"I say, thou art ready?" asked Arono, balancing his sword on his finger, showing off like he normally did. Dakota smugly tapped it and sent the sword crashing on the edge of the roof. Arono glared and spat back at him for a few minutes as Slasher stood there, looking at the building and watching the Senator leave. He glanced down at the two.
"Alright, he's gone you two clowns. Lets go have a party in his house. Know any good girls to invite?" he asked.
"Are you ever serious?" asked Dakota, rolling his eyes.
"No, he isn't..." muttered Arono.
Slasher stepped past the woman and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge. 'Hey, never know what clues might be hidden in a sandwich...' he thought to himself as he grabbed some food.
Stepping up to a desk, he sat down in the chair and glanced over the rows of papers. Quietly shifting through them, he saw everything but what they were looking for. Not that he really knew what that was. He'd never heard of Infinity Inc. until the Hunters' encounter in the rings of Saturn. Kicking the desk back some, he searched for hidden compartments but found none. Running one last check on the desk, he came across a wallet and quickly snatched it.
Leaving the room Dakota walked down the hallway and went upstairs, where Arono presumably went, and walked down the right hallway, searching the rooms for any type of safe. So far there was nothing. That's when the trouble hit, as an alarm blared overheard. "What in the world?!" he shouted and looked up.
Grabbing his sword, Arono ran out the door and banged right into Dakota. Dakota grabbed him and shook him. "What did you do, Arono?!" he yelled over the noise of the alarms. Arono shrugged, covering his ears. Before either one could respond, robots appeared out of the floor. Dakota raised his eyebrow in surprise. "This is no ordinary Senator..." Grabbing Arono, Dakota shoved them both towards the floor as the robots opened fire, blowing the walls out. Leaping up, Dakota slashed one of the robots up to bits as Arono appeared into view and took out another one of the robots.
Slasher came running into the room, food at the corners of his mouth. "What did you two do?! We blew a simple mission!!!" shouted Slasher. Arono dusted himself off as the alarms continued, but no more robots appeared.
"You art eating on the job, so shut up..." Arono muttered. Dakota rolled his eyes at Slasher and raised his arm cannon at the alarms' origin and fired, silencing half the noise factor.
"Did you two find anything?" asked Slasher. They both shook their heads. "Damn, he must not be keeping any information here. We need to get in direct contact with that Senator..." Slasher muttered and rushed out the door, closely followed by the other two. Once safely away, as local enforcements arrived, Slasher turned to the two. "Okay, Dominator said that the Senator's schedule was taking him to the airport...we just cut him off there. Lets go!" he ordered.
"Sure, o' fearless leader..." muttered Dakota.
"A good field work, eh, Dom?" asked Slash from behind, snickering. Dominator sighed tiredly. It seemed that suddenly everything was blowing up in the evil department...and the screw up.
"Alright...Slash and Crystal, head to the airport...try to stop the Senator if possible. I'm quite sure that Slasher, Dakota, and Arono are heading there too. Maybe the five of you can capture the Senator and we can question him. But don't leave any evidence pointing at us that we're behind this. EarthGov would have a field day with us capturing their Senators without prove they are on payroll. While we may have EarthGov on our side in attacking Infinity Inc, after what they did to us, we don't have their support in capturing citizens..." Dominator pointed out. Slash nodded and teleported out of the room.
Dominator nodded to Darien and left the room, walking down the hallway, reviewing his conversations with Fade, trying to pull up some bit of information that could help him find Infinity Inc. But nothing came to mind. They were running into a dead end on this case and pretty soon more pressing matters in Alien Nation would force them to stop their witch hunt of the corporation.
Clearing his throat, Death Star turned back to Garland. "We won't find anything there. The real clues were on that video footage. We just have to wait until they strike again. From there we can possibly gain the information needed. Until then, we sit back and wait..." he stated. Garland nodded and looked out at the shuttle when his eyes widened.
"Sharlena?!" he cried out and rushed out of the store. Death Star slid down his glasses and watched Garland grab her in a wild embrace.
"You know, that family has a real problem about stowing away..." Death Star told X1.
"Pizza Head says, 'Don't eat anchovies!'," X1 said, playing around with his pizza face. Groaning, Death Star stood up from the table and walked out to where Garland was lecturing Sharlena about the arts of staying home.
"Okay, if this family reunion is do-" Death Star was about to begin when suddenly a hovercar came flying by and slammed on breaks next to them. Turning around in surprise, Death Star felt his gut turn to ice. Sitting in the car was Iceheart, smiling coldly. She immediately hit the gas pedal and took off. "COME ON!!!" shouted Death Star, not caring to figure out how she found them there, and dived into a hovercar parked next to the shuttle, powering it up. By the time he had finished, Garland and Sharlena were already in it, followed by X1 who was carrying his pizza. Once Death Star felt the hovercar jerk with X1's body, he took off, causing him to drop his pizza.
