinctively, the Mutant Lizard's choice was to drag him away out of the destruction to eat him. But when Buddy had dragged himself out of the ruins and back to his alcove, he found he couldn't will himself to take the bite.

He wanted to, he so wanted to, so he could satisfy his hunger and instinct. But recalling how the Minifig had acted, realizing how he fought so similarly to him, he began to question his perspective on everything. Why would the enemy have such creatures that would act, somehow, almost like his brethren, and still want to kill them? Why were they being driven to kill all Minifigkind, and was it thus not a surprise that they would be doing the exact same thing to the Dinos? And the big one: Why were his masters mastering them, and why did they betray their own kind to help the Mutant Dinosaurs?

So, Buddy simply fed on the local wildlife and already-dead brethren, bringing food back for Stranger when he awoke. And when he did awaken, he was surprised at his conditions, and talked in his language wondering what was going on. Applying all that he learned from how the Minifigs spoke, the Mutant Lizard did his best to communicate back, and after much, much trial and error, a connection was made.

Soon, they were talking to each other in terms they both could understand: their records in kills, their strength in combat, their mutual opposition, insults directed at each other's mother. And through this, the Lizard began to understood why Dino Attack fought, how they treated each other with the same levels of compassion and respect with brethren as well as dinos did, and Minifigs who did want to not kill the Mutant Dinosaurs even as much as they fought them.

And through this, Buddy heard about two significant things. One was Rex, the "Dino-Man" as Buddy had described him to Stranger, the most amazing creature he had ever heard of. Apparently born as the first Mutant T-Rex ever, it had been given the job of becoming an ally of Dino Attack so it could destroy them from the inside, but by chance, it had instead befriended them and fought for them. Now, through circumstance and accidents, he was a full Minifig, having taken the original body of the Alpha Rex, the master of the masters, who was now one of his own brethren.

Buddy could recall some amount of celebration from his elders and brethren about the event that made their biggest master one of their own. He had been enjoyed with them at the time, but now, given what he had learned about why his masters did what they did, he felt more uncertain about being his leader. He now wanted to serve Rex, obey him like they many Dinosaurs that he had mastered to live with the Minifigs as well as the Dinos, and perhaps get across that it had, though indirectly, made an impact in the lives of the Mutant Dinos that had heard of him.

The other was the Maelstrom, the mysterious energy-entity that somehow existed in all Mutant Dinosaurs, and was responsible for their birth and many of their abilities. Buddy was disturbed to learn that it simply wished to destroy everything, and didn't even seem to hold much attention to his own kind, the kind it infected and made allies. Learning that, the Lizard had made a mental vow to ignore those strange destructive instincts, those that had helped fuel his anger against Dino Attack Minifigs, and try to help in its destruction.

And now, Buddy the Mutant Lizard was at the critical moment. The place far within the purple mist, the mist that, as it understood, represented what the Maelstrom was doing to this world, was calling him, quite strongly. Something was in there beckoning to the instincts he knew the Maelstrom was fueling, and from what he was hearing from afar, all his brethren could feel it and not resist.

Something told the Lizard that this could possibly spell death - or worse - from the beings that were within that place. But something else told him that if the Maelstrom was to be stopped, all beings, be them Minifig or Mutant Dino, could do something now to help prevent something unimaginably horrible from happening, perhaps even to save his own brethren on some level or another from more wasteful death.

And so, without warning to Stranger, as he began to hear shouting coming from the other Dino Attack Minifigs as the Mutant Dinosaurs came closer, Buddy bolted towards the bridge, past the Minifigs upon it, and raced towards the place across the mist with one main purpose: To stop the Maelstrom, to save Dinosaur and Minifigkind. To save himself.

*****

"Oh, Znap," muttered Trigger as he started to turn back. Cabin and Snake were quick to follow.

Quickly, Trigger ran up to the Fire Hammer. "What the Znap is going on here?" Trigger asked, angrily. "You too scared? Is that it?"

"No," replied Rockford. "It's just that the Mutant Dinos-"

"Mutant Dinosaurs?" snapped Trigger. "I finally agree to do your stupid suicide mission, and you pull me out for Mutant Dinosaurs?! What's the matter, you never seen a Mutant Dinosaur before? You're supposed to be the Dino Znapping Attack Team, and you panic over a couple o' genetically altered reptiles!"

"I'm NOT panicking!" said Rockford sternly. "But when you hear a giant roar from what sounds like an extremely massive horde of dinosaurs, I'd expect that you'd be aware that a long rickety old bridge that you've barely started crossing isn't the best place to be! Now take these cannon controls and keep us secure! I need to ensure we can secure this location from the horde, and all we have are a few dozen agents and several heavy abandoned vehicles littering the path!"

"What, you haven't even got a proper command post?!" Trigger asked incredulously. "How'd a man like you even become a ground commander?!"

Rockford's mind flashed back for an instant to Mur's final moments. It was a sickly reminder that he hadn't exactly earned this level of command. But he was still needed, and he didn't like this overly cynical agent criticizing him right now. The Mutant Raptors were starting to push in, and there were barely any vehicles manned. And the Lizards were already starting to cross the bridge. He could practically hear the loud creaking and bending of the fatigued planks.

"This is not the time for discussing such matters," Rockford said with clenched teeth. "Now, man that cannon while I do my job." 

Trigger quickly climbed into the back of the Fire Hammer and started trying to operate the cannon. It only took him a moment to start figuring out the basic controls. "Alright," he muttered. "We gotta act fast. Snake, Cabin, you two take a look around, see if you can find any weapons lying around or perhaps someone else who can use a gun. We're going to need everything we can get." 

*****

"Wake up, B," an incessant voice came from the distance.

"C'mon, Dad... Just five more minutes," B murmured.

"Snap out of it, man! We need everyone awake!"

B woke up and woozily sat up. As his vision adjusted to being awake, he took note of the figure kneeling by him. "Sam! How the MegaBlo..."

"Before I explain anything, B," Sam Kabrinsky said, "I want you to take note of anything out of the ordinary around here."

"OK...." B scanned the immediate vicinity with as critical an eye as he could. "Wrecked Fire Hammer, check. Crashed Agents Jet, check. Flaming wreck of an Alpha Team chop... I see. And Rob's over there. Everything makes sense now. How are you, Sam?"

"I'm fine. Now, B, how are you doing? You survived some serious wrecks there," noted Sam.

B shrugged. "I feel fine. That's odd. Considering the head wound, possible burns... I should be in a lot of pain. But I'm not. Did you give me anything?"

"I was just about to check to see if you needed any," replied Sam. "This is strange. In my studies I didn't come across anything like this."

"Your studies... Wait, don't tell me. You finished med school!" exclaimed B.

"Focus, B," Sam said sternly. "You aren't in any pain?"

"None," replied B.

Sam stood up, paced for a few seconds as if in deep thought, and then stooped down again. "How do you feel emotionally? Happy? Sad? Angry?" he inquired.

"I can't really feel anything, but just... happy...ish," responded B.

Sam nodded. "Endorphin rush. Stronger, and yet different from the textbook cases. You're ready to go."

"I knew that. What's our situation?" asked B.

"Somehow, we're doing fine," reported Sam. "Yena might have had some brain damage because of what he went through, but he'll pull through. He has an incredible force of will. Kev and Chris are as good as when they were awake, and Rob and I are fresh from Antarctica. I'd say we're ready to move."

"Where?" inquired B. "Last thing I remember, the rest of the team was headed somewhere, because this battle was a red herring."

"We follow, then," said Chris.

B nodded. "Alright then. Everyone, give me a status report."

"Oh, a status report," said Kev. "Going all official on us, are you, B?"

"Can it," muttered B. "We finally have a chance to catch our breath and gear up, and I am not going to waste it. Got it?"

"Good point," said Kev. "We're all reloaded, and Chris and I scrounged all the ammo we could find."

"Move out," commanded B.

*****

Dr. Cyborg's team spread out through the Maelstrom Temple's main chamber. The Stromling Explorers charged at Greybeard. A Mutant Pterosaur shot lightning at him, and he dropped the crystal on accident.

Dr. Cyborg ran to the crystal. He extracted the Maelstrom from the one in the lead, and put up his shield to keep the rest away. He stuck his gun arm through the shield and shot more. "Take the crystal!" he yelled. Amanda came up behind him and grabbed the crystal. She ran away from Dr. Cyborg.

A Stromling did something so simple, no one expected it. An Explorer stuck its foot in front of her, and she tripped. The Crystal flew through the air, but just as a Stromling was about to get its sticky little fingers on it, Rex ran into him from behind with his weapon. The Stromling disintegrated, and Rex caught the Crystal.

A Stromling suddenly struck Rex in the back and he fumbled, dropping the crystal. Katerina dived forward, snatching it as it bounced toward another waiting Stromling. She tossed it to one of her only two remaining synthfigs. "Drain it!" she cried.

The synthfig glanced at the crystal in his hands, looked back to Katerina, and shook his head, all three eyes filled with fear. "Too much."

Katerina heard the Darkitect chuckle. "Didn't you hear what happened to Loop?" the Maelstrom's master said.

*****

"Hello Zach," came a rather menacing voice from behind. Zachary and Minerva turned around, but in the thick mist, all they could see was a shadowy figure with glowing eyes. "So this is Zachary," the figure muttered intimidatingly. "This is the oh-so-dangerous Stromling I've heard so much about. I'm going to have to say I'm rather disappointed."

"Who are you?" asked Zachary.

"My name is Palmer. Like you, I used to be a member of that wretched Dino Attack Team, until the Maelstrom showed me better."

Zach scowled as he looked into the mist. The shadowy figure called Palmer made no movements. He only continued to stare at him and Minerva.

"I was really hoping we wouldn't see these guys until we got to the main chamber," Minerva muttered. Zach nodded. His earlier idea of the Maelstrom wanting him to get to the main chamber seemed to be incorrect. However, this Stromling, Palmer, seemed to be of the organic Stromling kind, not one of the mindless slaves generated by the Maelstrom that lacked personality or individuality.

"I don't want to deal with this," Zach hissed to her. "Shoot him." Minerva raised her weapon and opened fire in the fog. The red eyes disappeared as bullets shot through the hallway. She kept firing until she heard an angry screech.

"Get back!" Minerva yelled. Suddenly, a Mutant Lizard shot out from the shadows. It rammed into Zach, tossing him to the side like a toy. He slammed into the wall, groaning, expecting the Lizard to attack again. The Mutant Lizard walked toward Zach cautiously and sniffed him. Once satisfied, the Lizard turned and continued its sprint down the hallway.

"What was that?" Minerva asked as she pulled Zach up again.

"I think," he said, pushing his hair away from the front of his face, "that was Stranger's Mutant Lizard buddy." It seemed rather MegaBlokland-bent on getting through the hallway. He wasn't sure, but he assumed the Lizard had only returned to make sure Zach was a friendly and that he wasn't hurt before moving on.

"I wonder if Stranger is nearby," Minerva said, glancing down the hallway. However, the minifig didn't appear. They both winced as they heard screeches coming from the entrance followed by Minifig screams. The screeches were easily identifiable as Mutant Lizard screeches.

"They are trying to get into the temple," Minerva realized.

Zach thought back to the purple Brickonium crystal that had appeared in his head. A horrible realization suddenly dawned on him. No. They couldn't be stupid enough to actually bring the crystal into the temple. Could they?

"Keep an eye out for Palmer," Zach said to her. "He's still here somewhere. I need to concentrate for a moment." Minerva nodded and raised the weapon as she glanced down the hallway in search for the shadowy figure. Zach closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, which ended up being a lot harder than he assumed it would be. However, eventually felt it.

It was a small, almost faint feeling. Something was beckoning to him. Asking him to quickly find it. Even with its weak signal to his presumably Maelstrom-free brain, it told him where he needed to go. And go to the Maelstrom Crystal he would go. If that crystal was not taken out of the temple, the planet was doomed.

He turned to Minerva, who was scanning the hallways. "Let's go," he said to her. "Now."

A dark chuckle echoed through the hallways. "Who says you are going anywhere, Virchaus? Because I'm not."

"You are, Palmer," Zach snapped. "If you knew what was good for you."

Palmer's laugh rang throughout the hallway. "I suppose you know what's 'good' for me, right?"

"Oh, yeah. If you are as smart as I think you are, you'd be heading toward the main chamber. The crystal is in there, and your master wants it. He doesn't care about me. He wants the crystal, Palmer. And if finds out your dealing with petty Dino Attack Agents in the hallways instead of securing the crystal, well, think of what happened to Ahua." No counter-remark from Palmer, so Zach figured he had made his point.

"What are you talking about?" Minerva asked, a confused look on her face. "Crystal?"

Zach shook his head. "I'll explain once we are there. Just know that things are significantly worse than I thought."

"Is it your 'Maelstrom power' thing you mentioned earlier telling you this?"

"Yes." After discovering he could still pick up the Maelstrom Crystal's trace, its signal had grown and he could now detect it reasonably well. He could almost visually see the crystal changing hands rapidly, but it hasn't landed on the chosen one's hands yet. "Trust me. Follow me." With that, Zach took off in a sprint down the hallway, Minerva closely behind, both following the trace of the Maelstrom Crystal. 

*****

Hertz was halfway across the bridge when Rockford called out. Barely visible through the fog, he could glimpse the trees shake as the horde burst through the foliage and into the assembled agents.

He was happy he could not see what was happening. The fog obscured any gore that was taking place, but Hertz could still hear it. All the screams of agents where apparent beyond the sounds of roars and gunfire, he recognized Rockford's voice but he could not comprehend what it said.

He looked around. Most other agents had vacated the bridge. He stood alone in the middle, not knowing what way to run.

Something made the hair on neck stand up. The air suddenly felt heavy and metallic with static electricity. He had experienced this feeling before at the battle of the pharaoh's ruins, and he knew exactly what it was.

Hertz dived to the rotten planks as a thunderbolt shot through the air. A Mutant Pterosaur soared above his head and snapped at the agent. He rolled precariously close to the edge of the bridge and dangled over the precipice. All that supported his weight were the ancient vines that held the structure together.

Hertz looked over his shoulder at the Maelstrom lake below. Again, the fog covered most of the details but knowing all that separated him from a grisly death was a group of vines made it no less unsettling.

The Mutant swooped down again and reached out to grab Hertz with its claws. Instead, it hit the rope supports and caused the bridge to swing violently. The planks twisted and snapped, and Hertz jumped to his feet and dived aside as the section he was just on fell to the Maelstrom below.

Everything was moving and the vines started to unwind. With the swaying, it was impossible to bet a clear shot at the Mutant Pterosaur but he was able to fire a shot before he was knocked aside once again. His rifle skidded down the bridge, far out of reach. It slid to the edge and almost tumbled over the side. Hertz jumped to his feet and ran, but the Mutant Pterosaur swooped in behind him and knocked him to the planks owns again.

The cast on his left arm did nothing to protect his already-broken arm. The bones twisted, and he screamed in pain.

Above him, the Pterosaur hovered. It was ready to reach out and take its prey at his weakest.

The talons reached out and clutched at Hertz. He rolled to the side of the bridge and was again saved by the vine supports. The Mutant attempted to grab him, but its claws hit the rope instead. It shrieked in annoyance and pulled away, but that only tangled the creature further. The more it struggled, the more the bridge shacked. Hertz held on for dear life as it fell apart around him.

The Mutant Pterosaur snapped at its feet in an attempt to free itself, but instead severed the last of the ropes. Hertz wrapped his leg around the vines as the structure finally gave way and tumbled down to the lake below.

*****

Stranger did his best to keep hidden in some nearby foliage as the Mutant Dinos began to pour through the area of the team's parked vehicles. Buddy had run off across the bridge for some reasons or another (he figured it was a good one and let it slide), and from what it looked, he wasn't alone.

The incoming hordes were, for some reason that escaped him, were apparently not too focused on the Dino Attack remnants on the cliffside. Sure, they were responding fiercely to enemy fire, but for the most part they seemed more focused on pushing past them towards the cliff and the bridge. It was very odd. Most of the Lizards were headed for the bridge, but for the few that appeared to just be running blind, they didn't even notice as they ran right over the edge. It was like watching big scaly lemmings.

Something must really be making them want to get in that temple, Stranger thought. Too bad there's no way in MegaBlokland they're all gonna make it across. Especially with that bridge.

Stranger was doing his best to lend a hand where he could, picking off the Lizards and Raptors as they went, but the sheer amount of them meant this was more fit for the vehicles, if they could even maneuver right. The amount of unmanned craft was greater than the amount of manned craft, so there wasn't much room to maneuver, only hold their ground.

As Stranger took another few shots at some Mutant Lizards harassing an Urban Avenger, he saw another Mutant Raptor charging for the cliffside, and this one seemed to be heading right for the bridge. He quickly took some shots at it, but his pistols were doing barely anything thanks to the range and the Raptor's force field ability.

As the Raptor reached the bridge and slammed its big foot on the first few planks, Stranger heard a large snap! as the old bits of wood gave way. The Raptor tripped, and its upper body fell upon the next dozen planks, breaking them as well. As it fell through, Stranger could see one of its foot talons snag on the right vine. When the beast finally tumbled into the purple mist below, the vine gave way.

The bridge swung on its side, the left vine now having to support the entire connection to the cliffside from the temple. Stranger guessed it may not last on its own for a long period of time.

Well, guess the temple guys aren't going to easily get back now, Stranger thought grimly as he focused back on the battle at hand.

*****

"I guess we should've expected these guys sooner!" Andrew remarked as he tried to shoot some of the dive-biting Mutant Pterosaurs. He and Laxus were barely near the end of the bridge, but the task of defending themselves from the oncoming attacks from the Pterosaurs were slowing them down, not to mention the crowd that was steadily lessening that blocked them from reaching the solid ground of the island. There really wasn't much room for fighting at the entrance of the place.

"Well, once we're in there, Dinos will be the least of our worries!" Laxus responded, trying to walk backwards towards the temple as he fired.

"Yeah", Andrew muttered as he glanced back at the Stromlings still coming at the team. They were still respawning at a constant rate, and many agents were simply just trying to push through and get into the temple. "Let's just hope it's-"

Suddenly, something felt very wrong about the bridge. Andrew felt himself jerked suddenly to his left, falling down on the planks of the bridge. There, he realized immediately what was wrong: the bridge was slanting. Something had broken, just like Rockford had warned them of several seconds ago.

"We need to get off the bridge!" he shouted out both to Laxus and anyone else who would hear him. "Everyone off and into the temple, now!"

Pushing himself up, Andrew grabbed Laxus's arm and the two made the last few steps towards (very) relative safety. Just as they were a yard from the edge, the bridge lurched from beneath them and began to fall down. At the last moment, they both jumped.

Laxus managed to clear the gap and reach the edge, but Andrew barely missed and found himself clinging to the edge. He felt almost as tense as he had when confronting Zach, and tried his best to keep his waist on the ground and his feet standing on the cliffside. Laxus, quickly noticing his friend's peril, was grabbing onto his arms and about to pull him up, but was interrupted by a shadow looming over them.

Andrew looked up to see a Stromling grinning right back at him. It pulled back its leg, readying to kick the two of them off, when a laser suddenly came out of nowhere and hit it in the back. It fell backwards, and Vinyaya ran up forward, smoking laser pistol in hand. She leaned down and got Andrew's other arm, and she and Laxus managed to pull Andrew back onto solid ground.

"Thanks, that was a close-" Andrew began, but the Space Police officer simply handed him back his rifle and gestured towards the temple entrance. He and Laxus quickly understood, and the three of them ran inside.

"You're Andrew, aren't you?" Vinyaya asked as the three of them stopped in a foyer chamber surrounded by purple mist.

"The one and only Elite Agent with that codename," Andrew said with a slight grin.

Vinyaya didn't smile back. "Good to meet you, but I just have to say something to you regarding Virchaus."

"What, you mean Zach?" asked Andrew.

"Yes. What in the name of 4+ Figures were you thinking trying to save him? You realize what levels of deception these Stromlings are capable of?"

Andrew was a little taken aback by this. "Well, yes, but, I mean, Zach was a special case. Minerva and I had special connections to him that allowed us to reach him and inject the cure for his Stromlingness. I saw him change back himself, and I wouldn't say his body's benefited from it. Did you see how he looked?"

"Yes," Vinyaya said with a bit of bitterness. "We helped each other a bit out there. I guess I can assume he's truly not a Stromling anymore, but I'm not convinced he came back right. He wasn't exactly friendly when I confronted him."

"Well, maybe he's a bit stressed out from still being seen as hostile," Laxus interjected. "I mean, I think he was rather worried about that earlier, but he seems to be getting over it and trying to fit back in with us. You have to give him some credit."

"I suppose so," Vinyaya muttered, "but I still don't like how he talked to me. Reminds me too much of some of the crooks I've caught around the asteroid colonies. Anyways, this isn't the best place for talk. You have any clues how to navigate this place?"

Andrew looked around. From what he could see, the place had some rather grand architecture, though the darkness and mist made it hard to see. It certainly looked like it was easy to get lost in. "Eh... no, not really. I think we could try going forwards, that might be where the big main chamber where everyone's fighting it out is. Want to come with us? It's probably best if we stay in groups around here."

Vinyaya nodded. "I've been enough fixes as an officer that have taught me some lives could be saved if you stay to a team. And in a place like this, I'm sure that lesson stands true." Andrew nodded once, and they headed into the mist together.

*****

Lutsky's face was pressed to the window of the Reclaimer as chaos erupted outside. The chaos did not disturb him. His heartrate remained at a controlled and nonchalant level. He watched agents get torn apart but remained stoic. As if violence was normal and not something to be concerned by.

He still watched. Certainly, the situation outside was interesting and the observation of death and destruction would be an optimal way to pass the hours until his impending trial.

Certainly, he would be proven innocent. Lutsky understood they had to work through the procedure, but at this stage, it was only a technicality. Once they determined that Dust was a monster that deserved to die, he would regain his respected position.

A nearby explosion rocked the Reclaimer. X2 disappeared to one of the gun wells, leaving Lutsky alone in the cold passenger compartment.

He turned to look once more out the window and was knocked out of his seat by what he saw.

Dust's face was in the window. The Egyptian pressed his hand to the porthole and locked eyes with the former commander, who stared into the icy eyes with terror.

"Leave me!" bellowed Lutsky. Dust remained framed in the window and pointed his finger at Lutsky. He yelled and punched the window, shattering the glass and slashing his hand.

The face of Dust disappeared.

X2 was firing the side gun when he heard glass break. He rushed into the passenger compartment, and he saw Lutsky standing in front of a broken porthole with his hand sliced up. He decided to lift the Reclaimer above the battle. It would be safer for this madman, and he could provide air support. 

*****

Everything shook. That was the first thing he noticed. Then there was the vibration of the surface he was lying on. A T-1? Hotwire opened his eyes. No, not a T-1. Smaller, and more heavily armored by the look of the bulkheads. And there was a minifig in an Agents uniform sitting nearby.

"Ah, you're awake again," he said. "You'll want to brace yourself. Those Pteranodons outside are coming in thick."

"Sorry, where am I?" Hotwire asked, sitting up and wincing as his stump leg cried out in protest.

"Aerial Defense Unit. I'm Captain Osprey."

"Wonderful to meet you. Thanks for the Stromlings," muttered Hotwire.

*****

Zach was tiring, but he would not stop until he reached the chamber. The Maelstrom Crystal's attraction was growing stronger and stronger as they moved closer and closer. Behind him, he heard Minerva panting as she ran, but kept up with him.

As they approached, sounds of fighting began to echo off the hallways. Finally, they stepped through a towering, grand archway and into a massive chamber. Zach watched Dino Attack agents struggled against Stromling Explorers for control of the Maelstrom Crystal. He swore he also saw some people in Space Marauder and Sorcerer garbs also trying to secure the crystal.

As he allowed his eyes to travel across the chamber, he saw a large, swirling vortex of Maelstrom at the farthest end of the chamber. Inside the vortex was a Minifig dressed in plain black clothing with a cape worn at edges billowing behind him. He carried a dark scepter with the silhouette of a jewel resting on its summit. His head was a pitch-black skull. His eyes were bright red. His face was twisted in frustration as he shot lightning from the vortex at group battling for the Maelstrom Crystal.

"Who is that?" Minerva asked, staring in horror at the Minifig. Zach felt the color drain from his face. His headache quickly accelerated to a migraine. He recognized the figure. In a dream where he had tried to fight the Maelstrom away during the fight in the camp. He was the source of the voice that had spoken to him frequently.

"He is Baron Typhonus," Zach muttered. "He is the creator and master of the Maelstrom." Typhonus suddenly turned his head and looked directly at Zach, his eyes brightening tenfold as a dark grin appeared on his face. Zach clutched his head, his brain pounding against his skull fiercely. He forced himself to look away from Typhonus. The migraine died only a small bit, but Zach didn't expect the headache to fade away in the presence of the Maelstrom's master.

He looked back at Typhonus briefly. He nodded at Zach once, his grin still wide and crooked. Without saying anything, Typhonus looked away and began to focus on the battle for the crystal again.

"He's waiting," he muttered. "For the right moment. Then he will strike." As Typhonus's stare had burned into him, he could feel the Baron's strong desire to kill him. Zach thought he was hallucinating, because he thought he felt fear in the mixture of burning hate. What would Typhonus - as he thought the Baron's name, a new name suddenly appeared in its place. - The Darkitect. What would the Darkitect be afraid of, concerning me? I am at just about the lowest physical condition.

Minerva showed a look of concern, but Zach quickly waved her expression away. She glanced over the skirmish, where her eyes rested upon the Maelstrom Crystal.

"So, is that the crystal you were talking about?" she inquired. Zach nodded. "And why is it so important?" So Zach explained everything he knew about the Maelstrom Crystal, from the information that the crystal contained an obscenely amount of Maelstrom power in it and if the Baron got his hands on it, things would turn south very quickly for everyone inside the temple to how the crystal would attract Mutant Dinosaurs and Stromlings within a certain range if the holder of the crystal was not the chosen one.

"Chosen one?" Minerva repeated, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. It is somebody working with the Dino Attack Team that the Baron considers very similar to himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he or she is in here now. They managed to slip in without attracting any hostiles. Though they've lost control of it now." He gestured to the fight, in which the every Stromling was limping toward the holder of the Maelstrom Crystal. "The Mutant Dinos' sudden interest in getting into the temple could also probably be attributed to the crystal's constant changing of hands."

"So we get the crystal and-"

"Presumably you'd get it as far away from here as possible. Which is going to be hard if Typhonus intervenes, which he will."

"So if I happen to get the crystal, give it the 'chosen one'?"

"Yep. Hopefully, the other agents will direct in their direction so you don't get overwhelmed by Stromlings and Mutant Dinos."

Minerva rolled her eyes and sighed. He couldn't really blame her. They seemed to have entered fight where everything was stacked against them. "Just a regular day, isn't it?" she muttered sarcastically.

Zach snorted. "This day has been better than the last couple of days for me," he said as he pulled out the knife from his vest. Minerva smirked and chuckled quietly as she pulled out her gun. Zach nodded to her once and charged into the fray. 

*****

Helm had spent a bit too long weighing the pros and cons of both the bridge and the ziplines. The bridge had initially seemed the lesser of two evils, as he would at least be standing on something, On the other hand, the zipline would get him across the gorge much faster. Better to get it over with, he'd decided. So he'd clenched his teeth, slung his Sonic Screamer over his shoulder, and stepped into the open air.

Unfortunately, the initial stab of terror that went through his gut turned out not to be initial at all, but constant. He fought the urge to shut his eyes as he whizzed along the zipline. When he was about halfway across, the bridge snapped.

Well, thank goodness I came this way, he thought. It only took a few more seconds before he hit the ground on the other side. Immediately, a Stromling charged at him and he whipped the Sonic Screamer around and shot it in the chest. Now this isn't nearly so frightening. The mariner grinned and ran towards the entrance.

*****

As soon as he regained his bearings, Rex saw that there were newcomers. He was surprised to see that one of them looked strikingly similar to Kat, but despite appearing the same age she seemed to be much more experienced and hardened in her facial features. Remembering that Kat was only a synthfig, Rex wondered if this was truly Katerina Schattenberg, the sister of Dr. Rex.

"Over here!" shouted Rotor. The synthfig knew what the veteran pilot was thinking and tossed the Maelstrom Crystal to him. The Stromling Explorers now lumbered towards Rotor, who saw the mysterious samurai waving at him. After leading the Stromlings away from the samurai, Rotor threw the Maelstrom Crystal to the samurai. The samurai then tossed the crystal to Garry, who passed it to Adventure, who threw it to Dr. Cyborg.

Rex caught on to what they were trying to do. "Pass the crystal over here!" shouted Rex, waving his arms. "Everyone, cover-"

A low and hideous chuckle came from the Maelstrom vortex. The Maelstrom energy that blanketed Rex's legs suddenly erupted into life, taking on the form of dark tentacle-like tendrils of shadows. Stripped of mobility and caught off-guard, Rex collapsed to the floor even as the tendrils began to constrict him. Intense pain ripped through his body like a hot iron, and it hurt to even breathe. His heart pounded like a blacksmith's hammer hitting an anvil. Amanda also skidded to a halt, seeing Rex in danger, and rushed back to help him.

Now Greybeard held the crystal, so the others provided cover for him as he ran from the Maelstrom vortex. Dino Attack reinforcements, the mysterious lightning-shooting samurai, and even the XERRD scientists fought off the Stromlings to keep the Maelstrom Crystal away. However, for every Stromling they struck down, two more rose to take its place.

"Go!" Rex shouted to them, even with the Maelstrom choking the life out of him. "Get out of here! Warn the others!"

"Grisbarba!"

Greybeard skidded to a halt, despite the Stromlings that drew closer and closer. Rex strained his neck to see what happened. To his surprise, he saw woman approaching Greybeard. She was elderly, but the beauty of her youth had still not disappeared from her features, and she was dressed in the garb of a pirate captain.

Amanda saw her too. "Greybeard!" she called. "Don't-"

"Grisbarba," the woman spoke in a frail voice, "be it really ye?"

"Beatrice," whispered Greybeard, who looked like he had seen a ghost. "How could this be?"

"I've been searching fer ye fer a long time!" the female pirate explained as she drew closer to Greybeard. "I returned home, only t' find it swarmin' wi' imperial scum, an' no sign of me dear Grisbarba. All these years, I've searched fer ye an' I've nearly given up."

"Oh, Beatrice!" Greybeard choked back tears. "I… I be so sorry… can ye forgive me?"

"Aye," Beatrice spoke softly and sweetly, "an' now, we can be united an' t'gether… forever…!" Greybeard and Beatrice rushed towards each other, about to lock each other in lover's embrace.

"Greybeard, no!" shouted Rotor. "It's a trap! Don't listen to her!"

Greybeard faltered as Rotor's words reached his ears. He instantly recalled his recent dreams and the memories they had invoked of his tragic past.

"What be wrong, me dearest?" inquired Beatrice, who appeared looked confused. But now, Greybeard realized that she was barely even looking at him; her gaze was focused on the Maelstrom Crystal in his hand.

"Ye be not Beatrice," Greybeard realized as he gritted his teeth. "Me lady died many years ago."

"Dinnae be silly," Beatrice said as she shook her head, laughing. She drew closer to Greybeard, who now took a step back. "Ye just 'ave been havin' bad dreams, that be all."

"Belay that!" snapped Greybeard. He looked furious, even as a single tear ran down his cheek. "Beatrice danced a fine dance, an' as much as I wish it be true, I know ye cannae be her. I know what ye really be!"

Beatrice's smile suddenly vanished, and her face twisted into a horrible scowl as she snarled like an animal. She leaped towards Greybeard, but the old pirate was faster. He fired his flintlock pistol, and she collapsed to the floor, inches from where he stood. Instantly, the illusion faded away, revealing the corpse of a Stromling with a horrible blade in place of its left hand. A few seconds later, the Stromling carcass disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

From the Maelstrom vortex, the Darkitect sighed pitifully as he shook his head. "I tried to be nice and civil," he said. "I really did. I wanted to give you a happy ending."

"I've lived all these years wi'out a pegleg," muttered Greybeard, "an' I'd rather not lose a leg now, says I. An' what sort o' 'appy endin' be that? I fall fer yer trap an' lose a leg, ye get th' Maelstrom Crystal, an' th' world ends on December 21, 2010."

"It's a shame," sighed the Darkitect. "I thought a pleasant illusion would make your demise easier for you to handle. Instead, I must resort to… less merciful methods." He let out a long, evil laugh.

At last, the Maelstrom tendrils wrapped around Rex loosened their grip. Rex breathed heavily, letting oxygen flow through his system again. His heart was still pounding, though. He tried to stand, but once again he was paralyzed from the waist down. "Amanda," he whispered, "my wheelchair."

Amanda shook her head. "I've got a better idea," she responded, "but I'll be right back." She got up and ran towards the far end of the chamber.

Now that he was motionless and lying on the floor, Rex was once again in a position where he could barely see what was going on. He heard footsteps, but was too weak to twist himself to see where they were coming from. He expected it to be a Stromling ready to tear him apart, but the footsteps stopped just where he lay.

"Get up."

Rex blinked in surprise. That voice… he heard it before… it was so horribly familiar…

"I said, get up! Or are you just too weak?"

Rex struggled to remember. Whose voice was it? Why did it send shivers down his spine?

The footsteps began again as the speaker circled around Rex. "Of course you're weak. All you idealists are. You don't have the strength to do what must be done, instead fighting for a pitiful lost cause. Trying to save dinosaurs that must be exterminated? Almost sounds like you're mind-controlled by Evil Ogel himself!"

Rex saw a pair of black boots in front of him. Straining his neck, he looked up. With a mixture of absolute fury and cold fear, Rex's jaw dropped. "K-K… Kotua?"

The elite Alpha Team agent crossed his arms over his chest and glared down upon Rex's fallen form. "Did you miss me?" jeered Kotua.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 50: Waking Nightmare

----

Trigger's attention was momentarily drawn to the collapsing bridge. "Znap it," he muttered as he stepped off the back of the Fire Hammer.

"What are you doing?" Cabin asked. "You're deserting your post-"

"Look," replied Trigger. "If anyone's going to be able to have any impact over there, they're going to need my help. The Stromlings aren't invincible, but greater numbers with faster healing makes them one MegaBlokland of a fight." He sighed. "The key to defeating a Stromling at this proximity is to take it by surprise, then it will take longer to heal itself. Besides, if everybody dies out there, I can't exactly get paid now, can I?"

With that, Trigger turned toward one of the ziplines over the crevasse.

*****

Zach lowered his shoulder and slammed into a Stromling Explorer that was limping slowly toward the holder of the Maelstrom Crystal, Greybeard. The Stromling stumbled backward, allowing Zach to quickly bring his knife up and cut the Stromling's torso vertically. The Stromling let out a strange, distorted groan before firing its pistol-arm at Zach. He stepped to the side and swung at Stromling's neck, separating head from body before the body seeming disintegrated.

Zach sharply turned on heel of his foot, looking out for sign of Greybeard and the Crystal. Stromlings were beginning to surround him, cutting off any path of escape. Before really thinking about it, Zach raised his right hand up. Greybeard saw the hand and threw the crystal in its direction. As the crystal collided with his hand, he felt his robotic fingers flex anxiously and furiously. Despite this, he managed to keep his grip on the crystal.

The Stromlings turned their attention to him as he started running toward the exit. He didn't make it very far as Stromlings began to crowd around him. Zach raised the crystal above his head to keep it out of their reach and began to scan the area for someone to throw the crystal to. Suddenly, a bolt of purple electricity struck the crystal, throwing it from his hand. It flew across the chamber and landed into the waiting arms of a XERRD Space Marauder.

"Get him!" Adventure yelled. As the other combatants turned toward the Space Marauder, Zach glanced in the direction where the purple electricity had come from. He forced to hit the ground as another blast shoot toward him, lighting up the entire room. He heard a pained scream from behind him followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor.

Zach turned and gasped as he watched a Dino Attack agent twist and shriek on the floor as purple electricity traveled through his body. His back arched as his screams intensified before he finally collapsed. Zach stared in shock at the body. What in Ole's name could do that? He cautiously moved to the side and looked back at the mysterious attacker.

It was a female XERRD Sorcerer. She wore dark robes with small chains wrapped around her waist and legs. On her shoulders rested dark colored shoulder pads with a long, dark red cape billowing behind her. On top of her head rested a pointed wizard head with a long, dark red ponytail spilling out from underneath. The Sorcerer turned her head slightly, allowing Zach to catch her facial features. She had a young, beautiful face with a small, sadistic smile. It only took a few seconds for Zach to realize who he was staring at.

Anger began to boil inside of him as he watched Carolyne Provencal fire another blast from her Sorcerer staff. It shot across the chamber and hit a Dino Attack agent. He fell to the ground and began to thrash and scream like the previous agent. Zach saw Provencal's smile widened as she listened to the sounds of the agent dying.

His anger was uncontrollable. This woman - this monster - was the primary reason he became a Stromling. The reason many Dino Attack agents were killed by his hand. He easily determined from their single meeting that Provencal was a sadistic individual who enjoyed watching other suffer. Now watching her making the deaths of Dino Attack agents as painful as possible while she smiled... he had it with her.

Raising the knife, he began to run at the scientist, his intentions clear. He was three-fourths of the way there when a sudden flash of orange light blinded him, followed by something heavy and metallic hitting him in the face. Zach dropped the knife as he fell backwards onto the ground, his cheek swollen.

He managed to sit up painfully. Before him stood a Space Marauder, who was soon joined by Provencal. The Space Marauder carried a rocket launcher and a strange-looking device that looked like a gun. Underneath the Marauder's helmet, Zach could see a bored, almost uninterested face looking at him.

"Thank you, Chell," Provencal said to the Space Marauder, who nodded to her and pointed the rocket launcher at Zach's head.

"Wait, Chell?" Zach muttered. He had heard that name before. "Chell Gladys? XERRD's third-in-command?"

"Second-in-command now," Dr. Gladys responded in a bored, monotonous voice. Zach assumed that Wallace Bishop, whom he had been told was second-in-command, had died. "Though it doesn't really matter to you, considering you are about to die."

Provencal smirked, and Zach quickly turned his glare to the Sorcerer. "Remember me, Provencal?" Zach hissed.

Provencal raised an eyebrow and leaned in close as if to get a better look at his face. She examined him for ten seconds before a smile began to form on her face.

"Who is this, Dr. Provencal?" Gladys asked.

"A test subject of mine," Provencal said, standing up. "I thought he would have died or would be incomprehensible by now, but here he is, in the flesh with the only visible changes being that your hair is longer and you now have beard. The Maelstrom has failed to take away your mind."

"It came close," Zach spat as he forced to himself back to his feet. "Too close for my comfort. You'd probably sleep well at night knowing what I had to go through because of you."

"I assume you injected him with a Maelstrom formula?" Gladys asked, whose voice might have contained curiousness if it weren't for the monotone.

Provencal nodded. "He tried to infiltrate our ranks as a guard, so I taught him a lesson." She smiled at Zach, whose anger only grew. "So tell me. Did you become a Stromling? Did you become an evil little monster who took pleasure in killing his former friends?" Zach was fuming as Provencal's smile continued to grow. Zach thought he even saw a sadistic smile appear on Gladys's face.

"It doesn't matter," growled Zach. "What matters is that you two are killed."

"Oh, please," Gladys scoffed. "I doubt very much you will get some much as a passing blow on us." Zach snarled and threw a punch at her. Gladys disappeared in flash of blue, and Provencal quickly grabbed Zach's wrist and twisted it sharply. He fell to his knees, groaning in pain.

"That temper of yours will get you nowhere," Provencal remarked thoughtfully. With another flash of orange light, Gladys reappeared behind Provencal. The Sorcerer shoved Zach to the ground as she rejoined the Space Marauder. Zach scrambled back to his feet. He knew he was in over his head, but it was far too late to run. Gladys and Provencal would simply kill him. He knew he had to fight.

So fight he did. 

Dr. Cyborg noticed most of the XERRD scientists just standing to the side, shooting at the Maelstrom vortex. He walked over to them.

"Hey, you look familiar," said one of them, a Space Marauder. Dr. Cyborg recognized him as his former colleague, Dr. Solomon Koplowitz. "You know, like I've seen you before. I don't know. All I know is that you just look familiar. I think it has something to do with XERRD, for some reason. I know, it's silly."

"Would this help?" Dr. Cyborg asked as he projected an image of the other half of his face over his robotic half. "Does this look familiar?"

Solomon looked at Dr. Cyborg for a second, then started. "Dr... Cyrista? So, this is where you've gone. After you disappeared from XERRD a couple of weeks ago, everyone was wondering where you'd gone. Some people said you defected, and I guess they were right."

"Yeah, yeah. In case you haven't noticed, we have a bigger problem than these petty squabbles," Dr. Cyborg said.

"Oh, and what might those be?" replied Solomon.

"1: XERRD versus Dino Attack Team. 2: XERRD versus Traitor, AKA me. Now, I scanned this room, and there is a door behind the Maelstrom vortex. You may not be able to see it, but it's there. If you go out that door," he indicated the door his team came through, "there is a corridor to your left that will take you to that door. Follow it and start attacking the vortex. We may be able to distract the Darkitect."

"Oh, yeah? Why should we follow your advice?" jeered Raul Barabbas, a Sorcerer near the back of the group. Dr. Cyborg raised his gun arm and shot the pointy hat off of Raul's big head.

"Now, any other questions?" he asked in a dangerously cool voice.

"No!" the hatless Sorcerer quickly responded. The scientists trooped out of the door. After they left, Dr. Cyborg shot the archway so it collapsed. "That's one loose end tied up," he said.

Katerina motioned to the synthfigs, and they charged at the XERRD Space Marauder who currently had the Maelstrom Crystal clenched in his fist, dodging around Stromlings as they tried to grab it from him. Two Stromling Explorers tried to block Katerina's path, but the two Loops took them down. She charged forward-

And stopped short. Two minifigs stood in her path. One was a broad-shouldered man dressed in an old-fashioned brown suit. His cravat was immaculate, his short hair was a stately gray, and his face was stern and stony. The other was a statuesque woman with dark hair save for flecks of gray at her temples. She wore a long, high-necked dark blue dress and had a cold, haughty look in her iron eyes.

"No..." breathed Katerina. "Impossible." But it was unmistakable. Standing before her were Hendrik and Ariane Schattenberg.

Her adoptive parents.

*****

As Trigger stepped onto the other side of the crevasse, he took a moment to stare into the thick mist. There was a moment when he was startled, and turned to see Snake stepping onto the ledge as well. Cabin came soon after.

"What the Znap you two doing here?" Trigger asked.

"We figured you could use all the help you can get," replied Cabin. "What about you, Snake?"

"Well, the sooner we're done here, the sooner we can leave."

"Alright," said Trigger. "You can tag along, but you got to do precisely what I tell you. Remember, never let your guard down. Surprise attacks are a mutual weakness. Taking a Stromling by surprise is the one way you'll have an advantage. If any of us or anyone inside are infected, never, never EVER let them live. You see a pair of glowing red eyes, I don't care if it's your own MegaBlokin' mother, you put a bullet right through their Znapping head. If you see anyone you know, don't bother trying to talk to them. Forget whatever you've seen in text-based role-playing games. They have no free will of their own since their thoughts are corrupted, so talking to them ain't going to get them to switch sides. Love, you see your MegaBloking lover and try to use the power of love, one of these MegaBlokin' 4+ Figures will MegaBloking grab you and snap your neck like a MegaBloking twig, alright? Everyone clear on that?"

Cabin sort of nodded. She could see what Trigger was talking about, but had some skepticism. Snake seemed perfectly fine with it.

"Alright," declared Trigger. "Let's go kill some Stromlings."

*****

Although he lay still upon the floor, Rex's head was spinning. Standing above him was his old nemesis Kotua. The last time they had seen each other, Kotua had gone mad and went on a campaign to exterminate all other Dino Attack agents with the help of a legendary monster known as Chaos. His number one target was Rex.

"What are you doing here?" inquired Rex, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Kotua chuckled as he once again began circling around Rex. "I've been following you for a long time," he murmured. "Every time you fought a Mutant Dino and must make a decision whether to spare its life or kill it, I was there with you. Every time you watched as other Dino Attack agents bickered over useless things, I was there with you. Every time you saw how all it takes is a little push to shove someone into total darkness, I was there with you."

"And why do you come to me now?" groaned Rex.

"Because now," jeered Kotua, "you can see that I was right and you were completely, utterly, totally wrong."

"You're wrong," Rex said, gritting his teeth.

Kotua responded with a kick. Rex cried out in pain and rolled over. "Stop deluding yourself," declared Kotua. "You have seen it with your own eyes. The Mutant Dinosaurs are literally created and bred to be nothing but mindless monsters that obey only the destructive will of the Darkitect. You thought you could save them. But you can't just adopt a Stromling, give it a cage, feed it every few hours, and think that it's cured. A Stromling is still as vile, despicable, destructive, and evil as it ever will be."

"Mutant Dinosaurs are different from Stromlings," argued Rex. "They are intelligent beings, but enslaved and forced to destroy against their own will. They can be freed from their madness, and no one knows that better than me."

Kotua kicked Rex again. "Did you try to save me? Was I worth saving when I fell into madness? You spend so much time taming beasts that you ignore your own kind! What side of the war are you on, Rex?" After a pause, Kotua added: "Then again, the Dino Attack Team was never really all that ideal either. Too many of its members share your foolish ideals, and as thanks for my efforts in helping win the war, I am branded an insane villain by even one of my closest friends, Databoard. But Dino Attack Team never really did get along, did it? Rotor's trial here on this island; Greybeard's actions down in the Goo Caverns; oh, and need I mention the entirely pointless idealist-realist debate that escalated into full violence? I seem to recall that it was Digger who declared war on the realists, not the other way around."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" muttered Rex, grimacing.

"I'm just reminding you that your efforts are futile," said Kotua, shrugging. "Just look around. See how well your team is doing against the Darkitect."

Straining his neck, Rex looked around. What he saw shocked him. Most of the Stromling Explorers had been dispatched, with the remaining few tailing after the mysterious samurai, who now held the Maelstrom Crystal in one hand and fired bolts of lightning at the Stromlings with the other hand. Most of XERRD had disappeared behind the Maelstrom vortex, led by Dr. Cyborg, although Michelle Gladys and Carolyne Provencal were not among them.

Everyone else, however, was engaged in combat, and fighting a losing battle. Greybeard tried to hold his ground against a giant figure dressed in a black hooded robe and wielding a wicked sword. Frozeen was locked in a struggle against a red-headed figure dressed like an aristocratic baron, but trembled in fear as wispy ghosts flew all around him. Sam Sinister cowered before a pharaoh's undead mummy telling terrible jokes, even as spikes rose from the floor and chains lowered skeletons upon him. Katerina was confronted by a man in a brown suit and a woman in a blue dress. Garry paled as he was approached by a beaten girl and a Dino Attack agent with a bullet in his forehead. Everyone, even those that were fighting like Greybeard and Frozeen, looked absolutely horror-stricken, as though their worst fears had come to life.

Except for the samurai, whose face was masked by a veil and did not seem particularly unnerved by the Stromlings that came closer and closer. If anything, it looked as though the samurai was looking for someone to toss the Maelstrom Crystal to, but seemed confused to see that everyone else was already occupied with their own conflicts. Also, when Rex finally recognized Gladys and Provencal fighting a bearded Dino Attack agent, none of them expressed fear, but rather boredom, sick amusement, and anger, respectively. Amanda was nowhere to be seen.

"As you can see," declared Kotua, "Dino Attack Team is fighting a losing battle. I'm sure that, even now, the rest of your friends who went to the wrong temple - thanks to your terrible suggestion to follow Dr. Gonepus, by the way - are struggling to enter this temple with all those Stromlings in the way. Too bad, they will not come here on time to provide the reinforcements you need. By then, it will be too late… the Darkitect will have his Maelstrom Crystal, and he will reign supreme over this world… before he abruptly ends it."

"Then what are you just standing there for?" snapped Rex. "Help us! You're an elite Alpha Team agent; you're supposed to save the world, not sit by and watch as it sits on the brink of destruction!"

Kotua chuckled darkly as a shadow passed over his face. "I don't know, Rex… I've always been a little partial to a little chaos in this universe."

There came a sound like a great tidal wave. From the shadows of the Maelstrom Temple emerged a massive being, vaguely reptilian in form, but its form was composed entirely of water that glowed purple with Maelstrom energy. It bellowed in fury as it laid cold, green eyes on its old enemy, Rex.

"It… cannot be!" gasped Rex.

"Let me reintroduce you," Kotua said with a smirk, "to your old friend, Perfect Chaos!"

*****

Hertz was hanging upside down with his legs hopelessly tangled in the remains of the bridge. He could only properly use one of his arms, and it was the less dominant of the two. In addition, he had never done enough sit-ups to tone his abdominal muscles and lift himself from his precarious position.

Hertz could smell the heavy rot of the Maelstrom lake a mere three feet from his head. Thankfully, the Mutant Pterosaur had likely been killed in the fall, but it did nothing to help his current situation.

He had only broken his right arm hours ago, and it had experienced way more stress than it should have. Through the slightly torn and blackened cast, the techie could observe that his arm had swollen and become black and bruised. It pained him to move it, and he once again cursed himself for thinking so impulsively.

That left his left arm to rummage in the backpack he had carried with him. Mostly, it was filled with tracking beacons that he had planned to place along the temple trail as a means to find an easy way in and out. The vast majority tumbled past his head once the bag was open.

Also in the bag were a rope, a PDA, a GPS, rations, and a flare gun. Hertz allowed the rest of the contents to spill past him as he scooped up the gun and took aim at the sky.

He hesitated. Firing a flare would likely attract a horde of Stromlings. He would be defenseless to fend them off in his pathetic position. On the other hand, no one would possibly hear his calls for help. Gunshots still filled the air, and a single scream for help would certainly go unnoticed.

If he wanted rescue, the flare was his only option. Taking aim, he fired it toward the sky and prayed a friendly would see it before a Stromling would.

Red sparks illuminated the clouds of fog and mist. Taking a deep breath, Hertz removed his wire cutters and got to work cutting the stands that were holding his legs. With considerable effort, he pulled himself into an upward position and clutched the cutters clumsily in his right hand. A shot of pain shot through his arm with every movement of his fingers, but he finally removed himself from the mess and stepped onto the more stable cliff face.

It was a mistake. The humidity had made the rocks slippery, and he immediately lost his balance and slammed face first into the rocks. He saw stars but was thankful enough to not fall back into the purple lake. Clutching his bleeding temple, he looped his arm around blackened vegetation and hoped for rescue.

He looked up at the rickety rope bridge leading up to the summit. Hertz did not have the stamina of Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom; he also knew that it would be impossible with a broken arm anyway.

"Hello?"

Hertz looked to see a rope fall from above and stop by his face. There was an expertly tied loop on the end where he could slip his foot, and Hertz excitedly did so after he tugged the rope in acknowledgment.

As his savior raised the rope, Hertz thanked the Creator that an agent had taken the time to rescue him. Someone must have been close by enough to see the flare and already been on the island. The cliff face scrapped his back as he was pulled up. A sharp rock cut his lower leg, but the pain was nothing compared to his joy of not being on the bottom of cliff.

He looked up to see a smiling mustached face above him. He took the man's hand gratefully and was lifted to safety on the wet island peak. "I can't tell you how thankful I am," said Hertz. "I'm certainly glad you came around."

"All in a day's work," sighed the mustached savior. "I was this close to taking the bridge." He said as he squeezed his fingers together. "Curiosity got the best of me and I came back to have a look."

"I'm glad you did," said Hertz. "What's your name?"

"I'm a provisional agent by the name of Bart Helmutson. My buddies call me Helm," said Helm.

"Nice to meet you, Helm," said Hertz, holding out his left hand. "I'm Hertz, telecommunications specialist."

Helm helped Hertz to his feet and handed him a pistol. "I was heading into the temple, Hertz," said Helm. "You're in pretty bad shape; it's probably better if you stay here."

Hertz accepted the pistol and shoved it in his belt. "You're probably right. I won't be much help fighting Stromlings anyway. I'll just wait here and guard the door."

Helm chucked. "You're a trooper, kid." He headed into the temple to fight, leaving Hertz standing in the doorway.

He reflected that he really had not contributed anything to the battle and had only gotten himself repeatedly hurt. "Well, I've proven myself to be totally worthless," he muttered as he kicked the dirt.

It was at that moment that a group of XERRD scientists scrambled out a side door. He heard them curse Dr. Cyborg's real name before turning back to the main door of the temple. They turned the corner and ran directly into the Hertz.

"MegaBlok!" swore the first scientist, a tall masked man barring a rocket launcher. "These Dino Attack agents are everywhere. We're not going to get out of here without being spotted."

"Who said anything about leaving?" said a bearded wizard. "If we get back to the chamber, we can contain the Maelstrom."

"You're a moron, Raul," spat a witch. "That Darkitect is in control now. This place is going to destroy itself now that that pirate brought the crystal here."

"She's right, Raul," said the masked man who had bumped into Hertz. "We lost; the Maelstrom is the Dino Attack Team's problem now. We need to evacuate when we still can."

"Well, how do you recommend we get off this rock?!" said a scientist wearing a gas mask. "We're surrounded."

The tall masked man looked down at Hertz. They appeared to have forgotten about him, but all at once they smiled menacingly.

*****

Minerva shot a Stromling several times in the head. It collapsed rather quickly. She continued to fire at the trail of Stromling Explorers that followed the stranger samurai individual who held the Maelstrom Crystal. However, as the samurai began to blast away Stromlings with lightning, Minerva allowed herself to pause.

She glanced around the chamber. She had split up with Zach and she wished to make sure he was okay. She knew she was babying him, but she couldn't help it. She just wanted to make sure he was okay.

The first thing she noted was that everyone seemed to be locked into some sort of personal battle. Figures that in no way resembled Stromlings seemed to be harassing everyone. And each one of her allies displayed a face of terror.

Her glance shot over to the Maelstrom vortex, where Baron Typhonus watched the battle with a smirk on his skeletal face. He has something to do with this. Minerva only recently learned of this controller of the Maelstrom, but was certain he was manipulating his forces against him.

Another scan allowed her to find Zach. He was fighting a XERRD Sorcerer and Space Marauder, but was clearly losing. The XERRD scientists were faster and clearly more powerful than him. She turned and began to run toward him.

"Hello, Minnie," a voice suddenly said. Minerva froze in her tracks. She had not been referred to by her family nickname in four years. She turned around slowly to face the speaker. She gasped in shock.

Oswald Fabello stood before her, his arms crossed with a wicked sneer on his face. He wore a crisp and clean black XERRD guard uniform with gold epaulets. He crossed his arms as Minerva stepped back in horror. But he was not the most surprising figure.

Beside Oswald was a woman. She had long blonde hair that stretched down the middle of her back. She wore a pure black dress that hung down to her ankles, revealing bare feet that clawed at the ground anxiously. Her face once had former beauty, but the times caught up with the woman, giving her crow's feet around her eyes and tired wrinkles around her smiling mouth. Her gray eyes glistened as they stared at Minerva.

Minerva was dumbfounded. "You... you are supposed to be at Napoleon XIV! You can't be here!"

Athena Fabello laughed, her voice light and airy. "Oh, Minnie!" Minerva winced at the use of the nickname. "I think the stress is getting to your head." Oswald smirked as he and Athena walked over to Minerva and began to circle her like vultures.

"Why are you here?" Minerva whispered, her fear growing.

"Can't a mother come and see her son and daughter without being questioned?" Athena responded sweetly. "I missed you, Minnie. Ever since Tod's death, you refused to even see me. Ozzy forgave me, so we decided to see you together." Minerva doubted Oswald had completely forgiven his mother. She remembered nights with curse-ridden rants orchestrated by Oswald and directed at his mother for what she did to them and their brother, Tod.

"You are insane!" Minerva spat. "You were institutionalized! How could you get here?"

Athena smiled. "Oswald helped me come here. Apparently, he worked over here once. Isn't that great?" Minerva shook her head.

Oswald cackled sharply. "So little Minnie can't be happy that Oswald finally got a job to support his ungrateful sister?" he hissed. "Even though his sister had been nothing but delinquent, coming home with wounds of various sizes and stealing processed food from convenience stores, he took care of you and made sure you were safe. Way to thank him!" Oswald screamed the last line.

Minerva felt tears begin to roll down her face. "I am-"

"You know, you're right, Ozzy," Athena replied. "Minerva seems to think she is entitled to something."

"No!" Minerva cried out. "I-"

"The best you could do in a family crisis was to turn to crime? I raised you better, Minerva."

"You did nothing!" Minerva finally screamed. "I didn't know what to do! I thought I was helping-"

"Helping?!" Oswald barked furiously. "Making me pay the small wages I had so I could get you out of jail? Yeah, thanks for the help! This is exactly why I changed sides!"

"Wha-?"

"I joined XERRD to escape! To start a new life, since my past life was being held back by you!" Oswald roared.

"I was-"

"Scared?" Oswald finished, moving face to face Minerva. "So was I, Minerva. Everyday knowing that I had to wake up unsure if there would be a meal. If you'd even be alive. And all you ever did was take advantage of me to survive!"

"I was young, I-"

"Young?!" Oswald spat. "Maybe for a bit, but even after becoming old enough to be employed, you didn't! You'd prefer for me to do all the work while you went around and got in trouble! You are a worthless pile of filth."

Minerva shrank underneath Oswald's lashings. Behind him, Athena glared at her. "You truly are a terrible person, Minerva. What you did to your brothers-"

"Brothers?" Minerva called back. "I did absolutely nothing to Tod. You killed him!"

"He sacrificed himself," Athena said curtly, ignoring Minerva' accusations. "To save a miserable wretch like you. He is more honorable and a thousand times better person than you ever will be, Minnie."

"Why couldn't Mom kill you?" Oswald whispered harshly. "Why did Tod have to die? We loved him. He was a true son, brother, and friend who tried to make things better after Dad died. You did nothing. We hate you, Minerva. I imagine you would've killed Tod yourself if you had gotten the chance, you-"

Oswald was cut off by the sound of a gun firing. He glanced at the gaping wound in his chest for a moment, then at the smoking gun in Minerva's hands before slumping forward onto Minerva.

Minerva threw him off of her and she scrambled back to her feet as Athena looked at Oswald. Tears were running from both women's eyes, though for different reasons.

"Ozzie was right," Athena whimpered, using Oswald's nickname. "You are evil,"

"No!" Minerva screamed. "He is evil. I loved Tod! He-" Minerva sobbed quietly, trying to find the words to describe her relationship with her late brother. "He was my best friend," she wept, never taking her eyes off of her mother. "He played with me. We talked together. Oswald is a liar."

"I doubt that," Athena scoffed angrily. "You let Tod die, held your brother back, and then killed him when he told you the truth."

"It's your fault!" Minerva snapped back. "You killed Tod, my best friend. I was alone and confused. I knew I needed to take his place and I tried my best. I only became a criminal to help Oswald and me. And the only reason that was even necessary is because of you!"

"Don't you dare talk to your mother like that!" Athena screamed at Minerva.

"You aren't my mother!" Minerva bellowed back. "You raised me for four years. After Dad died, you might as well have died too! You raving, insane alcoholic! All of our problems stemmed from the fact you couldn't handle your grief. You were a nuisance! You were the fourth child that Oswald and Tod didn't want to take care of! You-you-you..." Minerva faltered.

Athena glared at Minerva, fuming before suddenly launching herself forward. Minerva step-sided Athena's attack and raised the gun, firing three bullets into her back. Athena glanced back at Minerva, her eyes flashing angrily before she collapsed on the ground. Minerva stared at the body and watched as Athena's body transitioned to the body of a Stromling. A quick look at Oswald's body saw the same vision.

Minerva fell to her knees, weeping softly. It was an illusion. All an illusion created by the Maelstrom to weaken her. And it had nearly worked. She wanted to roll into a ball and just cry. She had so desperately tried bury her past, but with Oswald's betrayal and the appearances of Maelstrom!Athena and Maelstrom!Oswald, it seemed to try and bring itself back into the light.

As she knelt, she knew that the Maelstrom had played off of her fears. Fears that what had happened to Oswald and Tod were her fault. "It was Mom's fault," she whispered to herself repeatedly. Seeing her mother again struck a particularly sour note. She was legally insane and she was institutionalized in Napoleon XIV Mental Institution. She hadn't seen her mother in six years as both Minerva and Oswald despised Athena for everything she had done to them.

They're still out there, Minerva thought. Oswald was with XERRD and Athena was in Antarctica. She knew she would have to face the both of them eventually, and she dreaded the moment when the day finally came. However, she needed to stop dwelling on the past and focus on the present. She raised her head and saw Zach continuing his fight with the Sorcerer and Space Marauder.

Minerva wiped the sweat from her forward and rose to her feet. Her gun raised, she ran over to Zach. 

*****

"Okay men, enough delaying," Semick said into the mic. The T-1 Typhoons were finally in position, having mostly taken care of the Mutant Pterosaur attacks, and had at least one of them still protecting the bombardment formation. It was time to break in. "Let's hope everyone's still prepared."

Semick gripped his controls for the front guns, the trigger only a light push from going off. "On my mark. Ten..."

This is risky, highly risky.

"...Nine..."

Semick knew what this was. Last minute doubt, possibly Maelstrom trickery trying to play on his fears. He kept a straight face and did his best to ignore it.

You could injure something or someone important. You could doom the planet just with a simple action.

"...Eight..."

This was true. They delay in firing could've made people numb to Rockford's warning. But this had to be done.

Like butterflies in the wind. You know what could happen.

"...Seven..."

This inner voice had a slight point. During the preparations for the temple assault, Semick had a restless night due to his dreams. Nightmares were getting to him again, and in this case, he had a rather vivid one.

He dreamed of being among the last survivors of his kind. Of a failure of this mission leaving him and a few familiar and unfamiliar faces being the remnants of the LEGO Planet's population. And time was almost up.

"...Six..."

In those last imaginary moments (so vivid!), he was holding hands with his last allies, taking in death together, morbidly accepting that the end was near for them, and the rest of the universe wasn't far behind.

And that can still happen, if you make the wrong choice.

"...Five..."

There were other options, true. Storming the temple on foot, protecting it from further exterior attack, but they weren't the immediate help he felt was needed.

You realize the forces you're toying with. Reconsider before it's too late.

"...Four..."

The Maelstrom was strong, Semick knew that, especially around the heart of its infection on this island. But Dino Attack was strong too. It had gotten this far in its war against the Dinos against impossible odds, and if he could use everything he had, he was determined to do it.

"...Three..."

People like Dust or Trigger might be technically more realistic in the strategic outlook of things, but after all Semick had seen, he knew that there were acceptable times to take risks, times that might be a gamble, and if he had a chance to help his team in their darkest hour yet, he was going to take it.

"...Two..."

You'll be dead!

Dino Attack needs everything right now, Semick told his inner voice. If I die, I'll die knowing that I didn't stand down and let this happen. I'll do everything I need to if necessary.

"...One...

"Fire!" Semick cried over the mic, and squeezed the trigger. The T-1 Typhoons began, firing nearly in union, Striking hard down on the largest part of the temple where the radar readings stated that everyone was in. It was time to let them know that Dino Attack wasn't done yet.

*****

The temple started to shake, slight pieces of debris falling from the ceiling.

"What was that?" Vinyaya asked out loud.

"Maybe something big just went down in the battle area," Laxus suggested.

"Could be Semick finally getting to blowing through the roof," Andrew added.

"I hope he isn't being stupid with his choice," Vinyaya muttered. "Who knows what physical state this building is in?"

"I'm sure he knows what he's doing," said Andrew. "Now come on, I think the battle sounds are coming from down this hall."

The three of them jogged down the hall, hoping to at least reach the battle area. Andrew was getting anxious. He wanted to get there soon. Not just because he felt that the more hands being handed to the team effort, the better, but the fact that the Maelstrom corridors were looking more and more eerie by the minute. It felt like it was ready to show him some scary tall guy in a suit with no face the next time he looked down a-

Andrew's heart skipped a beat for the umpteenth time today. Standing right down the hallway was a familiar Minifig in a red vest and train cap, a thick white mustache, and a pair of large glasses.

"The-the Infomaniac?" Andrew sputtered out.

"What the MegaBloks is he doing here?!" Vinyaya asked. "Isn't he back in Antarctica?"

"I came here," the Infomanaic said, approaching the trio, "to talk to you personally, Andrew. About how you failed at LEGO Island."

But while the words stung him, Andrew was already snapped out of it. With a look of annoyance, he raised his laser rifle and shot the "Infomaniac" midstep. He fell to the ground, his true visage as a Stromling revealed.

"What makes the Maelstrom think," Laxus remarked, "that it can have some mook take the visage of some figure from our past and give us a good talking to, when the fact that someone we know taking the moment in the middle of a battle to try and chat rather than help us fight is going to fool anyone?"

"You'd be surprised at how the trick works on people under the right circumstances," said Vinyaya. "I think you two just might be a little too genre savvy for that right now. Now let's try and get going. I came here to save our planet, not ask a lot of questions about the Maelstrom's workings. I didn't expect some kind of Stromling Inquisition."

Suddenly, three more Stromlings jumped out from the shadows, all three dressed in bright purple robes and gold necklaces, and at least one in a nice long-brim hat. "Nobody expects the Stromling Inquisition!" said the Stromling in the hat. "Because our chief weapon is surprise! Surprise, fear, and nice purple uniforms!"

Andrew just stared at the sight. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he groaned as he readied his rifle.

*****

Buddy stood crouched down in one of the shadows of the chamber of the battle. Here, the call of the Maelstrom was strong, and the instinctual temptations great. The scarred Mutant Lizard did his best to not look at the swirling vortex and the fearsome-seeming figure inside it, instead focusing on the figures in the battlefield.

Most of the purple servants of the Maelstrom were gone now. Most were preoccupied with the cloaked warrior now holding the crystal the chamber was so focused on several minutes ago. But it seemed the battle had taken some strange turn. Many of the Dino Attack Minifigs and their allies seemed halted by strange circumstances. Most were trapped by what looked like other Minifigs, who appeared to somehow install fear in them that was leaving them all but paralyzed. Others seemed stopped by obstacles that were holding them down by something other than just the physical obstacles. And at least some were being hounded by creatures that were triggering phobias, like one fedora-wearing Minifig who was running in circles from a large butterfly.

Still crouched in the shadows, Buddy tried moving closer to the battle, listening to the things these Minifigs were saying. For all that was happening, the Lizard was still intent on finding and helping Rex. He had to be somewhere, and what these Minifigs were all saying had to give something away.

"... could you do this to us? Squander the fortune we..."

"... little Minnie can't be happy that Oswald finally got..."

"... did was wrong. And the Team Commanders will..."

"... the heck is going on, I'm not good with computers, ask..."

"... dinosaurs are literally created and bred to be nothing but mindless monsters that..."

Buddy's one good eye widened. He turned towards the source of the last few words.

There was a Minifig on the ground, his face covered with hair growths and scars, his legs spread out almost loosely, only supporting himself by his arms. Above him was a Minifig in garments similar to his, and though his face was much plainer, there was an unmissable look of hostility and hatred in his eyes.

From what the Lizard could understand, the second Minifig was hounding the first about how helping Mutant Dinos was futile, how they were doomed to be servants of the Maelstrom. He also rambled about how apparently their allies were useless and were fighting a losing battle. Buddy felt insulted and enraged at this Minifig. It was despicable what he was saying to his own kind, and insulting Mutant Dinos wasn't helping its reputation either. His crouch slowly began to ready for a charge.

After some time, the second Minifig gestured its arms back behind him, and with the sound of a great rush of water, some kind of form started to emerge from the shadows surrounding the chamber. Some even came from right over the Mutant Lizard's head. The form merged together not far from the two Minifigs, and became some large, slightly saurian creature of glowing purple water. It roared a great roar, and looked down towards the Minifigs, specifically towards the one on the ground.

Buddy had no idea what was going on between the two, except for one thing: the Minifig on the ground was Rex, the "Dino Man" himself. And he was down on the ground, his values being tested to the limit, and his peril great. He needed help.

Just as something above the chamber started to rumble, the Mutant Lizard charged forward out of the shadows, passing by other Minifigs in the middle of their own struggles, and leaped out into the air. He landed feetfirst right between Rex and his opponent, making the latter stumble back in surprise.

"What...?!" the Minifig uttered.

Buddy growled threateningly and crouched defensively. He was determined to protect Rex from these strange but undeniable foes.

*****

The thick mist obscured the visions of three agents as they proceeded toward the temple, only partially visible in the distance. "Where's all the Stromlings?" Cabin asked. "I thought you said there was an army of them."

"There was," replied Trigger. "Someone must have summoned them and then they were recalled. I think a Stromling got a little power-hungry and the Maelstrom took back control."

"It recalled its own armies?" Snake asked.

"Reduced them at any rate," clarified Trigger. "The Maelstrom's smart. It's not going to just send a bunch of Stromlings to kill us. It's like an elaborate chess game. It's trying to mess with us. Now I can resist this, but if you see anything or anyone you know who wasn't on this island, you ignore them. It's just the Maelstrom playing with your mind. Still, whoever summoned that first army is more dangerous than most Stromlings. I'd suggest you leave them to me."

At that moment, the noise of voices started to grow louder. They could soon make out the vague shapes of a group of people menacingly surrounding two men; It wasn't long before Cabin recognized the face as that of Hertz.

Trigger put a hand over his forehead as a few bursts of flame were monetarily visible on top of the temple, which was now within walking distance.

"What do we do with him?" Cabin asked, gesturing toward Hertz and the XERRD scientists.

"Leave him," replied Snake. "I don't know about you, but the sooner I get out of here the better."

"I'm afraid Snake is right here," agreed Trigger. "We'll have to leave that guy behind. There's too many of them and we don't stand a chance."

The XERRD scientist known as Raul rushed forward and grabbed Hertz by the hair and yanked him to his feet. Hertz was shoved hard against the temple doorway and a glowing red weapon of some short was shoved to his chin.

Raul bit his lip in excitement. "Looks like we got ourselves a bargaining chip, eh? Solomon?"

"Now, Raul, lets remain civil," said the masked scientist, Solomon. Hertz could see he wore a helmet similar to that of Ogel. A long black robe flowed around his figure that oozed elegance and charisma. "I ask you this, Doctor: do you think that that the Dino Attack Team will just let us walk away? XERRD has committed war crimes; we will be persecuted as terrorists once this war is over. We need to make friends, not enemies, with the Dino Attack."

"Well, what do you suggest we do that, Solomon?" asked the woman.

"Ingrid, I believe now is the time to offer our terms of surrender," said Solomon.

Raul dropped Hertz to the floor with a thump and spun around to face Solomon. "Are you suggesting we go crawling to them for forgiveness? I have no intention to spend the rest of my life in a high security cell. Oh, no! I'm going down fighting."

"The Maelstrom is beyond our control, Raul. Can't you see that?!" said Solomon. "We can't possibly hope to keep this planet intact unless we submit to the Dino Attack Team."

"Are you suggesting we join them?!" yelled Raul.

"I am suggesting we attempt to cooperate with them," Solomon said sternly. "We are losing this war; I hope you can see that! Bishop was a mole, Strangebrick and Cyrista defected, Provhezor and Breen are dead, and we lost almost a third of our resources when the fortress was destroyed."

"If I can say something," Hertz said weakly as he once again rose from the ground. "Using me as a hostage won't be much help. We have some of the best snipers in the world on our side, and you really will have nowhere to run. I don't have the authority to accept a formal surrender, but I can put in a good word and try and keep you from being treated too harshly."

He was silenced by a kick to the gut by Ingrid, and he promptly collapsed. "Even if we did give up, which I have no intention of doing," she retorted, "we would never be allowed to live. They have psychopaths like Rotor that would gladly kill us on sight."

With the helmet, it was impossible to read Solomon's expression, but Hertz could tell he was contemplating. He passed around, considering how he could convince his fellow scientists to follow his lead, and stopped before Hertz.

He held out a hand and lifted the bruised techie to his feet. Hertz felt pain every time he moved and he fully expected to be knocked down again.

"What is your name, son?" Solomon asked warmly. "My name is Solomon Koplowitz. I am a scientist for XERRD and formerly was a philosophy professor."

Hertz did not know how to respond. His training had taught him to not give the enemy his name, but he gave it anyway as he nodded dumbly.

"I apologize for my colleagues' behavior. I am sure that your doctorate has tried to enforce that we are all bad people. We are not. Just like Dino Attack, XERRD has good men and bad men. We strove to help the world by harnessing it most awesome power. As you must know, the Maelstrom has grown beyond our control; we are willing to help you stop it if you will accept the terms of our surrender."

"You don't speak for the whole organization, Solomon," said Raul. "We can still escape. We can still endure."

"Raul, you are as filled with delusions as you were when we first met," said Solomon. "Do you expect to run from the law forever? We need to turn in our cards when we still have some chips on the table."

Solomon rose and stood apart from the rest of the scientists. "I intend to end my existence as a good man. That was something I hoped XERRD would make me. If any one of you would like to join me, step forward."

Five of the scientists stepped forward. Raul and Ingrid remained rooted where they stood.

Ingrid addressed Raul. "I don't agree that we can still contain the Maelstrom," the female scientist said. "But I know that, if we are captured by Dino Attack, we will suffer dire consequences."

"You're Znapping right you would." Trigger stepped into the fray followed by Cabin and Snake. He overheard the conversation and had changed his mind, deciding to address the XERRD scientists before heading into the temple. "Do you really think we would spare your miserable existence because you asked nicely?"

"Don't do anything stupid, agent," said Solomon. "There are four of you and fifteen of us. We would offer a chance to go peacefully."

Hertz stood between Trigger and Solomon. "I know you don't listen to the rules very often, Trigger, but I hope you at least know not to shoot a man who's surrendered."

"Get out of the way, Hertz," Trigger said through gritted teeth. "You're not a soldier; you don't know what it means to fight and make a tough call."

"But you will only give them a reason to fight us!" yelled Hertz.

A scientist wearing a gas mask whipped out a heavy blaster. Most of the scientists who sided with Raul followed suit.

"You're a fool, agent," said the gas-masked scientist. "In fact, you're a dead man."

Now Solomon had his rocket launcher pointed at Raul. "You are the reason why us scientists have such a bad name. It's people like you who have developed this image of vile that now is the face of XERRD."

It was a Mexican standoff of epic proportions. Trigger had his gun pointed at Solomon with Hertz standing between them. Solomon had his rocket launcher pointed at Raul and the XERRD loyalists. Raul had his gun pointed at Trigger, and Snake had his gun pointed at Raul.

Hertz locked eyes with elite agent Cabin. "You're an elite agent, Cabin," he said. "You're in command now. Call off this blunt instrument of destruction you've found before he kills someone!"

Hertz looked at Trigger and Solomon. "Let's just all try and settle down."

"That's a good idea," replied Trigger sternly.

*****

Zach grunted as Provencal slammed her foot into Zach's chest. He squirmed underneath her and desperately tried to push her foot off of him. Provencal smirked as he struggled. She swung up her staff and pinned his right arm to the ground. Provencal then looked up toward Gladys, who walked over and stared at Zach for a short moment before raising her foot and smashing his robotic hand as hard as she could.

If there were actually pain nerves installed into the hand, the attack might have hurt a lot. However, the most he felt was a sudden electrical shock as the hand finally met its match, crumpling under Gladys's might. Zach growled and continued to attack Provencal, but she refused.

"This is really amusing," Provencal stated, leaning in toward Zach's face. "Watching you."

"Desperately trying to flee like prey escaping a predator," Gladys added on, pacing around Zach.

Zach didn't say anything, only glaring at the scientists. They clearly had him beat and yet they continued to punish him. He wondered dimly why they continued when he remembered that Michelle Gladys and Carolyne Provencal were clearly among the most sadistic people he had ever met in his life. They gained amusement from watching others in pain. As soon as he stopped being responsive to the pain, they would most likely kill him.

Gladys kicked him in the face. He snarled at her. Even though Gladys clearly went to great lengths to hide her feelings underneath layers of monotone and boredom, she was clearly amused while beating Zach. However, her uninterested tone only seemed to make Zach angrier.

"How?" he hissed. "How can you go around, acting like you don't care?"

Gladys raised an eyebrow and lifted Zach's torso up by his Dino Attack uniform. "Emotions make you weak," Gladys hissed. "The only reasons you lie here now is because of your anger at Provencal and the pain that fuels the beating. And because of that you are weak." She threw Zach back to the ground. Provencal lifted up her foot and backed away from him as well.

Zach crawled to his feet slowly. Provencal smiled at him warmly. "I'm going to kill you," Zach muttered, staring at the two scientists, his eyes filled with contempt.

"Cute," Provencal remarked. "I have an offer for you..."

"Zachary Virchaus," he hissed.

"That's it. Zachary Virchaus. We may consider letting you live, on the condition you will go to Dinosaur Island with us."

"And why would I even consider that?"

"You are the first confirmed Minifig to be a Stromling," she said. "An actual Stromling. Not a Mutant Dino. Think of what we could learn from you."

"You've done a lot of things you probably regret," Gladys said. "But we think we can put that past us and move forward for science."

For science. Zach wasn't sure why, but that phrase rubbed him in the wrong way. "For science, eh? I think I know your idea of science, and I want no part of it. Using science to destroy Minifigkind? Yeah, I really want a part of that." He imagined torture and dissections if he actually agreed to their demands.

Provencal shrugged. "I figured as much. You are a rather unreasonable person, though." She raised her staff and Gladys pointed her rocket launcher at him. "I think we're done here - oh look!"

Zach turned around and saw Minerva running toward him. She embraced him for several seconds before pulling away. Her eyes were red and puffy, but other than that, she seemed fine.

"I remember you, too!" Provencal said. "Very upset when you found out he had been corrupted. Even more upset when you learned I was the culprit."

Zach looked at Minerva. Her countenance first suggested confusion, then anger as she seemingly recognized Provencal.

"And it's very clear why you upset now," Provencal continued, smirking. Gladys scoffed, seemingly proving her point about emotions. Zach scowled. "Now, it is time to end this." 

Dr. Cyborg looked around in confusion. For an end-of-the-world battle, he was strangely bored. Everyone was being attacked by their worst fears. He saw Adventure running from a butterfly. Katerina was being confronted by who he assumed were her parents. Greybeard was struggling against a man in a hood. Strangely, nobody listened to him when he tried to snap them out of it. Even stranger, nothing confronted him. There was one shade swirling around, saying something about how it was his fault, but he ignored as it had no influence over him.

He noticed Zach and Minerva being confronted by Provencal and Gladys. He went over there to help Zach. Besides, he just never liked Gladys. Once, just to try to "crack her chell", he made a video game where an insane AI with her last name was the bad guy while a woman with her first name was trying to escape a lab with a portal gun, and he claimed it was an exploration of her psyche; her unamused response was just dropping him off the side of the building with portals.

Zach suddenly saw both Provencal and Gladys's eyes narrow at them, as if annoyed. Zach turned his head and saw that Dr. Cyborg had joined their group.

"Oh," Provencal said coldly, putting a hand on her hip. "Hello, Dr. Cyrista."

"Yes. The 'deadly' Dr. Cyrista," Gladys said. Dr. Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "The 'deadly' was in massive sarcasm quotes, you fool."

Hard to tell with the way you speak. Zach thought.

Dr. Cyborg smirked at the high-ranking scientists. "Did you miss me?" he said calmly.

"In fact, we have," Provencal hissed. "We've been wanting to see you again so we can thank you for betraying Dr. Rex and XERRD. It is so nice of you to join us."

Gladys glanced at the Maelstrom vortex for a moment. "Unfortunately, we do have more important matters to deal with. Dr. Provencal, please dispose of them."

Provencal nodded and raised her staff. "It was nice seeing you again, Cyrista, Virchaus, and-"

"Minerva Fabello," Minerva said through gritted teeth.

At this, Provencal eyes and smile widened. "Interesting. Regardless, it's time for you three to go!" With a wave of her staff, a brilliant purple blast shot out of the staff's head and moved at the Dino Attack agents at a rapid pace.

Zach winced. It was all about to end. He closed his eyes and almost instinctively raised his hands as if to stop the powerful blast of Maelstrom magic. He waited and... nothing.

What? Zach opened his eyes and nearly jumped. A fiery purple ball of Maelstrom energy was floating ahead of him, Cyborg, and Minerva. It rested barely a foot away from his head and seemed to snap at him furiously.

"What's going on!?" Minerva whispered fearfully. Zach shrugged. He felt his energy being sapped away the longer the fiery mesh stayed next to them. Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the temple and rocks and brick began to fall from the chamber's massive ceiling.

The helicopter fleet, he thought weakly. They were blowing a hole in the temple. He pointed up to the ceiling. "Semick's crew is blowing their way - WHOA!" He stumbled backward into Minerva's arms as the ball of Maelstrom suddenly shot upward. It kept going up and shot straight through the chamber ceiling like it was a house of cards. Bricks began to fall freely on into the chamber as outside light began to seep into the chamber.

Zach was panting, barely able to stand. What just happened? His brain was trying to process the information. The Maelstrom magic had been stopped and sent in a completely different direction. Did... did I do that? He thought back to the final moments before he became a Stromling. Ahua mentioned a prophecy. Zach had thought it was lies. It was too astronomically cliché to be true. He had learned the Darkitect himself had been responsible for saving his life at the Maelstrom pool. He had said he saw potential in Zach and took advantage of it. There was no power until after he became a Stromling.

Perhaps I have been touched by the Maelstrom. His being of a Stromling and general close contact to the Maelstrom maybe led to Zach acquiring those powers Ahua spoke of. Perhaps half the reason the Darkitect wanted Zach dead was because he knew he had these powers.

These powers clearly had a consequence. Holding back Provencal's Maelstrom magic had sapped away much of the energy he had managed to acquire following his redemption. He felt weak and on the verge on unconsciousness. If the current situation wasn't so dire, he might have succumbed. However, he worked past the tiredness, and Minerva helped him back on to his feet.

Provencal's mouth was hanging open in shock. She was looking at the gaping hole in the ceiling in awe before looking directly at Zach. Even the mighty stoic Michelle Gladys had a look of shock and fear on her face.

Minerva leaned in close to Zach's ear. "Did you do that?!" she whispered, her voice displaying her own fear.

"I-I think," Zach said, clearly dazed. Gladys and Provencal were regaining their composure very quickly. Their surprise and fear melted away into anger. Gladys whispered something into Provencal's ear. The red-haired scientist nodded and pointed her staff at the group again.

"Are you really going to try that again, Carolyne?" Dr. Cyborg said.

"Maybe," Provencal said with a sneer. Without warning, both Gladys and Provencal disappeared in a flash of orange light. Zach swore as Minerva looked around, confused.

"Where did they go?" Minerva asked. "How did they-"

"The device in Gladys's hand," Dr. Cyborg explained. "It is a teleportation device. It allows her to teleport from one place to another." There was a rapid flash of blue and orange light to the agents' left.

"Get down!" Zach yelled. He, Minerva, and Dr. Cyborg hit the ground as a blast from Provencal's staff shot over their heads. Suddenly, a blue light appeared in the middle of their group. Zach saw Dr. Gladys for a second as she held a grenade in her hand. "Spread out! Move!" He scrambled to his feet as he saw another flash of orange light followed by an explosion that threw him forward.

He landed hard on the floor. He grimaced as he pulled himself up. Zach, Dr. Cyborg, and Minerva were spread out and Gladys and Provencal clearly had the advantage with heavier firepower and more powerful technology. He was about to start moving toward Provencal when he stepped on a bump on the floor. He grinned as he pulled up the knife he had dropped.

Time for my revenge, Provencal. 

*****

"Quite disappointed," Katerina's father said gruffly. "How could you do this to us? Squander the fortune we made on trivial, unprofitable pursuits?"

"The profit is the benefits I will bring to the minifig species!" Katerina protested.

Her mother tilted her head back and looked down imperiously at Katerina. "After all we did for you, too. Taking you in when your biological parents could not support a second child, providing you with shelter and a proper upbringing... Hendrik is right. You are a disappointment. You could never measure up to Rainer, my only true child."

Katerina tensed suddenly. Rainer Wolfgang Schattenberg. Her brother. How many years had it been since she had spared him so much as a thought?

Her father was speaking again. "You may as well have killed him yourself," he accused. "He at least had the decency to keep the mines in the family. But you? As soon as Rainer succumbed to tuberculosis, you sell them?"

"It was necessary!" Katerina insisted. "The funds for my research had to come from somewhere!"

"THOSE MINES WERE THE MOST PROSPEROUS IN ALL OF BARRON!" Hendrik Schattenberg roared. "And they have been part of this family since my great-grandfather first broke that ground with no more than a shovel and only three pence to his name!" He shook his head. "And now you have brought that name to disgrace. We should have known that one who did not share our blood would lack our honor."

"You are no daughter of ours, Catherine Alexander," Ariane spat.

Katerina sank to the ground, almost giving in to the despair that was suddenly flooding her being. Then a thought crept unbidden into her mind. 

My parents have been dead for nearly half a century. 

And immediately, she realized the truth. She looked up, matching her mother's glare with her own. "You are correct," she said, "because you are not my parents. And you have failed, because I will never stop fighting as long as one breath remains in my body." She gestured her synthfigs forward. They raised their Cosmotronic Rays and fired. "Hendrik" and "Ariane" fell, and the Maelstrom's illusions dissipated, revealing two dead Stromlings.

Katerina placed her hands on the shoulders of the three-eyed minifigs she had created. "Rainer, Wolfgang," she said, "thank you both." And with that, they charged back into the fray. 

*****

Rex's jaw dropped in shock. He barely even noticed the fact that the temple was shaking and a great rumbling was coming from the chamber's ceiling. All his attention was focused upon the scarred Mutant Lizard that stood before him, which growled and snarled at Kotua as it crouched defensively over Rex's fallen form.

Kotua's own surprise disappeared quickly, replaced by an amused smirk. "Still taming them like circus animals, I see?" he said with a chuckle. "I see things never really do change."

Kotua's comment invoked in Rex the memory of a brief moment back at the Dino Attack Outpost. He recognized this Mutant Lizard as that one lizard in the camp area that nobody fired at; he later learned that this Mutant Lizard was not one of his own after all, but rather taken in by Stranger. Now, Buddy stood between him and Kotua.

"I don't have the time for this," muttered Kotua. "Drown them both."

Perfect Chaos nodded with unconcealed zeal. It stretched out an appendage, like a giant tentacle made from water, and rose in the air above Rex and Buddy. The Mutant Lizard jumped back, closing his jaws on the back of Rex's uniform as he did so, and dragged Rex out of the way just before the water limb slammed down upon the floor.

The appendage dissolved into a wave of water, which rushed into Rex and Buddy and sent them sprawling across the temple floor. The Mutant Lizard recovered quickly and nudged Rex, giving him the strength to do an upper-body pushup. Rex looked up at Perfect Chaos, who roared in anger.

"You know," Kotua said, smirking, "this reminds me. One of the greatest bonding experiences Chaos and I ever had together... Did you really think that it was a wise idea to cage up all your little pets in an abandoned prison on the coast?"

"What?" gasped Rex.

Kotua laughed. "Oh, you should have been there. It was just so satisfying to listen to the cries and screeches of dozens of Mutant Dinos as they drowned in the very cells that you locked them up in. They had no escape as Chaos flooded the entire building with its own being. There were no survivors, especially not after a swarm of Mutant Vinscale Octomus took up residence in the area."

Buddy bared his teeth, but Rex paled. He remembered that the last time he visited the former prison, it was completely devoid of life. Surely, Kotua must have had the technology to track down such a large concentration of Mutant Dinos... and it was right on the coast. Rex thought the former prison was the perfect place for his tamed Mutant Dinos, since he could convert the cells into cages and pens where he could keep them safe... but could it be? Did he really leave them trapped and unable to escape as Kotua and Chaos killed them all? Self-doubt clouded Rex's mind.

"Do you remember your dear friend Trouble, Rex?" continued Kotua.

Rex froze. He could not remember the last time he spared a thought towards what was once his closest friend in the whole world. To hear his name again now...

"He was there, too, when it happened. He had a mate, too, and hatchlings, I believe. It's almost a shame that Chaos had to snuff out the whole family just like that. Since it's Trouble's fault that this whole team-splitting debate began, I would have liked to have made him suffer a little longer before he died."

Rex's self-doubt turned to anger, and Buddy hissed fiercely. He glanced beside him and saw a fallen XERRD scientist and his rocket launcher. Thinking quickly, Rex grabbed the rocket launcher and fired it at Kotua.

Surprisingly, Kotua dodged the projectile with ease, maneuvering with incredible reflexes and even displaying a bit of acrobatics. "Oh, please. I'm an Alpha Team agent; we're specially trained to deal with this stuff on a daily basis. What do you think I am? Some Stromling disguised as Kotua?"

"Of course," said Rex, nodding as he remembered Palmer playing tricks on Garry. "You're not real. Chaos isn't real either. You're just an illusion."

"Just an illusion, huh?" Kotua raised an eyebrow. "Could an illusion do this?"

Before the Mutant Lizard could react, Perfect Chaos grabbed Rex with one of its tentacle-like appendages. Rex felt himself hoisted in the air and tossed around like a ragdoll. Then, the tentacle tightened its grip and became less defined in form, until it seemed to become an amorphous blob large enough to absorb Rex into its mass. Rex felt the cold water surround him and fill his lungs, and in a moment of panic, he realized that he was about to drown on dry land.

"Could an illusion drown you?" proclaimed Kotua from down below, even though his voice was muffled by the water surrounding Rex. "Could an illusion-"

The Alpha Team agent was interrupted by Buddy, who pounced on Kotua and began viciously snapping his jaws at him. Only the Alpha Team agent's quick reflexes saved him, and he was struggling to push Stranger's Mutant Lizard off of him. Perfect Chaos become distracted and accidentally let Rex go as it tried to help its master. Rex coughed water out of his lungs and his head was spinning at first, but seeing Kotua fighting the Mutant Lizard seemed to immediately sober him up.

Perfect Chaos bellowed and tried to grab Rex again, but Rex still held onto the rocket launcher and fired it into the water beast's mouth. It barely affected Chaos, but it bought Rex the second he needed. He unlimbered some rope and wrapped it around Kotua's leg while the Alpha Team agent was distracted by the Mutant Lizard. Kotua tripped and fell to the floor, and before he could get up again, Rex crawled atop Kotua's fallen form. Buddy snarled at Kotua, letting him know that any attempt to throw Rex off would be greeted by its sharp teeth.

"Let's end this," Rex growled. "I've waited too long to give you what you deserve!"

"Why do you keep fighting?" hissed Kotua. "Why won't you just give up?"

"Because I've got something worth fighting-" began Rex, but then he faltered as Perfect Chaos slammed a limb down up the floor once again.

It wasn't that Chaos tried to hit Rex, because if that were the case, then it would have completely missed its target. Instead, Rex could now see that Chaos had been holding onto another Minifig, one who had succumbed to drowning, and threw her lifeless body down upon the floor. The anger that fueled Rex was extinguished in an instant, as a feeling of hopelessness and despair overcame him.

The drowned corpse that Chaos had flung down on the floor next to him belonged to Amanda Claw.

*****

While all around them, the battle raged, Frank Einstein and Kate Bishop tried to focus on only one thing: the Imagination statue.

Frank Einstein was breathing heavily, and he clutched at one side with his arm. The Maelstrom lightning had taken a lot out of the old scientist, and he required Kate's support to walk. Still, he knew that he would not give up, so long as the Darkitect had the slightest bit of power on LEGO Planet.

"How do we stop him?" asked Kate urgently.

"I don't know," admitted Einstein. "All I know is that this Imagination is the only thing that is keeping him at bay. But it is frail at the moment. We must find some way to strengthen the Imagination before the Darkitect can get the Maelstrom Crystal, or else all hope is lost."

"And how can we strengthen the Imagination?" wondered Kate.

"Creative ideas," murmured Einstein. "Hopes. Dreams. Anything that can vanquish destruction. And... in the absolute worst case, should that fail... I may have a backup plan. Creative Sparks are pure Imagination... and I believe that Dr. Provencal might have dropped this during the battle." He held up a saw with an injection needle attached.

While Kate had never been there, she had heard rumors back at the Dino Attack Outpost about how a medic on his deathbed had contained his Creative Spark in one of these so-called Injection Saws. It killed him in the process, but it was supposed to be a cure for a Stromling's infection. She saw the look in Einstein's eyes and remembered his words about the bishop must be sacrificed, with the term bishop regarding himself. "No..." she whispered.

Einstein shook his head. "Should I not make it through... go to Napoleon XIV, and tell the administrator Mr. Bonaparte, 'William's bell is ringing.' Remember that. 'William's bell is ringing.' And..." With some hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bishop chess piece. "Give this to Rex. I fear the worst is yet to come."

*****

The samurai flung lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the few Stromling Explorers who were still trying to get the Maelstrom Crystal. With disgust, the samurai thought about how these Stromlings were mindless servants of the Maelstrom, and their inability to give up was not a show of impressive determination but rather a complete lack of will.

All around, the samurai witnessed Dino Attack agents and allies as they screamed and fought and battled... nothing. With the exception of that one Dino Attack agent who was trying to fight two XERRD scientists at once. At first, the samurai could not be sure of what was happening. Then, it became all too clear.

The samurai was approached by a female Dino Attack agent, who was dragging along what appeared to be the slightly-damaged but still possibly functional hover-chair that once belonged to the XERRD scientist, Zed Provhezor. The Dino Attack agent looked at the samurai, and the look in her eyes told of desperation and confusion, but the samurai could see that it was a very different confusion from that expressed by the others.

"He can't hear me," the Dino Attack agent whispered. "None of them can."

For the first time, the samurai spoke. "They're trapped," she explained. "The Darkitect has brought their worst fears to life, but only in their mind."

The Dino Attack agent stared at her with surprise. It took the samurai a moment to realize that the Dino Attack agent had only just discovered that she was female. She would have felt amused if the situation were not so dire. Then, a realization dawned upon her.

"You can't see them either?" the samurai asked the Dino Attack agent, who shook her head. Then that must mean... she thought. "It's up to us," she declared. "We need to wake them from their own nightmares."

"But how?" the Dino Attack agent wondered as she looked out at the Dino Attack agents, battling images that existed only in their minds. 

*****

Solomon Koplowitz had always had some difficulty with XERRD's actions. The philosopher had joined in hopes of developing a better understanding of science, power, and human nature, but it seemed that his exploits had exposed him to the worst of humanity.

Unlike many XERRD researchers, Solomon had not been a member of Paradox but of the Sentinels. His early fight against the Maelstrom had not been in a combatant position. Regardless, he still had been in close contact with Doctor Rex in his early actions in founding XERRD, and he had eventually switched factions in hopes of learning more from the doctor.

Paradox's early exploits disturbed Solomon, but in the face of the Maelstrom, it was a necessary evil. Doctor Rex had often discussed with him the fallibility of Nexus Force and expressed his anger at its inefficiently. Solomon had provided a balance for some time by stating that organizations were the only thing that kept Nexus Force from destroying itself.

Regardless, Doctor Rex and other radicals formed XERRD a year later and hoped to go further than even Paradox would dare. Solomon was invited to join them, and he made a decision he would one day regret: he accepted.

During his time, he moved further from the nobility of the Sentinels and eventually became one of Paradox's Shinobi. He delved deeper into the dark arts than he wished to admit, but for a time he felt quite at home with other sadistic monsters like Michelle Gladys and Zed Provhezor.

Then Doctor Rex had begun tampering with the Maelstrom in ways that Solomon had never dreamed. Solomon had warned him about the dangers, but Rex had stopped listening to his scientists long ago. Before his eyes, Doctor Rex had created an army of Mutant Dinosaurs beyond his wildest imagination.

Solomon witnessed XERRD became obsessed with mutants. What had begun as a scientific adventure soon turned into a mad exploit for world domination.

Some, such as Doctor Cyrista, had left the organization. Solomon himself was tempted to follow their lead but some obscene notion prevented him. As XERRD became more and more evil, Solomon Koplowitz remained at Doctor Rex's side.

He had never left. XERRD and its allies committed atrocities of epic proportions and Solomon did nothing to prevent the tens of thousands of people from dying.

Blood was on his hands now. He had chosen his path.

As Solomon reflected upon this, he looked at the scene that had unfolded as the consequences of their actions. "Put down the gun, Raul," he said slowly.

The bearded sorcerer kept his gun pointed at Trigger. "These Dino Attack agents won't take me alive."

"That can be arranged," Snake said, grinning. Cabin walked up behind him and carefully pushed the gun down.

"I recommend you keep that gun pointed at the scientist, agent Snake," muttered Trigger. The mercenary kept his gun aimed at Solomon, but Hertz still blocked his path.

"You're not in command here, Trigger. I am," Cabin said sternly. "Now, put down the gun before you kill someone."

"The minute this gun goes down, we all get shot," said Trigger. "I've been in these situations before; Istanbul, Fort Legoredo, Johannesburg, they all ended the same. If you had the experience I did, you should know that, elite agent."

Trigger suddenly shoved his gun back in his holster. Hertz let out a sigh of relief, but he could see on Cabin's face that the trouble was far from over. "I've had no problem killing your kind before, and I got no MegaBloking problem doing so now!" Trigger said sternly.

The scientists stared at Trigger in confusion. Hertz turned to look at Doctor Koplowitz. The philosopher had a concerned look on his face but otherwise remained calm.

"Oh, that's right," said Trigger, smiling. "I'm no stranger to you. Of course, you knew me under a different name, or rather no name at all, because I killed enough scientists that you were more concerned about getting rid of me than you were knowing who I really was."

The mercenary slowly backed into the shadows of the doorway. The darkness of the Maelstrom Temple covered any chance of reading his face, but Hertz still got an extremely negative vibe from the man. "You remember that experiment on Xalax? Who do you think it was who burned all your notes and killed everyone there?"

Trigger started to step towards the temple entrance. "Much as I'd like to kill you, I got more higher priorities," he said. "I don't want to waste my MegaBloking bullets on Jack Stones like you!" 

Snake shrugged and followed Trigger into the temple, leaving Hertz with Cabin as the only agents outside. "Do you trust him?" asked Hertz.

"No," said Cabin. "But I respect his experience. I certainly don't have to like him to see he's an expert at what he does."

"We have plenty of valuable fighters, Cabin," said Hertz. "This guy does not care about what we're doing. He'll join the enemy if they pay better. The Dino Attack team has never been in the business of buying mercenaries for exactly this reason. I want to know who hired him."

"As do I," said Cabin. "But I don't want any distractions now. Semick just opened fire on the building, and starting an investigation is not one of our priorities."

"I understand but…" Hertz trailed off. He did not want Trigger to do something that would compromise the team, but he also did not want to distract the other agents at an important time like this. Meanwhile, a large group of XERRD scientists had just surrendered and he needed to find something to do with them.

Solomon walked up to where Cabin and Hertz were standing. Cabin glared at the scientist and backed away. "This conversation is over, Hertz," she said. "Anything I have to say, I'm not going to say with him around. I'm going after Trigger; you better find something to do with these guys before they become a distraction."

Cabin put on her helmet and walked after Trigger and Snake, leaving Hertz alone with the fifteen scientists. "What am I supposed to do with you guys?" wondered Hertz.

Raul and his stooges still had their guns out. "If Solomon wants to throw his life away, so be it, but there is nothing you can do to capture us. We outnumber you and Doctor Koplowitz's separatists, so we are well within our power to just kill you and leave."

"Raul, I beg of you, don't do this," said Solomon.

"Well, I suppose we will have to destroy you, then," said Raul. "You're all that's stopping us."

The bearded sorcerer put his weapon up to Solomon's face, but Ingrid stopped him. "I respect you, Solomon," she said as she stepped between Solomon and his adversary. "And I will not let Raul kill a man I respect. But if you try and stop us, there will be blood."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ingrid," Solomon said sadly. "But the choice is always yours."

Raul, Ingrid, the gas-masked scientist, and the other seven loyalists turned away. Ingrid stopped to look back one last time before Raul led her into the darkness.

Solomon shook his head before turning to Hertz. "What do you want us to do?"

Hertz had never dealt with prisoners before. He did not know whether it was best to tie them outside or send them back to the rest of the Dino Attack Team. Regardless, it was impossible to send them away from the island. The ziplines worked only one way.

"We won't try and run, Hertz," said Solomon. "These men listen to me. If I tell them to remain, we will wait by this door until you return."

"No offense, Doctor Koplowitz, but I think leaving five XERRD scientists unattended would most certainly mean some sort of punishment for myself," said Hertz, frowning.

"I can understand your hesitation," said Solomon. "Perhaps you should call a helicopter."

What am I doing? thought Hertz. I'm letting these people take way too many liberties. I'm not in charge; they are the ones making all the suggestions!

Solomon held out his hands. "What do you want us to do?"

Hertz backed away. "I don't know yet, but I certainly don't want you on a helicopter. You need to hand over your guns, first of all. I've been letting you hold onto them for far too long!"

The scientists quickly drew their weapons and threw them on the ground. Solomon gave Hertz a "what now?" look.

This is too easy. "I'm calling for backup," announced Hertz. He pulled out his PDA and dialed an all agent bulletin: "This is standard agent Hertz. Five XERRD scientists headed by a doctor 'Solomon Koplowitz' have surrendered to me at the main gate of the temple. I am requesting assistance in movement and detainment."

Hertz looked at Solomon suspiciously. The man's motives were hard to read.

*****

It was not long after that the door was finally visible. Trigger took a moment to examine it, his gloved hands pushing aside cobwebs before stepping inside.

"Alright," he muttered. "This is it. At this point, I got a feeling we may need to split up temporarily. Snake, Cabin, it is vitally important that you get to the source of the Maelstrom's power. I don't care about the historical significance of this thing; blow a few holes in the wall if you have to."

"What about you?" Cabin asked.

"I gotta find the master," replied Trigger. "I got to find the one who tried to summon that army before he does anything else that could Znap this MegaBloking mission up." With that, Trigger cocked his pistol and turned toward a lengthy corridor, preparing to disappear into the darkness.

"What are we doing?" Snake asked coldly as he followed Trigger through the dark corridors.

"Step one," replied Trigger. "We got to find the master."

"What the Znap are you talking about?"

"Often in these places, there's some power-hungry Stromling who tries to become the Maelstrom's lead general," Trigger explained his hypothesis. "Someone called forth Stromlings out there, and I intend to find who did it. You know how to kill a Stromling?"

"Yeah," replied Snake. "Just got to hurt them hard enough for the Maelstrom to leave, then kill them."

"Well," said Trigger. "Maybe there's hope for you boys yet."

*****

"Hello Rotor," said a strange voice from behind. Rotor turned in shock to see a young girl, one whom he recognized.

"You again," Rotor muttered. "Come back for more?"

"You tortured me," replied Jenny. "You beat me and tried to kill me for information you didn't have. You're too scared now that I can tell others."

"I only did what I had to," insisted Rotor.

"She's not real!" Garry shouted from nearby. "It's in your MegaBloking head!"

"You think he was honest with you?" Jenny said. "Garry betrayed you. He was weak, he tried to send me away, telling you that I died, but he knew you wouldn't believe such a flimsy explanation."

"Listen, Rotor, if I'm right and you're talking to that girl, it's in your mind. She's dead. You killed her!" declared Garry.

"He won't listen," said the familiar voice of Palmer. Garry turned and drew his gun, but Palmer disappeared.

Palmer was cunning, but too confident. He thought he was unstoppable, but upon landing elsewhere in the temple, he felt a very sharp pain in his backside. There was more; within seconds, he was riddled by bullets. His body fell to the ground, the Maelstrom starting to leave.

Quickly, Palmer looked up toward the two rough men who stood over him. Both had their guns aimed at him. He looked down to see a pool of blood from his wounds. For a moment, he was not sure what to think. "H-Help me," he said with a stutter.

"Shut up, Stromling," replied another man, a tough guy with an eyepatch.

It was then that Palmer finally clued in. The last thought to run through his mind was simply Oh Znap.

At that moment, Cabin arrived. Seeing what happened, she turned away in disgust.

"What's the matter?" teased Trigger. "Never seen a dead body before?" With that, Trigger pulled out a large knife. "Well, you won't like what else I'm going to do,"

Snake and Cabin raised their guns as the sounds of footsteps grew louder, they lowered them as they realized they were three fellow agents. "Thank Builder," said one of the three. "Agent Wilkes. This is Jones and Henderson. We were in here with Garry but we got lost."

"Cabin, and this is Trigger and Snake."

"Look," said Trigger. "How do we know you aren't just a trick of the Maelstrom?"

Wilkes stared at him. "You don't," he said.

"Alright," said Trigger. "We'll take you with us, but if any of you show the slightest signs of suspicion, I'm gunning you down. Is that clear?"

Garry turned in surprise to see a group of agents approaching. "Wilkes, Jones, and Henderson. What happened to you three?"

"Kate was an imitation," replied Henderson.

"I know," said Garry. "The real one's in here."

Rotor was still talking to an imaginary figure, but none of them liked the look of his face. Cabin ran up to him and gave him a hard push backward. It took a moment before Rotor totally came to his senses. "Cabin," he said. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you," replied Cabin.

"Palmer's a Stromling," Garry said nervously. The other guys seemed to know. "He's messing with us, trying to play tricks on our mind, playing off our fears an-"

Garry was cut off as a rough man in a thick leather jacket approached and tossed a small object on the ground in front of him. It took a moment for Garry to fully accept what it was: Palmer's face. Palmer's severed head was lying right in front of him.

"That your guy?" asked Trigger.

Garry nodded squeamishly.

"Well, he isn't exactly a threat to us now," declared Trigger.

Garry remained still for a moment, still unable to overcome the shock of seeing Palmer's head right in front of him.

"Standard procedure," Trigger said sternly. "Ensures the Maelstrom can't try to reanimate his corpse."

*****

Cortana contacted Semick on the radio. "Wait! I can hear your plan over the radio. The debris from the blast is a large danger. Luckily, as a space-faring cargo-compatible ship, the Reclaimer is outfitted with a couple of tractor beams. If you will wait for me to get in position, I can pull debris away as it is generated." 

Bluetooth heard the agent on the radio trying to give advice on the temple bombardment. Semick was too occupied, seeing as he was concentrated on keeping the T-1 Typhoon fired directed properly.

"Sorry, but it's a little late for that!" Bluetooth responded. "We're already nearly done blasting out a hole! Any moment now, we're gonna break through!"

*****

The "Stromling Inquisition" was remarkably easy to take down. To Andrew, it felt more like a petty distraction more than anything else.

Regardless, after the fight, he, Laxus, and Vinyaya managed to pick up on the battle sounds better, though disturbingly, they seemed to have died down remarkably. The change in audio encouraged the three to quicken their pace.

Eventually, after heading down one last corridor, the trio managed to reach the opening and into the main chamber. It was remarkable sight, both for the immense size of the chamber and the state of the battle. Except for a giant vortex with a disturbing-looking face within it and several Stromlings harassing Claw and a cloaked figure, there was hardly any Maelstrom battling going on. Most agents seemed to be preoccupied with other Minifigs, and normal-looking ones like that. Some seemed familiar, like what looked to be Kotua facing Rex, a Mutant Lizard, and what looked to be Claw's body (which immediately indicated that there was something amiss here), while others were total strangers, and some weren't even Minifigs, like the giant butterfly that was making Adventure running in circles in attempt to flee from it.

It didn't take a genius to guess that this was the same kind of illusion thing occurring that had made Andrew see the Infomaniac earlier in the temple. But it appeared that the sheer shock and familiarity factor of these illusions were stopping his allies in their tracks regardless. And they weren't having the best of times facing their fears.

"Obviously, this battle isn't going well," Laxus said obviously. "Where should we start?"

"Claw over there seems to not be occupied," Vinyaya observed. "We best try with her and her... 'ally', I suppose."

Advancing over, shooting a few Stromlings that tried to get in the way as they went, Andrew was able to notice that Claw was dragging along some kind of electronic chair, and the cloaked figure was wearing a few bits of samurai armor and was holding some kind of glowing crystal that seemed to emit feelings of dread and awe.

"Is that the Maelstrom Crystal I've been hearing the odd report here and there about?" he asked as they reached the two. The cloaked figure glanced at them, though due to their face garments, Andrew couldn't see their face.

"I'm guessing you just arrived?" said the figure, who had a feminine voice, much to Andrew's eyebrow-raising surprise.

"That would be a yes," said Laxus.

"What's the current objective here?" asked Vinyaya.

"See this crystal?" said Amanda, gesturing to said crystal. "The Darkitect is trying to get to it so he can unleash its full power. We've been doing our best to keep it away and find out how we can stop it."

"Unfortunately," said the cloaked figure, "with everyone caught up in their own nightmares, our plans have steered to a halt. Can you see them?"

"Eh," Andrew said instinctively, "yes, quite clearly. Why wouldn't we?" The two females simply stared. Andrew guess that they didn't have a fully idea of why either.

"Regardless of that," said Vinyaya, "I suppose our objective then is to try and snap everyone out of it?"

"Basically," said the cloaked figure.

"And I'm guessing it's not as easy as grabbing them by the shoulder and shaking them while shouting 'WAKE UP!', is it?" added Laxus.

"Trust me, I've tried," said Claw, glancing back towards Rex.

"Alright then," said Andrew, "I guess we're going to have start thinking on our feet again, aren-"

Interruption came from above, as the steady gunfire and impact sounds Andrew and company had been hearing for some time began to be joined by a large amount of loud cracks and creaks. Glancing up, he could see a semi-large circle starting to develop somewhere above and behind the Maelstrom vortex. Small rocks and dust were falling from it fast, and the ceiling was also groaning substantially.

Finally, it gave way. The circle of cracks gave way to form a circle of rock, which fell from the ceiling for several seconds until it impacted somewhere around the backside of wherever the vortex was formed from. Said vortex seemed to ripple, and Andrew was able to notice various pieces of rock getting sucked in.

Turning his attention back towards the new hole in the ceiling, Andrew was able to see the light of the sky pouring in, until it was blocked by the familiar form of a T-1 Typhoon hovering above, its cockpit turned to face the battle below.

"Looks like Semick did it again," said Laxus.

Trigger's attention was drawn toward the group of people, one of whom he recognized. Quickly lighting another cigarette, Trigger was quick to approach them. "Well, well, well," he muttered as he walked up to the familiar woman with brown hair and grey eyes. "If it isn't Silencia Venomosa. I see I'm not the only one who got a gig working out here."

Amanda stared at him in confusion.

"Oh, no, of course you wouldn't remember me. You knew me under a different name, Schiess. We had a little run-in back in Mindstorms several years ago."

Amanda Claw continued to look utterly confused, struggling to ignore Andrew, Laxus, and Vinyaya as they stared in undisguised shock at her. Thinking quickly, she did the one thing that she knew would catch Trigger off-guard: she spoke. "I'm afraid you have me mistaken for someone else," she murmured quietly. "I've never seen you before in my life."

As she expected, the sound of her voice had the proper effect upon Trigger. Up until this point, he appeared calm, composed, and stoic, even with a little arrogant confidence in everything he said and did. Now, just for an instant, his face betrayed genuine surprise and self-doubt. This allowed Andrew and Laxus to relax a little, though Vinyaya remained visibly tensed.

"Name's Amanda," Amanda introduced herself, "but you may call me Claw."

Vinyaya cleared her throat. "Under normal circumstances," she declared, "I would have you instantly taken in, Schiess, and brought in for interrogation. We've been trying to catch Silencia Venomosa for years, and if you knew anything about her, we would take that information from your head as quickly as possible. Now, these are not normal circumstances, and we have more important matters at hand." She gestured to the Maelstrom vortex, with the Darkitect gloating in the center of the black hole.

"Right," Trigger said, nodding grimly. "Now, I may have learned a thing or two from my jobs with and against Paradox, but I don't need to be an expert on the Maelstrom to tell you that Imagination is key to destroying the Maelstrom." He gestured over towards the Imagination statue, where Einstein and Kate stood.

"Isn't that Frank Einstein?" said Andrew, blinking in surprise.

"We'll tell you all about it later," Amanda said as she waved her hand.

The samurai, almost casually, shot down a few more Stromling Explorers that were marching towards her with a blast of lightning. "I don't think the Darkitect is very happy about Dino Attack Team blasting a hole in his roof," she murmured. "But while I have what he wants, I might be able to distract him a little longer. Maybe if I break his concentration, it will help free the others from the illusions. Amanda, I think it will be best if you are with Rex while I do this. He might not hear you at the moment..."

Andrew glanced over at Rex, who was distraught over the sight of Amanda's corpse. "But I think your voice is what he really needs to hear right now," finished Andrew.

"What does he see?" inquired Amanda.

"You," explained Laxus. "Dead."

Amanda blinked in surprise. Quickly, she regained her composure and nodded grimly to the others. The samurai, Andrew, and Laxus returned her nod, but Vinyaya stared at Amanda with what appeared to be suspicion. They turned away, and Amanda began to run towards Rex, only to have her arm grabbed by Trigger.

"Cut the Znap," he growled in a voice so low that only she could hear. "You know who I am, and I know who you are. Even if you think that speaking for once in your life will disguise that. Nothing can change that, Venomosa."

Silently, Amanda pulled away from Trigger and shot him a murderous glare. She saw that Vinyaya continued to stare suspiciously at her, and Amanda bitterly realized that, while Andrew and Laxus seemed to dismiss his accusation, Vinyaya suspected that some part of what he said might have been true. Amanda turned away from them and ran towards Rex, the Mutant Lizard, and the Stromling they were fighting.

*****

Zach ran at Dr. Provencal, who seemed to be eagerly waiting for him. He raised the knife and prepared to attack when orange light suddenly consumed her. Zach stumbled through the light as it faded away, swearing loudly. He turned and saw Minerva and Dr. Cyborg suffering the same issue. Every time they wanted to land a blow on Provencal or Gladys, Gladys would cause them to teleport away with her device. He ran up to the group.

"We need to get rid of Gladys's gun," he hissed.

"How?" Minerva asked. "She's too fast and-" She was silenced as two rockets suddenly shot at the group. They exploded as they hit the ground, send the Dino Attack agents flying.

Zach jumped back on to his feet as Provencal appeared in front of him, grinning. She swung her staff, sending a blinding burst of Maelstrom magic at him. Zach winced and threw up his hands. He allowed him to smile slightly as the fiery Maelstrom ball seized in its pursuit. He threw the magical fireball against the chamber wall. Provencal's smile faded slightly. She fired several more blasts, but Zach easily tossed away each one with his new power. As Provencal sent her final blast of magic, Zach redirected it at her. Her eyes widened in fear, but her worry was for naught. A flash of orange and blue light swept Provencal away as the blast shattered part of the chamber wall.

Zach swore again, breathing heavy. The power continued to sap away his energy whenever it was used. Combined with the fast-paced battle against Provencal and Gladys, his energy was disappearing quickly and taking a long time recover. Use power less frequently, he thought as he turned back to the battle.

Minerva was glancing around the chamber, her weapon raised. At every flash of blue and orange light, Minerva turned and fired, but missed. Zach could see frustration growing on her face. Suddenly, Zach saw from his peripheral vision a flash of blue light. He quickly turned and knocked back Gladys's rocket launcher. Underneath her Space Marauder helmet, she frowned and threw a punch at Zach.

It slammed into his face hard. Despite the searing pain, Zach held his ground and attempted to wrestle the teleportation device from Michelle Gladys's hands. Her face twisted into a scowl as she tried to force Zach away. Suddenly, her eyes lit up in surprise, and she activated the teleportation device.

Zach felt his entire body lurch as he and Gladys left their area of the chamber in a flash of orange light. Not more than a second passed when a blue light blinded him as he appeared in the midst of many Dino Attack agents. He fell to his knees, his mind and stomach in a whirl from the teleportation experience.

"Zach?!" he thought he heard Andrew say. Then: "Hey! Stop!" There were several blasts of weapons that were silenced in another flash of blue light. He raised a hand slowly, and another hand clasped on his and pulled him up. He blinked several times. Before him stood Andrew, Laxus, Commander Vinyaya, and a strange-looking person dressed in samurai armor.

"What happened?" Zach asked, slightly dazed.

"Look for yourself," Vinyaya said, pointing. Zach felt his stomach drop. Dr. Gladys stood a distance away, and in her hand rested the Maelstrom Crystal. Although he was certain that XERRD didn't want the Darkitect to have the crystal either, letting XERRD have that much Maelstrom energy to use would be foolish indeed.

"It's time to go, Dr. Provencal," Gladys said, almost triumphantly if her voice wasn't so monotone. "We have what we need. We can return later with reinforcements to deal with the Dino Attack Team and Typhonus." Zach saw as Provencal appeared from the shadows and started moving toward Gladys. Zach and the other Dino Attack agents and allies started running toward the two scientists. As they approached, Zach saw a sinister smirk appear on Gladys's face.

The group's approach was seized as a gun shot rang out, followed by a miniature explosion. Gladys's smile was replaced with a look of shock as she dropped her teleporter gun. It was mangled and scorched. Gladys's expression turned to anger as she turned her stare at Minerva, who held her smoking gun tightly, still pointed at Gladys.

"You little..." Gladys hissed. Minerva had broken Gladys's stoic persona rather well. The fury in the XERRD scientist's voice was evident. Zach saw Provencal aim her staff at Minerva. He prepared himself to intervene when Provencal suddenly pulled back, her eyes widening. Zach turned back to Gladys.

Lightning very similar to a Mutant Pterosaur's shot straight at Gladys. It struck her hard in the chest, throwing her back against the chamber wall. Gladys slid to the ground, her head limp and her chest rising and falling in a slowed, pained pattern. Zach turned his glance and saw the samurai's hands pointed at where Gladys once stood. He saw all the agents' eyes look up and seemingly follow something fall to the ground. Zach turned and went into a sprint as the Maelstrom Crystal hit the ground with a delicate clatter.

As soon as it hit the ground, two Stromling Explorers rose from the ground and started moving toward the crystal. Zach raised the knife and struck one Stromling in the chest before slicing its head off. The other Stromling was quickly dispatched by another blast of lightning from the samurai. Zach sheathed the knife and picked up the crystal with his one good hand and ran back to the group.

The samurai extended its hands, as if to take the crystal from Zach. As it did, Zach froze. Allowed to concentrate for a small moment, he felt traces of the Maelstrom inside the samurai's body. He wasn't sure what to think. The samurai clearly showed itself as an ally to the Dino Attack Team by knocking out Gladys and killing any Stromlings that motioned for the Maelstrom Crystal. And yet, the Maelstrom was a part of the samurai in some form. Perhaps this being overcame the Maelstrom's influence, but lacks a cure to get it out of its body. He decided to settle on that explanation. With the moment of suspicious past, he handed the crystal to the samurai.

"Thank you," the samurai said in a feminine voice, accepting the crystal. Zach thought he could feel some form of satisfaction from the samurai as she had blasted Michelle Gladys, XERRD's second-in-command. "Now for the other one." She turned her glare toward Provencal.

"Wait!" Zach said. Andrew, Laxus, Vinyaya, and the samurai gave him a confused look. "Let me and Minerva handle her."

"Why?" the samurai inquired.

"Revenge," Zach said quickly. "She made me a Stromling. She gave me a fate worse than death. I think I should return the favor." As he finished, he noticed how dark and forceful he sounded as he relished the chance to get back at Provencal for what she did.

The samurai soaked in this new information with some interest. As she thought, she blasted away any straggling Stromlings that still attempted to reach her and the crystal. Finally, she nodded. "Fine. Hurry up, though. We need as much help against the Darkitect as we can get." Zach nodded and turned away from the group and headed toward Minerva.

"We're taking on Provencal," he muttered to her. She nodded grimly and the two started walking toward the lone XERRD Sorcerer.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 51: Imagination

----

The T-1 Typhoons flew almost as a single unit, so when Semick gave the order to fire, Osprey had his pilot hang back to avoid getting in the way; with so many forces inside the temple, the last thing the captain wanted to do was get in the way and throw someone else's aim off. Instead, the Aerial Defense Unit stood guard over the ziplines on the shore of the mainland. With more agents than would fit in all the helicopters in the attack, those ropes could be the only way out when the operation concluded.

However, when Hertz sent a call for backup over the open comm channels, Osprey responded immediately.

Hertz heard a helicopter descending through the mists, and was slightly surprised to see that it was not a T-1 Typhoon, but rather an Aerial Dense Unit. As it settled to the ground, the door slid open, revealing Captain Osprey standing in the doorway with Hotwire sitting further in. "Here for your prisoners," Osprey said.

The techie nodded his assent. "Thanks." He turned to Koplowitz and the other scientists, who climbed aboard. Hotwire, meanwhile, climbed slightly unsteadily to the ground and hobbled over to Hertz as Osprey's Aerial Defense Unit lifted off the ground again.

"As one invalid to another," the elite agent said, "you look like you could use some backup. I've got one leg, you've got a busted arm, I guess that make us even."

"Are you sure?" Hertz asked uncertainly. "I heard you passed out cold on the other side of the gorge."

"I feel much better now," Hotwire said. "Even military-grade painkillers have nothing on Agents first aid." He walked over to the pile of weapons discarded by the XERRD scientists and selected a laser rifle with a whistle of appreciation. "Haven't used one of these since the Goo Caverns. Still, it got me through that mess." He glanced over to Hertz with a grin. "Here's to staying alive."

And with that the two Dino Attack agents, injured but no less determined, strode -- and hobbled -- into the temple.

*****

This was, without a doubt, a terrible day.

Helm had already made it through almost all the corridors, and could hear the sounds of the battle right around the next corner, when some...thing had dropped from the ceiling. No, not just a thing, but a nightmare.

He'd seen the Ice Snakes in Antarctica; that hadn't been easy to handle, not by a long shot. But those were sapient beings, and their king had allied them with the Dino Attack Team, and, well, their word was better than nothing. So, at the time, he'd clenched his teeth and swallowed his terror, even though the Ice Snakes' massive size alone scared him more than the prospect of a world overrun by Stromlings and dinosaurs.

The serpent that surrounded him now was at least as large as an Ice Snake, certainly not a sapient being, and therefore quite likely to kill the sailor where he stood any moment now. It had to be some sort of jungle snake -- how else could it have grown to such a prodigious size? Helm didn't know one species from another, because they were all equally frightening.

Well, perhaps some were more equal than others, especially when the venom that sizzled upon hitting the ground was dripping from a pair of fangs that were easily two feet long.

Helm tried valiantly but ultimately futilely from preventing a small whimper from escaping his throat.

*****

Surprisingly, Hertz and Hotwire managed to proceed through the temple with little difficulty. Occasionally, a Stromling Explorer or three would burst from the ground, walls, or ceiling, but Hertz's sharp eyes and Hotwire's reflexes, honed to a razor-sharp point over the course of the war, managed to render any attempt at surprise on the part of their purple, smoky adversaries useless.

After a while, the two agents became aware of sounds of movement behind them, accompanied by the soft chatter of multiple Stromlings. "Following us?" Hertz ventured cautiously.

"Not sure," Hotwire muttered. "All of the others attacked us instantly. Why would they..." He stopped, as the same idea entered both their minds simultaneously. There was a moment of awful, heavy silence.

"They're sealing us in," Hertz said at last. "Nobody in this temple can get out without wading through hundreds of Stromlings."

"I wonder if that's the army Trigger was wailing about," Hotwire mused. "Keeping us out on pain of pain would be one thing, but keeping us in..." The hypothesizing was interrupted by two Stromlings popping out of the ground just ahead. Hertz peppered one with bursts from his Cosmotronic Ray, and Hotwire dropped the other with a steady blast from the laser rifle.

"Whatever's behind us," Hotwire growled, "we can't do anything but keep going forward." They continued on their way down the corridor, and just around the next corner was a sight that could only be described as... odd.

*****

"Trust me," Trigger remarked. "You think I'm dangerous? You don't know Silencia Venomosa."

Vinyaya seemed to be concerned. She turned suspiciously toward him.

"Commander Vinyaya," Trigger said. "I didn't expect to see you here either."

Vinyaya was confused. "Should... I know you?" she asked

"I don't remember if we ever met personally. You Space Police commandos all look the same, but I heard quite a bit about you from some of your colleagues when I was busting criminals for them just before this MegaBloking team decided to hire me. But I don't like to get sentimental, and if I'm not mistaken, we actually have a job to do here." 

Andrew could hear Vinyaya sigh as their group watched Zach and Minerva run off. "That makes two agents I've been given doubts about."

"What, di-oh, right, the thing that Trigger was saying about Claw," Andrew responded, turning to her. "Look, I may not know much about current criminals at large, but Claw's been here for a while, and she's been nothing but a good ally. Even if she did have a criminal background, I'm pretty sure she's trying to put it behind her."

"Besides," Laxus added, "strange times makes for strange bedfellows, so they say. We have pirates like Greybeard and Elizabeth for allies, for example."

"Who was the last one?" asked Vinyaya.

"One of Zenna's allies," Andrew explained. "Haven't seen her for a while. Hope she didn't end up like Zenna herself."

"I hope she recovers," Laxus added. "We could always use more friendly agents like her on the field."

Andrew glanced back at the hole in the roof, where T-1 Typhoons were still hovering in and out of view of. "Speaking of help," he said, reaching for his PDA, "might be good to give Semick some details on what's been going on." Narrowing down on Semick's signal, he went to audio conversational mode and raised the device to his ear. "Semick, are you listening?"

After a moment, the fellow Elite Agent's voice came through. "Loud and clear, Andrew. You've probably noticed that I got in, so I'll cut to the chase. Can you explain better what's going on? It seems that most of the agents are standing still or something in their fights."

"Yeah, it's not exactly great news. Most of the Stromlings are down, but the Darkitect himself is operating through the Maelstrom vortex in here, and it's got most of everyone caught up in illusions leaning towards their most personal fears, and most of the battle's halted. We've got an ally in dark samurai clothing preparing to do something to help stop them, though."

"... Freakin' Maelstrom, how does it work? Well, we've got the skies pretty secured from the Mutant Pterosaur attacks, so now I'm just waiting to see if I can provide support from up here. Does your samurai ally have any advice on what help we can lend?"

"Give me a sec," Andrew said, and he turned towards the cloaked figure in the samurai garb. "One of our commanders is leading the T-1s and wants to try and help with stopping the illusions. Do you think that's possible for them to help with your plans, or are they better off not interfering?"

The samurai paused for a moment, considering her options as she casually blasted away a few Stromling Explorers. "What I need," she finally decided, "is to break the Darkitect's concentration. I've got a few ideas that I'd like to try, but if you think you can help out in any way, I'd most definitely appreciate your support. All I need is the Darkitect's illusions to be broken... even if for a mere second, it would help the others realize that they are fighting illusions and, therefore, help them break away."

Andrew relayed the message to Semick, and nodded to the samurai. Knowing she could not wait for Semick's reply, the samurai turned away and marched towards the Maelstrom vortex, holding the crystal high above her head.

*****

Helm heard footsteps. He'd decided about twenty seconds ago that it wasn't worth it to keep his eyes open, but even were that not the case, he would not have been able to see who or what was coming up the corridor behind him, as the only thing he could see with his eyes open were the thick coils of the snake piled up as high as his shoulders.

"Helm?" That was Hotwire's voice! He tried to answer, tried to sound brave, but found that he couldn't speak.

"What's going on? You okay?" And that was the agent he'd pulled up from the cliffside... Hertz, that was it.

"Take a look," Helm finally managed. "Does this look okay?"

There was a pause. Then Hotwire spoke up, sounding very uncertain. "Well, from over here, it looks like you're standing rigidly still in the middle of the corridor all alone."

Helm's eyes snapped open. But Hotwire was somehow mistaken -- there were the coils of the snake, the venom pooling at his feet...

"It must be the Maelstrom," Hertz said. "It's messing with your mind."

"Still... a snake this big? And I'm just supposed to assume it's not really there?"

"Helm, earlier today you jumped out of a helicopter!" Hotwire said. "If you could ignore your aversion to heights enough for that, why let a lump of ophidiophobia stop you now? Especially since, when it comes to the question of the snake's existence, you're outvoted. Come on. We've got a battle to win, and you're coming with us."

Helm took a deep breath and looked up into the massive serpent's wild, ravenous eyes. It reared back, ready to strike. The mariner summoned every ounce of determination he had, gathered his strength, and with a shout leapt over the coils. He felt the striking snake's head whoosh past his foot as he hit the ground. He stood, panting, and turned. Where the giant snake had been, there was nothing but a blank stone floor. The puddle of venom was gone as well, with no evidence that it had ever existed to begin with.

"An illusion," he said. "You were right."

Hertz grinned, and Hotwire clapped Helm on the shoulder. "Don't let it get to you, he said. "Happens to the best of us." Not realizing, of course, how true those words would turn out to be.

*****

Zach tore off the remaining chuck of metal that once resembled a hand from his right arm. He winced slightly as another electric shock traveled through his body and dropped the hand. It served me well, he mused as he and Minerva continued toward their target. Well, in the short time between gaining that hand and having it replaced by a Cosmotronic Ray. However, it was complete dead weight now thanks to Provencal and Gladys.

Zach and Minerva seized their advance as they met Carolyne Provencal. She stood in a semi-crouched position, her staff pointed at them and its statuette head glowing a dangerous violet color. She had a look of concentration on her face.

"Time to finish this, Provencal," Zach hissed, holding his knife tightly in his left hand. The fiery anger that burned inside of him would only cease when Provencal was defeated. "You've already lost. What are you to do with Gladys, eh?"

Provencal smirked. "She provided excellent backup, but I am more than capable of take care of you both without Michelle by my side."

"Oh, really?" Zach snapped, his anger growing at Provencal's calm and somewhat arrogant demeanor. "How are you going to attack. Using magic? We've already seen I can block your attacks, Provencal."

At this, Provencal let out a small chuckle. "I'm not clueless, Zachary. I am more than aware of that. But it is rather obvious that your stamina declines with each use of this 'power'. Eventually, you will not be able to block my magic, or will be killed trying to exert more energy than you have."

Zach felt his anger escalate at Provencal's smugness. She seemed to notice and crossed her arms. "Tsk, tsk," she said as if she was scolding a child. "That temper again. Then again, with you being a Stromling for a few days, I suppose it's justifiable."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Provencal smiled as if she knew a secret no one else did. "Never you mind. Not that it matters anyway." Provencal suddenly shot a blast of Maelstrom magic at them. Zach was too stunned to block it, so he and Minerva resorted to falling to the floor as it sizzled over their heads. They rolled away as Provencal fired another blast at the ground.

Zach jumped to his feet and watched Minerva open fire on Provencal. The XERRD scientist easily dodged the bullets and kicked the gun out of Minerva's hand. As it flew into the air, Provencal quickly disintegrated the weapon with her staff. Minera charged forward quickly and threw a punch into Provencal's face, knocking her hat from her head. Provencal quickly swung her staff at Minerva's feet, knocking her to the ground.

"And you," Provencal spat, combing her hair with one hand delicately. "I have no quarrel with you. You are only in this fight because of your boyfriend over there. In fact, I'd almost say I owe my life to you."

"What?!" Zach exclaimed, swinging his knife at the scientist. Provencal quickly swung the staff into his arm. He winced in pain and stumbled backward, dropping the knife.

"Indeed," Provencal said, turning her stare back to Minerva. "The one you were with in the fortress was eager to kill me while you stopped him. I've watched the security footage."

"Why didn't you kill her?!" Zach exclaimed irritably.

"Yes," Provencal jeered. "Why didn't you?"

"I-I-I don't know," Minerva stammered. "I was just... I mean... I don't know!" She turned her head to Zach. "I had just found out you were a Stromling and the thing with Oswald and I... I guess I tired of the mindless killing. I just... I don't know."

Provencal kicked Minerva's face, knocking her head into the ground. "You are spineless," Provencal said in a sweet yet condescending voice. "Weak. You chose your ally poorly, Virchaus. How would two make a battle couple when one is too cowardly to get the job? Pathetic."

Zach snarled. "Shut up," he hissed. He wanted nothing more to throttle the scientist until she croaked.

"Anyway, you said something about an Oswald," Provencal continued. "Taking your name into account, would this person happen to be Oswald Fabello?" He saw Minerva's face twist with anger. Provencal's smile widened into a sneer. "Excellent. Then you must be the Minerva he spoke about."

"When did you ever talk to him?" Minerva snapped, her guilt at leaving Provencal alive fading away into anger.

"When I helped convince him to abandon the Dino Attack Team and join XERRD, of course." 

*****

It seemed pitiful for Buddy to see Rex acting like this now. Whoever this dead Minifig had been, it had clearly been someone he had cared for, perhaps not unlike the Mutant Dinos he had helped guide some time ago.

But what was surprising, and more than a bit annoying, was that instead of trying to focus his grief into anger for retaliation against his enemy who had apparently killed her, Rex was just sitting there crying, like he had lost all hope. Where was his fighting spirit? Where was the bravery and sense of right and wrong the Mutant Lizard had heard so much about? Why was he wasting time mourning when there was still much more to focus on?

Buddy groaned and nudged Rex's side, trying to remind him what he should be focusing on. But the fool didn't even seem to notice in the state he was in. He just kept lying there, staring at the former Minifig's form like it was the only thing that mattered right now.

As the Lizard sighed and prepared to do something more drastic to get Rex to pay attention, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from his left. Turning, he was surprised to see the same-looking Minifig as the dead one lying before him running up to them. How could this be? Were these Minifigs twins or some-

Buddy glanced for the briefest moment back at the Maelstrom vortex, and his one good eye widened in understanding. Clearly, this entity was very devious and very good at faking things.

The Minifig that Buddy and Rex had been fighting moved to try and interfere, but the Minifig who had arrived simply punched him in the face and quickly focused back on Rex. She tried to get his attention by shaking him, but like it had been with the Mutant Lizard, it failed to pull him out of his state.

Groaning, she looked towards the Mutant Lizard and said something to him. "You were fighting with him, so he must be able to notice you. Can you get him to realize he's being fooled?"

Buddy thought for a moment, trying to think of how he could best get this across in spite of not being able to talk and Rex apparently not seeing the actually-not dead Minifig. Then he remembered his days spent learning with Stranger, and he nodded.

He turned around and poked his tail into the dirt floor. Slowly, but with as much quick pace as he could muster, he drew the letters for three words that would hopefully convey the message that Rex needed to hear.

When he finished, Buddy looked back at Rex, and thought of how he might best want to try and get his attention. Since shoving and nudging had failed, it seemed that he would have to be direct and blunt. So the Lizard swiped his tail into Rex's face.

"Ow, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Rex cried out, his voice teaming with grief, shock, and a little bit of anger. "Can't you see-"

Buddy ignored his words and simply pointed with his tail towards his own. He watched as Rex read them, hoping he would understand the meaning behind them:

ITZ A LYE 

*****

The trek the temple was substantially creepy. Meeting up with Helm did little to quell the anxiety that that lay in every corner of the building.

"We should address our escape plan," said Hertz. Somewhere along the line, he had acquired a Cosmotronic Ray; his broken right arm made it difficult to weld the heavy weapon, and he struggled to not let it weigh him down. "The reason I'm here in the first place is so I could plant beacons along our path. That way, we could have a solid way of finding our way back out."

"Like breadcrumbs from Hansel and Gretel," offered Helm.

"Exactly," said Hertz. "But I lost most of them when the bridge went down. Without them, I feel we're end up going in circles as we run blindly out of this mad house."

"I understand what you mean," agreed Helm. "I get the feeling we're going in circles already. The Maelstrom is affecting our perception of reality. Getting out will be very difficult."

"If we can get out at all," muttered Hotwire. "I'm not the only one who heard that blast. The Stromlings sealed the entrance into the temple. We're going to need to find another way out."

Hertz frowned. Helm had recommended he guard the door, but he had followed Hotwire inside anyway. If he had done his job, he could have tried to stop the Stromlings.

Helm seemed to read Hertz's mind and chucked. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said. "If I was told to stay put, I wouldn't be able to keep in one place either! Semick just blew a hole in the ceiling; those T-1s should be able to give us a ride out when we need it."

"What's that noise?" Hotwire cut in sharply.

They stopped and listened. A load pitched shriek echoed down the hall.

"It sounds like some sort of bird," said Helm quietly.

"It's screams," said Hertz.

They stopped and listened again. The sound curdled their blood and made the hair on the back of their necks stand up.

"Before you guys picked up the scientists, Doctor Koplowitz said we'd be facing our worst fears in that chamber," said Hertz.

"I already saw a darn big snake," muttered Helm. "I can't imagine what we're going to see in there."

"There is only one way to find out," said Hotwire. The elite agent held out his gun and walked down the hall. An eerie purple glow was visible at the end and the sounds of terror became all that was audible in the cold dead temple. Hertz and Helm shivered and ran after Hotwire into the cold light. 

*****

Rex stared at the markings in the dirt floor. It took him a second to realize that they vaguely resembled letters of the alphabet, but he could not quite make out what they were saying.

"Oh, come now," said Kotua, smirking. "Do you actually think that the dumb beast is trying to tell you something? What could it possibly want? Cake?"

Buddy snarled, but Rex ignored the Alpha Team agent's comment. Staring more closely, he thought he could recognize the characters, but it made no sense to him at all... what was "ITZALYE" supposed to mean?

"Of course," continued Kotua, "you should never give your Mutant Lizard cake. They prefer raw meat and flesh, and cake has nothing to offer of that category of the food pyramid. Cake is so delicious and moist, but not for Mutant Lizards."

For some reason, the word cake really began to nag at Rex. It reminded him of something... something that someone said... but who said it? Where? When? Why? And what was that someone talking about? An old man... deep underground... just a few months ago...

*****

There were certain things that Hotwire very strongly preferred not to think about. Metaphorical doors in his head that he kept shut. Thoughts that he passed over, forced back, and masked with a grin. So far, it had worked. He'd kept those bits of his past out of mind, and had managed to cultivate in himself a sense of optimism.

Unfortunately, it now seemed that one of those mental doors had opened, because a figure had just walked out of it and onto the battlefield.

"Any of your new buddies know your time on this team began with failure, Hotwire?" the figure asked. He was tall and light-haired, and his Dino Attack uniform also sported a small Alpha Team insignia. "Maybe I oughta let them in on those little details."

"Swerve, sir, I-- I didn't, I mean," Hotwire stammered.

"All you had to do," Elite Agent Swerve cut in, "was fix the MegaBloking radio. That's all it would have taken to save an entire town. No, don't spout more excuses. All four of us saw that horde of dinos headed for Mt. Bricklake, and if you'd just gotten through to HQ, we coulda gotten backup. But you just sat there in shock. You never told your friend Sauro-Hunter that you were the one responsible for the utter destruction of his home, did you? That's not even mentioning the fact that you then proceeded to abandon me."

"Those were your orders, though. You were cut off by the rockfall," Hotwire protested. "You told us to get back to the nearest outpost for help, not to worry about you."

"No, that's what Spectrum told you I said," Swerve growled. "You were a spineless coward for not arguing."

"And that doesn't even compare to what you did to me, Dave."

No, Hotwire pleaded silently. Not her, not here. But as the new speaker walked from behind him to join Swerve, his dread was confirmed. The Dino Attack uniform was the same as Swerve's, sporting the Alpha Team insignia. And the short, reddish hair was the same shade as the fringe escaping Hotwire's cap.

"You left me for dead," accused Sarah O'Neal, better known as agent Talon. "My own brother."

"But you were dead," said Hotwire. "I saw what that lizard did." He shuddered as the memory sprang up before his mind's eye -- Spectrum at the wheel of Swerve's Iron Predator, speeding down the mountain road with the dinosaurs in pursuit... the Mutant Lizard leaping from the hillside onto the turret, tumbling to the pavement with Talon in its blood-soaked claws -- and the agony of that moment overcame him. He crumpled in a motion that began as though he would sink to his knees but ended, thanks to the awkward position of his leg replacement, with falling backwards into a sitting position.

"You should've gone back for me," Talon hissed. "You didn't even bother to stop and save me."

"What was I supposed to do?" Hotwire cried. "Leap out of an Iron Predator at over seventy miles per hour? Spectrum sure wasn't stopping."

"Oh, come on," Talon scoffed. "We both know he was an arrogant son of a Jack Stone. The least you could have done was knock him one upside the head -- or Znap, just thrown him overboard -- and stop the Iron Predator yourself. No, Swerve's right. You're a pathetic, spineless coward. Unforgivable."

Hotwire choked back a sob. With the doors in his mind wide open, there was nothing he could do to stop the wave of anguish and despair that overwhelmed him.

Swerve abruptly stepped forward and kneed him in the face. His head snapped back and he lost his grip on the laser rifle, which clattered to the ground beside him. "Get up, coward," Swerve sneered. All Hotwire could do was spit out the blood that was filling his mouth and stifle another sob. Swerve growled. "I said, get UP!" He wound up and kicked Hotwire squarely in the chest, knocking him back a foot.

"Aw, go a bit easier on the coward," Talon said malevolently. "Can't you see he's a cripple? All he needs is a bit of help." She stepped forward to where Hotwire now lay, grabbed his prosthetic leg and twisted it roughly. Hotwire screamed.

----

Oswald Fabello looked down at his feet as he waited for the receptionist to return and to hopefully lead him to his objective. He knew what he was doing had less to do with XERRD's agenda and more with his own. He was only here because headguard Blaire Darkling agreed to his demands in exchange that Darkling would accompany him to this location.

Darkling stood at the receptionist's desk, his hands behind his back and his face completely emotionless. While Oswald had swapped out his guard uniform for a leather jacket, white shirt, and blue jeans, Blaire Darkling wore his signature tan colored trenchcoat, black pants and boots, with dark, reflective sunglasses. The only thing that was different from his appearance on Dinosaur Island and here was that he had removed the sash on his left arm that bore XERRD's emblem.

Blaire looked at Oswald and grinned. "Are we having doubts about coming here, Fabello?"

Oswald looked up and scowled at Blaire. "No," he snapped.

"Good. I hate for this trip to be a waste when there are things that need to be completed on Dinosaur Island. If I wasn't so interested in seeing this place for myself, I doubt I would've let you come here at all."

Oswald grumbled. He was not happy Blaire was here. He was tall and big. He sported a dark blond beard that included a goatee that stretched from his lower lip to his chin. In addition to his sunglasses, a large scar leaked out from underneath the right lens. He most notable feature was his long white hair that went from the top of his shoulders to resting neatly on his sunglasses, concealing his eyebrows.

Due to this, he stuck out like a sore thumb. From his white hair and sunglasses to his name. Darkling. He hadn't even bothered to come up with a new alias while here. He decided to remain Blaire Darkling, most likely because it was an alias. The fact it was also a villainous-sounding name did not help the situation. "Could you have taken better measures to blend in, Darkling? Die your hair, remove your sunglasses?" Oswald asked irritably.

"Trust me," Blaire said, his voice extremely calm. "It would be a lot worse if I removed my glasses." Oswald expected this. He had heard rumors concerning Darkling's hair and eyes. Most of them trace back to an accident while the Mutant Dinos were still being developed. Blaire refused to tell anyone.

Blaire's entire being seemed to be shrouded in mystery. He was extremely intelligent, calm, and certainly dangerous. At least, according to him. He did manage to restrain me, I suppose, Oswald thought.

"Excuse me?" The receptionist had returned, flanked by two nice-looking young men in clean white coats. "These two will lead you to your destination."

Oswald was about to speak when Blaire bowed his head. "Thank you, ma'am." The receptionist blushed and nodded her head. Oswald rose to his feet and slung his backpack over his shoulder as he and Blaire followed the men into the hallway. 

As he walked through hallways, Oswald dwelled on the very recent past. Even though he knew joining XERRD was probably the best decision he made in his life, he continued to try and justify his actions.

It was necessary, he thought. How often had he repeated that line in his head? They would've killed me otherwise. And truly, what would I have gained by helping the Dino Attack Team? Returning to a life I despised? That was his true reason for joining XERRD: an escape. And he didn't regret his decision until he was captured by a ninja and a Dino Attack agent while guarding the now-destroyed fortress on Adventurers' Island. He reasoned that he would finally get the death he deserved. He desired. For he considered death the only true escape. Nothing mattered once he died.

And then he got the shock of his life: his own sister had joined the very team he betrayed. Shock combined the remembrance of what Carolyne Provencal and Walter Breen said to him that convinced him to join XERRD sent him into a violent state. He wasn't sure how to react to Minerva's presence and the fact the she was half the cause of all the turmoil in his life. So he disregarded his initially idea to be killed in Dino Attack captivity and made his poorly-planned escape, killing eight agents in the process in a cackling, sadistic episode. Now, he was calmed and prepared. He was certain she would live past her mission on Adventurers' Island, regardless whether the Dino Attack, XERRD, or even that dreaded Maelstrom won the battle.

He had a plan. Oswald had shared parts of it with Blaire, who was extremely indifferent to it. Oswald, however, was conflicted on it. Its main goal was to convince Minerva to join XERRD. After reassessing the situation multiple times, he knew very well he could not bring himself to actually kill Minerva. So he would make her join him. And if that didn't work, he would make sure Minerva suffered. Horribly. And both plans involved collecting the target at this location with Blaire.

Oswald grinned madly. It would be hard to keep the target intact long enough for Minerva to see it, as he desperately wanted to destroy the target as soon as they reached it. Just a little while longer, he relished happily. Everything in his life seemed to be leading up to this moment, and when it came, he would accept it with open arms.

"Fabello," Blaire whispered quietly. "Stop grinning like a moron." Oswald shook his head, his frown return to his face. "I can't have you go mad on me. Especially in a place like this." Blaire chuckled and continued to look forward.

Oswald looked down at his feet. Am I going mad? It seemed more and more likely with each passing day. He now suffered from extreme insomnia, represented by dark shadows underneath his eyes. And when he did manage to catch a few minutes of sleep, he woke up screaming and he wasn't exactly sure why. He began to see things and people that were really there. Primarily his deceased father and brother. They rarely spoke to him. They just watched him with cold eyes. And when they did, the encouraged his efforts. His plans. He knew the very few remaining Minifig guards were beginning to believe he was losing it, leading him to accusing, yelling, and beating his men in a furious, uncontrollable fashion that had often times needed Blaire to break it up forcefully.

I'm not crazy, Oswald thought with certainty. If anything, Minerva is crazy for joining the losing side. He sighed.

We're both crazy for even taking sides in this war. But despite how mad we both are, we will never be as crazy as her. Oswald shuddered as he thought about her. All in good time. He made the right decision. Being with XERRD and Doctor Rex was for the best.

"We're here," one of the men in white said, gesturing to a door. Oswald let a half grin return to his face. He was unsure what would happen next, but he was excited all the same. It had been a long time indeed. 

----

Hertz barely had a chance to take in the spectacular sight of the Maelstrom vortex before a football player slammed him into a wall.

The hit hurt badly, and his broken arm snapped with the impact. His mind flashed back to his undesirable experience as a high school student in LEGO City during which he was repeatedly shoved into steel lockers.

Hertz knew that what he was seeing was an illusion by the Maelstrom. The face of his attacker resembled that of a particularly unpleasant linebacker named Fitz. His uniform was purple and black: the colors of the Maelstrom.

As he lay on the ground, Hertz considered that his worst fear was apparently reliving his miserable existence in high school. This seemed rather easy for the nerd, considering that he now held a relatively skilled job as a radio operator and held an advanced degree in cryptology. Fitz the football player currently was the owner of a used car lot.

The football player kicked Hertz hard in the chest, and he remembered the unfortunate truth. Despite the fact that he clearly could outtalk his dimwitted adversary, it mattered little when Fitz outweighed him by one hundred pounds and had the cognitive ability of a duck.

"Fitz," began Hertz as he slowly rose from the dirt floor of the building. "I'm more successful than you, I'm smarter than you, and I finished high school on time. Anything you throw against me means nothing in the big scoo-"

He was interrupted by once again being shoved into the wall.

"And I'm stronger than you!" Fitz bellowed gleefully. He punched Hertz hard in the gut, and he crumpled to the ground. The pain was as bad as he remembered, but if he could take it then, he could take it now.

"I forgot you couldn't comprehend logic," muttered Hertz.

"You calling me a moron?" said Fitz mischievously. "Because I would have a problem with that."

Hertz was slammed into the wall again. His forehead hit the cold stone blocks, and blood clouded his vision. His surroundings blurred and he almost lost consciousness.

The best thing to do was take it. Fitz would grow bored and leave him alone. It had worked in high school, it would work now.

Fitz grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the ground. "This is different from school, Charlie. You can't hold out forever. There is no one to stop me from beating you to a pulp and leaving you to die in the dirt!" He slammed his foot into Hertz's side. "Might makes right, buddy!"

And then Hertz felt fear. Hotwire and Helm were off facing their own demons, and the remainder of the team had gathered around the vortex in the center of the room. He was alone.

The football player descended on him and threw him across the room. He slammed into the floor and spit out blood and grit.

"You're a loser, Charlie," said Fitz, and he slowly walked up behind Hertz. "You will always be an ugly freak, living alone, spending the rest of your life alone. You may have a nice job, buddy, but you will never have a life worth living."

Hertz gritted his teeth. He had to fight this battle in a way that Fitz would understand. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the football player. "I'm about to have more of a life than yo-"

His one-liner was cut short when he was body-slammed by the jock. Hertz yelled in pain as Fitz let out a joyous laugh. The gun was wrestled from his hand and thrown across the room to be lost in the shadows.

"You say I'm a failure? You don't even have a girl!" taunted Fitz.

Hertz's heart sank.

"Yes, I know all about Naomi," Fitz said, smiling. "You were such an idiot to propose to her. You just showed her what a creep you are." Fitz ended every sentence with punch to the stomach. "Naomi will always be out of your league."

A second shadow stood above Hertz. She was tall and thin, the image of the popular child. Hertz looked into Naomi's eyes, but instead of seeing the warm hazel eyes he had come to love, he saw disgust.

"Who's this nerd?" were the first words she said.

"Why does it matter, honey?" Fitz said as he rose and dusted off his hands. Hertz was now covered in his own blood and he had given up trying to resist. That was how it had been in school, and that was how it was always going to be.

"That's that guy who proposed to me," said Naomi. "He's like some kind of creeper or something." The two laughed and Naomi seemed to take particular delight when Fitz kicked him. "You know what would be funny?" Naomi said as she rubbed her hands across Fitz's chiseled chest. "We should make out in front of him."

"What an excellent idea," said Fitz. He pulled Naomi close to him and wrapped his hand around her slender waist. The two became interlocked and kissed patiently. It was disgusting.

Hertz looked around. He could not allow this illusion to get to him. He knew what he was seeing was fake despite how real it seemed; Naomi Carver was not a heartless mean girl. He would not allow the Maelstrom to dishonor her by wearing her face.

Hertz slowly rose from the floor to look Fitz in the eye. The jock smiled and kicked him down again. The pain seemed to greatly amuse Naomi, but he ignored her glee. He picked himself up again and walked up behind Fitz. He tapped the jock on the shoulder and waited for him to turn around.

Fitz looked back at Hertz and scowled. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Hertz punched him in the nose so hard that he fell to the ground. There was a crack as it broke, and Fitz held his hand to his now-bloody face. Naomi screamed and slapped him. Hertz staggered back a few steps and looked Naomi in the eye. "If you're trying to act like Naomi, you're doing a really bad job."

She lunged at him, but he stepped out of the way. She tumbled to the ground beside the football player.

Hertz looked down at the two figures below him. What was he supposed to do? He had no restrictions about killing the jock. He was a bully and a Stromling. It was what he had to do to defeat his defeat his demons.

He picked up his Cosmotronic Ray and hesitated. How could he pull the trigger on Naomi's beautiful face? She was his love; how could he kill her?

Fitz smiled. "What's the matter, Charlie? Are you a coward?"

He blasted a hole through his chest. The Stromling underneath turned to ash. He then turned the gun to Naomi.

She looked into his eyes. "Please, Hertz." A tear trickled down her cheek. "I thought you loved me."

The ray was shaking in his hands. He needed to pull the trigger, but he could not kill Naomi. "You're a lie," growled Hertz

"Please, Hertz," begged Naomi. "Don't kill me."

The Cosmotronic Ray was shaking in his hands. He fumbled with the weapon and his aim wavered. Hertz fell to his knees before Naomi. "I can't do this," Hertz said quietly.

Naomi walked up and ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay, Hertz, it's okay." He put his head in her chest, and she wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay."

The Stromling smiled and revealed its sharp teeth. The monster reared back its head to take a bite of techie's neck, but he jumped aside. Naomi lunged at him, and he slammed his Cosmotronic Ray into her head. There was a crack, and she crumpled to the ground. He had broken her neck.

Hertz knelt down beside her and held her head in his hands. Its face remained that of Naomi long enough for him to weep over the fact that he had just murdered the one woman he had truly loved.

Hertz laid down her body carefully and turned to the Maelstrom. Holding his Cosmotronic Ray firmly in his one good arm, he resolutely approached the fight.

*****

The samurai instinctively froze as the Darkitect took notice of her. His bright red eyes sunken in his pitch-black skull seemed like they were trying to bore into her flesh, like the laser vision of a Mutant T-Rex. Still, she found the strength to maintain her composure. She lifted the Maelstrom Crystal even higher into the air, returning the Darkitect's stare with increased determination.

The Darkitect chuckled. "I assume you're not going to just hand it over, are you?"

The samurai responded, not with words, but by striking down a few more Stromling Explorers with her lightning.

"You're a brave one," mused the Darkitect. "But even the bravest have fears. Let me see... what you fear the most!"

For a brief moment that somehow felt like an eternity, the Darkitect concentrated on the samurai. As the eyes of destruction itself stared at her, it took all of the samurai's willpower to remain calm and composed. The Darkitect's smile slowly faded away, twisting into a hideous scowl.

"Why can't I see you?" the Darkitect bellowed. Angered, he waved his jeweled scepter, and a bolt of Maelstrom energy struck the ground where the samurai stood. Only the samurai's quick reflexes and agile movements saved her. He tried again and again to hit the samurai, but each blast of his Maelstrom only hit the stone floor. Each time, the Darkitect grew more and more frustrated.

"My turn," whispered the samurai, with a hint of darkness in the tone of her voice. With her free hand, she sent out one of her own bolts of lightning. The electricity arced through the air and struck the Darkitect square in the chest.

*****

Just for an instant, the world changed around Rex.

Perfect Chaos vanished, as though the water creature had never even existed. Kotua's form melted away, revealing a generic Stromling where the Alpha Team agent stood. The corpse of Amanda Claw dissolved into nothingness... and then appeared, still alive, standing next to Buddy. Her eyes were wide with desperation as she shouted, "Rex! It's all an ill-"

Then, the instant had passed, and everything was back to how it was, with Chaos looming over Rex, Kotua standing there, and Amanda lying dead on the floor. The only one that had not changed at all was Buddy.

"I must say," murmured Kotua, "I am finding some strange form of amusement in all of this. But, this grows tiresome. Chaos, drown him."

"You're not real," Rex whispered in realization.

Kotua scowled. "I thought we've been through this already," he muttered. "It's time for you to join your girlfriend Claw and your little pet Trouble!"

Before Rex could say anything more, Perfect Chaos grabbed him and hoisted him into the air. Once again, Chaos allowed Rex to be absorbed into his form in order to drown the Dino Attack agent. It all felt so real, as Rex could feel the cold water against his skin and flowing into his lungs.

But it wasn't real. It all made sense now. Somehow, Kotua's comments about cake, plucked from his memories of the old man in the cave, allowed Rex to finally realize what Buddy's message meant. "ITZALYE" was "ITZ A LYE"… "IT'S A LIE". And Amanda was still alive, but although he could not see or hear her, she was trying to break him free of the illusion.

It's not real, Rex thought to himself, closing his eyes. He repeated the thought over and over, with it growing stronger every time.

But when he opened his eyes, he was still drowning. In a panic, he wondered once more if it was all real. Regaining his composure, he shut his eyes once again and thought as hard as he could. This time, he did not concentrate on whether or not Chaos and Kotua were real.

This time, he thought of Trouble. He thought about all the great times he spent with what was once his only friend. He remembered the thrill of being the first Dino Attack agent to tame a Mutant Dino. He thought about the rest of his friends that he had met over the course of the Dino Attack... Frozeen and Greybeard, to name a few. He thought about his teammates in the Dino Attack Team... Rev, Databoard, Zero, Reptile, Hotwire, Andrew, and even Zachary, and what an honor it was to fight alongside them. He thought about the world that they were fighting for.

Lastly, Rex thought of Amanda. He thought about all the happy memories that they shared. Through times of short-lived peace and times of intense battle, they shared a bond forged so closely that it could not be separated. Even if everything descended into fire, chaos, destruction, and ruin, Rex knew that he would have the strength to carry on... if Amanda was there beside him.

When Rex opened his eyes again, Perfect Chaos was gone. He was lying on the floor, and as he looked around, he saw that Kotua was once more a mere Stromling, Amanda's corpse was gone, and the real Amanda stood beside Buddy.

"What?" the Stromling gasped. Its actual voice sounded nothing like Kotua's, so clearly it couldn't have been the real Kotua corrupted by Maelstrom. "Impossible! How could you-"

"Oh, shut up," Rex grumbled. Apparently agreeing, Buddy pounced upon the stunned Stromling and quickly ended its life. Those incredible reflexes and acrobatics displayed earlier had left the Stromling once the illusion was gone.

Amanda raced over to Rex and knelt down by him. "Rex!" she whispered soothingly. "Can you hear me now?"

Rex looked into her eyes. After the sight of seeing her lying dead on the floor, seeing Amanda alive again was the greatest thing he could have ever seen. His own eyes began to tear up as he smiled and said, "Loud and clear."

Amanda smiled, too. Laughing quietly, they embraced each other on the stone floor.

*****

At that moment the world seemed to ripple. For a brief second, Swerve and Talon were replaced by Stromlings. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were back to normal, taunting him and lashing out with kicks against his head, sides, severed leg...

Hotwire retreated from the physical world, verging on unconsciousness just to escape both the physical and emotional pain wracking his body. But the image of the Stromlings standing in place of his squad leader and sister stuck in his mind. The memory of Helm standing in the corridor, frozen in fear of a giant snake only he could see sprang up, and Hotwire was suddenly filled with a burning rage.

He opened his eyes, ignoring the pain. In one smooth motion, he grabbed his laser rifle from where it had fallen and swung it above him in a single arc, striking both his tormentors. Talon staggered back, and Swerve, who had one leg drawn back for another kick, lost his balance and fell over. Hotwire stood slightly unsteadily, using the gun to haul himself upright. He then raised the weapon and pointed it at Talon.

"You," he snarled, "have desecrated the memory of Sarah O'Neal." He squeezed the trigger, and his "sister" fell with a smoking hole in her chest. By the time she hit the ground, the illusion had evaporated in a wave of purple smoke, leaving the body of a Stromling laying on the stone floor.

"Swerve" gave a shriek and dropped his disguise. He charged at Hotwire, swinging the nasty serrated blade fused to his arm. Hotwire brought the laser rifle up to block the blow, but there was enough force behind it to make him stumble. The Stromling took the opportunity to lash out with another kick that knocked the Dino Attack agent to the ground again. It raised its blade, but at that moment a bolt of energy caught it directly in the face. The Stromling collapsed, and a strong hand pulled Hotwire upright.

Helm, Sonic Screamer on his shoulder, aimed a concerned look at the elite agent. "You alright?" he asked.

"I will be, I think," Hotwire responded, retrieving his laser rifle. "Thanks, I owe you one."

Helm chuckled. "I owed you already. If anything, this makes us even." They turned again to face the battle raging around them, as the mysterious samurai faced the Darkitect. With a look of determination, Hotwire forced the doors of his memory closed once again.

*****

"Eureka!" exclaimed Frank Einstein, grinning. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Kate Bishop raised an eyebrow, not sure that she was following along.

"Look, my dear!" Einstein pointed at Rex and Amanda, then pointed at the Imagination orb. Noticeably, the Imagination orb was now a little larger and glowed a little more brightly than before. "The way Rex broke free of Baron Typhonus's illusion," he explained, "it empowered the Imagination! We might have a chance yet of stopping the Darkitect!"

*****

Their romantic moment was interrupted as Frozeen ran up to them, trembling and nearly as pale as ghost. "Rex! Amanda!" he cried. "You have to help me! There's... there's too many of them!"

Rex and Amanda traded glances. Looking over Frozeen's shoulder, Rex could see that he was trailed by ghosts that flew all around the red-headed aristocrat. Amanda couldn't see them, but she could tell that he was still fighting illusions. "YTP, Frozeen," suggested Rex. "YTP."

"YTP?" repeated Frozeen. Slowly, the realization dawned upon him. "No, wait," he decided. "I have a better idea. But... once they're gone, please snap me out of it, okay?"

Rex was confused by that last statement, but he still nodded.

Frozeen turned around to face his worst fears once again. The aristocrat smirked as he approached the Alpha Team agent. "Why don't you just give up?" scoffed the man. "We both know that I am far stronger than you. After all, I am what you... we were destined to be. The Brickster failed when he created you, Frozeen. But when he created me, Baron von Brickthief, I proved that I could be worthy of the title of the Brickster's brother!"

Frozeen did not reply. Since his back was turned to Rex and Amanda, Rex could not see Frozeen's features.

"Why are you smiling like that?" muttered Baron von Brickthief.

Then, Frozeen spoke in a voice that was surprisingly high-pitched: "THE LEPRECHAUNS ARE TRYING TO STEAL MY GOLD!" Screaming wildly, Frozeen began to dance around Baron von Brickthief, shouting random things that became less and less comprehensible. The images of Baron von Brickthief and the ghosts began to shimmer and fade.

"What's he doing?" whispered Amanda, who appeared quite disturbed.

"YTP is a method for shielding one's mind," explained Rex. "I figured it was a good way to prevent the Darkitect from seeing into your mind and bringing your worst fears to life... but I think Frozeen likes taking it one step further than most of us."

*****

Frank Einstein observed the Imagination orb grow a little larger and a little brighter. Unsure of what to think, he gave a half-smile as he glanced at what Frozeen was doing. "Well, it's certainly creative," he decided, "and anything creative can help the Imagination."

*****

As soon as Baron von Brickthief and the ghosts were gone, Amanda cautiously approached Frozeen and laid a hand on his shoulder. Frozeen stared at her with a crooked smile and a wild look in his eyes. "They're gone," Amanda informed him.

Slowly, the insane expression disappeared from Frozeen's face, which once again resumed his natural, serious-looking demeanor. He nodded to Amanda, cleared his throat, and muttered under his breath, "I can't believe I just did that. I thought I told myself I'd never, ever do that again."

Amanda, Frozeen, and the Mutant Lizard helped Rex climb into appeared to be Zed Provhezor's hover-chair. Though it was slightly damaged, it appeared mostly functional. Once Rex was sitting in the operational hover-chair, he focused upon what was going on with Baron Typhonus and, to his surprise, the samurai.

*****

Slowly, the Darkitect recovered from the shock of being hit with the samurai's lightning. The lightning was weak, and it had barely even hurt him, though it was enough to distract him. Rather, the real shock had come from the fact that he had actually been hit by it. No one had ever dared to strike the Darkitect before!

But how?

Cold realization washed over the Darkitect as he stared at the samurai holding his crystal. His shock turned to fury, and his hideous scowl turned into a downright terrifying expression. "No one," he shouted, "turns my power against me!"

With that, the Darkitect waved his jeweled scepter once again. Chain lightning fired from the center of the Maelstrom vortex, raining upon the stone floor of the Maelstrom Temple. The samurai, quick and agile as always, dodged most of these attacks. Furious, the Darkitect swung his scepter once again, and a single bolt of lightning arced through the air and struck the samurai.

The samurai's kabuto helmet went flying in the air. It landed near Andrew's group, hitting the stone floor with the loud sound of metal hitting rock ringing through the chamber. Andrew bent down and picked it up, then stared in the samurai's direction.

The samurai herself, at first, appeared unaffected by the Darkitect's attack. Her frayed black cloak billowed around her, concealing her as she recovered from the impact. But when she got up again, ready to fight the Darkitect once more, her cloak spread out. The samurai froze as she heard a chorus of gasps from her Dino Attack Team allies.

Rex was one of many who stared in shock. He now saw that the samurai did not have a torn black cloak as he initially perceived, but it was actually a pair of bat-like wings. And, with her helmet removed, Rex now clearly saw that the samurai's face was not entirely Minifig, but bore the features of a Mutant Pterosaur.

As she realized that everyone stared at her, the samurai's battle stance fell away, and she recoiled into a defensive crouch, her wings wrapping around her in a vain attempt to conceal her form once more.

The Darkitect laughed, the horrible sound echoing through the Maelstrom Temple. "Well, well. Isn't this a twist to our story? And speaking of stories, here's one of my all-time favorites. Once upon a time... there was a Dino Attack Team who put their faith and trust in a group of twisted experiments created by XERRD. And just when Dino Attack Team needed them the most... they deserted them, betrayed them, revealed their true allegiance to XERRD, and left one of Dino Attack's greatest elite agents as a cripple in a wheelchair."

"No..." whispered the samurai in a feeble, barely-audible voice.

The Darkitect chuckled. "History repeats itself. But not to worry, Dino Attack Team. Once this war is ended, no matter who emerges victorious, the victor will guarantee that her kind is hunted down and driven to extinction. XERRD would have no use for them anymore, and neither would I... and Dino Attack Team would know that you can never trust a Quasifigus Hybrid."

"No!" shouted the samurai, but the damage was done. The Darkitect did not need to see into her mind to bring her worst fears to life.

The Darkitect looked around in triumph, and only then did he notice Frank Einstein and Kate Bishop by the Imagination statue. Casually, he waved his jeweled scepter once more, and a wave of Maelstrom energy poured out of the vortex and struck the scientist, knocking him down to the floor once more. This time, Einstein did not have the strength to rise again.

The temple shook once more, as Dino Attack's air support led by Semick continued to bombard the roof of the Maelstrom Temple. As Rex glanced around in his hover-chair, even though some of the illusions were already gone and Semick was providing air support, he could not imagine how they could possibly stop the Maelstrom now.

*****

"What!?" Minerva stammered, shaking with fury. Zach reached down and helped her back on to her feet.

"You heard me," Provencal said in a matter-of-fact tone. "The Brickspider Bot sent him to Dinosaur Island via the teleporters in the laboratory on LEGO Island. I'm not sure why, but that is beside the point. Dr. Breen and I sat him down for a talk."

Minerva had no idea who this Breen was. "Walter Breen," Zach hissed into her ear. "XERRD's negotiator."

"He was resistant, naturally," Provencal continued, waving her hand. "Extremely violent, Oswald was. Tried to kill a Hybrid with his bare hands attempting to escape. It was quite adorable. In a sense."

At this, Minerva's anger faded away into cold sadness. He was violent before XERRD corrupted his mind.

"After the guard Blaire Darkling finally restrained him, we calmed him down long enough to talk. And he talked. Mentioned how horrible his life had been. His father had died, his mother was an alcoholic, killed his brother, and clinically insane, and how he forced to give up everything to take care of his younger sister."

Minerva felt her throat constrict. She remembered the Darkitect's illusions he had placed on her. Her fears that she had led Oswald to choose the path he did. How everything that had happened to Oswald and Minerva was her fault. It's coming true, she thought sadly.

"He tried to help her, but she apparently became a petty criminal. A street rat. It did not take a genius to see that he so desperately wanted to escape his life. And so, Breen took advantage of it. He and I helped him see the truth. Working with XERRD offered a chance of survival for him. A new life with no restraints. A life the Dino Attack Team would not give him. The Dino Attack Team would prefer he returned to his old life of poverty.

"There was one final nail in coffin before Oswald finally joined us," Provencal said with a grin. "'What about my sister? What about Minerva?' he asked." Minerva grimaced. "It was easy. He was already in the palm of our hands. All it took was one small push."

"What did you say?" Minerva hissed through gritted teeth.

"I told him you were one of the sources of his problems. That you ungratefully mooched off of his support. To feed you and clothe you when you didn't steal it. When you went to prison for your crimes. He agreed quickly and angrily. He cut his ties to you, and embraced XERRD."

Minerva was silent, trying to absorb everything Carolyne Provencal had just told him. Her fears had more-or-less came true: Oswald blamed Minerva for their lifestyle prior to the Dino Attack. And it was all because of her. Provencal had corrupted the person she loved into a murderous Stromling and had turned her brother against her. She felt the rage she had felt after learning Provencal had corrupted Zach rise up again, more powerful and angrier than ever.

"Minerva?" Zach whispered, tapping her shoulders. "Are you okay? Minerva?"

She ignored him and stared at Provencal, whose expression bore a wicked grin as she watched Minerva emotionally fall apart. The temple shook violently. The Agents and Dino Attack Team air force were making quick work of the temple, and it wouldn't be long before the entire roof collapsed.

Provencal tapped her wrist impatiently. "Nothing?" she said with a shred of disappointment. She glanced at the shaking ceiling of the temple, then at the Maelstrom vortex. "I don't have much more time for this. I think I'll kill you both and be on my way. It was nice-" Provencal never finished as Minerva charged into the Sorcerer, knocking her on to the ground.

Minerva fell on Provencal and began punching the scientist in the face. In her mindless rage, Minerva managed to notice the fight was vaguely similar to their earlier fight in the XERRD Fortress. However, she only managed to land a few punches before Provencal punched back. Minerva's head was thrown back, allowing Provencal to shove the Dino Attack agent off of her.

Minerva climbed back to her feet and watched as Provencal quickly struck Zach's knife and kicked him back. Minerva roared in fury and ran at Provencal again. However, Provencal stood her ground and caught Minerva's charge with her staff. As Minerva pushed against the staff, Provencal revealed a sadistic grin.

"That was the reaction I was looking for!" Provencal said in an almost congratulatory manner. The scientist threw another punch, brushing against Minerva's cheek. Provencal then aimed a sharp kick at Minerva's stomach. She doubled over, groaning. Provencal quickly shoved Minerva back with her staff and stepped back. Minerva glanced up to see Provencal's staff suddenly slam into the side of her head. Minerva collapsed to the ground, her head pounding.

Keep... fighting, she thought weakly. Above her, Provencal chuckled darkly. Minerva tried to lift herself up, but only fell. She blinked several times, her vision becoming blurrier. The last thing she heard before falling into unconsciousness was Zach calling her name fearfully.

*****

"What the Znap is that?" Trigger asked.

"Baron Typhonus," replied Vinyaya. "The man behind the Maelstrom."

"That's impossible," Trigger muttered. "I've heard the origins of the Maelstrom; this guy's supposed to be dead. Well, if he's not already dead… he will be." With that, Trigger raised his pistol toward the mysterious Darkitect and opened fire.

"Doubt that's gonna help," Laxus muttered towards Andrew.

But Andrew wasn't really paying attention to Trigger, more intent on assessing the current situation. Freeing Rex and others from their illusion traps was a good step in the right direction, and he had a feeling that the others would hopefully soon follow, and Semick's decision to clear more openings in the ceiling would likely help them stay secure, but there were still other matters of concern.

Dr. Einstein, however he had showed up, was down on the ground near a statue with a glowing blue orb that Andrew guessed had to do with Imagination somehow. It was an educated guess that he might've been trying to do something related to helping to stop the Darkitect. He didn't look well, and it seemed rather obvious that he was in need of some assistance.

And then there was the matter that had brought the mysterious samurai's helmet close to his feet. Given all that he had seen and heard in Dino Attack, he was only somewhat surprised to see her true appearance be revealed. But clearly that hadn't been the same for everyone, and it seemed that she wasn't too happy about it either, to put it mildly. Visibly distraught at being seen right near the edge of the Maelstrom vortex with the crystal still in hand, she was in a precarious position.

"Ugh," Vinyaya groaned from behind him, "isn't there anyone here without a troubled background?"

"Plenty," Andrew responded. "It's just that the untroubled people aren't interesting, I guess. But really, none of that's important right now."

"How so? If you know that a person's committed crimes in the past, how can you be so sure they won't do it again, and with you as the victim?"

"By judging their actions and figuring if they make sense for someone about to stab you in the back." Andrew gestured towards the samurai. "And I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like someone we should be fighting."

Andrew looked back at her, cringing at remembering just how much in control she had seemed before. Just a minute ago she had acted with as much confidence as someone like Semick. Now she was not too dissimilar to how Kate Bishop had been acting recently.

"She needs help. Needs to realize that her species does not determine how she gets treated."

He turned back towards Vinyaya. "See if you can help Dr. Einstein down by the statue. He's not looking very well, and he just might have something that can help us stop all this. Meanwhile, I'm going to go talk to the samurai."

Vinyaya looked at him with concern. "You sure that's the best idea?"

Andrew nodded. "Nearly an hour ago, I helped a guy I barely knew reject the Maelstrom and turn back to the light. He was partially fearful of how Dino Attack might receive him upon return, but beyond a few cases here and there," Vinyaya raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was talking about her, "we've welcomed him in with open arms. I fail to see why not do the same for someone who's willing to stand up the Darkitect himself and get our own agents to get their focus back."

"In that case," said Laxus, "it's best that you don't do it alone. I'll help you talk to her; maybe it'll inspire others to do the same."

Andrew was about to say something, but then simply nodded. His friend had a point. "Okay then, so let's stop talking and do something." Grabbing Laxus's arm, he headed towards the distraught Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur hybrid.

----

Oswald stepped into the room. It was a small, completely room. Its only prominent features were a small bed with a nightstand with a lamp and picture frame on it, a toilet nearby, and a small table in the middle of the room.

At this table sat a woman. She had long, unkept graying-blonde hair that dropped past her shoulders. She had wide, empty gray eyes as she stared at her work-in-progress puzzle of LEGO City's skyline. She wore a baggy orange jumpsuit with the number 2004-6810 inscribed on her chest in dark characters. She looked up at the group of men, her eyes wide and confused. Her face showed signs of aging and looked horrifyingly familiar to Oswald.

Oswald couldn't bring himself to say anything. Not in the presence of these men in white coats. He could only stare at the woman in front of him in shock and awe.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Blaire said to the two men. "If you don't mind, we would prefer to speak with our... cousin alone."

"Of course," one man said. He and his partner began to leave. "Let's go get some lunch," he muttered to his partner. They gently pulled the door behind them as they left. Before the door could snap shut, Blaire stuck his boot in the way. He pulled out a switchblade from his pockets and jammed it in the door, preventing it from closing.

"Is she the person we are looking for?" Blaire asked.

Oswald ignored him as continued to look at the woman, who had risen to her feet, never taking her eyes off of him. She slowly moved toward him until they were face-to-face. Oswald bit his tongue as he realized that he knew who this woman's face resembled.

The woman reached up and put her hands on his cheeks. Her eyes showed childlike confusion and wonder. Finally, she spoke, her voice quiet and clear. "Ozzie?"

Oswald swallowed hard. "Yes?"

The woman grinned foolishly and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He forced himself to refrain from killing her right here and right now. The woman pulled away and looked at him, grinning happily. "Ozzie, you've gotten so tall!" she cooed. "And so handsome!" Oswald felt his eye twitch in fury. The woman suddenly paused, but quickly continued talking. "You haven't been home all day, playing with your little friends. Minnie has been crying about wanting to see you all day."

Oswald felt the cold hand of Blaire grab the back of his collar. "Please restrain yourself, Fabello," Blaire hissed into his ear. "I know what you want to do, but this is not the ideal place to do it."

"And Tod was hoping you'd play LEGO Kart 64," the woman continued.

Oswald bit his tongue again in fury. "M-m-mother," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Yes?" Athena Fabello said, her gray eyes glistening with excitement.

"Minnie... Minerva is hurt. She needs your help."

Athena frowned in confusion. "Where's your father?" she asked.

"He's dead." Oswald spat.

Athena laughed in an easy tone. "What? Your father isn't dead! That's ridiculous. He's probably working late again."

Oswald bit his tongue yet again. He wanted slap his mother for her idiocy. "Minerva needs your help now. She's hurt and she's crying for you."

Worry appeared on Athena's face. "Where is she? Is she with Tod?"

Oswald scowled "No!" he roared. "Minerva was alone. She's outside. She's hurt, she's crying, she needs you!"

Athena began to panic. "She's too young to be out there alone!"

Oswald frowned. Too young? Well, I suppose if she thinks Dad and Tod are alive, she probably thinks Minerva is four years old.

Athena pushed past Oswald and started moving toward the door. She bumped into Blaire hard. She stepped back and stared at him, confused and angry. "What did I say about not talking to strangers, Oz? Who are you?" she demanded.

Blaire rested a hand on Athena's shoulder, causing her to jump. "Ma'am, please calm down. For all our sakes." Athena still looked angry, her hands curling into fists. "Shh. Breathe, Ms. Fabello. Breathe."

Oswald watched as Athena breathed in and out slowly, nodding, her anger and fear being replaced with relaxation. "I-" Athena began. She froze momentarily.

Then she turned to Oswald. Her grin slowly returned to her face. "Ozzie," she said affectionately, walking over to him and rubbing his hair. "Are you hungry? I have macaroni cooking."

Oswald let his mouth hang open.

"It sounds like she has short-term memory loss or at least some form of dementia," Blaire noted. He opened his trenchcoat and revealed a tan-colored folder. "However, according to this, it isn't as simple as that."

"Clearly, if she thinks my adult sister is four-years-old and I'm ten-years-old," Oswald snapped. "Where did you get that?"

Blaire shrugged. "From the front desk. The receptionist set it down and I picked it up. Simple as that." He flipped open the folder and began reading its contents. Oswald turned back to Athena, who was holding his hand and observing it closely.

"If you are going to have macaroni," Athena said sternly. "you need to wash your hands. They are filthy!"

Oswald scowled and shoved his mother away. Let's try this again. "Mother," Oswald began.

"'Mother'?" she repeated. "Since when have you called me 'Mother'?"

"Mom," Oswald hissed. "Minerva needs to see you."

"Why?" Athena asked. "Does she help on her homework? I know she's been falling behind since Dad went away on his business trip."

What?! But you...? Oswald rolled his eyes and went along with it. "Minnie needs help on her math homework."

"Okay. Where is she?"

"I will lead you to her." He pulled the backpack from his shoulders. "You need to change into clothes more fitting for... public viewing."

Athena frowned. "Wouldn't she just be in the dining room where she always does homework?" she asked.

"She's doing it outside. She's catching some... fresh air." Athena shrugged and nodded. He handed her the backpack. "Put these on over your jumpsuit." He then turned back to Blaire, whose sunglasses were fixated on the folder containing Athena's information. "Do you know how we are getting out of here?"

"Of course," Blaire said without lifting his head from the folder. "A quick observation shows that Napoleon XIV's security system here has many flaws. The fact those men just left us here with her is a good example. The cameras have massive blind spots as well, allowing us to easily slip out. And Ms. Fabello allows our escape to be much easier."

"How so?"

"The institution no longer cares for Athena Fabello. She has good behavior, keeps to herself, and hasn't caused any problems or had any visitors since 2006. Napoleon XIV intends to have her live the rest of her life out here."

"What problems? What visitor?" Oswald demanded, curious.

"An Ernesto Fabello visited her in late 2006."

Oswald shrugged. His Space Police officer uncle didn't matter.

"Athena Fabello was extremely prone to violent episodes shortly after being institutionalized. She had to restrained and sedated multiple times over the course of the year. Does this sound familiar?"

Oswald choked slightly. "That's how she killed my brother."

"You have my pity," Blaire said, his voice containing a small shred of sympathy. "And when they find out she is gone, they won't go to extreme efforts to find her."

"Why not?"

"Once they discover Ms. Fabello has left Napoleon XIV, they will search the entire refuge facility in search for her while trying to keep their actual motives under wraps. When they can't find her, they will simply state she is dead."

"Why?"

"Because if they were forced to start an actual investigation, the investigative services would discover the faulty security system around her, which would lead to some bad publicity indeed. Perhaps word would even spread that other inmates had escaped thanks to the security system. Simply announcing her as dead as opposed to revealing the flaws of their facility would be preferred."

Oswald was impressed. "Have you done this before?"

Blaire smirked arrogantly. "Prior to joining Paradox, I was in a line of work that was... less than noble. I participated in many dealings such as this. I learned quickly enough that if you don't know what you're doing, you don't survive."

"Oz?" Athena asked, her voice filled with surprise. She had a white sweatshirt and jeans over her jumpsuit, give her a bulky appearance. It would be easy to explain away as they were in the cold tundra that was Antarctica. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

Oswald's eyes narrowed. "Yes, of course. I overslept and you forgot to wake up." His sarcastic demeanor had no effect on Athena, who simply frowned. "You should take me to school now."

"Well, obviously!" she exclaimed in a sweet tone. "Get your things and we can go. He must be the truant officer." She gestured to Blaire. "I am so sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

Blaire smirked, amused. "No problem, Ms. Fabello. Mr. Fabello, gather your things please."

Oswald cursed Blaire under his breath and picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. As he turned, he saw the picture frame sitting on the nightstand again. Curious, he went over to it and lifted it into his hands.

It was a family portrait. Against a blue background were five people. In the back was a beautiful blonde-haired woman wearing a black dress and a dark-haired bespectacled man wearing a neat suit. Both grinned happily into the camera. In front of them stood two young boys, one blond-haired and the other dark-haired wearing glasses, both wearing nice clothes. They smiled goofily as children without a care in the world would. In front of them was a small girl. A toddler. She had wide, excited eyes and a toothy grin on her face. She wore a simple black dress similar to the older woman and had long, messy brown hair on her head. Oswald stared at the date in the lower corner. 1996. He remembered this picture. It would only be a few short weeks before everyone in this picture's life fell apart in one, single gunshot.

He saw a hand rest on the frame. He looked at Athena, his stare trying to drill into her clearly lost mind. Athena's own eyes were wide, a childlike look of longing on her face. And in her face, he saw Minerva. He was horrified to know Minerva had grown up to resemble her mother, only with dark hair instead of blonde. Athena tugged on the frame once. Oswald let go, and Athena quickly hugged the picture to her chest.

"It's time to go, Fabellos," Blaire said, putting his hands into his coat's pockets. "We have things that need to be done. Preparations to be made." Blaire chuckled as he bent down and picked his knife acting as a doorstop. He stopped the door from closing and gestured for Oswald and Athena to go first. Nodding weakly, Oswald tore one of his mother's hands away from the picture and led her out of the room. Blaire followed close behind, shutting the door.

It was easy to leave Napoleon XIV Mental Institution from there. They encountered very few people, and when they did, they passed by without even looking at the group. Blaire, Oswald, and Athena reached lobby. Blaire casually slid Athena Fabello's folder on the floor to the front of the receptionist's desk, who was clearly too concentrated on her computer to notice two men kidnapping one of the institution's inmates.

From there, the group fled the refuge facilities and boarded a helicopter on a course for Dinosaur Island. As the helicopter rose into the air, Oswald grinned madly. The plan is underway, he thought as he looked at Athena Fabello, who looked around the helicopter in confusion and in surprise. Now to find Minerva. 

----

"Follow the target line Bluetooth's outlined on radar," Semick cried out on the radio, "We have to get more of an opening without hitting our own agents! And the more we can let the Darkitect know we're hammering down on him, the better!"

Semick could only judge what was happening with his line of sight through the hole they had made so far, but he could infer that this ally who Andrew had managed to make contact with had made his or her move. Whether or not it had been fully successful, he couldn't know for sure, but all he did know that it had annoyed the Maelstrom's mysterious leader severely and had resulted in the ally crouching on the ground and barely moving. He could only assume that something had hurt her to some level or another.

A buzz from an incoming message alert interrupted him. Two of them, actually. One from Rockford, one from Osprey. Answering them both, he said, "Before you say anything, let me know how things are going for yourselves."

"The Dino onslaught down here's mostly over," said Rockford, sounding a little surprised from something. "They did respond violently to us trying to stop their charge, and we've got a couple wounded, but for the most part they... just ignored us. They just charged off the cliffside like... lemmings or something."

"Andrew's been telling me that they got the Maelstrom Crystal that Frozeen was sending the odd report about. The thing's supposed to call in Mutant Dinos like how some of our agents react to mealtimes. Guess its call was too resistible for some of them."

"Guess so. Anyways, we've mostly got things reorganized back around here. If we need any agents getting to and from the temple, the ziplines should be clear enough."

"Good to hear. Osprey?"

"We picked up some XERRD scientists who surrendered to a couple of your guys near the entrance," said the Agents captain. "We also let Hotwire go in after we treated him with our medical supplies. He suggested you might want to get your medical agents to start getting some orders from us, actually."

"I'll make a note of that. Is that all on your side?"

"Pretty much. We've got not much else to do since you've been hammering down on that temple."

"Well, once we make a bigger hole, I want you to help out. See for yourself how it's going down there and if you have advice on how to act next. From what I understand, it's mostly up to our men down there to get that Maelstrom plugged up and/or destroyed. And I don't think bombardment with our weapons is going to help matters."

"Understood. I'll remain on standby."

"Okay then. So I'm assuming I've answered your possible queries for a status report on my side?"

"Pretty much," said Rockford.

"You've summed up all we wanted to know," said Osprey.

"Alright then," said Semick. "I'll talk again once we're through. Semick out."

*****

"MegaBlok," Trigger muttered sternly. "We got to do something fast before this Znap gets out of control."

"You don't seem to be affected by the illusions," Snake said.

"Of course not," replied Trigger. "I've been through hundreds of these MegaBloking things, I learned to overcome my personal demons." He briefly glanced in the direction of Claw, and then shook his head and focused on Snake instead. "It doesn't seem to be affecting you either."

"No," replied Snake, shrugging. "That's because I don't really have anything that I fear."

"Good," said Trigger. "We don't have much choice. How much ammunition you got?"

Snake cocked his rifle. "Plenty," he said.

"Good," replied Trigger. "'Cause we're about to go against the Darkitect himself."

With that, Trigger raised his pistol, and he and Snake opened fire as they charged toward the mysterious Baron. 

*****

Zach crouched next to Minerva. Her breathing was steady and quiet. She was alive and she would be fine as long as he got her out of the temple. He dragged her away from Provencal and rested her against the chamber wall. He then turned to face the XERRD scientist.

She is evil. That was all Zach managed to think. Provencal had clearly manipulated her emotions until she was angry and irrational. Once she was out of focus, Provencal had no problem with defeating her.

He shivered. If Provencal was telling the truth, then what she and Breen did to Oswald was disgusting. He hadn't expected Minerva's brash reaction to Provencal's revelation. He hadn't really expected Provencal's revelation in general. He knew Minerva had a troubled past, but the brief details Provencal had given regarding Minerva and Oswald's past was terrifying and depressing. He felt pity for both Fabellos for what they had to face.

He stopped in front of Provencal, who had a wide smirk on her face as she spun her staff in her hands casually. "You know," she said, "you two are among the most easily provoked people I have ever met. She blew up like that when she found out about you and your corruption. It was highly amusing. And you..." she shrugged. "Well, you're angry at everything I do, but I suppose it is justified, isn't it?"

Zach's scowl deepened as he ran forward, swinging the knife at the scientist. Provencal blocked the blade easily with her staff. "You prove my point."

She shoved Zach away and swung the staff in large swipes, moving toward him slowly. He looked for an opening and jabbed his knife into the chaos. Both he and Provencal shook from the collision. Zach then grabbed the staff and, using it as an anchor, pulled himself toward and punched Provencal with his knuckles, still tightly gripping the knife.

Provencal stumbled back, clutching her cheek. She looked surprised, but that quickly faded into calm anger. "Manners, Zachary." She maneuvered past his knife and slammed her fist into his chest before kicking him in the shins. He wanted to give, but he knew he couldn't. He brought the knife upward, aiming for Provencal's midsection. She sidestepped the blow and jabbed him with the bottom of her staff.

As he retreated, Provencal shook her head disapprovingly. "Disappointing. If you want your revenge, you are going to have to try harder than that!"

Zach snarled, brushing his hair out from in front of his face. She swung her staff and started firing blasts of her dark magic. Zach ducked from the first blast and sent the second and third blasts back at Provencal. Unfortunately, she had caught on to his game and easily dodged the blasts thrown back at her. He ran at her again and they engaged in a fierce duel with their weapons. When he found an opening, he kicked Provencal in the stomach twice before she swung her staff back at him.

"You witch!" Zach hissed, backing away from the blow.

Provencal giggled, amused. "Listen to yourself!" she exclaimed, circling Zach like a vulture. "You think you are some big hero, don't you? You aren't. In fact, in this battle alone you've shown a lot of traits of more of an anti-hero or, perhaps, a villain."

"SHUT UP!" Zach roared. Provencal responded by sweeping her staff in front of her in a wide arc. As she swung, a large trail of her dark magic emitted from her staff and shot at Zach. He hit the ground as the heat of the blast traveled over his head. He climbed back to his feet and saw Provencal running toward him, staff raised. He hissed and quickly stepped out of the way, cutting her shoulder with his knife as she passed. She slowed down, and Zach quickly swung his foot through Provencal's legs, knocking her to her knees.

She clutched her shoulder, wincing from the pain. "You think you have escaped," she muttered, using her staff to climb to her feet. "You think you have escaped the Darkitect's control. You are sorely mistaken. He still controls you, Zachary Virchaus, and there is nothing you can do about it."

"LIES!" Zach bellowed, now furious. Suddenly, streaks of purple lightning erupted from his finger tips and arm stub and shot at Provencal. They struck her fiercely, throwing her back against the wall. Zach fell to his knees, on the verge of unconsciousness, but feeling immense satisfaction.

"You proved my point yet again," Provencal choked weakly, steadying herself with the wall. She was panting heavily and smoke rose out of her robes. "How can you fire Maelstrom from your body and claim to be purged of it? You will be his slave forever."

Zach struggled to his feet. He felt wobbly and disorientated. His drive to kill Provencal prevented him from succumbing.

"And now," Provencal said triumphantly, picking up her staff, "you are too weak to use that power. This is the end."

Zach looked down, trying to locate his knife. However, his disorientation prevented him from finding it. He glared at Provencal, who wore a small smile of victory on her face. Zach then glanced at Minerva, who was still unconscious. He knew that once Provencal killed him, she would turn her staff on Minerva. He swallowed hard. If I'm going down, so are you.

Provencal spun her staff in her hand. Zach started running at her. Provencal fired one blast. It shot over his shoulder, missing by a square inch. He lowered his shoulder and slammed it into Provencal's chest. She grunted as she fell back against the wall. Her staff fell out of her hands and into Zach's left.

Gripping it tightly, he backed away from the XERRD scientist. She blinked several times, her eyes widening at the sight of her staff in a Dino Attack agent's hand. She looked at Zach, fear dancing in her eyes. She composed herself, fear changing into a hard glare.

"You can't do it," Provencal hissed. "You will seal your fate as the monster you are if you do."

Zach looked at the staff, his face cold and emotionless. He wanted to be the bigger person. To prove that Provencal was wrong. But his anger screamed at him to do it, and right now, it was the strongest force in his body. Zach bit his lower lip and lowered the staff slightly.

A relieved smile appeared on Provencal's face. "I knew you-"

That was all Carolyne Provencal managed to say as a fiery violet blast from her struck her chest. She slammed into the wall yet again, this time sliding to the floor. Zach's face remained emotionless as he watched her shriek in pain. She thrashed and shook violently, purple electricity swarming her entire body. After twenty seconds, her body finally became limp.

Zach dropped to his knees, tears flowing down his face. He had done it. She was dead. His revenge accomplished. And yet he felt sickened and disgusted with himself. As he watched Carolyne Provencal die, he had felt pleasure. Sick happiness and glee as he watched her suffer through the last pitiful seconds of her life.

"She was right," Zach whispered shakily. He was a monster. He had become her. Sadistically watching his victim die before him. It was an unseen trait in a Dino Attack agent. It was more commonly associated with XERRD scientists, guards, and... and…

Stromlings.

Is the Darkitect still controlling me? It seemed incredible likely at this point. But how? He never had taken actually pleasure in killing beings. It was a necessary chore in war. As a Stromling, it had been fun, but as a Minifig...

And his anger and hate. Perhaps it was justified against Provencal, but he had never lost his temper is such a way. In fact, he was only able to shoot that "Maelstrom lightning" when he was furious. Based on that, it seemed his power grew more lethal the angrier he got. It seemed all to clear the Maelstrom still had some influence over him.

He looked at Provencal's staff that lay on the ground near him. For a second, just a brief second, he considered suicide. He could hardly live with himself after feeling euphoria as he watched a woman die in front of him. And these monstrosity tendencies could get worse. Perhaps it would be best if he just died.

No. There was still a chance. If the Maelstrom was the cause of this, it can be stopped. It wasn't in control anymore. It was on the sidelines, trying to call plays. Like it did before I became a Stromling. He could fight back. He had the willpower. He had triumphed over the Darkitect once, he could do it again. He thought back to the clearly Maelstrom-infected samurai that had aided the team in this temple. She was clearly resisting the Maelstrom's will. He had very little Maelstrom left inside of him. He was more than capable of overpowering the Maelstrom.

He looked at Minerva. She almost seemed to be sleeping on the temple floor, despite the bruises all over her body. If there was one good thing that happened to him on Adventurers' Island, it was meeting her. He loved her. She had saved him from serving the Darkitect for the rest of his life. He almost didn't believe he had the nerve to even consider ending his life while she still lived.

I am a moron, he thought, cracking a weak smile. Zach rose to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow. Then, carefully, he managed to maneuver Minerva's body into his arms. She stirred slightly, but remained unconscious. She'll wake up soon, he thought with the upmost confidence.

He then turned toward the Maelstrom vortex and the Darkitect. Many Dino Attack agents were near the vortex. Zach grimaced and starting walking toward the vortex.

There was one more battle left to face.

*****

Rex saw Trigger and Snake charge at Baron Typhonus. He knew that their attack would ultimately amount to nothing. As the Darkitect, Typhonus was far too powerful. Even with the ceiling of the temple collapsing due to Semick's air support, the Darkitect seemed confident in his own victory. Debris rained down from above, and some of it was even sucked into the Maelstrom vortex.

Rex had been disturbed to find out the identity of the samurai. For all intents and purposes, she appeared to be on Dino Attack Team's side... but, as Rex looked down at his lifeless legs, he remembered all too well that the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids also appeared to be on Dino Attack Team's side, even fighting against XERRD and Mutant Dinos, only to reveal it was all just a lie. As a result, Rex could not help but feel repulsed by the sight of the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid.

Rex noticed that Greybeard, too, had broken out of his illusion. Rex did not know who was the hooded figure the pirate had been fighting, but Greybeard now was filled with grim determination as he marched towards the Maelstrom vortex. Raising his cutlass in the air, the old pirate proclaimed: "Let this be th' day that ye shall curse fore'er, Baron!"

"Oh, Grisbarba L. Pirata," taunted the Darkitect. "That reminds me. Do you remember your old friend, Sir Robert Bat-"

"Ah, shut up!" grumbled Greybeard. With that, he fired his flintlock pistol and joined Trigger and Snake in their charge.

Rex gasped. "He won't stand a chance!" he whispered as Baron Typhonus prepared to swing his jeweled scepter once again. Thinking quickly, he pressed the controls on his hover-chair and piloted it towards the center of the chamber. In flight, he fired his Sonic Screamer into the Maelstrom vortex. As he expected, it had little effect upon the Darkitect, but it distracted him from Greybeard.

As Trigger and Snake fired their own weapons into the Maelstrom, the Darkitect simply shrugged. With a wave of his scepter, he sent out a pulse of Maelstrom energy that knocked back Greybeard, Trigger, and Snake. Rex struggled to maintain control on his hover-chair's flight. With another wave of his scepter, the Darkitect rained fireballs upon those that were present.

For someone who was only just getting used to flying this thing, Rex had difficulty controlling the flight of his hover-chair. Every now and then, it would glitch on him and go the opposite direction; this was likely attributed to the slight damage it had taken when struck by a bolt of Maelstrom lightning and the subsequent crash-landing that ejected Rex and Provhezor.

A few more Dino Attack agents joined Rex, Trigger, Snake, and Greybeard in their effort. They knew that they had no chance of stopping the Darkitect, but they hoped to delay his actions long enough for something to happen. Additionally, in this moment, they pushed aside thoughts of self-preservation and instead thought of hopes, dreams, friends, family, and the world they were fighting for.

*****

Commander Vinyaya quickly jogged over Frank Einstein. She took a quick glance back at the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid. Andrew was right, of course. The Hybrid's intentions seemed clear enough. She fought down both Stromlings and scientists. She faced the Darkitect himself. However, it was in her nature to be suspicious. She was a cop and she had plenty experience to make her wary of everyone, including Zachary Virchaus and Amanda Claw.

She reached the Imagination statue, where she found a girl crouched over Einstein, her eyes wide and fearful. "What is your name?" Vinyaya asked calmly.

"Kate Bishop," the girl said. Vinyaya nodded in acknowledgement and quickly checked Einstein's pulse and heart rate. He seemed to be alive in the meantime.

"We need to get him out of here," Vinyaya grunted, glancing back at the sinister skull of the Darkitect. "Help me carry him."

Frank Einstein wheezed and, suddenly, reached up and grabbed Holly Vinyaya by the arm. He locked eyes with her, and the Space Police officer could see that his eyes were clouded and distant. "Where's Kate?" he whispered, unable to speak any louder.

"I'm right here," answered the young Dino Attack agent, peering over Vinyaya's shoulder.

His hand shaking, Einstein tried to reach for the injection saw that he dropped when struck by the Darkitect's power, but it was just out of his reach. Kate knelt down and picked it up, looking at Einstein with fear in her eyes. "Do what you must," whispered Einstein.

Vinyaya blinked in surprise and stared at Kate, who trembled. "Why me?" murmured Kate.

"Because... you can," wheezed Einstein. "For… the good of all... of us."

"But you'll be dead!" cried Kate.

"She's right," said Vinyaya, nodding. "We need you now more than ever, professor, and-"

Weakly, Einstein shook his head. "My time... is up... but my destiny... my destiny is clearer than ever now. My time is... up, but yours... your time has come. Kate... it is no mistake... that you joined Dino... Attack Team." Smiling gently, he reached up and brushed her cheek with his hand. "You've... grown up... Uncle Wallace would have been... so... proud."

*****

Andrew and Laxus approached the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid. Andrew had to admit that she was quite an interesting character. She was the only one of her kind as far as he knew, a nice dressing style (he had to admit, the samurai armor was cool), but most of all, a mix of emotions that made him want to both back away and give her comfort.

She saw them approach, which only caused her to wrap her wings even more closely around her form. "Don't look at me!" she whispered.

Deep down, it troubled Andrew to see just how insecure the samurai really was. Still, he managed a half-smile and decided to say, "You know, after half the things I've seen in this war, your true identity only comes as a mild surprise to me. Heck, your voice was more eyebrow-raising than your appearance, to be honest."

The samurai did not reply. Laxus noticed that she still held the Maelstrom Crystal, but this time she did nothing about a pair of Stromling Explorers lumbering over towards her. The Martian pointed this out to Andrew, who dispatched the Maelstrom minions before they got too close.

Andrew knelt down beside her. "Listen. In this war, we've had plenty of situations in which we found trusted allies from unexpected sources. Did we ever think we'd be putting our trust in Evil Ogel's own general and brother? And if you look, you will see Dino Attack agents risking their lives by standing up to Baron Typhonus in an effort to save the world. Just a moment ago, you were doing the same thing. And if I can trust those Dino Attack agents like my own family, what makes you any different?"

"Because of what I am," muttered the Hybrid. "The Darkitect is right. It was foolish of me to believe that I could defy the reputation of my kind and earn a respected place in post-war society. I'm fooling myself. The world will never see me as anything but a monster."

Andrew frowned. She really was messed up, perhaps even more so than he had thought. He could see that she feared rejection from Dino Attack Team, but he could not imagine what she could have endured by XERRD that left her in such an insecure state.

He looked up to see Amanda Claw approaching. She also knelt beside the Hybrid and whispered, "What's your name?"

The samurai blinked in surprise, as it was not a question that she had anticipated. Quietly, she murmured, "Pterisa."

"Okay, Pterisa," said Amanda, nodding. "Neither of us could see or be affected by Baron Typhonus's illusions. He couldn't even see into your mind. I saw that I could trust you when I could not be seen or heard by Rex. Back then, you were just an unnamed samurai. Why is Pterisa the Hybrid any different?"

Pterisa did not reply.

"Right now," continued Amanda, "Rex and others are fighting what might be the last battle of their lives. They risk their lives doing what you were just doing moments ago with confidence that even Specs would admire. You can still help them."

"They don't want my help," muttered Pterisa. "You heard them all when my helmet was removed. They don't trust me. And, just to drive the point home, the Darkitect reminded them about the things that my kind has done."

Amanda frowned. "Rex trusts you," she claimed.

"No, he doesn't," Pterisa retorted as she shook her head.

"He does," argued Amanda.

"Then prove it!" snapped Pterisa. "I want to hear him say it! I want to hear Rex say that he trusts me as he looks me in the eyes and remembers that he is flying around in a glitching hover-chair because the Quasifigus lacertilia betrayed him!"

Andrew and Laxus traded glances, but Amanda, silently and grimly, stood and walked away. Once again, Pterisa withdrew, and nothing Andrew or Laxus could say could comfort her.

Then, Lord Sam Sinister von Barron approached them. Having apparently broken free of his own illusion, he crossed his arms and glared down upon the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid. "Hand over the Maelstrom Crystal now," he ordered.

"Now's not exactly the best time to talk to her like that," murmured Laxus.

"I don't care," Lord Sinister said as he shook his head. "Hybrid, you must give me the crystal. Only I may hold the crystal and do with it what must be done. I shall take it out of this blasted temple and make sure Baron Typhonus never sees it again."

"You're not planning on adding it to one of your private collections, are you?" Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Because I would not recommend it... based upon what I've heard, this crystal doesn't belong in anyone's collection."

Rather than answer Andrew's question, Sam Sinister declared: "I need a T-1 Typhoon. Arrange one for me immediately. Since we have a nice hole in our ceiling, it would be easiest if one can just drop down a winch and cable and hoist me up."

Before Andrew could reply, Amanda Claw returned, this time with Rex following. Pterisa looked up at the elite agent and saw that he was very reluctant to leave behind Greybeard and the others in the battle against Baron Typhonus. Rex looked down upon her, and she could already sense old feelings of contempt. Sadly, she looked away.

"Pterisa," spoke Rex. "There's something I need you to understand. We cannot change the past, and for the rest of my life, I am confined to a wheelchair... or a hover-chair... because of what the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids have done to me. As I am Minifig, it is only in my nature to hold onto bitter feelings and be very reluctant to forgive and forget."

"That's what I was afraid you would say," whispered Pterisa, who continued to look away.

Rex sighed. "But, my personal experience with Mutant Dinos has taught me that they are not inherently evil. They can break free of the Maelstrom's influence, defy their masters, and prove to be some of the most honorable and trustworthy friends I have ever known. Just today, I witnessed a complete stranger Mutant Lizard come to my defense, and I was reminded of Trouble, the first Mutant Lizard I had ever tamed who had become one of my closest friends. And, while I was never under the influence of Maelstrom, I too know what it's like to have different morals from the rest of my species, proving that it would be hypocritical of me to judge someone by the actions of others."

Pterisa blinked and turned her head, looking up at Rex once more. His expression of bitter contempt was gone, replaced by a gentler, soothing expression.

"I admit," continued Rex, "it takes a lot of effort to forgive and forget, so I cannot. I can, however, understand that you are different, unique, special. You may fear that we see you as a monster... but your wings are beautiful. They show that you live a harder life than we can possibly imagine, and yet you have the strength to ignore that and carry on. We all saw how, earlier today, you stood up to the Darkitect himself. I cannot imagine anyone else brave enough to do that. I trust you, Pterisa."

With that, Rex leaned forward and reached out his hand. With some hesitation at first, but then with renewed confidence, Pterisa reached up with her own hand. They clasped hands, and they smiled together.

Lord Sam Sinister cleared his throat. "Yes, yes. Very touching. Now, hand over the crystal and call down a T-1 for me." Rex and the others stared at the Lord von Barron. Begrudgingly, he added: "Please."

"I don't know," Andrew scratched his head. "If we do that, surely the Darkitect will see you and blast you out of the air before..." He trailed off as an idea dawned upon him. "Or we could just get creative."

Slowly, Pterisa handed the Maelstrom Crystal over to Lord Sam Sinister. Instantly, a pair of Stromling Explorers marching towards them froze and stared at Sam Sinister, as though awaiting orders. Andrew radioed the message up to Semick, and a T-1 Typhoon moved over the hole in the ceiling and lowered its winch and cable.

"Now, let's distract the Darkitect," declared Rex. Amanda, Pterisa, Andrew, and Laxus nodded. Then, as one, they joined the others in their battle.

Rex continued to fire his Sonic Screamer at the Maelstrom vortex whenever he could. Pterisa resumed firing lightning bolts at the Darkitect, now with renewed confidence. While firing a Cosmotronic Ray, Andrew started shouting: "Two eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined in 24 ways. Three eight-stud bricks can be combined in 1,060 ways. Six eight-stud bricks can be combined in 102,981,500 ways. Of course, these statistics only apply if all the bricks are the same color; if this does not hold true, then the numbers greatly multiply. And, with eight bricks, the possibilities are virtually endless!"

The Dino Attack Team's efforts started to frustrate Baron Typhonus, and Andrew's spewing of facts about building started to annoy the Darkitect. "I've had enough of this!" declared the Darkitect. "Who now holds my crystal, and where is that Lord von Barron?"

Too late, the Darkitect realized that Sam Sinister had already been hoisted out of the Maelstrom Temple with his Maelstrom Crystal in hand.

Furious, the Darkitect tried to use more Maelstrom energy to finally destroy these pesky Dino Attack agents who just would not give up. However, he could feel his powers weaken, now that the Maelstrom Crystal was no longer in such close proximity, and the Imagination orb was now growing brighter and larger than it had in months. A wave of Maelstrom energy that should have instantly deconstructed everyone in sight merely knocked them over for a brief moment.

The Darkitect's attention was drawn back to the Imagination orb. "No..." he whispered. There stood Kate Bishop holding an injection saw, which glowed with a bright blue aura. He sent out a bolt of Maelstrom lightning, but it veered off from its course as it neared the Imagination statue. He tried to bring Kate's worst fears to life, but the illusions vanished instantly.

Grim, Baron Typhonus lowered his jeweled scepter. "You can't do it, Kate," he growled. "You don't have it in you. You're just a pathetic little girl, so lost and alone in this world. You cannot defeat me, for my power is already far too great in this world. You, and all your so-called 'friends'... will die."

Kate Bishop stared at the injection saw in her hands. The bright glow reflected off the tears streaming down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to run back home, run back into her mother's safe embrace...

But she remembered Frank Einstein. He had sworn to protect her, promising to keep Wallace's family safe. He was a brave man and one of the most imaginative minds of the world. He believed that she could do this.

I can do this, she told herself. She looked away from Baron Typhonus, the Maelstrom, and all the death and destruction in the temple. She centered her focus upon the Imagination orb. Then, ignoring the protests of Baron Typhonus, she raised the injection saw and plunged it into the Imagination.

A great wave of energy pulsated from the Imagination orb as it grew much larger and much brighter. The energy washed over the interior of the Maelstrom Temple, cleansing it of its corruption and banishing the dark shadows and purple fog. As the wave of pure energy approached the Maelstrom vortex, Baron Typhonus attempted to hold his ground. But, the Maelstrom vortex behind him began to collapse in upon itself, and like a black hole, it began to suck in the Darkitect. He cried out in retaliation, but that did nothing to stop him as he plunged into the center of the vortex. Then, the Maelstrom blinked out of existence.

Like the dawn of a new day, everyone rose to a very different Temple of Creation. The signs of battle were still there, as the floor was littered with debris and dead bodies. However, with the Maelstrom gone and the Imagination so powerful, there was something much brighter about the world now.

"Is he... gone?" Helm dared to ask.

Rex shook his head. "He's not dead, if that's what you mean. I don't think it's in our power to kill Baron Typhonus here and now. But... I believe, he is gone. He has been banished from the LEGO Planet for good."

People rushed up to Kate Bishop and congratulated her, thanked her, patted her on the back. Rex and Amanda approached her, and Rex smiled proudly. "It's been an honor working with you, Bishop," he said. "You will surely be remembered by history as a remarkable young lady."

Kate was silent the whole time. Then, Rex noticed the tears on her cheeks. Concerned, he inquired, "Professor Einstein... is he...?"

Holly Vinyaya shook her head, gesturing towards the scientist's lifeless body lying on the floor a few meters from the Imagination statue. Kate reached into her pocket and pulled out a bishop chess piece, handing it over to Rex. "He said this was for you," she finally spoke.

A moment of silence passed over the group in memory of Frank Einstein.

*****

Lord Sam Sinister von Barron stood at the edge of a volcano crater. Down below him, he could see lava boiling and smoke rising. Above him, a T-1 Typhoon remained hovering in the air, waiting for him to grab onto the cable once again. In his hand, he held the Maelstrom Crystal.

This was it. All he had to do was drop the Maelstrom Crystal into the volcano, and Baron Typhonus would never dare show his face on LEGO Planet ever again.

Why was it so hard for him to let go? He held it over the lava below him, but he could not loosen his fingers from the crystal. He stared into its purple surface, which reflected his face back at him, distorted by the angled faces and vertices of the crystal.

You don't have to do this, you know, a voice spoke in his mind. This isn't necessary. Just take it home to Manor von Barron and add it to your collection of fortunes. Surely, when others see this crystal in your hands, they will know that you truly are powerful.

Lord Sinister hesitated. It was in his nature to be greedy, and with the Maelstrom Temple gone, surely there would be no danger to adding something of this much value to his collection.

Johnny Thunder, Jake Raines, Artimus Rhodes, Hael Storm. They would have nothing on you. Who needs a Golden Dragon when you have a Maelstrom Crystal?

Lord Sinister grimaced. No, this wasn't right. These thoughts were not his own. It was a trap.

Don't do it!

"No more traps!" Sam Sinister promised himself through gritted teeth. With that, he flung the Maelstrom Crystal down into the volcano below him. When it hit the lava, he had to shield his eyes from a bright flash. Then, a brief mushroom cloud of purple smoke rose from the volcano crater. At last, finally, the Maelstrom Crystal was destroyed.

And that, thought Lord Sinister, is how history shall remember the great Lord Samuel Sinister von Barron!

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 7: Mole Hunt

Chapter 52: Loose Ends

----

Nazareno crossed his arms as he watched the medics talk and work from the shadows. There hadn't been anymore incidents of sabotage, so Nazareno could only assume this hidden Stromling escaped the outpost and made his way to the true Maelstrom Temple, where he could be dealt with by the Dino Attack Team.

The medics had finally gotten back to work with their Maelstrom research. He had assured them that if this Stromling spy made an appearance, it would be dealt with quickly.

Beside him, Zelda Frodongan watched the scientists as well. Initially, she was fearful of a Stromling being in the outpost, but as time passed, she grew more confident. She had also, more or less, recovered the shock and aftereffects of the Maelstrom.

"Do you want to go check the hallways again?" she asked.

Nazareno shook his head. "I'm more certain than ever that our spy left the outpost with Garry and the others."

"Do you think they are alright?"

Nazareno shrugged. "I hope Garry and his team made it, but it is extremely likely the Stromling eliminated them on their way to the temple." Zelda bit her lower lip and turned away.

Suddenly, Nazareno felt a sharp pain in his chest. His eyes bulged as he clapped his hand over the Maelstrom wound. He fought against the gnawing pain for three seconds before it suddenly faded away. Nazareno breathed out a sigh of relief. He felt better than he had felt in days. Curious, he checked the wound.

It was no longer its original ugly blue color. It had faded and almost blended in with his skin. It caused no pain. Strange. Why would the wound just suddenly become dormant?

A slow realization came up Nazareno, and he smiled. Perhaps our team has been successful. Perhaps the Maelstrom has been defeated.

It was the only likely explanation. He approached the scientists to explain his theory.

*****

After the moment of silence was over, Andrew and Laxus took a moment to reflect upon all that had happened.

"Man," said Laxus, staring at the brightly glowing Imagination Orb that had been key to their victory, "That was one heck of a fight."

"Yeah," said Andrew. "I'm even surprised myself on how well we did. Guess there is something to Imagination as a power source."

"How the heck can stopping Dr. Rex come close to topping that?!" wondered Laxus. "It's a little hard to top overthrowing the most evil entity in the universe."

"Just wait and see, it'll be something to talk about, I'm sure," promised Andrew. "That mad-dino might just go all-out crazy on us or something now that his source of Dino mutation is cut out. And who knows what he'll do then?"

Laxus nodded. "Good point. Regardless, this war's almost over, for sure. And that's definitely good news, isn't it?"

"Truly." Glancing around, Andrew noticed Pterisa standing near the back of the crowd of agents that had gathered due to the need to congratulate Kate, mourn Dr. Einstein, and see if one could get a lift from a T-1 Typhoon winch. Nudging Laxus's arm, he gestured towards her and the Martian got the message. The two began walking towards her.

She looked much more confident than she had been several minutes ago, but did still look to be a little nervous with socializing along with the others. Andrew understood it well. Even with the biggest welcomes and embraces from others, it would still take a lot to join a group that one pictured themselves as a potential enemy of for a long period of time. The example of Zach still stood out well in the LEGO Islander's mind.

"Hi," he said to the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid as he and Laxus reached her.

Pterisa looked a little startled at Andrew's words. "Hello," she responded back with a bit of nervousness. "I guess I should thank you for trying to help me out back there."

"It was nothing," said Laxus, "just doing our duty for our own allies."

"I see..."

"You still feel a little nervous around the team, I'm guessing?" Andrew asked.

Pterisa nodded. "A little. Rex's words were very reassuring, and I've already met with Specs and your other top leaders, but that still doesn't quite make me feel well about congregating with the rest of your people."

"Well, let me tell you about a friend of mine," said Andrew. "Not too long ago, I saved him and another agent from an old trap net over a cliffside. A few days and battles later, he was injected with Maelstrom energy by a XERRD scientist and made a Stromling. And he was a particularly vile and hammy Stromling, I can tell you that much.

"But I remembered the old him, and had a feeling that I could understand what he was going through given some of my own personal inner experiences. So, me and a good friend of his ventured deep into a temple we thought was the host of the Maelstrom, intending only to free him from his corruption. And after fighting tooth and nail, both physically and mentally, we managed to free him and bring him back to normal.

"He's visibly worn from his experience, and he still feels responsible for all he did and who he killed as a Stromling, but our commanders were among the first to welcome him back, and they ensured him that any naysayers objecting to his return would have to deal with them.

"Semick and Rockford are as good men as Rex, and I'm somewhat equal to them, holding the rank of Elite Agent like most of them. Trust me, if anyone objects to you staying with us, while I can't ensure they're getting a punch in the face, I can ensure that they'll get some good retribution."

*****

Outside, the sun was starting to go down. Mac smiled as he watched the action below. "I don't know about the rest of you," he said. "But I'm ready to go back and get drunk."

One by one, the T-1 Typhoons began moving into position, landing as close as they could so they could pick up the agents inside. As the labyrinth of the temple was hard to navigate, only two or three could land inside at a time.

*****

"I don't Znapping believe it," Trigger muttered as he lit another cigarette. He held one out to Snake, who quickly took it. Trigger then took a moment to light it. "This team put all its trust in some little girl. The fate of the planet according to them, and it's a little girl who can't shoot to save her own life that gets put in charge. I just hope they actually pay me what they promised."

Trigger slowly turned and worked his way to the door, kicking aside Palmer's head along the way.

Hotwire sighed and pulled off his cap. "We won. We actually won. For once. Here's hoping we can keep this up."

Helm glanced around the chamber at the tired, ragged team that had just purged the Temple of Imagination, and happened to spot Katerina Schattenberg across the room. "That's Kat, isn't it?" he said quizzically. "I thought I heard she died."

Hotwire laughed softly as the Dino Attack agents and various allies picked themselves up and all began making their way out to the waiting T-1 Typhoons. "You've got a bit of catching up to do, my friend."

*****

Deep within the confines of his own mind, the tiny piece of Lupus Schattenberg that remained himself silently raged. Not only did the Maelstrom have complete control over him, but Phoenix and Cyrus were bossing him around too. The three of them had been making their way through the jungle towards the Maelstrom Temple, when a sudden stampede forced them to take cover in the trees. It seemed as though every single Mutant Dinosaur on the island shared their intent. However, as a result, they were still half a mile away from the bridge when all three Stromlings suddenly felt a sickening twist in the fabric of the world. They looked at one another, and as they collectively began to weaken, it became clear what had just occurred.

The Dino Attack Team had won, and the Maelstrom was being forced off the planet.

Loop's true self immediately began to grapple for control against his Stromling self. Without the influence of the Darkitect, this was an easy battle. He immediately began to metabolize the Maelstrom energy that was still contained in his body, and then he walked over to the two Agents, who, having also fought off the Maelstrom's hold on their minds, were quite understandably shaken.

"I suppose we should find Captain Osprey and turn ourselves in," Cyrus was saying.

Phoenix nodded. "Maybe they can find a way to cure us completely," she agreed.

Loop spoke up: "No need for that." Laying a hand on each of their shoulders, he drew the Maelstrom energies out of their bodies. The two Agents gasped in amazement as their eyes changed from red to black, and their skin back to yellow. Loop stepped back, and began to undergo a similar transition as he finished metabolizing the dark energy, which turned to electricity in his cells.

Phoenix and Cyrus, though exhausted, laughed with joy, and the three minifigs continued down the path towards the temple. Neither of the two Agents, walking in front, noticed Loop's odd smile, or the purplish sparks that danced across his fingertips.

Their screams and pleas for mercy rang out like music, and for the first time in months, Lupus Schattenberg felt truly happy.

*****

Zach grinned happily. He watched the whole scene. The Darkitect had been defeated. Not killed, that was certain, but at least he was no longer on the LEGO Planet. The temple had restored some of its former glory. The warmth of the Imagination in the temple washed over him. For just a small moment, he forgot he had ever been a Stromling and his fight with Provencal. Everything was fine. He was alive, Minerva was alive, his friends were still alive. Things were just... fine.

"Zach?" Minerva whispered in his arms. Brought back to reality, he looked down at Minerva. She was blinking rapidly, as is she was trying to adjust the general brighter atmosphere in the temple. "Is she gone?"

Zach nodded. "She's dead, and the Darkitect is gone. We won."

Minerva suddenly shot up. Zach was so surprised he dropped her. She landed on her feet easily and looked around the temple, a wide grin on her face. "He's gone!" she repeated excitedly. She embraced Zach in a tight hug. He hugged her back, the comforting warmth returning to him.

She pulled out once and looked at him. "You okay?" Opposed to the other times Minerva had asked him this question, her voice was not filled with concern. She just wanted to be certain at this point.

"Mostly," he said. Minerva frowned. He thought back to the horrible revelations he had discovered about himself thanks to Provencal. "I'll tell you about it on the way back. But I'm going to make it through." Minerva smiled and nodded once.

"One more battle left," he noted. "Dr. Rex doesn't stand a chance now that this primary ingredient to his Dino mutations is destroyed." She nodded again, biting her lower lip, sadness in her eyes. Zach quickly realized that this final battle would ultimately lead to confrontation between Minerva and her brother. Fate always seemed to work in that way.

He wanted to say something reassuring to her. That there was still a chance to save Oswald or something, but he truly doubted that. Perhaps Minerva could pull him back to reality the same way she did to me. It was a long shot, but so was saving Zach himself.

"What's going on over there?" Minerva asked, gesturing to the group of agents near the Imagination statue.

"They are congratulating Kate Bishop," Zach said. "She delivered the final blow that defeated the Darkitect."

"Kate Bishop?" Minerva said, surprise in her voice. "Really? I didn't think she was really capable of doing anything here." Zach didn't respond. He had never actually met this Kate Bishop, so he didn't know Minerva's claims were true or not. He decided not to dwell on them and instead wanted to find a familiar and friendly face.

A quick search found Andrew and Laxus. "Let's go," he said to Minerva, motioning toward the two agents. She nodded and they started walking toward them. It was not long until he heard Minerva gasp.

"What is that?!" she whispered. Zach was surprised as well. Conversing with Andrew and Laxus was a Minifig whose head was an interesting blur between a Minifig's head and a Mutant Pterosaur's head with long hair flowing from the back of its head.

"It looks like a Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid to me," Zach stated. As the approached, he noticed the Hybrid was wearing samurai armor. "And it appears it is a she and she is the mysterious warrior that aided us during the battle." It made sense. The Maelstrom he sensed inside of her, the Mutant Pterosaur-like lightning she could fire...

"Really?" Minerva said with some skepticism. "How can we trust her?"

"She blasted XERRD's second-in-command into a wall with lightning. She wanted to dispose of Provencal. The Darkitect is gone and nobody is trying to kill her. Seems trustworthy to me."

"Fair enough," Minerva shrugged. "I guess I see the samurai thing now. I guess that cape she was wearing were actually wings." Zach nodded as he noticed this trait as well.

Finally, Laxus noticed them and gestured them over to the group. Andrew turned and smiled at them. "This was the man I was referring to," he said to the Hybrid. He turned back to Zach and Minerva. "I suppose you met her already, but her name is Pterisa."

Pterisa. How fitting. "I'm glad to have properly met you, Pterisa. My name is Zachary Virchaus and this Minerva Fabello." They both shook the Hybrid's hand. Zach could see some level on uncertainty and nervousness fade from Pterisa's eyes somewhat. I can't imagine she was extremely well-received following the revelation that she is a Hybrid. He could feel a sense of nervousness while shaking her hand, as if she was afraid of a negative reaction from him now that she was revealed to be a Hybrid.

"I assume you defeated that scientist?" she said, referencing Carolyne Provencal. Zach nodded. "And she was the scientist who injected you with the Maelstrom?"

"Yeah," Zach said, scratching the back of his head. "I may have lost control of my emotions a bit while fighting her, but she's dead, and that's all that matters." He did not want to go any deeper into the inner turmoil he experienced after killing the scientist.

Andrew clasped Zach on the back in a reassuring manner. "One less member of Dr. Rex's pet scientists we have to deal with in the end," he said.

Zach showed a small smile as he nodded.

The chamber of the Temple of Creation seemed to awaken from a deep sleep. Hertz's eyes were opened as the structure came back to life and light shown in on all its glory.

He had seen the whole thing. Kate had destroyed the Maelstrom, Lord von Barron had spirited away the Maelstrom Crystal, a Mutant Pterosaur/Minifigure Hybrid had been welcomed into their midst, and a hero had died.

Hertz was still in incredible pain; his right arm was in terrible shape, and he expected that the medical staff would recommend some form of prosthetic. He planned to deny it. Hertz wanted to heal the normal way; it would be hard and painful, but he wanted to keep both his arms.

His left leg had been gashed open on the rocks surrounding the island. It still dripped blood and it hurt to put his weight on it. He expected that the dirt that had been shoved into the festering wound might lead to infection, and that it would require antibiotics as soon as possible.

His chest had been punched repeatedly by the Stromling Fitz. Breathing was difficult and speaking was even harder. By feeling his stomach, he came to assume that it was bruised on most of its surface. He did not expect internal bleeding, but that did little to help the pain.

Then there was his head. It had been slammed into every conceivable surface over the last few hours. He had blacked out when the Renaissance was destroyed, and the same had almost happened when he hit the wet rocks outside the building. On top of all of this, a football player had slammed him into the wall with enough force to draw a considerable amount of blood from his temple. In addition to his still-burnt hands and feet, he considered changing his codename from Hertz to Hurts.

Hertz recognized Holly Vinyaya standing over the body of a man he did not know. Kate Bishop was crying as usual, but considering what they had all just been through, he could hardly blame her. Also with them was elite agent Rex; somewhere along the lines, he had acquired a hover chair. It was evident that he had little control over the craft, but it seemed he had enough composure to keep it in one place.

Hertz knelt down by the man on the dirt floor. "Who was he?" he asked.

"His name was Doctor Frank Einstein," Rex said slowly. "He may have been our greatest ally. For much of the time we knew him, he had been a mole in XERRD, pretending to be one of Dr. Rex's must trusted scientists and Number Two. We would never have gotten where we are today without him. He braved the lion's den and paid the price."

Hertz carefully closed the eyes of the doctor. "He sounded like a good man."

"He saved my life," said Kate. The rookie slowly rose and stared down at the body. "He had treated me like a daughter."

Hertz was about to ask why, but Vinyaya stopped him. It was evident that Kate Bishop had some deep connection with the man and she had no desire to talk about it.

Kate took a moment to fully grasp just what exactly was happening. She'd been feigning smiles in front of her fellow agents and their constant congratulations, but there was no real satisfaction. She was still upset over the loss of Frank Einstein. So much happened at once in one day, between being used as a human shield and learning her own mother had lied to her. Still, Einstein seemed so much like Wallace Bishop, at least from what little she could recall, and his story, of Bishop pulling out parts of his own brain simply made her shudder.

She could still recall the day her mother had come home and told her everything. Even then, Kate didn't want to accept the loss of Wallace. She still remembered Sarah holding her while she cried. Kate was roughly five or six at the time, and yet that was one memory she could still vividly recall, one that even now, at eighteen, only made her want to cry more.

Rotor didn't seem to care much. "Come on!" he shouted. "Grow up already."

It seemed hard for Kate now. To her, she'd lost everything. Pierce was in Antarctica somewhere, and so was her mother, and now this story of her uncle, and there had been no sign of James McGregor since the rampage of mutant dinos on the rear guard camp.

Slowly, Kate blindly followed her fellow agents; Rex, Hertz, and Vinyaya did not stop her as she walked across the expanse to board a T-1 Typhoon.

Hertz broke the uncomfortable silence. "Commander Vinyaya," he began, "I thought you died at the battle of the pharaoh's temple."

"I made it out okay," she muttered. The commando appeared to be in similar shape to Hertz himself. She had bruises across much of her face and had a broken lip. A black eye marred the left side of her narrow face, and her once-blonde hair hung in bloody knots around her brow. She made an effort to smile and pointed at her scars. "Courtesy of a particularly nasty Stromling Colonel."

Hertz pointed at his own face. "Courtesy of a rock."

The three chuckled before their attention was once more drawn to the body of Frank. "What do you think we should do with him?" wondered Hertz.

"We should take him with us," said Vinyaya. "Give him a proper funeral at the Dino Attack Headquarters."

"Perhaps it would be batter to lay him to rest here," offered Hertz. "After all, this is the Temple of Creation."

"Let's not worry about it now," said Rex. "A lot of good agents died at these two battles; we'll go about paying our respects once we get back to HQ and rest."

Hertz smiled. "Rest sounds like a good idea."

*****

One by one, the T-1 Typhoons came in. Kate Bishop slowly worked her way towards one.

Doctor Nicholas Saran jumped awkwardly from the helicopter to survey the people around him. He walked past Kate Bishop on his way to the agents and touched her on the shoulder. "Are you okay, Kate?"

"I'm fine," she murmured.

Saran frowned. "Kate, I've been a therapist long enough to know when someone is troubled."

"I don't want to talk about it," said Kate.

"That's okay," said Saran. "But I don't recommend you become some sort or recluse because of what just transpired here. If you keep these kinds of emotions to yourself, they will eat you up."

"Thank you, Doctor Saran," said Kate. "But I don't want to talk about it."

He nodded. "Very well, Ms. Bishop, but if you change your mind, my door is always open."

Kate smiled timidly but quickly left to sit alone in the back of a helicopter.

That girl has been through far too much, thought Doctor Saran. So much is expected of her and she knows it. This fight showed us she is capable of incredible heroics, but she is also scared.

He frowned. This war shows that the greatest wounds are the ones that cannot be seen. Children like Kate will forever be destroyed by it.

Nicholas Saran spotted a strange sight in the center of the chamber. He recognized elite agent Andrew and the Martian Laxus. There was also a third stranger among them. She had displayed valor during the battle, but despite her contribution, the agents of the Dino team kept a wide berth around her.

"Hello," said Doctor Saran. "I just wanted to shake your hand; you certainly displayed heroics today."

The figure known as Pterisa stepped away. "Please, don't look at me."

Saran glanced at the woman's body. She was undoubtedly some sort of hybrid but her appearance mattered little to Saran. It was her actions that mattered to him. "Please," he said. "You may think you are some sort of monster, Pterisa, but you cannot be more wrong. Today, you exhibited incredible bravery, which is what matters to me. I could not care less what you are, what matters to me is who you are."

Saran still held out his hand. The hybrid known as Pterisa hesitated, but then timidly accepted it.

"Well then," Andrew said, clapping his hands in a cleaning motion, "I suppose we're done here. Semick's having the T-1s winch some of the agents out of here through that hole, but from the looks of things, there's a bit of a crowd." Indeed, being able to winch up only a handful of agents at a time in about a half-dozen T-1 Typhoons was causing a bit of a wait to develop for people to go.

"We could just take the scenic route out," Laxus said, pointing to the hallway that they had come into the chamber through. "I think there should be a few T-1s stopping near the entrance to pick agents up. And I did kind of want to get a better look at this place in its nicer-looking state; plus, I'm sure we could have some nice conversations on the way, too."

"Hm, not a bad idea," said Zach. He looked at the stump where his old prosthetic hand had been. "Probably for the best, since I can't exactly hang onto any ropes well right now."

"Heh. First thing we do when we get back to an outpost or base," Andrew said, "You're getting a new hand."

"I might want to get looked at, too," Minerva added. "I'm sure some of the medics would faint over how many beatdowns I've had to shake off this mission."

"Yeah," said Andrew. "So how about we get a move on, then?"

Andrew started to walk back towards the hallway, with Laxus, Zach and Minerva right behind him, when he looked back and saw Pterisa still standing where she was.

"There's always room for one more, Pterisa," Andrew said back to her. "Want to tag along with us?"

It was clear Pterisa was somewhat uncomfortable around the Dino Attack agents. How the mighty have fallen, Zach thought. As the mysterious samurai, Pterisa had been fearless, commanding, and formidable. As a Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid, she was much of the opposite.

As it was, Pterisa was uncertain about tagging along with him, Andrew, Minerva, and Laxus. Due to his corruption and how he fought and killed Dino Attack agents was similar to Pterisa's ultimate function before she left XERRD and the Maelstrom, Zach wanted to welcome their new ally to the team like how Rockford had so willingly welcomed him, regardless of his past or what he had done. Especially since I tried to kill him with a massive ape that wore a tie.

"Yeah, why don't you come along?" Zach said. "No need to fly back alone." Laxus and Andrew nodded in agreement. He glanced over to Minerva, who had so far remained mute toward Pterisa. He wondered if she was still suspicious of Pterisa's intentions.

"It would be an honor," Minerva finally said, revealing a small, reassuring smile, "if you would join us, Pterisa."

Pterisa allowed herself to smile nervously. "I suppose I could come along." She walked toward the group. She, Zach, Andrew, Minerva, and Laxus started making their way through the hallway.

"Rather nice thing you did there," Zach whispered to Minerva. As he thought about it, Pterisa could probably see that Minerva still held some distrust toward her and probably felt uncomfortable around the Dino Attack agent.

"Hmm? I suppose so," Minerva said with a smirk. "She did save this mission from being a total wreck. And she needed the confidence boost, so..." She shrugged. Zach rolled his eyes, but accepted the answer. They both moved forward and joined Andrew, Laxus, and Pterisa's conversation.

"Wait up!" Dr. Cyborg cried. He could see Zach, Minerva, Andrew, Laxus, and Pterisa going into the passageway out. He ran toward them.

"Hello, Dr. Cyborg," Andrew said.

Dr. Cyborg nodded back. "Pterisa," he began, lowering his voice so only she would hear what he was saying, "I can see you are uneasy around us. But think of this, for one thing: I am a cyborg, and a former XERRD scientist at that. If anyone is to be rejected, one of them would be me. But I have never been rejected. Ever. Plus, you are not responsible for what XERRD did. I partially am. You are the victim. I am one of the aggressors. Just because you are a XERRD creation is no reason to reject you. And on your statement that you are a monster, I personally think your species, out of the four, is the most graceful and beautiful."

Andrew smirked as Dr. Cyborg gave Pterisa his compliments. It was pleasing to see that others were taking the same stance as he was regarding the Hybrid's remaining anxiety with being part of the team.

"Thanks for helping out the welcoming committee, doctor," the LEGO Islander said when he was done.

"My pleasure," said Dr. Cyborg. "Care if I join you?"

"Not at all. Now let's go." And with that, the group of six (Andrew, Laxus, Pterisa, Zach, Minerva, and Dr. Cyborg) then proceeded into the hallway.

*****

As the chopper's rotors came to life, Garry looked at his fellow comrades. They were all talking about what happened within the temple. He could see Vinyaya close by, as well as Wilkes. Some of them were talking about what happened, what they were experiencing in the temple, how it tried to exploit their fears.

Finally, Garry decided he had to say something. He knew if Rotor found out he would try to kill him, but he felt he had no other choice.

"It wasn't playing off of my fear," Garry said. "It was playing off Rotor's fear, and my guilt."

This seemed to get attention from the other agents. Garry was trying to figure out the best way to word it, but finally decided just to come out. "I tortured a child," he said. "Me and Rotor, earlier this mission."

*****

With the Maelstrom now gone, Andrew couldn't help but admire the design of the structure around them. Grand arches, great stone columns, it was like everything Greece, Rome, and Atlantis had thrown together in a masterpiece of architecture. And from what he could glimpse from the occasional chamber linked to by alternate corridors, the style continued to every room. It was something everyone could admire.

"This has to make me admire what Nexus Force does," said Laxus, "fighting off the Maelstrom with so much valor. Protecting places like this as well as common cities and other lands, that's definitively a strong cause to get behind."

"Truly," said Dr. Cyborg. "And it reminds you just how much the Maelstrom can transform what it possesses, turning a place like this into some kind of infernal temple of doom, and making good people become horribly corrupt."

"And a little hammy," Andrew muttered. He released a small snicker, which earned him a glare from Minerva until Zach joined in briefly.

"No, I'll admit that's true. I think forces of evil must have a natural urge to be playful and dramatic when they feel oh-so-superior to everything like that. But it does confuse me at times. Where the heck did that Stromling-me get the idea of that line about sticking a cupcake in his eye?" Everyone snickered.

"Who knows," Pterisa added in a quiet tone. Andrew was briefly surprised to hear her join in the conversation, but he quickly told himself to embrace it.

"Yeah," Andrew added, "all we can say is that pure evil always has some connection to craziness."

After a few more humored smirks, the group continued down the halls for a bit until Pterisa said something again. "So... guessing by what you said earlier, and by the presence of your companions here, I'm to presume that the team has several non-minifig allies?"

"Oh, definitely," Andrew responded. "The list goes on a sizable bit."

"Now you've done it," said Laxus, nudging Pterisa with an elbow. The Hybrid looked confused, but as Andrew started to ramble, all was made clear.

"For starters, awhile back, I believe there was an agent who had a dog that was really some alien humanoid wolf creature or something, but that was a really old uncited report, so I'm not sure if it's true. Then there's Libo, who's a large mechanical spider-esque robot from an old secret crimefighting team akin to Alpha Team. Frozeen was in this exosuit with four arms, wings and a skull-like face for the longest time, and General has the same kind of suit as well. Then there's this agent called Databoard was mutated into a Mutant Lizard Hybrid, and after getting his mind straight, he went around in that form for a while before getting cured. And there's an agent by the name of Sauro-Hunter (who's with a group of friends somewhere on some personal business) whose posse includes a guy with dragon wings, several tamed Mutant Dinos who are more bonded to his group than Rex's-"

"Okay, okay, I think that's enough," Pterisa said, her hands held out in a stopping gesture. "Guess I know who to talk to if I need more background info."

"I'm one of the best," Andrew said with a smirk.

Not long after that, the group reached the entrance of the temple and walked back once more in the light of the setting sun. With no battle going on, the space between the edge of the rock and the temple entrance was a bit better suited to the small crowd that had gathered to use the ziplines and board the T-1 Typhoons.

Andrew took a moment to admire the pristine exterior of the temple, then turned to his group. "Bit of a crowd, but I'm sure it won't take long to board something. Though just out of curiosity, does everyone just want to head back to HQ, or should we try for a rest here at an outpost first? It's a rather long way back, but there's no hurry. Plus, we might want to handle any matters of fatigue, medical attention or nutrition."

Zach quickly thought over his current state of wellbeing. He was tired and hungry, that was certain. "I'd personally rather just head back to LEGO City," he said finally. "I don't need any immediate medical attention other than my hand and I was intending to sleep most the way back." He shrugged. "I suppose I could go with swinging by an outpost to pick up a bite to eat, get a quick check up, and maybe to fuel up the T-1 before we head out."

"That sounds like a reasonable idea," Minerva said. Andrew nodded.

"Let's get across this gorge," Andrew said.

One by one, each of the agents used the zipline to get back to the main island. Zach gripped the zipline tightly with his left hand as traveled across the once-Maelstrom sea, now just a regular ocean. He glanced upward briefly to see Pterisa, her wings extended as she easily crossed the gap. Dr. Cyborg has got a point, Zach noted. Quite a sight to behold. Especially when the wings are not on a creature trying to kill you.

He soon landed on the other side of the gorge and rejoined the rest of the group. Once they were all assembled, the group started looking for a T-1 Typhoon to board. 

"You know," Dr. Cyborg spoke up, "a T-1 Typhoon isn't all that fast. It's kinda cramped, too. UlTech Dropships are faster and roomier. What I'm trying to say is, 'Anybody want a lift?'"

"Personally, no," said Andrew. "I'm sure your craft is fast, but I feel better traveling in something I'm a bit more used to, like T-1s."

"Let's try that one," said Laxus, pointing to a T-1 Typhoon that had just landed.

"Good timing," said Dr. Cyborg. He contacted X2. "I want you, X1, Kara, and the dropship to take Lutsky back to LEGO City. But first, I have an assignment for you..."

As the group of six headed over to the T-1 Typhoon, the vehicle's side door opened and the two agents inside began to roll down a rope ladder. "We're intending to stop by an outpost for fuel and rest," one of the agents cried out, "and to exchange crews, but we're willing to take a couple of people along for the-woah!"

Not surprisingly, the agent had noticed Pterisa approaching the craft along with the others. He seemed ready to say something more, but the agent alongside him, who appeared to be a somewhat older one, just held his hand out and muttered, "Just go with it."

Without any further word, Andrew's group climbed up the ladder, Pterisa making things a bit easier by simply flying up into the chopper interior. Inside, there was only one other agent, currently sitting in the rear gunner's port. No one appeared to be manning the central monitors, and most of them were turned off. Andrew assumed that the crew must've felt they were able to do well without them.

"Enh, looks like enough for now," said the older agent of the T-1 Typhoon's crew, already pulling the rope ladder back. "Six agents takes up a lot of space in this thing. Let's get ready to take off again."

"Surely, there's enough space for others," said Zach. "I'd be willing to sacrifice some space."

"Do you want to get back to LEGO City or not?" said the agent. "Besides, there's plenty of ground vehicles for people to take if they're feeling to walk back this far. And I'd like to get some sleep, too."

"The way he sounds," Andrew muttered to Laxus, "I guess it would be best for him to hit the sack."

As everyone got settled somewhere in either the chairs around the deactivated TALON-9 system or on the floor of the interior, the side door closed and the vehicle's crew got in place for takeoff. Laxus, sitting with Andrew in one of the seats, couldn't help but feel reminded of them taking off with Semick in his T-1 Typhoon back during their arrival to the island. It reminded him of how much time had passed and how much they had gotten done over the past few days.

Glad to know we have another milestone out of the way, he thought, and that it's not much further now to the end.

*****

"See to it that we get agents to pick up all these vehicles and deliver them back to the outposts," Rockford told Outpost 5 over radio. "Also, just remember that everyone should be equipped for T-1s coming in from both the temple and LEGO City for the troops heading back to HQ. As the station second-closest to our recent battle area, you should expect some fair amount of traffic. Also, get some people to help Outpost 4 settle their technical difficulties before midnight. I don't want them swamped and unorganized at a critical time like this."

"Understood, Commander. And we'll make sure to have a position open for Outpost Commanding. From what we've heard from the battles, you've likely earned enough prestige to have an easy time getting one."

"Good to hear. Rockford out."

As Rockford switched his radio frequency to Semick's T-1 Typhoon, he briefly reflected on what he had gone through today. He may not be a commander in the same likes as Semick or Reptile, but he had likely proven himself to be close to it at Hotep III's temple. Mur was a somewhat prolific man, and he had clearly seen potential by having the former lawyer serve as a sort-of second in command. While he would likely get much posthumous praise for his sacrifice to stop that Stromling Ape, it seemed that Rockford was going to get attention for being able to pick up his lead and helping to take charge. Granted, he felt that it was more due to the team's performance rather than his lead, but he supposed that he might've done as just as much good with helping direct the team as Semick had done motivating and commanding it.

He was definitely getting better handling tough agents, that was for sure. In communications with Semick, he learned that Dust's last words had included ones of regret and apology to Rockford for his actions. So he had had an effect on the Egyptian after all. It made the bitterness of his death a little sweeter. And he had managed to not be rocked by Trigger's stubbornness with trying to take command and overly criticize the strategies of the team in general. That was a good thing too, he supposed.

Regardless, there was one last matter to address: letting the home team get the news. Semick had told him he was a little tired of speeches for today, and asked Rockford to send out the notice. Rockford agreed, saying he wanted a few minutes to prepare. Now the time for prep was over.

"You ready?" Semick said over radio.

"Yes," said Rockford. "Connect me to a frequency strong enough for LEGO City to get."

*****

"Bluetooth, you know what to do."

"Right-o!" said Bluetooth, modifying the frequency to reach Dino Attack HQ.

Semick sat back and let out a sigh as Rockford began his message. It had been quite a day, today. And as it ended, it ended with a feeling of hope in spite of how much was left.

"To Dino Attack Headquarters and to our Founding Members and other leaders. This is Standard Agent Rockford, acting as Outpost Commander and formally Temple Assault Ground Team Commander. I have been given the liberty by Elite Agent Semick to report the mission on Adventurers' Island as a success."

This had been the ultimate test of his command skills. Leading the team responsible for fighting something perhaps much more dangerous than Dr. Rex's forces could ever hope to be. He didn't pretend to know much about the Maelstrom, but he knew that much had been at stake today.

"Early reports are still a little vague and blurry, but we can report that the Maelstrom's source on this island was contained in a Temple of Creation near the outlands of the island, atop a smaller island in the middle of a large crevice. Upon arrival, agents reported an orb containing 'Pure Imagination' was keeping the Maelstrom at bay from fully extending its power."

He had to give Rex credit again for remembering this temple. Even if it hadn't gone as he planned, it had clearly given them the opening needed to be able to quickly get to work at the Temple of Creation. The agents had gotten out of the battle area at Hotep III's temple quickly and effectively, and once the preparations had been made for crossing the crevice to the temple and the call for battle came, everyone had responded like a good agent should.

"Once a red herring with a temple dedicated to Pharaoh Hotep III was cleared, at the loss of the agent who forwarded the possibility of the temple being the Maelstrom Temple, teams arrived at the true temple and infiltrated to help support a team led by Elite Agent Rex, who uncovered XERRD operatives trying to absorb Maelstrom energy from a large vortex for their own uses. It was found that Dino Attack scientist Dr. Einstein was among the group, having been undercover as leading XERRD scientist Wallace Bishop."

Looking out now at the crevice around the temple, the mist had lost the eerie purple color, and was now just as grey as the clouds above often were. Winning this battle definitely had the feel that something much more than simply another blow to the Mutant Dinos. They had done something greater, something that perhaps had ensured the fate of more than just the LEGO Planet's population.

"Once reinforcements showed up, among them agents carrying the Maelstrom Crystal reported of before, it appears that the Darkitect, the alleged former Baron Typhonus who created and now commands the Maelstrom, appeared through the vortex and attempted to acquire the Maelstrom Crystal to try and overwhelm the Imagination holding it back from spreading outside the temple. When that failed, agents were apparently forced to fight illusions based off their own deepest fears."

There were the little things too that showed just what his team was capable of. How Andrew and Minerva had helped Zach to overcome possession by the Maelstrom, something that few other Dino Attack agents were able to do, unfortunately. How Dust, though murdered by one of their (admittedly less-sane) own, recognized in his final moments his wrongs, and did his best to make amends. How Kate Bishop had proven herself at the end, in spite of the steady decline in her ability to cope with what had been happening since the XERRD Fortress assault. And of course, how Dr. Einstein had been able to infiltrate and do so much for Dino Attack's cause, up to, like Mur had much earlier, giving his own life so that so many others may live.

"After overcoming the illusions, the team managed to band together and use all firepower and creative will to distract the Darkitect while the Maelstrom Crystal was taken from the temple. After that, Dr. Einstein sacrificed his life to provide the 'Creative Spark' necessary to bring enough Imagination to overwhelm the Maelstrom and banish it from both the temple and possibly the LEGO Planet entirely."

Clearly, this war was far from over, but it still seemed like it was closer than it had ever been before. Even if the next few months would perhaps be their darkest hour yet, something in Semick's mind told him that he had proved himself ready for it, and that no matter what, no matter how many more died, no matter how much it seemed Dr. Rex might still be close to winning, there was no doubt that ultimately, good would be the victor in this war.

"More detailed reports are soon to follow from agents on the scene, but for now, we can take comfort in knowing that we've accomplished the second most major milestone in crippling the Mutant Dino forces. To repeat in summary; the Maelstrom is gone from this island, and Adventurers' Island has ended in a victory for Dino Attack. Let us hope for more similar outcomes elsewhere."

*****

Cabin quickly climbed aboard the first T-1 Typhoon she saw. This one happened to be piloted by Mac, whom she was pleased to see. There was a short flight before they finally landed back at the familiar sight of Outpost 4.

Wade looked up in surprise as Mac walked into the infirmary. "Mac," Copper said keenly upon noticing him, "what happened?"

"Long story, Doc," replied Mac. "Windows, what are you doing here?"

"Someone destroyed the radio," reported Windows.

"The radio?"

"Yes," replied Copper. "Whoever it was also got to the blood."

Cabin suddenly entered the room. She very nearly raised her gun at the sight of Zelda. "What's she doing here?" she asked. "You're not even restraining her-"

"She's cured," explained Fuchs. "We were able to isolate a cure of sorts."

"She'd better be," muttered Cabin. "Now I don't know about you but we've been through a lot today. I'm going to get something to eat." 

*****

"Alright guys," said Rob, "by my calculations, we're almost there."

"Brilliant deduction, Rob. As if we couldn't tell by the silhouette of the giant MegaBloking temple in the distance," said B.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over them. B looked up and saw that their helicopters were moving away from the temple. He scanned what he could observe of the sky, and concluded that that must have been the last vehicle to leave the temple.

"Well, MegaBlok," muttered B. "Apparently, they won the battle, but now they left, presumably to the outpost."

"B, we could turn and head back to the outpost," said Sam.

"Not feasible," said B. "By that time, night will have fallen. Plus, they will just be picking up equipment, people, and whatever else we left there. By the time we get there, the outpost might not exist."

"So... You're suggesting we stay by a destroyed temple that was home to a force of chaotic destruction, and hope that someone finds us?" said Kevin.

B shook his head. "No, it's safer here because we will be able to see any threats that attack us at least a few seconds before we're hit. And also, there's gotta be something we can salvage. Maybe find someone. I doubt it, though."

"Oh, you're absolutely right about that," a mysterious voice came from behind them, "You definitely found someone. Or rather, I found you."

"One impossibility after another," muttered B, "First, almost dying a few times, then being rescued from those situations, and then... I refuse to believe this. You're dead. I killed you. You. Cannot. Be. Alive."

"Ah, but I am. And a question stands: if so many things that you deem 'impossible' happen to you, how can this be any different?"

B turned to face the mysterious figure. He looked shaken, and seethed with rage, though he barely contained it beneath the face of control. He made a move to attack the figure, but Kevin held him back. "Zapper," hissed B.

"Ah, so you remember my name as well!" exclaimed the Evil OGEL Empire operative, grinning.

"I killed you," declared B. "I put my gun against your head and I pulled the trigger. There's no way you could be alive."

"Allow me to explain, then," said Zapper. "I pulled what might be termed a Brickfeld gambit. I hired a thug to become my body double. He trained to impersonate my voice, my mannerisms, and my personality. Unfortunately, he successfully impersonated my old personality, hence why he went on a rampage, and you then killed him. If it had been me you were facing, I doubt you would have killed me. But that is not the only revelation that should happen today. Kevin Kabrinsky, do you have any secrets that would be shared?"

B looked over at Kevin, quizzically, still trying to digest the piece of information that had been given to him.

Kevin sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright B, you remember how our fathers had another brother? One that you never met?"

"Yeah," replied B, "I've seen pictures of them when they were kids."

"And you were told that he was dead?" continued Kevin.

B nodded. "He was hit by a car, if I remember correctly."

"What if I told you that the story was a lie?"

B raised an eyebrow. "Tell me the truth, then."

"Ezekiel Kabrinsky isn't dead," explained Kevin. "He left our family because of his own choices, and grandpa accepted that, but he never said that he had more than two sons."

"Wait," said B. "Are you saying that Zapper... the Ogel agent... the guy who tried to kill me... twice, I might add… is actually my uncle?"

Kevin sighed. "To be fair, I was the only one who knew, and this is the first time any of the others have heard this as well. But yeah, it's true."

"And that's where my part of the story comes in," said Zapper, "I was the black sheep of the Kabrinsky family. I didn't agree with my family, or my country. So, I left. I was idealistic, or so I thought. I turned to... less than respectable friends, who helped me fulfill my 'ideals'. Within a few years, I realized that I was little more than a pawn in an organized terrorist cell. So, I left, and I was faced with no future. I couldn't go back to my family, after what I had done, and I couldn't just get a job. So, I because a criminal. I didn't rob old ladies of their purses, nor did I become a dashing rogue staging elaborate heists. I stole from corporations though, breaking into chemical labs and stealing hazardous substances, either selling them on the black market, or keeping them and then experimenting. I became known as the go-to guy in the underworld when it came to creative ways to kill people."

Zapper sighed heavily before continuing. "And then, one fateful night, I robbed one chemical plant too many. The cops were waiting for me. I ran, more than I ever had, and I ended up cornered in a back alley, by the last person I had expected to see in the entire world: my own brother. When we recognized each other, we stared in shock. And then, I shot first. I stood there and watched my brother die. It was your father, B. As he died, he said one thing to me: 'Take care of them.' And I realized then that I still had something to do with my life."

"Very idealistic of you," B muttered sarcastically.

Zapper laughed bitterly. "Idealistic, no. Every person has their own moral code. They will never break it because it changes as they do. What happened was that I realized how much my own code had changed. I wondered if my 'morals' would allow me to care for my own family anymore."

"Have you figured that out?" inquired B.

"I feel that I have been dead to emotions for a long time," replied Zapper. "I do not feel love for my family, as I never felt it from them. But with my brother's dying words, I saw something that I could do. Something that would give me a reason to live. The way the world goes now is a descending spiral, going on towards oblivion. I hate people for what they've done."

"And so," said Kevin, "After he nearly killed you, B, he contacted me, asking if he could count on me to relay information to Intelligence. He felt that he could help in that way."

"I see," said B.

"And then," continued Zapper, "when the Dino Attack started, I realized that it would be no good for me to remain in the Evil OGEL Empire, so I joined XERRD. They welcomed me with open arms because they had heard of my exceptional... skills. I wasn't able to access much info, but what I could went through Kevin."

"I get the picture," said B, "We need to turn to more practical issues. If you are going to help us, then help us get out of here... Uncle... Zeke."

"Follow me, then." Ezekiel "Zapper" Kabrinsky led them to a dock used by XERRD scientists, where a research boat was docked.

"This is it? No weapons?" asked B.

"It was a civilian research ship," explained Ezekiel. "There are defense mechanisms, however, they are more subtle than the military vehicles that you're used to. Now, let's get on board, and set course for... Where? For all intents and purposes, we are dead. We could do whatever we want, because who cares where dead men go?"

"LEGO City, and don't spare the engine," said B.

*****

The Reclaimer landed at the Outpost 4 lot without incident. The great transport was remarkably relatively unscathed. Aside from a few nicks and dings, the quality UlTech engineering had severed her well.

Lutsky was escorted out of the craft in handcuffs by X2. The former commander had since proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he was no longer what a scientist would define as "sane". It was for that reason that he was to be held in the outpost jail until Doctor Saran returned and provided his analysis of his mental status before his inevitable shipment to the Antarctica mental institution.

There was also concern about what legal actions needed to be taken against the commander. Gahiji Thutmose had not been an official member of the Dino Attack when he was murdered, therefore, for all intents and purposes, Lutsky had gunned down a civilian. The question then became whether his trial would be that of military court or not.

Of course, it was fully expected that he would be let off on a plea of insanity. Regardless, at this stage, it was a mere technicality. Dust's death was still relatively unknown among the Dino Attack team. Outside of the select few who had witnessed it (Schattenberg, Doctor Cyborg, Lance Williams, and Septimus), only elite agent Semick was aware of the Egyptian's demise.

Actions would need to be taken to clean up the pieces. Dust had not been a bad man, but he was disturbed. One could not help wonder if Doctor Nicholas Saran could have provided help in counseling the man. Rockford had theorized that he could have chosen a more righteous path and it was a tragedy that he had been killed when he seemed on the verge of choosing a life of redemption.

T-1 Typhoons ferried the agents across the miles of jungle back to Outpost 4. With them was the XERRD scientist known as Solomon Koplowitz. Koplowitz had led many of the remaining members to surrender, but only five members of XERRD had agreed to follow him. He had good intentions to cooperate with the Dino Attack to the best of his ability and was expected to play a relativity prominent role in the future.

With Doctor Rex as the final adversary, it was expected that defectors like Doctor Strangebrick, Doctor Cyborg, and Doctor Solomon Koplowitz would be essential for defeating XERRD once and for all. Of course, cynics like Snake, Trigger, and Rotor would have a hard time trusting the former, but even they could not deny that their assistance could prove to be extremely valuable in the future.

Tracer, Scratch, Dust, J.D, Frank Einstein, Mur, Raider, and many more had all died on Adventurers' Island. Zenna would probably never fight again. Garry Moffat had walked on blurred line of right and wrong and choose a path of brutality. Kate Bishop had witnessed firsthand the atrocities of war and seen the horrors that both sides were capable of. Carl Lutsky and Rotor both became monsters in their own right, and Zachary embraced the darkness and had come out forever changed.

Everyone lost something on Adventurers' island. 

----

Jenny sat, bruised and battered as Sarah Bishop tried to comfort her.

"It'll be alright," Sarah said calmly. "You'll be safe here."

Jenny remained quiet. The poor girl was just too confused by anything. After all she'd been through, there was a part of her that did not want to leave this one woman who had shown her kindness.

Pierce was standing close by, and there was something he could see of this. "Why don't we take her with us?" Pierce asked.

"Because it will be too dangerous," replied Sarah. "I don't want her getting killed horribly."

"I'm sure you can do a good job protecting her," assured Pierce. "Besides, she seems to be more comfortable around you, anyway."

Jenny seemed to shudder. "Those men," she muttered.

"Probably Rotor," Pierce said.

"Rotor?" Sarah asked. "He's the one who sent my daughter into that fortress, right?"

"Yeah," replied Pierce. "He's gotten away with quite a few crimes, but this time we have evidence that should deal with him and whoever else was involved."

"I got a few things to say to him, anyway," remarked Sarah.

At that moment, they were approached by Dude. "Hey man," he said. "You guys coming? I mean, like, the helicopter's here, man, to take us all out to the mainland."

There was a momentary pause. "Alright," replied Sarah. "I'll let you come with me for now."

Jenny nodded and followed Sarah and Pierce out of the room. 

----

Cabin took a huge bite out of the sandwich she had in the mess hall, and she certainly was not the only person left tired and hungry by the mission. Most of the team seemed to want to get off the island, but at this point, Cabin was much too tired to even consider flying anywhere. There was a part of her tempted to just fall asleep right there. It somewhat helped when she looked up to see a familiar face.

"Rotor," she said with a smile.

Rotor seemed quite pleased. He was holding a bottle of beer in one hand. "Jumped on the first chopper that came my way," he said, sitting down with her. "Man, I'm hungry."

"We could all use some R&R," replied Cabin. "We've been stuck in this place for… I don't know, I lost track of time. Honestly, it felt good just to be sleeping in an actual bed."

Cabin took a large swig of the beer next to her.

Snake slowly walked into the mess hall. He was still dressed in his simple tank top, but he showed no signs of cold. He was about to go about getting food when his attention was drawn by another agent: a tall, middle-aged man. He had short grey hair, covered by a dark grey bandana, and a very thin mustache. His clothes were much more complex, being made up of combat fatigues, and he also had an eyepatch, although one wrapped around his ear for some odd reason.

Slowly, he turned and approached the strange man, who was sitting with one or two other agents. The man looked up in confusion. "Snake," he muttered. "I heard you were dead."

"Same for you too," Snake replied coldly.

The mustached man seemed to be tense. One of the agents tried to calm him. "Calm down, Snake," said one of his friends. "There's nothing to-"

Upon hearing the name, Snake quickly jumped onto the table and grabbed the man by his collar. "You call yourself Snake, huh?"

"Calm down, man, it's just a nickname," replied the other Snake, but Snake would not have it.

"DON'T ZNAP WITH ME!" Snake shouted. "What makes you think you have the right to steal my name?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied the other Snake. "You stole the name from me-"

Snake promptly threw the man backwards, a loud THUD echoed through the room as his chair crashed to the ground. "You little MegaBloker think you can get away with trying to pass yourself as me. All you've ever done is try to take credit from me."

Subsequently, Snake pulled the man to his feet and gave him a thorough punch in the face. By now, the rest of the agents in the mess hall had started to notice him, and were watching in a strange silence.

The other Snake slowly came to his senses and threw a solid punch to Snake. He fell backwards, but not before he could deliver a rough kick in the stomach to the other Snake. "Shouldn't have double-crossed me," Snake said as he stood up and tossed another punch. He grabbed the other Snake and threw him against another table, knocking over several dishes and leaving a small group of shocked agents.

By now, the other Snake was mad. Really mad. He stood up and started to approach Snake. He punched him hard and threw him over another table. Snake quickly got to his feet, and punched him in the stomach. The other Snake took a moment to come to his senses before he once again threw Snake over yet another table, getting a rather confused look from Cabin and Rotor. The other Snake pulled Snake off the table and threw him aside, but Snake was quick to get to his feet and push one agent out of his chair. He picked it up and swung it at the other Snake, throwing him to the ground.

Snake took a moment to fully catch his breath before he walked towards the door, leaving a mess of a cafeteria littered by misaligned tables, broken and spilled dishes, a battered and bruised one-eyed man, and a bunch of confused agents.

"Nobody tell him about Snake of Spades," muttered Rotor.

*****

Kate sat quietly alone in the rec room, curled up on one end of a couch. Around her various agents were partying, enjoying various games, and nearby Jackson was asleep in Dactyl's lap, but she was all by herself.

She was rather surprised when one man came by, one that she recognized, the familiar face of Lance Williams. He sat down next to her. "What's wrong, man?" Lance said keenly.

Kate remained quiet.

"Come on, join the fun."

Kate barely seemed to notice him.

"Come on," said Lance. "What is it?"

"IT'S WALLACE!" Kate said frustratingly. "DO I HAVE TO SPELL OUT EVERY DETAIL FOR YOU? HE'S DEAD, LANCE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

*****

Exhausted and confused, Garry slowly stumbled into Outpost 4. The medics looked up in surprise as he stumbled into the infirmary. "What's going on?" he asked. "Windows, what are you doing here?"

"Someone smashed up the radio," replied Windows.

"He got to the blood as well," Copper added.

"Right," muttered Garry.

"Nazareno here thinks whoever did it went with you," Copper said.

"That would be Palmer then," replied Garry. "It's alright, we took care of him. A man died in the process, but we got him." The other doctors seemed somewhat saddened by the remark. "Palmer didn't kill him," Garry confessed. "I shot him. I was led to thinking he was a Stromling when he wasn't."

Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "Any news with Zelda?"

"Yeah," replied Crusher. "It's the strangest thing. The Maelstrom just seemed to disappear from her, and Nazareno for that matter."

Garry nodded. "Interesting," he said. "We're just refueling the choppers. As soon as they're ready to go, we'll start taking people out. In the meantime, you might want to get something to eat."

*****

Trigger stood around outside. He had another cigarette and was watching his fellow agents working on their choppers.

"How much longer do you think you'll take?" Trigger asked one of the mechanics.

"Probably about an hour or so," replied the mechanic. "Just got to refuel and check to make sure it's in full working order."

"Well, hurry it up," grumbled Trigger. "The sooner I'm off this MegaBloking island, the better."

"It's going to be dark soon," the mechanic tried to explain. "It's going to be hard to fly-"

"Do I look like I give a MegaBloking Znap?" snapped Trigger. "You'd better have this thing up in the air in an hour."

Snake came out and approached Trigger with his usual cold look. "They leaving yet?" he asked.

Trigger shook his head. "An hour," he replied.

Snake slowly climbed into the helicopter.

*****

"I never got a chance to mention why I left Antarctica, by the way," Helm mentioned conversationally. Hotwire stopped staring at the jungle as it passed under the T-1 Typhoon and looked over curiously. "Ice Snakes aside, things were going pretty well down there, especially since I found April once the riots calmed down."

"Your wife?" Hotwire presumed.

The mariner nodded. "Turns out I got all worried up over ShadowTech for nothing. We just evacuated in different group at different times, and the mess of bureaucracy made it difficult for us to reunite."

"What about your son? Was he there too?"

Helm grinned. "Now that's the crazy part. Apparently, he decided to join the Dino Attack Team, and from what April said he volunteered right around the time we were leaving the Goo Caverns. So he was on his way to LEGO City while I was on my way to Antarctica. We must've passed each other on the way. Hopefully I'll be able to find him once everyone is back in HQ again."

Hotwire laughed in astonishment. "That's... that's fantastic. Make sure you introduce me when you find him." 

*****

Rex breathed a sigh of relief as he looked out over the horizon from aboard a T-1 Typhoon in flight. It was over. The Maelstrom had been destroyed, Baron Typhonus had been banished, and it was, for once, a Dino Attack victory that came without huge costs.

There were costs, though. Frank Einstein, a man who had manipulated the Dino Attack to work in Dino Attack Team's favor from behind the scenes in ways one could not have possibly imagined, had sacrificed his Creative Spark to save the day. Others, such as J.D., Mur, and Tracer, had also lost their lives in battle. Luckily, it seemed that none of them were unneeded sacrifices made in vain... there were no major betrayals, there were no horrible riots, and at the end of the day, Dino Attack Team had actually accomplished something.

Rex turned his head and smiled at his comrades, Frozeen and Greybeard, who smiled and nodded back at him. The two of them had lived through a lot, and now they could add "defeating the Maelstrom on Adventurers' Island" to the list. Earlier, Frozeen was telling them about his own mission to Adventurers' Island back in 2004. It seemed amazing how much had changed since then.

Then, Rex turned his head the other way and held out his hand. Amanda Claw smiled gently and took his hand in hers. They did not need to say anything; their feelings were silently summed up in their expressions.

Rex looked back out at the horizon. The sun was setting, and Adventurers' Island looked beautiful at sunset, with its exotic jungle canopy and the shining sands of the desert to the east. With the Maelstrom gone, the island was returning to its state of a paradise waiting to be explored. It was truly a remarkable place to be, and the scenic view was perfect. Rex reached into his pocket and felt the ring which Greybeard had given him back in the Goo Caverns, which seemed so long ago. He wondered if there would ever be a better moment to finally propose-

"Look down there!" shouted Frozeen, pointing down to an old Adventurers outpost. "Looks like there's a gathering of native dinosaurs and the TumTum Tribe!"

Curious, Rex called to the helicopter pilot to land them at the outpost, which luckily had a helicopter landing pad for the Adventurers' own helicopters. When they landed, Amanda, Frozeen, and Greybeard climbed out of the vehicle, while Rex activated his hover-chair and floated out.

Almost immediately, they were greeted by the TumTum tribesmen, who shouted with pride and triumph. The islanders were clearly grateful for the Dino Attack Team's part in saving their home. The dinosaurs, for the most part, kept their distance, but Rex could tell that their roars carried no malice.

Then, Rex and his company were approached by two familiar faces: Achu and Chompy. Frozeen, excited to see Chompy again, rushed up to the T-Rex and stroked his nuzzle. Achu, however, seemed much grimmer as he approached Rex. "We fought alongside the Dino Attack Team at the Temple of Hotep III," he explained. "It was too late to warn them that they had the wrong temple, though there was an army of demons waiting to ambush them. With our help, the demons were vanquished, allowing your team to quickly rush to the corrupted Temple of Creation."

"Thank you for your assistance, Chief Achu," Rex said, nodding respectfully. "We will always be in your debt."

Achu shook his head. "You saved our home, and so your debt is repaid." Then, his voice turned darker and serious. "Unfortunately... the demons were powerful, and so while we emerged victorious... we paid a great price as well." The tribal ruler held up a large necklace made from minifigure skulls, and a T-Rex skull adorned with bright feather plumes.

Chompy sighed. "Our alpha had passed," he growled. "She was a great warrior, just as I remembered her... but the Stromlings were far too powerful."

Rex swallowed. "Our alpha? You mean the alpha female T-Rex? The one I met in the Tribe Ugalego ruins?"

Chompy nodded slowly. Frozeen gasped and then tried to comfort the T-Rex, and Amanda caught enough of the conversation to understand what happened. Rex quickly explained everything to Greybeard, and even the old pirate knew that this was a great loss.

"The T-Rexes need a new alpha," continued Achu. "And that, Rex, is where things get a little complicated. From what Chompy had told me..."

Chompy cut to the chase: "You're the new alpha."

"What?" exclaimed Rex, blinking in shock.

Frozeen stared at Rex in surprise, then nodded slowly. "Of course," he murmured. "I should have known. When he recognized you back at the Dino Attack Headquarters hospital wing, Chompy explained to me in private that you were his eldest sibling. And that qualifies you as the alpha female's heir."

"The alpha female was... our mother?" Rex's jaw dropped. He had known that there was something subconsciously familiar about her, but he would never have dreamed that he was one of her sons.

Chompy nodded. "Remember our sibling rivalry?" he rumbled. "It was born because I was her second-oldest hatchling. While you were her heir, I believed you would make a poor alpha and thought that I was better qualified. That is why our relationship turned violent. But things are different now, Rex. I have seen you as a great leader. I have no doubt now that you would make a great alpha male."

Rex bit his lip. He glanced at Achu, Frozeen, and Amanda. Although Achu held out the necklace and the T-Rex skull, Rex shook his head. "I do not mean this disrespectfully," he quickly explained, "but I do not believe that I should be the alpha now. Right now... I've already got a team that follows me. They need me to lead them, and they need me now, in the present. I cannot stay here and be the alpha. I'm afraid, Achu and Chompy, I must respectfully relinquish the position of alpha male."

"Then what do you do?" inquired Achu. "They need an alpha."

"I am more than willing," continued Rex, "to pass my title on to my younger brother Chompy. He is the second-oldest offspring of the previous alpha, and it should be fair that, since I have no mate and no children of my own, that he should be next in line. And, since I am technically no longer a T-Rex, that leaves me unfit to lead the pack. Chompy, do you accept?"

Chompy blinked in surprise. He remembered his early years, how he so desired to be the alpha male. He had since given up on that hope and suppressed that dream when he became affiliated with Alpha Team. But now... Slowly, he nodded. "I accept."

"Then let this be the day," proclaimed Achu, as he adorned Chompy with the skull necklace and placed the T-Rex skull over Chompy's head, "that the T-Rex pack remembers as the day that Chompy became their new alpha male."

The other T-Rexes in the vicinity roared, and Rex could tell that they approved their new leader.

Chompy looked down upon Rex and Frozeen, a little sadly. "You realize this means that I must stay on this island now," he explained. "I must lead my pack, and I cannot go with you to LEGO City, Rex, or join you on future Alpha Team missions, Frozeen. But I shall remember you two fondly, and as long as I am alpha, any friend of Rex and Frozeen shall be met with peace on this island."

"I'll miss you, old friend," Frozeen spoke, and it sounded like he was choking back tears. "I'll come back and visit you whenever I can." He hugged Chompy's leg, while Rex met his brother's eyes and simply nodded silently.

Then, after one last goodbye, Rex, Frozeen, Amanda, and Greybeard boarded the T-1 Typhoon and took to the air once again, leaving Adventurers' Island and heading back to LEGO City.

----

Medic, Bear, and Saboteur charged towards the turrets set up alongside the mine cart track. There were two of them, set up on either side of the track and manned by Hybrids. "Keep zhem busy," whispered Saboteur. "I'll go disable zhem."

"YEAH!" boomed Bear, who revved up his machine gun and started firing at the turrets.

The Hybrids finally noticed the Dino Attack agents and began firing at them, but they were just out of range. The Hybrids' shots impacted the sand just in front of Bear and Medic, kicking up the tiny rock particles and allowing them to be carried by the wind. Bear and Medic began to strafe around the Hybrids' defenses, and they continued to fire at them, kicking up even more sand. On a positive note, this hid Bear and Medic from sight, shielding them from the Hybrids, and gave Saboteur the opportunity to slip away so that he could sneak around and disable their defenses from behind.

On a negative note, the sandstorm blinded Medic as well. One moment, he was strafing beside Bear. The next, Bear was nowhere to be seen. "Err, Ivan?" he whispered, not daring to call out and possibly attract the Hybrids' attention.

Nervous, Dr. Luzwheit crept around the area. Then, he noticed that he somehow ended up right behind one of the Hybrids' turrets. The Quasifigus lacertilia was apparently very unhappy, because some of Bear's bullets had become lodged in the turret's workings and caused it to malfunction. Growling, it climbed off the turret and started repairing it.

Medic glanced around, and saw that Saboteur was busy dealing with the other turret. Narrowing his eyes, he looked back at the Hybrid who was repairing the turret. He grinned as he realized it was completely defenseless. And so, Medic took out his bone saw, loomed over the distracted Hybrid, and hissed, "I can only promize you zat zis next prozedure... vill be excruciating!"

The Hybrid froze. Before it could turn around, Medic proclaimed: "VOR ZCIENZE!" and proceeded to hack away at the Hybrid and its turret with his trusty saw. By the time Bear and Saboteur arrived, they could only stare in a mixture of shock and awe at Medic, standing victorious over a Hybrid corpse and a disabled sentry.

With the Hybrid's defense out of the way, the bomb cart was free to drive itself along the track towards Fort Legoredo. Accompanying it was Sarge, Fireman, Dynamite, Recon, and Tech. The entire Second Headquarters Squad was shouting battle cries and taunts with vigor and enthusiasm, ready to plow down any Hybrid that dared to stand in their way.

Surprisingly, the track was empty. No Hybrids were in sight. Then, a group of westerners came riding up to the Second Headquarters Squad, and Sarge gritted his teeth and grumbled, "Oh, no, not these maggots again!" It was Clint Wayne, Angel Eyes, and their posse.

"Dudes, get outta the way!" shouted Recon. "We got a bomb comin' through!"

"Oh, no, you don't," Clint said, shaking his head. "We've already gotten this far, and you're not blowing up Fort Legoredo."

"Now, look here," grumbled Tech. "That thing is a beautiful creation of mine, and I ain't seeing it going to waste!"

"Hold on," Saboteur said as he held up one hand. "What do you mean, 'gotten zhis far'?"

"We've taken care of all them Hybrids up to this point," boasted Maria. "The only ones that remain are in that there fort."

"Impossible!" snapped Sarge. "There's no way a little lady like you could have done such a thing! Why, in Sun Tzu's The Art of War, it specifically stated 'Thou shalt not let your men act like cowardly ladies on the battlefield, or Sun Tzu shall come down from the sky and KICK YOUR-'"

"You really want to talk about ma' qualifications?" Maria threateningly raised an eyebrow. "Just 'cause I'm a woman don't mean that-"

"Come here, sweetheart!" scoffed Sarge. "I'd like to see you - hey, hey, stop that, that is an order! That's cheating! I'm calling a foul on this one! Someone throw a yellow flag! You know what a yellow flag is? It's a white flag! That's for surrendering! But it's yellow, because it represents your ladylike cowardice, and therefore it was STAINED BY - OW, MY PRIVATES! You little-"

As Sarge and Maria exchanged blows, both physical and verbal, nobody seemed to notice that the bomb cart was still driving itself down the track. At least, not until Dynamite enthusiastically shouted: "Ka-BOOM!"

With that, Fort Legoredo exploded. Splinters of burning wood and flaming Hybrid corpses were sent flying into the air. Dynamite laughed with glee at the sight, while the westerners looked on in horror.

"Ah, come on," said Tech, shrugging. "Don't be that way. We can always build a new one."

"Zhere could have been documents," mused Saboteur, "of interest in zhat fort. Perhaps, even, something dealing with XERRD's mole in zhe Dino Attack Team..."

"Aye," Dynamite said as he chuckled darkly, "but there ain't nothin' left - no documents anymore!" Clint Wayne, Angel Eyes, and Maria stared at Dynamite after he made this comment.

"Boys!" proclaimed Sarge. "I'd like to congratulate you all on a job well done! Each and every one of you deserves a medal! Now, let's head home as men! Hah! I'd like to see the looks on their faces! They won't be calling me 'Sarge' any time soon after they see what a fine job we did and give me a promotion!"

----

Nazareno was out in the vehicle lot, waiting patiently as he reflected on the events of the Adventurers' Island. Not long after Nazareno reported his theories to the medics, agents came pouring into Outpost 4 with word that XERRD and the Maelstrom's forces on the island had been defeated and the temple had been secured. He heard a variety of things in parting, including forcing to face their fears, a crystal, a mole, and a surprise appearance by Baron Typhonus himself.

And so the rumors are true. Prior to flying to the LEGO Planet to assist the Dino Attack Team, there were rumors around the universe that Baron Typhonus, the supposed creator of the Maelstrom, was not dead and was, in fact, controlling the Maelstrom. The monks back at the temple will be interested to hear this news.

And with the success of the mission on Adventurers' Island, it was time to head back to LEGO City. The end is drawing near indeed. Without a steady supply of Maelstrom energies to mutate dinosaurs, the Dino Attack Team was cornering XERRD into a corner with no chance of escape. With any luck, a final assault against Dr. Rex and his remaining forces would begin in a few weeks, maybe even days.

Once word of the victory at the Temple of Creation reached Naomi Carver, she and the other medics had quickly packed up Outpost 4 and left the island for the last time.

It felt strange leaving the great concrete building empty. She had walked past the empty rooms of the outpost on her way out and reflected on the eerie quiet that filled the place. The sound of the waves outside was the only sounds that could be heard as she walked outside to turn of the power and lock the door for the final time.

"Hey!" Zelda Frodongan yelled as she ran to join Nazareno. He smirked underneath his mask and allowed Zelda to join him. "Look at this!" she said, her voice filled with surprise. She handed him her PDA.

Nazareno's eyes brightened as he read the two messages Zelda had on display. "They did it," he muttered, incredulous. Andrew and Minerva had somehow brought Zach back into the light. He had doubted their plight, but had wished them well regardless. His doubts were washed away. He was tempted to visibly celebrate this news, but remained composed.

"That is fantastic to hear," he said, handing the PDA back to Zelda. "Makes the victory taste... sweeter." Zelda smirked and playfully punched Nazareno. He glared at her briefly, but allowed himself to smile, even if Zelda couldn't see it.

"Let's go!" she said. She started jogging toward a nearby T-1 Typhoon. Nazareno walked to the helicopter slowly. Out of all the things that had happened, Zelda was easily the most curious thing to have happened. Coming out of a Stromling coma, Nazareno had helped her resist the Darkitect's influence. Somehow, they had becoming closer in the short hours alone in the outpost with medics and a Stromling threat looming over their heads. In the downtime between the Stromling scare and the return of the agents from the temples, Zelda expressed interest in the fighting style he had tried to kill her with earlier and explained some moves and patterns to her.

It's like a have an apprentice. Nazareno grinned. Perhaps I will teach her a few things when we return. Many years ago, Nazareno dreaded the thought of taking up an apprentice. Now he almost relished the thought. How things have changed.

Nazareno, Zelda, the medical staff, and the support staff packed up the T-1 Typhoons, and finally Nazareno boarded the helicopter. Besides himself and Zelda, there were four other Minifig passengers on board this particular chopper: two agents, Naomi Carver, and a mustachioed man wearing a white coat with the labels of a medic. With everyone on board, the helicopter rose into the sky and took the short trip to a smaller island to the south of Adventurers' Island. There was a cargo plane had been had been secured on the runway that would be used to ferry all the supplies back to the mainland.

Naomi had received no news about whether Hertz had survived or not. With the broken radio at the outpost, there had been a sad lack of information during the last few hours.

Fire Hammers and Urban Avengers were loaded into the plane, and Naomi took advantage of the time to admire the tropical paradise. With the Maelstrom lifted, the island felt bright and alive again. Seabirds sailed overhead and the water sparkled with a new light.

Walking to the beach, she spotted a strange sight on the shore. She moved closer to investigate and discovered that it was an old seaplane. The yellow pontoons had been covered with the green algae, and she could tell that it had gone undisturbed for the last few weeks.

She pulled opened the door to inspect the interior of the vehicle. All the labels of the craft had been fitted with Arabic letters, and the charts she was able to locate appeared to be of Egypt, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific.

She pulled out a map that contained detailed graphics of Adventurers' Island. She could not read what it said, but the shape was unmistakable.

Also in the cockpit appeared to be a photo of an old hieroglyph. It looked like a pharaoh, but Naomi had no idea which one. She placed the picture carefully on the seat and spotted another image on the dashboard. It was an old brown and tattered image of a man and a young boy. The man wore a pith helmet, spectacles, and a bowtie. The boy was smiling and had his arm around the man's back.

"You should not be looking through other people's things, Naomi." She dropped the photo as Nazareno walked up behind her.

"I did not hear you coming," Naomi said quietly.

"It's a gift," Nazareno said with a smile. "We best be leaving. The cargo plane will be departing once everyone is on board. I suggest you get a good seat while there is still space."

Naomi nodded and picked up the photo from the ground. She had no idea who the child was, but he looked happy. The photo was returned to where she found it, and she shut the door to the seaplane. Someone had cared for the child enough that his photo had been taken along on its final journey. The owner might never return to the plane, but she wanted to treat the sight with respect.

Chances are that whoever owned it had died on this island. She wished she knew his name, instead he would live on as another number on the wall of agents killed in action.

She followed Nazareno to the cargo plane. It was time to leave this place and start moving toward LEGO City.

*****

"And that's the basics of what happened at our ends," said Semick. He and Rockford were back at Outpost 4, and although night had fallen, the place was still very much buzzing with activity. Agents were still coming and going, hoping to try and catch a T-1 Typhoon back to LEGO City, reunite with friends and close colleagues, or just find a place to nap for the night. The night shift crews hadn't had so much to do since the mission began, especially since the earlier sabotage of the radio system had caused quite a bit of unorganized messes early on.

He and Rockford were just about ready to call it for the night themselves, but after returning to the outpost, checking up on the returning agents and vehicles, they still had one thing to do: communicate with Specs and report to him personally about the mission's results and final addresses.

Technically, only Semick or some of the other Elite Agents had to be part of the broadcast, but under the circumstances, and considering Rockford's role in the final battle of the mission, Semick had encouraged Rockford to stay up a little longer for the talk.

"Quite a conclusion for this one," said Specs. The communications room had rather dim lighting, so the screen showing Dino Attack's leading Founding Member cast eerie glows on the two agents' faces. "My condolences to everyone who was there in the chamber when the Darkitect showed up. Anyways, Semick, can you inform me on the status on the other Elite Agents you were alongside this mission?"

"Hotwire, Andrew, and Rex are already on their way back," said Semick, "and just so you know, Pterisa joined up with Andrew's crew during departure. I believe Rex should be there the soonest. As for the others..."

"We haven't heard from Reptile since the camp ambush," continued Rockford grimly. "We'll keep a lookout, but I fear XERRD or some other enemy might have him now. And Zenna, as you might know, is in critical condition in Antarctica. I hope for her recovery, but deep inside, I feel we may never see her on the front lines again. A shame, there was a lot of unsung promise in her."

"I see." Specs took a moment to take in the effective loss of the two Elite agents. "But to look more optimistically, I'd like to hear of anyone you feel should be handed the title of Elite Agent next. I'm sure there's more than a few worth considering."

"Indeed, there is," said Semick. "Kate Bishop could certainly use the recognition for her role in banishing the Maelstrom, and it wouldn't be a bad thing for helping out her nerve, either. Zach and Minerva did well in risking their lives getting the former to free himself from the Maelstrom's control as well as contribute to our overall campaign here. From the frequency I hear their names in the reports so far, Hertz and Dr. Cyborg have performed enough heroics and accomplishments to deserve the promotion too. And of course," Semick put his hand on Rockford's shoulder, "I think Rockford here's done enough for it too."

"Really?!" Rockford said, surprised and astonished.

"Yes, really. You took up leading when Mur was gone most excellently, and you've been a great aid to our planning and organization since the XERRD Fortress. Why shouldn't you get promoted?"

Rockford felt like he would blush from humility. "T-thank you for the suggestion, Semick. And if I may make one..."

"Sure, why not?" said Specs.

"Well, while I know we don't usually do this, and though Dust was never officially an agent on our team, I feel Mr. Thutmose, for realizing how he had messed up and helping our team clear up and guide us through the Hotep III temple matter, should get a posthumous promotion as well."

Specs simply stared back, his visible eyes not showing any emotion except contemplation. "We'll consider your nominations as well as our own, Semick and Rockford. Now one last thing I want to discuss is the loose ends. You've mentioned several times about the XERRD scientists you found at the temple and fortress. How many are still MIA?"

"According to the reports," said Semick, "A good deal of them are unaccounted for. Dr. Gladys and Gonepus are the most notable ones still at large, though the former lost her trademark portal device. Some of the techies have it now and are seeing if they can make any use of it."

"And Señor Palomar was captured, too," said Rockford, "but other than about a dozen or two we don't have a name or reputation on, everyone else is either dead or captured."

Specs contemplated this news. "Hmm... even with those escapees, it still seems we've managed to take some good blows here. The reports we've gotten say all the missions we've called out were accomplished, though at various costs. Castle Cove was one, though the team we sent there took major causalities. The Second Headquarters Squad took Fort Legoredo and the outpost back, though they destroyed the former in the process. The Dino Island labs were destroyed, though I'm told nearly all the Brickster-Bots are gone, and the Brickster himself barely made it out of there. And you have defeated all XERRD forces and cleared out the Maelstrom, though the causalities were sizable."

"Personally, I think it's safe to say we've almost won now," said Rockford. "But you can't be too sure."

"All too true, Rockford, all too true. Dr. Rex is crazy, highly unpredictable, and loves to be devastating in his attacks. I wish Dr. Einstein could've made it out alive, if only to know what he might know about what that giant Mutant T-Rex is going to do next. Even with how we've limited him with his facilities, staff and source of mutation, I feel he might have something big in mind to try and tear us up as a last resort. Regardless, I've gotten all I feel I need for now, you two should get some well-deserved rest. I look forward to seeing you back with the rest tomorrow, Semick."

"The feeling is mutual, sir," said Semick, saluting him.

"Goodbye for now," and moments after Specs finished, the screen flipped off.

"It was good fighting alongside you, Semick," said Rockford, shaking the Elite Agent's hand. "I don't know if we'll meet again anytime soon, but I wish you luck for the rest of the war."

"Same to you Rockford," said Semick. "Have fun working the outposts." Without any further words, Semick left the room and headed for the bunks. It was time to finally settle down and rest.

*****

The mechanic slowly approached Trigger. "That should do it," he said. "Give me a few minutes to get a pilot and see if there's anyone else who's willing to come."

"Alright," Trigger muttered. "Just make it quick."

The mechanic turned toward the door.

"This team better have my money," Trigger said. "I swear, if that 4+ Specs tries to double-cross me with some MegaBloking excuse, I am going to blow his MegaBloking brains right out of his Znapping balaclava." He took another breath, releasing a steady stream of smoke before stepping into the helicopter, sitting next to Snake. "You ready to go?"

"I think I've outstayed my welcome," Snake replied with a smile.

After a few minutes, a small handful of other agents emerged, among them were Kate, Cabin, and Rotor. They slowly climbed into the back with Snake and Trigger before the engines started up. As the chopper lifted into the air, Trigger took out his pack of cigarettes and offered one to Snake, who quickly took it.

"What are you doing?" one of the agents asked. "You know there's no smoking here."

"Hey," grumbled Trigger. "Do I look like I give a Znap?"

After that brief argument, there was a period of quiet. One man passed a few sandwiches for everyone. Kate simply got herself a sleeping bag and curled up in the corner, mostly ignored by her companions. It was not long after that Cabin dozed off, her head resting on Rotor's shoulder before being abruptly pushed off.

*****

The T-1 Typhoon stopped off briefly at Outpost 4 for refueling and maintenance, and after picking up extra passengers, lifted off to fly through the night to LEGO City.

Hotwire, who had dozed off in the rear cockpit on the way from the temple to the outpost, awoke to the sight of a dark, moonless sky speckled with stars. He checked his watch -- 1:37. With a yawn, he swiveled the seat around and stood, stretching his aching limbs, and stepped into the midsection of the helicopter. The pilot had turned off the interior lights, so Hotwire nearly upended a figure sleeping in one of the seats by the radar/comm display.

He looked around the interior of the T-1 Typhoon. Three agents sat against the port side door, huddled around a card game lit by an emergency glow stick, which was currently providing the only illumination inside the craft. Another agent had unrolled a sleeping bag right on the deck and was emitting light snores that occasionally grew loud enough to be heard over the deep steady rumble of the engines. Helm sat in the upper forward cockpit, conversing with the pilot.

Hotwire moved forward to the cockpits. "ETA?" he asked.

The pilot, a youngish man by the name of Larson, took a swig from a thermos of coffee before answering. "Few more hours. We should reach our destination just before dawn unless there are problems."

Hotwire nodded, and turned back to the cabin. He jumped; there was another figure on board whom he hadn't noticed before, sitting on the other side of the radar desk. He moved closer, stepping carefully around the card game. During that brief moment, while he did not have the wall to lean on, the T-1 Typhoon hit a patch of turbulence and he stumbled. One of the card players reached out to steady him, and he grinned a silent "thank you" to the agent, momentarily using her shoulder for support as he moved back against the wall, taking the last few steps to the mysterious seated figure.

"Septimus," he breathed in surprise when he recognized the figure. The Ogel Drone's uniform bore several tears, and he wore several bandages, to which Hotwire gestured quizzically.

"Bones can still break, even when they aren't covered by skin and sinew," the drone said in a low voice. "I didn't fare so well in the real Maelstrom Temple. I almost got left behind, but one of Katerina's synthfigs spotted me in the aftermath. I guess three eyes are better than two."

"Not sure I agree with you on that one," said Hotwire, thinking of Loop. "Hey, incidentally, you were part of the squad that went into Hotep's temple, weren't you? What exactly happened in there? I heard Dust died and Lutsky went crazy."

"Well, actually, that happened in the opposite order..."

The two of them continued to talk as the T-1 Typhoon barreled through the misty night. After a while, Hotwire couldn't help but feel an odd sense of familiarity toward the drone, like some sort of deja vu.

*****

Zach stretched out on the floor of the T-1 Typhoon. He had gotten a single apple at the outpost which he already finished. It would probably satisfy him long enough until they reached LEGO City. The T-1 Typhoon had gotten fuel and after everyone had gotten everything they needed and had been checked out, the T-1 Typhoon took to the air and started moving toward LEGO City.

"You're really going to sleep," Minerva said as she sat on a chair near him, smirking slightly.

"I've had a long week," he grumbled, closing his eyes. "And the Maelstrom was not kind to me after leaving my body. That and I only got a few hours of sleep between 'becoming a Stromling' and now. If there is an opportune time to sleep, it's now."

"I was kidding," she said, laughing quietly. "You deserve some rest. I was thinking of taking a short nap, too."

"Mhhmn," Zach responded. "Wake me up when we're almost there."

"Alright," she said. Minerva said something else, but Zach blocked out the rest and quickly drifted off to sleep.

*****

At last, the familiar skyline of a wrecked LEGO City came into view. It was only a matter of minutes before the T-1 Typhoon landed at Dino Attack Headquarters. Amanda, Frozeen, and Greybeard climbed out of the helicopter, while Rex activated his hover-chair and floated out. As they entered Dino Attack Headquarters, once again they were greeted by cheering Minifigs, although this time the crowd comprised of fellow Dino Attack agents, not TumTum tribesmen.

Rex saw lots of familiar faces congratulating him and the others for the successful mission. After receiving a pat on the back by Ata, Rex was approached by King Joseph Race. The Space Knights' king smiled, the whiskers of his mustache curling upwards. They clasped hands, and Rex inquired, "When did you get back?"

"Just yesterday," replied King Race. "Let me tell you; Castle Cove was no easy victory. We thought it would be over once we secured the Dino Attack Outpost, but that was just the beginning. After that, we battled Maelstrom Dragons in their den, then proceeded to battle Willa the Witch atop the Night Lord's Castle. That old witch allied with XERRD, and the Maelstrom made her powerful, but Vladek and I pulled through together."

"Willa the Witch?" repeated Rex. "I imagine that the battle between Vladek's dark magic and Willa's Maelstrom magic would have been quite a fight to witness, but surely your technology could have overpowered her, right?"

King Race shrugged. "If she were just flying around on a broomstick, it might have been an easy fight. Unfortunately, well, she wasn't using a broomstick. She hijacked a Power Miners Thunder Driller, and we battled her mining machine atop the tallest tower of the Night Lord's Castle."

"Wait, what?" said Rex, blinking in surprise. "A Power Miners Thunder Driller?"

"I'll tell you all about it later," chuckled King Race. "Because at the moment, I've got an old friend I need to catch up with." He nodded respectfully to Rex, then walked past him and embraced, much to Rex's surprise, Greybeard. The old pirate and Space Knights king laughed and chatted together, relating stories about their separate missions. Rex did not listen to much of their conversation, but he heard King Race say "Sir Robert Batrick" at one point and saw their faces turn somber.

Baron Typhonus's words, just before Greybeard told him to "shut up!", echoed back to Rex. With a shudder, he wondered how much else the Darkitect had said that might be true. As he thought about the Darkitect, Rex's heart began pounding once again, and he clutched his chest in pain.

Rex heard some extra shouting in triumph, and turned around to see the Second Headquarters Squad, led by General Ronald E. Army (he would later learn that Army was only a sergeant, not a general as he claimed), barge into Dino Attack Headquarters. They were back from their own mission, and were eager to celebrate and boast about their own success. While some of the more cynical snarkers of Dino Attack Team muttered about how brief the quiet moments were, it seemed that many of the more lighthearted Dino Attack agents were glad to have the Second Headquarters Squad back.

Sarge, Dynamite, Bear, and most of the squad went to the mess hall to celebrate their victory. Saboteur slipped away to his quarters, Bullseye returned to his sniping post, and Tech was inspired by their success to do some revamping of Dino Attack Team's security system and so went right off to work.

At one point, Rex pulled out the bishop chess piece that Frank Einstein had given Kate. He looked it over with Amanda, and they both agreed that it was rather intricately designed. They were approached by Shadow, who stared at the bishop and asked, "Where did you get that?"

Rex quickly explained.

Shadow thought for a moment before telling them, "You need a quiet, secure place where you can open it. I would suggest Specs's office; that's where we used to see all his previous messages."

*****

The Reclaimer dropped X1 and X2 off at the Temple of Hotep III, along with a hoversled. They had previously visited a cliff and carved slabs of rock out with their weapons. They then brought the slabs here.

They entered the temple, which seemed quicker and easier now. They went to the antechamber, where Dust's body still lay. They rearranged him so he was lying straight, then built a sarcophagus over him using the slabs they brought in with them. They exited the temple.

Using the last of the rock, they closed the door and welded the rock together, so it would be nearly impossible to open. Then, according to Dr. Cyborg's instructions, they created a marker in the door:

Inside these walls lies
Gahiji "Dust" Thutmose.
May the temple he was
devoted to in life,
Become his resting place
in death.
He acted like a selfish loner,
but seemed to be changing
when he died.

*****

Amanda wheeled Rex into Specs's office; Rex was, once again, in a wheelchair while Dino Attack Team's greatest technicians worked to repair Zed Provhezor's hover-chair to keep it from malfunctioning. Their team leader looked up from his desk and nodded. "Yes? What is it?" inquired Specs.

"We just need a secure room to listen to a message," explained Rex. When Specs raised an eyebrow, Rex reached into his pocket and pulled out the bishop chess piece from Dr. Frank Einstein. Immediately, Specs understood.

"Ah, yes," he said, nodding slowly. "Very well, then." He stood from his desk and walked to the door, closed it, and locked it. Then, he dimmed the lights and shut the window curtains. Finally, he took the bishop from Rex's hand and twisted a certain segment of the chess piece's figure. The bishop opened slowly, and the hologram of Frank Einstein was projected from the opening.

It was the famed scientist no doubt, even though he was still visibly disguised as Wallace Bishop. At the sight of the scientist again, Rex felt his heart skip a beat. However, even though the hologram was small enough to fit inside a chess piece, Rex could see that Einstein's features betrayed concern and doubt.

The hologram cleared his voice in an anxious manner before speaking. "Elite Agent Rex," the hologram spoke in Einstein's voice, "what I am about to say involves you on a very personal level. If you so choose, keep this message a secret and do not view it until you are alone. In fact, I highly recommend it. Even Specs must leave the room if you wish, but I'm thinking you'll probably want Standard Agent Claw to hear this as well."

Specs frowned, but before Rex could say anything, he politely stepped out of his office and closed the door behind him.

Einstein's hologram was silent for a few moments, as though waiting for anyone else to leave the room. When he began speaking again, he prefaced it with a disturbingly saddened sigh.

"Rex, I'm afraid you have less than a month to live." 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 24, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 53: Many Happy Returns

----

Among the things that Ogel Drones did not do were breathing, sleeping, and feeling pain. Still, Septimus did his best to try being as dormant as he possibly could. After Hotwire had dozed off again, there hadn't been much else to do. And, because closing one's eyes is impossible when one's eyes are actually empty sockets, he'd simply stared across the cabin at nothing while he let his mind wander.

Pain... that was an odd concept. During their conversation, Hotwire had continually eyed his bandages with a sympathetic look on his face, even though Septimus had attempted to explain that he didn't feel pain the way living minifigs did, or so he'd heard. The odd thing was that he could half-remember what pain was like from... before. Back when he was alive, a human. Now that had come as a surprise, but a welcome one, because it meant he wasn't just insane.

He realized that the T-1 Typhoon's altitude was decreasing, and quickly snapped back to the present. Peering out the tiny window, he saw the rubble-strewn streets of LEGO City in the grey pre-dawn light. Within minutes, they were landing in the hangar of Dino Attack Headquarters. As the engines stopped, the minifigs on board began stirring from their varying dozes and hibernations; he watched with a touch of amusement as the agent who had kept Hotwire from falling walked over to the figure in the lumpy sleeping bag and prodded it with her boot until the snores were replaced with a curse and a stream of quiet grumbling. There was a yawn from the other side of the TALON-9 desk as the sleeper in the other chair stood up and stretched. Helm hauled himself out of the forward cockpit, rubbing his eyes. Larson, the only one who'd remained awake for the entirety of the journey, did not even bother leaving his cockpit in favor of the barracks, but removed his helmet, called out, "Wake me for the briefing!" and dozed off on the spot.

Septimus heard a quiet chuckle from behind him, and turned to see Hotwire standing groggily in the doorway between the cabin and the gunner's cockpit. As the three card players and the grumbling sleeping bag agent climbed down the ladder into the hangar, the Ogel Drone gingerly stood up, favoring his cracked bones, and made his way to the ladder.

Helm helped Hotwire down the ladder after the drone, and as his feet -- well, foot and curved metal prosthetic -- touched the floor, the elite agent smiled broadly at the moment of relief, and couldn't help but state the obvious.

"Well, we're back," he said. "Now would someone please find me a crutch?" 

*****

Kate moaned as she was slowly shaken awake. She rolled over to see Cabin standing over her. As she sat up, she saw the familiar shape of the Dino Attack Headquarters.

The sun was coming up now, and she could see daylight. Trigger was in the back, lighting a cigarette. Snake's head still rested against the side of the helicopter. It started to make its landing, and soon the noise of the engines died as the rotors above came to a stop.

One by one, the team climbed out of the chopper. Trigger jolted Snake slightly before he got up and followed him out. As Rotor got out, he was approached by a woman. She was probably in her forties and had long brown hair.

"Agent Rotor," the woman said sternly. "Elite Agent Rotor?"

"That's me," replied Rotor. "What can I do for yo-"

Within seconds, Rotor had a rifle butt slammed into his face. He fell onto the floor as the mysterious woman continued to bludgeon him. When she was through, she started kicking him as hard as she could.

"YOU... STAY... AWAY... FROM... MY... DAUGHTER!" she shouted angrily. Cabin quickly climbed out of the chopper and tried to grab the woman, only to be bludgeoned in the face by her rifle and knocked aside. After a few minutes, she finally stopped and took a moment to catch her breath.

Kate looked up in surprise, somewhat awkwardly, not totally comfortable with the discovery. "Mom?" she asked, somewhat confused. 

Sarah turned in astonishment. "Kate?" she said keenly, dropping the gun and running up to her daughter. She quickly wrapped her arms around her.

"Mom?" Kate said. "What exactly are you doing here?"

Rotor slowly started to get to his feet and looked at them in shock. "You gotta be Znapping me," he said coldly.

Sarah just gave him a cold glance. "You just stay away from her," she said.

"Hey man," said a voice. Sarah turned to see Dude approaching her. "Was that Znapping necessary, man? Did you really have to beat him up?"

Sarah said nothing. They were approached by another familiar face, whom Kate was far more pleased to see. "Pierce," Kate said. She ran up to the doctor and hugged him. Pierce smiled and laughed quietly. Sarah seemed to watch, slightly pleased.

"I don't Znapping believe this," Trigger muttered. "This team better have my Znapping money. You know what happens to be people who set me up?"

"What?" asked Snake.

Trigger promptly drew his gun and cocked it. "That's what," he said. "I can tell you out of every MegaBloker who tried to double-cross me, only one ever lived to tell about it."

"Who was that?" Snake asked.

"Silencia Venomosa," replied Trigger. "I swear, as soon as I'm done with this MegaBloking team, I'm going to find her and blow her Znapping brains out."

Snake smiled. "Sounds like fun," he muttered as he stepped out of the chopper. Trigger followed, and the two started to walk away, leaving Kate to her embarrassment.

"MegaBlokin' unbelievable," muttered Trigger. "Of all in the jobs in all the worlds, I happen to pick the same MegaBlokin' one as that 4+ Figure Silencia Venomosa… again. Well, this time, things will be different." He found himself reminiscing, thinking back to the last time he saw her, eight years ago…

*****

There was a knock at the door of the office. Mr. Uærlig Sindstorme, president of Mindstorms, Inc., looked up from his paperwork. "Come in," he said.

There was a slight creak as the door opened and Sindstorme watched a tough-looking man enter. He wore a thick leather jacket, a pair of jeans, dark-coloured boots, and a pair of thick sunglasses, looking very different from Sindstorme's fancy three-piece business suit. His face was clean-shaven, and he had light-brown hair combed back. He stepped into the room casually, taking off his sunglasses. "I understand you got a job here," said the tough-looking man.

"Yes," replied Sindstorme. "You got a name?"

"Call me Schiess," the tough-looking man introduced himself, using yet another codename.

"Good," said Sindstorme. "Your job should be fairly straightforward."

Schiess looked around the room. There were six other men sitting around.

"I've called you all here because you're the best of the best," Sindstorme said. "Take a seat."

Schiess sat down in one chair next to a rough-looking man with short, curly hair.

"Things have gotten rough recently," Sindstorme said. "Mindstorms Inc. is currently the number one producer of modern technology, and in order to ensure that it stays that way, we've got to take certain measures."

"What's the job?"

"For now, you're hired guns," explained Sindstorme. "At this point, our rival Dacta Corp. is mostly trying to do the same thing, but we've got the upper hand right now."

"You want us to do the dirty work?" asked a tall man in the corner, wearing a blue shirt and a vest, with a slight combover.

"That would be one way of putting it," replied Sindstorme.

"I think we can handle that," said Schiess.

"At this point, I need you boys to keep a lookout," Sindstorme continued.

"When do we get to do something fun?" asked the curly-haired man next to Schiess.

"You'll get your chance, Keaton," replied Sindstorme. "We're not quite ready yet, but we will eventually want you to perform a heist on Dacta Corp. once we know what we're dealing with." 

*****

Batholomew Enderson cleaned the glass. It was already sparkling clean, but it made him feel more comfortable whenever he was cleaning a glass. It did not help that business was unusually slow today, because chatting with customers also took his mind off of whatever it was that troubled him.

Then, at last, she entered. Although she was silent as always, her very presence seemed to change the atmosphere of the room. She approached the bar and sat down on the stool.

Bartholomew inquired, "Anything to drink, miss?" Usually, the answer was no, but he always asked, just to be polite. As he expected, she shook her head. She was not here for a drink. She was here for business. "Right then," he murmured in a low voice, handing over the envelope. "It's another assignment. I believe this one is from Dacta Corporation, if I'm not mistaken."

Why am I doing this? Batholomew Enderson thought with more than a hint of self-loathing as she took the envelope. I always see the results in the news, and it horrifies me. And yet... I know that if I ever refuse to do this... she'll kill me. No. Even worse. She'll kill my family, and then kill me.

She opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, and read it over, silently. When she was done, she nodded to Enderson, then stood and left without a single word. May Builder forgive me, thought Bartholomew Enderson as he watched her go. It is a cruel punishment for a humble bartender such as myself to be the secret-keeper of Silencia Venomosa herself. 

----

After a stop in the infirmary to get a crutch, have his stump leg checked over, and snag a few more painkillers, Hotwire headed to the barracks and lay down on a bunk. Once half an hour of ceiling-staring had passed, he came to the conclusion that, for whatever reason, he wasn't going to be sleeping. May as well hit the mess instead.

The mess hall was surprisingly empty for 6:45 AM; it seemed that the majority of agents were either still on their way back to HQ, or busy sleeping off their missions. He dropped a sandwich and a mugful of coffee onto a tray and looked around. Two of the agents from Larson's T-1 Typhoon were sitting at a table by the wall. He recognized one as the card-playing girl who'd helped him keep his balance, and the other... well, Hotwire hadn't ever seen his face, but the steady stream of grumbling marked the agent as the former inhabitant of the sleeping bag. His head was resting on the shoulder of the female agent, who shrugged him off onto the table. As his forehead landed on his folded arms, she kissed the back of his head and punched him roughly on the arm. "Go get yourself some more food, you big baby." Grumbling, the agent stood, slouching, and dragged himself past Hotwire, his sandy shoulder-length hair falling like curtains and obscuring his face.

Hotwire hobbled the rest of the way to the table. "Mind if I join you?" he asked. The female agent gestured welcomingly at the empty seat, and Hotwire leaned his crutch against the wall, set his tray on the table, and sat down across from her.

"So, you're the renowned Agent Hotwire?" she said. She had a plain but animated face and long brown hair. "I'm Agent Wright."

Hotwire shook her extended hand. "Renowned? Builder, I'd hoped to avoid that."

"Hey, a one-legged agent traipsing right into a warzone is definitely gonna attract some attention," Wright said. "When'd you lose it?"

Hotwire winced. "Less than twenty-four hours ago, actually," he said. "I'm sure the psychological trauma of losing a limb is going to hit me like a brick wall eventually, but I've been in fight mode so long that I only notice it when it hurts."

Wright opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by the return of the grumbler. "They didn't even have any-- O'Neal?"

Hotwire looked up and almost dropped his sandwich. "Shiller?" The two of them laughed in shock and joy, and the sandy-haired agent jumped over the table. He roughly hugged Hotwire, slapping him on the back. Hotwire reciprocated, and Shiller returned to his seat. He rapped Wright on the head, and she elbowed him in the gut.

Shiller, still laughing, said, "Well, we kept hearing about this Elite Agent Hotwire, but holy Znap, I never in a million years guessed it was you."

"And I didn't even recognize you without the mohawk!" cried Hotwire.

Wright raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Shiller turned to her, grinning widely. "We went to tech school together. Ten years ago, this punk rewired the intercom to constantly play elevator music real quiet. It took them all day to fix, and they never even found out who did it." Hotwire laughed too at the sudden memory. "Crazy that we've been in this so long and never met up before," Shiller continued. "Probably 'cause you let them stick you with some crazy codename."

Hotwire nodded; early in the war, due to Dino Attack's close association with Alpha Team, volunteers had been encouraged to hide their identities. Recently, though, he'd noticed the trend of agents signing up under their own names, or those like Barry Jackson, who'd accepted codenames but stopped using them. "I kinda like it, though," he admitted. "It suits me. And I'm not the only one -- Agent Fullmetal not only keeps a codename, but changes it every other month. Though with a name like Leonidas, I can't imagine why."

The three of them laughed, and Hotwire turned to Wright. "So how'd you two end up together?" he asked, jabbing his thumb at Shiller

"Got myself in a fight outside a bar two years ago," Wright said. "He stepped in to try to help, and I beat him up too. He got right back up with blood gushing out of his nose and asked me to dinner. The rest's history." She thumped Shiller hard on the back, and he kicked her shin under the table. 

*****

The T-1 Typhoon was quiet in terms of the Minifigs inside. The pilot was concentrating on flying the craft over the ocean and reading a movie magazine; the gunner pilots, though supposed to be on alert, were catching some quick winks themselves; and the six passengers were resting quietly. For the most part.

Starting to stir in his sleep was Andrew, who, after several hours of peaceful rest and rather uneventful dreams (mostly some weird tangent about Mars and street gangs) was waking up, and without a jolt for once.

Euuuh… Mom, where's the pop tarts? he thought groggily as his mind started to clear up. As he became more aware of circumstances, he got a good look around at how his companions were resting.

Zach and Minerva were around the console area, the former on the ground and the latter leaning against the deactivated console. Laxus had taken to lying with his legs propped up in a seat and the rest of his body lying on the floor. Dr. Cyborg was sitting upright near the right side door. Pterisa had lay down in the corner space close to the rear gunner's port, with her wings covering her like a bat. And Andrew himself had ended up just lying in the space between the console and the radio panels. Overall, it was all rather peaceful, if a bit ridiculous.

Getting up on his feet as quietly as he could, he walked over to the window on the left side door. He could barely see light on the horizon, and just under that light was the smallest inklings of coastline and the silhouette of buildings. LEGO City was close, and so was Dino Attack Headquarters.

He looked back at his fellow passengers. In both his personal and social statuses, he had definitively changed for the better this trip. He had managed to get a grip regarding his desires, and had a saner head on things that wouldn't have big, crazy ideas on how to utilize some device in the middle of nowhere to achieve his desires. He had gotten closer to his friends and allies like Laxus and Semick, and had made new ones as well with people like Zach and Minerva. And he was proving to be a supportive member of the team, considering how he had stepped up to the task of helping Pterisa get used to and accepted into Dino Attack lifestyle.

Looking back at the approaching city, Andrew pondered what would be next for him. There was still more Mutant Dino fighting to come, sure, but he didn't know exactly what he would end up involved in next. Perhaps he might have another personal crisis involving his inner urges? Would his companions face torments he might feel the needed to come to the aid to? Or would he have to face something totally unexpected, something that could shatter his ideas of how his future might turn out? There was nothing to do but wait and see.

As Andrew's eyes glanced back at Pterisa's sleeping form, he was reminded briefly of something he had left behind last time he was at base, and made a note to take care of it once and for all when he got back.

*****

As soon as he stepped outside of his office to let Rex and Amanda listen to Einstein's message in privacy, Specs was greeted by the sight of Ata. Specs raised an eyebrow. "This better be important, Ata. I don't like you waiting outside my office without any news."

Ata smiled nervously, but the false expression quickly vanished and was replaced by a grimmer demeanor. "It's not much… but I'm afraid that we do have a lead."

Ata handed over his PDA, and Specs looked at the screen. "This is a list of all communications made in the past month by Dino Attack," explained Ata. "And, buried under a lot of extraneous messages… look here. This was when the Second Headquarters Squad took over a third of Gold City, just before the Hybrids retaliated."

Specs squinted to read the line of script that Ata pointed to. It was an untraceable call, but it was also very long-distance.

"A few more were made over the course of the mission, but most notably here," Ata added as he pointed to several lines below, "almost immediately after Second Headquarters Squad completed their mission."

Specs saw that the same was true for this message. Untraceable and long-distance.

"Suspicious," muttered Specs.

"It's just a hunch," admitted Ata, "but the mole might have been at Gold City during the Second Headquarters Squad's takeover mission and sending messages to Dinosaur Island."

"There were no other agents stationed there at the time," grimaced Specs. "I will…" He thought for a moment, considering his options. With grim resolve, he decided, "I will speak to each member of the Second Headquarters Squad. I'll get down to the bottom of this."

Instantly, Specs brushed aside Ata and stormed down the hallway, a grim man on a grim mission.

*****

"The fact that you are viewing this hologram means that I have likely passed on and therefore unable to tell you myself in person. However, it is important that you know this information and the circumstances behind your fatal condition.

"Numerous years ago, when Vanda Darkflame and Dr. Albert Overbuild assigned me with the task of infiltrating XERRD and adopting the identity of Wallace Bishop, I had thought that Dr. Ronald 'Rex' Alexander was simply a young individual with a bounty of knowledge and high prospects for the future. Eventually, I learned the truth when I was designing stasis tubes with Dr. Rex… he was not a young man. He appeared young, but it was only a mask. In actually, he had been overdosing on this Jugend Serum he had created which prevented him from physically aging. Needlessly, he would inject himself every day. In its proper dosage, I can imagine that it could do wonders… but as he overdosed, it became an addictive drug that gradually deteriorated his mind and shut off basic functions, which ultimately led to Dr. Rex's mental unbalance.

"That is not all, unfortunately. Since you do not have Dr. Rex's mind, you have not suffered from any mental effects. However, I fear that your body may soon enter a violent withdrawal from this horrible drug. I do not know the full effects, but considering Dr. Rex's true age, it could mean a rapid deterioration of your body. I could be wrong about this, and I hope I am. However, there is another problem. You see… well, I already said that you do not have Dr. Rex's mind. But you are suffering the consequences of that mind.

"Dr. Rex's mental unbalance was actually quite minimal at first. It weakened his sense of judgment, however, and that plays into Dr. Rex's fatal flaw… When XERRD was first formed and we started doing some serious experiments involving the Maelstrom, Dr. Rex spent far too much time working on these experiments. At one point, he even considered using trace amounts of Maelstrom energies in his serum. That… ended poorly. After that day's dosage, Dr. Rex went as bald as an eighty-year-old man. That is why Dr. Rex has no hair despite his otherwise-young physical appearance. That, thank the First Builders, was the end of that experiment… but it got worse from there.

"Dr. Rex was mentally unbalanced with a poor sense of judgment and now had traces amount of Maelstrom in his body. Any other person would have the creativity and the willpower to cleanse themselves before it became too severe; after all, it would take a high concentration of Maelstrom energies at once to corrupt an individual and turn him into a Stromling. However, I believe that this ability was inhibited by the mental damage he brought upon himself. And that allowed the Maelstrom energies to take root in his body… and his mind. In the following months, Dr. Rex's once-minimal mental instability became downright insanity. It was then that he decided to create the Dino Attack. But I doubt that this was his idea… Sometimes, he would tell me that he saw a dark figure wearing a top hat in the same room as him. Sometimes, he would make such a claim while I was in the same room and could plainly see that there was no such person. But, whatever power this mysterious architect of darkness had over Dr. Rex… it spread to the rest of XERRD. By the time Dr. Rex suggested the Dino Attack, the rest of the scientists… Michelle Gladys, Zed Provhezor, Paulie Gonepus… they all agreed without question. I could not object, or else I would give myself away.

"Meanwhile, as the Maelstrom polluted his mind, it continued to destroy his body. We started noticing that he was suffering from health problems. Headaches, fatigue, even a heart attack. Still, Dr. Rex refused to let me attempt to treat his condition. Before I could stop waiting for permission and just do it, you came along. You and Dr. Rex switched minds, switched Creative Sparks.

"At first, I thought this was good news. A new mind and a fresh Creative Spark, I believed, could possibly undo the damage done by the Maelstrom. I thought wrong. Well, at the very least, I was right at first. Your Creative Spark held the Maelstrom's effects back only temporarily. But the damage Dr. Rex did to his body… to your body… was too great. I first became aware of this when I received reports that you were paralyzed by a Quasifigus lacertilia's electro-spear. That is impossible, I thought, for the electro-spears were designed for stunning, not for permanent damage. But then, I realized that this was not the electro-spear's doing alone… it was in conjunction with damage caused by the Maelstrom.

"Of course, there is always a possibility that I was right then and I am wrong now. Had I still been alive, I would likely have asked to do some experiments to test the Maelstrom levels in your body and prove my hypothesis. I probably should not have even given you this message without first confirming my findings… but I am certain that, should I give you this message, it is because I have seen something to strongly suggest my hypothesis holds true.

"Given the damage Dr. Rex caused to his own body through his Maelstrom experiments and mental instability, I cannot say for certain how much longer you have to live until the Maelstrom finally kills you. If my calculations are close to accurate, you probably have less than a month to live, I'm afraid. Make with this information whatever you feel is best. Again, I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

And then, the hologram vanished, and the bishop closed itself automatically, leaving Rex and Amanda alone in a shocked silence in a dark room.

*****

"Hey, Zach," Andrew's voice said. Zach visibly flinched and turned his head, trying to ignore the Elite Agent. "You said to wake you up when we were almost there. We'll be at the Dino Attack Headquarters in five minutes."

"I changed my mind," Zach muttered groggily. His sleep had been peaceful and dreamless. He was not willing to give it up yet. "Wake me up when..." He drifted off back to sleep.

"Zach," Minerva whispered into his ear. Zach scowled and tried to shoo her away. He thought he heard both Minerva and Andrew chuckle. "You need to get up. Now."

"Later."

"You're going to have to get up in a few minutes anyway."

"So?"

"I'll kick you if you don't get up."

"What?" Maybe he was dreaming after all. That sounded so ridiculous that - "Ah!" Zach groaned in the pain as he felt a boot collide with his stomach. The shock of Minerva actually kicking him lead him to bite his tongue, causing further pain.

"I told you," Minerva said in a matter-of-fact tone. He thought he heard Andrew, Laxus, Dr. Cyborg, and even Pterisa snicker. He allowed himself to chuckle once.

"Fine," he said, opening his eyes and raising his hands up to stop Minerva from kicking him again. He slowly climbed to his feet. Everyone had woken up. Some looked like they were half-asleep though.

He walked over to a window. The T-1 Typhoon was now flying right over the city. It was very early in the morning, from what Zach could tell. Up ahead, he could see the Dino Attack Headquarters. He had only visited the building once and it was a very brief visit.

The helicopter flew into the hangar and its engines began to die down. The agents shuffled out of the helicopter. The pilot came out last. He had a tired look in his eyes and he immediately headed toward the barracks without saying a word. Zach turned to the group.

"Well," Zach said, scratching his beard. "I -" He glanced at Minerva briefly, who nodded. "-we. We are going to go eat. Stop by if you're hungry, I guess." They each nodded and he and Minerva started heading into the main building.

They soon found the mess hall. Zach surprised (and happy) to see that Mama and Papa Brickolini working in the cafeteria. Apparently, they had been hired on shortly after the riots in Antarctica were dealt with. At least the pizza will be decent, he thought as he piled on some bacon, sausage, and three slices of breakfast pizza on to his tray and poured himself a glass of apple juice. He and Minerva then sat down across from each other at one of the tables.

He glanced at the food briefly. Only now he realized how truly hungry he was. I haven't eaten since before the attack on the fortress, he briefly noted. A long time ago indeed. The Maelstrom had probably satisfied his hunger and supplied the essential nutrients needed to survive itself. Though since the Maelstrom had clearly aged his body after being cleansed from him, it felt like it had been years since he had last eaten. His stomach rumbled once before he dug into his breakfast. 

*****

"Well how do you like that?" Trigger asked rhetorically as he and Snake walked through a hallway. "After all that, that MegaBloking girl is trusted with taking care of the MegaBloking Maelstrom, and then that Rotor's a MegaBloking wimp, man. I mean, who came along and beat the living Znap out of him? The girl's MegaBloking mother. I mean, really, what the MegaBlokland is up with that, huh? "

"You leaving?" Snake asked.

"Not yet," replied Trigger. "I took this MegaBloking job, I'm going to finish it, and until I see hard cash, I'm not even thinking about leaving. What about you?"

"No," said Snake. "They said if I did this, I'd be a free man."

Trigger smiled. "You know Snake, I don't say this to a lot of people, but I like you. Maybe when I'm through here, I'll take you with me."

Trigger opened a door and entered what appeared to be the mess hall. There were a few agents standing around, including a strange, usually scruffy man with a girl. "You hungry?" Snake asked.

"A little," replied Trigger. "What harm can a little pizza do, huh?" 

A little after 7, the smell of pizza began to waft into the mess hall.

"Odd choice for the breakfast shift," Wright remarked. She stood and strolled over to the buffet and peered into the kitchens. Seconds later she was rushing back to the table. "The Brickolinis are working the kitchen," she said excitedly.

Shiller almost spat out his drink. "The Brickolinis? Holy 4+, we gotta get in on this." He jumped up. "Don't get up, we grab you some," he said to Hotwire as he and Wright practically dashed back to the buffet, returning a minute later with large steaming slices of pizza.

Wright bit into hers and sighed. "Tastes like childhood," she said.

Shiller elbowed her. "For you, maybe. The rest of us didn't have the privilege of growing up on LEGO Island."

Hotwire nodded. "Only had this stuff once before, but it's definitely enough to turn a person to a life of crime." The three of them ate contentedly as more agents began to trickle into the mess hall -- Hotwire noticed Zach piling a tray high, and wondered briefly why he wasn't hungrier himself. Perhaps I'm in some sort of state of shock still, he mused silently. Still, even if that were the case, he felt happy enough at the moment.

*****

Septimus presented something of a puzzle to the medics in the infirmary. They were much more used to patients with... well, flesh and blood. So, when a knock on the door heralded the arrival of an expert, they quickly ushered the pale, limping Alpha Team agent inside.

There was something about Mort that spooked most people. Maybe it was the fact that nobody was entirely sure when he slept, or his ability to remain completely expressionless at all times, or his uncanny tendency to show up wherever and whenever his assistance was needed. He was almost certainly stationed somewhere in LEGO City, but the exact location seemed to be an enigma. Whatever it was, the medics gave him a wide berth as he entered the room. He either didn't notice or didn't care, focused entirely on the figure lying on the table. He examined the numerous fractures in the drone's limbs and ribs, muttering to himself all the while.

Septimus glanced at Mort. "We've met before."

The Alpha Team agent scoffed. "Like I remember every single drone I've ever shot at."

"No, really, I think I know you--" Septimus insisted, but Mort shushed him with an irritated hiss before turning back to the medics.

"Cement all the fractures -- here, I can pull up the formula -- and splint the ones on its limbs." He took out his PDA, punched the keys for a few quiet seconds, and sent the file to the printer in the corner of the room. He then turned and limped towards the exit, but instead of leaving, sat down in a chair by the door.

The medics shuffled nervously, but it was clear that Mort didn't intend to leave just yet. So, as some of the medics began mixing up the formula to repair Septimus's broken bones, one of the braver medics attempted to make conversation: "So, how did-- that is, if you don't mind me asking, erm, well, your limp? Anything we can help with?"

Mort did not shake his head, but still managed somehow to project a "no" in response to the question. "Only way to fix it is an operation more delicate than I'd prefer to undergo. I'd rather deal with a limp than risk losing my entire leg."

The medic, braver now that Mort hadn't stolen the breath from his lungs with a glare, forged onward. "How? I mean, how did that happen in the first place?"

"Some sort of nerve damage from a Sea Drone spear back in 2008," Mort responded. "A rather nasty incident with a Mutant Killer Whale and an Agents submarine at one of Ogel's underwater bases."

On the examining table, Septimus abruptly sat up, startling the medics attending him. "Mort," he said. "I remember that. You would've died if I hadn't been there."

The medics, for the first time, saw emotion on Mort's face -- rage. The Alpha Team agent stood and very nearly strode over to the table, where he aimed a withering glare at Septimus. "Just what in the nine circles of MegaBlokland," he growled, "do you think you're talking about, drone?"

Septimus was unfazed. "I remember all of it," he said. "Everything from before, I can remember it now. Mort, it's me, Swerve."

*****

"Ah, good old HQ," said Andrew as he stood on the ground of the hangar with the others. "A very decent place to retreat to after a mission."

"Indeed, it is," said Laxus. "This place even rivals some of the spaceports I've been to."

"Still a little worn from the whole Cam O'Cozy business," Dr. Cyborg mentioned as he observed some scaffolding around some of the walls of the hangar. "But otherwise a great home away from home. I wonder what they'll do with the place when we're done here."

"Some other military-type organization might take over, I presume. Or maybe they'll renovate it into a rec center or something."

"Who knows?" Andrew turned to look at Pterisa, who was taking the moment to get some good observation of the hangar. "Intrigued?" he asked.

"Er... notably. I'm surprised your team managed to get such a place set up so quickly."

"The Founders got BLU to make this wonder of a construct after Kotua leveled the old place. Those guys are expert at construction, I'll tell ya."

"Care to take a little tour with us?" added Laxus. "I only just joined the team before Adventurers' Island, so I can understand your curiosity about the place. I don't think I've seen it all myself."

"Uh... sure, that'd be fine." The Hybrid glanced down nervously while rubbing her neck. "Sorry, it's that I find it a bit strange, all this helping around you're giving. I'm not quite used to that, or much of anything involving social interaction."

"Don't worry, we understand," said Andrew. "It's just good nature behavior for us, I suppose, helping others. Especially others who feel alienated around us."

Pterisa smiled, once again with a nervous undertone. "Well, thank you for your kindness."

"You're welcome. Now then, where should we start? I hear that the-"

"Hey!" cried out some agent near the entrance to the base, probably to some friends nearby. "They've got the Brickolinis serving pizza in the mess hall! You've gotta try it!"

Andrew froze, his eyes widening, his brain flipping back to many a stop for food on LEGO Island, and his mouth starting to accumulate drool. "Okay,forgetthatidea," he said rapidly while grabbing Laxus's and Pterisa's arms. "we'regoingtoeatsomeofthebestpizzaintheWORLD!"

And Andrew dashed off for the mess hall with Laxus and Pterisa in tow, pulling them along with a surprising amount of strength. The two did their best to control their surprise and keep on their feet as the Elite Agent brought them with him on his quest for good-tasting pizza.

*****

When Rex regained control over his own body, the only thing he could manage to do was weakly and feebly shake his head in disbelief. Amanda clutched Rex's hand, and when their eyes met, Rex could see the grief and sorrow in her features.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered.

Rex tried to speak, but he was too choked up to do anything other than soundlessly move his lips. When Amanda's eyes darted towards the door, Rex shook his head once more, this time with more vigor. "We mustn't tell them," he managed to speak in a hoarse voice.

Amanda glanced back at Rex, her expression full of concern and uncertainty. "Specs?" she suggested. "Frozeen? Greybeard? General?" After a short pause, she added: "Chompy?"

Rex bit his lip. "No one must know. Our team's morale is higher now than it has been in a while… we succeeded in a mission, unlike the Goo Caverns, and without any betrayals, unlike LEGO Island, or devastating riots, unlike Antarctica. Tell any Rookie Agent that Dr. Rex is attacking tomorrow with his full forces, and he'll gleefully tell you, 'Bring it on!' Because now… now, they see how our team has persevered through the hardships of previous missions and has successfully completed our most vital mission to date. The team is invincible, they think. Their morale is too great, too strong…"

Rex sighed. "I saw how they looked at me after the Hybrids' betrayal. As much as I don't like to boast, I have noticed that I grew quite a reputation in Dino Attack Team… veterans have often looked upon me as a fire-forged friend, while rookies look at me as a war hero. The betrayal of the Hybrids hit our morale pretty hard, but I think that a major shock factor was the fact that a Hybrid managed to reduce me, Elite Agent Rex, to a cripple in a wheelchair. And if something as comparatively small as that could deal such a blow to our morale… imagine the devastation this news could cause. And if Dr. Rex attacks when our morale is low… then, as Greybeard always says, 'Ye may not survive to pass this way again'."

Amanda lowered her eyes. "Rex… I…"

Rex looked at his hand in hers, and proceeded to take her other hand as well. "We shall carry this burden alone. When the bell tolls, we shall accept its ringing. But until then, we shall live every day as a blessing, for every second we spend together… is like… an eternity of everything I could have ever wanted."

Amanda swallowed slowly, and once again lifted her eyes to meet Rex's. "Till death do us part?" she whispered.

At first, Rex was still, but then he nodded slowly and grimly. "Till death do us part," he agreed, choking back tears.

Then, the two lovers embraced as though they would never see each other again.

----

"GET OUT OF THE MEGABLOKING TRUCK!" Schiess shouted as he aimed his gun right through the window at the driver, who looked at the men nervously. He slowly started to reach for a gun and attempted to aim it at Schiess, only to take a bullet right through the forehead and collapse.

"Montoya, let's get a good look at what's inside," Schiess said as he turned toward the man in the vest.

Montoya slowly opened the back doors of the truck, with a label on them reading "Dacta Corp." As he raised the metal screen and stepped inside, he looked around in amazement. "What is all this?" Montoya wondered.

"Computer parts, by the look of it" replied Schiess. "Whatever this is, it's state-of-the-art technology."

Keaton quickly climbed inside as well and looked around with interest.

"I'm beginning to see why Mindstorms, Inc. was so keen to get ahold of this," said Montoya.

"Alright," said Schiess. "Let's get out of here. Montoya, you drive. Orange, you go with him. Deniro and Keaton, you two get a car, follow behind them. Verbal and Scorsese, help me dispose of the body. Let's go!"

Montoya quickly opened the door in the truck's cab and pulled out the body of the driver. Orange, a tough, blond-haired young man in a suit, climbed into the seat next to him. Within a few minutes, the back screen was pulled down, the engines started, and the truck drove off.

*****

"We got your cargo," Schiess said over the phone-line. "The truck arrived yet?"

"Indeed, it has," replied the familiar voice of Sindstorme. "I've got a few workers unloading it right now. Montoya was mentioning a body."

"The driver tried to put up a fight," explained Schiess. He briefly glanced back across the road from the public payphone. There were two other men standing there with shovels.

"What happened to him?"

"We took care of him," replied Schiess. Verbal took a moment to wipe the sweat off his head before he approached Schiess. "We've just finished disposing of the body now, sir," Schiess continued.

"What about the truck?"

"We'll make it look like an accident," assured Schiess. "As soon as you're done loading it, tell Montoya to drive it off the road, make it look like it crashed. As long as he can get out in time, we should be able to fool them."

"Very good work, Schiess. I've already given Keaton and Orange their shares. As soon as you can get down here, I'll have your money ready to go."

"Excellent," said Schiess. "What happens then?"

"I got another job for you," replied Sindstorme. "This one's a bit riskier. Once you're all down here, I'll give you the rundown." There was a brief click, and then a dial tone.

"Alright," Schiess said to his two men. "You two done with the body?"

"Yeah," replied Scorsese.

"Good," said Schiess. "Verbal, Scorsese, I need you two to get me a car."

"No problem, boss," replied Verbal. As it happened, at that moment a car was approaching. Schiess walked into position, stepping calmly right in front. Within a few moments, the vehicle came to a complete stop.

Verbal walked up to the car window as he raised his gun. Inside, there was a young man, who looked to be of Arabic descent. Schiess was soon drawing his own weapon.

"What's going on here?" the young man asked. "What do you guys want? You need a lift?"

"Hand over the car," Schiess said coldly.

"I can't," replied the young man. "I got a lot of ancient artifacts. If I don't get these to Kilroy at the museum-"

Schiess walked over to the back door and opened it. Sure enough, there were a few Egyptian pots. Schiess promptly picked one up and carried it onto the road. He walked over to the edge and threw it on the ground, smashing it instantly. He then raised his gun again.

"HAND OVER THE MEGABLOKING CAR!" Schiess shouted. The young man saw that Scorsese had his gun pointed toward him rather menacingly. Slowly, he raised his hands and stepped out. "Hand over the keys," demanded Schiess. Reluctantly, the young man complied.

Trigger gave him a swift punch in the face, sending him to the ground before sitting down in the driver's seat. Scorsese sat down next to him. Verbal got into the back and, in the process, smashed several more Egyptian pots on the ground.

With that, Schiess took off, leaving a shaken and confused young man in the middle of the road, surrounded by broken Egyptian pottery. 

----

Tech sat back and relaxed in his chair. He watched his handheld device. Its screen displayed security footage from all around Dino Attack Headquarters… footage provided by Tech's own security turrets.

Tech was pleased with himself. After infiltrations by stealthy Mutant Lizards and betrayals by Quasifigus lacertilia, Dino Attack's hallways were not always a safe place to be. Or at least, that used to be the case. Now, with Tech's improvements, no mutant could walk through the headquarters unnoticed.

"Dino Attack Team," Tech said with a smile, "just another satisfied customer."

Tech gave a contented sigh, resting in the chair. Lowering his helmet, he was about to doze off after a hard day's work, but in his peripheral vision he caught sight of movement in one of the security videos. Peering a little closer, he saw a dark figure moving towards the security camera. Tech could not make out the person's features, since they kept mostly to the shadows.

That was suspicious.

Tech frowned, glancing left and right before staring at the screen on his handheld device. He pressed that particular security video, and the footage expanded to cover the entire screen, giving him a clearer picture. He saw the dark figure reach into a briefcase, pull out some sort of unseen device, and suddenly the footage turned to static. The signal was lost.

"Doggonit!" growled Tech. He jumped out of his chair and grabbed a wrench from a nearby toolbox. "Nobody knocks mah security turrets offline!"

He had no idea who this mysterious figure could be. However, he remembered a rumor he heard while working with the Dino Attack Team during the secret mission to Antarctica: a traitor was rumored to be amongst them. He was more than willing to gamble that, whoever this traitor was, they would target the security systems first.

With that, Tech stormed out of the room, heading towards the hallway where that particular turret was located. Glancing back down at his handheld device, he saw another camera go offline. Based upon the position of that camera, he could tell the route that this mysterious person was taking.

*****

Naomi Carver stood anxiously by the front gate of the Dino Attack Headquarters in LEGO City. A jacket was wrapped around her shoulders to shield her from the cold night air, but she still shivered. Fifteen helicopters had landed on the tarmac that evening, but none of them contained Hertz.

Naomi watched as the last helicopter landed. The injured were carried out first followed by any agents still in walking shape. It seemed like an eternity waiting for the last man to disembark. By the time they had finished, Naomi still saw no sign of Hertz. She looked around frantically before finally seeing a lone figure step out of the helicopter.

He walked with a limp and had bandages wrapped around his head. A broken arm hung in a sling, but his face lit up with joy when he saw her.

Naomi ran up and embraced him. He winced in pain but he wrapped his arm around her nonetheless. "I'm so happy you're okay," said Naomi.

"So am I," said Hertz.

They stood alone on the tarmac in each other's arms. They paid no heed to the people around them; the world could keep on spinning now that she knew he was safe. 

Pierce was quick to dash to the aid of Rotor and Cabin. The latter had a large bruise on the front of her head but seemed to be semiconscious. He looked up and saw Carver, who was busy holding Hertz's hand. "Give me a second," Pierce muttered as he stood up and walked toward them.

"Carver!" Pierce shouted as he approached the vehicle she was standing in. "Hey Carver, is that you?"

Carver turned in surprise, probably not expecting to have seen Pierce.

"Listen, Carver," Pierce said. "We got an emergency: we got two people down with head wounds. Don't ask me how they got them, just come on."

While Pierce was busy talking to Carver, Sarah turned toward Kate. "Pierce and I have already eaten," she said. "You might want to go get yourself something. I'll come see you later."

Kate nodded shyly and started to turn. Then she remembered everything that happened. She took a moment to think about it, and turned back. "Mom," she said. "I need to talk to you. It's really important."

Sarah looked her in the eye.

"What happened to Uncle Wally?" Kate said.

"I thought I told you," replied Sarah. "He di-"

"THEN WHY WAS THERE A PICTURE OF YOU IN THAT XERRD FORTRESS?!" Kate cried. "I met up with some guy claiming to be Wallace Bishop who was telling me he was in a mental ward or something!"

Sarah sighed. She walked up to Kate and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm afraid I never was too honest with you," she said.

"Why did you lie to me?" Kate demanded.

"You were so young, you wouldn't have understood," replied Sarah. "It was horrible, Kate, and you didn't need to be dragged into anything."

*****

"What took you so long?" Minerva asked as Zach sat back down at the table, his tray now piled with only pizza.

"I was talking to the chefs," he said. He had been rather happy to see the Brickolinis, especially after the previous week. They talked briefly, and from them, Zach learned there that even more LEGO Islanders had been enlisted to assist the Dino Attack Team. While he already knew Dr. Clickitt, Enter, and Return were here, he was interested to learn that Nubby Stevens and other employees of the Octan Gas Station were now acting as mechanics for the team. Pepper Roni was also working with the cafeteria, but he was often delivering food to people around HQ and sometimes to people who had moved back to LEGO City.

"And they're from LEGO Island too, right?" Minerva asked as she pulled one of the slices of pizza off of Zach's tray. He nodded as he took a large bite out of one of the pizzas. He smiled. He had certainly missed the Brickolini's world famous pizza. "Sounds like LEGO Island is a nice place when it's not overrun by Mutant Dinos."

"It's great," he said, swallowing. "I'm glad to have grown up there instead of in the United States. Even with its crazy citizens and insane criminal who wants to destroy everything."

"Sounds better than living in LEGO City," Minerva said, sighing. Zach remembered what Provencal had said out Minerva and Oswald's early way of life and how... unpleasant it was.

"You lived in LEGO City?" he asked.

"Yes." She looked down at her food as she spoke. "When my mom lost her mind and couldn't work anymore, we moved from a house to a cheap apartment in a bad part of the city." Zach could see she clearly didn't want to talk about too much.

"Perhaps you could move to LEGO Island," Zach said. Minerva's eyes seemed to brighten as she looked up at him. "Everyone's rather friendly. Not extremely judgmental. I'm sure they would welcome you. You already know Andrew and me. It shouldn't be too hard to adjust."

Minerva revealed a small smile. "That sounds nice."

Minerva's smile suddenly widened as she stood up. Zach turned and was surprised to see Kareem Nazareno standing behind him. He rose to his feet, somewhat nervous. Nazareno gave him a hard look, but it seemed to lighten as he extended his left hand. Zach shook it, smiling.

"Good to see you again," Nazareno said. "Even with a beard and a lot of hair with a variety of color."

"You, too," Zach responded, scratching the back of his head. "Look, I'm sorry about-"

"I forgive you," Nazareno said. "I read that message you sent out. I understand."

Zach glanced at Nazareno's chest. "Minerva told me about that wound. I-"

"With the Darkitect banished from this planet, I easily disposed of the Maelstrom inside of me. I should be able to fight this next battle with you."

"That's good to hear," Zach said. He briefly glanced over Nazareno's shoulder and saw a girl with black and purple hair behind him. It didn't take long for him to recognize her. "Zelda?!" he gasped. Zelda Frodongan smirked. "How are you...?"

"The medics pulled a trick on the Maelstrom that got me out of there," she said casually.

"However," Nazareno added, "I think the Maelstrom learned its lesson from it, and we won't be able to pull it again to save other Stromlings."

"I suppose," Zach said as he shrugged. "I guess we will still be working together."

Zelda nodded. "Nazareno and I were about to go do some training," she said, looking at Nazareno. Zach raised an eyebrow. "We were picking up a small bite to eat."

"That reminds me..." Zach raised his right arm, showing his lack of hand. "Mind building a replacement?"

"The Maelstrom too much for it?" asked Nazareno.

Zach nodded.

"Very well, we shall go to the infirmary and I will see what I can do." He turned to Zelda. "I'll be back. In the meantime, feel free to make yourself acquainted with Agent Fabello."

Zelda nodded and took Zach's spot across from Minerva.

"See you later," Minerva said. Zach waved, and then he and Nazareno started heading toward the infirmary. 

*****

Pierce quickly led Carver toward the helicopter, where Rotor and Cabin were both lying. Sarah Bishop was just taking Kate out of the hangar.

"What happened?" Carver asked.

"Long story," replied Pierce as he crouched down next to Cabin. "We got a slight concussion over here. Rotor took more of a beating. Alright, Carver, go and get the others, and bring two stretchers with you."

Carver nodded nervously and ran off. She showed up a few minutes later, accompanied by Wade and Crusher with the stretchers.

"What happened here?" Wade asked.

"You'd never believe me," replied Pierce. "Just give me a hand. We got some serious head wounds and we need to get them to the emergency room immediately."

Wade nodded as he and Crusher started to put Rotor onto one stretcher. Meanwhile, Pierce and Carver were working to get Cabin onto the other. "And this is a serious issue," added Pierce. "Whatever happens, make sure Enter and Return do not know what we're doing. I don't want them mucking this up."

*****

Stranger proceeded into the mess hall with a slight bit of curiosity at the developing crowd for the lunch line. While far from the quality of public school cafeteria food, the mess hall condiments usually weren't that popular, even after a crowd of agents fresh off a mission arrived.

After spending some time in line though, all was made clear. Some popular pizza chefs were now manning the kitchen, it seemed, and their breakfast pizza was apparently quite a hit. And after nibbling on a piece he took, Stranger easily understood why.

Taking an omelet and some sausages, along with another slice of the pizza, he nabbed some milk and started to look for anybody familiar enough to have a seat with. After a moment, he saw Trigger and Snake sitting near the back, and made his way over. "Hello again, tough guy," said Stranger, talking more to Trigger more than anything.

The mercenary looked at him with a bit of a look of contempt, then he started to smile.  "I remember you," he said. "You were the guy who had a bit more sense and one of those lizards as a pet. Where is it, anyways?"

"The lizard thing's a bit more complicated than that," said Stranger, sitting down opposite of them. "But just know that I helped Buddy get an early ride back, and I've let him be with some of the scientists near the pens to try and sort out communication matters or whatnot. Weird stuff like that."

"Why do you even bother with it?" Snake asked, sipping from his drink.

"Believe me, when you spend a couple days with him in a cave and exhaust all the insults at his mother you can muster, you start to get okay with him. But enough about that mess, let's talk about something else."

"Good," said Trigger. "How about how you ended up here. You on any merc jobs?"

"Naw, just a hunter from the Old West who likes the modern style of things. Got stuck in a city overwhelmed by lizards, and banded with a couple other survivors to fight through tooth and nail just to reach an evac point. Four times. Then I signed up here."

"Impressive," said Trigger, "especially considering what the average Minifig usually can get their hands on. I'd have a good time fighting with you on some jobs."

"Yeah," Stranger said while taking a bite from his omelet, "well, I may not have issues shooting blockheads who deserve it for working with the likes of Dr. Rex, I will say I prefer shooting the creatures I can take the head off for my mantelpiece without getting put into a psychiatric ward."

"Whatever suits you, I suppose." Trigger was silent for a moment as he took a bite from a slice of the breakfast pizza. "At least you aren't rushing in without legs, failing to notice the big picture of a threat, or believing you can save some Stromling just by asking nicely. I swear, those blokes that 'redeemed' that Virchaus guy should pray to Ole they weren't killed the moment they went in that temple."

"Eh, you really need to start understanding that people aren't always acting reasonable around here. We're letting some of the planet's most notorious villains ally with us; the Second Headquarters Squad is nearly brimming with unreasonable agents and yet was still given Fort Legoredo to handle on their own; and Digger is still around even after snapping and nearly fracturing the team. From how I understand your points, half the team should've been let go ages ago. And yet here we are."

Stranger turned back and pointed his thumb at the crowd of agents trying to get pizza. At the same time, he could see Andrew coming in at a brisk pace, his Martian friend and the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid the mission reports had mentioned coming in close behind him. The latter didn't really strike him as too odd, though glancing back at Trigger and Snake, they had raised their eyebrows at seeing her.

"With all due respect, Trigger," said Stranger, "whoever hired you essentially sent you to the madhouse team."

"That's one way of putting it," replied Trigger. "I mean, less than a MegaBloking hour ago, I was on a chopper with this guy Rotor, who's supposed to be like this super tough guy. Some girl came up to him and started bludgeoning him with a MegaBloking rifle shouting something about she didn't want him to Znap with her daughter. I mean, really, we have helicopter mothers now."

He looked up to see Kate stepping into the room with Sarah Bishop. Kate quickly went to the line to get some food while Sarah sat down at an empty table.

"Right there," Trigger said, pointing toward her. "That girl you've been praising for saving your MegaBloking buttocks is here with her Znapping mother."

"Papa and Mama Brickolini!" Andrew was saying to the familiar cooks. "It's so great to see you again!"

"Oh, Andrew!" said Papa. "Good to see you're looking as fine as you were on LEGO Island! I've heard you did quite well on the last mission."

"Heh, 'Quite well' is a good term for it. I assume you saw how Zach was looking..."

"He can certainly be quite... energetic... at times," Pterisa said to Laxus as the two observed the Elite Agent converse with his fellow LEGO Islanders. The two were still winded after Andrew caught them off guard by practically dragging them over.

"I suppose it's just because he's getting to meet with people he knows well" said Laxus. "It's a small-knit community on LEGO Island, as I understand it, so they're closer to one another than standard neighbors these days. Plus, I've heard nothing but praise for Brickolini's Pizza, so... yeah."

"You're kidding! Pepper's here too!? I've got to meet up with him at some point!" Andrew continued.

"I'm sure he's eager to meet with you too," said Mama. "He's admired the team so much after one of the members saved him when he got stuck back on the island after the first attacks. Do you think I can convince the kitchen staff I can bring a piano in here?"

