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View Full Version : Thunderstrike Mission 18: SEASON FINALE PT ONE: "Crisis Point-Fall of Eagle Six"


Ryuranger
10-12-2003, 03:47 PM
---ThunderStrike
---Season 01
---Mission Eighteen
---Crisis Point: Fall of Eagle Six


Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A get-away car tore through the city streets at frightening speeds as small explosions erupted across the city block. The riders of the car were three teenage men, each with shaved heads and tattoo markings of the Vyram across their skin.

“Woo-hoo!” the driver yelled as he accelerated across the night-lit street, giving no regard to pedestrians or on-coming traffic as cars swerved out of the way and crashed into each other.

This was the latest in a string of small terrorist attacks organized by Yokoshima to remind the government about his ultimatum: surrender control to him or be destroyed.

The driver accelerated faster when he took notice of a young man with dark hair and a tan complexion standing in the middle of the road a half a block in front of him.

“Run his ass over!” the passenger shouted.

The driver tightened his grip on the wheel as the car zoomed faster.

The young man waited until he could see the white of the driver’s eyes before activating his wrist brace and shouting “Thunder power, strike!”

THUNDER LION ONLINE

Vince’s Thunder Lion armor shimmered to life as he braced himself while holding his hands out. The car slammed against him as the passengers crashed through the windows and went skidding across the pavement. Vince was slid backwards slightly from the impact, but managed to stay upright.

He looked to the young teens as they slowly crawled from the ground and rose to their feet.

Have the Vyram really sunk this low in their recruiting? Vince thought to himself. Not that it mattered…they would go down just as the countless others had before them.

The three punks sprang forward towards Vince as their skin rippled and they assumed their altered forms. Each grew a sharp fin that extended across their heads like an organic Mohawk, and their eyes grew wide and solid black. Their skin became orange and beaded with sweat as scales served as a light suit of armor. Fin blades erupted from their forearms.

TARGETS ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA
THREAT LEVELS GAMMA FOUR
BIO CELLS-LEVEL FIVE

“Hyper mode, mark,” Vince commanded as he kicked his armor’s systems into overdrive.

Vince dashed forward like a bullet towards the lead Vyram. He spun 180 degrees to his right while swinging his right elbow around and smashing it across the soldier’s head before completing the turn and using his left arm to grab the soldier’s throat and leap straight up into the air while tightening his hold on the Vyram. Vince twisted his hold on the soldier so when they landed in a blur of motion, Vince’s knee slammed against his back when the Vyram hit the pavement face first.

Vince jumped off the fallen soldier with lightning-quick speed as he flipped forward while bringing his left heel across the second Vyram’s collarbone, smashing it to pieces as the soldier fell.

The last soldier charged towards Vince’s right, and the ranger turned at the last second, slamming his palm heel upside the Vyram’s nose. The bridge of the soldier’s nose shattered as it drove upwards from the blow and through his brain.

The Vyram’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground as Vince powered down his armor and walked away.

That was over before it even started, he thought to himself as he entered a dark alley.

***

Omega Sector

Sisco leaned forward on his desk, watching the three holo-displays flash in front of his eyes, displaying the status report of his forces advance towards Inatech, the front company for Eagle Six.

He was moving his people into standby positions in shifts while doing a recon of the area, and positioning troops to cut off any possible escape routes. He was moving slowly and cautiously. No room for error. No room for failure.

***

Atlantic City, New Jersey

A van turned a sharp corner of the city streets, nearly tipping over as it fled from its target. A department store a block behind them crumbled to the ground in a cloud of debris and dust as they continued forward, smug looks of satisfaction on the four passengers faces.

That was until a spear crashed through the roof of the van and into the driver’s head. The van went barreling out of control and slamming against a light pole, the impact sending the three passengers smashing through the forward windshield and crashing against a wall.

The three rose to their feet and looked towards the crashed van to see Yuuri crouched on its roof with her spear extended inside.

The ranger looked ahead at the three Vyram, who seemed no older than she was. Perhaps even younger. Yokoshima must have been breaking in the new recruits.

The skin of the three passenger started to bulk and turn into a gray leathery hide as they grew an extra set of eyes and rhino-type horns sprouted from their face.

TARGETS ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA
THREAT LEVELS GAMMA THREE
BIO CELLS LEVEL FOUR

Yuuri snapped off a blade boomerang before flipping off the van and leaping through the air while twirling her staff.