Death Star weaved in and out of traffic, trying to catch up with Iceheart, but a traffic jam brought both of them to a halt, 50 meters apart from each other. Hitting the wheel in anger, Death Star shouted, "How the hell do I end up behind stupid drivers?!"
"Because you're gifted?" asked X1. In response, Death Star hit the gas pedal and scrapped the side of the car, heading towards Iceheart with a look in his eyes that could melt steel. They continued following Iceheart through the traffic, pissing off quite a few drivers, as they smashed into a police car. Reversing, Death Star brought it around and continued after his love, with the cop chasing him. Iceheart pulled up beside a building and jumped out of the car, running inside as Death Star pulled up.
"Okay, X1-Garland, inside now. We have to cut her off..." Death Star said, his mind racing. Why was she running from him? Was it really Iceheart or some clone? Shaking his head, he entered the building.
"Right. Sharlena, you stay here. I don't want you getting hurt, okay?" Garland told her. She nodded and smiled. Feeling assured, Garland entered the building after X1. He caught up with Death Star and X1 at the elevators, which had been frozen shut, not allowing any access. "Guess this is the end of the line..."
Death Star cursed and smashed his glasses in his hands. "NO! WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!" he shouted into the air and threw the crumbled pair of glasses into the corner, waiting for the satisfying smash...which was drowned out by a scream. Garland turned his head, petrified.
"Sharlena!" he cried out and teleported outside to the hovercar, only to find her gone, next to a police car. There was no police man inside...just one of Iceheart's men playing a cop. Garland collapsed to his knee, quiet, a furious look on his face by the time Death Star and X1 reached him. "Someone took her...." Garland muttered hoarsely. Swallowing, Death Star glanced up at the sky, wondering what the hell Iceheart was up to. What was the love of his life hoping to accomplish?
Driving off the intended road, Slasher quickly pulled ahead of the traffic, free of trouble, until he started smashing into signs. A "watch for flying objects" sign went smashing through the windshield, heading right down the middle and smashing in the back seat, right between Dakota and Arono. "SLASHER!" cried out Dakota as more signs smashed on the outside of the car. Slasher quickly swerved in, hitting the back of the truck, knocking a sign off that flew into Arono's face. Dakota glanced at it. "If you can read this, you're too close..." read Dakota and turned back to Slasher. "Damnit! You're too close!" he joked as Slasher swerved around a huge hovertruck and pulled on the side of the Senator's car.
"Whatever happened to good transportation of horses?" asked Arono warily.
"Ugh! I notice that..." Hodges muttered dryly. He grabbed his phone as the car shook again, dialing the airport. "Hello? This is Senator Hodges. I'm being attacked by a rogue group of outlaws on the way to your airport. I request my private plane be immediately ready to go when I arrive and you have your security, along with a call put in to the police, waiting for me when I get there to deal with these people..." Hodges said darkly. The lady on the other end managed to mumble an a-okay. Hanging up, Hodges leaned up and tapped the driver on the shoulder. "We don't have time to park. Slam through the fence and pull up beside my plane..."
"Yes, sir." Hodges leaned back and glanced at the attackers. He didn't need to put two and two together to realize they were after him for information on Infinity Inc. Well, what little he knew would not be their's to gain. He felt the car jolt again and then felt it turn and hit the fence, hard, and continue on down the airport lanes.
Slasher managed to reach the Senator's car just as they hit a runway, a huge jet coming down it. "Oh SHIT!" shouted Slasher and yanked on the wheels, listening to the back of the car get hit by the wheels of the jet, spinning them around in circles until the car smashed into some loader cart. All three were jolted hard, Slasher and Dakota smashing their heads into the seats, being knocked out. Arono, however, was thrown from the car and landed hard on the runway, gasping in pain as he attempted to pull himself up. By the time he succeed, the car was already parked at the Senator's jet and the Senator was getting onboard. Mission failed. Game over. Glancing over, he saw guards heading their way. Taking his sword, he cut a hole in the door and woke Slasher up, who in return slapped Dakota awake. "Alright, lets get out of here. Teleport to the shuttle's location and we'll try to catch up with them later," Slasher muttered, watching the jet take off into the air. The three teleported just as the security reached the car, finding no clues whatsoever.
The bodyguard blinked in surprise and jumped up, heading for the cockpit when suddenly a female reploid leaped out of the cockpit and smashed her leg into his face, flipping off it and landing on her feet. Grinning evilly, she kicked out in a fast blur, hitting the man in the groin, sending him down to the ground in a world in if pain. "Senator Hodges, you're not a prisoner of the Hunters. The name's Crystal, don't forget it..." she smirked and brought out her hand, punching him in the nose. The Senator fell back, unconsciously immediatley. Crystal smiled and entered the cockpit, sitting down next to Slash, who flew the ship over the area, meeting up with the others in the shuttle so they could crash the plane. "Well...that wasn't much of a challenge," she said, smiling.
