• The Alkalites' Legacy
    Book 1:
    The Alliance's Destruction
    Part 1


    Ghost leaps from building top to building top, spurred on by the sound of gunshots. His visor continues to scan for ballistic disturbances. Within moments, it locates the source, a mile north of his position. “Got it,” he thinks. Activating his G.Mk II suit’s speed-dash function, Ghost reaches the site. Gazing at the tall building’s sign, he reads, “ThorTech. Great, a break-in at a weapon’s development company. I’d better get started. Specter, activate ghost mode…” Instantly, Ghost’s suit turns invisible, and silences his breathing and movements. Running towards the door, he hears his com-link open,
    “Densetsu reporting. What’s your status, Ghost?”
    “Break-in at ThorTech.”
    “Threat level?”
    “Minimal…wait.” Ghost examines the thief’s entry point, “Upgrade to Medium, this wall’s been melted by military grade blast-plasma.”
    “Blast plasma?”
    “Affirmative. It’s still hot. Entry was approximately five minutes ago.”
    “Roger that. Gosh, I wish I didn’t have to archive all this. Anyway, TL is medium, be careful, Ghost.”
    “Confirmed. Mission Start!” Unsheathing his sword, the Sonic Splitter, he took a fighting stance. He closed his eyes; his visor closed. His breathing slowed, “Specter, scan immediate area for possible threats.” G.Mk II responded,
    “Scanning…scan incomplete. Malfunction. Possible causes: ScanBlok Emitter.”
    “Darn it. Den, they’re blocking scans.”
    “Confirmed, Ghost. Get in there, you’re wasting time.” Ghost’s took a hint of sarcasm,
    “Thank you, Densetsu. Specter, enable Trait:Lightfoot!” Still invisible, Ghost stole into the building.

    “Densetsu. Confirmed two dead guards. They’ve been shot.”
    “Roger. Any other signs?”
    “None yet.”
    “Keep looking.” Just then, Ghost heard the sound of a gun cocking. He spun around. Two heavily armed soldiers opened fire with standard military issue MP5s. Deflecting the shots with the Sonic Splitter, Ghost ran towards the soldiers.
    “Den, engagement, but something’s wrong. They can see me!” He sliced through one of the soldier’s weapon, and then turned to the other. Dodging bullets, he kicked the gun away, and punched him, knocking him out. The first soldier sounded an alarm. A large group of reinforcements came. “Densetsu, I have a problem.”
    “Great. Reinforcements! Ghost! Current mid-level ROE states that elimination is allowed. Don’t hold back!” Ghost smirked grimly beneath his helmet.
    “Heh…roger that.” The new soldiers opened fire. Ghost quickly killed one, then another. A bullet grazed his shoulder. He winced, “Focus. Formless!” The Sonic Splitter melted into the suit, “Guard!” A shield came in its place. Using the shield to deflect the bullets, he rammed his fist into a nearby soldier. Suddenly, a laser burst through the shield, knocking Ghost into a wall.
    “Hold your fire!” Yelled a strong, commanding voice. The soldiers stopped shooting. A man stepped through the crowd of armed troops. He wore a dark grey metal suit, complete with gauntlets, though the right was much larger that the left. His metal boots clicked against the floor as he strode towards Ghost, holding a large gun over a shoulder. The man laughed, “It’s an Alliance brat!” He pressed a button on his headset, “Squad Foxtrot! Prep out escape!” He glared at Ghost, “My name is General Fisher, you’re gonna want to listen to this.” He tossed a small box towards Ghost, “It’s a HoloCube.” The box burst into light, and displayed a video screen hovering above it. The screen showed a scarred, blind man sitting in a chair. The man spoke,
    “If you’re watching this, you’re part of the Alliance. I’m Ben Cook. Simple as that. But though simple, I’m going to crush the Alliance. Too long have they stopped the plans of my mentors to take over this planet. I want revenge. The Alliance trains young ones to stop us, but they don’t realize we’ve come prepared this time! My team won’t kill you, just tell the Alliance what you saw. Fisher’s new rail-gun is a new ThorTech Prototype. You can imagine what we can do with that. Farewell.” The HoloCube clicked off. Ghost tried to get up, but was held in place by rubble. General Fisher laughed again,
    “Don’t get up on our account! In fact, we we’re just leaving! All squads, extract!” Ghost watched as this powerful new enemy escaped, then blacked out.