The lead Vyram deflected the blade with his forearm, leaving him wide open as Yuuri descended and speared though his chest with her spear. She twisted her weapon before pulling the spear free, and then spun forward while running its blade across the soldier’s throat.

The other two soldiers came at her from both sides. She looked to her left while slamming the end of her spear against that soldier’s face and breaking his horns. Yuuri looked to her right and swung her staff low, knocking the feet out from underneath that Vyram before twirling her staff and bringing it down vertically against his head, cracking through his skull.

The other soldier dashed forward towards Yuuri’s back, black ichor seeping from the break in his horns. Yuuri twisted her spear backwards and ran it through the Vyram’s chest before he could attack. She pulled the spear free and turned to face the creature while slamming the end of her weapon across the soldier’s head, smashing in his temple.

She heard a clapping sound from behind her as she turned to see a man in an alligator-skin trench coat standing on top of the crashed van. It was Secrai-Kresh, the man who had murdered her father.

Last time she saw the Vyram defector Kresh, he had tried to show her a secret buried beneath the ISIS Alaska Base. The base was destroyed before she got any answers as to what was hidden under the base, and why Kresh had killed her father.

“You’ve gotten better at this game,” Kresh said. “A mindless soldier…not even knowing who you’re fighting for.”

“We went through this last time, Kresh,” Yuuri said as she held her spear in a fighting stance. “And quite frankly, the way things have been going lately, I’m not in the mood to go through this again.”

“Now, dear,” Kresh said. “Put that toy away…you could poke someone’s eyes out.”

Kresh snapped out with a tendril that erupted from his back and knocked her spear from her hand. Her visor couldn’t get a read on Kresh’s threat level, and judging by the speed of his attack, he had grown in strength.

“Now…” Kresh said. “I didn’t come all this way for a fight that would more than likely get me killed.”

Yuuri was surprised he admitted it.

“I’ve found something of your father’s,” Kresh said. “The Vyram won’t be able to stop us this time…Yokoshima is stretching himself to the limits at the moment, as you can see from the corpses rotting on the ground behind you.

Yuuri hesitated. She didn’t trust Kresh as far as she could throw him, but somehow she knew he had the answers she needed. The answers as to what her father was involved in.

“Fine,” Yuuri said. “Let’s go…and get it right this time…”

***

Springfield, Illinois

Max stood perched on a ledge on a rising skyscraper as he surveyed the ground below for his mark. Nothing suspicious was in sight. He fought off a slight wave of vertigo. His sickness was settling in early, only he dared not tell anyone. If Hayes knew, she’d pull him off the streets. He didn’t want that. He wanted his last days to a fight. That way he would be too busy to face the reality of the situation.

“They have to be around here somewhere,” Max said to himself as he looked back and forth through his armor’s visor.

A black whip suddenly wrapped around his neck and pulled him backwards. Max was slammed against the roof and pulled across the pavement several meters before the black whip retracted. He rose to his feet to see three dead Vyram lying on the rooftop.

Standing among them was the figure who used the whip, as the weapon coiled back into his hands before forming a firm black staff. He wore dark shell-like armor over red burnt and scarred flesh. Thin black spikes protruded from his face and bald head, and his eyes were solid black.

“Hello little unicorn,” Havoc said as he grinned, revealing rows of sharp yellow teeth. “I took care of these boys for you…figured it was the least I could do since I killed that pretty blonde of yours…”

Max downloaded his longknives as he charged towards Havoc. “This is it, pin head! You’re going down right now!”

Max leapt forward and somersaulted through the air as he brought both his blades down vertically towards Havoc. The Vyram extended his staff horizontally and blocked the blow before spinning around and slamming the end of his staff against Max’s gut. The Vyram followed through by smashing his weapon upside Max’s head as the ranger was flipped backwards.

Max quickly recovered and sprang to his feet while tossing his longknives like spears at Havoc. The Vyram used his staff to deflect the swords as Max moved in with his fist blades armed.

Havoc began deflecting Max’s blows with his staff as he was forced a few steps back.

“My,” Havoc said, “you’re rather persistent, aren’t you?”

“Just keep talking, chuckles,” Max said as he continued to move forward, swinging his fists in a variety of punch combinations. “Every word makes me wanna kick your butt even more.”