"Policitians are all talk. Why do you think they got the job?" Slash asked her as he flew to meet up with Slasher, Dakota, and Arono in the air. Docking with them fifteen minutes later, Slash checked the radar at the incoming planes. "However, EarthGov is all muscle and no brain, so that's why they caught up to us so quick..." He kicked the throttle to full and aimed the plane downward to the ground. Jumping into the shuttle, he heard Slasher undock and close the door, pulling away from the falling flame of metal. Joining his "brother", Slash sat down in the copilot seat and entered a secure channel to HQ. Dominator's face appeared on the screen. "We have the Senator and his body guard. Heading home. We'll make a few hyperspace points to lose any one following us. See you soon," Slash said, making it brief. Cutting the transmission, he grinned evilly at the Senator at his feet. "Shame we can't kill him..." Dakota glanced at him, his eyebrow raised.
"I'm sure we'll find her, Garland..." he told him, his voice without emotion. He glanced at the evening sky as he drove around the streets of Mega City. So far they had neglected to call Dominator, which was probably sending him into worry fits. Reaching down to call Dominator, just so he wouldn't pull the plug on this entire operation, Death Star's hands stopped short when the comm. link beeped. Frowning, he reached down and grabbed it. "...Dominator...?"
"'Fraid not, lover," came the cool voice on the other end. Death Star's heart leapt for a second.
"Iceheart?!" Garland become ridged beside him and he turned his head, wondering what was going on between the two.
"Glad you still remember. I'm at the remains of the unfinished CorSec Arms Offices. Meet me there...and tell Garland and X1 they might want to show up too..." she added.
"...Wait, Iceheart!" Death Star pleaded, trying to get her to stop, but she clicked the comm. off. X1 said something, but both of them drowned it out with their own thoughts. "Lets move...time to find your daughter and Iceheart...and maybe a few answers, if God be willing..." he muttered, slamming on the gas pedal and pulling out, driving down the streets. Turning, he brought up the maps and brought up the location of the building. Tapping it on the screen, he quickly followed the directions, peeling out past some cars. Arriving eight minutes later, Death Star shoved his door open and glanced up at the tall skyscraper, shorter than the rest of the buildings, however. It loomed up in the sky, unfinished and pieces of it still showing as the builders slowly worked. A guard there glanced at him, then grabbed his radio.
"WARNING, ALL CORSEC FREQUENCES, THE ATTACKER OF THE CorSec High-Tech Weapons Division IS AT THE CorSec Arms Offices!!!" he shouted into the radio. Garland teleported next to him and grabbed the man by the shirt, picking him up into the air, a furious look in his eyes as he grabbed the radio and broke it, dropping the man in disgust.
Death Star ran past them both and blasted in the doors, rolling inside the dark, powerless lobby. Standing up, he scanned the area and was picking up four lifesigns on the floors above, in pairs of two. "Garland - X1, you take the ones on the floor 20. It's probably Sharlena and a captor. I'll take the other two," he told them.
"But chie-"
"DO IT!" shouted Death Star, cutting X1 off, using a tone of voice he rarely ever used. X1 nodded dejectedly and teleported, along with Garland, up to floor twenty. The other two, however, were on the unfinished floors of the building. Teleporting up, Death Star arrived at the top of the building in mere seconds, having to balance himself on the structural beams as not to fall to his death below. Glancing around, he saw that it was twilight now, and that made the beams of steel seem warped with color. Also it made it harder to find who it was he was looking for.
"Welcome," came Iceheart's voice, bouncing off the beams, echoing around and around. "I'm afraid I can't stay and talk to you, lover. But I really do. I, however, have to wait until a better time to talk to you...to rejoin you again. Trust me, I really do want to be with you again, but there's something bigger going on that you must unravel, first..." Death Star wondered what she was talking about. Was she being forced to run around and do this stuff? He heard the sound of someone teleporting. Scanning the area, however, proved that there was one more person up here with him. Glancing behind him, he was suddenly jumped, being propelled off the edge of the beam.
"But of course...once he's in my cross hairs, he'll go down..." the man added as the transporter arrived at the disturbance. The commander pointed to the building adjacent from the building the reploid was in. The man grabbed his gear and entered the building.
Stepping back and ducking a saber swing, Death Star flipped over the edge of the beam and landed on another one below it. However, the person knew what he was doing before he did and was already there, slashing him. Roaring in pain, Death Star stepped back, panting. Only a miracle could save him now, he was sure...
"Death Star?!"