    Densetsu had lost radio contact with Ghost moments before he blacked out. “Ghost? What was that blast sound? Ghost? Ghost!? Great…” From his monitoring station, Densetsu called in assistance from Alliance HQ- “Emergency broadcast, S.T.R.a.M. Agent Densetsu reporting broken radio contact with FA, codenamed Ghost. Requesting assistance.” A second later, an Alliance security lieutenant patched into the System’s assistance frequency,
    “Roger that, Densetsu. Last time and location of contact?”
    “Less than five minutes ago, at ThorTech Weapons.”
    “Thank you. Dispatched one Recovery Unit and one squad of Soldiers for backup. ETA 10 minutes. By the way, good job Erio, your reaction time improved.” The Systems Tech Recon and Monitoring agent paused.
    “Yeah, thanks, Kel. Just get recovery there quick, okay? Cutting trans.”


    Grayson woke up slowly, feeling intense pain in his right arm. He heard a Med-Tech speak, “He’s waking up, disabling Auto-Chem.” He heard a click, then suddenly he was fully awake. He slammed a fist onto the medical bed.
    “How could I let them go!?” he yelled. Grayson was pushed back gently.
    “Calm down, Gray. Erio will be here soon. There’s nothing you could’ve done…” He shot a glare at the nurse, then softened.
    “Oh, it’s you, Clearasonei.” The girl nodded,
    “Yes,now, um, please calm down.” She turned away quickly. Grayson thought to himself, she’s so shy…but she’s always been a great Med-Tech. I should be nice.
    “Um, Clearasonei?” She turned back around slowly, looking flushed.
    “…Call me Clear. What is it?”
    “Clear, thanks. You did a great job.” She shook her head,
    “What’s this? The infamous Ghost thanking me?” Grayson could tell she was being sarcastic.
    “Well fine! Don’t accept my thank-you!” he folded his arms. Clear shrank, and turned away again. At that moment, Erio walked in.
    “Cool it, Gray. The suppression meds haven’t stopped yet.” He turned to Clear, “Thanks for the patch, Miss Clearasonei.” Clear grinned,
    “Erio, we’re friends and the same age, just call me Clear!” Erio smiled and walked towards Grayson,
    “Right, sorry. Anyway, the council’s giving you a B rating for your mission despite your defeat, Gray. With the data collected from Specter’s memory banks, we have a lot of data on General Fisher. Unfortunately, we don’t have anything on this ‘Ben Cook’…and Mk.II is toast.” Grayson slumped his shoulders.
    “What do you mean, 'toast'?” Erio sat next to his partner.
    “Well, for starters, the Kinetic Reactor's shot, the PhysChrono Stabilizer is busted, and Specter wants to destroy the world.” Gray sighed.
    “At least Mk.III is on it's way.”
    “Speaking of which...” Erio nodded towards Clearasonei.
    “Huh? Oh, right.” Grayson looked back at Clear, who was still facing away from him, “Clear? I need a favor...?” The clinking of instruments slowed, but the medic continued.
    “Yes?” Grayson paused, looking around the room.
    “I was wondering if you could help me design a Vital Stabilizer for G.Mk.III.” The clinking of instruments stopped.
    “You want me to help you?”
    “Well, I was going to ask Dr. Fields, but he's not here.” The clinking resumed.
    “Oh.”
    “Do you think you could help?” Clear paused. After a moment, she turned around, a bright smile on her face.
    “Sure can! But for now, it's probably best to head to debrief. They told me to send you there when you woke up.” Erio helped Grayson out of the medical bed.
    “How long was I out?” asked Gray. Clear shook her head.
    “A day and a half.” Gray grinned at Erio.
    “Huh, shortest time yet.”
    “Yeah, yeah...”