Havoc parried Max’s fists before spinning around and landing a reverse crescent kick against the ranger’s face. Max fell to the ground as he slammed his head against the pavement.

“Your little disease is making you weaker,” Havoc said. “My decomposing process is more kind…I’m becoming stronger…but I too will soon die. Beforehand, I want only one thing. I want only to see you suffer more…”

Max rose back to his feet as Havoc continued to speak.

“I have a cure for your condition,” Havoc said. If you want it, you’ll have to come for it…at the warehouse where we first danced.”

“I don’t believe you,” Max said.

Havoc pulled one of the pins from his head and tossed it to the ground in front of Max. “Have your scientists examine this…the key to your cure lies in my own DNA. Come to the warehouse, little unicorn. It will be the last place either of us enters alive.”

---mission 18 will continue in part two of this thread. watch for it...

Ryuranger
10-12-2003, 10:30 PM
Eagle Six, Chicago

Blake caught up to Vince in the corridor leading towards the briefing room.

“Hey,” he shouted as he ran to his friend’s side. “How’d you do?”

“I got them,” Vince said as the two turned a corner.

“Me two…only one though,” Blake said. “What do you think was so important that we got called back here for?”

“It’s too hard to say anymore,” Vince said as they entered the briefing room.

Hunter and Matt were already inside as Vince and Blake sat. Blake made sure he was in a position where he wouldn’t have to make eye contact with his father.

“Where is everyone?” Vince asked.

Hunter sighed as he shook his head. “Yuuri is…missing. Max isn’t doing so well. He’s down in the medical wing right now with Claudia…”

Silence filled the briefing room as Hunter pulled out a small data pad. He activated the holo-projector in the center of the table after a few moments.

“Seven is on Yuuri’s trail. Havoc approached Max before the virus really kicked in. Apparently, Havoc has developed a cure for Max’s condition and is holding this cure in the warehouse where we first ran into him.

“The basis of this cure is Havoc’s own DNA. Whatever rejuvenated Havoc is killing him slowly, but strengthening him in the meantime. The side effects are only from his genetic enhancements, and wouldn’t occur on Max.

“The sample of Havoc’s DNA we acquired isn’t enough for us to develop a cure on our own, so you three either need to get your hands on the cure itself, of Havoc’s body. We only have until dawn…after that, Max will be gone.”

No one spoke. Blake out of the awkwardness felt while around his father, Vince because of the anger he felt at all that had been ripping them apart, and Matt because of his nature.

“You’ll leave in 10 minutes,” Hunter said. “Be careful…”

***

Florida’s warehouse district

Vince, Blake, and Matt sat crouched on top of a warehouse roof as they looked ahead to their target building in the distance.

Vince’s visor outlined the warehouse with a green grid as it highlighted the Akahaji in the area, shamed Vyram Havoc was using as his own personal army.

“Matt, sneak in the roof and get the cure,” Vince said. “Blake and I will hit him up front and pull back. Strafing attacks.”

Blake nodded. “That should keep him on his toes.”

“Move out,” Vince said as he and Blake leapt towards the ground and Matt leapt through the air.

***

Inatech building

A block away from the building serving as a front for Eagle Six, a command carrier sat concealed within the shadows.

A recently enhanced soldier of Omega Force sat in the command bunker. He wore the standard black body suit with an Omega Force symbol over his left chest, and he had a bald head with eyes that were solid white and featureless. His name was Cypher.

Cords were stuck the back of his head that allowed him to access the digital security network surrounding ISIS command. Their technological barriers were quite impressive. Cypher needed to crack through layers of shielding just to access Inatech’s systems. The systems of ISIS were layered somewhere beneath Inatech’s mainframe.

Cypher closed his eyes as he formed a mental image of the digital defense grid. His implants provided him with a sort of digital grenade that would blast through any defenses it encountered. The ‘shrapnel’ would eliminate the walls protecting the main Inatech systems, and in the fraction of a second it took for the back-up protocols to engage, Cypher could slip through into the basic ISIS protocols protected by weaker programs; non-essential systems that Omega Sector could use to their advantage.

***

Florida

Matt surveyed the rooftop across from him as a group of Akahaji did their best to blend in with the shadows, watchful for any signs of intruders.