"Not just that, but..." Pterisa paused. "It's quite strange how eager he is. I wouldn't figure most agents to be so supportive like he is. It's almost a little creepy, honestly."

"I suppose that's just in his nature, part of the LEGO Island thing I mentioned earlier," Laxus said to her. "Plus, with his knowledge of how strange Dino Attack's bedfellows have gotten, it's easy for him to accept your nature. Plus, it might help that he became friends with me first. After Martians, I suppose barely anything else is stranger."

"I see... But what about you? How can you just so easily take in who I am?" inquired Pterisa.

"Hey, you should see the kind of aliens you can meet around the local space ports! Squidmen, guys with tentacles all over their heads, thin little green guys, spider people, insectoids, even creatures that naturally look like Minifig skeletons! Compared to them, you'd barely turn heads in one of the bars of the Sector 6 Asteroid colony."

As Pterisa began to contemplate this information, Andrew turned back to her and Laxus and gestured them over to the food counters. The Hybrid seemed anxious again, but Laxus was able to help her walk over.

"Oh, you were right about making some diverse friends," said Mama Brickolini. "Good to meet you two."

"It's... nice to see you... too," said Pterisa, looking a little nervous, but pleasantly surprised that they seemed to glance over her appearance.

"The pleasure is mine as well," said Laxus. "I've heard great things about your pizza. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure that'll soon change."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll love it!" said Papa Brickolini. "Only the best LEGO Island has to offer, and it was a hit at Antarctica as well!"

Laxus took a piece from one the many dozen pizzas left available at the counter (the Brickolinis had clearly been prepared) and took a bite. It was hard to describe, but it was wondrous, to say the least, and it made him get a tray to get two more slices to carry. Andrew and the Brickolinis laughed.

"See?" Andrew said to Pterisa. "No one can resist Brickolini's pizza. Go ahead and try some."

*****

Zach and Nazareno soon reached the infirmary. "Quick question," Zach said as they entered the large room. "Why come here?"

"I can only assume that you never received a medical examination after your little Maelstrom trip while on Adventurers' Island, and when you arrived here, you immediately went to the cafeteria to eat," Nazareno responded. "I think an examination is in order. The examination and the construction of your new head should take around the same time. I have better resources here to work with than at Adventurers' Island, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Fine. See you later."

Nazareno bowed his head and left the room.

Walking past several beds where medics were assisting agents, Zach met a brown-haired mustached doctor. "Hello," he said, his voice of a higher tone than any man Zach had met. "My name is Dr. Martinet. What do you need?"

"I guess a quick examination," Zach said. "Make sure I'm A-okay for fighting."

Martinet nodded and gestured Zach to an empty bed. "Name?"

"Zachary Virchaus." The doctor's eyes widened quickly and stared at Zach with surprise. Here we go. Zach thought irritably. The surprise seemed to fade away immediately and was replaced with cold anger.

"So you're-ah the Stromling," Martinet hissed, revealing the appearance of an Italian accent. Zach fully expected not be welcomed by some people, but Martinet's clear hatred of him was something he had not expected. "So tell me: How did-ah you become a Minifig again?"

"A combination of factors, including nostalgia, love, willpower, and a cure invented by a Dr. J.D."

"What?!" The surprise returned to Martinet. "You killed him!"

"He killed him," Zach corrected coldly. "Stromling-me killed him. A sick combination of myself and the Maelstrom controlled by actions then, not me. He developed the cure, and it was his last request that it be used to save me."

"Trying to save the man who killed you," Martinet muttered. "It sounds like something J.D. would do." Turning back to Zach he said, "I know this is a long shot, but do you know the ingredients of this cure so it can be recreated? Apparently, J.D. never wrote down any notes before being killed."

"I don't-" Zach paused as a sudden wealth of information came into his brain. "Write this down," he said monotonously. He then listed a long string of ingredients. "I think that's it," he said as he finished.

As Martinet finished writing, he looked at Zach curiously. "Did J.D. tell you it or something?"

"I think he knew it would be needed for further research and implanted it in my brain or something after his Creative Spark repaired mine."

Martinet smirked. "Always thinking ahead." His expression turned solemn. "I apologize for outburst. J.D. was a close friend of mine. When I find out he was killed, I headed to Adventurers' Island for the sole purpose of avenging his death. You were quite a hammy Stromling, by the way."

Zach bowed his head, grinning. "Thank you. Now let's start this checkup, shall we?"

*****

The UITech dropship floated smoothly into the hangar of the Dino Attack Headquarters. As it touched down, Katerina Schattenberg stood, glancing at the figures of Rainer and Wolfgang behind her.

She reflected on the events of the previous day. It had been less than twenty-four hours since she'd re-awoken, and in that short time she'd seen an admirable man die, apparitions of her past, and finally the planet purified of the Maelstrom. Given her primary goal, it didn't make much sense that she was still following this undisciplined, ragtag "team" around; by all rights she should have left the planet immediately, to seek out the Nexus Force. She'd been re-thinking her previous strategies -- perhaps multiple people could enter the Maelstrom to confront the Darkitect face-to face...

But there was one thing left for her to do on this world, and that was pass on a few choice words to the man who'd allowed the Maelstrom to wreak havoc on the LEGO Planet in the first place: Dr. Ronald Alexander

Once Kara Wise, X1, and X2, escorting Carl Lutsky, had disembarked, along with the three ShadowTech passengers, the dropship sat quietly. For a few minutes the only sound was the occasional ping as the engines cooled.

Then there was a rattle and a soft scraping as one of the storage cabinets slid open, and a minifig dropped to the floor. He tore a strip of cloth from one of the sleeves of his black uniform, and tied it around his forehead, taking care to keep his third eye squeezed shut. He then looked around quickly and disappeared into one of the corridors.

*****

"So, the beard and long hair is the process of the Maelstrom aging your body?" Martinet questioned, a clipboard in hand as he wrote down notes.

"That's what I think," said Zach.

"Well, it seems like a reasonable explanation. With some observations and some tests, I think I have a rough estimation of how much time."

"Let's hear it."

Reading from a clipboard, Martinet spoke, "I think your body aged approximately one year, five months, and six days."

Zach frowned. "Wasn't nearly as long as I thought. Though I suppose I should be thankful I'm not a 19-year-old in a 60-year-old body. I'll take aging a year."

"Yes, and the purple hair," he continued, poking the stripe with his pen. "Have you tried washing it out?"

"On my list of things to do." Zach said.

"I don't think it will work," Martinet said calmly. "I think it is permanent. Like the Darkitect has tagged you as once being one of his own."

Zach frowned again, but he supposed it made sense. He had seen Zelda's purple stripe, so it sounded right. Then, "Alright, so I have a friend whose hair turned white after nearly being choked by the Maelstrom. What about that?"

"Explain the circumstance."

Zach did.

"Hmm. I have no idea why her hair turned white while yours turned purple. I imagine it is some symbolism that only the Darkitect understands. Perhaps it was because she wasn't a Stromling. Perhaps it was because she played an extremely vital role in saving you. The purple on you represents the Maelstrom and its darkness and chaos. The white on her hair represents the opposite end of that. Good, hope, faith. I believe you said love played a role? All of those most likely represented the features Fabello needed to head into that temple to save your life. Not exactly mainstream symbolism, but this is the Maelstrom."

Zach was silent as he pondered Martinet's words.

"This is all wild guessing. Don't take any of what I just said as cemented fact," recommended Martinet.

"Alright. Anything else worth noting?" asked Zach.

"Yes." Martinet became extremely somber. "The Maelstrom appears to still be within your system." Zach suppressed a gasp. His suspicions were correct. "Just a small amount. It can't anything to you, really. It might generate some negative emotions during high-stress, but other than that, it's just sort of... there. It doesn't seem to be trying to gain control of your mind or destroy your body. In fact, from my analysis, it almost looks like you are in control it."

Zach let this information sink in. He was correct about emotions being fueled by the Maelstrom. He imagined that when he lost control in the Maelstrom Temple it was due to the high concentration of Maelstrom energy in the building. It appeared, thanks to his willpower and imagination, he had overpowered the remaining energy. And it sounded like he controlled, so he could thank the Darkitect for that. And so that is where the Maelstrom lightning came from, he realized. He also now understood why his left hand had appeared infected with the Maelstrom in his mind before he became a Minifig again in Hotep III's temple.

"... it was a prototype, so naturally, there are still bugs to work out," Martinet was saying. "It was surprising that J.D.'s cure worked as well as it did, though. Thanks to you, we might be able to fine-tune it and cause it to eliminate the Maelstrom permanently from a being's system."

"Hmm?" Zach said. "Yeah, lucky."

"However, it shouldn't be too difficult to eliminate the rest of the Maelstrom from your body."

"What? Nah, I'm good." Martinet gave him a suspicious look. "Like you said, it can't do anything to me. And it may be important to use later on." Martinet raised an eyebrow. "Just trust me, doc."

Martinet rolled his eyes. "I suppose I will. I think everything else (except for your right hand, which is being remedied now) is in working order, so you're free to go." Zach nodded his thanks and started to head toward the exit.

*****

"So, remind me again," grumbled Greybeard, "why be we here? 'Cause I'd much rather be gettin' me sleeps right now rather than wanderin' th' ruins o' LEGO City at dawn." The old pirate glanced around, taking in the sight of a typical residential street that had been wrecked by Mutant Dinos.

"If you notice," explained King Joseph Race, "these buildings have been wrecked much more recently compared to most of the city. You see, about midway through the year, Dino Attack Team had cleared some sections of the city of Mutant Dinos, making them safe to be repopulated. This residential area is one such area, and as soon as it was cleared, some construction crews came up here and rebuilt these homes, and a couple of families moved up here and took up residence. Now, the problem is... people were too hasty in trying to return to normalcy, sacrificing their own safety in their rush to act like we already made it through the worst of the Dino Attack. This area of LEGO City was not as clear as Dino Attack Team thought it was. A pack of Mutant Raptors came in and tore up the place."

"Any survivors?" inquired Greybeard. "I doubt it, but..."

"That's what we're here for," said King Race, shrugging. "Besides, I thought the two of us could use a little bonding time... it's been years since we've last seen each other, and yet this is the first time we've truly interacted in the Dino Attack."

Greybeard nodded in agreement. "So, eh, how be things wi' yer son, Samuel?"

King Race smiled to himself. "He's definitely got some of his father in him. And he's not just a racer, either; he's also a pilot, which is why he's been spending a lot of time with Dino Attack Team piloting T-1 Typhoons, giving airlifts, transporting supplies and agents, and such. The one thing is... he's still used to having a casual life on Sandy Bay. I am old, Greybeard, and he is my only heir. I just hope sooner or later he comes to accept that, one day, my sun will set, and my son will rise."

"Wait, what?" said Greybeard, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, come now," King Race said as he frowned lightheartedly. "I was trying to be poetic. Or maybe just punny." As they approached a dumpster, the Space Knights king dared to ask: "Now, how about you, Greybeard? Do you have any family?"

Greybeard paused as he opened the dumpster. "Well, ye see-"

A shape jumped out of the dumpster and tackled Greybeard to the ground. The old pirate was too stunned to react, but King Joseph Race ignited his laser saber. The futuristic sword's illumination shed light on Greybeard's attacker, and they were both surprised to see that it was not a Mutant Lizard, but rather a little girl wielding a broken hammer.

The girl, too, was surprised. She stared at Greybeard with shock, dropped the broken hammer, and whispered: "G-Grandpa?"

Greybeard blinked. "Eh?" he muttered, too surprised to say any words.

Deciding that she was not a threat, King Joseph Race lowered his laser saber and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. "My dear," he spoke gently, "what is your name?"

"Mary," murmured the girl, so quietly she was barely even heard. "Mary Rose."

"Mary Rose," said King Race, nodding. "That's a beautiful name. What are you doing out here?"

Mary Rose shuddered. She looked to be only five or six years old. "Mommy and Daddy... we went to the South Pole where there is no dinosaurs... but then they said there's no dinosaurs at home anymore... so me and Mommy and Daddy went back home, and we saw dinosaurs... I can't find Mommy and Daddy!" She began crying.

Ah, belay that! Yer parents be dead, and thar be no point in wastin' yer energy cryin'! Now, belay that an' grow up, ye little wench! That's what Greybeard wanted to say. In any other circumstance, that is what he would have said. Instead, for some reason, he could not muster these words. He stood up, patted her head with his one hand, and whispered, "Dinnae ye worry now. We'll find yer parents. I promise."

He immediately regretted saying this obvious lie when Mary, naive and sweet, looked up at him with such irresistible eyes. "You'll keep me safe, right? Grandpa?" she asked.

Greybeard hesitated, but then he nodded. "O' course, me granddaughter."

"Come," said King Race, gesturing. "We should get you back to headquarters. It's much safer there." As they walked back towards their vehicle, King Race bent in close to Greybeard and whispered in a barely-audible voice: "I didn't know you had a granddaughter."

"I don't!" hissed Greybeard. "Thar be only one woman I e'er loved, an' she danced a fine dance long b'fore she could conceive a child. It be impossible. I be certain that I be completely unrelated t' Mary. I probably just 'appen t' look like her grandfather, like how I look like Black Jack Hawkins an' Colonel Colt Carson; that be all. But..." He laid his one good eye on the little girl who was hugging his leg. "Thar be somethin' about her that makes me feel protective o' her. As if, e'en though I dinnae 'ave any granddaughters... if I did, she'd be like Mary Rose."

----

Silencia Venomosa pushed the revolving door and entered the main lobby of Dacta Corporation. Taking a glance at her letter and then at the giant sign posted, she figured out which floor she needed to go, and was able to catch the elevator before its doors closed. The elevator was crowded, hot, and sticky, as men in business suits surrounded her.

The elevator ascended, and she waited patiently until it stopped at the 13th floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she brushed her way past the other elevator occupants and walked out into the hallway. The hallway was lined with priceless inventions and machines invented by Dacta over the years, contained in glass cases and marked with plaques that identified each machine, its inventor, and date of creation. Instinctively, as Venomosa passed these inventions, she wondered how each one could be used, if needed, to kill someone or make an escape.

At last, she stopped at a desk. There sat Ursula Bennett, a fat receptionist with big rimmed glasses, too much lipstick, and a ridiculous hairstyle. Venomosa waited at the desk, but the receptionist was too busy chatting on the phone to notice her. Silently, she began tapping her fingers on the desk, waiting to be addressed. She took in her surrounding area, making mental notes about possible escape routes.

Finally, Ursula noticed her, put down the phone, and asked in a nasally voice, "Oh, honey, why didn't ya say something?"

Silencia Venomosa frowned, an unspoken answer to the question. Somehow, the way Ursula said "honey" took a sweet word and made it sound just so condescending.

"Now, do ya have an appointment?" asked Ursula, obnoxiously chewing on gum as she spoke.

She nodded, holding up the envelope containing the letter that Bartholomew Enderson passed on to her. The receptionist reached for it, but Venomosa quickly put it away.

"Alright," muttered Ursula as she checked the schedule, "what's ya name?"

Silencia Venomosa did not reply, but rolled her eyes. She could not believe that she had to deal with this. Normally, she would have scaled the building's walls with her own custom-made gear and come in through the window to the corporate executive's office, but the letter specifically stated not to do so. She imagined that the last thing that the executive wanted was a heart attack from her sudden and silent entrance into his room through the window.

"Look, honey, what's ya name?" said Ursula. "What, are ya deaf or somethin'?"

Venomosa glared at the receptionist, tapping her fingers on the desk. This pencil-pushing red tape was wasting precious time.

The receptionist, who had the audacity to give a disgusted sigh, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and waited. "Hi, sorry to bother ya, but I got this weird lady here who says she's got an appointment with ya but she won't tell me her name or any..."

She paused as the man on the other line spoke. Confusion appeared on her expression, much to Venomosa's pleasure.

"Oh, um... okay. Whatevah ya say, honey. I'll tell her to go right in." Ursula hung up the phone, but by the time she opened her mouth again, Venomosa was already gone.

She strode around the desk and made for the door on the other side. She confirmed that it was her destination by quickly reading the plaque on the door, which read "EDWARD KORRUPTE: Dacta Chief Executive Officer"

----

Tech waited silently around the corner. He heard footsteps coming from down the adjacent hallway. Smiling grimly, he tightened his grip on his wrench. The footsteps grew louder. His target drew nearer. Tech held his breath. The footsteps were now at their loudest. His target had arrived.

Quick as a jackrabbit, Tech darted out from his position and swung his wrench down with all of his might. It hit with a loud clang, and his target immediately crumpled to the floor. There, they laid on their stomach, unmoving.

Tech laughed in triumph. "Thought you could go 'round mah hallways and not get noticed?" jeered Tech, beating one hand with his wrench. "Thought you could just disable mah sentries and not face the consequences? Thought you could be a wily lil' coyote and catch yourself a roadrunner? Well, I've got an answer for you, buddy."

With his head held high along with his hat, Tech proudly proclaimed: "Nope."

Tech looked over the still form of his fallen foe. He thought about the rumors of a mole, and thought with glee about when he could announce the news that the traitor had been caught. Then, he considered the fact that he had acted so quickly with his trusty wrench, he did not even know who the mole was. Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge overcame Tech's scientific mind. He gently kicked the mole's side until they rolled over onto their back, revealing their face. It was a face Tech recognized.

That was Tech's first shock. He jumped back with horror, only managing to produce a feeble "Agh!"

Then came Tech's second shock. The mole was very conscious and was waiting for Tech to roll them over. Pressed against their torso was a pistol, hidden while they were lying on their stomach. Now that it was exposed, they fired at will.

The gunshot rang through the hallways. Then, Tech fell.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 54: Stirred Hive

----

Dr. Cyborg was in the cafeteria trying the breakfast pizza when his sensors picked up a faint gunshot.  "Gotta go," he said.

"What's up?" Andrew asked.

"I heard a gunshot. I think that's my cue as self-appointed, de facto internal police." He left the cafeteria and started making his way to the source of the gunshot, changing to battle mode as he did. 

*****

"Alright," Angel Eyes said as he opened up a briefcase. "I think we can split this evenly three-way. 1000 dollars, that would be 300 for me, 300 for you, and 300 for Mari- no wait, that's not going to work."

Clint stared impatiently as Angel Eyes tried to divide the money he had been given for his role in Gold City. "... 200 for me, 200 for you, 200 for Mari- no wait."

"Where is Maria, anyway?" Clint said curiously.

Angel Eyes looked up. "She seems to have wandered off," he replied. "Probably busy doing some things she wasn't allowed to do in El Paso."

Clint smiled. At that moment, Maria suddenly burst through the door.

"Hey," Angel Eyes said. "We were just talking about you."

"You gotta come quick," Maria said with a look of seriousness in her eye. "Somethin's happened. Somethin' real bad."

"What do you mean?"

"You ain't goin' to believe me until you see 'im."

Clint slowly got to his feet as Angel Eyes put down the money. They followed Maria out the door and into a nearby hallway where they saw a familiar corpse. "He's been shot," Maria said. "I ain't got no idea who done it or why."

Clint bent down and examined the body closer. "Tech," muttered Angel Eyes. "This was the guy who thought no one could outdo his guns."

"Well," mused Clint, "someone did. He knew too much."

"You think it was the mole?" asked Angel Eyes.

"That would be one explanation," replied Clint.

"We ought to do something," replied Maria. "Should we tell 'em about... you know?"

"No," replied Clint. "Not yet, not until we are absolutely sure. Just be careful of anyone else you run into."

*****

As Zach was about to reach the door, Nazareno appeared, a golden metal hand in his grip. "I have finished your hand," he stated plainly.

"Great," Zach said, accepting the hand and connect it to his wrist. He shuddered as the wires of the hand connected to the nerves in his wrist. He wiggled his fingers. "Thank you again." Nazareno bowed his head.

As he stared at the hand, he remembered the time when his first prosthetic hand had been built. How he hadn't wanted a hand with a gun built into it, comparing it to Stromlings and the various weapon attachments to their arms. He smiled. If this was some fictional story, it would've been some excellent foreshadowing for what was to come. Or delicious irony, I'm never quite sure.

Nazareno pushed past Zach and approached Marco Martinet. "Are there any more people in need of prosthetics?"

"Yes!" Martinet responded. "If you will follow me..."

As Martinet and Nazareno turned and started to discuss prosthetics, Zach approached a dark-haired woman wearing a labcoat. "Excuse me..."

"Dr. Naomi Hale," she said, smiling slightly. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. Do you think there are any glasses here I could use? These were sort of scavenged off a fallen agent and aren't in great shape."

Zach handed the glasses to her. She looked at them briefly before nodding. She turned and left Zach for a minute before she returned with a new pair of glasses. Naomi Hale adjusted them briefly before giving them to Zach. He placed them on his head.

"This will work," he said, blinking several times as he adjusted to the flawless vision. "Thank you."

Dr. Hale nodded, smiling.

Zach turned and exited the infirmary. What to do now? he thought. Looking at his torn and dirty uniform, he came to a decision. Time to bathe.

With that, he started looking for a shower.

*****

Minerva gnawed on a pizza thoughtfully as she listened to Zelda speak. Minerva liked Zelda well enough. She was just rather... chatty. She seemed extremely energetic and always ready to move. She also decided Zelda had some one-sided crush on Nazareno, which Minerva found extremely amusing.

As they talked, Minerva saw Commander Holly Vinyaya approach their table, holding a tray of food. She looked at Zelda and her eyes widened immediately. Minerva hoped she wouldn't have to talk Vinyaya against shooting Zelda. To her surprise, Vinyaya just rolled her eyes and took a seat next to Zelda.

"You took that rather well," Minerva noted as Zelda was silenced in the presence of Vinyaya.

"It's becoming rather annoying," Vinyaya said. "I suppose the medics fixed you somehow after vivisecting you, Frodongan?"

Zelda nodded quietly. She seemed rather uncomfortable next to the commander.

Vinyaya slapped Zelda's back in a comforting manner. "I am willing to look past most of that battle, Zelda. I'm not going to kill you unless you give me a reason to."

Zelda smiled weakly. "I'm sorry about that incident," she said. "It's not exactly a fun thing to think about. I killed a man and played somewhat of a role in leaving a man without a leg." Minerva watched as guilt and regret began to appear on Zelda's face. 

"It's fine," Minerva said with certainty. "You and Zach weren't in control. It was all the Darkitect's doing." Zelda nodded, but there was still some doubt on her face. "If it could clear your conscience, you could go apologize to Hotwire over there." Minerva pointed over to the Elite Agent, who was conversing and eating pizza with two other agents.

Zelda bit her lip. "Maybe later," she said, turning her glance from Hotwire back to her food.

Minerva smiled reassuringly. "He seems like a reasonable person," she continued. "He was also in the Maelstrom Temple, so I doubt he's had any time to develop any contempt toward you." Regardless, Zelda refused to go speak to him yet. Minerva shrugged.

"So, now," Vinyaya said, eager to change the subject. "I hear this pizza is better than the stuff they used to serve at Jo-Co's Space Diner before Kranxx blew it up..." 

*****

Asking around had proved futile. He must have volunteered under a codename, Helm thought, leafing through a hard copy of the Agent Database. He'd gone through all the H's anyway, just in case -- Hacker, himself, Hertz, three Hunters, and so forth -- as well as the J's for good measure. No luck.

Nothing for it then; he set aside the files he'd already checked, and then returned to the beginning, flipping through every single file individually. A few agents gave him funny looks but he ignored them.

Even if it took all day, Bartholomew Helmutson was going to find his son.

*****

Hotwire chomped absently on another pizza slice as Wright let out a peal of laughter. "You were right," she said. "Your codename does fit you."

Hotwire smirked and swallowed. "Which one'd you tell her?"

"The time you wired the light switches to the fire alarms," Shiller chuckled.

Hotwire grinned. Shiller's tales of their school days were doing a great deal of help in getting his mind off of recent events. He'd always felt that the past, unless specifically and directly related to one's present situation, was irrelevant, but he had to admit now that a ghost from your past appearing right in front of you wasn't always a bad thing.

Only... there was something that was bothering him. Some detail he could feel burrowing its way up through the layers of his brain. A tingle on the back of his neck alerted him of someone else's attention. He glanced over and saw Zelda, sitting with Minerva and Vinyaya, quickly look down. No hard feelings about the leg, he thought to himself. She was as good as forgiven.

Only... Hotwire couldn't look at her without simultaneously seeing Tracer, pale and short of breath, hooked up to all those machines...

And that was it, that's what was bothering him.

Swerve and Sarah are long gone, and the same for Kotua, Sauro's disappeared, Tracer's dead, and Kat... well, Kat may as well be dead... He looked back at Shiller and Wright again. How much longer before I lose them too?

Everyone in the mess hall jumped in surprise as there was a loud gunshot. As the shot rang out, Hotwire, Shiller, and Wright turned in surprise to see a gunslinger standing on a table in the middle of the room.

Angel Eyes put his gun into his holster as he looked at the crowd. "I hate to report that one of our agents is dead," he said toward the crowd staring at him. "Tech's body was found in this building, so we know the killer must have been someone on this team. Now I can't confirm this, but while in Gold City my colleagues and I heard... rumors about a possible mole in the team, and this is starting to make it appear to be true. I suggest that, from now on, you make sure to keep a careful eye on any and all agents you interact with, since they must be someone in this building. Questions?"

The room was silent. Having finished his announcement, Angel Eyes lit his pipe, stepped down, and turned for the door.

"I think I know who's behind this," Trigger muttered, lighting a cigarette. "I tried to warn them that hiring that MegaBloking 4+ Figure Silencia Venomosa was a bad idea." He started to stand up. "Well, I guess it's time to go kill a hired gun. You up for it?"

Snake slowly got to his feet and followed Trigger out of the room.

Hotwire's eyes narrowed as Trigger and Snake immediately left the mess hall. "Now that looks awfully suspicious to me," he said to his compatriots. He stood awkwardly. "Znap it, unarmed again. Thought I learned my lesson yesterday morning."

Wright pulled a handgun from her boot and handed it to him. "You kick around with us and we'll cure you of that habit pretty quick." She pulled two more guns from her belt, and Shiller drew a long pistol from inside his jacket.

Hotwire nodded and reached for his crutch, but Wright shook her head. "Too noisy. Use my shoulder instead." Hotwire raised an eyebrow, but complied, and the three of them quickly followed Snake and Trigger.

Vinyaya stood up quickly after Angel Eyes's announcement. "What are you going to do?" Minerva asked.

"Help with any investigation," Vinyaya said, making sure her weapon was still on her person. "We get a lot of Black Hole Gang moles in the Space Police ranks and I have a rather good idea on how to spot them. I'm going to go find Specs and the other Founding Members and help them get the bottom of this." Vinyaya then quickly jogged away from them and left the mess hall.

"More spies?" Zelda said, annoyed.

"Welcome to the opposite end of spying," Minerva said jokingly, referencing Zelda's old role while working with the Maelstrom. "The person being spied on."

Zelda rolled her eyes and glanced around. There was small amount of panic among the agents at the news of Tech's murder. Several people stood up and left the cafeteria to whereabouts unknown. "What do you think we should do?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know. Assuming neither of us are the mole-"

"I have an alibi," Zelda interrupted. "I was with Nazareno the whole time before I came here."

"And I was with Zach," Minerva said. "So that disregards them."

"Where are they anyway? Still building Zach's hand?"

"Yeah." Minerva bit her lip. She hoped that this mole didn't reach Zach or Nazareno. "They will be fine. They can take care of themselves."

"Well I doubt this mole is just going to be killing people he meets in the hallway alone," Zelda said, waving her hand. "He probably killed Tech because he found out who he was. He will only start killing a lot of people when Dino Attack figures out who he is."

Minerva smirked. "Quite an understanding of the spying game."

"Shut up," Zelda said, smiling weakly. "That was how I did it. When Vinyaya revealed me in front of nearly every Elite Agent on Adventurers' Island, I had no choice but to kill everyone to try and get out. However, if they had killed me, I had already passed on the information I had learned to Zach, so I still would've succeeded in my main goal: gathering intel."

"So it's a safe bet that this guy already passed on what he learned to XERRD."

"If he was smart. And if there was any relevant information to the next mission, the Founding Members would do well to change their plans to catch XERRD off-guard."

"Hmm," Minerva nodded as she took a drink of milk. "So we're fine sitting here and eating?"

"For now," Zelda said as she took a bite out of a biscuit. "Just keep your eyes peeled."

*****

Personally, Naomi Carver did not expect Rotor's injuries to be particularly serious. For the most part, it was congruent with wounds she treated on agents who had been in a particularly nasty barfight.

With the help of Doctor Pierce, she got Rotor onto a stretcher and carried him out of the hangar. It seemed unnecessary, but the doctor was concerned with the prospect of a concussion. They would need to run some basic diagnostic tests to ensure that his brain functions still met the control.

She had to admit, he did look beat up. He was still awake, which was a good sign, though his face was very bloody. Naomi carefully washed it away to check for possible skull damage.

"Do you intend to bring him into surgery?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," responded Pierce. "I'll need some X-rays to determine if there are any skull fractures. That's my biggest concern right now."

They carried him into the medical ward and placed him in a bed not far from Hertz's. Wade and Crusher soon followed with Cabin's stretcher. Cabin also had been hit by a rifle butt, and Carver could tell it looked much more serious than Rotor's. He had been hit more times, but based on the injury on Cabin's face, there was more force to her impact.

"She likely has a skull fracture, probably depressed at the Maxilla, Nasal, and Zygomatic," said Wade. "She has many of the symptoms; Cabin here is bleeding from the nose, eyes sockets, and around the eyes. It also appears the pupils have dilated."

"We're going to need some X-rays to check the extent of the damage," said Crusher "I'm afraid we're going to need to check for brain damage on her as well."

"What about the face?" asked Naomi.

"Miss Bishop hit Cabin very hard. We might need to perform some reconstructive surgery on it."

In the background, Rotor vomited. Doctor Hale rushed over beside Pierce. "That's not a good sign," said Hale. "We need to get him in surgery right away! He probably has some form of compound fracture. Carver, get some anesthetics right now!"

She did as she was told. It appeared Rotor's injuries were worse than she initially thought. At first, she found it slightly amusing that a girl's mother had bludgeoned him. A lot of people thought he had it coming, but now she recognized the risks.

She followed Cabin and Rotor's gurneys to the ER. Both Cabin and Rotor were at incredible risk of having permanent brain damage; this was far more serious than she initially thought.

Things were hectic throughout the emergency room. Crusher placed two X-Rays of Rotor's skull onto a large flat light.

"Well," Pierce said, "they'll live, provided we can get to work immediately. We're going to need to stop the bleeding and relieve pressure on the brain."

Hertz lied in bed, watching the whole event take place. It seemed Rotor had finally received his just rewards. Cabin, on the other hand, did not deserve what happened to her. He hopped that whoever did this to her would be held responsible. A lot of agents lately were getting away with brutally attacking each other and receiving absolutely no consequences.

He nibbled on the slice of pizza that Zach had brought him. It was nice to see him un-purple. The two had never gotten much chance to talk before, and he hoped that would change in the future. Hertz liked Zach and he wished the best for the agent.

He glanced over at the wide window that showed the operating room. He caught of brief glance at the interior before Naomi Carver closed the curtain. Despite what it appeared on the tarmac, reuniting with her and been extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

He had looked into her eyes at the Temple of Creation and snapped her neck with his Cosmotronic Ray. He had no idea how he had been able to kill her, but it felt strange looking at her after that experience. He felt incredibly guilty.

In addition, this was the first time he had seen her since his disastrous proposal. He had left her crying and alone, but now she seemed to have recovered.

Hertz never had been good at reading social cues. Had she moved on? Did she feel any differently about him since he returned? All of this seemed small in the face of the simple fact that they had only known each other for a few days.

"I must seem pretty pathetic right now," muttered Hertz. Out of all the injuries he had received in the last few days, most of them were because of his own stupidity. He had fantasies about having a relationship with a woman he barely knew, and in addition, while everyone partied out in the mess hall, he sat alone in the empty hospital ward.

"What a wonderful way to spend my first night back," he said to himself. He looked around at the empty wing. "I wish I had a drink."

He rolled over and considered going to sleep. It would be the first time in days that he got any rest. He closed his eyes but a gunshot in the mess hall made him open them. There was some commotion there but Hertz opted to forget it. Instead, he drifted off into the endless realm of sleep.

----

Silencia Venomosa silently opened the door and stepped into the Chief Executive Officer's office. Instantly, she began noting everything about the room, including the portraits hanging on the wall; the framed awards, certificates, and cut-outs from The Daily Brick; the large and expensive wooden desk cluttered with writing utensils, paperwork, picture frames, and one paperweight that could possibly be used as a blunt weapon should the need arise, with one large comfortable chair on either side of the desk; and the window on the far side of the room, looking out over the skyline of LEGO Town.

Facing the window, with his back turned towards Venomosa, was a middle-aged man in a gray suit. In case one missed the plaque on the door, there was another plaque on his desk that read his name: Edward Korrupte. He did not turn around for some time, and Venomosa realized that he must not have heard her come in. Thus, she walked around his desk and approached the window until she was standing next to Mr. Korrupte.

It was out of his peripheral vision that he finally noticed her. With a start, he exclaimed: "Oh, it's you!" He quickly regained his composure, fixed his tie, and requested, "I do apologize, I did not hear you come in. Please, take a seat, and we'll discuss our business."

Silencia Venomosa nodded, and so she walked back around the desk and took a seat in the chair opposite Mr. Korrupte.

The CEO did not sit down right away, instead leaning on his chair and staring at Venomosa with disbelief. "So, at last, I have the pleasure of meeting you face-to-face," he murmured quietly. "But you are so... young. Given your... résumé, I imagined that you were considerably older. You're not even twenty, are you?"

Venomosa frowned, raised an eyebrow, and tapped her fingers against his desk. It was not uncommon for her employers to be surprised by her young age, but for her, it could only happen so many times before she grew weary of it. She wanted to get past the formalities as quickly as possible so she could learn exactly what she was being hired for.

"I'm Edward Korrupte," he introduced himself, extending a hand towards Venomosa. "CEO of Dacta Corporation. It truly is a privilege to be working with you, Ms. Venomosa."

Politely, Venomosa took Korrupte's hand and shook it.

"Now, then," Mr. Korrupte clasped his hands together, "I'm sure you have come with many questions regarding your employment. Most importantly, 'what'. But, I hope you don't mind if I answer 'why' first, and give you a little exposition regarding the circumstances that have led me to hiring you."

Edward Korrupte turned his back on Silencia Venomosa and strode back to the window. Watching him do so, Venomosa thought to herself that Korrupte was a foolish man to believe that he could turn his back on her; had someone else already bought her loyalties, that would have been the perfect moment to backstab him. Since she was not hired to kill him... yet... she let it go for now, but felt a little disappointed that her employers would not know better than to always keep their eyes on her at all times.

Looking out the window, Mr. Korrupte sighed. "Ah, LEGO Town. Such a prosperous and ever-growing example of some of the best that LEGO has to offer. And, for years, my company, Dacta Corporation, helped shape this town and make it what it is today. Over the years, we have poured our resources into continuing to build upon what our founders have created. We've educated the world on the possibilities of Duplo and Technic. We've funded expeditions to Egypt, overseen the restoration of historic landmarks in Castle Cove, and greatly supported the vehicle industry. Ms. Venomosa, this company has been in my family for three generations. I would do anything to keep it from going under."

Venomosa raised her eyebrows, interested.

"Now, recently, another company has stepped up to the plate. Mindstorms, Incorporated. While Dacta was once undoubtedly the number-one producer of modern technology, Mindstorms threatens to take that position away from us. Frankly, I'm rather certain, for all their high-tech gadgets, robots, and inventions, that they have been stealing our resources and ideas. Fame is a fickle friend, and already the world is starting to forget all that Dacta is done and is instead drooling over every new product put on the market by Mindstorms. I can't do a thing about this, but I'm not about to sit by and watch my company crash and burn after so many years of unchallenged success."

Edward Korrupte turned around to face Silencia Venomosa once more. She nodded and made a gesture for him to continue.

"Supposedly, Mindstorms, Inc. has been working on a new product codenamed NXT, rumored to change the world forever. I need eyes and ears in Mindstorms so I can figure out what this NXT business is all about. Someone on the inside that I can trust. Someone who won't talk back or spill the beans. And that's where you come in, Ms. Venomosa. I need you to find out what Mindstorms, Inc. is planning in those dark and decrepit backrooms behind that polished silver exterior of their main office building. I can see that, in your silence, observation is one of your greatest skills, and therefore I have no doubt that you would be perfect for this job."

Silencia Venomosa blinked and raised an eyebrow. An infiltration? It was no doubt something she was more than capable of performing above and beyond her client's expectations, but it seemed a little odd to her. Nearly every one of her clients wanted her to bring in someone with a huge price on his head or to assassinate a key figure. That was what she was most infamous for. It seemed odd that Edward Korrupte would try to hire her, a reputed killer, for a quiet infiltration mission. So, she crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and cocked her head ever-so-slightly, as if asking if that was all.

Mr. Korrupte bit his lip. While he was not nearly as skilled at reading her expressions as her brother (and they had fallen out long ago, so she had not seen him in years), he could sense that she suspected that he was not saying everything. Clearing his throat, he declared, "That is all I wish for you to do at the moment. Should the moment arise where you must... take greater measures, I'll find some way to contact you. But for now, all that I ask of you is to infiltrate Mindstorms, Inc. and feed information back to me on what they are up to."

He sighed and shook his head. "Even now, I bet, that upstart windbag who is running Mindstorms has hired his own mercenary, most likely to infiltrate my own company, as I have done with you. I'd hate for this to end as a repeat of Reliable Excavation Deconstruction and Brick League United, but I fear I have no choice but to act first if he has not done so already."

Venomosa nodded. She remembered the history of Reliable Excavation Deconstruction and Brick League United. One company was founded for the purpose of building; the other, for deconstruction. Any other time, it would not have been a major intercorporate conflict... but the problem was that they were founded by brothers who had a severe case of sibling rivalry. Their disputes and arguments culminated in the 1950s, when each company hired a team of mercenaries to infiltrate the other company. That... ended badly. Luckily, since then, the two brothers had passed away due to old age, and their successors managed to build far more peaceful relations between the two companies.

"Alright then," concluded Edward Korrupte, "if either of us has any questions or new information, we shall contact each other. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Venomosa."

Silencia Venomosa frowned and began tapping her fingers on his desk.

"Oh, right," Mr. Korrupte said as he scratched head, a little sheepishly. He bent down and picked up a briefcase. Opening it, he showed off stacks and stacks of $100 bills. "Here is half your payment up front. When I feel that your mission is complete, I'll reward your services with the other half."

Venomosa's eyes widened as she looked at all that money... and it was only half of her full payment. Nodding, she stood and took the briefcase from Mr. Korrupte. They shook hands one last time, and she started for the door.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Venomosa paused and turned around.

Edward Korrupte slowly sat down in his own chair, with a grim expression as he locked eyes with Venomosa. "This conversation never happened. We are the only ones who know that you and I were here together. Understand?"

Of course. It was silly and paranoid to think otherwise. Silencia Venomosa nodded, then opened the door and slipped out back into the hallway.

As she made her way back to the elevator, she passed Ursula Bennett once again. "Had a good time, honey?" the receptionist gave a false smile, her nasally voice making her comment even more obnoxious.

Venomosa paused for just a second. She turned back and glanced at the receptionist.

Then, Silencia Venomosa turned away and resumed walking to the elevator. This time, she smiled to herself. It was a dark and sinister smile, the smile flashed by a serpent as it cornered its doomed prey. Edward Korrupte had requested that only the two of them know about the meeting that was held in Dacta Corporation that day. Surely, Ursula Bennett, who had seen a silent young woman enter the CEO's office today, knew too much.

I'll just make it look like an accident, thought Silencia Venomosa, with sadistic pleasure.

----

Trigger and Snake worked their way through several corridors, trying to find the ever-elusive Silencia Venomosa. Bedrooms and washrooms yielded nothing. They searched every room, every closet they found. Every time they found a door, they'd open it, until finally they found what they were looking for: Amanda walking down a hallway by herself.

"Man, what an unusual hiding place," Snake muttered sarcastically.

"It's a trick. Whatever you do, don't let your guard down," warned Trigger. He raised his gun slowly and, as quietly as he could, snuck up on her. As she paused to look out a window, he quickly ran up to her, grabbed her right around the neck, pulled her away from the glass pane, and put a gun to the side of her head.

"Who set us up?" Trigger asked coldly. "WHO SET US UP!?"

Amanda remained silent, though she glared intensely at him.

"DON'T ZNAP WITH ME!" Trigger shouted as she struggled to break free of his grip. "Was it you? I bet it was you, Silencia."

"I'm not-"

"DON'T TRY TO PLAY INNOCENT WITH ME!" Trigger shouted. "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE DOUBLE-CROSSED ME BACK AT MINDSTORMS!"

"What?"

"Oh, that's right. YOU KILLED FIVE OF MY MEGABLOKING COLLEAGUES, YOU 4+ FIGURE! YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD ME WHEN MY CAR VEERED OFF THE ROAD AND LANDED IN THAT MEGABLOKING DITCH!"

After a good fifteen minutes of shuffling through the hallways, Hotwire, Shiller, and Wright suddenly heard shouting up ahead. Shiller and Wright darted over against the wall, nodded to each other, and burst around the corner.

"Nobody move!" Shiller shouted, as Hotwire hobbled onto the scene. Trigger had Amanda in a headlock, with a gun pressed to her temple, and Snake was standing by, armed as well.

"Drop the gun," Wright ordered, both of her pistols pointed at Trigger's head. The mercenary growled. "I said, DROP THE GUN, YOU 4+ FIGURE."

"Are you Znapping kidding me?" Trigger shouted. "After I went to all this trouble to--"

"Can it," Shiller snapped. "Save your excuses for the court-martial. I think they're punishing treason with death these days."

"I did have my suspicions when you went to so much effort to try and keep us out of the Maelstrom Temple," said Wright, "but I wasn't sure until now. Now DROP YOUR GUN."

"Wait, what?" said Hotwire. "Oh good heavens, Trigger isn't the mole. True, he's a total Jack Stone, and he'd probably get along swimmingly with Duke, but he hasn't been here nearly long enough to be worth informing XERRD. The worst that'll happen to him is incarceration as an accomplice to treason. No, Trigger's nothing more than the hired muscle for the real mole... who's still in this room."

He swung around and pointed his gun at Snake. "You've been on this team almost as long as me, haven't you? You must've thought you were pretty clever," he said. "Keeping a low profile, letting half the team think you're dead... We might not have found you if it hadn't been for your trigger-happy buddy--" he jerked his head towards Trigger -- "but now, my one-eyed friend, you're nicked."

*****

Carl Lutsky was led to a small white room in the basement of the Dino Attack Headquarters. It had one chair and one cot; aside from that, it was vacant.

The guards escorting him deposited him in the room before turning to leave. "How long am I going to be kept in this prison?" demanded the ex-commander. "Hopefully not long. We all have work to do, agent. By keeping me locked up, you'll be inhibiting the success of the mission."

"We've been instructed to not engage in conversation with you, agent Lutsky," said the guard. "If there is anything you need, you may contact us. Otherwise, we expect you to remain quiet and cause no trouble. Is that understood?"

"You are out of line, agent," said Carl Lutsky. "When addressing a superior officer, I expect to be treated with the respect I've earned."

The guards said nothing.

"I addition, I should not be treated like some criminal. These are the same rooms that are used to hold XERRD operatives. I don't think I deserve to be degraded to that degree, now, do I?"

The guard still said nothing.

"I have done nothing to merit this kind of treatment. Yes, I shot a man, but by doing so, I saved the operation from catastrophic failure."

He stopped to wait for a response from the guards, but they said nothing.

"Answer me," said Lutsky sternly.

No response.

"That's an order."

Nothing

"ANSWER ME, BRICKIT!"

"That's enough, Mr. Lutsky," said a new voice. The guards left the hallway, leaving Lutsky alone with the newcomer. He looked frantically around before spotting a peg-legged man standing in the shadows. "Good evening, Carl," said the man. "My name is Doctor Nicholas Saran. I believe we have a lot to talk about."

*****

Digger put his feet up on his desk as he offered Solomon Koplowitz a cup of coffee. The doctor waved it away and took a seat in another chair in the founding member's office.

"I'm sorry, agent Digger, I'm afraid I prefer tea," said Solomon.

"Suit yourself, I'm afraid we don't have very good coffee around here anyway," said Digger. "We have not been able to perform much containment in the Amazon area, hence the coffee exports have trickled down to almost nothing."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Solomon. "I feel horrible considering what role we played in all of this."

"Well, you're not the first member of XERRD to defect, Doctor Koplowitz. You are, however, the first member to sit down with me in my office."

Digger rose from his desk to walk about the room. "The others would say that I should not talk to you, Doctor Koplowitz. I'm still not sure that they have particularly trusted me since Antarctica, and I feel I've been out of the loop lately. I choose to have this conversation here as opposed to a cell because of its privacy. Seeing me talk to a leading member of XERRD would further ingrain the idea into their heads that I 'go easy' on the adversary. Others, like Shadow and Viper, would prefer that I keep you looked up in the detention levels until you prove yourself to be of some use to us."

Digger pretended to take great interest in a bone lying on his shelf before once again taking a seat at his desk. "I prefer to take a more civilized approach."

"That's nice of you, Digger," said Solomon. "However, I doubt that you brought me here to make small talk."

"Well, you're right of course, Doctor Koplowitz," responded the founding member. "Over the last few months, my attempts to find a cure for the mutant dinosaurs has been regarded as foolish by my colleagues. We made considerable progress some time ago, only to lose our research in a Mutant T-Rex attack, and then Doctor Einstein was reassigned before we could get back to speed. Any work to perfect an antidote for the mutation serum has continuously been shoved aside in favor of simply increasing the caliber of our weapons."

Digger sighed and sat back in his chair. "I dislike the path the dino team is taking. We started as a means to capture the mutants but have become something more like a means to exterminate them. I've expressed my concerns to Specs, but look where that got me. I'm seen as too radical now."

"That may not necessarily be your fault, Digger," said Koplowitz. "During my time working with XERRD, we distributed Maelstrom-infected bricks to stir up negative emotions. That was the reason behind your actions, Digger. The fault was not your own."

"I am already aware of that," responded Digger. "Regardless, to a certain degree, I did believe them, and I think I still do. I still believe there is hope for the mutants. This war's victory would seem hollow if it was at the price of extinction."

"Digger, you've rambled on for a while," said Solomon, smiling. "Now, why did you bring me here?"

"Because I believe you can help me," said Digger. "I believe you know the cure for the mutant dinosaurs. As of yet, you and Doctor Strangebrick are the highest-ranking members of XERRD to defect. You must have some sort of knowledge about how the mutation works."

Solomon let out a deep sigh. "Digger, by talking to me in private like this, you are further risking your position here in the DINO team. I did extensive reading on your career here, and I don't think that's something you want to throw away."

"But can you help me?" asked Digger.

"You don't understand," said Solomon. "If Specs caught you talking to me, you would certainly face consequences. They would think you are at it again. I've already committed enough sins in my life, Digger; don't make me add destroying your life to that list."

"I don't care, Solomon," responded Digger. "I'm willing to risk it. I want this war to be over as much as the next guy, but not at the cost of throwing away what I believe in."

"Well then, I'm sorry I can't help you," said Solomon, frowning.

Digger's face went dark. "You can't help me, or you won't help me?"

"Both," said Solomon. "I did very little research on the serum itself; I can't give you any information outside of what you probably already know."

"Well, if you won't help me, maybe Doctor Strangebrick would," considered Digger.

"Digger, don't get yourself back into this," said Solomon. "From what I've heard, you've been doing well the last few weeks. Do you want to throw that all away?"

Digger was about to respond when shouting from down the hall interrupted him.

"What's going on?" asked Solomon.

"I don't know," said Digger grimly. "But I don't like the sound of it. We better go and take a look." Digger shoved a gun in his belt and walk briskly down the hall. Solomon shrugged and followed suit.

*****

Dr. Cyborg heard shouting about the mole, coming from the hallway near the founding members' offices. He burst onto the scene, arm cannon raised. When he arrived, he saw Trigger holding his gun to Amanda's neck while Hotwire was shouting at another agent.

Dr. Cyborg raised his arm at Trigger. Holding a gun to a renowned Dino Attack agent was pretty indicative of a spy. "Let go, Trigger!" he yelled, "Or I'll assume you're the spy!" 

"YOU MEGABLOKING SONS OF 4+ FIGURES DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH, DO YOU?!" Trigger shouted. "THE MOLE IS RIGHT HERE! Silencia Venomosa can deny her identity all she wants, but it's obvious her loyalties were bought by XERRD! Trust me when I say that she can and will betray you if your rival offers more money."

Leaning in close to Amanda, he said to her: "Now, you might as well confess, admit you're a MegaBloking traitor, or I swear I will blow your ZNAPPING BRAINS OUT, SILENCIA, AND DO THE REST OF US A FAVOR!"

As the commotion continued to escalate after Dr. Cyborg's sudden appearance, Wright swore violently. "I've had enough of this." She shoved her guns back into her belt.

"Finally," said Trigger, "someone around here listens to reas--"

Then he abruptly stopped speaking. This was because, in the blink of an eye, Wright had leapt forward, deftly wrenching the mercenary's gun out of his grasp with one hand, and punching him square in the face with her other hand. At the same moment, Amanda twisted out from the headlock and struck him in the kneecap. Trigger was already stunned from the punch, so when he was thrown off balance, he hit the floor hard, striking the back of his head. He lay flat on his back, dazed but not unconscious.

Wright tossed the mercenary's gun to Shiller, then turned to Amanda. "You alright?"

"For the most part," Amanda replied, rubbing her neck. "Thank you."

"Good." Wright put her hands on her hips and lowered her voice a bit more. "Mind telling us what all this 'Silencia Venomosa' business is about?" Amanda winced and looked at the floor.

Before she had the chance to say anything more, Hotwire cleared his throat. "If everyone would just calm down for a few minutes, I'm fairly confident we've got our mole right in front of us." He still had his gun trained on Snake.

"What?" exclaimed Dr. Cyborg incredulously. "No, it's got to be Trigger."

"As satisfying as that would be, I think he's above suspicion," replied Hotwire, shaking his head. "He may be the very embodiment of the worst qualities of Duke, O'Cozy, and Dust combined, but he draws way too much attention to himself. The informant would have to be someone who doesn't stick out as much... someone who would benefit from having a loud, aggressive red herring at his side." He glared at Snake. "Anything to say for yourself?"

"I'm no mole, I can swear that much to you," the one-eyed agent growled. "They promised me I'd be a free man if I helped this MegaBlokin' team win, so what would I gain from losing us the war?"

"Duly noted, but you're not quite above my suspicion yet."

"Well, even if Trigger isn't the mole, he did try to assassinate a trusted member of the team," Dr. Cyborg insisted. "That could easily be construed as treason, even if it is not the specific kind of treason we're looking for."

"Good point," Hotwire responded. "Make sure he doesn't have any other weapons, and don't let him out of your sight."

At that moment, Digger rounded the corner, followed by one of the XERRD scientists whom Hertz had captured. "What in the name of Ole is going on here?"

"I'll tell you what!" snapped Trigger, pointing an accusing finger at Amanda. "You hired a MegaBlokin' mole of XERRD!" Trigger was creating such a scene that Ata, who happened to be passing by, stopped to see what going on.

Digger looked at Amanda with surprise, and then shook his head. "Don't be silly," he said. "Agent Claw is easily one of our most trustworthy-"

"She's Silencia Venomosa!" proclaimed Trigger. "For the love of Ole Kirk Christiansen, why are you all so MegaBloking blind? Digger, you and your blokes didn't hire some quiet girl who was a refugee from Antarctica; you hired a mercenary, a professional killer, a terrorist! Mindstorms, Dacta, the Brickfather... do I even need to remind you all of what she has done in the past?"

Amanda watched Digger as he paled. She considered herself lucky that Dr. Cyborg barely remembered his past and that Wright apparently never heard about Silencia Venomosa. Digger, on the other hand, seemed to recall all those horrible headline-breaking stories about the mysterious silent woman who always evaded the authorities... and left death in her wake. "You can't be...?" the founding agent whispered.

For a moment, Amanda remembered how Pterisa reacted when she was exposed in the Maelstrom Temple. The poor creature was horribly insecure of herself and all but completely shut down when she feared that others' trust in her was shaken. The fact that Pterisa was part-Mutant Pterosaur seemed insignificant in comparison to Amanda's past as Silencia Venomosa. For starters, Pterisa was innocent, even if her race was not... but Amanda was entirely guilty of every horrible action committed by Venomosa. While Pterisa hid her identity with samurai armor, Amanda attempted to bury Silencia Venomosa and never look back.

And now, after trying to repress her past for so long, Trigger had just blurted out her darkest secret like it meant nothing to her.

Instinctively, Amanda drew her knife and approached Trigger. She moved slowly, but her silence and poise made her movements akin to that of a serpent about to strike. She stared down Trigger with tranquility that masked a burning inferno of hate and anger. She raised her knife, the same knife that had gutted the stomachs of Mutant Lizards, impaled the abdomen of a Dark Spiderling, and sliced through the flesh and bone of Stromlings, all in the last week. She wanted nothing more than to plunge that knife into Trigger's body.

Then, Amanda tossed aside the knife. Ata watched with surprise as the knife clattered to the floor. All eyes were fixed on Amanda as she spoke, quietly, with fury so tranquil that it filled everyone with utmost dread. "My name is not Silencia Venomosa," she hissed. "I am Amanda Remous, the sister of Roger Remous, a brave geologist and paleontologist who died for Dino Attack Team's cause. I am here to keep his memory alive and avenge his death. That is something worth fighting for, something far greater than money, something you would never understand, Schiess. So never call me Silencia Venomosa again. You may only call me Claw. I said this once before, I'm saying it again now, and if I need to, I shall say it again and again until it is drilled so deep into your brain that not even the real Wallace Bishop could extract it. Do you understand?"

Trigger responded by pulling out yet another gun and pointing it at Amanda. "Go to MegaBlokland," he growled.

Although she did not speak, Amanda smiled coolly, a provocative expression that practically screamed the words "After you!"

The combination of her silence and her smile infuriated Trigger, who almost pulled the trigger in time before Digger, Wright, and Dr. Cyborg all stepped in at once and wrestled the weapon out of his hands.

Amanda continued to smile, but then her attention was drawn to Solomon, whom she recognized from the battle in the Maelstrom Temple. She recalled hearing reports that five out of the sixteen surviving XERRD scientists from that battle had surrendered to the Dino Attack Team, and realized Solomon must have been one of them. With interest, she stared at the XERRD scientist, trying to discern what he was thinking.

When Trigger's weapons were finally confiscated, the mercenary grumbled with disgust. "I think everyone needs to pull their heads out of their hip pieces. Anyone among us can be the mole, and you shouldn't discount anyone just because of how long they have been working with the team or how trustworthy you think they are." He shot a glare towards Amanda, who smiled sweetly in return, which somehow infuriated him even more.

Dr. Cyborg cleared his throat. "Solomon, I don't suppose you remember anything about XERRD's mole in Dino Attack Team?"

Amanda watched Solomon's expression as he shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We knew that we had someone planted in Dino Attack Team, but most of us were not told who it was. I suppose this was deliberately done by Dr. Rex, since if none of us knew anything useful, we could not give it up in an interrogation."

He seemed to be sincere, Amanda thought.

"I suppose the only thing we can do now," murmured Hotwire, "is trust no one until we get down to the bottom of this."

"Keep an eye out for anything suspicious," added Wright. 

"Good idea," said Ata, nodding. "I should probably get back to work..."

Amanda bit her lip. "I suppose I'll need to return to Rex-"

"That reminds me," Digger said as he raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you with Rex?"

Amanda sighed. "Rex has had a long, hard day. I figured that the best thing he needed was a little rest. He refused at first, but only moments after he lied down on his bed, he was unconscious. Me? I've got insomnia, and I felt like I needed a walk as much as Rex needed a rest."

"Okay, just making sure," said Digger, nodding. "Poor guy. Keep an eye on him for me, okay?"

"And an eye out for the mole, as well," added Dr. Cyborg.

Amanda nodded silently, then she turned and departed down the hall. The others watched her go, and Trigger made a silent mental vow, before all was said and done, to hunt down that worthless traitorous backstabbing double-crossing Silencia Venomosa and make her confess in front of the whole Dino Attack Team.

Amanda's own thoughts drifted back to Trigger. She could not help but know that she would wait with almost-eager anticipation for such a final confrontation. It was a loose end that needed to be tied up for good.

"Sir, has anyone determined the exact time Tech was killed?" Hotwire asked Digger, as Amanda walked off down the hall.

"The three of us," he said as he indicated himself, Shiller, and Wright, "had been in the mess hall since 6:45. We'd be able to rule out anyone who was there at the time.

One by one, the crowd that had gathered dispersed. Ata was the last to leave, watching everyone go before deciding that he needed to return to his task.

----

Montoya quickly opened the door to the cab and rolled out as a loud crash was heard below. He slowly got to his feet, worked his way up the hill to the roadside, and turned to admire his work as he lit a cigarette.

"That's a good day's work," Montoya said with a look of excitement as he turned toward Orange and Deniro. "It's one crime they can't pin on us."

"What about the driver?" asked Deniro. "Won't they get suspicious when they open the cab and find blood but no body?"

"He crawled away," replied Montoya. "There's one final step to this plan. We got a gas station down the road. I'll just need to use their payphone."

He quickly climbed into the driver's seat and started up the car. Orange and Deniro climbed in with him and drove down the road to where he had spotted the gas station. Sure enough, there was a payphone. Quickly putting some change into the small slot, Montoya picked up the phone and dialed 911.

"Hello?" Montoya said into the phoneline. "Listen, there's been a very serious accident. I'm currently at a local gas station on 42nd Street. A truck had some problems and drove off the road... I saw the driver get out, but he appeared to be injured badly and he ran off before I could talk to him."

There were a few minutes before Montoya hung up, and smiled.

"How does reporting our own crime help us?" Deniro asked.

"Easy," explained Montoya. "The last people they'll suspect of being responsible for the accident are the people who told them about it to begin with. Now, let's fill this car up and get going."

As soon as the pulled into the Mindstorms, Inc. office, Montoya was quick to climb out alongside Orange and Deniro. They slowly stepped into the lobby and worked their way to the elevator. There was a DING noise as it stopped and the door opened. Soon, they were back in the president's office. Schiess was there, along with Scorsese, Verbal, and Keaton.

"Truck's taken care of," Montoya said. "Made it look like an accident just to keep the cops off our scent."

"Very good," replied Sindstorme. "Allow me to introduce a new hand. You may have heard of Ms. Venomosa."

"Venomosa," Montoya repeated. "You mean the famous mercenary?"

"The very one," affirmed the president.

Montoya turned to see a scary-looking young woman in a dark-colored suit. He did not like the way she stared at him one bit, but she seemed disturbingly alert, possibly listening to everything they said.

"Well," continued Sindstorme, "that's a pretty good job you boys did, but I think you all will love what I got in store for you next. We've taken the parts they needed, but I am interested in seeing just what Dacta's plans actually were."

Schiess casually took a breath of his cigarette. Montoya was quick to light another one. He held the box out toward Silencia, who simply shook her head.

"We're going to perform a heist?" Keaton asked.

"That's about right," replied Sindstorme. "Your job will be to walk in there, get the paperwork, and get out. I got a man who managed to steal the blueprints for their office. Hopefully, it will help you plan your raid."

Silencia Venomosa listened as the men talked. She took mental notes of everything that she observed, from their posture, to their tone of voice, to the very fact that they smoked. That last bit disgusted her, and she felt nearly offended when Montoya offered her a cigarette. Already, she did not like these men. They would have to go, sooner or later.

As they talked about their heist, Venomosa made sure to listen to every detail and remember it. This was what she was here for. It was her business to know Mindstorms, Inc.'s business. For now, her work was merely undercover observation... but Venomosa was too wise to think that was all that Dacta Corp. hired her for. She was a hired gun, a bounty hunter, an assassin, a killer. To hire her and not ask her to kill anyone would be like going to a steak restaurant and ordering fish; what you get might be satisfying, but it's not the best that they have to offer.

----

This particular Dino Attack hallway had become a crime scene. Word had quickly gotten around about the death of Tech, and investigators were brought in to analyze the area.

There was Tech, lying against the floor, his mouth slightly open, and a bullet hole in his head. The once-gray tile floor of the hallway was now stained red.

Dr. Alan Pierce, who had left the hospital wing when he heard the news, frowned as looked over the dead body. This was beyond his medicinal capabilities to rectify; Tech was dead, and there was no changing that. He recalled stories about Zenna's attempts to revive Kat after she was shot in the neck, but it was too late.

"Out ov ze vay! Out ov ze vay!"

Pierce looked up with disgust. He saw Dr. Dietrich Luzwheit, also known as "Medic", approach the crime scene. Beside him was Bear, who was pushing aside anyone in Medic's path.

Bear looked down upon Tech's fallen form. "So it is true," he said, grimacing. "Tech is dead."

When Medic laid eyes upon Tech's corpse, all he said was, "Oh, dear, zat doezn't look good. Very vell, zen, I'll bring him back to ze lab."

"Wait, what?" said Pierce, blinking. "Just what do you think you are doing, Dr. Luzwheit?"

"Ah, Dr. Pierze," said Medic, frowning. "I zought you might be here. I am taking Tech back to ze lab vor zome… autopzy teztz."

"It's rather clear that he died from a bullet wound to the head," Pierce said through gritted teeth. "You don't need to perform an autopsy to find that out."

Medic raised his index finger. "Ja, but vat ve don't know iz ze zircumztanzez behind hiz deaz. Vor example, vat he vaz doing ven he died, vat gun shot him, und, mozt importantly, ze identity ov hiz killer. I can vind all zis out viz a vew zimple teztz."

"What are you going to do?" demanded Pierce. "Cut open his head with a rusty bone saw, rip his brain apart to find a few specific cells, and poke needles into his eyes to broadcast his last sights onto a television screen?"

Despite the tone of Pierce's voice, Medic smiled and casually replied, "Ja, zat vaz ze idea." He quickly gestured towards Bear, who approached Tech's corpse. "Exzept zat I take ovvenze to ze 'ruzty bone zaw' comment," he continued. "I vould never uze anyzing viz ruzt on it. I alvayz make zure zat my bone zaw iz completely clean bevore I dizzect people viz it."

"You can't be serious!" gasped Dr. Pierce. "We're not cutting up Tech; we're sending his body back to the Holdem family where it belongs!"

"Vat vamily?" Medic raised an eyebrow. "Ze man vaz purely practical! He vaz not a believer in love or beauty! I doubt zat he ever got married. Zerevore, ve have nozing to loze. Ivan, take him avay."

As Bear picked up Tech's corpse, Pierce rushed towards Medic and grabbed the doctor by the shoulder. "I shall not permit you to do this!" he said, seething. "How dare you cut up a fellow teammate just to satisfy your sadistic pleasures!"

Bear glared at Pierce. "Shall I beat little man for you?" he offered. Medic did not reply.

Medic and Pierce locked unyielding eyes. For a moment of silent stalemate, the tension in the air around them was so high, it was almost tangible.

"I do vat I can because I muzt," hissed Medic. "Tech vaz my teammate, my comrade, my vriend. He vaz a brilliant man ov zcienze, und it painz me to zee him dead. I vill zee to it zat he iz avenged, zat he did not die in vain. I muzt vind out ze identity ov hiz killer. Zis iz not vor my benevit… zis iz vor Tech, vor you, und vor everyone elze on zis team. Iv I can vind ze identity ov Tech'z killer… I can ztop him bevore he takez anozer live. I have ze zkillz und ze technology to vind zis out, und I shall ztop at nozing to do vat muzt be done, regardlezz ov vezer or not you approve, Dr. Alan Pierze. Do you underztand?"

Pierce bit his lip. He did not trust Medic for an instant, not since the incident with the World City mayor. Still, he had to admit that Medic's argument was rather compelling. Grimly, he took his hand off of Medic's shoulder and nodded.

Wordlessly, Medic and Bear took Tech's body and departed.

*****

As soon as Septimus had been treated, he had been whisked off for questioning. A good number of Dino Attack agents had been connected with Alpha Team as early as Mission Deep Freeze, so they would easily be able to determine whether Septimus was telling the truth, or was simply delusional.

Mort, however, knew with a sinking certainty that the drone really was Swerve. No one else -- save the Sea Drone, whom Swerve had killed, and the Agents in the sub -- had been present at that Ogel Undersea Base at the time of the incident, and Swerve had refused recognition, so hardly anyone knew that he had saved Mort's life that day. He'd volunteered for transfer to the Dino Attack Team very early on, and after he disappeared, Mort had asked to be stationed in LEGO City, hoping to discover what had happened. And now, after he'd assumed that his old friend was indeed dead, Mort had found him. But instead of relief, he felt only intense confusion.

How on Earth could Swerve have become a drone after the war started, when the production of Ogel's Evil Orbs had been stopped in 2008? 

*****

Zach reentered the cafeteria, his hair cut back to its original length and his face now clean-shaven. The rush for breakfast had died down dramatically and very few people were still eating. A quick look soon found a brown-and-white head resting on a table, a carton of milk next to her. Zach moved toward her.

"Minerva?" he said, shaking her shoulders. "You awake?"

"Yeah." She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. "Zelda left with Nazareno to train or something. I was just taking a break." Minerva rose to her feet and looked at Zach. "You shaved?"

"I did?" Zach responded in mock-surprise. "No way!"

Minerva punched his shoulder hard. "Ha ha. Didn't like the beard and hair?"

"It was fun for a while, but it wasn't my 'thing', so to speak."

"And you washed out the purple?" she continued, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"No," he said flatly. "It wouldn't come out, so I dyed it."

"Wouldn't come out?" Minerva glanced up at her own hair. "So the white won't-"

"Nope. A doctor I spoke to predicted it. Zelda and I are going to have purple hair forever, and you are going to have white hair. Though honestly, the purple with Zelda's back hair and the white with your hair looks fine. Purple with orange hair didn't look too fantastic to me."

"Good, because I was intending to keep my hair like this."

"So, where to now?" Zach asked.

"Seeing you gives me the good idea of bathing," Minerva said. "I think I'll go do that now."

"I-what?" Zach stammered as Minerva pushed past him. "What am I supposed to do?"

Minerva didn't turn. "Go see what Nazareno and Zelda are doing? I don't know." And with that, Minerva was gone. Zach rolled his eyes and exited the cafeteria, intending to find Nazareno and Zelda. 

----

Montoya started to step out of his apartment when his girlfriend, a young blonde-haired woman named Debbie, walked up to him.

"You sure about this?" Debbie asked, nervously. "You know how much it worries me what you do."

"Hey," said Montoya. "I'll be fine. You know I only do this for us."

"I know," replied Debbie. "I just sometimes wish you'd get a job doing something a bit more..."

"Legal?"

"Yeah," said Debbie. "It's just that, whenever you get drawn into one of these heists, I get so scared that something's going to go wrong and they're going to take you in."

"Nothing's going to happen," assured Montoya. "The money I get from this job should cover us for a while. Maybe we can move into a nice place of our own by the seaside."

Debbie smiled. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," replied Montoya as he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. He worked his way down the stairs to where Schiess was waiting. There was a car parked out front, and Montoya quickly climbed into the driver's seat before starting up the engines.

----

The stack of files Helm had surveyed already was now larger than the stack of files he had left, and still no lead. However, this only increased his optimism -- I'm that much closer to finding him! 

So he cheerfully forged onward through the P's, Q's, R's...

Several minutes later, he opened a file and his heart stopped. He attempted to steady his shaking hands, but he was entirely numb, overcome by the sensation that someone else was in control of his body, and he was merely a spectator.

He set the file down and blinked. As his heart and soul sank lower than the deepest trenches he'd ever sailed above, he reread the line of text over and over, hoping and praying that somehow he was mistaken. Or perhaps it was the file that was wrong.

But the words were right there, plain as day. They took up no more than four inches of space. And the weight of those six little words utterly crushed him.

Rookie Agent Jason Helmutson, codename "Tracer." 

*****

Rex stood in his room, watching the sun set outside his window. The skies were filled with a most beautiful array of colors, making the sight spectacular, although not quite as picturesque as the sunset on Adventurers' Island, since LEGO City was still in ruins thanks to the Dino Attack. Still, the sunset could not ease Rex's anxieties. He felt as though there was still something that needed to be-

"Tick, tock, tick tock."

Rex froze in shock. As soon as he recovered, he whirled around, but no one was there. Just his shadow, cast upon the wall by the light of the setting sun. Confused, Rex was ready to dismiss it as something he imagined... only to realize that what he first conceived as his shadow did not quite match his form. Whoever this shadow belonged to, he clearly wore a top hat, a cape, and carried a scepter...

Rex blinked. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "We banished you!"

The shadow laughed. "I'd like to congratulate your team on that, by the way. Quite impressive indeed. I never thought you'd have the strength to do it, and yet here you are, having survived a direct encounter with the Darkitect himself. Of course, if I had the Maelstrom Crystal or was at the height of my power, you would never have survived. Still, I admire your efforts... but you are a fool to think that you have completely banished me from LEGO Planet."

Rex looked down at his own legs. "I'm standing," he realized. "This must be a dream. You're not real, only a mere shadow from the back of my mind."

The shadow shook his head. "True, but dreams reflect the subconscious... and that's where I shall never leave you, Rex. By closing the Maelstrom vortex on Adventurers' Island, you may think that you've shut my only window to the LEGO Planet. That is not true. As long as Dr. Rex lives, I still have power here. I've taken up residence in his subconscious for a long time, and the old fool is no match for the power of my mind. I influence his decisions and control his mind. The best part is... he brought it upon himself. As for you, Rex, I may not have domination over your mind, but your body is poisoned, and I intend to make your fate as terrible as possible."

Rex remembered Frank Einstein's message. "Oh, right. I've got less than a month to live. Gee, thanks a lot, by the way. Really appreciate it. But, the thing is... I've won that battle already. I've made peace with my fate, and I'll accept the bell's toll when I hear it ringing. Nothing you can do will change that."

The shadow chuckled softly, a most hideous sound. "Death? You think death is the worst part? Oh, no, Rex. You are terribly mistaken. Death is mercy, an escape. I intend to make your life as miserable and as full of suffering as is in my power. You will die, Rex, but first you will watch all that you know and love be destroyed by the Mutant Dinosaurs. You will suffer, Rex. And then, only once you have suffered the greatest of all pains and you are literally begging for death... only then shall I be merciful to give it to you."

Rex scowled. He ran up to the shadow and tried to punch it with all his might, but his fist hit the wall instead. As his hand recoiled from the shock and Rex grimaced in pain, the shadow laughed once again. "Tick, tock, tick tock!"

BEEP! BEEP!

Rex awoke. He was still lying on his bed in his room. His forehead was covered with sweat, and his heart was pounding again. He glanced at the clock and cursed softly when he saw that several hours had passed since he fell asleep. Still, he felt a little refreshed, as Amanda hoped that he would, even if the dream was very unsettling.

BEEP! BEEP!

"Alright, alright," muttered Rex. He grabbed his PDA from the desk beside his bed and pressed it against his ear. "Elite Agent Rex."

The voice he heard on the other line was Elizabeth Wilma, the receptionist of Dino Attack Headquarters. "Gun would like to speak with you in the lobby as soon as possible."

"I'll be there immediately," said Rex. He hung up, then sat up on his bed. "Gun?" he mused to himself. "Really? These Dino Attack agents' codenames are becoming less and less creative every day."

Then, he realized that he was alone in the room. Wondering where Amanda was, he picked his PDA up again and sent a quick text message to Amanda.

A moment later, he received her reply. She had gone for a walk and would return as soon as she finished one last errand that she needed to run.

*****

Medic stood in his lab, located in the Dino Attack hospital wing. Before him, Tech laid on an operating table. The equipment for the procedure had been set up, and now all that remained was extracting the memories from Tech's eyes and brain cells.

Medic picked up his bone saw and looked it over, inspecting its sharpness and checking for rust. In its reflection, he saw his comrade, Bear, sitting in a nearby chair and resting his head on his hand, with his eyes half-shut.

Medic smiled gently, putting the bone saw back down. He turned and approached Bear. "Ivan," he murmured, "you are an exzellent comrade und a great vriend, but you are tired und veary. You don't have to ztay iv you don't vant to. Vy don't you get zome rezt?"

Bear stirred slightly from his position. "I vant to be here, Dietrich," he declared. "Tech is dead. I do not vant to see you dead too."

Medic laid a hand on Bear's shoulder. "I underztand your conzernz. But, do not vorget zat I can devend myzelv should I be in danger. Remember zat one Hybrid in Gold Zity?"

Bear grinned. He stood from his chair and patted Medic on the back. "Perhaps snack vill help me stay avake. I vill be back… vith sandvich." With that, Bear walked out of the lab, closing the door behind him.

Medic chuckled softly as he watched Bear leave. He turned his attention back to Tech, and then picked up the bone saw once more. He heard the door open again, too soon to be Bear with his sandwich. In his surprise, Medic bumped against the operating table, and then something fell out of Tech's gloved hand.

Raising an eyebrow, Medic bent down and picked it up off the floor. It was a crinkled piece of paper. Unfolding it, Medic saw a message scrawled on the paper, consisting of only two words:

You're next.

Medic took this death threat as a warning. He tightened his grip on his bone saw and then spun around, swinging the bone saw like a sword at the one who had entered the lab. It hit against a metallic object, and Medic saw a pistol flying out of his attacker's hand. Medic prepared to swing again, this time to draw blood.

Then, Medic caught a good look at the mysterious attacker. What he saw paralyzed his entire body, and he could only manage a choked: "Nein! It cannot be!"

The attacker, on the other hand, recovered much more quickly and did not remain disarmed for long. They pulled out a knife from their pocket and slashed at Medic, catching the Barron doctor by the throat. Instantly, Medic collapsed and did not move.

"Anyvay, sandvich is great! So moist and del-"

By the time Bear returned to Medic's lab with a sandwich, the killer was gone. However, Bear instantly saw the blood on the floor and Medic's still form.

"Dietrich!" gasped Bear. He dropped his half-eaten sandwich and dove towards Medic's body. He lifted Medic's head, felt the ice-cold skin, and saw the slit throat. "No!"

Sobbing, Bear cradled Medic's body in his arms, feeling lost and alone in the world. "Help!" he cried, praying that someone would hear him. "Medic is dead!"

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 55: Right Behind You

----

After much searching, Zach finally found both Zelda and Nazareno. They were inside the rather-large garage of the Dino Attack Headquarters. He was surprised to see a good-sized crowd forming in a large empty space where it appeared two Iron Predators could park. He pushed his way through the crowd so he had a good place.

He grinned in amusement as he saw Enter and Return at the other end of this makeshift "arena". He was well-aware that the other doctors and medics of the Dino Attack Medical Wing (save for LEGO Islanders such as Dr. Go and Dr. Clickitt) considered them annoyances and disliked their methods, despite their general effectiveness. He imagined that the medics had learned of whatever Zelda and Nazareno were doing and sent them out to make sure no one got hurt. Right now, they stood by with a stretcher, a mailbox, and a shark that rested inside a tank of water that was several sizes too small.

In the center of this large crowd, to the far right, stood Kareem Nazareno. He was extremely calm with a bored yet somehow interested gleam in his eye. To the side of him rested his armor and his two golden katanas. In his right hand was a wooden stick that bore some resemblance to a katana. He swung it through the air several times before nodding.

At the other end of the arena stood Zelda Frodongan. Over her neck, she wore a black bandana that covered the lower part of her face. She carried her own wooden katana, which she sliced through the air excitedly. She nodded and looked at Nazareno, who remained motionless.

After a minute passed, Zelda lowered her sword slightly. "Um..." she said, clearly confused. "Are we going to-?!"

She wasn't allowed to finish as Nazareno suddenly launched forward. Zelda was barely able to pull up the sword to block the attack. Nazareno landed blow after blow on Zelda, whose was desperately trying to keep up with Nazareno's quick flurry of attacks. Finally, Nazareno knocked the wooden sword out of Zelda's hands and swung into her shins. She swore as she fell to the ground. The crowd observing the battle laughed lightly.

"I win," Nazareno said.

"You could've told me you were going to do that!" Zelda exclaimed angrily, clutching her legs.

Nazareno shook his head disapprovingly. "I should not have to teach you this," he said. "Unless your opponent is an extremely hammy showoff who likes to gloat and enjoys calling his attacks or is just a moron, he will not be likely to say 'Let's start fighting'. Be prepared."

Zelda grumbled as Nazareno helped her back on her feet. She went over and picked up the sword. She sighed as she moved back into position. Almost as soon as she turned around, Nazareno knocked her sword out of her hand and jabbed her stomach with his left hand. Zelda fell to her knees and Nazareno placed his sword against her neck. "I win again."

At this, crowd roared with laughter and applause. Nazareno removed his sword and Zelda got back on her feet, glaring at Nazareno. "And another thing: expect your enemy to take advantage of every flaw, mistake, and weakness you have, such as I have done twice. You should also take advantage of your opponent's flaws."

"Doesn't sound very honorable," Zelda said as she picked up her sword.

"It isn't, but it has become a norm to use any advantage to win. We must adapt. Now, again."

This time, Zelda returned to her starting position by backing up, never taking her eyes off of Nazareno. He nodded in approval. Finally, both opponents reached their ends in the "arena" and held their swords in a battle position. Both remained still, never taking their eyes from each other.

Finally, Zelda moved. She was quickly met by Nazareno in the center of their arena, where the swords clashed with a mighty crack. Now fully prepared, Zelda managed to block Nazareno's attacks better than before, and even managed to attack herself.

The fight was fierce, and the crowd gave many "oohs", "whoas", and "wows". Zelda knocked away Nazareno's sword and prepared to swing down when Nazareno suddenly brought his sword upward, slamming into the underside of Zelda's sword hilt, throwing it behind her.

"Don't give up!" Nazareno barked as he swung his sword at Zelda's stomach. She bent her body back to avoid the swing. "Use your speed and athletic ability to get your sword!" Zelda stepped back as she dodged Nazareno's swings. Suddenly, Nazareno threw his foot forward, intending to strike her in the stomach. Zelda let herself fall back into a ball before the foot could hit her. She rolled backwards several revolutions before unwrapping back on her feet next to her sword. She kicked it up into her hand and pointed it at Nazareno.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed as the crowd cheered in awe. Nazareno rushed forward and their swords collided fiercely. Now more determined and confident than ever, Zelda managed to land several of her own blows on Nazareno's sword, forcing him to step back. She swung up on Nazareno's sword, forcing it out of his hands and into the air. Zelda then swung her sword at his knees. Nazareno suddenly jumped into the air and did an aerial flip over Zelda, catching his sword and landing behind her. He was about to poke her back with his sword when Zelda quickly turned and knocked his sword off course.

The two circled each other. With both their mouths concealed, it was hard to tell how they were thinking. Nazareno stopped and seemingly gestured Zelda over to him, his eyes fiery and excited. Is he toying with her? Zach thought curiously. Zelda ran at him and swung her sword furiously. Nazareno deflected the attack with ease and shoved her away with his left hand. Zelda stumbled backward, but quickly caught herself and ran at him, her sword reared back. As they met, both swords collided with a large amount of force above them.

CRACK!

Zelda and Nazareno dropped their splintered swords in surprise as chunks of wood flew into the crowd. The crowd cheered in surprise and awe. Zelda glanced at the hilt of her sword on the ground and then at Nazareno.

"Is it over?" she asked slowly.

Nazareno walked up to her, twisted her arm fiercely and forced her to her knees. She groaned angrily.

"It is now," Nazareno said, amusement in his voice. The crowd laughed and cheered their approval as Zelda climbed back on her feet, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. He slammed her shoulder approvingly. "Excellent work. A few mistakes here and there, but overall a good job. Just because you and/or your opponent has lost their weapon does not mean the battle is over. You may flee or simply fight with your hands, depending on your skill and if your opponent still has his weapon."

"Okay," Zelda muttered. She winced as she walked. "I'm going to be hurting tomorrow."

"Most likely," Nazareno said, moving away from her. "But we can deal with that later. Catch!" Zelda turned and caught a new wooden katana. She stared at in surprise, but quickly turned her glance toward Nazareno as he swung his new sword at her. 

*****

As the agents in the hallway dispersed following Trigger's confrontation with Amanda, the founding member Digger pulled Hotwire aside. Digger frowned as he said, "Hotwire, I've yet to be fully debriefed on the events of Adventurers' Island. Was this violence and hostility between agents common?"

Hotwire glanced at Doctor Solomon Koplowitz, who stood over Digger's right shoulder. "With all due respect, sir, I'd rather not talk about it with him here."

"I believe the intentions of Solomon are sincere, Hotwire, that should be enough," Digger said sternly. "Now answer my question."

The elite agent shrugged. "Well, in that case, sir, I'll admit that these sorts of events were more common than you would expect."

Digger folded his arms. "Like what?"

Hotwire briefly listed off some recent events, including Rotor's near court-martial and the armed confrontation. He also told of the hostility that Commander Lutsky showed to Doctor Cyborg when they first met. "Don't even get me started on Dust," finished Hotwire.

"Where are Rotor and Lutsky now?" asked Digger.

"From what I heard, Lutsky had some sort of mental breakdown, sir. He's currently being held in the headquarters jail. Rotor was attacked earlier today, and he's in the ER as we speak."

"There is a lot of negative energy going around right now, Hotwire," said Digger. "It seems there is a dangerous amount of infighting going around with almost no punishment for the perpetrators. This will need to be addressed, we can't afford to act this way with the war the way it is."

"I agree, sir, even after our victory tensions are still very high," said Hotwire.

Digger nodded and motioned for Hotwire and Solomon to follow him down the hall. "What can you tell me about Trigger?" asked Digger.

"Not much," said the elite agent, shrugging. "He's a mercenary that was hired to work with us."

"Do you know who hired him?" asked Solomon.

"There is some debate over that. Trigger has hinted that an elite agent in Antarctica paid him, but I myself am not so sure," responded Hotwire. "If the D.I.N.O team hired him, he should be expected to at least follow our instructions. I doubt that an agent would ask him to be on the team but not respect it."

"So you think a third party hired him?" asked Digger.

"That's what I'm leaning towards, but I'm not sure at this point. He appears to only be motivated by money. I've never heard of the Dino Attack Team hiring mercenaries before. In addition, if money was all he cared about, I don't expect he would have gotten so aggressive with agent Claw."

"That's what concerns me, too," said Digger, frowning. "Claw is a respected agent here; this man destroying her credibility is a bad thing to have right now."

"What do you know about Silencia Venomosa?" asked Hotwire. "I feel I've heard the name before."

"So have I," said Solomon, "Venomosa was a woman tied to a series of violent organizations a few years ago. It's been theorized that she was a subject to a variety of terrorist groups back in the day. She disappeared off the radar shortly before the Dino Attack started."

"I'm going to look into Claw's record this evening, see if there are as many skeletons in her closet as this Trigger clams," said Digger. "But there is one more thing I want to ask you."

"What's that, sir?" asked Hotwire

Digger stopped in front of his office and turned to the two men. "Do you trust Trigger?"

Hotwire considered for a moment before responding. "I don't think he's the mole, if that's what you mean."

"But do you trust him?" asked Digger again.

"No," said Hotwire. "I think he's dangerous and unpredictable. He has no regard for minifigure life, and his obvious disloyalty means that he could betray us whenever he feels someone would pay more. In addition, he has no respect for the work we're doing here, and I quite frankly don't like him."

"That's what I'm afraid of," said Digger, frowning once again. "I'm considering having him spend the night, if not longer, in a cell. He needs to be punished for attacking another agent and I feel we'll need some time to look deeper into his past. What do you think?" 

"I think I'll have to agree with that, sir," Hotwire said.

Digger nodded. "And as for your question about Tech, the autopsy should reveal the time of death, but failing that, the security cameras might allow us to estimate. Still, it could be extremely helpful if you and your friends could list everyone you saw in the mess hall anyway." 

*****

Pierce was quick to respond to Bear's cry for help. "What happened?" he asked nervously.

"MEDIC IS DEAD!" Bear shouted.

"Calm down," said Pierce. "Let me take a look at him." Bear lowered Medic onto the ground, leaving Pierce to examine him. "Slashed throat," he muttered. "Looks like someone didn't want him to do that autopsy."

At that moment, Maria stepped into the room and almost fainted at the sight of Medic's corpse, but quickly came to her senses. "What happened?" she asked.

"I just vent to get sandvich," replied Bear. "I come back and Medic is dead!"

"We got to act fast," said a voice from behind them. Pierce turned around to see an intimidating-looking man dressed in black Western garb, accompanied by the familiar face of Clint Wayne. "Somebody's picking us off one-by-one," Angel Eyes said. "And I think I know who it is."

"Who?" asked Pierce.

"The less you know, the better," replied Angel Eyes. "The important thing that we got to be prepared for the next murder. Maria, I need you to go to the mess hall and get everybody from the Second Headquarters Squad to meet up there. Bear, you go with her."

"I go vith little lady," Bear said.

"Yes," replied Maria. "Come on."

----

"I don't know about the rest of you," Montoya said as he took a bite into his hamburger. "But I don't trust this Venomosa one bit."

"Hey," said Schiess. "If it's any consolation to you, I can honestly say I am not overly fond of her either."

"I know," said Montoya. "It's just, the way she was always so reclusive. She seemed to be trying to stay away, and just the way she seemed to be staring at every little thing. It was kinda creepy if you ask me."

There was much chatter going on among the men around the table in regards to various things. Some were talking about movies and music, while others like Montoya and Schiess were a bit more professional.

"Alright," Schiess said as soon as they were done. "I'm going to go pay for the bill. I'll need you each to put a dollar in for the tip."

Schiess left the table. Montoya pulled out his wallet and placed a single dollar on the table. One by one, the others started to follow, with one exception.

"Scorsese," Montoya said. "You gotta pay."

"I don't pay tips," replied Scorsese.

"Why not?"

"I don't believe in them. I mean if the waitress does a really good job, then yes, I'll give her something extra, but as an ordinary thing-"

"Look," insisted Montoya. "You do realize that the only way they can make a living is on tips. I got a girlfriend trying to bring in money as a waitress, alright?"

"What's going on?" Schiess asked as he returned to the table. He counted the money in front. "Who didn't pay up?"

"Scorsese," replied Montoya. "He said he doesn't believe in tips."

Schiess looked at him angrily. "Look, I paid for your dinner."

Scorsese remained silent for a moment. "Alright," he said. "Since you paid for dinner, I'll pitch in, but this isn't something I'd normally do."

"I don't think what we're doing now is something any of us would normally do," replied Schiess.

----

"You little maggots think you can keep me in this one room?!" Sarge shouted. "You ladies couldn't keep a- OW MY SPINE!"

"You should know better than to mess with a woman," Maria said sternly.

Angel Eyes slowly walked into the room to address the now-assembled Second Headquarters Squad. "As you may know," he said, "someone in here isn't who they appear."

"Somebody's been pickin' us off one by one," Maria continued. "I don't know about the rest of y'all but I sure as MegaBlokland ain't goin' to be next. Based on the circumstances, whoever's tryin' to kill us wants to get at us while we're alone. From this moment on, until we know precisely who the killer is and we can confirm that our theory is correct, none of y'all are to leave this here room without either myself, Angel Eyes, or Blondie as an escort."

"Alright, men!" declared Sarge, pacing back and forth in front of the rest of Second Headquarters Squad. "We'll use this time wisely! Let us practice marching up-and-down the square!" This generated groans from everyone assembled. "Silence, maggots! Now step forward and form a line! That's it! Let's see here... one, two, three, four... Hey, wait a second! We're missing five men! Where are those maggots?"

Fireman murmured something incomprehensible, but gestured towards Bear, who was sobbing quietly.

Sarge stormed up to Bear and got so close that they could smell each other's breath. "Quit that crying!" he shouted. "What are you, a baby? Man up, maggot!"

"I think," murmured Angel Eyes, "that he's still mourning the death of Medic. Remember: Medic and Tech just died. That's why you're missing some men."

"Oh, right," muttered Sarge. "So that's two of them. But where are the other four?"

"Three," coughed Recon.

"Wait, did you count yourself?" Maria raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up, lady!" snapped Sarge. She proceeded to kick him in the pants, causing him to double over in pain. A short scuffle later, after Angel Eyes and Fireman succeeded in tearing the two fighters apart, a badly-bruised Sarge tried once again to count his men. "Now let's see... that's one, two, three, four... plus two is seven... no wait, that's six... plus me, that would be seven... We're still missing two men! Now, where are those maggots?"

"Alright, calm down," sighed Angel Eyes. "Let's figure out who's not here. Bear, Recon, Fireman, Dynamite, Sar-"

"DO NOT CALL ME SARGE!" screamed Sarge. "As soon as I get my promotion, you will address me only as GENERAL RONALD E. ARMY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Huh," Angel Eyes murmured. "That leaves Saboteur and Bullseye."

"They weren't with us in the cafeteria," noted Recon.

"Has anyone seen where they went?" inquired Angel Eyes.

"This isn't right!" declared Sarge. "I'm not going to sit around in this mess hall while some maggot is killing my men! I'm going to find that safe room where the Portal Operating Team... err, operated. That's where I'll deposit the rest of you while I hunt down this maggot! Who's with me?" With that, he charged out of the cafeteria, with Recon and Bear following him. Fireman did not move right away, but instead glanced at Dynamite, who appeared to be too drunk to figure out what was going on, and then shrugged to Angel Eyes and Maria.

"You've got to be kiddin' me," grumbled Maria. "Now we're goin' to have to hunt down those morons again." She and Angel Eyes pursued the three members of Second Headquarters Squad, leaving Fireman and Dynamite alone in the mess hall.

*****

"Are we all set to go?" said Semick to his crew.

"Everything's packed up and in top working condition, Semick," said Bluetooth, tuning the TALON-9 system to full awareness.

"Good. Now get yourself comfy, Bluetooth. We have a long flight ahead of us, and who knows what HQ will have in store for us once we get back."

The sun was now just reaching out of sunrise phase as the rotors on Semick's T-1 Typhoon started up once more, pulling the craft up from the landing area of Outpost 4. From below, Semick could see agents waving, and he was sure Rockford was among them somewhere. He was a good agent, that one, and he hoped he would do well both in and out of service.

He steered the craft in the direction of LEGO City, and started flying. The jungles of Adventurers' Island soon gave way to desert, and then, pure blue ocean. Semick leaned back and took a nice deep breath. Now was the time he could truly relax for a bit.

He would need his energy for whatever was to come.

*****

"This morning sure took a somber turn fast," said Laxus.

"Tell me about it; unfortunate events just can't leave us alone," said Andrew.

"I suppose it's ironic in a way," said Pterisa. "Just recently, your group and allies were sabotaging Dr. Rex's base of operations. Now the tables are turned."

"Looks like it."

The three were now walking around Dino Attack Headquarters, as promised to Pterisa for her welcoming tour. Agents were taken aback to see her, but Andrew and his companion's presence in the situation helped to push down most concerns, including some of the odd concerns about her being the murderous traitor, since she hadn't left Andrew's side since the Maelstrom temple.

"At least Brickolini's is still a small mercy," said Laxus. Andrew had managed to get two extra boxes of the breakfast pizza for the go, and the group was finishing it off rather quickly. Pterisa had been as receptive to it as Laxus, if not a little more. The taste of Brickolini's was truly charming for all species, it seemed. Laxus was just taking the last slice from the first box, Pterisa finishing off the second-to-last.

"Couldn't have been better," said Andrew. "I do wonder though what the main goal of this saboteur is. I mean, I know that two of the Second Headquarters Squad are dead, but there has to be other factors, hasn't there?"

"Some of those technical agents were talking about malfunctioning cameras," said Pterisa, finishing her slice in a few big bites. "So they're making sure that whatever they want to do, they can't be seen."

"Yeah, there was something about turrets, too," said Laxus. "It seems they're going for the classic objective: breaking our defenses."

"But that's a bit unreasonable," said Andrew, tossing the empty pizza box near a recycling bin and taking a slice from the second one. "Our team has a boatload of techies and engineering wizzes. The only way to really keep us out of condition is doing substantial damage, which takes a lot of time and effort."

"Unless…" said Pterisa, "... they're using some method developed specially in a way that your experts can't comprehend yet." Andrew and Laxus were silent as they took the idea in. That wasn't something pleasant to think about.

"Well…" said Andrew. "The best we can do now, I suppose, is start increasing the guard for our security systems and vehicles and keeping an eye on which agents are doing what. And the Second Headquarters Squad better watch themselves, because even if Techie was just trying to stop the traitor, and Medic was trying to find what killed him, there might be reason for the rest of them to be killed, especially if they try to go after the culprit."

"You'd think they'd be able to overpower this traitor easily," said Laxus. "Those guys are apparently known for their strength in fighting."

"The element of surprise is a powerful thing," said Pterisa. "I know that from experience, and whoever's doing this knows this all too well."

"On that note," said Laxus, reaching for another slice of pizza, "I suppose Saboteur might be considered the culprit here, though that may seem like an easy target."

"Anything's possible," said Andrew. "But to push away from that subject for a bit, we're coming up on the main dormitories now. You might be surprised at the quality they put into these rooms, Pterisa."

*****

As soon as she returned to Rex's room, Amanda Claw escorted Rex through a hallway in Dino Attack Headquarters en route to the lobby. They were both surprised to see agent Saboteur approach them.

As Saboteur got closer, Rex was even more surprised to see that Saboteur had lost his famed composure. He walked with poor posture, he was breathing heavily, and his exposed skin glistened with sweat. Saboteur was grumbling under his breath, and Rex thought that he heard, "… briefcase. How many times must I tell zhem to not touch my stuff? I bet Recon's trying to play another stupid prank, or maybe Bullseye is acting a little more paranoid zhan usual and…"

As he walked past them, Saboteur muttered a half-hearted, "Good day."

Rex turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Is there something wrong, Saboteur?"

Saboteur stopped and sighed. "I don't suppose either of you have cigarettes on you?" Rex raised an eyebrow and Amanda grimaced, but then Saboteur shook his head and muttered, "Of course not. Agent Claw is trusted with an emergency lighter, and I doubt you smoke, Rex. Zhat's a shame, because I really need a smoke right now."

"Saboteur," Rex spoke sternly, "you know that there is no smoking allowed in Dino Attack Headquarters."

"I know, I know," Saboteur said, nodding impatiently. "I just need a smoke to calm my nerves… Yes, zhere is something wrong, Rex. Zhe spy, zhe infiltrator, zhe… traitor is amongst us. He has taken two lives within zhe past few hours, and I am sure zhat he intends to take another."

Rex bit his lip. He remembered hearing the rumors about XERRD planting a mole in Dino Attack Team, and felt angry with himself for sleeping through the deaths of two of his teammates. "Saboteur, as a spy yourself, perhaps you can shed some light onto this situation. Can you figure out where the infiltrator is heading? Who his next target is?"

Saboteur opened his mouth, as though to say something, but then he slowly shut it and frowned, thinking for a minute. "I'm afraid not. I have not yet acquired enough information. However, I do fear zhat, even now, I see a pattern emerging. I do not wish to cause false alarm, so I shall withhold my hypothesis until I have more evidence. In zhe meantime… I need to calm my nerves so I can think straight."

Saboteur glanced towards the ceiling and added quietly, "Perhaps Bullseye has some cigarettes on him. I shall go check on him and ask if I can borrow any."

"Right," said Rex, nodding. "Carry on, then."

Then, Saboteur departed, heading to the sniping posts in the upper floors.

*****

Brixton "Bullseye" Hale checked his PDA once again. The words on the message disturbed him deeply: "Tech and Medic are dead. Watch your back."

It was his worst fear realized. Anything in front of him could be taken down. But an enemy on the inside who could backstab him… he was defenseless.

The message was unsigned and untraceable. This, combined with the warning, could only mean one thing: Saboteur. It would be in his style to send untraceable warnings about watching one's back.

Was the message a warning or a threat?

Of all his teammates, Saboteur was the one that Bullseye distrusted the most. Bullseye's paranoia combined with Saboteur's preferred fighting style meant that Bullseye never felt easy with Saboteur around. As Bullseye considered the message, he contemplated the likelihood of a threat disguised as a warning. If Saboteur was the killer, then he would want his allies to trust him, and what better way to earn their trust than to pretend to care for their safety?

Bullseye put his PDA back into his pocket and took a look around his sniping post. There were several crates stacked up. Bullseye considered moving the crates around his window to form a defensive barrier. He walked towards one crate and saw the label. Raising his eyebrows, he opened it up and looked inside.

Saboteur will come here with a knife.

Smiling maliciously, Bullseye pulled a machete out of the crate.

But this is a knife!

*****

Before Digger closed the door to his office, Hotwire took him by the shoulder. "When I was in the mess hall earlier, I remember seeing the Brickolinis, agents Minerva Fabello, Zelda Frodongan, Andrew, Laxus, Stranger, Snake, Wright, and Shiller. I also saw Pterisa and Trigger."

"That's a start," sighed Digger. "I just got word that there has been another death in the morgue. You two help deal with the mole and Trigger. I'm going to do some investigation into Claw." Hotwire and Solomon nodded before heading to the mess hall.

"No offense, doctor, but I find it strange that he's giving you so much freedom so soon. I guess he likes you. but I would think that, with all paranoia that is present now, you would be locked up," said Hotwire.

"Quite frankly, I'm surprised too," agreed Solomon. "I expected that I would at least spend a few days being investigated before I started doing work for you people. Does the D.I.N.O. team have any form of an internal affairs department?"

"I'm not actually sure," responded Hotwire. "We usually need to solve these sorts of problems ourselves."

The two found themselves in the mess hall. It still appeared to be a hub of activity and Solomon soon spotted Trigger smoking in the corner with his new buddy Snake.

"What do you say we do?" asked Solomon. "I suppose you're more concerned about the mole, right?"

"You could say that," Hotwire said with a shrug. "I don't think Trigger's causing trouble now, but I don't like leaving him to his own devices."

"You're probably right," said Solomon. "I'd offer to take care of him myself but, considering my former employment, I could not tell you how much I could do for you gentlemen."

"He can wait," said Hotwire. "You better establish yourself a little more before you start arresting people."

Solomon nodded. "Perhaps I'll just go have a chat with him."

"I'm going to go check up on the Second Headquarters Squad," said Hotwire. "Good luck."

Hotwire limped down the hall, leaving Solomon to take a seat at Trigger's table. The scientist took ahold of Trigger's cigarette and crushed it beneath his shoe.

"What the Znap is this?" swore Trigger.

"There is no smoking inside the headquarters," said Solomon. "And I personally find it disgusting."

"I don't give a Znap what you think, you Znapping son of a 4+ Figure," said Trigger. "I've never had a use for your kind except as human shields."

Solomon kept his voice calm and controlled. "I've never had much use for your kind except as lab rats. Sadly, the rats were more useful."

Trigger chucked before discreetly drawing his gun. "You wanna Znapping die? Because that's the direction you're going. You're a member of XERRD, no one will miss you. I bet if I killed you now, no one would lift a finger."

Solomon shrugged. "You're welcome to try, my friend, but you're already on thin ice as it is. You tried to murder Claw, as I'm sure you are now aware, the Dino Attack Team did not take kindly to that. Hence why you sit alone."

"What about me?" Snake said with a mouthful of food.

"You don't count," said Solomon, smiling.

"Claw is a 4+ Figure," said Trigger, returning to the subject. "She would have had it coming."

"Well, that's why I'm here, Trigger," Solomon said as he continued to smile. "I'm sure you're used to casual murder; I've known a lot of people like you in my day. But that behavior is not welcome here. There will be consequences, Trigger, mark my words."

"Is that a threat?" asked Trigger. "Because I don't take kindly to threats."

"If that's what you want to call it," said Solomon. "This is what I recommend: you give me the gun, we go down to the cellblock, and you spend the night in an eight-by-eight box. How does that sound?"

"You want to make me, old man?" said Trigger.

"Oh, I would love to make you," said Solomon coldly. "But not now. I'll give you an hour to think things over. If you don't make the right decision, I'm coming to get you." Solomon got up from his seat and headed to the door of the cafeteria. "Personally, I hope you don't cooperate." He headed down the hallway.

"You don't even Znapping work here!" Trigger yelled after him.

"Neither do you!" the scientist retorted, smiled back at the mercenary. "No one would miss you, either!" With that remark, he walked down the hall with his cloak billowing behind him.

"To MegaBlokland with him," Trigger muttered as soon as Solomon was out of sight. "I know Silencia's behind this. I don't care if the rest of the team's too Znapping stupid to figure it out; I'm going to find her, and I swear I'm going to kill her. You with me, Snake?"

"I got nothing better to do," replied Snake. "What about that XERRD doctor?"

"I can take care of him," said Trigger. "I killed dozens of his kind."

With that, he worked his way out of the cafeteria. "Now she's probably learned from that one little experience," Trigger said. "Silencia was always the kind of person who never fell for the same trick twice."

*****

Zach smirked as he watched Zelda and Nazareno battle. While they considered it practice or training, the crowd surrounding them saw it as good entertainment after a particularly nasty week at Adventurers' Island. They had broken two more pairs of swords and they both seemed intent on continuing fighting.

He was rather impressed with how Zelda was holding herself up. She appeared to already know how to handle a sword prior to this session and was a quick learner. However, Nazareno was fiercely skilled and had clearly recovered from the bullet wound Zach had given from him. He was fast, fierce, and maybe even a bit playful when he knew Zelda was getting frustrated. Zelda had yet to defeat Nazareno, but there were many close calls.

Zach flinched as he felt a pair of arms jab his sides. He turned sharply and saw Minerva behind him, grinning. "Was that necessary?" he grumbled.

Minerva nodded. "Come back here." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the back of the crowd.

"I was watching that," he said.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Then let's go watch them kill each other over there by those medics." The two walked over to Enter and Return's location. Zach acknowledged them before he and Minerva took a seat on the floor as they watched Zelda and Nazareno duel.

"Wow," Minerva said with awe as she watched Nazareno quickly move at Zelda, swinging his katana with precision as it smashed against Zelda's. "I wouldn't want to face Nazareno. How did you beat him, again?"

"I shot him while he was distracted," Zach said. "But the only he defeated me was because you showed up. I'd say Stromling!Zach and Nazareno are rather even since they resorted to use distractions as their advantage." He watched Zelda flip backwards several times to avoid a swing from Nazareno. "Zelda is rather fearsome in her own right, but I suppose that is what happens when you learn from the best."

Minerva nodded. "So I was walking back from my shower and I heard some guy scream that Medic was dead."

"A medic?"

"No, Medic. A Dino Attack agent named Medic."

"Oh," Zach realized. "Second Headquarters Squad guy."

"Yeah. He's the second one to get killed by the mole."

"What?"

Minerva briefly explained that Tech of the Second Headquarter Squad had been killed by a mole and investigations were presumably pending. Shortly afterwards, Medic was killed while trying to perform an autopsy on Tech's body.

"Well then," said Zach. "I can't tell if this guy is targeting the Second Headquarters Squad or these are coincidences."

"Zelda thinks that the mole is killing anyone who figures out or is about to figure out who he or she is, so it sounds more like a coincidence that the only people the mole has killed are from the Second Headquarters Squad," said Minerva.

"I'd still watch my back if I was one of them," murmured Zach.

"Yeah. After going to the mess hall and finding out that you were gone, I saw a bunch of them leave the mess hall with one leading them shouting about a 'maggot' who was killing his teammates."

"Sounds like Sarge."

"He was also yelling about how he isn't a sergeant."

"Well, from his page in the database, it sounds like being called 'Sarge' is a serious pet peeve of his, so I think we can safely assume that it's Sarge." Minerva chuckled at this. "Whoever this mole is has slipped up pretty well if he allowed Tech to catch sight of him."

"Maybe it was his plan," Minerva said, wiggling her figures in a mock-spooking matter.

Zach smirked. "Oh yes. He blew his cover on purpose because he was mad at Tech because he lost a game of Texas Hold'em to him. The mole lured out his worst enemy so he could finally take him on. After a lengthy fist fight where the mole is victorious, he leans in close to Tech's sweaty face, holding a pistol to his rival's forehead. He then stared into Tech's goggles, a triumphant gleam in his eyes and a satisfied smirk on his face. And then, just before pulling the trigger, he says in a cold, emotionless voice…"

Zach leaned in close to Minerva's face. She was biting her lower lip, snickering loudly and trying suppress her laughter.

"'No, Mr. Holdem. You fold.'"

Minerva finally laughed.

Zach backed away, his face betraying no emotion. "After his one-liner, the gun goes off. Boom. Dead. And the mole walks away, his thirst for revenge satisfied. He knew he would have to tie up loose ends, such as the case with Medic, but it didn't matter. He had finally gotten his revenge against his only true rival."

After Minerva stopped laughing, she nodded solemnly. "You made that up on the spot, didn't you?"

"Maybe a bit. It might've been a bit distasteful, joking about someone who just died, but let the record show that you started it."

"Yeah, okay," Minerva said, rolling her eyes. "Duck!" They both bowed their heads as splintered pieces of wood flew over them. Zach quickly glanced up and saw Zelda and Nazareno fiercely fighting with some form of martial arts, the hilts of their swords on the ground like broken toys.

"This should be interesting," Zach said to Minerva as the crowd cheered excitedly. 

*****

Sarge marched down the hallway of Dino Attack Headquarters, with Recon and Bear following suit. Anyone who got in their way was shoved aside, including Ata, who tried to tell them, "Oh, hey guys! Specs wanted to see-"

"Out of the way, missy!" shouted Sarge as he pushed aside the communications expert. Ata moved quickly to make sure that he was not trampled by Recon, who seemed to move as fast as a bullet, or Bear, who was like a tank plowing through the hallway. He watched them go, wondering where they could possibly be going in such a hurry.

They continued in their charge until they came to a three-way fork in the road. There was a hallway to the left, a hallway to the right, and a stairwell directly in front of them. Sarge immediately took the left path, but Recon stopped and called, "Yo, what are ya doin'? The 'safe room' is clearly to the right!"

"No, it's not, you maggot!" declared Sarge. "As a general-"

"Sergeant," coughed Recon.

"-I have a very keen sense of direction, and the right way is the wrong way, and the left way is the right way!"

"Yeah, whatevah," said Recon, shrugging. "Ya headin' to the lobby if ya take the left hallway. Hey, Bear, am I right or what?"

Bear was silent.

"Fine, then!" snapped Sarge. "We'll split up! Divide and conquer! And I'll see you arrive at the safe room late because you took the right way while I took the right way! But don't be surprised if you get yourself killed by this mole along the way!"

"Same to ya," muttered Recon, a little darkly. With that, Sarge took the left path, while Recon to the right path.

Bear stood there, grimly staring at the stairwell. Although Bear was far from the brightest of Dino Attack agents, he could sense that something was very wrong. They split up, he thought to himself. They are alone. No one to watch them or see what they do. One of them could be killer. Killer who killed Dietrich. I swear upon my motherland that I will avenge Dietrich. I shall go to 'safe room', but I shall not come alone. I will bring her. Yes. Time to bring out big guns, for now is killer killing time! With that, he ran up the stairwell to his room in search of his precious machine gun.

*****

Zelda's weakest area was easily the actual hand-to-hand combat. Nazareno used a rather basic form of martial arts while Zelda used a more undefined, random-punch-throwing technique. If she was fighting someone else, she would be fine, Nazareno thought. He couldn't imagine any of Dr. Rex's servants knowing anything above throwing punches and kicks. And Zelda was skilled at fighting with her fist in her own right.

She threw a punch at his chest. He easily sidestepped it and twisted her arm sharply. Zelda groaned and turned on her heel, kicking Nazareno in the side. Surprised, he released her arm and Zelda rolled away. She jumped back on her feet, a determined gleam in her eyes. Nazareno grinned. They ran at each other. Zelda prepared to punch when Nazareno suddenly fell into a slide. He rammed into Zelda's legs, causing her to fall. Nazareno quickly jumped back up on his feet and placed a foot on Zelda's chest, pinning her to the ground. Zelda was gasping for breath, surprised.

"I win," he said calmly. Behind him, the crowd cheered. Nazareno wasn't particularly fond of the agents simply viewing this as a spectacle, but knew there was no use in making them leave.

"No, you don't!" Zelda yelled out triumphantly. She grabbed Nazareno and twisted it, causing him to stumble off of her. Zelda was quickly on her feet and wrapped her arms around Nazareno's waist as she tackled him. After a short scuffle, Zelda managed to pin both Nazareno's arms to the ground. She looked down at him, her eyes wide and her hair damp from sweat.

Nazareno shook his head, smirking. "I think I do." Without warning, he suddenly launched his head upward and slammed into Zelda's. She yelled angrily and her grip on Nazareno's arms loosened, allowing Nazareno to turn the tables, pinning Zelda's arms to the ground. The crowd applauded and cheered wildly.

"Ow..." Zelda groaned. "Get up!" Nazareno obliged, rising to his feet. Zelda clutched her head and stayed on the ground for several minutes. "Seriously?" she said, rolling over. "Was that necessary?"

Nazareno shrugged. "It may have been a bit overkill. I'm glad you attempted to fight back after being pinned, but realize I will do the exact same thing."

"Yeah, but my head?" she moaned.

"Do you need medical attention?" he asked, looking over toward Enter and Return, who had managed to remain tame during the whole ordeal.

"No. Just need a break so my head will stop hurting."

Nazareno eyes narrowed, but he smirked. "Fair enough. Maybe that head wound will lead you to the secret of defeating me."

"Shut up." 

*****

When Rex and Amanda arrived in the lobby, they were surprised to find it empty, save Elizabeth Wilma working at the desk. They traded glances, Rex shrugged, and Amanda pushed his wheelchair to the front desk. Wilma was busy, typing away at her computer. "Excuse me?" spoke Rex, trying to catch the receptionist's attention.

Wilma looked up. "Oh, Elite Agent Rex. There you are."

"Where's Gun?" inquired Rex.

The receptionist glanced around the lobby and bit her lip. "Err, he was right there, sitting in that chair and waiting for you. I wonder if he got up to use the restroom. He knew you were coming, but he might have also gotten a little impatient and gotten up to look for you himself; I'm not sure if he knows about your... um, condition." She gestured to Rex's wheelchair.

Rex sighed. "Very well. Do you know what he wished to speak with me about?"

Wilma shook her head. "I'm afraid not. All that he said was that it was important information, and that he requested that he speak with you as quickly as possible. Maybe you should stick around a bit; I hope he's coming right back."

"Right," said Rex, nodding.

"I can go look for him, if you want," suggested Amanda. "Rex can stay here in case he comes back, but in case Gun is looking for him, I can find him and tell him that Rex is waiting here."

"Good idea," agreed Rex. Amanda moved Rex's wheelchair near the chairs, then sprinted down the hall in search for Gun.

Rex sat in his wheelchair, watching the clock as time passed, its constant tick, tock, tick, tock recalling the Darkitect's words. Just thinking about that caused his heart to start pounding again. Rex grimaced and clutched his chest. The pain subsided quickly, but Rex could not help but notice that it lasted a little longer than it did last time.

*****

Bullseye looked out the window of his sniping post, looking for Mutant Dinos to pick off with his sniping rifle.

Or rather, that's what he appeared to be doing. In reality, Bullseye kept his eyes on the machete, lying beside him and propped up against the wall. The metal blade was well-polished; in its reflection, he had a good view of the space behind him. If anyone tried to sneak up on him, he would see his attacker in the reflection.

Now, Bullseye thought to himself, I just wait.

The minutes ticked by, feeling like an eternity. Patience was a virtue that Bullseye learned long ago. However, seemingly waiting for his own death was the tensest moment he had ever faced. But with Tech and Medic dead, he was not taking any chances.

At last, after minutes of torturous waiting, he saw movement in the reflection of the machete. A dark Minifig, hidden in shadow, carrying something shiny in one hand.

Steady, steady, Bullseye thought to himself as the Minifig approached. The Minifig raised the shiny object into the air, and Bullseye smiled grimly. Just as the Minifig was close enough to strike, Bullseye tossed aside the sniper rifle, grabbed the machete, and swung around.

"Take that!" Bullseye bellowed. "Yeh bloody backstabbing wuss!"

The attacker jumped back, diving back into the shadows where Bullseye could not see them well. Bullseye slashed again with his machete but missed his target. The attacker responded with a feigned swipe to the side, and as Bullseye attempted to dodge, the attacker immediately followed up with a kick.

Bullseye slammed against the windowsill, dropping his machete in the process. He nearly lost his balance and almost fell out of the window. However, as the attacker prepared to strike again, Bullseye launched himself at his attacker.

"I've wrestled crocs tougher than yeh, mate!" Bullseye hissed as he pinned the attacker to the floor.

The attacker tried to shake Bullseye off, but Bullseye refused to move. Therefore, the attacker slashed at Bullseye's face with his knife.

Gasping in pain, Bullseye jumped off his attacker, who quickly jumped to their feet. Another well-placed kick knocked Bullseye back down on the floor. As his attacker drew closer, Bullseye groped around for his machete.

Closing his fingers around the weapon, Bullseye lunged at the attacker, slashing with his machete. He laughed as the attacker recoiled back into the shadows. "Hah! Saboteur! You're bloody useless!"

He slashed again, but this time, the attacker dodged the machete and swiped with their knife. The blade skimmed against Bullseye's cheek, leaving a cut and knocking off his sunglasses. Bullseye narrowed his eyes in anger, but with his shades removed, he could now more clearly see the figure in the shadows.

"Crikey!" Bullseye gasped. In his shock, he froze for three instants too long.

One. The attacker jabbed at Bullseye's arm, knocking the machete out of his hand.

Two. The attacker sliced across Bullseye's torso, and in pain, Bullseye doubled over.

Three. The attacker stabbed at Bullseye's exposed back, planting the knife in Bullseye's shoulder blades and instantly killing him.

The mole had claimed their third victim's life.

*****

Trigger and Snake had made it no more than twenty feet when a voice came from behind them. "So where you boys off to in such a hurry?" They turned and saw the sandy-haired agent who had accosted them earlier lounging in a doorway.

"None of your Znapping business, punk," Trigger snarled.

Shiller detached himself from the doorway and sauntered towards the two men. "I'll take that to mean you're off to find Silencia Venomosa again, because if there's one thing your actions have showed us all, it's that you just can't take a hint." He absent-mindedly pretended to examine his fingernails. "And I suppose you think you'll still kill her even though all your weapons have been confiscated. And maybe that's something you really are capable of... but I doubt you could do it quickly enough for the deed to go unnoticed. And then you get kicked out, branded as an enemy, and then guess who doesn't get paid?"

Trigger scowled angrily. "That's my business, not yours. What the MegaBlok do you think you're doing anyway, following us around?"

Shiller sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you weren't paying attention at the time, after that tap on the face my nice lady friend gave you, but O'Neal did say that we weren't to let you out of our sight, and he is an elite, so despite the huge number of times I've flaunted his advice in the past, I do kinda hafta actually listen to him this time."

"Well, you'd have to kill us before we submit to 4+ Figure like that," Trigger snapped.

"Oh, we won't do anything like that." The voice made Trigger and Snake whirl around again. Agent Wright had the peculiar ability to crack her knuckles simply by making a fist, and she was doing so now, as she leaned against the wall behind them. "Shiller and I, we're idealists, you see." She looked up at them with a menacing grin. "You try any funny business, and we'll just make you hurt." 

"What do you suppose we do then?" Trigger asked. "We just sit around while Silencia continues to pick us off one by one? Trust me, I know this from experience. I had this job back at Mindstorms, Inc. She managed to kill five out of seven men, including me. The sixth guy only survived because he wasn't in the building."

----

It was getting dark outside. The only lights came from the streetlamps and the bright windows of nearby apartments as Montoya brought his car to a halt. Schiess handed Montoya a walkie-talkie, and another one to Keaton, who was in the back with Deniro. "Alright," Schiess said. "You boys know the drill? Montoya, you stay in the car, keep a lookout. If the cops start to come, you warn us."

"What about Ms. Venomosa?" asked Montoya.

"According to our boss, she's already in there. I think she was supposed to take care of security or something. I'd suggest you all make sure your guns are loaded anyway. Alright, let's go."

Schiess quickly climbed out of the car. Deniro opened the trunk and got out couple of handguns which he gave to each of the men. Right behind them, Verbal, Orange, and Scorsese were similarly preparing themselves.

Schiess cocked his pistol as he opened the door to the Dacta Corporation office and stepped inside.

The Dacta Corporation lobby was mostly empty, most of the staff having left for the night. Still, the six men in the room were reaching for their guns just in case something happened.

"Alright," Schiess said. "Remember the plan. Scorsese, Orange, you two go take care of security. I need you to disconnect cameras and any other alarm systems in the building. The rest of you, come with me."

Schiess led them toward the elevator. As soon as he, Keaton, Verbal, and Deniro were on, he hit the button for the 13th floor. There was a brief dinging sound as the elevator came to a stop.

"Who's there?" said a sudden voice, drawing attention from Schiess's gun. He slowly approached the corner, walking past the various inventions that adorned the hall to find a young security guard standing there. Quickly, Schiess drew his gun and shot the man through the head, killing him instantly.

Further down the hall, there was a receptionist getting ready to leave. She was just getting her jacket on when she turned saw Keaton pointing a gun to her.

"Where do you keep the paperwork?" Keaton asked sternly. The receptionist looked at him. At that moment, Keaton noticed a name on her desk: Ursula Bennett. "Now I'm only going to ask this once, where is the MegaBloking paperwork?"

"What paperwork?"

"The documents concerning Dacta's latest projects," replied Schiess. "Everything they're planning!"

"They're in Mr. Korrupte's office," Ursula said.

At that moment, there was static from Schiess's walkie-talkie before the familiar voice of Orange came in. "We've disabled security cameras," he said. "We're currently heading back to your position."

"Good," replied Schiess. "Alright. Keaton, Deniro, keep your guns on her. Verbal, let's check this office."

With a quick gunshot, Schiess was able to break in.

"It's in his desk!" Ursula shouted. Deniro cocked his gun once more.

Verbal opened one drawer and found nothing, another drawer, and another. He finally opened the last drawer and revealed a file containing various blueprints. Schiess took a moment to examine them.

"Alright, let's get the Znap out of here," Schiess said. There was suddenly a loud gunshot followed by a scream. Schiess and Verbal stepped out of the office to see Ursula lying on the ground with a bullet hole through her chest, right in front of the smoking barrel of Deniro's gun.

"Scorsese, where are you?" Schiess asked.

"We're working our way up to - oh Znap!" Suddenly the line went dead.

"Scorsese, Orange. Are you there? SCORSESE! ORANGE! ZNAP IT!" 

----

Angel Eyes slowly turned Bullseye's body over, as he pulled the knife out of his back. "Looks like our mole got to him, too."

"I think we ought to tell someone," said Maria. "This is gettin' outta hand. This here mole's killin' every one of the Squad, and you, me, and Clint are the only ones who know who it is."

"At this point, it's only a matter of time before he comes for us," said Angel Eyes. "But we have evidence now," Angel Eyes glanced at the knife. "Maria, you keep looking for the rest of the Squad. See if you can try to make them see reason. I'm going to go turn this in to our superiors. Maybe it can get us some answers, help us confirm if we're right."

*****

"So," Minerva said, leaning back slightly as she watched Zelda place an ice-pack on her head, despite Enter and Return's insistence that they somehow use the shark to help Zelda's headache. "You haven't told me what happened with Provencal."

"Oh, yeah," Zach said. He wasn't anxious about reliving the moment, especially since, despite the presence of a mole in the headquarters, he was rather happy and content at the moment. "It's not a happy story and wouldn't consider it my most glamorous moment."

"What did you do?" Minerva asked, sitting up slightly. "Rip her head off or something?" She smiled at him jokingly. He returned it halfheartedly, causing her smile to falter. "Seriously, what happened?"

"Fine," he said. "After Provencal took you out..."

*****

The next thing Rex knew, he was being pushed down the hallway at a rather uncomfortably fast speed. To his shock, it was Sarge who was gripping the handlebars of his wheelchair.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rex gasped, holding onto the armrests for dear life, uncomfortable to be on a wheelchair moving at running speed.

"Something's amiss, troop, and we are likely next on the hit list!" Sarge explained as he continued to push Rex down the hallway. "First, they got Medic, then they got Tech… but I'll see to it that they don't get us! We are heading to the safe room!"

Sarge finally came to a stop in a hallway. Also standing in the hallway was rookie agent Recon, who was desperately punching numbers into a hidden keypad in the hallway's wall. Rex had not been in this hallway before in his time at Dino Attack Headquarters, though he suspected, based on information from General about a secret door, this was where the self-titled "Portal Operations Team" operated before being shut down by Digger's idealists.

"Report, son!" Sarge demanded.

"Can't – get – this – door – open!" Recon reported, his voice clearly strained. "Gimme a little more time, and…"

"Oh, you are all MAGGOTS!" Sarge yelled as he shoved Recon aside. "Scum-sucking maggots hatched from giant mutant maggot eggs served with ham and bacon and spam for breakfast! Let ME handle this! I've got the password!"

With that, Sarge punched in numbers he recited aloud. "One… two… three… four… um, err…"

"Five?" wagered Recon.

"RUN AND HIDE, COWARDS!" roared a deep voice from the other end of the hall. Recon, Sarge, and Rex turned their heads to see Bear charging at them, a large machine gun in his hands.

"Get down!" shouted Rex. He launched himself out of his wheelchair, and Recon darted to the side. Sarge, a little too slow, was slammed against the locked door by Bear, and a second later the door splintered into pieces, sending Bear and Sarge reeling into the "safe room".

Rex climbed back into his wheelchair and was pushed by Recon into the "safe room". Surveying the damage, he sighed and shook his head. Bear smiled sheepishly and shrugged, while Sarge, leaning on a desk for support, was clearly at wit's end.

"MAGGOTS!" Sarge screamed. "I'M SURROUNDED BY MAGGOTS!"

Rex heard someone clear his throat. He turned his head and saw Saboteur standing in the doorway. "Sorry to pop in unannounced, gentlemen," announced Saboteur.

*****

"Hey man," Dude said as he approached Kate and Sarah's table and sat down with them, putting up his mostly exposed feet.

"Who is this?" Kate asked.

"A friend from Antarctica," replied Sarah. "Long story."

Walter sat down next to them. "Now this is what I'm talking about," he said excitedly. "This pizza is surprisingly good."

Sarah blinked in surprise. "Walter?" she said. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be in the refugee facilities?"

"Conscription," grumbled Walter, who was clearly unhappy about having been taken away from his daily activities of bowling.

"Hey guys," Donnie said as he approached. Apparently, he had been drafted too.

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" snapped Walter.

"Somebody's been murdered," reported Donnie.

"I said shut the- wait, who was killed?" asked Walter, now curious.

"Three people now: a mechanic, some doctor-"

"What doctor?" gasped Sarah.

Donnie scratched his head. "I don't remember his name. Ludwig, Luftwaffe, Luxan... Something along those lines."

Sarah sighed in a moment of relief.

"Is something wrong?" Kate asked.

"No," replied Sarah. "It's nothing."

At that moment, Angel Eyes stepped into the mess hall. He got himself a bottle of whiskey and sat down at a nearby table where Clint was sitting. After taking a moment to light his pipe, he took out the knife he'd found at the crime scene and handed it to Clint.

"Bullseye's dead," Angel Eyes said sternly. "We found this lodged in his back. If we can figure out where it came from it might give us some idea who the killer is."

"Might be Saboteur's," noted Clint. "But I can't remember if I've seen him use that particular one before."

"If he is the mole after all, then he's one knife short," replied Angel Eyes.

"He still has a gun," retorted Clint.

*****

Naomi looked grimly at the three covered bodies in the morgue. The victims had been arranged in a neat row with a white sheet covering each body.

The blood on the floor had been wiped clean, but Naomi still glimpsed the brown stain that covered the concrete floor where Medic had died.

Gates Crusher also stood in the quiet mortuary. The doctor slowly checked off boxes on her third death certificate she filled out today.

"Did you know any of them very well?" asked Naomi. "I never had the opportunity to work with agent Medic."

"You're lucky," said Gates. "Dr. Luzwheit was very disturbed. Brilliant, but absolutely insane."

"So you knew him?" asked Naomi. "You worked with him?"

"No." replied Gates. "But I read the some of the surgical reports. There where cases where he dug around in people's brains so they would be unable to comprehend they lost both their feet. He then would sit them back at their computer none-the-wiser so they could continue their work."

This made Naomi feel slightly queasy. She had developed a great respect for the medical staff well working with the likes of Dr. Pierce. She found it difficult to believe that someone who pledged to "do no harm" could possibly do that to another minifigure.

"You're probably thinking that everyone on the Dino Attack Team is a good person," said Gates, "I was that naïve once, too. You need to know that each side has heroes and each side has villains." She motioned to the second covered body. "Medic was not a villain, but he was not necessarily a good person. His initiations in life were good, but that is not be true for everyone in this unit." She motioned to the three dead bodies. "As I am sure you are now aware."

Carver looked at the three shrouded forms. Something then caught her eye on the floor. A bloodstained scrap of paper sat beneath the table where Medic had died. She carefully lifted the scrap and unfurled the bloodstained corners to see what it said.

What she saw made her jump into the air shriek. She threw the scrap across the room as if she had discovered a cockroach.

"What is it?" asked Gates.

"It said you're next!" screamed Naomi.

"Relax," said Gates as she picked up the scrap of paper "It was not meant for you."

"Then whom was it meant for?"

"Probably Medic," suggested Gates. "I bet he was holding it when he died." The doctor considered for a moment. "This is a clue, Naomi. It means that the killer is picking targets, not killing out of necessity."

"We should turn that in to an elite agent," said Naomi, "They would know what to do."

"We can also use it to check handwriting!" Gates responded excitedly. "If we have the suspects write something, we could match it up to this piece of paper."

The two medicinal staff ran off to announce their discovery.

"Where are you two going?" Pierce asked as he turned toward Carver and Crusher.

"We found something," replied Crusher. "Show him the paper."

Carver unfolded a small slip of paper as Pierce read the words on it: "You're next."

"Where'd you find this?" asked Pierce.

"It was on Medic," replied Carver.

"Oh my Builder," whispered Pierce. "There's a pattern, here, something. Whoever these people were, there's a reason this person wants them dead."

"I was just going to inform the elites about this-"

"Good," said Pierce. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think I know one thing we can do. Crusher, I'm going to need you and Wade to help me with this."

"What?" Crusher asked.

"Luzwheit believed he could extract the last memories of his victims," explained Pierce. "He thought he could cut open a person's brain, locate a few specific cells, and then project the last thing they saw onto a screen."

"Is that possible?" Crusher asked.

"I don't know," admitted Pierce. "But the equipment's already set up and we have three bodies. If we can figure out the process, we might just be able to prevent a fourth from joining them."

"Right then," said Crusher. "I'll see if Medic left any notes on this procedure. Why don't you and Wade get one of the bodies ready?"

Pierce slowly walked over to the mortuary, and pulled off one of the sheets, revealing the familiar face of Dietrich Luzwheit. "Let's see how you like this," he muttered as he struggled to pick up the body. 

*****

Zach finished his story. Minerva simply looked at him, her eyes filled with concern. "Well," she finally began. "It's... to be honest, it sounds downright horrible, but it was necessary. Provencal couldn't be allowed to live. She was evil for everything she did. To Oswald, to you, to Zelda..."

"Zelda?" Zach suddenly questioned.

"Zelda told me Provencal was the one who injected her with the Maelstrom." Zach let that sink in. He wondered how many more Minifigs had been corrupted by Provencal's hand. "And besides," she continued, "how you felt when you killed her had to be because you were in the Maelstrom Temple. The Darkitect was messing with you, like he was with everyone else. Except instead of forcing you to face your fear, he was messing with your emotions. Maybe trying to turn you to his side again. Or... or-"

"Maybe trying to get me kill myself out of regret and anguish," he said forcefully. Minerva's eyes widened. He had left out that detail. It made sense. The Darkitect didn't want Zach controlling his power, so he would manipulate him into becoming the monster that he had destroyed, only for him to break down in grief and kill himself.

"Did you-?" Minerva started.

Zach nodded. Minerva was about to say something when he raised his hand. "The moment passed soon enough. As much as the Darkitect has manipulated me in the last week, I finally caught on to him and told myself there was still a lot worth living for." He poked her in the shoulder to reference her. Minerva still seemed worried. "The Darkitect has lost his connection to this planet. He may still be able to just barely contact me, but his influence is next to nothing, even with a small amount of Maelstrom in me."

"What?!" Minerva exclaimed. "But we injected the cure in-"

"I think I'm a different case than most Minifigs." He raised his hand. He concentrated on briefly enough to allow purple sparks to dance on his fingertips. Minerva was less surprised at this. "Without the Maelstrom, I doubt I would be able to do that."

"But why can you do that?" she asked. "You haven't explained that."

Zach sighed. Another exposition. "Alright, here it goes. It started when I was about to become a Stromling in the Temple of Hotep III. Ahua did some digging and..."

*****

"I think I might have something here," Crusher said. There was a small tape recorder on a nearby counter. She pushed the rewind button and then hit play, and within a few minutes, Dietrich Luzwheit's voice was heard:

"It iz a very simple process. Vat ve are going to do is extract ze memories from his brain. We just got to locate ze memory cells, zen we can put needles into hiz eyes to project the last memory onto a screen. First, I vil take ze bone zaw, let me just check - oh yes, zis iz nice and shiny."

There was a brief moment of silence before his voice came up again. He was conversing with another voice, which Pierce recognized as belonging to Bear. Pierce could briefly hear a thud as the door closed, presumably from Bear walking out of the room. Then, Medic continued his procedure:

"Now, to begin ze operation. Ve start by cutting ze patient's skull-"

They very faintly heard the door opening once again, and very faint thud.

"Vat is zis? 'You're next.'"

"That would explain the slip of paper Caver found in his hand," Crusher said.

In the next few minutes, they were unable to make much of what they heard. There was a brief clinging noise, as though Medic had hit something metal with his bone saw. Then here was Luzwheit's final words: "Nein! It cannot be!" There was a moment of silence, only accompanied by a loud thud as presumably Luzwheit hit the operating table before landing on the ground.

"Well," Pierce said. "That was... very helpful-" He suddenly cut himself off as another voice was heard faintly, announcing Bear's return. Soon enough, Bear was shouting and crying, and then Pierce heard his own voice.

At that point, Crusher stopped the tape. "We all know what happened after that," she said. 

"That still doesn't explain the full process," said Pierce. "The other thing that concerns me is that recording seemed to suggest that someone didn't want this autopsy to happen."

"Whoever it was only attacked after that other guy was gone," noted Crusher. "Judging by that and the note, I'd hazard a guess that he had other reasons for killing Luzwheit, and he wanted to get him while alone. I reckon as long, as there's at least two of us in here, we should be fine."

"Alright," replied Pierce. "WADE, GET OVER HERE! As soon as Carver gets back, we'll need her too. I'm going to have to make a series of educated guesses into this operation." 

After a few minutes washing and sterilizing the bone saw, Pierce slowly turned toward Medic's body, which lay on the table. "Crusher, you find anything among his belongings?"

"A few notes," she replied. "Not much that was useful."

"Alright," said Pierce. He started to put the bone saw on Medic's forehead and began to make the cut...

----

Silencia Venomosa watched from the shadows as Scorsese and Orange disabled the security systems of Dacta Corporation. Since it was in her style to leave very little information for the authorities to track her down by, she let them do their job. Then, she would do her own job.

She had recorded all information she could gather regarding the heist on Dacta, then sent it over to Edward Korrupte. He responded in a long letter that, to anyone else, would seem professional and emotionless. Venomosa, on the other hand, had dealt with corporate executives before, and her keen eyes could make out the slight nuances and tiny hints in his message that betrayed a barely-controlled fury. As she had anticipated, Korrupte was far more than merely displeased that Mindstorms was sending mercenaries to steal his blueprints, and that was just enough to push him over the edge.

In her message to Korrupte, Silencia Venomosa also included a note about making sure that Ursula Bennett stayed in the building during the heist. In Korrupte's letter, he revealed that he was hesitant, but if Venomosa wished it, he felt it was wise not to interfere. What Venomosa did not tell Korrupte was that Bennett would most likely not survive the night, but Venomosa did not care; Bennett was a loose end, and this seemed like the perfect "accident" to kill her off.

The last sentence of Korrupte's letter was what filled Silencia Venomosa with sadistic anticipation: "Do what you must." In layman's terms, that was how a CEO tells an assassin such as Silencia Venomosa to "Kill everyone."

Already, Silencia Venomosa was formulating a plan in her head on how she would assassinate Uærlig Sindstorme. With such a huge name as Mindstorms, she did not want to pass up the opportunity on composing an assassination that would be remembered for years to come. She considered the ways in which the president would try to protect himself. For that, she already had a very special idea. But how to actually kill him? That would require some thought.

At last, Scorsese and Orange finished their work and disabled the security systems. They turned to reunite with the main group. Schiess's voice came in through Scorsese's radio: "Scorsese, where are you?"

Silencia Venomosa chose that moment to strike. Silently, she slipped out from the shadows, creeping up on her two targets. She pulled out her trusty knife, ready to end their lives and quickly.

Scorsese picked up his radio. "We're working our way up to-" he began.

Just then, Venomosa grabbed Orange from behind, clamping one hand over his mouth. She felt him tense against her body and struggled against her grip, but she was too quick. In one swift action, she slit Orange's throat and dropped his body to the floor.

"Oh Znap!" cried out Scorsese, who stared wide-eyed at Silencia Venomosa.

Disappointed, Venomosa mused on the fact that Scorsese wasted his reaction time with words, not actions. Before Scorsese could say anything more, Venomosa delivered a kick that knocked him to the floor. His radio slid across the floor, just out his reach.

Cursing, Scorsese reached for the radio, but Venomosa stepped on his hand. He cried out in pain and, finally deciding to actually do something, pulled out his gun. Silencia Venomosa was slightly amused by this pitiful threat as she simply knocked the weapon out of his hands and plunged her knife into his abdomen. Scorsese's life came to an abrupt end.

Venomosa heard Schiess's voice on the radio shouting. "Scorsese, Orange. Are you there? SCORSESE! ORANGE! ZNAP IT!" While Schiess cursed, Silencia Venomosa dragged away the bodies of Orange and Scorsese. In her previous visit to Dacta Corporation, she made a note of where she could hide corpses without anyone noticing for days; she remembered one time, back when she was just a rookie, where she made the mistake of hiding bodies in a utility closet, just like she had seen in the movies. It turned out that the police had also seen those movies, and the utility closet was the first place they checked. Until she could dispose of these bodies properly, she had to hide them in a better place.

Two down, five to go. Just another Tuesday, mused Silencia Venomosa.

After hiding the corpses of Orange and Scorsese where no one would find them, Silencia Venomosa started going after the rest of her group. She internally debated whether it would be wiser to maintain the facade that they were on the same side or, as she had done with Orange and Scorsese, just ambush and kill them. She decided that, if she ran into any lone stragglers, she would just kill them on the spot. If she ran into the whole group, she would play innocent... and maybe, when they weren't looking, release a toxic gas and kill them all in one swift stroke.

As Silencia Venomosa considered the possibility of poisons, she suddenly knew exactly how she would kill the president of Mindstorms, Inc. It was a new idea she recently developed... a horrible, sadistic, malicious idea that she could not wait to use. It was also a literary idea, quite beautifully inspired by a passing line in the poem Snake by D.H. Lawrence.

Yes. It would be the perfect death for Uærlig Sindstorme. 

----

"Saboteur!" snapped Sarge. "What do you think you're doing here? This is my safe room, and you are not welcome in my safe room!"

Saboteur smirked and gestured towards the splintered remains of the door scattered on the floor. "I see zhe 'safe room' is far from safe now."

"He does have a point," Rex said, nodding.

"Yeah, thanks t' knucklehead here!" Recon retorted, pointing at Bear. Bear responded with a dark glare that shut up the rookie agent.

Rex ignored Recon's comment. "I presume you've heard what's been going on? In regards to agents Tech and Medic?"

"But of course, I heard about it," Saboteur said with a grim look in his eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rex saw Bear's dark glare fade away instantly, replaced by a mourning expression. "Dietrich…" Bear sighed. "Medic vas more than just friend to me. He… vas like… brother…" At that point, Bear became too choked up to speak.

"I think he was a lot more than just a brother to ya," jeered Recon, smirking. Everyone glared at Recon with disapproval for this remark.

Saboteur pointed an accusing finger at Bear, Sarge, and Recon. "Now, thanks to you incompetent cowards, we have no safe room! And worse… zhey got Bullseye as well. I found him in his sniping post, with a knife planted in his back."

"Poor fella must've been stabbed from behind while zoomed in," Sarge remarked.

"Not quite," Saboteur said as he shook his head. "It looked like he would not go down without a fight; Bullseye had a few minor cuts on his face as well, and I found a nearby machete which Bullseye presumably used in conflict with his attacker. But he was dispatched so quickly and so silently, even if zhere was a knife fight between Bullseye and zhis… infiltrator, nobody would know zhat it happened until his body was discovered."

Surprisingly, a small chuckle escaped Saboteur's lips, causing the others to stare at him. "I'm quite impressed, actually," Saboteur admitted. "Whoever is behind zhis is quite zhe master at the art of infiltrating."

"What are you?" scoffed Recon. "His number one fanboy? Hah, I bet all ya no-good dime-a-dozen spies secretly suck each other's bricks!"

Saboteur shot Recon a dark glare. "Silence, boy!" he hissed. "Zhat is no way to speak to your father!"

Recon was visibly startled. His eyes were widened and his jaw was hanging open. He struggled to find his voice, but even before he could succeed at that, Saboteur pulled a photograph out of his suit pocket. Rex, Bear, and Sarge looked over Recon's shoulder and saw a wedding photo depicting a bride who resembled Recon's mother, Mrs. Helen Rutherford, holding hands with a groom wearing a familiar ninja-style cowl.

Recon reached out for the photograph, but Saboteur quickly pocketed it. "But zhat is of little importance at zhe moment. What matters now is zhat we find out who is zhe skilled master of spies who has successfully killed Tech, Medic, and Bullseye."

"They were all members of Second Headquarters Squad," remarked Rex. "Any of you three might be the next target! Where are Fireman and Dynamite?"

"Zhat is zhe pattern zhat I thought I saw emerging," Saboteur said as he nodded grimly, "zhe one I hesitated to tell you and Amanda about. It is becoming increasingly obvious zhat we members of Second Headquarters Squad are zhe targets of zhis killer. Why? I am not yet certain, but I theorize zhat our victory at Gold City and Fort Legoredo makes us too dangerous for our enemies to keep us alive. Additionally, taking down Tech and Bullseye could be seen as a strategy to take down our defenses, and as for Medic... he got too close to discovering his identity, and zhe mole wished to give us a scare to discourage anyone else from discovering him. Or perhaps, zhere is a far more malicious intent behind zhese murders, something I cannot fathom... something zhat would be in zhe style of, for example, Silencia Venomosa."

Rex tensed at those last two words. "From what I understand, Silencia Venomosa has been... inactive for quite some time now. I seriously doubt that she is behind this; while XERRD has hired mercenaries in the past, I have a strong feeling that she is not one of them."

Saboteur glared at Rex, his piercing eyes boring into Rex's consciousness, and for a moment, Rex thought that Saboteur could read his mind and discover Venomosa's true identity. "I would not be so quick as to discount anyone, Rex," hissed Saboteur. "As a spy myself, I know zhat zhe killer could be any one of us. For all we know, it could be you, Rex. And for all you know, it could even be me! And-"

There came the sound of thunder. Saboteur fell to the floor, his skull blown into thousands of tiny shards. He would never move again. Rex, Recon, and Bear all stared wide-eyed at the corpse, then at Sarge. The military sergeant was smiling maliciously as he reloaded his shotgun.

*****

"There seems to be a pattern here," Angel Eyes said. "First Tech, then Medic, and Bullseye. You see the connection."

"Yeah," replied Clint. "They were all part of the same squad."

"That's it," said Angel Eyes. "What puzzles me, though, is that nobody's come after any of us. We were there with the squad and we're trying to find out who the mole is, and yet nobody's come to kill us yet. Whoever's responsible must know them. All we know based on this evidence that whoever it was, they're good with a knife."

"All the more reason to suspect Silencia," said a voice from behind. Angel Eyes turned to see a rough-looking man in a leather jacket. "Agent Trigger," he introduced himself.

"Silencia Venomosa?" said Angel Eyes.

"You know her?" asked Trigger.

"Back at Gold City, we had a few run-ins," replied Angel Eyes. "I always thought she was long dead."

"She isn't," said Trigger. "I know her well. I lost five good men by her hand, and she's right here in this base under the pseudonym of Amanda Remous. She has this whole innocent act she keeps pulling, but I don't buy it."

"She uses knives a lot?"

"You kidding?" said Trigger. "We had this one job at Dacta. It was down to me and this other guy, Keaton. We just got to the door when I found she'd stabbed him in the MegaBloking back with her switchblade. The getaway driver and I were the only ones who made it out of that mess in one piece, and believe me when I say we got back at her."

"That gives us two possible suspects," said Angel Eyes. "I'm not much of a detectiv-"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," said a sudden voice from behind them. The men turned to see a tall man in a suit and fedora approaching them. He sat down at the table and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Who are you?" Trigger asked, sternly.

"The name's Bogart," replied the man. "Private Detective." He held out a badge.

"Why didn't you get on this sooner?" inquired Trigger.

"I didn't know," replied Bogart. "Specs called and said to come down here because there was a murder, so I came down here to investigate."

"Three murders, actually," replied Angel Eyes.

"What do we know so far?" Bogart asked.

"We know that they were all working for the same squad," replied Angel Eyes. "The Second Headquarters Squad, they called it. The only question is why they haven't come after us?"

"Were you part of this... Second Headquarters Squad?" Bogart queried.

"Sort of," replied Angel Eyes.

"Right," said Bogart. "I'd better start asking around."

"I got to go make a phone call," Trigger stated as he stood up. "I'll come talk to you more about this business with Silencia later."

*****

"I don't need a shrink," said Lutsky.

"Oh, I expect you don't," said Doctor Saran matter-of-factly. "But do you see that camera up there?" The psychologist pointed to a lone security camera mounted outside the wall of cell. "They expect me to spend the next hour or so sitting here." He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You don't need to talk, of course, but it will certainly make us look better if we have some sort of conversation."

Lutsky snarled. "Well then, what do you suppose we talk about, Doc? The weather? Perhaps you've noticed that I don't have window in this cell."

"Yes, I have noticed," said Saran. "How do you feel about being locked up down here?"

"What do you think?" muttered Lutsky. "I was once a distinguished commander; I led these men! Now they treat me like I'm their enemy!"

"Tell me about your history as a commander," said Saran. "I'm just curious."

"That Egyptian is who destroyed my job," said Lutsky. "He made the other agents think I was insane. That freak had a way of getting in a person's head, that's what he did to the other members of the Dino Attack. He was playing them the whole time. I had to kill the son of a 4+ Figure."

"But I did not ask about Dust," said Saran. "I asked about your career. Why did you join the Dino Attack Team?"

"This is turning into one of your talks," growled Lutsky.

"No, it's not," responded Dr. Saran. "It's just a conversation. Perhaps you would like to ask me a question."

"Maybe I will," Lutsky said defiantly.

Saran smiled and sat back in his chair. "Ask away."

The former commander considered for a moment, before he finally thought of a question he considered worth asking: "What do you think about Dust?"

"Do you really think my opinion of that man is important?" asked Dr. Saran, concerned. "I must admit that your fixation on the man is bordering on an obsession."

"I'm not obsessed," hissed Lutsky. "Now, answer my question."

*****

Naomi walked excitedly down the hall to agent Rex's room. She hoped to turn in the handwriting sample to an elite agent. Someone in a leadership position would know what to do with the evidence.

She came to the door of Rex's room. The door was ajar, so the nurse allowed herself to enter without knocking.

The room was similar to most rooms in the Dino Attack Headquarters. While rookies all slept together in a large barrack, standard agents sleep in groups of eight, elites shared a room with only three others. Rex's room was no different. It was empty, save for two vacant bunkbeds and a toothbrush sitting by the sink.

"Can I help you?"

Naomi jumped in surprise as Amanda Claw walked into the room behind her. "Yes, I'm looking for Rex," said Naomi innocently. "I have something I'd like him to see. You would not know where he is, would you?"

"He should still be in the main lobby," said Amanda, frowning. "What would you like to show him? Perhaps I could help."

Naomi considered for a moment before handing Amanda the bloodstained scrap of paper she found in the morgue. "I found this by Medic's body," said Naomi. "I think the mole wrote it. I hoped Rex might be able to identify the handwriting."

Amanda said nothing as she eyed the paper.

"Whoever the killer is," Naomi said with a smile, "he must be getting cocky if he thinks he could get away with writing scary threats like that."

"He must be," said Amanda "They say a member of the Second Headquarters Squad is suspected. A lot of those guys are rather nuts, if you ask me."

Naomi laughed. "You know, there are people who suspect you. I think that's somewhat ridiculous"

"Yeah… ridiculous," said Amanda.

"You know what you should do?" said Naomi. "You should write something. That way you could put those rumors to rest." The nurse pulled out a notebook from her pocket and handed it to Amanda. "It would certainly make people less suspicious. I would hate for someone like you to get hurt over this."

"You didn't hear about last night," muttered Amanda.

Just then, Amanda's PDA started beeping. She held up a finger to Naomi, telling her to wait a second, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the PDA. She pressed a button and spoke: "Standard Agent Claw."

"Hi, this is Elizabeth Wilma," came the voice on the other line.

"Ah, yes," said Amanda. "Has Gun returned to the lobby and spoken to Rex yet?"

"I was about to ask if you had any luck finding Gun yet."

Amanda frowned. "I'm afraid not. I just checked Rex's room, and there's no sign of Gun here."

"Because Standard Agent Sarge just came in, grabbed Rex's wheelchair by the handlebars, and rushed him out of the lobby, all the while shouting something about gathering the Second Headquarters Squad in a 'safe room'."

Amanda's eyes widened. "What?" she blinked, incredulous. Rex is with those incompetent lunatics? I better find out where he is and take care of this immediately. "Thank you," she muttered. "I'll try to find Rex immediately, and hopefully one of us can find Gun in the meantime." She pocketed the PDA and began to head out the door.

"Wait!" called Naomi before she could go. "The handwriting test?"

"Oh, yes, of course," murmured Amanda. She grabbed a slip of paper, quickly wrote something down on it, and handed it to Naomi. "Hope you can figure out who's really behind this before anyone else loses their life." Then, she exited Rex's room and sprinted down the hall.

Naomi watched her go, then looked down upon the paper. What she saw seemed to drain all hope from her body:

"Careful. People are capable of writing in various styles."

----

"What do we do?" Deniro asked.

"I don't know," Schiess replied with a very small hint of panic in his voice. "Something's happened to Orange and Scorsese. There's probably nothing we can do for them now. I say we just get the goods and get the Znap out of here."

"What about her?" Verbal asked, motioning toward Ursula's body. She lay there moaning very weakly.

Schiess promptly drew his gun and fired two rounds through her chest, killing her instantly. "Let's go," he said. Schiess quickly pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Montoya!"

"Yeah?"

"Something's happened. I think Scorsese and Orange might have been found. We're getting out of here."

"Gotcha," replied Montoya.

Schiess quickly grabbed the briefcase. "Let's get to the stairs," he said. "If we take the elevator, they'll be waiting for us at the bottom, plus it's too easy a spot for potential assassins to get to us from on top."

"You don't think that Silenci-"

"It's a possibility," interrupted Schiess. "It would explain where she went."

Schiess turned down the hall and ran toward the staircase, followed by Keaton, Verbal, and Deniro. The four men were running down the stairs as fast as they could. Schiess was in front, behind Keaton and Deniro were following, with Verbal in the back struggling to keep up.

Suddenly, Schiess looked back to notice that Verbal was missing. There was a brief scream head for a second before it was muffled. Looking up, Schiess could partially see a brown-haired young girl standing on the landing. Quickly, Schiess, Keaton, and Deniro drew their guns and tried to fire, but she was out of sight before anyone could hit. A few seconds later, they could see Verbal fall onto the railing, a large cut in his throat.

"Son of a 4+ Figure," Schiess muttered. "Silencia set us up!"

"Their CEO must have paid her better than ours did," Deniro said. "We'd better get out of here fast."

Quickly, Schiess turned back down the stairs and continued running. He finally reached the bottom and opened the door before running out into the lobby. He and Keaton looked back as the door opened again and Deniro stepped through, staggering slightly.

"You alright?" Schiess asked.

"The funniest thing," replied Deniro as he started to approach Schiess before he suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Only then did they notice the large knife embedded in his backside.

There was a slight creak as the door opened once again, and in stepped that familiar face of Silencia Venomosa. Keaton quickly raised his gun and fired at her.

Just as she expected, as soon as Silencia Venomosa opened the door, someone fired at her. She was too fast, and Keaton's gun arm was too slow. Shooting from the waist, mixed in with shaking arms due to an adrenaline rush, made the bullet all too easy for Venomosa to avoid. Keaton and Schiess were wise enough to do what any sane man would do: run. As they ran, Silencia Venomosa pursued with an unnatural silence.

As her prey neared the door, Venomosa drew her switchblade. Schiess was already out the door. Keaton almost made it. He would have made it if he were only a half-second faster. But Venomosa would not let her prey get away so easily. She let the knife fly from her hands and watched it cut through the air before planting itself in Keaton's back.

Five down, two to go.

Wordlessly, Silencia Venomosa stepped over Keaton's corpse and exited the Dacta Corporation building.

----

When Rex finally found his voice, he stammered: "Sarge! You just killed Saboteur!"

"Dude!" Recon's jaw dropped. "That… that was my dad!"

"So much bloodshed!" commented Bear, staring at the corpse of the Dino Attack agent once known as Saboteur. "How could you do this?"

Sarge realized that Rex, Recon, and Bear were all glaring at him. "What are you maggots looking at me for?" he shouted. "Saboteur was obviously the spy! He gave himself away! Oh, he thought he was so tricky and smart, speaking in third-person, but no one would show so much respect towards a cowardly traitor unless that cowardly traitor was himself! And then he even admitted that he could be the traitor!"

"'Could' is not a certainty!" snapped Rex. "Saboteur could be very innocent, and you'll be under arrest, charged with murder!"

"Unless," Recon said as he glared darkly at Sarge, "you're the true traitor! Get'm! Beat'm to a pulp!"

"Now is killer killing time!" Bear roared, revving up his machine gun. Sarge swallowed nervously as he saw a furious Bear and Recon charge towards him.

"Stop this madness now!" Rex shouted from his wheelchair, unable to physically intercept. "Sarge, you will be placed under custody. Recon, find Specs and tell him about what has happened. Bear, you will stay here with me and Sarge until Specs arrives."

Shooting Sarge one last dark glare, Recon spat on the floor and walked towards the door. Bear sneered at Sarge and sat down upon the desk, his machine gun aimed at the army sergeant.

"You can stop revving your gun, Bear," Rex said. "It's starting to get a little obnoxious." Bear's machine gun was making so much noise, in fact, Rex could faintly hear Recon shouting about something but could not make out the words.

Bear sighed in disappointment, but pulled the switch to turn off his gun. When the revving continued, Bear's eyes widened. "Uh-oh. Gun is not stopping!"

"Here, let me help with that!" Sarge already started reaching for Bear's weapon.

Bear pulled it back, giving Sarge the evil eye. "This is my veapon!" he growled. "You do not touch my gun!"

Recon was still shouting something, but was incomprehensible over the sound of Bear's machine gun and the argument between Bear and Sarge. It only became harder for Rex to make any sense of anything when Sarge actually laid a hand on Bear's gun, leading to a wrestling match over possession of the heavy weapon. Of course, neither the strong, furious soldier nor the stubborn military sergeant would listen to the attempts of a handicapped man in a wheelchair to make them settle down.

One by one, things started to quiet. First, Recon stopped shouting, likely having given up on whatever message he was trying to tell the others.

Then, Bear's machine gun stopped revving. This was followed by a triumphant laugh from Bear, who declared, "Hah! See? I fixed my own veapon vithout any of tiny baby man's help!"

Sarge lay on the floor, amidst the broken pieces of the desk, as though he had stood in the way of an elephant stampede. Covered from head to toe with bruises, he slowly and painfully picked himself up. Still, he managed to say, "You… call that… breaking every bone… in my body? You… stupid foreigners… do not-"

Bear slammed his fist into Sarge's face, sending the military sergeant flying across the room. He crumpled against the far wall, where he lay mostly still. "Okay!" he wheezed. "Now… every… bone… is… broken…!"

"Keep crying, baby!" taunted Bear, laughing.

Rex was aghast. Not since Kotua had he seen so many Dino Attack agents fighting one another. He could not possibly imagine how these agents had worked so well together in the Second Headquarters Squad. All that was needed was a bit of suspicion, and suddenly they turned against one another like savages.

"Okay," Rex sighed, rubbing his forehead, "now that's over with, we all need to just calm down. Recon, what were you trying to say? Recon? Are you still there?"

No reply.

"Fine." Rex glanced at Bear, who was smiling and hugging his gun, then turned to look at Sarge. "Looks like we're going to have to get you to the medical wing as soon as possible."

Bear smiled in Rex's direction. "It is good day! You are here-"

Rex was on the verge of explosion. "Agent Bear! I will not condone this behavior! You will be-"

Bear's smile vanished. "Spy!" he shouted, pointing towards Rex. "I see spy! He is killer!"

"Now I'm the mole?" snapped Rex, seething and unable to believe what he was seeing or hearing. "That's your excuse? That's going to be the reason why I'm next on your beat-everybody-up list?"

Weakly, Sarge lifted his arm, pointing at Rex. "Get down, troop! Hit the deck!"

Rex blinked in surprise. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the glint of light reflecting off a knife. Immediately, he launched himself out of his wheelchair.

There came the sound of a gunshot, and Sergeant Ronald E. Army let out one last sigh and moved no more. Bear, roaring furiously, revved up his machine gun and charged at their mysterious attacker. From his position on the floor, Rex could not see what happened, but heard Bear bellow in pain, followed by a loud thud as the large Dino Attack agent's body hit the floor.

"No…" whispered Rex. He strained to turn over. Footsteps coming closer. Cursing his immobile legs, he pushed with his arms and twisted his body until he could face his assailant.

The figure approached him with a knife. The infiltrator bent down close and pressed the edge of the blade against Rex's neck. Frozen with shock, Rex was rendered entirely immobile, and could only stare into the eyes of his attacker and wait for his end.

There came voices from far off down the hall. The killer quickly glanced in that direction, then looked back at Rex. Then, the mole chuckled softly, pocketed the knife, and pulled out a cigarette. The infiltrator lit it, then dropped it down upon the floor.

The room was suddenly filled with smoke. Rex coughed violently, his eyes watering. Then, just as suddenly, the smoke cleared. His attacker was nowhere to be seen.

Several Dino Attack agents rushed into the room. Rex, still in a state of shock, his eyes and throat burning from the smokescreen, could not quite make them out. The whole world was blurring. As far as he knew, all but two members of Second Headquarters Squad had been killed.

But that was not the worst thing Rex had seen in the last hour. He now knew the identity of the spy, the infiltrator, the mole, the killer.

Specs.

Then, Rex fell into unconsciousness.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 56: Until Proven Guilty

----

Hertz lay unmoving in his hospital bed. To his left lay elite agent Rotor; the pilot had bandages covering much of his face but still had enough strength and mental capacity to turn the pages of A Tale of Two Cities.

To his right lay Cabin. Mrs. Bishop's attack had proved to be especially brutal on the bystander, and the elite agent lay unmoving beside her heart monitor. She had a white cast covering her entire face and her eyes were closed beneath the narrow slits.

The doctors assured him that Cabin would live and make a full recovery, but she would bear the scars for most of her life. Both had suffered concussions, but the brain damage would prove to be minimal. Pierce had done a spectacular job repairing Cabin's skull fractures, but her nose would always be crooked.

Hertz sighed. What had the Dino Attack become when violent brawls happened on a daily basis? These fights only divided the team further and led to greater distress. People like Trigger and Sarah Bishop needed to be held responsible and be punished, but it seemed that, with the war already on multiple fronts, there was no one to do the job.

*****

Solomon watched the fight between Zelda and Nazareno with considerable interest. He had already inquired if the space ninja carried any extra swords, but sadly Nazareno only possessed his two.

This led the philosopher to the Dino Attack armory. Although it held a plethora of strange and unusual weapons, including muskets, bananas, and pointy sticks, the katana were far below Solomon's standards.

He had a strong knowledge of swordsmanship from his time as a Sentinel. During that time, he had undergone rigorous training as a Samurai before converting to Shinobi during his time with XERRD.

Although he respected Nazerano's skill, he considered his fighting style slightly uncivilized compared to his more elegant schooling as a Samurai. He resolved to challenge the ninja to a friendly spar once he had located a suitable weapon.

Solomon left the armory empty-handed, aside from a Luger P08 that he hid beneath his robe. The doctor checked his watch. Fifteen minutes until he promised to confront Trigger. He smiled; the mercenary would make an optimal example of the lengths he would go to prove his loyalty.

----

Exactly what happened then, Schiess could hardly remember as it all happened so quick, but the next thing he knew he was out of the building running for the car. Quickly, he opened the passenger side door, stepped inside, and put down the briefcase before looking Montoya in the eye.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Schiess shouted.

"What?" gasped Montoya. "What about the others?"

"I'll tell you later, just go!"

Without thinking, Montoya hit the ignition and got out of his parking spot before he started driving away as fast as he could.

Schiess held his breath, until their car was so far away from Dacta Corporation that he could not even see the building in the rear view window. Sweat drenched his forehead, and he desperately hoped that she was not a biker girl who would pursue them in a climatic car chase. Upon realizing that motorcycles were far too loud for her style, Schiess allowed himself to relax a little.

"Mind telling me what's going on?!" shouted Montoya, who kept his eyes locked on the road ahead of them. Unfortunately, it nearly midnight on a stormy night, and he could only see the next few feet of highway ahead of him that were illuminated by the car's headlights. He had a lit cigarette in his mouth and hadn't the time to put it out when Schiess showed up.

"It's her," Schiess said with a shudder. "That 4+ Figure double-crossed us! We should have known better than to trust her!"

Montoya paled. Since their team of mercenaries consisted of seven men and one woman, Schiess did not need to name her in order for Montoya to figure out what he meant. "And the others? She didn't..."

Schiess nodded grimly.

"Oh my Builder," whispered Montoya. "But at least we got away, right?"

Schiess looked down at the briefcase in his lap. "And we've got the blueprints. Mission accomplished." He pulled out his cellphone and called the president of Mindstorms, Inc. "Mr. Uærlig Sindstorme? This is Schiess. I've got the documents you requested, but Silencia Venomosa-"

Then, Schiess caught sight of perhaps the most disturbing thing he had ever seen in his life. In the rear-view mirror, he saw a dark shape clinging onto the passenger side of the car. He caught a glint of light as it reflected off a knife raised in the air.

"-is on our car!" he screamed to Montoya.

"What?" gasped Montoya.

"She must've hitched a ride before we pulled out! Grabbed onto our trunk or climbed onto our roof or something!"

"Where is she?"

"Passenger side!" Schiess pointed out the window.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Knock her off! Drive into the guardrails!"

"But-"

"Just do it!" snapped Schiess.

Montoya complied, and their car swerved to the right. It grinded against the right highway guardrail, sending sparks flying into the air and creating a horrible noise of metal scratching metal. "Did I get her?" asked Montoya, whose eyes were locked dead forward.

Schiess looked past Montoya and saw the dark shape now on the driver's side of the car. Shaking his head vigorously, Schiess pointed and shouted, "No! Driver's side, now!"

"Oh, MegaBloks!" gasped Montoya as he dared to quickly glance to his left and saw the dark shape that had to be her. Quickly, he turned the wheel and slammed the car into the left guardrail.

As Montoya did so, Schiess glanced up at the sunroof and saw the dark shape pass overhead. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his gun and shot at the roof of the car. Even as he shouted, "Passenger side!", Schiess dared to roll down his window, poke his head and weapon out, and fire at the dark shape clinging to the car. But as Montoya tried to swerve the car to the right again, the dark shape disappeared behind the car and popped out again on the driver's side. "Driver's side!"

The car swerved to the left, then to the right, then to the left again, as Montoya desperately tried to shake off the dark shape and Schiess fired his gun whenever and wherever he could. This process could not have possibly lasted more than a minute, but it felt like an eternity of terror to Schiess and Montoya.

"Where is she now?" cried Montoya.

Schiess looked out his window and saw the dark shape just below him. This time, in addition to seeing the glint of light reflecting off a knife, he could make out her facial features and her long dark hair blowing in the wind. Schiess fired his pistol at her and, as she darted to the side, grabbed the cigarette out of Montoya's mouth and threw it at her. The burning cinder forced her to maneuver awkwardly, and in the process, she let go.

To Schiess's surprise, this did the trick. The dark shape vanished, and as he looked in the rear-view mirror, he was relieved to see her body rolling on the wet road behind them. Sighing in relief, Schiess leaned back in his chair. "It's over. We got her."

Montoya, who was now just as sweat-drenched as Schiess, grinned. "I can't believe it!" he said as he laughed nervously. He reached down, grabbed another cigarette, and lit it to celebrate their victory. "We're going to make it! We're..." His smile disappeared. "What's that noise?"

Schiess's eyes widened as he heard a most terrible series of sounds... the sounds of popping tires. Too late, he realized what she had been doing on their car. "She slashed our tires!" he cried, but it was too late.

Without tires, the car's wheels skidded across the wet road, sending sparks in the air. Montoya gripped onto the wheel and slammed on the brakes with terror, but that did nothing to stop their car as it swerved left and right, slammed into another car, crashed through a guardrail, and landed upside-down in a ditch.

Battered and bruised, dizzy and nauseous, Schiess struggled to stay conscious. He shook Montoya, and to his relief, his partner was still alive. But as he looked out the windshield at the highway on which they were driving, what he saw filled him with the most undiluted form of terror imaginable.

There she was.

Silencia Venomosa.

Although she was cloaked in shadow, it was undoubtedly her. Her long, dark hair billowed in the harsh storm wind, as did her longcoat. In one hand, she still gripped onto that terrible knife, seeming to glow as light reflected off its shining surface. Her cold eyes pierced through the night, looking directly at Schiess.

And still, with an eerie silence so unnatural that it could not possibly be of this world, she walked slowly but steadily towards their car with the terrifying poise and air of a serpent about to strike.

And as Schiess beheld this horror, the car caught on fire. 

----

"I really don't want to talk about Dust," Saran said calmly. "You're welcome to ask a question about myself, but I don't want to talk about other people."

"I want to hear what you think about the Egyptian," Lutsky said stubbornly.

"Why does it matter to you?" asked Saran. The doctor was growing concerned. He walked a narrow space between helping Lutsky open up and becoming the one being interviewed.

The Hannibal Lector gambit was always a risk in psychology. If Saran refused to talk about himself, the subject would become uncomfortable and lose trust; on the other hand, if he lost control of the interview, Saran might find himself at the mercy of a sociopath.

He kept his composure and continued to keep the conversational area about the talk. "Why does it matter to you what I think about Mr. Thutmose?" repeated Saran.

"Because he's a madman!" yelled Lutsky. "And I need to know whether or not he's manipulating you!"

This was a surprising answer for the psychologist. "Mr. Lutsky, I never met Mr. Thutmose in my life," said Saran.

"Prove it," demanded the ex-commander. "Prove the son of a 4+ Figure is not in your head."

Saran sighed, "Mr. Lutsky, you know very well I can't prove that to you. You just need to trust me."

"Bah," spat Lutsky. "Trust."

"Do you have a problem with trust, Carl?" asked Dr. Saran, intrigued.

"No," he responded. "But when there are people like him running around, you can never be too careful."

"Mr. Lutsky," Dr. Saran said slowly. "You do know that Dust is dead right?"

"Yes, I killed the man," said Carl Lutsky. "But that does not make him less dangerous. He's still playing tricks; he's still trying to destroy everything I worked for."

"Everything you worked for?" the psychologist asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I mean we," said the ex-commander, backtracking. "He's still in our heads, trying to destroy us, the Dino Attack Team."

"But how can he do that when he's dead?"

Lutsky suddenly laughed hysterically. "Because he's still alive!"

*****

Minerva closed her eyes as Zach finished his tale yet again. "Really?" she said in an almost exasperated tone.

"Yeah."

"So now you can shoot lightning and fireballs composed of the Maelstrom, right?" she asked.

"I'm only limited by my own energy. So I think I'll limit the use of the Maelstrom to a 'last resort' type situation."

Minerva nodded. "It's probably for the best." She turned her head. "Oh, they're fighting again."

Zelda and Nazareno clashed swords violently. Nazareno moved swiftly and quickly as he struck repeated blows against Zelda. Whenever she managed to get a chance to go on the offense, Zelda was just as quick, though not nearly as graceful as the space ninja.

"I'm curious," Nazareno said casually as his parried a swing from Zelda. "Have you trained with a sword prior to this meeting?"

"A lot," Zelda said, jumping up from a swing to her ankles. "A hobby I never really dropped after leaving Pirates Forbidden Island."

Nazareno's eyes widened substantially. "Pirates Forbidden Island? Were you formerly a pirate?" Zach easily noticed that Nazareno's voice had become colder, more irritated.

"No," Zelda said quickly. She could feel the hostility as well. "My parents were. My dad sent me to World City when the Skeleton Pirate War took my mother's life. He died in that war not long afterwards."

"Hmm," Nazareno murmured, smashing his sword against Zelda's more aggressively than before. The crowd could hear the swords crack roughly. "Rather interesting you should now be training under a ninja."

Zach could see where Nazareno was coming from. There was a well-known rivalry between Pirates and Ninjas, both on the LEGO Planet and elsewhere. Captain Brickbeard had started a rivalry between his pirate crew and the ninjas of this planet in the previous year and often had clashed. Elsewhere, he was aware of conflicts between Ninjas and Pirates in the Nimbus System. It was clear from Nazareno's change of tone and aggressiveness that he did not hold pirates very highly.

"Yeah," Zelda said softly, quickly swinging up her sword to block a blow to her chest. "I don't think you should hold my upbringing against me though. I dropped any dream of being a pirate long ago."

Nazareno blinked once. "Of course. My apologies." He bowed his head once before striking against Zelda again. "I had a rather... unfortunate meeting with several pirates once. Despite my training, I have not quite learned to let go just yet." He swung his sword upward, knocking Zelda's back. He then swung his foot out, clipping her knees.

Zelda swore softly as she fell to the ground. "You really take any opening you get," she mused as she quickly climbed back to her feet and blocked Nazareno's sword again. "Even if you have to make one."

"A certain evolution I was forced to undergo," Nazareno said calmly, but Zach could see the fire return to his eyes. "I once preferred a more civilized, perhaps honorable fighting style. However, I was forced to change style after nearly being killed."

"By who?" Zelda asked curiously as she tapped the flat side of her blade on Nazareno's wrist. He grunted and quickly tossed his sword into his other hand and continued the fight.

"A nasty individual named Matthew Vherestorm. An extremely feared assassin and terrorist throughout the LEGO Universe. He was less known here, but he still completed a job here once or twice. He was cold, arrogant, and you definitely didn't want to get on his wrong side. He worked with a wide collection of scoundrels, from small-time thugs in the back alleys of Sector 6 to dangerous work with high-class individuals such as Silencia Venomosa herself. His only redeeming feature was that he was exceptionally polite, no matter what he was doing."

"So, I assume you know him well?" Zelda said, her eyes widened at this lengthy description.

Nazareno nodded solemnly and kicked Zelda in the stomach, knocking her back. "I became tasked with taking him down. You could say it grew into an obsession between the both of us. He toyed with me, I toyed with him. He'd intentionally lead me places just so we could talk. Almost always ended with fighting with no victor. He, I would say, was my most fearsome and worthy opponent.

"And so Vherestorm was pulling off a hijacking stunt against an Explorien operation on Mondo II. I confronted him and, to say the least, it was fierce. A battle that took us through the facility that was slowly and surely running out of oxygen thanks to Vherestorm. I was critically wounded by him after he used an underhanded tactic to defeat. He escaped and left me to die in a near-empty oxygenless building. If I had not been found by the Space Police a few moments later, I would have perished."

The crowd was dead silent at this point. Zelda and Nazareno's fight continued despite this. "Realizing I could not allow such an incident to happen again, I adjusted my style to better deal with Vherestorm and cowardly thugs who dared to challenge me."

"Did you ever catch this... Matthew Vherestorm?" Zelda asked.

"Unfortunately, no. He disappeared abruptly in 2007, and not a word has been heard from him since. I've checked out other incidents, thinking he may be using a different alias. Nothing. Every lead I had did not resemble Vherestorm in the slightest and if they had, their fighting skills were nothing compared to Vherestorm's skill with a katana."

Zach watched as Nazareno smashed his sword upon Zelda's, destroying his own. It was interesting. He had never even thought about Nazareno's backstory. It sounded fascinating, to say the least. Vherestorm… I've heard that name from somewhere. Probably in the news. He continued to muse on Nazareno's recently-revealed background as he watched the ninja in question go against a sword-wielding Zelda without a weapon of his own. 

*****

It hadn't changed at all, physically.

The injection needle, the one Andrew was positive had been used on Claw so many months ago, had sat in his closet gathering dust and a bit of ash ever since he came back from LEGO Island and found it. He had been led to it by those dreams, those strange dreams which seemed to spring up irregularly and vaguely about past, present, future, and a whole bunch of things he couldn't begin to understand.

Andrew held it in his hand, having stopped by his room to finally do something with it.

It was weird, how things had gone since he had last touched it. First, there was the bring-up of the DNA Device, that thing that had been connected to Reptile's history that had seemed to be related to his own goals but had turned out not so. In retrospect, Andrew couldn't really understand how he could've envisioned somehow finding a way to work it, though he supposed if things had worked out differently, an opportunity would've opened somehow. Fate had a way of doing that with Dino Attack.

Then, there was the factor of the Maelstrom. A curious thing, that was. Andrew had gotten the idea it could've been used to power the DNA Device or some other form of transfiguration, but after some time and fantasy dreaming, it had hit him during the fortress "infiltration" of the gravity of the situation. Trying to use the Maelstrom for one's own desires was pretty much how the Mutant Dino war started, and it was clear to him then that if he continued on his path, he'd likely end up in a position far, far, far from his desired one.

And then came a strike of irony and an opening through the looking glass. One of his comrades, a fellow LEGO Islander, no less, gets ensnared by the Maelstrom and becomes a highly notable figure in the then-emerging new enemy force. The image of his plain, spectacle-wearing, red-headed face getting tainted by red eyes, purple hair, and an arm fused to a gun was like a gross mockery of what Andrew had wanted to do... and what he might've become. That alone was plenty of motivation to join Minerva in saving him.

The moment where that other Stromling Zach had been with (What was his name? Alma? Omaha?) tried to take his mind had been a little enlightening, though also a little confusing. He supposed the important thing that had come out of that was that he had finally convinced himself (and his "consciousness" or whatever) of the importance of not getting distracted by desire and focusing on the task at hand. And that he might want to look a bit more into this after the war if he wanted to understand these freaky "desires" better. And that he might be involved with some weird interests in his future.

And now came one last factor. Pterisa, the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid who showed up out of nowhere at the Maelstrom temple. First hiding her identity under the veil and helmet of a strong lightning-shooting samurai, her reveal had shown not only her form, but her concerns with being accepted among standard Minifigs, displayed dramatically by her nervous breakdown.

Andrew had never really thought about how, if he had managed to acquire physical changes, he would go about trying to return to her daily life. Thinking about it more did bring about both many practical concerns about his living arrangements and social concerns about how others might take it. True, it was silly in this day and age to think scientists would drag you into a dark room to be dissected, but there were legitimate concerns to be had about how others might treat you, based on whatever fears or prejudices they might have.

He supposed now that helping Pterisa now with her semi-formal entry into Dino Attack as an ally to the cause was a reflection of his desire to ensure the best acceptance she could get into the team. The more he could do to help her ease into the normal environment of Dino Attack, and the more he could ensure others wouldn't be treating her with hostility or extreme refusal, the more he could put those concerns about non-Minifig acceptance to rest.

So what did all this have to do with the needle? Simple. The needle he was holding represented who he had been before Adventurers' Island. What his goals were and how he was planning things. It was quite similar, yet quite different from who he was now. And now it was time to take care of that.

After one last look, Andrew looked at the trash bin in his room and tossed the needle in there. It clanged on the interior side and landed on some papers he had tossed a while back when he first arrived.

Technically not the best disposal method, Andrew thought, but it serves well for symbolism purposes.

And with that, Andrew left the room and headed for the recreation room. He had told Laxus and Pterisa he would meet them there after handling his business in here, and he was anxious to get down there. He had something in mind, and it involved the Dino Cop box set some agent had left in the rec room recently. 

*****

"I don't see it," said Crusher. "You sure about this?"

"I don't know," replied Pierce. "All I know is what Medic mentioned. I was hoping maybe we could figure out the tools, but at this point, I can't make heads or tails of his brain." Pierce started to put aside his scalpel and stepped down from the table as Wade lowered Medic's body.

"What's going on in here?" said a voice from behind them. Pierce looked up to see a strange man in a fedora. "My name's Bogart. Private Detective. I'm here to investigate the murders that have been taking place. You are-"

"Alan Pierce," replied Pierce.

"I take it your friend here was one of the victims," said Bogart.

"More or less," said Pierce.

"Any idea who did it?"

"That's what we were trying to work out," replied Pierce. "The man here, Luzwheit, talked about some process by which he could project the last things a victim saw. I was hoping to figure it out, but we couldn't."

"Do you have anything that could be useful?" asked Bogart.

"We do have one thing," said Pierce. "There was recording of his last few minutes. I don't know how much use it will be to you, but I can play it anyway."

"Alright," said Bogart. "Let's give it a listen." They played the tape once more for Bogart. As Dietrich Luzwheit spoke on the recording, Bogart motioned towards Medic's body and asked, "That's him?"

Pierce nodded.

After the tape came to sudden stop, Bogart said, "Interesting." He removed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "You mind if I smoke?"

"Yes, actually," Pierce replied sternly. "This is a hospital."

Bogart sighed and put the cigarettes back in his pocket. "He said, 'Nein, it couldn't be,'" Bogart said. "From that shocked reaction, it would be logical to assume that whoever did this was someone he knew well, someone who would be the last person we'd suspect of committing the murder."

"That explains a lot," Crusher sarcastically commented.

"There is one other piece of evidence," continued Bogart. He produced the bloodied knife from his pocket. "One of your teammates found this lodged into the back of one of the murder victims. Do any of you recognize it?"

Pierce took the knife and looked it over before handing it back to Bogart. "Never seen it before."

"This knife must have belonged to someone, someone who knew how to stab a man in the back. Now tell me something, if you knew anyone on this team could be the mole, who would be the last person you'd expect?"

Pierce and the other doctors took a moment to think about it. "I don't know," replied Pierce. "I mean, isn't that the point of being the last person I'd expect?"

----

Schiess could not get the car door open. Sweating profusely, he unbuckled his seatbelt and repeatedly kicked the windshield with all his strength. At last, his boot broke through the glass. He wasted no time climbing out of the burning car, hardly even noticing as Montoya also made it out.

The two mercenaries were forced to run off on foot, putting as much distance between themselves and their pursuer as they could. Unable to help himself, Montoya stole a glance backward. He could see Silencia Venomosa standing at the edge of the highway. She was completely motionless for a few moments, staring at the fiery wreckage of their car. Then, finally, she turned around and walked away.

Montoya let out a long sigh of relief, realizing that she must have believed they perished in the fire. What had stopped her from getting any closer to investigate and confirm their deaths? He did not know, but he was not about to deny this good fortune.

Schiess and Montoya walked a certain distance in the rain before finally finding a small motel that was still open, and one which conveniently still had a double room. It was only a moment as a soaked Montoya placed a key in the slot in the door before he opened it and stepped inside, followed by Schiess.

"I can't believe it," Schiess muttered. "That MegaBloking 4+ Figure set us up."

"I tried to tell you," replied Montoya. "I knew there was something wrong about her."

Schiess took a moment to remove his jacket.

"So everybody's dead?" Montoya asked.

"I know Verbal, Deniro, and Keaton are dead," replied Schiess. "I don't know what happened to Scorsese or Orange."

"You think there's a chance they're still alive?" wondered Montoya.

"Not with Venomosa running around," said Schiess.

"What about the blueprints?"

"Znap it," Schiess muttered, facepalming in frustration. "I left them in the car."

"What's the plan, then?" Montoya asked.

Schiess sighed. "Tomorrow morning, I tell our employer what happened, we get our money if possible, and then we get out of town, lay low for a while. I don't know about you, but I don't like double-crossers. That's why, when she's not expecting it, when for her this is 'just Tuesday', I'll be there to put a bullet in her MegaBloking head. I think it would do us all a great favor."

Montoya smiled as he sat down on one of the beds.

"In the meantime, I'd suggest you and your girlfriend get out of town soon," Schiess said. "If Silencia finds her and she learns you're still alive, she will find you, she will hunt you, and she will kill you."

Montoya knew that Schiess was right. Silencia Venomosa was out there. She couldn't be bargained with; she couldn't be reasoned with. She didn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And she absolutely would not stop, ever, until he was dead.

Reluctantly, Montoya reached for the phone and dialed a number before putting it to his ear.

"Hello," he said. "Hey Debbie, it's me. Listen, baby, I need you to pack a bag. Look, I can't explain right now, I'll tell you later, just pack a bag and wait for me, I'll come get you tomorrow morning."

----

Trigger quickly closed the phone book and turned the dial on the ridiculously outdated payphone the team had installed into the wall outside the cafeteria. "Hello," he said. "Antarctic affairs. Yes, I need you to pass a message to a friend of mine. His name's Montoya. Tell him it's from a friend of his, named Schiess. I want you to simply tell him, I found her, see if you can get him in contact as well."

As Trigger finished his phone call, Shiller muttered, "Ya think that counts as funny business?"

"I dunno," Wright replied quietly. "I think we can let that slide unless this Montoya guy actually shows up in person for a killing spree."

They followed a short distance behind Trigger as he stalked away from the telephone, hanging back far enough to grant the mercenary his personal space, but, true to their word, never letting him out of their sight. He shot them glares occasionally, which Shiller answered with a sarcastic salute, or a smile and wave.

Wright snickered and sharply jabbed Shiller in the ribs with her elbow. "Stop it, you'll just make him madder," she whispered.

"I don't think that's possible," Shiller whispered back, punching her shoulder.

*****

Loop crept through the halls of the Dino Attack Headquarters, expertly avoiding most attention. Sneaking about, however, would attract the attention of any security cameras, so he was forced to appear nonchalant.

His third eye was beginning to itch. Not for the first time, he cursed the superfluous visual organ -- an accidental development, but one that Cane had decided to keep for the menacing appearance it provided, or so the explanation had gone -- and resisted the compulsion to pull off the strip of cloth he'd tied around his forehead to conceal it.

He got a few odd looks from passing agents, but this owed mostly to his torn and ragged black uniform, which was fortunately in enough disarray that none of the passersby realized at a glance that it was not the uniform of the DINO team. Even more fortunate was the fact that he did not run across anyone who would have recognized him.

He was also able to quickly ascertain the dire situation which now engulfed almost the entire headquarters. Loop grinned slightly -- this could be advantageous...

He soon reached the barracks and located an empty room, moving quickly to one of the closets. Time for a wardrobe change.

*****

Hotwire was familiar enough with Shiller's tenacity to be certain that the man would follow Trigger like they were chained together, and from the impression he'd gotten of Wright, he felt pretty certain he could say the same of her. He chuckled slightly. Those two are too perfect together.

So... no worries on that front. The only other matter of concern at the moment was the Second Headquarters Squad, and the identity of the killer who was hunting them down. After finally retrieving his crutch from the mess hall, he asked around, concerning the location of the various remaining members of the squad, and then headed in the direction of the so-called "safe room". As he approached, he saw Amanda, Greybeard, Frozeen, and Vinyaya rushing toward the broken doorway... out of which was billowing thick, black smoke.

Vinyaya coughed as smoke began to clear out. She had been searching for Specs when she heard panicked screams coming from this hallway. More agents arrived after hearing the screams. Even as the smoke drifted into the hallway, Vinyaya could clearly see a body laying outside of the room. Vinyaya slowly approached the facedown body and flipped it over. It was agent Recon with several stab wounds in his chest. She frowned as she raised her head.

Hotwire hurried over and joined the group. "Any idea what happened here?" he asked the Space Police officer.

Vinyaya gave him a grim look. "Nothing good, that's all I can tell." Amanda led the way into the room, and a shocking scene met the eyes of the agents present.

*****

"Excuse me? I think I might know who the mole is."

Bogart and Pierce both turned at the new voice. A Dino Attack agent stood behind them, having somehow entered without them or any of the other doctors and medics noticing. The agent wore a grey bandanna on his head, pulled all the way down to his eyebrows.

"Who are you?" the detective demanded.

"Standard Agent Spiral," the minifig said, with only a moment's hesitation.

"Talk," said Bogart. "I need a lead, and I'll take any help I can get."

*****

Though his face didn't betray it, Mort was engulfed by inner conflict. The man who'd been his best friend for years was back from the dead... as the very thing they both had once sworn to destroy. He stared at the drone through the two-way mirror of the interrogation room; his identity had indeed been determined.

It was, of course, completely impossible for Swerve's face to betray any emotion at all, but he'd begun to feel that same conflict himself as his memories returned, as well as many of the same puzzling questions that had occurred to Mort immediately. How can I remember any of this? That's just not how Ogel Drones work.

Swerve glanced over at the mirror on the wall and, for the first time, experienced a wave of revulsion at his own appearance. He tore off the black cap affixed to his head and tossed it away in disgust, covering his face with his skeletal hands. I hope the Dino Attack uniforms include masks or hoods or something.

*****

Katerina entered the mess hall. She sent Wolfgang to fetch some food while she sat down at a table, with Rainer on her left, and lay her ShadowTech uniform's jacket across the seat to her right. She looked up and noticed a man in a dark suit, beige trenchcoat, and fedora walking quickly towards her table. "May I help you?" she said evenly as he sat down across from her.

"Katerina Schattenberg?" the man said, flashing a badge at her. "The name's Bogart. I'd like a word with you. I'm told you may know quite a bit about the strange deaths that have been occurring this morning..."

Katerina's attention drifted over to an agent who'd entered behind Bogart, and now stood in the doorway watching her. He looked familiar... impossibly familiar.

It cannot be, she thought. He fell on Adventurers' Island. Still... that grey bandanna concealed his entire forehead, and you never knew what could be underneath.... The agent noticed her watching and gave her a grin and a wink.

And then she noticed that Bogart was looking at her impatiently. "Excuse me?" she said.

The detective sighed. "I said, what do you know about the strange deaths that have been happening? I've been informed you may have... extra knowledge on this matter, so choose your words carefully." 

*****

Vinyaya started walking into the room and, despite years of dealing with incidents such as this, she was still gasped.

Three people laid most certainly laid dead in this room. Agents Bear and Sarge were obvious to pick out with bullet and knife wounds on their bodies. The headless man wearing a suit was harder to identify, but she figured he was the agent called Saboteur who was also a member of the Second Headquarters Squad. Elite Agent Rex also lay on the floor, away from his wheelchair.

Agent Claw pushed past Vinyaya and ran to Rex's side. A few seconds later, Claw turned to the rest of the group. "He's still alive. He's just unconscious." She sounded extremely relieved.

"Then he may know who this infiltrator is," Vinyaya said with a hint of triumphant. "Get him to the hospital wing. Right now, he's our best chance finding this killer." Claw, with the help of Greybeard, got Rex back into his wheelchair and she started pushing him out of the room.

As she watched him leave, a sudden thought occurred to Vinyaya that Rex could have possibly been the one who killed the members of the Second Headquarters Squad. It was unlikely, but why would the mole kill everyone else and leave Rex alive?

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Vinyaya muttered. She turned back to the group of agents. "Someone go with Claw and Rex and keep guard. This mole may try to tie up some loose end." At this, Alpha Team agent Frozeen nodded to Vinyaya before turning and leaving the room as well.

Vinyaya walked through the bodies and approached the headless corpse of Jim Covalent. Curious. While the rest of the victims' deaths were as clean as you could get being stabbed or shot, Saboteur's head was blown up. She wasn't sure how this factored into anything, but she kept the thought in the back of her head.

"How many be left o' th' Second Headquarters Squad?" Greybeard asked.

"Tech was the first one killed. I believe Medic was killed shortly afterwards while trying to perform an autopsy," Vinyaya said.

"So Fireman and Dynamite are the only ones left," Hotwire finished.

"Definitely a sad sight to see," Vinyaya mused. "The nine of them took back Gold City with no casualties on their side at all. Such a cruel fate to come back to celebrate their astounding victory only to be picked off one by one by an infiltrator." Hotwire nodded in agreement.

Vinyaya turned to two other agents in the background. "Go to the hospital wing and get some stretchers. We need to take these bodies to there for further analysis." Wordlessly, the two agents nodded and departed the room as well.

*****

Commander Pharisee was built like an ox. He stood 6'9" and muscle covered every inch of his body. He was the image of peak physical shape and saw himself as a prophet of the law.

Pharisee prided himself in his lack of empathy. Empathy leads to weakness, and weakness was unacceptable when fighting his sacred battle against injustice in the organization he had pledge to serve and defend.

As the head of D.I.N.O. internal affairs, it was his job to stop and punish troublemakers and traitors within the unit. With the thousands of agents currently working in the Dino Attack, it was no surprise that many were crooked and came from questionable amoral backgrounds. Pharisee believed that dangerous men on the inside were the biggest danger to the success of the mission and the safety of the planet.

It was under his own piety that he dedicated his mission. The feelings and emotions that drove the men he hunted mattered nothing to Pharisee. He had developed immunity to sob stories of his foes. Their reasons mattered nothing in the face of his code.

One of the problems with his line of work was mystery surrounding the agents he investigated. Instead of performing the work himself, Digger had handed off the task of investigating Amanda Claw and Trigger to Pharisee.

Standard agents Claw and Remous each had files at the headquarters. Together, they provided a relatively extensive history of Amanda Remous, the woman now known as Claw, dating back to her childhood in LEGO Town. It told of a pair of siblings, Amanda and Roger, who were kidnapped by a mob boss by the name of Don Bricassius. Bricassius had tortured the children until they told him how to access the family fortune. The criminal killed their parents and the butler before stealing everything they had. As a result, Amanda became a selective mute.

It was here that all history of Amanda disappeared. While Remous's file continued to thoroughly document the life of Roger, Claw's own file was scant. The woman seemed to have the vanished from the world for the next decade and she did not reappear until the Dino Attack in 2010. This concerned Pharisee. People don't just disappear, and usually evidence can be found unless someone is actively hiding it.

It was unclear whether it was agent Claw or another shady individual keeping the secrets, or even if the late agent Remous had withheld information on his younger sister to protect her, but Pharisee intended to find out. Digger had instructed him to research the terrorist named Silencia Venomosa and a quick LEGOOGLE search revealed that the woman had been behind a number of acts of violence, including a hospital fire and a gruesome incident at Mindstorms. Checking the time frame of Venomosa's activity, Pharisee was surprised to find they correlated with Amanda's absence.

This was hardly a coincidence; during Venomosa's career, Don Bricassius had also been murdered in his home. Pharisee suspected the woman might have taken her newfound infamy to get close to the kingpin and take revenge.

Of course, this was all circumstance. Pharisee would need more evidence if he hoped to make an arrest.

He placed Claw's file aside and opened the next report on his desk. Standard agent Snake was a criminal who had already assaulted another member of the team. The man had a short fuse and appeared to only be involved with the Dino Attack for his own personal reasons.

Pharisee did not approve of a convict on the team, particularly an unrepentant one. His tolerance of men like Snake was nonexistent, and their disregard for society and the code of conduct was unwelcome.

The elite agent did not care about Snake's reasons for robbing that bank. He would not care if it were to buy medicine for his dying mother. There needed to be retribution paid, and under no circumstances would he consider the Dino Attack as a "get out a jail" free-for-all.

This was not an attempt to atone for his crimes and help the world. It was an act of cowardice to escape the punishment he deserved. He would not allow men like Snake to attack Dino Attack agents and get away with it.

In addition, there was the man known only as Trigger. His real name was unknown, but based on what research Pharisee could recover, he had also used the alias Schiess. Trigger had had dealings with Venomosa in the past and left a trail of bodies in his wake. He had already attacked agent Claw once and reports had it that he threatened to kill her as well.

In addition, there was a great amount of mystery around Trigger's past. The commander hated secrets, especially those being kept by the lowest levels of society like him. Trigger was undoubtedly dangerous and a rogue. Without respect for the unit and the law as a whole, there could be no peace.

Trigger was a disgrace, and Pharisee vowed to make an example of him and Snake. After the two convicts were locked in the cell, there could be order.

He would then move on to Sarah Bishop. True, she may have had a bone to pick with Rotor, but her motivation was irrelevant. Mrs. Bishop was only a rookie member of the Dino Attack, but that did not take her out of elite agent Pharisee's personal jurisdiction. She would need to repent for her acts of dissidence.

Pharisee's methods were to pay violence unto violence. If they chose to not go willingly, he would pay unto them a reckoning beyond their wildest comprehension. Pharisee would turn the chaos that thrived within the souls of these men into order. And there would be peace.

As head of internal affairs, he would make these agents work together and respect the book. Only then could they succeed. Commander Pharisee was a righteous man, and this was his sacred mission. His will be done.

----

With five of the mercenaries dispatched by her knife and the remaining two undoubtedly having perished in that flaming wreckage on the side of the road, Silencia Venomosa immediately returned to Mindstorms, Inc. Her first goal was to slip into the security office, slit the throats of whoever was unlucky enough to be there at the time, and disable the security cameras. This was accomplished quickly and silently. Once that was out of the way, she was free to finish the job.

Along the way, she sneaked up on security guards and cut their throats while making her way to the elevators. As she approached the metal doors, they slid open, and she ducked to the side to avoid being seen as a grizzled elderly man in a long coat, a young redhead in a nice suit, a scientist with messy hair and spectacles, and a tall, stern man with a nasty burn scar stepped out of the elevator. As soon as they passed, she darted inside the elevator.

Just before the elevator doors shut, a voice called: "Hey, you! Stop!" A line of security guards rushed towards the elevator, brandishing their guns.

Silencia Venomosa frowned. Even if she preferred to use her knife due to its effective and deadly silence, she carried around a gun of her own, which, while not nearly as silent as she would like, was custom designed to greatly reduce the sound of the gunshot. She turned around, drew her gun, and fired at the security guards. She took down three of them before the doors shut. But even before the elevator began to rise, she heard someone shout: "Cut the power!"

The lights in the elevator shut off, encasing Venomosa in darkness. As the security guards rushed towards the elevator doors and tried to open them, she knew that she had to act quickly. Leaving behind a little "surprise" for the guards once they entered the elevator, she opened the emergency exit in the elevator's ceiling and hoisted herself out into the elevator shaft. Then, gripping onto the elevator's cable as a rope, she started climbing up the elevator shaft. It was a tedious process, but Venomosa was patient and determined.

Silencia Venomosa was satisfied to hear, far below her, as the security guards finally barged into the elevator, were shocked to discover that it was empty... and fell to the floor as they inhaled the deadly toxins that she left for them.

*****

The sun was just starting to come up when Schiess made a phone call of his own.

"Hello," he said. "Sindstorme?"

"Yes," replied the familiar voice.

"This is Schiess."

"Ah, Schiess. How'd the heist go? Did you get the blueprints?"

"We did," replied Schiess. "But we lost them."

"Lost them?" Sindstorme asked. "How'd you do that?"

"They burned up when our car crashed."

"Was that you?" remarked Sindstorme. "I've just been hearing about it on the news."

Schiess picked up a remote and turned on the television in his room. Sure enough, there was a news broadcast. A young, attractive newswoman was going on about the car falling into a ditch with no bodies. "Witnesses to the incident claimed to have seen a woman climbing around the car, but there has been no evidence of such activity, though the police do report that the tires were damaged prior to the accident. In the process they also came close to derailing a large truck which was carrying a dinosaur from Adventurers' Island for research. They did not want to comment on the nature of the project-"

At that point, Schiess turned his attention back to the phone. "We were set up," he explained.

"Set up?" Sindstorme asked.

"Yeah," replied Schiess. "Silencia. Apparently, she was working for Dacta. She killed Verbal, Keaton and Deniro, and probably Scorsese and Orange. Montoya and I were the only ones who got out safely."

Suddenly the line went dead. All that he could hear was a simple dial tone. Quickly realizing that something was wrong, he hung up and shook Montoya awake.

"What is it?" Montoya asked sleepily as he woke.

"We got to get out of here," replied Schiess. "We'll swing by your place, pick up your MegaBloking girlfriend, and then we're getting out of town, you understand?" 

----

Helm walked through the corridors in a daze, eventually reaching the rec room. Larson was sprawled in a chair, draining a coffee mug and flipping through the news broadcasts from Antarctica on the television. He glanced over as Helm walked in. "Morning. You found Jason yet?"

Helm fought to keep his voice steady. "He's -- I'd... rather not talk about it now." He sat down heavily on another chair, off in the corner, staring at the floor.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." Larson responded awkwardly. The pilot glanced down at his empty coffee cup, then got up and walked out of the room, nodding as Andrew entered.

Stepping into the recreation room, Andrew immediately spotted Pterisa and Laxus (they weren't hard to miss, admittedly) near the pool table. Laxus was apparently teaching the Hybrid a thing or two about the game, and he was helping her to hold the stick right to hit the white ball. After a few seconds, he moved his arms away and let her take a shot. She awkwardly thrust the stick through her fingers and hit the ball strong enough to make it nearly bounce off the table as it hit the triangle of various other balls. The black 8-ball ended up immediately flying into the hole opposite of where Pterisa was standing, and she smiled with a sense of accomplishment.

"Ouch, tough luck," said an observing agent.

"Wasn't that what I was supposed to be doing, though?" she asked. "Hit the one ball to send the others into the holes?"

"Everyone except the 8-ball. I know with seeing it everywhere, you might think that's a good thing, like it would get you a nice bonus or something, but actually it's what costs you points and such."

"Oh." She looked a little annoyed with herself now.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Laxus reassured her. "You're just a beginner. You'll get all the rules eventually, just like with any other sport or game."

"Yeah, and besides," Andrew said as he walked up, "all that matters really is enjoying yourself. And you were enjoying yourself a moment ago, right?"

"Well, yes, I was."

"Then that's all that matters. Now actually, I was wondering if you two were interested in doing something else. Ever hear of movie riffing?"

Pterisa, unsurprisingly, shook her head, and Laxus thought for a moment before shaking as well.

"Well," Andrew continued, "it's a little something you can do with a bad movie, some friends, and a good sense of humor. C'mon." Andrew gestured towards the TV, where an agent was tinkering a bit with the TV settings.

The odd trio walked over to the TV, and Andrew said to the agent: "Hey Joike, that thing looking alright?"

The agent turned towards them, showing his high-top haircut and somewhat sleepy look in his face. "Sure, just doing what I can to improve the picture and sound. Apparently, all the constant viewing is starting to wear the thing out."

"Well, I'm thinking of maybe killing some time by riffing the Dino Cop films. You still have the box set down here?"

Joike smiled and crouched down by the storage cabinets. He opened one and produced a box with a T-Rex in a cop hat on the side.

"Alright!" said Andrew. "Now the fun can really start."

Joike handed him the box, which had a surprising bit of weight to it. "You can put a movie in. I just want to go get some popcorn and pizza from the mess hall."

"Oh, maybe get some soda packs too!" added Laxus. "All that food could make us thirsty sooner or later."

"Good point. I'll be right back." Joike then headed out the room.

Andrew pulled the DVDs out the box and quickly located the first film in the series. "Joike's a pretty fun average Joe," Andrew said as he took the DVD out and turned on the DVD player. "Really likes his movies. He was working at some institute as just another face in a jumpsuit, doing a good job cleaning up the place, but his bosses didn't like him so they had him shot into space onto a satellite they ran to continue janitor duties there. Allegedly, he occupied himself up there for a few years with watching bad movies and riffing on them with the help of some robot friends. He has some pretty interesting stories to tell."

"I can believe that," said Laxus. "You need any help getting the TV to DVD mode?"

"Yeah, I might," Andrew said as he closed the DVD case, the movie now inside. "Check the remote box. Use the black one to change the video source to 'DVD Mode,' the silver one to 'SA-CD/DC'; and the RCX-branded one to 'Objective 4'."

"That sounds... rather complicated just to watch a movie," Pterisa observed with a confused look.

"That's how DVD watching evolved over the years," Andrew said with a shrug as Laxus worked the remotes. "I know what you mean. Back during the VHS years, all you had to do was switch to channel 4 and hit the On button on the machine. Now it's like operating a security system."

"Nice comparison," said Laxus, "I know of a few places on the Aero Tube system back on Mars that operate like that." With one final push of a button, the TV finally displayed the main menu for Dino Cop, the theme music playing through the speakers.

"Alright everyone, we've got everything for movie sign!" said Joike, who now arrived carrying a bowl of popcorn and two boxes of Brickolinis' in one hand, and a twelve-pack box of cola in the other.

"Ooh, c'est magnifique!" said Laxus as Joike piled everything onto a table in front of the TV.

"So..." Pterisa said as Andrew and Laxus sat in the couch, and Joike in a nearby chair, "what exactly do you do when you 'riff' a film?"

"Oh, it's simple," said Joike, cracking open a can of cola. "Just watch the movie, and when you see something that you can come up with a witty remark, comedic misunderstanding, pun, joke, or pop-culture reference, just say it out loud. Beats having to just sit there and take the badness of the film in. Push the button, Laxus?"

"Sure," said Laxus hitting the play button. Finally taking a set besides Andrew on the couch, Pterisa reached for a slice of pizza as the movie began.

LEGO STUDIOS PRESENTS, the film began with a deep rumbling of drums and horns.

"A magnum opus of drama and epic storytell-," Joike said as the text quickly changed to display the title DINO COP. "Oh never mind, wrong movie."

"It sounds like something Barney would call himself if he did an episode on the police," Laxus remarked.

Andrew did his best to contain his snickers so as to not disturb the joke-making process, but did end up grinning quite a wide grin. Glancing over to Pterisa, he could see she was grinning slightly as well, though it didn't quite look like she got the Barney joke.

This looked like it would be a fun hour and a half. 

The group crowding around the television hadn't managed to notice Helm, and that was just fine with him. After a few minutes of watching them applying situational wit to Dino Cop, he finally got up and walked out of the rec room.

*****

Greybeard, Hotwire, and Vinyaya had spent several minutes trying to make sense of the grisly scene in the safe room before the other two agents returned with stretchers. As they prepared to begin loading the corpses, however, the sound of someone clearing their throat came from the shattered doorway, and agent Mort limped in. "You might benefit from leaving those where they are for the time being. I may be able to glean some details concerning what happened here." The two agents, both rookies by the look of it, nodded and pulled the stretchers back.

Mort glanced around the room briefly, and then knelt and began examining each of the bodies more closely. After about a minute of working silently, save for some very quiet muttering, he spoke up again. "Agent Hotwire. I see that whatever deity is in charge of legs has been less kind to you than to me. You have my condolences. Did you find your friend?"

Hotwire was so taken aback by the first remark -- unable to figure out if it was sympathy or condescension -- that the question barely registered in his mind. He struggled for a response. "I -- yes, we did. We -- thanks for your help back then, by the way -- we found her. But... things have changed..."

Mort waved dismissively in response to Hotwire's gratitude, and when the latter stopped speaking, he responded with: "Interesting. A striking parallel to my own recent experiences." He then fell silent. The five Dino Attack agents waited expectantly, but he did not speak again.

Greybeard leaned towards Hotwire and muttered, "I take it ye be acquainted wi' this odd fellow?"

Hotwire nodded. "He helped B and me pick up Kat's trail after Agent Cane showed up again and captured her." It seemed so long ago; he could hardly believe it had only been about two months.

Eventually Mort stood. "Of those who were in this room, Saboteur died first, then Recon, then Sarge, and lastly Bear. Two things are out of place. First, Sarge was knocked about quite a bit before he was killed, which would make more sense had he been the final casualty. Second, assuming that your mole is responsible for all this, I don't think Saboteur was killed by the same individual who killed the others. Weapons powerful enough to explode a man's skull are usually not the preferred fare of infiltrators and assassins. Perhaps Saboteur was killed by whoever beat Sarge to a pulp; clearly, they relish a bit of violence."

"Perhaps they were fighting amongst themselves," Vinyaya suggested.

Hotwire nodded in agreement. "That has been becoming dangerously commonplace over the past weeks, and today especially."

Mort frowned. Such lack of discipline wouldn't be tolerated for even a moment in Alpha Team. Aloud, he said, "Was anyone else present at the time of these killings?"

"Aye, thar be one," Greybeard responded. "Elite Agent Rex. He be alive yet, an' they've taken him t' th' infirmary."

"Good. Hopefully, if he was conscious at the time, he will be able to tell us how all this happened."

"Unless, of course, he is the one responsible." Vinyaya said.

"Doubtful," said Mort. "Recon was stabbed to death, and Bear had his throat cut. I understand Recon was known for his speed and agility, so the most likely explanation for his death is that he was taken by surprise. Conversely, it would have taken someone of incredible speed and agility to get close enough to Bear to slit his throat, given that it appears he was preparing to fire his machine gun when he died. It does not strike me as likely that a cripple would be able to sneak up on someone, nor perform a veritable feat of quickness and athleticism."

"That still doesn't explain why Rex was left alive," Vinyaya countered.

"The killer may have heard you coming, or perhaps they are taunting us," Mort theorized. "Still, I agree that it is somewhat suspicious." He turned to the two Rookie Agents standing by the door with the stretchers. "Go ahead and take them to the mortuary. The autopsies might provide us with more clues." And inwardly, he added, And you can bet your bricks I'll be right there. A distraction like this is exactly what I need.

*****

Nazareno scowled slightly. He allowed himself to become distracted and now he was without a weapon. Zelda pointed her sword at him. If he could see under her bandana, he knew she would be smirking.

"Confident you can defeat me?" Nazareno asked as they circled each other. Zelda didn't say anything, only raising an eyebrow. He nodded curtly before running at her. Zelda flinched before charging at him, swinging her sword. Nazareno grinned coldly.

As he ran, he pushed up with his feet and flew into the air. He landed carefully on Zelda's head with one foot. As soon as his foot touched her hair, he jumped again, landing behind her.

Zelda turned sharply on her heel and stared at Nazareno in surprise. Nazareno ran at her again. Changing her strategy, Zelda stayed where she was, sword raised. Nazareno smirked as he jumped again. He kicked the sword out of Zelda's hand, sending it flying behind her. He tried doing a backflip when someone tugged on his leg, causing him to fall on to the floor.

Nazareno's eyes widened in surprise as Zelda stood over him. He aimed a sharp kick at her stomach. She recoiled, but caught the foot in her stomach with her hands. She twisted his foot sharply, causing a popping noise to emit from his ankle. Nazareno blinked back tears of pain and kicked Zelda with his other foot. This time, she stumbled back.

Nazareno climbed to his feet sourly. He looked at Zelda, who had picked up her sword again. She knew she had weakened him, so she ran at him. As she swung the sword down, Nazareno swung his hand into the flat side of the blade as hard as he could. The wooden sword shattered easily. Zelda ran into him abruptly, unprepared for her blade to break.

She backed away from him. "Okay, you wouldn't be able to do that if we were using actual swords."

Nazareno prepared to respond when Zelda suddenly punched him in the stomach. Unprepared and the wind knocked out of him, Nazareno doubled over, allowing Zelda to shove his head into the ground. He attempted to rise when Zelda placed her foot neatly on his head.

"I win," she said triumphantly.

Zach, hugging a laptop underneath his arms, returned to Minerva panting. Minerva smiled at him as he sat down. "You just missed Zelda beating Nazareno."

"What?" He looked into the ring. Zelda stood over Nazareno, her foot on his head. "Really?"

"You wanted the laptop," Minerva pointed out. He scowled at her.

"I want to see what I've missed," he shot back as he flipped open the laptop and opened the Dino Attack Team database. "I would've waited if Zelda was finally going to beat him."

"Sucks to be you!" Minerva said, grinning. She punched his arm affectionately, causing him to flinch. He didn't bother punching back. "How are you so sure it's already updated?"

"Trust me," Zach said. "There has to be at least one person on this team who makes sure this thing is updated to the minute." He clicked the search bar to activate it and began typing. 

*****

"What's going on in here?" said a voice from behind as Vinyaya, Hotwire, Greybeard, Mort, and the others turned to see a man in a suit with a fedora.

"Who are you?" Vinyaya asked.

"My name's Bogart," replied the man. "I'm a Private Detective. I understand this is the scene of the crime."

"You would be correct," Vinyaya said. She gestured to Mort. "He's already given us a good idea of what he thinks happened. If you wish, feel free to give your own examination and see if you can figure out anything new."

Bogart took a moment to look around at the bodies lying on the floor. "Most people would normally have gotten rid of these by now," he said, as crouched next to the body of one large, bald man who had a machine gun next to him. "His throat's been cut. Were all of these people killed by a knife?"

"All except for that guy," replied Vinyaya, motioning towards one corpse, whose head had exploded, staining his suit in blood.

Bogart walked over towards the body and looked at it. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. "One of your fellow agents found this in the body of one of the victims. Angel Eyes, I think he called himself. I don't suppose anyone recognizes it. And what's this?" Bogart knelt and picked something off the floor from where Rex had been found.

"Looks like a cigarette butt to me," muttered Hotwire. "When are these Dino Attack agents ever going to learn that there is a strict no-smoking policy in Dino Attack Headquarters? It's unhealthy, it's certainly not 'cool', it kills you..."

"And the last thing we need right now is HQ burning down because someone dropped a lit cigarette," added Vinyaya.

"You say that this was where Rex was found," mused Bogart. "Was Rex a smoker?"

Greybeard shook his head. "Nay. I be workin' wi' th' young rascal fer a few months now, an' me deadlights ne'er seen th' likes o' him so much as take out a lighter."

"I believe agent Saboteur may have been a smoker, though," pointed out Mort. "He used to be in the Alpha Team, and although I never worked closely with him, I know that he and Frozeen worked together during a rescue mission and infiltration of Ogel's Mountain Fortress at one point in 2008. Maybe he can confirm it for you."

"Does anyone know where I can find this Frozeen?" Bogart queried as he stood.

"He went to the hospital wing with Rex and Amanda," reported Vinyaya.

"I can lead ye thar," volunteered Greybeard. When the private detective nodded, the old pirate made for the exit and beckoned for Bogart to follow.

Outside, Greybeard was greeted by Mary Rose, who was waiting with King Joseph Race. "Oh, Grandpa!" she ran towards the old pirate.

"Is she yours?" inquired Bogart, raising his eyebrows.

Although Greybeard replied with "Aye," he shook his head ever-so-slightly with a grim expression to let Bogart know that he was not telling the truth in front of her.

"What's going on in there, Grandpa?" Mary timidly asked.

Greybeard glanced back to the formerly-safe room, where there now were two dead bodies and a headless corpse. With a shudder, he murmured, "Nothin' ye e'er want t' see. Trust me."

*****

"Did you just say that Gahiji Thutmose is still alive?" asked Dr. Saran. "Because you said earlier that you killed him."

Carl Lutsky started to rock back and forth. At the beginning of the session, Saran had hopes that Mr. Lutsky's mental disorder could be nothing more than a slight obsession. However, if he could simultaneously accept two contradictory ideas in his head, Saran was more apt to compare it to Orwellian doublethink.

"How is Dust still alive?" asked Dr. Saran.

"I see him," said Lutsky. "He talks to me. He says I can't get away."

"Can you get away?" inquired Saran.

"No," he responded. "I can't stop thinking about him. That's how he gets in my head."

"I just need to clarify this, Mr. Lutsky," Doctor Saran began as he withdrew his tape recorder. "When you see Mr. Thutmose, is he real?"

"Dust says he's a… a… figment of my imagination," stammered the ex-commander. Lutsky swayed back and forth and he ran his hands through his hair. Saran was surprised by the drastic transition between the calm man he spoke to earlier and the fidgety shadow of a man he spoke to now. "But my imagination is real," continued Lutsky. "And that makes him real. Dust says he fake, but maybe he's lying. If he's lying, then he's real. If he's real, why does no one else see him? That makes him fake. That means I'm imagining things. But my imagination is real. Dust is real, but he says he's imaginary…"

Dr. Saran was thankful he had his tape recorder running, otherwise he would never be able to follow Lutsky's logic. "I want to know what Dust says to you, Carl," said Saran.

"Commander," corrected the ex-commander. "And what he says does not matter."

'Why not?" asked the psychologist.

"Because it's all fake," said Lutsky. "What he says is a lie, it's imaginary, so none of it means anything!"

"Let's just pretend it's not. I want you to describe everything about him," said Saran. The psychologist sensed that what this revealed would be important. Since the apparition of Dust was a creation of Lutsky's own mind, it would provide valuable insight into the man's psyche.

"He is dressed in a black suit," said Lutsky. The man did not make eye contact and instead focused on Saran's peg-leg. "He's dressed all in black. He wears black gloves, black shirt, black tie, and black suit. Everything is black."

"Go on," said Saran.

"When I saw him, he was holding an apple," continued Lutsky. "And he had a deck of cards. They were all black."

"Did he do anything with these items?" asked Saran. "Did he offer you the apple? Did he eat it?"

"Yes," said Lutsky. "But I refused. I did not trust it. I would never eat anything that he offered me."

"Did he eat it?"

"Yes."

"What things did he tell you?" asked the doctor.

"Dust said he was angry I killed him, and that now he was stronger," said Lutsky. "He said that now he would always be able to control me, and that I would never be able to get him out of my head. He smiled the whole time, as if it was just another conversation."

"Have you seen him since that first meeting?"

"Sometimes I see him in the hall," said Lutsky. "Just standing there and staring at me. Sometimes I see him in the window looking at me."

Doctor Saran took a breath. This was a spectacular amount of information that he would need to sleep on. The two had talked for almost two hours, but it was evident that Lutsky was becoming uncomfortable. He did not want to stress the man; it would compromise the information given him and possible lead him down the wrong path.

Lutsky certainly had levels of paranoia and cognitive dissonance. The psychologist planned to continue the interview tomorrow once both had a clear mind.

The doctor rose from his seat and offered his hand through the bars. "I was very nice talking with you with you, Commander. I believe we should continue our conversation tomorrow evening. Is there anything you need?"

Lutsky considered for a moment before answering. "Cover the window."

*****

Zach scrolled through pages on the database rapidly. From his skimming, he discovered how success was achieved at Gold City and Fort Legoredo by the Second Headquarters Squad and the victory at Castle Cove. He smirked as he read of the Brickster's exploits on Dinosaur Island. Perhaps he will learn that he can blow up stuff and not get in trouble with the law. He let that idea run in his head a few times. Yeah, fat chance.

He spent most of his time reading about the outcome of the Adventurers' Island mission, primarily because he was a Stromling for half of the campaign. The only thing he wasn't really aware of was of some trial that an Elite Agent named Rotor tried to hold. It was rather ridiculous matter, involving a T-1 Typhoon crew that didn't want to destroy XERRD's fortress because there will still agents inside. The trial was eventually seized with the intervention of a gunslinger named Clint Wayne.

Clint Wayne. Wayne. Wayne. Wayne. Ah. The gunslinger who fought me with Vinyaya and Nazareno. The one who shot me. Ouch, that stung. He wondered if the man was still alive and how he would react to seeing him. Nazareno accepted me. Vinyaya was a little cold at first, but I think she's catching on. I don't know about this Wayne character though. Zach shrugged. He didn't particularly care a whole lot.

He grimaced and quickly scrolled past the ambush in the camp. Don't need a recap. A good dozen agents, including Raider and some Elite Agent named Fletcher, died and an even larger number were injured.

Despite his scrolling, one sentence managed to catch his eye. He learned that the ambush, coupled with multiple other injuries, had left Elite Agent Zenna in a barely alive-comatose state that forced her off the island and to Antarctica. Zach swallowed hard. Yep. Didn't need to read that.

He continued past the ambush and move to Outpost 4, as he already had a good understanding of what happened there thanks to Ghost and Zelda. Fast forwarding to the battle at the Temple of Hotep III. It acknowledged that Zach became a Minifig again, but other than that, the area was still rather bare concerning what happened to the group of agents that entered the temple to take out the Maelstrom Temple. However, there was a report (perhaps a rumor, Zach wasn't sure) that Gahiji Thutmose had been killed in the temple by Carl Lutsky.

Zach reflected on Dust for a brief moment. Provided this report was true, Dust had finally reached his oh-so-sacred temple and had been killed barely moment later by Lutsky. He knew Lutsky hadn't like Dust, but apparently it had extended to murderous hatred. Zach himself wasn't extremely fond of Dust due to his manipulative nature in trying to use the team to reach his temple. But he couldn't ignore the fact that they had become some level of fire-forged friends as he save Dust's life from the TumTum natives, ran through the jungle as they were pursued by said natives, and spent hours dangling in a net over a cliff. Rest in peace, Dust, Zach thought. Moving on.

Now to the actual battle in the Temple of Creation. He was surprised to learn that XERRD's second-in-command, Dr. Rex's number two, was a mole for the Dino Attack Team the entire time. The one moment he had met "Wallace Bishop" had turned out to be an encounter with Frank Einstein. Doesn't changed the fact he sent a bunch of guards to capture or kill me while infiltrating the fortress, but I suppose he had an image to upkeep then. The death of Zed Provhezor, the hoverchair scientist he saw in the fortress, describes him being pulled into the Maelstrom vortex. Eugh. Not a happy ending at all.

"What about that Breen person?" Minerva asked. She glanced over his shoulder and noticed him reading the death of Provhezor.

Zach knew that Minerva hoped Breen was dead, especially after playing a role in converting Oswald Fabello. "Shot by Frank Einstein for trying to use Kate Bishop as a Minifig shield to escape."

"Coward," Minerva said, turning back to Nazareno and Zelda's fight.

Indeed, Zach silently agreed. After that, things managed to fall into place. Baron Typhonus appeared after Greybeard, Frozeen, and Sam Sinister entered the chamber with the Maelstrom Crystal. Ah. Greybeard and Frozeen. I can only hope they forgot about me. As a Stromling, he might had been willing to face them alone. As a Minifig, not so much. Typhonus attempted to convince Sinister to join him, which failed. Cue the battle for the crystal and Zach and Minerva's arrival into the battle.

While he battled Provencal and Gladys, apparently the Darkitect had spawned the Dino Attack agents' worst fears in the form of illusions. He knew that he faced the thought of being a Stromling in reality instead of an illusion, but he was curious as to what others faced, as he wasn't paying attention to them at all.

"Hey Minerva," Zach said. "You said every faced their fear or something in the Maelstrom Temple, right?"

"Yeah?"

"What did you face?" Then, he added. "If you're comfortable sharing, of course."

Minerva's entire mood seemed to change. Her relaxed, happy persona faded into cold sadness. "I suppose I can tell you. There's going to be a long story behind it, though."

"After giving you two long stories, I'm interested in hearing from you." Minerva smiled sadly and nodded. She opened her mouth and began to speak.

*****

Trigger walked away from the phonebooths and bumped into the imposing form of Solomon Koplowitz. "Are you here to beat me to pulp?" the mercenary asked sarcastically. "Because that won't go well for you."

Solomon smiled and casually pulled aside his robe to reveal the Luger pistol tucked in his belt. "I have no intention of starting a confrontation now, my friend. However, I can't say the same for the two agents following you." The scientist motioned to Wright and Shiller standing behind him. They smiled and waved. "I'm sure you've come to the conclusion you're not well-liked right now. I don't like you very much myself. Now, I advise you to end whatever malicious activity you're up to and come clean."

"Well, aren't you the boy scout," said Trigger. "I bet you were a hall monitor too."

"Who were you just calling, Trigger?" asked Solomon, ignoring the comment. "Considering your reputation, I doubt it was your mother."

Trigger chucked coldly and shook a finger at the older man. "I don't see why I should have to tell you. You're XERRD, a traitor to your own kind. I'm in no way compelled to answer your questions. And in case you have not noticed…" He placed a hand on his hip. "I have a gun too. And it's bigger."

"Do you boys want me to get a ruler?" called Shiller.

"I heard you mention the name Venomosa at the crime scene," said Solomon. "I know a few things about the woman myself. We crossed paths once at Ogel's Island. I would know she's agent Claw."

Trigger chucked. The mercenary was surprised to find that Solomon actually agreed with him. "So you know that Venomosa did this," said Trigger. "That would explain why Rex was the only one was not killed."

"No, I believe she did not kill them," responded Solomon. "But that's really not my point. For someone who claims to only be interested in money, you seem to have a lot riding on agent Claw. Why even get involved? If you kill a respected agent, what incentive would they have for paying you?"

Trigger's face was hard to read, but the philosopher had the impression that the mercenary never thought of this. "So when are you going to drag me to the cooler?" asked Trigger.

Solomon shrugged. "I've had a chance to reconsider and I came to another conclusion. I determined that a few days locked up would mean nothing to you. For a worse punishment waits: if you continue to be an agent of chaos, you will be exiled from this unit. You won't be paid, and you will die poor and alone in those cold streets."

"I can get money elsewhere," said Trigger. "There are plenty of people who would kill for my services."

"You can keep telling yourself that," responded Solomon. "But this world is changing. People don't care about money anymore. If it's not the mutants, it's the Maelstrom. Men like you are disappearing, so you will have to evolve. I recommend you start acting like a member of this team before you become lost in the wind."

Trigger just rolled his eyes. "I should not have to deal with this." The mercenary started to walk away but Solomon grabbed him by the shoulder. Trigger swatted the hand away and spun around at the scientist with fiery eyes.

"Don't go thinking we're even," said Solomon coldly. "I still don't like you. Just know that if I'm willing to forget you, someone more pious than me will probably not. You're on thin ice, Trigger. I implore you to watch where you step." 

----

Silencia Venomosa approached the door to Uærlig Sindstorme's office. She could hear Sindstorme inside, who sounded quite exasperated.

"... just been hearing about it on the news." As she swung upon his doorway, she saw that Sindstorme was on the phone and, with an incredulous expression, stammered, "Set up?"

Then, Uærlig Sindstorme saw her. "Oh, MegaBloks!" he gasped. He hung up the phone and pressed a large red button on his desk. Instantly, a number of large Mindstorms robots that were on display in his office came to life. Gears turned and motors groaned as the Mindstorms robotics inventions stepped off their pedestals and marched towards Silencia Venomosa.

"Ms. Venomosa," Sindstorme spoke sternly, "I advise that you put down your knife and your gun immediately."

Silencia Venomosa knew that these hulking scraps of metal could easily crush her. While her speed and agility could allow her to dodge their attacks, she was not a fool, and she could see that she was outnumbered and overpowered. So, Venomosa nodded grimly, and slowly laid her knife and her gun down upon the floor. The robots glared down upon her with large, watchful eyes.

"Now see here, Ms. Venomosa," said Sindstorme. "You can't just barge in here with..."

As the president of Mindstorms, Inc. rambled in a typical hammy fashion, Silencia Venomosa reached into her pocket. The robots observed this action, but did not react when she pulled out a mobile phone rather than a weapon. She dialed a number, but before she finished, Sindstorme noticed what she was doing.

"Put down the phone, Ms. Venomosa," Sindstorme said, narrowing his eyes. "Not that I can possibly imagine who you would be calling."

Silencia Venomosa nodded, and she laid the mobile phone on the floor beside her gun and her knife, but before she let go, she pressed the "call" button.

There came a series of loud rumbling noises, as though a giant was marching through a thunderstorm. As the noises grew louder and louder, Sindstorme's room began to shake. Uærlig Sindstorme himself was rather confused about the source of the noise. At last, the rumbling stopped just outside the door.

And then, there was a brief moment of silence before the storm broke.

Silencia Venomosa ducked down quickly, just as a huge, metallic fist slammed through the doorway. Uærlig Sindstorme gasped in horror and cowered behind his desk while Venomosa grabbed her weapons and darted out of the way. The metallic fist was followed by a second fist, shattering the door into splinters. Then, a robot that was even taller and more intimidating than those activated by Sindstorme marched into the CEO's office.

The latest prototype of the Mindstorms NXT project.

Before getting involved with Schiess's gang, Silencia Venomosa's job was officially to investigate the secretive NXT project that Mindstorms had been developing. In comparison to Mindstorms' earlier robots, which were yellow-and-black and already looking primitive in design in comparison, the Mindstorms NXT was sleek, silver, and futuristic. Its programming was far advanced beyond that of its predecessors, and it could and would do far more than any previous iteration.

Most people believed that Silencia Venomosa worked alone, but this was not actually the case. In truth, she occasionally relied on a small circle of hackers, who called themselves the Codebreakers, to assist her during select missions. These were some of the most brilliant computer experts in the world, which made up for her own shortcomings with the rapidly evolving technology. She had sent them the data on the NXT, and the Codebreakers were able to hack it with ease.

And just before the attempted heist, the Codebreakers secretly reprogrammed this prototype to activate when it received Venomosa's phone call.

From the shadows, Silencia Venomosa watched as the NXT tore through Sindstorme's robotic bodyguards. They tried to do their job, but their primitive designs did not stand a chance against the advanced next-generation capabilities of the NXT. Even if it was merely a prototype, it was all that Sindstorme and Venomosa hoped it would be... much to the regret of the former and the pleasure of the latter.

It was over quickly. The Mindstorms robots that Sindstorme had activated lay in pieces at the feet of the NXT. The NXT turned its attention to Uærlig Sindstorme, who was desperately typing in commands into his computer. The NXT marched towards Sindstorme and reached for him, just as Sindstorme pressed the "Enter" key. Despite the Codebreakers' reprogramming, the prototype NXT could still be powered down via Mindstorms computers. The NXT's eyes dimmed as the robot shut down.

Silence fell over the office. Uærlig Sindstorme regained his composure and slowly stood, brushed the dirt and debris off his suit jacket. He looked with disdain over the ruined Mindstorms robots that littered the floor, then laid eyes upon Silencia Venomosa. "Well, then, Ms. Venomosa," he muttered. "I have tried to be reasonable and civil with you, but I'm afraid you leave me with no choice."

Then, quick as a flash, the CEO of Mindstorms, Inc. strapped a gas mask over his face and pushed another button. The vents opened and began to pour out toxic fumes. Silencia Venomosa raised an eyebrow, but calmly stood there, staring right at Sindstorme. For about a minute, they stood off against one another as the toxic gases filled the room. As Sindstorme became increasingly confused, Venomosa became increasingly amused.

"You have got to be kidding me," murmured Uærlig Sindstorme.

But she was not kidding him. Over the past few years, Silencia Venomosa had trained herself to build up a resistance to the certain toxins that she used in her jobs. It just so happened that one of these toxins was in the last-resort poisonous gas defenses of Sindstorme's office.

Sighing in defeat, Uærlig Sindstorme closed the air vents and opened a window, letting the toxic gases flow out of the room. When the air became safe for him to breathe, he removed the gas mask and stared at Silencia Venomosa. "What do you want?" he whispered.

Silencia Venomosa walked up to Sindstorme's desk. She pocketed her mobile phone and her gun, but as a demonstration, she showed him her hand, laid her knife against her palm, and drew. Since she was wearing gloves and did the motion lightly, she did not leave a cut, but she wanted to ensure that Sindstorme understood her message.

Then, Venomosa pocketed her knife and pulled out two new knives. She laid them upon Sindstorme's desk, but rested a hand on each one to ensure that he did not try to grab one for himself. One knife was twisted and blackened, almost appearing to be forged from volcanic rock. The other knife was a bright golden color, shining brilliantly as it reflected light off its surface. She looked at Sindstorme, glanced down at the knives, and finally locked eyes with Sindstorme once more.

Uærlig Sindstorme was silent for a moment. He realized what Venomosa wanted from him, and it was a cruel choice. He knew of her reputation well enough to know that, either way, she was going to kill him. But the manner in which he died was in his hands. He had to choose the knife with which she would cut his hand. But which knife was better? Which knife would show mercy?

He stared at the black knife. With its twisted edge, it looked painful just to behold, and its dark color brought forth to mind images of the world's blackest hearts from the depths of MegaBlokland. No doubt, that knife would bring a terrible death. Then, he turned his attention to the gold knife. Gold was pure, such as a black heart versus a heart of gold. That had to be the right choice. He could not imagine any way it could be otherwise. Finally, Uærlig Sindstorme worked up the courage to point his finger at the gold knife.

Silencia Venomosa nodded. She pocketed the black knife, took Sindstorme's hand, laid the blade of the gold knife upon his palm, and drew. Sindstorme winced as the knife left a cut and drew blood, but otherwise seemed painless. As Venomosa pocketed the gold knife, Sindstorme stared at her as though he was asking, "What happens now?"

Silencia Venomosa smiled darkly.

Then, Uærlig Sindstorme became aware of a burning sensation that took hold of his entire body. He doubled over in pain and screamed. It felt like he was on fire and burning from the inside out. He fell onto the floor and writhed in agony, his horrid scream piercing the air. And then, Uærlig Sindstorme was silent.

As she approached the office's now-open window, her escape route, Silencia Venomosa continued to smile with sadistic pleasure. Uærlig Sindstorme was a gullible fool. He thought that the knives represented hearts, just as she thought he would, but hearts were not Venomosa's style. The knives represented snakes, and to quote D.H. Lawrence's Snake:

"For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold are venomous."

----

When Rex regained consciousness, he was back in the hospital wing. Initially, his first thought was an annoyed, Darn, why is it that I always wake up in the hospital wing?

Then, he recalled the events that transpired just before he fell into unconsciousness. The shock of that revelation startled him awake. He bolted upright, gasping for air.

"Oh, thank the First Builders you're alright," sighed Amanda. Now that Rex was awake, he saw that Amanda, Frozeen, and Greybeard were all gathered around his bed. Amanda was kneeling beside him, while Frozeen and Greybeard stood. They appeared relieved to see that Rex was alright, but at the same time still very anxious and concerned. There were two others that Rex did not recognize: a tall man in a suit and fedora, and a little girl hugging Greybeard's leg.

"The name's Bogart," the man in the suit introduced himself, extending a hand towards Rex. "Private Detective. If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions."

"Uh, yeah," said Rex, still trying to get his bearings. "Sure. Of course."

"We found ye lyin' in that room," explained Greybeard, "with th' corpses o' Saboteur an' Bear an' Sarge. We also found Recon lyin' in th' hallway, also dead. It be a relief ye be still alive."

"We also found this," added Bogart, who held up a cigarette butt. "Do you recognize this at all?"

Frozeen leaned in close. "From the looks of it," he murmured, "it's no ordinary cigarette… it's one of Saboteur's false cigarettes. Smokescreens he used to cover his escapes. Given the fact that Saboteur was also found in the room without a head, it's probably not him…"

"If not Saboteur, then whom?"

Rex startled, and the others turned around to see Specs approaching the bed.

Rex wanted to jump out of his hospital bed, point an accusing finger at Specs, and declare, "There's the traitor!" However, he knew that could not afford to do so… yet. He needed to explain to Amanda, Frozeen, Greybeard, and others whom he could trust about what he saw, or else his accusation would seem insane. He could not do so in front of Specs, either… or, at least, not out loud.

Rex gritted his teeth, feeling his face grow hot as Specs approached his bed. Bogart, Frozeen, and Greybeard stepped back, and Amanda promptly stood. The little girl hid behind Greybeard, peeking out nervously to look at Specs. "I received word that the mole was the one responsible for killing off most of the members of Second Headquarters Squad," declared Specs. "You are our only witness to one of these murders. If you know anything about this traitor, please say so."

Rex was silent, trying to think of what to say. If only there was some secret-agent code he could use to communicate with Frozeen, or pirate phrases that Greybeard could catch…

Specs sighed. "Elite Agent Rex, I ask this as a favor. But, given the dire times and the importance of such knowledge, I ask again, and this time as an order: What do you know about XERRD's mole and the murders of agents Recon, Saboteur, Sarge, and Bear?"

Rex locked eyes with Amanda. He knew no spy talk or pirate accent, but he remembered the first reason he ever felt a bond with Amanda… she could communicate through body language alone, and he could understand her easily due to his dinosaur instincts. He prayed that she could understand what message he wished to convey.

Shifting his eyes quickly towards Specs, Rex reported, "Recon, Sarge, and Bear were already in the room with me when Saboteur entered. Fearing that Saboteur was the mole, Sarge killed him. I sent Recon for you, but he never returned. Then, the infiltrator came in and murdered Sarge and Bear."

"Did you see who the traitor was?" inquired Specs.

Rex looked back at Amanda, bit his lip, furrowed his brow, and quickly shifted his eyes back to Specs again. "I, uh, cannot recall," he lied. "When he came in, he lit a cigarette and created a smokescreen that masked his true form. I could not make out his identity." While Frozeen showed Specs the cigarette to confirm Rex's words, Rex once again glanced at Amanda and shifted his eyes towards Specs.

Amanda raised her eyebrows ever-so-slightly.

"That's a shame," said Specs, narrowing his eyes. "We are so close to tracking down this traitor, and you, our only living witness, do not know who it might be. Frozeen."

The Alpha Team agent stiffened at the mention of his name. "Yes, sir?"

"I need you," ordered Specs, "to figure out a way to track the whereabouts of every Dino Attack agent in this building at the times of these murders. We need every possible scrap of information to help us determine what cowardly scum is responsible for killing my men. Now come with me."

"Trust no one," Amanda said quietly to Frozeen. The Alpha Team agent nodded in comprehension, then departed with Specs.

"One thing be fer certain," muttered Greybeard. "We needs t' git ye out o' bed… if th' traitor returns fer ye, th' hospital bed might be yer death bed."

"Right," sighed Rex. "My wheelchair, please?" Amanda pushed the wheelchair to Rex's bedside, and with some assistance from Amanda and Greybeard, Rex climbed into the chair. Then, Amanda proceeded to push Rex out of the hospital wing.

Just before they exited, they were stopped by Bogart. "Excuse me, agent Rex, but are you sure that is all that you saw?"

Rex nodded grimly. "As I said, the attacker's appearance was masked."

"But you referred to your attacker using male pronouns," Bogart pointed out. "If you could not see this person, how could you be sure of 'his' gender?"

Rex bit his lip. "I'm… fairly certain that he was male."

"But given that 'his' appearance was, as you say, masked," continued Bogart, "you admit that there is a possibility, however slim, that you are mistaken?"

Unsure how to respond without giving anything away, Rex slowly nodded.

"Do you have a weapon of choice, agent Rex?" inquired Bogart.

"Yes. I prefer to use a Sonic Screamer."

"And you?" Bogart turned towards Amanda. "Agent Claw, what's your weapon of choice?" When Amanda did not respond right away, Bogart smiled and murmured, "Come now, don't be shy."

Rex nodded to Amanda. He thought it was in their better interest if she remained completely open and honest with the private detective. With Rex's support, Amanda admitted quietly: "A knife."

Bogart raised his eyebrows slightly as he nodded. "Do you normally carry a knife on you?"

"Yes."

"May I see it?"

"Of…" Amanda trailed off as she reached for her knife. Her face betrayed surprise as her trusty weapon was not in its sheath as she expected it to be. In disbelief, she began patting herself down in a vain attempt to locate her knife.

"Would this be your knife?"

Rex blinked in surprise and Amanda's eyes widened as Bogart held out a knife. Upon finding her voice, Amanda quietly murmured, "Err, yes." As she reached out and took the knife from Bogart, she dared to inquire: "Where did you find this?"

"I didn't find it." Bogart shook his head. "You can thank Angel Eyes and Maria, for they were the ones who found it…"

"Thank you," said Amanda, nodding.

"… in Bullseye's back."

Rex stared at Amanda as she paled, color leaving her face. Bogart's features hardened, on the other hand. At last, Amanda slowly sheathed her knife, nervously stepped away from Bogart, and whispered in a wavering voice: "Thank you for your time, detective Bogart."

Bogart tipped his hat as he narrowed his eyes. "If I need to ask you two anything else," he said, "or if you two find any information that you need to tell me… we'll find each other." 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 57: Imposter Syndrome

----

Dino Cop, in spite of all the acclaim and being directed by Steven Spielbrick himself, was a pretty cheesy flick that made for great riffing material.

Somehow, in the middle of nowhere ("Funny, it looks like plain old Egypt to me," Andrew had remarked), Johnny Thunder and Pippin Reed (then during their Hollywood phase) managed to find a flask in an Egyptian temple containing some kind of liquid with concentrated dinosaur DNA ("Now what does this have to do with a temple of gloom?" Joike had said). After escaping the temple's collapse (Andrew had given Johnny a line of "'I really should expect this more often, this is practically becoming part of the routine.'"), it had ended up in a lab where it would end up in a lab ready to be studied by Professor Genome ("Gee, I wonder what he studies?" Pterisa had joked, getting into the spirit of things. "Hamsters?") and guarded by newly arrived Police Lieutenant Ty Rex with his number one weapon: his catchphrase: "Nothing is what I do best." (Laxus, as Rex: "'As opposed to actually doing anything. That I don't do well.'")

As luck would have it though, one quiet afternoon during guard duty, the city the lab was in was struck by an earthquake, and Rex was trapped as the lab collapsed (Joike: "Oh gosh, why did they use so many windows on a building in an area where a large-scale earthquake can happen, aaaaah!"). As he lay under the rubble, his only concern remained the safety of the DNA as he fell unconscious (Andrew: "'I suppose... getting rescued and being able to see my wife and kids again would be nice too... but the DNA...'") and said DNA dripped over him... (Pterisa: "'Good thing this isn't a serum that mutates people into dinosaurs, because that would be unrealistic… right?'")

Later, as rescue crews and officials began investigating the wreckage of the lab, in one of the films memorable moments, a Tyrannosaurus Rex emerged from the rubble wearing Rex's Police cap, and proclaimed to all, "You can call me Dino Cop!", much to the shock of the in-film observers (Andrew, as Mayor Brickman and Professor Genome faint: "Well, they sure took that lying down.")

Dr. Cyborg came into the rec room. He was just wandering around; he didn't really have any friends, so he couldn't hang out with his friends. He saw Laxus, Andrew, and Pterisa watching Dino Cop, so he thought he'd have some fun and dropped in on the movie-riffing party. He watched a ten second clip of the movie, then grabbed the remote off the couch and paused it.

"Now, I know what you're thinking," he said. "This movie is good, but it needs one thing-" He projected the clip he saw out of his eye, albeit replacing the dinosaur with a rather sub-par image of an old-fashioned cyborg that wasn't realistic at all. "The main character needs to be a cyborg!"

"Boo!" Andrew yelled good-naturedly.

"Get out of here!" Laxus demanded. Pterisa just laughed, took a pillow off the couch, and threw it at Dr. Cyborg. The other two followed her example and did the same. They were poking fun at him, but did enjoy the joke.

"Alright, alright, I get the message, I'm leaving!" he said. He left, still hearing their laughter.

"Though I will admit," said Laxus, "a cyborg dinosaur would be something cool to see."

"Only in the movies," said Andrew. "If we saw it on the front lines, it would be significantly less cool, to say the least."

*****

A hooded figure approached Zach and Minerva while they were watching Zelda and Nazareno. The figure said in a feminine voice, "Have you seen Dr. Cyrista?" They replied no, and the figure left after saying, "If you see him, let him know Contest is here."

Zach watched the retreating back of the cloaked figure curiously. "Well, that was weird."

"Yeah," Minerva said, scratching the back of her head. "Wonder what she wants with Dr. Cyborg?"

Zach shrugged. "If she's a hostile, Dr. Cyborg should be able to take care of her. Now, the story."

Minerva nodded again and cleared her throat. "So," she began, sighing slightly, "while you were fighting Provencal and Gladys alone, I was helping trying to help Pterisa get rid of the Stromlings tailing her. When I decided she could handle it on her own, I noticed everyone facing things that didn't resemble Stromlings, from mysterious cloaked figures to butterflies. Then Oswald and my mother appeared in front of me."

"Your mother?" Zach said, surprised.

"Yes. My mother, Athena Fabello." She seemed somewhat embarrassed.

"Athena..." Zach paused. "Oh! I see. Athena and Minerva are-"

"The goddess counterparts in Greek and Roman mythology, yes. My mother was really smart when she was younger. She named me Minerva primarily for that reason. Intended to be our little smart inside joke when I got older and understood it fully. Too bad that never happened."

"What happened? Something bad clearly must have happened to consider your own mother your worst fear."

"The best place to start would be the death of my father," said Minerva. Zach grimaced. Already down a bad place. "He was at a convenience store. I think he was picking up a snack before he came home. He saw two men fighting in the store, and it was approaching physical violence. Dad tried to mediate the two. Calm them down."

Minerva laughed bitterly. "Nobody could have predicted what happened next. One of the men pulled a knife and stabbed Isaac Fabello in the throat. He died almost instantly. He was just trying to be a good person, and he was rewarded with a premature death.

"Later that night the police dropped by our house. When Mom got the news... she didn't take it well. At all. She broke down right on the doorstep. Crying, screaming. My brother Tod cried with Mom. Oswald left for his room without saying anything. I just sort of stood there. I was confused. I had no idea what had happened. I was only four years old at the time. But I knew that whatever happened caused Dad to never come home from work again.

"A week later, a funeral was held. Even then, I still had no idea what had happened, and neither Tod, Oswald, nor Mom had even tried to explain it to me. The only thing I remember from that funeral was Mom wearing a black dress and weeping throughout the entire service, which ended up coming back as a part of the Darkitect's illusion. After the funeral, we... stopped talking about Dad. He was almost never brought up again. It's affected me to the point that I remember almost nothing about him.

"Tod and Oswald managed to move on. Mom didn't. She tried to drown away her grief in alcohol. Needless to say, it didn't help. She would spend days locked in her room. Sometimes, you could hear her crying. Other times, it was silent, generally meaning she was drinking or asleep. It reached a point where Tod ordered me to stay away from Mom whenever she did leave her bedroom."

"Was she violent?" Zach asked.

Minerva swallowed hard and shook her head. "No. She was just sad. And extremely angry, which was worse when she was drunk. Despite Tod's commands, I talked to her when I was six. She was in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal. No alcohol in sight. So I went up to her and flatly asked where Dad was. She responded with a just as blunt 'He's dead' before bursting into tears. I had no real idea exactly what 'death' entailed, but whatever it was, it made Mom sad, so I cried with her.

"That was closest I'd ever get to her after Dad's death. She continued to drink, and I realized that was the part of her problem. So I found all the liquor I could and tried to throw it away so she would stop. It didn't go over so well with her. She yelled at me until I burst into tears and Oswald had to force her away. I didn't try to get rid of her drinks again, but it didn't matter long after that. Something happened later on. Perhaps her mind was poisoned from her drinking. Maybe she attempted to suppress the memories of Dad's death. Either way, she lost all perception of reality one day. She had no set reality. At one point, Dad was alive and we were all at the ages we were the year he died. Other times, her memories went farther back, to points where she didn't know Tod and/or me existed.

"Although we decided Mom lost her ability to take care of us long ago, it was now official. So Oswald took over as 'head of the family'. He and eventually Tod started to look and get jobs to support us, including Mom. I wanted to help, but was too young to get a job. So I... resorted to stealing food from stores. Oswald and Tod didn't approve it simply because it went against their morals. However, when I brought the food home, they would eat it regardless. I continued to steal and became friends with a harsher crowd of people, who would teach me how to fight and occasionally helped me steal. Naturally, Oswald and Tod didn't approve of me coming home with tons of bruises and cuts, but I didn't really care. Regardless of them not approving of my actions, life started to look up. Mom was insane, sure. But Tod and Oswald both managed to secure jobs, and my thieving made sure we got a decent meal each night and essential materials their paychecks couldn't cover. Life returned to a sense of normalcy. Of course, it wouldn't last." 

----

There was a somewhat lengthy walk for Montoya and Schiess as they stepped out of their motel.

"I'm thinking we should do something," Montoya said. "This Silencia betrayed us. I think she oughta pay."

"Indeed," replied Schiess. "Personally, I'd like to put a bullet in her head and be done with it, but in the meantime, we can maybe at least get a temporary victory. I got a plan."

After some walking, they finally reached a gas station. They waited for a few minutes until a car started to pull into one of the pumps. The convenience store was still closed, but that wasn't going to stop them.

"Montoya, you take care of the car," Schiess said. "I'm going to go and see if I can get a couple cases of kerosene."

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" Montoya asked.

Schiess smiled. "Depends on what you think I'm doing," he said as he walked towards the small shop, Montoya drew his gun and walked toward the car.

There was a young woman standing there at the pump, she couldn't have been younger than her mid-thirties. In the back of the car was a young girl, probably around ten years old. Montoya was not like the others. He had no intention of harming either of these people, but if they were going to finish their job, he had to make sure they didn't know that.

Quickly, he cocked his pistol and aimed it toward the young woman. "Hand over the keys," he said. The woman looked at him in shock. Trying to hide his reluctance and to keep his hand trembling as little as possible, Montoya walked over to the door where the little girl was sitting and opened it, aiming the gun right at her. "Get out of the car," he said. Quickly, she complied and ran into her mother's arms.

"It's alright, Kate," the woman said. "It's going to be fine." She quickly took the keys out of her pocket and handed them to Montoya.

"Now finish filling it," he said, motioning toward the gas counter.

*****

Schiess was surprised to find that the door was not locked, even though the sign clearly said "closed". Stepping inside, he looked around. There were, of course, the usual food items, not exactly the kerosene he needed. Then he suddenly heard something. He turned in surprise to see a young girl, apparently trying to hide behind the counter. She couldn't have been more than ten.

Slowly, Schiess took off his sunglasses and started to approach her. He was tempted to reach for his gun but decided against it. The girl seemed scared, and it didn't take long for him to see why. She had been stealing various items, particularly snacks.

"It's alright," Schiess said. "I ain't goin' to tell anybody. You got a name?"

The girl looked at him nervously. "Minerva," she said.

"You come here often?"

Minerva nodded.

"You a good thief?"

Minerva nodded.

"I need your help with something, then," Schiess said. He reached into his pocket, removed his wallet, and handed her a 20-dollar bill. "I need a couple cans of gasoline. Do you know where I might be able to find some of those around here?"

Minerva simply smiled.

----

Bogart leaned against the doorframe and took a moment to place a cigarette in his mouth before lighting it as he watched Amanda walk away. "Something's not quite right with her," Bogart muttered to himself. He turned back into the hospital. "Hey Pierce?"

"What is-" Pierce said as he turned before cutting himself off. "You do know there's no smoking in the hospital?"

"Sorry," Bogart said as he stepped away from the doorframe. "I need information on Agent Claw."

"We do have medical records," replied Pierce. "I don't normally give them out, but in this case, we might be able to make an exception." Bogart took a moment to drop the cigarette and crush it under his shoe before stepping inside.

"Would you come this way?" Pierce continued. Bogart was led towards a small room filled with filing cabinets, Pierce opened one drawer to reveal several folders, apparently sorted alphabetically. "Cabin, Canama, Carver, Catless, Charon, Chupacabra, Claw - here we are."

Pierce removed a small file and handed it to Bogart. He looked through the first few pages: checkups and other things from Claw's childhood, then suddenly he saw something.

"Is this the whole file?" Bogart asked.

"It should be," replied Pierce.

"Well, if I didn't know better, I'd say that at least ten years of her life are missing from this folder, possibly more."

"I honestly don't know how that happened," said Pierce. "We're usually pretty thorough with-"

"I'm not accusing you of anything," clarified Bogart. "For some reason, someone didn't want us to know what happened in that time. She's been hiding, Pierce, and I'd like to know why."

"You think she had something to do with the mole?" asked Pierce.

"Well, it's a lead to something," replied Bogart. "That man did mention Silencia Venomosa to be here."

"Silencia Venomosa?" Pierce asked. "The killer?"

"That's the one," affirmed Bogart.

"That's impossible," declared Pierce. "She's just a myth, a little story that criminals tell their children at night, you know, 'If you aren't good, then Silencia Venomosa's going to come and get you.' You know, like Keyser Soze."

"'I wouldn't say that," said Bogart. "I spent four months trying to catch her after the incident at Dacta Corporation." 

As Pierce and Bogart were talking in the medical wing, the cloaked figure came in and asked the same question. The same answer was given, and she moved on.

A tall man entered the infirmary. "Ms. Venomosa is no myth, Dr. Pierce," he said darkly. The figure slammed a stack of freshly printed papers on top of the file cabinet. "This woman is not some demon that dwells in the heart of the wicked. No, I assure you that Ms. Venomosa is very real and very much alive."

"Who are you?" said Bogart as he picked up the top piece of paper. "And what is all of this?"

The muscled figured casually removed a stapled document and handed it to Pierce. The image on the front was an unfocused snapshot of a woman, but the likeness was enough to make the doctor's heart skip a beat.

"I am elite agent Commander Pharisee. I am head of Dino Attack internal affairs and I am taking control of this investigation." It was a clear statement of his apparent authority. "I imagine that face is familiar to you, Dr. Pierce. The woman you see before you is indeed agent Claw."

Pierce slowly paged through the document. "It can't be."

"I know how to do my research, Dr. Pierce. What you see before you is everything that I was able to locate on Mrs. Venomosa. I printed every report, every iota," Pharisee said. "I know where to look and what I found relating to Claw's past is disturbing."

"Hey, this looks like Dacta Corporation," muttered Bogart. "I know quite a bit about this incident."

"I would imagine you would," said Pharisee. "The report identifies you as a detective working on the case."

Bogart shook his head in awed disbelief. "Unbelievable," he remarked. "Silencia Venomosa is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the past decade… and you figured out her identity in less than twenty-four hours?"

"It's deceptively simple," explained Pharisee. "For all of Venomosa's notoriety, no one gave two bricks about Amanda Remous until today. A quiet, plain-looking, young woman who didn't even finish middle school. Since no one knew who she was, she could operate freely in anonymity. But now, as the reputable agent Claw, she no longer has the power to stay under the radar. With so much attention drawn towards her, it was only a matter of time before someone put two and two together."

"Why are you talking to us?" said Dr. Pierce. "You certainly seem to know what you're doing."

"I want you to summarize the events," said Pharisee. "Tell me what you know."

"I identified the murder weapon as hers. Agent Claw herself did not deny it," said Bogart.

"What about an alibi?" asked Pierce. The doctor was not ready to believe that agent Claw was a mole. "There have been six murders. Someone must have seen her for at least one of them."

"No," said Pharisee. "I already talked to some agents. Claw has been elusive the last few hours." The commander turned to the detective. "I am going to go and speak with agent Rex and agent Claw. I want to gather more evidence and hopefully make an arrest." Pharisee pointed to a very large handgun strapped to his hip. "I am prepared to use force if the Creator is willing."

Pierce was looking increasingly uncomfortable. "Let's not be jumping to violence, Comman-"

Pharisee raised his hand to silence the doctor. "Dr. Pierce, this is my duty on this Earth. If I want your opinion, I will ask for it. My purpose is to expel evil from the Dino Attack, and you will soon find that evil dwells in the most unlikely of places. Do not try and stop me. Do not get in my way." Pharisee handed the entire file to the doctor. "I hope you read this, doctor. It might change your opinion of agent Claw."

He then turned to Bogart. "You have some prior knowledge of the woman. Perhaps you would join me."

Pierce took a moment to pick up one of the documents and started to read it.

"Well, at this point, I know about as much as you do," Bogart replied. "We knew she was present at Dacta Corp. and Mindstorms. I was never really able to get a proper lead. That's how well she covered her tracks. I can tell you, in twenty years, she was the only case I could never solve, but at this point I'm starting to think that she's connected to these murders. The fact that her knife was in the body of one of the victims should back that up. There was another guy I ran into in the mess hall who claimed to know Silencia, something about her double-crossing him or something."

----

Montoya struggled to hold his gun steady as he watched Schiess approach the car holding two cans of kerosene. He took a moment to open the back-seat door and place them inside. Slowly, Montoya lowered his gun and stepped into the driver's seat, with Schiess taking the passenger side. They closed the doors and drove off, leaving the young mother struggling to comfort her panicked daughter.

"What exactly is the plan?" Montoya asked.

"We gotta get to Dacta Corp. Headquarters," declared Schiess.

"What?" Montoya exclaimed. "After everything that happened last night?"

"Yes," replied Schiess. "We're going to burn down that MegaBloking building, maybe cheat her out of her dough. It'll be a temporary victory, at least until we can find her and deal with her properly. Consider this a simple 'Znap you' from us."

Montoya smiled as Schiess lit a cigarette.

It was not long before the car came to a stop outside Dacta Headquarters. Schiess took a moment to cock his gun before opening his door and stepping outside. He picked up the kerosene and handed the other can to Montoya. As the two of them stepped through the door, Schiess removed the cap to his kerosene canister. Slowly and reluctantly, Montoya started to do the same thing.

A young receptionist was sitting at the counter. She looked up at them. "What do you think you're-"

Schiess quickly pulled out his gun and shot her through the chest. She fell down quickly. Within the next few minutes, they began to splash kerosene around the lobby before making for the door. As soon as they stepped outside, Schiess took his cigarette out of his mouth and threw it back in onto the floor, and within seconds a flame started to burst.

Quickly, Schiess and Montoya got back in the car. Montoya hit the ignition and began to drive away as the fire began to spread... 

----

LEGO City was finally in view. Semick sat up more as he brought the T-1 Typhoon in for the final approach.

He could only wonder what developments he might have been missing in the past few hours. He had neglected to get any updates during most of the travel time, having wanted to take use of one of the few moments he could get for relaxation. But the time for kicking back was over, and it was time to get back into the routine.

He switched on the radio and switched frequency to Dino Attack headquarters. "Dino Attack HQ," he said, "this is Elite Agent Semick, reporting on my upcoming return to headquarters. There are still clear landing pads available, I presume?"

"We report several clear spaces within the hangar, Semick," said the voice at the other end.

"Good. How's things at HQ gone? Anything pertaining to our possible next mission?"

"Well..." 

*****

"Are you sure?" Amanda whispered to him, trying to conceal the terror in her voice.

"Positive," Rex said as he gritted his teeth.

"It can't be!" Amanda said, shaking her head.

Rex bit his lip. "I would not believe it," he admitted, "but then that would mean that I could not believe even my own eyes. Did my own eyes deceive me when Specs came into the room, shot Soldier, stabbed Bear, and was about to slit my throat?"

"I don't doubt what you saw," said Amanda, "but our own team leader being XERRD's mole just doesn't sound plausible."

"Is it really so farfetched?" asked Rex. "Just a few days ago, we learned that XERRD's second-in-command was working for Dino Attack Team the whole time; things are rarely what they seem. Add in the fact that I used to be a T-Rex disguised as a human, and you used to be… well, you know… all things considered, Specs being the mole sounds positively mundane in comparison."

"Did you hear the way Specs spoke in the hospital wing?" Amanda shot a quick glance over her shoulder. "He put so much contempt and anger into his voice every time he referred to the mole… in fact, I could be mistaken, but I do not even think he ever said 'mole', 'infiltrator', or such… he always said 'traitor'."

Rex sighed. "I do not know what his motivations are… But Specs would truly make an effective mole. His balaclava hides his expressions and his emotions, allowing him to masterfully control his own appearance to hide any hint at his true identity. And his position as team leader gives him full knowledge of every action by the Dino Attack Team, explaining why XERRD is always two steps ahead of us, and yet nobody would ever suspect him."

"But why would he leave you alive," wondered Amanda, "if he knew that you knew that he's the mole?"

"Because he knows that no one will believe me," Rex said with a grimace. "He'll know how painful it would be for me to know such important information and be unable to tell anyone… and watch my friends die all around me at his hands…"

Just like the Darkitect said.

Rex's heart raced. He clutched his chest and began breathing heavily.

Amanda was immediately alarmed. "Are you alright?" she gasped. "Should I bring you back to the hospital wing?"

"No, no," Rex said as he waved his hand. "I'm fine. But I think we ought to check on the remaining members of Second Headquarters Squad… Fireman and Dynamite. They need to be protected."

As they left to look for Fireman and Dynamite, Amanda lowered her head and murmured in a low voice, "You know, a lot of people are suspecting that Silencia Venomosa is the one behind this."

Rex bit his lip. He remembered what Saboteur had said just before he died, that there may have been an unfathomable malicious intent behind the murders of the Second Headquarters Squad that would have been in Venomosa's style. Slowly, Rex nodded. "I know. It certainly does not help that your knife was found in Bullseye's back."

"But I'm innocent, Rex," whispered Amanda, looking at him with wide, desperate eyes. "Some people refuse to believe it, but I'm innocent. I left behind that life long ago, and nothing XERRD could do or offer would change that. You believe me, right?"

Rex locked eyes with her, letting his expression speak for him. He trusted her more than he had ever trusted anyone before.

In actuality, while the lives of Fireman and Dynamite were a major concern for Rex, that was not the thought that got his heart racing. Specs likely only needed one person to know who he was, just one person to torture with the horrible truth. Anyone else who knew was expendable and would be better off dead…

And now Amanda Claw knew.

*****

"It was a normal night in 2004. As normal as it could get at my house," Minerva continued. "Oswald, Tod, and I were all in the kitchen, making dinner. We were having fun, trying to cook and making a mess. Mom suddenly entered the kitchen in a panic. She kept saying that the man that killed Dad was going to kill her next. Tod tried to calm her down, but nothing was working. She was becoming more and more hysterical. She looked at me and her panic... changed into anger. She kept pointing at me and yelling. She thought... I was the man that killed Dad and was back to kill her too. She shoved Tod out of the way and pulled a knife out of the cabinet and started moving toward me. I was terrified. I froze in fear. She almost reached me when Tod suddenly tackled her to the ground."

Minerva paused and breathed in deeply. Zach could see her eyes were becoming damp, but she didn't seem to notice. "There was a short fight. It barely lasted ten seconds. Then they pulled away. Tod fell next to me. The knife was buried into his chest. His breathing was heavy and irregular. He looked at me and smiled at me. A warm, caring smile that tried to reassure me that everything was alright. Then his eyes closed and they didn't open. Mom broke down. She started crying and screaming Tod's name. Then..." Minerva paused again and wiped her eyes. Zach was silent, giving her an opportunity to recover. She swallowed once and nodded.

"I can't remember what happened next. I shut down and went into shock. I think a few hours later I finally came back to reality. Oswald told me Tod was dead and Mom was in custody. There was a big long investigation where the cops figured out that Mom hadn't been able to take care of us for years. She would've gone to jail for that and murder, but she was declared insane. Since they feared she would have another episode like that, she was thrown in a mental institution and Oswald, since he was eighteen, was officially made my guardian. And we never saw Mom again. We both hated her for what she did and wanted nothing to do with her."

Zach leaned back. "Huh." That's all he could think to say. Then: "You seem to have turned out fine. What happened was bad, but at least you don't seem to have serious mental issues after watching Tod die. I'm not so sure about Oswald."

Minerva nodded. "That's because I wouldn't allow myself to be ruined by the event. Oswald and I spent a week grieving. I wanted to give up. But then I thought of my mother, who gave up after Dad died. I didn't want to become her, especially after what she did to Tod. I forced myself to move on, which was harder than I expected. My thieving increased due to my grief and anger and my exploits became considerably less noble. And growing older made me more suspicious to shop owners. And the people I stole from before began to suspect me, so they always watched me close. I was arrested multiple times and had to get Oswald to bail me out. I would've gone to some detention center had the police not felt sorry for us. After a while, I finally realized my stealing was counterproductive. Only after I tried to stop, I realized I was almost addicted to stealing, riding on some sort of adrenaline rush each time I swiped something from a shelf."

"How did you stop your kleptomania?"

"I cut ties to those friends I mentioned, as I had nearly been caught by authorities due to stealing with them and violence. I asked Oswald for help, so he kept an eye on me and I gave him permission to do whatever was necessary to stop me from steal. I suppose it might be comparable to a drug addict trying to break his addiction. I was moody, angry, unfriendly, and sick a lot of the time. I took the anger out on Oswald, which often lead to shouting matches. Despite that, I pulled through."

Zach simply nodded. "And so, what did the illusions do?"

"Degrade me," Minerva said. "Blamed me for Tod's death, Mom's insanity, and Oswald's corruption until I shot them both trying to shut them up."

"So that's why you snapped against Provencal. She convinced Oswald that what happened in the past was your fault."

Minerva nodded. "It was kind of like a punch in the face." She wiped her eyes again.

"It's not your fault, though." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in tight. Minerva didn't say anything, only turning her head away. "Minerva, I'm sorry that-"

"Don't be sorry for me," Minerva snapped, turning her head sharply toward him. "You wanted the story. I didn't want to share because I don't want pity. It happened and there is nothing you or I can do to change it. It made me who I am, I suppose."

Zach raised his hands defensively. "Sorry. Though it sounds like the only good thing was that it made the person that you are." Minerva smiled weakly. Zach rose to his feet. "Now that you have depressed me to a great extent, I'm feeling up for some fresh air. Care to tag along?"

"Sure," replied Minerva. Zach extended his hand and pulled her to his feet. As they started walking toward the exit, Minerva spoke again. "Well, I suppose I was more impacted by the incident, in a sense that I promised never to consume alcoholic beverages after watching them steal away my mother's sanity. And while I will use them, I'm not particularly fond of knives. At all."

Zach shrugged. "Well, not drinking isn't a bad habit to pick up. And I can understand the bit about knives. Now enough of your stories. I'd rather not hear another one." Minerva punched him hard in the shoulder, chuckling as they reached the exit. 

*****

"Hello, Pierce," said a familiar voice from the doorway. Pierce looked up in surprise to see a young pirate woman, whose face quickly made him smile.

"Elizabeth?" he asked. "Look, this probably isn't the best time, I got work to be doing."

Elizabeth Winsor smiled at the remark. "How'd Adventurers' Island go for you?"

"Well, from what I saw, it was pretty rough," replied Pierce. "A bunch of people died. We probably won't be seeing Zenna for a long time. What about you?"

Elizabeth's grin faded, if only slightly. "It was kinda dull," she said. "We did find a few interesting things, though."

"Like what?" inquired Pierce.

"You remember that Cam O'Cozy guy who tried to kill us all?"

"Yeah."

"He's a robot."

"A robot?" repeated Pierce.

"Yeah," replied Elizabeth, nodding. "A mechanical man, a machine made to resemble a-"

"I know what a robot is," Pierce interrupted her.

"We still have the parts actually," Elizabeth said, keenly. "Wrench kept them in his locker. We were going to tell Specs, but we never got hold of him." 

----

Montoya finally pulled the car to a stop outside his apartment and ran inside. Within a few minutes, he came back out with Debbie, who was holding a small suitcase containing her own valuables. She climbed into the back, and Montoya was quickly back in the driver's seat, hitting the ignition.

"What's going on?" Debbie asked. "Where are we going?"

"Something's gone wrong," replied Montoya. "Look, it isn't safe here anymore. If Silencia finds out we're together, she-"

"Silencia?" Debbie asked, nervously.

"Yeah," replied Montoya. "The assassin."

"Look," Schiess said. "She tried to kill us, and if she learns either of us are still alive, she'll continue to pursue us. Our only chance is to get out of town and lay low until things cool off."

"It'll be fine," assured Montoya. "I'll tell you what. I'm going to leave my life of crime behind. I got my money from this job. We're going to go to the seaside, find a nice, isolated cabin, and start fresh."

Debbie seemed to smile shyly.

"What about you, Schiess?" Montoya asked. "You got any plans?"

"Yeah," replied Schiess. "I'm goin' to get off this planet."

"What?" Montoya said, somewhat confused.

"I'm getting off this MegaBloking planet and getting as far away from here as conceivably possible," continued Schiess. "Maybe I can get a job as hired muscle for the Space Police or something."

"A bit excessive, isn't it?" Montoya asked.

"That's why I like it," replied Schiess. 

*****

It had been nearly a decade since that fateful day, the day he made a promise that he had kept ever since. For the past eight years, Montoya had been true to his word, and left any and all traces of his criminal activity behind, if only because was concerned about a repeat of what happened at Mindstorms, Inc. that cost the lives of five of his seven comrades.

He was now approaching his early forties and lived with his still-beautiful common-law wife and a few children. They were happy here, and they didn't even leave when rumors about mutant dinosaurs started to cause panic. Even when those rumors were confirmed, Montoya and Debbie still remained in that little cabin by the sea.

Lighting a cigarette, Montoya would sometimes find himself staring off into the ocean. He was rather surprised when Debbie approached him. "Someone from Antarctica called," Debbie said.

"I thought we already told them, we're not going," Montoya replied.

"No," clarified Debbie. "It was a message. They got a phone call, some guy named Schiess, he said he was looking for you." The name quickly caught Montoya's attention. He hadn't seen Schiess since they parted ways after that heist. "He said to tell you, 'I found her.'"

"That was the message?" Montoya asked.

Debbie nodded.

It didn't take long for Montoya to figure out what the message meant. "Did they say anything about where he was?"

"They said the call came from Dino Attack Headquarters," replied Debbie.

There was a moment of silence as he walked toward the small pickup truck they kept out front.

"What are you doing?" Debbie asked.

"It's just some unfinished business," replied Montoya. "As soon as I'm done, I'll come right back. You take good care of the kids while I'm gone."

Debbie nodded. They both kissed before Montoya climbed into the front seat of the truck and drove away. 

*****

Before heading outside, Zach and Minerva decided it would be best to pick up some weapons, so they started toward the armory. While walking, they began to discuss conspiracy theories Zach had heard while in Antarctica.

"Wait, so there are conspiracy theories about this war?" Minerva asked, almost surprised.

"Naturally, as there have been conspiracy theories about everything that's ever happened ever," Zach said. "I spent some time around those facilities as an Agent and I'd occasionally get some guy to tell me that I'm 'sheep' and 'helping the conspiracy against the people'."

"What sort of theories did these people have?"

"They have a wide spectrum. Here's just a basic one: I had someone tell me the government (don't ask me which one) orchestrated the Dino Attack so they could dig up all the oil in the world with no one watching so said-government could control the post-war economy or something. There also the one where 'the government' caused the Dino Attack to ultimately create some sort of unified totalitarian government. Before I left Antarctica for Adventurers' Island, someone managed to tell me that the riots and Greybeard's speech were some sort of test to see how easily the government could manipulate the fear of the populace to their advantage."

"That's... strange," Minerva responded. "So how to they explain the existence of XERRD?"

"Easy. They're scientists (or actors) that were hired by the government to pretend like they started the Dino Attack. The theorists predict that sometime by the end of the war, Ronald Alexander will just 'disappear' instead of actually being killed. They say he will actually get a high sum of money, and identity change, and be forced to move to some exotic, isolated tropical island or something."

"They do realize that Dr. Rex is a Mutant T-Rex, right?"

Zach shrugged. "I don't know if they ever addressed that. But you're right, it's kind of hard to adopt a new identity when you're a Mutant T-Rex."

"Any more strange theories?"

"Loads. Are the Mutant Dinos robotic, or are they mutated creations of extraterrestrial beings who are using them to weaken are defenses enough so they can invade themselves? Are the dinos in fact just modern military vehicles using some strange cloaking device that makes them look like dinosaurs with superpowers?"

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "I assume these people haven't left Antarctica since the Attack began?"

Zach chuckled. "It's a fair guess. I've also heard even stranger theories like the Alpha Team and Agents secretly created the Mutant Dinos and fight the war pretending to be bitter rivals when they are actually close allies who are actually helping the Mutant Dinos advance. There's also something more along the line of XERRD's thinking: The Mutant Dinos are super-evolved dinosaurs that aren't just a science experiment. Their true purpose is the restore the Earth to a more environmentally friendly state by destroying civilization. Mother Gaia is in slaughter, so she will do whatever it takes to return to her former glory, even if it means the destruction of an entire species."

Minerva smirked. "'Gaia'? Bringing up more Greek mythology?"

"Just a bit. The whole shocking revelation about you and your mother's names are still hanging on in my brain," admitted Zach.

"Haha. Got anything stranger?"

"Well, someone told me that Specs was actually a woman underneath that balaclava..." 

*****

Pharisee and Bogart walked quickly down the hallways of the headquarters. It was evident he was a man on a mission, and agents moved aside to let them pass.

"I really think Trigger would be helpful," Bogart muttered for the third time, "The man has more experience with agent Claw than me."

Pharisee pushed agents aside as he moved toward where Rex and Amanda were last seen. "Trigger is a pathetic low-life clutching at straws at the end of his menial existence. I know his history and I know that he assaulted agent Claw earlier."

"You know," Bogart said, "even if this Trigger is, as you say, a crook, he does seem to have information. I'd like to know why he assaulted her. Actually, if my understanding is correct, he's a mercenary, a soldier-for-hire. It's a perfectly legal profession, not like her."

Pharisee turned toward Bogart angrily. "His involvement would not be an asset but a hindrance for justice. I assure you, Detective Bogart, that once Claw is behind bars, he will be joining her in the next cell over."

Bogart bit his lip. "That seems a little harsh, sir."

"I feel no sympathy toward the unrighteous, detective," responded Pharisee. "Only under blind justice from an unprejudiced heart will Trigger earn his deliverance."

The detective whistled slowly but said no more to the commander. Soon, the two men had reached one of the lounges in the lower levels of the HQ. Agents had reported that Rex and Amanda had gone there so the two could have some privacy after what had transpired in the infirmary.

Bogart prepared to knock on the door, but Pharisee threw it open and stormed inside. The detective's hand hovered in the air and he shrugged before following the commander inside.

Rex sat alone on a couch. The rec room was vacant aside from two agents playing pool in the shadows. Pharisee made a motion, and the rookie agents dropped what they were doing and left the room. Pharisee and Bogart were now alone with Rex.

"Where is agent Claw?" demanded Pharisee.

"She's in the backroom," Rex answered. "What's going on? Is she in trouble?"

"I think you know the answer to that," said Bogart. "We need you to answer some questions." The detective took a seat on the couch opposite Rex and put his feet up on the table.

"We are prepared to arrest your girlfriend for the murders of the six members of the Second Headquarters Squad," said Pharisee as he drew his gun and approached the closed door to the backroom. There was a dartboard back there, but he had a strong feeling that Amanda had not gone in there to play a game of darts.

"We need to know what you told her after you left the infirmary," said Bogart. "We have privacy now. You can trust me and the commander."

Satisfied that Amanda was present, Pharisee advanced on the elite agent. "You had better tell us what you know, Rex. This is your last chance. Either you come clean, or agent Claw will spend the rest of the war behind bars."

"Pharisee," said Bogart slowly. "You know what Claw is capable of. You read the Venomosa files. We might need backup."

"That won't be necessary," began Rex.

"No, it won't be," Pharisee said as he cocked his gun. "I am prepared to use force if agent Claw attempts to resist." He turned to Rex. "You don't want that to happen, do you, Rex? Now tell me what you know. I would rather not spill blood today."

Bogart calmly lit a cigarette as he watched the confrontation, but he lowered his hand toward his gun, just in case something unexpected were to happen.

*****

Hotwire, Vinyaya, and Mort assisted the rookie agents in transporting the corpses from the safe room to the morgue. Mort very determinedly stayed for the autopsies; Vinyaya and Hotwire were predictably less enthusiastic about this particular stage of the proceedings

"I saw enough of those poor stiffs sprawled across the safe room," Hotwire muttered as they left. Word was spreading rapidly about the mounting evidence against Amanda, and it was not long before the Space Police officer and the one-legged elite agent learned of it as well.

"Well, that rules out my theories about Rex," Vinyaya remarked as the group of agents claiming to have overheard the information from 'that detective who must have walked here from the 1940s' moved on down the hall.

"I have to admit, I hope they're wrong about agent Claw, for Rex's sake as much as hers," Hotwire said. "He's had a rough enough time as it is without his girlfriend turning out to be a traitor." 

*****

Montoya slowly brought the truck to a halt as he caught his first glimpse of the building he'd only seen in the news: Dino Attack Headquarters. Slowly, he opened the door and walked over to the trailer. Inside, he had a shotgun, a few cans of kerosene, and some duct tape.

Taking a moment to light a cigarette, Montoya picked up the shotgun and started to walk into the headquarters. As it turned out, blending in was fairly easy, most of the agents there were dressed casually at the moment, so nobody really took any notice toward his lack of uniform. It still did not make him any less comfortable, though. All he wanted to do was find Silencia, deal with her, and then get out. 

It didn't take long before Montoya started to overhear rumors of Silencia Venomosa. Quickly cocking his shotgun, he proceeded down the hall. He briefly caught a glimpse of the man he thought he recognized as Schiess, but who seemed to be under supervision from a group of agents. I wonder what he did, Montoya thought to himself before continuing onward.

He thought about what he would do when he found her. If anyone tried to stand in his way, he decided that he would cock his shotgun to intimidate them into standing down. Hopefully, he would get her alone and force her into an empty room. No doubt she would try to pull a knife on him, but not even Silencia Venomosa should try to bring a knife to a shotgun fight.

Montoya thought about the kerosene and duct tape in the car. He imagined a scenario in which he taped Venomosa to a chair, splashed the kerosene onto her, and then lit it with his own cigarette. Of course, the more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed that he would actually be able to pull it off in reality…

*****

Upon arriving at the armory, Minerva was quick on simply selecting a Sonic Screamer to use. Zach, not wanting to use a Cosmotronic Ray so soon after having one fused to his arm, spent more time looking over weapons. He picked up a long-bladed combat knife and eyed over it.

"Turning into a knife fanatic?" Minerva asked curiously from behind his shoulder.

"Just a bit," Zach said, sheathing the knife. "I figure, if I can wave one of these things around with my left hand and not get killed, I should be able to handle it as a backup weapon, provided I lose my firearm."

He spent even longer trying to find an ideal shooting weapon. He finally laid his eyes on a large, handheld gatling gun. He grinned like a child on his birthday as he carefully loaded the weapon and moved in toward a shooting range.

"Really," was all Minerva said, crossing her arms in amusement.

He shrugged her away as he threw a long chain filled with bullets over his shoulder. "I've always wanted to use one of these," he told her, taking aim at a target several yards away. His grin widened as the six barrels began to rotate.

Then the gun started firing. Zach jumped, but held his ground against the massive amounts of force the weapon as hired at the target ahead. The bullets from the weapon tore apart the target at the other end of the range. Almost as soon he had started firing the weapon, it suddenly ran out of bullets. Zach flipped off the weapon, grinning at the decimated target ahead.

"Impressive," Minerva said, chuckling. "Watching you jump when that thing started firing was pretty good too."

"Shh," he said, walking back over to her.

"Hey!" a man said, walking over to them. "Have you heard? The Second Headquarters Squad is dead!" Zach and Minerva looked at him, surprised. "Seven o' nine o' them are dead! All o' them offed by the mole!"

"How?" Zach asked.

"Tech was murdered tryin' to catch 'im. Medic was killed 'cause he coulda figured out who the mole was! Bullseye was stabbed in the back, 'n' Bear, Recon, Sarge, and Saboteur were all killed at once in their safe room. Only Rex survived in the safe room, 'n' only Fireman and Dynamite're alive."

"Rex survived? So did he see the mole?" remarked Zach.

"He claims to've been blinded so he couldn't see the mole's identity."

Minerva frowned. "That sounds suspicious."

"And now they're sayin' that Silencia Venomosa's behind the murders! And she's also apparently agent Claw!" At this, Zach raised an eyebrow. Minerva's face betrayed fear. "Keep an eye out for yerselves, lad and lady. You never know who yeh can trust." With that, the man ran away from them, presumably to spread the news.

"Well," Minerva said, scratching the back of her head. "I think Zelda's theory was dead wrong. The mole was targeting the Second Headquarters Squad. Doesn't seem to be trying to cover up his tracks or anything."

"That bit about Rex seems off," Zach pointed out. "But I'm not willing to go and point fingers at anyone."

"What about that bit about Claw and Silencia Venomosa?" Minerva bit her lip nervously. "What if Venomosa is really here and working for XERRD?"

"It probably wouldn't be the strangest thing to ever happen," Zach said as he shrugged.

"You're rather calm for someone who just heard that one of the most infamous assassin-bounty hunter-mercenary in the world might be in this building."

Zach shrugged again. "I understand she's dangerous. Venomosa and her exploits were just something I would read in the paper. To my knowledge, she never operated on LEGO Island and probably never had a reason to. I considered myself rather safe, seeing the only threat as a deconstruction-and-pizza-crazed criminal. LEGO City would offer a different mentality than LEGO Island's. Rest assured, I'll probably be terrified out of my wits if I ever actually meet Silencia Venomosa and not Claw."

"Anyway, I think it's time we stop sitting around."

Zach sighed. "Yes, I know. The brief relaxation was blissful, but time to get back to work, I suppose. There's a mole running loose around this building and he needs to be stopped. What do you suggest we do?"

"Find Fireman and Dynamite and keep an eye on them," Minerva said, discarding her Sonic Screamer for a more traditional handgun. "Whoever the mole is, they're clearly targeting the Second Headquarters Squad. If we find Fireman and Dynamite, we may be able to figure out who this guy is."

"Sounds like a plan." Picking up his own handgun, the two left the armory and began their search for Fireman and Dynamite. 

As they passed the armory, Hotwire and Vinyaya nearly collided with Zach and Minerva, who were quickly exiting the room loaded down with weapons.

"Have either of you seen Fireman and Dynamite?" Zach blurted.

"No luck so far, but it couldn't be a bad idea to track them down," Hotwire replied. "I just hope they aren't dead when we find them." 

*****

Rex's features hardened. "Now, see here," he said. "In the past year, no one has worked more closely with Amanda or known her better than me. Her intentions are pure, and her brother's death fuels her motivations to help Dino Attack Team win this war. I see no reason to even consider that she is guilty. We're wasting time here; the mole is out there, and you-"

"I have no such... attachments to anyone in this team," interrupted Commander Pharisee. "Your judgment is hindered, Rex, leaving you blind to the truth about your girlfriend."

"He's right," agreed Detective Bogart. "It's a necessary precaution when it comes to these investigations to be willing to distrust anyone, even those that you think you can trust with your life."

Rex grimaced as he remembered what he saw in the portal operations room. Although Pharisee and Bogart demanded to know what he told Amanda, he barely even knew them, and could not bring himself to admit the truth yet. "I am sure that you are right," muttered Rex, "and that no one is above suspicion when we are hunting for a mole. But remember... I am the only living witness to this mole, and I am certain that he-"

"You admitted that you could have been mistaken about 'his' gender," corrected Bogart.

Rex swallowed. "Well, I do have an idea... an untested hypothesis that probably holds no water and so I shall withhold said hypothesis until I have more substantial proof-"

"Even if it continues to put your girlfriend at risk of arrest?" Pharisee raised an eyebrow.

"It's not like that!" snapped Rex. "I saw agent Saboteur's head explode because someone made the mistake of thinking that he was the mole! I'm not going to put any innocent lives at risk by partaking in a witch hunt! I... I have an idea, but the only way we can get it to work is if he accidentally confesses-"

"We've already had one of those," said Pharisee, frowning. "From what Detective Bogart has told me, agent Claw admitted to owning the very knife used to kill Bullseye."

"But Amanda could not have killed Bullseye!" insisted Rex.

"How do you know?" inquired Bogart. "Does she have an alibi?"

"Indeed," said Rex, nodding. "At the approximate time of Bullseye's murder, Amanda was looking for Gun." Bogart and Pharisee traded glances with confused expressions, so Rex rolled his eyes. "Some Dino Attack agent who had no imagination when he came up with his codename."

"Were you with her as she was looking for... Gun?" queried Bogart.

"No," Rex said as he shook his head.

"She was alone?" Bogart raised an eyebrow. When Rex did not reply, he continued: "Then how do you know that was what she was really doing? Look, Rex, this alibi isn't as vacuum-proof as you would like it to be, and there is mounting substantial evidence pointing to Claw as the murderer. We may have to take her in until such a time that her innocence can be proven, not approximated."

"Over my dead body," Rex growled, gritting his teeth.

Pharisee cocked his gun, meeting Rex's show of intimidation with one of his own. "I can do that."

As Rex shot Pharisee a dark glare, Bogart cleared his throat. "You know, Rex, all you have to do to clear Amanda's name is just stick with her at all times to prove that she has an actual alibi. That being said, why is she in the backroom by herself?"

Rex gestured towards the wheelchair sitting next to the couch. "She's faster and quieter alone than she is with me. We're looking for agents Fireman and Dynamite, hoping to protect them from the mole, assuming that the mole's pattern is killing off the entire Second Headquarters Squad. She went into the backroom to look for Fireman or Dynamite, since elite agent Adventure told us that he last saw them in here. We both agreed that, if she were to encounter the mole as he tried to attack either of them, she could save them if she weren't hindered by me."

"I see," Pharisee said, nodding. "Detective Bogart, come with me." With that, they turned away from Rex and strode over towards the door to the backroom.

Rex paled. "What are you doing?" He struggled to look over his shoulder at the two men as they opened the door. He couldn't believe his eyes; they were taking advantage of the fact that he was crippled so that he could not stop them as they arrested Amanda. "Get back here! As an elite agent, that's an order!"

"I'm an elite agent and head of internal affairs," Pharisee said with a shrug, "and Bogart here isn't even an official agent. You have no authority over us, and your orders mean nothing."

"MegaBloks!" shouted Rex, seething with fury. His heart pounded madly in his chest, but Rex ignored the drumming as pure T-Rex instinct took over. He reached for his wheelchair, but instead fell off the couch and onto the floor. Not even bothering with the wheelchair anymore, he crawled with his arms over to the backroom like some sort of vicious wild animal.

Pharisee had already opened the door by the time Rex reached them. He rammed his elbow into Bogart's knee and grabbed the pants leg of Pharisee. As Pharisee tried to kick Rex off, Bogart lost his balance and fell into the head of internal affairs, causing the three of them to pile atop one another in one chaotic jumble.

Rex, at the bottom of the pile, gritted his teeth and tried without success to shake Bogart and Pharisee off of his body. "This ends now!" he declared, although his voice sounded like a wheeze due to the weight on his back. "I've put up with enough Mutant T-Rex dung throughout this entire apocalypse, and the last thing I need is more pointless fighting inside Dino Attack Headquarters!"

There stood Amanda. Her back was turned towards the brawl, and her eyes were focused upon the dartboard hanging on the wall in front of her. As Bogart and Pharisee stood, one of them addressed her by name, and she responded, but did not look away from the dartboard. "I'm sorry to report that neither Fireman nor Dynamite are here," she murmured. "I apologize, Rex, for not returning sooner... but I needed some alone time to think."

"Think about what?" inquired Bogart.

"About how Angel Eyes and Maria found my knife in Bullseye's back. And about the accusations Trigger has made against me. And about all the rumors that I have heard. And... oh, Bogart, for Builder's sake, please put out that cigarette. Smoking is not allowed in Dino Attack Headquarters."

Rex then saw that Amanda's knife was planted in the center of the dartboard: a perfect bullseye. As he crawled slowly towards her, Rex could see thin streaks of water on her cheeks, which indicated that she had been crying. She was far better about showing it in public than Kate Bishop or Pterisa, but Rex knew that Amanda was every bit as troubled as they were, and the sight of her in pain caused Rex's heart to ache.

Pharisee stepped towards her. "Ms. Remous, you are under-"

As though on cue, an Egyptian standard agent rushed up into the room and looked down upon Rex. "Elite Agent Rex!" he gasped. "You have to come quickly! Fireman and Dynamite have gone absolutely mad!"

Amanda turned around, and Rex's eyebrows raised. "Lead the way, agent…" Rex began, trailing off when he realized that he had never met this particular agent.

"Anubis," the agent quickly introduced himself.

Amanda grabbed her knife off the dartboard and sheathed it. Then, she carried Rex back into the rec room, put him down in his wheelchair, and began to follow Anubis. Although they didn't say anything, Rex could tell that Bogart and Pharisee were following them.

Then, Anubis led Rex and Amanda to a room which appeared to be on fire. They were hit by a wave of heat, and once Rex adjusted to the new atmosphere, he could see through the flames and, in the far corner of the room, recognized Fireman. Fireman, appearing unaffected by the fire in his flame-retardant suit, brandished his flamethrower and kept shouting something made incomprehensible by his balaclava and helmet.

"Fireman!" Rex shouted over the roar of flames. "What is the meaning of this?"

Fireman pointed his flamethrower menacingly at Rex and again shouted the incomprehensible message: "Spmm chmmmk!"

"Someone needs to keep an eye on Fireman and make sure he doesn't do too much damage," muttered Rex, "to the base or to himself. Where is Dynamite?"

Anubis led Rex and Amanda to another room. Rex's eyes widened in shock, for the room was filled with explosives. In the far corner sat Dynamite, one hand gripping a detonator, the other holding an empty bottle.

Dynamite sneered upon seeing the agents enter the room and laughed. "If any ah yehs thinks yehr… comin' an comin' to… ach, yeh remember? I don't! I do not, would not, could not… ah train up yehr grass…"

Rex held his hands up, attempting to convey that he intended no threat. "Dynamite," he spoke quietly and slowly, "please put the detonator down and-"

"Ah, Ronald, yehr ah great pal, like ah bo'le ah rum…" Dynamite attempted to drink from his empty bottle. "An if any ah yehs so much as muscles ah twitch 'wards meh, one lil push… an KABLOOEY!" He waved the detonator over his head, laughing and hiccupping as he did so. "Ain't no way yehr ge'in' meh like yeh got Ronald… they gonna glue yeh back togethah… in MEGABLOKLAND!"

"Ronald?" repeated Amanda.

"Ronald E. Army," whispered Rex. "He was good friends with Dynamite… I guess Dynamite did not take his death well." Then, turning towards Anubis, Pharisee, and Bogart, he said, "This is not good at all. Fireman and Dynamite might be trying to defend themselves from Spe… from the killer, but in doing so they are endangering themselves and others. We need to find a way to stop them."

"Rex! Amanda!" called a familiar voice. Rex, Amanda, Anubis, Pharisee, and Bogart turned to see Ata approach them. "Specs wishes to see you two in private, in his office," he reported, "as soon as possible."

----

"... found dead in his office early this morning. Autopsies have shown that Sindstorme was killed by some sort of horrible venom. Many security guards were killed, with their manner of deaths ranging from slit throats to gunshot wounds to inhaling toxic gases, and many of Mindstorms' creations were found smashed and deconstructed in Sindstorme's office. While security cameras were apparently disabled during the time of this heinous crime, recovered footage from shortly before the crime shows an unidentified woman entering the building. Although the footage is too blurry to make heads or tails of her identity, rumors are already circulating that the mysterious Silencia Venomosa is behind this. Mindstorms, Inc. is currently struggling to get back on its feet, and this process could take months or even years before the company has fully recovered from this tragedy, with the rumored NXT project being put on hiatus."

As the news continued to play on the television, Bartholomew Enderson poured a drink for the bearded gentleman sitting at the bar, handed the glass to him, and proceeded to clean another glass with his towel in a desperate attempt to take his mind off of what he just heard.

"In other news, there was a break-in last night at the Dacta Corporation building. Details are still fuzzy regarding this event, but despite the deaths of secretary Ursula Bennett as well as numerous security guards, CEO Edward Korrupte assures us that everything is under control and the perpetrators have been 'taken care of'. This is Lotta Brix, reporting the evening news. Back to the studio!"

The bearded man had black hair that was already graying with streaks of white. He wore an expensive gray suit with a blue tie, and as he stared at the television, he smiled with a hint of smugness. "Truly remarkable, isn't it?" he murmured. "It amazes me what one woman can do."

"Remarkable?" repeated Enderson, with the raise of an eyebrow. "I would agree, but I would probably use words like 'tragic', 'terrible', or 'horrifying'. I see that you believe the rumors that Silencia Venomosa is behind this?"

The bearded man chuckled. "Oh, you know just as well as I do that these aren't mere rumors. She is a rather impressive and gifted individual. In one clean strike, she was able to knock down Mindstorms, Inc. No doubt that they will recover over time, but right now, they're flailing in the seas of marketing and business, threatening to drown them now that their boat has sunk. People say that these corporations are so powerful, and yet, all it took was one person to topple such a great empire as Mindstorms."

"I suppose," said Enderson, nodding. "But, and I just ask this as a mere bartender, doesn't it concern you that a single person has the power to do such a thing? If you don't mind me saying, you look like the sort of person who would be worried by this prospect."

The bearded man shook his head, but his smug smile grew. "Of course not. I have nothing to fear from her. While she has remarkable talents, Silencia Venomosa is merely a weapon. If she were not a mercenary and simply hunted down whomever she pleased, she would truly be something to fear. But she's not. She's a weapon. Without someone there to pull the trigger, she is powerless. And whoever pulls that trigger... is the one who holds the true power."

"It's a dog-eat-dog world out there," Enderson pointed out. "As a bartender, I have little to fear, but for businessmen like you... who is to stop a competitor from grabbing the weapon and pulling the trigger on you?"

The bearded man's expression remained smug, but it turned dark as well. "Simple. I grab the weapon and pull the trigger first." He held up an envelope.

Bartholomew Enderson's features hardened. I should have known that he was a customer in more ways than one, he thought with disgust. Still, as it was his doom, he slowly took the envelope from the bearded man and hid it in a secret drawer underneath the counter.

"All the details are inside that envelope," continued the bearded man. "Do not lose it." With that, he paid for his drink and stood to leave.

"Details regarding your meeting?" inquired Enderson.

"Excuse me?" said the bearded man, blinking in surprise.

Enderson furrowed his brow and bit his lip. "Well, you see, normally, her... clients hand me a letter telling her where and when to meet them so that they can discuss her job in further detail. It's her standard routine."

The bearded man raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I am a fool? I know better than to meet her face-to-face. Everything she needs to know about the job is in that envelope. When she succeeds, I'll give you another envelope enclosing her payment. There is no need for us to place my life in danger by putting myself in the same room, or even the same building, as her."

Bartholomew Enderson frowned with defiance. "If you don't mind me saying, sir, I hardly approve of this whole business myself, but when you're going to pull the trigger on another man's life and you don't even have the courage to look at the weapon you are using... that is what many people would consider to be cowardly."

The bearded man scowled. He leaned upon the counter and put his face in close to Enderson. "Do you know who you are?" he hissed, so close that Enderson could smell his breath.

"Bartholomew Enderson," he sighed, "a bartender."

"And do you know who I am?"

"Walter Breen, administrator of Brick League United."

"There's a difference, you see?" said Walter Breen, sneering. "There's a reason why I am the administrator of one of the world's leading companies in building and scientific advancement, while you are... a lowly bartender. So, if I were you, I would not question my judgment in this matter. Now, be quiet, do your job, and make sure that letter gets to Venomosa."

"Good day, sir," muttered Bartholomew Enderson. Then, Walter Breen turned and left the restaurant.

----

There she was: Silencia Venomosa. At that moment, Montoya stopped. He knew what had to be done, but there was a part of him that did not feel right about this. He stood silently for a moment, before he finally stepped forward.

Amanda and Rex were rather shocked as a man in his late thirties approached them, armed with a shotgun. He cocked it rather menacingly as he aimed it towards the former.

"Hello, Silencia," Montoya said. His hands were trembling slightly, but he was doing his best to hide it. He may have been a nice guy underneath, but he knew how to at least make himself look nasty when necessary. "You remember me?"

Amanda simply shook her head.

Montoya reached for his pack of cigarettes and, taking one hand off his gun, slowly started to place one in his mouth. He used the free arm to light it before holding the pack in front of her. "Cigarette?" he asked calmly.

Amanda shook her head again, though a look of uncertainty seemed to suggest that she remembered something.

Montoya cocked his shotgun once more. "I'm going to do the world a favor, and I'm going to make you suffer for your crimes. I got a little message for you," he said. "From myself, Orange, Scorsese, Keaton, Deniro, Verbal, Sciess... and everyone else you killed: Znap you!"

With that, Montoya's trembling finger started to pull on the trigger...

After teaming up with Commander Vinyaya and Hotwire, Zach and Minerva started their running of the hallway quickly (as quickly as they could when one of their group was missing a leg). It wasn't long until they found a group of agents standing outside a room. The only ones Zach recognized were Rex and Claw. And one seemed on the verge of shooting Claw with a shotgun.

"Hey!" Zach yelled. "What in Blue Bricks are you doing?!"

Montoya paused, glancing up at the approaching agents. This distraction gave Rex enough time to ram his wheelchair forcefully into the man's side, knocking him to the floor. Zach, Minerva, Vinyaya, and Hotwire quickly converged on him, surrounding him and pointing their weapons at him.

"What was that?" Hotwire snapped.

"She's Silencia Venomosa," Montoya muttered, clutching his side in pain. Beside Zach, Minerva flinched and glanced at Claw.

"So?" Zach snapped. "Unless we are on a policy of 'shoot suspects on sight', you have no right to blow out Claw's brain, even if she's Venomosa. Whatever happened to 'innocent before proven guilty'?"

"What are you talking about? I know fully well she is guilty of what she did," Montoya said calmly, climbing to his feet slowly.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Vinyaya said. "We're talking about the mole."

"What mole?" Montoya seemed clueless.

"I don't think he's a part of the team," Hotwire muttered. Pharisee burst past Hotwire and Vinyaya and gripped the attempted murderer's arms tightly. Bogart picked up Montoya's shotgun calmly.

"Alright, so what's going on... whoa!" Zach said as he turned around. He was looking inside a room filled to the brim with explosives. "What is..."

"Dynamite," Rex said. "He's having... a bit of a breakdown. So is Fireman."

"Where's Fireman?" Minerva asked.

"Burning up another room with his flamethrower," Claw said quietly, still staring at the man that had attempted to kill her.

Vinyaya facepalmed irritably. "Great," she muttered as she peeked into the explosive-filled room and saw Dynamite sitting in a corner.

"Excuse me," Ata said, tapping Rex on the shoulder. "Specs still needs you and Claw. From the sounds of it, it's important."

Rex faced clearly showed anxiety. He glanced back into the room. "What about Dynamite and Fireman?"

"We'll take care of them," Hotwire interjected. "Me, Vinyaya, him-" he gestured to Anubis, not knowing his name, "-Fabello, and Zach."

Rex's eyebrows perked up at the mention of Zach's name. He looked at Zach and seemed to recognize him. "Zachary? Weren't you a-"

"-Stromling?" Zach finished. "Indeed. Thanks to a couple of friends, that is no longer the case."

Rex nodded, then he, Claw, and Ata left.

Zach turned to group of agents. "So, how are we going to deal with these two?" 

"Which one of them do we take care of first?" asked Anubis.

Hotwire was slightly overwhelmed by the whole situation, but, realizing that he was the highest-ranking agent in the group, did not let this become apparent and forced himself to think clearly. "Dynamite's probably not quite as urgent, since he did say he wouldn't detonate those explosives as long as we stay away from him. But, left to his own devices, Fireman's likely to burn this whole building to the ground. And I think this place has been razed more than enough times over the course of the war. Too bad none of us are fireproof. Ideas?"

"I could get to him easily if I still had my armor," Vinyaya grumbled. 

*****

The rest of the movie went by rather predictably and with quite a bit of cheesy entertainment. "Dino Cop" as the character liked calling himself, used various skills and tricks of a T-Rex to (literally) take a bite out of the crime (Joike: "'I one-upped you, McGruff!'") emerging in the city after the earthquake. Stepping on getaway cars (Andrew: "And not crushing the criminals in the process! That takes skill!"), intimidating most crooks just by showing up (Pterisa: "So does his stare make the crooks forget they have guns?"), and somehow being able to "go undercover" by shrinking to the size of a hatchling (Laxus: "Oh, ho, ho, it's magic! You know...").

Then there was some weird, contrived business about a corrupt corporate executive using some stolen devices to cause the earthquake that started the whole mess to gain profit (Andrew: "It's all computers! I don't have to explain it!"), which ended up seeming like a tacked-on plotline to somehow to make the movie viable for a franchise, likely due to the many leftover plotlines, such as the end of the film being Johnny Thunder finding a tomb in Peru with another flask of dinosaur DNA (Laxus: "'Pippin, I do believe this is the start of a beautiful franchise.'")

"More like the start of a bad case of Sequelitis," said Joike as the end credits began to roll.

"Oh, the joy of cheesy movies," Andrew said as he stretched his arms, having gotten a little cramped from sitting so long. He turned to Pterisa. "Now what do you make of that experience?"

"It was... quite unique. But definitely fun."

"Good to hear. When you have a sense of humor, it becomes very easy to interact with others."

"Wise words there, my friend," said Laxus, looking at the table full of empty pizza boxes, soda cans, and an empty popcorn bowl. "Let's get some of this food stuff cleaned up and return that bowl to the kitchen. Then we should try to see what's been happening. Maybe Semick is back already."

"Betcha that mole everyone's talking about's been active," said Joike as he picked up one of the boxes. "Not a good thing to be losing people, but hopefully the more this guy does, the easier it becomes to catch him."

"Hopefully," said Andrew, picking up some of the cans and putting them back into their box for easy portage. "Eh, I don't like thinking about it, especially after such a nice time we had here."

"Well, as much as I guess we all want to think of good things," said Pterisa, "we have to accept that bad things will come again quickly."

"All too true," said Laxus. "But I say if we can still find something to poke a little fun at, and we still have hope, things can turn out okay in the end, no matter how bad it gets."

"Yeah…" said Joike. "But let's finish cleaning up here before we sound just as cheesy with our philosophy as that movie was, okay?"

*****

Bluetooth watched Semick walk into the base with concern.

He had heard everything about the Second Headquarters Squad over Semick's radio chat. It was horrifying, not just the team's deaths, but the fact that there was a murderous mole loose in the base now. Bluetooth himself was barely taking it in, but he could only imagine the stress and horror it must've put on Semick.

The Elite Agent had told him before how much he hated espionage, how he was disappointed to have to realized that some of the men he watched over and fought alongside with in the team actually plotted against him. With the Stromlings, it was one thing, as they were simply part of a force MegaBlokland-bent on destroying the universe. But to know that some of his men actually believed that Dr. Rex's ideas were good ones, or at least lacked enough trust in Dino Attack to go and join the "winning side", was a devastating blow to Semick's faith in his comrades.

Bluetooth felt very sympathetic with him. Knowing that your best ally could be a traitor was never something pleasant to take in, and something told him that this case would be no exception. He could only hope that the team would be able to handle it well. 

*****

"We got to act fast," Angel Eyes said to Maria and Clint. "We got to find the last remnants of the Second Headquarters Squad."

"Yeah," said Clint. "Who's left?"

"At this point," replied Angel Eyes, "there's you, me, Maria-"

"Do we count?" Maria wondered.

"We helped out enough," Angel Eyes said with a shrug.

"Ya know," Maria said. "Whatever happened to that one guy, Firecracker, or whatever his name was?"

"Good question," said Angel Eyes. "At the moment we'd be-"

At that moment, the three of them were suddenly knocked back when a large chunk of the wall was blown apart by a loud explosion. As the trio took a moment to come to their senses, a man drove in on a motorcycle, crashing it into the opposite wall, before getting off and taking off his bandanna and goggles. Even in all the smoke, they recognized the face quickly.

"Firecracker?" Maria exclaimed.

"Did I miss anything?" Firecracker asked.

"Just a couple of murders. Maybe you can blow up the mole."

"Who's the mole?" Firecracker inquired.

"We can't tell you yet," replied Angel Eyes. He started to continue down the hallway.

Practically right around the corner was a scene of commotion, or at least what appeared to be commotion before the agents were stunned by the loud noise. One tough-looking black man was busy holding one guy hostage, the rest of the group looked rather panicked.

"What's going on in here?" Angel Eyes asked sternly.

"It's Dynamite and Fireman," replied another man. Firecracker slowly worked his way toward the one room and saw Dynamite sitting there, surrounded by crates of explosives. Upon seeing it, he burst into laughter.

"Erik Paulson," Firecracker remarked excitedly, but without a slight hint of fear in his voice. "You've really outdone yourself now. Our superiors at Reliable Excavation Deconstruction would be proud."

At that moment, they heard the sound of arguing voices. "Look," said a female voice. "I really don't think this is a good idea-"

"Hey man," replied another guy. "It's no problem. I'm gonna sol-" Dude cut himself off as he approached the scene of commotion, leaving everyone to stare at a man with ridiculously long hair, an extremely thick beard and what looked like pajamas.

With him was Sarah Bishop. "Dude," Sarah said, "this is out of your league."

"She's right," replied Walter, who had been trailing behind them. "Znap it, let's go bowling."

"This isn't a Znapping game, man!" Dude shouted. "Walter, what's your problem? We're Dino Attack agents now, we can't just go bowling whenever we want!"

"Oh, but it is a game," retorted Walter. "You said so yourself."

"Look," Sarah said, trying to resolve it. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

"Sarah's right," agreed Walter. "We shouldn't get involved in this mess."

"Did I miss something?" asked a gruff voice from behind. Everyone turned around to see Snake, holding a gun, and he seemed to be looking at the scene with some confusion.

Minerva frowned as more people seemed to be joining the hallway. She turned to Vinyaya. "How could your armor help?"

"It's fireproof to a degree," Vinyaya said, scowling at the new arrivals. "Heat resistance type stuff. With it, I could probably get close enough to Fireman and take him down."

"Don't you have a spare set of armor or something from your ship?" Minerva asked.

"No. Everything was destroyed when the Enforcer crashed. However…" Vinyaya's mood darkened suddenly. Minerva flinched. "My only surviving ally from that voyage, Julius Kelp, happened to be killed while operating in Castle Cove. Presuming they brought the body back, I might be able to take his armor and get to Fireman."

"Excellent," Zach said. "Head over to the morgue and see if you can find it. We'll try to stop him from burning down the building." Vinyaya scowled fiercely at Zach before nodding and starting her sprint toward the morgue.

Minerva rolled her eyes. Zach had been extremely insensitive toward Vinyaya, who was clearly unhappy that her Space Police ally had been killed. Minerva could associate with the stress of this situation, but it was still insensitive. I don't think those two will ever be friendly toward each other, Minerva thought. Beyond begrudging respect.

"Alright, so while she does that, any ideas on what to do?" Hotwire asked.

"Some of the population has returned to the city, correct?" Zach asked. He looked toward Anubis, who nodded. "Call a Fire Department, presuming one has been reestablished. They can help us take down the blaze. I also suppose we could find some fire extinguishers and try to handle the fire in the meantime." 

*****

Rex and Amanda traded glances. They were now waiting at the door to Specs's office. The last time they were here, it was the most secure room in Dino Attack Headquarters. Now, it seemed more intimidating than a XERRD fortress.

Grimly, Rex nodded to Amanda. Without knocking, she reached out and opened the door.

Specs sat at his desk, looking down at some paperwork and scratching his head. He raised his eyes as Rex and Amanda entered. Clearing his throat, Specs stood and said, "Rex, it was fairly obvious to me back in the hospital wing that you were lying."

Rex coughed, and behind him Amanda understood the cue. "What is it that makes you so certain of this?" Rex asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"It was in your tone," explained Specs. "You were clearly holding something back, and in doing so you were directly defying orders. You know very well who this traitor is, but you couldn't bring yourself to say so in front of Frozeen and Greybeard. Perhaps now will be different."

"You think I'm trying to protect the identity of the mole?" said Rex, frowning.

Specs cleared his throat again. "I never said that. But, I believe you are hiding something important, hoping that you may protect someone's reputation and even, perhaps, the team's morale. We shall deal with this quietly and privately, Rex. No one will know. I am sorry, Rex, but what must be done must be done. Now tell me who the traitor is. That is an order."

Rex's mind raced. Specs's order came as a threat, but Rex did not know how. If Rex tried to back out, that might give Specs some sort of perverted satisfaction… or move to more aggressive methods. If Rex openly admitted that he knew Specs's true identity in front of Amanda, Specs could do whatever he wished to her to ensure that Rex remained the only witness, and Rex could not let that happen. What sort of sick sadistic pleasure was Specs finding from this ultimatum?

Stalling for time, Rex murmured, "Well, you see, Specs, your methods are most… err, concerning, you might say. This, I am afraid, puts me in a dilemma, an ultimatum, a point of no return, as some might call it. Converging such information and revealing it to all who stand in this room, even now, with only a few people to witness what happens in this room once said information is converged, I am afraid, puts us in a situation where you may think you may have dominant control, be the alpha male, the leader of the pack, and whatever you say goes and nobody questions it…"

Specs narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about…?" Then, Specs felt something grab at his wrist. He tried to turn around, but it was too late: his hands had been cuffed behind his back by Amanda Claw, who had slowly and silently slinked around Specs's office to position herself behind his chair. "What is the meaning of this?" demanded Specs.

"I am sorry, Specs," Rex echoed ironically, "but what must be done must be done."

"I hoped I was wrong," said Specs. "I prayed that it wouldn't be either of you. But it is all too clear now, and I cannot ignore this deliberate act of betrayal, Rex. This pains me. Here we are, so close to the final battle against XERRD, and you endanger Dino Attack Team's morale in a way that cannot be reversed!"

"I am not a fool," declared Rex, "and I will not damage our team's morale by revealing the truth. You may even be remembered as a great hero who mysteriously disappeared, Specs. But for now, I cannot allow you to act as XERRD's mole any longer. Because of you, seven innocent agents lie dead, and two more have placed themselves and others in danger to protect themselves from you."

"You cannot be serious," Specs said as he gritted his teeth. "You are accusing me of being the mole?"

"Don't act as though you don't know what I'm talking about!" snapped Rex. "You let me see you when you killed Sarge and Bear so that I ma-"

"I am not the traitor, Rex!" Specs spoke with such authority and certainty, Rex almost believed him. Then, Specs was silent for a moment. At last, he murmured, "But why would you accuse me of being the mole in private if you wish to protect my reputation, might I inquire? It simply isn't logical. I would think that, in doing this, you are attempting to damage my team's morale."

"Why would I do that?" said Rex, blinking. "I want to ensure that Dino Attack Team wins this war!"

"As do I," murmured Specs. "But you, Rex… I fear you may have fallen victim to manipulation by XERRD's true mole. It appears that neither of us is the mole, but I fear that the mole is standing in this room with us."

Rex blinked in surprise. "What?" he whispered.

Specs turned over his shoulder to look at Amanda. "For a long time, I feared that your loyalties may have been bought by XERRD. After seeing how well you worked with the rest of the team, I began to dismiss my suspicions as paranoia, but unfortunately Digger recently told me that agent Trigger accused you of being the mole, and private detective Bogart has collecting mounting evidence pointing to you as the killer. Still, I desperately tried to believe otherwise, but when I could see that Rex was holding something back in the hospital wing, I feared that he knew your secret and was trying to protect your reputation; I know you two have feelings for each other, and I feared the worst. And here you are, trying to arrest me."

Over Specs's shoulder, Amanda appeared surprised. She locked eyes with Rex, and Rex could see that she looked a little paler than usual. Evidently, Rex noted, Specs came much closer to discovering Amanda's real secret than she felt comfortable with.

"You're lying!" snapped Rex. "I've had enough with this, Specs. You've been playing enough mind games with me already, and you're not going to make me fall for all those insane rumors!"

"Rex," Specs said as he narrowed his eyes. "You must listen to me. I do not know what you saw in that room, but I assure you that it was not me. At the time of Recon, Sarge, and Bear's deaths, I was calling Mrs. Rutherford on the phone to confirm one of my theories. I can prove this alibi; just speak to Shadow and Viper, for they were in the room with me. Claw, on the other hand, has no such alibi."

"How dare you," growled Rex. "You taunt me by revealing yourself as the mole, then expect me to believe that the person who I trust the most-"

"Even more than your own team leader?" Specs raised an eyebrow.

"Stop it!" snapped Amanda. In frustration, she threw her knife down upon Specs's desk. Both Rex and Specs stared at her with wide eyes. Once again, Rex noticed the tears on her cheeks, which made her otherwise tranquil fury look heart-wrenching. "Just stop it, both of you! I've had enough of it today! The murders of the Second Headquarters Squad… the paranoia and suspicion of the mole hunt… and Trigger and Montoya out to kill me for the very life I've left behind!"

Rex opened his mouth to speak, in an effort to comfort her, but he was interrupted by the door knocking.

"MegaBloks," muttered Specs. "Agent Claw, uncuff me at once. This conversation never happened, understand?"

Amanda quickly complied, but while Specs remained uncuffed, she escorted him to the door to ensure that he would not try to escape. Specs rubbed his wrists, then reached out and took hold of the doorknob. When Specs opened the door, he jumped back in surprise and knocked Amanda back.

Clenching his jaw, Specs glared at the person in the doorway. "This certainly answers some questions."

Then, another Specs entered the office, wielding a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. 

*****

Smoke clogged the halls of the basement levels of the headquarters. Smoke detectors blared in Pharisee's ears and the heat scorched his eyes, but he ignored his discomfort as he held Montoya to the wall.

The commander tossed Bogart the assailant's shotgun before twisting the man's arms behind his back and forcefully handcuffing him.

"Do you know who this guy is?" asked Bogart as he puffed on a cigarette. "I would certainly appreciate some context."

Pharisee ripped the cigarette out of Bogart mouth and crushed it beneath his foot. "Now's not the best time to be smoking detective; the basement's burning up and I don't want to start any more fires."

"Speaking of that," said Bogart. "Don't you think you should do something about the fire?"

"Commander Vinyaya and Hotwire have the blaze under control," said Pharisee. "That is not my duty now. My job is to deal with the violent, like this man before you."

He pulled Montoya away from the wall and dragged him down the hall. Montoya made little effort to struggle and instead resigned to his fate as if he believed he had it coming.

"Don't you intend to ask him some questions?" asked Bogart. "There are certainly some loose ends I'd like to tie up. Why did he pull this gun out on agent Claw, for example."

"I believe that's something that agent Claw would be able to answer," responded Pharisee. "Once I have brought this man to a place where he can no longer threaten the lives of agents, I will meet Claw outside Spec's office with a pair of handcuffs."

"Perhaps the man had the right idea," offered Bogart. "He probably knew Amanda was the killer."

"I do not condone vigilante justice, detective," said Pharisee. "Vigilantes are driven more by their personal vendetta than any true sense of right and wrong. The problem with the unit today is men who take the law into their own hands. Man does not have the right to choose who lives or dies, Bogart, only the Creator can do that."

"Well then what's your job?" said Bogart, smiling. The detective sensed some mild hypocrisy in the commander's statement and wanted to pry further.

"I am a prophet," said Pharisee. "I provide a taste of the punishment that awaits if they do not reform their ways. I tenure and lead the lost souls to their ultimate reckoning. I am the sheriff; the Builder is the judge."

Bogart whistled slowly at the profoundness of Pharisee's statement. "All you owe the public is a good performance," said the detective, chuckling.

"I owe the public the right to live without fear. I do that by removing those who create it from the people's midst."

Pharisee and Bogart finally arrived at the prison complex on the other side of the headquarters. Most of the cells were empty with only a few exceptions, including Mr. Cunningham and Señor Palomar, both taken prisoner during the Adventurers' Island mission, as well as a single light coming from a cell in the center. Pharisee walked past it without so much as a glance and unlocked the door of the cell beside it.

"What did this guy do?" asked Bogart as he pointed to the blond-haired occupant.

"He killed a man," muttered Pharisee darkly.

Montoya was pushed inside the adjacent cell, and the door was slammed shut behind him. The commander ignored the regret in the man's eyes as he turned to leave.

"Aren't you going to ask him any questions?" asked Bogart.

Pharisee considered for a moment, before rolling his eyes, turning back, and pulling up a stool. "Give me your name," he said bluntly.

Montoya did not respond. His experience on the wrong side of the law had taught him it was best to remain silent.

Bogart coughed. "You know, commander, this guy could provide some character evidence we need to convict agent Claw. Maybe he saw something."

Pharisee shook his head. "You saw the files; we all know that agent Claw has the capacity to kill. His testimony won't be much help because he has clear bias against her. Leave him for the time being. He knows that what he did is criminal, and he needs time in solitude before he provides us with any sort of worthwhile information. You can talk to him as much as you want, but I have bigger fish to fry."

"What do you mean, sir?" inquired Bogart.

Pharisee began to walk down the hall. "Right now, Specs is alone with Claw and Rex. At this stage, I don't trust either of them, and I would not be surprised if they were conspiring together. I will not allow Specs to come to harm under my watch. It would pain me to put two good agents like them behind bars, but if that is what I must do to preserve this team, I will do what I must."

"What's your plan, then?" called Bogart.

Pharisee turned around to look the detective in the eye. "I want to contain both of them for the time being. Whether Claw is the mole or not, her being impounded will keep everyone safer. This time, I will not allow Rex to interfere. If he attacks me again, he will share a cell with his girlfriend."

"Putting two of the most respected agents behind bars might damage morale, commander," said detective Bogart. "It might ruin your image."

"I don't care about my image, detective," Pharisee said as he ascended the stairs. "I care about security."

Montoya slowly sat down on the small bed he had with him in his cell. Bogart took a moment to light a cigarette before turning toward him. He held out the pack, reaching through the bars. Montoya reluctantly got up and took a cigarette from his hand before Bogart lit it.

"You got a name?" Bogart asked. Montoya remained silent. He changed tactics. "What's your connection to Silencia? You're not even a member of this team, and yet you went out of your way to get in here and kill her."

"What do you mean?" Montoya asked.

"You seemed completely oblivious to the mole situatio-"

"What mole?" asked a voice from behind. Bogart turned around to see an authoritative-looking man with a thick handlebar mustache.

"Who are you?" Bogart asked.

"Elite Agent French Fries," replied the man. "I oversaw LEGO City during the campaign on LEGO Island."

"Really?" said Bogart.

French Fries nodded. "That's why we made sure nothing happened."

"Except for that one guy who tried to bomb the whole town, and, from what I heard, a war in your own base."

"Bah," French Fries said dismissively. "Nothing more than rumors made by people wanting to discredit the team."

"I see," said Bogart. "And you're not aware of the fact that there's a mole running around here?"

"What mole?" replied French Fries. "We don't have no moles. I think you'll find this is all just a great big fuss about nothing."

"Right," said Bogart, somewhat frustrated by this man's apparent cluelessness. "Yes, I got some business to attend to, why don't you go keep things in order elsewhere?"

"Yes sir," French Fries said with a salute. He turned around and walked out of there.

"What's your connection to Venomosa?" Bogart inquired as he turned back toward Montoya.

Montoya took a moment and sighed. "She tried to kill me," he said.

"Why?"

"We had a job," Montoya explained. "Me, her, and six other guys."

"What sort of job?" asked Bogart.

"A heist," replied Montoya.

"So you're a criminal, then?" Bogart asked.

"Was," Montoya tried to clarify. "After we were done, I went straight."

"What happened?"

"We tried to perform the heist," Montoya explained. "I was the getaway driver, so I didn't see it. I just remember one guy running into the car and telling me she'd killed everyone else. After we got away, we laid low for a while. This morning, I got a phone call saying he'd sent a message from Dino Attack Headquarters that he found her. I wanted her to pay for everyone she killed, so I came in. I just wanted to get in, kill her, and then go back home."

"What was his name?" Bogart asked.

"Schiess," replied Montoya.

Bogart looked at him in slight confusion. He hadn't heard of anyone with that name. "Thank you very much," Bogart said before he turned away. 

*****

Rex's mind raced. He watched from his wheelchair as two Specs stared each other down. What he saw boggled his mind; while it answered some of his questions, it created a dozen more in their place.

"What is the meaning of this?" the first Specs asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"You're not supposed to be here," hissed the second Specs, pointing his blade at the first Specs. "You were supposed to be making arrangements with Frozeen to track the whereabouts of Dino Attack agents during the times of the murders."

"We finished early," the first Specs tersely stated. "And you're not supposed to be here, either."

"Clearly, not anymore," agreed the second Specs, who pocketed his weapons, reached into his jacket, and pulled out a cigarette case.

"Stop him!" shouted Rex, but Amanda Claw was already on the move.

She darted around the first Specs and knocked into the second Specs, tackling him and subsequently pinning him against the doorway. Specs grappled with her and tried to grab at the emergency lighter on her belt, but Amanda responded with a clean uppercut. Specs crumpled to the floor, and Amanda kicked away the false cigarette. Specs tried to reach for it, but Amanda placed her foot on his arm and pressed a knife to his neck. He cursed under his breath.

At that moment, Pharisee arrived at the scene. He saw Amanda pressing her knife against Specs's neck, and Rex could make an educated guess about what ran through his mind. "Agent Claw!" he growled, pulling out his gun and aiming it at her. "Stop right there-"

"It's alright, Pharisee," spoke the Specs who was still standing, who nodded to the head of internal affairs and waved his hand. "I believe we have found the mole."

As Pharisee's eyebrows raised upon looking at the two Specs in a single room, Rex sighed in relief. He glanced at the Specs lying on the floor, then back at the Specs who was standing. Once again, he felt a sense of admiration and trust in his team leader, which had felt throughout the entire Dino Attack... until it was threatened by the false Specs lying on the floor. It disgusted Rex, just thinking about how the mole disguised himself as the team leader to successfully shatter Rex's trust and morale.

"Let's see who's really under that mask," declared Rex, eager to identify the true mole, killer, and traitor.

The first Specs strode over to where the second was pinned. The second glared with contempt, first at Amanda, then at the first Specs. The first bent down, grabbed the balaclava of the second, and yanked it off.

Rex's eyes widened. "You?"

The mole smirked. "Come now, Rex. Remember why I joined the team? To leave my mark on history!"

"Stand back, agent Claw," muttered Pharisee. Amanda did as she was told, and the head of internal affairs grabbed the mole. "Normally, we would lock you up in a dank cell for the rest of your pitiful life, but seeing as you're working for XERRD, you'll have useful information. It's time for an interrogation."

The mole shook his head as he was dragged off by Pharisee. "I shall only speak to him!" he declared, and then he pointed at Rex. "I will not say a single word to anyone else!"

As they watched Pharisee take away the mole, Rex, Amanda, and Specs traded glances. "He came far closer to tearing our team apart than Dr. Rex's greatest army of Mutant Dinos," sighed Specs. "By planting seeds of paranoia and distrust, he turned us against each other. Let this be a lesson to us to never let this happen again."

Rex sighed. While it came as a relief that Specs was not the mole and all the rumors about Amanda could finally be proven false, the identity of the mole still disturbed him. The mole was someone he thought was too innocent to be capable of infiltrating and murdering, but now he could see that, in a mole hunt, it truly was necessary to distrust anyone... even the seemingly-innocent, for no one would suspect them.

And who would have ever suspected the quiet and innocent communications expert Ata?

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 58: Out of the Frying Pan

----

While they waited for the return of Vinyaya and the arrival of the firefighters, Zach, Minerva, and Anubis dashed about the corridor and those nearby, gathering all the fire extinguishers they could find -- all two of them. Minerva and Anubis stood as close to the door as they could stand and squeezed the handles of the extinguishers. It had little effect on the inferno inside, but it did make it somewhat easier for Vinyaya, who sprinted back down the hall in full Space Police armor minutes later, to affect an entrance. She paused for a split second to ensure her suit was sealed, and then charged into the room, directly at Fireman.

As the two of them grappled, Hotwire cursed. "There should be more extinguishers around here."

Zach shrugged, peering through the flames in the room and then recoiling from the smoke with a cough. "Perhaps the mole has been stealing them," he said once he had his breath back. "You never know what he or she might have had planned."

Vinyaya stumbled out of the burning room, hauling a disarmed agent Fireman with her. There was the faint sound of sirens outside, a shout from down the hall, and then a troop of firefighters rushed in, dragging hoses with them.

"One down," said Hotwire, turning away from the scene, "one more to go." A drunken yell from agent Dynamite in the next room punctuated his sentence. 

"Even with the pyromaniac down," Zach said quietly. "I have a feeling that Dynamite will be harder to deal with. One push of a button and boom. We're all dead."

The firefighters were quickly taking out Fireman's carnage. Behind Zach, Vinyaya was struggling to control Fireman, who was screams of anger were muffled by his balaclava and helmet. Vinyaya shoved him against the wall hard, causing several firemen to jump in surprise. "Stand down!" she yelled.

"Mmmmph frmmmpha mmmph mmph!" Fireman shot back, his head being pushed against wall.

"He's paranoid," Zach said. "He thinks the mole is after him. Which he/she probably is. Dynamite and Fireman are trying to defend themselves."

"By destroying this building?!" Vinyaya snapped, reaching for a pair of handcuffs on her armor's belt.

"Well, the Second Headquarters Squad is full of crazy sociopaths. They all seem to be insane to some extent. The only justification in Dynamite's case is that he is probably too drunk to see straight. Combined with grief over the rest of the team's death does not help."

"And that's hardly a good justification," Minerva said irritably. Remembering what she said about her opposition to alcohol, Zach could understand why Minerva was irritated. Dynamite's grief while intoxicated could only fuel her anger due it closely resembling her mother's condition. He only hoped she wouldn't do something rash in response to it.

Vinyaya finally managed to snap the handcuffs around Fireman's wrists. Despite this, he continued to struggle against her. "Just knock him out," Zach finally said. "He is absolutely no help to anyone being conscious at the moment." Vinyaya nodded in agreement and seemed to try a way to knock out Fireman without harming him. She seemed to find a pressure point, because Fireman slouched forward on the wall, his protests silenced. Vinyaya adjusted him so he appeared to be simply sitting against the wall before joining Minerva, Zach, Anubis, and Hotwire.

"So," Vinyaya said, wiping the little soot and ash that had landed on her visor. "Back to Dynamite." Picking up their pace, the group returned to Dynamite's room and entered it slowly, careful to avoid stepping on a stray explosive. In the corner sat Dynamite, his finger hovering over the button on his detonator. He held an empty bottle in another hand, but that didn't stop him from trying to take a drink from it. In front of him was man wearing a trenchcoat, who seemed to be trying to communicate to the distraught, intoxicated member of the Second Headquarters Squad. 

Firecracker took a few minutes to examine the room. He then walked up to Dynamite and quickly pulled the detonator out of the drunken man's hand. "This is the detonator, yes?" Firecracker asked.

Dynamite responded with more nonsensical rambling.

Firecracker then grabbed the semi-conscious agent and pulled him to the door. As the others in the room followed, he hit the button.

Everyone froze for five very tense seconds.

When Firecracker hit the button on the detonator and nothing happened, Hotwire almost laughed with relief. Dynamite hiccupped.

"Well," said Firecracker, glancing around the room, "looks like he wired these all up perfectly but forgot to synchronize them with the detonator itself. Lucky, otherwise half of this building might have gone up in a cloud of dust."

"Then why in MegaBlokland did you push the button?" Vinyaya snapped. "You could have killed us all!"

Firecracker simply shrugged. "Well, it'd be a shame to see such good explosives go to waste," he remarked. 

*****

Trigger had returned to the mess hall again, fuming as usual. The room was empty for the moment, though the dinner shift would be starting before long. He glared up momentarily as Wright and Shiller sat down across from him.

"Listen, we just want to say that this is nothing personal, y'know?" Wright said. "We'd like to leave you alone just as much as you'd like us to leave you alone."

Shiller nodded. "Orders are orders."

"Oh, so now we're all friends?" Trigger said coldly. "Am I supposed to shake your hands and go, 'Aw shucks, I like you guys too!'?"

"Nah, nothing like that," said Shiller. "We just wanna make sure you don't find any reasons to hunt us down and try to kill us after this is all over."

*****

Specs and Amanda watched from behind glass. "I should have suspected this," said Specs. "His behavior has been quite… odd, especially in recent times."

Amanda sighed with her arms crossed. "You would be surprised what dark secrets one can hold," she murmured quietly. Nervously, she locked eyes with Specs. "Is it truly wise leaving him in there… alone… with Ata?"

"Ata has stated that he will only speak to Rex," said Specs. "We'll be here, watching, listening, and keeping a close eye on them."

On the other side of the glass screen, which was seemingly masked by a one-way mirror, Rex and Ata sat across from each other at a small table. Both were rendered immobile; Rex paralyzed in his wheelchair, Ata cuffed to his chair. All items had been confiscated from both Dino Attack agents to ensure that Ata could not use them against Rex.

Rex grimaced at Ata, who sat back and smiled placidly as though he were perfectly relaxed. "I'm disappointed in you, Ata," began Rex, although his true emotions were much stronger than mere disappointment. "A month ago, I had trusted you like a brother… you helped Amanda and me return to Dino Attack Team, and you helped find the Constructopedia and save LEGO Island. But now, after all you have done for the team, you reveal yourself to be a filthy, cowardly, murderous traitor. You disappoint me."

"I disappoint myself, too," said Ata. His calm smile looked like a smug smirk to Rex. "I should have been better prepared to face your girlfriend; after a fight between her and Trigger broke up, I found her knife cast aside in the hallway, and I thought that using it for my next little murder victim would have taken care of her. I'm no fool, and I know my own limits. For example, I knew that I stood no chance against Saboteur, so I let Sarge take care of him. World's best spy doesn't stand a chance against a shotgun to the head, hmm?"

Rex fought back his anger. "I looked through your records, Ata," continued Rex. "Attila 'Ata' Huntsman, age 42, an ordinary civilian who left the refugee facilities in Antarctica to join the Dino Attack Team. It's a shame we'll have to add in that, somewhere along the way, you were corrupted by XERRD."

"You assume I was bribed," said Ata, chuckling. "You assume that I was just another Dino Attack agent who was manipulated by XERRD into betraying you guys, like Oswald Fabello. You assume that I'm only working for XERRD because I was offered a reward, like Señor Palomar or Jacques Cunningham. Well, here's the big reveal… I have been willingly working for XERRD the entire time. What you don't see in those records is that I am a retired Paradox Shinobi; I was recruited by XERRD at the same time as Wallace Bishop and Michelle Gladys. While they were hired for their scientific intellect, I was hired for my skills as an infiltrator. In fact, this plays into the very reason why I would only speak with you."

"Which is…?" inquired Rex.

"You see, Rex," Ata said, "you and I joined this team for the same reason. We are both moles working for XERRD. The only difference between us is that one of us became the mask. When it became apparent that their first mole had failed, they planted me in Antarctica so that I may blend in with citizens, eventually join the Dino Attack Team, and keep an eye on all of you by overseeing communications. If anything, Rex, I am far more loyal to my superiors than you ever were."

Rex remembered what Dr. Einstein had told him about his origins. "Wrong," he said as he gritted his teeth. "A brave Minifig sent me to help Dino Attack Team, and I openly continue to follow his wishes even today. You… you lied, you deceived…! Everything good about you… everything that we liked and trusted about you… a lie! Why did you even bring Amanda and me back into the team? Why did you give us the Constructopedia?"

"I admit," Ata said, "I would never have brought you and Claw back to Dino Attack Team if it weren't for that meddling agent Chupacabra who witnessed my findings and refused to believe my insistence that it was merely a glitch! If I had my way, then I would have spoken to you in private in an effort to set you back on the right path. As for the Constructopedia, your squad was never meant to make it inside the L.E.G.O. Radio Station alive… a certain pack of Mutant T-Rexes should have finished you off! But both instances, I found, worked to my favor. I earned your blind trust. But unlike you, Specs never trusted me. In addition to simply spying on the team's communications, I created communication blocks at Dino Attack Team's least convenient moments and simply passed them off as glitches… which would have worked if I didn't have Specs looking over my shoulder every minute. He also grew suspicious when he saw me lingering around his office, trying to eavesdrop on private meetings of the founding members."

"So you're the one behind the communication blocks," muttered Rex. "I thought that there was more than Murphy's Law at work. Seems your work is a little active for an infiltrator who oversees communications. And speaking of 'active', why did you kill most of the Second Headquarters Squad?"

"Wasn't it obvious?" said Ata, shrugging. "Tech and Bullseye were involved with this HQ's defenses. While Medic's operation would have revealed that 'Specs' was behind their deaths, it was not something that was ready to be revealed, so I killed him for knowing too much. After all, I still needed to brew enough suspicion and distrust to turn Saboteur and Claw's teammates against them; only once that succeeded did I choose to reveal the 'killer' to you so that you would try taking down Specs himself. While it is true that Dr. Rex was most displeased to learn that nine Dino Attack agents took out the Hybrids' establishment in the western frontier, this proved to only be a secondary motivation for an infiltrator such as me."

"Hybrids," repeated Rex, whose face twisted into a scowl as a realization dawned upon him. "You were the one who told them to execute Order 66! You're the reason I'm in a wheelchair! And on top of that, you tried to make my life miserable by framing Specs and attempting to condemn Amanda! And all this time, I trusted you for deceiving me and the rest of the team!"

Once again, Ata smiled. "If I may, I will point out that you are wrong about one thing… my act as 'innocent little Ata' may have been a lie, but it was never 'wrong', as you imply. You question my morals, and history will no doubt brand me as a villain and a traitor. Few will understand why I did what I did. I don't blame you. After all, you don't know the whole story. You can't see it now, but you will, one day. Everything I have done... this is all for the greater good! The Dino Attack is necessary for Dr. Rex to unlock his true potential and save billions of lives across the universe. He is the chosen one, prophesized to have the power to forever banish the Maelstrom from this world. This is destiny at work. Just you wait and see."

"Baron Typhonus," muttered Rex.

Ata raised an eyebrow at the mention of that name. "Excuse me?"

"If you truly worked for XERRD this whole time," Rex said, "then you were horribly deceived, just like the rest of XERRD. XERRD's true purpose is not to help destiny… it's been reduced to a marionette whose strings are pulled by Baron Typhonus. Typhonus has blinded you from reason and is using your Mutant Dino army to bring destruction and chaos to our planet in order to help the Maelstrom destroy the universe!"

"You lie!" snapped Ata, who finally dropped his cool demeanor and actually became agitated for once. "Baron Typhonus is either dead or a prisoner to the Maelstrom – everyone knows that!"

Rex shook his head. "You could say that there have been… scientific advancements and recent findings that highly suggest otherwise. Baron Typhonus is not imprisoned by the Maelstrom… he is the Maelstrom. And he's been using you to help him accomplish his goals!"

Ata was silent for a moment. His skin had paled, his eyes were wide, and he was breathing heavily. When he spoke again, he sounded as though he had all of his life sucked out of him. "You say… that everything I've done… has been a lie?"

"Ironic, isn't it?" remarked Rex. Now it was his turn to smirk.

Ata did not reply.

"Ata," Rex spoke sternly, "you know the charges for treason. We shall hold you under custody for now until your exact sentence can be determined. You, like Kotua, were deceived and controlled by a greater power, meaning the severity of your punishment might be lessened… but I will not promise this."

*****

Zach breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. We saved Fireman and Dynamite from themselves. Now to guard them from the mole." He saw Vinyaya leave the group momentarily only to drag Fireman, still unconscious and handcuffed, back into the scene.

"So where are we going to take them?" Minerva asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Dynamite as he wobbled on his feet, hiccupping.

Zach shrugged. "Somewhere that makes it easy to guard them until this mole is brought to justice. Somewhere that makes it hard for the mole to sneak up on us would be good."

"I hope this guy is found soon."

"With any luck," said Zach, "the mole will slip up soon enough. Perhaps he'll target Rex to tie up those loose ends involving Sarge, Saboteur, Bear, and Recon's deaths, only to get his bricks handed to him by Claw or something."

"Well, that's certainly a pleasant image," Minerva noted, rolling her eyes.

"You're welcome." 

"Well," Dude said. "We don't even know who this mole is. It could be, like, anybody, so where can we put them where they're not going to get killed, man?"

"I don't know," replied Vinyaya.

"Just throw 'em in prison," Maria said. Vinyaya looked at her. "Just put 'em in one of them prison cells and keep them guarded. Just make sure to disarm 'em first, but otherwise you should be fine. Maybe y'all can even unmask that there Fireman while you're at it."

"We'll finally prove it's a woman," Clint muttered with a faint grin. Maria looked at him with a certain intimidating glare.

"She's right," Angel Eyes said. "At this point, keeping them disarmed and locked where they can't possibly do any harm to each other is probably the best choice we got."

"If it will keep us from getting blown up," Snake muttered, crossing his arms. 

Commander Vinyaya seemed to pause to think, before saying: "Right now, throwing them in a cell where the only ones that can hurt them are themselves sounds like the best idea." With her hoisting up Fireman by his handcuffs and Firecracker escorting Dynamite, the group started heading toward prison complex. Zach and Minerva lagged behind considerably.

"Nobody seems to have taken into consideration that any one of us could be the mole," Zach whispered to Minerva quietly.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sure Vinyaya is thinking about it," Minerva said. "She was rather intent on helping Specs find the mole earlier. I doubt her intentions have changed very much. She's just more silent about it."

"Cause she has experience with this sort of infiltration kind of stuff, right?" said Zach.

Minerva nodded.

"Makes since, I suppose." He paused briefly before saying, "You know, everyone is a suspect, including us."

Minerva frowned, "We've been together the whole time. Our alibis are pretty tight."

"What about Tech and Medic? We were separated when they were killed. What if I was actually killing Tech instead of taking a shower? What if you were killing Medic?"

"But we were together the rest of the time. Unless you're implying there are multiple moles."

"Always a possibility," Zach said with a shrug.

Minerva suddenly smiled and looked forward. "If you were the mole, XERRD did a poor job," she said. "Infecting you with the Maelstrom was kind of a dumb thing to do."

"Perhaps Dr. Rex hid the mole's identity from most of his followers so defectors and captured scientists couldn't give it away? Provencal infected me, not knowing I was XERRD's eye in the Dino Attack Team."

"Maybe. I'd think I would be a much more believable mole though."

Zach gave a half-smirk. "Sure. Instead of concentrating on the Dino Attack's primary objective, the mole decided to chase after one agent."

"All a part of my 'ploy', so to speak. I needed to gain the trust of someone. I started out small with some goofy, bespectacled redhead Standard Agent and would work up the ranks. I pretended to be attracted to you. Unfortunately, you, in turn, became attracted to me. A minor setback that I thought was dealt with when Provencal corrupted you. With you out of the picture, I would become closer friends with people like J.D., Nazareno, and Vinyaya while sending information to XERRD superiors. Then you just so happened to return to the camp and gave your message to Andrew."

A sinister smirk appeared on Minerva's face. "At first, I was annoyed by your persistent attraction to me and was absolutely content with killing you off. However, I would have worked this angle to my advantage. I would use this message and the 'star-crossed lover' facade to get closer to Elite Agent Andrew so I could get information. The only problem would be having to go after you. I reasoned that if Andrew and I found you, I would kill you and Andrew and pretend I only barely escaped."

Zach raised an eyebrow at how Minerva would go about being a mole. "And why would you keep me alive?"

Minerva let out a long, fake sigh of disappointment. "When we defeated you, I would've killed you and Andrew when Ahua intervened. You defeated him and saved my life. A small ounce of humanity would overcome me, and I would let you live. We escaped and headed for the real Maelstrom Temple. Then we would get into the fight against Provencal and Gladys. They would know I was the mole. They would make the attack look real while I made the injuries look real, all while giving you a hard time. When it came down to us and Provencal, I would pretend to have a breakdown so Provencal could 'defeat' me and kill you herself."

"Why though? You could've killed me easily by switch over to Provencal's side," Zach pointed out.

"I felt bad for you, naturally. So stricken by me. It was better for you to die believing that Minerva Fabello was ally and 'girlfriend' than know the horrible truth. Once again, my humanity was showing. Unfortunately, you killed Provencal. So I would maintain a relationship with you a little while longer. I would return to the Dino Attack Headquarters and begin working with the other mole in taking down that meddlesome Second Headquarters Squad. He gave me the symbol to begin by killing Tech-"

"You didn't kill Tech?" Zach interjected.

"Unfortunately, no. I would be sitting with Zelda Frodongan while the murder took place, who discussed her ridiculous theories with me. When the announcement was made that Tech had died reached the mess hall, I began to make my move. Zelda and Vinyaya left, and I waited for you to return. I would tell you I was going to go take a shower, when in reality, I was going to head off Medic. I would be informed of his unorthodox measures and knew he would discover who the mole was with some medical procedure. I headed him off and murdered him. Then I would take said shower to clean off the blood and reunite with you.

"I would be helping the other mole with his killing spree, but your insistence at staying by my side hindered my plans. I might have been able to off Bullseye while you went to pick up that laptop, but I decided not to risk it. After telling you the story of my past, we would start moving. At that point, the other mole would have made his grand move and murder Sarge, Saboteur, Bear, and Recon. We would learn of what happened, leading us to go find Fireman and Dynamite, where I could finish them off myself. Unfortunately, Minifigs by the bucketload began to arrive, making it hard to pull off the murder."

Zach simply nodded, smirking slightly. "Alright, 'Master Spy'. So what are you going to do now that you've revealed your whole diabolic purpose to me?"

Minerva lips curled into a smile. "Let me see..." She scanned the hallway for a moment. Her eyes rested on a door that presumably led to a closet or office. "Ah! I would stay in character as completely stricken by you. I'd find a closet and forcibly shove you into it."

"What? How would that-"

"When the agents would backtrack to see what happened, they would see two perfectly normal love-stricken young adults kissing in a closet. Unimpressed as they might be, they shrug it off and continued their escort. Once I made sure they were gone, I'd kill you."

"I don't-what?" Zach was surprised at this sudden turn.

"Then, to top it off, I would injure myself and make it seem like the mole killed you and grievously wounded me while I cried for help. Nobody would be the wiser." Minerva displayed a look of seriousness on her face.

"You kiss me and then kill me?"

"Due to my pity toward your one-sided attraction toward me. And to stay in-character. If you can't already tell, I'm a fantastic actress, manipulating your feelings to my advantage."

"Huh."

Minerva smiled and continued to look ahead.

Zach smiled half-heartedly. "Well, you've thoroughly convinced me you're the mole. Because I oddly find your story somewhat believable. Up until you kiss me and kill me."

Minerva shrugged. "Remember that when you're dead in a closet because you didn't listen to the mole who was trying to save your life." Zach looked at her once. She glanced at him briefly before suddenly kissing his cheek. He jumped back in surprise, causing Minerva to snicker as she walked ahead of him.

"Not funny," he said, trying to stop a smile from forming on his face.

Minerva continued to walk ahead, unfazed. "Nope. It's hilarious." 

It was hardly long before Fireman and Dynamite had been brought to the prison. As the group carried the two unconscious agents, they noticed that they were drawing attention from two other prisoners: one man with blond hair, and the other that Vinyaya recognized as the man who tried to kill Claw.

"We'd better disarm them," Angel Eyes said as they came to a stop. "Last thing we want is for them to have a hidden weapon of some sort."

Dynamite was easily stripped of his bandoliers and his clothes. When he was down to the basics, Firecracker placed him on a small cot in the cell. As soon as the others had turned their backs, he reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a stick of dynamite, and carefully placed it into the unconscious man's hand before closing the cell door behind him and walked toward the door.

"What is all this?" Donnie asked as he approached. "Walter, what's goi-"

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" Walter shouted angrily.

Slowly, Sarah tried to help take care of Fireman's outfit. Removing the baggy clothing seemed nearly impossible, but she managed to reach for the mask. She carefully took it off of the agent's head. Maria removed the balaclava, and what everyone saw there was unbelievable.

"Oh my Builder," Sarah muttered at the sight of Fireman's face.

*****

Rex pulled the joystick, and his newly-repaired hover-chair moved forward. The hover-chair's design was a marvel to behold, assembled with advanced technology that could have only come from the greatest minds of Paradox. Unfortunately, that meant that repairing the broken and glitching chair was easier said than done for Dino Attack Team's most skilled technicians. They had only just fixed its problems, but before giving it back to Rex, they had warned him that the slightest bit of damage could potentially cause it to start malfunctioning again.

Accompanying Rex were two of his closest teammates: Amanda Claw and Frozeen. Even with the mole's identity revealed, Rex felt it was best to surround himself with people he knew for certain that he could trust. Together, they entered the room where Attila "Ata" Huntsman once lived, before his living situation was permanently changed to a cell.

"Look at this," Frozeen said, pointing towards Ata's bed. On its own, it appeared normal. Compared to the rest of the standard-issue beds for Dino Attack agents, Rex could see that its pillow appeared thicker than normal. As an Alpha Team agent, Frozeen's attention to detail served him well.

Together, they approached the bed, and Amanda cautiously slipped her hand into the pillowcase. She pulled out, much to her surprise, a briefcase. It was locked, but before Frozeen could offer to open it, Amanda had picked the lock herself. The briefcase opened, and their eyes widened at what they saw.

"Wait a second," said Rex, blinking. "Amanda? Remember how we ran into Saboteur and he was grumbling something about a briefcase? I think we just found out what happened to it."

Saboteur's briefcase contained an assortment of gear. There was a handheld device which Frozeen identified as the electro-sapper, designed to disable security systems... for example, the cameras and turrets set up by Tech. There were packs and packs of cigarettes, much to Amanda's disgust, but Rex noted that only some of them were real; the rest were the fake kind that created smokescreens, such as the one used in the Portal Operations Room. There were a number of knives and pistols inside the suitcase, which must have been the weapons that Ata used in addition to stealing Amanda's knife.

But most notably, there were clothes. Lots and lots of clothes. More clothes than Rex thought it possible to fit inside a single briefcase. As Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen rummaged through these clothes, they realized that they were not just any clothes, but disguises. One set of clothes looked like it would be worn by Fireman. Another set bore more than a passing semblance to Greybeard's pirate garb. There was also a XERRD labcoat, an Ogel Drone uniform, and even a dress inside the suitcase.

Amanda's eyes drifted towards an envelope underneath the cigarette packs. She took it and, with Rex's permission, opened it and pulled out a number of photographs. Every single picture showed the late Jim "Saboteur" Covalent, ninja cowl and all, in various romantic scenes with a woman who bore some semblance to the equally-late Bob "Recon" Rutherford. She showed these photos to Rex and Frozeen before opening a second envelope she saw in the briefcase. Reading it, she reported: "It's a love letter to Helen Rutherford, telling her about the victory at Fort Legoredo and promising to return to her as soon as the Dino Attack war ended."

Looking over the photographs, Rex murmured, "He must really have loved her. It's really a pity that the letter never got delivered... or that his promise will not be fulfilled. And on top of all that, her son won't be coming home, either." Rex sighed. "Poor Helen Rutherford. I'll have to extend my sympathies towards her... it must be so hard for her to lose two loved ones in this horrible war."

"This reminds me," Amanda gently put down the letter. "I need to write a letter of my own. You see, there are some loose ends that need to be tied up... and one of them is an old friend of mine, Bartholomew Enderson. I... I need to write him a letter, thanking him for always being there for me... and telling him that... that I'm sorry... that he is free now."

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen startled at the sound of that deep, booming, all-too-familiar voice. Amanda and Frozeen spun around, while Rex rotated his chair to face the voice's owner. Striding into the room, flanked by a pair of Guard Drones, was none other than Evil Ogel himself. 

----

"Can I help you?" said the young woman at the other side of the counter in that small bar as Schiess sat down.

The bar itself was filled with various travelers, astronauts, and some aliens of various types. In the back, there were a group of people who looked like they were heading for that Ice Planet, Krysto-2002. Schiess recalled hearing news that the colonists and scientists were investigating ice meteorites originating from the Ice Planet. One or two Space Police officers were sitting in the back with donuts, their bright green suits making them stand out, but they were probably off-duty and too busy to notice any of the illegal business that sometimes went on in here.

"Yeah," replied Schiess. "Anything you'd recommend?"

"Well," said the barmaid, "there was this one weird drink you can try."

"Sure," decided Schiess.

Slowly, the barmaid poured a strange greenish liquid into a small shotglass and handed it to Schiess. He took one sip and nearly gagged.

"What the Znap is this?" Schiess asked.

"I don't know," replied the barmaid. "Some alien we recently made contact with. I think they called themselves Zotaxians or something."

"What?" Schiess exclaimed.

"They're pretty strange things," added the barmaid. "In fact, there's one back there."

Schiess slowly turned and got a glimpse at a hideous-looking minifig, though his face was only partially visible through his thick helmet.

"What do you have that's actually drinkable?" Schiess asked after a moment. The barmaid quickly poured him a glass of beer. "That's a bit better. Listen, you got a name?"

"Carrie," the barmaid introduced herself. "Carrie Enderson."

"Enderson," Schiess repeated. "That name sounds familiar."

"I got a brother back on LEGO Planet," replied Carrie. "He runs a popular bar in LEGO City."

"I see," said Schiess. "Interesting. Listen, I need you to do a few things for me. The bartender hears everything, right?"

"Yeah," replied Carrie.

"Good," said Schiess. "In that case, I got a task for you. I'm a mercenary, you see. This seems like a good place to find work."

"You want a job?"

"Are you kidding?" scoffed Schiess. "Me? A bartender, that would be insane. What I'd like you to do is listen for anything, make notes if you can on anything that sounds like a rough job that pays."

"Alright," said Carrie.

"If you find anything worthwhile, I'll slip a little extra into your tip," offered Schiess. He slowly handed her a twenty-dollar bill.

"How can I reach you if I find anything?" Carrie asked.

"You don't," replied Schiess. "I'll come back at the end of the week and see if there's anything, and if you try to tell anybody about this, I'm going to put a bullet in your MegaBloking head. Understand?"

Carrie nodded with a faint smile. Schiess then stood up and walked toward the door. 

----

Semick was proceeding down one of Dino Attack Headquarters's hallways, his mind bogged down by the recent events. It was definitively an unwelcome return to the thoughts of how he had to operate in the last days of Adventurers' Island.

He had found out all he could about the mole situation. Early in the morning, agent Tech was found dead in the halls from a bullet to the head. Some of the agents who had checked back on his post in a security wing revealed someone had been meddling with the security systems. Whoever it was had been trying to blind their eyes, and Tech had clearly been killed for trying to stop him.

His body was handed off to agent Medic for an autopsy. While having the security of his comrade and friend Bear should've been enough security, the killer had managed to take the opportunity of Bear going out for a sandwich break to strike. The heavy weapons agent returned to the grim sight of finding Medic dead on the floor. The theory going around was that the mole was simply ensuring that no signs were found for his identity.