    When they reached the Debriefing room, Erio and Grayson were met with a familiar face: Lieutenant Hana Kel. Although only 19, she is one of the best dispatchers in the Alliance. Erio waved.
    “Hey Kel.” Hana's face stayed straight.
    “S.T.R.a.M Densetsu and F.A. Ghost have arrived.” Erio whispered to Gray.
    “She's in a serious mood again. Not good.” The sliding doors opened, allowing them to enter the debriefing chamber. Alliance council member John St. Lewiston sat across from the three. His hands seemed thinner than usual, and his fingers longer. They noticed this right away, as this was his most prominent feature. He looked like a normal man, sitting with his fingertips pressed together, but he was far from normal. St. Lewiston was also known as the Black Knight, the best Alliance agent of his generation. When Erio, Grayson, and Lt. Kel walked in, he stood to greet them, and motioned them to sit.
    “Welcome. Ghost, Densetsu, you're here for some minor violations. Lieutenant Kel is here to archive. Now,” he began to walk around the large white table that separated them, “Do you two remember how the Alliance was started?” Erio and Grayson looked at each other,
    “Well, yeah.” The council member put his hands behind his back.
    “Hm. I'll give you brief history. In the year 2072 A.D., Alvin Klapcuré became the father of the first specially-gifted child. His son, Mason Klapcuré was the first of many to be exposed to Runde Alkali during infancy. As you know, Runde Alkali changed the genetic structure of an infant child, gifting him with heightened abilities, like superhuman strength, or in your case, Ghost, extremely high intelligence. This infant is now known as an Alkalite. Once this discovery was made, many were exposed to Runde Alkali. Some lived to help society grow prosperous, but some, as it is the human nature, became the worst criminals in history. A group of seven Super-humans, as they were called, banded together to fight off these criminals. Then, in 2107, Mason Klapcuré died. He died of old age, but he was only 35. Further research proved that those exposed to Runde Alkali have extremely increased aging speeds, starting at 23. Thus, Alvin Klapcuré began to train these superhumans. He called his institution the Alliance. It is now 2180. The founding motto never changed: 'Always go with the flow, always watch your space, and always go toe-to-toe.' Ghost, you were caught off guard by the rail-gun blast. You need to pay more attention. Remember your training. Densetsu, keep your partner focused, help him to remember this. You are dismissed.” St. Lewiston then walked out of the white-metal paneled room. Hana also stood and started to walk away, but was stopped by Erio, who grabbed her shoulder,
    “Hana?” She turned around,
    “Yes?”
    “What's wrong? I haven't heard you talk since we came back...” She interrupted him,
    “It's...nothing.” Her eyes hit the floor. Erio shook his head.
    “You know it's not nothing.” He looked at the grey clock on the wall, “Wanna get some lunch and talk about it...?” Hana's eye grew red as she tried to keep tears away. After a moment, she nodded. Erio put an arm around her shoulder and looked at Grayson, who started to walk away,
    “It's alright. You two go ahead- I need to work on G.Mk.III.”