Matt didn’t want to risk snapping off a blade boomerang. They were too noisy and would alert the Akahaji quicker than other methods. Admittingly only a few seconds quicker than his current plan, but those seconds could make a world of difference.

Matt downloaded two daggers and flipped towards the roof of the warehouse as he tossed them forward like spears.

The two daggers struck through a pair of Akahaji, and as the other soldiers snapped to attention after hearing the noise, Matt’s boots slammed against them as he landed.

***

Havoc paced back and forth across the warehouse floor. A pedestal in the middle of the storage bay held a sphere-shaped metal device with a split running across its center. A glass globe containing purple liquid could be seen through the split. The globe contained the cure.

The front bay doors of the warehouse exploded inwards as blaster bolts streaked forward and began ripping through the Akahaji. Havoc used his staff to deflect the blasts as Vince and Blake stepped through the smoke.

Blake dashed forward while throwing his tiger saber towards Havoc like a blade boomerang. “Eat this!”

Havoc knocked the saber away with his staff, leaving his body open as Vince snapped off a blade boomerang that slammed against Havoc’s armor.

Havoc twirled his staff and aimed its end at Vince as it opened and spewed a massive bolt of black lightning that exploded against the ranger and sent him crashing through a pile of crates.

Blake leapt forward while flipping through the air and grabbing his saber as he angled his ascent towards Havoc. The Vyram jumped up towards his opponent and slammed his staff against Blake’s back, knocking the ranger back onto the cold concrete floor.

Vince flipped back to his feet as he armed his fist blades and charged forward. Havoc looked to his left as Vince charged forward.

“Don’t you brats ever stay down?” Havoc asked as he twirled his staff to face Vince.

Blake flipped up from the ground while slamming a double kick against Havoc’s back. “No!”

***

Eagle Six, Chicago

Max was lying back in a medical bed staring at the ceiling tiles above him when Dr. Hayes walked in.

“You know,” Max said in a weak horse voice. “These tiles are almost more familiar than the ones in my dorm room…”

Dr. Hayes ran her hand across his head. “It will be okay…the others are after the cure. They’ll get it from Havoc…”

Max shook his head, tears swelling in his eyes as he stared ahead blankly. “He’s to strong now…”

“It will be okay,” Hayes said as she gave Max an injection. “This won’t slow the process, but it will make you feel a little better.”

Max nodded weakly. “You know, Dr. Hayes…I never knew my mom…ya think…she’d be proud?”

Hayes nearly broke down and cried as she reached down and gave Max’s hand a squeeze. “I know so, Max…now just hang in. Keep fighting…”

***

Florida

Havoc swung his staff and smashed it across Blake’s helmet as Vince leapt towards the Vyram’s back. Havoc brought the end of his staff towards Vince and fired another energy pulse at near point blank range.

***

Eagle Six, Chicago

Max flinched in his bed as images flashed across his mind’s eye. He was seeing flashes of Vince’s battle…a residual effect of the Thunder Talion link they shared when combining their mecha.

Vince’s armor integrity was dropping. Matt was nowhere to be found. And Havoc…

Max tightened his grasp on his sheets as he squinted his eyes. Havoc was being relentless.

***

Florida

Havoc kicked Vince in the gut before slamming his staff against the ranger’s back. The Vyram then snapped his foot back and caught Blake in a blow against the throat.

***

Eagle Six

The link intensified. Max could feel every blow. He opened his eyes to see the young woman who had rescued him from the streets following his one-on-one encounter with Shadow Blade…with Jason. She placed her hand on Max’s arm.

The woman had voluntarily decided to stay with Eagle Six so Hayes could look over her healing powers, which so far she found no scientific cause for. Only an effect: an unidentifiable mental disorder similar to multiple personalities or schizophrenia.

“I can feel them to,” she whispered as tears fell down her cheeks. “When I heal someone…I connect with them on a certain level. Your pain is my pain…”

Max coughed weakly as he tried to speak. “I need to help them…”

The woman nodded. “I can’t heal you any more than I have…but I can lend you strength…”

Max nearly had the wind knocked from him as he struggled for breath. He nodded as the woman grabbed tightly onto his arm. All at once, it felt like every cell in his body ignited in a powerful flame.

---to be continued in part three. this thread. watch for it...

Imperialwar
10-12-2003, 10:38 PM
Flame On! Can't wait to see what happens next.