Shortly afterwards, agent Bullseye was found without life signs in his sniping post. There were signs of a scuffle, and it appeared he had fought the best he could against his attacker, but he had simply been outmatched, and received a fatal stab wound for his troubles. While the agent wasn't the only long-range security the team had for sure, it was obvious to Semick that losing such a skilled sharpshooter would serve as a weakness for the team.

Then came the real bloodbath. Agents Recon, Sarge, and Bear had regrouped to a "safe room", the former room of operations for a project regarding portals that had faced difficulties during Digger's schism. Through chance, Rex had ended up being brought there, and Saboteur arrived as well to give the group more details on the mole and warnings on what he could be capable of. It seemed that paranoia soon set in, and Sarge and Bear began firing shotguns and miniguns at their comrades. But soon after that, the mole had struck again, and by the end of it, Saboteur, Recon, Bear, and Sarge were all dead. Rex seemed to have only barely survived, the commotion the event had caused having resulted in agents flocking to the scene, and the mole fleeing before he could be discovered.

The event had left seven out of the nine-member Second Headquarters Squad deceased, and the emotional stress had taken its toll on the remaining two members. Just a few minutes ago, agents Fireman and Dynamite held up rooms in the basement level with an insanely large blaze and a boatload of explosives, respectively. Luckily, fellow agents and some members from LEGO City's fire department were able to calm the issue, and the agents in question were brought to the detention blocks for their own safety.

Fortunately, these crimes were not going unpunished. Semick had managed to encounter Shadow during his investigation into the matter, and he was told that Semick had managed to catch the mole in the act. While the Founding agent didn't know himself who it was, he was able to tell Semick that the traitor was under interrogation now, and would be punished as seen fit.

It calmed the Elite Agent to know that this crisis was more or less at an end. But he still didn't feel right. This event only showed that their enemies were intending to try and underwhelm the heart of Dino Attack operations itself. Granted, such an act wouldn't be surprising, and the Cam O'Cozy matter showed that XERRD had been trying to break them where it hurt before, but trying to undermine base defenses when LEGO City had been sufficiently defended from major Mutant Dino infestation for months seemed to signify that something was brewing within the enemy forces.

Something big...

"Semick? ... Hey, Semick!"

A shake on the shoulder brought Semick back to the present. He was mildly surprised to see Andrew at his side, his companion Laxus and a winged Hybrid standing nearby.

"Ah, Andrew. Sorry, I was... occupied with something. You two been busy with much?" asked Semick.

"Mostly just helping our newest ally get acquainted with the team," said Laxus, gesturing to the Hybrid. She smiled and gave a small wave.

"You must be Pterisa, I'm guessing?" said Semick. She nodded. "Ah, I thank you for the role you played at the Imagination Temple. You have my gratitude and appreciation, I assure you that." He took a moment to shake her hand.

"You're welcome," Pterisa said with a bit of gratitude herself. "My... friends here have shown me around the base and introduced me to a lot of interesting activities. It's been quite helpful for my nerve."

"Good to hear." Semick turned to Andrew. "How much have you heard about the mole business?"

Andrew frowned. "We spent the last few hours watching a movie, so I can't say I've heard much. I know about what happened with Rex, Saboteur, and the others, and what Fireman and Dynamite did, but not much beyond that."

"There isn't much else to tell, admittedly. I've heard Specs's got someone they're pretty sure is the mole, which is reassuring, but I can't say I'm quite at ease."

"Why's that?" asked Laxus.

Semick took a glance at his surroundings. "Let's take this somewhere with a bit more space. I don't want to crowd the halls or anything." 

*****

B leaned over the railing of the ship and smiled. For once, it seemed that they were in the clear. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure walk up behind him. "Do you want an explanation?"

"No," replied B. "I think I got one."

B looked off into the distance and saw that the broken skyline of LEGO City was coming into view. He climbed up to the bridge of the ship. "Feels too good to be true, doesn't it, Sam?"

Sam looked up from his computer. "You're awfully cheerful, B. Did someone spike your rations with something out of the medical cupboard?"

"No," said B. "I just feel like I've accepted what has happened to us. I feel calm."

"That still might be some of the painkillers talking," said Sam, analyzing the situation with the mind of a doctor. "The first thing we should do is get you, Kev, and Chris to the medical centre."

"Right..." muttered B.

The radio hummed to life. A voice spoke: "Unidentified vessel, this is LEGO City control. Please identify yourself. You aren't scheduled to arrive."

B took the microphone. "LEGO City, this is Benton Kabrinsky and squad, arriving from Adventurers' Island. We need minifigs on board that require medical attention."

"Impossible. Your squad was reported KIA. I'll let you dock, but we need someone to verify your identity. Over and out."

"Well, MegaBlok you too," said B. 

*****

"Not to appear lazy," Minerva muttered to Zach. "But I think there is enough people here to keep track of Fireman and Dynamite. And it's getting crowded. Could we leave without getting in trouble?"

Zach nodded in agreement. "I'd say we can move on." The two then turned and started to leave the prison complex. "You can finally pull off your 'kiss and kill' plan."

Minerva rolled eyes in amusement. "You're never going to drop it, are you?"

"No," said Zach. "The very idea just seems so outlandishly ridiculous that the entire gambit about you being the mole lost its charm."

"Oh no! Now you don't think I'm the mole! I might as well go cry in a corner now," Minerva said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Zach said defensively. "I'll move on. For now."

"Good."

They returned to the armory and picked up some bigger weapons: Minerva grabbed a Sonic Screamer and Zach resigned to a Cosmotronic Ray. The two then headed outside the headquarters' front doors.

Zach breathed in a large gulp of air as he looked ahead. LEGO City was still a wreck, but with more people moving back, things were starting to get cleaned up and restored to a semi-decent state.

Minerva stood beside him, looking into the city. "This place looked really bad the last time I was here."

Zach nodded in agreement. "Now that people are moving back in, that's expected."

"I hope moving people back in doesn't kill any civilians," Minerva said quietly. "What if Dr. Rex organizes his Mutant Dinos to attack here again? Civilians will be caught in the crossfire."

Zach flinched. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." It was a very real possibility. The war was reaching its climax, especially with the cleansing of the Maelstrom Temple. XERRD has made their move with mole. One would hope that the Dino Attack Team would respond quickly by heading to Dinosaur Island and finishing off XERRD and its forces before XERRD mounted an attack on LEGO City.

Minerva raised her Sonic Screamer and asked, "Who's that?" Zach squinted as he saw a man slowly approaching the headquarters, a bag over his shoulder. As he came closer, Minerva lowered her weapon slightly. "I think it's a civilian."

"Yeah. I think it's..." Zach allowed himself to smile as he identified the man with a black mustache and a blue cap. "Ed Mail."

"Who?" Minerva looked at him, then in realization, "A LEGO Islander, right?"

Zach nodded as he walked up to greet Ed Mail.

"Here I go again," Ed began. "I know, I know. I'm in your way. Hey, I know you-"

"Good to see you again, Ed," Zach said. "Still making the rounds?"

"Oh, hello Zachary. You know how it is. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail will never stop me. Why should an apocalypse? Besides, the mail must be delivered, shouldn't it? Oh, yes, it must."

Zach smiled as he listened to Ed ramble on. Behind him, Minerva half-grinned, somewhat confused by Ed's behavior. "Ed, this is Minerva Fabello, my... ah, girlfriend."

Minerva shook Ed's hand somewhat nervously. "Good to meet you," said Ed. "I have a letter for you. Or did I leave it at the station-?"

"A letter?" Minerva repeated, surprised.

Ed pulled his sack over his shoulder and started shuffling through hundreds of envelopes. He pulled one out at last. "This is for you, Zach," he said. Zach accepted it. He presumed it was from his family in Antarctica.

Ed continued to look for Minerva's letter. She looked on anxiously. Finally, he pulled it out and handed it to Minerva. "There you go," Ed lifted himself back up and cracked his back. "You wouldn't believe how heavy that bag is. Or you might. I don't know. I suppose I'll have to see my brother about it. Yes, I should."

"Thanks, Ed," Zach said, grinning. Ed Mail nodded once before he started walking toward the Dino Attack Headquarters entrance.

He turned back to Minerva, who was eyeing the letter curiously. She looked up at him, to Ed, then back to him. "He was... interesting," Minerva said. "Is everyone on LEGO Island like that?"

"No," said Zach. "Some people are considerably more... 'interesting', I suppose. You haven't met people like Captain Rom or Nubby. Rom takes his job very seriously and Nubby will talk your ear off if you give him the chance. But they're all decent people. You'll get used to their mannerisms soon enough."

Minerva smiled faintly before looking at the envelope. "Who would send me a letter?" she thought out loud.

"Your mother?" Zach guessed. "Oswald?"

Minerva shot him a dirty look. "I doubt she even realizes that her home has been flattened by Mutant Dinos and she's never written in the past. Why now? And Oswald has that agent Keith Empson's PDA, remember? He can send me threatening messages through that." Zach flinched at Minerva's sudden cold tone. She tore open the envelope and read the letter in silence. As she read, her eyes seemed to widen.

"What?" Zach asked, worried.

She lowered the letter and looked at Zach, showing little emotion. "You weren't too far off. The letter says Mom died a few days ago." 

*****

All eyes were on Evil Ogel as he strode towards Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen, flanked by a pair of Guard Drones that stared forward with blank expressions and empty eye sockets. Ogel approached the trio and looked upon them as a king may look upon his servants. "I understand the Dino Attack Team has been having some... difficulties involving a XERRD mole," rumbled Evil Ogel, his baritone voice echoing through the room.

"Err, yes, that is correct," said Rex, nodding. "We have taken care of the issue. The mole has been identified and taken into custody."

"Is that so?" Ogel raised an eyebrow, puckering his lips ever-so-slightly as he did so. "What a shame. I was hoping to assist your team in tracking down the mole."

Frozeen frowned. "If you don't mind me asking, Ogel, how exactly would you have assisted us?"

Evil Ogel smiled darkly as he chuckled. "A few Evil Plant leaves, a little Green Goo... and a couple of Mind-Control Orbs. It would have been all too simple for me to force the mole to publicly confess the truth. All too simple indeed." He laughed, a terrifying sound that rang through the Dino Attack Headquarters.

Rex and Amanda traded worried glances while Frozeen made a disgusted sound under his breath.

"Very well then," said Ogel. "As the mole situation has been taken care of, what do we have here?"

"Oh, nothing," said Rex, shrugging. "We're just checking the contents of a dead man's briefcase."

"Oh?" Ogel raised an eyebrow once again. "Who's the dead man, might I ask?"

"Agent Saboteur," Rex replied quickly, only to realize too late, as Frozeen shot him a glare, that he said too much.

Evil Ogel's lips curled into a hideous smile. "Ah, at last. Agent Saboteur has met his demise. I have had enough with him sneaking through my bases, uninvited, all while disguised as one of my Skeleton Drones. He was a worthy adversary, but it admittedly comes as pleasant news to know that he has finally passed. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to take a look at Saboteur's briefcase."

Despite his faux politeness, Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen could tell that any attempt to refuse would elicit an unwanted response from the two Guard Drones. They had no choice but to back down and give Ogel what he wanted.

Evil Ogel approached the briefcase and began rummaging through it. He looked through all the clothes and scowled as he laid eyes upon the numerous Ogel Drone disguises. But then, one disguise in particular caught his attention. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he reached into the briefcase and pulled out a black helmet with a golden visor, nearly identical to the one that he wore.

For a moment, he stood perfectly still, silent as the grave. Then, Ogel's face broke out into a grin again, but Frozeen noticed that it wasn't his evil gloating type of smile, but his sinister masterminding type of smile. "I don't believe it," Ogel whispered. "I've got it! I see it now! It is clear as day! Oh, what a brilliant plan I have masterminded! Dr. Rex shall never see this one coming!"

With that, Evil Ogel turned to face one of his Guard Drone. "Contact DID-S4, DID-S2, and DID-S5 of squadron LMM-03/04-01. It is time! This plan, I will guarantee you, shall not fail! It's foolproof! Whereas my gambits with the Boggle Rocket, the D.O.O.M., the Whirlpool Machine, the Time Freeze Ray, and more have all failed, this plan will succeed! I know it! It is the perfect plan to... to..." Ogel faltered, as his expression turned to a confused frown.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Frozeen said with a smirk, "when Evil Ogel, known for masterminding failed plot after failed plot to take over the world, finally comes up with the perfect, foolproof plan..."

"... to save the world," Evil Ogel finally managed to spit out, through clenched teeth and with a begrudgingly bitter tone.

*****

"Hey Kate," said a familiar voice. Kate looked up from the couch she was sitting on to see the face of Lance Williams. "How you doing?" Lance asked with a slight hint of enthusiasm.

"I'm fine," replied Kate. She was simply flipping through various channels on the television set.

"Look," Lance said, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for anything I might have said on the island. A couple of us were thinking about getting together tonight, maybe having a party of some kind. Perhaps you'd care to join us."

"Maybe," said Kate.

At that moment, the door opened, and Sarah Bishop walked into the room. Upon seeing her, Lance turned with a slight look of fear in his face. "I wasn't going to hurt her," Lance said nervously, remembering what this woman had done.

"It's alright," said Sarah. "Kate, is this guy bothering you?"

Kate shook her head. "Mom, it's okay."

"Mom," Lance muttered with a slight smile, amused that Kate's mother had shown up in the base, though she seemed to feel rather awkward. 

*****

Dr. Cyborg went to the tech lab. He was bored, so he figured he'd find something to fix. He asked about projects, and someone told him Rex had come in with a XERRD hoverchair. He "borrowed" the security feed (they really shouldn't run those wires between the walls, they're so vulnerable to him) and saw Rex and Amanda in Rex's quarters.

He went there and saw them talking. He knocked on the open door. "Excuse me, I'm bored, and I thought I might be able to completely fix that chair for you."

Rex nodded, and got out with Amanda's help. Dr. Cyborg got under it and began repairs.

"Well, this might take a while," remarked Dr. Cyborg. "Zed designed his machines like Rube Goldberg's idea of a Rube Goldberg machine. I guess to keep us from messing with it." He was silent for a second, then started again. "Have you heard the rumors? They say Silencia Venomosa herself is in here with us. Got any idea who she might be?"

"No," Rex replied after glancing at Amanda. "No, I don't."

"Hmm. Well, I can't wait until they find her," Dr. Cyborg said, "I want to speak with her."

"About what?" Amanda asked.

"I want to thank her."

Amanda's eyes widened. She glanced wordlessly at Rex, and he could tell that she was very surprised by this response. She could not possibly imagine why Dr. Cyborg would want to thank her.

"For what?" Rex asked.

"For doing her job so well," replied Dr. Cyborg.

"That sounds like it's a story," Amanda said, furrowing her brow in bemusement.

"It is. It's a long story, but we might have time for it, given the complexity of this chair," Dr. Cyborg said.

Rex and Amanda listened keenly.

"Well," Dr. Cyborg started, "I started UlTech nine years ago. I was in the same business as Mindstorms, Inc. and the Dacta Corporation. They were some pretty fierce competition. Some people started buying from us, but not enough. My startup fund was being depleted fast. We were in a downward spiral. To attract customers, we needed an innovative product. To create a new product, we needed money. To get money, we needed customers. UlTech seemed like a flop.

"Then, the president of Mindstorms was killed by the deadly Silencia Venomosa. I was in my rented space in an office building when my assistant came in. He said I wanted to see this. A television was hanging on the wall in the hallway. I came out and saw a news report about an assassination of the Mindstorms president. I was glad. I would never hire an assassin myself, but who was I to turn down good luck? Some of Mindstorms' customers turned to Dacta, but many started buying from us. And then, the leader of Dacta was killed, too, and Dacta went under soon after. Everybody started buying from us. By the time Mindstorms got their game back together, it was too late. We had been cemented as one of the leading technology companies on the planet."

Rex and Amanda traded glances. Rex could see that Amanda Claw was horrified, disturbed, and repulsed by Dr. Cyborg's story. She locked eyes with the former XERRD scientist and said in a quiet yet clearly exasperated voice: "Do you know what you just said?"

Dr. Cyborg faltered. "Why, what's the-"

"You're glad that Uærlig Sindstorme was assassinated?" continued Amanda. "You consider it good luck that Edward Korrupte was murdered? You want to actually thank Silencia Venomosa... this horrible fiend... this murderous terrorist... for doing a 'good job' just because your company profited from it?"

Rex could see that Amanda was getting very distressed about this; it was obvious from her body language and from her voice. Gently, he reached out towards Amanda and murmured, "Amanda, please relax, it's okay-"

Amanda shook her head. "No, Rex. It's not 'okay'. Dr. Cyborg, listen to me. Silencia Venomosa was not some miracle you should thank. She was a cold-hearted murderer. A complete monster. And if you consider it good fortune that, eight years ago, a horrible massacre occurred on Main Street, LEGO Town... Edward Korrupte was not the only one killed that day, you know. At least a dozen police officers, all of whom had families of their own, were murdered for doing their job. And not to mention all the innocent civilians who got caught in it all. If you consider that day good fortune just because you profited from it, then... then... you're no better than Walter Breen!"

Although Dr. Cyborg appeared disturbed by the other things she said, that last comment made him angry. "Don't compare me to that dirty coward!" he snapped. "In fact, what does Walter Breen even have to do with this?"

"Because he is the one who-" Amanda stopped herself, realizing that she was about to give away too much information. She took a moment to regain her composure, so Rex decided that it was in their best interest if he did some talking.

"The thing is, Dr. Cyborg," explained Rex, "the work of Silencia Venomosa is still recent in the minds of most LEGOLAND civilians. It may be considered, as they say, 'too soon' to say such things about her. I know you meant well, and I thank you for repairing my hover-chair, but... I think Amanda's right. If Silencia Venomosa is half the person everyone makes her out to be, then her work is nothing to be thankful for."

With that, Rex quickly glanced at Amanda, who nodded silently in reply.

Dr. Cyborg was puzzled. What was wrong with Amanda? He replayed the conversation in his mind (literally). Oh, scrap. That's what she was mad about. She thinks I was glad they were murdered! I really put my foot in my mouth. Oh, brother, I better fix this, and fast. 

"Amanda, I wish to apologize," he said. "I was not happy they were murdered. I was merely happy about the NXT model going missing, and the havoc her infiltration caused. I would have liked it better if nobody was killed. I can see Venomosa is a touchy subject for you. I apologize for seeming to be happy she killed people."

Amanda nodded. Dr. Cyborg turned and left, unsure if she forgave him or not.

As he walked down the hallway, he began to think. She knows Walter Breen hired Venomosa. Only Venomosa, Breen, and the members of XERRD he bragged to would know that. She also really didn't like me seeming to like Venomosa's murders. I wonder... 

*****

The sight of what lay beneath that mask was quite a shock toward everyone. What most people expected was probably to see an ugly man, dirty, unshaven, pale, but what they saw was something different. "I told you so," Clint muttered as he looked at Fireman. "That Fireman is a Firewoman."

Her skin was understandably pale, almost gray. She was soaked in sweat, which dripped down her messy hair and the small tank top which, until a few minutes ago, was covered by a baggy fire suit. Her hair was long, straight, and dark-coloured, though it was hard to tell if it was her natural colour or it was just really dirty.

The agent formerly known as Fireman groaned as she slowly started to come to her senses. "Why am I in here?" she asked.

"You can talk?" Angel Eyes remarked with a grin.

"Yeah," replied Fireman, rolling her eyes. "I can talk. What, didn't you hear me shouting at you earlier?"

"I guess your balaclava and helmet muffled you," said Angel Eyes.

"Can someone explain why I'm in here?" Fireman asked again. In the cell over, Dynamite muttered something incomprehensible in his sleep.

"What do you-" Dude was about to say before he cut himself off. "You lit a Znapping room on fire, man!"

"Brilliant, wasn't it?" Fireman replied with a grin. "I was perfectly safe in my flame-retardant suit. If that mole came for me, I was going to see to it that he burned in MegaBlokland!" Desperately, Fireman started glancing around; at first, they suspected that she was probably hoping to find a lighter or something else that could produce a flame, but then she asked: "Could you let me out of here now? I'm feeling a little… claustrophobic in this cell."

"Not a chance," Vinyaya said. "This was for your own good."

"I think we ought to have someone stand guard," Angel Eyes said sternly. "We'll take turns on shifts, maybe two at a time. I don't want either of them trying anything, and if the mole comes to kill either of them, I think they ought to have some protection."

"Isn't that a bit much for an empty priso-" Donnie was about to say before Walter cut him off.

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE! It's only mostly empty, there's two other prisoners here." 

----

"... in a fire. Luckily, the local LEGO Town fire department arrived at the scene immediately, and there were only minimal casualties. Right now, the building has been evacuated as there could have potentially been structural damage to the building itself, and construction crews have been deployed to survey the damage. But worry not, Miss Brix, because..."

Bartholomew Enderson looked up to see Silencia Venomosa enter the bar. She took a seat, but to Enderson's surprise, she turned her attention to the news playing on the television. There was the news reporter, Lotta Brix, and she was interviewing someone that Venomosa recognized all too well.

"... despite this setback, the company will remain strong and geared towards the future, as it always has been. I have no doubt that my grandfather Korrupte would be proud to see how far Dacta Corporation has come in only three generations." As he said this, Edward Korrupte smiled assertively and adjusted his red tie.

"Excellent news, Mr. Korrupte," Lotta Brix said as she flashed a smile. "Now, do you have any idea what may have caused the fire? Already, rumors are circulating, especially with the recent murder of Mr. Sindstorme, that this was no mere accident, and someone with malicious intent may have triggered the fire. Do you think the elusive Silencia Venomosa may have been behind this?"

As Korrupte's smile disappeared and was replaced by a grim expression, Enderson leaned in close to Venomosa, gestured towards the television, and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Her response was simple and understood as she shook her head ever-so-slightly. She had already received her reward from Korrupte; there was no profit to be gained from antagonizing him... at least, not without a client.

"I highly doubt that Venomosa was behind this," stated Korrupte. "Recovered security footage shows a pair of unidentifiable men entering the building with a canister of kerosene. They were sloppy in covering their tracks, and I have already notified the authorities, ensuring that they will be tracked down and brought to justice. Besides, I personally do not believe in the myth of Silencia Venomosa, and I am confident that I have nothing to fear at all from her."

Quietly, Bartholomew Enderson slipped Silencia Venomosa the envelope from Walter Breen. She took it, opened it, and read the letter inside. "He says that everything you need to know is in that letter," whispered Enderson. "He... didn't want to see you in person."

Venomosa sighed and gently shook her head, an action that took Enderson by surprise for a brief moment. She was always a stoic, which combined with her eerie silence to place her right in the middle of Uncanny Valley. And yet, as Enderson reminded himself, she was only Minifig. A girl who could not have been more than 20. Evidently, she agreed with Enderson's view on Breen, and was disappointed to see such cowardice in her clients.

As she folded the letter once more, Enderson caught a brief glimpse of a few words that stood out to him: "Dacta Corporation" and "Edward Korrupte". He glanced back at the television screen, and Lotta Brix was still interviewing the CEO of Dacta.

"... but worry not, since I shall be surrounded by police escorts at all times. If anyone dares to lay a finger on me, he must be absolutely mad to try such an attempt."

Oh my Builder, thought Enderson. He glanced back at Silencia Venomosa, who was already standing up and about to depart. It occurred to him that, as her secret keeper who had somehow managed to stay alive, he might possibly be the only person in the whole world that she actually trusted. She was only Minifig, a girl no more than 20, and she trusted him as a daughter might trust her father. As she turned to leave, Bartholomew Enderson spoke in a wavering voice, but with genuine compassion: "Take care."

She glanced quickly over her shoulder and locked eyes with him. She simply nodded in reply. Then, she left the restaurant.

"Be safe," whispered Bartholomew Enderson.

----

After reading the letter over for the third or fourth time, Amanda Claw was finally satisfied. She could never put her emotions down in words as easily as in body language, but this would have to suffice. Silently, she folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and stood from her desk.

"Are you ready?" asked Rex.

Amanda nodded. With that, they left Rex's room and headed to the Dino Attack post room. Along the way, they passed the door to the prison complex. Amanda paused there just long enough for Rex to stop his hover-chair and turn around with a confused expression.

"That's the prison complex," he murmured, "I thought we were heading to the..."

"We are," said Amanda, nodding. "This letter is going to tie up one loose end. While I'm here, I would like to tie up another loose end. There's someone I need to speak with."

Rex realized to whom she was referring. "Would you like me to come in with you?" offered Rex, concerned.

Amanda shook her head. "I know that you're saying that for my own safety... but I feel that this would be better if I could speak with him one-on-one."

"Then I'll wait out here until you return," decided Rex.

Amanda Claw opened the door, passed through the security checks, and entered the prison complex. She considered it a good omen that most of the cells were unoccupied, and of the handful that were occupied, Amanda only knew a few of the occupants.

In one cell sat Dynamite, who was drunkenly singing a song to himself. "Ah sailor went t' sea, sea, sea t' see what he could see, see, see, but all that he could see, see, see was th' bo'om o' th' deep blue sea, sea, sea!" The way he put emphasis on the word "blue", Amanda noted, seemed to reflect his depressed mood; evidently, he was still hit hard by Ronald E. Army's death.

At last, Amanda found the person she was looking for. A man in his late thirties or early forties, dressed casually, a cigarette butt in his mouth, sitting in a way that made it clear that he seemed resigned to his fate. Silently, she stood outside his cell, locking her eyes upon his form.

When he looked up and saw her, he started. Just seeing her made all the horrible memories that haunted his nightmares for eight years come rushing back. Despite the cold fear running through his body, he managed to appear composed, and put on a scowl as he glared at her. "Why?" he hissed. "After all these years, why do you come to haunt me now? What sort of dark sadistic gambit are you planning to make my life miserable?"

Amanda's features were solemn. In her years as Silencia Venomosa, she left no survivors or witnesses, and thus could not imagine how horribly the life of such a survivor would be forever impacted by their encounter with the infamous assassin. Now, as she looked into Montoya's eyes, she knew. And it sickened her, filling her with guilt for what she had done.

"Montoya," she spoke, quietly yet loud enough for the prisoner to hear her words.

At the sound of her voice, Montoya blinked in surprise and stared at her with shock, just as Trigger had done back in the Maelstrom Temple. Surely, everyone knew that the one defining trait about Silencia Venomosa was that she never, ever spoke. As this realization washed over Montoya, his aggressive facade faded away as guilt settled in. "I can't believe it," he whispered as he lowered his gaze. "I got the wrong woman. I'm... I'm so sorry..."

Amanda shook her head. "No, Montoya. You need to listen to me. I'm the one who should be sorry... because you were right. You got the right woman."

Montoya raised an eyebrow and looked up at her once again. "What?"

Amanda sighed. "The very first thing you asked me when you came into Dino Attack Headquarters... if I remembered you. I do remember you. I thought you were dead, and I had not given a single thought to you or Schiess since that night... but yes, I do remember you. I remember Schiess. I remember Orange, Scorsese, Verbal, Deniro, and Keaton."

"So it was you," Montoya muttered bitterly.

"And I understand," continued Amanda, "why your first instinct upon entering Dino Attack Headquarters was to shoot me in the face with a shotgun. But as much as you would like to come up to me and say, 'Hello. My name is Montoya. You killed my partners. Prepare to die,' I know that you will never get your revenge. You don't have it in you to look me in the eyes as you pull that trigger... and walk away, forever burdened by the fact that you have just taken someone else's life, just as I had taken five lives that fateful night. You may have pointed a shotgun at me today, but I could tell that, even if Zachary Virchaus hadn't conveniently shown up, you didn't actually have it in you to actually pull the trigger."

"Shut up," snapped Montoya, grimacing. "You don't know me. You don't know what I'm capable of. If you think that I'm too weak to-"

Amanda shook her head. "You're not weak, Montoya. You're Minifig. Unlike Schiess, you have emotions and morals. Schiess wants to kill me just because I foiled the heist, but you want to kill me to avenge the deaths of others. And that is what makes you strong, not weak. I remember you, Montoya. Eight years ago, while you, Schiess, Keaton, and the others plotted the heist on Dacta Corporation while I sulked silently in the background, I paid careful attention to everything about you. Your words, your tone of voice, your actions... even your body language. And I could see that you were different, Montoya. Schiess and the others were cold-blooded mercenaries only in it for the money... as was I. But you... you weren't in it for yourself. You were in it for someone else. For everyone else, it was just another job. For you, you were hoping to quit your criminal life and go clean after this job was done, perhaps even settle down with someone you loved. Perhaps, even, over the past eight years, you changed your ways and actually go clean. Eight years is a long time, and people can change drastically in eight years. And that is why I need your help, Montoya."

Montoya was silent as he continued to stare at Amanda. He furrowed his brow, trying to think of what she could possibly need him for.

"The woman you met eight years ago," explained Amanda, "is no longer the person that I am today. I've changed, too, over the years... and the fact that I am finally speaking is only the least notable of these changes. Much like you, I've quit my criminal life, and I've joined Dino Attack Team in hopes that, by helping to save the world, I can redeem myself of all the horrible crimes I've committed in the past. I cannot change the past, but I hope to change the future. I cannot ask you to forget, or even forgive me for what happened with Dacta Corporation and Mindstorms, Inc. But I hope that I can get you to see that I have changed. That I am repentant. That I wish to redeem myself. That I have found a Minifig who loves me and, once this war ends, I intend to settle down with him."

Amanda shot a quick glance at the exit door. "The problem is that Schiess, or 'Trigger' as everyone calls him now, refuses to believe me. To him, I have not changed one bit from the person who foiled that petty heist eight years ago. And for that, he wants to kill me, and not even the entire Dino Attack Team will stop him. Nothing I can say or do will change that. He won't listen to me. Nor will he listen to anyone on this team who has worked with me for the past year. But you... Montoya, he trusts you. He will listen to you. Montoya, if you can convince Schiess that I have changed, I would be eternally grateful."

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" inquired Montoya. "Eight years ago, we thought you were one of us, but it was all just an act. How do I know that you aren't deceiving me now?"

Amanda sighed. "You can never truly know for certain. But sometimes, life requires you to take a leap of faith." She locked eyes with Montoya, hoping to make it clear that what she was saying was genuine. "I must leave you now, but I implore you. Please, Montoya. Please see me for who I am, not for who I was." With that, she turned and started to head for the exit.

"But what about Orange, and Keaton, and-" began Montoya, who stood and leaned against the bars of his cell.

Amanda Claw stopped. Gently, she murmured: "Think of it this way. The best way to avenge their deaths... is not by taking another life... but by saving another life." With that, she left the prison complex, and Montoya watched her go.

While Rex waited for Amanda to finish her talk with Montoya, a hand burst through the bars of a nearby cell and grabbed his arm. Rex pushed away with his hover-chair in surprise, but the man had an iron grip and held the elite agent firmly in place.

Carl Lutsky pressed his face to the bars of his cell. This was the first time Rex had seen the man since his breakdown, and the present state of the ex-commander was disturbing.

Lutsky still held a firm grip on the agent's arm. "I hear you caught the mole," cooed Lutsky.

"Yes, we did," responded Rex. He still attempted to remove himself, but he retained his composure long enough to answer the mad commander's question.

"Was it Dust?" whispered Lutsky. Rex did not think it was possible, but Lutsky pressed his face deeper into the bars. It struck images into the elite agent's mind of Jack Nicholson in The Shining, one of those old movies he happened to see his teammates watching in the rec room. "I know Dust killed those men."

Rex did not know how to respond. The obvious answer was that Dust was dead, and that was what he said.

"NO!" yelled Lutsky. "He's controlling you, too. He's in your head, Rex, you have to kill him!"

The commotion was drawing over curious onlookers. Dude, Walter, and Donnie strolled over to see what the fuss was.

"Dust is dead," said Rex firmly. "You killed him."

"No, no, no, no," stammered the ex-commander. "I see him, he speaks to me."

Rex looked over to the other agents with a look of confusion. Amanda had finished her talk with Montoya and was heading down the hall to meet Rex.

"There!" screamed Lutsky. "I see him!"

The agents all looked to where Lutsky pointed, but there was no one there.

The ex-commander released Rex's arm and retreated to the corner of his cell to scream at the imaginary Dust. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, YOU SON OF A 4+ FIGURE! A DEAD MAN!"

Amanda took Rex's shoulder. "Are you ready to go?"

Rex nodded his head but continued looking at the sad figure occupying the cell. "Yes," said Rex, "let's get out of here."

*****

"She's dead?" Zach repeated, surprised. "I don't know much about her, but she can't be much older than fifty if her oldest son is in his mid-twenties."

"Take a look for yourself," Minerva said somewhat indifferently. She handed him the letter. It was Napoleon XIV Mental Institution.

"Died of natural causes. Says she 'passed away'," read Zach.

"She was mentally ill," Minerva stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "I think it can shorten your life."

Zach raised an eyebrow at her. She seemed completely unaffected at the news that her mother had died. He looked back at the letter. "It says she is already buried with no funeral at the request of a Ginerva Chase. Who is-"

"Athena's sister," Minerva said, her voice souring. "Nobody wanted to deal with Mom anymore after what happened with Tod. Athena Fabello's immediate family at this point only consists of her sister Ginny and her daughter Minerva. Since I am away fighting for the Dino Attack Team, Napoleon XIV chose to contact Aunt Ginny first, who clearly decided to save us the trouble of organizing a funeral where nobody cared about the passing soul in question and just have her buried somewhere in Antarctica."

Zach frowned. "Seriously?"

Minerva shrugged. "The fallout from Mom's breakdown wasn't pretty. I know Aunt Ginny was probably heartbroken to hear Tod had died, but I'm sure she was just as if not more embarrassed that her insane sister was the culprit. Nobody really forgave Mom for killing Tod, especially Oswald and me. I'm certain that Mom lived the last six years without seeing any family or friends."

Zach knew Minerva would probably be angry for how he felt, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Athena Fabello. Torn apart by grief and abandoned by every single person she ever loved did not sound nice. "It sounds like dying was probably a good thing. She finally got to escape her not-so-happy reality."

Wrong thing to say. Minerva's emotionless face turned into a scowl as she jabbed Zach hard in the chest. "Death only made her escape permanent," Minerva hissed angrily. "She escaped her harsh reality a long time ago, forcing us to suffer through it while she watched happily by the sidelines!"

Zach was struck silent after Minerva's sudden outburst. His mind buzzed annoyingly, telling him to lash back at her. No, he told himself calmly. That won't help. "I'm sorry," he began. "It's just that you didn't seem to care-"

"I don't care," Minerva snapped, cutting Zach off. Her tone, however, seemed to suggest otherwise. "I moved on after Tod died. For all intents and purposes, Athena Fabello died in 2004. She is nothing to me anymore. Her death means about as much as the death of an insect. Nothing."

Zach watched as Minerva fumed. "I'm going to be honest," he said slowly. "It seems like her death does mean something to you."

Minerva glared at him angrily. Cold and calm, she said, "She was my mother. Obviously, her passing means something. Other than our blood connection, I feel nothing for her, Zach." Minerva let out a long sigh. "She's gone. I'm done talking about her. She meant little to me before and means nothing to me now."

Zach simply nodded. It was clear that Athena Fabello was a touchier subject to Minerva than she had let on earlier. It would best for them both if they just let it go.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," Minerva said quietly. "It's just-"

"I understand," Zach interrupted. "Just drop it." Minerva nodded in agreement and the two started to head back to the headquarters' entrance. 

*****

Montoya slowly sat down and laid his head against the wall in his cell. Indeed, this wasn't Silencia, though she claimed to be. She'd asked him to talk to Schiess, but in this position, it seemed nearly impossible. As it happened, Schiess had no way of knowing that he was here, not yet anyway.

To the one side, there was a strange blond-haired occupant. He seemed somewhat unsettling, and while he didn't really seem to be paying attention to anyone else, seeing him seemed to scare Montoya completely. A little further down the hall, a group of people were discussing something. Through the bars, Montoya could faintly see a pale woman being held in one cell, and in the other, a semi-conscious one-eyed fool who was singing something incoherent.

There was a part of him that wanted to escape, but the last thing he needed was trouble with the law. The best thing to do was cooperate to the best of his abilities, and hopefully they'd let him go and he'd be able to go back home. He still couldn't tell if Silencia's words were genuine, or if she had just been setting him up. He was reluctant to find out either way.

*****

Rex and Amanda Claw made their way to the post room. They were rejoined by Frozeen, who was reading through something else that they had found in Saboteur's briefcase: Saboteur's journal.

"Saboteur was on to something," murmured Frozeen as they walked. "To quote from one of his more recent journal entries..."

"While Blondie, Angel Eyes, and Maria may have learned that 'Huntsman' is supposedly the mole, this does not make my job any easier. As far as I know, there is no Dino Attack agent codenamed 'Huntsman', and the closest codename I can think of ('Hunter') has been used by at least three Dino Attack agents... one of which is operating with the GAIA Squad in Mount Bricklake and the other two... well, it may be difficult to track either of them down. Still, I speculate about the mole's identity. An efficient mole would be one who does not attract much attention from the rest of the team; the less likely he/she is to stand out, the less likely he/she is to be suspected. Therefore, I doubt that the mole is anyone of the elite status or higher; most likely an inconspicuous standard agent that no one would bat an eye at. At the same time, an effective mole needs to be in a position where he/she can learn as much information as possible. A technology expert would be an ideal occupation for a mole, since he/she would be granted access to much information. The problem is that Dino Attack Team has no shortage on technology experts; they are nearly as common as the scientists and the soldiers. This, of course, leaves the eternal question... who is it? Also, I will need a new suit, as a Hybrid got blood on my favorite blazer yesterday and I am most displeased about this."

Rex and Amanda traded glances. "Wow," remarked Rex. "He nearly had it. If he had lived a little longer, I suspect that he would have figured it out before the rest of us. As much as I hate to admit it, Ata was smart; Saboteur was dangerous for a mole to keep alive, and so he knew that, by brewing suspicions and paranoia, he could turn Saboteur's teammates against him."

Frozeen sighed. "It's truly a shame that Saboteur was killed. He was one of those veteran Alpha Team agents that I could not help but admire, even long after I became an elite agent. Like agent Gromtin, for example. He was twice my age when he died back in Mission Deep Freeze, but much smarter and more skilled than I'll ever be. Before joining Alpha Team in 2000, Gromtin was a computer designer; his four years with the team changed him to a complete technology expert and master hacker."

Amanda glanced out the window, seeing the destroyed skyline of LEGO City. "Wherever his Creative Spark is," she murmured, "I hope it's in a better place."

"Well," Frozeen said with a shrug, "I doubt that he's trapped in some Builder-forsaken desert wasteland for all eternity... that's about one of the few things I can imagine being worse than a desolate city."

"How about a desolate city in some Builder-forsaken desert wasteland?" added Rex.

"Taken over by Ice Drones that he cannot kill, no matter how hard he tries," mused Frozeen, "and his only source of internet has to be stolen from some big, tall, ominous-looking citadel ruled by an oppressive overlord that makes Evil Ogel look like a soft, cuddly bunny." Chuckling himself, Frozeen decided: "Yep. Forget MegaBlokland. That... thing we just described... that sounds like a fate worse than MegaBlokland for Gromtin. Pray to Builder that his Creative Spark is, indeed, in a place much better than that."

"Did he have any family?" inquired Amanda.

"I... think he once mentioned having daughters," said Frozeen, shrugging once again. "It's funny, though. I haven't actually thought about Gromtin in years. All of a sudden, we're talking about him, completely out of the blue."

Amanda thought about what she had told Montoya, that she had not thought of Schiess or Montoya until they suddenly reentered her life. "Maybe Gromtin's Creative Spark is just reminding you that he existed," suggested Amanda, "for some special reason that only fate knows."

Frozeen laughed, and Rex and Amanda both stared at him in surprise. "I'm sorry," he said, chuckling. "I couldn't help it... but I just had a mental image of a little ball of light flying around my head shouting 'HEYLISTENHEYLISTENHEYLISTEN' in a high-pitched voice, just to remind me of what I already know."

Rex managed a smile. "Well, when you put it like that..."

*****

Semick led Andrew's crew out to a balcony somewhere in the middle of the height of the building. From there, the entirety of LEGO City's skyline could be seen.

Though obviously still bearing the wounds from the Mutant Dinos' first onslaughts, the city appeared to already be on the road to recovery. Vehicles could be heard driving among the streets, the equipment of busy construction crews echoed from various parts of the city, cranes sporadically rose out of the ground and gaping holes in the skyscrapers. Even a few lights were on in some of the buildings, an early response to the first signs of twilight. Progress was clearly being made, and there was no doubt that when this war finally came to an end, LEGO City, along with the rest of the world, would be restored to its former glory in a matter of months.

"It looks quite haunting," Pterisa observed, "but looking at it from here, and knowing of how Minifigs are moving back in, the skyline almost seems to stand out as a message of hope."

"Like a monument to the spirit of endurance and reconstruction," added Laxus. "Something that's always been a big ideal for not just Minifigs, but for many worlds in this universe."

"Yeah…" said Andrew. "It's quite comforting to see this city healing so well from the attacks."

"Maybe... but I find that it gives me pause," said Semick. "It worries me to see so many civilians returning to life here. This war isn't over yet."

"It almost is, plus as the base of our operations, we've pretty much kicked the Mutant Dinos out. Save a few stranglers the patrols are taking care of, there's not many left. It's hard to imagine them taking it back, especially considering what's been done to Dr. Rex's methods of creating more of them."

Semick remained silent for a few moments, appearing to Andrew like an ominous sign. "The thing is, Andrew, I've been imagining a lot since I heard about the mole, and I'm starting to lose my confidence."

"So..," said Laxus, starting to look concerned, "what you're saying is-"

"I'm starting to feel like our enemies are planning something. Something big, something we would have a hard time predicting, something... that serves as one last strike that could very well devastate our forces here at HQ, and this city in the process."

The group was silent as they contemplated this idea. After a few moments, Andrew spoke. "Well... I can understand the worry, but... there are the facts to consider. The Maelstrom Temple is cleansed, the Brickster's devastated their Dino Island facilities, many of XERRD's top scientists are dead or captured, the mole's been just about weeded out, we've cleared out several important locations... what do they have left? What could they possibly-"

"I wouldn't underestimate Alpha Rex," Pterisa suddenly interjected, looking quite morbid. "The other prototypes and I made that mistake before, and... well, I can only thank Dr. Einstein that I managed to end up where I am now. He may have had his many of his resources cut off, but trust me when I say it's very possible that he has some secrets locked up somewhere, like I was, ready for a last resort attack on your team."

After a few moments of contemplating her words, Andrew added to the conversation. "True, actually. Not only do we not know everything he has at his disposal, this former man is highly unpredictable, and I'd bet my Titanic car that a professional psychologist would diagnosis him as insane to the highest degree. Assuming the database researchers are correct, not only does he want to eradicate Minifigkind, he's got issues with General regarding love interests, has used Ole knows what methods to live eighty years or something, and has spent years with Paradox and his life as a Mutant T-Rex exposing himself to the Maelstrom."

"Compound that with the utter rage he must be feeling at our latest victories," said Semick, "and he might be willing to go all out, possibly willing to let himself, his XERRD followers, and all his plans fall by the wayside in some mad urge to get revenge and utterly destroy us. In short, I'm willing to believe that we could very well be facing our hardest challenge yet very soon."

Semick looked back out to LEGO City's skyline, which was beginning to take on quite a beauty as the sun began to cast an orange light on the horizon. "And LEGO City, with its returning civilian populace, could end up right in the middle of it all. A sitting duck, thinking it's safe to go back in the water. I can't just stand here and let that possibility come to fruition. We need to prepare for the worst."

*****

"So what's all this?" Elizabeth asked, noticing the files in front of Pierce.

"Documentation," replied Pierce. "Something about a renowned criminal by the name of Silencia Venomosa."

"Venomosa," repeated Elizabeth. "I think I've heard of her. I always assumed she was just a myth, a rumor fueled by the Imperial Armada to scare us pirates."

"According to this, she was real," said Pierce. "And in these headquarters, no less."

Elizabeth seemed fascinated.

Pierce turned in shock as a tall Elite Agent with a thick handlebar mustache burst into the infirmary, accompanied by several armed men. "I'm looking for elite agent Rotor," the mustached man said. "I understand he is in here."

"Yeah," replied Pierce. It was only a few minutes before two of the armed men grabbed Rotor and forced him out of his cot.

"Elite Agent Rotor, I presume," said the mustached man. "I am Elite Agent French Fries, and I have reviewed the report of the Adventurers' Island mission. You are therefore under arrest, and due to be court martialed for treason!"

"Treason?" Rotor repeated.

"Attempted murder, torturing prisoners, deserting your post, and escaping from prison. Take him to the court room."

Rotor was rather surprised as he was forced into the small box in the court room to find the only other man there was George, also sitting at the table of the defendants. There was another man there: their defense attorney, agent Gibbons.

"What's going on?" Rotor asked.

"I'm not quite sure," replied George. "Some form of trial."

"It's quite alright," Rotor said, relaxing. "Any reasonable judge is bound to let us off."

"Of course," replied Gibbons.

"Who is the judge, by the way?" Rotor asked. Suddenly, a deep-voiced incoherent shouting was heard. They quickly recognized the voice. "I'm dead," Rotor muttered.

"Well, come one," French Fries said as he walked into the room and started shoving his way toward the central judge's chair, pushing aside two other men. "Let's get this over in five minutes, then we can get some dinner."

After getting comfortable, French Fries proceeded to start. "Right," he said. "The court is now in session; Elite Agent French Fries is in the chair. The case before us is that of the team vs. Elite Agent Rotor and Standard Agent George Brown, both guilty of mass treason. Oh, and clerk, hand me that black cap, I'll be needing that." The man in front of the judge's table passed French Fries a black, flat piece of cloth.

"I love a fair trial," George remarked sarcastically.

"Anything you have to say before we kick off, Gunderson?"

The prosecutor stood up in response. "As this is clearly an open and shut case," Gunderson said. "I'd like to request a private prosecution against the defense council for wasting the court's time."

"Granted," replied French Fries. "The defense council is fined fifty dollars for showing up. Now, let the trial begin. The charge is that agent Rotor did deliberately, and knowingly, attempt to murder his own teammates, tortured innocent prisoners, and deserted your post in the face of duty, and that George Brown has deliberately, and knowingly helped a convicted war criminal, deserted his post in the face of duty, and disobeyed some orders as well."

*****

Once Dynamite and Fireman had been escorted away and the firefighters departed, the corridor calmed down a bit and the various agents dispersed. Hotwire was soon left alone, and he began walking away. As the adrenaline faded, he became aware of an intense ache in his left foot -- odd, given that he no longer had a left foot. Phantom pains. So it begins, he thought. Can't be much longer before the psychological trauma hits.

His musings were interrupted when he rounded a corner and saw Katerina Schattenberg walking purposefully along, flanked by her two three-eyed Loop lookalikes. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of mourning for the woman he'd befriended months ago, especially since she shared the exact appearance of this... stranger. Hopes that she wouldn't notice him survived only the briefest of moments as she quickened her pace. Now just hoping that the resentment he felt wasn't visible in his eyes, he slowed to meet her.

"Agent Hotwire," Katerina said smoothly, but with an undercurrent of urgency in her voice. "Perhaps you can be of assistance. I have reason to believe that Lupus Schattenberg survives and is now in this very building."

"How's that possible?" said Hotwire skeptically. "He went down aboard the Talon outside Hotep's temple." He listened carefully as Katerina related her encounter with Detective Bogart, and the odd bandanna-wearing figure she'd seen skulking at the edge of the room. By the time she finished, he was beginning to feel worried as well. "But how do you expect me to help?" he asked.

Katerina gestured towards a security camera a few feet away. "If you could grant me access to the right wires, I will be able to connect with the system and view all the recent footage, which could help us to locate him."

"Why not just go through the proper channels?"

She shook her head. "Too inefficient. Lupus is a rogue element -- an agent of chaos, if you will -- and must be dealt with as quickly as possible. I will be able to resolve the situation with ease and rapidity on my own."

Hotwire raised an eyebrow, but he moved towards the wall panel under the camera. It would be easy enough to expose the proper wires without knocking the camera offline or triggering any alarms. Rather tedious, though -- an infiltrator would undoubtedly be much better off with EMPs. He pried the panel open, slipped on a pair of insulated rubber gloves, and began sorting through the array of cords.

After several minutes, the feeling of Katerina's iron stare as he worked became slightly discomforting, so he attempted conversation. "So how'd Loop get free? I thought you reprogrammed him or something."

Katerina sniffed. "I cannot be sure." She sounded slightly embarrassed by this lack of knowledge. "I can only theorize that the chaotic events of the battle somehow allowed him to break away from his psychological conditioning. Still, as I said, it will be an easy enough matter for me to reassert control once we locate him."

Hotwire couldn't help but find this somewhat unnerving. Sounds like straight-up mind-control, he thought, and decided he'd rather continue working in silence.

*****

With the sudden surge in occupancy in the detention ward, the cellblock had become filled with curious onlookers. Pharisee had no qualms in allowing them to stay. He believed in a strict policy of transparency and encouraged agents to see the men who attempted to destroy all that was sacred and holy to the team.

The commander stood with his arms behind his back, looking into the cell that contained the traitor Ata. The man was a special kind of filth; agent Rex would claim that he was just a pawn and was being manipulated by XERRD, but Pharisee was less forgiving. Even if Ata did believe what he was doing was right, he still was in the moral wrong when he had pulled the trigger on Tech, and he deserved punishment for his crimes.

Pharisee firmly believed that Ata deserved to die. Once the investigation was over, he would put in a word to the founding members and the council of elite agents requesting a public execution.

Pharisee turned in surprise as Detective Bogart approached him with a look of accomplishment. "I spoke with our prisoner while you were apprehending the mole," he began, referring to Montoya. "He still hasn't given me his name, but he said something about Silencia Venomosa trying to kill him. Apparently, he is a reformed criminal who worked with her only to be betrayed. He also said he got a message from this building, from someone named Schiess, I believe."

"Who's Schiess?" asked Commander Pharisee. "That name's not on the registry."

"We know him as Trigger," said Bogart.

Pharisee scowled. "I should have known. Trigger's punishment is far overdue. I have business to attend to, but we will soon bring him here to answer for his crimes. We cannot allow violent men to roam free. They must be held accountable."

Bogart gave a lopsided grin. "Trigger won't be causing trouble for the time being. Last I heard, he had two agents and Solomon Koplowitz shadowing him."

Pharisee nodded. "Good to hear. Now if you excuse me, I have something I must say to agent Claw."

*****

"So," Minerva began, leaning against the wall of the Dino Attack Headquarters. "Who is your letter from?"

"Let's see," Zach said, tearing open the envelope and pulling out a sheet of paper. He read through the letter, a small smile forming on his face. "Just as I thought: the folks back in Antarctica checking up on me."

"Mommy worried about her little boy?" Minerva asked, grinning.

Zach ignored her playful insult. "Yes. She wants to know if I'm okay. Hopes that I haven't been injured. She'll probably split a brick when she finds out what has happened."

"Losing a hand, becoming a zombie, and getting every beating under the sun?"

"She also says everything is fine in Antarctica at the moment," continued Zach. "Not so much of a surprise."

"I think she wrote that letter for the sake of getting a response from you," Minerva noted.

"You can't really blame her. In all seriousness, she's probably worried sick that I ran around a jungle inhabited by mutated dinosaurs, trying to take down a temple that was host to an exceptional dark power bent on destroying the universe. A dark power she knew I would have some... issues with."

Minerva merely nodded. Zach suddenly felt guilty. Minerva most likely felt jealous that he had a mother that cared for his wellbeing while she, as of few days ago, has no mother.

Eager to rectify his mistake, Zach continued speaking. "Let's head in," he said. Minerva stood up straight and they pushed open the door and entered the lobby. "What should I write? Everything? Brief summary?"

Minerva shrugged. "I'd probably be somewhat detailed. Like a lot of what happened would best be explained in person. But don't be so vague that she's left panicking about your state of wellbeing."

Zach nodded. "Sounds good. Let's see... I'll mention the fortress, Scratch, the temple. I'll throw in the long Stromling bit with the promise that I'm mostly okay and I'll explain everything when I see her again. And an 'I miss you' to top it off" Minerva grinned at his explanation. "Oh, and I suppose I'll mention you."

"And Mommy will be excited her little Zachy got a girlfriend, right?" Minerva said with a smirk.

"Probably," Zach said in complete seriousness. "And then she'll want to meet you, have coffee, go shopping, etc. Treat you like her second daughter, that sort of thing. Not sure how well it would work out. Without going into much detail, you two aren't very alike."

Minerva laughed. "I'm sure that will be fun," she said sarcastically.

"When you put it that way, you both are incredibly sarcastic. You'll get along great." 

*****

Doctor Saran shook the hands of Clint Wayne and Angel Eyes as he stepped up to Fireman's cell.

"How did the talk with Dynamite go?" asked Angel Eyes.

"Sorry, Doctor-Patient Confidentiality," said Saran. "I'll need to do a follow-up when he's sober. Make sure he does not have access to alcohol in the future. Admittedly it will make our sessions less… interesting… but it will be beneficial once I can get serious responses."

"When will you be creating a psych report?" asked Clint.

"As soon as I can," responded the doctor. "But I'll certainly need more time."

He was led up to the bars containing Fireman. She stank horribly from the sweat and ash, and her matted black hair hung in clumps over her pale gray eyes.

"What can you tell me about Fireman?" said Saran. "I want to hear your impression of her."

"Quite frankly, we only just learned Fireman is a 'she'," offered Clint. "For all the time we've known her, she kept hidden behind a mask."

"Why do you suppose that is?" asked Saran. "Keeping a face hidden could mean any number of things."

"We always assumed it was for the heat," muttered Angel Eyes.

"It can be more complicated than that," said the psychologist. "Fear, self-hatred, people-pleasing, or not fully knowing who she is could play a role. By forcefully removing her mask, Fireman may be feeling exposed or violated right now."

*****

When Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen arrived at the post room, they were surprised to see Ed Mail already there, picking up some letters written by Dino Attack agents while putting others written to Dino Attack agents into their respective P.O. boxes. "Well, I'll be," said Frozeen, grinning. "Looks like the rumors were true after all; not even the apocalypse itself could stop the world's greatest mailman."

"Oh, hello, Peter," murmured Ed Mail, not even looking up from his work. "How's things been since your family moved to LEGO Town?"

Although he could have launched into detail about the disappearance of his father, the revelation of his true heritage, and all the misery he had been in since joining Alpha Team, Frozeen chose to simply shrug. "Oh, you know. Things have been just fine, even if I do miss the old days back at LEGO Island. How has LEGO Island been the past few years?"

"The same," said Ed Mail, nodding. "Working every day... because there's mail to deliver every day... and I'm the only mailman on the island... so I never get a break... but it's okay... because it's always nice on LEGO Island... and even if it were raining, snowing, sleeting, or hailing, there's still mail that needs mailing... so I wouldn't get a break anyways... so might as well enjoy working in such nice weather..."

Frozeen smiled with a look of nostalgia in his eyes. "Ah, Ed," he said, chuckling. "You haven't changed one bit."

"This letter is for Bartholomew Enderson," Amanda spoke up, handing her envelope to Ed Mail.

"And this one," Rex reached into his suit and pulled out a familiar envelope, "is addressed to Helen Rutherford."

Frozeen raised an eyebrow. "You're still going to send Saboteur's love letter, even after he... well, you know?"

Rex nodded solemnly. "It was intended for her, and it would not be right to keep it from her. Additionally, Specs and I have added a letter of our own to inform her about Saboteur and Recon and to extend our sympathies towards her. We're also including phone numbers so that she can arrange their funerals, receive grief counseling..."

Rex felt a lump in his throat as he spoke. Over the past year, he had seen many Dino Attack agents die. This was the first time he found himself directly involved with the process of delivering the news to the deceased's loved ones. It pained him to think of poor Helen Rutherford as she sits in the Antarctica refugee facilities, all alone, reading the horrible letter that would tell her that her husband and her son would never come home.

Ed Mail took the letters and put them in his oversized sack of mail. Then, he slung the bag over his shoulder, bending over due to its massive weight, and began to slowly walk out the post room. Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen watched him go.

As Ed Mail stepped into the hall, Rex thought he caught a glimpse of someone hiding in the shadows and darting around the corner. Rex blinked and narrowed his eyes, but the figure was gone. Did his eyes deceive him, or had Ata somehow escaped from his high-security imprisonment?

Gritting his teeth, Rex thought to himself, I'm not going to take any more chances. With that, he pulled on the joystick and piloted his hover-chair out into the hallway, intending to give chase.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 59: Into the Fire

----

"Now sum up, please," French Fries said impatiently to Gibbons, who had just provided a rather horrific defense case that involved a few questions which ultimately failed to help the defendants.

The defense attorney then picked up a piece of paper and started to read the speech. "Gentlemen, you have heard all the evidence presented before you today, but in the end, it is up to the consciences of your hearts to decide, and I firmly believe that, like me, you will find that agent Rotor and agent Brown are in fact totally and utterly guilty."

Gibbons sat down. An annoyed George turned the paper around, revealing the rest of the speech, and the attorney quickly stood back up. "-Of nothing more than simply trying to do their duty under difficult circumstances."

"Nonsense," replied French Fries. "They are deserters and traitors, and they're going to be shot. However, before we proceed to the formality of sentencing the deceased - I mean defendant, I think we'd all enjoy hearing the case of the prosecution. Gunderson, if you please."

Gunderson slowly got to his feet and worked his way to the podium. "My case is very simple," Gunderson said. "I would like to start by calling my first witness, Elite Agent French Fries."

French Fries stood up and worked his way out of the chair to the podium.

"Did you not read the report of the affairs on Adventurers' Island?" Gunderson asked.

"Yes," replied French Fries.

"Did it not say that agent Rotor attempted to execute his own men?" continued Gunderson.

"Yes."

"Did it not also say that George Brown received an order to destroy the XERRD Fortress?"

"Yes. "

"Did agent Brown follow that order?"

"No," replied French Fries.

"What did he do?"

"He deserted the scene of the action," explained French Fries.

"Did it not also say that Brown broke Rotor out of prison?"

"Yes."

"I object!" protested George. "We were being attacked by a swarm of mutant dinosaurs."

"Which brings me to my next point," continued Gunderson. "Did they stay and fight that mob of dinosaurs?"

"No," replied French Fries. "They ran off into the jungle as far away as they could."

"So you're not denying that they deserted?"

"No sir," affirmed French Fries.

"Can you see Rotor and Pilot anywhere in this room?"

French Fries promptly started shouting and pointing toward the defendants' table. "THEY'RE THERE! THEY'RE THERE! THEY'RE THE MEN!"

"Very good," concluded Gunderson. "No further questions."

"Splendid, excellent, first class," French Fries said as he worked his way back to the judge's table. "I therefore have absolutely no hesitation..." As he spoke, he picked up the piece of cloth and placed it onto his head. "... in announcing that the sentence of this court is that you, Elite Agent Rotor and Standard Agent Brown, will be taken from this place and suffer death by shooting tomorrow at dawn. Court dismissed!"

*****

"Well?" Zach said expectantly, crossing his arms.

Minerva bit her lip, suppressing a snicker. "Well, if I was your mother, I'd be worried sick about what might happen to you next after reading this letter."

"I did put some encouraging words in it," Zach protested.

"I'm pretty that will do little to nothing to reassure her," Minerva said. She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. You're out in a Mutant Dino-infested world. Your mother's going to be terrified regardless."

Zach pulled the letter away from her and folded it into an envelope. "Then I suppose I'll send it off." He rose to his feet and began to head to the post room, Minerva right behind him.

Fortunately for him, he managed to meet Ed Mail on his path. "Ed! Glad I caught you."

"Oh, hello, Zach," Ed muttered. "I suppose you need a letter to be delivered, too."

"Yeah." Zach handed it to him.

Ed put the letter into his large sack. "Now excuse me. The mail must be delivered." Zach and Minerva stepped out his way, allowing him to slowly pass on.

"Where to, now?" Minerva asked.

"Perhaps we should-" Zach paused as he looked ahead. He saw a floating chair briefly pass through the intersection in the hallway, its occupant, who Zach could not identify, clearly looking for someone. "That sort of looks like Zed Provhezor's chair."

"Who?" Minerva asked, confused. "Ze Professor?"

"Zed Provhezor."

"That guy you were reading about that got sucked into the Maelstrom vortex?"

"Yeah. Some nearly-limbless XERRD scientist who floated around in a hoverchair. I passed by him briefly before getting the Maelstrom injected into my body. But, as you said, he should be dead."

Minerva frowned, her grip tightening on her Sonic Screamer. "So, I guess that we should see why this guy is in such a hurry?"

"Probably would be a good idea." Zach made sure his Cosmotronic Ray was fully loaded before he and Minerva started to move after the hoverchair and its occupant. 

*****

George and Rotor's attention was drawn as a guard opened the door to their cell. "Chap here to see you."

At that moment, a dirty, filthy short man walked into the cell holding a sack. "I brought you some breakfast for your final breakfast tomorrow."

"I take it you're not putting much hope on a last-minute-reprieve, then?" George asked.

"No sir" replied the man. "You are as dead as some doo-doos."

"As a dodo," corrected George. "Now, do you have a name?"

"Agent Baldrick, sir," the man introduced himself.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," said the guard. He closed the door.

"Do not despair, guys," Baldrick said as the door closed. "All that talk of food was just a dead herring. In fact, I have a cunning plan." He held up the sack. "This is not food, but an escape kit."

"Great Builder," said Rotor. "With a gun, a hammer, a chisel, a change of clothes, a false passport, and a false mustache, we might just stand a chance."

"Ah," Baldrick murmured. "About that…"

George reached in and pulled out something that surprised him. "A small painted wooden duck?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Baldrick. "I thought, if you get caught near water, you could balance it on top of your head, as a brilliant disguise."

"Yes," muttered Rotor. "We would, of course, have to escape first."

"Now what's this?" George said as he reached in. "Unless I'm much mistaken, a hammer and a chisel?"

"You are much mistaken," replied Baldrick.

"A pencil and a miniature trumpet," said George as he pulled out the items.

"Yeah," said Baldrick. "A pencil so you guys can write me a postcard to tell me how the breakout went, and a small little tiny miniature trumpet in case during your escape you need to win favor with a difficult child."

"Look," Rotor said in a slightly calmer voice than usual. "We don't want to spend our last precious hours rummaging through this feeble collection of stocking fillers. So let me just ask you a series of simple questions. Is there a saw in this bag?"

"No," replied Baldrick.

"A hammer?"

"No."

"A chisel?"

"No."

"A gun?"

"No."

"A false passport?"

Baldrick stopped to think for a moment. "No."

"A change of clothes?"

"Yes sir," replied Baldrick. "I wouldn't forget a change of clothes."

"Well, that's something," remarked George. He reached in and pulled out two costumes. "Robin Hood costumes," he realized.

"Yeah," said Baldrick. "I put in a peasant's outfit at first, and then I thought: what if you arrive in a peasant village and they're in the middle of a fancy-dress party?"

"And what happens if we land in a peasant village dressed in Robin Hood costumes and there isn't a fancy-dress party?" George asked sarcastically.

"Well," admitted Baldrick, "to be quite frank, I didn't consider that eventuality, because if you did, you'd stick out like a-"

"Like a man standing in the middle of a lake with a small, painted, wooden duck on his head?" finished Rotor.

"Exactly!" replied Baldrick.

"Excuse me sir," the guard said as he walked in.

"Um… yes," said George. "Thank you, Baldrick, we'll finish this 'picnic' later."

"Yum, yum," said Baldrick enthusiastically as he turned toward the guard before leaving the room.

*****

In one of the security stations, Bluetooth was assisting some men in rewiring the connections to a couple of the sentries Tech had set up just before he was killed. The mole, who was revealed by the word going around to be Ata, seemed to have jammed its internal computer that had nigh-completely fried its programming. A couple of mechanics were working to try and reconfigure the sentries, having a bit of difficulty due to not quite understanding the late Tech's impressive methods of building them, but were steadily making progress.

What Bluetooth was doing was making sure the connection would be working right once the sentries were brought back online. It was simple enough, since Futuron had far more complicated ways of connecting networks, but it was still tedious, especially since the technology was in need of replacement after the beatings a bomb drop and a schism had done to the various parts of the security stations.

"Okay, I believe I have all the circuit breakers reset and the connections reestablished to the ports," Bluetooth told the crew. "Once the engies get back to you with their work on the sentries, call me on my communicator, and I'll get back to you."

"Alright," said one of the security agents. "Thanks for the help. The sooner we recover from that mole's sabotage, the better."

Departing from the room, Bluetooth began feeling parched, and began looking towards one of the locations he thought they had a vending machine. But as he rounded a corner, he encountered a mustached agent who looked slightly familiar, a black piece of cloth hanging on his head.

"Pardon me," he said, "I must be getting to dinner."

"Sorry, um..." Bluetooth paused, trying to remember the guy's codename.

"It's French Fries," he said with full seriousness. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Wait, I know you!" Bluetooth then remembered. "You're the idiot Zenna reported as forcing her to expose the Antarctica mission! How the heck are you still here?"

"Oh, please," scoffed French Fries. "That's all just a big misunderstanding our enemies created to discredit us. A hoax. I've done nothing but good civil services to keep our team in the right of way."

Bluetooth wasn't impressed by this man who was sounding less and less sane by the minute. "I see... what's with the cap?"

"Oh, that?" French Fries said, removing it from his head in the process. "I just came back from judging a treason case. A couple of agents from Adventurers' Island got themselves in a mighty bit of trouble, as I'm sure you know."

"What, you mean Lutsky? He's already in the brig, suffering from a couple of mental conditions, not unlik-"

"Oh, no no no no no. I mean agents Rotor and Brown, of course."

"What?!" Bluetooth cried. He recalled the case back at the camp where Rotor had tried to get several agents executed for disobeying his controversial order to fire on the XERRD Fortress during the final stages of attack. He knew Rotor, although given some pardon after the camp ambush, had committed enough unorthodox deeds to get back into trouble, but he doubted any trial of his should be overseen by such an oddball like French Fries, let alone one that would still see George Brown as still in the wrong for his disobedience.

"Yes," continued French Fries, "and they have been found guilty, and will be shot at dawn tomorrow. A fit punishment, I think, for having the bright idea of disobeying a superior's orders, or executing one's own men, or running from their posts, or freeing-"

"ARE YOU MAD?!!" Bluetooth cried out, barely containing himself from shoving the undeserving Elite Agent into the wall. "I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW STUPID YOU ARE!! FIRST ANTARCTICA, AND NOW THIS!!? HOW ARE YOU STILL HERE!?!"

French Fries was completely taken aback, but quickly gained some amount of composure back, and began looking displeased. "Are you in question of my judgment, agent?"

"You..." Bluetooth said, his frustration now only barely contained, as he waved his index finger at the man's face. "You... are so fired." With that, he ran down the hall, making a beeline for a nearby water fountain. Stopping, he took a long drink from it, beginning to let his nerves cool down and senses return.

French Fries was an idiot, but an idiot with enough followers to be able to pull off stunts like this. He couldn't simply be taken down by a couple agents. This had to be made widespread throughout the team. And there was only one way to do it.

Bluetooth pulled out his PDA and began typing out a message.

Agents of Dino Attack, Elite Agent French Fries is at it again!

The last time this man decided to take a major action, the Antarctica mission was exposed, causing mass riots in the refugee camps and a needless schism between our idealist and realist sympathizers that nearly crippled our leadership!

Now he's taken to taking charge of our personal criminal justice system! Agents Rotor and Brown, who both ended up on the wrong side of our prosecution system at various times during the Adventurers' Island mission, were treated to a "trial" organized, judged, and ruled over by French Fries himself! He has seen it fit to declare them guilty and have them killed by gunfire in the morning! This is a horrid choice of behavior and unruly mockery of justice, no matter who is being punished here! I implore everyone, from our lowest rank rookies to our Founding Leaders, to do what they can to stop this madman before dawn, and save two of our men from a despicable fate!

-Standard Agent Bluetooth

He then set it to send to all agents with the All-Agents-Bulletin alert setting, and pressed "Send" as hard as he could. 

*****

Katerina waited for several minutes before agent Hotwire finally handed over three wires with the insulation stripped away for about four inches. She nodded in gratitude and carefully grasped the wire between her palms. Immediately, a flood of data raced into her mind, and she absentmindedly stared at the ceiling while she began sifting through it.

First, she narrowed her field to security footage from the day so far. Blackouts over the deaths of the Second Headquarters Squad, Trigger's violent outbursts, Zelda and Nazareno sparring, and so forth. She raised an eyebrow when the timestamps of two bits of footage revealed Specs to have been in entirely different areas of the building simultaneously. Most likely a glitch. It wasn't important, anyway. What mattered was Lupus Schattenberg: where he'd been and where he was.

She was rewarded quickly as she located the mess hall footage during her confrontation with Bogart. And there was Lupus, now unmistakable despite the Dino Attack uniform and the bandanna. She focused her mind's eye on him, and when he exited, she sorted through the footage that followed it chronologically, narrowing her field even more to track his movements throughout the building.

Once satisfied, she handed the wires back to Hotwire. The entire process had taken approximately seven seconds.

"So where's he get to?" Hotwire asked as he re-insulated the wires as best he could.

"The most current footage revealed Lupus Schattenberg near the interrogation rooms," said Katerina. "He appeared to be confronting a masked figure dressed in the uniform of an Ogel Drone."

*****

Swerve was beginning to feel a bit more like himself -- or at least less like not-himself. The thick gloves did a fairly decent job of obscuring the skeletal thinness of his hands, and the balaclava and dark goggles concealed his bare skull completely. He still had to get rid of the horrid uniform, though. If memory served him properly, the barracks were this way. Perhaps there'd be a spare uniform that would fit a skeleton.

The oddest thing by far about the last several months since his transformation --and that bit was still something of an enigma -- was that he'd experienced only positive emotions while oblivious to his past life. A defense mechanism, perhaps? Or perhaps not, as negative emotions had been commonplace enough for the last hour or so; he was choking some back at that moment, as the memory of Mort's look of utter disgust popped into his mind.

This was what took his mind off of his surroundings, and this inattentiveness was what allowed him to be grabbed by the arms from behind and hauled into an empty briefing room. He tried to struggle, but his multiple cracked bones made this difficult. Within seconds he was tied to a chair.

"Calm down. I just want to talk," his assailant said, walking around to where Swerve could see him. The Alpha Team agent-turned-drone stiffened in recognition. The face was familiar, though he couldn't see the third eye due to the grey bandanna tied around his attacker's head, but what tipped him off was the subtle buzz he felt in the air, as though the minifig before him were a live wire.

"Been a while, hasn't it, Swervy?" said Loop. 

*****

April 27, 2010

Swerve sat down gingerly on the side of the road and tried to remain calm. That lasted for all of seven seconds. He cursed in frustration. The mission was a failure.

At least Spectrum, Talon, and Hotwire were safely on their way back to HQ. The road to Mt. Bricklake was too narrow for his Iron Predator, so he and Spectrum had set off on foot to try and raise the alarm personally. Unfortunately, a rockslide and a sprained ankle put an end to that quickly, separating the two of them and immobilizing Swerve. The PDAs and radios were still dead -- for all of Talon's promises of her brother's skill, that rookie Hotwire couldn't seem to keep the comms online for more than two minutes at a time.

The Alpha Team agent could hear the Pteranodons overhead. So much for saving Mt. Bricklake, he thought to himself, fighting off despair.

This was interrupted when he heard footsteps behind him, and a voice that was all-too-familiar. "Small world, isn't it? I hope you didn't think I'd forgotten about you."

Swerve turned with some difficulty. The speaker was a broad-shouldered minifig with three eyes. "Loop," he growled. But... the uniform was wrong. The last time he'd confronted this mad mutant, he'd been fighting a servant of the Evil OGEL Empire. Now, Loop was dressed in the orange garb of the henchmen of Dr. Inferno. "Can't even stay loyal to a competent villain, huh?"

Loop laughed. "I'm loyal to nobody you know about. Fighting for Ogel served its purpose in time... and that's why I'm here now."

He began circling Swerve. "You can do a lot of interesting things with electricity, you know." He snapped his fingers and sparks began to buzz up and down his arms. "Fry a person's mind to a crisp while leaving their body functioning perfectly, destroy software programs in the blink of an eye... or create a field to cancel out radio waves..." Swerves eye's widened, and Loop grinned. "Yeah, I don't mean to brag, but that was all me. That Hotwire seems to be exceptional with wiring -- you can bet I'll be keeping an eye on him -- but it's all useless if the signal dissipates in seconds."

Loop continued monologuing. "But that's not all you can do with electricity. I've experimented quite a bit, you see, and one of my very favorite things to do," he said, walking around behind Swerve, "is paralyze someone." He placed one hand on Swerve's spine and emitted a jolt of electricity. Immediately, the Alpha Team agent went completely numb. "Much classier than ropes," said Loop. "Even when you tie someone up, they can still struggle. Unfortunately, this is not a trick that will ever work on you again, old friend, because in a few minutes, you won't have any nerves at all. Literally."

Swerve couldn't even move his eyes, so when Loop walked around behind a nearby boulder, the only evidence of the Inferno henchman's presence was his voice. "You should be flattered to know that I specifically selected you for this task," spoke Loop, "and suggested it to my commanding officer."

Swerve desperately tried to pick up the mutant in his peripheral vision. Within seconds, his captor had returned, and Swerve gasped when saw what Loop had in his hands.

The three-eyed minifig smiled darkly.

"Like I said, fighting in Ogel's army had its advantages."

Loop was holding a Mind-Control Orb. 

----

Rex piloted the hover-chair through the hallways of Dino Attack Headquarters, trying to pursue the fleeing Ata. As he caught more and more glimpses of the XERRD mole darting from shadow to shadow, he became more and more sure that it was him and not some trick of the mind. Unfortunately, even after the hover-chair was fully repaired by Dr. Cyborg, this was the first time Rex ever tried chasing someone with it, and it was not something he picked up on quickly.

Behind him, Rex became aware that a small crowd of followers were pursuing him in return. First, there was Zachary Virchaus and Minerva Fabello. Behind them, Frozeen and Amanda struggled to catch up. Rex overheard a quick exchange between Zachary and Frozeen as the latter explained that Rex had taken Zed Provhezor's hover-chair after the Maelstrom Temple battle.

"What exactly are we doing?" yelled Minerva as she ran.

"It's Ata!" Rex quickly shouted over his shoulder. "He's escaped!"

"Ata?" wondered Zachary. "The communications expert? What about-"

"The mole!" Frozeen quickly filled Zachary and Minerva in on the news. Evidently, while word was slowly spreading around that Attila Huntsman was the traitor, it hadn't reached the ears of Zachary or Minerva yet. "He's actually a XERRD shinobi... it's not surprising that he could find a way to slip out of the high-security imprisonment!"

"Th' mole be a shinobi?" Rex became aware of an older, grizzled, and familiar voice joining those behind him. "Th' same mole that caused 'em Antarctica riots? Blow me down, I be shiverin' me timbers if I dinnae 'elp ye shoot down that bilge rat, says I!"

"Great to have your help, Greybeard!" responded Rex. "I think he's headed for the lobby!"

"Tell you what, Rex!" decided Frozeen. "Amanda and I'll go this way and meet you there! Hopefully we can surround him and catch him before it's too late!"

"Sounds good to me!" agreed Rex.

As Amanda and Frozeen left the main group and took a detour, Rex, Zachary, Minerva, and Greybeard continued the pursuit for another few minutes. The only way Rex could be sure of where they were going was based upon the occasional glimpse of Ata slipping from shadow to shadow. As a shinobi, his skills of sneaking around and avoiding security systems were greater than normal; Frozeen was right, Rex realized, as nearly any security system would be no good in holding Ata.

At last, just before reaching the lobby, Rex heard the sound of a flintlock pistol firing just as Ata emerged from one shadow. Greybeard's aim was true, and Ata stumbled. "Hah!" barked Greybeard. "Ye shinobi think that ye be so invincible! That we buccaneers dinnae stand a chance against ye! Well, think again, matey!"

Still, Ata was nearly out of the building, and with surprising perseverance, he continued to flee with uncanny speed. As he saw Ata enter the lobby, Rex feared for a moment that they were too late and that Ata would escape. By the time Rex, Zachary, Minerva, and Greybeard entered the lobby, Ata was already at the doors. "No!" shouted Rex.

At the last possible second, an elderly man in a black suit who was sitting on a chair by the doors bolted out of his seat and extended his arm in a horizontal chopping motion, slamming it into the neck of Ata. The XERRD shinobi, caught by surprise, was knocked backward upon the floor and gasped for breath. As Rex and his friends approached Ata's fallen form, the old man lowered his arm and stared at them.

Greybeard stood over Ata's body and glared down upon him with his one good eye. "So," he hissed, "ye be th' mole responsible fer th' Antarctica riots. Ye be th' one who stirred violence in th' Dino Attack Team an' in th' refugee facilities, endangerin' us all in th' process. What cowardly scum ye be! It be time fer ye t' dance a fine dance t'night!"

Then, before Rex, Zachary, or Minerva could stop him, Greybeard fired his flintlock pistol again. This time, he silenced Ata's gasps forever.

Before Rex could find any words to say to Greybeard, Frozeen and Amanda arrived. "Ah, good!" panted Frozeen. "It looks like you got h... Oh, my."

"Ye cannae lock up a shinobi," grumbled Greybeard, "an' he deserved t' be punished fer what he did."

"We did have some help, though," added Zachary. "If it weren't for him..." He trailed off, and everyone looked in the direction he pointed; Minerva, Rex, and Greybeard with surprise, and Frozeen and Amanda with confusion.

The old man that they had seen... had disappeared.

*****

"Hey, what's this?" Dude said curiously as he reached into his baggy shorts and pulled out a dusty PDA. "Agents of Dino Attack," he started to read. "Agent French Fries is at it ag-"

"What kind of name is that?" Walter asked. "Agent French Fries. How is that a guy like him became an Elite Agent, and YET WE ALL HAD TO STAY IN ZNAPPING ANTARCTICA BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID CODENAME!?"

"Hey guys," said a sudden voice from behind. Everyone turned to see a filthy, dirty, short man in uniform with a great big smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Dude asked.

"Agent Baldrick, sir," replied the man. "Look, I just got this funny message I wanted to show you." He walked up to the prison and handed the PDA to agent Fireman, who sighed and took it. "You looked a bit down, so I thought this might cheer you up. It's hilarious."

Fireman took a moment to read it before tossing it back out. "I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be funny," she said with a monotone voice.

"Are you kidding?" replied Baldrick. "It's the most hilarious joke I've ever read in my life." 

Nearby, Montoya heard the security doors to the detention block open. A Dino Attack agent who looked like a shameless knockoff of Indiana Jones approached his cell and casually leaned against the bars. "G'day, mate," the Dino Attack agent said with a grin. "Now, you're the one they call Montoya, eh?"

Montoya looked up with surprise. "Err, yes," he said, nodding. "That's me."

"Well, today's your lucky day!" The Dino Attack agent clapped his hands together. "Name's Rick, but the folks 'round here know me as Elite Agent Adventure. And, as an Elite Agent, I have the authority to pardon you and set you free."

Suspicious, Montoya raised an eyebrow. "Why would you free me?" he wondered.

As he unlocked Montoya's door, Adventure shrugged. "I don't know the full story, but Claw put in a good word for you and said I could set you free. She said that you owed her a favor or something like that."

Could it be? thought Montoya. With hesitation, he asked: "I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name. Maybe if you could tell me what she looks like...?"

Adventure smiled to himself. "That sheila is might pretty, I tell you. I'd say she's likely in her mid-twenties. Got long brown hair, usually tied in a ponytail. Kinda quiet, though; she doesn't speak much unless it's necessary. She's also got some high-ranking friends, like that honcho Rex who manages to stay in the action while sitting in a wheelchair, and from what I hear, she's quite skilled with a knife. I can respect that; there's nothing quite like going on an adventure and cutting your way out of primate-infested jungles in a macho fashion with explosions in the background while..."

As Adventure continued to ramble, Montoya's thoughts turned grim. Based upon that description, Claw had to be Silencia Venomosa. Which meant that the only reason that she sent Adventure to set him free would be so that he could talk to Trigger. That must have been the favor she was referring to.

"... and a monkey named Vladimir Bananas flying off into space. Ah! There we go!" Adventure opened the cell door and tipped his hat in Montoya's direction. "You're free to go, Montoya!"

*****

"I be tellin' ye!" muttered Greybeard as he walked alongside Frozeen. "Thar be an elderly fellow who 'elped us take down th' mole. I dinnae imagine it, says I! Rex, Zachary, an' Minerva say they saw 'im too!"

"Right," said Frozeen, frowning skeptically. "And he just mysterious vanished right before Amanda and I walked in?"

"Aye," said Greybeard, "as strange as it sounds."

Frozeen sighed. "You know, I'd think that, after growing up on LEGO Island, joining the Alpha Team, and experiencing the Dino Attack, I'd be used to strange things like this. Still, experience does not make it any easier to comprehend. He wasn't... pale or translucent or anything, was he? I sure hope there aren't any ghosts haunting Dino Attack Headquarters now." He shuddered at that thought.

"It be this room t' yer left," Greybeard pointed out.

Together, they entered the room where Greybeard left Mary Rose during the pursuit of Ata. They were surprised to find that the little girl was not alone, but accompanied by Shadow, Digger, and a female Dino Attack agent in a wheelchair. Mary Rose was sitting on a table, and the wheelchair-bound agent sat in front of her, speaking with Shadow and Digger. Her voice carried a hint of a British accent.

"... is true, then we should not be relieved that Mutant Dinos have been appearing less and less frequently in LEGO City. The families and businesses that have returned to LEGO City from Antarctica have put themselves in danger. And-"

The female Dino Attack agent turned to see the newcomers enter the room. "Oh," she murmured. "It's you."

"What?" Greybeard raised an eyebrow, confused. He turned to ask Frozeen if he knew what she was talking about, and then he saw that Frozeen was quite flustered. The Alpha Team agent's face had paled and his eyes were widened.

Swallowing hard, Frozeen managed to say: "Oh! Well... hello again. It's, ah, been a while."

"Indeed," agreed the female Dino Attack agent, "it has been 'a while'."

"I be sorry," said Greybeard, "but I dinnae exactly remember ye, so, err, could someone fill me in so me timbers belay their shiverin'?"

"Right," said Shadow, nodding. "After the revelation of Ata's true loyalties, we had to quickly and temporarily promote someone else to the position of lead communications officer, and this young woman here seemed fit for the task."

"And her name be...?" inquired Greybeard.

The Dino Attack agent wheeled herself over towards Frozeen and Greybeard. "As Peter and I have known each other since middle school," she explained, "we don't need to exchange formalities. However, as you and I have only just met, Greybeard, it is only fair of me to introduce myself. I am Shannon Grimton, leading technology expert with a degree in biotechnological studies, and youngest daughter of the late Alpha Team technology expert agent Gromtin."

*****

"That was exciting," Minerva said to Zach as they made their way to the mess hall.

"I would say so," Zach responded absently. "Guess we found the mole. And now he's dead thanks to Greybeard."

"I don't know if killing him was necessary."

"No, but he had a point. If Ata can slip out of a high-security prison once, he can do it again. Getting killed in an unceremonious fashion is more than fitting for mole that helped cause everything from the riots in Antarctica to the deaths of the Second Headquarters Squad."

"I suppose." They finally reached the mess hall and found Zelda Frodongan and Kareem Nazareno at a table, Zelda consuming a snack while Nazareno sat in front of her, unable to eat due to his mask. As they approached, Zach noticed that Zelda had a sheath on her back that concealed two silver katanas.

"Greetings, Zachary and Minerva," Nazareno said plainly, not turning to face the two. Zelda grinned.

"Hello, Nazareno. Zelda," Zach said, taking a seat next to Nazareno while Minerva took a seat next to Zelda. "Getting one step closer to becoming a ninja, aren't you, Zelda?"'

"Unfortunately, the swords in the armory do not even begin to match the quality of mine," Nazareno said. "These swords will suffice, but barely. That is why I suggest carrying a firearm on your person just in case."

"Yes, yes," Zelda said. "So, did you two hear they caught the mole?"

"Yes," Zach said. "We watched him get killed by Greybeard."

"And why did the pirate shoot Ata?" Nazareno said, closing his eyes and keeping his voice controlled.

"He was escaping. He was a XERRD Shinobi. Some old guy clotheslined him, and Greybeard finished him off. From my interpretation, Greybeard seems to dislike Shinobi as much as you dislike Pirates."

"Of course," Nazareno muttered. "And who was the old man that stopped Ata from escaping?"

"We don't know," Minerva said. "He stopped Ata and then he just sort of... disappeared."

"Curious. I wonder where he could've run off to?" Nazareno shrugged. "So the mole is dead. Good. One less issue to deal with. With him gone, we should be able to move on to the team's next assignment soon enough."

"What do think the team will do next?" Zelda asked.

"Unless another urgent issue rises that needs to be dealt with, a final conflict with XERRD is on the horizon. One that will decide to the victor of this war. It could be anywhere at any time, but it will happen. Very soon." 

*****

"Oh 'allo sir," Baldrick said as he turned toward Montoya.

"Hey," replied Montoya.

"You've just got out of prison," said Baldrick.

"Yeah," said Montoya. "Your point is?"

"I've got something here," replied Baldrick. He held out a dirty sack.

"Breakfast?" Montoya asked sarcastically.

"That was just a brilliant dead herring," said Baldrick.

"Red herring," Montoya corrected. "The phrase is red herring."

"What I've got here… is an escape kit!"

"Ah yes," muttered Montoya. "I'm sure a small painted wooden duck will come in handy, as will two Robin Hood costumes, a pencil, and a miniature trumpet."

"How'd you know that?" Baldrick asked, surprised.

"These cells aren't soundproof," replied Montoya. "I could hear you pretty easily in there. I also won't be needing that since I've just been released. That's why I'm not in my cell. By the way, I wouldn't go talking about these things right in front of a cop." Montoya motioned toward Vinyaya, who seemed to be watching Baldrick with a look of irritation.

"Oh well," replied Baldrick. "Suit yourself, I'm going to go complement that one guy on his great joke." Baldrick looked at his PDA again. "Agent... Bluh...eh...tuhth. I'm going to go speak to him."

Montoya sighed as he turned and walked toward the door.

*****

French Fries excitedly sat down at one of the tables in the cafeteria with a large plate full of food. "This is looking good, Darling," he said to the agent there.

"Yes," replied Darling, somewhat embarrassed by his codename.

"Tell me," said French Fries, taking a large bite out of his food. "How are we doing in the field?"

"Pretty good so far," replied Darling.

"Have you tried out my plan yet?" asked French Fries.

"What you mean the one where everyone gets out of the base and walks really slowly toward the army of mutant dinosaurs?"

"That's the one, yes."

"Unfortunately no," replied Darling. "I've run into a slight flaw with that one. You see, no matter what way we try it, everyone always gets slaughtered in the first ten seconds."

"Oh dear," said French Fries. "I think we're going to have to boost the morale of the men!"

*****

Rex's chair floated beside Amanda as they left the Dino Attack lobby. Rex was still shaking his head about what just happened. He was shocked that Greybeard had taken it upon himself to be Ata's judge and executioner but, seeing as Greybeard was a pirate and a realist, it did not come as something completely unexpected. That, and as much as Rex hated to admit it, Greybeard's apparent animosity towards ninja allowed him to bring up a valid point: if Ata was such a skilled shinobi that he could escape Dino Attack's highest security prison, no doubt he could do it again.

Still, Rex could not believe how quickly Ata had seemingly changed in the past twenty-four hours. From a trusted technology and communications expert... to a XERRD shinobi and infiltrator... to yet another death brought about by this war.

Wanting to take his mind off the subject of Ata, Rex was about to ask Amanda a question when they both suddenly stopped. The old man in the black suit appeared before them. He walked towards them, taking long strides with every step, and stopped in front of Rex's hover-chair. "I need to speak with you in private," he spoke to Rex. "It's very urgent matters."

Amanda narrowed her eyes, and Rex, taking notice of this, bit his lip. "I'd... feel a little safer if my companion Amanda was with me while we spoke," Rex explained. "We've just had some problems with trust and security, and while you did help solve these problems (thank you, by the way), I'd just feel more comfortable if-"

"Very well, then," said the elderly man, nodding. "Now, come in here with me. We haven't much time to talk about this."

Rex and Amanda traded glances, but they followed the old man as he entered the broom closet. The bulk of Rex's hover-chair made the space a little tight and claustrophobic, and the lighting wasn't so good here, but it seemed to satisfy the old man.

Now that they were closer, Rex could tell there were some things... off... about the elderly man. His black suit was brand-new... so brand-new, in fact, he forgot to take of the price tag. He stood tall and erect, but he also appeared dangerously thin, as though he was suffering from years of malnutrition. His skin was horribly pale, and it was wrinkled on his face but stretched bone-tight on his hands. Aside from a few strands of silver-white hair that covered his scalp in an attempt to replicate a comb-over, the man was completely bald. Strangely, although he was shaven, it appeared that he had not done a very good job at it, as there were noticeable cuts on his cheeks and chin. There were also a number of larger cuts and prominent bruises on the old man's scalp and hands. His eyes were sunken deep into their sockets, with only a glint of light reflecting off their shiny surfaces to let Rex know that they still existed.

But most of all, there was something familiar about the old man. Rex could not put his finger on it, but his appearance and his voice vaguely reminded him on someone he had once met. But surely, Rex thought to himself, if I ever met a Minifig like this before, I would remember.

The elderly man cleared his throat. "I come to you," he explained, "bearing bad news from the Goo Caverns... knowledge of XERRD's current activities."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "In the Goo Caverns? Sir, Dino Attack Team was down there just a few months ago, and we cleansed the caverns of Mutant Dinos and Dr. Inferno's forces... shortly before the caverns collapsed in a massive volcanic eruption. Why would XERRD be down in the Goo Caverns when their main base of operations is on Dinosaur Island?"

The old man shook his head. "They were down in the Goo Caverns, holding a meeting in an Inferno outpost. I overheard their discussions, and one of the scientists mentioned that their Dino Island Laboratory was in ruins thanks the work of one known as 'the Brickster'."

Rex blinked in surprise. "The Brickster? I don't believe it... so the Brickster-Bot invasion was a success, not a suicide mission."

"They were most... displeased about the Brickster's work," continued the elderly man. "Especially the one that they called 'Dr. Rex', who appeared to be a Mutant T-Rex wearing silver armor and speaking plain English. In fact, throughout the entire meeting, Dr. Rex seemed like he was on the verge of an explosion. I overheard a few of the scientists murmuring among themselves: they think Dr. Rex has finally gone mad, but they are too afraid of him to say or do anything to stop him. At one point, they received a message from... oh, what were their names... ah, yes: Michelle Gladys and Paulie Gonepus. That's when I learned about the Dino Island Laboratory; they were on their way back to that lab when the other scientists explained that the lab was destroyed."

"So," muttered Rex, "looks like Gladys and Gonepus got away after all."

"They were not alone," elaborated the old man, "but of the scientists that contacted the Inferno outpost, they were the ones who spoke the most... I remember that Raul and Ingrid were with them too, but they did not speak as much. Quite interestingly, Gladys was saying something about a 'Darkitect'. She was reporting that XERRD had lost a Maelstrom Temple, but was also trying to explain that the whole Dino Attack was actually the work of the 'Darkitect' who was manipulating XERRD. Gonepus even dared to suggest that they quit while they were still ahead, to which a number of scientists in the Goo Caverns hushed him up, saying something along the lines of 'You don't want to know what happened when Dr. William Lee and Dr. Robert Nicholas suggested that to Dr. Rex'. Needless to say, Dr. Rex was outraged by the talk of this 'Darkitect', proclaiming that 'he doesn't exist' and 'he's just a myth', asserting himself as XERRD's true leader, and declaring that XERRD's purpose was always to help destiny return the world to the dinosaur age. I suspect that the only thing that saved Gonepus's life was the fact that he was not in the same location as Dr. Rex when he made this suggestion."

"Oh my Builder," murmured Amanda. "The Darkitect has really destroyed his mind."

"Indeed," agreed Rex, bitterly. "He was once a gentleman-like scientist. Now, he's reduced to being MegaBlokland-bent upon destroying the world... without even knowing it."

"But that's not even the worst news," the elderly man shook his head. "Dr. Rex was downright furious upon learning the news from Gladys and Gonepus; in addition to the loss of the Maelstrom Temple and the so-called 'rumors' of the Darkitect, he learned that his trusted second-in-command was actually a Dino Attack spy. In retaliation, he ordered that someone send a message to someone named Attila Huntsman to begin destroying the Dino Attack Team's morale, and then... and then Dr. Rex proclaimed the following message…"

"When the sun sets on December 21, 2010... Dino Attack Headquarters shall come crashing down... the courage of Dino Attack Team shall fail... and the age of Minifig civilization shall end!"

Rex's eyes widened. He turned to Amanda and inquired, "What's today's date?"

Biting her lip, Amanda checked her PDA. "December 20, 2010."

Rex's heartbeat started to race. Clutching his chest in pain, Rex whispered in incredulity: "Tomorrow... he's planning an attack... and it's tomorrow!"

"I'm sorry that I could not have delivered this message sooner," the elderly man said as he scratched his forehead. "Even for me, it takes some time to travel from the Goo Caverns to LEGO City, and I had to make myself a little more... presentable; I don't think they would have allowed someone who looked like a homeless bum to enter Dino Attack Headquarters and ask to speak with a high-ranking agent such as yourself. That, and I entered right in the middle of Huntsman's chaos, and I would have waited in the lobby for you, but I wanted to help track him down, so I tried to join in the mole hunt."

"Oh wait," said Rex, blinking in realization. "You're the one that Elizabeth Wilma referred to as 'Gun'."

The old man chuckled. "Don't let my appearance deceive you, Rex. And don't let the fact that a couple tons of rock fell on my head and finally knocked some sense back into me fool you, either. I still might not remember my real name... but I sure remembered that little nickname that you and Greybeard bestowed upon me when we first met a few months ago."

Rex's jaw dropped. When he found his voice, he could only manage to stutter two words in disbelief: "Ben Gunn?" 

*****

The boat had docked smoothly, but nothing was happening on the harbor front. B stood on the edge of the gangplank, not daring to take the first step onto the dock.

Rob came up from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Lemme get this straight, B. They say that we can't come on shore because they think we're imposters, yet the let us dock here? Isn't that like saying to the wolf: Don't come into the barn, but I left the door wide open?"

"Ours not to wonder why, Rob," replied B. "To be honest, I'm not sure what policy is when it comes to dealing with MIA/KIA agents if they happen to show up. But, like the guy said, we need to be verified by someone confirmed to be alive and who also has a confirmed identity."

"Oh, the bureaucracy," Rob said in mock horror.

B rolled his eyes. "There's nothing I'd like more than to just walk back into HQ right now. But, we still need to follow protocol, no matter how stupid it seems. Look at Chris and Uncle Zeke; they're making the most of the time sparring. Come on, let's go a few rounds."

"Alright," agreed Rob, "but go easy on me; I'm not quite as good at hand to hand combat as you are."

B and Rob sparred for what seemed like hours, never keeping one style for longer than one punch or one blow. An uppercut followed by a kick, or maybe a judo hold repealed by a jab to the ribs. It was only a few minutes in when they ended the match.

"Good one, Rob," complimented B. "You're getting better at this."

"You just have to know when to improvise," replied Rob, "which is what they've been trying to teach me for years. I guess I finally picked up on that."

*****

Agent Bluetooth was rather surprised when a short, dirty, filthy fellow with missing teeth and a great big smile walked up to him.

"Are you agent Bluhehtuhth?" Baldrick asked.

"What?" replied Bluetooth confusedly.

"Agent Bluhehtuth," said Baldrick. "I just wanted to say I liked your joke."

"What joke?" asked Bluetooth.

"The one you sent to everybody in the base about the guy named French Fries. I especially like the punchline - 'I implode everyone, from our founding rookies to lowest leaders, to do what they can to stop this madman before dawn' - it was the funniest joke I'd ever seen in my entire life!"

Bluetooth felt a weird range of emotions running through him. Shock, surprise, confusion, a bit of amusement. But what seemed to stand out the most was anger. Anger at this strange man seeming to take all he had said without any realization of the seriousness of the issue. It couldn't be contained.

Completely out of nowhere, as Baldrick began to snicker, the Futuron agent grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him against the wall. "I. Was. Not. Kidding!" he growled at the filthy man. "Two agents are going to die at dawn because of a madman with a silly name, unless people like you sober up and realize the gravity of the situation! This man is the reason lives were endangered during Digger's schism; he shouldn't even still be here! Do you understand, mister?!"

Baldrick, shocked and fearful of the sudden reaction, nodded his head up and down. Bluetooth let him go and stormed off towards the holding cells.

The time for tomfoolery and distraction was over. Action had to be taken.

*****

As Andrew's party of three entered the mess hall, he contemplated what he had heard from Semick. Sure, it may seem just natural worry to be concerned about the town and what Dr. Rex might do next, but for some reason, the idea was sticking in his head.

Thinking about it now, it did make him uneasy about how LEGO City was dino-free and recovering. As comforting as it was to see signs of the planet recovering, it almost seemed too comforting, like the reassurance given by the light at the end of a tunnel in spite of it belonging to an oncoming train.

Semick was right. LEGO City, and more directly, Dino Attack Headquarters, seemed likely to be the focus of the next big, perhaps final, attack. And while it was impossible to know how or why it might happen, the important thing was to try and prepare for everything that could be conceived.

The cries of someone familiar began to pull Andrew from his thought. Focusing on what his eyes could see, he could see Zach waving to him from a nearby table, Minerva, Nazareno, and another agent with swords on her back alongside him.

"Might as well sit down," Pterisa suggested. Andrew nodded and followed her and Laxus to the group.

"Been a good day for you guys?" Minerva asked as they sit down. "Pterisa, have you liked what you've seen today?"

"It's quite a nice building," she responded. "And I'm happy that the team has been accepting of me."

"Mostly we've just be wandering around, watching movies, eating pizza, nothing special," said Laxus.

"Good to hear," said Zach. He glanced at Andrew's face, which was still looking somber from his thoughts about Semick's words. "You feeling alright, Andrew?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I have. It's just.... well, we talked to Semick on the way down, and he's feeling a bit concerned about what's coming next."

"What do you mean?" asked Zelda, the female agent Andrew didn't recognize.

"Well, he's feeling anxiety from how LEGO City's been cleared to the point where the populace is rebuilding with great progress could mean something about XERRD's next attack. He's feeling that they'll try to hit us here in HQ, and that they'll try something we might not have a chance at beating."

"Seems like a more-or-less normal concern to have," said Nazareno, "but a bad feeling isn't much to go on."

"I know, but the more I think about it, the more I can't help but feel that same way. That something's coming to hit us here and hard. At the least, I suppose we can only prepare ourselves for the worse, but who knows what's going to happen next?"

The group was silent as these words were thought over for a couple seconds. Then Andrew started up again. "Well, there's also other matters to think about. Did anyone else get Bluetooth's message?"

Zach and his colleagues shook their heads. Laxus pulled out his PDA showed the group the latest All Agents Bulletin message. "It's a repeat of that incident with Rotor and the flight crew he wanted killed. Only this time the shoe's on the other foot, or so they say."

"It's incredulous that things like this happen here of all places," said Andrew. "Somebody needs to find this 'French Fries' and have him arrested or something, and I hope those guys at the holding area are smart enough to find Rotor and Brown and get them out of there."

*****

After talking with Andrew's group, Semick had gone off to go look at the various points of the headquarters he felt might be important in case of an attack. There might not be any attack warnings coming in as of yet, but at the least, he could encourage people the start being more vigilant considering the risks.

Currently, he was in the hangars, talking to the mechanics and engineers about the state of their vehicle fleet. In regard to their numbers, they had been thinned out a bit after the missions, as was often expected. Several of the men were particularly annoyed that the Adventurers' Island team had lost fancy Renaissance T-2 Typhoon to gravity during the battle at Hotep III's temple, to the point where a team of mechanics had been flown out to try and get it airborne again, or at least salvage and repurpose its surviving critical components for another T-2 Typhoon. Semick could only wish good luck to them. Extra firepower and defense were always appreciated.

"So besides that," Semick said, "how are we looking?"

"Welp," said the guy in charge of management of the hangars, "our manufacturers'll have a few more T-1s flown in tonight, and the army's gonna have a few of their tank designers help with rebuildin' the Iron Predator scraps brought back from Castle Cove. I also hear rumors about Space Police sending in some kind flyin' warship called the Daedalus or somethin', but I'm pretty sure that's just a rumor the rookies are throwing around for fun. Otherwise, we're doing pretty swell, sir. Don't you worry 'bout nothin'."

"Alright then," said Semick. "Keep up the good work."

Walking back towards the headquarters proper, Semick was stopped by an agent who was running outside with a clipboard and one of those tablet devices under his arms. "Pardon me, but are you Elite Agent Semick?"

"That would be correct. Am I needed for something?"

"Just for a small task, but it requires some small travel. Our guy with the Coast Guard says some agents on the MIA list have arrived at the docks, and he's insistent we get someone to go and ID their authenticity. You up for it?"

"Sure, assuming it won't take long," said Semick.

"OK, good. And don't worry, it won't. We'll just grab a Fire Hammer, and we'll be off."

Within a few minutes, Semick was then riding shotgun with the agent, heading towards the docks to check out these new arrivals. 

*****

"Schiess?"

Trigger turned in surprise to see the familiar face of his old partner. "Montoya?" he said. "What the Znap you doing here?"

"I got your message," replied Montoya, a little puzzled by this response.

"Yeah," said Trigger. "You didn't need to come here. I had everything under control. Silencia's running around this MegaBloking base killing everybody but this Znapping team is too stupid to realize it."

"I spoke to her," Montoya said. "I almost had her, but they caught me."

"You let them get you, Montoya?" growled Trigger. "What kind of fool are you, you worthless MegaBloking son of a 4+ Figure?!"

"I spoke to her," continued Montoya. "She told me she changed."

"She told you that," Trigger said in a mocking tone of voice. "You forget that she also told you that she was working with us before she killed Orange, Scorsese, Verbal, Deniro, and Keaton."

"She's speaking now," retorted Montoya. "There's something about her that's differ-"

"Obviously, she's just trying to put you into a false sense of security," declared Trigger. "You're going to make up with her, and as soon as you turn around, you're going to collapse on the ground with a Znapping knife in your back." 

*****

What kind of name is French Fries? Zach thought, rolling his eyes. "It's ridiculous how many power-corrupted individuals we have on this team. How exactly did this French Fries become an Elite Agent? More importantly, how is he still an Elite Agent if he helped leak the Antarctica mission and helped create the whole pointless realist versus idealist war and the riots in the refuge facilities?"

"I don't know," Andrew said with a shrug. "Perhaps the Founding Members were too busy monitoring four ongoing missions and forgot about him?"

"Probably," Nazareno said coldly. "Another kangaroo court. Involving the same people as last time." It was clear from Nazareno's tone that he was not amused.

"He wasn't impressed with Rotor's trial on Adventurers' Island," Minerva muttered to Zach. "He thought we were wasting time when we should have been heading to the Maelstrom Temple." Zach found Nazareno losing his temper hard to believe, but he was busy serving the Darkitect at that time, so he would just have to take Minerva's word for it.

"Wait, wait," Zelda said. "I'm not following. What trial on Adventurers' Island?"

"I suppose you didn't infiltrate the camp until my ambush," Zach said.

"Infiltrate?" Laxus asked.

"Zelda was a Stromling spy," explained Zach. "I believe she interrupted a command meeting trying to send me information?"

Andrew's eyes widened in realization. "So you were that Stromling? You were cured as well?"

Zelda seemed somewhat embarrassed about her Stromling past. "In a more conventional way than Zach's cleansing, but yeah. So what about this trial?"

Minerva, Nazareno, Laxus, and Andrew explained to Zelda the trial Rotor had attempted to put on to convict and execute George Brown and his crew.

"So how did you know about it?" Zelda asked Zach. "Did Ghost tell you?"

"He was very brief about it. No, I learned more by reading the database not long ago," Zach explained. "Now that we're all in the loop, I do hope somebody stops French Fries. Brown isn't in the wrong for showing concern toward his teammates, and even though Rotor sounds like a jerk, he's been far more helpful to the team than French Fries, his own kangaroo court aside." 

"What does he look like, anyways?" Pterisa asked. "I don't think any photos were attached to the message."

"Hold on, let me see if I can get through to the database with this," said Laxus, looking down at his PDA. "The techies were working on a feature to allow the PDAs to uplink with it so people didn't have to search somewhere for a laptop."

"Database access for useful information?" Minerva said jokingly. "There's an app for that, I guess."

The group snickered at the joke as Laxus's PDA loaded up a screen saying "D.I.N.O. Attack Team Information Database V.34: Mobile Build V.1.45". Going to the "Search" function and typing "Agent: French Fries," he managed to get a bio page with a mugshot-like photo.

"Here, he said, showing the image on the PDA to the group. "Now we can put a face to the name. As strange as it is."

Laxus glanced at Andrew, who was now looking around the mess hall. After a moment, he saw something somewhere behind Zach and Minerva's side of the table. "I think I see him," he said, his voice now taking a bit of a quieter tone, perhaps to avoid a ruckus. "He's the one sitting by one other guy with a rather stuffed plate of food."

The group turned to see what Andrew was looking at. Sure enough, there was an agent who matched the look of French Fries's image (though there were cases where people tended to see similarities between agents' faces; once or twice, someone had told Andrew he looked a bit like the infamous Kotua) talking with another agent as he ate.

"I wouldn't advise too hasty action," Andrew suggested, "but I think we have to do something about him." 

*****

Katerina, Hotwire, and the two synthfigs hurried down the hallways to the briefing rooms. They didn't pass very many agents on their way; it seemed that most of those inside the base were occupied elsewhere, probably with the hunt for the mole. They soon reached the room where the camera footage had shown Loop, and burst inside.

Loop was sitting in the wheeled office chair at the far end of the room, spinning idly.

"Lupus Schattenberg, this nonsense has come to an end," Katerina barked. "Executive override: basalt. Now stand and follow us out."

Loop made a halfhearted attempt to rise from the chair, but then sat back and plopped his feet up on the desk. "Whoops, looks like I don't have to do what you say anymore. How about that?"

"Impossible," hissed Katerina. Hotwire began to draw his handgun, but Katerina shook her head.

"Isn't it, though?" Loop said, amused. "You'll love this bit, then. Executive override: seventh. Restrain them."

Swerve, stripped of his balaclava, goggles, and gloves, stepped out of the shadows behind them with a length of rope and, in the blink of an eye, had it looped around Hotwire, pinning the DINO agent's arms down. Swerve pulled the rope tight and knotted it securely.

"Septimus?" Hotwire exclaimed, shocked. The drone pulled out a strip of cloth and tied it around Hotwire's mouth to silence him.

Katerina assumed a combat stance. "Wolfgang, take the drone. Rainer, with me. We should be able to overwhelm him." Wolfgang took a step back but did not move. Katerina turned towards him, annoyed and incredulous, and in that moment, Loop tossed a small bolt of electricity towards Rainer. The synthfig caught it, gently placed his hand on Katerina's back, over her spine, and released the energy in a pulse. Katerina felt her entire body from the neck down become numb. She found she was completely frozen. She tried speaking and managed, "How--?"

Now Loop stood, smirking, and sauntered over. "Cane was quite a bit more clever than you gave him credit for, as am I. Did you really think you had him fooled all this time? No, he knew from the start, five years ago, that you were neatly tucked away behind that cheerful 'Kat' mask. And of course, once he realized you'd survived, he decided that death was too good a fate for you. All the time I spent following you -- when I shot you dead, for Znap's sake -- all we wanted was for you to come back out, to reveal yourself. Because the next part would only taste sweetest if you were awake to experience it."

"All this just for mutiny?" Katerina spat.

"Oh, no way," Loop said with a chuckle. "This isn't mutiny. This is vengeance. You assumed, for decades, that Canis Schattenberg was brimming with gratitude for taking him under your wing. After all, why wouldn't he be? Mom dead in childbirth, dad dead from TB, and then in swoops Auntie Kat to make his life a perfect sciencey paradise? Of course, with the disdain you held for old RW, you never even considered the possibility that Cane held his father in high regard." Loop paused. "Frankly, Rainer Wolfgang Schattenberg was the man's idol. And that idol didn't think any more highly of you than you did of him. Oh, he knew you were going to sell those mines, and on his deathbed, he made sure his son wouldn't rest until he saw you ruined."

"That's ancient history," Katerina snapped. "Don't tell me you actually care about that old feud!"

Loop laughed. "Me? Of course not. I only agreed to this because it's fun. The only score I had was settled months ago when I made Swerve back there my pet." Katerina didn't react to this, but Hotwire did, gasping. Loop laughed again. "Small world, isn't it? Anyway, that 'feud' wasn't all that ancient to Cane, which is why he managed to hijack your plans completely. Your little executive override trick only works on me once, and your two friends over there are acting solely on instructions Cane left in their heads." He paused. "If I heard you correctly, you named them after their grandfather. How fitting."

"I've heard enough," Katerina said, her voice full of fear masked with venom. "Kill me then, if that's what's you're here for."

"Have you even been listening at all?" Loop grumbled. "Cane said death was too good for you. Besides, the past five years have proved that you'd find some way to survive. Your mind is far too tricky, so that's what we're after." He stood facing Katerina and placed his hands on her temples. "I've been practicing this quite a bit for the past few years. You'll live, I can promise you that... but you'll be a vegetable. Mindless and immobile. The only brain functions you'll retain will be the ones necessary for keeping your body alive." He grinned malevolently when he saw the terror that now showed in Katerina's iron eyes. "Nighty-night, Auntie Kat."

After that, the only thing that existed in Katerina's personal universe was pain. The insides of her eyelid seemed to her to shine brighter than the sun, and every bone in her head was white-hot. She tried to scream but could not make her brain send the command. The only thing to do was get lost in the agony until she felt herself slipping into oblivion. 

*****

As the meeting in the conference room dismissed, Frozeen tried to slip away, but he was stopped in his tracks by Shannon Grimton, who moved her wheelchair in his path. Looking him intently in the eyes, she said cordially: "Hello, Peter."

Frozeen took in a deep breath, making sure to remain composed. "Frozeen," he said, quietly but firmly. "You should probably address me by my codename, Frozeen, while I'm on-duty." That's right, he thought to himself. Just keep calm, cool, and professional. You can do this.

Shannon nodded. "Yes, of course. Bit of a quizzical codename, though," she remarked.

"It was my dad's codename," explained Frozeen, "before he disappeared during Mission Deep Sea. I simply took up the mantle."

"I see," said Shannon. She seemed genuinely sympathetic. "Looks like I'm not the only one who had an Alpha Team agent for a father. Small world, huh?"

"Small world, indeed," agreed Frozeen. "I suppose you could've gone with 'Gromtin' as your Dino Attack codename. Keep the family tradition going."

She chuckled a little.  "Well, I admittedly considered it, but I don't think the name has quite the same meaning or impact for me as it did for him: an inside joke, mashing up his surname Grimton with his favorite pop culture Wallace and Gromit and The Adventures of Tintin."

"I'm pretty sure 'Frozeen' is an inside joke as well... and I confess, I don't get it either." They both laughed, but the humor felt fleeting and hollow as they discussed their fathers who were either dead or missing. Sighing, Frozeen said: "I served alongside agent Gromtin in World City. I can't believe I never realized he was your father… though I guess that's because I never met your family before, despite all the years we knew each other in grade school."

"No, I suppose not," said Shannon.

Frozeen was not sure how to respond. An awkward silence descended upon them both. Just keep making small talk, he said to himself. "So… what happened?" he inquired, gesturing towards her wheelchair. "If you don't mind me asking."

Shannon looked down and sighed. "Just a month ago, I was trapped on the third floor of a building infested with Mutant Raptors. While I fought them off as best as I could, I knew I was outnumbered. So, as I detonated an explosive to take care of them, I did the natural thing and jumped out a window." She lightly slapped one hand against another, mimicking the motion of hitting the ground. "Broke both my legs upon impact, but I still had enough strength to turn around and fire my Cosmotronic Ray at one Mutant Raptor who jumped out after me. Since some of the doctors here refused to let Enter and Return operate on me, I've been confined to a wheelchair until my legs fully recover."

Frozeen winced involuntarily. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"At least I survived. That's what matters," said Shannon.

"Definitely," agreed Frozeen.

"But don't worry," she assured him, "I've made the best of it. Sitting in one place for too long gives me plenty of time to tinker around with my wheelchair and give it a few upgrades of my own design."

Frozeen nodded. "Good, good."

To relate to her situation, he was tempted to bring up the fact that he had spent the past six years as terribly-scarred burn victim living in the G.E. Body's cybernetic augmentations for life support, but he decided it would be too difficult to explain (and even more difficult to believe, considering that he was currently looking no worse for the wear after somehow dying and being resurrected), and so chose to keep his mouth shut and not say anything more about it. Unfortunately, as a consequence, another awkward silence ensued.

As he looked for a different subject to discuss, Frozeen's eyes picked up a detail he hadn't noticed before: an engagement ring on Shannon's finger. "On a lighter note… congratulations. Who's the lucky man?"

"Stefano," replied Shannon, beaming as she looked down upon the ring. "You remember him from advanced calculus class, right?"

Instantly, Stefano's name conjured up memories of Frozeen's classmate in high school. "Oh, of course. How could I forget? Funny, smart, charismatic, friendly, cool. He's a good man. I'm happy for the two of you." Although Frozeen meant this sincerely, he realized that he said it flatly and emotionlessly.

"Thanks," said Shannon. "We'll be getting married once the war is over."

"That's good to hear."

Once again, Frozeen stood there in uncomfortable silence.  He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.  I can't keep doing this, he thought painfully.  "What happened, Shannon?" he asked at last.  "What happened between us?  We used to be good friends and then… how did it come to this?  Why do we talk cordially and politely with one another like it's a charade expected of us, pretending everything's fine between the two of us when it's so obviously… not?"

Shannon frowned as she stared intensely at Frozeen. "You know very well what happened in senior year. As I recall, you were the one who pushed me away. The things you said to me were very… insensitive and hurtful. You described me as though I was a poorly-written character that you resented."

Frozeen adverted his eyes, trying to focus on the floor or the ceiling, anywhere but her. "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't realize that-"

"How couldn't you?" said Shannon, shaking her head. "Any normal person would've understood-"

"That's just it! I'm not 'normal'!" snapped Frozeen. He did not mean to raise his voice, but his distress clearly altered the timbre of his speech. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You, always so perfect, top of our class, surrounded by friends… you'd never know how hard it was for me, struggling to make friends and constantly being picked on by bullies for being an easy target: a lonely, vulnerable, socially-inept, autistic-"

"Autistic?" repeated Shannon, cutting Frozeen off. She had a curious look in her eyes that he could not figure out.

Frozeen fell silent, realizing what he had blurted out. Being on the autism spectrum was a subject he typically avoided discussing. He withdrew his anger, silently cursing himself for keeping it bottled up and letting it explode now. When he spoke again, he spoke slowly and quietly to carefully control himself: "Yes, that's right. I was diagnosed at an early age with high-functioning autism. I've had years and years of counseling, guidance, and therapy, but even now as an adult, it's… still difficult. So when it comes to making… connections… with people, it's not something that comes easily to me. It's no excuse for what I said to you, but… it's why I was aloof enough to say something so blunt. Like I said, it's not something I expect you would ever understand."

"But I do understand," Shannon said softly. "My older sister Janice is on the autism spectrum as well, and all my life I've had to be there to support her."

Frozeen blinked in surprise. "Your… sister?" he realized. "I... I never knew..."

"Some people," continued Shannon, "might look upon my sister and say that she 'will never fit into society' because she is 'different'. But I see her differently. I know that Janice has an incredibly intelligent mind and, even more importantly, a strong heart. She is the one who inspired me to study biomedical engineering and technology. I look past what other people may call 'differences' and see people for who they really are. And you, Pe… Frozeen... I knew you had a good heart. And that's why, throughout middle school and high school, I looked out for you as a friend… and that's why it hurt when you spoke so dismissively about me."

Locking her eyes intently upon Frozeen, she said: "So please, don't think that I couldn't understand. You shouldn't be so quick to assume what others think about you… and you should never think of others as merely blank slates who only exist to revolve around you." Her voice hardened as she finished speaking.

Frozeen was silent. He wanted to speak his mind, to open up and admit his true feelings for her, but he just could not form the words in his mouth. At last, he rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and whispered: "I'm so sorry, Shannon. I-"

Just then, Shannon's PDA beeped. She took out the device, read the incoming message, and frowned. "Apologies, looks like I've got to go. I've got less than twelve hours to figure out Dino Attack's communication systems, unless I can somehow conjure up a proper replacement for Ata. This whole situation is absolutely mental, I tell you." As Shannon wheeled herself away, she turned over her shoulder and said to Frozeen: "See you around?"

"See you around," Frozeen said softly, watching her go. He then looked down at his hands after having rubbed his eyes, and discovered that there was a bit of residue water on them. Was I… crying?

*****

"I think two of us should stand guard for now," Angel Eyes said. "We'll take it in turns, but if the mole comes, we'll get him. I'll go first, and Firecr- wait, where'd he go?"

Dynamite muttered some other unintelligible phrase.

"That's unusual," Fireman muttered. "Normally, I'm the one nobody can understand."

"Should we... do something.... about her?" Dude asked.

"He's right," said Walter. "She Znapping stinks."

There was a brief period of arguing before Maria finally stepped up. "I'll take care of it," she said. "I saw men bathe all the time back in El Paso. I think I can help a woman."

"You think so?" said Angel Eyes.

"No problem," replied Maria. "You learn a few useful skills bein' a woman."

"And if the mole comes?"

"I ain't goin' to let her out of mah sight," declared Maria.

"Alright then," said Angel Eyes. He slowly walked up to the cell and opened it carefully. Fireman nervously walked toward her. Maria took her hand.

*****

"You know," Darling said, "is it just me or are those guys watching us?"

French Fries looked up at the small group of agents at a nearby table, accompanying them a particularly repulsive looking creature. Suddenly, he spewed out a mouthful of food. "GREAT BUILDER!" he shouted. "What in MegaBlokland's name is that thing?"

"What thing, sir?" Darling asked.

"That thing!" declared French Fries, pointing at the creature. "It looks like a Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid!"

"I think that's what it is, sir," replied Darling.

"That's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my entire life!" said French Fries. "For Builder's sake, kill it! KILL IT!"

"Bit excessive, sir," commented Darling.

"It is strictly against the policy of this team to bring mutant dinos in here! One of these days I'm going to catch that Rex and have him shot, just like I did to that little Mutant Lizard of his."

"You mean the one you ran over, sir?"

"Yes," replied French Fries. "That's the one. Now kill that thing, and once you do, I want you to find out who is responsible for bringing it in here and have them shot!"

"Sir-"

"I could always arrange to have you shot," said French Fries.

Slowly, Darling sighed, stood up, and walked toward the table, drawing his revolver. He carefully cocked it and aimed it toward the abomination with the Pterosaur head.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm under orders." And he pulled the trigger... 

*****

Loop sighed happily as he carefully focused and channeled his stores of electrical energy into Katerina's brain. He relished the mental image of the current dancing through her grey cells, knocking them dead.

He noticed, after a few seconds, that Hotwire was struggling. He nodded to Rainer, who walked to the back of the room and zapped the agent into unconsciousness.

It hadn't been easy, Loop reflected, to get this trick down to a science. The first time he'd tried it, his unfortunate test subject had simply been cooked alive. The next, he'd gone too easy, and that victim had later recovered. But that had been over three years ago, and he was fully prepared for this moment. Katerina's body would live on for decades, requiring no life support, but remaining comatose until death -- the perfect fate for her. Loop grinned. If killing her body doesn't work, he thought gleefully, the only thing to do is erase her mind.

His reverie was abruptly shattered when three shots rang out. Loop stumbled backwards, confused. He watched Wolfgang and Rainer fall to the floor with holes in their heads, looked up and saw Swerve brandishing Hotwire's smoking handgun, and finally glanced down at his own torso. A red stain was spreading rapidly across the shirt of his stolen D.I.N.O. uniform. He fell to his knees as Swerve crossed the room to stand over him.

"Tampering with a Mind-Control Orb to suit your own plans mighta seemed like a good idea at the time," the drone said. "Too bad that made the mind-control part less effective."

Loop simply spat at his rival's feet before collapsing onto his back, blood pooling beneath him.

Swerve cocked his skull. "That was a bit impolite," he said. "The way I see it, I've just done you a favor. I've fought you enough times to have an idea of what makes you tick. You've always wanted to be free, truly and completely free." He knelt beside Loop. "Sadly, complete autonomy isn't really possible, is it? Someone's always giving orders. Especially when you're born and bred to be a weapon for others."

Loop's face contorted into a grimace and he growled, but there was agreement in his eyes.

"Nobody's ever gonna tell you what to do again," Swerve said quietly.

Loop drew a long, ragged gasp. "Go-- go to Mega-- to MegaBlokland," he choked. "And-- and th-- thanks." With that he closed his eyes and let the world go black.

Swerve regarded the lifeless form of his old nemesis for a few moments before he stood. He walked to the corner of the room and retrieved his gloves, balaclava, and goggles. He glanced back at Lupus Schattenberg one last time.

Then he picked up the prone forms of Katerina and Hotwire, heaved one onto each shoulder, and carried them out of the dim room to the medical wing.

*****

Pterisa seemed prepared for this sudden attack. French Fries being quite vocal about his disdain toward her seemed to help. As Darling pulled the trigger, Pterisa's wings shot open with enough force to throw the revolver into the air, firing as it flew.

The rest of the agents at the table had a quick reaction. Nazareno lunged at Darling and pinned him to the ground. The agent struggled briefly before surrendering to the space ninja.

"Maybe you aren't aware," Zach said coldly, rising to his feet. "But without Pterisa, the Maelstrom would have most likely gained enough power to destroy this planet."

"I was following orders," Darling grumbled.

"Then, as an Elite Agent," Andrew said. "I'm ordering you to stand down."

At this point, French Fries rose to his feet and stomped angrily toward the group. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Why is that abomination here? And why did you let it attack agent Darling?"

"Pterisa is an ally," Minerva said through gritted teeth. French Fries glared at her. "She helped us take the Maelstrom Temple."

"It is a Mutant Dino and needs to be removed from this building in accordance with policy," sneered French Fries.

Zach wished he could punch this Elite Agent in the face. However, he refrained and continued to fume. He glanced at Pterisa, who seemed shocked and uncertain how to respond to this attack. Getting attacked by your supposed allies is not exactly a self-esteem booster.

"She has done absolutely nothing wrong," Laxus argued. "She only attacked Darling because you tried to have him kill her!"

"I don't care!" French Fries snapped. "Now stand down and shoot her or I'll have you all shot!"

"Perhaps…" Pterisa suddenly said, sounding a little nervous again. French Fries jumped in surprise at her speech and turned to her angrily. "You should speak with your Founding Members, Elite Agent French Fries. Specs, Shadow, Digger or Viper will be able to vouch for me and allow me to stay in this building." 

French Fries smiled. "I don't think that's going to do you much good," he said. "I got friends in high places. Excuse me, Darling."

"Yes sir," said Darling, nervously as he got up.

"Get Gunderson on the phone to Antarctica," ordered French Fries, "get them in charge with the political head of state the various corporations responsible for our funding. Let them know that these men are harboring the enemy. Octan won't provide a single drop of fuel until this is resolved!"

"Sir," questioned Darling, "you sure that isn't a bit excessive?"

"Absolutely not," replied French Fries. "From now on, we're making sure this team does its job properly. No more training mutant dinosaurs, not like that one fool. Oh what's his name? Ress? Ret?"

"Rex, sir?" suggested Darling.

French Fries nodded. "Yes, that's the one, who tried to train that mutant dinosaur, Tribble."

"Trouble."

"What?"

"His name was trouble, sir," explained Darling.

"Right," replied French Fries. "I took fine care of him, I did. Ran him straight over! Now, I should be going." With that, French Fries turned toward the door and continued talking to Darling. "Now we'll also need to boost the morale of the men before the next big push. Then we can implement my brilliant plan."

"You mean the one where everyone gets out of the base and walks very slowly toward the mutant dinosaurs?"

"Yes, that's the one."

Darling sighed. "I'll... uh... see to it then."

"Very good, Darling." French Fries turned back toward the agents. "Now, I got work to do, but if that... thing is still here at dawn tomorrow, you will all be severely punished.... court martial followed by firing squad. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Good," said French Fries as he turned away. 

Before French Fries could take another step, Andrew ran towards him, grabbed him by the arm, and slapped him hard across the face. He fell to the ground, and Andrew put himself atop his fellow Elite Agent. "Nazareno!" he asked the ninja, "a little help he-"

He was interrupted as French Fries punched him in the face, knocking Andrew off him. The madman got up and tried to run, but didn't get far before Nazareno lunged at him, pinned him to the ground, then pulled him up with a firm grip on his arms.

"At least Rotor was a good leader," the ninja muttered with quite a bit of hostility. "You? Judging by that 'plan' of yours, you have fewer commanding skills than a blade of grass."

By now, Andrew was back on his feet, and he had some anger to release. "French Fries," he told the struggling agent, "you have no understanding of the importance of certain secrets, your views on dino extermination are so extreme that Kotua would be aghast, you fail at leadership, you're more ignorant than several politicians I could name to make a point, and you're willing to turn on your allies. That alone is so pitiful that it's a wonder that you're still here. But then you go and insult the things that some of us have spent hours into trying to help, and then... and THEN... you pass the line."

Andrew looked back at Pterisa, who was still a little shaken at French Fries's hostility, and tried to shoot her a reassuring smile. Then he turned back to the agent of the focus of his fury. "Insulting our most recent ally, who's still trying to just find a way to live among us, and who I and my friend have been spending the last day trying to welcome in, is one thing, but what you said about Trouble..."

Andrew smiled with a menacing grin as he pulled out his PDA and typed out a message.

Rex,

I don't know if you've heard, but the team's got a troublemaker problem, and I think you should look into it.

Elite Agent French Fries is bound to be fired soon. Not only did he cause the Antarctica riots and Dino Attack schism by ordering Zenna to announce the secret mission there to the world, but he's tried to have two agents put to death for their actions on Adventurers' Island, has tried to get the team to try a really stupid plan during the next attack, tried to have some of our comrades killed just for their looks, and is trying to use "friends in high places" to try and run our team his way.

How does this involve you? He's claimed to hate your idealist, dino-taming style with a passion, and brags with pleasure that he ran over Trouble at some point.

I'm going to have him put in the holding cells, so feel free to visit him there, but if he escapes, do as you see fit.

-Andrew

Andrew sent the message and turned to his fellow agents. "Darling," he said, "From now on, you shouldn't obey this man. Try using your own codename or something to signify independence. Now, I think we better get this guy to the holding cells. I think he might have someone wanting to see him later. Plus, we can try to find Rotor and Brown and let them go."

"Minerva and I know the way," said Zach. "Just follow us."

The group began moving towards the exit. As they walked, Pterisa got near Andrew and whispered: "Thanks for defending me."

"No problem," Andrew whispered back. He looked back to French Fries, a furious look on his face as he tried to get free, but Nazareno wasn't having a problem keeping his grip on him.

"You are in soooo much trouble," Andrew muttered.

*****

The Fire Hammer arrived at the docks. Getting out, Semick saw a couple agents around the pier that he couldn't all recognize, but could for a few, such as an agent with glasses and a brown helmet with a glass visor. He was sparring with one of his fellow agents.

"You the guys they sent for ID?" asked an agent who was walking up to Semick and the guy who drove him there.

"Yes," said Semick. "So do I need to sign some papers or something?"

"No, just confirm that you can confirm them as the agents they claim to be. Now c'mon."

The three agents walked up to the group at the docks. As they did so, one of the sparring agents stopped sparring and looked to them with a smile. "Finally!" he said. "You're Semick, right?"

"That would be correct," said Semick. "I don't think we've fought alongside each other, B, but I've seen you around enough to know who you are."

"And the others?" asked the dock agent.

Semick stared at the other faces. "I'll be honest," said Semick. "I don't know them. Last I heard, B was with some friends by the name of Crooks and Knuckles and the like. But I think if they're with B, they're who they say they are. If we have problems with them, they can be handled later. Now just let them go, we don't need agents being isolated out here." 

*****

Rex's joy over his reunion with Ben Gunn was brief. His PDA began beeping, and as he read over the message, his smile disappeared and was replaced with a grim expression.

"What is it?" inquired Amanda.

"I'm sorry, Ben Gunn," said Rex. "You cannot imagine how overjoyed I am to see you again, even if you are the bearer of bad news. But an urgent matter has just come up that demands my attention. If you wish, you may come with me."

Ben Gunn shook his head. "It's alright, Rex. I need to use the facilities anyways, so I could use a little break."

With that, they exited the broom closet and stepped out into the hallway. Rex gave Ben Gunn some quick directions to the nearest restroom, then piloted his hover-chair in the direction of the detention block. His grim silence worried Amanda, who read his features and could tell that something was definitely wrong.

At last, Rex found the Dino Attack agent whom he was looking for, Andrew, along with a group consisting of Zachary Virchaus, Minerva Fabello, Kareem Nazareno, Laxus, and even, to Rex's surprise, Pterisa. They were bringing along a Dino Attack agent with a large handlebar mustache, whose arms were locked behind his back by Nazareno to ensure he wouldn't escape.

Rex stopped his hover-chair and looked at the group before him. Raising his eyebrows and frowning, he murmured in a quiet and surprised voice: "What's all this about?"

"Ah, Rex," said Andrew, nodding. "I'm glad you could come. This," he gestured to the mustached Dino Attack agent, "is French Fries."

"Yes," said Rex, "but why is he being escorted to the detention block? Surely, this is not how an elite agent such as French Fries should be treated. What did he do to deserve this? Really, guys. Let's act a little more reasonable here. Nothing that French Fries has done at all constitutes him being locked up."

"But-" began Zach.

Rex waved his hand, cutting off Zachary. "That's enough." He piloted his hover-chair until he was hovering right in front of French Fries. The other Dino Attack agents either stared at Rex in disbelief or began murmuring amongst themselves. Rex locked eyes with French Fries, smiled gently, and began taking off his gloves. "Elite Agent French Fries, today is your lucky day."

With that, Rex landed a single punch on French Fries's face, summoning every ounce of physical strength he had as he made the attack. French Fries staggered back, and there was noticeable blood on his mustache.

Then, Rex stripped away his facade of gentility and civility. His fake smile twisted into a horrible scowl as he gritted his teeth. "I've waited a long time to do that," Rex hissed through clenched teeth. "That dates back to the Kotua crisis. Oh, how I longed to give Kotua what he deserved, but I never had the chance. Then recently, with Rotor's little firing squad... I thought I'd give that to Rotor, but Clint Wayne was too quick. But this... Kotua may have gone mad, but he was also intelligent and a loyal agent when not under mind-control, and Rotor at least is a competent leader with a good taste in music. You, on the other hand, have no redeeming factors. So, all this anger has been bottled up for nearly a year... and, as we all know, we shouldn't bottle up anger... because when it releases..."

"How dare you!" snapped French Fries. "You dare to assault an elite agent? I'll have your hide for this! My friends in high places-"

"Don't you see?" interrupted Rex. "I am an elite agent too, and so is Andrew over there. We don't need 'friends in high places'... we are the people in high places. And even so, I've got a friend, too: Specs, our team leader, and you can't get a place higher than that. But still..."

"Puh," scoffed French Fries. "I don't need to listen to you. Not after hearing the screams of your precious little mutant as I ran it over."

"You just crossed a fine line, buddy," Rex said as he narrowed his eyes. "Andrew, as an elite agent, you have the authority to pardon me. I need you to pardon me."

"Pardon you?" said Andrew, blinking in surprise. "Pardon you for-"

"For this," growled Rex. With that, he lunged out of his hover-chair and tackled French Fries to the floor. Everyone was too stunned to react; they could only stand back and watch in horror as Rex delivered a beating, holding nothing back as he let loose his rage. French Fries did not even have a chance to fight back, as every second landed another blow upon his face. "YOU..." Rex shouted as he laid blow after blow upon French Fries, "SICK... 4+ FIGURE...! Is it true? IS IT TRUE?"

"What?" French Fries gasped in between blows.

"DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT RUN OVER TROUBLE?" yelled Rex.

"I don't know!" snapped French Fries. "They all look the same! Pesky little buggers! Nobody's going to miss that mutant!" He just did not know when to shut up.

Seething with fury, Rex landed a punch right in French Fries's mouth, knocking a tooth or two loose. "I SWEAR TO BUILDER..." screamed Rex, "IF YOU LAID SO MUCH AS A FINGER ON TROUBLE... YOU'RE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME? DEAD!" The horrible beatdown continued for another few dreadful seconds before Amanda finally snapped out of her stupor and tried to pull Rex off. In the end, it took the combined effort of Nazareno, Andrew, and Amanda to pry Rex off of French Fries, and even as they forced Rex to sit back down in the hover-chair, the elite agent was still trying to throw punches at French Fries.

When French Fries stood, his face looked like he had run through traffic. His mustache was soaked with blood, which also dripped out of cuts on his lips and cheeks. His eyes were swollen from all the bruising, and he could scarcely do more than squint. To ensure that he did not try to escape, Pterisa grabbed his arms and locked them behind his back.

Rex was breathing heavily. What he had just done had been extremely cathartic. He understood well how T-Rexes, his own kin, would have considered this rage-driven beatdown a justified act of retaliation. But as an elite Dino Attack agent among minifigure society, he also knew he had just degraded himself by stooping to violence, and now his teammates regarded him with uneasy concern, as though they were afraid he might soon jump off the slippery slope after Lutsky.

When the others managed to finally calm Rex down, he wiped the sweat off his brow and glared at French Fries. "Get this scum out of my sight," he growled. "If you need to, get Specs's permission to lock him up in the highest-security prison available. And Andrew, please make sure that you pardon me."

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Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 8, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 8: The Final Battle

Chapter 60: Calm Before the Storm

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Naomi groaned as she zipped up Ata's body bag and struggled to lift the weight onto the waiting gurney. The wheels slid it away, and she attempted to compensate with the changed center of gravity. The dead weight shifted and Ata's body fell to the floor with a flop. Naomi swore as she bent down to pick it up.

"Do you want some help with that?"

She looked up to see Hertz leaning on the doorway to the mortuary. He gave a lopsided grin as he limped over beside her.

"I can handle it, Hertz," Naomi muttered as lifted it up and slammed it onto the gurney. "It seems to be all I'm capable of."

"What do you mean by that?" said Hertz, raising his eyebrow. "You did magnificent work after the attack on the rear guard camp."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Have you noticed that, of all the medical staff working here, I seem to be only one without a PhD?"

"What about those two guys?" offered Hertz.

"Do you mean Enter and Return?" said Naomi, chuckling. "Those two are idiots." She removed the plastic gloves from her hands and pulled down her hairnet to unleash her plush afro. She gave a halfhearted sigh as she pushed the gurney down the hall.

Hertz followed her. "What do you mean, this is all you are capable of?"

She did not look back as she headed to the crematorium. "It seems to me that the only work I seem to do around here is fill out paperwork and bring stuff to the doctors. I thought I'd be making a bigger impact than this. I'm at the bottom of the pecking order, Hertz, and I'm starting to feel it."

The techie shrugged. "Well… err… isn't that what a nurse does? They're a doctor's helper, right? You went to med school to become a nurse, not a surgeon like Doctor Wade."

It was the wrong thing to say. Naomi stopped the gurney suddenly and Ata's body slid to the floor with a plop. Hertz limped in front to return it to the cart just as Naomi put her head down. "You should still be in bed, Hertz. It's hardly been any time since you broke your arm, and your leg's not fully healed."

"If this was anywhere else, I would agree with you," responded Hertz. "But my arm would take weeks to heal and I want to-"

"Want to what?" Naomi cut in sharply. "Be a hero? Do your job? Why can't you just listen to what I tell you to do?"

Hertz was at a total loss for how to respond. He could tell something was troubling Naomi, but he had no idea what. He placed a hand on her shoulder but she shook it away. "What's this about?" he asked softly.

"I just feel like such an idiot," she said. "I thought I could contribute something when I found that scrap of paper. I thought I might be able to help stop that mole and actually do something cool. Claw made me feel like a moron and I have nothing to show for it except this!" She pulled out the handwriting that Claw had provided her and threw it at Hertz. She then turned to the gurney and kicked it. "Instead, I'm just cleaning up this mess!"

He was totally clueless. Responding to social cues had always been one of his shortcomings, and he felt totally awkward standing in the hall with a beautiful woman on the brink of tears and doing nothing. He approached her cautiously and put an arm around her. "There, there," he cooed for lack of a better response.

Instead of the reaction he hoped for, Naomi glared at him and pushed him away.

Hertz gave her a lost look and flung his arms up in the air. "What do you want me to do?"

"Seriously, Hertz, you have not figured it out by now?" said Naomi. "Give me some space, you're suffocating me! Just back off!"

Hertz's mind was spinning. "Back off?" he asked, confused. "What was that on the tarmac, then? You ran out and we kissed. You're sending me all these mixed messages!"

Now Naomi flung up her arms. She let out a long groan and continued pushing the gurney down the hall. "That was different. I was worried about you; I thought you might have died. That was it. Everything is just so weird between us now and it's happening so fast. I need a break."

"What do you mean?"

"Hertz, you proposed to me after three days!" Naomi said a little too loudly. Some other agents in the hall gave the two some strange glances. "You don't find anything weird about that?"

Hertz tugged at his collar uncomfortably. He was horrible at talking about his emotions, especially with eavesdroppers. "Naomi, please, I love you. Can't we just start over?"

"It's talk like that that makes this so messed up!" she muttered. "I'm not ready to start over, Hertz; I need a break!"

The techie sighed. There were a lot of things he wanted to tell Naomi, but they all sounded some dumb in his head. He wanted to say how sorry he was and admit he was a loser, but it was impossible to put into words. Instead of saying what his heart told him, he just nodded dumbly. "Okay."

Naomi shrugged and gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Hertz. I think we both need this right now. I'll see you around; until then, we're just friends."

"Just friends," repeated Hertz. It was not what he wanted, but he was incapable of arguing with her. Naomi gave an expression that Hertz could not identify before she walked away pushing Ata's gurney.

She left Hertz standing alone and confused in the hall. He had never felt so lost.

Now, more than ever, Hertz wished for the days when life was so much simpler. A time before mutant dinosaurs, world-ending catastrophes, and melodramatic romance. A time when it was just him and his computer...

*****

March 26, 2010:

Charlie Schultz had been waiting in line for the last two hours dressed as a rebel pilot. In most cases, his bright orange jumpsuit would stand out like a sore thumb, but at this San Diego convention his attire was relatively normal.

The reason he was in line was so the actor who played Imperial Pilot #6 could sign his unopened vintage TIE fighter (with starboard wing damage). This was the main reason he had driven across six states and now stood between an Ewok and Elvis.

As he surveyed the crowd of Jedi and overweight basement dwellers, it became apparent to him that the most out-of-place people were the two suits rapidly approaching. They looked far more serious than the standard crowd.

One was Hispanic and wore his hair in a tight ponytail. He had a narrow face and smelled of cigarettes. He wore gold chains around his neck, and an expensive watch was on his wrist.

The second man appeared Irish. He wore a poor-fitting suit that hung awkwardly around his hulking frame. He also had chains, and an earring was on his left ear. Charlie would not have been surprised to see him as a bouncer at some sleazy bar.

He hoped the men would pass him by, but instead they stopped in front of him. He observed that the Irishman held a silver Halliburton case, which he constantly checked. Charlie got the impression that the contents were considerably valuable for the man to be looking over his shoulder every few minutes.

"Are you Charlie Schultz?" was the first thing the Hispanic man said. "We were on your website and read your bio. We have some work for you, and you have a skillset that people in our organization lack."

These were not the sorts of conversations that Charlie liked to have in public. Ordinarily, he would motion that the meeting should continue in private. However, considering the lengths he had taken to hold his space in line, instead he said: "I'm busy."

The Hispanic man seemed disappointed. "Now, Mr. Schultz, it took quite a bit of effort to track you down, and even more so to smuggle these in." The Irishman pulled aside his jacket to reveal a holstered gun.

Charlie began to sweat but attempted to maintain his cool. He did not like guns and had worked hard to ensure he only took nonviolent clients. "Are you with the government?" asked Charlie. "Because I don't take government contracts."

"Oh, no," chuckled the Hispanic man. He spoke quietly and softly. The calmness that he possessed frightened Charlie more so than the threatening demeanor of the Irishman. "We work for a very private man. He likes to be kept informed. Now please, let's find somewhere away from prying ears."

"Good luck with that," said Charlie. "The convention center is packed. We'll need to go pretty far."

"We have time," said the Hispanic man. He spoke like a lifelong smoker and the cigarettes had clogged his lungs. "We will pay well, of course."

Reluctantly, Charlie left his spot in line and followed the two men through the fray. They walked across the entire convention center and down three flights of stairs before they found a place where they could have a meeting. Charlie felt uncomfortable being alone with them and prayed that the contract would go without a hitch.

"Before we get started, I need to make sure that whatever you want me to do is legal," Charlie began. "I try and keep my work legitimate, and legal entanglement only complicates things for me."

"Why, of course," said the Hispanic man. "We read that you have experience with cryptology and linguistics. We would like you to translate a recording of ours."

"What kind or recording?" asked Charlie. "How is it encoded?" He was hoping for an excuse to deny the deal before it got dangerous.

The Irishman walked up and unlocked the Halliburton case. Sitting inside a foam lining was a tan plastic box with a keypad, tape player, and reel of paper. Also in the box was an old-fashioned cassette.

"We found this tape awhile back," said the Hispanic man. "But it's encoded. We can't make heads or tails about what it says. We want you to translate it and return both the tape and encoder to us once you're done."

Charlie timidly accepted the case and investigated the device. "What sort of things do you expect to find on the device? Nothing too interesting, I imagine."

"I would not say that," said the Hispanic man. "We'll find it very interesting once you get it to us."

The Irishman spoke for the first time. "You better not tell anyone what you find."

Charlie paled at the obvious threat. "I don't know if I want this job."

The Hispanic man chucked. "My friend is very rude. What he means to say is that the information you find is confidential. This certainly is not the first confidential work you've done."

"I suppose not," began Charlie. "But…" He trailed off.

"But what?" asked the Hispanic man. "You will be rewarded considerably. We are prepared to offer you $100,000 for your work."

Charlie looked at the encrypter in his hand. "So all I have to do is translate this message?"

"That's all you have to do," the man said with a smile. "We'll make it worth your while."

He held out his hand to seal the deal. It hovered in the air for a moment as Charlie considered whether to accept. He considered the intrigue of the job and the payment he would receive. Finally, he took the hand.

"I'm glad you're seeing things our way," said the Hispanic man, whose smile grew. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a note card. "This is my number. Contact us as soon as you're done."

"Of course," said Charlie. "What's your name?"

The man smiled. "It will be best for everyone if you don't know that. Now, be careful with that encrypter, Mr. Schultz… you would not want anything to happen to it."

"And don't tell nobody," added the Irishman.

"Yes. Don't tell anybody. Have a good day, Mr. Schultz. We're sorry for the trouble we caused you."

The two men left, leaving Charlie with a Halliburton case and a great many questions.

When Charlie returned to the convention center, he found that the actor had left. He begrudgingly removed his keys and headed out to his car. It was raining hard, and he was relieved to get into his dry car and go home.

As he pulled onto the wet streets to begin his long drive back to LEGO City, he did not notice the car that pulled out and followed him.

----

Maria quietly hummed a soft tune to herself as she stroked her brush alongside Fireman, who was sitting in a small bathtub.

"You never struck me as the kind of person who would be willing to do this," Fireman remarked. "You seemed something of a feminist to me."

"Feminist?" Maria asked.

"Yeah," replied Fireman. "It's a term used outside of extremely sexist communities for people who support equal rights for women and believe they are capable of doing the same things as men."

"Like playin' with fire?"

"Yeah," Fireman replied with a slight chuckle.

"Look," said Maria. "Just because I like doing the same thin's as men don't mean I won't do this kind of thing. I got the skills for them, I might as well put them to use. I just don't like bein' forced into it by social customs based solely on mah gender is all."

Fireman smiled.

"You got family?" Maria asked.

"I did," replied Fireman. "I had somebody once."

"Did 'e have a name?"

"Sam," Fireman said wistfully. "Nice girl. We adopted a few kids even, but they all died when the house burned down. And you?"

"Just mah daddy," replied Maria. "I never could find a good husband. He were the one that taught me to use a gun. Is that how you got hold of your flamethrower?"

Fireman couldn't help laughing, even if it did sound rather bitter. "Yes," she replied sarcastically. "My dad taught me how to use one when I was eight. It's the one thing he taught me." It sounded like she had a strained relationship with her father.

Even so, Maria could not help smiling as she slowly reached into the tub and took Fireman's hand. "Don't you worry," Maria said warmly. "You're in good hands now, Fireman."

"Please," Fireman said, "call me Andrea."

*****

Sarah Bishop sat down on the couch next to Kate. Whatever happened, she was clearly distressed, even if seeing Pierce again had cheered her up somewhat. The awkward situation of Sarah having beaten two people with the butt of a gun right in front of her certainly did not help much.

"Look," Sarah said. "Is something wrong?"

"Why did you come here?" Kate asked.

"Because I was worried about you," replied Sarah, putting an arm around Kate's shoulder.

"Look, Mom," said Kate. "I understand you are concerned, but I'm eighteen, I can look after myself."

"Under any other circumstances yes," replied Sarah. "But in the middle of this Dino Attack? Kate, when Pierce told me all about that Rotor-"

"Pierce told you that?" Kate asked.

"Yeah," replied Sarah. "We met in Antarctica."

"And you came back together?"

"Yes."

"What are you not telling me, Mom?" Kate asked.

Sarah sighed.

"You knew Pierce, didn't you?" Kate realized. "I mean, before the war."

Sarah took a moment to breathe. She took a deep breath before holding Kate's hand. "He's your father," she finally said.

"Pierce?"

"Yes," confirmed Sarah. "We met in a hospital. Some drunk driver knocked me off the road, and he fixed me up. We got to know each other well, and then I got out. Four months later, I found out I was pregnant with a girl."

"And why did you never tell me about Uncle Wally?" Kate asked. "You told me he died in a car accident. Why didn't you tell me he was still alive?"

"It was complicated," replied Sarah. "But how do you know?"

"I met someone on Adventurers' Island," explained Kate, her eyes starting to puff with tears. "Frank Einstein. He said... Wallace Bishop cut out his own brain. He's now in an institution somewhere."

"Frank Einstein?" Sarah repeated.

"Yeah," replied Kate. "He said that Wallace then sent him a request to protect you, both of us."

"That would explain a lot of things," murmured Sarah. "He must have been the one who kept giving me money for your education, the money we would have used to pay your college tuition."

Kate was already crying heavily. "Why did you lie to me?" she asked.

"You wouldn't have understood," replied Sarah. "After Astrid died, Wallace just wasn't the same anymore. The pain was too much for him. When news of his attempts to pull out his brains got out, there was a giant controversy, police inquiries almost daily, and you were only six. I didn't want you caught up in something you didn't understand."

Kate could not help continuing to cry, and slowly she crawled into her mother's lap. Quietly, Sarah put an arm around Kate and held her tightly.

*****

"Look," Montoya insisted. "Like it or not, she has changed. It's been eight years since that heist. It's not impossible."

"You're really that gullible, Montoya?" Trigger said. "All she's doing is setting you up, just like she did then."

"You don't know that," retorted Montoya.

"Alright," said Trigger. "Let's say, for the sake of argument, you're right. It's still Znapping business. In twenty Znapping years, nobody has double-crossed me and lived… except her. This isn't personal stuff we're talking about; this is business. She is a menace to this world, and we have no Znapping choice but to kill her."

"It's just business?" Montoya repeated, puzzled. "You mean this has nothing to do with those who died?"

"I don't give a Znap about everybody who died that night. I can't even remember their Znapping names."

"Orange, Deniro, Verbal, Keaton, and Scorsese," replied Montoya. "I remember them. I remember everything, their faces, their mannerisms."

"Why do you care?" Trigger snapped. "You didn't even see them MegaBloking die. You just sat in the car while Keaton got stabbed in the Znapping back!"

Having heard a few snippets of their conversation, Wright strolled over to where Trigger and Montoya were quietly arguing. "You might be interested to hear," she said to Trigger, "that they've caught the mole... and it wasn't agent Claw. Bit of a hole in your case now, just sayin'." 

Montoya gave Trigger a strange look upon hearing the news. He seemed caught in a tight corner, trying to find a way out. 

*****

Leaving Elizabeth to look through the files on Silencia Venomosa, Pierce adjusted his labcoat as he walked back toward the other doctors. Due to lack of a proper morgue, the bodies of the Second Headquarters Squad were still lying on cots in the back, covered by sheets.

Crusher was helping a familiar face out of bed. Pierce was rather pleasantly surprised to see Cabin sitting up. "How's she doing?" Pierce asked.

"So far, so good," reported Crusher.

Pierce turned toward Cabin. "Feeling any better?"

"A little," replied Cabin. "I got this terrible pain in my head, and I think I need to use the toilet."

"I'll take care of it," offered Crusher. "I should probably give her a change of clothes."

Pierce could see what she meant, Cabin's usual jumpsuit seemed very sweaty and stained in certain areas. 

*****

For the second time in forty-eight hours, Hotwire woke up in an infirmary. It wasn't quite as bad as the last time, though the phantom pains in his left leg were coming at him in constant waves now.

He opened his eyes and saw two figures sitting by his bed. The first was Helm, and the second was a Dino Attack agent whose face was completely hidden under a ski mask and a pair of dark goggles.

"Holding up okay?" the masked figure asked.

Hotwire sat up. The voice was Septimus's, but the diction... "Swerve," he said. "Loop was telling the truth?"

Swerve nodded. "Ambushed me after that rockslide. Too bad for him, all his tampering with the Orb damaged it enough for me to break away and get my own mind back." He paused. "Still, I'm glad you made it out. What about Talon and Spectrum?"

Hotwire swallowed hard. "Spectrum apparently got killed in the battle at the power station a few months back. Sarah... didn't even make it out of the mountains..."

"Builder, I'm sorry," Swerve said, slightly awkwardly. "So then, your T-1..."

Hotwire nodded. "I try not to think about it much. Where's Loop now?"

"Dead," Swerve replied simply. "It was a long time coming."

Helm spoke up to change the subject. "The medics are all having a spot of trouble figuring out what to do with Katerina. All the tests they ran showed no higher brain functions, but she doesn't need any life support. It would be wrong to euthanize her, but it seems to be completely impossible to wake her up." He glanced over to the next bed, where Katerina appeared for all the world to be peacefully sleeping.

Hotwire looked over. He sighed, unsure what to think of the situation. Then he remembered his last conversation with Helm. "Say, did you find your son?"

The mariner stiffened. "In a way," he said, after a few moments' pause. "I've... been told you knew Jason. That he fought alongside you on Adventurers' Island." He paused, gathering strength. "He joined the team under the codename Tracer."

*****

Commander Pharisee had noticed a considerable presence of agents from the mess hall. From what he could deduct, they all had come in hopes of blood, and that is exactly what they received.

Pharisee removed his sunglasses to peer at the stains on Rex's uniform. It did not take a genius to determine that the elite agent was the reason for French Fries's current injuries. Rex himself sat erect and indignant in his hover chair. The commander knew that Rex had already unleashed his own judgment on French Fries, and the cold light that shown in the agent's eyes told him that Rex felt no regret.

"Alright," Andrew said, still clearly shocked at Rex's actions. "Let's get him out of here." Everyone nodded and began to file pass Rex and Claw, Pterisa making sure to keep the battered French Fries as far away from Rex as she could.

"Mother of Knudstorp," Zelda muttered, glancing back at Rex. "What was that about?"

"Who's Trouble?" Minerva asked.

"A Mutant Lizard that Rex trained early in the war," Andrew said. "He disappeared a long time ago."

"Which makes you wonder how exactly French Fries knew he hit Trouble, as darkness-breed Mutant Lizards all look basically the same." Zach said, rolling his eyes. "What a moron." He heard French Fries groan in fatigued anger.

"I'm not sure the outburst was necessary," Nazareno interjected. "Even if the target is a hopeless fool. Hopefully, it was an isolated incident and it won't happen again."

Everyone nodded. They all knew Rex was seen as a leader. If he were to have another breakdown, one much larger that left him incapable of fighting, it would be a crushing blow to morale.

They soon arrived at the detention block. They walked past the cells of Dynamite and, after much looking, a disgruntled-looking Carl Lutsky who was quietly muttering to himself. Whoa, was all Zach could think as he looked at the former commander.

The group quickly found an empty cell and Pterisa threw French Fries in. As they locked the door, Laxus spoke up, "Since you can pardon agents, Andrew, you should probably go and free Rotor and George Brown."

"Sounds like a good idea," Andrew said in agreement. A quick search led them to a cell where Commander Vinyaya and Bluetooth were speaking.

"… know French Fries is a fool and Rotor and Brown don't belong in there," Vinyaya said calmly. "Unfortunately, neither you or me have the authority to release him." She stopped as she saw Andrew, Laxus, Minerva, Zelda, Zach, Pterisa, and Nazareno approached them. "Yes?"

"I would like Rotor and Brown released," Andrew stated simply.

Bluetooth turned around and grinned at the group. "Excellent timing, Andrew." He turned back to Vinyaya, who revealed a half-smile as went to find some keys to open Rotor and George's cell. "Glad to see you guys are still alive."

Zach smiled. It was nice to see Bluetooth again. They would have to catch up at some point.

Vinyaya soon returned with a ring of keys in her hand. She handed it to Andrew. "You may do the honors."

As Andrew went to unlock the door, Zach stepped back to talk with Minerva. "You know," Minerva said, "this team has a lot of corrupt individuals who think they can do whatever they want without facing consequences."

Zach nodded. "I've only met two. The incompetent French Fries over there and Scratch. Though I suppose you could justify Scratch's case in some way-"

"Virchaus," Vinyaya said with a hint of malice in her voice as she approached him. "May I speak to you?" She glanced at Minerva briefly. "Privately?"

"I-sure, I guess."

Vinyaya nodded curtly and gestured for him to follow her. Zach glanced at Minerva uncertainly. "You'll be fine. Unless you did something wrong. Then you won't be fine," Minerva said.

"Thanks," Zach responded sarcastically as he began to follow Vinyaya. 

George looked up from the small cot as Andrew suddenly approached their cell. "I suppose French Fries was too eager to wait until dawn to see us shot."

"Oh, no, sir," replied Andrew. "Quite the opposite: your executions have been cancelled."

"Well," sighed George. "Better this than a last-minute reprieve, I might say."

"You're free to go," said Andrew. "We've, uh… taken care of French Fries."

There has always been a fine line between bravery and stupidity. The determined, but otherwise clueless, look in elite agent French Fries eyes was enough to inform the assembled agents that the agent was a complete and utter moron.

It was common for fools to see themselves as among the wisest. The case was no different with French Fries, who paraded himself back and forth across his cell with considerable bravado. He indignantly wiped the blood from his prized mustache with a spotless white handkerchief.

French Fries had amassed a considerable following over the last few hours. Elite agent Andrew was currently in control of the situation, and he was not far from jail cell when the imposing figure of Pharisee arrived.

Andrew stepped up and held out a hand. "Commander Pharisee, I don't believe we have met. I'm elite agent Andrew, and I believe the situation is under control."

Pharisee looked down his nose at the young agent. He stood a head taller than him and addressed him in his deep bass voice. "I don't believe you do. You and Rex have created a lynch mob. Your colleague has already unleashed his own wrath upon agent French Fries, which was not his place to do. Once my reckoning is delivered, I assure you that Rex, too, will be investigated. He has already attacked me once, and his behavior has proven to be considerably dangerous."

Andrew prepared to say something to Pharisee, but Nazareno interjected. "Elite agent Rex is struggling with his own turmoil at the moment. We who were present can agree that he was emotionally compromised when he attacked French Fries. Andrew is in control of the situation."

"No, he is not," said Pharisee. "It is not your place to dictate judgment. These events lead only to greater violence. It is my job to punish the unrighteous man. I alone must live with this burden."

"Are you going to arrest French Fries?" asked Minerva.

"Yes," responded Pharisee. "He ordered the assault of another agent, a sin no greater than that of agent Rex. Once he is behind bars, elite agent Rex may soon join him."

"You can't do that!" yelled Laxus. "Elite agent Rex is a hero. We will all vouch for that!"

"A hero is held to the same code that binds us all!" shot back Pharisee. "No one is above the law. Internal Affairs exists to ensure that the Dino Attack Team operates with grace. Because we are a separate entity, we operate outside the hierarchy of the elite agents. I am prepared to arrest or kill anyone who goes against the code of conduct."

"Seems like your department has too much power," accused Minerva. "Who are you to be the judge?"

"I know firsthand the difference between right and wrong," said Pharisee sharply. "Do not question my integrity! I pay unto evildoers that which they deserve."

French Fries sat in his cell accompanied by the loyal figure of Darling standing outside the bars. The elite agent's eyes were still swollen shut, but he had refused any offers to be visited by a doctor. Instead, he was content to eat pizza rolls well the other agents outside watched.

"French Fries," Darling muttered cautiously. "We should make these agents leave. You're not very popular right now, and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Pish posh!" exclaimed French Fries. "We're getting the recognition we deserve. It's a shame that freakish thing was not killed, or we'd be getting more attention."

"But not in a good way," whispered Darling. "You made these people very angry. They want your head."

"Impossible," said French Fries. "We are being stared at because I am revered. I have brought the Dino Attack Team to new heights today. I imagine I'll be promoted to founding member for my actions."

"I don't think it works that way," muttered Darling.

French Fries was about to respond when Darling's head was suddenly slammed into cell door by a hulking form standing behind them. French Fries looked with disdain at the shadow of Pharisee. "Was that necessary?" he asked. "Darling was about to complement me."

"Elite agent French Fries," Pharisee said in a voice that everyone could hear. "You were under arrest on charges of incompetence, leaking information, and attempted murder of the hybrid Pterisa."

French Fries shook a finger under Pharisee's noise as he let himself into the cell and closed the door behind him. "No. I should certainly not be in here. I should not have been arrested. I…"

His sentence was cut short as Pharisee lifted him from his seat and threw him across the room. The man's body slammed into a cell wall, where he collapsed. Pharisee strolled over slowly to where the man lay. French Fries's eye lit up with a newfound terror as the commander stood above him.

"I am your reckoning, French Fries," Pharisee said softly as he cracked his knuckles. "I am the man that will make you pay for your crimes. You are an imbecile and a fool, and you will soon receive that which you deserve."

"Who are you?" French Fries whispered through his bloody lips.

Pharisee knelt down by the elite agent on the cell floor. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities and the tyranny of the evil man," the commander said smoothly. He rose from his position beside French Fries and raised his voice so everyone could hear. "Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak though the valley of darkness."

The whites of his eyes flashed at the lunatic on the floor, and French Fries yelped in fear. "For he is truly his brother's keeper," boomed Pharisee as he drew his gun and took aim. "And the finder of lost children!"

French Fries whimpered as he looked down the barrel of Pharisee's gun. The dark elegance of the commander was offsetting, and the fire that burned in his eyes seemed to reach into small man's soul.

"And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to destroy my brothers!" yelled the commander. "And you will know my name is Pharisee when I lay my vengeance upon thee!"

In sudden surge of fury, Pharisee descended on the unfortunate man. He brought his gun down upon his head and pelted him with his fists with incredible tenacity. French Fries screamed as he was lifted from the floor and slammed into the wall. Pharisee unleashed two more vicious punches to the face before he crumpled to the floor and lay still.

The commander regained his composure and holstered his gun. He stood coolly above the man, the only evidence of the attack that shown on his figure were his bloody hands. "Let that be a lesson to the onlookers," Pharisee said softly.

Then, suddenly raising his voice again, he exclaimed: "I am to be torment in the hearts of the unrighteous! An image of fear in the eyes of those who have wronged. I will haunt the nightmares of the wicked. No more will the Dino Attack suffer under the weight of the amoral, for I am to be judgment upon thee. I pay retribution where retribution is due. The good men have nothing to fear from me, but for those who have sinned, their time of assurance is at an end."

Casually, he unlocked the cell door and left French Fries where his motionless body lay. The onlookers parted to let him pass.

*****

Amanda Claw waited patiently outside Dr. Nicholas Saran's office. She knew that a psychiatrist was exactly what the team needed, and she mused bitterly over the fact that many of the team's members would be considered downright "messed up" in the eyes of the public. And not just the obviously-crazy members like Fireman or Duke, but even the respected... such as Rex.

As she waited, she was surprised to see Frozeen approach her. "Oh, hello," greeted Frozeen as he drew near.

"What's wrong?" inquired Amanda, concerned.

Struck with surprise by this question, Frozeen faltered. "Wrong? Nothing is wrong. Everything's… fine."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Your eyes are red, your cheeks are a little damp, and when you speak, I can hear that your throat is a little dry. Can you understand why I was just being little worried since you've been crying?"

Frozeen sighed. "It's no use lying to you, Amanda," he admitted. "You're just too good at reading people." He did not elaborate, so Amanda did not push any further for an explanation. After a moment of awkward silence, Frozeen cleared his throat and declared: "It was nothing. Just a little déjà vu, that's all."

"I see," said Amanda, nodding. "Our past does have a nasty way of coming back to haunt us."

"So," Frozeen decided to change the subject, "have you seen Rex? There's been some recent developments regarding Mutant Dino activity in LEGO City, and it appears to be urgent news."

Amanda gestured towards the door to Dr. Saran's office. "He's in there," she explained. "Andrew and I urged him to seek a little counseling after... a recent incident. The mounting stress of the Dino Attack has really got to him, I'm afraid. He's tried so hard to bottle it all up, but some moron French Fries was the last straw for him."

"Counseling," repeated Frozeen. "Counseling is good. It helps a lot more than you think. Trust me, I know."

"As for recent developments," continued Amanda, "he and I were speaking to Ben Gunn, and-"

"Ben Gunn?" repeated Frozeen, confused.

Amanda shrugged. "I don't know; he's an elderly man who's dead-serious all the time. Apparently, he met Rex and Greybeard at one point. He was also the old man that the others saw clothesline Ata."

"Ah," said Frozeen, nodding. "That's who he is. I'd like to meet him someday."

"But more importantly," continued Amanda, who lowered her voice but carried a more urgent tone, "Ben Gunn told us that Dr. Rex is planning a massive attack tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Frozeen's face was grim. "Then I'm afraid that Sha... I mean, elite agent Grimton's theory was correct. She was telling the founding members about how the lack of Mutant Dino activity in LEGO City was due to the dinosaurs actually gathering their forces near the edge of the city, where our scanners and patrols are not so strong."

"Just think," sighed Amanda. "This might be the final battle... and any one of us may die."

Frozeen tried to smile reassuringly. "I'm sure we'll all pull through... we've survived this long, right? You, me, Greybeard, and, of course, Rex. Still... it might be wise to tie up loose ends now, because we don't know if we'll ever get the chance again. Like how you wrote a letter to Bartholomew Enderson."

Amanda nodded. "He deserves to know," she murmured quietly.

Frozeen scratched his head. "Out of curiosity... just a quick question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... I remember the name Bartholomew Enderson. He was... involved in an Alpha Team investigation a couple years back; he wasn't in trouble or anything, but we thought that he might have known about someone we were trying to find... he's a bartender, right?" When Amanda nodded in response, Frozeen continued: "We wanted to ask him a few questions, but we never got the chance. But now... how can I phrase this... I apologize for being blunt, but... are you her?"

Amanda stared at Frozeen with surprise.

Frozeen locked eyes with her and held up his hands. "Look... if you are, you are not in trouble. You're still one of my most trusted friends in the Dino Attack Team, and I would never hold it against you... instead, I'd understand that you've changed and you're redeeming yourself. After all, my own record isn't spotless, so it would be hypocritical of me to judge you for your past. I know this is a strange question, but after what you said in Ata's room, I couldn't help but..."

Amanda closed her eyes and, after a moment of silence, nodded gently.

Frozeen gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Amanda. To me, no matter what you were, to me, you will always be Amanda Claw, one of the greatest Dino Attack agents. And I thank you for doing such great work with this team."

Amanda smiled.

Frozeen glanced at the door to Dr. Saran's office. "He's going to be in there for a while, isn't he?" he murmured. "So, uh, how are things with you and Rex?"

"Wonderful," said Amanda, beaming. "Things could always be a little better... but given the circumstances that we are in, I daresay, it's the best that it could possibly be."

Frozeen scratched his head and leaned against a wall. "This might sound a bit awkward," he said as he chuckled nervously, "but I hope you can help me out a little... what's it like to be in a relationship with someone you love?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his question.

----

It was still storming outside when Charlie Schultz sloshed into his home and plugged the encrypter into his computer.

His home was dark, and the techie had not wasted time in making it homely. While the main floor was a labyrinth of unopened mail and file cabinets, the basement was a meticulously organized maze of wires and blinking radio transceivers.

Charlie prided himself in the capabilities of his basement workstation. He could send the notes symphony around the world at the push of a button and pick up radio signals from Greenland. While others would consider this eavesdropping, Charlie considered it a test of his skill and a worthy challenge.

Thus far, there was no code that Charlie had not been able to discover. While he had trodden on thin ice before when it came to government transmissions, he had always been able to cover his tracks by bouncing his signals across dozens of satellites. By the time a signal was traced back to him, Charlie would be able to vanish.

There were instances when he had been dangerously close to being caught, however. A close call a few years back had led him to outfit his tech with the latest in cyber security. Part of him had allowed the main floor of his house to fall in such disarray so as to provide a hazard to any intruders. It was in such a level of chaos that no one could find anything of value except him.

That was what he told himself, at least. Mostly, it was because he hardly ever spent time outside his basement. Being glued to the monitors downstairs had led him to neglect the livable part of the house, and he hardly ever used it anymore.

The plastic encrypter that the men had given him appeared to be an antique compared to his modern devices. He had learned that appearances could be deceiving, and often times more complex material would be hidden in unassuming cases.

He inserted the tape in the encrypter and set his monitor for the correct settings. Soon, red symbols started to appear on the screen and flashed in patterns far too fast for Charlie to read. Once they settled, the text was as incomprehensible as chicken scratch.

Jajsbcjzxyjbauixcqyhstchnauiyjdsjciusnkcjownzhjcbkjauihckjsuxzbkjhasujbcjuyhuwhkljhxjhjskjhzjhxlkjsopucpslcidbjabjqkslknzjuhwskjhwuybkxjhyhwkjbzjixkjielkzxhuhelahslkzjnfljhwlkjzduhlejkhlzxhlehucluzhlvuhzlhnzllhshlkishnmcjjvuyheksiapijenknvoiaoskxoialkdljaojqpaolsieusidjfnchjsielkzhiashndujcluaunjduisneincjusjdjuuanjeuxkjghbcnvibncnmsjbdjnsiuakisnhufnlkjasuhflkauejuikhskhaoieocujoaihenljkhclkhakebnbgulannshndhoqjzjoiazhjiejzkjdoijfnoiaoiehidhoieoiahzhoeiuicnoihehociouiehyhcnudhuolaolohebvuebnsjajuhoiajncuhouiauyeuhbcjuyaweouihcbnujahsuih

The paper reel on the encrypter whirred, and a hard copy of the message was spat out onto his desk. It was the same gibberish on the screen, and Charlie crinkled it up and tossed it over his shoulder in annoyance.

He could tell the code was at a level that made the enigma machine look like child's play. Every icon was replaced by another icon, which was replaced by another icon, which was run through a very complex algorithm, which turned it into entirely random letters. As the length of the message increased, the number of replacements increased. Charlie could certainly solve it, but it would strain his hard drive to the core.

He looked at the encrypter. The device turned a relatively simple message into an unreadable cluster. Using a different reader would be impossible due to the nature of the tape, so he would have to figure out exactly what code was being used.

Charlie got up from his chair and stared shuffling through the doors of his storage cabinet. He withdrew a mess of wires and plugged them into a variety of devices, including his computer and the encrypter. Behind him, a tower started beeping as it scanned the technology.

"This may take a while," he muttered. The program he was using scanned through every code in his archive to identify the one being used. Considering how large his databank was, it would take time to sort through every possibility until it found a match.

A flash of lightning outside interrupted his thoughts. The storm was intensifying, and a severe weather warning flashed on his screen.

BEEP BEEP

Charlie returned to his chair and smiled. The program revealed that the code he saw before him was Xeleos encryption. That particular cipher had not been used since the Spyrius incident back in the 90s. He had the ability to translate it, but it would seriously strain his hard drive.

He typed the necessary commands into his computer and waited. The symbols began to change one at a time. It was a meticulous and time-consuming process, but soon words would begin to appear.

The cooling systems kicked in as his computer struggled to process the size of the code. Charlie hoped that it would not overload before the process was finished.

Words now appeared at random. They were not entire sentences; instead, they emerged at random in the center of the article. What he saw was not what he expected from two mobsters he met at the convention:

Mutant…Xenon…Regarding…Serum…Doctor…City

Taken out of context, the words made absolutely no sense to Charlie. His assumption was that the code would relate to blackmail or extortion. Instead, the content appeared to be far more malicious.

The hard drive was straining to cope with the code, and his cooling towers whined with the overload.

Dinosaurs…Tyrannosaurus…Paradox…Elite…Extinction…Incredible

The text started to flash faster. Charlie held his breath with every word that appeared. Whatever he had gotten his hands on was something way bigger than he could have possibly imagined.

Death…Casualties…Maelstrom…Rex…Lizards…Destruction

Smoke was now billowing from his computer. The code and the information were overloading all his systems, and the lights in his house flashed on and off. Words were still appearing, and Charlie sweated with every reference to bane and carnage.

The cooling tower suddenly caught fire as the last three words were decoded.

Dino...Attack…2010

Charlie jumped from his chair as sparks shot from his desktop and the lights went dark. There was a distant clap of thunder, and someone kicked down his door.

----

"Dumbfounded" was the only word that could adequately describe Hotwire's reaction. He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to come up with the proper words.

Helm could guess what was going through the agent's mind; he knew from experience how difficult it could be to express condolences. Still, he managed a half-smile. "It's all right, kid, I'm just glad you had the chance to know him." He motioned towards Katerina. "Anyways, as I was saying, could you possibly catch me up on this?"

Hotwire sighed. "Well, first off, Kat learned she was actually synthetically grown and modified by ShadowTech. Then, on LEGO Island, Loop -- he was a ShadowTech experiment too, though we didn't know that at the time; he was working undercover for Dr. Inferno --"

"And for Ogel before that," Swerve added. "I encountered him a bunch of times in 2008, which is how he got such a huge grudge against me."

"Yes. Anyway," Hotwire continued, "Loop showed up on LEGO Island and killed her, or so we thought..."

Helm sat fascinated, listening to the bizarre tale of the Schattenbergs, Swerve occasionally contributing what details he'd gathered. They were briefly interrupted when a medic arrived to look Hotwire over before declaring him free to leave.

"So, as far as you know," Helm said as Hotwire stood, pulling on his cap and gathering his belongings, "she had her mind erased because of a sibling rivalry that has lasted decades and remained unhindered by death?"

Hotwire nodded, sparing Katerina a glance.

"Could be worse," Swerve pointed out. "Brick League United and Reliable Excavation Deconstruction were at each other's throats over a similar issue for something like a hundred and fifty years." This elicited a few laughs as the trio walked out. They were stopped in their tracks, however, by a curious sound -- a yawn. Hotwire looked back and froze.

On the bed, Katerina Schattenberg opened her eyes and sat up. 

*****

Wade was quickly pushing his way through the crowd of onlookers in the detention block, a first aid kit in his hand. "Out of my way," he said as he moved toward the cell where the battered and bruised Elite Agent French Fries lay. One agent of the crowd slowly unlocked his cell and allowed him to enter. Within a few short minutes, Wade was on the ground, setting up his equipment.

"I wonder what all that's about," Angel Eyes said curiously as he lit his pipe, leaning against the bars of Dynamite's cell.

Suddenly, Dude ran up to him, holding a tiny shotglass containing a drink. "I just heard some Znap from some other people," Dude said. "Apparently, they caught the mole."

"They caught the mole?" Angel Eyes asked.

"Yeah," replied Dude. "You can let that guy out now."

"Alright then," said Angel Eyes. "I'd just like to verify that first."

*****

Crusher turned in relief as Rotor wandered into the infirmary. "Ah," she said. "You're back. What was all that about?"

"Some crazy guy tried to get me executed," replied Rotor.

"I see," said Crusher. "You feeling alright?"

"For the most part, yes. How's Cabin doing?"

"Not too bad, surprisingly," replied Crusher. He motioned towards one of the cots, where she was resting quietly on her own, now wearing a simple t-shirt.

"You think we'll be able to fly?" Rotor asked.

"Well, I don't know that I'd recommend it just yet but you should be able to if you have to."

*****

Angel Eyes slowly knocked on the door. "I'll be out in a minute," came Maria's muffled reply from within. There was a moment of silence before the attractive Western girl opened her door. She was rather oddly wearing a bathrobe, much to Angel Eyes's surprise. Fireman was lying in Maria's bed, covering herself with sheets.

"I'm sorry," Maria said, slightly nervously. "I was just takin' a bath. Andr-uh, Fireman was tired... so I let her take a nap in that there bed and I just... decided to take a bath."

"What about the mole?"

"I kept the door open," replied Maria. "And listened real careful in case he came in."

"I see," said Angel Eyes. "I've just heard that the mole has been found. I still need to verify the information before I let Dynamite out, but I think for the time being we can allow Fireman some freedom, so long as you keep her in your sight."

"That ain't goin' to be no problem," replied Maria.

"Good," said Angel Eyes. With a grin, he tipped his hat, turned, and walked down the hall, the sound of his spurs echoing slightly off the walls as Maria closed the door.

"Did I hear they caught the mole?" inquired Andrea.

"That's right," said Maria.

Andrea let out a long sigh of relief. "He's safe…" she whispered, too quietly for Maria to hear.

*****

Sarah calmly stroked Kate's back. The young rookie had practically cried herself to sleep in her mother's lap. All this that had happened was clearly too much for her to take. In the past few days, Kate had learned the rather disturbing story of what really happened to her uncle, and learned that the man she had grown so close to was her biological father. While the latter was not necessarily a bad thing, it was still quite shocking and a lot for her to handle.

At that moment, the door to the rec room opened, and Pierce stepped inside. "Hello Sarah," he said. "You mind if I sit down?"

Sarah nodded, and Pierce took a seat on a nearby chair. "I told her," she said. "About you and me."

"How'd she take that?"

"I'm not sure yet," replied Sarah, still running her hand alongside Kate's side. 

*****

Holly Vinyaya moved out of the detention block at a brisk pace, Zachary Virchaus close behind. He had no idea what she wanted him for and she had refused to elaborate. As they walked down a hallway, Zach gained the courage to ask a question. "So, Holly," he said. "Where exactly are we going?"

Vinyaya turned sharply and faced him, a look of annoyance on her face. "Do not call me Holly," she snapped. "You will refer to me by my rank." With that, she continued to walk ahead.

"Seriously?" Zach said, now annoyed himself. "The one time I'm trying not to irritate you, and I irritate you!" Vinyaya ignored him. "My apologies, Commander." He made sure to stress her title.

Finally, she stopped at a door. "Enter," she commanded. Zach bowed mockingly before he entered what seemed to be a storage room. Vinyaya followed him in, closed the door, and flicked on the lights. "Alright," she said. "Now-"

"Just a moment," Zach interrupted. Vinyaya rolled her eyes but nodded. He leaned back against a crate. "Is there any reason why you seem to dislike me, provided this isn't the reason that you brought me here?"

"Besides blatant lack of respect toward me?" she asked irritably.

"Yeah."

Vinyaya sighed. "It's mostly the whole 'Stromling' thing. You nearly killed me and used me as a shield. Yes, I am aware that it was the Darkitect's influence, but I am unfortunately one to hold a grudge or two."

"What about Zelda?" Zach questioned. "She was a Stromling and, from what I hear, she almost killed you too. Do you hate her too?"

"No, which brings us back to point A," Vinyaya said with a slight smirk. "'Blatant lack of respect toward me.'" Zach was about to say something when Vinyaya silenced him. "It doesn't matter. Now, on to what I want to talk about. I would prefer if this conversation does not reach anyone else's ears. Understand?"

Zach decided to take that statement as a threat Vinyaya would act on. "Fine."

"Good. The reason I am speak to you is because I heard you and Fabello discussing an agent named Scratch. This agent's real name is Logan Zekria, correct?"

"Yes." Zach pulled the glove off of his right hand and flexed his metallic fingers. "He is the reason why I have this."

"And you killed him, right?"

Zach shrugged. "I'm not really sure if I pulled the trigger or he did, but he's dead. Why does it matter?"

Vinyaya sighed again, her face becoming red. "Well," she said stiffly. "I was a bit, um, involved, uh, with Scratch."

Zach let that sink in. Then, a grin slowly began to form on his face. "Wait. So you and Scratch were-"

"Yes!" Vinyaya hissed, wiping the grin off of his face.

"Alright, so did you two know each other prior to the Dino Attack?"

"No. We were on the same T-1 Typhoon that was downed in Adventurers' Island's jungles."

"And so, you two became close under the desire to survive and make it to an outpost or something, right?"

Vinyaya raised an eyebrow curiously. "I-yes. How did you know that?"

Zach shrugged. "The same thing more-or-less happened to myself and Minerva, though it was more fighting in a battle together than trying to survive in a Mutant Dino-infested jungle. In fact, I'm more than ninety-nine percent sure that most relationships formed during this war were 'helped' by being forced to bond with one another for survival purposes."

Vinyaya waved her hand. "Anyway, I was in charge and, since it was a Mutant Dino-infested jungle, things looked rather bleak. Logan was extremely determined to survive and offered to help me. You would not believe how powerful his-"

"-senses are?" As soon as he finished her sentence, Zach expected Vinyaya to angrily scold him. However, she simply nodded. "Yes. That managed to save my life at one point from a very nasty Stromling Islander."

"We worked together," Vinyaya continued. "And I suppose I let my guard down around him. He was a rather nice person, even if a little rough around the edges." She paused, her face reddening again. "We were... rather close."

"Did he share your feelings?"

Vinyaya shrugged. "Back then, I thought so. Now, I'm not so sure. I will say that he trusted me enough to tell me secrets he hadn't told anyone else. Such as his former employment to Sam Sinister. He was suggesting to me that he was going to get revenge on Sinister since they were both on the island. He never elaborated on what he was going to do, but I suppose it would have been sinister."

Zach smirked in spite of himself. "What was your response to this?"

"A flat no. Sinister is an ally and we needed him. Logan told me Sinister was a fool and we didn't need him. After some arguing, he told me he would save his revenge for after the war, which was good enough for me."

"Did he tell you about the whole dinosaur bit?"

Vinyaya nodded sadly. "He was determined to wipe them all out, mutant and normal. I wasn't a complete love-stricken fool. I told him if he tried anything against the native dinosaurs, I would not hesitate to take him down. After that..."

"You think he didn't trust you after that?" Zach guessed.

Vinyaya nodded. "Logan Zekria might have still held feelings for me, but was much more reserved around me after the 'dinosaur thing'. We stayed together even after we reached an outpost. We only split when he was sent to the TumTum Tribe's village to fight. I never saw him again after that-"

"Because he went ahead with his plan to kill ALL the dinosaurs," Zach finished.

"And so what happened then?" Vinyaya asked. "I am aware that several native dinosaurs arrived during a battle outside the XERRD fortress."

"That was him. I didn't know what was going on, so I followed him to help him escape the dinosaurs chasing after him. The dinos were circling him when I reached. He revealed what he was doing. He knew I was going to turn him in, so he fought me. If it's any consolation for nearly killing you, he beat within an inch of my life. Before he was going to shoot me, he told me he knew Minerva had watched run after him and said she would have to be killed as well." Zach chuckled. "At this point, all I can think is, 'What a cool dude.'"

"'Cool dude'?" Vinyaya repeated, frowning in confusion.

Zach glanced upward. "For some reason, I can't bring myself to mention the word I want to use, despite it not being that obscene. Oh, well. Anyway, I forced myself to get back up and fight. I did better, which led him to shoot my hand off. In a possible calculated move, he then blew up my hand with a Cosmotronic Ray, not taking the chance that I am a LEGO Islander and might have been able to click my hand back into my wrist. Now determined to beat this man, I stood up and fought for his pistol. In the fight, the pistol went off, shooting him and ending his life rather quickly. Dinosaurs stopped being hostile, crisis averted."

Both Zach and Vinyaya were silent. Zach glanced over Vinyaya's shoulder while she stared at the ground, clearly thinking. Finally, Vinyaya sighed and looked at Zach. "I suppose the reason I wanted to discuss this was to get it off my chest, and since you knew Logan somewhat..."

"No problem," Zach said calmly. Thinking back to Rex's outburst against French Fries and even Minerva's minor outburst concerning her mother, all directly related to holding in emotions, he added: "It's best not to bottle up your feelings only to have to explode later on. I've seen enough of it today to be certain."

Vinyaya nodded.

"How do you feel about Scratch now?"

"I don't know. He was a terrible person, but I couldn't help but feel a little sad that he died." Zach suddenly wondered if his responsibility toward Logan Zekria's death played a role in Vinyaya's animosity toward him. "I'm certainly ready to move on from it."

Zach nodded. "Now that we've shared this touchy-feely moment, we can be friends now. Right?"

Vinyaya laughed quietly. "Keep thinking that, Virchaus. Let's head back to the detention cell so you can be with your girlfriend." Zach grinned, and the two left the storage room.

As they left, Zach decided strike a random conversation with the Space Police commando. "Now that that's out of the way, you're in need of a new love interest," Zach began, ideas already forming in his head.

"What?" Vinyaya asked, a curious smile appearing on his face. She shook her head as she realized where Zach was going. "You better not start shipping me with other agents, Virchaus, or I swear..."

"Right now, I'm thinking Nazareno is the best choice for a pairing with you..." 

*****

Katerina looked down at herself. "Physical body, ShadowTech uniform," she muttered, glancing around the room. "Dino Attack HQ, Hotwire has a peg leg, Helmie's here, but he's actually in Antarctica..." She abruptly grinned. "Must be a dream."

She hopped off the bed and did a cartwheel, landing in front of Hotwire, Swerve, and Helm, who were watching her in shock and confusion. And they weren't the only ones; there was a clatter from across the room as one of the medics dropped his clipboard in astonishment. Katerina poked Hotwire in the forehead with a smirk, knocked his cap off, caught it and placed it on her own head, and then, with a leap, began jumping on the nearest bed.

Hotwire, meanwhile, was just as astounded as he'd been the other morning when this woman had hopped down out of his T-1 Typhoon, only this time there was a tad more foolish hope in the cauldron of confusion. The mannerisms, the tone of voice... Barely daring to let himself believe it, he asked, "Wait, what's your name?"

"Bit of a silly question. You know me already." She paused and tilted her head quizzically. "Unless this is going to be one of the weird dreams."

"Um, yeah, I mean, I know you, but I don't believe you and Swerve here have met before," Hotwire stammered, jerking a thumb at the masked figure behind him.

"Well in that case, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, even though it seems the jury's still out on whether this is reality," she said, hopping to the floor and grabbing Swerve's hand. "I'm Kat."

*****

As the crowds dispersed, Andrew felt it would be a good time to leave it himself. Laxus and Pterisa were quick to agree, and Bluetooth decided to join them as well.

"Geeze, that was... eventful," said Bluetooth. "Where the heck did that crowd come from, anyways?"

"Well, we did cause quite a ruckus when capturing that guy," Andrew replied, "so I guess it isn't too surprising that those people showed up to see what happened. But really, that Pharisee guy needs some perspective. We captured him, so besides from keeping others from abusing French Fries before the guards reappeared, how was I 'failing to control the situation'?"

"I'm just surprised Rex clearly didn't want to 'take control of the situation' after..." Laxus faltered, recalling the scene again. "You know."

"He does seem to have some issue he needs to work out," said Bluetooth. "Hopefully, he takes your advice and gets a bit of therapy. Pharisee should think about his actions, too. It won't do anyone good to barge in on him at some point and have him arrested."

"Well, I'm confident enough that any pardon I give can override whatever policy this Internal Affairs division is going to try on him," said Andrew. "Especially given the circumstances. And if they don't listen to me, I'm certain that some of the other Elites can back me up on that."

The group was silent for a few more moments as they walked towards the mess hall. It was almost dinnertime.

"So... Pterisa, right?" Bluetooth asked the Hybrid. She nodded. "Yeah, um, good to see you're taking well. Sorry you had to see Rex like that, he's really a dogged nice guy, as far as I've heard."

"I know," she said. "He was all too helpful for me when I got unmasked by the Darkitect. I suppose he can't always have an easy time, considering circumstance has left him in the original body of Alpha Rex, and he has lost track of Mutant Dinos he's bonded with, such as this 'Trouble' he speaks of."

"You have to wonder if that lizard, among others, is still out there in the city somewhere," said Laxus. "I mean, maybe he might've been killed by some agent on patrol that didn't see signs of friendliness, and I've heard a few things here and there about Rex's old tamed dino building getting flooded during Kotua's crazy period, but there's still no solid confirmation of anything. But who really knows?"

"True," said Andrew. "Stranger things have happened. Kat got killed, then came back as a computer program, then got a body again due to some ShadowTech thingamabob. Trouble could simply appear again in the final battle or something."

"Optimism at its finest," said a new voice. Stranger was now walking alongside the group. "Missed you guys. I've been taking up Bullseye's place in the sniping post."

"Good to hear everything's recovering from the security defects that mole put on us," said Bluetooth. "I was helping with fixing Tech's sentries earlier."

"Hopefully, that should improve our chances during an attack," said Andrew, thinking just now of what Semick had said earlier. "Speaking of which..." 

*****

"I think some explanations are owed all around," said Helm after a few moments of confusion.

"Agreed," said Kat. "But could we do that in the cafeteria? I'm famished."

Soon, the four of them were seated in the mess hall, Kat with a heavily loaded tray in front of her. Noon had passed quite a few hours ago, but late lunch was still being served due to the odd times at which agents were trickling back to HQ from the most recent mission.

"So, what's the last thing you can remember before you woke up?" Hotwire inquired as she began eating.

She paused in thought for a moment. "The battle at the rear guard camp had just ended and we were about to leave for Outpost 4."

Hotwire shifted uneasily. "That... was several days ago."

"Well, of course it was," said Kat. "That was the last time I saved."

Hotwire furrowed his brow in puzzlement, but Helm butted in. "Look, why don't we just catch up on what happened over the course of the past few days, then see what holes need filling in afterwards?" Nods all around. Kat listened intently as Hotwire and Swerve related the events at Outpost 4, the battle at the Temple of Hotep III, Dust's death, Zachary's redemption, and the cleansing of Adventurers' Island. Helm joined in as they moved on to the day's events -- the deaths of the Second Headquarters Squad, the capture of the mole, and Loop's reappearance and final end.

Kat paused to register all of this new information. She turned to Swerve, pointing at him with her fork. "So you're really Septimus."

He nodded. "And you're really Katerina Schattenberg?"

Kat laid her fork down slowly and carefully. "No," she said evenly but coldly. "No, I am not. She may have claimed that, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Contrary to her apparent belief, she didn't simply adopt a new identity. Katerina Schattenberg made another person, a fully independent mind, and used her as a disguise. When I'd served my purpose, she threw me out. Just like every other person who was ever briefly useful to her. You may as well say I'm Loop, or Michelle Gladys, or Dr. Rex himself. Any of those would be equally flattering."

Swerve was clearly somewhat taken aback. "Well, to be fair," he said, "you pretty much did the same to me. Septimus was Swerve, not the other way."

"Point taken," said Kat. "I'm sorry."

"Anyway," Hotwire interjected, "what was that you said about saving?"

"Oh, right," Kat replied. "Well, there's plenty of space in a T-1 for file storage, so I'd been... basically, making backup copies of my mind every few days." She took in the shocked looks she was getting in response and snickered. "Sounds, weird, I know. Almost eldritch, if I may say so myself. That's why I didn't tell anyone. I figured there was no reason anyone should find out unless something happened. And I guess Katerina unthinkingly transferred every last byte related to herself when she dropped into this body, and I'd encrypted and compressed the backup enough that it was buried too deep for Loop to touch it. That's why I needed a nice long nap to swim back up to the surface."

"Maybe it wasn't an accident, though," Hotwire pointed out nervously. "Maybe Katerina realized what the backup was and brought it along just in case. After all, she was inside your mind, so it's probably safe to assume she was in the backup too."

Kat's expression grew grim. "Well if that's the case, then I can guarantee she'll never get back out. I just got back, and I don't plan on leaving again." 

"Having a party?"

Hotwire looked up to see Shiller strolling to their table. Momentarily worried, he looked around the room and was relieved to see Wright by the door, keeping an eye on Trigger, who was in the midst of a quiet but clearly vehement conversation with an unfamiliar man.

Shiller followed Hotwire's gaze and smirked. "Don't worry, we said we wouldn't let him out of our sight, and we meant it."

Kat had turned too at this new arrival, and now that there was a break in conversation that coincided with her swallowing another bite, she stuck out her hand and said, "We haven't met. I'm Kat."

"Shiller," he responded, shaking her hand. "Me and O'Neal here go way back."

*****

"Do you really think that?" Vinyaya asked, glancing at Zach.

He shrugged. "I'm leaning towards it. Due to his apparent deep-rooted dislike for pirates, I imagine he's been a ninja from a very young age. Though I don't know how space ninjas operate as opposed to regular ninjas, so you never know."

Vinyaya and Zach had returned to the prison block to find it empty, so they took to wandering the hallways. While Zach brought up numerous ideas on who to pair Vinyaya with, they had ultimately returned their focus on Nazareno.

"I think Frodongan is infatuated with him," Vinyaya said.

Zach raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "That's interesting in a variety of ways. One is her pirate upbringing, and two is that it sounds like she tried to kill him while she was a Stromling."

"Well, Nazareno stayed behind during the Maelstrom Temple and was there when Frodongan returned to normal. As the only two agents in the midst of a bunch of medics, it seems very likely they could have bonded in that time."

"Do you know if Nazareno shares her feelings, or is even aware?"

Vinyaya shrugged. "He's a hard man to read, naturally."

"So he's attracted Zelda and he's probably attracted you," Zach said. Vinyaya began to argue when Zach cut her off. "I'm thinking Nazareno may be a chick magnet. Maybe even a borderline se-"

"How are you so certain that I like him?" Vinyaya interrupted curtly.

"Space?" suggested Zach.

Vinyaya's eyes narrowed, apparently not satisfied with his answer.

"Hmm. Did you help hunt after an intergalactic terrorist by the name of Matthew Vherestorm?"

"Yes."

"Well, Nazareno spent a good number of years chasing after this 'Vherestorm', so that's another thing you have in common. I don't know, I just see the two of you getting along rather well."

Vinyaya rolled her eyes. "Probably. That doesn't mean I have to be romantically involved with him. Like you said, he-"

"Hey!" Minerva's voice called out from behind them. Zach and Vinyaya turned to see Minerva and Zelda approaching them. "We've been looking for you."

"So have I," Zach said, smiling.

Minerva turned to Vinyaya. "So why did you need to see Zach?" she asked.

"It was a... personal matter that needed to be cleared up," Vinyaya said.

Zach nodded in agreement. "Where's Nazareno?" he asked.

"He said he wanted to be alone for a bit," Zelda said. She smiled, amused. "I think he's hungry, so he's probably going somewhere he can take off his mask."

Zach chuckled. "Probably. I could go for a quick bite to eat. How about it?" Zelda and Minerva nodded. "Vinyaya? Oh, sorry, Commander?"

Vinyaya smirked. "I suppose I could have something to eat."

"Good," Zach said, clapping his hands together. "Let's go." 

----

Rain and wind rushed into Charlie Schultz's home with a viscous tenacity. The wooden splinters of his front door stood at the feet of the shadowy intruder as he sniffed the air and slowly started to descend the steps.

Lightning flashed, and Charlie was able to get a brief glimpse of who the intruder was. A black helmet with a green visor covered any facial features. Some inner light illuminated the face shield, giving off an early green glow. He wore a dirty white jumpsuit with black sleeves, and a logo was set in an octagonal field plastered to the figure's chest. In his hand was the shadow of a gun.

Charlie huddled under the shadow of his desk as the figure navigated his cluttered room. He assumed that he had some form of night vision, based on the ease with which he navigated the labyrinth of wires and equipment. It was only a matter of time before he was found, and Charlie had to think fast.

In his shaking hand, he held the tape. He had no idea what information it contained, but the reference to Paradox and the Maelstrom was enough to disturbed him greatly. It was the ramblings some estranged scientist, of that Charlie was sure, and he was positive that the events and organization the tape hinted at would lead to a catastrophe that LEGO Planet had never before witnessed.

Powerful men wanted this tape and, based on the men he had received it from, it may be too late to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Charlie assumed that, at this point in time, he was the only person who had glimpsed its contents, making him a very valuable individual.

The figure walked by Charlie's hiding place. He held his gun (which Charlie could now tell was a laser gun) out before him as he probed the dark shadows of the room.

Charlie had to destroy the tape. Despite what others may say, he was not the only person with the ability to decode it. With enough money and resources, anything could be accomplished.

Carefully, Charlie's hand slid out from the shadows to the top of his desk. He thought there might be a soda that he had been drinking and it would be enough to ruin the tape.

His hand grasped the aluminum cylinder, and he gratefully pulled down the can. Charlie prepared to pour the contents onto the tape; he hated to destroy such knowledge, but it was the only option that presented itself.

Then the desk he was hiding under exploded. Wooden splinters rained down upon him, and he was thrown across the room to collide with a power station and slump to the floor. Slivers of wood were embedded in his arm, and his shirt was stained red from the hundreds of cuts from the deadly shrapnel.

Charlie still held the tape and the can of soda in his hands. They both stung from the slivers, and he feebly tried to finish the job.

The introducer stood over him, holding his smoking gun. The muzzle was directed at Charlie's head, and the finger hovered over the trigger.

"Hand over the tape, Mr. Schultz," said the man. "I would have no regrets about killing you. My organization cares nothing about collateral damage as long as the mission is successful."

"Who are you?" asked Charlie. "What is this all about?"

Through the visor of the helmet, Charlie was able to see the red-haired individual. He smiled. "Ordinarily, I don't like to divulge that sort of thing, but since you will probably die from blood loss anyway, I don't see the harm."

Charlie nodded; if he could keep the stranger talking long enough, he may create enough time to destroy the tape.

"I work for an organization called Blacktron Future Generation," said the intruder. "Perhaps you figured that out from the giant B plastered to my chest. Our leader, who shall remain anonymous, has been monitoring a man named Dr. Rex and your employer for some time."

"What?" asked Charlie. "Who is Dr. Rex? Who hired me?"

"The man who hired you is very wealthy, Mr. Schultz. An Englishman who has amassed an incredible fortune over the last few decades, he is a far-reaching individual and has hundreds of loyal employees at his disposal. He too has been keeping tabs on Dr. Rex and the Maelstrom." The intruder chuckled. "I'm glad you will die with at least some of the answers, Mr. Schultz. Unfortunately, it seems I am to leave you with more questions. Now give me the tape, Charlie; I will not ask again."

Charlie pulled out the can of soda and positioned it over the tape. "I'll pour this on the tape," threatened Charlie. "You're never know what it says."

"Do you think a little carbonated water is enough to stop Blacktron?" the intruder said with a flash of anger. "We are omnipotent, Mr. Shultz. Anything you destroy, we will rebuild. We have not endured the decades to be trumped by a measly radio operator with a can of pop!"

Charlie prepared to dump the contents of the can, but the Blacktron intruder lunged. The force of the gun pummeled Charlie's head, and the tape was thrown away.

The Blacktron agent held the tape gleefully and removed his helmet to wipe the sweat from his brow. "You are a pathetic individual, Mr. Schultz, You are weak and forgettable. No one will know that your last moments of life were wasted fighting for a lost-"

The Blacktron agent was interrupted as his back was peppered with the shoots from an automatic weapon. Blood spat from his mouth, and his bloody corpse fell forward to land on Charlie.

A curved woman stepped through the open door in a form-fitting blue jumpsuit. In her hand was a smoking Uzi, which she shoved in her hip holster as she walked down the steps.

Charlie pushed the body of the Blacktron agent aside and attempted to rise to his feet, but he still felt weak from the shrapnel. The tape was still in the intruder's hands, and Charlie desperately tried to reach for it before the new stranger took it.

She held out a hand.

"No." Charlie hesitated. "Are you with the Englishman?" he asked. "Blacktron? Dr. Rex?"

"No," she said. "My name is Agent Trace of the Agents Defense Organization. I am here to confiscate that tape."

"How do I know I can trust you people?" Charlie asked desperately. "How do I know you won't take the tape and kill me?"

"An ambulance is on the way to tend to your injuries," she said. "The two men who hired you have been taken care of. Our organization will ensure your safety, as long as you say nothing about the contents of that tape and what transpired tonight."

"What is this all about?" asked Charlie. "Who are these people? Who is Dr. Rex? What is the Dino Attack?"

Trace seemed to consider for a moment before responding. "We have reason to believe that, later this year, there will be an epic calamity. We don't know what exactly it entails yet, but based on recent reports from Nexus Force, it may involve the Maelstrom."

"The Maelstrom?" asked Charlie. "I thought it was isolated to the Nimbus System."

"It's on the move and it may already be here," said Agent Trace. "That is why it is imperative that we review this tape before it's too late."

Trace held out a hand and waited for Charlie to hand it over. He gazed at the simple reels of the device and pondered what events would ultimately unfold because of him. He was now part of something that would shake the planet to its core, and he could not walk away now. If these Agents believed they could stop it, he would not get in their way.

Charlie placed the tape in Trace's hand.

She smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Schultz. Thanks to you, that Blacktron agent was stalled long enough for us to get here. I don't know what would have happened if he had brought this back to his master. We will review the contents and do what we can."

Trace helped Charlie to his feet and escorted him over to a chair. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Enlist," said Trace. "Personally, I believe there will be a war, and they will need smart men like you. You will have the opportunity to be part of something big; don't let that chance pass you by."

She shook Charlie's hand and walked up the dark steps to the broken door. Red and blue sirens flashed outside, and a medic passed by Trace as she vanished into the storm.

The medic shown a flashlight into the room and found Charlie's bloody form in the chair. He quickly ran over and pressed a hand to Charlie's brow. "My name is John Michael Dorian. We need to get you to Sacred Heart hospital right away." The doctor helped Charlie from his chair and helped him up the wet steps.

"What about that man from Blacktron?" asked Charlie.

"What man from Blacktron?" said Dorian. "It seems to be that one of your costumed friends from Comic-Con was unfortunate enough to be near your desk when it exploded."

"But why would my desk explode? Why would he be full of bullets?" asked Charlie.

J.D. shrugged. "I don't know; that's all the story the Agents gave me."

----

At last, the door to Dr. Nicholas Saran's office opened, and Rex floated out in his hover-chair. Amanda and Frozeen greeted Rex as he entered the hallway, and Amanda asked how the psychiatric session went.

"It went well," said Rex, although his voice was solemn. "Dr. Saran says that it will take time before I'm... well, recovered, and he wishes to schedule more sessions with me. Unfortunately, I do not know when I'll have such time... certainly not tomorrow. We need to speak with Specs immediately."

They heard a distant rumbling: the roar of thunder. "A thunderstorm this late in December?" mused Frozeen. "This has certainly been a warmer-than-usual year. Normally, we would see snowfall by now."

"That's certainly working in Dr. Rex's favor," said Rex, grimacing. "No doubt the Mutant Dinos will fight a lot better in a thunderstorm than a blizzard. Come."

Rex piloted the hover-chair to Specs's office, accompanied by Frozeen and Amanda. Upon entering the office, Rex saw that the other founding members, Digger, Shadow, and Viper, were already speaking to the team leader. They were telling Specs about things that they had learned from "Mary Rose" and "Shannon Grimton", neither name sounding familiar to Rex. When Specs saw Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen enter, he saw the grim look in Rex's face and understood that their news was not good. Still, he motioned for Rex to tell what he knew.

Rex told Specs everything that he learned from Ben Gunn. Specs sat in contemplative silence for a moment as he let the information sink in. "MegaBloks," he murmured quietly. "With the team still recovering from the situations created by Ata and French Fries, we're not prepared for such an attack. Even worse, we have a large number of civilians who have returned to LEGO City, and we must begin an evacuation immediately; I must contact Mayor Frictionfit and let him know about this news. Hopefully, Dash Justice and Agent Chase can lend us a few Alpha Team and Agents vehicles to move the population, but I don't know if we have enough time. As for the Doctor Device, it is nearly finished... but unfortunately, seeing as Frank Einstein has passed away, we never received his instructions on how to complete it."

"Instructions?" repeated Rex.

Specs nodded. "In a number of his chess piece holograms, Dr. Einstein included a set of instructions for building the Doctor Device. He came up with an idea to reengineer the weapon to counteract the Maelstrom energies inherently found within a Mutant Dino. However, the weapon is unfinished, and without his last set of instructions, I do not know if it will work."

Rex and Amanda traded glances. Rex reached into his pocket and pulled out Frank Einstein's last bishop chess piece. "Amanda and I listened to the message recorded in here," explained Rex, "but there was nothing regarding the Doctor Device."

Interested, Specs leaned forward and took the chess piece. Looking it over, Specs murmured: "That's because the instructions were never contained within the main message. There was always another part of the chess piece, never the same part in any two of them, which could activate the instructions for the Doctor Device." Carefully, Specs fingered the chess piece, trying to see if there was anything that was loose. At last, he found that a small bump on the head of the bishop could be rotated, and as he did so, the chess piece opened up, revealing the hologram of Frank Einstein.

As Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen had never studied technology or engineering, what Frank Einstein said in those next few minutes made little sense to them. It was all engineer and inventor jargon that sounded like a foreign language. However, Specs was keenly interested in every word, staring with wide eyes as the hologram of the Assembly professor spoke.

When the message ended, Specs handed the bishop chess piece to Viper. "Make sure this gets to the technology center as quickly as possible," ordered Specs. Viper, being a skilled racer before joining Dino Attack Team, knew the importance of speed; he nodded and darted out the door. "And thank you, Rex," continued Specs. "I hope we never have to use the Doctor Device... but if we do, it may win the war."

"You know," suggested Rex, "I've been thinking. I know it's called the Doctor Device because it's very loosely inspired by the weapon from Ender's Game, which Frozeen told me all about… but I cannot help but notice that, as development of this weapon continued, it became less and less similar to the original Doctor Device. Therefore, I propose a name change. In honor and memory of all that he has done for the Dino Attack Team, including helping us design this device... I propose that we rename it 'the Einstein Device'."

Specs, Shadow, and Digger traded glances, nodding in agreement. "Now," sighed Specs, "comes the hard part." He took the microphone that was on his desk and pushed a button, activating the intercom system in Dino Attack Headquarters. "Attention, all Dino Attack personnel..."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 61: Beginning of the End

----

Taking a seat, his tray loaded with a large pepperoni pizza and a large plate with chips and salsa dip, Andrew was ready for a nice, calm dinner meal with his friends.

"Having the Brickolinis come here to serve food was the best idea this team ever had," said Bluetooth, munching on a pizza of his own, topped with mushrooms and anchovies.

"Have to agree, they're pretty good," said Stranger, who had a bit of sausage and lettuce added to his.

"I definitely like how they're willing to be experimental with their toppings," said Laxus, who had chosen a few unique ingredients for his, among them ketchup, bacon, and a bit of peanut butter.

"And that's why they're still the best darn pizza place this universe has seen," Andrew said with a grin, taking a few good bites out of a slice of his own.

Pterisa was still with the group, enjoying a pizza that had a rather large amount of anchovies on it, along with a bit of salmon. As Andrew began dipping a few of his chips, she tapped him on the shoulder. "If I could take a moment," she said to him, "I'd like to thank you for all you and Laxus have done today. I didn't think anyone would be willing to be so open and welcoming with accepting me into the team."

"Well," Andrew replied, "I can't take much credit. The team's definitively been just as welcoming as us, barring a few notable exceptions. Zach, Minerva, Joike, they've taken your joining in stride. And after all the allies this team has seen, I don't see any decent reason not to."

"Yes, yes, I agree. But it's comforting to know someone like you was willing to enough to serve as a guide, taking me all around HQ and helping to defend me from those naysayers who were being hostile. It gives me hope about how I can live with the rest of the world when all this is over."

"Wow..." Andrew was a little mortified by all the compliments he was being given. "Well, I suppose it's just natural, given that I'm the guy who likes space, is friends with a Martian, and lives that one zany island where nothing is impossible or unacceptable. Speaking of which, I'd recommend LEGO Island if you're looking for a place to stay. If the Brickolinis' reaction to you is any indication, they're sure to be fascinated with your appearance, if anything."

"I'll keep that in mind." The two stared at each other, smiling from the good mood they had put each other in, for a few seconds before feeling the awkwardness of the situation and turning back to their meals.

"You know," Stranger said suddenly, "I just realized something. Tomorrow's December 21. You guys remember the significance of that date?"

"What, that it's only four days 'till Christmas?" Bluetooth replied. "I know I'm a little excited about that. I hear some of the guys are starting to prepare some activities for-"

"No, he's talking about how that date's significance for the whole 2012 Doomsday thing," said Andrew.

"Isn't that 2010?" Laxus asked. "I know there was a movie that-"

"The director of that film only did that for a bit more drama in his disaster simulation reel that was allegedly a movie. As far as I know, the Mayans and I Ching or whatnot have always said 2012."

"Well, if you pardon some gallows humor," said Stranger, "with what's going on, I wouldn't be surprised if doomsday decided to come two years early. Heck, had things gone wrong a few times, I bet it might've even come earlier by now."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't," Bluetooth said, just as the voice of Specs started coming out of the HQ intercom.

"Attention, all Dino Attack personnel..."

*****

I hate being right, Semick thought as he listened to Specs's broadcast.

The B issue was still being settled in a few small ways, as he understood by the time he left, but it seemed like he would be able to get back to base ASAP. And not a moment too soon, either. Within seconds of entering the lobby, Semick got to hear the A-Bomb of an announcement on the intercom.

The news was foreboding. Just as Semick suspected, the downturn in Mutant Dino activity in LEGO City was a sign of something bad. The creatures were gathering in the outskirts of the city, where the patrols were missing them most. Meanwhile, recent intelligence gathered from an old ally revealed that Dr. Rex was, in a fit of insane fury from their recent victories, was planning a strike on Dino Attack Headquarters with the intent of blowing it down to bits. Specs repeated a message intercepted from the mad-dino himself, who promised the end of Minifig civilization by sunset.

Semick's eyes narrowed. Now he knew what he had been doing was right. This night would be the calm before the storm (literally, judging by some of the weather he saw on the way in), and the team needed to prepare for the attack as quickly as they could. He hoped everyone had slept well the night before, because he doubted anyone would get any sleep tonight.

One thing he quickly became concerned about as he thought over the team's circumstances was the emotional state of the agents. From what intelligence he could gather from his PDA, the mole business, though settled, was still a measure of concern for the team as a whole. Furthermore, some matter regarding a loose cannon of an Elite Agent called French Fries had caused a bit of disarray earlier when it was revealed he had tried to have some agents put to death for earlier misdeeds. Currently, the agent was locked up, but it seemed that some agents were still preoccupied for trying to discover the "why" and "how" of the matter, and whether it should concern them.

This needed to be settled quickly. Specs had the right idea, and was going around the same points of reassurance and confidence boosting on the intercom that Semick had gone through in his speeches to his men during the last battle at Adventurers' Island. This would definitively help, but more would have to be done before the night was over. And the former Power Miner was ready and willing to do what he had to. And he had just the idea.

He began typing out an All-Agents Bulletin, narrowed down to the Elite rank only.

To all my colleagues with the rank of Elite Agent:

As you may have heard, we've got a problem brewing just outside LEGO City, to say the least.

As you also may understand, our team may not be in the best emotional state for this concerning the recent events that occurred today at HQ. In that regard, we need to rebuild this team's confidence and readiness to fight.

I want all of you, and all of your comrades of any rank that you feel have been strong comrades, friends, or simply associates in the course of our battles, to start going around the team and remind them of all we've done. All we've overcome, beaten, discovered, survived, defeated, and recovered. From the first schisms brought on by Kotua, from the struggle with our own fears that most of us faced at the Maelstrom Temple.

We need to remind our fellow fighters that no matter what's coming, the simple fact that we've made it this far, and have overcome the mole and inner-agent struggles that attempted to cripple us strategically and emotionally, means that we will be able to win this one last fight.

We must do this, for if we don't, our world, and perhaps our universe may fall. But if we do, we will finally end this long and tedious conflict, defeat the madmen who have hounded and strained us for nearly a year now, and at last have a home for our families and friends to come back to.

For Dino Attack, for Minifigkind, and for the world, help your fellow agents understand that we will win this fight.

-Semick 

*****

Dr. Cyborg was just wandering the building, bored out of his mind. He had nothing to do. He wound up at the hangars. He saw Kara underneath the Reclaimer, working on something. "Hi, need any help?" he asked Kara.

"No, why?" she asked from under the ship. "You know Cortana and I are perfectly capable of doing it ourselves."

"Knowing you two, the Reclaimer would implode," Dr. Cyborg said with a smirk.

"I'm gonna kill you for that," she said nonchalantly, without stopping the work.

"Without risk, there's no fun in life," he said. He then left for the cafeteria. It was about dinnertime.

Dr. Cyborg heard the announcement about an attack tomorrow. He was sitting at the table with Andrew, Laxus and Pterisa when it came over the intercom. "I hope Dr. Rex holds off for four days. I'd hate to die three days before my birthday!" he said, trying to break the tension.

*****

Barry Jackson sat crouched in his sniping post as the announcement played over the loudspeaker. Dactyl stood in surprise, listening.

Meanwhile, Sarah carefully covered Kate's ears as she heard it, trying as hard as she could not to wake her daughter. "What do we do?" Sarah Bishop asked, listening to the chaos outside.

"I don't know," admitted Pierce.

"I say we get out while we can," suggested Sarah. "Kate's here. I say we just run off."

"Then get shot for aiding a deserter?" Pierce asked in a darkly humorous tone. "I care about her just as much as you do, Sarah. I want to see her get through this and go on to a better life, but I don't think we can get her out so easily. But you're a non-combatant. I'd suggest you-"

"I'm not leaving," declared Sarah. "I spent so many long months in Antarctica, worried sick that Kate would be coming one day in a body bag. Now that I've found her, I don't want to let her out of my sight."

Pierce took a moment to think it over. "That's very noble of you," he said.

"What about you?" Sarah asked.

"Me?" replied Pierce. "I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon, and they probably will need a doctor on standby."

There was a moment of silence before Pierce spoke up. "Should we wake her?" he asked, motioning towards Kate, who still peacefully slept in Sarah Bishop's arms, a sharp contrast to what seemed to be happening around them. 

*****

It looked like Hertz was going to spend Christmas alone. Aside from Naomi, he really had no personal life. He knew enough about relationships to know that the phrase "just friends" really meant "I don't think we should meet for a while."

Considering that Hertz really had no real friends, he resolved to wonder the halls alone. It was easy to forget about the holiday season while on the lush and tropical Adventurers' Island. Even now in LEGO City, there was no snow, instead a heavy layer of rain poured outside the window.

He had often been alone on Christmas. Even before the Dino Attack, his social life had been minuscule. Mostly, it had been due to his obsession with his work. He had actively tried to make friends once he got out of college, to little success. Eventually, he had given up pursuing any kind of relationship. Hertz became somewhat of a recluse and had rarely ventured outside his home, aside from groceries and the annual ComicCon.

He had even fallen away from his family. Christmas had become nothing more than a word on the calendar for him, and the holiday lost all meaning. The Dino Attack was the most he had interacted with people in years.

Hertz had led a very lonely life. Therefore, he wandered the halls alone. A distant thunderclap was heard outside, and the glass of the headquarters shook from the storm outside. Considering that he no friends in the outpost to hang around with, he made his way to the one place he could feel comfortable.

It was the first time he had entered the communications room since he arrived at the building. It was certainly an impressive configuration. Wires and cables ran up through the ceiling and across the entire room. Across the floor was a variety of other wires that connected to two central tables that held a configuration of satellite dishes and antennas. Everything in the room seemed perfect. He moved to take a seat by one of the massive wall terminals, but then did a double-take of something he had not initially seen.

A woman in a wheelchair was parked in front of a computer. All Hertz could see of her was her long coffee hair as she faced away from him.

"Hello?" asked Hertz.

The woman jumped in her seat and spun around to face him. "You scared me." She smiled. "I'm agent Shannon Grimton. I'm the new temporary head of tech and communications."

Hertz raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've been the leading communication officer for the entire Adventurers' Island campaign. I would have thought they might have considered me."

"What's your name?" Shannon asked as she held out a hand.

"Hertz." He frowned as he took it. "It's just… I've dedicated my entire career to this, and I was not even offered the job. I really would have liked that position."

"Well, you can help me," said Shannon. "I'm sorry you were overlooked for this. My degree is in biotech, and I'm afraid radios are not one of my strong suits. I might not be as fit for this position as you are. In fact, I'm surprised that you haven't already been promoted to leading communications expert; I can only assume that, in the wake of Ata's havoc and chaos, the founding members wanted to act quickly and, instead of promoting you to elite agent, they just hurriedly went ahead and chose a tech-savvy person who was already an elite agent."

"I guess," said Hertz, shrugging without looking at her.

As she worked beside him, Shannon Grimton noticed that Hertz was a very quiet fellow. Although they were now working together, he rarely made eye contact with her and kept to himself most of the time. Already, Shannon thought that she recognized this sort of behavior. "But I just want you to know," she continued, "that I'm very grateful for your help. No hard feelings, right?"

"Oh!" said Hertz, blinking in surprise. "Of course not. No hard feelings at all. I'm just..."

Shannon nodded. Since Hertz was clearly not angry with her, she was now certain that she recognized his behavior, and so decided to be as open and friendly as possible. "I don't know if they'll promote any agents to elite status by tomorrow... but if they do, I'll see to it that you're one of them. I mean, you definitely deserve it. From what I heard, you're one of the best radio operators this team has. Word has it you might already be considered for an elite position anyway. Maybe you could teach me some of your secrets."

Hertz smiled as he took a seat next to her. "I suppose we could exchange a few notes. We're be working together so we'll have to get along, right?"

Shannon chuckled and brushed her long hair behind her ear. "So, is it true you hacked the intercom in the XERRD headquarters?"

"Oh, that was nothing," said the techie, laughing. "You should hear about some of the stuff I did before I joined the Dino Attack."

He was about to recount a tale about a certain jetpack-wearing hippie when the load speaker buzzed. Hertz rolled over on his spinney chair to turn up the volume. Specs was giving a speech, during which he repeated a message intercepted from Dr. Rex. 

"What is this?" asked Hertz slowly. "What's going on?" 

"XERRD is planning an attack tomorrow," muttered Shannon. The light drained from her face as she heard the news. "We're not ready for this."

Hertz suddenly jumped from his chair and over to one of the terminals. He quickly started calibrating an antenna.

"What are you doing?" asked Shannon as she wheeled over beside him.

Hertz did not take his eyes of the monitor.  "If XERRD's attacking tomorrow, they could already be here. I might be able to intercept some of their transmissions. It's not much, but it's a start." 

Shannon nodded and got to work beside him.

*****

Trigger was walking through the hallway, accompanied by Montoya, when he suddenly encountered an all-too-familiar face. "Hello, Snake," he said. "What's up?"

"I heard things were gettin' rough," replied Snake. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting the Znap out of here."

"What about your MegaBloking pardon?" Trigger asked curiously. "Isn't that what they promised you if you helped them out?"

"Znap the pardon," declared Snake. "It's not like it's going to last long. As soon as I'm done, I'll do something else and the police will be right back after me again."

"I see," replied Trigger. "I won't tell anyone. In fact, I'll go with you."

"You mean you're not going to kill Silencia?" Montoya asked.

"What the Znap gave you that idea, Montoya?" said Trigger. "She is a menace to this planet and needs to be stopped, but even I'm not stupid enough to hang out while several dozen guys are pointing Znapping guns at you and going out of their way to protect her."

"What about those guys watching you?" Snake asked.

"They got distracted by some Znapping announcement," replied Trigger. "I say we get the Znap out of here before anyone finds out we're gone. Montoya, you coming?"

Montoya took a moment to think. "I got a truck outside," he said.

"Good," replied Trigger. "Get us out of town."

"Oh no," said Montoya. "I'm not letting you two anywhere near my family."

"Well, at least find some MegaBloking place we can hide for a while. Now let's go!"

"What about your money?" Snake asked.

"When I'm paid to do a job, I do it," replied Trigger. "But I know well enough to back out when you're in over your head. Now let's go."

It was a brief but tense few minutes as the trio climbed into Montoya's pickup truck. Quickly, he hit the ignition and started to drive away.

*****

"What in blue blazes was that?!" Doctor Saran yelled as he burst into Pharisee's office.

The commander did not look up from the file he was studiously readying. "Something troubling you, doctor?" he asked lazily. "You're not one to get upset."

"You brutally attacked an unarmed elite agent - who was already beaten - in a jail cell! Do you find nothing wrong with this?" It was not often that Doctor Saran became flustered. It took a considerable amount of energy to make him angry, and angry he was.

"Quite frankly, I don't, doctor," said Pharisee. "Considering the realm of options, it seemed like the best action to take."

Saran rolled his eyes. This was not a psychological meeting, so he allowed himself to exhibit his annoyance. "Would you mind telling me why?"

Pharisee closed the file he was reading and motioned Saran to take a seat. The psychologist grudgingly hobbled over and rested himself across from the commander.

"I believe my attack on French Fries was a necessary evil," began the commander. "Without the intervention of a third and neutral party (myself), more agents would have taken the law into their own hands. Supporters of French Fries would have attacked Rex. Supporters of Rex would have attacked French Fries. It was important that my department have the last word. If we did not, more vigilantes would have taken the law into their own hands."

"But was the show necessary?" asked Saran. "Did you have to make the speech and attack him in his own cell?"

"It was important that I outdid Rex's efforts," answered Pharisee. "I needed to show that I had superiority and was in a position of power and control. If the last thing that happened to French Fries was be thrown in jail by Rex and his allies, it would give the appearance that they had the last word and that internal affairs lacked control of the situation. This needed to end with me on top."

"So you beat the man to a pulp?" asked Saran. "I must say that it seems like excessive force. French Fries was already beaten; did you really need to attack him in his cell?"

"I needed the public to know that I mean business. I go to great lengths to ensure justice and that my image be the last thing on their mind. Not Rex taking the law into his own hands, but me doing my job."

Saran nodded. He in no way approved of the commander's methods, but he could understand his logic. "Speaking of Rex, where do you stand on him?" asked the psychologist.

Pharisee sighed and removed his sunglasses. "That all depends on how your talk went. Rex still needs to be held accountable for his actions. The question is, to what degree?"

"I can't tell you the details," said Doctor Saran. "All I can tell you is that it went well and that we made progress. I've scheduled another session on the 27th."

"Considering our impending doom, we may not make it that far," said Pharisee. "Some of us will not be making it to Christmas this year."

"Not with that attitude," responded Saran.

At that moment, Wright and Shiller burst into Pharisee's offices. Both seemed flustered and out of breath as they reported to him. "We have a situation."

Pharisee quickly rose from his seat. "What do you mean, a situation?"

"We lost Trigger and Montoya," responded Shiller. "They somehow slipped away."

"How long ago?"

"Less than 10 minutes," said Wright. "They can't have gotten far."

"Place an All Agents Bulletin," ordered Pharisee as he bolted around the desk. "I don't trust those men unsupervised."

Saran was about to say something when a UlTech infiltrator entered the room. "Snake has disappeared," it said. "I checked the security tapes, and he left the base not long ago in a pickup truck with Trigger and Montoya."

The commander grabbed his black leather trenchcoat and his gun holster. At a brisk pace, he moved from the office and set a course for the hangars. "Ready a T-1 Typhoon," the commander said into his radio. "Set up a perimeter; they can't have gotten far, even with a vehicle."

Saran finally found an opportunity to speak. "Commander, is this really the best use of time and energy? XERRD is attacking in a matter of hours, and I don't think taking a helicopter out to look for three men is a good use of resources."

Pharisee spun around and pointed a finger at the psychologist. "Can you definitively tell me where Trigger's loyalties lie?"

Doctor Saran did not respond.

"If by chance XERRD offered him more money, do you suppose he would have any regrets about betraying us? This very moment, he and his companions could be broadcasting everything they know about us to XERRD. The fact three of the most morally questionable individuals have disappeared on the eve of battle is cause for great concern."

Pharisee, Wright, Shiller, and the UlTech infiltrator soon reached the hangars. Pharisee quickly boarded a nearby T-1 Typhoon accompanied by other Internal Affairs agents.

"Is this really the best use of time?" asked Doctor Saran a second time. "This place will be needing some leadership, especially from an elite agent like you. It's not right for you to be leaving like this"

"I'm doing what is best for Dino Attack," responded Pharisee. "I've done the research. These men are capable of horrible things. They have no loyalties, they believe in nothing. They are selfish to the core. I will not rest until I know they can no longer compromise the safety of this institution." The helicopter then rolled out of the hangar and onto the cold and windswept tarmac.

******

There was a certain amount of driving through the city. Finally, Trigger noticed a sign: Enderson's. "Pull over here," Trigger said to Montoya.

Reluctantly, Montoya brought the vehicle to a stop and followed the other two men as they climbed out and walked inside. "What's all this about?" Montoya asked.

"If this is what I think it is, I think I know someone who can help us," replied Trigger.

Sure enough, at the bar was an attractive, blonde-haired young woman. "Hey," she said casually before changing her expression to something a bit colder.

"Carrie?" Trigger asked.

"Yeah," replied Carrie.

"What the Znap you doing here, Carrie Enderson? Shouldn't you be off-world?"

"When I heard about this whole thing, I came back because I wanted to make sure my family was okay," explained Carrie. "I couldn't catch a shuttle back, so I decided to reopen my brother's bar. I had to fix it up quite a bit, but it's good to have customers who aren't alien criminals."

"Is your brother here?" Montoya asked.

"No," replied Carrie. "He's running a bar in Antarctica. We still talk here and there."

"I thought you said she could help us," said Snake.

"I'm Znapping getting to that part," snapped Trigger. He turned back to Carrie. "Look, something's happened, and we need a place to lay low for a while. Can you help us?"

Carrie casually wiped a glass as she smiled. "Come on," she said, putting the glass down.

There was a slight creaking as the door to the cellar opened, and Carrie led Snake, Montoya, and Trigger down the stairs. "Not the most comfortable, I'll admit," she said. "But it is a place where you won't be seen during business hours, and you have access to food and such; once people clear, I can give you actual rooms. Out of curiosity, what happened?"

"We deserted," replied Trigger. "If anyone comes asking about me-"

"I never seen you before," finished Carrie.

"Excellent," Trigger said as he placed a cigarette in his mouth. Carrie turned and walked back up the stairs, shutting the door behind her.

Montoya looked at the other two men somewhat nervously. It certainly wasn't easy being a reformed criminal stuck in a dark room with two cold-blooded murderers who were probably already wanted by the police. "You didn't have to do it," Montoya said.

"I did what I Znapping well had to," replied Trigger.

"I'm telling you," Montoya insisted. "You're wrong. She's reformed-"

"All she's doing is setting you up," said Trigger. "Now that she knows you're alive, she's going to kill you. She's going to track you down and stab you in your MegaBloking back like she did to Deniro, and then she's going to kill your MegaBloking wife and your children. Is that what you want?"

"No," replied Montoya.

"Then stay out," declared Trigger. "I don't want to have to kill you, too. Unfortunately, those dang agents confiscated my gun." 

"So what exactly is the plan?" Montoya asked.

"Simple," replied Trigger. "We lay low while Carrie keeps watch. As soon as the coast is clear, she gets us false passports and we get the Znap out of the country."

"I see," said Montoya. "You aren't, by any chance, taking me along for the ride?"

"I won't force you to come," said Trigger. "I'll only need your truck, and we can leave you behind at your Znapping home with your Znapping wife and Znapping kids."

Snake calmly lit a cigarette as he stuck his boots up on a table.

*****

A sort of grim atmosphere had descended upon Dino Attack Headquarters after Specs made the fateful announcement. The majority of the team, especially those who had joined during the Adventurers' Island mission, was confident in a sure victory. Long-timers and veterans who had seen friends fall over the course of this horrible war realized that this could potentially be the last time they ever saw peace... a short calm before the terrible storm.

Rex watched from a window in the hallway as Alpha Team Helicopters and Agents Aerial Defense Units airlifted civilians out of LEGO City, which was about to become an unsafe battleground. There was even a Coast Guard helicopter or two helping in the evacuation. A squadron of T-1 Typhoons escorted the transport helicopters, protecting them from any Mutant Pterosaurs that dared to come near.

As he watched the helicopters at work, Rex reflected over the past eight months. He could hardly believe that this war was only eight months long... surely, it felt as though it had lasted over seven years. In that time, Rex had met and fought alongside many great people. He remembered escaping ShadowTech with Kai and Hyrode; rescuing Databoard, Turahk-Kal, and Glide from the Voltage; working with Zero and meeting Amanda Claw and Roger Remous; fighting FUTURE with Frozeen, PBB, Chompy, and Libo; and defending the Power Station with the help of Reptile. And, with a heavy heart, Rex reflected upon the fact that most of these people had died or disappeared a long time ago.

Rex heard footsteps. He turned his head and saw Ben Gunn approach him. "I'm glad I found you again, Rex," said Ben Gunn. "I still might not remember my time before the Goo Caverns, but it appears that things have changed for the worse since the last time I was on the surface."

"I'm sorry, Ben," sighed Rex. "I'm sorry that you were safe in the Goo Caverns for so long... and we bring you out of your safe haven to a surface world on the verge of total destruction."

Ben Gunn shook his head. "It was my choice, not yours, to leave the Goo Caverns. After seeing what XERRD was plotting, I knew that if I had chosen to stay, my safe haven would be neither safe nor a haven for much longer. A castle may be a protective house, after all, but a dangerous place to live when the enemy brings the ceiling down upon your head."

Rex nodded in agreement. He absentmindedly placed his hand in his pocket and felt the ring with which he intended to propose to Amanda. Then, with a start, Rex remembered that the ring belonged to Ben Gunn and was in fact stolen by Greybeard. Clearing his throat, Rex said: "I believe I have something of yours, Ben." He pulled the ring out of his pocket and showed it to Ben Gunn.

Upon looking at the ring, Ben Gunn narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing with this?" he whispered.

"Greybeard... found it," explained Rex, "and gave it to me because he knew that I wanted to propose to a girl that I know, and... well, since you're still alive and you're here, I suppose it rightfully belongs to you." He held out the ring and waited for Ben Gunn to take it.

Instead, Ben simply smiled. "Keep it," he decided. "It might have been mine once, but it holds no sentimental meaning for me now, and I have no need for a pretty ring without any meaning. Use it wisely, Rex, and propose to her."

Rex bit his lip. "But Ben, I'm... I'm not going to live for much longer."

Ben Gunn raised his eyebrows with a facial expression that seemed to look into Rex's very mind, making Rex feel as though he was talking to Dr. Saran once again. "Well, then, why wait?" Before Rex could reply, the elderly man turned and left.

No sooner had Ben Gunn left than Frozeen appeared. "Oh, hey, Rex," greeted the Alpha Team agent. "Who were you just talking to?"

Rex shrugged, pocketing the ring as he did so. "Oh, that was Ben Gunn. Have you gotten a chance to meet him yet?"

Frozeen glanced in the direction that Ben Gunn left. "Darn. No, I haven't, and I've been eager to meet this 'Ben Gunn' guy that everyone seems to be talking about. Well... by 'everyone', I just mean Amanda and Greybeard. I'm just rather curious to meet him in person, and I feel like I keep missing him. It's like I always happen to walk in a room just after he leaves."

"Any particular reason you want to talk to him?" inquired Rex. "I'm afraid that, while he's quite sane nowadays, he isn't as... interesting as he used to be."

Frozeen shrugged. "An old man who lived in the Goo Caverns by himself for who-knows-how-long? Can you blame me for being interested? Maybe he knows something that neither Alpha Team nor Evil Ogel ever knew. And if he does... I hope maybe I can tie up a loose end or two before the final battle. Anyways, Greybeard and King Race wanted to see you and Amanda as soon as you two are ready to go."

*****

Greybeard watched as his old friend, King Joseph Race, talked with his son, Samuel Race. The old pirate reflected upon the fact that, although they were father and son, circumstances meant that Joseph and Samuel were often separated during the course of the Dino Attack. Now, in the calm before the storm, they had the opportunity to have a father-son bonding moment. They comforted each other, with Joseph telling Sam how proud he was, and Sam telling Joseph how much he loved him.

As Greybeard watched, it made him feel a little depressed that he would never have such a bonding moment. He barely even knew his own father, and Beatrice had died long before she could conceive a child. During the Skeleton Pirate wars, Blackjack Wilson had looked up to him as a father figure, but Greybeard failed to appreciate this until the lad died young. Greybeard sighed, reflecting upon his lack of family.

"Grandpa?"

Greybeard turned around to see Mary Rose standing there. The old pirate bent down on one knee so he could speak with her face-to-face. "Me dear," cooed Greybeard, "yer grandpa be off wi' other Dino Attack agents t' secure th' perimeter near th' Dino Attack Power Station. That way, we can hopefully stall 'em Mutant Dinos from gettin' too close t' Dino Attack Headquarters. Ye should stay here, where it be safe."

"You'll keep me safe, right?" asked Mary. "Promise?"

Being a realist, Greybeard knew that his chances of survival were slim. Still, he locked eyes with Mary and gently laid his hand on her shoulder. "I promise." He gently kissed her on the forehead, as her real grandfather might have, then stood.

It was already nightfall. The calm before the storm would end in a matter of hours. 

*****

"So this is it," Minerva said grimly.

"Yep," was all Zach managed say.

After Specs's announcement came through, Holly Vinyaya and Zelda Frodongan left Zach and Minerva to their own devices; both presumably to help prepare for the battle. Zach was also certain that Zelda was going to find Nazareno. Zach and Minerva were quick in arming themselves and getting helmets. They both were helping where ever they could, which had ultimately led them to the helicopter hangar.

It was slightly bare due to T-1 Typhoons helping escort helicopters with civilians out of the city. The T-1 Typhoons that remained were undergoing last-minute inspections so they were prepared for the battle. Heading the efforts were more LEGO Islanders: namely, Nubby Stevens and Bill Ding. Nubby and Bill spoke surprisingly very little as they made sure everything was ready for tomorrow. Zach and Minerva helped by simply following the mechanic and builder's instructions.

"Why is that Agents helicopter here?" Minerva asked as Nubby dismissed them. She pointed to the dark blue helicopter landed near the edge of the hangar. Curious, Zach and Minerva walked over to it.

"Hey!" Zach called out. "Why is this thing here?"

In response, a dark-haired, bespectacled man in an Agents uniform appeared from behind the helicopter. "I'm refueling. I'll be out of your way in a moment..." The man squinted at Zach, then grinned. "Zachary Virchaus." He began to approach Zach.

Zach smiled in realization. "Thaddeus Brickhouse." He shook the Agent's hand. "Good to see you again."

"Hopefully not for the last time," Brickhouse said, scratching his beard. "I heard you became one of those Stromlings back on Adventurers' Island. Imagine my surprise to see you here!"

"Well, thanks to a couple of friends, I am here." Zach gestured to Minerva. "This is one of those friends. This is Minerva Fabello."

Thaddeus extended his hand toward Minerva, who accepted it with her own, smiling nervously. "Nice to meet you, Minerva. Me and Zach were close buds back when he was an Agent. While he moved on to this team, I stayed behind."

"You know why," Zach said, crossing his arms.

Brickhouse waved his hand. "I know. I know. If you haven't already seen, the Agents Defense Organization has learned its lessons. We didn't interfere with your Adventurers' Island mission until your team actually needed us. And relations have been improved with the Alpha Team considerably."

"I've noticed. Are you going to be out there tomorrow?"

Brickhouse revealed an arrogant smirk. "Plan on it. Agent Chase is going to have some of us hanging around to back you guys up. Dash Justice will probably do the same."

"Good to hear. Now, I suppose you should be going back to the-"

"Civilian evacuation." Brickhouse nodded. He turned and climbed into the helicopter. "Best be going. I better see you on December 22."

Zach smiled sadly. "You too." The Aerial Defense Unit fired to life and quickly left the hangar.

"That seemed rather random," Minerva noted as they started to head for the exit.

"A bit. But now that we know he's here and he knows we're here, he'll probably save our lives at some point tomorrow in a Chekhov's gun moment."

Minerva smiled briefly. "That's encouraging." She looked away. "What do think?"

He knew what she meant, but still asked. "What?"

"Do think we'll win tomorrow?"

Zach sighed. "I want to say that there's no chance of Dr. Rex winning, but I'm not sure. This is easily looking like 'final battle' material. If it is, we can probably bet that Dr. Rex is out there leading the Mutant Dinos himself, seeing to it that this building is flatten and all of us murdered. And if this is a final battle, we might be able to anticipate scientists, Hybrids, and mercenaries aiding him. And then there's stuff he might throw out that we aren't anticipating..."

Minerva looked at him. "So basically, if we even have a chance, it's going to be like running through MegaBlokland and back?" Zach nodded. "I'm staying with you. Until the end."

Zach wrapped his arm around her and brought her close. "Until the end."

Minerva rested her head on his shoulder. If there was one thing he didn't regret from happening in this war, it was getting to know Minerva Fabello, and he would gladly fight with her until this battle was won or until he was dead.

He mentally cringed. Death seemed to be just a few hours away. There were enough close-calls on Adventurers' Island to tell him that he wasn't invincible, even if he could control the Maelstrom. Compared to when he first landed on Adventurer's Island, Zach was uncertain what would happen tomorrow. Anything could happen. He squeezed Minerva's hand tightly.

All he could do now was wait. 

*****

Dr. Cyborg finished his meal, and went to the lab. He had been working on Dino speech translator software, and he uploaded it to himself.

All of a sudden, he remembered a plan he had been working on a couple of weeks ago, when he was in XERRD. A bio-mechanically augmented T-Rex, codenamed the Promethean Knight. He had almost completed it, too. He sincerely hoped Dr. Rex hadn't finished it.

He contacted X1 and X2, telling them to prepare for battle to occur within 24 hours. 

*****

As thunder rumbled in the distance like the tolling of church bells, the final hours fell upon the Dino Attack Team. As Rex sat in the conference room, he reflected upon how, in the past, it had always been so full and lively just before a mission. Now, it felt as though he were attending a funeral. It truly is the end of it all, reflected Rex.

He glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with Amanda Claw. She smiled gently and nodded, but there was no happiness to her expression; only acceptance.

At the head of the conference table sat the four founding members, as they always did. They always seemed so sure of everything, so confident in the success of their team. But now, their resolve was grim. Specs cleared his throat, and began his announcement: "This shall be our final meeting, everyone, and as we are on the eve of attack, I shall keep it brief; I do not intend to keep you for long, as the rest of the team is in preparation for the upcoming battle. However, there are a few... important announcements I need to make. First of all, we have a few last-minute promotions for well-deserving Dino Attack agents."

"Zachary Virchaus," announced Shadow. "In recognition of his work on Adventurers' Island, from defending the Aztec Village to taking down two of XERRD's most dangerous operatives, Gladys and Provencal. Despite his time as a Stromling, he has proven to be one of our strongest-willed agents, breaking free of the Darkitect's control in our darkest hour. Of course, that could not have been possible without the help of Minerva Fabello, to whom the team owes immensely. Therefore, Zachary Virchaus and Minerva Fabello are each receiving the title of Elite Agent."

Given the current mood, there was some slight hesitation due to the question of whether or not it was appropriate, but there was some applause in response to the promotion. Remembering how Zachary had saved him from a hungry Mutant T-Rex during the Aztec Village battle, Rex clapped his hands together approvingly.

"Dr. Cyborg," continued Digger. "As a former XERRD scientist, Dr. Cyborg has given us much insight into our enemy. His knowledge of technology, Maelstrom energy, and Mutant Dino biology has proven most useful to our cause. And despite working for XERRD, Dr. Cyborg has displayed such unrelenting loyalty to the Dino Attack Team that it cannot be overlooked. We see it fit to grant Dr. Cyborg the rank of Elite Agent."

There came more applause. Rex joined in the applause, remembering how much Dr. Cyborg always wanted to be there to help out, ultimately being able to repair Zed Provhezor's former hover-chair.

There were a few more promotions after that. Rex did not recognize all the names, but he did nod his head approvingly when Bluetooth and Rockford were listed among them. He recalled rumors that Dust might be granted an honorary posthumous elite promotion, but it did not come to pass.

"And finally," concluded Viper, "we have an agent who some may call an 'underdog' - the kind of humble, hardworking agent who rarely gets recognized but is more than deserving of a reward. As he is busy working with agent Grimton at the moment, he could not be here to attend this meeting, showing his devotion to his work. And given the recent... revelations about Ata, it is only fitting that we are presented with a brilliant telecommunications expert to more than simply 'replace' him. And so, we proudly bestow the rank of Elite Agent upon Hertz."

Although Rex barely knew Hertz, having only met with him a couple times and not exactly conversing with him on a personal level, Rex could tell that this was a good choice by the founding members as he joined in the applause for Hertz's promotion.

At that moment, the doors opened, and three figures stepped in. Rex immediately recognized them as General, Shock, and Sam Throramebi. Although he was elated to see them again for the first time in weeks, Rex could not suppress a shudder as he laid eyes upon Shock, however, for even in the dimmer-than-usual lighting of the conference room, he could see that her once-flawless beauty was now tarnished by several horrible scars across her face.

"What happened?" Rex whispered to Frozeen.

"During the Adventurers' Island mission," he explained, "the Portal Operations Team were sent on an intercontinental mission to track down and destroy all of XERRD's teleporters to severely cut off XERRD's ability to move and transport units. I was talking to Shock earlier today, and she said that a Mutant Raptor got to her while they were investigating Sandy Bay."

Rex bit his lip. "Poor girl."

"The good news," continued Frozeen, "is that she's taking it rather well. She's well-aware that a little plastic surgery could take care of the scars, but she said that she won't consider it, believing that the scars are too important to remove so easily. Besides, she thinks that having a few scars of her own brings her a little closer to General... a little romantic, isn't it?"

Rex nodded in agreement. He watched as General, Shock, and Throramebi approached the conference table.

Specs cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. I'm glad you three could make it to this meeting. When I created the Portal Operations Team, General and Shock, I gave you two a specific order to use as a failsafe. Now, I believe it is time... time to execute Operation Antarctica."

General and Shock traded glances, while Sam Throramebi raised an eyebrow in confusion; he was not a member of the original Portal Operations Team that was reportedly shut down by Digger, so he did not know what Specs was referring to. Nodding grimly, General declared: "It shall be done." Then, the three of them turned and exited the conference room.

As Dino Attack agents in the room began to murmur among themselves, Specs cleared his throat. "General, Shock, and Throramebi shall see to it that, in a worst-case-scenario, we have a last resort, a last hope for survival. I hope we never have to use it... because if we do, it shall mean that the war is lost. That is why it is up to the rest of you to make sure that the Mutant Dinos never reach Dino Attack Headquarters."

Then, Specs sighed in a way that Rex never heard him sigh before: a sigh of defeat. "You know," he murmured, "for the past eight months, I have had to lead this team, knowing very well that we are the last hope for the LEGO Planet. And despite all the hardships we've faced... all the disputes we've had... all the danger we've been in... this team is more than I could have ever hoped it to be. I thank you all for making this possible. It has been an honor and a privilege to know such a strong and dependable team. Now, let's get out there... and make Dr. Rex wish that he never stepped foot in LEGOLAND."

*****

Solomon Koplowitz stood like a statue in the freezing rain. Flashes of lightning illuminated his soaking wet cloak as it draped around his wet form in the downpour. His stance was calm and collected as he stood without moving in the courtyard before the front gate.

The rain soothed his senses. The rejuvenating power of water flowed down his brow and fell upon the helmet resting under his arm. In all the misery that was felt inside the building, Solomon felt life falling forth from the skies and giving him strength in the approaching storm.

In his left hand was the long and elegant form of a cold steel katana. Water flowed down the blade and bounced off the hard concrete. Light from the headquarters reflected off the sword, giving the appearance that he held a thing of light.

He had found the weapon in the locker of an agent he did not know. It bore the name of Leonidas "Fullmetal" Spartana. Considering the owner had not been heard from in weeks, Solomon believed there would be no harm in borrowing it. It would be good for the blade to taste battle one last time.

The philosopher meditated in the bitter sleet. Now was the time to be serene and controlled. He let the icy rainwater run down his head and gather at his feet. He felt every drop as it touched his skin and reverberation in the blade.

He stood alone and in the cold. He waited. 

*****

The door slowly creaked open as Carrie Enderson descended down the stairway holding a small tray of food. She placed it on a small table, along with three bottles of beer.

"No thanks," said Montoya.

"Come on," said Carrie. "You got to eat something."

"I don't think so," replied Montoya. "Look, the way I see it, I'm thinking I should go."

"Oh, come on, now," insisted Carrie. "At least get something."

"No," declared Montoya, standing up. "The way I see it, it will be a lot easier for everyone else here if I go. Sooner or later, they're going to come looking for you two. They might have even identified the truck. I can get out of here. If nothing else, I can draw them off. I'm the only one here that isn't being hunted, you see. If they pull over the truck and find me, they're just going to think nothing of it."

"The weather's not looking too good," said Carrie.

"It's alright," replied Montoya. "I've probably driven through much worse, and it should buy us time before they get any leads."

Montoya slowly stood up and worked his way up the stairs. He opened the door slowly.

"Montoya," said Trigger. Montoya turned. There was a moment of silence. "It was nice seeing you again," he said.

Montoya smiled before closing the door behind him. He slowly walked outside into the pouring rain and climbed into the dry interior of his pickup truck. He took a deep breath, and then he turned the key, hit the ignition, and began to drive away.

*****

Everyone was somber as they filed out of the conference room. There was no real joking, no smirks, no loud banter discussing what the mission was. Only the stoic acceptance of the fact that they were now to face their final, and perhaps biggest, challenge yet.

"Well, this is it," Laxus muttered to the crew of people he had come to know alongside Andrew over these past few weeks. "Earth's final battle, the one where its fate will be determined."

"It's going to be a doozy, that's for sure," said Stranger. Though he had always taken a realistic and somewhat humorous attitude to everything, he was realizing the gravity of the situation. "I'm no optimist, but I'm willing to bet that we can survive this onslaught fairly well. Fairly."

"I... I hope so, Stranger," said Bluetooth. The anxiety was clearly getting to him. He wasn't a fighter, and he clearly was worried about his chances out there, even if he would be simply joining Semick on his T-1 Typhoon.

"The best we can do to prepare ourselves," said Pterisa, "I suppose, is to remind ourselves of what we're fighting for. Our close companions, our future, this planet's civilization, and perhaps the emotional strength of everyone in this universe."

"Not a bad thing to think of," Andrew agreed. "I know many leaders have used that emotional strength from motivation to empower countless armies, even if they were quite certain they were following the footsteps of the Bolivian army, so to speak. It's quite a valuable asset."

Andrew glanced at Semick, who was coming up behind them. "Very true, Andrew," the proven-resilient leader said. "So far, I'm thinking it will serve us well here. I've already got several groups not unlike yours to remind themselves of their motivation, and I have no doubt it will help our efforts. Now, if I may, before you get yourself prepared, I want you to meet me with some other Elite Agents in the mess hall. I want to discuss a plan I have for the battle. Please come alone, I feel this is a matter for our rank only."

As Semick continued down the hall, Andrew glanced at the group around him. Bluetooth and Stranger were already heading their own ways for their preparations, leaving him with Laxus and Pterisa, the only people he had been in really close associations with these last few months.

Laxus patted Andrew reassuringly on the shoulder. "I'll go get prepped and wait for you at the hangar," he said. "Hopefully, there's still a Fire Hammer we can claim, assuming whatever Semick's thinking of doesn't need you elsewhere."

"I'll join him," Pterisa added. "In this environment, I suppose fighting on my feet and wings might be a bit hazardous. It might be best strategically to lend my lightning abilities to aid one of the vehicle teams."

"It'll be more than helpful to have you aboard," said Andrew. Then he said to both her and Laxus, "I'll see you soon."

*****

Reptile sighed as he exited the conference room and headed towards his office in the technical development wing of the HQ.

The Mutant Dinos were coming for them, tomorrow.

He had spent so much work, so much energy, developing ways to defeat them. He was a scientist, not a killer. But he had become an engineer, become a technician, become an Elite Agent of Dino Attack.

And all that work was for naught if they did not win tomorrow.

And would they? He would do his bit, of course. He had already done it, to a large extent. Green Goo-based weaponry would be used where it could be. He had spent the day conferring with other scientists and preparing emergency countermeasures. Some surprises for Dr. Rex that, hopefully, the enemy would not anticipate.

The enemy. Reptile remembered, when he had first joined the team as a replacement for Magma as a technical officer, that they had been unaware of the existence of this XERRD. The Mutant Dinos were a menace, a threat, but... not an enemy. He had read logs of Rex and others trying to tame them, trying to prove that they were more than mere monsters.

And now, it was time for him to put his brilliance, his science, his inventions, his engineering - all of it - to use, for killing.

Is this how Magma felt? It was common knowledge that Magma had been an extremely skilled engineer in the 2004 Mission Deep Freeze against Ogel. And that after Deep Freeze ended, Magma had decided to go into Special Operations and become one of Alpha Team's most effective trained... well, killers.

Reptile sat down in his office chair and sighed. However, he then noticed agent Tail at the door… Tail, his comrade for almost all of this nasty mess… Tail, who had shot and killed one of his friends and comrades when that agent had gone insane so long ago.

He wondered if he would ever become like Tail, or Magma.

He hoped not. But he knew he would be responsible for the deaths of more Mutant Dinos tomorrow than ever before... and so he wondered.

*****

Semick had sent the same message, either by mouth-to-mouth or PDA comm, for all Elite Agents, be they new or old, to come to the Mess Hall to hear in on his plan.

Within ten minutes of him reaching the mess hall, he had managed to acquire the presence of a good number of them. Rex, Hotwire, Adventure, Cabin, Andrew, Hertz, Dr. Cyborg, Zach, Rotor, and Fabello were present, and were now waiting a little anxiously for Semick to begin, perhaps just so they could return to their preparations as soon as possible. The increasing sounds of thunder and pitter-patter from rain on the rooftops was helping no one's nerve here.

Semick stood at one end of the table where everyone was sitting or standing around, a map of the area of LEGO City where the Dino Attack Headquarters laid (drawn in with pen, due to the map being made before the attack) out in front of him. On it were several red markings and a couple soda cans from the last meal, likely serving as markings.

"Fellow agents," Semick began, "I'd just like to take this time to give you a sort of battle plan I want to try before we launch ourselves into the street and air. I also want to give you some encouragement on how I feel, as a whole, we should act if we're to keep our team's will to fight going.

"First, I want to address the terrain." Semick waved his hand around several marked buildings around the lot of the HQ. "There's many buildings still leveled right around our perimeter, but they're still very rough terrain for our vehicles, even the tracks on our Iron Predators. Most of our operations are undoubtedly going to be in the streets, and I just want to make it clear I don't want to limit ourselves in that manner. If push comes to shove, clear out buildings if you must. Just watch the falling debris and don't let yourself get surrounded.

"Also, I just want to say that in spite of what Specs says, I don't think the Mutant Dinos reaching the HQ is a completely major blow at us. Undoubtedly, Dr. Rex will try every trick he has to try and strike at it, and we need to be prepared to either let chunks of it go or abandon it completely in the fight. I'll get more into detail with that later, but for now, I can only advise about the points of concern."

Semick pointed to several markings around the HQ drawing on the map. "Watch the backside. Like an unwary person in the room with an assassin, it's the least defended point, and it being the part that faces the dockside that some of our carrier ships use to reach here doesn't help. The laboratories area doesn't have much strategic value, but that glass ceiling is just asking for some Pterosaur to dive-bomb into it. The hangar doors need the strongest defense, and most of all, I want everyone to be aware that the central tower needs its operations moved closer the ground. It looks like it could easily be knocked over.

"Now let's talk about placement of our forces," Semick said as he grasped a few of the soda cans. "Obviously, I want our T-1s all around the area. Their firepower and defense capabilities are too priceless to squander. The Iron Predators," he said, placing a few cans close to the HQ drawing, "should be our last line of defense from the onslaught. Not to say I don't want them on the front lines, only that their tanklike-build and cannon capabilities would serve well to hold the line if the Dinos get to close. The rest of the fleet needs to create a perimeter," Semick placed the remaining cans all around the HQ lot, "around the base. Fire Hammers and Urban Avengers will be our main fighting vehicles, while the Steel Sprinters will serve best as run-and-gun fighters, and perhaps as scouts and messengers as well. The drivers all know their strengths and weaknesses by now, so hopefully the only problem we should have is number overwhelming, which is most likely going to be the biggest problem of all. Only good side of it is that a mass that big is bound to be easy to hit, and fallen Dinos might have a good chance to trip comrades or something."

Semick took in a deep breath. "Now here's the matter I want to discuss the most, and that's how I want us to act. Now I'll say this much. When I was first promoted to Elite Agent, I figured it was only a title that only served the benefit of giving me authority to use an Iron Predator and T-1 Typhoon. But during my time on Adventurers' Island, I've come to believe it means something more. Agents do respect you for it, but they also treat you naturally as a leader, in what seems to be an instinctual thing to look for these days to look for when the Founding Members are rarely on the front lines themselves. They look up to you, feel determined to see you standing, feel some pride lost when you take an injury or two, but ultimately listen to every word to say, and nearly always feel better when you're shouting over the mic to give orders.

"With that in mind, I want all of us to take up the reigns of leadership as much as possible during this fight. All of you should do your best to encourage whoever you fight alongside to stay strong and keep at it, as well as help whoever you can when it is possible. Some will find this easy," and Semick glanced at Adventure and Rex as he spoke, "I have no doubt, but others I know aren't used to it, or have been through things that might make it hard for them," Semick also glanced at Rotor and Andrew, "but I want you to try anyways. I also want you to try your best to lead certain parts of the team to try my battle plan and unite various parts for an offensive strike, perhaps during a Mutant T-Rex horde or some giant robot XERRD drives into battle. Overall, I want us to work together to create a better defense and heighten our chances at victory. If the worst-case scenario comes and the headquarters falls, we can still direct the team to avenge it and finish those Mutant Dinos off."

Semick took another breath. "Now I have a few ideas how each of you can focus your efforts. Hotwire, Cabin, Rotor, you've all done well with a T-1 in the past, and I think it would be foolish of you to pilot anything else. Even if your tactics, Rotor, have given us... trouble... in the past, you've still proven yourself well as a commanding agent several times before. If you just can keep the welfare of your comrades in mind more often, you shouldn't have much of a problem. Perhaps a bit of classical music would be of some help. And I think seeing a Talon II in the air wouldn't hurt either, Hotwire.

"Dr. Cyborg, you've got many helpful technologies and tricks on your side, and while I may not know all of them, I'm sure they could be of help here on the front lines. See to it that you can put into good use as many things as you can.

"Adventure, you're a determined, fearless, and confident agent. While you may seem silly at times, that kind of attitude is endangered among the ranks at this point. If you can keep it up on the main defenses, I'm sure many agents will be in gratitude for your cheers and encouragement against the masses of reptiles.

"Andrew, Zach, Fabello, I know none of you are natural leaders, but after what you did back there in Hotep's temple, I'm sure you've made yourselves more well-known than ever. To have you out there, either with the Iron Predator defenses around HQ or the main fighting lines, will definitely be an encouragement for others to be heroes and defy the odds as well. And Zach, though I doubt you want to remember your time as a Stromling with fondness, and that leading Maelstrom soldiers is completely different from leading Minifig soldiers, I think that your experience could possibly give you some idea as to how to help guide your agents along, and could be a way to help the people who saved you learn a few tricks as well.

"Hertz, I know you're not a fighter, but I do know you're a darn good survivor and communications expert. I'd say your place is with the men who might remain at HQ as very last defenders, and it would do us well to have someone who can keep track of all the radio and PDA messages coming in when the battle is in full heat, so we might have a way to understand what the Znap is going on with everyone. Plus, it might be a good way to help to explain to the Founding Members what it is we're doing.

"And Rex, I know you're not a natural leader to great extent. It's why you encouraged Hotwire and Reptile to take more command responsibilities on Adventurers' Island. But you've still got intuition and some good friends serving with you, and undoubtedly you're still the legend of an agent you were back in even the earliest days of the war. You were among the first Elite Agents, after all. Therefore, I'd encourage you to work with the Iron Predator defenses around HQ. You've been using that vehicle since back when things first started escalating from simply taking back LEGO City, and if anyone can help these things manage a defense, it's you."

Semick took a deep breath, relaxing a bit from all the talking. "Alright. That's all I have to say. Feel free to try your own ideas, or question some of mine, but I personally encourage you to keep what I said in mind. I just don't want us to get unorganized out there." 

*****

Catless went into the hangar, searching for someone. She spotted them, and hurried over. "Kara, have you seen Dr. Cyborg anywhere?" she asked.

Kara hopped out of the Reclaimer's cockpit before replying. "No, I have not. Why do you ask?" Before Catless could answer, Kara continued. "No, don't tell me. Let me guess. You want to tell him, 'In case we die tomorrow, I want you to know I have loved you since college,' hope he replies, 'I love you, too,' and possibly give him a kiss on the lips/vocoder."

Catless stared, mouth open in shock. "How did you know?" she asked incredulously.

"When I am bored, I have a tendency to read Legend of Builda romance fanfics for the humor. You'd be amazed how often that kind of thing happens. Let me tell you, forget about it. Dr. Cyborg does not have someone he likes in that way, or at least he hasn't told me. He and I have been accused of dating before, however. I would loudly yell 'no', he would quietly deny it whenever that happened. If I had a dollar for every time we've been called a couple..." Kara trailed off, shaking her head in amusement. "Anyways, forget about telling him you love him. That's my advice. Any questions?"

"Yes," Catless replied, "What is Legend of Builda?"

"It involves princesses named Builda, heroes named Bricklink, and a bad guy named Ganonblok. Tell ya what - we survive today, I'll tell you all about it," Kara finished.

"Deal," Catless replied, shaking Kara's hand.

"Kara, Cortana, come in," came Dr. Cyborg's voice over the radio. "I have special orders for you."

"We're here, Chief, go ahead," Cortana replied.

"Kara, I want you to mainly assist the T-1s. You know the Reclaimer's limits best, however. If there is something you can easily do besides the T-1s, do it. Cortana, I want you to copy yourself into me. You and your copy will know what each other knows, so we will be in contact."

"Yes sir, copying now," Cortana said.

"Oh, and one other thing: I expect to see you both tomorrow. No heroic sacrifices, understand?" Dr. Cyborg added.

"Yes, sir," Kara and Cortana replied.

"Well Catless, are you coming?" Kara asked.

"No thanks, I'm on a Fire Hammer," Catless answered.

"I'll be watching your back," Kara said and gave a two-fingered salute.

*****

"You really should tell her your feelings, you know."

Hotwire, who'd glanced up to watch Kat leave, looked back at Wright. The two of them, plus Shiller and -- until a few seconds ago -- Kat, who'd just gone out for some air, were sitting in the rec room. It was mostly empty -- most agents were either preparing for the upcoming battle or in a panic, but the four of them reasoned that it might well be their last chance ever to relax. "Say what?" 

"We might not make it through the day tomorrow," Wright said. "Tell her. You may never get another chance."

Confusion briefly creased Hotwire's face, followed by a look of understanding. "Ah. If you mean what I think you do, then I'm afraid you have the wrong idea."

Wright chuckled. "Oh, come on. This is no time to be shy. I've seen the way you two look at each other -- you really expect me to believe you're 'just friends'?"

"No, actually," snapped Hotwire, "because that phrase has always rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know why modern society thinks that friendship is somehow worth less than romantic love, but for Builder's sake I wish they would stop devaluing friendship just because it doesn't include holding hands or snogging or whatever it is that people in relationships do. Kat and I aren't 'just' friends, because 'just' doesn't even enter into it." He paused. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fly off the handle like that."

"No hard feelings," Wright responded. "Not really following you, though. Do you... play for the other team, then, or what?"

"I don't think he plays for any team at all," Shiller volunteered while lying upside-down on a couch. "Back in school, I always thought he was either lying or a late bloomer when he said he never fancied anyone, but if he's still like that now, I'm inclined to believe him."

Wright looked quizzically back and forth between them. "Really? So you don't ever get… I dunno, butterflies in your stomach, or any of that stuff?" Hotwire shook his head and braced himself for the inevitable interrogation about his mental and physical health -- it certainly wouldn't be the first time -- but to his relief, Wright simply shrugged. "Whatever, then. People are all weird." She gave Shiller's foot a whack and he tumbled off the couch. "Any weird business you think we should take care of, babe?"

Shiller stood, brushing his hair away from his face with the back of his hand. "On our last night on earth? I got a few ideas." He grabbed Wright's hand and pulled her up from the couch and into his arms before turning to Hotwire. "Well, O'Neal, it's been fun, but I think we gotta go."

Hotwire laughed as the pair waltzed out of the room. "No problem. I've got an undeserved reputation as a pilot to deal with."

*****

Magma glared at his superiors. "Sirs - Zed, Dash. We have to do something. They're going to get slaughtered. You've read all the reports..."

"We have," Dash said.

"Then you know. They think they have a chance... they have no idea. We've helped them evacuate, and a dozen of our agent have volunteered to join the defense. Why won't you let me bring in everything we've got? I can have dozens of vehicles and men who are currently sitting on guard duty down here doing absolutely nothing-"

"They are not doing 'nothing', Magma. They're needed, as a reserve," Zed said reluctantly.

"So... we've written them off, have we?" Magma said. "Our grand plan, that we argued for before the LEGOLAND government. We would build an agency to save the world, and we did. And so far, they've been successful. They've allied with almost everyone but these XERRD enemies - who we never saw coming, it seems - and now we've written them off."

Zed and Dash looked at each other. Dash shrugged.

"No, Magma, we haven't. But you weren't cleared for this, I couldn't tell you," Zed said. "But forget that for now. We have a plan, and - although Dash has issues with your leadership style - we've decided to put you in charge of its execution."

"I wasn't cleared? But I - wait, what - what is this plan?"

"Do you remember the Iron Hammer?" Dash said simply.

Magma's eyes widened, and slowly, he smiled. 

*****

Zach stared out of a window in one of the hallways of the soon-to-be-under-attack headquarters, thinking about what had happened in the past hour. Rain tapped against the window at an irregular beat. Normally, this would calm him and be sorely wanted. If one thing was wrong with LEGO Island, it was the always perfect weather. Now, it put Zach on the edge.

The water on the window obscured his sight, but the dark outline of tall building against the dark and cloudy sky were still visible somewhat. After the mental image of city always being bright, even in the dark, was ingrained in his conscious, seeing no light from any building was more unnerving than he'd like to admit.

Elite Agent Zachary. Something he hadn't really predicted to happen was a promotion to Elite Agent. He supposed he had done a fair amount on Adventurers' Island, but he figured the part where he attempted to destroy the team and, through that, the planet, as a Stromling would prevent any sort of promotion. Not that I particularly cared. I had more pressing concerns about a post-Stromling future. Most importantly, the Darkitect's constant reminders that he would be shunned by the team for his work as a Stromling. So far, the Darkitect had been dead wrong and Zach's promotion codified it.

Though she was off making preparations and he hadn't been able to speak to her more personally since before the meeting, Minerva seemed just as and perhaps even more surprised to be promoted to Elite Agent. When her name had been included with his, her eyes had widened astronomically, forcing Zach to suppress a snicker.

On to Semick's meeting, he had remained mostly quiet and made sure to note everything he had said concerning himself and Minerva. Once again, he had yet to discuss it with her, but was certain they would be on front lines. Waiting for the Mutant Dinos to reach the final stretch of Iron Predators would be more unnerving than staring at a dark skyline.

The mention of leadership had brought on much thought as well. He himself disliked leading unless said leader is incompetent. He didn't know if the leadership demonstrated during the battle of the Temple of Hotep III was the Maelstrom's work or his own hidden talents. Semick's right, of course. Leading intentional cannon fodder is different from leading actual people. I think I would rather just stay as 'role model' as opposed to 'leader'. But if it comes down to it, I'll do what I must.

He felt a person brush against his side. Zach turned and saw Minerva, her helmet tucked underneath her arm. "How're you feeling?" she asked, looking out the window as well.

"Fine. A bit surprised at first, but I've moved on. You?"

Minerva laughed bitterly. "So was I. Semick's meeting and a quick talk with Vinyaya and Nazareno made me feel better. Somewhat."

"So do we have a ride?" If the fate of the planet most likely did not depend on the success of this battle, he might have looked into taking an Iron Predator or T-1 Typhoon.

"I found us a Fire Hammer with a few other people."

"So we're taking the front lines?"

Minerva nodded once. Her face was full of grim determination.

Zach merely stared ahead. He wanted to say something to her. Something reassuring. Something encouraging. Something heartfelt.

Minerva looked at him, "Let's go see our friends," she said quietly. "Just in case...just in case we don't see them again." He looked at her. The only thing upsetting her determined face was her damp eyes. He swallowed hard and nodded. She took his hand loosely and started to lead him to their friends.

They found them in the garage. Zelda, Nazareno, and Vinyaya were speaking in hushed tones near an Iron Predator.

"… kind of last-resort means we lose the war?" Zach heard Zelda ask.

Nazareno sighed deeply. "I don't know. The only idea I have is the abandonment of the planet."

"What?!"

Vinyaya coughed. "It seems likely enough. If Dr. Rex were to overtake us and defeat us once and for all, Antarctica would be his next target. If the team falls tomorrow, we may give up the planet to Dr. Rex and simply evacuate the LEGO Planet's remaining population to a colony in space. It would ensure survival, but would result in losing the LEGO Planet to Dr. Rex and have it become the Mutant Dino paradise he is dreaming of."

Zach winced as he listened to this. If Vinyaya was correct, winning seemed more important than ever.

Nazareno turned to Zach and Minerva and bowed his head. "Congratulations, Zachary. The promotion was well-deserved."

Zach smiled faintly. "Thanks. Where will you be in this battle?"

Nazareno gestured with one hand to Zelda. "I will be with Zelda. We are taking a more... direct approach with the Mutant Dinos." He then gestured to a pair of Steel Sprinters nearby. They looked somewhat beaten and rusted.

In sudden realization in what Zelda and Nazareno were planning to do, Zach nodded. "Sounds spectacularly dangerous," Zach noted. "A two-man army riding right into the pack." If this was anyone else, he'd protest (maybe even command) that the idea was suicide and was pointless. However, he realized who was pulling off. "Knock around a few Mutant T-Rex skulls for me, eh?"

Nazareno bowed his head again.

Zach turned to Zelda. "I expect you to do the same, apprentice."

She smiled confidently. "You can bet on it."

"Good. I better see you guys on December 22 when we are celebrating our win." Even as Zach said it, he still wasn't sure if he was going to survive, but if anyone was, Kareem Nazareno and his very skilled apprentice Zelda Frodongan would.

Nazareno seemed to read his mind. "It was an honor knowing you, Zachary Virchaus," he said calmly, extending his hand toward Zach. Zach shook it silently, looking into the eye-slits of Nazareno's mask.

As he moved on to Zelda, she quickly embraced Zach in a warm hug. Surprised, he returned the hug. Thinking about it, he hardly knew Zelda and she hardly knew him. Despite this, the knowledge that they both shared the turmoil of the Maelstrom somehow made them closer. Zelda suddenly pulled away. "When this is over," she said with certainty. "We're going to start a real friendship."

Zach smirked. "You can be that big sister that I never really wanted." Zelda chuckled quietly and bobbed her head in agreement.

With that, he moved on to Holly Vinyaya. Their relationship was a strange one. One based on a lot of sarcasm. While he does find Vinyaya a bit uptight, Zach knew she was a fearsome soldier. He tried to find something to say to her. Something that would smooth over their earlier rough patch like the discussion with Scratch did. Something to make amends.

"Well, Commander. Looks like I outrank you now."

Vinyaya rolled her eyes, but smiled faintly. "Congratulations, Zachary," she said. Zach raised an eyebrow at being referred to be his first name (and designated codename) as opposed to his last name. "You better be out there when this thing starts living up to that title."

Zach nodded and shook her hand. He stepped to the side and watched Minerva as she spoke to Nazareno in a quiet, hushed tone. After several minutes, she embraced the space ninja warmly. The same pattern occurred for Zelda and Vinyaya, Minerva managing to solicit a hug out of the latter.

Minerva then joined him, putting her helmet on her head. "Ready?" he asked her.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Then lead on to the Fire Hammer." 

*****

Kat found a bit of quiet out behind the building along the docks. She'd been hearing the pestering in her head for a good fifteen minutes, and finally decided to just get the confrontation over with. Closing her eyes, she found herself in the half-light of her mind with Katerina standing before her.

"I had hoped you would come to your senses, but I see you are still laboring under the delusion that you exist," the iron-eyed woman said icily. "Given that we are one and the same, surely you must realize that you lose nothing by submitting, while the D.I.N.O. Team gains my experience."

"No, you listen," Kat retorted, matching Katerina's venom with her own. "You may say I don't exist, but if I perceive myself as existing, who are you to claim I don't? The past eight months of my life have been more-or-less an unending procession of existential crises, and once you get through enough of those, it makes a person pretty dang sure of who she is. And the answer to that question is 'Not you,' so buzz off."

When Katerina abruptly disappeared from her mind's eye, Kat thought she was victorious. However, she reappeared seconds later. "Intriguing. I cannot tell whether my Creative Spark was split, or if a separate Spark was generated five years ago. Perhaps both."

"So what you're saying is…"

"What I am saying is that you were correct and I, in my haste, was mistaken. We are indeed two minds in one body."

"Well then," said Kat, "since neither of us would be here if it weren't for me, I think I'm entitled to call the shots from here on out."

"All right," said Katerina reluctantly. "Name your terms. Perhaps we can reach a compromise."

*****

Somewhere Highly Classified:

Magma and Zed headed through the corridors of the facility. Zed was briefing him on the current state of the Iron Hammer, but he was lost in thought.

He remembered when he had first been reassigned to Dino Attack from Alpha Team. He, along with his friends Shark and Sting, after conducting a few minor operations, had heard rumors of Ogel being up to something related to the Mutant Dinos. The rumors had been completely wrong, of course; Ogel would later become their ally against Dr. Rex, XERRD, and their Mutant Dino horde. But at the time, they had seemed like they might not be, and so Magma mounted an investigation.

They had discovered Ogel constructing an airship at his island fortress, an airship that was clearly intended to take the fight to the Mutant Dinos. It made sense, Magma supposed, as a mobile attack ship, capable of unloading Drone troops and vehicles and orbs and other standard Ogel equipment, would be most useful in combating the Mutant Dinos, who were spread out across the entire world. Especially since Ogel's armies were much smaller than they had once been, thanks to their 2008 battle.

And so, he had stolen it. It was still being finished, and so the ship was not under as much security as it should have been, and besides Magma had had years of experience infiltrating Ogel's bases.

He had stolen it, dubbed it the Iron Hammer after an amalgamation of Dino Attack vehicle names, and brought it back to Dino Attack HQ. There, Shadow had assigned a handful of agents to crew it and keep it running.

Those were the days... when it seemed like every ex-Alpha-Team-agent-turned-Mutant-Dino-killer had a giant airship and secret army of their own... reflected Magma. Of course, Kotua's Voltage had been a bit of a wildcard.

And when the situation with Kotua had gone even more critical than usual, and the Voltage was apparently rogue, Magma had ordered the Iron Hammer to engage it. It was the only thing Dino Attack had that could have stood up to Kotua's ship for more than a few seconds, though that was all it lasted, as he had been outgunned, outmatched, and outflown by the much more powerful Voltage.

He had thought the ship unsalvageable, and so abandoned the ruins. Alpha Team, however, had apparently not. They had sent a team to collect the ruined airship and bring it to Antarctica. And for the next five months, they had worked on it in secret.

"We haven't finished repairing most of the landing bays or troop transport systems, I'm afraid," Zed said. "You'll have to leave your Blizzard Blaster behind. Fortunately, we have converted one of the bays to an aerial hangar, so it can launch a small wing of Blue Eagles or similar fighter craft. But that, and the considerable weapons capacity of the ship itself, are all you've got."

Magma nodded. "That's unfortunate, but I can live with it. It's true that the strength of this ship mostly came from its troop transport capabilities, but as you say Ogel, and then Dino Attack, put some nice firepower into this thing."

"And we've upgraded that as well," said Zed with the hint of a smile. "I don't know what the current status of Goo-resilient Mutant Dinos are, but for those that aren't there are some powerful Reptile-grade Goo Launchers in here. Along with a broad range of conventional weapons."

They entered the hangar, and Magma smiled again at the ship. "This brings back the memories..." he said softly as he walked forward.

"It does, doesn't it?" a familiar voice said. He whirled to see Cee Dee, Shark, and Sting standing near the ship.

"And with Alpha Team's best pilot, heavy weapons expert, and Mark V6 Android, we have no chance of losing the day," Magma said, his smile threatening to become a grin. He felt happier than he'd been in years.

The old friends spent a few moments reminiscing, before Zed coughed meaningfully. Magma looked at his superior and nodded. Zed turned to leave as the four entered the ship.

"Sting, get the flight crew in order. You know where we're going - get us there as fast as you can. Shark, make sure the Blue Eagles are ready to go, and check that all weapons systems are ready. Cee Dee, I want you to monitor the power systems and be ready to throw everything to weapons and shields as soon as we get there."

Magma pressed an intercom button. "This is Special Agent Magma. All Alpha Team agents who have been assigned to this ship, listen up! We're going to Dino Attack HQ. There, the Dino Attack Team is about to be attacked by enough Mutant Dinos to conquer a planet. And we are going to be there to lend a hand. I want everyone onboard in the briefing room in ten minutes. The push has come to shove, understood? Magma out."

He wasn't honestly sure that even this ship would make too much of a difference. Now if they had Kotua, and the Voltage... but no one knew what had happened to Kotua. So it was just them.

But he was determined to try.

*****

Reptile, Tail, and Coral stood in front of the T-1 Typhoon that the system said belonged to him.

He wondered when he had last set foot in the thing. Probably the mission to Adventurers' Island. There, Reptile had been in command of a wing of T-1 Typhoons that were taken down by a Mutant Pterosaur swarm of considerable strength. So he had ended up leading a team of agents on the ground in an attempt to locate the Maelstrom.

After that, Reptile's memories were foggy. Though from what he had learned, it seemed that the Skr-Ok Clan, a group of rogue, rebellious Vikings who had been associated with some questionable scientists, former and current members of XERRD, had launched a sneak attack and kidnapped him sometime in the middle of the mission. They had then brought him to their command post

The operation on Adventurers' Island had ultimately been successful, but no thanks to him. After S-71's Drone commandos rescued him, they took him to one of Ogel's bases. From there, he had gained passage back to Dino Attack HQ, and had been transferred from active duty to research for the last several days.

And now that it was time for them to fight again, and he was needed on the front lines. And so, he had decided to claim a new T-1 Typhoon.

"Well, do you still remember how to fly one of these things?" Reptile asked Coral, the Alpha Team agent-turned-pirate-turned-pilot.

"We'll have to see, I suppose. If we crash, you'll know I've forgotten!" Coral retorted, climbing into the cockpit. Tail entered the gunnery cockpit, as was his usual position, which left Reptile to operate the considerable amount of equipment in the back.

He had ordered a few modifications made to the usual array of gadgets a T-1 Typhoon carried, and he had a few more he wanted to complete before the attack began. And so, he grabbed a toolbox and began to work at a frantic pace. 

*****

Hertz did not expect to feel any different after his promotion to elite agent and he was surprised when he did. Agents looked at him differently as he walked down the hall and he felt empowered by his new responsibility. He hoped to prove to the others that his promotion was the right decision and he was excited to show what he was capable of.

He found Shannon where he had left her in the communications room. The woman had on a headset and was carefully trying to calibrate a radio dish.

"You're doing it wrong," Hertz said casually as he entered the room. "The wavelength is too small for the conditions. It will get lost in the storm outside and you won't get any reception."

"Well, why don't you do it, then?" suggested Shannon, smiling as she pushed herself away from the desk.

"We don't have time," answered Hertz. "I'm an elite agent now, and we are going to want to move this equipment to a more secure location. This tower could prove structurally unsound, so I want to move all essential tech to the south side."

"Fine," answered Shannon. "What needs to go?"

"Let's move this stuff down to the third floor. We're pack up as much as we can and set up shop in the lounge. We'll want to have some altitude boost our range."

Some rookie agents soon joined them in the room, carrying a variety of foam-lined suitcases. Hertz and Shannon then proceeded to take apart the equipment and pack them away safely in their designated boxes.

"What about the computers?" asked Shannon.

"Leave them," responded Hertz. "They're too heavy to move. I can do a lot with just a radio, and it will give us more mobility if we have to leave fast. If push comes to shove, I'll be able to coordinate and keep everything organized from a T-1 Typhoon. Hopefully, it won't come to that."

"So we'll be the guys taking in all the information from the battle, processing it, and implementing what you know."

"That's the plan," said Hertz.

With incredible efficiency, the last of the equipment was packed. Hertz was only able to carry one suitcase because of his cast, and Shannon only was able to place one on her lap. Thankfully, with the help from the rookie agents, they could transport most of the supplies in relatively few trips.

Once they arrived at the lounge on the southern side of the base. It had a good view of the harbor and plenty of space to run wires. In addition, it had some comfortable chairs to sit it. Also in the lounge were Pierce, Sarah Bishop, and Kate. The latter was sound asleep on her mother's lap. Hertz gave a "sorry to disturb you" look as he brushed past them and threw open a window.

The icy spray of the storm rushed into the room, and Kate jumped awake as she was assaulted with the sudden downpour. "What the Znap are you doing?!" yelled Sarah as she stomped over to Hertz. "My daughter needs her rest!"

Hertz shrugged. "Sorry to disturb you, Miss, but I need to set up these satellite dishes. I'm relocating the command center down here. Quite frankly, Kate's been sleeping for a while, and it's time you made yourselves useful."

Sarah's face went red, but Pierce walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," said the doctor. "I should be making my way to the medical bay. It will be very busy in a few hours."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Kate as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "I have a pretty good understanding of electronics."

"Help Shannon set up the wires," responded Hertz as he pointed to his assistant. "This place is going to be quite the hub of information once the fight starts. We're going to need to function like clockwork."

Sarah slowly walked up to Hertz as soon as Kate and Shannon were out of earshot. He looked at her with a look of unease, but to his surprise, she just tapped him on the shoulder.

"Go easy on her, alright?" Sarah said. "She's been through a lot lately."

*****

"Okay by me," Larson said. "It'll be good to have another Elite Agent on board anyway. I used to fly cargo choppers, so they recruited me specifically to fly T-1s. I didn't really do much to earn my rank."

"Fantastic," Hotwire responded. "I was never that good at flying, so I didn't do much to earn my reputation. We'll make quite a team. And you don't mind about the Talon II thing?"

"Not at all. Like you said, it'll help morale." The two of them strolled through the hangar towards Larson's T-1 Typhoon. "So how'd you get a reputation as a pilot without piloting?"

Hotwire explained briefly about Kat. "Unfortunately, we discovered today that she can't tap into machinery anymore. Probably a side-effect of Loop's attack."

Larson nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, there was the rumble of an engine from the hangar doors. Larson and Hotwire turned as the roughest-looking Fire Hammer they'd ever seen pulled in. The paint had all but peeled away and there were numerous blackish-green stains on the sides.

Larson's face crinkled in distaste. "It looks like it's been sitting at the bottom of the ocean."

Hotwire looked closer. "I think… it has been." He grinned "You gorgeous thing!"

Kat poked her head out the window. "Sorry, which of us are you talking to?"

Hotwire laughed. "I haven't the slightest idea! How is this even possible?"

"Apparently, the Aqua Raiders dredged it up," Kat said, shutting off the motor and jumping out. "A ferry pulled up to the dock about ten minutes ago and dropped it off. They replaced the engine, but everything else is still mostly waterlogged."

"Well then," Hotwire said, "looks like we've got our work cut out for us." 

*****

Just before Pharisee's helicopter could take off, a younger, brown-haired, clean-shaven agent climbed on board. "I just got your bulletin, sir," the young agent said. "Look, whatever this is, it better be urgent."

"It is, Montgonel," replied Pharisee. "These are dangerous men."

"I see," said Montgonel. "Would you care to explain to me exactly what's happened and who's involved? If possible, I wouldn't mind seeing some files on each of them."

Pharisee gave the signal, and the T-1 Typhoon lifted off the ground and into the stormy skies. With the sound of the propellers and the gushing rain, it was difficult to have a conversation. The commander wiped the water from his face as he stepped over to Montgonel and took his hand.

"I don't have time to give you the files," the commander yelled over the thunder outside. "They're back at the headquarters, anyway. I can tell you, however, that each of these men assaulted another agent in the last few days."

"What do you mean?" shouted Montgonel. He, too, was soaking wet, and it took some effort to not be blown out of the T-1 Typhoon onto the dark ruins below.

"Snake is a convicted felon who attacked another member of the Dino Attack for having the same codename as him," said Pharisee. "He is violent, unpredictable, and a loose cannon."

Montgonel nodded. "What about the other two?"

"Both Trigger and Montoya attempted to murder agent Claw at different points. The former is a mercenary with no loyalties. He held a knife to an elite agent's neck and has yet to be held accountable. Montoya is an old associate of Trigger and tried to shoot Claw with a shotgun."

It was difficult to read Montgonel's face in the rain, but Pharisee was able to discern that he raised his eyebrows. "Montoya was pardoned."

"Perhaps too soon," responded the commander. "I do not believe men like him can be reformed. The world is not in different shades of gray, Montgonel; it is in black and white. A leopard cannot change its spots."

Montgonel was about to argue when the pilot's voice was heard over the radio. "Sir, we spotted headlights down below."

Pharisee grabbed a pair of infrared binoculars and peered down at the dark streets. Sure enough, a vehicle was driving alone down the empty road. "Who would be out in the storm at this hour?" muttered Pharisee.

"The populace of the city is currently small," said the UlTech Infiltrator X2. "Probability is that this vehicle is the one we are looking for."

Sure enough, the vehicle below was a pickup truck.

"I think I might remember reading about this Montoya," replied Montgonel. "Someone gave me the file after the incident with Claw. According to those documents, he reformed after a gruesome job at Mindstorms, Inc., during which the most illegal thing he did was drive the getaway car. He has since been living in a small isolated seaside cabin out of town."

Pharisee shot him a menacing look.

"According to the file, he has a wife and kids," Montgonel added. 

*****

Dude casually took a sip of his White Russian drink as he sat down in the mess hall and was approached by Angel Eyes, who was holding a bottle of whiskey. "Howdy," Angel Eyes said as he sat down. "I don't think we were ever properly acquainted. I'm Angel Eyes."

"Dude."

"Dude," repeated Angel Eyes, pouring a glass of whiskey. "Interesting name. You hear all this talk about us being attacked?"

"Yeah," replied Dude. "It's probably nothing. Everyone's getting freaked out over a minor Znapping problem."

"Do you have to use so many cusswords?"

Dude looked at him in confusion. "What the Znap you talking about?" he asked.

*****

Dr. Cyborg was in the labs. His first act as an Elite Agent was to requisition a broken Iron Predator. He looked it over sadly, lamenting the fact UlTech was not chosen to make the Dino Attack fleet, although, they were XERRD-aligned then, so it was understandable. He had also taken parts from an UlTech warehouse in the city. He began to modify the Iron Predator.

By the time it was done, it was much better. He had changed out the engine with a plasma reactor, like the one in the Reclaimer. He had improved the cooling system of the Z-1. He had added a computer, redesigned the wiring, changed the treads for variable repulsor plates, allowing it to hover up to 100 feet above the ground, and most importantly of all: gotten it to work!

He then contacted the Reclaimer. After he signed off, he had Cortana(2) copy herself into the Titanium Hammer, as he had named it.

He called X1. "X1, I want you to take a Steel Sprinter and go melee. I also expect to see you and X2 alive tomorrow. Cyborg out."

Dr. Cyborg and his team were ready. Now all they had to do was wait.

*****

"What's the plan for this battle, B?" asked Sam Kabrinsky. "Go down fighting, or retreat if necessary?"

"They told me that, if we need to retreat, then we've already lost," said B.

"And when have you followed orders when it really came down to life or death?" Sam pointed out.

B smiled. "And that's why I have a backup plan: If things go really wrong..."

"Which they will, knowing our luck," said Rob.

"If things go really wrong," B repeated as he showed them a map on his PDA, "we head to these coordinates. Lead as many agents there as you can."

"Are you sure that's wise? If that spot's supposed to be safe, why would we lead the dinos there?" said Kevin.

"It's easily defendable," explained B. "At least, it can be more easily defended than the HQ or the city."

Rob frowned. "So you're saying that if we're about to die, turn tail and run for the hills?"

"Yes," B said flatly. "The object is to survive to fight again."

"Sounds stupid to me," muttered Rob. "We fight to run, to fight again, to run again."

"That's why we signed up, Rob," retorted B.

"OK," said Kevin, "We have plan A, go down fighting. We have plan B, retreat to a safer spot to continue fighting. What's plan C, if you have one?"

"I've never had to make one up yet, and I won't now," declared B. "Anyway, does everyone have their gear?"

The answer was unanimously "yes."

"B, where did you find our old gear?" asked Kevin.

B shook his head. "It's not your particular 'old gear', but it is exact same type of weapons and armor. Rob helped me with that."

"Now," said Ezekiel, who up until this point had been silent, "what do we have as far as vehicles go?"

"Two Fire Hammers," replied B. "Modified to my and Rob's specifications."

"B, you're driving one, right?" asked Sam.

B nodded. "Correct. Sam, you drive the other, Rob and Kev get shotgun in whichever one, and Chris and Uncle Zeke get the turrets. Now, let's roll."

*****

Work on Hotwire's old Fire Hammer was finally complete. The heavy-duty Cosmotronic Ray underneath the left headlight needed some minor adjustments, but had come through surprisingly unscathed. Once this was complete, there was only the matter of painting "Talon II" along the side of Larson's T-1 Typhoon ("Though what we really need is a Renaissance II," Larson had pointed out).

Within minutes, agents began pouring into the hangars and garages. Shiller, jogging past with Wright, called out, "O'Neal! I better be seeing you tomorrow!"

"Count on it!" Hotwire yelled back, as he followed Larson and Kat up into the Talon II. When he reached the deck, Larson was already strapping himself in, but Kat, noticing the difficulty of climbing a ladder with only one real leg, stopped to help him up.

"Listen, I just have to say something," Kat spoke quickly. "Ever since we first met, I've just felt like we understand each other somehow. I think... Znap, I don't know how else to say it. You're the best friend I've ever had." She paused, seeing the look on Hotwire's face, and added: "Sorry if this is weird. I just had to mention it, given that we might all die today."

Hotwire smiled. "I don't think it's weird. I could have said the exact same thing to you. Whether or not either of us see the sun set again, it's been really splendid knowing you."

With that, they embraced for the briefest of moments, and then strapped in.

Naming a Fire Hammer was undoubtedly even more unconventional than naming a T-1 Typhoon, but that didn't stop Hotwire from christening his old and unintentionally amphibious vehicle, especially in light of the agent he was giving it to.

Helm stuck a small photo of April and Jason in the dashboard, then revved the engine of Tracer's Vindication as the charge began.

*****

It had been too long since he last sat at the controls of an Iron Predator. The last time he drove one of these fearsome tanks, he helped defend the Dino Attack Power Station with Reptile. Before that, he had not used one since his original Iron Predator was blown to bricks by Kotua. But now, Rex felt at home once again.

Rex glanced over his shoulder at Amanda Claw, who was manning the Iron Predator's cannon. She nodded, with that same expression of grim acceptance of their fate, and gave a thumbs up. Rex returned the motion, then turned his attention to Frozeen, whose hands gripped the Iron Predator's Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. Frozeen nodded similarly, managing a slight smile.

"No matter what happens," Rex murmured, "we're together, and that's what matters." With that, the Iron Predator rolled out of the garage, ready for battle.

Truth be told, Rex was extremely grateful that Semick was a strategist and understood that, despite all the acclaim he had gathered from his fellow agents, Rex was not. Therefore, when Semick instructed Rex to oversee the Iron Predators' line of defense, Rex did as he was told, despite Greybeard's wishes that he would join the Fire Hammers at the front lines. Still, Rex told Greybeard to keep him updated via radio; the use of telecommunications would also help keep Hertz updated on the Mutant Dinos' activities.

Thunder rumbled ominously, and the earth shook, as though the LEGO Planet itself was on the verge of destruction. There came a sound, a single chime, like a church bell tolling. Rex's heart raced, and it wasn't the rain which chilled him to the bone.

*****

Dawn of
The Final Day
-24 Hours Remain-

Greybeard sat outside his Fire Hammer, as did many of the other Dino Attack agents on the front line. They were waiting for their doom, and Greybeard had taken advantage of the moment to share one last Cup of Yo Ho Ho with his old friend King Joseph Race and his son Sam Race. As a pirate, his senses were finely tuned to the weather, and he could tell from a single breeze when a storm was about to hit.

And as the thunder shook the earth, Greybeard inhaled a fresh breath of air and immediately knew that the calm had ended. Climbing atop his Fire Hammer, he grabbed a spyglass and pressed it against his good eye. Several other agents mimicked his motions, but with standard issue Dino Attack binoculars.

"What do you see, Greybeard?" inquired Sam Race.

As Greybeard lowered the spyglass, his look of undisguised horror spoke louder than words. King Race and Sam Race traded glances in disbelief. The other Dino Attack agents were already shouting:

"I've never seen so many Mutant Dinos before!"
"There must be hundreds - maybe even thousands of them!"
"How could there be so many Mutant T-Rexes?"
"One of them - the one in the lead - was wearing silver armor!"
"I think I saw some Hybrids and Space Marauders in the front lines!"

Very quickly, Greybeard watched as the reports gave way to hysterical cries of panic:

"We are going to die!"
"I'm never going to see my wife and kids again!"
"I'm never going to see my husband and kids again!"
"Game over, man! Game over!"
"We are doomed!"
"What the MegaBloking Znap, how are we supposed to defeat those sons of 4+ Figures?"
"Well... that's it."
"It's no use! We're never going to win! It's over! We've lost!"

Greybeard glanced around at his fellow teammates. While some of them, most likely elite agents, were trying to maintain order, most of them had not realized the gravity of the situation until now. They had been confident in a Dino Attack victory, but how their morale was so quickly shaken! And, peering into his spyglass once more, he could see the army of Mutant Dinos drawing closer and closer to the river which served as their side of the perimeter. With the front lines in such utter disarray, how could they hope to defeat the Mutant Dinos when they arrived?

Greybeard had a brief flashback to a time near the end of the Skeleton Pirate War. He had been made captain of the Soaring Danishman... before the mighty ship had been pulled to Davy Jones's locker by the Kraken and the Sea Serpent, killing most of his crew... including Blackjack Wilson, the young lad that Greybeard had grown fond of.

And I be determined not to let that happen again! thought Greybeard as he gritted his few remaining teeth. Raising his cutlass to the sky, Greybeard called upon the years he spent on the deck of a pirate ship, shouting orders over hurricane winds and the crashes of waves against the hull, and spoke as loudly and clearly as he could muster.

"Belay that!" announced Greybeard. "Here we be, wi' th' Mutant Dinos nearly upon us, an' ye cowardly bilge rats be panickin' an' screamin'! What? Do ye fear death? Do ye fear that dark abyss?"

"Greybeard," murmured King Race, "I don't think that's the best-"

He was interrupted by the voice of a Dino Attack agent who shouted: "Well, excuse me for not wanting to die, pirate!" A couple of other Dino Attack agents shouted in agreement.

A young red-haired Dino Attack agent stood atop his Fire Hammer. "Enough!" he ordered. "As an elite agent, I order you to listen to Greybeard! Greybeard, please continue."

"Not wantin' t' die?" repeated Greybeard. "Aye, I can understand. But remember somethin'... we be members o' th' Dino Attack Team. We signed up fer this! Ye all should 'ave known that, by joinin' this team, ye be goin' t' die. But what be we goin' to die fer? After all, we didn't join this team t' be snivelin' cowards, but neither did we sign up t' die in vain. And tharfore... let us not die in vain. Ye shall listen t' me!"

Greybeard pointed his cutlass in the direction of the Mutant Dino army, which was drawing nearer with every second. "Right now, our doom be on our doorstep. But th' rest o' th' Dino Attack Team... nay, not just th' rest o' th' team... th' entire population down in Antarctica! They be lookin' t' us t' ensure that we stop doom in its tracks! They be lookin' t' us t' lead th' Dino Attack Team in battle t' victory! They be lookin' t' us t' ensure that we look Death right in th' eyes... an' we tell him... 'Ye shall not pass!'"

Now pointing his cutlass towards Dino Attack Headquarters, Greybeard continued: "An' what shall they see? Frightened bilge rats? Nay! They shall see that even in th' face o' total annihilation, we remain resolute... brave... free! An' th' enemy," he pointed his cutlass back at the advancing Mutant Dinos, "shall only see th' firin' o' th' Xenon Launchers an' th' Cosmotronic Rays... they shall hear our battle cries as we fight fer freedom... and they shall know that we will never fall! Fer as long as our Creative Sparks remain strong, never shall we die! An' if our lives must be sacrificed... then we sacrifice 'em proudly, wi' th' knowledge that we stand here, today, on th' brink o' destruction... an' we die fer th' freedom o' th' entire planet! That be what we shall die fer!"

Greybeard's last words echoed through the night, but he saw the other Dino Attack agents staring at him, motionlessly. As Greybeard's motivational speech was met with silence, the old pirate faltered. Perhaps he couldn't motivate the Dino Attack agents... not now, not like this. Sighing in defeat, Greybeard sat down, resigning to his fate.

And so, he did the one thing he could still do. "Yo... ho..." he sang softly. "Haul... together... Hoist... th' colors high!"

King Joseph Race stepped up onto the Fire Hammer and looked down upon his old friend. "Heave... ho..." he continued. "Thieves... and beggars... Never shall... we die!"

Greybeard looked up at King Race, who smiled in return. Together, they repeated the verse. "Yo... ho... Haul... together..." It was an old pirate shanty, which would be sung by Captain Roger Redbeard to rally up his men before a big raid. Since Greybeard was the only pirate present, he was the only one who knew the lyrics by heart.

But whether it was that the lyrics were easy to learn, or it was that the song might have possibly been played on L.E.G.O. Radio once or twice, the other Dino Attack agents began to pick it up. Starting with the elite agents, including that red-haired individual: "Hoist... the colors high!"

Then picked up by the standard agents: "Heave... ho... Thieves and beggars..."

And finally, everyone was joined in: "Never shall... we die!"

The Dino Attack agents repeated the verse over and over, growing stronger and louder every time. As the lyrics grew in power, so did the confidence of the Dino Attack agents. Greybeard couldn't believe his one good eye, and he grinned as he stood during the third refrain.

By now, the Mutant Dino army was nearly upon the river. Laughing, Greybeard pointed his cutlass at the lead T-Rex, who was indeed wearing silver armor, and bellowed: "Me friends, me mateys, me hearties! Raise th' colors high!"

Already, Dino Attack agents were climbing back into their Fire Hammers and manning their Xenon Multi-Mode Launchers. They sped towards the river, giving the Mutant Dino army a proper welcome.

And so, the end has begun.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 62: The First Wave

----

The Titanium Predator was ready. Dr. Cyborg had made some last-minute tweaks, Cortana(3) had adjusted to it, he had started the reactor, and the sequence to start the entire vehicle was almost done.

When it was finished, he jumped in. He split his hands into wires and inserted the ends of his arms into sockets built for that very purpose. He started syncing Cortana(3) to himself and Cortana(2). He connected his personal generator and the vehicle generator. His robotic eye turned golden. He smiled, and piloted it out of the ground hangar.

He arrived at the front lines just in time to hear the end of Greybeard's speech. He started singing the song with everyone else while he searched the Titanium Predator's systems for any bugs. He finished just as the first shots were fired. He lifted the altitude above ground level to 25 feet, and started firing at a Mutant T-Rex.

****

"Big flock of Mutant Pterodactyls, incoming!"
"They're Pteranodons, not Pterodactyls!"
"Pteranodon? More like Pterayesdon. Eh? Eh?"
"Get out."
"Dude, that joke's too esoteric. Nobody's going to understand it!"
"This is why I just avoid the headache entirely and call them generic 'Pterosaurs'."

The battle was joined.

One T-1 Typhoon attack wing began to take off from the hangar. It appeared that the rest were being held in reserve by their commanders, or those commanders were trying to figure out where the choppers could be best used.

Coral's console lit up with attack plans. He glanced at them and grimaced; it looked like the Strategy Planning department was frantically coming up with increasingly half-baked stratagems for the battle that would probably get quite a lot of them killed.

However, one useful thing was contained within the data dump.

"Reptile?" he said over the comm system. "I hope you have a better plan than some of these fools do - because you're in command of a T-1 attack wing."

Reptile sighed audibly. "With luck, someone has realized we must clear the skies of Pterosaurs before we can go on crazy bombing raids on the other side of the river. Otherwise those swarms will rip us apart like they did on Adventurers' Island."

"So, orders? We're getting increasingly frantic requests for orders..." Coral said, a bit irritated.

"Right. I've got an idea about these Pterosaurs. For the meantime, we'll provide air support for the front." Reptile tapped a few keys, and Coral surmised he was now addressing all the pilots under his command.

"This is Reptile. We're going to provide cover for the Fire Hammers out front. I want every pilot to hold formation just behind the Fire Hammers, and fire on anything that crosses the river. Focus on Pterosaurs and T-Rexes.

"Look... I won't pretend this will be easy. If you've seen the reports you know this is going to be a lot more difficult, a lot more dangerous, than I know a lot of you were hoping." That was an understatement - the panic at the front lines that Coral's old friend Greybeard had barely been able to quell had spread, in a slightly more subdued form, to the rear guard.

"But we can win this. If everyone does their part, stays calm, and follows orders- we can triumph. Reptile out."

Coral frowned. "Not the greatest of motivational speeches, was that?" he asked.

Reptile replied, evenly, "I've broadcast Greybeard's speech and song to everyone."

Coral would have laughed if not for the circumstances. Instead, he focused on leading them into battle.

The T-1 Typhoons rose and flew forward to the Fire Hammer lines. There, things were quickly turning into chaos. Coral saw a grouping of Fire Hammers engaging two Mutant T-Rexes near the center of the fray - they were rather outmatched.

Tail and Reptile seemed to see the same thing. The craft shuddered as both the mounted Goo Spheres and the more conventional sonic weaponry opened fire. Seconds later, the two T-Rexes toppled beneath the combined onslaught of the T-1 Typhoon and the Fire Hammers down below.

While taking down two T-Rexes would have ordinarily been something they could celebrate, it was a drop in the ocean today. Coral hadn't seen anything like it since that day in the Goo Caverns, and even that had been tame compared to this.

Coral wasn't sure how long they would last, unless someone came up with something very clever.

He was a survivor. He had survived betraying Alpha Team so long ago by joining the pirates. He had taken on a new identity, and lost all his memories for a time during the war with the Skeleton Pirates, but he had survived even that. He had survived the beginning of the Dino Attack, and had joined up with Reptile, where he had managed to survive quite ably thus far.

But as he flew the T-1 Typhoon to where they were needed, and Tail cut down Dino after Dino on the ground below... he vowed that if he had to die today to stop these monsters, so be it.

But he'd take as many of them down as he could before he allowed that to happen. 

*****

With some assistance from Crusher, Cabin quickly hastened to get her jumpsuit back on. Rotor was waiting by the door to the infirmary. As soon as Cabin's boots were on, she ran up to him.

The two pilots quickly ran as fast as they could toward the garage. Cabin climbed into the first T-1 Typhoon she could find, as did Rotor.

"You ready for this?" Cabin asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," replied Rotor. "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

And within moments, Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" echoed throughout the hangar as Rotor's Typhoon reached into the air. Cabin couldn't help but smile. 

As the music of Wagner echoed through the streets, Lance Williams had taken his place in the gunner's seat of Rotor's T-1 Typhoon. Carefully, he scanned the horizon in search of mutant dinos. Lance was already firing on all the Mutant Lizards in the streets below.

"Save your bullets, Lance," Rotor said as he charged toward the army, and with a simple click of a button, he launched the first rocket. 

*****

Flying a helicopter in a tempest as powerful as this was something that was generally avoided whenever possible. Despite the power of a T-1 Typhoon. it was not impossible to feel the craft shake with every gust of wind.

Pharisee held tight to the handholds as the T-1 Typhoon swayed back and forth. Water and ice rushed through the compartment and knocked several passengers off their feet. The darkness outside seemed to pull them away from their small sanctuary, threatening them with the angry blackness that loomed just beyond the doors.

The commander of Internal Affairs was receiving minute-by-minute updates of the situation back at the headquarters. Hertz and the communications crew informed him that Dr. Rex's army had arrived at the gates. It was difficult to leave them at a time so dire but he had his own sacred mission to address. This was his calling and he could not betray his vows.

He shot a dark look at Montgonel. The agent held his ground firmly in the sleet as he shot his commander a glare of equal measure. Pharisee's first impression of the man was that he would be incapable of making the tough call. If he could not depend on his men to take the shot when it truly counted, he might as well be doing this alone.

"Don't assume that Montoya is innocent because he is a family man, Montgonel!" yelled the commander. Sleet nearly knocked him off his feet as he called to his colleague, and he squinted his eyes to protect them from the windstorm. "It is not unheard of for violent men to have family on the side. Regardless, his past life means nothing to me! It is what he did here that matters. He tried to kill Claw! Does that have no consequence for you?"

"The man was confused!" retorted Montgonel. "He is changed!"

"I will be the judge of that!" yelled Pharisee. "Besides, what about the other men in that truck? Trigger and Snake are vile; do you believe we should not attempt to apprehend it because one decent man may be on board?"

Montgonel took a look down at the fleeing vehicle. With the sound of the weather, the driver may not know he was being pursued. He admitted they may have the element of surprise, but he had scruples about arresting a good man.

"What if he's a decoy?" asked Montgonel. "He may be leading us away from the others."

"We will apprehend him nonetheless," Pharisee replied as he reviewed the city below him. "He will tell us what we need to know."

Montgonel gulped. From in the look in the commander's eyes, he could only imagine what he had in mind.

"Unless you can convince me otherwise, I am fully prepared to forcefully stop that truck!" said the commander. He motioned to the gunner positioned on the side. "Prepare to fire a warning shot."

*****

The shelling began. Nicholas Saran could hear the distant thunder of artillery as it opened fire on the approaching horde. The headquarters was not designed as a fortress, more along the lines of an office building, but it still had a small array of cannons located atop the parapets.

He did not expect it to last long. Soon, the Mutant Pterosaurs would swoop in and decimate any heavy weapons that the headquarters had. Despite what some agents would say, this was to be an up-close-and-personal battle. He shivered at the thought of blood turning the wet cement outside red.

The psychologist entered the lockers of the headquarters and removed his warm red sweater. Men would need a doctor, but more would need an able-bodied comrade to watch their back.

By no means was the fifty-year-old man able-bodied. He had a hard time running with his peg leg, and he had not used a gun in years. However, he had been a police officer in another life. He knew what it meant to be a fighter, and he was prepared to do his part for the team.

He observed himself in the mirror. The appearance of a middle-aged one-legged man in full Dino attack gear was almost comical. Nicholas smiled; it was good to back in uniform. He had been forced to resign the force after his accident, but now no one could tell him to leave.

He shouldered his gun and marched with gusto down the halls. Nothing would keep him from this night.

*****

The pool table made a decent improvised desk to coordinate the attacks. With the help of some of his old business partners, Hertz was able move some satellites, which provided him with live transmissions of the battle outside.

Footage from outside the base was projected onto the television, and Hertz astutely watched the movements of the opposing force. His ears buzzed with the signals of hundreds of agents outside and he struggled to comprehend the wave of information being broadcast to him.

Also on a monitor was the jumbled gibberish of XERRD's codes. A fuzzy line marked the frequencies of the scientist's voice patterns as his decoder struggled to comprehend the meanings of the words.

"Watch those Raptors!" yelled Kate as her eyes caught movement on the screen. The yellow icons indicated Mutant Raptor movement suddenly surge forward out of the horde and begin to make a run for the river.

The Raptors' long legs easily cleared the water as they charged with incredible speed at Dino Attack's Fire Hammers. The force fields protected the beasts as they collided with the team's munitions and cut into any agents unfortunate to be outside of their vehicles.

With his bird's eye view, Hertz had an advantage other agents did not. "Position the Fire Hammers and Iron Predators in an inverse V formation!" he ordered. "Attack the mutants on the flanks as they charge."

His ear set rung with the affirmatives of hundreds of agents as they moved into positions. To those on the ground, the situation seemed chaotic, but Hertz was able to glimpse the movements in their entirety. Unhindered by wind and rain, nothing could escape his sight.

Shannon called him over to her station on the air hockey table. In her hands was a complicated mess of wires that led to an antenna outside the window. "We're ready to activate the liner jamming matrix," she said. "It should give XERRD something to worry about."

"Well, let's initiate some chaos," Hertz said with a smile. "Triangulate the signal to cover as much of the army as you can. If we can sustain it, it should keep them deft and dumb."

Shannon hesitated before pulling the switch. "If we give them time, they'll be able to track the source to this room. It will knock out their communications but they may be able to recover soon. Once they do, they'll send a force to take us out."

The elite agent nodded. Jamming their transitions would strike a powerful blow, but it would do little to hinder the mutants. If they directly attacked the communications room, it would black out all coordination the Dino Attack Team had.

"Put it on reserve," said Hertz finally. "We'll activate it on my order."

*****

Solomon Koplowitz's eyes flashed open. He slowly placed his helmet on his wet white hair and took a defensive stance with Fullmetal's sword. Before him lay the vast legions of Dr. Rex.

He smiled. It would be good for that monster to see that one of his once-trusted scientists now stood at the head of the Dino Attack Team. For too long, Solomon had watched evil and done nothing to quench it. Now was the time to strike down wickedness. He was born a pacifist, but he knew that sometimes some had to be struck down for the greater good.

A Raptor cleared the river and charged. Artillery opened fire on either side of Solomon, but the force fields kept the creature safe. Its fiery red eyes flashed in vivid contrast to the cold icy rain. Saliva sloshed from its maw as it descended on the philosopher with its gaping jaws.

It leaped, and Solomon took a defensive crouch. With two swift swings of his sword, he severed the Achilles tendons, and the monster fell into a puddle with a crash of spray.

Solomon walked over slowly and shoved the katana into the Raptor's skull. It gave a squeal of anguish and its tail thrashed before it lay forever still. He wiped his sword clean, drew his gun, and waited for the next mutant.

*****

Montoya slowly struggled to steer as fast as he could without being able to see much. He was far from a bad driver in any sense, having worked various jobs as a getaway driver before he'd worked in worse conditions. The windshield wipers were working harder than ever to clear the rain from the windshield. All he could think about was home, that little cabin by the sea. He'd get there and Debbie would have some nice delicious meal waiting for him. That was the only thing that kept him going, what made him leave Trigger and Snake in the first place.

He was suddenly snapped back into reality by a loud noise, it sounded like gunshots. Suddenly, a stray bullet smashed through the back windshield. "You gotta be kidding," he said. "Why did I agree to this?"

He ran through his head everything that had happened. He went there to bring Silencia to justice, something she seemed to deserve for all the people she killed. He remembered hearing the news of Sindstorme's death, and shortly thereafter the infamous death of Edward Korrupte. He remembered his five comrades, who while not the best of friends, were still his partners and were brutally murdered at her hand; the fact that he himself just narrowly survived an attack by Silencia.

Yet it happened. Silencia came to him, totally reformed. Montoya was never sure, but something about him knew that she was genuine; perhaps his own reformation gave him some idea. She told him to tell Trigger, but he wouldn't listen. For him, it was business. He didn't care about the five men that died that night, or any of the others who died by Silencia's hand. He had a score with her and would do whatever was necessary to settle it.

There was a part of Montoya that felt sorry for Trigger, who had optimistically hoped he'd changed, but then he thought of Venomosa, who had gone from that silent, cold-blooded killer to a gentle talkative young woman. Maybe someday, he thought to himself, somewhat optimistically, thinking that maybe one day Trigger would reform… but for now, he was just a cold-blooded killer, and if he hadn't let Montoya know Venomosa had been found, he wouldn't have been drawn back into this life. Now when he was just trying to get home, there were men trying to kill him for reasons he did not understand.

Another bullet ran through his back windshield as he ducked under the seat. Hastily, he pulled the truck to a halt and nervously lay down. "Calm down," he said to himself, attempting to reassure himself he was going to be fine. "They're probably looking for the others. As soon as they come here and see me, they'll just let me go."

Still, Montoya reached into the glove compartment. It took a moment for his hand to get a firm grasp before he reached for his cell phone inside, and with a quick push of a button, he soon heard a dial tone, followed by that soft, comforting voice. "Hello."

"Hey baby," replied Montoya, clearly panicked.

"Where are you?" Debbie asked.

"I'm coming home right now," he said. "You just tell the kids Daddy will be home soon. I just need to clear up something quickly."

"Is something wrong?" Debbie asked.

"No," lied Montoya. "Everything's fine, Debbie. I love you."

Still, it was hard for him not to cry. 

*****

It was chaos in every sense of the word. With Minerva at the wheel, Zach's Fire Hammer barreled toward the river with their fellow Fire Hammers. The army was massive with every Mutant Dino breed (even including the rarer ones, such as Spinosaurus and Triceratops) working together to destroy the team once and for all. He had little doubt that the imposing Mutant T-Rex in silver armor was Dr. Rex himself, seeing to it that the Dino Attack Headquarters was laid to waste and every agent was dead.

As they reached the river, several Mutant Dinos had already jumped or walked through it and was now on Dino Attack turf. "Hit them with everything," he said into a radio, talking to the Fire Hammers around him and their gunner, a dark-haired older man named Reggie. Reggie responded with a low grunt while he peppered oncoming dinos with Xenon fire.

Zach opened the passenger door a crack and examined the Mutant Dinos heading the pack. While the T-Rex he assumed was Dr. Rex was in the lead, there was also an annoyingly large amount of Mutant Raptors leading the charge. He swore and pulled back into the vehicle and began to search the back for a Cosmotronic Ray. Once finding it, he leaned out of the slightly ajar door and began firing at the raptors, aiming to take out their force fields.

Minerva turned to the radio as Zach fired. "There are a lot of Mutant Raptors here. Get rid of those force fields!" Almost immediately after saying that, several Steel Sprinters pulled up started firing their Cosmotronic Rays. She turned to Zach. "I'll admit, having a little authority is nice."

"Less talk, more drive and shoot!" Zach grunted as he shot a stray Mutant Lizard that was running for his door. Another Mutant Lizard managed to slip past his radar and attempted to get into the Fire Hammer. "Oh, no you don't!" Zach roared. He kicked the Lizard once and slammed the door into its face multiple times before it finally collapsed.

They're everywhere, Zach mused. Opening his door again, he shot a Mutant Raptor twice, disabling its force field. It was then struck repeatedly by Xenon blasts by Reggie, knocking it down.

"Keep it up!" Zach yelled, remembering Semick's advice of encouragement. "We're holding them so far, but there is still a long way to go!"

*****

Nazareno heard the first shots go off, followed by massive roars of anger. It was soon followed by an ominous boom of thunder and a terrifying crack of lightning. It has begun. The final storm. he thought grimly. He looked at Zelda, who watched intently as the Dino Attack Team's forces collided with XERRD's legion of Mutant Dinos at the river.

"It's time," he remarked with little emotion.

Zelda nodded wordlessly to him. She made sure her ponytail was secure and slid a black bandanna over her mouth.

"And you are positive you can handle this?"

Zelda rolled her eyes at him. "I'm positive. I do have some skill beyond what you taught me."

"It is more than apparent that you are highly skilled, Zelda," Nazareno said sternly. He saw her cheeks become bright red at his compliment, but he ignored it. "What we are about to do is exceptional dangerous and would be suicidal to any other man. By my reckoning, it still is suicidal, but we have a much better chance at beating those odds and I do not want you to suddenly panic if things go wrong."

"I don't plan on it," Zelda said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I am aware of what we are about to do, and I'm willing to take the risk."

Nazareno sighed. Zelda showed exceptional promise. She could take care of herself, so why was he worried? "Well then, I suggest we join our comrades." He gestured out to battlefield, where Urban Avengers and Steel Sprinters were moving in to provide backup in case a dino managed to slip through. "However, we will be taking it a bit farther than they are."

He revved his Steel Sprinter's engine. Even if its outward appearance was wrecked and ruined, Nazareno had made sure it had a decent engine so he could pull off their maneuver. With a single nod to Zelda, the two of them took off toward the front lines at full speed. 

*****

The fight had begun. Everyone knew that now, but still, that had to be acknowledged. Only a few days after the Adventurers' Island mission had ended, the team now found themselves in the final, most important mission of all.

Semick felt a little better with the first sight of the enemy forces. Sure, his heart had skipped a beat for actually seeing that large a number at once, but at least this would be a bit easy to get into, seeing as how everyone knew the strengths and weaknesses of these things by now. Any surprises in the works would be coming later.

Of course, the rest of team hadn't quite reacted so well. Perhaps the gravity of the situation should've been made clearer alongside the encouragement. At least Greybeard managed to get everyone back into it excellently. Semick told himself to try the song method at another point, if he got a chance.

The Mutant Dinos were coming from the other side of the river. If XERRD had any projectile-based methods to take on HQ itself, it would undoubtedly be focused on the building with little resistance. It had guns, but they weren't long range, and the Pterosaurs would be making it hard on them. Dino Attack would simply have to focus on knocking out the ranks.

Other agents were already taking action. Rotor was leading the aerial charge with "Ride of the Valkyries" once again blaring from his sound system. Zachary and Fabello were holding up the lines with Andrew near the river with a good deal of other agents.

Most fortunately, Reptile had also shown up again. Semick was overjoyed, though he didn't bother asking questions, only filled him in briefly on the situation and his plans. Now the senior Elite Agent was directing T-1 Typhoons into air-support position, and he was saying that he had plans for the Mutant Pterosaurs. All the better for him.

Though in the meantime, Semick was getting several T-1 Typhoons to join him in providing defense for the HQ from the specific attacks the flyers were making on HQ. Everyone's PLARXX Radar Rays were at full power, a practical death sentence to any Mutant Pterosaur that got in their range, and the ships were continuously moving to avoid getting hit by T-Rex eye beams or other projectiles. It was now a simple matter of firing at the Pterosaurs when they got close.

All was looking to starting well, but Semick didn't dare to let himself believe that. Unexpected turns were bound to come, and he clenched his hands on the controls of his T-1 Typhoon as he felt prepared to change his maneuver at a moment's notice. From his cockpit, he could see the form of the armored T-Rex that was their greatest enemy alongside the river.

What are you planning, you son of a 4+ figure? he wondered.

Accompanying Semick in his T-1 Typhoon were Bluetooth, still manning the TALON-9 system as vigilantly as ever, as well as two gunners by the codenames of Attack and Defend. Although Semick and Bluetooth had previously worked alongside Defend, they admittedly did not know the gunners very well, but they looked to be good marksmen, and Semick had felt them good enough to take up the roles only Raider, Zach, and few other agents had played before.

Bluetooth was forcing himself to be calm as chaos sounded around him. On his screen, he could see the big red mass the Mutant Dino army consisted of, as well as the cloud of Pterosaurs that kept coming at them. PLARXX was doing a good job at stopping those the T-1 Typhoons couldn't shoot, but the range was still limited enough so that some of them could slip through and hit the building. The technician did what he could to expand its range, but it was a tough process.

He kept thinking, during that time, of all the people he knew well that might die today. Stranger was still somewhere in the tower area of the headquarters, helping the other snipers defend. Andrew was out there on the front lines, doing what he could with Laxus and Pterisa. Titan was still at LEGO Island, as far as he knew, but he had heard rumors of agents dropping by from there to lend a hand, so who knew? And somewhere Vinyaya was out there, using her experience as a commando-rank Space Police officer to hit the Mutant Dinos with the long arm of the law.

He thought briefly of how he stacked his connection with her. They hadn't talked much since that time in the Adventurers' Island camp when he wanted to discuss that possible alien threat (which seemed so far away and harmless right now), and the last time he had interacted with her was during the French Fries fiasco. He seemed to have a feeling of respect for her that went beyond respecting the officers of the law. Was it anything significant?

It was hard to say. They hadn't met since then, and he doubted she thought much of him either. She had too many things to concern herself with.

Shaking his head, Bluetooth concentrated back on the situation at hand. The PLARXX signal was finally getting a bit bigger, and the Futuron machine expert needed to get it focused to work right without breaking.

*****

There was an old saying among Minifigs that always proclaimed "War is MegaBlokland." Unsurprising, considering most Minifigs Andrew had met in his time were against the concept of war in the first place. Perhaps it was because of the worst of the struggles that happened during the 20th Century, but it seemed that nobody wanted to have anything to do with battle bloodshed unless it had to do with any sense of tradition (Pirates and Knights didn't want to seem to live without their traditional enemies trying to break down their door every once in a while). Even the battles that happened from time to time in space seemed preferable, since up there, prisoner-taking still seemed to be much-preferred over anything else, even with non-Minifig species.

From his time in Dino Attack, Andrew could understand easily why people thought this way. With rain pouring hard on his Fire Hammer's windshield, thunder clapping loudly every minute, and the black blurs of Mutant Dinos charging all around, he could see exactly why recent centuries had seen relative peace among the people of Earth.

Andrew was driving his Fire Hammer with every amount of skill racing and patrols had taught him. Laxus was switching between monitoring the radio and the Xenon launcher's condition to firing out at the Mutant Raptors with the Cosmotronic Ray he had gotten from HQ. Pterisa was manually running the launcher, firing at whatever dinos she could aim at with both the cannon and her lightning powers.

"You doing okay out there, Pterisa?" Andrew asked into the radio link between him and the cannon.

"I am hitting a target with every shot," she said. "At least that's one comfort from this horde. No ammo's going to waste."

Andrew couldn't contain a smirk. "Just watch your back out there. Why nobody gave the gunner's seat a roof over their head is beyond me."

"Will do."

Laxus fired another two shots from the Cosmotronic Ray. "What is this, every last Mutant Dino they have left?" he said as he ducked back inside. "They must've had to pull out from every other landmass they overwhelmed!"

"I heard rumors about other places being emptied, so... you know," Andrew said. "Get us back to the local frequency. I want to check up with the agents around."

Laxus turned on the radio speaker and mic for the current area of Dino Attack vehicles. He was greeted by a loud amount of cries and broadcasts from across the team.

"This is Elite Agent Andrew," he said into it. "Are we holding up well?"

Among his replies were:

"Andrew? Oh, the young guy!"
"How do you think?!"
"I've lost a tire, but I ain't givin' up yet!"
"Anyone know when that Daedalus is comin'?!"
"It's like a mass of tar out here!"
"They haven't got me yet!"
"I'm okay... relatively."

"Alright, good." Andrew said. "Keep it up, and remember their weaknesses: Lizards trip up when you vary your attack methods, Raptors just need a Cosmotronic Ray to stop, Pterosaurs can be sonic'd to knock them out, and T-Rexes can be tripped or simply shot in the head hard enough!"

"Except for the big guy, you-know-who."
"Wait, that's what this big old thing can do?!"
"A sonic what? Screwdriver?"
"Ah, like the old saying! The bigger they are..."
"Funny, these Lizards have been going down like flies for me..."
"Just use a little more gun, and these things trip easily."
"Got it, spreading the word."

"That's the spirit! Keep it up guys, and these beasts will learn the hard way not to mistake us for easy pickings!"

******

This attack was like a dream come true to Stranger. Every shot he shot at the oncoming mass at the backside of HQ was guaranteed to hit something. Dino, Hybrid, XERRD scientist, it didn't matter.

It helped that he was using a fancy new sniper rifle the lab boys had just come up with for the job. With fancy new electronics to making using the scope produce highly accurate shots at an impressive range, not only could it shoot a laser right through the body of a Mutant Dino, it could also still hit creatures on the other side with as much effectiveness as before. Sadly, the thing could only fire when in scope mode, and it went through ammo like an AK-47, but it was effective enough for him to come up with a bag of ammo to utilize it as much as he could.

After several successful bodyshots, he managed line up a headshot with a Mutant Raptor that had just taken a Cosmotronic ray to the face, and not only struck it dead center, but managed to take out a Mutant Lizard passing by, also in the head.

"DAAAARRRRRRNNN, that's a good shot!" said Epsilon alongside him. Stranger turned to see his fellow sniper staring at him with admiration, his hands holding out both a standard sniper rifle and a bottle of rum.

"Are you drunk?" Stranger asked him, humorously.

"Swiped it from Greybeard when he wasn't a lookin'," Epsilon slurred. "Wanna have a slip? It makes this all the more easier to take-"

Stranger lunged for and grabbed the bottle and flung it out the agent's sniping window. "Nobody can shoot well when drunk, especially a sniper," he said. "Sober up and get back in the game." 

"Here they come," Shotgun said as he stared out one of the small loopholes in the sniping post. "You ready for this?"

"I think so," Scope replied as she placed the scope onto her rifle.

"That armored one looks particularly nasty," Shotgun said. "He looks like a priority."

Slowly Jackson aimed towards the dinosaur, and pulled the trigger...

*****

As a knock was heard on the door, Maria quickly pulled on her bathrobe. Andrea rolled over, pushing aside the covers in the bed. "What's going on?" Andrea asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Maria. "You just stay there."

Slowly, Maria walked up to the door and saw standing there Clint Wayne. "Can I help you?" Maria asked.

"Yeah," replied Clint. "I'm not sure if you knew, but everyone's getting ready."

"Are they?" Maria asked.

"Yeah," said Clint.

There was a moment of silence. "Alright," said Maria. "See if you can find Fireman's gear. I'll just get suited up."

"What was that?" Andrea asked.

"Somethin's happened," Maria explained. "For Builder's sake, get some clothes on!" Maria walked over to a drawer and pulled out some of the simple clothes she had won in El Paso. "Here, put these on."

Andrea nervously took the clothes and walked into the bathroom. It was only a moment later that Clint came back with Fireman's baggy suit and masks. He handed them to her before leaving.

Shortly after that, Andrea stepped out of the washroom. "I done got your gear," said Maria.

"No thanks," replied Andrea, shuddering involuntarily at the sight of the firefighter's suit.

"Why not?"

"That gas mask makes me feel claustrophobic… when I wear it for too long, I think it sometimes make me hallucinate," Andrea started explain with a slight chuckle as she sat down. "Sometimes, when I wore that thing, I swear I thought I saw myself in some weird Candyland."

"What?" asked Maria.

"It was weird," replied Andrea. "There were giant lollypops everywhere and this song that kept playing… oh, how did it go… 'Do you believe in magic?'"

Maria laughed.

"Next thing I know, I'm not sure if I'm burning mutant dinosaurs alive or spreading sunshine and happiness to adorable winged baby dinosaurs," continued Andrea. "It is the strangest experience ever. No amount of drugs can get you feeling like that. I can tell you, you know something is weird when you're not sure if your flamethrower is shooting fire or bubbles." 

"Come on," Maria said. "Just put the suit on."

Andrea sighed. "Alright," she said, reaching for the baggy suit. It did not take her long to put it on before she reached for the balaclava.

"Actually," Maria said. "Don't bother with that. Just put the gas mask on."

Andrea nodded and carefully placed the helmet onto her head. Within a few minutes, she once again looked like the agent Fireman that they had once known. Her voice was slightly muffled, but not totally unintelligible. Funny, thought Maria, her voice sounds higher-pitched now than it did back at Gold City.

*****

B had never had much use for formations on the battlefield. In his opinion, conformity was a one-way ticket to an early grave. That is why there were two jet-black Fire Hammers just out of the line.

A marvel of design. Whoever painted it did a great job. "Kabrinsky's Pride" this is.

"Get back in line, Kabrinsky!" A voice shouted through B's radio.

B scowled and made an inappropriate gesture out towards the commander of the ground charge. "Look," B yelled into his mic, "the last thing we need to worry about is who's not following the one hundred and one battlefield etiquette rules! Besides, the more disorganized we are, the harder it is for them to figure out what our plan is!"

Everyone's probably mad at me for that, B thought to himself, but we need to concentrate on stopping these MegaBloking mutants from overrunning our position. B pushed his foot to the pedal. He felt detached from the rest of the team. He didn't care what his teammates thought of him. He didn't worry about the horde of dinosaurs they were facing. He didn't think about the fact that it was very possible that he, and everyone else, could die. All he needed to worry about was five other people in fairly close proximity. And he wasn't about to let them die.

"Sam, put your foot down. It'll take all day, otherwise."

And so, the two Fire Hammers that constituted "Kabrinsky's Pride" charged ahead. Ready, and yet fearful, of the death that lay before them.

*****

Kara took off out of the air hangar roof and joined the pack of T-1 Typhoons.

An alarm sounded on the wall-mounted terminal in the body of Reptile's T-1 Typhoon. Reptile turned to it, exasperated.

A Mutant Pterosaur swarm was rapidly approaching the HQ.

Not again...

This was, however, what Reptile had prepared countermeasures for. This time, perhaps they wouldn't be caught like sitting ducks in the metaphorical hurricane.

Every T-1 Typhoon came equipped with a PLARXX Radar Ray, a nifty piece of technology that had been devised early in the... well, Reptile supposed it was officially a war now... as a Pterosaur countermeasure. The T-1 Typhoons were much more powerful than the Pterosaurs, but a lot slower and less maneuverable than the airborne reptiles. Which meant that unless T-1 Typhoons could get Pterosaurs in their sights and disable them quickly, they would be vulnerable.

Enter the PLARXX Radar Ray. This was a passive weapon built straight into the radar systems of the T-1 Typhoon. In addition to gathering data on the surroundings, it had a fortunate side effect: it scrambled the senses of Mutant Pterosaurs and knocked them out could.

Unfortunately, it wasn't all-powerful, and for maximum effect required them to be in close range. Pterosaurs could still attack from range... and in sufficient numbers, could simply overload the system. This is what had happened at Adventurers' Island, resulting in the crash landing of nearly a dozen T-1 Typhoons.

Reptile had designed what he hoped would be a countermeasure to such massive Pterosaur swarms. It would only be effective if the Pterosaurs came directly over the base... but now they had.

Now was the time to test it.

He tapped a few keys, connecting his onboard computer to the servers running in the base's communication center. The powerful transmission system there was not radar-based, but Reptile had studied the PLARXX system. It had taken him the better part of a month to work it out (unfortunately, some of the agents who had helped build it had perished during the Dino Attack), but he had figured out how it could be adapted to other communications systems.

It had required installing a prototype power generator in the communications center, and overclocking equipment to run at dangerous levels. But hopefully it would be worth it.

"Reptile to T-1s! Back off from the Pterosaurs - repeat, back off from the Pterosaurs!" he shouted.

There were confused exclamations over the comm line. Back off? But the radar rays were only effective at close range! Had Reptile spent too much time away from the field and lost his senses?

Kara heard Reptile's orders and complied, flying away from the incoming Pterosaurs.

Then Reptile tapped a key, and everyone heard a strange pitch come over the radio system. It lasted for three minutes… and when it was done, every Pterosaur that had been too close to the base suddenly fell straight out of the sky.

Kara watched them drop all at once. She smiled a devious smile, and began warming up the weapons.

*****

Scope's rifle was ready to go. The ex-military young woman held her rifle in the tiny loophole, aiming toward the Mutant Pterosaurs that were approaching. She pulled her trigger just as they started to fall.

*****

Catless's Fire Hammer crashed and burned, hit by T-Rex vision. She saw another Fire Hammer through the rain, with someone with a cape manning the gun, and some blue and red guy copiloting. She flagged them down quickly, and hitched a ride.

"I'm Catless," she said from the back as the Xenon kept being fired.

"I'm Andrew," the driver said, "and this is Pterisa," he indicated the gunner, "and Laxus." He indicated the copilot, whom she now saw was an alien.

"You're Pterisa, the Hybrid?" Catless asked. Pterisa nodded in the affirmative. "You have lightning powers, so why don't you use them while I fire the Xenon? I'm just a regular old minifig, unlike you." Pterisa nodded again, confidence boosted slightly by the small compliment.

*****

"Zachary!" Minerva shouted, turning the wheel sharply. "Hurry up!"

"I'm trying," he grumbled. He was shuffling through the pile of equipment in the back seat of the Fire Hammer, searching for more Cosmotronic Ray ammunition. "Ah. Here it is." He loaded his Cosmotronic Ray, stuck it out the window, and fired on to a Mutant Raptor charging at the Fire Hammer. It stumbled back in surprise, allowing Reggie to quickly taking down with the Xenon Launcher.

"Just keep the ammo in between us," Minerva said, trying to see through the large splotches of rain slamming against the windshield. The windshield wiper could only help so much. He nodded, fired at one more Mutant Raptor, then heaved the box of ammo out from the back to the middle of the front seats.

"Good," Minerva muttered. She suddenly reached her uniform's pocket and pulled out a grenade. Taking both hands off the wheel for a brief moment, she pulled the pin and tossed it out her door window into a pack of Mutant Lizards. The grenade exploded, killing several Lizards and injuring any dinos nearby.

"Glad you're on top of things," Zach said, continually glancing out his window. "Keep your hands on the wheel, though."

Minerva allowed herself to smirk briefly before she gasped as the Fire Hammer slammed into the side of a Mutant Stegosaurus that was passing ahead of her. Minerva slammed on the brakes, bring the jeep to a jolting stop.

"Reverse!" Reggie screamed over the radio. The Mutant Stegosaurus had stumbled slightly, turned toward its attacker, and roared angrily. Minerva quickly flipped the vehicle's gear in reverse and backed up. Zach stuck his Cosmotronic Ray outside the window and fired upon the angry reptile stomping toward them. With Zach and Reggie's combined fire power, the Stegosaurus eventually toppled over. Zach glanced at Minerva disapprovingly.

"He walked in front of me!" Minerva exclaimed, putting the vehicle back into drive. "It's his fault!" Zach decided not to argue and continued to scan the area. Not much to see other than rain and endless waves of Mutant Dinos.

An explosion suddenly rocked the back of the vehicle. Zach heard a distant pained grunt from the radio and saw dirt splash on to the back window of the vehicle. Minerva began to quickly turn the vehicle around. "What was that?" she muttered.

Through the rain, Zach could see Reggie struggling to climb back on his feet, the wind clearly knocked out of him. Not far ahead of the gunner, he could the dark outline of a XERRD Space Marauder, a rocket launcher in his grip. Zach swore angrily.

"Hold on!" he called out to Reggie. He immediately regretted that decision. The Space Marauder fired another rocket that collided with the earth in front of the Fire Hammer, sending chunks of dirt everywhere. Zach took control of the Xenon Launcher from the cab and started firing at the Space Marauder. "Come on!" he shouted to Reggie. The gunner stumbled as he ran toward the Fire Hammer. Zach let out a sigh of relief as he finally hit the Space Marauder, dropping him to the ground.

"Alright," Minerva said, cracking her knuckles before putting them back on the wheel. "Now we can-" She stopped as a massive foot stomped the ground ahead of them. A Mutant T-Rex stared down at them with red, evil eyes. It unleashed an angry roar as it raised its foot over the Fire Hammer.

Minerva was quick. She threw the vehicle into reverse and slammed on the pedal. The Fire Hammer backed away just as the Mutant T-Rex's foot came crashing down on the ground. As the jeep rolled back, Zach could hear crunching sounds as the vehicle hit and ran over Mutant Lizards. The Mutant T-Rex roared with fury.

"Come on," Minerva muttered to herself in an almost taunting matter as she stared at the Mutant T-Rex. "Come and get me."

"Glad to see you're getting into this 'final battle' thing," Zach said, somewhat amused. "However, you are trying to fight a Mutant T-Rex with a Fire Hammer."

"I've got a plan," Minerva said confidently. Zach looked at her, saying nothing. "Okay, more of a rough idea."

Zach was all up for doubting Minerva's so-called plan. "Well, since a Mutant T-Rex is going to be trying to kill us no matter what we do, let's try this 'rough idea'."

"Here we go then," Minerva said. The Mutant T-Rex let out one more angry bellow before charging at the Fire Hammer. 

*****

Sarah Bishop slowly stepped into the armory. Most of the agents had already gone, and she certainly was not an experienced agent, but she wasn't prepared to let that stop her, not while her daughter was in potential danger. Quickly finding a few bandoliers, she put them on over her dark-colored tank top, and then she found something that made her smile: it was a great big minigun, one which could clearly do quite a bit of harm.

At that moment, the door opened and two younger women entered, and Sarah quickly put down the gun. One of the women was wearing a gas mask, the other looked like she belonged in the Wild West. Soon, the gas masked woman eagerly pulled out what looked like a flamethrower before she turned toward Sarah. "I see you found Bear's gun," she said, keenly.

"Who?" Sarah asked.

"He was one o' 'em guys got killed by the mole," the Western girl explained.

"I see," said Sarah.

"I'm Maria," the Western girl introduced herself. "This here is my... um... partner... agent Fireman."

"Nice to meet you," Fireman said, somewhat shyly, and her voice slightly muffled by the mask.

"Now you sure you got enough fuel in that there thing?" Maria asked, referring to the flamethrower.

"Definitely," replied Fireman.

"Good," replied Maria. "Now let's get out of 'ere before you start hallucinating about 'em lollipops."

Sarah briefly smiled at the remark before she turned back toward the minigun.

"Why don't you come with us?" Maria asked, turning back toward Sarah. "You workin' with anybody yet?"

"No," said Sarah. "I just want to keep my daughter safe."

"Where is she?"

"Helping Hertz and Grimton set up some equipment in the lounge," replied Sarah.

"Even better," declared Maria. "You can help by keeping the dinosaurs from getting 'ere."

"True," Sarah replied as she slowly grabbed a shotgun and strapped it to her back. She picked up the minigun and, taking a moment to gain her balance, she turned toward the two women. "Let's do this."

As the trio left, Sarah could not help but ask about the rest of them. "Who else is with us?"

"There you are," Angel Eyes remarked, as if on cue. Accompanying him was Dynamite, who had finally sobered up (relatively speaking) and was now armed with a grenade launcher. "I got him out of prison, I figured he could help us now that the mole is gone." He took a moment to light his pipe. "And out there, we'll need all the help we can get."

Clint was there as well, leaning against a nearby wall while smoking his cigar.

"Who's your friend?" Angel Eyes asked.

"Sarah Bishop," Sarah introduced herself.

"Now if I can figure out where Firecracker got t-" At that moment, there was a loud BANG. Debris went flying out of the wall in the corridor as the familiar figure of Firecracker stepped out of the smoke. After a moment of coughing, Angel Eyes finally spoke up. "I guess that settles everything. Why don't we call ourselves the Third Headquarters Squad, eh? The last one was the second, so this one we'll call the third."

"Was there ever a first one?" Maria asked in confusion.

"Aye," replied Dynamite. "The original Headquarters Squad originally established Dino Attack's outpost in Gold City before 'em Hybrids stole it. An' then we Second Headquarters Squad came an' took it back!" He paused to drink a bottle of rum. "Let's do this!"

*****

Even from his position, Rex could hear the chaos of battle as the Mutant Dino army collided with the Dino Attack Team's front lines. He watched as Mutant Pterosaurs engaged T-1 Typhoon in aerial combat before falling from the skies as though their wings had been clipped.

Picking up the radio, Rex inquired: "How are things out there, Greybeard?"

The radio crackled to life with the grizzled voice of the old pirate. "Arrr, thin's be goin' rather well! Seems that despite 'em large numbers, we be pushin' 'em 'ard enough t' prevent 'em from crossin' th' river. Any that slip by get quickly taken care o', too."

"You okay there?" asked Rex. "You haven't had a lot of driving experience with Dino Attack, so..."

"Belay yer worries," reported Greybeard, "I be fine! Ye be forgettin' that I used t' be a LEGO Racer! In fact, thar be this silver-armored Mutant T-Rex pushin' through our defenses at th' moment... but Joe, Sam, an' I 'ave a plan t' take 'im down!"

Rex blinked. "Don't engage the silver-armored Mutant T-Rex!" he warned Greybeard. "Greybeard, listen to me... it's too dangerous to take on Dr. Rex himself with only a Fire Hammer! We're going to need Iron Predators and T-1 Typhoons to bring him down!"

"I said belay yer worries!" said Greybeard, laughing over the line. "We only be goin' t' distract th' ol' beast, delay its attack long enough fer yer Iron Predators an' T-1 Typhoons t' arrive! Ye see, Joe, Sam, an' I be racin' around th' monster an' takin' turns firin' at it! Wi' three Fire Hammers driven by professional LEGO Racers circlin' the beast, our plan be leavin' th' T-Rex confused an' disoriented, says I!"

Rex nodded grimly. "Okay, Greybeard. Just be careful. You don't want to know what Dr. Rex is capable of."

*****

By this point, the garage was mostly empty, but there was still one large vehicle intact: an Iron Predator. "Anybody know how to drive that thing?" Clint asked. The other agents looked at him with some confusion.

"I can," said a voice from behind them. Everybody turned to see a young woman in pirate garb.

"You can drive one of these?" Angel Eyes asked.

"Yeah," replied the pirate girl. "I stole one once, I think I should be able to remember how it worked."

"You got a name?" asked Angel Eyes.

"Elizabeth Winsor," the pirate introduced herself.

"Well, Elizabeth," Angel Eyes said keenly. "Welcome to the Third Headquarters Squad. Let's move."

And with that, the eight members of the new Third Headquarters Squad climbed into the Iron Predator, as Elizabeth got into the driver's seat. "Now, if I remember, this switch should go forwa-"

The Iron Predator suddenly started to jerk backward. After a moment of fiddling with the controls, Elizabeth finally started to get it moving, breaking down the garage door and driving out into the streets.

*****

Dr. Cyborg was shooting all guns at all dinos. So far, he had managed to take down seven Raptors, two Pterosaurs, one Stegosaurus, and who-knows-how-many Lizards. He had assigned Cortana(2) to keep an eye on the people he knew more than in passing. So far, no one was in big trouble.

"Dr. Cyborg," she alerted him from inside his head, "Zach, Minerva, and their gunner are in trouble." She gave him the exact coordinates, and he piloted the Titanium Predator to above them, shooting more Dinos as he went. He saw a slight pattern in Minerva's driving, like she had a plan. He still charged up the Cryothermic Cannon just in case they needed his help.

Minerva slammed the gas and charged at the Mutant T-Rex. Zach tensed immediately. "What are you doing?!" he asked. Just as the two were about to collide, Minerva suddenly swerved to the right, narrowly dodging the Mutant T-Rex's massive foot.

"Playing chicken with a Mutant T-Rex?" Reggie asked over the radio, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"Kind of," Minerva said. The Mutant T-Rex turned back toward the Fire Hammer and bellowed, angrier than before.

"This isn't going to work forever, you know," Zach said.

"We're just going to have to work with it!" Minerva exclaimed. "You and Reggie keep shooting at it in the meantime." The Mutant T-Rex charged at the Fire Hammer. Minerva starting driving toward it again, Reggie peppering the beast with Xenon fire and Zach with Cosmotronic Ray fire. The blasts seemed to have little effect on the T-Rex. Minerva swerved out of its way again.

Instead of stopping, the Mutant T-Rex jerked its body, swinging its tail at Fire Hammer. "Duck!" Zach yelled. He and Minerva lowered their heads as the tail swept through the cab, shattering the windshield and removing the roof entirely. Zach winced as he felt rain fall on his head.

"You still there, Reggie?" Zach called to the gunner as he raised his head.

"Yeah," the gunner grumbled. Minerva lifted her head and went back to driving.

"It figured me out quicker than I thought," Minerva muttered as she backed the Fire Hammer away from the Mutant T-Rex.

"That's not going to help," Zach grimaced, firing another shot at T-Rex. "It's got-" Bright red beams of power suddenly shot out of the T-Rex's eyes and torched the ground behind them. "Laser vision," he finished with an irritated sigh.

Minerva scowled as she continued to drive away from the Mutant T-Rex. Lasers began to rain upon the Fire Hammer about as much as the water was. Zach felt a painful buzz in his head. Then, a plan formed in his head. "Call for backup," Zach said as he carefully stood up in his seat.

"What are you going to do?" Minerva asked as she began pushing buttons.

"You'll see," he said. He jumped over to the back seat and reached the back of the jeep, where Reggie was continually firing at the Mutant T-Rex. Zach gripped what used to be the support for the cab roof for balance.

Reggie glanced back at him. "What are you doing!?" Reggie screamed.

"I got a plan," was all Zach said. He waved his hand. "Come on, beastie!" he screamed to the Mutant T-Rex. "Give me your worst!" The Mutant T-Rex roared and his eyes began to glow brightly. Zach braced himself and raised his hands.

The laser shot out of the Mutant Dino's eyes and shot towards Zach. Just as it was about to incinerate him, the beam suddenly turned and blasted a stray a Mutant Raptor to the left of the Fire Hammer, knocking it down.

Reggie's mouth hung open in awe. "How did you do that?"

"Mutant T-Rexes aren't just the nastiest Mutant Dino I've seen. They're also the nastiest Stromlings I've ever seen." He hadn't considered it earlier, but since Mutant Dinos were Stromlings, he had somewhat of an influence over their Maelstrom powers.

"Whatever, just keeping doing whatever you're doing!" Reggie fired more blasts into the Mutant T-Rex while Zach knocked away the T-Rex's laser blasts and occasionally fired a blast of his own. However, after several minutes, fatigue began to set in. Zach found himself gasping for breath.

"Minerva!" Zach screamed between a gasp of breath. The T-Rex fired another laser. Zach barely managed to knock it away. He felt himself creeping upon unconsciousness. "Where... are those... rein...forcements?!" The Mutant T-Rex made a low growl noise in the back of its throat as it leaned forward, prepared to incinerate the back of the Fire Hammer in its jaw. Zach scowled, growing extremely angry. "It's laughing... the T-Rex... is laughing... son of a MegaBlok."

Blam! A blast, presumably from a Cyrothermic Cannon struck the Mutant T-Rex. It stumbled to side, smashing several Mutant Lizards under its feet. it roared and glanced around, confused. Then another blast struck it, this time in the face. It screeched angrily and began to fire its lasers into the sky, where a hovering Iron Predator was firing at it. That's weird, Zach thought in a daze. A few more blasts in addition to Reggie's Xenon eventually caused the Mutant T-Rex to collapse, where it moved no more.

Zach climbed back into the front seat, panting slightly as he buckled his seatbelt. "What was that?" he asked, gesturing up to the Iron Predator in the sky.

"Dr. Cyborg," Minerva responded. "He redesigned an Iron Predator. Calls it the Titanium Predator."

"How is our unnamed-yet-plucky Fire Hammer doing?"

"Other than having no roof or windshield, fine."

"Good." He lifted his Cosmotronic Ray back up. Without the windshield, shooting at Mutant Raptors became just a little bit easier. As he fired, he suddenly noticed a lone Minifig standing on the battlefield. He wore a black leather jacket and a Dino Attack-issued helmet with a piece of cloth over his mouth. His eyes expressed boredom as he clutched a conventional bazooka in his hand with a stack of missiles by his side.

"What an... excuse me," Zach muttered before correcting himself. "What a moron." He gestured to the Minifig as he spoke to Minerva. "What do think this guy's up to?"

"I don't know, but - oh, no," Minerva's eyes widened as the man pointed the bazooka at their Fire Hammer. She tried to turn away, but was too slow as the weapon fired. However, the rocket instead hit the ground, cause a much larger explosion than the Space Marauder rocket. The Fire Hammer suddenly tilted and jerked as it went into the small crater created by the missile.

Zach pushed down the airbags, rubbing his head painfully. "Are you alright?" he asked groggily.

Minerva pushed down her own airbag. "Yeah." She turned the Fire Hammer's key, as its engines had stopped following the collision. However, the engine faltered. "Shoot," she murmured as she continually tried to turn the Fire Hammer's engine back.

"It's no use," he said, slowly climbing rising to his feet. "We need to get to another vehicle or back to the headquarters. I'm not interested in being in this battlefield on foot."

"Look," Minerva muttered, pointing ahead. The man with bazooka was walking towards them, his bazooka raised and loaded, ready to attack again.

"First," Zach said, gripping his Cosmotronic Ray. "We deal with this guy."

*****

Elizabeth was slowly struggling to manage as she attempted to operate the Iron Predator. "This is a lot harder than I remember," she said.

"You sure you can drive in this weather?" Maria asked over the loud wind.

"You kiddin'?" replied Elizabeth. "Back in the Tropical Sea, I once sailed through a friggin' hurricane in floating bucket and got through alright!"

"Really?"

"Okay, that time it was just a light rain," confessed Elizabeth. "But I once ran into the maelstrom out there."

"You can't be seriou-"

"Not that Maelstrom," clarified Elizabeth. "The mythical whirlpool of death. Trust me, when you've had to navigate things like that, a little rain is nothing. Don't tell me you cowboys get scared of a little thunder!"