    At the entrance of the Debriefing room, Hana and Eric turned left, towards the cafeteria, while Gray turned right, headed for the Development Labs. He shoved his hands into his pockets and watched the floor as he walked. I wonder what's wrong with Hana, he thought, I've never seem her like that. While he was walking, he bumped into someone. Books were sent flying across the hallway. Rubbing his forehead, Grayson looked up. It was Clear again.
    “Clear? What are you doing?” Gray said as he helped her pick up the books.
    “Dr. Mandrake let me have off, since I spent so much time taking care of you...” She blushed. Gray blinked,
    “The whole time?” She nodded. Gray was stunned.
    “Oh, thanks.” He picked up the last book. He looked at it, then read the title out loud, “Miniature Med Systems and Their more Portable Counterparts?” Clear smiled,
    “Yup, I was actually looking for you. I went to the Dev Labs, but you weren't there, so I was on my way to the Debriefing room. I figured the Black Knight had another lecture time with you guys.”
    “Why were you looking for me? Did something go wrong again?” Clear laughed a little, but sarcastically.
    “Why yes, Grayson, I seem to have misplaced my surgical scissors.” Gray nodded,
    “OK, OK. I get it. But really, why were you looking for me?”
    “Don't you remember? You asked me to help you design a Vital Stabilizer for G.Mk.III.” Gray palmed his forehead,
    “Oh, right. Well, I'm headed there now.”
    “Where's Erio?” Gray pointed a thumb behind him as they started to walk down the white hallway,
    “With Hana; they went to get lunch.” Clear's eyes grew bright.
    “Aw, that’s so sweet! They haven't done anything like that in weeks!” Gray nodded,
    “I know, but this time they have a reason.” Clear stopped walking.
    “Oh...right.”
    “Huh?” Gray stopped.
    “Haven't you heard?” Gray shook his head.
    “About what?” Clear shuffled her feet.
    “Hana's mom died...”
    “What!?”
    “She...died. It was Runde Illness.”
    “When? Why didn't she say?”
    “She passed last night. Hana probably didn't tell you two because Alliance dispatchers are supposed to stay composed.”
    “But she's Erio's girlfriend! How could she keep that from him?” Clear shook her head.
    “Erio was so worried about you. That's why I gave you special attention, so that he wouldn't worry as much and hopefully talk to her. But at least they're talking now.” Gray closed his eyes for a moment. She really went above and beyond, he thought, she tried that hard to help Hana?
    “Clearasonei?” He looked at her.
    “Yes?” She looked up.
    “You are really overlooked. You're one of the most thoughtful people I know. You gave all of your free time to watch over me so Erio could talk to Hana. That's amazing.”
    “Wha...th...thank you...” She looked down again.
    “C'mon, we've got a lot of work to do.” Gray started to walk away. Clear watched him for a moment, than ran to catch up, smiling,
    “Yes, we do!”


    “OK...Hana, what's wrong? You haven't said a word since this morning.” Erio held the cafeteria door open while Hana walked through slowly. When they sat at a table, the lieutenant finally spoke,
    “Erio...my mother....she...” She stopped.
    “What happened? Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her in a week.” Hana began to sob,
    “She died last night.” Erio was taken aback.
    “She died!? How?”
    “Runde Illness.” Erio sighed.
    “Hana, I'm sorry.” He inched closer. Hana shook her head.
    “There's nothing we can do about it. I guess I should've seen this coming, she was 40...”
    “Yeah, that's really long for an Alkalite.” Suddenly, Hana wiped her face, then looked around.
    “But something was very strange about it. Have you noticed that the Alkalites have been dying exactly the same time as their time of birth?” Erio scratched his head.
    “Huh, I have.”
    “But only those who live to be 35.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “Well, I pulled some records...this started a month ago, back in July. If an Alkalite lives to be 35, they die exactly, to the second, at the same time they were born.” Kel paused. Erio spoke up,
    “That's very strange.”
    “I know. Since Runde Alkali has a different effect on different people, why is the time of death unified? On top of that, most deaths are labeled like normal: 'natural causes'. But some, I'd say about 27%, were classified.” Erio blinked,
    “Classified? I thought Logistics Officers had access to everything?”
    “Me too, but when I tried to access them, it said it required special Research Team clearance. Someone is researching something, and wants to keep it quiet.” Erio shook his head,
    “I'm not so sure you should look into this. If something happens...”
    “My mother was one of those classified. I have to find out what happened.” Erio bit his lip and thought a moment.
    “Alright, this seems big. Kel, go ahead, but be careful. And let me know everything significant.” Hana nodded,
    “I won't tell anyone, but we can tell Gray and Clear, they'd want to know. But let's tell them after lunch?”
    “Heh, yeah. I'm pretty hungry.” The pair left the table to bet some food from the cafeteria counter.