Qi
10-12-2003, 10:49 PM
I like the way this is shaping up.

Ryuranger
10-13-2003, 10:39 AM
Inatech

Hunter sat behind his office desk on one of the top floors of the skyscraper as he reviewed a set of data pads in front of him. A red light on his desk began flashing as a small alarm sounded.

Hunter activated his comm line. “What’s going on?”

“Security breeches, second, third, and tenth floors,” a female technician reported.

Hunter rose from his desk. “Mobilize security forces to those areas. Lock down all entry points to Eagle Six and post teams at designated coordinates. I’m on my way to ops…”

***

Cypher triggered a few auxiliary subsystems within the Inatech building to make it appear as if agents had penetrated the building and triggered the alarms. This was a simple, yet effective diversionary tactic.

No Omega teams were anywhere near the second, third, and tenth floors.

Cypher smiled as he began triggering defensive protocols throughout Inatech, hoping to bring Chaos to their security forces.

***

Hunter entered the Control Operations room of Eagle Six. His station rested on a pedestal on top of a balcony looking over a wide room filled with clusters of computer stations with holographic readouts. In front of the room was a large holographic readout that covered the entire wall. The screen displayed green grids representing sections of Eagle Six, and blue grids representing Inatech above. Yellow grids outlined intersection points.

“What are we dealing with?” Hunter asked.

“Unknown,” a technician reported from below as blocks began turning red, indicating infiltration points.

“Outer security perimeter has been breeched,” she reported. “Security teams One and Two responding.”

Hunter called out orders as blocks continued to turn red.

***

With Eagle Six’s forces chasing phantom enemies, Omega Sector moved in.

The rear entrance to Inatech had four walk-in ports sealed with metal doors with yellow and black striped bars in front of them that regulate passage when the doors are not sealed.

Four standard-issue guards stood outside with their sidearms ready for any trouble. Their weapons contained high-yield metal piercing rounds with explosive tips. Omega Sector’s personnel descended upon them like flies.

A group of soldiers in black uniforms with light black armor padding and dark helmets with black visors dropped to the ground while carrying automatic assault rifles. Their rifles blazed across the four guards, who only managed to snap off several shots themselves.

The Omega team moved in and rigged one of the entryways with explosives. They detonated the explosives, causing damage to the door, but not enough to blast it open. Just as suspected.

A member of Omega Force stepped forward, wearing the solid-black body suit with an omega symbol on the left side of his chest. He had blonde-hair in a crew cut and blue eyes. His name was SHOC.

He wore heavy metallic gauntlets over his hands that he aimed forward. SHOC fired a massive vibration blast that pounded against the weakened door until it was ripped open and the soldiers moved in.

***

Florida

Havoc snapped a front kick against Vince’s face plate before swinging that leg around and smashing it across Blake’s helmet.

Nearby, Matt dropped unseen to the ground as he eyed the pedestal the cure was placed on. He dashed forward as he lunged for the sphere. He slammed against an invisible bio force field that exploded against his armor, and sent him crashing backwards against a wall.

Havoc turned to watch Matt fall as he smiled.

“You’ll find that field hazardous to your health,” Havoc said. “And should I also mention, that it is slowly destabilizing the cure you seek…”

Matt rose to his feet as he examined the field with his visor. Havoc was right. The field was emitting a stream of particles that was slowly breaking down the composition of the cure held within the sphere.

Vince and Blake regrouped with Matt as Havoc twirled his staff and assumed a fighting stance, standing in between the three rangers and the pedestal.

Blaster bolts struck against Havoc from above as he was forced a few steps back. He looked up as an evil grin of amusement spread across his face. Max was standing on an above catwalk with his weapon aimed downward.

“You’ll find me hazardous to your health, pin-head,” Max said boldly.

Havoc laughed. “A fighter until the end I see…let’s end this shall we? Oh, and I have a little surprise…last one I swear…I was waiting for you to show up before I unveiled it.”

Havoc snapped his fingers as a group of Akahaji entered the warehouse from behind Havoc while carrying Constance, a female member of Dragon Violer Max had grown fond of during Operation Rising Sun in Japan.

“How…” Max said. “Let her go!”