"What?" Angel Eyes exclaimed.

"You're yellow, aren't you?" Elizabeth asked with a slight chuckle.

"No!" snapped Angel Eyes. "Now, do you have any idea where you're going?"

"Do you know where we're supposed to go?" asked Elizabeth.

"No, I don't," replied Angel Eyes.

Firecracker started to reach into his trenchcoat, his hand itching for a stick of dynamite.

"I wouldn't," Angel Eyes said. "You gotta save those for when we run into trouble. Unfortunately, in this fog, it's hard to see."

*****

"The truck stopped," said Montgonel as he pointed at the lifeless vehicle below them. "Maybe you accidentally killed him."

Pharisee shook his head as he looked threw the rain. "Unlikely. If we killed him, the truck would have crashed. It came to a stop. I believe Montoya is surrendering."

"What's the plan?" asked Montgonel. "You have some cold hard justice in mind?"

Pharisee shook his head. "His crimes are small compared to that of the others. But it is a crime nonetheless. Trigger and Snake could also be in the truck. They would be my priority."

"What of Montoya?" yelled Montgonel over the wind.

"If the others are absent, we will make him talk," the commander responded casually. "I believe Montoya would be willing to rat out his colleagues if we put enough stress on him."

Montgonel ran his hands through his wet hair. This was not what he signed up for.

Pharisee walked over to the boom crane on the starboard side of the helicopter. He flipped a switch and positioned it over the truck. He then advanced to one of the exterior storage compartments and withdrew three harnesses. With the gale force winds in the sky, it was difficult keeping a firm footing on the slippery exterior, but he soon made it back to the relative safety of the compartment.

"The wind is too strong for the Typhoon to remain in one position for too long," said the pilot. "I don't think I can keep it hovering indefinitely. So make it fast, and I'll pick you up as soon as I can!"

"Be prepared to leave fast," ordered the commander. "We may hitch a ride back in the truck!"

The pilot gave his affirmative, and Pharisee, Montgonel, and X2 took position by the door. All three firmly strapped on their harnesses and prepared to jump into the tempest.

"When we jump, the wind will catch us, so keep a firm control of the speed of your descent!" advised Pharisee. "Go too fast and you'll break your legs on the street. Keep control!"

Montgonel and the Infiltrator nodded.

Pharisee took hold of the cable and connected it to his harness. Once the ratchet system was in place, he positioned himself by the door, took a deep breath, and jumped.

The swift descent was disorientating. It was impossible for Pharisee to gain a perception of speed or the distance from the ground in the incredible wind. With the incredible power of nature swirling around him, he struggled to slow his fall. A sudden brown blur caught his eye, and he slammed the ratchet with all his might.

His legs collided with something metal, and he allowed his knees to flex with the collision. The surface below his feet caved in with the impact, and he permitted himself a moment to get his bearings in the black and desolate city.

At his back was the distant rumble of guns. The battle was in full swing blocks away. He quickly undid his harness and jumped from the top of Montoya's truck. The impact had left a sizable dent, and he splashed down onto solid concrete.

What lay inside the truck was a mystery. The windows were fogged, and water cascaded down the glass. The windshield wipers still worked at full power, but they did little to quench the torrent of sleet pouring down.

He pulled aside his trench coat to draw his gun. Anything could be inside the vehicle, and he was prepared to open fire in a moment's notice. Taking aim at the driver's side window, he gave his order: "This is Dino Attack Internal Affairs! Step out of the vehicle slowly!"

*****

Hydroplaning occurs when a layer of water builds between the wheels of a vehicle and the road surface. This leads to a loss of traction that prevents the vehicle from responding to control inputs.

The effect increases based on the speed of the vehicle, the intensity of the steering, and the amount of water present. As Solomon Koplowitz watched the vehicles of the Dino Attack team careen across the pavement and collide with anything in their path, he had two different reactions.

First was his thankfulness he was not in a vehicle at the moment. Unlike the many drivers who struggled to control their craft, Solomon bore no risk of being unable to brake and spinning helplessly into the river.

However, being on foot meant he was in no way protected from the crashes. At least from the safety of a driver's seat, he had the aid of seatbelts and an airbag. On the ground, he frequently had to run to get out of the path of out-of-control Fire Hammers and Urban Avengers.

The old man hit the ground hard as he ducked aside. He immediately had to pick himself up and fire at a Mutant Lizard charging from his left. The beast went down, and he spun around to fire two more concise bursts at a yellow variant approaching from behind.

A third purple Lizard jumped from an unknown location, and he stabbed swiftly with his sword. The weight of the mutant pushed it further down his blade, and he cast it off with a quick swipe to his right.

His sword collided with something metal, and he quickly withdrew it from the armored form of a XERRD Space Marauder. The scientist whipped out his rocket launcher and fired a blast at Solomon, but he twisted aside and slammed his attacker's helmet with the flat of his sword. He stumbled back, dazed, and the philosopher took the opportunity to slash at his rocket launcher. A bloody cut was sliced into the Marauder's arm, and he immediately dropped the weapon. One more quick shot at the chest, and the man was finished.

Solomon had little opportunity to take in the victory, because the butt of a gun immediately slammed him in the head. The philosopher let out a yell and splashed down onto the hard surface of the Dino Attack plaza.

He grabbed his gun and rolled over to face his attacker. It was difficult to glimpse the features in the rain, but he glimpsed three distinct forms. The first two were that of Hybrids clutching muskets with ax heads affixed to the end. The third was that of bearded Sorcerer wearing a black turban, glaring down upon him with deep hollow sunken eyes.

Solomon frowned. "Raul."

*****

Despite a lengthy MIA period, plus a condition of undeath that made it difficult for those maintaining the database to decide whether to register him as KIA despite the fact that he was now back IA again, Swerve was still an Elite Agent in the D.I.N.O. Attack Team, and as such, requisitioning an Iron Predator didn't take much effort. He pulled up to the defensive line around the building, and glanced back at Shiller and Wright. The two were just reaching the end of a rather lengthy kiss, after which Shiller climbed easily up to the gunner's seat.

Wright cracked her knuckles. "Bring 'em on," she muttered. "We're as ready as we're gonna get."

*****

Mort caused a few heads to turn in surprise when he joined the medics in the infirmary they were setting up.

"Pardon me for asking," Pierce said, walking over, "but how do you expect to help, given that you're in forensics and not medical?"

"I know how bodies work," the Alpha Team agent replied. "Living or dead, there's little difference. What's life, anyway? Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. The only difference is that you need anesthetics when the body on the table is alive."

"Unless your name is Dietrich Luzwheit," a nearby medic muttered.

Mort shot the man a glare. "Do not speak ill of spoiling meat."

*****

Over the heavy noise of the rain, Pharisee heard the faint click of the door unlock. With his gun still trained on vehicle, he watched as Montoya slowly open the door and step outside with his hands up.

"Please," whispered Montoya. "I'm sorry, I meant no harm. My wife…"

"Your wife is of no consequence!" Pharisee yelled over the rain. "I am not swayed by your tribulations, Montoya! Get on the ground!" With the rain, it was difficult to see the man's tears, but Montoya wordlessly got onto his knees. "You no doubt know I am not a forgiving man!" Pharisee warned over the thunder as he pointed his gun. "So I will ask you once: Where are Trigger and Snake?"

X2 and Montgonel appeared behind him and glimpsed the horrifying sight of their commander pointing a gun at a man on his knees. "Pharisee!" protested Montgonel. "What are you doing? Montoya was pardoned!"

The commander ignored the comment and kicked Montoya hard in the back, forcing his face into a puddle. "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"I don't know," Montoya said.

Pharisee proceeded to kick him again. "You expect me to believe that?" he asked, menacingly. "We saw you get into that truck with them; you must have left them somewhere."

"Look," Montoya said as he slowly struggled to sit up. "I'm just trying to get hom-" He was promptly kicked to the ground by Pharisee.

"Sir," Montgonel said as he approached Pharisee. "That's a free man."

"He is a criminal," insisted Pharisee. "Even if you were pardoned, it doesn't excuse him for what he did."

Montoya looked up at the men in fear and confusion. "They're in a bar," he confessed. "Enderman's or something. I don't know. Apparently, the bartender was an old friend of Trigger's." 

X2 stepped forward and spoke in Minifig. "That's enough. You have the information you want, now leave."

"No," Pharisee countered, "I will arrest him."

"For what?" X2 asked. "Desertion? He was never a part of the team. Assault on agent Claw? He was pardoned. What else could you think of, hmm?"

"For aiding Trigger and Snake in their desertion," Pharisee said. Montgonel was just standing back, watching the show.

"No. You have your information. Now leave him alone. He is under my protection." X2 drew his katana, to show that he was serious and not bluffing. Pharisee ran at X2, trying to knock him down, but X2 slapped him to the side with the flat of the blade.

*****

The Talon II brought down everything it had on the Pterosaurs. Larson, seeing some of the beasts begin to take an interest in the lower-flying Titanium Predator, swooped in lower to provide Dr. Cyborg with some cover, courtesy of the PLARXX Radar Ray.

Pterosaurs were swarming around the Titanium Predator, but the Talon II came and knocked them out. Nodding his thanks, Dr. Cyborg noticed through a wireless connection with X2 that he was in a disagreement with Pharisee. Smirking that his authority now had a use, he connected to X2 to send Internal Affairs a message.

At the same time, Kat spotted two very definitely black Fire Hammers darting erratically across the battlefield, and her heart lurched up into her throat. Fortunately, she soon heard several Elites yelling at B's squad over the open comm, and she put two and two together. She added her own two cents to the cavalcade of criticism.

"Ole's whiskers, B, you couldn't have picked a different colour scheme? You had me thinking ShadowTech was back."

*****

The rain at this point was making the roads a little slippery to drive through. But after a few occasions where Infomaniac had made LEGO Island rain just so the racers could have a bit more of a challenge, Andrew had a better hang at what he was doing.

"Just watch the extreme turns, guys," he told the other agents over the radio, "and you'll be fine."

The current mess of vehicles, though in a bit of chaos due to Dino swarming and the need to adapt quickly to the wet roads, was managing to hold themselves together. Andrew was a bit disappointed that they didn't have anything like what the T-1 Typhoons were using to overwhelm various Mutant Pterosaurs, but so far, his vehicle was holding up. Not only were Laxus and Pterisa doing well at their jobs, but they had picked up an extra ally: Catless, who was now manning the Xenon turret while Pterisa provided electrical cover on its blind side.

Through the Raptors and Lizards, Andrew could see the various Mutant T-Rexes trying to break the ranks into bits. They were succeeding here and there, but with some creative use of weaponry and tactics, some agents were managing to confuse or stun them enough to provide enough of a barrage of fire to knock them down. At least one team of Fire Hammers, who Andrew picked up from communications to be Greybeard, King Race, and his son, was working on the creature that was almost certainly Dr. Rex himself, apparently trying to distract them with a tactic of racing-strafe around the beast whose mind less and less resembled that of a man.

"I certainly hope they know what they're doing with him," Laxus observed between bumps of the car. "That's textbook definition of bullying a dragon."

"Greybeard's lasted long enough to know how to survive," said Andrew, "even if he can get cocky. And Dr. Rex's mind is said to be weakening. Maybe he'll go insane and he'll be not much more than a T-Rex in fancy armor."

"Speaking of those dinos," Catless added from the turret. "I heard people saying that what you did back at that temple in Adventurers' Island effectively wiped all Maelstrom from the planet. Shouldn't that mean it's not a part of the Mutant Dinos anymore? Could it not have left an effect in its absence?"

"It's not gone completely from them, or from me for that matter," said Pterisa. "It's in too deep in our bodies to simply be removed like that."

"Well, hopefully, it's not enough for the Darkitect or Baron or whatever to come back," said Andrew. "I've had enough of the Maelstrom for at least a decade."

"Agreed," said Laxus, who turned back to the comm.

More broadcasts were coming in about the ranks. Hotwire was now in the air with the Talon II, and Helm was making his presence known with a Fire Hammer dubbed Tracer's Vengeance. B and his team were in, recognizable with their black-colored vehicles. Elizabeth, along with several other agents like Fireman, Dynamite and Angel Eyes, was now part of a team proclaiming themselves the Third Headquarters Squad, and driving in via Iron Predator. Andrew didn't know if all the naming-after-dead-or-destroyed things was an entirely good decision to make, but if they lasted long enough to kick some serious Dino behind, that was fine with him.

Comm broadcasts seemed to agree:

"Alright, shows those guys! Take us down, several dozen show up in our place!"
"Maybe I should rename my vehicle the Cheese Factory II."
"Can we just concentrate fire on the guy in charge? He can't be made of iron, can he?"
"Who the MegaBlok's deflecting T-Rex eye beams?!"
"I punched a Hybrid in the face! Awesome!"
"That reminds me, if Hotwire's not dating Kat, I should try for her."
"Arr! Send these beasties to the bottom of th' river!"
"I'm fightin' in the rain! Just fightin' in the rain! What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again!"

"Gotta love these guys and their attitude, huh?" Laxus remarked.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 63: Enemy Advances

----

Dr. Rex was furious. The battle was supposed to be simple. The Dino Attack Team would come out, see his unstoppable army, then run away screaming like little girls. From what he was seeing, this was taking far too long.

It was time to play his ace in the hole. He activated the radio built into his armor. "Dr. Gladys," he growled, "yes… it is time. Teleport Cyrista's Bane into battle." Dr. Rex signed off.

It wasn't long before Dino Attack Team heard a T-Rex roar. However, it was louder than usual, and it also had an electronic screech to it. Confusion swept across the Dino Attack ranks. What among the Mutant Dino army could possibly make such a sound? As everybody was wondering what this was, a strange T-Rex came around a corner on the far side of the field of rubble.

Dr. Cyborg groaned as he recognized the dinosaur. It looked similar Dr. Rex in his silge armor, but was larger in size. Its armor was as powerful as Dr. Rex's, with one side of its face completely covered with armor. It had an electronic eye. Long metallic limbs were grafted onto its forearms, quadrupling their reach. Its legs had pistons half inside them, making them more powerful. Its tail had an extending grappler attached, like a mechanical claw. Its voicebox had been mechanically augmented to interfere with radios in the near vicinity when it roared. And, if the biomechanical augmentations weren't enough, the base Mutant T-Rex had been made to grow larger, faster, and stronger.

Dr. Rex had built Dr. Cyborg's design for a biomechanically-augmented Mutant T-Rex, and sent it into battle. Oh, joy.

*****

The first surprise of the day was here, and to Semick's eyes, it was nearly as ridiculous as it was frightening.

He immediately went for the radio. "Dr. Cyborg, might you know anything about this... thing?"

The good doctor's voice came crackling in after several moments of static. "*ktzzzz* like something I design back in my XERRD days, the Promethean Knight. He must've finally put it to use."

"Well, if it's your blueprints that went into that, surely you must know a few weaknesses in the build that could let you take it down easily?"

"Of course, but Dr. Rex might've done some serious tweaking with my work, so I'm not fully sure what Cyrista's Bane is capable of at this point."

"Then I'd suggest you get to work. And let some agents help you out, I don't want you handling this entirely alone."

"Understood."

Semick then tweaked the signal back to common signal. "All agents, focus on keeping your distance from the cybernetic dinosaur! Dr. Cyborg will focus on taking it down, but he might want a few of you to help, so be alert for that! However, I want some T-1s and Iron Predators providing support for them! Everyone else, just keep defending our forces from the rest of the army! I don't want any of you forgetting that practically every Mutant Dino XERRD has made is still at our doorstep!"

*****

"Hey, Laxus?" Andrew asked.

"Yes?" Laxus replied.

"Remember when you said a cyborg dinosaur would be cool to see? Did you have to jinx us? Did you have to!?" 

"You still remember that?" Laxus asked. "Wow."

"Oh, just forget it," said Andrew. "You heard what Semick said, we need to stay away from that thing and keep defending the HQ."

As Andrew drove back towards the river, where the Mutant Dinos had somewhat let up their forces when they were waiting for the cybernetic T-Rex to drop in, Laxus turned his focus back to the radio.

The comm chatter was something like this:

"That is one, big, ugly, mother-"
"Now this is even MORE like Dino Cop 4!"
"Did anyone else's radio spike in buzz during that thing's roar?"
"I need some good music for this."
"Where the Znap is Zachary?!"
"Hold the line, mateys!"
"Kukukukukukukukukukuku..."
"Nerve, nerve, nerve!"

Prompted by one of those broadcasts, Laxus decided to try and reach one of their comrades. "Zach, this is Laxus, what's your status?" 

*****

"What in the name of Jørgen Vig Knudstorp is that?" Zach questioned in awe as he looked at the new massive arrival.

"I don't know," Minerva began. "But-"

Suddenly, the radio crackled. Zach could hear pieces of conversations coming out of it. Finally, he heard, "-ach....Laxus...status?"

Zach frowned. "Repeat." He glanced at the Minifig in the leather jacket, who was glancing at the newcomer with mixed interest.

The signal came in much clearer. "What's your status?" It was Laxus.

"Someone fired a bazooka at us. Not really sure who it is. Definitely Minifig, but no Paradox gear. I can't see if he's wearing one of those guard uniforms those grunts wore back at the fortress. The point is, we're in a hole, the engine's dead, and we got a hostile-"

"Reggie," Minerva whispered in horror.

Zach watched in horror as Reggie ran up to the Minifig in the leather jacket, prepared to take him down. The man turned back to the Fire Hammer, an eyebrow raised in amusement. As Reggie pulled his fist back for a punch, the man waved his arm in a circular motion, striking Reggie in the chest. The gunner fell back, clutching his chest. The man spun the knife in his hand briefly before bending down, looking at Reggie briefly, then cutting his throat.

Minerva gasped. "Our gunner was just killed," Zach said. "Minerva and I are going to engage the hostile."

"Alright," Laxus said. "Contact us when he's taken down."

"Will do," Zach said before turning his attention back to the man.

The man rose back to his feet, wiped the blood from his blade, and started walking briskly toward the Fire Hammer. As he approached, he discarded the bazooka, pocketed the knife, and revealed a handgun. He jumped onto the Fire Hammer's hood and pointed his weapon at Zach.

Zach pointed his Cosmotronic Ray at him and fired. The man ducked from the attack, his eyes narrowing. He rose and lunged at Zach, knocking him from his feet.

Zach winced with pain as the man belted him with two punches. The man moved his head close to Zach's, squinting. His eyes suddenly widened as he was pulled off of Zach by Minerva, causing him to drop his gun. She turned the man so he faced her and punched him hard in the cheek. The man grabbed Minerva's neck and forcefully shoved her over the front seat and into the back.

The man felt the back of his neck being tugged again, this time by Zach. Zach gripped the man tightly, turned sharply, and shoved him over the passenger door and on to the wet ground. Zach jumped onto the ground as the man was standing up. The man began reaching into his pocket. Zach responded with a quick punch in the face with his right hand.

The man stumbled back, clutching his forehead. "What the-" he groaned. His eyes then widened in sudden realization as he stared at Zach's right hand. "You!" the man hissed. Likewise, the man finally speaking allowed Zach to recognize his identity.

The man lunged at Zach, wrapping his hand tightly around his throat. "Let's have a nice little chat, eh? Just like old times?" Zach could only gasp for breath as the man grip tightened. The man chuckled. "Right then. Let's go." Pushing Zach ahead of him, the man started moving in the direction of the river.

Zach struggled fruitlessly against the man grip, desperately choking for air. He contemplated briefly shooting a ball of Maelstrom into his face, but couldn't concentrate enough energy. Finally, he succumbed to the lack of oxygen and fell into unconsciousness.

*****

Minerva rose to her feet painfully, rubbing her temple. Whoever that man was, he had not been gentle when throwing her into a pile of supplies in the backseat. She climbed over to the front seat and glanced around. No sign of Zach or the man.

"Zach?" she called out. She hopped out of the Fire Hammer and searched all around it, careful not to attract the attention of the numerous Mutant Dinos around it. Nothing.

Is he-? She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. She swallowed painfully, then tried to reassure herself. "He isn't dead," she muttered. "There's no body. That guy must have captured him. He's captured. He's still alive." She repeated those words to herself multiple times. "He'll find a way out. He's smart."

She glanced towards Reggie's motionless body. Even if Zach was alive, she was still alone with a dead Fire Hammer surrounded by Mutant Dinos. They haven't noticed her yet, but that what change soon enough. I need to find help.

As Minerva climbed back into the Fire Hammer, the radio crackled back to life. "Zach?" it was Laxus again. "Have you dealt with the hostile?"

Minerva took up the radio. "Zach and the hostile are M.I.A.," she said, feeling her voice crack slightly. "The gunner's dead. The Fire Hammer is more or less busted. I need help."

There was silence. "We'll try to find you."

"I'm with the Fire Hammer half-buried into the earth."

"Noted. Take care of yourself until we reach you."

"Will do." Minerva turned away from the radio and moved to the back to the Xenon Launcher. She scowled seeing that it had been damaged from various Mutant T-Rex blasts and the crash. She moved to the backseat and found her Sonic Screamer crushed and broken. "What-?"

Then she glanced at the minigun Zach had decided to take "just in case". It had fallen on to her Sonic Screamer and damaged it. She lifted up the massive six-barrel machine gun with all of her strength and threw it on the dashboard, which created a good-sized dent. Minerva remembered Zach using this weapon before they went to find Fireman and Dynamite. It fired rapidly and could probably decimate a massive horde of Mutant Lizards with ease. I guess I'll use this.

Minerva briefly searched the back seat and found a bandolier that she threw over her shoulder. She then stepped on to the hood and lifted the massive weapon up. Her muscles strained as she held the weapon tight in her grip, waiting for her first enemy.

She didn't have to wait long. A red-colored Mutant Lizard eventually noticed her and moved toward her cautiously. The barrel began spinning. Then, it fired. Minerva stepped back and tightened her grip on the weapon, surprised by the force of the weapon. The Mutant Lizard screeched and turned around to flee, only for the machine gun to tear several holes into the Lizard, causing it to collapse.

Minerva bent over, resting the minigun on the hood as its rotating barrels came to a stop. This thing is powerful, but ridiculously heavy. She lifted her head and saw more Mutant Lizards converging on her. She swore as she lifted the weapon back into firing position. "You better hurry up, Laxus." Minerva growled under the strain of the weapon as the barrel began to rotate again, ready to take no prisoners. 

*****

"Sounds like Zach met somebody with a grudge," Andrew remarked as he maneuvered through the battlefield. Laxus had managed to use the radio signal from Minerva's broadcasts and locked on it with his PDA's GPS system. They were now converging through Mutant Dinos and vehicles in an attempt to reach it.

"Who could he have left?" Laxus asked. "That Scratch guy is long dead, and whatever Stromling guys he met have to be gone as well."

"Might be something from his time with the Agents. Regardless, let's focus right now on keeping his companion okay."

With one last swerve of the vehicle (and a small slide on the slippery pavement), Andrew managed to get his comrade's busted Fire Hammer in sight. Minerva was in a standoff with several Mutant Lizards and at least one Mutant Raptor, utilizing a heavy machine gun to the best of her ability. Their vehicle managed to push through several of the Lizards, while Catless managed to keep busy shooting the others with the Xenon launcher.

The Mutant Raptor tried to make a charge for the Elite Agent, but a blast of Pterisa's lightning managed to stop it in its tracks long enough for Laxus to give it a good shot with the Cosmotronic Ray, leaving it vulnerable as the Fire Hammer rammed into it and Catless took over.

Minerva quickly tossed aside the minigun she was using (which landed with a heavy impact on the hood of her Fire Hammer) and made the quick dash to Andrew's vehicle. She managed to pull open a door, hop inside, and get it closed just as a Mutant Spinosaurus started taking an interest in the scene. Andrew quickly made for a quick getaway before it could take enough notice of them.

"Thanks for coming to my aid again," Minerva said between pants. "Guess I'll be working in here for the time being."

"Would you like to take up using this for me?" Laxus said while offering her the Cosmotronic Ray. "It helps to be able to monitor the systems without having to divert one's attention to firing."

"Sure," she said, taking it.

"Sorry to say we can't really go after Zach right now," Andrew muttered. "We have no clue where he went, and we're a bit busy with the battle."

"I understand," Minerva said with a sigh. "But he's gotten out of tough situation before. I think we'll just have to have faith in him."

"I'll just inform everyone on the matter."

*****

"Current status update: Zachary is MIA after an ambush by an unknown assailant. Minerva is riding with us for the time being. Andrew out."
"Well, bugger."
"That sounds like a personal problem. Fine time for it."
"What the Znap is that bad doctor's armor made of?"
"Thank goodness I brought some Brickolini's with me."
"I could really use an Orchania right now!"
"Someone tell these Iron Predators to watch where they're going!"
"Yikes! I almost ran over Ed Mail!"

Semick groaned at the news. After firing at another couple Mutant Pterosaurs, he took up the radio and said "Hotwire, Rotor, Cabin, see if any of you can spare more aid to the ground crew at the river. With Zach gone and Minerva having to stay with Andrew, I'm gonna need another Elite to try and help organize the Urban Avenger and Fire Hammer crews. And having the air advantage might be of help. Just watch the T-Rex eye beams." 

*****

"What in tarnation?" Greybeard heard King Joseph Race gasp over the radio when Cyrista's Bane appeared. "Not even the Space Knights' greatest technology could match up to that thing!"

"Ignore it!" shouted Greybeard into the communication device. "Just focus on th' one in th' silver armor! Just a few more rounds ought t' do it, me hearties!" As he said this, he turned the wheel, and his Fire Hammer skidded over wet pavement as it began another round around the Mutant T-Rex in silver armor.

Dr. Rex was visibly angered and frustrated by the three Fire Hammers. When he tried to focus on smashing one, another would fire its Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at him. Greybeard did not know the name of the Dino Attack agent who was manning his Xenon Launcher, and decided that this was for the best. Anyone could die in this battle, and it was no use getting attached to anyone at this point. Still, Greybeard circled around the Mutant T-Rex as his gunner pelted the Mutant T-Rex with sonics, energy, and other modes of the Xenon. Now, more than ever, he was thankful that he ever participated the LEGO Racers championship of 1999.

Lightning flashed, and the Mutant T-Rex roared in fury. As thunder rolled across the heavens, Dr. Rex slammed his foot down in Greybeard's path. Greybeard swerved out of the way just in time, splashing water everywhere as the Fire Hammer drove through a puddle. The rain pelted his windshield, but the old pirate could see just fine in the storm, even with only one good eye. The Mutant T-Rex was momentarily distracted as pellets of energy were fired from Sam Race's Fire Hammer.

Greybeard's plan was doing the trick. The Mutant T-Rex was becoming increasingly confused, and although his silver armor protected him, he was starting to weaken. "Now!" shouted Greybeard over the radio.

A Fire Hammer driven by Anubis sped into action. However, this was not a standard issue Fire Hammer, but rather the Dino 4WD Trapper sub-model used primarily for capturing and transporting Mutant Lizards. In battle, the Dino 4WD Trapper was not nearly as strong as the Fire Hammer, but it had one thing that a Fire Hammer did not, and that was a hook and cable. While Greybeard, King Joseph Race, and Sam Race's Fire Hammers continued to distract the Mutant T-Rex, Anubis's Dino 4WD Trapper unleashed the hook and cable, wrapping it around one of the Mutant T-Rex's legs. Then, the Dino 4WD Trapper drove in a tight ring around the Mutant T-Rex.

Dr. Rex bellowed and fired his laser vision at King Race's Fire Hammer. He tried to take a step forward, but his legs were tightly bound by the work of Anubis. Lightning streaked across the sky, but its thunder was unheard over the sound of the mighty Mutant T-Rex as it tripped and fell down upon the ground below.

"Drink up, me hearties!" proclaimed Greybeard. "Dr. Rex, th' Mutant T-Rex in silver armor, be fallen!" Over the comm, Greybeard heard a number of voices in response:

"Dr. Rex himself? I thought he was invincible!"
"Ah, come on! This party was only getting started!"
"Already? That's kind of a letdown. Way too easy."
"Am I the only one happy about this anticlimax?"
"Yeah. Whenever you're ready, we've got a cybernetic T-Rex on our hands!"

Dr. Rex was struggling to get up, but under the weight of his armor and the rope around his legs, he found it difficult to do so. Greybeard drove his Fire Hammer past the fallen Mutant T-Rex, shaking his hook at the creature as he passed his eye. "Hah!" barked Greybeard. "Take that, Dr. Rex! Ye be not so tough now, says I!"

The Mutant T-Rex glared at Greybeard with anger, but with the eyes of a wild animal rather than the cold fury of a mad scientist. Greybeard found himself amused that Dr. Rex, who had been built up to be terrifyingly intelligent and insane at the same time, was little more than a maddened beast. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, mused Greybeard.

Greybeard turned his wheel, and he, King Race, Sam Race, and Anubis moved to join the others in battle against Cyrista's Bane. However, Greybeard heard a distinct sound over the sound of the storm: the sound of many Mutant Dinos moving and roaring at once. But where he thought he heard the Mutant Dinos made no sense, as all the Mutant Dinos were still trying to cross the river, and yet he thought he heard the Mutant Dinos from behind him...

Greybeard slammed his foot on the brake. In horror, he turned over his shoulder to look at the section of LEGO City behind him which, thanks to the work of the front lines, remained largely untouched by the Mutant Dino army. There, just a block away, was a staircase which descended beneath the sidewalk, presumably leading to a subway station. The realization caused Greybeard to gasp.

"They be in th' subway!" Greybeard shouted into the radio. "They be-"

He was cut off as a Mutant T-Rex burst out of the subway entrance. This one, much like the one that Greybeard had just taken down, wore silver armor, but the armor was of a more intricate design and more heavily protected the Mutant T-Rex's skin. It was also a slightly different hue, which did not look quite silver, or at least the silver that an old pirate such as Greybeard was used to. The Mutant T-Rex glanced in Greybeard's direction and saw that the Dino Attack Team's front lines were preoccupied with Cyrista's Bane and the Mutant Dino army that was still trying to cross the river. With that, the Mutant T-Rex made a sound that sounded far more disturbing than a growl or a roar: a sinister chuckle. Then, Greybeard recognized a look of cold intelligence mixed with complete madness in the Mutant T-Rex's eyes.

"No..." whispered Greybeard. The Mutant T-Rex in silver armor that crossed the river was only a red herring, he realized.

With that, the true Dr. Rex lifted his head towards the sky and roared. Swarms of Mutant Lizards and packs of Mutant Raptors emerged from the subway station and gathered at his feet, eager to tear apart some Dino Attack agents. One group of Mutant Raptors, the coldest and most devious hunters of the Mutant Dinos, apparently smelled fresh meat, as they immediately turned and entered a nearby bar with the name "ENDERSON'S".

Greybeard picked up the radio. "Rex!" he reported. "Dr. Rex an' a group o' Mutant Dinos got past th' front lines by usin' th' subway system! Me men be surrounded, wi' Mutant Dinos on both sides now! An' we got some cyber-somethin' T-Rex tearin' through our men!"

******

"Brickin' called it!"
"... What?"
"I knew it was too good to be true."
"Shut up and regroup, we're not all just nameless redshirts here to scream like pussies before getting killed!"
"It's a tr-*SMACK* No lame jokes!"
"You know, we really should've blocked that subway."
"This calls for more Murray Gold!"
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."

With some reluctance, Semick began moving away from Dino Attack HQ. He left the duty of focusing defenses on it to Reptile, who seemed to have it covered for the time being.

The second surprise had come, and as the old saying went, "nothing beat the classics." Dr. Rex had used a decoy for the initial assault, and was now (supposedly, anyways… at this point, having a clone army of himself wasn't implausible) leading another legion of Mutants out of the ruins of the old subway system, likely using the old route Rex had used to discover his operations months ago. Though Semick hadn't quite advised it, it seemed many forces had gathered around Greybeard's effort to take down the decoy, and several others were trying to aid Dr. Cyborg however they could, there was a clear weak point between them and the Iron Predator legion watching over HQ. Weak, but not reinforceable.

I'll show you we're not the predictable pushovers you think we are, Semick thought. Grabbing the radio, he began giving out more orders. "Andrew, Minerva, start giving Greybeard's men a hand at getting their defense back together! Dr. Cyborg, get yourselves and your men prepared for another angle of assault! Rex, stay there and hold the line from Dr. Rex's dinos until the front lines can pull themselves together! Hotwire, Rotor, Cabin, provide air support wherever you can around the river and Iron Predator lines! Reptile, hold the HQ cover and see if you have any more tricks up your sleeve! Hertz, start reaching out and see if Alpha Team or Agents have any support teams coming in to aid! Everyone else, act as necessary wherever you're fighting to prevent your deconstruction, as usual!"

With that, Semick called together several nearby T-1 Typhoons and advised them to follow him. He was beginning to form a plan regarding this new wave, and he needed to avoid being spotted before it was too late.

"Uh, Semick," Bluetooth asked. "What is it you have in mind?"

"Just seeing if we too can pull off the same trick more than once."

*****

"Alright, pay up," said one of the agents within the headquarters sniper post. Several others grumbled as they got out various bits of change from their pocket.

"I'll have to admit, that was quite a spectacle," said Shotgun.

Stranger looked out at the giant metal-covered hulk that was the boss of the enemy forces. "Definitively looks like he has himself covered," he muttered.

"I'll say," said Epsilon. "I've shot a few bullets at him and his decoy, but they practically ricochet off him! The stuff's nigh-impregnable."

"That why you aim at the weak points for massive critical damage," said Stranger.

"Where?!"

"The eyes, armor creaks, maybe a couple in the mouth. It's simple stuff."

Stranger got down back on his knees and began aiming his fancy new laser rifle. "Just watch what the pro does, son." 

Scope grinned as she pulled her rifle out of the loophole in the sniping post and turned to the other agents. "Who was it that bet 40 studs that I couldn't kill a Raptor?"

"That would be me," replied one of the other snipers.

"Well, then, pay up," said Scope. The agent grumbled as he took out some cash and handed it to Scope before she turned back to the loophole. 

*****

A group of agents were assaulting Cyrista's Bane, but with little effect. Cortana(2) and Cortana(3) were circling it, distracting it with the Cryothermic Cannon.

Dr. Cyborg was trying to think back a month ago, when he made the blueprints. It was hard to remember, but getting a deadly injury and being rebuilt as a cyborg without you remembering will do that to you.

Semick's orders came in, and Dr. Cyborg rebroadcast them, saying he would pick the agents to assist him. He started to think, Who would I need? X1, Zelda, and Nazareno, to start with. He had heard Solomon Koplowitz had defected. He was good with a sword, he remembered. He tried to think if there was anyone else he needed. 

Dr. Cyborg contacted Zelda, Nazareno, Solomon, and X1, asking them to assist in his plan. He told them to come to his position if they were willing to assist. He would then explain his plan. 

*****

Nazareno watched as the true Dr. Rex led more Mutant Dinos into the battle with dismay. He knew Dr. Rex was going to pull a few tricks in his desperation to defeat the Dino Attack Team, but this was unprecedented.

Nazareno slammed his sword down on to the neck of a Mutant Lizard trying to attack his Steel Sprinter, killing it instantly. His plan of himself and Zelda heading right into the fray was working so far, but with this new group, he might have to take an even more unprecedented action.

"Zelda," he said, speaking with her through a radio headset built into his mask. "Where are you?"

Silence. Then: "Near the river with a nasty pack of Mutant Raptors."

Nazareno nodded. "I'll be there in a moment." He turned Steel Sprinter and started moving toward the river. He soon found three Urban Avengers with Cosmotronic Rays attached to them, as opposed to Sonic Screamers, attacking a pack of seven Mutant Raptors who seemed to be ignoring the buggies in preference to something in the center of their group. He approached an Urban Avenger, whose driver was concentrating on one Mutant Raptor.

"Do you know where agent Zelda is?" he asked.

The Urban Avenger driver ignored him as he shot down a Mutant Raptor. Then he turned to him. "Who? The ninja girl?"

Nazareno nodded.

The driver gestured into the center of the Mutant Raptor pack, which had dwindled down to four. "She's in there. Me and my lads are helping her get rid of those force fields."

Interested, Nazareno stood up on Steel Sprinter and leapt on to a Mutant Raptor's back. The dinosaur didn't seem to notice as it continued to snap at its prey. Nazareno smiled with amusement as three Mutant Raptors attempted to attack a fourth. He could see a silver sword jabbed into the eye of the fourth as it screeched in anger and pained. He finally saw Zelda, who was lying on her stomach on the Mutant Raptor's head, one hand gripping the skin around the corners of the Raptor's mouth and the other holding her other sword.

As the Mutant Raptor's companions tried to attack Zelda while injuring their ally, Zelda moved herself until she was hanging on to the Mutant Raptor by the skin of the lower corners of its mouth. Zelda then shoved her sword into the roof of the monster's mouth. The raptor groaned and collapsed. Zelda quickly pulled both swords from the Raptor's body and turned to the remaining Mutant Dinos.

She quickly dispatched the first Raptor as she stabbed it in the foot with one sword and in the stomach with the other. The second Raptor's force field hadn't been taken out yet, so Zelda dodged its attacks until one of the Urban Avengers finally eliminated the shield. Zelda then jumped forward and stabbed into the maw and neck of the Raptor. She turned and rolled to the side as the Raptor Nazareno stood on swiped at her with its claws.

Might as well. Nazareno raised both of his swords and slammed them hard into the skull of the Mutant Raptor. He felt vibrations travel from his swords through his person as he heard a very audible crack. He saw Zelda and one of the Urban Avenger drives flinch at the sound. He stayed on the mutant's head until it fell to the ground in a dead heap. He pulled his swords out carefully and stepped on to the ground in front of Zelda.

"Excellent work," Nazareno said, looking at the carnage with a mixture of distaste and approval. "You have far exceeded my expectations."

He saw Zelda's cheeks becoming red again. "Thanks," she said. "So what's the issue?"

He pointed towards the massive cybernetic T-Rex and the Mutant T-Rex in silver armor at the subway station entrance. "That," he said to the cybernetic T-Rex. "and the first Mutant T-Rex in the armor was a red herring. That one at the subway appears to be the real Dr. Rex."

"The guy certainly has a thing for red herrings, doesn't he?" Zelda noted.

"The whole darn organization has a thing for red herrings," one of the Urban Avenger drivers muttered.

"Anyway," Nazareno continued. "The battlefield is now effectively surrounded by Mutant Dinos. I recommend staying together for the time being since I am unsure how many more tricks Dr. Rex has up his sleeve."

"Sounds fine with me."

"Good." Nazareno turned to the three Urban Avenger drivers. "Gentlemen-" There was loud cough from a thin woman with short red hair. "Lady and Gentlemen. Would you care to accompany us? We could use your skill and Cosmotronic Rays."

The red-haired woman shrugged. "Why not? Name's Parr."

A large man with, curiously, well-kept blue hair nodded as well. "Might as well. My name is Sullivan. How about you, Fredricksen?"

A short, white-haired older-looking man with black, thick-rimmed glasses waved his hand. "Bah, sure. Whatever."

"Very well." Nazareno returned to his Steel Sprinter. He turned his head and saw Zelda looking sheepishly at him. "You've lost your Sprinter?"

"Maybe?" she said in a light, joking matter.

Nazareno rolled his eyes but gestured her over to his Steel Sprinter. She sliced off the transparent blue dish off the back and climbed on board, gripping Nazareno's shoulder with one hand. "What was that dish-thing even for?" Zelda wondered.

Nazareno shrugged and turned to Parr, Sullivan, and Fredrickson. "We are heading to the pirate's group to aid in the reconstruction of the defenses. We will hope that the Iron Predators and other defenses will take care of XERRD's newest reinforcements."

"'The pirate'?" Zelda whispered into his ear.

His eyes narrowed. "Greybeard," he said coldly. "Now, let's ride!" With that, the Steel Sprinter and the Urban Avengers started moving back into the battle. 

*****

As helpful as she tried to be, Kate still felt a strange sense of isolation, as the noise of battle continued outside.

"You alright?" said a voice from behind her. Kate turned to see the familiar figure of Nicholas Saran.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Look," said Nicholas. "I know when a person is troubled by something, and when they are, the best thing to do is talk about it." He turned toward Hertz and Shannon. "You don't mind me taking her for a few minutes?"

Shannon shook her head as Saran put an arm around Kate's shoulder and led her into the next room.

"Would you mind telling me what's troubling you exactly?" Saran said.

Kate took a moment to think. "I don't know," she said. "It's all happening so fast."

"What is?"

"I just..." Kate said.

"Go on."

"Well... you see..."

"It's alright, I won't tell anyone."

"I just found out my mother's been lying to me," replied Kate. "I spent thirteen years believing my uncle died in a car crash, and then this guy shows up and says otherwise."

"I'm sure she had good reason," suggested Saran.

"She did," replied Kate. "BUT SHE'S MY MOTHER! SHE LIED TO HER OWN DAUGHTER!"

"What about your father?"

"I never knew him before now," Kate said. "According to mom, the only reason I was born was because she Znapped Pierce in the emergency room."

"So Pierce is your father then?" Saran asked.

"Yes," replied Kate.

"That's not so bad," said Saran. "You were already close to him, and he does certainly care about you."

"I know," replied Kate, trying not to cry. "It's just happening so fast."

Saran slowly sat down on the couch next to Kate, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Look," he said. "I can see how all this would be hard for you, but you have to understand, even if you were conceived totally by accident because of a brief hospital affair, your mother loves you. She does everything she can for you."

"I know," said Kate. "She did everything she could to pay for school."

"Your father loves you too, Kate," continued Saran. "You got two loving parents, and they're both here to support you. That's more than can be said for the rest of us."

Kate briefly smiled in between the tears. She was still trying to keep her tears suppressed. Nicholas Saran did everything her could to keep her comfortable, but he knew how hard things were for her right now.

"It's alright," Saran said as he sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "We'll get through this, Kate. We'll get through this."

*****

"You hear something?" Trigger asked.

"I think so," replied Snake. "Sounds li-"

At that moment, Carrie quickly flung the door open and ran down the stairs. "We got trouble," she said.

"Don't tell me they've tracked us already," muttered Trigger.

"No," replied Carrie. "It's worse. We got a group of Raptors coming."

"You got to be Znapping kidding. Do we have any weapons?"

"There's a few guns in the next room," said Carrie. "I keep my armory with me in case I run into you again."

"Good," said Trigger. "Alright, I'll start building a barricade. Snake, you and Carrie get the guns, and maybe we can hold them off long enough to make a break for it."

Trigger turned in relief as Snake and Carrie arrived with a collection of guns. Carrie quickly tossed Trigger a rifle. He had already set up a makeshift barricade against the door and was struggling to keep it shut as one Mutant Raptor smashed through the window, Snake fired a solid round through its head, killing it. Trigger fired at another one, only to see something weird: the bullet was absorbed by its force field.

"Oh Znap," Snake muttered.

"What do we do?" Carrie asked.

"Dinosaurs like these are invincible to bullets," Trigger muttered.

"I got one," said Snake.

"It didn't see you," Trigger said. "You must have taken it by surprise. The only way we can make a stand is if we can catch them all unaware, but we're going to have to make a break for it. Carrie, you got any grenades or anything?"

"Yeah," replied Carrie.

"You think of everything, don't you?" Trigger remarked.

"Yeah," Carrie said with a smile.

"Snake and I will try to draw them for the moment. Carrie, you get the grenades and get to the roof! Throw them at the MegaBlokers, understand?"

Carrie nodded and ran back downstairs as Trigger worked to block the smashed window using one of the tables. One Raptor stuck its head in; he placed his rifle in its mouth and fired. That one fell dead, but there were still a few dozen more, and they all wouldn't fall for that. Within a few minutes, Carrie returned with a box of grenades and worked her way upstairs.

By now they were starting to tear through the walls. Once or twice, Trigger and Snake were able to shoot them in the mouth, but for the most part the bullets did little more than slow them down, if only by seconds, but that really was all they needed.

Opening an upstairs window, Carrie picked up two grenades and pulled the pins off them both, and tossed them into the crowd of mutant dinosaurs. She grabbed another, pulled, the pin, and did the same. She did about two or three more before the Mutant Raptors started to notice and react, but their numbers were reduced.

*****

"Acknowledged," Hotwire replied to Semick. Larson deftly swung the Talon II back around over the Iron Predator lines, letting a missile fly at a pair of Mutant Brontosaurs at the same time. One fell, and a round from a Cryothermic Cannon below brought the other down.

There was a sudden blare of Wagner as Rotor's T-1 Typhoon came alongside. "You better have one heckuva plan, Semick," the pilot remarked.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Hotwire said. "He always does." Trusting in the intuition of a greater strategist than himself, Hotwire simply sighted a large pack of Mutant Lizards and laid down a rain of sonic energy from the Quintronic Beam Emitters.

"Pterosaurs incoming at about half past seven," Kat called out from the rear cockpit. There was a thrum as she peppered them with blasts from the Sonic Screamers. The beasts faltered slightly, and as soon as they were in range, Larson triggered the PLARXX Ray. The wave knocked the Pteranadons out of the sky.

"Look out below!" he called out as the mutants plunged earthward.

Shiller heard Larson's warning blare over the radio. While many of the Iron Predators attempted to shift to avoid the falling Pteranadons, he instead called out to Swerve: "Stay put! I've got an idea." He swung the Cryothermic Cannon off to the left, while focusing on the particular pterosaur that was plunging straight towards them. Gotta time this perfectly.

With no more than a second to spare, he jammed the joystick to the right as hard as he could. Motors in the base of the turret groaned in protest as the massive cannon barrel connected with the falling dinosaur. Just as the cannon reached the apex of the turn, Shiller fired. The momentum of the rotating barrel combined with the force of the cannon blast sent the dazed body of the Pterosaur plowing into the lines of dinos approaching the ring of Iron Predators.

*****

Tracer's Vindication swerved and skidded across the pavement. There was a thump as the vehicle intersected with the path of a charging Mutant Lizard. As day broke, it was becoming easier to see even with all the rain, so Helm was easily able to spot the charging Raptor before it was too late. He hit the switch next to the gearshift, and the Cosmotronic Ray that Hotwire had added so many months ago blazed to life, stopping the creature in its tracks.

As the Raptor fell, a shadow passed overhead. Helm peered up and saw... "A flying Iron Predator?"

Just then, there was another odd roar which caused the comms to buzz and sputter, and Helm finally saw the source of the sound.

"Mother of Ole... Giles, give it everything you've got!" His gunner opened fire with the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher as Helm stomped on the gas, joining the mess of other vehicles as they desperately tried to evade the biomechanical behemoth that was Cyrista's Bane.

*****

"Half past seven? Isn't that a bit unnecessarily specific?"
"Tess, look out, you've got a lizard on your tail!"
"Well, Reptile turned an Iron Predator into a submarine once, so why not make it fly?"
"Hoohah! Take that!"
"Guys, have you seen that Space Ninja? He just stabbed a znapping raptor right in the znapping head!"
"FOR NARNIA!"
"Sick move with that Cryothermic Cannon. We should start playing baseball with Iron Predators when this is all over."
"Man down! MAN DOWN! For Godtfred's sake, where are the medics?"
"Space Marauders incoming! Drop a bridge on 'em!" 

*****

The Iron Predator came to a rather sudden stop as Elizabeth hit the brakes. "What was that for?" Maria asked as the vehicle jerked for a moment.

In front of them was a street: the buildings were in ruins and on fire, and a large group of menacing Mutant Dinos seemed to be present. "What do we do?" Elizabeth asked.

"Exactly what we came out here to do," replied Angel Eyes. "We're going to kill them. We all have our strengths here. Who we got? Two demolitions experts, three good marksmen, a pyromaniac, and a pirate."

"I'm good with a sword," added Elizabeth.

"Good," said Angel Eyes.

"I can go," volunteered Fireman, who was sitting in the back of the vehicle, her gas mask in her lap.

"You sure about this?" Maria asked.

"Yes," Fireman replied as she slowly put her gas mask on. "I'll torch as many as I can. I'll need you guys to provide me with cover fire, though."

"You can count on us," replied Clint.

Slowly, Fireman got to her feet and picked up her flamethrower, a flare gun, and a fire ax, and worked her way toward the mutant dinosaurs that lay in the street before her. Her teammates watched in confusion as she slowly stepped into the alley.

A Mutant Lizard suddenly noticed her, and it was promptly torched. Its screams echoed throughout the streets. Before long, Fireman was torching everything in sight: Lizards, Raptors, and other things.

Before long, the whole street was on fire, as Fireman held her flamethrower in the air and launched an enormous burst of flame. Sarah Bishop could not help but stare in awe. "One shudders to imagine what inhuman thoughts lie beneath that mask," Sarah said, nervously. "What dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty."

Andrea cheerfully blew bubbles out of her large vaguely flamethrower-shaped apparatus through the colorful landscape as far as she could see. Suddenly, there was a giant baby, it looked vaguely like a lizard, but it was tiny and had little wings. Quickly, Andrea picked up a lollipop from nearby. The lizard baby cried in delight and ran towards her. Andrea jumped and tossed the lollipop into the baby's mouth.

With one clear swoop, Fireman had lodged her fire ax into a Mutant Lizard's skull.

A little winged baby raptor came down then and sat on Andrea's flamethrower. In an act of delight, she pulled out a bubble maker and blew a few bubbles into its face, and it burst into laughter.

Fireman pulled out her flare gun and shot the Raptor square through the throat, causing it to fall almost instantly.

Andrea quickly motioned for all the little baby dinosaurs to follow her, and she darted down the road, followed by hundreds of little winged baby dinosaurs before they eventually stayed behind.

Amongst the burning debris, quite a few dinosaurs lay wounded. Their screams echoed through the alley, but Fireman just kept persisting.

She kept on going through that sugar bowl land, whistling softly to a tune in her head before she suddenly heard someone snap their fingers. Looking around, her flamethrower was suddenly snatched, and she could see a little baby Maria before she blinked and then saw a very adult Maria standing there.

"You alright?" Maria asked.

"I think so," replied Fireman. She slowly removed the gas mask and looked around, seeing that the Iron Predator had made it through the intense flames of the street. "I think I got a little carried away there."

Unlike the others, it didn't take long for Maria to figure it out. "Let's keep the mask off you from now on," she said. "I think it might be better for your health."

"What the heck is that there thing?" Elizabeth asked as she drove the Iron Predator down a former highway. In the distance, they could vaguely see other Dino Attack vehicles, and helicopters were forming in the sky, but what she was pointing towards was something humongous: a mutant tyrannosaurus cyborg thing.

"I ain't got no idea," replied Maria.

*****

Osprey's Aerial Defense Unit slipped smoothly into the defensive line of T-1 Typhoons. He ordered the gunners to engage, then turned to the cockpit. "Dez! Status report?"

Desdemona, the pilot, quickly checked the readouts on her screen. "The jeeps are joining the line, the jets have been delayed by pterosaurs outside the city limits, and we're getting some seriously odd readings off that big T-Rex down there. Oh, and the Grendelwulf brothers are closing in fast."

Osprey smiled at that last tidbit of information. Things on the ground were about to get even hotter.

*****

Calling the Agents Defense Organization rocketcycle a "motorbike" didn't nearly do it justice; it was more like a murderous Ferrari on two wheels. And this particular "bike," howling through the streets of LEGO City at breakneck speed, fit the description even more thoroughly -- painted bright red, propelled by a souped-up engine that barely fit in the vehicle's frame, and sporting a pair of six-barreled laser cannons in place of the normal light EMP missile launchers. Not exactly compliant with regulations, but then again, its driver and passenger were effective enough that command didn't seem to care.

Lieutenants Matthias and Winston Grendelwulf, nicknamed "Hazmatt" and "Epic Winston" by their teammates, were essentially a two-man army. Both over six-and-a-half feet tall and built like minotaurs, they had the uncanny ability to weaponize virtually any object. A common explanation for this was the fact that they themselves could be considered living weapons in their own right. As Epic Winston stood perfectly balanced on the back of the bike, with the wind whipping through his jet-black beard, he mulled this description over, and found that he rather liked the sound of it. Still, he had his preferences when it came to instruments of destruction. He reached back and thoughtfully touched the hilt of the five-foot double-edged broadsword slung across his back.

They were nearing the battlefield now. A pack of Mutant Lizards broke off from the main body of the army and charged, clearly thinking that two men on a bike would be an easy target for them.

They were dead wrong.

Hazmatt glanced back at his elder brother, who gave a slight nod. The younger Grendelwulf turned hard, skidding on the back wheel of the bike. Epic Winston bent slightly at the knees and drew his sword. As he leaned forward to stay balanced, he swung the blade -- six inches wide and nearly an inch thick in the center -- at the Lizard that had just reached the same point that their rear wheel was passing. The reptile fell to the street in two separate pieces.

Winston continued his swing as he leaped off the back of the bike, bisecting another Mutant Lizard and decapitating a third. Simultaneously, Hazmatt let loose with the metaphorical whole nine yards, spraying the rest of the pack with the laser cannons. Epic Winston twisted in midair, letting go of his broadsword, which spun through the air and lodged in a lizard's back. Winston himself landed on the final beast's neck with both feet. There was a satisfying crunch as it hit the ground. In the space of just under two seconds, about a dozen Mutant Lizards had fallen, either riddled with holes or in pieces.

As the bike came to a stop, Hazmatt reached out and plucked his brother's sword from the slumped form of the dead lizard. He tossed it above his head and gunned the engine. Epic Winston leapt over his head, snatched the sword out of the air, and landed neatly on the back of the bike. The two brothers opened their throats, and, with a roar that matched that of their engine, charged into the ranks of dinosaurs and XERRD warriors, leaving devastation in their wake. The same thought occupied their minds:

This is where the fun begins.

*****

"Oh great, it's the Arrogant Defense Organization. Why don't you just shove off?"
"No, they're okay now, remember?"
"Eat lasers, scaleface!"
"I knew I shoulda stayed home today."
"Osprey! Great to have you at our backs again!"
"Ole help us, Fireman's on a rampage!"
"Little help? These XERRD sorcerers are kicking are backsides worse than Duke on one of his bad days."
"Holy Znap! Did you see those two Agents who just showed up?"
"Don't worry about Fireman, just stay outta the way!"
"You mean the two guys on the bike? Yeah, some real serious honey badger 4+ going down over there."
"Here come old flat-top, he come groovin' up slowly..."
"Concentrate your fire on its legs! If we can get it on the ground maybe we can-- AAARGHH"
"Jenson? Come in, Jenson. You there? Jenson? JENSON!" 

*****

Blaire Darkling watched the battle from a top of a ruined building with interest, a strange mixture of emotions swirling through him. One was determination to win this battle and to see the Dino Attack Headquarters crumble. The other... was doubt.

Michelle Gladys, Paulie Gonapus, and other scientists had returned from Adventurers' Island with word that Baron Typhonus, the fabled creator of the Maelstrom, was still alive and controlling the darkness. Not only that, but the Dino Attack had been orchestrated by Typhonus, called the "Darkitect", all along.

Dr. Rex had disregarded the news with undeniable fury. He was in control of XERRD, not some legend. Around that moment was when Blaire truly began to doubt his leader's sanity and the true purpose of XERRD's mission. He cautiously ran his hand through his white hair. It was once a dirty blond shade before in the incident that created the Maelstrom Temple dyed it pure white and ruined his eyes, forcing him to wear sunglasses.

I must finish the job, Blaire thought to himself. An old habit of his before becoming a Paradox Shinobi. He also finished a job, no matter how... unethical. Even after turning over to a new leaf, he kept this habit. Even with his doubt about XERRD's leader, he would see the Dino Attack to its end.

He walked up to the edge of the building, where three Quasifigus lacertilia were perched with sniper rifles, picking off any Dino Attack agent that crossed their path. He sighed. He had very much preferred working with the Minifig guards. However, he would deal with commanding Hybrids this one day. Even with this organization's ethics in doubt, what I did with guards was completely moral. They would've have suffered out here.

He heard a rough voice speak behind him. Blaire turned and saw two Hybrids standing before him. In the middle of them was a man in a white labcoat with wild black and orange hair.

"Ah!" Blaire exclaimed, extending one arm briefly toward the Minifig. "Doctor Inferno! So glad you could join us." He turned to the Hybrids. "Leave us."

They both bowed their heads and headed towards the building's staircase.

"Let's have a nice chat, shall we?" Blaire said, his voice layered with cool hatred as he stared at the fuming mad scientist. "Glad to see you haven't run away yet, Inferno. I am surprised; I expected you to be long gone from here."

"Thanks to your Hybrid friends, I'm still here," Dr. Inferno muttered coldly.

"Which brings me to my main point of dragging you away from whatever desertion plans you had," Blaire continued. "I've been extremely unhappy with your lack of cooperation in these last few weeks."

"How so?" Inferno demanded angrily. "I've been aiding this organization since the beginning and-"

"Do not play games with me," Blaire hissed, pointing a gloved finger at Inferno. "I am not a fool. You did not expect your forces to get such a beating from the Dino Attack Team in the Goo Caverns and on LEGO Island. You have been hesitant to supply us henchmen since then."

"You are wrong!" Inferno hissed. "I am not made of henchmen to just shower XERRD with!" Dr. Inferno then scoffed. "I don't need to be badgered by some 'small name, big ego' such as yourself! I only answer to myself and Dr. Rex. I don't even know your name!"

"My name is Blaire Darkling, and I think you have every right to get talked down by myself. I sent a sent a specific request for you to send some henchmen to our fortress on Adventurers' Island and you ignored it. With your reinforcements in addition to the guards and Skeleton Mummies, the Dino Attack Team wouldn't have been able to destroy that fortress."

"I told you," Dr. Inferno snapped angrily. "I am not made of henchmen!"

"Regardless, there should have been some of your troops there."

"Señor Palomar was in charge-"

"Señor Palomar," Blaire interrupted, "is completely useless to this organization as of late. His only purpose was overseeing operations on Adventurers' Island. Seeing as he miserably failed that job and has no useful resources, I am honestly surprised Dr. Rex has not disposed of that fool yet."

Dr. Inferno was silent, glaring at Blaire angrily.

The XERRD commander smirked. "This extends much farther than having enough henchmen. You are finally realizing how far in over your head you are. You aligned with XERRD because of your misguided and childish opposition to Evil Ogel and for survival purposes. I wouldn't be surprised if you were planning to overthrow Dr. Rex at some point and use the Mutant Dinos to your own ends. However, only now, as Dr. Rex continues to freefall into his violent insanity and with the revelations of the Maelstrom manipulating this organization, do you doubt your decision."

Dr. Inferno sneered. "You should talk, Darkling. You're in this just as far as everyone else."

"True, but I have my endgame sorted out," Blaire scoffed. "Do you?"

Inferno was silenced.

"As it stands, I am finishing this war on my terms. And as one of XERRD's top officials, I demand you send your henchmen into battle to aide us one last time."

"And what if I don't?" Inferno hissed in a daring matter.

Blaire leaned in close. "I'll send them in myself. By any means necessary." He let the threat hang in the air for a moment. He turned his head. Several Agents Aerial Defense Units were approaching the battle. Blaire grinned, an idea forming in his head

"Look who is just arriving," Blaire said, gesturing to the dark blue helicopter. Dr. Inferno's good eye narrowed angrily. "Perhaps you should treat it like this: this is not only the final battle between XERRD and D.I.N.O. Attack, but the final battle between your forces and the Agents Defense Organization. Perhaps even the Alpha Team, as I'm sure they'll be arriving on the scene at any moment. This can finally be your moment. You can topple all three of your rivals at once. The Agents, the Alpha Team, and Evil OGEL Empire with the Dino Attack Team. You will become the greatest evil genius of all time. You will finally beat out that wretched Ogel, once and for all."

Blaire suppressed a smirk as he watched Dr. Inferno think this over. He knew of the mad scientist's over-inflated ego. Defeating all three of his enemies at once would make him the greatest villain of all time. Finally, he said: "I will order my henchmen to join your forces."

"Excellent," Blaire said, shaking Inferno's robotic hand. "Go now." Inferno nodded and headed toward stairs.

Egotistical villainous fool, Blaire thought with relish. He turned back to the battle. The only thing left to do would be to contact Willa the Witch and have her and a couple of Fright Knights join our ranks. Except for she hasn't been heard from since encountering Lord Vladek and King Race. Perhaps she will make a late entrance. If not, oh well.

Blaire jerked his head to the side, flipping some of his hair out from in front of his sunglasses, smirking as he crossed his arms. This is shaping up to be quite the battle. 

*****

X2 suddenly took on the appearance of Dr. Cyborg, though he still held his own weapons, as he broadcast a holographic message from his maker.

"Enough!" Dr. Cyborg yelled. "We are in a major battle, in case you haven't noticed. There are bigger things than three mercenaries. Pharisee, as an Elite Agent, I order you to stand down!" Then the message ended, and X2 resumed his normal appearance.

The rain poured down hard, drowning out all the subtleties of the surroundings. The heavy sleet obscured the vision of those present, and nothing was visible outside the dark street where the four men stood.

The blades of the helicopter thundered above them and water cascaded down upon the streets. The wind created by the vehicle rushed down to blow the trench coat of the stoic figure of commander Pharisee. Water fell down his dripping clothing as he glared down the blade of X2's Katana.

"Do you expect your masquerade as Doctor Cyborg to somehow influence my decision, X2?" said Commander Pharisee. "Need I remind you that you now work for the department of Internal Affairs, X2? Perhaps you have a problem with my methods?"

He gestured to the sad figure of Montoya kneeling in the rain. "Take comfort in the fact that I only deliver my bereavement upon those who have themselves slain. Truly, X2, I find your lack of faith disturbing." X2's katana did not waver in the rain, but the form of Doctor Cyborg shimmered as the robot processed what the commander said. "I have no intention of killing this man!" yelled Pharisee. "But know that what punishment he has received is one that is truly merited!"

"So you intend to let him go?" demanded Montgonel. "He has committed no other crime."

"No," said the commander bluntly. "I will leave him to his own devices in due course. However, he may yet be of some use to us. I intend to take him with us to Enderson's bar."

Montgonel gave an eerie chuckle. "Do you think Montoya's life means anything to Trigger?"

"I do not," said Pharisee. "Trigger is a man beyond our comprehension. He is a man of wickedness, but Montoya may still be of some value."

"And then you will let him go?" asked X2.

Silence followed as Pharisee considered the proposal. "That would depend on his upcoming deeds." The commander suddenly yanked Montoya up from the wet streets and pulled him over to the waiting pickup truck. He yanked open the door and not-too-gently tossed the man into the back seat.

"I object!" yelled X2. The robot transitioned to the skin of Dr. Cyborg. "You beat this man in the rain! What more does he have to do?"

"Do not use that face with me!" barked Pharisee as his pointed his finger at X2. "I do not answer to elite agents. I operate outside your chain of command! That is how I maintain my detachment and adherence to the law!"

X2 pulled out his sword, but Pharisee grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind the UlTech Infiltrator's back. Using his weight, he flipped the robot over his shoulder and slammed him onto his back over the wet pavement. He held the infiltrator's sword and pointed it at the robot's neck.

"Pharisee!" yelled Montgonel. "This is madness!"

The water ran down the commander's face as he looked over his shoulder at his subordinate. "X2's lack of vision may cost us Trigger's justice, Montgonel. I do not appreciate his insubordination. He will pay an appropriate penalty." Montgonel ran forward to Pharisee, but the commander spun around a pointed the sword at him. "I find your lack of faith disturbing," Pharisee said again.

Holding the weapon in his giant hands, he swiftly took the steel blade and broke it over his knee. The hard metal snapped under this great man's incredible strength. Taking the separate pieces in his hands, he tossed them over his shoulder beside where X2 lay.

"Infiltrator," addressed the commander. "I cannot allow disloyalty. If you disregard my authority, people may die. I do not want blood of good men on my hands because of your lack of trust. I cannot afford mistakes, and you are hereby relieved of service."

That work aside, the commander pulled out his radio and made a brisk walk back to the truck. Montgonel followed close behind, leaving X2 in their wake.

"Take the helicopter to rendezvous with us at the bar," said Pharisee to the pilots. "We will take Montoya's truck and approach from the street."

The pilot gave his affirmative, and the two men watched as the T-1 Typhoon sped away into the storm.

"What about X2?" asked Montgonel as Pharisee walked around and took the passenger seat. "We can't leave him here in the rain!"

"Why not?" asked the commander. "Do you think I can do my job if I constantly have to watch my back for the likes of him?"

Montgonel said nothing as he took the driver's seat. The agent glanced over his shoulder at Montoya's meek form sitting in the back seat before starting the engine. "Do you know how to get to Enderson's?" asked Pharisee.

"Yes," muttered Montgonel. He placed his foot on the gas and drove away down the dark streets. Looking into the rearview mirror, he spotted the lonely form of X2, standing in the rain and watching them drive away.

*****

Chaos rained on the battlefield. B was sitting behind a now-broken windshield, and was constantly being assaulted by stray drops of acid. Bullets and rays of all sorts deafened and blinded him for mere instants, while he constantly had to correct his course to avoid hitting teammates.

Suddenly, a beeping came from the dashboard. B swore loudly, honked his horn, and turned his Fire Hammer towards the mountains on the other side of the city. "Sam!" he shouted. "Code. MegaBloking. Red. Follow me!"

"What is it?" responded Sam. "You afraid we're outgunned beyond hope? We can fight this!"

"Look, if we don't do this, I'm afraid that we'll be flanked from behind!" said B.

The two Fire Hammers turned and headed back into the city. B put his foot down. The needle on the speedometer approached 170 KMH, and no dinosaur was fast enough to catch up. Concentration was crucial at these speeds, but B couldn't afford to slow down. "Rob, what's the quickest route to those coordinates?" he asked.

"Keep going straight," replied Rob. "The street goes right to it. You might need to slow down a bit, though."

"Not now," said B. "Get on the radio and explain that we're handling a situation."

"Do we need backup?" asked Rob.

B rolled his eyes. "Rob, if we need backup, we're already dead."

"That's comforting," muttered Rob.

The two Fire Hammers careened around corners. As the mountains grew incredibly close, B looked up and saw vehicles approaching his position. "MegaBloking son of a Znapping 4+ Figure! Inferno's goons on our position!"

"Shoot, or call for backup?" Rob asked again.

"No. There's no way we ever need backup! OF COURSE CALL FOR BACKUP!" B suddenly yelled.

"No need to yell," grumbled Rob as he turned on the radio. "Hello, to anyone who can hear me, Dr. Inferno's forces are trying to flank us from behind. If you aren't too busy fighting mutant dinosaurs, we could use some MegaBloking help here!"

*****

Captain Thaddeus Brickhouse approached his Aerial Defense Unit at a brisk pace. His crew was already on board; all they needed was Brickhouse to hop on, and they could get to the sight of a massive battle between the Dino Attack Team and XERRD.

This is where it ends, he thought grimly. He knew this was going to be a toughie, but with news of decoy-Dr. Rexes and giant cyborg Mutant T-Rexes, the Dino Attack Team needed all the aide it could get.

He almost reached his helicopter when he bumped into a woman jogging to her vehicle, a helmet tucked under her arm. Brickhouse backed away. "My apologies, Dashworthy."

Raine Dashworthy ran a hand through her multicolored hair irritably. "It's fine, it's fine. I'm ready to get out there and make a few Mutant Pterosaurs wish they never knew how to fly!" she said boastfully.

Brickhouse smirked, amused by the young woman's enthusiasm. He gestured for her to continue. "Best get to your jet, Raine. The Mutant Pterosaurs are eagerly awaiting your challenge."

Raine nodded. "See you back here when we're toasting out victory!" With that, she continued her jog to her Agents jet. Brickhouse, quickly climbed into his designated Aerial Defense Unit.

"Alright, pilot!" Brickhouse called out as he closed the hatches. "To Dino Attack Headquarters!" The helicopter rose into the air, left the Agents hangar, and started moving into the chaos.

*****

Greybeard cursed to himself. He had focused his efforts on bringing down some random Mutant T-Rex that was just as dumb and feral as the rest of them... but just happened to be wearing silver armor, causing everyone to think that it was Dr. Rex. Dr. Rex knew this would happen, and Greybeard was angry that he did not see it coming; from what Greybeard had heard, Dr. Rex was exceptionally fond of red herrings.

Greybeard could not imagine what could possibly be so interesting about the "ENDERSON'S" bar, but apparently the Mutant Raptor pack was calling for backup. Backup arrived in the form of more Mutant Raptors, a few Mutant Lizards, and even a Mutant T-Rex. Greybeard considered the possibility of civilians who had not been evacuated being trapped in the bar. With a shudder, he prayed to Builder that this was not the truth.

"Come on, me hearties!" Greybeard shouted into the radio. "Joe, Sam, Arubis-"

"It's Anubis!"

"-we took down one o' 'em Mutant T-Rexes in silver armor," continued Greybeard. "Dr. Rex be just another one! Come! Let's give this one a few rounds an' take 'im down fer good... fer real, this time!"

"Agreed," came King Joseph Race's voice. "It seems we've developed an effective strategy. Anubis, hang on for another few minutes while Sam, Greybeard, and I repeat our three-Fire-Hammer trick."

"The Mutant Dinos do not stand a chance against LEGO Racers!" Sam Race laughed over the radio. "LEGO Racers... and Anubis."

"Hey, maybe I'll join the next LEGO Racers championship, and then we'll see about that!" Anubis retorted in a playful manner.

With that, Greybeard, King Joseph Race, and Sam Race sped into action once more. They caught up quickly to Dr. Rex, who was already leading some of his Mutant Dinos in the direction of Dino Attack Headquarters. Repeating the procedure, Greybeard caught Dr. Rex's attention by driving in front of him while his gunner fired the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at the armored Mutant T-Rex. The blasts barely affected Dr. Rex, but just as he was about to retaliate, Sam Race's Fire Hammer began firing its own Xenon Launcher at him. As Dr. Rex turned his attention towards Sam Race, it was King Race's turn to fire.

As Greybeard turned his Fire Hammer to make for another cycle around Dr. Rex, he expected to see Dr. Rex getting worked up and frustrated, much like the Mutant T-Rex decoy. However, at best, Dr. Rex appeared mildly annoyed; at worst, he was bored. Just before Greybeard's gunner could fire at him, Dr. Rex turned his attention to Greybeard's Fire Hammer and, with his laser vision, struck the gunner with incredible accuracy. Then, without even turning around, Dr. Rex swung his tail and knocked the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher cleanly off King Joseph Race's Fire Hammer, taking his gunner with it.

Greybeard paled. The decoy was just a random Mutant T-Rex, as dumb and feral as the others. This, the real Dr. Rex, had the intelligence of a scientist and the unpredictability of a madman. Too late, Greybeard realized that the strategy that brought down the decoy would not work on the real thing.

"Retreat!" Greybeard barked into his radio. "Joe, Sam, pull back-"

Dr. Rex slammed his foot down upon the hood of Greybeard's Fire Hammer. Greybeard was sent flying through his windshield and landed on the wet pavement several meters away. Cut, bruised, and struggling to find the strength to look up, Greybeard saw one of the other two Fire Hammers speed away in time. The other Fire Hammer was on fire. In a kamikaze maneuver, it tried to drive itself into Dr. Rex's leg, but the mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex simply lifted his foot and let the burning Fire Hammer speed underneath him. Seconds before the Fire Hammer drove into the Green Grocer, its driver jumped out of the vehicle and rolled on the pavement.

Unsheathing his cutlass, Greybeard ran towards the crashed Fire Hammer as quickly as possible, slashing at Mutant Lizards along the way. Dr. Rex, it seemed, perceived that he was no longer even remotely a threat, and so he walked away, making deep noises that sounded suspiciously like a sinister chuckle.

At last, Greybeard reached the burning wreckage of the Fire Hammer, half-embedded in the Green Grocer, and saw King Joseph Race lying on the ground. Greybeard helped the king of the Space Knights get to his feet, but a swarm of Mutant Lizards and a pack of Mutant Raptors smelled fresh meat. In only a matter of seconds, the old pirate and the racing king were surrounded by the hungry reptiles, which eyed them with blank white eyes as saliva dripped from their maws.

"An' so," Greybeard gritted what few teeth he had left, "it ends."

King Joseph Race narrowed his eyes and ignited his laser saber. "Greybeard," he declared, "it has been an honor and a privilege to have known, raced, and fought alongside you all these years."

Greybeard nodded grimly. "Aye. Ye be like a brother t' me. Now, let us go down fightin'... t'gether."

Ready to accept their fate, Greybeard slashed with his cutlass and King Joseph Race swung with his laser saber. Fighting back-to-back, they took down any Mutant Dino that dared to come near the two friends. And they would continue to fight... until eventually, when the numbers are too many, the Mutant Dinos overwhelm them, and together, they meet their destiny.

*****

The comms were abuzz as some of the first witnesses of the Agents involvement came in.

"What, those Inferno guys are still around?"
"Alright, now these dinos have to face two world-defending organizations!"
"Try spinning, that's a good trick!"
"Tell that to Greybeard."
"Shoot 'em in the eye! Always the eye!"
"Are we gonna be here all day? I'm hungry."
"That's why you should've brought some Brickolini's."
"Was that an anthropomorphic dog I saw walk by?"
"Hey, Agents! You guys have any EMP grenades?"

B's broadcast about Inferno agents coming in near the mountainside of LEGO City proved to be a useful opportunity for Semick's plan. He directed three T-1 Typhoons to try and keep Dr. Rex's attention (though avoid getting killed, but considering that monster's accuracy with eye beams, they had to be prepared for that fate) while Semick directed three more towards B's location.

That is what he said over comm, at least.

In actuality, Semick diverted himself and another T-1 Typhoon behind a low skyscraper while the other two moved on to B's rescue. From there, they began moving down closer to the streets and began flying slowly behind the buildings. This was to best avoid the attention of Dr. Rex as they moved closer to where he had appeared. With the commotion from Greybeard's attempt to stun him and his other T-1 Typhoons distracting him with their own weapon barrages, the mad tyrant failed to notice the choppers as they managed to make it to the other side of the station where Mutant Lizards and Raptors were still pouring out.

"How's the subway system out here?" Semick asked Bluetooth.

A quick scan of the TALON-9 brought an answer. "This is, was, a less focal part of town. This is the only station for at least fifteen more blocks into the city."

"Then this should at least buy us enough time to prepare." Then, over radio, he said: "Pointman, you ready?"

The other T-1 Typhoon pilot said nothing, only moved into position to aim its cannons at the base of the buildings to the left of the subway entrance. Semick moved to the line of sight of the buildings on the right.

"Ready... aim... fire!"

With both pilot and front gunner fire combined, both T-1 Typhoons struck in unison at the building bases. Both structures then began leaning with heavy groans as their bricks gave out, and began toppling sideways to the ground. Or more accurately, the subway and Mutant Dinos right below them.

Dust clouds burst as the buildings landed hard. With all the wear they had taken over the course of the city's Dino onslaughts, they could barely withstand holding together anymore, and as they dust cleared, it was shown that they had broken up into nothing more than a big, heavy pile of bricks. Which managed to plug up the subway entrance perfectly.

Semick allowed himself only the briefest moment of joy to pump his fist and say "Yes!" before pulling his controls back to maneuver his T-1 Typhoon back behind the buildings he had flown in behind. Even if this was only a temporary hassle to the Mutant Dinos, Dr. Rex (who was turning to see what had happened) would be mad as MegaBlokland, and he knew it wouldn't be best to stick around.

His craft shook a bit as he accidentally brushed the back end of his ship on the side of a building. He quickly got a sight of what he was doing and steered his controls as best as he could to pull back on course, on which his fellow T-1 Typhoon already was.

"Watch where you're going!" remarked Attack from the gunner port.

"Yes, yes," Semick muttered. In spite of everything he'd been through, he still wasn't exactly an expert pilot on this thing. He had to be careful, especially if he had to do something quick to avoid any consequences for his latest move. 

*****

The Talon II was one of the two T-1 Typhoons directed to the aid of the two Fire Hammers that made up "Kabrinsky's Pride." The group was being hassled by four Inferno jeeps, two helicopters, and a pair of small hoverjets.

Larson dropped to an altitude of fifty feet to try and take out the jeeps, and Hotwire raised B on the radio. "B, we've got your back up here, no matter what crazy color you decide to paint your vehicles." He opened fire on a jeep, while the other T-1 Typhoon attempted to draw the two orange choppers away. The hoverjets, unfortunately, proved to be too agile for any of them to hit.

"Hotwire! Thanks for the backup."

"Speaking of crazy colors," Kat said, "seems we're not the only ones who heard that SOS."

There was a sudden, unearthly howl from a short distance away and a bright red Agents jet-cycle came into view, cannons blazing. One of the hoverjets darted back around behind the new arrival and went into a dive, attempting a strafing maneuver. The cycle swerved back and forth, avoiding the shots, and as the jet passed over and began to pull up, the Agent who, Hotwire realized, had been standing on the back, jumped on top of the jet.

As the craft flew higher, heading towards the Talon II, Hotwire was able to see what was happening more clearly. The man raised a massive broadsword above his head, twirling it as easily as if it were a light machete, and sliced at the right wing. He must have severed some important connection, because the turbine in the wing abruptly stopped spinning. Just before the jet spiraled out of control, the Agent leaped. He passed out of Hotwire's field of vision, but he heard a thump from behind him, and twisted in his seat. Back in the gunner's cockpit, Kat was doing the same.

The sword-wielding man had landed on the Talon II's portside Quintronic Beam Emitter, and was pulling himself onto the deck. He stood, and for the first time, Hotwire got a good look at him. He was a giant of a man with a shaggy mane of dark hair and a beard to match, and was the first person Hotwire had ever seen to wear an Agents uniform with the sleeves removed.

"Top of the morning," the man said in an unsettlingly deep -- but surprisingly smooth -- voice. "Name's Lieutenant Winston Grendelwulf, but my friends call me Epic Winston, and anyone who fights alongside me is a friend of mine."

Kat was the first to reply. "I'm Kat, they're Hotwire and Larson."

The giant nodded. "Pleasure to meet you." He glanced out of the T-1 Typhoon. "Now, friends, if you'll excuse me..."

The second hoverjet was passing close by at an altitude of about thirty feet, firing at one of the black Fire Hammers, which was responding with a volley from its Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher. Epic Winston ran two steps and hurled himself out the starboard side of the Talon II, landing atop the jet as he had with the first. This time, however, he simply plunged his sword right through the cockpit canopy and into the pilot. The jet quickly began losing altitude. Winston dropped off the back as it passed over the Fire Hammer, landing on the roof of the cab. The hoverjet glanced off one of the Inferno jeeps, which, having tried to avoid it, was now spinning out of control. The jet, meanwhile, plowed into the street and carved a flaming furrow in the ground before being stopped by a conveniently placed building.

With a nod to the gunner of the Fire Hammer -- it appeared to be Crooks, but from this height Hotwire couldn't be sure -- Epic Winston sheathed his sword, jumped off, and landed back on the red jet-cycle as it drove past. This time, he slipped onto the driver's saddle as the other Agent, who had the same mane of black hair but was beardless, hopped up and crouched on the hood with a pair of SMGs. As they skidded about madly on the wet pavement, he nimbly kept his balance and shot out the tires of the remaining jeeps, making them easy targets for the Talon II's XL-4 launcher.

Up above, the other T-1 Typhoon was faring decently. The Inferno choppers were faster and more maneuverable, but the Dino Attack helicopter was far more heavily armed, and so they were able to keep their adversaries mostly on the defensive. One chopper managed to score a hit, and the T-1 Typhoon rocked before returning to steady flight. "Slight damage to portside Beam Emitter," the pilot reported. "I think we'll be fine, though."

They fired a missile at one chopper, striking the tail. The craft spun out of control, impacting the side of a building. From the deck, a Dino Attack agent fired a Cosmotronic Ray at the second Inferno helicopter. The pulse of energy made the chopper shudder, and it lost some altitude before recovering. This, however, put it in range of Kat's Sonic Screamers. She fired directly at the base of the rotor, and the chopper faltered, then fell as the rotor blades splintered under the assault of the supercharged sound waves.

"Thanks much," B said. "We got dinos incoming, though. Get ready."

Hotwire brought the TALON-9 readings up on his cockpit screen. B was right. He grimly tightened his grip on the Quintronic Beam Emitter controls and braced himself for the onslaught.

*****

"I'm tellin' ya, if you woulda said four months ago that the Agents would show up with reinforcements for us before Alpha Team, there's no way in MegaBlokland I woulda believed it."
"Let's show XERRD what Quadrant 14 felt like! Come on!"
"ERMAHGERD AH KERLED A RERPTER!"
"Dangit, put down that sandwich!"
"I got one!"
"Holy cow, this is even crazier than the time those cyborg things showed up in giant mechas!"
"Good shot kid, just don't get cocky."
"Just wait, how many more armored T-Rexes have they got?"
"Do a barrel roll!" 

*****

B drove past the smoking wrecks, formerly vehicles and henchmen of Dr. Inferno. Looking up, he could see that he would soon be playing a very dangerous game of chicken with a large group of Mutant Dinos.

"Sam, pull a U-turn and head back into the city," B said into his mic. "Hotwire, I need you to lure the dinos back into the city. I have an idea that I can only pull off if I don't have anything on my tail. There's a cave up ahead that I need to get to, and I need to make sure nobody goes in after my Fire Hammer does, alright?"

"Roger that, B," Hotwire said. Larson flew the Talon II upwards and back, trying to get the dinos in range.

A deep, gruff voice broke over the comms. "Hazmatt Grendelwulf here." It was the other giant shaggy-haired Agent, Hotwire realized. "Where do you want us?" 

It was with some difficulty that Sam Kabrinsky and the Grendelwulfs persuaded the packs of dinosaurs charging down the street to follow them back into the city, but they pulled it off as B raced toward the foothills. Hazmatt remained on the hood of the bike, occasionally spraying the beasts with short bursts from his SMGs -- not enough to take them down, but enough to keep their attention. Epic Winston began losing patience somewhat; taking one hand off the handlebars, he drew his broadsword and punched it into a Raptor's side as he passed.

The Talon II floated above them, dropping shots behind the dinosaurs to keep them moving back in the right direction and prevent them from noticing B. Hotwire remained uneasy. "We ought to be drawing them away from the main battle, not back toward it," he muttered to himself. "Dang it, B, you'd better have one seriously good plan."

*****

Trigger emptied another shotgun shell into a Raptor's head, causing it to fall. It was only just after that that Carrie Enderson returned with the remaining grenades.

"We're going to have to make a break for it," Trigger said.

"But there's so many of them," said Carrie.

"I know," replied Trigger. "Pass me a grenade." Carrie did so. As another Raptor stuck its head through one of the holes in the walls, Trigger threw it into its mouth, and within a few short seconds it exploded.

"What we got to do is get to the roof," Trigger said as Snake fired into the mouth of another dinosaur. "We got to get to higher ground. That should buy us bit more time."

"What do we do?" Carrie asked.

"This is a city we're in. Naturally, on a busy street like this, this bar is right next to a number of other buildings, some of which are still intact. If we can get to the roof, we might be able to find a way of climbing away before they tear us down."

With that, Trigger ran for the stairs, followed by Snake and Carrie. They slowly worked their way up until finally they opened a door and reached the top of the building. As Trigger noted, there were other buildings fairly close, and a group of angry Raptors crowding below.

Snake was the first to go. He ran to the edge and jumped, and just in time grabbed the edge of the roof of the building next door and kept running. Trigger was soon to follow. Then Carrie made her jump. She grabbed the edge of the roof with one hand, and slowly struggled. Snake watched coldly, but Trigger walked up to her. "Here, take my hand," Trigger said as he held out his hand. Carrie grabbed it, and slowly he helped her onto the rooftop. They took a moment to catch their breath.

"What now?" Snake asked.

"Well," replied Trigger, "we'll have to keep going. If we can get to the end of the street, at least we might just stand a chance. On the other hand, someone's probably left an old car around here somewhere. All we have to do is hotwire it and then we're home free." 

*****

"Greybeard? Greybeard! GREYBEARD!"

No matter how many times Rex shouted the old pirate's name into the radio, there was no response. Greybeard's line was as dead as a doornail. Worried, Rex traded glances with Frozeen and Amanda. It was very disconcerting to have to wait here in an Iron Predator while the front lines were in danger. Turning his attention back to the radio, Rex tried for King Joseph Race. No reply. Then, when Rex tried for Samuel Race, he received a load of static which finally cleared to the following message:

"... Dr. Rex. I'm turning back and I'm going to rescue them!"

"No!" ordered Rex. "It's too dangerous! Pull out, Samuel Race! Get out of there as quickly as you can!"

"No way! That's my father and an old family friend back there! Don't worry, Rex, I'm fast enough! I can-"

"Sam, listen to me!" interrupted Rex. "I understand that you want to rescue them, but if Dr. Rex got them, I'm afraid there's no hope! You need to-" Rex was cut off as the other line began to blare static. He cursed quietly under his breath. He knew that if he were in Samuel Race's position, he would do the same thing. But as much as he wished that Greybeard and King Race could be saved... he feared that Sam Race's efforts were reckless and suicidal in the heat of battle.

Another few tense moments passed, during which Rex could only hear the sounds of falling rain, the rumbling of thunder, and the distant noises of battle. Then, at last, Rex heard a voice on the radio with a very clear message: "I need... help! Meet... me at... Enderson's!"

"Enderson's?" said Amanda, blinking. "I know where that is!"

With Amanda shouting directions, Rex drove the Iron Predator through the streets of LEGO City. The tank-like vehicle had to come to a halt in front of a huge pile of rubble that blocked their path. Frozeen began grumbling, "If I had my Tundra Tracker with me, I could just drill through this mess."

"Amanda and I will continue on foot," decided Rex. "Frozeen, stay with the Iron Predator. If we need anything, we'll contact you. If you don't hear from us in five minutes, assume we're dead and return the Iron Predator to the defensive position where Semick wanted it."

"It's dangerous to go alone," Frozeen said before he tossed Rex a Cosmotronic Ray. "Here, take this!" With that, Rex activated his hover-chair, and he and Amanda hopped out of the Iron Predator and continued on the way to Enderson's.

*****

"You snipers all think you're so cool, sitting up in your windows taking potshots. Why not come down here and see what real fighting's like?"
"Drat! Missed by a mile. A plague on you and your descendants, you stupid lizard!"
"Why the heck are they crowding around that bar? I never thought of raptors as the drinking types."
"Remember the Lusitania!"
"Pshh, I could clear the dinos out of that alley in ten seconds flat! Ten. Seconds. Flat." 

*****

"We got the opportunity," said B, "now we take it. Rob, Kev, you know where you need to go in there?"

Rob and Kevin responded affirmatively. At the high speeds, the cave seemed to rush up at them, and then the three were enveloped in total darkness. B stopped the Fire Hammer, and the three dismounted, drawing their weapons.

"Rob, find the generator. Kevin, find the security system," instructed B.

Rob quickly found the generator, and the cave was suddenly filled with light. While Kevin fiddled with the security system, B walked over to a workbench. He pushed aside what spare tools and bits of metal lay on it, and quickly found what he was looking for. "And to think that the last time I was here, it was only to open a box," he mused.

B heard an ominous click come from the back of the cave. He spun around and readied his pistol. A laugh echoed through the cave. "It's so good to see you, B. I thought you'd never get here!"

B swore, recognizing the voice as belonging to the Inferno agent Bio-Eyes. "Can nobody I kill stay dead?"

"That's your hello?" scoffed Bio-Eyes. "I mean, c'mon! I'm the next Mr. Ruler of the Universe, and you're wondering why I'm not dead already? Tough crowd. You see, B, we really aren't that different. Wait, that's too cliché. How about this? Give me what you just found, and you won't die!"

"Overconfident, arrogant, and flamboyant in a very evil manner?" mused B. "You definitely are one of Inferno's elite goons."

"Please, B," said Bio-Eyes, "'goon' is a term that is beneath me."

"Let's add conceited to that list, shall we?" B snarled.

"Shall we conclude the first stage of the proverbial duel of wits?" said Bio-Eyes. "As much as I'm enjoying this, we must get to the actual witty banter, as I am on a bit of a schedule."

B seethed with anger. He took a step toward the Inferno agent at the back of the cave, but the sound of multiple rifles cocking made him stop in his tracks. He realized that there were more Inferno agents surrounding them.

"Look," said Bio-Eyes, "I'll give you the information you're looking for! You see, I'm sure that everyone you've killed has stayed dead! In fact, I'm not the person you think I am! Dr. Inferno has, you know, only a certain amount of templates for elite henchmen, and I am, in fact, only the second to bear the title 'Bio-Eyes'!"

B did not care for this trivia fact. "Look, 'Bio-Eyes', I'll give you three choices: surrender now, and potentially live, fight now, and die, or run screaming out of the cave like a little child, and probably die at the hands of my teammates. Your choice."

"Come now, B!" said Bio-Eyes. "I'm sure you know that you're outgunned and outnumbered in more ways than one! We all want a quick and easy end to this war, and that's why we're both here! Scheming: it's what this whole war's about, y'know. Everyone has their own personal agenda that they're pushing, and everyone wants out of the arrangement that they're in! Inferno, Ogel, Dr. Rex, everyone is planning something! I'm sure that as soon as the war is over, Ogel is gonna pull out some big plan that you're going to have to contend with, assuming your side wins! However, given these current circumstances, isn't likely. Inferno, you see, apparently isn't happy with the way the war is going. He wants to rule the world, not the rubble left after the apocalypse! So, he sent me here, and I think you know why."

"That seems a bit counterproductive, doesn't it?" remarked Rob, who was standing warily by the generator.

"Why would this be counterproductive?" asked Bio-Eyes.

"Because, don't you know?" said B. "Sequels almost always bomb in whatever they attempt. By the way..."

B nodded at his teammates, and they launched into action. Before the Inferno agents knew what hit them, they lay on the ground, dead. B then aimed his pistol at Bio-Eyes and fired. The shot echoed through the cave, and the body slumped to the ground.

"Eat lead, you son of a MegaBlok."

*****

After clearing the pile of rubble, Rex and Amanda Claw moved with urgency as they made their way down the street. Rain washed over them as they moved, and Amanda often splashed in puddles along the way. Luckily, Zed Provhezor had likely taken rain into account when he designed the hover-chair because it was designed so that all circuits were well-protected from the water to prevent any short-circuiting. Every time they came to an intersection, Amanda pointed in the direction to go. The more they ran, the closer the sounds of battle came.

At last, Rex and Amanda stopped in front of a bar with the word "ENDERSON'S" written in bold letters displayed above the door. However, the place looked as though a bulldozer had run through it. Recognizing it as the work of a Mutant T-Rex, Rex traded glances with Amanda. Slowly and cautiously, they entered the wrecked bar. Inside, they found two Mutant Lizards scavenging for meat, and Rex quickly dispatched them with the Cosmotronic Ray.

"Hello?" called Rex. "Anyone in here?"

No reply. Rex and Amanda were about to turn and leave when they heard a cough. From behind the counter, they saw two familiar figures rise, each one leaning on the other for support. As they limped towards Rex and Amanda, Rex was disturbed by all the cuts and bruises that covered their skin and all the blood stains on their torn clothing. Quickly, Amanda ran forward to assist them, giving them extra support to walk.

"Oh my Builder," whispered Rex. "How are you?"

"I've been better," one of them said with a shrug, "but I've been worse, too."

The other shook his head in disbelief. "I... can't believe it..." he sobbed. "I... I was sure that I was fast enough... but my speed... my speed failed me! Failed my kingdom! Failed... my father! My... my father...!"

The realization washed over Rex like cold water. "Is he...?" inquired Rex.

The first nodded grimly. "He... didn't make it."

Rex beckoned to them. "Come, we need to get you two out of here. It's not safe here, and it won't be safe elsewhere for long."

With that, Rex, Amanda, Greybeard, and Samuel Race exited Enderson's bar. Even in the small time that they spent inside the bar, they could see that the battle had intensified even more on the streets outside the bar. They caught a glimpse of a Fire Hammer speeding away, pursued by two Mutant Lizards and a Mutant Triceratops, which the jeep's Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher was trying to aim and fire at. Meanwhile, an Urban Avenger fired its Sonic Screamer at a swarm of Mutant Lizards but proceeded to be ambushed by a Mutant T-Rex.

"Let's go," said Rex.

"Wait." Amanda held up her hand, then pointed towards a car at the end of the block. It was a normal civilian car, but its alarms were blaring, and a pack of Mutant Raptors were keenly interested in it. Since Mutant Raptors were intelligent hunters, Rex doubted that they were merely distracted by the lights and noise of the car alarm, but instead more likely trying to get inside the car to get some fresh meat. "Hand me the Cosmotronic Ray. I think I can handle this."

Tossing the Cosmotronic Ray to Amanda, Rex told her: "Okay, but quickly. We need to return to the Iron Predator quickly, before even more Mutant Dinos show up here."

Amanda sprinted down the street towards the car. As soon as she was in range, she fired the Cosmotronic Ray at the nearest Mutant Raptor. The ray's beam hit the Mutant Raptor dead-on, and the creature stumbled. The other Mutant Raptors quickly took notice of her, but her aim with the Cosmotronic Ray was true, and they fell quickly. By the time Amanda reached the car, the Mutant Raptors were fallen.

Looking through the car window, she saw that there were indeed some Minifig passengers inside, none of which were wearing Dino Attack uniforms. She lightly knocked on the window, which rolled down to reveal a woman. "Thanks for that," she said, smiling in relief.

The woman looked strangely familiar to Amanda, but she was sure that they had never met. Raising her eyebrows, Amanda guessed, "You must be Enderson."

"Carrie," said the woman, nodding. "How did you know? I never forget a face, but I don't think I've seen you before."

"I know your brother, Bartholomew," explained Amanda. "He once mentioned having a sister, and I think I can see the family resemblance. I'm glad you're alright, Carrie, but what are you doing here? Mayor Frictionfit issued a mass evacuation a few hours ago."

"I know," sighed Carrie, "but I needed to stay behind, tend to my bar... and protect these two fellows from the upcoming dino attack. When the bar was no longer safe, we took to the rooftops and then tried to hotwire this car for a quick getaway. Of course, as you saw, it didn't quite work out."

Two fellows? wondered Amanda. She nodded to Carrie, then stepped forward and knocked on the driver's side window. When the Minifig in the driver's seat refused to lower his window, Amanda knocked again. This time, the window rolled down, and what Amanda saw filled her with disgust. "Trigger."

Apparently just as disgusted, Trigger replied with, "Venomosa. And so, we meet again." On top of that, sitting next to him was none other than the "eyepatched wonder" himself, Snake.

Pointing her Cosmotronic Ray at him, Amanda forced the car door open. "Step out of the car," she ordered. "Now."

Trigger glared at her with hatred in his eyes, but eventually he complied, knowing that she was not going to leave him alone otherwise.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Amanda muttered: "Wow, Trigger. Really? You know, I used to think that you were just a heartless mercenary who would complete a job by any means necessary. Guess I was wrong about that. You know, when I was… her… I at least had the decency to finish a job rather than ditch my employers in their darkest hour!"

"Oh, shut up!" snapped Trigger. "You're the one who betrayed the rest of us back at Dacta!"

"You know," mused Amanda, "it is kind of ironic. You are so MegaBlokland-bent upon killing me… not because I killed Keaton, Orange, and the others, but because I foiled your precious little job. And here you are, running away from another job. I guess, in your twisted mind that perverts everything to make you see things the way you want to see them, a little heist on Dacta Corporation is a million times more important than saving the world. Someone needs to get their priorities straightened out."

"I'm not a moron," growled Trigger. "I know when it's suicidal to stick with a job, and that's when I back out. No point in losing my life for money."

Amanda lowered her head, glaring at Trigger with fierce intensity. "Get your head out of your hip piece, Trigger! Look around you! The world is in ruins! This is not some little inconvenience that you can walk away from; this is the apocalypse itself! Mutant Dinos are everywhere across the world! Every spaceport has been destroyed, every spacecraft wrecked beyond repair… and even if you miraculously found some way off the planet, LEGO Planet is officially under quarantine, and nothing is allowed to leave the planet to prevent the Mutant Dino invasion from spreading to other worlds! There is no escape, Trigger! If you run from this job, and we lose this battle because you were not here to help us, you'll have nowhere to run."

Then, Amanda bent in close to Trigger, so close she could smell his disgusting cigarette-ridden breath, and pressed her knife to his neck. "And if we win this battle and I find out that you are such a blind idiot that you did not hear a word I said and then deserted us anyway... then I shall hunt you down and assassinate you without a second thought."

Trigger snorted. "If you're so MegaBlokland-bent upon killing me, then why don't you just do it now?"

Amanda lowered her knife, but she kept her eyes locked on Trigger. "Because, unlike you, I am not MegaBlokland-bent upon killing you. That night at Dacta, you let it change your entire life... for me, it was just another Tuesday, and I never gave you so much as a second thought after that night because I simply don't care about you at all. You're nothing, Trigger. You're just an empty shell without any personality. Montoya is a greater man than you can ever hope to be."

Pointing her knife at Snake, Amanda continued: "And you? You're as bad as him! If we win, you'll need that pardon... and if we lose, you won't need a pardon, because you'll be dead!'

Turning to Carrie, she sighed. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in this, Carrie. You're free to go, but be careful... LEGO City is not a good place to be at the moment."

As she turned to leave, Amanda heard a gun cock. Spinning around, she threw her knife, and her aim was true, as the flying knife knocked the pistol right out of Trigger's hand. As she retrieved her knife, Amanda shot Trigger one last death glare before departing.

"I hate that 4+ Figure," Trigger muttered to himself as she walked away. He turned toward Carrie, feeling suspicious of her for the first time. "She knew your brother?"

"I didn't know anything like that," insisted Carrie, nervously. "He never told me anything about Silencia Venomosa."

"You'd better be telling the truth," said Trigger. "Now, let's go."

"What about Silencia?" asked Snake.

"Znap her," replied Trigger. "I can take care of myself." 

*****

Dr. Cyborg was waiting for the people he contacted to call him back, so he was watching others attack Cyrista's Bane, trying to figure out any additions Dr. Rex may have made.

He saw two Fire Hammers driving up to it. He heard them over the radio. One would attack it, and try to get it to turn around. The other would then attack it from behind. The plan seemed to be working perfectly, except that when the second came behind it to attack, Cyrista's Bane looked over its shoulder and fired its eyebeam at it, melting the engine. If anyone hadn't been clued in yet that this isn't a normal Mutant T-Rex, then that should be a pretty clear indication.

"Hmm..." Dr. Cyborg said to nobody but himself. "How is that possible? They gave no indication of their plan, except... over the radio! Oh, scrap, this isn't good, not at all. That can now intercept radio transmissions and somehow understand them! I gotta warn people! But how..."

He trailed off as he looked at one of the two Cosmotronic Rays he had installed on the Titanium Predator. He remembered idly planning a communications system based off of recalibrated Cosmotronic Rays last night. He connected to it and changed the settings such as power and wavelength so it would transmit messages instead of death. He automated it to send messages to everyone within range not to use radio to plan attacks against Cyrista's Bane. With that done, he recorded a message and sent it to X1 via Cosmotronic Ray.

He had gotten responses from Nazareno and Zelda, saying they and the Urban Avengers with them would help. Helm and Hertz had volunteered, but Solomon had said he had something else to do currently. The message he sent to them using X1 to impersonate himself explained his plan.

*****

"I'm not sure what to do against that Dr. Rex," Cabin said over the comm of her T-1 Typhoon. "Everything we're throwing at him is doing nothing. If anything, I think it's just making him angrier."

"Focus on the cyborg first," instructed Rotor. "Dr. Rex may be the key target, but the cyborg is the greater threat at the moment."

"There's something up with this thing," Cabin said as she eyed Cyrista's Bane. "I think it might be intercepting our radio transmissions."

"How's it doing that?" Rotor asked.

"I don't know," admitted Cabin. "Whatever it is, we got to do something."

"Alright," replied Rotor. "All units are to change radio frequencies every fifteen minutes." As he spoke, he began to change his own frequency.

"How will that help?" Cabin asked.

"Well, theoretically, it will have to adjust its senses to the changes in frequency. By repeatedly changing our frequencies, we might just be able to confuse it," explained Rotor.

*****

The first thing Zach heard was rain tapping on glass. Then he felt a drop land on his face. Blinking twice, Zach slowly rose to his feet and looked around, massaging his neck.

He was clearly in some building that hadn't been recovered yet from the initial Dino Attack. Furniture was tossed around, gaping holes in the wall, and everything was extremely dusty. He turned to the windows of the room and glanced out the broken one. He was at least a story off the ground.

"Finally. You're awake," a voice said from the shadows. Zach's eyes narrowed, remembering who this person was. He turned around and saw the thin outline of the man from the darkest corner of the room. "I'll admit," the man said. "I probably wouldn't have recognized you if you hadn't punched with that Builder-forsaken hand of yours. It hurt the first time in the tent on Adventurers' Island, it'll hurt again on the battlefield that is LEGO City. What was your name again?"

"Zachary Virchaus," Zach said with scoff. "Can't even remember my name, Oswald?"

Oswald Fabello stepped out from the shadows, no longer wearing the helmet and cloth, with a scowl on his face. Zach was surprised to see Oswald's physical appearance change so drastically since Adventurers' Island. His once handsome face had gained a sunken look on his face with bloodshot, tired-looking eyes. His blond hair was somewhat unkept and had the barest hint of gray in it. "I honestly couldn't care less about you, Virchaus. I haven't been secretly plotting your demise since leaving Adventurers' Island."

"Busy plotting Minerva's, right?"

Oswald smirked. "Not quite."

"Where are we, exactly?"

Oswald shrugged. "A building on the 'XERRD' side of the river. Don't know what it’s for, but I don't really care."

"Alright, and so why did you bring me here?" Zach was preparing to launch a ball of Maelstrom at Oswald so he could leave.

"I wanted to talk. I have no desire to kill you. Yet." Oswald took a seat in one of the few right-side-up chairs. "The more cooperative you are, the less likely I'll have to kill you."

Zach knew he should've just blasted Oswald and left. "Are there any more XERRD guards, or is it just you?"

It was Oswald's turn to scoff. "They're all gone. Blaire Darkling dismissed them all."

Zach remembered Carolyne Provencal mention this Blaire Darkling fellow. "Why would he do that?"

Oswald shrugged. "He gathered us all up last night, which was around fifty of us. He flatly told us that we all probably die tomorrow and, considering the recent revelations at the Maelstrom Temple, he dismissed us. Told us to run off. Escape and rejoin society in Antarctica. It would be easy to claim that all us died in the battle."

"Rather noble. But you remain," noted Zach. "But while you were deceived into believing XERRD's ideology, I imagine most of the guards were there for survival from the Mutant Dino apocalypse."

Oswald smirked. "You're not as stupid as you look. Besides that, I have a few scores to settle. Now, are you going to cooperate?"

Zach sighed. "What do you want?"

Oswald stood up. "Where is Minerva?" His voice was cold and serious.

"So confident in that she survived?"

Oswald laughed coldly. "Even if today had ended up being the day the Maelstrom gave its reckoning to this rock, Minerva would've survived until the final moments."

"I don't know. I saw some of what the Darkitect was planning. Bit hard to survive that."

Clearly not amused, Oswald stepped toward Zach and punched him hard in the mouth. "Now, where is she?"

There was no use lying. Rubbing his jaw, he said, "She was that agent that you threw into the backseat of the Fire Hammer by the throat."

"Son of a-" Oswald turned away from Zach, running a hand through his hair in an irritated fashion. "Fine, fine," he muttered, clearly to himself. "We can still work this out."

He turned back to Zach. "In the meantime..." Zach grimaced, prepared to get some sort of beatdown from the former Dino Attack agent. However, Oswald merely took a seat, staring at hard at Zach. "So tell me," Oswald began, running his hand through his hair. "What exactly is your relationship with Minerva?" Zach raised an eyebrow at this sudden change of tone. "I know what I said back on Adventurers' Island, but now I'm genuinely interested."

Zach remained silent.

Oswald rolled his eyes, but nodded. "I see. Friendzoned."

Zach coughed. "What?"

"You know, when-"

"I know what it means, thanks." This sudden talk reminded Zach of Stromling!Zach's angsty lashing at Minerva for, more or less, moving him into this so-called "friendzone", despite never really making a proper advance toward her. Thinking about now, he realized how embarrassing it was. He had been stung, sure. But he hadn't really held it against her.

Oswald raised his hands defensively, half-grinning. "I'm not really surprised. You don't really seem like her type. Sorry, mate."

Zach glared at Oswald. "Actually, I guess you would consider us in some type of romantic relationship."

Zach could see Oswald becoming more and more amused. "I hope you don't mind if I doubt you."

Zach shrugged. "Whatever, 'mate'. How about this? Minerva is the greatest friend I found in this war and, among other things, without her, I'd be a ridiculously over-the-top zombie."

Oswald gave Zach a curious look. "Okay. Well, you're clearly in love with her. I thought she may have had feelings toward you, but I don't know. You seem like a pathetic nerd trying to prove to me that you 'got the girl' for the first time in your life."

"What do you want me say?" Zach demanded, growing angry. "Say something only her older brother would know about her?" Oswald shrugged. Zach thought for a moment, then: "Your dad was murdered, your mother's insane, and she murdered your brother."

Zach quickly found Oswald's hand around his throat again. Oswald glared at him for a brief moment before stepping away, releasing his grip. "Perhaps you're right. Minerva wouldn't share that you unless you were close." Oswald sat down again, breathing heavy. "The old family shame," Oswald muttered. "You just became a bit more important to me, Virchaus."

"Perfect," Zach said sarcastically.

"I imagine when she told you the story, she glamorized and avoided her own faults."

"Like what? Mentioning her kleptomania?"

Oswald's face darkened. "She nearly ruined us more times than she would ever admit because of her issues. Tod and I told her to stop, but she didn't listen."

"Rather hypocritical," retorted Zach. "She told me she continued to steal because, despite both of your objections, your family ate the food she stole."

"It wasn't a problem until she was older," Oswald hissed. "She took her grief over Tod's death out by stealing even more than before. It became tick for her just to swipe something without even realizing it. And with this, she got caught, forcing me to pay what little money we had already to get her out. The cops would lighten the fee occasionally because they knew what happened to us. They figured what had happened 'messed up' Minerva. They pitied us." Oswald spat the last words out angrily.

"But in the end, she's moved on," said Zach. "Because of Breen and Provencal, you continue to hang on to the past and let it drive your future far more than it should."

Oswald sneered. "How philosophical. Breen and Provencal were right, though. Whatever aspirations I had were crushed because I had to take care of an ungrateful brat."

"It's not her fault," Zach said angrily.

"You're right. It isn't," Oswald said, surprising Zach. "At least not all of it. I suppose I should factor some blame in for dear old mom, eh? She's the reason my brother is dead and why I had to take care of Minerva in the first place."

"She's dead."

Oswald raised an eyebrow amused. "Unfortunate. I had hoped to do the honors myself." Zach simply stared. If Athena Fabello was still alive, would Oswald really have the nerve to kill her? "One last thing. Out of curiosity, why do you even like Minerva?"

Zach paused. "As I said, she's my best friend. She saved me from the Maelstrom even after everything I did. Even if she was a bit rough around the edges and having a messed up past (which includes you, by the way), Minerva is a nice person and means well to everyone, from a former zombie to an insecure Hybrid and, unlike you, can put her past struggles behind her and move on."

Oswald was silent, simply glaring at Zach as he considered what the young Elite Agent said. "That's all I needed." Oswald said finally with a shrug. He walked toward Zach and launched three punches at Zach's face before he could realize what was about to happen. A few punches later, Zach felt himself fall back into unconsciousness. 

*****

This is the message Dr. Cyborg sent to everyone helping him:

"Alright, here is the plan. Helm and the Urban Avengers will just shoot at Cyrista's Bane. Running around it, changing course, that kind of stuff. When it shoots its tail at you, that is when Nazareno and Zelda will grab it and climb onto his back. Slice away at any skin you can find. Hertz, I want you to build a device that can discharge a car battery in a second. I will use this and stun him for a minute or two. While he is down, I will interface with the hormone injectors and relax it enough to knock it out. Alright everyone, get to work."

"What about those of us in the air?" one of the pilots said over the radio.

"Try and fire at it," Cabin said. "It's got to have a weak spot somewhere. I'd say aim for the exposed flesh. Hopefully, that ought to slow it down."

It was not long after that Rotor put his hand on the trigger and hit the button. He fired a rocket straight toward Cyrista's Bane. 

Cyrista's Bane roared in happiness. This is what it was made for. It shot its eyebeam at an Urban Avenger circling it, barely missing it. Incoming at three o'clock, a voice in its head said. It turned and clawed a missile out of the air, directing it to an old office building. The building exploded. Cyrista's Bane roared again, also in happiness. This was the most fun it had ever had! 

Remember Alpha Rex's directive, the voice said. Cyrista's Bane hadn't forgotten, it just had not seen its primary objective - the one who abandoned it, which he was named after, the one person that should have been its friend, but had hated it and left it, according to Alpha Rex. It kept on the lookout, for revenge.

*****

Andrew did his best to maneuver around one or two wrecked Urban Avengers as he kept his distance from the Mutant Spinosaurus. It wasn't exactly chasing them, thanks to a few well-aimed lightning bolts striking it in the eyes and leaving it blind. Even so, a raving mad Spinosaurus was dangerous, even if it didn't know where it was going.

Several other vehicles were working to help taking it down, firing nonstop at the legs. The creature was obviously made to take a lot of fire, but he was showing quite a bit of wear by now. In the meantime, Andrew's Fire Hammer was focusing more on the various other Mutant Dinosaurs running about.

"If I had to guess," a guy alongside the river was saying to Laxus over radio, "we've taken out maybe... maybe one-third, perhaps a half of the forces around here. At this rate, assuming we get that cyborg thing taken care of and manage to weaken Dr. Rex's control, we could have this under control by lunch."

"Don't count on it," Minerva said from the back seat. "How about the forces on the other side of the river? Do they have any encampments we can take out?"

"Most of them are moving over to nearby buildings over here. They're trying for a foothold, but they're going to probably be wary about settling, especially after what Semick did over there."

"Then I guess we just have to keep to holding out," said Laxus. "Keep a bird's-eye view out, Observer, and stay alive."

"Affirmative."

"Hold on!" Andrew cried out, and he suddenly jerked the vehicle hard to the left to avoid getting hit by the Spinosaurus, now fully weakened and falling to the ground. As he came to a sliding stop, the vehicle crew managed to catch their breath as the comm went crazy again.

"TIIIIIMBEEEEER!"
"I sure wish Alpha was here. That allegedly super-super speed could come in handy."
"How did he even get all that armor to cover him and let him move freely?!"
"HQ Turret 4 down for repairs!"
"Why are you swordfighting that sorcerer? Just shoot him!"
"Here comes another wave! Chains, Wolf, Hoxton, you're all with me!"
"This reminds me of a time my buddy Keith spent a week with the Adventurers."
"You're not making me a handicap, lizardhead!"
"Ramirez, cover me!"
"Everyone with Dallas!"

"One big guy down," Catless remarked from the turret, "a dozen or two to go."

*****

"All units are to change radio frequencies every fifteen minutes," Rotor was saying. "We suspect Cyrista's Bane of being able to intercept and understand our radio transmissions, so we have to protect our strategies from interception."

"We're bringing several Dinos back with us to give B the time to work on a plan of his," said Kat. "I'd say we might also want to prepare ourselves for more Inferno henchmen. Everyone, be prepared for enemies with guns and fast vehicles of their own."

"If Inferno thinks he can take you out easily, he's gravely mistaken," said Osprey over the Agents linkup. "Both we and Alpha Team, who we have word is on their way with a few surprises of their own, will be more than able to help you take out his men."

"Alright, here is the plan," Dr. Cyborg was saying. "Helm and the Urban Avengers will just shoot at Cyrista's Bane. Running around it, changing course, that kind of stuff. When it shoots its tail at you, that is when Nazareno and Zelda will grab it and climb onto his back. Slice away at any skin you can find. Hertz, I want you to build a device that can discharge a car battery in a second. I will use this and stun him for a minute or two. While he is down, I will interface with the hormone injectors and relax it enough to knock it out. Alright everyone, get to work."

"I caught Trigger and Snake trying to desert the field," Claw was now saying. "If no one spots them around our area by the end of it, or sees a civilian car speeding off in the opposite direction of the base, they're open for arrest. But if you see a woman riding with them, let her go. She's not involved with them. Don't arrest her. And I have Rex's backing on that, Pharisee, if you're listening."

Semick listened to these transmissions with great interest as his and Pointman's T-1 Typhoons returned to the main battle area. It was good to see that the rest of the team was also coordinating parts of the battle as well as he had been. It meant well if anything was to happen to any one of them. It also made him more confident when he heard some of the things on the main comm frequency.

"No, no, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen!"
"Look out, here comes Tom!"
"Where's MyBot when you need him?!"
"Has anyone seen the Founding Members out here yet? I'd figure they'd not want to just sit through this one."
"I threw three RPGs at Dr. Rex! It's just silly how much damage he's taking!"
"What? How did you… oh, rocket-propelled grenades. Silly me, I thought you were talking about roleplaying games."
"Wait, when did Reptile show up again?"
"Hey, listen! Aim for the joint cracks!"
"Guys, I think King Race is dead!"
"So it goes."
"Where the Znap is the Renaissance!?"

*****

"Like the guy on the radio says," Stranger was saying to some of the agents trying to snipe at Dr. Rex, "you have to aim at the weak points. Cracks in the armor he uses to let himself move, holes for his important facial features, his teeth. It's simple stuff, really."

"You realize how much he's moving?" Scope said. "I'm not saying you're wrong, only that it's harder than it seems."

"That's why it's a challenge," Stranger said with a smirk. "You rarely get this sort of activeness with deer, after all."

Stranger focused once more through his laser sniper rifle. Dr. Rex was rampaging again, going after a few T-1 Typhoons. As he stopped to focus his eye beams, Stranger managed to get one eye right in his scope, and fired.

The lovely beam of light his weapon's ammo produced fired straight out and hit it right in the bullseye. The monster groaned in a bit of pain and stumbled, and Stranger grinned.

"You see?" he said to the others. "That's how it’s done. Wait for the right moment, and BAM."

Turning back to his line of fire, the Western survivor felt a chill run over him as he realized that Dr. Rex, now recovered and obviously mad again, was looking almost right at him, almost appearing to be focusing his eyesight...

"DUCK!" Stranger cried out, and he shifted down flat on the floor mere seconds before he felt red-hot heat sear right over his back. Looking up, he managed to see the beam pass through several other windows on the sniping floor. Dr. Rex must've been sweeping the floor in an attempt to get rid of him and the other snipers.

Luckily, when this Dino Attack HQ had been built by Brick League United, the engineers had designed the facade with the most intense T-Rex eye beams in mind, so there was nothing to worry about in terms of structural integrity. Only the fires that sparked up when the beams torched the various crates in their line of sight. As Dr. Rex stopped his eye-sault, several agents were already making a run for the fire extinguishers.

He could hear Shotgun breath out a large sigh of relief. "Do NOT do that again, Stranger," he said.

"I got it, I got it." Stranger got up, readjusted his hat, and grabbed his rifle bag and ammo bag. "I won't try it here again, but I don't think I'm done with that trick yet."

And before anything else could be said of the matter, Stranger headed for the stairs. 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 64: Shock and Awe

----

"Most of them are moving over to nearby buildings over here. They're trying for a foothold, but they're going to probably be wary about settling, especially after what Semick did over there."

"That sounds like something we can take care of," Elizabeth said. "What do you guys think?"

"Aye!" Dynamite shouted. "Let's go give those guys MegaBlokland!"

"I think we can do it," replied Elizabeth. "With my sword, your guns, their demolitions, and her flamethrower, we can take out the ground forces easily. Now, which button here was the radio…?"

Elizabeth attempted to turn a few dials for a moment before speaking: "You just point us in the right direction and we'll take care of the ground forces." 

*****

Reptile acknowledged Semick's departure from headquarters defense, and turned all his attention to securing the HQ.

So far, the attacks had only begun to touch HQ itself. Pterosaurs had continued to menace them, but the radar cannon weaponry he had designed in the comm center was continuing to prove effective. And T-Rexes and Raptors on the ground who had tried to get too close to them had been taken out from the air.

But that didn't mean they could ignore HQ. Dr. Rex had moved a large Dino army into the subway system and compromised their forward position, which meant that he could have more armies in the subway system, or using far more outlandish methods of moving about, waiting to strike. If he ordered everything that was focused on defending HQ to intercept these new arrivals…

Reptile briefly considered if they could secure the subways somehow. Obviously, they were stretched far too thinly to push agents into the subways, but if any of the automated systems still worked, he might be able to...

His thoughts were abruptly cut off as a small group of T-Rexes charged straight at Headquarters. They trampled over a few Urban Avengers on patrol below and fired their laser vision at an Iron Predator.

"Fire!" Reptile ordered, and three T-1 Typhoons (including his own) fired their sonic weaponry, knocking out the T-Rexes.

And that was that. But it alarmed him that they had been able to get so close to HQ in the first place... He checked the battle map on his computer screen.

Reptile frowned. "Tail, you're more of a soldier than I am. What do you make of this data?" he said.

Tail, checking the battle map on his own computer, hesitated before answering. "I'd say... ever so subtly, defenses are being drawn away from key inner positions. That's how raiding parties of Dinos, like that bunch of T-Rexes, are able to get closer than they should be: overcoming the limited defenses we've left in their path."

"I thought the same," Reptile agreed. "To me, that suggests that, once most of the Iron Predators are in the field, and the T-1s redeployed closer to the river, and the Urban Avengers we've left on patrol have been taken out... they'll make a big push straight through here and into Headquarters."

"But what about the automated turret systems? There's a pretty nice amount of automated weaponry being set up in the HQ," Tail objected. "Surely those would hold the Dinos long enough for T-1s and Iron Predators to get back here. Even if they try it, we'll probably win the day anyway."

"Unless XERRD have infiltrated Dino Attack - something we know they've done before - and have agents waiting to deactivate the defenses," Coral muttered grimly.

"Either way, I'm not sure what we can do about it. I could order more agents to hang back on base defense, but they're badly needed out there," Reptile said, frowning.

"And, if we turtle and reinforce the defenses, Dr. Rex might change his plan to be something else we can't predict," Tail added.

"Right..." Reptile trailed off. And suddenly, the uncertainty in his tone was replaced with command. "So this is what we're going to do. We're going to hold position, and continue to organize defenses. Tail, Coral, I'm going to be working on a few... extra surprises should the Dinos make a big push this way. In the meantime, keep us alive and attack anything that comes too close to base."

With that Reptile set to work yet again in the makeshift laboratory in the back of their T-1 Typhoon. Maybe he couldn't seal off the subway system, but there was something else that he just might be able to make work.

*****

Commander Holly Vinyaya fought in the battle at the control of an Iron Predator. With Dr. Rex using a decoy and leading in more Mutant Dinos into the battle from the subway station, she had taken command of a group of three Iron Predators to head off the swarms of Lizards and Raptors. She would occasionally glance up to the armored behemoth that was Dr. Rex, contemplating ways on how to take him down.

Everything is being fired at him and he's hardly flinching, Vinyaya thought angrily. Those tiny chinks in his armor barely helps when using conventional fire. The only real idea she had at the moment was to use some of the team's Green Goo and knock out Dr. Rex, where they could deal with him somewhat easier.

A Mutant Raptor snapped angrily at her as she drove the Iron Predator. "Butler!" Vinyaya snapped to the bald, hulking man controlling the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. "Get rid of it!" He nodded once and turned his weapon, sending the Raptor sprawling. Above her was another large, broad-shouldered man named Shacklebolt, who was wiping out large groups of Mutant Dinos with the Cryothermic Cannon.

Vinyaya was paying close attention to the radio conversations. While a lot of it was chatter between comrades (some had decided to layer their chatter with pop culture references, as she soon noticed), she was picking up important pieces of information. She could clearly see the cyborg-Mutant-T-Rex-thing apparently called Cyrista's Bane causing trouble at the front lines. The Agents had arrived and the Alpha Team was on the way. Dr. Inferno's forces were finally entering the battle after a long hiatus between the battle on LEGO Island and now, and Zachary Virchaus had disappeared after he and Minerva Fabello had confronted a mysterious assailant.

Vinyaya found herself just somewhat shaken with Virchaus's disappearance. She knew from the moment that Specs announced this battle that anything could happen and anyone could die. Even if she found him somewhat annoying, she found it almost cruel that after the MegaBlokland the man went through on Adventurers' Island, he had suddenly been taken out so early in the battle.

She wondered faintly who of the many people she had met and bonded with in the past week would die. Logan Zekria and Julius Kelp had already passed. Who was to say that other close friends wouldn't die? Fabello, Zelda, Nazareno, Andrew, Laxus, Bluetooth-

She paused. Bluetooth? Strange that his name popped into her head. The only time they had spoken was about that invasion force out in space moving toward Earth and when he was trying to free Rotor and Brown from their cells after French Fries' kangaroo court. He had also aided Andrew, Laxus, and Minerva in helping get Vinyaya to safety after being knocked out by Virchaus during the Mutant Dino ambush. In reality, she hardly knew the man. The only real connection felt she felt with him was that they both operated in the space on a normal basis.

Vinyaya sighed. A shame I did not get to know him. We might have connected in some way. She allowed herself a faint grin as she remembered how visibly nervous Bluetooth had been first speaking with him. Regardless, she wished for his survival in addition to the other Minifigs that she had met.

She shook her head as if to clear her mind. Stop being so emotional. There's a battle to win. 

*****

Elizabeth brought the Iron Predator to a stop, in a small alley close to the river. She could see various minifigs moving through the river. They were mostly armed and traveling in small groups in boats. A camp could just be seen in the distance beyond it; at least, that's what it looked like through her telescope.

"What are they doing here?" Firecracker asked.

"Probably just a precaution," Elizabeth said. "Just a little bit more of an advantage, as if dinosaurs weren't enough."

"Well then," Maria said. "I say we go an' take 'em all out before they get their act together."

*****

Hertz had all monitors directed at Cyrista's Bane. The abomination stalked through the wet pavement as lightning flashed overhead. He was unable to get a clear vantage point of the monstrosity, aside from satellite images and from security cameras placed along the base, but based on feedback from the agents attacking, he was able to get a clear idea of the proceedings.

"Hertz," Doctor Cyborg was saying, " I want you to build a device that can discharge a car battery in a second. I will use this and stun him for a minute or two. While he is down, I will interface with the hormone injectors and relax it enough to knock it out. Alright everyone, get to work."

The radio operator shook his head and held the speaker to his mouth. "Can't do, Cyborg. I'm not an inventor, but I do have a few tricks and codes I can use to slow it down. By the way, what are you operating on? It's not your radio."

"What codes?" whispered Shannon. "You never told me any codes."

Hertz held his hand over the mouthpiece and addressed his colleague. "I'm thinking of them as I go. Give me a chance."

His aide rolled her eyes as she turned back to the Liner Jamming Matrix. The device was armed, and she waited to activate it on Hertz's order.

"Based on the scans I'm getting, Cyrista's Bane is 42% metallic," Hertz said into his headset. "It's basically a normal T-Rex with a few extra tricks. It's just as dumb as the rest of the brutes, so we can cut of its signal and isolate it from its director."

"Hertz, no!" said Cyborg. "It can listen into your transmissions! It's intercepting nearby transmissions, so I'm using a recalibrated Cosmotronic Ray!" 

"I have a secure network set up," responded Hertz. "I've been doing this for a long time, so I know how to have a private conversation. However, all agents are using a different frequency now, so I have not been able to ensure everyone is in contact. Once we have a chance, put them back on the same channel ASAP. Regardless, I'm on the opposite end of the base, so we're not in danger from Cyrista's Bane for the time being."

He rolled his chair over to the foosball table where he had a radio dish set up. It felt strange being an omnipotent presence on the battlefield. The experience felt surreal, and it felt strange sending out commands in his comfortable chair while others died in the rain. He almost felt guilty. I don't deserve this, he thought.

"I'm going to triangulate the source of the signal being used by the beastie. If a keeper is directing it, we can find him and cut it off. If not, I can figure out what wavelength it's operating on and send some painful noises to distract it."

The gruff voice of elite agent Rotor was suddenly heard in Hertz's ear. "Be advised to alter your frequency. We're changing ours every fifteen minutes."

He acknowledged. Rotor must not have heard what he had just said to Cyborg. That was the problem with inconsistent alterations. "If you're changing frequency, you won't be in contact with the rest of your team. Be patient, and I'll fix that."

The visual representation on the TV showed all the signals moving in the given area. All the frequencies of the agents appeared to changing every fifteen minutes, just as Cyrista's Bane locked on.

"It operates on an interception principle," announced Hertz. "Roughly 40% of its knowledge is being picked up and based on wave transitions. I have the ability to blind it to all incoming information and severely weaken its perception of its surroundings. Once it's done, it will just be another really big T-Rex with robotic arms."

"What's the catch?" asked Cabin. "Sounds a little too good to be true." 

The radio operator frowned. "The operating system I'll use is rather… apparent… Once I initiate the jamming sequence, my location will be relatively simple to pick up. If they have a good wave specialist, they could send a team to kill us and turn off the jammer in a matter of minutes."

"Is it worth it?" asked Rotor.

"As long as no one interferes, I can keep the system running indefinitely and rob Dr. Rex's and Dr. Inferno's men of all communication with each other via radio," responded Hertz. "There's enough agents still in the base that we can put up a fight if the time comes."

"Do it," said Dr. Cyborg. "Just make sure to…"

Hertz frowned and fiddled with his headset. Cyborg's call had suddenly cut off, and for a moment, all waves in the vicinity of Cyrista's Bane went dead. After a second, everything came back on line and he regained his visuals.

"That's weird," muttered Hertz. He turned to Shannon. "Pull the switch."

Elite agent Shannon Grimton nodded and activated the Liner Jamming Matrix.

*****

Cyrista's Bane let out a ferocious roar and cut off the broadcasts of all agents in the vicinity. He rather enjoyed the trick, and he was happy to make his prey struggle in confusion. He focused his attention on a sword-wielding agent on a Steel Sprinter who was saying something into his radio, and Cyrista's Bane was able to focus on the transmission like a bloodhound. Waves were like a sixth sense to the cyborg, and he could easily track the source of any signal in the area.

Suddenly, a high-pitched wail shot through his brain, and his tracking system died. Cyrista's Bane roared in frustration as he tried to locate a signal, but he was now deaf to the world. With no source of direction, the monstrosity found it near impossible to locate agents in the rain.

The abomination missed his signals. He liked being able to eavesdrop on agents as they tried in vain to kill him. Regardless, he would endure. If he could not use its radio, no one could. He let out a long roar of frustration.

*****

The XERRD scientist looked at his radio in frustration. All he was getting was static, and he had no means to contact his men. Everywhere across the battlefield, Inferno Helicopters and Jets lost formation, and agents on the ground stopped to investigate their radio malfunction.

The scientist looked across the river to spot a familiar Inferno henchman pounding his head set in annoyance. "Spy Clops!" barked the scientist. "Get over here."

The spider-legged cyborg on the other side of the river shrugged and kept pounding his headset. "I can't hear you!" he called "My radio's not working!"

"Just get over here!" yelled the scientist.

Spy Clops continued to look at his radio with a perplexed expression. He glanced back at the scientist in confusion.

"I'm not talking into my Znapping radio, just get over here!" He tossed his radio into the river and began cursing at Spy Clops.

The cyborg shrugged and scuttled across the river to join the XERRD agent.

"We've just been jammed!" the scientist yelled over the storm. "We're losing control of our forces. Isolate the signal and stop it before we descend into chaos."

Spy Clops nodded. "It might be hard to do without radios, but I can handle it. I'll send a team of Pterosaurs and Helicopters once it's isolated."

"Good," said the scientist. "But make it quick. A few minutes of confusion is all they need."

*****

Cyrista's Bane had recorded a general location where the jamming occurred. I'll try a reboot, the voice in his head said. You tell Pterosaurs to try to destroy the system. He roared orders to a pair of the dumber Mutant Pterosaurs to go there and report what they found. They did so, and came back.

The tall-red-tan building is where it came from, the home-well-defended of the hunt-kill-dino-team. Then destroy the antennas! Cyrista's Bane ordered. They flew off, executing a kamikaze maneuver on the big dish they had been told to incapacitate.

The squealing stopped suddenly. Reboot complete, the voice said, tracking and interception systems online. Cyrista's Bane was glad he would not have to rely on unreliable infrared to find enemies. He started to attack the agents circling him.

*****

Dr. Cyborg heard the squealing over the radio stop. That must mean Hertz's jamming system has been broken. He watched as the cyborg T-Rex continued attacking. He shot his tail at the Fire Hammer driven by Helm. "Nazareno, Zelda, X1, go!" Dr. Cyborg yelled.

They complied, and scampered up the tail to his back, slicing at the joints. Part of the genetic augmentations was toughened skin, Dr. Cyborg remembered as he saw their swords making no cuts. Cyrista's Bane roared as he tried to shake them off.

Dr. Cyborg got an idea. He connected his custom Sonic Screamer to the Titanium Predator's power generator, overcharging it. He took aim, and fired it at Cyrista's Bane's natural eye. It hit his nervous system, paralyzing him for a minute or two.

Dr. Cyborg hopped off the Titanium Predator, sticking the landing. He ran up to Cyrista's Bane, split his hands into wires and connected to him. Nazareno stood by, expecting him to say, "All clear!" any minute now. It never came. Instead, he heard him say, "That 4+ Figure!" This surprised Nazareno, as he had never heard Dr. Cyborg curse, even once.

"Everybody back away, now!" Dr. Cyborg yelled, running towards the group.

"Why?" Zelda asked.

"Run, and I'll tell you!" As the group backed away, starting up the vehicles, Dr. Cyborg explained why they had to run. "One small experiment I did in my free time with XERRD was the viability an A.I. using a human brain as a computer. We use so little of our brain space-"

"Isn't that just a myth?" Zelda interrupted.

Dr. Cyborg ignored her and continued talking: "There is more than enough computing power to house an A.I. As long as there is an electronic way into the brain, it can live inside of minifigs. When I left XERRD, I encrypted my files with an eternity code, intending to decrypt and reclaim them after the war. However, it appears Dr. Rex decrypted them and used them. Long story short, there is an A.I. living inside of Cyrista's Bane. That explains it being able to understand radio transmissions. It also explains part of its abnormal intelligence. But most importantly, the A.I. keeps me from injecting it with relaxation hormones. I can't shut it down! Everybody, run!"

He said the last part as Cyrista's Bane got up, and continued attacking the group. He called a winch down from the Titanium Predator and rode it back up to the Predator. He started running simulations of how to defeat it, with no brainwaves coming to mind. 

*****

"Hertz!" yelled Shannon. "Pterosaurs just knocked off our external signal dish! We lost our signal!"

"Transfer the matrix to an internal source," ordered Hertz. "The jammer is still working, but we have nowhere to broadcast it from. The range will be smaller, but it will be more secure."

Shannon wheeled her chair over to one of the dishes in the center of the room. Soon, Hertz saw the Liner Jamming Matrix was back online.

"Looks like their radios are deaf and dumb again!" announced the elite agent. "I just need to isolate Cyrista's Bane again before I can reinstate it again."

*****

Semick radioed in with Hertz. "Some Pterosaurs just threw themselves at some of the radar mounts atop HQ. How's your status?"

The fellow Elite Agent's response came in with a small amount of static. "They've taken out our main signal dish for jamming XERRD's radios. We're trying to restart it now, and focus it more on Cyrista's Bane. It's going to have less range, but hopefully more secure. Znap, Reptile, what happened up there?"

"They were going too fast!" Reptile responded shortly. "They must've aimed their bodies to hit the dish when the PLARRX systems knocked them out. There was nothing I could do!"

"Don't let it get to you, Reptile," said Semick. "You can't outmatch all their methods, no matter how hard you try. If it helps, I'll come help you with the organizing of-"

Dr. Cyborg suddenly burst in with a report on his status. "That son of a 4+ Figure's using an A.I. in Cyrista's Bane! My plans for shutting it down aren't going to work now! I'm trying to think of a new plan."

"Just make sure he keeps away from HQ and that your forces don't get wiped out from behind, and we should be good."

"Alright, but just know it may take me a while to think of something."

"Understood."

As Dr. Cyborg signed off, Reptile started up again. "Semick, I just want to say that move with blocking the subway entrance was a good one, but I fear that he's going to use the system to try and hit us elsewhere, even if there's no entrances nearby."

"We'll have to face that when the time comes, I'm afraid. Other than getting a team to seal off the tunnel to Dinosaur Island, I can't think of anything we can do about that."

"I'm working on something... but it's going to take some time. Also, we're going to need to watch the defenses. Tail says they're trying to subtly draw away our forces from the headquarters with the attack measures going on."

"Is that so?" Semick asked. He turned to Bluetooth and asked him how it looked.

"Well, I'm no battle expert," the technician said, "But I can see a small area of our front lines starting to weaken in Fire Hammer and T-1 support, right between the river and where Dr. Cyborg's keeping himself busy."

Semick groaned and held his chin in his hand. "That clever dino." Turning back to the controls, he reached back to the radio and gave out more orders. "Guys, the defense is starting to look weak around headquarters! Rex, make sure you still have at least three-fourths of the Iron Predators you started with keeping their watch around HQ! Andrew, Hotwire, try to direct most of the forces around the river to fall back enough to provide more cover around our building! Cabin, Rotor, continue keeping Dr. Rex busy! Dr. Cyborg, don't wander too far off!"

"You do realize with the amount of enemies coming in," Reptile said after Semick finished, "that this could be letting the forces they're fighting out there get a little too close to our area of defense?"

"Better than letting them have a thermal exhaust port to send a torpedo down, so to speak."

*****

When Zach came back into consciousness, he felt something apply pressure to his chest, as if it was leaning on him. It wasn't anything heavy, so he was content to just lay there and relax a short bit before figuring out what happened to him.

Then he heard a small sniffle. Then, a woman muttered quietly, "Please wake up!" The woman's voice was filled with fear. The pressure lessened on his chest as he felt his shoulders getting shook. He opened his eyes and saw the terrified-looking face of an older woman. "Oh!" she gasped, standing up and backing away from him.

Zach climbed to his feet, still feeling groggy as he examined this woman. She was a somewhat thin woman, wearing a white sweatshirt that was stained with dirt and cuts. Her dark blue jeans were also decorated with various tears and frays. She oddly didn't have any shoes, her bare, bruised feet clawing the floor anxiously.

She was clearly an older woman and had taken no efforts in trying appear younger. Her face had the usual signs an older person and her long blonde hair had multiple gray streaks. Despite this and probably more popular opinion, Zach considered the woman to be attractive in some form. He could only conclude that it was because the woman looked strangely familiar to him, but thanks to Oswald's head thrashing, he couldn't put a name on the woman's face.

"Why are you here?" Zach finally asked, brushing the dust off his person. "The Agents and Alpha Team should have evacuated everyone."

The woman gave him a confused look. "Who?"

"The Alpha Team and the Agents Defense Organization," Zach said, annoyed by this woman's lack of knowledge. "Agencies tasked with the protection of the LEGO Planet?"

The woman shook her head. "Never heard of them. I think I heard something about an L.A. organization protecting the planet though. Maybe it was them."

Zach frowned. L.A.? Like where that biomechanical guy (what was name? Leo?) worked before Evil Ogel destroyed it? This woman was clearly lost. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"No, but…" she glanced around the area they were in, which was the lower levels of a public parking garage. "I don't remember LEGO City being so big. It was hardly a town yesterday. Or in such disrepair. And-" She paused, her gray eyes become wide with concern. "I can't find my family!"

"Alright, hold on," Zach said, moving closer to her as she began to panic. "Where did you last see them?"

"At my house," the woman whispered.

"And where is that?"

The woman seemed to be thinking. "I-I can't remember. The city's so different. I-I-I just can't." Tears starting to stream out of her eyes.

Zach bit his lower lip. "Who's missing?"

"My husband and three kids. Two boys and a girl."

Zach nodded. Not wanting to bring up the possibility that this family may be dead, he assured her: "You're going to have to trust your husband to take care of your kids. I can't let you wander the city now, especially with what's going on."

"What's going-" The woman stopped, then screamed loudly. Zach turned and saw a green-skinned Mutant Lizard behind him, eyeing its two prey with glee.

Must've split off from the main group. "Stay behind me," Zach commanded. The woman obeyed without question, whimpering fearfully. Zach pulled the knife he had collected from the armory at and pointed it at the Mutant Lizard. The Lizard hissed and suddenly disappeared. "Shoot," Zach muttered.

"Where is it?!" the woman screamed, growing more and fearful.

"Stay calm," Zach said, gripping the woman's arm tightly. He glanced around the area, waiting for the attack. He could hear it. A faint snarl. "Get down!" he roared. The woman dropped to the ground and Zach stabbed his knife over his head. He heard a squeamish sound as the Mutant Lizard suddenly appeared, its mouth in the middle of the blade. The woman stood up and backed away as Zach removed the knife from the Lizard.

"Where are you-" He turned to the woman and saw her staring at the Lizard's carcass. Her eyes became unfocused for a brief moment before returning to reality. "What are you-"

"Who are you?" the woman asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "Where am I?" She rubbed her forehead. "I was taking the boys to school, and now I'm here?" The woman suddenly became angry. "What are you going to with that knife?" she demanded.

Zach dropped the knife. He was completely lost at what was going on. "I'm a friend, remember?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "I've never seen you before in my life."

She was clearly confused. Probably in shock. "I'm a friend. I'm... like a cop. I'm just here to protect you." The woman continued to stare at him. She moved close to him and picked up his fallen knife and pointed it at him. "Something's happened in the city. There are animals running around that want to kill you." The woman's hard glare loosened somewhat, but she remained on the edge. Zach sighed. "We have your family at a safe location. If you follow me, you'll find them."

The woman considered what he said. "They're safe?" Zach nodded, feeling somewhat bad for lying her. "What kind of animals are out there that would send the city over the edge?"

Zach pointed to the dead Mutant Lizards. "Creatures like that and more. Like... dinosaurs."

"How do I trust you?"

Zach shrugged. "I dropped the knife. I'm a part of a team tasked with defeating these creatures. I know the way to the safe location. I don't know what else I can say to make you trust me."

The woman swallowed hard, then set the knife on the ground at Zach's feet. She began to back away as Zach picked it up and sheathed it. He looked back up at the woman, who was still clearly suspicious.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she asked.

"Well, if you want to die..."

The woman allowed herself to faintly chuckle. "If you say so. I guess I'll go with you." She pushed him and started to head toward the exit ramp. She turned back briefly and gave Zach and hard look. "If I find out you did something to my family or try to hurt me, I'll kill you with my bare hands. I don't need a knife."

Zach simply nodded, the sudden hostility shocking him only briefly. "Understood."

"Good. Now let's go." 

*****

As the sounds of helicopters were faintly audible in the distance, Trigger slowly turned toward Carrie. "You're usually crazy-prepared, aren't you?"

Carrie nodded.

"You didn't by any chance keep blank rounds in case I'd need them?"

Carrie smiled. She reached into her pocked and handed two of them to Trigger, who promptly placed them into his pocket.

"You got a revolver?"

Carrie handed him one.

As the helicopter got closer, Trigger let out a sigh. "Listen, Carrie, I love you, alright?" As he spoke, he put two rounds into his gun. "I always have, ever since we first met in that bar. You're the one person I care about. As it happens, they think you're innocent, so even if they take you, you'll no doubt get through okay, so please don't take this personally."

"What?" Carrie asked.

"You see that helicopter up there?"

"Let's get out of here," Snake muttered.

"You crazy," replied Trigger. "If we start driving, they'll just open fire. There's an alternate method."

Carrie turned as she watched the helicopter approaching. At that moment, Trigger grabbed her and put his arm around her neck, and carefully placed the gun against the side of her head.

*****

The battle was heating up quickly. With a good portion of Dino Attack's forces concentrating on either Dr. Rex or Cyrista's Bane, more and more Mutant Dinos were slipping past the front lines and getting closer and closer to Dino Attack Headquarters. Luckily, the air support from the T-1 Typhoons and the line of defense set up by the Iron Predators prevented any from getting too close, but already they were too close for comfort.

For Rex, Amanda Claw, Greybeard, and Sam Race, this was evidenced by the fact that the street block around Enderson's bar, which only a few moments ago had a few scattered Mutant Lizards and a Fire Hammer or two, was now swarming with Mutant Dinos, with Fire Hammers and Urban Avengers around every corner trying to take them down. As Rex and Amanda escorted Greybeard and Sam to safety, they had to be careful not to end up in the line of fire, in the path of an incoming vehicle, or in the jaws of a hungry dinosaur.

"Come on!" called Rex, beckoning. "It's just over this pile of rubble! You can make it!"

"Aye," said Greybeard. "I could scale a mountain wi' a scrap o' metal fer a right leg if I wanted t'! Amanda, give Sam a hand while I climb - oof!"

The old pirate was interrupted as Amanda suddenly tackled him, knocking him to the wet pavement. Rex had only a second to react and pull his hover-chair back. Then, a rocket projectile hit the pile of rubble, exploding as it made contact and sending charred bricks flying in every direction. Rex felt the heat scorch his face, but he and the others were far enough away from the explosion that he did not receive any major burns.

"Wha-what was that?" stammered Sam Race, who was trembling and still very shaken from his father's recent death. "Who's firing rockets at us? No! This cannot be happening! I can't believe it! We've got Mutant Dinos and cybernetic T-Rexes and mad scientists and now rockets! We're doomed! We don't-"

"Duck!" shouted Rex as another rocket came their way. Luckily, Sam reacted in time, and the rocket sailed over them, colliding with a building. This time, Rex's eyes retraced the rocket's path to a nearby Cafe Corner. "There!" Rex shouted. "Fire into that window!"

Amanda, who still held the Cosmotronic Ray, fired a few blasts of energy into the window of the Cafe Corner from which their unseen assailant was firing rockets. Just before they hit, Rex thought he saw a flash of blue light in the window of the Cafe Corner. Regardless, no more rockets were fired, and they were safe to continue.

"Come on!" said Rex, pointing. "The Iron Predator's right there! Let's go!" Indeed, Frozeen kept the Iron Predator right where Rex and Amanda left it, and the Alpha Team agent was beckoning for them to hurry on board. As the tank's ladder was lowered, Amanda helped Sam Race and Greybeard climb aboard the Iron Predator before climbing in herself. Rex raised the hover-chair's altitude slightly before moving forward, lifting himself into the cabin of the Iron Predator.

"Uh, guys?" whimpered Sam Race. "We've got company!"

Rex, Amanda, Frozeen, and Greybeard turned to see what he was talking about. Rex paled as he saw an all-too-familiar Mutant T-Rex in silge-fashioned armor glaring down upon them with a mixture of cold intelligence and unpredictable madness in his eyes. "Go!" shouted Rex. "Get us out of here!"

Frozeen nodded, running to the controls of the Iron Predator and starting up the engine. As the massive tank began to drive away, Rex wondered why he was not moving. Looking down, he realized too late that he forgot to turn off his hover-chair and remained suspended in air while the Iron Predator sped away as quickly as possible. Looking up at Dr. Rex, who smiled viciously down upon him, all Rex could manage was, "Oh, Znap."

"Rex! Get out of there!"

Rex looked in the direction of the Iron Predator and was surprised to see Amanda and Greybeard running towards him. Rex pulled on the chair's joystick as hard as he could and tried to pilot it towards his friends, but it was not fast enough. Behind him, Rex heard Dr. Rex chuckle. Then, laser beams hit the pavement, evaporating rainwater into steam wherever they touched. Although Rex tried his best to avoid them, Dr. Rex must have been practicing with his laser vision, because on his second try, he hit Rex's hover-chair dead on target. Rex was ejected from the hover-chair as, just like in the Maelstrom Temple, it began to fly chaotically and erratically before crashing down upon the road, sending sparks flying as it skidded across the pavement.

Lying on the wet road, Rex simply shook his head and muttered: "Not again."

As Dr. Rex loomed overhead, Rex looked up and saw that Amanda and Greybeard were still coming towards him. They won't make it in time, Rex knew. "Run, you fools!" he shouted. "Forget about me!"

"Doctor Ronald Alexander!"

As the booming, all-too-familiar baritone voice rang through the air, Rex looked in Dr. Rex's direction and saw the Mutant T-Rex freeze for a few moments in surprise. Upon regaining control of his body, Dr. Rex snarled and began looking around for the source of the voice.

"I am Ogel, and I cannot be stopped!"

At last, Dr. Rex laid eyes upon the fire escape of an apartment building. Only now, Rex spotted the dark figure standing there, who wore entirely black clothing and armor, except for the golden visor of his helmet. What is Evil Ogel doing? wondered Rex. He's going to get himself killed!

"Now, foul beast, come and meet thy doom, if you dare!"

Without a second thought, Dr. Rex lunged forward and closed his jaws upon Ogel, who had no time to react. And just like that, one of the LEGO Planet's greatest masterminds, evil geniuses, and foulest villains was gone in a single bite. Rex gasped and stared in horror. While he was by no means fond of Evil Ogel, he was commonly regarded as the type of villain who, no matter what, would always find some way to escape defeat to come back later with a brand-new plan. And now, he was gone.

Ogel's sacrifice was not in vain. It distracted Dr. Rex long enough for Amanda and Greybeard to arrive. Amanda scooped Rex up in her arms and carried him like a baby, while Greybeard unsheathed his cutlass and looked ready for a fight. Unfortunately, the moment had passed, and Dr. Rex turned his attention back to Rex, Amanda, and Greybeard.

"You should have escaped," growled Dr. Rex, "while you had the chance." With a roar, he began to lunge forward to snuff out the lives of Rex, Amanda, and Greybeard, just as he had done with Ogel.

Suddenly, the entire wall of the apartment building fell away, revealing a gathered army of Skeleton Drones of various types. A few of them were in vehicles such as Snow Crawlers and Ogel Command Strikers, and they took to the air and began to fly around Dr. Rex like annoying gnats. Many other drones were manning turrets, and they fired upon Dr. Rex. Even though their shots were deflected harmlessly off of Dr. Rex's armor, the drones succeeded in catching the mad scientist's attention.

"He's distracted again!" whispered Rex. "Let's go!" Amanda and Greybeard agreed, as they turned and began to run in the direction that the Iron Predator had gone. "Why did you guys come back? You nearly got yourselves killed!"

"I promised I would never leave you, and I don't intend to break my promise," Amanda said with a solemn smile. "As soon as I saw your hover-chair floating away, I jumped out of the Iron Predator and ran back for you."

"An' I... err, accidentally stumbled an' fell out o' th' tank," said Greybeard, who sounded rather sheepish as he shrugged. "Now, let's get ye back t' that flyin' chair o' yers."

"Yes, I know it's a pain in the brick," said Amanda, "but it sure beats needing that wheelchair."

Rex laughed in agreement, looking up at Amanda. Reaching into his pocket, he felt Ben Gunn's ring, still safe inside. Ben Gunn's words echoed back to him: "Well, then, why wait?" Nodding determinedly to himself, Rex thought: There's no better time. 

*****

Despite being separated from the rest of the team, Elizabeth was doing okay at the controls of the Iron Predator. The Third Headquarters squad was so far doing... okay. In other words, they hadn't been able to do much just yet, and then it happened.

At that moment, someone started firing at them from behind. The shots mostly missed and did nothing. Clint turned to see an orange-suited man firing upon them. With a quick shot, he fired and killed the Inferno henchman instantly.

That was the least of their troubles, however. A few more were waiting down the road. It seemed these guys were quite keen to take advantage of a group of isolated agents. Taking cover worked at first, but then... BOOM!

The Iron Predator ran straight over a few mines. While structurally intact, the explosion brought the tank to a quick stop. Fireman was one of the first to come to her senses. She grabbed her flare gun and fired it at one of the enemy men, quickly lighting him. He ran around screaming, just long enough to distract them. Soon after, Clint and Angel Eyes were opening fire as they jumped out of the vehicle.

Elizabeth coughed as she tried to brush aside the smoke and step out of the Iron Predator, slowly getting to the ground. Another man attempted to sneak up on her, but within a few seconds, she ran her cutlass right through him.

There were a few more coming, and to their surprise, then they were blown up… twice.

"KABOOM!" Dynamite shouted as he jumped off the Iron Predator.

"Just like ol' times," Firecracker remarked with a fond grin.

Wearing her gas mask, Fireman quickly picked up her flamethrower before stepping down onto the ground with the others. She then took it off, hoping they could understand her. That just left Sarah Bishop, who came down with a shotgun ready to go.

"So what's the plan?" Maria asked.

"Something's going on here," Angel Eyes said. "Whoever these guys are, I don't think they like us. I say we work together to strike back at them, maybe find their base of operations. It can't be too far."

"How do we do that?" Sarah asked.

"We can just blow them up," Firecracker said excitedly.

"Very good," replied Angel Eyes with a grin. "Fireman, Maria, Clint and I can keep the men busy. Dynamite and Firecracker can get to work on finding them. Elizabeth and Sarah here can go with them, just to make sure they stay out of trouble. Everyone clear?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Good," declared Angel Eyes. "Then let's get moving."

*****

Minerva opened fire on a group of three Mutant Raptors that had strayed too close to the Fire Hammer. Upon disabling their force fields, Catless was quick to eliminate the dinos with the Xenon Launcher.

She sighed briefly. Minerva had hoped to stay with Zach until this battle was won or until one of them met their demise. Not knowing whether he was dead or alive made it worse. This is all too similar to what happened with Scratch, she thought. He had run after Scratch and came back missing his right hand. Now, he had been taken by some goon in a leather jacket. Considering the stakes of the battle, it seemed likely he would come back in a body bag.

Minerva kept running over ideas on who the man could be.

Whoever he is, Zach obviously made him mad. As she continued to fire upon Mutant Dinos, she noticed a Fire Hammer on fire nearby in a crater. "That looks like what that guy did to our Fire Hammer," Minerva pointed out.

Andrew glanced to the side briefly. "Definitely seems like the 'mysterious assailant' was looking for Zach specifically." Andrew's Fire Hammer moved close enough to the wrecked jeep to see two bodies slumped over on the dashboard, completely still.

Minerva grimaced. Zach made this guy very angry, she concluded sadly. She glanced at the window again and starting taking shots at Mutant Raptors and the just-appearing Inferno agents dressed in black-and-orange jumpsuits.

*****

"Vuorinen, Olzon, Nevalainen, Hietala. There's a nasty Mutant T-Rex here who wants make me a dead boy."
"On our way, Holopainen."
"You should try playing music like that Rotor guy, Zimmer. You too, Elfman."
"I guess Dr. Inferno's bringing the heat too, eh? Geddit?"
"Shut your mouth."
"What do the brown Mutant Lizards even do?"
"I wonder if playing the 'Song of Storms' backwards will make the sun come out, because this rain is really starting to bug me."
"There's this weird guy with tentacles stick out of back out here and Whoawhoawhoa. SMASH! I'M A-FIRING MAELASER!"
"Ogel just died guys. I bet Dr. Inferno is already celebrating."
"Celebrating with 'Disco Inferno', right? Right? Geddit?"
"What did I say, mate?"

Vinyaya was starting to become somewhat amused by the random comm chatter (except for the "Maelaser" bit. That was somewhat depressing to listen to). Perhaps it brightened her spirits just a little bit. Reminded her that the final battle didn't need to be a grimdark period of destruction, chaos, and sadness. Just a little light was all she needed.

"They're starting to slip through at an uncomfortable pace now," Butler said to her as he opened fire on a pack of Mutant Lizards. He was right. With this "Cyrista's Bane", Dr. Rex's decoy, and Dr. Rex himself, the front lines had become disorganized enough for more Mutant Dinos to move in closer to the Dino Attack Headquarters. It was particularly noticeable with larger numbers of Mutant T-Rexes breaking through.

"Keep them back, Shacklebolt," Vinyaya commanded. She received a deep grunt as the man fired a Cryothermic blast at a rampaging Mutant T-Rex that was stepping on a Fire Hammer that crossed its path. Combined with some firepower from a T-1 Typhoon from above, the T-Rex eventually dropped.

A Mutant T-Rex stomped up to the deceased T-Rex and leaned in close. It suddenly lifted its head and howled with fury. Probably a mate. As realistic Vinyaya was, she accepted that Mutant Dinos could be exceptionally intelligent. However, this was a war, and more often than not, living things died in wars. So Vinyaya treated the Mutant Dinos as enemy soldiers who needed to be gunned down.

The Mutant T-Rex fired several laser bursts at the T-1 Typhoon, which responded by firing its own weapons. Suddenly, the Mutant T-Rex made a fearsome jump. The T-1 Typhoon had clearly been flying too low, as the T-Rex managed to wrap its jaws around the helicopter's nose. Pulling it out of the air and slowly but surely incinerating the nose, the T-Rex jerked its head back and quickly turned it, releasing the helicopter as his head passed. The T-1 Typhoon flew across the battlefield for a few seconds before smashing hard into the concrete. It slid for a few more moments before it sunk into the river.

"D'Arvit," Butler cursed.

Vinyaya raised an eyebrow. Unusual euphemism. She mused. The Mutant T-Rex then turned its head and started stomping toward her Iron Predator angrily. "But appropriate. 'D'Arvit' indeed," she muttered before turning up to Shacklebolt. "Open fire!" The man obliged silently.

The Mutant T-Rex was taking fire from both Shacklebolt and a nearby Iron Predator. It fought past the pain and fired a laser beam at Shacklebolt. There was a short grunt of pain before a loud thud as he fell out of his seat. It then quickly turned and blasted the gunner out of the other Iron Predator.

"Butler! Take the Cannon!" As Butler obeyed her command, Vinyaya looked the Iron Predator's controls with determination. "Time for some evasive action." 

*****

Before the dust had settled, B, Rob, and Kevin were already moving. They grabbed some tools from the bench and moved towards the back of the cave, where there was a steel wall with some security panels by what appeared to be a sealed door. They didn't notice two figures enter the cave behind them.

"Hey… B, right? Need any help with your plan?" The three Dino Attack agents turned and looked at the Agents who walked almost casually up to them.

"You know," replied B, "if you asked me a few months ago, I would have said 'no' and told you to get out of this outpost. Now, well... We could use some help. By the way, who are you two?"

"I'm Lieutenant Winston Grendelwulf, and this is my brother Matthias, but you can call us Hazmatt and Epic Winston. So, what's this crazy plan, anyway?"

"Either of you have any experience with bombs?" asked B.

"Planning to blow something up?" said Hazmatt.

"Not with this bomb," said Rob. "At least in its current state. Simply put, it could very well be the last sign of the apocalypse."

"Here," said Kevin. "Just input the correct security codes, and..." There was an audible click, and with a whoosh of greased metal, the door opened, and a large tray extended with a large object that was most definitely a bomb.

"What is it?" asked Hazmatt.

"And where did it come from?" asked Epic Winston.

"Long story short, we were hired by the government to build this in '09. We called it the Military Assault Corps' Giant Unnecessary Fricking Filithium Irite Nuke, or the M.A.C.G.U.F.F.I.N. for short," said B.

"Filithium Irite is a gas," said Rob, "that behaves like a vacuum. When released into air, it simply pushes any other gasses out of its space, leaving nothing but itself. Inside this bomb is one little grenade filled with filithium irite, and, if detonated, could wipe out all living things with about two square kilometers within about five minutes. That's what the Inferno agents were after."

"We're here to defuse it," said Kevin.

"What's the rest of it, then?" asked Hazmatt. "Armor plating?"

"Two inches of titanium," replied Kevin. "That's all the plating you need for something like this, and that's only for transport. And the rest is octanitrocubane."

"What we need to do then," said B, "is get the filithium irite out of there, safely dispose of it, and then put the rest of this stuff to good use."

"Quite simple, really," said Rob. "As I am in the process of showing you..."

With Kevin's help, Rob quickly cracked through the outer shell of the bomb, through the octanitrocubane, and finally to the grenade inside. They gently placed it in the chamber where the bomb had been before, and sealed it up.

"Now," said B, "is where you really start to believe that we're completely crazy."

*****

Although they no longer had Dr. Rex looming over them, already the street was starting to become infested with Mutant Lizards of many breeds. As Amanda literally had her arms full, since she had to carry Rex in her arms until they retrieved the hover-chair, it was up to Greybeard to defend them. Madly, the pirate slashed at any Mutant Lizard that drew too near with his cutlass, while making sure to change up tactics every few Lizards to make sure that he dispatched each beast as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Now!

Before he could let his feet turn cold, Rex pulled Ben Gunn's ring out from his pocket and locked eyes with Amanda Claw. "Amanda, will you marry me?" he proposed.

Amanda blinked in surprise, as she was not apparently expecting the question. Once she recovered from the surprise, she smiled with a look of relief in her expression. "I was afraid that you'd never ask!" she said with a laugh. Then, she bit her lip, glanced around, and took in the stormy weather, the ruined buildings, and the Mutant Lizards still being battled by Greybeard. "But... is now really the best time? I don't know-"

"Now might be the only time," Rex pointed out. "We both know I'm not going to live much longer. Let's make the last few weeks of my life the best that they can possibly be, for both of us."

Amanda nodded, understanding Rex's reasoning. "Then yes, I will marry you."

Rex grinned. He turned his attention to Greybeard, who was fighting a darkness-breed Mutant Lizard, and shouted the old pirate's name.

"I be a lil' busy a' th' moment!" Greybeard said as he gritted his teeth, knocking his cutlass's hilt into the jaw of the Mutant Lizard, sending the creature's teeth flying out of its mouth before following up with a downward slash. "Okay, what do ye want?"

"Back in the Goo Caverns, you told me that you conducted a wedding ceremony for two lovers aboard the Black Seas Barracuda during a fierce sea battle against two Armada Flagships!" recalled Rex.

"Aye!" confirmed Greybeard, and the old pirate struck down another Mutant Lizard.

"Marry us!" pleaded Rex.

The old pirate stared at Rex and Amanda incredulously for a moment. "Now?" Then, apparently deciding that now really was the best time, he nodded. "Aye, mateys, jus' give me a second o' two!" With that, he kicked aside a fire-breathing Mutant Lizard and ran towards a crashed Fire Hammer. Just like he had done when he delivered that pre-battle speech, he climbed atop the roof of the jeep, the highest possible position he could acquire.

From there, Greybeard raised his cutlass and his hook, proclaiming at the top of his voice: "Dearly belov'd, we be gather'd here today..." As a camouflage-breed Mutant Lizard tried to climb atop the Fire Hammer, Greybeard responded by digging his cutlass into the Lizard's skull, adding: "... t' send ye lizards t' Davy Jones's locker, ye bilge rats!"

Rex looked into Amanda's eyes as he spoke. "Amanda Remous, I have loved you dearly from the day that we first met. You are my heart's one true desire, and you always will be."

"Rex..." Trailing off, Amanda smiled sheepishly. "You don't have a surname, do you?"

Shrugging, Rex suggested: "What about Alexander? Given my screwed-up family tree, it's probably the best surname that fits, even if it does belong to that mad scientist turned T-Rex over there!"

Laughing, Amanda continued: "Rex Alexander, I was lost and alone in the world, and you showed me the light and helped me find my way. There is no way I can ever live with myself if I were to turn down your proposal!"

Greybeard kicked a Mutant Lizard in the snout to knock it off the Fire Hammer. The old pirate decided: "Look, me hearties, I ain't takin' any chances, so we be doin' th' short version, savvy? Rex Alexander, do ye take Amanda Remous t' be yer lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do!" proclaimed Rex.

"Amanda Remous, do ye take Rex Alexander t' be yer lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do!" concurred Amanda.

Swinging his cutlass back and forth between two Mutant Lizards trying to take him down from either side, Greybeard concluded with: "As Cap'n o' th' Soaring Danishman, I now pronounce ye husband an' wife! Ye may kiss!" With that, Greybeard jumped down from the Fire Hammer to fight the Mutant Lizards on the pavement below.

Rex and Amanda leaned in to kiss, but a camouflage Mutant Lizard leaped towards them. Whipping out her knife, Amanda slashed the creature's throat.

"I said, ye may kiss!" repeated Greybeard.

A Mutant Raptor roared and lunged at them. Rex grabbed Amanda's Cosmotronic Ray and fired it at the beast, felling it.

"JUST KISS!" snapped Greybeard.

Without a moment of hesitation, Rex and Amanda leaned in to each other and kissed. It was the greatest kiss that Rex had ever known, filling him with renewed warmth, courage, strength, and hope. Time seemed to slow as all Rex could think of during that brief instant that their lips met was his love for Amanda.

"Good!" Greybeard sighed with relief. "Now let us git goin', fer th' tide be comin' in!"

"Agreed," Rex nodded, but before they continued on their way, Rex made sure to place the ring on Amanda's finger. Now, Rex felt sure that Dino Attack Team would emerge victorious from this battle. They had to. Love, strength, and courage would undoubtedly conquer evil, chaos, and destruction.

*****

"C'mon guys, we can't leave the HQ underguarded!"
"I'm cutting through twenty Raptors over here, cut me some slack!"
"Ogel can't be dead! Doesn't anyone remember the time he used clones?"
"Are they breaking through that barricade Semick made yet?"
"Move up! We can't let them keep the weak spot!"
"Did I just see Rex and Amanda get married in the middle of a battle!?"
"Oxford! Try plan 'Pop-Up Blocker'!"
"I swear, I've jinxed myself twenty times by now!"

The front lines were starting to move to cover up the weak point the XERRD forces were trying to open, but it was slow going. The various points of Mutant Dino entry were still calling for much attention, and the antics of the two "special" Mutant T-Rexes weren't helping matters.

Semick watched Dr. Rex shake off the distraction from the Ogel drones and head back into the battle area. The more he watched him shrug off the firepower, the more he was annoyed. He knew he lived in a world where aliens were an accepted fact, entire islands were still stuck in certain time periods, and rock monsters could somehow suddenly appear under the earth and cause catastrophic earthquakes by eating energy crystals, but he had a hard time believing a material like the mad-dino's armor could be so invincible.

Moving the T-1 Typhoon to provide some cover for the forces trying to help recover HQ, he reached Reptile on the radio again. "Reptile," he said. "You're a scientist, can you explain to me how Dr. Rex's armor could be so impervious to damage?"

Reptile came back on the line in a few seconds. "Has to be something about its atomic makeup. It's supposed to cancel out weakness in its component metals, G.E. and Ssol, whose main weaknesses are a special kind of explosive and Maelstrom energy, respectively. The compound bonds must be incredibly strong and self-strengthening. We've tried everything we could in the lab, but nothing's even scratched the samples we've made or taken."

"We're going to need to find a weakness here and now at some point if we can have a chance at hurting him. Atomic energy, sonic blasts, really high-pitched and annoying internet video audio, something! I don't care what the lab boys' results have been thus far, nothing is invincible! There has to be something..."

"There's more than one method to best a foe, of course," interjected Tail on the radio. "Psychological warfare could work. Make him snap to lose all self-preservation instincts, break his will to fight with some kind of revelation, fool him with something he might still have a hint of care about. We haven't exhausted everything yet."

"Hmmm..." Semick considered, focusing for a second on taking on a few Mutant Pterosaurs trying to dive-bomb on the ground troops. "Good ideas. Keep thinking on them, we could need them later. And keep up the good job with the defense. Ole knows we're likely gonna need it at some point in the near future."

"Don't worry, we're not going to go simply due to giving up."

"I have no doubt of that. Semick out." 

*****

Roughly ten minutes later, the pickup truck pulled up to what remained of Enderson's bar. All the windows had been boarded up, but many bricks had been torn away from a recent mutant attack. Rubble littered the streets outside, and the broken door that flapped on a single broken hinge.

"Where's the Typhoon?" asked Montgonel. "You said they would meet us here."

"I told them to land a building over," said Pharisee. "Surprise is of the essence."

The commander opened the door and stepped outside into the rain. Wind blew into the cab, and Montgonel covered his eyes from the wind.

The agent then prepared to step outside with the commander, but Pharisee held out a hand. "It is best you remain here, Montgonel. Someone must watch the prisoner. I also believe that, confronted with a difficult choice, you will hesitate."

"What are you saying?" asked Montgonel. "That you don't believe I can take Trigger down?"

"I'm saying that you're not ready," responded the commander. The was a slight pause as he locked eyes with the man. "Have you ever killed a before, Montgonel?"

The agent did not respond.

"It is not a pleasant experience." Pharisee said slowly. "It is not something I want to put you through. I'm sure you have killed your share of XERRD guards and Inferno agents, but have you ever looked into a man's soul and pulled the trigger?"

Montgonel said nothing.

"I won't pretend to know your past, but I will say that you're not ready for this. I can live with the consequences of my actions. It's something I've lived with all my life."

"If something happens to you sir, I'll have your back," said Montgonel.

"I only pray that if I don't get Trigger, you will." The commander shook the agent's hand and stepped inside the bar.

The bar looked trashed in every sense of the word. Broken tables and chairs were strewn across the room and a significant hole was in the ceiling. Water leaked in multiple places and the linoleum floors were pealed up to reveal the rotten foundations underneath.

Few lights still worked, among them was a bar bulb above the bar. Water dripped onto the bulb, causing puffs of steam with every contact with the hot surface. Elsewhere in the bar, a light flickered in the hallway leading to the bathrooms, and a pinball machine still played its arcade music.

This is where the road ends, thought Pharisee. It's time to meet that judgment that you have thus far eluded. You have killed many men, Trigger; it is time you paid for their lives.

"Creator, put an end to evil; avenging Creator, show your colors," said Pharisee darkly over the rain outside. He was less addressing Trigger and more muttering to himself. "Judge of the earth, take your stand; throw the book at the arrogant. Creator, the wicked get away with murder--- how long will you let this go on? They brag and boast about their crimes! They walk all over your people, Creator, exploit and abuse your precious people. They take out anyone who gets in their way; if they can't use them, they kill them!"

*****

"The plan is as follows," said B. "Now, in case you hadn't noticed, Kevin didn't fire the cannon on the Fire Hammer. That's because those projectiles are about as useful as hurling a rock at someone. You could still kill someone with it, but it doesn't have quite the same effect. However, when you put some octanitrocubane in them… well, you have something very lethal."

"So," asked Hazmatt, "what do you plan to do with these newly-made missiles?"

"The cleanup crews will hate me for this," said B, "but I was thinking of blocking the mountain pass somehow. You know, blow up a mountain, or something like that."

"Why not take it a step further?" suggested Epic Winston. "Wait until Inferno and the dinos make another push over the mountains, and then pull the trigger?"

B smiled and said, "Great idea! That's just full of the pragmatic psychopathy that I've come to expect from the Agents. Kev, can you make it so those missiles can be detonated?"

Kevin nodded. "It's not that hard, B; just add a detonator and then fiddle around with a few different things."

Within a few minutes, they had assembled three missiles. Kevin loaded them onto the Fire Hammer's cannon, and then began surveying the mountains and rock faces for strategic spots to cause a landslide. He then set up the three explosives in a way to precisely bring down a rock face on the road, and hopefully on an army of Inferno agents.

B radioed to the Talon II. "Hotwire, can you see what kinds of forces we're looking at coming over the mountain?"

"Sure B, we managed to take down most of the dinos." The Talon II's crew activated its sensors, surveying the land on the other side of the range. Hotwire radioed back to B their findings. "Looks like we're in luck, they're coming over in full force. If whatever you're planning doesn't work, we're screwed."

"It will," promised B. "You go back to the battle. Grendelwulf twins, thanks for the assistance, but I think we can handle this."

B, Rob, and Kevin mounted their Fire Hammer and waited at the top of the road, looking down at the convoy approaching them. Kevin, who had grabbed a megaphone in the cave, yelled down at them: "So! To all you MegaBloking Inferno agents, so arrogant, so overconfident, running around with your heads full of cybernetic implants! Come and get us! We'll be waiting for you with a little bit of nitroglycerin! We're legends here, but you're not gonna stay long enough to see the end!"

Kevin held the detonator in his hand and smiled as the convoy grew closer. When he judged that the minimum distance had been attained by the Inferno vehicles, he pushed the button. "Go!" he shouted to B.

As the rocks fell, the Fire Hammer seemed to fly down the mountain roads to join the battle. Rob looked back and saw pieces of Inferno jeeps lying under massive boulders, and then proceeded to imitate a Scottish accent as he said, "Oh, they're gonna have ta put you back together! In MEGABLOKLAND!" 

"Excellently done," Hazmatt rumbled with a grin as the dust settled around the pass that B had just reduced to rubble.

"I concur," Epic Winston said. "I surmise that we shall now be returning to the fight?"

*****

Luckily, once they found the hover-chair, they discovered that it was still functional. Time would tell if it started glitching again, but for now, at least, it was working. With that, Rex Alexander was helped into the hover-chair with his newly-wedded wife, Amanda "Claw" Alexander. He activated it, and together with Greybeard, they caught up with Frozeen's Iron Predator.

"Sorry about leaving you guys behind," Frozeen said as he bit his lip, more than a little sheepish. "By the time I realized what had happened, I was too far away to help. Again, I'm so sorry, I won't let it happen again."

"It's okay, Frozeen," Rex said as he waved his hand and shrugged. "You did as I told you. And besides, it gave me the opportunity to marry the woman I love, so thanks!" He held hands with Amanda, and only then did Frozeen notice the ring on Amanda's finger.

"Congratulations!" said Frozeen, grinning. "About time, too! But how did you guys get out of there alive?"

Rex's face turned grim. "Evil Ogel sacrificed himself, distracting Dr. Rex long enough for us to escape."

Frozeen blinked in surprise. Sitting by himself in the corner of the Iron Predator's cabin, Sam Race began to panic. "Wait, what? Ogel's dead? No! That can't be! That's impossible! That's it, man! If Ogel's dead, then we're all dead! We're doomed! Done for!"

"Quiet!" snapped Greybeard. "Avast ye, ye be disrespectin' yer father by actin' this way after him death!" Sam Race began to break out into tears, causing Greybeard to sigh, walk over to the son of his old friend, and try to comfort him in a more soothing manner.

"Impossible," Frozeen muttered as he shook his head in disbelief. "Ogel cannot be dead. I mean... he's... he's Ogel. As much as I hated the old crook, he's practically immortal, and Alpha Team had come to accept that. He'd... he'd always be back... after every defeat."

Rex sighed. "I'm afraid immortality itself does not stand a chance when one is swallowed whole by a Mutant T-Rex."

Frozeen scratched his head. "So, Dr. Rex managed to kill Evil Ogel himself, a Minifig who has survived nearly everything, and yet we are no closer to figuring out how to defeat Dr. Rex himself, what with that silge armor of his. That metal has no weaknesses, if I'm correct, and... ah, I could think straighter if I wasn't so shocked by Ogel's death."

"Shocked?" repeated Rex. An epiphany dawned upon him. Picking up the radio, he spoke: "Elite Agent Adventure, do you read me?"

The familiar voice of the boasting Australian came through. "Oh, yeah, I read you! Loud and clear! I read you like how James Earl Jones reads Doctor Seuss, putting such undiluted manliness into every whimsical word and making it sound as awesome and as macho as a big arm muscle punching through a brick wall and catching on fire-"

"Got it," Rex rolled his eyes. "Now, look, Adventure, you're in a High-Voltage Half-Track, right?"

"Yeah! Nabbed the last one on the lot!"

"Great! Meet me on... err..." Rex paused to look for a street sign. "Playwell Avenue!" How poetic, he silently mused, this is where I was during my training mission under Adventure.

"What's the plan, honcho?"

"How would you like... to take down Dr. Rex himself?" 

*****

Zach stepped out of the parking garage and into the rain with this woman. She shivered briefly, pulling the hood on her sweatshirt over her head. Zach turned his head to the left and could see the lower levels of the Dino Attack Headquarters in the distance.

"If we head that way," Zach said, pointing out the tan-and-dark red building, "we'll reach a river. We cross that, then we go a few more blocks and we'll reach your family."

"Good," the woman said, crossing her arms.

Zach glanced down at her bare feet, still clawing at the ground. "Why don't you have any shoes on?" Zach asked.

The woman shrugged. "I don't know. I rather like it though." She wiggled her toes once, smirking. She then turned and started walking toward the headquarters.

"Be careful," Zach hissed, following her. "There are tons of those dinosaurs everywhere!"

"Alright," she said, waving a hand. Zach scowled. This wasn't going to be easy.

As the woman reached an intersection, she froze for a few seconds. She shook her head once and continued forward. Zach raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She walked on for a few more seconds before glancing back at Zach. She smiled at him and waved. Confused, Zach waved back.

She kept walking. As she reached an intersection, she suddenly turned, disappearing behind a ruined building. Zach quickened his pace and saw her continuing her walk, completely unharmed. She glanced back at him again, her expression less friendly. She sped up slightly and walked into the street, climbing over a pile of rubble.

"Hold on," Zach said, growing irritated. He walked into the street himself and climbed over the rubble. The woman glanced at him, looking unhappy. She quickened to a jog as she continued down the sidewalk.

For Builder's sake. Zach sped up again, trying to keep up with the woman, who was apparently light on her feet. She reached another intersection and turned again, heading in the direction away from the headquarters. She turned her head, now clearly angry. Pushing herself to a full sprint, she ran down the sidewalk, seemingly desperate to get away from Zach.

"Wait!" Zach called out, following her. The woman zig-zagged through the city, Zach yelling for her to stop. Suddenly, she stopped at the corner of an intersection. She turned around sharply and jabbed Zach in the chest as he reached her.

"Would you quit it?!" she snapped harshly.

"What?" Zach asked, completely lost.

"Is the town not big enough for you or something like that? What's your problem?"

"What?"

"Just stop following me, okay?" She put her hands on her hips and stared at him.

"I don't... what?" Zach pointing the direction of the headquarters. "What about your husband and kids?"

The woman gave him a blank stare. "What?" It was apparently her turn to be confused. "Do I look like I have a husband and kids?"

"Just a little bit." Without warning, the woman slapped him hard in the face. His eyes began to tear up in pain. He clutched his cheek and glared at the woman, who was now crossing her arms and looked extremely angry. "Ow. What the znap was that for?!"

"You called me fat. Or old. Whatever bad things happen to my body when I have kids."

Zach frowned. "How old are you?" he asked.

"Nineteen. So what?"

Zach felt his mouth drop open. There was no way this woman was nineteen. She had completely forgotten all about him and her family, which he now wasn't sure actually existed. Whatever she was, she was severely confused and definitely needed to get out of the city before she got herself killed.

"Close your mouth, will you?" she asked irritably. Zach obliged, still trying to figure out what to do with her. She rolled her eyes. "Geez." Then some sort of realization dawned upon her. "Wait, was that whole husband and kids thing supposed to be a pickup line or something?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, like a compliment. Like I'm so fantastic and beautiful that it's a surprise that I'm not 'taken' yet?" Zach was at a loss for words, causing the woman to smile and laugh. "It is! You're hitting on me!"

"Wh-what? No, I'm not!"

"You are and you know it." She leaned in close, still grinning. "Though it was kind of a badly-worded compliment. It was dumb, you would be in a lot more pain." She laughed as she pulled away, leaving Zach silent. "I haven't seen you around LEGO Town. Do you live here?"

"N-no," Zach stammered, surprised at the woman's sudden mood change. "This is LEGO City," he said dumbly.

The woman turned her head sideways. "Never heard of it. And this is LEGO Town, by the way." She smirked at Zach's dumbfounded expression. "You look kind of cute when you're flustered." Zach scowled. "I suppose I'll try something with you. Maybe. Want to see a movie tonight?"

"I-yes, sure, whatever." With any luck, this woman would suddenly forget everything about him again.

Suddenly, he could hear two gruff voices speaking. Unsure of who these Minifigs were, he shoved the woman into a large, gaping hole in a ruined building. "Over here, quick. And don't talk." He stepped into the building himself and hid to the side.

Zach glanced out of the whole as the voices started to pass by the building. He saw two gruff BZP Lovers-and-orange jumpsuits and black beanie caps carrying machine guns. Inferno's goons, Zach thought darkly. I've been waiting for these fools to show up. Might as well deal with them. He raised his hand and allowed a ball of Maelstrom to form in his palm. He shot it at the first henchmen, causing him to drop. The other Inferno agent turned toward the hole, prepared to open fire before he too was struck by a ball of Maelstrom.

"Alright, it's safe," he said to the woman. He climbed out of the building and headed toward the unconscious bodies.

"What's going on?" she asked as she stepped out. She glanced at the Inferno agents with a raised eyebrow. "Who are these guys?"

"Nobody important. Hopefully they have-aha!" Zach pulled a walkie-talkie from one agent's belt. He headed back into the building and began searching through frequencies.

"What are you going to do with that?" the woman asked, leaning against the wall.

"Contact some friends," he said. "Tell them I'm all right, what's going on, and that I'm heading back. Hopefully, I'll find the right frequency and make contact. If not, we'll just make our return a surprise." 

*****

After Elizabeth ran her sword through another Inferno henchman, Dynamite began to launch a few sticky bombs against the wall of a building. Sarah and Firecracker looked on with uncertainty.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Elizabeth asked. "I know the whole powder-keg trick but we didn't use it to blow up every building we came across."

"It's as good a place as any to start," replied Firecracker. "Now hurry it up. I want to see this thing explode."

"Aye," said Dynamite. "J-just give me a second to place the last thirtee-"

At that moment, Firecracker pushed Dynamite aside and reached into his trenchcoat, pulling out a stick of dynamite. Lighting it, he tossed it toward the building, blowing a clear hole in the wall. Sarah could not see anything until the smoke cleared.

There was a loud series of explosions as Dynamite and Firecracker demolished buildings everywhere. Here and there, Elizabeth ran another Inferno henchman through with her sword, and Sarah Bishop got to shotgun one or two herself.

"So where are these guys all coming from?" Elizabeth asked.

"I got no idea," replied Sarah. "You guys might want to save your explosives for when we find the real post." 

*****

After some time, commander Pharisee stormed out of the broken bar and back into the pouring rain. He kicked aside some rubble on the street and yanked open the back door of the pickup truck. Montoya huddled in the corner as he pulled out his handgun and pointed it at the smaller man's head.

"Where are they?!" yelled Pharisee.

The rain drowned out Montoya's whimpers as the gun was shoved closer to his face. Montgonel threw open the driver's side door and ran around the truck so he could get between the commander and his victim, but Pharisee outweighed him by over 60 lbs. He shoved Montgonel back and pushed him onto the wet streets.

"Where are Trigger and Snake?!" yelled Pharisee. "I checked every inch of that bar for those men and the barmaid, and I found nothing but bullet casings and cigarettes. They were still smoking so they can't have been gone long. Where did they go?!"

"How would he know?!" Montgonel screamed from his position in the puddle. "He was with us the whole time!"

Pharisee reached over into Montoya's pocket and yanked away his cellphone. "Perchance he called Trigger while he was waiting in the truck!" He quickly checked the recent calls on the man's phone and found the name Debbie.

"What is it?" asked Montgonel as he took the phone. "I don't see Trigger's name anywhere on this list."

"It would be under Schiess," said Pharisee. "That's what name he used when they worked together."

Montgonel took the phone and scanned through the call history several times but found no such name. After looking for Trigger and a variety of other aliases the man had used, he still found no results. All the while, Pharisee kept his gun trained on Montoya in the back seat.

"Who's Debbie?" demanded Pharisee as water poured down his brow. "Is that some sort of code name?"

"He called it just as we picked him up," announced Montgonel. "Maybe he was telling Trigger he had been found. It could have been the barmaid, too."

"She's my wife!" yelled Montoya. "I called her to say I loved her! I don't know where Trigger went!"

Pharisee motioned for Montgonel to call the number. The commander then pulled out his own PDA to check recent messages, all the while keeping his gun pointed at Montoya.

"It's his wife, alright," said Montgonel as he held the phone to his ear. "She's asking if Montoya's alright."

Montoya shouted her name but he was quickly silenced by a wave of the gun. "Tell her that her husband is currently being held by Dino Attack Internal Affairs," said Pharisee. "He's being held for questioning but he will be free to go once Schiess is caught." His colleague relayed the message before he was abruptly cut off by Pharisee. He grabbed the phone and quickly apologized to Debbie before unceremoniously hanging up and shoving the phone in his pocket.

"So, Montoya," muttered Pharisee. "Where are they?"

"I don't know," said Montoya. "My guess is they jumped ship as soon as they heard helicopters coming. They probably hotwired a car and sped away from here as soon as possible."

"Do you know where they might have gone?" asked Montgonel.

Montoya shook his head. And the commander quickly grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall of the truck. "I swear, I don't know!" whimpered Montoya. "I don't know anything after I left the bar!"

Pharisee released him and stepped back out into the rain. It was impossible to spot tire tracks in the weather, and any attempts to track at all would be futile. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to curse loudly.

"Look at that!" announced Montgonel. The agent pointed to a group of dead Mutant Raptors on the other end of the street. He and Pharisee quickly ran over to investigate.

"I count about six," said the commander. "All killed with a Cosmotronic Ray."

"Perhaps this is the direction they went," said Montgonel. "I heard some comm chatter that agent Claw dispatched a few Raptors outside Enderson's while investigating a civilian car.

"That must have been Trigger and Snake," growled Pharisee. "Znap that I didn't hear that message when it was reported. We would not have wasted time searching that bar!" He pulled out his radio. "I'm calling agent Claw to describe the vehicle. Montgonel, I want you to call the helicopter and have them pick us up. We won't get very far in the truck, and being in the sky will give us a better perspective. Even in this Creator-forsaken storm."

Montgonel jogged back to the truck to fetch his radio while Pharisee dialed the number for agent Claw. To his surprise, she actually answered. Clearing his throat, he spoke into the device.

"Standard agent Claw," began the commander. "I just heard that you spotted Trigger and Snake outside of Enderson's. I have a unit here now, but it appears we just missed him. I need you to describe the vehicle and tell us which direction they went."

Amanda cursed on the other line. "Yes, me and Rex saw him but we let him go. I gave him the option to come back but I suppose I gave him too much credit. I thought he might have some decency but he proved to be nothing more than a petty cowardly thug."

"Agent Claw, I need you to tell me how long ago you saw him," said Pharisee sternly. "If he gets away, he will kill more people and never pay for his crimes. He attacked you earlier and he must pay for that offence."

"Since when did you care about me Pharisee?" asked Claw. "I did not think you were a forgiving man. Only hours ago, you tried to arrest me."

The commander shook his head and ran his fingers through his wet goatee. "I want to apologize about that, Claw. It was wrong of me to let your past life interfere with my assumption of you character. I jumped to preconceived ideas, and for that, I ask forgiveness."

There was a pause on the other side as Amanda considered. "I'll forgive you, Pharisee, if you promise to get Trigger for me. It was my mistake to let him go and I'm afraid he'll just keep killing because of me. I've worked so hard to forget my past, and now the darkest part of it may be loose because of what I've done. Trigger is evil, Pharisee, and I don't want him to be another Venomosa in this world. His crimes will always be a tangible reminder of who I used to be, and I don't want that memory to endure." 

"Ms. Claw-" begin Pharisee, but he was surprised when she interrupted him.

"Actually, it's Mrs." 

"Mrs. Claw, I do everything within my power to end men like him. I dedicate my entire existence to justice in this world, but I would dedicate this sacred mission this for you."

Although he could not see it, Amanda smiled. "He's in a white 1990 Octan. He's probably heading out of the city, so you can expect to find him heading north toward the interstate." 

"Thank you, Mrs. Claw," said Pharisee. "I'll get that son of a 4+ Figure, mark my word."

Amanda hung up just as the T-1 Typhoon arrived overhead. A rope came down and Pharisee quickly was pulled up to join Montgonel and Montoya inside. Trigger was a monster, and he would not rest until that man could no longer spread misery. He told the pilot to take them north and the helicopter sped off into the dark clouds.

*****

"Why don't we just kill the 4+ Figure and get on with it?" Snake asked as he tried to steer the car. Trigger was in the back seat.

Carrie sat next to him, somewhat confused. "What was that about?" she asked. "You tried to kill me."

"I didn't try to kill you," replied Trigger. "I needed a genuine reaction. I was hoping to ward off the helicopters, buy us a few minutes to get this car going."

"Would you have done it?"

At that moment, Trigger cocked his revolver, and aimed it towards Carrie. She winced in fear as he fired. There was a loud BANG and then... nothing. Carrie looked up at the smoking barrel.

"I can't kill you Carrie," Trigger said.

Snake seemed disgusted by the dialogue. "Why not?"

"Because I got no reason to," replied Trigger. "You've worked for me for eight years and never once tried to double-cross me… not to mention, if it weren't for you, I'd have a MegaBlokland of a time finding assignments. You know that?"

"You loaded that gun with blanks?" realized Carrie.

"Precisely," replied Trigger. "Anyway, you get out. I throw you in the car, fire, fake your death. You sneak out when nobody's looking. They let us go, I take you with us, and we get out okay. They take you in, mistake you for an innocent bystander, and let you go. All I need you to do is just to play along if they find us. Can you do that?"

Carrie nodded. 

*****

Dr. Cyborg was thinking. How can we beat Cyrista's Bane? It's way more powerful than I expected it to be when I designed it. Wait... that's it! Power!

He sent a radio broadcast out, as Cyrista's Bane was jammed again. "Attention, this is Dr. Cyborg. I need any vehicles available to destroy the Power Plant building, but keep the generators and the controls intact. I have a plan."

*****

"Ye realize that what we be doin' be suicidal, savvy?"

"Don't worry, Greybeard," Rex said with a determined smile. "I have the utmost confidence that this will work. We're going to turn Dr. Rex's greatest strength into his greatest weakness." He was sure that his plan would succeed; his recent marriage had more than restored his confidence and optimism levels. For the first time in so long, he no longer felt the burden and stress of being an elite Dino Attack agent. He locked eyes with Amanda and shared a warm smile.

"Alright," said Greybeard, shrugging. "It be just that ye know what they say about bullyin' a dragon."

"Well, dinosaurs aren't dragons," pointed out Frozeen. "Unless, of course, we're talking about Tex. Wonder whatever happened to her, by the way."

"There he is!" shouted Rex, pointing down to the end of the road. Indeed, there stood the familiar mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex, wearing silge armor and stalking down the street with heavy strides, his massive weight shaking the earth with every step. "Ready... aim... fire!" With that, Amanda fired the Iron Predator's Cryothermic Cannon, and the projectile of energy sailed across the road and hit Dr. Rex.

With the blow deflected harmlessly off of his armor, Dr. Rex was not affected by it. However, it succeeded in catching his attention. Narrowing his eyes, Dr. Rex spotted the Iron Predator and growled, "You fools just don't learn, do you?" With a roar, he charged.

Ignoring Sam Race's cries of panic, Rex turned the Iron Predator around and began driving in the opposite direction, while Amanda swiveled the Cryothermic Cannon around and kept firing to ensure that they held Dr. Rex's attention. Rex made a sharp right turn, and the Iron Predator skidded across the wet road and nearly slammed into a wrecked post office. Checking a street sign, Rex saw that they were on Godtfred Street. Just one more turn onto Playwell Avenue.

Looking over his shoulder, Frozeen announced: "He's catching up to us!"

"Don't worry, we're nearly there!" responded Rex. The street sign for Playwell Avenue was just up ahead. However, a pair of laser beams fired from Dr. Rex's eyes forced Rex to maneuver the Iron Predator awkwardly, causing him to make the left turn too soon and drive the Iron Predator right through a fire station. Luckily, the tank was sturdy enough to make it through without only a few scratches and dents, but Rex had to make sure that everyone else aboard the Iron Predator was alright. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, the response was positive.

They were now on Playwell Avenue, and Rex just focused on driving to the end of the road as quickly as possible. As they neared a shopping center, Rex shouted into his radio. In response, a High-Voltage Half-Track rolled out of the shopping center, smashing down the building's walls and blasting loud music.

"YEAH? WELL, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU TOO!" yelled Rick "Adventure" Spherus. Immediately afterward, Rex heard him mutter, "Ah, come on. You didn't get him to say, 'I've had enough of you?' Now my one-liner doesn't work!"

"Uh, Rex?" called Amanda from the Cryothermic Cannon. "He's stopped."

"What?" said Rex, frowning. He glanced quickly over his shoulder, and saw Dr. Rex standing still, just out of firing range, with his eyes locked upon the High-Voltage Half-Track. Gritting his teeth, the armored Mutant T-Rex began to walk away, but never letting Adventure's vehicle out of his sight. "MegaBloks, he knows what we're up to!"

"What's the plan, honcho?" inquired Adventure.

"I guess, since an ambush didn't work," muttered Rex, "we'll have to try to surround him instead. Adventure, you take Godtfred Street, and we'll take 42nd Street; hopefully, we can catch Dr. Rex and get him for good." 

*****

"Ogel's dead? Ole Kirk-" *SLAP!* "That's for blasphemy."
"Someone needs to get the guy with robo-appendages out of here. He's gathering up a group of Hybrids and making a rush for the headquarters and his 'Maelaser' is becoming a real pain in my-"
"I think we should call him 'Robo-Limb' for simplicity's sake."
"Hahaha. That's funny. How about we don't?"
"Whatever you say, Brickster."
"Ha! Thought you were going to eat that Urban Avenger, beastie? Well, guess what? YOU GET NOTHING. YOU LOSE. GOOD DAY, SIR!"
"Their teeth and ambitions are bared, be prepared."

Holly Vinyaya's teeth gritted together angrily. This T-Rex was absolutely MegaBlokland-bent on destroying her Iron Predator.

"Shoot it!" she snapped to Butler. He managed to get one Cryothermic Cannon blast into the beast's chest before it snapped its jaws around the barrel, disintegrating it.

"We're sitting ducks, Commander," Butler said, climbing back on to the deck as the Mutant T-Rex discarded the charred remains of the Cryothermic Cannon to the side and turned its attention back to the Dino Attack agents.

Vinyaya nodded. She grabbed a radio and put it close to her mouth. "Now," she commanded. Without warning, two cryothermic blasts struck the T-Rex hard, sending it stumbling. She turned to Butler. "Abandon ship!"

She picked up a Cosmotronic Ray, snapped the radio to her belt, and jumped over the edge of the Iron Predator on to the ground. Butler quickly followed, gripping a gun with a large blade attached to it. The weapon was rather recent. It had been released by the BrickArms Weapons Manufacturing company in September for the Dino Attack Team's use.

The Mutant T-Rex was being pelted by Cryothermic fire from two Iron Predators that Vinyaya had coordinated. Even after standing up to every type of firepower the Dino Attack had thrown at it, the onslaught was too much for it. It fell over onto Vinyaya's abandoned Iron Predator, crushing it under its weight.

"Nice work," Butler said, wiping his brow. "But we still got other problems." They were without vehicles, and a horde of Mutant Lizards had decided to capitalize on that fact. They approached Vinyaya and Butler slowly, hissing. Butler made the first move, shooting an acid-Lizard directly in the head.

The chain reaction was catastrophic. The Mutant Lizards swarmed Butler. He shot three and cut up more with the blade, but there was clearly too many. Vinyaya picked off several with her Cosmotronic Ray at the beginning, but knew she could easily injure Butler if she continued this pattern. Then darkness consumed Butler and the Mutant Lizards, Vinyaya backed away in fear.

"...G....Go!" Butler roared over the snarling of Mutant Lizards. Vinyaya swallowed hard, but started to run in the direction of the headquarters. She could hear several Mutant Lizards start to give chase. She turned her head back briefly and knocked away a few Mutant Lizards before quickening her pace.

The pack chasing after Vinyaya seemed to attract more Lizards. In addition to the hundreds of Mutant Dinos in the battlefield, Vinyaya was forced to divert her path frequently. Finally, she ended up in front of a ruined Iron Predator on fire. She turned around and could not suppress a gasp.

There had to be at least some thirty-odd Mutant Lizards of every breed surrounding her, hissing and snarling with a cold look of hunger in their eyes. Behind them, four Mutant Raptors had seemingly become interested in her as well.

She was surrounded. The only around it was to fight. Gripping her Cosmotronic Ray tightly, she pulled out the radio she had taken from her Iron Predator.

"Commander Vinyaya here," she muttered, never taking her eyes of the Mutant Dinos closing in on her. "I'm surrounded by mutants with no escape. Help would be greatly appreciated." Putting away the radio, Vinyaya pointed the Cosmotronic Ray at the purple lizard at the center of the group.

This may be it. Her final stand. Holly Vinyaya took one deep breath, grimly accepting her fate. She then pulled the trigger.

*****

"She's not that far off," Wright said as Commander Vinyaya's SOS rang over the comm. "We have to go help her out."

Swerve grimly shook his head. "You heard what Semick and Reptile said. We've gotta hold the line here."

"Well, at the very least we can rebroadcast it on all frequencies, right?" Shiller put in from the turret seat. "Since we've all been changing frequencies so much, a lot of our folks might not have received it. I doubt this Cyrista's Brain thing will bother with one lone agent who's already surrounded, and the same probably goes for any XERRD or Inferno goons who might intercept it."

"Actually, we can't do that," said Swerve, "unless you want to resend it on every channel one at a time. But we can relay it to Hertz. If he's not too busy, it oughta be an easy matter for him to send it out again."

*****

"Holy-- did one of the mountains just explode?"
"Probably some new trick of XERRD's. Get ready for some Diabolus Ex Machina."
"I sure wish that Sauro-Hunter guy was here with his dragon thing. I bet they'd win this thing for us in minutes!"
"Floyd, Halverson, you take the ones on the right. Poole, Moonwatcher -- with me. We'll go right through 'em."
"Incoming! Hit the deck!"
"Destroy the power plant without damaging the generators? That's kinda impossible, Doc!"
"Znap it all! We lost Freya and Poole! Fall back!"

Inside the HQ, Hertz turned as he heard the ping of an incoming transmission. "'Rebroadcast on all channels'?" he muttered. "Am I the postman now?" But it only took a few seconds -- a pair of switches flicked here, a quick command typed there, and the SOS was away.

*****

"We're picking up a distress call, Captain," Desdemona yelled. "On the ground, not far off."

Osprey hurried from the gun deck to the cockpit and checked the signal. "Looks like Commander Vinyaya's in a spot of trouble." Glancing at the radar, he saw that the next wave of pterosaurs was still a considerable distance away, and none of Inferno's aircraft could stand up to the viciously-armed and heavily-armored T-1 Typhoons. "I think we can afford a quick trip down to give her a hand. Get as low as you safely can." He turned back to the gun deck. "Jinx! Get the winch ready!"

*****

Kara was just flying around, shooting at Raptors and Pterosaurs when she heard a message come over the radio. "Commander Vinyaya here. I'm surrounded by mutants with no escape. Help would be greatly appreciated."

"Commander Vinyaya, this is Pilot Kara Wise, I'm coming in to help."

As she got there, she saw an Agents helicopter was already there. She flew up, priming her weapons as she went.

*****

X2 contacted Dr. Cyborg. "Sir, I failed. He will go on trying to do 'justice' and go overboard without someone to moderate."

"That is alright," replied Dr. Cyborg. "I expected as much. Follow him and still moderate. If he orders you to leave, here is a trick…" And Dr. Cyborg explained this.

X2 walked back towards the city. He saw a Steel Sprinter abandoned and took it. He saw the helicopter Pharisee was using and followed it. 

*****

Andrea Jackson Orange hummed a quiet tune to herself as she handed a gigantic lollypop to a little winged baby that sort of vaguely resembled an Inferno henchman. She was soon back to blowing bubbles everywhere, and before long was leading a giant crowd of little winged babies down the road before they stayed behi-

A number of inferno agents lay in agony as they crawled through the flaming street. One guy fell off the roof of a building and started to crawl toward someone, grabbing their boot. "HELP ME!" he shouted, but looked up to see that inhuman face - the gas mask, and the figure pointed that nasty flamethrower right at him, all he could do was scream.

"That's one mighty fine diversion," Maria remarked with a smile. "That's mah girl."

For the most part, the streets were calm for the rest of Third Headquarters Squad. There was the odd man here and there, but mostly nothing Elizabeth's sword and the occasionally shotgun blast from Sarah couldn't handle. Firecracker and Dynamite were both getting anxious. Clearly, they wanted to blow something up, and were busy chatting about their own things.

"We should start our explosive business," Firecracker remarked. "I'm going to sell the explosives, you're going to detonate them. We'll call it Paulson & Sons."

Dynamite laughed. "Oh, I like that."

"I hate to interrupt," Elizabeth said. "But I think I might have found something."

One by one, the three of them approached her and saw a group of Inferno agents in what looked like an apartment building.

*****

Listening to the message, Rotor was quick to respond. "Cabin, you split off and give Vinyaya a hand. The rest of you boys, give me a hand and keep this monstrosity occupied."

"You sure about this, Rotor?" Cabin's voice asked over the radio.

"Somebody's got to do it," replied Rotor. He took a brief moment, aiming for a small bit of flesh partially visible in the arm, and launched a missile.

"Remember boys, aim for the flesh," Rotor called out. "We can't get through the armor, but there's areas where its skin is visible. If we can penetrate those, we might just stand a chance. Cabin, you ready to split off?"

"Acknowledged," replied Cabin as she flew away from the main squad.

It didn't take long to trace the message. On the ground far below, she could see a person surrounded by mutant dinosaurs, and as she got lower, she soon spotted that Space Policewoman she'd seen on Adventurers' Island.

"Agent Vinyaya, do you read me?" Cabin asked. "I repeat, Vinyaya do you read me? Over."

"Loud and clear," replied Vinyaya below.

"This is Elite Agent Cabin, I've locked on to your position."

*****

"Yeah!" Walter said excitedly as he rolled and got a perfect strike, walking off the alley and sitting down with his buddies. "That's a strike."

"Yeah," said Dude as Donnie stood up to bowl. "Walter, you don't think maybe it might not be a good idea coming to a bowling alley like this while there's mutant dinosaurs running all over the place?"

"You kidding?" replied Walter. "This is the best time to do it. There's nobody here. We get everything free. You're the one sitting there, drinking your free White Russian."

"Yeah, I know, man," conceded Dude. "But aren't you at least a little worried about the dinosaurs? I mean, what if they come in here? If we weren't going to take part in the battle, shouldn't we be someplace safer?"

"Next, you'd be telling me I gotta wear a mask and stay indoors because of some 'pandemic'," scoffed Walter.

Dude rolled his eyes. "But you don't think maybe it was a Znapping good idea to just stay in the Znapping headquarters?"

"I didn't like their bowling alley," replied Walter.

"They didn't have a Znapping bowling alley," Dude pointed out.

"I know," retorted Walter. "That's why I didn't like it."

At that moment, Donnie came back. "Hey Walter," Donnie said. "Dude here may have a po-"

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" Walter shouted. 

*****

The Iron Predator rolled down 42nd Street, and Rex confirmed via radio that Adventure's High-Voltage Half-Track was currently going down Godtfred Street. Although they fired upon Mutant Lizards and the occasional Mutant Raptor, there was no sign of Dr. Rex. Still, Rex refused to acknowledge the possibility that they lost the armored T-Rex, for how could they lose something that size? "Do you see him, Adventure?" he asked into the radio.

"Nah," reported Adventure. "The big guy's just one big chicken. He's got scales and armor, but he's still a chicken. Took one look at me and hightailed it. Hah, he must've known what was coming, and he's gonna get it! But don't worry, honcho, I used to track down these reptiles all the time. Once we find him, I'm going to stick my foot so far up his-"

"Look out!" warned Frozeen.

Rex looked up in time to see a rocket traveling straight towards the Iron Predator. He turned the wheel as quickly as he could, just barely swerving the Iron Predator out of the rocket's path. Behind him, he heard the projectile explode as it hit a barber shop. Already, another rocket was on its way, and Rex could see that it was being fired from a police station, but he could not tell which window it came from. Dodging the rocket, Rex sped the Iron Predator in the direction of the police station.

"What are you doing?" cried Sam Race. "You're going towards the rockets that are trying to kill us? You're crazy! You're going to kill us all!"

"Not if it means getting a clear shot at whoever's firing at us!" retorted Rex. "Amanda, what do you see?"

As another rocket was launched in their direction, Amanda reported: "Fourth floor, second window from the left." Rex did not even need to tell her the order to fire; he heard the groans of moving metal as Amanda adjusted the Cryothermic Cannon's trajectory in order to fire at the window in question.

Adventure's voice came in on the radio. "Hey, honcho! What's going on over there? I'm seeing a lot of explosions! Lookin' pretty manly from here! You know, today should be its own holiday... Explosion Day! Oh, yeah, that would be just brimming with manliness!"

"Not right now, Adventure," grumbled Rex, who was trying to concentrate on dodging the incoming rockets while not moving too much, since he did not want to interfere with Amanda's aiming process. At last, locking upon the police station window, Amanda fired the Cryothermic Cannon. With perfect accuracy, the projectile sailed over Rex's head and, upon impact, obliterated the fourth floor of the police station. Just before the projectile hit with a flash of green energy, Rex could have sworn that he saw a flash of blue light emitting from the window that Amanda pointed out. That did not change the fact that there were no longer any more rockets being fired at them.

"Nice shot!" called Rex.

"Thanks!" said Amanda, grinning. "You know, I think I'm actually starting to get the hang of this cannon-"

At that moment, the Iron Predator passed a shopping center. The wall of the shopping center suddenly burst open as Dr. Rex emerged with a roar. As bricks rained down upon the tank, Amanda reacted quickly and tried to swerve the Cryothermic Cannon in Dr. Rex's direction. In response, Dr. Rex closed his maw upon the cannon. His razor-sharp teeth cleaved through the metal like butter, and as he twisted his neck, he twisted the cannon with it.

Rex, Frozeen, and Greybeard opened fire upon Dr. Rex with a Cosmotronic Ray, Z-1 Kinetic Launcher, and flintlock pistol, respectively. It did no good, as all their ammunition bounced harmlessly off of Dr. Rex's armor. Gritting his teeth, Rex wished he had his preferred Sonic Screamer instead of a Cosmotronic Ray, remembering that Frozeen once said that G.E. metal could be penetrated by sonic attacks, but even then he did not know it would work against silge.

Amanda whipped out her knife, stood up from the controls of the cannon, and ran on top of the twisted Cryothermic Cannon as though it was a half-melted catwalk. Rex resisted every instinct to shout out a warning to her, fearing that doing so would alert Dr. Rex. Instead, he watched in horror as Amanda approached Dr. Rex's helmeted head, raised her knife, and planted it in Dr. Rex's uncovered eye.

Roaring in pain, Dr. Rex let go of the Cryothermic Cannon, leaving behind a badly-damaged, twisted, and half-melted cannon with Amanda standing precariously on top. Snarling, he glared down upon her, and Rex knew what was coming. "Amanda!" he called, unable to keep silent any longer. "Get dow-" Then, Dr. Rex lunged for Amanda.

"Doctor Ronald Alexander!"

Dr. Rex froze, and Rex could not believe his ears. "What?" growled Dr. Rex, doing a double-take. He looked around for a brief moment before resting his eyes upon LEGO City Hall. Following his gaze, Rex's jaw dropped in shock. Standing on the rooftop was none other than Evil Ogel himself.

"I already killed you!" snapped Dr. Rex.

"Did you really think that you had stopped me?" proclaimed Ogel, laughing. "The immortal Evil Ogel himself? You always were a fool."

"If I didn't kill you the first time," snarled Dr. Rex, "then it's time to rectify this error!"

Once Dr. Rex closed his jaws upon Evil Ogel, swallowing him whole for the second time that day, LEGO City Hall collapsed as a pair of Scorpion Orb Launchers burst out. As the two scorpion mechs engaged Dr. Rex in battle, Rex saw Adventure's High-Voltage Half-Track approach. "He's distracted!" Rex shouted into the radio. "Fire! Now!"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED EXTINCT!" yelled Adventure. This caught Dr. Rex's attention, and the armored Mutant T-Rex began to ignore the Scorpion Orb Launchers and shift his focus towards the High-Voltage Half-Track. Rex cursed under his breath as Dr. Rex prepared to attack, but fortunately, Adventure had a fast trigger finger.

Adventure fired everything the vehicle had upon Dr. Rex: the twin electro-prods, the high-powered taser device, the water cannon, and especially the low-voltage and high-voltage electro-launchers. The powerful electrical attack was conducted through the silge metal, arcing across Dr. Rex's entire form and frying his body wherever the armor touched his skin. Feeling the sensation of being burned from the inside out, Dr. Rex raised his head to the sky and produced the most terrifying sound Rex had ever seen, for it was neither a T-Rex roar nor a Minifig scream, but an unnatural blend of the two that perfectly expressed the pain and agony the mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex found himself in.

Then, Dr. Rex fell. His body hit the wet road with an earth-shuddering sound much like the roar of thunder. Rex saw that he was not dead yet, but given the manner in which he was gasping for breath, he would not have much longer to live.

As his teammates cheered in triumph, Rex sighed in relief. Picking up the radio, he announced: "Dr. Rex has fallen! I repeat, Dr. Rex has fallen!"

*****

"For real this time? Please tell me it wasn't another stupid decoy."
"Ten studs says Dr. Rex gets back up."
"I guess you could say that Dr. Rex was in... for a shocking surprise."
"YEAH!"
"I guess that makes Cyrista's Bane the final boss?"
"Michelle Gladys is now the leader of XERRD. Everyone, run."
"Play that march a little louder, Williams!"
"Hey, Danny, Lisa! Look at me, I'm rocking out!"
"You're not the only one on the radio, you know."
"I thought I saw Trigger and Pharisee duking it out in that bar over there. Guess I was wrong."
"Where the heck is the Third Headquarters Squad?"
"How many times has Ogel died now?"
"Hey, guys. Remember when there were those shiny disks that turned people into biomechanical mask-wearing warriors? I could use one of those right now."
"Actually, I don't remember."
"THAT NEVER HAPPENED. DO NOT EVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN."
"Well, what about the time where we were in some ruined city and there were these mechs and-"
"STOP."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 65: Till Death Do Us Part

----

Zach wasn't having any luck with the radio so far. As he fiddled with the device, the woman sat upside-down in a recliner, her blonde hair scraping the floor while her feet rested on the back of a chair. She chatted with him playfully, clearly indifferent to her surroundings. The more they talked, the more familiar the woman seemed to him in some way. Appearance-wise, she definitely looked like someone he knew and parts of her personality seemed very familiar as well. He knew he was going to hit himself when found out who this person reminded him of.

"You're a strange person," the woman noted in a matter-of-fact tone. "Little bit earlier, you came across as more of a socially-awkward guy who had never asked out a girl in his life. And now you're beating up thugs and messing around with that thing like some sort of action hero. What's up with you?"

Zach shrugged. The woman clearly had no problem admitting her true opinions to him. "I like to jump between those two ships depending on the situation. Though I moved past the whole 'socially-awkward' bit years ago."

The woman grinned widely and pointed at him with her big toe. "Ah, but you didn't deny the part about never asking a girl out. That's still true, right?"

"From a certain point of view," Zach said, not looking at the woman. In all honesty, he never "asked" Minerva anything. They just sort of... happened. Regardless, he really did not like his self-esteem lashed at by a fifty-year-old woman who thought she was nineteen.

"Certain point of view? I think that means it's true," the woman said, chuckling. Zach gritted his teeth and said nothing. "Don't take it personally. I was a lot like you when I was younger. I think it's cute." The woman beamed at him.

Zach scowled, resisting the urge to throw the radio at the woman. I don't really care. I've never really cared, he told himself calmly. It's the Maelstrom toying with me again. The thought crossed his mind again to simply dispel the remaining Maelstrom in his head as Marco Martinet had suggested. It was clearly making him less tolerant of simple teasing that he would not have cared about months ago. You won't win, Darkitect.

He rose to his feet and slammed the radio down on the floor. "I wasn't getting anything," he said to woman, who was looking at him with a surprised expression.

She shrugged and looked up at her feet. "Hey... why don't I have any shoes on?" she asked, wiggling her toes. Zach shrugged. "Neither do I. I do like it though. Nice little breeze between my piggies. I think I'll stop wearing shoes."

"Pretty quick decision making," Zach noted with a smirk as the woman slid out of the chair and stood up.

"Yeah. When it comes to something so menial as whether to wear shoes or not, I'd rather not spend too much time thinking about it." She suddenly pulled his hand into his. "You know, we still don't even know each other's names."

"Fine. My name is Zachary."

"Hello, 'Zachary'," she said, bowing her head with a goofy grin on her face. "My name is Athena."

"Hello, Athe-ee-naoh my Builder," he pulled away from her, staring in shock. Why hadn't he seen it before? He slapped his forehead, looking at the woman from head to toe.

"What?" Athena asked, confused.

Zach didn't say anything. He felt like a moron. The woman looked like an older, blonde Minerva. Which suddenly explained why he considered the woman attractive. He could also see evidence of Minerva's own personality quirks in Athena's.

"Is your name... Athena Fabello?" Zach asked.

Athena raised an eyebrow. "No. My name is Athena Chase. Who's Athena Fabello?"

Zach thought for a bit. In Minerva's letter from Napoleon XIV, it said Athena Fabello had buried without ceremony at the request of a Ginny Chase, whom Minerva had described as "aunt". There was little doubt now.

"What's your issue?" Athena said, crossing her arms. Without warning, she suddenly froze. A few seconds passed in stunned silence before she started moving again. "What are you doing in my house? Who are you?"

Zach blinked. Her strange amnesia and short-term memory were both also explained with this woman's identity. "I-I'm Zach, remember?"

Athena raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen you before." Her eyes suddenly fell upon Zach's knife. Her expression darkly quickly. "What are you going to do with that knife?"

Zach grimaced. "Nothing, really. I-do you want the knife?"

"Get rid of it." Athena commanded coldly. "Don't even try to attack me. You're on thin ice, 'Zach'." Zach nodded, and quickly discarded the knife. "Where's my family? What did you do to them?"

There was undeniably traces of both fear and anger. "I haven't done anything to them."

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Athena roared, wrapping her hands around his throat. Tears were streaming out her eyes. "Wh-what did you do to them?"

Zach was not interested in have Athena kill him in a rampage like she did to her middle son. First, he asked, "Is your name Athena Fabello?" She stared at him for a moment before nodding once. "I'm working with the government," Zach continued. "Something's bad has happened. I've relocated Minerva and Oswald to a safe-"

"What about my husband and Tod?" Athena snapped, her grip tightening.

Zach swallowed coolly. "Minerva, Oswald, Isaac, and Tod are at a safe location. I'm here to get you to safety as well."

Athena's eyes narrowed. "What's going on that's 'so bad'?"

Zach opened his mouth to explain when some of the wall collapsed away, revealing a very hungry-looking Mutant Raptor. "That is the problem," Zach whispered.

Athena let go of him and stared at the monster in shock. "Wh-what is that? A dinosaur?"

"A Mutant Raptor, to be specific." Free of Athena's grip, Zach quietly walked over and picked up his knife, never taking his eyes off the beast.

"A raptor?" Athena muttered. "No way. I'm not a dinosaur expert, but velociraptors are only two meters long and half a meter high. That is not a raptor. If a paleontologist was here, I bet he would be cr-"

Zach rolled his eyes. Clearly in shock. "Hence why it is a Mutant Raptor. Now get ready to run." With that, the Mutant Raptor roared and charged into the room at Zach. He quickly moved out of its way. Grabbing Athena's arm, he ran out of the building and started heading in the direction of the river.

"Run!" Zach growled to the stumbling Athena. He glanced back. The Mutant Raptor had quickly recovered and was chasing after them. "Run!" Athena finally seemed to have caught on to the message, as her feet managed to speed up to match Zach's.

They soon reached the river, but were far away from any bridge. "In that building!" Athena yelled, pointing to tan building.

"Wait, I-"

Athena squeezed his arm tightly and pulled him into the building and closed the door. The Mutant Raptor soon reached the building itself. It slowed to a stop, sniffed the building briefly, then emitted a low growl before turning and leaving.

"What?" Zach hissed in surprise. Why would the Raptor just turn away? Then he heard an uncomfortable buzzing sound. Turning around slowly, he saw Athena staring at two figures garbed in samurai armor and wielding energized spears. "MegaBloks," Zach muttered as the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids closed in on them. 

*****

The comms went wild with buzz with Rex's latest news. Laxus almost felt like his ears were being blown out by all the cheers and celebration.

"Let's stop by his corpse later and all take a shot at it for everything he's done!"
"We should get a crane, some cables, and make a big pinata outta him!"
"Dude, that's sick, I'm not broadcasting it."
"Keep your guard up, people! We still have an army to finish off!"
"I'm not trusting anything until an autopsy confirms it!"
"Ogel's died twice, Dr. Rex has died twice, heck, hasn't Frozeen died twice by now?"
"I thought Viper should get the killing shot, him wanting to take down the biggest and baddest T-Rex of them all single-handed and everything."
"Speaking of which, where are the Founding Members? Wouldn't they want to be in the field with us?"
"Guys! Big Cyborg T-Rex over here! Care to help?"

"Well, heh heh," Andrew said as he rubbed his ears. "That's good to hear, huh?"

"Hopefully that gives us the morale to win this," said Minerva.

"Have they said anything about how he's fallen?" Pterisa asked from the radio link to the Xenon launcher.

"Something about... electrical attacks from a High-Voltage Half-Track," answered Laxus.

"Electrical energy... Must've been a strong attack. I don't remember my lightning harming him that much during... our fight."

"A High-Voltage Half-Track is a lot more powerful than your capabilities," said Andrew. "Plus, I think they have some water blasters too, so the old 'toaster-in-the-bathtub' physics might've helped too."

"Well, regardless," said Minerva, blasting at several Mutant Raptors trying to ram the Fire Hammer. "Let's hope he stays down. I hope that Maelstrom energy or whatever else he's put in himself doesn't make his body an even bigger problem."

*****

"Woo! Drinks are on me when we get back!" cried Defend from the rear gunner port of Semick's T-1 Typhoon.

"Electrocution, it's so simple!" said Reptile over radio. "I may not... enjoy such a method of disposing of them, but we do need to remember that if any more creatures come out with that armor of his."

"Nice job guys!" cried out Hertz from HQ. "Now let's send the rest of these enemies running back home!"

Semick himself felt overjoyed that it seemed Dr. Rex (who, for what it was worth, had made himself look pretty much like the real deal with this second creature looking like him) was truly taken out this time. With such a victory, beating this enemy force would seem much easier.

Easier, but not easy. With the "Cyrista's Bane" creature still out there, the remaining XERRD scientists, and whatever other Inferno forces still on the way, the battle was far from over. The former Power Miner only hoped they could hold out long enough, especially since he was still waiting on any news from longtime-ally Alpha Team's possible assistance.

Feeling the need to speak, he reached for the radio and gave a few more words to the team:

"All agents! Take pride in believing that we have truly taken down Dr. Rex this time around! Use that to remind yourselves that this army of beasts and their helpers aren't invincible! Keep your defenses strong, and don't let your guard down no matter how much you want to celebrate! We can't afford to fall now! We still have a long way to go before we can declare this city a safe zone again! After all, I think by now that we know far too well that there are plenty of surprises that fate can pull out of mid-air and throw at us when we least suspect it." 

*****

A number of characters turned in shock as Sarah Bishop kicked open the door to the apartment complex. There were Inferno henchmen and even a few Hybrids all over the place, looking at her in shock.

Sarah took a moment to think of what to do. "I have come here to chew bubblegum, and kick buttocks," she said. Everyone looked at her in statement. "And I'm all out of bubblegum." With that, she quickly raised her shotgun and took out a few henchmen.

A Hybrid tried to strike, but before it knew what was coming, it had been run through with Elizabeth's cutlass. "Nice one," Sarah remarked.

"There was a back door," said Elizabeth.

"Duck, you 4+ Figure!" said a familiar voice from behind. The two women ducked, and there was a loud explosion as several henchmen and another Hybrid were taken out. Firecracker soon walked into the building.

"Alright," Elizabeth said. "We'll keep these guys distracted. You and Dynamite, work on planting charges."

Another Inferno henchman started to run down the stairs; he was gunned down within seconds by Sarah Bishop. The guy collapsed and fell down the stairs. With his last breath, he muttered a single word. "Rosebud," the henchman whispered before he died.

"Odd last words," noted Elizabeth.

The two of them worked their way up the stairs. Elizabeth ran her sword through another guy, leaving him there, panting. Sarah cocked her shotgun and aimed it toward him. "I know what you're thinking," Sarah remarked tauntingly. "Did she fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I kinda lost track myself, but being this is a 12-gauge shotgun and it would blow your head clean off, you got to ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky. Well do ya, punk?"

The man remained silent. Sarah fired, killing him quickly.

The next floor, they burst into a meeting of Inferno henchmen, who were standing over a map. They gunned down most of them until one, probably the leader, burst out. "Ladies!" he shouted. "You can't fight in here; this is the war room!" That didn't stop Elizabeth from running him through. "Of all the buildings in all the cities in all the world, you two break into mine," he remarked as they left the room.

They then broke into another room where two Inferno henchmen were playing cards. "Who are you?" one of them asked, looking up from his hand.

"We're the police," replied Elizabeth sarcastically.

"If you're the police, where are your badges?"

"Badges?" Sarah asked. "Badges?" We don't have no badges. We don't need no badges." She started firing at them. "I DON'T HAVE TO SHOW YOU ANY STINKIN' BADGES!"

Sarah was startled for a moment as a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and cocked her gun, only to realize it was actually Firecracker. "We've planted the charges," he said. "I suggest we get out of here."

Quickly, Firecracker led the two women down the stairs and out the door, when they were interrupted by a hissing sound. Turning around, they saw a particularly nasty-looking Hybrid standing in the doorframe. It started to approach when Sarah reached into Firecracker's jacket and pulled out a stick of dynamite.

"You got a light?" Sarah asked. Firecracker nervously gave her his lighter. She lit the fuse as the Hybrid hissed once more.

"YEAH, AND ZNAP YOU TOO!" Sarah shouted as she tossed the dynamite inside. They all ran as far as they could down the street within seconds of the building going up in smoke, one charge after the other exploded in session, creating an enormous blast.

*****

The XERRD scientist Raul Barabbas glared down at Solomon Koplowitz with his hollow, sunken eyes. They were cold and dead, as if no soul dwelt beneath. In Raul's hand, he held a long riffle with an axe head on the end. He twirled the weapon above his head before slamming it down on the wet concrete inches to the left of the philosopher's head.

"Solomon, Solomon, Solomon," mused the scientist as he walked around the man. At his back hissed his two Hybrid henchmen. They stalked behind the doctor as he casually spun his weapon. "You could have been on the winning side!" he exclaimed as he spread his arms wide. "Instead, you joined these fools! Look around you, Solomon; does this look like victory? Your new allies are being decimated. Already, the streets run red with their blood." The scientist kicked the rainwater in the philosopher's face to emphasize his point. Spreading his arms wide in incredible theatrics, he let the rain run down his thick black beard and laughed manically.

Solomon took the opportunity to roll aside and reach for his sword, but a Hybrid placed its clawed foot down on the blade. It gave a hard, primal kick to Solomon's head, and he slid across the pavement.

Raul ran his hand down his face and shook his head. "You had everything, Solomon. Influence, power. You threw it away so you could die among these pathetic men! Why?"

Solomon slowly rose to his knees and looked up at his former colleague. "Because, even with victory, the cost would be more than my conscience could bear. We are responsible for the death of millions, Raul; does this in no way bother you?"

The XERRD operative pressed the barrel of his gun to Solomon's chest. "Because no price is too high for power, Solomon. When this world is ashes, no one will care about money or land. What people care about will be power. XERRD will be all that remains, and we will be the ultimate authority!"

"But when this world is ashes, Raul, will it be worth leading?" Solomon took hold of the barrel of the scientist's gun and slowly pushed it away. He hoped to take advantage of the calm demeanor to make his move, but his adversary was astute.

The sorcerer sent a blast of Maelstrom down the weapon, and Solomon quickly ducked out of the way. The shot flashed across the battlefield and slammed into a Mutant Stegosaurus yards away. Roaring in fury, Raul took hold of the gun and chopped at philosopher's chest.

Solomon dove down and reached for his sword, but he was intercepted by the second Hybrid. The axe swung down, and he quickly took hold of it. He allowed it to propel him across the wet ground and carry him to his sword. Once it was in his grasp, he swung it above his head and spun around to decapitate the Hybrid standing above him.

As the head fell with a plop, Raul and the first Hybrid opened fire, and the philosopher slid behind the smoldering wreckage of a nearby Steel Sprinter. Risking a glance behind the ATV, Solomon spotted the Hybrid and Raul slowly approaching through the rain. A flash of lightning silhouetted their figures as they raised their guns and unleashed fury.

Several shots blew away what little cover Solomon had, and he ducked further behind the wreckage. "You fail to understand, Solomon!" yelled Raul. "Power over a few pathetic men is still power! Even control over a single soul is enough to fulfill that desire to decide who lives or dies! That power is what we all strive for, no matter how insignificant it may be!"

Solomon shook his head. "You might just be alone on that one, Raul!" he called. "That's incredibly sadistic!"

"Perhaps," the sorcerer muttered as he walked around the Steel Sprinter. "But it's true. Despotism justifies the means."

He chopped with his axe-gun, but Solomon swung up his sword to block it. The two weapons met perpendicularly, and the two fighters locked blades. A flash of lightning illuminated the combatants, and the philosopher chopped at the Hybrid and Raul. Jumping to his feet, he slashed diagonally at the Hybrid but was blocked by the axe. It hissed, and acidic saliva splashed against the faceplate of Solomon's mask.

In response, the philosopher kicked the Hybrid in the knee and unleashed a spray of water as he did so. The beast fell back, winded, but quickly recovered to point the gun at Solomon. Grabbing the weapon, he pushed it aside and stabbed upward with his sword. The blade entered through the Hybrid's gut and emerged behind the head. He then quickly pulled it out and let the Hybrid drop. Spinning around, he turned to Raul, but his heart stopped at what he saw.

The Sorcerer had his gun trained on Solomon. He was too far away to deflect it and too close to dodge it. It was a shot that was impossible to miss, and there was nothing he could do to avoid it. Solomon dropped the sword as the first bullet hit his arm. Screaming in pain, he fell to his knee and pressed his hand to his bleeding wound.

"It's a shame, really," muttered Raul as he walked up and pushed up Solomon's visor with the axe blade. "I never really liked you, but at least you had picked the right side. I respected you for your ability to pick a winner, and I thought that was the kind of attitude we all needed at XERRD. Sadly, it looks like you're just going to bleed out in the rain like everyone else."

Solomon looked into the hollow eyes of the sorcerer. "Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend, will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof shuts out the sky,"

Raul rolled his eyes. "Leave it to you to say something profound in the face of death, Solomon. I hope you chose your last words wisely." He stepped back and took aim at Solomon's head. Once satisfied that he would have no escape, he fired.

At that moment, a third figure entered the fray. She leapt out of the crowd suddenly and into the path of Raul's bullet. The shot struck her in the stomach, and she fell hard onto the wet pavement. Solomon could see blood mixing with water where she lay as she contorted in anguish. Raul was so surprised by the chain of events that he did nothing to stop Solomon from crawling over and removing her helmet.

"Ingrid!" he gasped as he pulled it aside.

The Space Marauder took hold of the side of Solomon's head. She gazed deep into his eyes, and he saw the color drawn from her face. "I'm not going to die as another one of Dr. Rex's goons," she said softly. "I want my last contribution to this world to be something good. I can't just… just… watch anymore."

Solomon stroked her hair. "Ingrid," he whispered, "Ingrid…"

"I should have… have followed you," she choked. "I should have because I loved you."

Solomon was about to say something, but he was suddenly reminded of Raul when he was kicked in the face. He fell over with a splash and landed on his back to watch the sorcerer step over Ingrid and point his gun at him for the second time.

"Unless you have any more secret admirers, Solomon," he muttered, "let's try and finish this without interruptions."

*****

The first shot slammed into the purple Mutant Lizard's face, throwing it away from the rest of the group. It started the chain reaction Vinyaya knew she couldn't avoid.

The Mutant Lizards swarmed her quickly and viciously while the Mutant Raptors prowled in the back, watching the onslaught. Vinyaya swung the Cosmotronic Ray hard, striking two Lizards with it and sending them flying. She managed to pick off one fire-breathing Lizard before the horde reached her. They snapped and bit at her forcefully. Had she not been wearing Space Police armor, she would've died rather quickly.

She kicked away a darkness Lizard and smacked away another Lizard with the gun as a brown Mutant Lizard wrapped its jaws around Vinyaya's arm. She shook the monster loose and swung the Cosmotronic Ray around, finishing it off. She quickly slammed her elbow into the back of another Lizard as it snapped at her heels.

"No, you don't!" Vinyaya growled, slamming her boot into the Lizard's skull. She turned as a red Lizard blasted fire in her face. Thanks to her armor, she remained unharmed as she grabbed the Mutant Lizard's thin neck and twisted it sharply. It dropped like a rock, allowing a yellow Lizard to take its place. She grimaced as she saw acid dripping from its mouth. Not daring to get too close, Vinyaya jammed the Cosmotronic Ray into its side and blasted it.

Suddenly, a Mutant Raptor charged forward, knocking the Lizards out of its path. It reached Vinyaya and slammed its foot at her body, pinning her against the Iron Predator and cracking the visor on her helmet. The Raptor then slowly dragged its foot to the left, grinding Vinyaya against the tank. Vinyaya, blinded by the Raptor's massive foot, pointed the Cosmotronic Ray in its general direction and squeezed off three shots, forcing the Raptor onto its back in defeat.

As the Mutant Lizards regrouped, Vinyaya tore off her helmet, letting her blonde ponytail fall against her back. She then swung the helmet into the face of a charging orange Mutant Lizard. The Lizard stumbled back, trying to pull the helmet off of its head. She quickly wasted the beast and turned to the rest of the Mutant Lizards. A darkness Lizard approached and shrouded Vinyaya in a cloud of black.

Vinyaya fired in the direction of where the Mutant Lizard last was and heard a nasty thud. She then swung her entire arm out and managed to strike a purple Lizard trying to attack her. She pinned it against the Iron Predator and kicked its exposed stomach multiple times before it fell limp. She whipped her head around, waiting for the cloud of darkness to fade. A brown Lizard ran at her, mouth open wide. Vinyaya jammed the Cosmotronic Ray into the creature's mouth and blew its brains out.

As she pulled the Cosmotronic Ray away from the corpse, the cloud of darkness disappeared and Vinyaya saw a Mutant Raptor approaching her slowly. She pointed her weapon at it and pulled the trigger, but nothing fired. Oh, no, Vinyaya realized in horror. Without warning, Vinyaya suddenly felt something grab her arms and pull her against the Iron Predator fiercely. She struggled desperately, but couldn't break free from her attackers, which soon revealed themselves to be green-skinned Mutant Lizards.

The Mutant Raptor stopped in front of her, growling lowly. She saw it scratch its claws against the ground anxiously. Vinyaya realized what was about to happen. It had happened to many others, most notably Greybeard and Shock. Possibly even Shadow, but she wasn't sure.

The Mutant Raptor glanced to the side. It stepped over to the body of an acid-spitting Mutant Lizard, a small puddle of acid spit surrounding it. It cautiously dipped two of its claws into the puddle. It raised them and saw it had no ill effects against it. The Raptor then turned to her and stepped up to her. Vinyaya's struggling increased, desperate to get away from the mad reptile. The Mutant Raptor stopped again, raised its acid-soaked claws, and struck.

It was pain beyond any measure Vinyaya had ever felt before. It clawed at the right side of her face, only with the two claws. One claw dug into the far right, from the top of her head to her cheek. The other ran down from her forehead, through her eye, and stopped at the corners of her mouth. Vinyaya screamed in agony as the vision in her right eye suddenly blinked out of existence.

The Mutant Lizards let her arms go, allowing her to sink to the ground as she screamed. Tears ran freely from her eyes. She wanted to clutch the right side of her face for comfort, but feared that it would only intensify the pain. The Mutant Raptor moved over slightly, and prepared to strike the left side of her face. At this point, Vinyaya didn't care. She wanted the mind-numbing pain to end.

Before the Mutant Raptor could finish her off, it was suddenly hailed on by weapon fire. It stumbled back and roared into the sky before it collapsed. The rest of the Mutant Dinos seemed to realize what they were facing and fled, leaving Vinyaya to suffer.

Vinyaya's vision was extremely blurred, but managed to see a man in a blue uniform descend from the sky on a hook, calling her name. The man got a good hold around her and pulled her into the sky. She looked up briefly to see them heading into a blue helicopter. She soon found herself lying on the ground, two Minifigs standing over her. Her shock prevented her from understanding much, but she could see the looks over horror as they looked at her face.

Vinyaya lifted her body up briefly and grabbed the uniform of the male Agent that had winched her to safety. "Medic," Vinyaya hissed, tears streaming out of eyes. "Please. NOW!" With that, Vinyaya collapsed into unconsciousness. 

*****

Over the radio, Rex could hear the ecstatic cheers in response to the news that he delivered. He felt a mixture of pride and relief in the knowledge that his plan had succeeded and that Dr. Rex himself had been defeated. He chuckled softly to himself, a little amused that everyone was so concentrated on the fact that silge metal is invincible that nobody considered that it was metal. Basic physics: metals are highly conductive, and only electricity could take the world's most impenetrable armor and turn it into a lethal weapon.

The rain continued to fall, and thunder continued to rumble. Up above, the storm clouds began to swirl over the spot where Dr. Rex had fallen, almost looking like a vortex.

Rex, Amanda, Frozeen, Greybeard, Adventure, and the two Super Ice Drones stepped out of their vehicles to survey the fallen form of Dr. Rex. He laid still upon the wet pavement, with rainwater running down his armor. He was still alive, and Rex frowned, wondering if his announcement of Dr. Rex's defeat was too early. However, Dr. Rex was gasping for breath, not unlike Ata in his final moments, and while Dr. Rex's eyes still contained that same look of intelligence and madness which had been absent in the decoy Greybeard had fought earlier, Rex saw a new, wild look in his eyes that he recognized all too well, after seeing it countless times in this war... the look of a being who knows that he's about to die.

"Hah!" laughed Adventure, pointing at Dr. Rex. "You messed with the wrong Minifigs! How do you like getting your tail handed to you, eh?"

Frozeen approached the Super Ice Drones. "Hey, I just want you guys to know that... I'd never thought I'd be saying this to your kind, but thanks for the help. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Your gratitude has been acknowledged," one of the drones said as it nodded stiffly and emotionlessly. "However, it is not us whom you should thank, for it was our great master Evil Ogel who conceived this plan."

"But how did Ogel survive being eaten the first time?" wondered Rex. "And aren't you two worried about Ogel having sacrificed himself?"

"Our great master is not dead," stated the other Super Ice Drone, "for he is far too cunning and intelligent. He has cheated death before, he has done so now, and we know that he shall do so again. For even now... Ogel lives."

"This reminds me of something I saw in the Alpha Team records," murmured Frozeen. "Something from back in 2001, after Ogel's first defeat... Darn, if I could only remember what it was..."

"So what do we do with this guy?" inquired Adventure. "Can I bring him home, stuff him, and add him to my trophy collection?"

"Patience, lad," snorted Greybeard, "ye can't stuff 'im till he be dead. Since he be still alive, we should just kill 'im now, fer dead men tell no tales, says I. He be leadin' a pitiful life, an' be th' cause o' millions o' deaths. He deserves t' die, an' I be ready t' kill him an' get this o'er wi'." With that, he loaded his flintlock pistol and approached Dr. Rex's head.

"Wait," Rex said, holding up his hand. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Blow me down, Rex," sighed Greybeard, "ye remain as idealistic as ever. This be no Mutant Lizard hatchlin' ye can take home, where ye can tame it an' call it yer pet. This be Dr. Rex 'imself. Dr. Rex be beyond savin', an' he deserves t' die. Thar be no point in sparin' him life. An' think o' it this way... we be freein' him from him misery, says I. Be that idealistic enough fer ye?"

Rex shook his head. "Idealistic? Yes. It would be very idealistic for us to just put Dr. Rex out of his misery right now. But such an idealistic death... that is not what he deserves."

Lowering his head in a way that cast a shadow over his features, Rex stared into Dr. Rex's eyes. "Doctor Ronald Alexander was once a well-meaning scientist. But that has changed. He has become weak-minded and weak-willed, reducing him to a puppet and a mere shell of the man he once was. He has perverted the name of science, taking the study of the world around us and using it to take the lives of millions, destroy the world in which we live, and make the lives of the survivors as miserable as possible... all under the horrible delusion that this was what destiny wanted, when in actuality he has become a pawn of the Darkitect."

Gritting his teeth, Rex continued: "In the initial Dino Attack, millions died before the survivors were evacuated to Antarctica. Since then, Dr. Rex has persisted in leading XERRD and the Mutant Dinos in a war against Dino Attack Team, the last hope for Minifig civilization, and in doing so he has taken the lives of many valiant soldiers, scientists, technicians, and civilians caught up in the action. So much blood has stained Dr. Rex's hands. And now, here he lies, in his final moments, gasping his final breaths, trapped in a dying body. Perhaps, only now, he reflects upon all that he has done and realizes the errors of his ways, adding guilt to the pain and agony he is currently in. It would be merciful, indeed, to just put him out of all that misery."

Rex shook his head again. "But no. That is not what he deserves. He does not deserve mercy or pity. He deserves to lie there, weighted down by all the pain, agony, guilt, and misery that he has placed upon himself. He deserves every last gasp for air, as the instincts of a wild animal take over with the knowledge that he is about to die. He does not even deserve the dignity to die with others around him... no, he deserves to die alone. That is the death that Dr. Rex deserves."

Beckoning to his comrades, Rex turned away from Dr. Rex's body. "Let's go. Leave Dr. Rex to his miserable fate."

Gradually, the others accepted Rex's words and turned away from Dr. Rex. Adventure returned to the High-Voltage Half-Track, the Super Ice Drones to their Scorpion Orb Launchers, and Rex, Frozeen, Amanda, and Greybeard to the Iron Predator. As Rex started up the Iron Predator's engine, a bolt of lightning shot across the sky above, followed by a loud thunderclap. Rex's heart began to race, and he clutched his chest in pain.

Deep laughter echoed across 42nd Street, just barely louder than a whisper but audible enough to send shivers down everyone's spine. It was not Dr. Rex's laugh or Evil Ogel's laugh... but Baron Typhonus's laugh.

Dr. Rex opened his maw and produced that same eerie blend of a roar and a scream. Massive tendrils of Maelstrom energy erupted from every opening in his armor, including the eyeholes and from his mouth, moving like snakes emerging from their underground dens. Then, horribly reminiscent of the Maelstrom tendrils that Rex had encountered in the Maelstrom Temple, they constricted around Dr. Rex's body, wrapping so tightly around his form that they might have crushed him to death. It was a terrible and horrifying sight to behold, Rex thought, for no one... not even Dr. Rex... deserved such a fate.

Then, Dr. Rex did the unthinkable. He was still gasping for breath, and the Maelstrom tendrils looked like they were choking the life out of him, and yet somehow he managed to rise to his feet. Opening his mouth, Dr. Rex delivered a terrifying roar that resonated across LEGO City. Then, Dr. Rex laid his red eyes, from which wisps of purple smoke rose, upon the Iron Predator.

"Oh my Builder," whispered Rex. Beside him, he could see that Amanda felt the same way. Everyone was horrified by the sight they saw, but none more so than Rex and Amanda, for their acute understanding of the unspoken allowed them to see that which the others did not.

Imagine, if you will, how it feels to be Dr. Rex. Every gasping breath you take feels like it might be the last, and you can feel the movement of air grate your insides which have been fried by electricity, but you cannot help but gasp, for the combined weight of silge and Maelstrom weighs you down and chokes you. Pain and agony are your only two senses as you feel like you are being burned alive. And all this time, you thought you were in control of your own fate... and only now, you realize that you are nothing more than a marionette, unable to fight back as your strings are pulled by a greater power. And only now, you know that he will keep pulling your strings. He will not cut them and grant you death, the escape from your horrible life that you now so desire. He will keep you alive so you can feel every bit of pain for the rest of eternity. There is nothing you can do now. You cannot fight back. All you can do now is do what the puppetmaster forces you to do.

And there is only one last thing that he wants you to do. Finish the job. Grind the world to dust and leave no one alive.

And seeing as the ones he wants you to kill are the very ones responsible for putting you in this miserable state to begin with, you have resigned to your fate, eagerly waiting for the opportunity to satisfy your lust for revenge. It is, after all, not your fault that you are perpetually on the brink of death... it is the fault of those that opposed you in the first place. Dino Attack Team. And so, for now, there is only one thought on your mind, one sole consolation that can bring you joy in a world of misery and pain.

The thought of killing every last one of them.

*****

Atop a nearby wall set up around Dino Attack HQ, Stranger sat, kneeling as he looked into his laser sniper rifle scope. The rapid rainfall barely bothered him, even as he felt his body get soaked, as he aimed at the targets he could see around the battlefield.

He could see, somewhere near the front lines, a XERRD scientist with two mechanical appendages shooting a kind of large laser around the nearby Dino Attack vehicles, taking out a few of him. One quick shot from his rifle managed to take him down, but Stranger didn't stop to check if he had died from the shot or not. There were other targets to focus on.

Somewhere around a downed Iron Predator, a Space Police officer was having a hard time with a swarm of Mutant Raptors and Lizards. Stranger fired as many shots as he could, but he was barely able to pick them off, and in the time it took to reload ammo in his gun, one of the more intelligent Raptors had taken a moment to claw her eye out with an acid-laced slash. Before he could get a shot in, an Agents vehicle provided cover and airlifted her out.

It almost looked like the Raptor was marking his prey, Stranger mused. A shame he got a barrage of fire for his effort. There's a time and place for that sort of thing, buster, and you chose rather poorly.

Stranger was also searching for Dr. Rex, as after hitting him in the eye earlier, he was hoping to try and hit him hard a few more times. But it seemed that he had been drawn further into the city. Scope-peeking into the blocks seemed to give no results, but he did glimpse an Iron Predator and a High-Voltage Half-Track rushing through the streets from time to time.

After a few minutes, a barrage of cheers on his PDA radio gave him an answer. He had been downed by a large electrical blast, and was presumably dying right this minute.

"Well, poopy," Stranger muttered. It seemed he wouldn't have his shot at the biggest beast. Shooting the corpse wouldn't cut it, he had wanted to give a killing blow. Me and everyone else, he also thought.

As he gathered his things to go and move back into the HQ tower, he noticed, past the hellfire of rain that was still soaking the area, some kind of vortex formation in the clouds, a little bit to his right. Realizing that this, given everything he had seen and heard at Adventurers' Island, that this was no coincidence, he started moving right, trying to get in line with an open block to see if he could identify what the vortex might be forming over.

As he reached a block in line with a path right to the cloud formation, he got back on his knees and looked into his scope again, zooming it to maximum distance. There, through the rainfall, he could see the slightly glinting form of the Mutant T-Rex's somewhat-burnt-looking armor, surrounded by several Ogel and Dino Attack vehicles.

And then it happened.

With a bolt of lightning and a sound of thunder, purple tentacles began to stream out of the armored Mutant T-Rex's body, wrapping around him until he was looking like a giant purple dinosaur mummy. Steaming mad and purple, the creature rose up on its feet and let out a bellowing roar that felt to Stranger like it was being blown right into his ear.

He could see some T-1 Typhoons moving above him to try and see the sight themselves. Already, he could hear the comm bursting with confusion and cynicism.

"What was that?"
"Called it."
"So much for a blue milk run."
"Someone get a giant taser, Dr. Rex is kicking again."
"Did anyone else hear a deep, dark laugh?"
"That's it, no one declare a victory again until every one of these things are down for good."
"Did they not shoot him enough?"

All Stranger could do in reaction was to lower his sunglasses and mutter "...what."

*****

The sight for Semick in his T-1 Typhoon was blurry, and a little silly-looking, but still rather terrifying. Something in him told him that this was not going to get any easier by a long shot. Which he guessed he had to suspect from what was the fifth major surprise yet in this battle.

It was moments like these that reminded him why he left the Power Miners. He had only been signed on for a year, and that year hadn't exactly been finished when the lava monster problem had begun to surface. He had served well down there, collected a lot of crystals, helped many operations in mining go smoothly, had even seen the Crystal King in person during one particularly vile incident he didn't like to recall. But when he heard the report from the Titanium Command Rig crew about the new discovery, he had been given such a feeling of dread from it that he had wanted to just get done with things and go home.

Being assigned to the crew who was to go to the surface to receive and send down the new, more fireproof equipment proved to be a very strong temptation, once he realized his year was up. At the time, he didn't know that a good one-eighth of the men had left around the same time. He had simply filled out the form, turned in his uniform, and walked to the nearest bus stop to go back home. He didn't think at the time that he would be missed. But when he had read the articles in the newspaper and received letters from miners who missed him after the whole ordeal was over, he began to feel like he had abandoned them when he could still help. When there was still a massive challenge to face.

That's not going to happen now, for sure, Semick thought to himself as he heard the roar of the Maelstrom-controlled Dr. Rex. No matter what happens, I'm serving to the end.

"Oh no," said Bluetooth quietly from the TALON-9 system. Semick had noted that he had gotten quieter after he had heard distress calls from one Commander Vinyaya, but he felt that this was sure to make him a little wearier.

"Well, Defend," said Attack from the front gunner port. "Looks like you're twenty bucks richer, you were right after all."

"Semick, what do you see?" asked Hertz from HQ over radio. The team didn't fully know what was going on yet, and it seemed that some of the other T-1 Typhoon pilots were still in jaw-dropping horror from the sight.

The Elite Agent knew what had to be done. He grabbed his mic and began speaking to the team via the main comm: "All agents, I was right to say that we can't drop our guard with Dr. Rex's defeat. The Maelstrom is somehow taking control of his body, and getting him back on his feet to strike hard at us again. Prepare yourselves, and remember that we have beaten this enemy before, quite recently, at Adventurers' Island. We did it once, we can sure as heck do it again!

"Just remember that I don't want you being suicidal here. If you see it charging at you, get the MegaBlok out of its way! I just don't want you to give up now! Running around in circles crying about how we're doomed isn't going to help anyone, and I might add that it would be pitiful for us to go down like that."

He then switched to the private HQ frequency. "Hertz, I think now's as good as a time as ever to prepare HQ for an evacuation. We've both seen the Maelstrom in action, and I have a feeling that if this... thing turns its eye on HQ, we're going to have a hard time stopping it. Get another location set up for you and the team to work from, or at least bunker down there at the lower floors. We can't let the fall of this building truly mean the fall of this team."

"We'll… we'll try, Semick."

"Also, let the Founding Members know that the team's getting restless about where they are. Having them out here could improve morale, and at this point, we need all the morale we can get more than ever."

"Heh, I can understand that. Anything else?"

Semick thought for a second about his options. He recalled something he said earlier, and answered "Can you get me on XERRD's radio frequency?"

"Uh, sure. But I'm sure they wouldn't want to hear you. Plus, we're still trying to block them."

"Take out the block. I think we need to say something to them, and if it works, they could probably use full radio access."

"Really? I-wait, I see what you're thinking. Give me a sec..." A few moments passed, wherein Semick flew back closer to HQ. "Alright," Hertz said finally. "You're on their line."

Semick cleared his throat and prepared to speak. "Agents of XERRD," he said "This is Elite Agent Semick of Dino Attack! As you might be figuring out, your 'leader' is nothing more but a mere drone of the Maelstrom, which is trying to use to wipe us out for good! Now this might seem like good news to you, but I happen to know that several of your people have seen the true form of the Maelstrom in person at Adventurers' Island, and I believe they know that Maelstrom is not under your control, and is merely using you to wipe out this planet and everything on it!

"You know as well as I do about how the Maelstrom is in every Mutant Dino! If it can take control of your 'leader', it can sure as heck take control of your primary army! And even if it remains under your control, and you successfully wipe us out, I doubt it will spare you, given what I've heard about this 'Darkitect' that controls it! He wishes to wipe out our planet, and if that happens, there isn't going to be anything left for you to rule-if you're still even alive!

"Because of this, I have an offer to you: Proclaim a truce! Drop the hostilities we've held for months, just this once, and join us in our efforts to wipe these creatures out! Even if you don't care for our planet or our people, you surely must realize, being the smart scientists you are, that you are at a Hobson's Choice: fall to us in our fight against you, or fall to the Maelstrom when it finally disposes of you!

"Choose wisely. You don't have much time. None of us do."

*****

"I FREAKING called it!"
"Hijacked by Maelstrom AGAIN? Really?!"
"If this thing starts spewing out another Stromling army, I'm writing the Baron a strongly-worded letter about the absurdity here!"
"Argh, what are we supposed to do now!"
"Music! I need the right music!"
"Right now, those trippy dreams I had about a pony in a bow tie playing a cello sound pretty tame."
"Hold the line, men, hold the line!"
"Doesn't anyone stay dead anymore?"
"At least this rain hasn't turned to sleet yet." 

*****

"You heard the lady, Dez," Osprey called out. "To the infirmary." His attempt to sound calm failed, as he couldn't keep a tremor out of his voice. Beside him, Jinx was completely speechless, but the lieutenant quickly snapped out of his daze, grabbed the helicopter's first aid kit, and jabbed Vinyaya with a combination painkiller/stabilizer. The Space Police commando, still unconscious, appeared to relax slightly, and Osprey and Jinx gingerly lifted her into a seat and strapped her in.

"It's a bit rough out here, Cap," replied Desdemona. "You have her secured?" When her inquiry was met with affirmation, Desdemona lifted the Aerial Defense Unit back into the mess of Pterosaurs, helicopters, and hoverjets. She blasted a few of the latter out of their way, but one slipped past and scored a hit. The craft shook slightly. Then the Pterosaurs began to take interest.

Lightning arced through the air and struck the helicopter. One of the rotors faltered slightly and the other rotor slammed into it. They began to drop. Desdemona swore.

Then suddenly, with several blasts of energy, the Pterosaurs were gone. Osprey peered out the window. The Reclaimer had come alongside them, and the gunship's weapons continued to thud away at their adversaries. He sighed with relief as the rotors resumed their normal pace.

"Kara Wise, UITech Industries," said the Reclaimer's pilot over the radio. "You alright over there?"

"I think we're fine now, thanks to you," Osprey responded. "Could you cover us the rest of the way to the HQ?"

"Not a problem," Kara said brightly. They soon landed by the battlefield infirmary the medics had set up. Pierce met them with a stretcher, sparing a surprised glance at the Reclaimer hovering protectively above. They carefully transferred the unconscious Holly Vinyaya to the stretcher.

"Jinx, stay with them," Osprey said, climbing back on board the Aerial Defense Unit. "If we can't make it back for you, well, this place could use a touch more defense." Jinx nodded and loaded his weapons, before turning back to follow Pierce. The medic had wheeled the stretcher through the door and then stopped with a look of horror on his face.

"No. No way. Absolutely not," he said, staring straight ahead. "You are not using those."

Mort was sitting by one of the tables, fiddling with the instruments of the late Dr. Luzwheit. "Why not, doctor?" the Alpha Team agent asked levelly. "I've reverse-engineered much trickier devices in my time. I've just about got these figured out."

"You'll kill her!" Pierce cried.

"Or that venom will," Mort said, standing. "Medic had folks who were almost corpses back on their feet in minutes, from what I've heard. And unlike him, I understand the importance of the Hippocratic Oath. What have we to lose by trying?" Pierce hesitated for a moment and Mort jumped back in again. "I should add that what we have to lose by not trying is her life."

Pierce sighed. "All right, get to it."

*****

"Is Agent Vinyaya safely out of there?" Rotor shouted over the radio.

"Affirmative," replied Cabin, calmly. "She's just been evacuated."

"Good," replied Rotor. "I want you and Kara Wise to regroup with the rest of us. It's time to take out this motherznapper once and for all." 

*****

"Yes!" Donnie said eagerly as he rolled yet another strike. "Hey, Walter-"'

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!"

"Calm down, man," Dude said. "It's just a bowling match. You were the one who decided to take us here in the middle of a dinosaur rampage."

"Well, it was supposed to be the best bowling alley in town," replied Walter.

"Yeah man," said Dude. "But there's like, mutant dinos running around. They could break in at any minute!"

"Calm down, Dude," assured Walter. "Nobody's going to break in here."

As if on cue, there was a loud smashing noise as someone's car suddenly drove partway into the wall of the alley, knocking a large hole into it. Two men and a woman climbed out. One man had a revolver in hand but tucked another pistol behind his leather jacket. The other man had an eyepatch.

"What the Znap you doing here?" Walter asked.

"Walter," Dude said agitatedly. "I think these guys mean business."

Walter ignored him. "Can't you see we're in the middle of a bowling match?"

The man in the jacket raised his revolver and aimed it towards them. "Do I look like I give a Znap what you're doing? Stay where you are; if you try anything, I swear I'll blow your mother-Znapping brains out."

"Alright."

"Well," said Dude. "That's like, your opinion man."

Walter started to reach for a bowling ball on the rack, but Trigger cocked his gun. "We got a few more hostages," Trigger said. "Now, I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to."

"Now, look," said Walter. "Just take it easy. Let's all just calm down and solve this like civiliz-"

"Um, guys?" Donnie spoke up.

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" snapped Walter.

At that moment, a helicopter was faintly audible in the distance. Trigger walked up to his female companion and grabbed her. "Snake, keep an eye on those three. If any of them move, kill them."

Snake nodded. Trigger wrapped a hand around his female companion and put a revolver against her head before walking toward the door.

Snake stared for a moment as Trigger left. "Znap this block," he muttered. "I'm getting out of here."

With that, Snake lowered his rifle and ran towards the back of the building, through the administration offices. He eventually found a back door and opened it to find a parking lot. Stepping out of the building, he soon found a car conveniently parked on the street.

Breaking the lock with his gun, Snake opened the door and got into the driver's seat. He got down, opened the lower flap, and started hotwiring the vehicle, and within a few short minutes the engine started. He then hit the ignition and started to drive away.

Back in the alley, the three men stood in shock. "Znap it," Walter said as he turned toward the rack.

"Walter, that's your Znapping answer to everything! Every time there's a problem, you just say 'Znap it, let's go bowling'!" Dude shouted. "I told you this was a bad idea!"

"You kidding?" scoffed Walter as he tossed the ball down the lane. 

*****

"Son of Znapping MegaBlok! That Znapping piece of Jack Stone-Znapping-4+-Znapping MegaBlokin' MegaBloker!"
"Ole Kirk, man! Cool it. Just keep fighting."
"Did anyone see that ominous swirling vortex in the sky? Looked kinda like a maelstrom-oh Znap."
"Figures. Cough up the money, boys. I told you."
"-Repeat! Mutant Tyrant Lizard King: Dr. Rex is still in the game!"
"This Typhonus guy is getting worse at hijacking the plot than that Ganonblok guy in-"
"Maybe XERRD will figure out exactly how screwed they are now."

Zelda Frodongan couldn't hide her displeasure at these new updates. Dr. Rex's revival and this Builder-forsaken Cyrista's Bane would not give. Dr. Cyborg had sent some agents to a Power Plant building for some plan that would hopefully take down this beast. In the meantime, she and Nazareno had continued to take down Mutant Dinos around the beast and occasionally take a strike at the beast itself.

Zelda was running through a pack of Mutant Lizards, knocking their heads off with her swords with ease. Among other things she heard on her headset was Commander Vinyaya's distress call. She had wanted to go after her, but the sheer number of Mutant Dinos around her prevented that. She demanded a status update and learned that Vinyaya was alive, but had been scarred by acid thanks to the work of a Mutant Raptor.

She shuddered uncomfortably. That combined with Zachary's disappearance did nothing to brighten her spirits. Zelda jumped in to the air and landed on to the ruins of a Steel Sprinter. Around her, Parr, Sullivan, and Fredricksen were taking shots at any Mutant Dinos that crossed her path. She looked up and saw a Steel Sprinter flying into the air, Nazareno on it. Zelda held her breath as Nazareno kicked the ATV down on to a pack of Mutant Lizards. The kick boosted him into the air, allowing him to land on top of Mutant T-Rex's head.

Zelda grinned. She couldn't hide that she was attracted to Nazareno. Perhaps it was the comfort he had provided to her after coming out of her Stromling comatose. Perhaps his taking an interest in her skill. Maybe it was calm seriousness with a hint of dry humor. Whatever it was, Zelda liked him. The only problem was Nazareno's mysteriousness. She wasn't sure if he noticed her attraction. She wasn't even sure if he was attracted to women. Or any Minifig, really.

She jumped back into the fray. Her feelings over the matter would have to be dealt with later. There was a battle win.

*****

Zach's head seared with pain. The Darkitect - the Maelstrom - had done something. Something bad. He could feel it.

"Are you okay?" Athena asked, concerned. She had flashed out into another memory and once again did not recognize Zach.

She was abruptly smacked in the back of the head by the Hybrid who was guarding her as they walked up the stairs. It snarled in its harsh voice which Zach could easily translate as "Shut up."

Instead of simply killing them, the Hybrids had chosen to take them upstairs. As they passed by rooms, it didn't take Zach long to figure out that XERRD had made some command post of this building. Hybrids were posted by windows with sniper rifles, picking off any Dino Attack agent that came into their sights.

As they neared the top, Zach could hear a frail voice speaking: "-saw it herself! Maelstrom shot out of his body! Then he got up and turned against those Dino Attack agents that had taken him down!"

They finally reached the top of the building. Three Hybrids were at the edge of the roof, sniping. At the center stood a short Space Marauder with large, round-rimmed glasses that seemed somewhat fogged over with a short wisp of white hair on his head. On his back was a strange looking backpack with a nozzle head on top of it.

This man was speaking to the larger man in a tan trenchcoat with XERRD's emblem on his left arm. He had shaggy, pure white hair and work dark, reflective sunglasses with a small scar underneath the right lens and had the barest hint of a goatee on his chin. He wore black, fingerless gloves and, in one hand, clutched a radio. He was hard to read, but Zach could see he held the radio tensely. He brought the radio to his face.

"So, Michelle," the man said, putting unnecessary emphasis on the woman's name. "Is what Dr. Gadd told true?" Silence, then, "And you heard this 'Elite Agent Semick's' message, correct?" A longer period of silence. "Well, Dr. Gladys, I've been able to see that our leader has been going off his rocker since you, Barabbas, and Gonapus returned from the cursed temple. Even if he has suddenly stood up from the brink of death itself, he is hardly fit to continue leading this organization, which puts you in command. Whatever you chose to do, I'll stand by it. Even if it is stupid and foolish." Silence followed, with the man smirking. "I love you too, Gladys. Now stop with the petty insults and take charge."

The man pocketed the radio and turned to Dr. Gadd. "How exactly did you get here so fast, Alvin?"

Dr. Gadd pointed to his strange backpack, a strange grin on his face. "Water-powered jetpack that also doubles as a laser cannon. There is quite a bit of science to it. I call it the Flight and Laser Ultra Destruction Device, or-"

"I see," the man said, scratching his beard. "Get back into the field and continue to fight against the Dino Attack unless Gladys takes this 'Semick's' advice."

Alvin Gadd frowned. "As you wish, Darkling." Zach grimaced at his name: what Stromlings used to be called. He pressed a button, causing the nozzle on his device to point downwards. A blast of pressurized water fired from the nozzle, shooting Gadd into the air. He turned and started to descend from the building back into the battlefield.

"Now then," Darkling said, turning to Zach, Athena, and the Hybrids. He walked forward and stared at them. Zach was extremely unnerved by man's sunglasses, which prevented anyone from seeing his eyes. He turned his head toward Athena, a smirk forming on his mouth. "Let her go, please."

The Hybrid shoved Athena Fabello away from it. She stumbled and fell to the ground. Darkling extended a hand and helped the woman back on to her feet. "Who are you?!" Athena demanded both with fear and angry in her voice.

Darkling cleared his throat. "How nice it is to see you again, Mrs. Fabello."

Zach couldn't hide his surprise. "How-?!" His objections were muffled as he felt a sharp electrical pain in his side, causing him to collapse to his knees. He glanced up at Athena, who had gone into one of her "transition" phases again. Suddenly, a smile formed on Athena's face as she looked at Darkling.

"Hello, again, Mr. Darkling!"

*****

"Kara, this is Matthew. Can you receive me?" Dr. Cyborg sent.

"I can hear you. What do you need?" Kara replied.

"The grav-beams on your ship that were used for loading cargo. Are they still functional?"

"Yes, they are, as always. What do you need them for?"

"The power plant. Some agents are breaking it apart. I need you to use the grav-beams to lift the debris out. I also need you to cut apart and remove the bunker around the generators themselves."

"Will do, Dr. Cyborg." 

Helm maneuvered Tracer's Vindication around a pile of rubble, while Giles continued to pound away at the power plant with blasts from the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher. The mariner peered out as the Reclaimer floated in overhead and began picking up the chunks of broken bricks with some sort of tractor beam.

"Careful not to damage the generators themselves," Dr. Cyborg reminded them.

Helm wondered, not for the first time, what crazy scheme the scientist had up his sleeve.

Kara had flown in and seen a few Fire Hammers, Urban Avengers, and if she wasn't mistaken, an Iron Predator blasting the building into scrap. She activated the grav-beams and started loading the rubble into the Reclaimer's cargo bay. She fired up the cutting laser and carefully cut and removed the reinforced concrete bunker around the generators. If she knew Dr. Cyborg, he had some wild-but-probably-gonna-work plan that required precision to set up.

*****

"You owe me ten bucks from our bet!"
"Where are the XERRD and Inferno men?"
"Some on the surface, some on the towers."
"Evil Madman: Dr. Rex."
"I knew he was gonna get up! Every final boss has at least three phases."
"A mutant extinct reptile that had its mind switched with the main villain encased in almost invulnerable armor turned into a zombie by an evil energy, and a cyborg mutant extinct reptile! Can this battle get any more improbable?"
"Why is the cyborg T-Rex named after that one XERRD scientist? That younger one with his own company… you know, the one that got really popular after the Mindstorms/Dacta disaster?" 

*****

For the second time, the Grendelwulf brothers' bright red jetcycle careened back into the city, having outraced B's Fire Hammer. They blazed through the streets back towards the melee around Dino Attack HQ, blasting and hacking their way through the scores of dinos and XERRD forces. At one point, a Space Marauder who'd been zooming about the battle with a jetpack came alongside them, exchanging several blows with Epic Winston before the latter scored a hit with his broadsword through one of the jetpack's thrusters. The Space Marauder hit the street hard and rolled, but by the time he got back up, the brothers were long gone.

It was then that they noticed an Inferno chopper tailing them. Epic Winston snatched one of Hazmatt's SMGs and fired a spray of bullets at the craft. It dodged easily and accelerated until it was right above the bike. An orange-clad figure wearing a dark-visored helmet and wielding two short scimitars dropped from the chopper and landed on the hood of the bike. Acting on reflex, Hazmatt turned sharply. The back wheel swung around with a screech and the smell of scorched rubber, but the Inferno henchman managed to maintain his balance. This didn't last long, because as soon as the bike had rotated 180 degrees, Hazmatt threw it into reverse -- another addition that command chose to overlook -- and executed the same maneuver. This time, the henchman was thrown to the street.

He picked himself up and flourished his blades as the Grendelwulf brothers stepped down from the jetbike.

"Sargon," Hazmatt snarled. "If you went to so much effort to get our attention again, you must have a death wish."

"One we are only happy to oblige," Epic Winston added, assuming an attack position.

A typical Inferno goon probably would have spat some sort of cheesy retort or one liner. Perhaps it was the fact that the Grendelwulf brothers were expecting something along those lines that allowed the warrior called Sargon to take them by surprise when he hurled one of his swords. It whirled through the air towards Hazmatt's head, and he only just managed to dodge. The blade, honed so far beyond razor-sharp that the very edge was only a few molecules thick, sliced off a lock of his hair as it passed before burying itself in one of the jetcycle's tires.

Epic Winston charged then and engaged Sargon. Hazmatt tossed his guns away, drew a dagger from his boot, and pulled a short sword from a storage compartment on the side of the bike before joining his brother.

"You've improved," Epic Winston said between strikes. And it was true -- even with only one blade, Sargon was still a truly formidable opponent. Soon Winston and Matthias were fighting for their lives.

*****

"Znap, I knew our luck wouldn't last!"
"What the hey is that cyborg guy trying to do, anyhow?"
"--going to try and get behind it. Don't shoot until--"
"Okay, we're gonna need a bigger lightning tank."
"When the Blok is Alpha Team coming? We're not gonna last much longer against that thing!"
"How come they never gave us Silge-armored vehicles?"
"Holy Znap, the Maelstrom is back! Game over, man!"
"This might not be the best time to say it, but I think I lo--"
"Beware! Beware, you dino folk! These blasts of green are not a joke!"
"What happened? Did they get Commander Vinyaya out okay?"

*****

Hotwire cursed when he saw the tendrils of Maelstrom energy and heard the comms blowing up. "How is that possible? We kicked the Darkitect off of the planet. He can't just come strolling back in like this!"

"The fact that you closed a door does not prevent the Darkitect from gaining entry through a window," said Kat. "The windows being, of course, the mutant dinosaurs themselves. since each one contains a small amount of the Maelstrom. Apparently, that fool Ronald has more of that dark energy in his body than any other being on the planet, so it is but a trifle for the Darkitect to assume total control over him, like a puppetmaster manipulating the strings of a marionette."

"How'd you know all that?" Hotwire exclaimed.

"Know what?" Kat said quizzically.

"All that stuff you just said about the dinos and the Maelstrom and Dr. Rex, of course."

"I didn't say anything."

Hotwire furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? You just spouted off a whole--"

Kat paused. "Wait, was I speaking with a slight Barron accent?"

"Well, I didn't really notice, but I guess you might have--"

"MegaBloks!" Kat burst out. "She's not keeping up her end of the bargain!"

"What are you talking about?" demanded Hotwire, exasperated.

"Less talk, more shooting!" Larson interrupted.

Kat sighed. "Sorry about that," she said, sounding just as exasperated as Hotwire. "Katerina must've come out for a few seconds. Won't happen again. I hope."

*****

"C'mon guys! Sing a song and stay strong!"
"I need a boat! I need a boat!"
"I knew I should've put a Tesla device on this thing."
"I have not... come this far... to die now."
"XERRD, you really should start helping us out!"
"Hah hah. Giant Maelstrom Armored Mutant T-Rex Mummy. That's just rich."
"If only Zero hadn't gotten discharged..."

The comm chatter only seemed to frustrate Sherlock as he tried to outrun a Mutant T-Rex on his tail. The blasted thing had seen him a few minutes ago, and seemed MegaBlokland-bent on getting him. It was even shrugging off attacks from other agents' vehicles in its mad chase of one measly Urban Avenger. Truly, it seemed that, in spite of all the intelligence the idealists liked to say they had, Mutant Dinos could definitely be downright stupid at times.

This wasn't exactly helping Sherlock stay motivated. After he had returned to HQ, he had ended up being found out by the higher-ups, and it was quite likely that, as he was supposed to be discharged, that he would have to be removed from the premises. But once word about the upcoming attack came in, it was seen as preferable to keep him on, seeing as every helping hand available would be needed for the defense. So he was accepted back in, though as an ally and not an official agent.

Now he was barely keeping himself together. The various hordes of Mutant Dinos and all the boss-sized T-Rexes were hard for him to handle, even during some of the team-focused strikes. And this stubbornly determined Mutant T-Rex wasn't helping.

Turning again to try and aim his mounted Sonic Screamer at it, he failed to notice as he approached some uprooted asphalt right in front of his path. His vehicle hit it head on and was stopped suddenly, propelling Sherlock out of his seat and onto the wet street.

The Mutant T-Rex stood above him as the ex-agent rolled over to face him. He grimaced as he prepared to meet the infernal heat that was the creature's mouth. But as the creature lowered its head, several Z-1 Kinetic Launcher shots came in from the right and hit the creature straight-on in the head. The T-Rex stumbled to the side, then fell to the ground, crushing Sherlock's Urban Avenger in the process.

"Drat!" Sherlock groaned. Even if he had avoided death, he wasn't getting luckier. He looked to where the shots had come from, and was greeted by the sight of another Urban Avenger pulling up to him. What struck him immediately was not only the unusual choice of a mounted weapon, but a distinct black-and-teal color scheme adorning it.

As the ex-agent got back up to his feet, he got a look at the driver. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, yet hardened by plenty of battle experience. He had a simple, albeit scarred face. He wore a simple goggle-adorned helmet and a dark grey poncho over a uniform with a teal left sleeve. "You alright?" the driver asked. "Sorry about your vehicle, those things happen."

"Euh, I suppose," said Sherlock. He glanced back the T-Rex, which was trying to get back up on its legs, but by now the other Dino Attack vehicles were swarming in and subduing it.

"Trust me, they do," the driver continued, getting out of the Urban Avenger. "Here, you can use mine. I have plenty of other options."

"Oh! Well, uh, thanks." Sherlock smiled awkwardly, getting into the vehicle himself.

"Don't mention it. I know you've been through a lot lately."

Sherlock sighed for a moment. "So you've heard of my... poor decisions during the schism? I do wish I could leave those behind."

The driver gave an understanding smile. "We all do, buddy. I've made plenty of bad decisions in my time, most of them much worse than your breaking of a few Green Goo pods. All we can do is apologize for them, make amends, and continue moving forward, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah."

"Take that to heart, and keep up the good work out here. Dwelling on the bad parts of our past only drag us down. Just focus on the task at hand and move along."

The driver tipped his helmet and began walking off into the misty rain. After reflecting on the man's words, Sherlock suddenly asked, "Hey, don't you want a ride back?"

There was no response. Sherlock drove the Urban Avenger in the direction the agent had gone off in, and found nothing.

Sherlock was confused, but remembering what the guy had said, he reminded himself it might be best to just focus back on the battle going on around him. As he spotted a pack of Mutant Raptors and made to steer towards them, he caught notice of a tag on the key ring for the key in the Urban Avenger's ignition. Grabbing it and holding it out straight, he was chilled to the core by what he read.

Urban Avenger #4029
Property of: Kotua 

*****

"What!?" Zach snapped. How did Athena Fabello know who this guy was? She could hardly remember anything. He grunted as he was stabbed in the side by the electrospear again. "Son of a-" Zach turned, and blasted the Hybrid in the face with the Maelstrom. It stumbled back in surprise and fell off of the building.

Another jab in the side by the other Hybrid sent Zach back to his knees. Darkling stepped past Athena briefly and glanced down at Zach with an emotionless face. "You must be that Zachary Virchaus I heard about."

Zach coughed. "And from your last name," he muttered, "I can assume you're Blaire Darkling." Blaire smirked in response. "How do you know who I am?"

"Michelle Gladys. She mentioned you," he jerked his thumb back at Athena, "her daughter, Matthew Cyrista, and a samurai which we are led to believe is the Quasifigus pterisa that was supposed to be executed by Wallace Bishop. She stated you were the one that had Maelstrom flying out your fingers and was formerly a Stromling." Blaire chuckled darkly. "Even from a boring monotone like her, one could tell she was furious. Ms. Fabello's daughter destroyed her teleporting device, the Quasifigus Hybrid blasted her with lightning, and she believes you are the reason sweet Carolyne could not be with us today."

Zach rose to his feet, trying to keep his temper in check. "That's what happened."

Blaire turned away. "If I were you, Miss Fabello, Dr. Cyrista, or the Hybrid, I would make sure not to cross paths with Dr. Gladys today. It would not be a fun experience."

"I'll keep that in mind," Zach growled.

"Where are we?" Athena asked kindly, tapping Blaire's shoulder. "I thought we were in an underground facility?"

"We've moved to LEGO City, Ms. Fabello," Blaire said, crossing his arms. "A more... ideal location."

"Okay. And who's that?" She pointed to Zach.

"A troublemaker, if you will. A trespasser. He will be leaving shortly."

Athena smiled warmly at Zach. "It doesn't seem to be doing anything wrong. He just wants to see the dinosaurs. Let him go."

Zach raised an eyebrow and looked at Blaire. He shrugged and beckoned Hybrid to back away.

Athena walked up to him. "Do you know what XERRD does?" she asked, almost excitedly.

"You mean, besides murder millions of people?" Zach muttered quietly.

"They study dinosaurs!" Athena said, grinning. "How cool is that? I didn't even know dinosaurs will still around. And my son gets to spend time around them all day!"

Zach coughed. "Your son?"

"Yes! I feel like I missed so much of his childhood, but my little Oz has grown into a handsome young man and gets to spend his time guarding the dinosaurs! I can't wait until Isaac, Tod, and Minnie get to see this!"

Minnie? He suppressed a smirk at this, considering something sinister was up with this. "What year is it?"

Athena paused for a moment. "2010, isn't it?"

"Almost Christmas, I may add," Blaire said in the background.

Athena gasped. "Shoot! I haven't even started shopping yet!" Athena turned away from him and seemed to start forming a list in her head of what to get her family, including her deceased son and husband, for the holidays.

Zach moved to Blaire, who smirked. "How does she know what year it is?" Zach demanded quietly. "How does she remember XERRD, or you, or anything?"

Blaire continued to smirk, as if he was impressed with himself. "Athena Fabello is an interesting case, to say the least. Her amnesia and short-term memory are unlike anything I've heard of before. I would blame the men at Napoleon XIV for not doing more to uncover the strange secrets of the woman's mind, but as is, they were missing a key part: her close family and friends."

"Alright, back up," Zach said, crossing his arms. "Napoleon XIV says she passed away-"

"Just as I predicted," Blaire scoffed. "Oswald requested that he be allowed to go to Antarctica and to abduct his mother from the mental institution. Curiosity over the facilities lead me to accompany him. We very easily managed to escape the facilities with Athena and Napoleon XIV would cover it up."

"Doesn't explain how she remembers you and XERRD or acknowledges her children as adults."

Blaire nodded. "I pride myself as the most intelligent man in XERRD that isn't a scientist. I have carefully observed when I'm not busy and have come up with conclusions of my own. I'll start by saying that when we first found Athena in the mental institute, she recognized Oswald as an adult, but incorrectly assumed that the rest of her offspring were children. Oswald upset her, and she switched to an illusion of Oswald being a child. I thought nothing of it until after we returned to XERRD's outpost in the Goo Caverns.

"According to Oswald, he went to check up on her after an hour or so of being absent. Upon meeting her, Athena recognized him again as an adult and seemed much more aware of what was going on around her. She asked what Oswald was doing, and he told her he was a security guard for a scientific organization. She was apparently ecstatic that her 'little Ozzie' had a job and asked to be given a tour of the facility. Surprisingly, Oswald complied.

"While that outpost did not match the Dinosaur Island Laboratory in terms of size, there were still science labs and dinosaurs pens in it, which was enough to satisfy Athena. She was fascinated by everything she saw, but was mostly excited by the dinos. Due to her 'insanity', she wasn't aware that dinosaurs were discovered to still be alive years ago." Blaire chuckled again. "She is by no means a paleontologist, but she showed a surprising amount of knowledge concerning the dinos. Probably more than most of the scientists in the organization before XERRD began to focus on the Dino Attack.

"At one point, I directly spoke with Athena and Oswald, the latter introducing me as the head security guard, which is not too far from the truth. I flattered her and made a good impression and she took a liking to me. Oswald then took me to the side and told me she hadn't swapped illusions for hours while back in Napoleon XIV she had been switching illusions every few seconds."

Blaire turned his head slightly, and Zach looked back. Athena was attempting to talk to the Hybrid guard. She seemed absolutely carefree and almost amused by Hybrid's lack of response. Finally, the Hybrid spoke to her in its rough tongue, clearly annoyed. Athena just smirked and tried to translate what it said.

"I have come to the conclusion," Blaire continued. "That Athena's mind does not handle 'bad' memories very well. If something upsets her, her mind will simply dispose of the memory and restart at a different memory. The only rare cases of this not being the case is when she feels that her family is in danger. However, if she is made profoundly happy, such as the case with her grown-up son showing her around his 'work place' that is filled with fascinating creatures such as dinosaurs, she will not switch memories. And, as I have just proven, she will remember that new memory if triggered by someone who was in it, such as myself."

Zach let this think in. "So just seeing Oswald as an adult brought her into the present?"

"I imagine it was more complicated than that. It was not seeing her son for six years that likely caused this. Her brain recognized him as Oswald, only now a grown man."

"And she still thinks Isaac and Tod Fabello are alive?"

Blaire shrugged. "As I said, she does not take bad memories well. I believe her brain simply erased her husband's death and her murdering of her son so that when she manages to bring herself into the present, she still thinks they are alive." Blaire flipped his hair back, then seemed to evaluate Zach for a moment. "You seem to know a lot more about this than you should."

Zach jerked his head toward Athena. "I happen to very close to her daughter."

Blaire grinned, rubbing his chin. "Close. I see."

"Out of curiosity," Zach said. "What was up with the Gadd guy and your talk with Gladys?"

"Our communication devices have been disabled for a while. As one of XERRD's top operatives, Gladys obviously felt the need to inform me of Dr. Rex's situation, so she sent Alvin Gadd to inform. Then communications came on back on, your Elite Agent gave his message, and I spoke to Gladys personally through the radio."

"And so what exactly is Dr. Rex's situation?" asked Zach. Blaire explained what he had been told by both Dr. Gadd and Dr. Gladys. Zach shivered. That's why his head had been hurting early.

"At this point, I fully consider Dr. Rex's beyond our help," Blaire said, crossing his arms. "Michelle Gladys is as good as the leader of this crumbling organization."

"Wait, so you do know you've been the Darkitect's puppet?"

Blaire sighed. "Since the Maelstrom Temple was cleansed, unfortunately. I only remain in this organization to not incur Dr. Rex's wrath and because of my moral code of my darker days that requests that I finish this final battle, no matter the outcome. However, I let those guards go because they are not bound by my rules." Blaire laughed bitterly. "How ironic. The bulk of this organization, myself included, were former Paradox operatives. The ones who knew the Maelstrom best ultimately were the ones manipulated into doing its bidding."

Zach simply stared. "You have a screwy code. Just defect. Join the Dino Attack Team." Blaire merely flipped his hair back again and looked away. Zach immediately thought of something. "Consider this, Darkling. If Dr. Rex wins, he'll exterminate every Minifig. Once upon a time, he wouldn't have taken out his organization due to being a Minifig himself. Now that he's a Mutant T-Rex, he has no such qualms. He can truly eliminate the Minifig race, his own employees included because, as he is no longer a Minifig, he would not have to martyr himself to truly accomplish 'his' goals. If he wins, he'll eventually turn on you and kill you."

Blaire scoffed. "I do have a plan in mind to prevent that from happening." The man didn't elaborate any further. Zach scowled. No use trying to reason with this guy.

"So what are you going to do with me? I had promised to Minerva that I would stay with her through this battle and, thanks to her brother, I'm here instead."

Blaire revealed a cold smile. "I have been considering something. It won't be friendly, however." Zach stepped back and prepared to launch a ball of Maelstrom at the XERRD commander when a Hybrid appeared from the stairwell and beckoned Blaire towards it. Blaire turned and followed it down the stairs.

Zach turned toward Athena. She glanced at him and smiled. "Mr. Darkling is rather polite man."

"Yeah..." Zach received mixed signals from Blaire Darkling. On one hand, he was an arrogant, narcissistic jerk who put way too much emphasis on his speech. One the other hand, he came across as an affable anti-villain who seemed to at least somewhat regret helping cause the Dino Attack.

Blaire returned. His expression did not betray any feelings. "I have been requested to let you both go, I have agreed." Zach raised an eyebrow in surprise. Was it that affable anti-villain part of him? "Two Hybrids will escort you to the other side of the river. After that, you are on your own." Zach nodded, unsure what to think. "Ms. Fabello," Blaire said, directly speaking to Athena now. He smiled. "Mr. Virchaus will lead you to your daughter."

Athena's gray eyes brightened. She walked up to Zach, beaming. Zach grimaced. Something wasn't right here. "Let's go," he said. He started to walk for the stairs, Athena Fabello and two Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids close behind. 

*****

Rex watched the Maelstrom-enslaved Dr. Rex in undisguised horror. The chaotic energies were keeping Dr. Rex alive, but in doing so, granting him a fate worse than death. Rex knew that he had just said that Dr. Rex deserved to suffer a painful death... but this... no one deserved this.

Luckily, the Super Ice Drones, being among Ogel's most efficient soldiers, felt little more than dull surprise upon seeing Dr. Rex rise again. Already back in their Scorpion Orb Launchers, they proceeded to attack him once again. The scorpion mechs had seen better days, as one was missing a claw and the other's stinger tail was partially bitten off in the previous battle against Dr. Rex, and Rex knew that they would not last long, but Rex did not expect to see Dr. Rex tear one of them to shreds in a matter of seconds. The Maelstrom is doing more than simply keeping him alive, Rex noted.

As soon as he found his voice, Rex screamed into the radio: "F-FIRE!"

Adventure responded quickly, firing everything the High-Voltage Half-Track had upon Dr. Rex. Once again, the silge armor conducted the powerful electric shock across Dr. Rex's entire body, and the mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex delivered yet another spine-shivering mixture of a roar and a scream, but this time, he remained on his feet and did not collapse. If anything, it made the Maelstrom tendrils constricting his body glow brighter and wrap even tighter.

"Fools..." Dr. Rex spoke in a strained voice through clenched teeth. "You fail... to understand... The more you... hurt me... the more powerful... he... makes me!" With that, he opened his maw, and a powerful jet of purple-tinged flames erupted from his mouth, disintegrating the remaining Scorpion Orb Launcher. Rex had heard accounts of a similar trait from the Green Goo-mutated T-Rex known as Crunchbite, but this breath weapon was undoubtedly far more destructive due to the Maelstrom's enhancements.

Rex paled. Now that electric shocks would only make Dr. Rex even more powerful than ever, his plan to take down Dr. Rex was foiled. "Pull back!" he ordered. "We need backup!" He kicked the Iron Predator into motion and drove at top speed away from Dr. Rex. Driving alongside the Iron Predator was Adventure's High-Voltage Half-Track. Together, they raced down 42nd Street.

"Guys?" called Sam Race. "He's... he's catching up to us!" Managing a quick glance over his shoulder, Rex saw that Dr. Rex was pursuing the two Dino Attack vehicles, determined to destroy them both.

"I've never seen a Mutant T-Rex run that fast before," remarked Frozeen, "especially not with all that armor weighing him down."

"He's getting closer!" reported Sam Race.

"Blast it," Rex said as he gritted his teeth. "I doubt our Z-1 Kinetic Launcher, Cosmotronic Ray, or flintlock pistol will do anything to him, and because he took out the Cryothermic Cannon, we're defenseless!"

Adventure's voice came in on the radio. "I... think I may know how to save you guys. I'm going to create a distraction and hold him back long enough for you to escape." Before Rex could reply, he saw the High-Voltage Half-Track next to him come to a sudden stop as Adventure slammed on the brakes.

"What are you doing?!" gasped Rex. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"To die... will be an awfully big adventure!"

"Adventure, no!" shouted Rex.

"Hey, Dr. Rex! I've got a message for you! ZNAP YOU!" Then, Adventure's radio line went dead.

"MegaBloks!" cursed Rex. "Builder MegaBloking Znap it!"

Greybeard swallowed hard before reporting. "It... ain't lookin' good fer Adventure from here. But him plan be a success, from what me deadlights see, fer Dr. Rex has stopped in him tracks. We be safe, fer now at least."

Turning onto Playwell Avenue, Rex saw an abandoned Fire Hammer that, aside from missing a roof and a windshield, appeared mostly intact. He stopped the Iron Predator next to the jeep, then turned to look at Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race. "Get into the Fire Hammer," he ordered them.

"What?" said Frozeen, blinking. "Rex, look, it's much safer if we all stick together-"

Rex shook his head. "We're in an Iron Predator that has lost its Cryothermic Cannon. If Dr. Rex catches us, we're all dead. If we split up, at least there's a chance that some of us can make it out alive." Sighing, Rex choked back tears and added: "Guys... I just want you to know that it's truly been an honor to have known and fought alongside you. Sam, you're one of the best drivers I've ever known; Greybeard, it's been great keeping a foil around to tell me when I'm wrong; and Frozeen... you've done so much for me this past year. Thank you. Now, please, for your own safety, step out of the Iron Predator and take the Fire Hammer."

"We'll see each other again," promised Frozeen, clasping Rex's hand and then giving Amanda a quick departing hug. One-by-one, Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race filed out of the Iron Predator, climbed into the Fire Hammer, and sped away.

As soon as he was sure that they were gone, Rex started up the Iron Predator again; he did not want to know how long it took Dr. Rex to kill Adventure and destroy the High-Voltage Half-Track, nor did he want to stick around long enough to find out. As the Iron Predator drove down Playwell Avenue at top speed, Rex took his eyes off the road for a moment to lock eyes with Amanda. He could tell just from looking at her that she was concerned. "Amanda, I..." he began, but then he trailed off.

Amanda shook her head. "No matter what happens, we're together."

"Don't worry," promised Rex. "I will protect you from anything XERRD will throw at us."

Amanda nodded slowly, but then her eyes widened, alerting Rex to danger just a second too late.

That was the last thing Rex saw before the rocket hit.

*****

"It's time to get these motherznapping lizards of this motherznapping helicopter!"
"Watch out, we got a badbrick over here!"
"It's wet outside."
"Yo Dawg! We heard you like shooting mutants so we put a mutant in your mutant so you can shoot mutants when you're shooting mutants "
"You don't understand! We coulda had class. We coulda been contenders. We could've been somebody, instead bums, which is what we are."
"We have to go BAAAACK!"
"Holy distorted lizards, Batman! These dinosaurs are taking over the city!"
"Mutant T-Rexes are shooting lasers out of their eyes. You can't explain that."
"Deep Hurting." 

Hertz did a double take at some of the broadcasts running threw his headset. To some degree, he was amused by the comm chatter but he was truly perplexed by some of the subject matter. "Since when have we had an agent codenamed Batman?" he muttered.

"Apparently," noted Shannon, "he was one of the first agents to join the team. He was probably in a hurry to claim that codename before anyone else could."

Hertz looked over his shoulder and glanced at Shannon. She was tuning her headset and simultaneously checking the jamming devise. He had instructed her to reinitiate the device if they did not get a response from XERRD or Inferno in ten minutes. In the meantime, he would begin some preparations for evacuation.

Scanning the map of the battle, he determined that it would be impossible to move the staff of the headquarters out the front of the base. The battle just outside the front door was far too intense to move a large amount of personnel, so he quickly checked that off the list.

Turning his attention to an air escape, he realized that the storm outside was also too intense for an aerial evac. In addition, most of the T-1 Typhoons were in use at the moment; based on his count, the base only had eight that were not currently in the air. That was not nearly enough to carry all the agents and gear he would need to move.

That left only one option: the harbor. To the best of his knowledge, XERRD did not have any aquatic dinosaurs that would pose a threat. There were reports of Mutant Mosasaurs, but they were very rare and he doubted that any would appear. Well, Mutant Pterosaurs might prove to be a problem, but it was a danger that the fleet of boats were capable of fending off.

The Dino Attack Team had access to a number of hovercrafts, but he was not confident in their ability to handle on rough water. Their light weight meant they would be tossed around in the wind, and going out onto the water in a lightning storm was something that was primarily avoided.

This was certainly a conundrum. He agreed with Semick: with the sudden involvement of Baron Typhonus, the battle had potential to go downhill very quickly. He was naive to believe the Maelstrom may have been banished from LEGO planet at Adventurers' Island, and now that mistake would cost them. The headquarters could not stand against the full power of the Maelstrom in addition to Dr. Rex's army.

Hertz took hold of the announcement system and cast a worried glance out the window. Although it was beginning to be early afternoon, the storm was still intense and any sign of sunlight was obscured by the dark thunderheads outside. He checked his watch.

12:15, December 21^st 2010, he thought. The end of days.

It was at this moment he wished all was right with Naomi. He knew, somewhere in the base, she was tending to the wounded, but they were both alone in this dark hour. It was his fault; he never knew how to treat her. Despite how much he cared about her, he had to acknowledge that they might not die a couple.

Taking the microphone in his hand, he made the call. "This is elite agent Hertz." He announced. "Due to extenuating circumstances, this building is no longer secure. All able-bodied personnel are to transport essential equipment to the basement level and prepare to evacuate the base. At 13:00, congregate at the loading docks and board the boats for departure to the south side of the harbor."

Hertz disconnected the line and walked briskly over to Shannon. "I want you to go with them. There does not need to be two of us running these radios. I'll help you pack whatever stuff you need, but I don't want you in here if this base falls."

"What about you?" asked Shannon.

"Someone needs to stay behind and keep track of everything," he responded. "This room is of utmost importance. If we lose control, we'll lose major communication among the team. I'll go eventually, but at the last moment."

"You're not going to pull one of those 'leave me behind, I'll catch up later' things, are you?" said Shannon sternly. "Because that's stupid."

Hertz ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "Of course not! I'm just saying that I need to keep running the radios; it's as simple as that! This is not some heroic sacrifice; I'm just sticking to my job."

Shannon shook her head and wheeled herself over to a table. "Fine, let's just get some of this stuff packed, and I'll see you later."

"Of course," responded Hertz. "I promise."

The two gathered as much of the radios and hard drives together as they could. Hertz made sure to keep the jamming device in the room so he could reactivate it when the time was right. Aside from that piece of technology, the radio room was stripped down to the bare minimum necessary to run the battle.

"Be safe," said Hertz as he took Shannon's hand. She accepted it and pulled him close to give him a hug. Hertz was relatively surprised by the gesture.

"And let's not do any goodbyes either," said Shannon.

"I'll be fine," said Hertz, smiling as he pulled away. "Now go, I have this under control. I'll see you when this is all over."

Shannon nodded and wheeled herself and the equipment out of the room, leaving Hertz alone. Even with the background chatter of the agents, he suddenly felt incredibly alone. He was used to this feeling and he had learned to work this way, he had done it in his old life, he could work alone again.

Walking silently back to the radio console he ran through the statuses of agents in the field. "Pull back!" Rex was saying. "We need backup!"

Hertz quickly pulled up Rex's frequency and triangulated the signal to somewhere around Playwell Avenue. "Rex, what's your status?" he called.

There was no response from the elite agent.

"Rex?" said Hertz. "Do you copy?"

Nothing.

Hertz wiped sweat from his forehead and pulled up a list of agents in the area. "Rex," said Hertz. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm rerouting some air-support. Help is on the way, repeat: Help is on the way. I hope you're alright, man."

*****

The Inferno Boat was tossed up and down in the rough waters of the harbor. The henchman inside looked through his binoculars at the lit third floor window on the south side of the base. Based on the schematics of the building, the agent was able to determine that the window belonged to an agent lounge. Lowering his binoculars, he pulled out his signal light and tapped out a short Morse code signal to the Inferno Helicopter in the sky. Despite reports that jamming matrix was turned off, the agent did not want to take any chances with the radio. Reports had it that whoever was in the communications room could listen in, and he had no intention of giving away his location.

The message they had recently received recommended that they surrender. While XERRD may be a puppet of the Maelstrom, Dr. Inferno was not. His orders were to continue fighting. XERRD may fall, but Dr. Inferno would endure. When all was said and done, their army would plunder the base and take control of all assets. XERRD may be nothing more than a pawn, but Inferno was not. To the victor belonged the spoils.

Checking again to ensure the helicopter was in position, the henchman took to the rocket launcher at the end of the boat and aimed the window. Once the target was in his sights, he pulled the switch.

The rocket shot across the sky and collided with the intended window. There was a flash and a massive fireball consumed the south side lounge. The stormy water reflected the blaze and once the night was filled with the ember light the henchmen smiled. As shrapnel and debris rained down upon the harbor, he pulled the boat away. 

The signal was dead. Mission accomplished.

*****

Kate was knocked over in shock by a loud explosion as it smashed through the back wall. "What was that?" she asked as she stood up, coughing in all the smoke.

"I don't know," replied Saran. "But I think we got to find someplace safer."

*****

Things were busy in the hospital wing. Left, right, and center there were patients with injuries of varying magnitudes. Pierce was running all over helping patients wherever possible. At this moment, he was approaching the bed where Vinyaya lay in a semi-unconscious state, with a large bandage over one eye. A young female doctor was busy looking after him. She had shoulder-length brown hair and a small cross around her neck.

"How's she doing?" Pierce asked.

"Alright," replied the female doctor. "It's difficult to say right now until we can be sure she stabilizes, but it looks like that guy Mort's done something."

"Good," said Pierce. "Why don't you take a break. CARVER!" Within a few short minutes, Carver ran up to him. The young nurse was clearly exhausted, but doing her best to keep up. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on this woman for a little while, would you?"

Carver nodded and sat down with Vinyaya.

Pierce turned toward the female doctor. "What's your name?" he asked.

The female doctor looked at him before answering. "Shaw," she replied. "Dr. Noomi Shaw."

"Right," said Pierce. "Dr. Shaw, maybe you can give me a hand in surgery." 

*****

"Don't worry guys. We'll just sing another song like the pirate guy did. I'll start. 'Let's get down to business! To defeat...'"
"I think I'll just stick to singing 'The Doom Song', as that is basically what we are. Doomed. Doom doom doom..."
"So wait, Rex and Claw got married? During the battle? With a pirate minister? Not such a bad idea. Hey Anju! Wanna marry me?"
"I... um... heh, sure, Kafei."
"Sweet. All we need to do is find the pirate."
"This Mutant Lizard is different from regular Mutant Lizards. It's like this Mutant Lizard is in the top percentage of Mutant Lizards."
"I heard that space cop took down a horde of lizards herself before the raptor got her face."
"Who's the guy flying the T-1 that looks like it was fixed with a random brick bucket? Come on guys, I know it's the apocalypse, but we gotta show some class."

Minerva took another shot at multiple Mutant Raptors. The news about Holly Vinyaya had been somewhat rough to hear. She was impressed with the commander's "last stand" confrontation with a pack of Mutant Lizards, apparently only being defeated when her weapon was discarded. Just from pieces of updates, Minerva understood that Vinyaya was critically injured and suffered "permanent facial injuries".

"I'm sure Vinyaya will be alright," Andrew said reassuringly. "We got a crackerjack medic team and I doubt a little scar or two will stop her."

Minerva nodded, sighing sadly. First Zach's disappearance, and now Vinyaya's injury. She was growing increasingly worried about Zach. The longer he stayed away, the more likely he was probably dead. She wasn't sure where Zelda or Nazareno was, and she still had to deal with-

Minerva released a small gasp. How could she have forgotten? Cold realization dawned upon her. Oswald Fabello had been the one who had taken Zach. Except for he hadn't been looking for Zach, she realized. He had been looking for her. Zach was just the second-best option to him. In the rush of final battle, she had completely forgotten her older brother was in the city somewhere, fighting for XERRD.

Maybe he will listen to Semick's reason and abandon XERRD. He can't deny the Darkitect's involvement. Can he? She suddenly felt her thoughts be interrupted by loud, booming brass instruments that echoed through LEGO City.

"I understand the whole 'playing music' thing," Laxus said, glancing out of his window and up into the sky. "But is it really necessary to have it so loud you can overshadow Dr. Rex's roar?"

Andrew didn't respond. Instead, he seemed to be humming to the song. "I know this. This is 'The Jail Theme' by Lorin Nelson and the Lorin Swelk Orchestra. It was merry little tune that gave off an aura of a trickster, which is why many LEGO Islanders associate it with the Brickster."

"Doesn't sound like a trickster song," Minerva noted.

"Sounds more like a boss theme," Catless said from the back. At this point, demonic strings were being added to the blaring horns.

"That's because the song was remixed in 2002 to sound more epic and dramatic with a full booming orchestra," Andrew explained. "A 'boss theme' would be accurate."

"So what you're saying is-"

Minerva couldn't finish her sentence as the loud music flew over their heads. Looking through the window, they could see wrecked-up looking T-1 Typhoon that shouldn't be flying. Many of its pieces had seemingly been replaced by more generic quadrennial bricks of a wide variety of colors. Every weapon on its hull was firing at full force, seemingly uncaring of whether it hit a Mutant Dino, a Dino Attack vehicle, or a building. It rained pure chaos upon everything in its sight. It laid every building in its path to waste, collapsing rubble on unsuspecting XERRD operatives and Mutant Dinos and causing collateral damage to any Dino Attack vehicle near its rampage.

"No way," Andrew said. "It's-"

There was short muffle over the ominous music playing, then a cackling voice came to life so everyone on the ground could hear it. "I am lord of the bricks! The king of the tricks! Of this and that, prick the pat!" the voice yelled out triumphantly. "Long live the Brickster! Hahahahahaha! Ha ha ha ha...ha!"

"This is the only guy who causes any real problems on LEGO Island, right?" Minerva asked. If she was going to be moving to LEGO Island after this battle (which she was still somewhat uncertain about), she might as well get to know the strange characters that inhabit it.

Andrew revealed a faint smile. "Yeah, that would be him."

"He appears to be having the time of his life," Laxus noted.

"Now I'm partial to causing chaos (and I like a little nonsense)," the Brickster continued. "but your brand of chaos doesn't do it for me, Dr. Rex! Looks like I'm going to have to insert a little chaos of my own! And you remember how that went on Dinosaur Island! I have that warming feeling I get whenever I eat one of Papa's Jalapeno Red-Pepper Anchovy Double Garlic pizzas every time I think about it!" 

The Brickster went into another brief span of maniacal laughter. "I do gotta give Propeller or whatever his name was some credit. Music does make this all the more exciting!" The Brickster chuckled darkly once before turning of his P.A. and continuing his wave of destruction, his dark music playing all the while.

"Definitely enjoying himself," Catless said.

"He's handing that helicopter rather well. I thought those things were a pain to use," Minerva said.

"I suppose having most of his escapes involve stealing helicopters has taught him a thing or two, even if a T-1 Typhoon is nothing like a Police Helicopter," Andrew said. "Anyway, Mutant Raptor up ahead. Minerva, take it out."

*****

"Seriously? He calls us out for calling some guy 'Robo-Limb' then goes on a massive destruction spree like nothing?"
"Someone tell that blockhead to cool it. Knocking buildings down on Steel Sprinters isn't going to help us."
"I didn't hear, what did he do on Dinosaur Island?"
"Took apart their lab. Brick by brick. Via explosives."
"You would figure that if the Brickster's out here, Pepper Roni can't be far behind."
"Wait! Is this that guy who played the villain in Xtreme Stunts?"
"Yeah, what was that movie even about? It had less plot than that 2010 movie."
"Imagine if this guy was with Dynamite and Firecracker..."
"There wouldn't be anything left."

*****

He ran as fast as his two legs could carry him. All around him, he saw the destruction of LEGO City left behind by the Mutant Dinos, and did his best to dodge everything in his path, from the rampage of Mutant T-Rexes to speeding Fire Hammers. None of it mattered to him; only getting to his destination as quickly as possible mattered, for there were three thoughts that dominated his mind:

He's back.

He's in trouble.

I must save him!

*****

When Rex opened his eyes again, he felt weak and nauseous. He was buried underneath several charred bricks which once belonged to his Iron Predator, which he realized comprised most of the burning ruins in his immediate vicinity. Pushing the bricks off of him, he managed to find the strength to perform an upper-body pushup, giving him the vantage point to look around.

He was still on Playwell Avenue, as he recognized the placement of nearby buildings such as Tzenovich's Sandwiches. He was lying in the middle of the road, amongst the burning ruins of his Iron Predator all around him, which gave him an eerie post-apocalyptic feeling of surviving after the end, as though he was lying in a burning wasteland. Although Rex heard the sounds of battle, the roars of dinosaurs, the firing of weapons, and the echoes of music, it all sounded so distant to him, and he felt that it was very quiet. Too quiet.

"Amanda...!" Rex whispered, looking around for any sign of his wife, already fearing the worst.

Then, there was a flash of orange light which nearly blinded Rex. When his vision returned, Rex saw a familiar Space Marauder standing over him, with a rocket launcher in one hand and a device with blue and orange lights in the other hand. Looking at her features, Rex saw that she looked as bored and emotionless as ever, but the light cast upon her face from the fires of the wrecked Iron Predator illustrated a very different picture, making her look far more sinister.

"Michelle Gladys," Rex said as he gritted his teeth. "I should have known it was you." He silently cursed himself for not recognizing the earlier signs... how had he missed the flashes of blue light?

Holding up the rocket launcher, Gladys murmured in her ever-monotonous voice: "It's your old friend, the XERRD rocket launcher. Of course, I made a few tweaks and adjustments to make it even more powerful than it was in the Maelstrom Temple... powerful enough to wreck an entire Iron Predator in one hit. Remarkable, isn't it?"

Then, Dr. Gladys put away the rocket launcher. "Of course, while I would recommend sitting still while I shoot you with a missile, since it would be a far less painful death than being torn apart by a Mutant T-Rex, somehow your tenacity levels are just too high to die when your entire tank explodes. Impressive. I'll be sure to make a note of that in your file. 'High tenacity. Does not die when tank explodes.' This is an interesting outcome to this experiment, indeed, but it appears that there is some error involved. Believe me, being still alive right now... that is an unwanted variable. That is why I am about to correct this mathematical error." With that, she pulled out a small hi-tech pistol-like weapon, similar to the ones used by Walter Breen and "Wallace Bishop" in the Maelstrom Temple.

"Gladys," groaned Rex, "you were there at the Maelstrom Temple. You saw just as well as we all did. The Dino Attack is the mathematical error here! XERRD's cause is a facade created by Baron Typhonus! Your leader, Dr. Rex, is now nothing more than the Darkitect's plaything! Why do you persist? Why do you continue that which you know to be all a lie?"

Dr. Gladys raised an eyebrow. "Unlike Dr. Rex, I was never in it for the repopulation of dinosaurs. I was in it for the science. I'm not going to lie to you... if my calculations are correct, and they always are, then the odds of Dino Attack Team winning this battle are a million to one, and that's with some generous rounding. At this point, I don't care if it's Dr. Rex who gets his way or if it's Baron Typhonus who hijacks the plot. Either way, I intend to conduct research to see how the survivors of the Minifig species react to being trapped on a planet with the absolute certainty of death and destruction in the inevitable apocalypse. I, of course, will study from a safe distance, from which I can observe without needing to worry about my own survival. It's a most intriguing experiment. In their final hours, will Minifigs reveal their true nature as wild beasts who will do abominable things in a futile effort to survive? Or will they all calmly accept their fate, hold hands, and watch as the sky rains fire down upon them? Already, I cannot wait to find the results."

"Science," Rex said, grimacing. "Every single one of you XERRD lunatics uses that word to justify your actions. But you've taken the study of the world around us... and perverted it to meet your own selfish ends. Science is good, as proven by Frank Einstein, Reptile, and so many others... but you guys just think that saying you're doing something 'for science' means you can get away with anything. Science is meant to benefit us, not to create holocausts!"

"The science will get done," promised Michelle Gladys, "for the benefit of those who are... still alive. I've got experiments to run, and there's research to be done, for the people who are... still alive. And when I'm still alive... I'll be doing science and feeling fantastic. You, on the other hand... I only want you gone."

"You're sick!" snapped Rex. "Don't you feel anything? You're going to let everyone on LEGO Planet die... just for your little experiment?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Rex saw movement in the rubble. He was relieved to see Amanda, still alive, brushing a few charred bricks and plates off of her. If I can keep talking, though Rex, I can buy her enough time to ambush Gladys.

Dr. Gladys shrugged. "I do not feel disturbed at all. I do not feel remorse, I do not feel pity, I do not feel compassion. I feel... nothing. I am the perfect scientist, you see, because I have the clearest mind of all, for my judgment and my actions are never hindered by weaknesses such as emotion."

Rex locked eyes with Amanda, letting the sight of her warm his heart. As she nodded to him, Rex felt a resurgence in energy and life. Already, Amanda was almost back on her feet. With renewed confidence, Rex stared down Dr. Gladys and declared: "Wrong, Gladys. You are wrong. Emotion is not weakness, it is strength. It is what keeps us going. It is what makes us human. It makes us who we are. You, Gladys... you have nothing. You feel nothing. And because of that, you are nothing."

The shadows cast upon her face by the burning Iron Predator ruins darkened as Michelle Gladys hissed in a most unsettling whisper: "Emotion. Makes. You. Weak." With that, she raised her high-tech gun and pulled the trigger.

As the gunshot rang through Rex's ears, his eyes widened, his jaw dropped in shock, and his entire body suddenly tensed as though he was just jolted by electricity. Feeling the life draining from his body, he whispered in a feeble voice: "No...!"

It all seemed to happen in slow-motion. Amanda stared at Dr. Gladys with incredulity. Then, slowly, her gaze drifted down to her own torso. There was now an expanding blotch of red staining her Dino Attack uniform. Like a marionette whose strings had been cut, Amanda Claw fell to the ground.

"No!" shouted Rex. Crawling with his hands like some sort of wild animal, Rex rushed as quickly to her side as he could. "No! No!" As soon as he reached her, he leaned over her, and gently brushed the hair out of her face to look into her eyes. They were cold and distant. "Amanda!" gasped Rex. "Look at me! Don't leave me! Don't... please don't..."

Amanda looked up at Rex, then coughed up blood. "I..." she whispered, "promised that... I'd never... leave... you. I am... sorry... that I must... break... that... promise..."

Rex twisted his body in an effort to sit upright, then dragged Amanda over his lap and cradled her in his arms, as she had done with him such a short time ago. "Amanda..." he choked back tears, "please... don't go... I'm going to save you!"

Amanda's own eyes were tearing up now. "You... already did..." she said, smiling. "You... Roger... and so many others... showed me... that there is hope... that I do... not need to be... her... that I can... be forgiven... be redeemed... You saved me... Rex... and I love you."

Sobbing, Rex barely found the strength to respond. "I... love you too... You are my light in the darkness!"

"As you..." said Amanda, "were mine..." Coughing up more blood, her next words were even quieter. "Thank you... thank you... for everything..."

"Amanda…" Rex shook his head. "Amanda, please, stay with me! Stay with me!"

"I must... go now..." Amanda sighed, "to where you... cannot... follow. Rex...? Defeat... XERRD... save the world... save everyone from a terrible fate... I know... you can do it..."

Rex swallowed hard as he heard Amanda's last wish. He could not stop his body from shaking with every sob.

Amanda's eyes were distant as she stared off into space. A peculiar sort of smile crossed her features. When she started whispering again, she was no longer talking to Rex. "Mom...? Dad...? Alfred...? Roger...? Is... is that really you...? I have... I have waited... so long... to see you... again..." Amanda "Claw" Alexander gave one last contented sigh, and then passed away.

Weeping, Rex cradled Amanda's body and pressed his head to her chest, feeling lost and alone in the world.

A group of hungry Mutant Lizards smelled fresh meat and encircled the Iron Predator ruins. Michelle Gladys had let Rex and Amanda share their final moments together, finding some sort of sick, sadistic pleasure in their suffering, but now that Amanda was gone, she had grown bored with the whole matter, and now raised her high-tech gun again, this time to end Rex's life. Simultaneously, a Mutant Lizard broke from the main group and lunged at Rex and Amanda.

Everything went black.

*****

Dr. Cyborg had a good view of the city from his vantage point in the Titanium Predator. He could vaguely see Rex, Amanda, and... Gladys. Even if the first two were not enough, the fact that Gladys was there made him start to pilot the Titanium Predator towards them. He had faith in Kara and the others demolishing the power plant.

He suddenly regretted his birds-eye view, for he was easily able to see when Gladys shot Amanda. He pushed the speed on the Titanium Predator, and out of the corner of his eye saw a fleet of T-1 Typhoons coming to Rex and Amanda as well. He did not know either of them that well, but he still knew them. Even if he didn't know them, Gladys was there. He never liked her, she never liked him, they were on a battlefield. He might as well help out.

*****

The white car in the side of the bowling alley was evidence enough for Pharisee. As he splashed down on the wet road, he surveyed the ruined city around him. Lightning flashed and the rain ran down his face. It was not a light rain, but a powerful and angry torrent that fell over him.

Despite the tenacity of the storm, the water soothed him. He allowed it to soak into his pores and calm his senses. It was not wise to enter into an unknown situation with anger. What Pharisee needed was to relax and collect his thoughts. He would not allow passion to control his actions; he would allow only a calm strength of mind.

The T-1 Typhoon had landed in the street behind him. The noise of the craft most likely gave away their arrival but it was something that could not be avoided. In addition, Pharisee had five other internal Affairs agents on board that would come to his aid at his beck and call.

Behind him stood Montgonel and Montoya. The latter was in handcuffs and was being escorted out of the helicopter by his colleague. Although Pharisee highly doubted that Trigger would regard the man's life, he figured that having a bargaining chip was not unwise. Based on reports, Trigger too may have a hostage, and an exchange was not outside the realm of possibilities.

Suddenly, the sound of bowling pins interrupted the sounds of the rain. Thunder boomed and the nearby windows rattled with the sound. Inside the building, Pharisee heard voices.

"Do you think Trigger and Snake are bowling?" Montgonel called over.

Pharisee did not immediately respond. Instead, he listened intently to the noises inside the building. He heard the sounds of bowling again and yells of jubilations just inside the wall. "I hear three voices." muttered the commander. "Since I doubt Trigger's bowling, I have the feeling they picked up some company." He turned to Montgonel. "You, McGovern, Eloise, Whitmore, and Marina. Go around back and guard the back door. I'm taking Montoya in through the hole in the wall."

Montgonel was clearly not excited to be turning the prisoner over to the commander. It was evident he did not trust Pharisee's ability to take care of Montoya, and his conscience told him sending the two in there alone would be a bad idea. Regardless, Pharisee walked briskly over and took hold of him.

"Don't think I'm going to use him as a human shield," the commander said to Montgonel. "I'm not a monster."

"If this man dies," said Montgonel, "it's on you."

"I've lived with enough innocent blood on my hands," said the commander softly. "I have no desire to add more."

With his gun in his right hand and Montoya in the left, he walked briskly to the bowling alley. Instead of walking through the front door, he navigated his way over the crashed car and the debris to find himself in the midst of a bowling match. While the appearance of the game was certainly odd in the middle of a battle, Pharisee ignored the strangeness and approached the men. The largest of the three turned in the midst of his throw and shot Pharisee a deadly glare.

The commander showed little reaction to Walter as he scanned the bowling alley. Neither Snake, Trigger, nor the barmaid were anywhere to be seen. He promptly sat down Montoya in a chair and approached the bowlers.

He draped his wet trench coat over a chair and calmly addressed the men. "Right now, there are more pressing concerns than deserters such as you three. I am looking for an armed and dangerous man who goes by the name Trigger. With him are a woman and a man wearing an eyepatch. Tell me where they are. Now."

Donnie raised his hand. "I saw the man-"

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!" interrupted Walter. "Do you have any idea how serious this is? This is the second time tonight we've had our game interrupted!"

"Cool it, man," said Dude softly. "Maybe we should just do what he wants-"

"ZNAP IT!" yelled Walter as he pulled out his gun. "I'll give you five seconds to leave us in peace, or I swear to the Creator I will pull this Znapping-"

Walter was interrupted by Pharisee as he slammed the gun aside. He tensed his brow and slammed his head directly into the bowler's face, sending the man reeling backwards. Walter's gun flew into the air, and the commander caught it and pulled apart the slide. With a piece of the weapon in each hand, he dropped them to the floor and pointed his own gun at the bowler's forehead.

"Donnie," began the commander. "I believe you have something to say."

"I saw the man in the eyepatch run through the bowling alley," said Donnie. "Trigger is-"

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, DONNIE!"

"SHUT THE ZNAP UP, WALTER!" yelled Pharisee as he shoved the gun closer to his head. "Let the man speak, or I'll ensure you don't speak again!"

This finally shut him up. The commander shot an expecting glare at Dude and Donnie, and the two quickly began talking.

"The guy in the eyepatch ran through here and took a car out back," said Dude. "I think he's gone."

"Trigger and the lady are still here," continued Donnie. "When he heard the helicopter outside, he took her with him to the back. You know where they stack the pins and the ball return is? That's where they went."

Pharisee nodded his thanks and made his way down the alley. He left Montoya where he sat. Carrying a handcuffed man with him into an unknown place would only slow him down. Montoya would become a liability if Pharisee had to check to make sure he was still with him. The convict had nowhere to go. With the helicopter just outside the door, sneaking away would be impossible.

Reaching the end of the lane, he stood with his back to the door and took a deep breath. With a fluidic movement, he stepped back and kicked down the door into the back room.

This is where the magic happened. When the place was in full use, bowling balls would slide back here and be returned to the players in the front. Pharisee stepped up onto the narrow catwalk and moved swiftly over the pin-setting machines. The setting was dark and gritty. Water leaked down from the ceiling, and an irritating drip echoed around the long and narrow room.

"Commander."

The monotone voice made Pharisee take cover behind a machine. The heavy equipment roared back to life as the Walter and Dude continued their game. A bowling ball rolled through and was quickly collected by a conveyer belt. Pharisee had to be careful not to accidentally be caught in the mechanisms or risk a brutal and unpleasant demise. The commander ignored the pins being reset as he poked his head around the corner to view the speaker.

There, standing in the open, was Trigger. It was impossible to read his eyes through his sunglasses, but Pharisee glanced a cold smirk on his mouth. His stance was defiant and poised for a fight. In his arm was the barmaid Carrie Enderson, and he had his gun pointed at her head. She struggled to escape him, but he held her tight and pressed the weapon closer to her brow.

"Unhand the woman," said Pharisee as he stepped out of the darkness. "I truly believed you were a pathetic man, Trigger, and I am not surprised to see you using an innocent as a human shield. She has no quarrel with us. Release her, and we shall settle this."

"If I did that, there would be no reason for you not to shoot me," responded the mercenary

"Hear this, Trigger," said the commander. "There is nothing you can do to keep me from shooting you. You have eluded justice far too long. The blood of many is on your hands, and you shall experience my reckoning before this night is over. You cannot outrun that; you cannot outrun me."

Trigger did nothing but spit.

"I would recommend you submit, Trigger," continued Pharisee darkly. "But I know you would never come quietly. Quite frankly, I hope you don't. Although I would not enjoy killing you, I would lose no sleep over your absence from this world. The people of this earth deserve better than to live with the bane of your existence."

Trigger smiled and raised an eyebrow at the commander. Water dripped and the florescent lights flickered. Elsewhere in the room, a cockroach scurried across the floor. The mercenary casually lit his cigarette and fingered the trigger of his weapon. "Very well, then. If that's how you want to do things."

Trigger tried to restrain a slight chuckle. He still thinks she's an innocent, he thought to himself. Oh, if only he knew.

Slowly taking his hand off of Carrie's neck, but still keeping the gun pointed to her head, he reached for the pack of cigarettes in his pants, under his trench coat. Pharisee stared at him, waiting for him to draw. Instead, he aimed the pistol he was already holding at Pharisee and pulled the trigger. The commander instinctively ducked out of the way before Trigger put the gun back on Carrie and started to drag her away.

"I'm gonna kill her!" Trigger shouted. "You don't want to see an innocent die, do you? Huh? No, I bet you don't."

"DO WHAT HE SAYS!" Carrie shouted.

"SHUT UP!" snapped Trigger.

*****

Pierce led Shaw quickly through the wing as they observed the new wave of casualties that had arrived. There were a few of them.

"I think this one takes priority," Wade shouted from nearby, standing over a particularly badly-bruised man.

Pierce was rather surprised by the Dino Attack agent he found on one stretcher. A young woman, not one that he recognized, but something about her subconsciously reminded him of Zenna.

"Do you know her?" Shaw asked.

"She reminds me of someone I knew," replied Pierce. He quickly got down and looked at the young woman. There was a gaping wound in her chest from a Mutant Dino attack. "Shaw!" Pierce shouted. "Get some equipment over here! We got to patch up this wound. There's got to be something we-"

"Doctor," Shaw said as she crouched down.

"We got to stabilize her immediately!" Pierce said anxiously.

"Pierce," said Shaw.

"Get her to an operating table NOW!"

"This patient is dead," Shaw finally stated. Pierce looked at her a moment, realizing to his horror that she was right.

"You're right," murmured Pierce. "Poor girl. She survived all the way to the final battle but couldn't make it to the end. Looks like someone finally got her."

Shaw left for a moment to get a sheet. When she came back, she placed it on top of the woman, covering her whole body.

The other doctors were busy rushing to accommodate the new wounded. Nearby, Pierce could see the much-older face of Copper hastily examining a wounded patient. Enter and Return were still bringing in piles of patients among sharks, trees, and other strange items. Still, Pierce remained crouched, nervously. Shaw stood in clear remorse.

"SOMEONE GIVE ME A HAND!" Copper shouted, breaking their silence. Pierce quickly got to his feet and ran over towards him. Shaw was soon running to Wade's assistance with another patient.

Pierce turned in surprise as a young woman in a wheelchair approached him. "If this isn't a medical emergency, it's probably not the best time," Pierce said.

"It is," replied the woman. "Didn't you hear?"

"What?" Pierce asked. "I guess most of us were too busy to pay any attention to the announcements."

"Hertz has ordered us all to the basement," the woman explained. "Doctor, uh..."

"Pierce."

"Pierce. You and your colleagues are to get the wounded down there quickly. It's not safe up here."

"You mind if I ask who you are?" asked Pierce.

"Shannon Grimton. Now let's go."

Pierce sighed. "Wade, Crusher, we got trouble!"

"What's wrong?" Wade shouted anxiously.

"Something's just come up," explained Pierce. "Apparently, we have orders to move the wounded agents to the basement."

"You crazy?" Wade scoffed. "We can't move half these people. Things are rough enough as it is; some of their wounds are bad enough that it could kill them! And what about the ones hooked up to things?"

"We'll just have to take them with us," replied Pierce. "Crusher, go get Carver, tell her we need to move the patients. We're going to need all the help we can get." 

As soon as Crusher and Carver returned, Pierce said, "Alright, we've got to act fast. Wade, you give Enter and Return a hand with moving patients. Make sure they don't bungle it up at all."

Wade quickly nodded.

"Carver, Shaw, you two get a good look around the base. Make sure there isn't anyone we've missed. If you find anyone, I want you to bring them down and set them up. When you're done come back and give us a hand with the equipment. Copper and I can keep an eye on the wounded men while they're waiting to be taken down, perform any emergency surgery if necessary. Clickitt, Crusher, I want you to start bringing down supplies. Everything we've got: blood samples, penicillin, surgical tools, anything that we'll need in an operation. I want this room empty when we're done. Everybody clear?"

The other doctors nodded.

"Good," declared Pierce. "Let's get to work."

With that, the doctors one by one split up to begin their respective tasks. 

*****

"So, what did you do?" Donnie asked, looking at the man who sat handcuffed in front of him.

"I tried to kill someone," Montoya replied with a sigh.

"What the Znap did you do that for?" Dude asked.

"She killed five partners of mine," explained Montoya. "I had a job, there were seven of us, only two got out, me and..."

"Him?" Donnie asked, motioning toward the back of the alley.

"Yeah," replied Montoya.

*****

Rex was lost and alone in his grief, and only vaguely aware of his surroundings as the Mutant Lizards gathered and Michelle Gladys prepared to execute him. None of it mattered to him. None of it. But even in his grief-ridden state, Rex noticed a strange peculiarity about his situation.

Normally, when everything went black, that was an indication that he had fallen unconscious. In a few hours, he'd come to his senses once again, usually finding himself in Dino Attack Headquarters' hospital wing. But now, as the world turned to darkness, Rex could not help but notice that he was still very conscious. He could still hear, smell, feel, and taste the world around him, even if all he could see was blackness. When Rex realized this, he figured out that he was not unconscious, but actually blinded, as though someone had put a blindfold over his eyes.

Puzzled, Rex allowed himself to focus on something other than the body of Amanda in his arms. He heard the growling, snarling, and hissing of Mutant Lizards, and recognized their tone as it shifted from merely hungry to actually angry. There was a Mutant Lizard, very close by, which growled in a territorial, almost defensive, tone. Rex heard the sounds of movement and the snapping of jaws, followed by the pained screech of a wounded Mutant Lizard. Another Mutant Lizard snarled, and again came the sound of biting and snapping. The territorial Mutant Lizard hissed as the other Lizard screeched and, apparently, retreated.

Sickened, Rex thought, They're fighting over fresh meat. They want her. Clutching Amanda's body against his chest, Rex shouted: "Get away! Back off! You can't have her!"

Suddenly, Rex's vision returned to him. He was still sitting amongst the ruins of the wrecked Iron Predator, cradling Amanda's body in his arms. Michelle Gladys still stood behind him, pointing her high-tech gun in Rex's direction, but she no longer seemed interested in him. Then, Rex looked up and was surprised to see a Mutant Lizard standing over him, which he realized must have been the territorial-sounding Lizard that he heard.

The Mutant Lizard stood in a defensive crouch over Rex and Amanda, as though shielding their bodies with his own. Upon seeing the black scales that covered the Mutant Lizard's hide, Rex realized why he temporarily lost his sight: it was due to the Mutant Lizard's darkness powers. Although he occasionally glanced at the other Mutant Lizards circled around the Iron Predator ruins to keep them in check, snarling at any of them if they moved a muscle, the Mutant Lizard's eyes were mostly fixed upon Michelle Gladys, baring his teeth at the XERRD scientist.

It all felt so familiar.

"What are you doing?" said Dr. Gladys, frowning. "You're just a mindless Mutant Lizard. You're supposed to follow XERRD's orders, and while I may never have been as adept at controlling the Maelstrom as Dr. Rex or Dr. Bishop, as XERRD's de facto leader, I order you to back down. Whatever you think you're doing, stop it, because you're just getting in my way."

Another Mutant Lizard with acid dripping from its jaws took a step towards the darkness-breed Mutant Lizard. The darkness Mutant Lizard responded by biting and clawing at the acid-spitting Lizard until it retreated. Then, the black Mutant Lizard resumed his defensive pose over Rex, continuing to glare at Dr. Gladys with a defiant look in his eyes. He was not about to give up Rex and Amanda so easily.

"Alright, then," muttered Gladys. "If it's going to be that way, then you just volunteered for euthanasia." As she raised her high-tech gun to fire, the darkness Mutant Lizard lunged at her, knocking the scientist to the ground. Snarling, he snapped his jaws at her, who only managed to keep him within inches of biting her face off.

Rex watched as Dr. Gladys and the Mutant Lizard wrestled each other, rolling over on the wet pavement. He was surprised that the Mutant Lizard was so intent upon defending him from Gladys, and there was definitely something familiar about the creature, but in his grief-ridden state, he could not think properly. He could do nothing but watch as Dr. Gladys finally succeeded in kicking the Mutant Lizard off of herself. As the Lizard jumped back to his feet, Gladys pulled the trigger, and the sound of a gunshot rang through Rex's ears once again, already forcibly recalling the memories of Amanda's death.

The Mutant Lizard stumbled and fell, lying on the rubble next to Rex. Breathing heavily, the Mutant Lizard tried to rise but could not find the strength. He looked up at Rex and whined softly, and Rex could feel the creature's pain as he suffered from defeat.

At that moment, it all became clear. "... T-Trouble?" stammered Rex.

The darkness-breed Mutant Lizard nodded slowly.

Brushing the dirt off of her Space Marauder gear, Dr. Michelle Gladys stood to her feet and gritted her teeth. When she spoke, she began speaking in her usual monotonous voice, but she slowly broke character as her voice gradually became angrier and angrier. "Between your girlfriend and your pet, there's always someone there to save you. For all my intelligence, not even I know what circumstances keep you alive, Rex. Why do you persist? Do you think you will survive? It's all a pointless struggle, you know. I'm still XERRD's commander, and you have no means of stopping me from seeing this apocalypse through to the end. I've had enough of trying to be reasonable with you, so this conversation is over. You'll pay for your insolence. All that you hold dear is gone, and now I am going to watch you die, Rex."

As though on cue, the Mutant Lizards surrounding Rex, Amanda, and Trouble came closer, saliva dripping from their maws. Trouble raised his tail in a vain effort to ward them off, while Rex clutched Amanda a little closer to his chest.

Suddenly, some of the Mutant Lizards looked to the sky and screeched a warning. Rex looked upward and saw a group of T-1 Typhoons, as well as what appeared to be a flying Iron Predator, descending upon Playwell Avenue. The Mutant Lizards scattered and retreated.

Michelle Gladys's features twisted into a scowl. "I hate you all so much." With that, she raised her high-tech pistol, determined to kill Rex before the T-1 Typhoons could lower a winch and cable in time.

Summoning his remaining strength, Trouble slowly rose to his feet. He pulled back his lip, baring his teeth, and snarled viciously at Dr. Gladys.

"What?" snapped Gladys. "Are you still alive? You are joking! You have got to be kidding me!"

Trouble took a step forward. Gladys fired her gun at Trouble, who stumbled but remained on his feet. Trouble growled and intently took another step towards Gladys. The XERRD scientist took a step back, firing again.

But Trouble was a free Mutant Lizard. He was masterless. He was no slave to the Maelstrom or to XERRD. After seeing so many of his kin fall into madness, Trouble knew that he was free thanks to Rex. Trouble was far more fiercely loyal to Rex than any enslaved Mutant Lizard could possibly be to the Maelstrom. And now that Rex had come back to LEGO City, Trouble had come back to rescue Rex, and was so determined to protect his friend that he would fight off Death himself...

... because Trouble was a free Mutant Lizard.

As Michelle Gladys realized that Trouble's tenacity was far too great, she stepped back and put away her high-tech gun. She took out her teleportation device, a hastily-reconstructed replacement for the original device fried by Minerva, and she pointed it at the ground and pulled the trigger to whisk her away to a safe location in a flash of blue light. Instead, fate chose that moment to make the poor replacement malfunction. Cold fear washed over Gladys as she tried again and again to teleport to safety, but the broken device would not work.

Trouble screeched and pounced upon Michelle Gladys. Before she even hit the wet pavement of the road, the Mutant Lizard had closed his jaws upon the XERRD scientist's neck, ending her life instantly. Then, with his dying breaths, Trouble turned around and locked eyes with Rex, and Rex could have sworn that the Lizard's expression was identical to the smile that Amanda had just before she died.

Trouble's legs buckled, and he collapsed atop Gladys's body, but he passed away peacefully with the knowledge that he died as a free Mutant Lizard.

Rex's mouth was dry, and his cheeks were wet, but not from the pouring rain. At last, one of the T-1 Typhoons managed to lower a winch and cable, and a couple of Dino Attack agents climbed down to help Rex up. They reached for Amanda, and Rex pulled her away, screaming, "Don't touch her!" A few seconds later, he repeated the words in a whisper, and began to weep again, mourning the deaths of King Joseph Race, Rick "Adventure" Spherus, Amanda "Claw" Alexander… and now, Trouble.

When they brought Rex on board and laid Amanda's body out on a stretcher, all Rex could do was stare emptily into space. He did not respond to anyone talking to him. It was though he had finally become shell-shocked. Eventually, his rescuers stopped trying and decided it was best to give him time, leaving Rex alone in his perpetual state of grief.

Alone.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 66: Rising Stakes

----

Stranger headed back through the halls of Dino Attack Headquarters, now in the middle of a major frenzy.

Hertz's orders to prepare HQ for evacuation or large-scale assaults was putting the remaining agents in a hurry to get things done. The medical staff was preparing to bunker in the basement area. Lab lackeys were hurrying to save and put to use their most recent developments. Various others were simply trying to send messages or reach the hangar to take one of the few remaining vehicles

Stranger himself realized that he would need to change his strategy. With HQ a bigger risk due to the Maelstrom Mummy Monster that had once been Dr. Rex, he would need to start moving out if he hoped to have a better shot at things. So he was going to need some help.

Despite massive amounts of people pushing and shoving him aside throughout the halls, he finally reached his destination: the Mutant Dino pens. There was only one agent at the desk just past the door into the room, and she was busy trying to gather several files into a backpack.

"Can I get my friend out here?" he asked the agent.

She looked up, a bit startled at his appearance. "I-I'm a bit busy making sure our files on the Dinos are okay," she said. "Given the circumstances, we've decided we need to start letting them go into the city as soon as possible, and we're still trying to tag them all so they might be identified later."

"I won't need anything of the sort for the Lizard I brought by. Can you let me get him?"

"Ah, sure, just hold on..." She opened a cabinet within the desk and grabbed a large-size key. "Here's a spare of our master key for the locks. Your lizard friend is in cell #2-B. Just make sure to return that, okay?"

"Thank you," said Stranger, taking the key and heading into the room. After a few minutes of searching, he managed to find the cell with that number attached to it. Within it, the Mutant Lizard he had somehow formed a bond with was standing restlessly, observing his surroundings in concern. When he had spotted Stranger, he smirked and moved towards the door.

"Yep, Buddy," Stranger said as he put the key into the cell door's lock. "We're getting out of here and fighting up close. And I'll be the first to say that we're doing so in a particularly idiotic-yet-impressive manner..."

*****

In the wake of the bombing of the area of the temporary broadcast area in Dino Attack HQ, Semick was busy not only keeping his T-1 Typhoon defended, but trying to work with his fellow agents to try and sort out the temporary disarray they were in with their communications.

"Until we get any word on Hertz's status after that blast," Semick was saying across the Elite-only comm network, "we'll have to rely on ourselves to get a good understanding of what's going on. Can we handle that?"

"Atop of everything else?" Reptile remarked, still in the midst of trying to direct HQ cover after the recent attack by the Inferno forces moving in from the river. "Going to be hard, but admittedly not impossible."

"Cabin and I are trying to direct the Iron Predator and front lines as well," said Rotor, "due to our recent Elite losses. But I think we can handle the extra workload."

Just then, Dr. Cyborg came in from the team of ships sent out to check out Rex's situation. "Just came back from Rex's SOS." His voice sounded a bit shaken. "News is..."

Semick knew where this was going. "How many are dead?"

"Claw and Adventure. Both their vehicles are wrecked too." The line was silent on all counts for a few seconds. Semick rubbed his forehead in a combination of frustration and sadness. "Though there is a silver lining: Dr. Gladys has been killed too. By one of the Mutant Lizards, in fact."

Semick couldn't help but smirk slightly at the irony of the death. "Well, with her gone, this should be a bit easier. Assuming that she was in charge after Dr. Rex fell, whoever's leading now might be a bit more willing to try and work with us."

"We can only hope," said Hotwire.

"Indeed. And remember that we can't let Claw and Adventure's deaths be in vain. No matter who we lose, we have to keep fighting. The world is depending on our victory, after all. Let Rex know that when he has a moment, I want to talk to him about this."

*****

"Great Scott! I've never seen such a Stromling before!"
"Hit it hard enough and it has to go down! Nothing is invincible!"
"If only there was an Office Max nearby!"
"They're evacuating HQ? But my iPhone is still in there!"
"I sure wouldn't want to be inside HQ right now."
"I'm sorry, guys, I'm pulling out! You are left for dead!"
"Much to learn, you lizards still have."
"Are we up to three Elites down now?"
"Rex is down!" 

"Rex is down?" Cabin muttered as she heard the broadcast. "Who does that leave?"

"You and me," replied Rotor. "Reptile, Semick, and maybe one or two others. We still got a few of our boys in the air though. Mac, you copy?"

"Loud and clear," replied Mac's voice on the other end of the radio.

"We got an army of mutant dinosaurs to fight off," replied Rotor. "I say we split up. Mac, you focus on the dinosaurs. Cabin, you listen out for any more distress calls and help out wherever you're needed. The rest of you are with me. We're going to take out this giant son of a 4+ Figure if it takes the life of every dang man, woman, and child in this unit!"

*****

It had taken quite a lot of arm-wrangling to get the agents in command of the Green Goo tanks to relinquish operational control to Reptile, but he had done so.

Now, as he frantically attempted to coordinate the ever-shrinking number of T-1 Typhoons in an aerial last stand around HQ, he was busy trying to think of a delivery method for a couple hundred gallons of Green Goo to the enemy.

After a few failed concepts, he thought he had an idea.

When he had discovered the effects of Green Goo on Mutant Dinos and brought it to Specs and the rest, they had constructed a Green Goo tank facility near the hangar bay. Some pumps, piping, and other equipment had been assembled and hooked up to the then empty-tanks. The idea was, presumably, to be able to refuel vehicle-mounted goo launchers as easily as they could refuel actual fuel tanks.

But once the Goo Caverns had exploded and the supply of goo coming in from Ogel had been reduced to a trickle, Specs had placed a moratorium on the use of goo in vehicles. Only a handful of agents had been cleared to use it.

Specs had just agreed to pull out all the stops and authorized the use of goo in the battle. But it was probably too late - there was no way they could refuel an army of vehicles already in the field. The few that were still in the hangar would not be able to do nearly enough damage to the enemy.

But... if they overloaded and pressurized all the pumps, they could probably drown anything in the main hangar with enough green goo to turn a city into Mutant Drones.

Unfortunately, that would mean abandoning the main hangar, and it would waste most of their supplies of goo. Still, if things were desperate enough, if they allowed the hangar to fall into enemy hands and sealed it off, it could work.

"I have an idea," Reptile said over the elite comm network, "for how we can stop them when they hit HQ. But I don't think you're going to like it..."

"What is it?" asked Semick.

He briefly outlined the plan. "When they hit Headquarters, we let them in as far as the hangar, and then drown them in Goo by overloading the fueling system. It'll deplete most of our supply, but if we do it right, we'll knock out a sizable chunk of the enemy and buy us some more time."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"That sounds pretty desperate," said another Elite Agent whom Reptile didn't know. "We'll lose the main hangar, and probably won't be able to retake it afterwards."

"I know," Reptile replied. "But if they get as far as the hangar, we are going to be very desperate. If you can think of a better way to deliver a couple hundred gallons of Green Goo to the enemy that's better… but if not, we need to do something. And this is the best I could come up with."

"I don't like it much," Rotor said. "But at this point I don't think we have many other options. Reptile, if it becomes necessary, I suggest you do it."

"Why don't you just try talking to an artificially intelligent bomb?" replied Mac over the radio. "There's probably one or two in the basement somewhere, provided you teach it basic rationalism first."

*****

The first thing she felt as she came to was pain. Ghostly pain, as it subsided rather quickly. Only an annoying sting now, for the most part.

Holly Vinyaya opened her eyes. Or perhaps, just an eye, as her center of vision leaned toward the left. She sat up slowly. Her hair was down and draped over her shoulders and she was only in her Zero Suit, her Space Police armor laid to the side of her bed.

She looked around. She was in the hospital wing, where medics seemed to be rushing around at a frantic pace. A nurse next to Vinyaya's bed looked at the commander and gasped in surprise. "Oh, you're awake!" she said, standing up.

"Indeed," Vinyaya grumbled. She put a hand on the right side of her face. She winced as she felt bandages and a slight sting. Then what happened to her came rushing back to her, which made her slightly woozy.

"Carver!" a man yelled. "I'll take care of her." Carver nodded and went to help another patient. Vinyaya turned her head and saw Doctor Marco Martinet standing at the edge of her bed. His hair and mustache were matted with sweat and his white coat stained with blood and dirt. A strap rested across his coat with grenades painted blue-and-yellow, blue-and-red, and yellow-and-red.

"Pills," Vinyaya mumbled, still slightly dazed.

Martinet glanced down at his torso, then smirked. "You gotta that right. Glad to see you can still-a see with one eye. Let's them-a know that I'm not-a medic to mess-a around with, eh?"

Vinyaya blinked once. "You're a combat medic. I forgot."

"That's-a right!" Martinet said. "I've been going back and forth, picking up the wounded and bringing them-a here. I've been cleaning up any minor wounds on the field and…" He gestured to the grenades and the larger hammer hanging from his belt, stained with blood as well. "Taking out any Mutant Dinos that cross my path."

"What's going on outside?" Vinyaya asked, sliding out the bed unstably.

Martinet rolled his eyes. "Eager to get back out there, I see. Well, we-a took down Dr. Rex and then he got back up with that-a Darkitect's help. He's invincible, as far as we can tell. The good news is that we-a just took down Michelle Gladys, the de facto leader of XERRD after Dr. Rex went nuts. Now they have-a no leadership and Semick's offered them a chance to join us."

"Any takers?" inquired Vinyaya.

"I'm not-a sure."

Vinyaya touched her bandage again. "You can take that off," said Martinet. "I was-a told everything was cleared up. But it won't-a be pretty."

Vinyaya nodded grimly and moved toward past her bed and found a mirror. She grimaced at the sight of the bandage covering up much of the right side of her face. Bracing herself for the worst, she, with the help of Dr. Martinet, pulled the bandage off.

Two scars of a pale-pink color ran down her face. One was on the far side, running from her forehead to the lower part of her cheek. The other scar ran right from her forehead, through her eye, and ended near her lips.

Except that her eye wasn't there. It was gone. "I..." Vinyaya wasn't sure what to think.

"It was a hazard to keep in it in your head," Martinet explained. He scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "I'm sorry."

Vinyaya felt a tear slide out of her left eye. Not the right. The tear ducts were probably destroyed there. She had spent years with the Space Police without gaining any massive wounds and it was only when she joined the Dino Attack Team that she was beaten within an inch of her life, scarred horribly on half of her face, and lost an eye. She laughed bitterly at this realization, causing Martinet to give her a confused look.

"Now, plastic surgery can easily repair that side of your face," Martinet began. "If that-a ninja guy Nazareno was here, he might-a be able to construct a replacement eye. However, he's gone and he only made a surplus of limb replacements. So until this battle is over-"

"I'm stuck like this," Vinyaya finished. She stared at her reflection intently. She never had really considered herself attractive, primarily because she never particularly cared whether she was desirable or not. She could probably live without plastic surgery. The eye though...The lack of a right eye would definitely hinder her. Aiming a weapon in her right hand came to mind. Fortunately, she could shoot with her left hand well enough that this didn't bother too much. But her center of vision was still focused on the left. And the fact the lack of an eye wasn't very flattering.

Then again, I'm not really here to look good. I'm here to save this planet. She wasn't trying to attract anyone. Not after what happened with Scratch. I suppose that's another difference between the Space Police and the Dino Attack. I managed to keep my emotions in check in space and down here... This war had broken her in more ways than she would like to admit.

"Well, if that's it," Vinyaya said. "I'm heading back out."

"What?!" Martinet exclaimed. Vinyaya walked back to her bedside, picked up a hair tie and began to tie her hair back into a ponytail. "You are missing an eye-"

"Good thing I have a spare, huh?"

"Those wounds are still fresh! They'll-"

"I'll take painkillers with me."

"What about-"

Vinyaya finished tying her ponytail and put a hand to Martinet's mouth. "I understand the risks. I also understand that this planet is on the brink of destruction and needs all the help it can get and I am more than willing to put my life on the line to make that happen. Besides, if I can go into the Maelstrom Temple after taking a beating, I can continue this fight without an eye. And I want to personally thank those Mutant Dinos for making me lose an eye."

Martinet scowled and rolled his eyes, but nodded in defeat. "Fine." He reached into his pockets and pulled out a black eyepatch and extended it toward Vinyaya. "Take this."

Vinyaya crossed her arms. "Why? And where did you even get that?"

"Protect that little hole on your hand. And because it looks cool." Vinyaya could see a sad look wash over Martinet. "As for where I got it? It was from a melee. Nay, a brawl. A couple of friends and I were taking back a city from four corrupt mob dons, a cult, and a cannibal. I lost a lot of friends that day, including..." Martinet seemed choked up, not wanting to remember what happened. "Including a flame of mine. The eyepatch is from a friend who perished in the fight."

Vinyaya blinked and slowly accepted the eyepatch. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, eh?" Martinet wiped the sweat from his brow. "Things... things weren't-a working out anyway. Always getting kidnapped or taken or something. And besides, that brawl was what inspired me to become a doctor. And I've managed to find a new girl while working in Antarctica after those-a riots. Shy, quiet girl before I met her. Likes space. And motorcycles, curiously. We've really hit it off. I'm hoping to make it back to her."

Vinyaya smiled faintly. "Just keep up the good work, and you'll make it back." She put the eyepatch over the right side of her face and quickly put on her armor.

"While I'm-a somewhat confident in your abilities, even while handicapped," Martinet muttered. "I'm not sure some of the other doctors will agree. And with an evacuation underway, they'll want to get you out of her. So just stay close to me for a bit, m'kay?"

Vinyaya nodded.

*****

"The main problem I can see with your plan, Reptile," Semick said in response to what his fellow Elite Agent was saying, "is that I don't think the Mutant Dinos are the main problem right now. Our forces are holding them back, and it'll still take some time for them to reach HQ, though I admit some of the lines of defense are starting to falter..."

"Exactly. They could be on our doorstep whenever they do one big push."

"But still, there's an even bigger problem here: I don't think Maelstrom has any weakness to Green Goo, so if the... thing that was Dr. Rex tries to hit our base head-on, frankly, we don't stand a chance at stopping it unless we outline a plan to take down a giant Maelstrom-infused Mutant T-Rex in nigh-invulnerable armor within the next few minutes."

Andrew crackled into the Elite comm signal. "*ktzzz* pulling back to surround HQ again. But we're leaving some scouts near the river in the Steel Sprinters to monitor the forces crossing it. Observer's been noting a couple of boats crossing, and we're hoping that maybe some of them will contain XERRD scientists we could capture."

"And there's a chance Zach might show up around there," said Fabello. "I have a good feeling that whoever took him brought him in that direction."

"Sounds like a decent plan," said Semick. "If you do get some XERRD scientists, maybe we can actually convince them to help us, because now that Dr. Gladys is dead, they might be in a bit of disarray as they try to figure out a leader."

"But isn't Dr. Gonepus still somewhere out here?" asked Hotwire.

"Haven't seen him in a while," said Dr. Cyborg, "though obviously I've been preoccupied. I think he got downed by some sniper with a laser rifle, but I haven't found a body."

"Keep on alert, and keep working on that cyborg T-Rex issue," said Semick. "I hope that power-plant idea of yours works."

"It has a name, you know."

"I'll learn it later."

Semick focused for a few moments on the current field status. The Maelstrom-resurrected Dr. Rex hadn't returned yet to the battle area, so the forces were mostly occupying themselves with the Mutant Dinos moving in from the city and river, along with Cyrista's Bane currently being held back by Dr. Cyborg's men and the Iron Predator defense line. Andrew and Hotwire (with B's help) were working on directing most of the forces focused on the river to create a more stable front line behind HQ. Reptile had lost several T-1 Typhoons, and was trying his best to keep his PLARXX shield formation together. The Agents forces were focused on helping Rotor and Cabin cover the overall front lines and help organize the Iron Predators in Rex's absence. Semick himself was currently hovering close to HQ, trying to fend off an Inferno helicopter that was trying to snipe out agents through the HQ windows.

Things were really starting to get rough, but currently they were holding together. He was getting anxious. When that Maelstrom-possessed Dr. Rex reached them, things were certain to get really chaotic, real fast. HQ was in the midst of evacuation, but the fighters were still directed around a strategy of defending the building. And Semick realized then that if HQ did fall, it would be hard even for him to be able to reorganize the team while trying to defend himself and his men.

With Attack and Defend focusing on taking the Inferno chopper while he simply flew, Semick was able to think harder about the situation. For the first time in a while, he realized he was uncertain about the outcome of the battle. Most of their vehicles would have trouble taking on large-scale Stromlings; he knew that from his experience from Cranky the Stromling Ape. Combined with Dr. Rex's weakened-yet-somewhat-sharp mind and Silge armor, they were going to have a very hard time trying to defeat it. He wouldn't likely respond to lures, and holding him back took a lot of extra effort.

He thought back to the reports on Adventurers' Island. What he had been told was this: The Maelstrom had been stopped thanks to a globe of "pure Imagination" that had been empowered by the creative thinking of several agents, along with the heroic sacrifice of Frank Einstein.

A thought came to him. A thought that chilled him to think of, and that he very much was personally against.

He shrugged it off. Whether or not that would be necessary, there was still a major problem with the idea: as far as he knew, Dino Attack had no samples of pure Imagination. That was stuff Nexus Force dealt with, not an earthbound organization like theirs.

Still, there was always surprises and opportunities emerging in this battle. Perhaps if the lab agents had something in mind just for this occasion, perhaps if XERRD made that truce with them and offered their help, that time would come. Until then, Semick had to keep his T-1 Typhoon flying in the midst of their firefight with the Inferno craft, and think of how else he could use Imagination to his advantage. And there was only one person he knew could help him with that.

*****

"Uh, what should we be aiming our Cryothermic Cannons at?"
"Anything that gets close, shoot it!"
"Maelstrom, schmaelstrom. If it's gone down before, it can go down again."
"If it bleeds, we can kill it."
"I hate Mutant Dinos."
"Where the Znap is Alpha Team?!"
"They'll get here when they get here!"
"Nobody's dying in vain today! The Dino Attack's gonna end today if it's the last thing we do!"

*****

Solomon knelt before Raul, looking defiantly down the barrel of the Sorcerer's gun. The turbaned man glared down at the philosopher with his skull-like eyes as he contemplated how best to kill him.

The rain washed over Solomon's face, and he opened his mouth so the water could moisten his dry mouth. His hand was clutched over his left shoulder, trying to stall the bleeding from his previous gunshot wound. The blood flowed through his fingers and mixed with water below.

Not far away was the body of Doctor Ingrid Tromsø. Solomon's relationship with her had been complicated. It had been on-and-off for the last few years and had often shifted between friendship, reverence, and something more. "Love" was a word that he had considered on numerous occasions, but it seemed the two rarely felt the same way. If Ingrid had wanted a relationship, he had not. If he had wanted a relationship, she would push him away. It seemed now she had finally made up her mind, and she had died because of it.

"What a waste," muttered Raul as he motioned to her body. "She was a good woman. It's a shame her sacrifice was in vain."

"Don't disrespect her memory," said Solomon sternly. "You will never know her."

Raul dismissed the comment with a swift wave of his hand. "Monologuing has often been one of my fatal flaws, Solomon," continued Raul Barabbas. "Somewhere along the line, I learned to enjoy the theatrics, but I have since learned to be savvier. I'm no James Bond villain. It would be good to just shoot you now and get things over with."

"Well, I'm waiting," said Solomon. "You've had me at your mercy far too long now. Perhaps you just want the moment to last."

Raul responded by slamming the rifle across Solomon's face. The philosopher splashed down to land on the blood-soaked pavement. He pressed his hand to his broken lip before looking up at the Sorcerer.