    Grayson sucked on his thumb, while smoke curled around his head. He had just shorted out a mini power module, and shocked his thumb. Clearasonei was berating him for it.
    “See? I told you the Bacteria Sanitizer has to be connected to the power source first, not the Intake Control!” Grayson waved her away with his free hand.
    “Yeah, I heard. But the Vital Stabilizer in the book is different from the one for Mk.III.”
    “Which was based on the design from the book. Look, we can make tweaks later, just build it according to this.” She pointed to the book. Gray sighed,
    “Alright, you win. You know, you can be pretty bossy sometimes.” Clear placed her hands on her hips,
    “Oh? So you don't want my help?”
    “No, I didn't say that. There.” He had fixed the module, and set it in the right place.
    “Well, if you do want my help, don't call me bossy.”
    “Fair enough. Could you pass me that extra solder?” She handed him a small roll, “Thanks.”
    “The way you two argue, you could be siblings.” Clear turned around. A tall man in a lab coat stood there. She smiled,
    “Oh, Dr. Trey. Can we help you?” The Development Director pushed up his square glasses,
    “No, it's just policy to check in when I see smoke. What are you working on?” Gray finished soldering some connections in place and looked up,
    “Vital Stabilizer. G.Mk.II didn't filter my air or keep my heart rate in the green.”
    “Ah, I see. Say, wasn't G.Mk.II destroyed?” Gray nodded,
    “Yeah, last mission. I was hit by a rail-gun.” Dr. Trey whistled.
    “I'm surprised you weren't in the MedBay longer than you were. Well, glad to have our best inventor back in the labs. And there you have it,” he pushed up his glasses again, “More smoke over there. Must be Tennyson. Gotta go.” The doctor walked away. Clear smiled again,
    “I like Dr. Trey.” Gray chuckled,
    “Yeah, the geek's a great guy.” Clear was about to yell at him for his remark when Kel and Erio walked up to their table.
    “Hey guys,” Erio said, “We need to talk alone, like right now. Could you come?” Gray looked at a clock on the wall,
    “What about? It's only 2 o'clock and we've got a lot of work to do, so it's gotta be important.” Kel took a step forward.
    “It's about my mother. It's very important.” Clear nodded,
    “It should be okay, right Gray?” Gray closed up his development table.
    “Yeah, I guess. We can talk in my room.” Hana shook her head,
    “No. Somewhere without cameras. A place only the four of us know about- The Stronghold.” Erio smiled,
    “I remember The Stronghold. It's been years. We used to hang out there, remember?” Clear shook her head,
    “I don't remember much of it, but let's go.”


    Ten minutes later, after getting permission to leave the Alliance Headquarters for a night out, the four were on their way to their old clubhouse, deep in the Gale district of the surrounding city of Derrand. Just a short walk from HQ, they reached it on foot easily. The Stronghold was a decrepit, early 21st century coffee-shop using the same name. After sitting for nearly two centuries without being touched (except for the occasional raider searching for vintage items), the coffee-shop was in terrible condition. It was in worse shape than the last time they had been there, almost 5 years ago. When Gray tried to open the door, it nearly fell off it's hinges.
    “Well,” he said,” Welcome back to The Stronghold, Team Freedom.” Erio coughed,
    “Wow, I had forgotten we used to call ourselves that. Just look at this place. Brings back a lot of memories, eh?” Hana nodded, then pointed to an old mini-fusion lantern,
    “Check out the lantern. It's still here.” Clear stared at a booth near the cracked window,
    “Remember your first date? Gray and I served the food.” Hana laughed,
    “Yeah, pancakes.”
    “With some kind of oatmeal.” Erio shook his head, “One of the best nights of my life.” Gray had picked up a data-photo.
    “Hey guys, look. It's a picture of us. We looked so young...” Hana took the picture,
    “We were young. But we're older now, and we have a crisis.”
    “I wouldn't call it that yet,” Erio sat at the booth, “just a mystery.” Clearasonei nodded and sat across from him,
    “He's right. What's going on?” Hana took a seat next to Erio and began relating the odd info to them, while Grayson paced nearby.
    “...And the worst part is, we're all Alkalites, so whatever's happening, it could happen to us.” Gray shook his head,
    “Something's wrong.”
    “I know,” Erio said, “that's why Kel's looking into it.” Hana nodded,
    “Yeah, and I'll let you guys know anything I find out.” Gray held a hand out in front of himself,
    “No, I mean I have a really bad feeling about this.” Clear stood up,
    “Well, no matter what, we need to know what's going on.” Erio nodded,
    “I agree,” he looked outside, “We should be heading back.” After taking a final look around The Stronghold, the four left the building and headed back to HQ.