“When their transport was en route from Indianapolis after their failed mission, I intercepted and shot them down. I’ve planned this very carefully, you see…”

Max downloaded his longknives and leapt down while swinging them towards Havoc’s head. Max feinted a high blow as Havoc held his staff up horizontally to block, but the ranger brought his blades around as he landed and spun forward while striking Havoc across the chest armor. Max followed with a double jump front kick he slammed against Havoc while flipping backwards and kicking him a third time upside the head.

***

Eagle Six

The corridors raged with gunfire as the Omega troops ran forward, their automatic rifles spraying death left and right. ISIS security held their ground at various points and returned fire, managing to take out a few of the infiltrators, but they eventually fell.

In the lower levels, various technicians scurried about to secure the research and development area as the front entrance to the area exploded open and heavily armored ATAC officers moved in. They extended their weapon gauntlets and blazed countless rounds across the area, destroying terminals and shooting down helpless lab techs.

***

Hunter leaned forward against his pedestal as more grids flashed to red on the main holographic viewer.

“Deploy security droid assets to level six, d block,” Hunter ordered. “Meta talent assets, counter attack at levels seven and eight, e block.”

***

A group of Eagle Six troops in light suits of combat armor ran down a narrow corridor while arming their automatic pistols, each packing deadly force. They cut across a hidden corridor and came upon the side of a formation of standard Omega troops.

The ISIS soldiers opened fire, the element of surprise allowing their weapons to tear through a large portion of the Omega troops.

The Omega Troops started to pull back as the ISIS forces advanced, gunfire ringing throughout the hall as both sides suffered serious losses.

Omega soldiers suddenly split up as a member of Omega Force charged forward from their ranks. It was Steel, who’s skin appeared made of metal.

The ISIS team opened fire on Steel, but their blasts exploded harmlessly against him as he charged forward.

He tackled against an ISIS soldier, crushing his ribs before grabbing hold of him and tossing him like a rag doll into three soldiers to his right. Steel followed with a backfist blow that crushed a soldier’s skull, sending the body slamming backwards into four other troops.

***

Florida

Max snapped off two blade boomerangs that Havoc deflected with his staff before spinning forward and slamming a reverse hook kick across Max’s helmet.

Vince snuck in behind Havoc while arming his fist blades and double punching the Vyram in the back. Havoc screamed, more out of annoyance than pain, as he twisted around and slammed his elbow across Vince’s helmet.

Matt and Blake dashed forward to attack, but Havoc aimed the end of his staff towards them and fired a massive pulse of black lightning that exploded against them and sent them crashing against the warehouse wall.

Havoc turned to the two Akahaji holding Constance. “Kill her…”

---to be continued in part four. this thread. watch for it...

Ryuranger
10-13-2003, 01:02 PM
Eagle Six

An ISIS team was crouched around a corner with their weapons raised as Omega troops turned the corner and were immediately met with a shower of gun fire.

Omega’s soldiers fell quickly to the blasts, but a group of ATACs advanced to reinforce the front lines. The ISIS soldiers were no match for the heavy-armored troops or the rail cannons within their weapon gauntlets.

***

A group of armored ISIS soldiers ran down a corridor expecting to face a large group of troops, instead they saw nothing when they reached their coordinates.

“What the hell…” one of the soldiers muttered as they looked around for any signs of intruders.

Their sign came in the form of a plasma dagger that exploded against one of the troops, tearing through his body like paper.

The troops turned to face their attacker, and saw the member of Omega Force known as Dagger. She produced two more of her energy weapons and threw them at the soldiers. The daggers exploded around them as they opened fire.

***

Hunter squeezed the edge of the pedestal in front of him until his knuckled turned white as he watched more red grids appear on the large holographic display.

Hayes entered the room and walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We have to go…we can regroup at the auxiliary base in Arizona.”

“That place is a shack,” Hunter said. “We’re not through yet…”

“William,” Hayes said sternly. “Quit being a fool. We’re not equipped to handle an attack force like this. Not without Thunderstrike.”

“I’m not letting them take my base,” Hunter said.

“Who said anything about letting them take it?”

***

Florida

“No!” Max shouted. “Hyper mode, mark!”

Max dashed forward in a blur of motion and leapt through the air while extending both his legs straddle kicking the two Akahaji away from Constance a split second before they slit her throat.

Havoc turned to Max and fired a pulse of black lightning that struck against him. He crashed against a wall and slid to the ground. The ranger landed on his feet and sprang forward like a bullet towards Havoc while arming his fist blades.