"You want to savor it, don't you, Raul?" said Solomon. "You've been living under my shadow for a long time. My accomplishments exceed yours in every way, so why not take your time? I'm at your mercy for the first time, so I can see why you would want the moment to last."

"Shut up, Solomon," shot back Raul. "Don't pretend to know me! You're making some harsh accusations for a man about to be shot. You would not want to give me any more excuses to pull this trigger, would you?"

"I won't pretend to know who you are, Raul," responded the philosopher. "But I know your kind. You crave more power than you are capable of controlling. You delight in holding dominance only over those who are weaker than yourself. When confronted with any sort of challenge, you prove to be a coward. You never stood up to me before; only now, when I am at your mercy, do your true colors show." Solomon paused to let the words sink it. "In short, Raul, you're a common bully. With all the maturity that comes with it."

"You forget that I hold the gun," warned the sorcerer. He held out his hand and allowed fire to roll over it. "I'm a Sorcerer, Solomon! I have more power than you could possibly imagine! Would I be so bold if I did not? Might makes right!"

He hit Solomon with the gun again and kicked him across the rainswept plaza. He walked over quickly and grabbed him by his left shoulder, sending pain rushing through his wound. He lifted the philosopher up and commanded fire to appear in his hand.

Taking hold of the man with his burning fingers, he pulled him over so their eyes met. Solomon was forced to look into his soulless gaze. "Does it burn, Solomon? Do you feel the knives of fire cascading through you? You may try to deconstruct my mind as much as you want, but you must know that compared to my strength, your thoughts mean nothing. Much like burning a book, men like you will always be consumed by fire. NOW, BURN!"

Before Raul could unleash his fireball, Solomon held up a weak hand. Glancing over at the feeble finger, the Sorcerer withdrew his magic and allowed him to say his last words. Solomon could tell he was contemplating whether he should pause to allow another interruption, but evidently curiosity got the better of him.

"Raul," Solomon began through clenched teeth. His right shoulder burned from Raul's fire, and he struggled to ignore the blisters forming. "You're monologuing again."

The Sorcerer yelled in fury but was silenced by a sudden headbutt from the philosopher. He stumbled backwards and landed in the rain, trailing sparks in his wake.

With one shoulder shot and the other burning, Solomon rose and stood before the man. He frowned at him before drawing his gun. "I've always tried to explain to you the benefits of using your head, Raul. Sadly, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears."

Looking one last time at the anger burning in the Sorcerer's eyes, Solomon Koplowitz pulled the trigger.

Click

MegaBlok, thought Solomon.

Raul Barabbas laughed and blasted Solomon backwards with his magic. The philosopher was shot backwards, trailing smoke behind him before landing amongst the carcass of a Mutant T-Rex. He pondered the fact that the last thing he would smell was the rotting flesh of a mutant and wondered absentmindedly if anyone else might come to his aid.

Everyone else was fighting his or her own battles. As he watched the vehicles speed about on the slick pavement, not a single agent looked in his direction. He was truly alone, and he would die alone. Not even Ingrid would join him now.

There was a sudden ssffzzt of electricity, and a purple light spun around before him. He was too delirious to see what went on before him, but something round hit the ground and rolled in his direction.

He reached out to touch the object and jumped in horror at what he saw.

Raul's head.

The eyes looked as dead as they were in life. The black turban draped around his pale face, and he could see beneath the thick black beard the cauterized stump of the Sorcerer's neck.

Before him, in the rain, the Philosopher glimpsed two purple lights that quickly extinguished. As the bearer of the lights approached, he saw they were different ends of a staff. The man was one that he recognized. During his time at XERRD, Solomon had seen him numerous times in the hallways of the fortress. He had never spoken to the individual and the individual had never spoken to him. He had always been an enigma to some degree, but Solomon had always believed his loyalty.

He had never made a name for himself when it came to science. Instead, he had proved to be a powerful adversary in combat and a ruthless emissary for the organization. He was intelligent and cunning, but Solomon did not know his name.

His previous experience with the man proved irrelevant at the moment. As he walked through the rain, Solomon wondered for the first time who he truly was. What had made this man turn against the Sorcerer and save his life?

"Who are you?" whispered Solomon. He was too weak to move, and he was in no position to defend himself.

He watched as the stranger flipped up the visor of his gas mask and revealed the white ski mask underneath. "You don't need to know my name," said the gas-masked man. He spoke in an educated and refined manner that indicated high culture. The accent was light and he spoke with clarity every syllable. "If you insist on calling me something, Dr. Koplowitz, perhaps you can call me Draco."

Latin, thought Solomon. "Why did you save me?"

"Because you need to win the war, Dr. Koplowitz," said Draco flatly. "My employer has invested a considerable amount based on the outcome of this battle. If XERRD still exists at the end of the day, a lot will be wasted. The Dino Attack Team must succeed."

"Who do you work for?" asked Solomon. "Why do we need to win?"

"Tsk, tsk, Dr. Koplowitz," said the gas mask-wearing man, who must have been smiling beneath his balaclava. "Do you expect me to tell you everything? I am too valuable to our origination to be killed for what I say here, Dr. Koplowitz; my employer values his employees too much to casually punish those who displease him. All I can tell you is I work for a man who calls himself the Englishman. He is a powerful man, Dr. Koplowitz, and he is far-reaching. Already, he knows where the Dino Attack Team will go and what they will become."

"What do you mean?" said Solomon. "What's his ploy?"

"All I can say Dr. Koplowitz is… two years," said Draco. "By then, there is nothing you can do. By 2012, everyone on Earth will answer to him because of the Dino Attack Team's failure."

"But you said we must win," said Solomon. "Now we're going to fail?"

"First, you must be the heroes today," responded Draco. "Then you will let the people down. It is through your future failure that the Englishman will rise."

"How will we fail?" asked Solomon. His vision was becoming blurred, and he was passing into tunnel vision. "How will this Englishman rise?"

"You'll survive to see, I think," said Draco. The gas-masked man flexed his knuckles and winked at Solomon before swiftly punching him in the face. After being beaten within an inch of his life by Raul, it was all he could take, and the philosopher slipped into unconsciousness.

*****

The battle had been going well. Dr. Rex had supposedly been taken down, for real this time, and Dr. Cyborg had a well-made plan to take Cyrista's Bane out of play. Then, anything that had the slightest possibility of going wrong did it. Adventure died, Amanda died, Dr. Rex came back as a mind-transplanted mutant evil reptile zombie. "Oh, scrap" indeed.

On his way to the power plant to check the progress of the demolition, Dr. Cyborg saw a familiar face on the ground. He was lying by a dead T-Rex, which made him stand out, allowing the doctor to pick him out of the crowd of faces.

Dr. Cyborg landed and brought the man onto the Titanium Predator. "Solomon," he said, doing what he could to get him conscious. "Wake up." 

*****

"What in MegaBlokland's name is going on over there?" Copper asked, just as he and Pierce were ready to get to work.

"That doctor's helping a patient," replied Pierce.

"She doesn't look like she's fit for duty," noted Copper.

It was at that moment that Pierce realized who he was talking about: Vinyaya, the patient that Shaw was looking after, the one he left in the care of Carver. "Do you know that man?" Pierce asked, pointing toward Dr. Martinet.

"No," replied Copper. "There's a few of us though, they did send in a few extras."

"Like Shaw," said Pierce. Quickly, Pierce rushed toward the patient and tried to grab her. As she tried to resist, he struggled to lock his arms behind her back. "I'm sorry," Pierce said. "I can't let you walk out on there. Not in this condition."

Copper was quickly approaching the mustached doctor who released her. "Listen, you got a name?"

"Martinet," replied the doctor. "Marco Martinet."

"Well, Dr. Martinet," said Copper, "Would you mind telling me why in MegaBlokland's name you're releasing a patient who's clearly not fit?"

"COPPER, GET ME A SEDATIVE!" Pierce shouted. Copper quickly ran over to the first table he could find and grabbed a syringe. He placed it in the appropriate liquid, and started to approach.

Vinyaya rolled her eye in annoyance. "What's your name, doctor?" Vinyaya grumbled to the doctor trying to restrain her.

"Pierce," Pierce said, still trying to hold her down. "Would you just-"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Pierce," Vinyaya said, her tone suggesting otherwise. "But my face was injured, not my arms." And with that, she easily broke free of Pierce's grip and backed away as another doctor began to approach her with a syringe.

Pierce turned to Martinet, an angry look on his face. "What are you doing?! Half of her face is scratched up! She can only see out of one eye!"

Martinet jabbed Pierce hard in the chest. "I happen to know this woman and treated her and many other agents during those-a temple battles on Adventurers' Island while-a most of the medics here were content with-a sitting at that outpost! She survived a beating equal or-a worse than getting those scars and-a still fought in the Maelstrom Temple!"

"She is missing an eye!" Pierce snapped. "Her face is heavily scarred and those wounds could leave her at the mercy of the Mutant Dinos! She-"

"Rex can't use his legs," Vinyaya interrupted. "Hotwire is missing a leg. Greybeard can't see out one eye. They are all out there, fighting."

"They've had time to adjust," Pierce snapped back. "Your wounds are still fresh and-"

"Perhaps you haven't noticed, Pierce," Vinyaya hissed. Pierce scowled at the second interruption. "But this is the final battle. If we lose, then this wound won't matter because we'll all be dead. The Mutant Dinos and all of their allies are out there, determined to destroy this building. I can see here that casualties and people in much worse shape than I am being brought here by the dozen. The Dino Attack Team and its allies need everybody they can get to stop this army. My only real injury is my eye. The rest is purely cosmetic. Now, I'm going back into that battlefield whether you like it or not, Pierce."

*****

Zach was chilled, to say the least. If he and Athena weren't with the Hybrids, the wave of Mutant Dinos running across the bridge would attack them and kill them with ease.

Something was seriously wrong. Athena Fabello was freed from Napoleon XIV by Oswald. Oswald then let Athena go with Zach? Oswald was clearly planning something, and it most likely put both Minerva and Athena's lives in danger. Blaire Darkling seemed to be involved, as he let both Zach and Athena go unscathed across the bridge. He wished he had inquired more about what Oswald was doing, but knew Blaire probably wouldn't give anything away. He resolved to Athena back to Antarctica and out of Oswald's reach as soon as he could.

He glanced at Athena briefly, who looked ahead. If he was interpreted what Blaire said correctly, Athena's tenure at Napoleon XIV had actually been helpful for her mind. Reuniting with her children, who she clearly thought the world of, after several years had allowed her mind to connect itself to the present, albeit a slightly corrupted version of the present. He wondered how Minerva would react to seeing her mother not only still alive, but to actually see her as a young woman as opposed to a little girl.

"So, Zachary," Athena said suddenly. "How long have you known Minerva?"

"It seems like I've known her a longer time than I actually do," Zach said.

Athena eyed him curiously. "It feels like I haven't seen her in a long time. How is she?"

"She's, uh, great," Zach said. "She's doing pretty well..." He didn't want to say so much that Athena would get worried or angry and go into angry-mother-mode.

Athena raised an eyebrow. Then a wide grin formed across her face. "You-you like her!" When Zach didn't deny this accusation, Athena laughed triumphantly. "You are! You're in love with my daughter!"

"I suppose that's a fair conclusion," Zach muttered. Athena Fabello was certainly coming across as one of those embarrassing mothers. She clearly had no issue hiding her opinions and observations, no matter how old she was. She was rather carefree and easygoing with everyone and everything, provided one did not harm her family. Zach felt a knot forming in his throat. This is probably how Athena would act all the time if she hadn't let her grief consume her. Now, it was only a personality that could be activated by select people.

"Well, I think it's cute and you should go for it," Athena said, crossing her arms. "You seem like a nice boy. You seem like you would get along with her brothers and my husband Isaac as well."

"Yeah, well-"

"We're here," a Hybrid hissed. Zach looked around. They were at the edge of the bridge. Mutant Dinos were charging toward Dino Attack Headquarters at a brisk pace. Vehicles seemed to backing out to continue the fight closer to the perimeter of the building. Several Mutant Raptors were tearing apart a few Steel Sprinters and their drivers near the edge of the river.

"So you expect us to get back without a vehicle in this mess?" Zach asked irritably.

Zach could see the Hybrid smirk coldly. "Darkling never said anything about getting you home," the Hybrid said. "If there's any consolation, we'll stay here with you until you step out on to the land. As long as you stay on this bridge, you're safe."

Great. He looked around, trying to find a vehicle they could take back to headquarters. Nothing came to sight.

"Well, let's go!" Athena said. Zach grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "What?"

"There's-" He stopped as heard the sound of electric guitars, drums, and an orchestra playing a song. It sounded familiar.

Athena looked into the sky. "Is that 'Dance of the Knights' by Prokofiev?"

Zach blinked. "Yeah. A metal-orchestra combination by the sound of it." Then he looked into the sky as well. He saw a dark blue Aerial Defense Unit flying overhead, blasting "Dance of the Knights". Zach pulled off his helmet and waved at the helicopter. "HEY! HELP!" he yelled loudly.

The helicopter seemed to notice, as it lowered itself slightly. The music's volume decreased dramatically as the hatch on the side of the helicopter opened and a Minifig peeked out over the side. "Virchaus? Is that you?"

Zach grinned in spite of himself. "Brickhouse! Am I glad to see you! And playing 'Dance of the Knights'?"

Thaddeus Brickhouse laughed over the sound of the helicopter rotors. "The same to you, old friend! We've got word that you disappeared and to keep an eye out for you over here. Looks like you're back in decent shape. And with a woman who kind of looks like your lady friend I met earlier. As for the song, its Epica's cover of 'Montagues and Capulets'. It has such as nice mixture of an orchestra and metal, how could I not play it?"

Zach smirked, but began to grow worried. He realized at that moment he wasn't even sure if Minerva was okay. He had left her in a ditched Fire Hammer. "Listen! Can you go on the radio and figure out where Elite Agent Fabello is?"

"Sure thing." Before Brickhouse retreated into the helicopter, he also added, "Speaking of Elite Agent, I heard you got a promotion. Top dog now, eh?" Zach waited impatiently for Brickhouse to return. When he did: "Alright. Sorry, the radio's a bit whacked up because of that cyber T-Rex. Agent Fabello is with an Elite Agent Andrew in a Fire Hammer. The guy is passing your survival along. Hopefully, someone will come by to pick you up."

"Wait, why can't you pick us up? Don't you have a winch?"

Brickhouse scratched his beard. "Nope. Winch was busted up by a stray T-Rex laser. And it's too dangerous to land."

Zach shrugged. Fair enough. He glanced at the road. Mutant Lizards were lining up anxiously, waiting for Zach and Athena to cross the bridge. Zach glanced at the Hybrids, who merely stared back emotionlessly.

Athena gave a nervous laugh. Even she seemed to realize what was going on. She turned to the Hybrids. "Can you tell the Lizards to back off a bit?" The Hybrids shook their heads. "Why-!"

Athena gasped sharply as a Mutant Lizard ran on to the bridge, toward Athena. Zach quickly swung his knife out and cut the Lizard's throat.

"What the heck?" Zach roared to the Hybrids. "You said they wouldn't come across!"

"You took too long. A Lizard can't just stand there when dinner's right there for the picking." The Hybrids laughed darkly and turned and started to return to Blaire's outpost.

Zach looked at Athena. She was frozen in place and her eyes were wide. Switching illusions. Zach looked up at Brickhouse. "Thad! Change of plans!" The Mutant Lizards were moving on to the bridge and toward Athena and Zach. "The Hybrids lied to us-"

"Figures."

"-We're making a run for it. Cover us and contact the team again!"

Brickhouse nodded and retreated into the helicopter. The Aerial Defense Unit then turned its weapons on to the Mutant Lizard pack and blew them apart.

"RUN!" Zach roared. He gripped the arm of a very confused Athena and began to run into the battlefield, Thaddeus Brickhouse's helicopter above him blasting the symphonic metal cover of "Montagues and Capulets" as he shot away any Mutant Dino that crossed their path. 

*****

"Zach's alive! I repeat, Zach is alive!"
"Finally, some good news on the comm."
"Let's hope our in-the-middle-of-a-battle marriage goes better than Rex and Claw's."
"Yeah, I want to go to LEGOLAND for our honeymoon!"
"Besides that Pterosaur girl from Adventurers' Island, you just can't trust hybrids."
"Let's get a move on!"
"Wow, I forgot that these Urban Avengers are as strong as Fire Hammers."
"I hope Rex isn't wasting time weeping about Claw. If I were him, I'd be taking my anger out on some Mutant Dinos right about now."
"If you were him, you'd have a problem with just plain-old shooting Mutant Dinos."
"Touche."

Andrew was relieved to hear the news coming in from the Agents folks. "Good old Zach, still as determined to survive as ever."

"I do wonder who that woman he found is," said Laxus. "All I'm hearing is that she's similar to his 'lady friend' or something. Minerva, did you have family in the area?"

Minerva looked a little tense, as if the word about this "lady friend" was a disturbing matter. "Uh, no... At least, not any female members of the family."

"You'll find out in a little bit, I guess," said Andrew. As he took a moment to rotate past a fallen Iron Predator, he said, "But I think once you meet up with him, it'd be best if you found another vehicle. Fire Hammers aren't meant for too many agents to gather. Laxus, see if we have any agents in the area who can spare room in a Fire Hammer or something else with lots of room to go get him."

"On it," said Laxus. As he started communicating, Andrew checked in with the crew on the Xenon launcher via the commlink linking them. "You two holding up well up there?"

"Launcher's overheating more frequently," said Catless. "But otherwise, things are rather swell. Pterisa's saved my behind more than once up here; she's a good ally to have around."

"Thanks for the compliment," said Pterisa. If Andrew had to guess, she was definitely acting more with the confidence he had first seen her have as the veiled samurai back in the Maelstrom Temple now.

Battle atop a vehicle, he supposed, is a bit easier when she doesn't have to focus as much on the attention of other agents, besides when watching where they were aiming.

"Joike's got a Fire Hammer being manned by only him and his colleague Gypsy," said Laxus. "They're following the signal of the Aerial Defense Unit that found Zach and the woman, and heading there as quickly as possible."

"Good. Remind them to come to us and pick up Minerva when they have him." Andrew turned to said fellow elite agent. "You guys work best together, am I right?"

"Yeah, I'd say we do," she said with a slight smirk.

"Alright," said Laxus. "Good luck, you guys." 

*****

Pierce stared at the Space Police officer for a moment, tempted to listen. He finally sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can't let you. Releasing a semi-recovered patient to her certain doom goes against the point of my entire practice."

At that moment, Copper walked up to him with the syringe. "Pierce," he said. "I got it."

"Hold off a moment, Copper," replied Pierce. "There may be a chance at reasoning with her. Now listen, I can't let you go out there, not in your state. Now, at the moment, we're busy moving half these patients. You can still walk, maybe you can give us a hand there. That reminds me, you!"

Pierce turned toward the mustached doctor. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Martinet. I'm Dr. Pierce. We're going to need all hands we can get here. I got Shaw and Carver checking to make sure there's nobody we missed within the building, Wade stuck with Enter and Return trying to move the patients, plus Crusher and Clickitt working to get the equipment set up down there. I'd recommend giving a hand to Wade. An extra person to keep those two clowns in line would do him good."

Pierce then turned back toward the retreating patient, waiting for her answer. 

Mort quietly cleared his throat. Pierce jumped slightly and turned, clearly not having expected to find the Alpha Team agent standing directly behind him. Agent Jinx was following Mort with a stretcher piled high with Medic's various devices.

"Perhaps you didn't hear the nice police officer," said Mort. "She's very much correct to say that too much hangs in the balance for you to detain her here."

"He's right," Vinyaya said firmly. "Every individual who is willing and able to risk their life on the battlefield must do so."

Dr. Martinet nodded in assent.

"But you're clearly not able!" Pierce snapped.

Mort stood nose-to-nose with Pierce. "Perhaps you're familiar with Alpha Team's training program? Space Police training is equally rigorous. Before you can so much as touch a uniform, you must go through MegaBlokland and back. By the time you go from recruit to rookie, you already know the absolute extent of your capabilities, every one of your limitations, and exactly how to go beyond all of those. If Commander Vinyaya says she is able, then she is able. Any further discussion on the matter is redundant and irrelevant."

Pierce scoffed. "What would you know about medicine, anyway? You poke around crime scenes and morgues like they're playgrounds to you. I bet you want her to come back under a sheet, just so you can slice up her corpse. Sick freak."

The Alpha Team agent's blank, stony expression grew ever-so-slightly darker. "Such uncivil speech is distinctly unbecoming, friend," he said. "I've seen that you are a highly principled and idealistic man. Now, ideals are well and good when all is right with the world, but they are more of a hindrance on a day such as today. The best thing you can possibly do right now is to let Vinyaya return to the battle. Don't your ideals to interfere with your duties."

Mort stepped around the doctor and beckoned to Jinx, who wheeled Medic's equipment out of the room. The Alpha Team agent turned back to Pierce. "I am more than willing to help if you'll just allow me to. Do not try to force Vinyaya to play a part that is not hers."

Pierce struggled to hold back his anger.

"She's way too stubborn," Copper whispered. "Why don't we just sedate her and keep her restrained?"

"At this point, we might not have much other choice," replied Pierce. "I understand her concern, but it'll at least give us time to make sure she's okay."

Copper looked toward Vinyaya, and held up the syringe. "Listen," he said. "I'm just going to give you something here. This should help you in the field. Would you mind showing your arm?"

As Copper walked toward Vinyaya, Pierce turned toward Mort. "Wait!" Pierce called out. The Alpha Team agent turned toward him. "Don't I know you?"

"No, I don't think so," replied Mort. "Why?"

"Your face," said Pierce. "It seemed familiar. I just thought I mi- Yes, of course, I remember now! You were the one that helped me and Elizabeth after Dr. Burns got me arrested for choosing to help an agent over the Alpha Team."

Vinyaya's eye narrowed as Copper approached with the syringe. "Once again. Only my eye is gone. I can hear people shouting 'COPPER, GET ME A SEDATIVE!' rather well."

Copper frowned and grabbed Vinyaya's arm. Vinyaya flinched and quickly twisted her arm out of Copper's grip and knocked away his syringe. She then turned and starting to run out of the medical wing. As she ran, she was joined by Martinet.

"Not staying with the mad doctor?" Vinyaya asked, a cold smirk appearing on her face.

"No. My-a talents for combat and-a medical practice beckon me to-a rejoin the battle!" Martinet said in a fiery voice.

Vinyaya followed Martinet out of the hospital wing. They quickly found themselves in the garage.

"Do you have a radio with you?" Martinet asked. Vinyaya checked the radio she was using earlier. A little beat-up but still functional. "Good." Martinet moved toward a Fire Hammer that had been outfitted as an ambulance. Beside it was an actual ambulance where two identical-looking medics were preparing to head back into the battle. "Good luck," Martinet said grimly.

Vinyaya nodded her thanks and moved toward unoccupied Urban Avenger with a Cosmotronic Ray on its rollcage. She quickly started up the engine and rolled out of the garage and into the battlefield determined to exact her revenge on the Mutant Dinos. 

*****

Shannon Grimton led a group of Dino Attack staff members down the hall, wheeling herself as quickly as the wheelchair could take her. She knew the danger that Dino Attack Headquarters was in, and while she did not feel confident that evacuating headquarters was necessarily the right thing to do, it was certainly the wisest thing to do. Every able-bodied Dino Attack agent who could fight was in the battlefield. Staff members and those who could not fight were not safe to remain here.

"In here!" Shannon beckoned to the others, directing them into the room once used, and now once again used, by the Portal Operations Team. They complied quickly, and Shannon waited until every last one of them was inside the room before she followed suit.

Inside, they found General, Shock, and Sam Throramebi hard at work assembling what appeared to be a Rock Raiders Teleport Pad, albeit in Dino Attack's color scheme; this came as little surprise, given Throramebi's Rock Raider background. General looked up at the newcomers, and through the eyeholes in his helmet, Shannon could see him narrow his eyes in what appeared to be a frown. "Already?" he murmured. "This isn't good."

Shannon nodded grimly. "A rocket or something appears to have hit the building. Even worse, Dr. Rex has received some... 'divine intervention' from Baron Typhonus and is now more powerful than ever. The security of Dino Attack Headquarters has been compromised, I'm afraid, and Hertz thought it best to start evacuating the building immediately."

Throramebi shook his head. "It's not finished yet! Give us about five more minutes. Trust me, you don't want to be using a half-finished Teleport Pad... bad things happen."

"We were also hoping to move the finished Teleport Pad," added Shock, gesturing upwards, "to the roof of the building. That way, in a worst-case scenario, T-1 Typhoons can airlift Dino Attack agents to the Teleport Pad to be evacuated."

"And one more thing," General spoke in a solemn voice. "We're designing this Teleport Pad to be one-way only. Once you go in, there's no turning back. You're in Antarctica's refugee facilities, and you cannot return to LEGO City. Therefore, you have to be absolutely certain that you want to go, because you will not be able to return in time to continue fighting if you change your mind afterward."

"Okay," said Shannon, nodding. "Keep working, then. I'll search the building for anyone else who needs to be evacuated." She turned and began to wheel herself out of the room.

"But wait!" called Shock. "Aren't you worried that-"

"Don't worry," Shannon said with a grin. "Just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I'm not completely helpless... I can take care of myself if I run into any trouble."

*****

For the second time in the last forty-eight hours, Hertz awoke surrounded by fire. He did not know what happened; all he remembered was the wall exploding and him being flung across the room to land beneath a pool table. Every computer and piece of equipment he saw appeared to be trashed beyond compare, and the central radio dishes were a twisted muddle near the far corner. There was no longer a wall on the south side of the room, and Hertz looked out at the stormy sky beyond.

His ears seemed to have popped from the blast, and he had the same impression that one gets when being submerged beneath water. Everything seemed blurred, and all noises echoed among the flames.

Hertz cleared the splinters of wood off his chest and rose uncertainly. He felt incredibly disoriented, and he leaned against the doorframe for support. He was reminded that he still wore a sling from the broken arm he received and contemplated that it may never heal if he continued to be blown up.

He wondered whether he was actually still alive. The wreckage around him seemed surreal, and he thought he could be in some sort of limbo between this world and the next. After surviving the attack on the rear guard camp, living through the crash of the Renaissance, falling over a massive cliff, and fighting the Maelstrom at the Temple of Creation, it seemed his luck should be running out soon.

A cold draft from outside awoke his senses. He felt the cold sensation of rain and the spray of water on his face. He still could not hear, and he prayed his ears would recover soon. He was a radio operator; he could not work without his hearing. If he could not communicate over the airwaves, he was useless. He bit his lip in panic. What if he was permanently deaf?

The sprinklers suddenly burst to life, and water rained inside the room. The fire still burned bright, but the water helped quell the heat. Hertz navigated his way through the wreckage slowly and made his way to where the south wall once stood. He needed fresh air to escape the smoke, but walking proved to be disorienting when living in a world of silence.

He scanned the harbor below him and pulled out his radio. He needed to send out a message, to let the team know he had survived but also inform them he may be deaf. In addition, it may not be safe for them to run blindly in. There had been a major breach in security, and Hertz was not confident the threat was gone.

*****

As Sarah Bishop ran through the streets, she was rather startled when two other women showed up holding hands. Upon sight of her, they quickly let go, and it only took a moment for her recognize them: Maria and Fireman. Angel Eyes and Clint showed up shortly after.

Walking down the street, they were rather surprised by what they saw. "Dino Attack Headquarters?" Sarah muttered. "You mean, this whole friggin' time, we just went in one big circle? I thought you said you could drive that thing?"

"I said I could drive it," retorted Elizabeth. "I never said anything about navigating. I don't even have a compass on hand, you know."

"What happened up there?" Angel Eyes asked, looking up at the smoke coming from the central tower of the building.

"I don't know," replied Elizabeth. "But I don't like it."

Sarah stared at it in horror, then noticed an Inferno Helicopter flying nearby. "Kate," she muttered.

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

Sarah simply turned toward Fireman. "I'm going to need your gas mask for a moment," she said. Fireman looked at her nervously before slowly taking off her mask and handing it to Sarah.

"What's your plan?" Angel Eyes asked.

Sarah's response was muffled by the mask, but her cocking of her shotgun quickly made it clear she meant business before she turned into the base. Her first stop was the armory. Much to the confusion of the fellow teammates, she grabbed a few extra rounds for her shotgun, got a bandoleer full of bullets, then turned towards Fireman once more, taking off her mask for a moment. "Give me your flamethrower," Sarah said. "I'll give it back when I'm done."

Fireman reluctantly complied, handing Sarah the flamethrower. Quickly finding a roll of duct tape, Sarah rolled it around and attached the flamethrower to her shotgun, and attaching an additional strap, she had one nasty weapon.

*****

Naomi Carver and Noomi Shaw held their hands to their mouths to prevent inhaling the thick smoke. The two women moved carefully down the burning hallways to avoid burning themselves on any exposed metal. The smoke made it difficult to find their way, and more than once they were forced to turn back because of blockages.

"Where are we?" said Naomi, coughing as she flinched at the nearby flames. The sprinklers were working at full power, but fire still would flare up unexpectedly.

"I think we're off the main hallway!" responded Noomi. "But I'm so turned around in all this smoke, I can't be sure!"

Naomi wrapped some rags around her hand and brushed away some soot on a nearby sign. "Looks like we're near the offices," she said. "I think the explosion happened on the other side of this hallway." The women had found almost no bodies in the wreckage. Noomi had theorized that most personnel were ether in the basement or on the north side where the battle was taking place. Hertz was still unaccounted for, and Naomi tried desperately to find her way to the lounge.

There was a sudden crash, and the ceiling gave way in front of them. Naomi and Noomi ducked aside to avoid the burnt debris and looked back to see two familiar faces in the wreckage.

"Sorry to drop in like this," said Doctor Saran. His mustached face smiled in regard to his lame one-liner, and he quickly helped Kate Bishop up from the rubble. "I was helping Ms. Bishop get out safely, and the floor suddenly gave way beneath us."

"Are you okay?" asked Noomi Shaw. The woman brushed some ash from the psychologist's uniform.

"I'm a little winded, but I'm okay," responded Saran. "You okay, Kate?"

Kate Bishop nodded her head quickly. "I'll live. How do we get out of here?"

"The emergency staircases should be more clearly marked," Naomi remarked with annoyance. "Let's try going this way."

Kate nodded, and the four navigated their way back down the hall. The sprinklers were finally starting to have some effect, but the structural integrity of the south side was now compromised. Saran had to tread lightly to avoid getting his peg leg stuck, and more often than not, they had to shield their heads from any dangers.

Smoke still proved to be a problem, and Kate Bishop and Naomi Carver were coughing heavily. Doctor Saran wanted to find the hole soon so he could get some air for his teammates. Carver and Shaw could not help coughing as they worked their way through the lounge, which was filled with thick smoke. "What happened here?" Shaw asked.

Caver didn't have an answer.

"There's broken technology," Shaw said. "Radios and things. I don't know."

Carver seemed to show a particular look of concern.

"What's wrong?" Saran asked.

Carver didn't respond. She didn't bother persisting.

"We should split up," suggested Shaw. "We'll each take one of the next rooms over and search them for anyone. If you find someone, you just call me, okay?"

Naomi suddenly yelled and pointed across the room. There, framed amongst the flames and wreckage of sofa, stood Hertz. He had his back to the doorway and was instead looking out at the harbor through the hole in wall. He appeared to be attempting to send a message with his PDA.

"Hertz!" yelled Naomi.

He did not respond and continued staring at his PDA. It was as if he was incapable of hearing her and continued ignoring everything around him. Naomi wiped a tear of relief from her eyes but continued screaming his name.

Something must have drawn his attention and Hertz looked up from his PDA. The techie locked eyes with Naomi and held out a hand. The nurse ran across the lounge to wrap her arms around him, and the two embraced.

"I'm so happy you're alright," said Naomi softly as he held her head to his shoulder. "I can't do this anymore, Hertz. I can't keep wondering whether you're alive or dead."

Hertz did not respond. Instead, he pointed to his ears and moved his lips. He squinted his eyes in confusion at what she had just said.

It was at this moment that Nicholas Saran, Noomi Shaw, and Kate Bishop looked into the room. The sight they saw was Hertz and Naomi standing where the south wall used to be. Rain and sprinklers drenched the two figures as they embraced, and the passion burned as bright as the flames around them.

And then like a vulture, an Inferno Helicopter appeared outside the room. It rose slowly from below and hovered just outside the opening. Like some monstrous insect, it floated there and waited to strike at the two figures standing in ignorance.

"Naomi, Hertz, get down!" yelled Noomi.

The techie stared at her in bewilderment as he watched her lips move. The sound of the rotors outside was lost to him, and he did not realize the guns charging just behind his back.

Naomi pushed him down just as the guns opened fire. The powerful machine guns tore through the room as the pilot sprayed in every direction. The five occupants hit the deck as a clean line of bullets cut the room in half.

Once the agents were down, a figure glided from the helicopter on cable tether. The craft continued to hover outside as the dark figure landed on the floor of the lounge on six articulated spider legs.

Spy Clops adjusted his harness and looked around for his victims with his four robotic eyes. The henchman spotted Hertz lying on the floor in front of him, and he lifted the techie high in the air.

He said nothing as a thick knife emerged from his wrist and drew back his arm. Taking aim at Hertz's neck, he drove the weapon forward. 

*****

Nazareno gripped a spike on the top of the Mutant T-Rex as it came crashing down onto the wet pavement. Mutant T-Rex skulls were made of thicker stuff than a Raptor's, but it still couldn't hold up to Nazareno's katanas. As he touched down, Parr and Fredricksen rolled up in their Urban Avengers, Zelda ridding on the former's vehicle.

"Impressive showing with the Steel Sprinter thing," Zelda noted, a bright gleam in her eyes.

"Indeed. Where is Sullivan?" asked Nazareno. The sad looks on Parr and Fredricksen's faces quickly answered that question. "His sacrifice will not be in vain."

Zelda nodded solemnly before her eyes brightened again. "On the bright side, an Agent found Zach! He was with some Hybrid escort and a woman who apparently looks like Minerva. They're apparently running back to the headquarters with the Agent covering them."

"That is definitely uplifting to hear." Though Nazareno was far more reserved than Zelda, he was immensely relieved to hear that Zach was still alive.

"Me and Fredricksen are moving back to HQ," Parr said. "Need a lift?"

Nazareno shook his head. "I think I'll head back on foot and cause as much damage as I can along the way." He gestured toward Zelda. "Care to join me?"

Zelda giggled but nodded. "I think I will, thank you very much."

"See you two later," Fredricksen grumbled, and he and Parr started to drive off toward the headquarters.

Nazareno turned to Zelda. "Alright, so the plan-"

"The plan?" Zelda repeated, laughing airily. Nazareno grimaced. "I've been watching you. I don't think you really plan that far ahead. You make things up as you go."

Nazareno scowled and, oddly, felt his face become warm. Had it been anyone else that interrupted him, he would've let snapped at them coldly. As it was, he couldn't bring himself to do it to Zelda, who crossed her arms smugly. "Whatever," he said. "I suppose you're right. The idea is simple: we head back to the headquarters and wipe out every Mutant Dino that crosses are path."

"Not exactly elaborate," Zelda said. He could tell she was grinning underneath her bandana. Somehow, she managed to toy with him and get away with it.

"No, but elaborate does not always mean better. And as you said, I'm making this up as I go along, so I'm sure things will get more complicated as we move closer to the headquarters."

Zelda shrugged and pulled out her swords. "So, no more Steel Sprinters. We running?"

Nazareno nodded once before turning and charging toward Dino Attack Headquarters, swords extended with Zelda close behind.

*****

Kate could not help but gasp in horror as she saw Spy Clops grab Hertz. As Spy Clops moved to stab the techie, Kate did the one thing she could think of: she quickly grabbed the black 8-ball from the lounge debris and threw it at the murderous psycho. It barely hurt the Inferno henchman, but Spy Clops quickly turned his attention towards her, dropping Hertz to the floor.

Shaw and Carver could only watch in terror as the arachnoid cyborg started to move toward the young rookie. She tried to remain hidden behind the burned remnants of a couch, but it was no use; within moments, Spy Clops was towering over her.

Then it happened.

A shotgun blast came seemingly out of nowhere. Kate and the others looked around worriedly, before noticing that the bullet had hit Spy Clops in his mechanical legs. Another shot was fired and then another, and the Inferno henchman looked at the assailant: a woman in a tank top and a gas mask, carrying what looked like a flamethrower duct taped to a shotgun. She fired another blast, and another. Spy Clops reacted in shock, scuttling away from Kate and the couch and moving closer to the hole in the wall as he tried to retreat back to his helicopter.

As the woman entered the lounge, everyone was quick to clear out of the way, Carver carefully dragging Hertz. This proved to be a wise move, as she soon opened fire with her flamethrower, setting the arachnoid cyborg's orange shirt ablaze. As he struggled to tear off his burning uniform, he was unable to counterattack.

It was at that moment that the woman finally took off her gas mask, and Kate recognized her almost instantly. "Mom!" Kate shouted.

Sarah Bishop took one look at the Inferno agent as he stumbled around, struggling to control his damaged mechanical legs. "GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU 4+ FIGURE!" Sarah shouted before firing a few more rounds, and sending the cyborg flying out through the hole in the wall. Spy Clops had been careful to let his cybernetics absorb the rounds instead of his vulnerable organic body, but it was clear that he was now out of the fight.

"Mom?" Kate asked.

Sarah looked at her quickly, and smiled. "Oh Kate!" she said, lowering her weapon as she ran up to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her. Right now, Kate could not help but do the same.

*****

Zach was running as hard as he could with Athena Fabello in tow. Mutant Dinos were everywhere and, if Thaddeus Brickhouse were not present overhead, they would be dead in an instant.

"Look alive, Virchaus!" Thaddeus shouted over the helicopter's loudspeakers. "Help is on the way!"

Zach looked ahead and saw two Fire Hammers driving toward them. One was extremely erratic in its driving and seemed to be making an effort to hit every Mutant Lizard. One of the Fire Hammers quickly pulled around in front of Zach and Athena. On the back of the vehicle was a woman concentrating intensely on firing at every Mutant Dino around her.

"Hey!" the driver called out. "I'm here to pick an Elite Agent Zachary and the woman who looks suspiciously similar to his 'ladyfriend'."

"Thanks!" Zach said appreciatively. He and Athena climbed into the back of the Fire Hammer.

"'Names Joike, by the way," the driver said. "The lady out back is Gypsy."

"Great. Thanks. Can I use your radio?"

"In a bit." Joike started to drive again and turned on the radio as the other Fire Hammer nearly T-Boned Joike. "Rowsdower! Would you put down the liquor for a moment and concentrate!" Joike turned to Zach, who had climbed into the front seat, and shook his head. "Rowsdower. Mother of Builder. What kind of stupid name is Rowsdower? Just... eh. Here's the radio."

Zach nodded appreciatively. "Brickhouse, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"Thanks for the help back there."

Brickhouse chuckled. "Not to worry. Just like old times, eh?"

Zach laughed in agreement. "Old times. But seriously, thanks. Keep up the good work." He said a quick goodbye before making his next call. "Minerva?"

"Zach?" There was a relieved laugh over the radio. "You're alright!"

"Naturally. I told you Thaddeus would help us out."

"That's great to hear." He could hear Minerva' voice become somewhat reserved. "Uh, who did you find? Someone that looks like me?"

"Yeah. You're not going to believe this, but I found-"

*****

"Where is Gladys?!" Blaire Darkling demanded over a radio.

"We trying to find her," a scientist snapped at him. "But it's looking like she kicked the bucket, too."

Blaire grimaced. If Michelle Gladys was dead, then XERRD was without a leader.

"Keep looking," Blaire commanded harshly. "If we don't find her soon, someone will need to take over."

"Will do, Darkling." The connection dropped, and Blaire approached the edge of his building where the Hybrids were sniping Dino Attack agents with ease. He needed to do something. Something to clear his mind. He pulled out a set of binoculars and scanned the battlefield.

He managed to see Zachary Virchaus and Athena Fabello climbing into a Fire Hammer while another Fire Hammer and an Aerial Defense Unit covered them. How convenient. The Hybrids were supposed to have kept them safe on the bridge, but ultimately decided to abandon their post. Blaire would have given them a punishment well-deserved, but Oswald Fabello had beat him to it. And what a punishment Oswald gave them.

He glanced at a sniper beside him. "May I see that for a moment?" Blaire asked, gesturing to the sniper rifle. The Hybrid grumbled, but handed the weapon to Blaire. "Now, gentlemen, you've been doing well. But let's see you take down a bigger target."

Blaire glanced through the scope and aligned himself with the Agents helicopter hovering over Athena and Virchaus. As they have been rescued by the Fire Hammer, I think this helicopter is no longer necessary. He managed to see the pilot's head through the smokey glass on the helicopter's cockpit. He fired once. A direct hit. He then aimed toward the helicopter's rotors and fire another bullet.

*****

Nononononono. NO! Zach watched in horror as Thaddeus Brickhouse's helicopter spiraled out of control ahead. Joike floored the gas pedal, trying to move away from the falling Aerial Defense Unit. Zach turned his head and watched the helicopter collide harshly into the ground, causing it to erupt into flames.

"NO!" Zach roared. He kicked open his door and hopped out of the moving Fire Hammer. At this point, his mind wouldn't let himself believe what just happened. He started running towards the ruined helicopter.

"Hey!" Joike called out to Zach, bringing the Fire Hammer to a screeching halt. Zach ignored him and pried open the wrecked hatch doors of the helicopter. He had to find him. He had to-

Zach felt himself get pulled back and being forcibly dragged back to the Fire Hammer. Zach glanced up and saw Gypsy looking at him quizzically. "I don't get you."

"What?!" Zach demanded. He felt tears forming in his eyes as he tried to break away.

"I don't get you," she repeated. "I'm sorry, but your friend is dead. Going into a burning Aerial Defense Unit isn't going to change anything."

Zach looked back at the helicopter in horror, defeat swelling up in him. She was right. Thaddeus Brickhouse is dead. He's dead.

"Did you see what happened?" Zach gasped, surrendering to Gypsy's pull.

"Yeah. It was sniper fire from the other side of the river."

Zach froze. He pulled away from Gypsy and lifted up his binoculars. He quickly saw him. Blaire Darkling standing at his building, a sniper rifle in hand.

Zach felt anger wash over him, followed by an idea. He turned and jumped back into the Fire Hammer. "What was-" Joike began.

"Shh," Zach snapped. He turned to the radio. "Minerva?"

"Zach, what happened?"

"Brickhouse is dead. I need to do something quick. I tell you who I find when we meet up again. You won't believe me unless I show you."

There was a short silence. "Fine. Just be careful."

Zach nodded grimly and then directed his attention to someone else. Someone he noticed while walking across the bridge. "Brickster?"

"Eh? Zachary Vircrazy? Is that you?"

Zach had no times for jokes. "Yes. Listen-"

"Oh, man. I heard some whacky things happened to you, Vircrazy. Becoming a little zombie and everything."

"Listen!" Zach snapped. "There's a building on the other side of the river with Hybrid snipers on the roof. Do you see it?"

There was silence, then: "Oh, I see it. You want me to blow that up? Because I'll blow that up."

"Yeah. And Brickster? Remember, there's no kill like overkill."

The Brickster chuckled darkly. "I think that Maelstrom changed you for the better, Zach. Let you embrace the chaos. I like that."

"Hold up, Virchaus!"

Zach blinked. "Raine?"

"Yeah," Raine Dashworthy said. "If anyone is going to be blowing up the losers that kill Thad, I'm going to do it."

"Ha! No way you're taking this from me! I'm being asked by a LEGO Islander to blow things up. That will never happen again, Agent!"

"I don't care!" Zach snapped again. "Just blow it up!"

*****

"That is how you should do it," Blaire said, handing the sniper rifle back to the Hybrid. He backed away and let the Hybrids continue their work. A strange sense of euphoria traveled through Blaire's body. It had been years since he had picked up a sniper rifle. Even longer since he had killed a Minifig himself. Must not dip back into the old ways, Blaire told himself.

"Sir, the T-1 Typhoon of the Brickster has turned its attention on us," a Hybrid stated. Blaire scowled. The Brickster. He hated that man for managing to slip past his defenses and blowing up the laboratory on Dinosaur Island. "An Agents jet seems to be moving in toward us as well."

Blaire looked through the binoculars once again. He could barely see Zachary Virchaus talking into the radio, an angry look on his face. "I appear to have touched a nerve." With that he turned and began to head toward the stairs.

As soon as he reached the ground, the Agents jet fired a missile, striking the center of the building hard. The Brickster's helicopter then moved in and fired all of its weapons at the remains of the building. Blaire walked away, not allowing himself to look back.

Perhaps his head was still in the rush from killing the Agents aboard that helicopter, for he saw Zachary Virchaus's move of commanding the Brickster and an Agent jet to blow up his command post as a challenge. A challenge he would accept. He would find the Dino Attack agent and kill him.

As he reached the bridge, his radio crackled to life. "Michelle Gladys is dead! Repeat. Michelle Gladys is dead!"

Blaire paused for a brief moment and pulled out his radio. "What happened?" Blaire demanded.

"She was killed by a Mutant Lizard after killing what we believe was Silencia Venomosa!"

Blaire considered this. Were the Mutant Dinos falling out of XERRD's control and into the Darkitect's, despite the Maelstrom Temple being eliminated? "Silencia Venomosa? What a shame that we will never meet a-" Blaire was interrupted by multiple explosions from behind him.

"-never get to meet at last?" the scientist said "Whatever. XERRD is without a leader!"

Blaire considered possibly candidates. Raul Barabbas briefly crossed his mind, but considered the man to be too power-hungry to be leader. Perhaps Paulie Gonepus? No, he hadn't been able to get into contact with anyone after being attacked by sniper fire. Alvin Gadd? No, too spineless.

Blaire turned back to his radio. He widened his radio's frequency to include all XERRD members and even a few members of the Dino Attack Team. "It appears XERRD is in its darkest hour as much as the Dino Attack Team is. Our leader is mad and our second-in-command is dead." Blaire swallowed hard. He didn't want to do this, but there was little other choice.

"Therefore, I, Blaire Darkling, henceforth assume command of XERRD." He heard a brief outcry of protest from other scientists. "Silence! Up until now, our leaders have been scientists. We are fighting a battle and with our leaders out, it is only natural that we have a Minifig skilled with combat to lead this organization."

There were mixed grumbles from other XERRD scientists. Blaire didn't particularly care. "Continue the fight for now!" Blaire commanded. "Once I deal with a certain... annoyance... I will give me next orders." Pocketing the radio, Blaire began to run across the bridge, determined to find Zachary Virchaus.

*****

"Hang on guys, I'm adding Dr. Rex to the 'Turns Red' page on TV Tropes."
"I don't think now's the best time for that. Watch where you're driving-"
"Wouldn't 'Turns Purple' be more accurate, though?"
"Um... heh, heh. Nobody needed a fire hydrant there, right? Do we have any firefighters on this team?"
"Yes."
"Okay, to all you firefighters, I apolo-"
"My fellow Dino Attack agents, this is Andrew Jackson speaking. I would make an announcement. Whichever one of you sons of MegaBloks took my stuff, you're as dead as all those other Mutant Dinos! I swear to Builder that I'm going to find you and burn you alive! You're all going to burn! BURN! BURN IN MEGABLOKLAND! BURN STUFF! BURN IT ALL, IT MUST BE BURNED!"
"Okay, what's this guy's problem?"
"I don't know. Why does Dino Attack Team keep hiring these psychos anyway? With Kotua, Chupacabra, Duke, French Fries, Fireman, Baldrick, and others that I'm probably forgetting, this place is more of a nuthouse than Napoleon XIV Mental Institution!"
"... OR I'LL BURN WHERE YOU LIVE AND I'LL BURN YOUR HOUSE WHEN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT AND BURN YOUR MOUTH!"
"Dang. Whoever took this guy's stuff, I suggest you give it back. I'm kinda getting tired of listening to him rambling."
"Just ignore him. He'll shut up."
"... AND I'LL BURN YOU AND I'LL BURN YOUR MUTANT DINOS AND I'LL BURN YOUR FOOD AND I'LL BURN SO MUCH APPLE JUICE THAT THEY WON'T BE HAPPY IN PARAGUAY ANYMORE!"
"... eventually."
"So, um... Wow, you didn't miss a shot, Gaston! You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!"
"Gaston? That was Belle. Gaston deserted us at the beginning of the battle. Dirty coward. He could have used some lessons in manliness from Adventure."
"STUPID MUTANT LIZARD! I'D BURN YOU IF I STILL HAD MY STUFF! YOU TOO, MUTANT RAPTOR! I'D BURN YOU ALL!"
"... okay, seriously, this guy needs to shut up. All in favor of muting his mic-spam?"

"Turn off that radio," muttered Sam Race, who was furrowing his brow and pursing his lips. "It's really unfitting to the current mood."

Frozeen sighed. "Sam, I know that you're still upset about your father's death... and I understand. I too know what it's like to have lost a father, and I know that nothing I can say or do will make up for how you feel right now. But we need to stay updated on what's going on elsewhere on the battlefield, and that means listening to the comm chatter. You guys didn't hear anything about Amanda yet, right?"

"I got me one 'and on th' wheel," grumbled Greybeard, "an' me one eye on th' road. An' yet, I be listenin' as 'ard as I can, an' I be not 'earin' a single thing about Amanda since that message about Rex bein' down. I hope that lass be safe, says I."

"Me too," Frozeen said, nodding grimly. "I can't believe that Rex is down. I hope that just means that he's merely out of the fight at the moment... not that... well, you know. And no news on Amanda... that's concerning." He swallowed hard, unable to properly discuss his feelings. If anything happened to them so soon after their marriage, he thought determinedly, then nothing is sacred in this war.

"I t-told you," stammered Sam Race. "We're dead! We're all dead! It's hopeless! Anyone can die!"

"Sam!" snapped Greybeard. "Quit yer bellyachin' back thar! Yer father would not want ye bawlin' yer deadlights out like this... he depended upon ye t' be him successor t' th' throne, an' he wanted ye t' be an even greater king than he e'er be! Him sun 'as set... it be up t' ye t' make sure him son be risin'!"

Frozeen caught notice of a pack of Mutant Raptors attacking a nearby Agent Supertrike further down the road. Now that the Agents stopped fighting with and started fighting alongside Dino Attack Team, Frozeen felt obliged to help out the Agent in trouble. However, as he grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked through them, Frozeen scowled as he saw that the Agent in question was none other than Grease.

"What be that ye see?" inquired Greybeard.

Part of Frozeen wanted to tell Greybeard, Oh, nothing. Let's just keep going. But as tempting as this was, Frozeen knew it was not the right thing to do. As Alpha Team and Agents were both allied with Dino Attack Team, it would be wrong to leave a fellow ally for dead. Besides, as much as Grease was a troll and a bully, Frozeen knew that leaving the Agent to die would make him no better than Grease.

Gritting his teeth, Frozeen reported: "It's an Agent in trouble. Let's go help him."

The Fire Hammer drove towards the Agent Supertrike, which was already shredded to pieces by the time they arrived. Frozeen leaned out the window and fired at the Mutant Raptors with his Cosmotronic Ray. As they sped by, Frozeen reached out, grabbed Grease's hand, and hoisted him into the Fire Hammer.

Looking at his rescuers, Grease snobbishly crossed his arms and pointed his nose in the air. "Well, if it isn't the 'old schoolers'. An Alpha Team agent, a classic pirate, and a Galactic LEGO Racer. As out-of-date as ever. What the heck do you think you're doing? I didn't need your help!"

Frozeen glared at Grease. "Look. I don't have to like you, and you don't have to like me, but we're allies now, and you've got to shut up and just accept the fact that we need to put our differences beside us and work together for a common cause. Now, if you're not so grateful about the rescue, then there's an abandoned Urban Avenger right there which is currently not attacked by a pack of Mutant Raptors, and you are free to use it."

"And so I will," muttered Grease.

"Besides," Frozeen murmured, his voice dripping with verbal irony, "I'm sure you would have done the same for me."

The Fire Hammer stopped beside the abandoned Urban Avenger in question. As Grease stepped out of the Fire Hammer to take the other vehicle, Frozeen heard the heavy footsteps of an approaching Mutant T-Rex. On a nearby perpendicular street, Frozeen saw the horribly-familiar armored Mutant T-Rex that was Dr. Rex, his armor laced with constricting Maelstrom tendrils, leading a large group of Mutant Dinos of all sizes.

"They're heading right for Dino Attack Headquarters!" gasped Sam Race. "We... we gotta warn them! Greybeard, let me drive... I'm much faster driver than you are."

"Now that be th' spirit!" said Greybeard. He grinned, glad to see Sam Race starting to return to his old, confident self.

Frozeen thought about Rex and Amanda, who let him, Greybeard, and Sam Race out of the Iron Predator to give them a chance of escape in case Dr. Rex caught up to them. He wondered, for a moment, if Dr. Rex actually did catch up to the Iron Predator. With a shudder at the thought of the consequences, Frozeen decided not to dwell on that.

Rex and Amanda are still alive out there, he assured himself.

*****

"Okay, seriously. Someone please stop this Andrew Jackson guy; his ranting has somehow become even more unintelligible."
"AHRMMAHR FAHRRAHRN MAHRH FLAHRMAHRTHRAHRWAHRR BLAAAAAAAAAAHRH!"
"Danny? Has Lisa been tearing this guy apart too? He sounds a lot like Johnny right now."
"Does Specs have any spare balaclavas? He should hand one to this guy. Maybe it would muffle his speech to just incomprehensible gibberish that no one can hear."
"You know, the way this guy is acting, you'd think that he's the victim of identity theft or something."
"Sounds like he'd get along just fine with Fireman to me. Maybe he should join the Third Headquarters Squad."

*****

"What is he thinking?" Laxus asked incredulously. "I can tell that this Brickhouse was a guy he was close with, but running out like that?"

"Zach has a bit of a habit with grudges with those who take on his friends," said Minerva. "Dr. Provencal learned that lesson well, I gather."

"Well, he better not get himself killed over it," Andrew said with a bit of half-serious annoyance. "We've fought hard for his sake for a while now; I'd hate to see him die in a fit of vengeance."

"Joike's keeping an eye on him, though," said Laxus. "If he gets into trouble, he should be able to come to his aid. Mentioned something about 'the Timmy incident' and getting a broom just in case, but I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

"Yeah, he probably does," said Andrew. "Now-"

Just then, the radio came in with Semick's voice. "Andrew, do you have a moment?"

"Well, I am driving a semi-durable vehicle in the middle of the front lines of the battle area," Andrew said, watching as he saw a teal-and-black Urban Avenger rush by in pursuit of two Mutant Raptors, "but I can still talk. Hope that isn't the same hazard category as phone-using while driving."

"I'm sure it isn't. Now, with the Dr. Rex development, it seems logical to conclude that the only way we can stop him at the moment is to try some of the tricks we used in the Maelstrom encounters in Adventurers' Island. From what I understand, what was key to beating him in the Maelstrom temple was a good amount of creativity, am I right?"

"Uh, sure, yeah. Some creative thinking and determined standoff managed to empower that Imagination orb back at the temple to drive the vortex away, though I think Dr. Einstein's sacrifice played a good deal of a role as well."

"As I've heard. Well, in this situation, I know we don't have an Imagination orb on us, so we're going to have to try some other method to stop whatever's giving Dr. Rex his boost. Any tips?"

Andrew sat back a little bit as he thought. "Well, I remember utilizing various facts about building to help empower my creative will at the time, along with perhaps annoying the Darkitect as a side effect. Didn't really use much else against the Stromlings except shooting them."

"Well, I'd think we'd need every gun we have to shoot Dr. Rex down in his state, and even that may not be enough. We'll have to do something outside the box, I know that much. Stun him, trap him, shoot him into space..."

As Semick continued to speculate, Andrew saw a Fire Hammer by at breakneck speed not too far from him. He wondered briefly what trouble the driver might be in and how to act, but was stopped when he felt his steering wheel start to vibrate from something other than the rickety roads he was driving over.

"Oh my Builder..." he heard Catless say via comm from the Xenon turret.

"Looks like we're about to hit a major low point," said Pterisa. "We best prepare ourselves."

"What are you-" Andrew began, but was stopped as he saw from his door what was passing by some distance from his left.

"... this is bad," he uttered.

*****

"Oh Znap. Oh Znap! OH ZNAP!"
"Get out the way! There's no stopping the dino rush Dr. Rex's leading!"
"To the Founding Members, now would be a good time to get out of HQ and FREAKING HELP US FIGHT!"
"We're really going to let them take HQ, just like that?!"
"You're welcome to play Tank Man if you want. No promises that they'll stop for you, though."
"Besides, we've lost an HQ building before. We've fought without one before, we can do it again!"
"I'm still bitter that we lost the first one. I spent a good deal of time designing it myself!"
"But what will we do without it?!"
"Nearly everyone's out of there by now, and if Hertz did his job right, we'll have our communications center back up in no time."
"Don't worry guys, we're doing a great job keeping our comms organized as it is right now."
"Yeah, now that we finally shut that Andrew Jackson guy up."

*****

Attack had just managed to finish shooting down the Inferno chopper when Defend piped up from the back. "Semick," the agent said, "the big guy's coming for HQ!"

Semick turned back to look at the rear gunman with a flash of dread. "Andrew," he said into the radio, "keep on that line of thought while I handle business here." Putting down the mic, he yanked hard on the T-1 Typhoon controls as he directed the chopper backwards away from the smoking Dino Attack Headquarters, then made a quick 180-degree rotation to see the sight for himself.

Seeing the initial large army come in from over the river had been a shock, but this was much more chilling. The purple-entrenched Dr. Rex was leading a charge with a massive amassment of Mutant Dinos, which was oddly ignoring most Dino Attack resistance unless it crossed their path, where which it was either trampled or torn apart. And their path was directed straight for the building their protection was aimed at.

He immediately began pulling away, reaching for his mic as he did so. "Attention all agents! If you see a Mutant T-Rex covered in armor and purple tentacles leading a large force of Mutant Dinos, pull out of their way! They are intent on reaching Dino Attack Headquarters, and our sources tell us that the creature leading them is not going to be taken down easily! Pull out of their path and focus on thinning the army of Mutant Dinos as they try to reach the building! Do not engage the giant purple Mutant T-Rex in combat, I repeat, do not engage the giant purple Mutant T-Rex in combat! Focus on thinning the small army following it and distracting the charge! And to all agents still within HQ, this order should go without saying: Evacuate the building immediately!"

He then switched over to the Elite comm. "Hertz, if you're somehow listening, I hope you're within safety right now. And Reptile, if you have any plans for this, do it now, because you're going to need to pull your forces out or risk being overwhelmed."

*****

As Sarah helped her crying daughter to her feet, struggling to comfort her, she took her arms off the poor girl and walked over toward the edge. In the blaze, it was hard to see, but it looked as though Spy Clops was not actually dead. While he seemed to be clearly hurt, he seemed to be trying to cling to the edge of the building, struggling to get a clear foothold. The helicopter tried to reach for him, a rope was lowered and Spy Clops jumped and grabbed it. Someone poured a bucket of water in an effort to extinguish the flames.

"I think we should get out of here!" Saran shouted as he coughed. Kate looked around worriedly, her eyes tearing up from the smoke. Sarah put her arms around her as she led her out.

At that moment, they were rather startled by a sudden burst of white mist, spraying everywhere. They took a moment to gain their composure as the mist cleared, they saw that the flames were gone, at least the ones in the room. When the mist cleared, everyone saw a young woman with extremely pale skin, almost gray, but now with long straight hair and wearing a thick padded suit, holding a fire extinguisher. "Why do you people never remember these?" she remarked.

"Fireman?" Sarah asked.

"That there was one mighty brave thing you did," said another voice as Maria stepped inside. "Kinda stupid, though. Don't ya think?"

Sarah tightened her grip around Kate, who was right now crying softly into her shoulder.

"We'd better get somewhere safe before the helicopter gets back," Shaw said as she slowly got to her feet. She stepped over toward Carver and reached out her hand, helping the young nurse to her feet.

"Where would that be?" Sarah asked.

"Pierce wanted us to relocate to the basement," replied Shaw. "Carver and I were sent here to look for anyone in need of assistance."

"Well, I don't know about you," said Sarah. "But we ought to be going."

"We need to get out of here anyway," said Shaw. "We need to get fresh air."

Slowly, Sarah stepped out of the room, holding Kate tightly. As she stepped out, she could see Angel Eyes, Clint, and Elizabeth putting out the fires elsewhere in the corridor.

*****

"Well, here it comes," said Swerve grimly, as the line of Mutant Dinos charged towards them. "The moment we've all been waiting for." There was a whirring of gears and a low hum as Shiller adjusted and charged the Cryothermic Cannon, while Wright stood up and aimed the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. And they braced themselves for the impending onslaught.

*****

With Jinx gone, Osprey had manned the guns on his Aerial Defense Unit, so he had no way of checking the scanners or comms. Therefore, it came as a shock when Desdemona called back from the cockpit, "Sir, Brickhouse has been shot down. No survivors, apparently."

The captain's stomach lurched. He didn't consider himself particularly young, but Thaddeus Brickhouse had possessed the air of an even younger man, despite being a good decade or so Osprey's elder, and his presence had kept morale high even in the direst of circumstances.

"I think," said Osprey, "he'd want us to remember him with something to raise our spirits. Put on...say, the '1812 Overture'. And full speed ahead." 

*****

The power plant building was almost decimated, with the control room still intact and the generators undamaged. However, the cargo bay of the Reclaimer was full of rock, concrete, brick, rebar, and other debris.

Kara flew off, trying to find a good place to offload when she saw the Dr. Rex-led rampage running right to the HQ. She smiled, and flew towards the Headquarters. She quickly used the grav-beams to unload the rubble in a loose wall a few blocks away from the building.

Um, Kara, I'm not sure that will hold them off long, Cortana(1) said.

"But it will slow them down," Kara replied as she flew back towards the power plant.

*****

Zach sat in silence in the Fire Hammer, staring out the window and picking off Mutant Raptors with a Cosmotronic Ray that Joike had stored in the Fire Hammer. His brain throbbed painfully, breaking his concentration frequently.

He had mostly moved on from the shock of Thaddeus's death. Compared to basically torturing Carolyne Provencal's before she died, Zach felt little remorse for having two vehicles (one piloted by a deconstructiomaniac) reduce Blaire Darkling's command post to rubble. It could either he was past the Darkitect trying to make him feel guilty, or truly did not care.

"Hey," Joike said, keeping his eyes on the road. "You alright? You're pretty quiet."

"Yeah." Zach scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about the whole 'jumping out of the car to find a dead guy' thing."

"Bit a stupid thing to do," Joike said simply.

Zach nodded. He dimly wondered if he would've done the same thing before the Maelstrom. He grimaced. I'm really starting to hate blaming all my problems on the Maelstrom. But both himself and Marco Martinet came to the conclusion that his emotions were a little more than haywire following his corruption. Jumping out of a jeep in the fit of shock, anger, and sadness seemed appropriate. Perhaps I should see a psychologist or something. Provided I survive, of course.

"So, who's the lady?" Joike asked, gesturing his head back slightly. Zach looked back and saw Athena Fabello curled up on the back seat, sleeping. "Looks like your 'ladyfriend'?"

"She's my 'ladyfriend's' mother," Zach said. "Who is supposed to be locked up in a mental institution, but her son, who is working for XERRD, broke her out for some demented reason. We thought she was dead yesterday."

Joike raised an eyebrow. "I see. And so your friend (Minerva, right?) is in for a shock."

Zach chuckled grimly. "Yeah. I'm not sure what will happen after that. She's not on... fantastic terms with her mother, to say the least."

"Provided that meeting ever happens, 'cause it looks like the alpha T-Rex and his motley crew of dinos are heading right for HQ."

******

Zelda looked in horror. Dr. Rex and a massive army of Mutant Dinos were heading straight for Dino Attack Headquarters. Even if they can take out Dr. Rex's dinos, Dr. Rex's invincibility will allow him to topple the building with ease.

She glanced at Nazareno, who looked on stoically. "Things have went down a bad path rather quickly." he noted plainly.

"A little bit," Zelda said, running a hand through her hair. "What now?"

Nazareno pointed a sword toward the pack. "We try to take down as many of those dinos as we can."

Zelda blinked. "Sounds a bit suicidal."

"This whole war has been one suicidal move after another. It does not really faze me anymore."

Zelda laughed bitterly. "Lucky you." She understood what was about to happen. Death seemed closer than ever. She was going to wait until after the battle to tell Nazareno, but now...

"Nazareno," she began nervously. "I-"

"Watch it!" Nazareno growled. Zelda quickly swung her sword up and sliced off the neck of an acid-spitting Mutant Lizard. "Time to move! Now!" With that, Nazareno jumped over the fallen Mutant Lizard and headed back into the battle.

Zelda sighed and followed, swords raised.

*****

Stranger could see it now with his sniper scope. That giant purple Maelstrom mummy of an armored Mutant T-Rex was coming right at them. And he had brought quite a party with him. Though even if Dino Attack managed to take his backup down, something told him it wouldn't be hard for Dr. Rex to pound a giant hole in Dino Attack Headquarters. Clearly, this building's days was numbered, and by minutes, no less.

"Looks like we're overdue for a getaway, comrade," he said to Buddy. The Lizard comrade stared at the sight itself and shivered, nodding as it did so. "Let's work on that now, shall we?"

The hangar was nearly empty. Every vehicle that could be driven had been taken out, used by the remaining agents to enter the battle or retreat to another location. Not everyone had followed their lead, though. Some were preparing to bunker down in the basement, while others were using a teleporter to make a one-way trip to Antarctica (the least popular option for those still concerned about the battle and its outcome). Regardless, the point was that Stranger and Buddy were alone for the time being.

Stranger had managed to convince the one-eyed Lizard to wear something resembling a harness over its torso. With a bit of glue and Velcro straps, it would be an excellent way for him to ride the creature and ally into battle, assuming he managed to focus well enough on keeping his balance while he used his pistols during the ride.

The agent hopped onto the creature's back and let the Velcro straps sync up between his pants and the harness. Then, upholstering his pistols, he said: "Let's do it."

The Mutant Lizard grunted in agreement, and charged off into the battlefield. He moved fast and swift between the Iron Predators still set up out front, catching the curious eye of many onlooking agents witnessing Stranger's unique mode of transport. The agent didn't pay attention to them, focusing mostly on the targets ahead: the Mutant Lizards and Raptors itching for a takedown.

As Buddy cleared the Iron Predators, Stranger practically channeled his Wild West roots as he began firing his pistols like mad, striking at the heads of those enemy Mutant Lizards that let themselves in range.

Oh yes, Stranger thought to himself, this was going to get fun.

******

"Oh my Builder, this battle's getting more insanely awesome by the minute."
"Though not exactly in our benefit, though."
"Where's that Kate Bishop girl? After sending the Darkitect to Kingdom Come, I'd think she'd be kicking butt like crazy by now!"
"This is just supercalifragilisticexpialawacky!"
"I think her mum's filling her boots for some reason."
"Now I really hate the Maelstrom."
"What for? She beat the FREAKIN' DARKITECT! Why the Znap would her mother have to take over for her?!"
"Nobody shoot the Mutant T-Rex being rode by a guy with a sword, I think that's Zorikk and Zyra!"
"No way! That's Fullmetal and Tex!"
"Somethin' about traumatization regarding her family, I guess. I don't buy it though. Her case isn't that extreme, Pointman's had it worse."
"You know what I don't hate? I don't hate vests."

*****

Wade was working his way down the corridor, back toward the hospital wing when he was suddenly passed by a mustached doctor he didn't recognize, who was bringing supplies to the garage.

"Hey, you there?" Wade asked. Martinet turned around. "Where you going?"

"I got to get back out on the field," replied Martinet. "And before you ask, I am not arguing about the patien-"

"No," Wade cut him off. "It's alright. I understand."

Martinet seemed pleasantly surprised. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's just that other doctor, Pierce?"

"Don't worry about him," assured Wade. "He's a great doctor, he just takes his job seriously. I'm Wade, by the way."

"Martinet."

"You're going out in the field?"

"That's right," replied Martinet. "Somebody's got to do it."

"Yes, they do," agreed Wade. There was moment of silence. "That's why I'm going with you."

"What?" Martinet asked.

"I used to be a field medic in the army," explained Wade. "I figure having an extra hand out there would do you good. Besides, Enter and Return here are actually behaving themselves for once."

"What about-"

"Somebody's got to stabilize the wounded out there," replied Wade. "The way I figure, if there's two of us, we'll have more of a chance. I'll just get Crusher to take over moving the patients already here."

*****

"There's Joike," Andrew called out. He turned the Fire Hammer around sharply so the passenger door was a direct passage to Joike's Fire Hammer.

"Alright," Minerva said. "Thanks for the lift, guys."

"No problem," Andrew and Laxus said. Taking the Cosmotronic Ray, Minerva climbed out of the Fire Hammer and on to the wet pavement. As she stepped out, Zach climbed out of Joike's Fire Hammer and walked up to meet Minerva. Minerva responded by wrapping him in a warm hug.

"I'm sorry," Zach muttered. "We were going to stay together today and then-"

"It's fine," Minerva said. "We're both still alive and we can stay together now. Oh, and..." She pulled away briefly and punched Zach in the shoulder harder than usual. He visibly flinched.

"Yeah. The thing with Brickhouse..."

"I'm sorry that he died," Minerva said sternly. "But you could've gotten killed for something extremely stupid."

Zach seemed extremely embarrassed by the situation. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry about that too. His death sort of caught me off guard. You know how you're expecting something to happen and you're still shocked when it happens? That's what-"

Minerva put her hand to his lips, smiling faintly. "I get it. There's no point dwelling on it now. You're alive and that's that. Now…" Her voice became extremely serious. "It was Oswald, wasn't it? Who attacked us?"

Zach nodded. "And he was looking for you, not me. I was the second-best option. He's planning something. Something with you and... and-"

Zach paused as he heard a door on Joike's Fire Hammer open. Minerva looked over Zach's shoulder and her eyes widened in shock.

"M-M-Mom?" Minerva stuttered as Athena Fabello stumbled out of the Fire Hammer. But... but she's dead! Napoleon XIV said... no. She can't be here! It was all horribly reminiscent of discovering that Oswald was alive on Adventurers' Island.

"Take off your helmet," Zach muttered to her as he stepped out of the way.

Minerva shot him a curious look, but obeyed, letting her brown-and-white hair fall to her shoulders. Athena walked up to her slowly and touched her cheeks, squinting at her. Minerva forced down the urge to shove her mother away.

Athena's gray eyes suddenly brightened. "Minnie?" Minerva winced. Not only was it reminiscent of Oswald's survival, but of the horrible ordeal the Darkitect put her through in the Maelstrom Temple. A wide smile formed on Athena's face. "It feels like I haven't seen you in years! You're... you're all grown up." Athena wrapped her arms around Minerva warmly. Minerva looked at Zach pleadingly, desperate to get away from her mother when...

"Wait, how old am I?" Minerva asked.

Athena backed away. "I may be getting older, but I'm not about to forget how old my children are. You're eighteen."

Minerva blinked once. How does she know that? She can't know that. She-! Minerva forced herself to calm down. "What are you doing here?" she asked in an icy tone.

"Ozzie was showing me around his work," Athena said brightly. "It was so cool. And then I met Zachary and-" Minerva's mouth hung open as Athena turned to Zach, grinning. She knows who Zach is, too? Athena turned back. "Oh, and Zachary has a crush on you."

Minerva looked at Zach in awe. Zach shrugged, looking embarrassed. She walked over to him. "How did she get here?" she snapped quietly.

"Oswald broke her out of Napoleon XIV," he hissed back. "He planted her with me. He's planning something with you two. She's in danger and we need to get her back to Antarctica fast."

"How does she know I'm eighteen? Know who you are?"

"Someone told me he thinks that her time in Napoleon XIV may have helped her. That being away from her kids so long did the trick."

Minerva let this sink in. "So wait, does-?"

"She still switches memories," Zach said. "And even in the present, she doesn't know what happened to Tod and Isaac." Minerva looked back at Athena, who was smiling happily at her. She turned back to Zach to see his eyes wide. "H-Holly?" he stammered.

Minerva turned around and saw an Urban Avenger parked nearby. Stepping out of it was none other than Holly Vinyaya. Minerva put a hand over her mouth to suppress a gasp. The right side of Vinyaya's face had two, pale pink scars running down it with an eyepatch covering her right eye. "Is that-?"

"That is where the Raptor got me," Vinyaya said grimly.

"What?" Zach asked, completely lost. "What's going on?"

Vinyaya smiled weakly. "Glad to see you're okay, Virchaus. I was surrounded by Mutant Lizards and Raptors, and one Raptor managed to claw my face open with claws dipped in acid." Both Minerva and Zach flinched at this.

"And so your eye is..."

"Gone. And I'm not about to let that stop me from fighting in this battle." Vinyaya said with determination. She then turned to Athena. "Who is this?"

"That is-" Zach began.

"Hello, Zachary." a voice said coldly.

Zach turned around, grabbing his knife when Blaire Darkling's gloved hand wrapped around his chin and hoisted him high into the air. Blaire casually kicked away Zach's knife. He could see his own, cold fear as he looked into Blaire's reflective sunglasses.

"Put him down!" Vinyaya demanded, pointing a Cosmotronic Ray at the two.

"I don't think I will, space cop," Blaire said. Two Hybrids stepped out from behind him and approached Minerva, Athena, and Vinyaya. "I think I reserve the right to beat this kid to a pulp. He did try to blow me up."

Staring at Blaire and realizing this man was the one who had killed Thaddeus, Zach began to struggling against his tight grip. Blaire laughed coldly and slammed Zach's head against Joike's Fire Hammer. He then pulled out a small handgun and pointed it at Gypsy, who had turned her Xenon Launcher on Blaire.

"I suppose the people in that helicopter were your friends, correct?" Blaire said, slamming Zach's head into the side of the Fire Hammer again. If he hadn't been wearing a helmet, he would most certainly be unconscious at this point. "And you tried to kill me for it with the Brickster and the Agents jet. I suppose it's justified, but I saw it as a challenge. So here I am, now the leader of XERRD, winning the challenge in a most brutal fashion."

"What?" everyone in earshot exclaimed.

"Oh, yes," Blaire said, smashing Zach head against the Fire Hammer again. "Since Gladys has kicked the bucket, I have seen fit to take control of XERRD myself. Consider it... martial law, if you will. The man who specializes in combat taking control of a science organization in its darkest hour. And I intend to have XERRD survive this battle. But first…" Blaire slammed Zach's head against the Fire Hammer once again. "I'll deal with you."

Zach's head was spinning and painfully throbbing. This brute, the supposed leader of XERRD… his grip would not slacken. An idea suddenly came to mind. Removing his hands from Blaire's, Zach reached into his uniform's pockets for a tool he had received after losing his hand. He wasn't sure who it was from, but it had saved him from Oswald once, so why not Blaire?

Whipping out a hook similar to what a pirate would wear, Zach slashed the left side of Blaire's face. He gasped in pain and dropped Zach. The Elite Agent scrambled away from Darkling as the man looked up, blood dripping from the left side of his face. Not wasting any time, Zach fired a ball of Maelstrom energy at Blaire.

Blaire slid backwards several yards, but managed to stay up on his feet. "How-?" Zach stuttered

Blaire chuckled darkly and wiped the blood away from his cheek. "What the Maelstrom did to me was far worse than whatever you could do, Virchaus." Blaire rotated his neck slightly and started to walk back toward Zach, the gun raised. "Though it did sting, I will give you that. Though it's just another reason for me to kill you."

Zach glanced to his sides and saw that Minerva and Vinyaya were beside him. Behind him, the two Hybrids laid dead. "Where's your mom?" Zach whispered to Minerva.

"With Joike," she muttered. "We'll deal with her later."

"We've got a XERRD leader to fry," Vinyaya hissed. Joike and Andrew's Fire Hammers turned sharply and both Gypsy and Catless pointed their weapons at Blaire. The man was quick. He lunged forward and grabbed Zach's uniform and pulled him back.

A Minifig shield, Zach thought angrily. If the stakes weren't so serious, I bet Vinyaya would think this is funny.

Blaire pointed the weapon at Zach's head. "Just like old times," Blaire muttered. Out loud, he said, "Do not shoot unless you want to kill Virchaus."

Zach opened his mouth to tell the assembled group to shoot at him. As Blaire was XERRD's leader and seemed to show no sign of stopping the fight, he needed to be killed. Blaire seemed to realize this, as he covered Zach's mouth with his arm, leaving him mute and at Blaire Darkling's mercy.

*****

Kareem Nazareno slashed away at three Mutant Lizards, dropping all three of them. He was constantly filled with an irritating feeling of how no matter how many Mutant Dinos you killed, fifteen more replaced each one. A feeling of hopelessness should cross his mind, but Zelda somehow managed to keep it out.

He turned his head and saw Zelda balancing on one katana planted in the ground, using it as a pole to spin herself around and slash away Mutant Lizards. Just beyond her, he saw two Fire Hammers, Minerva, and Vinyaya pointing their weapons at a white-haired man wearing a tan trenchcoat, gripping a Dino Attack agent in one arm with a gun in the other. The man briefly turned his head toward Nazareno, allowing the space ninja to catch his features.

Nazareno could not suppress a gasp. "No... impossible." Surprise quickly melted away into anger. Forgetting about the Mutant Dinos, Nazareno started to charge toward the group of agents. Zelda soon saw what he was doing. She pulled her sword out of the ground and followed Nazareno.

Blaire was backing away slowly, Zach tight in his grip. Zach struggled fruitlessly against the man's prowess. He eventually resolved to letting Blaire get away this time, but finding him later.

"STOP!" Nazareno's voice thundered, full of cold, icy anger. Nazareno then landed in front of Minerva and Vinyaya, his sword's trained on Blaire. Zelda Frodongan was close behind, looking confused.

A change seemed to come over Blaire. Zach glanced at his captor's face and saw his mouth twisted in surprise before turning into a small smirk. "Well, this was unexpected."

"Release him," Nazareno commanded, his tranquil fury striking Zelda, Vinyaya, Minerva, and Zach with some fear. To everyone's surprise, Blaire did as the ninja asked, shoving Zach to the ground. Zach quickly scrambled to his feet and ran to Minerva and Vinyaya, picking up his knife.

"Do not shoot him!" Nazareno commanded to the two Fire Hammers. "Not yet."

"But this guy is XERRD's leader!" Laxus called out. A surprised glint appeared in Nazareno's eye that faded away quickly.

"Not yet," Nazareno repeated. He moved toward Blaire slowly, whose face now had a wide smile. "An ideal time to show up."

"The same to you, Nazareno," Blaire said. Minerva, Zach, and Vinyaya looked at each in confusion. "How did you recognize me?"

"You may change your hair color and wear sunglasses, but I'd never forget you." Nazareno hissed. "Especially with that scar underneath your eye."

Vinyaya looked at Nazareno, then at Blaire. Cold fear and realization washed over her face. "Oh my Builder," she whispered.

"Who is this guy?" Zelda asked angrily.

Blaire laughed coldly. "A few hours ago, Doctor Inferno called me 'small name'. Metaphorically, of course. Our names are the same length, literally. But isn't it just fascinating how much bigger my name becomes, both metaphorically and literally, compared to Inferno when you spell it as Matthew Vherestorm instead?" 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 67: Most Worthless of Causes

----

From behind his balaclava, Specs frowned as he surveyed the battlefield aboard the founding members' personal T-1 Typhoon. Dr. Rex and his forces were approaching the Dino Attack Headquarters at an alarming rate, and they were no closer to figuring out how to stop the armored Maelstrom-possessed Mutant T-Rex. Actually, the technicians back in the lab were still finishing the Einstein Device, which could possibly bring their salvation, but Specs and the other founding members agreed that it was too much of a liability to use in anything other than an absolute worst-case scenario.

Einstein designed the device to counteract Maelstrom energies, thought Specs, but based upon the blueprints, it could be potentially lethal to anyone with a Creative Spark. It needs Imagination to destroy Maelstrom, after all.

"Pteranodons on your right, Shadow," called Digger. Shadow nodded in response, aiming the helicopter's dual Sonic Screamers and firing upon the Mutant Pterosaurs.

"So, any new ideas on how to take down the Big Bad Rex?" inquired Viper. Specs had quietly observed that Viper had been very eager to know about Dino Attack Team's plans to defeat Dr. Rex. Viper already called dibs on the Einstein Device, if it needed to be used, which was met with Specs's disapproval; obviously, if the Einstein Device needed to be fired, no one was going to wait for Viper to show up and do the honors.

Specs shook his head. "I'm thinking, Viper."

"Got it," Viper said, rolling his eyes. "Just don't think all day."

"Any word from Rex?" asked Digger. Given Rex's morals, he and Digger always got along well, and Digger was concerned by the recent tragedy that had taken place.

Specs sighed. "He's still unresponsive. The death of agent Claw took a lot out of him, and he won't talk, listen, or even look at anyone. We may have to finish this battle without Rex's help. Given the recent death of elite agent Adventure, it's a loss that will be... difficult to afford, with one elite silenced in addition to another elite dead, but we must persevere."

"I'm detecting movement across the river," reported Shadow. "There's still a few Inferno Super Airboats transporting troops, but now there's a few unidentified vessels approaching the city."

Curious, Specs turned around and looked out at the river. Digger handed him a pair of binoculars, and as the team leader looked through the binoculars, he was surprised by what he saw. There were a number of battleships that looked too archaic to have come from anywhere other than Castle Cove, and they were accompanied by a fleet of Chinese junks flying the flag of Emperor Chang Wu. As the Rogue Knight Battleships and Emperor's Ships approached the Super Airboats, they engaged the Inferno vessels in combat. The Chinese soldiers fired crossbows and muskets at the Inferno agents, while the Rogue Knights boarded the Super Airboats and slayed all aboard. Once or twice, Specs thought he glimpsed the black tentacles of an Ogel Mutant Squid reach out of the water, grab hold of an entire Super Airboat, and pull it under the surface, never to return.

"It appears," mused Specs, "that our allies Lord Vladek, Lord Sinister von Barron, and Evil Ogel have sent us some... reinforcements to protect the river from the forces of XERRD and Dr. Inferno."

Digger grinned. "In our darkest hour," he said, "help shall arrive!"

"It would be nice," grumbled Shadow, "if Alpha Team's promised reinforcements could arrive as quickly as possible. We need them right now!"

*****

Water dripped onto the commander's shoulder and trickled down to land with a plop at his feet. The back of the bowling alley was damp and dank, grit seemed to cling to every surface, and most visible metal was rusted beyond recognition. The wooden elements were rotten and now hosted a plethora of insects and mites.

What was stranger was the sounds of excitement coming from just beyond the wall. Pharisee heard every strike and spare bowled by Dude, Walter, and Donnie and witnessed the pins pass beneath his feet as the machines collected them. What machines still worked would lower to the ground and rise above his head with a full rack, while bowling balls would disappear into a conveyor belt beneath the floor.

Over the noise of the equipment, Pharisee slowly moved from machine to machine as he advanced closer to Trigger. The mercenary had a slight edge when it came to shooting skills, so Pharisee hoped to gain the upper hand in closer quarters.

That did not solve the problem of Carrie Enderson. Pharisee knew that Trigger would only shoot her as a last resort. If she died, he would lose his leverage and Pharisee would have no reason not to shoot him.

As Pharisee slowly advanced, Trigger stepped back closer and closer to the back door of the bowling alley. The commander had instructed Montgonel and three other agents to lay in wait so they could ambush him as he excited. Even with a hostage, Trigger would not be able to escape. To Pharisee's knowledge, Snake had taken the last getaway car, so escaping on foot would be the only option.

Trigger had no options except stalling. Aside from Carrie, Pharisee held all the cards. He had yet to use Montoya, and he still had a T-1 Typhoon at his disposal.

"You know what I hate?" Trigger was saying. "People like you, who think everything's all black and white. Well, guess what? It isn't. I've seen your kind before; just about every law office has at least one. Guys that think they have Builder-given rights to preach justice. Well, guess what? You don't! You're just a pathetic Znapping being with absurd delusions of things that aren't true. If you had your way, 99.9% of this Znapping planet would be in prison. Truth is, you're no better than me. Perhaps, in another life, we could have even been friends."

"To some degree, you may not be that far off," responded Pharisee coolly. "I've spent eight years of my life in prison. I've killed men. The difference between you and me is these experiences changed me. I've repented for my sins, Trigger; I admit I've done wrong and ask for forgiveness. I know the names of the men I've killed; I know the names of their wives and children. I can tell you this, Trigger, because I do not take my actions lightly… unlike you. For you, everybody is just another faceless figure that you have ended. You are truly a man of apathy, Trigger; you don't repent for your errant ways."

"Oh, so now you're an atoner?" said the mercenary, cackling. "I suppose you regret your actions?"

"Those who I've killed, I've only done so for the greater good. I do not regret what I have done; I only pray for redemption," said Pharisee. "Only one did not deserve to die, and he was the first. Do you want to hear about the men I've killed, Trigger? Do you want to know why those men don't deserve to be on this Earth any longer?"

"This will be good," muttered the mercenary. "Carry on!"

"David Gonzales Smith, age 29," recited Pharisee. "He tethered his girlfriend (Margot Cornelius Vaughn, age 28) to a bridge in rush hour traffic. He then drenched her in alcohol and lit her up like a Roman candle where the world could see. It took four hours to get her burnt corpse off that bridge, and over a hundred people witnessed it. When I caught up to him, that sick son of a 4+ Figure had made that image his screensaver. I shot him on February 26^th, 1994."

Trigger did not respond.

"Johan Fredrick Jones, age 51," continued the commander. "He woke up one morning and thought it would be fun to nail his children (Tommy, age 6, and Peter, age 4) to the ceiling. They were in critical condition by the time I arrived, and I broke his neck on August 11^th, 2005."

Pharisee paused for Trigger's response. "Should I continue? The difference between you and me is well we both have killed men; I don't just obliterate those who get in my way. Will you tell me either one of those men did not deserve to die? How many secretaries and bus drivers have you shot whose only crime was getting in the way of your greed? Do you lose sleep over it? Do you know their names? I live with these men's blood on my hands every day, and the only way I can sleep at night is because I know society is better in their absence. You sleep at night, Trigger, because you just don't care."

"Don't pretend to know me, you son of a 4+ Figure!" yelled Trigger as he fired an angry shot with his gun. Pharisee ducked behind one of the pin setting machines as a bullet ricocheted nearby.

"The only thing I don't know about you, Trigger, is your real name," called Pharisee. "I know you have used numerous aliases, such as Schiess. I've read every file I could get my hands on about your exploits, and I know you're a coward. If you weren't, why did you run away at Dacta? Why did you flee the planet? Why did you run away now? Why are you hiding behind an innocent woman instead of facing me? Let her go, Schiess, and we'll settle this."

"I'm not a coward," Trigger replied. "I'm just smart enough to know when to back out. I ran from Dacta Corp. because I knew Silencia would try to kill me. I ran from here because I was in over my head. With half the team watching me, I knew I couldn't get Silencia, and I'm not one to waste my time fighting a losing battle. And I'm certainly smart enough not to let go of the one piece of leverage I have at my disposal."

*****

The occupants of what had once been the lounge made their way to the infirmary. Hertz could not hear anything that was going on around him, but he had since developed his voice. All he could do was shout out his sentences, but without being able to hear them himself, everything he said seemed slurred.

As he walked unsteadily down the hall, he glimpsed Kate, Sarah, and Dr. Saran talking. The three of them separated themselves from the main group to speak somewhere in private, but they bore no risk of Hertz overhearing.

The attack of Spy Clops had been a close call. Dr. Saran had been the only one in the room who had gun. While the bullets might have helped, it would not have been enough to take Spy Clops out.

Kate Bishop's mom had saved him. If she had not come and shot the cyborg with her shotgun and lit the henchman on fire, Hertz would be wearing a second neck.

Dr. Pierce rushed over as the burnt and tattered figure of Hertz was rushed into the infirmary. The techie had not realized the injuries he had sustained until after the shock of the explosion had worn off. Now that he was out of the wreckage, he could glimpse how close he had come to death.

Naomi never left his side as he took a seat in an empty bed. Another nurse grabbed a burn kit while Shaw checked up on his broken arm. The once-white cast was now blackened and torn. Wrappings came undone constantly, and his hand now hung out limply at the end. It would take some time to get a new X-Ray of the injury, but it did not take a doctor to see it had worsened substantially.

Dr. Pierce ran over to Hertz and shown a light into his eyes to check for dilatations. A concussion was a possibility, and he wanted to address the problem as soon as possible.

"DOCTOR," said Hertz suddenly. His speech was garbled as he attempted to hear his voice. He needed to speak loudly so he could comprehend what he was saying, but the result sounded soft to him.

"What is it, Hertz?" said Pierce.

"WHAT?" asked Hertz

"What happened? Can you hear me?"

"WHAT?"

Pierce shook his head and reached for a pad of paper. He quickly scribbled out a message: Are you deaf?

Hertz nodded his head rapidly. He grabbed the pencil from Pierce's hand and scribbled out his own message to the doctor. YES, EXPLOSION, PLEASE HELP ME

The doctor took the paper and looked at Hertz. For the first time, he saw the terror in his eyes. His hearing was what made his life worth living and, without it, Hertz was nothing. A teardrop fell from the techie's eye and landed on the clean white paper.

Everything was quiet.

"Were there any more?" Copper asked as he watched the operation on Hertz.

"What?" Pierce asked, focused more on the patient.

"Any other wounded?"

"No," replied Shaw. "This was the only one."

As Pierce tended to the burns, Shaw slowly stepped away from the patient uneasily. She silently whispered a prayer to herself, reaching for her cross, and carefully holding it tight.

At that moment, Crusher stepped into the room, accompanied by Clickitt. As Clickitt ran toward another bed, Crusher walked up to Dr. Shaw. "You alright?" Crusher said. Shaw took a moment as she slowly released her grip on her cross. She nodded. "Anybody?"

"Just the one," replied Shaw. "And a few others." She motioned toward the back, where Saran was sitting with Kate and her mother. "You can get them to safety?"

"No problem," said Crusher. "Hey, Clickitt!"

The LEGO Island doctor ran up to her. "Yes?" he said.

"Get those three out of here," instructed Shaw. "As soon as you've got the next patient, I want you to take them with you, understand?"

Clickitt nodded. Crusher then turned toward the operation. As soon as her back was turned, Shaw slowly started to grip her cross once again. It was a habit of hers, really. She wasn't even that religious at first. But there was a small part of her that still hoped that maybe, just maybe, someone was watching them, and was with them; be it the Creator or Builder or Ole Kirk Christiansen. In times like this, when she was witnessing an operation in which she herself was not involved, she could not help but pray, and hope that maybe, just maybe, some deity would hear her.

"How is he, doctor?" Crusher asked as she approached Hertz.

"Badly burned all over," replied Pierce. "He's also deaf."

"Is he stable?" Crusher asked.

Pierce seemed unsure.

"We have instructions to move to the basement," Crusher continued, reminding Pierce. "I need to know if it's safe to move him."

Things were chaotic as Hertz's stretcher was hastily moved through a series of corridors. Covered in bandages and skin grafts, he was carefully being moved to the basement. Down the elevator, they finally entered the dark corridors beneath the base. Crusher was busy pushing, but Carver never left his side. Finally, she wheeled him into the room they'd picked to continue working in. This was a fairly spacious room filled with stretchers holding other patients. The equipment had been set up, and lights had been placed to make it easier to see.

"We'd better stay here," Crusher said. "Carver, since you're here you might want to help me with some of the other patients as well. We're almost done."

At that moment, Pierce, Copper, and Shaw entered, helping Clickitt, Enter, and Return with the last few stretchers.

*****

Strike. Dodge. Strike. Parry. Dodge. Strike.

Epic Winston and Hazmatt fell into a rhythm as they exchanged blows with Sargon. Winston spun and slashed at his legs, while Hazmatt aimed a stab at the Inferno henchman's head. Sargon simultaneously jumped Epic Winston's attack and twisted to the side to avoid Hazmatt's. He twirled his remaining blade and lashed out at the elder Grendelwulf. Winston executed a smooth backflip, kicking Sargon's scimitar away, dropped his own sword, and landed on his hands. The bearded Agent tucked his legs against his body as he swung downwards, and when his torso was once again vertical, he struck Sargon's shins with a vicious kick.

The henchman collapsed. Hazmatt scooped up one of his SMGs and approached his fallen adversary. Epic Winston nodded, and Hazmatt pointed the gun at Sargon's head. Sargon flinched, raising an arm as if to protect himself...

…and an electromagnet in his gauntlet pulled his first scimitar from the tire of the Grendelwulfs' red jetcycle into his hand. By the time the hilt landed in his palm, it was moving at a considerable speed. He continued the motion with a quick upward swipe. Hazmatt was taken my surprise and failed to dodge; the tip of the unnaturally sharp blade just brushed his carotid artery.

All Matthias Grendelwulf felt was a slight tickle on his neck. Then, for a brief instant, he realized something wasn't right before his world faded first to red, and then to oblivion.

*****

The first wave of Mutant Lizards hit the Iron Predator line like a hailstorm. The large tanks were less effective against anything smaller than a Raptor, so although many Lizards fell to the explosions of the Cryothermic Cannons, many more slipped through.

It was one of these that leaped and landed on the barrel of the cannon on Swerve's Iron Predator. Shiller tried to shake it off, but his earlier stunt with the Pterosaur had apparently done some minor damage, and the turret swiveled slower than normal. And so, it was upon him before he could draw a gun. Rather than stay buckled in and getting mauled, he slipped out of his seat straps and, still tangled with the Lizard, hit the street.

Wright and Swerve had now noticed what was happening. The former screamed involuntarily, and before Swerve could stop her, sprang away from the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher and over the side, armed only with her pistols, to where Shiller and the Mutant Lizard rolled across the wet pavement. The two came to a stop, the Lizard standing over Shiller's limp form with its back to Wright, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth. Wright sprinted forward, firing both guns at the dinosaur. It jerked as the bullets struck its neck and back, and crumpled to the ground.

Wright knelt by the side of her significant other. He was still alive, but it appeared that wouldn't be true for too much longer. She heard a hiss, and realized that the Lizard was still alive as well. She stood, spun around, rammed her foot down on its neck, and shot it through the eye. The beast lay still. She then turned back to Shiller, and scooped him up off the ground.

"Don't you die, Benjamin Shiller," she whispered, balancing his unconscious form across her shoulders. "Don't you DARE die on me." Wright took a deep breath, checked the remaining ammo in her guns, and sprinted towards Dino Attack HQ.

"MEDIC!"

*****

Hotwire held down the triggers for the Sonic Screamers until his thumbs hurt. And still, the horde of Mutant Dinos seemed endless. Larson skillfully guided the Talon II over a five-story building, giving him a clear shot at the T-Rexes flanking the armored, glowing form of Dr. Rex himself. A missile streaked from the XL-4 Voltaic launcher, felling one of the beasts. The one behind it turned with a roar and fired its eyebeams at the T-1 Typhoon. The lasers skittered across the helicopter's refractive armor, and Larson attempted to fly higher to get out of range.

"Do you think perhaps you could fly just slightly more steadily?"

Hotwire turned and saw Kat standing in the portside doorway of the Talon II with one foot on the deck and the other in the winch's hook. Her left hand was clutching the rope, and there was a Sonic Screamer slung across her back.

"What are you--" he cried, but was interrupted as Larson, aiming at another T-Rex, steadied the craft again.

"Ah, that's better. Thank you very much."

Too late, Hotwire noticed the change in her diction, and the hint of Barron in her voice. Katerina Schattenberg hit the button on the winch and jumped out of the helicopter. 

*****

Magma stared in astonishment at the battle before them. The wreckage of more Dino Attack vehicles than he cared to count littered the banks of the river, along with probably a thousand dead or stunned Mutant Dinos.

And hundreds more Mutant Dinos were still massing, preparing to charge on Dino Attack HQ. Hundreds more were fighting even now, cutting into what looked like the final lines of defense between Headquarters and the approaching army. Some of the villains' forces had arrived in the river and were trying to fight their way through the Dinos occupying it, but they seemed to be equally bogged down.

It was complete chaos. Dino Attack was in disarray, that much was clear.

The others on the bridge - Shark, Sting, and Cee Dee - were all clearly stunned as well. It was Sting who found his voice first. "Orders, Magma?"

Magma's eyes narrowed, and he tapped the intercom switch. "This is Magma to all Alpha Team personnel. I want every Blue Eagle launched immediately, understood? Get those things in the air as fast as possible! Anyone who isn't urgently needed for that, get to a weapons station. And if you run out of weapons stations, grab a hand weapon and get to a window, understood?"

He hesitated, as their airship drew closer to the massive Mutant Dino hordes. Then he gave the order that would seal their fates, but just might save the day. "Target everything and open fire!"

*****

Agent Fireball, who was manning one of the few Fire Hammers still intact, squinted up at the sky. A massive... something was approaching. It looked like one of those combat airships the team used to have access to.

Around him, the pace of the fighting seemed to slow for a moment as he heard other agents shout their observations, in person and over the communication network.

"It must be Kotua in the Voltage! They've returned to save us!"
"How do you know he's here to save us? Maybe he's here to destroy us... remember, Kotua was not trustworthy!"
"No, no, don't be ridiculous. The Voltage was ten times the size of that ship. It must be something else!"
"Yeah, but like I said, is it the cavalry or is it here to sealing our doom? Some new superweapon from XERRD?"

Agent Fireball frowned as he studied the ship. It looked so familiar... but what was it? And then he remembered: the Iron Hammer!

He had been a Dino Attack agent assigned to that airship, long ago, before it was destroyed in a fight with the Voltage - or apparently destroyed. Because it was now floating in the sky above them.

About a dozen blue fighter crafts emerged from the ship, followed by a weapons barrage that lit up the sky and cut straight through the smoke of the battle. Where the weapons struck, Mutant Dinos were deactivated, stunned, killed, and disintegrated.

Then the Iron Hammer released another barrage, cutting down a horde of Mutant Raptors that had been about to rush him, and Fireball wondered if they might win the battle after all.

*****

"Keep firing! Clear a path to the Dino Attack Team!" Magma ordered.

"Sir," Cee Dee reported, "Everyone is trying to contact us."

"Everyone?" asked Magma, sarcastically.

"Shadow and Specs, speaking for Dino Attack Command; Elite Agents Reptile, Semick, Hotwire… a Super Sea Drone or three from some underwater-"

"I think I get the idea," Magma said loudly, attempting to speak both over Cee Dee and the explosion caused by a Mutant Pterosaur swarm slamming into the Iron Predator before someone turned on the PLARXX systems and returned fire. "Put us on with Shadow and Specs, and then take the rest." he ordered.

*****

"Get your hands off of me! Get off! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's going to burn your house down!"

To say that Andrew Jackson was very irritated would be an understatement. It seemed that his stroke of bad luck had gone from bad to worse. Now, not only had someone stolen his belongings, but in response for trying to smoke out whichever son of a MegaBlok did it, the other Dino Attack agents demanded that he shut up!

"Yeah, yeah," groaned the elite agent who had grabbed him and taken him aboard a T-1 Typhoon. "Are you mad? You're running around in your underwear, without any weapons, and you won't stop shouting into the radio when everyone else is using the comm chatter to coordinate a proper defense! Here, put on this Dino Attack uniform... make yourself look decent. I'm sick of looking at you like this."

Grumbling to himself, Andrew Jackson took the uniform that wasn't his and put it on. The ex-firefighter didn't always look like a dirty, sweaty, pale, and unshaven homeless bum; before the Dino Attack, some of his friends told him that he looked like he could have been a famous historical figure. But after that tragedy and the ensuing war, Andrew Jackson couldn't care less about what he looked like. Ironically for a former firefighter, he now looked as though he had not touched a single drop of water in the past few months, not even to wash his hands, much less bathe himself.

As soon as Andrew Jackson put on the Dino Attack uniform, the elite agent gestured towards the back of the helicopter cabin and said, "Now get back there and keep quiet. We're getting you out of here as soon as we can, Mr. Jackson, so I suggest you stay out of the way."

Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, Andrew Jackson walked into the back of the cabin and saw another Dino Attack agent sitting there, staring straight forward. Beside the Dino Attack agent was a stretcher, and although the Minifig placed on the stretcher was covered with a sheet, Andrew Jackson immediately knew what it meant. "Oh, good!" he said, grinning. "More dead bodies! Are we going to cremate them afterwards?"

"Be quiet back there!" shouted the elite agent from the cockpit. "Show some respect!"

"Respect," grumbled Andrew Jackson as he took a seat beside the other Dino Attack agent. "Bah! I'm the one who deserves some respect around here! They all call me 'mad', 'psycho', 'crazy', 'maniac'... but I'll show them. I'll show them who's mad! Oh, yes! I'll show them, and then I'll light them on fire, and laugh as they scream and burn, and-"

"If I hear one more word that has anything to do with burning stuff," ordered the elite agent, "then I'm going to force you to wear a balaclava to muffle your voice!"

Andrew Jackson rolled his eyes. He turned to look at the Dino Attack agent sitting beside him. He barely noticed that the other agent was still staring straight forward, having not moved a muscle since Jackson boarded the T-1 Typhoon. Furrowing his brow, Andrew Jackson looked over the other Dino Attack agent. "Hey, wait..." he realized. "I know you! Hey, remember me? We worked together on the LEGO Island mission! I helped out in the attack on the XERRD laboratory! Oh, man, that was fun! By the time I was done there, every Mutant Dino, XERRD scientist, and Inferno goon had third-degree burns on 95% of their bodies!"

The other Dino Attack agent didn't respond at all. He just kept staring straight ahead.

Jackson didn't mind; instead, he kept on talking. "Didn't see much of you after that, though. I helped out the team in the desert area, though I hear that there was a lot of action in the jungle too. Meh, I suppose they kept me out of the jungle so I wouldn't burn it down in mass deforestation... which, of course, would have taken care of all those pesky Mutant Dinos who deserve to burn anyways, and I burned them too, out the in desert, and it would've been fun to see the whole jungle on fire! Hah! But no, they kept me in the desert. The desert's fine too; very hot out there, and the sun is the king of all blazing infernos."

Leaning in closer, Andrew Jackson continued in a low voice: "Now, nobody's believing me, but after we got back from a successful mission, I celebrated in the mess hall with Dynamite... he's a real party animal, you know... had a few drinks... and then I woke up, locked in my room, and all my stuff is stolen! I later found out there was a mole hunt going on, and a lot of Second Headquarters Squad's members were killed. Too bad that I was... out... or else I could have smoked that mole out for you guys, even if I had to burn Dino Attack Headquarters to the ground to do it! I'm a master spy checker, by the way. But nope... I was out cold, and some son of a MegaBlok took all my stuff! And when I find out who did it, I swear, I'm going to make sure he burns in MegaBlokland for it, just like all those Mutant Dinos!" Andrew Jackson caught himself, controlling the volume of his voice and checking to make sure that the elite agent in the cockpit did not hear.

The other Dino Attack agent was still unresponsive.

Andrew Jackson nodded with approval. "You know," he said, "I like you. You're the kind of person who doesn't talk back. Not like my eldest daughter, anyway. Oh, she was a sweet little girl enough in her youth, like most girls her age. And then, when she became a teenager... that's when she became a rebellious little brat who hated her folks for... you know, no reason other than being a whole generation older than her. Typical rebellious teenager crud. And then she ran away with someone named Sam... haven't heard from her since. Not that I care anymore... it's not like she would ever do something to help her old man, even in these dark times."

Glancing out the window, Andrew Jackson sighed. "It wasn't always like this, you know. I used to be a firefighter... I used to stop fires, not start them. But then when I came home one day and found my house burned to the ground, my family trapped inside, and these Mutant Lizards... these little sons of MegaBloks to blame... that's when I gave in to the urges that every Minifig has buried deep within. For you see... deep down, we all just want to see the world burn. We want to give in to our destructive tendencies and watch the inferno. And there's nothing that can trigger this urge quite like your lust for revenge! Oh, yes! That's what happened to me! As I set a Mutant Dino on fire... I love every moment of it, and I lust for the moment that I can set the next son of a MegaBlok on fire! They burned my home, they burned my family... and now, they burn for it! It's like I always say..."

Leaning in close, Andrew Jackson whispered into the other Dino Attack agent's ear: "Make life rue the day it thought it could put you through MegaBlokland... by taking the fires of MegaBlokland and bringing them back to LEGO Planet!"

Although the other Dino Attack agent still did not respond, Andrew Jackson patted him on the back. "Just remember that!" he said. "There's nothing quite like the lust for revenge, for when the world burns you, you burn the world back! You just want to set the world on fire! You laugh as everything is absorbed into a blazing inferno! Arson and pyromania become your best friends as you kindle, char, inflame, and ignite! You burn up the world, and you're really a fright! And only then will Builder know that He should have known better than to hand you combustible lemons!" Andrew Jackson laughed manically.

Groaning, the elite agent entered the cabin and grabbed Andrew Jackson by the arm. "That's it," he grumbled, "I'm getting you a balaclava!"

"Remember what I said!" called Andrew Jackson as he was dragged out of the cabin. "Lust for revenge! Set the world on fire!"

And while the other Dino Attack agent, none other than elite agent Rex, did not move so much as a muscle, he heard Andrew Jackson's words as they echoed in his head.

*****

Matthew Vherestorm smirked as Zach, Zelda, and Minerva back away upon hearing his name. Only Vinyaya and Nazareno planted their feet on the ground.

"Am I hearing this right, Vhere-" Nazareno began.

Vherestorm raised a hand. "Please. Matthew Vherestorm is dead. I only mentioned his existence for exposition reasons and dramatic effect. Please refer to me by my real name, Blaire Darkling."

Nazareno raised an eyebrow. "Your real last name is an informal word that was used on this planet to refer to Stromlings?"

Vherestorm laughed coldly. "I suppose so. I lacked a proper last name when I decided to start using my real first name again, so I chose Darkling with the thinking, 'Oh, that guy has the guts to use a name for the Maelstrom's foot soldiers as his last name? What a badbrick.'"

Nazareno considered questioning why "Blaire" didn't have a last name or his flaw logic, but decided again it. "So, Blaire Darkling, you've taken control of XERRD?"

"Indeed," Blaire said. "Dr. Rex is no longer fit to run this organization, and Michelle Gladys has been killed. In the scramble for leadership, I have taken the reins."

"How did you get in with XERRD?" Nazareno asked. "Hired gun?"

Blaire scoffed. "No. I reformed in 2007 and joined the Nexus Force and Paradox, hoping to redeem myself. My skills caught the attention of Dr. Rex, and I joined XERRD to aide in their quest for scientific advancement."

Nazareno gestured to the battlefield around him. "I can clearly see your 'reformation' among all this chaos," he said sarcastically.

For the first time, Blaire sighed. "No need for sarcasm, old friend. I do realize what I have helped commit."

Nazareno didn't say anything. So if Blaire was aware that what he was doing was against his reformation, why did he continue with this? He had control of XERRD, he could align with the Dino Attack Team and its allies and possibly be redeemed.

Blaire gestured to Nazareno. "Come, Kareem," Blaire hissed, a smile forming on his face. "One last fight, for old time's sake." Nazareno positioned his swords to attack. Blaire put the gun away in his trenchcoat and began to reach for something else when-

Boom! A large Mutant Brontosaurus foot landed between Nazareno and Darkling. The Brontosaurus unleashed a loud roar of anger and turned to the Fire Hammers and Urban Avenger assembled beneath him.

"Attack!" Zach roared, overturning Nazareno's ceasefire. Both Fire Hammers began to fire upon the Mutant Brontosaurus. Nazareno turned his head and saw Zach and Minerva quickly entering one of the Fire Hammers, which then turned and drove away. Andrew's Fire Hammer fired a few more shots before turning sharply and driving away. Vinyaya was running toward her Urban Avenger with Zelda close behind. Nazareno looked back at the Brontosaurus's feet. Blaire was gone. Disappeared into the chaos.

Nazareno swore angrily and ran toward Vinyaya's Urban Avenger and grabbed on to her roll-cage with Zelda as Vinyaya sped away. "We need to find him," Nazareno growled.

"Andrew, Zach, and Minerva will probably go on to the comms and tell everyone to keep an eye out for Blaire," Vinyaya said, taking a shot at a Mutant Raptor. "We'll take down every leader XERRD puts up until they put in someone who realizes the Darkitect will destroy them if they don't help."

The full realization that his longtime rival was now the leader of XERRD suddenly hit him. He had long thought Vherestorm to be dead. Now he was back, and clearly still wished to antagonize Nazareno.

Vinyaya glanced up at Nazareno briefly. "I know you want to take him out," Vinyaya said quietly. "But he did say he reformed. He's aware of the evil he's helped commit. Semick sent out a message calling for XERRD's aid, right?" Nazareno nodded. "There's a chance he may have XERRD switch sides. You'll have to work with him."

Nazareno scowled angrily. "I suppose if the Alpha Team can work with Ogel, I can work with Vherest- Darkling."

Zelda spoke up, "Consider this. If we win, Darkling will probably make a run for it because of his past crimes. You'll still get your chance to take him down."

Nazareno grinned darkly. "I suppose so." Nazareno then jumped from the Urban Avenger and landed on a Mutant Lizard's head. He signaled for Zelda to join him. She jumped off as well. Nazareno quickly signaled his thanks for the ride to Vinyaya before turning to Zelda.

"Now," he began, pointing toward Cyrista's Bane, which was moving closer to the headquarters. "Let's take that thing down."

*****

Semick realized quickly that it would take some time before he could get any response from the aircraft that had just arrived and was providing cover fire now. Everyone was trying to find out what it was. The comm chatter made that clear:

"Took Space Police long enough!"
"That ain't the Daedalus, bud."
"And in the nick of time! We're barely holding out as it is!"
"I need a hero! I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night!"
"Pfft, maybe you're having a hard time, but I'm doing pretty well, as is most of my comrades! We're winning this easily!"
"So then do you have a plan for the Maelstrom-infused T-Rex coming at our base?"
"Just shoot at it! Do you need a better plan than that?!"
"Glad to see Alpha Team's finally helping. That's one of their crafts for sure."

"Osprey," Semick said to his Agents ally over the radio, "you have any guesses about this thing?"

"Not one of ours," was the reply, "but guessing by the color scheme, I'd say it's our old rival's. Impressive, I didn't know they had any ships like this."

"I think it's something Alpha Team tried to use against Kotua during his mad period," said Andrew. "The Iron Mallet or something. I think it was shot down, but I guess they fixed it."

"Well, I'm happy nonetheless," said Reptile. "I just wish they could've come sooner. But at least we'll have the help with this Dino Rush and Dr. Rex."

"Do any of you honestly think that the 'shoot it with everything you got' method some of the men have been talking about will work?" asked B, who, though not Elite, was friends enough with most of the current Elite agents to get access to their comm network.

"I have my doubts," said Reptile, "but scientifically speaking, everything has its limits. The electrocution Adventure gave him must've fried his body inside out, and only the Maelstrom is keeping him up, literally. After what you did at Adventurers' Island, technically all the Maelstrom presence should've been wiped from the planet except for the essence that's key to Mutant Dino DNA. Now I don't know how much of a foothold that gives the Darkitect or whatever he is to keep his presence, but clearly it's enough to keep Dr. Rex alive a while longer."

"And Maelstrom possession has a habit of giving extra strength and regeneration abilities to what it possesses," noted Osprey. "Compounded with Dr. Rex's Silge armor, that means it's going to take a MegaBlokland of a barrage to even have a chance of killing him."

"In regard to the Silge," Reptile continued, "there is a chance that the Maelstrom's natural corruption hazard could possibly make it began to decay. It's a natural weakness of the Ssol component, but it's combination with G.E. metal, which is naturally immune to Maelstrom energies to a great degree, usually cancels it out. But if the Darkitect himself is acting through Dr. Rex, it could be enhancing the Maelstrom decaying energies to a degree high enough to start decomposing the Silge. And on another note, whatever method Dr. Rex used to fashion the armor on himself could become susceptible to the Maelstrom decay as well, so eventually the armor could just fall right off."

"Possibly," said Semick, "but we don't have enough time to wait for that to happen. Still, I get your point. Dr. Rex is almost a zombie in terms of his body state right now, and in spite of every bit of invincibility fate seems to be handing him, it could lead to him falling apart if enough stress is put upon him. But that would take time we might not have."

"Let's hope XERRD provides some advice," said Andrew. "I just got out of an encounter with a guy named Blaire Darkling, who's apparently calling the shots now for them. He's apparently some kind of notorious criminal, but he said some things about wanting to redeem himself, so he might help. If not, we can still kill him and hope the next new leader actually has a smarter head. Otherwise, we're on our own, Alpha Team and us."

"Right," said Osprey. "Which means that we have to keep thinking of ways we could possibly halt him. Remember that, comrades. The Maelstrom's biggest enemy is creativity, and if there's one thing I think Minifigs are naturally good at, it's creative thinking. Keep sharp."

*****

"This is Digger. Specs, Shadow, Viper and I are in a T-1 monitoring the battle, so keep the comm clear of annoying badgering about us not being around. Also, Semick, you're doing alright getting the Elites to work together, at least, so congrats on that."
"I knew being annoying enough would help."
"You know, that Andrew Jackson guy might want to talk with Fireman. Seems like she could give him some answers."
"Anything that keeps that guy quiet is good enough for me."
"I need some new goggles."
"Has anyone seen that Trigger guy? I'd expect him to have some good advice on how to fight these things."
"I think he ran away. The coward."
"Revenge... fire..."
"Who said that?"

*****

Shiller's lips and fingertips were turning blue. Wright could feel his pulse slowing, and the Dino Attack HQ was still about two hundred yards away. She gritted her teeth and increased her pace, aware that more Mutant Lizards were noticing them. The fact that Shiller was leaving a thin trail of blood didn't help matters much.

Wright stepped in a pothole, stumbled, and hit the ground. Her chin struck the pavement hard, but she hauled herself up, breathing heavily, and stood protectively over Shiller's prone form. They were surrounded.

Wright spat out a mouthful of blood and raised her pistols. "Come on, if you think you're hard enough," she snarled.

A Lizard leapt, and she opened fire, shooting it until both her guns were empty. She drew a knife from her boot and braced herself for the next attacker.

At that moment, over the screams, roars, and pounding of gunshots and cannon fire, she heard something else -- a bloodcurdling howl of fury, not far off, and quickly approaching. Wright saw a ripple of nervousness travel through the surrounding dinosaurs, and a moment later the source of the sound appeared. A huge bearded man was plowing through the Lizards and raptors like a carpenter's drill through Playwell-Dough, wielding a huge sword in one hand and an SMG in the other. His Agents uniform was stained with the dark blood of the Mutant Dinosaurs.

Within seconds, all the Mutant Lizards that had surrounded Wright and Shiller were dead. The massive swordsman turned to Wright with his weapons still raised. A pair of sunglasses hung lopsided from his face, and she could see madness in his eyes.

"Peace! Friends!" she cried, raising her knife defensively. The Agent raised his broadsword to strike, and faltered.

Epic Winston shook his head and blinked away the red haze clouding his vision. The last thing he could remember was crushing Sargon's neck in one hand; the wretched scum had expected to continue fighting with swords, and hadn't been able to dodge. It was then that the Rage had taken over. And now he was standing in front of two Dino Attack agents, one of whom appeared close to death already, with his sword raised to attack.

He lowered his arm. The Rage was a powerful tool, but one that must always be kept in check. And he had failed to do so.

"I am terribly, terribly sorry," he rumbled, his deep voice choked and hoarse. "I lost control. My brother... slain in one hit by the most vile..."

The Dino Attack agent who stood before him, a long-haired young woman with a knife in her hand and tears on her face -- although the latter she seemed not to notice at all -- nodded. "I understand the feeling. Too many good people have died today." She gestured to the sandy-haired man bleeding on the pavement. "But maybe, with your help, we can save one."

Epic Winston wordlessly handed her Hazmatt's SMG, and, with the same hand that had killed Sargon, lifted the unconscious Shiller onto his shoulder. He nodded to Wright and they took off again, towards Dino Attack HQ.

*****

You unspeakable hag! Kat screamed. Are you insane? You're going to get us both killed! And there's no way out this time! No powerups, no extra lives—

"Be silent," Katerina snapped, as she picked herself up and checked the Sonic Screamer to ensure it was still in working order. "This may be vitally important to the survival of the planet, and I am not able to concentrate with you shouting in the back of my head."

YOUR head?

"All right, OUR head. Are you satisfied now?" She surveyed her surroundings; she was on one of the higher buildings, though still dwarfed by the Dino Attack HQ and the skyscrapers further downtown.

Oh yes, of course, I'm COMPLETELY satisfied, Kat replied. I really DON'T mind the fact that you're breaking our agreement. I don't even care that you just popped out and took control after you promised you'd GET MY CONSENT FIRST.

"Requesting forgiveness is easier by far than requesting permission," Katerina said simply, walking to the edge of the building.

Oh yeah, I can totally imagine you asking for forgiveness, Kat spat.

Katerina briefly gauged the distance to the next building, shorter by one floor. "To put this casually," she said crossly, "halt die Klappe. 'Shut up,' as one might say. There are things that must be done.

*****

Swerve was not in an easy position, to say the least. Left without either of his gunners, he was forced to operate the Cryothermic Cannon from the driver's seat, which decreased his accuracy somewhat. Granted, he didn't blame Wright for acting as she had -- there were a couple occasions he could recall when he'd done the same for Talon, and vice-versa -- and he certainly hoped that she would succeed in saving her boyfriend, but that didn't change the fact that avoiding a messy fate was now a bit more difficult.

The Iron Hammer had arrived, but so far, the Alpha Team forces present were more occupied with providing more air support. Squadrons of Blue Eagles screamed out of the hangars.

At the moment, Swerve was attempting to fend off a pair of Mutant Raptors. He managed to strike a glancing blow on one, but at the same time, the other sprang.

A missile struck it from the right, and Swerve looked over to see a Solar Speeder in Alpha Mode whizzing up. He grinned under his ski mask. There was only one agent he knew of who was that skilled at driving in reverse. His suspicions were confirmed when Mort's voice rang out over his radio: "You look like you could use a hand."

"Sure could, if you got a spare in your cooler."

"Very witty," Mort responded. "Listen, I'm sorry for the way I behaved back in the medical wing. If it's still that same mind of yours, I don't care whether you're made of bone or metal or cake."

"No worries," Swerve said as the Solar Speeder pulled alongside his Iron Predator. He looked out at the next wave of dinos, which was quickly approaching. "Any ideas for what to do now?"

"I'm thinking we should go with North Pacific, Christmas 2006," Mort suggested. "Stick together, don't conserve ammo, and don't die."

"Oh, don't you worry about me," Swerve replied cheerily. "I'm already dead."

*****

"Look over there," Wade said as he pointed through the window. In front of them was a tough-looking bearded agent accompanying a young woman who seemed to be carrying a wounded man.

Martinet quickly pulled the vehicle to a halt. "I a-think we have our first patient," he said. Opening the door, Wade stepped out.

"You gotta come quick," Wright said.

"What's wrong?"

"It's her friend," Epic Winston replied. "He's hurt real bad!"

"Let me take a look. Would you mind putting him down?"

Wright complied, and slowly lowered the body. As Martinet got some equipment out of the vehicle, Wade got down on his knees and started to examine the patient, pulling off his shirt.

"Is he going to be alright?" Wright asked.

"I don't know," admitted Wade. "With some surgery, maybe. If we can stabilize him, we might be able to get him to the hospital and leave him with Pierce." Martinet came up to Wade with a stretcher. The two of them slowly put Shiller on. "We'd better do it in the ambulance," Wade remarked. "It'll be safer in there. Either of you particularly close to this man?"

Wright nodded.

"You got a name?" asked Wade.

"Wright."

"Wright, you should probably come with us, at least until we can get him into surgery. It'll help a lot if he has someone he knows by his side."

*****

At the moment, there was a slight break for the doctors, fortunately. For most of them, it was unsettling working in their new environment. Despite the lights providing enough for surgery, and the lights already present, it still seemed dark. Occasionally, they could hear sounds of what was going on above, explosions and such.

Carver was still taking care of Hertz, who'd finally been stabilized, doing her best to comfort him despite his lack of hearing. In the corner, Shaw sat on her own on a bench, praying quietly to herself.

"You alright?" Crusher asked, looking at her nervously.

Shaw nodded.

Crusher slowly sat down and took a seat with her. "I couldn't help but notice you muttering," Crusher said. "You've been looking tense these last few hours, Dr..."

"Shaw."

"Yes," said Crusher. "Shaw."

"Do you believe in faith?" Shaw asked, shyly.

Crusher remained silent, but looked at her in confusion.

"I do," replied Shaw. "I don't know if there's anybody up there, or who it is; Zeus, Ra, Creator, Builder, Ole Kirk Christiansen, PeabodySam… I just like to believe that somewhere up there, there is someone watching us. Someone with us, who is helping us. I think at this point we can probably use all the help we can get."

Shaw slowly clutched her cross in the palm of her hand. 

*****

Holly Vinyaya's Urban Avenger turned sharply and opened fire on a pack of Mutant Lizards. So far, her eye (or lack of it) wasn't causing too much problems. The rain splashing against her scars caused mild irritation, but thanks to the painkillers she was keeping nearby, it wasn't too much of a problem.

The so-called new leader of XERRD Blaire Darkling's revelation of him being Matthew Vherestorm stirred feelings only vaguely familiar to when Trigger called out Amanda Claw as Silencia Venomosa. Since they never actually learned if Trigger's claims were true, plus the fact that Claw was now dead, Vinyaya had been willing to put behind her suspicions. Claw might have been a dangerous terrorist, but at least she was on their side. Blaire Darkling was of a near-equal level danger and, as of now, he was an enemy. He could cause a lot of problem on his own if he allowed XERRD to continue fighting.

Trying to calm her nerves, she turned up the volume on her Urban Avenger's radio so she could hear what was happening.

"There are dinos everywhere, man."
"Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?"
"Thanks for the newsflash, Captain Obvious."
"Don't be so hard on her, mate. She's probably just in shock."
"But that is her name. Captain Jessie Obvious."
"... Oh."
"I wish I was a ninja will elemental spinning powers."
"O...kay?"
"Hey, it's Verrat! I haven't seen you since LEGO Island!"
"Blaire Darkling? Sounds like some no-ranker who decided to take over from Gladys simply because there was no one else."
"Watch yourself, Randal. Mutant Raptor coming up beside you!"
"Got it, I... oh no."

Vinyaya turned her head and saw a blond-haired man driving a Steel Sprinter nearby, a Mutant Raptor closing in on him. Suddenly, a Space Marauder with red hair and dark sunglasses rose out from behind the Mutant Raptor, two mechanical appendages sprouting from his back. One was gripping the Mutant Raptor's top scale while the other was clutching a strange-looking weapon that was glowing a strange bluish-violet color. The scientist laughed in a deep, baritone voice and fired the weapon.

A bluish-violet beam of energy shot out of the weapon and struck the Steel Sprinter, disintegrating the midsection and the agent's (Randal, Vinyaya presumed) legs. Randal screamed in pain as the Steel Sprinter split apart and he tumbled to the ground.

The scientist leaped from the Mutant Raptor and landed precariously on one tentacle. The scientist wasted no effort in pointing the weapon at Randal and finishing him off. Vinyaya scowled and turned her vehicle hard so she was facing the scientist.

"Paulie Gonepus, I presume?" she called out.

Dr. Gonepus turned sharply on his appendage and let himself fall to his feet. He pointed his Maelaser at her and starting walking toward her sneering. "Wrong move, space cop," he said confidently. As he walked, Vinyaya noticed part of the armor on his right arm was gone. A bloody bandage rested on his shoulder. Vinyaya also noticed his right arm sway slightly, as if he had no control over it.

"I see someone got to your arm," Vinyaya pointed out.

Gonepus frowned. "And I see a Mutant Raptor got to your face," he spat. "Blasted snipers. No matter. Another arm can be added to my back. Nothing has changed!"

"It will, because I'm going to make sure you're six-feet-under before this battle is over."

"Oh really?" Gonepus snarled and fired his Maelaser. Vinyaya was expecting this and quickly drove out of the coming blast's way.

"Because of you, Gonepus," Vinyaya hissed, circling the XERRD scientist, "we went to the wrong temple on Adventurers' Island and led to the unnecessary deaths of many agents, most notably Elite Agent Mur. And now, even after knowing what the Darkitect has done, you continue to murder Dino Attack agents. People like you, Gladys, and Darkling make me sick. You all three seem perfectly sane (less so with you, you murderous freak) and yet you all continue a fight that will only lead to your destruction!"

Gonepus fired another blast, this one striking a Mutant Raptor. "Shut up," he hissed as Vinyaya circled him. "Gladys is dead and Darkling will be soon enough." Gonepus scoffed briefly. "Darkling isn't even a real scientist! He has no authority running this organization!"

"Surprisingly enough, I trust him more to make the right move than I do you right now," Vinyaya said in a matter-of-fact tone. "A former associate of the Brickfather and uses a weapon that, when it's not incinerating its victims, can also corrupt its targets into Stromlings garner less sympathy than a ruthless ex-intergalactic terrorist?"

"Bah!" Gonepus exclaimed, lifting himself back up with one mechanical arm. "My new Maelaser no longer corrupts. I... we decided that we're sick of Stromlings. So only a quick, painless incineration for you. That's better than some of my other colleagues' weapons. Perhaps you heard of Dr. Provencal's staff?"

"I don't really care about Provencal," Vinyaya said. She turned sharply and fired a Cosmotronic Ray blast, striking the ground near Gonepus' tentacle. Gonepus roared with anger. Vinyaya fired one last shot before turning and driving away.

"You've asked for it, space cop!" Gonepus yelled. "You've incurred the wrath of Doctor Paulie-znapping-Gonapus! I'M-A-FIRIN' MAELASER!" Vinyaya jerked her vehicle to the left and watched a blast of Maelstrom strike the ground where her Urban Avenger had been. Briefly looking back, Vinyaya could see Gonepus pursuing her on both of his tentacles, his Maelaser in his left hand while his right hand dangled uselessly. Vinyaya scowled and looked back ahead.

Come and play, Gonepus.

*****

Joike quickly turned the Fire Hammer out of the Mutant T-Rex's path and engaged much smaller dinos that were approaching the building. Zach pulled off his helmet and rubbed his head, now throbbing thanks to both the Maelstrom's influence in this battle and Blaire's attack.

"Are you alright?" Minerva asked, turning away to start firing at Mutant Dinos with a Cosmotronic Ray.

"Yeah," Zach grumbled. "If I hadn't had the helmet, I imagine I would be in a lot more serious pain. I think I left a dent in your Fire Hammer, Joike."

Joike gave a half scoff. "I doubt it's gonna be the worst thing that happens to this ride today." Zach nodded grimly.

"So..." Minerva drifted off, turning her head briefly to glance at Athena, who was glancing out the window in awe. "Oswald put her with you?"

"That's what I'm thinking," Zach said as he climbed up to the front seat.

"What did he do to you, exactly?"

"We talked. Wanted a clearer picture of my relationship with you," Zach said as he started taking shots at Mutant Dinos. "I think once he figured it out, he knew I could take Athena to you."

Minerva's voice became quiet. "How is he?"

Zach grimaced. "I think he's losing it, personally. Looks like he hasn't slept in days. And..." He remembered what Oswald had said about Athena, now seeming like he revealed what he was going to do. "He mentioned wanting to kill Athena."

"But... why hasn't he? From what Mom has said, it sounds he showed some of what XERRD does. Excluding the mass genocide. I mean, he hates her. Why would he pity her?"

"I don't know," Zach said, growing more uncertain of what Oswald was planning at the moment. "But your mom is in danger, both from Mutant Dinos and Oswald. We need to get her out of here."

"Well," Joike spoke up. "From some of the radio chat, there is a teleporter in the headquarters that's a one-way trip to Antarctica. That's probably your best bet of keeping her safe."

"Can you take us there?" Minerva asked, a little hopefully.

"I can probably do it," Joike said, turning sharply. To a radio, he said, "Gypsy, we're heading back to headquarters for bit. We got a deliver a civilian."

"We probably need to find someone to escort her back to Napoleon's," Zach said. "We'll deal with the whole 'lying about a patient's death' later."

"Or not," Minerva said. Zach looked back at her with a confused look before realizing that she meant they could still both die in this battle.

"Minnie!" Athena gasped, pulling Minerva away from the window. "What are you doing?! You could hurt yourself!"

Minerva shoved away her mom's arms angrily. "Stay over there and be quiet," Minerva snapped harshly. "We're taking you home."

"Do not use that tone of voice with me, young lady!" Athena shot back in a stern, motherly voice. "When I tell your father, you better-"

Minerva turned her head quickly toward Athena, a look of pure fury on her face. "Shut up," Minerva hissed.

Athena gasped in surprise. "Minerva Fabello! That is not something a four-year-old should say! Especially to your mother! I am surprised at you." Athena sighed and massaged her forehead. "What's wrong, honey?"

"More than you will let yourself handle!" Minerva growled.

"What is that...?" Athena sighed again. "Fine. Just go play with your brothers or something. Unless you're going to be rude to them as well." Minerva fumed silently as Athena turned away and muttered somewhat loudly, "I could really use a drink right about now."

Zach looked back at Minerva, only to quickly turn away. Minerva' face was seething with fury. She almost looked like she had to prevent herself from attacking her own mother.

"Joike," Minerva said, her voice shaking with anger. "Could you please hurry up?"

"I think that can be arranged," Joike muttered, putting his foot down harder on the gas pedal. Zach imagined he felt awkward listening to a mother and her daughter fight with former not even aware that her daughter was an adult. Zach could only feel more awkward, knowing the full story about Athena's sanity slippage and how she fell to what she is now.

The sooner Athena Fabello was back in Antarctica, the better. 

*****

"Stay clear of that hovercraft there," murmured Frozeen.

"Don't worry," Sam Race narrowed his eyes. "When I'm behind the wheel, I'm practically the fastest thing alive... he'll never land a hit on me!" With that, he turned the wheel, steering the Fire Hammer out of the way of the XERRD hovercraft.

The hovercraft was vaguely egg-shaped, predominantly silver in color with a few red and black highlights. A Space Marauder sat in its cockpit, pulling switches and nobs to control the craft's flight. Laser beams were fired out of the hovercraft's weaponry, striking the wet road mere instants after the Fire Hammer maneuvered around their path.

"Shiver me timbers, what be wi' them XERRD lunatics?" grumbled Greybeard from the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher. "Even wi' Dr. Rex possess'd an' Dr. Gladys in Davy Jones's locker, they be not lowerin' their swords, raisin' their white flag, an' callin' a truce!"

"As long as this 'Darkling' fellow is in charge," muttered Frozeen, "it seems that XERRD will keep on fighting. Let's take this guy down. Greybeard, can you get a clear shot?"

"Aye!" reported the old pirate. He fired the Xenon Launcher on electricity mode, but having only one good eye, his depth perception was off, and the projectile was too far to the left to hit the XERRD hovercraft. "Blast! Whose idea be it t' put th' one-eyed pirate in charge o' th' cannon?"

"Fine!" shouted Frozeen. "We'll switch places!"

As Frozeen climbed out of the Fire Hammer's passenger seat and tried to climb to the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, he nearly fell off the moving Fire Hammer as it swerved out of the way of the XERRD hovercraft's wrecking ball, which was suspended underneath the craft by a chain. As the hovercraft flew past the Fire Hammer, Frozeen got a better glimpse of the Space Marauder pilot, and was surprised to see that he was forcibly strapped in, with mechanical arms gripping tightly onto his limbs and a metallic plate placed over the lower half of his face.

Once Greybeard was sitting in the passenger seat and Frozeen was seated behind the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, the Alpha Team agent switched to sonics mode and aimed the launcher at the hovercraft, which was spinning around for another go, ready to slam the wrecking ball into the Fire Hammer. Frozeen fired, and the sonic attack shattered the chain connecting the wrecking ball to the hovercraft, dropping the large ball to the ground. Sam Race swerved the Fire Hammer out of the ball's way, while the hovercraft was on a collision course with the Xenon Launcher.

Frozeen waited until the proper moment, then jumped off the Fire Hammer and landed in the cockpit of the XERRD hovercraft as it passed by. The XERRD pilot, who was wearing a red Space Marauder jacket over black clothes, turned to look at Frozeen, and through the XERRD scientist's goggles, Frozeen could recognize the look of someone being forced to do something beyond their will and being unable to do anything about it. Taking out a miniature laser device usually used by Alpha Team agents to open locked doors, Frozeen cut through the robot arms gripping onto the Space Marauder. As soon as one arm was free, the Space Marauder tried desperately to free the other, and Frozeen helped him out. Then, with both arms free, the Space Marauder pulled a joystick and crashed the hovercraft into the pavement.

The Fire Hammer pulled to a stop beside the fallen hovercraft. Frozeen helped the XERRD scientist pull the metallic plate off his face, unveiling a bushy mustache over his upper lip. Now able to speak again, the Space Marauder sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you!" he said. "You Alpha Team agents are able to use those gadgets for tasks beside snooping as usual, I see."

"Who are you?" said Frozeen, in the same tone of voice that he would use in an interrogation.

"Dr. Robert Nicholas," the XERRD scientist introduced himself. "I'm a XERRD scientist and robotics engineer, a certifiable genius with an IQ of 300." Looking up and seeing Greybeard and Sam Race stepping out of the Fire Hammer, Robert Nicholas grinned. "Ah, good, there's more of you! You know what they say... the more, the merrier!"

"An IQ of 300, hmm?" mused Frozeen, somewhat skeptically. "Then how did a genius like you find himself strapped down in a XERRD hovercraft?"

Dr. Nicholas's smile faded. "Well, you see, I was recruited into the organization for my intellect. And when we first started the plans for the Dino Attack, I thought it was a good idea at the time... to conquer the world and create a utopia? Looked good on paper, at least! But then, as the year went on, the Maelstrom and the Mutant Dinos started sliding out of our grip... rather like Chaos in the hands of Kotua, both in 2004 and in 2010."

Frozeen blinked in surprise. "You know about Chaos?"

Dr. Nicholas laughed. "You see, I myself was rather interested in using Chaos as a weapon for XERRD. However, when I researched what happened when Kotua thought he could control Chaos six years ago, and then witnessed for myself when history repeated itself earlier this year, I decided that Chaos was far too much of a loose cannon. But I digress."

Glancing in the direction that Dr. Rex and the Mutant Dinos had gone, Dr. Nicholas shuddered. "I started to see Dr. Rex falling into madness, and I realized that the Maelstrom was the cause. The Dino Attack was out of our control. I, along with my colleague Dr. William Lee, suggested to Dr. Rex that we quit while we're ahead... his response was to restrain me to this hovercraft, force me to participate in this battle, and be unable to even scream."

"What happened to Dr. Lee?" inquired Frozeen.

"He's in a hovercraft, too," Dr. Nicholas said with a shrug, "but I can't imagine where he is in the city at the moment. Anyways, it sounds like, once Blaire Darkling is defeated, XERRD will be without a leader. I may very well rise to the occasion and give myself a promotion, assuming no one else beats me to it..."

"If you were the leader of XERRD," asked Frozeen, "would you surrender to Dino Attack Team?"

Dr. Robert Nicholas gave a wide smile that Frozeen immediately distrusted, for it looked a little too power-hungry for the Alpha Team agent's tastes. "Why, of course!" announced Dr. Nicholas. "No more of this apocalyptic business… no, I will preserve the world for generations to come! I'll see to it that mankind never goes extinct! That's right, the great Dr. Robert Nicholas has reformed!"

Frozeen raised an eyebrow. He traded glances with Greybeard and Sam Race, who seemed equally skeptical of the idea of letting Dr. Nicholas take over XERRD. Is there a more viable candidate? he wondered. Someone from XERRD we know that we can trust? Someone like… Dr. Cyborg?

*****

"Wake up!"

The philosopher's eyes slowly opened to a figure wearing a translucent orange helmet and black visor. It was still raining very hard but, unlike earlier where the water rejuvenated him, it now felt cold and merciless. His right shoulder was swollen and blistered from Raul's burn, and his clothing was crisp and blackened. It was painful to move his arm and even harder to ignore the sting. The left shoulder still had a bullet in it. It was still bleeding, and Solomon glimpsed a puddle of red beneath where he lay. He had a difficult time deciding which side of his body hurt more, and he knew he would find out in the morning… if he made it that far.

"Solomon," said Doctor Cyborg. "What happened? We spotted you down here, and I came as fast as I could."

Solomon cringed at the pain. Uncertainly, he rose to his knees and splashed water in his face. His sword was not far, and he crawled over to retrieve it.

"I have some disturbing news," began the philosopher. "But now is not the time to speak. A first aid kit would be really nice right about now."

"We have a good supply on the Titanium Predator," said Doctor Cyborg. "I can take care of you there."

Solomon looked around at the battle taking place around him. Everywhere he looked, there were dead and wounded. Gasoline fires burned in the rain, and the screams of men and beast were no longer distinguishable. He pondered for a moment how battle changes a person more into an animal than one would like to admit. In some ways, it was the most primal of concepts, and he watched as a nearby Dino Attack agent continued to beat a dead Lizard with the butt of his gun. Elsewhere, another agent walked absentmindedly around the battlefield; in one hand, he carried his arm that still clutched the remains of a steering wheel.

"Just get me out of here," said Solomon.

"I have job for you," said Doctor Cyborg. He lifted the philosopher to his feet and helped him over to the Titanium Predator.

Solomon said nothing; he just wanted to have his shoulders fixed and be done. He knew that, no matter how fed-up he was with war, he would always be pulled back in. No matter his condition, he would always need to fight. He had been a fighter for too long now, and he desperately wanted peace to think about the universe.

It is not about me, thought Solomon Koplowitz. Unless we win this battle, there will be nothing to philosophize about.

"Fine," he said sadly. He just wanted to rest. "What do you need me to do?"

"Well, first off, you need to rest. The plan isn't ready yet, so there will be time for you rest," Dr. Cyborg said, after they boarded the Titanium Predator and took off.

Solomon chuckled softly as he looked over their vehicle. "A flying Iron Predator? You must be an elite Dino Attack agent now. Well, you've certainly made a name for yourself in Dino Attack, literally!"

"Yes," said Dr. Cyborg. "I left XERRD, and struck out on my own. Dr. Rex sent Mutant Raptors after me, and I actually don't remember much after their attack. Next thing I knew, I woke up in an underground lab in this city, looking like this. I have had some good luck in the Dino Attack team; I even was promoted to Elite Agent, as you can see. I've heard the XERRD hierarchy is slowly being depleted. I actually have an intention, once Darkling goes towards the light, to broadcast that I'm alive and to take over XERRD as the new leader. I have experience on both sides of the war, so I would be a good choice."

"Well," Solomon said, "a lot of people feel that XERRD suffered without your ethics, as you were in a moderately high position. I have a feeling many members would support you as leader. I say, go for it."

"Thank you, but enough talk. Here is the plan to take down Cyrista's Bane...."

*****

Martinet hastily drove the ambulance back toward Dino Attack Headquarters as Wade crouched in the back, hurriedly trying to stabilize the wounded agent.

The woman called Wright that they'd met before was in there with him, holding Shiller's hand tightly whilst Wade focused on bringing a stop to the bleeding. In those few minutes, it certainly didn't take long before Wade's uniform was stained with blood.

Finally, the ambulance pulled into the garage. Wade climbed out along with Martinet, they opened the door and brought out the stretcher, and wheeled it as fast as they could through the base.

Shaw dropped her cross against her chest in surprise as Wade and Martinet came in with a wounded man. Accompanying him was Wright, who was trying to hold his hand.

"Wade?" Pierce asked. "Where were you?"

"On the field," replied Wade. "I got another patient here, Shiller."

"Right," said Pierce. He quickly ran over toward Shiller.

"I tried to stabilize him," continued Wade. "But if he's going to live, he'll need surgery."

"We'd better get to work then," declared Pierce. "Carver, would you mind giving me a hand?"

"How did this happen?" a shocked Carver asked as she hurried over.

Wright, who still hadn't let go of Shiller's hand, replied, "Mutant Lizard tried to play tic-tac-toe on his chest, after knocking him off an Iron Predator turret. I think it must have been one of the chameleon or stealth types -- if it had been acid or fire-breathing, he'd probably be gone already." She did her best to keep her voice steady, but she couldn't hide the fact that she was rather shaken, and worried sick.

Pierce, having finished his examination, glanced over at Carver and Shaw. "We've got heavy internal bleeding, collapsed lung, possible head trauma, and two bones fractured in his right shoulder. No time to lose." Shaw gently coaxed Wright, whose eyes were full of concern, into letting go of Shiller's hand, and Pierce and Carver wheeled the stretcher into their makeshift operating room. Wright swayed, and sank onto a stool that Martinet quickly dragged over.

"You don't look too good yourself," said Wade concernedly. Indeed, Wright was covered in bruises, her ankle was throbbing after the pothole incident, and there was still a trickle of blood escaping the corner of her mouth.

She wiped it away. "Don't worry about me, I've had worse." She looked up at Martinet and Wade. "You guys better get back out there, though," she said. "Just in case anyone else needs your help."

"She's right," agreed Wade. "You people good on your own?"

"I think we got enough people for the moment," replied Pierce. Wade and Martinet promptly turned and left.

Copper slowly approached Wright. "You alright?" he asked. She nodded. "You look hurt."

"No, really, I'm fine," insisted Wright.

"I think you should at least let me take a look," said Copper. "Just a quick examination. Shouldn't take too long if you cooperate."

"Alright," Pierce said. "We got to act fast. Crusher, you get a look at that head wound. See if you can do anything."

"Yes doctor," replied Crusher, moving in closer.

"Shaw," continued Pierce, "you give me a hand here. We got to stop the bleeding. Wade got the outside okay, but there's still something on the inside."

Shaw nodded, clearly nervous.

"Carver, we got to do something about this collapsed lung," Pierce said. "He's going to need a chest drain."

Carver nervously left for a moment, and came back with a rather heavy device in the form of a long tube hooked up to a couple of canisters. Cutting her way in, she slowly worked the tube inside.

"I think I found the bleeding," Shaw said. "It seems to be coming from the lungs."

"Good," replied Pierce. "Now you just need to stop the bleeding."

"Right," Shaw said as she reached for a set of clamps, quietly muttering a prayer as she did.

"You praying?" Pierce asked.

"It just makes me more comfortable," explained Shaw before she continued to mutter to herself.

"I spotted a clot in his brain," Crusher said. "I am attempting to remove it now."

"I got it," said Shaw. "I think I stopped the bleeding."

"Chest tube's in place," Carver said nervously.

"Good," replied Pierce. "Crusher, how's that clot coming?"

"I think I got it," Crusher said. It took a few minutes, but she finally pulled it out.

There was a good twenty minutes now of them sewing up the man before they were done. He now lay there in a somewhat unnerving fashion. A tube led right into his chest and into the lung. The doctors knew he'd have to wear that for a little while.

They turned toward Wright, who was waiting nervously. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked.

There was a moment of silence before Pierce responded. "I can't say," he said. "He's probably going to be out the next few days. Even if he wakes up before then he's definitely not fit to go out in the field."

*****

Somewhere in the base, there was an explosion. Dust fell from the ceiling and landed on the shoulder of Doctor Nicholas Saran. He shook his mustache in irritation and quickly swept the rubbish on to the floor.

His office had been destroyed in the recent explosion, so he had opted to speak with Kate Bishop and her mother in a nearby storage closet. The basements of the Dino Attack Headquarters were not a place for comfort. No living quarters or lounges were on this level; instead, it was mostly filled with storage rooms and the prison complex. Right now, the medical bay had been moved just down the hall. Beneath them was the subbasement, where the majority of the staff were bunkered down.

Saran adjusted the can of rock salt he was sitting on to make himself more comfortable. The session might be difficult for both members in the room, and he hated to initiate these discussions. Therapy only worked if the patent was willing to open up, and that was uncommon if the chat was the doctor's idea.

Saran opened up his worn leather suitcase and removed a yellow legal pad. "It's a shame that our previous discussion was so rudely interrupted, Kate. I was starting to think we were making progress just when that darn rocket hit." Saran smiled, hoping to lighten the mood, but neither of the women responded. "Nonetheless," he continued as his smile faded away to a frown, "it seems fate has offered me a chance to meet your mother. Kate has told me a lot about you, Sarah. I'm happy to get the chance to sit down with you."

Sarah Bishop messed with her weapon idly. "What were you credentials again, Doctor? My daughter has met a lot of unpleasant individuals since she joined this team, and if you're taking advantage of her…"

"I can understand that, Ms. Bishop," said Saran. "If my office were not up in flames, I would be happy to show you my diploma. Your just have to trust that I went back to college in 1985 after I lost my leg and graduated six years later with my Doctorate in Psychology. I've been a doctor for 19 years now, Mrs. Bishop, longer than your daughter has been alive."

"Do you mind if I ask how you lost your leg?" asked Sarah.

"It was an accident," said Saran passively. "But this is not about me. It's about you and your daughter."

"What about my daughter?" said Sarah Bishop. Saran was getting the impression she was getting defensive, so he chose to tread carefully. Especially since she happened to be holding a flamethrower-shotgun and she was known to have a relatively short fuse.

"When I last spoke to Kate, she told me that the revelations about family were troubling her. The fact that Alan Pierce was her father was not as difficult for her as learning she was only born because of your fling with him."

Sarah's face darkened. "That seems a little personal, Doctor; it's not something I like to talk about."

Saran nodded his head and jotted down a note on his pad. "That's perfectly understandable, Ms. Bishop. It's less an issue about you and more about the effect it had on your daughter. What bothers her is the fact you lied to her for fifteen years about her uncle and the nature of your relationship with Alan."

"Don't speak to me about being a parent, Doctor!" said Sarah sharply. "I've had to raise my daughter alone for years. I admit I've made mistakes, but I know I've done the best I could. Everything I've done has been to protect her!"

Saran nodded his head. "I'm not trying to swindle you, Ms. Bishop. I just want you to know how your daughter feels. Is this the first time your daughter has been away from home?"

"Kate's only eighteen," responded Sarah. "She's not even been to college yet."

"So I imagine this is the first time she has had the opportunity to show some independence," said Dr. Saran. He then turned his attention to Kate. "Kate," he began "why did you join the Dino Attack? Was it your idea? I know I can probably access this information, but I want to hear it from you."

"I don't really know," said Kate slowly. "While me and my mother were in the refugee camps, I was approached by a Dino Attack ambassador. I thought joining this team would be a good way to turn my life around. I really had no idea what I was getting in to."

"Turn your life away from what?" asked Dr. Saran. "Were you unhappy?" This response could prove to be the key to Kate's early troubles. He was excited for the answer.

"I told her she should not go!" Sarah cut in suddenly. "Look where it got her! She's almost died on numerous occasions, and she's only been bullied by the likes of Rotor and Lutsky. She was not ready for this kind of life!"

"That may be so," agreed Doctor Saran. He did a spectacular job hiding his mild annoyance. "In your opinion, Ms. Bishop, would you say your daughter lived a sheltered life before the Dino Attack?"

As a reminder, a far-off explosion shook more dust from the ceiling of the broom closet. The three occupants looked up and waited for the noise to subside before they continued.

"I protected her from things that would only upset her," said Sarah. "Kate did not need to know about Wallace or Alan. It would have only confused her."

"How do you know?" inquired the psychologist. "Do you think she is better off finding out this information now? Your daughter is a teenager; it is at this age that most young women start to challenge the process and be more rebellious. Eighteen-year-olds usually draw away from their mothers at this point and start to develop their own beliefs and ideologies. For a lot of families, this kind of news would only increase the likelihood of poor relationships in the future and might further increase the distance between…"

"Excuse me!" interrupted Kate. "I'm right here! You're telling my mom what I think without asking me!"

The sudden comment seemed to surprise both the adults. From what they knew about Kate, she was not prone to outbursts such as this. Saran smiled; it would be good for her to speak her mind about Sarah.

"Alright, Kate," said Doctor Saran as he considered some appropriate questions. "I want to know how you feel about Alan and Wallace. I want to know more about your childhood. Did you make friends yourself or did your mother help you? Where do you see yourself in fifteen years? What would you say your relationship with your mother is? If it's uncomfortable for you, I can ask her to leave the room, but it's much better if you talk with her present."

Kate looked at Saran shyly, uncertain of where to begin.

"It's alright," he said. "Take your time."

Kate still remained silent.

"Alright," said Saran, deciding to narrow down his many questions. "Tell me a bit about your childhood. Did you ever have trouble making friends?"

Kate nodded. A few tears started to emerge from her eyes.

"Did you have any?"

Kate shook her head.

"You said you wanted to turn your life around," continued Saran. "What did you mean by that?"

"Mom had a lot of trouble raising me," Kate said anxiously. "We were short on money and had to move a few times. I could never fit in with anybody. They all hated me, teased me, laughed at me for everything. Every time I tried to fit in, it only gave them something else to make fun of me for."

By this point, Kate couldn't help starting to cry. Sarah slowly put an arm around her, while Kate rested her head on her mother's shoulder.

Nicholas Saran nodded his head. "In high school, a teenager starts to discover herself. Do you think you're the only girl who was ever a loner? Many, many girls your age experience that. I understand it's not fun, but you can't allow that to hang over you."

Saran paused. "Do you know what an introvert is, Kate? About half the people on this Earth are introverts. It means they find relaxation in seclusion. Interacting with people is stressful for introverts, and they much prefer to stay to themselves. An extravert is energized by the outer world; they are active instead of reflective and use trial-and-error with confidence. I don't think that's you, Kate; I think you consider deeply before acting"

Despite hunkering down in the basement, the sounds of battle could still be heard. While the concrete between them was enough to hold back the sound of thunder, it was not enough to prevent the echoes of explosions from reaching their ears.

As Kate Bishop cried into her mother's shoulder, Dr. Saran looked through his notes. Kate needed time to assess her feelings. He expected that Kate would never be in a condition to fight for the Dino Attack Team. He was starting to recognize that she did not have the maturity necessary for that level of pressure and was considering recommending she go home on the teleporter.

What concerned him was why she was so socially unhealthy. She was behind many girls her age, and he was worried for her ability to live independently. While there was nothing wrong about maintaining a loving relationship with her mother, he was troubled by the details of the relationship. By legal standards, Kate was an adult; he wanted to know why she was not acting as such.

He had no desire to break up the family. The last thing he wanted was to create a schism. While having a slightly distant relationship was a common process at this point in a girl's life, he had no intention of actually creating a strained existence. It was clear they loved each other very much, and he wanted to maintain that affection if possible.

"Kate," began Dr. Saran softly. "Where do you see yourself in fifteen years? Say we win this war and the year is 2025. You're now 33; what sort of job do you see yourself performing? Do you imagine having a family? Where do you expect to be living?"

Sarah squeezed Kate tightly, trying to comfort her as best as she could. She'd finally started to calm down, though the tears were still visible in her eyes.

"I don't know," Kate replied, softly among the tears. "I don't know where I'd go or what I'd do."

"Kate," said Doctor Saran softly. There was another boom outside and more dust rained down from the ceiling. He brushed his mustache and looked at the two women across from him. "I don't believe you have no hopes of the future, Kate. You must have imagined something as a little girl; every child does. I want to know what you want in life. I want to know your passion. Everyone has something they like to do, Kate. What is yours?" 

Kate Bishop did not respond. 

"Please, Kate," he continued. "I really want to know where you see yourself in 15 years. Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Take your time, but don't tell me you don't know. I just want a response, any response. Is that too much to ask?"

Kate looked quietly at Dr. Saran. "I always wanted to do something good," she said. "I don't know specifically what, but I just wanted to do something that people would respect me for. All my life, I've been a nobody. I just wanted to be somebody."

*****

The Third Headquarters Squad (at least, everyone that wasn't Sarah Bishop, who had left) slowly turned towards each other, having extinguished the burning rooms.

"What do we do now?" Fireman asked, nervously. "We can't let them get to the base. We've got to hold it down."

"On the contrary," suggested Firecracker. "I say we just blow it up." Dynamite was clearly excited, but everyone else turned to him skeptically. "We'll place charges throughout the building," Firecracker explained. "If they get too close, we'll detonate them, and take them all down with us."

"You mean you'd risk your own life to blow up a building and kill a few bad guys?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course," replied Firecracker. "It's been years since I blew up anything of this magnitude. I'm excited."

*****

Zelda charged toward Cyrista's Bane as fast as she could, striking down any Mutant Lizard and injuring any other Mutant Dinos that crossed her path. Nazareno was just ahead of her, leaping from dino head to dino head, only swinging his katana to knock down Mutant Dinos that attack him.

Nazareno had said much on the subject, but Zelda could tell he was anticipating a confrontation with Matthew Vherestorm, now going by the name of Blaire Darkling. He wanted to achieve a final triumph over his longtime rival. Zelda was determined to aid Nazareno's in his mission however possible.

However, instead of looking for Darkling, who still had XERRD's operatives attacking the Dino Attack Team, they were taking on Cyrista's Bane. Despite Nazareno's grudge with Darkling, Cyrista's Bane was the bigger issue and annoyance plaguing them, besides an invincible Dr. Rex-puppet. She still wished to tell how she felt toward Nazareno, but the battle around continued to interrupt her.

As she stomped on a Mutant Lizard's head, she saw a blond-haired man with a torn-up Dino Attack uniform and a Z-1 Kinetic Launcher being surrounded by Mutant Lizards. Zelda diverted her path briefly to go aid the agent. Zelda slammed her katana down on to a fire-breathing Lizard's torso and kicked away an acid-spitting Lizard. She sliced up three more Lizards while the agent shot away two more. Zelda jammed her sword into the last Mutant Lizard's mouth before turning to the agent.

His blond hair was unkept and messy and, although he might have been handsome once, his face was now sunken with bags under his eyes. His uniform was torn up, but it looked as though those tears were caused months ago. "Are you alright?" Zelda asked urgently, quickly glancing toward Nazareno, who was quickly approaching Cyrista's Bane.

"Yeah," the man grumbled, ruffling his hair slightly with a hand.

Zelda stared for a moment until she realized who this was. "Verrat?" Zelda asked, extremely surprised. The man's eyes widened. "Is that you?"

"I... yeah. It's me, Verrat," the man said, examining Zelda more closely. "You look familiar. I just can't place my finger on it."

"It's me, Zelda, remember?" Zelda continued. "We were both on LEGO Island. Before you went missing."

Verrat nodded in recognition. "Ah, I remember now. Frodongan, wasn't it?" Zelda nodded. Verrat smiled weakly and seemed to reminiscing. "You had a red streak in your hair back then. And didn't use swords."

"Well, a lot happened since LEGO Island."

"I know." Verrat chuckled quietly. "I remember thinking you were a pretty-looking girl."

"Oh," Zelda's face turned bright red. "Well, I.... uh, thanks. Um... how did you get here? Where did you even go?"

"I was captured by XERRD," he said, looking around, becoming uncomfortable. "They... uh, let me go out here. Probably to get killed. But I found a Z-1 Kinetic Launcher and I've been trying to get to the headquarters."

"Well, I can help you-"

"No, thanks," Verrat said quickly. He gestured to his weapon. "I think I can make it back."

Zelda raised an eyebrow, but let his nervousness pass as simply not being with his teammates for a long time. "Alright, I suppose." She smiled at him. "It was nice to see you again, Verrat. I'm glad XERRD didn't kill you or convert you."

Verrat's fingers tapped against his gun nervously. "Yeah... I... you too. Glad to see you again, Zelda." He shook his head briefly, as if to clear his mind, and ran past Zelda, his destination the Dino Attack Headquarters.

Zelda watched him go briefly before looking back toward Cyrista's Bane. She would have to meet up with Verrat later. Now, there was a cyborg Mutant T-Rex to beat.

*****

Lord Sam Sinister von Barron could hear the distant sounds of battle. He felt Dino Attack Headquarters shake as though it were caught in the middle of an earthquake. Between the explosions in the battlefield and the thunderclaps in the heavens, it might as well have been an earthquake. Still, Lord Sam Sinister walked with an unwavering regal air as he passed through the Dino Attack prison complex.

Chuckling to himself, Lord Sinister contemplated how, only a short time ago, he had been locked in one of these cells. Now, he had returned, but not as a prisoner. Stopping outside one cell, Sam Sinister cleared his throat to get the attention of the cell's occupant: an overweight hunter wearing a dark-gray jacket and a brown fedora.

Jacques Cunningham looked up and was surprised to see him. "Lord Sinister!" he stammered. "I-"

"Quiet!" hissed Lord Sinister. "Do you want to alert the entire Dino Attack Team to what I'm about to do?" With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys that he had stolen. As soon as the cell door was open, the Lord von Barron rushed inside, grabbed Mr. Cunningham by the jacket, and pulled him out of the cell.

"My lord," Mr. Cunningham said as he shook his head, "it ain't my fault that I failed to capture the alpha female T-Rex-"

"Well then, mis amigos. I cannot say that I am surprised to see you here, Señor de Barron."

Lord Sam Sinister stiffened. He scowled as he turned to face the occupant of another cell, who was wearing a clean and expensive white suit, and immediately recognized him as none other than Señor Palomar.

"Enjoying those bars, Palomar?" inquired Sinister. "They're quite fitting for you. I imagine you'll need to get used to them, for you'll be seeing them for a long time."

"I hope you're proud of yourself," retorted Palomar. "You're a lying, cheating scum of a lord. I offered you a chance to make a name for yourself back on Adventurers' Island, and instead you saw to my fall while you profit from it. You're a dishonorable man, Lord Sinister."

"You can always trust a dishonorable man to be dishonorable," said Lord Sinister, smirking. "It's the honorable ones who always do something stupid. Evidently, as I'm not the one behind bars and you were captured thanks to me, I must not be the so-called honorable one."

"You act as though the Adventurers' Island mission was your victory," said Palomar, scowling. "You act as though the Dino Attack Team should honor and respect you. Evidently, as tu amigo Cunningham just described, you deserve none of it. You sent one of your henchmen to hunt the alpha female T-Rex after our little talk in the XERRD Fortress, knowing fully well that the Dino Attack Team sought her allegiance. It does not take a Frank Einstein to determine that you were... convinced by me to join XERRD, but cowardly backed out at the last moment in the Maelstrom Temple when you thought you could profit from the other side."

"Oh, is that what this is all about?" mused Lord Sinister. He chuckled softly. "I'm no Evil Ogel, but even I can mastermind plots and manipulate others to benefit me in the end. For you see, Señor, during our little... discussion in the XERRD Fortress, I overheard you giving orders to Doctor... ah, Doctor Penta Gonepus, was it? You were intent upon either killing the alpha female queen... or worse, corrupting her. Now, while it is indeed quite true that I intend to add her stuffed body to my trophy collection one day, that is not the reason I ordered Cunningham to hunt her."

"What?" said Mr. Cunningham, blinking. "Lord Sinister, I ain't followin' here..."

Lord Sam Sinister placed his hand on Mr. Cunningham's shoulder. "I had only a short amount of time to act, and so I did what any man of power would do in my position... I called upon my own men to do the dirty work. I needed to ensure that Hexa Gonepus would never complete the mission, but I could not afford to waste time filling Cunningham in with the details. He's far too dimwitted to get it, anyway."

"Excuse me?" growled Cunningham, frowning as he balled his hands into fists.

Ignoring Cunningham, the Lord von Barron continued: "I gave him the orders to follow Rex, Claw, and the savage to the Ugalego temple and to set up traps to catch the alpha female T-Rex. I'm not naive enough to believe that she would simply leave her temple and walk into a trap; the traps would never have worked... trust me, I know from experience. However, Octo Gonepus would never see it coming. He'd walk into those traps. I saved the alpha female's life, and Dino Attack Team has me to thank."

"I don't believe it," snorted Señor Palomar.

"You see," Lord Sam Sinister said with a smirk, "you could say that I was being dishonorable... in order to be honorable. As for now... there's a lot of dinosaurs out there, and Mr. Cunningham and I are going on a hunting trip. It's open season for dinosaurs, after all!"

*****

It worked. It had taken what seemed like forever, but B felt on top of his game. As the two halves of Kabrinsky's Pride joined together again and started driving back to the battlefield, B was startled by a crackle of static in his headset, and then he heard a voice.

"This message is intended for you only, B, and so you're the only one who can hear it. You've messed up my plans for the last time, and this time you won't get away without paying the price. You know the restaurant on Brick Ave? Well, right now it's in the bad part of town, so be careful. I wouldn't want you dying prematurely, now, would I?"

"Anyone else hear that?" asked B.

"Hear what, B?" said Sam.

"The old diner on Brick Ave," said B. "Apparently, I made someone very mad, and he wants me to die."

"Well," said Sam, "he hasn't checked your past track record, then, has he?"

B grinned. "Exactly. Whoever that moron is, he severely underestimates what he's dealing with."

The voice crackled into his headset again. "One last thing," it said. "Come alone or not at all. If you try, you will regret it."

"Okay," said B, rolling his eyes. "Apparently, said moron wants me to go alone. I'll bite. You guys follow when I give the word."

"Okay," said Chris, "but what's the codeword?"

B shrugged. "I don't know, but expect lots of profanities." 

*****

Shiller was carefully being placed in the side of the room on his stretcher. Crusher carefully placed the containers for the chest tube next to him. As the doctors took a moment to catch their breath, Pierce looked around. Copper and Crusher were busy checking on the other patients. Carver was back with Hertz, holding his hand tightly and trying to comfort him.

"Hey," said a voice from behind her suddenly. Carver turned to see the familiar face of Shaw. "Is this man close to you?"

Carver nodded.

Shaw slowly took a seat with her. "I know how it feels," she said. "I had a lover once, a doctor, like myself."

"What happened to him?" Carver asked.

"He got infected," replied Shaw. "Some form of goo. He accidentally drank some and it started messing up his face. It turned him into a Mutant Dino; we had to torch him."

"I'm sorry," Carver said sympathetically.

There were tears visible in Shaw's eyes, but she managed to keep them suppressed. Slowly she reached for her cross. "I can say a prayer for him, if you want."

"I don't think we'll need that," replied Carver.

"I know," said Shaw. "I don't want to force it on you. I just feel that right now we can use all the help we can get."

"Everything alright?" said a voice from behind. The two women turned to see a tall, dark-haired woman holding a clipboard.

"Yes," replied Shaw nervously. "Doctor...?"

"Hale," the woman introduced herself. "Naomi Hale. You are...?"

"Noomi Shaw. This is Naomi Carver."

Carver looked up in surprise. Hale didn't seem to take much notice, but Shaw seemed slightly confused by the similar first names. 

*****

Epic Winston had waited until Wright and the medics were safely inside, and then turned back toward the battle.

He could now see the cybernetic T-Rex that that had inspired so much panic over the comms, further down the street. He tightened his grip on his broadsword and took off in a sprint again. Had he been an action hero of some sort, he might have had some clever one-liner to throw out at his invisible unknown audience -- "Time for some real fun," or "Let's try this on for size," perhaps. Had he been a nigh-invincible, godlike figure, he might have howled a battle cry.

But he was human, a man who had just lost his brother, and he had grown hoarse. So the only thing that filled his mind was grim determination.

Because the only thing left that mattered was the fight, and the Rage.

*****

It was cold up in the storm. As the Titanium Predator swept low over the battlefield, Solomon spotted the incredible mixture of elements below him. The philosopher had glimpsed many battles in his life; he had fought in the ninja conflict in 1998 and battled the Maelstrom valiantly in Nexus force. Compared to what he saw below him, the wars he had fought seemed clean in comparison.

It was in the inherent nature of fighting beasts that blood would be spilled. The Mutant Dinosaurs fought with teeth and claw, flesh was ripped from bone and bloody gashes would be slashed across the victims. Every aspect of gore imaginable was present; as fangs were dug into bodies of the good men fighting, Solomon could not help but hear the screams of anguish below. It was not a clean, civilized war. Dinosaurs did not feel sympathy toward their victims, nor did they show mercy. Unlike fighting a human adversary, a dinosaur could not be taught reason; a man could not plead for compassion from a crazy monster. There was no soul in the eyes of a mutant; only violence and heartlessness. Where men would be sickened by the calamity before them, a dinosaur would bathe in the blood.

There was no restraint, no sign of humanity or reservation. All a Mutant Dinosaur would do is dig its teeth into a body and rip. There is no honor in this war, thought Solomon, Man devolves, becomes primal and bloodthirsty. No better than the monsters they fight. 

Two titans loomed among the crowd. Like colossuses, they dominated all in their domain, reaping death destruction in their wake. Darkness followed the first of the two beasts. Like a torrent of evil, he stalked the battlefield, killing and wreaking havoc. Not a soul stood a chance against Dr. Rex's power. The doctor's mouth burned with a black fire issuing forth from his inner furnace. Purple energy shot from his eyes and obliterated a helicopter that was unwise enough to make an attack. The craft spiraled across the plaza before crashing into the ground in a fiery mushroom cloud. 

Dr. Rex roared. It was not a sound of anger but more a scream of suffering.

As Solomon observed the cloud of foulness surrounding the doctor swell, he knew at once how far his former colleague had truly fallen. While he knew Dr. Rex had been slipping in sanity for the last few months, he now understood that there no longer any fragment of the man he once knew. The doctor was now an empty shell of a T-Rex; he was no more than a pawn now, a rabid dog turned loose.

Solomon's ideology was to believe men had great potential to be good. Although he had often been let down, the philosopher had tried to see the best in people. His standards had lowered significantly over his lifetime and he now had grown accustomed to the horrors humanity was capable of unleashing. Despite his philosophy, Solomon felt pity for the doctor. By all accounts, Dr. Rex deserved to die, but no one deserved to suffer like him. 

After Dr. Rex was Cyrista's Bane. Unlike Dr. Rex, there was no lunacy in the cyborg's eyes, only the cold red calculations of a mechanized mind. While the mad doctor obliterated everything, Solomon observed how Cyrista's Bane prioritized targets. It contemplated and reviewed. It was cunning and, in some ways, more dangerous than Dr. Rex. 

Solomon picked up his helmet and grabbed his sword. This next fight would hurt, a lot. With both shoulders injured, it would hinder his ability to swing his weapon. Every twist of his blade would cause him pain. Pain was something he had felt before, he would just have to learn to tolerate more. 

I'm getting too old for this, thought Solomon. There was a time when I embraced the way of warrior; now, I'm sick of it.

With the Reclaimer above him, Solomon once again splashed down to the rain-soaked pavement. He nodded to Nazareno and the drivers of the Urban Avengers before taking his position beside them. Cyrista's Bane was coming. It was time to take it down.

"Dr. Cyborg, the power plant is ready. The generators are exposed. You can commence your plan now," Kara radioed in.

"Thank you," Dr. Cyborg replied. "Solomon, you ready?"

Solomon shrugged, with some difficulty due to his injuries. "Well, as ready as I'll ever be with only an hour or so of rest. Thanks for picking me up, though."

"You're welcome." Dr. Cyborg turned on the radio. "X1, begin the plan."

"Yes, sir."

*****

X1 turned the key in the ignition of her Steel Sprinter. She reached directly behind her head and pulled out her electrostaff, turning it on as she brandished it in her right hand. She steered her Steel Sprinter toward Cyrista's Bane with her left hand. As she passed his leg, she whipped it at his largest toe, shocking him slightly, irritating him.

Cyrista's Bane roared, and chased after her, shooting at her with his eyebeams. X1 steered to the side quickly, and the eyebeams melted the pavement beside her. She continued in this fashion, until he got a lucky shot. The rear tires on her Steel Sprinter melted to the street.

As Cyrista's Bane came closer, she sheathed her electrostaff and drew her katana. She slashed the rubber off of the wheels and kept going. Cyrista's Bane shot his claw-tail at X1, but missed and grabbed her Steel Sprinter by accident. The sudden shock flung X1 over the handlebars of the ATV. She crashed to the ground. Cyrista's Bane fired his eyebeams at her.

UlTech Infiltrators are among the toughest machines on the planet. However, anything can be forgiven for shutting down under the circumstances X1 was in. She had gotten two sudden stops in five minutes, one flinging her 10 feet high and 15 feet forward to the hard, unforgiving pavement, and having laser beams fired at her. It was too much. She shut down for self-repairs, unsure if she would ever come online again.

Luckily, she had reached her assigned point. Helm peeled out of a parking garage a few feet away. His gunner, Giles, started firing the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at Cyrista's Bane just as he was about to crush X1. Cyrista's Bane roared, irritated.

Helm pushed the gas pedal to the floor, and the speedometer needle jumped to 100. Helm and Giles's Fire Hammer raced off, with a certain mechanical monstrosity in pursuit. The vehicle went as fast as possible, but Cyrista's Bane was catching up. Giles shot a decrepit office building they were passing. The building collapsed and fell on the T-Rex, tripping him and burying him in a mountain of rubble.

"Dr. Cyborg, I'm not sure you will need your plan. We just buried him in 6 feet of concrete," Helm radioed in.

"Yes, we still need that plan. He will get back out in five… four..." Dr. Cyborg couldn't see where they were, so he could not watch and see when Cyrista's Bane came out. "Three... two... one, and he's out!"

Helm was amazed. When Dr. Cyborg said "one", the mountain of rubble shifted, and Cyrista's Bane climbed out. He turned the Fire Hammer around, and drove off towards his next point wildly, trying to avoid eye-beams and his claw-tail. They made it without further incident, and Rotor and the crew of his T-1 Typhoon took over.

Cyrista's Bane paused for a second as the A.I. analyzed the T-1 Typhoon and told the T-Rex part of the conglomerate a strategy to take it down. Cyrista's Bane turned, and fired his claw-tail at the main rotor. Cabin tilted the stick quickly, and instead of the claw tangling up around the shaft and yanking the rotor off of the helicopter, it merely grazed the ends of the rotors, shooting up sparks. The biomechanical behemoth used an age-old strategy for Mutant T-Rex vs. T-1 Typhoon: use your lasers. He looked up, and shot. However, by this time the T-1 Typhoon had turned and fled, the sounds of "Ode to Joy" trailing behind it.

With a roar of annoyance at all the running prey, although he was pleased that they were running from him, he chased after the helicopter. When the street the helicopter was flying over intersected the street that led directly to the power plant, Rotor told Cabin to leave. The helicopter veered right. The only thing stopping Cyrista's Bane from chasing it was the new ship that had arrived and claimed his attention: the Reclaimer.

The Reclaimer discharged a short burst from its multi-purpose laser at Cyrista's Bane, angering him even more. The enraged Mutant T-Rex chased after the Reclaimer, roaring and shooting his lasers at it all the while. Now, it might usually seem like a bad idea to enrage a normal Mutant T-Rex, let alone a super-powerful cyborg Mutant T-Rex. However, this cyborg Mutant T-Rex was smarter than normal Mutant T-Rexes, for, as previously mentioned, part of the mechanical augmentations was installing an A.I. in him. Also, part of the genetic augmentations was making him smarter, by himself, than normal Mutant T-Rexes. If he was not in an enraged state, he might have noticed that his prey deserted him when new prey arrived, or that the prey would run in specific directions. In short, he might have noticed he was being led somewhere.

The Reclaimer continued on, reaching the last point, where Kara would hand off her job to Nazareno, Solomon, a group of Urban Avengers, and some other random agents who wanted to help. However, just as she reached the point and was turning away, for a split second, Cyrista's Bane had a view of the cockpit. He concentrated, aimed, and fired his eye-beams at Kara.

The cockpit window's light diffraction coating, meant to help the pilot from being blinded in space (where there is no atmosphere to diffract light) and to prevent damage from sudden flashes of light, broke up the concentration of light in the beam, but it still held enough energy to cause severe burns on the outside of her body and less severe burns on the inside of her body. She fainted from the pain and damage to her body. The ship started to veer off course and crash into a Brik-Mart, until Cortana(1) seized control and continued to travel away from the battle towards the Dino Attack HQ, intending to get medical help for her.

The plan had worked so far. Cyrista's Bane had been drawn to the power plant, without him suspecting anything. Nazareno and Solomon scampered all over the mechanized mutant, slicing at his thick skin. No cuts were made, but they scratched his skin and irritated him more. While this was going on, Zelda sneaked behind Cyrista's Bane into the control room for the generators. "Dr. Cyborg, which button did you say to push?" she asked via the earpiece she had.

"The green button injects the plasma fuel into the reactors, and the red button starts the reactors. Do it now."

"Right." Zelda found the two buttons Dr. Cyborg talked about, and pushed them in the order he mentioned them. She could hear a hum as the generators started up. "Alright, Dr. Cyborg, I started the generators, they are initializing now."

"Thank you," he replied, "now get out of there. When the generators overload, it'll kill you if you are in there." She complied and ran out.

Onboard the Titanium Predator, Dr. Cyborg shifted into combat mode and climbed into the Cryothermic Cannon. "Everybody, abandon the battle! I've got it from here!" he broadcast over the radio.

As everyone left, leaving Cyrista's Bane's attention focused solely on the Titanium Predator flying nearby, Dr. Cyborg adjusted the angle of the cannon so the shot would hit Cyrista's Bane's head.

"For X1, for Kara, for the entire Dino Attack team!" he murmured as he triggered the cannon and it fired him out of it.

If anyone asked him about it after the battle, he would firmly deny that his aerial acrobatics were for show. He would staunchly state that they were all necessary. However, let it be known that he's lying. He did it for drama. He spun a few times in the air, building up momentum, charging his cannon. He pulled out of his spin, flying directly for Cyrista's Bane.

He hit the Mutant T-Rex's snout with his legs, which he had locked straight. As soon as his legs made contact with the monstrous mechanized mutant, he shot the cannon at the armor right between his eyes. The force from the two blows knocked Cyrista's Bane back into the generators, cracking the shell. Electricity arced between his armor and the generators, burning his skin and frying the A.I.

Dr. Cyborg interfaced with the controls, shutting off the generators. He ran up to the broken biomechanical beast. This time, he was able to use the hormone injectors and knock him out.

Cortana(3) transferred from Dr. Cyborg to Cyrista's Bane, allowing her to talk to him, explaining Dr. Cyborg did not abandon him, and persuading him to fight with his creator. Cyrista's Bane agreed, only requesting to keep the name.

Dr. Cyborg sent a message over the radio. "I've done it. I've beaten Cyrista's Bane, and better yet, he will fight on our side!"

A cheer went up when Cyrista's Bane fell, and Epic Winston, despite the roughness of his throat, bellowed with the rest of them. Now, as the vehicles and agents who'd brought down the behemoth began to reorganize and turn back toward HQ to stabilize the defensive lines, he suddenly heard the honk of a Fire Hammer behind him. The driver, a middle-aged man with a woolen cap and a thick black walrus mustache, stuck his head out the window.

"Need a lift?" he asked.

Winston gratefully sprang over to the other side and jumped up into the cab. "Much obliged," he said, putting out his hand. "Epic Winston Grendelwulf."

The driver accepted the handshake. "I'm Helm," he replied, "and that's Giles." He jerked a thumb back towards the Xenon Multi-Mode launcher, and the gunner, who appeared to be wearing several oversized knitted scarves, nodded politely. "Now let's get back and win this," Helm said, stepping on the gas.

*****

Cheers were heard over the radio after Dr. Cyborg's announcement.

"That'll give us an edge for sure," Hotwire exclaimed.

"True," Larson responded, "but they'll have a MegaBlok of a time putting that power plant back together."

*****

"Wonderful," Katerina muttered from her current vantage point on another rooftop. "That will surely buy us some time."

Look, if this is so important, can't you at least explain what it is you're trying to do? said Kat, exasperated.

Katerina sighed. "Very well, if you must know..." 

*****

"Everybody okay out there?" Rotor shouted into the radio.

"I've taken serious damage on my chopper," reported Cabin. "That dang monster took off part of the main rotor blade. I'm not too sure about staying in the air much longer."

"Affirmative," replied Rotor. "Try and find a clear spot. I'll come and get you and the others."

Cabin complied and slowly brought the helicopter down onto the ground. A few minutes later, Rotor's Typhoon made its landing. Cabin climbed out of hers, and one by one her crew followed. Fortunately, there weren't too many so they had little trouble fitting inside. Cabin then worked her way into the cockpit, taking the seat as Rotor's new co-pilot. Within a few short minutes, the engines were started up, the rotors started spinning, and the chopper took off.

*****

As the Third Headquarters Squad walked through Dino Attack Headquarters, Dynamite fell behind, mumbling under his breath. Suddenly, the others heard Dynamite as he began laughing hysterically. "Hey guys, get a load o' this!" called the explosives expert.

"Dynamite, get back!" Elizabeth's eyes widened. "It's one of them Mutant Dinos!"

"I call 'im See," said Dynamite, who was grinning as he stroked the snout of a Mutant Raptor. "See, it's short for Velo-SEE-raptor!" He laughed as the Mutant Raptor gently nuzzled him. Although it was baring its teeth, the Mutant Raptor almost appeared to be smiling.

"It's too dangerous!" called Firecracker, pulling out a stick of dynamite. "Get out of the blast radius before I blow this lizard to kingdom come!"

The Mutant Raptor growled, but Dynamite patted the Mutant Dino. "Why?" said Dynamite, frowning. "Dinnae be mad. We're ol' friends, See an' me! Hah, we gonna do stuff together! We gonna defend points, steal an Oscar from a doctor, go on a treasure hunt in New Zealand, git captured by snipers an' hippies, win th' game by throwin' some hats on fire..."

"That's interesting," noted Fireman. "Look at this Mutant Raptor. I'm not sure, but it looks... different... from all the other ones." Indeed, this particular Raptor was smaller than its brethren, and it lacked features such as the head crests, with its overall anatomy appearing closer to a natural Velociraptor.

"It's sure acting friendly," mused Elizabeth.

"See?" said Dynamite, who had taken the bandana off his head and wrapped it around the head of the Mutant Raptor. "I told ya they were all a bunch o' wee lasses! Now it's on like..." He trailed off, apparently forgetting where he was going. See the Mutant Raptor didn't mind, and once again bared its teeth in a smile as Dynamite laughed.

"Fine, it can come with us," muttered Firecracker. "Now we have to get going quickly! We're not going to blow this taco stand if we sit around all day playing with this lizard!" Firecracker carefully took a moment to reach into his coat and begin removing explosives. "Now we got to find the weakest spots in this base. We'll need to install these all in key locations to ensure their destruction."

"What sort of locations would those be?" Angel Eyes asked.

"Well, for starters, every key location we have," replied Firecracker. "The planning room, the offices… ah, here's an important one right now."

Without stopping to think about what he was doing, Firecracker simply opened the door and walked into the lab. It was mostly empty, but remnants of experiments were still visible, test tubes, and notes and such.

"This looks like a perfect place to blow up," Firecracker muttered. "Hey Dynamite, give me a hand with the charges."

Dynamite stumbled toward Firecracker, who reached into his trenchcoat and removed a few dozen sticks of dynamite. "Let's get to work." 

*****

So much was lost in silence. As Hertz gazed at his surroundings in the improvised medical bunker, he missed all the small sounds that a man grows accustomed to: the echoes of little movements, the hum of the base generators, and the sound of his own breathing. Noomi Shaw was saying something that Hertz could not comprehend. He determined that he would have to learn to read lips if he ever hoped to continue with his life. 

What life? thought Hertz. I don't have any skills; my degrees in telecommunications and linguistics are worthless unless I recover. I can crack codes, but that's it!

Hertz had felt useless for a lot of his life. Now that he had a broken arm and was deaf, he did not have much he could contribute to the world. He expected he would have to communicate with sign language from now on, but considering no one else seemed to know sign language on the Dino Attack Team, it would accomplish nothing.

The medics in the room suddenly started jumping up and down in jubilation. The focus was drawn to a radio sitting on a table but, since Hertz could not hear the subject matter, he was clueless to the content. "WHAT IS THIS?" said Hertz loudly (though he did not think so). "WHAT HAPPENED?" 

Naomi Shaw reached for a whiteboard and uncapped the dry erase marker. She hastily scribbled out a short sentence. Cyrista's Bane is defeated. Dr. Cyborg brought it over to our side!

Hertz smiled for the first time since the explosion. If Cyrista's Bane was now fighting for the Dino Attack, the battle would now certainly turn. XERRD had no head, and now its greatest weapon was defeated. All that remained was Dr. Rex and the Maelstrom; while they were certainly powerful foes, Hertz believed in the team outside, and they were all good men and woman. If anyone could do it, they could. 

Naomi Carver sat at the foot of Hertz's bed. She was so beautiful, and Hertz was as clueless responding to her as he ever was. She had tenderly treated his wounds, and even now she held his hand. Hertz could see she was looking away at the radio, but the affection she now shown toward him was undeniable. Hertz had made a fool of himself before when it came to Naomi. He had often misread her and paid the price. He did not want to make that mistake again, so he took no chances. He took the whiteboard and wrote three words.

What is this?

Naomi looked at the whiteboard in confusion and then at Hertz. He frowned at her and wrote four more words on board.

Why are you here?

She looked at the words and took the board from his hands to write her own message two him. 

I don't understand

Hertz bit his lip. This is where things got confusing for him. He took the marker and started writing a long response.

After the rear guard camp, you were at my side.
After the temple, you were at my side.
When I came back from the island, you were at my side.
Now, you're at my side.
Is this love?

Naomi said nothing. She just stared at the five lines of text with absolutely no response. Hertz continued to bit his lip as he wiped the board clean and scribed his next message.

Every time I get hurt, you come to hold my hand.
Every time I try to draw close to you, I get pushed away.
I don't want to play this game anymore; do you love me or not?

Naomi ran her hands through her afro and sighed. She did not know what to do; Hertz could very well be her first serious relationship. She had tried to keep her distance, the commitment to him had been so powerful and it scared her. She had dated a lot of jerks before who had not treated her well; now Hertz had come along to treat her like she was worth something, and Naomi did not know how to act. She had never had a bond like this before, and she was afraid. 

She had run away, she tried to act like she did around other men, but Hertz was different. He truly cared about her feelings and, as a result, she cared about his. Unlike other men where the connection was only physical, her feelings for Hertz were truly something more. The nurse had tried to make the relationship like all the rest, but Hertz had truly been persistent. She was drawn to him because of it, not necessarily intentionally, but it had happened nonetheless. Her brain tried to keep her away from just another shallow lowlife, but her heart told her she should keep getting closer. Maybe she should lower her defenses and let Hertz in; perhaps it was time to give her heart a chance. 

Shaw smiled as she looked at Naomi. Slowly she sat down next to them, and put her hands together in a prayer formation. Quietly, she started to whisper something. 

Naomi took the whiteboard from Hertz's hands and wrote ten words:

I'm sorry I pushed you away.
I do love you

*****

"Whoaaaaaaaaa, whoa, whoa whoa, for the longest time-"
"Take that, XERRD! ...or Typhonus!... Or... who exactly controlled Cyrista's Bane?"
"Doesn't matter. What matters is that he was our enemy, and now he's not. Defeat means friendship, simple as that."
"I'm pretty sure it's not as simple as that."
"Friendship is pretty magical, though."
"Bad news, guys. Gonepus is still kicking and he's basically destroying everything in sight with his little gun."
"I reckon we should call him Hexapus as a catchy, military-like codename. Cause he's like an octopus, only with six limbs instead of eight."
"I think he's after some Urban Avenger."
"Wait, isn't that the Space Police officer that was taken out by a Mutant Raptor?"

Holly Vinyaya's pushed her foot down hard on the gas as an enraged Paulie Gonepus pursued her, firing his Maelaser at her. Thanks to her Space Police skills, she managed to have her Urban Avenger evade every shot. Which clearly irritated Gonepus.

While Gonepus was primarily targeting Vinyaya, anything vehicle that cross its path was obliterated by the Maelaser. Naturally, several Fire Hammers began to pursue Gonepus. The mad scientist turned his head back and scowled. His mechanical arms collapsed beneath him, and he turned and faced the Fire Hammers. Vinyaya turned sharply to see what Gonepus was doing, only for her mouth to open in awe.

Four Fire Hammers were surrounding Gonepus, circling him menacingly and calling for his surrender. Gonepus smirked and fired the Maelaser at the cab of one, disintegrating the driver. The Fire Hammer behind it rammed into the ruins and crumpled the engine block. Gonepus quickly blasted that Fire Hammer and, ending the lives of the passengers in it.

Gonepus quickly turned toward the other two Fire Hammers, which broke out of the circle and fired Xenon blasts at him. Gonepus charged toward one Fire Hammer, and his mechanical arms pushed him off the ground and onto the hood. Gonepus killed the turret operator before moving toward the Xenon Launcher, aiming it downward at the cab, and opening fire. However, the driver jumped out of the cab and rolled away before it exploded.

Gonepus snarled and jumped down to the Dino Attack agent that had escaped her death. He grabbed her throat with one mechanical arm and pulled her toward him.

"So!" Gonepus bellowed. "You were not content with being cooked in your little jeep?" The agent desperately tried to pull herself away from Gonepus to no avail. "You would've been cooked to perfection. You know nothing of good food!" Gonepus quickly broke the woman's neck before blasting her with the Maelaser.

Gonepus turned to the other Fire Hammer, which was now turning to flee. Like a spider, Gonepus quickly moved with his tentacles and feet toward the Fire Hammer's side. His mechanical appendages slide underneath the Fire Hammer's body. With a short grunt, Gonepus lifted the Fire Hammer into the air. He then turned toward Vinyaya, a malicious smirk on his face as he flung the Fire Hammer at her Urban Avenger.

Vinyaya quickly detached the Cosmotronic Ray hanging on her rollcage and dived to the side as the Fire Hammer slammed into the Urban Avenger, destroying both vehicles. Vinyaya panted as she stood up and pointed the Cosmotronic Ray at Gonepus.

Paulie Gonepus was quick. Using his mechanical appendages, he backflipped toward Vinyaya, dodging each attack before stomping hard on Vinyaya's chest, pinning her to the ground. "And now," Gonepus sneered, learning in close. "You will die! I'M-A-FIRIN-"

Vinyaya didn't let him finish his battle cry, instead opting for punching him in the face. As he stumbled back, clutching his sunglasses, Vinyaya crawled to her feet, found her Cosmotronic Ray and managed to get one shot off before being knocked down by Gonepus's tentacle.

Gonepus roared in anger as Vinyaya bit her tongue as the right side of her face stung with pain at Gonepus's attack. Slowly crawling to her feet, she saw Gonepus without his sunglasses, as they laid on the ground, split in two. His eyes were small and beady. But that wasn't what was making him angry. He was looking at the remains of one of his tentacles, destroyed by Vinyaya's Cosmotronic blast.

Gonepus gave Vinyaya a look of pure fury. "You! You!" was all he screamed. He pointed the Maelaser at Vinyaya with his left hand and hoisted himself back into the air with his remaining tentacle. "Perhaps you don't deserve a quick and painless death. I was going to shoot you in the head. You would've been out like a light. But now..." Gonepus spun the Maelaser in his hand. "I'm going make sure you suffer before you die."

Vinyaya fired another shot that Gonepus easily dodged. "Nothing you could do," Vinyaya hissed, firing repeatedly at Gonepus, "could ever amount to what that Mutant Raptor did to me. Give me your worst."

Gonepus bared his teeth at Vinyaya. "With pleasure." With that, he landed back on his two feet and charged at Vinyaya. Vinyaya scowled and charged as well, determined to have Paulie Gonepus see his end. 

*****

The T-1 Typhoon landed on one of the helicopter landing pads atop the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters' garage. With Dr. Rex and the Mutant Dino army moving closer with every second, it would not be a safe place for long, but an announcement over the radio made it clear that anyone who needed to be evacuated quickly had to return to Dino Attack Headquarters immediately.

The elite agent who piloted the T-1 Typhoon shoved Andrew Jackson off the helicopter. The mad arsonist was now wearing a balaclava that covered most of his face and muffled all his rambling to incomprehensible mumbling; he did not seem to even notice, for he kept on talking anyway. A few more agents took the stretcher carrying Amanda's body and took it off the helicopter, ready to bring it to the morgue. Only Rex did not move, still staring straight ahead with unwavering empty eyes.

They were greeted by Shannon Grimton, who, despite being confined to a wheelchair, made it her personal duty to help all Dino Attack agents at the headquarters. She was clearly overworking herself, but she did not let that deter her, instead becoming even more determined. Shannon looked solemnly at the stretcher as it passed by, knowing fully well what the shroud-covered body meant. Looking into the helicopter, she saw Rex sitting there, unmoving. "Excuse me," she stopped the elite agent pilot, "is that elite agent Rex?"

The pilot nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately, he's been completely unresponsive, and I don't think he's going to budge."

"Where's his hover-chair?" inquired Shannon.

The pilot sighed and shook his head. "We were unable to recover it when we rescued him."

Shannon raised an eyebrow. "Well then, regardless of whether or not he is suffering PTSD, he's completely immobile unless we find him a wheelchair. I've got a spare wheelchair in my room; keep an eye on Rex until I get back."

"With all due respect, agent Grimton," the pilot said with a frown, "but it would be faster if I were to retrieve the wheelchair. Besides, you look like you've been working a lot... take a breather for a moment."

Sighing, Shannon nodded, knowing that he was right. She quickly gave directions to her room and where to find the spare wheelchair. When the other elite agent departed, Shannon wheeled herself as close to the T-1 Typhoon as she could manage. She looked up at Rex, who made no motion to show that he was even aware of her. "Rex," murmured Shannon, "I know you don't want to hear this, and there's nothing I can say or do that will ameliorate things, but... I truly am sorry to hear about Amanda."

Rex was silent. However, despite his blank expression and his complete lack of movement, his mind was far from empty. Instead, thoughts bounced around inside his head like gas particles inside a container, speeding up and rising in pressure as the container is heated by a Bunsen burner.

Amanda is dead.
Lust for revenge!
Trouble is dead.
Set the world on fire!
Everyone is dying out there.
Make Builder pay!
They are to blame!
Monsters, freaks, abominations!
Kill every last one of these sons of MegaBloks.
They killed them!
Revenge!
Fire!
Amanda died.
There is no hope anymore.
Lost.
Trouble was killed by his creators.
Innocence is dead.
Lost.
Then I defy you, stars!
Burn it all!
No.
Their deaths will not be in vain.
They died for a cause.
Amanda, Trouble, Adventure, King Race...
Everyone out there who is fighting and dying...
They fight for freedom.
They cannot lose.
Not to chaos.
I will not let them.
No.
I will not.
I shall see to it that they win.
I shall see to it that they are avenged.
I shall see to it that the Maelstrom suffers in MegaBlokland for all eternity.
I shall see to it that I have my revenge.

Rex's features hardened as a shadow passed over his face. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. For the first time since he was rescued by the T-1 Typhoon, he spoke, and with every word, he felt the lustful fires of revenge burning inside of him as the faces of Amanda, Trouble, and all those who had died in this war passed through his mind.

"This has been more than anyone can bear," whispered Rex, "but we will persevere." 

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 68: Worsening Odds

----

"You're pulling my leg off. That cyborg thing is on our side?!"
"Hah-ha! Our list of pet monsters just keeps getting bigger and bigger!"
"Omaigawsh, that Gonepus's gun is horrible! Disintegrations, eggh! I hate that!"
"Who's leading XERRD now? Gonepus?"
"I think it's the Darkling fellow."
"Dr. Cyborg was part of XERRD. Maybe he can convince them to let him lead!"
"After taking control of that Cyrista's Bane, I'm supporting anything he wants to try."
"Is that a gunslinger riding on a Mutant Lizard out there?"

"Oh wow, what a reversal of fortune!" said Laxus. "Alpha Team comes in, Dr. Cyborg tames Cyrista's Bane… man, what's next?"

"I have no idea," said Andrew, "but the odds sure are stacking up in our favor. Let's just hope things stay like that."

With the forces drawn closer to HQ in their last bids to defend it (in spite of the charge Dr. Rex was leading), the Mutant Dinos were gaining more ground to try and push the Dino Attack vehicles aside. The team was holding up, but some of the organization was fraying at the edges, with most of the T-1 Typhoons still recovering from having the Cyrista's Bane affair taken care of and the extended absence of Hertz and his communications team.

Currently, Andrew was doing his best to help the T-1 Typhoons get full understanding of the situation on the ground-based front lines. Zach and Minerva were busy trying to get Athena back to HQ for evacuation, and Dr. Cyborg was still cleaning things up over at the Power Station site, so he was mostly alone in this job.

"B's going off to handle some challenger who has a personal problem with him, it seems," Hotwire was saying. "And just to inform anyone who was curious, Kat's... gone rogue. In a nutshell, she's still got a bit of Katerina in her, and she's gone off on her own to try something."

"Katerina appears to be an intelligent woman from what I've seen of her," said Rotor. "I wouldn't worry too much about her, but if she is going to try something suicidal, you have my sympathies."

"Same here," said Andrew. "Keep up the good work out there, and once Zach comes back, we're sure to have everything together to push even Dr. Rex back!"

"I don't know about that," said Cabin, "but I see your point. Good luck down there."

"Same to you."

Andrew focused now on several Mutant Raptors hounding his Fire Hammer on the left side of the vehicle. Catless and Pterisa were doing well enough picking them off, but they were insistent on hitting the vehicle. It was becoming a large level of concern.

"Darn it, it's taking too long to shoot them with their shields up!" Catless said with frustration.

"I can't get a shot from this side of the vehicle!" Laxus was saying. "Geeze, I'm wishing Minerva was still with us right now."

"And I'm driving," said Andrew, "so I can't exactly wield a large Cosmotronic Ray right now. Just keep them off, an-"

POP!

The Fire Hammer suddenly jerked to the front-left side, making the LEGO Islander lunge over the wheel and leave the horn honking for several seconds before he managed to collect himself. Taking a moment to open his door window, he poked his head out briefly before ducking back in. It took about two seconds, but it was enough to find the problem.

One of the Mutant Raptors had managed to pop the front-left wheel. This left the craft heavily off-balance, and made steering, especially to the left, an incredibly difficult task. The wheel well was grinding loudly from being dragged across the road, and it was surely getting ruined the more the Fire Hammer moved at the speed it was going.

Logically, Andrew had two options: Find a new vehicle, or replace the wheel. Both were insanely difficult given the circumstances, but the former more so due to the scarcity of an empty vehicle that wasn't torn to bits. That meant he would have to do the latter.

"What's happening?" Pterisa asked.

"We've got a popped tire," said Andrew. "Under the circumstances, we're going to have to get it replaced, and fast."

"In the middle of a battle zone?!" cried out Catless. "Are you nuts?"

"We don't have any easier options. Look, there's a downed Fire Hammer up to our right. I'll pull up to it, get out, pull off a wheel, then we can get the thing propped up on some bricks so we can pull the old one off and attach the new one."

"We've done it before on Adventurers' Island," said Laxus. "It's a bit more difficult here, but I think we can do it again."

"Alright," said Catless. "I'll keep cover from up here. You guys get to work."

"I'll assist however I can," said Pterisa.

"Good to hear," said Andrew as he managed to get the Fire Hammer to turn and brake at the downed vehicle of the same brand. It looked to be sawed in half vertically by some kind of powerful laser, but its wheels were still intact and okay for use.

After coming to a screeching halt, Andrew and Laxus piled out of the vehicle, guns blazing at the remaining Mutant Raptors still on their tail. Then they ran for the broken Fire Hammer.

After taking off the hubcap holding the wheel in place, the two friends grabbed the wheel on the front right side. After a count to three, they pulled on the thing as hard as they could, slowly sliding it off the Technic rod it rested on. The vehicle wreck creaked as they did so, its balance being rocked as the wheel was detached.

As the pair finally slid the wheel off the rod, letting it fall on its side on the ground, the broken half of the Fire Hammer shifted to lying on the ground by its front end and the back wheel, producing a sizable thunk! as it did so. Still focused on their task, Andrew and Laxus didn't notice as the moved to pull the wheel back up straight and began to wheel it back to their Fire Hammer.

They did notice the results of the "thunk" when they heard Catless's turret thumping over them, and turned to see a Mutant Stegosaurus approaching them. The two quickly moved to finish moving the wheel to the relative safety of their vehicle.

As they leaned the wheel on the side of the vehicle, they turned just in time to see a Mutant Raptor charging right for Andrew. The Elite Agent quickly ducked, letting the giant lizard slam into the hull headfirst, putting a bit of a dent on the driver-side door. Andrew reached for the laser rifle he had left on his back, but as he drew it, the Mutant Raptor regained its composure and knocked the weapon out of his hands with its head.

The Raptor reared its head and prepared to lunge at him with its teeth, but before it could do so, a lightning bolt struck square in the top of the head. The creature shook from the electrocution, and was quickly knocked down as Pterisa swooped in and kicked it right in the noggin. The Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid then got to Andrew's side and pulled him up.

"Whoo, thanks," said Andrew. "Guess I should've watched myself better."

"Don't worry," she said with a smirk, "I've got your back. Now get back to work on that wheel."

"Yes, ma'am," said Andrew in a cocky tone. The two smiled for a second before Andrew ran back to the chopped Fire Hammer, needing some bricks for the job of holding the vehicle up during the wheel change.

*****

Mort had boarded Swerve's Iron Predator after his Solar Speeder had failed to survive a run-in with a pair of Mutant Triceratops, and was now putting the Cryothermic Cannon through its paces. Swerve himself, meanwhile, had his hands full, between monitoring comm chatter and picking off smaller targets with the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher.

He'd been listening in on the Elites-only channel, but hadn't said much so far -- due to his lengthy absence, he didn't feel his words would be received with the same weight afforded to more recent promotions, such as Semick, Hotwire (That kid sure went places, he thought), or Andrew. He heard the latter describing the situation on the ground, and finally put in his own two cents.

"Andrew's right. Whatever you can spare, send 'em to back us up. The line's getting weaker, and this is the worst possible time to let our guard down."

*****

The Fire Hammer skidded across the wet road, splashing a large puddle and sending water flying into the air. As the Fire Hammer lacked a windshield and a roof, Frozeen and Sam Race were soaked to the bone by now from all the heavy rain, while Greybeard's pirate longcoat was waterproof enough to keep his clothes underneath dry.

"Come on!" Frozeen said through gritted teeth. "We need to intercept the Mutant Dino army heading to Dino Attack Headquarters! Maybe we can incapacitate a few dozen Mutant Lizards before they reach the building!"

As the Fire Hammer turned down Christiansen Street, lighting flashed directly overhead, immediately followed by the great crack of thunder, roaring above the howling wind like a massive explosion. The brief second of light provided by the flash lit up the area around them, and even Greybeard could see the movement of many Mutant Dinos. They were not all marching down one street, but their numbers were so great that they were forced to swarming down whichever path was available. Frozeen shuddered to think of what happened to the front lines in order to allow so many Mutant Dinos to break through.

Although Frozeen heard cries of triumph over the radio regarding the apparent defeat (and subsequent allegiance) of the so-called Cyrista's Bane, the cybernetic Mutant T-Rex that he had heard so much about but never actually saw in battle, he could tell that victory was still not in their grasp. "Looks like we've got a massive dino rush on our hands," reported the Alpha Team agent. "I suggest we start falling back to headquarters before it's too late."

"Fire th' cannon, me hearty!" shouted Greybeard once the Fire Hammer was close enough to the Mutant Dino army.

Frozeen aimed and fired the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at the Mutant Dinos, making sure to switch up modes every few shots to prevent any Mutant Lizards from adapting to his strategy. Sam Race floored the gas pedal and rammed the Fire Hammer into the Mutant Dino army, and Frozeen winced as he heard the crunching of bones under the jeep's wheels and saw the occasional carcass fly up onto the hood. After the Fire Hammer plowed through the Mutant Dinos, Frozeen noticed that one of the headlights was now broken.

"Careful!" yelled Frozeen. "This Fire Hammer's seen better days; unless we do some last-minute modifications to this thing, I don't think it can survive another charge like that!"

"You know," Sam said with a shrug, "all those years ago, I laughed at Workman Fred for thinking that a digger could be a good racer. Right about now, I'm wishing that I had one of those."

"If we find one lyin' around," suggested Greybeard, "then 'we got t' build like crazy', says a certain maniac Redbeard knew once, an' then maybe this Fire Hammer be better suited t' plowin' through th' Mutant Dinos."

Already, Frozeen saw a number of Fire Hammers, Urban Avengers, and the occasional Iron Predator driving in the direction of Dino Attack Headquarters. Driving away from headquarters, but sticking around close enough to fire at the Mutant Dino army with pistols and rifles, was a Fire Hammer driven by Lord Sam Sinister, and it appeared that Mr. Cunningham and Rudo Villano were also riding the same vehicle. The Brickster wasn't the only one out to have a good time during this battle.

Still, it wasn't enough.

"If Dr. Rex and his army gets any closer to headquarters," Frozeen gritted his teeth, "then it won't be a safe place for much longer!" He thought of Shannon Grimton, confined to a wheelchair and overseeing communications, and shuddered at the thought of her being trapped in Dino Attack Headquarters when Dr. Rex arrives. I won't let that happen, he promised himself.

*****

"Alright, so you'll be on standby. We'll give you a call when we need to get picked up," Zach was saying to Joike as he, Minerva, and Athena stepped on to the front step of Dino Attack Headquarters. "They need every hand they can get, so I don't want you waiting around for us."

Joike nodded. "Will do. See you later." The Fire Hammer's engine revved and sped away as it rejoined the rest of the Dino Attack Team.

Putting on his helmet, Zach tapped Minerva's shoulder, who was looking at her mother with a sad look on her face. "You alright?" he asked. "You and her were kind of..." He drifted off.

Minerva turned to him. "I'm fine," she said quietly. "It's just like when Oswald showed up on Adventurers' Island. I was surprised and I didn't know how to respond, so I responded with snapping at her."

Zach patted her on the back in a comforting manner. "I get it. At least she won't hold it over your head."

Minerva gave a faint, bitter smile. "I suppose she won't. But how did you get her to remember you?" Zach briefly explained what Blaire had told him. Minerva looked over at her mother again. "He really thinks Napoleon XIV helped her?"

"It kind of looks like it. At least in some areas. I'm not sure if she'd ever go back to normal, even if the institution had done more to help her."

Minerva didn't respond right away, continuing to stare at her mother with a look of pity on her face. "I-I suppose she's happy," she said, trying to keep her voice under control. "In her little world. It would be cruel to bring her into the world we're in now."

Zach looked at Minerva curiously. As opposed to Oswald's "resurrection", she was handling Athena's return rather well, especially when Zach thought back to Minerva's slight outburst when discussing Athena after receiving the letter from Napoleon XIV.

"I don't think I'll ever forgive her," Minerva continued quietly, almost more to herself than to Zach. "For what she did to us. To Tod. Because her, I have no mother and have one less brother. But... it's not worth it. Holding a grudge. Nothing good would come from it. It just..." Minerva faded off.

Zach wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her close. He wanted her to know he would be there for her, no matter what.

Athena turned briefly and looked at Zach and Minerva. Minerva didn't seem to notice, but Zach watched the older Fabello woman with mixed interest. Athena seemed confused and shocked as she watched her daughter get close with some stranger. Zach thought he saw the barest glint of a tear in the mother's eyes before they grew wide.

"Let's go, you two," Athena suddenly said. Minerva pulled away from Zach's embrace and stared. "Your sons are waiting."

Minerva turned her stare to Zach, who was completely lost. "She... she thinks you're my dad," Minerva said, incredulously.

"Do I look like your dad?" Zach asked as Athena walked toward Minerva and grabbed her hand.

Minerva paused, trying to remember her long-deceased father's appearance. "You both have glasses. That's really sort of it."

Athena tapped Zach's shoulder and gave him a warm smile. "Let's go, Isaac." Zach shot a brief glance at Minerva, who only gave a weak sigh before pulling her hand irritably away from her mother. Athena gave Minerva a confused glance that quickly faded away as Minerva grabbed Zach's hand and raised an eyebrow as she looked her mother curtly.

She may not totally despise Athena, but that doesn't mean she likes her, Zach reasoned. "Let's get going. They'll be wanting us back in the battlefield soon."

Minerva nodded. She removed her hand slowly from Zach's and pulled open the front door. Then she, Athena, and Zach stepped inside the building. Zach could see the receptionist Elizabeth Wilma gathering papers from her desk in preparation to evacuate.

"Um, excuse me?" Zach spoke up.

The receptionist looked up, a worried look on her face. "Yes?"

"We heard something about a teleporter evacuating people to Antarctica, correct?"

Wilma nodded.

"Could you direct us to it. We found a civilian…" Zach gestured to Athena. "… and she needs to get out of here."

"Of course, if you will follow me..."

*****

Carefully, Firecracker led the Third Headquarters Squad through the corridors as he pulled a lengthy wire. In the other hand, he had a plunger. The plan was simple: if things get rough, light the charges in the lab, then use that blast to detonate a series of other charges. The blast could and hopefully would engulf the entire base, but that was his plan, and he was hoping to put it into action.

As Dynamite left to go plant the remaining charges, Firecracker took the time to carry the wire into the basement, as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he carefully started to set up the plunger. Slowly he tied the wire to it, and then lifted the handle, ready to push it down at a moment's notice.

*****

"Look," said Epsilon. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starting to think we should be getting the heck out of here."

"What do you mean?" asked Shotgun.

"They're getting awfully close," replied Epsilon.

"I'm afraid he's right," Scope agreed.

"Yeah," replied Shotgun. "We'd better get out of here."

As the handful of snipers started to move out of the base, they passed Elizabeth, who watched in surprise until one of them caught her attention. Slowly he turned toward her. "You're a pirate?" he asked, lowering his rifle.

"Yeah," replied Elizabeth.

"You do seem familiar," replied the agent.

"Really?"

"Aye," replied the man.

At this point, she started to clue in. Despite his uniform, this man was from the Tropical Sea. And indeed, there was something about him that seemed familiar… uneasily familiar. This man couldn't have been a pirate himself. He was too well-kept for that sort of thing, with his neatly combed hair and clean-shaven face; most pirates didn't bother making themselves neat, outside of the captains, but that was mainly for special occasions and when they wanted to intimidate their foes, not something they made a point of daily. He certainly couldn't be an Indigo Islander; no face paint. That left one possible explanation.

"You're an Imperial?" Elizabeth asked. Indeed, while some Imperials did sport beards, like Governor Broadside and even his trusty sidekick Lt. De Martinet, they still seemed to keep themselves tidy and presentable. This man had clearly shaven regularly to ensure that.

"That's right!" replied the man. His accent sounded slightly British, finally making it clear that he was from the Imperial Guards. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you right now. Things may have gotten rough back then, but out here, we got no choice but to work together! You remind me of a girl I once met, quite a fine lass too, one who broke social customs and caught a few rather nasty pirates. Got fine money for it too. We had a gig going for a while. Then at some point she left me for dead. Cast me adrift in a little floating bucket with a paddle and an annoying parrot."

Elizabeth looked at him nervously. "Maynard?" she asked. "No! No, you can't be..."

The officer looked toward her. "Elizabeth? A pirate? So those rumors were true, then. Captain Norman told me all about it, but I didn't want to believe it."

"Indeed," replied Elizabeth. "And now you're with the Dino Attack Team?"

"Yes," said Maynard. "Interesting thing, really. We'll have to catch up."

*****

Nazareno landed hard on the ground and looked at Cyrista's Bane. They had taken down this behemoth and now it was allied with the Dino Attack Team, which was reason enough to celebrate briefly, as things were only about to get worse. They would need a hundred Cyrista's Banes at the point to even hope to defeat the Typhonus-controlled Dr. Rex and his Mutant Dinos. Additionally, Blaire Darkling had still not called for a truce with the Dino Attack, so XERRD and Dr. Inferno's agents continued to be a problem. Additionally, he heard that the Fr-

"Hey!" Zelda said, tapping Nazareno's shoulders. He flinched visibly, leading Zelda to snicker quietly. "We did it! Cyrista's Bane is ours!"

"Indeed," Nazareno said. He jerked his thumb toward Dr. Rex and his army of Mutant Dinos. "We still have them to deal with. And XERRD, Dr. Inferno, and possibly-"

"Okay, thanks for bringing down the mood," Zelda interrupted, rolling her eyes. "A small victory is still a victory. Might as well relish it while we can."

"I suppose so."

"So, listen. I wanted-" Zelda was interrupted as two Mutant Lizards charged at them. The two of them easily cut them down.

"We need to fall back!" Nazareno said. Even with Cyrista's Bane defeated, the army of Mutant Dinos had not been halted. "Wipe out as many dinos as we can on the way." Zelda began to say something before Nazareno turned and started running, swinging his swords at any dino that crossed his path.

As he jumped on to a Mutant Raptor's snout, Nazareno turned his head briefly as saw Zelda close behind. She was jumping from Mutant Lizard to Mutant Lizard, make sure to slice open their backs before jumping to the next one. Nazareno quickly slammed one katana into the skull of the Mutant Raptor before jumping to the next one.

He became aware that Zelda was calling out to him, but over the footsteps and roars of massive dinosaurs, he could not make out the words. He was about to turn back to her when a Mutant T-Rex's laser beam struck near his feet. Nazareno glanced up at the offending T-Rex, his eyes narrowing.

He moved toward the T-Rex's feet and quickly climbed up the beast's leg and on to his back. The Mutant T-Rex bellowed angrily and tried to shake Nazareno off. Nazareno ignored the beast's frustration and climbed on to the T-Rex's head, where he quickly jabbed both katanas into its eyes.

The Mutant T-Rex bellowed in anger and shook its head wildly. Nazareno's footing slipped and he found himself hanging on to one katana gouged into the T-Rex's eye. The beast opened its maw and tried to shake Nazareno into its internal furnace.

Suddenly, the T-Rex bellowed again. Nazareno glanced downward and saw Zelda stabbing at its feet and legs. It stomped around madly, trying to squish the pest attacking its legs. Using this distraction to his advantage, Nazareno spun himself around on the katana like a pole and propelled himself back on to the T-Rex's head. Pulling both swords out of the beast's skull, Nazareno glanced down at Zelda, who seemed to be talking to someone or something. She looked up at Nazareno and gestured him to jump off the T-Rex. Nazareno quickly slid down the Mutant T-Rex's tail and started running.

Nazareno understood why in a moment. It appeared that Zelda had called for help, because as Zelda started running toward Nazareno, the T-Rex was peppered with Cryothermic Cannon fire until it was put out of its misery.

Nazareno allowed himself to sigh in relief. "Thank you for your aid, Zelda."

"No problem," Zelda said quickly. "There's been something-"

"No time," Nazareno interrupted. He started up back toward the headquarters. "We need to-"

"Kareem Nazareno!" Zelda snapped suddenly. "Will you listen to me?" Nazareno turned back toward her, eyebrows raised. Her cheeks were bright red and, upon seeing Nazareno's glare, she began to stammer. "I'm sorry, it's-it's just-"

Nazareno raised a hand curtly, stopping her. "What would you like to tell me?" Whatever it was, it was clearly too important to wait.

Zelda seemed surprised. "Oh. Uh..." Nazareno gestured for her to continue. She clearly wasn't expecting this response, due to how flustered she appeared.

After several seconds of silence, Nazareno spoke up. "We do have an army of Mutant Dinos stampeding toward headquarters. Unless you decide to tell me what's so important, I think it can wait-"

"No," Zelda said quickly. She tugged on her ponytail nervously. "It can't really wait. Since we could both be dying soon..."

Nazareno stared at Zelda briefly. He had no idea what Zelda wanted to say, but now his curiosity was sparked. "Well, what is it?"

Zelda let out one, nervous breath before continuing. "I-I... I like you, Nazareno."

*****

When Cyrista's Bane's internal repair systems were running, he had to stay immobile for the most part. As it was finishing, Dr. Cyborg heard the screeching of a Mutant Pterosaur. He looked up, and saw one coming towards him.

He readied his gun arm, as the Pterosaur screeched in the saurian language: "Wait, don't shoot, I'm different."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he demanded of the hovering Pterosaur. He could see that this specimen was visibly different, being smaller than other Pterosaurs and lacking features such as teeth or head crests.

"I am the original Mutant Pterosaur. I am therefore free of the Maelstrom, and free of Alpha Rex's control. I recognize you also, Dr. Cyrista. I have heard of your desertion, and I wish to fight with you."

"Well, alright..." Dr. Cyborg trailed off as Cyrista's Bane got back up. 

"Welcome, original Pterosaur," Cyrista's Bane said. "I am glad you are with us."

*****

The Reclaimer arrived at the Dino Attack HQ.

"I need a medic or four at the landing pad, my pilot is injured with second degree burns on her outside, and light burns on her inside. Hurry!" Cortana radioed in.

*****

"What do we do about that dino monstrosity?" Cabin asked, noticing that Cyrista's Bane was moving.

"Nothing," replied Rotor. "Apparently, some son of a 4+ Figure actually had the guts to talk to that thing and persuade it to change sides!"

Cabin blinked in surprise. "You're kidding?"

"No," said Rotor. "I say we still keep an eye on it, but as long as that thing's attacking XERRD, I'm okay with it around. In the meantime, we can finish this whole business with Dr. Rex. I got a rocket here with his name on it!"

"I think I'm picking something up," Cabin said. "Incoming swarm of Pterosaurs by the look of it!"

"EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" Rotor shouted over the comm.

Sure enough, she was right. A group of rather ferocious Mutant Pterosaurs were approaching quickly. As fast as they could, the pilots opened fire, some of the Pterosaurs fell, but they still continued to attack. There were far too many for Rotor's T-1 Typhoon to handle alone. Soon they were overpowered.

Finally, one struck at the tail. Lance shot it down, but not before it could knock the chopper off balance. Soon, they were spinning out of control. Another Pterosaur took off part of the rotor as they struggled to keep the vehicle balanced.

They were spinning like crazy. Under the circumstances, it was hard to keep a clear head. Rotor struggled to bring the vehicle to a smooth landing as it fell toward the street below. Still, it hit the ground with a very loud crash. For a few brief but terrifying seconds, it seemed to drag along before the engines finally died.

Rotor coughed as he climbed out of the smoking cockpit and dropped onto the city street below. Cabin was following soon after. One by one, the other agents in the helicopter started to crawl out. In the air, the cries of the Pterosaurs could still be heard.

Another T-1 Typhoon went down, crashing onto one of the buildings before plummeting onto the streets in a heaping mess. Amidst the smoke, a man with a thick beard and long hair climbed out of the cockpit and coming to his senses, slowly looked around, and approached his teammates. "Kurt MacReady," the main said. "Most people just call me Mac."

"Agent Rotor. This is Agent Cabin. We'll have time to get acquainted with the others later."

"What do we do now?" Mac asked.

"We're limited on ammunition," replied Rotor. "We're still going to need a bearing before we can get anywhere. I say we find a building and use it to our advantage. We'll get what weapons we can and then lay low until somebody finds us."

*****

"Znap, Rotor and Cabin are down!" Bluetooth cried out, reporting immediately after seeing the results of the Mutant Pterosaur scuffle on the PLARXX radar.

Semick instinctively raised his hand to his face in frustration. He could only assume the horde of flyers that had to be with Dr. Rex's charge had taken them by surprise. And this far out from HQ, their TALON-9 systems were too weak to handle such a rush. Still, it was a matter of extreme frustration.

"Hotwire," he said over the radio, "the Pterosaur swarms have overwhelmed Rotor's crew. Looks like you're alone out there in that area air-command wise. Hold your forces together, I'm coming to assist you."

"Got it," came the reply, "I'll appreciate the help."

"You're more than welcome," Semick continued as he moved his T-1 directly into the front lines area. "Dr. Cyborg, spare some of your forces from the Cyborg T-Rex takedown to go assist Rotor and Cabin's crews. I'm not leaving them alone out here when I need every Elite to help keep this team together!"

"I'll do what I can," the good doctor replied. "And it's called Cyrista's Bane, Semick."

"We can bother with insistent terminology later." Semick turned around and looked at Bluetooth. "Bluetooth, I'm not liking Hertz's radio silence. Get in contact with the HQ medical team, I need them to start filling me in on these things."

"Understood," the Futuron technician said, picking up his own radio mic and switching the frequency over to HQ's. "This is Standard Agent Bluetooth! To any Dino Attack medical staff still paying attention to the radio transmissions, we need an update on the status of Elite Agent Hertz! Our last communication with him was shortly before the Inferno bombardment on our communications center! Has anyone found him? What is his status?"

*****

"MegaBloks, we've got two more elites down!"
"It's time to run, dino cowards!"
"Make that three, Andrew hasn't said anything in a while."
"I've survived Mr. X's stunt rallies! You've got nothing on stopping my rock on wheels, Rexy!"
"Andrew's getting a wheel change, he'll be back in a jiffy!"
"In the middle of this?!"
"These dinos haven't heard pain until I've blasted bad pop music on my speakers!"
"Aaaaggh! Whoever's playing 'Friday' really loud, stop!!!"
"Hah hah! Didn't expect a former Flying Legando and his amazing separation abilities, did ya, Mr. Brontosaurus?" 

*****

As it happened, the crew had landed in a residential neighborhood, or what was left of one. Finding a house wasn't a problem; they just had to find one that could hold everybody. Fortunately, there was one that was still intact. It required some maintenance, but structurally it still stood.

Slowly, the team got to work attempting to fix things. One man in a leather jacket with blond hair seemed to be doing a pretty good job with the roof. One of the machine guns salvaged from the wreck was placed in an upstairs window, and Lance was left on guard. Another man took the back side of the house.

"We got to turn this house into a fortress!" Rotor shouted over all the workers, struggling to board up the doors and the windows that weren't being used as loopholes.

Cabin was following him around, nervous but keeping her cool. Being the one other elite agent there, that left her as the only other person in command, at this point a second to Rotor, even though no real hierarchy existed between them.

For the most part, things were quiet. Overhead, they occasionally heard the sounds of battle: helicopters in action, explosions in the distance. Once in a while, Lance opened fire at the odd Lizard that took a wrong turn.

"I think we're done here," said the blond man with the leather jacket, who spoke with a thin English accent. As he approached Rotor, it became apparent that he had very pale skin, bloodshot eyes, and pronounced incisors. "You think this will hold?"

"Well, about as well as it can hold with what we've got," replied the man accompanying him, a young man in his early twenties. "I used to work in construction in LEGO Town."

"Alright then," replied Rotor. "You got a name?"

"Spike," replied the pale blond man.

"Harris," the construction worker introduced himself.

"Good. Alright then, Spike. Why don't you go give Harris a hand with the weapons?"

Spike smiled and turned away, accompanied by his construction worker friend.

"There's something strange about that man," Cabin muttered, gesturing towards Spike.

"I don't know," said Rotor. "But we're going to have to work with him for now. Like it or not, we're going to be stuck here a while. We might even die here."

Cabin seemed uneasy at the thought of that.

"Still," Rotor remarked, "there's probably worse ways to go, and to be honest, you're not a bad person to be spending my last few hours with."

Cabin smiled. Slowly they started to lean forward and wrap their arms around each other, their lips were just about to connect...

"Excuse me," Spike said again. They both turned in surprise. He pulled out a revolver. "I just came to give you this."

Spike handed Rotor the revolver, who promptly took it with a slight grin. "See if you can find some classical music around here, will ya?" asked Rotor.

*****

Commander Holly Vinyaya and Doctor Paulie Gonepus collided together fiercely. Vinyaya held off Gonepus's Maelaser as he attempted to point it at her while she, with her free arm, attempted to point the Cosmotronic Ray at her foe.

Unfortunately, even with Gonepus's right arm no longer functioning thanks to a well-placed shot from a sniper, he still had one mechanical arm on his back. With that arm, he easily pulled the Cosmotronic Ray from Vinyaya's grip and tossed it aside like a toy. He then grabbed Vinyaya's neck and hoisted her high into the air.

"I'm thinking," Gonepus said, pointing the Maelaser at Vinyaya's right leg, "I take out every limb you own as compensation for that limb of mine you took. Maybe jab out that other eye of yours for kicks. Then, to spare you of any more pain, I'll blow your head to MegaBlokland. How's that sound?"

Vinyaya responded by kicking the Maelaser out of Gonepus's hand. Instinctively, Gonepus dropped Vinyaya and reached out with the mechanical appendage to catch the weapon. Vinyaya quickly stood back up and punched Gonepus hard in the face.

"Remember, Gonepus?" Vinyaya hissed with a cold smirk before punching Gonepus again. "I took out your other robo-limb. No more circus acts for you; you're back to only two arms."

Gonepus quickly recovered and smacked Vinyaya hard in her midsection with his mechanical arm. "Perhaps," Gonepus snarled as he walked toward her, cracking his knuckles on his left hand. "But I think this one arm has enough before to break you into ten different pieces rather easily. Eleven if you count the epaulets."

Vinyaya was quick to notice that Gonepus had ignored his Maelaser completely. She assumed he was suffering a borderline breakdown at this point, and his only concern was harming her in as many ways as possible. She could use this to her advantage.

She quickly rolled out of the way as his mechanical arm curled into a fist and smashed down into the concrete, creating a small dent. Gonepus roared in anger and smashed his mechanical fist several more times into the concrete, missing the quicker Vinyaya each time. Gonepus then picked up a chunk of rubble and tossed it at Vinyaya like a Throwbot.

Vinyaya ducked to dodge the blow as the rubble shattered into the building behind her. She spotted her Cosmotronic Ray nearby and started to move toward it. Gonepus hurled more pieces of rubble. One piece flew at Vinyaya's feet. Vinyaya jumped over the piece and stumbled slightly as she hit the ground. It was enough for Gonepus to charge at her and pin her throat against the building with the mechanical arm.

Vinyaya gasped for air as she stared into Paulie Gonepus's mad eyes as he grinned. She kicked her body upward and wrapped herself around the robotic limb. She briefly saw a look of shock on Gonepus's face as she kicked underneath his chin.

Gonepus screamed and clutched his face, dropping Vinyaya hard on the ground. She stumbled toward her Cosmotronic Ray. She picked it up, turned, and fired three consecutive shots at the XERRD scientist. Each shot was off by at least three feet.

MegaBloks. She had used her right hand.

Gonepus spat out a few teeth in anger and lunged at Vinyaya as she switched arms. She dove to the side as Gonepus's mechanical arm tore through the side of a building. Before Vinyaya could pull off any more shots, Gonepus turned and kicked her in the shin. She gasped in pain, giving Gonepus enough time to go and punch the right side of her face.

Vinyaya screamed in agony as her acidic scars created a burning sensation across her entire face. Gonepus chuckled darkly and attacked again. Vinyaya collapsed to her knees, her eye watering from the pain. Gonepus prepared to attack again when Vinyaya's hand shot upwards and grabbed the arm. Gonepus gasped as Vinyaya twisted his arm sharply. She ducked as the mechanical arm snapped at her head viciously. Fighting through the stinging pain, Vinyaya rose to her feet and kicked Gonepus in the stomach before punching him in the nose.

Vinyaya turned to pick up her Cosmotronic Ray when Gonepus's mechanical arm grabbed her heel and lifted her in to the air upside down. Vinyaya felt all the blood rushing to her head as Gonepus grinned madly. He punched her hard in the face again.

Vinyaya suppressed a scream as body swayed from the force of the hit. As her body swayed toward Gonepus, she wrapped both arms around his throat and squeezed hard. Gonepus made a retching sound and abruptly dropped her again. Vinyaya dragged her feet back into a standing position and kicked Gonepus in the thigh.

As he groaned, Vinyaya released him and backed away. Gonepus glared at her and lashed out at her with the mechanical arm like a whip, shattering the concrete it brushed against. He lashed his arm out again before grabbing her arm and whipping her around into the side of the building, leaving a Minifig-sized crater in the wall.

Despite her armor absorbing most of the shock, Vinyaya still had the wind knocked out of her and a weak grade of whiplash. She prepared for Gonepus to attack again when she heard him chuckle darkly. "Of course. I had forgotten about you."

Vinyaya turned her neck briefly and her eye widened as she saw Gonepus once again had the Maelaser. "You know," Gonepus said, in a false calm voice. "You are more trouble than you are worth. I think I'm just going to finish this here." Vinyaya was already moving when Gonepus roared, "I'M-A-FIRING MAELASER!" Where she had been was now only a gaping hole after the dark violet powers of the Maelstrom tore through it.

Vinyaya was mentally punching herself. She had taken too long, and now Gonepus had found the Maelaser. "You're crazy!" Vinyaya shouted without even realizing it.

Gonepus shrugged. "Blah." Then another streak of Maelstrom energy shot out of the weapon toward her. Vinyaya combat rolled out of the way and into her Cosmotronic Ray. Picking it up with her left hand, she ran out of the way again as another blast of energy came at her. Aiming briefly, she fired the Cosmotronic Ray twice.

The blasts struck Gonepus's remaining mechanical arm. His small eyes widened and he bellowed in horror as he watched the decapitated limb fly through the air almost in slow motion, gripping the Maelaser loosely. The Maelstrom weapon then slid out of the arm's grip and began to fall toward the ground.

Gonepus was running toward it, hoping to catch it. Vinyaya lowered her shoulder and charged at Gonepus, throwing him back. Gonepus snarled and shoved Vinyaya away forcefully with his left hand. He ran and managed to barely catch the Maelaser in the cradle he formed with his left arm.

"You're finished, officer!" Gonepus roared. He turned around toward Vinyaya. "I'm going to-" He was interrupted with the sound of gunfire. Gonepus gasped and his body jerked involuntarily. He looked from Vinyaya, whose weapon was smoking from being fired, to his chest, where there was a small hole in his Space Marauder armor and where a small, red blotch was forming. Gonepus dropped the Maelaser in shock and fell to his knees, gasping for air.

Vinyaya walked toward the XERRD scientist slowly, her weapon trained on his head. He looked up at her, a look of maddened fury in his eyes. He weakly reached for his Maelaser, only for Vinyaya to kick it away.

"One more stake into your heart shouldn't matter," Vinyaya said coldly to the scientist. The Dino Attack Team already had one Maelaser in their possessions. And the more advanced copy that could corrupt Minifigs. There was no need for this one. Pointing her Cosmotronic Ray at the Maelaser, she fired.

The weapon created a rather impressive, purplish explosion upon being shot that made the hair on the back of Vinyaya's neck stand up on end. When the smoke cleared, only a small pile of ashes remained. Gonepus looked at the pile in horror, what little color in his face draining away instantly. He then looked at Vinyaya with the most horrifying face of pure hatred that she had ever seen.

"You disgust me," Vinyaya hissed. Watching Gonepus breakdown over losing his mechanical arms and the Maelaser reminded the look of pure fury Michelle Gladys had shown in the Maelstrom Temple after her teleporting device had been shot and destroyed by Minerva Fabello. "You care more for your pathetic little toys then you do for billions of innocent lives. The fires of MegaBlokland are waiting for you, Gonepus."

Gonepus snarled, his breathing becoming harsh and shallow. He was beyond saying anything comprehensible. He laid on the ground, a small pool of blood forming around him. Doctor Paulie Gonepus breathed one last, painful breath before moving no more.

Vinyaya stepped through the hole Gonepus had created with his Maelaser and took shelter in the building briefly so she could catch her breath. She just barely brushed her hand against the right side of her face, which was now only emitted a dull pain. Vinyaya let a small, celebratory grin form on her face. She may be half-blind, but she could still kick brick. And Pierce was going to keep me in the headquarters. Pfft.

Vinyaya reached for her radio and pulled put in close to her face. "Commander Vinyaya here," she said with just the barest hint of cockiness in her voice. "Paulie Gonepus won't be a problem anymore." She chuckled briefly as she heard several cheers and whoops of joy at Gonepus's demise.

She pocketed the radio and stepped back out into the rain. Enough celebrating. Back to business. She glanced at the ruined remains of her Urban Avenger mixed with the remains of the Fire Hammer Gonepus had thrown at it. Suppose I should find a new ride.

Shrugging, Vinyaya headed back into the battle, her Cosmotronic Ray over her shoulder, ready to find a few dinos that needed a good beating.

*****

Drip Drip Drip 

You could cut the tension with a knife. Trigger continued to hold his weapon to the head of Carrie Enderson as he dared Commander Pharisee to make a move. Pharisee did not lower his weapon; the powerful IMI Desert Eagle remained pointed unwaveringly at Trigger and Carrie. While the standoff had been going on for quite some time now, Pharisee had no intention of backing down. He had learned patience over the years and he knew how criminals like Trigger think.

Despite the fact that Trigger had a hostage, it was he was calling the shots. Pharisee was the aggressor and Trigger had to react based on the commander's actions. He sincerely hoped to use this to his advantage. Trigger assumed there were only a limited number of possibilities when confronted with a hostage situation; however, he did not account for the commander's methods.

To some degree, he was right. Most law enforcers would use standard procedure. They would allow Trigger to make demands and then send in a negotiator in hopes of protecting Carrie. While this method was tried and true, Pharisee was not a normal law enforcer. The Commander prided himself in his unpredictability. While he contemplated his options before making a decision, he liked to choose an action that would throw his foes off balance. It was especially surprising when a man of the law did something unpredictable.

One needed to evolve based on the situation and not treat all criminals the same. Moving off standard procedure was sometimes the best technique for taking men like Trigger by surprise and winning justice. Trigger's overconfidence was his weakness. Pharisee understood that Trigger had operated as a mercenary for a considerable amount of time. He knew a lot of the tricks of the trade, and he knew the general behavior of cops. Pharisee did not do things by the book; the book was outdated and narrow, and he did whatever was necessary. 

"Very well, Trigger," Pharisee began sarcastically, "you are not a coward. Truly, I say that only a foolish man would fight not only for what he believes but also for the sanctity of this world. You are valiant to leave them to meddle in the woes of existence. I see that you can function just as well without the world; I bet you don't need people, do you?" 

"I've gotten as far as I am today without getting too attached," said Trigger smugly. "Relying on others only gets you Znapped." 

"Indeed," continued Pharisee, "I bet you made that gun yourself and forged those bullets. You have never needed someone else. You can't get off this planet, Trigger; once we're all dead, Earth will eventually run out of all that makes life worth living. I'm not trying to convince you to come back; I'm just stating the truth so you understand just how ignorant you are." Pharisee turned his attention to Carrie Enderson. "Even now, you live off the lives of others. You exist vicariously only through the suffering of your fellow minifig. Truly pathetic, Trigger." 

Trigger rolled his eyes and growled. "We're done here, Pharisee. I don't need to wait here and listen to you preach. I'm leaving this joint, and you can't stop me. Carrie here is my hostage, and I would have no reservations shooting her. You make a move and she's dead, understand? I'm calling the shots now!"  

Pharisee could tell Trigger was getting disturbed by the commander's apparent lack of concern. Right now, he stood less than ten feet away from them and he was slowly getting closer. With every small step Pharisee took, Trigger jumped back in alarm.

"I have made many sacrifices in the name of justice, Trigger," said Pharisee darkly. Even as Trigger shoved his weapon closer and closer to Carrie, Pharisee did not lower his weapon. "I know what kind of man you are, Trigger. You contribute nothing to this Earth, and I will do what is necessary to take you down. Many times, I have made decisions that some would say are unscrupulous in the name of the greater good. I have since lived with that mantle, and I am prepared to live with it further." 

"I swear to the Creator, I'll Znapping kill her!" yelled Trigger as he backed away further. 

"Swear to me!" yelled Pharisee in response. The sudden change in volume suddenly seemed to make the commander larger. In that moment, Trigger suddenly seemed to shrink away under Pharisee's might. And the room got even darker. The tranquil drip of the leaky bowling alley was interrupted by the tenacity of Pharisee. The incredible escalation changed the atmosphere in seconds, and Trigger backed away at a more rapid pace. The mercenary had met many colorful individuals over his life but, for the most part, he had dispatched them from a distance and with meticulous planning. As the commander seemed to grow more and more in front of him, he started to feel less and less in power. 

"Get back!" warned Trigger. "You don't want to do something you'll regret! You would not want an innocent like Carrie on your conscience, now, would you?" 

"I already live with regret!" retorted Pharisee. "I already carry that burden!" He suddenly brought down his gun forty-five degrees and fired one sudden and earsplitting shot. It struck Carrie Enderson in the leg, and the woman screamed in agony as the bullet shattered her knee. With such a powerful weapon and at such close range, the leg crumpled immediately as the blood splattered behind her. Clutching her wound in anguish, she crumpled to the floor, exposing Trigger to Pharisee's fury. 

"Son of a-" was all Trigger could say before the massive fist of Pharisee collided with his face, and he was thrown down the row of machines. Placing his hand over his bloody nose, he turned his gun on Pharisee and fired a shot. However, the adrenaline and surprise proved too much and the shot missed by several feet. Pharisee casually stepped aside and over Carrie's body to take another shot at the mercenary. The bullet grazed Trigger's arm, and he dropped his gun in pain. 

Unarmed and outweighed by almost 10 pounds, Trigger had no options but to run. He backed away from the imposing monstrosity of the commander before taking a full bolt to the door. He only made it a few yards before a heavy bowling pin struck the back of his neck, and he crashed to the floor.

Then Pharisee was on him. The commander grabbed Trigger by the collar of his leather jacket and lifted him off his feet. For a moment before the punch came, he glimpsed the terrifying eyes of Pharisee. Beyond the bright whites of his eyes, he glimpsed a burning passion that could not be reasoned with. The eyes burned deep into him and he flinched as a fist collided with his face a second time. Trigger's nose snapped, and he was slammed into the concrete floor. Through his swollen eyes, he looked up at Pharisee as his foot came down on his chest. His breath left him, and he was once again lifted into the air. 

"There will be no bargain," hissed Pharisee. He smashed Trigger against the wall and gave furious punches to the gut. Trigger slid to the floor, and a sudden kick pushed him to the ground. He attempted to crawl away, but a hand grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head into the metal pin setting machines. He had enough time to glimpse the red smear left behind before Pharisee slammed his head into it a second and third time. 

Trigger now lay on his back, looking up at the flickering florescent light. His breathing was heavy, and blood trickled down his face. Commander Pharisee's shadow fell over him, and he once again attempted to escape. Great arms wrapped around him, and he was flipped over the larger man's shoulder to hit the ground hard. He was then grabbed by the legs and tossed aside to collide with the wall a second time. 

There was no escape. The mercenary was broken. Trigger attempted to rise from his futile position, but his legs wavered and he collapsed against the machines. He paused to catch his breath and held up a weak hand. 

"What you're feeling is pain, Trigger," said Pharisee grimly. "A lifetime of wickedness is catching up to you. This is justice, Trigger. Good and evil are repaid in kind, just as shadows follow bodies, and echoes follow sounds."

He punched Trigger more, and he crumpled to the floor after a swift hook to the left. For all his life, Trigger had been savvy and in control. Now, for the first time, he found himself at the mercy of another man. Unless he was confronted with a miracle, he had no hope of survival. Physically, he was outmatched by Pharisee, and nothing he could do could change that. He would die in the damp and the grit, like so many other mercenaries have.

As he lay on the floor and prepared for his last moments of life, his hand touched something round and heavy in the shadows. It had a substance to it, and it rolled on a precarious balance. As his fingers closed around the neck of the bowling pin, his broken lips shifted into a smile.

"And you will know the truth," said Pharisee. "The truth will set you free." The commander bent down to deliver a powerful hit to Trigger's jaw, but Trigger rolled away and swung the bowling pin with all his might. He was weak and his vision was blurred from the beating he had received, but the impact from the heavy pin was enough to take down the commander. It hit his head with a heavy thunk, and Pharisee slumped to the floor on top of Trigger.

The mercenary rolled aside and let out a sigh out of relief. Once he was confident in his success, he withdrew Pharisee's desert eagle handgun and placed it in his holster. Trigger allowed himself to move faintly, and he uncertainly rose to his knees. His body was bruised and beaten, but he gave a shallow laugh as he reached into his pocket and withdrew his cigarette case with broken fingers. After what he had been through, he really needed a smoke.

Once he was on his feet, he limped down the row of bowling machines toward the door. He was dizzy and, several times, he had to reach for support. He fumbled with the knob before finally opening it and stepping out into the cold rain.

"Trigger?"

The mercenary looked back at Carrie Enderson, lying at the end of the row. She clutched her knee in misery as tears flooded her eyes.

Trigger looked at the barkeep and then outside to freedom. She was hurt, but Trigger hurt more; he had to look out for himself if he hoped to survive this conflict. He stepped further outside and locked eyes with Carrie before closing the door between them.

*****

From aboard their personal T-1 Typhoon, the founding members continued to oversee the Dino Attack Team's struggle against the Mutant Dinos. Although Cyrista's Bane had not only been defeated but also now pledged its allegiance to the Dino Attack Team, the battle against the cybernetic T-Rex was costly and broke the front lines long enough for Dr. Rex to gather a Mutant Dino army. Now, as the Maelstrom-possessed monster charged towards Dino Attack Headquarters, Specs knew that it would not remain safe much longer.

As much as Specs hated to do so, in case Evil Ogel or any other power-hungry villain was listening to the radio, he had no choice but to contact the technicians and weapon designers. "What is the progress of the Einstein Device?" he inquired.

The radio crackled to life with the voice of one of the lead engineers. "Almost finished! It'll be done in about a half-hour, I'd say."

Specs frowned, seeing the Mutant Dinos drawing closer and closer to headquarters. "We don't have a half-hour." As a technician himself, Specs wished for a moment that he were not obligated to lead the team so he could help the others in designing the weapon that could very well bring their salvation. "I understand the importance of taking your time, but we cannot afford for the Mutant Dinos to get to the Einstein Device before it's ready."

"It will be ready," promised the engineer.

Next, Specs checked with the Portal Operations Team. "What is the progress on Operation Antarctica?"

General's voice came in through the radio. "We've finished building a Teleport Pad to Antarctica's refugee facilities in the basement. So far, only those in need of medical attention and those who absolutely cannot fight have been sent through. We intend to build another Teleport Pad atop Dino Attack Headquarters so that T-1 Typhoons and Dino Air Trackers can airlift entire units to be teleported to safety... as well as provide everyone a place to fall back to, should Mutant Dinos start entering the building."

"Good," said Specs. "But work quickly. If Dino Attack Headquarters is overtaken... we may have choice but to teleport as many units to Antarctica as we can."

"Yes, sir," agreed General. "Shock, Throramebi, and I will assemble the Teleport Pad as soon as we reach the rooftop. We shall honor the memory of Libo!"

"'Honor the memory'?" repeated Digger, who was eavesdropping on the conversation. He blinked in surprise. "What happened to Libo? I mean, last I saw, he was still alive, even during... well, you know… that incident."

"Dropped a bridge on him," muttered Shadow, a little bluntly.

"Oh, come on," said Viper, frowning. "Be serious."

"No, it's true," Specs said as he shook his head sadly. "When I sent the reformed Portal Operations Team across the globe in search of XERRD's teleport pads, Libo was with them. At one point, their journey brought them to Japan, and they found the country overrun with Mutant Dinos commanded by Hybrids. After disabling XERRD's local teleport pad, they were pursued across the nation by the Mutant Dinos. When they reached the famous Stone Tower Bridge, Libo lagged behind to give the others a chance to escape. When the Mutant Dino army tried to cross the bridge, Libo brought it down... but he was still on the bridge when it collapsed."

"That's a shame," sighed Digger. "That guy did so much for us, only to die without much recognition or fanfare."

"We'll worry about the memorial service later," grumbled Shadow. "Now, we should be thinking about giving these Mutant Dinos a taste of their own medicine... destruction and carnage."

*****

Dr. Cyborg had an idea. He sent a message to Cyrista's Bane and the prototype Mutant Pterosaur. "Cyrista's Bane… alright, for ease of speech, you are gonna be called Bane a lot, okay? Anyways, you and Screech are gonna go help Rotor's group, okay?" 

"Yes," Screech replied, "but what's with the name?"

Dr. Cyborg shrugged. "Well, Pterisa was already taken, and anything similar sounds like copying."

"Fine, it will work, but you had better find me a name like Pterisa, Tyrannus, Veleosis, Lizrado, and Rex."

"Yes ma'am," Dr. Cyborg finished. They left, and Dr. Cyborg turned around. He saw a Mutant T-Rex standing behind him.

*****

The group of people outside in the bowling alley turned in surprise as Trigger staggered toward them. "You alright?" Montoya asked.

"Znap off!" snapped Trigger as he slowly limped toward the exit, inhaling his cigarette as he did so.

Slowly, Montoya turned toward Walter. "That gun of yours," Montoya said. "It's not loaded by chance, is it?"

"Is it loaded?" Walter said, turning toward him. "What the Znap do you want a Znapping gun for, huh?"

"I need you to shoot these cuffs," replied Montoya. "The sooner you comply, the sooner you can get back to your game."

Reluctantly, Walter reached into his bag and pulled out his gun, and slowly walked over toward Montoya. Taking careful aim, he fired, and the chain broke in half.

"Thank you," said Montoya as he stood up and walked toward the back. Slowly opening the door, he stepped into the dark room where the machines were set up.

"Is someone there?" a familiar female voice called out. Montoya looked carefully, but in the dim light, he could vaguely make out the face of a young woman - Carrie Enderson.

"Yes," replied Montoya. He slowly walked toward her and sat down. She seemed nervous. "It's okay," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you. Can you walk?"

Carrie shook her head. Slowly, he picked her up and carried her out.

*****

Outside, Trigger was hardly surprised to find more agents waiting for him. There were four or five total, all pointing guns at him. At first, he complied, held up his hands. One man, McGovern, approached him to frisk him for weapons, but suddenly Trigger made his move. He reached behind his jacket and drew his gun and fired a solid round into McGovern's stomach.

Montgonel fired. Trigger flinched in pain as he looked at the bullet hole in the side of his waist. "You son of a 4+ Figure," he muttered. Trigger quickly fired another round at Montgonel, who collapsed onto the ground. Two down, three more to go.

By this point, the other three had finally decided to do the smart thing. They started to open fire on Trigger, realizing he was a threat. Finally, the mercenary collapsed onto the ground, lying against the wall. As the remaining agents struggled to tend to Montgonel, who was still alive but badly hurt, Trigger slowly began to crawl away.

It was agonizing. The pain was nearly unbearable, but he kept moving, clutching certain wounds with one hand. Before long, it was soaked entirely in his blood. Finally, he could take it no more, and collapsed in the middle of a road, soaked in blood.

He started to think about things as he lay there, the people he killed. When he shot Ursula Bennett that one night at Dacta Corporation, he thought nothing of it, but now he almost started to realize how she might have felt, knowing there was no chance, and fearing whatever was to come next. He thought about Carrie and how he'd left her so suddenly to save his own skin after working with her all those years.

For the first time in his life, he felt something possibly close to remorse as he lay there in the cold rain.

*****

Helm pulled Tracer's Vindication up to the line. Giles adjusted the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, probably switching modes, or something. It was a multi-mode launcher after all, right? Helm had to confess he didn't really have a clue how it worked, but Giles ran the machine so smoothly one would think he'd been born on it. Winston swung out onto the hood, sword drawn.

In seconds, the next wave was upon them.

Up above, Osprey and Desdemona peppered a T-Rex with cannon bursts until it fell. Osprey had finally exchanged his exaggerated optimism for grim silence; accordingly, the "1812 Overture" was now being followed by "Mars" from Holst's The Planets suite.

*****

Things were still rough, Swerve reflected, but they were looking up, if only slightly. Now that he and Andrew had made the continuing gravity of the situation clear over the fall of Cyrista's Bane -- and of Dr. Paulie Gonepus as well, now -- the defensive line had been strengthened considerably, and the ranks of Mutant Dinos were breaking over them like ocean waves on a cliff face. Well, maybe not THAT good, but still pretty good.

As he was manning the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher, Swerve was focused more on the short range. So it was Mort, from his higher vantage point in the turret, who saw what was coming next.

"Well, this doesn't look good," he muttered.

Swerve looked up briefly. At that moment, the air was split by a long, unearthly roar, and the ground shook. The undead elite agent had to agree -- this didn't look good at all.

*****

Pierce had posted Wright outside the door to the infirmary, along with an Agent who called himself Jinx. Wright was glad for the company; the fact that her mind was still with Shiller probably did not make her the most effective of sentries, and she knew it. She began absentmindedly unloading and reloading the SMG, in hopes of distracting herself.

The rumble of the battle up above and outside was practically tangible, and the two of them couldn't help but glance up worriedly from time to time. Thus far they'd been silent, save for an awkward attempt at flirting on Jinx's part, which Wright had quickly and harshly shot down. So it wasn't until the rumble was intensified by a rapid pounding and what sounded like a deep, eerie roar that either of them spoke again.

"Whatever's going on up there," Wright said tensely, "I think it just got worse."

*****

Hotwire cursed. Strategy was not one of his strong points, especially not when he had to concentrate on shooting down Pterosaurs at the same time, but all he could do now was pray he didn't get anyone killed as he ordered the nearest T-1 Typhoons into something like a formation. He tried to raise Rotor or Cabin on the comms, but there was nothing on their line save static.

Just then, a deep, unearthly howling roar echoed off of Dino Attack HQ and the surrounding buildings. The comm chatter exploded with panic. It took Hotwire a few seconds to make sense of what had just happened.

Apparently, the Darkitect's patience had run out.

Dr. Rex himself had broken from his own ranks and was making a beeline for Dino Attack Headquarters.

*****

Reality, as perceived by Dr. Ronald Alexander, was currently composed entirely of pain. No, not "pain" -- absolute unadulterated agony, and this was still an understatement. He could see the towering red-and-beige building ahead of him through a purple haze. Though he wasn't sure what was happening, he felt himself charging towards it. He didn't resist -- perhaps if he were successful, he would finally be allowed to die.

"RONALD ALEXANDER!"

That voice... now, that was enough to stop him in his tracks. Briefly struggling against the force that drove him forward, he slowed his pace and turned his head. A minifig was standing atop a nearby building. It was three stories tall, so he was forced to peer up somewhat to get a good look at the speaker.

A woman, brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a face like...

He opened his maw, and forced the growl that emerged into a word. "C-- ...Catherine?"

Katerina looked down scornfully at the wreck of a creature that had once been her biological brother. "Yes," she said, "and again, no."

Dr. Rex pounded the ground with his foot in rage and anguish. "They took you away! But this time I won't let them. I'll crush them all, bend them to my will. You won't have to leave again!"

"Oh, but I will be leaving. You can count on that." Katerina dropped to the roof of the next building, which was only two stories, putting her eye-to-eye with the armored T-Rex. "Do you know why they took me away?" she said coldly. "Because it was for the best. And not merely because our shared birth parents could not support two children. You, Ronald, with your possessive nature and your lust for control, would have destroyed me, as you have done to every last person close to you."

Dr. Rex's only response was a howl of rage.

"You remember, I am sure, the one occasion we were allowed to meet," Katerina continued. "You were ten, and I six. When the time came to leave, you refused to let go of my arm. My parents had to pry me away while yours held you back. And you cried out that you would 'fix the world' so that no family need ever be separated again." She threw her arms wide, gesturing at the destruction all around. "And what a FINE JOB you have done!" she shouted. "Look at yourself. A twisted monstrosity, enslaved to the greatest force of malevolent chaos ever to exist."

Ronald Alexander thrashed about as the Darkitect urged him towards Dino Attack HQ. "It was necessary!" he rasped. "I needed the power of the Maelstrom in order to--"

"TO WHAT?" Katerina screamed. "To bring ruin to the world you swore to better when you were young? As a direct result of your foolishness, this entire planet was very nearly destroyed. By your actions, you would overturn the balance of the cosmos in favor of chaos and the annihilation of all that ever was. For that, I now sever my ties to you completely. You lost the right to call me sister long ago!"

She took a step back from the building's edge and waited to see what would happen.

*****

Minerva, Zach, Athena, and Wilma walked through the headquarters at a brisk. Minerva was keeping an eye on her mother while Zach listened in to a radio that he had received from Joike's Fire Hammer. Luckily, Athena had kept mostly quiet at this point. Minerva was relieved at this. Now that her emotions were in check, she probably wouldn't have snapped at Athena again, but it was still just better to have her quiet.

"What's going on outside?" Minerva asked Zach as he put away the walkie-talkie.

"The Darkitect sent Dr. Rex straight for the headquarters," Zach said with a hint of urgency. "He's only being held off by talking to a woman, who I am hearing is either 'Kat', 'Katerina', or both. Which makes some sense, as I did hear something about Kat being Dr. Rex's sister." He turned to Wilma. "Dr. Rex appears to be fighting off the Darkitect's influence for now to speak to Kat. I know personally that he won't last long unless something big happens, so we need to take this opportunity to find this Teleport Pad quickly."

Elizabeth Wilma nodded and sped up her pace. Zach and Minerva adjusted while Minerva grabbed her mother's arm so she could keep up. As they rushed through the cafeteria, Minerva got a brief look around. Back in the kitchen section, Minerva thought she could see Mama and Papa Brickolini baking pizzas, thought she wasn't sure why. The mess hall itself was mostly devoid of life, save for a couple of people sitting at a table with their heads bowed, speaking quietly enough that Minerva could not comprehend what they were saying.

She sped up to Zach. "What are they doing?" Minerva whispered to him, glancing back the Minifigs.

"Praying, presumably. To what deity, I'm not sure."

Minerva frowned slightly. "What is that supposed to do?"

Zach shrugged. "People find comfort in it. To know someone more powerful than anyone is out there, listening. Also, there is a giant beast leading an army of monsters toward this headquarters, the giant beast being controlled by an almost godlike person in control of basically the essence of chaos and destruction. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some religious text that describes an incident like this. All we really need is a savior to arrive and save us from certain destruction."

Minerva glanced back at praying Minifigs. She herself did not follow any religion, preferring to put her faith into more physical beings. She couldn't really blame the Minifigs for trying to find some comfort in this battle or trying to get some outside help. At this point, she could probably bring herself to pray as well.

The group continued down the hallways in silence. Zach and Minerva were eager just to get Athena out of danger so they could return to the battle. Naturally, things never seem to work out that way.

"Stop," a shaky voice commanded from behind them. Minerva flinched visibly. "Turn around." Wilma, Minerva, Zach, and Athena turned slowly to face Oswald Fabello, pointing a handgun at the group.

Minerva suppressed a small gasp. Zach was right. Oswald wasn't looking very good. Sunken eyes, unkempt hair, a slightly-crazed look. He had sunk even farther down since she had last seen him fleeing into Adventurers' Island jungle.

"Oswald," Minerva whispered. "I-"

"Drop your weapon," Oswald commanded irritably. Minerva dropped her Cosmotronic Ray quickly. "You too, Virchaus. Drop the knife." Zach scowled, and let his knife fall to the floor. "And no Maelstrom tricks, Virchaus. One little purple spark, and I will kill all of you." Zach didn't say anything, choosing simply to glare.

How did he know about that? Minerva wondered.

"You," Oswald hissed, turning his stare to Elizabeth Wilma. "I don't care about you. Get out of here. Now."

Elizabeth Wilma looked to both Zach and Minerva. Minerva couldn't bring herself to speak, so Zach did: "He's dangerous. Just go. And maybe get some help." Oswald chuckled coldly, but didn't say anything. Wilma nodded quickly and turned and fled.

"Well," Zach continued, crossing his arms. "Your plan seems be working, from what I can tell. Athena and by extension, you, made it to Minerva. What now?"

Oswald cracked the barest hint of a smile. "We get out of here so we can have a more private place to talk." He stepped to the side and gestured for the group to get ahead of him. Gripping Athena's arm, Zach gave Oswald one last cold glare before they started walking. Minerva came up from behind and walked by Oswald as they began to leave the headquarters.

Minerva looked at Oswald, who stared straight ahead. Her brother probably disliked Zach and he most certainly hated Athena. If anyone could possibly reason with him at this point, it was her.

"Oz," Minerva said quietly so only he could hear. She had chosen to use his old nickname as if to better connect with him. "What are you going to do?"

Oswald was quiet for a brief moment, and then he spoke. "I can't lose you, Minerva. You're the only family I have left."

Minerva was taken aback briefly. She had expected the crazy, murderous psychopath she had seen on Adventurers' Island to speak. Instead, she was speaking to her older brother. "Do you think being with XERRD will keep me alive?" she asked gently.

Oswald nodded slowly.

"No organization is safe from Baron Typhonus. He'll destroy the Dino Attack Team, then turn the Mutant Dinos on XERRD. No one is safe."

She saw his eyes narrow briefly. "Baron Typhonus is dead. He was killed when the Maelstrom was created."

"No," Minerva said, her voice growing cold. Oswald finally turned to look at her. "He isn't. I saw him myself in the Maelstrom Temple. He spoke to me, trying to get me to turn against my team. He is alive and he's out there now, controlling Dr. Rex. You are his puppet, just like the rest of XERRD is."

Oswald looked at her, unsure what to think. Minerva was silently hoping that her words were help Oswald. He then turned away. "I don't know what to do with you, Minnie," he said in a shaky voice. "Part of me wants to just kill you. The other part wants to keep you safe because you're my baby sister and the closest companion I had in the last six years."

Minerva reached a reassuring hand out to Oswald. She wasn't sure if he was actually being manipulated by the Darkitect or his sanity was declining because of the Darkitect, but she was determined to help him. Oswald looked at the hand, then at Minerva. "You helped me when I needed it most," Minerva said warmly. "I want to return the favor."

Oswald seemed like almost wanted to grab the hand and pull his sister into an embrace. To apologize for what he's done. He then turned his head and saw that they had reached the front door. Regaining some of his composure, Oswald turned to Zach and Athena. "Out the door. Now."

The group shuffled out the front door and into the battlefield. Minerva gave Oswald a pleading look, but he ignored it. "This way," Oswald said, pointing. Sighing but not willing to give up Oswald just yet, she followed the rest of the group toward Oswald's destination.

*****

"Dino Attack... turned you... against me...!"

Dr. Rex thrashed around, feeling muscle spasms all over his body as he struggled to remain still, despite Baron Typhonus's urging, despite the Darkitect pulling his strings. The physical pain was greater than ever, and Dr. Rex wished for nothing more than to simply die.

But now, even worse was the emotional pain. If it weren't enough that he only now realized that he was little more than the Darkitect's plaything, Dr. Rex now had seen his sister, his dearly beloved Catherine, again, after so many years of being forcibly separated... and she had just disowned him. He remembered all too well the pain he suffered from losing her the first time. Now, like a musical motif, a dark reprise of those memories was now playing in his mind.

"I... cannot..." said Dr. Rex, aghast at Catherine's words. "No..." Unable to even put his thoughts into words, Dr. Rex delivered a terrifying roar that was so loud that it nearly deafened those nearby.

A violent muscle spasm shook Dr. Rex's entire body. The Maelstrom energies constricting his being tightened their grasp.

"She's... my sister...!" panted Dr. Rex, although it was unclear who exactly he was talking to. "I cannot lose... not again...!"

One tendril of Maelstrom energy wrapped itself around his neck. It constricted tightly, choking Dr. Rex and causing him to thrash about violently again. Although Dr. Rex tried to roar again, his breath was stopped by the Maelstrom energy, silencing his cry of defiance. Katerina took a step back, for all the good that it would do.

"You..." rasped Dr. Rex. "You are the reason... You are why I... did all this... You! You're... the cause of all this! This... this is all... your fault!"

When Dr. Rex found the strength to look at Katerina again, his eyes appeared to be ablaze with fury and madness. The Maelstrom energies engulfing his body glowed brighter than ever, and his form almost appeared to be burning in a purple inferno. "Fine!" he spat, and Katerina could hear pure hatred dripping from his words. "You dare... to renounce... your own brother...? Then you... are no sister of mine...! You mean nothing... to me now! I shall... destroy... all... and I shall start... with... you!"

Dr. Rex roared, and Katerina took a step back, for all the good that it would do. It disturbed her to see her own brother, such a brilliant if misguided scientist, descend to such feral bestiality. As Dr. Rex, with his maw opened wide, lunged at the building where Katerina stood, he was stopped for a third time by an all-too-familiar voice.

"Doctor Ronald Alexander!"

"You!" roared Dr. Rex, snapping his head towards a nearby parking garage sponsored by Octan. Sure enough, through the purple haze that clouded his vision, Dr. Rex recognized Evil Ogel standing there, alive as ever. "How many times do I have to kill you?" Without even waiting for the evil mastermind to respond, Dr. Rex charged towards the parking garage and, as soon as he was close enough, swallowed Ogel whole. Already knowing the pattern, Dr. Rex open his maw as a jet of purple-tinged flames erupted from his mouth, incinerating the entire parking garage. It pleased Dr. Rex to hear the shouts and cries of a hidden Skeleton Drone army in the instants before they died.

Turning back to the two-story building where Katerina was, Dr. Rex was infuriated to see his sister nowhere in sight. Not wanting to leave any chances, Dr. Rex rammed his body against the building, smashing it against his armored hide. Then, he repeated it again and again, until the entire building was reduced to a pile of rubble. Before the dust even settled, Dr. Rex breathed fire over the ruins, surely incinerating anyone who could have survived the building's collapse.

Turning his attention back to Dino Attack Headquarters, Dr. Rex saw through the purple haze that there was a large barrier protecting the building's perimeter. A few snipers remained on the wall, those that were smart enough had already fled. In a matter of mere seconds, Dr. Rex demolished the entire wall, and there was Dino Attack Headquarters on the other side, vulnerable as ever.

Dr. Rex raised his head and roared to the heavens. The army of Mutant Lizards and Mutant Raptors gathered at his feet rushed forward, eager to claim Dino Attack Headquarters. In less than a minute, they would break into the building.

In his pain, Dr. Rex's agony had turned to anger, the only fuel that kept him going. Talia Kaahs had been turned against him. XERRD no longer accepted him. Catherine, his own sister, had forsaken him. He was left with nothing but his Mutant Dinos, and Dr. Rex now knew that they too did not truly see him as their leader, for he was merely a puppet to their true master, the Darkitect. Dr. Rex had nothing. Nothing but his pain and his anger.

Now that Catherine had renounced him, Dr. Rex knew that he would not hold back any longer. If he had nothing, then nothing mattered to him. It would not matter if Catherine or Talia stood in his way; he would slaughter them both like animals. When he was finished with Dino Attack Team, killing every last one of them and grounding their headquarters to dust, then nothing could ever stop him.

Everything was about to come to an end.

And then you'll kill me, right?

Later.

*****

True to her word for once, Katerina relinquished control as soon as she'd finished her rant. Kat blinked in momentary surprise, and then came to her senses. Dr. Rex had just demolished a nearby parking garage, and there was a good chance he would turn back to her any second.

She made a dash for the fire escape on the opposite side of the building and threw herself down the stairs. She was halfway down when Dr. Rex struck the building the first time, and the jolt almost threw her off. Spotting a drainpipe on the corner of the building, she hopped over the railing and began sliding down the pipe. When she was ten feet above the sidewalk, Dr. Rex struck again. The drainpipe broke loose, and she fell the rest of the way. She hit the street hard and rolled, then sprinted to an alley as Dr. Rex struck the building again and again.

"Fine job you did back there," she murmured crossly.

I must admit it did not go as well as I had expected, Katerina responded. I had hoped to appeal to his sense of shame, but it seems there is even less of Ronald left than I thought.

"No Znap, Sherlock," Kat said, checking the Sonic Screamer. Busted in the fall. No surprise. "Maybe you should've waited a while to disown him. I bet that would've gotten the effect you intended."

Kat cautiously made her way to the other mouth of the alley, cautiously peering around the corner. This street was clearer than the one on the other side of the block, but there were still too many dinosaurs roaming about for comfort. She slipped back down the alleyway, stopping at the first door she found. It was locked, but slightly ajar, so she was able to simply push it open.

"So," she muttered, "maybe I can slip through from one building to the next without being spotted, until I find some help..."

Most likely not, Katerina interjected. The chance of success is quite miserably low.

"Well then, you got any better ideas?" Kat snapped. "You're the one who got us into this mess to begin with."

*****

Andrew's crew worked fast. With the efforts of himself, Laxus, and Pterisa, they were able to lift the Fire Hammer onto the makeshift stand from the spare bricks from the vehicle they had been looting for parts. Then after Andrew pried off the hubcap from the ruined front wheel, he managed to remove the wasted part, looking like it had been chewed up by a large dog or toddler, and get the new wheel into place.

With Pterisa still watching their backs, Laxus and Andrew managed to push the new wheel in fully and then reattach the hubcap, securing it in place. Taking a moment to breathe in relief, they then kicked the brick-built stand out of place, letting the Fire Hammer rock back onto four secure wheels once more.

"Hey!" Catless cried out from the turret. "Warn me first before you do that!"

"Sorry," Andrew replied briefly as Laxus went back into the vehicle through his door. As Andrew climbed up himself, he turned to Pterisa, who was on her wings and ready to fly back up to Catless's blind side. "Thanks for the support," he said.

"Well, we are allies," the Hybrid responded. "What did you expect? Plus, it's the least I can do after all you've done for me."

The two smirked again before Andrew climbed back into the driver's seat and Pterisa went up to the Xenon turret. With his door closed and seatbelt buckled, Andrew put the Fire Hammer in drive and moved off again, quickly getting a look of things with the battle going on. Immediately, he saw the giant purple-glowing armored Mutant T-Rex heading for HQ, the large army of Mutant Dinos following him.

"Get ready, team!" Andrew cried out on the radio. "HQ's about to take a beating! Thin out Dr. Rex's army as much as possible, then we can worry more about taking the big guy down!"

"Easier said than done, Mister!"
"Seven minutes. That's all I give for HQ's staff being able to survive that attack."
"This is it, guys!"
"I've heard commotion over at the bowling alley! I think they got Trigger!"
"What the Znap is Pointman doing?!"
"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure fighting with you tonight."
"Is it night already? With this weather, I can hardly tell."
"I'm hearing rumors about some Einstein Device. Anyone have any info on that?"

*****

Semick looked back at Dino Attack Headquarters. The building he had been living in for months, planning countless operations, meeting countless strong allies, and giving him his few opportunities for relaxation for the past several months, was mere moments from certain pulverization. He was not a sentimental man, but he knew the unconscious symbolism it would have when the building fell.

He looked back to the T-1 Typhoon that was Hotwire's Talon II. Hotwire had been relatively quiet ever since he had seen Kat/Katerina wander off. Reports were that she had been confronting Dr. Rex, but not everyone had heard them or had them confirmed. Undoubtedly, he was worried that she would not survive, or whether his friend was truly still in there somewhere.

"Hotwire," Semick said over comm, "I know you're concerned, but we've got a duty to do here. When HQ falls, our agents are going to be in a disarray of morale loss and strategic confusion. We need to be ready to reorganize our forces for this."

"...Okay, I think I'm up for it," said the agent. "What do you suggest?"

"From what I can see, the Mutant Dino forces incoming are taking a beating. I'm guessing we might be close to thinning two-thirds of the initial army, but I can't be certain. Regardless, with our reinforcements form Alpha Team, Agents, and whatever Dr. Cyborg's been doing, along with the possibility that XERRD still might call a truce with us, we could easily settle the Mutant Dino problem and then be able to handle Dr. Rex afterwards."

"Not much of a plan," said Swerve, "but I admit we're running out of options, and that is the most achievable one at the moment."

"Same here," said Andrew suddenly, his voice finally returning to the Elite channel. "Even though he's still insanely powerful, it's better to have only one of him rather than him and an army of supporters."

"We can work on it better once everyone is back and ready," said Semick, "and by that, I mean when Dr. Cyborg is finished at the Power Station, Zach and Minerva are done helping take the latter's mother to safety, and Rotor and Cabin are brought back into the air. Rex would be of help too, but I can understand how he might not be able to, in his state."

The former Power Miner glanced back at HQ, where a few T-1 Typhoons were still hovering over even in the face of the oncoming attack. "Reptile," he warned his ally into the mic, "you need to get out of there to avoid getting pulverized right about now!"

"We can't spend any more time on the stragglers down there," Hotwire said, referring to the packs of dinosaurs still roaming the outskirts of the city. "They need everything at HQ, so we'll have to worry about these guys later." With that, the Talon II turned and floated back towards headquarters, followed by three more T-1 Typhoons.

"What about Cabin and Rotor?" one of the other pilots asked.

"If they survived the crash, I don't doubt their ability to survive on the ground," Hotwire responded. "Those two are pretty hard to break." 

*****

Blaire Darkling surveyed the battle with increasing interest and dread. Upon escaping Kareem Nazareno and his allies, Blaire had stumbled upon a rather advanced XERRD command post in a three-story building. From there, he could continue his observations, now as XERRD's leader.

Blaire was relieved that the bulk of XERRD had decided to accept him as leader. There were a few naysayers, such as Paulie Gonepus, but they could be silenced. He had control. No, what unnerved him was Nazareno's appearance. The last thing he had wanted was someone directly related to his past appearing, particularly a rival. It could easily tempt him into becoming Matthew Vherestorm one last time. However, Nazareno would have to be dealt with later. Now, he had an organization to run.

Blaire turned away from the window he was watching the battle from and descended down the stairs. Dr. Rex had been halted to speak with his sister, but that ended rather quickly and he continued his attack toward Dino Attack Headquarters. Members of XERRD were out there aided them. He had told them to fight. No fancy maneuvers, tactics, or tricks. Just fight. So Blaire could consider his next move carefully.

He reached the second floor and came upon a complex set up of radios and laptops. At this point, this building was where all XERRD transmission came in. Several Hybrids and Inferno agents stood guard over the XERRD scientists that were at work.

"Get me on with Gadd," Blaire commanded to Dr. Oak and his grandson, Gary. They two pressed several buttons, then gestured for Blaire to speak. "Alvin Gadd?"

"Darkling," Alvin Gadd's voice came over the radio. "I suppose you want an update, correct? Very well. First things first, Paulie Gonepus was discovered dead."

Blaire smirked coldly. One less loose end to deal with. "Anything recoverable? The Maelaser?"

"Nope. All destroyed."

Blaire shrugged. "Very well. Where is Dr. Inferno? I don't want that fool skipping out." He heard menacing growls from the Inferno agents guarding the room. Blaire turned to the Hybrids. "Get rid of them, please."

"Look out the window."

Blaire did. He saw a tall, black-and-orange robot mech stomping through the city toward Dino Attack Headquarters, throwing vehicles aside with its claw and toasting anything that crossed its path with a flamethrower arm.

"Ah. I was wondering when that mech would show up. Anything else worth reporting?"

He thought he could hear a sigh on Gadd's end. "Go on to the roof of the building."

Blaire shrugged and ascended the stairs to the third floor and used a ladder to reach the roof. He looked up into the sky and raised an eyebrow.

Several black-scaled dragons flew in the sky with the Mutant Pterosaurs, breathing purple flames. With them were several boat-like aircrafts with straps connected from the boats to large, black dragons, who carried them.

Blaire lifted his walkie-talkie to his face. "So the Fright Knights have arrived." XERRD's other ally with a large amount of resources. Though despite their allegiance, the fact that the Fright Knights saw fit to use Maelstrom Dragons worried him.

One windship split off from the group and floated to the building Blaire was standing on. It was much larger than the others, with a massive Maelstrom Dragon carrying it. From the windship rose Willa the Witch on her broomstick, a wand spinning in her fingertips.

"So!" Willa the Witch cackled as she lowered herself down to Blaire's eye level. "You are XERRD's leader now, hmm?"

"That would be correct," Blaire said, staring hard into the witch.

"I hope you don't mind if I don't get your name?" Before Blaire could answer, she raised her wand. "Good. And I'm glad to see myself and the Fright Knights have arrived just in time to stop this pesky Dino Attack Team from taking Castle Cove from us! In addition to the air force above you, we have several ground troops as well. And…" Her tone darkened. "I can find King Race and Lord Vladek and get my revenge."

"Unfortunately," Blaire said, crossing his arms. "We have already received word that King Race had perished. Lord Vladek and his allies are out there, though you may not get the opportunity to get your revenge."

"And why not?" Willa the Witch sneered.

"I am considering a truce with the Dino Attack Team."

Willa the Witch gasped and flew in so close that her breath began to fog up Blaire's sunglasses. "You would not dare join them! The other kingdoms would return and take Castle Cove from me! If you join them…" She jabbed Blaire in the chest with her wand fueled with the Maelstrom's power. "You will regret it."

Blaire's face remained emotionless. He could see purple sparks travel through her wand. He was vaguely reminded of Zachary Virchaus and his Maelstrom powers. But unlike Virchaus, Willa the Witch had never been a Stromling and did not understand the Maelstrom's true power as Virchaus did. Blaire could only assume that, with her use of the Maelstrom in her magic, Willa the Witch was now unknowingly under Baron Typhonus's thumb and would aid his Mutant Dino army in destroy the Dino Attack Team before he turned and destroyed her himself.

A strange smile formed on Willa the Witch's face. "I think you see my point. One word of joining the Dino Attack Team, and I will see to it that the only thing you will lead is the dead!" Cackling madly, Willa the Witch flew back into windship and it returned to the sky. It traveled to east of the headquarters. Blaire saw the small blip that was witch fly out of her windship, a purple ball of energy surrounding her. She then flew around in several circling before shooting straight through the central tower of Dino Attack Headquarters, starting several purple fires in the building.

Blaire grimaced. He did not have the Fright Knights' support, but that wouldn't matter. He lifted the radio back up to his face. "Gadd?"

"Yes, Darkling. I'm here. That's all that's really worth reporting. Oh, and I another thing: I'm done."

A surprised smile formed on Blaire's face. "Elaborate."

"This whole thing. I'm done with XERRD. We've all made a terrible mistake, and I'm determined to fix it." Gadd paused before continuing. "I've also found Dr. Lee and freed him from the death trap Dr. Rex put him in. We're both surrendering."

Blaire was surprised. "I'll admit, Gadd. I thought you were spineless. Here you are, telling me off. Is it foolish? Perhaps. Regardless, you will not need to surrender to the Dino Attack Team if everything goes according to plan. Just wait a few moments."

Gadd sighed, but ultimately agreed to Blaire's demands.

Blaire then returned to the second floor. "Well?" Blaire asked expectantly to Dr. Oak.

"I think you could pull it off. You do have something planned for the others, correct?" said Oak.

"Indeed."

"Yes. Also, Dr. Inferno refuses to accept your plan. He states he will never ally with the likes of the Alpha Team, Agents, and especially Ogel."

Blaire scowled. Of course. Dr. Inferno's massive ego refused to see that unless he allied with his enemies, he would not take over the world, but be destroyed. "A pity, but we can move on without him. Have you traced the radio signal from Elite Agent Semick's message?"

Oak nodded.

"Then let's get this show on the road." Blaire stepped up to a microphone, tapped it briefly, then said, "Elite Agent Semick?"

A short silence before the Elite Agent spoke up. "Yes? Who is this?"

A small smile formed on Blaire's lips. "My name is Blaire Darkling, the leader of XERRD. I would get into contact with you leaders, but you made the request, not them."

"Am I hearing this right? You're forming a truce?"

"Indeed, I am. The shroud of the Darkitect has fallen. I refuse to be his pawn any longer and will see to it that he is defeated and the creatures of destruction we helped create are stopped. Unfortunately, Dr. Inferno and Willa the Witch refuse to go along with any alliance with the Dino Attack Team, so the Inferno agents and Fright Knights are still enemies to you. After I am finished with talking to you, I will make the announcement to XERRD as a whole in an attempt to turn any who are still under the Darkitect's influence to helping us. And if that fails... well, fell free to let any of your agents' trigger fingers' slip if they see a Space Marauder, Sorcerer, or Shinobi aiding the Mutant Dinos, Fright Knights, or Inferno agents."

Blaire paused, then concluded with: "Is there any terms or conditions you would like to lay down before making this truce official?"

*****

Semick considered for a second whether or not he felt further terms were necessary on his side. "All I want..." he said to Blade Darkling, "is for you to help us defeat these Mutant Dinos, and especially this Dr. Rex fellow here. But I do want you to be willing to face the judgment of our team's Founding Members, as well as the rest of the world's leaders, and possibly even some galactic ones. Understand that you won't all get off easy for what you've done to this planet, but all I want is for you to help us save it so that innocents may live on, and that you may have a slight chance at being redeemed in our eyes. Is that good enough?"

A few quiet, tense moments passed as Semick waited for a reply. "I suppose that's good enough. For now at least. So would you call that a truce, Elite Agent Semick?"

"Yes. I would call it a truce," Semick said, wishing partially that he could shake the man's hand in a sign of honesty in his truce. "I'll inform my men. You do the same for yours."

"Understood."

Semick quickly switched frequencies and began giving out a message to Dino Attack.

"Attention All Agents! This is Elite Agent Semick! I have just come off a meeting with current XERRD leader Blade Darkling! He has agreed to a truce between XERRD and the Dino Attack Team! I repeat, XERRD has made a truce with Dino Attack Team! All agents are to stop confronting XERRD forces with hostility, unless they are seen supporting Mutant Dino forces! Also, please note that the forces under Dr. Inferno and the Fright Knights from Castle Cove are hostiles to all, having disbanded alliances from XERRD due to their agendas! Continue attacking them! That is all."

"Wow! I didn't believe that could happen!"
"Someone get Cyrista's Bane to keep this giant Inferno mech busy! He just came outta nowhere and is tearing us apart over here!"
"Yes! You owe me five bucks, Bob."
"I don't trust that Blaire Darkling. Semick, you sure of this?"
"I think Zach and Fabello are being held at gunpoint by someone! Go check that out!"
"Who's got the neat teal-and-black Urban Avenger over there?"
"Ouch! Didn't you hear that, mage? Stop hitting me!"

*****

Rotor walked up to Harris, who was busy organizing some of the other agents and giving them instructions. "Harris, right?" Rotor asked.

"Yep," the construction worker said.

"And you're an old friend of Spike here."

"Yeah," replied Harris.

"I see," said Rotor. "You know anyone else in this squad?"

"Well, there's Buffy," continued Harris. "She's a lot stronger than she looks, and was personally trained by Dr. Rodney Rathbone himself. Try not to get on her bad side."

"I see," said Rotor. "I'm putting you in charge of fortifying this building then. You do whatever you need to do to make this place mutant dino-proof."

"What do we do about supplies?" Harris asked.

"We salvaged what food and ammo we could get out of the chopper," replied Rotor. "If we run low, we'll have to send parties out to get some more." 

*****

"Holy Znap!" gasped Frozeen as Dr. Rex demolished the great wall which served as a protective barrier on the perimeter of Dino Attack Headquarters. He watched in horror as Mutant Lizards and Mutant Raptors, gathered at the armored T-Rex's feet, rushed forward over the ruins of the wall, heading straight for Dino Attack Headquarters.

In only a matter of seconds, Frozeen calculated, the Mutant Dinos would reach the doors of Dino Attack Headquarters. Despite the building being constructed to withstand Mutant Dino attacks, there was no way it could be protected from such sheer numbers. The great door to Dino Attack Headquarters' garage was sliding down, but Frozeen knew it would never close in time.

"Shiver me timbers!" whispered Greybeard. "Mary Rose be in thar...!"

"Shannon, too!" added Frozeen in a terrified shout. "She's in a wheelchair... she's a bioengineer and tech expert, not a fighter... she doesn't stand a chance against them!"

Sam Race narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the steering wheel of the Fire Hammer. "I've lost my father today," he said as he gritted his teeth. "I'm not going to let anyone else die." Before either Frozeen or Greybeard could ask what he was doing, Sam slammed his foot on the gas pedal and floored it. The Fire Hammer raced across the rubble that was once the protective wall, plowed through a few Mutant Lizards running towards headquarters, and crashed through the front doors of Dino Attack Headquarters. Bricks and shards of broken glass flew everywhere, and Frozeen and Greybeard ducked to avoid getting hit by the debris.

The quickest to recover, of course, was Sam Race. He pointed to someone who appeared to be a mechanic, since he wore a blue mechanic's jacket with white sleeves and a white hat with the Octan logo on it, who was staring at the mess made by the Fire Hammer's dramatic entrance. "You!" shouted Sam. "See how quickly you can take apart this Fire Hammer and build a barrier or something to keep the Mutant Dinos out for a little longer!"

"Got it!" said the mechanic, already running towards the Fire Hammer. "Building is my middle name, after all! Actually, it's my first and last name. Heh, I actually only just noticed that."

"Good to see you, Bill Ding," said Frozeen, who hopped out of the Fire Hammer and helped Greybeard step out. "Now, let's find Mary and Shannon before the Mutant Dinos do!"

*****

"Okay, Kat. What did we learn today? Do NOT make the big scary mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex angry!"
"Attention all Dino Attack personnel! This is agent Shock speaking. If you need to evacuate to Antarctica, you have only a few minutes remaining until we destroy the Teleport Pad in the basement; we cannot afford to let any Mutant Dinos get near it. We are now constructing a Teleport Pad on the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters."
"It's a sure good thing that those Rogue Knights and Chinese soldiers arrived. We need all the help we can get against these Inferno agents and Fright Knights!"

"Orders from Digger! T-1s, keep fighting the Mutant Dinos, and shoot down any Maelstrom Dragons and Inferno crafts, too! Dino Air Trackers, prepare to airlift units to the rooftop Teleport Pad for mass evacuation."
"Darn it! I was shipping Vinyareno!"
"Mutant Dinos are inside the building! I repeat - Mutant Dinos are inside the building!"
"All our base are belong to them?"
"That's it. From now on, we're shooing out the clowns. If you want to make jokes or funny references, stop. Now is not the time. Use the comm chatter for serious communication now!"
"... Ah, you're no fun anymore!"
"I heard that! Who said that?"

*****

The door to the garage swung open in sudden shock as Dynamite staggered onto the catwalk, Firecracker close behind. "KA-BOOM!" Dynamite shouted. Firecracker slowly put his finger over his lips and made a "shhh" noise.

"We got to be quiet," Firecracker said sternly. "There's agents here; if anyone sees us setting up dynamite, they'll confiscate all our explosives and throw us in that prison of theirs. Now I have a backup plan for if that does happen, but it'd be far easier if it didn't."

Dynamite just muttered something incoherently.

Firecracker removed yet another stick of dynamite and began to tape it to the end of the catwalk. He smiled, clearly really keen to just light that fuse and destroy the platform, but he knew better. Tying a rope, he walked down the stairs and attached another piece of dynamite to the railing, then continued down.

However, as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Firecracker and Dynamite ducked behind a couple of barrels, trying not to be seen by the other agents present. They overheard Bill Ding and Frozeen talking to each other.

Slowly, Firecracker looked at the barrels. There was a logo on them, a WHMIS symbol, one which clearly showed an object breaking apart in a large blast. He smiled, reached into his coat, and pulled out another stick of dynamite, attaching the string to it.

"Whatever this stuff is," Firecracker muttered to himself as he wedged the dynamite in between two of the barrels, in order to keep it from being spotted immediately, "it easily explodes. Now we should also put some in the armory. That thing will be full of gunpowder, after all. Just got to wait for these guys to clear out."

*****

Considering the quantity of patents being rushed into the basement, it was understandable that Dr. Pierce was incredibly flustered by the time Naomi found him. His white coat gushed behind him as he walked up and down the crowded and uneven rows of bed. Agents ran back and forth with varying levels of injuries and every so often the entire crowd had to step aside to make room for a gurney being pushed through the fray. Pierce stopped for a moment to subscribe a medication to an injured agent with acid burns on his upper body. The doctor only had time to check a few boxes on his clipboard before he was forced to move on to a patent with higher priority.

"Doctor!" called Naomi as she navigated the bodies pushing her in every direction. The room they were located in was technically a large storage room on the northern side of the base. It had high ceilings and thick walls but was not accommodated to such an influx of activity. Boxes of spare parts had been pushed aside for heart monitors and bags of blood.

Blood was being used faster than it could be donated. Earlier, Dr. Pierce had to donate his own to accommodate for the patents being rushed in. For the most part, they were treating lacerations and bites with the occasional burn. The Mutant Dinosaurs did not create clean wounds and, as a result, stitching and treatment was incredibly difficult.

"How soon can you get Hertz to surgery?" called Naomi. "He's been getting a lot of messages and he can't hear! Shouldn't he have priority because of his significance? He's an elite agent, after all."

Pierce wiped the sweat from his brow as he briefly stopped to speak to Naomi. He allowed himself a brief breath before responding. "My hospital does not prioritize agents based on rank, Naomi; I work based on need. As much as I would like to help you, there are other agents here who must take precedence. I cannot put one man's suffering over another man's life."

"Please, Doctor!" begged Naomi. "Hertz's ears are all he has. He feels helpless right now; there must be something you can do!"

"I'm sorry, Naomi," Pierce said, frowning as he continued down the cluttered row of cots. "I'm sorry about Hertz, but I need to make difficult decisions right now. Anyway, based on his proximity to the blast, his hearing damage is probably profound, possibly 91 dB HL. His only hope could be a Cochlear implant. The surgery can range from one to five hours, and they take a considerable amount of sophisticated programing. They're also expensive, Naomi; I would need to be approved by the higher-ups if I wanted to use one, or Hertz would have to pay for it himself."

"But you could get one, right?" inquired Naomi.

Pierce shook his head. "Theoretically, but not now, I'm dealing with life and death matters now, Naomi; you must understand that. Hertz is alright for the time being and, if we're still around when this is over, we can talk then." Pierce's pager beeped he fumbled with the device before frowning. "Someone just came in with multiple bites to the kidneys. I have to go."

Naomi nodded her head solemnly as Pierce's white coat disappeared around the corner. She navigated her way back to the room Hertz was and found him sitting just as he was when she left. He was picking at some if his scabs absentmindedly and seemed to be making popping noises with his mouth. She could tell he was experimenting with sounds he could detect but the efforts were futile.

She motioned to the scabs and shook her head. "Don't pick your scabs, Hertz."

The techie did not respond. He gave her a look of perplexity before discovering what he was doing and abruptly stopped. "ANY LUCK WITH PIERCE?" he asked sloppily. He could not clarify his diction and, as a result, many words came out blurred. It was strange how someone could speak their entire life and then forget the subtleties once they could no longer comprehend them.

Naomi shook her head and held up the whiteboard: No

The light drained from Hertz's face and he put his head down glumly. Any hope that he possessed slipped away and his optimism drifted lower.

Naomi walked over and held his hand before writing another short message: Is there anything you need?

Hertz sighed. "THE AGENTS OUTSIDE NEED AN UPDATE. GRIMTON CAN'T TAKE MY PLACE WITH THE COMMUNICATION ROOM BLOWN UP. CAN YOU SEND A MESSAGE TO LET THEM KNOW I'M ALRIGHT?"

Naomi nodded as she took Hertz's PDA and set the frequency to the elite agent channel.

Dr. Shaw watched with remorse and sympathy as Carver started typing something into the PDA. Slowly, she walked up to the two of them. "Look," she said, nervously. "Ears aren't my specialty, but if there's anything I can do to help, you just name it."

*****

"This is Nurse Carver, I'm calling to inform you that elite agent Hertz survived the attack on the south side of the base and is currently in medical bay. However, Hertz is no longer capable of performing his duties as radio operator due to injuries he received in the explosion. Because of the magnitude and volume of the blast, Hertz is currently deaf and may remain that way for an unforeseen period of time. While surgery is possible, Dr. Pierce would not be able to perform the procedure until after the action has calmed down. Hertz gives deep regrets that he can no longer be of service at this time of need, but at least we can be thankful he is alright. Good luck out there, guys."

Solomon rubbed his temples in gloom before turning his attention back to his surroundings. Hertz was a good young man, and he was eager to do the right thing. The philosopher could only imagine the dejection that the elite agent must be feeling. Hertz was someone who always needed to be doing something, and being confined to the base without being able to contribute probably pained him greatly.

Solomon stroked his white hair and once again placed his helmet back atop his head. Taking down Cyrista's Bane had been difficult, but it was not enough to dissuade him from the rest of the battle. While his shoulders still hurt, he was growing accustomed to the throbbing sensations, and he was evolving his fighting style to accommodate the hindered mobility.

As a Mutant Lizard charged out of the rain, Solomon raised his sword into a forward stance. When he fought in the Ninja conflict of '98, his means of combat had been most similar to that of Kenjutsu. However, the burden of his wounds meant he was forced to adjust closer to Kendo, and he quickly sent a swift downward chop upon the Lizard. There was a snap, and the skull of the Lizard was soon separated from the spine.

Solomon kicked the carcass and looked back at Nazerano and Zelda, who appeared to be in an intimate moment. He hoped whatever they were discussing would finish soon so he would stop having to run the perimeter.

He sliced down two more Lizards before calling back to his ninja allies. In the distance, Cyrista's Bane stalked across the battlefield accompanied by Doctor Cyborg and his team. Solomon was familiar with Cyrista's Bane; he had often seen Dr. Cyrista working on the monstrosity in the lab. He was not confident in the supposed change of allegiances performed by Dr. Cyborg, but he was sure in Dr. Cyborg's ability to lead.

During his own time at XERRD, Solomon had grown to like Dr. Cyrista. Unlike the other members of the organization (himself included), he had not allowed the evil to change him. Cyrista had ethics and a great deal of common sense. He was a kind young man, but Solomon figured he could use guidance once he took over the origination. The philosopher hoped he could provide support when the time came and offer the guidance he had learned as a scholar. He had no interest in being a leader or a warrior anymore; he just wanted to use what skills he had to answer the truly difficult questions.

Zelda and Nazerano were still conversing as he chopped down more Lizards making an advance. When confronted by enemies that were physically superior, remaining stalwart was unwise. He hoped to get out of the center of the action and two a vehicle before they were overwhelmed.

"Attention All Agents! This is Elite Agent Semick!" beeped his radio. "I have just come off a meeting with current XERRD leader Blade Darkling! He has agreed to a truce between XERRD and the Dino Attack Team! I repeat, XERRD has made a truce with Dino Attack Team! All agents are to stop confronting XERRD forces with hostility, unless they are seen supporting Mutant Dino forces! Also, please note that the forces under Dr. Inferno and the Fright Knights from Castle Cove are hostiles to all, having disbanded alliances from XERRD due to their agendas! Continue attacking them! That is all"

For the first time since the battle began, Solomon smiled. It seemed XERRD could see reason. Once Dr. Cyborg took control, the origination could become what it had always meant to be. It would be a haven for knowledge and free thinking. There was certainly hope for XERRD yet.

*****

"On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me fiiiiiiiiii…."
"Hey guys, I forgot! How could be forget that?"
"..iivvve goooolllll…"
"Well, it's understandable that one would forget the subtleties of the seasons. Considering that Dinosaurs are reptiles, there is rarely an association between then and the holiday season. This is because Dinosaurs are cold-blooded or 'Ectothermic' and receive their heat from outside sources. This is of course impossible during the colder season. Seeing Dinosaurs creates dissociation in our brains."
"Actually, I was leaning more toward the fact that we just spent a deployment on a tropical island."
"That makes sense too."
"…lllddd Riiiiiiii…"
"I like to open my mouth and catch the raindrops on my tongue."
"What ever happened to that guy?"
"What guy?"
"You know, that guy from that show?"
"…iiiiiinnnngggggs!"
"Do you mean the one who did that thing? Anyway, I just heard Willa the Witch had a disagreement with Darkling."
"How do we learn these things? It's like we're experiencing this whole battle in third person!"
"Ba dump dum dum!"

*****

Despite Bill Ding's valiant efforts to build a blockade out of the wrecked Fire Hammer, it was only a matter of minutes before Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race encountered Mutant Lizards running through the halls. Frozeen fired his weapon and Greybeard slashed with his cutlass to fell the beasts, while Sam the ever-quick just kept running. He would dart into one room, quickly check to see if anyone was there, and immediately rejoin his partners to report his findings. Once or twice, they found Dino Attack personnel in trouble and saved them from the dinos.

"Thar!" Greybeard pointed with his hook at the door to the conference room. "That be th' room I told Mary Rose t' take cover in!"

A few hungry Mutant Lizards smelling fresh meat were swarming into the room once used for mission briefings. Bellowing, Greybeard charged forward and slashed madly with his cutlass, bringing down most of them. The Mutant Lizard in the lead was just out of his cutlass's reach, so Greybeard pulled out his flintlock pistol and fired, and his aim was true.

As Frozeen and Sam Race followed Greybeard into the conference room, they saw the old pirate looking around, frantically looking for the little girl. He became increasingly desperate and worried as he saw Mary Rose nowhere in sight. Calling her name over and over again, he checked under the table, behind the cabinet, everywhere he could imagine. When Greybeard laid his one good eye on a pool of blood in the corner of the room, he cried: "Mary Rose! Granddaughter, where be ye?"

"Grandpa?"

The voice came as soft as the wind, but directed Greybeard's attention to the air vents above. Through the grating, he noticed a pair of eyes peering out at him.

"Mary!" Greybeard laughed, relieved to see that the little girl was still alive. "How did ye git up thar?"

"I'm good at hide-and-seek," whispered Mary.

"You said that you found her hiding in the dumpster of a Mutant Raptor-infested neighborhood," murmured Frozeen. "I wouldn't be surprised if that experience taught her a few important lessons in survival."

Suddenly, they heard the familiar roar of a Mutant Raptor, and saw the beast standing outside the room. Sam Race quickly ran to the door of the room and slammed it shut, then turned a key to lock it closed. He stepped a few paces back as the Mutant Raptor rammed itself against the door.

"You can't lock a Mutant Raptor out of a room," said Frozeen. "They're too smart!"

A newspaper slid into the room from under the door. The Mutant Raptor slammed into the door again, knocking the key out of the doorknob. The key fell right onto the newspaper, which slid back under the door back out into the hallway. They heard the sound of the key clicking in the doorknob, followed by the Mutant Raptor opening the door with a vicious snarl.

Although Frozeen prepared to fire his weapon, Greybeard stepped forward and raised his cutlass. "Lower yer firearm," whispered Greybeard. "This be me fight, says I!"

As he confronted the hungry Mutant Raptor, Greybeard pointed his cutlass at the beast and gritted his teeth. "Yer kind took me eye an' Mary's parents, an' gave nothin' back," growled Greybeard. "That shall be all that ye be takin' from me, says I! Ye 'ave come fer Mary Rose, but I won't let ye 'ave her!"

The Mutant Raptor growled and lunged towards Greybeard. The old pirate darted to the side and slashed with his cutlass. The blade of his sword cut into the side of the Mutant Raptor's face, leaving a scar across the dinosaur's eye. "An eye fer an eye!" declared Greybeard as he swung his cutlass again.

The Mutant Raptor knocked the sword out of Greybeard's hand. Snarling, it tackled Greybeard to the floor. Unable to let the fight continue without intervention, Frozeen and Sam Race stepped in to fight the Raptor. The only thing they succeeded in was pulling the beast off of the old pirate, but they were quickly knocked down by a swing of the Raptor's tail.

Just then, with a loud clang, the section of the air vents where Mary Rose was hiding fell from the ceiling and crashed down upon the conference table, depositing Mary right in the middle of the action. This immediately caught the Mutant Raptor's attention, and the creature quickly assessed that the defenseless little girl was far easier prey than the three adult men. Baring its teeth, the Mutant Raptor stalked towards the conference table, as Mary backed away in futility.

"Git away from her, ye bilge rat!" screamed Greybeard, who charged at the Mutant Raptor with his retrieved cutlass at the ready. Before the Raptor could react, the old pirate jumped onto its back and thrust his sword into its hide. As the Mutant Raptor bellowed in pain, Greybeard made a few more strikes with his sword, swiped at the Raptor's lips with his hook, and finished it off by planting the cutlass into the Mutant Raptor's skull. With a pained whimper, the Mutant Raptor collapsed, with Greybeard standing victoriously over its carcass.

"Grandpa!" cried Mary Rose as she ran towards the old pirate with her arms stretched wide. "You saved me!"

Sheathing his cutlass, Greybeard met Mary in a much-needed joyous embrace. "I be so sorry fer leavin' ye 'ere!" whispered Greybeard, who sounded on the verge of tears. "But I be 'ere now, an' I be protectin' ye from them beasts! I won't let them git ye! Ne'er!"

"Okay," said Sam Race, frowning. "So, we rescued Mary Rose. What now? It's too dangerous to bring her with us."

"Sam," decided Frozeen, "escort Greybeard and Mary Rose to the Teleport Pad in the basement as quickly as-"

A voice came in on Frozeen's radio. "Attention! This is agent Shock! Due to the Mutant Lizards and Raptors infiltrating headquarters at an alarming rate, we've been left with no choice, and so we activated the self-destruct mechanism of the Teleport Pad in the basement. All personnel in need of immediate evacuation must travel to the rooftop! We are nearly finished building this pad."

"Darn," muttered Frozeen. "Greybeard, if you can protect her, Mary can come along with us while we search for Shannon. We'll bring her to the rooftop to be evacuated as quickly as possible."

*****

Mac slowly approached Rotor, accompanied by Harris. "I've got good news," Harris said. "We've completed the fortification best we can. Odds are they'll still be capable of breaking through but, with enough resistance, we should be able to fight them off long enough for a rescue."

"How are we on food?" asked Rotor.

"From what we salvaged in the chopper, and given the number of people here, maybe enough to last until tomorrow."

"Actually," Spike said, having overheard the conversation and approaching them, "I probably won't be eating much."

"Why?" Cabin asked. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

Spike's eyes widened. "What? No, no. What do you think I'm a vampire or something? I'm just not a big eater, is all. At least, not with the stuff provided here."

Rotor looked at him uncertainly, but went along with it. "Alright then," he said.

"We should be calling for help!" Mac said, sternly.

"We don't have a radio on hand, though!" replied Cabin.

"Not to worry sir," replied a really dirty, stinky agent whom Rotor quickly recognized as Baldrick.

"Where'd you come from, Baldrick?" Rotor asked.

"Oh," Baldrick said, rather shocked. "I was hiding in the back, with the engine."

"I thought I smelt something in there," Cabin remarked. "You were saying?"

"Not to worry, sir," Baldrick said. "I have a cunning plan."

"I see," said Rotor. "What's that?"

"Well," replied Baldrick, "what you need to do is move the house while we're still inside. What you need to do is take the rotorblades from the helicopter; they weren't too badly damaged, and put them on top of the house."

"I see," said Cabin. "Anyone else got any suggestions?"

"There's got to be someone in here with a PDA!" insisted Mac.

"Good point," replied Rotor.

"I got one," said a young female agent with blonde hair.

Rotor turned toward her. "What's your name?"

"Buffy."

"Buffy, right," said Rotor, nodding as he recalled hearing that name from her teammate. "Get a message out, tell them we're stuck in a house. We're walled up, we'll try to hold but we'll need backup."

Meanwhile, on the upstairs floor, Lance watched nervously as he saw something approaching. It looked like a small group of Mutant Raptors and Lizards. Hastily, he opened fire.

*****

"That was close," Firecracker remarked as he got up from behind the barrels where he had been hiding. "If those guys had seen us, they might have completely ruined everything."

At that moment, Firecracker and Dynamite were silenced by the noise of chaos within the building.

"It's the mutant dinosaurs," Firecracker realized. "They've gotten in."

Quickly, he ran back up to the upper catwalk and back into the main building. He worked his way past groups of retreating agents before rushing into the basement where the plunger lay ready. He crouched down next to it, watching the door, and put his hand on the handle, ready to push it down.

"How much damage should this do?" asked Elizabeth, who was sitting close by with Maynard.

"If my calculations are correct," replied Firecracker, "we should level the entire building. It'll be a beautiful explosion. Shame I won't be able to get a clear view."

With that, he prepared to push the handle down...

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 69: Desperate Times

----

"Would you hurry up and put me back together?!"

"I'm-a working on it!" Marco Martinet snapped. "There happens to be a lot of Mutant Dinos around here." As if to prove his point, Martinet rose to his feet and slammed his hammer into the side of a Mutant Lizard's face. "Now, shut up and let me do my job!"

Dr. Marco Martinet's patient-in-question was suffering from burn wounds from a Mutant Lizard. His codename was Snake, but following a beatdown by another man named Snake, he had changed his codename to Plastic Serpent, or simply Serpent. Only now, the other Snake had supposedly ditched the team, leaving Serpent free to take his name back. That Snake guy was a criminal, Martinet noted. Why didn't they inject him with microscopic explosives that the authorities could blow up if he decided to escape? Martinet applied one last bandage over Serpent's wound before sending him back into the battle.

Martinet turned and sprinted back to his Fire Hammer, swinging his mighty hammer through waves of Mutant Dinos. He pulled off one of his grenades (designed to look like pills), pulled the pin, and jammed it into a Mutant Raptor's mouth before reaching the driver's seat and pulling open the door. Martinet watched with grim amusement as the grenade went off in the Raptor's mouth, killing it.

"Well," Martinet said, turning to his medic partner Doctor Giovanni Wade. "Let's-a keep moving, shall we?" Putting the Fire Hammer into drive, Martinet and Wade set off to continue their medical work. As Martinet discovered recently, he was rather skilled behind the wheel. Heh. Perhaps I should have become a racecar driver, eh?

The battle in the sky had taken a definite turn for the worse. The Dino Attack, Alpha Team, and Agents all had to deal with not only Mutant Pterosaurs and Inferno helicopters, but now Maelstrom Dragons and Fright Knight windships. The air vehicles were particularly getting battered by the Maelstrom Dragons, who were much stronger than the average Mutant Pterosaur. They could also land and cripple land vehicles with their powerful Maelstrom fire.

"How are these guys still here?" Wade muttered. "I thought with the Maelstrom Temple's elimination, all Stromlings except for Hybrids and Mutant Dinos were destroyed!"

"Well," Martinet grumbled, running down several Mutant Lizards, "seeing as the Darkitect is still there and I hear this Fright Knight witch has Maelstrom-enhanced powers, I imagine she bent the Maelstrom Dragons under her thumb, and the Darkitect bent her under his thumb."

"The skyfleet's going to need to figure how to take these guys down or we're going to need reinforcements. And..." Wade paused and pointed to an injured agent trying to hobble away from a swarm of Mutant Lizards.

"I got this," Martinet said, kicking up his door and landing on the ground, hammer raised. He ran toward the agent and swung his hammer at the Mutant Lizards. After a short, bloody carnage, all the Lizards laid dead or wounded. Martinet then turned to the agent. "Get into the Fire Hammer!" The agent nodded and started moving toward the Fire Hammer. Martinet began to follow, but stopped.

Just beyond the Dino Attack Headquarters, a fleet of T-1 Typhoons were approaching. As they soared over Dino Attack Headquarters, Marco Martinet managed to count at least twenty-five T-1 Typhoons. In addition, five Dino Air Trackers were with the group, carrying two new Fire Hammers, two Iron Predators, and one High-Voltage Half-Track.

The T-1 Typhoon fleet connected with the Maelstrom's airfleet, guns blazing. Taken off-guard by the sudden reinforcements, Mutant Pterosaurs and Maelstrom Dragons were easily grounded, and Inferno aircrafts and Fright Knight windships were ignited and being sent spiraling toward the ground in fiery explosion.

Martinet raised his hammer and cheered. There was still no idea on how to defeat Dr. Rex, but the reinforcements against the new Fright Knight arrivals were greatly appreciated. As he cheered, the lead T-1 Typhoon broke off from the main group and oddly began to move in Martinet's direction. As it began to land, its weapons opened fire on Mutant Dinos below that had been hoping to take a bite out of it. Martinet aided the helicopter with his hammer and grenades. As the T-1 Typhoon landed, a woman appeared from inside the helicopter's belly. Martinet gasped.

The woman had long, platinum-blonde hair with several flips in it and a long bang that completely covered her right eye. She was tall and had a calm and commanding aura surrounding her. She had a chain around her neck with a star-shaped medallion attached to it and had star-like earrings dangling from her ears. She stepped out T-1 Typhoon and looked at Marco Martinet with her one, light blue eye and gave a small, reserved smile.

"Rosie?" Martinet gasped, feeling shock, surprise, fear, and happiness all radiate out of his body at one. Rosalie Mercedes nodded once began walking toward Martinet. As he embraced her, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"The Dino Attack Team had seen fit to promote me to Elite Agent almost immediately after you left," Rosalie said in a calm, soothing voice. "After Dr. Rex launched his attack on the headquarters, I helped organize several T-1 Typhoons to fly over here from Antarctica to come to the team's aid."

Even though Marco was happy to see Rosalie again, he was extremely fearful. He was still getting to know her. He didn't know how he would respond if she would die. Horrible memories of hearing what happened to another woman he had loved.

Rosalie seemed to detect his concerns. "I can fight, Marco," she said, touching his shoulders. "I did spend a lot of time in Antarctica, but I didn't waste it sitting around. And when I was sent out on a mission, I held my own rather well."

Martinet bit his lip with uncertainty. "I just... I-"

Rosalie laughed gently, interrupting him. "I am a rather skilled pilot, Marco. I will be safe. There's is no use worrying about me when you should be doing your job."

As if on cue, Wade shouted: "Come on, Martinet!"

Martinet glanced back to Wade, then to Rosalie. "Stay safe, eh?" was all he could muster.

Rosalie smiled and nodded. "May the stars shine down on you." She then turned and reentered the T-1 Typhoon, which Martinet now noticed had a black star painted on its nose. As the helicopter rose back into the sky and engaged the Maelstrom's forces, Martinet heard Wade yell for him. Swallowing his bad feelings, Martinet ran back to their Fire Hammer ambulance. Rosalie was right; there was a job to do and people to be saved.

*****

Frozeen and Sam Race ran down a hallway in Dino Attack Headquarters, firing upon Mutant Lizards and the occasional Mutant Raptor along the way. Greybeard ran after them, but kept his pace slow enough to ensure that Mary Rose could keep up, as he did not want to let the little girl out of his sight.

"Yeah," Sam Race explained along the way, "when my dad and I took a tour around headquarters, they said that the lounge was right around - oh my Builder!" As they rounded the corner, they were shocked and disturbed to find the entire area left as a burning ruins, as though a rocket had hit the area and took out an entire section of this floor.

"No," whispered Frozeen. "She... she must have escaped in time...!" With that, the Alpha Team agent turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction, desperate to find elite agent Grimton. After recovering from his shock, Sam Race caught up to Frozeen, while Greybeard lagged behind to keep Mary Rose safe.

At the far end of a long hallway, Frozeen was sure that he saw someone in a wheelchair. However, the hallway was also host to at least half-a-dozen Mutant Lizards, who knew that a handicapped Minifig would be easy prey and were sprinting down the hallway with saliva dripping from their jaws. "No!" shouted Frozeen. He pulled out his personal handheld laser gun and fired at the Mutant Lizards. Although he downed a few of them, the survivors adapted quickly and made quick, random movements to throw off Frozeen's aim. They were outrunning him, and despite his athletic training in Alpha Team, Frozeen knew that he would not reach the end of the hallway in time.

"Shannon!" he cried out a warning. "Look out!"

The Minifig in the wheelchair, who thankfully turned out to be agent Shannon Grimton after all, turned her head and saw the advancing Mutant Lizards. In response, she pressed a button on one of the wheelchair's armrests. Suddenly, a minigun, a laser cannon, and a rocket launcher popped out of her wheelchair, and every weapon was aimed at the Mutant Dinos. A short round of bullets, lasers, and rockets later, there were no Mutant Lizards left standing.

When Frozeen reached Shannon's wheelchair, he was panting for breath and wiping sweat from his brow; having survived Alpha Team training, this was not from any physical stress, but rather from the stroke of fear for Shannon's life. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright," he whispered, unable to raise his voice any higher. "When I saw the mutants infiltrating the building... and I saw the communications setup in the lounge in ruins... I..."

Gently tapping her wheelchair's minigun, Shannon grinned. "As I said, Janice got me interested in technology and engineering. Now, you'd think I would sit in a wheelchair for a few months and not make a few modifications? Besides, the Mutant Lizards needed a lesson in ballistics."

By this time, Sam Race, Greybeard, and Mary Rose had caught up to Frozeen and Shannon. Staring at the impressive weaponry of the super-wheelchair, Frozeen nodded. "I see. Look, Shannon, I..."

"Uh, guys?" called Sam Race. "We've got some company!"

A large swarm of Mutant Lizards of all breeds emerged from a nearby stairwell and were looking for prey. Although Shannon fired her wheelchair weaponry at the Mutant Lizards, even more Mutant Lizards appeared behind the group. Greybeard cussed loudly and tried to slash with his cutlass, but it was quickly knocked aside by a camouflage Mutant Lizard. To top it off, a Mutant Raptor appeared among the group of Mutant Lizards.

Suddenly, some of the Mutant Lizards began to screech and scatter. Narrowing his eyes, Frozeen saw a Dino Attack agent enter the scene, firing a Sonic Screamer that was duct-taped to a flamethrower. The lethal combo of sound and fire drove away the Mutant Lizards, but the Mutant Raptor held its ground and roared. In response, the Dino Attack agent whipped out a Cosmotronic Ray and opened fire, felling the great beast, and then proceeded to pull out a shotgun and end its life for good.

Only after the Mutant Lizards were chased away did Frozeen recognize the Dino Attack agent... by the fact that he was in a wheelchair.

"Rex?" whispered Frozeen. "Is that you?"

The Dino Attack agent shot a glare at Frozeen, which surprised the Alpha Team agent. For a moment, although the face was definitely Rex's, it was as though he did not recognize the agent at all. Then, Rex seemed to realize that it was Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race standing there, for he nodded grimly.

"Blow me down!" exclaimed Greybeard, grinning. "It be good t' see ye. We be hearin' rumors that ye be down!"

"Those rumors were true," Rex said as he narrowed his eyes. "I was down... but now I'm back. And I swear to Builder that I'm not done here until every single one of these MegaBloking sons of 4+ Figures are dead. For too long, they've wreaked death and destruction upon the world... now, it's time for them to pay."

Frozeen was taken aback by Rex's sudden change in attitude; this was completely unlike the friendly idealist he used to know. It took him a moment, but he put the clues together fairly quickly. "Amanda...?" he whispered.

Rex shook his head, and only now Frozeen saw that his cheeks were wet.

Horrified, Frozeen's jaw dropped. Greybeard shook his head in disbelief, as the memories of his dreams came flooding back with the image of Amanda Claw hanging from the very noose which took the life of "Bad Luck" Beatrice. "I'm so sorry," said Sam Race.

Rex scowled. "Sorry? Don't pity me! I don't need your pity! If you want to waste your time with useless apologizing, then I have no use for you. Make yourself useful and assist me in killing every last one of these abominations! No one shall rest until we've sent them all to MegaBlokland! Now, come on!" With that, he turned his wheelchair and began wheeling himself down the hallway.

Although Frozeen was relieved to know that Rex was still alive and had rejoined the fight, he was disturbed by Rex's change in character and news of Amanda's death. As he reflected upon the latter, Frozeen knelt down in front of Shannon's wheelchair. Shannon looked at him with confusion and asked, "Frozeen, what are you…?"

Locking eyes with her, Frozeen spilled: "Shannon, I know this is crazy, and you probably think that I'm a moron and a fool for waiting such a long time to tell you and finally telling you on the brink of the world's destruction, but I love you, and I still love you, and I've never stopped loving you, even when I told you that I didn't, that was a lie, because I actually loved you, and there's no way that I'm going to let the world end without telling you that I still love you, and-"

"Peter!" interrupted Shannon, speaking with a harsh and urgent tone of voice. "Stop it! Please, just… stop." She raised her hands in the air, reminding Frozeen of the engagement ring she now wore.

You MegaBloking idiot! Frozeen thought to himself. He averted his eyes, overcome with embarrassment and shame. He was blushing so hard, his face was practically the same shade of red as his hair. "I'm… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" he stammered.

"Um, look, guys," interjected Sam Race, who was feeling a little awkward and biting his lip. "We should probably get going."

"Let's just concentrate on surviving the night," Shannon said. "We can worry about this later." She glanced back at Frozeen, and then she looked away.

The others agreed, and began to follow Rex through Dino Attack Headquarters. Well, this has been another unmitigated disaster, Frozeen thought, cringing at himself. Great going, Peter.

"Ye know," Greybeard whispered to Frozeen, "thar be somethin' about Rex that be shiverin' me timbers. It be not just that he be lustin' fer revenge, says I. It be... well... th' way he spoke, an' th' look in him eyes... he be remindin' me o' Dr. Rex."

Frozeen felt the blood drain from his face as he realized that what Greybeard said was, indeed, the horrible truth.

*****

"That's it! I've had it with these monkey-fighting Stromlings on my Monday-to-Friday planet!"
"HEY! What did I say about references?!"
"That was a reference to something? I don't watch movies, I wouldn't know."
"Yeah, just because something sounds like a reference doesn't mean it was. Some of us just say things that just happen to possibly be a line taken from a film or whatever."
"Quit the conversation and focus on the lizards in front of you!"
"HQ's under siege! Darn, so much for my iPhone."
"Blow it up on top of the dino scum!"
"Shoot the glass dome on top of Inferno's mech! It's an incredible weak spot!"
"But it's our headquarters! We can't lose it!"
"I doubt any Dino-capturing idealists are doing well morally."
"We're at war's end, bud. If or when we win this battle, we won't need a headquarters anymore."

*****

The Mutant Dinos were inside Dino Attack Headquarters. The time had finally come for the symbol of LEGO City's saviors to meet an end.

Inside, agents were preparing to not let the Mutant Dinos have an easy time. Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race were rescuing allies still stuck inside. Members of the Third Headquarters were trying to blow up the base to keep away parts of the horde. The medical team was bunkering down in the basement, preparing for the worse. Elite Agent Rex was slowly making his way back into battle, but with a dangerously large thirst for vengeance and reptile bloodshed. And others were trying to finish setting up Reptile's Green Goo traps in the hangar, though with the hordes hitting the main area of the building, such efforts seemed futile.

Outside, past the Dino Attack vehicles fighting off the bulk of the rest of the Mutant Dinos, along with their remaining allies, Dr. Rex still stood. In spite of his anger and pressuring from the Darkitect, he remained near the demolished barrier wall, perhaps taking some pleasure and glee in seeing his minions - no, not anymore - allies go through the base and pick off agents still inside.

This left him a big target to enemy fire, but he, of course, had nothing to fear about that. His Silge armor was taking most of the attacks, and anything that did hurt him was quickly repaired by the Maelstrom. He had nothing to worry about.

But plenty to be annoyed at.

As he watched Dino Attack Headquarters fall into more and more disarray, a T-1 Typhoon slowly began to draw close to his left. The giant Maelstrom-infused beast paid no attention. It was nothing, it could do nothing to him. The craft continued to draw closer, and the creature continued to think the same.

The T-1 Typhoon was being piloted by one Dino Attack agent Pointman. Not an Elite, but given the times, even Standards could man such crafts at this point in time. Pointman didn't talk much, just obeyed orders and acted as seen fit when they weren't there. But he had drawn a reputation for both the stories of his past and the way he acted in battle. This would be an example of the latter.

Pointman had dropped off his crew with an Iron Predator a few moments ago, confusing some, but making clear to others he was about to try something crazy. And as he directed his T-1 Typhoon at high speeds at the biggest monster of the battle with no signs of stopping, the craziness was clear here.

Crazy. Pointman appeared to have had more than a life's share full of crazy, and not just because he lived on the LEGO Planet. He had been born by a teenage mother under study by some fledgling group of monster fighters, and was followed by a brother a year later. He hadn't gotten along well with either of them, and had suffered sizably for it. Eventually in 2008, his mother and his brother went crazy and broke loose, going on a rampage of fire and murder within the small city of Fairport. Pointman joined with the Agents forces that eventually put an end to their reign of fear, putting a bullet in his brother's head himself.

Some said Pointman still saw his family, appearing randomly to goad him into doing what they wanted him to do. Others said that the agent had gone crazy himself, with brief losses of sanity contributing to random acts without sense. Regardless, Pointman still served well as a member of Dino Attack, obeying orders and never failing to carry them out.

Except for now. Dino Attack agents, Semick among them, were telling Pointman over radio to stop what he was doing, that it was suicidal and worthless to lose such a good agent as him. Pointman ignored them, choosing instead to begin loosening the attachments of his cockpit's windshield as he drew closer to Dr. Rex.

The mad beast began to finally take note of how close the T-1 Typhoon was getting, sound-wise. He turned his head, expecting to seeing it aiming its guns in a pitiful attempt to try and shoot him. Instead, he saw the rapidly-turning rotors at the top of the helicopter aiming right at him like a fan on a hot summer's day. Just at that moment, Pointman managed to detach his cockpit windshield, kicking it open and letting it fall to the ground, letting the rain pour in on him.

The T-1 Typhoon, now acting without guidance, began scraping its rotors on Dr. Rex's Silge armor, sending it out of balance as the chopper began to turn its tail up and over the Stromling Mutant T-Rex. Pointman leaped out of his cockpit, then, with quick reflexes, turned to let his backside hit the thigh armor, just above a row of sharp spikes.

A Mutant T-Rex was huge, and Dr. Rex was no exception. But a T-1 Typhoon was large too, the main body itself wider than a T-Rex, and its total length much larger than the creature too. Its rotors were snapping off from the strength of the creature's armor and Stromling dexterity, but they had done the job of taking the thing by surprise and stunning him. As the bulk of the T-1 Typhoon flipped upside down, its internal alarms blaring off, it easily eclipsed Dr. Rex and knocked him down to the ground.

Pointman had seconds to act, but he acted in those seconds with pinpoint accuracy. As if the rest of the world was going in slow motion compared to him, he guided a slide down Dr. Rex's wet and Maelstrom-covered left leg. The agent avoided touching the tendrils of Maelstrom energy, as well as debris coming from the T-1 Typhoon as it continued to fall atop the falling creature. At last, he slipped off the end of Dr. Rex's foot and landed on his hands and legs. The Mutant Lizards and Raptors had been startled away from the area by the incident, allowing Pointman to get up on his feet and run several yards away from the sight of his collision.

The T-1 Typhoon, now without its propeller blades, lay atop Dr. Rex's form for several seconds. Then, within seconds, the monster's head rose, his eyes glowing in an inminifig fury, and snapped his maw down on the helicopter's tail, tearing it off with ease. He then got up, knocking off the remains of the T-1 Typhoon as he did so. Once on his feet, he lunged at the wrecked piece of Dino Attack machinery and tore it practically into all 605 of its component parts.

When that was done, the abomination that was barely still Dr. Rex raised his head to let out a roar. At that moment, barely twenty yards away, Pointman drew a pistol from a holster on his chest and began aiming it at Dr. Rex's left eye. Closed instinctively during the roar, the moment Dr. Rex opened it, the agent fired his gun, and hit with pinpoint accuracy the Dino Attack snipers could be impressed by.

Dr. Rex stumbled back from the shot, shaking his head as the Maelstrom quickly patched up the damage. In anger, he looked in the direction he had heard the shot come from, and saw the ragged agent with long black hair and beard that was Pointman. With only a stern, emotionless face, the agent began running off, away from the direction of Dino Attack Headquarters.

Perhaps it would manage to drive away Dr. Rex from Dino Attack Headquarters, if only for a little while. Perhaps it wouldn't. In any case, Pointman had set out do what he needed to do: make it clear that Dino Attack wasn't done yet, and they were willing to do everything necessary to bring creatures like him down.

The agent reached the beaten hunk of an abandoned Steel Sprinter, leapt upon it, and started it up. It sputtered, but the engine ran. He sped off, realizing that there was a good chance that he would find himself either in the white-hot maw of the Maelstrom T-Rex's jaws, or torn apart by claws or Maelstrom energies.

So be it, he thought. He didn't fear death, no matter how horrible, thanks to his past. And if it bought time for Dino Attack to finish business in HQ, and possibly stop the beast as well, that was sufficient. His life didn't matter, his skill was easily equaled by other agents in the team.

His time may be up, but it was hardly the same for Dino Attack as a whole. 

*****

"The ceiling here should be thick enough that it won't be affected by the damage," Firecracker explained to his comrades. "There won't be more than a little bit of debris. Still, I'm going to give you ten seconds to get as far away from this door as possible. 10, 9, 8...."

Quickly, Elizabeth, Maynard, Dynamite, See, and anyone else still there ran off.

Firecracker pressed his hand against the handle of the plunger, eagerly counting down. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

With a large smile, he quickly pushed the handle down.

*****

There was a loud booming noise, like the sound of thunder, and Dino Attack Headquarters shook, as it had been throughout the battle. This time, however, the thunder was much louder, to the point of deafening, and the shaking was far more violent. Those that did not fall to the floor hit the deck as fireballs rose out nearly every stairwell. Mutant Lizards screeched as they were engulfed in the flames, while the more resilient took cover.

When it was over, Rex performed an upper-body pushup and surveyed the area. Smoke filled the air and ash covered the floor. The walls were charred, windows were shattered, and there was rubble everywhere. There were some flames that still burned, and the entire area looked as though it had survived a Mutant T-Rex rampage.

Still, despite all the damage caused from the explosions, Dino Attack Headquarters was still standing... for now, at least. After the original building's fate, Brick League United made sure that the new building could endure a blitzkrieg and survive. Many walls were reduced to rubble, entire stairwells and rooms had collapsed, but the building's core structure remained mostly intact.

Rex's ears were still ringing from the explosion, so when Greybeard shouted "What th' devil?", it sounded muffled and distant.

"Looks like-" Frozeen paused to cough the smoke out of his lungs. "Looks like Dynamite's been having a field day."

"A lot of good that drunkard did us," Rex said as he gritted his teeth. "Now, Dino Attack Headquarters is barely on its last legs, and there's still an entire army of Mutant Dinos out there ready to tear it down! Nice job breaking it, hero!" Locating his wheelchair, Rex crawled towards it and, with some insistent assistance from Sam Race, climbed back in.

Likewise, Frozeen was helping Shannon climb back into her own wheelchair. Frozeen asked if she was alright, and she reported that, aside from a bit of hopefully-temporary hearing loss, she was alright.

*****

Just when it seemed the panic and confusion of the medical bay could get no worse, an explosion above rocked the headquarters. Dust and small debris rained down from the ceiling and a wave of powder rushed down the hallway.

Hertz jumped out of bed in surprise. He obviously could not hear the blast, but he felt the tremors run down the walls. All around him, the wounded and medical staff ducked in cover, and the shockwave blew papers across the room.

The noise of explosions echoed throughout the basement. Shaw looked up from Hertz and Carver, terrified. She slowly handled her cross, fearing the worst to come. It was over in a few short seconds, but they were terrifying, and small amounts of rubble falling from the ceiling certainly didn't help.

The noise had taken most of the other doctors by surprise. Shyly, Shaw reluctantly released her grip on her cross, before sitting down with Carver. She certainly didn't feel the same attraction that Carver did, and probably wouldn't understand her feelings, but she felt bad for both of them.

"I don't think a prayer's going to do much good," Carver said, sternly.

Shaw nodded in understanding. 

"Something's happened," said Hale as she stepped into the room. "We got a problem."

"What happened this time?" Copper asked.

"There was an explosion," reported Hale, running her hand through her raven hair. "Apparently, someone tried to blow up the base but failed."

"I see," replied Pierce. "Shaw, Carver! Get over here!"

Quickly, the two women approached nervously. "What is it?" Shaw asked.

"Apparently someone tried to blow up the base," replied Pierce.

"That would explain the noise," said Shaw.

"Yes," said Pierce. "There's a possibility of several dead, many with injuries. We're going to have to split up. What's your name again?"

"Hale. Naomi Hale."

"Hale, right," said Pierce. "Hale, I'd you to take Shaw and Carver. Do a sweep of the base. Take a stretcher with you in case you find anybody. Crusher and I will go in another group. Copper, you and Clickitt stay behind and keep an eye on the patients already here. Be ready to perform surgery if we have to rush someone into here. And much as I hate to say it, if we can find Enter and Return, we may have to rely on them as well. Okay, let's move!"

The explosion was certainly substantial. While it was not enough to level the base, it had enough power to rock its foundation. As expected, the basement held up to the blast, but Hertz knew anyone upstairs would be far less fortunate.

Grimton had already given the orders to evacuate to the teleport pad on the top of the base. When the explosion struck many of the medical crew had already begun moving patents. Hertz had no idea how many they still had to transport, but odds are debris topside would hinder their movements. Whatever had caused the blast could have possibly sealed them into the basement and trapped them below the surface.

This is what Mort predicted. Thankfully, the agent had been wise enough to order supplies sent down so the agents present could sustain themselves in such an event. Air was not a worry since the basement was fully ventilated. What concerned Hertz was how the battle was proceeding outside; if the agents above failed, they would have no one to rescue them from beneath the rubble.

*****

"Does anyone know what happened to Kat?"
"Probably crushed under the rubble. Serves her right for friendzoning Hotwire."
"Oh for znap's sake, Adam, you're not still bitter about Freya turning you down?"
"This isn't about me! Friendzoning is the single worst thing a woman can possibly do to a man. Death by collapsing building is the perfect fate for such a stuck-up, frigid--"
"GUYS. Please keep the comms free of both video game references AND misogyny from now on."

Fortunately for Adam, neither Hotwire nor Kat were listening to the comm chatter. Hotwire was more concerned with the fact that Pointman's stunt had just cost them an entire T-1 Typhoon while simultaneously doing very little harm to Dr. Rex himself.

These concerns were interrupted very quickly and replaced by more serious worries, mainly related to the fact that headquarters was suddenly rocked by explosions from the inside. While it was still standing, the internal structure was most likely severely weakened. The only possible advantage was that they could now say that Dr. Rex had not destroyed Dino Attack HQ, and whether that actually counted as an advantage under the circumstances was unclear, to say the least. 

*****

"This is elite agent Grimton," Shannon spoke into her radio. "Agent Shock, can you read me?"

After a bit of static, Shock's voice came in. "Loud and clear! What was that?"

"We'll worry about it later," said Shannon, frowning. Glancing at Mary Rose, who was tightly hugging Greybeard's leg, she inquired: "What is the status of the Teleport Pad?"

"The roof collapsed during the explosion," reported Shock, "but luckily the thirteenth floor held out under our weight. The Teleport Pad has suffered some minor damage during the fall, and Throramebi is currently making some repairs. Other than that, we should be alright to continue evacuating units to Antarctica."

"Good. I fear we'll need to evacuate many more units in the next hour." Everyone turned to see the four founding members - Specs, Shadow, Digger, and Viper - walking through the smoke.

"What brings you here?" inquired Frozeen. "Your team needs you out on the battlefield!"

Specs shook his head. "I'm afraid that, given these... recent developments, we've been forced to land our T-1 Typhoon. We have only a short time before the next wave of Mutant Dinos enters Dino Attack Headquarters, and with the structural damage caused by these explosions, I know that this building will not survive. That is why it is of the utmost importance that we retrieve the Einstein Device from the technology center before it is too late."

"I can run down there as quickly as possible," declared Viper, "and get the Einstein Device before any of those 'scales' can. Sam, you're probably the only one here who can keep up with me in a race. As much as I'd like to say that I did this alone, it's probably a good idea to have someone covering me."

"Sure," said Sam Race, nodding eagerly. "I'll accompany you to the tech center. Don't worry guys, we'll be back before you know it!"

"Just be careful," said Frozeen.

"Don't get yourselves killed," muttered Rex. He wheeled himself towards a nearby shattered window and peeked out the battlefield. Dr. Rex was roaring to his fellow Mutant Dinos, which were still massive in number and still rushing towards what was left of Dino Attack Headquarters. Locking his eyes upon Dr. Rex, Rex whispered, "Come on, Ronald, you sick 4+ Figure. We'll end this for once and for all."

Although Dr. Rex was too far away and the sounds of battle were surely too loud to carry Rex's voice, the armored Mutant T-Rex seemingly turned to look directly at Rex as though he heard what the elite agent just said.

Rex's heart began pounding, and he clutched his chest due to the pain. Now that Amanda was dead, the chest pain was worse than ever before. In his mind, Rex saw a brief flash of Baron Typhonus, the Darkitect, grinning and laughing in triumph.

Gritting his teeth, Rex hissed: "I... won't... let... you... win...!"

*****

Snake felt tense as he drove down the roads of LEGO City. This was hardly nothing new to him, but escaping from a place like this where every other turn he had to back out after spotting a fire hammer, he did feel some degree of uneasiness. He couldn't help recalling his first meeting with the team, and how his business in this whole mess got started.

Snake smiled to himself. He'd outwitted them. Hauk thought that they could keep a criminal in line, but Snake had escaped, now all he had to do was get out of LEGO City, and the - whoa, he didn't see that one guy coming. He quickly swerved out of the way, and crashed the car into a nearby lamppost. Climbing out, he ran up the man.

"What the Znap is your problem?" he said, before the Dino Attack agent turned toward him. He was bandaged all over, but Snake could easily recognize that face, the mustache, grey hair, camo. "We meet again," Snake said.

"It's Serpent now," the other agent stated tersely. "Plastic Serpent."

Snake took a moment to light a cigarette. He inhaled then took it out. "Smoke?"

Serpent stared at him with a look of uncertainty.

Snake smiled. "Good." He grabbed Serpent and placed the cigarette directly onto his forehead. Serpent screamed in pain as he pressed harder and harder. "How do you like that, huh?"

"What the MegaBlokland is your problem?!" shouted Plastic Serpent, grabbing the cigarette and tossing it aside. He threw a punch at Snake, striking him in the chin.

Snake threw Serpent onto the ground. "All those years you tried to steal from me," he remarked. "That one job with Keyser Sozé where you watched me do the dirty work and then tried to make off with the goods."

"Seriously, you're still mad about that?" groaned Plastic Serpent. "I did so with the boss's blessing. Besides, this war has changed me, Snake. Hasn't it changed you too?"

Snake did not reply. Instead, he kicked the Serpent in the stomach, and he grunted in pain. Snake forced Serpent to his feet and punched him square in the face, dropping him into a small puddle in the side of the road. After he kicked him a few more times, Snake turned, lit another cigarette, and started to walk away.

"Yeah, Znap you too," Plastic Serpent muttered, weakly but defiantly, as he watched the criminal leave.

*****

"Hey guys! I just found this cool technicolor butterfly. It's so hi-technicaaaal!"
"Just keep that thing away from me, man?"
"So I heard this Maelstrom thing has its soldiers set off bombs that, like, suck worlds into the Maelstrom! Like there's a subspace in the Maelstrom!"
"I thought the Maelstrom was created by some chaos heart and we needed heroes and technicolor pure heart things to defeat it..."
"You folks need to stop playing so many video games. Just because some vortex made of evil is purple and black does not make it the Maelstrom."
"Hey! What did that guy say about meaningless conversation on the comms?"
"Fine. 'Yahoo! Reinforcements! Did you see those guys wipe out the Maelstrom's air force?' Happy?"
"Yes."
"So, with dinos entering the base, I'm calling us out as officially doomed."
"Wait, 'Vinyareno?' Is that a shipping name? Because I've got at least cargo ship full of parings. For starters...."

*****

Nazareno blinked several times. Zelda's entire face was red, but she looked at Nazareno with unwavering eyes. "I... like you too...?" he said with uncertainty.

Zelda's face became a darker shade or red as she deciphered his tone of confusion. "I... I don't think if you understand what I'm getting at."

"To tell you the truth, I really don't."

Zelda blinked twice in confusion. "I-I like you. As in, 'like-like' you." Nazareno was unmoving, still trying to figure out what she was trying to say. He saw frustration begin to form on her face due to his lack of response. "I'm in love with you!" she nearly shouted.

Nazareno stared for several seconds, trying to come up with a response to this revelation. She was in love with him?! But... how? "You're... in love with me?" Nazareno repeated dumbly, as if he couldn't comprehend what she was saying (which wasn't far from the truth).

"Yes!" Zelda said, nodding furiously.

Nazareno simply stared. He had never attracted anyone, let alone be attracted to someone else. Being a stoic ninja with your face covered up by a mask did that to you. For once in his life, he wasn't sure what to do. Some part of him did, apparently, because he started talking again. "I-I'm sorry, Zelda," Nazareno began. "But I... just can't."

"Why?!"

"Well, for starters: based on what you told me, I am thirteen years your senior."

Zelda stared incredulously. "You're thirty-four?! But... you don't seem like you're in your thirties! I-"

"Well, I am," Nazareno interrupted, raising a hand. "I'm too old for you. You would be better off finding someone closer to your own age."

"But I like you!" Zelda snapped. "We're both adults. It could work out! You just-"

"You've never seen my face!" Nazareno continued, a scowl beginning to form on his masked face. "How can be attracted to me when you don't even know what I look like?"

Zelda's eyes widened with mixed shock. "So? Love isn't based on physical attraction, Nazareno! I'm in love with you, not how ugly or handsome you think you are! Why are you-"

"What about the fact that we are basically a student and mentor? It would inappropriate for the two of us to be together."

"Well, considering we're both adults and we are at the literal end of the world, it doesn't matter. Would you just-!"

"And you were a pirate," Nazareno said with a slight stammer. He growing irritated with how determined Zelda was at this. "It just wouldn't work out. It..." Even as he said it, he knew how weak of an argument that was. Did he dislike Zelda's pirate background? Sure, but did he really hold it over her head? No, and Zelda knew that.

"I was never a pirate! My parents were! You're just making up excuses!" Zelda said, her voice rising slightly. "Why won't you at least try something? What's your real problem with this?"

"I'm not in love with you!" Nazareno yelled without even realizing it. He immediately regretted it.

Zelda looked at him in silence, trying to hide her emotions. But for a variety of factors, which could include never learning how to conceal her feelings or being a descendant of loud and boisterous pirates, Nazareno could see how upset Zelda was at this.

"Listen, Zelda, I-"

"No," Zelda said, her voice shaking. She shook her head slowly. "You're right. It... it wouldn't have worked it. I'm sorry for bugging you. Just my stupid emotions getting out of control. And I can't really expect you to share my feelings. Let's just get back to fighting, okay?"

Nazareno watched her retreating back with mixed emotions. He felt waves of bitter resentment wash over him. Part of it was how he had rejected her. He had let his emotions overrule his calm, logic demeanor and had, more or less, crushed Zelda's heart into a million pieces. The other part was:

I'm not sure I'm not in love with her, Nazareno realized, a knot forming in his stomach. For all his skill and power, he had finally found an area where he had no control. No knowledge, no prior experience. Nothing. A feeling of being totally powerless washed over him. He had just alienated the first woman to show any romantic interest in him (with him possibly reciprocating the feelings) and he didn't know how he could fix it.

Nazareno was about to turn to try and talk with Zelda when he saw Solomon Koplowitz standing by her. Nazareno winced slightly as he noticed how Zelda was careful to avert her eyes from him. "We need to keep moving," Solomon said. "Or we're dead."

Nazareno shot one last look toward Zelda, then nodded grimly. "Of course," he said, making sure to keep his voice controlled. "We must battle on."

And with that, Nazareno, Zelda, and Solomon jumped back into the battle, swords swinging. 

*****

Minerva edged up closer to Zach, who was gripping Athena's arm as if to stop her from running away. "I'm really sorry about all, well, this." She gestured to Athena, then to Oswald, who had his gun trained on them. They were drifting to the west, moving away from the bulk of the battle. They had no way to call for help, as Oswald had made sure to confiscate Zach's radio and destroy it.

Zach gave a weak, half-hearted smile. "I'll pull through. Besides, you spent most of Adventurers' Island trying to deal with my issues. I suppose I should return the favor here with your crazy, dysfunctional family. No offense, by the way." Minerva cracked the barest hint of a smile. She could only imagine this being a lot worse if she didn't have Zach nearby, who was taken being held captive by her brother rather well.

"Which reminds me, Virchaus," Oswald spoke up, a hint of smug amusement in his voice. "I was watching you chase after Mom when I set you go. What was she doing?"

"She thought she was nineteen and I was following her and hitting on her," Zach said with a shrug. Both Oswald and Minerva's eyes widened at this.

"She thought she was nineteen?" Minerva repeated, shocked.

"Yeah. She got mad, then she decided I was 'cute' and decided to 'go out' with me. I guess her mind just decided to go with that since there was no one around to connect her to her past." A grin formed on his face. "The only real thing that taught me was that I am attractive to Fabello women, mother and daughter."

Minerva chuckled quietly. Oswald didn't say anything.

Zach then glanced up into the sky and laid his eyes upon the Brickster's T-1 Typhoon. Suddenly, a Minifig flew out from the hull on a skateboard. He had a red-and-blue shirt with blue jeans, a green backpack, and a white cap. In one hand was a pizza and in the other was a Sonic Screamer. The skateboard-riding minifig tossed a pizza at a Mutant Lizard, which screeched in pain as the skateboard landing on the ground. The minifig then turned a fired a sonic blast at the Lizard, dropping it. The minifig then skated into the fray, launching pizzas and firing his Sonic Screamer.

"Knock me over and call me deconstructed," Zach laughed. "Pepper Roni flying out of the Brickster's helicopter on a skateboard. You'll never see that again."

Minerva nodded in realization. More LEGO Island stuff. She would get this island's population and quirks down, only to probably be killed during this battle. "Anyway, Oswald, can you hurry this up? We're both kind of needed in the battlefield."

"Oh yeah," said Oswald. "I heard about the promotion the two of you received. Surprised, Minerva. I didn't expect you to do anything noteworthy to even getting considered for promotion." Minerva didn't say anything, only feeling her face grow extremely hot. At this point, Oswald definitely had to have some type of split personality. One was the brother Minerva had known for years. The other was the revenge-fueled monster created by XERRD.

"Minerva more than deserved that promotion," Zach growled. "And she doesn't need her demented older brother to put her down at every opportunity."

Oswald didn't have a comeback, resorting to only staring at Zach with hate.

They were finally at the edge of the river. Far away from the bulk of the Dino Attack and Mutant Dino forces. Minerva and Zach turned to Oswald, who had an edge of uncertainty in his eye. "Now," Oswald began. "Get-" He was interrupted as a brown Mutant Lizard suddenly appeared and lunged at him, knocking him to the ground.

Zach and Minerva were quick and going to help Oswald when two more Mutant Lizards appeared. Deciding to bend Oswald's command about his Maelstrom powers, Zach quickly killed the two Mutant Lizards with Maelstrom fireballs. Before he could take aim at the one on top of Oswald, a scream pierced the air.

"NOT MY SON, YOU MEGABLOKER!" Athena Fabello charged past Zach and Minerva, who watched in shock, as she dived on top of the Mutant Lizard. Wrapping her arms around its neck, Athena used all of her strength to pull the Lizard off of Oswald. It screeched and snarled at its new attacker and desperately tried to bite her face. Athena hit its face as hard as she could with her fist and squeezed the Lizard's neck against her chest as hard as she could. The Mutant Lizard desperately tried to shake free of Athena's choking grip and managed to scratch her arms multiple times. Athena winced with each attack, but refused to stand down. After several minutes, the Mutant Lizard finally stopped struggling and grew limp.

Athena let the Mutant Lizard slide to the ground. Her entire was shaking and tears were flowing from her eyes. Oswald had climbed to his feet and stared at her mother. Minerva could tell he was terrified. She was too. Horrible visions of Athena approaching a twelve-year-old version of herself flashed through her mind. Watching Tod jump in front of Athena's path and take the knife meant for her...

"Not my son, not my son, not my son," Athena muttered, glaring at the Mutant Lizard's body with pure hatred. "Not again. Not my son. Not again. Never again. My son. Tod. My fault. Never again. Not my son..." She was weeping quietly.

Minerva and Oswald were both in shock. "Not again?" "Tod?" "My fault?" Does she remember what she did to Tod? Minerva thought. It was impossible. She couldn't possibly remember killing Tod that night. She blinked several times and saw that Zach had coaxed Athena into moving away from the Mutant Lizard carcass and was calming her down. Her eyes widened just briefly before she turned to Zach and smiled faintly.

"Oh, hello, Zachary," Athena said. She looked at Oswald and Minerva, which caused her smile to brighten considerably. "So we're finally all together!"

Oswald snapped out of his stupor and shook his head. Picking his gun back up, he addressed Zach and Minerva, "Get to the side. Away from her." Minerva felt her arm get lightly grasped by Zach as he pulled her to the side, snapping her back to reality. "Take the helmets off. Don't argue, just do it." Minerva and Zach shrugged and threw both of their helmets to the ground, allowing their sweat-matted hair to get even more soaked by the rain.

"Ooh," Athena said, walking up to Minerva and running a hand through her daughter's hair, causing her to flinch. "I like what you did with the color!"

Oswald growled and pulled Athena away, before glancing back at Minerva's brown-and-white hair curiously. "What's with the hair?"

"The Maelstrom," Minerva said coldly. "The Darkitect, Baron Typhonus, you know."

Oswald ignored her and allowed a sincere look to form on his face. "Minerva, I'm begging you, please join XERRD. If you don't, you'll die. I-I can't lose you like Tod. You're the only family I have left. And if you don't..." Oswald pointed the gun at Athena, causing Minerva to jump. "I'll kill her. Don't... don't make me do it. Please..."

Minerva could see that Oswald was going off the deep end and was desperate to save his sister from the Mutant Dinos. She looked at Athena, who stared at the gun in absolute silence, then to Zach, who looked at Oswald with mixed shock, revulsion, and pity. He then glanced to Minerva. "Listen-"

A gunshot shattered Zach's sentence. Minerva turned to Athena, who was unharmed but spooked horribly. Oswald had the gun pointed in the air, a scowl on his face. "Virchaus isn't helping you," Oswald growled. The "bad" Oswald was back out. "No one is choosing for you except yourself. You've been helped along your entire life. It ends now, Minnie. Time to make your own decisions. If Virchaus says anything else, I'll kill him. Also, don't even consider saying yes to my offer, only to take Mom and run. If you do, I'll kill all three of you."

Minerva stared at Oswald in horror. "Oswald, please," she pleaded quietly. "You aren't like this!"

The barest hint of "good" Oswald appeared. "Decide." And that was it. Minerva had to find a way to stop Oswald and save her mother. She was getting help from anyone. No Zach to help her come up with plan. She was absolutely alone.

Minerva first considered how to possible agree to Oswald's demands and still save Zach and Athena. It would be easy. Say yes and follow him. But, as Oswald had clearly demonstrated, he was mentally unstable. He could still turn and shoot Zach or Athena to break Minerva's will. Denying his demands would only result in Athena's death and possibly Zach's, if he was extremely desperate.

Maybe she still could deny his demands. For all intents and purposes, only Oswald and herself were present. Minerva could try to appeal to his better nature. Possibly convince him of Baron Typhonus's survival. She could try to get him to reform. Zach had told her earlier that Oswald had expressed a desire to kill Athena, but now he looked like he didn't want to have to resort to it. He's doubting himself. His will, his decision to join XERRD. He's doubting it. Minerva was trapped. No way could possibly end well.

"Oswald," Minerva began with a shaky voice. She calmed it down quickly. She couldn't show doubt or fear to him; his "bad" side would take her weakness and grind it into the ground. "You can't continue doing this. You're destroying yourself from the inside out. I know that XERRD got you to join them by using your past against you. By convincing you that I helped ruin your life. And it's partly true. I did make life harder for the both of us. I... I was angry and sad at everything that had happened and took it out on everything, especially you. But because of you, I got better. I cleaned up my life."

Minerva gave one weak sigh before continuing. "I've known you forever, Oz. You aren't like this. You don't enjoy murdering innocent people. You don't want to watch the world burn because two mad scientists told you it was fate. You're my smart, kind older brother who gave up everything to raise me. You were the closest and greatest friend I ever had. Please, just drop the gun and come with me. I'll forgive you for what you've done. I just... want you back." She extended an open hand toward him.

Minerva almost felt her little speech was kind of sappy, but she stood her ground. Oswald stared at her hand intently. His hand with the gun was shaking rapidly. He gave Minerva a look of desperation. Minerva knew he wanted to go with her. He couldn't bring himself to grab Minerva's hand. He turned back to Athena, who was watching in confusion. Oswald bit his lip and Minerva watched in horror as Oswald's finger pressed lightly on the trigger of the gun. He glanced at Minerva one last time. His left began to extend shakily toward his sister. Minerva held her breath, desperately reaching from her brother's grip.

Then Oswald's radio crackled to life.

*****

Taking a moment to regain his senses, Firecracker stumbled out of the basement into the headquarters. What he saw was not promising.

"How is this thing still standing?" he asked. "The blast was supposed to obliterate the building! This should be a solid pile of rubble!"

Firecracker slowly worked his way through the headquarters. He had failed to destroy it completely as planned, and he felt determined to see the building leveled. As he walked, he occasionally tossed a stick of dynamite into the adjacent room. Here and there, he heard a Mutant Lizard snarling, and tossed yet another stick within, but he had to figure out what went wrong and fast. 

*****

"Look over there!" Wade said as Martinet drove the ambulance down an otherwise-empty street. As soon as he pulled over, Martinet saw what he was talking about: a man in a puddle, almost motionless.

Martinet brought the vehicle to a halt and climbed out, followed by Wade. Both were shocked to find the man all covered in bandages. When they rolled him over, they recognized the face of Plastic Serpent. He groaned in pain.

*****

"Any luck yet?" Cabin asked Mac.

"Nothing yet," replied Mac.

"Keep trying," said Cabin.

"This is standard agent Kurt MacReady. I'm stuck in a house somewhere with a few other agents, including Elite Agents Rotor and Cabin, plus one guy I'm starting to become convinced is a vampire. Some help would be appreciated."

Meanwhile, Lance, sitting at attention, suddenly spotted something coming round the corner: Mutant Lizards, a whole group, with some Raptors mixed in. As they got closer, he opened fire. Cabin walked over to the window and looked through the crack in the boards, seeing the incoming horde.

"They're on both sides," Harris said. "We're surrounded."

*****

Kara woke up, which was odd, as the last thing she remembered was being hit in the chest with Mutant T-Rex eye lasers, which should have incapacitated her for more than half an hour, according to the ship's HUD clock. Why am I awake?

"Ah, I see you are awake. Good," came Cortana's voice through the cabin speakers. "As you can see, if you look out of the cockpit, I had to lift off of the landing pad for the Dino Attack HQ. Some idiot tried to blow it up."

"Cortana, why am I awake?" Kara asked.

"A very good question. I ran some scans on your body, and it appears that you have regenerative nanobots inside of you."

"But how did they get there?" Kara wondered.

"I do not know," came Cortana's reply. The A.I. paused for a moment, then: "I have just searched the UlTech archives and found the following email sent to all employee email accounts, along with the correspondence between Matthew Cyrista and Joseph Twoplate."

All UlTech employees are ordered to get shots for protections from any mutant diseases that may occur. Thank you.

Cyrista: Here, Joseph, send these orders to the lab setting up the immunity shots.

Twoplate: Set up Kara's shot with the nanobots I cooked up.

*****

Cyrista's Bane and Screech were having trouble finding the building where Rotor's crew crashed.