    The next several days were uneventful; Kel had found nothing, except four more files added to the “Classified” list. Grayson, aided by Clear and Erio, made fast progress on Ghost's new suit. All that was needed were a few modifications to the helmet.
    “Blast-shield's done,” said Erio as he sealed the helmet back together. Clear was writing notes, and Grayson was working on a more efficient scanning system,
    “ScanBlok is still out of my reach. I just can't figure out an ECM system to counter it. Anyway, the Neural Input is finished.” Clear cautioned him,
    “Now, Gray, be careful. Using mental waves as an input source can be dangerous.” Gray sighed and put the helmet on,
    “I know, I know. Erio, link the helmet with the rest of Mk.III.” Erio moved to a nearby keyboard and pressed a few keys. The helmet came online, along with the suit. “Great. So far, so good. Now to test everything...” Dr. Trey walked up. He was immediately impressed.
    “Looks like you've finished! And in only nine days!” Grayson shook his head,
    “Not yet. Just testing the Neural Input, then we'll be finished.”
    “Neural Input?”
    “Yes, G.Mk.I relied on buttons for different commands. We proved that to be a bad idea with the rail-car incident.” He emphasized by rubbing his back, “And G.Mk.II relied on vocal input. It was better, but still a little less effective than possible. With Direct Neural Input, reaction time is all I'd need to worry about.” The suit turned invisible. Dr. Trey pointed in it's direction,
    “Did you do that?” Grayson nodded,
    “I guess it works.”
    “Amazing! Mr. Grayson, you've done it again! Yet another invention!” Dr. Trey clasped hands with Gray, “Congratulations! This will- well, hold on a moment, the Franklin twins are at it again.” He ran off towards two young children playing with electrical equipment.


    “You're back on duty just on time, Ghost,” Said the dispatcher behind the counter, “The Council has assigned you to an interesting mission.” Grayson had finished all of the final adjustments on G.Mk.III, and was getting ready to accept missions again.
    “Already?” he asked.
    “Yes. It seems You've made a friend out of Ben Cook. He's requested you.”
    “And I'm supposed to meet him!? Are they crazy?” The dispatcher shook his head,
    “He's managed to kidnap an agent you may know: Judgment.”
    “Judgment? Yeah, I know him. How'd he get kidnapped?”
    “We don't know. He was doing some recon when his signal just disappeared. When his S.T.R.a.M. Agent sent a recovery unit, we lost contact with them as well. We received a transmission from Ben Cook requesting you, saying that if you did not show up at the designated location, Judgment will have some 'problems'.” Gray shook his head,
    “Alright, I'll go.”
    “One more thing. Since your recent failure, and seeing as you've encountered Cook before, this will be a Dual Mission. Here are the details.” The dispatcher handed him a data-pad. Gray began to read it as he headed to the dormitories for find Erio.