Max swung punches at blinding speed that crashed against Havoc’s armor, pushing him back.

Havoc tried to block the blows with his staff, but couldn’t move fast enough. Instead, he channeled energy into his staff and emitted a pulse of black lightning that blasted outward like an expanding dome, slamming against Max and the other rangers while tossing them to the ground and damaging their armor.

Max landed hard against his back before sliding backwards, and his armor deactivated from the strain of hyper mode.

Havoc smiled as he stalked towards Max. “Perfect…you’re about to pay for the mockery of existence you’ve trapped me in. Your cure is about to become useless. After I impale you to this wall, I’ll force you to watch as I kill the French woman and your teammates. Then your life will slowly bleed away into nothingness…fitting…”

Matt slowly rose to his knees as he looked up to see Havoc stalking towards Max. He did a quick survey of the room. Vince and Blake were on the ground, struggling to rise. Their armor would be ready for another attack soon, but by then the cure would be useless. Constance was still unconscious. Havoc was seconds away from causing a fatal wound to Max.

Judging from Max’s appearance, heart rate, and respiration, Matt deducted that even if he and the other rangers delivered Havoc’s body to Hayes, Max would be dead by the time she made her own cure. That made the sphere even more important.

Matt took a nano-second to reflect on his existence. Most humans ponder the question “who am I?” or why am I here?”, but for Matt, that question was far more complicated. His soul and body had died. Whatever purpose he had in life theologically speaking died with that soul. He was nothing but a complex array of circuitry animating a corpse. He was cold. Lifeless. Not human.

Did this mean he couldn’t have a purpose? Couldn’t feel? He considered the team his friends, but would that signify an emotional attachment, or was he simply accustomed to their presence. Did he actually care about them?

He did…and if caring was an emotion, maybe he was human, despite the details of how his body functioned. Maybe the organism born as Matt had died at a young age, but since then, he had grown and developed into a life form all its own. Someone with a different purpose. Someone with a different kind of sould born of technology and not flesh.

Matt cared for his friends.

Havoc lifted Max by the throat and prepared to jam his staff through the ranger’s shoulder and impale him against a column extending from the ceiling, and the cure was about to degrade.

Matt leapt to his feet as he ran towards the pedestal holding the sphere. The bio shield crashed against him as explosions danced across his armor. The serge of energy overloaded Matt’s armor systems as he pushed forward against the force of the shield.

The side of his visor cracked as parts of his armor buckled under the stress of the force field. Matt ignored the pain flowing through his system as he grabbed the sphere and leapt forward. He rolled across the ground way from the bio shield while cradling the sphere a fraction of a second before the cure decayed.

Havoc narrowed his eyes as he watched Matt lie on the ground while holding the sphere, small sparks still exploding across his armor.

It was at that moment Vince’s bio cells kicked back online. He sprang to his feet while shouting “hyper mode mark!” and charging towards Havoc while activating his fist blades.

***

Eagle Six

The ceiling above Control Ops exploded as ATAC soldiers dropped down towards the deck below and began firing . Their weapons blazed across the room as computer terminals and panels exploded, power conduits blew out, and massive fires erupted.

A group of Omega troops blasted onto the upper balcony, led by Steel. He wrinkled his brow with confusion as he looked around the large room. No one was there.

He ran to the edge of the balcony and peered down as ATAC troops blasted the area apart, but no live targets were below either.

“Will someone tell those idiots there’s no one down there…” Steel said.

One of the troopers lowered his weapon as he looked over the balcony as well. “Do you think they escaped?”

“Quiet,” Steel barked. “We’re not paid to think.”

Just then, a massive explosion tore through the ground, blinding the Omega forces before incinerating them.

***

Above ground, each floor of Inatech blew out in a series of fiery explosions before the building collapsed to the ground in a smoldering heap.

***

A stealth carrier flew through the air on its way out of Chicago as Hunter sat silently next to Hayes.

“I took the liberty of contacting Seven,” Hayes said. “He’ll have the others met us in Arizona.

Hunter nodded as he rolled his hands up into fists. “I thought I we were to ever lose Eagle Six…it would be to the Vyram.”

Hayes nodded. “I know…either way…we’ll regroup and make the Vyram and this Omega Sector pay.”