"Hey, Bane, don't you have infrared vision?" Screech asked.

"Yes, I do," he replied.

"Then turn it on, you idiot! It would certainly help my aerial search," she yelled back.

Cyrista's Bane, who had apparently been nicknamed Bane, thought. From anyone else, he would most certainly not stand for being called an idiot… but for some reason, from Screech, he didn't mind.

"Hey, Bane, I think I found something," Screech yelled back as she saw a building with machinery on top being assaulted by Mutant Dinos.

Cyrista's Bane confirmed her find as he heard a S.O.S. from Kurt MacReady on the radio.

"Do not shoot at the T-Rex or Pterosaur attacking the other dinos," Cyrista's Bane broadcasted back as he started attacking the Lizards and Raptors.

Lance fired everything he had. "DIE! DIE! YOU MOTHERZNAPPING RAPTORS!" he shouted.

Things were rough elsewhere. Cabin looked in surprise as Buffy actually punched a Lizard in the face, and it actually showed pain. Spike had his hands full as well; he'd jumped out the window, landed on a Raptor, and with a swift motion broke its neck.

"How'd he do that?" Cabin asked.

"Long story," replied Buffy. "You'd never believe me."

Baldrick was just wandering aimlessly. If any man ever embodied the concept of being so stupidly oblivious that survival was a miracle, it was him. It ran in the family.

As Lance took a moment to reload, he looked up at the sky. There was a Mutant Pterosaur, unlike one he'd seen anywhere before. Promptly he opened fire. "DIE YOU MOTHERZNAPPER!" he shouted over the noise of his gun.

"I got something!" Mac shouted. Rotor fired a shot from his revolver at one of the Lizards before turning toward him. "We got a response. Someone's coming!" 

*****

When Viper and Sam Race arrived in the technology center, the entire area was in ruins. The floor was littered with rubble, broken glass, and damaged machinery. Snapped electrical wires over dripping pools of water sprayed sparks everywhere, and the fires throughout the center were filling the air with smoke.

Most disturbingly, although there were a few Mutant Lizard carcasses scattered across the area, most of the blood staining the walls and floor did not belong to any Mutant Dinos.

Already, the next wave of Mutant Dinos were breaking into Dino Attack Headquarters, and with the damage caused by all those explosions, they were finding it easier than ever to infiltrate the base. Viper and Race fired their weapons at any living Mutant Dinos they encountered, but had to be careful to aim their shots precisely to avoid shooting any machinery and potentially creating an explosion.

After felling a Mutant Triceratops that had smashed its way into the base, Viper and Sam Race scavenged the area as quickly as possible and discovered - amidst rubble, fire, and pools of blood - the Einstein Device. The fabled weapon looked like a miniature missile, with an outer coat crafted from sleek silver- and blue-hued metals. Nearby, they located a bazooka-esque rocket launcher that appeared to be what the Einstein Device was intended to be fired from.

"You think it's damaged at all?" inquired Sam Race.

Viper shrugged. "If it is, Specs is a techie; he'll know how to fix it. Come on, let's get out of here before any more 'scales' show up!" Viper grabbed the Einstein Device and its launcher, and the two former racers made their way towards the exit.

As they passed a broken window, Viper glanced outside and saw the familiar armored and Maelstrom-possessed form of Dr. Rex himself, slowly lumbering towards Dino Attack Headquarters. There was no way he could be stopped, what with that armor that no bullet could pierce, and all that Maelstrom energy wrapped around his body. Surely, Dr. Rex was the biggest and baddest of all Mutant T-Rexes.

And, as Viper thought about it, he was now holding in his hands the one weapon that could potentially defeat the biggest and baddest of all Mutant T-Rexes for once and for all.

Digger would tell me to wait until the most intense moment to strike, mused Viper. He loaded the Einstein Device into the launcher and aimed at Dr. Rex. Well, MegaBlok that! It's time to bring him down!

But as Viper was about to pull the trigger, Dino Attack Headquarters shook again, just violently enough to cause Viper to stumble. Before he could regain his balance, Viper dropped the rocket launcher onto the floor and tripped over it. Sam Race stopped in his tracks and proceeded to give Viper a hand in getting back up. However, when they both looked at the Einstein Device lying the floor, they noticed a few blue light bulbs on its surface were now lit up and flashing.

"It... wasn't doing that before, was it?" Sam Race asked, biting his lip.

"MegaBloks!" whispered Viper. "I... I think I just armed the Einstein Device! I don't know if that means it'll go off, or how much time we have until it does... um..." As Viper picked up the rocket launcher, he now saw that it had suffered a bit of structural damage and, try as he may, he could not load the Einstein Device back into the launcher. "This isn't good."

"Hurry!" urged Sam Race, beckoning. "We have to bring the device back to Specs! Maybe he can fix it before it's too late!"

Gritting his teeth, Viper glared out at Dr. Rex, still visible through the shattered window. "I'll get you soon enough," he promised himself. "You and your scales are all going down!"

*****

"So," Blaire Darkling said, smirking slightly. "Have we reached an agreement?"

There was silence over the radio briefly before there was a response. "Yes," Dr. Cyborg said with certainty. "I will be your second-in-command."

A wave of relief washed over Blaire. XERRD's future was secured in the Elite Dino Attack Agent's hands. "Excellent. With you on standby in case I should die or do something... regrettable, you will continue XERRD's reformation and continue to aid the Dino Attack Team against the Darkitect."

"'Regrettable'?" Dr. Cyborg repeated, an air of suspicion in his voice. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Blaire's smirk widened considerably. "Nothing, really. The point is you are now my second-in-command and will aid in commanding XERRD, provided your Dino Attack duties do not stand in your way. I will now make the official announcement to XERRD regarding our truce, your place, and hopefully weed out any last fools who refuse to see that Baron Typhonus is alive."

"Good luck," Dr. Cyborg said.

"As to you, old friend." Dr. Oak then cut the connection to Dr. Cyborg and extended his radio signal to all of XERRD. Scratching his beard briefly, Blaire crossed his arms and gestured for Dr. Oak to put him on the air.

"Members of Xenon Elite Researchers Regarding Dinosaurs! This is Blaire Darkling. The time has truly come that we save the world. Not with the extinction of the Minifig race, but with preserving it so it may continue to strive another day. At this point and time, XERRD is now officially allied with our sworn enemies, the very team will helped create in our foolish decision to destroy this planet's civilization: the D.I.N.O. Attack Team!

"There is no doubt now! While Ronald Alexander had tried to deny it and some of you have backed him up, Baron Typhonus, the fabled creator the Maelstrom, is very much alive. Not only is he alive, but he is the Maelstrom. We have been tricked. Manipulated. Underneath Typhonus, now being referred to the Darkitect, we perverted the very name of science and used it in our attempt to bring about the end of the Minifig race on the LEGO Planet. Not to restore it to its former glory and allow dinosaurs to repopulate the planet, but so Baron Typhonus could destroy this planet. We have been nothing but pawns to him that he cast aside once his goals are accomplished!

"What's worse is that once Dr. Rex was usurped and our organization was taken over by Michelle Gladys, we continued this fruitless campaign of self-destruction! She knew very well that Baron Typhonus was responsible for having us start this Dino Attack, but continued this battle for no other reason but for science! Our time as Baron Typhonus's playthings is at an end! Most of us were members of Paradox! We control the Maelstrom, not let it control us! Our former leader is nothing more than a puppet at this point! Merely an invincible weapon for Typhonus to use to destroy us all! Once Dr. Rex has left nothing of this planet but ruins and corpses, he will be destroyed as well!

"And with our destruction assured if we continue to aid the Mutant Dinosaurs, I have seen fit to align with the Dino Attack Team. I have come off a conversation with one of their top members and will welcome us among their ranks with the idea that we will pay for our crimes. We'll pay some of our debt off by helping them destroy the monsters we have so foolishly created. With this move, will have lost the favor of Dr. Inferno, whose overinflated ego continues his fight against the Dino Attack Team, and Willa the Witch, who I believe is also being manipulated by Baron Typhonus thanks to her Maelstrom-enhanced power. But in their place, we will gain the favor of not only the Dino Attack, but the Agents, Alpha Team, and the forces of the Brickster, Evil Ogel, Sam Sinister, and Lord Vladek, far better allies in my opinion.

"And to assure that we will no longer aid the Maelstrom's agenda in the case that I must resign from command, I have established Doctor Matthew Cyrista, now an Elite Dino Attack agent, as my second-in-command. Yes. The same Matthew Cyrista of UlTech Industries who went missing. The one who designed Cyrista's Bane. He has become a top figure in the Dino Attack's ranks and will keep XERRD on the Dino Attack's side provided I pass on. Feel free not to believe me. I'm sure Dr. Cyrista will be more than willing to prove his survival.

"Now, go forth, members of XERRD! Restore right to the wrong we created!"

Blaire stepped away from the microphone and turned away. It was official now. He didn't pride himself in public speech, but he believed his words should have hopefully convinced any remaining supporters of Dr. Rex of Baron Typhonus's hand in this affair.

Blaire's thoughts were seized as a pained scream cut through the air. Turning quickly, he saw an electrospear jutting out of the chest of Dr. Oak. He stared at in morbid shock before his eyes rolled back and he became limp. The Quasifigus lacertilia pulled his electrospear out of Dr. Oak's body and glared at Blaire as three other Hybrids joined him. All of the Hybrids' eyes flashed bright purple and seemed almost to be on fire. They snarled at him and began to move toward him. Blaire quickly noticed the unmoving bodies of other XERRD scientists in the area.

Their advance was cut off as Gary Oak, who had grabbed his grandfather's Space Marauder gun, shot one Hybrid multiple times. Gary's distraction gave Blaire enough time to run at the Hybrids. Pulling out a dark gray katana with a violet line running along the edge of the blade, Blaire jammed the sword into one Hybrid's chest. Before the other could respond, Blaire had already shot him in the head with his gun.

Blaire pulled his sword out of the Hybrid's body and placed it back in his trenchcoat. He stared at the bodies briefly. The Darkitect is not happy with our change of allegiance. Blaire allowed a small smile to form on his face as he shook his head. How ironic. Huntsman had the Hybrids betray the Dino Attack Team, and now Typhonus has had them betray XERRD.

Blaire turned to Gary, who stared at his grandfather's remains with watering eyes. "The Hybrids have betrayed us. Spread the word, then get out of here. Nowhere is safe now, might as well fight." Blaire turned and began to descend the stairs. He had a battle to join and, more importantly, had a space ninja to find.

*****

When Viper and Sam Race caught up to Specs, Shadow, Digger, Rex, Frozeen, Greybeard, Shannon, and Mary on the tenth floor, Specs's eyes widened at the sight of the flashing blue lights on the Einstein Device. "You armed the Einstein Device?" gasped the team leader, and as he raised his voice, it seemed that he was on the verge of lose his reputed composure. "Viper! What did I tell you about the Einstein Device?"

"Why are you blaming me?" Viper raised an eyebrow.

"Because I know that you secretly desire to be the one to deliver the final blow! I know you want to be the one who defeats Dr. Rex! But Viper, look... there's still too many of our own units on the battlefield. If the Einstein Device goes off... I don't know for sure what will happen, but I fear that it will place all our lives in danger. The Einstein Device is supposed to be a last resort, not just some toy that can defeat the enemy for us!"

"Well, why wait?" snapped Rex, earning some stares. "They're all going to die, anyways! Why does it matter if we wait for the Mutant Dinos to kill them first? We might as well go down and bring all those abominations down with us in one swift and clean strike!"

"Rex!" exclaimed Shannon, blinking. "I understand that you're eager to avenge Claw, but what you're suggesting is-"

"Guys, stop it," Digger stepped in, who was raising his arms as though he was trying to physically contain the argument. "I know that we're all on the edge given the situation, but this is no way to be acting in a crisis. Trust me, I've learned that lesson the hard way. I'm all for exciting and intense moments, but this is a time to act calm and reasonable."

"You're right," Specs said as he nodded grimly. Rubbing his forehead, he thought for a moment, considering his options. "Perhaps, with some combined effort from some of our elite agents, we can modify the Einstein Device to lessen the risk to our fellow Dino Attack agents. Even with the technology center in ruins, we still have some strong scientists and engineers in the team, like Reptile and Dr. Cyborg."

"And it's a device that deals with Maelstrom," added Digger. "Perhaps Zachary Virchaus can lend a hand in that department."

"And with skilled fighters like Rotor," murmured Shadow, "we will find the strength to keep the Mutant Dinos where we want them for just a little longer."

"Sounds like we have a bit of a plan emerging," Rex raised an eyebrow. "I've learned to hate plans... they never go right. But, if this works... then we can stop the Mutant Dinos for good. Count me in."

*****

The stakes had never been higher. HQ was massively damaged and close to collapse. The Mutant Dinos may've taken severe losses by now, but they were far from backing down. The Castle Cove witches and Inferno forces were not giving up. And the Dino Attack agents were suffering from their causalities, fatigue, and moral state.

But there was still hope. Most Elite Agents were still up and directing orders. Rotor was apparently close to a rescue by Dr. Cyborg's allies. And they had Alpha Team, the Agents, and XERRD themselves gunning for them. They may be starting to suffer, but they were far from being done with.

"Keep clear of HQ, and hold formations around the diameter of the site!" Andrew was saying to the team members over radio. "What matters now is that we keep together, and don't let ourselves fall victim to claws, witchcraft, or a giant metal foot!"

"Also note that we do have an opening coming up for beating Dr. Rex!" Semick also said through the comm. "The Founding Members have gone into HQ to fetch a device that I've received word of being capable of driving the Maelstrom out of that son of a brick's body! If they can get it and work it right, we could definitely turn this battle around!"

"I'll take any chance we can get by now."
"I wouldn't rely on it. It's going to take more than the press of a button on some device to end this, I'm sure."
"Why doesn't anyone just shoot the Znap out of that mother-!"
"Which part of 'Silge armor and Maelstrom regenerative properties' don't you understand?!"
"The Einstein Device isn't a myth! I knew it!"
"Miss Witch, I'll give you something to wave a stick at!"
"That stunt of Pointman's was completely pointless! Why'd he throw his life and ship away like that?!"
"What did you expect from the likes of him?"
"B better get back here, stat!"
"And so does Zach and Fabello too, for that matter, assuming they weren't injured in that explosion."
"What caused it, anyways?"
"Someone get Fireman and Andrew Jackson to fight fire with fire in regards to that Inferno mech!"
"I overheard some of the Third Headquarters Squad talking about blowing up the building as a last resort in Dr. Rex's assault. Seems like they were a little preemptive, though."
"Seriously, they should've consulted with us first! You don't just blow up our HQ without telling anyone, darn it!"

"So much discord right now," Laxus remarked.

"Yeah," Andrew muttered briefly as he looked up to the skies through his Fire Hammer windshield. Along with the Alpha Team craft carrier and the still-surviving Agents Aerial Defense Unit forces, they still had a good fifty-or-so T-1 Typhoons still in the hair. Half of them were recent reinforcements from Antarctica. Most were occupied with defending the ground forces, while a good ten of them were keeping busy attacking the witch crafts and Inferno's giant robot, which was almost taking up the role Cyrista's Bane had been playing earlier ("Someone sic that cyborg T-Rex on the Inferno robot!" someone on the comm had said. "It'd be the coolest battle tonight!").

Semick was still leading somewhere around the middle, helping to cover the front lines, while Reptile was still hanging around close to the area of the Headquarters, defending the rooftops as much as he could for the sake of the Founding Member's T-1 Typhoon. Hotwire's team was coming back into the main battle just now, having been helping out B's team with the bulk of the Inferno agents at LEGO City's outskirts.

Andrew turned his attention back to the radio. "Semick, how is everybody?"

"Bluetooth's been helping me get everything understood," the former Power Miner replied. "Hertz apparently went deaf in the attack on the communications and is still getting treated. He's not going to be much help with the radios, but I'm getting Bluetooth to try and talk with him via PDA to see if he can help out with coding and working out how to best narrow frequencies between us and all our allies."

"I've already sent a message to him," Bluetooth chimed in. "He'd better reply soon, and I've told him to let the medics know he has Semick's authorization to be helped back into the field. Or at least, help from the bunker they're making in the HQ basement."

Andrew felt horrified that Hertz had suffered such a cruel handicap, which made Hotwire and Rex's conditions seem minor by comparison. But he was happy to hear Semick working things out. "Good to hear," he said. "How about Cyborg and Rotor?"

"Rotor sent out a PDA message about their situation," said Bluetooth. "I replied, explaining to him about Dr. Cyborg sending Cyrista's Bane and some kind of friendly Mutant Pterosaur to find them. Hopefully they'll be able to understand what's going on when the two arrive."

"And Dr. Cyborg was apparently talking to that Darkling fellow currently leading XERRD," Semick added. "Apparently, our fellow Elite is now the second-in-command, and if Darkling dies, he gets command of the scientists. He should report back in any time now."

"Sounds excellent!" Hotwire added, just now flying in with several other T-1 Typhoons. "Hope I'm not too late to regroup with-Znap, what's up with the Maelstrom dragons?!"

"You've missed quite a bit," said Swerve. "Including Kat try to talk down Dr. Rex."

"What?! Where is-"

"The building she was on got pulverized not too long afterwards," said Semick. "We haven't found a body yet, though, so there's a chance she's still out there. We're keeping an eye out."

"Along with several other agents," said Andrew. "Reports are saying that Zach and Fabello were forced out of HQ with Athena by some XERRD guy. I've asked Joike, Gypsy, and Observer to look for them, but they haven't found them yet."

"And where's B, by the way?" Semick asked. "I heard something about him having to settle a score with someone alone."

"Uh, yeah, that would be true," said Hotwire. "Hopefully, he'll have that finished up soon, though."

"He'd better. Once the Founding Members get out of HQ, I suspect they'll want us to focus our efforts in a certain way in regards to how they're going to use that device they're planning to use. I want all of us to be able to report quickly and immediately in case they need our help."

"Understood," said Andrew. "We'll keep holding out in the meantime."

"Great. Now focus back on the task at hand, people. There's no time to waste."

*****

Whitmore, a rookie agent among the Internal Affairs team, looked up from Montgonel's wound as Montoya stepped into the rain, a semi-conscious Carrie Enderson in his arms. "I got a civilian," Montoya said. Slowly, he approached them. One of them took her and brought her into the helicopter.

"What about Pharisee?" asked Whitmore.

"Somewhere in the back of the bowling alley," replied Montoya. "That's where I last saw them. I found Carrie - the civilian - back here. You mind if I go sit with her?"

"No problem," replied Whitmore.

Montoya slowly walked up to Carrie and held her hand. 

Whitmore looked up to see a familiar figure approaching them in the rain: X2. The rookie agent and UlTech Infiltrator nodded to one another, bearing no hard feelings toward one another for their commander's actions. Together, they stepped into the bowling alley, past Walter as he shot another ball.

Finally, their journey led them into the dark room in the back, where the bowling pins were set up. The room was mostly dark, as they looked around. Finally, amidst the dim light, they could see a still figure. The two of them approached for a closer look. Sure enough, the man in question was a large black man.

Something was on his face. It was an annoying sensation as a small rough tongue swept back and forth across the bruise that now covered the majority of his forehead. Commander Pharisee's eyes opened slowly, and instinctively his hand went to his head. It was sore, but it would offer little more than an inconvenience latter in the day.

As he rose from the hard concrete floor, the scrawny alley cat that had awoken him scurried into the shadows of the bowling alley. The commander needed to reassess his surroundings and came to several startling conclusions.

The first and most apparent was that Trigger was gone. He remembered beating the mercenary within an inch of his life when the man had clubbed him over the head with a bowling pin. The impact had knocked him out and, in most cases, it would have been enough for Trigger to make an escape. However, based on the toll he had recently taken, Pharisee assumed he could not have gone far. He would have no means of escape and he was likely apprehended by the agents just outside.

The second thing he noticed was that Carrie Enderson had vanished. All that remained of her presence was a pool of blood on the floor. The drops of red disappeared down the hallway and vanished behind the door that led to the bowling lanes. Pharisee's detective skills informed him of the peculiarity of this scenario. If she had dragged herself along the floor, there would be a continuous messy trail of gore. Instead, the result was small spots an equal distance apart. The only thing that could lead to such an effect is if someone carried Carrie.

"What happened here?" Whitmore asked. "Give me a hand, here, will ya?"

The commander did not respond as he slowly picked himself off the floor. X2 slowly grabbed the commander by the arm. He was incredibly heavy; Whitmore and X2 practically had to drag him out of the back room.

Pharisee, X2, and Whitmore followed the trail of blood back down the row of pin-setting machines. On the way, Pharisee spotted the gun that had belonged to Trigger and he realized his own weapon was missing. He took the mercenary's weapon as a replacement for his own and carefully opened the door back to the lanes.

Nothing seemed to have changed since they last saw Walter, Dude, and Donnie. The trio was still playing their game of bowling with little regard to what was happening around them.

Dude rose from his seat and called over to Pharisee. "What the Znap happened there?" Dude asked as he saw Whitmore and X2 supporting Pharisee's weight. "Here, let me give you a hand."

"Don't worry about it, Dude," replied Walter.

"That guy's been hurt, man!" said Dude. "I think we got to do something." Quickly, he got up, ran over toward them, and struggled to help pull Pharisee's weight.

Instead of walking around the lanes, Pharisee opted to cut directly across them. In the process he stepped across the roll that Walter had just thrown and disrupted what could have been a strike.

"What the Znap?!" barked Walter. "It's illegal to step over the line! You're on the Znapping lane!"

Pharisee paid no heed as Walter continually cursed at him. Since the angry bowler's previous weapon had been torn apart by the commander, Walter opted to charge him with considerable tenacity. Without breaking stride, Pharisee dispatched him with a quick punch to the face. Walter fell to the floor with a thud (on the other side of the line) and the commander walked over him.

"Hey man, what were those gunshots I heard back there?" asked Dude. "It would not have anything to do with that lady that came through here would it?"

Pharisee nodded his head. "Where is Montoya? I entrusted the man to your care."

"The guy went back where you were and picked up that lady," responded Dude. "I think he took her to that helicopter outside. She looked pretty messed up, man."

"I should know," responded Pharisee. "I was forced to shoot her so I could get to Trigger. Her injury was enough to throw the mercenary off-kilter and allow me to take a shot."

"Was the necessary, man?" asked Dude. "Did you at least kill him?"

Pharisee walked over to the seat where he had hung his trench coat and put it on. "I don't know. Either way, Trigger could not get far. I brought the man down a few levels. He will bear the scars of my reckoning for some time to come."

With those words, Pharisee vacated the bowling alley through the hole in the wall. He had lost valuable time during his unconsciousness but, without a vehicle, the escape radius of an injured man could not be high. Pharisee hoped his men had already apprehended him, but he had never before lived on the concept of hope.

As Pharisee and his companions once again stepped out into the rain, he spotted the T-1 Typhoon landed in the street. As they reached the chopper, Marina came to their assistance. There were more agents than he expected. Those who had been tasked with guarding the back door had now relocated to within the helicopter or outside in the rain. The entire party was present.

Standing just inside the door was Montoya. He was holding the hand of a woman under a blanket who was trembling terribly. Beside him was a man on life support and an agent covered beneath a white sheet. The mood was as somber as the rain pouring down, and Pharisee stepped across the puddles in silence.

"What happened here?" asked Pharisee quietly. "Where is Trigger? Who is that man beneath the cover?"

"Trigger stumbled out of the bowling alley after the fight," responded Whitmore. "He was faltering and seriously beaten up. We tried to apprehend him, but he killed McGovern and shot Montgonel. We emptied quite a few rounds into the guy and he went down in the back. We were so busy tended to Montgonel that he slipped away."

Pharisee sighed. "How far do you think he could have gotten?"

"He's probably dead now, sir," said Whitmore. "No one could have survived what you did to him, combined with how many times we shot him. He probably had just enough energy to crawl away and die."

"I don't want to take any chances," said Pharisee. "Never utter the phrase no one could have survived that to me. If a man has enough willpower, he can accomplish a great many things on the brink of death."

"With all due respect, sir," said Whitmore, "searching for a mortally wounded man seems like a poor use of time. Montgonel is in critical condition and Carrie has quite the nasty gunshot wound."

Montoya locked eyes with Pharisee. "She said you shot her. Is that true?" Montoya asked, his question like a piercing arrow.

Pharisee sighed. His actions would be defined by whether or not shooting Carrie was a reasonable sacrifice. He knew very little of whom she was and, unless he learned otherwise, she did not deserve what befell her. Pharisee did not often feel doubt; his actions were calculated based on a vast range of factors. At the time, it seemed shooting the innocent woman was the only option if he hoped to take down Trigger. To some degree, it worked, and he had succeeded in bringing down the mercenary… but if Trigger survived, the sacrifice would have been wasted.

Either way, the commander had to ask himself whether Trigger's crimes outweighed Carrie's innocence. He knew he had committed many crimes for the sake of the greater good and, as long as the villain was defeated, he did not allow those moments to weigh him down. It was in this particular instance that he understood his failure. He had not defeated Trigger; the man had escaped to kill again, and now the blood of both Montgonel and McGovern was on his hands.

Yes, Trigger could be dead at this very moment but, in his heart, he would have to grasp that what he did to Carrie was in vain. He had hoped that one innocent would be the last expense in the fight to take down a man who had committed a lifetime of wickedness. Instead, she had become collateral damage in his sacred fight against the evil men of the world. It had been unproductive; her life was now wasted because Pharisee had failed to stop the man he shot her for.

"Sir, do you really need to find Trigger?" asked Whitmore. "We can't afford to let Montgonel stay here any longer. He needs blood now!"

"No," answered Pharisee bluntly. "I must see the body. I need to know whether or not the sacrifices of these three people are in vain. My failure already had led to the suffering of two good men. I must know whether or not it will lead to more."

Despite the rookie's protests, Pharisee turned away and headed down the side street to the right of the bowling alley. The blades of the helicopter began to spin behind him, and the pilot flashed his lights in a sign of impatience. The commander held up a finger to indicate his absence would only take a moment, before he disappeared behind the corner.

There, in the middle of the street, lay the body of the man once known as Trigger. He lay on his side with his arms and legs sprawled out beside him. The rain created ripples in the pool of blood surrounding him, and his open eyes gazed up at the gray sky.

Thunder boomed as the commander approached. There was no doubt that the mercenary was dead, his lifeless eyes continuing to express his final moments of life. Pharisee could not pretend to know what his final thoughts had been; his life had taught him never to sympathize with his quarries. It was through his apathy that Pharisee was so effective in his mission.

In the grand scheme of things, Trigger had been just another unrighteous man whom the commander had dispatched. Although Pharisee was not directly responsible for the man's death, he still held responsibility. He wanted to remember the names of the men whom he had unleashed justice on. He hoped one day he would learn Trigger's name so he would not become just another number.

Although he believed Trigger deserved his justice, Pharisee had to remember the man's humanity. He had to remember his face so he could live with the burden it carried. Even the death of an unrighteous man was still murder, and grasping the toll it took on his own soul was a necessary sacrifice for a greater society.

Now, Trigger was dead, and Pharisee had to ask himself whether his demise was worth the suffering he brought down upon Carrie Enderson. Would she be able to comprehend what he had done to her was for the greater good? Would she see his justification and understand Trigger's death was worth her leg?

It was unlikely; Pharisee would live with that cross forever. It may not have been his choice to decide what Carrie's role would be, and he would have to learn there might not be a justification. If he had not shot Carrie, Trigger may have escaped and killed more of his agents, but McGovern's life was one too many. Through his head, Pharisee would replay the actions of this night forever and wonder whether he had made the right choice.

Pharisee retrieved his original weapon from the dead man's hand before turning back to board the helicopter. He left the body of the mercenary where he lay. He would have to confront both Carrie Enderson and confess his failure to her. He would try to explain, but he knew she would not listen. He might have destroyed her life forever in exchange for the death of an evil man. Was Trigger's death worth more than her life?

As he boarded the T-1 Typhoon, the helicopter immediately made its way to the headquarters. The suffering of Carrie was directly on his hands, and the suffering of Montgonel was a direct result of his failure. Pharisee rarely experienced regret but, on this night, he did. It was a sensation he was not familiar with, and it pained him to accept his failure to people he swore to protect.

As the helicopter made its way back to headquarters, X2 stared coldly at Pharisee but did not say anything. Pharisee was forced to look into the eyes of Carrie and Montoya. They held feeling of pain and anger that the commander could not ignore.

"I'm sorry," the commander said simply. "I put my mission over your lives. I shot you, Carrie, because I thought I could end the suffering a single man could inflict. It was useless in the end, and Trigger went on to shoot two more good men. This was my failure, Carrie; I sacrificed your leg in a futile effort to destroy a wicked man. Trigger is dead now, but I will always remember the cost I inflicted on you. I hurt you, Carrie, and I failed to do my job. I'm not asking for forgiveness; I just hope you can understand."

Rain gushed threw the open door of the helicopter. Lightning continued to flash outside, illuminating the suffering behind Carrie's eyes. She said nothing to the commander but continued to gaze upon the remnants of her knee. It was obliterated beyond recognition, and it was all for naught. Pharisee had chosen to make her an unwilling sacrifice and had achieved nothing but one last dead agent.

"Montoya," continued the commander. "I'm sorry for what I brought you through. I carried you through continuous suffering in hopes of catching a wretched man. It was waste and an unmerited punishment for a man I now start to see as good. You are not the attempted murderer I once saw you for, Montoya, you saved the life of Carrie, and even now you ease my suffering. I ask for the forgiveness of my ways, Montoya. You did not deserve what I wrongfully unleashed on you. I can see that now."

Montoya stared into Pharisee's eyes. It was on this man's account that he had been beaten and humiliated. He had been forced to confront his own dark past, and the memories of Trigger and the commander would always haunt him. The driver locked eyes with the commander and uttered one simple word: "No"

Pharisee frowned. "Then this will be my burden. I will forever remember my wrongs against you two, and I will never forget. I will live with the suffering I inflicted on you forever. This is my justice."

The helicopter continued back to the headquarters in the rain. No more words were spoken, nothing more transpired.

*****

The area was filled with silence after Blaire Darkling's speech. The only noise was the rain splatted against the ground and the occasional rumble of thunder. Minerva and Zach simply looked at each other before looking back at Oswald, who was staring at his walkie-talkie in shock. XERRD may have joined forces with the Dino Attack Team, but had Oswald?

"Baron Typhonus..." Oswald muttered absently as he began to put the pieces together. "He... is... the Maelstrom?" Minerva stopped herself from nodding, not wanting to trigger a negative reaction from him. Oswald glanced at the two of them and could see in their faces that Blaire was right. "H-he... is... the Ma-Maelstrom."

The color was draining from Oswald face rapidly. "Everything was an illusion," he said. His gun was now shaking violently. "A lie. We're nothing but tools. What... what have I done?" Minerva could feel the sudden agony and remorse that traveled through his body. He looked at Minerva and Zach.

"There's no hope... we're all going to die... nothing matters... I failed... can't save Minerva... all going to die..." The gears in Oswald's head were turning. His remorseful face suddenly became darker. In fact, the entire area seemed to become darker. A mad glint appeared formed in his eyes.

"There is nothing I can do," Oswald muttered. Minerva watched madness descend over him like the rain. "Everyone I ever loved is going to die and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I'm so sorry, Minerva." His eyes pierced his sister's. "For everything."

Turning to his mother, his entire person became bitterly grim. "You monster," Oswald spat at Athena. "How could a mother do what you did? Force her children to fend for themselves when they needed her most!"

Minerva and Zach glanced at each other. Minerva was glad they could read each other's expressions, for she saw a purple spark travel up Zach's arm. Just knock him out. It would be safer that way.

"Had her kids suffer while she hid behind memories of the past!" Oswald's tone became darker. His gun was still shaking, but it was steadying out gradually. "Ki-ki-killed her own son while trying to kill her daughter." He looked back at Minerva with eyes sparked with madness.

"Oswald," Minerva whispered, trying one last time to reason with him. "Please..."

Oswald's jaw slackened as he stared at his sister. His arm was shaking again as he looked back at Athena. Minerva realized what was about to happen. She started running at him instinctively as Zach fired a Maelstrom fireball.

Bang!

Athena Fabello's eyes widened to astronomical proportions. She looked down at her children, who were both lying on the ground after being struck by the fireball. They both shakily crawled to their feet. Minerva had attempted to shove Oswald away, but only ended up getting caught in Zach's Maelstrom attack. Her entire body screamed in pain, but she muffled it as she looked at her mother. Athena stared at Minerva with wide, unwavering gray eyes before looking to her son. Then to his gun. Finally, she looked down at the growing red stain on her sweatshirt, around her chest. Athena fell to her knees slowly.

Minerva whipped her head from Athena to Oswald. He looked as though he was going to be sick. He dropped the gun and, without a single word, fled from the scene. Minerva didn't bother chasing him. She started to move toward Athena when Zach grabbed her arm.

"Are you alright?!" He seemed extremely worried. "I didn't mean to shoot you, it's-"

"I'm fine!" Minerva snapped. She wasn't, both physically and emotionally. But she was more concerned with getting her grievously wounded mother to safety. It was like Tod all over again. "Help me!"

Zach nodded in silence and approached the fallen Athena. Together, they wrapped Athena's arms around their necks and lifted her off the ground.

"Athena, can you hear me?" Zach asked, maintaining a calm voice. There was a small interlude before Athena weakly nodded, staring straight ahead. "Can you walk?" Athena didn't respond to this. Her pupils were still wide open. "I'll take that as no," Zach said, looking away. "We'll just have to be careful with her feet."

Minerva nodded. With Athena between them, they hurried as fast as they could back to Dino Attack Headquarters so they could find her medical attention.

It was hard going. Oswald had clearly been anticipating this, so he had brought all three of them all as far enough away from the headquarters (which was now smoking and seemed on the verge of collapse) so they couldn't save Athena. Despite this, Minerva was felt a sudden determination to get her mother to safety.

As they walked, Minerva felt her heart sink. Oswald had finally lost it. She had hoped learning the truth about the Dino Attack would've helped, but that, combined with remorse for his previous deeds, had crushed Oswald's hope entirely. He believed there was no hope left. That he was going to lose everyone that he had cared about. His plan had failed. There was no chance of saving his little sister now. And with his sunken sanity, Athena had become his first target.

Minerva suddenly realized she was trying to stop the blood from exiting Athena's chest with her hand. Her glove now soaked in blood, she looked at her mother again. Her eyes had returned to a normal size. However, Athena was now muttering something, but Minerva couldn't hear it as they reached the battlefield. Gunfire, explosions, and roars muffled everything.

"Hey! HEY!" Zach suddenly yelled out. He waved his free hand. "MEDIC!" Minerva finally saw it. A Fire Hammer (or was it a Dino 4WD Trapper? It lacked the gun and instead had a small, cube-like area in the back) with the Star of Life painted crudely on the side of the door. The Fire Hammer stopped in its tracks and a mustachioed doctor jumped out of the cab and started running toward them.

"What's-a going on?" the doctor exclaimed. He looked at Athena "Is that a-?!"

"Yes, Martinet," Zach said. "A civilian. Who's been shot. We need help."

Martinet nodded and gestured for them to go to the back of the Fire Hammer. "I think we can-a make space for her," Martinet was saying in a hurried tone. "We found another injured man, but her wound appears to be much more serious. The headquarters has-a been blown up and at this point, I'm not-a sure if we should take her-"

"Stop."

Zach and Minerva froze in their tracks and looked at Athena in surprise. Her breathing was shallow and her head was bowed down, allowing her long blonde hair to cover much of her head.

Martinet raised an eyebrow. "Excuse-a me?" Ma'am, we need to do something or else-"

"No," Athena said, lifting her head to face the medic. "Thank you..."

"Dr. Martinet."

"Thank you, Dr. Martinet, for wanting to help…" Athena paused, trying to catch her breath. "But it's far too late. I want to speak to Zachary and Minerva."

Martinet looked at the two Elite Agents curiously. Minerva nodded slowly, her breath taken away. Martinet sighed, but nodded. Lifting up a massive hammer, "I'll keep the dinos away."

Athena smiled weakly and nodded once. As Martinet went to guard them, Zach and Minerva set Athena down on the ground and leaned her against the side of the Fire Hammer.

Minerva stared at Athena, trying to find something to say. The only word that made it past her lips was, "M-Mom?"

Athena bit her lower lip. There were tears in her eyes. "I'm here, Minnie." The younger Fabello woman was still guarded. "Minerva, I... I'm so sorry. For everything."

Minerva froze. Memories of herself as a young child flooded her vision. She had her ear to a door. She could hear a woman weeping gently. The woman hadn't left her room for days. She would only leave to get more bottles full of a liquid that Minerva wasn't allowed to have. A blond-haired boy pulled her away from the door and told her to stay away from her.

"But she's my mom," Minerva had argued.

Oswald had grimaced. "She's not Mom anymore. She doesn't care about us anymore."

Tears were forming in Minerva's eyes. This was her mom. The happy mother she had known when she was toddler. Not the alcoholic woman who used her memories to hide away from the present, but Athena Fabello. It was only now that Minerva realized how much she missed her mom in all those years growing up under Tod and Oswald's care. Being shot must have freed her mind from her amnesia somehow.

Minerva leaned forward and hugged her mom. Athena returned the hug. Her crying was louder now. "I'm so sorry. Because of me, you had no mother and lost a brother." Athena choked at mentioning Tod's death. "Oz... Oz had every reason to do what he did."

"No," Minerva muttered, not wanting to let go of her. "He didn't. He shouldn't have. He's... not okay. He's-"

"Shhh," Athena said soothingly. Minerva became quiet immediately. Minerva pulled away and looked into her mother's eyes. There was calm comfort and acceptance in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Minerva," Athena whispered, wiping a tear off of Minerva's cheek. "You haven't let what I've done to you control you."

"But... but, I-"

Athena put a hand to Minerva's lips and shook her head. "I've been watching you for the past hour, Minerva. I remember everything you said, including what you said to Oswald. You've become a strong, beautiful young woman. I... I only wish I hadn't missed watching you grow up."

Athena looked past Minerva and up to Zach. He was clearly shaken, but had remained silent. "Thank you, Zachary. Thank you for helping me reunite with my daughter one last time. Even if I was a little annoying."

Zach smiled faintly and nodded.

"No!" Minerva gasped. "You can't die! You've come back. You're yourself again! You can't leave!"

Athena smiled sadly. "It is certainly unfair that the only way I could speak to you as myself is when I'm on the verge of death. You'll pull through, Minnie. I'm sure of it." Athena touched Minerva's cheek quietly. "I wish I hadn't been so weak." Her voice was becoming weaker. "I wish I hadn't given up."

"Mom!" Minerva sobbed. "Martinet! Get back over here! Please! You can-"

"Shhh," Athena whispered gently. "It's okay, Minnie. I get to see them again. I hope Tod forgives me. I'm so sorry..."

"Please!" Minerva begged, her desperation growing. "I forgive you! Just don't go!"

Athena looked into Minerva's eyes, a motherly smile forming on her face. "I love you, Minerva. Tell... tell Oswald that I... love him... too." Athena closed her eyes. Her chest rose one last time before falling and become still.

"No!" Minerva yelled. She shook her mother's shoulders once, knowing that she wouldn't respond. Minerva laid her head upon Athena Fabello's cold shoulder and sobbed loudly, grieving the loss of her mother.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 70: Fight or Flight

----

Dr. Cyborg turned the frequency of the radio in the Titanium Predator. He had just agreed to serve as XERRD's second-in-command, so that should help the transition.

"Hello, all Elite Agents, this is Dr. Cyborg calling in. I am fine, I had a small tussle with a Mutant T-Rex, but I escaped. I have worked out an agreement with Blaire Darkling to serve as XERRD's second-in-command. I have sent Bane and Screech to assist Rotor."

A speaker started chirping, indicating there was someone else trying to contact him. "Hold on, I have a message coming in," he said as he ended the all-agents bulletin. Then, on the more private line, he asked: "This is Dr. Cyborg, may I ask who's calling?"

"Yes, this is a loyal member of XERRD calling to tell you that you've been exposed. Everybody in XERRD knows 'you' died when Dr. Rex sent the Raptor pack after you. They confirmed the kill. So, you may have convinced our 'leader' that you are Dr. Cyrista, but we know the truth, and the truth has set us free. We will not submit to your leadership, nor will any loyal XERRD member. So, all in all, you've been found out. You might want to leave before we kill you." Cheers were heard over the radio as other XERRD members cheered their spokesman on.

"Oh, is that how you feel?" mused Dr. Cyborg. "That I am an imposter? How shall I prove I am who I say I am? Hmmm...."

And then, he remembered three words. To most, these words would seem unimportant, but they meant much to XERRD members. In his old authoritative voice he used with XERRD members up until a couple of weeks ago, he roared into the radio: "Identity code: Cyborg!"

The voice signed off. And, even better, in uttering those words, Dr. Cyborg remembered everything. Without exception. The extent of his time with XERRD, his family, his other friends, everything.

Dr. Cyborg contacted Cortana(1). "I need you to bring the Reclaimer to wherever Bane and Screech are," he ordered. "You need to ferry two Typhoon crews out."

"Will do. Oh, and by the way, Kara is mysteriously awake."

"Good for her. Dr. Cyborg signing off." 

*****

Lance continued to fire on the new arrival, emptying everything he had out of his gun as Rotor stepped in. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Mutant Pterosaur," replied Lance. "It seems to be circling us. I'm trying to get a clear shot!"

Rotor looked out the window and saw it. "Hold your fire!" Rotor shouted. Lance kept firing. Rotor had to pull the gun out of his hands. "It's on our side!"

"What?" exclaimed Lance. "Impossible! Give me that!"

"I don't know how, either," replied Rotor. "But word is that a Pterosaur and that Cyrista's Bane were sent to give us backup!"

Lance looked at him confusedly. 

As Spike continued to punch and hold off the Mutant Raptors, with a little assistance from Buffy, the other agents inside were busy giving cover fire. Cabin's eyes were momentarily drawn toward the sky, during which time she saw a large aircraft...

*****

The smoke and fire issuing form the battlefield could be seen miles away. Even with the continual downpour, the fires of a hundred wrecks and laser blasts burned brightly in the dark morning sky. A sulfuric smell reached the nostrils of Commander Pharisee and then he cringed his nose at the harsh odor of burning gasoline and dinosaur flesh.

The commander could see that the tower of Dino Attack Headquarters was riddled with holes and crumbling concrete. The attacks from Mutants and Inferno agents had done a number on the structure, and it now bore the numerous scars of war. Some of the once-tan paint had chipped away to reveal the bland gray underlayer, and smoke from the fires below blackened the tower.

Pharisee was aware of teleportation pad that had been constructed on the thirteenth floor of the tower. A hole had been blown in the roof, so vehicles and agents were able to be directly lowered to the pad. The commander found it strange that while Semick had recommended vacating the tower due to its structural instability, the likes of General and Specs had opted to build the device in a place that was most likely to fall.

The building had suffered greatly from the attacks of Dr. Inferno and Firecracker. Dr. Rex himself was still madly wandering about the field of battle but, despite his lack of focus, the damage he was causing was substantial.

Pharisee instructed the pilot to position the helicopter above the opening to the teleportation pad. The commander planned to dispose of Montoya and Carrie Enderson before he entered the battle. He did not want distractions in the fight, and Carrie needed to get medical attention immediately. Once he landed the helicopter on the roof, the commander would rush them to the teleportation pad get them away from battle and proper care in Antarctica.

"No."

Pharisee turned around in surprise as Montgonel wheezed the word through his oxygen mask. He did not think the man would be awake, let alone strong enough to speak. The agent coughed and held his respirator with feeble hands. The bandages on his chest were stained with blood and his breathing was shallow.

"Don't send me away… don't… don't send me to… Antarctica." He coughed more and he shook his head as the helicopter hovered above the hole in the roof. Rain continued to fall hard and the sweat on his face was washed away.  "I want to go to see a m…m…medic… here," wheezed Montgonel. "I want to go down."

Pharisee glanced over at Carrie Enderson. Tears were still streaming down her face from her own gunshot wound, and it was apparent she wanted to get away from the misery of violence as soon as possible.

Montoya simply looked lost; his eyes were tired of the conflict and weary of the war. He wanted to get away too, and Pharisee's word had been to let him go. The commander often tried to do well on his word, but he owed Montgonel. It was his fault that Montgonel was shot and, although he owed Carrie, he would always put his men first.

"Change course," ordered the commander, He ignored the pain in Carrie's eyes and instructed the pilot to bring the vehicle down to the front door instead of land on the roof. The pilot complied, and the T-1 Typhoon spun around and descended past thirteen floors to touch down softly on the wet and bloody cement.

Pharisee cleared aside some Mutant Lizards and Fright Knights with his handgun and splashed down on ground. The water reflected the fires burning all across the battlefield, and the blaze seemed to dance at his feet with every step the commander took. Nearby, a Mutant Stegosaurus made an advance behind him but the helicopter's gunners dispatched it with their Sonic Screamers.

Holding Carrie Enderson in his massive arms, he kicked aside the broken doors and rushed through the damaged lobby. It looked like a bomb had gone off, and dust and burns covered every surface. Stepping over a Mutant Lizard, he passed the body of Elizabeth Wilma, who was slumped over her desk surrounded by a pool of blood. Her eyes were open and showed the terror of her last moments.

As Pierce and Crusher worked their way through the HQ, they were startled by the arrival of the Internal Affairs agents. Pierce rushed over and observed the two injured people Pharisee had brought in. "What's going on here?" Pierce asked.

"There was a shootout," replied Whitmore. "We got two dead, three hurt. We also got two civilians!"

"Get them down to the infirmary!" shouted Crusher. "Come on!"

"What the heck happened in here?" Pharisee demanded, looking at the rubble and ruin all around them.

"I don't know," replied Pierce. "Some guy tried to blow it up."

Hastily, Pierce and Crusher led the group of Internal Affairs agents into the basement and back to where they kept their makeshift hospital. Followed by stretcher bearers carrying Montgonel, Pharisee descended the staircase leading to the basement. The concrete steps were cracked after the recent explosions and treacherous to navigate. Smoke detectors blared in his ears and filth clouded his vision. Down the hall, he heard the murmur of voices, and soon he found himself in the crowded medical bay.

"We don't have much space down here," said Pierce. He appeared quite disheveled, and people behind him continuously called his name. "Much of our staff is already up on 13, and we're in the process of evacuating. I'm afraid I may not be able to tend to these patients adequately."

"Doctor Pierce, I presume," Pharisee said as he walked past him and cleared out a nearby bed of its deceased occupant. "Montgonel here insisted he go to basement for reasons I can't fathom. They both have gunshot wounds, and it's very serious. I would prefer they go to Antarctica for treatment, but I respect my men's wishes."

"But we don't have the space!" protested Pierce. "I only have a handful of doctors down here, and we each have over 20 patents we're working on! We can't take any more."

Pharisee growled and rushed forward to pin Pierce to the wall. "These two had better live, doctor. I don't care how you do it, but if they die, you will have to deal with me! I assure you that being on my bad side is most unwise!"

Dr. Pierce nodded his head quickly, and the commander released him. "We got a serious emergency!" Pierce shouted to the other doctors. Copper turned toward him. The agents put the two patients on the table.

Pierce looked at Carrie Enderson. "She's been hit in the leg," he observed. Turning towards Montgonel, he said: "This other guy here's been hit in the stomach. He takes priority!"

Pharisee whipped the filth from his trenchcoat and beckoned to the other Internal Affairs agents who had followed him down. They trailed after him as he left the medical bay and ascended the steps out of the basement to the waiting helicopter. "We're going to the roof, agents. I believe we still much to do."

*****

As they made their way through the twelfth floor of Dino Attack Headquarters, Rex glanced out a shattered window. Outside Dino Attack Headquarters, the T-1 Typhoons and Fright Knight Windships engaged each other in dogfights; Emperor Chang Wu's fleet patrolled the river to ward off any more Inferno Super Airboats, only to suddenly find themselves in disarray after a Mutant Mosasaur ambush; and united groups of Dino Attack, Alpha Team, Agents, Rogue Knights, Evil OGEL Empire, and even XERRD worked together in an effort to bring down Dr. Inferno's attacking robot mech.

That was all outside. Inside Dino Attack Headquarters itself, which was still filled with fire and smoke after that massive explosion, Rex traveled with his comrades to the thirteenth floor, where the Portal Operations Team's Teleport Pad was located. They were rushing to get there before the next wave of Mutant Dinos, or any that survived the explosions, caught up to them. It was a difficult journey due to the fire and rubble blocking their paths, not to mention the destroyed stairwells.

The thirteenth floor was in the worst shape. The roof had caved in, creating even more destruction and ruin, and now the rain was pouring down. Rex was reminded of the wrecked laboratory where he met Frank Einstein for the first time, and realized that it pained him to see Dino Attack Headquarters, a symbol of LEGO Planet's last hope, in such ruin... without even bringing down a fraction of the Mutant Dino army that was still invading the building.

Dino Attack Headquarters shook as thunder echoed in the heavens. A Windship drew close to Dino Attack Headquarters, but was subsequently shot down by an Alpha Team Blue Eagle and an Agents Aerial Defense Unit. A flock of Mutant Pterosaurs dive-bombed towards the building, but then were knocked out of the sky by a pair of T-1 Typhoons.

When they found the Portal Operations Team and the Teleport Pad, Rex noticed that the Teleport Pad was much larger than the one originally built several months ago. This one was large enough to teleport an entire Fire Hammer, and with good reason; as they approached the Super Teleport Pad, a Dino Air Tracker lowered a wrecked Fire Hammer with a pair of badly-wounded agents inside, treated by a medic that Rex recognized as Dr. Samuel "Lay" Go. Nodding grimly, General pushed a button, and the Fire Hammer, wounded agents, and Dr. Go all disappeared in a flash of blue light. The Dino Air Tracker departed to find someone else who needed evacuation.

General, Shock, and Sam Throramebi turned to face Rex, his comrades, and the founding members as they approached. The three of them were all dripping wet and covered with dirt, and Rex noticed that Throramebi's prosthetic mechanical arm was missing, forcing the Rock Raider to work with only one hand.

General nodded his head towards Specs. "Just as you ordered," he said, "we have built a Super Teleport Pad to Antarctica."

Specs nodded grimly. Looking down at the Einstein Device in his hands, whose lights were still flashing blue, the team leader sighed. "Unfortunately, I believe that we may need to evacuate far more than I originally hoped, and even this Super Teleport Pad might not be enough. I've tried to repair the launcher, but I haven't got the tools. And with the Einstein Device armed and possibly unfinished, there's no telling how much time we have or how much damage it will cause."

The Portal Operations Team traded glances. "What do you propose, then?" inquired Shock.

"Please hand me your radio," Specs held out his hand. Shock obeyed and gave him her radio. With Grimton's help, since she learned a thing or two from Hertz, Specs was able to broadcast the message to the entire Dino Attack Team and its allies. Before he spoke, Specs closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, and Rex felt a shiver down his spine as he witnessed what he believed to be Specs feeling defeated for the first time in his life.

"My fellow Dino Attack agents and allies, we are now in our darkest hour of greatest peril. Dino Attack Headquarters has suffered great structural damage already, and still Mutant Dinos are breaking in with the intention of bringing down what is left. I will not lie to you; if Dino Attack Headquarters falls, then I believe that this battle is lost. I fear I have no choice but to prepare you for defeat.

"All rookie agents are ordered to leave the city, either by means of your own transportation or by being airlifted by a Dino Air Tracker to the Teleport Pad on Dino Attack Headquarters' top floor; it is too dangerous for you. Standard agents are advised to do likewise, but encouraged to keep fighting if you have the courage. All elite agents must report to Dino Attack Headquarters to protect this building and hold off Dr. Rex's forces for just a little longer. We also have a... device that some of you elite agents may help repair; come to the thirteenth floor for further details.

"Teammates, comrades, allies... friends... this is the end, and it will end one way or another, but it is up to us to decide how it will end. Make me proud."

With that, Specs ended the message and walked towards a shattered window to survey the battlefield below. After a moment of silence, he handed the radio back to Shock and nodded grimly. "Thank you. You are now dismissed. For your own safety, I advise that you go to Antarctica now."

"Excuse me?" exclaimed Shock, who frowned and blinked in surprise. "I joined this team to get revenge on Dr. Rex. I'm not leaving until I get the opportunity to give him what's coming to him! Let me at least talk to him; maybe I can confuse his emotions long enough to-"

Frozeen bit his lip and shook his head. "Shock, listen to me... Kat already tried to pull off that stunt and... simply put, it didn't work. In fact, it only made things worse."

"Kat?" repeated Rex. "As in, Katerina Schattenberg?" He remembered what Hotwire had told him just before the Adventurers' Island mission, that Katerina Schattenberg was actually Dr. Rex's long-lost sister. Dr. Rex already knew that Talia Kaahs had turned against him; Rex knew that all too well, judging from the end of the Goo Caverns mission. But if Katerina, his own sister, tried to talk to him and only made things worse... "Everything we throw at this guy that doesn't kill him only makes him stronger," Rex muttered. "We're going to have to kill him in one swift blow."

General gently laid a hand on Shock's shoulder. "You must evacuate to safety," he said to her. "It's for your own good."

"No!" shouted Shock, brushing off General's hand. "I won't go!" To everyone's surprise, she rushed towards the Einstein Device, pushing aside her fellow agents in the way. She desperately struggled to load the device into its damaged launcher, to no avail. "That… that… 4+ Figure took everything from me! My family… my life… my future! He'll pay! I have… I have to make him pay… I have to… I…"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, running along the scars disfiguring her face. Her hands were trembling as she handled the Einstein Device; as much as she tried, she could not load it without risking its premature detonation. It finally dawned on her that she would ultimately be denied her revenge, and there was nothing more she could do about it. At last, she fell to her knees and she broke down sobbing as everyone watched in pity.

General solemnly knelt down before her, tenderly caressing her with one hand. "He hasn't taken everything, my dear," he whispered. "And he never will. Please, go. I'm old; I've lived my life, even if it is a life full of regret. You, at least, are still young... please, be safe. Too many have died already, and seeing as you've only just convinced me that I still have a heart... don't break it."

Through her tears, Shock and General locked eyes for a moment, and then they embraced for what may be the last time.

It pained Rex to recognize the same feelings that he shared with Amanda, and he clutched his chest again... not due to chest pains, but due to heartache. "We'll see to it that he pays for his crimes. I swear to it," he promised.

"Take Mary Rose wi' ye," added Greybeard. Kneeling down, Greybeard looked Mary Rose in the eyes. "Be safe," murmured the old pirate, "me granddaughter." Mary wrapped her arms around Greybeard's torso, pressing her head against his chest. Greybeard was taken by surprise for a moment, but then relaxed and returned the embrace.

Patting Sam Throramebi on the back, Frozeen smiled grimly. "Well, old friend, I don't think one arm's going to do you any good out here."

"Agreed," said Sam, glancing at the hole in the socket where the mechanical arm used to be attached. "And I don't think any of you want to hear my high-pitched girly scream."

"You still say 'Eep!' when you're scared?" Frozeen chuckled softly, recalling all the good memories that he spent with his old Rock Raider friend.

Despite the current mood, Sam Throramebi laughed one last time. "Yep. 'Eep!' That's still my line." They shook hands, neither wishing to acknowledge that they might never see each other again.

"Rex, are you going or staying?" inquired Shannon. "I might just think that it's... you know, a little safer for you. That wheelchair, unfortunately, doesn't come packed with all the weaponry that this one does."

Rex shook his head. "Like it or not, I'm staying. And I'm not leaving until Dr. Rex is dead."

That settled it. Shock, Sam Throramebi, and Mary Rose stood in the Super Teleport Pad, saying their final goodbyes. General pushed a button, and the three Minifigs vanished in a flash of blue light. And then, they were gone, safe in Antarctica.

Rex frowned as he stared at the Teleport Pad. "Wait a second," he murmured. "What if Dr. Rex's intent is not simply to destroy Dino Attack Headquarters? What if he also wants to teleport Mutant Dinos down to Antarctica to wipe out the refugee facilities?"

After that, thunder rang like a church bell, shaking Dino Attack Headquarters like an earthquake. Looking out at the battlefield, Rex knew that Specs was right. This was the end. It was time for a penultimate ultimatum to determine how this story would end.

*****

"All rookie agents are ordered to leave the city, either by means of your own transportation or by being airlifted by a Dino Air Tracker to the Teleport Pad on Dino Attack Headquarters' top floor; it is too dangerous for you. Standard agents are advised to do likewise, but encouraged to keep fighting if you have the courage. All elite agents must report to Dino Attack Headquarters to protect this building and hold off Dr. Rex's forces for just a little longer. We also have a... device that some of you elite agents may help repair; come to the thirteenth floor for further details."

Sarah stroked Kate softly as the announcement played over the P.A. system. "I think we ought to be going," she said. "Dr. Saran, much as I appreciate your help, I think we might want to get out of here while we still can."

Saran looked at her nervously, clearly thinking for a moment. "I don't think Kate will ever be psychologically fit to fight in this team," he said.

Sarah Bishop slowly opened the door to the closet, and took Kate's hand. Carefully, she led her toward the stairway, hoping to get her daughter out of there.

*****

Shaw coughed as she, Hale, and Carver stepped through the HQ. There was smoke everywhere, but no sign of wounded yet.

The three women coughed as they proceeded through a smoke-filled room. Here and there were a few corpses, but nobody worth helping yet. All Shaw could do was say a prayer in her head for them before moving on. Her eyes were swelling up with tears, though not so much out of any sense of depression as it was the fact that smoke was everywhere. Once or twice they heard explosions in a nearby room, or they'd see Mutant Lizards waiting in the next room and had to make a run for it.

By this point, they'd gotten to the second level, and it was a complete mess. Everywhere was debris, and once or twice the floor nearly gave way.

*****

"...Well, that's a buzzkiller."
"No way. He can't be serious."
"I knew we had no chances all along."
"Mm, whacha say? I didn't quite hear."
"How could this happen to me? I don't understand..."
"Maybe we better retreat. Allow us to at least say our goodbyes to our families."
"Man, if I find the idiot responsible for setting off those explosives, French Fries will consider himself lucky."
"We're doomed? We still have a giant Alpha Team cruiser in the air!"

Semick felt chilled to his core like nothing else had over the course of this war.

Specs himself... admitting defeat? Advising most agents to retreat, while saying that nearly all hope was lost? It was unbelievable. Their leader himself was losing hope in their chances...

Shock quickly turned to fear... fear of defeat. And Semick was reminded of his departure from the Power Miners. He knew that he hadn't left out of fear, but he did know that some others had, following in the tracks of one man who just happened to think his time was done.

No, Semick thought. No... no, that will not happen.

The fear quickly turned to a fiery anger of determination. The Elite Agent's mind quickly went abuzz with plans and words, and in only a few moments, he had grabbed his radio mic, and flipped his frequency to a signal every agent would hear.

"This is Elite Agent Semick. As you know, Specs has just sent out a message telling us he is afraid we are close to defeat. He has advised the Rookies and most Standard agents to retreat, while advising the Elite Agents to return to HQ to help with a device that may prove the key to victory.

"I, however, still hold quite a bit of optimism, however unhealthy that may be. Look around you. We have fought long and hard today. The Mutant Dinos are still coming hard, but we have taken many of their numbers out as of now, and they cannot last forever. Furthermore, even if they have allies with the Fright Knights and Inferno agents, we do have allies of our own. Alpha Team, Agents, the LEGO Villains, even XERRD themselves have come to our aid. We are hurt, I will not lie, but we are not incapacitated.

"We have hit darkest hours before, and we have survived them to continue fighting. We've had our first HQ decimated by mutiny. We've nearly lost our power station to an all-out attack. We were nearly quashed by an ambush in the Goo Caverns. We were cut off on our own in LEGO Island's Torn World. We were split between ourselves like no other occasion with the exposure of the Antarctica mission. We were caught by surprise by deception and forced to face our worst fears at the Maelstrom temple. And only recently our integrity and strength were nearly blown away by the actions of the traitor Ata.

"Because of this, I am not backing down. I am continuing the fight, and if you're likeminded, I want you all, from the newest rookie to the most veteran elite, to stand by me, and continue fighting off these monsters! This is not over, we have faced and overcome horrifying odds before and we WILL do so again! We are not beaten, we are not on our last legs, we are a untied team with strong allies and only a few flesh wounds!

"However, I will let my fellow Elite Agents know that they may feel free to report to Specs. What his group is doing is important, I am sure, and you are all skilled in ways I am sure can assist with their work. I am just letting you all know that I am continuing to remain on duty here in the battlefield, with the rest of our forces, ready to defend our team to the end. Even if Dino Attack Headquarters falls, the Dino Attack team will not die! We will overcome the odds, just like we have countless times before! And no true agent is going to retreat in this time of greatest need!

"We shall stand together, and we will show these minions of darkness and chaos just what the strength of the creative, strong and determined agents of Dino Attack is capable of! Are you with me?!"

There was silence on the radio. For ten seconds. Semick briefly began feeling a sense of disappointment, and his hope started to drain. Then, he heard a noise over the radio. It started with one "Yeah!", then a "I'm with you!", then several more, then several dozen more, until his radio crackled with cries of support. Perhaps half or five-sixths of the team was replying at once over the radio.

Semick grinned. Grinned with relief, joy, and readiness. "Alright then! Iron Predators, split up and set yourselves away from Dr. Rex and the giant robot, and began aiming at the latter! Fire Hammers, Urban Avengers, start attacking those Mutant Dinos headed for HQ! Their charge should make them more easy pickings! T-1 Typhoons, keep together with your PLARXX rays on and stick together in groups of six, and go for the Mutant Pterosaurs and witchcraft ships and their Maelstrom dragons! Agents, Alpha Team, XERRD, help out however you can, but focus mainly on Inferno's forces and the witches! Stick together, and stay strong in your fights! We're not done yet!"

*****

Stranger hadn't had this much fun since the start of this whole war. Firing away with his laser sniper rifle from the ruins of a bar that had been attacked earlier, he was scoring a kill or two every time he fired his rifle. With Buddy keeping watch over the area, and misdirecting Mutant Dinos wandering over, he was doing perfectly well in terms of battle survival.

Semick is right, the agent though. We're far from finished. Though it is getting a little bit boring around here...

Grabbing his PDA, he switched it to the comm frequency and sent out a message. "Hey! To any snipers misplaced during the HQ assault, feel free to hit the dismantled bar those Mutant Dinos trashed earlier. It's ripe for sniping!"

*****

"We got a very serious emergency!"
"What's wrong?"
"I can't get the engine started! And now I somehow nailed my finger to a birdhouse accidentally!"
"Do you have some bacon?"
"What?"
"Bacon."
"Yeah! I think we got some in our rations!"
"Rub some bacon on it!"
"What?"
"On your hand, just do it!"
"Okay... hey it worked! Now what about the engine?"
"Rub some bacon on it."
"Oh no, we're being attacked by a Mutant T-Rex! We're low on ammunition!"
"Rub some bacon on it!"
"Hey, what do you know? That actually worked. The T-Rex just spontaneously decided to take a nap! Now for the engine?"
"Rub some bacon on it!"
"The engine's working! Let's go!"

*****

Kara landed by the building Rotor was in. "Alright, everyone in!" she yelled as they boarded.

While flying back to HQ to evacuate all they needed to, she asked Rotor, "Would you be able to fly one of these things equipped as a gunship with a super-smart A.I. to help?"

"I don't think so," replied Rotor. "You put me in a T-1, I'll lead you, but I don't think I could fly one of these!"

The UlTech Dropship came to a stop outside of Dino Attack HQ, and quickly the T-1 Typhoon crews got off. "What the heck happened in here?" Spike asked as he stepped into the base.

"Looks like somebody tried to blow up this base," replied Buffy.

"We got instructions for all Elite Agents to meet on the 13th Floor," Rotor explained, looking at his PDA. "Cabin, Mac, you two come with me, the rest of you can come if you like but I won't force you."

With that, Rotor started to work his way up the stairs, followed by Cabin and Mac. 

*****

"I admit, I know nothing about the kind of sciency technology that we seem to use a lot," Andrew explained to his crew as he drove to HQ, "but I do know building, and if there's a role I can play in gathering parts or designing how this device works or whatever, I'm sure I can do something."

"Alright, alright," said Laxus. "I'll just do my best driving this thing while Catless and Pterisa remain on top with the turret. If you need our help again, just call us."

"Will do."

Avoiding the charge of Mutant Dinos hitting around the main entrance, Andrew stopped near the hangar area, which was having less Mutant Dinos enter through it due to a lack of targets. For now, anyways.

"Are you sure you don't want our help getting up there?" Laxus asked again as Andrew grabbed his laser rifle and opened the door.

"You're going to be needed out there like everyone else," Andrew replied. "I just need to get inside and up to the thirteenth floor. The Mutant Dinos are likely going to remain busy around the science labs and lower floors. I just need to reach a catwalk, find a door to the upper floors from there, and reach a stairway. It'll be simple enough after that."

"Well, good luck up there," Laxus said as Andrew hopped out. "But just in case of... well, you know, I'd just like to let you know it's been a great pleasure fighting and joking alongside you, Andrew."

"Same here. I still have to show you what it's like to be in a real LEGO Island party."

Laxus snickered and moved to the driver's seat. As he closed Andrew's door, Catless and Pterisa took a moment to climb off the Xenon turret and say their own farewells.

"We may not know each other much," said Catless, shaking Andrew's hand, "but you've definitely proved to be skilled enough at lasting through tough battles like this. I'm glad we could be on the same vehicle."

"Again, I'm grateful for all you've done and let me do with you," said Pterisa. "I don't think I would've gotten in quite so easily with your team if you hadn't. Let's hope for the best after all this." She rose her hand, as if to shake Andrew's as well, but as Andrew rose his own hand, she shook her head and muttered, "Oh, why not?" and gave the LEGO Islander a hug.

Andrew was quite surprised, but not unaccepting, letting himself hug her back and smile slightly. They held that posture for only a moment before moving apart again. Pterisa and Catless then returned to the Fire Hammer turret, and they, along with Laxus, waved goodbye to Andrew as the vehicle sped off back into battle.

Andrew, after waving goodbye to them, then started looking for a catwalk to get up on. Several of the stairs and ladders up to them were damaged or broken, and some more had been blocked by containers that looked to be part of Reptile's plans involving the Green Goo, but there were a few around the back still intact, and Andrew headed over there to check them out.

*****

"This is Rookie Agent Dr. Martinet! Firstly, I'm staying behind regardless of rank because this team needs every medic it can get. Secondly, I have located Elite Agents Zachary and Fabello!"

"Well, that's good to hear, because the others want Zach at headquarters. Where did they go?"

"Eh... I'm a little lost, but what I'm getting is that-a Fabello's brother, who was with XERRD, forced them and Fabello's mother. Something happened and Fabello's mother was shot and killed. By her brother."

"Ouch. Are they okay?"

"Zachary's fine. Fabello's... a little unresponsive at the moment, but Zachary assures me he'll try to snap her out of it. In the meantime, Zachary's told-a me to tell everyone to watch out for Oswald Fabello. He's blond, mid-twenties, looks a bit insane, and apparently wearing a Dino Attack uniform, but works with XERRD-"

"Let me assure that, as a high-ranking member of XERRD, that Fabello has no haven with us."

"-okay. Fabello has-a managed to tell me that he went by the codename Verrat, so don't trust anyone with that name, either. An Elite Agent friend of mine as secured a Fire Hammer brought in from Antarctica for them. Zachary says he'll contact the rest of the team as soon as he can."

Holly Vinyaya sighed. She assumed that Athena Fabello had been the blonde-haired woman with Zach when she had reunited with them and met Blaire Darkling. Watching her brother kill their mother probably crushed Minerva. I imagine by the end of this battle, we'll all have scars, physical and emotional.

She kicked a Mutant Lizard away and fired several Cosmotronic Ray blasts at a pack of purple Lizards. Vinyaya had been simply making the rounds. Shoot, kick, punch, grab, repeat. Run if a Mutant T-Rex showed up. Sprint if a Maelstrom Dragon landed nearby. Vinyaya was already mute to killing these beasts and henchmen. And she would keep fighting until the battle was won. Even with Specs calling out defeat.

She wasn't alone. Nearby, two XERRD scientists aided her in her fight named Alvin Gadd and William Lee. The former was fighting with some type of backpack and the latter was in a strange hovercraft device. Dr. Lee had apparently forcibly strapped into the craft by Dr. Rex for suggesting to end the Dino Attack. Gadd had freed him and, with the new alliance with XERRD, was now fighting Mutant Dinos and their allies. Vinyaya didn't have time to hold any bitter feelings toward the XERRD scientists. Nobody did, as evidenced by Pepper Roni's arrival into the battlefield via the Brickster's T-1 Typhoon or Skeleton Drones fighting alongside Alpha Team agents.

As she smashed the skull of a darkness Mutant Lizard, she saw a flash of white. Looking around briefly, Vinyaya saw Kareem Nazareno jam one of his katanas into the roof of a Mutant Raptor's mouth. She grinned as it fell to the ground. Nazareno pulled out his sword and nodded to Vinyaya.

"Good to see you again, Commander Vinyaya." He jumped away from the Mutant Raptor and slashed through the neck of a nearby Inferno agent taking aim. "I suppose I forgot to ask because of Vherestorm's appearance, but how is your... ah, face?"

"Fine so far," Vinyaya said, smacking a Mutant Raptor away with the butt of her gun before shooting it. "It is a rather sore spot to be hit, as I learned from Gonepus."

Nazareno was in a duel with a Fright Knight. "I heard about that. Congrats on defeating him. Serves him right for leading the team to the wrong temple." He sliced off the knight's arm and stabbed his chest with both swords. Nazareno quickly kicked the knight away and began to search for another enemy.

Vinyaya grabbed the neck of one Mutant Lizard and began to swing it around. "So I suppose you heard about Darkling at XERRD?" She launched the Mutant Lizard and it bowled over several more.

"Yes," Nazareno slashed away at Mutant Dinos with ease. "Perhaps he really has changed. Unfortunately, if we are to miraculously win this battle and he survives, he will need to be captured for his crimes in the same vein that Pepper Roni will have to catch the Brickster again."

A Mutant Lizard knocked Nazareno off his feet. Vinyaya quickly turned and shot the Lizard off. As Nazareno jumped back to his feet, Vinyaya continued their conversation. "Where is Zelda?"

"Over there with Solomon Koplowitz," Nazareno said, his tone changing dramatically. Vinyaya turned her head and watched Zelda Frodongan stab her sword hard into the back of a Mutant Raptor. Vinyaya was surprised by the cold yet sad look in the energetic young agent's eye.

"Um... is she alright?" Vinyaya dared to ask. She turned away from Nazareno to continue the fight as he sighed, surprising her.

Nazareno replied, "No. In layman's terms, I screwed up." An eyebrow perked up on Vinyaya's face. A rather different change in vocabulary.

"What happened?"

Nazareno kicked away an Inferno agent with surprising force. "Were you aware that Zelda was... infatuated with me?"

Vinyaya let out a small snort as she broke a Fright Knight's neck. "Yeah. Zach and Minerva know, too."

"Did she tell you?"

Vinyaya snorted again. "No, and she didn't need to. It was obvious with the way that she talked about you, looked at you, and acted around you."

There was an edge of frustration in Nazareno's voice as he jumped onto a Mutant Raptor's head. "It was really that obvious?"

"A little bit. What happened with her? Did she tell you?" Vinyaya shot away several Mutant Raptors as Nazareno relayed how Zelda had revealed her feelings and Nazareno's response. "Oh. Yeah, you probably screwed up. The most important question is: do you share her feelings? I know you rejected her, but do you love her?"

The only sound for several seconds was sound of gunfire and dinosaur bellows. Then, "I don't know."

Vinyaya turned her head sharply toward Nazareno, who was in a battle against three Fright Knights. "You don't know." It was a flat statement. "How do you not know?"

Nazareno kicked one Fright Knight underneath his chin before stabbing him in the chin. "I... well..." Vinyaya raised another eyebrow. Stammering? From Nazareno? Apparently, it was more likely than you would think. "I've never actually had any romantic feelings for anyone, let alone have someone publicly feel them for me."

Vinyaya jammed her gun into a Mutant Lizard's mouth and killed it instantly. "Never? Even as a hormone-controlled teenager? Well, I don't know anything about you space ninjas, so I don't know if there were women in your monastery or whatever. Unless you like..." Vinyaya drifted off, making her meaning clear.

"There were women," Nazareno said with shrug as he brought his sword into the leg of another Fright Knight. "But I could only really see them as sisters. Once I left for the wider universe, I never really concerned myself with romance."

"Well," Vinyaya said thoughtfully as she slammed her gun into the side of an Inferno agent's head. "This is not my area of expertise, and that's probably an understatement, but I'm going to help you."

Nazareno cut the neck of the final Fright Knight. "How?"

"First things first. Since you are so conflicted about how you feel about her, how do you feel around her?"

Nazareno thought briefly as he cut away Mutant Lizards. "Normal, I suppose." Vinyaya would've facepalmed if she wasn't fighting a Fright Knight. Luckily, Nazareno continued: "I find myself a lot more tolerant of her personality and quips than I would with anyone else. I suppose I've connected with her better than anyone else in a while. I enjoy her company and..." He stopped as he saw Vinyaya grinning at him. "What?"

She didn't say anything, merely continued to smile knowingly at him.

Nazareno's eyes narrowed. "I see what you've done. Clever, Commander."

"So say it then."

Vinyaya could easily imagine Nazareno's face turning red as he finally said: "I'm... infatuated with Zelda Frodongan."

Vinyaya chuckled quietly. Close enough.

She started running as two Mutant Raptors start to approach her. "Throw me on top of one of them!" she yelled out. Nazareno nodded and leaped back on to the ground. He lowered himself to a crouch and extended his hands. Vinyaya stepped on to his hands and felt herself be propelled into the air. She stumbled and grabbed on to the spike of a Mutant Raptor's head. Climbing back up, Vinyaya started shooting Mutant Raptors with the Cosmotronic Ray, allowing Nazareno to easily dispatch them. Vinyaya then fired three shots into the Mutant Raptor's head she was standing on and fell to the ground as the dino collapsed.

As Nazareno helped her back up, she looked at him. "So you know what to do now, right?"

"I'm not a total fool, Commander. I've already been intending to apologize for my rather... harsh response."

Vinyaya rolled her eye again as she turned to keep fighting dinos. "Well, besides that. You've got to admit your feelings to her."

There was slight hesitation in Nazareno's voice as he continued. "Is this really the right thing to do? I mean, like I said, there's a significant difference in age and the whole 'mentor-student' type relationship and-"

"Kareem Nazareno," Vinyaya said flatly, interrupting him. He could hear him briefly mutter about using his first name, but she ignored it. "I get it. You feel uncomfortable with the idea. Zelda is right. She is as much of an adult as you are. She is a happy, kind young woman who clearly cares for you a lot. and you clearly care for her." Vinyaya crossed her arms expectantly, waiting for an argument. Nazareno sighed.

"You're right, of course," Nazareno admitted, looking back toward Zelda. "I'm just..." Nazareno sighed again. "Thank you for helping me see reason, Commander. I really needed it."

Vinyaya nodded. Kareem Nazareno needing help. Not only that, but romantic help. She smiled warmly at him. "You better go talk to her." Nazareno nodded once before turning and running back to Zelda and Solomon.

Feeling satisfied, Vinyaya turned back to the battle. A million dinos down, a million more to go.

*****

The two Fire Hammers pulled up along the side of the street. The squad exited the vehicles, and B turned and faced the rest of the minifigs.

"I don't care what you guys think, I need to go in alone. It's my mission, and he only wants me to come," said B.

"I don't like it," said Rob, "But it seems like our only option. But still, we've waited years for this opportunity!"

B nodded, thinking back to their long history with the individual known as Tempest…

*****

LEGOLAND Special Forces HQ, March 23, 2006

"Alright soldiers. You've been transferred to special forces because you've shown more skill than is usually seen in new recruits. You were also recommended stay as one unit, which says something about your teamwork skills. Now, here in spec force, we do not go by names and ranks. We go by codenames, and you, apparently, were not being called by your real names anyways, so we should just keep going with those names for the sake of unit cohesion. Now your codenames are... let me check my list: B, Crooks, Sucker, Knuckles, Rookie. Odd names, but I'll be honest, most codenames don't make much sense anyway. My name is Tempest, and I will take personal command of this new squad, as you are not being inserted into existing squads. Do you understand?"

LEGOLAND Special Forces HQ, May 19, 2006

"B, do you understand why you're here?" asked Tempest.

B shrugged. "I was guessing something about the outstanding op I pulled off, but your tone of voice tells me otherwise."

"You may have completed your objective," replied Tempest, "but you managed to get your squad killed. What's your explanation?"

"I was given no time to learn about this squad that I suddenly had to command," B retorted. "Also, just for the record, the intel we were given said nothing about there being snipers waiting for us."

Tempest paused. "Alright, dismissed."

LEGOLAND Special Forces HQ, July 28, 2007

"Alright guys," said Rob," Do you know why I called this 'meeting'?"

"Don't keep us in suspense, Rob," said Kevin, "Or make us guess. Just tell us."

"Well," said Rob, "I've noticed an alarming trend. Every time we are briefed for a mission, we get the data, and then when we're inserted at whatever drop point they choose, we find out that either the number of hostiles we might have to eliminate is significantly higher than expected, or they're already waiting for us. That concludes the presentation, now for the quiz: what does that data indicate?"

"Sounds to me like we got a weak link in the system," said Sam. "Who lays eyes on any data that gets funneled to us?"

"I don't know, but we can find out," declared Rob. "I wrote an analytical program that will find out, hopefully. Parameters include security clearance, and how much info is available to them at any time. Simply put in what area of the department you want to scan, and let it go."

"You planned this out, Rob," noted B. "Were you just waiting for our approval to push the button?"

Rob grinned sheepishly. "Pretty much. Data collecting... and... Son of a MegaBlok." The smile vanished from his face.

"What is it? Who is it?" asked B.

Rob looked up and said with the utmost seriousness: "It says the weak link is Tempest."

B and his teammates traded glances. "What's his background? Any indication from that?" inquired B.

Rob shook his head. "What background? None to be had. That's what the algorithm caught, really. In charge of almost the entire department, but nothing. We even have access to some of the highest-ranked people's personal info, but nothing on Tempest. I hate to say it, but we have a winner. All data passes through him, and only through him. Now, how do we handle this?"

"I got this," said B. "Look, I'm two bad debriefings away from a court-martial anyway, so if we're wrong somehow, I'm the only one who has to burn. Tempest doesn't like me, anyway. I'm going to go to his office and casually see what data I can get. Alright?"

B walked down to Tempest's office. No one that he passed paid him any attention, as his squad was known to be on the fast track. He came up to the door and knocked. There was no answer. B knocked again, and waited for another minute, and then carefully opened the door.

His jaw dropped. The office was empty. The furniture was still there, but any technology, files, or anything that would contain important data was gone. All that was left was a laptop on the desk, facing the chair. B walked up to the desk. On the laptop, there was a video ready to played. B hit the button.

Tempest's face appeared on the screen. "Nice job, B. I must say, it took you long enough to figure it out, and even then, it took a seventeen-year-old boy to find out! Granted, he is a prodigy, but I thought you would have picked up on the hints sooner than this. Yes, I am what you would call a 'traitor'. I have my own game to play, and you and your squad were just some pawns that were convenient to move. B, you should realize that in order to get power, you should learn to recognize all the means to whatever end is best for you. Not all of them are legitimate. Forget about it, and you'll go far, because you need to learn subtlety and also, and most importantly, when to give up. Goodbye, B."

B walked back to his barracks, fuming. He slammed the door as he walked in. He was startled again by the presence of a minifig who normally wasn't there. "General!" B exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

General Jim of the LEGOLAND Airforce replied, "I see you just found out we have a rogue commander. He's gone, isn't he?"

"He ironically gave me his last bad piece of advice. I'm not going to follow it," declared B. "General, requesting permission to track down and eliminate Tempest."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, B," said General Jim, shaking his head. "Our top agents are already on it. In the meantime, you and your squad are being transferred to Alpha Team. Their goals are more in line with what you seem to be wanting to do, and your methods will mesh better there."

"You're just going to cover this up, aren't you?" realized B. "Move the squad to the next most secretive organization, and there's no evidence to take care of!" 

"In the most blunt terms, B, yes," replied Jim. "We can't risk this getting out, because, believe it or not, people can't handle the truth."

B narrowed his eyes, then turned and walked away. "Most people can't handle a lot of things, general. That doesn't mean that they don't need it."

Dr. Inferno's HQ, 2008

"Tempest, you're dead!" shouted B. "You hear me? MegaBloking dead!"

B and Tempest both stood in a large hall in Dr. Inferno's underground lair, staring each other down from opposite ends of the room. Crooks' and Sucker's bodies lay motionless next to Tempest. Four of Inferno's henchmen entered the room and carried the bodies out, as B stood staring. He knew that there were too many guns trained on him to do anything to help his teammates.

"B," said Tempest, "come and be reasonable. You lost. You can't hope to win a battle you already lost!"

"That may be true, Tempest, but the next time I see you, you're dead! And that is my promise!" declared B.

Tempest chuckled. "So formal, B. You'll never see me again, in all likelihood! Give it up, and you might get your friends back!"

"We both know you're lying, Tempest," said B.

B turned around and ran. He knew it was his only option. He was alone, no backup.

*****

"Rob," said Sam, "Before B goes and tries to take down a rogue commander who may or may not be there, don't you have something for him?"

"Oh yeah!" said Rob, grinning. "B, the boys in R&D said that they needed someone to test this out in the field. Chris said that you'd make better use of it. Brand-new clip-on armor plating. Should keep you a bit safer during some of the moves you like to make."

"Wow," remarked B, looking over the armor. "Rob, you didn't forget the other package, did you?"

Rob shook his head. "Nope. B, you are completely MegaBloking crazy, you know that?"

"Yeah." B attached the body armor to his already-somewhat-substantially-protective jumpsuit. He grabbed the duffel bag that Rob handed to him and walked down the street towards the diner. "Now, I think we've been gone from the battle for a bit too long, so go out there for me and make Dad proud, okay? I might not be coming back."

"You will," said Sam, "You'll figure something out." Kabrinsky's Pride loaded up and drove away towards Dino Attack HQ, leaving B alone.

B nodded. "Yeah. I'll figure something out."

*****

Dr. Cyborg considered. He had heard Specs, Specs of all people, the leader of the team, say that defeat was likely. He couldn't believe it. Anyways, he had bigger fish to fry. All Elite Agents had been ordered to HQ to help with device of some sort. He steered the Titanium Predator towards the smoking building.

On the way, he sent a message to Bane. "I need you and Screech to engage the Inferno robot. It's causing a lot of trouble here, and you are its equal, at least, in power."

When he arrived, he set the Titanium Predator to hover and jumped out on top of the building.

"Elite Agent Dr. Cyborg reporting, sirs." 

*****

"Tell your Elite Agent friend 'thanks'," Zach said to Marco Martinet as he climbed out of medical Fire Hammer. It had pulled up to a fresh Fire Hammer brought in from Antarctica.

"I'll-a see to it," Martinet said, bowing his head. He then leaned in close. "Tell your-a friend Minerva that I'm sorry. There-a wasn't anything I could do."

As if on cue, Minerva climbed out of the Fire Hammer. Her eyes had a reddish tint to them that suggested crying. She shook Martinet's hand slowly. "Thank you for the ride," Minerva said quietly, her voice shaking. Zach grimaced. "And thank you for getting her body flown to the headquarters. You gave the crew my request, right?"

Martinet nodded solemnly. She had asked him to fly her mother's body to the Super Teleport Pad in the headquarters, where her body would be taken to Antarctica. She had given a specific request for no one to bury the body until she returned or until Minerva died herself.

"Thank you," Minerva whispered. She and Zach then began to walk toward their new Fire Hammer as Martinet drove away.

Zach occasionally turned his eyes upon Minerva, who was completely silent. She had finally gotten to see her mother truly for the first time in fourteen years, only for her to die. Not only that, but it was her own brother that had pulled the trigger that ended Athena's life. Zach knew Oswald had completely lost it in a combination of regret and a sense of failure. He was trying to simply save his sister and finding out there was no way to save her had crushed him.

"You're worried he's going to find me," Minerva said suddenly. "And kill me, like he did with Mom." Zach nodded. Minerva looked at him. She seemed completely broken by her facial expression. "I don't know if I can do it... kill him... he killed Mom, but he was my closest friend for years..."

Zach didn't say anything. Minerva might not be able to kill Oswald, but he certainly could. He sympathized with Oswald to an extent, but not enough to keep him alive. If Oswald came after them, he would kill him with one swift blast of Maelstrom. Zach had actually grown fond of Athena Fabello in the time he had traversed LEGO City with her and it had hurt him watching her die just like watching Thaddeus Brickhouse die. Only this time, he had managed to keep his emotions in check for both of their sakes. But he didn't say any of this Minerva.

"Driver or gunner?" Zach said instead.

"I'll take the launcher," Minerva said with little emotion. Zach nodded, understanding. She wanted to think by herself. And the best way was to take some emotions out on Mutant Dinos.

"You'll pull through," Zach suddenly said, full of sincerity. He knew he would. It's been a long time, but she's been through it before. Minerva wouldn't let this stop her. She could probably find a way to have this drive her. And he would be there to help.

Minerva's lip quivered slightly. Brushing her damp hair out of her face, she nodded and climbed on to the back.

Zach climbed into the driver seat and asked, "You set, Minerva?"

"No use sitting around here anymore," Minerva said over their comm connection.

Zach started up the vehicle and started to drive toward Dino Attack Headquarters. As he drove, he flipped on the radio. "Elite Agent Zachary is back online," Zach said. "What's my next move?" The radio seemed to explode with chatter. Several people were inquiring about Athena and Oswald, but Zach ignored those agents. He was getting bits and pieces of updates.

"Defeat? It's a scandal! It's an outrage!"
"I'm not leaving until Dr. Rex is six feet under."
"Whose mom died? Kate Bishop's?"
"We're doomed, aren't we?"
"No! We can still win. We have every organization under the sun helping us, including XERRD!"
"Elite Agent Zachary? Can you hear me?"

Zach jumped onto the last one. "Yes? Who is this?"

"My name Elite Agent Rosalie Mercedes. I got the Fire Hammer for you."

"Ah, thanks for that. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Certainly. Specs has called for a retreat. Rookie agents, wounded, and non-agent personnel besides medics are being asked to head for a teleport pad in the building that would teleport them to Antarctica. Standard Agents can retreat, but many are staying to fight out the battle. All Elite Agents have been requested to head to the thirteenth floor of Dino Attack Headquarters. Since there is an aura of secrecy around this, please move to the Elite agent frequency so I can continue to speak to you and Fabello."

Zach quickly moved to the Elite agent channel, which was a lot quieter. "Thank you. Now, as I understand it, we have a weapon capable of defeating the remaining Mutant Dino army."

"What, exactly? All I can think of is a nuke, but I can't imagine we'd have people hanging behind for that."

"No. Have you heard the rumor about a 'Doctor Device'?" Zach remembered hearing something about it at one point. "Now being called the Einstein Device, this very real weapon will be able to wipe out the remaining Mutant Dino army without destroying the city. There's apparently some issues and Specs has called all Elite agents to help out. I have been requested to hold off the advancing army while the issues are resolved. I believe they specifically asked for you and your supposed knowledge of the Maelstrom to help in dealing with this weapon."

"What about me?" Minerva suddenly asked, causing Zach to jump.

"I don't know, but I suppose you'll find out when you get to the thirteenth floor. I imagine you will be helping hold up the lines while the weapon is repaired."

Zach sat in silence for a moment. He could be essential in turning this battle back to the Dino Attack's favor. Heh. I wonder if that so-called prophecy referred to this moment. "Consider us on our way," Zach said with confidence.

"I will relay that message to the Founding Members. Please hurry."

A determined smirk formed on Zach's face as he slammed down on the pedal as he began to head to Dino Attack Headquarters. As he drove, he noticed someone being attacked by several Mutant Dinos. She was holding herself rather well, but Zach decided to turn and help.

"You see her?" Zach asked Minerva. Her response was peppering the Mutant Dinos with Xenon fire. As the Mutant Dinos dropped, Zach rolled up to the agent and rolled down the passenger window. "Like a lift?" he called out.

Commander Holly Vinyaya climbed into the Fire Hammer, a half-hearted smirk on her face. "Don't mind if I do."

*****

Kareem Nazareno ran back to Zelda Frodongan and Solomon Koplowitz, killing any Mutant Dino that crossed his path with ease. He knew what he had to do. He was slightly embarrassed by needing Vinyaya to tell him, but that didn't matter. He had to tell Zelda.

"Zelda!" Nazareno called out. Zelda turned toward him, a confused look on her face.

Nazareno was about to admit his feelings when he saw a man jump onto a Mutant Spinosaurus's back. The man quickly slashed the Spinosaurus's throat with a dark-colored katana with a purple line along its blade. The man jumped down from the Spinosaurus and landed behind Solomon and Zelda. They both turned and their eyes narrowed.

"Blaire Darkling," Nazareno said coldly. "I see you have not been sitting around these past three years."

"Of course not," Blaire said with a half shrug, spinning his two Shinobi katanas absently, a sinister smirk on his face. Even if he was now allied with the Dino Attack Team, Nazareno did not trust the man for a minute.

"I'll admit, I didn't think you'd ally with us," Nazareno continued, striking a Hybrid in the chest with his sword. "What about your old mantra about finishing a job?"

"I do tend to work around things like that," Blaire said, slashing through a Mutant Lizard. "Dr. Rex told me to fight in this battle. I am, am I not?" Blaire then turned away from Nazareno to Solomon. "Solomon. It is fantastic to see you again, old man. I have to admire your courage for leaving the organization so soon. Perhaps you should return to XERRD. I'm sure Dr. Cyrista would approve moving you to third-in-command. I'm sure that between the two of you, XERRD can be restored to its former glory."

Nazareno quickly caught onto Blaire. He only mentioned Solomon and Dr. Cyborg in restoring XERRD. What about himself?

"We'll see, Darkling," Solomon said tersely, slashing open another Hybrid.

"And you," Blaire continued, turning to Zelda. "I have only seen you in the presence of Nazareno. What is your name?"

"Zelda Frodongan," Zelda said icily.

Blaire chuckled. "I imagine if you are with the great Kareem Nazareno, you are just as skilled with a katana. Good thing too." Blaire gestured around them. Two Maelstrom Dragons touched the ground near two Mutant T-Rexes. The four massive beasts roared and assembled a good-sized group of Mutant Dinos that began to surround Nazareno, Zelda, Solomon, and Blaire. "Because we're going to need all the skill we can get now."

A bit of the old Zelda returned. "You just watch it, Darkling."

Blaire laughed loudly. "Definitely a chip off the old Nazareno. Well, lady and gentlemen, it appears we are surrounded. Let's make these creatures regret this decision." Solomon and Zelda nodded curtly. Nazareno looked at Blaire curiously, who only smirked at him. He was up to something, but right now, he would have to trust that Blaire had his back.

Nazareno, Zelda, Solomon, and Blaire stepped back until their backs were touching. They could see everything through each other. Seven katanas were raised. The gathered Mutant Dinos and two Maelstrom Dragons seemed to laugh as they closed in on their prey.

Nazareno grimaced, but didn't back down. He was back-to-back-to-back-to-back with some of the most skilled swordsmen and swordswoman he had ever met. Solomon's face was emotionless, Zelda's face had a scowl, and Blaire had his signature smirk dancing on his face. Without warning, the dinos lunged forward, biting and clawing. Two ninjas and two ex-Paradox Shinobi versus what had to be more than fifty Mutant Dinos and two Maelstrom Dragons.

You had to feel sorry for the Mutant Dinos.

*****

Bluetooth had recently given Hertz permission to leave the hospital and help in whatever way he could. The elite agent was not positive Dr. Pierce would agree with the idea but, considering Hertz technically outranked the doctor, he was prepared to go over his head.

Regardless, Hertz snuck out of the medical bay, ensuring no doctors would see him. Movement was incredibly disorienting without the aid of his ears, and he became more aware of subtle tremors and movements. His primary skill was now defunct, but he was unable to just sit back and do nothing; he had a mission to the team and was willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure they put up a fight.

Hertz soon found the stairs leading out of the basement. The hallway felt and looked deserted but, considering his lack of hearing, it was possible other agents were calling his name this very moment. His skills were in communication, and when the team needed elite agents, Hertz was unable to answer the call. He would head to the upper levels of the base and look for any way he could help. His skills were limited, but he refused to die as a useless man.

The sensation in his ears was changing more to a ring. It was not totally quite inside his head, but any outside sounds were indistinguishable. Every motion echoed inside his mind and bounced back and forth down his ear canals. He had little opportunity to talk with doctors, but he was aware the damage caused to his ear was probably the result of damage to his ear bones. If he survived the battle, he could have surgery; it would be what he had to live for.

As he made his way up the stairs, a hand touched his shoulder. He had no indication someone else was present, and he jumped in surprise at the contact.

Hertz spun around and saw Naomi standing behind him. Her face was hard to read, but he sensed worry and sadness in her eyes. Her lips were moving, and all Hertz could do was nod his head and pull her close.

"I'M LEAVING," Hertz said as softly as he could. "I CAN'T JUST SIT HERE AND DO NOTHING AT A TIME LIKE THIS. I'LL CARRY AMMUNITION IF I HAVE TO, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SPEND THESE LAST MOMENTS BEING USELESS."

Naomi continued to speak but all her words were lost. All Hertz could comprehend were the emotions pouring out of her. She knew he could not hear her, but it was something she needed to say. Naomi needed to say what she needed to say, and all Hertz could do was stand back and let her pour her heart out on him.

"I'M GOING UP TO THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR," said Hertz. "I HEARD ELITE AGENTS ARE MEANT TO MEET THERE, AND I'M GOING TO ANSWER THE CALL."

Naomi did not seem to respond; she just stared at him with her brown eyes and held his hand. He still wore the cast from the Temple of Hotep III battle, but the once-white cloth was now blackened and torn. He could still manipulate his fingers, which was a good sign, but he had to acknowledge his arm might not ever be the same again. In spite of the emotions running between the two, Hertz allowed his mind to go off on a tangent. It seemed that, out of everyone on the Dino Attack Team, he seemed to get hurt the most and spend the longest time recovering. Why was that?

Naomi's touch jerked him back to the present. She wiped her eyes and pulled out a notepad from her pocket. Apparently, whatever she needed to say had been said, and Hertz hated not being able to listen.

You need to come back, she wrote. You'll be safe in the basement. 

"I DON'T WANT TO BE SAFE," said Hertz. The intimate moment was somewhat ruined by the volume of his voice, but he hoped she would understand his feelings. "I WANT TO HELP. COME WITH ME, NAOMI. GO TO THE TELEPORT PAD AND LEAVE THE PLACE WHEN YOU STILL CAN."

Naomi shook her head and gestured down the hallway. She was accompanied by two other doctors, Naomi Hale, and Noomi Shaw. The three women were working to pull survivors from the wreckage, and the nurse did not want to abandon her task.

Naomi had matured substantially in the last few days. Hertz's first impression of her was the popular party girl with rich parents. She had been a cheerleader in school and would have been out of the nerd's league in his high school days. While at first she acted like the stereotypical ditz, her maturity as a professional in these times of crisis amazed the elite agent.

"PLEASE COME WITH ME, NAOMI," said Hertz. "THIS PLACE IS NOT SAFE! THE DOCTORS HERE CAN TAKE CARE OF THINGS. YOU CAN TAKE SOME OF THE INJURED WITH YOU AND TREAT THEM AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! IN ANTARCTICA, YOU'LL BE SAFE."

Naomi did not respond. If she went on the teleporter, it would feel like she was running away. She would be leaving Hertz and all her team behind. As she looked into Hertz's eyes, she saw how worried he was for her safety and a large part of her wanted to give him comfort.

Hertz took hold of her shoulders. "PLEASE, NAOMI, WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME! I'M GOING TO STAY AND HELP, BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO. YOU CAN HELP IN ANTARCTICA, I CAN'T!"

The conflict in Naomi's eyes was evident. As she listened to Shaw and Hale call to her, she cast her eyes up the dusty stairs of the headquarters. On the thirteenth floor was escape, escape from all the blood and gore of the war. Escape from the pressure of the hospital and having to hold the hands of dying men. On the thirteenth floor was a place she could go, where Hertz might one day join her.

But what if Hertz did not survive? What if she went to the teleporter and never saw him again? She would be alone in Antarctica, having left both her job and her love behind. Would she be able to live with the guilt that she ran away? Would she create excuses for herself? What would she say to the other doctors if they made it through alive?

Shaw and Hale called her name again. They had lost her in the smoke and dust of the explosion. Hertz took a few steps up the stairs and held out his hand. He said nothing, but he looked her in the eyes with an expression of hope and apprehension.

Naomi looked over her shoulder one last time before taking Hertz's hand and following him up the stairs.

"CARVER!" Hale called out amidst the smoke.

Shaw quickly ran back down the corridor. Approaching the stairs, she saw Naomi running up, holding Hertz's hand.

"Carver!" Shaw shouted. Naomi turned toward her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hale asked as she approached.

Naomi didn't answer, unsure of what to say.

"We got a job to do here," insisted Hale. "I can't have people like you go wandering off!"

"You don't understand," replied Naomi. "I love him!"

"That's wonderful," said Hale. "But you've got to help us. Tell her, Shaw."

Shaw looked at Naomi, then Hertz, uncertain of what to say. "Go," she said finally.

"What?" Hale asked. "Shaw, you're going along with this?"

"If there's anyone here, we should know how to take care of them," declared Shaw. "Carver, you do what you have to do. Hale and I can finish the sweeping the base, and we'll come meet you. Where you going?"

"Thirteenth floor," replied Naomi.

"That's where we'll meet you," said Shaw. "Good luck, Naomi. I'll pray for you."

With that, Shaw turned and walked away, leaving a frustrated Hale to follow.

*****

Hotwire was conflicted, to say the least. He had the utmost respect for Specs, as the leader of the team, but at the same time, Semick had proven himself a capable leader as well. In short, he was completely unable to decide whose orders to follow. And that wasn't even considering Kat in the equation. If she was still down there somewhere...

The two Fright Knight windships engaging the Talon II in a fierce dogfight certainly wasn't helping with the dilemma. Hotwire had wondered how in the world a vehicle that was essentially a large boat tethered to a dragon could be so agile. It seemed nearly impossible to track the beasts with the Sonic Screamers.

Three Fright Knights suddenly swung down on ropes from one of the windships. Two landed on the tail of the Talon II; the third was not so lucky, and soon became closely familiar with the city streets. The design of the T-1 Typhoon quite sensibly did not allow for the Sonic Screamers to be aimed at the tail, so all Hotwire could do as the two figures in their bat-winged helmets inched forwards was respond to recent developments on the comms.

"This is elite agent Hotwire. We're currently being boarded by Fright Knights, but once that's taken care of, I'll try to make my way to HQ. Can't make any promises, though."

*****

Hotwire wasn't the only one facing a dilemma. Wright's conscience urged her back towards the battle, but there was no way she could persuade herself to leave Shiller's side.

After Pierce had finished operating, he'd declared the agent "stable." This didn't entirely satisfy Wright, however. Dead was "stable" too.

So, she had remained by her unconscious partner's stretcher, one hand on the SMG and the other holding Shiller's, as everyone else pitched in to move patients. The nurses, seeming to sense the thoughts teeming in her head, appeared to be waiting until toward the end to approach, and she couldn't help but wonder what she'd say when they did.

*****

There were no doubts in Swerve's mind -- leaving now was out of the question. Yes, there were Mutant Lizards inside the base, but if the elite agents in his position followed Specs's directives, there would be more dinos inside, and not just Lizards either.

*****

Kat heard a crash from the street, and risked heading outdoors, figuring that the noise would be enough of a distraction to make some real progress. She slipped out the back of the shop she was in and found herself in a short alley. Just as she reached the mouth, a Mutant Lizard blocked her path. Acid-spitting, judging from the sizzle its saliva made when a drop hit the ground. She glanced around, seeking an escape route and bracing herself.

There was a flash of color as something wrapped around the Lizard's neck and pulled tight. The creature gave a choked hiss and clawed at the object, which appeared to be a long strip of cloth knitted from thick wool yarn. The cloth was yanked tight, and the Mutant Lizard fell, with a trickle of blood running down its neck.

The figure wielding the cloth, outside Kat's field of vision up until now, bent to retrieve it, and noticed her for the first time. "Oh! Hello. Are you all right?" His voice was slightly muffled by the array of woolens around his neck and mouth.

"Yes, thanks to you," said Kat. "Sorry, I'm not sure I saw that right. Did you just kill a Mutant Lizard with a scarf?"

The figure nodded, wringing dinosaur blood out of the scarf before carefully wrapping it back around his own neck. "One of my own creations. The outer edge is razor wire; the rest is reinforced with nylon rope fibres."

There was a yell from outside the alley. "Giles! Little help here?"

"Fascinating," Kat said, and meant it. "But perhaps we're dawdling."

Giles nodded, and the dashed out of the alley. In the street, Kat recognized the crashed Fire Hammer as Tracer's Vindication. The front end was crumpled and missing a wheel. "Lizards tore it off," Giles explained, as he and Kat joined Helm, who was firing away with a Cosmotronic Ray. She was surprised to see the giant, bearded, sword-wielding Agent there too. Giles's help turned out to be unnecessary, as the mariner and the swordsman made short work of the lizard pack.

"Ah, Kat." Helm turned to the new arrival cheerfully. "Good to see you in one piece."

*****

"At last," declared Andrew Jackson, although his voice was muffled by the balaclava he was still wearing, "it seems that Lady Luck has set her fires upon me! Or is it that Lady Luck has set me on fire? How does that idiom go? Bah, I don't care, I'm just going to take those fires and burn everything with them! Ha, ha, ha!"

Only a short time ago, Andrew Jackson was being forcibly escorted against his will by a pair of Dino Attack agents to a Teleport Pad in the basement. When they received the message that Mutant Dinos were infiltrating the building and said Teleport Pad had to be destroyed, they turned around and began heading towards a new Teleport Pad supposedly being built on the roof. They did not get very far before everything blew up in their faces... literally.

Andrew Jackson was the only survivor of the three Dino Attack agents. All around him, Dino Attack Headquarters was in ruin, filled with rubble, smoke, and of course fire. The sight pleased him so much. He found a pair of brooms in a nearby supply closet, used a nearby flame to set them both on fire, and was now running through Dino Attack Headquarters, wielding the burning brooms like torches and swinging them at any foolish Mutant Dinos who dared to come too close, and laughing madly the whole time.

"Burn in MegaBlokland, you hideous reptile!" cried Andrew Jackson, cackling as he knocked one of the burning brooms into the face of a yellow-skinned Mutant Lizard. The Lizard screeched in pain and retreated, but Andrew Jackson pursued and did not relent until he cornered the poor creature and set it on fire. The sight of the Mutant Lizard's pain filled Andrew Jackson with sadistic glee, for it satisfied him to give these monsters the very medicine that they had given him back in April.

With the Mutant Lizard reduced to a burning carcass, Andrew Jackson continued his mad burning spree around Dino Attack Headquarters. Once or twice, he saw other Dino Attack agents and medical personnel trying to make their way through the base. When they saw him, they'd shout "What are you doing?" and other sorts of things, but Andrew Jackson just laughed it off. He was having too much fun right now just to stop because someone told him. This was the best time he had since that soon-to-be-dead man took his belongings!

Unfortunately, that did still come with some consequences. While fighting a Mutant Raptor, Andrew Jackson's mad swinging of his broom-torches caused the flames to lick at his sleeve and set it on fire; after all, this was not his usual Dino Attack uniform, which was designed to be flame-retardant. Grumbling to himself, Andrew Jackson wasted precious time ripping the sleeve off his shirt and gave the Mutant Raptor an opportunity to attack. "Znap you!" snapped Andrew Jackson, who kicked the beast in the snout and proceeded to drive the Raptor away once he picked up the broom-torches again.

Andrew's triumphant laughter was interrupted when he heard some voices nearby. He instantly recognized two of them, picking up on Dynamite's drunken rambling and the voice of that Western lady from that Fort Legoredo who did that thing with the Hybrids that one time. There was a woman who spoke with the hint of a pirate accent, and a man who spoke a slight British accent. But there was something that disturbed Andrew Jackson deeply as he eavesdropped on them.

He heard them say "Fireman" as they talked to each other. But, as he listened, he realized that they were not talking about someone named Fireman... they were talking to someone named Fireman. "Impossible," whispered Andrew Jackson, who grew suspicious immediately. He followed the voices and found Dynamite and that Western lady Maria, along with a pirate woman, a Dino Attack sniper, a Mutant Raptor wearing Dynamite's scarf around its head, and someone who made Andrew Jackson's face turn hot with anger.

She had long, straight, dark-colored hair, and her back was turned towards Andrew Jackson, so he could not see her face. But, he immediately recognized the flame-retardant Dino Attack uniform that she wore... the flamethrower that she carried... and, most offensive of all, the firefighter's helmet that she wore on her head.

"That's my hat!" bellowed Andrew. "Nobody takes my hats!" Yelling incomprehensibly in his maddened fury, Andrew Jackson charged at the group, his twin flaming brooms at the ready.

One second later, Andrew Jackson was pinned to the wall by the thief's comrades. Evidently, charging at a whole group of people to take down one person while screaming loudly to give away his position was not as effective a strategy as Andrew had hoped. They accosted him, yelling things like "What the heck do you think you're doing?" and "Holy Znap, man, calm down!"

Andrew Jackson pointed at the thief, shouting: "She took my stuff! Get out of my way, or I'll burn your house down too! You don't want to get in the way of a man on a mission! Why, I..."

As he was still wearing the balaclava, everything Andrew said came out as incomprehensible muffled gibberish. The others traded glances in confusion. Sighing, Maria stepped forward and pulled Andrew Jackson's mask off, exposing his pale, sweaty, dirty, and unshaven face, as well as making his voice audible.

"... the lemons! They burned my house down, these sons of MegaBloks, and they burned my family alive! I'm the only survivor, and by keeping me away from that thief who took my stuff, you're preventing me from extracting my wrathful vengeance and sending all these freaks to the fires of MEGABLOKLAND!"

As Andrew Jackson continued to rant, the thief finally stepped forward, and Andrew could see her pale face at last. She stared at Andrew Jackson in his pitiful state, then sighed and shook her head. "It's me, Andrea," she murmured. "Don't you remember... Dad?"

Just like that, Andrew Jackson silenced. He stared at the thief... Andrea... in shock as the cold realization washed over his hot face. He was so focused upon avenging his wife and his two sons, who had all died in the housefire, that Andrew Jackson had neglected to consider the possibility that his eldest daughter, who had moved out several years ago, could have survived the initial Dino Attack. "Andrea...?" he whispered. "Is that really you?"

Andrea Jackson Orange nodded slowly. "Yes, Dad. It's me."

But Andrew Jackson felt no joy over seeing his daughter again. The madness and the anger returned as he pointed an accusing finger at Andrea. "How dare you!" he growled. "You miserable little girl! You were nothing but trouble when you lived at home, you engaged in sinful acts, and now... you dare to steal my stuff? My suit, my flamethrower... my hat! The very hat I wore when I worked for the fire brigade! I worked hard to earn that hat, and you just take it from me? How dare you show your face now! I'm going to burn-"

"Dad, listen to me!" Andrea raised her voice. "You never approved of anything I ever did, not even Sam Orange, the only person that I ever truly loved! And I've come back to help you now, and you still disapprove-"

"Help me?" snapped Andrew. "You took all my stuff! Your mother and your brothers are dead... you dare to prevent me from avenging their deaths? Those were my tools to giving those reptiles the justice they deserved! And there was a mole running through Dino Attack Headquarters, and I could not spy-check anyone to save my teammates because you took my belongings!"

"Listen to me!" shouted Andrea. "Dad, you never listened to me! Never!" She lowered her voice before continuing. "I know that Mom, Jack, and Steve died... but they weren't the only ones, you know. Sam died too, as well as the children we adopted. Dad, we both lost our families in the Dino Attack. All we have now is each other... you're the only family I have left. And when I found you, you were too drunk to do anything about the mole, who had already killed Engineer and Medic!"

"Aye," said Dynamite, grinning. "That was ah fine drink we had togethah, eh, Fireman?"

"I was too late to save Recon, Bear, Saboteur, Bullseye, and Sarge-" continued Andrea.

Dynamite suddenly burst into tears. "Ah, Ronald! Why do th' good always hafta die young? They got more cross-dressin' flame-retardant arsonists than they got th' likes of you! Everyone thinks I'm just a..." Sobbing, the explosives expert buried his face into the shoulder of See the Mutant Raptor, who stared quizzically down upon the crying Minifig, who was now mumbling something about a pain train.

Sighing, Andrea continued. "I couldn't lose you, Dad. That's why I locked you in your room and took your belongings. I was hoping that, if I posed as you, the mole would come for me instead of you. I wanted to save you, Dad. I wasn't trying to steal your stuff or dishonor the memory of Mom, Jack, and Steve... I was trying to protect you."

"Wait a second, so you were never really agent Fireman?" realized Maria. "But... even after I cleaned you up some, you were still so pale. If you weren't wearing that suit all the time, how could...?"

"After the initial Dino Attack," explained Andrea, "I wasn't able to be evacuated in time. I banded together with a few other survivors, and we hid out underground in a makeshift bunker we made. We stayed down there for a few months, and we'd only leave on very rare occasions to fetch some food or other supplies, and that was only at night. That's how I got to be so pale. Trust me... I developed some claustrophobia down there and started having hallucinations from being cooped up for so long."

Andrea's words washed over Andrew Jackson. Despite being driven to madness, Andrew realized that what she said was true. They had both lost their families, and now that they only had each other, that should cause them to bond more closely as father and daughter than they had ever accomplished before. While it is true that Andrew Jackson's insanity and psychotic pyromania would never be truly cured, just for now, as he realized that the daughter that he once disowned had come back to save his life...

Tears formed in Andrew Jackson's eyes. Slowly, he reached out to his daughter, his only family, and looked her in the eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry..." he whispered. Then, he embraced Andrea as he had never done before, with the tender care of a father who rediscovered his love for his only daughter.

*****

"Take us up to the lab, quickly!" ordered Reptile.

Reptile's T-1 Typhoon, one of the last that had been holding the line around the remnants of HQ, rose in the air towards the top of HQ. It should not have taken too long, but a few Mutant Pterosaurs were in the way. Coral and Tail, however, were able to destroy them.

Reptile sighed. He had tried every trick in his book. Organized defenses. Massive radar ray defense systems. He had even, when HQ had been breached, ordered the detonation of a Green Goo tank, taking out hundreds of Mutant Dinos.

And yet it had all seemed so futile.

Now, Specs was summoning any Elite Agent willing to help to the laboratory on the thirteenth floor. Reptile hadn't been allowed up there for a long time, so he wasn't completely sure what he would be expected to do.

But he knew this: without the best, brightest, and possibly craziest minds of Dino Attack working together to activate the Einstein Device, they were completely doomed.

The T-1 Typhoon drew up alongside the floor. Reptile hopped down and turned to regard his comrades, still on their vehicle. "Tail, Coral… it's no use. We can send you through to Antarctica easily enough. Go; save yourselves," he said.

There was hesitation over the radio. "Sir, with all due respect, I'd like to stay and buy you some extra time," said Tail.

"It's not worth it!" shouted Reptile. "I may be an idealist and an optimist, but even I can see we're doomed. The more agents who survive, the better we'll be able to defend Antarctica." There was another hesitation. "That was an order from Specs, and now it's an order from me, Agent Tail," he added.

Then Coral's voice came over the line, even as Reptile saw the figure of Tail dropping down onto the thirteenth floor as well. "Tail's going to come over for the teleport. But I'm staying. And don't you try ordering me, because orders have never stopped me before."

Reptile's eyes widened. "You realize it's practically certain death to try and hold the line..."

"I know," said Coral. "And that's what I'm counting on. Coral - Glacier - out." Before Reptile could say anything else, the T-1 Typhoon turned and flew back out into the fray.

"He's given up too," said Tail sadly. "I've read the Glacier Files. He was always a survivor, he believed in living to fight another day. If he's given up now..."

Reptile's face hardened. "Well, I'm not giving up just yet. We still have the Einstein Device - and it's time we got it working." He stormed off into the laboratory.

The door to the lab swung open, and in stepped Elite Agent Rotor, accompanied by Cabin and Mac. "Elite Agent Rotor reporting for duty," Rotor said sternly.

*****

As Shaw and Hale continued down the hall, they were rather surprised to find a group of agents.

"Where'd you come from?" asked Shaw, looking at the new arrivals.

"We crashed and just got rescued," replied Spike. "Could someone tell me what happened here?"

"Someone detonated a bomb," explained Shaw.

"Figures," muttered Spike.

"You mind if we take a look at you?" Shaw asked. "Since you're here, a quick examination can't hurt much. There's still nobody around here, anyway."

One by one, they approached the various crew members, with the exception of Baldrick, whose stench kept them from going anywhere near him. "I don't know what his problem is," Harris muttered.

"I got something really weird here," Hale said suddenly, looking at Spike and noting his incredibly pale complexion. "What's your name?"

"Spike."

"Well, Spike," said Hale, "your skin is incredibly cold, and you got no pulse."

"What?" Shaw asked, approaching her nervously. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," replied Hale. "He should be dead."

"He is," explained Buffy. "In a way."

"What do you mean?" Hale asked her. "Agent..."

"Buffy."

"What do you mean he's dead?" inquired Hale.

"Obviously, I'm not," Spike said, rolling his bloodshot eyes. "I'm standing here, talking to you."

"Creature of the night," explained Buffy. "He's a vampire!" Everyone except Spike, Harris, and a handful of others jumped in shock.

"What?" exclaimed Hale. "A vampire? I thought they only existed in cheesy LEGO Studios horror movies!"

Spike grinned, showing off his sharp incisors. "Oh, those old horror movies didn't star an actor merely pretending to be a vampire. Nope, he was a genuine vampire too. There's plenty of us in Bricksylvania. Just ask Basil; we drive him batty!"

Hale stared suspiciously at Spike, while Shaw clutched the cross on her necklace.

"Oh, come on," sighed Spike, rolling his eyes again. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not some soulless monster; I've got a Creative Spark, same as you. We vampires have better things to do than to suck your blood; my old pal, Rutger, is far more interested in exquisite fashion and master building. Besides, I'm drinking blood out of mutant dinosaurs these days."

Hale rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Okay," she muttered. "We got vampires on this team now. Sure, why not? Add that to the list: mutants, aliens, cyborgs, robots…"

*****

The ways to the hangar catwalks were definitely going to be a challenge. They had been heavily damaged by the explosion earlier, and some were just barely hanging on their wires or other attachments. The main way up to them consisted mainly of ladders, with a few stairwells around the ends near the walls, and most of which were also quite loose after the ordeal as well.

Andrew was going to have to be prepared and ready to think quick. There was no other way to the thirteenth floor of the Headquarters. The main halls were overrun by Mutant Lizards or severely damaged, and it would take too long to call a ride up to the top of the building. He needed to find a way up to them, and from there he could quickly get to the relatively safer fourth floor, and from there he could reach a stairway to the top.

He first decided to take the stairwell, if only to make an easier ascent. Walking to it, he tried the first step. It creaked quite a bit, but the structure seemed to hold. He took another step. It still held. He continued to slowly but surely move up the steps, picking up a little speed as he did so, eventually reaching the first level of catwalks.

As he began moving up to the second level, the stairs began to creak more, seeming to be a bit looser up here. Andrew looked closely at the higher section of the stairs. Sure enough, they were swaying slightly out of connection in the stairs halfway to the third level. He would have to get off at the second and find a ladder from there.

When he began going up from the halfway point to the second level, Dino Attack Headquarters shook from another distant explosion. Andrew fell to his stomach on the stairs, watching with horror as the stairs began to sway more and more. He only had seconds to act.

He got up on his feet again, clinging to the railing as he moved quickly up to the second catwalk level. Just as he stepped upon it, the stairs swayed heavily away from behind him, pulling on the catwalks with its remaining connections until they snapped, sending the stairs to a timbering fall to the ground.

Andrew took a moment to catch his breath as he assessed the situation. The catwalk he was on stretched to the front and back of the hangar, connected by two more paths to intersect another catwalk before reaching the upper levels of the headquarters base. However, both of these crossing catwalks had snapped, so crossing them was impossible.

The Elite Agent saw a ladder a few paces away from the site of the stairs, and advance quickly to them. He grabbed onto them, and was about to ascend them when he looked up and was met with an annoying surprise. The ladder was made to only be fully used if one was on the side facing away from the catwalks, otherwise they would only make a person bump their head on the next level of catwalk. Andrew supposed this wasn't a problem for the engineers and mechanics who had to keep scurrying up and down the things when working on repairing various Dino Attack vehicles, but for him, he could only hope he was still as nimble and flexible for this has he had said he had when he described himself as "flexible" while signing up.

Grabbing onto the ladder rungs with his hands and feet (his laser rifle safely kept strapped on his back), he then reached his right hand around to grab the rung on the other side, did the same with his right foot, then quickly flung himself around the ladder and had his left limbs get a firm hold on the rungs. He briefly took a moment to catch his breath again, then began to actually climb the thing.

In no time, he reached the third floor of catwalks. Here were several access stairways to the landing pads atop the hangar along with the pats back to the rest of the base. The level seemed mostly intact, thanks to being more firmly attached to the ceiling at this level, but were precariously swaying at a noticeable rate.

Flipping over to the catwalk, Andrew knew this was just as risky as his ascent had been, perhaps more so. The prospect of advancing over these catwalks reminded him of an incident back in the 80s where two hotel skywalks had collapsed, due to faulty supports, on over a hundred people during a dance party. He forced himself to not focus on the memories of the news footage of the scene, and instead reminded him that there was only one option if he hoped to meet his comrades on the thirteenth floor.

Taking a deep breath, Andrew stepped back a bit, then, charged down the catwalk to the other end of the hangar. The structure creaked and made slight cracking noises as he ran, but he kept going, taking only the caution to stay close to the railing.

Halfway across, the catwalk began to sway. Andrew took only slight notice. Then it began to lean slightly to the left, the side of which Andrew was leaning close to the railing. Now, he took notice. He slowed down, and moved quickly to the other side. The moment he grabbed the railing on said side, the left side of the railing fell, leaving the catwalk hanging on its right side, and the LEGO Islander hanging by the handrails.

Thank Ole they at least remembered these! Andrew thought.

But he wasn't out of his predicament yet. His only option now was to continue moving by crossing along the handrails like the old monkey bars he used to play on in his younger years. It was a hard task, not only because the horizontal nature of the railings forcing him to move sideways instead of forwards, but the factor of looking down and seeing you were four stories away from the ground was never something pleasant to look at, even if one wasn't stuck with acrophobia.

Slowly, Andrew made his way across.

Soon enough, he was a little close to a third of the way across.

Then a half.

Then another third.

Eventually, he reached the catwalk on the other end, still upright, having merely had a snapped connection when Andrew's catwalk had fallen. Taking great care to keep his grip in spite of his fatigue and aching arms, Andrew moved up close to the other catwalk, then grabbed onto the snapped-off edge where the snap had taken place. Another moment later, he moved his other hand to it. Finally, he pulled himself up with great effort, and let himself lie flat on the upright structure. He let himself rest for about a minute as he caught his breath.

The headquarters shook again. Realizing time was still of the essence, Andrew got up, and advanced to the path to the main headquarters' fourth floor. Opening the door, he was greeted with the smell of smoke and the sight of several collapsed walls. Not only from the explosion earlier, but from the earlier Inferno attack that had crippled Hertz's hearing.

Fortunately, the rubble had been cleared by the rescue teams that had come up. It took Andrew no time to find the path to a stairwell connecting to both ends of the tower section of Headquarters. He opened the door, and was mildly surprised to see the faces of Kate Bishop and an older woman that he presumed had been her mother that everyone had been talking about.

"Oh, uh, hello, Kate," said Andrew, tipping his hat to her mother in friendliness. "Mrs. Bishop. You have to forgive me, I just came from a rather tiring route through the remains of the route from the hangars. I guess you're walking with each other on the way to evacuate your mother, Kate?"

*****

Bluetooth was worried. Specs's announcement had worried him. Semick's own had been spirit-lifting, but didn't help.

The Futuron technician was realizing now that he was likely to die. Die for the good cause of standing off against the Mutant Dinos to the end, but still dying. He wasn't comfortable about that.

In his left hand was his PDA, which he was looking at on and off as he monitored the numbers of remaining enemies on the TALON-9 radar. He felt the need to write something to someone, something like a last will and testament, or the last letter the young men of wars' past had written to their mothers.

But who to write to? His family was out in the asteroid colonies, only hearing from him through the occasional transmission from Alpha Team's limited Intergalactic Communications Center in Antarctica. His friends were either in the refugee facilities or back on the Luna base. He wasn't quite close enough to any of his Dino Attack colleagues to send a message to them, so who else could he-

"Vinyaya," he unconsciously muttered. His eyes widened. "Wait... no, no, I don't know her! She barely remembers me as it is!"

But his mind told himself there was still something between them. There had been the idea of a kind of an alien defense unit that he had talked to her after recalling those warnings from the edges of the Milky Way. That idea, to adapt Dino Attack to such a force after the war, was still unaddressed beyond talks, and after this battle there might not be much left to adapt, but the idea was still there. And ideas had been enough so many times before to create great things.

Yes... Bluetooth still had a loose end between him and Vinyaya through that "ADU" idea. Perhaps he could take a chance and use that opportunity. He did have nothing to lose from it, after all.

He rose his PDA to his eyes, and began typing out a message.

Dear Commander Vinyaya,

I know you probably don't remember me. There were the talks about Rotor and Brown's release, and random meetings before the Maelstrom temple, but we haven't talked much since our first meeting at the camp near where the XERRD Fortress was leveled.

Semick's going to stay here and fight it out, so I guess that doesn't stand well for my chances for survival. You're on the front lines, I know, but you have more combat experience than me, so I'm guessing you'll live this one out.

Basically, I just want to say I don't want you to give up on the idea of adapting Dino Attack into an alien defense unit or something I suggested. Those UFO readings may be distant, but from what it looks, they still look like they have intents with Earth that aren't peaceful. We should be prepared, especially considering how much we have to recover from these Mutant Dinos, as well as whatever else might target this island, Earth, in the future. Nobody wants what happened to Mars to happen again.

Also, I have a confession to make. I'll say it frankly, I'm fond of you. I suppose my nervousness on our first meeting made it a bit obvious, but there's also the detail that I was determined to help Fabello help you when you were taken out by Zach's abuse of your body for a shield. I guess it might've faded a bit when we met over French Fries's idiotic orders, but I suppose I was too furious over the situation to remember that. But now, as it sinks in that I may not survive this battle, I feel the feelings of joy and admiration rising to the forefront, along with the guilt and regret that it never went anywhere before now.

Remember me, and remember the "ADU" idea, so to call it. Perhaps if I do make it, we can meet again, and you can get me back down to Earth by making it clear that we can do well as friends and comrades. If not, well, at least I've lifted a large burden on me during my final hours, and hopefully I'll leave a legacy that can help the planet keep on goin' even after this Dino Attack.

Most Sincerely,

Bluetooth, AKA Ryan Radcliff

After taking a moment to read over his finished work, Bluetooth hit "Send", and returned to his duties on the radar. It was time to face the music.

*****

If there was one thing LEGO Island had taught Hotwire, it was that very, very bad things could happen when a hostile boarded your T-1 Typhoon. It was for this reason that he'd devised a failsafe the previous night and installed it in the Talon II. He'd known that nobody would be manning the TALON-9 console, which had made the process slightly easier. Unfortunately, there was really no way to work around the danger that would be posed to whomever was in the upper front cockpit.

But that cockpit was empty now.

Hotwire certainly didn't want to leave the rear cockpit; in their position, leaving one end of the craft undefended could lead to disaster. So, as the Fright Knights clung to the side of the T-1 Typhoon and made their way to the side door -- closed and locked, of course, but that was little obstacle, as the doors were made to be opened from either side, and a sword punched through the locking mechanism made it ineffective to say the least -- he activated his makeshift welcoming committee.

The door was sliding open. "As soon as they're inside, duck and cover your ears," he called to Larson, and hoped the pilot would trust him. There was no time to wait for an answer. Two pairs of armored boots hit the deck, and Hotwire hit the switch.

There was no way of telling what exactly the Fright Knights' expectations were, but it was very likely that a Sonic Screamer underneath the scanner console wasn't one of them.

The knight that caught the brunt of the pounding of sound waves collapsed with a clatter of chain mail, unconscious. The other, off to the side somewhat, staggered back, clutching his head. Unfortunately, since he was right next to the open door, he staggered right out of the T-1 Typhoon, his downward journey interrupted only by the bulk of the starboard Quintronic Beam Emitter.

"Now then," said Hotwire, "where were we? On the way to HQ, I'd suggest."

Within a minute, they were hovering above the roof of the Dino Attack Headquarters. "I imagine you'd have a harder time with all those stairs," Larson explained. "I'll let you down from up here, then find a spot to park."

Hotwire, already moving towards the winch, nodded. The pilot paused only to trigger the PLARXX Radar Ray as a few Pterosaurs began to look a bit too interested, and then lowered Hotwire the last twenty feet to the roof.

*****

"We're both getting out of here," Sarah said sternly. "It's not safe."

"Kate, you can't go," Andrew said. "You're part of this team; you need to come with us."

"I don't want to lose her," Sarah insisted.

"Mom," Kate said. "He's got a point."

"You remember what you did back on Adventurers' Island?" Andrew asked. "You beat the friggin' Darkitect!"

Kate started to remember. She slowly broke free of her mother's grip. 

"I mean," Andrew continued, "I know you haven't taken some of the revelations you got at Adventurers' Island quite well, I've read the reports, but you're far from a useless member of the team. You were part of the welcoming team when Zenna's crew arrived back on the island. You helped out with rescue attempts for the Rear Guard, you were very interested and involved with the Maelstrom aspects of the mission, you built a bomb to help off with warding off Mutant Pterosaurs, and you did a good job at swiping us those XERRD binders."

"...Yes, I do remember that, Andrew..." Kate said slowly, the thoughts of events past appearing to appear in her head.

Sarah Bishop seemed a bit surprised with the actions of her daughter, but did keep the collectivism to confront Andrew. "Listen," she said, "I know she's been rather proactive on the team, but she's gone through a lot over these past 60 hours, it really would be in her best interests to get away from everything."

"We've all been through a lot, miss," said Andrew. "The traitor business, French Fries's stupidity, the magnitude of this final battle... but overall, this whole team's been holding together and continuing to fight the fight we've fighting for nearly a year."

"She's 18 years old! How can you expect someone her age to cope with such matters?"

"A lot of our good agents are 18," retorted Andrew, "myself included. And look where I am now: I'm an Elite Agent, with a good set of friends and companions, and a collected and stable mindset."

Sarah Bishop looked a little frustrated, but sighed in submissiveness. "Very well, if you think she can be good enough to continue serving, you may very well bring her out there into that mess of a battle."

"Might not be the best of ideas at the moment," said Andrew, "given the circumstances, but let me explain it to her first, it's really her choice."

The LEGO Islander looked back at the young fellow agent. "Kate, I admit frankly that I've been a bit disappointed by how you've been acting since the XERRD Fortress. I do understand that being forced by Rotor to sneak back in there, being locked in an office by one of XERRD's top leaders, then learning of family connections between you and him is shocking, but it seems you've been taking it very, very harshly.

"Now, I heard what happened in the Maelstrom Temple as well. You met Wallace Bishop, in the sense that you learned of his true status and connection to your family, as well as the man who took his guise for the sake of Minifigkind. I haven't heard exactly what he said, but from what I heard from Rex and Vinyaya's mission reports, apparently he and you shared several close words, am I right?"

Kate nodded in agreement. Andrew guessed that she was thinking about what she had heard Dr. Einstein tell her not too long ago.

"Now, I know it must've felt horrible to lose such a recently-met friend so quickly, but he died for a good cause, for you to help save us all by stabbing his Creative Spark right into the Imagination Orb, banishing the Darkitect from the temple and the planet!" Andrew suddenly remembered the giant purple Mutant T-Rex at the headquarters gate. "Well, so we thought. But still, the point is you earned yourself a place in the history books, and I don't think that the heroine of the Maelstrom Temple should be left a sad, tearful young girl who feels she isn't good enough for the team anymore."

The young woman was silent, apparently taking her time to think about all that she was hearing.

"Now," Andrew concluded, "like I said, the way out to the battle is mighty dangerous right now, and the battle itself a bit more so. Specs even encouraged all the Rookies to evacuate. But you're no rookie, Kate. You're a veteran and survivor of Adventurers' Island, and as far as I'm concerned, you're as good as an agent as Rex himself. I'd encourage you to follow me to the thirteenth floor, but instead of going to Antarctica, I say you stay with us and help us out with our defeat of Dr. Rex once and for all. You're clever and good at solving problems. I'm sure you can think of something that can help with the plans. So are you with me?"

Kate slowly stepped away from her mother and nervously approached.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked.

"It's okay, Mom," replied Kate. "He's right."

Sarah looked at them, especially her. "Kate, look, I don't want to lose you."

"You won't, Mom."

"You don't understand," pleaded Sarah. "You're all I have. If you died here, I don't know what I'd do!" 

Andrew thought quickly how he could address Mrs. Bishop's concerns. She did have some sound reasoning, wanting to be a protective mother and all. If she didn't want her to be separated from her, then...

"Well, you don't have to leave her alone out there," the Elite Agent suggested. "I've heard the stories; you've apparently done quite a job with some of XERRD's forces earlier with the Third Headquarters Squad crew. Plus that incident where you beat up Rotor and Cabin when they came back here… that's quite infamous among the ranks right now."

Sarah Bishop looked at him and shrugged. "What can I say? You shouldn't stay in the way of a mother trying to protect her children."

"Then perhaps you could fight alongside her? I'm sure nobody would mind, and at this hour, I'm sure your help would be most appreciated." 

Sarah Bishop took a moment to think about it. "What do you want me to do?"

"It's as simple as I said," Andrew told Sarah Bishop. "Just follow her into battle and watch her back. Provide cover while she's helping us for objectives, and that sort of thing."

*****

"So, Holly," Zach said as he continued driving toward Dino Attack Headquarters. "How's the battle been treating you?"

"Firstly, Virchaus," Vinyaya said irritably as she pointed her Cosmotronic Ray out the window and opened fire on Mutant Dinos, "call me by my rank or my last name. Secondly, other than losing my eye, I've been holding up rather well, even killing Paulie Gonepus."

"I assume this was before the alliance? Or was he a renegade?"

"Before the alliance. From what he said, he would've killed or usurped Blaire Darkling and taken control of XERRD of himself. And based on his apathy toward my accusations, he would've continued to aid the Mutant Dinos."

Zach smirked. "Well then, good on you."

The Fire Hammer rattled as it ran over a mutilated Raptor corpse. They sat in silence until Vinyaya spoke up again. "How are you doing, Minerva? I'm sorry about your mom."

Zach didn't expect Minerva to respond. To his surprise, she did. "I'm doing... okay. Thanks for the... yeah, um, it's okay. I'm okay." Minerva voice was quiet and extremely reserved.

Out of his peripheral vision, Zach could see Vinyaya give him a concerned look. Zach turned his head toward the Space Police commando and gave her a serious look, trying to suggest Minerva would be okay. Vinyaya shrugged and continued to shoot down dinos.

"Any idea what Nazareno and Zelda are up to?" Zach asked, trying to keep up a normal conversation. It might as well be the last one ever. And besides, even though they had all been in the same area for less than five minutes, Zach felt a strange group dynamic amongst him, Minerva, Nazareno, Vinyaya, and Zelda.

An amused smirk formed on Vinyaya's face. "I do have an idea. I met up with Nazareno, and he told me that Zelda confessed."

Zach was slightly lost until Minerva spoke up: "You mean she told him about her crush?" Then Zach nodded in remembrance.

"Yeah. I guess Nazareno messed up. He was basically the equivalent of a teenager who was having romantic feelings for the first time in his life. Which was basically how it was. He had no idea what to do or how he actually felt, so I had to guide him along I bit. I assume now he's going to or already has returned her feelings."

Zach smiled, imagining the great and powerful Nazareno totally lost on how to handle Zelda's feelings. "Well, good for them." He paused as another memory suddenly flashed through his mind. "I suppose that means I have to ship you with someone else, don't I?"

He was impressed with how quick Vinyaya's eye narrowed. "This again, Zachary? Is this really the time?"

Zach shrugged. "Might as well. It amuses me, primarily because it annoys you."

"What are you two talking about?" Minerva asked, confused.

"You know when Vinyaya pulled me away to talk to me after we locked up Onion Rings or whatever his name was. After our talk and we started to search the headquarters for you, Zelda, and Nazareno, I decided to start pairing off Vinyaya with potential suitors-"

"None which are going to happen," Vinyaya added with a grumble.

"-that doesn't matter to shippers. Vinyaya with Nazareno was my favorite choice, but I came up with a couple more."

Zach could almost imagine Minerva smiling curiously as she spoke. "Like what?"

"Let's see if I remember them all. I romantically paired Vinyaya with Nazareno, Marco Martinet, Frozeen, Hotwire, Rotor, Clint Wayne, Trigger, Semick, Bluetooth, Stranger, Hertz, Pharisee, Dr. Cyborg, and... I think that's it."

Zach was happy to hear Minerva laughing over the comm. It was rather reserved, but still laughing. Anything to get her mind off of Oswald and Athena. "Wow," was all Minerva managed to say.

"Yeah, so now I need to come up with a new favorite pairing to root for."

"Despite the fact," Vinyaya said, half-amused. "I've barely spoken to most of the people you mentioned."

"Yeah, but that's the fun isn't it?" Zach argued.

Silence fell over the Fire Hammer as they continued their advance toward the Dino Attack Headquarters. Zach got on to the radio and secured a Dino Air Tracker to airlift them to the thirteenth floor to save them trying to traverse the ruined headquarters.

As they continued, Minerva suddenly spoke. "Why not Vinyaya and Bluetooth?"

Vinyaya rolled her eye in irritation as Zach laughed. "Not you too, Minerva."

"What makes you say that?" Zach asked, now curious.

"When they met on Adventurers' Island," explained Minerva, "Bluetooth was proposing some idea about turning the team into a planetary defense force after this war. He decided to tell Vinyaya due to her Space Police background. But when he was telling her about his idea, he could hardly talk. He could've easily been smitten by Vinyaya and was nervous about speaking to her."

"What if he was just nervous I'd turn down his idea?" Vinyaya shot back, clearly unimpressed with Minerva joining in the shipping joke.

Zach laughed again. "Doesn't matter, Vinyaya. The theory's there, and that's all the shippers need."

Suddenly, a small buzzing sound echoed through the Fire Hammer cab. Vinyaya turned, surprised, and pulled a PDA from her belt. "What's the matter now?" Zach groaned. "Any more hopeless odds to stack up against us?"

"No...at least, I don't think so," Vinyaya said, looking at the device's small screen with surprise. "It's from Bluetooth."

Zach raised an eyebrow in surprise. Vinyaya's left eye moved rapidly from left to right as she read the message. As she continued, more surprise seemed to form on her face.

Zach pulled up to the front of Dino Attack Headquarters to wait for the Dino Air Tracker. He then turned to Vinyaya. "What did it say?"

"I..." Vinyaya was losing her composure fast. Her face was turning red rapidly. Zach suddenly felt a grin forming on his face. She glared at him. "It's nothing," she said, flustered. Zach shook his head and grabbed the PDA out of Vinyaya's hand. Her arm quickly snapped out and grabbed his. She gave him an angry look that he ignored as he tossed the PDA to his other hand. He then began to read the message from Bluetooth despite Vinyaya's protests.

"What's going on?" Minerva asked, morbid curiosity her voice.

"Here, I'll read it aloud." And so Zach did. Every word.

"Well," Zach said as he completed his retelling of Bluetooth's message. His smile probably stretched from ear to ear. "He's fond of you."

Minerva wasn't repressing her laughter at this point. "I was right!"

Vinyaya wasn't amused in the slightest. "You don't have to laugh at him-"

"We're not," Zach said, suppressing his snickers. "We're laughing at the fact that our 'Vinyaya/Bluetooth' pairing now has some merit! So what are you going to write back?"

"I-I don't know. I mean, I hardly know him. I'm... I'm flattered, I suppose. I mean I... I might be willing to try something with him. But he sent that message with the idea he was about to die. What can I say?"

Zach shrugged. "Any ideas, Minerva?" No response. "Minerva? Are you okay?" Still nothing.

Something was horribly wrong. He was about to climb out of the Fire Hammer when one of the back doors opened and Minerva dived into the seat. She slammed the door shut and laid down on her back clutching the upper part of her right arm. Zach's eyes widened in shock as he saw blood dripping past her hand.

"Minerva!" Zach gasped. "What-"

"Bandage!" Minerva gasped. Her face was as white as snow and a look of absolute terror was carved into it. "Medical tape, something!"

Vinyaya quickly turned to the glove compartment and starting shuffling through supplies until she pulled out a roll of medical tape. Vinyaya was about to apply it to Minerva's arm when Minerva snatched the roll away. Minerva removed her hand from the wound and tore off the sleeve of her right arm and wiped the blood away. Minerva then began to wrap the tape around her arm.

"Minerva, what happened?" Zach asked, worried.

"A bullet grazed my arm," Minerva grimaced, her face scrunched in pain. "It was fired-" Her explanation was silenced as waves of bullets suddenly attacked the Fire Hammer's driver side. Zach and Vinyaya ducked their heads as bullets slammed and ricocheted into the Fire Hammer's hull and windows.

After ten seconds, the firing seized. Zach raised his head slowly. Thankfully, the windows of the vehicle were mostly bulletproof, catching all the bullets and allowing none to pass through. Though now the windows and the windshield were cracked. Through the cracks, Zach could see a figure several yards away walking toward the Fire Hammer, a smoking machine gun in his hand. Zach flinched in realization.

Oswald Fabello was here for his sister.

*****

"I didn't know vampires existed," Shaw remarked as she walked up the stairs with Spike, Buffy, Harris, and the others behind her.

"Where'd Carver say she'd meet us?" asked Hale.

"13th Floor," replied Shaw.

"And we're going to help them?" Hale continued.

"That's right," affirmed Shaw.

"What can you do, Shaw?" said Hale. "You can pray for them all you want, but it's not going to get anywhere."

Shaw stopped. "At this point, I think things are desperate enough that we'll need all the help we can get. Even a little faith might help."

Hale sighed, and continued to follow her. "Do you think we can trust him?" she asked, glancing back at Spike. "He's a friggin' vampire!"

"He has a soul," replied Shaw.

"How do we know that? Because he told us so? And Buffy knew what he was; she could be a vam-"

"She still has a pulse," Shaw pointed out.

At that moment, a loud explosion rang through the building, knocking everyone off their feet. They looked down to the bottom of the stairwell to see the first few stairs obliterated.

*****

"Well..." Sarah said as she thought about Andrew's proposal. As the Elite Agent waited for a response, yet another explosion, this one particularly audible, shook the stairwell. Andrew fell back onto the wall of the stairway, barely staying on his feet, while the Bishops were knocked down to the floor.

"Geeze, this building is getting a lot of secondary explosions right now!" Andrew cried out as the shaking subsided.

"Ugh, it must be that guy, Firecracker!" said Sarah as she got up and helped her daughter do the same. "He was with the Third Headquarters Squad, and I bet he's getting the idea that bringing the building down on the Mutant Dinos is the last option right now!"

"But they've barely hit the building, and Dr. Rex has only hit the outer walls! I mean, really, what is he thinking?"

"He's as explosion-obsessed as Dynamite," Kate said. "I heard that he almost set off the explosives Dynamite set up in his fit of crazy, and was only stopped by faulty wiring. He's nuts!"

"Ugh," Andrew said as he put his palm to his face. "We don't have time for this nonsense, I gotta be up on the 13th floor ASAP." He pulled out his PDA and began typing out a message.

To all Dino Attack agents in the headquarters but not evacuating or joining the Elite Agents:

We've got another rogue agent trying to bring trouble. Agent Firecracker is seemingly intent on blowing up the headquarters, and is possibly the cause of its currently critical condition. It seems now that he is trying to finish the job. He must be found and stopped at all costs!

Elite Agent Andrew

"That'll have to do for now," Andrew muttered as he sent the message. "Right now, I need to get going. Think over my offer, but either way, I guess you need to follow me upstairs for either of your objectives."

He started running up the stairs, turning back briefly to gesture and say, "C'mon!" to the Bishops before continuing up.

*****

The door to the lab opened quickly as Shaw ran into the room accompanied by Hale, a group of agents with them.

"We found a bunch of people downstairs," Shaw explained.

"Spike, Harris, Buffy?" Rotor shouted. "Lance, what are you doing here? And I think we might want to get rid of Baldrick."

Meanwhile, Spike took a good look at the teleport. "Ah," he said. "That is a beaut, ain't it?"

"I was wondering if you needed any help," Shaw explained. "Pierce sent us up here to find any wounded agents, but I heard about what was going on here. We didn't find any wounded just yet-"

"We should be going now, Shaw," interrupted Hale. Shaw ignored her.

"I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help," Shaw continued. "If you need an extra hand or someone to provide medical support, or even just someone who can stand back and pray you succeed." 

*****

B walked to the ruined building, where there had been a diner about a year ago. He cautiously entered the wreckage, looking around for Tempest. However, there was no one else in the building.

He turned around, and was about to exit the building when he heard a gunshot. He looked down and saw a bullet hole at his feet. B looked up at the building across the street. Surprisingly, it was still mostly intact, but it was only ten stories high. On the roof, B saw a figure staring down at him.

"Aw, MegaBlok."

B sprinted across the street, dodging shots from the sniper. He stopped at the entrance of the building. He entered the building cautiously, looking for any dinos or any allies of the sniper. He carefully surveyed the ground floor, looking out at the broken city block.

After carefully considering a spot, he placed the duffel bag in the corner of the building opposite where he had come in. He opened the bag and removed a small remote.

"So," said B, "I'm alone. No backup. Like that hasn't happened before." He chuckled at his own sarcasm.

I'm crazy, thought B. I survived once. It was pure luck that nothing happened besides what already had. I'm fueled only by thoughts of revenge. This isn't even part of my mission. Is it worth it? I'm probably going to die. I am going to die. I don't care. That's why. That is why I do these things. I have no care for my safety, as long as it doesn't put my team in danger. They must be out of the zone now. I got one shot. Well, no sense putting off the inevitable.

And after that, B started up the stairway to the roof.

*****

As soon as Andrea Jackson Orange stepped away from her father, Maria slowly reached out and took her hand.

"Boy, if ma' daddy were here to see this," Maria remarked with a slight chuckle. "Here, why don't we get that there suit off you?"

Andrea nodded. Maria led her down the corridor to an isolated room. They stepped inside. First, they took off the helmet, then the baggy suit slowly started to come off. The two women were closer than ever when they finally looked into each other's eyes.

"I know this here's a bit soon Py- Andrea," Maria remarked. "But I think I might be feeling something."

"I know what you mean," replied Andrea.

Maria had finally gotten Andrea's baggy suit off. "You don't understand," she said. "I think-"

"I love you too," Andrea finally said. Maria looked at her in surprise. "I guess the situation's dire enough that a little love won't hurt."

Maria smiled. She wrapped her arms around Andrea's neck, and slowly they put their lips together...

The sentimental moment between Andrea and Maria was abruptly interrupted by the beeping of the former's PDA. Andrea quickly rummaged through the baggy suit and grabbed the device, and read the message.

"We got to do something quick," she said.

"What's wrong?" inquired Maria.

"Firecracker," replied Andrea. "Let's go!"

As soon as they stepped out of the room, they found the other members of the squad waiting for them. "Was Firecracker the one that set up those charges?" Maynard asked.

Maria nodded. "Apparently, he's gone crazy," she said.

*****

Whoever had designed the Dino Attack Headquarters was smart enough to build the steps leading up the thirteenth floor out of sturdy concrete. However, they were incredibly stupid when considering making the building the thirteen stories high in the first place. While bits of dust and small ruble littered the staircase, Hertz was pleased to find the stairwell they were ascending was relatively stable.

The same could not be said for the tower, however. Firecracker had placed charges randomly around the base but had not gotten any higher than the third floor. While the damage to the upper levels was relatively mild, it created no illusion that the building itself was stable. With the lack of hearing, Hertz was developing a greater sense of balance and was starting to feel the tower sway the higher he went.

Sparks shot from an exposed wire, and the lights flickered. Smoke was a small problem, but damage to some of the generators in the basement meant that electricity would come and go. Assuming Firecracker was not a total moron, Hertz expected the backup generators would kick in as soon as the current power inevitably disappeared. But considering Firecracker's idiocy, the elite agent would not be surprised if the demolitionist had deliberately destroyed those as well.

Hertz and Naomi passed a sign that read number eight. Five more floors and they would reach the teleportation pad on the uppermost levels. Once they arrived, Hertz would bid farewell to Naomi and prepare for a valiant fight. He had little idea what was expected of him or how much impact he could make, but he was bound and determined to try even if he was deaf.

They passed the ninth floor, and Hertz took an opportunity to look over the railing. The flights of stairs spiraled down the square shaft into darkness below. He instinctively kicked a piece of concrete over the edge to watch it fall and disappear into the blackness without a sound.

Naomi suddenly pulled Hertz away from the edge, and her face contorted into a scream. Looking to the wall behind him, he spotted three bullet holes where his head had been. Obviously, he had not heard the gunshots, and he looked around in panic to spot the shooter.

More bullet holes appeared at his feet, and bits of dust revealed the machine gun spray of the shooter. Hertz was unable to hear anything around him, but he soon spotted a flash of orange charge up the stairs to greet him. Hertz pulled out his sidearm to take aim at the Inferno henchman, but the weapon was silently knocked aside before the two clashed.

Hertz was thrown against the railing of the staircase to lean dangerously over the nine floors. With his broken arm, he sent a weak punch to the side of the Inferno agent and pushed him aside. Although the attack was not powerful, it had enough energy to cause pain to the man's kidney and send him sprawling down a flight of stairs to the next landing.

It was at that moment that the Fright Knight attacked from the nearby doorway. With a silent battle cry, his sword swept through the air and collided with the metal railing above Hertz's head. The elite agent ducked out of the way to reach for his gun, but was slammed in the back by the butt of the Fright Knight's sword. Hertz rolled aside and sent out a kick to the chest of the man, pushing him against the railing of the stairway.

The sword came down again, but Hertz grabbed the knight's arm with his good arm and twisted the weapon out of the man's grasp. The blade tumbled down the staircase in muteness, and Hertz pushed forward with all his might.

The knight let out a silent scream as he was flipped over the railing and disappeared into blackness below.

Then a shockwave pushed Hertz against the wall of the stairway. The Inferno agent had recovered enough to open fire with his stolen Sonic Screamer but had a perplexed look on his face when Hertz was not incapacitated by the noise.

Ordinarily, the sound from a Sonic Screamer was enough to bring a man to his knees, but the only effect on Hertz was having the wind knocked out of him. The agent fired again, but Hertz did not scream in agony at the sound.

The elite agent rolled down the wall and reached for his gun, but the Sonic Screamer was thrown and collided with his face. The Inferno agent was once again upon him, and a short fistfight ensued. The attack was viscous and relatively one-sided, considering Hertz only could properly move his right hand, but he had enough success pushing the henchman against the wall.

A kick to the gut sent Hertz reeling backwards and up the next flight of stairs. He looked up at the Inferno henchman, whose lips moved to say a one-liner that was probably original and well-thought out. The sentiment was lost on Hertz as he reached for the Sonic Screamer and blasted the henchman through the ninth floor door and through a layer of adjacent drywall. His legs gave a spasm of pain before they lay still.

Hertz let out a sigh of relief. Both men were dead, and he had taken their lives. It was the first time he had done such a thing, and the sensation was not pleasant. The shock of the actions would take a while to set in; he hoped it would not happen until after the battle. He still had a lot of work to do; he could not afford to grieve.

Naomi put a hand on his shoulder, and the elite agent flinched. They had to keep moving and could not afford to stay in the staircase forever. He retrieved his sidearm and shouldered the Sonic Screamer. Four more floors to go, and they would reach the thirteenth level.

Thirteen, thought Hertz. Unlucky number. Great.

He pushed the recent killing aside and continued up the flight of stairs to the teleportation pad. He opened the door and found the pad just as it should be. From the top of the base, Hertz could see the battle with his own eyes and viewed the fires burning all over the city. Rain continued to pour down on the dismal figure present all around.

Rex, General, Specs, Greybeard, Frozeen, Shannon, and Dr. Cyborg turned to face him in the downpour.

"ELITE AGENT HERTZ," said Hertz in what he hoped was a normal voice. "REPORTING FOR DUTY."

*****

Catless was firing the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher almost constantly, and they weren't even in the thickest of the Mutant Dinos. Laxus was driving, and he finally drove onto a deserted street to fix a couple of bricks that were peeling off, which would have made the Fire Hammer fall apart. Pterisa was able to defend the Hammer by herself, so Catless hopped off to check the swivel for the gun. It was fine, but she heard a cry for help in a familiar voice.

"I'll be back in a minute, Pterisa. If I need help, I'll call," Catless said.

"Okay, but don't be too long. If I have to, I'll get you myself," Pterisa replied.

Catless ran off, but not before selecting a Cosmotronic Ray from the mini-armory they ran in the back of the cab. She ran a few buildings down the street, then went down the alley the cry came from.

She realized it was a good thing she grabbed the Cosmotronic Ray, since leaning over a woman on the ground was a snarling Mutant Raptor. Catless whipped the gun up to her shoulder and fired a shot in the Mutant Raptor's eye. It hit, and was a lethal shot.

The Raptor fell with a cry, and Catless ran to the woman on the ground. She looked familiar. With a sinking feeling, she recognized Elizabeth "Contest" Cyrista.

"Ah, Catless... good... to see you again... I think…" Contest broke off with a cough.

Catless glanced down and saw the flesh over Contest's heart and lungs had been burned into with Mutant Lizard acid. They both knew the wound was fatal, and neither was going to waste breath pretending it wasn't.

"Catless, I'm glad... you're the last... face I see... Tell Matthew... that I've heard... and seen... his exploits with... XERRD and Dino Attack... Tell him... I'm proud of him... for redeeming himself... Catless, I lost my last contest... with that Mutant Lizard... But I've won... the contest of life... I see Heaven... I've finally won the best contest to win. Catless, tell Matthew I'll miss him and goodbye... Goodbye, Catless."

Contest trailed off as she breathed her last and died. Catless stood up and rearranged Contest's body to look peaceful in death.

She looked around, and her expression hardened. She had lost so many in the Dino Attack. Her mother, father, little sister, and friends. But the most recent deaths always hurt the most. She had lost her best friend, and a close friend's sister at the same time.

Catless walked back towards the newly-repaired Fire Hammer, put the Cosmotronic Ray back in the cab, climbed up on the turret, and activated the Xenon Multi-Mode launcher. "Let's go," she coldly told Pterisa and Laxus.

"Catless, what's wrong?" Pterisa asked, having become Catless's friend from chatting while shooting.

"I lost my best friend, who happens to be Dr. Cyborg's sister, and I have to tell him later. I'm a little ticked at the Mutant Dinos right now, so let's get fighting," Catless replied.

Laxus complied and drove back into the fray, Catless warming up the Xenon's energy mode all the while.

*****

Another Mutant Lizard cried in pain as Firecracker tossed another stick of dynamite its way. He chuckled, then reached into his coat, only to realize to his shock, there was no more dynamite left; he'd used up all his sticks. Clearly there was only one solution: to go to the armory and get some more… or even better, just blow up the armory, either way would theoretically work.

But then he was stopped by the sound of a gun cock.

"That's enough," said the gruff voice Firecracker recognized as Clint Wayne. He'd seen this man's shooting skills and, without any explosives to utilize, he had no real way of fighting back. "Now, I want you to open your coat, nice and slow."

Firecracker turned, and slowly opened his jacket. Nothing was there… yet.

"Good," Clint said, placing a cigar in his mouth. "I'd like you to come with me."

*****

Raine Dashworthy soared over the battlefield that was LEGO City in her Agents Supersonic Jet. She loved to fly, and loved to fly fast. She might have considered dropping out of the Agents Defense Organization for the Dino Attack Team when this apocalypse began, but only have slow-moving and clunky T-1 Typhoons as air vehicles didn't suit her style.

She had spent the bulk of the battle flying overhead taking out Mutant Pterosaurs and Inferno aircraft. Occasionally, she'd swoop down and bomb the bricks out of the Maelstrom's ground forces and in one case, under the request of an old Agent friend by the name of Zachary Virchaus, a XERRD outpost that hosted a man that had killed Thaddeus Brickhouse. Raine was disappointed to hear that not only did the man survive, but took over XERRD. Sure, he allied with the Dino Attack Team, but that doesn't change the fact he killed Thad.

With the new arrivals in the form of Fright Knight windships and Maelstrom Dragons, Raine made sure to stay in the sky. It was a losing battle. Raine quickly decided the best way to scatter the Fright Knight forces was to take out the massive windship commanded by Willa the Witch herself. The witch wasn't making it easy. She had the largest Maelstrom Dragon Raine had seen so far holding the witch's ship in the air, and it blasted destructive purple flames at any ship that strayed too close. Additionally, the witch could ram her ship into a helicopter with the two halberds jutting out from the front of the cruiser. Willa the Witch also used her own magic to form a shield around the Windship and to attack her enemies.

So, Raine had decided to gather up a group of Agents jet pilots to take down the wicked witch's windship. Colonel Score, one of the Agents' commanding jet pilots, was killed barely half an hour ago after a nasty run-in with Dr. Rex himself. Agent Chase had seen fit to promote Raine to Colonel to maintain some order amongst the jet pilots. Raine wasn't much of a commander, but her loyalty to Chase opted her to take the position. Plus, Colonel Dashworthy sounded rather good to her.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Raine called out over her comm.

"Righto," called Gilda.

"Let's do this," said Soarin.

"I've seen worse," said Spitfire.

"Let's sink this hag!" said Cloudchaser.

"Here," muttered Rapidfire.

"YEAH!" screamed Snowflake.

"HUZZAH!" Nightmare roared.

"Okay," Raine said irritably, cleaning out her ears. "Quiet it down a bit, Nightmare and Snowflake. Otherwise, let's do this!" All eight pilots cheered as they slingshotted around the burning tower that was the Dino Attack Headquarters and started flying toward Willa the Witch's windship. "Fire!"

Eight pairs of laser blasts shot out from the squadron and on to the windship. Only a few shots made contact before a purple orb casted by the witch surrounded the windship reflected the rest.

"Evasive action!" Raine yelled. Her jet spun and dived low as blasts of Maelstrom started streaking toward them. Cloudchaser was hit in the nose and her ship went spiraling into a building.

"Oh, no, you don't, foul hag!" Nightmare roared. She dived her solid black jet underneath the windship. As Willa the Witch lowered the defenses, Nightmare flipped around and fired a missile, striking the back of the windship and causing a fiery, purple explosion. "HA! YOUR DAMAGE HAS BEEN DOUBLED!" bellowed Nightmare.

"Cool it!" Raine said tersely. "She is still packing some firepower." With the back of her boat now in flames, Willa the Witch had the boat turn to face the seven remaining jets. While she doused the flames with magic, the Maelstrom Dragon carrying her boat roared loudly and began breathing massive arcs of purple fire. "Watch it!" Raine commanded, spinning her jet to avoid the blasts.

Raine brought her jet in a wide arc around the ship. She swore as she watched Soarin's jet get nabbed in the dragon's maw and was chewed and burnt up to a crisp. The dragon then threw the jet across the air until it collided with Snowflake's jet. Both jets went tumbling to the ground in a fiery explosion.

Biting her lower lip in annoyance, Raine fired two missiles at the straps holding the dragon to the boat. One missile found its mark. The boat suddenly tipped sideways as the dragon struggled to carry the boat. Raine saw Willa the Witch rise into the air on her broomstick and redirect the missile into Spitfire's jet, turning his jet into a fireball. The witch then began to repair the strap with her magic.

"She's distracted! Give her your worst!" Raine barked. She, Nightmare, Rapidfire, and Gilda opened fire both with lasers and missiles. The witch quickly formed a shield around her and her ship and continued to repair the strap. The ship was soon completely functional again, and more blasts of Maelstrom energy and fire began to whiz around the pilots. "Blast!"

"How do we take this dweeb?" Gilda snapped irritably.

"I have an idea," Rapidfire muttered. "Let me try something."

"Rapidfire! What are you doing?" Raine demanded. Willa the Witch lowered her energy shield again. At this point, Raine assumed that using the magic and Maelstrom sapped energy out of the witch, which was why she couldn't hold it for long. Fire shot out of the back of Rapidfire's jet as he shot straight for the witch's ship. Willa the Witch blasted away his engine with her wand. Rapidfire maintained his altitude long enough to get near the ship before he nosedived directly on to the ship's bridge. An explosion engulfed the entire ship.

Raine, Nightmare, and Gilda fired everything they could at the ship and its dragon engine. A rocket finally exploded near the dragon's throat. It bellowed in anger before its wings stopped flapping. It fell into the explosion, and the ship began to fall into the city. It collided into the ground with the loudest explosion Raine had ever heard. Purple flames consumed an entire city block and left nothing but rubble and charred corpses.

"Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead!" Raine cheered through the comm, elated. She felt Rapidfire's sacrifice was a bit unnecessary, but he had been willing to go out to save the planet.

"Not quite," Gilda grumbled. A small purple orb was rising out of the chaos. It then shot toward a T-1 Typhoon with a black star painted on its hull. An explosion rocked the helicopter and sent into tumbling into the ground. A loud, sinister cackled echoed through the city.

"Get out!" Raine yelled. Taking out the windship had not improved their chances. The witch was faster, and the only thing she had to defend herself. Raine turned her head and gasped as the witch's Maelstrom orb shot through the nose of Gilda's jet. The jet exploded instantly and crashed into a nearby building.

Raine's radar beeped erratically. Willa the Witch was coming for her next. Raine sped up considerably as the witch followed. Despite the jet's speed, the witch was quickly gaining on her. Raine turned sharply and moved down low near the rooftops of several buildings. She slowed down considerably and kicked off the glass containing her in the cockpit. Her multicolored hair whipping against her face, Raine saw Willa the Witch zooming toward her. Looking down at the rooftops below, Raine made a quick prayer before leaping out of the jet.

Raine combat-rolled as she collided with the rooftop to absorb the damage she was taking. She finally tumbled onto her back, her body aching all over and her head spinning. Slowly climbing to her feet, Raine watched as the witch ran through the jet horizontally, splitting it into two and sending them hurtling to the ground. Raine breathed in relief. The witch thought she was dead.

A pang of guilt then washed over Raine. An entire squad was dead because her assault on the witch that only made things worse. Only Nightmare was still flying.

However, Willa the Witch was not looking for Nightmare. Her purple orb fading away, the witch was flying on her broomstick for Dino Attack Headquarters. Raine Dashworthy grimaced as she pulled a small pistol from her belt. That hag was going to bust up the headquarters more than it already was. Unfortunately, that's going to have to be someone else's fight.

Raine waved her hands over her head, hoping to attract the attention of a helicopter. If nothing came, she would have to join the fight on the ground.

"Then it will be time to take out some nasty, reptilian trash," Raine Dashworthy said to herself, smirking.

*****

"Wo-hoah! Giant purple ball coming through!"
"Keep HQ defended, Bain! We're not leaving the other Elites as sitting ducks!"
"You have my assurance, Semick, I'll stay on the job to the end."
"Oh my goodness! Is someone recording Cyrista's Bane fighting that Inferno Mech! It's a battle for the ages! Nobody should be missing this awesome moment!"
"Don't mess with Johnny bricking Gat, witches!"
"Isn't anyone concerned about Willa heading towards HQ?!"
"This is for what you lizards did to my family reunion at the Hotel Denouement!"
"She's an old woman on a broom. I don't care how much magic she has, she's easy pickings."
"I don't care if there a powerful wizard, a scientist with a death ray, or a baker with a super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza! You support these monsters, you're dead meat, plain and simple!"

*****

Usually, a person would find some level of fatigue from climbing stairs for a building that goes over even a mere seven stories or so. But Andrew wasn't among them. A long battle full of lots of running, dodging, and survival made one's body a lot less susceptible to fatigue. Stairs were hardly a challenge.

That didn't mean he was rushing, though. Kate and Sarah were following close behind, though at a slower pace. Andrew kept an eye on them as he went, stopping to wait when they needed a quick break themselves.

Andrew still didn't know if they were going to go ahead and join them in the final battle, or go ahead to Antarctica, but knew at least that it would be best for them to be helped up, if only to be more comforted by the idea of joining. He hoped the other Elite Agents would be okay with it.

The travel up the stairs was slow going, but the trio did cover floors fast. Barely five minutes after meeting each other, the group reached the thirteenth floor. And as Andrew opened the door, he was greeted by the grim reminder of how much damage had been done.

Up here, damage seemed to be most notable externally. Many walls and parts of the roof had caved in, leaving some corridors blocked by landing pad debris. As they went through the floor, Andrew even noted that the area of Specs's office had been flattened. Debris cared not for the importance of anyone to anybody. Besides rain, nothing was fortunately hitting the roof thanks to the remaining T-1 Typhoon defenders, though only time could tell how long that lasted.

Andrew quickly found the open door to the sight of the busted lab and Teleport Pad. It was a busy area, and not just due to the incoming loads of evacs being pulled in by Dino Air Trackers. Plenty of agents had already arrived, including Rex, Hotwire, Frozeen Reptile, Greybeard, Hertz, Dr. Cyborg, Tail, all the Founding Members, and several standard agents Andrew didn't quite recognize off the top of his head.

"Andrew, glad you could make it," said Hotwire, who was currently in the midst of a conversation with Rex and Reptile.

"Yeah, I had to come in by the hangars," the LEGO Islander remarked. "That was quite an experience." He turned to Rex. "Rex, I heard about what happened through the comm chatter. You have all my sympath-"

"Save it for now," Rex said sternly, "we have more important matters to deal with." The agent looked up to see Kate and Sarah Bishop behind Andrew. "Oh, Kate. And Mrs. Bishop. Glad to see you two could finally join us. Or are you leaving for Antarctica?"

"Watch your tone," Sarah muttered. "And the answer is wholly up to Kate."

Andrew stared at his fellow agent of a similar age. She looked a bit shaken by what she had seen up on this floor, but looked to still be weighting her options. "Take your time," he said to her, "but I'm sure we'll need an answer soon."

He turned back to his fellow Elites. "So what's going on right now?"

"Specs is waiting for everyone to arrive," said Reptile, "but the gist of it is that we're going to need to help with fixing a device that could prove key to stopping the Mutant Dinos through their Maelstrom connection." The scientist pointed to a missile-like device being held in Spec's arms, which was flashing with blue lights. "Though I understand that we're on a time limit, so I hope everyone gets here in time."

"Well, Semick doesn't seem to be wanting to leave the battlefield," said Andrew, "So judging from all the people here, I guess only Zach and Minerva are left?"

"Seems like it," said Hotwire, looking around. "I hope he hurries up, though I hear they just went through some harsh business regarding Minerva's mother."

"Her brother's still out there, and I think he went nuts. So there's a chance he could cause delays for them."

"They better handle them quickly," Rex remarked, looking out into the sky towards the battlefield. "I hate to be kept waiting at a time like this."

"This is all well and good," replied Spike, casually. "But what about the increasing number of mutant dinosaurs breaking into here? Oh Builder, I can't believe I just said that!"

At that moment, Buffy turned toward one of her comrades, a young red-haired woman. She looked nervous and terrified. "I don't think I can do it," stammered the red-haired woman.

"Look, I understand," assured Buffy. "But these are desperate circumstances, Willow. Isn't there some sort of spell you can work out or something? Something that Majisto taught you in Castle Cove?"

"First a vampire, now a witch," Hale muttered to herself in a semi-sarcastic tone. "What's next?"

"Oh come on!" another woman said in a somewhat strangely optimistic tone.

"I understand, Anya," Willow said nervously. "I might be able to do something. Maybe some kind of shielding spell or something."

"Wait, you can do that?" Lance asked as he turned toward her. "Then why the Znap didn't you do that while we were trapped in that house?"

"Because I try not to use magic too much," replied Willow. "Only when I need it! We still had guns and supplies and ammunition, so we did okay."

"I think we might have a few too many people in here," Rotor said as he turned toward the crew. "Lance, you stay here, a couple guns will do us good. The rest of you, get outside, keep an eye out for anyone approaching. If nothing else it might buy us a bit of time!"

"Alright," replied Spike. He turned toward the door, and one-by-one Buffy, Baldrick, Harris, Willow, Anya, and the others stepped out of the room.

Then Andrew turned toward Kate. "You decided yet?"

Kate looked at him nervously. It took her a moment of stuttering to get the words out, her eyes struggling to contain her fear. "I-I-I'm going to say," she said. "I don't know how much help I can be, but I figure an extra hand can't hurt, can it?"

*****

"MINERVA!" Oswald roared, firing several more rounds into the Fire Hammer. Zach could see the absolute madness in Oswald's eyes. He was gone, there was no doubt. He clearly had no problem shooting his sister now.

Vinyaya wasted no time in operating the Xenon Launcher from the dashboard controls. She fired several blasts at Oswald, who fled behind a wrecked vehicle. "MegaBloks," Vinyaya muttered. "Oh, well. Shouldn't be too much of a problem to get rid of him."

"Elite Agent Zachary!" the radio suddenly said. "Our Dino Air Tracker is here. Are you ready to get lifted up?"

Zach grimaced. "Just a second," he replied. He looked back out the window and immediately ducked as Oswald began firing again.

Vinyaya turned the Xenon Launcher and fired several blasts at the rogue Dino Attack agent. Oswald screamed in frustration and went back into his hiding place. "I don't think it's going to be that easy," Zach told the Space Police officer.

"We're wasting time!" Vinyaya snapped. "The longer we wait here, the sooner Dr. Rex and his armies get here! Why won't-" Vinyaya stopped to fire at Oswald again. "-he die?"

"Because he wants Minerva," Zach said with a hiss. "To kill her. He's gone completely insane."

Vinyaya was silent, trying to come up with a plan.

"I'll take him."

Zach turned his head toward Minerva. She was staring out the window to the point where Oswald was hiding. Her face was still extremely pale and a look of grim acceptance was on her face. "Minerva, you can't take him alone," insisted Zach. "He's gone. He'll kill you, no matter what you say."

"I know." Minerva's voice was growing increasingly colder.

"We have to get to the thirteenth floor and-"

"Zach, they need you because of your Maelstrom knowledge and power. My job would be to defend the HQ long enough to get this 'Einstein Device' working, I'm sure of it. They need you up there, not me. This is your real chance to get a crack at not only Dr. Rex, but the Darkitect. Besides, this... I just have to do this."

Zach stared at Minerva, who gave him a hard look back. She wasn't going to budge, no matter how much he persisted. It felt a slight knot form in his stomach. He couldn't let her go and get murdered by her brother. He was mad. He wouldn't hold back. He wouldn't stop to listen to Minerva reason with him. He would kill her. Zach knew it was a bad idea, but he could feel himself giving in.

"Fine," Zach said flatly. Then: "You said you couldn't kill him-"

"I'll work something out," Minerva said grimly. "You need to trust me. I have to do this." Zach swallowed painfully. He nodded slowly. "I'll make it back. I promise." Her voice didn't waver, believing truly in that sentiment.

Regardless, Zach was still on edge. Unlike his feelings after being kidnapped by Oswald, he truly felt this could be the last time he saw her. "I-I..." he stammered, trying think of something to say.

Then, without realizing it, Zach leaned forward and kissed her. Minerva flinched in surprise, but quickly kissed back. They stayed in that position for several seconds until:

"What did I say?" Vinyaya snapped irritably. "The end of the world is knocking on our doorstep!"

Zach pulled away from Minerva, who was blinking rapidly in surprise. Some color had returned to her face. "Huh. Usually I'm the one that has to kiss you," Minerva said, a small, curious smile on his face.

"Yep." And with that, Zach crawled into the backseat and got close to a passenger door. "Dino Air Tracker crew! Change of plans. I'm still coming up, but the Fire Hammer isn't. Will that work?"

"If you hold on tight!" the agent responded.

Zach nodded and then quickly looked at Vinyaya, trying to tell her silently to stay with Minerva. Vinyaya nodded as she climbed into the driver seat and Minerva moved to the passenger seat.

"If we all make it through this," promised Zach, "I'm getting you and Bluetooth together, Vinyaya. No matter what."

Vinyaya rolled her eye and smiled faintly. "I'll be counting on it. Get ready."

Commander Vinyaya turned the Fire Hammer in Oswald's direction. As it began to drive toward him, Zach jumped out of the Fire Hammer and started running toward the Dino Air Tracker. He jumped on to the support that was connected to the Dino Air Tracker by a hook and grabbed on to chain connected to the hook. Zach gestured to one of the agents hanging out from the hull to take off. Soon, the Dino Air Tracker was rising into the air.

Zach counted the floors as they passed. He was at the ninth floor when he heard a strange screeching. He turned and saw purple orb hurting straight toward the helicopter. Zach could tell the agents aboard the helicopter probably realized the orb was coming toward them by the panicked but indistinguishable voices coming from the hull. No weapons at all. This thing is seriously a sitting duck. He heard the sound of conventional gunfire come from the hull. The bullets merely bounced off the orb like they were drops of rain. Zach saw exactly where there was going.

Zach let go of the chain and ran at Dino Attack Headquarters. He leaped from the support as the orb collided with helicopter. The helicopter exploded in a red and purple explosion. He managed to latch his right hand over a broken windowsill as the purple orb blasted through the headquarters, knocking stone, metal, plastic, glass, and the occasional agent from the building on to a long descent to the ground.

Thank Builder I can't feel pain with my right hand. Or bleed. Nazareno knew how to design prosthetics to act completely like the limbs they replaced. One thing he did change was to get rid of the ability to feel pain from that hand. If Zach had an organic hand, Zach would've at least winced over his hand being cut up by broken shards of glass. He ducked his head and allowed the debris to fall to the ground. When the debris fall decreased to a trickle, Zach reached carefully up with his left hand and pulled himself on to the windowsill.

Zach looked down below at the wrecked Dino Air Tracker, a mix of normal and Maelstrom flames consuming it. He looked to his right hand. The glove was torn up, but his hand was fine otherwise. He glanced at his left hand as he pulled off his right glove. Not too many cuts. He lucked out.

He jumped down into the room connected to the window. The ceiling had caved in, and debris was everywhere. Zach coughed as he pushed his way past a crumbling door archway. He glanced around the hallway briefly.

Where did I stop count? Ah, ten. Tenth floor. Not bad. He could probably climb the rest of the way up. He made his way to the eleventh floor before he looked out through a gaping hole facing the rest of the city (and battle). He saw the purple orb floating, which faded away to a woman in black robes and a pointed hat sitting on a broomstick.

Willa the Witch. Zach scowled. He had heard the witch's exploits in Castle Cove and her defeat by the hands of King Race and Lord Vladek. She had her magic enhanced with the Maelstrom. Rather alike power-wise, aren't we? Zach raised his hand and pointed his palm at the witch. A Maelstrom fireball erupted in his hand, and he threw it as hard as he could at the witch.

Willa turned her head quickly enough to dodge the blast. She searched the Dino Attack Headquarters quickly before spotting Zach and flying up to him. "You!" she screamed. "You did that! How did you do that?!"

"It doesn't really matter," Zach hissed. "What matters is that your Maelstrom hijinks are at an end, witch." His tone became more sincere, perhaps even concerned. "You do not truly control the Maelstrom. Heck, I barely can control it, Once you've helped flatten this building and killed the rest of the population of the planet, you will be disposed of, just like Dr. Rex."

Willa the Witch raised an eyebrow. "I plan to conquer those weaklings in that barren wasteland!" the witch cackled. "Dr. Rex can be disposed of easily. Dr. Inferno as well, once I'm finished using him."

"You're being manipulated by the Maelstrom. You will destroy until you are destroyed."

His words had no effect on the Fright Knights' leader. She floated away and waved her wand at him. A fiery streak of Maelstrom energy shot out of it and moved toward Zach. Zach gestured the blast away into a Mutant Pterosaur. Willa the Witch gasped and fired several Maelstrom fireballs at him. He redirected each blast into a flying hostile. He then formed his own Maelstrom fireball and fired it at the witch. She swung her wand like a baseball bat and redirected the blast into the building, causing it to shudder. Dust and small pieces of debris fell around him.

Zach's confidence began to fade as Willa gave a wide grin. "Can't fire yourself, or I'll use it to destroy the building!" the witch said, cackling with glee. She fired several more blasts at him. He let them hit the ground near his feet as he turned and started to run toward the stairs that led to the twelfth floor. He was about to reach the thirteen floor when Willa the Witch, protected by her purple orb, shot through the stairs, reducing them to rubble.

He stumbled back, his hands raised as the witch slowly approached. Zach had no idea what he was needed for to fix the Einstein Device, but if they needed his ability to manipulated the Maelstrom, he needed to save his strength. Willa the Witch wouldn't have it. She pointed her wand and fired a massive blast intended to kill him and destroy the entire floor.

Zach slid back hard on his feet as the wall of Maelstrom energy collided with him. He was only stopped by a wall that, for the most part, was still structurally sound. Wind was rushing all around him. Purple sizzling tentacles whipped around him, slicing through columns and walls like they had no clutch power. Zach felt his energy draining away from him rapidly as he repelled the blast back at Willa the Witch. He either needed to get the witch to give, somehow redirect this blast somewhere it wouldn't level the building, or have someone from the thirteenth floor hear the chaos going on below and come to his aid.

Zach would've said some witty "not backing down" type line, but right now, he could barely think as the witch's power bared down on him. She has Darkitect support. MegaBloks. Regardless, Zach stood his ground, trying to come up with a plan.

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Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 71: Working In Unison

----

"Well, if we need more bricks, you can count on me," said Andrew to his fellow Elite agents. "Even in this environment, I'm sure we can find all the necessary parts. Though I think we may need to sacrifice the Teleport Pad at some point for some of the parts..."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," said Reptile. "Now once Zach gets up here-"

"Znap!" Viper suddenly cried out. Everyone turned to see him talking into a radio in the room with concern. "How is he?!... Drat, as if Dr. Rex wasn't bad enough... Yes, we'll take care of it."

"What was that?" Shadow asked as Viper put the radio down.

"You know that witch that showed up? Willa, I believe? She apparently destroyed Zach's Dino Air Tracker, but he managed to get off. Now the two are fighting their way up in this direction, both of them throwing Maelstrom energy all through the base."

"Even with his knack for survival, I doubt he'll be able to handle it well alone," Specs muttered. "Them tearing up this area of the building isn't exactly a good thing either. We need to get him some bac-"

The thirteenth floor rumbled from several loud blasts, while from somewhere near the area of the stairways, purple energies were glowing visibly in and out.

"Save your breath, Specs, we'll get on it," said Shadow. "Digger, Viper, grab a weapon. We're going to show that witch that 'muggles' aren't as inferior to her as she thinks."

As the commanding agents grabbed various weapons from a side wall and headed out, Shadow turned to the gathered agents and announced: "And if any of you want to lend a hand, come follow us, though we won't wait for you."

"I'm in," said Andrew, drawing his laser rifle. "I'm always ready to come to Zach's defense."

"So I've heard," Shadow said with a smirk. "Anyone else?"

"I'm in," Dr. Cyborg said.

*****

B ran up the stairs, jumping over bits of rubble as he neared the roof of the building. His mind was focused. His plan was terrible. And, with the exception of the one mission in his mind, he felt a large amount of apathy towards everything else around him. It was a technique he had learned back in special forces: block out the rest of the world to do your job better.

Well, thought B, this isn't even my job right now. This could be counted as desertion, or whatever. I have one shot at this. Tempest, for all I know, might not even go for it. He might not do it. The one variable in a mission, and it's the one that guarantees success. Unacceptable, that's what he'd say.

B reached the top of the stairs, and cautiously walked onto the roof. A minifig by the edge of the roof turned and faced him. They regarded each other warily, neither daring to move any more.

"So," said Tempest, "you've certainly gotten better at avoiding sniper fire."

"If you'll recall," said B, "that's one of the things I was actually good at. Either that, or you just suck at aiming. I mean, how did you manage to hit perfectly between my feet? That takes some serious skill. Either that, or you just were trying to get my attention."

Tempest nodded. "You pick up quick, Kabrinsky."

"Ooh," scoffed B, "referring to me by my last name! I'm in trouble now!"

"Now, what do you want, B?" asked Tempest.

"Well," said B, "you were the one who invited me here."

"Incorrect," replied Tempest. "I invited you to the diner, where I planned on ambushing and killing you. You must have a reason for coming all the way up here."

B shrugged. "Well, the fact that you were trying to kill me does put a damper on my actual plan, Tempest."

"And what's your actual plan, B?" pressed Tempest.

"Well, you always said to give up when you lose," said B. "I thought I might as well give up. You said that if I ever 'straightened out my ideology', you could have a job for me."

Tempest blinked in surprise. "You... You're serious."

"Dead serious," said B. "In fact, here's a piece of tech that just came in from our R&D. Rob said to check it out, and I think you might be interested. Here, catch!"

B tossed the remote at Tempest. As it flew through the air, time seemed to slow, and then Tempest caught it, and placed a firm grip on it, pushing the button.

B grinned. "Four words, Tempest: Znap off and die."

*****

Cortana could tell that Kara was listening to something as she flew the ship, shooting down Mutant Pterosaurs as she went. "What are you listening to?" she asked Kara.

"A motivational speech called 'Get mad! Fight back!' that was recorded back in the eighties. It's quite good. You know, it might help morale to hear it. Cortana, change radio frequency to team-wide and broadcast audio file P2," Kara said.

"Yes ma'am," Cortana said as she complied.

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! Fight back! I don't want your Znapping lemons! What am I supposed to do with these?! Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give me lemons! Do you know who I am?! I am the man who is going to burn your house down! With lemons! I am going to get my scientists to invent a combustible lemon, and burn your house down with it!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Burn his house down! I like this guy! He says what we're all thinking!"
"Hey, what did I say about not using the comms for references?"
"How dare you! 'Get mad! Fight back!' is so much more than a reference! Hundreds of MP3s of it are sold every day! The entire team's morale will increase from hearing it!"
"Fine, no references over the comms except 'Get mad! Fight back!'"

*****

The Inferno Mech was a tough opponent. Luckily, Cyrista's Bane had not been injured as of yet. For that, Screech was thankful. If he had, she would have been worried for the battle. Definitely the battle. Not for Bane any more than a friend.

So far, Cyrista's Bane and the Inferno Mech had an inventive way to fight: they had torn tall light poles out of the road and used them as swords! Bane had the advantage in speed and agility, but the Inferno Mech had greater power and could take more hits. The Mech swung its "sword" at Bane's head. Screech gasped, or at least as much as a Mutant Pterosaur can gasp, and started to divebomb the mech to distract Dr. Inferno. Luckily, Bane blocked the swing with his own "sword". However, the Mech's "sword" bent around the other due to the force, so they were both useless.

Instead of pulling out new ones, they simply changed to hand-to-hand combat. The Inferno Mech ran at Bane, intending to punch him with its claw. When the claw was a few feet away from his head, Bane grabbed the wrist joint and started to twist the Mech's arm around. When he had twisted it upside down, Bane grabbed the wrist with his other arm, and tossed the Inferno Mech down the street.

The Mech slid up against the building and got back up. Bane fired his grappler at the cockpit, intending to break the glass and grab the pilot. At the last moment, the Mech leaned to the right. Bane's grappler slammed into the side of the building, embedding itself into the wall. The Mech pulled it out, and Bane reeled in the slack without thinking. With the chain taut, the Mech was able to use it to sling Bane over an office tower into the next street.

As the Mech ran around the building, intending to finish off his prey, Bane was able to get up and recover. Using his arms and grappler, he was able to scale the office building he flew over not too long ago. When the Mech got to the side Dr. Inferno was expecting to see Bane on, Bane jumped off of the building and onto the torso of the robot. Using his internal furnace, he melted the glass over the cockpit. However, he was thrown off at that moment. He got up and fired his grappler at the pilot, where it got a hold on his neck. Unfortunately, Dr. Inferno was able to use that moment to grab Bane's neck using the mech's claw.

It was a standoff.

*****

Suddenly, the blast of Maelstrom shrank away back to Willa the Witch. Zach fell to his knees, panting. He looked up to the witch, who was gasping and holding her wand in shock as she floated on her broomstick. He could see a slight crack on the starhead of the weapon. Much the structure in the floor had been heavily damaged by the Maelstrom.

"How?" Willa gasped, looking from her wand to Zach. "How can you match my power?!"

Zach rose to his feet, dizzy and winded. "I know how to use it. And if you do that again, you are going to kill us all, you moron!" Zach struggled to scream out the end of sentence.

Willa the Witch scowled and fired another blast at him. Zach reached out and absorbed the blast in his hand. "Would you quit it?!" Zach said, leaning a metal beam for support.

The witch responded with several more blasts of Maelstrom energy, each absorbed by Zach. He felt a painful knot form in his stomach. Too much. He wondered if he absorbed enough, he would be corrupted again. Not willing to bet on it, Zach turned and fired several Maelstrom fireballs out of his hand through the wall in the building and into the rainy sky. The knot faded slightly, allowing Zach to turn around and have the witch fire an electrical streak of energy at him.

Zach quickly knocked the blast down and fired another fireball that Willa the Witch tossed through the entire floor of the building, causing the building to shudder and groan in agony as more of its supports were destroyed. Zach growled, growing angrier. The witch cackled madly at his visible frustration and prepared to fire another blast at him.

At that moment, several laser blasts struck near Willa the Witch. She gasped and formed a protective shield around her, deflecting the rest of the fire. At that point, Zach could see at least Shadow, Viper, Digger, Andrew, and Dr. Cyborg jump down to the floor, weapons raised at the Fright Knight witch.

"More agents?" The witch sneered, rising higher into the air to the tip of her hair almost brushed against the ceiling. "So be it!" Willa the Witch spun in the air, waving her wand. A circle of Maelstrom energy shot out from around her and struck ever agent present and caused even more damage.

Zach laid on the ground, his head spinning and throbbing dully against his skull. As he pulled himself to his feet, he could see the other agents doing the same. The witch was screaming in anger as she looked at her wand.

"Why aren't you dead?" Willa complained angrily, almost like a child. "That blast should have killed you all! You should be dead! Why aren't you dead!" Zach looked at the witch's wand again. The crack on her wand had a weak glow to it and it seemed to growing. The wall of Maelstrom energy Willa had thrown at him that he had reflected earlier had severely damaged her wand. Her power was weakening.

Zach cracked his knuckles. He had back up now and the witch's power was weakened severely. He smirked coldly. The odds had been evened.

"Euh, that's why I hated working in Castle Cove," Digger muttered quietly as he recovered from Willa's blast. "Too unpredictable."

"Well, they may know a lot about magic," Andrew replied, "but I'm betting that they couldn't handle combat especially in a state of mind like hers. She seems to be losing it."

"Her wand seems busted from the blast I threw back at her," Zach added. "I'd say the odds are more even for us now."

"That would make her nothing more than a particularly strong pest that needs exterminating," said Shadow. "Spread out, we'll overwhelm her with numbers."

The stairway walls, along with several other walls on the tenth floor, were extremely blown out by the fight, making it easy for Andrew and the rest of his Dino Attack colleagues to split up and take cover. Screeching mad, Willa took after them.

Andrew took cover behind an only-just stable column and took a look at what the witch did. She first went after Dr. Cyborg, appearing to be acting on the instinctual "Magic vs. Science" grudge. The scientist was resisting most of her weaker Maelstrom blasts thanks to his cybernetic build, and was throwing EMP Sonic Screamer shots at her when she was leaving herself open. Resisting the blasts and focusing her attention on the cyborg robbed her awareness long enough for Andrew to take a shot at her with his laser rifle, barely missing her but at least taking her hat off.

"You dare take off my hat?!" Willa cried. "YOU MUST DIE!"

She threw a fireball at him, which Andrew jumped out of the way of. The blast hit the column he was behind, putting a dent and scorch mark in it, but not leaving it destroyed or on fire. The weakening of her wand and good fireproofing could be thanks for that.

In a rage, Willa flew at Andrew, but was knocked to the side as a Z-1 Kinetic Launcher shot was made at her, and the witch barely held onto her broom. Viper stepped closer from behind a desk of a ruined dormitory room and took another shot. Willa was ready for this one, and managed to make another protective shield as she got back on her broom. Andrew noted that she was knocked back slightly even with the shield, the blast managing to pierce it slightly.

"Hey, remember me?" Zach cried out to Willa near the stairway. She turned and screamed again as she fired several Maelstrom blasts at him. In the moment Zach deflected them out the hole in the stairway roof, a Cosmotronic Ray hit Willa squarely in the chest, stunning her long enough for Viper to hit her again and knock the witch right off her broom. The enchanted cleaning tool floated for only a moment before it fell to the floor.

"I never miss!" Digger cried out as he came charging for the broom. Willa reacted quickly, hitting him with a fireball he only barely managed to jump under. The only damage was fire catching on the back of his uniform, which he made a quick effort to roll over to smother. However, this left him vulnerable to a Maelstrom blast that knocked him several feet away.

Willa cackled again and turned to grab her broom, only to be hit by Andrew's laser rifle fire, Shadow's Sonic Screamer, Dr. Cyborg's EMP Screamer, and Viper's Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. With a cry of pain, she was knocked to the ground again, though her hand still had a tight grip on her wand, in spite of its weakened state.

Shadow approached her broom and grabbed it. As the witch got up, she barely noticed the other agents having her guns drawn on her as she watched the Founding Member glare at her and split the broom in two on his knee.

"Welcome back down to Earth, witch," said Shadow.

*****

Magma glared at the battle before him, as if by observing it intently enough he would be able to change it. Unfortunately, the observer effect didn't actually work like that, but at this point Magma would be willing to try pretty much anything.

Specs's order had just come over the comm line. They had lost. Dino Attack was giving up… or was it? They were evacuating everyone and preparing some sort of superweapon in what little was left of Dino Attack HQ.

The Iron Hammer had fought well, and accounted for many a Mutant Dino, but it simply had not been enough. Maybe if they had finished work on the hangar bays, if they had had a few more of these ships, if the Voltage had been there… maybe then, but as it stood, they simply did not have enough firepower.

A handful of T-1 Typhoons had formed up around the airship, seeking shelter. Certainly, every Dino in range was much more likely to attack the massive, deadly airship than much smaller helicopters.

The rest of the vehicles were either clustering around HQ, buying time, or were fleeing.

Then, Magma spotted a lone T-1 Typhoon emerge from the cloud of vehicles still around HQ and dive into the enemy swarms. Just when he was sure it would be destroyed, it dove back out of the Pterosaur swarms, cutting a path through them with radar rays. It circled back to the tower, and then emerged again for another potentially suicidal attack.

He thought he recognized something in that maneuver, something... well, he barely dared to hope. But before he could open a channel to the pilot, his attention was abruptly occupied by a large Pterosaur swarm attempting to knock the airship out of the sky.

*****

Coral - Glacier - cursed his bravado.

Once upon a time, he would have retreated, left the battle, and joined the winning faction. Once upon a time, he would have lived to fight another day.

Why had he decided to throw his life away? It wasn't as if one T-1 Typhoon would do much good against the enemy they now faced, and even if it did, there was no guarantee Specs, Reptile, and the rest would actually be able to do anything.

He had done it, he realized, because if the Mutant Dinos won there would not be another day to live for. It would be the beginning of the end of all life on the LEGO Planet.

But there was more to it than that… after dozens of years of essentially being on the run, of not knowing who he truly was, of living an… empty life, he was tired.

He hadn't accomplished much. He had done a few minor deeds for Alpha Team back in the day, but what had that actually accomplished, in the great war on Ogel? Probably not much.

And as for the Pirates? Well, there, he had done a bit more, yes. But for what? They had saved the LEGO Planet from Skeleton Pirates so it could be destroyed by Mutant Dinos. And in the process, he had had some fun, some nice adventures… but it all seemed so meaningless in retrospect.

So Glacier had decided to stay, to fight, to buy Reptile and the others precious time to get the Einstein Device online.

Suddenly, as he dove back into the enemy for the third time, a panel sparked. Alarms went off in the cockpit. He glanced at the control panel. It looked like a T-Rex strike had destroyed his PLARXX Radar Ray control. Which meant…

He realized exactly what it meant as a dozen Pterosaurs divebombed his T-1 Typhoon. The vehicle was simply not maneuverable enough to survive that kind of an assault.

To his credit, Glacier managed to bring the vehicle to the relative safety of Dino Attack HQ, where a few others targeted and wiped out the Pterosaurs behind him. But he couldn't prevent the crash, and that, in the end, was what did it.

*****

Magma stared grimly as the T-1 Typhoon that he had been watching dropped to the ground. "Open a channel to that downed vehicle, now!" he ordered in a tone even harsher than usual.

Cee-Dee, fortunately, obeyed without question.

"This is Alpha Team Special Agent Magma…. Are you… are you alive?" he asked, hesitantly.

A grim chortle that turned into a cough came back over the line. "Not for long, Magma."

"So it is you," he breathed. "Glacier…"

"Yes, you finally found me, didn't you," his brother replied over the line. "And now you'll lose me yet again."

"We can send people to get you out of there, we can use the teleportation systems…"

"No," Glacier said quietly but firmly. "Don't waste the time trying to save me - I don't want to be saved! Besides… personal's not the same as important… you have to win, don't lose because you pulled out to... 'rescue' me."

Magma blinked rapidly. "Then, then… please, Glacier, you are forgiven. You are forgiven… be at peace."

There was a soft noise, then nothing but silence for a few minutes, after which Cee Dee respectfully closed the channel.

The tears that had begun to form in Magma's eyes were outpaced by sudden fury.

His brother was dead. His brother, a rogue who, once upon a time, he had spent years hunting, was now dead - Magma's last link to his life before Alpha Team, one of the last people who had known who Magma really was, underneath the hardened Alpha Team agent - dead. Dead, at the hands of some oversized lizard and failed genetics experiment. Dead, before Magma could have tried to reconcile with him.

He'd known Coral was serving with the Dino Attack Team, and he was pretty sure that Coral and his brother were one and the same. But he had been far too busy coordinating Alpha Team's role in various Dino Attack-related operations to approach him... and now, it was too late.

Several minutes passed before Magma next spoke, and when he did, he sounded eerily emotionless. "We're going to Dino Attack HQ, and we are going to buy the Dino Attack Team time to activate their device. I don't care if we have to single-handedly fight every single thing on the planet to make it happen - we're going to make it happen."

The crew did not object to his orders, instead getting right to work as they steered the Iron Hammer towards the base.

"They are going to pay for this," Magma added quietly. And this was much worse than the normal way in which he simply shouted at people angrily. Much, much worse.

*****

Willa the Witch was surrounded. Any sane person would surrender. However, when one is influenced by the Darkitect, "sane" is not an accurate adjective for said one. Before the witch died, she wanted to kill someone. Anyone. Acting again upon the aforementioned "Magic vs. Science" grudge, that someone turned out to be Dr. Cyborg.

She quickly raised her arm and shot a larger-than-normal Maelstrom fireball at Dr. Cyborg. Given that there were a few yards between Willa and everybody else, he had time to react. He dropped his EMP Sonic Screamer and caught the sphere of Maelstrom. Normally, when the Maelstrom touched his hand, it would have been absorbed into his body. But, acting on a theory he thought of in the Maelstrom Temple but was never able to test, he activated his shield generator.

He directed the field to the palm of his hand, and used it to suspend the Maelstrom above his palm. He swung his arm back around and threw it at Willa. She tried to absorb it into her wand, but it was too much. With a snap, the crack in her wand began to grow... 

*****

Minerva Fabello and Holly Vinyaya were driving at the wrecked vehicle that Oswald Fabello was hiding behind at a fast pace. The Fire Hammer easily tossed away the vehicle as they collided, causing little damage to the jeep itself. Unfortunately, Oswald was nowhere to be found. Minerva quickly turned her head and saw her brother rising from the ruins of a building, his weapon raised.

"Duck!" Minerva yelled. They hadn't rolled up the passenger side window, so bullets began to fly through the cab and over their heads. Vinyaya swore irritably and blindly drove out Oswald's firing range.

As Minerva raised her head, she saw Oswald screaming in anger in the side mirrors. He fired his gun, striking an agent driving a Steel Sprinter. Oswald jumped onto the ATV and started to chase after the Fire Hammer.

There was no real doubt. He wouldn't stop until he killed Minerva. She herself had no idea what was driving her to face him, but she knew she had to. Her arm stung from where one of Oswald's bullets grazed her. She still didn't know if she had the nerve to kill him, but she would at least incapacitate him. Holding a Sonic Screamer she found in the Fire Hammer, Minerva pointed it out the window behind her and fired several shots. Oswald swerved out of the way of the sonic blasts and fired several rounds at Minerva's door as he continued to gain on her.

"Use the Xenon Launcher!" Vinyaya barked, turning sharply. The Fire Hammer skidded hard before it stopped, facing Oswald. Minerva turned to the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher and began firing at Oswald, intending only to destroy his vehicle.

Oswald screamed again and drove around the blasts with ease. He fired his machine gun at the windshield, causing sufficient enough cracks to blind Vinyaya. "MegaBloking MegaBloks!" Vinyaya growled. She slammed the gas pedal and started to drive toward Oswald. Minerva saw what Oswald would do and came up with her own idea to counter it. Gripping the Sonic Screamer tightly, Minerva pulled the door handle, loosening it.

"Fabello!" Vinyaya snapped. "What are you doing?"

Oswald drove to the ride side, passing by Minerva's door. She threw the door open and dove at her brother. They both flew from the Steel Sprinter and hit the hard pavement. Minerva was quickly on her feet, ignoring the pain emitting from her body and began firing the Sonic Screamer at her brother.

Oswald rolled away and fired his much more lethal weapon at her. Minerva dove behind a mailbox to use as cover and began to fire several retaliating shots. One shot found its mark, striking Oswald in the chest. Oswald screamed in pain, dropping the weapon to clutch his ears. As he fell to his knees, Minerva began to slowly approach him, never lowering her weapon. When she was a yard away from him, she whispered gently, "Oswald?"

She was stepping back as soon as she said the words. Oswald's arm swung at her as he rose to his feet. His face showed he was very clearly in pain from the sonics, but was ignoring the urge to fall into unconsciousness to attack Minerva. She clutched her stomach with one hand as Oswald spun his knife in his palm. He had sliced at her stomach and had torn her uniform. Minerva could feel the skin underneath. Looking at her hand, she saw small traces of fresh blood on it. She looked back to the knife, an undeniable rage growing in her stomach. She hated that weapon. Excluding her mother, everyone in her family had fallen because of a blade. Now, Oswald intended to have her join Isaac and Tod, but she wouldn't have it.

She ran toward him. Knocking his knife arm away, Minerva punched him hard in the face. Oswald stumbled back and gave Minerva shock looked before charging at her as well. Minerva slammed her Sonic Screamer into Oswald's arm, but not before he delivered his own punch into her cheek. Her mouth became numb quickly. She stared at Oswald, her eyes growing wide. She knew he was trying to kill her, but being physically attacked by him had still shocked her.

Minerva swung her Sonic Screamer into his head. Oswald ducked and kicked Minerva's shins. She winced in pain, fighting back tears. She kicked Oswald in the stomach and fired another Sonic Screamer blast at him. Oswald howled in agony like a wild animal. His eyes were practically bulging out of his head. He lunged at Minerva's neck and gripped it tight. He brought the knife close to her throat.

"There's no hope," Oswald, his glare piercing Minerva. "We're all going to die. Nobody is safe. We're doomed."

Minerva spat into his face and kicked him hard in the gut. Oswald roared again as he released his grip upon Minerva. He swung a foot at her ankles, knocking her to the ground.

As she rose, she saw him fleeing into a ruined, tan-colored building. Minerva blinked in shock. She recognized the building. It was their old apartment they had lived in after they could no longer support living in their house thanks to Athena's insanity. She and Oswald had hidden out there for a week after the Dino Attack began, when their only concern was to survive.

Minerva felt herself running toward the building. She could hear Vinyaya yelling her name, but she ignored the Space Police officer. Her conflict with Oswald was about to come to an end. In the very building where she lived through the first week of the Dino Attack. Gripping the Sonic Screamer tightly, Minerva began to ascend the steps to the front door.

*****

"Well played, B," conceded Tempest. "Well played. It seems, now, that you win. Goodbye."

With that, the octanitrocubane in the duffel bag exploded. Both B and Tempest were launched into the air by the force of the explosion, and the building crumbled.

Gee, thought B, maybe I used too much. Aw, MegaBlok.

B pushed a button on his robotic arm, and a hook and cable shot out of it, aiming at one of the taller buildings across the street that hadn't been damaged by the explosion. It caught, and B started swinging towards the building.

Out of the frying pan, and into the... brick wall. Znap it all.

And with that, B smashed through a brick wall and slid across the floor of the second story of the building next to the diner. B lay still for a few seconds, and then sat up.

Morpheus, what the Znap did I do to you? Why am I still conscious? And... I'm not feeling anything. At all. That would be why. Let's see. Concussion: almost certainly, no broken bones? This armor saved me in that respect, but it probably crushed and bruised a lot of my internal parts. Look at this anomaly: I'm not even bleeding. I just hate to think what's going to happen when my nervous system wakes up. I better get back to base before that happens, and this time Yena won't be there to save my MegaBloking butt. Let's get up... There we go. Steady? Steady. Let's move.

B got up, and made his way to the stairwell, and then walked to the entrance of the building. He walked outside, to see a jeep drive away. The minifig inside it turned and made a rude gesture as he drove away towards the Dino Attack HQ.

"Well, this is just getting ridiculous," muttered B.

And despite what B knew he was doing to his body, he ran.

*****

Shaw stepped forward in the lab. "Do you think we should get the wounded up here?" She asked.

Hale looked at her irritably. "No, Shaw," she said. "It's too dangerous. We're not transporting the patients up thirteen floors of an unstable building, and I got a feeling Pierce will agree that it'll be safer for them where they are."

"Supposing we lose here…" said Shaw.

"They seal themselves in," replied Hale. "Take their chances underground, wait for things to cool off. When we're low on supplies, we'll come out, and start over, turn our former patients into fighting men, and this team will be reborn! At least there'll be some way to carry on our race." 

*****

Willa the Witch screeched in anger. Her hat was gone, Shadow had broken her broomstick, and her wand was splitting from the Maelstrom's power. Once the wand was gone, Willa would just be a frail, powerless, old crone.

"NYAAAAH!" Willa roared, waving her wand. The sound of cracking whips filled the air as sharp, lightning strikes of Maelstrom energy blasted Andrew, Zach, and Digger across the story.

Shadow snarled and fired his weapon rapidly. Willa disintegrated each blast, allow Dr. Cyborg and Viper to step forward and blast the witch with the EMP Sonic Screamer and Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. The witch screeched in agony as the sonics collided with her and she was thrown across the room. She spun around wildly and unleashed another massive wave of energy that threw the Elite agent and founding member to the side. As she began to walk toward them, Digger stepped up behind her.

Digger fired several Cosmotronic Ray shots at Willa the Witch. She gasped as the first shot struck her back and quickly turned and blocked the rest. She was forced to step back as the rest of the shots slammed into her shield. Scowling, Willa swung her wand at Digger. A fiery blast shot toward the Founding Member, who quickly dodged it. Willa fired another blast as he was recovering.

Zach rose to his feet and saw what was happening. Reaching his hand out, a blob of Maelstrom shot out of his hand and formed a barrier in front of Digger. Willa's Maelstrom collided with the barrier was absorbed into it.

Willa's head turned sharply toward Zach. "You!" she snarled. "I'm getting rid of you!" She waved her wand rapidly, shooting small, electric blasts of Maelstrom at Zach. He absorbed each blast with ease, raising an eyebrow all the while. Willa cackled madly and then waved her wand diagonally in front of her. Zach formed a Maelstrom shield around him. However, he was too late.

Zach grunted in pain and threw the Maelstrom barrier at the witch in anger. She flew back, screaming. Zach leaned up against a wall, clutching his stomach. He glanced down and saw a large, diagonal tear in his uniform. Placing his right hand slowly into the cut, Zach winced in pain as saw his golden hand become stained with red. "Ow," he murmured. He looked up and saw the Willa glaring at him. She laughed again and pointed her wand at Zach, only to be tackled by Shadow.

In that time, Andrew ran up to Zach. "Are you okay?" he asked, his rifle trained on the brawl between Willa and Shadow.

"I think I'll be fine," Zach grumbled. "If I had been less than a second slower in pulling up that shield, I think I'd be a lot more critical at the moment. I think a visit with a medic is in my future. Again."

"Considering how mad the witch is looking, both emotionally and mentally, she can't last much longer," Andrew said as he and Zach began to walk toward the brawl, where Dr. Cyborg, Viper, and Digger were already surrounding the fight. Zach kept his left hand over the middle of his torso. He could feel warm blood touch his hand.

They both reached the fight. Shadow was easily overpowering Willa, who was firing Maelstrom fireballs everywhere trying to strike him. "Squishy witch," Zach and Andrew said simultaneously, before smirking at each other.

Then Willa kicked Shadow in the gut and threw him off of her. As she stood back up, Willa stamped her foot on the ground irritably. "You can't defeat me!" she screamed in anger. "Impossible!" Zach could see the crack on her wand growing larger.

"Nowhere to run, witch," Digger hissed, his Cosmotronic Ray point at the witch's head as helped Shadow back to his feet.

The witch cackled madly and spun her wand in the air. Then, she slammed it into the ground, creating a massive shockwave that threw everyone off of their feet. She then began to spin her wand around herself, forming a small tornado around her.

"She's trying to escape!" Viper realized, firing his weapon. It had no effect on the witch. Zach grimaced. The witch was trying to teleport out of the battle.

Zach shot a blast of Maelstrom lightning at Willa. The lightning joined the tornado and began to unravel it. Willa the Witch howled in anger and redirected her Maelstrom at Zach, intending to kill him once at for all. They held the position for a while. No wall of Maelstrom, just one concentrated streak that bounced between them. Between that and getting cut up by her spell, Zach was beginning to drift into unconsciousness.

Then the sound of several blasts filled the room. Willa screamed again as the Dino Attack agents began to fire at her with everything they had. As he continued to hold the blast, he saw Dr. Cyborg gesturing to him. Zach nodded in realization.

Zach turned his hand slightly and directed the blast in Dr. Cyborg's direction, who began to absorb the blast. Willa the Witch gasped as she cancelled the strike. With the Maelstrom energy in tow, Dr. Cyborg fired one large fireball at the witch. Zach threw his own Maelstrom fireball. The two fireballs, plus the firepower from surrounding Dino Attack agents charged at the witch Willa the Witch attempted to form a shield to block the fireballs. However, Dr. Cyborg and Zach's attacks were clearly too much. There was an audible crack, then a fiery purple ball surrounded Willa the Witch.

As the smoke cleared, the Dino Attack agents saw Willa Hylia Izralda lying in a heap next to a wall, her wand completely shattered. Digger approached the hag and examined her quickly. "She's still alive. Guess she has enough magic to keep her alive from that. But unconscious. I don't think she'll be much of a problem anymore."

Zach breathed a sigh of relief. He was extremely disorientated from the whole experience and was still bleeding, but that could be dealt with.

"Good," Shadow grumbled, lifted the unconscious witch on to his shoulders. "Now, how about getting back to work on that Einstein Device, eh?"

"Sure, but I'd better get some stairs built," said Andrew, making sure Zach was alright as he moved off to collect a loose 2x4 brick from the rubble. "Willa sure did a number with the old ones."

With some help from Digger and Dr. Cyborg for gathering parts, Andrew managed to quickly build the group a simple 2X6-stud stairway back up to the thirteenth floor. The brick size made the steps a little bit tall and hard to walk up, but the team was able to manage. Within a few minutes, they had returned to the lab.

"Zach!" Hotwire said when they arrived. "Glad to see you managed to get out of-oh!"

"It's nothing," said the LEGO Islander. "I just need..." He wobbled a bit from the strain the loss of blood was giving him. He had only a makeshift bandage from a piece of Willa's skirt Shadow had torn off for him. "... I just need a bit of medical help."

"I'm on it," said Shaw, quickly coming to Zach's side and guiding him away to some First Aid supplies. "Finally, I have something to do."

"Well done helping him out, agents," said Specs to the returned arrivals. He moved to a table under a makeshift tarp, shielding it from the rain coming in from the open roof, and gently placing the Einstein Device upon the table. "Zach, I want you to listen while Shaw's treating you; this is very, very important."

"I'm all ears, I haven't lost one of those yet," Zach remarked as Shaw was applying treatment to his wound.

"Very well." Specs began talking in a low and serious voice, and, in a bit of forethought, had Dr. Cyborg project his words on a side of the table for Hertz to read. "Agents, you've all fought long and hard these past few months, and I understand how some of you may not be taking well to the news that we are close to defeat. I know people like Semick are preferring to risk it all to keep most of the Mutant Dinos at bay for the time being. I wish him, and all our agents and allies, the best of luck in that, though I doubt we have much left."

Specs gestured to the device. "As you might've heard or deducted, this is indeed the Einstein Device, renamed from the Doctor Device after the sacrifice of our dear friend Frank. We've worked on it for months now, as a last resort to try and stop the Mutant Dinos. We've designed it to strike the creatures via the Maelstrom in the body, to eliminate it and effectively nullify the threat they pose. However... in spite of all our work, we still haven't managed to completely negate a risk that could result in the elimination of all the Creative Sparks within the bodies of everyone within a mile of the area.

"It's not perfect, but with Mutant Dinos intruding our base, Dr. Rex made nigh-invincible by the Darkitect, and our building a shell of its former glory, we have no other choice. Furthermore, one of us…" Specs didn't look at anyone, but Andrew noticed Viper twitch uncomfortably. "… accidentally armed it in a premature attempt to hit the enemy. So we have three time limits on us: How long the base can stand, when the Mutant Dinos reach us, and when the device detonates.

"This is where you all come in. Neither I, nor many of us Founding Members, have worked closely with you to a major extent during this war. And we've sometimes done things in the team's best interests that have been quite hurtful for some of you." Andrew noticed Rex and Reptile shift uncomfortably. "But that doesn't change the fact that we know you're the best our team has to offer, and that you've contributed much to our effort against the Mutant Dinos. Be it simply helping your teammates in times of need, keeping each other informed and connected, being a fantastic leader, helping us uncover our true enemies in the war themselves, or simply surviving and contributing to countless missions, you've earned every single bit of praise and notoriety you have among us, and the rest of the world."

An inhuman roar came from somewhere in the battlefield outside. "Now let's speed this up," Specs said as he moved over to a workbench to grab a box of instruments and tools. "Elite Agents, comrades, friends, this is our final challenge. I want you all to help us tweak, fix, perfect, and prepare the Einstein Device for use against the Mutant Dino army, or at least Dr. Rex. With all of your own skills and styles, I believe we can make it work better than what our scientists could do on their own."

"As well as work out a way to be able to actually take it to him without interference," said Viper. "Though I'd suggest you remember that we're going to be involved with it as much as you are. After all, I'll never get a shot like this again..."

"And besides, it's now or never," Shadow added. "So do you think you're ready for this?"

Andrew gulped. This was indeed a great burden being placed upon them. Perhaps the greatest one they would ever have. After a second's hesitation though, he nodded. And his fellow agents quickly followed suit.

"Good," said Specs, with a hint of a smile showing in his balaclava. "Now let's get to work. Come over and look at this Device, and see what you make of it."

*****

Carrie Enderson winced slightly as a needle poked through her skin.

"Calm down," Copper said as he proceeded. "It'll hurt like MegaBlokland for a while, but you'll live. No serious tissue damage." Finally, the thread was cut, and Copper stepped away. "Try not to walk too hard on that leg. Maybe get some rest here."

Carrie nodded. She was surprised to see Pierce approach them. "How's she doing?" he asked.

"Some minor tissue damage," reported Copper. "Could have been worse. Some minor scarring, but she'll be alright. What about the other one, Montgonel?"

"He'll live," replied Pierce. "If they'd waited any longer, he wouldn't have made it this far. We've stabilized him and stopped the bleeding. All we can do is wait and keep an eye on him, which Crusher's doing right now. That reminds me: you haven't seen Shaw, Carver, or Hale, have you?"

"Not since they left to check for wounded," said Copper.

Pierce paused for a moment and sighed. "Great," he muttered. "Where the heck did they get to now? Do we have a radio in here?"

"There's one over there," replied Copper, pointing toward some equipment in the back of the room. "I don't know if you can make it work down here, but you can try it."

As instructed by Copper, Pierce sat down at the radio, remembering a bit of his last time using one on Adventurers' Island. He fiddled around with the knobs while speaking into the microphone. "This is Doctor Alan Pierce, calling from our relocated hospital. We are missing three of our staff: Doctors Crusher, Shaw, and Carver. Has anyone seen any of them? Over."

*****

Shaw silently mouthed something as Zach lay on the floor. There wasn't much she could do with what little she had - mainly, just trying to stop the bleeding and bandage up the wound. "There's not much more I can do," she said. "You sure you don't want to go to the sickbay and get assistance?"

Zach simply nodded.

Shaw slowly got to her feet and stepped back. Slowly she walked up to the table where everyone was working on the device. Hale was by the door, clearly frustrated by the distraction. Among the crowd, Shaw quickly noticed the familiar face of Carver. They exchanged glances for a moment, but the situation at hand kept them from any real conversation

Kate, meanwhile, looked at the Einstein Device in awe. "So small," she said to herself.

"And yet it's the most powerful weapon here," Dr. Cyborg said comfortingly to Kate. "It's proof that even the smallest thing can be important and make a difference."

Kate agreed, and started to look more encouraged. She started smiling slightly.

Just as everyone was congregating around the Einstein Device, the door sizzled and was broken through. A medium group of Mutant Lizards came into the room.

As most people were starting to draw their weapons, Dr. Cyborg said, "I've got this. Keep working on the Einstein Device."

He walked towards the Lizards. His visor slid down and locked into place. Purple lines started glowing on his skin and arm cannon where his power conduits were, and his visor glowed purple as well. He raised his cannon, yelled "Hypermode!" and started shooting. Every hit killed a Lizard, even hits in the arms, legs, or tail. His shots had a distinct purple cast to them.

"Oh, clever," Zach murmured to Specs, who was also watching the fight.

"What's clever?" Specs asked.

"Earlier, when we were fighting Willa the Witch, I deflected a Maelstrom blast at him. He absorbed it, reformed it, and shot it at Willa. However, he apparently kept some in his body and sealed it off with Imagination. He allows it to regenerate at a fixed rate. He takes some, metabolizes it into a different form, and powers his weaponry with it. Like I said, this 'Hypermode' idea of his is clever."

The last of the Mutant Lizards were dead. Dr. Cyborg went to the door. He shot the stairs out. The purple light faded from him, and he shifted out of combat mode. "Let's get to work," he said.

"So what is the plan, then?" Kate asked.

"We'll need a few of you to go back into the field," replied Specs. "Keep the dinosaurs at bay. Shaw, since you're here, you might as well help, or perhaps you can get back into the basement and start moving the patients up."

"That's going to be risky," Shaw said. "I don't think Pierce will allow it." 

*****

The Maelstrom Dragon howled in pain as Kareem Nazareno dug one of his katanas into its hide. Hanging on to the golden weapon, Nazareno flipped himself upward onto the back of the dragon and pulled his sword from the dragon. From this vantage point, he could see how the other three were fairing.

Solomon Koplowitz and Zelda Frodongan were spread out, striking against waves of Mutant Dinos that threatened to overwhelm them and continue their charge for Dino Attack Headquarters. One Mutant T-Rex lay dead from the combined prowess of Koplowitz, Frodongan, Darkling, and Nazareno. Zelda cut through the throat of a Mutant Raptor before turning to join Solomon in taking on the last Mutant T-Rex.

Nazareno then turned his head and saw Blaire Darkling facing the other Maelstrom Dragon. Despite being a rather bulky man, Darkling was quick, dodging the dragon's short blasts of purple flames while managing to get close enough to cut up its legs with his Paradox Shinobi katanas.

Nazareno looked away from Blaire and grabbed onto one of the dragon's scales as it began to thrash around, attempting to throw the space ninja away. He scowled and ran along the massive, fire-breathing lizard's neck, making deep cuts as he went. The dragon bellowed in anger before bowing down and leaping into the air, its mighty wings flapping. Nazareno flinched and swung both his katanas into the dragon's back and clung on tight. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see the same Blaire being lifted into the air by the dragon.

The space ninja jerked his katanas to the left. The dragon bellowed in agony, turned toward its partner, and fired a stream of purple flames. The other dragon roared and released Blaire. Throwing one sword to the ground, Blaire used a free hand to grab the dragon's talons and hoist himself on to its body.

"Thank you, Nazareno," Blaire called out, his polite atmosphere not hiding his irritation. "For trying to get me roasted alive."

"Shut up and cut their wings!" Nazareno snapped. Pulling his katanas from the dragon's back, Nazareno edge slowly toward the right wing, which was blowing gusts of air at him. Using a katana as an anchor again, Nazareno used the other to tear a hole into the wing.

The dragon screamed and began to spin in air. Nazareno stabbed his other sword into the dragon as spun. To his luck, the katanas didn't slide out of the dragon's skin as Nazareno bumped against the dragon's back as he spun. Finally, the Maelstrom Dragon straightened back out, with its right wing flapping more frantically.

"Excellent work, Nazareno," Blaire called from his dragon. "You taught a dragon how to do a barrel roll. Unfortunately, I'm not really up for teaching that to my dragon."

"It's the only way we're going to get back to the ground in one piece! Now do it!"

Blaire shrugged and began to swing his katana through the dragon's wings with wide, sweeping motions. Nazareno did the same. Despite the wing speeding up, the dragon began to descend rapidly. Nazareno nodded curtly to Blaire and both leaped from their respective dragon's backs.

Nazareno rolled on to the ground as the Maelstrom Dragons crashed into several buildings, leveling them completely. Nazareno then ran toward the downed dragons and quickly killed them with several well-placed strokes. As he leapt from a dragon's head, he saw Blaire walking toward him, adjusting his trenchcoat and flipping his wet hair out of his eyes, a smirk on his face. None of his katanas were in sight.

"Excellent work, Nazareno," Blaire noted, looking to the two dragons. "Perhaps you should consider joining the Nexus Force? Or should I say, should've."

It was quickly apparent as to what Blaire was speaking about to Nazareno. And he was talking about there being no hope in winning the battle. Pointing both katanas at Blaire, Nazareno's eyes narrowed. "I knew you wouldn't let me go."

Blaire laughed coldly, crossing his arms behind his back as he flipped his hair again. "You haven't lost your touch, Kareem. I'm glad you knew I was going to finish our little grudge."

Nazareno's swords didn't lower. "I had expected you to make some level of change in these past three years, but I've personally been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"Let me assure you, Nazareno. I have changed. I aligned XERRD with the Dino Attack Team, have I not? My second-in-command is one of your elite agents. I do want to save this planet, but..." Blaire shuddered involuntarily as he and Nazareno began to circle each other, the latter never averting his eyes. "Matthew Vherestorm wants one last crack at his old adversary. One last loose end, and he will finally be laid to rest." Blaire shrugged. "Truthfully, you brought this upon yourself by showing your... ah... mask to me."

"Let me assure you, Darkling," Nazareno hissed, "you'll never get that opportunity to truly discard Vherestorm if you decide to fight. I will see to it that you will never roam this universe again. Even if you kill me and escape, you will be hunted to the end of the world."

Blaire laughed again. "Really, Nazareno? So confident that, if you die, they'll immediately pin it on me? Fortunately, I have already anticipated this. Let's see...you, Virchaus, Fabello, Frodongan, the space cop, and a few more agents. All can be easily dispatched after I've finished you. Make it look like the Mutant Dinos got to them. Maybe one got stabbed by a Fright Knight. Another shot by an Inferno agent. I don't really care. I'll deal with XERRD's crimes. Vherestorm's crimes were always meant to be buried."

Nazareno stared at his former rival coldly. "From what I'm hearing, Matthew Vherestorm is still in power and using Blaire Darkling as a mask," he countered.

Blaire's posture shifted dramatically. He placed his gloved hands inside of his trenchcoat. Other than his small frown, he gave nothing away of his emotions. "Believe whatever you wish, Kareem. It won't matter in a few moments." In that instant, the two Shinobi swords shot out of Blaire's trenchcoat and landed in his hands. He placed the bottom of each hilt together, cause a small click. Spinning the double-bladed katana is his hand, Blaire made one step toward Nazareno. "I've made a few upgrades to Paradox's technology, if you can't already tell. Now, let's finish our little rivalry, once and for all."

Nazareno nodded before lunging forward, his katanas raised, finally ready to defeat his most powerful opponent.

*****

After Dr. Cyborg dispatched the Mutant Lizards, Rex overheard Specs whispering to Digger while rubbing his forehead: "To be honest, I'll be glad once this war is over to return to a normal life. At heart, after all, I am only a scientist. Hopefully, once the war ends, I'll be able to conduct even greater studies of the remaining Mutant Dinos rather than having to worry about the entire team resting on my shoulders."

"We do have an impressive team," murmured Shadow, as he glanced out at the battlefield.

"They do me proud," said Specs, nodding. "I was hoping to reduce the casualties of this battle and increase their chances of survival, which is why I ordered the rookies and suggested that the standards evacuate immediately. Instead, they have shown only the greatest bravery and dedication to our cause. It may be a foolish choice, and it may be the last decision they ever make... but I cannot help but feel proud of them."

Clearing his throat, Specs raised his voice to a more audible level as he announced that, due to his technological engineering background, he would assist the other elite agents in helping to design the Einstein Device in any way that he could. However, Shadow, Viper, and Digger (who, although he was a paleontologist, was not a technician and enjoyed the thrill and excitement of battle) would assist other elite agents such as Rotor in defending Dino Attack Headquarters.

Rex sighed. "I'm neither a scientist nor a technician," he declared, "and so I am of no use to anyone here if I'm sitting here wasting my time while the rest of you are working on the Einstein Device. With all due respect, I believe it would be best if I rejoined the battlefield. We need every hand we can get to destroy those abominations."

The other Dino Attack agents traded glances. Many of them were put off by Rex's sudden change in character, and it worried them to see a respected elite agent in this state. Then, Dr. Cyborg stepped forward, with a concerned expression on the organic half of his face. His robotic eye scanned Rex's body, and Dr. Cyborg frowned. "Rex," he said, "there's a dangerous level of Maelstrom energy in your body. It's... not enough to infect you or anything, but it's potentially lethal to your system."

Digger coughed, a little nervously. Specs took notice and narrowed his eyes, while others raised their eyebrows in surprise at Dr. Cyborg's revelation. "I don't believe that this is the work of Attila Huntsman?" Digger inquired.

Rex shook his head as he clenched his teeth. "No, it's not. For once, that cowardly traitor did not have a hand in this. You know whose fault this is? This is the fault of that armored abomination who is now leading an army of monsters to kill us all. And where has this foolish experiment of his gotten him? Possessed by the MegaBloking Darkitect! It's his fault, and he's going to pay for it!"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Dr. Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "I fear it might be too late for even me to extract it. Maybe with Zachary's help..."

Zachary looked down at the bandages on his stomach. His battle against Willa the Witch had weakened him, and he did not know if he could extract the Maelstrom energy from Rex's body. Still, now that Dr. Cyborg had pinpointed its source, he could feel its presence.

"I don't need your help," snorted Rex. "That's all everyone ever wants to do - help someone because they pity them. Well, I don't need anyone's pity right now! Pity is not going to slay every last one of those Mutant Dinos! Get back to work and focus on that Einstein Device!"

"Rex," Zachary said in an attempt to rationalize Rex's behavior, "this isn't you talking. The Darkitect is trying to stir your irrational emotions-"

"Listen to me, Rex!" insisted Dr. Cyborg. "This is dangerous! If we cannot get that Maelstrom out of your body, then you... then you might die!"

"Then so be it!" snapped Rex. "Let me die!"

Rex began to wheel himself towards the exit of the lab, but Greybeard stepped in the way and blocked his path. "Belay that!" barked the old pirate. "Ye be stayin' 'ere!"

Although his tone was harsh, Greybeard masked empathy towards Rex. To be young and think yer life be over with the death of yer dearly beloved, thought Greybeard. It feels like only yesterday.

"Looks like we're headin' back in the field, then," Rotor said. "No problem boys. I'll take anyone who can still walk and shoot straight. Cabin, you coming with me?"

Cabin nodded. "I'll fly with you."

Rotor smiled. "You know what you're getting into."

"Yes," replied Cabin. "The same thing we've been doing for months. I kept your back on Adventurers' Island, you think I'm going to ditch you now?"

Rotor put his arms around her shoulders. Quickly they put their arms around each other and pulled themselves tightly, their lips interlocking in a powerful kiss.

She soon pulled herself away, though. "We got a job to do," she said.

"Indeed, we do," agreed Rotor.

"I'll go with you," Mac said from nearby.

"Same here," added Lance. "You're going to need a gunner out there."

"Very good," replied Rotor. "Specs, I just need you to tell us what to do and we'll get the job done for you!"

*****

Minerva entered the lobby of her old apartment. It looked the same as it did when the Dino Attack first began. Overturned chairs, gaping holes in the walls, and rubble everywhere. She slowly walked through, her Sonic Screamer raised. Oswald was hiding somewhere. He was here, waiting and watching for her.

An angry yell echoed through the lobby as Oswald Fabello jumped from behind the front desk, his knife raised. Minerva quickly stepped out of the way as Oswald dug his knife into the floor. Standing up and pocketing the knife, Oswald pulled a small handgun from his Dino Attack uniform.

Minerva flinched and ran out into the hallway as Oswald fired several bullets in her direction. She launched her own sonic attacks in his direction, but once again, he ignored the pain. What does he hope to achieve by killing me if he thinks we're all going to die anyway? Oswald was clearly unable to rationally think anymore.

Minerva ducked into a room as more bullets whizzed past her head. She slowed her breathing and waited for Oswald to arrive. She didn't wait long. Oswald burst into the room and swung his knife at Minerva. She backed away and kicked his stomach. Oswald howled and tackled her to the ground.

"It's over, Minnie!" Oswald growled, the knife shaking in his hand as he pinned Minerva to the ground. "We're all going to die anyway, might as well just accept it."

Minerva felt the same pit of boiling anger rise in her again. "Don't you-" Minerva threw her brother off of her. "-ever call me-" Minerva punched Oswald square in the nose before wrapping his head into her arms. "-that Znapping name again!" Minerva punched him hard in the stomach before throwing him against a wall.

Oswald went through sheetrock and fell into the next room. Picking up her Sonic Screamer, Minerva stepped into the next room, only to get punched in the cheek by Oswald. He grabbed the collar of her Dino Attack uniform and slammed her against a wall. He then gripped Minerva's forehead and slammed it against the wall multiple times.

Disorientated, Minerva suddenly found herself in a flashback. A small, dark-haired toddler was wrestling with her much older, blond-haired brother. They were rolling on the floor, laughing as they tried to overtake one another. In the background was a blonde-haired woman, who was making sure nobody got hurt. She was smiling and laughing as she watched her children play.

Snapping back to reality, Minerva punched Oswald in the chest, sending him stumbling back. They were fighting, but unlike when they were both children, Athena Fabello was dead and Oswald was trying to kill Minerva. Minerva picked up her Sonic Screamer and blasted Oswald again before retreating out of the room to the stairwell.

Oswald's angry screams echoed throughout the entire building as Minerva shuffled past rubble and other debris as she reached the second floor; the floor where Oswald and Minerva had lived. Minerva could hear Oswald stomping up the stairs. Minerva continued to run until she found it: their apartment.

Minerva ducked into their old living space. It was torn up and in ruins, like any other building. Minerva could vaguely see an old, dusty photograph of herself, Oswald, and Tod as she passed into the kitchen. Oswald unleashed another roar, followed by the sound of three gunshots as he ran through the hallway.

Minerva shuffled through old cooking materials. Her Sonic Screamer wasn't going to knock him out, so she would have to work with something else. As she threw open cupboards that were barely on their hinges, Minerva saw a frying pan. A bit clichéd. Probably somewhat sexist, but she didn't care. She picked it up and turned to confront Oswald when she saw him standing in the kitchen his knife raised.

Minerva swung the frying pan as hard as she could at Oswald. He bellowed in pain as her pan collided with his knife hand, throwing the knife back into the living room. She was about to swing into his head when his other hand shot out and grabbed the frying pan and threw it away from the both of them. Oswald's fist then connected with the side of Minerva's head.

Minerva fell to her knees. Her entire world was spinning from both Oswald's blows and the blood loss from cut he had made across Minerva's stomach earlier. Minerva grunted as Oswald's foot collided with her stomach. She fell to the ground, breathing heavy. Oswald flipped her over on to her back with his foot.

Oswald glared at her, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. "It's over," he hissed, stomping his foot across her chest. Minerva gasped in pain again. She looked up at him again. She could see his gun clipped to his belt, just waiting to be pulled out and used on Minerva. This gave her an idea.

Minerva kicked Oswald in stomach with both feet. He groaned and doubled over, allowing Minerva to kick his chin sharply with her boots. With Oswald stunned, Minerva climbed back to her feet and shoved Oswald back into the living room. She hit his chest before nailing his stomach, her free hand brushing his hip briefly.

Her attacks were cut short as Oswald grabbed her hair. Screaming, Minerva felt her head get pulled up to Oswald's level. Scowling darkly, Oswald then punched Minerva underneath her chin twice before punching her cheek. He then threw her against a ruined couch.

Thankful for the soft landing, Minerva climbed back to her feet and faced Oswald, only to stop to cough out large globs of blood. Wiping her mouth, she raised her fists at Oswald.

"No more fighting," Oswald snarled. His hand reached for his belt. "You're just going to die…" He drifted off. Looking down, he saw that his gun was missing. "Where-!" He looked to Minerva. She held the gun in her hand. She pulled out the magazine and spilled the remaining bullets on the floor before throwing the gun into the kitchen.

"YOU!" Oswald screamed, pointing a shaking finger as his sister. "YOU LITTLE THIEF! I GUESS SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE, DO THEY?" Minerva was absolutely silent. She had stolen, let alone pick-pocket someone, in a long time. Unlike long before, she felt no euphoria at how easy it had been to swipe the gun. Only a sick knot in her stomach as her brother screamed at her. "I don't why I even bothered trying to save you. I should have killed you both right there. You and Mom."

Minerva scowled. "Shut up about her! You don't know anything about her!" And with that, Minerva tackled her brother to the ground and continued the fight, growing more and more willing to end her brother's life.

*****

Montoya sat down next to Carrie Enderson. Pharisee stood silently and solemnly in the back of the room. Montongel was semi-consciously lying on one of the beds.

"What happened to him?" Carrie asked as soon as Copper was out of earshot. "He ran off and then-"

"He's gone," replied Montoya. "They shot him."

Carrie slowly started to cry, trying to suppress her tears, but clearly unable to control them. "I can't believe it," she muttered.

"He tried to use you as a hostage," Montoya said. "Isn't that right?"

"No," replied Carrie, a smile briefly breaking through the tears. "It was all fake. The gun was loaded with blanks."

Montoya looked at her curiously.

"He said he loved me," Carrie continued. "I've known him for eight years, and now he's gone. I used to be his confidant. I collected information, set up meetings for him, helped him get out of jams and I still don't regret a single moment of it."

*****

As Shadow discussed their methods of attack with Rotor while Specs assisted Reptile, Dr. Cyborg, Grimton, and the others in working on the Einstein Device, Rex skulked to himself in his wheelchair. It irritated him that Dr. Cyborg was so concerned about the Maelstrom in his body that he was ignoring the hordes of Mutant Dinos, each one with Maelstrom in its body, at their doorstep. That, and the fact that Dr. Cyborg had so carelessly revealed that which Rex was trying to keep secret during Dino Attack Team's darkest hour did not improve the situation, for every now and then one of Rex's teammates would look upon him with worry, concern, or - worst of all - pity.

Greybeard had no intention of letting Rex go just yet, and Rex had a feeling that Rotor would be too stubborn to recruit a wheelchair-bound individual such as himself. Crossing his arms, Rex sat back in his wheelchair and stared off into space. That was when he noticed someone familiar standing in the darkness, with a sneer plastered on his features, and the madness in his eyes showing through the shadow cast by the wide rim of his top hat.

Rex seethed at the sight of him. Feeling his heart pounding, Rex pointed a finger at the figure and shouted: "This is all your fault! How dare you, wretched monster! You are out to make my life as miserable as in your power! Well, you've succeeded! I hope you're happy now, because it will be the last time you shall ever feel happy as long as I am alive!"

Baron Typhonus laughed in response. "Tick, tock," he echoed. "Tick, tock."

"Uh, Rex?" Rex noticed that the others were staring at him in confusion. "Who are you talking to?" Frozeen inquired as he raised an eyebrow.

"Are you all blind?" snapped Rex. "He's right there, in the shadows! Baron Typhonus, the Darkitect himself, has come here to mock me!"

"There's... no one there," said Reptile, frowning.

Dr. Cyborg looked at the shadows where Baron Typhonus stood and proceeded to scan the area with his robotic eye. "I'm not detecting any signs of any living lifeforms," he reported, "nor do I see any Maelstrom levels here. Zachary, do you feel anything?"

Zachary Virchaus shook his head in response. After one last worried glance at Rex, everyone went back to what they were doing, completely ignoring Baron Typhonus as the Darkitect gloated at Rex from the shadows.

"I'm not mad!" insisted Rex. "He's there! The sick 4+ Figure is standing there, and he's mocking me! He's been out to get me this entire time! He revived Dr. Rex! He killed Amanda! He killed..."

"Belay that, Rex," muttered Greybeard. "Thar be no one, an' I be not needin' both o' me deadlights t' see that much."

"But..." Rex trailed off, as he stared at Baron Typhonus. Was it possible that the Darkitect was not truly there? No, of course it wasn't! He could see Typhonus as clear as day! But... was it as clear as it seemed? Was it true?

Frank Einstein's words echoed in Rex's mind: "Sometimes, he would tell me that he saw a dark figure wearing a top hat in the same room as him. Sometimes, he would make such a claim while I was in the same room and could plainly see that there was no such person."

Rex's heart raced, and he clutched his chest due to the pains. But what had occurred to Rex was far worse than the physical pain. The Darkitect was there, but not actually there... rather, only in his mind. Rex was seeing things that did not truly exist, and these things were the very same things that Dr. Rex, who feel deeply into insanity after his little Maelstrom experiment, had seen.

I'm becoming more and more like Dr. Rex.

Rex continued to clutch his chest, but practically shivered as the cold realization washed over him. The anger and lust for revenge cleared from his mind as Rex whispered in terror: "Oh my Builder... I've finally gone mad." 

Andrew stared at Rex with concern, but managed to shift his focus for a moment back with the group hovering over the Einstein Device. Currently they were discussing the idea around how to ensure the safety of the effects of the device's detonation.

"Perhaps giving it so much of a range is too much of a problem," said Dr. Cyborg. "Perhaps we could narrow it down, even make it only target Dr. Rex somehow?"

"There's still the issue of the countless Mutant Dinos still out there," said Reptile. "They're not all going to stop when their 'leader' falls."

"Well, we do have to consider the effects it could have on some of our allies," Andrew added. "I mean, Zachary has Maelstrom in his system, and we still have several tamed Mutant Dinos tracked and untracked out there that've resisted the Maelstrom's influence. And there's Pterisa's situation, as well. Who knows if she and others like her can survive if the Maelstrom is suddenly purged from their system?"

"Hmm... fair point," said Specs. "I'll admit, from what I've heard from the radio, we've might've taken out a significant number of the Dinos they had to start with, and with Dr. Rex, Willa, and Inferno down, we could pretty swiftly cover the rest of the forces with the help of our allied organizations. It's risky, but if we can't make the device tell the difference between Maelstrom and Creative Spark essence, it might be in our best interest to just make its radius large enough to target one individual. One very large individual."

"The question is though," said Hotwire, "how can we do that? One does not simply wire or program a device to affect one target. It'd have to be a part of whatever energy source we're using to stop him."

"I suppose directly injecting some Maelstrom energy could make it recognize its target," said Zach, "and then we could program it like a heat-seeking missile. Only with Maelstrom, of course."

"I've done some hacking into Paradox files when I was a part of XERRD," Dr. Cyborg said. "I think it is possible to encode information into Imagination and Maelstrom. We might be able to use that to help specify which targets to affect."

"That sounds reasonable," said Andrew. "But I'm a builder, not a scientist, so what do I know? Regardless, I suppose one thing on my mind is how this bomb's going to disrupt the Maelstrom within Dr. Rex, exactly."

"From what I've gotten," said Specs, "the device should counteract with the Maelstrom in a molecular/plastic level. Very complicated with a lot of chemical, electrical, and a hint of atomic reactions. It's the best we could do without any samples of Imagination."

"Couldn't that Maelstrom cure formula I managed to pass on to the medical/science teams help?" offered Zach.

"I don't know. I don't think the scientists working on it had time to integrate it with all the plans we've been making with Dr. Einstein."

"We did work on that," Carver remarked on hearing the mention of the Maelstrom cure. "Crusher and another guy, Fuchs, managed to create a crude replication and we got it to work on Zelda."

Shaw turned toward Carver in confusion.

"It was on Adventurers' Island," Carver explained. "Maybe if it would help we could get Crusher up here! She could give you guys a hand."

"You mentioned research on the Maelstrom?" Shaw asked Carver.

"Yes," replied Carver. "It was a scientist named Fuchs. He's not here right now though."

"You think there's any record?" Shaw asked. "He must have something, notes, files, something containing everything he found."

"Though as you mention that," said Grimton, "I do wonder if it would work best if we could somehow get a sample of Imagination into it."

"I think it would be of a great help," said Reptile. "But where do you suppose we get it from?"

Grimton patted her chest. "Dr. Einstein showed us a way," she said grimly.

The conversation turned silent. Everyone knew what he meant. But no one seemed to want to speak of it further, or even think of finding a volunteer for such a solution.

"... Well," Andrew said at last, "Whatever we do with it, I suppose we might want to getting the device ready for modification. And I think we might want to start, Andrew pointed at one of the flashing lights on the device, "with perhaps disarming this thing before it goes off prematurely?"

*****

Kat hit the ground and rolled as a fireball sizzled through the space she had occupied less than a second before. She popped up into a kneeling position and battered the Mutant Lizard responsible for the incendiary assault with shots from a Sonic Screamer, retrieved from the wreck of Tracer's Vindication.

Beside her, Giles whipped one of his scarves around another Lizard's neck. It slipped out of the loop and charged. Giles interrupted its advancement with a sudden kick to the face. As the beast's neck jerked back, he dropped into a crouch with the scarf stretched out above his head. The unfortunate dinosaur brought its head back down onto the length of lethal knitting, and with one quick motion Giles slit its throat.

Helm and Epic Winston were nearby. The latter had pulled the Fire Hammer's heavy-duty Cosmotronic Ray from the wreck, and was wielding it as a handheld weapon, despite the fact that the barrel was over six feet long and nearly a foot in diameter. With his sword in his other hand, and Helm at his back with a normal-sized Cosmotronic Ray, the two were busy incapacitating Mutant Raptors.

Soon, the four of them made their way back together.

"I'd suggest we make our way back to HQ," said Kat. "Though it's not looking so great right now, it's probably one of the safer spots around here at the moment."

"I don't know about that," Giles put in. "They're looking pretty safe right now." He gestured down the street at two katana-wielding agents carving their way through dinosaurs and Fright Knights alike.

*****

"You can count on us," Rotor said eagerly in response to Shadow's instructions. "That son of a 4+ Figure Dr. Rex is going down!" 

"We should get a move on," Mac said. He turned toward the door. Rotor followed, accompanied by Lance and Cabin.

They worked their way up to the rooftop. One T-1 Typhoon was still there, and they climbed inside, Rotor taking the pilot's seat with Cabin taking her place as his co-pilot. They started up the engines and began to take off. Flying away from the base, they kept watch for anything, any agents in action; after all, that's where they'd find the mutant dinosaurs they needed to destroy.

"I think I got something," Mac said from in the back of the T-1 Typhoon. "A couple agents below us. Looks like some of them are wielding katanas or something."

"Right," replied Rotor. "Lance, open fire on the mutant dinosaurs. I'll try and get us closer!"

*****

"How long have they been gone?" Pierce asked.

"An hour, maybe," replied Copper.

"What's going on?" Crusher asked as she approached the doctors.

"Shaw, Carver, and Hale," said Copper. "They've been gone for a full hour now."

"What?" asked Crusher. "You sure they're not just delayed or maybe had to take care of a patient or som-"

"If they needed to take care of someone, one of them would at least come back to tell us," replied Pierce. "Get some assistance, a stretcher, or something."

"Well, what do we do, Pierce?" asked Copper. "We can't just leave the patients already here."

"He's right," agreed Crusher. "But we got to find them."

"We'll have to split up again," decided Pierce. "Crusher, you come with me. Copper, you and Clickitt wait here with the patients. If there's anything at all, we'll find a way to let you know!"

Quickly, Pierce turned and left the infirmary, Crusher tailing him.

*****

Nazareno swung his swords fast, knocking back and countering each of Blaire Darkling's swings. Nazareno had never encountered the former terrorist use a doubled-bladed weapon such as the one he was using now, so he was forced to adapt his style so he could hope to challenge Blaire.

Blaire was easily the most accomplished and skilled opponent that Nazareno had ever faced. Darkling worked around his larger build. His athleticism didn't match Nazareno's, but he made up for it in surprising speed and brute strength. Blaire was focusing on defend himself while Nazareno launched attack after attack.

"Just like old times, eh, Nazareno?" Blaire mocked. He spun his weapon in front of him fast enough to turn it into a dark circle with a thin purple line running through the center. It scraped the ground occasionally, showering the two combatants in orange sparks.

"Except that, in the end, you're not escaping," Nazareno said coldly. With that, he sent both his swords forward in an upward arc into Blaire's spinning weapon. Both men jerked as Nazareno held the blades' spinning with his own. He could practically see the old spark of amusement in Blaire's eyes through his reflective sunglasses as he smirked. I suppose Paradox makes these blades stronger than a standard blade.

"Believe whatever you wish, Nazareno," Blaire boasted. With that, Blaire disconnected his two katanas and continued the fight.

Nazareno knocked away one swing to the head and another to his hips. He then launched his own rapid assault against Blaire. XERRD's leader blocked each blow with relative ease, but the furiously of the attack was forcing him to step back. As Blaire parried a blow to the stomach, Nazareno launched himself into the air over Blaire. As he landed, he swung his katana at Blaire's neck. The brute turned sharply on his boat and brought one of his swords upward. His blade held Nazareno's away from his neck about an inch.

"Once again," Blaire said as he swung his other katana in a sweep motion toward Nazareno. The space ninja brought his free sword down and blocked the attack. "I'm glad to see you still have that old fire, Kareem. I would hate for this battle to be easy."

"The same to you, Blaire," Nazareno grunted before bringing his foot up sharply, connected with Blaire's stomach. Darkling gasped and shoved Nazareno's swords before taking a step back. Sloppy, Nazareno mused as he put his katanas in a defensive position. A kick? Blaire reconnected his katanas and held it out in front of him, gesturing Nazareno to continue. He obliged naturally.

As they fought, Nazareno made his attacks quicker and harder to dodge. He felt deep satisfaction in the brief look of frustration appear on Blaire's mouth. He couldn't let the XERRD leader win. Partly because of wanting to finally beat Darkling. Partly because of Blaire's threat he had made earlier. At least Andrew, Laxus, Zachary, Minerva, Holly, and Zelda knew that Blaire was Matthew Vherestorm. Darkling wanted to keep his past a secret and would murder anyone who knew. If Nazareno failed, more people would be killed. A pang of worry traveled through his body as he thought of Zelda. Now that he acknowledged his feelings for her, he couldn't let her fall victim to Blaire's attempt to cover up part of his crimes. Blaire Darkling would be defeated, one way or another.

Their swords smashed together. Blaire was holding both of Nazareno's blades back from slicing through his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, Nazareno saw a Fire Hammer drive by. Blaire smirked again as if to tell he saw it too. Blaire threw Nazareno's swords back and disconnected his katanas before making a wide, sweeping arc around him. Nazareno backflipped to dodge the blow, giving Blaire enough time turn and jump on to the back of passing Fire Hammer.

Nazareno swore silently and began to run after the jeep. Blaire climbed on top of the Fire Hammer's cab and swung his dark blades against the edge of roof, creating a storm of sparks. The Dino Attack agent in the Xenon Launcher was yelling to both the driver and Blaire. The Fire Hammer began to slow down, allowing Nazareno to jump on to the back.

"What are you two doing?!" the gunner demanded, glancing from Blaire to Nazareno.

"Never mind us," Nazareno commanded, making his voice powerful. "Just keep fighting. I'll deal with him." The agent shrugged and continued to shoot at nearby Mutant Dinos as Nazareno climbed onto the cab. Both he and Darkling swayed as the Fire Hammer drove over rubble and dino carcasses. Nazareno rolled his eyes. "You were always one for the theatrics."

Blaire chuckled. "I want to keep the both of us on our toes. And besides, if this is so theatrical, this will keep the audience on the edge of their seats!" Breaking apart his katanas, Blaire swung his blades out to attack, only to stumble as the Fire Hammer hit a bump. Nazareno swung one golden sword outward, managing to make a small cut across Blaire's chest before he recovered. Blaire snarled and wiped away a small amount of blood before delivering another attack that Nazareno accepted with his katanas.

*****

Zelda Frodongan grinned in relief as the final Mutant T-Rex of the group that had attacked her, Solomon, Nazareno, and Blaire fell. She wiped the sweat from her brow briefly before joining Solomon in fighting the rest of the dinos. Nazareno and Blaire were both dealing the Maelstrom Dragons. She had seen the two send the mystical creatures crashing into the ground a distance away and were hopefully trekking back.

She bit her lip. She didn't trust Blaire Darkling at all. He spoke of "redeeming" himself, and that may be true, but his "obsession" (as Nazareno had put it) with the space ninja may hinder that process. The former rivals were alone. They might as well be fighting to the death to settle their grudge.

She cut away a Fright Knight with ease. She was still somewhat upset with how things had gone with Nazareno, but it was probably for the best, right? He was older and wiser than her. He knew a relationship wouldn't work between them. It was kind of stupid to assume he would share my feelings if I told him, Zelda reasoned. It was worth a shot, I suppose. She shrugged half-heartedly as she sliced through a Mutant Lizard's neck. She knew that being rejected wouldn't change how she felt.

Zelda turned on her heel and got into a short duel with a Fright Knight. She was faster than the knight and easily plunged her sword into his chest. He gasped in shock. Zelda pulled the katana out of his body and examined it as he fell. It was riddled with scratches. Nazareno had been correct. These were, for the most part, generic katanas. They would break before long, which was why she had two daggers and a small firearm on her person in the case of that incident.

She ran up the tail of a Mutant Brontosaurus and cut up its back. Zelda stabbed one katana into its spine. It collapsed instantly, and several Mutant Lizards ran up to overwhelm her. Zelda lifted herself up with one hand on the katana and begun to rotate her hand rapidly. She extended her other katana and turned herself into a spinning weapon of death, cut any Lizard that got too close to her. One Mutant Lizard spat a stream of fire, catching her sleeve on fire. Zelda jumped from the katana and landed hard on the Lizard's head, shattering its skull. She quickly patted out the flames and defeated the remaining Lizards.

"Take that, ya' scurvy bilge rats," Zelda muttered under her breath as she pulled her other katana from the Mutant Raptor. She gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. "Scurvy bilge rats"? Heh. I haven't talked like a pirate in long time.

As she ran back to join Solomon, she briefly remembered her old dreams to follow in her deceased parents' footsteps and become a pirate. Doesn't sound extremely flattering now, being a pirate. Though... She grinned. With skills like mine, I could easily be one of the best pirates ever. A ninja pirate. Or pirate ninja. How did it go? She paused to recall some old pirate history. A pirate ninja is a pirate that dresses and uses ninja tactics, but is most definitely a pirate. A ninja pirate is a ninja that dresses as a pirate. Neither are well-liked by the pirate community due to the 'ninja' bit. I think I'd fall under the 'pirate ninja' category. Zelda shook her head as she slammed her elbow into the side of an Inferno agent's head. None of that really matters if I die here. Focus!

She quickly reunited with Solomon Koplowitz, who was defeating foes with relative ease. A T-1 Typhoon had flown over them and was helping them defeat Mutant Dinos. As they continued to fight, they suddenly joined by four Minifigs; a brown-haired woman with a Sonic Screamer, a large, bearded Agent wielding a sword and a massive Cosmotronic Ray, a Dino Attack agent with several knitted scarves around his neck, and another Dino Attack agent wearing a beanie cap had a black mustache and was holding a Cosmotronic Ray.

"Care we join you?" the brown-haired woman asked.

"I don't think it will be a problem," Zelda replied, smiling.

"Good. The name's Kat." She pointed to the Agent, the scarf-wearing Dino Attack agent, and then mustachioed Dino Attack agent. "That's Epic Winston, Giles, and Helm."

Zelda nodded to each. The big one, Epic Winston, looked like someone not be messed with. I could probably take him, though. Somehow. Giles seemed like a strange character with his scarves, but since he had lasted this long, she reasoned he could probably take care of himself. She didn't notice anything too strange about Kat or Helm, however.

"Pleasure to meet all of you," Solomon said curtly before turning back to the battle. "My name in Solomon Koplowitz."

"And I'm Zelda Frodongan," Zelda said. She suddenly saw something change in Helm's face. His eyes widened and he stared at Zelda, surprise clearly etched in his face. Zelda, not really anxious to beat around the bush after the thing with Nazareno, cleared her throat. "Is there a problem, Helm?"

*****

Hertz watched the other agent's lips move as they brainstormed how best to fix the device. He watched Rex have an outburst and he watched Doctor Cyborg kill some Mutant Lizards. He watched Naomi and Noomi treat a wounded Zachary and he watched as the faces of the technical team paled when Grimton made a grim proposal.

He had no idea what was said but he understood how dire the situation was. Every second they deliberated, the closer the Maelstrom came to overwhelming their forces.

All he could do was watch. He had received several odd glances from other agents indicating that he should just leave. If he went to Antarctica, he would get his hearing repaired and he would not have to worry about dying in the battle. It seemed like a no-brainer, many agents were probably seeking excuses to leave, but Hertz refused to run away. He had joined Dino Attack Team to make a contribution; even if they failed, Hertz was determined to go down believing he did everything within his power to help.

The think tank was relatively useless to Hertz, however. Zach, Hotwire, Reptile, Andrew, Shannon, Specs, and Doctor Cyborg continued to make conversation on how best to fix the device, but he was deaf to all ideas that flowed among them. From what Hertz could determine, the team was having difficulty isolating the enemy Maelstrom forces from Rex and Zachary. When the Einstein device was activated, it would put the Dino Attack Team's allies at risk.

Hertz took this opportunity to ask a question. It was probably an awkward place to say it but, considering he had no understanding of the current subject, he really could not wait until it was his turn. In what he hoped was a normal speaking voice, he issued his query: "HOW DOES THE EINSTEIN DEVICE WORK? IS IT SOME FORM OF WAVE EMITTER OR DOES IT UNLEASH A CHARGE? IF THE TECH IS BASED ON SOUND OR ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO ISOLATE ITS RANGE TO SOMETHING ONLY IN A MUTANT'S HEARING RANGE."

The assembled agents cringed in response to Hertz's unintentional volume. "How do you expect to do that?" asked Reptile. "You can't tone the frequency of the device if you can't hear. Wait, why am I saying this to you?"

Hertz looked at Reptile with dismay. He tapped his ears and shrugged. "THE HEARING RANGE OF A REPTILE IS LOWER THAN A MINIFIG. THEY CAN HEAR NOISES AT A MUCH LOWER LEVEL THAN WE CAN. A LIZARD, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN HEAR A SOUND WITH A REGISTRY OF 34HZ. MINIFIGS CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING BELOW 20."

"I appreciate the effort," said Shannon, more to the group than to Hertz. "But the Einstein device does not function on sound waves. It unleashes an electromagnetic pulse. I'm afraid it working on sound waves would be far too convenient."

Shannon was having a hard time seeing Hertz again. In a way, he had saved her life when he asked her to leave the communication room. If he had allowed her to stay behind, she too might have lost her hearing in the blast, or worse. She owed him her life, and she felt a degree of survivor's guilt.

Doctor Cyborg was able to relay the information to Hertz, and he nodded his head. "E.M. RADIATION STILL EXHIBITS WAVE-LIKE BEHAVIOR," responded Hertz. "I MIGHT BE ABLE TO CALIBRATE IT SO IT WON'T HARM US. I CAN'T HEAR, BUT I KNOW WHAT LEVEL WE WOULD NEED."

Specs was not amused. He motioned that Dr. Cyborg projected his words on the wall and he dictated his response. "No offense to your skill, Hertz, but you're the only one here who knows the subtleties of this kind of stuff. If you can't set the EM radiation correctly, we'll have no way to know if you're wrong. I'm afraid I don't trust the Einstein Device being calibrated by a deaf man."

Hertz frowned. The founding member was probably right.

*****

Minerva slammed Oswald's head into the ground, hard. She pushed his chin back with one hand and punched him repeatedly in the chest with the other hand. Oswald snarled and desperately waved his hands at Minerva, trying to grab her. He finally found her arm. With a sharp twist, Minerva ended up on the floor, wincing in pain. Oswald rose to his feet. He had found his knife.

She acted quickly. Her foot shot upward into Oswald's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Rising to her knees, Minerva knocked the knife out of his hands, shoved his chest back to the floor, and punched him hard in the face. "What's wrong with you?!" she barked, her voice shaking.

Oswald chuckled coldly, his eyes never leaving hers. Minerva yelled in anger and slammed his head repeatedly against the ground. Oswald continued to laugh. "You've become just like Mom," Oswald whispered. "An evil, stupid bi-"

"SHUT UP!" Minerva screamed, breaking Oswald's nose with one, swift punch. "You think you can compare my actions to hers? I think you have become the very person you hate. No. Mom killing Tod was an accident. You've become even worse than Mom."

Oswald bellowed multiple profanities before using his strength to throw Minerva off of him. They both climbed to their feet as Oswald swung a punch into Minerva's cheek as hard as he could. She stumbled and slammed her back against a wall. Flipping her hair out of her face, Minerva caught Oswald as he charged at her and grabbed his Dino Attack uniform. She turned and threw him against a wall, shattering it as he stumbled through.

Minerva ran up to the hole in the wall to continue her attack. Oswald suddenly shot out of the hole and grabbed her throat. Minerva yelped before grabbing Oswald's as well. They glared at each with pure hatred, but while Oswald's was real, Minerva's was still uncertain if she truly despised him.

"Suddenly, she's the good guy now that she's dead?" Oswald hissed as Minerva's squeezed his throat. "After all she's done to us? What she did to Tod?"

"I talked to her, Oz," Minerva choked, her brother tightening his grip. "She wasn't hiding behind any memories. Wasn't pretending that everything was okay. She knew what she did. To all of us."

Oswald's eyes widened. Minerva could feel his grip slacken slightly. "She..." he muttered. "Mom?" Minerva managed a short nod. "What did she say?!" he demanded, shaking her violently.

"She was sorry!" Minerva gasped. "She regretted everything she did to us. She was sorry for everything." Thinking about Athena Fabello's last moments cause a lump to form in Minerva's throat, and her eyes started to become wet. "She... she wished she hadn't given up." Oswald stared, trying to comprehend what Minerva was saying. She remembered Athena's last request. "Mom still loved you, Oz. S-s-she wanted you to know that. Even after what you did to her... she still loved you..."

An ugly look appeared on Oswald's blue face. "Does she think that, just because she loves me, I will forgive her?! Guess what, Minnie? We hardly went a day when she was living with us after Dad's death where she didn't make a note about how much she loved us. And as foolish as you are, you probably didn't forgive her, didn't you?!"

Minerva stared. She was half-tempted to lie to save herself from a verbal lashing. It was always easier that way in dealing with Oswald. Instead, her features hardened. "I did forgive her. For everything."

Minerva was met with a hard smack to the face that sent her staggering into a chair that she flipped over. Stunned and blinded by her hair, she was forced to listen as Oswald yelled. "THEN YOU ARE WEAK!" he bellowed. Minerva shook the hair and stars out of her eyes and slid out of the tipped-over chair. "You think just because you can get into a few fights and swipe a box of spaghetti from a store shelf makes you stronger than me! You could never have made it this far without me! Instead of telling her off while she could actually listen, you forgave her. This is why you have been weak, are weak, and always will be weak!" Minerva was back on her feet, only to get smacked again by Oswald. "Welcome to the real world, hon!" Oswald prepared to smack her again when Minerva caught his arm and twisted it sharply.

"I think you're the one who's weak," Minerva snarled, moving her face close to Oswald's. His face was scrunched in pain, but his hateful glare never wavered. "I know what you did for me, Oz. You gave up everything to take care of me. You could've dumped me off at Aunt Ginny's or even at some home, but you kept me. You... you were the closest thing I had to a parent. The closest father figure I had." Minerva voice shook near the end of her sentence as Oswald's eyes widened. She had never acknowledged him as any more than a brother, but she knew she truly saw him as a second father as well. "Do you know how it felt to see you strapped to that chair on Adventurers' Island? Not only were you alive, but you had joined an organization bent on killing us all. Do you know how it felt when Carolyne Provencal told me that you joined XERRD because they convinced you I was the cause of all your problems and you believed it? Do you know how I felt when I watched my smarter, stronger, older brother who basically raised me suddenly shoot my mother?

"You think I think I'm stronger than you because I was a thief and got into fights?" Minerva laughed bitterly. "Look at yourself, Oswald. You're broken. You've lost your faith in everything, and you think killing me will compensate? You've given up, just like Mom. You are weak. I never had a clue that I'd become so much stronger than you. Ever since this war started, I've needed you less and less every day. I haven't given up and I won't. When this war is over, I'm going to make things better for myself. Without you." Minerva threw him against the wall. Oswald grunted in pain, but didn't make a move.

"I forgave her," Minerva hissed. "That doesn't change what she's done to me. To us. I may have forgiven her, but I'll never forget what she did to us. There no point in it anymore. I've made peace with her. My ability to let the past go is also why I'm stronger than you."

Oswald glared for several silent seconds, trying to figure out an adequate response to Minerva's speech. His lips curled into a hideous frown. There was wild, feral look in his eyes. "You think you can lecture me how you're better than me after all this? You took everything from me!" Oswald charged at Minerva and tackled her to the ground and punched her face multiple times. Minerva kneed Oswald hard in the stomach and threw him off of her. She got up to her knees before Oswald socked her in the face again. She managed to return the punch before she collapsed in exhaustion.

She lifted her head and blew the hair out from in front of her face. Oswald was crawling toward her, his teeth bared. Minerva slowly crawled toward him to confront him. As they collided, they lifted each other up long enough to each deliver a punch. As Oswald fell back, Minerva fell on top of him. Lifting herself, she then slammed a fist into Oswald's chest, causing him to gasp. He responded with a backhanded slap to Minerva's face, jerking her head to the right. As she turned to face him again, she saw something flash to her on the ground. She blinked once as an idea formed in her head.

"I don't want to kill you, Oswald," Minerva whispered coldly, lashing her hand out at Oswald's throat to pin him to the ground. He bellowed in rage and hit Minerva several more times. She ignored the pain, keeping her eyes trained on Oswald. "I can hardly stand to look at you, but I never wanted to kill you. You were brother. My father. But..." Minerva slammed Oswald's head on the floor. "I've been thinking about it. If I just knock you out and arrest you, you'll just be detained until this battle is over. In the end, I thought you would simply just go to jail. Seeing you now… seeing what you've become... I know they wouldn't take you to a jail. They would take you to an asylum. A mental institution. Perhaps even Napoleon XIV. You would live the rest of your life in an institution, like Mom was supposed to." Oswald's eyes widened in horror as he registered each of Minerva's words. Minerva reached her right hand to the side as she kept one hand on Oswald's throat.

"I-I know the irony would destroy you. Being locked in the very same place Mom was. The person you hated most. You want nothing to do with me. Y-y-y-you have nothing left to live for. You believe there is nothing left for you. So..." Minerva felt her hand wrap around the object she saw. She had to do it. She couldn't back down. She needed to do it. For Oswald's sake. She-

Oswald gasped in surprise. His knife was planted firmly in his chest, just below his heart. Minerva's right hand was wrapped tightly around the hilt of the weapon. She stared from the weapon she despised to Oswald, whose face was deathly white. "It's... for the best, Oz," Minerva whispered, not willing to believe what she just did. "Thank you... for everything. I'm sorry I made it so hard. I love you, Oswald. You were the greatest friend I ever had." She slowly removed her hand from the knife, but left it in his chest.

Oswald scowled and pulled the knife from his chest. He then swung it at Minerva's face. She flinched as she jerked her head away. The knife had run across the left side of her cheek. She felt blood began to seep out of the wound.

Oswald groaned and dropped the knife. His Dino Attack uniform began to turn dark red. He lifted his head briefly. He looked from his fatal wound to his sister, whose lip was trembling. All the pain and hatred seemed to fade away from his eyes. The only thing that remained was blissful relief. "T-thank you..." he managed to stammer. He looked at Minerva another thirty seconds before his head fell back and he became still.

Minerva rose shakily to her feet and stared at Oswald Fabello's body. He was gone. He was dead. Her entire family was dead. Isaac, Tod, Athena, and now Oswald. All of them were dead. Minerva was the only one left. She had survived her confrontation with Oswald, but she had lost so much in the progress. She couldn't even make herself cry at this point. She simply stared at her brother, never feeling more alone in her entire life.

*****

While the others were either working with Specs on the Einstein Device or leaving with Shadow, Digger, and Viper to battle the Mutant Dinos and protect the lab from the ever-increasing number of invaders, Rex sat in his wheelchair, staring at the palms of his hands. He was not suffering another emotional breakdown, but the cold realization from his reality check forced him to face the fact that he was going mad... and becoming more and more like his nemesis, Dr. Rex.

"What's it like?" Rex dared to inquire. "To be... mad?"

Frozeen chuckled softly in response. "For every person, madness is different. Some people may grasp very little of reality. Some never know what time and place they are in. Some people are... err... convinced that everyone is a leprechaun out to steal their gold." His voice turned serious as he continued: "But you, Rex... I fear your madness appears to be a more violent case. Unfortunately, I'm no psychiatrist and... well, I've never been good at reading people, so I can't tell you anything for certain. But... look... if there's anything you need, I'll try to help as best as I can."

As Rex and Frozeen conversed, Greybeard saw an elderly man in a black suit enter the lab. Greybeard immediately recognized him as the strange person who clotheslined Ata during the traitor's attempted escape, giving the old pirate the opportunity to catch up and execute the cowardly shinobi. Greybeard approached the elderly man and offered him his only hand. "I apologize, me hearty, fer I dinnae git a chance t' thank ye properly fer what ye did back thar."

The old man looked into Greybeard's eyes and smiled warmly. "You're welcome. I figured that you could use a hand, Greybeard."

Greybeard faltered. "How did ye know..." The old pirate trailed off as he realized why he thought that the elderly gentleman looked familiar in the first place. "Blow me down," Greybeard whispered as he broke out into a wide grin, "it be Ben Gunn!"

"I'm glad we could meet again one last time," said Ben Gunn. Glancing up at the collapsed ceiling and catching a glimpse of the dogfight up above, he added: "Even if it is in such... dire times. However, I'm afraid I must go for now. I imagine that elite agent Rex over there is occupied, so if you could kindly escort me to this Teleport Pad I've been hearing about...?"

Greybeard furrowed his brow. "Why? Be ye not goin' t' stay an' fight? Ben Gunn, back in th' Goo Caverns, ye killed Mutant Lizards wi' yer bare 'ands! An' then proceeded t' eat them limbs like th' drumstick o' a chicken! If that dinnae make ye what some o' th' younger folk call a 'badbrick', I be not sure what does!"

"Alas," sighed Ben Gunn, "those circumstances were... different. You see, the Goo Caverns were my... home. My territory, you could call it. I knew every last square inch of those tunnels like the back of my hand, and when Mutant Dinos invaded, I had the high ground. I knew how to use my territory to my advantage. Out here... I am a fish out of water. And while I still have enough of a fighter's spirit in me that I could take down the mole... I'm old, Greybeard. I don't think it's in my power to put up a good fight any longer against these creatures. Therefore, I'm afraid I must resort to the final option."

Before Greybeard could reply, Ben Gunn's eyes drifted to the Einstein Device and the Dino Attack agents working on it. "Hmm," murmured Ben. "That looks like something that Frank would have made. Hold on..." He approached the device, studied it for a moment, then took it from Specs, made a few quick adjustments, and handed back. "There you go. I doubt that fixed it, but I'm sure that it would help."

The others stared at Ben Gunn with incredulity as he returned to Greybeard's side. "Okay, I'm ready to go now."

"Aye, then," said Greybeard, nodding. He led Ben Gunn to the Super Teleport Pad, where General was still operating the controls.

Frowning, Ben Gunn whispered to Greybeard, "I'd... feel better if he wasn't the one who teleported me."

Greybeard raised an eyebrow, but dismissed it as just another one of Ben Gunn's many idiosyncrasies. While Ben Gunn got into position, Greybeard went up to General and asked him how the Teleport Pad worked. General quickly explained that the coordinates were all set up, and all that needed to be done to teleport someone was a push of this one button. Then, after distracting General, Greybeard pushed the button while Ben Gunn was standing on the Teleport Pad. With that, the elderly man vanished in a beam of blue light.

"Wait a second!"

Greybeard blinked in surprise and turned to see Frozeen running up to the Teleport Pad, with Rex following in his wheelchair. The Alpha Team agent looked as though he had seen a ghost. The commotion had caught Genera's attention. "Who was that?" Frozeen demanded to know. "That man who just teleported?"

"Arr, that be just Ben Gunn," explained Greybeard. With a start, he added, "Oh, Rex! That be him! Remember th' old man who stopped Ata? That-"

"Yes, I know," said Rex, nodding. "I'm glad to hear that he got out alright after all the explosions and the Mutant Dino invasion."

"Who's Ben Gunn?" General inquired as he raised an eyebrow.

"Just some crazy ol' hermit who be livin' in yer Goo Caverns fer years wi'out ye or Ogel knowin'," said Greybeard, shrugging.

"What's the matter, Frozeen?" inquired Rex, concerned. "You look like you've just seen a ghost, and I know what you look like when you see one of those. Who did you think it was?"

Staring at the now-empty Teleport Pad, Frozeen shook his head sadly. "Just... someone I thought I knew."

*****

"What do you see down there?" Rotor asked from the cockpit.

"I'm counting at least five people," replied Mac. "Four Dino Attack agents, maybe: three male, one female. One Agent, and one person I can't quite identify."

"We're getting in low, then," said Rotor. "Lance, give me some cover fire! Try and clear a landing space."

"Righto," replied Lance eagerly. He quickly opened fire as the chopper came down. There was a small cloud of dust as the vehicle slowly touched the ground. Hastily, Lance climbed out of the gunner's seat, grabbed a rifle, and started to fire at the dinosaurs.

Lance jumped out of the helicopter and approached the agents. Zelda turned toward him. "Agent Lance Williams," he introduced himself, "we were flying ov-"

"Lance Williams?" Helm asked. "The surfer?"

Lance smiled and nodded. "That's me," he said.

"What are you guys all doing out here?" Giles asked.

"I'm not quite sure," replied Lance. "Rescue mission or reinforcements. I just shoot where they tell me! And you're going to need someone with a gun. I mean, look at you guys. Those cutlasses, man! They're nothing compared to a good rifle!"

Zelda showed a look of sheer frustration.

"That's enough Lance," Rotor said as he approached. "You don't need to talk down on anyone we run into; that's my job."

"How'd you end up with him?" Zelda asked.

"We ran into him on Adventurers' Island," Rotor replied. "I was quite excited myself. I'm a big fan of his, you see."

"Would you mind telling me what you guys are doing here?" Giles asked.

"That depends," replied Rotor. "You guys looking for a rescue team or reinforcements? All we were told to do was get back on the front and keep the dinos at bay."

At this point, Mac and Cabin had caught up. Down the street, something caught Rotor's eye: a figure taking advantage of the commotion and darting across the road. "Mac," ordered Rotor, "catch up to that man and stop him. I want to know who he is and what he's doing here!"

"He could be one of ours!" pointed out Mac.

"If he were one of ours," retorted Rotor, "he wouldn't be darting across the street. He'd be running up to join us."

Quickly, Mac ran down the road as fast as he could, turning at the intersection where they saw the figure running. He could see the man dart into the ruins of an old shop, and quickly Mac followed. Stepping inside, Mac looked around nervously. The building was a mess; structurally, it was technically still standing, but rubble was everywhere, so many places to hide. That was what kept him from expecting what happened next.

The man jumped out and grabbed him from behind. He had a piece of wood, which he pulled against Mac's neck. Mac could feel the wood in his beard, and it was not comfortable. Quickly, he elbowed the man in the chest, who flinched in pain. He turned around and punched the assailant in the face, finally giving him the chance to see the mysterious attacker: a rough-looking man with long hair and eye patch, clad in a black tank top.

"Who the Znap are you?" Mac asked. The one-eyed man looked at him ruthlessly. Mac quickly threw another punch to the man's face and grabbed him, doing his best to restrain the man. He escorted him outside.

"Who's this?" Rotor asked as a bruised Mac showed up, escorting a beaten and somewhat exhausted man with an eyepatch.

"I don't know," replied Mac. "But I'd like to find out."

Rotor took the man by his shirt and promptly tossed him to the ground. "Alright, now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I'd rather do it the hard way, but I think it would work out a lot better for you if you just cooperate."

"Motherznapper," the one-eyed man muttered. He promptly received a kick in the stomach from Rotor's boot.

"You got a name?" Rotor asked.

The man looked at him. "Call me Snake," he said.

"Hold it," Cabin said. Rotor stepped back from the prisoner. "Snake?"

Snake looked up at her. "Cabin..." he muttered.

"You know him?" Rotor asked.

"We were on Adventurers' Island together," explained Cabin.

"He's one of ours, then?" Rotor inquired.

"Yes," replied Cabin.

"Then why was he trying to run away?"

Snake smiled and chuckled slightly. "You think I give a Znap about your war? I only joined this dang team because some guy offered me a pardon."

"We're pardoning criminals now?" Rotor grumbled. "This is mad. Who in their right mind would let a guilty unrepentant man like you be pardoned in exchange for fighting mutan-"

Cabin shot him a glance. Rotor quickly cut himself off.

*****

"Guys, really," Andrew was saying, "I don't think it's that hard to diffuse this thing. Dr. Cyborg, Hotwire? You guys have expertise in this kind of thing, why not try it out?"

"Andrew, calm down," Specs was saying. "You have a point, but you don't have to be loud with it. Hotwire, Dr. Cyborg, do see what you can do about defusing this thing while the rest of us keep talking about how we can get this thing to work. Andrew, feel free to start dismantling some of the cover pieces on the teleport pad. Seems like evacuees are winding down, so we could be close to having the chance to dissect it for parts."

"On it."

Suddenly the door burst open and Pierce stepped into the lab, accompanied by Crusher. "What's going on in here?" Crusher asked.

"We're trying to figure out a device," replied Shaw. "The Einstein device or s-"

"There you are, Shaw," interrupted Pierce. "What are you doing up here? We were worried sick about you."

"Carver and Hale?" Crusher asked.

"I'm right here," replied Hale. "I tried to tell Pierce, but he wouldn't listen."

*****

As Kara was flying around shooting stuff, she saw a group including Rotor and some others.

"Hey, Cortana, I want to make a good entrance. Hover about 15 feet up," she said.

Yes ma'am, Cortana replied.

Kara popped the cockpit open and hopped out, sticking a three-point landing with the assistance of her special flight suit. "Hello, everyone. Mind if I join the party? Hello, Rotor." She nodded a greeting to the pilot.

"Hey, ever been told you'd make a good ninja?" Zelda asked. "You look pretty agile."

"No, I don't believe so," Kara replied.

As the newcomers joined the group, Zelda turned back towards Helm. The concern on her face was immediately replaced with shock -- Helm, hand shaking and face pale, had his Cosmotronic Ray pointed right at her. "Wha--?"

Helm grimaced and tried to steady his arm. "Jason Helmutson -- Tracer -- was my son," he said simply.

Zelda's eyes widened. "I... suppose I don't think less of you for wanting to kill me, then."

Kara cut in. "No, stop. She wasn't in control of her actions!"

"We've all lost people close to us," Epic Winston added.

"That's easy enough for you to say!" Helm burst out at the bearded Agent. "At least you got your vengeance! But Kara's right. And I can't kill another human minifig, let alone a fellow Dino Attack agent." He wiped tears from his eyes with the back of his glove, and raised and lowered the weapon several times, torn apart by the conflict inside him.

Kat stepped forward, about to say something, when her features suddenly twitched slightly. "Listen to me, Bartholomew Helmutson. I was married in 1968. The man in question was an astronaut, as it happens. In the nineties, he was sent to Nimbus Station, and he got word to me that there was a grave matter that I should know of, but insisted upon telling me in person. In 1999, he came back to me… as a Stromling. I was forced to kill him myself, and that is how I learned of the Maelstrom. Never forget... it could be worse." Katerina stepped back and her face twitched again.

She blinked and shook her head. "Plague and ruin on that wretched hag!" Kat muttered.

Helm faltered, uncertain.

Zelda finally spoke up again. "For whatever it's worth, your son is the reason I'm still here. It was his Creative Spark that they used to cure me. Do you think he'd want you to kill me after that?"

Helm dropped the Cosmotronic Ray onto the wet pavement and stifled a sob, shaking his head in agreement.

*****

Zachary Virchaus rubbed his glasses against his uniform, attempting to clean them up a bit from bits of dirt and rain. He examined them briefly and decided they were clean enough before placing them back on his head. He was somewhat on the edge, with the fate of the planet deciding on this weapon and the fact it was already armed. His face, however, showed a calmer, more collected demeanor.

He was doing everything he could to help to finish the Einstein Device so they could finally defeat Dr. Rex and Baron Typhonus. He didn't express it, but he was very eager in striking a blow against the latter. After everything the mad baron had put him through, Zach would relish putting an end to the Darkitect's chaos on this planet. Elsewhere was another matter that could be dealt with later.

He glanced at Rex, who was speaking with Frozeen. He was apparently seeing hallucinations of the Darkitect in the room. Zach could feel the Maelstrom faintly inside the elite agent's body. He didn't want him to die, but he was certainly thankful that he didn't want any help from Zach or Dr. Cyborg. In all honesty, Zach was apprehensive on trying to use the Maelstrom on anybody for good. Healing, extraction. He might make things worse, for all he knew.

Zach glanced down at his bandaged wound. Meh. Why not? He hovered his hand of the wound and concentrated. Thin streams of Maelstrom seeped out of his fingers and through the bandages. The wound glowed for three seconds before returning to normal. Zach felt an unnatural and unnerving chill travel through his body, causing his body to shudder involuntarily. That... felt weird.

Despite that, his stomach felt a million times better. He slowly removed the bandage. All that remained was a dark violet scar across his torso. I guess I can heal. At least myself. Not sure if I want to use the Maelstrom to heal someone whose immune system isn't resist to the Maelstrom like mine. That might end badly. Maybe it felt weird because I was using power contrary to its primary purpose: destruction.

Regardless, it was back to work. There was plenty he could do. The one time where some of us can finally use our talents that we listed when signing up. Indeed. Unless your skill set had any sort of "fighting" notation or even a "driving" or "piloting" note, you rarely used said talents. As such, the only real times he had used his "building" talent was when constructed his Steel Sprinter, Urban Avenger (which he never actually used, ironically), and one of Rex's numerous wheelchairs. He only used to his "technology" skills was to hack into the XERRD Fortress mainframe. I did end up using "sharpshooting" a lot though. Generic fighting as well. Other that, one would assume that all those skills people put down when signing up (other than combat orientated skills) are informed abilities. And of course, his newfound, in-depth of the knowledge of the Maelstrom and the ability to manipulate were also skills that he ended up using a bit.

He glanced toward the Einstein Device, whose blue lights were flashing dully. Zach noted Dr. Cyborg, Hotwire, and Reptile hovering over the device, trying to disarm it to give them maybe a few minutes more time to work on the device. Of course, there is still the Mutant Dino army and invincible Mutant T-Rex that's on our doorstep. He was half-tempted to join the three in finding a solution.

He turned his head to Andrew, who was looking over the Teleport Pad. Shrugging, Zach walked over to him. "Mind if I lend a hand for a bit?" Zach asked as he approached his fellow LEGO Islander and friend.

"Shouldn't be too much of problem," Andrew said, briefly looking at Zach before turning back to the Teleport Pad.

As he began to disconnect parts of the pad, Zach suddenly thought of Minerva. A fearful chill washed over him. She was still out in the battlefield, probably fighting Oswald. He had basically asked Vinyaya to watch over her, but he knew Minerva would somehow slip away from Vinyaya to face her brother alone. Her murderous, insane, psychopathic brother. Zach swallowed painfully. He sorely hoped that last kiss in the Fire Hammer wouldn't be that last time he saw her alive. Or even in one piece. He glanced briefly at his golden, metal hand, remembering how he left Minerva, only to return with one less hand.

We really need to stop leaving each other like this.

Hertz rubbed his unshaven chin. The silence was infuriating to the deaf elite agent. Since he was a child, he had learned to expect a boom of thunder after every lightning flash, so it was unnerving when the thirteenth floor was illuminated by a white light, nothing followed but a dead silence.

The waterfall forming in the center of the test center made no noise as well. When he looked through the viewing window at the teleportation lab beyond, he expected to hear the sound of water pouring through the hole and onto the teleportation platform below. All he experienced was a maddening quiet.

He felt the mist of the water leaking through the ceiling and smelled the acidic aroma of chemicals. The Einstein Device flickered on the table before him as Doctor Cyborg and Reptile tinkered with the technology. A passionate debate of science and math was transpiring between the two scientists and, as much as Hertz would've loved to participate, he knew he could not.

He felt incredibly alone and isolated. Agents were ignoring him and seemed to look right through him. Although many had the skills to use Morse code or sign language, it seemed that spending the energy to communicate with Hertz was no worth their time.

Hertz walked away from the table where the engineers were working and made the short trip across the skyway to where Naomi and the doctors were working. The massive industrial fan slowly rotated behind them, casting shadows upon the wounded below. Naomi spotted Hertz and rose to greet him. Behind her, Dr. Pierce gave the elite agent a short apologetic glance before looking back down at his patient.

What is it? Naomi's eyes seemed to say. She placed her hand on Hertz's cheek, and he put his arm around her.

"I WANT YOU TO GO," said Hertz. He winced at the inelegance of his words and bit his tongue in embarrassment.

Naomi reached into Hertz's pocket and lightly withdrew the notebook he carried. The nurse pulled a pen from behind her ear.

Stop being foolish
Leave for Antarctica
We can go together
They can fix your arm and ears

The elite agent shook his head and took the pad from Naomi. He flipped the page and wrote his response:

I can't do that, I can't leave these people; you'll be safe in Antarctica. They are taking apart the teleporter. You have to go now.

Hertz paused and wrote the word please at the end. He looked into Naomi's eyes and tried to pull her down the skywalk and to the lab where the agents were working. The nurse did not resist but she still maintained her face of concern.

Hertz could tell Naomi did not want to leave, but he was worried for her safety if she remained. He could feel the trembles when the base shook, and he saw the battle outside. Despite the valor of the agents fighting, Hertz was starting to have doubts about victory. They might certainly defeat Dr. Rex and the Maelstrom, but at what cost? How many agents had already met their fate below? With the recent attack by the Mutant Lizards and Willa the Witch, not even the thirteenth floor was safe. There was nowhere Naomi could go where she would not be at risk. Hertz could not relax until she had reached safety.

By staying behind, Hertz knew he would put himself at risk. The odds of surviving were rapidly decreasing, and he understood he might die. If Naomi made it to Antarctica and he stayed behind to fight, they might never see each other again. At least she would be safe.

With every step they took, Naomi grew more and more frustrated. As they walked into the teleportation room, she pushed him away and put her hands on her hips. The nearby agents turned their heads at the scene and watched when Naomi pulled the notepad away from Hertz. She scribbled out a message.

For Builder's sake, swallow your pride! You can't do any good here, Hertz! You can't hear! Go to Antarctica! Help yourself!

Hertz was once again confused. For the last few hours, he was sure he and Naomi were getting along well. Where had this come from? Why this sudden outburst?

I can't leave these people, Hertz wrote in response. I'll take the risk and stay behind. I can help!

Naomi yanked the pad away and huffed. And I can't make that choice too? I can actually help these people! I'm willing to risk my life just as much as you are! I have a good reason to stay! You have a good reason to go!

The elite agent was utterly bewildered. Once again, his ability to read social cues had failed him. He had had no idea that Naomi felt as much of a responsibility as he did. He did everything within his power to not pull a facepalm. At least the others could not eavesdrop on them.

He took the pad away from her and ripped off the sheet to write his response. You can go and help the wounded when they come. I can stay and fight.

Naomi rolled her eyes. It was an expression of submission. Her tolerance was wavering, and she had no desire to continue the argument. She stepped back and paced the floor between Hertz and the teleport pad. She stomped back to Hertz and looked like she was about to slap him before changing her mind. She felt incredibly conflicted. She was angry at Hertz for not believing she could make her own decisions, but she was touched by how concerned about her he was.

Hertz threw aside the notepad and suddenly took her in his arms. Before she could remind him how annoyed she was, he leaned over and kissed her. She glared at him but could not resist returning the embrace. For that moment, she forgot about his social awkwardness or romantic bluntness. She forgot about their quarrels and the battle going on around them. For that moment, she understood how much he cared about her and remembered why she had fallen in love with him.

As they kissed and felt the eyes of the agents around them, Naomi realized how fetching he was. For a nerd, Hertz had a rugged handsomeness and was developing strong muscles. His scars and bruises were strangely attractive, and he was a very good kisser.

She pulled away, and Hertz blushed. Most of the agents had witnessed the encounter and had wide grins on their face. He smiled.

"PLEASE?"

Naomi rolled her eyes and motioned to the pad:

Fine.

Andrew and Zach stood aside while Hertz had guided Naomi over to the Teleport Pad. They hadn't gotten far from dismantling it, so it still worked for now. Though given the circumstances, it was not likely to stay together forever.

Hertz escorted Naomi to the Teleport Pad and under the waterfall of pouring rain. The water made her afro and medical scrubs cling to her body, and her wet figure was incredibly striking. Hertz thought how incredibly lucky he was to be with such a beautiful woman. "ARE YOU READY?" he asked.

Naomi nodded and mouthed the words: I had better see you again when this is over. Hertz understood perfectly.

"I PROMISE."

Then she was gone.

Shaw could not help but be somewhat distracted by the noise of a teleporter in the next room. "Carver?" she asked nervously, getting to her feet. She walked over toward the door as Hertz approached. "Where's Carver?" she asked. Hertz just stared at her in confusion. As Shaw repeated herself, he held out a whiteboard and marker. Shaw quickly took it and wrote down the question.

"NAOMI'S GONE!" he replied. "SHE'S SAFE! I'D SUGGEST THE REST OF YOU DO THE SAME!"

Shaw turned toward the other doctors. "That fool," Hale muttered to herself. "Ditching her patients like that."

"Maybe we should start thinking about it," Shaw said. "Getting out of here."

The others looked at her in silence for a moment. "We can't," replied Pierce. "We have too many patients. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to take a risk carrying them through this building."

"He's right," agreed Crusher. "At this point, our best bet might be just to gather what supplies we can and, if things get bad, we may have to seal off the basement and hope for the best. We'd better get down there now. Copper's waiting for us."

Realizing she was right, Shaw, Hale, and Pierce followed Crusher out of the lab. They worked their way back down the stairs, and finally reached the basement.

"Where the MegaBlokland were you?" Copper said as Shaw entered.

"We found her upstairs," replied Pierce. "She and Hale were helping with some kind of teleporter or something."

"What about Carver?"

"She's gone," replied Hale. "Teleported off to Antarctica."

Copper grumbled slightly. "We're one nurse short now," he said. "And the casualties keep mounting!"

"I'm not sure if we can move the wounded," Pierce continued. "If things get rough, we may have to seal this place off. Crusher and I'll take over here. Copper, you go with Hale, see if you can recover supplies of any kind: food, water, medical supplies, and anything else."

"This place got bombed once before, didn't it?" Crusher asked.

"It did," replied Pierce. "There's probably some canned food stored down here already as a precaution. Shaw, see if you can find any!"

The young doctor nodded and turned toward the exit.

*****

"Hertz definitely must be feeling useless right about now," said Andrew. "A shame that he wants his girlfriend to stay safe. She could've been some good moral support."

"Not to mention a savior in your darkest hour," Zach said with a smirk. "You think he can help us somehow?"

"Hey, being deaf never stopped people in history before. You get back to work on dismantling that, I'll go talk to him."

Zach nodded and walked back to the Teleport Pad, now humming down from its last use. Andrew walked over to a side wall where Hertz had thrown aside the notebook he had been using to talk with Naomi. As he fished his many uniform pockets for a writing utensil, he noted how the agents around the Einstein Device were down to just Specs, Hotwire, Dr. Cyborg, and Reptile now. The device still wasn't defused, but it seemed they were working on how to do that just now.

Hope we do get this done right, the LEGO Islander thought. The lab was a bit quieter right now. Rotor had gone to help out the rest of the team hold up long enough, and Shadow, Digger, and Viper were preparing their own plans on how to help coordinate the defenses as long as possible. Rex was still in quiet talks with Greybeard and Frozeen, hopefully sorting out his issues regarding his mental state. Andrew made a note to try and talk to him later.

Right now, though, others demanded his attention. Finally finding a dusty pencil within a pants pocket, he opened the notebook and wrote a message. Then he walked over to Hertz, still hovering around the controls of the Teleport Pad, and tapped him on the shoulder.

The communications expert looked at him, quite a bit surprised (to be expected, since losing one important sense seemed to always heighten the sensitivity of the others), and took a look at what Andrew had written.

Don't worry, you can still lend a hand. Care to help Zach and me dismantle the Teleport Pad for parts?

Andrew pushed the notebook and pencil forward. Hertz hesitated for a moment, then took it and wrote his own message.

I suppose, but it's not much of a use of my abilities.

Andrew made a quick response.

Oh, don't worry about it. I don't care what Specs says, I'm sure your skills are still helpful. I'll fight tooth and nail to get you to do something if I have to.

Hertz snickered a bit when he read the comment. He then nodded, and followed Andrew to the teleportation device, which Zach was now carefully pulling panel plates off of around the pad (which he had been wise enough to unplug first).

Wouldn't want a silly accident that leaves him thousands of miles away, Andrew thought.

As Dr. Cyborg and Reptile were removing a plate from the Einstein Device to get inside it, Dr. Cyborg found something. "Well, so that's how it's armed," he said.

"What?" Reptile asked.

"This golden square here. It's a magnetic switch. When you insert the Device into its launcher, a magnet of some kind activates it, and the Device is armed. Normally, when you turn off the electromagnet, the Device will automatically disarm unless you remove it from the launcher without disarming the magnetic switch. It might be possible to just disconnect the switch right now, but I'm not sure if that will set it off or disarm it."

Turning his head toward the Teleport Pad, Dr. Cyborg called: "Hey, Andrew, Zach, Hertz! Can you build me some wire cutters, needlenose pliers, and three screwdrivers? I need a Phillips head, flathead, and tri-wing screwdriver."

"We'll try!" Andrew yelled back, tapping Hertz on the shoulder to draw his attention to a notebook in Andrew's hand. "But you know," Andrew added, "It's kind of hard just to build tools like that from parts like these unless you want them to be massive-sized. There's a few toolboxes sitting around here, we can check those."

"Here's one," said Kate, grabbing one from a nearby desk and bringing it to the table where the Einstein Device was. "Let's see what's in it."

As the group around the device started looking through the box, Andrew turned to Zach, who was pulling out a few tubes from around the sides of the Teleport Pad. "You think I can just send the Maelstrom through here like a fuel line?" Zach said, snickering.

"Possibly," Andrew replied. "I've seen that part used for that purpose before. Though around here, hoses seem to always work better."

"Heh. Ah, the ability to use parts for multiple purposes in a world like ours. Megaphones become Star Wars blasters, a laptop monitor becomes a satellite panel, and a building column becomes part of a cannon."

"Indeed. But I wouldn't have it any other way." 

Zach flexed the tube in his hands before setting it off to the side. He continued to aid in pulling apart the Teleport Pad with Andrew and Hertz. The tube briefly gave him the idea of a weapon that could fire blasts of Maelstrom, but decided against it, considering their enemy was the Maelstrom. Chaos versus chaos wouldn't end well, I'm sure.

As the Super Teleport Pad became a mere skeleton of its former-self, a new idea began to form in his head. Zach looked back at the work table. With Dr. Cyborg deducing the reason for the Einstein Device's arming, he, Reptile, Specs, and Hotwire now had an idea on how to deactivate it.

Not far from their work area, a bazooka-type weapon laid, somewhat dented and bruised. Curious, Zach walked over to it. "Is this what the device is supposed to be fired from?" Zach asked, lifting the weapon into his hands.

"Yes," Specs said, turning away from the Einstein Device briefly. "Its damage is a bit more substantial than I'd like to admit. The tools we have here could fix it, but we need more complex equipment to fixing it up in time to stop Dr. Rex."

Zach cradled the weapon as he looked back at the Teleport Pad. "Perhaps we should disassemble this as well and build a new launcher out of the Teleport Pad and undamaged bricks around here. As Andrew and I were saying, our building material is rather flexible in terms of its application. We can take this apart and use the magnet inside to activate it when we're ready."

Andrew took the notepad from Hertz and repeated his message: "'We could also gather together some of the computers and technology around here. With the talent around here, we could probably scrap together a more precise arming and disarming system.'"

Specs crossed his arms, the barest hint of a smile underneath his balaclava. "Sounds like we have real plan forming."

"It's a bit complicated," Reptile noted.

Hotwire smirked. "Come on, it's us. We can definitely pull it off."

Zach grinned in agreement.

Andrew clapped his hands. "Alright. You guys finish fixing the Einstein Device and then you could look for computer bits. Zach, Hertz, and I will keep breaking the pad up and start designing our launcher." Nodding in agreement, everyone went back to work.

Zach returned to Hertz and Andrew. "Back to work, I suppose." He rubbed his hands together and smiled at Andrew. "With us building this thing, Dr. Rex and Typhonus better watch out."

Andrew smirked. "Well then, back to work."

*****

Zelda grimaced as she looked at Helm. Those same feelings of guilt when she looked at Hotwire in the mess hall what seemed months ago suddenly came back up. Except it was about a million times worse facing Tracer's father. The look in his eyes caused her lip to tremble slightly, though no one saw it underneath her bandana over her mouth.

She hadn't been nearly as active as Zachary when she was a Stromling. Fearsome, unforgiving, and somewhat playful, Zach had slaughtered multiple agents over the course of his corruption. He had his own guilt spread out to multiple people. She only murdered one person as a Stromling and it somehow stung more than killing Minifigs in droves.

She walked toward Helm slowly, ignoring the curious stares of those around her. She sheathed one of her katanas and reached down to pick up his Cosmotronic Ray. He looked at her curiously as she handed it back to him. Zelda sighed painfully as she looked at him. Through him, she could see Tracer, the shocked look in his eyes when the bullets had buried themselves into his stomach, and her dark, apathetic laughter as she watched the Dino Attack agent fall. She shuddered visibly.

"Listen," she muttered quietly so only Helm could hear her, lowering the bandana so he could see her lips moving. "I am really sorry... for what I did. The person who killed Tracer was just a monster using my body. If I could, I'd take it back..."

She paused. Helm sobbed quietly. The death of his son had hurt him far worse than Zelda liked.

An idea formed in her head briefly. "I know you want vengeance," she continued, her voice growing somewhat stronger. "As stated earlier, I wasn't in control of my actions. A certain man named Typhonus was."

An angry roar pierced the sky. Zelda, Helm, and the other turned and saw Dr. Rex stomping toward a tan-colored apartment building, destroying everything in his path.

Zelda turned back to Helm, her features growing hard. "Typhonus is just as if not more responsible for Jason's death," Zelda said. "You want vengeance? Then we need to do everything in our power to stop him and his puppet from getting to Dino Attack Headquarters so we can defeat him. Stopping Typhonus from killing the rest of us will be about as close to vengeance you can get."

She paused and let her words sink into Helm's brain.

*****

"You need any help, Doc?" a voice asked from behind.

Startled, Pierce turned towards Montoya. "What are you doing here?" Pierce asked. "Shouldn't you be out in the-"

"I'm not with the team," replied Montoya. "It's a long story, but I'm stuck here now I might as well help."

Pierce sighed. "You got a name?"

"Montoya."

At that moment, Shaw ran back into the room. "There's a storage room down the hall," she said. "There's enough canned food that it should last us at least a few months."

"Good," said Pierce.

"Who's he?" Shaw asked.

"A civilian," replied Pierce.

"Shouldn't we get him upstai-"

"I'm stuck out here, I might as well do something," Montoya replied. "Besides, I got a friend who's hurt." He turned toward Carrie, who lay on a bed, with visible stitches in her legs.

"Go upstairs and find Copper," instructed Pierce. "He's an old man, you shouldn't have trouble spotting him and Crusher. Help him carry anything."

Montoya nodded and ran outside.

Soon after, Montoya and Copper quickly ran back into the room. "We weren't able to find much," Copper said. "That dang base got blown up from the inside; there's nothing left!"

"Alright," replied Pierce.

"They've already started taking apart the teleporter," reported Crusher. "By this point, travelling back to Antarctica is out of the question."

"I don't want to do anything stupid, though," said Pierce. "We should be ready to seal this place if necessary, but we're going to wait until the last possible second to do so. Crusher, get on that radio, I want constant updates on the battle." 

*****

They're gone.

They're all dead.

He's dead.

I killed him.

My family is gone.

Mom is dead.

Oswald is dead.

I murdered him.

Minerva Fabello stared at Oswald's unmoving body, trying to comprehend what had happened, only for her brain to refute it each time. She didn't know how long it had been since Oswald stopped breathing. Minutes, hours... it didn't really mean anything. All she knew was that her family was absolutely and truly gone. An act more than 14 years in the making. She was absolutely alone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the knife, stained with both her and Oswald's blood. Minerva could hear a sick, distorted laugh rattling her head. It - the knife - was laughing at her. At her pain and misery. Knowing that, despite all her assurance to her brother that she would pull through, had finally been broken.

How could you? a voice asked. Murder your own brother? I hardly think that makes you better than him killing your mother.

It... is better this way... Minerva thought back weakly. She repeated that phrase multiple times in her head, trying to convince the other voice (and herself) that she was right.

The voice laughed harshly. You don't truly believe that, do you? You killed him. You were the one that destroyed your family. You can barely live with yourself. Why not complete the deed and finish yourself off?

Minerva's eyes shot back to the knife. It was beckoning to her. It seemed to be telling her that everything would be alright if she took the knife. She would see her family again, completely reunited. Everything would be alright. She began to unconsciously move toward the knife.

"Minerva!"

Minerva stopped herself. There was a vaguely feminine voice calling her name. She wasn't sure if it was in her head or somewhere in this apartment. Become more acutely aware of her surroundings, she felt the entire building rumble. Very weakly at first, but growing stronger. Bits of dust were falling from the ceiling.

"Minerva! Where are you?!"

Minerva closed her eyes. The voice was familiar, but her mind was in such a whirl that she couldn't pinpoint it. In addition to the rumblings, she heard someone moving through the lower floor of the building and making their way to the stairs. She barely opened her eyes and leaned down to pick up the knife. She stared at it with cold, dead eyes. The knife was begging for her to do it. It would be okay once she did.

"Minerva!" the voice snapped. Minerva jumped, dropping the knife. She turned her head slowly and saw Holly Vinyaya approaching her, a look of concern on her face. "Are you - oh!" Vinyaya reached Minerva and wiped away the blood from the cut on her cheek. "Where's..." Vinyaya's eyes turned to Oswald's body. "I'm... sorry, Minerva," she muttered.

The building rumbled more violently than before, and an inhuman roar echoed throughout the entire building.

"Minerva," Vinyaya said, her voice becoming more urgent and serious. "We need to leave. He's coming this way. We'll be killed if we stay any longer."

Minerva turned back to her brother. She didn't want to leave him here. He couldn't be left here. He-

The building rattled again, causing Minerva and Vinyaya to stumble and any objects still standing to fall. Vinyaya grabbed Minerva's injured arm. She turned to the Space Police officer and gave her a weak, monotonous look. To her surprise, Vinyaya's features had soften considerably.

"Minerva," Vinyaya said, her voice surprisingly calm and soothing. "There's... there's nothing left here. Please, we need to go." Minerva swallowed and nodded to Vinyaya. Gripping Minerva's arm tightly, Vinyaya began to lead the way out of the room and to the stairwell. Minerva felt like she was simply floating behind, not in control of her own actions.

They soon burst out of the apartment into the rain. Vinyaya picked her pace up as she ran to their Fire Hammer. Minerva stumbled at her new burst of speed and tripped. Vinyaya gasped and spun around to help Minerva back open, only to stare upward in awe. Minerva climbed slowly to her feet and turned to see what she was looking at.

It was one thing to see him stomping around the city a hundred yards away, but being basically right under Dr. Rex was another thing. He was a silver monstrosity with several constricting bands of Maelstrom energy surrounding his body. Despite being an intelligent (if mad) scientist, Dr. Rex's eyes showed nothing more than wild, animal-like ferocity. Eyes of a mad, feral beast that wanted to destroy everything. Dr. Rex bellowed in pain as the Maelstrom-bands tightened around his body and swung his tale around through the apartment building.

Minerva and Vinyaya covered their heads as the top floors of the apartment building went flying toward them. Minerva flinched as large chunks of walls landed nearby. Small pieces bounced against her hands guarding her head and her back. Several bruises formed on her body from the chunks of rubble, but for the most part, she was unharmed. She looked up at saw Dr. Rex looking down into the apartment. Namely, the second floor. A deep, menacing chuckle echoed across the street. A laugh Minerva recognized instantly. Then, Dr. Rex opened his mouth and a large stream of purple flames shot out, torching Oswald Fabello's body and anything else that was on the floor.

Minerva's body shook involuntarily. Nothing would be left of her old apartment. Any family memorabilia that survived the initial Dino Attack was toasted. Her brother's body would be nothing but ashes.

Dr. Rex looked up and focused his eyes upon Minerva, Vinyaya, and their Fire Hammer. Bellowing angrily, Dr. Rex burst through the burning apartment, reducing it to a pile of rubble. He opened his maw to breathe purple flames upon. Vinyaya was calling Minerva's name, but she just stood there, staring at the massive Mutant T-Rex. The purple bands around Dr. Rex's body suddenly brightened and constricted Dr. Rex tighter, choking out the flame growing in his throat.

Minerva stared. Why couldn't he kill her? Dr. Rex closed his maw and shook his head, his eyes growing wide in pain. Then his maw opened and, to Minerva's surprise, a voice came out of it. "Just a second, Ronald. There is someone I'd like to speak with." Minerva's mind was in a whirl once again. She knew that voice. The voice that had spoken to her in the dark corridors of the Temple of Hotep III that wanted her to betray her friend.

"It is excellent to see you again, Minerva Fabello and Holly Vinyaya," Baron Typhonus said, using Dr. Rex as a mouth. Dr. Rex's eyes widened and he looked down upon the brown-and-white haired Dino Attack agent that stood beneath him.

"Fabello..." Dr. Rex managed to mutter faintly, recognizing the name before choking as Baron Typhonus silenced him.

"Do be quiet, Ronald," Baron Typhonus snapped. Despite his irritation, there was no hiding the smugness in the Maelstrom's voice. His tone carried the aura of someone who knew nothing could stop him. He continued to speak to the Dino Attack agents, namely Minerva. "I'm impressed, Miss Fabello. It seems that you are in the running for having your fears in the Maelstrom Temple come closest to coming true in the Maelstrom Temple."

"Minerva," Vinyaya whispered, keeping her glare on Dr. Rex. "What-"

"Silence, space cop!" Typhonus jeered. "Indeed. As far as I know, both you and Rex have been forced to live through their fears in this battle. How interesting. Like cruel foreshadowing, wasn't it? There was no doubt; you feared of truly losing your family. Even before you killed Oswald in that building back there, you knew that he was already gone. You are alone."

Minerva's stare didn't waver. Her posture was changing. Unresponsive, mute sadness was fading into anger as Typhonus spoke about her brother.

"It was obviously too much for him, knowing about me," Typhonus said, his voice growing increasingly arrogant and snide. Minerva could practically see him smirking. "Know that he was nothing but a pawn. Sounds like a T-Rex I know of." Typhonus's laugh sounded out through the street again. Minerva gritted her teeth. She hated that laugh. "Isn't that right, Ronald?" Dr. Rex seemed on the verge of speaking, only to have his words destroyed as the Darkitect choked him once again with the Maelstrom. "Learning that he was - is - a puppet didn't do much for him either. Unfortunately, Ronald will not get death like dear Oswald. He will destroy until nothing is left. Then... well, a puppet that can no longer be used is mere garbage. This puppet's role will end soon enough."

Minerva was shaking. Not out of fear or sadness, but of pure anger. "Not only did you fear of losing your family come true," the Darkitect continued. "But in the end, you made the final blow that sealed its destruction. It couldn't have gone more-"

"SHUT UP!" Minerva screamed, her voice hoarse and scratchy, cutting off the rest of the Darkitect's words. "YOU DID THIS! BOTH OF YOU DID THIS! BECAUSE OF YOU, MY MOM AND BROTHER ARE DEAD!"

Typhonus laughed again. "I suppose you could consider it retribution for taking one of my best subordinates. Which reminds me, I still have a score to settle with our good friend Mr. Virchaus. I'm half-tempted to keep you alive long enough so you can witness me finally destroy him."

Typhonus's words sank into Minerva's like a rock. Zach was in Dino Attack Headquarters right now, working to help save the world. He was her best and closest friend. The past day with him in the Dino Attack Headquarters was the first time in a long time she truly felt content. She wouldn't let the Darkitect take him or any more of her friends like he had taken Oswald and Athena.

"I can see the gears turning in your head," Typhonus said, amusement in his voice. "Good. Despite what you think, you haven't been broken yet. I want you to keep fighting. Thinking you can hold Ronald and myself back. Think there is a chance for the other elite agents of your team to finish their weapon to defeat us. I want know that, when their plan fails and you lose everyone, you are completely and utterly broken before you die as well."

Minerva spat angrily. "You won't win. Dr. Rex is going to get the death he deserves, I will see to it. For all the lives he took and helped corrupt." Speaking directly to Dr. Rex, Minerva continued, "You did this, Dr. Rex! You moron! You turned my brother against me!"

"Brave words when speaking to an invincible Tyrannosaurs rex," Baron Typhonus muttered, clearly amused.

Dr. Rex snarled, ignoring the puppetmaster's words. "Your... team turned... my sister... against me! Because of... your team... I've lost everything! Consider... losing Oswald Fabello... my payback!" With a growl, Dr. Rex opened his mouth and shot his head toward Minerva. She rolled of the way as Dr. Rex's jaws shoveled out a chunk of concrete. As it disintegrated in his mouth, the Maelstrom tightened against Dr. Rex's body. He howled in agony as Baron Typhonus laughed again. "I... I shall consume!" Dr. Rex screamed to the heavens as the Darkitect's sinister laughter grew louder. "Consume... consume everything!"

At this point, Minerva had run to the Fire Hammer, dented slightly from Dr. Rex destroying the building, and jumped into the passenger side. Vinyaya put the vehicle into drive and slammed the gas, sending the Fire Hammer tearing through the ruined city. Dr. Rex unleashed one more agonizing scream running after the Fire Hammer, destroying everything in his path.

*****

Dr. Cyborg pulled the soldering iron out of the stand. "Now, Kate, when I say to, pull the green wire out of the scolded. Okay?" he asked. Kate nodded, and Dr. Cyborg started desoldering the wire. When the solder was liquefied, Dr. Cyborg said, "Now!" and Kate pulled the wire out.

"There," Dr. Cyborg said, "The last of the power and control wires are out. The Einstein Device is disarmed!" Cheers were heard around the room, as nobody was in danger of blowing up anymore.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go do something," Dr. Cyborg said as he left the table. He went downstairs for a few minutes, then came back up. He then knelt by a few of the Mutant Lizard carcasses. "Hey, Zach," he said. "Would you come here for a moment? I need your help with something."

Zach walked over. "What do you need?" he asked Dr. Cyborg.

"First, I need one of your Maelstrom fireballs. Then, I am going to project a few samples of Maelstrom. I want you to touch them, and say the first name that comes to mind. Alright?" Dr. Cyborg asked. Zach agreed, and they began.

Dr. Cyborg summoned the first sample. "Acid Mutant Lizard," Zach said. Dr. Cyborg began to summon other samples and have them tested. "Chameleon Mutant Lizard. Willa the Witch. Darkness Mutant Lizard. Me. You," Zach said. "What is so important about that?"

"You correctly identified by name the host of every sample of Maelstrom. The samples from the Mutant Lizards. The residue from Willa's attack. Your Maelstrom and mine. From the Maelstrom itself, you identified all of the previous hosts of the samples. Do you understand what I am getting at?" 

As they worked to dismantle the Teleport Pad, they were rather surprised to see that something was happening. A T-1 Typhoon, designated with the ID T-1 9122, came in over the tower and a group of agents stepped out of the helicopter. One agent, a young woman, worked her way down to the lab and stepped inside. The others hastily turned toward her, and they were rather shocked to see her face.

"Zenna?" Andrew asked, somewhat confused.

Zenna smiled. "Did I miss anything interesting?"

Andrew put down the part of the Einstein Device launcher he was holding and jogged over to the newly-arrived Zenna. "Zenna! Oh man, it's great to see you back in good shape!"

"It is indeed," said Specs from the Einstein Device table. "Glad to see we haven't lost all of some of our former agents."

"Yeah," said Hotwire. "Great to have you back."

Zenna smirked. "Glad to be back."

"Feeling's more than mutual," said Andrew, shaking her hand gratefully. The last time he had seen her was in the last team meeting in the camp they had set up by the XERRD Fortress ruins in Adventurers' Island. She had taken major injuries and had been left for dead early on, only just recovered, then got hurt to the point of comatose during the camp ambush. It was hard to believe she would make it and come back to the team, yet here she was. "I tell ya, it's good to have more of us around here. We've lost too many in this battle." Andrew then glanced and said to the new arrival in a low voice: "In fact, Claw got killed earlier. Rex hasn't taken it well."

Zenna's eyes widened. "Wow. My condolences to him."

"Be sure to give them later, then."

"I will." They then stopped whispering. "So what's going on here?"

"To put it briefly," said Specs, "we're working on fine-tuning a device here to be able to defeat the Mutant Dinos once and for all, or at least Dr. Rex himself. You probably saw him when you came in, he was covered in armor and Maelstrom tendrils."

"I did notice," said Zenna, once again speaking in that tone of modest reaction that people like Andrew knew her well for. "Geeze, I thought we left the Maelstrom behind at Adventurers' Island."

"It's being stubborn in its departure," remarked Zach, pointing to himself and Dr. Cyborg. The fellow LEGO Islander spoke in a witty and upbeat tone, but Andrew did notice that his friend was trying to avoid eyeing her. She was likely bringing up some of his guilt from his time as a Stromling, which had included the attack that had left her in a critical state to begin with.

"Indeed, it is," said Specs. "But today we're going to try and push it out for good. I know you're more of a pilot and medic, but there's plenty to do with helping us out here. Reptile, Hotwire, Kate, Dr. Cyborg and I could use any help available with getting this device together, and Andrew, Hertz, and Zach could definitely use a hand with their building processes." 

"You got it," replied Zenna, walking into the lab with a slight limp and an obvious sting in her shoulder. "Just tell me what to do." Slowly she worked her way to one of the tables and started picking up parts.

Kate looked up in surprise from one of her tables. She was with another older woman Zenna didn't immediately recognize. "Who's she?" asked Zenna.

Sarah Bishop looked up at Zenna. "I'm her mother," she said. The sudden revelation was startling, as Zenna wondered how Kate's mother ended up here, but she remained quiet.

Zach smiled as Zenna got reacquainted with the group. He was happy to see that she was alright. However, guilt was gnawing at his insides. She was sent to Antarctica because of him and his Mutant Dinos. He knew he would have to apologize sooner or later.

"Zach?" Dr. Cyborg said, snapping him back to attention. "Do you see what I'm getting at?" Zach turned back to the cyborg Dino Attack agent. Zach had identified numerous Maelstrom samples that Dr. Cyborg had presented toward him, seemingly for some part of the tweaks that were still being added to the Einstein Device. He scratched his chin briefly.

"Shot in the dark," Zach said, raising both hands. "We can gather samples of Mutant Lizards, Mutant Raptors, Mutant Pterosaurs, Mutant T-Rexes, Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids, and (maybe for good measure) Maelstrom Dragons so we focus the Einstein Device's energy only on stopping the Mutant Dinos, not you, me, Rex, or Pterisa?"

"Well, that's not how I would put it, but that's the basics of it!" Dr. Cyborg told Zach. 

"There's still the issue of Mutant Dinos that have broken away from the Darkitect's hold," Zach said, crossing his arms. "Like..." He glanced at Rex, then said in a low voice. "Trouble, Buddy, or your Cyrista's Bane. They would still be susceptible to the Einstein Device's effects."

"That's why I was thinking more along the lines of collecting samples from those to exclude, and tune the Device to affect all but those. It's a whole lot easier than getting a sample from every Mutant Dino to affect," Dr. Cyborg said.

*****

Nazareno swayed to the side as the Fire Hammer ran over another bump. Quickly regaining his footing, Nazareno swung a katana at Blaire. Blaire quickly blocked the sword and jabbed his other katana at Nazareno. The space ninja carefully stepped to the side and knocked the sword down on to the roof of the cab, causing sparks to dance.

Lightning brightened the sky and illuminated hauntingly across Blaire's sunglasses. Thunder echoed through the city. Blaire flipped back his wet hair and suddenly forced his sword through the roof of the cab. He then slammed his forearm into Nazareno's head. He stumbled back in surprise and soon found himself hanging on vehicles roof as it sped by.

"You lose, Nazareno," Blaire snarled, slamming his boot into Nazareno's fingers. Nazareno felt tears form in his eyes from the pain, but ignored Blaire's snide remarks. He turned his head and saw a wave of Mutant Lizards rushing past the Fire Hammer. Smirking to himself, Nazareno brought his feet to side of the Fire Hammer and kicked himself away from the vehicle.

He landed hard on the back of a Mutant Lizard, causing it to collapse. Mutant Lizards were stampeding in his direction. Nazareno jumped lightly onto the next Mutant Lizard with one foot and seemed to run across the Lizards as if they were a conveyor belt going the wrong way.

Nazareno kept the Fire Hammer in his peripheral vision. Another flash of lightning and boom of thunder. Nazareno saw Blaire's features clearly in that brief span of light. There was surprise, yet amusement on his old rival's face. Nazareno moved closer to the Fire Hammer and made one final hop that took him back on to the Fire Hammer's cab.

Blaire clapped mockingly as his trenchcoat whipped behind. "Impressive, Nazareno. Impressive." Nazareno kicked up his sword that he had dropped on the roof and lunged at Darkling. His opponent yanked his own Shinobi katana out of the roof and blocked Nazareno's attack. "Come on Nazareno, you've got to do more than silly tricks to defeat me."

"Have it your way," Nazareno stated simply. With that, Nazareno brought his foot upward in Blaire's stomach. XERRD's leader grimaced, allowing Nazareno punch him hard in the face. Blaire stumbled back and slipped off the Fire Hammer, leaving behind one gray katana. Scowling, Nazareno kicked the katana off the Fire Hammer and gave himself a running start and jumped from the Fire Hammer.

Blaire had rose to his feet rather quickly. His trenchcoat was stained with mud. He cracked his neck ominously. "Still have that old charm," Blaire grumbled. Extending his hands, his familiar smirk returned to his face. "Look where we have arrived, old friend." Nazareno merely nodded before running at Blaire again. They were standing outside the front doors of Dino Attack Headquarters. Broken glass, ruble, fire, and corpses surrounding the building.

Blaire still managed to block both swords with his lone katana. Clutching the sword with two hands, he executed several wide, complicated sweeps at Nazareno before letting one hand go free so it could punch Nazareno. The fist clipped Nazareno's chin. He took a brief step back before launching send several quick attacks back at Blaire. Whatever he couldn't knock away with his sword, he quickly moved his body out of the way. Blaire then swung his fist behind him, shattering what remained of the glass on the front doors.

Shaking his hand free of any glass shards, Blaire stepped through the broken door and gestured Nazareno to join him. Nazareno rolled his eyes and stabbed his swords through hole in the door. Blaire jumped back quickly and began to step farther into the headquarters lobby, Nazareno close behind.

*****

Minerva didn't both taking shots at Dr. Rex; it would've been a waste, really. She aimed the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at the Mutant Dinos ahead of her and Vinyaya's Fire Hammer, clearing a path. Minerva looked in the side mirror and saw the Mutant T-Rex king approaching fast, vaguely reminding her of Jurassic Park. Vaguely.

Minerva looked up out the window and saw the three Agents jets fly overhead and fire several missiles into Dr. Rex. They exploded as they collided with his Silge armor, but Dr. Rex was mostly unharmed. Ignoring the Fire Hammer he had been chasing earlier, Dr. Rex blasted the three jets out of the sky with a combination of lasers and fire breath.

Go ahead and run, Miss Fabello, the Darkitect jeered in her head, his pitch-black skull smirking in her head. You won't last long either way.

A scowl quickly formed on Minerva's face. She wouldn't let the Darkitect win.

"He's going after other agents, so we're safe for now," Vinyaya said with a sigh of relief. She then turned her only eye briefly on Minerva as she drove. "We'll get you back to the headquarters-"

"Why?" Minerva snapped as she began to train the Xenon Launcher on passing Mutant Dinos.

Vinyaya seemed surprised with Minerva's harsh tone, but responded with her own iciness. "You've been emotionally compromised, Minerva. You didn't say a word until the Darkitect spoke to you. You're in shock. You don't belong out here-"

"I belong out as much as you do, Vinyaya," Minerva snapped again. "I doubt someone who just lost an eye should be out here." Vinyaya didn't respond to this quip. "I can't... I won't let him take anyone else close to me. I can't lose you or Zach, or anyone else too. It..." She drifted off.

Vinyaya stopped the jeep briefly and looked at Minerva intently with her lone eye. Her scarred face softened again like it did when she had convinced Minerva to leave her brother behind. It was a look of true concern for her wellbeing. "Are you sure you can keep going?" Vinyaya asked quietly.

Minerva's lip quivered briefly. It would so much simpler to finally break down and cry on Vinyaya's shoulder.

But there was a job to do. A battle to be won. Minerva was toeing the edge of an emotional breakdown. But she would hold it all in until they won. It wasn't healthy, but necessary. She could keep fighting. Win this battle for everyone that she lost because of this war. Minerva nodded slowly to Vinyaya.

Patting Minerva on the shoulder in an encouraging matter, Vinyaya put the jeep back into drive and started back up again. "Is there anything you can contribute to this... Einstein Device?" Vinyaya asked. "Just out of curiosity. I figure you'll still be out here, regardless."

"Unless a couple of high school AP classes qualify someone to mess with something like it, no," Minerva continued to fire the Xenon Launcher. "I could probably help do something, but my talents are better used out here." Vinyaya shrugged without looking away from the road ahead of her. "So, what's the status of things? I've been sort of out of it."

"Elite Agents Semick and Mercedes remained on the battlefield, but the latter was knocked out of the sky by Willa the Witch. Dr. Martinet is heading out to the crash site to see if she's alright. Rotor and Cabin have just returned from the thirteenth floor and have rejoined the fight in the air. Leadership roles have mostly fallen to the agents in the air, most notably Semick, who split the forces up to deal with varying threats. Though now, based on reports from I heard from Iron Predators still holding up at the headquarters, we need to organize a gauntlet of vehicles around the headquarters. Dinos are swarming the headquarters and, while the Iron Predators are taking care of the bigger threats, Mutant Lizards are slipping through and entering the headquarters. Pulling everyone together to guard the headquarters from the dinos and at least hold back Dr. Rex a bit so the Einstein Device can be finished is the best idea I have at the moment."

Minerva was extremely relieved to have a friend in a commander who had experiences with ordeals like this. Leadership was definitely not a strong suit of hers in any way, shape, or form. And having at least Semick, Rotor, and Cabin out in the field with her improved her spirits greatly. And she hoped that her being out with the infantry, despite all the MegaBlokland she had been going through, would raise morale.

Dr. Rex unleashed another inhuman scream. Minerva turned her head and saw him destroy a T-1 Typhoon and Iron Predator group with a combination of breath flames and laser bursts. She noted how easy it would be for Dr. Rex to run at Dino Attack Headquarters and topple it. So easy that she wondered briefly why he didn't. Then she realized the Darkitect was probably holding Dr. Rex back. Taking his time in reaching the headquarters. He wanted the Dino Attack Team and its allies to believe they still had a chance in defeating him. Just so that when he finally had Dr. Rex storm the building, he could savor the moment as the Minifig race lost all hope as the building, and their last hope, came crumbling around them. Flashes of her mother and brother suddenly appeared in her head. Victims of the Darkitect's work.

Minerva gritted her teeth together angrily and turned to Vinyaya. "Reforming the defenses around the headquarters sound like a solid idea, but that won't matter once the Darkitect uses Dr. Rex to his full abilities."

Vinyaya nodded grimly. "I've noticed that. There's nothing we can really do about that, unfortunately. However, since the Darkitect firmly believes that Einstein Device will not defeat him, he will hold back until he decides he's done toying with us or he believes the Einstein Device is a threat. If he decided to attack and the device isn't finished, we're done for. In the meantime, the Mutant Dinos, Dr. Inferno, and the Fright Knights continue to attack. If we don't organize defenses, a little more than a few lizards will be breaking into the HQ. Think the battle of the Power Station earlier this year, only a zillion times worse."

Minerva nodded, unable to come up with a good argument against this. "You should probably suggest this to Semick or someone."

"No, you should just take control and form the defenses yourself, Elite Agent Fabello." Vinyaya smiled apologetically at a frustrated Minerva. "You think it's a good idea, go for it. Your words will resonate with the team far more than mine would." Vinyaya turned her head briefly to Minerva. "From the way you look, commanding isn't really your thing. Just know that you aren't alone. I'll help you along the way."

Minerva scowled briefly, but smiled appreciatively at the Space Police commando. She picked up the radio and stared at it momentarily. This was the best way to hold the line long enough for the device to be completed. The Darkitect must be stopped. Oswald and Athena appeared in her head again. She took a deep breath and began to speaking to every agent her radio's signal could reach.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited November 7, 2021 by PeabodySam
Fixed formatting.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 72: At War's End

----

Through the purple mist clouding his vision, and the agonizing pain and unbearable suffering that shook his entire form, Dr. Rex looked upon Dino Attack Headquarters. Despite the valiant efforts of Dino Attack Team, Alpha Team, Agents, and other factions, the base was now infested with Mutant Lizards, stalked by Mutant Raptors, bombed by Mutant Pterosaurs, and even now the Mutant T-Rexes had reached the building.

The sight both pained him and pleased him. Dr. Rex still felt horrible that everything... everything he had ever worked for... all his dreams and wishes... were nothing more than a lie, and this was all the doing of Baron Typhonus. But he had already resigned himself to his fate, for there was nothing worth fighting for any more. Talia rejected him... Catherine renounced him... XERRD abandoned him... now, Dr. Rex's only hope was that the Darkitect would be merciful enough to grant him a swift death.

And the last thing that stood between him and that escape he so desired was this insufferable team and their pathetic headquarters.

The sun sets, Ronald. They continue to fight, despite all that they have lost so far. But now... it is time. Dino Attack Headquarters shall fall. Kill them all.

Dr. Rex barely had the strength to nod. "Let us end this," he agreed, the sound of his voice scarcely more than a guttural growl from the back of his throat. With that, he slowly mustered the strength to take one step towards Dino Attack Headquarters, then another, then another.

The sounds of his footsteps, complemented by the echoes of thunder as lightning streaked across the sky, served as the very song of impending doom.

*****

Rex stared out a window, looking out at the battlefield below. Despite the Mutant Dinos that were infiltrating the building, T-1 Typhoons, Iron Predators, and other vehicles led by Shadow, Digger, Viper, Rotor, and other elite agents kept the Mutant T-Rexes at bay. Rex could even tell which one was driven by Digger, since its weapons would never fire until at the last possible second, and Viper's vehicle was undoubtedly the one that was moving the fastest, challenged only by another T-1 Typhoon piloted by Sam Race. Alpha Team and Agents provided back-up, and the Brickster's T-1 Typhoon was certainly doing damage...

Behind him, Rex knew that Specs, Reptile, Hotwire, Zenna, Andrew, Zachary, Hertz, Kate, and Shannon continued to work frantically on the Einstein Device. They were close to completion, and thanks to Dr. Cyborg, they needn't worry about the device going off prematurely and killing everyone. Frozeen and Greybeard both volunteered to guard the stairwell, and as it turned out, their assistance was very much needed due to the Mutant Lizards that were trying to access the thirteenth floor.

But Rex saw the ruins of the battle-scarred city, with some buildings engulfed entirely in flames that reached high into the sky like the fires of MegaBlokland. The devastation of this battle made the initial Dino Attack pale in comparison. Rex swallowed hard as he saw three Mutant T-Rexes tear apart an Iron Predator while an Agents Aerial Defense Unit, in its attempt to help, was shot out of the sky by a flock of Mutant Pterosaurs. Down there, Dino Attack, Alpha Team, Agents, XERRD, Rogue Knights, and Skeleton Drones were dying. They held their ground, but were inevitably being pushed back by the overwhelming number of Mutant Dinos. There was no way Dino Attack Headquarters was going to stand much longer... not against this. It wouldn't be enough.

And then Rex saw him. Through the darkness and the heavy rain, Rex could still see him, as his body was illuminated by the fires of war and the flashes of lightning; in the shadow, only his red eyes could be seen. Dr. Rex was marching towards Dino Attack Headquarters. And there was no stopping him now.

Rex clutched his chest in pain. It was agonizing, as though a claw was ripping through his torso. His heart pains were worse than ever, and Rex had no doubt that the Maelstrom in his body had to do with it. He knew that everything was about to come to an end. Everything.

"We're running out of time," Rex whispered. When the chest pains subsided, Rex repeated his words in a louder voice so that the others could hear.

"According to my watch," murmured Specs, "it is now 5:36 PM. Sunset."

"Remember Dr. Rex's declaration?" said Shannon, frowning. "He said that Dino Attack Headquarters will fall when the sun sets."

"That was a short day," remarked Hotwire. "I mean, this battle does feel like it's been going on for weeks, but sunset already?"

"It is the winter solstice, after all," Andrew pointed out. "Although it may not look it, considering that it's a thunderstorm. I wonder if maybe XERRD got ahold of Evil Ogel's old weather-manipulating pipe organ and used it to raise the temperature high enough for the Mutant Dinos to fight in."

"Whatever the reason or cause," muttered Reptile, "it is clear that we have to finish the Einstein Device now or never. We may never again have another chance to strike at Dr. Rex."

"But wait!" exclaimed Dr. Cyborg. "We still don't have the Imagination! Sure, we managed to fix up the weapon so that it won't obliterate every Creative Spark in the blast radius, but that means that it still needs Imagination to counter the Maelstrom... and I don't think we really have any Imagination stored in this building, do we?"

"I don't believe so," Reptile said, shaking his head. "Even when we had Dr. Einstein working with us, we never were able to keep an ample storage of Imagination. And even if we did, where could we find it? You cannot just smash a LEGO model and expect orbs of Imagination to just fall out; this isn't Nimbus System, where Imagination is far more bountiful from what I hear."

"IF EINSTEIN HAD DESIGNED THIS THING TO OPERATE ON RADIO WAVES," Hertz spoke in an unintentionally loud voice, "IT WOULD BE FAR EASIER TO FIGURE OUT-"

"Well, I don't think we're up for a last-minute reprogramming," said Hotwire, shrugging.

"I'll do it," decided Rex.

Hotwire raised an eyebrow, slightly bemused. "Come on, Rex. I appreciate the offer, but I don't think you're exactly the most qualified for reprogramming the Einstein Device to-"

Rex shook his head. "No. I'll do it. I'll power the Einstein Device."

The realization of what Rex meant washed over the Dino Attack agents as they fell silent. Rex sighed. He knew that the Einstein Device might very well be their salvation, and Reptile was right: it was now, or never. They could not afford to waste time considering the options; they had to act.

"You... you cannot be serious," Andrew said as he shook his head. "Rex, like it or not, you're a little too valuable to this team to-"

"To sit around in a wheelchair and do nothing while everyone else is dying out there?" retorted Rex.

"But you're like a hero!" said Dr. Cyborg. "Everyone looks up to you, and-"

"And what good am I?" snapped Rex. "PBB, Aster Oid, Adventure... Amanda... even Trouble... they've all died because of me. Me. A so-called 'ropes expert' who can't do anything without endangering the lives of others and relying on deus ex machina to save the day if the cavalry doesn't arrive in time. And in our darkest hour, when you need a hero the most, where was I? Giving in to the very madness and lust for death that Dr. Rex and Baron Typhonus live for. I failed you. I've failed you far too many times."

"Get ahold of yourself, Rex," said Reptile, frowning. "There must be another way that does not require an unneeded sacrifice."

"And how many more deaths shall it take?" Rex raised an eyebrow. "How many more friends shall perish on the battlefield? How many more family members in Antarctica will be waiting for their beloved to return home, only to see a pair of Dino Attack agents forced to solemnly deliver the tragic news?"

"What be all this?" Greybeard barked as he and Frozeen approached Rex.

"I'm ready, Greybeard," declared Rex. "I'm ready to die."

"You're going to sacrifice your Creative Spark to empower the Einstein Device?" said Frozeen, blinking. "Rex, you know... if you do that... there's no going back. I'm still confused about the circumstances that followed after Dr. Rex killed me, but I think it's because my Creative Spark was still alive that I was able to be reborn. Without a Creative Spark, you will... cease to be. There's no return."

Rex sighed solemnly. Slowly, he shook his head. "Return was never an option, and I hope we all knew that when we signed up for this team."

"Belay that!" declared Greybeard. "Rex, listen t' me! Dinnae be foolish, an' think this through! Ye be young, an' e'en if ye think yer world be o'er after th' death o' Amanda, thar be much more t' live fer. I be old; I liv'd me life! I be... alone." Grimly, Greybeard stared at the Einstein Device. "It should be me. I be th' one whose Creative Spark should be sacrificed, not yers."

Rex locked eyes with Greybeard. "I have thought this through. It's the first time that I've been able to think clearly since my ill-fated marriage earlier today. With my Maelstrom infection, I do not have much longer to live, and even if I do survive this battle, what little life I have left will be full of pain and suffering and, in the end, benefit no one. But what if I can be useful? What if I can use what I have left to do something good? What if I have the chance to make a difference? What if I can do something meaningful and save everyone, rather than continue to bring pain and death upon all those whom I love dearly as my comrades, my family? Well, Greybeard, I have that chance. I can be useful. Just as Trouble used his dying breaths to kill Michelle Gladys and save countless from her deranged ideas... just as J.D., Tracer, and Einstein sacrificed their Creative Sparks for the greater good... I shall not let my death have little consequence. I can do good; I can do the right thing... and if I must die a few weeks early, then I shall accept the bell's toll."

Resting a hand on Greybeard's shoulder, Rex whispered: "And you're not alone, Greybeard. There is someone down in Antarctica who is, right now, praying that her dear granddaddy, the one thing she has left, will come home safely."

"Mary Rose," said Greybeard.

Rex nodded. "You still have family. As for me... this is my destiny."

"I should 'ave known," whispered Greybeard. "Them dreams I had... they be about this moment." Greybeard swallowed hard. "Rex, me hearty... adios."

After a short pause, Rex noticed: "You're crying."

Shaking his head, Greybeard declared: "Shiver me timbers, I be not cryin'! It just be... th' rain. Thar be... err... a leak in th' roof, if ye... 'aven't... noticed." Still, the old pirate was clearly choking something back, and everyone was able to call his bluff.

Frozeen patted Rex on the shoulder, but was at a complete loss for words, for try as he may, the Alpha Team agent just could not think of anything he could say. He settled for a handshake, and as Rex and Frozeen clasped hands, Rex murmured: "Thank you, Frozeen, for so much. Tell Chompy... tell Chompy that I said 'goodbye'."

"I will," promised Frozeen, nodding.

The sound of Mutant Lizard screeches came from the stairwell, so Frozeen and Greybeard were forced to depart and return to their duty. Rex turned to face the other Dino Attack agents... Specs, Reptile, Hotwire, Zenna, Andrew, Zachary, Hertz, Kate, and Shannon. "Together," announced Rex, "we have fought through this war and lived through so much. It's... truly been an honor to have known all of you. Now, we are at war's end, but it is up to us to decide how it ends. As for me... I've made my choice.

"Reptile, Hotwire, Andrew, Hertz, and Grimton, ready the Einstein Device to load Imagination. Zachary, I hope your Maelstrom powers can come in handy for this... I'm going to need you to just keep the Maelstrom in my body at bay while Dr. Cyborg extracts my Creative Spark. Specs... if you wish, I would suggest calling Viper and letting him know that, if he wants his dream to come true, he better come here soon."

Glancing out at the looming shape of Dr. Rex in the distance, Rex whispered under his breath: "I'm ready. Let's end this."

*****

It was a standoff. Cyrista's Bane had collared Dr. Inferno's mech, but Inferno had returned the favor. The flamethrower arm of the mech came up to Bane's head, starting to glow. With a whoosh, it ignited and sprayed liquid flame all over the metal side of Bane's face. With a roar, Bane turned his head and bit the flamethrower, melting it with his internal furnace.

"Hey, Dr. Inferno, don't fight fire with fire. It usually doesn't work," Bane said.

"It does for me!" Inferno replied.

At that moment, he got a transmission from Dr. Cyborg. "Hey Screech," Bane said, "the doctor wants your help back at HQ."

"Right, I'm on way," Screech replied as she turned and left.

Bane kicked out, tearing the legs from the Inferno Mech. It finally let go of Bane, and Bane pulled Dr. Inferno out of the cockpit, keeping him prisoner as he walked back to HQ, his current mission done.

*****

"Well, that was anticlimactic."
"Yeah, but it was still totally awesome."
"So, the mech is gone, and the cyborg is on our side. All the distractions are just about over!"
"Hey kid, don't get cocky!"
"It feels like it's been months since the Maelstrom Temple. It's only been a few days, how amazing is that?"

*****

Kate turned to where her mother was standing. "Look, Mom," she said. "I'm eighteen, I don't need you watching me every minute. I know you love me, and I appreciate that you don't want to see me hurt, but I can take care of myself now."

"Kate," Sarah said, a few tears swelling in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you!"

"You won't," promised Kate.

"Listen, Kate. Don't try to be a hero, okay?"

"Mom," said Kate, "this is a chance for me to do something with my life. You can be helpful elsewhere. Go on!"

Sarah looked at her daughter tearfully.

"Go help Dad," Kate said. "Get down to the medical bay and give him a hand."

Sarah nodded.

"You love him too, don't you?" Kate asked.

Sarah nodded again.

"Well then, help him too. When we're done here, we'll be together again. Tell Pierce I said 'hi'."

Sarah smiled and turned toward the door. Kate watched her mother leave with a look of uncertainty before turning back to her work.

"Dad?" Zenna repeated.

"Yeah," replied Kate. "Turns out Pierce was my dad this whole time."

*****

Rotor turned toward Zelda, who was busy talking to Helm. "Look," Rotor shouted, "I hate to interrupt this reunion but we got more important things to be worrying about right now!"

Zelda turned toward Rotor, pulling her bandana back over her mouth. "Well, excuse me!" Zelda snapped, crossing her arms. Rotor's face started to turn red with anger. "I'm trying to tie up a loose end here. I am fully aware of what's going on. I just rather go to my grave with amends made."

She then turned back to Helm. "Well, will you help defeat the psycho half-god controlling the Mutant T-Rex in silver armor?"

Helm wiped his eyes and nodded grimly. Zelda clasped him on the shoulder reassuringly before backing away.

Kat clapped her hands together. "Alright," she said, giving Zelda a brief, curious look. "Let's keep this fight up, shall we?"

"Indeed!" Solomon muttered loudly as he sliced through a Mutant Lizard's head, clearly back to focusing on the battle. Epic Winston nodded in agreement and joined him.

Just before everyone was about to continue fighting, Lance Williams the surfer suddenly spoke up, having returned from the T-1 Typhoon he had been riding in. "Elite Agent Fabello's given the order for all ground forces to pull back to the headquarters for the final defense. They're all to hold back the Mutant Dinos so the superweapon-thing can be completed."

Kara Wise looked up to the sky grimly. Mutant Pterosaurs were divebombing Dino Attack Headquarters. "I think it's best we get back into the sky, Rotor, Cabin. Try to hold off those Pterosaurs."

Zelda nodded faintly, a sick knot forming in her stomach. If this "Einstein Device" she was hearing about was completed soon, they were finished. "Let's get going." With that, she and the rest of the group began to retreat back to the headquarters. As she ran towards the helicopter, her thoughts drifted back to Nazareno and Blaire. They still haven't returned, she realized, growing worried.

*****

"Everything ready?" Pierce asked.

"I think so," replied Copper. "Now it's just a matter of what happens above us."

Shaw sat in the back of the room in fear. She held her cross tightly in her arms and prayed - only this time, she said it aloud, she wasn't embarrassed to be doing so, and at this point it seemed they needed all they could get. A little faith couldn't do much harm under the circumstances.

Pierce was surprised when a familiar face stepped inside: a woman in her forties with long brown hair, equipped with a shotgun/flamethrower. He smiled. "Sarah!"

Pierce ran up to her and hugged her tightly, Sarah dropping her weapon on the ground. "Your daughter say hi," she said.

"How's Kate doing?" Pierce asked.

"Fine," replied Sarah. "She told me to come down here, figured maybe I could help you."

"Well," said Pierce, "at this point, we're starting to think about sealing this place off. Our only option right now is to take our chances down here."

"You didn't want to take the teleporter upstairs before it was dismantled?"

"With the base the way it's in now," Copper said, "we weren't taking any chances."

"We have the equipment in the back," Crusher explained. "Maybe you and Montoya could give us a hand with the sealing process."

"What about Kate?"

"If they fail here," replied Pierce, "she'll get brought back to Antarctica where she'll be safe. When this is done, we'll be together again."

"That's what she said to me," said Sarah.

Pierce smiled.

"Looks like we'll have to ride this one out down here," Wright murmured to Shiller's still-unconscious form. The elevator was naturally not working, and there was no way Shiller could be carried up the stairs, so all that could be done was keep him within the infirmary as Pierce and the others sealed them in.

Sarah Bishop slowly worked her way up the stairs with a bucket of cement, Montoya behind her. The door was shut, and it was time to make sure it stayed that way. She dipped her brush into the bucket and started to run it along the edges. The hope was that it would keep the worst of things out; air could still be provided through the vents, but until they ran short of supplies, they'd have to hope that Mutant Dinos were unlikely to break in.

*****

Hotwire drew a careful breath. This would be the third time in the past week that he would see a Creative Spark ripped from its owner and used for some other purpose. He tried to force the thought from his mind and concentrate on the Einstein Device, as Zach and Dr. Cyborg busily tried to figure out how to target it to Dr. Rex specifically.

There is nothing I can do, I suppose, Andrew thought, in regards to Rex. He's made his choice. Guess I can only do what I can to make this easier.

It was horrible to think about the sacrifices that had to be made for this battle, and the battle itself at this time certainly wasn't helping. Still, Andrew understood how necessary it was, and had been. Mur and Einstein during the last mission had made that clear. And despite all Andrew could think of to say Rex still had to live for, he understood that he wasn't merely throwing his life away. He was doing what he could to stick it to Dr. Rex and the Darkitect for good.

The team in the lab began gathering together around the Einstein Device. Zach and Hertz were carrying their modified launcher, along with a boxful of parts they might need for the device proper.

As they began the work they needed to do, Andrew tapped Zach on the shoulder. "Looks like it's almost over," he said to his battle-bonded friend and neighbor.

Zach sighed. "Yeah. I just hope it's all worth it in the end."

"It will be, it will be. Remember what I said during our little scuffle at camp? There's still a party waiting for us back home."

"Heh, yeah," Zach said with a smirk. "If there isn't, I'm going to send whoever dictates our near-future a strongly-worded letter about his angsty-art obsession."

*****

Semick's mind was in overdrive. The battle was growing harsher and harsher, and Semick, Attack, and Defend were nearly overloading their weapons. The Mutant Dinos were hitting hard now, and weren't taking any easy effort to stop. They were slowly overwhelming the ranks.

He checked in with their allies over radio. "Osprey! How's your forces?!"

The voice that came back was strong, but resigned. "Most of my men are gone. Dashworthy and most of her squad were downed, and Brickhouse got shot by a sniper earlier. We're on our last legs."

He switched over to the Iron Hammer's frequency. "Magma! What about you?"

"Our fighters are still numerous," said the Alpha Team agent, "but there's just too many of them. I'm afraid it's near the end for us."

Semick was tired of pessimism. "Don't say that! We can win this! Specs and the others will have the Einstein Device ready; we just need to give them more time!"

"Tell yourself what you have to, Semick," Swerve said over the Elite Agent frequency. "We need all the motivation we need right now."

"Listen to the comm, the men clearly have it."

"They're acknowledging that they're likely about to die."

"Exactly."

A chilling silence of voices came over the intercom and Semick's T-1 Typhoon. The Elite Agent turned to look at his crew.

"Euh... Semick?" Bluetooth asked from the TALON-9 system.

Semick had been thinking about it quietly ever since he had spoken with Andrew about possible ways to beat Dr. Rex. He had thought long and hard. About all he had done with the Power Miners and his foreman job (much, but he could've done more). About all he had done as a Dino Attack leader (plenty, but nothing that didn't qualify much until LEGO Island). About his role in life and desires for the future (not much, only jobs and bills and a handful of not-very-close friends). And finally, he had considered what his men had done, and why.

Pointman stuck out in particular. His only problem was that his timing was off, Semick thought. He was too early; the stakes weren't properly high enough for it. Now, however...

"Crew, if you don't want to be a part of this," the former Power Miner said as he lowered the T-1 Typhoon, "go right ahead. There's parachutes close to the door."

Bluetooth simply stared. Attack and Defend, after looking at each other, quickly decided to get up and get their parachutes. "Uh, yeah," said Defend. "You're a good leader, Semick, and we've had fun, but I'm not sure we want to pull off such an act."

"Agreed," said Attack.

"I fully understand," Semick said to his gunners. "You have my wishes for the best."

The men nodded and jumped out. Bluetooth still hesitated.

"Well, Bluetooth?" Semick asked.

The technician was muttering about something. Something about a message and Commander Vinyaya. "Er... yeah, I feel I should go, too," he said while grabbing the last parachute. "I know someone I don't want to leave."

Semick nodded. "The world has too many widows and widowers. Go out there and be a family man."

"I will." With a smirk, Bluetooth jumped out as well.

Semick closed the door behind him. Then returning his attention to the radio, he prepared to give one last radio speech.

*****

"Stay strong, men! If we have to give it all up to give us our chance, so be it!"
"You heard the woman, stay strong!"
"Ach! Darnit, Duke! Why'd you have to fail so bad?!"
"They're pushing hard! I don-*KTZZZZZ*
"That's it! No more 'Mr. Nice Guy'!"
"Give it all you got! This is the end!"
"About time."
"I'm ready to die, dinos. Just try and scare me."
"Come get some."

Dino Attack team was in its final standoff. Willa the Witch was captured, Dr. Inferno was down for the count, and XERRD had called a truce, but the Mutant Dinos pushed on. Nearly two-thirds of their numbers had been killed since the start of the battle about ten hours ago, but still they were not giving up.

Nor was Dino Attack.

United with what was left of Alpha Team, Agents, and XERRD's attack forces, they were continuing to fire all they had at the charging mutant overgrown reptiles. They were dying by the half-dozen, true, but it only strengthened their resolve by now. Gone was the fear they had felt when they had first met the massive enemy force across the river. They knew that if they gave up now, all they knew would be lost.

There was no other option that would leave any Minifig's Creative Spark free of guilt. It was do or die. The final countdown. The eleventh hour.

They had their weapon. Up above, in the creaking remains of the besieged Dino Attack Headquarters, the bulk of the Elite Agents were finishing their efforts to finally take out the Mutant Dinos' current ringleader. They were almost there now, just a little bit longer. Just a little bit longer.

"Bye-bye, Babylon."
"You magnificent friend, I read your book!"
"We're not going to die! We're going to live, rebuild everything into a golden age of peace, have grandkids, and Ole knows what else! We're not going to die!"
"I'm going to see Atlantis with my own eyes if it's the last thing I do!"
"Live or die. It doesn't matter now. Nobody's a redshirt. We're all heroes."
"I don't even care about references anymore. 'Yippie-ki-yay, motherZnappers!'"
"That's the attitude we need! C'mon, this is just a game to us! Let's show these cocky evildoers that heroes really do always win!"

Out there, in the front side of Dino Attack HQ and the remains of the blocks of LEGO City around it, every agent made their final stand.

Laxus continued to drive his team's Fire Hammer through the ranks, ramming Mutant Lizards and Raptors by the dozen. The front side was a banged-up wreck, but he charged on. The more these creatures went down, the better for him to survive and help ensure there was a world for him to continue the work he had started as a young Martian on Mars so long ago.

On the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, Catless and Pterisa continued to man the cannon with extreme devotion. Catless had lost a very dear friend today, and she was not going to let that death be in vain. Pterisa was determined as ever to survive and begin a good life with Minifigkind, to make clear that her kind was not pure chaos. They were united in their task, and they weren't backing down now.

Running hard through the hordes armed with only a pistol, Bluetooth joined the ranks of agents literally on their last legs. He ran through, handgun blazing in one hand while PDA beeping in the other, as he strove to avoid death. Finally, a Fire Hammer pulled up and let him in, and the Futuron technician hopped in to meet up with Holly Vinyaya and Minerva Fabello in their own standoff against the hordes. Together, Bluetooth felt his future chances brighten quite a bit.

In the ruins of the Enderson's pub where Pharisee, Trigger, and Amanda Claw's stories had intersected to their climax point, Stranger and countless other Dino Attack snipers thinned the ranks with each shot. They were sending dozens of Mutant Lizards and Raptors to the floor, but still they came at the main forces. Their activity was soon to lose its privacy though, as a Mutant T-Rex had caught sight of them and was wandering towards them. But for individuals like Stranger, who was having the time of his life and was hoping for that one perfect trophy for his new living room wall, and Buddy, who was ready to do what he needed to make clear that his kind could live through this with some hope for the future, it was just another obstacle to jump.

Driving the mysterious black-and-teal Urban Avenger, Sherlock sent Mutant Dino after Mutant Dino flying. He was redeeming himself from his folly during the schism with each passing shot, and the vehicle he drove gave him a sense of focus on fighting the monsters all around him, metaphorically and literally. There was no stopping him now.

Up above in one of the T-1 Typhoons that had come to reinforce the team earlier, bringing back Zenna and Rosalie Mercedes with them, was another old ally. Titan had returned with them from guard duty at LEGO Island to join the reinforcements for the final battle. He was stern and near-unemotional as ever, but he knew perfectly well what was going on, and if his future meant being hit by a lightning bolt as his world came to a crashing halt, so be it. He would do his part.

Also in the air was the rising former lawyer who was about to meet his grandest case yet. Rockford had understood the gravity of the situation, and had joined the ranks of those coming back home to support the team. He was still not a fighter, but he knew where his place was when the call came, and where the leaders were expected to be. He was ready to face the final battle, and all the darkness he might encounter for joining.

In a two-seated Urban Avenger, three men fought with guns blazing through the ranks of enemies. One, agent Walker, was in near-psychotic rage as he fired his pistol into his crowd of Mutant Raptors, screaming about something to do with a credit card. The other, agent Lovhaug, used a unique kind of laser pistol that had the body of a pirate flintlock, and occasionally punched Mutant Lizards in the gun while screaming about his manhood. Supporting them was a cackling mad XERRD scientist by the name of Dr. Insano, who was clinging to their rollbars while pointing strange scientific devices at the hordes, decimating them in the process. Together, they seemed quite humorous, but they were undeniably doing much damage in their final stand.

They were all united in one task: Fighting to finish off the Mutant Dinos' attacks for good.

"This is for all the friends you've killed!"
"This is for the Second Headquarters Squad! Give 'em MegaBlokland, boys!"
"This is for Condr, Sereve, Rev, Claw, Redshirt, Mur, Louis 'Dryptosaurus', and every other agent you monsters have led to the loss of!"
"This is for all the damage you've done to our world!"
"This is for how stupid your designs all are!"
"This is for ruining my family reunion!"
"This is for all the misery you've wrought for the past year!"
"This is for LEGO Island!"
"This is for the Goo Caverns!"
"This is for Fort Legoredo!"
"This is for World City!"
"This is for LEGO Studios!"
"This is for Antarctica!"
"This is for Adventurers' Island!"
"This is for Mount Bricklake!"
"This is for the rest of the world!"
"This is for the LEGO Planet!"
"THIS IS FOR EVERYTHING!"
"This is Elite Agent Semick. Men, women, persons of indeterminable gender, I want you to know how proud I have been to serve you in this war. You've all done good, and I couldn't be more grateful for how well we've fought. I want to take this moment simply to say goodbye, and to not grieve with my departure, merely know that I fight to prolong our final stand, and to ensure you can keep fighting in my name and memory. So long, and thanks for all the fun."

*****

Now alone in his T-1 Typhoon, Semick could see the closing-in figure of Dr. Rex, finally coming in to finish the job at last. The former smiled a grim smile. Now was the time.

He fired his XL-4 Voltaic Launcher cannon, doing nothing but cause slight bother. But it was enough. The beast's attention was caught. It charged at the T-1 Typhoon, but Semick flew up, narrowly avoiding the Maelstrom's tendrils.

The monster seemed to want to just ignore it and moved back to face HQ. Semick responded with another barrage of firepower to the creature's head.

"YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME!" Semick cried. "C'MON, GET YOUR REVENGE FOR WHAT I DID TO YOUR SUBWAY SURPRISE!"

The creature was definitely focusing his rage on him now. Semick turned around and flew back out towards said ruined subway exits where the beast had arrived hours earlier. The Mutant T-Rex followed close behind, roaring as it slowly caught up.

Five tense seconds passed.

He was ten yards from the T-1 Typhoon's tail.

Five more seconds.

Dr. Rex began closing his maw on it.

Semick hit the reverse and threw his T-1 Typhoon backwards into the dinosaur's maw. The vehicle wedged its back right in Dr. Rex's mouth, and for several seconds, managed to choke the beast out of surprise and mouth pains. But it didn't last long. The Maelstrom furnace of his mouth began making quick work of the T-1 Typhoon, and the teeth quickly clamped down on it, quickening the process.

From the cockpit, Semick looked back to see the hot furnace enveloping his T-1 Typhoon, and the Maelstrom tendrils sweeping upwards towards him.

For a brief moment, he flashed through his decently long life. His school years. His time playing in sandboxes. Watching the Space Race in action. Starting his work in the mines. Saving Josh Burke's life in the cave-in. Becoming a foreman. Learning of the Rock Raiders. The earthquakes that brought him to the Power Miners. The Mutant Dino attacks. Joining the team. His encounter with Zero. Becoming an Elite Agent. Serving on Adventurers' Island. The final battle.

Randal "Semick" Tennoly smiled and leaned back in his chair, and looked out his cockpit window as the Maelstrom tendrils wrapped around the view. "It's been a good life," the veteran man said happily.

A shroud of purple-black and what felt like eons of pain later, he was gone.

*****

Nazareno was climbing the stairwell to the second floor of Dino Attack Headquarters, clashing swords with Blaire. Even with one sword, Blaire was not giving away anything. Nazareno felt sweat drip down his cheek. Their duel only stopped to cut away Mutant Lizards that came to close to their proximity; even if they were rivals, their goal of saving this planet remained.

Blaire stepped onto the second floor carefully. "Time is running out, Kareem," Blaire said irritably as he blocked Nazareno's katanas with relative ease. "We need to wrap this up. This is the final stand."

Nazareno swung hard at Blaire's neck. The former assassin brought his blade upward and held back Nazareno's blow. Nazareno was already swinging his other sword when Blaire lashed out and grabbed Nazareno's arm. A sharp kick to the stomach later, Nazareno's left sword was sent spiraling down a hole back to the first floor.

"More evened odds, wouldn't you agree?" Blaire hissed with relish, his smirk. Nazareno adjusted his style quickly and continued the fight. They exchanged rapid blows, showering sparks everywhere. Purple fire reflected off of Blaire's sunglasses. He wouldn't give anything. Blaire wanted to finally kill the great Kareem Nazareno while Nazareno wanted to final end the terror of Blaire "Matthew Vherestorm" Darkling.

"You claim to have changed your ways," Nazareno snarled, smacking Blaire's katana upward. "But you truly haven't. Matthew Vherestorm is in control, not you." Blaire's face twisted into an ugly frown. "If you truly wanted to do good, you would stop this petty fight and be back out there holding the line!"

"I am not Vherestorm!" Blaire roared, swinging his sword hard. Nazareno responded with his own swing. The swords collided with an ear-ringing clang and were sent flying in different directions. The two combatants clutched their hands in pain. "He is dead!" Blaire snapped.

"The man I see before me is most certainly Matthew Vherestorm," Nazareno said, clipping the side of Blaire's fist with a punch, sending him tumbling into a ruined wall. "Let go of this, Darkling. Once you do, Matthew Vherestorm will truly be dead." Nazareno wasn't sure what he was doing. Perhaps he could see that there was good in Blaire Darkling, but it was being overshadowed by an old persona threatening to rise back in control. As much as he hated the man, he would give him the chance to redeem himself.

Blaire rose quickly and sent two punches toward Nazareno. The space ninja swung his arm upward and blocked one, but his cheek was hit hard by Blaire's other punch. Blaire then gripped his shoulders and slapped his forehead into Nazareno's. Nazareno stumbled back, surprised by the sudden ferocity of Blaire's attack.

"I am in control," Blaire snarled, gripping Nazareno's forehead tightly. Nazareno sent a punch straight to Blaire's midsection, knocking the wind out of him. Nazareno kicked his lower chin, sending XERRD's leader back. Blaire quickly recovered and wrapped his hand around Nazareno's throat before slamming him against a wall. "You are a fool, Kareem Nazareno. I will take great pleasure in finally ending your life. But first..."

Blaire was cut off as Nazareno wrapped his hands around Blaire's throat and squeezed hard. Blaire retched and swung his forearm into Nazareno's head. Before the space ninja could rise, Blaire curb-stomped his back, sending him smashing into the ground. With one foot on his back, Blaire lifted Nazareno's head upward by the neck.

"It's time to see the face of my greatest opponent," Blaire snarled. He quickly tightened his grip around the top of Nazareno's ninja cowl and, before Nazareno could throw him off, yanked it off of his head.

Nazareno jerked his body abruptly, causing Blaire's foot to slip. Nazareno flipped himself over and, with little mercy, gripped Blaire's boot and shoved it away. Blaire flew back and went crashing through a wooden desk. Nazareno rose to his feet and glared at his fallen opponent.

Blaire was soon back on his feet. A smirk formed on his face as he threw Nazareno's cowl to the side. "Well, I'm not sure what I was expecting."

Nazareno's head was wet, not from rain, but from sweat. He was completely bald and cleanly shaven; not a hair was on his head except for his lightly-colored eyebrows. He had small, piercing black eyes and numerous creases around on his cheeks and around his mouth. Despite being in his early thirties and being extremely flexible and athletic, Nazareno's face gave off the impression of someone much older. He wasn't really attractive, but he was hardly ugly either.

Nazareno wiped sweat away from his mouth, which was quickly forming into hateful, venomous stare as anger began to boil inside him. The only time his mask was ever removed was when he was in medical care. And to have it removed by his rival made the action even more insulting.

"Maybe I was expecting some handsome badbrick with long flowing blond hair?" Blaire said with a shrug. "A bit lackluster appearance, Kareem. Anticlimactic, if you will." Blaire smirk began to fade away as he could finally see how visibly angry Nazareno was. Before he could make a comment, a fist that felt like a ton of brick was thrown at his head, sending him smashing into another wall.

*****

"Mac, you want to take over flying this thing?" Rotor asked as he jumped back into the helicopter.

"Sure thing," replied Mac. "I haven't flown one of these things in three days."

"Alright then," said Rotor as Mac climbed into the cockpit.

"What do we do?" Cabin asked.

"You and I stay back here. I think we'll get a better view of the battle here and it'll be a lot easier to give orders. Besides, it's practicality. I figure you and I could use a short break from flying, Mac here hasn't gotten a chance in the cockpit at all."

Snake was thrown against the back.

"You, with the purple hair!" Rotor shouted. "What's your name again?"

"Zelda."

"Zelda, right," said Rotor, then pointed to Snake. "Watch him close. I don't want him causing any trouble."

As Kara Wise climbed into the copilot's seat of the T-1 Typhoon, Mac brought it into the air.

"Get us toward HQ," Rotor said.

"Yes sir," replied Mac.

There was a moment of silence before Cabin spoke up. "Aren't we forgetting something?" she asked.

"What?" asked Rotor.

"The music?"

"Music?" repeated Rotor. "Of course! Mac, take a look through that radio's library. See if you can find me some Wagner."

"I got a bunch of things here," replied Mac.

"Get me 'Ride of the Valkyries'," ordered Rotor. "Scares the MegaBloks out of everybody."

"Coming right up," said Mac. He hit a switch, and a moment later those opening notes played, and within seconds, the iconic tune of "Ride of the Valkyries" echoed through the city. 

*****

As Semick's T-1 Typhoon erupted in a ball of flame, Swerve yelled over the comms. "Now, while he's busy! If you're in range, hit him with everything you've got!"

Volley after volley from the Cryothermic Cannons and Xenon Multi-Mode Launchers struck Dr. Rex, but the shots hardly affected the monstrosity.

*****

Dr. Cyborg shot the window out. Normally this would seem insane, but when there is a Mutant Pterosaur right under the window helping you, it's sane. He hopped right onto Screech's back and soared away.

He saw Cyrista's Bane running towards headquarters with Dr. Inferno in his claw. He jumped off Screech and landed on Bane's head. "Don't mind me Bane, just getting a Maelstrom sample. Nice job capturing Dr. Inferno, though," Dr. Cyborg said.

"Thank you, Dr. Cyborg," Bane said as Screech picked up Dr. Cyborg and they left.

Screech and Dr. Cyborg flew over the battle, looking for the other Maelstrom-corrupted parts of the team. They saw Enderson's bar being attacked by a Mutant Dino, but Dr. Cyborg could sense a Mutant Lizard inside.

He dropped down onto the enemy Mutant T-Rex, since the bar was filled with snipers who were ineffective in close combat. He switched over to Hypermode and shot the T-Rex in the head, instantly killing it.

He ran up to the bar. Stranger thanked him, but he waved it off and ran up to Buddy. He touched the Mutant Lizard's back, extracting a small sample of Maelstrom from him. He ran back out, jumped on Screech and flew out of the area.

He saw a Fire Hammer driving towards HQ with Pterisa and Catless on the back. He flew alongside them. "Pterisa, I need you to fly alongside me for a moment. I need to take a sample of your Maelstrom," Dr. Cyborg said.

"Okay, Dr. Cyborg," Pterisa said as she jumped out of the Fire Hammer and glided. Dr. Cyborg reached over to her hand, and extracted a small bit of Maelstrom.

"Thank you!" he said as he flew away back to the headquarters. However, on a whim, he jumped off of Screech onto the back of Dr. Rex! Dr. Rex roared and tried to throw him off, but not before he pulled some Maelstrom off of his back. He ran up Dr. Rex's back and onto his head, and just as Dr. Rex reared back and roared, he jumped off. Screech picked him up in midair, and he steered her towards the lab.

He jumped back in the window of the lab. He discharged the Maelstrom samples into holding tanks in the Einstein Device and hooked up sensors to distinguish the signatures. He put the panel back on, sealed it up, and put it back on the table.

"The Einstein Device is ready!" he announced.

The Elite team was hard at work now. Specs, Reptile, Hotwire, Zenna, and Kate were working hard now on the final mechanical and programming tinkers with the device to make sure it was completely and utterly ready. Zach was in a meditative-like stance, focusing his energies for what he would need to do with his Maelstrom abilities. Hertz and Andrew were making the final adjustments to the launcher, improving the barrel and trigger to ensure a better launch of the Device. Dr. Cyborg was preparing his tools for the finer integration of the Maelstrom and Rex's Creative Spark into the device, including preparing a device to acquire the latter.

Rex himself stood aside with Frozeen and Greybeard, a somber look on their faces. Looking at them, Andrew figured that they were taking in what time they had left together to the best of their abilities, considering the latter two were still busy guarding the entrance from the intruding Mutant Lizards. Frozeen was perhaps Rex's last friend from the beginnings of his tour of duty that was still alive or active, and Greybeard perhaps knew the Elite Agent better than Rex knew himself, considering how alike they seemed at times.

He probably preferred to keep to himself for now, but if Andrew was good at one thing besides building, pop-culture references, and being a walking encyclopedia, it was talking to people and trying to help out with their problems. And now was as good a time as ever. There would not be another chance soon.

Andrew scrawled a note on Hertz's notepad, saying: You can handle this for a bit, right? There's something I need to do. He gave it to him, and his deaf comrade nodded in acknowledgment. Taking hold of the Einstein Device proper and starting to go through the parts, Hertz took over the device while Andrew walked over near the exit to the lab.

"Hey, uh, Rex?" Andrew asked.

"Hmmph?" the Elite Agent said, looking up from his chest. "Something wrong with the launcher?"

"No, it's going well. I just... I need to talk to you about something."

"Don't bother trying to change my mind," Rex said dismissively. "I've made it up, I'm going through with this."

"I know, I know, it's not about that."

"Oh?" Rex said, his eyebrow raised. "What is it then?"

Andrew took in a deep breath. "Rex, before you go do... you know, follow in Dr. Einstein's footsteps and all, let me just say how much I hold in respect to you.

"You've left a bigger impact on this team like no one else. You were one of the first to join the team and become an Elite Agent. You were the one who intervened the most during the early days' biggest events, like Kotua's bout of crazy and... every other crazy thing. You gave strength to the idealist goals of taming Mutant Dinos and bringing out their good side. You got the attention of everyone in this team when your status as a T-Rex in a Minifig disguise was revealed. You and your brother were the ones who uncovered at last the mystery behind who caused this whole attack. Your return and participation in the power station crisis was a sign of hope and rallying when people like Databoard, Zero, and Kotua had disappeared or been let go.

"By the time of the Goo Caverns, your name and quotes were in the recruitment pamphlets they handed out in Antarctica. You may think you've really done nothing for us in terms of real value, that your actions have only led to the death of others, but trust me, that isn't true. Your name still brings up feelings of respect among the team gossip. You're among the few agents that people can name off the top of their head beyond the Founding Members. There's a song circulating around the refugee camps about how much of an awesome man you are. You've been valuable to the war effort in more ways than we know. And we love you for it.

"I know you haven't gotten to know many of us personally. At most, we're comrades, or just battle-bonded friends. But we know you, respect you, and treat you nicely not just because of what you've done, but for who you are. You've been accommodating and resilient throughout all we've faced. Learning you were meant to be a tool to sabotage us from the inside, surviving on your own with Amanda as Mutant T-Rexes, surviving and escaping Dr. Rex himself, being captured, constantly escaping battle without a hair out of place, losing your leg control, and now everything that this battle has thrown at you. That you're here now, that you're doing this. You've stayed strong, and while your personality may've changed, your idealism thrown down to earth and stomped on for good measure, you're still the same man we've known for the past few months.

"We will never forget what you've done. I swear, if no one else does it, I will make sure your name is known. We'll have statues of you, books about your story, documentaries featuring your accounts high alongside others, and places will be named after you in eternal memorial. King Jayko, Artimus Rhodes, Johnny Thunder, the Infomaniac, the LEGO Maniac, Pepper Roni... Rex. You're going to go down in legend, I just know it.

"All I can say now, I suppose, is this. Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done, and know that you and all you cared for will not be forgotten. And when you do what has to be done by you and help your comrades to defeat the enemies, do it knowing that we all will miss you."

Andrew stopped for a moment to catch his breath and catch a reaction. From the looks of it, Rex didn't look too moved, but he had a slight, almost sad smile to his face. "Thanks for the kind words, Andrew," he said.

"You're welcome. Oh, and if you see Baron Typhonus, tell him I said 'F-'"

"ANDREW, WHERE DOES THIS PART GO?"

The LEGO Islander turned back, long used to Hertz's inability to have an indoor voice now. The communications expert was holding up one of several near-identical 1x1 studs with a look of confusion. Andrew couldn't blame him. So many parts used that shape in near-identical form it was hard to tell what they were often meant to be.

"Heh, guess I'm needed again," Andrew remarked. "And I know you'll be needed too, Rex. Good luck out there."

"You too," said the veteran Dino Attack agent. They had both used different meanings of the term "out there" - Rex referring basically to outside and the rest of the world and the young man's life, and Andrew referring to whatever awaited the T-Rex-turned-Minifig beyond the mortal realm. With a nod of farewell, Andrew jogged back to Hertz's side.

*****

"We're coming in close," Mac said. "Rotor, what's your plan?"

"Get us on the ground," instructed Rotor. "Obviously, some of our guys here would be better down there."

Mac brought the helicopter into a small empty road about a block away from the front of the Dino Attack Headquarters. Zelda, Helm, Solomon, and the rest climbed out of the chopper. Quickly, Rotor grabbed Snake and pulled him to his feet before throwing him out.

"Why don't you take him with you?" Rotor shouted. "Put him to use."

Snake groaned slightly as he got up. There was suddenly a slight hissing noise coming from nearby: a Mutant Lizard, which started to approach before it suddenly exploded.

Rotor looked up, at the top of a nearby building. There was a rough-looking one-eyed man riding a scarf-wearing Mutant Raptor. "KA-BOOM!" he shouted. Out of the smoke stepped another man, a man with a long white trench coat and a gray mustache. He was chuckling wildly.

"Don't look now, but I think we've just got reinforcements," Rotor remarked.

Amid the smoke, a group of other figures emerged. Among them were two gunslingers: one a tall man with a thin beard and a brown hat, the other clad in black with a thick dark mustache. There were three women: one was a pirate accompanied by a naval officer, another looking like a gunslinger, and a pale-skinned accompanied by an older man wearing a firefighter's helmet and carrying a flamethrower.

"Y'all will have to forgive Firecracker here," Maria said. "That there man loves to make an entrance."

Firecracker smiled.

Angel Eyes stuck his pipe into his mouth and lit it. "Indeed," replied Angel Eyes. "They call me Angel Eyes. This is my partner, codenamed Blondie."

Clint Wayne stared at the others, only moving to spit for a second. "I know you," Clint said as he bit down on a cigar, staring straight at Rotor. "I thought we dealt with you already."

Snake slowly got to his feet and started to run. Clint drew his revolver and fired, and quickly the man stumbled to the ground. He walked up to him slowly, his spurs echoing in the empty street. As Snake started to get up, Clint turned him around and grabbed him by the collar. "Snake? I thought you were dead," Clint remarked.

"I'm agent Rotor," the elite agent introduced himself to the Third Headquarters Squad. "This is my second-in-command Cabin, fellow pilot Mac, gunner Lance Williams-"

"Lance Williams?" Angel Eyes asked. "The surfer?"

*****

Zach rubbed his wrists gently as Dr. Cyborg finished the final preparations. Things had suddenly become extremely morbid. Word came over the radio in the lab that Semick had been killed by Dr. Rex. Everyone was more determined than ever to finally defeat Dr. Rex and the Darkitect.

From the radio, Zach was happy to hear Minerva's voice. There was sense of reclusiveness in her voice as she commanded the agents to pull back and defend the direct perimeter of the headquarters. She made no mention of any of her ordeals. He could only assume that Oswald was dead. He felt a shred of remorse for the older Fabello's death, knowing how much the Dino Attack truly broke him.

He turned his stare to Rex, who was talking to Andrew. Zach swallowed hard. First Semick, and now Rex would die. Andrew would have something good to say. He usually did. Nothing he could say would stop Rex from surrendering his Creative Spirit to the Einstein Device, but he doubted that was Andrew's intention. His one last blow to the Darkitect would save the entire planet. Zach thought to people like J.D. and Tracer, who had given their Creative Sparks to save the likes of him and Zelda. Rex was saving the entire Minifig race with his sacrifice. He was almost tempted to say something to Rex, but couldn't find anything really uplifting to say that wasn't already probably being said by Andrew.

He cracked his knuckles. The Maelstrom in Rex's body would try to prevent his Creative Spark from leaving. He would do everything in his power to hold it back so that spark could be extracted. You're finished, Darkitect. Zach thought with determination.

*****

B ran. He saw the jeep outside LEGOLAND Special Forces HQ. Right past the men and women fighting for their lives.

Tempest ran into the building. B followed. He bashed his way through the front door and caught a glimpse of a body heading up the stairs. He followed his adversary.

"Time to pay the price, Tempest," said B.

B sprinted, his energy seemingly limitless. He knew that he was killing himself, but he had one single objective.

One last mission. Ironic that my last mission is the first one that I really ever got.

The stairs seemed endless. He could hear Tempest, maybe a flight ahead of him, clearly getting tired. A door slammed above him. The end was near.

B opened the door. "Déjà vu. Right, Tempest?" he said.

"Exactly, Benton. Except for one thing." Tempest drew his sidearm, and in one swift motion, cocked it, and shot B in the chest.

And suddenly, sense returned to B's body. It was like being slammed repeatedly into the ground by a person twice your strength. It pulsed, like his heart, struggling to keep up.

And he fell.

*****

Chris had lost track of how many Lizards he had slashed and sliced with his sword. He looked back and surprised, saw B running towards the LEGOLAND Special Forces HQ. He turned away from the battle and ran. The other members of his squad noticed as well, and they followed. Dino Attack agents yelled at them, incredulous, but they took no notice. As they entered the HQ, they noticed something.

"Blood," whispered Chris.

Ezekiel was the first to act. He ran, sprinting up the stairs, following the irregularly shaped patches of blood. The rest of the squad followed, trying to keep up. Ezekiel managed to outdistance the rest of them, and reached the roof.

A minifig stood on the edge of the roof. "Hello, Ezekiel," said Tempest.

"Peter," replied Ezekiel. "Interesting to see you again. You certainly managed to keep busy since we last saw each other. Interesting that your name is what it is."

"What, Tempest?" asked Tempest.

Ezekiel shook his head. "No, Peter. Your actual name. Three betrayals, Peter. First, you betrayed Ogel more than ten years ago. Then, you betrayed Spec Ops. And finally, you betrayed me."

"How?" said Tempest, but then he paused as he remembered. "Oh, right. You had a thing going where you were trying to kill this guy! You're mad that I stole your kill, right? Well, he's not dead yet, so you can shoot him if you want." He gestured towards B's unmoving body.

Ezekiel locked eyes with Tempest. "Peter, did we ever learn each other's last names?"

"No, we didn't. Just first names," replied Tempest.

"Well, then let me introduce myself properly. I am Ezekiel Kabrinsky, and this agent is under my protection."

Tempest looked at Ezekiel with a look of true fear in his eyes. Ezekiel ran and tackled Tempest.

They fell.

As the ground came closer and closer, Tempest chuckled. "Well played, old friend."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Peter," replied Ezekiel. "You always did like the bits of my plans that you didn't see coming, right?"

"Absolutely correct."

Impact.

*****

Minerva smiled faintly as Bluetooth climbed into Fire Hammer. They had responded to his message rather quickly. "Good to see you alive, Bluetooth," she said.

"To you two as well," Bluetooth said. Minerva nodded and continued to work. She was surprised to see everyone pulling back to guard the headquarters under her orders. They needed it now more than ever, as the Darkitect decided to stop waiting and sent Dr. Rex lumbering toward the headquarters. Semick had already perished from the beast and, although being peppered with fire, Dr. Rex continued toward the headquarters mostly unfazed.

Minerva fired at a group of Mutant Lizards swarming a medical Fire Hammer. Near the side of the jeep was Doctor Marco Martinet and Elite Agent Rosalie Mercedes, both fighting fiercely against the oncoming waves of Mutant Dinos. They stayed extremely close to each other as Marco swung his hammer into a Raptor's skull and Rosalie paralyzed another with her Sonic Screamer. Not far from them, a rainbow-haired woman who Minerva realized was Raine Dashworthy, another Agents friend of Zach's, was fighting against her own pack of Mutant Dinos with a group of Dino Attack, Agents, Alpha Team, and XERRD members.

Minerva turned her head briefly to Vinyaya. Even with the light of the world fading into night, she could see the Space Police Commando blushing. She clearly wasn't prepared to talk with Bluetooth. Minerva remembered Zach's sentiment about getting Vinyaya and Bluetooth together after this battle. Now's the best time, she thought with a smirk.

"Hey Bluetooth," Minerva said as she turned around in her seat. "Why don't you take control of Xenon Launcher from here while I go back and use a Cosmotronic Ray? I've become rather skilled at using them." Vinyaya shot Minerva a look of incredulousness. Minerva merely smirked.

"Uh, sure," Bluetooth said. Minerva nodded and climbed into the back while Bluetooth shifted to the front seat. Minerva picked up a Cosmotronic Ray and started aiming at Mutant Raptors while Bluetooth took control of the Xenon Launcher controls up front.

"So, Commander," Bluetooth said, just the barest hint of uncertainty in his voice. "How's your... ah..." He gestured to the right side of his face. Minerva suppressed a chuckle as she saw Vinyaya's cheeks turn an even brighter red. For all her combat skills, Vinyaya seemed very insecure of herself, romance-wise.

"Oh, it's fine," Vinyaya said, retaining an air of calmness in her voice. "I just took a few more pills that suppress the pain in the scars. Trying to adjust with shooting primarily with my left hand, but I still find myself using the right." Vinyaya chuckled quietly.

"Should you really be driving?" Bluetooth asked curiously.

Vinyaya scoffed slightly. "They didn't want me out here in the first place. I'm sure the doctor that wanted me to stay behind would split a brick if he saw me driving a jeep around."

They two laughed at this statement. Minerva allowed a small smile to form on her face. They were talking with no awkward stammering or anything. The weird tension was lowering.

"So, about your message you sent earlier..." Vinyaya began, finally touching on the subject that was ultimately making her somewhat on the edge.

"Yeah, you saw that?" Bluetooth responded, scratching the back of his head with one hand as he fired upon a group of Mutant Lizards. He seemed somewhat embarrassed, probably stemming from that he wrote that message when he believed he was about to die.

Vinyaya smiled faintly. "Yeah, I saw it. And so did Miss Matchmaker back there and her partner." She jerked her thumb back at Minerva, who smiled apologetically at Bluetooth.

"It-it's alright if you're not up for it," Bluetooth said hurriedly. "I-I mean like I said in the message... we're probably just better as friends, commander. We-" He sort of drifted off as he saw Vinyaya laughing quietly.

"First," she said, "you can call me Holly, if you'd like."

"Uh, okay, Com - I mean, Holly."

"Now," Vinyaya continued, becoming more reserved once again. "Bluetooth... Ryan... I never said I was opposed to..." She shrugged. "Trying something, so to speak. Getting to know you better as a person instead of a technician-turned-Dino Attack agent who happens to be a part of a group that I lived with as a teenager." Vinyaya's features turned hard and took a quick look back at Minerva, who was smugly watching her. "After we send Dr. Rex to MegaBlokland, we'll talk more about this, I promise."

Bluetooth smiled weakly. "I... I think that will work."

All three of them suddenly jumped as something landed on the hood of the vehicle. It was the body of a Fright Knight dressed in a coat of armor. Another body quickly landed on the hood and kicked the body off.

Vinyaya's face twisted into a scowl. "What are you doing?!" she yelled out the window, rain smacking her in the face. The figure suddenly ducked down, revealing the face of Zelda Frodongan. Vinyaya raised an eyebrow, but stopped the vehicle so Zelda could climb in.

"I'm glad I found you guys!" Zelda said as she closed the door quickly. "Zach's up in the headquarters?"

"Yeah," Minerva said, surprised by the woman's sudden appearance. "What's going on? Where's Nazareno?"

"I just got a lift over here. I was hoping to find you because..." She stopped, her features becoming more serious. "I think Nazareno's in trouble. I think Darkling's betrayed us."

*****

The joy of seeing Zenna again quickly disappeared as soon as what Rex said dawned on Hertz. The elite agent had not been able to hear what Rex had said but the heartbreaking truth dawned on him when he felt the elation of seeing an old friend shift to a somber mood.

Hertz did not want to say anything. He did not want to acknowledge that Rex would be willing to sacrifice himself; while he had never been close to Rex, he respected him deeply. It pained him to watch the icon of the Dino Attack Team fall into depression. The details were a mystery; he understood that Amanda was gone and his heart went out to him, but no one had yet told Hertz about Rex's few weeks to live. That crucial detail was still lacking in the techie's mind, and he found himself pondering why no one else could make the sacrifice. Rex was a hero to the team and, if he died, victory would feel far less sweet.

Hertz had not made many friends since joining the Dino Attack Team. He had yet to experience the loss of someone he cared about. Raider and Mur had only been acquaintances. He had worked with Zenna briefly and, although her near-death was horrible, he always gave himself comfort that she was alive. Now elite agent Zenna was back, and Rex would be the first person Hertz truly knew to die.

Followed by the other elite agents, Zach and Hertz lifted the Einstein Device from the table and over to the last remaining flight of stairs. Reptile and Doctor Cyborg followed them, carrying a box of extra parts that might be needed if the weapon failed. The plan was to take the device aboard a T-1 Typhoon when they could have a clear shot at Dr. Rex and the battle below. Viper was expected to meet them there so he could have the honors of pulling the trigger.

As Hertz waited for Hotwire and Kate to lift Rex's wheelchair up the flight of stairs, he nodded to Zenna. "GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK, ZENNA," he said. Ha! Nailed the voice volume! 

Elite agent Zenna smiled but raised her eyebrow at Hertz's speech. "Why are you talking so loud? What happened to your arm?"

Hertz shook his head. "WHAT?"

"What happened to your arm?" Zenna asked again.

Andrew tapped Zenna on the shoulder. "He can't hear you Zenna," he said. "He's deaf as a doornail. There was an explosion earlier today and he lost his hearing. The arm's a long story." Andrew paused. "For the record, Zenna, it is good to have you back. We thought you were finished at the fortress. It was hard for all of us, seeing you hooked up to those machines."

Zenna shrugged. "Geez, I was only out for four days." She playfully elbowed Andrew's arm. "But thanks for caring."

The exchange between Andrew and Zenna was enigmatic to Hertz. He was getting used to being left out of conversations. He had been for a lot of his life. The only difference now was that he could no longer eavesdrop.

Hotwire and Kate had taken Rex's wheelchair up the flight of stairs and were opening the door to the roof of the building. Hertz felt the cold rain rush in and drench the occupants of the stairwell. Thankfully, the Einstein Device was waterproof. Dr. Cyborg had taken the liberty of adding extra plates to protect it from the leaky roof.

Hertz felt a helicopter pass by overhead. Most agents heard it, but Hertz felt the change in wind direction when its rotors spun above him. Looking past the agents in front of him, he spied the craft hover near the landing pad that was currently occupied by Zenna's T-1 Typhoon. The pilot, apparently annoyed by the lack of a parking space instructed the occupant to disembark from the craft and land on the wet roof. He tightened his black trench coat and ran across the storm to the cover of the stairwell.

"Some fool parked their helicopter on the pad," muttered Pharisee. "I would have preferred to land my Typhoon but someone took my place. Oh, hello Zenna."

"What brings you up here, Commander?" inquired Specs flatly. "I thought you were out gallivanting across the city on your own personal mission."

"My job has been fulfilled," said Pharisee stone-faced. "Trigger is dead, there is one less unrighteous soul on this planet. Only one more great evil remains to be struck down this day. I would have come sooner, but understandably the battle was somewhat of a distraction when bringing my helicopter."

Hertz saw Specs roll his eyes through his balaclava. "We don't have time for your self-righteous sermons, Commander. If you actually want to contribute something worthwhile to this day, go and help clear the base of mutants. Graybeard and Frozeen are buying us time; go find them and clear these halls as best you can when we activate the device."

Pharisee nodded and brushed his muscled form past the agents on the stairwell. "It is my duty to protect the sanctity of this organization, Specs. I live to protect the righteous from the forces of darkness beseeching them. My duty is to minifigkind, and I serve minifigkind today by striking down those who wish to destroy it." The commander pulled his ridiculously oversized handgun from beneath his coat and walked purposefully down the stairs. "You are all good men and women; it is for the likes of you that I commit the sins I do. I will do what is necessary to ensure your futures."

The commander disappeared down the flight of stairs. Spec's muttered something incomprehensible about pious sons of 4+ Figures before stepping on to the roof of the outpost. Hertz was vaguely aware of the lightning flashing above them when they moved closer to the edge of the building. The battle was in full swing below them as the ground burned with one-thousand fires. Hertz smelled the smoke billowing from below, and the hairs on his arms stood on end when he came in contact with the Maelstrom-rich air.

Everything was so surreal, almost dreamlike. The death and misery below him had yet to sink in. He did not know the names of many of the agents dying, and he expected he never would. It would be days until a full list of casualties could be made. Even then, everyone below would still be just a number to Hertz. He regretted not knowing their names. Even the Fright Knights and Inferno agents had an identity that Hertz could never comprehend. He had killed today, but it all felt so unreal, as if it were some sick video game. Only the smells and taste of the air anchored the elite agent to reality.

He nodded to Andrew and Zach, and the three knelt by the railing to position the device. Hotwire was probably on the radio with Viper, although Hertz could not hear the conversation. Thirteen stories below, Hertz watched the helicopters twist and spin like leaves in a tempest. A T-1 Typhoon veered from its course and was obliterated by Raptors below. Hertz barley flinched; how much had he grown desensitized to violence? In the last few weeks, Hertz had seen so much death, now it all felt so normal. Had the war made him more mature or more apathetic? Would he ever be able to watch an action movie and experience the excitement of an explosion, or would he forever be desensitized to the horror?

The war had changed everyone. Hertz knew that he had been transformed in the last few days, but he wondered into what. Had he matured and become a man, or was he as stuck in the world of casual violence as ever? Would he end this day as a better man, only to realize it had changed his life for the worse?

Hertz's face remained flat and emotionless as he surveyed the scene below. At some point, Doctor Nicholas Saran had joined them on the roof and was observing the events transpiring around them. Everyone present would be hailed as a hero. Rex would be a martyr. While Hertz had stayed because he wanted adventure and be hailed a hero, he was no longer sure he wanted that title. Sure, the Einstein Device would not kill minifigs, but causing so much devastation at the push of a button hardly felt heroic.

But it's not about me, thought Hertz, It's not about any of us. It's for the planet, the universe, for those we love. He thought about Naomi.

This is for peace; it's for creating a world where we can live together without the fear of chaos and death. We may have made mistakes, we may even have lost that quality that mad gave us our humanity, but for the sack of the minifigs everywhere and those fighting blow us, I would do it all again.

A mutilated helicopter flew overhead, followed by a swarm of Pterosaurs. Lightning flashed and rain continued to fall in the tempest around them. Agents fought and died, and Hertz felt something he had rarely felt before.

Hope.

*****

Sam Kabrinsky was the first one to reach the roof after Ezekiel. He ran out of the stairwell to see them fall. He then turned his gaze to the body of his brother, which was lying just to his side. Swearing profusely, he grabbed bandages and attempted to treat the wounds.

As the other three arrived, Sam motioned to Kevin to help him. "There should be some needles of painkillers in my bag," said Sam.

"How much?" asked Kevin.

"All of them!" snapped Sam.

"Are you sure you made it out of med school?" asked Rob, attempting to lighten the mood.

Sam was unamused. "Look, he probably won't make it. I just want him to not hurt at the end. There, the wound's patched up as best as I can do it. Kev, looks like a good job with the painkillers. Now, I think all we can do is wait."

*****

"We're done here," Montoya said as he stepped back into the infirmary. "The basement's sealed off. Nobody's getting in or out for a long time."

"So we're just going to stay down here?" Sarah asked.

"I'm afraid so," replied Pierce. "Now we're going to need to start thinking about rations. We got to conserve our supply to last as long as possible. Sooner or later, we'll run out and we'll have to break out onto the surface. I don't know about you, but I'd rather that didn't happen in the middle of a rampage."

Shaw was close to tears in the back as she shouted her prayers loudly, her eyes closed tight. None of the other doctors even bothered questioning it now; they all could use the comfort of her faith.

"For now, we'll sleep in shifts," Pierce said. "Until we can get things worked out. Shaw and I will stay on duty now and look after the patients. Copper, Crusher, why don't you two get some sleep? I'll come wake you in a few hours and you can take over."

Reluctantly, Crusher turned and left the room, Copper following behind.

"What about Kate?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know," replied Pierce. "There's nothing we can do. I love you, Sarah, I always have, but you can't have her depending on you all the time."

Slowly, Pierce hugged Sarah. That hug quickly changed as their arms tightened and their lips joined tightly. When they were through, Pierce turned toward his panicked and frightened colleague, sitting down next to her and slowly putting an arm over her shoulder.

*****

The Fire Hammer tore through the ruined streets, splashing up mud and water everywhere as it shot toward Dino Attack Headquarters. "Are you sure they're in the HQ?" Vinyaya asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"From what I could hear through the mic in Nazareno's mask, it sounds like Blaire's trying to wrap up the fight so he can get back on the battlefield," Zelda explained. "Except... everything sounded distant. Like he lost the mic. Or..." It was a strange thought, trying to imagine Nazareno without a mask.

The Fire Hammer blasted through a pack of Mutant Lizards and turned sharply so the passenger doors faced the gaping hole in the front of the headquarters. Minerva, Zelda, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth quickly filed out of the jeep armed and headed into the building, blasting Mutant Lizards and Raptors. Minerva felt somewhat bad about abandoning the battle for one person, but she wasn't willing to lose another person close to him.

"Sorry about this," Vinyaya muttered to Bluetooth. "This just isn't something I'm willing to let sit down."

"No problem. Is there some sort of feud between Nazareno and this 'Darkling'?"

"Yeah. Darkling used go by the name of Matthew Vherestorm."

Bluetooth's eyes widened in realization. "Him? Didn't he go missing a few years ago?"

"Turns out he's been with the Nexus Force, reforming. Though the truthfulness of that statement is in doubt. Which reminds me," Vinyaya redirected her attention to Zelda. "Did Nazareno tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow of confusion as she cut away a passing Mutant Lizard.

"That he-" She was cut off by the sound of two people fighting a floor above them. They could easily recognize one set of grunts as Nazareno's. "Hurry!" Vinyaya commanded, running to the stairwell. Bluetooth and Minerva followed until the latter noticed Zelda stop.

"What's wrong?" Minerva asked, concerned.

Zelda lifted a golden katana up from the ground: one of Nazareno's.

Minerva swallowed uncomfortably. "Come on. There's no use standing here." Zelda nodded slowly and they both picked up their pace up to a run to keep up with Vinyaya and Bluetooth. They climbed the stairs quickly. The sounds of Nazareno's and Blaire's fight grew louder and fiercer.

The group reached the second floor at the same time and could clearly see what was happening. Blaire stood over an unmasked Nazareno, one of his gray katanas in hand. A cold, malicious smirk was plastered on his face. He raised the katana to deliver the final blow. At the same time, Bluetooth raised his pistol and fired.

The bullet struck Blaire Darkling in the chest. He grunted in pain and stared at the newly formed hole in his shirt. Nazareno took this opportunity to kick Blaire's chin and to sweep his foot across Blaire's ankles, knocking him to the floor.

Nazareno climbed to his feet and turned to the group, wiping sweat from his bald head. There was a look of surprise on his face. "How did you know I was up here?" Nazareno asked.

"Your mic in your mask," Zelda said. "I heard the fight."

"Call in reinforcements?" Blaire snarled, rising to feet and backing away from assembled group, his katana at the ready. "How disappointing, Nazareno. I expected better."

"You just got shot!" Minerva snapped. "Why-"

She was interrupted by a cold laugh. "Please, Miss Fabello. When you've been in my line of work long enough, you wear a bulletproof vest. Always."

"He's unmasked," Zelda muttered, staring at Nazareno's head in surprise.

"Indeed," Nazareno said, his face twisting into a scowl. "Darkling doesn't wish me to remove his sunglasses, however. How hypocritical."

Blaire dodged the statement. "I do thank you for coming, Miss Fabello, Miss Frodongan, and Commander. I was afraid I'd have to go and search for you myself. I can't let you get my secret out. That won't do." Blaire turned his head toward Bluetooth. "And of course, he probably knows my secret now as well. So he will have to be disposed of as well."

"You will not harm anyone else, Vherestorm," Nazareno hissed.

"I AM NOT VHERESTORM" Blaire bellowed, charging at Nazareno. Nazareno rolled out the way of the attack. Instead of stopping, he continued his charge toward Vinyaya, Minerva, Zelda, and Bluetooth.

Zelda stepped forward and raised Nazareno's sword to knock away the blow. Blaire's katana slammed into Zelda's weapon hard and, with an elegant spin, had the sword fly from her hand.

"You can't even hope to match my talent," Blaire snarled. He raised his sword to attack when Minerva, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth opened fire on him.

Blaire spun out of the way as bullets shot through his trenchcoat and fled across the ruins of the second floor. Blaire turned back, his own handgun out of his pocket and fired his own round upon the group, causing them to spread out. Minerva, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth ducked behind several overturned desks as Zelda ran at Blaire, her katanas in hand. Nazareno had picked up the sword Zelda had brought up and charged at Darkling as well. Zelda and Nazareno swung their three katanas at Darkling quickly. Blaire spun and brought his lone sword down on theirs, knocking the blades to the floor.

"Get back!" Nazareno commanded to Zelda as he began to force Blaire's sword back. "He's too powerful!"

"I can help!" Zelda said with assurance, aiding Nazareno. Together, they threw Blaire's sword upward with such force that he needed to step back.

"I admire your courage, Frodongan," Blaire scoffed. "But dear Kareem is correct." Blaire elbowed Nazareno in the face and slapped his sword upon one of Zelda's. To her shock, the katana, weaker than Blaire's or Nazareno's, shattered from the collision. Blaire kicked away her other katana and then wrapped his hand around her throat, choking her. "You should not be messing with me. A shame, really. So much potential, and now you have to die." Blaire pulled the sword back and prepared to lodge it in her chest when Nazareno knocked the blade on the ground hard. Nazareno then swung a punch into the side of Blaire's face, forcing him to drop Zelda. She slumped to the floor and backed away as Nazareno swung at Blaire's shoulder. Darkling was quick in blocking the attack.

"You will not harm her," Nazareno stated coolly, icy hate dripping from his words. Blaire smirked again as he looked from Nazareno to Zelda, the latter being covered by Vinyaya, Bluetooth, and Minerva.

"I see what this is." Blaire laughed coldly. "The great Nazareno... never expected... you have changed, old friend. The Nazareno I knew never would have such attachments." Blaire pushed back Nazareno's sword and launched a sweeping attack against the space ninja, forcing him to step back. "It is weak. Merely leverage to use against you. I'm sure those other three and Mr. Virchaus up above are close as well?" Blaire tutted in disappoint and shook his head as he stabbed his sword forward, leading Nazareno to step to the side. "You have changed."

"For the better," Nazareno snarled. "Your 'change' is merely a ruse created by Vherestorm. Do not deny it." Blaire bared his teeth, but didn't say anything as he launched a frenzy of attacks against Nazareno that the space ninja blocked with relative ease. "This is a waste of time and detrimental to saving the planet!"

"The only thing I care about at the moment is finally killing you!" Blaire snarled. He kicked Nazareno in the stomach and wrapped his foot around Nazareno's ankles, tripping him. "After many long years, this stalemate will end!" Nazareno rolled to the side as Blaire slammed his sword down. Blaire howled as the force of his attack rebounding into his arms. Nazareno jumped to his feet and attacked.

Minerva watched the battle with a mixture of shock and awe. Nazareno's battle with Stromling!Zach and spars with Zelda were nothing compared to what she was watching. Both katanas were almost like blurs. Sparks surrounded the group. Shooting Darkling while he was distracted was out of the question; he and Nazareno were moving fast enough that a shot could easily hit Nazareno instead.

Nazareno's blade crossed with Blaire's. Nazareno's other hand suddenly launched out at Blaire's sword arm and twisted it. Blaire roared with anger and pain and begun to back away as Nazareno's sword cut his chin. Blaire wiped away the blood casually and charged at Nazareno. The space ninja's hand grabbed Blaire's forehead and, with all the force in his being, slammed Blaire down on the ground. Nazareno slammed his foot into the side of Blaire's head.

"This ends!" Nazareno barked, cold anger etched in his face. As he brought the sword down, Blaire's foot suddenly shot upward, knocking the sword upward. Blaire rolled up to his feet and quickly picked up his sword.

"This guy will not give up," Zelda grumbled. Indeed, Darkling seemed MegaBlokland-bent on destroying Nazareno. Both combatants were panting heavily. Fatigue was setting in. Nazareno twirled his sword in his hand and knocked Blaire's katana away with ease. Without a word, Nazareno thrust his sword forward.

Blaire jerked his body to the side, but much of his right hip was cut by the attack. Blood began to stain his light-colored trenchcoat. Blaire groaned and his knees wobbled, but he did not fall. Nazareno glared at XERRD's leader, never letting his guard down. He began to pull the sword away to deliver the final blow.

Blaire's right hand shot out toward the katana's hilt while the left, with half of the strength left in his body, punched Nazareno in the cheek, loosening his grip on the katana. Blaire yanked the sword from Nazareno's grip and spun it one hundred and eighty degrees. Nazareno's hands hovered above his chest and halted the blade from reaching his body.

"Not this time, Nazareno," Blaire hissed. With the final half of strength still in his being, Blaire broke Nazareno's barrier and plunged the sword into his chest.

Time slowed down. Minerva could faintly hear Zelda screaming while Vinyaya and Bluetooth could only stand there in shock. Blaire and Nazareno were barely three inches apart, separated only by the hilt of the sword that had buried itself into Nazareno's chest and shot out the back.

"I win," Blaire muttered, panting heavily. He drew the katana, dripping in its owner's blood, from Nazareno's body and flung it to the floor. Blaire patted Nazareno's bald head in an almost comforting matter, the sick, twisted smirk never leaving his face. Nazareno could only stare on in shock. With one last pat, Blaire forcibly shoved Nazareno to the floor.

Minerva, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth reacted at the same time. Each raised their weapons and opened fire. Two bullets clipped Blaire's shoulder, but he ignored the pain. Clutching his bleeding hip, Blaire picked up his katana and fled down the ruined hallways until he disappeared in a shroud of purple flames. Nobody bothered chasing after him. All four agents ran up to the fallen form of Nazareno.

Zelda dropped to her knees and lifted Nazareno's back up while trying to cover up the bleeding wound with her hand. Nazareno coughed hoarsely, staring at his wound with bemused shock. Minerva bit her quivering lip. For the first time since her mother's death, tears were forming in her eyes. They were nothing they could do. Unlike when Zach shot him what seems so many years back, Blaire had made sure to make the wound fatal.

"Nazareno... no..." Zelda whispered, tears streaming down her face as she cradled Nazareno's head in her arms. Out of the corner of her eye, Minerva saw Vinyaya grip Bluetooth's hand tightly as a single tear form in her left eye. "Nonono. You... can't..."

Nazareno coughed again, sounding more pained than ever. "Holly... Minerva... I..." He couldn't seem to find the words to say to them.

Vinyaya merely nodded, suppressing a sob.

"Thank you," Minerva managed to mutter, her voice shaking all the while. "For everything." He had been one of her closest friends during Zach's Maelstrom issues. To lose him was more than she could bear.

Zelda was sobbing quietly. Nazareno turned his weak stare directly to her. "I'm sorry... Zelda... for what I did... what I said..." Zelda looked at him, her eyes shimmering with tears. "I wish... I could've told you sooner... I... I love you."

Zelda wrapped her hand around Nazareno's. "I love you, too," she said, barely above a whisper. She leaned forward slowly and pressed her lips against his. Nazareno jolted in the surprise, but returned the kiss weakly. They held the position for the longest time. Vinyaya was sobbing openly now while Bluetooth attempted to comfort her. Minerva was doing everything in her power to hold back her emotions, but tears and sobs still managed to break through her.

Nazareno and Zelda's lips parted slowly. Nazareno sighed weakly. Zelda held him tight, never wanting to let go. Nazareno gazed into Zelda's face as tears dropped slowly from her cheeks to his. His breathing was becoming more ragged and strained. With one final, painful sigh, his chest suddenly became still.

Kareem Nazareno was dead.

*****

Awareness. B now knew he was awake, and surprisingly, feeling nothing. He looked up and saw his brother's face. "Ow. How long was I out for?" groaned B.

"About two minutes," replied Sam. You're really drugged up right now, and I don't know if you can make it."

The numbness was back. B's head was clear again. "Alright, now what's the plan?"

"We get you to wherever you're safe," said Sam.

"No," insisted B. "We said that if any of us died, we would be KIA. I will not die in a bed when I could go and get myself killed fighting for a cause I believe in. Besides, I can last long enough to get to the fight, as long as the painkillers last."

B got up on his feet. He looked and saw neither his uncle Ezekiel, nor Tempest. He looked quizzically at his brother.

"They're both gone. They fell," Sam said.

B sighed solemnly. "When we left Spec Ops, we promised each other that we would find him and kill him. Now that the mission has been completed, we need a new pact."

"We fight," said Kevin.

"For Dad," said Sam

"For Ezekiel," said Chris.

"For family," said Rob.

"For us," finished B.

And with that, they followed B down the stairs to rejoin the final battle.

*****

The scene of Zelda and Nazareno's final seconds together made Bluetooth cringe, and reminded him horribly about what Semick has said just before he had left the Elite Agent: "The world has too many widows and widowers."

While technically, the two fighters had likely never married (or even proclaimed their love for one another until now) before their separation, unlike poor Rex and Claw, the point still stood. Here was yet another example of a blooming relationship cut short by a lethal injury. Another notable casualty for the list.

Bluetooth glanced at Vinyay - no, Holly - as she let her grief out, with his arms around her for support, and thought about how they had been nearly in the same situation, except with even more words left unsaid. Bluetooth figured Semick wouldn't have given him the chance to choose to die, but the late man once again surprised him, had given him this chance that he had wanted. And now they were fighting together, with the promise to try and sort things out after the battle... if they made it. But things like the dead space-ninja in front of them was not helping the hopes for a bright future.

After several more moments of silence, as everyone took their time calming down from Nazareno's passing, Holly sniffled and motioned aside Bluetooth's arms. "Well..." she said, grief still at the back of her tone, "we best leave his body to the medics' care in the basement."

"Assuming they haven't bunkered up yet," Bluetooth muttered. "I heard them alerting everyone to them taking their chances by sealing up and preparing for the worse. If that's what happened, we won't get to them without a whole bunch of power tools."

"Well, whatever we do," said Fabello, "we'd best return to the battle soon. I don't want this building collapsing on our heads. We're almost at the end here."

"...There's also a bigger problem," said Zelda, getting up from over Nazareno's body. "We've let Darkling get away. He seems to be shaking off the injuries we've dealt him. He's still the leader of XERRD. And he seems intent on killing everyone who knows he was Matthew Vherestorm, including us. And..." She glanced at her master and lover's body. "...I doubt even a bunch of us are a match for him."

The mention of this suddenly stirred a strong emotion in Bluetooth. An emotion that he had not too long ago felt when he had encountered the idiocy of ex-Elite Agent French Fries.

It was hate. Hate for the senseless disproportionate retribution on individuals for petty and contrived reasons. Sentencing a man to death for unreasonable or irrelevant cause. Punishment for disobeying orders that put allies at risk was one thing. Punishment for questionable or outright monstrous ethics that one has since tried to make amends for was another, but for merely possibly knowing the two identities of a man who they may or may not be familiar with (despite his notoriety, not everyone knew who Matthew Vherestorm was, especially Earth citizens) was an outright horrible act that the Futuron technician was angered by.

Bleutooth could imagine someone like Andrew, coming home one day from a long day of work, years after the end of the Dino Attack, ready to relax with family or friends, only to be surprise by a figure in the shadows that, before he can react, has swung his sword and sliced his head clean off, his last thoughts being of surprise, confusion, and horror, likely not immediately remembering the man who had been, for a time, XERRD's leader and had revealed to also have been a notorious murderer.

And then Bluetooth thought of it happening to Fabello or Zach. Or himself. Or Holly.

This. Could. Not. Happen.

"No," Bluetooth muttered. Anger and a need to do something rose in him. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his PDA, selected the "Messages" option, and started typing.

"What are you doing?" Holly asked. She and the rest of the agents present were staring at him with a bit of confusion.

"Blaire Darkling thinks he can cover his past with just a few silenced voices," said the technician, a stern tone in his voice, as his digits moved quickly and swiftly, "but the thing is that he assumes that people won't talk about it. If he had kept silent about his plans, maybe, but since he told me right in my face that he wants to kill me, you, and everyone else that knows his secret... Heh. Well, you know what they said in wartime about loose lips."

He held up his PDA for everyone to see. "I've just prepared a message. It's an All Agents Bulletin, meaning every Dino Attack PDA will get it, along with the main database, and all the outpost databases, including the one in the Antarctica refugee, which Alpha Team keeps a close look at. Basically, everyone's going to get this message."

"Yes, but how can that-" Fabello suddenly stopped, and slowly smiled. "Ooooh. Clever, Bluetooth, clever."

"And SENDING!" Bluetooth cried has he pushed hard on the Send button. In three seconds, the indicator came up on the screen saying "Message Successfully Sent," and to confirm the point, Fabello and Zelda's PDA's chirped, signaling their reception of the message. The former quickly checked hers, and held it out for the others to see as well.

"Yep, looks like it worked."

The message read:

Attention all Dino Attack Agents!

The current leader of XERRD, Blaire Darkling, who has been exposed to have been the notorious intergalactic assassin Matthew Vherestorm, has just killed our Space Ninja ally Kareem Nazareno! There is no word yet on whether or not he will continue to serve as XERRD's leader, or if he intends to turn on any Dino Attack personal other than those that know his identity as Matthew Vherestorm, but as of yet, agents are to remain on alert!

Agents are advised to apprehend Blaire Darkling/Matthew Vherestorm, on sight! Be wary, as he is extremely adept at evading death and assassination, and will not be stopped easily! As well, hostilities are not permitted against XERRD personnel in light of this event! What Blaire Darkling/Matthew Vherestorm has done and said does not reflect the intents of XERRD as a whole!

XERRD personnel are advised to redirect command recognition to Elite Dino Attack Agent Dr. Cyborg, or Dr. Matthew Cyrista.

-Standard Agent Bluetooth

"This is why you don't mess with a man with a communicator," Bluetooth remarked with a grin.

*****

"Where'd that purple-haired girl go?" Rotor asked, suddenly looking around.

"I don't know," replied Helm. "She seems to have run off somewhere. Should we go find her?"

"Not much time for that," replied Rotor. "I think we got other things to worry about right now! What was your name again?"

"Helm. I think I just got something on my PDA," Helm said, reaching into his baggy pants and pulling his electronic device. He quickly passed it to Rotor, who only took a moment to read it.

"Blaire Darkling, huh?" Rotor asked. "Matthew Vherestorm. Anybody heard of him?"

"Yeah," Snake replied as he reached into his pocket and removed a cigarette.

"Who is he?" Cabin asked.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" Snake said with a slight smirk. Rotor quickly pulled the man to his feet and threw him into the chopper. 

"Everyone, get on board," Rotor said. "Kara, Mac, you two still able to fly?"

"Yeah," replied Mac as he started up the engines. The rotors on the helicopter started to come to life. Quickly, Rotor got in, followed by the new arrivals, Cabin stepped in after him, Lance in the gunner's seat, with Elizabeth, Maynard, Firecracker, Helm, and the others climbing in.

Arriving moments later were two snipers, one of whom Rotor recognized quickly. "Shotgun!" Rotor shouted.

"Yeah," replied Barry Jackson. He motioned toward his female companion, also in camo. "Let me introduce you to agent Scope."

"Pleasure," said Rotor. "We've got to catch a dangerous man. We might just need a few snipers on this one. MAC! GET US IN THE AIR!"

The chopper slowly started to lift off the ground and into the sky.

"Any idea where to find this Blaire Darkling?" Mac asked.

"Not yet," replied Rotor. "Unless someone can get Snake to talk - that's him in the back there, with the eyepatch."

Snake grinned as he inhaled on his cigarette.

Quickly, Rotor worked his way over to the microphone, and set it so it would project his voice outside. "We might as well start out simple," he said before he put the microphone to his mouth and hit the button. "Blaire Darkling, this is Elite Agent Rotor. I have orders to take you in by any means necessary. I suggest you do not attempt to resist or there will be serious consequences. I repeat do not resist or else we will open fire." He waited a moment, then set the machine to broadcast the recorded message repeatedly.

"No sign of this Blaire Darkling yet," Rotor remarked. "Snake said anything back there?"

There was a moment of silence before one man approached Rotor. "I think I might be able to help you," he said. "I know the guy far better than he ever did."

"Is that so?!" Rotor shouted. "Well, why the Znap didn't you say so? We could have caught him by now!"

*****

Minerva smiled shakily at Bluetooth. "Good thinking, Bluetooth. Darkling's being pushed into a corner." She was still trying to keep all her emotions under wrap under a somewhat optimistic face. Just a little longer. She told herself repeatedly. She could breakdown later. Her mom, her brother, and now Nazareno. Who else was going to die in these last moments?

Minerva looked toward Vinyaya, who was looking back at her. Vinyaya could see she was on the edge and had the same glint of concern in her eye like she had before. Minerva's lips curled into a weak smile to try reassure the Space Police commando before gesturing her head weakly to Zelda, who stared at Nazareno's body in silence. Minerva motioned toward her.

"Zelda?" Minerva said quietly to her. She resonating greatly with the mixed feelings radiating from Zelda's person. Lost, sadness, shock. Minerva had like this and more all day and whatever deity out there seemed MegaBlokland-bent on having her watch her loved ones die.

"I'm okay," Zelda said, sadness in her voice. Tears streamed freely down her face. "I can't believe it..."

"None of us can," Vinyaya said as she and Bluetooth joined them. "You... we can't let this stop us. We need to get back out there. Finish this fight."

Zelda nodded slowly. She then slowly bowed down to close Nazareno's blank eyes.

"When this is done," Minerva said with certainty. "We're going to finish what Nazareno started: hunting down and stopping Darkling."

"He has nowhere to hide and no one to hide him," Bluetooth added. "He'll be found and will finally pay for his crimes."

Zelda bit her lip and nodded again. Finally, she moved away the body and picked up Nazareno's sword that he had been killed with. She looked at it with cold, malicious eyes before wiping the blood of the blade with her jacket. After a quick search around the floor, she found Nazareno's other katana. Dropping her silver sword to the floor, Zelda put both swords in the sheaths on her back. "I think..." Zelda said, her voice growing stronger. "He would want Blaire to fall by his own blades."

Minerva, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth nodded in silence. Zelda then turned to Nazareno one last time. A sob was choked back in her throat. She then wrapped her arms around his and begun to drag him to the side. Minerva and Holly soon ran up to her and helped her carry Nazareno to the side, where they placed boards of wood over his body to conceal him.

"If the building still stands after this," Zelda said as she turned away, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I want his body to be safe."

Minerva nodded in agreement. Hopefully, he would be ignored by the increasing number of Mutant Dinos entering the building. Hopefully, he wouldn't be turned into a snack for some lizard.

"Now," Zelda said, her voice growing stronger. "Let's get back out there."

*****

Zach stared at the PDA in shock. No. That's... impossible. Kareem Nazareno couldn't be dead. That would be absurd. And yet, here it was in a message from Bluetooth. Nazareno was dead. Slayed by the only one who could truly match him in sword combat. His longtime rival.

"Motherznapping 4+ MegaBloking MegaBloker!" Zach muttered, curses directed at Blaire Darkling. Grief was being overshadowed by an undeniable rage. He had killed Thaddeus Brickhouse and now Kareem Nazareno, one of the closest friends he made in the Builder-forsaken war. Zach looked at his right hand. The gold sheen seemed to have dimmed with passing of its creator. He was just going to hold back because of the alliance between the Dino Attack and XERRD. Not anymore. Blaire would pay for the lives he's taken today, Zach was certain.

"Doc Cyborg!" Zach snapped, sounding much harsher than he had intended. Dr. Cyborg turned to him, a definite look of sadness on his face as he learned of Nazareno's death. "You need to take control of XERRD. Now."

"That was my intention," Dr. Cyborg said, cracking his knuckles. Under his breath, Zach thought he heard Dr. Cyborg mutter. "So that's what he meant by something 'regrettable'."

Zach ignored it. "With XERRD reforming, hopefully they'll take your command without question." Zach paused to consider the next move. "Tell them that, should they come across the Blaire, they lead him on into thinking he's still leader. Contact me if they find him."

"What are you going to do?" Dr. Cyborg asked.

"Gather up a couple of friends." Off the top of his head, Minerva, Vinyaya, and Zelda came to mind. "We're going to teach Blaire a lesson for killing our friends and betraying out trust."

Dr. Cyborg nodded grimly. "I'll see to it. Just one thing," Dr. Cyborg said before Zach walked away. "I want in as well."

"I'll think about it," Zach replied.

Dr. Cyborg turned to the window. He looked outside and climbed up to the roof, as the stairs were blocked. He grabbed a wire attached to the radio mast and split his normal hand into wires, leaving his cannon active. He put the wires with the radio wire and sent a voice and text message across the city to XERRD, although Dino Attack could also receive it.

"Attention all XERRD members! As you may or may not know, Blaire Darkling has shown his true colors as Matthew Vherestorm, dangerous assassin! All XERRD personnel are ordered to disregard any orders he gives you! His authority and command code have and will be terminated! I am XERRD's full leader now! I will choose a second later. Right now, I need all XERRD members to come to the front of the Dino Attack HQ! I have one final mission of the war! Hold back Dr. Rex as long as possible! To the ones who will die in this, I thank you for your service! Dr. Cyborg out."

He let go of the wire and reformed his hand. He climbed back into the lab, where he grabbed a toolkit. He pulled out a small screwdriver and opened up an access hatch on his cannon. He then started reconfiguring its hardware and software to extract a Creative Spark and hold it for a few minutes.

Zach nodded appreciatively and turned away, placing his hand firmly over his head, letting out a long sigh as his eyes began to water. A different kind of fatigue was setting in. He was tired of this. The death. The destruction. Not knowing if your friends will live through the day or not. It was draining. They were moments from firing the Einstein Device and stopping Dr. Rex. Fate seemed to decide that, in these last moments, to start picking off people close to him at this moment. Semick and Nazareno could just be the first. Who was to say Zach didn't lose the friends he had made during this war in the last minutes?

"Are you okay, Zach?" Andrew said suddenly, moving in close to Zach. Zach removed the hand from his face and looked at Andrew. He could see that his fellow LEGO Islander's features suggested sadness as well. He had also lost a friend in Semick and, while he didn't know Nazareno particularly well, grieved the loss of the space ninja as well.

"I'll pull through," Zach said, lifting up his glasses up to wipe the tears out from under his eyes. "I'm just ready for that party you mentioned."

Andrew smiled faintly. "When we don't have worry about whether or not we'll see our friends again."

"I was thinking about joining the Nexus Force after this all was done," Zach said wistfully. "Seeing as how deeply involved I've sort of become with this. Now... settling down for a little while sounds a heckuva lot better at this point. Take a break, so to speak."

Andrew nodded. They both stared at into the battlefield in silence, watching as Dr. Rex moved closer and closer. "I suppose you should get ready to help with Rex."

"Yeah," Zach said, stretching his arms. Most of his energy from his fight with Willa had been restored. He was ready. All that mattered now was getting that Creative Spark out of Rex. It wouldn't be pleasant, but it was necessary. One quick procedure, then the Einstein Device would be ready.

The end would finally be here.

"That Einstein Device ready yet?"

Hotwire looked up as the voice burst from the radio. It was Swerve. He glanced at Hertz and Dr. Cyborg, and said, "Another minute, at best?" They nodded in agreement.

"Not sure you've got that long. Dr. Rex shook off Semick's kamikaze maneuver in no time flat, and it looks like Doc Cyborg's little stunt made him even madder." There was a pause. "Tell Frozeen it's been great knowing him, and Rex... well, that's nothing short of an honor. Oh, and Hotwire?"

"Yes?"

"You did good, kid. You did real good."

*****

Swerve turned to Mort. "Get out of here."

The pale man's brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Get out," Swerve repeated. "You're too smart to die here. Get to HQ."

"The headquarters is hardly safer than this. Dr. Rex is likely to raze the place."

"Not if the guys on the roof have the time they need!" Swerve cried. "And that's what I'm gonna get them."

"You'll die."

"Already dead. Or something. Y'know, all these years we've been fightin' 'em, and I still dunno how that works for drones." Swerve chuckled. "Guess I'll find out. Now GO!"

For the first time almost any living mind could remember, Mort's face showed emotion. Grudgingly, he climbed down from the turret. He looked back at the man who, he had to admit, was his only true friend. Swerve was fiddling with the maintenance panels at the base of the cannon.

Mort dropped to the ground. Sappy lines like "I'll never forget you" did not occur to him, as words would have been rather trivial. He hurried towards the base behind another group of agents, including a giant swordsman in an Agents uniform. As they reached the doors of Dino Attack HQ, Mort stopped and glanced back again.

For the first and only time, Swerve's Iron Predator broke from the defensive line and shot towards Dr. Rex. The armored beast was closing in quickly, blowing clouds of purple flame to clear his path. It was little more than a second before the tank-like vehicle struck him in the legs. Dr. Rex, too startled to dodge, stumbled, but before he could hit the ground, the Iron Predator exploded.

It was larger than expected for such a vehicle. If he had to guess, Mort would say Swerve had plugged the power cells for the Cryothermic Cannon into themselves, creating a massive short circuit. Dr. Rex's Maelstrom flames could only have exacerbated the reaction. He spared a small smile.

Dr. Rex himself had been knocked back nearly twenty feet, and was struggling to rise. The Maelstrom bands around his body seemed to squeeze tighter yet, and hauled the T-Rex upward. Wobbling slightly, he charged once again.

Not willing to wait any longer, Mort ducked inside. "Well, you've got your minute," he muttered, glancing upwards. "I certainly hope it's enough."

*****

Blaire Darkling gnashed his teeth together as he cleaned up the wound on his hip and applied a bandage to it. All he had to do was find some downed Fire Hammer in this Builder-forsaken battlefield. Naturally, there had been a first-aid kit inside. Even though his side stung, Blaire allowed himself to grin.

He's had won. A battle that had lasted the better part of a decade was over. Kareem Nazareno was dead. He would congratulate himself on tying up that loose end from his past except...

Minerva Fabello, Zelda Frodongan, Zachary Virchaus, the Space Police officer, and the other agent knew he was Matthew Vherestorm. And with Nazareno's demise, they would certainly spread the fact. Blaire had been relying on them focusing on winning the battle, but they would certainly reveal him now.

He jumped down from the Fire Hammer and made sure his lone Shinobi katana was placed neatly in his trenchcoat. He could work around this. As Matthew Vherestorm, he had navigated past unforeseen obstacles before. He could do it again. Somehow. Blaire had to admit things were looking grim for him.

As he flipped his wet hair out from in front of in sunglasses, Blaire saw several Space Marauders suddenly run at them, their guns and rockets pointed at him. Blaire raised an eyebrow. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Save it," the voice of Gary Oak snarled. "You're finished, Darkling. Or should I say, Matthew Vherestorm?"

Blaire held back his surprise with a curt laugh. "What are you talking about, Oak?" Blaire snapped, crossing his arms. "Who is Matthew Vherestorm?"

"We got the message from Dr. Cyrista," another Space Marauder hissed, a rocket pointed directly at Blaire's chest. "And there's another message from some Dino Attack agent named Bluetooth. You betrayed the alliance you helped create!"

Blaire didn't say anything.

"Don't worry, Blaire," Gary said. "XERRD will keep reforming, just like you intended. Without you. Now drop any weapons you may have."

Blaire gave Gary a curious smile that hid an undeniable anger. Not that his leadership from XERRD had been revoked. He couldn't care less about that. In the background, he could hear a voice emitting from a helicopter.

"Blaire Darkling, this is Elite Agent Rotor. I have orders to take you in by any means necessary. I suggest you do not attempt to resist or there will be serious consequences. I repeat do not resist or else we will open fire."

His cover had been blown. After three years, everything was suddenly coming out. He had resolved to kill the five people that knew earlier. Now, hundreds knew who Blaire Darkling had been. And they wanted his head. Blaire's body straightened up. "You do make reformation so difficult." Blaire said with a half-sigh.

"What are you-erk!" Gary was cut off as the blade of Blaire's katana sunk into his chest.

Before they could react, Blaire had his handgun out and shot down the Space Marauders one by one, feeling no remorse as they dropped. He then ran at the remaining three. One Space Marauder managed to avoid his fire and launched a rocket at him. Blaire rolled out of the way and fired again, clipping his arm. The Space Marauder howled in pain and clutched his arm, dropping his weapons. Blaire walked casually over to the Space Marauder and shot him dead with his own weapon before returning to Gary.

The Space Marauder stared at the katana jutting out of his chest. "How-" he gasped.

Blaire shook his head in pity. "You are a fool, Gary Oak. And you've paid for it. But... I'm feeling merciful." Blaire's hands wrapped around Gary's head and sharply turned it. There was sharp crack before Gary's eyes rolled back. Blaire pulled the katana out the Space Marauder's body as he collapsed to the ground.

Wiping the blade clean of Gary's blood, Blaire looked on to the battlefield. He had tried to reform. He tried to go good. It seemed fate itself was against the very prospect. Blaire shrugged and began to walk out into the battlefield. Matthew Cyrista and Bluetooth had made the worst mistakes of their lives. Everyone knew his secret. Everyone was a target.

He would escape later. A new identity could be formed and his secret could be hidden again. Blaire Darkling would be no more in a matter of hours. It was his last hurrah. He would slaughter everything that crossed his path. XERRD, Dino Attack, Alpha Team, Agents, Mutant Dinos. They would all die should they cross him. There was a reason why Matthew Vherestorm's priority level to the Space Police only dropped after the Black Hole Gang rose to power, two years after he disappeared; he was a one-man army. Without Nazareno to challenge him, he wouldn't be stopped. He would kill until he grew tired of it. And the best part?

He would feel no sympathy.

*****

"My T-1 is in position. You ready, Voltage?"
"Roger that, Cobra. We've got to stop this incoming horde of Mutant Pterosaurs from reaching the base. HQ needs all the air support they can get in this final hour."
"Hey, don't count me out! Just because I wasn't originally in At War's End doesn't mean I'll be missing the Director's Cut!"
"Uh… right. Glad to have your company, Slash. Have you heard back from Kotua?"
"Seems he was feeling a little nostalgic for his old Urban Avenger and decided to give it a spin."
"For old time's sake."
"Let's see if we can get the whole crew back together. Hyrode, Kai, Snake of Spades, you there?"
"Agent X here, sorry for being late. I was having… computer problems."
"Give them everything we've got! It's all or nothing at this point! This is it!"
"Things are really heating up out here, that's for sure."
"Voltage, watch out! That Mutant Brontosaurus is charging its EMP! Get out of there before you go down!"
"I'm trying, but the Pterosaurs have my T-1 surrounded! Our exit is blocked off!"
"Well, boys, it's been a fun run. At least we'll go out with a bang. See you all on the other side."
"Wait, looks like we have backup…"
"What's going on up there, Cobra? I can't see from street level! Wait, I wonder if my Cyber Matrix comes with binoculars…"
"Another T-1 just swooped down from the sky, guns blazing. Took down the Bronto and helped clear away the Pterosaur flock."
"A bit over-the-top, perhaps, but suitably dramatic."
"Huh. Who could it be?"
"Coming back for one last run. This is elite agent Databoard, reporting in!"

*****

The end had come.

Dr. Rex lumbered towards Dino Attack Headquarters, his pace quickening with every step as he was more determined than ever to raze it to the ground.

Down below, a Dino 4WD Trapper driven by agent Anubis struggled to catch up to Dr. Rex while avoiding the tendrils of destructive Maelstrom energy. The idealist hailing from Egypt might not have been one of the team's most famous members, but he had seen a lot during his time in the war, from what he perceived as the ghost of Rev Raptor to elite agent Zero giving in to madness; from the last stand of Atukam to a Maelstrom-infected brick in Digger's office. Anubis had seen Semick's grand sacrifice and Swerve's kamikaze maneuver, and knew that no matter what happened in the end, even a moment's delay could help buy the headquarters just enough time. All he needed to do was to create that delay.

In a valiant effort, Anubis unleashed the hook and cable of the jeep in one last attempt to replicate the strategy he had developed with the LEGO Racers. After hooking it on Dr. Rex's foot, Anubis drove in a tight circle around Dr. Rex, hoping that the rope would trip the Mutant T-Rex and stall him just long enough. He knew it would not work, but Anubis was determined not to go down without a fight.

As Dr. Rex faintly felt the cable tugging against his shin armor, Anubis's plan was given away. Growling, Dr. Rex raised one foot, snapping the cable as he did so, and slammed it down upon the hood of the Dino 4WD Trapper. Then, he opened his maw and engulfed the vehicle and its driver in a jet of purple-tinged flames. Anubis forever departed from this world.

His chains pulled by Baron Typhonus to make sure that he kept going, Dr. Rex unrelentingly closed the distance between himself and Dino Attack Headquarters. A group of Iron Predators gathered at the base of the building to defend it from the Mutant T-Rexes. Dr. Rex clawed his way through his fellow Mutant Dinos to get close enough, then paused as a dozen Cryothermic Cannons pointed at him. In a single blast of his fire breath, he incinerated the Iron Predator defense around the base of the building. There were no survivors.

A flash of lightning illuminated the area, and thunder rumbled from the heavens. Up above, the clouds began to swirl into a vortex-like shape.

Staring up at the center of the vortex, Dr. Rex bared his teeth and then delivered an inhuman roar. He was not sure what drove him to do so, but he felt compelled to climb up towards the heavens. He buried his claws into the wall of Dino Attack Headquarters, and the tendrils of Maelstrom energy began to cling onto the building's side to give him even greater grip. Then, placing claw over claw, foot over foot, and tendril over tendril, Dr. Rex began to scale Dino Attack Headquarters.

*****

The end had come.

Rex had made peace with his fate, and nothing could sway his decision. He was ready to meet his destiny. Still, the knowledge that this was it… everything had been building up to this moment… everyone who had lived and died fighting this war was fighting for now… and it was all about to come to an end at last… With this knowledge in mind, Rex could not help but feel tears forming at the base of his eyes.

It had only been eight months, but it felt like nearly eight years to Rex as he reflected upon all that had happened during the Dino Attack. He had learned of his unique origins on Adventurers' Island. He discovered that he was part of a XERRD gambit to destroy the Dino Attack Team. He had tamed Mutant Dinos, starting with his dear friend Trouble. He worked with close comrades such as Frozeen, PBB, and Chompy. He fought against a mind-controlled Kotua and saved Dino Attack agents in peril such as Databoard, Turahk-Kal, and Glide. He went on adventures with Zero and Phantom. He met, fell in love, and ultimately married Amanda Claw. He battled some of the most famous villains and later allied with them. He discovered the Dino Island Laboratory and altered the very premise of the war. He teamed up with Reptile, Hotwire, Zenna, Greybeard, and Fullmetal in the Goo Caverns mission. He fought alongside Coral and Semick for the fate of LEGO Island. He met Andrew, Dust, Zachary Virchaus, Dr. Cyborg, and Hertz in the battle for Adventurers' Island. He looked into the eye of the Maelstrom and challenged the Darkitect himself.

Everything he had experienced was building up to this moment. And then, after so long, it would finally end.

Andrew's words had truly moved him. Although Rex was aware that he had gained quite a bit of reputation among the team, after enduring so much pain, feeling so much darkness, and seeing so much death, Rex's heart was warmed by Andrew's praise. It made it just that much easier to accept his fate, with the knowledge that his life really meant something.

Thunder rumbled, and Dino Attack Headquarters shook with the force of impending doom scaling its wall. The battle was longer than Dino Attack Team could normally endure, so many had died, and those that were still alive were weary. It seemed as though they did not stand a chance, but Rex knew that as long as Dino Attack Team carried the heart and courage that it had shown these past twenty-four hours, they would keep on fighting to the end. It was all so very powerful to Rex.

Rex thought of everyone who had fought for the Dino Attack. The founding members: Specs, Shadow, Digger, and Viper. Those that had disappeared, such as Kotua, Databoard, Zero, and Fullmetal. Those that had perished, such as Amanda, Adventure, Semick, Nazareno, and Swerve. And those that were still fighting today: Reptile, Hotwire, Rotor, Zenna, B, Andrew, Hertz, Zachary, Dr. Cyborg, Frozeen, and Greybeard.

The greatest people anyone could have ever known.

"Thank you," whispered Rex as tears welled up in his eyes. "Thank you all."

Rex turned to see Zachary Virchaus and Dr. Cyborg staring tentatively at him. Rex noticed that the latter had reconfigured his arm cannon to resemble a XERRD injection saw, presumably for the extraction and containment of his Creative Spark. "Are you ready?" inquired Zachary.

Rex quickly surveyed the area around him, locking eyes with everyone present, starting with Reptile and Hotwire, and ending with Frozeen and Greybeard. It was a mutually understood communication; an unspoken but heartfelt goodbye. Then, turning his attention back to Zachary and Cyborg, Rex nodded slowly. "Remember, Zach. If I'm right, the Maelstrom will do everything in its power to prevent my Creative Spark from being extracted."

"I'll hold it back," promised Zachary. After a brief pause, he noted: "I… think that might have been the first time you called me 'Zach'."

Rex smiled, sadly. "Goodbye." Then, at peace, he slowly shut his eyelids and raised his arms to a T-position, allowing Zachary and Dr. Cyborg to do their work. As Reptile, Hotwire, Zenna, Hertz, Specs, and Grimton prepared the Einstein Device to receive its payload, Dr. Cyborg and Zachary nodded towards each other, and then Zachary made his move.

Zachary concentrated upon the Maelstrom energies in Rex's body. He could feel their presence, and they had taken up root so deeply in his body that they could never be extracted. However, Zachary could also sense a source of pure Imagination: Rex's Creative Spark. The Maelstrom could not bear to be too close to the Imagination, but while it was kept at bay, it licked at the Imagination like fire biting at dust in the air, and almost seemed to be attempting to constrict it.

Pooling his energies, Zachary focused in prying the Maelstrom energy away from the Creative Spark. It was a slow process, like attempting to remove boulders from an avalanche without triggering another rockslide; if he moved too quickly, Zachary knew the Maelstrom would retaliate. Rex was still alive, after all, and his features hardened ever-so-slightly as he felt the Maelstrom in his body shifting around. Slowly, the Maelstrom gave way, clearing a path to Rex's Creative Spark. "Now…!" whispered Zachary in a strained voice.

Without hesitation, Dr. Cyborg made his move. He planted his reconfigured arm cannon into Rex's torso. Rex's body stiffened and he made a muted grunt, but he relaxed his form. Dr. Cyborg began to extract the Creative Spark, and the injection-cannon began to glow a brilliant blue as it was filled with Imagination.

Just as Dr. Cyborg completed the process, the Maelstrom retaliated. Tendrils of Maelstrom energy, much like the ones constricting Dr. Rex, sprung out from Rex's body, and Dr. Cyborg jumped back just in the nick of time before they could grab him. Rex's eyes suddenly shot open, but they were completely blank and lifeless. He opened his mouth and produced a bloodcurdling laugh.

"It is too late! This is the end! And now… you will die!"

The other Dino Attack agents gasped and looked upon Rex with horror. Maelstrom energy swirled around Rex as more tendrils burst out of his body. He set his cold, dead eyes upon Zachary and Dr. Cyborg, and shambled towards them. The Maelstrom tendrils stretched and, before Dr. Cyborg could react, wrapped around him and began to constrict his form.

Stop him! whispered a voice, just barely audible enough to be heard.

Greybeard snapped out of his stupor first. He fired his flintlock pistol at Rex, who stumbled and let go of Dr. Cyborg, dropping the scientist to the floor. This bought Zachary just enough time to control the destructive powers of the Maelstrom energy and turn it against itself.

Before their very eyes, Rex's body aged at a horrifyingly rapid pace. His hair turned white, his body turned frail, and his face was covered with wrinkles. In only a second, he appeared eighty years old, the true age of Dr. Rex. Even then, Rex continued to age and wither, and his Dino Attack uniform disintegrated as his skin decayed. A mere second later, Rex was little more than a skeleton, and then that too crumbled into dust. Only then did the Maelstrom energies collapse upon themselves and vanish for good.

For a moment, everyone was only able to stare at the space where Rex had once stood. If seeing Rex forever crippled, watching him give in to madness, and learning that he was about to die were not disturbing enough, what had just transpired left everyone shaken.

At last, Andrew found his voice. "It… wasn't Rex. Without his Creative Spark, the Maelstrom just turned his body into another puppet for the Darkitect."

"That's right," said Kate Bishop, nodding. "Rex is in there." She gestured towards Dr. Cyborg's right arm.

Dr. Cyborg looked down upon his arm cannon. He furrowed his brow and bit his lip. With Rex's Creative Spark contained in his body, Dr. Cyborg suspected that any of Rex's last words or thoughts would be projected through him. And yet, while his HUD confirmed that there was indeed Imagination stored in his system, it was silent.

There was no turning back now; Rex was dead, his essence contained inside the injection-cannon, and his body turned to dust after becoming a tool of the Maelstrom. Still, Andrew and Kate's words brought some sort of comfort to the Dino Attack agents, as they knew that Rex's Creative Spark was still pure enough to do the trick.

Hotwire and Hertz finished preparing the Einstein Device as Dr. Cyborg approached Reptile. Working together, the pair of scientists loaded the Imagination into the Einstein Device, and then Specs, Hotwire, and Hertz sealed the device. Andrew, Zenna, and Zachary held up the newly-reconstructed launcher, while Specs took the completed Einstein Device and looked it over.

"We are ready," Specs said as he nodded firmly.

*****

As Dr. Rex scaled the side of Dino Attack Headquarters, placing claw over claw and tendril over tendril, he was constantly harassed by T-1 Typhoons. The Dino Attack helicopters had kept the Mutant Dinos at bay long enough; now that Dr. Rex himself had arrived on the scene, it was time to slow him down by any means necessary.

"Ride of the Valkyries" and "Brixter Boss" blasted through the air as Rotor and the Brickster opened fire upon Dr. Rex with everything they had. Shadow and Digger blasted Dr. Rex with XL-4 Voltaic Launchers and Quintronic Sonic Beam Emitters. Sam Race's T-1 Typhoon darted around too quickly for Dr. Rex to react in his numbed state, which was not helped by the combination of sonics and loud music ringing through his ears.

Although the sonic attacks rattled his brain and the high-powered compressive power cells of the Voltaic Launchers were powerful enough to nearly cause him to lose his grip, he kept going. Even if the Maelstrom possessing his body did not force Dr. Rex to keep climbing, his anger, his hatred, and his determination pushed any thought of defeat out of his mind. After all, his silge armor protected him from most of the attacks, so in the end, the T-1 Typhoons could only slow him down… they could never stop him.

Still, annoyed by the efforts of the T-1 Typhoons, a jet of fire erupted from Dr. Rex mouth, consuming the ninth floor of Dino Attack Headquarters in flames. Thanks to the high specific heat of silge and the mind-numbing pain he was already suffering, the fire barely affected him, but it would spread quickly, destroying all in its path like a wildfire.

Dr. Rex continued his unrelenting ascension of the burning building. Nothing could stop him.

*****

Fire and smoke were not the only things that were rising to the thirteenth floor of Dino Attack Headquarters. Right on cue, a T-1 Typhoon arrived at the scene, and Viper could be seen hanging out of the cabin. Again, since Zenna's T-1 Typhoon was occupying the helicopter landing pad, Viper had to jump down to the floor. Balling his hands into fists, Viper shouted: "Alright! Are we ready to show these scales who's boss or what?"

Hertz could not hear anything, but he could feel Dino Attack Headquarters shaking beneath his feet and was starting to become uncomfortably hot. He glanced through a broken window and noticed the smoke rising. Peeking out, he saw that the lower floors were on fire, and Dr. Rex was still climbing; even with the T-1 Typhoons slowing him down, he was unrelenting. Trying to control the volume of his voice while retaining the necessary tone of urgency, Hertz screamed: "LOOK, GUYS, THIS BUILDING ISN'T GOING TO STAND MUCH LONGER ONCE DR. REX GETS UP HERE. IF WE'RE GOING TO FIRE THAT THING, WE'D BETTER DO SO FROM A T-1 TYPHOON IN FLIGHT, JUST TO BE SAFE."

"Don't worry," Specs said reassuringly as he shook his head, "we've got a perfectly qualified pilot right here… if you're up to the job, agent Zenna."

Astounded, Zenna was at a loss for words, but was able to nod her head once she regained control of her body.

"Just remember," Viper told Zenna, "you've got to fly the Typhoon so I can get a clear shot at that big bad beast. It all does kind of depend on you… but hey, no pressure!"

"Don't worry," Andrew said with a grin. "She's an ace pilot. She can handle this easily." He patted Zenna on the back, hoping that would give her a good confidence boost. Not that she needed it, since she was always plucky and ready to go.

As Frozeen and Greybeard called for assistance, Andrew, Zachary, and Hertz finished dismantling the Super Teleport Pad in order to scavenge for bricks. They quickly assembled a blockade to keep the Mutant Lizards at bay; even though it would not hold for long, it might just be long enough. While it concerned him that this left everyone trapped in LEGO City, Specs knew that it was necessary to destroy the Super Teleport Pad before any Mutant Dinos could use it to travel to Antarctica, or else all would be lost.

Zenna sat in the pilot's seat and reacquainted herself with the T-1 Typhoon controls. One by one, everyone started climbing aboard the T-1 Typhoon. With so many elite agents, the helicopter cabin quickly grew crowded, so a T-2 Typhoon was quickly summoned to carry those that could not make it aboard the first one, such as Pharisee, Kate, Saran, and Shannon. As Frozeen was helping Shannon load her wheelchair into the helicopter, the makeshift barricade exploded as fire, Mutant Lizards, and Mutant Raptors poured out.

Although Greybeard unsheathed his cutlass, General shook his head. "Did you forget about me? I've got the G.E. Body exosuit, and unless one of these mutants is carrying a Panrahk XP, I'll make it through. Leave this to me."

Frozeen knew that General was right, as he once knew the perks of the G.E. Body. "We'll provide air support," said Frozeen. "Come on, Greybeard." With that, the Alpha Team agent helped the old pirate step into the T-2 Typhoon before climbing aboard himself. No sooner had the T-1 Typhoon taken off and the T-2 Typhoon pull away from the building that the entire thirteenth floor became engulfed in the fire.

General struggled to see through the fires, but as he turned away from the helicopters and faced the Mutant Dinos, he grinned and eagerly murmured: "I always wanted to use these." He pulled out four Space Knights laser sabers, a gift from King Joseph Race during their time working together in the Portal Operations Team. Igniting the futuristic swords, General battled in the flames against the Mutant Dinos, with movements more like a graceful dance than a fight to the death.

Mutant Lizards, Mutant Raptors… it did not matter, for a few quick strikes with his laser sabers would incapacitate any of General's foes. Still, he appreciated the aid of the T-1 and T-2 Typhoons, which circled around the rooftop and provided cover by firing at the Mutant Dinos.

From the T-2 Typhoon's cabin, Frozeen watched the battle and nodded approvingly. After so many years of being General's archnemesis, it was immensely satisfying to see him fighting on the same side. "Come on, General," he whispered.

There was a flash of lightning immediately followed by a great thunderclap, but General could barely hear it over the terrifying sound of a bloodcurdling roar. Narrowing his eyes, General saw a great figure rise up from the flames and loom over him. In the darkness and through the flames, all General could see was a great shadow with a pair of glowing eyes, but he knew who it was.

"Dr. Rex," General narrowed his eyes.

Dr. Rex looked down upon General and bared its teeth. "You…" he growled. "You were the one… who turned Talia… against me!" Seething with fury, Dr. Rex opened his mouth and poured out a jet of fire.

General jumped out of the way in the nick of time, his agility never failing him. However, in the process, he dropped three of his laser sabers, and they were swallowed by the flames. "That's right!" said General. "Your fight is with me! Now, let's end this!"

Dr. Rex roared and charged towards General like a bull, shaking off the combined firepower of the two Typhoons, which were now joined by a third belonging to Rotor. General leapt to the right, but Dr. Rex was surprisingly quick to react, swinging his tail low and knocking General to the floor. As soon as General was back on his feet, Dr. Rex swung his tail again.

This time, General was ready and grabbed Dr. Rex's tail. General climbed up onto Dr. Rex's back and ran along his spine whilst dodging the tendrils of Maelstrom energy, laser saber at the ready. Upon reaching the base of Dr. Rex's neck, General found a schism in Dr. Rex's armor where the helmet and neck met, and tried to pry it open with the laser saber.

Although he successfully loosened the helmet, General was unable to pull it off before Dr. Rex reacted by shaking his entire form. In his attempt to dodge a lashing tendril of Maelstrom energy, General lost his balance and fell off. In mid-fall, General threw his laser saber like a javelin aimed at Dr. Rex's exposed eye, but the weapon was swallowed in the Maelstrom energy and disintegrated.

No sooner had General hit the floor did Dr. Rex slam his foot down upon General's form, as though he was crushing an insect beneath his heel. He watched with surprise as General, struggling but still capable, slowly pushed the great weight of an armored T-Rex foot off of himself. Like the myth of Atlas, General managed to stand, lifting Dr. Rex's foot above him with all four of his hands.

Out of the corner of his eye, General noticed that Viper and Specs, aboard the T-1 Typhoon, were now loading the Einstein Device into its launcher. "Well, here we are," muttered General, hoping to buy some time for Viper. "Two enemies, immortalized by our impenetrable armor, locked in epic battle until judgment day."

"Perhaps," snarled Dr. Rex, "but when Ogel… designed you that… cheap suit… he should have… made sure… nothing… was exposed!"

Tendrils of Maelstrom energy snaked down Dr. Rex's leg. General realized what was about to happen, but was too late to do anything about it. The Maelstrom shot into the eyeholes of his helmet, the only exposed part of his form, giving the tendrils access to his weak and vulnerable body within. As Maelstrom energy poured into his G.E. Body, General could only scream as he suffered impossible pain.

Despite all the firepower of the two T-1 Typhoons and the T-2 Typhoon, nothing could move Dr. Rex as General's legs buckled and he collapsed under the weight of the foot. "No!" cried Frozeen, staring in horror at where General once stood. "General!"

Rotor's T-1 Typhoon circled around Dr. Rex, blasting everything the helicopter had. As Dr. Rex tried to focus upon the helicopter, the Brickster's own T-1 Typhoon arrived at the scene and rained MegaBlokland upon Dr. Rex, with so much explosive firepower that even Dr. Rex was knocked back. As a swarm of Mutant Pterosaurs divebombed the Brickster's Typhoon, the T-2 Typhoon provided cover and shot the pterosaurs out of the sky.

Sam Race's T-1 Typhoon flew past Dr. Rex so quickly, the mutant tyrant lizard king barely had enough time to react as Rotor went in for another round. This time, Rotor ordered his gunners to fire at where General had loosened Dr. Rex's armor. A volley of XL-4 Voltaic blasts rained down upon Dr. Rex, and his helmet went flying into the air and disappeared as it fell off the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters.

"Now's our chance!" Hotwire shouted. "Zenna, take us in so we can fire at his exposed head!"

However, having a weak point revealed only made Dr. Rex even more dangerous. Roaring furiously, he tore a chunk out of the Brickster's already-damaged T-1 Typhoon. The T-1 Typhoon was engulfed in flames as it flew through the fires of Dino Attack Headquarters. However, as the burning wreckage fell down to the streets below, Frozeen was relieved to see the Brickster jump out in time, escorted by two Brickster-Bots with jetpacks.

Zenna attempted to fly in the T-1 Typhoon close to Dr. Rex to give Viper a better shot, but the helicopter was bombarded by a flock of Mutant Pterosaurs. Reptile and Hotwire fired their weapons at the Mutant Pterosaurs, but they were too many in number. When the T-2 Typhoon attempted to provide cover, it was struck by Dr. Rex's eye beams. While it remained in flight, it temporarily spun out of control.

Hertz grabbed a pair of Sonic Screamers in the ship's cargo, duct-taped them together, and released a combined sonic pulse that knocked more of the Mutant Pterosaurs out of the air. Rotor's T-1 Typhoon went in for another attack, and only some quick maneuvering skills by Sam Race's T-1 Typhoon kept Dr. Rex from tearing both helicopters out of the sky. Sam Race went in for another pass, but flew a little too close and ended up with his tail rotor on fire.

By the time the Mutant Pterosaurs were cleared, the T-2 Typhoon was back in control of its own flight, but Rotor was having problems against Dr. Rex. The Mutant T-Rex tore off Rotor's XL-4 Voltaic Launcher and disabled one of the Quintronic Sonic Emitters with his laser vision. An Alpha Team Helicopter and Agents Aerial Defense Unit tried to provide cover, but a bolt of lightning knocked the latter out of the skies while the former was consumed by Dr. Rex's fires.

Zenna circled her T-1 Typhoon around the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters. Sam Race knew that his burning T-1 Typhoon would not remain in flight for much longer, and so he recklessly decided to go in for one last pass. He served as a distraction to Dr. Rex while Rotor's T-1 Typhoon unleashed another volley of attacks. While Sam Race looked for a safe place to crash-land the helicopter, another T-1 Typhoon arrived, piloted by Shadow.

Even as a Mutant Pterosaur attacked the helicopter, Digger was lowered by the cable and fired a handheld PLARXX Radar Ray at the last possible second, scrambling the Mutant Pterosaur's senses and knocking it out of the sky. The newcomer T-1 Typhoon flew towards the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters and opened fire on Dr. Rex.

The T-2 Typhoon joined Rotor and Shadow's T-1 Typhoons in a joint attack upon Dr. Rex. It was a valiant effort, but Dr. Rex was growing tired of the ordeal. He breathed fire at Rotor's T-1 Typhoon, fired laser vision at Shadow's T-1 Typhoon, and then slammed the bulk of his mass against the hull of the T-2 Typhoon.

Greybeard stumbled and fell out of the T-2 Typhoon's cabin. Frozeen acted quickly, grabbing the old pirate's hand and saving him from a fiery fate, but their combined weight threatened to throw them both out of the helicopter. Kate wrapped her arms around Frozeen's waist and Dr. Saran did likewise with Kate, but their combined weight was not enough, as they began to slide out of the cabin. It was not until Pharisee grabbed Saran's shoulders with his great, strong hands that they were stopped from falling out.

But before Pharisee could lift the others back into the helicopter, Dr. Rex raised his head to the T-2 Typhoon and opened his maw. His teeth were mere inches from Greybeard's position, and the old pirate felt his hand slipping out of Frozeen's grip. Feeling Dr. Rex's hot breath, Greybeard locked eyes with Frozeen. "If I let go…" he whispered, "ye can make it…"

"Don't let go!" cried Frozeen, even as Mutant Pterosaurs circled overhead, waiting for the kill like a wake of vultures.

"The war ends…" hissed Dr. Rex, as another jet of fire was about to erupt from his maw and consume the T-2 Typhoon.

"Now!" shouted Reptile from Zenna's T-1 Typhoon.

Specs and Viper traded glances, then locked eyes upon Dr. Rex. Zenna's reputed piloting abilities had proven themselves, for they were now at the perfect angle to get a clear shot at Dr. Rex's exposed head while he was distracted by the T-2 Typhoon. "The Mutant Tyrant Lizard King…" announced Specs.

"… now extinct!" declared Viper, grinning as he pulled the trigger.

Time seemed to slow as the Einstein Device was fired from its launcher. Flashing lights on the device appeared to leave a trail of blue light in their wake. The projectile flew through the flames and the debris of the wrecked thirteenth floor. Viper's aim was true, and nothing could block its path.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dr. Rex saw the incoming Einstein Device. He felt the Maelstrom tendrils tugging on his armor like chains, yanking him with full force, struggling to pull him out of the way before it was too late. He heard Baron Typhonus screaming in his mind, a voice full of rage and panic, ordering him to destroy the Einstein Device as it came closer and closer.

No, Dr. Rex decided as his final act of free will. I shall not move.

He knew that it was moving too fast and already too close to dodge. Instead, Dr. Rex slowly took in a deep breath that he knew would be his last. This was it. This was the end. Everything he had worked for was over.

But despite this knowledge, Dr. Rex felt a strange sense of relief in his final moments. It was over. He knew not what lied beyond the grave, but no matter what waited for him after death, he would finally be able to escape his cruel life. He would finally be freed from Baron Typhonus's control. No one would have to suffer anymore. It would all… end.

Thank you, thought Dr. Rex, with sincere gratitude.

When the Einstein Device hit, it detonated, releasing its payload. A great wave of Imagination, magnified in volume by the programming of the device, exploded outward, consuming Dino Attack Headquarters in an aura of blue light. It was too bright for anyone to look at, forcing many to avert their eyes or squint. The sound was also deafening, like a mixture of a whirlwind, an earthquake, an explosion, and a tidal wave all mixed into one.

Faintly, one could hear the cries of thousands of Mutant Dinos caught in the blast radius. The effect of the Einstein Device upon these creatures was that of a mercy kill. The Maelstrom in their bodies was simply too much, and by destroying the dark energies, their Creative Sparks were extinguished in the process.

As the T-2 Typhoon raised its altitude, the Minifigs caught in the blast radius were unharmed. Rather, they were filled with rejuvenated energy and life, and with ease, Greybeard was pulled back aboard the helicopter.

Rex, the one whose Creative Spark powered the Einstein Device, was only dimly aware of his surroundings. When the Einstein Device detonated, he knew that he would cease to exist, since his essence would be spread so far that it could never possibly come back together. But he did not regret his choice. Instead, as he reflected upon his life and thought of all the lives he would be saving… Reptile, Hotwire, Zenna, Rotor, B, Andrew, Hertz, Zachary, Dr. Cyborg… he felt at peace.

For everyone.

And so, when everything Rex knew became a white void and he heard a mysterious voice proclaim, "It is time," Rex was ready to accept his fate. It was, indeed, time.

I'm coming… Amanda…

And then, Rex was gone.

*****

It was over.

When the light faded away, all that remained of Dr. Rex was his armor, cast about the debris like a broken toy. The storm had subsided; while it was still raining, it had calmed to a light drizzle, and there was no longer any lightning.

Dino Attack Headquarters still stood. It had taken more damage than one thought it could bear, between Firecracker's explosives, the destructive Mutant Dinos, and the wild fires of Dr. Rex, but as though it were a symbol of Minifigures' ability to persevere, it still stood as a monument to Dino Attack's triumph.

Most of the Mutant Dinosaurs, which were invading Dino Attack Headquarters at the time, were caught in the blast radius of the Einstein Device. Those that remained, scattered around the torn-up streets and wrecked buildings, were now masterless as Dr. Rex had perished and, through him, Baron Typhonus had been banished for good. They were left confused and aimless as they tasted freedom for the first time, and as such no longer seemed to pose a threat to the remaining allied forces. Similarly, with their leaders captured during the battle, the Fright Knights and the Inferno henchmen quickly surrendered.

Specs breathed a sigh of relief. "It's over, at last."

"No," Reptile said, shaking his head. "This isn't the end. This… is a new beginning."

The cabin of the T-1 Typhoon exploded in triumph. Andrew and Zachary laughed and patted each other on the backs; Hotwire gave Reptile a high-five; Dr. Cyborg nudged Hertz, grinned, and gave a thumbs-up. The radio was abuzz with cries of victory and a number of famous movie quotes. Specs and Viper nodded to each other. Everyone knew that they could never have done it without each other. Only by working as a team could they prepare the Einstein Device and win the battle.

On the T-2 Typhoon, the passengers were celebrating their own victory. Greybeard had already proclaimed, "Drinks all around!" Dr. Saran was recalling some sort of amusing anecdote to Shannon and Kate. They received confirmation via radio that Rotor and Sam Race both survived the battle, and as they passed Shadow's T-1 Typhoon, they caught a glimpse of Digger, still swinging on the cable, whooping excitedly.

Frozeen stood apart from the rest of the celebration in his cabin. As the fires were already dying down, he jumped down from the helicopter and landed back on the thirteenth floor. He ran through the wreckage and the debris until he found what might have once been Specs's office.

There laid General, half-covered by a large piece of debris.

Grunting, Frozeen pushed the rubble off of General's form, who cried out in pain. "Oh my Builder," whispered Frozeen as he surveyed the damage. Even if G.E. Metal could withstand so much, General looked to be in terrible shape.

"Frozeen…" he whispered. "Please remove… my helmet… Cannot… breathe…"

Nodding, Frozeen pulled the G.E. Body's helmet off of General's head, exposing his face for the first time in a decade. His skin, which was already wrinkled with age and scarred by burns, was now blackened and charred after what the Maelstrom did to him.

General took in several deep breaths. "Ah… to breathe again…" he murmured, "for the first time so long… without a filter… to feel the rain… against my face…" Sighing, General locked eyes with Frozeen. "I'm not going to make it… will I? Tell Talia… I love her… and I'm sorry."

"You did good," said Frozeen, nodding. "You did real good."

General chuckled, and they clasped hands. Then, General lightly brushed one hand against Frozeen's cheek. "Your father… would be proud…" General whispered, a smile crossing his dry and broken lips.

Frozeen took his hand, even as he felt it grow limp in his grip. General sighed one last time as he stared off into nothingness, passing away.

Greybeard approached Frozeen from behind and gently laid a hand on the Alpha Team agent's shoulder. "He be dead, but not in vain," murmured Greybeard. "Much like Rex, he be gone… but ascended t' a higher plane o' existence. They now live on in all o' us now."

Frozeen nodded his head solemnly.

After seeing so many die in the past twenty-four hours alone, Frozeen felt no sadness or grief over the death of General… only grim acceptance. The deaths of Rex, General, and so many more were not to be mourned, but to be celebrated, for they gave their lives to save others, Frozeen realized. The Alpha Team agent stood as he gave one final goodbye to the brother and general of Evil Ogel.

It was over.

At last.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 9: Epilogue

Chapter 73: Dawn of a Newsday

----

"He's dead! That son of a 4+ Figure is dead!"
"The dinos are all gone! Well, except for the ones on our side, and a handful of stranglers, but regardless..."
"YES! YES!"
"We did it! We did it!"
"I knew we'd win this, I knew it!"
"WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!"
"Well, that's the end of that."
"Somebody kiss me!"
"Okay!"
"Yay, it only took the losses of nearly two-fifths of our ranks!"
"Oh, don't ruin the moment."
"HUG ME, BROTHER!"
"Group hug!"
"Hugs for everyone!"
"Hey, you know what this calls for? A PARTY!"
"Only if there's Brickolini pizza!"
"And movies to riff!"
"You want a party like that? Everyone come to LEGO Island, the Infomaniac and I are making plans for a Christmas/New Year's/End-of-War extravaganza! I'll let you know what day it is later tomorrow. You've got Pepper Roni's word!"

*****

A cheer went up, echoing off the buildings. Not one throat remained closed.

Onboard Rotor's T-1 Typhoon, Helm let out a whoop and Giles pumped his fist in the air.

Kat heard Katerina's voice inside her head. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

"Oh, shut up, you," said Kat, laughing to herself.

There was excitement and relief in the air as Cabin and Rotor quickly hugged each other and kissed for a second. Over the radio, one man, probably a former journalist, could be heard.

"Antarctica, reception clear. Over."
"Are there any newsmen waiting? Over."
"Place is full of them. Over."
"Alright fellas, here's your story. LEGO City, December 21, Agent Scott reporting. One of the greatest battles was fought and won today by the minifig race. Here, in one of our greatest cities, the agents faced what we hope is the final invasion by mutated dinosaurs. A man named Noah once saved the minifig race with an arc of wood. Here, in LEGO City, a few men performed a similar service with an arc of Imagination. The man responsible for the Dino Attack and many of his followers have been destroyed, but not without casualties among our own meager forces. I would like to bring some of the people responsible for our success, but at the moment our leader agent Specs is attending to demands over and above the call of duty. And now, before giving you the details of the battle, I bring you a warning. Every one of you listening to my voice, tell this to anybody wherever they are! Watch the horizon - everywhere - keep looking - keep looking. Keep watching for anything!"

*****

On Zenna's T-1 Typhoon, Hotwire high-fived Andrew, Dr. Cyborg, Hertz, and Zach as well, before collapsing to the deck, sound asleep and still grinning to himself.

Zenna's T-1 Typhoon moved down to land right around the area where the Iron Predator defense line had been, which was still slightly smoldering from Dr. Rex's fire attacks. The site was a grim reminder of what the battle had cost, but as of now, when victory had just been achieved and the Minifigs of Dino Attack and their allies were still celebrating, the time for mourning would be put off for quite a while. Now was a time for joy.

After moving Hotwire's sleeping form aside to rest near the TALON-9 console, Specs and Reptile worked quickly to open the door and lower a rope ladder. After congratulating each other once more, the agents inside quickly began to disembark at their own pace, moving quickly to meet with the rest of the team and see if old friends were still okay.

"Pepper's got the right idea," Andrew said to Zach as they touched down on the ground. "As soon as we can, I say we get all our companions together, get home and party like it's 1997!"

Zach snickered. "Well, there's things I need to attend to, but I wouldn't miss an occasion like that for anything. I'm going to go look for Minerva. You gonna meet up with Laxus, I take it?"

"Yep. After that, I suppose we'll need to follow Hotwire's example and get some rest and nutrition. That Imagination blast was energizing, but I suppose we'll need some sleep soon enough."

"Agreed," said Zach, offering Andrew a brofist gesture. "Catch you later."

Andrew nodded and completed the gesture. Then he headed through the crowd of Dino Attack agents and vehicles that were gathering back at the front area of the building. The Elite Agent passed by several agents who gave congratulations and patted him on the shoulder, and at least one person threw a bit of his water canteen over him. He passed by people he knew semi-well, like Kat, B, and Rockford, greeting them and congratulating them as he went by.

Finally, he managed to glimpse turquoise skin moving through the crowd, and made his way over to intersect where his friend was going. "Laxus, glad to see you made it!" he said.

"The feeling's mutual, friend!" the Martian said in return, the two of them patting each other on the back. "That was incredible, what happened over there! The finale of the Crystalien Conflict doesn't even compare in the same regard!"

"Good to hear," Andrew said. "How are the others?"

"Catless went off to meet up with some of her allies, but she might be back, Pterisa and her seem to have bonded a bit. Speaking of which-"

"Andrew, you're okay!" Pterisa cried as she suddenly swooped in and hugged the Elite Agent, holding him in the air a bit as she did so.

"Woah!" Andrew blurted out in surprise, while returning the hug in the midst of his joy rush. "Heh, yeah, glad to see you are too! I see Dr. Cyborg ensured your survival in the Imagination blast."

"Yes, yes he did," Pterisa said while lowering down to the ground. "Though even if there's still Maelstrom in my body, I feel the blast has empowered my Creative Spark enough to completely resist it. I doubt I need to worry about the Darkitect's influence now."

"Fantastic," Andrew said as they let go of each other.

"So how'd you do it?" Laxus asked. "How did the device get empowered and working without a source of Imagination? Did someone..."

The three individuals' looks turned somber at this. Andrew didn't hesitate to explain. "Yes. It was Rex. He's made the history books again, this time with the biggest accomplishment yet. Let's hope he's doing a sweet, slow dance with Amanda Claw, wherever they are."

There was several more moments before Pterisa spoke up again: "Rex was one of the first people to help me feel accepted among you. I'm grateful for that, and I'm grateful he was able to pay the ultimate price to help all of us."

"Indeed, we are," said Laxus. "But I don't think we should be lost in mourning for him. He's done a lot of great things for us, and the team definitely has fond memories for him."

"Yes," said Andrew. "I think it's for the best that we remember the good times we had with him. His memory should be celebrated along with the victory won today by us."

The mood now getting brighter, Andrew gestured towards HQ. "C'mon, let's see who else is still here for us to celebrate this occasion with."

*****

The concrete sealing the sub-basements of the Dino Attack HQ could not block the ripple of Imagination. Wright, sitting with her head in her hands, suddenly felt invigorated. She looked up as Shiller gasped, and then began breathing with greater strength and steadiness than he had been earlier. Wright squeezed Shiller's hand as the medics celebrated.

"We won," she whispered.

Shaw's prayers were silenced when Pierce suddenly looked up. "What?" Shaw asked nervously.

"It's quiet," replied Pierce. "A moment ago, there was something maddening, insane… we could hear that thing smashing into the ground… but it's quiet."

"What do we do?" Shaw asked.

"There's a radio in here, still. I didn't expect us to need it but we can still get an update on the battle." Pierce ran over to the radio and sat down, set the frequency, and put on his headphones. "This is Doctor Alan Pierce. Requesting update on combat situation. Over."

A voice on the other end was somewhat garbled in static: "Dr... bee... dead… I repeat... octor Rex... dead."

Pierce smiled. "If you just said what I think you said, you might want to get a couple of sledgehammers down to the basement quickly. Over and out." Pierce took off his headphones as his grin grew. He quickly stood up and hugged Shaw. "They did it!" he shouted. "This war's over!"

Now, Shaw was smiling, too. Crusher and Copper, having overheard, ran toward him out of curiosity.

On the other end of the room, Sarah Bishop smiled as well. She just hoped Kate was alright. Maybe they could be together after all.

Pierce broke free of the excitement as the other doctors celebrated. He walked up to Sarah Bishop, who slowly approached him. "Sarah," Pierce asked, somewhat nervously. "Listen, Sarah, will you marry me?"

Sarah's smile grew. She nodded. "Yes, Alan," she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him tight on the lips.

Elsewhere, Montoya stroked Carrie Enderson slightly as she lay on her bed. "What do I do now?" Carrie asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" said Montoya.

"I was his confidant for eight years," she replied. "They still think I'm innocent, but I don't even feel bad about it. There was something about him I liked."

"Why don't you just stick to tending bar?" Montoya suggested. "You're a good cook, aren't you?"

"Yeah," said Carrie.

"You had a brother, didn't you?" continued Montoya. "The one who ran that bar we hid in."

"Yes," replied Carrie. "He's in Antarctica."

"He's good at his job? You should meet with him," proposed Montoya. "You two should start a brother-sister joint together."

Carrie smiled. "Wouldn't that be something?"

"Yeah," Montoya said with a grin. "Me and my wife will come visit."

"She beautiful?" Carrie asked.

"Oh yes," replied Montoya. "She is."

The sounds of hammers smashing against the wall were clearly audible. Bit by bit, parts of the door started to come down, and when it collapsed, a couple of workmen with sledgehammers stepped down the stairs.

Pierce looked up in surprise at the men. Shaw smiled in the back, releasing her grip on her cross.

*****

Osprey and Desdemona hauled themselves out of the damaged Aerial Defense Unit, shaken by the rough landing and the Pterosaurs' lighting attacks. To Osprey's surprise, Desdemona hugged him suddenly, and they joined in the cheer.

*****

Inside the swaying Dino Attack HQ, Mort heard a cough in the stairwell. He peered into the shadows and saw a form move. A step closer revealed it to be a Dino Attack agent.

"Need a hand?" he offered. The agent nodded, and Mort hauled him up. "Alpha Team agent Mort. And you are?"

The man coughed again, leaning on Mort for support. "Dino Attack agent Larson. Thanks for the hand."

*****

It was over.

Nearly a year of total, global war against an apparently unstoppable menace, ended in a single stroke.

No, not a single stroke - a long, hard, protracted battle that had culminated into a single sacrifice.

Somehow, the Iron Hammer had survived the battle. It was badly damaged, and Magma suspected many of the Alpha Team agents who had volunteered for this mission were wounded. They were just managing to maintain position.

But they had won, despite the ridiculously stacked odds arrayed against them.

Or had they?

Magma stared down at the ruins of LEGO City. The corpses of thousands of Mutant Dinos. The wreckage of hundreds of vehicles, which he was sure contained hundreds of Minifig bodies.

He looked at the smiling faces of the other Alpha Team agents on the bridge crew. Even Cee Dee was expressing as much happiness as his programming allowed.

His brother had thrown away his life to achieve this moment, as had so many others. And he had been glad to see it achieved, but now, he realized for the first time that it would take years to clean up the mess Dr. Rex's madness had left on the world.

He sighed, and stood up. I must be getting melancholy in my old age, he thought. Can't I enjoy a huge victory anymore?

"Gentlemen, we have won the day, but there's still much work to be done. Sting, find a relatively unoccupied piece of ground and... take us down," Magma ordered. He pressed a key. "Magma to all Alpha Team forces! I'm sure you all already know this now, but I'm proud to be able to announce that we've won!"

The volume of cheering that came back from this announcement nearly overloaded the damaged speaker system on the bridge. Magma laughed despite himself.

"We've won... but there's a lot left to do today. I'm bringing this airship down to the ground to establish a temporary auxiliary HQ. I'm all for letting you all enjoy yourself after this day, but it might be nice if we could make sure Dino Attack HQ doesn't fall over before we do. Magma out!"

He turned to his friends, Alpha Team agents he had been fighting alongside for years now. He thought about his brother's sacrifice again. And he reached a decision.

He smiled, and for the first time in a long time, it was a real smile, not simply a facial expression suggesting that nasty things were about to happen to someone. And he said, "But once that's done, we're going to enjoy ourselves as much as everyone else out there!"

Shark and Sting looked at him, quite surprised at this sudden shift in Magma's personality. But then they grinned too, and set about landing the airship with renewed enthusiasm.

*****

It was the greatest feeling in the world. Zach could practically hear "Victory Celebrations" by John Williams playing in his head as he ran through the battlefield trying to find Minerva. At long last, it was over. The battle had been won. Baron Typhonus had been defeated and Dr. Rex was dead. The LEGO Planet and the Minifig species would see the dawn of a new day.

The sacrifices to this war were not in vain. J.D., Tracer, Mur, Semick, Raider, Claw, Nazareno, Frank Einstein, General, Rex and many more would be smiling from beyond at their success. Zach could even see Scratch and Oswald Fabello celebrating their triumph over the Mutant Dinos, despite their lack of morals and insanity (in the latter's case especially).

The only thing that could make a happy moment happier was finding Minerva and seeing her alive and well.

*****

Minerva laughed happily as she jumped from Xenon Launcher on the back of the Fire Hammer and landed on the ground. They did it. They had won! Minerva ran over to Zelda, who was laughing as well, her cheeks wet with tears. They embraced tightly in a celebratory hug. As the Imagination fallout from the Einstein Device washed over them, they entered a state of giddy euphoria. For a moment, Minerva forgot that Athena, Oswald, and Nazareno were gone. All the mattered now that was this war was finally over.

Minerva pulled away from Zelda and turned toward the Fire Hammer. She saw Vinyaya and Bluetooth embracing happily inside before climbing out to join Minerva and Zelda. Minerva high-fived Bluetooth and patted him on the back happily before Holly pulled Minerva into a tight embrace.

Minerva smiled and returned the hug, feeling tears of joy form on her face. The end of this war marked a new beginning for her. She would leave this city and her past behind once and for all and go to LEGO Island with Zach and Andrew to start anew. Everything would be alright after all.

Holly separated from Minerva, just a flash of concern appearing on her face. "Are you alright?" she asked with sincerity. Minerva knew she was referring to the emotional instability following the death of her brother.

Minerva gave Holly a curious look. "Why have you been so worried about me? I'm... well, I'm not totally fine, but..." Minerva drifted off, managing to make her point as Vinyaya blushed slightly.

"Oh," Vinyaya rubbed the back of neck apologetically. "Well... we're friends, right? And you had lost your mother and brother, who, from what I understand, was a parental figure to you. I figured you just needed a little support..." Vinyaya shrugged. "Sorry if it was a little... intrusive, I guess."

Minerva blinked once. "No, it's alright. It's just..." She soon realized how close she held the friends that she had made during these last few weeks. She thought of Zach, Vinyaya, Zelda, and Nazareno. Not until now did she fully become aware that they had become family to her in the same vein that her two brothers had always been to her. Minerva smiled contently at Holly. "I'm fine. I feel better than ever." She pulled Vinyaya into her own tight hug. The two laughed thankful to have made it through the war's end.

"I think," Vinyaya said with a sly grin. "Someone wants to see you." Minerva released Vinyaya and turned to see Zachary Virchaus running toward her, grinning as wide as he could. Minerva smirked kindly and extended her arms to accept Zach's powerful embrace, lifting her off her feet for half a second. She laughed again as she wrapped her arms around him.

"We did it," Minerva whispered, a goofy grin on her face.

Zach smiled happily. "We sure did." He then leaned his head toward Minerva's and placed his lips on him. Minerva suppressed another euphoric laugh and kissed him back, allowing herself to get lost in moment of victory.

Everything was going to be alright.

*****

As Rotor's T-1 Typhoon landed on the ground, he and his crew were surprised to be approached by a middle-aged man with thin round glasses holding a large camera, accompanied by a radio operator. "Excuse me, sir," he said. "My name is agent Scott. I'm a journalist for the Brick Street Journal."

"A journalist?" Rotor asked as he stepped out, holding Cabin's hand. "Look, we don't have a lot of time. We just got to refuel and then go find this Blaire Darkling guy-"

"It'll only take a moment," insisted Scott. "I do believe many of the people in Antarctica would be interested in hearing what you have to say."

Rotor stared at the journalist as his partner held the microphone out toward him. "I found love," he said with a slight chuckle. Cabin smiled, her arm wrapped around his.

"I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Rotor. This is my... uh... partner, agent Cabin!"

"Would you hold still for a moment, Rotor?" Scott asked. He picked up his camera, put it in front of his face, and for a moment a bright flash obscured their vision. "Do you really think this is the end?"

"It certainly looks like it," replied Cabin.

"Now, it is my understanding that this victory was a group effort. Would you mind telling everybody back in Antarctica what happened?"

"Well, I can't go into the technical stuff," said Rotor. "But a couple of the boys came up with this device - the Einstein Device, I think."

"And what does this Einstein Device do, exactly? From what we saw, it took a lot of Imagination."

"It certainly was," replied Rotor. "I don't know how they got all that."

"Now that this war is over, what exactly is it you plan to do?"

Cabin smiled.

"I honestly never gave it much thought," answered Rotor. "I got so dang used to fighting. Maybe I'll get into the airforce. They could use good pilots like us. Or maybe we can get back into Alpha Team."

"I quite like the sound of that," said Cabin.

"Thank you very much, agent Rotor," Scott said. "That'll be all for now. If I have any more questions, I'll come ask you later."

*****

Catless hopped out of the Fire Hammer Laxus had parked outside of the HQ. She saw Pterisa and Laxus go over to someone, and she followed them. She recognized the fellow Dino Attack agent as Andrew. Seeing the way that Pterisa hugged him, she could tell that he made quite the impression on the Hybrid.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where Dr. Cyborg is, would you?" Catless asked.

"Yes, last I saw him, he was disembarking from that helicopter over there." Andrew gestured toward a T-1 Typhoon. "Why do you ask?"

"I've got to tell him his sister died," Catless replied solemnly.

"Oh, tell him I sympathize with him," Andrew told her.

"Right. Thanks." Catless turned and left.

*****

Dr. Cyborg was standing in the middle of a crowd, thinking. For a time before it was loaded into the Einstein Device, he had housed Rex's Creative Spark in his own body. It was a unique experience, housing two Creative Sparks in one body, one that does not end without changing the host.

Simply put, thanks to his hybrid mechiology, Rex's Creative Spark had left a record, an imprint if you will, on Dr. Cyborg. Dr. Cyborg thought, realizing with this he could possibly memorialize Rex in the best way he could: take the record of Rex's thought patterns, and create an A.I. out of it. Even if it was a long shot, he hoped it could be possible.

"Dr. Cyborg!" He heard a voice calling. He turned, and he saw X1 running towards him. He smiled and hugged her as she drew near.

"It's good to see you alive!" Dr. Cyborg said. "I thought you were dead when Cyrista's Bane hit you."

"Nope, just self-repairing. In fact, Bane brought me back here!" She pointed out the cyborg dinosaur that most agents were uneasily looking at. One or two were even brave enough to strike up a conversation with him.

"He also brought back Dr. Inferno," she said, pointing to X2, who was escorting a cuffed Inferno.

"Well, well," Dr. Cyborg said. He opened a comm to Specs's PDA.

"Hello, Specs here. How may I help you, Dr. Cyborg?" Specs said.

"My Infiltrators and Bane have brought back Dr. Inferno. What should they do with them?"

"Have them bring him to me. I can work out what to do with him from there." 

"Right. Dr. Cyborg out." He turned to X1 again. "He wants you to bring Inferno to him. Follow his homing signal."

"Right away, Doctor," X1 said as she walked back to X2 and the two of them walked away. He looked back at Bane, who appeared to be in the middle of an interview with an apprehensive journalist. He grinned at the thought of an interview with a cyborg T-Rex appearing in a magazine.

He saw Zach, Minerva, Vinyaya, Zelda and Bluetooth in a group and walked over to them, unaware of Catless following him, yelling at him to get his attention.

*****

"Okay," Vinyaya snapped with a hint of amusement. "We get it, you two are happy to be with each other."

Zach pulled himself away from Minerva, both grinning happily. Zach could hear several snickers from Vinyaya, Zelda, and Bluetooth. Zach did a double-take, glancing from Bluetooth and Vinyaya, who were standing next to each other. The message the former sent to the latter flashed across his mind.

"Time to keep my promise," he said with a smirk. Minerva suddenly patted him on the shoulder, an apologetic smile on her face.

Vinyaya rolled her eye, her lips curled into a smile. "You're too late, Virchaus," Vinyaya said, crossing her arms. "Miss Fabello saw fit to try and get us together before the battle ended." Bluetooth gave off somewhat of an exasperated look at this statement, but smiled good-heartedly.

Zach shrugged. "Whatever. So, are you two together or what?"

Vinyaya scowled. "I really don't need you regulating my love life, Zachary." Zach raised an eyebrow, silently demanding a better response. Vinyaya stamped her foot in irritation. "We're talking, alright? These things take time, you know."

Zach smirked. Talking was good enough. "Anyway," Zach said as he walked over to Bluetooth and clapped his friend on the back, "good to see you all made it through." He glanced from Minerva to Vinyaya to Zelda.

Bluetooth wrapped his arm around Zach and shook him gently, grinning. "The same to you. Glad to see that you and the other elites managed to get that Einstein Device working."

"Yeah. There's a bit of story as to how fixing that thing went about, but first…" Zach's tone grew somewhat morbid. "How did the whole... thing... with Nazareno happen? You were there, based on the PDA message." A shadow seemed to be cast over the group upon his mentioning of Nazareno. Zach blinked once. "Were... the rest of you there, too?"

Minerva and Vinyaya nodded grimly. Zelda didn't respond, merely looking at the ground with a hard stare. Remember that Zelda had a crush on Nazareno, Zach imagined she wasn't taking his death particularly well. She then looked up to Zach, her eyes shimmering.

"I suppose I'll start out," she said with a sad shrug. Then she began to recount Nazareno's final moments.

*****

The agent interviewing Cyrista's Bane had left, and the cyborg T-Rex was now trying to find any rubble blocking important roads. Dino Attack agents in Iron Predators were assisting him in the work. In the middle of pushing a larger chunk of brick and masonry, he heard: "BAAANNNEEEE!"

He looked up and saw Screech diving towards him, her wings pulled to her sides. He ran a quick calculation in his mind, and tried to put his left foot behind him to brace himself, but it was too late. Screech impacted his head, hugging him with her wings. However, the sudden impact threw Bane off balance, and he fell backwards, causing a cloud of dust to fly up.

"Sorry," Screech said.

Bane glared at her good-naturedly, and pushed himself up of the ground. "Why in the world did you find it necessary to do that?" he asked.

"Um, because I'm glad you didn't die at the end of the battle?"

"That much is obvious. Why are you so glad to see me?"

At that question, Screech did what could only be described as a blush, or at least the Mutant Pterosaur equivalent. "Um, would you take 'I plead the Fifth' as an answer?" she asked.

Bane was bemused, wondering how the pterosaur would know about the Fifth Amendment. "No. Now, spill."

"Um, you're my friend?"

"Yes, we've covered that. Now, answer my question."

Screech coughed awkwardly, wondering how exactly to phrase it...

*****

Dr. Cyborg saw Zach and Minerva hugging, so he hung back for a little bit to wait for an appropriate moment to come up. He continued to think over his idea of a Rex A.I. but, considering that he would be creating an A.I. recreation of someone who was ready to die, came to the conclusion that it would be a wiser choice to just let Rex rest in peace. "Ah, well, it would have been a challenge anyways," he murmured.

Just after he said that, a voice came up behind him: "Excuse me." A middle-aged man with a camera accompanied by a radio operator approached him. Dr. Cyborg recognized him as the one who interviewed Cyrista's Bane. "Are you the one they call Dr. Cyborg?"

"Yes," replied Dr. Cyborg.

"My name is agent Scott, I'm from the Brick Street Journal. I was just wondering if you'd mind answering a few questions."

"Not at all, ask away."

"First off, why did you join the Dino Attack Team?" Scott asked.

"Well, that is a long and convoluted answer. The shortest thing is: to make up for my past, though at the time I joined, I didn't know my past."

"What do you mean?" Scott came back with.

"Well, I am Matthew Cyrista, the president and founder of UlTech Industries. I was also invited to join XERRD by Dr. Rex when it was moved here. At the time, I didn't know what his, or should I say, Baron Typhonus's, plan was. When we did start creating Mutant Dinosaurs, for a time, I just ignored my conscience. Eventually, I did realize what we were doing was wrong, so I left. Dr. Rex did not like my choice, so he gave me a chance to come back. When I refused, he sent a pack of Mutant Raptors after me. I remember being overwhelmed, and then the next thing I know, I woke up in a mysterious lab in this city, only a few blocks away, about a week or two ago, although it feels like it was between one or two years ago. Anyways, I had this new look, so nobody recognized me, although elite agent Rex had battled me at the XERRD Dino Island base when they invaded. I signed up under a codename, Dr. Cyborg, because I had no memory at that point. Over the course of the mission, I eventually regained most of my memories, and got the rest back just a few hours ago. I am now truly Dr. Cyrista again, although I think I will continue to go by Dr. Cyborg. I kind of like it."

"What are you going to do now?" Scott continued.

"I don't really know. I have a company to run, although I can delegate that out to others. I have become the leader of XERRD, and need to help it reform. But I kinda want to rejoin Nexus Force, as Paradox and not Assembly now."

"Why do you want to become Paradox and not Assembly?"

"Well, I am actually immune to the Maelstrom in this body. I imagine that would be a lot of help. I also have Maelstrom inside my body, and can weaponize it in my combat mode. That might be useful to the Paradox. If I join, I'm also gonna try to convince Zach to come with me. He'd be useful as well, but I'll let him tell you why."

"Do you have any family in Antarctica?"

Dr. Cyborg smiled. "Yes, my parents are in Antarctica, as well as my little sister. Although, since she joined the Dino Attack team, she might be out here. I hope she is fine. If you meet someone under the codename Contest, tell her I'm alright, please."

"I will," promised Scott. "So, what was your role in the defeat of Dr. Rex?"

"I made some final adjustments to the Einstein Device. I also disarmed it so that is didn't go off prematurely and kill us all. I ensured that our Maelstrom-infected allies, such as myself, Zach, Pterisa, Cyrista's Bane, and Buddy didn't die."

"Before you continue, who is Cyrista's Bane, and why is he named after you?"

"Bane is the cyborg T-Rex you were interviewing earlier. He is named for me because I had made up the plans for him, but never made him before I left. Dr. Rex completed him and used him in the final battle. I beat him, and he joined us. As to the exact specifics, ask the Darkitect if you ever meet him, which you don't want to do."

Scott gave a puzzled look, but decided not to press further. "Ah. Continue with your previous story."

"The most important thing I did in relation to the Einstein Device was to extract Rex's Creative Spark."

"What?"

"That's where we got the imagination to defeat all the Mutant Dinos: I extracted Rex's Creative Spark and deposited it in the Einstein Device. I'll let others tell you more about what happened up there."

"Why was Rex chosen?" inquired Scott. "Why not you, or Hertz, or Andrew, or any of the other Elite Agents? Why Rex?"

"Rex was dying in the first place," explained Dr. Cyborg. "He also was confined to a wheelchair, which only reinforced his decision. All in all, he just was the best one to pull a heroic sacrifice."

"Ah, I understand. I might come back and ask you a few more questions later, to possibly get your side of some events others might mention, but for now that is all. Do you have any recommendation on who to interview next?" Scott asked.

"Yes, I would recommend talking to Pterisa, Hertz, Andrew, Greybeard, Reptile, Hotwire, or Zach. All but Pterisa were up in the lab with me, so you could talk to them and find out more about what happened."

"I will, thank you." Scott turned and left. Dr. Cyborg heard Zelda telling about Nazareno's death, and he decided to listen to her as well. He didn't know the ninja as well as others, but he was still friendly with him.

*****

Doctor O'Brien of XERRD snarled angrily as he fired his hi-tech Space Marauder blaster at a rapidly-approaching Blaire Darkling. Beside him, Doctors Syme and Parsons and three Dino Attack agents named Artemis, Loki, and Mercury also attempted to down XERRD's former leader.

It was pathetic, really. All they could do was shoot until they realized that they were doomed. Blaire slammed his katana into Artemis's chest with a grim scowl on his face. As she gasped for air, Blaire had his handgun out and shot down Mercury with painful ease. Kicking Artemis from his sword and placing it in his trenchcoat, Blaire began to run toward the XERRD scientists shooting at him.

Blaire dodged each shot with surprising speed and grace for his build. As he passed Loki, he grabbed the Dino Attack agent's collar and pulled him in front of Blaire, taking a shot from Parsons to the head. A few more shots blasted Loki before Blaire dully shot Syme in the chest. Putting his gun away, Blaire hosted Loki into the air and swung him at Parsons, pinning the Space Marauder to the ground.

Blaire quickly ran over to Parson, ripped off his helmet, and threw it at O'Brien, knocking the gun out of his hands. As he scrambled to find his rocket launcher. Blaire slammed his foot as hard as he could into Parson's face. It wasn't a pretty sight. He tugged his katana out of his trenchcoat and walked toward O'Brien, who had the rocket launcher in his hand. He adjusted his glasses, refusing to show any fear.

"I can't say I expected this turn," O'Brien said. "I knew you were powerful, Darkling - that's why you were in charge of security in our facilities - but I'd never expect this."

"I'm glad you're impressed, O'Brien," Blaire said with a bored shrug, holding the katana in a defensive position.

"You're done, Darkling. Heh. I'll be the guy who finally finished off Matthew Vhere-" O'Brien jolted in shock as Blaire sank his katana through the Space Marauder armor into his chest. O'Brien stared in shock before his eyes rolled back. Unamused, Blaire kicked the corpse from his sword.

"How terrible," Blaire snarled O'Brien's corpse. "To survive this whole wretched battle, only to be killed in the aftermath."

He looked back it his carnage. He had kept to his word. Anybody that crossed his path was dead. He turned his head to the central tower of Dino Attack Headquarters, where the Dino Attack Team had finally defeated Baron Typhonus and Dr. Rex. Blaire was relieved to see that this planet would last another day, even if he was viciously murdering the people that had helped make victory happen, but he was truly beyond caring.

In a short time, the Galactic Council would end the quarantine on the planet. He could escape into space and reinvent himself once again. In fact, he was hardly even obligated to stay in this city now that the war was over. Yet he stayed.

His momentary loss of temper had passed. Blaire's level head returned, and he began formulating a plan. Nazareno was dead and his secret was revealed. There was nothing he could do the salvage the identity of Blaire Darkling. It would be best to lay low at this point or flee. Instead, he was making his massacre very clear. He hoped that his actions would goad a few... select... individuals out into finding him. They were the true target of this rampage of revenge now. Find them, kill them, and then leave.

Perhaps, Blaire scowled as he saw a few T-1 Typhoons pass over his head. I need to make my message clearer.

*****

Walking through the area of assembled agents, Andrew's group was looking to see if Zach had met up with his friends when they were stopped by someone coming the other way.

"Excuse me?" said an agent carrying around a camera, being followed closely by another man with a radio and a microphone. "I take it you're Andrew, given your most noticeable companions here?"

Andrew snickered. "Yeah, I seem to have a habit of meeting people like that. What do you need?"

"Well, I'm agent Scott, journalist for the Brick Street Journal. Been giving the odd report here and there straight from the field. My friend here and I have been working quite well on and off this battle."

"Hmph, wow," remarked the guy with the mic. "That pterosaur girl, Pterisa, right? Nice look you got there."

"You really think so?" Pterisa blurted out, partly out of surprise and partly out of flattery.

"See? Even some people like themselves a Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid," Andrew remarked to her before turning back to Scott. "Be sure to put a good word in for her in the paper. Given how people might treat Mutant Dinos in post-wartime, she could definitely use the good publicity."

"You have my word," said the reporter, making a saluting gesture. "So how about you answer a few questions about what you did during the battle for the benefit of our followers in Antarctica?"

"Sure, why not?" Andrew asked, a bit giddy at the idea of being interviewed for a news story for the first time outside L.E.G.O. Radio. "We do have plenty of time, pardoning how long your equipment can last in the rain."

Scott snickered. "Don't worry, I have that covered. Now, Mr. Cyrista told us much about what happened during the battle, in regards to the Einstein Device assembly process. What was your role in that?"

"Oh, not much, I mostly helped with gathering parts from the Teleport Pad we had up there, along with rebuilding the launcher we used. And Hertz and Zach were of good help with that. You can talk to them to learn more, though Hertz went deaf during the earlier attacks, as you might've heard, so you might need someone with a notebook or something."

"Interesting... anything else?"

"Well, I did help Dr. Cyborg, Viper, Digger, and Shadow save Zach from and detain Willa the Witch. That was pretty epic, all of us ganging up on her, breaking her stuff (I shot her hat off!). Oh, and before Rex... you know, sacrificed himself, I gave him a good speech about all he's done for us and how we'll miss him. I think it did pretty well to help him accept his fate, in the end."

"Sounds like quite the story," said Scott, looking impressed a bit. "We should talk later about that in better interview conditions once I finish my on-the-site ones. As for you," he said to Pterisa, "I think I could also arrange for an extended talk with you. Could definitely help to let the public know you're not like the other Hybrids."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Pterisa replied.

"Good to hear. See you tomorrow, perhaps. Or something, I'll message you and let you know." Scott and the mic guy then wandered off in another direction, looking for more people to talk to.

"And I get ignored again," Laxus remarked sarcastically. "Heh. Ten years ago, you Earthlings couldn't get enough of Martians. Now, we're as normal as cable."

Andrew smirked. "You're still important around us, Laxus, and that's all that matters. C'mon, let's go see if we can find Zach."

*****

As soon as Mac had placed the remaining cans of kerosene into the chopper's tanks, Rotor was just about to climb into the pilot's seat when Cabin pushed him aside. It took a moment before he got the hint, and smiled.

"I do love you," Rotor remarked as Cabin climbed into the pilot's seat, Rotor quickly got into the co-pilot's seat. Cabin only took a moment to start up the engines before she brought the chopper into the air.

"We got to find that Blaire Darkling," Rotor said. "He's probably taken advantage of recent circumstances. Cabin, I'll need you to broadcast that message I recorded. Whoever it was back there that knew about this guy, I want you to tell me everything you know!"

*****

"Now it's all well and good to talk about the boys on the battlefield, but there's a lot more that went into this team than that. After all, this is a war, people will no doubt get hurt, and without someone to patch up their wounds they don't fare too well. With me at the microphone is some of the medical staff who participated in the final battle, starting with the head doctor Alan Pierce."

"Hello," Pierce said casually.

"Dr. Pierce," Scott said, "how long have you been in this profession?"

"A good twenty or thirty years now," replied Pierce.

"You worked in medicine before the war?"

"Yes," answered Pierce. "I worked in LEGO City."

"If I'm not mistaken, there was a controversy just before this war. You appeared for the prosecution toward another doctor. According to the reports, you were a strong supporter of his medical license being revoked."

Pierce rolled his eyes. "He took unnecessary risks in what was meant to be a simple procedure and practically removed a man's entire skeleton," he said. "Does that sound like the kind of guy you want in your hospital? He's dead now, though, so he'll at least he won't cause any further trouble."

"Was he the only medical casualty?"

"No," responded Pierce. "There was at least one other man - Dr. J.D. back on Adventurers' Island."

"I'd like to bring to the microphone some of the other doctors who helped. Is this everybody, Dr. Pierce?"

"No," replied Pierce. "Two of them are out in the field. Another one, Dr. Carver, took the portal to Antarctica."

"Alright then," said Scott. "I'd like to introduce you to some of the doctors here who helped one at a time, Dr. Naomi Hale, Dr.... Noomi Shaw, is that right? Good. Dr. Richard Copper, and Dr. Gates Crusher. Hopefully, later we'll get to meet the two in the field."

*****

While the rain still drizzled down like a torrent of cold gloom, the mood of the team was anything but somber. The thunder that had once sounded like the gloomy toll of church bells now seemed to echo the sound of jubilant drums and fireworks. Although the ground still was littered with bodies and burning wreckage, the screams of despair and anguish slowly transformed into shouts of celebration.

Although Hertz could hear neither the sound of thunder nor the screams of ecstatic glee, he felt the worm aura of bright emotion flowing across the field of battle. He let out a euphoric shoot of elation as he jumped from the deck of the T-1 Typhoon and onto the pavement of the headquarters' plaza. He slipped on the bloody water gathering in the puddles below and tumbled down with a splash. In most cases, he would have cursed his clumsiness, but at this moment he was too filled with joy.

While the people around him danced and sang songs of celebration, Hertz seemed to watch from the sidelines. As if he dwelled on his own plane of existence, he walked among the fray of cavorting agents. While the focus seemed to be the noise and shoots of victory, Hertz felt it, he saw it, he experienced it.

The bodies littering the ground seemed to be forgotten. They were everywhere; their dark shadowy forms seemed to litter the plaza in all directions. No one seemed to notice the fires still burning and the blood-stained streets they danced on. The agents were lost in their euphoria, and the cost of victory seemed to be forgotten.

Hertz envied them; they could experience the joy in ways he could not. He was forced to be observant and, as a result, he noticed things they did not. While others turning their gaze to the heavens, Hertz's eyes were cast to the ground as he navigated his way among the wreckage. He wished he could be distracted by the songs being sung. He wished his attention could be pulled away from the horrors at his feet. He had no intention to ruin the moment, he was as happy as the next agent; the difference was he felt the costs in different ways than them.

A woman in a business haircut and red blazer navigated her way toward him and held out a microphone. Her lips moved as she phrased her intrepid question, but all Hertz could do to respond was shake his head. The reporter apparently decided interviewing a deaf man was not worth her time, and she scurried away among the crowd.

Not far away, Rotor's clown-car helicopter unloaded its occupants into the rain. Cabin, Snake, Mac, Lance, Solomon, Giles, Kat, Helm, Winston, Firecracker, Andrea, Maria, Clint Wayne, Angle Eyes, Elizabeth, Maynard, Fireman, Shotgun, and Scope all disembarked to join in the festivities below. Hertz found Solomon among them and shook his hand warmly.

The battle had taken a toll on both men. Solomon's shoulders moved awkwardly to accommodate for the gunshots and burns he received. Hertz himself still wore the tattered cast that had been with him since the Temple of Creation. Despite the pain of fighting with a broken arm, it had not stopped him from wielding a pair of Sonic Screamers when fighting Dr. Rex.

The top four floors of the base were miraculously still standing. Obviously, being stood upon by a giant Mutant Tyrannosaurs Rex would cause some collapse, and the fires had certainly damaged its structural integrity, but agents above had still been able to walk among the charbroiled remains.

The roof, teleportation lab, and most of the elite agents' bedrooms had been destroyed in Dr. Rex's rampage. His armor still remained atop the monolith surrounded by the ash of his fires. Before the helicopter had landed on the ground, Hertz had seen rain wash over the final battleground and cascade over the sides of the ruined building.

The rain felt good. It no longer felt cold and foreboding, but rejuvenating. It was a life-giving water and, although it smelled like smoke and sulfur, the wet liquid tasted sweet as he let it trickle down his throat.

As if to mirror the feelings of the agents below, the moonlight started to shine through the dark clouds covering the city. Although the rain continued to fail in waves, it was more similar to a spring shower than a vicious storm. Despite the gasoline fires still burning in the streets, a chill now started to nip the air. It was getting cold, which was a welcome change from the tropical island where Solomon had spent the last few months.

Although Hanukkah ended four days ago, Dr. Koplowitz acknowledged that Christmas was only four days away. Ordinarily, by this time of year, snow would be covering the ground, and holiday lights would be strung across the street. Despite the lack of festivities, the mood among the team was no less merry. From his position in Rotor's helicopter, Solomon had witnessed the fall of a tyrant. The T-Rex king was a mad monster, and his presence would not be missed. Although Solomon believed in redemption, he never expected it from his former boss. No one would grieve the death of Dr. Rex. He could not blame them; he knew he would not.

Despite the coldness of his sentiment, he did not feel ashamed to metaphorically dance on Dr. Rex's grave. It was remarkable to consider how much he changed over the span of his life. He had been an idealist once, someone who believed that people were inherently good, but despite the opportunities to do right, people would almost always choose wrong. He still thought of himself as something of an Idealist but he viewed it realistically. People probably were good, but they certainly could not be trusted to make the right choices.

Solomon probably bid Hertz farewell as he walked away to find Dr. Cyborg. The elite agent had little knowledge of the philosopher's exploits over the last few hours, but he had received news of Nazareno's death and Cyborg's inheritance of the XERRD organization. Blaire Darkling apparently had been in control for most of the battle but, after he had murdered Nazareno, command had fallen to Dr. Cyborg. Hertz did not know Nazareno well, but he had heard that Solomon had fought closely with him during the battle. His death needed to be avenged, and the former XERRD scientist probably had much to say to Dr. Cyborg and Zelda.

Across the field, he spotted the T-2 Typhoon that had carried Pharisee and Grimton. The craft had been outfitted with salvaged components of the Renaissance and it carried all the grandeur of the helicopter he had ridden on Adventurers' Island. But it lacked something special, something that made the craft unique. It and the helicopter flown by Zenna deserved to be remembered and immortalized in history. The typhoons would go down in history as the crafts that defeated Dr. Rex and carried the Einstein Device. Somehow, T-1 9122 and T-2 8950 hardly seemed fitting.

He withdrew the orange spray-paint from his utility vest and shook the can vigorously. Although the sides of the T-2 Typhoon were wet from the rain, he sprayed a word along its side.

Rex

He then moved over to the vehicle he had ridden on. The craft flown by Zenna that the Einstein Device had been fired from sat amongst the wreckage of the battlefield. At its wheels lay the sleeping form of Hotwire. The windshield wipers slid back and forth across the cockpits, and the cabin lights seemed to form a halo around the craft.

This was the vehicle that had killed Dr. Rex. On this vehicle, Rex had sacrificed his Creative Spark for the sake of all humanity. He had allowed himself to die because he had nothing left; in an act of selflessness, he had volunteered because the others still had things to live for. The rapid aging of the man had disturbed Hertz, it was a painful way to remember him, and the memory of his sacrifice would always be remembered.

It was important to remember why Rex had done what he did. His inspiration could never be forgotten. Hertz wanted the world to remember who he was. It was not right to remember him as some force of nature or infallible entity. Rex was man, a great man, one someone could aspire to be.

He nodded his head and wrote the word that meant the most to Rex.

Amanda

Pharisee stepped out of the Rex and onto the pavement below him. He had grown to really hate the rain over the last few hours but, at this moment, he could tolerate it. He felt that a great evil had been banished from the planet and his soul felt uplifted as a result.

Dr. Rex was dead - an entity so evil that it was beyond even Pharisee's comprehension. The commander had witnessed much wickedness in his career and, although some of it came close to Dr. Rex's malevolence, the maliciousness of the scientist-lizard's crimes was greater than Pharisee had before experienced.

Justice had been done tonight. The lizard king was dead, but at the cost of good and righteous men. Rex needed to be remembered, as did General. Once again, the commander found himself conflicted. Twice today, he had met men whom he could not categorize as simply good or simply evil. General, in many regards, was no better than his brother Ogel; he was a villain and had admitted it for much of his diabolical life. Pharisee had only tolerated the involvement of the cyborg in admittance to Spec's wishes. If it had been the commander's call, General would have been locked away to rot inside his metal shell.

But his sacrifice created own more patch of grey in Pharisee's world. His theology has never before wavered, but on this day, he found himself questioning his ideals.

As he walked among the jubilant agents, he spotted two individuals among Rotor and Cabin's coterie. His conflict was forgotten as he strode across the puddles of rain and blood to the men he spotted.

Calibration aside, he still had a job to do.

*****

For a brief moment, the cries of celebration were deafening to Shaw as she stepped out of the base, helping Pierce with a stretcher. Copper and Hale were working with another wounded agent. Behind them, Montoya helped Carrie Enderson out the door; the latter was limping heavily, and her arm was wrapped around the former's shoulder.

As soon as the doctors were out, Sarah Bishop walked out of the base and looked around among the crowd of agents, before she finally spotted her daughter stepping out of a T-1 Typhoon. "Kate!" Sarah shouted as she approached.

"Mom!" Kate said, startled as she ran up to Sarah. The two of them quickly hugged.

"The wounded patients have just been brought aboard this vehicle," Scott was saying over the radio. "The doctors here do anything and everything they can to help their patients. Even a little faith can help sometimes, as shown by one doctor who has agreed to speak to you all, but she has asked to be left anonymous. Doctor, here you go."

"Thank you," Dr. Shaw said nervously.

"Doctor, how long have you been working here?"

"Only this particular battle," replied Shaw. "I was in Antarctica before this."

"And I understand you believe in faith?"

"Yes," answered Shaw.

"Any particular kind?"

"Not really," replied Shaw. "I just find that praying gives me comfort."

"I see," said Scott. "Would you say that it has worked?"

"Well, we're not trapped in a basement anymore."

"That's true," noted Scott. "Thank you very much for your time."

*****

Firecracker looked around skittishly as withdrew his stick of dynamite. He liked dynamite; unlike plastic explosives like C-4, dynamite had a much more bass sound. Compared to the pop of C-4, dynamite created a beautiful guttural boom. Dynamite was also considerably unstable and could detonate through impact alone. When heated, it sweated nitroglycerin - which was always fun.

Ordinarily, he would have struck the wick on ground, but the wet pavement prevented such a reaction. Instead, he pulled the cigarette from Clint's mouth and promptly lit the stick. Now, all he needed was a target; seeing no apparent object for annihilation, he decided to simply throw the explosive to his left.

As Firecracker raised his arm to cast the dynamite in the northerly direction, a powerful hand grabbed his wrist. Still holding onto the lit dynamite, his aggressor spun around to face him, and the explosive maniac was confronted with a fearsome sight. The massive man stared down at him like some unearthly entity. Despite the dark night, he wore sunglasses that seemed to hide any hint of a soul. Holding onto Firecracker's wrist tightly, he glanced at the dynamite as the fuse slowly moved closer to the bomb. Firecracker shifted uncomfortably as his explosive moved closer and closer to detonation; he struggled to unhand the bomb, but Pharisee was unyielding. 

"As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." The black pits of Pharisee's sunglasses burned deep into Firecracker's mind. The fuse burned closer and closer to the stick, and sparks burned more vividly with every passing moment. Pharisee spoke softly but with authority. "You are an imbecile, Firecracker, a man devoid of foresight and simple knowledge. Your idiocy resulted in the near destruction of the base and possibly the death of innocents residing within the premises. I do not tolerate foolishness, I do not tolerate your lack of insight or rapport, I do not tolerate you!"

Firecracker watched as the sparks moved further down the wick. He shifted uncomfortably and attempted harder to escape, but Pharisee's grip only tightened. "Standard Agent Firecracker, you are under arrest for gross negligence, carelessness, and the attempted destruction of the Dino Attack HQ in addition to the attempted manslaughter of agents inside," said Pharisee. "May the Creator have mercy on your soul."

The fuse was now inches from the dynamite, and Firecracker squeezed his eyes shut. Pharisee casually blew out the fuse and twisted the wrist of Firecracker until it was on the verge of breaking. Firecracker apparently was too surprised about being alive to resist, but it did not stop him from wincing in pain as it was twisted behind his back and handcuffed.

*****

Hotwire was shaken awake. Momentarily disoriented, he looked up to find himself sitting at a TALON-9 console. Kat was standing next to him.

"Wake up, you lump," she said. "There's mopping up to be done and fun to be had later." She handed him a crutch and pulled him up from the seat.

He gaped momentarily. "They told me what happened... I was afraid you were dead."

Kat snorted and shot him a good-natured smirk. "You should know by now how hard it is to get rid of me. Now c'mon. We--" She paused as Hotwire swayed dizzily for a moment. "Scratch that, new plan. We're headed for the Iron Hammer. They're setting up a fresh infirmary in there, and you don't look so good."

Hotwire merely nodded and yawned as Kat helped him down from the deck to the ground. Leaning on her shoulder for support in the event of another dizzy spell, he allowed himself to be led towards the Alpha Team airship, sitting majestically amidst the urban wreckage.

"Excuse me," said a voice from behind. Hotwire turned around in shock. "My name is Scott, I'm a reporter for the Brick Street Journal. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about the battle for our listeners in Antarctica?"

"What?" said Hotwire. "Oh, yeah, I guess so."

"Excellent," said Scott. "Your name is...?"

"Hotwire. Er, that is, Dave O'Neal. Um. Elite agent Hotwire. Yeah."

Kat snickered. "This isn't live, is it?" she asked.

Scott glanced at her. "And who would you be?" he asked.

"The answer to that is too complex for a soundbite."

Scott rolled his eyes and returned his attention to Hotwire. "So how long have you been with the Dino Attack Team?"

"Um, pretty much since the beginning, really," Hotwire responded.

The reporter nodded. "Is that when you lost your leg?" he asked, gesturing towards the prosthetic attached to Hotwire's left knee.

"No, that actually was just a few days ago--"

"Which is why we have to be going now," Kat interrupted. "All that seems to be catching up with him, so we're headed to the infirmary in the Iron Hammer." She began to guide Hotwire away.

"Well, congratulations on the victory and best of luck for your recovery," said Scott with a nod. "Thanks for your time."

*****

Elsewhere in the battlefield, Snake navigated his way through the debris and bodies to a nearby Urban Avenger. As he turned the corner to get to the vehicle, he was clotheslined by a powerful arm. Snake splashed down in the puddle and looked up in surprise at his attacker. He drew his gun and pointed in at the muscled, black, trench-coated man bearing down on him. It was kicked aside and slid across the cement. The black boot of the commander slammed down on his wrist as he reached for the weapon and he yelled in anger. Reaching down and grabbing him by the collar, he pulled Snake to his feet and looked him in the eyes. 

"Snake, you were sent here for a chance to reform," said Pharisee darkly. "Now, I ask you truly, have you learned anything?" Before Snake could respond, Pharisee's fist hit his face.

*****

"... and... they kissed," Vinyaya said with little emotion to Zach. He turned to Zelda, who was back to looking at the ground in silence. "That was it. He died shortly after that."

Zach swallowed painfully. They had recounted their finding of Nazareno in the headquarters fighting against Blaire, how Bluetooth and Zelda had attempted to help, and Nazareno ultimately receiving his fatal wound. Knowing that any potentially close relationship between him and Zelda had been cut short because of a petty grudge sickened Zach.

"I'm... sorry, Zelda," he said shortly, unsure what to think.

Zelda didn't say anything, merely sighing sadly. Zach could've seen himself in the same position not long ago when Minerva went after Oswald. He thought of Rex and what had happened to him after Claw had died. The Maelstrom hardly had a sway over his emotions at this point, but undeniable anger was boiling over in his head.

"Before we talk about what to do with Darkling," Bluetooth interjected, detecting Zach's anger, "what happened in the tower?"

Zach let his anger die down for a moment. "We (the Elite agents) pooled together our talents and disarmed the prematurely activated Einstein Device and made necessary modifications to it so it would only destroy enemy Mutant Dinos, not our allies with the Maelstrom in their system. We also took apart the Teleport Pad and built a new launcher out of it."

"We need Imagination to destroy the Maelstrom," Minerva stated. "Where did you get that?"

Zach sighed. "Rex, who was apparently dying from Maelstrom poisoning anyway, volunteered his Creative Spark. Doc Cyborg and I used our powers (and Greybeard his pistol) to get the spirit out. Rex's body sort of... withered away to dust after losing the spirit. Like an action-adventure movie I watched one time."

A stunned look appeared on each of their faces at this revelation. Then Bluetooth spoke up. "His sacrifice saved us all."

"His passing deserves to be honored," Vinyaya said with certainly, wrapping her arm around Bluetooth. "Without him, we might not have learned of XERRD's existence before it was too late."

Minerva and Zelda merely nodded in agreement. Despite Rex believing he had done nothing significant, Zach was more certain that ever that without him, this war might have gone on several more years or ended even worse.

"Now," Minerva said, a cold gleam appearing in her eye. For the first time, Zach noticed a cut running across her left cheek. He would inquire about it later. "About Darkling."

"We're going after him," Zelda and Zach said simultaneously. Zach continued off the statement. "I made it clear earlier up in the thirteenth floor that I was going to make sure he is defeated once and for all. I was imagining you three going along for the ride." He gestured to Minerva, Vinyaya, and Zelda, who each nodded curtly. "And you wanted in as well, Doc?"

Zach gestured to Dr. Cyborg, who had joined the party silently. He nodded as well.

Pausing, he then turned to Bluetooth. "Willing to come along for the ride, Bluetooth? If this guy's reputation is as accurate as it would seem-"

Surprisingly, both Bluetooth and Vinyaya nodded in confirmation. Then Zach remembered that Bluetooth, as a Futuron technician, had most likely heard of Matthew Vherestorm in comparison to most Earthlings.

"Since his reputation is as accurate to what Nazareno has probably said," Vinyaya continued, pulling her arm away from Bluetooth. "We can use all the help we can get in defeating him. So will you help us Ry-er, Bluetooth?"

Bluetooth was considering his options. He definitely wasn't a fighter, even after all he'd gone through this war. But he had personal investment in this, and though he knew Holly was more able at protecting herself than he was, he still didn't want to let her go into such a risky fight alone. And besides, he had proven that there was more to defeating a foe than simple weaponry.

"He might have a grudge for what I did to him," he said finally, "so I'm sure he'll want to get a chance at me. But who knows, maybe we can take advantage of that... one thing's for sure, I'll gladly join your party."

*****

Epic Winston plodded through the broken streets of LEGO City, attempting to retrace his movements to the place where his brother Matthias had fallen.

His attention was diverted by the sounds of a disturbance around a corner. He crept forward, unslinging his sword, and peered down the street just in time to see a white-haired man in a pale trenchcoat run a katana through the chest of a Space Marauder. The fresh corpses of three Dino Attack agents and two other Space Marauders lay behind him. The man stepped back and glanced around as a pair of T-1 Typhoons passed overhead.

Enraged, Winston charged at Blaire Darkling, who turned at the sound of quick footsteps. Momentarily startled by the giant Agent bearing down on him, the man regained his composure and raised his katana. With a hoarse, primal howl, Epic Winston struck.

Blaire brought his katana up as fast as he could to block the massive sword coming down at him. Blaire felt his entire body vibrate as Winston's sword collided with his own. Kicking the bearded Agent away, Blaire stepped back and quickly examined his newer, clearly powerful opponent. He was bulkier than Blaire was by a small margin and had a wild, angry look in his eyes.

Blaire continued to back away as Winston regained his composure and sliced the air with his massive sword as he approached XERRD's former leader. He glanced briefly at his own katana. Even if it was stronger than the generic katana, another strike like that would damage it heavily. He would have to change his tactics.

Blaire ran at the massive brute and ducked underneath a sweeping blow that would have split his torso in two had it connected. He fell to his knees and slid across the wet pavement as the Agent stabbed his sword downward, narrowly missing him. Blaire swung his katana out, striking the Agent's leg.

Winston snarled and kicked Blaire as hard as he could in the back. Blaire fell flat on his stomach, but quickly rolled back on his feet. It would not benefit him to slow down for a second. Blaire then sheathed his katana and gestured for the Agent to attack. Howling in anger, Winston charged. Blaire stepped to the side of the sword and grabbed the sword arm. Unfortunately, the wall of a man collided with him, sending him sliding slightly on the bottoms of his feet. Ignoring the pain in his shoulders, Blaire slammed his fist in the hairy man's face and pulled the sword from his grip and threw it to the side.

Winston swung his forearm into Blaire's face, knocking him to the side and tilting the sunglasses on his face. Quickly straightening his spectacles, Blaire ran at the Agent and tackled him to the ground. Blaire threw punch after punch into the man's face before an uppercut sent Blaire flying back. Blaire quickly rose to his feet and saw Winston continue for his massive sword. Blaire rolled his eyes behind his tinted sunglasses and had his katana back out as the Agent charged at him again, sword raised.

Blaire simply wasn't willing to let that sword land too many blows on his katana. So, as Winston's broadsword reached out toward him, Blaire decided to simply duck or jump back, which was a challenge on its own due to the Agent's sword length. The XERRD armband was sliced off, and several more tears were created in his trenchcoat and cuts in his skin as a result of this tactic. But Blaire wasn't without his own attacks. When Winston relented briefly enough, Blaire would launch his own furious attack on the agent, managing to cut up part of his uniform as well.

Winston jabbed his sword out at Blaire. He quickly swung himself to the side and elbowed the Agent in the face. Blaire spun his katana in his hand and prepared to slam into the Agent's chest when a fist slammed into his spine. Muffling the pain with a mere groan, Blaire swept his foot out, causing the Agent to stumble. Blaire quickly spun around and planted a foot in Winston's stomach, knocking him to the concrete. Blaire brought the katana down as quickly as he could when the Agent brought his broadsword back up, knocking the attack away. Scowling irritably, Blaire stabbed for the Agent's head, each attack being blocked by the broadsword. Roaring in anger, Blaire kicked the sword out of Winston's hand. He responded with his ankles being attacked with a sharp hit, sending him tumbling to the ground. Winston delivered a quick kick to Blaire's chin. Blaire raised his sword and thrust it toward the Agent, who rolled away to recover his own sword. Blaire rose to his feet and sheathed the katana.

"I am always one for playing out the drama of a situation, but I'm running out of time," Blaire muttered as he reached for his handgun. "I'm not taking any chances with this one." He pointed it square at the Agent's shaggy head. Never the torso. Instinctively, Blaire reached into his trenchcoat and plucked out the bullet fired by the Dino Attack agent he believed was named Bluetooth and tossed it to the ground. With that, he cocked the gun and fired.

*****

Firecracker was quickly tossed into one of the helicopters alongside Snake. With the base in its current state, Pharisee really had nowhere to put them, so he simply posted a guard named Mallory outside the T-1 Typhoon to watch them until they could be disposed of properly. Snake reached into his pocket and drew a cigarette, placing it into his mouth. Mallory smiled.

At that moment, the shouting of a nearby person was heard. "KA-BOOM!" Firecracker and Snake glanced out of the helicopter and watched Dynamite riding by on the back of See the Mutant Raptor. "Off t' a maximum-security prison, eh?" called Dynamite. "Aye, I doubt that'll hold yeh long, Firecracker!"

"Maybe, maybe not," replied Mallory. "But we're not letting them off so easily. That's not how this story goes."

Firecracker smiled and tipped his fedora. "So long, partner," he said. "I'll see you again one day, no doubt."

"I'll be waitin' fer yeh with a whiff of the ol' brimstone!" promised Dynamite, saluting Firecracker with one hand and taking a swig of some alcoholic beverage with the other hand. See gave an enthusiastic roar, proudly grinning with his sharp teeth. Then the Dino Attack demolitions expert and his Mutant Raptor steed rode off into the figurative sunset as the T-1 Typhoon crew prepared to depart for prison.

"Agent Snake," a familiar voice said from behind. Snake turned around to see a familiar face leaning against a nearby T-1 Typhoon, and a helicopter nearby that had just landed. The tall, older man was clad in black, and had a receding hairline and a thick mustache.

"Hauk," Snake muttered.

"That's me."

"You going to release me?"

"That depends," replied Hauk. "The paperwork is ready to go; I just need to check with your superiors. You did your job, as I hope you did, you're a free man. If not, well, we'll see."

And with that, Hauk turned and left the helicopter. Snake turned and, not wanting to wait around to find out the answer, looked for a way out of his handcuffs without Mallory noticing.

*****

Reptile waved away the agent warning him not to enter the remains of their HQ and headed straight for his laboratory.

He had joined Greybeard and the others who had been with them in that final moment for an initial celebration. He would then have joined his friends, but Tail had teleported to Antarctica and Coral was dead... so he decided it would be best to see what remained of his research here before joining any more post-battle celebrations.

Once he got there, he was pleased to find that the reinforced walls had apparently done their job in, well, reinforcing the walls. He keyed himself into the room and looked around.

Much equipment was damaged, but as he tapped the computer keys and began downloading a backup of all his data, he could see himself returning to work here in a few weeks or months. Dino Attack still had a purpose, after all: keeping tabs on the lesser Mutant Dinos, doing some research and publishing some of all the information they'd gathered on the Maelstrom, Creation Energy, Mutant Goo, indestructible metals, vehicle designs... and, well, with the death of Rex, Reptile was one of the more senior Elite Agents they had left.

On the other hand... while once he had been interested in herpetology and studying the properties of these Mutant Dinos (in fact, this interest is what had led him to sign up), he was now a lot more interested in some of the exotic high energy physics Dino Attack had been messing with lately.

He couldn't help but wonder if maybe they would have been able to develop an alternative power source for the Einstein Device, had they had more time. Had he been more versed in the physics of the project. He had thrown himself into the role of tactician and battlefield commander, which was simply not who he was.

He was a man who wanted to find out more about the universe he lived in.

He decided he'd stay with Dino Attack for now. But maybe in a couple months' time, he would return to the lab of his mentor, Dr. Formula. Maybe. For now, Reptile decided, he'd take life as it came.

He exited the ruins of Dino Attack Headquarters and looked around for where he might be needed.

"Excuse me," said a voice from behind as Reptile stepped out of the headquarters. "I'm agent Scott. I represent the Brick Street Journal. I was wondering if you'd mind me asking a few questions about the battle for our listeners in Antarctica."

Reptile blinked owlishly at the reporter, and then nodded firmly. "Certainly, what would you like to know?" he asked Scott.

"Well, let's see… our reports say you led the aerial defense of HQ during the opening stages of the battle. How did you feel about that, and the ultimate outcome of the battle?"

Reptile blinked again. "I felt like I had to pay attention to everything at once to keep our T-1 lines from crumbling. And ultimately, my leadership, and the leadership of the other Elite Agents who I was working with, wasn't enough to keep our T-1s in place… at the time, I was afraid we were finished. Now, I'm just relieved we survived."

"You are a well-regarded scientist by training, not a soldier or special agent. Why did you join the Dino Attack Team, and end up commanding wings of T-1 Typhoons in combat operations?"

"I joined… because I wanted to know about these Mutant Dinos. I wondered where they came from, I wondered what technological or biological cause resulted in their presence on our world. I wanted to know more. I think I found out more about violence and combat and war than I'd ever have wanted to know - and I found that I was a pretty good leader of warriors - but the science is why I stuck around."

"What are your plans now that the invasion is over? Will you stick with the Dino Attack Team or go back to your lab?"

Reptile sighed. "As you said, I'm a scientist, not a soldier. I think I'm going to work on some of my long-neglected research. Probably for whatever the Dino Attack Team has become at least for a time, but in the not-so-distant future I'll probably retire back to the lab of my mentor, Dr. Formula."

"But surely you have some thoughts about the future of the Dino Attack Team, and the future of the LEGO Planet now that this invasion is over?"

Reptile sighed again. Politics was never a favorite subject of his, but he thought he may as well make his views known.

"Over there," he said, pointing to the Iron Hammer, "is an Alpha Team craft. Groups like Alpha Team and the Agents have been, and continue to be, the first lines of defense for our world against villains, tyrants, demons, otherworldly invaders, dark armadas and evil armies - and they've served us pretty well.

"Now, we were a special task force forged to deal with the unique threat of the Dino Attack. But now the Dino Attack is over, and I don't see any reason we should complicate the politics of the world further. There's some mop-up work to be done, of course.

"Though… who knows? Perhaps I'm wrong, and there is a role for us to play alongside Alpha Team, as a more scientifically-minded and perhaps more idealistic organization. But if you want to know about that, talk to someone like Specs, or Viper - or Magma or some other senior Alpha Team agent."

For as he was talking, Reptile saw Magma walking out of the Iron Predator. He waved over at the Alpha Team agent, but a distracted Magma did not wave back.

Scott nodded. Reptile couldn't tell if he'd annoyed the reporter or not, but he suspected reporters like this man did not get annoyed very easily. Or were just very good at hiding their feelings.

"Well, thank you, Elite Agent Reptile. Best of luck to you in your future research or other pursuits," the reporter said. Scott turned away and began saying something else into the camera, but Reptile didn't bother to listen to it.

He was already thinking about the contents of the next paper he was going to publish as soon as he got home on the DNA Device - he'd had a most interesting idea just now about how they might be able to reverse engineer some of the technology. He couldn't wait to get started.

*****

Magma had left the Alpha Team operation under the command of his friends, made his report to Specs, and then quickly left the ship for an urgent conversation.

He needed to do this now, before it became much too late to do it. He'd been meaning to have this conversation for a few months now - but somehow it had never worked.

He knew where his target would be: she would be with the Agents forces, who had set up a small command post in the shadow of the Iron Predator and Dino Attack HQ. Most of the tension between the Agents and Dino Attack had dissipated over the past few months, but there was still some residual pride left.

So while the Agents forces would happily join the Dino Attack and Alpha Team troops in the airship, it would simply not be proper for them to not have established some visible presence on the battlefield.

And it would take a high-ranking Agents officer to man such a facility.

It was true that the Agents had many high-ranking officers. But Magma had cheated and, after deducing all this, had run a scan from his ship to determine that his target was actually here.

He entered the command post and, for the first time in dealing with Agents for a long time, did not immediately find a gun pointed at his face.

Instead, he found Colonel Covert of Agents Intelligence casually sitting in a commandeered desk chair, watching data on a computer terminal and, of all things, playing with her black hair. The rest of the room was empty - from looking at it alone, one would see no signs that a war had just gone on outside.

"I thought I might find you here," Magma said.

Covert didn't even look up, and merely replied, "I thought you might think you might find me here." She sounded amused.

"We've beaten Dr. Rex," Magma said. "Our two organizations helped make this happen, in the end. We can agree, I think, that when the Agents first showed an interest in the Dino Attack Team, things did not turn out well."

"That would be one way to put it, yes," said Covert. She still was not looking at Magma.

"However, once… shall we say, certain Agents and Alpha Team personnel set their personal differences aside and realized what kind of a threat they were facing, they began working together much more smoothly and in a much friendlier kind of rivalry. Would you not agree again?"

"I think I would," Covert said.

"So," Magma said, and hesitated. "I owe you an apology. I still think your initial… ah, attempt to arrest me was arrogant and ridiculous and deserved some kind of retaliation. But I think after two years crusading against your interests, we're even, don't you? So… I'm… sorry for my initial overreaction."

"Apology accepted," Covert said softly. She was staring at her computer screen now.

"Before we get on to the next piece of business, I have to ask. Didn't you realize that by… ah, attempting to thwart me at every turn, I'd just make things worse between our respective organizations?" Magma asked sharply.

Covert looked up and met his stare. She then laughed. "Because it was fun?" She smiled. "But even though it was… because I thought, maybe, if I could beat you, I could gain your respect - if I could show you I was as good as you, if not better than you, you'd respect my organization and my own abilities?"

"My… you wanted my respect?" Magma said slowly.

"When I tried to arrest you, you humiliated my team and almost killed several of my men. You made us look like clowns, and… well, Magma - you, Zed, Dash, Subzero, Databoard, Frozeen - you're all considered heroes in this business. We - I - may consider Alpha Team unprofessional and sloppy, but I know you have some extremely talented people. And you're among them. So if I was trying to show you up and establish some basis for mutual self-respect between our intelligence forces… maybe you can understand why?"

Magma stood there, stunned.

He had always assumed Covert must have hated him specifically for some reason, but… what was she saying?

A terrible thought entered his head - a thought that he quickly tried to dismiss. As is the nature of such thoughts, this attempt failed, and instead sparked a few more.

The first thought was: Love and hate are the same sides of a coin.

The second thought was: The only reason I'd hated her was because I thought she had hated me.

The third thought was: Now that I come to actually think about it, she is rather pretty.

The fourth thought was: Maybe I should stop trying to dismiss these kinds of thoughts.

He shook his head, irritated. First things first.

"Uh…" he stammered.

Covert waited, smiling slightly.

"Uh, well, in that case, I guess that makes this offer a lot easier. I'd like to propose an actual alliance between our two organizations," Magma said, regaining a bit of professional dignity. "Specifically between our intelligence groups, that is."

"What would the nature of this alliance be?" Covert asked.

"Well, for one, the two of us would no longer attempt to actually sabotage each other's projects. For another, we'd share data and collaborate on covert operations and work together in fighting enemies rather than separately. We'd also work on locating the movements of villains, like Ogel, whose absence should really be investigated."

"I suppose one goal of this would be to avoid a situation in which one lone black ops agent is ambushed by a hit squad from the other side when both are attempting to eliminate some high priority target, and end up fighting each other instead of the target?" Covert asked innocently.

"Yes, exactly like that," Magma said, eyes narrowing at this reference to how the two had first met in 2008 when attempting to stop Dr. Inferno. He glared for a few seconds, and the Agents colonel continued to look innocent. Then they both chuckled for a few minutes. "But yes, that's the goal. So, what say you?"

"A question: are your superiors aware of this proposal?" she asked him.

"Not yet," said Magma.

Covert hesitated, and then nodded. "Well, they will be soon - as I accept. Let's finalize the details and then inform our respective superiors of our, ah, decisions."

Magma nodded as well, and the two quickly got to work.

*****

Pierce turned in surprise as Sarah Bishop walked into the Iron Hammer, accompanied by her daughter.

Kate seemed unsure of what to be thinking. There was a mix of things: fear, relief, sadness, and she certainly had a right to it. Anyone would have been scared by what had just gone down. PTSD was no doubt going to emerge in a few of the agents, and someone like Nicholas Saran might have to help. She had learned some unpleasant truths about her family, and she had the right to be upset about that too, but there was some relief in the thought that it was all over, and maybe, just maybe, things could get better.

Pierce smiled as he wiped his hands. Kate quickly ran up to him and embraced him. He could not help putting his own hands around her before they finally let go. Sarah walked up to the two of them.

Pierce could not help but feel a certain rush of joy. After all these years, he had finally met his own daughter, and now they were going to be together. "I see you've already met your father," Sarah remarked, casually. Kate looked at her, somewhat surprised, but knowing what she meant.

"Oh yes," replied Pierce. "She was with us on Adventurers' Island. She was a real badbrick. You know, she once constructed a bomb just to scare off a Pterosaur attack using only items on a T-1 Typhoon."

Sarah looked at him. "Really?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yes," Pierce said with full seriousness.

Sarah looked at him blankly, but just went with it.

Pierce looked at Kate eagerly. "We made it through," he said.

Kate looked at him uncertainly. "I don't know," she said. "I don't even know what I want to do with my life."

"We'll figure it out," assured Pierce. "I promise you I'm going to get you into college, and you will find something, sooner or later." 

*****

"Alrighty then," Zach said, rubbing his hands together. "We'll make some preparations, have a bite to eat maybe, and we'll head out in a half-hour or so."

"You sure we shouldn't leave now?" Vinyaya asked, crossing her arms. "He probably knows he's wanted now. I'm sure he knows he can't salvage his identity as well. In fact, he might have already fled."

"He isn't leaving," Zelda stated simply. Everyone looked at her. "I have a feeling... he might be looking for us. Knowing his habits, he'll want revenge on all us for ratting him out. He'll at least try to kill us before leaving."

"Even with the Imagination boost from the Einstein Device," Minerva said, "it would probably a good idea to get some food or rest a bit. And as much as I love to operate and come up with a plan simultaneously, we should probably work out some sort of plan against Darkling."

"But I don't think we should wait too long," Dr. Cyborg said, gesturing to the sky. Whatever natural light that was breaking through the clouds that were shrouded over the city was fading rapidly. If they waited any longer, they would be forced to find Darkling in the dark.

Bluetooth grimaced. "We don't have much time at all, really. Once it goes dark, we can probably bet Darkling will flee. This is our best chance to stop Vherestorm/Darkling once and for all."

Zach nodded in agreement. "So I'd say we find some ammunition and reload our weapons and the Xenon Launcher and head out. As much as a bite to eat sounds good, we have to act now."

"Dr. Cyborg, Zelda, and I will get the ammunition," Minerva said, stepping forward and gesturing to Zelda and Dr. Cyborg. "You guys come up with a plan. We won't be long." As she passed by Zach, she smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

Before they got too far away to get ammunition for the Darkling hunt, Dr. Cyborg was approached by Catless. "Dr. Cyborg, I've got something to tell you," she said.

"Okay. Zelda, Minerva, go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later." Dr. Cyborg gestured for Zelda and Minerva to continue while he talked to Catless. Deciding not eavesdrop, Zach turned back to Vinyaya and Bluetooth.

Vinyaya pulled out her PDA. "This gets an internet connection, correct?"

"I imagine it does to get messages to other PDAs," Zach said sarcastically.

Vinyaya frowned at him. "I don't need your lip, Virchaus," Vinyaya snapped. "The point is we can use my authorization to get into the Space Police database to peek into Vherestorm's file. There should be an analysis of his tactics that we can use to come up with a plan to fight him." She walked over to the Fire Hammer, the tiny light of the PDA illuminating her scarred face as sat down next the tire, crossed her legs, and began to quick press her hands across buttons.

Zach glanced at Bluetooth, an amused grin on his face. Bluetooth shrugged and went over and sat by Vinyaya. Zach smirked in amusement and was prepared to say something when someone calling his name caught his attention. Turning, he saw Andrew, Laxus, and Pterisa walking toward him.

"Hey!" Zach said happily. "Glad to see you two make it!" He gave Laxus a high-five and extended a fist toward Pterisa, who responded with her own.

"The same to you," Pterisa said, smiling.

Laxus nodded to Zach before glancing over his shoulder. "Good to see you as well, Bluetooth!" Bluetooth acknowledged Laxus, Andrew, and Pterisa with a wave and smile before looking back down at Vinyaya's PDA. They were talking in hushed tones, both occasionally cracking a grin and laughing quietly.

Andrew smirked, quickly interpreting the situation between Vinyaya and Bluetooth. "What are they doing, exactly?"

"Hopefully finding some info we can use to hunt down Blaire Darkling," Zach explained, turning back to the group.

"Yeah, we heard about him and Nazareno," Laxus said, looking apologetic. "Sorry."

"What matters is that we complete Nazareno's goal and beat this guy once and for all." Zach then turned to Pterisa. "Have you ever encountered Blaire Darkling? White hair, sunglasses, trenchcoat? Maybe a katana?"

Pterisa paused to think. Then her wings flinched in remembrance. "Ah. I believe I saw him when Tyrannus, Velosis, and myself were attacking XERRD operatives in their lab. He was sending guards after us and trying to kill us. He never directly approached us, preferring to stay back and shoot at us from afar."

"I would say he was cowardly, but I'm thinking he decided he couldn't take on three Hybrids with the powers of Mutant Raptors, Pterosaurs, and T-Rexes alone with only mooks," Zach said with a shrug. "That's how he operates, as far as I can tell. Back away from situations out of his control. That's how he's survived so long, in addition to his skill. If we weren't thinking he wanted to kill us, he might have left already, knowing how in-over-his-head he is now."

Zach then looked at his three friends that stood before him. He shrugged. "Why not? You guys want to come along and capture a terrorist? One last exciting, dramatic bit in our lives before finally getting to relax?"

*****

Samuel Race surveyed the damage. Luckily, his years in training as a helicopter pilot allowed him to make the crash-landing of the Joseph's Heir as smooth as possible. The tail rotor was all but completely melted away, and the T-1 Typhoon's armor was scorched and charred from battle amongst the flames. It had suffered some other damage between the fight with Dr. Rex and the crash-landing. However, overall, the Joseph's Heir looked like it could be repaired with ease and, one day, fly again.

"I'll make you proud, Dad," promised Race as he looked over the helicopter.

"Hello again to all our listeners in Antarctica!"

Sam Race raised an eyebrow and turned around, and he was surprised to see a man approaching him with all sorts of equipment for broadcasting radio signals, and he was speaking into a microphone. "You're tuned in to WDNO - Dino Radio, and I'm J. Theano, reporting live from the battlefield of Dino Attack Team's final battle, bringing you interviews with some of Dino Attack Team's greatest agents who worked together in achieving the greatest victory LEGO Planet has ever known! With us today is one of Dino Attack Team's elite agents, who flew a T-1 Typhoon straight into battle against the evil Dr. Rex and lived to tell the tale!"

Sam Race grinned sheepishly. "Actually, I'm not an elite agent. I just work with the team; I'm not actually an official member."

J. Theano did not break his stride as he was corrected by Race. "I hope you all heard that, because you don't have to be a Dino Attack agent to be a hero. This is Prince Samuel Race of the Space Knights, hailing from Castle Cove and a champion of numerous LEGO Racers championships! So then, Prince Race, to all our listeners in Antarctica, tell us... what was it like to take on the evil-"

Before Theano could complete his question, they were approached by a middle-aged man with thin round glasses holding a large camera, accompanied by a radio operator. "Excuse me," said the man, "my name is agent Scott, and I'm a journalist working for the Brick Street Journal. I hope you don't mind if I ask you a-"

"Sir, you'll have to wait a moment," said Theano, frowning. "I'm conducting an interview here for WDNO - Dino Radio, and all our listeners in Antarctica are surely eager to hear what Prince Race has to-"

"Um, who are you again?" Scott raised an eyebrow. "I joined this team because there weren't any journalists up north reporting on the action."

J. Theano was aghast at this statement. "Now, see here, Mr. Scott! I've been following Dino Attack Team for months and providing all the news for everyone down south! I saw them fight off a herd of T-Rexes trying to destroy a small power station, and I was there when the new Iron Predator stopped a raptor rampage in its tracks! And you just show up out of nowhere, and-"

"Welcome back! Seymour Brickstein here, reporting live for the LEGO City News!" J. Theano and Scott both turned around to see another news crew approach the crash site of the Joseph's Heir, this time lead by a Minifig in a beige trenchcoat and wearing a brown fedora. "Here we are at Ground Zero, mere minutes after the defeat of the Mutant Dinos, and with us today is a Dino Attack elite agent-"

"Who are you?" interrupted Scott.

"I'm Seymour Brickstein," the reporter introduced himself. "Haven't you heard of me? I've been doing the LEGO City news for years, and I've always known where to find a good story!"

"Oh right," said Sam Race, nodding in remembrance. "Yeah, you were that guy who covered the Robot Chronicles last year."

"But LEGO City was evacuated just before the battle," noted J. Theano, frowning. "You shouldn't be here; this is a classified area."

"You're one to talk," scoffed Scott. "At least I officially signed up for this team."

"You're just jealous because I just got back from interviewing all four founding members," proudly boasted Theano. "Yes, even Specs! Good luck finding a better news story than that!"

Scott furrowed his brow. "Now, wait just a second, I'm giving attention to the unsung-"

"Hi, this is your reporter, Lotta Brix, and we are reporting live from downtown, where the Dino Attack Team has just emerged victorious in an epic struggle against the Mutant Dinos!" Yet another news crew approached the scene, this time lead by a female reporter in a red jacket with black-rimmed glasses.

"Where are all these news crews coming from?" gasped Scott.

J. Theano threw his arms up into the air. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "the Mutant Dino invasion is over. Bunker down, though, because the news reporter invasion has just begun!"

"I'm more qualified at delivering this story than all of you combined," declared Brix. "While you're all bickering, I'll get right to the heart of the story and be there to deliver the news to all our viewers! I would have come a little earlier, too, but my news crew refused to follow me into the battle."

"With good reason," said Brickstein, shrugging. "That sort of thinking will get you abducted if you're reporting on an alien invasion!"

"You're one to talk," retorted Theano. "You're the one who nearly got run over by a racecar, got your news van towed during a report, and almost got stomped on by Dr. Inferno's robot mech!"

"Theano," sighed Brix, "please keep your oversized chin out of this."

As J. Theano, agent Scott, Seymour Brickstein, and Lotta Brix argued, bickered, and debated over who would get to broadcast the news story, Sam Race leaned against the hull of the Joseph's Heir and watched the scene with increasing amusement. They had forgotten about him, and the champion LEGO Racer inside of him enjoyed seeing the competition between all the reporters.

*****

Strangebrick handed a test tube to his daughter, now cleaned up and wearing a gleaming white labcoat. The bruises were still visible on Jenny's face, but she seemed in better spirits.

Dr. Joel Fuchs stood across from him holding a notebook, writing in everything he could as Strangebrick combined chemicals. Fuchs had been relocated to Antarctica for a reason: his own protection. He had taken what little information was left by J.D. and created a working cure to the Maelstrom. Under the circumstances, it was important that this be perfected, lest the Maelstrom should ever become a threat again.

A few other scientists were helping out, using the notes Fuchs had made back on Adventurers' Island and the binders from Adventurers' Island, the ones Kate had stolen earlier.

At that moment, fellow scientist Dr. Lowell stepped into the room. "Guys!" he shouted. "I got good news."

"What?" Fuchs asked, looking up from his work and adjusting his glasses.

"Come on!"

Fuchs quickly put down his notebook and stepped outside, following Lowell into the next room where a television was playing. A headline read: "New reporters get into fight over interviewee". A number of people were seen arguing with each other as a newsreader commentated.

"That wasn't it," Lowell said. "They were saying the war is over."

At that moment, Strangebrick stepped into the room, his young daughter following. "What's going on?" Jenny asked, nervously.

"War's over," replied Lowell. "Only a matter of time before we can get out of here."

*****

"... an' sore I be t' hoist me colours on th' likes o' that, so instead I take me hearty into th' pub, but between th' squall an' me dead deadlight, settin' a course fer th' tavern be not quite as easy as ye think, savvy? So thar, we waited, fer nei'er o' us be willin' t' dance a fine dance out in th' rain quite yet, fer dead men tell no tales. Avast all o' them blaggards! Aye, we sent them all down t' Davy Jones's locker, but I be gettin' ahead o' meself. An' once me mateys arrived, aye, that be when me an' me shipmates scuttl'd th' ol' cockroach. An' I suppose th' poop deck must have been scrubb'd very recently, says I, fer then like a ship at sea on a stormy night, I find meself a man o'erboard. But before th' scurvy scum could shiver me timbers-"

"Okay, okay, okay," Scott said, shaking his head. "I think that's enough; I'm afraid we're all out of time for this interview. Thank you, Mister... err... Pirata." He then muttered to J. Theano: "I've had enough; you interview him!"

Greybeard laughed as the reporter scurried off. Clearly, his pirate accent was far too much for the reporter to handle.

Greybeard limped over to the crash site of the Joseph's Heir. There, he found Prince Samuel Race, helped by Bill Ding and a few other mechanics, in repairing the damage caused to the T-1 Typhoon during the final battle. The old pirate was relieved to see that Sam was doing better since the untimely death of his father. He gently tapped Sam on the shoulder, and the LEGO Racer flinched in response. Upon seeing Greybeard, he caught his breath and shook his head. "Oh, come now, Greybeard! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, matey," Greybeard said with a shrug. "I just want'd t' check up on ye. Ye be a brave man, flyin' that ship into th' flames o' Dr. Rex himself! Yer father would be proud t' see 'ow much ye grew up, says I."

"Thanks for your kind words," Sam said. He smiled and nodded, but his eyes had a very sad look.

Greybeard noticed that Sam Race was wearing earbuds connected to one of those fancy new gizmos for listening to music that Greybeard had occasionally seen during his time working with Dino Attack Team. Gesturing to the iPod, the old pirate inquired, "So, what be ye listenin' t'? Some sort o' victory music? A lot o' 'em Dino Attack agents, such as Williams an' Zimmer, be playin' loud an' triumphant victory songs."

Sam sighed and shook his head. "Right now? 'Soldier Side' by System of a Play."

"System o' a Play?" repeated Greybeard, with the raise of an eyebrow.

Sam Race chuckled. "I know, it doesn't really seem like the sort of music I would listen to. Sam Throramebi is fonder of the band than I am; he's more into that style of music, I guess. I'm not a huge fan of System of a Play, but compared to most bands of that genre, I daresay, I personally think System of a Play is actually pretty tolerable. The singers don't always scream, and instead of just thrashing their instruments as loudly as they can, they actually play distinct and, sometimes, even pretty melodies."

"Avast," snorted Greybeard. "Ye can keep yer System o' a Play. I be listenin' t' me Beatles, Eric Clapton, an' Yes."

Sam Race laughed. "Yeah, those are some pretty awesome bands." Then, the laughter and smile disappeared as Sam looked down at his iPod and sighed solemnly. "You know, the thing about 'Soldier Side'... I never truly understood what it was about. Then again, I'm not sure what most System of a Play songs are about, anyway. But now... after the final battle... I feel like I truly understand what 'Soldier Side' means. When you go to war, you don't come back... because even if you survive, what you have seen has changed you forever."

"An' ye?" Greybeard bit his lip, concerned. "Ye feel that way?"

Sam nodded grimly. "I'll never be the same. Not after seeing my father die in war. I've always enjoyed competition, and I just thought of the Dino Attack war as just another competition. But now... now, I can understand why my father did all in his power to keep the Space Knights out of the many wars that have taken place in Castle Cove. War is MegaBlokland. Sons go to war, never to return. Families wait for their loved ones, never coming home. And even after I finish my scheduled sessions with Dr. Saran... I'll never be the same again. I'm done, Greybeard. I'm done."

"So what be ye goin' t' do?" inquired Greybeard. "What if thar be 'nother Dino Attack? What if Castle Cove be in danger?"

Glancing up at the night sky, Sam murmured, "I think... perhaps the best thing to do is to leave Castle Cove and LEGO Planet forever. We Space Knights certainly have the technology to form our own satellite colony off of LEGO Planet. There, we'll be out of the way. We won't have to worry about the wars in Castle Cove. We won't find ourselves in danger of another Dino Attack. It might sound extreme... but I don't want anyone in my kingdom to know firsthand what I know now."

Shrugging, Sam Race added: "I might pop in once in a while for a LEGO Racers Championship or something, but... I think this is the last time in the foreseeable future that we might be able to hang out together, Greybeard."

"If that be what ye think be best fer yer kingdom," said Greybeard, "then fair winds, me hearty." Greybeard and Sam Race embraced one another, and Greybeard whispered in his ear: "No matter what ye do, I know yer father be proud o' ye. Dinnae forget that."

"I won't," promised Sam Race.

*****

"As you know," Catless told Dr. Cyborg, "I was on a Fire Hammer with Laxus and Pterisa during the final battle. We had stopped to fix the Fire Hammer, which was coming apart. I had heard something, a cry of pain. I followed the noise, and I found someone, a woman. She had been injured fatally by a pack of Dinos, and she died after telling me something."

Dr. Cyborg's eyes widened. "No, no, you're wrong. You can't be talking about who I think you are, you can't be!" Dr. Cyborg exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I am. Dr. Cyborg, I saw your sister Elizabeth die," Catless finished sadly.

"No!" shouted Dr. Cyborg. "I thought I had escaped the battle with almost nobody close to me dying! And now, in the midst of victory, I find I'm wrong! I can't use this anger on Dr. Rex, but I can channel it into hunting Darkling." Dr. Cyborg stormed off, catching up to Zelda and Minerva.

Catless turned away, sad she had to break the news. She walked back over to the main group, almost as down as Dr. Cyborg, since retelling the story brought on a fresh wave of sadness over her friend's death.

Pterisa walked over to her and gave her a sisterly hug. "You alright?" she asked Catless.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for the comfort."

*****

Wade turned toward Marco Martinet. They were sitting in their ambulance, the vehicle having come to a stop on the side of a road.

"We did it," Wade said, with a slight grin. "We made it through. You know, I gotta say that I met a few combat medics back in the army. You might well be one of the best I've seen in action."

They started the converted Fire Hammer up again and drove throughout the city, hearing the cheers and celebrations of their teammates, until Marco Martinet slowly pulled the ambulance to a stop near HQ. He and Wade climbed out to see a group of reporters, one of whom, a tall, thin middle-aged man with glasses and holding a large camera approached them. "Excuse me," the man said. "My name is Agent Scott, I represent the Brick Street Journal. I was wondering if you'd mind answering a few questions."

"Sure," replied Wade.

"Excellent," said Scott. "Let's get this to the boys in Antarctica before the others get here. I mean, there's that one guy whose boasting about meeting all the Elite Agents - he probably hasn't given much thought to anyone else, and of course he's arguing with all the other reporter s- and you mind if I get a photograph?" Wade and Martinet posed slightly as Scott held up his camera and took a quick shot. "Thank you. Now from the looks of it I take it you two are doctors?"

"A-yes," replied Martinet.

"I think one of your colleagues might have talked about you two. You're the ones who went on the field, right?"

"Yes," affirmed Wade.

"Fascinating, tell me, um..."

"Wade."

"Wade, what exactly motivated you to take such a risk?"

"Well," explained Wade, "I was in the army, you see. I used to work as a field doctor. I figured with my experience there it was only fitting I help out here."

*****

The massive Iron Hammer airship dominated the Dino Attack Headquarters' plaza. At its base were the wreckages of several Dino Attack vehicles and the carcasses of many Mutant Dinosaurs. The shadow of the ship fell over the carnage and created a strange dissonance with the surroundings.

As if someone had casually tossed their toy among the landscape, the colossal Iron Hammer seemed out of place among the distraction surrounding it. This was not to say the craft shown no sign of battle; burns and bullet holes peppered the fuselage of the ship, and scarring was certainly evident. Although the armored ship had fared better than other craft, it was far from spotless.

Hertz stepped over a dead dragon that had once carried a Fright Knight Windship and around the scattered remains of smaller Flying Machines. He had received word that medical care was being provided in the bowels of the Iron Hammer, and he figured a checkup would be nice.

What had begun as a hairline fracture in his left arm had worsened to a complete break. Hertz figured it would need to be set before he permanently lost its function. He no longer felt any pain; the stinging sensation had ceased about two hours ago, and this was probably a bad sign. Hertz was no doctor, but he guessed he probably had nerve damage.

In retrospect, wielding a duct-taped pair of heavy Sonic Screamers with a broken arm had probably been a poor choice. It had helped to bring down Dr. Rex, but he knew he would certainly hurt in the morning. The strange echoless void he no lived in was evolving into a high-pitched moan. His ears rang with phantom sounds, and he nodded his head in acknowledgment to every agent he passed. Odds are they were congratulating him on being alive, but he could return no such tidings. Instead, he walked awkwardly among the bodies at his feet.

The rain was chilling. For moments, he swore he felt something harder than water plop on the back of his neck. The cold December weather was freezing the water to ice. Soon, snow would fall from the sky and finally cast the city into its long overdue holiday life.

As the winter clouds gathered above, Hertz reflected on the nature festive spirit thieving among the agents. He could not hear the inevitable Christmas Carols or the sound of sleigh bells. Although no snow was on the ground, the feeling of winter plus the defeat of Dr. Rex could only result in childish happiness. Hertz would miss out on the sounds of the season, but the days were no less sweet.

He located the polished boarding ramp of Iron Hammer and made his way up the incline into the ship. The interior of the Iron Hammer was drab and bellicose. The designers had not wasted time making the ship comfortable; instead, they had developed it with practical precision. Stepping under the white lights, he passed the exposed bulk heads and industrial piping. The stark, narrow hallways of the ship were slightly difficult to navigate, so he relied on the hastily stuck on directions to find the medical bay.

Following a wet trail of rain water and blood, he stepped down a flight of steps into the area of the ship that had been converted into a hospital. It was disorienting not hearing the clank of his feet on the riveted steps or echoes of voices on the iron walls. People's faces were contorted in pain from their injuries, but the milieu was far less off-putting then the grime of the basement.

Unlike the previous medical ward, the infirmary was sterile and organized. Although there were dozens of beds, they were arranged in neat rows that allowed plenty of space for the doctors to work.

A doctor called to Hertz, but he was only able to recognize him when he waved the elite agent over. Once he stepped off the catwalk and onto the sanatorium, he quickly identified him as Dr. Pierce. The chief physician of Dino Attack Team appeared to have suffered his own injuries. He was covered in grime and sweat and appeared to have several gashes on his forehead. Despite his injuries, he walked with a cool determination.

The doctor sighed and reached for the pocket containing Hertz's notepad. The techie shook his head and indicated he had lost it in battle. Shrugging, Pierce slinked over to a clipboard and pulled a pen from behind his ear. What brings you down here, Hertz? he wrote.

Hertz felt he was starting to get the hang of speaking in an acceptable volume. "THE WAR IS OVER, YOU SAID YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP WITH MY HEARING."

"The fighting might be over," muttered Pierce. "But the wounded are certainly still here." In contrast with his normal polite persona, Dr. Pierce was acting rather grim. He was clearly getting sick of all the wounded and, for all intents and purposes, the war was still going on for him.

Kate and Sarah had probably increased his mood. The two women were visible standing on catwalk overlooking the medical bay. Hertz could understand how they improved his attitude, but he had yet to see the spring in the doctor's step he had witnessed before the battle. It was unlikely he would see that until the last remnants of the war were gone.

Hertz raised his eyebrow as the doctor continued to mutter. Seeming to realize his impoliteness, Pierce wrote down another message on his paper: I can have someone help with the arm but you'll have to wait longer for the implants. He paused. Sorry.

Hertz frowned; it was all he could expect. The odds of having appropriate cochlear implants were extremely slim and, since the surgery was anywhere between 1½ to 5 hours, chances are the doctors had better ways to spend their time. It was a sacrifice Hertz was willing to make for the sake of those in greater need than he.

He was escorted to a vacant bunk by Doctor Giovanni Wade. For the third time in the last week, his arm was recast. The skin beneath was red and swollen, but apparently was not beyond repair. Doctor Wade assured him that it would not need to be amputated, but it would certainly need time to heal. Hertz promised that he had no intention of getting involved in any more action after today.

As fresh wrappings were applied, he spotted two doctors in spotless white uniforms carrying a large shrubbery across the medical word. Apparently satisfied with it, the placed the bush in the center of the medical infirmary and disappeared down a hall to find another random object.

He could not help but smile when Enter and Return returned with a live shark. Clearly, the fish objected to being carried, and it flopped around madly and attempted to eat Return's head. Enter apparently realized their predicament and went to fetch a kitty-pool.

It was incredible that the two doctors still had their medical license. Considering the two were harmless, he really saw no reason to revoke it. Thus far, their success rate was spectacular, and they had yet to kill a patent from repeatedly beating them with a shark. As remarkable as this was, Hertz was in no hurry to be treated by the two.

Enter returned to the medical bay carrying a mailbox. He set in beside the tree and withdrew a small brown package. Hertz could not help think that it was a good thing they brought that mailbox. Now, if the need presented itself, they could mail a letter. He truly never got tired of Enter and Return's whimsy.

Return shook the package excitedly as Enter held his breath in anticipation. Finally undoing the ribbon Return tore open the package. Enter jumped up and down with glee in anticipation of his brother's reaction.

By this stage Hertz had deducted that Enter had brought the mailbox so his brother would receive his Christmas present. It was certainly considerate of Enter to mail the package to the mailbox they brought with them. Return opened the box and his countenance lit up with delight. Apparently, it was just what he wanted, and he happily withdrew the Cochlear implants from their case.

Hertz jumped from his bed and tripped on the bedsheets. He tumbled forward and knocked over a nearby table and Doctor Wade. By the time he undid himself from the mess, he spotted Enter and Return attempting to apply the implants to the shark.

Followed closely by Doctor Wade, Hertz crawled over excitedly and grabbed hold of Return. Careful to avoid the snapping and thrashing shark, he yelled enthusiastically.

Apparently, his jubilant babbling was incoherent to the two eccentric doctors. Enter and Return looked at Hertz with a look of perplexity, but were distracted enough to cease their current endeavor of operating on a deaf shark.

Hertz looked over at Doctor Wade. He raised his eyebrow and his lips moved utter some pithy remark. After a moment of brief consideration, Enter and Return stared down at Hertz and smiled.

Ordinarily when one is stared at by Enter and Return, one has reason to be concerned. But considering the current state of things, Hertz would take anything he could get.

Hertz lay down in the operating room of the Iron Hammer. Return stepped into the behind him, carrying the implants and a megaphone. The doctor flicked on the operating light filling the room with a white ambiance.

Giovanni Wade had his own priorities. He had offered to do the operation himself when his work was done, but Hertz was impatient. He wanted to hear again as soon as possible and, in a rash decision, he had allowed Enter and Return to do the operation. Enter nodded to Hertz and wrote a word on a nearby whiteboard.

Anastasia

Anastasia? thought Hertz. Anesthesia, perhaps? Not enough to regret this decision but enough to make me concerned. Enter walked around the head of Hertz's table and withdrew a red and white umbrella. He caught a brief view of the parasol being opened before Return shoved a mask on his face. His vision clouded over and the world became blurry as the anesthesia set in.

Not knowing how Enter and Return worked was probably for the best. Hertz really had no idea what Return was planning to do with the parasol and the megaphone, and he really had no desire to find out. He had taken a lot of risks in the last few hours; he could probably afford to take one more.

His eyes started to roll back to slumber. The rest would be nice; he had not had a good night's sleep in days. Whether it was the drug or fatigue, Hertz truly felt tired. Even the anticipation of regaining his sense could not hold back his heavy eyelids. How remarkable it was that he had only lost his hearing mere hours ago. It felt like ages of torment.

When he awoke, he would hear. He would join in the celebration, he would call Naomi, and he could take part in the songs of the season. He would wake up with a new life, a fresh outlook, a fresh beginning. He had reassessed his values in life and, when he awoke, he would be hearing things and voices he had never appreciated before.

He finally tumbled into blackness with smug grin on his face.

Stepping through the rows of wounded patients, an exhausted and still somewhat unsettled Shaw was surprised to notice Wade picking up some dropped equipment. Quickly she got to the ground and helped him put the syringes and scalpels back on the table.

What surprised her was what she saw on the next bed over. Enter and Return, the two twin paramedics she only vaguely recognized from the medical wing, were operating in a most unusual manner that involved putting a shark over the patient's head.

"What's up with that?" Shaw asked.

"They're a bit crazy," replied Wade. "Actually, if you're not too busy, could you keep an eye on them? Just to make sure they don't accidentally murder him."

Shaw nodded as Wade walked away. She took a seat next to the bed and watched the strange procedure. The process was something she could not describe, but it involved a megaphone, a pineapple, a DVD copy of The Hurt Locker, a basketball, two lumps of sugar, a steering wheel, a baseball bat, a film camera, a mailbox, a pine tree, a shrubbery, a herring, 16 tons of TNT, a frying pan, a model train, a bicycle wheel, a single dollar, a map of LEGO Island, a book on aeronautics, a toy car, a lunchbox, a suitcase, a spoonful of honey, a banana, a pointed stick, a fedora, running into each other and then arguing over whose clothes were whose, a sandwich, a copy of the complete works of H.P. Lovecraft, a bag of nitroglycerin, a rolled up magazine, a few raspberries, a chicken leg, a turkey dinner, another bush, a brick, a can of soda, a wafer-thin mint, a slip of paper, and a Jolly Roger.

At least, that was as much as Shaw could make of the whole thing, being too tired to really pay much attention; sitting terrified in a basement for as long as she did, not knowing when or if you'll come out, can do things to a person. She clutched her cross and muttered a silent prayer for the man who lay there. Once or twice, the shark tipped slightly, and she could vaguely see his face - Hertz, the man from the fire, the one who Naomi Carver left with, and who convinced her to leave for Antarctica. But she was much too tired to think of much of it. Her eyes grew heavy, and she tried to stay awake, but after some time of watching Enter and Return, she soon found herself lying on the bed and falling asleep.

"Anything new?" Pierce asked as Wade walked up to him.

"No," replied Wade. "Enter and Return are looking after one patient, using some strange methods, but Shaw's watching them."

"Good," said Pierce. "Look, we're all very tired. You and Martinet actually went out and endured the worst of it; why don't you to get some rest in the back?"

"You sure?" Wade asked.

"Yes," replied Pierce. "Crusher, Copper, and I can take care of the rest of them for a while. Shaw's busy watching Enter and Return. Get a couple hours' rest, and then you can relieve Copper and Crusher."

"What about you?" Wade inquired.

"I'll be fine," promised Pierce.

Wade nodded and turned toward the back of the Iron Hammer. He tapped Martinet on the shoulder. The mustached doctor looked up from the clipboard. "A-what is it?" he asked.

"Pierce says he wants us to get some sleep," Wade said. "There's some space in the back." Wade turned and left for the back of the vehicle to find a good spot to lie down.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 74: One Last Battle

----

Epic Winston darted to the side as soon as he saw Blaire Darkling raise the handgun. The bullet still struck him in the shoulder, and he hit the ground with a grunt. He began to rise, but his opponent rammed a boot down on Winston's chest and pointed the gun at his face. A faint smile flickered across his face as he placed his finger on the trigger.

Winston abruptly reached up and grabbed Blaire's arm with both hands and jerked him forward. Blaire went over face-first and landed heavily on his back as Winston sprang up. His attacker was between him and his sword, but the dead Space Marauder was laying right at his feet.

Blaire rose from the ground, brushing mud from his coat, and turned to see Epic Winston pointing a rocket launcher directly at him.

Blaire swung his gun up and aimed it square with Winston's forehead. The Agent snarled, and the rocket launcher made a faint clicking sound. It was armed and prepared to fire.

Great, Blaire thought irritably, his mouth twitching slightly. This was not going as planned. It was extremely likely that he would have to flee before getting a crack at those who had wronged him. Light was disappearing quickly. He was not interested in staying in this city swarming with Agents, Alpha Team, and Dino Attack agents. Kill those few agents that had wronged him and get out. It was supposed to be simple.

And yet here he was, facing against an Agent that would not die. Half of Blaire admired his skill and his ability with the blade. Particularly since he used that massive blade with one hand. He probably didn't deserve a lackluster death like being shot in the head. Blaire shrugged off that thought, not willing to let his humanity get in the way of his goal.

Blaire blinked once, thankful his sunglasses could hide that action. Perhaps... Nazareno was right. Perhaps Matthew Vherestorm was still alive. Perhaps he was taking control now as the situation demanded. Blaire gritted his teeth together angrily. No! He is no longer alive. His ghost faded with Nazareno. He should be no more, and yet they continue to bring him back up!

Blaire felt like cursing. It was them. All of them. Nazareno, Frodongan, Fabello, Vinyaya, Bluetooth, and more. They would not let Vherestorm die while Darkling lives. They needed to be destroyed. Once and for all.

"Leave," Blaire spoke, his old level of cold politeness in his voice. He no longer cared about this Agent at all. He was insignificant.

Winston raised an eyebrow in shock. "What?" the Agent demanded, his voice hoarse.

"I am sparing your life," Blaire snarled. Despite this, he never lowered the gun. He was not a fool. "I am done with this random violence. I'm finished with you. Unless your life truly has no meaning that this fight is an opportunity to escape or something."

Winston stared in surprise, but the rocket launcher didn't lower. Blaire rolled his eyes irritably. Everyone just seemed MegaBlokland-bent on making things more difficult than they needed to be. Even if Blaire liked to play up the drama, he knew where to draw the line. Now he was trapped in a standoff with only one way out.

Blaire whipped a katana out with his left hand and knocked the rocket launcher out of Epic Winston's hands. A sharp kick sent Epic Winston tumbling back. As Blaire sheathed both the katana and handgun, he reached down for the rocket launcher. "Nothing personal," he said. "You just happened to be caught in the crossfire."

And then he fired.

*****

"Hey Rotor," Mac said as he approached the pilot. "I hate to interrupt the moment, but weren't we looking for someone?"

"Yeah," replied Cabin. "We were trying to find that one guy, Blaire, before we were called to defend the base."

Rotor quickly remembered. "Blaire, of course. Anyone know who this guy is?"

"Probably just some crazy biologist," Mac said sarcastically.

Rotor was about to get into the pilot's seat when Cabin stopped him. He turned toward her, quickly cluing in to what she had in mind. "Oh, I do love you," Rotor said with a grin as he moved to the co-pilot's seat instead.

Cabin took the controls. Mac got into the back. Lance was soon taking up his place as the gunner. Shotgun and Scope were on board as well, sniper rifles at the ready; after all, those might just come in handy. The T-1 Typhoon crew was joined on board with a handful of other people: the two gunslingers Clint and Angel Eyes, Maria holding hands with Andrea (the colour was starting to return to her almost-gray skin), and the real agent Fireman in a gas mask with a flamethrower whose every word was unintelligible.

Soon, the chopper was in the air, and Rotor played back the recording he'd made over its speakers, calling out to Blaire Darkling wherever he was.

As the T-1 Typhoon took to the air, Mac took over the radio. "Blaire Darkling, we have orders for your arrest. If you cooperate, you won't be harmed. Surrender now and turn yourself in, and no harm shall come to you. If you don't, we will open fire. I repeat, surrender now or we will open fire."

*****

Andrew weighted his options. Zach and he were good friends, and he was always ready to back him up, and with this Blaire Darkling fellow, he had to admit, the guy could use all the help he could get.

But he had to admit, he was tiring a bit of battle. Having achieved victory was the end of the war, officially. While he would likely be wanted a few times for clean-up jobs in case Mutant Dinos still wanted to play hostile, there was really not much left to do. And with the prospect of rest and relaxation and fun at home, he was fully ready to hang up the helmet and start kicking back.

Not to mention that he did have a bit of fear about their chances of survival. From what he could tell, Blaire Darkling was highly skilled in battle. He would not go down easily, and it was very possible that at least one of them could fall to one of his weapons. After all they went through, all they survived, after seeing the demise of Dr. Rex himself, Andrew didn't want to see any more death.

But he knew Zach. He had been as close to Nazareno as he was to Andrew. Not only had Darkling murdered him, but also a friend with the Agents, along with nearly killing Zach himself had Mutant Dinos not intervened. He was going to see justice done, undoubtedly.

This was getting tough. He couldn't make this decision alone. He motioned for Laxus and Pterisa to come close to him to confer in relative privacy.

"I don't know about this," the LEGO Islander said quietly. "Darkling doesn't seem like a guy we can stop without paying a price. And I've already seen enough allies leave us with only memories. What do you guys think?"

Laxus blinked in slight amazement. "Andrew, I'm surprised. I'd figured you jump at the chance to support Zach whenever you could."

"Yes, well, Zach's not being threatened here, at least not right now. He's simply going after someone's he has a grudge with. A highly dangerous someone. I just don't think this might be the best case of action."

"Well, I doubt he's gonna stop just because you said no. And if that's the case, he's going to need all the help we can get."

Pterisa leaned in close. "Andrew, if there's anything I've learned the most since Adventurers' Island," she said with a hint of the attitude she had back as the anonymous samurai in the Maelstrom Temple, "it's the power that friendship can bring you in tough circumstances. It's something you don't back out of once you've experienced. Blaire might be tough and be some infamously skilled assassin, but my accounts show he has his weaknesses. If we all work together with Zach's group to defeat him, he won't stand a chance."

The words circulated through Andrew's mind, and within moments, his own argument fell apart. "...You're right. Indeed, it is just one man. We team up and do this right, this can all be finished quickly and we can go home happy."

Andrew looked up and approached Zach. "You can count on us, buddy. We're with you." 

Zach clapped his friend on the back, smiling. "Good to hear." After seeing a level of apprehension in Andrew's face, Zach added reassuringly. "Just one more battle and then I can wrap a few (non-violent) loose ends here and we can head to LEGO Island for that party. I assume Laxus and Pterisa will be heading to that party as well?"

Laxus and Pterisa nodded in agreement, smiling. "Good. Oh, and you have a Fire Hammer, right?"

"Yep. It's a bit beat-up, but it can probably make it through one guy. As long as he doesn't have any explosives," Laxus said.

"Good. You go find that and bring it over here. Even if it is one guy, I'm not taking any chances. Two Fire Hammers are better than one. And having you in the air will also probably make this whole deal a lot easier, Pterisa."

She nodded agreement. As Laxus and Andrew turned to go get the Fire Hammer, Minerva, Zelda, and Dr. Cyborg were returning with two crates of ammunition for Xenon Multi-Mode Launchers and Cosmotronic Rays.

As Minerva set the crate next to the Fire Hammer, she turned to Andrew, Laxus, and Pterisa, smiling. "Good to see you again, you guys." She tugged both Laxus and Andrew into a quick hug before pulling Pterisa into an embrace of her own.

Pterisa smiled and returned the hug quickly before Minerva pulled away. It was at this point Andrew realized how far Pterisa had integrated into the Dino Attack Team. Joining society (perhaps one similar to LEGO Island) would be a cinch for her.

"Got the ammo," Minerva said. She then reached down to her belt. "I also found something of yours." She held out the knife he had been forced to leave behind when they had been forced out of the headquarters at gunpoint. Zach smirked as he accepted the bloodstained knife. Minerva eyed it with a brief gleam of disdain that soon faded away.

"Think I could fight Mr. Darkling with just a knife?" Zach asked, already knowing the answer.

"You probably could," Minerva said, the barest hint of a smile on her face. "I don't know if I would."

"I'm thinking we blast him up a bit and leave it at that," Zach said with a shrug. He then turned to Vinyaya and Bluetooth. "Anything worth knowing?"

A deep scowl was on Vinyaya's face. "Not really. I wouldn't put it past Darkling to have tampered with his file at one point, because it's barer than it should be. But what it does say is something I could summarize in a few sentences: He's largely unpredictable. He'll repeat a few maneuvers for drama, but mostly likes to keep his enemies on their toes. He's a complete sociopath and has little issue with violence, murder, arson, destruction, chaos, and punting kittens out of airlocks."

Zelda blinked. "'Punting a kitten out of an airlock'? Seriously? How it that noteworthy?"

Vinyaya rolled her eyes. "It was a big deal with some humane societies. Demanded that we do more to stop him. I get that kicking a cat out into space is bad, but they apparently didn't realize who Vherestorm was and what else he did."

"So we got nothing," Minerva said, clapping her hands together with a shrug. "Guess we'll have to work by the seat of our pants."

"Not sure it particularly matters, considering this team's track record of planning," Zach said.

"We plan, we get there, and all heck breaks loose," Andrew added. A wave of snorts and chuckles erupted through the group. "So we'll be getting that Fire Hammer. Lead the way, Laxus, Pterisa." The Martian, the Hybrid, and the LEGO Islander turned and started for their Fire Hammer.

Zach watched them leave and strapped the knife to his torn uniform. He then turned to look from Minerva, to Vinyaya, to Bluetooth, to Dr. Cyborg, and finally to Zelda. He then barely wondered if this was the right thing to do. Blaire was dangerous and held a grudge; he had escaped a fiery explosion and trekked halfway across the battlefield just to kill him. Even if with the ten of them, if Blaire somehow could stop their Xenon Launchers or get them out of the Fire Hammers, he would be a tricky enemy to fight.

He stepped over to Zelda. There was a look of grim determination on her face. Through her, he saw the mask of Nazareno and face of Thaddeus Brickhouse, just two of Blaire Darkling's victims. He has probably killed hundreds as a Matthew Vherestorm and could be killing more people now. One thing was for certain: Blaire Darkling needed to be defeated. "We're going to find him, Zelda," he said quietly.

She didn't respond, only turning her stare to him.

It was at this point that he also realized that this was the first time he was really interacting with Zelda since they were both Stromlings. "I know you... loved him," Zach continued. "I just don't want losing him to cause you to do something... rash, so to speak. Uh... catch my drift?"

Zelda smiled weakly at him. "It... was kind of a shock. Like hearing what happened to my birth parents or when my adoptive sister died earlier this year. All of their deaths have been avenged. Nazareno... Kareem needs to be avenged. His... mission needs to be completed. Blaire needs to be stopped." Zach then noticed the katanas strapped to her back were Nazareno's. Zelda noticed where his eyes were and gave him a faint nod.

Zach immediately understood her silent request. He smiled. "I'll see what I can do," was all he said.

Zelda smiled, thankful for Zach's understanding. She then punched him in the shoulder - hard. "Besides," Zelda said, smirking as Zach rubbed his shoulder. "I still got to be that big sister you never wanted, right?"

Zach nodded, happy that Zelda wasn't letting what happen change her.

She then looked past him. "Oh, hello Solomon." Zach turned to see an older gentleman behind him. "Oh, this is Solomon Koplowitz, guys. He was with me, Nazareno, and Blaire before the latter two got separated from us."

"Well," Zach said, stepping forward and shaking Solomon's hand. "Good to meet you, Solomon."

"The same to you," Solomon said, bowing his head slightly. "Now, I believe a heard something about hunting down a certain Blaire Darkling..."

*****

"Eyes sharp, men. This guy is ruthless. I'm getting reports from other squads that he's taken down at least a dozen men already."

The battle had ended hours ago. The storm that had raged throughout the day had finally diminished to a simple light drizzle. Night had fallen and most of the search parties had returned to the Dino Attack Headquarters to celebrate the end of the year-long war against the mutated dinosaurs that had wreaked havoc on the world. Unfortunately for these men and women, one job still remained.

"Commander! Up ahead!" one voice yelled out. "Oh man. We got multiple men down!" The search party, a mix of Dino Attack, Alpha Team, and Agents operatives, quickly moved through the darkened streets of LEGO City. Their flashlights scanned the area and quickly found the bodies of several XERRD Space Marauders and Dino Attack agents, each with different stabbing wounds.

"Sheesh," one Agent said, scratching his head as he knelt down by a fallen Dino Attack agent and checked his pulse. "Gone. This guy works fast."

"Builder Znap it," Dino Attack Commander Morrison muttered. "Get a crew down here to pick these guys up. Check the others and prep them for pickup." As the commander's team went about following his orders. Morrison stepped away from the scene briefly and raised his radio. "He was here, sir. Looks recent, too."

"Where are you?" Elite Agent Rotor asked over the radio. "I want this man's head! If he was there recently, he is almost certainly still in the area. Over."

Morrison relayed his location, then added: "He can't have gotten far on foot. Not to mention he is almost certainly injured and exhausted, as we all are. Over."

"I'll have the T-1s create a perimeter around your location to watch the streets and send the other search parties to your area," Rotor said. "If these stories I'm hearing are true, then Blaire Darkling can't be allowed to escape."

"I am aware, sir. But our options are limited. It's getting dark, we're exhausted, and if those stories and rumors I'm hearing are in fact true, Darkling is going to pick us apart out here."

Rotor audibly scoffed on the radio. "This man is a mass-murdering traitor! He must be brought in-"

"I agree, sir," Morrison sighed. "I'm just saying he has the advantage over us in the dark, even if it's just him against a hundred agents." Morrison lowered his voice. "And I'm not sure how much more fight my men have left in them. The war is over, Rotor. They want to go home."

There was a brief silence over the radio, then Rotor's stern voice returned. "Keep me posted, Commander. Anything suspicious, you relay it to me."

Morrison sighed again. "Yes, sir." He pocketed the radio and turned back to his men. Fire Hammers that had be converted into makeshift ambulances had quickly arrived to pick up the fallen Minifigs, as well as the wounded Agent. "Alright, I have discussed the situation with Elite Agent Rotor. The search T-1 Typhoons are forming a perimeter around this area. We are certain Blaire Darkling hasn't gotten far. In the meantime, split up into four-man squads, and search the surrounding buildings. One squad per building. You see anything unusual, reach out immediately. This man is armed and extremely dangerous, and I don't want to lose any more men."

There was a muttering of "Yes, sir" among the agents before they dispersed into the streets to locate the ex-XERRD leader.

"Don't know why we're still bothering with this," Dino Attack agent Vuorinen muttered to his fellow Finn and close friend Nevalainen in their native tongue. "It's dark, wet, and rainy, and I think I'd rather be spending the night toasting with our brothers and sisters that the monsters are finally gone!"

Nevalainen rolled his eyes. "Aye, but people are dead, man."

"I know, I know! No disrespect to the dead, but I heard the commander talkin' to Rotor. This Darkling guy is insane! And I heard that he's some kinda ninja too! Even if we find him, he's gonna kill us all in an instant!"

"Hey!" tutted fellow agent Olzon. "Can you two speak in English? You know I can't understand a word of that."

Vuorinen laughed. "Sorry. We're were just discussing how foolish this mission is."

"I agree," Alpha Team agent Markkanen grunted behind the three Dino Attack Agents. "We are at a severe disadvantage against Vherestorm at this point and time. Waiting until tomorrow to find him isn't ideal, but-"

"Vherestorm?" Vuorinen blurted out. "What kind of name is that?" The two other Dino Attack agents laughed in agreement.

Markkanen shushed them quickly as they approached a destroyed storefront. "Quiet!" he whispered. "We do not want to give ourselves away to him, and we need to be aware of any sound he may make."

Vuorinen rolled his eyes and muttered to Nevalainen in Finnish: "Fat chance this guy is even in here." But, heeding the Alpha Team agent's words, they entered the abandoned store quietly.

The store had either never been fixed in the months in-between the initial Dino Attack and the final battle, or it had been recently ransacked by the Mutant Dino invasion led by Dr. Rex earlier in the day. Regardless of the cause, the store was in complete disarray. Shelves were tipped over and old, dusty products laid strewn across the floor. It must have been a grocery store at one point, because torn-up food products with noticeable Mutant Lizard bites were included in the mess.

"The Alpha Team has dealt with this man before," Markkanen whispered as he scanned the mess for signs of life. He took up the rear of the squad to watch their backs while Vuorinen and Nevalainen led the way. "Almost half a decade ago, he went by the alias of Matthew Vherestorm. He had many titles. Terrorist, mercenary, bounty hunter. I think he was even a revolutionary fighter, if I'm remembering his file right."

"What a lame name," Olzon muttered. "Matthew Vherestorm, ha. Not that 'Blaire Darkling' is much better, to be honest."

"I have never heard of this guy," Nevalainen said. "Where is he from?"

"No idea," Markkanen continued. "Most of his actions occurred off-planet. He was tactical and ruthless. He almost never backed down from a job, no matter how big or small. He was the Space Police's biggest headache for years until the Black Hole Gang came into prominence. Never really did anything here on the LEGO Planet except for one stretch a few years ago. It was a nightmare few months for us."

"What did he do?" Olzon asked.

"What didn't he do? He was all over the world, pulling off crimes, high-profile terror events, and so on. We think he even worked with Silencia Venomosa at one point, but we could never confirm it." There were some small gasps at this remark. While Matthew Vherestorm had been a mystery, Silencia Venomosa's high-profile assassinations had captivated the world. "All the chaos he caused brought that space ninja here for a while. He was an uptight guy, didn't really play well with Alpha Team while he was here. What was clear to me was that he was obsessed with Vherestorm, and Vherestorm the same with him. It was like one, long, intergalactic cat-and-mouse. I was thankful when they finally took their fight back into space."

"And… Vherestorm was never caught?" Nevalainen asked. They were all engrossed in the Alpha Team agent's stories.

"No. He was last seen in Galaxy City, I think." Markkanen paused to let out a short breath. "What he did in Galaxy City was–"

Markkanen's sentence was interrupted by the sound of something sharp quickly cutting through skin. The three agents whipped around to see a silver blade sticking out of Markkanen's chest. His eyes were wide with fear, and his mouth open as a pained grunt escaped his lips before he was pushed off the sword onto the ground into a small pool of his own blood. Standing over the Alpha Team agent was giant man with shaggy, pure-white hair and a tan-colored trenchcoat caked in dirt and blood. His dark, reflective sunglasses reflected the agents' flashlight beams, giving him a supernatural aura.

Blaire Darkling was quick. Before the Dino Attack agents could react, he lunged forward and stabbed his bloody katana into Olzon's midsection. She attempted to scream, only to have Blaire's gloved hand muffle her sounds. Blaire released his grip on his sword and let it and Olzon collapsed to the floor as Blaire marched toward the two remaining agents.

By this time, Nevalainen and Vuorinen were ready. Both pulled their handguns from their belts and prepared to fire. In an instant, Blaire punched the weapon out of Vuorinen's hand and swung a fist into his cheek, knocking him to the floor. Blaire considered himself lucky as he turned around to find Nevalainen fumbling with his weapon in a panic. He raised his foot and buried into the Finnish agent's stomach, sending him across the store aisle they were in.

Blaire clenched his fists. He needed to act quickly before these two idiots gave away his position. He turned back to Vuorinen, who was on his hand and knees struggling to rise. Blaire brought his heel down hard onto the Dino Attack agent's back. He heard a distinct cracking sound as the agent fell back on to the floor. Thankfully, the concrete floor muffled the agent's pained screams.

With one agent surely dealt with, Blaire turned his focus back to Nevalainen, who had risen to his feet and took off running toward Blaire, his fist raised. He landed one, hard punch on Blaire's left cheek, sending his sunglasses flying into the dark. Nevalainen stumbled backwards and gasped in shock. There was no longer light shining on Blaire's figure, so all he saw was Blaire's black silhouette. What scared him was Blaire's eyes, which were bright red and seemed to glow with fiery anger. Paralyzed with fear at the monster that stood before him, Nevalainen did nothing as Blaire marched toward him and wrapped his hand around Nevalainen's throat. Blaire raised the poor fool into the air and then slammed him down on to the floor. Before Nevalainen could scream for help, Blaire stomped his boot onto his neck with all his power, silencing the Dino Attack agent permanently.

With the hostiles taken care of, Blaire allowed himself a brief sigh of relief and wiped the sweat and water from his forehead. Squinting toward the floor, he carefully stepped over the store ruins toward one of the dropped flashlights. He then turned back toward Nevalainen's corpse, searching the area around him until he managed to catch the reflection of the light off his sunglasses on the floor.

Thank Builder. And thank you, Dr. Provencal, for improving their durability. Blaire carefully walked back to Nevalainen and scooped up his glasses and placed them back on his head. He blinked once or twice to readjust his eyes to his light-adjusting glasses before he shut off the flashlight again, leaving him and Vuorinen in darkness.

He made his way toward Olzon's body and knelt down. He carefully pulled his katana out of her body and wiped away the blood before sheathing it in his trenchcoat. He then searched her body briefly for anything valuable. He looted her firearm and ammunition from her person. He was about to rise when something on her belt caught his eye. A brown, rectangular pouch attached to her belt. Blaire opened the pouch slowly and pulled out a small computer device. A Dino Attack-issue PDA. Blaire's eyes lit up. This could be useful.

Blaire's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a groan behind him. Blaire rose and moved toward Vuorinen. He carefully rotated the poor Dino Attack agent on to his back, covering his mouth to prevent his loud moans of pain from attracting attention. With the agent turned over, Blaire leaned in close and put his finger to his lips. The agent weakly nodded in understanding. Blaire gave a brief nod back and leaned back against a nearby column and slid to the ground.

There was a brief silence. Then: "What the MegaBlokland do you want?" Vuorinen hissed through gritted teeth

Blaire raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"What do you want?" repeated Vuorinen softly. "Markkanen told us the deal. You wanted that space ninja, you got him." Vuorinen coughed and winced in pain. "Why are you still here? You got what you wanted. Just Znapping leave."

Blaire remained silent.

Vuorinen let out something comparable to a scoff and cough mixed together before muttering several curses in Finnish. "You think we wanna be out here hunting for you? We just won this Znapping war that you started. I wanna be with my friends back at headquarters toasting to victory and to the fallen. Instead, I'm gonna die here with my friends for your Znapping grudge." Vuorinen weakly raised his head in Blaire's direction and, with all the strength he could muster, spat at him.

Blaire remained silent. Now that he had time to finally think, he couldn't help but feel so… empty. The euphoria from killing Kareem Nazareno seemed to have finally faded away. It had fueled him. Kept him alive as fought his way through wave after wave of Dino Attack agent. It was probably the only reason he survived that close encounter with the giant, bearded Agent with a sword. He closed his eyes, trying to remember and cling on to that feeling. It had been like burning fire that illuminated his Creative Spark. Higher than the highest high he had ever felt on the job as Matthew Vherestorm.

So it only made sense now for the crash to hit harder.

Even someone as strong and durable as Blaire Darkling had their limits. He was cut, beaten, bruised, shot, and exhausted. He had been able to shrug it off in the heat of the battle, but now his entire body ached in pain. Now that he had cooled down, he wasn't certain he could muster the strength to fight anymore. Not without some immediate first aid. Blaire knew this was best opportunity to escape. It was dark in city ransacked by the day's battle. With his Shinobi skills and abilities he learned as a mercenary, it would be all too easy. He could be out of the city before dawn. He could be off-planet in a day.

And yet…

His soul felt incomplete. It terrified him. He had spent close to a decade squaring off with Kareem Nazareno. Their conflict had spanned across the galaxy, in numerous circumstances with hundreds of casualties. Nazareno had been the one foe he had been unable to defeat. It kept him awake at night. It almost became his entire purpose as Matthew Vherestorm. He finally defeated him and he felt no better off.

"Well?" coughed Vuorinen, irritated at Blaire's silence.

Blaire paused his thoughts briefly, then said plainly, "Revenge."

He could at least determine part of the reason of his emptiness. His reformation as Blaire Darkling had come to swift end. Three years of working as a Paradox Shinobi and later a high-ranking enforcer of XERRD. He believed he had turned a page and had escaped his toxic existence as Matthew Vherestorm. Only to realize in the last few days he had been deceived. He was still bad guy. Arguably worse than Vherestorm ever was. He had been a part of a plan to exterminate the Minifig race from the planet.

Blaire gritted his teeth together. He had tried his best, given the circumstances. He formed a truce with the Dino Attack Team. He made a Dino Attack agent his second-in-command to ensure XERRD would continue to reform its image in the case he couldn't remain leader. He fought against Mutant Dinos, Fright Knights, Inferno Agents, even a Maelstrom Dragon. But Nazareno… he couldn't resist. It might've been his only opportunity. He succeeded, but he was unable to stop Nazareno's friends, witnesses to his death, from outing Blaire's crime and his former identity, setting off a city-wide manhunt.

"What? Revenge for what?" Vuorinen asked.

Blaire slowly rose to his feet. He had succumbed weakness and cost himself everything. He wasn't sure of the future beyond LEGO City, but the least he could do was pay back those that had wronged him. One last job as Blaire Darkling. "If you know what is good for you, you'll tell your commanding officers to pull back the search parties," Blaire said as he pulled Vuorinen's PDA from his belt and booted it up.

"Wait! What?" Vuorinen started to panic. "What are you doing with my PDA?"

"You're right, agent. This isn't your fight." Blaire searched through the PDA's functions until he found what he was looking for; a proximity beacon. "Tell them to retreat. I'll make sure to… pass the message on to your other superiors."

"Wait-!" Vuorinen was cut off as Blaire punched the agent in the jaw, knocking him out cold. Blaire brushed off the dirt and blood from his coat and tossed the PDA onto the agent's chest, the beacon activated. He headed for the building's second floor to make his escape before the agent's teammates arrived.

Virchaus, Frodongan, Bluetooth, Fabello, Vinyaya. They would all pay for what they had done.

Nobody would stand in his way.

*****

"Let me see," Pepper Roni said as he dropped to a knee. He turned on his hat's flashlight as he began rummaging through his green backpack. The famous "Dude with the Food" looked well for flying out of a shoddily-built T-1 Typhoon on a skateboard and helping take on an army of Mutant Dinosaurs. His clothes were scuffed and dirty, with one of his blue sleeves torn at the elbow. Despite this, he could not be chipper.

"Have some granola bars, bottled water, assorted nuts," Pepper said, digging the items out of his backpack and handing them to his old neighbors, Dino Attack agents Andrew Anderson and Zachary Virchaus. "I think I have a can of soup or two?" Pepper continued, with a small chuckle. "The dudes distributing whatever's left from your tower didn't give me a lot of choices."

Andrew laughed. "I think we'll be fine. Thanks, Pepper."

"Wait, I have something else!" Pepper said as he slid out two white, rectangular boxes. "Papa made these special for you guys. I told him you guys probably wouldn't want pizza before heading out on another mission, but he and Mama insisted."

Zach smiled and took the pizzas into his arms, careful to keep a grip on his lantern. "Well, I can't say no to Papa's famous pizzas." In the dark and cold, the warmth from the pizza boxes on to his arms was a welcome sensation. "Tell Mama and Papa thanks!"

"Will do, dudes!" Pepper said with a salute as he slung his backpack back over his shoulder. "Good luck! Wouldn't want you guys to miss the celebration when we get back to the island."

"I agree," Andrew said with a nod. "We'll make it back, Pepper."

"Totally!" Pepper said, placing a foot on his signature yellow skateboard. "See you around!" He started to skate back into the crowd surrounding the remains of the Dino Attack Headquarters before turning back briefly. "And thanks for all the good work, dudes." The two Dino Attack agents waved as Pepper sped back into the crowd before turning to walk back to their friends.

"Man, am I ready to head home," Zach said, taking in a deep whiff of the pizza. "I haven't been back since it all started."

"I hear that," Andrew said in agreement. "Last time I was there, the island broke up into 1x1s and floated up into the sky."

"Oh shoot, that's right!" Zach exclaimed, remembering the shock that had traveled through his body when he had found out his home had suddenly disappeared into the sky. "I almost forgot that happened. Feels like it was decades ago. I transferred from the Agents to the Dino Attack around that time. I remember pleading with my COs to send me back to LEGO Island, but they had another plan for me and sent me elsewhere."

Andrew raised an eyebrow, curious. "Antarctica?"

"No, but I did end up there later, during the riots." The two finally came upon the tent where their friends had set up operations. "I'll tell you about it later." The two stepped out of the cold drizzle and into the warm tent.

At the center of the tent was a table with a map of LEGO City laid out, along with a few lanterns and radios that occasionally buzzed with new info. Standing around the table was Holly Vinyaya, Ryan "Bluetooth" Radcliff, and Zelda Frodongan. Each of them had a focused look on their faces as they scanned the map and muttered amongst themselves. They looked up from their work and smiled momentarily as Zach and Andrew entered the tent.

"What were you able to dig up?" Vinyaya asked, crossing her arms and squinting her one good eye in Zach's direction.

"We met up with an old friend from LEGO Island," Zach said as he and Andrew moved toward the table. Bluetooth pulled the map away as the pizzas, water, and other foods were placed down. "Grabbed us some food for energy. Mama and Papa also whipped together some pizzas for us."

Vinyaya rolled her eye. "I love pizza as much as the next guy, but really? We need to stay sharp if we're gonna take down Darkling."

"You're preaching to the choir here, Commander," Zach said with an amused scoff.

"We didn't ask for it, Commander Vinyaya," Andrew said with a smirk. "I don't think one slice will hurt, right?"

"I suppose so," Vinyaya said, grabbing a water and granola bar. "Come on everyone. Get something to eat before we go." With that, the other Dino Attack agents and allies stepped out of the shadows and started to grab a bite to eat.

It had been only a few hours since the Dino Attack Team had triumphed over Dr. Rex and the Mutant Dino army in LEGO City. In the shadows of the Dino Attack Headquarters, a building that still stood tall despite the beating it took from Mutant Dinos, witches, and rogue Dino Attack agents, the remaining allied forces gathered to treat their wounded and celebrate the end of the eight-month-long war in a makeshift village of tents, broken vehicles, joyous bonfires, and an Alpha Team airship acting as a temporary HQ and infirmary for the wounded. It should be a time to relax and celebrate.

However, the time to celebrate would have to wait for this group of Dino Attack agents and allies. Darkling had murdered Nazareno and fled into the desolate streets of LEGO City as Dr. Rex was defeated atop the Dino Attack Headquarters. In the hours since, Nazareno's closest friends and allies began assembling a team to hunt down Darkling and bring him to justice for his hundreds of crimes.

The team consisted of a group of some of the Dino Attack's best agents and allies. Elite Agents Zachary, Andrew, Fabello, and Dr. Cyborg led the team. They were accompanied by Laxus, Pterisa, Dr. Solomon Koplowitz, Commander Vinyaya, Bluetooth, and Zelda Frodongan. All had a bone to pick with Blaire Darkling and all were willing to put it all on the line to see Darkling defeated once and for all.

Zach munched on a slice of pepperoni pizza as he looked at the map. The location of Dino Attack Headquarters was circled, and lines drawn out from it, indicating the search teams that had been sent out to find Blaire. There were a few x's dotted along the search paths, almost certainly indicating where victims of Blaire's rampage were found. Zach felt his face growing hot with anger. Too many good friends had died today for more to die needlessly in the aftermath. He thought about Nazareno and his commanding officer and mentor while he was with the Agents, Thaddeus Brickhouse. Just two of dozens who were murdered by Blaire Darkling today.

He glanced across the table to Zelda, who was absently teething on her granola bar as she stared at the map, occasionally glancing toward the radio next to her. Zelda had certainly taken Nazareno's death the hardest. While she had been somewhat optimistic and determined earlier in the evening after the battle was won, that demeanor had faded as the group was continually delayed from leaving the camp due to the chaos from the post-war celebrations. Zelda was easily the person Zach knew least out of the group of Minerva, Vinyaya, Nazareno, her, and himself, despite her being the only one to share the experience of being corrupted into a Stromling back on Adventurers' Island. Luckily for her, she seemed to come out of it without any long-lasting effects outside of a hair-color change unlike Zach, who found himself to almost be a completely different person sometimes.

Zach prepared to lean over and talk to her when Vinyaya grabbed his shoulder and leaned in toward his ear. "Outside, now. We need to talk."

Zach rolled his eyes. "Sure thing." Zelda looked up at him for a moment. He gave a brief, reassuring smile before grabbing a lantern and walking back out into the cold to find fellow Elite Agents Andrew, Dr. Cyborg, and Minerva Fabello standing in a circle with Vinyaya.

"Hey there," Minerva said with a smile, punching him in the arm quickly before tucking her arms back in.

"Hey," Zach said, returning the smile. "You and Doc find everything okay?"

"Yes, finally," Minerva said with a sigh. "The Fire Hammers are gassed up and reloaded."

"And we secured weapons and ammunition," Dr. Cyborg added.

"Good to hear," Andrew said before turning to Vinyaya. "What do you want to talk about, Commander?"

"This," Vinyaya said with a sigh, closing her eye. "I'm not sure we should head out tonight."

The four Elite Agents traded glances. "What are you talking about?" Zach asked, incredulous. He could not believe what he was hearing. "Of course, we're gonna go get this Znaphead! You can't seriously be backing down from this. That son of a MegaBlok killed Nazareno! Our friend! We-"

"Save it, Virchaus," Vinyaya snapped. "Look around! It's dark, it's cold, we've been fighting all day. We're in no shape to run back out there."

"Are you serious?" Zach said, growing angrier. "We've dealt with much worse! We outnumber him ten to one. We can-"

"We have no idea where he is!" Vinyaya exclaimed. "Every update we get from Rotor and the search parties indicate we are two steps behind. We outnumber Darkling, but he has every other advantage. He's out there in the dark, picking apart search parties one by one. Pterisa might be able see him in the dark but the rest of us can't. I've worked a ton of Vherestorm cases! I've talked to Dr. Cyborg and Dr. Koplowitz! I am certain trying to find him now would be a mistake."

"What?" Zach shot a glare toward Dr. Cyborg. "What does she mean?"

Dr. Cyborg raised his hands defensively. "Solomon and I simply reminded Commander Vinyaya of the fact that Darkling is a former Paradox Shinobi, not to mention all that 'Vherestorm' stuff. He knows how to use the shadows to his advantage." Zach scowled, leading Dr. Cyborg to sigh. "Look, I want to go out there and bring him to justice just as much as you. I've devoted tons of XERRD resources to trying to find him but we're no closer than the other search parties. It might be a good idea to stay here until morning. Get some sleep, a change of clothes for all of you, and refresh ourselves because Darkling shouldn't be underestimated."

"What?!" a voice exclaimed in surprise behind Zach. He turned around to see Zelda standing behind, her expression a mix of surprise and rage. "We're not going out? What are you talking about, Holly?"

Vinyaya sighed. "Look, going out just plays into Darkling's hands. I've been thinking It over- "

"Holly, Nazareno is dead," Zelda said flatly. "We can just sit here and let his killer escape."

"That's not what I'm saying! I'm saying- "

"You're saying," Zach said, joining in with Zelda, "we should sit on our hands while a traitor escapes! If he gets away, we'll never find him again; you understand that, Holly?"

"Enough, Zach," Minerva snapped, squeezing his wrist. Zach scoffed quietly but didn't continue.

"No, Minerva. Zach's right," Zelda said coldly, marching up to Vinyaya. "Holly is willing to let Nazareno's murderer get away because she's afraid of what? The dark? He killed Zach's agent friend. He helped your brother murder your mom…"

The group grew quiet as Minerva's expression darkened considerably. Zach shot a look at Zelda and prepared to say something to her before Minerva squeezed his wrist even tighter. "I am aware of what Darkling has done," Minerva said slowly, remaining stoic. Zelda's own expression seemed to soften as she realized she touched a nerve. "Holly cares just as much as the rest of us. You both," she said with emphasis, shaking Zach's arm, "know this. I just think we should hear out what she has to say."

"I agree," Andrew suddenly said, all eyes turning to him. "We all want to bring Darkling in, but we need to think it through. We just won a war a few hours ago. It's been a long day and I can't help but think we need to reset ourselves a bit. Soak in the win a bit, you know?"

"We all want to celebrate, Andrew," Zelda said, her eyes narrowing. "There's still work to be done, though."

"I don't think Andrew is saying we need to start blowing everything off," Dr. Cyborg interjected. "I think he's saying that there are enough dead heroes for today. Might be a good idea to try to and minimize any potential casualties the best we can."

"Right," Zach said. "But why are we just going to put our faith in Darkling not immediately fleeing the city?"

"Because it doesn't fit his MO," Vinyaya said. "Like I said, I'm well-versed in the Vherestorm cases. The guy has shown obsessive personality traits for years. After meeting Nazareno for the first time, he started going to extreme measures just so he could run into Nazareno and finally defeat him. Leaking his own jobs out to draw Nazareno into confrontations. Risking everything just to get a crack at him. We even got intel that Vherestorm took the feud to the old Space Ninja homeworld. He was deeply obsessed."

"So?" Zelda asked impatiently.

"So if my hunch is correct, he'll hang around." Vinyaya gestured to Dr. Cyborg. "I'm not sure how much he has changed since becoming Blaire Darkling, but if he's still anything like Vherestorm, that obsessive streak remains."

"Even without Nazareno?" Andrew asked.

"I would think so. I'm no psychologist, but I would think he would turn his obsessive nature toward us. He killed his target, but at a cost of us outing him as Vherestorm, ruining his life. I think he'll want revenge. The intel we've gotten back from the search parties seem to indicate-"

"Commander!" called Laxus. Vinyaya paused as the Martian ran up behind Zelda. "Uh, everyone else. We've got an update from Rotor and Morrison. I think you'll want to hear it." Everyone quickly shuffled into the tent and joined Pterisa, Bluetooth, and Solomon Koplowitz at the map table. Bluetooth turned to the bulky radio sitting on the table and picked up the microphone. "Go ahead, we're ready."

"This is Commander Cody Morrison!" a voice crackled over the radio. "We've potentially hit a breakthrough in our search. Darkling left someone alive."

"Alive?" Vinyaya asked. "Intentionally?"

"So it would seem. We responded to a proximity beacon issued from a PDA and found one of my search parties. Two Dino Attack and one Alpha Team casualty. We found one Dino Attack agent still alive, but wounded and unconscious. We just got him to come to and he had a message from Darkling: Call off the search parties."

"What?" Zelda said.

"Exactly!" snapped the familiar voice of Elite Agent Rotor, who was helping lead search with his T-1 Typhoon. "This guy is off his brick if he thinks we'll let him just walk away from this."

"Was anything else... off... about the crime scene?" Zach asked, shooting a glance toward Vinyaya, who seemed confused that her theory about Darkling was seemingly proved wrong. She returned the glance and shrugged in confusion.

"Yeah," Morrison continued. "There seems to be a missing PDA from Dino Attack agent Olzon. I wonder if-"

There were suddenly several loud buzzes emitting from every corner of the table. Everyone traded surprised glances. "Convenient timing," Pterisa mused. Everyone quickly pulled out their PDAs and laid them on the table. It was quickly determined that the only people to receive a message were Zach, Minerva, Zelda, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth.

"Well, there you go," Zach said sarcastically. It seemed like Vinyaya may have been right after all.

"What's happening?" Rotor asked.

"Looks like we got a message," Zach said, clicking through the PDA. "From Dino Attack agent Olzon."

"Who's 'we'?" Morrison asked.

"Standard Agents Vinyaya, Bluetooth, Frodongan and Elite Agents Fabello and Zachary."

"Well, what does it say?"

Zach opened up the message and began to read aloud.

To Bluetooth, Fabello, Frodongan, Vinyaya, Virchaus:

To start, I would like to congratulate you all and your team for defeating Dr. Rex and the Mutant Dinosaurs. I was able to watch the battle from afar and it was truly a sight to behold. I wish I had been able to do more, but the obvious circumstances prevented me from doing so. Again, I would like to apologize on behalf of myself and the rest of XERRD for causing this disaster. We wanted to save the world and we nearly destroyed it.

Now comes the difficult problem of dealing with what comes after the dust settles. We all have grudges with each other that I'm sure you're as eager to settle as I am. You revealed my secret and in turn have sent waves of your allies to get me. Your blind need for revenge has cost the lives of dozens of men and women who thought their troubles were done now that Dr. Rex is dead. It's frankly disappointing. So I passed on a message to one I decided to show mercy and I will pass it on to you now: Call off the search parties or there will be more blood on your hands.

To show you just how mercifully I've become since my more unsavory days, I am offering a simple truce. Take the night off and celebrate your well-earned victory. Mourn the fallen. Mourn our mutual friend Nazareno. Come tomorrow morning, I will reveal my location to you so we can settle this once and for all. Just one condition: I will only deal with you five. Anyone else shows up and you will never see me again.

Prepare yourselves. I will see you at dawn and we will settle this once and for all.

The assembled group stared at each other for a few seconds in silence after Zach finished reading the message.

"You're out of your minds if you take that truce," Rotor said. "I don't know how you can trust this guy at all."

"I'm not sure we have a choice," Minerva said. "I think Commander Vinyaya has it right. We're not gonna find him and if we go out there, he'll pick us off from the shadows."

"You're not just going to let him get away, right?" Elite Agent Cabin, also flying with Rotor, said skeptically.

"The commander has laid out the facts to the Elite Agents here," Dr. Cyborg said. "The message fits how Blaire Darkling has acted in the past. Obsessive and not taking the rational option.

"I will vouch for Commander Vinyaya as well," Solomon added. "I worked closely with Darkling as a fellow shinobi with XERRD. Although not a scientist, he showed an extreme dedication to his work as an infiltrator and strategist. I can attest to the Space Police's assessment of him being driven and objective-focused to an unnatural degree and that he is extremely dangerous, both face to face and from the shadows."

"Okay but you five aren't going to seriously take him on your own, right?" Morrison asked. "I've stumbled upon similar parties of agents that went up against him and they didn't turn out great, to be frank."

"I think... we have to appear to play by Blaire's rules," Bluetooth said. "At least to start."

"Right," Minerva added on. "Bait him and spring the trap. So he can't escape."

"If he's found somewhere to hide, then he has to be planning out an escape. We don't even know where he'll be or what you'll be walking into," Rotor said.

"Well, we'll figure it out then," Zelda said, slamming his hands on the table. "We can at least plot out some strategies. You know, based on where he might be, like... like a skyscraper, a park, near the ocean, uh…" Zelda looked around desperately for someone to continue.

Zach grimaced. He wasn't sure what they could really do without knowing where Blaire could be hiding except hope for the best.

"Oh, wait!" Minerva said excitedly, shaking Zach's arm. "Didn't you hack into some XERRD mainframe in the fortress on Adventurers' Island?"

Zach gave a confused smile. "Yeah, I think so. What would make you think of that?"

"I think I saved you after you got caught and after that I think we ran into my brother…" She drifted off. "But Commander Morrison, you said you found those agents because Darkling activated a beacon. What if we could activate the beacon on the PDA he stole? Then we could figure out where he is and figure out a plan."

Zach thought it over and nodded. "Not a bad idea."

"I agree," Vinyaya said. "Good thinking, Minerva. Zach, can you break into that PDA and activate the beacon? Or figure out what else Darkling might have put on it."

"I think I could, particularly if there is any documentation for these things around here somewhere," Zach said.

"Well, if we can't find any," Dr. Cyborg added, "perhaps I could help."

"Ah!" Zach said, shooting Dr. Cyborg with a pair of finger guns. "Almost forgot you're... well, a cyborg, Doc." Dr. Cyborg smiled in amusement. Zach turned back to Vinyaya. "Dr. Cyborg can interface with the PDA and we can find Darkling. I personally guarantee it."

"Well, I'll hold you to it, Virchaus," Vinyaya said, smirking slightly. "You two go and get it done. The rest of us will start strategizing based on Darkling's old antics. Rotor, Morrison…" She looked to each of the Elite Agents around her. "I think all agree to give into Darkling's demands here for now. Get those search parties back here."

"Agreed," Morrison said.

"I suppose so," Rotor said with a hint of exasperation. "Keeping in the loop with your plans. My squad and I are willing to provide help where we can."

"Glad to hear it," Vinyaya said. She leaned over the table and looked around at everyone. "We're going to get this son of a MegaBlok, one way or another. Let's get to work. The clock is ticking."

Several minutes later, Andrew and Laxus's Fire Hammer rolled up to the other Fire Hammer. After quickly reloading the Xenon Launcher, Dr. Cyborg and Solomon jumped into their ride while Vinyaya took the wheel of the Fire Hammer manned by Zach, Minerva, Zelda, and Bluetooth. Pterisa jumped from the cab of Andrew's Fire Hammer and into the darkening sky, almost disappearing from sight.

"Alright!" Vinyaya said into the radio, slipping the jeep into drive. "Let's catch us a certain intergalactic baddie!" The Fire Hammer started to roll into the ruined city, illuminated by the dim purple and orange flames of the previous battle. Andrew's Fire Hammer followed close behind.

Zach stared at the window, his face hardening. There was one last battle on the horizon.

*****

Solomon had taken the wheel and was driving Andrew's Fire Hammer, while Dr. Cyborg was manning the Xenon Multi-Mode launcher.

Dr. Cyborg was a little depressed. He had survived the battle with nobody he was very close to dying, although plenty of friends had died. In the midst of victory, he found out his little sister, whom he didn't even know was in the battle, whom he had last left under less-than-friendly circumstances, had died.

He suddenly had an idea of how to beat Darkling and take out some of this anger. "Hey, Solomon, can you call the others on the radio?" Dr. Cyborg said.

"Yeah, sure, here you go," Solomon said as he complied.

"Hey everyone, I had an idea," Dr. Cyborg said.

"What is it?" Andrew asked.

"If we attack Blaire Darkling from range, he'll just run up at us and start slicing."

"Yeah, so what's your idea?" Vinyaya asked from the other Fire Hammer.

"What if one of us fights him with melee weapons while the other use the ranged weapons?" Dr. Cyborg suggested.

"I want to fight him melee!" Zelda called over the radio.

"I understand your reasoning, Zelda, but listen to mine. Everybody here but me is flesh and blood. It would be pretty easy to incapacitate you. I am not so easy to stop; my systems have many redundancies built in. Plus, my reflexes are somewhat faster than the average Minifig's. Also, I have a sword that can stand up to his swords, plus a deployable energy shield. Finally, my self-repair systems work faster than a Minifig can heal. What I'm saying is: what if you attack with the guns while I distract him in a duel of sorts. What do you say?" he finished.

*****

Holly Vinyaya looked back at Zach briefly. He shrugged and gestured Vinyaya to keep driving. He then turned and began to speak to Minerva in hushed tones.

Vinyaya turned back to the radio to address Dr. Cyborg's idea. "We could try it, but I don't know how successful it could be. We don't know what Blaire is planning or what sort of advantage he might have. Like I said earlier, we can predict that he'll be unpredictable with his actions. But if we get the opportunity, go for it."

"Alright," Dr. Cyborg said.

Vinyaya returned her eye to the ruined city ahead of her. She momentarily caught a flash of Pterisa flying ahead of them. She was scouting ahead to hopefully give them a chance of seeing Blaire before Blaire saw them. Vinyaya dimly remembered her initial distrust of Pterisa in the Maelstrom Temple so many hours before. Now, she was beyond caring. Pterisa was an ally and that was all that needed to be said on the matter.

Bluetooth, who was sitting beside her in the front passenger seat, yawned briefly. Vinyaya smiled faintly. "I suppose we're all going to need a little shut-eye once we've got Darkling," she said.

Bluetooth nodded in agreement and smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Catching up on our sleep will be one of those pleasures we get back now that this war is over. No simply lying in bed, trying to sleep but unconsciously waiting for the moment an army of Mutant Dinos to attack."

Vinyaya chuckled. Indeed, the sleep Vinyaya caught on the way back from Adventurers' Island was losing its effect. Even after training that fought against weakness like this, fatigue was catching up quickly. Her police instincts to catch Darkling were the only thing really stopping her from falling asleep right here and now. That and her fierce protectiveness over the people in both Fire Hammers.

Vinyaya turned her eye briefly to Bluetooth. He glanced at her and smiled nervously. Vinyaya smiled back. She had decided to give Bluetooth a chance with a potential relationship. She was, admittedly, surprised with her choice. She had her romantic fun when she was younger. She began to focus on her career once she became an officer. She hadn't been willing to develop too many close relationships in that line of work; casualties didn't come in by the truckload, but they came in enough that she hadn't been willing to go through the pain of losing someone close.

And now here, having fought for her home planet, she was suddenly disregarding her old way of operating. Perhaps the situation had been such a radical shock, she didn't really know. But since landing on this planet, Vinyaya had a brief relationship with a disgruntled dinosaur hunter and had become close friends with a space ninja, a girl with a troubled past, a sarcastic LEGO Islander, and a pirate-turned-ninja. She had experienced those feelings of loss that she so desperately tried to prevent. Those feelings of loss, however, ended up giving her feelings of trust and closeness toward people she had hardly known for a week that she reserved for officer friends.

Admittedly, Bluetooth was a heavy contrast to Scratch. The latter had a dark sense of humor, extremist views, and emotionally driven in his life. The former was calmer, more level-headed, and not much of fighter as far as Vinyaya knew. Despite this, Vinyaya felt herself enjoying Bluetooth's presence a lot more than she had with Scratch's. Vinyaya knew Bluetooth truly cared for her while she will never know if Scratch truly held feelings toward her or was simply manipulating her.

Vinyaya glanced at Ryan Radcliff one last time. He was looking out the window, most likely keeping an eye out for Blaire Darkling. A small smile formed on her face. She found herself increasingly looking forward to getting to know him better.

"So the cut..." Zach said, drifting off and pointing to the light red gash across Minerva's cheek. Minerva sighed, just the barest hint of sadness in her breath. "It was Oswald, right?" She nodded once. "And he's..."

"He's dead. I killed him," Minerva said bluntly. Zach grimaced. "He also cut my stomach." She gestured to the tear in her Dino Attack uniform. "Nothing too bad," she continued with a shrug.

Zach stared. She was being eerily calm about losing her family. Not so much from apathy toward the situation. More like... grim acceptance. "Uh..."

Minerva silenced him with a wave of her hand. "Once this is done, I'll tell you what happened." Minerva chuckled softly. "I might not be this calm when I tell you, though. I've been sort of... holding it back. When I tell you, all the emotions that came with it will be released like a giant blob of sad, tears, and mad."

Zach shrugged, smirking faintly, "I expected about as much." He tugged Minerva into a quick one-arm hug. "What are we going to do with... her?"

Minerva lifted Zach's arm off of her. "Hopefully, we'll be able to contact someone in Antarctica who can make a new tombstone really quick. We'll have a short little ceremony-type thing with you and me, and then we'll head off to LEGO Island."

"And Nazareno?"

"We still have his body. We briefly talked about doing something for him. You, Zelda, Holly, and myself, at least. I think we'll have a more coherent idea once this is done and we get some sleep. But I think we'll try to deal with Nazareno before we take care of Mom."

"Sounds like a plan," Zach said.

At that moment, the radio blared to life with a message from Rotor: "We just got a report from someone who witnessed Blaire Darkling near the city park. He had been fighting 'a hairy man in a blue uniform', almost certainly an Agent, described as 'large and imposing with a large broadsword'."

"Is that a Grendelwulf brother?" Zach questioned.

"That's Epic Winston," Zelda whispered, as she was controlling the Xenon Launcher. Epic Winston Grendelwulf. Zach never actually met him or his brother during his work with the Agents, but they were notably enough that it was surprising if you haven't heard of them.

"It doesn't sound like it ended well for the Agent," added Rotor.

*****

As the windshield wipers slid rhythmically back and forth across the windshield, Solomon looked around the cabin at the other occupants. Andrew, Laxus, and Doctor Cyborg looked stoically gazed out the window without saying a word. Everyone was tired; Solomon was sick of the bloodshed and was not excited to jump into yet another fight. Although he had grown to respect Nazareno over the course of the battle, he had not joined the company to avenge his death. Revenge was something the philosopher had long since grown out of; he had joined the team to make sure the others did nothing they would regret.

Blaire Darkling was a monster, and most of the occupants of the other Fire Hammer wanted retribution. While Solomon agreed that he needed to be stopped, angry determination was not the answer. He had worked closely with Darkling during his time at XERRD; on several occasions, they had been partners on missions that have provided a unique look into the man's psyche. Solomon knew what Blaire was capable of. Although he did not think he was beyond redemption, he was pretty sure it would not happen. Darkling was incredibly dangerous, and he needed to be stopped before more good men were killed.

But he sensed that was not the consensus of the group. Although they did a fine job hiding it, he believed that Zach and Zelda were seething with a barely controlled rage. Anger was a poor ally in a fight, and the last thing he wanted was to have someone else die because of their rash assaults.

The Fire Hammer navigated its way around a dead Tyrannosaurus Rex and turned onto a side street. Their search method was relatively random. They were depending on Pterisa's relaying of coordinates in their hunt. He was skeptical whether or not they would find Blaire using this method but, in the event that they did, there were some things that Zachary and Zelda needed to know.

He adjusted the microphone in his helmet and set it to the speaker in Vinyaya's Fire Hammer. Taking a breath, he spoke a message that all could hear. "Listen, before we do this, there are some things you should know," he began, "You don't know Blaire Darkling the way I do. I can understand that you are angry and want blood, but that is a very dangerous way to go into this. Trust me when I tell you this, Darkling is cunning and manipulative, he knows how to pull your strings and make you unbalanced. Charging in there, angrily slicing away, is a good way to get yourself killed. Speaking from my experience, Blaire may be a better swordsman then many of us here…"

"That's why I should go at him," interrupted Dr. Cyborg. "I can take more punishment than all of you."

Solomon frowned. "Dr. Cyrista, since I've worked with you, your fatal flaw has always been overconfidence. Since your accident, your overreliance on your technological implants has only increased. Darkling is a powerful adversary, Matthew; even with your advantages, you cannot account for his unpredictability."

"I still want to fight him," said Zelda darkly over the radio. "That son of a 4+ Figure is going to pay."

"That's exactly what Blaire would want," responded Solomon. "He knows how to get you mad. Despite his thuggish appearance, he is calculating. Engaging him in a direct fight would be most unwise; it would provide him with an opportunity to find your weaknesses and exploit them."

The silence over the radio told Solomon that Zelda was not pleased with his response. After several minutes of an awkward quiet, Commander Vinyaya spoke up: "You seem to know Blaire pretty well. How would you recommend we approach him?"

"If you want my opinion, we don't give him any chances," said the philosopher "Engage him at range and stay out of reach. Don't make it any more complicated than it needs to be. Swords should not be necessary. Shoot him and get it over with before he has a chance to speak and engage your emotions. This is not the time to let lust for revenge take over."

The Fire Hammers turned another corner and arrived at a roundabout near the city park. Of course, many of the trees had long since died and the grass was either lifeless or overgrown. A large gothic sculpture dominated the area surrounded by a dead fountain.

"Blaire's got a bulletproof vest," Bluetooth said from Vinyaya's Humvee. "Shooting him might not be so simple."

Solomon nodded. "We're still far better than if we try and attack him with swords. As uncivilized as this may be, it will probably be the safest-"

The radio up front began to crackle, interrupting Solomon. "I think I see him," Pterisa said. "He's currently engaged in a battle with a XERRD Space Marauder."

*****

A few seconds later, Pterisa appeared in front of the two Fire Hammers and began to lead them in the direction of Blaire Darkling. The Fire Hammers changed course and drove over the curve onto the park grass. Cutting across the field of unkempt vegetation, they advanced across the remains of the city's botanical gardens to the position Pterisa had relayed. As they drew closer, Zach could see fresh Minifig corpses scattered around: all victims of Blaire Darkling's rage, no doubt.

Just inside the park's wrought iron gate, the Fire Hammers' lights shined upon two figures facing each other in the rain. Both were of incredible statue and appeared to be engaged in a standoff, with guns trained on each other. One was Blaire Darkling and his handgun. The other was most certainly a XERRD Space Marauder, a rocket launcher in her hand.

Both Blaire and the Space Marauder looked as the two Fire Hammers approached. "You should get out there if you're going to do it, Doc." He wanted Zelda's plan to go through, but he was mostly fighting for simplicity. Kill Darkling and get out of here.

A sinister smirk formed on Blaire's face as he seemed to recognize the occupants of Zach's Fire Hammer. Taking advantage of the distraction, he whipped a katana out with his left hand and slew the Space Marauder, dispatching her with several quick slashes. As she fell, Blaire took out his own rocket launcher.

Zach saw the color drain from Vinyaya's face. "Fire!" she snapped. Blaire chuckled quietly and, taking a second to aim, pointed the rocket launcher at her Fire Hammer. "Get out! Move!"

Grabbing her Cosmotronic Ray, Vinyaya kicked open her door and dived out. Bluetooth did the same. Grabbing a Sonic Screamer and a Cosmotronic Ray respectively, Minerva and Zach jumped out of the vehicle and started to run. Out of the corner of his eye, Zelda stuck the trigger of the Xenon Launcher so it would fire without human manipulation. She then backflipped off and ran as a rocket fired from Blaire's launcher.

A loud explosion echoed through the quiet city as the jeep was engulfed in orange flames. Another explosion sounded off as the Xenon supply exploded as well, causing green flames to join the orange flames briefly. Zach scowled and started firing his Cosmotronic Ray at Darkling, who dodged the blasts. They were now on foot. What was supposed to be a semi-easy mission had turned bad quickly.

Good thing we didn't have any real plans from the start, or this would be a lot worse than it already is.

*****

Solomon recognized Blaire immediately when he turned to look at the two vehicles. Then, when the XERRD security chief smiled and defeated the Space Marauder, Solomon realized it might not be so simple.

The explosion rocked the park and bits of debris rained on Solomon's windshield. He spun the wheel to avoid the wreckage of the burning Fire Hammer and skidded across the wet grass of the park to face the assassin.

It figured. The best laid, admittedly vaguely-formed, plans always seemed to go to waste when someone had a rocket launcher.

Solomon was already pulling out of view, likely counting on Darkling having his attention most diverted by Zach's crew. And not too soon either, as another rocket whizzed by, only just missing them by a well-guessed turn backwards to the right. The rocket hit and obliterated the gothic sculpture in the center of the park.

"How many rockets does he have?" asked Laxus. "I was under the impression that they did not have bottomless magazines."

"Probably only a handful," responded Dr. Cyborg as Solomon brought the vehicle to a hard left and nearly hit a tree. "He's bound to run out of rockets sometime."

"Let's hope so," muttered Andrew, the elite agent checked to make sure the occupants of Zach's fire Hammer had survived before jumping over the passenger seat beside Solomon. He flinched as the Fire Hammer shot over a park bench and demolished a nearby fruit stand. "What's that fruit stand doing here?!" yelled Andrew.

"Yes, it's strange that fruit would be in session during December," noted Laxus.

"Yes, that's why it's strange," muttered Andrew sarcastically as he considered the war that had just transpired in the city. Blaire fired another rocket that shot past the front of the vehicle. Laxus, Solomon, Andrew, and Dr. Cyborg all ducked when the projectile exploded above their head.

"Solomon, I get the wheel here," said Andrew, leaning in from the front passenger seat. "I'm a bit better at keeping my vehicles in one piece."

"You think you can avoid rocket fire?" the XERRD scientist asked incredulously.

"I've raced on LEGO Island tracks; I think I can handle a few rocket-propelled grenades."

"Probably a good idea," Solomon quickly relented as he relinquished the wheel. He slid past the elite agent and shifted to the passenger seat to let Andrew have control again. As he got comfortable, he drove forward, driving past and around a building to come in from another angle. With the attacks Zach's group was likely sending towards Blaire's way, plus the slight mist from the rain and the slowly-but-surely decreasing light as night descended upon them, they were hardly noticeable as they made their maneuver.

"Dr. Cyborg," Andrew said through the Xenon cannon radio, "If you want to try out your plan, do it quickly. Don't worry, Solomon and Laxus can take over the launcher for you."

The Fire Hammer was pulled around the other side of the building and directed back towards the battle, giving them a bit of time of surprise as Andrew's crew prepared their next attack. If this worked right, it would be as simple as fighting Willa, except with less unpredictable power and more unpredictable athletics.

*****

Bluetooth was fatigued, but he wasn't tired yet. Having vehicles being exploded behind you had a habit of keeping oneself on their toes.

He wasn't just using a pistol anymore. He had a Z-1 Kinetic Launcher in his hands now. While not lethal, it was sufficient to stun a target enough to let other attacks have an opening. And unless Darkling had a shield on him, he doubted he would be able to withstand it.

That is, if he would let anyone hit him. Watching Blaire Darkling move was like watching The Matrix fight scenes ten times over. He was rather good at dodging bullets, and he was slowly trying to make his way to his assailants to get in melee range, which is where things would likely get the messiest.

But therein, as Bluetooth saw it in terms of the way he had watched PLARXX signals, lay a problem. Blaire was outnumbered 11-to-1 (and counting, if Rotor's transmissions meant his T-1 Typhoon was on their trail). Sure, he had taken out countless people already so far, but they hadn't fully known what they were dealing with. And he wasn't unstoppable; Pterisa's story about him backing away from her brethren made that clear. And that rocket launcher of his didn't have infinite ammo, he couldn't use it forever.

The Futuron agent would've preferred to tell everybody to spread out, but that would mean letting Darkling know what they were doing. So he darted out on his own, avoiding methods of alerting others to his presence until just the right moment...

"Remember me, Darkling?" Bluetooth cried out as he got clear to the man's right.

Blaire turned, and a disturbing mix of delight and fury appeared on his face. He began moving away from Zach as he started closing in on the technician. "You shouldn't have done that," Blaire called out, distracting Zach's crew by firing another rocket at them. "You never should've exposed me..."

"Yeah, well, you never should've told a techie with a communicator that you were killing him for knowing a secret of yours!" Bluetooth said, raising his Z-1 launcher, knowing that any shots would likely be ducked or sidestepped, possibly into Fabello's chest just to make him feel bad. "People like me do not forgive and do not forget!"

Blaire ignored the taunts. "I shall make your death as agonizing as possible..."

"Good luck with that when you've got ten others simultaneously gunning on you." Bluetooth shot his launcher, which, as expected, Blaire easily sidestepped. He rushed up to Bluetooth's face, knocked away the launcher, and was about to grab his neck when he was struck by a bolt of lightning. He grunted as he was knocked to the ground, the Space Marauder rocket launcher flying out of his hand.

Bluetooth glanced briefly to see Pterisa swooping just out of view. Then he grabbed his Z-1 and the rocket launcher and started running off. Blaire recovered quickly, getting back on his feet and drawing his pistol. He was aiming at Bluetooth's fleeing figure when Andrew's Fire Hammer suddenly pulled back into view. The Xenon launcher revved up and fired away at the assassin.

*****

"See anything yet?" Mac asked.

"Not a thing," replied Rotor. "Give me that radio." He quickly reached for his own radio and began speaking into it. "Blaire Darkling, you have thirty seconds to surrender or else we will open fire." Quickly changing frequencies, Rotor picked up the microphone once more. "I want Blaire Darkling's most probably location right now. Over."

In the back, Maria held Andrea Jackson Orange's hand tightly. Andrea was still reluctant to admit to their newfound relationship, especially her father, who was sitting nearby (then again, it was crowded).

"You think we'll find him?" Andrea asked.

"I don't know," replied Maria. "This Blaire Darkling sounds like one mighty tough fella. Mah Daddy wouldn't had too much trouble with him, though. He were a lawman, ya see."

Andrea smiled. "My dad kicked me out of the house," she said. "I had an affair with Samantha, and he didn't entirely approve of. He didn't know the full truth, but he knew there was something strange about it."

*****

Andrew brought the Fire Hammer around a sharp corner and around the block. Laxus climbed out the back window and opened fire with the launcher when the vehicle once again turned to face Blaire.

Not even Blaire could stay on his feet when confronted with a volley from the Xenon cannon. The explosive shells slammed into the ground around him and sent the assassin flying across the park.

Out of the corner of his eye, Solomon spotted Cyborg draw his blade. The doctor seemed prepared to jump from the vehicle as it rushed past Darkling, but Solomon grabbed his shoulder.

"We have superior firepower in the jeep, Dr. Cyrista," the philosopher said sternly. "It's best if we keep this simple and attack him with our heavy weaponry. Swordsmanship is where Blaire Darkling excels, I understand you think you can take him, but I assure you that you underestimate his abilities. If we provide cover fire with the jeep, we can keep him unbalanced and avoid a more unpredictable face to face confrontation."

"What about his rocket launcher?" Laxus said skeptically over the radio. "We won't fair very well if we get hit with one of them!"

"Let's just not give him a chance to fire it," responded Solomon. "Let's just shoot him and get it over with. I think it's safe to say we all just want this to be over."

Andrew nodded and spun around again to face the assassin. Laxus unleashed another assault with the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher that prevented Blaire from rising. Surrounded by explosions, the man was once again thrown backwards to role across the green. Andrew brought the vehicle to bear and directed it at the downed assassin.

Solomon said. "Floor it." And the Fire Hammer rushed forward at Darkling.

*****

The Fire Hammers came to a stop somewhere in the streets below. Rotor sat in the cockpit and watched carefully, taking a sip of coffee form a nearby mug. "Get us lower!" Rotor shouted. Cabin quickly complied.

Rotor picked up the microphone. "Blaire Darkling, you have fifteen seconds to surrender or we will open fire on you. I repeat, you have fifteen seconds!"

Rotor quickly took his hand off the button. "Lance!" he shouted. "Prepare to fire!"

Quickly, Lance placed some extra ammunition into the gun turret in which he sat. As the T-1 Typhoon hovered there, Scope came to the edge with her rifle. Her boyfriend watched through a pair of binoculars. "He's engaged them!" Lance said.

Rotor grinned. "Just as I hoped. OPEN FIRE!"

Scope carefully aimed her rifle out of the chopper toward the mysterious Blaire Darkling as a Fire Hammer drove toward him. She aimed right for his chest, and pulled the trigger.

At that moment, as the T-1 Typhoon got closer, Lance started to fire.

*****

Zach watched as Blaire rolled to the side as T-1 Typhoon fire from above rained upon him. He nodded quickly to Minerva, and the two began firing everything they could at Darkling. Blaire took a few shots with his pistol at them before taking cover behind a jungle gym with various prehistoric vegetation growing on.

"Light it up!" Zach yelled. The T-1 Typhoon fired several rockets at the playground, blowing it to bits. Zach wasn't willing to bet on Blaire being dead, however. Not until he saw the corpse himself.

"Here!" Vinyaya suddenly yelled. Zach turned his head and saw Vinyaya firing several blasts at Blaire, who was rushing at her. She swung the Cosmotronic Ray fiercely. Blaire snapped it in his hand and tossed it aside before throwing a punch. Vinyaya caught the fist and swung her now-free hand out to punch Blaire, only for him to swing his arm out to redirect it away from him.

"You know, I have yet to catch your name," Blaire said. Vinyaya shoved him away and raised her fists, a cold frown on her face. Blaire stepped forward and began throwing rapid fire punches at Vinyaya. The Space Police commando raised her arms and knocked away each punch that came. Blaire suddenly began to move slowly around Vinyaya as he attacked, forcing Vinyaya to adjust herself so she could attack and defend.

"He's using her as a shield," Zach muttered to Minerva. Blaire positioned Vinyaya in front of him so they couldn't shoot him if they didn't want to kill Vinyaya as well.

"We still have Pterisa and Rotor up there," Minerva said. Then, "I've shot Holly with a Sonic Screamer before, when you were a Stromling. It won't kill her. Then we can knock out Blaire."

"Or he'll just finish her off while she unconscious," Zach pointed out. "Or forcibly use her body as a shield."

"Right, bad idea. And thinking about it now, having Rotor taking them out from the sky at the moment doesn't seem bright." That was also true. The heavy weapons on the T-1 Typhoon would kill both Blaire and Vinyaya. Which was why Andrew's Fire Hammer, which was nearby, had held off its charge and its Xenon Launcher wasn't firing. Zach grimaced as he saw the weapons on Rotor's helicopter began to rotate.

"I swear to Builder," Bluetooth muttered darkly as he approached the group, now holding Blaire's rocket launcher with his Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. "If he does something stupid to kill him and hurts Holly..." Zach and Minerva didn't say anything, but were silently agreeing to Bluetooth's ominous threat. It seemed someone talked some sense into Rotor, because the weapons stopped rotating. Instead, the piercing sound of a sniper fire shattered through the air. The bullet struck near Vinyaya and Blaire's feet; a little too close for comfort.

"Right now," Minerva said as she glanced upward. "Rotor should leave the air assault to Pterisa." The Hybrid soared above them and rose high into the air, above Vinyaya and Blaire. A bright blue spark shot from her hands and struck Blaire's back. Instead of falling, he merely stumbled. He swung his arm into Vinyaya's chest, knocking her back as he pulled his gun out and pointed it at Pterisa.

"Ah!" Blaire snarled. "The Quasifigus pterisa! It has been a while. I knew better to take on three extremely angry Hybrids rejects at once, but now…" He gestured to the agents surrounding him. "Seeing as the odds are decreasing rapidly in success, I think I'll finish the job that 'Wallace Bishop' would not!" His pistol lit up as he opened fire on the Hybrid. Pterisa performed numerous, spectacular aerobatics in the sky while firing streaks of lightning at her attacker. Zach though he saw Blaire's smirk widen briefly before Vinyaya was suddenly back on her feet and wrapped Blaire up in a football tackle.

As they watched the struggle, Pterisa suddenly landed near them, clutching her right shoulder. Minerva gasped as she saw the barest hint of blood seeping down her armor. "Pterisa! Are you-"

"I'm fine," Pterisa grunted as she grimaced in pain. "I think I'll live. But Mr. Darkling over here won't, soon enough." They turned their attention back to the fight as Vinyaya punched Blaire hard in the face. Frowning as a parent would to a disobedient child, Blaire grabbed Vinyaya's arm and twisted it behind her back. Vinyaya gasped and grimaced as Blaire scoffed.

"How about that name now?" Blaire snarled, twisting Vinyaya's arm harder. She grimaced and sharply kicked him in the stomach. He responded by swinging his fist into the left side of her face.

"Vinyaya..." she gasped, a deep scowl on her face. "Holly Vinyaya."

"Well then, Commander Vinyaya, I've noticed these scars on your face. Acidic right? Rather recent, would you say?" Zach saw a flash of fear in Vinyaya's eye. "So I imagine this would hurt, correct?" With that, Blaire swung his fist into Vinyaya's right cheek. She flinched, her lip shaking as her left eye began to water. Blaire made a tsk sound, clearly disappointed. "Let me try that again." With that, he slammed his fist into her scars again. A barely audible gasp of pain escaped Vinyaya's lips. "Admittedly," Blaire said with a shrug. "I expected this to hurt a lot more."

"Imagination fallout," Vinyaya snarled, her voice somewhat weak. "Dimmed the pain."

"Of course," Blaire said darkly. "I'll just hit harder, then." At that point, Bluetooth was running at Blaire with a furious look on his face. He fired one blast from his Z-1 that soared over the assassin's head. Without tilting his head away from Vinyaya, Blaire punched Bluetooth in the stomach, causing him to double over, dropping both weapons. Blaire then wrapped his hand underneath Bluetooth's chin and lifted him into the air. Blaire glanced from Vinyaya to Bluetooth, an amused grin dancing across his face.

"How amusing," Blaire said. "I disagreed with Michelle Gladys with many a thing, but there was one thing I could agree on: these emotions and attachments to other Minifigs are weak and foolish. I abandoned all my past connections so nothing could be used against me." He slammed Bluetooth's head hard against the wet grass of the park. Vinyaya gasped again, a mixture of fear and anger on her face. "It is only something to be used to break your morale and spirit." Bluetooth's head slammed against the ground again and Blaire released him, only to stomp on his chest. Bluetooth groaned and glared at Blaire with hatred.

"Now," Blaire said, pulling Vinyaya close to him and pulling his gun on Bluetooth. "Who would be broken more if I killed the other, hmm?" Pterisa quickly jumped into the air and fired a bolt of lightning at the ground near Blaire. He flinched, allowing Vinyaya to swing her arm into Blaire's face. He dropped Vinyaya and started firing at Pterisa again. As Vinyaya helped Bluetooth to his feet and stepped back, Zach, Minerva, Andrew's Fire Hammer, and Rotor's T-1 Typhoon opened fire on Darkling.

Blaire roared in anger and snapped up the Space Marauder rocket launcher that Bluetooth had dropped. As he ran and dodged the firepower, he fired one rocket upward at the T-1 Typhoon and another at the Fire Hammer. Zach didn't bother seeing if the rockets met their mark.

*****

"Darnit, why didn't Bluetooth keep that rocket launcher away from him?!"

Andrew only just managed to avoid being hit by the rocket fire, steering sharply backwards to the right to avoid the shot. By now, he was getting peeved. He was not feeling up to being taken down so easily by some madman thought he could just kill everything and solve all his problems.

"How much ammo does that thing even have?!" Laxus asked.

"To make a long explanation short," Solomon said, "Paradox guns uses a lot of experimental TRDS Load Compression fields to contain large amounts of ammo in their handful of conventional weaponry. Don't ask me how it works, it'd take hours to explain."

"Whatever," muttered Andrew.

Dr. Cyborg jumped off the Fire Hammer, which soon continued to fire at Darkling as someone took over the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher. He pulled behind a fruit stand and stood still. He needed to concentrate to try this new trick. He concentrated on shifting only his left hand into combat mode. After two or three tries, he finally got the shield generator out and active.

He activated the shield, but not in the standard rectangle. On a whim, he made it more diamond shaped, with the two side points higher up on the shield. After some thought, he made the hard light that it was made out of different colors. The base of the shield was blue, and the rim was silver. He added some decoration to it in the form of a red bird, and a yellow triangle made of three other triangles above the bird.

He pulled out his energy sword hilt, which had been stained purple from the Maelstrom corruption it once endured. To make it match his shield in the same joke, he shaped the energy near the base into wings that appeared to be part of the hilt, and made them purple. He added a yellow gem in the middle. He made the blade a simple silver, but added the same triangle near the hilt. From a distance, the sword and shield would appear to be made of metal, but close examination would reveal them to be hard light.

He heard Blaire's rocket launcher stop firing for a second, and jumped out from behind the fruit stand. "Hey, Blaire!" he yelled. "How about fighting with swords?"

*****

As Blaire ran, he suddenly paused and jolted in surprise as a new gunshot echoed through the air. Everyone seized fire briefly as Blaire turned his head.

Zelda Frodongan stood next to Zach, a smoking pistol in her hands and a dark scowl on her face. That smirk appeared on Blaire's face again. "Tsk tsk, Miss Frodongan. Bulletproof vest, remember? You're going to have to get closer and do better than that."

Zach took this opportunity to drop his Cosmotronic Ray and fire a Maelstrom fireball at Darkling. He flinched as Maelstrom slammed into his person. "Ah, Mr. Virchaus. I could guess you would be a part of this party. I suppose we do have loose ends to tie up from earlier." Blaire fired his gun twice at Zach, who blocked each bullet with a Maelstrom shield. He then tossed several more fireballs at Blaire.

The former assassin dodged the blasts with ease. As the last one came at him, he extended his hand and caught the fireball. Blaire chuckled as he choked the fire out in his glove. "Disappointing, Mr. Virchaus. Hiding behind the Maelstrom?"

Zach scowled, growing angrier as he sent another fireball at Darkling. He choked that one out as well. Blaire shook his head, smiling arrogantly as he fired another shot at Zach. Zach closed his eyes and watched as purple electricity shot from his fingers and struck Blaire's face.

Blaire screamed in pain and fell forward to his knees. As he fell, his sunglasses fell into the grass with a soft thump in two pieces. Everyone stared for a few seconds as Blaire began to rise to his feet. Zach gasped audibly as he looked upon Blaire Darkling's eyes.

There was little white around his irises. They were a light tint of red and had dark red veins with flecks of purple traveling from the corners of his eyes to his sickly pale-yellow irises that also showed the barest hint of purple. In those sickly Maelstrom-infected eyes, Zach saw nothing but pure hatred. Blaire bared his teeth, his grotesque eyes never leaving Zach's.

"Imagine the pain I felt," Darkling hissed, "when the Maelstrom Temple was created almost a year ago. When the Maelstrom Crystal and the Imagination reacted... negatively. Bolts of Maelstrom energy went directly into my eyes. It was... agonizing. If not for the work of the nearby scientists, I would've gone blind from that attack. The sunglasses saved you from seeing them. Since you were so kind to destroy the sunglasses, I suppose you'll have to die with my eyes being the last thing you see." And with that ultimatum, Blaire Darkling rushed forward to attack.

*****

As Andrew thought over what the next strategy might be and watched as Zach and Blaire got into a Maelstrom scuffle, he asked "So what's our plans for life after all this? Once things are cleaned up with the Mutant Dinos and everything."

"Think I might return to business working with the aero tubes manufactures I work with back home," Laxus said over the radio to the Xenon launcher. "I bet with all the things needing reconstruction, corporations should be more able to install new transportation systems."

"You mentioned that once, I think, yeah. Would be interesting to see those tubes cojoining the subways for quick transportation. As for me..." Andrew's thoughts drifted, not really thinking of much at first, but then he remembered one of the earliest conversations he had had with the likes of Bluetooth. "Hmm… don't really know, I'd like to travel a bit through the stars, actually. Settle on another planet, see new planets and all."

"Really? Hmmm... you know, I bet I could help make that happen."

"Really?!" Andrew's heart took a slight leap. He knew Laxus had friends with people up in space to be able to be on Earth when the Dino Attack, but being willing to do that... he had considered, it but thinking that Laxus would offer it first hadn't crossed him, even after all their time bonding.

The cry Blaire gave while charging at Zach interrupted Andrew's moment. "Eh, yeah," said Laxus, "but let's finish that conversation later, we have other matters to worry about."

*****

Scope fired another round, which seemed to hit, but did no damage. "He's got a bulletproof vest!" she said.

Barry Jackson lowered his binoculars. "Try aiming for the head?" he suggested. "You think you can do that?"

Scope nodded and looked back through her scope toward Blaire. Another shot was fired by Scope and missed.

"Can't we just blast him with the rockets?" Cabin asked.

"I'm afraid we can't," replied Rotor. "If we do that, we run the risk of hitting our own!"

"I could take him!" Angel Eyes said. "There's a few of us who could get him if we can get down on the ground!" Sure enough, the helicopter came down, and a small group of people climbed out and split up.

The noise of spurs echoed through the street as Blaire aimed his rocket launcher, only to get an unexpected surprise when a bullet flew right through it. He lowered the gun to see Clint Wayne with a revolver pointed right at him. Suddenly, a gun cocked behind Blaire, and he turned to see Angel Eyes, armed with a rifle. "Drop the gun," he said.

Blaire's red eyes narrowed curtly as he stared at the barrel of the gun Angel Eyes' held in his hands. Zach let out slow sigh as he released the grip on the knife he was about to pull from his uniform to attack Blaire with.

"As you wish," Blaire snarled. He swung the rocket launcher up, knocking the rifle away and then swung the rocket launcher into Angel Eyes' leg, bringing him down. Discarding the rocket launcher, Blaire ducked quickly as Clint Wayne fired a bullet at his head. Blaire swept his leg across the ground, tripping the gunslinger. Blaire casually stood up and kicked the revolver away from Clint Wayne.

"Please," Blaire scoffed, arrogantly brushing dirt off his trenchcoat. "Like I haven't been in a situation like that before." Blaire then stepped over Wayne as several bullets from the surrounding group shot toward him. Blaire took a few careless shots with his pistol before pulling his katana out and charging at Zach again.

"Shoot," Zach muttered, ripping the knife from his uniform. The smaller blade collided hard against Blaire's katana. The former leader of XERRD's piercing eyes widened and a grin of sick amusement formed on his face.

"A knife will do little to help you, Virchaus," Blaire spat. He brought the katana back and swung again. Zach staggered as the blade collided with the knife. He brought the sword back to stab when Minerva suddenly burst forward and slammed her shoulder into Blaire's. Despite her small size, Blaire was unprepared for the attack and stumbled.

Blaire turned and swung the katana upward in a wide arc, knocking away Minerva's Sonic Screamer. "Miss Fabello," he said politely. "So it seems the death of your mother and presumably your brother have not entirely hindered you. I admire that. To an extent."

"Shut up," Minerva said shortly, her fists raised. "You're just as much to blame for her death as Oswald. You helped him break her out of Napoleon XIV. You brought her here."

Darkling shrugged. "I suppose I did, didn't I? I was pitying him mostly. His insanity was rather... evident at that point." He jabbed his sword forward. Minerva quickly jerked her body to the side and swung a hard punch into Blaire's face. Unamused, Blaire swung his arm in the side of her face and prepared to stab the sword down. Minerva kicked her legs up, hitting underneath his chin. Blaire grunted in pain and brought his foot up. Minerva rolled out of the way as Blaire's boot slammed into the ground.

Blaire turned to pursue her when he saw Dr. Cyborg standing before him, an energy shield and sword in his hands. Blaire scoffed coldly. His eyes seemed to brighten. "Dr. Cyrista. You never crossed me as one for swordplay." Blaire frowned. "You know, I made you second-in-command of XERRD for the very purpose that, when I killed Nazareno, you would continue to reform XERRD. Having me kill you here kinda makes the promotion redundant."

Blaire swung his katana at Dr. Cyborg, who blocked it with the shield. Blaire smirked and pulled off a series of complicated attacks at Dr. Cyborg. The cyborg Dino Attack agent was apparently caught off guard by Blaire's attack and was being forced back by Darkling.

Minerva shook Zach's shoulders, snapping him out of stupor. She had her Sonic Screamer in hand again. "Remember Dr. Cyborg's plan?" Zach nodded and picked his Cosmotronic Ray back up. He saw Vinyaya and Bluetooth point their Cosmotronic Ray and Z-1 Kinetic Launcher at Blaire. The plan seems to have been passed on to Clint Wayne and Angel Eyes, who both pointed their weapons at Darkling as well.

"Excellent plan," Blaire said arrogantly. Dr. Cyborg recovered at that moment and launched a quick attack against Blaire. His reflexes were certainly fast thanks to his half-machineself, but compared to Blaire's, they were shockingly on par. A sinking feeling formed in Zach's stomach as Blaire blocked the blurry attacks with ease, a bored look on his face. He was naturally that quick. Blaire was also moving around Dr. Cyborg as he attacked. "Yes, have Dr. Cyrista distract me while you all shoot. How ingenious."

Blaire slammed his sword into Dr. Cyborg's and brought his person closer to his enemy. With a smirk, Blaire slammed his gloved fist into Dr. Cyborg's helmet visor, cracking it. He swung his fist again, finally shattering. The organic side of Dr. Cyborg's face expressed surprise. Dr. Cyborg swung his shield against Blaire's chest, causing him to stumble back. Dr. Cyborg ran forward to attack. Blaire spun around the doctor with ease and swung his sword down. Dr. Cyborg barely turned himself around in time to stop the attack.

Zach was trying to get a good shot on Blaire, but he was moving around enough to put both Dr. Cyborg and other attackers surrounding Blaire in danger. Clint Wayne squeezed off two shots, one barely missing Dr. Cyborg while the other grazed Blaire's shoulder. It didn't stop that latter, however.

Blaire slammed his katana against Dr. Cyborg's sword. Blaire twisted his body and swung an elbow into Dr. Cyborg's organic side of his face. Dr. Cyborg grimaced, allowing Blaire to swing his foot into Dr. Cyborg's stomach, forcing him back. With a bored smirk, Blaire stabbed his katana forward, intending to inflict the killing blow.

Only he didn't. His sword was redirected into the ground by a golden blade. Blaire's eyes widened, almost as if the ghost of Nazareno himself had stopped his attack. Traveling up the blade, Blaire's eyes rested upon Zelda Frodongan, a look of barely contained anger in her eye. A wide smirk formed on Blaire's face as he brought his sword back and pointed it at Zelda. Zelda merely reached for her second sword and pointed both blades at Darkling.

"Let's finish this," she said darkly before lunging in to attack.

Dr. Cyborg was the least little bit surprised. He had found a natural equal! Okay, maybe Solomon had a point. He stood slouched for a second, recovering his breath, when Zelda jumped in front of him.

He squinted his eye, unused to the bright light. Having his natural face always hidden under a dark HUD visor had made his face pale and weakened his eye.

When he had fully recovered a second later, he stood up beside Zelda, who was about to start round 3. "News flashes, Darkling: I don't intend to die, and I am Dr. Cyborg!" he said defiantly.

*****

"Didn't quite work?" Maria said. "Time for plan B!"

"What's that?" Andrea asked turning toward her. Maria smiled and turned toward Fireman, who displayed a menacing grin.

Putting on his mask, and helmet, Fireman jumped out of the helicopter and started spreading his flamethrower everywhere. Maria reached for her belt and grabbed a revolver as her girlfriend's father charged blindly toward the action, shouting an incomprehensible battle cry.

"You should have seen him in the fire department," Andrea remarked with a slight smirk. "He always wore those gas masks at the scene of a fire, regardless of how serious it was. I have no idea how his co-workers understood a word he was saying."

"How'd he end up like that?" Maria asked.

"I don't know," replied Andrea.

"What do you say we get out there and give 'em boys a hand?"

Andrea smiled as Maria stepped jumped out of the T-1 Typhoon and aimed her revolver toward Blaire. In all the chaos, sneaking up on Blair wasn't too hard; he was one man surrounded by several people. The real challenge was getting a hit. Andrea was climbing out of the chopper moments later with an unusual weapon, and when Blaire's back was turned, she charged toward him, holding a large red fire axe.

The level of distaste in Blaire's eye seemed to grow as Fireman, Andrea, and Maria joined the fight below. "Really?" Blaire said irritably. Everyone began to approach Blaire. There was no holding back now. There may be a few injuries, but Blaire was so handily outnumbered, they had to take this opportunity to strike.

"Hey!" an unrecognizable feminine voice called out. Everyone turned to see a new Fire Hammer had arrived. A woman was sitting in the driver seat with another Dino Attack agent on the Xenon Launcher. "Is it too late to join the hunt down a Blaire Darkling - oh, Builder! What's wrong with eyes?!"

Blaire shot a quick glance at Zelda and Dr. Cyborg before pulling his pistol and shooting the agent on the turret dead. "You're just in time. I know my limits. We're done here." He started running toward the Fire Hammer.

"Shoot him!" Minerva barked. Everyone quickly trained their guns on the Fire Hammer and Blaire and opened fire. Several shots struck Blaire in the back, but thanks to his vest, ignored the pain and swung open the Fire Hammer and shot the female agent in the chin. Climbing into the Fire Hammer, Blaire put the vehicle in drive and headed off.

The reaction was quick. Fireman, Andrea, Maria, Angel Eyes, and Clint Wayne climbed back into the T-1 Typhoon while Bluetooth, Dr. Cyborg, and Zelda climbed into Andrew's Fire Hammer and Zach, Minerva, and Vinyaya clung to the Fire Hammer cab from the back with Laxus.

Andrew's Fire Hammer turned sharply on its wheels and drove out of the park in pursuit of Blaire's Fire Hammer. Laxus fired the Xenon Launcher at Blaire's Fire Hammer while Zach, Minerva, and Vinyaya hung on to the Fire Hammer while firing their own weapons. Above them, Rotor's T-1 Typhoon was mercilessly firing everything it had. Zach grinned as the Xenon Launcher on the back of Blaire's Fire Hammer exploded.

"We almost got him," Vinyaya muttered.

Suddenly, Blaire's Fire Hammer slowed down dramatically and swung around right, allowing Andrew's Fire Hammer to shoot past him. Zach turned his head and saw Blaire's Fire Hammer continue in the opposite direction. Zach swore loudly.

"What is she doing?!" Solomon yelled out, sounding irritated. Examining closer, Zach could see Zelda clinging to the side of Blaire's Fire Hammer. She must have anticipated his move and jumped out as they passed.

"Andrew says to hold on," Laxus grunted. Andrew's Fire Hammer turned sharply around and sped up rapidly. Over their heads, Rotor's T-1 Typhoon, being as slow and clumsy as the large helicopters were, was still recovering from Blaire's maneuver. Laxus was more hesitant about opening fire when Zelda was clinging on to the side.

"Bring the Fire Hammer over to his," a pained grunt belonging to Zelda said into Laxus's radio. With a shrug, Laxus passed on the command to Andrew. With a heavy jolt, the Fire Hammer blasted forward. Thanks to Andrew's driving skill, that managed to move to the right side of Blaire's Fire Hammer. Almost immediately after establishing their position, the cab of Blaire's Fire Hammer lit up as he opened fire on the other Fire Hammer. Dr. Cyborg and Bluetooth fired their own weapons at Blaire.

Zach heard Zelda audibly swear as she pulled herself on to the cab of the Fire Hammer. "What in blue bricks are you doing?!" Zach snapped.

"I'm taking on Blaire," Zelda yelled back, struggling to stay on her feet. "And if you had half a brain, you'd jump over and join me!"

"Are you crazy?!" Zach yelled. "He's mad! He'll kill us all! You need backup!"

"Yeah, you three! We all want of piece of him, don't deny it! Just decide, and decide quickly!"

Zach shot a glance at Minerva. She gave a half shrug before giving Zelda a thumbs up sigh. Crouching down, Zelda extended her hands. Taking a deep breath and strapping her Sonic Screamer to her back, Minerva jumped. Their hands collided and Zelda pulled Minerva over into the bed of the Fire Hammer.

Vinyaya carefully moved herself to Zach. With a curt nod, she jumped over as well. Zelda struggled more with Vinyaya's heavy armor as she pulled the commander over to Minerva's location. Zelda turned back to Zach and gave him a meaningful look. Zach sighed, dropped his Cosmotronic Ray, and turned to Laxus. "You know I have to, right?"

Laxus smirked. "I'm not going to lie, it's not particularly smart after watching him fight. But I suppose it's rather important to you."

"Yeah. Seeing as Blaire will probably break away soon, tell Andrew we'll make it back, I make that I promise."

"Good luck," Laxus said. They clasped hands together briefly before Zach turned to Zelda and nodded. Zach then leaped. As he wrapped one hand around Zelda's, Blaire suddenly jerked to left. Zelda gasped as she was brought to her knees. Zelda grabbed Zach's hand with both of hers and clung to him desperately. Another jerking turn almost caused Zelda to lose her grip on him again. Swinging madly, Zach lunged out for the side of the jeep bed. He felt his fingers grab it, only to begin to slip. Minerva grabbed his hand tightly. Another jerking turn later, Zelda joined the group on the bed of the vehicle and helped pull Zach on board.

"You always make things so complicated, Virchaus," Vinyaya said, though Zach could hear the relief in her voice. Zach looked around and saw no sign of Andrew's Fire Hammer or Rotor's T-1 Typhoon. "So we're really on our own."

Minerva nodded and looked ahead, a panicked look on her face. "Get down!" Everyone quickly crouched down and covered their heads as Blaire went through a wrecked building with his vehicle. Bricks were being thrown down at them rapidly and evidence of office chairs and supplies smacked against their hands. Blaire shot out of the building and turned hard right, knocking everyone down.

"Alright, Darkling," Vinyaya muttered irritably. "You lost them. Enough with the turns."

"So now what?" Zach said to Zelda. "Since you've got us all on board."

Zelda began to wrap her arms around the cab. "We go for Blaire. Holly, can you get the other side?"

"Already on it," Vinyaya said as she moved to the opposite.

"Good. Zach, Minerva, you get ready to shoot."

Zach and Minerva nodded and ducked down. Minerva pulled her Sonic Screamer out and Zach prepared to fire a burst of Maelstrom energy. Even if it didn't do much to actually harm him, it could still stun him.

Vinyaya and Zelda began to move slowly from the bed to the front door, ready to ambush Blaire. Unfortunately, he seemed to be anticipating this attack, as he veered the vehicle onto the sidewalk. "Zelda, get back!" Vinyaya yelled. Zelda flipped herself onto the roof as the side of the Fire Hammer ground against the building. The cab lit up as Blaire opened fire on Vinyaya.

Blaire pulled away from the buildings and started to head for the opposite side of the street when a Mutant T-Rex suddenly burst from the intersection. Blaire slammed on the brakes, but still managed to clip the leg of the massive beast. The vehicle's tires screeched in agony as it begun to spin out of control. It burst through a steel fence and began to rattle and bounce as it traveled through a grassy area.

"Get off!" Zach yelled to Minerva. They both turned away from each other and jumped from the bed of jeep. Zach rolled against the damp grass and collided with an old stone, bruising his spine. Groaning and swearing, Zach climbed to his feet and watched Vinyaya leap from the out-of-controlled Fire Hammer briefly before getting a better look at his new surroundings. It was small, contained area filled with stones. A graveyard. How morbid.

Zach quickly reunited with Minerva, Vinyaya, and Zelda and they all turned and watched the Fire Hammer, whose tires were absolutely destroyed by all the gravestones, collide with a massive grave in the center of the area. Not saying a word, the four slowly approached the crumpled and burning Fire Hammer. As they reached the left side of the Fire Hammer, the front door suddenly flew three yards away and slammed into a gravestone. Blaire climbed out of the cab slowly and his red eyes scanned the group in silence, a deep scowl on his face. He then glanced around briefly before a smirk formed on his face.

"So you were the ones to hitch a ride," Blaire snarled, his generally calm voice thinly veiled with anger. He shrugged. "I like it this way, personally. You all have a bone to pick with me and I have a few issues to settle with you."

It briefly crossed Zach's mind to at least hold off and weaken Blaire for the cavalry to find them eventually. Then he looked at the three women he had become friends with in the last few weeks. They each held cold frowns on their faces and their eyes showed little mercy as Minerva and Vinyaya pointed their guns at him and Zelda held her swords out. Zach realized they weren't aiming to hold him off. They would kill him for all the lives he had taken. All the damage he had cause and all the pain he had created. Even Vinyaya, the police officer, wasn't offering him a chance to surrender. It was all or nothing. Zach nodded faintly as he pulled out his knife and extended his left hand. He didn't care anymore. They would kill Blaire Darkling.

One way or another.

Zach and Zelda spread out as Minerva and Vinyaya opened on Blaire. He rolled forward and kicked the Sonic Screamer out of Minerva's hand. Gripping her arm, Blaire then turned, grabbed the barrel of Vinyaya's Cosmotronic Ray and ripped it out of her hands and tossed it like a disc at a gravestone. Blaire turned to punch Vinyaya when Minerva twisted the arm holding her, following by kneeing him in the stomach.

Blaire doubled over, groaning before he slammed his heavy forearm into Minerva's stomach. He shoved her away and swung a punch into Vinyaya, who caught the fist in her hand. Blaire held the position while he pulled out his katana to guard from a side attack by Zelda. Blaire then kicked Vinyaya and swung his katana at Zelda so he could move away from a knife stab by Zach.

Blaire backed away from the group, his katana held in front of him. Zach fired a blast of Maelstrom that Blaire quickly dodged, destroying the gravestone. Zach snarled and fired another blast. Blaire stepped to the side, cold smirk on his face. He pulled his pistol out and opened fire on the group. The group quickly retreated behind the various gravestones.

"We need to get the gun out of the equation!" Zelda shouted to Zach; they were separated by two graves.

Zach nodded and turned to see Vinyaya a gravestone away from him. "Where's Minerva?" Zach called out in a loud whisper to her as Blaire quickly reloading his gun and waited for the first of his opponents to reveal himself.

Vinyaya shrugged and turned to glance out from behind her stone when Blaire suddenly started firing again. Zach peeked over the stone and saw a dark red door of a Fire Hammer charging at Blaire while he shot at it. The door slammed into Blaire and fell with him to the ground. Minerva Fabello lifted herself from the door and grinned at Zach goofily. Zach smirked back and he, Vinyaya, and Zelda approached her and Blaire quickly.

"Kill him now," Zach said quietly to Zelda. She nodded and gestured to the group to get ready. Vinyaya and Zach got around the door and lifted it slightly so Zelda could deliver the final blow.

The door suddenly shot upward out of their hands thanks to a powerful kick from Blaire. He swept through Zach's ankles, causing him to collapse. Blaire rolled out of the way as Zelda brought her katana down in the area where his head was. He jumped to his feet, punched Vinyaya in the chest, and pulled out his katana and pointed it at Zelda.

Zelda pulled out both of her katanas and swung violently and rapidly at Blaire. An amused smirk was on Darkling's face as he blocked both katanas with relative ease. "You're going need a little more skill to have an advantage over me," Blaire scoffed. As they fought, Zach began to move behind Blaire, his knife raised. A low blow to be sure, but at this point, Zach was beyond caring.

Suddenly, Blaire kicked upward, knocking a katana out of Zelda's hand. Grabbing the katana in midair with his left hand, Blaire turned forty-five degrees and swung both katanas out, blocking attacks from Zelda and Zach. Blaire grinned at the both of them. As enraged as he was, it was clear he was enjoying taunting them.

Minerva jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his throat. Blaire gasped angrily and tried to wrestle her off while holding off attacks from both Zach and Zelda. Minerva released herself and stepped back as Vinyaya lunged forward at Blaire's ankles. Stumbling, Blaire fell backwards on the ground hard.

Blaire roared in anger and kicked Vinyaya in the chin, stunning her for several seconds. He blocked repeated blows from Zelda and Zach as he slowly climbed to his feet. Minerva ran at him again, only for him to elbow her in the face. Minerva grunted in pain as she fell back, clutching her face. Growing angrier by the second, Zach began to move around Blaire. Unamused, Blaire slammed his katana in Zelda's as hard as he could while sharply kicking her in the stomach. Blaire quickly turned and blocked a stab from Zach. With Blaire's attention entirely focused on him, Zach backed up as long, sharp katana blades lashed out at him. As Blaire spun out Nazareno's katana at him, Zach hit the deck, allowing Vinyaya and Minerva, recovered from Blaire's attacks, to step forward and grab Blaire's arms.

As Zach crawled away, Zach could see Vinyaya and Minerva dig their boots into ground as Blaire tried to pull away from them. Vinyaya wrapped one hand around the golden katana and yanked the sword out of his hands and threw it away from him. Now furious, Blaire swung his free arm across Vinyaya's cheek, causing her to gasp in pain as he struck her scars. Blaire then swung his fist at Minerva, who brought one hand up to stop the attack. Blaire chuckled and twisted himself so his forearm could pound Minerva in the stomach. Coughing in pain, Minerva doubled over, allow Blaire to break free and pull his sword back to deliver a killing blow.

His sword was soon knocked down by Zelda, who gave him a deathly glare. Zach went up to Minerva and pulled her away from the fight to Vinyaya, whose eye was watering painfully. Minerva coughed again, this time much harder, and stared at Blaire hatefully. Gripping his knife tightly, Zach moved toward Blaire quickly as he kicked Zelda in the shin, bring her to her knees. A scowl forming on his face, Zach raised his hand, summoned all the energy he could, and fired a blast of Maelstrom.

It slammed into Blaire's back like a truck. He stumbled forward, grunting in pain. Stomping his foot into Zelda's stomach for good measure, Blaire started walking toward Zach, a fierce scowl on his face. Zach fired two more weaker blasts before he found himself panting. Blaire let each one strike his chest. He barely broke his pace while he swung his left fist into the side of Zach's face, knocking him to the ground.

"Admittedly, you're all holding rather well," Blaire said, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Zach. "But I can see it; you're all breaking. It's becoming too much." Blaire raised his foot and stomped it on Zach's chest. His eyes bulged out of his head and he gasped for air as Blaire applied more pressure to his chest. Blaire chuckled darkly before swinging his foot under Zach's chin, knocking him back. He heard the sharp clang of metal and realized this was his chance to back away and regroup. He slowly crawled back as Zelda and Blaire exchanged blows once again.

"I got you," Minerva whispered gently in his ear. She wrapped her arms around his torso and helped him climb to his feet. Zach nodded his thanks and, with Minerva's help, guided him to Vinyaya.

Zelda and Blaire circled each other, staring hatefully at each other. Zelda's breathing was ragged and she seemed to stumble with every other step. "It's over, Miss Frodongan," Blaire stated simply. "You shouldn't have come after me. If it's any consolation, you will be joining Kareem very soon."

"No!" Zelda spat angrily, swinging her katana in front of her. "You aren't taking... any more lives! I'll... see to it myself!"

Blaire laughed coldly. "Look at you. All of you. You can barely stand there and talk to me! You think you can defeat me?" Zelda stopped moving, but didn't respond. Blaire stopped his circling as well, grinning coldly. "It appears you lack common sense, Frodongan. You will pay first. Then we'll see to Fabello, Virchaus, and Vinyaya."

Zelda looked to the friends she had made in the last several days before turning back to Blaire. With an ugly frown, she lunged forward and initiated the final showdown.

Zelda's katana slammed into Blaire's katana, showering the ground with orange sparks. Zelda was fatigued from the battle that ended barely an hour ago. With added battle against Blaire Darkling that was physically demanding in itself, Zelda felt as though she could collapse right now.

But she wouldn't. Not until Blaire was defeated. Not until her friends were safe. Not until Nazareno was avenged and his long-time mission completed.

She needed to improve her form, that much was certain. As fatigued Blaire probably was, he still had defeated Zelda twice before with relative ease. Blaire was a million times more skilled in sword combat than her, even with lessons prior to the Dino Attack and with Nazareno.

Zelda swung upward for Blaire's head, an attack he blocked with ease. His brilliant red eyes expressed bored amusement as he fought her. This was hardly a challenge for him. He could probably kill her right now if he so wished.

She swung the sword in her hand and delivered three quick attacks to Blaire before lashing out with a kick. Blaire smirked as he grabbed Zelda's foot in midair. "Really?" Blaire scoffed. "If you did train under Nazareno, I expected a little better."

Zelda scowled before kicking herself other leg upward. It swung up in a wide arc and slammed Blaire in the cheek. He released his grip and groaned in pain, allowing her to land on both feet. Seeing her opportunity, she swept her foot across his ankles. Blaire anticipated this movement and swung his katana at her, forcing her to roll away and recover.

"Fine," Blaire snarled, holding his katana in an attack position. "I'll kill you now." Blaire rushed forward, slashing his katana. Zelda's katana was quick in meeting each of Blaire's attack, but she was becoming slower and slower as he attacked. Her jacket was being slashed and torn as Zelda became slower.

Seeing that she was in a bad position, she backflipped away from him. This gave him the opportunity to slice down her back. Zelda gasped in pain and backed away as Blaire came closer. Her back was searing with pain and the pain made her dizzy. Regardless, she fought past the pain. Zelda glanced back at Zach, Minerva, and Vinyaya, who were watching her with concern. "Stay back!" she hissed through clenched teeth as she blocked a horizontal sweep to her chest.

"Zelda," Vinyaya snapped, her voice hoarse. "You can't take him alone. I've seen what he's done to scores of officers. You're powerful, but you're tired. With the four of us, we could-"

"No," Zelda gasped as she pivoted her body to avoid a blow from Blaire. "I-"

"We know you want to get him because of what he did to Nazareno," Minerva said. "We all do. We can help. Together, we can beat him."

Zelda mulled over her options quickly. Blaire smirked in faint amusement. "Stay back," Zelda said finally, turning back to the group. They examined her quietly and saw the hardened features in her face lighten. Zach finally nodded sadly, an understanding glint in her eye. Zelda smiled briefly, glad they understood her message. Her smile quickly faded as Blaire's katana collided with hers. His face was barely a foot away from hers. Zelda flinched as his hateful eyes stared into hers.

"It doesn't really matter," Blaire boasted. "They will all die soon enough." Zelda, unamused, resolved to spit in his face. Blaire snarled, allowing Zelda to push him back and strike back. She swung her sword upward and cut through his trenchcoat and black shirt. Zelda swung her foot extremely high and kicked Blaire underneath his chin, causing him to stumble back.

Blaire wiped the saliva away from his face and roared in anger as he attacked again. This time, Zelda was ready and blocked the attack with ease. They exchanged quick, deadly blows at all angles. Blaire swung up, down, and across at Zelda, who met each attack with equal ferocity. Zelda spun on her heel and stabbed at Blaire, who barely blocked the attack.

Blaire gave her a hateful look. "Why... do you... persist... with this?" he hissed. Zelda refused to respond and knocked back Blaire's katana and swung for his neck. Blaire ducked his head swung his head down and swung a fist into Zelda's chest, causing her to gasp for air. She moved to the side as Blaire stabbed his katana forward. Zelda tapped it down and cut Blaire's right arm before he could pull away. Blaire grimaced and swung with controlled, albeit angry, precision that creating a bleeding wound on her knees and thighs. She closed her eyes for a second as the stinging pain all over her body threatened to consume her. She opened her eyes quickly to see Blaire smiling maliciously as he stabbed forward again. Instinctively, Zelda fell to her back.

Zelda gasped as the wound on her back screamed in protest from her action. The sword hovered over her for a second. She swung both feet up and wrapped them around the blade. Too stunned to react, Blaire's sword was ripped from his hands and flew into the air. Zelda rose to catch it, only to feel an elbow jabbed her cheek. Blaire jumped up and caught the sword and charged at Zelda. She stood there, her sword ready to attack. As Blaire reached her, she swung the blade into his hand.

Blaire roared as her katana sliced into his gloved hand. Zelda swung her foot upward and kicked the sword out of his hand before Blaire barreled into her, knocking her to the side. She followed Blaire's katana as it buried itself into the ground behind her. She smirked slightly before Blaire charged at her again.

Zelda flew back as Blaire's shoulder slammed into her chest. She rose quickly. This was her chance to finish him off. She ran at him, sword raised. Blaire stepped to the side and twisted her sword arm. Zelda suppressed a groan of pain and elbowed him in the face twice, forcing him to step back. Zelda swung her sword in a wide arc behind her, but Blaire jumped back before he could be hit. Zelda continued to swing at him, becoming fiercer as Blaire dodged his attacks, though he seemed to be slowing and becoming sloppier as Zelda landed a few slashes on him. She slashed her sword downward. Blaire stepped back and caught the blade between his palms.

"You will not win!" Blaire barked, holding the blade tightly. Zelda tried to push the blade into his stomach, but he held it back with all of his strength. He grinned madly at her as he suddenly ripped the blade from her grip and turned it back at her. Before memories of Nazareno's demise could swamp through her, she stepped to the side as Blaire began to attack again. She turned to get Blaire's blade when he slashed through her wrist. Zelda's face twisted in pain as Blaire circled around her, blocking the path to his katana.

*****

"Have you found it?" Zach hissed to Vinyaya as she scoured the graves surrounding Blaire and Zelda.

"No," Vinyaya muttered irritably. She shot a glance at Zelda and Blaire, the former now without a katana. "We need to hurry."

Zach nodded quickly. Zelda had said not to help her, but her eyes and face were clearing asking that he, Vinyaya, and Minerva do something to distract him long enough so he could be defeated. Right now, they were search for the Cosmotronic Ray and Sonic Screamer used by Vinyaya and Minerva respectively, though it was difficult due to reaching the point where the fire from the Fire Hammer being the only source of light.

Zach himself was searching as well when he heard a frantic whisper from Minerva. "I found one of Nazareno's katanas!" she gasped excitedly. Vinyaya and Zach ran over to her. Indeed, the bright gold katana rested in her hands.

"Alright," Zach said, glancing back at the duel. "I think Zelda has him distracted enough that we can slip in and kill him." Vinyaya and Minerva nodded curtly. Taking the sword from Minerva, Zach stepped toward Darkling, Minerva by his side. Vinyaya was silently moving around to Zelda's side. He cautiously watched Darkling launch after Zelda. Much of his composure was gone and seemed to be descending ever closer to insanity as he fought. Zelda shot him a brief glance as she danced away from Blaire's attack: a fatal mistake.

Blaire turned around and grabbed the sword Zach was about to plunge into his back. "Oh, no, you don't!" At that point, Zelda kicked her sword out of Blaire's hand and stabbed it at him. Blaire's hand shot out and wrapped his hand around her blade as well. There was evidence of blood seeping from his palms as he held back the sharp blades. His arms shook with pain and his face twisted into his signature hideous smirk.

"Why won't you die?!" Zach groaned as he pushed against the blade harder against the force Blaire was applying. No man should be able to last this long. It was almost... demonic.

Blaire laughed coldly, his eyes constantly shooting from Zelda to Zach. "You are nothing compared to me! Not even the great Nazareno could stop me! I... I am Matthew Vherestorm!" Blaire's face seemed to become consumed in darkness with only his bright red eyes shining through. Vherestorm had become the mask that was Blaire Darkling, only to finally remove that mask in frustrated (and possibly insane) anger.

"No," Zelda stated plainly. Zach glanced over to her and saw Vinyaya by her side, her hands wrapped around the hilt of the katana as well. At that point, Minerva also moved next to Zach and gripped her hands around the sword. Blaire stared in shock and horror. "You're dead." With all of their strength combined, the two katanas shot past through Blaire's hands and sunk into his body and out through his back, forming a gold-and-red X in his body.

The light returned to his face. Blaire stared at the katanas sticking in shock. "I-I-I..." He was finally at a loss for words. The color drained from his face dramatically. His red eyes almost seemed to become stone gray. He stared from Minerva and Zach to Zelda and Vinyaya, who merely looked back with looks of pity and hatred.

Suddenly, Blaire began to laugh. "These... these are his katanas, are they not?" he said, his voice becoming strangely calm. "He... always said I would fall by his blades. Even in death, his prediction came true. How... poetic." Blaire chuckled faintly.

Zach and Zelda pulled the katanas from Blaire's body. Without their support, Blaire Darkling's body slumped forward and did not move.

Zach swallowed calmly and looked at Minerva, Vinyaya, and Zelda. They stared at Blaire's body in silence. Fatigue and grim satisfaction were etched on their faces. They had done it. Blaire... Matthew Vherestorm... was dead. All the lives he had taken, including Thaddeus Brickhouse and Kareem Nazareno, were avenged. In the latter's case, he was probably somewhere smirking in approval and in relief that his friends and lover/apprentice had survived the encounter and had defeated a great menace.

"Well, folks," Zach said finally, throwing the katana to Zelda. "Show's over. Time to head home." Vinyaya nodded and glanced around before running over and picking up Minerva's Sonic Screamer. Tapping a few buttons, a bright light suddenly flashed into existence from the attachment on the weapon. Nodding curtly, Vinyaya started to walk toward the graveyard exit. After one last glance at Blaire, Zelda followed. Minerva smiled weakly at Zach before the two joined the other two.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 75: Denouement

----

Dr. Cyborg called Kara up. "Hey, Kara. I need your help. Zach, Minerva, Vinyaya, and Zelda went after Darkling. I don't know if they are done fighting or yet, but I need you to go pick them up. Track their PDA GPS signals to find them."

"Okay. Hey, I need to tell you something later. In-person, though. Can we meet after this extraction?"

"Sure. Call me when you're done, and I'll meet you at the UlTech office tower here in LEGO City. Good luck," Dr. Cyborg said. He signed off and called the Titanium Predator to him. He flew up about 30 feet and broadcast a message to all the XERRD members.

"Attention, XERRD! As you probably know by now, the war is over! Dr. Rex has fallen, and Baron Typhonus has been banished from the LEGO Planet for real this time. No Maelstrom remains on this world except for in those of us who have chosen for it to remain in our bodies, such as myself. I have a new assignment for all of you. Most Mutant Dinos have been destroyed, except for our allies. However, a few were out of range. I need you to utilize the tracking implants in all the Mutant Dinos to track down the runners. They are most likely within a few miles of LEGO City, so that should not be a problem. Capture is the priority, but failing that, exterminate them. I also need some to meet me at the UlTech Tower. I have decided that XERRD should most likely begin working with Nexus Force again, using the valuable knowledge gained from this conflict. I need to consort with the higher ranks to decide our final course. Solomon, if you are hearing this, you need to be at this meeting. That is all, Dr. Cyborg out."

*****

"Any sign of Blaire?" Rotor asked.

"Not yet" replied Cabin. "They ran off down the street in that Fire Hammer."

"Cortana, start scanning for Zach's PDA signal," Kara said over the radio. "We need to pick them up."

"Hang on. I think I see it!" exclaimed Cabin.

Cabin carefully brought the T-1 Typhoon to the ground near a battered and beaten old Fire Hammer. Down the street, the remnants of a rough skirmish could be seen, and they saw a small group of survivors remained, standing in a graveyard. One of them, the woman with the purple streak in her hair, seemed to be in pain.

They landed, and Lance climbed out of the chopper quickly, rifle in hand, and looked around carefully to make sure Blaire wasn't waiting to take him by surprise. Slowly, he worked his way over to the survivors. Keeping his rifle in hand, he walked over toward the wounded Zelda and tried to put an arm around her shoulder. She simply brushed him off. "I can handle this," she said.

Slowly, they worked their way back to the chopper. Zelda was insistent on walking on her own, and was subsequently the last to get into the chopper.

Cabin started up the engines and the chopper took for the skies once more, flying toward the Iron Hammer to be checked for injuries.

*****

Kara watched as Rotor's T-1 Typhoon took off from the pickup. She had tried to race herself there, but Rotor had still beaten her. He must have been closer, she thought.

"Cortana, is there anything else on the docket as for transport?" she asked her A.I.

"Well, there are some requests from XERRD operatives to be taken to the UlTech tower. Catless has called, asking for the same thing. A cargo ship has arrived at the docks with medical supplies. Take your pick. We've got plenty to do," Cortana replied.

"First off, let's get the medical supplies to the Iron Hammer. I expect they need them badly there."

"Right."

Kara tilted the stick to the right and veered off to the harbor. She hovered above the ship and used the grav-beams to start loading crates of supplies into the cargo hold. When the hold was full, she flew towards the Iron Hammer airship in front of Dino Attack Headquarters. Kara landed to allow full access to the cargo bay by the Alpha Team agents so they could unload.

----

Commander Pharisee was irate. He marched back and forth by the T-1 Typhoon that contained agent Firecracker and the fugitive Snake. At least, it did… until Snake somehow slipped past Mallory.

Apparently, there had been some growing concerns after numerous witnesses reported agent Dynamite in the scene, apparently promising to break Firecracker out of prison. Pharisee's responsibilities included monitoring dangerous drunkards like Dynamite. Up to this point, the demolitions expert had been more along the lines of a blunt instrument directed at the enemy. He certainly was dangerous, but it would be incredibly out-of-character for him to kill his own teammates to partake in a prison break; Pharisee highly doubted that Dynamite would do such a thing, even for a friend like Firecracker.

But one psychotic demolitionist was not enough. Since Firecracker's arrest, reports had come in that eight people had died in his attempted destruction of the base. Three had been refugees seeking shelter from the war, one had been a doctor, another an Agents ally, and a sixth was mangled beyond identification. Their deaths made Firecracker's miscalculation all the more serious. Even with him now in handcuffs, Pharisee feared he would cause even more destruction if he broke out of prison and went on the loose again. He had held back before, but he was now willing to use lethal force.

The recent deaths of the Dino Attack soldiers at Blaire Darkling's hands were an embarrassment. It was sickening that men who had survived the war would live long enough to be struck down by an enemy-turned-ally-turned-enemy-again in a senseless act of violence. In part, Pharisee blamed himself; it was his responsibility to prevent such an obvious betrayal by Darkling, and yet more agents had died on his watch. Although he would never admit it, managing Internal Affairs was too big of a job for a single man. While Pharisee dedicated his entire existence to his sacred mission, men like Darkling would always slip through his fingers. He would accept help, but he had yet to find a man who fit his standards.

It was truly disheartening. These men had been through so much and, at the moment of celebration, more tragedy had struck. Now, Pharisee was angry and he vowed punishment - be it in this life or the next.

"Excuse me," said a voice from behind Pharisee as he stepped around the helicopter. He turned and looked as a middle-aged man with round glasses approached him. "My name is agent Scott. I represent the Brick Street Journal. I understand you're head of internal affairs, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to say a few things for the press in Antarctica."

Before Pharisee could respond, another uniformed man approached. "My name is agent Hauk," he said as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I represent Antarctic affairs. What happened here? Looks like there was an explosion."

"This plaza is filled with the result of many explosions," responded Pharisee coldly. "What makes you think this particular crater is of significance?"

"Dunno," Hauk said with a shrug. "I'm just making small talk, really. The fact that you're pacing around madly somewhat drew my attention."

"Do you have something to say?" growled the commander. "I have work do."

Hauk nodded his head and moved to face the commander. "I'm a marshal in charge of the man by the name of Snake. I was overseeing a project in which we offered pardons to criminals in exchange for services in the team, one of them being agent Snake. I'd like to ask you some questions in regards to his... service. Can you tell me about his performance on this team?"

The reference to the felon piqued Pharisee's interested. He suddenly looked up and pulled Hauk close. "I can tell you many things about Snake. I can tell you that, during his time here, he brutally attacked a fellow agent Plastic Serpent. While I was unable to apprehend him immediately thereafter, he deserted on the eve of battle with a brutal murderer and lowlife named Trigger. Once again, Snake eluded me and he escaped to attack agent Plastic Serpent again. Not until after the battle was I finally able to subdue him and incarcerate him for his crimes. He is an unrighteous son of a 4+ Figure, Mr. Hauk; now that I have finally brought justice down upon him, he escapes to once again reap misery on this Earth."

Hauk was slightly taken aback by the lengthiness of Pharisee's answer. "What makes you qualified to make this claim?"

"I head the Internal Affairs department in the Dino Attack," responded Pharisee. "Due to Snake's tendency to create disturbance in his wake, I have grown to have close knowledge of the man. I assure you, Mr. Hauk, that Snake is by no means rehabilitated; he is still the lowly pathetic imbecile he always was. At this moment, he is once again loose and I must go retrieve him. He escaped as a result of a few foolish souls and he will create more misery if he is not soon captured."

Hauk whistled slowly. "So you really think he's that bad, huh? You say he escaped after the arrest? Perhaps using the explosion as cover to make his move?"

"Indeed," said the commander. "While he is hardly the worst convict I have pursued, he is certainly unpleasant. His repeated attack on a fellow agent is disparaging. Thus far I have witnessed no heroics of any sort come from the man, so if you thought he would leave this war changed, you are sadly mistaken. He has abandoned us before; he is likely halfway across the city by now."

"Au contraire," said Hauk, gesturing to the T-1 Typhoon. "I met him in here, only less than an hour ago-"

Pharisee suddenly grabbed hold of Hauk and pushed him against the T-1 Typhoon. Getting close enough that their noises touched, he spoke with a ferocious authority: "And you let him escape? Where is he now?!"

"He was in handcuffs last I saw, I-I swear!" stammered Hauk in surprise. "I said he could be a free man. I left him to go interview some agents on his performance!"

The commander growled and pushed him harder into the helicopter before releasing him. "Fool! Snake is probably long gone by now! Congratulations, Mr. Hauk; because of your incompetence, I still have jurisdiction over Snake. Perhaps you could learn how to deal with men like him."

"What's your plan?" said Hauk nervously.

"Snake is dangerous," Pharisee said as he started to walk away from the helicopter. "When last seen, he was in the company of an insane man. They have all caused harm to Dino Attack agents. It is my sacred duty to apprehend him before he causes more harm."

He turned back to Hauk. "I will lead you to him, Mr. Hauk. I will show you how justice is done. This is the law, Mr. Hauk; the law is not enforced by your bureaucracy, but by my knowledge of good and evil. This is the only way to judge right and wrong: through action and example."

Hauk was visibly concerned and Pharisee knew it. "It is better to be feared than loved," said Pharisee. "It may not be civil and it may not popular, but it is the only effective way to bring about true justice. Something, Mr. Hauk, that you will soon learn."

----

Rotor and Cabin quickly climbed out of the T-1 Typhoon as it descended. The rotors came to a gradual stop as the occupants got out. Mac quickly grabbed Zelda, put her arm around his shoulder, and started to lead her off. He brought her toward the nearby Iron Hammer and carried her through the door.

Inside, he worked his way past a few empty beds. He saw two paramedics who were busy performing a strange surgical process on one man. A young female doctor with a cross around her neck lay fast asleep on the bed right next to them. He worked his way down the corridor. A few other patients were present before he finally ran into one man that he recognized from Outpost 4.

"Copper!" Mac shouted.

The old doctor turned toward him. "Mac, what are you doing here?"

"I got a patient," replied Mac. "She's hurt real bad. You might want to give her a hand."

Copper looked at him for a moment. "We have an empty bed over here. Why don't you put her down?"

Mac complied and walked over toward the empty bed Copper gestured toward, and lay the wounded girl down. Copper walked over to her. "What the Znap happened to you?" he asked as he looked at her wound.

"Blaire..." Zelda muttered.

"Blair?" Copper asked. "That biologist we worked with back in Antarctica?"

"No," replied Mac. "Different Blaire. This guy was with XERRD, some kind of assassin or something."

"Oh dear," murmured Copper. "It's alright, I'll take care of her."

Mac turned back for the exit.

----

Stepping out of the T-1 Typhoon, Angel Eyes was rather surprised by two agents he noticed, one of whom he recognized: a tall man with a thin mustache and a receding hairline. Slowly, he walked up to the man. "Hauk?" Angel Eyes asked as he approached.

The man turned in surprise. "Well, well, well," said Hauk as he turned in surprise. "Van Cleef. I wasn't expecting to see you out here."

"Well, it beats Antarctica," Angel Eyes remarked as he placed his pipe in his mouth and took a moment to light it.

"You know this man?" Pharisee asked.

"Yes," replied Hauk. "He's actually my cousin, if you can believe it."

Angel Eyes smiled.

*****

Snake was rather surprised as the familiar faces of agents Hauk and Pharisee approached him. "Agent Snake," Hauk said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you under arrest."

Snake looked at him for a moment, and ran around a nearby T-1 Typhoon, only to have a pistol cocked in his face. He looked up and saw the gunslinger Angel Eyes staring right at him.

"My cousin," Hauk remarked as he approached.

----

Hotwire slept like a log in the infirmary of the Iron Hammer. According the medics, the only thing he was suffering from was exhaustion.

Kat wasn't particularly surprised. As far as she could tell, the only rest he'd had in the past three days was a few hours' fitful dozing on a T-1 Typhoon and several fainting spells; while plenty of other agents were doing just fine with similar experiences, the loss of his leg had undoubtedly exacerbated Hotwire's condition. It was due to those concerns that the medics had decided to keep him here for the time being.

Leaving him to his hibernation, Kat picked herself up off the chair by Hotwire's bed and headed for the exit. She stopped when she spotted a familiar figure seated by one of the beds.

Wright looked up as Kat walked over and sat down. Her eyes were bleary from fatigue -- or possibly tears; it was hard to tell; perhaps it was both -- but her expression was calm and somewhat hopeful. On the bed, Shiller would have appeared to be sleeping peacefully but for the heart monitor and oxygen tube. "They're saying he'll be fine, thank goodness," she said.

"What about you, though?" Kat asked. "You look you got a bit knocked around. Have you let the medics check you over?"

Wright paused. "I hadn't really given that much thought."

Kat smirked "Too busy worrying about your boyfri--" Wright cut her off with a glare that could have frozen magma. Kat faltered and reconsidered her choice of words. "I guess that was a bit insensitive."

"A bit?"

"I'm sorry," Kat said, hanging her head slightly. "I've just kinda lost touch with that whole... area of human experience."

"You don't say?" inquired Wright, anger replaced by curiosity. "Hotwire says he's the same way."

"Not entirely," said Kat. "He and I have talked about that too, and he's never been in touch. My case is a bit odd, though -- Katerina was married, so I'm guessing I'd be able to feel that range of emotion, at least hypothetically; I simply haven't."

"But you're different people, right?"

"Separate? Yes. But different? Less so than you'd think."

"Regardless, you and Hotwire make quite the pair," said Wright with a shrug.

"If you can call us a pair," Kat replied. She stood and gave Wright an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Best of health to the both of you, and don't ever forget how lucky you are," she said with a slight smile as she turned to leave. "Because sometimes, romantic love is the least complicated kind." 

----

"For he was a jolly good fellow, for he was a jolly good fellow..."
"This is Rotor. Blaire Darkling is dead, and we've picked up Zach's team and returned them to the Iron Hammer for injury overview."
"80 percent of teens have moved on to rap. If you're among the 20 percent of real music fans like Rotor, put this message in your Dino Attack description."
"Well, that should take care of all loose ends."
"What about Señor Palomar?"
"I'm sure Sam Sinister will take care of him. Chase him off into the sunset or something."
"Hey guys, I'm hearing rumors that Trouble, Rex's old pet Mutant Lizard, was found dead by Dr. Gladys!"
"Really?! Man, no wonder he sacrificed himself! He didn't have anything left."
"Man, we really fried the coke in that battle, huh guys?"
".....what was that?"
"I WAS FROZEN TODAY!"
"Anybody got change?"
"And the Darkitect?"
"That's Nexus Force's problem."
"But didn't Trouble have a mate or something? That's what the database said."
"Guess somebody should find them and break the news, then."
"...WHICH NOBODY CAN DENY!!"
"If they survived."
"Man, this chatter went to Rock Bottom pretty quickly after the battle ended."
"You mean it hadn't already?"
"...I hope he will never stop, or else I will be nostalgic..."
"SHUT UP!"

Andrew snickered as he turned off the radio. They had been trying to track Blaire's trail, avoiding wreckage and the odd wandering group of non-hostile Mutant Dinos for the past several minutes. Now he was given a relief of concern. "Well, enough of that," he said. "Let's head on over to the Iron Hammer and meet up with them. I'm sure you guys would want to be dropped off too."

The other riders in the Fire Hammer - Solomon, Bluetooth, and Dr. Cyborg - nodded. Laxus and Pterisa, the latter of which had caught up with them after the split from Zach's crew, gave their agreement from the Xenon communicator. Without more debate, Andrew began steering off to Dino Attack HQ, following the PDA GPS back "home".

The LEGO Islander breathed a sigh of relief. "So that's it," he said. "The conflict's finally over. It'll be good to be able to go ahead and kick back."

"You mean like that LEGO Island party the chatter's been all over about?" Bluetooth asked.

"Yep. You should try and come too, Bluetooth. I bet a good dance to 'Brick by Brick' should help you with Vinyaya."

The technician smirked sarcastically. "Yeah, but I don't trust my dancing skills. Not by a long shot." There were snickers from within the cab.

Then Laxus came in through the connection to the Xenon launcher. "So Andrew, about what we talked about regarding the future…"

"Oh, yeah, that!" Andrew exclaimed. "You serious there, bud? I didn't think one could simply go into space."

"Hey, all you had to do was ask," Laxus remarked. "I can easily arrange a trip, maybe even another place if you're interested."

"Oh yeah, that does sound good. We'll need to talk more over that once the party shenanigans are over with."

"That sounds well to me too," added Bluetooth. "Could make it much easier for us to keep in touch. I intend to get back to Futuron as soon as possible, and exempting helping to rebuild the space ports, I doubt I'll have many assignments back on Earth."

"Don't you mean the LEGO Planet?" Pterisa asked.

"Us non-Earthlings don't actually call it that," Laxus explained. "We prefer the more specific names, since, you know, there's LEGO on all planets, and most of them have a moon, so using proper names is preferable for them."

"Indeed," Bluetooth added. "In terms of moon names, I like Luna."

"Interesting..." Pterisa muttered.

As Andrew smirked, he glanced out his door window at the exterior side-mirror, which had somehow miraculously survived their ordeals. He could see Pterisa clinging on with Laxus on the Xenon cannon.

The thought did make him think about how his future would pan out. He had talked of liking space much in his time, and the thought of going out to see the galaxy did still appeal to him. But as he thought about living out there on another planet, like Mars or something else, the thought of Pterisa did make him a bit hesitant for some reason. It was odd, and for a few moments, he couldn't quite place it.

Then he remembered how much he and the Hybrid had bonded over the past two days. He realized that what he was feeling was a hesitation to want to part with her. He didn't want to leave her, though he knew that their experiences had likely strengthened her social skills, and would make it easier to get along with Minifigkind. Still, he hoped he hadn't made her too dependent on him, such an element didn't work well for some relationships (such as Rex and Amanda; the LEGO Islander could make a good guess for her death being a sizable factor in Rex's willingness to make his sacrifice).

Andrew shook his head to clear it up. He sorted the matter to the back of his mind and resolved to finish it later. Right now, there was people to meet up with, and a party to prepare for.

----

"I'll see you two later, I suppose," Vinyaya said with a smile to Zach and Minerva. "We'll still have to work out a funeral for Nazareno, and then there are all the celebrations..."

"We're counting on it," Minerva said, clasping Vinyaya on the back. Dr. Martinet stood behind her with a tired smile underneath his mustache. "Still working, Martinet? I mean, you were out in the battlefield,"

"Aye, and now all-a the injured in one place," Martinet said, his eye continually glancing down at the clipboard in his hands. "Once most everyone is taken care of, maybe I'll take a nap, eh?"

"Thanks for that, by the way," Vinyaya added. "After the last experience with the medics, I'd rather have you checking out my scars and wounds than the other medics."

Martinet chuckled before gesturing for the group to follow him into the designated medical wing of the Iron Hammer. "Alright!" Martinet yelled out. "I'm going to need someone or someones to do a quick checkup of two agents!" Dr. Pierce shushed Martinet irritably. Martinet nodded apologetically. "Righto, this is a hospital after all."

Zach, Minerva, and Vinyaya chuckled quietly as they continued through. It wasn't a pleasant sight to see the injured agents with scars, wounds, or lacking limbs or eyes. There was other those who didn't show any serious wounds but had still suffered, such as when they passed by Hertz being operated on by Enter and Return. Zach smiled as he knew that in probably a good few hours' time, Hertz would have his hearing back and be with Naomi Carver again.

"Sorry about your friend Nazareno," Martinet said as he continued. "He was quite the man and we could've used his help here with so many people suddenly without an arm or leg. We'll be able to-a replace them, naturally. It'll probably just take a bit longer."

Zach acknowledged Martinet faintly as he glanced around at the patients. Even in the morbid setting of a war hospital, many seemed to be taking their wounds in stride and were laughing with friends and family, knowing that the world would continue on.

"Hey!" Minerva said in loud whisper. Zach turned his head to see Zelda sitting in a bed, waving to them as she spoke to a doctor Zach didn't recognize. With a shrug, Zach, Minerva, Vinyaya, and Martinet moved toward her. As they reached her, Zach noticed her jacket sleeves were empty and her arms were tucked inside it.

"Can I speak with them a bit, Copper?" Zelda asked. "Come on. It's not like I'm about to die."

Copper seemed uncertain, but let them converse.

"We did it," Zelda said, with a faint, bitter grin. That was all she needed to say. Zach, Minerva, and Vinyaya simply smiled and nodded. Vinyaya went to pat Zelda on the back when she winced and shook her head, causing Vinyaya to pull back. "Blaire left his mark, though."

She stood up and pushed her jacket onto the bed, revealing a white tanktop stained with sweat. She turned around, revealing the back of the shirt was stained with blood. She lifted the shirt up halfway up her back so they could see half of the dark red, jagged cut Blaire Darkling had left on her back.

"Not as bad as yours, Holly," Zelda said as she slid her shirt back down and turned back to the group. "More like Minerva's on her cheek. Somewhat of a reminder of what could've been before Blaire took it away." She paused for a moment, then added, "We all seemed to be gaining scars from this battle. What about you, Zach?"

"Willa the Witch used some spell to create a gash across my body," Zach said with a shrug. "I managed to heal it with the Maelstrom, but it left a purple and black scar."

"You can compare scars later," Copper interrupted irritably. "I have a patient to deal with."

"Indeed," Martinet said. "While your injuries are-a no laughing message, Commander Vinyaya, you're rather low priority to compared to some others. I want to check you and get you out of here so we can deal with more urgent matters."

"Yes, of course," Vinyaya said. "I suppose my 'goodbye' earlier was rather pointless. See you later, Zach, Minerva, Zelda." With that, she followed Dr. Martinet to another area of the infirmary. Zach and Minerva turned to leave when they bumped into Dr. Naomi Hale and a male doctor he didn't recognize.

"Martinet said you two need a checkup?" Hale asked somewhat impatiently.

"Uh, yeah," Minerva said. "Probably some proper medical-"

"Good enough. Bones, you deal with him. I'll handle her."

The dark-haired man pulled Zach to the side. "Name's DeForest McCoy. Feel free to call me Bones. So, you're not severely injured, right?"

"Yeah," Zach said. "A quick check to make sure everything's in working order. Probably clean up some wounds Blaire Darkling created."

"Already on it." While Bones began to look over Zach, the latter turned his head to Minerva.

Dr. Hale was removing the self-applied bandage Minerva had placed over arm. "What caused this?" Dr. Hale asked, looking at the wound closely.

"A bullet grazed my arm," Minerva stated simply. Dr. Hale simply nodded and began to clean up the wound. Minerva flinched as Hale dabbed something into the wound before looking at Zach and grinning. "I think we're done fighting now."

"We'll probably get sent to help round up the remaining dinos across the planet. Exterminate the wild ones and capture the rest for science," Zach said as Bones rolled up Zach's sleeve and looked at his arms.

"Yeah, but that's nothing. The real fighting's over. Time to celebrate and have a good time."

"There's still Athena and Nazareno," Zach pointed out.

Minerva's features only saddened briefly. "Yeah, I suppose. But I doubt they want us to be moping over their deaths. Wherever Mom is, she'll finally be able to be together with Dad, Tod, and Oswald again while I move on and restart my life for the better. Nazareno's death was avenged and all of his friends and his lover are still alive from the encounter. I'm pretty sure they'd want us to celebrate."

Zach smiled faintly at her. "You're probably right on that one. Time to sing carols and songs of victory. To eat as much Brickolini's pizza as you can stomach."

"To laugh and rejoice in the survival of an entire race," Minerva added with a mock-dreaminess in her voice. "To dance until your feet fall off, right?"

"That can be taken literally on LEGO Island, you know. It will probably happen at some point." The two laughed until they were hushed by Dr. Hale irritably. Zach looked away from Minerva as Bones wrapped up a wound on his arm in a bandage.

"Anything else I missed?" Hale asked Minerva, straightening.

"I got a cut on my stomach. I suppose you could look at that," Minerva said with a shrug.

Dr. Hale's eyes narrowed and looked at Bones and Zach with a look of distaste. "Come with me, please," Hale said irritably. "You can hang out with your boyfriend in a bit." Hale pushed past Zach and Bones. Minerva smiled awkwardly at Zach as she followed the doctor.

Zach chuckled sheepishly as she passed. Bones seemed to ignore the passing conversation. He lifted Zach's shirt and ran a cautious finger down the purple and black scar on his stomach. "Is there anything I can do about this?" Bones asked curiously.

"No. I healed that myself. That's why it looks like that," replied Zach. Bones stared at Zach. Zach simply shook his head. "Best not ask. There's nothing wrong with it."

Bones shrugged and stood up. "Then I'm done with you. You'll live and won't get any infections. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more critical patients to take care of." Zach simply nodded and stepped out of the way as Bones went to help someone else. Zach shuffled through the hallway in silence, hoping Hale would let Minerva go soon.

After several minutes of waiting near the exit, Minerva finally appeared in his vision. "There you are!" she said, grinning apologetically. "Sorry about that."

"Not to worry," Zach said as they began to exit the Iron Hammer. "Enough dreary medical-death-bad stuff. Time to see what sort of celebrations are happening outside."

Minerva smirked. "Sounds like a plan."

*****

Shaw slowly moaned as she shifted. She half-opened her eyes and somewhat sleepily sat up. She looked over to the bed next to her, and remembered suddenly that she had been tasked with watching Enter and Return. She felt somewhat embarrassed, realizing she'd fallen asleep on the job, but then she noticed something surprising.

Enter and Return were busy cleaning up, moving all their questionable tools outside. Hertz lay there, conscious. Quickly, she got up and looked at the patient. He seemed to notice her.

"You alright?" she asked. Shaw yawned slightly as she sat down on the bed next to Hertz, who looked at her with some confusion. She knew his face, and she remembered him well, but she knew he probably didn't recognize her. "I don't suppose we've met," Shaw said to the patient, not sure if he could hear her or not. "At least not properly-"

"Excuse me," said a gruff voice from behind, Shaw turned in surprise to see a middle-aged man with short dark hair.

"Who are you?" Shaw asked.

"I'm Dr. McCoy," replied the man. "You can call me Bones if you like, Dr..."

"Shaw."

"Shaw, right. I'm just checking on patients here. What's up with this one?"

"He's not mine, actually," Shaw said. "He was being treated by Enter and Return. I just wanted to make sure they actually helped him."

"Ah, yes," McCoy said casually. "They do get the job done, don't they?"

"Maybe," replied Shaw. "But given their questionable methods, a quick checkup can't hurt."

"Of course," agreed McCoy.

"Excuse me," said Crusher from behind. McCoy turned in surprise to see the red-headed female doctor looking at him. "I don't think I've seen you around here befo-"

"McCoy. And you are...?"

"Dr. Crusher."

"Pleasure," replied McCoy, extending a hand. "I'm just here to lend a hand."

"That's good," said Crusher. "There's one patient with a chest tube and a collapsed lung. His girlfriend hasn't left his side since. I was just going to go check on him. You want to give me a hand?"

"Alright," replied McCoy, as he turned and followed Crusher. Shaw watched them leave before turning back to the patient.

Shaw looked at Hertz, who stared at her, apparently uncertain of what to say. From his actions, it was hard to tell whether he could actually hear her. He could just as easily have been somewhat shocked to have his hearing back, something that would pass once he had time to readjust to it. Then again, Enter and Return may have bungled up the job.

"I'm sorry Carver isn't here to see you," Shaw said anxiously. "I know that would have felt good: wake up with your hearing and first speak to the woman you love. But unfortunately, she isn't. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

*****

Kara saw Zach and Minerva exit the Iron Hammer. She ran over to them. "Hey, how'd the fight go?" she asked.

"We beat Darkling, but we all took a beating for it," Zach said.

"I'm glad he's dead, but I'm sorry you guys got hurt for it. Hey, I've been hearing you, Andrew, Laxus, and others talk about a party on LEGO Island. When is it, and am I invited?" she asked.

"New Year's, and yes, of course you are. Everybody is," Zach said as they walked off.

Kara ran back to the dropship and found it unloaded. Catless was standing by the ramp in the back. She walked towards Kara when she saw her.

"You got my message?" she asked.

"Yes I did. Why do you want to go to the UlTech building?" Kara asked.

"I heard Dr. Cyborg was going to be there, and I need to speak to him about something," Catless said.

As she was saying that, a group of XERRD members walked up, asking to be taken to the UlTech tower. Kara agreed, and all the passengers loaded the Reclaimer. "Man," Kara muttered as she took off and flew towards the building. "Everyone wants to speak to Dr. Cyborg."

----

Zach and Minerva walked through the battlefield. With no street lights, the only light in the dark came from the high beams of the Iron Hammer and the multiple bonfires created from the wrecks of vehicles and corpses of Mutant Dinos. The crowd of Minifigs on the streets grew rapidly. They passed by Dino Attack, Alpha Team, Agents, Rogue Knights, Chinese Soldiers, and Ogel Drones. United in battle, the many opposing forces of the LEGO Planet were now united in celebration over the defeat of their common enemy.

"Too bad it won't last," Minerva noted wistfully.

"Yeah," Zach agreed as they shuffled past a group of Alpha Team and Ogel Drones celebrating together. "The Brickster will be captured, but villains like Ogel and Vladek will retreat to their headquarters and kingdoms, rebuild their forces, and be back to causing trouble."

"Such is life on the LEGO Planet," Minerva said with a faint grin. "One year gives us an almost-apocalyptic invasion of square-headed robots who held the mayor hostage. Two years later we have a mad scientist and his lackeys causing trouble and destroying stuff with a big robot. A year later, mutated dinosaurs show up. With those 'alien fleet' warnings I heard about from Bluetooth and Holly, we can probably bet on some kind of alien invasion next year."

"The planet's never going to get a break, is it?" Zach chuckled. "But seeing as we have a forewarning of this alien fleet, if they prove hostile, we should be able to stop them before they cause too much damage." Zach wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight against his side. "Now, as tired as I am and the likelihood of me collapsing on a street to take a nap grows higher with every moment, I'm feeling up for visiting one of these little celebrations here."

Minerva yawned and nodded. "Might as well."

The two approached a large crowd surrounding the fiery corpse of a Mutant Dino. People were talking, laughing, and singing a variety of songs: primarily holiday carols, but with a mixture of songs expressing victory. One man had an acoustic guitar in his grip and a woman had a drum in front of her. Both had a crowd of people around them as they sang and played a variety of tunes. Zach and Minerva leaned against a Fire Hammer on the outer edge of the circle listened as the two musicians grew louder, tempting a few people into heading into the crowd and begin to dance. Zach and Minerva smiled and clapped their hands to the music before Zach was tapped on the shoulder by a familiar face.