***

Florida

Vince slammed his fist blades against Havoc in a blur of motion while cracking the Vyram’s chest armor and forcing him back away from Max.

The counter on Vince’s timer informed him he had less than 15 seconds of hyper mode left as he poured on the power and continued to slam his fists against Havoc.

6 SECONDS

Vince slammed his elbow across Havoc’s head, then punched him against the chest followed by a double jump front kick and a reverse hook kick across the face.

5 SECONDS

Havoc grabbed onto Vince’s wrists as his muscles started to ripple and bulge. Veins popped from the Vyram’s skin as he snarled his teeth. The same force that was killing him was making him stronger.

4 SECONDS

Havoc slammed his forehead against Vince’s face shield, shattering the ranger’s visor.

3 SECONDS

Havoc aimed his staff at Vince and fired an electric pulse at point blank range. The ranger went crashing backwards against the wall before slumping to the ground as his armor deactivated.

Havoc snarled with delight as he walked towards the fallen ranger. Vince tried to rise to his feet, but his body was too weak.

“I’m sick of you little bastards,” Havoc said. As he tightened his grip on his spear.

Before he could attack, a dagger stuck through the back of his neck and twisted. It was Max, and the dagger he was holding was one of Matt’s.

“This is for Crystal,” he said weakly as he dug the dagger in further and twisted harder.

Havoc screamed out as his veins started to explode. The injury inflicted by Max began to boil as Havoc’s body fell to the ground and slumped over, slowly being consumed by same force that had one resurrected him.

Max collapsed to the ground. His face was red and small blood-colored dots started to appear across his skin.

Vince crawled over to Max as he rolled him onto his back. “Hang in there…” he said. “Just hang in there…”

Vince looked up to see Blake leaning over Matt, who was still in his yellow armor and lying on the ground with the sphere between his hands.

“Blake…” Vince called.

Blake looked to Vince as he shook his head, a look of sorrow in his face. “He’s not breathing Vince…he…he’s not moving…”

Vince’s face grew pale. He looked down to Max and leaned in close to his ear. “We will not lose you too, dammitt.”

Vince draped Max’s arm over his shoulder and the two rose to the ground, despite the near crippling pain Vince felt.

“We have to go,” Vince said.

Blake nodded, his eyes fixated on Matt’s body as he picked up the sphere.

A loud hovering noise came from outside the warehouse as Vince turned to the blown out entrance, expecting to see Seven or an ISIS team. Instead, he opened his eyes wide in shock as five familiar people walked into the room.

They were the Russian members of Parow’da Mawsh.

Vince narrowed his eyes at them. “If you guys came to help you’re a little late.”

Sergei smiled at them before turning to his frail teammate. “Artur…if you please.”

Artur held up a stun rifle and began firing.

***

Arizona

In the mountains of Arizona rested a small domed building that served as backup headquarters for the U.S. division of ISIS.

Eagle Six’s stealth carrier landed on top of a circular platform as Hunter, Hayes, Jiraiya, and other members of the fallen Eagle Six team walked towards the entrance to the building.

They passed several guard posts before coming to the main hanger bay doors. Hunter swiped his card through the security reader to his right as the large bay doors swung open. His men went inside the empty bay as the doors closed behind him.

Then, a countless number of ISIS soldiers appeared on the catwalks above and aimed their rifles down at Hunter and his group. Soldiers entered the hanger room on the lower level as well and took positions facing Hunter’s group while aiming their weapons forward.

Hunter watched as Sergei stepped out from behind the ranks of soldiers and dropped Max, Vince, and Blake to the ground. Max looked bad, but the others seemed to only be unconscious, although badly bruised.

Ikkari stepped out from behind Sergei and walked towards Hunter.

The leader of ISIS stood in front of Hunter as he smiled and adjusted his glasses. “I’m afraid you’ve outlived your usefulness…”

---MISSION INCOMPLETE

---Season 01 of Thunderstrike will conclude in Mission 19, Crisis Point Part Two. Watch for it...

HavokRanger
10-13-2003, 05:16 PM
wow

Imperialwar
10-13-2003, 07:00 PM
Originally posted by HavokRanger
wow

I second that.

Ryuranger
10-13-2003, 07:21 PM
Thanks guys. Hold your wows for the grand finale. You'll need them.

Qi
10-13-2003, 09:38 PM
Excellent!