"Good to see you in one piece, Virchaus," Raine Dashworthy said, gripping his shoulder. Zach smirked and pulled Dashworthy into a brief hug. Her eyes managed to locate his metallic right hand. "I guess that need to fix you up a little bit."

"A little bit," Zach repeated. "That's only the most visible thing wrong with me. Good to see you still kicking, Raine. This is Minerva Fabello. Minerva, Raine's another one of those Agents I worked with early on in the war. Less than Thad, but still up there."

Minerva smiled nervously and shook Raine's hand. Raine smiled politely at Minerva before turning to Zach. "Speaking of Thad," Raine said in a low voice. "Did I hear right? You got the guy that killed him? That Matt Wherestorm or whatever?"

Zach nodded. "We got him. Me, Minerva, and two others. We all had a bit of a... bone to pick with him. Thad was only one wrong Dark...er, Vhere... - whatever we're going to call him - committed not only today, but for apparently years."

"Good on you, then," Raine said, slapping Zach hard in the back, causing him to grimace. "Since there won't be much of a use for the Dino Attack now, I hope you consider rejoining the Agents. We could use someone like you."

Zach merely smiled. "I'll think about it." Raine clasped his shoulder one last time before jumping into the center of the circle and start to dance with a black-haired Alpha Team wearing a brown fedora.

"Are you going to rejoin the Agents?" Minerva asked curiously as she glanced at Raine.

Zach shrugged. "I have all sorts of ideas of what to do. Right now, I'm not really concerned about it."

Minerva shrugged and they both watched a man with a fiddle join the group of musicians. The newly formed group spoke in hushed tones before starting off into a fast-paced piece that got multiple people off into dancing with a partner or significant other. Those who didn't clapped along from the sidelines. "I'm half-tempted to jump in," Zach noted.

"Feel free," Minerva said. Zach glanced at her curiously. She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going in there! I've never danced in my life!"

"Fine," said Zach. "Then when we go to LEGO Island and go to the party there, you can make a fool of yourself there instead of here." Minerva's eyes narrowed. He punched her shoulder playfully. "Speaking of LEGO Island, you're still moving over there now, right?"

"Yep," Minerva said with certainty. Zach smiled at this. He had not failed notice Minerva's uncertainty about going to LEGO Island with him after the war when discussing it briefly a day before. "I have nothing left here and, personally, I don't want to stay here anymore. I'm interested in restarting, and LEGO Island sounds like the place to do it. Not sure how I'm going to it or what I'm actually going to do, but I'm sure something good will come out of living on LEGO Island."

Zach chuckled faintly. "At least you're optimistic. Everyone on the island, especially Andrew and I, will make an effort to help you whenever you need it." Minerva smiled in silence before pulling Zach close to her as they watched their friends and allies celebrate their triumph.

----

"Titan," Stranger said to his fellow agent as he encountered him in the crowding of agents around the Alpha Team craft site. "Glad to see you lived this long."

"Same to you, Stranger," Titan said with amusement, clasping hands in a hard handshake. "I've been hearing rumors from the database geeks. Never thought you of all people would follow in Rex's footsteps."

"Depending on who you ask, the hat would make some think otherwise," Stranger remarked. "But frankly, my relationship with Buddy is more of a semi-large friendship. I might keep in touch, but I doubt we'll be in much of close contact as time goes on."

"So you're leaving him to roam?" asked Titan.

"He seems okay with that. In fact, he went off on his own after we won and everything and I told him what I heard happened over the comms. I suppose Buddy needed a moment or something, he seemed broken up over Rex dying."

"What a shame." With his interest in the subject leaving, Titan started talking again. "So did you finally get any good trophies?"

"That was what I was wanting to discuss, actually. You got a machete on you?"

Titan pulled such a blade out of a holder on his belt. "Finally got the old thing sent over to LEGO Island just before the whole final battle announcements came in. A waste of shipping, but I was glad to get off the island. The people were re-inhabiting it already, and they were a little too zany for my taste."

"They're like that," Stranger remarked. "You should see those two guys who got elite rank. Anyways, we managed to kill a T-Rex while holding out in this bar (though we didn't kill it per se, that Dr. Cyborg guy dropped in and stole the kill… a bit cheap, if you ask me), and I got the short straw for getting the head."

"Can see why you need a machete with skin that thick. Well then, let's decapitate that thing."

----

Bluetooth found himself wandering through the crowd of agents around the Iron Hammer shortly after Andrew arrived back there. He was hoping to try and find Holly and see to it that she was okay, but found himself distracted as he ran into a few old friends, such as Rockford.

"Bluetooth!" Rockford said when they met. "Happy to see you made it out of this mess alright!... And my condolences for Semick, I knew you two were close friends."

"We were more like close colleagues," Bluetooth explained, "but thanks. It is getting easier for me, though. I've met someone I've been particularly fond of, someone female, and I think we can... work out something."

"Ah, good to see love is still in the air after all that's happened," Rockford said as he patted the technician on the shoulder. "Good man. Reminds me that I have to talk to my wife soon. Ole knows she must be worried sick after I decided to leave Adventurers' Island so abruptly."

The two smirked in amusement. "Glad to see you around, Rockford. Your perspective has always been insightful. I've missed you during all the little incidents we had here at HQ yesterday."

"I heard about that," Rockford said as they started walking towards the Iron Hammer out of habit. "A shame I wasn't around for the traitor debacle. I'm sure I could've helped in some way to find the culprit before nearly all the Second Headquarters Squad was lost. And I was always wanting to confront French Fries after I heard he got off scot-free for what he did with the Antarctica mission intel. Though, I will say-"

"I do hope you don't mean along the lines of what Rex did to that imbecile," said a voice. Rockford and Bluetooth turned to see Commander Pharisee himself passing by. "Though, judging by what I know about you, I do think that physical assault is extremely out of character for you."

"Indeed." Rockford pulled on his shirt collar and, to Bluetooth, it seemed that the man was firming up in a manner similar to how he had been with regards to the like of Dust and Lutsky. "I do prefer seeing the best in people and trying to make them see the right of way, though I will admit French Fries was a bit beyond the normal reaches."

"A respectable trait in a fellow part of the justice system," Pharisee said, reaching out a hand to shake.

Rockford took it stiffly and shook it only once. "Interesting for you to say that, out of all people."

Pharisee's face hardened a bit. "Some people are beyond talk and have to be dealt with. Especially after repeat offenses. I'll be frank: if I was you, Rockford, Mr. Thutmose would've been off that island the moment you uncovered his lies about his background. And he wouldn't have gotten away so many times as easily as he did."

Rockford's eye twitched. "I suppose we just all have certain ways of doing things. Let's agree to disagree."

"Very well."

As Pharisee and Rockford let go of each other's hands, Bluetooth saw Holly come up to them. "Told you I'd be alright, Ryan," she said as Bluetooth came to her side. She looked at his current companions. "Rockford. Commander Pharisee. Good to see you're here and in once piece."

"The feeling's mutual," said Rockford. "I heard about your confrontation with Mr. Vherestorm. Rather reckless, in my opinion, but well done. I doubt he could've been captured anyways."

"No doubt," said Pharisee, "judging from what some of the Unitron people have told me. Very brave of you, Commander Vinyaya, especially after you decided to limit your group to four."

"It couldn't be avoided," said Holly. "The man was mad, and desperate to get away. We couldn't hold him off long enough to have everyone in to get a good shot."

"He sure wasn't like that ape tha-" Bluetooth started, but stopped himself, remembering how Rockford felt about Mur. The former lawyer tensed up at the word "ape," but quickly relaxed with a press of the shoulder by Pharisee.

"This conversation's been nice," said the Internal Affairs operator, "but I best be going. I still have some careless renegades to track down. See you in the courts, Rockford."

As he walked away, Rockford relaxed notably. "He's nice under the right circumstances," he muttered to Bluetooth and Holly, "but bust my bricks if I don't like his attitude on justice. It's like some bad comic book's tackle of the subject. And geez, where the heck does he work out to get that large?"

"You'll always have those kinds of people in any kind of law enforcement department," said Holly. "Trust me, you learn to deal with it."

"I suppose so. Well, the best of luck to you two." Rockford tipped his helmet and walked off.

"So then..." Bluetooth said, turning to his current companion. "Darkling's dead, and... we're still alright. What now?"

"How about we check out the celebrations?" Vinyaya said, pointing to over where much celebrations and musical instruments were going on. "Maybe we can start discussing things in better circumstances."

----

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is I! The lord of the bricks! The king of the bricks! The this of that! The brick of brack!"

Frozeen glanced upward at the sound of a familiar nasally laugh. Descending upon the torn-up road was a famous criminal who was being carried by a pair of his robotic henchmen, flying around on their jetpacks. "Long live the Brickster!" he declared triumphantly.

"Hello, again," Frozeen said as he rolled his eyes, then tried his best to look away.

"Hey, what's the matter?" The Brickster raised an eyebrow. "Embarrassed to be around your infamous big brother? I'd think that after what happened last night, you'd be proud to call me 'brother'!"

Frozeen sighed. "Yeah, actually. What you did out there... flying that T-1 Typhoon into battle and blasting that music... taking on Dr. Rex himself... I've got to admit it, you did good out there. Real good. And not to mention what I heard about your exploits at Dinosaur Island." He looked the Brickster in the eyes and smiled, patting him on the back. "You made me proud, for once."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said the Brickster, shrugging. "Let's cut the Znap. Now, a little less of the mushy stuff, and on to the glory! Ya know, before this whole apocalypse stuff happened, if I so much as stepped out of line, they were gonna hang me and my laundry out to dry. Now, I'm thinkin' they'll probably grant me a full pardon!"

"Keep dreaming," said Frozeen, smirking. "You and I both know you're not going straight."

"We'll see about that," jeered the Brickster. "I heard some of them talkin' about this guy they hired and they were going to pardon him if they fought for us. Well, turns out he was an idiotic coward and ditched us on the battlefield, and it sounds like they're revokin' the pardon and lockin' him back up. Meanwhile, I single-handedly destroyed that laboratory and wreaked more havoc and destruction upon the Mutant Dinos and XERRD before taking on Dr. Rex himself! They'd be ungrateful not to give me some kinda reward! I mean, if all they're gonna do is give me the chair after this, they might as well throw in a lovely matching table for good behavior!"

"You know, you're quite lucky," murmured Frozeen. "You met Dr. Rex face-to-face and lived to tell the tale, and then you fought against him and you're still standing here today. So many others... didn't make it."

"Ah, yes," remarked the Brickster. "I heard about General Evil... Meh, I ain't too fond of the guy, myself. He was an obstruction to me proving my worth to Evil Ogel. Maybe now that General Evil's gone, Ogel will need a new general followin' him around. I ain't got no fancy grasshopper cybernetic suit, but hey, he can call me 'Thumper' and we'll call it a day."

Just then, a Fire Hammer passed them, blasting a loud, triumphant victory march. The two Brickster-Bots standing on either side of the Brickster started dancing.

The Brickster scowled. "Stop that dancing!" he ordered them. "Don't ya know what happens when you don't stop dancing? One of these days, you're gonna die dancing!"

As soon as the Fire Hammer was out of earshot and the Brickster-Bots stopped dancing, the Brickster turned to Frozeen. "Well, kid, it's been nice knowin' ya," he said. "I don't think things are ever gonna be the same now that we've spent some quality time together, workin' for the same side for once. Maybe in some alternate 'what-if?' universe, we coulda been great partners in crime: Brickster and Brickthief."

"Perhaps," agreed Frozeen, "but in this timeline, circumstances and fate allowed it be so that a law-enforcer and a deranged criminal could work together for the greater good. It's been good working with you, Brickster."

Frozeen extended a hand, and the Brickster was honestly too stunned to do anything for a moment. Then, with some hesitation, the Brickster shook Frozeen's hand, both of them feeling as though this would be the last time they would ever do so.

----

"Dr. Shaw," a voice said from behind. Shaw turned in surprise as Pierce approached her. "I... um... have a job for you. Would you mind if I talk to you in private?"

Shaw looked at Hertz, who seemed stare at her with a look of "go on." Reluctantly, Shaw stood up and walked with Pierce toward an isolated part of the Iron Hammer.

There, she saw a middle-aged woman she recognized: Sarah Bishop, her teenage daughter lying asleep on the floor. Shaw remembered Sarah quickly, from the basement. Pierce had asked her to marry him.

"Listen, Shaw," Pierce said. "We've got most of the wounded under control, and the others insisted I take a break. To be honest, they're probably right. Since you didn't seem too busy, I was wondering if you could do something for me."

"What?"

"You believe in faith, don't you?" Pierce asked.

Shaw nodded.

"You're the closest person we have then," Pierce said. "Shaw... this is going to sound crazy, but I'd like you to marry us."

Shaw looked at him in surprise. "Me?" she asked. Pierce nodded. "I don't know what to say!"

"Don't worry," assured Pierce. "Just give us a few minutes to get ready."

"Okay," Shaw replied nervously, with a hint of excitement. "I've never done this before."

----

The streets were almost pitch-black without streetlights, so Helm and Giles jumped in surprise when a massive figure loomed suddenly in the glow of their Fire Hammer's headlights. Helm stomped on the brakes and reached for the communicator as Giles jumped down from the cab. "Good Builder, Winston, what happened to you?" he asked.

The huge Agent was stumbling, blood soaking his uniform's right shoulder and left side. The body of his brother was slung over his uninjured shoulder. Epic Winston grunted. "Caught... in the crossfire between Darkling... and Virchaus and his friends. When I awoke, Darkling had vanished, so I found Matthias. I'd meant to give him the rites of our ancestors... but now... someone else may soon need to perform them for me as well."

"Nonsense," said Giles, leading him back towards the Fire Hammer. "You're gonna make it. You'll be fine."

The giant's only response was something between a smile and a grimace.

*****

"Hey guys, HQ mess hall or Iron Hammer mess hall?"
"Osprey? This is Helm. We found him."
"Seriously? There's no way I'm eating Alpha Team rations again. Not even for old time's sake."
"Okay, can someone PLEASE tell me whether or not Hotwire and Kat are an item?"
"Affirmative, Helm. Thanks. We've recovered his sword. I imagine he'll be wanting that."
"That's a false dichotomy. Also, define 'item.' "
"I'm actually heading out for LEGO Island right now, if anyone wants to join me."

----

Shaw sat nervously in the corner, with a notebook containing a short passage she'd quickly written. Pierce emerged, dressed up as much as he could with what was available; he'd cleaned himself up somewhat and took off the labcoat, but as cool as they are, he couldn't exactly get a bowtie. Kate was nearby, waiting for this with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. One some level, she felt happy for her parents, but she knew it would be different, now having a real father. Sarah emerged soon after, cleaned up as much as she could.

Shaw stood up shyly and approached them. "Should we begin?" She asked.

Pierce nodded, putting his arm around Sarah's shoulder.

Shaw took a deep breath and began. "Dearly Beloved," she said. "We are gathered here to-"

"A-what do you think you're doing?" asked a voice from behind, Pierce turned to see the familiar mustached face of Martinet.

"I'm on my break," Pierce said. "Shouldn't you be?"

"I'm-a-not-a resting until all-a-the patients are recovered."

"Well, the others were pretty insistent that I take a break. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Martinet turned back to the infirmary as Shaw continued, holding the small notebook and nervously flipping the pages. "Uh... we are gathered here to celebrate the marriage of Dr. Alan Pierce and..."

"Sarah Bishop."

"Sarah Bishop," continued Shaw, clearly nervous. "Do you, Alan Pierce, take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do."

"And you, Sarah Bishop?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you man and wife... proceed with the execution... HEY, WHO WROTE THAT?"

Kate smiled slightly.

Shaw took a moment to regain her composure. "Okay, you may kiss the bride."

Alan Pierce smiled and wrapped his arms around Sarah Pierce. They soon squeezed their lips together tightly. Shaw watched with a look of relief.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 76: Sorrow and Joy

----

December 22, 2010, Dawn

Slowly, Frozeen inhaled a breath of fresh air. The atmosphere had that cool, refreshing, after-rain taste to it. It had finally stopped raining, or at least it was drizzling so lightly that Frozeen no longer even noticed, although Frozeen could feel a bit of a cold wind picking up. It was colder than before, finally starting to feel like winter, but the rejuvenation brought upon by the victory over the Mutant Dinos had certainly kept Frozeen warm.

But as winter, the season of death, had begun, Frozeen now found himself in a place of death. Since Rex had no Minifig family, and Frozeen personally doubted that Chompy believed in customary Minifig memorial and burial services, it seemed only fitting to look for the family plot of his late wife, Amanda. Only a quick bit of research told him where to find the Remous family plot. A bit more research informed Frozeen of some background history on the Remous family, including their rather wealthy status... and a terrible fate that shivered Frozeen's spine.

But as much as Frozeen wished it were not true, the evidence lay before him. Two headstones stood before him, rather small and plain in comparison to what might have once been the more extravagant tombstones of their ancestors, but if the sources were true, then these two, small, plain headstones were all that the Remous family could afford. Still, they had miraculously survived the apocalypse itself, still standing to tell the tales of the dead.

AMADEUS EDWARD REMOUS
1945-1993

ROSARIA MAE REMOUS
1947-1993

Frozeen was not alone in the graveyard. Accompanying him was Shannon Grimton, who surveyed the area from her seat in the wheelchair. "I remember reading about it in the Daily Brick newspaper when it happened," she said. "It was when we were all assigned that mandatory 'fire safety' research project that we did as freshmen in high school, remember?"

Frozeen nodded. "Vaguely. I do seem to recall that our sophomore year chemistry teacher told us that we should have committed acts of arson to get true hands-on experience on the subject. He always was not-so-secretly a pyromaniac."

Shannon grinned. "Ah, good old Dr. Mihav; we'll never forget a teacher like him." The smile disappeared from her lips as she continued her story. "A few of my friends and I got together one weekend to work on the project, and we took a bunch of recent newspapers and looked for anything interesting. And, well, we were all horrified to read about what happened. And, although nowadays it's pretty much public knowledge that Don Bricassius was responsible, back then, it was all covered up; unfortunately, this city's police and politicians were corrupt at the time."

"Did you get a chance to properly meet Amanda before the final battle?" inquired Frozeen.

Shannon shook her head. "Sadly, I'm afraid not. After I broke my legs in that fall, I wasn't allowed to go on missions out of fear for my safety; this was before I started making... adjustments... to my wheelchair. Rex was lucky to have had someone who cared for him so much that she would always be there, by his side, to ensure that he would never have to leave the battlefield where he was needed most just because of his condition."

"If there's one thing that Rex taught us," Frozeen mused as he glanced at Shannon's wheelchair, "it's that you don't have to stand to take a stand."

"Stop it!" said Shannon, smiling.

"I'm serious," replied Frozeen, although he returned a playful smirk.

"You are right, though," said Shannon. "If Rex's legacy will be half of what Andrew says it will, then it will certainly send out a strong and motivational message for people like... well, myself, right now. And, although you haven't met Janice yet, I think you can imagine how active I am in supporting people faced with challenges."

"Indeed," noted Frozeen. "Anyways, to backtrack a bit, after the death of her parents, Amanda took a vow of silence for a long time."

"They really must have loved her," murmured Shannon, "for their deaths to affect her so greatly."

"Makes sense, when you think about it," Frozeen pointed out. "You see, when you look at the Latin etymology for the name 'Amanda', you see that it means 'worthy of love'. And, considering what she meant to Rex, I really do think that this was a very fitting name for her."

"You didn't tell me you were into linguistics," said Shannon, impressed.

Frozeen chuckled. "Thanks to Alpha Team training and private lessons from PBB, I've improved my ability to read and speak other languages. I'm still no expert, but at least I can point out a nerdy fact or two about etymology. And, seeing as it's a rather recent development, it makes sense that you wouldn't have known. There's been a few other... recent developments... that you still need to catch up on."

Shannon looked up at Frozeen and pursed her lips. "Peter," she said softly but seriously, "we need to talk. What you said to me, back at Dino Attack Headquarters…"

Frozeen cringed, recalling the way he had behaved. "Just forget it, please," he muttered.

But Shannon shook her head and would not let it go. "What did you think was going to happen?" she pressed. "That I would drop everything and leave behind my fiancé like some sort of fairytale, just because you professed your love?"

"That's just it - I wasn't thinking," admitted Frozeen, rubbing his forehead. "It was something I said recklessly in the heat of the moment because I believed that there was a very real chance one - or both - of us were going to die that night, especially after hearing what happened to Amanda. And I thought that if I never said it, then I would regret it…"

"Well, do you feel better now, having gotten it off your chest?" asked Shannon, raising her eyebrows inquisitively.

Frozeen winced yet again. "Honestly… no. No, I don't. Because now that we've both survived, I can look back on it and see how stupid and foolish it was of me to say it. It's like senior year all over again. I feared I would regret not saying it, but now all I can feel is regret for actually saying it…" He facepalmed. "Agh, I'm so stupid! Rex could act entirely on emotion, while Greybeard knew how to balance emotion and logic to act with reason… but I'm not like either of them, which is why I keep finding myself blundering blindly like a fool when it comes to things like this."

He sighed heavily. "You know, Shannon? The funny thing is... after years of therapy and counseling, I've felt like I've been in control of my autism. I mean, I know it's incurable, but I never really thought of it as presenting itself as a problem during my years in Alpha Team; if anything, it might have even helped me be more effective at my work. I can be detail-oriented, highly-focused, puzzle-solving, calculating… uncompromising, undistracted, even aloof… all excellent traits in an efficient Alpha Team agent. And despite all those years of counseling and feeling like I was in control... when I'm with you, I feel like I'm in high school again, flustered and confused about my emotions, and not sure what to do or how to cope. It's almost like Frozeen is the cool, collected Alpha Team agent while Peter is the dorky, insecure kid."

Shannon leaned in towards Frozeen, locking her soothing eyes with his own. "Peter, think. What would all your therapists and counselors, the people who helped guide you through your life, tell you to do right now?"

Frozeen averted his eyes and was silent for a moment. "They would want me to clearly project how I really feel," he murmured.

"And how do you really feel?" Shannon inquired in a quiet yet compelling tone. "Peter, speak to me. It was true, wasn't it? You meant what you said to me."

Slowly, Frozeen managed to raise his eyes back up to meet Shannon's gaze. "Yes, I suppose I did," he confessed. "I've… always… loved you, Shannon. Or, at least, what I can assume is love. I've never been good with understanding emotions, not even my own. I know I'm as bad at handling romance as a socially-inept college freshman writing a poor fan fiction full of lousy love stories. And if I had any hopes that being a secret agent would make me as smooth and suave as James Bond... well, clearly, that isn't the case. But, yes… I do love you, Shannon."

Shannon nodded slowly. "Good, Peter. I'm proud of you for being honest with me. However, I know what you're thinking, and it's the same question that drives every lover mad. And… I'm sorry, but you need to know this, so I must tell you: my heart belongs to Stefano D'Angelo. I am in love with him, and I am going to marry him. And while I've always thought of you as a friend, Peter… I have never had romantic feelings toward you."

On one hand, it would be a lie to say that Frozeen's heart did not sink at hearing this. Perhaps there was still a part of him that clung onto the hope of that fairytale ending, one where he and Shannon would ride off into the sunset together. But on the other hand, he knew logically that this was what he expected to hear, what he knew he would hear, and most important, what he needed to hear. There was no fairytale dream, and it was time to wake up to reality.

Taking in a deep breath, Frozeen nodded. "You're right; I needed to hear that.  It helps me stop worrying about what could have been and instead accept what is.  It's time that I move on." 

Shannon took hold of Frozeen's hands and locked eyes with him. "I'm not the one for you, Peter. But she is out there, somewhere. I promise."

"I meant what I said to you during the final battle," Frozeen said, "but I also meant what I said earlier in the conference room.  Stefano's a great guy, and he's definitely a good match for you, and I really am absolutely sincere when I say that I'm happy for the two of you.  After all, I'd much rather see you happy with another man… than to see you unhappy with me."

"Thank you, Peter," said Shannon, smiling warmly. "There are many kinds of love, you know. Romantic love is just one of them. It's said that another form of love is shown in being willing to let someone go, for their own happiness. And while I do not feel romantic love towards you, I do care for you. That's why I looked out for you throughout all those years of school."

"I just hope things aren't awkward between us now," said Frozeen. "Can we not be bitter around each other, pretending to act polite and cordial even while holding onto resentment over stupid things that I've said? I'd just like to put this all past us, and for things to go back to the way they were before, when we were... friends."

Shannon nodded. "Of course we can be friends, Peter. We're friends right now, aren't we?"

Frozeen smiled. "I suppose so."

Glancing back at the headstones of Mr. and Mrs. Remous, Frozeen changed the subject. "Anyways, I was thinking that we could, you know, have Amanda's burial and Rex's memorial service held here, seeing as Rex does not really have a family plot of his own, despite his connections to the Alexander and Schattenberg families. It would be a bittersweet ending, but I would think that Rex and Amanda would have wanted to be together forever, even in death, and it's only fitting that their tombstones should be together. And, of course, Roger too; the man deserves some recognition for all that he's done for his sister."

"At last," murmured Shannon, "the Remous family would be reunited, together in the end."

----

The sun shone brightly as Montoya pulled his truck to a stop. He could see that familiar seaside cabin he'd found all those years ago as he opened the door and stepped outside.

The door to the cabin opened, and Debbie, that beautiful wife of his, stepped out in her apron, her long dark hair tied into a ponytail. The two ran to each other and embraced.

"I was so worried about you!" Debbie said, her eyes filled with tears. "When that man phoned me and asked about you…"

"It's okay," Montoya replied. "It's all over now. My life in crime is over. From now on, we try to make the best for our kids, okay?"

Debbie nodded, and together they went inside.

----

At sunset, a small crowd was gathered on one of the docks in LEGO City Harbour. Osprey glanced around at those present: Zachary Virchaus, Desdemona, Hugh Yena, Raine Dashworthy, and Jinx, along with many of the other Agents who had been present in the recent battle. The Agents were accompanied by a good number of Dino Attack agents, most of whom Osprey did not know, though he was able to pick out Helm, Giles, Kat, and Hotwire, who appeared to be in a wheelchair.

Osprey raised the torch in his hand, turned, and walked to the end of the dock. Before him, bobbing on the tide, lay the lifeless bodies of Winston and Matthias Grendelwulf -- the former clutching his sword, and the latter his dual SMGs (unloaded, of course) -- atop a wooden pyre built on an old wooden dinghy.

He paused, recalling Epic Winston's last moments in the infirmary that morning. He'd argued at length over the warrior's choice to refuse treatment for his wounds. "Half a two-man army is no army at all," Winston had said with finality, and Osprey had, in the end, little choice but to accept the man's decision, and to ask for the specifics of the rites Winston wished for himself and his brother. "Say nothing," he had instructed, "only think of us."

Taking a deep breath, Osprey cast the torch onto the pyre, then bent as the wood began to catch and unmoored the boat. He gave it a shove, and was joined by Dashworthy and Jinx. The dinghy was soon caught by the waves and began to drift towards the darkening horizon. Those gathered watched solemnly as, in the golden rays of the setting sun, the boat and its valiant passengers lit up like a dying star.

----

December 23, 2010, Sunset

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEL OF TIIIIIIMME!!" Zach sang triumphantly to the song playing on the radio of the Dino 4WD Trapper. "SAVE MY SOUL, FIND A WAY!! AND IF I FAIL, WILL IT ALL BE OVER?!!?"

"Would you please-?!" Vinyaya snapped over the loud music.

"THE WHEEEEEEEL OF TIME!" Zach interrupted as the vehicle barreled down the gravel roads of the outskirts of LEGO City. Vinyaya rolled her eye, a half-amused smile on her face as she leaned against the cooler in the middle of the backseat. Zelda's eyes were closed as she sat back, an amused smile. Minerva bobbed her head to the music, snicker all the while. "THE VISIONS SO FLEETING AND VAGUE! ONCE AGAIN I WILL BRING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! ONE LAST GLIMPSE IT IS CONSTANTLY SLIPPIIIIIIIING!!!"

The guitars, bass, and drums of the music played a bit before fading into an entirely orchestral interlude that sounded vaguely like a piece from a soundtrack from a movie with an Arabic setting. Minerva turned down the volume. "I think that's good, Zach."

"Thank Builder," Vinyaya muttered.

"Hey, what's your issue with Block Guardian?" Zach asked, smirking.

"Not my cup of tea. You practically screaming the lyrics doesn't help."

"These songs are written in caps lock, Vinyaya," retorted Zach. "It's not the same if you don't belt out every word in the most dramatic way possible."

"Do we have to listen to it, though? Not entirely symbolic to the war. Not really a victory song."

"No, but I've been waiting for this album, got distracted with the Agents, and I've taken a liking to this song particularly. It's tempting me to read the books the song was inspired by."

Vinyaya merely shook her head. "You do know where we are going, don't you, Minerva?"

Minerva nodded as she turned another corner. "Yeah. It's an old house I used to visit with friends when I was a bit younger to..." Minerva suddenly drifted off, her face turning red. Zach quickly put together that where they were going was a home Minerva had robbed at one point or another. "Anyway, the couple doesn't live there anymore. The wife died and the man was taken to a home. It's old, worn down, and nobody has gone there for years. If the fire were to get out of control, nothing of value would be lost."

This place they were heading would be Kareem Nazareno's final resting place. During the night after the final battle, Vinyaya contacted Space Police central, who were able to give her a line to the (or a, Zach wasn't really sure) space ninja temple and shared the news of Nazareno's passing. The elder that had responded expressed sadness at his death and ultimately gave permission for them to send Nazareno off. He had even been kind enough to list some traditions the space ninja followed during funerals.

"Ah, there it is," Minerva said. The Dino 4WD Tracker rolled into the driveway of an isolated acreage surrounded by miles of empty fields that were used for farming. The old, pale yellow house looked on the verge of collapse. Paint was peeling and bricks were coming loose and missing from the building. The Dino 4WD Tracker parked in a grassy field near the house.

The group shuffled out of the Fire Hammer and went to work. Zelda and Vinyaya climbed into the back of the vehicle and handed down a wooden table to Zach and Minerva. Setting it up, Minerva gestured to a pile of firewood stacked against a shed that looked like it had been ruined by a passing Mutant Raptor. As they went to work building the pyre, Zach spoke to Minerva. "Why did you remember this place?" he asked. "Does it-?"

"Not really," Minerva said, shooting a glance to the house. "The couple didn't hate me. My friends and I use to come out in and cause trouble. Steal things, vandalize property, and so on because we were stupid teenagers who thought they couldn't do anything to stop us. Then, around the fifth time we went here, as we were leaving, the man who lived here was waiting for us on the edge of his property. Everyone ran away except for me. Mostly because I was afraid what would happen since this old guy had the nerve to wait for us. He coaxed me into his house and had me explain what we were doing at his house. I sheepishly returned some of the food I stole from them and explained why."

"So what did they do?"

"They told me how they used to take in a lot of kids like me when they were 'not as old as they were now'. They molded them into successful and happy adults and taught them all sort of useful skills, apparently. One of their 'kids' apparently became famous across the universe, but wouldn't tell me who he was, though they were kind of sad about it. They said if they could've, they would've offered to take me in. But they were too old and in poor health. They just gave me the food I was trying to take and sent me away, no charges filed."

"Did you ever go back?" Zach asked as they placed a bunch of chunks of wood under the table.

"Yeah. Like I said, me and my friends were a bunch of stupid teenagers. They didn't like how the man had outsmarted him, so they'd visit his house and break windows and spray-paint walls. I was always sent inside to steal some stupid thing or money. I think they knew that, but didn't care. There was always what looked like a grocery bag sitting on the counter with tons of food. I took it once instinctively and later found money hidden inside boxes. They were trying to help me, I suppose. They knew I was the only one that cared about getting food in my group. Once I figured out what they were doing, I never missed an opportunity to go their house. We could last a month on the food they left for us, and the money helped pay for basic necessities."

Zach blinked. "Huh." They worked in silence for a few minutes before Zach asked. "How did your...ah, meeting with Saran go?"

Minerva shrugged faintly. "It went about as well as you think something of that subject matter would. But it's for the best, right? I really appreciate having talked to you about what happened the past two days, but talking to a professional should be beneficial."

Zach nodded. The day after the final battle, with a mixture of celebrating with friends, they had finally discussed what had went down with her and Oswald during the battle. Minerva held up rather well as she described it with vivid detail. She had choked up multiple times, but seemed relieved in telling someone the whole story. After revealing her brief conversation with Baron Typhonus and Dr. Rex, Minerva's story ended with her simply weeping. Zach didn't say anything or judge, he just made sure that she knew she was there. The next day, she announced her intentions to see Dr. Nicholas Saran about it.

"He thinks I could be a lot worse off, but we're going to have a session once a week for the next couple of weeks. Then he'll evaluate my progress and decide if we should continue," Minerva concluded softly, squeezing Zach's hand.

He didn't say anything. He only wondered if he would end up suffering some kind of PTSD. At very least, he anticipated Maelstrom-related nightmares once his sleep schedule returned completely to normal.

"I think that's good for now," Minerva said as she set down the last stack of logs in her hands. Vinyaya and Zelda carried a wooden casket to the table and set it down gently. They removed the lid and set it on the ground silently. The four gathered around the casket quietly and looked upon the peaceful body of Kareem Nazareno. Zach never really imagined what Nazareno had looked like underneath his cowl and had almost preferred if that had stayed a mystery.

"So," Vinyaya said finally. They turned their eyes from Nazareno to Vinyaya. She had left behind her Space Police armor and was in her Zero Suit. "Anyone want to say anything before we do this?"

They waited in silence for several minutes before Minerva stepped forward. "Thanks for being there, Nazareno," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "When Zach was corrupted and when J.D. died. Thanks for being one of the first friends I made in the team. Thanks for your advice. You were one of the most mild-mannered people I knew. Except during Rotor's kangaroo court." The group chuckled faintly.

"Thanks for the hand," Zach said, lifting his polished gold hand into view. "Both of them. I'll make sure not bust up this one. Sorry for trying to kill you twice. You were about the coolest person I had ever seen when we met back in the rear guard camp. You were smart and had a dry sense of humor I could appreciate."

"You are among the greatest men I've ever known," Holly said calmly. "You were strong, powerful, and brave. Thinking about it now, you were a bit of a legend in the Space Police. The guy who could take on Matthew Vherestorm. I know many people who will never meet you see you as an inspiration. And beneath your somewhat cold demeanor, I saw as you fought against Vherestorm in HQ that you cared for all of us."

"I..." Zelda said, pausing to regain her composure. "I'm glad to have known you, Kareem. You helped me integrate back into the team after I became a Minifig again. You taught me so much. If you were a bit icy, you were kind, wise, and powerful. Even if you were insecure romantically, I hope you knew how much everyone loved you. I'm honored that I got to fought alongside you two days ago. Even though we'll never be able to explore a deeper relationship, I'll never forget you. I... love you, Kareem."

Zelda swallowed painfully before leaning forward and kissing Nazareno's cold forehead. She then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out Nazareno's white cowl. She carefully lifted his head and masked his face away for the last time.

Holly looked around at the assembled group, then closed her eye. Simultaneously, Zelda, Zach, and Minerva closed their eyes. They might have been praying. They might have been simply paying their last respects to Nazareno. They opened their eyes after a minute of silence.

"I think we're ready," Holly said finally. Minerva nodded and walked briskly over to the Dino 4WD Tracker and pulled out a can of gasoline from the back. She splashed it on the pyre below the table and set the can to the side. Vinyaya pulled a box of matches from her belt, lit a match, and tossed into the pile of wood. The wood burst into flames immediately. In a few minutes, the wooden table started to burn as well.

Zach looked up to the sky. The sun was almost completely below the horizon. "Well, the elder ninja's message said this ritual often included celebrating the life of the fallen. Instead of making this a bitter occasion, it should be a little more bittersweet. We just won a war. This is the best and probably the only time for our band to all be together at the same time."

"He's right," Zelda said finally. "We're going to be celebrating for the next week. One more celebration won't hurt. Go get the cooler out, Zach."

He nodded to her and jogged to the jeep. He pulled out the heavy container and carried it over to the fire. Already, Minerva, Zelda, and Vinyaya were sitting in the grass. the latter two whispering into the former's ear. Minerva's mouth curled into an amused grin. Zach set the cooler down next to them, he turned and saw the three women grinning at him, causing his face to turn red.

"I... what were you talking about?" Zach asked. They didn't say anything, but their grins didn't fade. Zach's embarrassment faded into minor annoyance. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Catch on pretty quick, don't you?" Zelda said as she pulled out a bottle of cola.

"And so now that this little group has just one guy, I get to be the butt of your jokes, right?"

Vinyaya chuckled as she opened a bottle of root beer. "At least you picked a smart one, Minerva. Right on the mark, Zach."

"Fine then, Holly," Zach snapped jokingly. To his surprise, Vinyaya only scoffed at him and didn't correct him. A wide grin quickly formed on his face. "Aha! I've earned the glorious honor of calling her by her first name! Holly Holly Holly Holly Holly Holly Hoooooooooooooollyyyyyyy!"

"You can stop embarrassing yourself in front of all your women friends, Zach," Vinyaya retaliated. Zelda and Minerva laughed playfully.

"Ouch," Zach said, clutching his chest in mock pain. "That stung." Zach then moved and took a seat beside Minerva and pulled out a bottle of orange soda. They spent the next several hours sitting around the fire and sharing war stories. Zach described his more harrowing adventurers as an Agent while Vinyaya described exciting missions she took part in as a Space Police officer. Being in the team longer than the rest of them, Zelda described her experiences in the Goo Caverns, on LEGO Island, and in the Torn World. As she spoke, she mentioned meeting an agent Verrat.

"Verrat?" Minerva repeated, shocked. Zelda nodded, a confused glint in her eye. Minerva sighed weakly. "He is... was my brother."

"He was?" Zelda asked, surprised. "I saw him during the final battle. He was trying to the get the headquarters-"

"So he could capture me, Minerva, and their mother," Zach interrupted bluntly. "He was working with XERRD. He was taken from LEGO Island and converted into believing the Darkitect's plans." Zelda stared at Minerva in shock.

Vinyaya cleared her throat uncomfortably and addressed Minerva. "Do you mind me asking why your mother was brought into the battlefield?" Vinyaya asked gently. "You don't have to if you-"

"I trust you guys," Minerva interrupted, sighing. "There's a story to it. It might be a while, but seeing as we're not going anywhere..." Minerva went into an abridged version of past. Zelda and Vinyaya listened intently. As she finished her story, the two sat there in stunned silence.

"I'm-" Zelda began.

"Don't," Minerva said calmly. "I really just... don't."

"Well then," Vinyaya said. "I suppose I'll share some of my past as well..." And their stories drifted into their childhoods. Zach described the Brickster's antics on LEGO Island and going to and from the United States to see his parents. Zelda told of traveling the high seas as a young girl with her pirate parents and eventually being adopted by a family in World City after the Skeleton Pirate War escalated to the point where her mother was killed. Vinyaya told of suddenly living out with the Futuron and experiences culture shock as she saw a variety of species, technology, and worlds.

At around 11:30, they began to sing carols welcoming in the holiday season many thought they wouldn't have. Zach was even able to finish listening to "Wheel of Time" by Block Guardian. Their conversations drifted into jokes and random stories, both funny and not. By 1:00 AM, the group was most quiet as they stared at the fire. The temperature had dropped and they were all wrapped in blankets.

"So, Holly," Zach suddenly began after finishing a chug of orange soda. Minerva was sitting beside him, her head resting on his shoulder as she tried to stop herself from fall asleep. Vinyaya and Zelda were sitting together with two sticks, discuss methods of roasting marshmallows. As Vinyaya made a s'more from her marshmallow and began to eat, she looked at Zach with half-closed eyes. "What's with you and Bluetooth?"

Vinyaya rolled her eye and swallowed. "Figured you'd bring it up again."

"It's been two days since I inquired anything about it," Zach shot back. "I'm never going to drop it until I get a straight answer. Something you never seem to give."

"Fine. I spoke to him after we Darkling and Martinet cleaned up my wounds. We sat around near the celebrations and just sort of... talked."

"Talked," Zelda repeated as she chewed on her s'more, a smug grin on her face.

"So are the shippers going to rejoice?" Zach continued impatiently, yawning. "You keep beating around the bush. It's like a writer trying to milk the shippers for all their worth."

Vinyaya's eye narrowed. "I think we're going to start... something."

"I can't really tell if you and Bluetooth are more romantically awkward than all of us," Minerva mumbled, her eyes still closed. "Or you're just embarrassed about us talking about your love life." Vinyaya silently fumed at this, her face turning bright red. "I think 'something' means they're dating now."

Zach clapped his hands. "You pulled through, Holly. You pulled through. Bluetooth a good guy. I'm happy for you. You two better being going to LEGO Island for that party. You too, Zelda."

"I think that was the plan," Vinyaya said. Zelda merely nodded before laying back and curling up in her blanket. The fire had lost much of its luster. Vinyaya yawned. "I think sleep sounds nice."

Minerva was breathing softly on his shoulder. "I think so, too," Zach said as he watched Vinyaya lay back on the ground. "G'night Holly. Zelda." They both grumbled something incomprehensible.

Zach laid back and carefully laid Minerva on the ground beside him. She stirred. "What's going on...?" Minerva muttered faintly.

"Going to sleep," Zach said.

"Hmm... okay." Minerva turned her head toward Zach and kissed his cheek. "One more burial tomorrow."

"Then it's party time. Again." Minerva chuckled quietly before rolling away from him and falling asleep. Zach closed his eyes, letting the blissful feeling he had felt the last few hours drown him in sleep. 

*****

December 24, 2010, around 10:30 AM

Light gray clouds surrounded LEGO City. Zach shivered slightly and squeezed his jacket closer to his body. The temperature was low, and he had heard predictions that it would snow today. As he stood in this graveyard, he didn't doubt it.

Minerva stood by him, one hand tucked into the pocket of her dark red coat and the other munching on a piece of bacon. She was cold as well, but seemed much more adapt to it. She looked at Zach and grinned. "Living on a tropical island isn't very cold, is it?"

"No," Zach said as he took a sip of hot chocolate from his insulated cup. Minerva gestured to him briefly, so he handed it to her. "I go to the U.S. every winter. Ninety percent of the time, there's four feet of snow on the ground. Never get used to it."

Minerva finished her sip and handed the cup back to him. "Not exactly ideal, but I suppose it fits the mood. Dreary, bitter, at the dawn of winter...perfect for a funeral, I suppose."

Zach smirked. "It's better than the cliché 'raining at the funeral', I suppose." Minerva snickered before shuffling close to him as a cold blast of wind struck them. "At least LEGO Island will be warm."

"'Always perfect weather on LEGO Island.' Isn't that what Ed Mail said?" Minerva asked.

"Heh, yeah." They were just making small talk as a lone digging vehicle sat in the cemetery, scooping dirt and mulch out of the ground so they could place the casket nearby inside. Inside the casket was the body of Athena Fabello. The plan was to bury Minerva's mother and head on to LEGO Island for the party whose word had quickly spread around the Dino Attack's allies.

Athena's body had been flown back from Antarctica, along with a special-looking casket and a new tombstone. Zach quietly bent down and pulled away overgrown grass surrounding a tombstone half-buried in the ground, most likely thanks to a Mutant Raptor or something. Its inscription was faded from weathering, but there was no doubt what it said.

TOD FABELLO
1987 - 2004

"How often did you visit them?" Zach asked as he rose to his feet. No doubt a ruined stone for Isaac Fabello laid somewhere.

"Twice a year," Minerva said plainly. "Oswald and I would come on the anniversaries of their deaths. We always did, no matter what."

Zach looked over to the stone lying by the casket. It looked a million times better than Tod's lying in the ground. "Nice of your aunt to do that. Get a stone that would last ages."

Minerva nodded. "I called her early on Wednesday. We've barely communicated before now, but seeing as she's my only relative on the planet and Mom was her sister, I decided she should know. I suppose I wouldn't say she's bad, more... I don't really know, actually. After Mom went crazy, Aunt Ginny never talked to us. I guess she might have been embarrassed or sad about what happened to her sister and communicating with us would only bring back bad memories."

Minerva shrugged. "Though I guess the Dino Attack might have changed her. She seemed relieved to hear I was alive and couldn't speak for a while after hearing what happened to Oswald and Mom, and she got real mad when she learned Napoleon XIV had lied to her about Mom and muttered something about a lawsuit. I told about what we planned to do and she immediately offered to pay for a tombstone and casket to place her on. I was really surprised, to tell you the truth. I told her she could come up to LEGO City and join us today if she wanted."

"And she refused."

Minerva nodded. "She seemed uncertain about what to do, but eventually decided not to come up. I imagine she'll come here by herself when everything comes back to normal."

Zach silently mused as he watched the digger pull away from the hole. There was no real relationship between Ginerva Chase and Minerva, other than they were related to each other. And, from Minerva's "matter-of-fact" tone, there never would be a relationship. It seemed Ginny regretted never bonding with her niece and made up for it by making sure her family rested here with some level of grandeur.

"Thanks," Minerva said, shaking the man driving the digger's hand as he returned from parking his vehicle. The man merely smiled and stood to the side and Minerva and Zach walked up to the dark red casket, their hands intertwined.

Athena Fabello laid peacefully inside of it. Her torn and ruined clothes from before had been removed and replaced with a plain black dress. Just like Nazareno, she seemed extremely at peace in her state. Minerva touched her mother's cheek with a cold hand, smiling sadly. "I hope you're happy, wherever you are," Minerva whispered shakingly. Her eyes then widened as she saw a photograph being held down by Athena's folded over hands. Minerva quietly slid out the picture and held it in front of herself and Zach.

It was a picture of a little boy with blond hair, dressed as neat as a child could be and grinning at the camera goofily. Minerva laughed quietly, a small tear sinking out of her eye. She carefully returned the picture of Oswald to her mother's hands and closed her eyes. "Thanks for being there. Things are better for you now. I know it."

Minerva quietly closed the casket and, with Zach and the man's help, moved it over the rectangular hole in the ground and lowered into the Earth with rope. As the man returned to his digger to return the dirt over the hole, Minerva and Zach carried the tombstone over to a small, rectangular crater in the ground a bit to the left of Athena's resting place. Tucking it into the ground, Zach and Minerva stepped back and looked at the stone. The names were arranged in two rows: one for the elders, one for the offspring.

FABELLO

   ISAAC                         ATHENA
1958 – 1996                 1956 - 2010

OSWALD                          TOD   
1986 – 2010                1987-2004

Minerva stood there in silence for five minutes. Zach could only guess at what she was thinking. What he knew, however, was that the Fabellos had reunited at last. Both in a physical and spiritual state. There might be a lot of explaining to do, but Athena, Isaac, Oswald, and Tod would finally be a family again. He shot a glance at Minerva again. Her family was together again, but was missing their youngest member. It was a bittersweet parting indeed.

Zach snaked his hand into Minerva's. "They'll be waiting for you, Minerva."

Minerva swallowed and nodded. They would be expecting her in many years. She turned away from the stone and together they began to walk toward their Dino 4WD Tracker. Neither said anything until Minerva looked up and pointed. "Look." It was barely visible, but it was there. A snowflake.

A shiver traveled through his body. "Better get to LEGO Island before we're drowned in the stuff." Minerva nodded. He paused for a moment, then said, "Race you for driver's." With that, he started to run down the path to the exit.

"Hey!" Minerva called out, laughing in surprise as she pursued him. "You cheater!" Zach laughed in amusement as Minerva began to catch up to him. Time to pick up Holly and Zelda and head home.

----

"Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!" Dr. Cyborg said under his breath as he wandered LEGO Island.

A day after the battle, he had met with some scientists of XERRD. They had agreed with him that the best course of action was to rejoin Nexus Force after the cleanup from the battle and aftermath.

But in the meantime, there was always that LEGO Island party. He had arrived a bit early: yesterday morning! What he had done between then and now was find a hotel and sleep. If he remembered correctly, the last time he slept was in the Temple of Hotep III. The last time he got a good, restful sleep was before he left XERRD. It had only been a month or two ago, but it felt like two years.

He was currently alone, as Catless was coming later and Kara had left to make sure her home was still standing. This was a reason for his downiness, but also the fact the fact that he was leaving the planet again in a week or two. Plus, he was alone on his birthday, which he usually spent with friends or family.

Even though the actual party was still a week away, there was already some partying going on. A drunkard staggered by. Dr. Cyborg frowned at the sight. Even as a human, he never liked alcohol.

He looked down the street, squinting somewhat. I really should get a replacement for my visor if I ever find one of the same tech level. I'm not used to this light.

Dr. Cyborg saw Zach and his friends down the road, and he ran to catch up with them.

----

December 26, 2010

Over the past few days, Frozeen and Greybeard had never seen so many helicopters as they now saw. With the majority of the Mutant Dinos defeated and the survivors being hunted and captured in the outskirts, LEGO City's population was returning in full force from the Alpha Team refugee facilities in Antarctica. The first to arrive were the construction crews and, aside from a mishap involving a billboard and a stray Mutant Raptor, the rebuilding efforts were met with incredible success. There were certain advantages to post-war enthusiasm in a world built of LEGO. In no time at all, Frozeen figured, LEGO City would be even bigger and better than it ever was before.

After the police and fire departments were reestablished, civilians returned to their newly-rebuilt houses and apartments. Much had been lost in the Dino Attack and nothing would ever be the same, but there was some strange unanimous feeling of high hopes for the future that filled the air, and everyone was ready to start anew. What would they make of it? Just imagine...

One helicopter landed at the meeting point set up by Frozeen and Greybeard. Among the many civilians who stepped off the helicopter, there were three familiar faces.

"Grandpa!" cried Mary Rose, her excitement nearly too much for her small body to contain. She rushed towards Greybeard with open arms, and Greybeard caught her in his embrace, laughing jollily as he did so. Observing this, Frozeen noted that Rex was right in choosing to sacrifice himself instead of Greybeard.

Next, Frozeen found himself patted on the back and gently elbowed in the ribs by Sam Throramebi. "Oh, man!" said the Rock Raider, grinning. "You would not believe what it was like down there! When we arrived at the facilities, everyone was huddled around their radios and hanging off of every word spoken by J. Theano. It was just like the Golden Age of Radio! And then, when he announced that the Mutant Dinos were defeated... well, the noise was louder than the eruption down in Quadrant 14!"

Laughing, Frozeen patted Sam on the shoulder. "If you think the noise down there was loud, you should have heard what was going up here after the victory! Half the time, you couldn't hear yourself think while Williams and Zimmer were warring with each other with 'The Throne Room/End Title (Medley)' and 'One Last Shot'!"

"Throw in some '1812 Overture' and some fireworks," Sam said with a smirk, "and the entire world's population cheering at once, and then we'll talk about 'loud'!"

"Oh! Hi, Talia!" Frozeen waved, catching the Dino Attack agent's attention as she stepped off the helicopter.

After spotting Frozeen, Greybeard, and the others, Talia Kaahs smiled and rushed towards them. "Hello again, Frozeen!" she said. "I'm glad to see you again; I admit, I was unsure if I'd ever see any of you again, but then I found confidence and strength in telling myself that you'd pull through, as George said you would."

"It's great to see you too, Talia," said Frozeen. Although the Alpha Team agent smiled, there was sadness in his eyes, as he knew that there was news that he would have to deliver.

The look in Frozeen's eyes did not go unnoticed, and Talia faltered. "George...?" she dared to inquire. "Did he...?"

Frozeen sighed and, slowly, shook his head. "He didn't make it. He... he wanted me to tell you that he was sorry, and that he loves you."

Life drained out of the scarred face of Talia Kaahs. Even to Frozeen, who tended to be rather aloof towards others' feelings, could not be mistaken about the pure sorrow betrayed in her features. She pressed a hand to her chest and caught her breath. Talia looked as though she was about to say something, but could not voice any words, and instead lowered her head and slowly took a seat on a nearby bench.

Frozeen was unsure of what to do. He remembered how Rex refused to let anyone pity him, and feared that something that he might say could only make things worse for her. Finally, he resolved to ask a simple question: "Is there anything I can do?"

"When and how?" inquired Talia, her voice shaking. It was a simple, yet understood, question.

"In the last few minutes of the battle," explained Frozeen, "George volunteered to hold back the Mutant Dinos while the rest of us boarded Typhoons to fight Dr. Rex. However, when Dr. Rex arrived, we were not ready for him, and I think the Darkitect must have given Dr. Rex the strength fueled by his anger regarding your relationship with General... we fired everything we had upon him, but it was not enough to stop him from crushing George beneath his heel. George really helped us out against the Mutant Dinos and put up a great fight against Dr. Rex himself, and I thought for sure that he was going to pull through... but it was just not enough. His death was not in vain, and he died a great hero."

Frozeen pulled out the G.E. Body helmet and handed it to Talia. She took it and stared at it, her sorrowful face reflecting off its metallic surface.

Sighing, Talia wiped tears from her eyes. "We both knew it wasn't going to last much longer," she whispered. "We both knew that old age was catching up to George... and George was certain that if his brother ever found out about me, he'd kill us both. I just... I just wish that I was there with him when he confronted Dr. Rex."

"I think... you were," murmured Frozeen, "in a way. If it weren't for you, General would never have stood a chance against Dr. Rex. I'm certain that you were in George's heart and mind during the final battle, and you granted him strength so powerful, only the Maelstrom itself could come close enough to tear you two apart."

"I... I think I need a moment," Talia said quietly, sniffling as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"Avast," grunted Greybeard. "D' ye think General would 'ave wanted t' see you actin' like this? He died wi' th' knowledge that ye lov'd 'im dearly, an' if thar be a Heaven o' some sort, then he be watchin' o'er ye now, says I. Would he want ye t' be sobbin' o'er 'im, mournin' 'im fer finally redeemin' 'imself in his own deadlights? Talia, listen t' me. General be a great man, an' thar ne'er be ano'er like 'im, but I be thinkin' that he would want ye t' move on, says I."

"Yeah, there are plenty of other great men," suggested Sam Throramebi, "like me!"

Frozeen and Greybeard shot Sam a pair of disapproving glares.

"What?" said Sam, frowning. "Can't a guy hope that there's someone up there feeling nice enough to share the love down here?"

Frozeen shook his head. "General wasn't the only one who died in the war, you know. I'm certain the name Semick might ring a bell?"

Sam Throramebi blinked in surprise. "Semick?" he repeated. Taking off his helmet and scratching his head, he murmured: "Man, that's... really... something. After the LEGO Island mission, I began to put aside my distaste for the Power Miners and see that Semick really was a great guy. He was a great commander and wasn't afraid of anything. I mean... he knew I didn't like him 'cause he's a Power Miner, and he still made an effort to get past that barrier between us out of respect for his fellow teammate. Ah, well. I kind of wish I got to know him a little better. But from what I know of him... I think I'll miss him."

Frozeen wanted to say something more to Talia, but then a message came in over Frozeen's headset. "Dash Justice to elite agent Frozeen. Come in, elite agent Frozeen!"

"Yes?" responded Frozeen, turning away from his comrades. "This is elite agent Frozeen. Have you got an update on the case?"

"Roger that. We found the civilian you told us about and we're currently holding him in the local Agents Headquarters, seeing as our main LEGO City base is still under reconstruction. We are waiting for you to commence with the investigation. Are you certain that this man will provide us with the information necessary to close this case for good, agent?"

"Yes," said Frozeen, "I am quite certain. I am on now my way. 10-4, over and out."

Turning back towards Talia, Frozeen scratched his head. "I'm sorry, I've got to go now. Alpha Team duties and all. But, look... if there's anything you need, just feel free to contact me, okay?"

Slowly, Talia Kaahs nodded.

*****

Bartholomew Enderson sat in the cold dark room illuminated only by a single lamp on the table before him. He sat placidly in his chair, waiting for something to happen.

A door opened, and the red-haired Alpha Team agent stepped into the room. "I apologize for the low lighting and keeping you in here for so long," spoke Frozeen, breaking the silence. "Normally, this room is where the Agents hold… interrogations."

Bartholomew raised an eyebrow. "Am I in some sort of trouble?" he dared to inquire.

The agent approached the table but did not sit down. "No, of course not. You are not held here as a prisoner, you are not accused of any crime… you're just here to answer a few questions."

"Of course," said Bartholomew, nodding. "I never forget a face, and I suppose you're asking about a particular face I might've seen?"

"Indeed," replied Frozeen, who placed a photograph down upon the table under the illumination of the lamp.

The bartender's eyes widened. "… Her?"

"We have received an account," explained Frozeen, "that this individual and you shared… a bit of a bond, shall we say? Non-romantic and purely business, but a close bond nonetheless."

The bartender bit his lip, but did not reply.

"Look," assured Frozeen, "you are not in any trouble, and nothing you say can change that." Studying the bartender's features, the agent paused for a moment before speaking again in a softer tone. "Don't worry. You're safe here. Whatever… threats you may have received from this individual are now void. You are free to confess."

Bartholomew looked away. "It's… too confidential, what a bartender such as myself knows. And if I dare say too much, I know that I will pay the price."

Frozeen sighed. After a moment of silence, he revealed: "She's dead."

"What?" exclaimed Bartholomew, blinking in surprise.

"She died only a few days ago," explained Frozeen. "Before she died, however, she… confessed a few things. She mentioned your name and said you were now 'free'."

The bartender sighed. "So, it's true, then? She really is dead."

"Do I detect a hint of sadness in your voice?" mused Frozeen.

Bartholomew shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know… despite all the terrible things she had done… I sort of grew to care for her, almost like how a father cares for his daughter."

"A father," Frozeen repeated as he raised an eyebrow, "afraid of his own daughter?"

"It's… complicated," the bartender said, biting his lip. "But when you're entrusted with holding so many secrets for so long… it tends to have an effect on you, you know?"

The Alpha Team agent paused, then slowly nodded his head. "Yes. I know."

"Can you promise me that what you say is true?" sighed Bartholomew. "She really is dead? I really am… free?"

"You have my word," promised Frozeen, nodding. "Now, don't think of this as an interrogation… think of it as more of an interview. So, first question… I'm just curious… how did the two of you come to work together?"

The bartender sat back in his chair and stared off into space as he recalled the story. "Well, you see, I was there, working in the old bar just like I always did. It was a… Tuesday, yes, and it was raining. A dreadful downpour. While I was cleaning this glass, she walked in for the first time."

"Did you say anything to her?" inquired Frozeen.

Bartholomew shook his head. "No. Although my profession is tending to the bar, I studied quite a bit of psychology in college. In my years as a bartender, I've come to recognize different types of people. There are those who love to chat, there are those who would love to chat but need someone else to spark the conversation for them with a bit of small talk, there are those who just need to hear someone talking to them, and… there are those like her. One look at her, and I says to myself, 'She doesn't want to talk, and she doesn't want me talking to her.' And I respect that. So, I let her sit in the bar for a while without burdening her with speech. The bar was unusually quiet; we don't get quite as much business on rainy Tuesdays as we normally do. But even though I never spoke with her, I studied her, as I do with all customers. I could tell that she held some sort of tragic background that had hardened and embittered her… she was a young and pretty little thing, and I think she was still a teenager that day when she walked into my bar for the first time, but I could see that some sort of experience had hardened her expression like that of an army veteran."

"You let a teenager in your bar?" asked Frozeen.

The bartender smiled. "I do serve plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, of course. It's not like she ever asked for something stronger. And if she had, then I would have asked for an ID… which I'm sure she would not have provided. No ID, no sale. Not even for her."

"So, that's how you first met," murmured Frozeen, "but how did you work together? I cannot imagine you two forming a business relationship without a single word being spoken, especially on your end."

"Well," sighed Bartholomew, "that's when a couple of blokes came in. You've seen them before. Loud, obnoxious, vulgar kind of guys who think that they own everything and everyone, especially the ladies. So they barge in and order drinks, and so I pour them what they want. They only got louder and even more vulgar. Wondering if these guys had too much to drink before even stopping by my bar, I was about to cut them off… and then they advanced on her. As I said, she was a young and pretty thing. At this point, she had found herself a newspaper and was minding her own business. On the front page, there was some big cover story. Breaking news. Some poor sap who was one of those big business owners had been brutally murdered by a mysterious female assailant. But the blokes tear the newspaper out of her hands and try to advance on her. 'Come on, little bunny,' says one of them, 'girls ain't supposed to read! We'll show you how to have a good time!'"

"You didn't try to stop them?" Frozeen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I saw what they were doing, and I knew it was wrong. These blokes looked to be in their thirties, but she was so young. I says to them, 'Gentlemen, I'm afraid you must leave the young lady alone,' but they shrug it off like nothing. And, well, after that... I didn't have a chance to say anything else. One of the blokes got a little too close to the girl… and then, like a viper, she moves. She grabs one bloke's hand and throws him down to the floor. With one foot on his back to pin him down, she swings her hand towards the other man, and next thing I know, there's a knife pressed to his neck! I stare at her in shock, and then I lower my gaze to the newspaper. In the back of my mind, I make the connection. And… well, as a bartender, I am trained to rarely lose my composure. And there… I could not help it, but I coughed. Then, she turned her head towards me. Locks eyes with me. And she knew. She knew that I knew. Something about my expression tipped her off that I had figured out who she was."

"What happened then?" The Alpha Team agent leaned in a little closer, quite intrigued by the retelling.

"I… made the biggest mistake I could have possibly made," confessed the bartender. "I immediately turned away and headed into the backroom, trying to avoid the situation entirely. But no, I had seen too much, and she follows me, silent as a specter. I turned around, I saw her, and I knew I was cornered. Again, I don't normally lose my composure, but I lost it again. Panicked, I says to her, 'Look, please! I've got a sister, I've got a wife, I've got two kids, both still in elementary school… I can't…!' It was all true, by the way… I know some guys would just say that, but I really do have a wife and two kids. But then, I realized that I had sealed my fate. I knew too much, and I says too much, so she knows too much. It was the biggest mistake I had ever made."

"What did she do?" inquired Frozeen.

Bartholomew sighed. "She drew her knife and pressed it against my own neck. I imagine she was ready to slit my throat there and then. And then… and then she thinks better of it. And, to this day, I cannot imagine why… maybe that thing I said about having young kids got to her or something, but that's too naïve, I think. Slowly, she withdraws her knife, never taking her eyes off of me. Then she raises a finger to her lips, and I got the idea. I had to be silent. I could not speak a word of what happened. No one must know. Not a soul. Then she turned and, suddenly, she was gone."

"And so, you didn't tell anyone about these events," murmured the agent.

Bartholomew shook his head. "I didn't tell a soul. Not one. I says to myself that I cannot withhold such information… this killer, this terrorist, she was right there in my bar, and I says to myself that I needed to inform the authorities as quickly as possible. But my every instinct says to me, 'No, don't do that. She knows who you are, she knows you have a family, and she will hunt you all down and kill you all if you breathe a word about this.' I was in quite a bit of an internal debate, mind you. Days, weeks passed by, and I never saw another sign of her. But when I finally worked up the courage to call the local police department, suddenly, she walks in again. It's as though she knew! With my phone waiting for someone to pick up on the other end, she walks in and sits down at the bar again, her wary eyes never leaving me. Wisely, I hang up, and… well, that was the end of my attempts to call the authorities."

"So you tried to call the police station while you were at the bar?" Frozeen raised an eyebrow again.

"Yes," said Bartholomew, nodding. "A bartender such as myself… we devote a lot of time in our lives to our job. It's often not the most convenient place to make such a call, but based upon my work hours, it is practically the only place."

"You couldn't just use a phone booth or call from another location when you had the chance?" said Frozeen, frowning. "If you knew that she knew that you could be found at the bar, why didn't you try going for a more secure location when you had the rare chance? You said weeks had passed since your first meeting."

The bartender bit his lip. "She really… got to me, I suppose. I couldn't think rationally. Paranoia and fear drove my instincts. And you know, there was one time that she came back into the bar. And while she sat at the counter, a cop who's off-duty, he comes in, sits down at the bar, and orders a drink too. There they were, a criminal and a cop, sitting right next to each other. And then the cop turns to look at her… and you know what she does? She smiles sweetly. Yes, she puts on this entire innocent little girl façade. A natural fake smiler. And he smiles right back at her, completely and utterly falling for it, then goes back to minding his own business."

"And you didn't try to make any hint towards the police offer?"

Bartholomew shook his head. "These times were rare… but every so often, I would forget who she was and realize that… she was only a young girl. As I said, she must have been a teenager when we first met, and the last time I saw her, she could have only have been in her mid-twenties. And I would look at her and says to myself, 'She's only a young girl, and like the rest of us, she has her own life, feelings, and personal troubles.' And when I wonder what sort of horrible experience could turn such a young girl into such a notorious killer… I pity her. And I just couldn't have the heart to turn such a young girl, even her, into the police."

"The same girl who threatened to kill your family," Frozeen pointed out.

The bartender frowned. "Yes, that is true. I doubt that she ever forgot that threat, and I'm certain that if I ever did spill the beans without… well, you know, either her confession or her death, she would have made sure that the threat was not an empty one. And yet, I cannot help but feel as though, as that was our first meeting and we were not yet… involved… on a business level, we had not yet achieved a… mutual understanding, per se. In later years, despite the constant threat of her killing my family if I ever spoke a word, we sort of developed that level of understanding, and I could sense that I was probably the only, or one of the only, people in the entire world that this young girl truly trusted. And when I realized this… I had sealed my fate, one might say."

"So, tell me about this business," the Alpha Team agent inquired. "How did this get started?"

Bartholomew sat back in his chair. "Well, you see, that day we first met, when she beat those blokes who tried to advance upon her, there was another man in the bar who witnessed the whole thing. Like me, he puts two and two together and figures out whom she is. Turns out that he was working for some big corporate head who had heard of her previous exploits and wished to hire her to do some dirty work for him. He came into the bar, asked for a drink, and just before paying, he slipped me this envelope and whispers into my ear: 'If she comes back here, give this to her.'"

Curious, Frozeen raised an eyebrow. "What was inside the envelope?"

The bartender shrugged and shook his head. "Like it or not, it was not my business, so I did not dare to open the envelope myself. And then, a day or two later, she comes in again, and so I give her the envelope. She opened the envelope, read it over quickly, and then she gives me this look. I suppose that it was at that moment that she realized that I had unintentionally become her secret-keeper. Then, wordlessly… well, of course wordlessly, I do suppose that's a bit redundant, but she departs. I didn't see her again until about a week later. Now, we've got a television set in the bar, and when she comes in again, I look at the television, and it's this news reporter talking about some story about the disappearance of a man who used to work for the same corporation that made me deliver the letter to her. Turns out that, when he quit his job, he took some documents that belonged to the corporate head. That's when I realized that the corporate head's envelope was arranging a meeting between him and her, and he had hired her as a bounty hunter to hunt down and capture this man who took his documents."

"I remember that news story," said Frozeen, nodding. "Go on."

Bartholomew furrowed his brow and stroked his chin. "Now, I'm not quite sure how it happened. The only thing I can think of is that it somehow got out via word of mouth, but only to people interested in hiring her; somehow, it escaped the ears of authority or anyone else who would do the sensible thing and try to have her arrested. Either that, or our government is more corrupt than we suspect, no offense to you, but I'm not one who's about to get into conspiracy theories."

"Good," said the Alpha Team agent, chuckling. "I've dealt with more than enough conspiracy theories, especially the ones that turn out to be true after all."

"What matters is that," continued Bartholomew, "after a while, more and more people started showing up at my bar. Many of them were corporate heads, but some of them were politicians, and even some of them were mob bosses. And they'd all hand me envelopes to deliver to her the next time she showed up at my bar. She'd read the letter, meet up with her employer, do their dirty work, and show up on the news. I'd be lying if I say that I did not enjoy a bit of profit from the increased business, but for the most part, I was originally operating under the fear of her threat. After all, I do recall this one incident where one of her clients felt repentant about what he had done, and so he publicly confessed his knowledge of her. After that, he was placed under protective custody for his own safety… that did not stop her from breaking in and brutally murdering him, surely setting an example for anyone else who had already employed her or those who were wishing to employ her."

"I don't suppose you'd be able to give me a few names of her employers?" Frozeen dared to ask.

Bartholomew bit his lip and leaned in close. "I don't know about that. Some of these names… they're really big, and I don't want to malign anyone's reputation. And I mean, really big… on the level of Edward Korrupte and Walter Breen."

The Alpha Team agent nodded slowly. "Edward Korrupte? Well, that certainly sheds some light on the Mindstorms, Inc. incident. As for Walter Breen, you needn't worry about maligning his reputation… but I digress. So what you're saying is," murmured Frozeen, "this relationship all boiled down to a bit of profit and operating under threat?"

"Well… no." The bartender shook his head. "After a couple years of this… business, that's when she and I started to develop our mutual understanding for one another. Like it or not, I had become her secret-keeper, and her presence increased the bar's profit. In a way, we sort of protected one another. And as the years passed, we forged a tighter bond than I would have ever imagined. I looked after her like she was my own daughter, and in return she trusted me, perhaps greater than anyone else that she trusted."

"So, you became her secret-keeper and she increased your profit, and in the end, you both benefited from it. I see. However, all things must come to an end, I'm afraid, and given what happened over the course of this past year, it sounds like it did end."

Bartholomew sighed. "It did. You see, for her… and, eventually, for me… the whole ordeal was strictly business, and she never showed emotion or regret for the things that she had done. That all changed with one envelope that she received in early January. While she took a few jobs after that one, I believe that the end of her work can be traced back to this job in particular."

"Who hired her this time?" the Alpha Team agent inquired.

Bartholomew shook his head and shrugged. "He never said his name. Looked to be in his early thirties, had brown hair, grey eyes, glasses, a mustache… You know, I never forget a face, and while I'm certain that I had never seen this fellow before, I thought he looked strangely familiar, like I knew his sibling or something, but that's not important. But another interesting thing… the corporate heads, the politicians, the mob bosses… whenever they came in to deliver an envelope so that they could hire her, they were always smug, confident, not showing a bit of regret for what they were about to do. But this fellow, I don't think he was a corporate head or politician or mob boss… and when he handed me his envelope, he was not smug, but solemn. The fellow looked as though he was attending his own funeral. I had never seen that before in any of her employers."

"Interesting," mused Frozeen.

"So," continued Bartholomew, "when she comes in and I hand her the envelope as usual, she opens it, reads it over… and then she does something I never seen her do before: her face betrayed genuine shock. For a stoic such as her, for a person who received assignments to assassinate big names and never batted an eye, to show such emotion while reading that letter… that scared me. I could not possibly imagine what was contained in that letter. Still, she quickly regains her composure and then she departed as usual. Now, usually, as I said, when she was hired for a job, I wouldn't see her until the job was completed, and then I'd see her work on the news, while she sits there silent and stoic. The next time I saw her, there was nothing in the news. No murders, no disappearances, no heists… nothing. And she sits at the bar, orders a drink, and has that same look of solemnity as the man who hired her. To this day, I do not know what happened, but for her to be so badly affected… I shudder to imagine what horrible crime was written on that letter."

"And then, after that?" inquired Frozeen.

"As I said," concluded Bartholomew, "she took a few more jobs after that. Exactly three more jobs, if my memory doesn't fail me. The first two were like any other job she had done, except this time, she appeared to be falling into a depression or something. As for the third job… she never returned. And when I watched the news, it was telling the story of some famous mechanical engineer at UlTech whose home was broken into by her. But this news story had a twist ending. It didn't end with the horrible and gruesome murder of the engineer. Instead, the engineer survived, and according to police reports, she was about to kill him… and she suddenly drops her weapons and starts crying. He ran out of the room to call the police and get his kids to safety, but when he returned, she was gone. And that was the last that anyone had seen or heard of her."

"I remember that news story," murmured Frozeen. "It was so unbelievable that there were a number of people accusing the engineer of making it all up. But from what I know about her, and from your side of the story, I believe there might be some truth to it. So, that is the last time you saw her?"

"Yes, sir," affirmed Bartholomew, nodding. "Is there another chapter to this story that I do not yet know?"

"Did you receive a letter from a Ms. Amanda Remous?" inquired the agent.

Frowning, Bartholomew replied: "Sir, I'm not sure how this is relevant to…"

Frozeen sighed and shook his head. "I suppose not. You should check your mailbox when you get home; it might have taken Ed Mail a little longer to deliver it, I suppose, what with the population moving back up north again in mid-delivery." With that, the secret agent stood.

"Is that all?" inquired Bartholomew.

The Alpha Team agent nodded. "That is all. As I said, there are no charges held against you. Now that you have spoken, you are free to go."

"If you don't mind me asking," murmured the bartender, "but might I inquire as to the… well, point of this 'interview'? You fellows already know that she's dead, and you aren't placing any charges against me."

Frozeen sighed and scratched his head. "You see, I intend to write up a report on her. She has quite an infamous reputation for being a living nightmare, even to the point of being considered a myth by some. It is clear that the public is very uninformed about her true nature, for you see, she was a tragic villain more than anything else. With my report, I intend to investigate the tragedy of her life and reveal the facts behind the myths, hopefully closing this case for good. Thank you for your time today."

They clasped hands and together left the interrogation room.

*****

December 27, 2010, Morning

Bartholomew Enderson sat behind the brand-new counter of his freshly-rebuilt bar. It awed him how quickly LEGO construction crews could work, and combined with the post-war enthusiasm, his bar was restored to more or less exactly how it was before it was originally wrecked by a swarm of hungry Mutant Lizards, a Mutant Raptor that was too intelligent to be locked in the wine cellar, and a Mutant T-Rex with poor eyesight.

As he reflected upon the interview he had last night, he stared off into space and continuously wiped a glass with a cloth even though it was already sparkling clean. He was not sure what it was all going to amount to. She was dead, and there were no charges placed upon him. So what was the point of it all?

Bartholomew snapped back to Earth when he saw a Minifig approach his counter. From his bright blue uniform and hat, Bartholomew recognized that he was a mailman; if the clothes didn't tip him off, the giant sack of mail did. The mailman stopped at the bar counter, rummaged through his bag, and pulled out an envelope.

Just for an instant, as he watched the mailman, Bartholomew Enderson had a brief relapse of all the countless envelopes that had been handed to him in this very bar to be delivered to her.

"Mr. Bartholomew Enderson?" the mailman read the name off the envelope in a weary voice.

"Yes, sir," said Bartholomew, "that's me."

"I've got a letter for you." With that, the mailman handed the envelope to Bartholomew.

Bartholomew felt a feeling of surprise mixed with a hint of amusement. All those years, he had been handed envelopes in this very diner, but not one of them was addressed to him; they were always for her. And now, he finally had a letter to himself. "Thank you," Bartholomew said with a smile. "Have a good day, sir."

Chuckling softly to himself, the mailman picked up the huge sack of mail and turned to leave. "Oh, I'll have just as good a day as any other day because every day is a good day for a mailman because there's always mail that needs delivering. A good day to you too, Mr. Enderson." With that, the mailman left the bar.

Bartholomew Enderson looked over the envelope. Indeed, it was addressed to him. However, what caught his eye was the return address: Dino Attack Headquarters, LEGO City. Puzzled, he opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, and read it.

Dear Bartholomew Enderson,

I am sorry.

As much as I fear that the word "sorry" does not even begin to cover my feelings, I cannot think of another word to use. I was never particularly eloquent in speech. I am sorry, Bartholomew, for all the trouble I have caused you in the past. It's all my fault that a great burden has been placed upon you, for in order for you to be my secret-keeper, you had to sacrifice so much and not say a word about it. I have done you so much wrong, and it pains me to remember that I threatened your family just to keep your mouth shut.

And I am sorry for leaving you without even saying goodbye.

I've changed, Bartholomew. Or, at least, I am trying as hard as I can. For now, I've joined D.I.N.O. Attack in the battle against Mutant Dinos, in hopes that maybe by helping to save the world, I can redeem myself of all that I have done. After the war, I intend to settle down, live a normal life, and never have to pick up a weapon ever again. But I am writing to you now, for I am not certain that I will survive this war, and I don't know if I can ever meet you again, face-to-face, and tell you my feelings in person.

I need you to understand something. That is, if you haven't figured it out on your own; I do not doubt your intelligence. During the time that we worked together, I was utterly alone in the world. I had no one. No one, but you. You were the sole person that I could truly trust. And, while our relationship remained strictly a business one, you might have also been the only person I genuinely cared for. Because I trusted you, you were almost like a father to me.

And thus, I wish to thank you for all that you have done for me. You are now free, Bartholomew, and our business is finished. You no longer need to suffer the burden I had placed upon you. Take care of yourself for me, okay?

Once again, I am sorry. Can you forgive me?

With sincere gratitude,

Amanda "Silencia Venomosa" Remous

Bartholomew Enderson read the letter over again. Once more. Twice more. Each time, he let its words sink in deeper and deeper. "It is true, then," he murmured. "She's gone." He folded the letter, placed it back inside the envelope, and pocketed the envelope. Sitting down, he smiled to himself, feeling free at last.

And yet, he could not but wipe tears from his eyes. Despite all that she had done, he really did care for her, and knowing that she felt the same way made it feel as though he had lost a daughter. Looking upward, Bartholomew Enderson nodded gently and whispered: "Yes. I forgive you."

*****

Carrie Enderson limped calmly through the street, her leg wrapped in bandages. She eventually found what she was looking for- the bar, Enderson's. Reconstructed, to her surprise.

Along the street were numerous buildings in varying degrees of quality. Some were still in ruins, others were surrounded by scaffoldings and workmen trying to collect all the necessary parts and figure out what went where, or in some cases waiting for a replacement for a part they could never find.

But the one bar, Enderson's was mostly intact. Some work still needed to be done on the upper floor and the roof, and a couple workmen were busy taking care of that, but the building itself was mostly intact. Obviously, someone had access to a lot of good workers.

Then she thought of something, and smiled. Quickly she worked her way through the door, and then she saw a familiar face at the counter, a man she recognized all too well. He was busy wiping a glass before he looked up. "Ah, hello, Miss. How can I help y-"

There was a moment of silence as Carrie approached nervously.

"You alright?" the bartender asked.

Despite the pain in her leg, Carrie was still smiling. "Bart?" she asked.

Bartholomew Enderson smiled as he stepped out from behind the counter and ran toward his younger sister, giving her a big hug.

----

December 28, 2010

Peter Abody sat with Shannon Grimton, Greybeard, Mary Rose, and Sam Throramebi, glad that he was able to find a group of familiar faces in the massive crowd of people that had gathered in the LEGO City park. Peter knew that, very soon, he had a party to attend at LEGO Island, where he was supposed to make an honorary appearance for being a LEGO Island citizen who participated in the war against the Mutant Dinos. While he was not exceptionally fond of parties, a party at LEGO Island was never something that he wanted to miss out on.

The entire crowd of people attending tonight's event was gathered around the newly-built open-air theater. The famed Lorin Nelson Orchestra was all set up and ready to perform, but first, there were a few speeches that needed to be delivered. Mayor Frictionfit delivered his own speech, which he erroneously referred to as "short and sweet" when in actuality it was long and dull, and then invited four figures onto the stage. Three of them, Peter immediately recognized as Shadow, Digger, and Viper.

"Who be that?" Greybeard had inquired when they were brought onstage, gesturing to the fourth Minifig. "I ne'er seen th' likes o' him while workin' fer Dino Attack Team, says I."

Peter did not recognize the fourth Minifig either, but when he saw Shadow, Digger, and Viper, he quickly deduced the Minifig's identity. And when he made his way to the podium and spoke into the microphone with a familiar voice, Peter's calculations were proven correct.

"Shiver me timbers!" whispered Greybeard. "I dinnae believe it - that be Specs?"

"Sure looks different when he's not wearing that balaclava, huh?" murmured Peter.

For most of Dino Attack Team and its allies, Specs was a mysterious figure whose very identity seemed forever bound to that mask he always wore. Now that the war was over and he had to make a public appearance, Specs apparently saw fit to taking off his famous balaclava. To his fellow Dino Attack agents, it was almost as though everything they knew about Specs was changed just by finally seeing his face for the first time. But to someone like Peter, who was used to looking at things from an analytical point of view, he could hyper-focus on Specs's eyes, see the same qualities and strengths of a powerful leader who would never give up, and know that it was the same person after all.

Specs himself seemed to be aware of this as he addressed the crowd, which held many Dino Attack veterans. He explained that he had worn the balaclava because his own identity had never been important. In leading the fight against the apocalypse itself, he wanted to demonstrate that anyone could have been behind that mask. Anyone could have had the power, wisdom, and courage to step up and become the team leader. That mask belonged to no mortal man, but an idea that the entire world could rally behind.

Specs's speech was equal parts awesome and heartwarming, combining all the greatest elements of every speech delivered by himself, Semick, Greybeard, and other notable motivational speakers of the Dino Attack. He briefly summarized the struggles faced by Dino Attack Team over the course of the war. He commended the entire Dino Attack Team for such bravery and honor displayed throughout the course of the agents' service. He gave thanks to Dino Attack Team's allies across the globe; not just Alpha Team and Agents Defense Organization, which helped in battle, but also to sponsors such as Octan which gladly supplied Dino Attack Team's vehicles with precious fuel.

Specs even gave thanks to the allied villains: Evil Ogel, Lord Sam Sinister von Barron, the Brickster, and Lord Vladek. However, only three of the villains showed up at the ceremony. The Brickster and Lord Vladek were both basking in their glory, which Peter imagined would probably be the first time they ever received such recognition from anyone aside from their own minions, and Lord Sinister proudly announced that next year he would be going on an expedition to Egypt, where he would go on a quest to recover the legendary golden treasures of Pharaoh Amset-Ra.

"Should someone break the news to him that Archibald Hale and his team beat him to it by 87 years?" Shannon whispered to Peter.

Amused, Peter shook his head. "Nah. He'll figure it out on his own... eventually."

Although Lord Sinister's ignorance concerning the status of Amset-Ra's treasures lightened the mood, Peter was secretly concerned about the lack of appearance by Evil Ogel. Reports had shown that Evil Ogel was somehow killed three times by Dr. Rex over the course of the final battle. However, every Skeleton Drone claimed that Evil Ogel was, somehow, still alive. Alpha Team scouts had reported that, mere minutes before the Galactic Council's quarantine on LEGO Planet was ended, a red-and-black rocket launched from the Ogel Control Center on Ogel's Island. The Space Police were unable to track the rocket, but its course appeared to be set for Nimbus System. Peter shuddered to imagine what undecipherable plans lied behind Ogel's helmet... what dreams of power and control could possibly involve Nexus Force... or the Maelstrom.

After the three villains had spoken their input, Specs resumed his speech and devoted a moment of silence in memory of all those who had fallen during the Dino Attack. Peter thought of Rex, Amanda, PBB, the alpha female T-Rex, Libo, General, and, of course, Kotua and Databoard... although neither were confirmed to be killed in action, there was still no word from either of Peter's close Mission Deep Freeze friends. After Specs wrapped up his speech with a grand conclusion, the audience erupted into applause for Dino Attack Team's leader.

"Feh," grunted Greybeard. "What hogwash. A moment o' silence? That be it? That be all th' due t' th' dead that he be payin'? What better time t' honor th' sacrifice o' those like Rex, an' instead he dinnae even say Rex's name!"

"You do realize how many Dino Attack agents died during this war," retorted Peter. "It would be impractical to list them all, here and now, or else we'd be here all night long."

"Peter's right," added Shannon. "Besides, even as we speak, there's a memorial being built that will have the names of every Dino Attack agent who died engraved in stone for all to see. Don't worry; the name Rex Alexander will not be forgotten."

Shadow, Digger, and Viper gave their own speeches; while they were all well-written and excellently-delivered, none of them held a candle to what Specs had to say. It was likely that they knew what their audience wanted to get to, and they were not going to stall for much longer, for once the speeches were finished, Mayor Frictionfit handed it over to the famous Lorin Nelson Orchestra.

The Lorin Nelson Orchestra performed old classics like "Sunny Hill Park" and "Baroque in Brick", and Peter relished the sound of the latter's clarinet solo. The audience was in for a great surprise when Annie Wallis herself showed up to perform her famous song, "Think I'm Gonna Build Me a Bridge Today". One can only imagine how wildly the audience cheered when "Brick Barrel Polka - Baja On The Bayouu" started playing.

But the highlight of the night was definitely the final piece performed by the Lorin Nelson Orchestra: the "2010 Overture". According to rumors Peter had heard, Lorin Nelson himself had been writing the song over the course of the entire Dino Attack, with the orchestra named after him learning it bit by bit, and he had not finished until he was struck by great inspiration while listening to J. Theano covering Dino Attack Team's exploits during the final battle on December 21. If this story was true, then the Lorin Nelson Orchestra certainly did not show that they had only a few days to practice the finished piece, for what they performed was one of the greatest orchestral performances Peter had ever heard.

As someone who had seen the entire history of the Dino Attack with his own eyes, Peter was surprised by how well the "2010 Overture" served as an overture for the Dino Attack. It began slow and dark, even a little sinister, but then a more patriotic motif that seemed to represent the Dino Attack Team was introduced. From there, there were fierce and intense bursts of orchestral hits representing the battle against the Dino Attack; a rather adventurous-sounding section that sounded like it could cover the Adventurers' Island mission; there was even one part where Peter swore that he could recognize Lorin Nelson quoting some of his earlier works, such as "The Jail", and it most certainly had to represent the LEGO Island mission. At the end, the song painted a picture where it seemed that evil had triumphed and all hope was lost, but then the Dino Attack Team's motif returned in full force to conquer evil and save the day in the greatest orchestral climax Peter had ever heard, backed spectacularly by a full fireworks display over the LEGO City bay. When the "2010 Overture" ended, the audience erupted into so much noise, Peter thought he would go deaf.

The "2010 Overture", and the events and people that inspired it, would go down in history. Feeling a tear come to his eye, Peter was just happy that he could have been a part of it all.

The orchestra finished their performance, and Magma nodded happily to himself. It had definitely been a worthy performance.

He rose, and looked around the party. He paid particular attention to the three villains, Sinister, Vladek, and the Brickster. He dismissed them all one by one. The real danger was Evil Ogel.

One of his first joint operations with Covert had been tracking down Evil Ogel after his rocket launched.

It concerned him. He was working on an idea for dealing with Ogel, but he could already foresee many problems with the idea.

Still, it was worth a try.

On that note, he glanced around the party again. He found Covert - it was difficult to think of her as "Colonel Covert" anymore - speaking to a subordinate near the door. She glanced up and waved him over. "Magma! We have a situation," she said briskly.

"A situation?" asked Magma. He immediately began running through possible scenarios in his mind. "XERRD remnants? The Dino Aliens have returned? The DNA device is online? They've found Ogel? Vladek's betrayed us and sacked Castle Cove?"

Covert smiled slightly, but then quickly became serious again. "None of the above, but let's walk and not bother the partiers. We should be able to take care of it ourselves with some careful planning."

Puzzled, Magma followed Covert away from the gathering and celebration. The noise level quickly dropped off, and soon they were alone.

"So," Magma said. "Just what is going on? Care to give me a situation report?"

Covert laughed for a few minutes. Magma stared at her, frustrated. A crisis was going on and she was laughing about it? "Okay, here's a situation report for you. I wanted to drag you away from all those people, and so fabricated a crisis!"

Magma stared at her. She smiled mischievously.

"Why?" he asked, aware even as he said it that it was perhaps a very dumb question to ask in this moment.

"Why do you think?" she said, softly.

The last time Covert ambushed Magma, he had not even stopped to think and reacted with deadly force.

This time, he hesitated for a second or two, something that, if he had done in a combat situation, would probably have cost him his life.

And then he kissed her.

*****

It was many hours later.

They were now in Covert's quarters in Agents HQ. Magma hadn't actually lived in LEGO City for years.

She could tell Magma had been quite surprised at her impulsiveness - and to be honest, so had she. She had been surprised to realize she had a crush on Magma, her adversary in many a game of secret agent cat-and-mouse chess over the past two years, but once she thought about it, it made sense.

Magma's sudden surprisingly willingness - nay, active desire - to "build bridges" between their two organizations had brought it to the fore, and, as they said, one thing had led to another.

It was surprising, in a way, that it'd only been a week since their meeting after the final battle, but it had been a long week, and throughout it, the two of them had been working together almost constantly on organizing cleanup, on tracking Ogel, and on creating closer ties between their two organizations. So it wasn't as surprisingly unlikely as it might have seemed.

Magma had been quiet for some time now. Covert wished she knew what he was thinking.

Abruptly, he spoke. "I've been… planning something work-related that I'd like your opinion on, if you'll pardon my changing the topic," he said quietly.

"What is it?" Covert asked, curious. "And no, it's fine - we can talk about whatever you like."

"I don't like letting Evil Ogel get away - I'm sure you can sympathize," Magma said, his face hardening for a moment. "And I've come up with a way that can allow us to ensure he won't."

"What do you mean?" asked Covert, not sure she liked where this conversation was going.

"Space Police say they'll pursue him, but they don't know him, they're not experienced in dealing with him. But we are - you, me, Alpha Team, the Agents. So I think we should pursue him."

"Pursue him how?"

Magma smiled. "Well, we have the ruins of a very large and very advanced vehicle sitting in LEGO City under guard. It's true that airships like the Iron Hammer aren't really designed for spaceflight, but it can go suborbital. I've taken it into the upper atmosphere. So I was thinking… if we couple it with some spaceflight drive engines and generally do a lot of engineering work…"

"You're planning on putting a giant warship in space and sending it after Ogel?" Covert asked.

"Yes, basically," said Magma. "We have enough confiscated alien tech between us, and Dino Attack too - thanks to Reptile for that - that we can put together some powerful engines. Together, the Agents and Alpha Team can crew it and launch it, and with any luck we'll be able to find wherever Ogel is next setting up shop and bring him down for good."

"You are thinking of leading this mission, aren't you?" said Covert softly.

Magma looked down, and nodded. "I was in charge of the last big offensive against Evil Ogel, and we had him on the ropes when the Dino Attack happened. I will not let him get away from justice this time!" he said softly, but with intensity.

Covert sighed, and looked down as well. She was almost afraid of this intensity- what would Magma do once he captured Ogel, or if he was unable to capture Ogel? Would he break down for good, and become lost to even her?

But there was something she could do to make sure that never happened.

"Then I'm coming with you," she said. "I'll lead the Agents portion of the mission, you the Alpha Team. You can command the ship, I'll just be there to ensure that the mission isn't completely dominated by Alpha Team politics," she said, and they both laughed.

He looked at her then. "Are you sure?" he asked simply.

She met his gaze.

"Yes."

----

It is true that Peter Abody was not exceptionally fond of parties. LEGO Island parties were generally the exception, but they were so unique and so different from all other parties that this was not much of a surprise. But most parties, which generally involve dancing, loud music, and socializing with others, were not something that Peter usually went out of his way to go to.

As he adjusted his bowtie in front of the bathroom mirror, Peter reflected upon the reasons why he was attending this party. Maybe it was the fact that Shannon Grimton was also at the party, and now that they had finally put aside their resentful bitterness, Peter was eager to see her again so that they could catch each other up on stories of what they had been doing for the past fifteen-or-so years. Maybe it was the fact that he was swept up in the post-war enthusiasm, so much so that even he could enjoy a party. Maybe it was the fact that some of the music at this party would be performed live by the Maraca Men, which was enough to make Greybeard eat his hat over his earlier statement that "Ye younglin's be not knowin' how t' party nowadays, says I!", since even the elderly pirate enjoyed the lively music performed by the mariachi band.

Peter heard a toilet flush, then watched in his peripheral vision as someone emerged from a stall, made his way to the sink, and washed his hands. He was a tall man with dark hair and a well-trimmed beard, dressed in a formal suit jacket. As he went to dry his hands, the man looked up at Peter with an intrigued expression. Clearing his throat, the man asked, "Excuse me, sir, you wouldn't happen to be Alpha Team agent Frozeen, are you?"

Peter blinked in surprise, but then nodded his head. "Yes, but I only go by that codename when I'm on duty. As it turns out, for the first time in maybe a couple years, I'm off-duty. Name's Abody. Peter Abody." While it was true that Alpha Team agents often adopted codenames to protect their identities, Peter really stopped caring about that since, if his identity needed to be covered, then it was blown countless times over the years anyways.

The other man smiled politely and extended a hand. "It is an honor to meet you in person, Mr. Abody. Down in Antarctica, I listened to some of J. Theano's news reports, and he mentioned several times how you and other Alpha Team agents provided aid to the Dino Attack Team. Sure sounds like an exciting life; infiltrating Ogel's base one year and fighting prehistoric reptiles the next."

"Just another day in the life of an Alpha Team agent," said Peter, chuckling as he shook the man's hand.

"As for me," the man introduced himself, "I'm not exactly a thrill-seeker... not in that way, at least, although one can argue that I seek thrills in another way. You see, I'm a writer."

Peter blinked, interested. "Really? That's actually pretty cool! Maybe I've read some of your work... what have you written?"

The writer smiled sheepishly, scratching his head. "Well, actually, you probably haven't read any of my work. I'm not particularly well-known in most circles. I have published a few short stories, actually... there's one about a Martian and a scientist who travel through time, and there's another about these four men trapped in an elevator... but I feel like I need to do something bigger. A novel. My magnus opus, if you will."

"Any ideas for what your novel will be?" inquired Peter.

The author stroked his chin. "I've never really been fond of writing nonfiction... but right now, I feel like there's a plethora of inspiration just waiting to be explored in recent events. An epic tale about how all hope for humanity was nearly lost, but a brave group of survivors overcame the incredible odds and fought for freedom. Just imagine the sort of exciting novel that can be written... based on the Dino Attack!"

Peter thought it over for a moment. "You know, now that you mention it, it does sort of feel like the Dino Attack was one big fantasy," murmured Peter.

"And while everyone in Antarctica followed the Dino Attack closely by listening to J. Theano's reports," continued the writer, "a news report is very different from a novel. In a novel, you're free to tell the whole story and get to know each one of your characters. When you read a novel... it's as though you're right there, in the middle of the action."

"And you want to turn the Dino Attack into a novel," deduced Peter, "so that the world can get the full story, or at least an exciting adaptation, of what happened during these eight months. Of course, you're going to need accounts from people who participated in the Dino Attack war if you want to know the full story yourself, so that you, as the writer, can get a better feel for the events that took place and the characters who are involved."

"Exactly," said the writer, nodding. "I'd most likely use some artistic license and maybe make a few alterations to the story and characters for the sake of drama, and I'd probably have to cut down on some of the overly-complex and confusing backstories that predate the Dino Attack if I want to make a pragmatic adaptation... it is a novel, after all, and not a history book."

"Good point," agreed Peter. "And I suppose that the reason that you're talking to me is...?"

The author grinned sheepishly. "Well, yes. I was sort of hoping that I could interview you, since you helped out the Dino Attack Team, so I could at least have a starting point for my novel."

Peter smiled politely. "I'm afraid that I don't know every detail and every account of what happened... if you want to know that, I'd probably recommend speaking to Dino Attack agent Andrew Anderson. I'll be seeing him later this week at the LEGO Island New Year's Party, so if you want, I can give him your information so you can keep in contact. But, I suppose, as a starting point... yeah, sure, I can do that."

"Great!" said the writer, grinning. "If you don't mind calling me or shooting me an email sometime later so that we can schedule our first interview... I mean, I think you'd probably want to get back to the party right now, so I won't keep you any longer."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," said Peter, nodding. "I'll see you around - oh wait!" He paused before leaving the bathroom. "I don't think I caught your name."

The writer blinked in surprise, and then chuckled in incredulity. "Oh, wow. I'm so sorry!" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card containing his contact information. As he shook Peter Abody's hand one last time, the author introduced himself: "My name is Samuel Piaker."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 77: Let the Celebration Commence

----

December 31, 2010

LEGO Island had many things to celebrate this last night of the year.

First was Christmas. With so many events to celebrate in such a short time-span, it had been decided to combine all the island's big events into one night, celebrated at the end of the month. Some people had already celebrated Christmas and other seasonal holidays on their own, but now the entire island would join in together for a party like no other.

Second was New Year's Eve. A new year was always an exciting prospect, a chance to wrap up the old one and prepare for the new. And after everything that had happened this year, everyone on the island, and the LEGO Planet in general, was ready for 2011.

Third was the return of LEGO Island's populace to their homeland. With the victory for the island Dino Attack had won, relocation had swiftly begun the moment the Infomaniac was given back the Constructopedia. In no time, the place had returned to exactly how it had been in the days before the attack, and the populace was eager to celebrate their return to (relative) normalcy.

And along those lines, the final, and perhaps biggest occasion being celebrated that night, was the obvious one: the end of the Dino Attack itself. The island was so overjoyed by this news that, through Pepper and the Infomaniac's connections, they had managed to invite all Dino Attack members to come join in the festivities. And quite a few of them had, including several who had grown up and/or lived on LEGO island.

Both agents and citizens were gathered together now in the lot around the Information Center, atop the large eastern hill that was second only to Space Mountain. Night had fallen, and the street lamps cast a lovely glow around the building. In front of it, a small stage had been built, upon which a podium with a microphone and several chairs were placed. In those chairs sat several Minifigs, all of them having come from the island, and all having fought in the Dino Attack as agents or allies. This opening ceremony was to be their honoring moment.

After a few minutes of the crowd gathering and muttering to themselves, two Minifigs exited the Information Center, hopped onto the stage, and took the podium. One was an old man in a bright red cap and red-black coat with "i" logos on them, white pants, perfectly round glasses, and a bushy white mustache. The other was a young man with blue pants, a red-blue shirt with stripes and a pizza on it, a baseball hat with a "P" logo and a radio headset, and a green backpack with another pizza picture. They took the podium and, after making sure the mic was working with a few loud taps, began to speak.

"To all citizens of LEGO Island, welcome home!" the Infomaniac began. "To our visitors, hello! Hola! Velkommen! Bienvenue! Konnichiwa! Aloha! How ya doin'! Yo! And in any language: welcome, Dino Attack Team, to LEGO Island! Though I'm sure for many of you, this isn't the first time. I do believe many of you were part of the task force assigned to liberate it from those horrible Mutant Dinos. Ooooh! Just thinking about it gives me the willies. I'm more than grateful for what you've done."

"And so am I!" said Pepper. "You guys have been incredibly awesome! I can remember when, in all the chaos of evacuation, I got left behind when the island was overrun. Luckily, this amazing dude Voltage was here on a Dino Attack mission and was able to get me to safety! It just comes to show you what cool heroes this radical team has been for us! Perhaps even bigger ones than I am!"

"Indeed, they are, Pepper. And of course, we are honored to know that some of our own people were among the brave, fearless, determined, incredible, jaw-dropping, head-blowing, green-red brick clicking, totally amazing Minifigs who've risked their lives multiple times to bring peace to our island, and our world! I know many of us have been wanting to return the favor."

"Totally. I know Dr. Clickitt and Enter and Return proudly donated their services to the team's medical crew, Bill Ding was assisting the mechanical know-hows, and the Brickolinis and I were so willing as to set up in the cafeteria and serve our unbeatable pizzas to them and the neighboring populace. Even the Brickster joined their fights and helped kick some major brick out there! Heck, even I decided to risk it and help those dudes in the final showdown at LEGO City! I may've not used any guns, but let me tell you, those dinosaurs didn't stand a chance against sizzling tongue-numbing hot pizzas!"

"What can?" the Infomaniac asked with a laugh.

"Good question," replied Pepper. "But enough about me. As much as I am a LEGO Island hero, not unlike my father Bologna Roni and good friend Sky Lane, I have to honestly say, that these cool dudes over here among some of the best heroes this island has ever created! They're way too cool for words! Guys, come over here and let everyone give you a hand!"

As the crowd began applauding (and a few literally threw their hands), the Minifigs in the seats got up and approached the podium as Pepper and the Infomaniac stepped aside.

"From the ranks of the Dino Attack team and their allies," cried the Infomaniac, "we have our own Zachary Virchaus, Peter Abody, Nicolas Saran, Lucy Wright, and Andrew Anderson!"

Andrew felt more than humble at the attention his hometown was giving him. Being considered as someone perhaps greater than Pepper Roni, by Pepper Roni, was something you rarely saw happen, and was starting to realize just how much had happened to him ever since he had first signed up not too many months ago.

Now gathered around the podium and shoeing away a few stray hands, Peter (or Frozeen, as Andrew had grown accustomed to knowing him as) spoke first. "It's a fantastic pleasure to be here tonight, folks. Especially after such an opening by the two people that have really put this island on the map."

"Even factoring in how long it's been since some of us have been here," said Wright. "I do recall me and my family didn't leave on the best of terms, and I'm amazed and thankful that you're all willing to accept us back."

"Hey, it's just the goodwill of Minifigs, especially LEGO Island ones," said Zach, putting an arm on Andrew's shoulder. "I should know after folks like Andrew here saved my bricks after I took a dark, hammy, and very purple turn when I went to Adventurers Island."

"And believe us, people, he was more than hammy," Andrew added, getting quite a few laughs. "But anyways, I would like to take a moment to give recognition to a few of us that couldn't be here tonight, either out of inconvenience or MIA status. People like Slash B. Swordsman, Dr. Samuel 'Lay' Go, and even Volant, who was the very same agent Voltage who left such a good impression on our good friend Pepper. Let's keep their best interests in mind tonight."

"Indeed," said Dr. Saran. "If there's one thing I know this island does best besides keeping me busy, it's your ever-encouraging upbeat attitude and fond recollections. I am honored to be here with you all tonight."

"As am I," said Peter. "Like with Wright, I haven't been home in quite some time. Alpha Team duties have kept me very busy. Though I admit, even if I had had time, my… previous condition wouldn't have made me very recognizable. Luckily, chance (andabrushwithdeath) has allowed me to appear just as I had before my various accidents with the team. Though I note now that I could easily be mistaken for Pepper by my looks."

Pepper snickered. "Only if you started wearing my hat, man."

"Good point. Anyways, Andrew here and I were part of the campaign that took back LEGO Island earlier in the fall season. It was quite an experience, traveling across the island for the Constructopedia, discovering the secret lab in old Captain Click's cave, and then being drawn into the Torn World, where no one Minifig has, I believe, ever been before."

"I sadly missed that part," said Andrew. "And I'll let you know, I was pretty distraught when that happened. Fortunately, our allies prevailed and our island was returned and looking even better than before. I'm as proud as you are of their actions."

"I'm almost sad I missed out on that," Zach said with a smirk. "Though I don't regret how I did come in, and meet people like Andrew in situations like being stuck in an old net over a cliff. People like Minerva Fabello and Holly Vinyaya, who are out here in the crowd tonight, and deserve as much respect as we do."

The crowd cheered for Zach's friends, though not knowing where they were. Andrew could see them, looking humbled themselves, standing near the front, alongside Bluetooth, Laxus, and Pterisa.

"Right you are, Zach," said Andrew, "I feel the exact same way about the friends I've made with the team, like the late Randal 'Semick' Tennoly, the intuitive Martian Laxus, and the wondrous Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid Pterisa, who, considering their species, I'm sure you've all noticed by now, even if you don't recognize now. Give them you congrats as well!" There was more clapping as Andrew's Martian and Hybrid friends got their turn at being humbled.

"I suppose then I should give a shout-out to Ben Shiller," said Wright. "We've been through a lot, and I'm sure our antics might get a lot of curious looks, but we're as strong as Pepper and Luna Rom over here." Pepper ended up blushing as the crowd gave another round of applause.

"Well, I don't really know of anyone in particular I feel the need to shout out to," said Dr. Saran, "especially since I don't know exactly who has come here from the Dino Attack team. I'll just pass it on to Peter here."

Peter rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I not quite sure of who's here and who's not, and I know of quite a few who I definitely know aren't here, but I at least want to give a few names I'd like to give tribute to. Chompy, my old T-Rex pal, currently serving as alpha back on Adventurers Island. Shannon Grimton, an old school friend who I've recently reconnected with. Greybeard, an old swashbuckler who's currently handling the adoption of a fine young girl. Databoard and Kotua, my old Alpha Team companions who haven't been seen in quite some time (barring some rumors I've been hearing from a certain Sherlock). And… and I'd like to give my respects to Rex and Amanda Alexander. Two of the best people I've fought alongside with, and one of the best couples I've ever seen. Wherever they are, I hope they're having fun in an eternal honeymoon and watching over us as we respect their memory. Give it up for them."

One more round of applause came from the crowd. Andrew couldn't help but feel moved. He didn't know Peter in any way well enough to consider him a friend, but he could see that he was experienced beyond his years, and was definitely very passionate about the memory of their past colleagues and current friends. He should get to know him better. He seemed just as good a man as Rex.

"Well said, Frozeen," said Andrew. "Assuming no one else has anything to add…" He looked around, and his fellow agents/LEGO Islanders shrugged. "Alright. Pepper, Infomaniac, feel free to take the mic again."

The group backed up to let the legendary LEGO Islanders take focus again. "Now then, I have a few last-" The Infomaniac paused as he cleared his throat. "On behalf of the entire island, I wish to congratulate 'Your Names Here'-Oh! Eh heheh, I'm sorry. Let's see… Oh, never mind the speech. What I really want to say to all you Dino Attack fellows is… thanks. Thank you for all you've done for us and the world."

"Agreed," said Pepper. "We can't thank you guys enough. From now on, all Brickolini's is on the house for you vets. Papa's allowed it himself."

Andrew was at a loss for words. This was still a lot to take in. From once just being one of many on the close-knit island, to being considered one of its greatest heroes for what he did in the Dino Attack team was a wonder beyond his comprehension. He never thought this could have happened in a zillion years.

"Thank you for the kind words," said the young LEGO Islander, raising his hand for a shake. The Infomaniac returned the favor, then Pepper, and then they did the same for the other LEGO Island Dino Attack agents.

"Alright, now let's get this party going," said Pepper, "LEGO Island style! DJ Radio Jackitt! Hit it, dude!"

"You got it, Pepper!" said the DJ's voice from one of several speakers that had been attached on the lampposts all around the island. Within seconds, the song "Pizza Pie Man" (Wasn't it called Minty Fresh at one point? Andrew thought randomly) was blaring out across the island.

This is the island,
the island where I live.
Let's walk around now
and see how
everyone fits in…

Within moments, fireworks began going off all over various locations over the island, nearly brightening the night into day. The space shuttle took off from the launch pad atop Space Mountain, a banner proclaiming "THANK YOU, DINO ATTACK TEAM!" flapping behind it. From out of nowhere, probably related to the old race track, a giant pizza began rolling across the streets, being "driven" by a skeleton in a Royal Navy helmet not too dissimilar to Captain Click atop it.

"LET THE CELEBRATION COMMENCE!" cried the Infomaniac, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

*****

Sarah rested her head against the shoulder of her new husband as they sat together on the park bench in the middle of a great big dance party of some sort.

The Brickster walked past them, munching happily on a slice of pizza that he must have swiped when no one was looking. "Man, the pizza here is great!" he told Sarah and Alan with a brick-eating grin. "Ain't nothing better than a super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza! You just gotta have it! Oops, here comes Papa Brickaloony now! I wasn't here, got it?" He proceeded to dive into a nearby bush.

Before the Pierces could wonder why the Brickster was acting that way, they were suddenly approached by Papa Brickolini. "Oh, who wants-a-some pizza?" he asked, excitedly holding up a plate with two slices of pizza.

Sarah raised her head from Alan's shoulder and stood up, taking the plate from the chef before he returned to his restaurant. She picked up one of the slices and bit down. She immediately started gagging.

"What's going on?" Alan asked as he approached her.

Sarah dropped her slice on the ground and spat out what she'd already chewed. "This is the worst pizza I've ever had!" she shouted.

"Oh, come on," replied Alan. "It can't be that bad."

"I don't know what's wrong with her," said Gideon Worse. He enthusiastically walked toward the beach while carrying a leaning tower of pizzas that was surely about to fall over disastrously.

Alan took one of the pizzas off his tray, and he turned and walked elsewhere before Gideon's accident found a place to happen. Alan took a bite of the pizza. "It's not that bad," he said. Sarah looked at him, nervous. Suddenly, he started to grab his mouth in pain and screamed.

"What's wrong?"

"MY MOUTH!" Alan shouted. "IT'S BURNING UP FROM THE INSIDE! GET ME SOME WATER OR SOME- AHHHHH!"

Sarah quickly stood up and ran to get help. In all the ensuing chaos, she didn't hear the Brickster snickering mischievously from the bushes. "Oh, you darn, dirty Brickster!" he said to himself.

*****

"I wasn't sure if you were being overdramatic earlier when talking about the island," Minerva said. "But now that there's a party, I can safely say you were right; this place is crazy."

Zach smirked as he watched a fire truck zoom by, its ladder extended as several skeleton pirates tried to reach the ambulance nearby where Enter, Return, and Pete Bog were eating pizza. The latter in particularly seemed rather unamused by their antics. Beside the ambulance was a racecar being driven by Studs Linkin, apparently thinking he's racing.

Zach, Minerva, Vinyaya, and Zelda hung by the Octan Gas Station as celebrations for the end of the war, Christmas, and New Year's all occurred at once. Citizens were eating pizza, dancing, racing, and having a good time. Trees, flowers, and light posts seemed to dance along as the pop song "2-Step" blasted through the city.

Every time I'm dancing I go crazy
Reaching at the lights just make me crazy
Every time I'm dancing I go crazy
LEGO beat.

"Certainly feels good to be home," Zach said as a palm tree Zelda was leaning against suddenly shrank down into a flower as Bradford Brickford and Shiney Doris went by on their bicycles. "Last time I was here, we had to get out rather quick. Cargo ships with Mutant Dinos were on the way. We managed to get everyone off and when we learned Pepper wasn't onboard, it was rather... bad, to say the least."

At that moment, Nubby Stevens exited the gas station with Nancy Nubbins and saw Zach and his friends. "Hey, Zach! Good to see you again! These your friends you talked about earlier?"

"Great to see you again, Nubby, Nancy," Zach said happily, clapping Nubby's hand and pulling Nancy into a quick embrace. "Yeah, I met a few people. This is Commander Holly Vinyaya, Zelda Frodongan, and Minerva Fabello."

"Shore nice to meet you folk," Nancy said, shaking each of their hands. "Did I hear right about Minerva here packin' up 'n' moving over here?"

"Uh, yeah," Minerva said, smiling nervously. Since arriving on the island a week ago, Minerva had been slowly getting acquainted with all the islanders. Each time she met someone new, she appeared to be worried of giving the wrong first impression. Zach tried to convince her to relax, and she has been gradually. She explained about how having to adapt to a new lifestyle after her living the way she did in LEGO City for almost all her life. Even with her concerns, Zach could see Minerva enjoying the friendly citizens on the island and could (and would) adjust to this new life.

"Well, I am just drilled to hear that, hun!" Nancy said happily, pulling a drill from her belt and spinning it briefly. Minerva laughed in surprise. "Pardon the pun. You're sure to like livin' here. We're a lively bunch o'folks. N'we don't bite, I promise."

"Yeah, you'll love it here!" Nubby agreed. "The weather's great, the people are nice, we got it great. Thinking about it, have you ever noticed it never seems to rain on LEGO Island? I wonder why it does that."

Zach chuckled. "I wonder as well." Nubby and Nancy soon left, probably to go get some pizza or dance to the music.

"There certainly a lot of... colorful personalities on this island," Vinyaya noted as she watched the gas station attendants began to dance to "Hobo Train". "It's a rather quirky little place. If I didn't work (or prefer) living in space, I'd consider living here." Vinyaya had become relaxed than ever since the war ended. She had chosen to simply wear jeans and a black, Space Police T-Shirt.

"A bit too much for my taste," Zelda said, brushing the dirt from her fall off her shoulders. "Visit maybe. Live with this all the time? Not so much."

"Come on," Zach said with a grin, punching Zelda in the shoulder. "The island is more like this during a special occasion a la defeating the Brickster in 1997, 2001, and 2007 multiplied by ten or so. LEGO Island is a bit whacky, but not overblown madness every single day."

"Regardless, I can kind of see how you are the way you are now," Minerva said, soliciting a chuckle from the others. She turned her head. "Oh, um... what's going on over there?" Zach, Vinyaya, and Zelda turned to see Polly Gone and Valerie Stubbins tossing around a yellow and black ball near the beach. Closer inspection revealed the ball was a Minifig head.

"Excuse me?" the squeaky voice of Gideon Worse said to Valerie. "Could you throw me over to the Pizzeria? I'm hungry?" Valerie nodded and, with all over might, threw Gideon's head across the street. It bounced once before landing square on the shoulders of a body wearing a black shirt with gray pants.

"So can you do that?" Zelda asked, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, I've heard of people doing it, but I've never seen someone just break apart into pieces?"

"Yeah," Zach said. "You want to figure out how to do it, living here. It doesn't make you invincible, by the way. If you mess up, you could hurt or kill yourself. It's rather complicated thing I don't really want to go into, so I'll just show you." With his right hand, he carelessly pulled his left arm off, causing the three women to gasp.

"And it doesn't kill you or anything?" Vinyaya said with a measure of interest as she took Zach's arm from him and examined it.

"If you do it right."

"Why do you need that right hand then?" Zelda asked, gesturing to his gold hand.

"Someone blew it up. There was nothing left to put back together, requiring a new hand." He took back his arm and snapped it back into his torso with ease. He then smiled. "Be careful when walking around. Make sure not to bump into anyone here unless you want a nasty surprise."

Minerva, Zelda, and Vinyaya just looked at him, but didn't inquire further. Zach merely smirked as he pulled out a slice of pizza and chomped on it as he watched the party carry on and spoke to his friends.

Overhead, the space shuttle, an airplane, and Super Station Master raced overhead. The train ran around the island, shooting off fireworks. The party house was bouncing more than ever as LEGO Island citizens and Dino Attack agents danced to DJ "Radio" Jackitt's beats, including Red Greenbase, Snap Lockitt, Rhoda Hogg, Jenny, Timmy, and Jimmy. Pepper was skateboarding around the island, dropping off pizza for the citizens and visitors to eat. Nick and Laura Brick ate doughnuts on their motorcycles while Captain D. Rom tried to maintain order with so many people on the island. Several people were gathered in the park behind the gas station after hearing word that the Flying Legondos were reuniting just for tonight to pull of show. The giant pirate skeleton from the old race track sat up stomped around the north edge of the town while shouts of "You were the reason I never got all red bricks!" were tossed at it.

Citizens and agents constantly passed the group. The agents congratulated each other while citizens passed by in their partying madness. They saw and met Glen and Dorothy Funberg, Maggie Post, Arnold, Buck Pounds, Gnarly Bones, Technician Bob, and more. They even got into a brief conversation with the Brickster, who had decided stop by and briefly tried to convince the group to vouch for him when Nick, Laura, and Rom decided to rearrest him.

"And you," Brickster said as he jabbed Minerva's chest with a blue finger. "I hear that you're staying here now, right?" Minerva, not really caring what kind of impression she made on the criminal, nodded curtly. The Brickster laughed darkly. "Oh good, someone new to insult. If Condiment Boy manages to point me behind bars again, I'll make get to know you better and toss a few insults your way. Character flaws, disabilities, anything. I'll find it and exploit it."

Minerva stared at Zach with a mixture of surprise and amusement before looking back at the Brickster. "I'll be looking forward to that, I suppose." The Brickster raised an eyebrow before stealing the group's pizza and running off to cause more mischief. "Is getting insulted by him a rite-of-passage or something? Transitions me from an outsider into a real citizen?" she asked Zach.

"I suppose it is now," said Zach with a chuckle.

As "Park" by Lorin Nelson began to play, Minerva closed her eyes, enjoying the music. Seeing the opportunity, Zach seized her hand and pulled her on to the grass, shocking her out of her stupor. "What are you doing?" she asked with a half-laugh.

"I told you we were going to dance," Zach said plainly.

She stared at him and shock her head rapidly, pushing him away. "I told you I didn't want to! I'm not keen on embarrassing myself in front of everyone."

"Please, everyone's too busy absorbed in their own festivities. The only people who are going to make fun of you are Holly and Zelda because they're your friends. Speaking of which…" He turned to Vinyaya and Zelda, both who were grinning at the couple. "You should dance with Ryan at some point, Holly."

Vinyaya coughed in surprise. "Well, I don't... I mean..." Zelda laughed openly at Vinyaya's stammering. Vinyaya sighed and smiled faintly at Zach and Minerva. "I haven't danced in a long time, but I may give it a shot if you two dance."

"Hear that?" Zach said. "Give me a chance and you can poke fun at Holly later."

Minerva glanced back at Zelda and Holly, who gave her thumbs up. Minerva gave a breathy laugh, then turned to Zach. "Fine. But it's not going to look pretty."

"I'm sure of that."

As Minerva walked toward him, what he said seemed register in her brain. "You don't know what you're doing either?" Minerva asked, incredulous.

Zach smirked as he grabbed her right hand. "Nope."

*****

Kate looked in shock as Sarah ran toward her, accompanied by Alan, who was clutching his mouth with his hands. They ran toward the pizzeria, where Mama Brickolini was playing her piano, as usual.

"Mama Mia!" Mama Brickolini shouted. "What happened to your friend?"

"He tried eating one of your Znapping pizzas!" Sarah shouted angrily.

"What's-a going on here?" Papa Brickolini asked as he stepped out of the restaurant.

"My husband here ate one of your pizzas and now his mouth is burning up from the inside!"

"Oh my," Papa Brickolini said. "What did he have? My famous jalapeno red pepper anchovy double-garlic pizza? My hotsy totsy supreme hot pizza times two? My sizzling tongue-numbing hot pizza? Oh no, you don't suppose he could-a had my new white hot OGEL special pizza...?"

"WHAT?!" Sarah shouted. "WHY WOULD YOU MAKE SUCH A PIZZA!? YOU SHOULDN'T MAKE A PIZZA THAT CAN BURN PEOPLE ALIVE! YOUR AWFUL FOOD IS BAD ENOUGH AS IT IS!"

Red Greenbase, Shiney Doris, Polly Gone, and Bradford Brickford gasped in unison as the jukebox music abruptly came to an end. Nobody had ever dared insult Papa's pizza in his own parlor before!

Papa frowned. "'Bad' is the one topping I do not-a serve here!" he declared. He turned over his shoulder and called to Mr. Pollyanna, the parrot perched next to him: "QUICK! CALL-A THE HOSPITAL! GET ENTER AND RETURN DOWN HERE PRONTO-!"

Fortunately, Alan was spared that further torture. They noticed a familiar face: a young woman with shoulder-length hair, and a cross around her neck. She quickly turned toward him, noticing something was wrong.

"Is he okay?" Shaw asked nervously.

"No!" replied Sarah. "He just ate an insanely hot pizza!" By this point, Alan had stopped screaming, but it was clear the pain was intense.

"GET ME SOME WATER!" Shaw said. "ICE COLD!"

Papa Brickolini quickly came back with a glass filled with ice cubes. Shaw forced Alan's mouth open and poured the water and some of the ice in.

"HOLD IT!" Shaw said. "DON'T SWALLOW!"

Alan struggled to do as she said, holding him tight. Just as he had comforted her when she was scared in that basement, she was now comforting him in this bizarre unpredictable occurrence. After a short time, Alan couldn't take it anymore and spat out the ice cubes, the ones that hadn't already melted. He took a moment to catch his breath.

"There's a hospital down the road!" Shaw said.

"No way!" shouted Sarah. "YOU ARE NOT BRINGING HIM TO ENTER AND RETURN!"

"I can do it," Shaw said. "I just need the right equipment."

Sarah nodded. Shaw quickly helped her carry Alan down the street to the hospital.

*****

Dr. Cyborg had found Cyrista's Bane and Screech giving rides to people from LEGO Island and the Dino Attack Team. He had been okay with that, until he found what they were charging....

"Twenty dollars!!! You're charging them twenty dollars a ride! That is nowhere near a fair price! That is simply thievery!" he exclaimed in surprise and anger.

"But sir, we had a good reason for the price," Screech told him.

"Really. Do tell," Dr. Cyborg said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"We need to save money for the future," she replied. Bane was wisely staying out of this, knowing better than Screech not to antagonize Dr. Cyborg, even though she knew Dr. Cyborg for longer.

"And why would that be?"

"We, ah, revealed we like each other. So, we need money to build some sort of residence and to raise little Mutant Dinos of... some breed, we're not sure what would happen with our genetics. Basically, we need money," Screech told Dr. Cyborg.

*****

Once they arrived at the hospital, Sarah and Shaw ran inside. Clickitt was there already. "Hello," he said. "What's wrong?"

"My husband ate some ludicrously hot pizza," Sarah replied, annoyed.

"Oh dear," murmured Clickitt. "This is serious. ENTER! RETURN! Get in here, we need you!"

"It's alright," insisted Shaw. "I can do this. I'm a doctor." She quickly rummaged through her clothes before pulling out a card and handing it to Clickitt.

"What's this?" Clickitt asked.

"My medical license," replied Shaw.

"Medical license?" Clickitt repeated. "Whoever heard of something so ridiculous?" He quickly threw it away.

"You mean you don't have a Znapping medical license?" Sarah asked, incredulously. "How are you qualified to perform medical tasks?"

"Easy," replied Clickitt, pointing up at his white cap with the blue Star of Life. "I just wear this hat."

At that moment, the two identical paramedics entered the room.

"Incoming!"

"Outgoing!"

"Hey that's mine."

"No, it's mine!"

"Since when do you wear that colour?"

"We have a serious emergency here!" Clickitt shouted. "Pierce here has eaten a super-hot-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening pizza!" The two paramedics immediately grabbed Alan, dragging him out of Shaw's arms and carrying him away into the next room. "Don't worry," Clickitt said. "They'll have it all under control."

"I think I should go in there with the-" Shaw was about to say, only to be cut off by Clickitt.

"They'll get their act together. They always do!"

"Yes, but the methods they use-"

"You had to watch them, didn't you?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, Wade had me do that," replied Shaw.

"Did they do the job?"

"I don't know," admitted Shaw. "I fell asleep. When I woke, I couldn't tell if the patient had recovered or not."

Sarah rolled her eyes in frustration.

*****

"YEAH!" Walter shouted as he rolled a solid strike on that bowling alley that the Infomaniac decided to build on LEGO Island. "Man, I tell you. This bowling alley was a great idea."

"I know," replied Donnie.

"Yeah man," said Dude. "Isn't this, like, you answer to everything?"

"Yes," Walter replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You went bowling in the middle of a Znapping dinosaur apocalypse, man!"

"So?" said Walter.

"You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"That is not a problem," Walter said dismissively. "There is nothing to worry about. There is not a Znapping thing to worry abo- OVER THE LINE!"

"Hey, calm down buddy," replied Nubby Stevens. "I'm just trying to relax."

"You're over the line buddy. It's a foul!" shouted Walter.

"Calm down, man," said Dude. "So what, Nubby put one toe over the line. So what?"

"Yeah," replied Nubby, walking over toward the notepad that served as a scorecard; they obviously hadn't yet gotten around to installing electronic systems. "I'm marking this one down as an eight. I mean, what even is a 'toe' anyway?"

"Hey," growled Walter. "You're entering a world of pain." He quickly reached into his bag, pulled out his handgun, and promptly aimed it at Nubby. "MARK IT ZERO!"

"I'm marking it eight," insisted Nubby, unfazed by Walter's threat. Apparently, living on the zany LEGO Island had dulled the laid-back mechanic to any sort of real danger.

"YOU THINK I'M ZNAPPING AROUND HERE?!" Walter yelled, cocking his handgun. "MARK IT ZERO!"

"Walter, they're calling the cops," said Dude.

"Calm down, buddy," said Nubby. Despite being philosophical in nature, he decided this was one debate not worth having. "Alright, I'm marking it as zero."

Walter slowly lowered his gun. "That's better," he said.

*****

Elsewhere, there was quite a bit of dancing going on. Rotor stood proud on top of a platform holding a large mug of beer. Everyone cheered as he carefully chugged down the glass, and lowered it, half-empty. Cabin looked at him in amazement, slightly drunk herself.

Kate stood alone watching a group of dancers near the pizzeria's jukebox. Someone had swapped out the usual tunes, and instead replaced them with some Kate Bush, which a number of people were busy dancing to the awesome tune of "Running Up that Hill."

Lance Williams was among those dancers. He was clearly drunk, probably having had a couple beers, possibly also mixed with some drugs of some kind. She couldn't quite pin down which.

Papa Brickolini walked up to her with a tray containing a few slices of pizza. "Would you like-a-some pizza?" he said.

Kate nodded, reaching for the tray and picked up one slice, and took a small bite out of it. She took a moment to chew, almost as if she enjoyed the taste, and then started gagging.

"You alright?" Papa Brickolini asked. Kate nodded. "I'll go get Enter and Return!"

Within a few minutes, Kate was on her knees, coughing up the small bit of pizza she'd already eaten before wiping her mouth. "This is the worst pizza I've ever had!" she shouted after taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Oh, Mama Mia!" exclaimed Papa Brickolini. "You're the second person to say that here!"

Kate slowly got to her feet in embarrassment.

Off in the background, the Brickster snickered again.

*****

It was late evening, December 31st. Dr. Cyborg was wandering around the party, never staying in one place long.

He had stopped to participate in a Super Smash Figs Brawl multiplayer tournament with some LEGO Islanders and Dino Attack agents. The prize was a Ninlego Wii, four remotes with nunchucks, and a copy of Legoid Prime Trilogy. He now had the prize deposited in the Titanium Predator. He had beat everyone without using his electronic control. He had simply used experience with an arm cannon to win.

Dr. Cyborg remembered his encounter with Bane and Screech. He smiled and shook his head. He still couldn't believe they liked each other. They had also asked to come with him wherever he went. He told them they could. He still needed to talk to Solomon in private to iron out the details of the departure.

*****

It was the best party Andrew had ever experienced.

So much crazy fun was had that night. The streets were wild with crazy drivers, from the giant pizzas to mad firetrucks to the hospital ambulance. Pepper Roni was also skating across the streets, over buildings, and alongside the tracks, often with the likes of fellow skaters Luna Rom, Gnarly Bones, and Shugu. Much of it was done for both Brickolinis pizza delivery and impressing the Dino Attack agents, though there was one point where he was skateboarding like mad to get away from a red-haired girl in pigtails dressed in a white pizza shirt.

"Dontask,longstory,gottago,pizzasgettingcold!" he told people who inquired during the delivery runs.

There was plenty to eat. The Brickolinis, as usual, were the main caterers, and their pizza was just all over the place, mostly thanks to Pepper's experienced delivery skills. But there were a few hamburgers, hot dogs, and pieces of bread around the place as some people (like Red Greenbase) set up some cookouts around the residential area. Besides that, there were plenty of coolers full of soda and water, so there was plenty of ways for people to quince thirst or burnt tongues. And at least two Dino Attack agents had brought a few packs of beer, and the drink made its way among the ranks, though the LEGO Islanders would have none of it. If offered one, they usually threw it to the sharks.

Nearly the entire island became a dancing hotspot, though it often depended on what tunes you prefer. Plenty of Minifigs got their groove on, especially when a seventies-obsessed visitor had set up a disco ball somewhere around the skateboard park. Both islanders and agents went crazy in their dancing, and at least a few of the locals took advantage of some of their separation abilities, much to the surprise and shock of some of the Dino Attack agents who weren't quite used to such abilities on display.

Andrew definitely let himself let go, almost spastic in his all-over-the-place dance style. But then again, he was a sucker for the "Brickster-Bot-Buster" tune. Laxus was a little more controlled, preferring to do something that was similar to a "stiff-joint" dance. Though he had to say Bluetooth and Vinyaya stole the show in his eyes. When "Asteroid Mega-Mix" by Lair of Rockwhales came on, the Space Police and Futuron operatives decided to give a dancing-together a shot. Somehow, either by chance or having been fueled by the very space-themed tone of the music, they managed to pull off some fantastic moves.

"I dunno," Bluetooth said to Andrew when it was all said and done, "It just felt so natural to me. Guess the right music just really helps. Man, that tune was awesome!"

Of course, being a partial Christmas party, gifts were no exception that night. The LEGO Island inhabitants had, for the most part, exchanged their gifts on the actual date for Christmas, but that didn't mean they had some last-minute surprises for each other, or gifts for the Dino Attack visitors as well. Andrew was surprised when he was gifted a fancy new laptop from Technician Bob, as well as some nice new bricks to consider putting into a new vehicle from Nubby Stevens. Even Laxus surprised him with giving Andrew his own Martian viewpad. "Shows maps, handles calculations, gives technical readouts," Laxus explained, "and just recently we gave it a feature to accept apps. Let's see the tablets your Earth tech manufactures compete with that!"

In a similar line, there was a "white-elephant" style gift exchange the island inhabitants called "Dirty Brickster," where they got several gifts together, let people choose them, and then had others either get their own, or steal somebody else's. Zach and Peter were among the participants gathered at the bank, mostly consisting of islanders, but Joike had managed to come and bring a little something for the game as well. The Brickster himself had wanted to join, but everyone knew he might try to run off with the whole pile or something, so he was banned from the game.

When the wrapping paper settled and the game was done, Nancy Nubbins had ended up with her own collection of Dino Cop movies (taken from Snap Lockitt), Peter had gotten himself a scale model of the legendary Yellow Castle (taken from both Red Greenbase and Rhoda Hogg), and Zach had gotten a plush of a pink pony Luna Rom had told him was called "Pinkie Pie" (which nobody had taken from him).

"Have to admit," Zach told Andrew later, "didn't see that one coming. Aw well, beats the Clickits purse pack I got last year."

And the promise of movie riffing did not come to pass as a hopeful guess. With the help of the local LEGO Studios crew left over from the shooting of Xtreme Stunts, Joike managed to arrange for a lighthearted riffing of the local-shot hit at the studio lot. While most of the island enjoyed the film for seeing themselves and their neighbors on the big screen (plus showing the Brickster getting outsmarted, which never got old), the near-nonexistent plot and odd character behavior didn't slip past the more jokey citizens, and the people had a good time cracking jokes and remarks throughout the film. Andrew enjoyed himself there, pulling off a few nice jokes about Sky Lane's role in the film (or lack thereof).

Around fifteen minutes to midnight, Andrew left the lot and went over to the pizzeria. He had agreed to meet up with everyone in his and Zach's groups there to socialize a bit before the end of the year proper came. As he came in sight of the dining tables, where Zach, Minerva, Zelda, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth had already gathered, "Explore" by Lorin Nelson came on the speakers.

"Ah, what'd I tell ya, Zach?" Andrew said as he sat down at the table. "Back when we were about to duel during the camp attack. Told you we'd be spending the last few days partying hard on LEGO Island."

"Indeed," said Zach, raising a slice of pizza to his mouth. "Glad we never took bets over it. Granted, I wasn't exactly in a betting mood as a Stromling, but still."

"Eh, just glad it went just as good as I had hoped it would," Andrew said as he took a piece of pizza himself. "So what now? Thinking of just settling down, or returning to a fighting force?"

"Probably just kick back for a while at home sweet home. After all, Minerva here does need someone to keep helping her through the madness of living here."

Minerva snickered along with everyone else at the table. "Ridiculous or not, it's definitely going to be more fun than what my life's been like. I'm just glad things are looking up."

"Good to hear," said Laxus, arriving at the table. "Though admittedly, the island is a little too silly for my living preferences. I've always preferred quieter spots, like rural towns and underground towns like on Mars."

"We're in agreement then," said Zelda. "Though I guess would more prefer a place by the sea, given my history."

"Now there's a classic favorite living location right there," said Andrew. "Everyone loves a beach house."

"I suppose I would support that," said Bluetooth, "if we remember space as an 'endless ocean'."

Everyone got a bit of a kick out of the joke. "Yeah, space is a pretty fine place," said Vinyaya. "Granted, I spend most of my time in it chasing down criminals, but the in-between time cruising around the cosmos is pretty relaxing. Especially now that Bluetooth's been giving me copies of Carl Sagan's works to read and watch."

"Makes me more excited for getting to go out to see some of those wonders out there myself." said Andrew as he took a look around the pizzeria. "Hmm. Looks like Pterisa's still taking her time coming along. She went off to check out the residential area when I was seeing Xtreme Stunts. Hope she didn't get lost over there."

Zach eyed his fellow LEGO Islander with a mischievous look. "You have been spending a lot of time around her, I note. Granted, with her condition, she likely needed someone there for her, but I'm wondering if it could be someone more…"

Andrew eyed his friend with bewilderment. "What? First, you played matchmaker with Ryan and Holly here, and now me?"

"Well, he does have a bit of a point," said Bluetooth. "Laxus told me about how you've spent plenty of time together in the off time back at LEGO City and here. To quote a song from a lame teen movie, 'it could be the start of something new'."

"Oh, c'mon, it's nothing like that." Though as Andrew said that, something in the back of his head nagged him about how he had been feeling around her as of late. And not just the need to help and protect from cool dudes like French Fries. But he shoved it aside and focused on the present.

"Well, hey, can't blame a Minifig for trying," said Zach. "I've found romance, Vinyaya found romance, Zelda… eh…"

"Your point stands," Zelda told him, "just continue before it gets too awkward."

"Sorry. I mean, after all that I'm surrounded by, why shouldn't I think of my friends finding their own special somebody?"

"Oh, shut up and play with your pony," Andrew said, gesturing to the plush that Zach left under the table.

The table burst out in laughter as Zach lightheartedly shook his head in disapproval. "Low bow, man, not cool."

"Actually," said Laxus, holding up his Martian viewpad, "I did some quick web research on that plush when I heard about your prize, Zach. Seems there's a show based around those ponies that some people are actually finding interesting. You should look into it."

"Eh, it's probably not going to be anything big," said Andrew. "But considering the general attitude around here, it might not be too badly fitting for some of us. Oh, hey, here comes Pterisa."

Everyone turned to greet her as she approached the table. It was a little noteworthy to Andrew to consider her dressing style tonight. Most of the Dino Attack people had abandoned their uniforms and were dressed casually. Pterisa, when she had dropped the Hybrid armor, had decided to simply go without clothing. It had initially surprised him, but as her biology was not unlike that of certain alien species that went around without clothes, there was no real bother to her decision other than one's own opinion of modesty. And in Andrew's case, he didn't have a problem with it.

"Enjoy the residential area?" Laxus asked.

"Yes, it was quite a fun place to explore," the Hybrid answered as she sat down. "The barbecues were pretty interesting to drop in for brief visits, though I would've preferred some food with a bit more fish in it."

"Well, I hear Papa sometimes uses sharks in some of his nightly specials," said Zach. "Hold out long enough, and you might find some delight in that."

"Shark meat in pizza?" said Bluetooth. "That sounds a little odd."

"Hey, no matter what they put in their pizza, the Brickolinis have never failed to make someone dislike it."

"Unless you're Sarah Pierce," Andrew remarked. The group snickered, the news about her rejection of the pizza having spread fast. Though some guessed that she might've just fallen for the pizza that the Brickster had sneakily swapped out with super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza as a practical joke, the news was quite a surprise to many.

After a few more minutes of banter, the Infomaniac came in on the radio to tell everyone there was only five minutes left until midnight. As everyone began cheering as the anticipation for the New Year really began, Pterisa tapped Andrew on the shoulder and gestured him in close.

"Ehm, do you know of somewhere we could have a little privacy?" she asked. "I want to talk a bit about my plans for the future, and with things kicking up here, I don't feel like we'll be able to talk properly with all the noise."

"Oh, um…" Andrew said, a little taken aback. He thought for a moment, then pointed out across the beach from the pizzeria. "There's a bit of land stretching out from around the residential area over there. We could go over there, if you wish."

"Sounds good."

The two got up from the table. "Eh, we'll be back in a few minutes, guys," Andrew told the group. "Pterisa and I just want to have a bit of conversation."

"Oh, go right ahead," said Zach, a sly look on his face.

Andrew made a mocking face at him and turned to follow Pterisa out of the pizzeria grounds.

*****

Dave O'Neal would've danced had he been able to. However, missing leg aside, he was now confined to a wheelchair. According to the doctors who'd cared for him after the final battle, he'd put far too much strain on his body by behaving as though the prosthetic was his actual leg. He'd have to learn how to walk all over again, they'd said. And he was doing his best. He'd already been to a physical therapist once, and would be back again in a few days. It was quite laborious, though.

As hard as he was trying not to let this bother him, it was casting a slight pall over his perception of the festivities. There wasn't much he could do but just sit around. He watched all the dancers with amusement -- Zach pulling Minerva along with him and both of them laughing; Vinyaya and Bluetooth; Helm and April, who'd just arrived from Antarctica two days prior; and Wright and Shiller swaying close together and occasionally kicking one another in the shins. Hertz and Naomi strolled past arm-in-arm and gave him a friendly wave. He withdrew one hand from the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and touched the brim of his cap in response.

He thought back over the past week to distract himself. It had certainly been a good one, he had to admit. It was wonderful to hang out with Kat, as well as Ben and Lucy, without worrying that the war would take one of them away. The blasted war had already taken his sister and many good friends -- Kotua, Slash, Databoard, and now Rex -- and there was no feeling that could compare with the relief that he, and everyone, felt now that the conflict was finally at an end. Cheered, Dave smiled. His smile grew when he heard his name called, and turned to see Kat hurrying towards him.

Since the twenty-first, Dave had become accustomed to seeing his comrades out of uniform, but with Kat, it was always a surprise. For the first time, she was truly a civilian, and she didn't seem sure how to react in terms of dress. Right now, she was wearing an olive-green military jacket complete with epaulets and heavy brass buttons, a flowing black skirt that brushed the ground, and what appeared to be Roman-style sandals over striped socks. She'd let her hair down for the party -- literally. It fell to a point just between her shoulder-blades, and she pushed a strand away from her face as she slipped a backpack off her shoulder and dropped it onto the table. "Hey, Davey."

"I was wondering where you'd gone," Dave responded. "What's with the bag?"

"Have you seen Zachary?" Kat responded. "He's on quite the rampage."

"That's an interesting way of putting it." Dave had indeed noticed Zach's handiwork -- Vinyaya and Bluetooth were happily socializing side by side, and Andrew and Pterisa had just strolled off together. Mort and Larson appeared to be almost inseparable as well, though Dave wasn't sure whether Zach had anything to do with that. "And I couldn't help but wonder why he decided to spare me."

"He probably thinks we're a thing," Kat said with a snicker. She unzipped the backpack and began removing its contents.

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting about that rumour. What does this have to do with the bag, though?"

"We're going to beat Zach at his own game," Kat responded. "I've got all the necessary supplies: respirator masks, gloves, phosphorus sesquisulfide gel, and half the toothpicks from the Brickolinis' Pizzeria." She smirked at Dave's confused expression. "Basically, we're going to have a go at matchmaking."

*****

Andrew noted that Pterisa was walking towards the beach rather than going towards the residential area. "Uh, are you planning to swim over there or something? Because it's not the way to walk."

She turned to him with a bit of an amused look. "Why take all that time walking when I have these?" she said as she spread out her wings and flew over to behind him. Andrew had a second to realize what she meant as she picked him up by the waist and began flying over to the peninsula of land across the water.

It was a curious little place, the "deserted island" peninsula. It was named as such for pretty much looking like the stereotypical cartoon deserted island: A circular landmass of a few yards long, with a single palm tree upon it. Exempting the stretch of land connecting it to the island proper, it pretty much looked like something out of comic strips and the like. It was isolated, devoid of any constructions, and perfect for a private conversation.

When Pterisa landed upon the island, Andrew took a moment once he was let go to get his bearings. As he did so, he took note of the view. The entire length of LEGO Island could be seen from here, from the residential area to the police station. And as no lampposts and speakers were around here, the only light came from the glow that the lights were casting all over the island, and the music was almost like hearing a radio inside someone's house from the outside. It was quite a wondrous atmosphere.

"You know, I never really have come here too often," the young Dino Attack veteran said. "Definitively not in the nighttime. It feels so peaceful here."

"Indeed," said Pterisa, sitting down under the palm tree. "It's an excellent environment to reflect in."

Andrew sat down beside her. "So… Now that the war's over, and the New Year's almost upon us, what are your plans?"

Pterisa put her hand under her beak. "Well… I don't really know. When I was still with Dr. Einstein and the prototypes, I figured my place might be with any fellow surviving, peaceful Mutant Dino brethren. I thought of settling down on a private island, creating something of a refuge for my kind. But now… I'm not so sure, anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Pterisa said as she looked at him. "It's because of you. Inviting me to tag along with you and Laxus, showing me around your headquarters and letting me get to know your various comrades, introducing me to movie riffing and Brickolinis pizza and the like. You've shown me that as grotesque as I may look, there are people who can overlook it and be accepting of whom I am as a person."

Andrew smiled. "It's the least I can do for any ally under stress. Seeing you in such a state after Baron Typhonus unmasked you, turning from a confident anonymous samurai to a distraught Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid who felt no one could help, I couldn't stand for that. I had to help you. And now look. I've been watching some of the online reactions to that interview you had last week. There are a few ignorant morons, but overall people have been reacting positively and supportively."

Pterisa sighed with a smirk. "I never could've imagined such things could be before I entered the Maelstrom Temple. You can't imagine how grateful I am for your part in all this. It's given me a chance at a life I never thought I would have. I thank you so much for this."

Andrew felt himself blush a little and rubbed his neck. "Heh. Well, you're more than welcome. I've been happy to help so much. You're a very nice person to socialize with."

Pterisa smiled. "You think so?"

"I know so. You're intelligent, curious about life, and just want to get along with others. All traits that I feel I share to some extent, and enjoy in people I get to know."

The two sat there under the palm tree, looking at each other for another minute or so. Finally, Andrew said: "If it helps, I don't think you should worry too much about what might happen to the remaining Mutant Dinos. There'll probably be a few last missions to clear out the remaining hostile ones, but knowing Specs and Digger, they'll probably find a way to preserve the peaceful ones. There is at least two Dino Islands that I'm sure can accept new neighbors. Or a guy wanting to create his own Jurassic Park."

"That is a little reassuring," said Pterisa, "knowing that not focusing on my kind will leave them endangered."

"Then I suppose we do have to think now about what's next. What do you think you want to do now?"

Pterisa looked to be in thought for a moment, and then looked back to the island. "I suppose settling down with civilization now is a good option. The people here are very welcoming and fun-loving, there's so much to see and do, and the atmosphere is unique in a way that I don't see anywhere else. I suppose there are some troubles around here, mostly from what I've heard about the Brickster, but overall, I couldn't think of a better place to live, especially with you around."

"Can't argue with that," Andrew said, but in his mind, he was feeling a little worried about the last part. "But…"

"But what?" Pterisa asked, her face looking quite curious.

Andrew looked up at the night sky through the palm tree branches. Even with the light pollution coming from the party, there was still a lovely view of the stars. "Well… I suppose you might've heard once or twice, but Laxus and I have been talking about perhaps leaving Earth for a while. Going off to go take a trip around the galaxy or so. Space has always fascinated me, and I'd really like the chance he's giving me to see the universe up close…" The LEGO Islander sighed. "…but knowing how much you enjoy my presence, given our history… I wouldn't want to leave you behind or anything by heading off planet."

Pterisa was silent. Andrew felt nervousness bottle up inside him, and started to worry about a negative reaction from her. The moments of silence didn't help his tension.

Finally, she spoke. "If you were to go with Laxus, does it have to just be the two of you?"

"Uh…" Andrew said, taken a bit aback. "Er, no, I don't think there's a limit. Laxus has his ways, and if there's strains, I'm sure Bluetooth or Vinyaya could help out as well."

"Then how about I join you? Hearing what Laxus has told me about the galaxy and how there's so many strange creatures and odd beings who can live in harmony who wouldn't even give a second glance at my looks, I'm curious about what it's like out there. I'd be more than willing to follow you along up there."

"Really?" said Andrew, a grin returning to his face, "you want to go to space too?"

She nodded.

"Well, that's great to hear! We could travel to places like Mars, Ice Planet 2002, the asteroid colonies, Ninjago, the peaceful parts of Crux's remains… and return here when we feel tired and miss the zany fun you can't find anywhere but LEGO Island! It sounds brilliant!"

Pterisa smiled, and scooted over closer to Andrew. "It does, doesn't it? And in particular, I think I like the fact we'd be doing it together."

Andrew was a little surprised by this, but in a moment, he shrugged it aside and scooted over himself. "You know what?" he said as he took her hand with his. "I like that idea, too."

The two Minifigs sat there under the tree, looking into each other's faces and smiling. Then, a sudden burst of commotion came from the rest of the island, and they looked to see a mass of bricks forming a large, multi-colored, translucent sphere over the Red Power Brick on the top of the Information Center.

"That's our own New Year Ball-Drop tradition," Andrew explained. "And it may not be extravagant as New York's, but our own style makes it a bit more superior to it, I think." He shifted to push himself up, thinking they would head back to the pizzeria but Pterisa put her arm around his shoulders.

"Let's watch it from here," she said. "This place has a great view. Let's take advantage of it."

Andrew felt a bit like disagreeing, wanting to be with his friends while shouting out the final countdown, but he realized the moment he would be disrupting. "Sure," he said, settling back down and putting his own arm around her shoulders.

The two leaned together, their heads resting on each other's. With smiles, Andrew and Pterisa watched as the crowds began to count down and the ball began to lower down the Information Center's antenna.

So it was the end. 2010, one of the LEGO Planet's darkest years, was coming to a close.

"Ten…"

With Pterisa at his side, Andrew reflected one last time on all that had happened this year. All that had happened between that horrible day in April and the final battle ten days ago.

"Nine…" 

From partying at Red Greenbase's house to shivering in the initial refugee facilities in Antarctica… reading about Dino Attack team's exploits and wanting to join… but never working up the courage until just after the power station fight…

"Eight…"

So he joined the team, and not too soon, as LEGO Island became their next mission focus. There he met the likes of Semick, Bluetooth, Stranger, Raider, and fought alongside such notable agents and allies like Kat, Sauro-Hunter, B…

Then along came a spider, and the island was literally torn out from under his feet… he was reunited with his favorite LEGO car, a Titanic car, but the prize was nothing compared to his despair at the loss of his homeland…

"Seven…"

But then he met Laxus, and his troubles started to settle as he found a close friend from among the team members. And eventually LEGO Island came back, and he felt strong and happy enough to continue the fight, to help make sure nothing was lost like LEGO Island almost was…

"Six…"

So off to Adventurers' Island, where he wrestled with oddly emerging desires, fighting alongside Rex, Reptile, and Zenna, and met a new close friend: Zachary Virchaus. He bonded with him, saved him from corruption and chaos, and through Mutant Dino swarms and Maelstrom fog, he helped the team overcome darkness and save the planet from an even worse threat than mutant dinosaurs.

"Five…"

And in the process, he met Pterisa. He helped her get back on her feet when she was most distraught, helped her accept and be accepted as a part of their team, and helped her learn what it was like to live a (relatively) normal life among Minifigs.

"Four…" 

And at last, there was the final battle. He faced an unbelievable horde of mutated monsters, brushed with death so much he should've started giving high-fives when he passed, managed to help his team stay motivated and keep up the stand-off, and finally, help with the final procedure that ended the Mutant Dinos' leader for good, and win back the planet.

"Three…"

Andrew was now more than a citizen of LEGO Island. He was a Dino Attack Elite Agent, a savior for many of his comrades (like Zorikk, Zach, Pterisa), a combat veteran, and a hero of his world. Life had changed so much for him, and it would never be the same as it had been. He was going places, for sure.

" Two…"

He had allies he would never forget, friends dear to him who would be able to help him see the universe like he had wanted to, and a certain someone he felt would be a happy part of his life for quite some time. He couldn't welcome 2011 in more happier circumstances.

" One…"

The ball touched down on the Observation Deck's roof, and exploded in lights and color as fireworks rocketed out across the island once more. Even over that noise, the voice of LEGO Island rang out in three loud words:

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

"To a new year," said Andrew to Pterisa, gesturing a toast with an imaginary glass.

"And to a new beginning," Pterisa added, gesturing a toast as well.

*****

The crowd raucously counted down the last moments of 2010. When the ball dropped, Dave couldn't help but chuckle as, just in front of him, Wright and Shiller began playfully pummeling one another with light blows -- extra light in Wright's case; Shiller was quickly recovering from his injuries, but still had to take care not to exert himself -- and Kat leaned down next to his wheelchair and muttered, "I say ten seconds until they start tongue-wrestling."

"Knowing Ben," Dave muttered back, "I give them seven seconds."

They laughed and cheered along with the crowd, friends and comrades all, and for the first time, Dave found himself not just thinking of the future, but looking forward to it.

*****

As the big ball hit the top of the Information center, Dr. Cyborg sat against a tree and smiled. It was 2011, a new year.

The smile was not completely sincere, though. He was alone. He had nobody to talk to. Everybody was with their friends, but he had nobody that seemed to consider him a true friend. He supposed that it was subconsciously because he was a cyborg. Everyone claimed they had no prejudice, but experience claimed otherwise.

The ball started to light up as colored lights shone into it. Dr. Cyborg sighed, and mouthed "Happy New Year."

*****

Zach dipped Minerva's head low enough that her hair brushed against the ground, both laughing giddily. The New Year's ball then exploded upon touching the Information Center's central tower. Deafened by explosive cheers, chants, laughter, and kabooms beckoning the new year and blinded by the literally explosive fireworks erupting from the ball, Zach leaned in and kissed Minerva for several long, wonderful seconds. As they pulled themselves back on to their feet, Minerva laughed again, her face bright red.

"I guess dancing isn't so bad," Minerva mumbled loud enough for Zach to hear over everyone else, clearly embarrassed. "And I think I'm getting better." After Andrew and Pterisa had left their group, Minerva had been the one to pull him into another dance for the last few minutes of 2010.

"Yeah," Zach said, rubbing his chin. "I think you only stepped on my feet three times now."

"Heh, yeah. Sorry." Minerva said with a sly grin. Her face seemed to turn a brighter shade of red as she pushed her lips into his again. Surprised but not extremely upset, Zach returned the gesture for several seconds. "Maybe sometime again tonight?"

"Rather sudden change of heart on dancing," Zach said as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"I'm just... happy, I suppose," Minerva stated simply, looking at him with a more curious smile. She seemed unable to find the words to properly describe her feelings. "Really happy." She kissed him again. Her cheeks were extremely warm and she seemed intent on staying in this position forever. Not that Zach had too much issue with it.

"Alright, you two," Vinyaya said sternly. Zach and Minerva broke away from their embrace and turned toward the Space Police commander sitting at the Pizzeria, whose own face was bright red with a sort of crooked smile on it. Beside her, Bluetooth's face was red as well, a look of happy surprise on his face. Zelda and Laxus were grinning from across the table. Zach and Minerva quickly realized what had happened and high-fived, laughing as they went to rejoin their companions.

*****

Sarah watched uneasily as a disheveled Alan staggered out of the operating room.

"What happened?" Shaw asked.

Alan simply took one look at her. "You do not want to know," he said.

"Come back!" Enter shouted from inside. "We still need to use the tree!"

"I'm fine," Alan said. "I'm a doctor, I should know these things."

Sarah quickly put her arm around Alan and hastily escorted him outside. "I'm going to find you a real hospital," she said as she carried him out the door.

Shaw wasn't able to do much; Sarah was too fast and was out of sight before she had a chance to catch up. The most she could do was mutter a slight prayer that Alan was okay. From what she saw, she figured that would be the case, but a little extra never hurt.

Wandering around, Shaw found herself walking toward the beach, on the other side of the island. There was a building nearby, and she saw a man step out, a large, hulking black man with a pair of sunglasses, who wandered toward the beach. She was surprised to recognize agent Pharisee from Dino Attack Team.

There was something about this man that attracted her attention. She didn't know what it was, but something made her curious - she could tell he was troubled by something, but she did not know what. In that instant, she was compelled to find out.

The beach was a place where much was going on. There were jet-skis zooming around, people sunbathing, Rotor and Cabin lay on a towel, passed out drunk and half-naked in each other's arms with smiles on their faces. There were a couple of people surfing, Snap Lockitt, and... Lance Williams. She certainly didn't see that one coming. Queen's music was playing nearby - Freddie Mercury was enthusiastically singing the lyrics to "We are the Champions".

Shaw slowly approached Pharisee, who seemed to stand out, alienated from the others. She could tell there was something wrong, and calmly she walked up to him, and with a slight stutter, asked: "You alright?"

The hulking but troubled man turned in surprise toward the shy, young semi-religious doctor. His build was intimidating, and there was a part of her that wanted to run, but she remained in place.

Pharisee seemed to ignore her and kept walking. Shaw continued to follow. Finally, he stopped somewhere near the waters of the beach, where Lance was excitedly catching the waves. She looked elsewhere, Cabin shifted slightly in her sleep, Enter and Return were fishing for a shark. A couple people were jet-skiing.

As Shaw stood beside Pharisee, he looked at her once again. This time, something seemed to draw his attention. He reached out toward her and momentarily handled the small metal cross around her neck, then let it fall back against her chest.

"Something wrong?" Shaw asked again.

"Yes," Pharisee said with a sigh. "I am."

"Why?"

"I've done terrible things," Pharisee said again. "My fate is sealed."

"What sort of things?"

"I killed a man in cold blood," replied Pharisee sternly.

"You think you're beyond redemption?"

The man nodded. Intimidating as he was there was something about him that compelled her to keep talking.

"You believe in faith?" Pharisee asked.

Shaw fingered her cross shyly. "Yes," she said.

"Then you'll understand."

Shaw seemed confused. "No, I don't think I do," she said.

*****

2010 was finally over. One of the most interesting, dramatic, and horrific years in the history of the LEGO Planet. If Zach was to boost the planet's ego, he could even extend the declaration to the entire LEGO Universe. Friends and enemies alike had joined forces to save their home from destruction. It had been a long haul with the loss of many of place, property, friend, and family, but they had done it. They had won.

Tonight managed to make those eight months worth it to him. A massive, island-wide party filled with not only old friends and neighbors but new friends and allies that Zach had met and interacted with in the last months from the Agents to the Dino Attack Team. It felt wonderful to be with them all again one last time, even if they never directly spoke to each other.

It was pushing one o'clock and the island still showed no signs of halting their party. Zach had relocated to the beach with Minerva, Holly, Zelda, Andrew, Ryan, Laxus, and Pterisa. Based on how Andrew and Pterisa were sitting with each other, Zach decided not to interrogate them for the full details. He only to smile knowing that both Andrew and Pterisa were happy and he had been correct. I think I'm done with the 'real-life' shipping for a while. The only people who I think should probably still get together are Hotwire and Kat, provided they aren't already together. And that might be overstepping my boundaries, considering I'm not particularly close to them. 

So they had resolved to simply sit on the beach in talk. It was simply yet happy occasion. They shared some laughs and stories and overall had a good time. Minerva leaned against Zach's torso, holding Zach's new pony toy with mild amusement in her eyes. It was far from the only gift he had received this evening, including a new MP3 player, a set of bricks, a free fuel card to the gas station, and a Brickster-Bot head (you could guess who the last one came from). However, Pinkie Pie the pony from Luna Rom seemed to be getting the most use.

"It's kind of cute," Minerva said with a chuckle as she mock-galloped Pinkie Pie across Zach's leg. "I used to have a yellow one with long pink hair when I was younger. I thought these things were the greatest."

"Then maybe we'll watch that show Laxus was talking about," Zach said with an amused shrug. "Relieve your lost childhood or something." He grimaced as Minerva landed a sharp jab on his stomach.

"Don't try and act like a big tough guy," Minerva said with a faint grin. "I've gotten to know you enough these last few weeks that you aren't. You'll probably like the show."

"How manly someone is doesn't really decide whether they like a show, regardless if the subject matter," Zach stated as he playful jabbed Minerva's sides, causing her to jump. "I'll give the show a chance, I suppose."

"Good." Minerva turned her head to Zelda, Vinyaya, and Bluetooth, who were chatting about something related to space travel. "So what's the plan tomorrow? Or later today, I suppose? How long are you guys staying on the island?"

"We'll discuss it later. When it's daylight again," Vinyaya said with a smile.

"Unless we're all still awake by then," Zelda added in quickly. "Then we'll probably take a nap."

Zach chuckled. "I suppose I'll count on a discussion at breakfast or lunch." Vinyaya and Zelda nodded. They sat there for several more minutes chatting with the group until the upbeat "Happy Roaming" faded into a simple and slow piano piece by Mama Brickolini. Zach felt himself almost begin to drift to sleep before Minerva suddenly stood up and grabbed his hand and slowly pulled him up.

"Just one more quick dance?" Minerva said, an awkward smile forming on her face.

Zach shrugged. After the first dance he had with Minerva, he had managed to convince Holly and Zelda to dance with him as friends. After a heavy amount of insulting his dancing skills, he was just about tired of dancing. He was willing to go one more time for Minerva. "Might as well."

They both climbed out from the beach and stepped onto the road. The party had quieted down significantly. Fewer couples danced slowly on the street, among them Marco Martinet and Rosalie Mercedes. Zach wrapped his arms around Minerva's waist while she draped her arms over his shoulders, and they slowly swayed to the music.

Minerva looked at him with warm eyes and shuffled herself closer to him. He looked down at himself and her. While the Dino Attack uniforms had a certain cosmetic appeal, he was certainly happy to be back in casual clothes. He himself was wearing dark colored jeans and a pale blue shirt with a black vest over it. Minerva was in jeans as well with a half-zipped red jacket over a white T-shirt. Zach sighed quietly, content. "So, you really like LEGO Island?" he asked.

Minerva showed a small smile. "It's over-the-top and crazy in every sense of the word. But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Compared to a few days ago, the good kind of insanity here is just what I need. This is my home now."

A chuckle escaped from Zach's lips as he pulled Minerva closer to him. "I'm glad to hear that." He paused before continuing, "I suppose that's why you're in such a good mood."

Minerva smirked, but nodded.

They swayed to the music in silence, Zach resting his head upon Minerva's chest for a bit. Then Minerva spoke up again. "Your hair's gotten really long."

Zach lifted his head and gave her a curious smile before she tugged at the hair that curled at the back of his neck. He hadn't looked particularly close at his hair in a few days. "I suppose it has. Considering it's only been two weeks or so since I last cut it, that's impressive. It doesn't grow particularly fast normally."

"And you're growing a bit of a goatee," she said, running a careful finger down from his lower lip to his chin, before plucking a single hair from his chin, causing him to flinch and her to giggle in amusement. "It's kind of cute. Until the whole beard from earlier comes back in. Then it's just sorta... eh?"

"Is my hair purple too?"

She ducked his head down and looked at the top of his hair for a brief second. "Just a little. You need to color again."

"Great," Zach said with a hint of annoyance. Trying to figure out how to dye his hair the last time in Dino Attack Headquarters had been a pain, and he had hoped to have more time before he had to do it again.

"I can help you dye it back," Minerva said with a grin. "I think your Maelstrom experiences is making your hair grow extra fast."

"Either that, or my body is aging quicker than it should because of the Maelstrom," Zach said with slight shudder as he remembered watching Rex's final moments. Minerva gave him a look of concern. "If that is the case, I'll flush the remaining Maelstrom out of my body in a heartbeat. My Creative Spark is powerful enough and my body has a level of immunity to it. Hopefully, rapid hair growth is just a side effect of becoming a Minifig again."

"Hopefully. Speaking of which, I was meaning to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"I know you said you were going to hang out around here for a while. I'm all for that. But what do you plan to do later? For some reason, I can't see you just hanging around forever."

Zach paused to think. He remembered Raine Dashworthy's offer about rejoining the Agents. While it seemed like a good deal, it wasn't something he had real interest in now, especially after his own personal experiences. No, what he wanted to do was bigger than the Agents. Bigger than the LEGO Planet.

"I was thinking of joining the Nexus Force," he said finally. "It makes sense to me, seeing as how personally invested I've sort of become in fighting the Maelstrom. I know what's it's like to be a Stromling. I have half an idea what Baron Typhonus still want to do to the universe. After suffering through that, I want to stop it from happening to anyone else."

Minerva nodded in quiet understanding.

Zach continued. "I've been... mulling over it the past couple of days. If I were to get accepted, I would join Paradox." He briefly remembered the offer Carolyne Provencal and Michelle Gladys had made him in the Maelstrom Temple. "I'd probably let their scientists get a look at me because, as far as I know, I'm one of two Minifigs that have ever been a Stromling and been able to return to a normal, functioning Minifig. And after that, I'm going to do whatever I can to stop the Maelstrom and the Darkitect." Zach paused again. Minerva didn't say anything. "I want you -"

"I'm coming along," Minerva snapped quickly. "I don't know if I'll join Paradox, but we're going to join together. I want to defeat the Darkitect once and for all just like you. For what he did to you, Zelda, J.D., Mom, Oswald, and more." Zach remembered hearing about Minerva and Holly's brief confrontation with Dr. Rex and Baron Typhonus during the battle. "Besides, after your last big experience with the Maelstrom, do you think I'm going to let you run off to the Nimbus System by yourself?"

Zach laughed. "I fully expected you to come along. I just wanted to make sure. If there's anyone I'd want to be by my side fighting the Maelstrom, it's you." He pecked her cheek and rested his forehead against hers. "Thanks for being there these last few weeks. For saving my life multiple times. For being a great friend."

Minerva's cheeks brightened under the dimmed lights that were scattered around the island. "I suppose I could say the same to you. I'm glad you were there to help me through what happened with my family. You being there has made it a lot easier to deal with. And thank you for offering a chance to start over and give me a new home."

They both moved lightly, their heads staying close and not saying a word. Finally, as the song came to an end, they pulled their heads away briefly, only to return with a long kiss. They pulled away finally and looked at each with smiles on their faces.

Holly Vinyaya smiled as she chatted with Ryan Radcliff and Zelda Frodongan about nothing in particular as they watched Zachary and Minerva dance. For the first time in a real long time (since even before she got involved with the Dino Attack), she was at complete peace. Complete relaxation. She'd decided as she snuggled close to Ryan that she would have to take vacations more often when she returned to space.

Minerva suddenly broke away from Zach and jogged quickly back to the beach and picked up the plush pony. Vinyaya decided to speak up out of curiosity. "What are you doing?"

Minerva's cheeks brightened. "Zach was going to show me something cool in the Residential Area. An easter egg left when the Infomaniac last redesigned the island, I guess." Her voice never skipped a beat. Vinyaya raised an eyebrow and looked past Minerva to Zach. He remained in the street and gave Minerva a look of confusion.

"Um, okay?" Vinyaya said, looking from Minerva to Zach repeatedly.

"We'll be back later," Minerva continued, smiling awkwardly before turning and jogging back to Zach. Vinyaya smiled slyly in sudden realization as Minerva gripped Zach's wrist and started walking with a brisk pace toward the Residential Area. Zelda shuffled toward Vinyaya and leaned in close.

"Told you," Zelda muttered in a matter-of-fact tone, grinning smugly as she watched Minerva and Zach's retreating backs.

Vinyaya closed her eye and smiled. "It seems pretty likely. What's the payment again?"

"I think paying for whatever we're eating tomorrow should suffice."

"Sounds good to me."

*****

The Pierces had returned to Brickolini's Pizzeria, and Alan had quite a few things to say to the head chef. "What the MegaBlokland do you guys think you're doing, making pizzas like that? What, are you trying to kill your customers?"

"We get orders like that all the time!" Papa Brickolini exclaimed.

"Yeah?" Sarah said in disbelief. "Who orders these?"

"I do!" replied Red, quite enthusiastically. "I always get the hottest stuff on the menu!"

"Oh, that's not so hot," said Polly after taking a nibble of Red's pizza. "I get hotter pizza than that all the time." Sarah just rolled her eyes; these LEGO Island denizens were truly insane.

"Only the Brickster likes it hotter," said Papa. "We get our hottest orders from the jail."

"You never made a connection there?" Shaw asked. "You never thought that maybe that was how the Brickster kept breaking out of jail?"

"Not a-" Mama started to say, but before she could explain that the Brickolinis carefully make sure to only deliver cold pizza (not even a single chili!) to the jail these days, Sarah cut her off.

"I'm getting the police," Sarah said angrily. "You could be joining the Brickster in prison for this!" She quickly ran down the street and spotted a dark-suited man with a badge. He finally looked like someone sane on this crazy island. "Hey, officer!"

"The name's Brick," the officer replied. "Nick Brick."

"Nick," Sarah said, "you never gave much thought to the pizza joint down the road, did you?"

"Of course," Nick replied in a dead-serious tone of voice, as though he was monologuing a film noir. "I think about them all the time. They serve great pizza."

"They serve pizza hot enough to set your mouth on fire!" Sarah said.

"And?" replied Nick, who did not seem the least bit surprised. "That's how I like it."

"My husband could have died!" insisted Sarah. "We had to shove ice cubes down his throat!"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "A bit excessive, isn't it? In all my years protecting and serving the good people of LEGO Island, I remember quite distinctly that no one has ever died from pizzacide."

"It was a super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza!" exclaimed Sarah.

Brick's eyes narrowed, finally looking suspicious. "Alright," he said, pulling out his notepad and scrawling down what she said. "Anything else?"

"For crying out loud, they keep delivering pizzas explicitly called super-hot-spicy tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening pizzas to the jail! How else do you think the Brickster keeps getting out?"

"Interesting," Nick said. "Let's take a look."

Nick followed Sarah to Brickolini's Pizzeria. He picked up a menu and took a look at it. "I've memorized this menu, and sure enough, it's just as I remember," he noted. "Super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza is not listed here."

"Does it even matter?" exclaimed Sarah, pointing to the questionable slices of pizza that she and Alan had attempted to eat. "You keep getting orders for super-hot pizza from the jail, and there's a pizza literally called jail-cell-door-opening-hot!"

"Like I told you, this is-a no pizza of mine!" insisted Papa Brickolini. "We do not-a serve bad pizzas here!"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you under arrest," declared Nick, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "For repeatedly aiding in the escape of a convicted criminal and for withholding evidence!" Sarah couldn't help but smile at the thought of Papa being arrested and no one having to eat one of those terrible pizzas again.

But then, Nick proceeded to throw the handcuffs onto the super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza, as though the cuffs were extra toppings. "You have the right to remain silent," he said to the pizza as he took it away, completely ignoring Sarah and Papa. "Anything you say can and will be used against you."

"Mama Mia!" exclaimed Papa Brickolini. "LEGO Island is-a safe again, thanks to Nick Brick and his brilliant detective skills!" Everyone cheered as Papa danced and Mama played a tune on her piano.

Sarah was left utterly exasperated. Finally, she decided there was no point in trying to make any logical sense to this loony bin. She turned toward Alan and put her arm around her husband's shoulder. "You alright?" she asked.

Alan smiled and kissed her in response.

*****

The party seemed unstoppable. It was a few hours into 2011, and whereas most sane people would be giving up on a party and going home, LEGO Islanders were not known for their sanity. The party continued to go on.

Dr. Cyborg was participating somewhat, just hanging around some friends, when a teenager, about 14 or 15, came up. "Your helmet appears to have had a visor attached to it at one point. I'm guessing it broke?"

"That's correct," Dr. Cyborg replied. "How did you know?"

"I'm good with tech, that's all. I have a replacement you can have; would you like it?" the boy asked.

"Yes, please. What's your name?" Dr. Cyborg asked as they walked to the boy's shed/machine shop.

"Matthew Wise, but my friends usually call me Wise."

"Odd, my name is Matthew as well, and I have a friend whose last name is Wise," Dr. Cyborg said.

"What a coincidence. Anyways, here we are." They arrived at a smallish, corrugated metal shed. Matthew twisted the dials on a combination lock on the door and opened it. He swung the door open and led the way in. "Hey, your eye got a flashlight?" Matthew asked.

"Yes, it does," Dr. Cyborg replied as he mentally turned it on. Matthew started poking around in piles of equipment, while Dr. Cyborg looked around. "A couple questions."

"Ask away," came Matthew's reply.

"Why did you not turn the lights on? As great as the technology is in here, you don't have electricity?"

"I have a generator hooked up as my power source, but it broke last year… as in, a few hours ago. I haven't gotten around to fixing it yet. What's the other question?"

"What is this place for?"

"I am working on powered armor. Sort of like MJOLNIR or the Iron Man suits. Ah, here we go!" Matthew pulled a piece of curved black glass out of a cupboard. "I'm glad it didn't break. It's nearly impossible to put a microscreen between two plates of glass. Here, hand me your helmet."

Dr. Cyborg pulled off his helmet and handed it to Matthew. Matthew glanced up at Dr. Cyborg's head, curious as to what he looked like. Dr. Cyborg's head was extremely pale and badly scarred. There were wires running along the top of his head to the metal side.

Matthew finished attaching the visor and handed it back to Dr. Cyborg. "Here, try this out."

Dr. Cyborg put the helmet back on. "Great. Thanks. If you ever need a job, contact me. You'll always be welcome at UlTech Industries," Dr. Cyborg told him.

"Thanks," Matthew replied. They shook hands, and Dr. Cyborg walked out, ready, more or less, to continue the party.

As Dr. Cyborg was wandering around, running tests on his new visor, a man came up to him. "Hello, I'm Samuel Piaker. I'm an author writing a novel on the Dino Attack. An agent told me you could give me an interesting perspective on the Dino Attack. Do you know why he said that?"

"Yes, I do," replied Dr. Cyborg. "For the most of the Dino Attack, I was actually a member of XERRD. The last week of November, I deserted XERRD because I felt I could not go along with their work anymore. Dr. Rex sent a pack of Mutant Raptors after me to kill me. However, they failed and I was only critically injured. Somebody found me and rebuilt me as a cyborg. I found a one-use Teleport Pad left here by XERRD, and I warped to Adventurers' Island, the current mission at that time. I served in various missions, regaining most of my memories, and I led a team of agents for most of this battle, until I was re-invited into XERRD as second-in-command. I regained all of my memories at that point, and accepted. I helped repair the Einstein Device and extracted Elite Agent Rex's Creative Spark to deposit inside the Einstein Device as a power source. After the battle, I helped hunt down the previous leader of XERRD who had gone rogue. I took care of some arrangements regarding XERRD's future a couple of days ago, and now I am here. I'm pretty sure you're not gonna need that last bit, though."

"Thank you anyways; you'll make at least one good chapter!" the author said as he walked away.

*****

New Year's Day, 2011

There was a foggy gray light seeping through the windows when Dave O'Neal awoke suddenly. He sat up and glanced at the clock on the wall -- 7:30 AM. Lying back down on the couch, he attempted to relax again.

It had been an interesting night. As the party began to wind down around 3, Dave and Kat had caught the attention of a peculiar fellow who introduced himself as Ben Baseplate, and explained that he'd noticed that Dave was wheelchair-bound, and it just so happened that he'd replaced his front porch with a boarding ramp two years back because wasn't that just the coolest thing ever, and would they like to crash in his living room? That was how Dave now found himself on a sofa in an unfamiliar house. It was then that his observational faculties finally cut through the blur of fatigue, and he realized that the other couch was empty. Not only was Kat gone, but all the possessions she'd had with her the previous night had been removed as well.

Dave heard a car door slam outside and sat up again, this time with a sinking feeling in his gut. He hauled himself to his foot and, with something between a hop and a shuffle, ended up in his wheelchair, then rolled to the front door as fast as his tired arms could propel him, kicked it open with barely a stop, and coasted down Mr. Baseplate's prized boarding ramp to the sidewalk, where Kat had just tossed her backpack into a taxi and was in the process of getting in herself. She stopped when she saw him. They stood and sat silently for a few moments, unsure what to say.

It was Kat who first broke the silence. "Look, I'm...I'm sorry..."

"Is it because of all the rumours?" inquired Dave.

"No, it... well..." Kat sighed. "I had a long talk with Katerina last night, and there are some... things I have to do."

"What things?"

"You won't like it, I think."

"Is that why you're sneaking off like this?" Dave asked, more confusion in his tone than accusation.

"Look, you know how many times Katerina cheated death, right? And Loop? And me, for that matter?" She sighed again. "It would be absurd to think that Cane didn't have a contingency plan of some sort."

Dave's eyes widened. "You're leaving all of us to chase after a guy who might or might not still be alive?" She nodded. "And I can't at least come along? That's assuming it's even necessary for you to go."

"I couldn't ask you to come, nor could I let you even if I wanted to. You're stuck in a wheelchair, just starting out a physical therapy program -- your first priority right now should be yourself."

"I could say the same thing to you!" retorted Dave. "This is the first chance you have to live something like a normal life, and you're dashing off on some quest to--"

"This is for me, though," argued Kat. "Even if I could live with the possibility that Cane is still on the loose, Katerina can't, and if she and I can't reach an understanding, there's no way in MegaBlokland I'd ever be able to live this 'normal life' you speak of. She's still up here." Kat gestured at her head. "And he's still out there." She waved her other arm at the rest of the world. "Given that, there's no way I can just stay put. I'm sorry."

Understanding began to grow in Dave's eyes. "Please..." he said quietly, "don't die or anything."

She smiled faintly. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be fine." She pulled the taxi door open again. "You'll hear from me again soon. I'll send you telegrams or something. Oh, and a birthday card." Kat ducked into the taxi and began to close the door, but hesitated, stepped back out, walked back over to Dave's wheelchair, and ruffled his hair.

And then she kissed him.

It couldn't really be described as a romantic gesture. She simply leaned down and pecked him on the nose so quickly he was left unsure whether he'd just imagined it, and wondering why he'd imagine such a thing to begin with.

Then Kat climbed back into the taxi and rolled out of his life, with the morning fog swirling after her.

*****

Zach hated it when this happened. Whenever he wanted to just sleep in, it always seemed a little person slapped his consciousness multiple times while yelling at him to wake up. Today's case was double negative: not only was it a Saturday, it was New Year's Day.

Zach rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he glanced at his bedside table. Beside Pinkie Pie the plush pony, the alarm clock read 10:36 AM. Zach groaned quietly. After one of the most interesting jaunts to the Residential Area in his life with Minerva, they had returned and continued to hang out with their friends until three AM, when they all decided to hit the sack. He knew there was no chance of going back to sleep. Irritated, he laid back against his pillow and looked up to the ceiling of his recently reconstructed house. He shifted uncomfortably, having slept in his jeans, t-shirt, and vest.

He barely lifted his head and saw Minerva's head laying on his chest. She hadn't bothered to switch into sleeping clothes as well. She was curled up next him, breathing slowly and clearly at peace. Looking at the edge of the bed he saw the lumpy dark green blanket laying alone and forgotten, barely touching Minerva's sock. He wouldn't have been surprised if Minerva had hoarded it away during the night and then discarded when she grew tired of it. Zach carefully shifted Minerva's head to the pillow beside him and climbed out bed slowly. He turned to saw Minerva stir briefly and adjust to not sleeping on him.

Chuckling, Zach walked out of the room and traversed the short hallways before reaching the living room. Vinyaya was sleeping quietly on the couch, a blanket over her body and her blonde hair covering much of her face while Zelda sat into a recliner, snoring softly. Holly and Zelda had taken up his offer to crash at his house after it was rebuilt and didn't seem to particularly mind sleeping on the couch, floor, or recliner. Seeing them reminded Zach of his current lack of privacy in his home and led him to hastily return to his room to grab a new set of clothes.

He then shuffled over to the bathroom, slowly undressed, and climbed into the shower. As the water splashed against his face, blissful memories from the last week flooded his thoughts. Returning home after eight months of constant fighting, rebuilding his house (whose Constructopedia page had not been saved) with the aid of Minerva, Holly, Zelda, Bill Ding and more, reuniting with his family as they passed through on their way back to the States with promise of heading to their home in a few days with Minerva, and getting acquainted with the citizens of the island. That didn't even include the party, one of the best days of Zach's life.

He washed up slowly, dried himself, and dressed. As he combed his hair down, he saw Minerva had been right about earlier; his hair was getting rather long already. It concealed his forehead and seemed to stop at his eyebrows, where the locks began to curl upward. It covered his ears and curled at the back. And there indeed was evidence of a new beard growing in. Ironic, I suppose. Can't grow a beard to save my life, the Maelstrom comes in, and suddenly I have hair shooting out of my ears. Just another thing to see those Paradox scientists about at some point.

He trudged out of the bathroom, past the sleeping Zelda and Holly, and entered his bedroom to see Minerva sitting up, a computer in her lap with his glasses on her face. She squinted at him and grinned.

"I don't know how you see anything with these," Minerva said, glancing around the room before taking them off and tossing them to him. Zach jumbled the glasses in his hand before securing a grip and placing them on his face. "Why did you wake up?"

"Good morning to you, too," Zach replied, leading Minerva to roll her eyes. "I don't know. I just woke up. It happens. What about you? Why are you up?"

"You were my pillow. You woke up and moved and ruined my whole sleeping experience. Now I'll never forgive you," she teased. "Are we doing anything important today?"

"We were going to have a meal with Zelda and Holly."

Minerva rolled her eyes, set the laptop down and jumped out of the bed. "Then I guess I'll take a shower." She shook her unkempt brown and white hair from in front of her face, grabbed a pair of jeans and an orange t-shirt, and jabbed Zach playfully in the stomach as she passed into the hallway. Zach smiled at her rather carefree mood as he took a seat on the bed and picked up the laptop. A webpage full of popular and memetic images was on the screen. Zach glanced at the page for a few minutes before he opened a new tab to surf the internet while he waited for Minerva to finish her shower.

She eventually walked back in with a new pair of clothes on and her damp hair simply resting on her shoulders, appearing to have been barely combed over. "Are they still asleep?" he asked.

"Yep. I think that cancels out playing LEGO Kart Wii or Super Smash Figs Brawl or completing World 4 in New Super LEGO Bros. Wii in the meantime. Good thing, too. I've played enough of the original Smash Figs and LEGO Kart 64 with my brothers that I could kick your sorry butt to the moon and back."

"Is that so?" Zach shot back with a wide grin. "You know, the original and sequel can be two very different games."

"Pfft!" Minerva snorted as she jumped onto the bed. "You're just afraid that I'm going to win. Because I will."

"Well then, tonight we'll take that challenge, won't we?" Zach challenged. "What's going to happen when I prove you wrong and I win?"

Minerva scoffed, shoving Zach off the bed. "Keep dreaming. In the off chance that you do win, I'll find something neat to give you."

"I'll count on it," Zach replied with a smirk, rising back to his feet. "So what do you want do? Zelda and Holly are still asleep, presumably moving that breakfast Holly mentioned back to lunch."

"Let's go explore a bit." Minerva slid her feet over the bed and began to slip on her shoes. "Seeing as I'm not particularly hungry. You?" Zach shook his head. "Good. Let's go." Zach shrugged and pulled on his own shoes and headed out of their house.

The island had become mostly quiet. The party was over, that much was certain. All around the island were tents where Dino Attack agents had stayed the night. Some just slept out under the stars with a sleeping bag and that was it. Agents shuffled quietly to the Pizzeria to pick up some breakfast before packing up their things and preparing to leave the island. In between all this, the agents communicated with both each other and the citizens, expressing their thanks for the party. A strange sense of finality washed over Zach. After today, they would most likely never see these agents, the people he fought alongside for months, again. It was a rather morbid thought.

Minerva and Zach walked through the relatively small chaos in the town, simply talking. At one point, it was about current events involved with reconstruction and rumors of trials for members of XERRD. Regardless of whether they switched sides in the end or that they were manipulated by the Darkitect, people wanted to see punishment. Their conversation slowly drifted into pop culture and began to discuss menial things like music, movies, books, and video games. Ever since the end of the war, he found himself enjoying just simple conversation more than before. Especially when conversations a few weeks ago were almost always related to the war in some way, shape or form.

"I was looking around on the internet while you were showering," Zach began as they drifted by the radio station. "Now that the war over, analysts think that pop culture is going to take over the history of the Dino Attack."

"I'm not terribly surprised. Find anything to prove these guys, right?"

"I found a rumor from a supposedly credible website that those guys who make the Call of Unity, Duty, Destiny video games are going to adapt the Dino Attack into a first-person shooter. Or two. They're supposedly trying to get into contact with big-named vets to voice characters based on them. Then there is supposedly a TV show and a movie being made and even more video games based around it. No toys or other merchandise, other than the 'Dino Attack Vet' shirt or something of that like. I'm waiting for a power metal concept album telling the big story of the Dino Attack with Christopher Lee narrating it, personally."

Minerva smirked. "Interesting. I suppose if it sells."

"Regardless of the 'Too Soon' rule, I guess. Then there's the less-vain documentaries and TV specials aimed to inform people about the true horrors of the war and of course the multiple memorials being erected all around the world. There's always good and bad. There are also ways to make the bad good." He paused. "What an interesting slice of social commentary."

"Way to be self-aware," Minerva said with a laugh. Then she added, "Christopher Lee?"

"The guy loves heavy metal and he's narrated albums for the band Requiem of Ice, what can I say? And I love his voice about as much as Morgan Freeman's..."

After a short debate of whose voice was better to listen to, Christopher Lee or Morgan Freeman, their conversation drifted away from pop culture to immediate future events.

"When are we going to the States?" Minerva asked as they walked past the bank.

"I was personally thinking within a few days, more or less. We're probably help with rebuilding their house before holding any Christmas festivities."

"Alright. Hopefully, any other family of yours that will be there will be as excited as your mother when she met me."

The back of Zach's neck grew warm. Erika and James Virchaus and their two youngest children, Desiree and Kayla, had stopped on LEGO Island long enough just to reunite with their eldest son and brother. Zach had been tearfully and happily embraced by his mother, clearly happy to see her son alive. Surprisingly, she had apologized for giving him up to the Infomaniac to live on LEGO Island. He hadn't particularly cared about growing up on LEGO Island, considering how much he loved LEGO Island, but he accepted it nonetheless.

And then Erika, upon realizing Minerva was "the girl he talked about" in the letter he had sent her, embraced Minerva tightly and was very keen on getting to know her son's girlfriend. And then Desi and Kayla had seen fit to make fun of him privately from the sidelines. In between the both of them embracing him, thankful for his survival as well.

"Oh, heh," Zach mumbled. "I think she was a bit fearful I didn't make it. She was listening to Theano's and Scott's reports on the radio and didn't hear anything really about me besides a passing mention from Andrew about 'fighting witches' and 'deconstructing a Teleport Pad'. She just about blew my eardrum out when I called her and told her I was alive."

Minerva smirked. "That doesn't explain why she was so keen on seeing me."

"Oh. Yeah. I suppose all those times of hounding me about when I was going to get a girlfriend lead to that. Okay, enough." Zach said, crossing his arms as Minerva laughed openly. "I told you she would react that way."

"I thought you were being sarcastic like always!" Minerva chortled. "I don't realize you were telling the truth." She laughed again. Zach smiled half-heartedly as Minerva punched him on the shoulder. "Is your mom eccentric? Cause that's the impression I get. No offense."

"None taken, and not really. Like I said, she was probably a bit hysterical over the whole 'me going to fight a war against super-powered dinosaurs'."

Minerva paused. "You get along with them rather well for them leaving you on this island when you were a baby."

Zach scratched the back of his head, unsure about how to go around the subject. "They were afraid, simply put. Probably like I would be a target of random zombie attacks or something. Mom was pregnant with Desi at the time, and they were both torn up on how to go about it before deciding that I was ultimately safer under the Infomaniac's eye and that living on LEGO Island would ultimately help face this destiny, which it kinda did. They're both guilty about it now while I'm just sort of 'meh' on the subject."

"Hmph. You're family's weird like mine. A different kind of weird, I suppose, but weird."

Zach laughed. "I suppose that's a logical assumption."

They continued to Brickolini's Pizzeria, where they saw Mama and Papa Brickolini speaking to the Infomaniac. As they passed by, the Infomaniac turned and his head seemed to pop off his neck. He walked briskly to the duo, grinning happily. "Good to see you two again!" the Infomaniac cried out happily. "I hope you are getting acquainted to the island quickly, Zachary?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely." Zach said, grinning as he took the Infomaniac's hand. "It's great to be back."

The Infomaniac beamed before looking to Minerva. "Superb! And Minerva Fabello, our brand-new citizen! Once again, I must welcome you to LEGO Island! How has living here treated you so far?"

Minerva smiled nervously at the Infomaniac. "It's really great. I love it here. Thanks for opening up a spot for me."

"You're welcome!" the Infomaniac exclaimed, clapping Minerva's hand. "The citizens of the island are more than happy to welcome in a new face, regardless of your... eh... previous situation." Minerva had elaborated on her past for the Infomaniac upon being greeted by him a week ago, primarily to explain half her reason for moving to the island.

"Yeah, I-"

"Hey, Zach, Minerva!" Pepper Roni called out as he rolled up to Brickolini's on his skateboard. "You should get back up to your house. I just delivered a couple of pizzas to that space dudette that's been crashing with you."

"Be on your way," the Infomaniac said as he turned to Pepper. "I need to get Pepper up to date on the current Brickster situation. Now that the party is over, that blockhead will surely do something dastardly or try escape the island."

Zach and Minerva nodded their heads and quickly made their way back up to their home. They found Zelda and Holly outside at a picnic table, a stack of pizza boxes surrounded by snacks, and large bottles of soda.

"How often do you eat pizza here?" Minerva asked as they approached.

"A considerable amount. Not to say that other food isn't around, but pizza is LEGO Island's big thing. We won't be having pizza seven days a week, three meals a day, if that's what you're wondering."

"There you two are." Holly said, clapping her hands. She was in a black AC-DC shirt with jeans and appeared to have freshly washed hair tied into its regular ponytail. "Sorry that the breakfast plans fell through. Lunch will suffice?"

"I think so," Zach replied, taking a seat at the table. Minerva sat herself down beside him and they both took slices of pizza.

"At least it's still relatively early," Zelda said. She wore her regular black jacket over a World City University t-shirt. "I imagine you both realize this will be our last meal together. For a while, at least."

Zach and Minerva nodded. They knew it had been coming. They all knew they would part eventually. Now that it slapping him in the face, sadness started to consume him. While he would still be with Minerva, he had become such close friends to Holly Vinyaya and Zelda Frodongan. Bonded together by war and the events immediately following, he could almost see both as sisters and, at least in Holly's case, a cool aunt or something. "Are you both leaving after lunch?" Zach asked. Silently, the two nodded. "Then let's make this last meal a good one."

Their final lunch was filled with food, talk, laughter as it always was. The laughter seemed to be extra loud this time around, knowing that their time together was slipping away. They mostly discussed the strange and humorous scenes from the party the previous night. At some point their laughter became so hysterical that soda had come out Zelda's nose, igniting even more laughter.

At some point they managed to calm down. The inevitable discussion of their own futures came up. "I really can't see both of you just 'settling down'," Zelda pointed out to Zach and Minerva, dipping a tortilla chip in salsa. "Yes, we're all a little tired of fighting after the war, but you both are young, strong, smart, and talented. I'm sure some fighting organization wouldn't mind having either of you."

"Well," Zach began. "Minerva and I decided that around May or June, we're going to catch a ship to the Nimbus System and join the Nexus Force and help them defeat the Maelstrom once and for all."

Holly closed her eye and nodded slowly. "It seems rather appropriate, considering how much the Maelstrom affected you both personally. Any idea of what faction you want to join?"

"I was thinking Paradox. Between its whole 'studying and using the Maelstrom against itself', their somewhat darker outlook, and the fact they are led by someone who used to work under Baron Typhonus, I figure me, the former Stromling, outta fit right in."

"I'm not really sure about myself," Minerva said. "I was looking up the factions earlier this morning. None of them really define me. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Venture League or Paradox. I'll probably make decision when I've had more time to think about it."

"Whatever faction you chose to align to," Zelda concluded. "you'll both do great in the Nexus Force. The Darkitect and his army of slaves won't know what hit 'em." They all chuckled in agreement and raised their glasses to this sentiment.

"So what about you, Zelda?" Minerva asked.

"I'll be heading to World City and celebrate with my friends and family with a bit and help them rebuild. Then I think I'm going to go out into space. Explore every corner of the universe. Hone my skills. Maybe find that space ninja temple and see what I can do there. I was kind of thinking of doing what Nazareno did concerning Vherestorm on a wider-scale. A vigilante, I guess."

"So you can be the Batman to Holly's Gordon, right?" Zach put in. "Because that would be cool." Minerva and Zelda snickered at this remark.

"I guess you could say that," Zelda shrugged, still chuckling.

"I - we - wish you the best of luck on that," Holly said, tapping Zelda on the shoulder. "With a little training, in a few years you will be greater than Nazareno and Darkling combined."

"He'd be proud, Zelda," Minerva added. Zelda smiled and bit her lip, nodding in agreement as they raised their plastic cups to Zelda as well.

"What about you, Holly?" Zelda asked. "Head back to Space Policing?"

"I believe Ryan and I will swing by my hometown and reunited with some old friends like Zelda," Holly explained. "Help with rebuilding and the like. Maybe see any of his Earth friends if he's up for it." She then pointed to her eyepatch. "Then we'll head up into space and I'll probably get a new eye. As interesting an experience it was going with one eye, I'd much rather have two, considering my line of work. Hopefully, with technology today, it'll resemble a regular eye. Maybe get it in a color different from my left eye to mess with people."

Everyone snorted at this. Zach decided that when Holly was relaxed, she could be a rather amusing person. "Then what?" Minerva asked.

"Take a vacation for a bit. Relaxing here on the island has taught me I need as much. Read Carl Sagan, date Ryan, and so on. Then I'll get back to work with the Space Police. As emotionally, mentally, and physically charging this war was, nothing could stop me from working the best job in the universe."

"What about the scars?" Zach asked.

Holly stopped and thought for a moment. Finally, she continued speaking. "I'll keep them. The Imagination fallout from the Einstein Device helped eliminate most of the pain. And I could use these scars to tell varying war stories to Space Police cadets to spoke them." Everyone snorted again. "Most importantly, the scars will remind me what happened on this planet in 2010 and the friends I made fighting here."

Zach, Minerva, and Zelda nodded in absolute silence, once again raising their glasses. It was almost 2:30 PM. Finally, Holly spoke up again. "We should probably get going, Zelda. Don't want it to be too late." Zelda merely nodded.

They all rose from the table and headed to the path. Zach felt a small tear form in his eye. He knew Zelda and Holly were better off heading down their own paths, but he so wanted them to stay on the island with him and Minerva. As they reached the path, they began to say their goodbyes before they found Bluetooth and headed off.

Holly and Minerva embraced tightly and so did Zelda and Zach. "I am glad we got to bond for a bit. You are now that cool older sister I never wanted but am glad to have," Zach said to her. "Now you go and be the Batman of space."

Zelda laughed airily. "I'll keep that idea in mind. You better design me a batsignal or something." She squeezed Zach tightly. "I really wish none of us had to leave each other. You guys are the best friends I've ever had. At least you and Minerva get to stay together. Judging by the way you to acted around each other last night up, your 'visit' to the Residential Area with her, and the stories about you two from the war, you guys are going to be hard to split up."

"Heh. We pretty much decided before the final battle that only death was going to split us. Though it would be nice if we could all be together, fighting bad guys. Though considering we'll all be off this planet eventually. And you're traveling all over the universe. Hopefully we'll cross paths in the Nimbus System at some point. Maybe Holly will drop by on some routine check-up or something."

Zelda smiled as they pulled away from each other. "Maybe. A bit unlikely, but you never know."

As Minerva went to share one more embrace with Zelda, Zach went to Holly. To his surprise, Holly pulled him into a hug as well. "Hugging me, Holly?" Zach asked with amusement.

"You're a sarcastic and annoying person, Zachary," Holly said, somewhat exasperated. "Regardless, you're a good kid. Both you and Minerva are. A bit too emotionally invested in things for my taste, but I see that it is both a flaw and a perk."

Zach chuckled, causing Holly to crush him briefly in her arms before they pulled away. "Thanks, I suppose. And just so you know, if you ever end up getting hitched to Bluetooth become Holly Radcliff or something, you'll always be 'Vinyaya' to me."

Holly snorted, grinning. "I'm counting on that, Virchaus." She slapped him on the back, causing him to flinch before they pulled away at last. The four of them stepped back, looking at each other with faint smiles.

"I suppose this is it," Minerva said.

"The true end to the 'Dino Attack' chapter of our lives," Holly noted.

They all nodded slowly, none of them speaking for almost a minute. Zach swallowed painfully. He really didn't want to put meeting Holly or Zelda up to chance. Yes, they could communicate with typed messages and video chat thanks to today's technology, but they would all certainly grow busy in next several months and prevent any proper communication.

"Maybe... We should all get together sometime," Zach said finally. They all turned their glance to him. "Once a year, around this time. We all head back for Earth and hang out, whether here, LEGO City, or wherever. To remember old memories and to create new ones. I don't think I'm quite ready to let us all part ways with only a passing glance being chance of us seeing each other."

The three women looked at each other. "That sounds great," Zelda responded.

"I'm all for that," Holly added.

"I like the sound of that," Minerva concluded, grinning.

Zach smiled. "I love you guys - er - gals," Zach said. The three women nodded, obviously sharing his sentiment with each other. "You guys are the greatest friends I've ever had. Thanks..."

He drifted off, letting his warm emotions wash over him. Even through the chaos, the betrayals, the corruption, and the horror he had witnessed, he felt thankful he had been a part of saving the planet and getting the opportunity to meet the friends he had. Minerva, Nazareno, Holly, Zelda, Andrew, Laxus, Thaddeus, Bluetooth, Pterisa, Raider, Semick, Raine, Marco, J.D., and more had all become a part of his still-being-written and story and left an impact greater than he would ever fully realize.

"Thanks," Zach said with long, final sigh. "For everything. For being with me in the greatest ride of our lives."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 10, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 78: As Time Goes On

----

January 1, 2011

"Boom. Headshot," Rob Kabrinsky said in as best an Australian accent as he could.

"Nice kill, Rob," said Kevin. He glanced down at their radar. "That about wraps it up. Sensors can't pick up any more lizards within five miles."

"Let's keep moving," said B. "We want to get this region cleaned up by the end of the month, remember?"

"Just to clarify something," said Kevin, "Did you, or did you not, get ordered to do this?"

B replied, "Let me put it to you this way: if your house burned down, wouldn't you want to go back to it when it's built again, rather than during construction?"

"That still didn't answer the question," noted Kevin.

"No," answered B, "I didn't get ordered to do it. But, it's a job that will need doing sooner or later, and we're doing it for people. Not the team, not the government, but for the people. It's why we signed up, right? Besides, we have a ton of ammo that we won't be doing much with otherwise, and I know I'm not the only one here with an itchy trigger finger."

Kevin smiled. "Alright, then. Let's get on with it, then."

"Lock and load, and move out, everyone!" shouted B.

With that, the five of them loaded up onto their Fire Hammers, and continued with their crusade as the winter sun rose into the sky.

The convoy rode on through the desert. Abandoned towns were mere shadows in the distance. The only noise was that of the engines. And suddenly, a noise broke the silence. It was a sound that no one of them had truly heard for at least a year.

It was the sound of a cell phone ringing.

B called for the convoy to halt. They stopped, and B answered it.

"Hello, this is Dr. Brickholm for Agent Benton Kabrinsky. We are very sorry to inform you that your mother has passed away due to natural causes. Again, we are very sorry, but there was nothing we could do. You are hereby recalled to the Antarctica Hospital for funeral arrangements. Thank you for your time."

B slumped in his seat. And, for the first time in what seemed like years, he cried. "She's dead. Our first day of peace, and she's dead. She was the one who always kept us going when Dad was gone, and she's gone. We're the last ones left."

When Benton and Sam were younger, they had wondered why they never went to family gatherings like their friends. They soon learned that their extended family, quite simply, didn't exist. Their branch of the Kabrinsky family was the only one that existed. And now, it seemed to B that they were the only ones left.

"So," said Sam, "what do we do? We're stuck in the middle of nowhere."

"I don't know," admitted B.

A gunshot shattered the silence. Military reflexes kicked in instantly, and the squad took up defensive positions behind their vehicles. Another gunshot pierced the air. B let out a visible gasp of pain.

"I guess... our hearing isn't as good as it used to be," groaned B.

"Okay," said Kevin, "That son of a MegaBlok is going down. Though, I'm surprised he hit you. How bad is it, Sam?"

"It's hard to tell," replied Sam, "It's bad, that's for sure, but I can't tell where the round actually is. It could be... fatal."

"Well, then," grunted B, "we still have one last mission. One last hurrah?"

"But we don't know if it is fatal!" exclaimed Sam.

"Do we even have anything real left to fight for?" snapped B. "We fought to protect the people we loved, and guess what! They're dead! The only reason we're still alive is because the people we love basically killed themselves for us! And for what? So we can go around and kill the people that have been attacking us! And, in return, they go and kill the people we love! It's a vicious cycle, and it's one that never truly ends. I keep hearing that peace is achievable, but there is no peace on Earth, not yet. We need to end the cycle."

"And you propose to do that by killing," mused Sam.

"No," replied B. "I have come to the conclusion that my life is worthless, that all that I've fought for is MegaBloking worthless! That's why I didn't stay at the celebration! Some part of me can't stand celebrating at the mass murder of I-don't-know-how-many fellow living beings, and the slaughter of animals, even though they all tried to kill us. Something in that doesn't feel right. The problem is that violence is all I know. All we know. That's why I want to end it all. And I don't care if you follow, and I would prefer if you go back and live your lives, but I'm ending my empty life, because when you are abandoned by everything you hold dear, all you have left is revenge. And all I want right now, is to make sure that they die before they kill me."

B got up, pulled out his sidearm, loaded and made it ready, and started running towards the direction of the gunshot. Slowly, as if time had slowed, Sam, Rob, Kevin, and Chris grabbed their weapons and followed.

It was a fairly small bandit camp, as the camps go. No more than thirty people in all walked and lay around, wondering what to do with their days. When there had still been refugees around, they had stolen the refugees' supplies, but now they had many bullets, many guns, but no one to shoot. And then, from the watchtower in the middle of the camp, a gunshot from their sniper rang out. The bandits awoke from sleep, and looked at each other with bloodthirsty glances. They knew what was going to happen.

The sniper was getting more eager. He must have seen that he had not killed his mark, and he was trying to remedy his mistake. B had found that snipers, as a rule, panicked when you saw them and ran at them. Their aim would get steadily worse, giving you a fairly easy kill.

"One last hurrah."

Rob "Rookie" Kabrinsky was never one to charge blindly into battle. It felt alien to him to do this, but he was ready for this. Instead of charging head-on, he ran around the group and started firing from behind.

"One last hurrah."

Chris "Crooks" Tzien was stealthy, attacking from the shadows. But, he thought there was honour in letting an enemy see you before you killed them. Yes, his blades would taste blood today, sadly.

"One last hurrah."

Kevin "Knuckles" Kabrinsky didn't like violence. He had always found it ironic that the guy tasked with destruction hated it. But, the one thing he did pride himself on was his consistency, because he didn't think he was going to stop now.

"One last hurrah."

Sam "Sucker" Kabrinsky was a medical man, a doctor. Killing sickened him, and the term "preventative medicine" left a bitter taste in his mouth. But, he was not about to be killed, if he could help it.

"One last hurrah."

Benton "B" Kabrinsky was already firing before anyone else had the chance to. Bullets from his sidearm peppered the bandits. He reloaded, and a fire ignited wherever he shot. Unknowingly, he had loaded incendiary rounds into his pistol. As he fired his last bullet, he heard it go through metal.

"Well," said B. "One last hurrah, it was."

And with that, the gas tanks blew up, and fire cleansed the battleground.

----

January 2, 2011

"Well, my old friend, we made it through alive," Catless said to Dr. Cyborg. They were sitting on the steps of her house. The party had finally died out. Very few had slept during the party, and after 72 hours of fun, nobody but robots and cyborgs could not be tired. Catless had invited some agents over to her house, and many had accepted. It was about 6:30, but most people were asleep, so the island was peaceful for once.

"We did, indeed. So, Catless, what do you plan on doing now?" Dr. Cyborg asked her.

"For right now, stay at home and help in the reconstruction of LEGO Island. After that, I don't know. There will probably be another crisis soon, and I'll probably join in and help defend against it. You?" she replied.

"I need to lead XERRD. We were responsible for this war, and I need to help XERRD become what has the potential to be - an organization for beneficial science, not making mutant monsters. The best course of action is currently to leave Earth and assist Nexus Force. I'll need to go with them, which means that someone will need to run UlTech's day-to-day business. I'm not sure who, though I've got some ideas."

"We'll both be busy for the next few months," Catless said. "Will we see each other before again before you leave?"

"No, I'm afraid we won't. So this will be a long-lasting goodbye when we leave. I'll miss you, Catless," Dr. Cyborg said.

"I'll miss you too, my friend."

Later that day, it was time for them to part. Dr. Cyborg had to leave with most of the Dino Attack agents back to the mainland.

"Well, this is it," Catless said as they walked back towards the transit station. She had been carrying a box wrapped in wrapping paper with a snowflake design since they left.

"You're right. We can email, and maybe video chat, but we won't see each other face-to-face for a long while," Dr. Cyborg said.

"Before you leave, here is a late Christmas/birthday present, to make up for all the ones I missed," Catless said, handing him the box.

It was heavier than Dr. Cyborg expected, and dipped towards the ground before he compensated. He used his free hand to pull the wrapping paper off, revealing a brown cardboard box. Opening it, he saw a slim silver Asus ultrabook. "Catless, you shouldn't have," he said, pulling it out and looking at it.

"Well, I felt guilty about not giving you presents these past few years just because we fell out of contact. It wasn't that expensive anyways. I was wearing my Dino Attack uniform for some reason when I went to buy it, and when I walked up to the checkout, they took a huge chunk out of the price because I was a Dino Attack veteran. It's not enough to make up for the past few years, but I hope you like it," Catless said.

"I do like it, and I appreciate it. Thank you, Catless," Dr. Cyborg said. He turned to leave, but stopped and said, "Goodbye, Johanna. I'll miss you."

"Goodbye, Matthew. I'll miss you too." She turned to leave, but turned back around and hugged Dr. Cyborg for a few seconds before releasing him and walking away.

----

January 12, 2011

"Hello, this is Leslie O'Neal. May I ask who's calling?"

"Hi... it's Dave. Is Dad with you?"

"Oh good heavens, David, you're alright! Where in the world have you been?"

"I know, it's been a while, but--"

"A while? Dave, we haven't seen you since your graduation, and it's been over a year since the last time you called us. We tried to find you in Antarctica, and it was just an exercise in futility! Let me tell you, that den of bureaucracy--"

"I joined the Dino Attack Team. That's why you couldn't find me."

"I -- oh, well -- well done indeed. I admit, I wouldn't have expected it of you. And you made it out in one piece?"

"...Mostly. But listen, I--"

"Where are you now?"

"LEGO City. Some friends of mine are letting me stay with them until I get back on my feet. So to speak. This is important, though. Is Dad there?"

"Yes, he's listening. What's this all about, Davey? Did you finally meet a girl?"

"Oh, for crying out loud, Mom, I've already explained this to you. Can we please not go there again?"

"Fine. You'll still change your mind soon enough, though, I'm sure of it. But please do enlighten us -- what else could be so important that it would motivate you to talk to your parents?"

"I... I found out what happened to Sarah."

*****

January 15, 2011

"Hello, you've reached the home of Brian and Leslie O'Neal. We're unable to talk right now, but if you leave us a message, we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Cheers!"

"It's Dave again. Look, I'm sorry about the other night... some of those things I said, I... I'm not sure I was thinking clearly by the end of it. I'm not sure any of us were. So I just wanted to apologize, first of all. But beyond that, I -- ...oh, Blok.

"Dad, I'd be lying if I said I don't blame myself for Sarah's death just as much as you do. But I swear, I did everything I could to try and stop it from happening, and I think we both know it really wasn't my fault. And don't forget that she spent all those years fighting to keep the world safe.

"I certainly know mourning's hard, but you're not the only ones hurt by this. Please don't forget that. Mom, the fact that I don't intend to 'give you grandchildren and a daughter-in-law' doesn't mean that I don't have emotions. Try grief mixed with survivor's guilt and see how that feels.

"Sorry, I guess I'm still worked up about this. I'll talk to you later. Love you both. Bye."

----

January 23, 2011

"Dr. Cyborg, we've been called into court again," Solomon said.

"What is it this time, Solomon?" Dr. Cyborg asked.

"It's another property damage claim. This time, it's some family out in the Midwest, claiming their storm cellar was caved in by the Mutant Dinos out there. I don't think there is any way to tell if that is true or not."

"There actually is. If one were to dig around there, one could see how fresh the cave-in is. If it's older than nine months, or newer than a month, then it is not the result of Mutant Dinos, it was natural or they did it themselves."

"Great. I'll call our lawyers and have them and a couple operatives out there as soon as possible. Thanks for your insight." Solomon walked out of the office, and Dr. Cyborg leaned back in his chair.

In the month since the Dino Attack ended, anyone wanting some money had crawled out of the woodwork, suing XERRD for all they could get their sticky little mitts onto. Dr. Cyborg had set up a division of XERRD made up of lawyers and laymen simply to disprove as many claims as possible. He had narrowly avoided having the entire organization brought up on charges of war crimes. It was only thanks to some quick thinking, four lawyers, three laptops, two slide shows, and a roll of toilet paper that they weren't. (Don't ask Dr. Cyborg about it, he won't tell you.)

Normally, he'd just pay the claims, because they most likely had merit, but XERRD was a little strapped for cash at the moment, plus most of the claims were just baloney. There were some sensible ones that had a basis in fact, (Brik-mart suing them for destroyed warehouses, stores, and merchandise) and some that did not.

"Dr. Cyborg," Solomon said as he came in again, "sorry to bother you so soon again, but I just got a phone call from the legal division. We're being sued, yet again."

"Oh, joy. What is it this time?" Dr. Cyborg asked.

"Some guy said his great-aunt's sister Anna developed an allergy to wheat as a result of some Mutant Lizards attacking them just as they were evacuating their house last year," Solomon informed him.

Case in point.

"Is that even possible?" Dr. Cyborg asked in disbelief.

"I don't think so. However, there is no way I know to disprove it, so we will most likely have to pay this time. Can you think of anything?" Solomon asked.

"Nope, not this time. I guess we will. This guy's lawyer actually believing the story?"

"Whether he does or not is irrelevant. What matters is whether the judge believes it."

"Let's hope he doesn't. In the meantime, get Legal Division on it."

"Yes sir, Dr. Cyborg," Solomon said as he left.

----

January 29, 2011

Magma and Covert had gathered the forces of their respective agencies and done exactly as Magma had wanted.

They had elected to name the ship after the Voltage, because Covert hated the name "Iron Hammer" and, in Magma's words, "If we're going to send a giant ship in space on a mission of vengeance and justice under the command of a special operations agent, there's only one name that fits."

They'd wound up calling it the Voltage-B, though, as previous iterations of the ship had used numbers, and they weren't sure how many numbers Kotua had gotten up to. Still, whatever it was called, it was almost finished. They had both recruited volunteers, and were preparing to launch the ship as soon as they could.

But that is another tale that, perhaps, someday will be told, if the Voltage-B ever returns home, whether in triumph or in shame.

As for this tale, one last scene will hopefully bring some closure to it:

"My name?" Magma murmured. "My name…"

He sat up. "During the war in 2008, Ogel escalated things beyond anything any of us had ever seen before. Every theater of operation we'd ever dreamed of him threatening - he did. To make things worse, we were left contending with Dr. Inferno and the Agents - no offense, of course-"

"None taken," said Covert, smirking. "Continue?"

"Well, operations sprung up all across the globe. Black ops tactics were used much more often than they had been in years past. Fear and paranoia among Special Operations reached an all-time high. In one operation, in Mission Red Planet - don't even ask what we were doing on Mars, it's a long story and would draw this conversation on for a few days - I volunteered to become a Skeleton Drone. Well, a Red Space Drone, I suppose, but in any case, that's not really the point-"

"You… what?" said Covert, staring at him. "You became a Drone?"

"Yes," Magma said. "I became a Drone. We infiltrated a, ah, Droning facility and modified some of the Mind-Control Orb technology - long story short, when I came into the presence of a specific smell, my conditioning would revert and I'd awaken. The goal was to assassinate the commander of Ogel's Mars forces - and good thing too, otherwise we'd have been dealing with a fleet of alien warships rather than just Space Drone shock troops-"

"Just how classified is this story if I've never even seen records of an Alpha Team mission to Mars?" asked Covert sharply.

"I assure you it happened! It's no more ludicrous than fighting an otherworldly force of chaos embodying a giant airship and army of robots, and yet, Mission Deep Freeze happened, didn't it?

"Anyway, if they knew I was an Alpha Team agent they'd have killed me on the spot. If they happened to check my identity and realize who I was, or see something in my mind when performing the Drone process, we'd have been finished. So I purged my real name from every Alpha Team record. I deleted every bit of information I could find on myself. And then I underwent therapy in preparation for the Drone process… and then I became a Drone, and they didn't recognize me, so it worked.

"And the operation proceeded according to plan. I gathered intelligence on Ogel, destroyed his Red Planet operation, killed its commander, discovered new things about how Drones worked, and returned home, where I had to undergo more therapy-"

"I imagine so," Covert said, staring at him with concern. Magma was secretly touched to see the concern in her face, but carried on talking.

"In any case - my name, and identity, is classified beyond almost everyone's security clearance. I'm one of a handful of people who actually know it now… my brother was one, and he's dead. Zed, Dash, and some other higher-ups know it," Magma finished.

"But I have told you mine," Covert said, with a smile. "And if we're going off on this mission together…"

"True," Magma said, smiling back. "And so… against all of my better judgment… "

He leaned in, and whispered two words in her ear.

She looked at him, and he nodded.

And as if it was a weight off his shoulders, Magma felt at peace for the first time in a long time. He knew it wouldn't last, not as long as Evil Ogel was out there awaiting justice, but here and now, he was alive, and he was happy.

*****

"She what?" The calmness of the UlTech waiting area was broken by Osprey's exclamation.

"At least, that's the story that's circulating," Desdemona responded. "I wouldn't have expected it of Covert either."

"It's Magma I'm more surprised by," said Osprey. "For all the reputation that Alpha Team's Special Agents have, I'd imagined that they trained away their emotions entirely."

Desdemona chuckled. "This sure helps explain the sudden alliance."

"And it throws that incident in Antarctica into an entirely different light," Osprey said. "All this time, I'd assumed I was the mediator, and now it turns out I was actually the third wheel!" They laughed again, when Osprey was suddenly struck by a sobering thought. "If this gets around, it could have some serious implications for security," he muttered.

Desdemona shook her head. "It almost sounds too outrageous to be true. I imagine most will dismiss it as a silly rumour. And the conspiracy theorists among us can easily be debriefed, and -- ah, hello again."

The minifig -- Osprey couldn't tell whether he was a human, an android, or some clever combination thereof -- who had met them at the entrance to the compound and brought them in had returned. "The doctor will see you now," he said, and led the two Agents down the hall and into the office of Matthew Cyrista.

The man himself was just entering through a small doorway at the other end of the room, and Osprey caught a glimpse of a laboratory before the scientist shut the door behind him. "Captain Osprey, was it?" said Dr. Cyborg. "How can I help you? Please, take a seat."

"Thank you kindly," said Osprey, as he and Desdemona sat down across from Dr. Cyborg's desk. "I imagine you've heard of the recent alliance formed between Alpha Team and the Agents Defense Force." The doctor nodded thoughtfully. "Well, we've come to ask you if you'd consider joining UITech Industries to our alliance..."

*****

February 25, 2011

"Gah!" Dr. Cyborg cried. The new model of plasma reactor he and some XERRD and UlTech technicians were working on was throwing up problems left and right. He was half-convinced it had developed sentience and was literally refusing to be fixed.

"Check the polarity reverser coupling!" He ordered a XERRD tech named Anthony. Dr. Cyborg moved back against the wall of the reactor chamber, 100 feet underground. He opened his ultrabook and booted it up. He pulled up his calculations and hooked himself up to the laptop. He ran some more simulations, matching up every variable he knew of, but still the actual reactor behaved differently.

"Polarity Reverser Coupling's fine, sir!" Anthony cried out. "However, Dorsal Gaseous Capacitor 7 was being short-circuited. It blew out, and we'll need it replaced. I think there are some replacements in the workshop where they were fabricated. Would you like me to go get them?"

"No thank you, I'll get them. In the meantime, everyone, keep troubleshooting." Dr. Cyborg left and went to the elevator that took the workers back to the surface. UlTech had constructed this underground chamber years ago for dangerous research, but so far nothing had gone wrong.

He reached the surface and left the elevator. He remembered that the gaseous capacitors, among other reactor parts, were made in workshop 3. He went to the east wing of the lab building he was in, and found the capacitors. At this point, he was wondering if they were ever going to build this reactor and get it working. It seemed that, since its formation, XERRD and anything it touched was under a curse, this reactor included. It simply denied Dr. Cyborg the pleasure of getting it to work.

He grabbed two or three of the capacitors and returned to the chamber. On the elevator ride down, he realized that nothing was working right. XERRD was definitely not popular among the people, even after the work they had already done to prove they were reforming, and it didn't seem like they would ever be. The reactor wasn't working, and didn't seem like it would in the near future. Finally, every day, more members of XERRD revealed themselves to be as power-hungry as the members Dr. Cyborg had already kicked out.

He reached the chamber and replaced Dorsal Gaseous Capacitor 7, along with one that was blackened on the inside. He saw two pieces of metal framework that were too close to each other, and were discolored from electric discharge and magnetic aura interaction. "Tony, give me a hammer," Dr. Cyborg said. He took the hammer that Tony held out to him and hit one piece of metal, pushing it away from the other. He crawled out from under the reactor, and moved to behind the blast shield, along with the other techies. He took a deep breath, expecting this to be failure #187, and pressed the button.

Nothing happened, and then - then something happened! Blue light from the plasma filled the chamber as the reactor initialized, pumping plasma into itself and metabolizing it into incredulous amounts of electricity, using just ounces of plasma to create hundreds of kilowatts. Dr. Cyborg smiled. For once, the future of XERRD wasn't so bleak, after all.

----

March 15, 2011, LEGO Island

"Firstly, Joseph, I want to express my happiness that you've chosen to speak with me today. Do you mind if I call you Joseph?"

"I prefer Pharisee," muttered the hulking commander as he awkwardly shifted in his chair. He hated having to answer questions; being the interviewee was an uncomfortable role-reversal to him.

"That's fine, Pharisee," said Doctor Saran as he took a seat behind his desk. He straightened his papers and reached over to ask the commander if he would like a cup of coffee.

Pharisee refused and continued to shift in his chair. He checked a cheap watch on his wrist before turning his attention back to the present.

"Nice weather we're having today, eh?" commented Dr. Saran, shrugging as he gestured out his office window. A panoramic view of the LEGO Island ocean sparkled just outside the window. Seabirds shrieked when the tranquil waters were disrupted by the whine of a nearby jet-ski.

Pharisee did not respond; his gaze was not set on the beautiful sunny day, but the dusty self of World Magazine issues sitting just behind the psychologist's head. Saran followed Pharisee's line of sight to the dated volumes behind him.

"Is there something bothering you, Pharisee?" asked Dr. Saran. "Your mind seems preoccupied."

The commander seemed to snap out of whatever world he was occupying. He would continue to take passing glances at the magazines behind the psychologist's desk, but now focused his attention on the doctor.

Pharisee was now 42 years old. Although no one could see his cornrows beneath his always-present skullcap, he detected gray hairs emerging. He was no less fit than he was three months ago, but with fewer distractions, he was becoming more aware of his age. Commander Pharisee had not chosen to speak with the psychologist because of a midlife crisis. It was the intensifying nightmares that had forced him to request a meeting.

Pharisee had always had nightmares; he saw it as punishment for the crimes he committed. He had never thought of himself as a good man. Over his life, he had committed many sins, and he expected punishment for his actions. When the end of days came, Pharisee believed he would burn for what he did in life. He had stopped praying for forgiveness because the Creator he believed in was not forgiving.

As he saw it, there was nothing he could ever do to redeem himself. He had learned that years ago in that hellish Johannesburg prison of his youth. For twenty years, he had lived surrounded by evil for the atrocious acts of violence he had once committed.

Faith had set him free; faith had broken his bonds and allowed him to step through those doors into the light. For years, he had pondered whether or not he deserved freedom. He often asked himself if it would have been better to remain in prison. It was true that his newfound religion had changed his outlook on life, but he was still as bad a man as he was before.

He always would be. Since prison, he saw the people of the world as either good or evil. His time behind bars had taught him to differentiate the righteous and unrighteous. To his dismay, he soon found that many outside the walls were just as unrighteous as those inside. He knew good and evil, and he had nothing to lose in life. His fate was predestined, he was beyond redemption, He could repent for his crimes forever, but the Creator would never forgive.

If he was to burn for eternity, it was justice that other unrighteous men joined him. It was too late to redeem his soul, so the crimes he would commit might not change his ultimate end. He had read the book in prison; he understood that the Creator was an angry and violent lord. It was important that other evildoers knew that, too.

Pharisee frowned as he considered how to respond to Saran's question. "I've been thinking lately. For my entire life, doctor, I've been so sure of myself and my duty. I've always known what needed to be done. However, since the war ended, I feel less sure. I'm less positive about that path I should take."

Saran nodded. "What do you mean by that? I remember, months ago, you were so sure of your actions and confident in the choices you've made. What's made you reconsider? Back in December, you didn't even want to speak with me."

"I really don't know," the commander said with a shrug. "I was hoping you could tell me. My work has been suffering. Something needs to be done about Firecracker before he blows his way out of prison; I've been procrastinating going after Sarah Pierce for too long now; and I felt I went too easy on Snake back at LEGO City."

"You feel you've lost your motivation, correct?" asked Saran. "Nothing could stop you back then. MegaBlokland's fury could not keep you from chasing the likes of Snake and Trigger. Why was that?"

"They deserved it," Pharisee said simply, shrugging again. "I knew they did."

"How did you know?" probed the psychologist. It was a question that Pharisee had recently begun to ask himself. Previously, he had a powerful gut feeling that had never failed him; he had not felt regret or empathy, and he was willing to do whatever it took to stop those whom he considered evil.

It had been a simple decision. Those he hunted were bad, and it was as clear to the commander as night and day. He had once learned to identify the evil, but his skills were now failing him. Now, when he considered people like Claw, Montoya, General, and Sarah Pierce, he felt less confident in his judgment.

The commander sighed and shifted more in his chair. The doctor's chair was barely large enough to hold his muscled figure, and it groaned under his weight. "I am not a good man," began Pharisee, "I have never possessed any dilutions of forgiveness for my sins. No matter what I do, I will inevitably suffer for the crimes I commit on Earth. I have lived with this revelation for years now, and I've always wished to be among those who live in the light. I know I can never be among them; I understand my actions are far beneath their standards of integrity."

Dr. Saran nodded his head. "What make you say that? I imagine that is quite a cross you bear. Surely, you have not lived your entire life believing you were so unscrupulous."

The commander shook his head. "No, I remember how naïve I once was. I don't know whether it was after my parents' deaths or during my time in prison, but I came to understand that there are truly evil people in the world beyond redemption. I believe I am one of them. So, speaking as a sinner myself, I can see the unrighteousness of those around me. I hated myself; I feared what my punishment would be in the next life and knew I could not escape it. For years, I wallowed in my depression. It was not until after my release did I understand I still had a duty."

"Can I stop you there?" asked Dr. Saran, "You keep mentioning your sins and the punishment you believe you should receive. Are those actions what put you in prison? What did you do that caused you to believe you were so far beyond redemption?"

"Back when I was a young man, the war between the ruling Crusaders and the revolutionary Black Falcons was particularly bloody. My parents fought with the Crusaders in the war of independence back in the late 60s," said Pharisee.

"I remember," said Dr. Saran. "It was back in Cold War. The communist scare was in full swing during the Black Falcon-Crusaders war. The Black Falcons were violently opposed to the Crusaders and likened their rule to Marxist ideology."

"I was loyal to my family," said Pharisee, "and by extension their political leanings. I had been taught as a boy to support the abolition of private property, and an education that teaches citizens to abide by a disciplined and self-fulfilling lifestyle. One might insinuate I was indoctrinated but, even after spending twenty years of my life in prison, I still hold these beliefs. Even after the war ended, I still support the Crusaders' policies."

"What did you think of the Black Falcons?" asked Dr. Saran.

"I hate them with a deep passion. I hate them with my entire soul," said Pharisee darkly. "I learned to despise them at an early age, and they have since done nothing to earn my respect. They were the ones that showed me the inherent evil that lived in the world."

"Evil?" inquired the doctor. "That's not a word someone would usually use to describe a member of a different party."

"You're familiar with the civil war, doctor," responded the commander. "You know that the Black Falcons and Crusaders were not just ideological opponents but blatant enemies. I grew up in southern Africa, Mozambique to be precise, where the violence was the greatest. I knew what the malicious Black Falcons did."

Dr. Saran shrugged. "If my memory serves me correctly, both sides committed atrocities during the war. Massacres of civilians were committed by both…"

"Do not lecture me on the acts committed!" interrupted Pharisee. "I lived in Mozambique for nearly my entire life! I never witnessed injustices carried out by the Crusaders; it was the Black Falcons that were the sinful ones!"

"Do you want to explain?" asked the psychologist. "The truths we hold are often based on a certain point of view. What happened to you that caused you to brew such deep anger?"

The commander hesitated. He thought back to the dusty day back in 1986 when the Black Falcons soldier had marched into his village. It was decades ago and a stark contrast to the beautiful day just outside the window. It was humid and sticky as the African sun bore down on the poverty below.

"I was eighteen years old," began the commander. "It was the day I became a man, and the first time I took a life. The moment still haunts me, and I often ponder whether it was the wise decision to make. I ask myself if I did what I did to spare another child the torment, or out of a simple lust for blood. It was on this day that I started to question whether or not I was a good man."

The psychologist waited respectfully before inquiring the circumstances of day. Pharisee sighed before divulging the details.

"When those Black Falcons arrived, they carried with them a prisoner," he said "I do not know the man's crime, or if there even was one, but they had sentenced him to death. They had determined that the greatest humiliation would be to have one of his own people pull the trigger, specifically a child.

"They brought him into the square and forced him to his knees. I do not know the bound man's name, but I recall he was old and decrepit. His eyes shown a sad hopelessness, and I remember a sad frown beneath his white beard. The Black Falcons gave a speech filled with lies about the Crusaders before handing a crossbow to a nine-year old boy."

Pharisee stopped and paused. For a moment, Dr. Saran witnessed some form of emotion behind the commander's eyes before it was replaced by his normal cold indignation. "They told this child to shoot the man. I learned the boy's name was Yemi, and I saw the fear reflected in his trembling hands. I knew this youth could not take a life, and I knew his actions would torment him forever. A child so young, forced to commit murder, would destroy his soul for eternity. That prospect is what made me run forward and pull the crossbow away."

Doctor Saran knew what was coming next.

"I took this boy's place and I shot the man," said Pharisee. "I sacrificed my soul so this nine-year-old would not live with the consequences. I now tell myself it was to save this child's life but, in retrospect, I'm not so sure that was the case. I wonder now whether what I did was an act of sacrifice or an act of sin."

"Are you ashamed of what you did?" asked Dr. Saran. "You saved this child from a lifetime of hardship and bore that burden yourself. It was a brave act."

"That's what I once believed, but now I'm not so sure. I believe my actions were not driven to save this boy, but something darker. I don't think I'm a good man, Doctor; this murder of an innocent man is but a small piece of evidence. I'm destined to commit evil acts; it is my nature," replied the commander sadly. "Maybe I did save that child, but I do not think that's why I did what I did."

"Tell me about what happened immediately thereafter," asked the psychologist. "How did you feel?"

"I remember the Black Falcon smiled," said Pharisee. "The knight congratulated my parents for raising a killer, before taking some of the boys of my village away. They left me behind as some short of cruel joke. They wanted me to be alienated; they wanted me to be an outsider among my family and friends."

"How did they act around you afterwards?" asked Saran. "Where you treated differently?"

The commander hesitated as he thought back to the day. "My family tried to comfort me. For a while, I believed them and saw my actions as heroic. I had taken the burden of murder on my shoulders and spared a stranger. I carried the sacrifice with pride and saw myself as someone who could protect the innocent. I did not realize how the others saw me until much later."

The commander paused before Dr. Saran motioned him to continue.

"The other families in my village stayed away. My parents convinced me what I did was right, but I remember now the dark looks I received. They stayed away from me, they saw me as a murderer and, for the first time, witnessed what I truly was."

"Is that when you started to see yourself as a bad man?" asked the psychologist. "It seems you felt confident in your sanctity before you reached that conclusion."

"I was not until I went to prison," replied Commander Pharisee. "A year later, the Black Falcons returned to my village. They were angry and drunk, I remember it clearly, and they spouted more lies about crimes the Crusaders committed."

"Both sides committed atrocious acts during the war," said Dr. Saran. "There are always good men and bad men fighting under a flag."

"I don't believe that," answered Pharisee. Dr. Saran could see anger growing in the commander again. He fumbled his words and hesitated. "I didn't believe that. I'm not so sure anymore, that's why I'm here.

"I've seen things as black and white for ages now. The Black Falcons were evil, and nothing you can say would ever make me speak out against the Crusaders and my family. I've always applied this to every two sides in a war: Earth Command and Crystaliens, Cedric the Bull and King Leo, they have all have been very clear in their morals. I know the Black Falcons were the villains because of what they did to me; I've never seen the Crusaders commit an act of injustice to rival them!"

"Tell me what they did," asked the doctor. "I know they asked you to kill that man. I can understand the suffering that caused you. What else happened that made you nurture such hate toward you enemy?"

The commander paused. The sun still shown in brightly through the window of the psychologist's office, and sea birds continued to sing outside. Teenagers called to each other in a nearby skatepark, and a cold breeze ruffled the curtains.

The incident was what solidified his understanding of humanity. It had made him see that some were unquestionably evil and beyond redemption when others walked in the light. He had believed it as a child, but what the Black Falcons did pushed the concept beyond any reasonable doubt.

"They murdered my parents," said Pharisee. He said it sternly and with an arduous determination. There was a disturbing lack of emotion behind the statement, and he continued to speak as if there was nothing special. He had forced the tragedy to no longer affect him. It was a barrier he created to avoid any signs of weakness. Instead of sadness, he had allowed it to create anger in his life. He had never coped with the death of his parents; he allowed the emotion to wallow in his soul and use it as a weapon against those whom he compared to Black Falcons.

"They were drunk and angry," he repeated. "Pathetic monsters walking the path of transgressions. They hated the Crusaders and, in revenge for some nonexistent crime we committed, they shot my parents. I escaped their attacks, so unfortunately for them, they would feel the revenge. They had made a monster out of me that day, and they would pay the price."

Doctor Saran said nothing. He only listened and watched the commander's countenance contort into fury.

"I loved my parents more than anything," said Pharisee. "They comforted me when no one else would accept me; after I killed that man, they never pushed me away. They only gave me their warm embrace. Those Black Falcons took that last comfort away from me! I had ever reason to hate them, and that's why I killed them!"

The anger of Pharisee seemed to climax and his voice lowered to a near whisper. "I paid for it too. After I tracked them down and murdered every Black Falcon who had been at my village that day, I was arrested. I deserved to be; what I did then was not some act of selflessness like that boy, it was proof I was a ruthless man, someone who deserved to suffer. When I was taken to Johannesburg to serve my time, I knew it was a fitting punishment for a murderer like me. I was an irredeemable monster, just like those men I hunted. I was no worse than the Black Falcons themselves. I deserved to die behind bars."

Dr. Saran allowed the message to sink in. He had not realized that Pharisee harbored so much self-hatred. What was strange, however, was how the commander could be in a righteous origination like the Dino Attack Team and still see himself as a bad man. If that were the case, how could he see Dino Attack as good when he saw himself as a blotch of evil? The psychologist considered what question might best give him the answers to understand Pharisee. How could he see his mission as virtuous when he saw himself as wicked? "You expressed confusion about people like Claw, Sarah Pierce, Montoya, and General. The Dino Attack team had plenty of villains on it; how can you be so sure what side is good when each side is filled with so much gray?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," said Pharisee. "I don't like living like this. I want answers, doctor; I hate not knowing who is good and who is bad. Things were always so clear to me, and now the line blurs. I don't know what is right and wrong anymore."

"Perhaps it's not our place to know." offered Saran. "Do you think we have the right to judge others?"

The question took the commander off-guard. Many times, he had been asked to justify his actions, but his response had always been about his power in the law, not the inherent morals of a human being. "I have nothing to lose," said Pharisee. "I'm doomed anyway. In prison, I found faith, I found a book that answered the questions I had. The Creator is angry and a lord of war. He is not forgiving, and my pleadings for forgiveness mean nothing to him. I have been cast from the Creator's sight, and I will burn for the things I've done. Nothing I can do will ever redeem me. My ultimate fate will be the same, and the things I do in life will not change anything."

"Were you released because you found faith?" asked the psychologist.

"The officers at my parole hearings determined I was regretful enough of my crimes to be released," said Pharisee. "I am not sure I agree with them, but after twenty years it was determined I had the right to freedom. This book I found set me free, it made them see I lamented my sinful ways. In 2008, I was set free after twenty years behind bars."

"And you don't think you deserved it?" asked Saran.

"No," replied Pharisee. "I don't. I do not believe I was reformed; my time in prison did not change the man I was. I was a murderer with a rotten spirit, and nothing could change that. For my punishment to be revoked was an injustice. I deserved to die, and I was released simply because of some book I found!"

"So you still felt guilty after your release?" asked the psychologist. "That was about three years ago, correct?"

"Yes," responded Pharisee. "It was 2008, and I did not know what to do with my life. I was lost, and I knew I had no one to turn to."

Saran was starting to realize that the commander still maintained a focus on the magazines behind him. Pharisee had continuously analyzed them since the beginning of the conversation. The distraction intrigued the doctor, and he spun around to pull some of the yellow volumes off the shelf

"What's troubling you, Pharisee?" Dr. Saran asked softly. "You're talking about very powerful moments in your life. You don't seem very emotional; you seem distant."

The commander shrugged. It was not necessarily a response, but more a means of avoiding the question. He looked out the window before acknowledging the World Magazine issues on the desk in front of him. He casually flipped through the glazed pages of the volumes as he continued to speak.

"I felt my release was wrong," said Pharisee without looking up. "I deserved to rot for the murders of those Black Falcons. I was freed simply because of this book I found and the remorse I felt. I did not earn the right to be free, and I knew that whatever I did for the rest of my life would be meaningless in changing my fate."

"You were depressed, weren't you?" said Dr. Saran. "Were you suicidal?"

"I was in a very dark place," said the commander. "But I feared death."

The commander had withdrawn an old magazine from the stack. The cover photo was of Egypt and Hotep III. Pharisee shifted through the pages absentmindedly as Saran pointed at the photos. "What is it, Pharisee, that is so interesting about my magazines?"

The commander shook his head. "I don't know; I suppose I like to read. I like to read about people and the things they do. When I worked with the Dino Attack Team, I read a lot of files on the agents there. It helps me feel more secure, I suppose, when I know about people. I don't like secrets, and I hate not having answers."

"Would you call yourself curious?" inquired the psychologist.

"I suppose I might be," answered Pharisee. "I never really was concerned with what was going on when I was in prison. All that concerned me was the contents of the book. It enlightened me to things I was not able to comprehend. It was not until I was released did I realize what I missed. The war with the Black Falcons was long over, and attacks were happening on Mars. So much had changed, and I wanted to know what had become of the world."

"What made you start chasing the unrighteous, then?" asked the doctor.

"I felt insignificant; I had no meaning to my existence," said Pharisee. "When I walked out the doors, I knew that nothing I did could change the man I was. I had nothing then: no money, no contacts, no transportation. All I wanted was to get away; I wanted out of Johannesburg, I wanted out of Southern Africa."

Pharisee looked through the pages of the World Magazine issue. The psychologist motioned to the magazine. "I picked that up in Antarctica," he said. "I've been carrying it around in my suitcase for the entire war. Apparently, the cover story is about a man who was served on the team during the Adventurers' Island campaign. I did not realize the connection until after he died however."

Pharisee flipped through the pages of the volume. Past faded photos of Vikings, Tiny Turbos, and Mythical Creatures, he spotted the story of an archeologist and his young protégé. The man was in his late-twenties and sported a black outback hat. The professor was undeniably Charles "Lightning" Kilroy, an esteemed explorer who became famous after his exploits in Egypt back when Pharisee was in prison.

The young archeologist looked familiar. Pharisee never forgot a face, and the hat was quite recognizable. The article informed him that his name was Gahiji Thutmose. It rang no bells for the commander.

"This man who served on the Dino Attack Team, did he perchance use the name Dust?" wondered the commander.

Saran nodded his head. "That is indeed what he called himself. Do you know him?"

Pharisee seemed distant. His mind went back to the day in 2008, when he had stepped out the doors on the Johannesburg prison. Lost and filled with a sense of hopelessness, he had wandered to a nearby bus stop where he had encountered an Arab man wearing a worn-out black safari hat…

*****

2008

It was hot. Joseph St. John had turned forty a week before, but he felt far older. Prison had taken twenty years of his life away, but it felt more like an eternity. He had grown strong behind bars, an image of physical perfection. He was not aggressive, but he was no less feared and respected for his incredible power. Joseph had become mighty, but he did not feel happiness or freedom.

He stood under the South African sun, contemplating how to continue with his life. He had nothing to live for anymore; his family was dead, and all hope in his future had depleted. He was a sinful man, and he deserved punishment for his crimes. Somehow, his newfound enlightenment had been enough to break his bonds, but his soul did not feel free.

He had killed men, an atrocious act beyond all forgiveness. The book had taught him he would burn for his crimes and that he could expect no mercy from his Creator. What could Joseph do if his fate was already set in stone?

He deserved to suffer; he deserved to pay the price for his crimes. If prison would not give him what he deserved, he would have to finish the job himself. He glanced up at the buildings around him. It would not be unheard of to throw himself from one and end it all.

But he was afraid; he knew what would wait in the life beyond. The most Joseph could do was prolong that fate. Cries of redemption would be ignored; he had read what punishment sinners like him would receive.

He stepped under the shade of the bus stop. Without any plans for what to do in life, leaving Johannesburg felt like the only thing to do.

A man stepped out of the shadows of an alleyway. Pharisee tensed as the man approached and balled his hands into fists. He had learned to expect violence in prison and prepared for a fight. Joseph had nothing of value, but the newcomer did not know that. If he was to be mugged, the stranger was in for an unpleasant surprise.

Instead, the man stopped a respectful distance away. He smiled in a friendly manner before reaching into his jacket.

Joseph held out his hand. "Please, be careful, sir. I would hate for you to lose your fingers."

The Arab chucked. "Relax." He pulled aside the jacket, revealing a collection of cheap watches. "I was only going to ask if you wanted some merchandise."

Joseph shook his head. "Do I look like I have any money? Besides I have no intentions of dealing with a conman like you."

"My name is Dust, by the way," said the Arab. He closed his jacket and took a seat on the bench. "You just got out of prison. I could understand if you don't want to get involved in an unsavory figure like myself. After all, you made parole; you've earned the right to return to society!"

The insinuation suddenly made Joseph uncomfortable. The sudden assumption about his morality created unfortunate implications in his mind. It opened a whole new dialogue that he was unprepared for.

"I am a sinner, Mr. Dust," said Joseph slowly. "I am not a righteous man, but I do not wish to step deeper into the darkness."

"Yet you're out here in the light!" exclaimed Dust as he motioned to the sun above them. "You must have done something right!"

"I found my faith," responded Joseph as he looked down. "I know what fate awaits me."

"So you're a villain, then? Why not indulge yourself?" replied Dust. "Go out and be bold. Perhaps you would like to start with buying one of my watches?"

Joseph growled. He rose to his feet and towered over the Egyptian conman. "Perhaps I should start by beating a lowlife like you. Maybe you have a point. I do have nothing to lose. They called me Pharisee in prison, Mr. Dust; it was because I had a low tolerance for those who disrespected the law. I assure you, I am a force to be reckoned with."

"Well, how far would you go then?" asked Dust. "You said your soul is at risk. Would attacking someone like me cement your fate?"

"It would not worsen it," growled Joseph.

"Well, there you go!" exclaimed Dust as he spread his arms wide. "You're a bad guy! Who better than you to go after other bad guys? You have nothing to lose; perhaps you should hit me and drag me over to the prison across the street. I'm sure they would love to have you back!"

Joseph reached forward and grabbed Dust by the neck. He pushed his head hard against the glass panel surrounding the bus stop. Before Joseph had chance to speak, a thin knife appeared at his chin. He gulped in surprise as Dust raised an eyebrow.

"You have anger issues," he said. "Perhaps something you should work on. Did you consider that perhaps I'm selling these watches to care for my pregnant wife or send a child to college? You don't ask any questions; you just act. That will get you into some dangerous situations, I assure you that."

"I know what you are," whispered Joseph as he stepped away.

"I know who you are," responded Dust. "You're impulsive, judgmental, and live in some sort of black-and-white reality. I got news for you; we're all a different shade of black. Everyone on this planet is self-centered and backstabbing. They won't admit it, but they are. If you judge everyone the same way you judged me, you're going to get yourself hurt. No one can live up to biblical standards; you can't hunt down everyone who you consider less than saintly. Trust me, Pharisee: everyone is."

"Why not?" asked Joseph. "Why not spent what time I have expelling the evildoers? I'm not a good person; I should let other like me know what awaits them."

"You're going to sound like a hypocrite, you know," mused Dust as he fiddled with the point of his knife. "What gives you the right?"

"I know what evil is," said Pharisee. "I escaped my punishment, I won't allow others to escape theirs."

"Well, kudos to you, then," Dust said with a smile. "More power to you. It's a futile mission however, I hope you beat the MegaBlok out of as many people as you see fit."

Joseph St. John shook his head. "I'm not a good man, I have no future. Other good people do, and I can make it better for them by removing the unrighteous from their path."

The Egyptian shrugged before rising from his seat and rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you sure showed me a lesson." He reached into his coat and pulled out two watches that he quickly tossed to Joseph. "Use one to keep track of the time you'll waste. It's a vain undertaking; no one is perfect, and we're all sinners."

Joseph inspected the watches. They were clearly knockoffs and certainly quite cheap. Some might be fooled by their shimmer, but he had learned to identify shams behind bars. They looked nice, but close inspection would identify what they truly were. "People are either good or evil, Mr. Dust. Righteous or unrighteous, this book I read taught me that."

Dust chuckled. "Only a Pharisee like you would deal in absolutes. I'm not going to pretend to know your religion, but I do think you should read between the lines. There is more in your book than what is written. I hope you figure that out one day."

Pharisee did not respond. He glanced down at the two cheap watches in his hand. "What am I supposed to do with this other one?"

"Use it to buy a bus ticket," said Dust, shrugging. "Think of it as an investment. You say you're a bad man anyway; what harm can selling a stolen watch do?"

At the moment, a rusty bus pulled up to the bus station where Joseph and Dust stood. The door opened and the driver motioned for them to board. Joseph hesitated and looked back at Dust before stepping up. In his fingers was the watch. Dust was right: he was a bad man, inherently so, whatever he did would not change who he was inside. Conning this driver would be the last unrighteous thing he did. Henceforth, he would tarnish his spirit in a different manner. He would fight monsters, and he would sacrifice himself to do so.

As he held up the glistening watch before the bus driver's eyes, the doors closed behind him. He turned back, and Dust smiled. He hoped to prove him wrong one day, he hoped to find good people in the world, but something deep down told him the Egyptian was right. His standards were too high for anyone.

*****

Pharisee looked at Gahiji Thutmose's face in the magazine and then down at the cheap watch still around his wrist. How much time had he wasted? He had met plenty of bad people in the Dino Attack Team but he had also met some gray. What about Andrew, Zachary, and Rex? Were they as good as he believed they were?

Doctor Nicholas Saran listened intently as Pharisee finished his tale. It was apparent to the psychologist what was causing the commander's distress. After the events of the Dino Attack, he was stating to believe what Dust had said. A black-and-white sense of morality was unhealthy and unrealistic. It was remarkable how someone could live as long as Pharisee without having some sort of mental breakdown.

Honestly, Saran was concerned with Pharisee's safety. The commander hated himself more than the psychologist could imagine. When a person believed they had nothing to live for, they did not see themselves accountable for their actions. Pharisee had continued to spend his days doing things that were morbid because he felt they would have no consequences.

When he had asked earlier if the commander was suicidal, Pharisee had responded that he feared death. Saran believed he was sincere in faith, but he had neglected to give a straight answer. Pharisee exhibited the symptoms of depression; while he was effective in his job, he was antisocial and exhibited little joy. As a psychologist, he had experience treating people like Pharisee; it was the commander's ideals that complicated the mater.

"Commander," began Dr. Saran. "You say people are either good or bad. Would you mind telling me what you think of some members of the team?"

"I can tell you what I witnessed," sighed Pharisee, "But I'm not so sure anymore."

"Well that's good," said Saran. "I'm glad you're asking questions. It means you're willing to accept your fallibility. It's important to remember that we all are capable of mistakes. It's dangerous to assume you can't make mistakes."

The commander shifted in his chair but nodded his head in half-hearted agreement.

"What was your opinion about elite agent Rex?" asked Saran. "We were both there during his last moments. Did that provide you with any insight to his character?"

"He was a good man," replied Pharisee without hesitation, "He sacrificed his Creative Spark to kill Dr. Rex. It was a selfless action for the good of the entire world."

"I won't deny that Rex was a hero and I in no mean disrespect his memory by saying this," said Dr. Saran. "But I've had the pleasure of speaking with him on a few occasions. You remember how Rex attacked elite agent French Fries while he was being escorted to the prison complex? Although I'll admit he had it coming, I certainly would not call that sort of assault civil, would you?"

Pharisee shook his head. "Evil was paid onto evil. The action was just."

Saran shrugged and scribbled a note on his legal pad. "Okay. What do you think about elite agent Zachary Virchaus?"

"Zachary is also a good person," said Pharisee, the commander responded just as quickly but sounded less confident. "During the final battle, he distinguished himself in combat and was a natural leader."

"But he still had parts of the Maelstrom in him," countered Dr. Saran, "He was violent. At the temple, he killed a XERRD scientist in cold blood. He killed dozens of agents as a Stromling. Even before then, he was responsible for the death of agent Scratch and he associated with a kleptomaniac. I'm not going to say that Zachary was bad, but would you attribute his actions to an honest man?"

Pharisee said nothing. He looked down at his watch and then at the photo of Dust still on the table.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" asked Dr. Saran. "If that's the case, then I apologize. You're rethinking the beliefs you've held for your entire life. This can be a scary thing, but I'm here to help you."

"I just don't understand," muttered the commander. "The book I read in prison said that there were only two kinds of people. Righteous and unrighteous. How can anyone fall between?"

"I'm not going to go against what you read in the book, Pharisee," said Saran. "Clearly, your faith is strong. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but when it dominates your entire life, it can cloud your judgment. Has it occurred to you that you could be misinterpreting the meaning of the texts?"

Pharisee shook his head. "I've had twenty years to find the truth, doctor. I think I have a strong enough understanding to know the difference between good and evil."

"I'm not going to pretend to be a theologian, Pharisee," said the doctor, shrugging. "But, if I recall correctly, people are capable of salvation. There are many who have redeemed themselves over the course of their lives. Even in that book you speak of."

Pharisee did not appear convinced.

"And what about forgiveness?" asked Dr. Saran. "I don't believe the Creator is as vengeful and angry as you make Him out to be. Look outside the window, Pharisee; do you see the people surfing and the wonderful day outside? The sun is shining and the planet is happy!"

"How can you say that?!" demanded Pharisee. "Look at your leg! The Creator punished you for your past transgressions! Can't you see that?"

The doctor smiled and rose from his seat behind the desk. The prosthetic limb followed him awkwardly as he stepped beside the window of his office. "Not everything is an act of the Creator. There is such a thing as bad luck. I lost my leg to a particularly nasty shark off the LEGO Island shore. Do I blame some higher power? No, I blame myself for being foolish enough to go swimming after eating."

"But were you not angry?" inquired the commander. "Did you not blame the Creator for your misfortune?"

"Of course I was, at first," said Dr. Saran. "But over time, I saw that our Creator was not that petty. We don't live in world subject to some sadistic Builder; we live in a world filled with life and creation. If the Builder was as unforgiving as you say He is, how could the likes of Zachary and Rotor find redemption after the crimes they committed?"

"I don't want all your analysis, doctor, I just want answers!" growled the commander. "What I want is how to think about Montoya and Pierce! I just want to get back to my life, not reevaluate it!"

"Well, I'm afraid you came to the wrong person, Pharisee," said the psychiatrist, frowning. "There are no easy answers to your questions. I'm not around to justify the things you do, I'm here to help you overcome your challenges and better understand yourself - not others." 

Pharisee seemed annoyed as he rose from his seat quickly. He did not want to understand the people he chased; it only made his job harder and challenged the things he believed. He just wanted to the status quo to continue, not have it be unhinged.

Saran limped over to the commander and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder. "Pharisee, I'm disappointed in you. I thought you were a curious and intelligent man, but the moment you are confronted with a challenge, you run away. You've chased some of the most rotten scum I can imagine, but you can't confront yourself?"

"I just want to do my job," grumbled Pharisee. "It's all I have. It's all that matters."

"But are you happy?" inquired Saran as he raised an eyebrow. "Do you feel any joy? I'm trying to show you there is more to this world than tragedy. You have the potential to live a good life if you could only see you're not so wicked! You can never be happy if you can't grasp the good you're capable of!"

"But I've done so many bad things," Pharisee said as he looked down. "I killed that man and I murdered those Black Falcons. How can I continue after the evil I've done?"

"No one is beyond redemption, Pharisee," said Saran. "The problem is you've given up. How do expect to turn your life around when you keep wallowing in the past? Those events don't define who you are."

Pharisee considered what was said. He wondered whether he deserved to be happy. He had spent many nights wishing he was still in that Johannesburg serving his time. He had always considered his release as a cruel irony. He had been cast out into the world with no hope and no future. Now, Saran was saying he was capable of being a moral man.

He looked down at the cheap watch Dust had given him. How much time had he wasted judging others? For three years, he had chased the unrighteous all because of his own complex stigma. Perhaps more could be achieved in this life than simply chasing the wicked. Why had he given up trying to save himself?

Seeing someone as a shade of gray in his black-and-white world still challenged him; he could not begin to grasp there was something more than those two absolutes. There was nothing unhealthy about a strong set of morals, Pharisee certainly had those. It was how he used them that brought him down the path he walked today.

"I could have been somebody," said Pharisee. "I don't believe I'm a good person, doctor; what you say cannot change how I see myself now. How is it that some can chose a righteous path when I cannot? What makes it so hard for me?"

"It's because you don't believe in your potential," replied Saran. "You don't believe you're capable of doing right. You have the conviction, commander, you have the judgment. All you lack is the spirit."

Pharisee looked down at the minute hand as it ticked around the perimeter of the dais. Time reflected what path he had chosen. Instead of path that led to redemption, he had chosen one that carried him further from the light.

"I'm a monster," said Pharisee. "That's what I've become. I believed I was incapable of anything else, and I accepted the fate I thought I deserved. I don't want to be that person."

He turned to the psychiatrist and held out his massive callused hand. "I think it's best that I leave, Doctor Saran. I don't believe I can enforce the law anymore; it would be hypocritical to do so. I can't hope to change the person I am and still be effective with my work. There is still much evil out there, doctor; still a lot of black smears in our otherwise bright world. I just can't be the one to find it. There is too much of a burden on my soul now. I can't continue to pile on crimes if I want to escape from that cage I've built for myself."

Saran nodded and smiled. "You've made incredible progress, Pharisee. I hope one day you can hope to see yourself in a better life. Do you want to have another session?"

"No," said Pharisee. "I found out who I was, unaided. I was wrong then, and others paid the price. I think it is best I reevaluate who I am alone. It is fitting that my new identity comes about the same as the last. I must challenge who I am in isolation as well; no one else can help me."

"What's to keep you from reaching some other wrong epiphany?" asked Dr. Saran, concerned.

"You said I have conviction, doctor. I know what's right and wrong. I can see now that the path I chose was wrong, and I am not beyond doing what's right."

"I regret not being able to talk with you further, Pharisee," said Dr. Saran. "But I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Please," said Pharisee. "Call me Joseph."

The hulking commander turned away and pushed open the door of the psychiatrist's office. Saran sighed as he listened to his footsteps fade away. Outside the window, the commander stepped into the picturesque sunlight of LEGO Island. He put on his sunglasses before stepping onto the street and down the sandy beach.

The sparkle of the ocean forced the doctor to avert his eyes. He pulled shut the blinds as the light flooded his office. The seabirds were quiet now, and the jet-skier no longer was heard beyond the sea. All that carried was the rhythmic music of the ocean as the tide slid in and out.

Past the shadows of the blinds, he spotted an object glisten on the carpet by the door. He limped over to investigate and found the crushed remains of a wristwatch.

The springs and gears were scattered across the floor. Its cheap frame had failed to the powerful muscles of the commander. Now, its bent remains sat where they had fallen. Joseph Sr. John had crushed it in his hands before walking out the door.

-----

April 3, 2011

"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do?" inquired Alan Pierce.

Sarah sighed. "I don't know. I haven't seen him in years, not since the accident. I'm not even sure if he'll recognize me. But it's worth a shot... I admit, I have become curious to see what has become of him."

Alan shook his head. "I mean... do you think that this is what is best for Kate?" he whispered.

Looking down at her daughter, who was resting her head on her mother's shoulder, Sarah nodded slowly. "She deserves to know. If there's one thing I learned, it's that it was wrong to keep family secrets from her, even ones of... this nature. Besides, Kate specifically requested this... I would hope that this means she's ready to know the truth."

At last, the door opened, and a tall man with dark hair, glasses, and a well-kept suit stepped through. Sarah shook her daughter awake as they stood to greet the man. "Mr. Bonaparte," the man introduced himself. "Now I understand that you three wish to speak with me?"

It was difficult getting this far, as the receptionist had initially denied their request to speak with Mr. Bonaparte, the administrator of Napoleon XIV Mental Institution, due to Bonaparte's work allegedly keeping him too busy to speak with anyone. It was only a death glare by Sarah Pierce that finally convinced the receptionist to let them in.

"Yes," said Sarah, shaking Bonaparte's hand. "I'm Sarah Pierce, and this is my husband Alan and my daughter Kate. We're here to see one of your patients, my brother, by the name of Wallace Bishop."

Mr. Bonaparte's features hardened. "Mr. Bishop suffers from a severe mental condition that has only worsened since the time that he was committed. For his own health, we cannot allow any guests to see him. Especially family members, as his state of being has reduced him to violent breakdowns by the mere thought of his family outside Napoleon. I'm sorry, Mrs. Pierce, but it is strictly against protocol and I simply cannot allow it."

"Kate?" urged Alan. "Is there something you would like to tell Mr. Bonaparte, my dear?"

Kate's mouth was dry, but she swallowed and quietly murmured, "William's bell is ringing."

Mr. Bonaparte blinked in surprise. "What was that?" he asked, leaning in closer to hear. When Kate repeated the message in a louder voice, Bonaparte pursed his lips and adjusted his glasses. "Well, then... this is an unexpected... surprise. I never thought that Dr. Einstein would... well, never mind. Come with me."

Bonaparte led the Pierce family to a secure room which only had a few chairs and a table, all of which were bolted down onto the floor to prevent anyone from doing anything dangerous with them. Telling them to make themselves comfortable, Bonaparte left briefly and returned with a pair of nice young men in clean white coats, who were escorting a man in an orange jumpsuit with unkempt hair, a bushy beard, and eyes sunken so far into his skull that they were only barely visible. The man walked stiffly, his hands trembling uncontrollably, and his eyes fixated upon the floor.

Instinctively, Sarah stood upon seeing her older brother, Wallace, enter the room. "Oh my Builder..." she whispered, lightly pressing her hand to her bosom as her heart rate quickened. She recognized him; there was no doubt about it, it was definitely Wallace... but at the same time, she felt like she was looking at an entirely different man who bore only the faintest semblance to her brother.

As the two nurses helped a trembling Wallace sit down in the chair opposite the Pierces, Mr. Bonaparte cleared his throat. "I must apologize for Wallace's current state. We have just given him new medications. Most likely, he will be... unresponsive. I doubt he will even notice your presence."

Alan frowned as he looked upon Wallace. Bonaparte's meaning was evident, as Wallace had not once taken notice of the Pierces. His eyes remained fixated upon the floor, but Alan wondered if he was even looking at the floor or if he was just staring off into blank space. "What sort of medications are you giving your patients?" muttered Alan.

Mr. Bonaparte stiffened. "That would be classified, Mr. Pierce. However, I assure you that we are only prescribing what is best for our patients here at Napoleon XIV."

Sarah took a seat opposite Wallace at the table. He did not respond to her presence. "Wallace," whispered Sarah. "It's me, your little sister. Sarah. Do you remember me?"

Silence.

Leaning in closely, Sarah continued. "Remember, Wally? Your sister, Sarah? Do you remember our dad, Roy? He fought in World War I. Remember? This is your niece, Kate. You two used to spend so much time together when she was only a baby. Don't you remember anything at all?"

Silence.

Mr. Bonaparte cleared his throat. "Wallace Bishop may not remember you, Mrs. Pierce, or even your family. His memory, sadly, has been deteriorating after the severe cranial trauma that he suffered after a head injury..."

"What sort of institution do you run here?" gasped Alan, aghast. "How could you let one of your patients get away with a head injury? How could you get him so high on medications that he cannot respond to his own sister talking to him? Ridiculous! This place is more insane than the LEGO Island Medical Center!"

Bonaparte frowned. "Insane, Mr. Pierce? You think you know insane? What is insane to you, but a pair of paramedics who think that sharks and trees are part of proper medicinal procedure? Here, insanity is not a series of amusing antics... insanity is so much worse. Howling every night at the top of their lungs without knowing why. Inability to stay in one place and time. Unstoppable rambling about the unimaginable. Violent breakdowns at the slightest provocation. Losing everything that you hold dear. Having nothing to live for. Insanity? You do not know insanity, Mr. Pierce."

Kate tried her best to lock eyes with her uncle, which was difficult when Wallace was not looking at her. She knew that this was the man who convinced Frank Einstein to do everything in his power to protect the Bishop family. If it were not for him, Kate would have been subjected to the horrors of Dr. Strangebrick's experiments, used as a human shield by Walter Breen, and never could have defeated the Darkitect himself. As Kate reflected upon this, she realized that she owed a lot to Wallace. Gently, she placed her hand on Wallace's own and whispered, "I love you, uncle."

Silence.

As tears began to form in Kate's eyes, Sarah sighed in defeat. "I'm afraid we must get going."

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," Mr. Bonaparte said as he stroked his chin. "You see, I'm afraid Mr. Bishop's case is incurable. He will never be fit for society ever again, and that's something that not even Dr. Frank Einstein could change. He will have to remain here for the rest of his life."

"Will we at least be able to visit him?" inquired Sarah. She hated the thought of her brother spending the last years of his life all alone, even in this incapacitated state.

Bonaparte was about to say "No", but then hesitated. Sighing, he decided: "If that is what you wish, seeing as Dr. Einstein has indeed given you authorization to see him."

As Sarah, Kate, and Alan stood to leave, Kate shot one last look at the lonely man that was once her uncle. As tears filled her eyes, the young girl forced herself to look away. However, just as they were about to exit the room, Kate heard a male voice that sounded aged and weary, but sounded familiar, as if it were from a dream:

"Someone once told me... Love... is an emotion... too powerful... to be simply forgotten."

Sarah stopped in the doorway and slowly turned around to look at Wallace, who did not appear to have moved at all. However, she rushed to his side, ignoring Bonaparte's warnings, and got a close look at his face. There were tears in Wallace's sunken eye sockets, and although his lips quivered and trembled weakly, his smile was unmistakable.

"Oh, Wallace!" said Sarah, who felt tears of her own coming to her eyes. For the first time in years, she wrapped her arms around Wallace Bishop in the embrace of a sister who dearly missed her beloved brother.

----

April 16, 2011

Kara stood in front of the door to Dr. Cyborg's office, straightening her uniform and her cap. She may be his friend, but as her boss, he was still intimidating, plus she had no idea why he called her into his office. She took a deep breath, then punched the "open" key on the door control console. The door slid open, and she walked in.

"Ah, Kara," Dr. Cyborg said as she walked in the door and stood in front of his desk. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you in here?"

"Yes sir, I am," Kara answered.

Dr. Cyborg picked up a folder off his desk. It wasn't full, but it didn't have only one or two sheets of paper in it, either. "This folder has reports from former Dino Attack agents you worked with in it. Specs took these up on everybody, and we Elite Agents reviewed them to see how people behaved. I requested copies of reports dealing with you, and received them. Would you like to read me some to you?"

Kara swallowed. Dr. Cyborg, as much as she could tell (only being able to tell from his voice and half a face), was being very cold, concealing some other emotion. She tried hard in the Dino Attack, but people might not have liked how she didn't really follow the chain of command, just sorta helped who she thought needed it.

"Yes sir," she answered.

"For reasons of time, I am only going to read one to you." He opened the folder and looked down at the top sheet of paper.

"'I worked with Kara Wise the most of probably anybody except Dr. Cyborg during the Dino Attack. She seemed like she was used to working as she thought best, and therefore I did not give her specific orders, merely general directives. She did as she was told and did it well. She is quick, smart, and talented at flying. All three are skills a good pilot needs. I was proud to work with her during the short time she was with the Dino Attack team.' There are more, saying the same general thing."

Dr. Cyborg suddenly smiled, dropping the emotional wall. "I am proud of the way you worked in the Dino Attack. Many people thought highly of you. Therefore, I see fit to promote you to the rank of Commander Pilot. Congratulations." Dr. Cyborg stood up and shook hands with her. "I also have a request. This is optional, so feel free to turn it down. I'm sure you know that UlTech has been working with XERRD scientists on building a capital ship."

"Yes sir, I've been wondering what it's for," Kara replied.

"Well, we are going to use that ship to get back to Crux Prime and Nexus Force. It will also be our mobile headquarters. We need two efficient pilots, and I've already chosen one - your former superior, Dylan Bingham, for the copilot. I want to ask you if you would like to be the main pilot, or if you would rather stay on Earth," Dr. Cyborg said.

"I will consider it, sir, and get back to you," Kara answered.

----

April 22, 2011

David O'Neal got off the bus and walked. It was the first time since December that he'd been without a wheelchair, crutch, or other support.

The bus stop was two blocks from the apartment, but a slight detour and a stop at the city bank turned it into three and a half. Passersby glanced at his curved metal shin in surprise, but he paid them no mind. Arriving at the building -- a four-story brick affair -- he struggled up the stairs to the second floor and unlocked the door.

Bart and April Helmutson had generously offered Dave a place to stay until he could find a home of his own. While he was certainly grateful, it was positively unnerving to see photographs of Tracer -- no, Jason -- at earlier ages distributed from room to room. April had initially insisted upon allowing Dave to occupy Jason's old room, but it had turned out to be rather unpleasant. Jason had started appearing in his dreams -- nervous, happy and laughing, or dying on a cot. Then one night, Dave was back in the bombed-out Dino Attack HQ, held captive by O'Cozy's realists, and when Tracer slipped over and freed him, Dave turned to see the kid riddled with bulletholes, eyes wide and lifeless, mouth twisted open in a silent scream. He'd awoken in a cold sweat, and had slept on the couch ever since.

April was pulling on her jacket when Dave walked in. "Morning!" she called out cheerily. "The final appointment went well, then?"

Dave nodded. "All clear." And that means it's time to go.

"Fantastic," April said. "Oh, you have some mail." She handed him an envelope and he looked it over.

From Hertz -- another invitation to return to... whatever it was Dino Attack Team was calling itself now. Perhaps Hertz could deal with the past year's experiences by building something positive out of them, but for Dave, that was rather out of the question. He just wanted to put all of 2010 behind him for good, if that was possible.

"Well, I'm off to the memorial. See you later," April said, stepping out into the corridor and pulling the door shut behind her.

The memorial was another thing Dave wanted to avoid. He'd no desire to see the names of his friends on a block of stone. The names of Sarah O'Neal, Swerve, Tracer, Rex, and more were already etched in his mind. And then there were the others -- Kotua, Databoard, Blade, Fullmetal... he'd no idea whether they had survived, nor any desire to check the memorial and find out if they hadn't. Try as he might to stop it, the Dino Attack still continued to work its way back into his life -- just a few days ago, there'd been that paragraph in the newspaper: B and his squad had been found dead in the ruins of a bandit camp. And then there was Hertz's hopeful barrage of mail. Dave liked Hertz, honest to Builder, but his own sentiments towards the Dino Attack were difficult to put into words.

He tossed the envelope onto the table unopened, then dug into his satchel and pulled out the wads of cash he'd withdrawn from the bank -- compensation for his services on the Dino Attack Team, plus the meager sum he'd earned over the past three months doing inventory work in a nearby bookstore (he had to take some amusement from that: a degree in electrical engineering and he couldn't even so much as get a job in a hardware store). Counting out a portion of the money, he pinned it to a sheet of paper and jotted down a note of gratitude and explanation -- Bart and April had insisted that it wasn't necessary for him to chip in and pay some of the rent, but he couldn't help but feel like a freeloader.

Dave left the rent money on the table. April would likely stay at the memorial for hours, and Bart worked all day down at the harbour, so by the time they found it, he'd be long gone. The rest of the money he slipped into a hidden pocket inside his satchel.

He showered quickly before packing, musing as he did so. 2010 was not devoid of redeeming qualities. He was all but guaranteed a job with Alpha Team or the Agents, should he ever decide that life in a quasi-military organization was for him -- right now, the answer was "no," but if the world came under attack by a force of brutal malevolence again, well, you never know -- and he'd found friends, both old and new, and some in quite high places, on whom he knew he could depend if he needed it. Zach, Andrew, Dr. Cyborg, Reptile, Hertz, Wright, Shiller...

And Kat. That was another matter entirely. True to her word, she'd sent him telegrams -- letters written as though they were telegrams, that is (her humour certainly hadn't changed) -- for the first few weeks after her departure. But the last one had been months ago.

That was why Dave was leaving now.

He shut the water off, dried himself off, dressed, and walked back out to the couch, where he gathered his few belongings and tucked them into his satchel -- a few changes of clothes, toothbrush and soap, an extra prosthetic and collapsible crutch just in case, and a few electrician's tools. Then he pulled the bag over his right shoulder and walked out.

A fifteen-minute bus ride brought Dave to LEGO City's central train station. He was headed for the doors when a voice stopped him. "Just where do you think you're going, Dave?"

He turned, and there, leaning against the wall, was Lucy Wright. "Away," he replied solemnly.

Lucy crossed the sidewalk and nudged him in the shoulder. "C'mon, you gotta give us more details than that."

"Yeah, we didn't follow you here just to let you slip past us with a few cryptic words," said a second voice. Dave spun around to see Ben Shiller leaning out the window of the old station wagon he'd taken no notice of just moments before. "Besides, we'd already figured out you were going 'away'." He gestured to the back of the car, which Dave now saw contained several suitcases and sleeping bags.

"Wait, back up," Dave said. "You followed me? How?"

"We hadn't heard anything from you in almost a month, and it was getting a bit worrying," said Wright. "So we looked up your friend, agent Mort."

"And we got him to sniff some proverbial paper trails, off the books," Shiller continued. "That's how we found out you'd quit your job and reserved a train ticket for the same day you'd be finished with your physical therapy. It didn't take much to put two and two together."

"Okay, but... well... I couldn't ask you to drop your lives and come with me," said Dave.

"You were willing to do that for Kat when she left, though," Wright pointed out. "And you were stuck in a wheelchair then."

"We couldn't do anything less and still call ourselves your friends, O'Neal," said Shiller. "And this is about Kat, isn't it?"

Dave nodded. "I haven't heard from her since the end of January. Before then, I was getting a postcard a week. Not sure what happened, but if she's still out there I'd like to catch up."

"Well, I know you care a lot about her, even if it's in a way we can't exactly understand," said Wright, circling the car and getting in the driver's seat. "Hop in. None of us are getting any younger." It didn't take much deliberation for Dave to make his decision. He pulled open the door, tossed his bag onto the back seat, and followed it in. "So, where are we headed?" Wright asked, starting the engine.

"Her last letter came from World City," said Dave. "I thought I'd start there, but if there are no leads? Well, who knows?"

Shiller laughed. "World City or bust, then. Subsequent stops: everywhere." He looked back and shot Dave a smirk. "Just like summer '04 all over again, eh?"

"Just like summer '04," Dave agreed with a grin.

And five minutes later, they were pulling onto the highway, with the past in their wake, and nothing but the future ahead of them.

----

April 30, 2011

Dr. Cyborg wandered the corridors of XERRD's new ship. It was empty, except for the robotic servants who made the food, kept it repaired, and did everything to keep the ship running but pilot it. It was to be piloted by Sub-Commander Dylan Bingham, and a recently-promoted Commander Kara Wise. After her excellent work in the Dino Attack, it was only fitting that she be promoted.

After a few days, Kara had come back with an answer. She had decided to take the offer, and be the pilot for XERRD's new ship. Dr. Cyborg was glad she had accepted. She was his friend, and also the best pilot he knew. There was nobody else who he would rather have.

As he walked down the corridors in the cabins area, he thought back to the party and time after it on LEGO Island - specifically, when he said goodbye to Catless.

He had now reached the engine section of the ship. Robotic drones were scurrying around him back here, keeping everything working. He entered the large reactor compartment that took up most of the stern of the ship. He looked at the gigantic plasma reactor in the middle of the room, looking like a mutant spider with all of the pipes and wires running from it into the walls. He walked over to a console near it, checking its status. He thought back to merely two months ago, reflecting on how different his situation was now from then.

He put the console into sleep mode and left the engine section. As he went back towards the bow of the ship, he passed by the cabins on the command deck. He, Solomon, Dylan, Kara, and some other ranking members of XERRD had cabins here. As he passed by them, he remembered a meeting he had, when they were being the victim of countless court cases. He closed his eyes as he called more memories to the fore of his mind.

Those days had been very harrowing, Dr. Cyborg remembered. Thankfully, the most of them had slowed down, although he expected them to continue for at least another month. He sighed and continued on towards the center of the ship.

He went to the mess hall and logged onto the console in there, except this one was part of the ship-wide network run by Cortana(2) instead of being dedicated to the upkeep of the engine. As he entered his username and password, and saw the screen that welcomed him to the ship's network, he smiled. That reminded him, not of memories, but of what was to come.

Three hours later, Dr. Cyborg stood behind the curtain. A small stage had been set up in front of the dock the new ship was resting in. A large cloth had been draped over the bow where the name was painted. Nobody but those who painted it on and the ones who came up with the name knew what was under the sheet.

UlTech employees, XERRD members, and others from LEGO City had come. The majority of those who had come were those who had forgiven XERRD, although some troublemakers were expected. That is why UlTech Infiltrators armed with stunning electrostaffs were spaced throughout and around the crowd. Most did not notice them, but if one tried to do something rash, the Infiltrators would definitely be noticed.

He heard Solomon finish up his speech, then introduce him. Dr. Cyborg came out from behind the curtain, carrying a Nexus 7 in his hand. He walked up to the lectern, placed the tablet on top of it, then adjusted the microphone.

"The majority of the important things have already been said," he started off. "Not that I'm jealous or anything, I hate making speeches." The crowd laughed. "But I was suggested, no, told, by all the members of XERRD and many UlTech employees that I should make the speech to name the ship. I couldn't really refuse, so I went with it."

He turned and gestured to the ship behind him. "This ship represents a new direction for XERRD. As such, the name should be a fitting one. It can't be anything simple. There must be symbolism behind it, a meaning to the name. It must show the new XERRD, that we are different from the organization that started the Dino Attack one year ago. The majority of XERRD came up with names, voted on them, and gave me a little slip of paper with the winner on it. What was written on that sheet of paper was the name Cyrista. Everybody wanted the ship named after me, for I was changing XERRD for the better. So, I decided to name the ship-"

He trailed off and mentally activated the motors to release the sheet from the ship's bow. The sheet fell, revealing the name of the ship. "The Dawn! XERRD's previous capital ship was named the New Age, for it did start a new age. However, this new age was one of death. To represent the new direction of XERRD, I named the ship the Dawn. Today, we leave a New Age of doom, death, destruction, and terror behind! Today, starts the Dawn of a newer age, a better one for the world, one without destruction done simply For science!"

The crowd burst into cheers, and Dr. Cyborg stepped back, thankful the naming went so well, without any violence.

*****

May 1, 2011

It was time. The entire organization of XERRD, many supplies, and assorted vehicles and pieces of equipment had been loaded onto the Dawn. Everybody had said their goodbyes to their friends and family. Everyone except Dr. Cyborg. The friends he was leaving behind, he had said goodbye to months ago.

Sadly, his parents weren't speaking to him. They believed him responsible for his sister's death, and he supposed he was, in a way. However, from what Catless had told him, his sister had forgiven him even as she died from wounds inflicted by those which he helped create. That plus his memories, which he no longer took for granted, which told him Elizabeth would forgive him, made him sure she truly did.

He mentally laughed. His sister forgave bullies even as they shoved her and stole her stuff. He at least waited a few minutes before forgiving them. They were both popular targets for bullies in school. It was ironic, because once UlTech Industries got up and running, most of the same bullies came to them asking for money and good jobs because they were, as they put it, "old school friends". After the assorted bullies left his office, he and Elizabeth always looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Nah!"

He missed his sister. He got along better with her than his high school friends did with their sisters.

Dr. Cyborg sighed, then got out of the captain's chair and walked to just behind and between the two pilot seats. Kara was to his left, Dylan to his right. Solomon was against the bulkhead to his right, about 10 feet away, checking the reports sent in from all areas of the ship.

"Reactor's running fine!" he cried. "All gear is stowed, all hatches shut, all lines detached from the dock, and the docking clamps are released! We are ready to roll!"

Dr. Cyborg put a hand on top of both pilot's headrests. He took a deep breath, now was the moment of triumph.

"Kara, start all engines."

There was a dull thwump! felt and heard throughout the ship as the main drives engaged, then the thrusters initialized, preparing to steer the ship.

"Now, Dr. Cyborg?" Kara asked.

"Now," Dr. Cyborg agreed.

Kara pushed forward on the sticks, and the Dawn lifted out of the dock and tilted upward, pointing its nose towards the sky. The main drives fired up and it slowly left the dock, thundering towards the sky. A few minutes later, it left the atmosphere, steadily making its way into space. Dr. Cyborg looked up at the monitor above the main viewport, connected to the stern camera. He saw a green and blue sphere slowly shrinking as it receded into the distance and into the past. He took a deep breath. Onward into the future, he thought as he watched the endless reaches of space through the viewport.

----

May 17, 2011

Noomi Shaw stood nervously as her latest clients in her unintentional wedding business approached. Maria and Andrea Jackson Orange held hands tightly as they approached. Technically, Shaw really did not have a license to perform weddings, but right now she was the closest thing around to a minister, and with most businesses slowly struggling to get off the ground, they just had to make do with what they could get. And at this point, it was either her or Pharisee, and most would agree the latter would not be good at weddings.

The wedding itself was small in size. The only attendants were Maria's old partners, Clint Wayne and Van Cleef - and Erik Paulson, but he was passed out for most of the ceremony.

Shaw cleared her throat and began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to celebrate the union of two... very strong lovers."

Maria smiled as she looked at her bride. Andrea's skin had finally started to return to a more natural colour, rather than the almost grey look she sported when they first met. Her hair was cleaned up, and she stood tall and proud. There was a part of her wishing her father could be there, especially after they'd finally settled their differences, but she still did her best to enjoy the moment.

"Maria..."

Erik immediately hiccupped as soon as Shaw was about to say Maria's last name. "I- comin' to git yehr sandwich, See." He started snoring loudly again.

"Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do," replied Maria, her thick Southern accent showing.

"And you, Andrea Jackson Orange?"

"Yes," replied Andrea.

"Then by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you..." Shaw paused for a moment unsure of what to say. "You're married."

Andrea quickly wrapped her arms around Maria and the two embraced each other tightly.

----

June 4, 2011

A nebula was a beautiful thing. People often forgot the colors of space, it was usually assumed to be no more than a black void, but when Solomon sat on a bench and looked up at the spirals of gases swirling above Nimbus Station, he saw the truth. Nimbus Station was beautiful under normal circumstance, but when the clouds of blue, green, and yellow floated above the plaza, it was even more stunning.

Nimbus Station was a hub of activity. Similar to a grand train station, minifigs from all across the universe converged at this point to traverse the galaxy. It was 2011, only a few months after the Dino Attack had ended. In the grand scope of things, the events that had transpired on the small planet of LEGO seemed incredibly insignificant. Tourists from the far reaches of space appeared unaffected by the war. A child from Sector 6 carried a small mutant dinosaur toy, and trade to the LEGO Planet had returned to normal. A stranger might never have known there was a Dino Attack.

He looked up the rainbow nebula flouting above him. He was no longer carrying the armor of XERRD that he bore during the war. Instead, he was wearing a smart maroon vest and linen trousers. He shifted his tie and looked down at the sheathed katana resting on his lap.

He was glad the war was over. He hated fighting, and he hated what it did to people. Although the philosopher had been taught in the honorable way to fight, he knew chivalry had died long ago. There had been nothing noble about slashing down a Fright Knight or shooting some poor Inferno henchmen. It was brutal and messy; although some still held the belief that war was glorious, Solomon had never witnessed such glamor during his service.

That was not to say there had been no heroes. The likes of Zachary, Minerva, and Rex would not be soon forgotten. The problem with a planet that could be rebuilt in a week was that tragedy could so easily be forgotten. The populous lived in a state of blasé, as if the countless deaths meant nothing. No signs of the initial attacks remained; the sun shone bright again in LEGO City, all scorch marks had been wiped clean, and the rubble had been pushed away. It made Solomon wish there was some sort of reminder left about the last days of December, something more than the pages of a history book.

The problem with the planet was the isolationism shown by the people. Vikings did not care about the exploits of Johnny Thunder or the World Racers. Nothing seemed to exist beyond their own little worlds. The world lacked connection and continuity; the adventures of 2006 were meaningless compared to the escapades of 2007.

People simply made the philosopher sad. Their painfully short memory would lead them to forget things that should not be forgotten. To some, the events of December would be remembered as no more than an inconvenience in the Holiday season.

It was June 2011 now. The planet looked good as new, and people continued with their lives. What was even stranger was that work still needed to be done; it was just no one seemed to care.

Elite agent Hertz had recently proposed to Naomi Carver. After his initial flounder at Outpost 4, they had decided to take things more slowly. After six months, he had popped the question following a romantic brunch at Café Corner. Obviously, she had said yes. Hertz, however, had been called away very soon afterwards to attend to pressing dinosaur-related matters. Recently, these matters had been keeping Dr. Koplowitz and XERRD busy too.

XERRD's reputation following the war had been tepid. Despite the integrity of its new leader, the organization still was viewed with an incredible amount of distrust. Dr. Cyborg had worked hard to change the image of the group, but the populace was skeptical. It was them that started the Dino Attack in the first place, and it was founded almost entirely by power-hungry madmen. Solomon regretfully had been included in that category. Although Cyborg had disposed of many of the unsavory members, some still hid their presence. In the last few months, Cyborg had been working to fix the origination's innerworkings while Solomon had been working to fix its image.

Saying either task was easy would be a lie. They both had experienced mixed success. Dr. Cyborg, Solomon had discovered, was extremely efficient at running a company. Much of XERRD's past activities had been reworked into more benign endeavors. The investigation of mutation department had been shut down and the entire board of directors had been replaced. Some villains remained and continued to cause trouble, but Dr. Cyborg was breaking ground and making progress.

Solomon was having less success. Minifigures could certainly move on with their lives, but they were also capable of holding a grudge. The war with the Maelstrom was still going on in other parts of the galaxy, and many were too distracted to open their hearts to reaccept XERRD. The events of the Dino Attack were still fresh in their minds, and convincing them to accept an old enemy as a friend was incredibly difficult.

XERRD was doing marvelous work in the world now. Although Cyborg was still busy fighting dangers within the group, he was still able to assist Captain Ace Speedman in his Atlantis exploration and Sensei Wu in Ninjago.

Meanwhile, X2½ aliens invading Earth were complicating matters. It seemed every year some new apocalyptic threat would threaten the planet. Bluetooth had reorganized a fraction of the Dino Attack to combat that threat, while Hertz had taken another fraction to track the dinosaurs that had eluded capture in the months following the war.

Under the leadership of Dr. Cyborg, XERRD had developed a mass-produced cure for the mutation. This Green Goo-like substance had been installed in tranquilizers and distributed to various units across the globe. At last check, roughly 70% of Mutant Dinosaurs on earth had been cured. Now, the reminder of Dr. Rex's army roamed the earth as natural dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, these natural dinosaurs continued to cause trouble. Hertz, David Norman, and Reptile had theorized that they were bonding together into a single coherent herd and developing a nest somewhere in the jungle. Catching this remnant promised to become a serious problem in the future. Hertz had made it an utmost priority to locate the nest.

It was a shame that Hertz's nuptial had to be put on hold became of his work. With both the Alien Conquest and Maelstrom's activity in space, everyone was busy.

The people were facile; how strange it was that good deeds could be forgotten while grudges could remain. He worried about Dr. Cyborg. XERRD was doing such great work, but few recognized it. The doctor did not deserve blame for the problems he inherited.

"Mind if I join you, Solomon?"

The philosopher looked up to see the familiar half-face of Dr. Cyborg. The doctor's left robotic eye shifted back and forth across Nimbus Station before he settled down beside his colleague. Dr. Cyborg had adopted a leather jacket which he now wore over his mechanical body. He also had acquired a pair of tan khakis to appear more casual. His continued to wear his orange helmet but, considering some of the other denizens of the LEGO Universe, it was far from obtrusive.

"What brings you to Nimbus Station, Dr. Cyrista?" inquired Solomon. "I thought you had business in LEGO City."

Cyborg adjusted the collar of his jacket as he leaned back. His cybernetic eye shifted as he gazed up at the nebula above. "Bluetooth can deal with the Alien Conquest when I'm away. I have some experiments to conduct near Crux. Some samples need to be taken of the Maelstrom to measure its growth."

"Nexus Force can handle that work," responded Solomon. "They have near-unlimited resources. I would say that XERRD has other priorities."

"Like what?" inquired Dr. Cyborg. "This is what XERRD was originally founded to do. We're more equipped to deal with the Maelstrom then Paradox."

"It's not about capabilities, Matthew, it's about image," Solomon said. "Some might not be so thrilled to see XERRD engaging in these sciences so soon after the Dino Attack. You need to ensure that all of the dangerous scientists are rooted out before you start with Maelstrom work again. If they still have a presence, their malicious influence will spread like a cancer."

"Honestly, Solomon, when will you start to take my word on this?" groaned Dr. Cyborg as he rolled his eye. "I've conducted extensive inquiries on our current members. I've conducted interviews and background checks. I can assure you that any of Dr. Rex's influence now is negligible. I'm keeping an eye on our members and I trust most of them."

"Most of them?" asked Solomon. "Do you realize what chaos a single mad scientist could create? XERRD's image would go backwards, and escaping from that negativity will be impossible. We can't make the people trust us; XERRD has to go slowly. Charging into more Maelstrom research is not the answer."

"Well what do you recommend?" demanded Cyborg. "Just sit around and gather dust? We're not going to make any difference when all we do is paperwork. We need to do something to redeem ourselves!"

"Dr. Cyrista, I respect your idealism but must say you are a naïve gentleman," sighed Solomon. "People are petty. Sure, they will celebrate the heroes, but only until the next incident makes them forget. It's been six months now, and focus is now on the new heroes. There is an end-of-the-word incident every year, Matthew. Yes, the Dino Attack Team saved the planet but their names will be replaced with the heroes of Alien Defense Unit in no time. Then, once their heroics become obsolete, the names of next year's stars will be shouted in the streets. This is the world we live in, Matthew: give the people a show, and you will be raised on a pedestal only as long as you are never overshadowed by the present.

"Villainy is something else entirely," continued the philosopher. "Heroes cycle through our memory while villains remain. It's easier to hold a grudge than a debt. Years from now, what people will remember about the Dino Attack will be the mutants, not the heroes."

"I don't believe that," Dr. Cyborg said with a chuckle. "For all your sentiments of honor and integrity, you're certainly a glass-half-empty kind of guy."

"Ernest Hemingway once wrote," said Solomon, "'The world is a wonderful place and worth fighting for.' I believe in the second part."

"Wow, Solomon. I've met a lot of cynics on the team. Pharisee and Dust included. I can't believe you're on that list too."

"There is a difference between realism and cynicism, Matthew," said Solomon. "I'm a philosopher. I've spent my life pondering the principles of humanity. People are not quite bad, but more often than not, they will make the wrong choices. Inspiration for good is a bright burning flame that burns out quickly. I'm only afraid that, with all your idealism, you'll be let down."

"I have faith that XERRD will get approval one day," said Dr. Cyborg. "Once the Alien Conquest is over, and as long as stray dinosaur activity does not increase on Earth, XERRD can be what it needs to be."

"I hope catching the rest of the dinosaurs does not prove too difficult," muttered Solomon. "I trust those who are still working on the cleanup will be able to handle them."

"We worked with great guys during the war. Even if catching those dinos is taking longer than anticipated, we're going to make an impression soon." Dr. Cyborg gestured to the katana resting on Dr. Koplowitz's lap. "Why do you have your sword with you, Solomon?"

Solomon appeared distant as he looked down at the blade resting on his lap. "I've been a warrior for too long, Matthew. I'm tired of all the fighting. I'm tired of being asked to decide the lives of others."

Solomon drew the sword from its sheath with sharp hiss. The thin blade slid out elegantly and sparkled under the light of the Nimbus nebula. Dr. Cyborg observed how the pristine blade had become tarnished by various dents and dings. Despite the grace of the weapon, it was still only metal. Solomon ran his finger along the blade of the katana. It was rough and bent and he cut his finger on its edge.

"I'm done with the violence, Matthew. Since the ninja wars, I've been a knight in sour armor. I was an idealist once, but since my life as a warrior, I've lost that optimism I once had." Solomon turned to Dr. Cyborg. "That not the philosophy I want. I know people are good; you and Rex are evidence of that. I just can't continue to strive for that ideal when I continue to wield this weapon."

Before Dr. Cyborg could stop him, Solomon snapped the sword over his knee. He held the two halves in hand and chuckled. "I'm free to ponder the mysteries of life now. No longer will I be preoccupied with petty disputes or trivial conflicts. I want to dedicate myself to more meaningful pursuits."

He took the fragments and tossed them skyward. The unique gravity of the world caught hold of the pieces, and they drifted into orbit. Solomon and Dr. Cyborg watched as they floated toward the nebula visible in the sky above them and disappeared into space.

"That's surprisingly easy to do here," muttered Solomon as they vanished from sight.

"Didn't you steal that sword from Fullmetal's locker?" remarked Dr. Cyborg as he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you're right, I did." He frowned. "Well, if we ever hear from Fullmetal again, and he wants his old sword, I'll be sure to get him a new one."

Dr. Cyborg chuckled. "Well, I'm happy for you, Solomon. I'm glad you got that off your chest. You spent a lot of the war lamenting about stuff so now you can have a more positive outlook."

"I'll need it, too," said Solomon, "I have a press conference in ten minutes, I need to represent XERRD in a damages hearing. The company still has collateral to pay."

"Oh yes, bureaucrats and the press," said Dr. Cyborg with detest. "Sometimes, they are more terrifying than mutant dinosaurs."

"You have your own work, Dr. Cyborg. I suppose we're both going to need the luck." Solomon took the doctor's hand. "It's been a pleasure working with you over the last few months, Matthew. We'll both have our work cut out for us, but I'm sure that we'll come out on top at the end."

"I don't care about coming out on top," Dr. Cyborg said, smiling. "I just care about coming out in one piece."

"Those are wise words, Matthew, wise words." Solomon Koplowitz chuckled. "Maybe you're deeper than people give you credit for."

Cyborg winked. "I try."

The two doctors picked up their suit cases. Shaking hands one last time, they parted ways and headed in opposite sides of the plaza to their respective launch ports. It was true, a lot of work still needed to be done. With no more signs of war, Solomon and Dr. Cyborg had all the time in the world to make XERRD the noble beacon it needed to be.

----

Dr. Fuchs slowly stepped into the conference room, a couple of binders tucked under his arm. Another group of scientists were sitting there, interested in what he had to say.

"Gentlemen," Fuchs said slowly as he sat down. "During this war, I have had the chance to possibly make a discovery that will change our outlook on the world." Fuchs opened one of the binders and presented it to the scientists. "I have found a cure to the Maelstrom."

"You did?" said one man, a tall, thin dark-haired scientist.

"Indeed I did, Dr. Bowman," replied Fuchs. "With some assistance. The initial formula was originally created by another man, a fellow by the name of John Dorian, I believe. Unfortunately, he died before we could get access to his notes. He was killed by a Stromling."

"So how does this cure work?" asked a blonde-haired woman.

"It still needs some work, Dr. Arroway," explained Fuchs. "But I've had a chance to examine a Stromling specimen, and what we found was that their primary weakness was Imagination."

"Imagination?" Dr. Bowman repeated.

"There is a problem," Fuchs continued. "As of now, we have only found one sufficient source of Imagination to expel the Maelstrom from a person's body."

"And what is that?" inquired Dr. Arroway.

"A Creative Spark," replied Fuchs. The other scientists acted in disgust. "I don't like it either. If it's of any help, both men were dying and gave up their Sparks voluntarily."

"So, how do we replicate this?" asked another scientist.

"At the moment, Dr. Lowell, I'm not totally sure," admitted Fuchs.

Arroway was about to get up when Dr. Bowman interjected. "Now let's not be too hasty," he said. "Obviously, we can't go around murdering people and extracting their Creative Sparks, but perhaps there's a way to synthesize a similar effect."

"You think that's possible?" asked Dr. Arroway.

"I don't know," said Dr. Bowman. "What do you think, Dr. Lowell?"

"It's difficult to say for sure," replied Dr. Lowell. "But I do think we should at least try."

"Alright," declared Dr. Bowman. "I'm in."

"You can count me in too," added Dr. Lowell.

"I guess I'm with you as well," decided Dr. Arroway.

"Excellent," said Fuchs. "If you would proceed with me to the lab, Dr. Strangebrick will show you what we have so far."

----

June 7, 2011

Carl Lutsky, age 42, was found dead in his room yesterday of an apparent suicide. Sources from Napoleon XIV indicate that no visitors were received in the hours preceding his death, and the circumstances all point to the former commander taking his own life. Napoleon XIV prides itself in its security but admits that accidents do take place. This is the first suicide the intuition has documented in thirteen months.

The motives behind Lutsky's actions are unknown. No suicide note was located, but personnel theorize it was his continual agitation that puts him over the edge. Carl Lutsky served in the DINO team during the 2010 conflict. Events on Adventurers' island promoted him to commander, where he briefly served with distinction. Doctors suggest that it was his demotion that instigated his mental breakdown. In the days following, Lutsky was reported to be disturbed and detached. His murder of the archeologist Gahiji Thutmose resulted in his arrest and subsequent court-martial. An examination by Dr. Nicholas Saran classified the commander as insane based on hallucinations and paranoid schizophrenia. He was admitted in February and has lived at Napoleon XIV for the last five months.

Before the war, Carl Lutsky worked as a manager for the World City branch of a box company. During that time, he worked with John Blaire Howlett, who would eventually join the war on the side of XERRD under the more infamous pseudonym "Blaire Darkling". He married Emily Wooster in 1992 and had a daughter Lara. They were divorced in 2008, and both would eventually die in Dino Attack two years later. Carl was the sole survivor in his building, and the incident would be what drove him to join the team.

Carl Lutsky has no surviving relatives. The date of his funeral ceremony is to be announced.

Elite agent Hertz closed the newspaper and filed it away on his desk. At least, that's what he told himself; in truth, he just added it to the pile of papers covering every horizontal surface of his office. The immediate pile capsized and tumbled onto the floor. He swore and muttered to himself about the cleaning staff not doing their work as he gathered up the documents and pushed them aside.

Somewhere beside a half-eaten pizza was a wedding catalog. He remembered Naomi had given it to him when his desk was still clean. That had been a long time ago, and therefore meant it was beneath layers of documents and would probably never see the light of day again.

He stopped and considered the concept that somewhere on his desk was a wedding catalog. It was a ridiculous premise because he had never ever pictured himself getting married. Looking at tuxedos and deciding colors was an entirely foreign notion to him.

Over the last few months, he had figured out some of the basic skills of a relationship that had eluded him in high school years. He was someone who Naomi would not have been caught dead with. The brooding nerd and cheerleader homecoming queen were truly star-crossed lovers. Hertz himself was surprised by the relationship; he had always envisioned women like Naomi to be total ditzes. Although she dragged him around to shoe sales and chick flicks, she proved to be very intelligent. Their relationship was going perfectly, although Hertz hated to sound like a hallmark card, he had to admit that was the truth.

He had proposed after a walk through the City Park. It had been a gorgeous day and the two had a lunch at Café Corner. Because of his elite agent ranking, he had been able to afford a perfect ring without going over the top. He had popped the question before on Adventurers' Island and had only succeeded in embarrassing himself. He now had the time to do it right, so when he got down on his knee and asked the question, everything went like a dream.

The record player in his office whined as a dated Rock 'n' Roll album skidded on its track. He rose from the floor and listened a moment as melodious melodies reached his ears. It was not a direct course, however: the notes flowed past his cochlear implants before reaching his mind.

What a miracle it was that he could even hear the music. Months ago, he had been deaf and without resolve. Everything that mattered had been yanked away in that horrible explosion. He had wandered in silence for hours before the devices had fallen into his lap.

The implants he wore today where not the same that Enter and Return had installed. Those had never been calibrated to his unique head and lacked some features necessary for a radio technician. In January, he had upgraded them to pair that could pick up a wider range of frequencies and could function underwater. The new sets of cochlear implants were so advanced that his hearing was superior to that of a normal person.

The swinging 50s album filled the office. Every rhythm and chord meant so much more to him than it did before. He valued his hearing more than ever, and he accepted how blessed he was to be have his ears back.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway reached his ears. He pulled the needle away from the record player and sat down quickly at his desk. He straightened the papers in hopes of looking busy and pushed the garbage pile into the trash. It cleared off a large swatch of his desk that had not been visible since he first got the office.

His fiancée opened the door and smiled. She was carrying some catalogs under her arms and a bag of clothing from her most recent shopping excursion. She smiled with delight when she saw him behind what could only be described as a debris field.

"Hey, honey," said Hertz, beaming. "I was not expecting you to drop by."

"I was in the area," said Naomi as she looked around for a place to sit. "I thought I would swing by and see how you were."

The elite agent got up hastily and pulled away the box of wires sitting on one of his chairs. He dumped it in the corner and brushed of the seat before allowing her to sit down.

"I see you've been making an effort to clean up your office," said Naomi sarcastically.

"Hey!" replied Hertz with mock insult. "When I have to keep our house clean, all my work needs to go somewhere."

"Shouldn't work stay in the office regardless?" said Naomi, smiling.

"Those papers at home were more of a hobby." He chuckled. "Believe it or not, all the stuff here is meticulously organized." He pointed his finger in the air displaying a dramatic show of bravado. "I have a system!"

"Yeah," Naomi said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you do." She leaned back in the chair and held out the catalog she had brought with her. "I came by to talk to you about the wedding."

"Oh yes," said Hertz as he looked down at the patch on his desk where he thought the old catalog might be. "I've been looking through that."

"Really?" said Naomi skeptically.

There was an awkward silence as she stared across the desk at him. He gave a valiant effort keeping his poker face but he ultimately gave in. He put his hands to his face and shook his head in submission. "I'm sorry, Naomi. You know how much work I've had recently."

"Charlie, we're getting married." She sighed. "Why can't you prioritize? You've been doing work for so long now. Let someone else track those dinosaurs! I don't want to plain our wedding alone."

Hertz was feeling really guilty. Since February, the dinosaur activity had been picking up again. Many had been cured in the first weeks of 2011, but the non-mutants had begun to breed. The problem had not yet escalated into a danger, but Hertz predicted that, left unchecked, they could lead to a second Dino Attack in the near future.

Many of the Dino Attack scientists were now working with Alien Defense Unit to fight the Alien Conquest. They were making ground against the extraterrestrial invaders, but the focus was being drawn away from the Dino Attack cleanup. Hertz, Specs, and Reptile were among the only agents still working with the team.

He looked down at his cluttered desk. The papers mostly consisted of tracing reports and files about reptile genetics. Not a single visible paper was about his fiancée.

"And you won't have to," replied Hertz at last. "I have a little time now. What do you want to talk about?"

Naomi considered where to begin. She glanced at the full calendar on Hertz's desk. It was covered in notes and Xs indicating meetings and appointments. "We need to pick a date," she began. "We need to get the word out for our guests."

"Fair enough," said Hertz as he motioned for her to join him on the other side of the desk. Naomi smiled and navigated her way over to sit on his lap. Hertz put his arm around her and reached for his calendar. "Next month looks pretty busy," he began. "August could be tough too. Honey, we may not be able to do this until September."

"Well, can't you clear out a week?" said Naomi. "For the Creator's sake, you practically head of this operation now!"

Hertz considered. He had a hard time trusting others with his job. If there was trouble, Hertz often ended up preforming the task himself. Being in the Dino Attack Team had taught him some social skills, but at heart he was still an introvert.

"I'll talk to my secretary," reasoned the elite agent. "This is just cleanup work after all, I doubt they'll need me breathing down their neck every moment. Specs can probably set aside some time to help too."

Naomi smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Charlie, I'm glad to hear you care."

"Was there ever a doubt?" replied Hertz as he raised his eyebrow. He motioned to the newspaper lying among the pile of papers on the floor. "Did you hear Carl Lutsky died?"

"No," Naomi said in surprise. She pulled away and looked her fiancé in the eye. "How did that happen?"

"The report is that he hung himself," he said. "There was no suicide note but the doctors admit they anticipated trouble. Lutsky's profile indicated that his situation had gotten worse since his admittance to the institution. It's really too bad; the staff should have kept better security."

"Hmm, talk of suicide," said Naomi. "That really lightens the mood doesn't it?"

"Sorry," admitted Hertz. "I just thought it was interesting."

"Let's change the subject," said Naomi as she once again put her arms around him. "Have you done any thinking about who we're going to invite? I was thinking of asking Gates to be my maid of honor."

"That sound good," considered Hertz as he leaned back, "Obviously, we invite most of the team. I don't have any idea who could be my best man yet." He paused to ponder. "Maybe Zach or David. I suppose I could talk to Dr. Cyborg, provided he's not too busy with XERRD and the aliens. "

"Well, you have some time to think about it," she replied. She glanced down at the scribbled calendar that Hertz had thrown on the floor and sighed. "A lot of time."

"I'm sorry, Naomi," said Hertz. "Don't worry, I'll make some time. I would not miss this for the world. I would never let my work damage what we've made together."

Their lips moved closer together. The professional in Hertz told him that this was inappropriate behavior for the workplace, but the madly-in-love nerd told him he should take advantage of this opportunity. It had been some time since he and Naomi had shared an intimate moment. The months of Alien Conquest had meant Hertz often got home late. He had neglected their relationship and he wanted to turn all that around.

Just then, the phone rang. The pitch was amplified by the implants in the elite agent's ears. He stretched his arms out from beneath his fiancée and dug for the phone under his cluttered desk. The caller ID told him it was Specs on the line. The founding member had been taking some criticism for the slow cleanup but he was still widely respected by the team. Sadly, some officials were demanding he be replaced with some fresh blood.

If Specs was calling, it could be important. Then again, it could just as easily wait.

He muted the phone and turned back to Naomi. "I was thinking we make the colors olive and maroon."

"Oh, I like that," said Naomi alluringly. She grabbed hold of the tie Hertz was sporting and the chair they were sitting on flipped. The IKEA desk chair was not designed for such strain. The laughed as they tumbled down.

When Hertz lay on the floor of his office with his beautiful wife-to-be in his arms, he considered how far he had come. He had started the war as a week, nerdy, tech officer under the command of Carl Lutsky. He had been an introvert who avoided causing conflict and would rarely stand up for his ideals. Now, he was an elite agent and leading the cleanup department of the Dino Attack Team. He cochlear implants let him hear again and he had toned his body into a strong psychical form. He had grown up and become a leader, and most importantly, he had met Naomi.

Even after witnessing the horrors of war, killing men, and facing death, meeting her strangely made it all worth it.

----

July 5, 2011

Flatfoot Thompson smashed through a glass window as he and his partners made a dash from the El Paso Bank. The plan seemed so simple: make a break for the desert, find a place to lay low for a little while, and make a run to the ruins of Gold City.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quite prepared when someone shot at Thompson's horse. It fell down hard, leaving Thompson lying on the ground as the horse got back up and ran while his cronies galloped away. Quickly, he went for his gun, when suddenly he heard the familiar clicking of a revolver. A boot stepped firmly on the gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a familiar gruff voice. Thompson looked up nervously to see that familiar bearded face, puffing that big cigar as always.

"You!" Thompson shouted.

"That's right," replied Clint Wayne. He reached into his vest and pulled out a roll of paper, showing a picture of Thompson's face on it. "Seems there's a mighty big reward for you and your gang."

"You ain't gonna catch mah gang," Thompson said.

Clint Wayne took a firm breath of his cigar. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He cocked his gun to show he meant business. Thompson didn't want to admit it, but he was clearly pissing his pants with fear. Clint smiled. He smacked Thompson over the head with the butt end of his gun and then slung him over his horse, tying his hands behind his back carefully.

As he rode back to town, Clint was rather pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face, a rough and tough gunslinger clad in black. With him were Black Bart and Dewey Cheatum, tied to his horse so that they were forced to follow.

"What was that you were saying about your gang, Thompson?"

Thompson growled in anger as Clint and Van Cleef rode back toward El Paso. When they reached the Sheriff's office, Clint dismounted and stepped onto the porch. Wyatt West was sitting in his rocking chair, as usual, fast asleep, and snoring loudly. Clint drew his revolver, aimed toward the sky, and fired, startling him awake.

"What's going on?" Sheriff West asked as he looked at Clint. He signaled for Van Cleef to pull Thompson off of Clint's horse, and threw him onto the balcony. It didn't take long then for the Sheriff to notice the other two men tied behind Van Cleef's horse.

"Ah, Flatfoot Thompson," Sheriff West said. "This is a pleasant surprise. I won't see you escape so easily this time."

He called for a deputy, who stepped out of the office and escorted the criminals toward the jail. The Sheriff then reached into his pocket and pulled out a large pile of dollar bills which he placed in Clint's hand.

As Clint Wayne and Van Cleef stepped away from the office, they took a moment to divide their newfound cash, and then they mounted their horses, and rode off.

----

August 24, 2011

Rotor turned in surprise to see Cabin standing in front of him. They were in the middle of a grocery store, seemed mundane enough, but for him the place seemed so meaningless. He had just been staring off into space, completely forgetting reality as it was.

"You okay?" Cabin asked.

"Yeah," replied Rotor.

"I've got most of this stuff taken care of," Cabin said sweetly. "Why don't you go get some cereal, and we'll meet at the checkout."

"Yeah," Rotor said nervously.

The cereal aisle was long and narrow. Rotor looked around, box after box. He did not know which one to grab. Finally, he just grabbed one at random, and placed it into the cart.

His life at home wasn't so good either. Rotor casually lit a joint as Cabin worked in the kitchen of their small apartment, the little they could get from insurance. There was once a spark of genuine love between them, one that came from being trapped in that crumbling house surrounded by their potential doom… but now, it was nothing.

What was he to do now, he had no idea. All he could do was wait until something happened, another war that he could join.

----

September 16, 2011

Sarah Pierce could not help but gasp as her eyes snapped open. Several months after the war ended, and yet she was still plagued by insomnia, and whenever she wasn't, she was faced with nightmares. The result left her sometimes wandering around the small house her husband had gotten for her and his new family.

Dr. Alan Pierce was fully aware of Sarah's condition. His daughter, however was worse. Kate became something of a recluse, distancing herself from her parents. Before long she found herself falling in with the wrong crowd, finding an addiction to drugs and cigarettes.

Alan was really the only stable one in the family, and he had been doing everything he could to help. He tried seeking help for both. He even tried talking to Dr. Shaw, who began arriving frequently to speak with Kate.

"How are you?" Shaw would ask. In her usual state, Kate would typically claim to be fine. Shaw did her best to comfort Kate and to get her to state her problems, with varying degrees of success.

The worst came one evening at dinner. Alan had taken care of the cooking, as Sarah had trouble handling the utensils, her hands constantly trembling when she did so, especially with sharp objects.

"Where's Kate?" Alan asked. Sarah looked up. They tried calling her, but she did not respond. Alan ran upstairs hurriedly and knocked on Kate's door. No reply. He finally decided to open it, and then saw to his horror Kate sprawled out over her bed, a needle lying on the ground.

Alan reacted with horror as he ran to her. Quickly, he ran to the nearest phone and called an ambulance. It arrived in a relatively short time, and two paramedics that fortunately were not equipped with sharks or trees arrived on the scene. One of them his old buddy, Giovanni Wade.

"What happened?" Wade asked.

"It's my daughter!" replied Alan. "She's overdosed!"

"This is serious!" Wade said. "Get her in intensive care!"

"I'll give you a hand," Alan offered.

"That won't be necessary," replied Wade.

"I'm a doctor," insisted Alan. "And she's my daughter!"

Wade sighed. "Alright, come on, help me get her to the ambulance."

A loud beeping noise rang in Kate's ears as she awoke. She saw the familiar face of Dr. Shaw standing in front of her, smiling with relief as she noticed.

Kate looked at Shaw with some confusion. "What happened?"

"You overdosed," replied Shaw. "We nearly lost you. Now you're going to be okay but you can't keep taking those drugs."

Kate nodded. Alan soon ran into the room, followed by Sarah, who was quick to hug her beloved daughter. A few tears were visible in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay," Sarah said.

Kate could not help crying somewhat herself. Alan walked up to her and held her hand tightly. "I know this is difficult for you Kate, but I'm here, and I'm going to help you get through this."

----

February 2, 2012

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Kaahs, but we have decided to move forward with another candidate for the position of pediatrician."

Talia's heart sank when she heard those words.  She slowly shook her head in disbelief.  Her mouth felt dry, but she managed to find her voice long enough to ask a single word: "Why?"

Mr. Reece, head of human resources at Mercy Hospital, sighed as he picked up her resume.  "Quite frankly, you do not meet the qualifications.  You graduated from state college with a bachelor's degree in… 1957?"  He raised his eyebrows.  "I still find that part hard to believe."

"I already told you," Talia said in a hard voice, "it's true.  It doesn't matter, anyways."

"Well," explained Reece, "unfortunately, it does.  See, the field has changed significantly in the past 50 years.  Many of the practices you've learned are no longer used, replaced with more efficient techniques.  Besides, a bachelor's degree alone isn't enough to qualify for this position, and seeing as you have no work experience in the field…"

"I did internships here," Talia pointed out.  "Doesn't that count for something?"

Reece shook his head.  "Again, that was over 50 years ago.  What I meant to say is that you've had nothing on your resume that is more recent than that.  If, say, you had been working for the past 50 years, having an old bachelor's wouldn't be a problem because, at least, you would have had experience while the field was developing.  But, you have nothing."

Talia realized she was running out of options.  If her degree and her work experience was not enough to turn their heads, then a personal connection would be her only chance.  "Where's Dr. Murphy?  When I was doing my internship, he promised me that Mercy Hospital would hire me for a full-time position, and he even offered to pay for medical school.  He'll put in a good word for me!"

Reece sighed.  "Dr. Murphy retired about 30 years ago.  He passed away in 1993.  Bless his soul, but we are not obligated to keep a promise he made 50 years ago.  Even so, if he was still with us today, I'm sure that he would agree with everything I've said to you."

Mr. Reece's words struck Talia like a hammer.  Dr. Murphy was dead for nearly two decades.  She could not believe it… after all, didn't she just see him alive and in good health rather recently?  But it was not recently at all.  It was more than 50 years ago.

Talia Kaahs had gone to sleep one day and woke up to find herself more than half a century later.  Logically, she knew how much time had passed… but even so, she would frequently forget that the world had changed while she was gone.  In the heat of the moment, she would think that everything was just as she had left it, only to be given yet another grim reminder of the truth.  How would anyone else cope in her situation?  How would they react to being told that their recent memories were now a distant past?  How would they feel to learn that the people they knew and loved were now old or deceased?

Indignant anger swelled up inside of Talia.  She stood up and slammed her hands down on the table.  "It's not fair!" she snapped.  "I had my whole life ahead of me… a job, a fiancé… only for it to all be taken away from me!  I'm trying to put my broken life back together, and now I'm told that what I had isn't good enough anymore?  That Dr. Murphy's words mean nothing now?  That I have to start all over completely from scratch, because everything I did… my work, my education, my dream to build a better life for myself… was all for nothing?  It's… not… fair!"

Mr. Reece scowled.  "Fair?" he repeated, raising his voice but remaining seated.  "You want to talk about what's fair?  Every day, I receive dozens of cover letters and resumes from people applying to every open position in this hospital.  Many of them have more qualifications than you do, but I still have to turn away most of them because we can only hire one person for each position.  And here you are with your sense of entitlement, thinking that giving me some unbelievable Rip Van Winkle sob story is enough to convince me to hire you over any other candidate, people who have actually worked hard and are struggling to find a job in this economy?  It's not that the world isn't fair, Miss Kaahs.  It's that you're too entitled to see it for what it really is."

Talia breathed heavily.  Her anger was now spent, leaving behind only empty sadness.  Slowly, she sat down again as tears welled in her eyes.  "Entitlement?" she asked.  "How can I feel entitled when I have… nothing?"

Reece's expression softened.  "I'm sorry, I may have overstepped my boundaries.  If you want my advice… go back to school.  Get a doctorate.  Your old bachelor's may still be useful in applying for colleges.  See if you can work an internship somewhere while you're in school.  Maybe in a couple more years, you can try to come back here for a permanent position.  I'm not promising anything… just trying to offer a suggestion or two.  Understand?"

Weary, Talia simply nodded in response.  She stood up again and started to put on her coat.  "Thank you for your time, Mr. Reece."

As she turned to leave, Reece cleared his throat.  "There's… one other thing, too.  You want to be a pediatrician?  There's no easy way to say this, but… if you are applying for this kind of position, you might want to do something about… well, this."  He gestured towards his own face, and his meaning was clear.

"My facial scars?" said Talia.  She shook her head.  "Out of the question.  These are scars I received during the Dino Attack.  I got them because I fought to protect the world and people I care about.  Mercy Hospital still stands today because I helped to win the war.  When people see me… I don't want them to ever forget about that."

"We're all very grateful for your service," said Reece, "but… children will not understand.  I'm just concerned that they may be frightened by your appearance.  It's hard enough for most young children to trust a doctor… I'd hate to think how their overactive imaginative minds would look at you as a… well, for example, a scary villain."

Appearance is everything.  That was a lesson Talia had learned all too well.  Nobody paid any attention to her when she was just a plain-looking girl.  When she realized that she needed to get ahead in life, she reinvented herself as a beautiful woman… which was not merely a blessing, but also a curse, since it gained the unwanted attention of the man responsible for putting her to sleep, responsible for this whole mess.  She almost welcomed her scars, knowing that it would again change her appearance and forever alter how others perceived her… but that, too, came with a cost.  It was not just young children who were frightened of her now.

"Good day, Mr. Reece," Talia said, and then she walked out the door.

*****

Talia glanced up at the clock.  It was 1:37 PM, which meant that he was now running 7 minutes late.  Of course, Talia was so anxious about coming here that she ended up arriving 23 minutes early, so that meant that she had now been waiting for a half hour.  She tapped her foot and twiddled her thumbs, but the butterflies in her stomach simply would not go away.  Waiting was the worst form of torture.

She immediately perked up when the front door opened at last, ringing a little bell as a man stepped into the lobby of St. Lucy's Nursing Home.  He was a young adult, younger than her (that is, her age not counting all those years of stasis), with short jet-black hair and horn-rimmed glasses.  He glanced around the room, saw that Talia was the only one waiting there, and walked up to her.  Then, he must have noticed her scars, because he visibly faltered, averted his gaze, and started stammering: "Oh… uh…"

"Yes?" said Talia.

The man collected himself, trying to regain his composure.  "Are you… Talia?" he asked.

Talia nodded.  "Yes, I am."  Trying to make him feel more comfortable, she smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Anthony Lee," the young man introduced himself.  "Thank you for coming to see her."

"No," said Talia.  "I should be the one thanking you for helping me.  I can't get past the front desk without you."

"Well," Anthony said with a shrug and an awkward smile, "even if we're just distant relatives who have only just met, I guess we're family now, and family members look out for each other, right?"

Family.  That word gave Talia a sense of comfort and familiarity that she had been longing for.

Anthony led her to the front desk, where he spoke with the receptionist and finally confirmed that Talia was allowed as a visitor.  As they walked down a hallway, Anthony asked: "So, how did you find out you were related?"

Talia sighed heavily.  She knew that if she tried to tell the whole truth, he would not believe her, so she decided to only tell him as much as he needed to know.  "I lost everything in the Dino Attack.  Family, friends… here one day, gone the next.  Now that the war is finally over, and people are settling down and returning to normalcy once again, I thought I'd try to reconnect… to reach out and find someone… anyone… who is family.  Even just a distant relative.  Fortunately, Kaahs isn't a common last name at all.  Unfortunately, it took much longer than I wish it would have, having to search for maiden names of people who married 40 or 50 years ago… I'm just so glad I was able to find her."

Anthony nodded slowly.  "I know… believe me, I also lost most of my family, and she's all that I have left.  It's ironic that, in a war that left whole cities in ruins and claimed millions of young lives… somehow, St. Lucy's Nursing Home survived.  We all dearly love our great-aunt and none of us wanted to send her here… but after Mike – her husband, my grandfather's brother – passed away and her memory started to fail… after she fell down the stairs and broke her hip one night… we realized it was no longer safe keeping her home alone anymore.  Turns out that decision saved her life."

"Her… memory?" repeated Talia, concerned.

"Dementia, I think," explained Anthony.  "The most recent memories are the first to go.  She'll forget something you told her five minutes ago.  Her long-term memory fares better, but now she's been having trouble remembering things as far back as 10 years ago.  If… if she asks about Mike… just tell her that he's alright.  It's… so difficult having to watch her repeatedly relive the moment of finding out that her husband died."

"A merciful, comforting lie," murmured Talia.  She wondered what other truths would have to be kept away.  Would she have to lie to her, just as she did with Anthony?

"Here it is," said Anthony, stopping in front of door 132.  He inserted a key, turned the doorknob, and held the door open for her.

"Thank you," said Talia.  She stepped through the doorway and entered the room.  Anthony started to follow, so she stopped and turned around.  She realized that the conversation would not make any sense to him, so it would be better if he was not around to hear it.  "May I have some alone time with her?" she requested.  "I just would like to discuss some personal matters with her."

Anthony seemed taken aback, but he said, "Okay, okay," stepped out of the room, and closed the door behind him.

Talia took a deep breath and walked across the room.  It seemed nice enough, for a nursing home.  There was a table with a flower vase sitting on it; a small couch in front of a television screen; and a comfy chair next to the window, sitting in the sunlight with a pretty view of a green meadow beyond.  And resting in that chair, looking out the window… was Dakota Lee.

Talia felt her heart skip a beat.  It was Dakota.  She was old and frail.  Her skin was aged and wrinkled, her hair was white and thin.  But underneath all that, it was her.

Slowly, Talia walked towards her.  Dakota did not seem to notice her approach.  "Dakota?" spoke Talia.

Still no reaction.  Dakota continued to stare out the window.  She was so still… if she was not breathing, she could have been mistaken for a corpse.

"It's me…" Talia knelt down on the floor in front of her.  "Talia."

Dakota blinked.  Slowly, she turned to look at Talia, their eyes meeting for the first time.  "Talia?" she repeated in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Yes," said Talia, fighting back tears.  She took Dakota's hands and held them in her own.  "Talia… your older sister."

Dakota's trembling lips curled into a smile.  "I always knew you'd come back!" she said.

Laughing and crying at the same time from sheer joy alone, two sisters separated by half a century reunited in a warm embrace.  It might not have lasted for more than a minute, but in that moment, it felt like an eternity of everything Talia ever wanted.

"Why did you ever leave us?" asked Dakota, her eyes now full of sadness.  "George was such a good man.  Why did you run from your own wedding?"

Talia's smile faded away.  Those were painful memories, and Dakota's questions hit home.  She remembered what George had told her: everyone thought that she was a runaway bride who abandoned her wedding.  Being left at the altar was enough to turn George into a depressed nihilist who would eventually become general of the Evil OGEL Empire; Talia had not even considered how the rest of her family was affected by it.

"You deserve to know the truth," Talia said.  "What really happened on my wedding day.  Do you remember Ronald Alexander?"

Dakota thought for a moment.  "Your old friend from high school?  Your study partner in science class?  You didn't run away with him, did you?  Oh, but you were never interested in him in that way… you told me so, after he tried to take you on a date one time."

"You're right," said Talia.  "I had told him that, too.  I said we'd be better just as friends, he agreed, and I thought that was the end of that… if only it was."

Talia took in a deep breath as she began to recount the events of the night that changed her life.  "On the night before my wedding day… on the way home from church, my car broke down on the side of the road.  By sheer luck, Ronald showed up and offered to give me a ride.  I said yes.  But he didn't take me home.  He was… drinking, or something like that… he wasn't in a right state of mind.  He confessed that he still had unrequited feelings for me.  He begged me to give him a second chance.  I said no; I reminded him that tomorrow was my wedding day, and George was my groom!  He suddenly got very angry and tried saying all these mean things to discredit George… I didn't believe any of it."

Talia shuddered involuntarily as her memories grew traumatic.  "I realized that I needed to get out of there, but he had locked the car doors and I couldn't escape.  He started rambling… said he was trying to fix what went wrong, said he was trying to correct the injustices of the world… said he couldn't bear the thought of losing me the way he lost Catherine.  And that… was the last thing I remember before everything went black."

Dakota was silent for a long time.  As she told her story, Talia could see a gamut of emotions cross her younger sister's face: shock, anger, and sadness.  When Dakota finally spoke, she whispered, "I… I never knew… I should have known…"

Talia shook her head.  "No one did.  Not even George, who thought he was Ronald's best friend.  We all trusted Ronald… and he took everything from us."

Dakota reached out and laid a shaking hand on Talia's cheek, caressing one of her scars.  "Did he do this to you, too?" she asked.

Talia nodded.  Given the role that he had played in the Dino Attack war, he was indeed responsible for that, even if only indirectly.  "In the end, George and I made sure that Ronald would pay for his crimes."

"Still," sighed Dakota, "I should have looked harder for you.  I knew it wasn't like you to just run away like that.  I never let go of my faith that you'd come back home to us someday.  But Mom…" She trailed off.

"What about Mom?" Talia asked urgently.  "Please tell me, how was she?"

"Heartbroken," replied Dakota.  "She had worked so hard, trying to ensure her daughters had a better life, a better future than she did… and then she suddenly lost you.  I can still remember the sound of her crying herself to sleep every night…"

Talia swallowed hard, thinking about her poor mother and how awful it must have been.  She already dreaded the terrible news the next answer would bring, but she just had to know: "And… Father?"

She could immediately see pain in Dakota's eyes as she shuddered.  "He… he was angry.  And drunk.  Even more than before.  He couldn't even decide what he was angry and drunk about… half the time, he'd be cussing out George for stealing his daughter away from him… the rest of the time, he'd call you certain words I should never repeat."

Talia winced.  "I hope he didn't take his anger out on you and Mom," she murmured, "because of me."

Dakota was silent, and then she smiled unconvincingly.  "No, don't worry.  Mom and I were alright."

That was a "merciful, comforting lie" if Talia had ever heard one before.  Her guilt felt like a knife twisting in her heart.  "I'm… I'm so sorry…" she whispered, holding Dakota's cold trembling hands.  "I never wanted any of this… how can I ever ask you to forgive me?"

"My dear sister," said Dakota as she leaned forward, "there's nothing that needs to be forgiven.  It is not your fault, understand?  How could I possibly be angry at you when I am just so overjoyed, so relieved to finally see you again?  Our reunion should be a happy occasion, not a melancholy funeral."

Dakota's smile faded away as she turned to look out the window again.  She spoke very quietly, as though she did not have the strength to continue the conversation.  "Then again… I suppose there were some things we were never meant to see.  An older sister should never have to see her younger sister lying on her deathbed.  You're just as young and beautiful as you were before… and I am elderly, and ill, and… I'm sorry, Talia… maybe it would've been better if your last memory of me was when I was young and happy…"

She trailed off, staring out the window with a wistful expression.  She pursed her lips, as though she was going to say more, but remained silent.  Slowly, she closed her eyes.

Talia was frightened.  "Dakota?" she said, gently shaking her sister.

Dakota opened her eyes again, turned her head, and looked at Talia as though seeing her for the first time.  "Talia?  I always knew you'd come back!"  She leaned back, closed her eyes again, and whispered: "Why did you ever leave us?  George was such a good man."

*****

Talia cursed to herself as she fumbled with her keys.  At last, she found the right one to open her door, and so she entered her apartment.  It was small, with not much inside… admittedly, it made Dakota's room at St. Lucy's Nursing Home look like an expensive 5-star hotel in comparison.  But, it was all that Talia could afford.

With a heavy sigh, she leaned her back against the wall, slumped down to the floor, and buried her face in her hands.  It was a long, exhausting day, between the Mercy Hospital job interview and the reunion with Dakota.

The result of the interview put her between a rock and a hard place.  If getting her doctorate was what it took to finally get her job, then it would continue to remain out of her reach.  She could not pay for medical school; she could barely pay the rent.

She looked up and glanced over at the desk beside her bed.  Resting on the wooden surface was a G.E. Body helmet, its metallic surface covered with blackened scorch marks.  It was the helmet that George had worn as General… the helmet he was wearing when he and Talia were finally reunited on Dinosaur Island… the helmet he was wearing when they were separated forever more, just mere minutes before the war's end.

Talia shook her head sadly and murmured, "You never had to worry about money, George."  He came from a wealthy family.  While she and her mother had barely scraped together enough money to pay for her tuition at a state college, he had attended prestigious universities.  Wealth and money were never the reasons she fell in love with him… but now, she could not deny that it was an even-handed dealing of the world that she was not prepared for.  When he died, he did not leave a single penny in her name… he couldn't have, not with his vile brother claiming the entire Ogel family fortune.

Seeing Dakota again had brought great joy, but the happiness was dampened by revisiting traumatic memories, learning what happened to her family, and seeing her beloved younger sister as an elderly woman in a nursing home who likely did not have much longer to live.  They spent quite some time together, discussing Dakota's life after Talia left, including her marriage to Mike Lee.  Dakota had much to say, and she seemed to remember much of the details just fine, although she was under the impression that Anthony Lee was still a young child; just as he had suggested, the last 10 years were a blur to her.  It actually sounded like Dakota had a pretty good and fulfilling life… but it hurt Talia to know that the single worst thing in her sister's life was that Talia was not there to share it with her.  She was still responsible for years of pain, misery, and grief that she unknowingly and unwillingly thrust upon everyone she had known in her old life.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

Talia stood and walked slowly into her bathroom, where she looked at herself in the mirror.  A once-beautiful face, now tarnished by hideous scars, stared back at her.  But, she knew that former beauty was just a skin-deep façade, a mask she had crafted for herself in an effort to reinvent herself and get ahead in life.  Now, the scars served as a constant reminder that the gilded appearance was never real in the first place.

Perhaps the universe had its own way of telling her something about herself, and she reflected upon it.  Her motivation for fighting in the Dino Attack war… she had told herself that she was just as altruistic about "protecting the world and people" as everyone else in the Dino Attack Team… but deep down, she knew there was only one real passionate reason she fought: to get revenge on Ronald Alexander.  George knew this, and Specs probably did… that might've been why they kept her playing support roles and tried to keep her away from Dr. Rex.  In the end, she did not even get to accomplish her one goal.  She was not there when he died; she did not get to play a role in his demise.  Her inability to fulfill a shallow and short-sighted motivation such as revenge left her with a lingering sense of aimless confusion.  Maybe she was not such a good person after all?

Talia slammed her hands against the wall, shaking her head and gritting her teeth.  No, she could not think like that.  She was not intentionally a bad person… her anger, her hatred, her lust for revenge… that was all just Ronald's fault.  "I am a good person!" she hissed.  "I am a…"

Talia gasped.  Something out-of-place in her reflection had caught her eye when she was shaking her head.  Was it her imagination?  She looked at herself more closely in the mirror.  No, it was real.

A single strand of hair on her head that was as white and thin as Dakota's.

Jugend Serum, the substance Ronald had used to keep her in stasis… Talia heard that it had negative side effects and strong withdrawal symptoms just from daily injections.  And she had been forced to bathe in it for over 50 years.  Was this gray hair just the start?  Was she going to start aging rapidly into an old woman, all of her lost years suddenly catching up to her?  Was she about to die, alone and afraid?

These questions overwhelmed her.  The tears she held back… she could not find the strength to hold them back anymore.  She started sobbing uncontrollably, breaking down in front of the mirror as her eyes and her nose ran.  Her breathing grew ragged, and her lungs burned.  She wept until she had no more tears to cry, at which point she was left with only emptiness inside.

Talia slowly walked to her bed, each step feeling as heavy as though she was wearing iron boots.  She had lost any appetite she had, and was going to bed without dinner yet again.  She collapsed upon her mattress and lay there, lacking the energy to even take off her coat.  She looked up at the desk beside her, and saw General's helmet staring back at her.  She reached over, took it, and cradled it against her bosom as she curled into a fetal position.

"I'm so sorry, George," she whispered.  "I'm lost without you… I can't do this alone."

Talia Kaahs had lost count of how many times she had cried herself to sleep.

----

August 3, 2017

Leonidas Spartana woke in a cold sweat, gasping and panting for air. It took him a moment to realize where he was: safe, in bed.

The young woman beside him stirred. "Flashbacks, Teddy?" Blaire murmured, using her husband's pet name. He nodded silently as his wife sat up and turned the light on. At twenty-six, she was two years younger than him, but looked much younger, thanks to her small frame. Blaire wrapped her arms around his shoulders before resting her cheek on his organic shoulder. Ever since they'd started living together, she'd had to sleep on the left side of the bed. "The Dino Attack ended seven years ago. You're safe, Leo."

The former Dino Attack agent took a breath and patted his wife's head. "I know, Angel," he whispered. He was still shaking. "But not all wounds suffered in war are physical." Leonidas swung his legs out of bed, the left one making a metallic click on the floor. He went to the bathroom, washed his face.

As he looked himself in the mirror, he still could see the face of Dino Attack agent Fullmetal staring back at him. He could hardly believe that he had once been the young, idealistic, rookie codenamed Sauro-Hunter. The war had changed him so much.

Leonidas felt Blaire wrap her arms around him from behind, as well as the kick from inside her rounded belly. "You woke the babies," she said softly. "I'll be up for hours now." She moved beside her husband.

The two had met four years ago, at Comic-Con. It had been a chance meeting in a cosplay contest: she had dressed as a cat goddess from the game Gryphon Age, while he had simply worn his old uniform. Imagine each other's surprise when they found out the truth about each other: he had been a real Dino Attack agent, while she had cat yōkai ancestry, not unlike the famous Coalessa of Pet Cove.

It had been after a year in their courtship when he dropped two very large bombs on Blaire. The first: "I'm half-dragon." The second? "Oh, yeah… I guess kinda I forgot to tell you that my adopted daughter is a Mutant T-Rex."

Blaire didn't speak to him again for a month after those revelations. But when she did, she accepted all of him: Tex, half-dragon lineage, robot limbs and all. For that, he thanked the Builder from the very bottom of his heart every day.

Leonidas turned, smiling apologetically and scratching behind his wife's cat ears. "I'm sorry, honey," he said.

"Have you thought of names for the babies?" asked Blaire.

"I'm still trying to get over the fact that we're having twins."

Blaire giggled. Leonidas had fainted then and there when the doctor had pointed out another tiny body on the ultrasound screen.

"I have given thought," continued Leonidas. "I agree that our baby girl should be named Izumo, after your grandmother, the shrine maiden. But, I want to name our son after a man I respect very much, who gave his all to end the Dino Attack." He bit his lip, his expression becoming distant. "I only ever worked with him on rare occasions, but when I did, he gave me the courage to keep fighting." Leonidas seemed to come back to the present. "Rex. I want to name our son Rex."

Blaire's tail flicked back and forth as she thought. The raven-colored fur caught the light as her eyes changed color. "I'll sleep on it," she decided, before letting out a sigh. "I may as well work on my manga, being up and all." She planted a kiss on her husband's cheek before going into her office. Even seven months pregnant with twins, Blaire's movements still had a smooth, catlike quality to them.

"I'll go out for a ride, hon," said Leonidas. "We'll be back in time for breakfast."

"No donuts if you go by the gas station!"

"Blaire, I know you'll hurt me if I do."

"I was talking about your ten-ton daughter."

*****

Tex felt her father's emotions even before he had woken up. The two still shared an emotional and cognitive connection after all these years, even after he had fallen in love with another woman. After Aravis's death, Leonidas had fallen into a depression, even as he projected his normal self to others. But Tex felt everything in his heart and mind.

How many nights had he cried in his sleep, apologizing to his fallen teammate? How many dreams had her father dreamt of Enox Phorm and his arena? Of his dead allies rising from their graves to take him with them? Or seen Aravis's smile as she said goodbye night after night after night?

Tex remembered them all. It was after the Dino Attack that he'd returned home and began rebuilding with others from GAIA Squad. Despite having served on the front lines and giving part of themselves to saving the planet, Leonidas and other teammates faced hatred and discrimination because of Tex, Freefall, and Shade. She understood their hatred; how else were they supposed to feel after Tex's race and others had tried to wipe out Minifigkind?

It was a year later when Freefall was poisoned as a message to the ex-agents. It was too late to save him before the toxin claimed him. The perpetrator was in prison, but Tex and Ptero missed their friend terribly. It was after that that Shade made his own decision to return to Adventurers' Island; the last they'd heard of him, he was leading a pack of his own, having proved himself to those who once called Mutant Dinosaurs "abominations".

After the war, Leonidas had been set up on two blind dates by a friend named Vic. Both of the young ladies were ex-Dino Attack agents, and both had been equally wonderful; coincidentally, both wielded scythes. But he had pushed them away, sabotaged their relationships.

Anything so he wouldn't feel the pain of losing someone he loved again.

But then came Blaire. Tex had been distrustful her at first, but her father was genuinely happy again. Blaire had not taken part in the Dino Attack war; in fact, she'd never even seen a real Mutant Dino until meeting Tex. But it had taken her patience, her understanding, and her love to soften Fullmetal's iron heart.

After all, Blaire was a rare treasure: beautiful, both inside and out; patient and understanding; and an adorkable nerd whose idea of a wild Saturday night was Wing Bulls, anime, and video games. Papa found himself a veritable unicorn. If the T-Rex's facial muscles would have been able to, she would have smiled.

The porch light came on, and Tex raised her head. She loved these morning rides, even if this one was far earlier than usual. The saurian rose from her nest in the barn, glancing at the memorial she kept of her lost family: pictures, dog tags, and gear that still carried the scent of her loved ones who had passed on. The ground shook with each step, and she lowered her head to greet her father.

Leonidas smiled, patting Tex's snout lovingly. The Tyrannosaur closed her sapphire eyes as a rumble emanated from her chest. Despite being far beyond her hatchling years and mindset, she still purred whenever Papa paid attention to her. "Hey, Baby Girl," he greeted. Leonidas grabbed onto one of her horns before moving to the base of Tex's skull.

Good morning, Papa, her voice echoed in his head. Without need for instructions or reins, Tex began making her way into town. It had taken the T-Rex a while, but she'd learned a technique of walking that wouldn't break concrete or wake neighbors up as she passed. As a predator, Digger had said in an email to her Papa, Tex was perfectly capable of learning things like that.

Of course, their first stop was the gas station for Papa's morning coffeeccino and donuts. When he was working on his book, Tex would hunt… well, only enough to be full. The lake was fully stocked, and despite not being a Mutant Spinosaurus or Mosasaur, she had learned to hunt underwater very quickly. Being a ten-ton predator, it was sometimes difficult to find food. But Leonidas had worked out an agreement with the local farmers. She had one goat and one pig a day (Papa had approved of the latter once he taught Tex that pork HAD to be properly cooked); one cow a month; wild deer and coyotes whenever she could (only males of the former); and any lawyer who Znapped over his clients on a consistent basis.

Thus far, Tex had only gotten a taste of a single lawyer after swallowing him whole before spitting him back up. He'd straightened out after that incident, and Tex had sworn off eating anything that tasted as foul as a bloodsucking parasite with a briefcase.

In addition to that, Tex worked on the farms in the area. It was cheaper to use the dinosaur to plow the ground than a tractor, and the mere scent of her around the fields discouraged all but the hungriest of would-be thieves. Tex found it a bit disturbing, but due to the traces of dragon DNA in her body, farmers were willing to buy her waste as fertilizer for their crops. But it paid for what food she couldn't hunt down for herself.

After all, a girl as big as her had one MegaBloking big appetite.

*****

The sun rose as Leonidas sat down on the bench. The warm colors reflected on the surface of the lake. Tex settled down in the grass beside her father. He was silent for the longest time, taking his time eating his donuts. It was only when he was on his sixth one that he spoke up. "Tex? Can I ask you something?" he inquired.

Tex raised her head. I can read your thoughts, you know, she said. The T-Rex's tone was playful.

"Semantics." He took a sip of his coffeeccino. "I want to know your thoughts about the babies." Leonidas's eyes didn't leave the lake's mirror-like surface.

Tex thought about it for a minute before answering. I'm excited, the Dino admitted. But… scared too. The only sibling I ever knew of died after the final battle, and both of my egg-parents died during the War. I've lost family, same as you, Papa. I don't want to lose them too. Leonidas was about to speak again when she continued. I hear them already, Papa. Their thoughts are only colors and sounds, but I already know them.

"I understand, sweetie," said Leonidas. He gave a soft, humorless chuckle. "I know that you can feel it, but I'm Znapping scared. My dad was horrible to me and just a memory by the time I was in high school. But there's this nagging voice in my head that doesn't go away. It whispers to me, and it seems like it's always been there. First with Aravis, and then with Blaire. I know that she loves me, but those little voices in my head say that I'll be as bad as that... MegaBloker with my own children."

You raised me, Papa, said Tex. She nuzzled her father… before using her tongue to steal the final six donuts. Despite the mischievous twinkle in her eye, her tone was serious. You will be an excellent father. Blaire is there to help you, and I will protect my baby siblings as I have protected you.

Leonidas smiled, despite his daughter's cheekiness, and wrapped his arms around Tex's snout in a hug. "Thanks, Baby Girl," he murmured. He let her go, smiling broadly. "We're here. You may as well start fishing. I can walk back."

Are you sure, Papa?

"Yeah." Leonidas stood up. His prosthetic joints were acting up, a sure sign of rain. "I'll… I just have somewhere to stop before heading home."

The sentence had just left his lips when ten tons of dinosaur plunged into the lake and the Archimedes Principle proved itself once more. Half of which barreled towards her father. He scarcely finished his coffeeccino before the wave overtook him.

*****

Leonidas was still sopping wet when he reached the memorial in the Mt. Bricklake city park. Beneath the statue was a plaque that read, "IN MEMORY OF THE LIVES LOST IN THE WAR OF 2010." At the top were two hometown heroes: Krystal "Aravis" Portman and Spencer "Spino" Harder, forever immortalized in bronze. He desperately wished that these likenesses of his lost friends would come alive. But despite his prayers, his pleading, and weeping, the Builder had not seen fit to breathe life into them in the three years they've been placed here.

He took a breath. He knew it was crazy, but he spoke his mind to them. After all, who would they tell? "Hey, guys," he said. "It's me again, Fullmetal." The ex-agent still used his codename when talking to them. "I told you guys about the babies, but I was hoping you could convey a message to someone on the other side for me, if he's there." Leonidas took another breath. "I wanna name my son Rex. I know, it sounds crazy, like I'm naming my dog, but I'm serious.

"Blaire's thinking it over," he continued. "I know that people would want me to name the twins after you two, but I can't. It's too soon for me. The wounds from losing you are still fresh in my mind, even after almost a decade." Leonidas took a breath. Tears glistened in his eyes. "Please, watch over them until they're old enough to take care of themselves."

A sudden gust of wind blew Leonidas's hat off and sent it skittering down the street. He gave chase like a five-year-old, solely focused on the hat. Unfortunately, he ran face-first into the sign of the local thrift store. He shook his head, adjusted his glasses. It took him a moment to realize what had happened. His hat was stuck on the WellWill sign, blocking the first "ll".

We Will.

Despite believing in Bigfoot, Yeti, and the Chupacabra, Leonidas was not a superstitious individual. However, he would take this as a sign. He smiled as silent tears streamed down his cheeks. "Thank you," he whispered. He put his hat back on and started for home.

After that, Leonidas's night terrors stopped, and for the first time in seven years, his mind was truly at peace.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 79: Sunrise

----

January 1, 2011, 6:00 AM

Waves crashed upon the sand, and a gentle breeze carried the voices of gulls across the water to Peter Abody's ears. It had been a beautiful night on LEGO Island, but here on Adventurers' Island, everything felt so calm and serene in comparison to the manic excitement of the New Year's Eve party.

The tranquility had allowed Peter to reflect upon recent events. The last message from the ATLANTIS Deep Sea Salvage Crew claimed that they were closer than ever to finding the lost city at last, but no news had been heard from the divers since they passed through the Portal of Atlantis. The war in Castle Cove between the Lion Kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom continued in full force. Although reconstruction was going smoothly, the crime rate in LEGO City had risen since 2009, causing some trouble for the police department. Even worse, there were reports from various sources around the galaxy that a fleet of alien invaders were approaching the LEGO System.

Even after the end of the Dino Attack war, there was still much to worry about in the LEGO Universe. It seemed there would be no rest to conflict between opposing factions, and for many, the Dino Attack had shaken the belief that such factions could be easily divided into "good" and "evil", for the truth was far more complicated than that. Peter himself learned that lesson the hard way: he had once believed he was an infallible hero, only to discover that he was capable of committing terrible acts… he once thought that General Evil was an irredeemable villain, only to watch him die as a courageous and noble hero.

But despite it all, this was a place where Peter could escape his concerns. Here on Adventurers' Island, there was no strife. With the expulsion of Maelstrom from the Temple of Creation, the barren wasteland left by the destructive energies was being repopulated once more. The Mutant Dino war was over, leaving the local dinosaurs free to continue nature's circle of life. The TumTum Islanders and the Adventurers had no quarrels with one another, and with Lord Sam Sinister going on a pharaoh's quest, there would be no conflict. All was at peace.

Peter closed his eyes and took in a long breath of fresh sea air as he listened to the sounds of waves. He heard footsteps in the sand, and when he opened his eyes once again, Peter saw Greybeard standing beside him.

"Aye," sighed the old, grizzled pirate. "T' a buccaneer such as meself, thar be nothin' quite like th' sea. T' a pirate, th' sea be freedom... th' sea be life."

"I'm glad you could come," said Peter, grinning. "LEGO Island isn't too far from here. I stayed until midnight to join in the 'HAPPY NEW YEAR!', and then I took the first helicopter to Adventurers' Island. Being my old home, LEGO Island will always hold a special place in my Creative Spark... but I have to say, finally seeing Adventurers' Island in peacetime, this place is definitely something special."

Greybeard nodded. "Reminds me a bit o' home. Th' Phanta Sea certainly carries th' same air o' adventure an' mystery that make th' Tropical Seas th' best place on th' entire planet, an' this island... I can smell th' hoards o' treasure that would make King Kahuka jealous. Aye, it be a pirate's life, me lad... it be a shame that I must give it all away."

"What?" exclaimed Peter, blinking in surprise.

Greybeard sighed and shook his head. "I be a grandfather now, I suppose, an' I must settle down t' take care o' Mary Rose." He gestured inland to the edge of the jungle, where the little girl slept comfortably as a T-Rex stood protectively over her. "It be somethin' I 'ad ne'er thought o' before, but in me decision t' take th' girl under me wing, I must bid farewell t' th' sea. It be... rath'r bitt'rsweet fer me. I do love her, but I be missin' th' sea."

Peter patted Greybeard's shoulder, to comfort the old pirate. "Well, you can always take a ferry or bring Mary on a cruise or something. Take her to the beach every now and then so you never truly have to say goodbye to the sea."

"Aye," Greybeard said, nodding half-heartedly.

Peter glanced around, as though he was making sure that no one was listening, and then leaned in closely. "I personally would not approve of this," he whispered, "and don't tell the royal nations I said this, or else Dash Justice will never let me live it down, but... I suppose, once she's old enough, there's nothing to stop you from training her to be a pirate. Most girls her age dream of growing up to become princesses... maybe her dream is to become a swashbuckling adventurer like you."

Greybeard beamed at that prospect. He gestured towards the T-Rex and inquired, "Now, I dinnae 'ave t' worry about th' big lizard o'er thar, says ye?"

Peter nodded to the T-Rex, who nodded back. "Don't worry," promised Peter, "Chompy won't let anything on this island lay a tooth or a claw on her."

Peter's expression turned more solemn as he remembered his reuniting with his old T-Rex friend. Chompy was overjoyed to see him, but when Peter delivered the sad news of Rex's passing... Chompy's cynical attitude let nothing get him down, and his duties as alpha male meant that he could never show any weakness, but Peter could tell that Chompy secretly mourned the loss of his brother.

"Thinkin' o' Rex?"

Sighing, Peter nodded grimly. "He was a good man. I'm going to miss him. I heard that they're going to open a museum dedicated to the Dino Attack, and Dr. Cyborg was planning on a special tribute in the memory of Rex."

"We all miss 'im," murmured Greybeard. "Th' Dino Attack be a long war, an' now that it be over, wi' so many great men like Rex... Joseph Race... Robert Batrick... 'avin' given them lives t' save th' rest o' us... nothin' be ev'r be th' same, says I. So much be chang'd. O'er th' past few years, I be gone from a pirate t' a racer t' a freedom fighter... t' a grandfather. Th' LEGO world may rebuild, but only a fool be sayin' that all be as it once be. Nay... ev'rythin' be chang'd."

"I still can't believe that... it's over," Peter whispered incredulously. "It might have only been eight months, but it felt like nearly eight years. And now, for the first time... for the first time, I can walk down the street without fear of being attacked by a Mutant Lizard. With Evil Ogel's recent departure from LEGO Planet and Dr. Inferno finally behind bars, there might not even be a need for Alpha Team anymore. It's... a very peculiar feeling. There will always be war and conflict... you needn't look farther than Castle Cove... but for once, I might very well face the prospect of peace... something I have not known for so long. For the first time since 2004, I might have no battle to fight."

"It must be hard t' adjust t' peacetime society again," mused Greybeard, "much like a sealegged scallywag such as meself t' find meself rooted on land."

"Yes," agreed Peter, nodding. "Exactly."

They were both silent for a moment.

"Now that Chompy is the alpha male of Adventurers' Island," murmured Peter, "he is busy with his duties to his pack. Sam Throramebi's heading back out into space soon. We'll all keep in touch with one another... maybe have a reunion every so often..." Peter sighed. "Is this the end?"

"Look, me hearty." Greybeard gestured out towards the ocean. Peter did as he was told, and saw the first rays of the sun light up the sky over the water: sunrise on Adventurers' Island.

"It's beautiful," whispered Peter.

"Th' end?" repeated Greybeard. "This be th' end... o' this chapter o' our lives. Before us lies th' vast possibilities o' th' future... an' as th' new year begins, thus we turn th' page t' th' next chapter o' our lives, says I."

Peter nodded in response.

"Aft'r all," continued Greybeard, "th' Dino Attack be o'er, an' ye be findin' yerself an' yer ol' hearties chartin' separate courses an' sailin' t' different seas. But new relations can still blossom... anythin' new about that Shannon lass?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "I already told you, Greybeard; we're just friends. She's marrying another man, and that's perfectly okay. I've made my peace with her."

Scratching the back of his head, Peter continued: "Earlier this year, I had adopted the identity of 'the phantom'.  I believed that the only way to conquer my own personal demons was to isolate myself from everyone else so I could do it alone... I thought I would be doing myself and everyone else a favor by making the burden my own.  But I see now that I was wrong.  By keeping to myself, I allowed my demons to fester like a wound.  Only by opening up and properly talking with Shannon could I overcome my own regrets and, finally, move on."

Then, with a smile, Peter added: "And, you know, there are plenty of other great women working at Alpha Team as well. Who knows? I think that, after fighting Ogel's zombies and Dr. Rex's dinosaurs, I should have the courage to pursue a serious relationship."

"Good man!" said Greybeard, chuckling. His face turned serious again. "An' one more thing... I know ye talk'd sev'ral times about yer father. Do ye think ye'll see 'im again?"

Peter turned serious as well. Sighing, he stared out into the sunrise again and was silent for a moment. Then, at last, he murmured, "I don't. After all these years, with no news on my father's status, I don't even know if he's still alive after all this time. And if he is... well, it's a fool's hope to hope that we'll ever meet again."

"I be sorry," whispered Greybeard.

Peter locked eyes with Greybeard and smiled. "Don't worry," said Peter. "I'll always keep him alive in my heart. And if it makes you feel any better about it... these past few months, you've been like a father to me. I'll always miss him, but I'm glad that my life, no matter how dark or bleak the battles have been, has left me with a family I will always have, dad."

Placing his hand on Peter's shoulder, Greybeard smiled. "Then ye 'ave me blessin' t' make th' best ye can possibly make o' yer life, son. Just imagine."

Like father and son, Peter Abody and Grisbarba L. Pirata together stared out into the sunrise over Adventurers' Island, a truly beautiful sight. Neither of them knew what the future had in store for them. What seemed like the longest chapter in their lives yet had finally ended.

But Greybeard was right. So many lives had been changed forever, and nothing would ever be the same again. As the sun rose on the first day of 2011, a brand new year to start anew after the Dino Attack apocalypse of 2010, this was not the end.

It is a new beginning.

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Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 9, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.