    “They want me to go with you?” Erio read the mission details, “But who will do my work for both of us?” Grayson shrugged,
    “It says Judgment's S.T.R.a.M. Agent. You remember Carusel?”
    “Yeah, the red-head with the attitude?” Gray nodded,
    “Yup, She's taking care of your job. Apparently, she's had experience with Dual Missions. We have one issue still- if General Fisher is there, he's going to have his soldiers. You need some sort of bullet-proof protection, just in case.” Erio thought for a moment,
    “Ah! The Alliance Marines. Their armor is relatively bullet-proof, and the range of motion is great. I'll just use my old pack.” Gray nodded,
    “That'll work. Have you tried to use your powers recently?”
    “Uh, yeah...” Erio scratched his head, “about a week ago.” Gray raised an eyebrow,
    “Theft get on your nerves again?”
    “That kid asked for it. He stole my cookie at lunch, and you know how much I like cookies. I just pushed him back a couple of feet.” Gray nodded,
    “Alright, guess he-” Erio's RoomCom beeped. Erio answered,
    “S.T.R.a.M. Densetsu reporting.” Kel came in from the other side,
    “Erio, Gray, they're sending you out now.”
    “Now? We just got the assignment.”
    “I know; it seems Cook is threatening to...terminate Judgment.” Gray shook his head.
    “This is getting out of hand. Erio, let's go.”


    The sun was setting as Ghost and Densetsu spotted one of General Fisher's troops. Den was about to leap onto the unsuspecting soldier when Ghost held him back.
    “Hold on a minute.”
    “Why!?” From their position on top of an abandoned crane, Ghost pointed out three snipers holed up inside different buildings.
    “That's why. Carusel? We could use some Intel.” The team's recon agent responded over the radio,
    “Roger that. This report says that Ben Cook wanted you to meet with him to retrieve Judgment. The location, which is where you are now, is the Bunker District of Derrand. The Bunker District is the center of Derrand; no waterways, no alleys, just streets and buildings. This probably means Cook doesn't intend to retreat, yet, he probably just wants to kill you.”
    “Why me?”
    “I'm guessing because he thinks you're the top F.A. You know, 'Destroy the Symbol, Destroy the Morale'-”
    “'Destroy the People', I got it,” Densetsu butted in,
    “Does he expect a second agent?” Carusel paused,
    “We don't know.” Densetsu looked at Ghost,
    “You go in, I got your back.” Ghost nodded,
    “Keep coms open, switch to channel 13P.”
    “Will you just get out there?! My partner is in danger!” Carusel was getting impatient. Ghost went into fighting stance,
    “Here goes nothing. Mission Start!” Immediately, he disappeared from view. Den spun, looking for his partner,
    “Ghost?” It was silent. A moment later, one of the snipers fell out of the 20 story building to the north, “Oh. G.Mk.III is faster too.” Ghost came back in,
    “Yeah, Clear had some great ideas for the PhysChrono V2; it's a lot smoother now. This-darn it!” The radio fuzzed out for a second as Ghost defended against a small squad of soldiers, “I just don't get it, why can they see me? I upgraded the stealth systems! Carusel, what's ROE? Can I eliminate?” Carusel nodded back at HQ,
    “Yes, you have permission to kill the tin-heads.” Densetsu smiled,
    “Don't go overboard.” Ghost slashed through a soldier,
    “When do I ever?” He quickly dispatched the remaining three soldiers, “Alright, Den, make your way to the north building, the rendezvous is right beyond it. You should...yeah, you have a perfect view from the 12th floor. Carusel, I've spotted Ben. Judgment's nearby.” Ghost activated his helmet's binoculars, “He's okay, he just has some sort of restraint. What is that...?” Ghost paused. Den was curious,
    “What's what?” Ghost shook his head,
    “Looks like some sort of mechanical soldier next to him. It's just like a human, but blue and without skin. It's holding the rail-gun on it's shoulder, but the rail-gun's been modified. It might just be a bodyguard, but I'll be careful. No sign of General Fisher, though. Everything clear on your end, Den?” An explosion rang out two floors below him, on floor 10. Carusel burst into the radio,
    “Ghost! I've lost Densetsu's signal! He was right behind you, what happened?!” Ghost ran towards the center of the room,
    “I don't know, but he's fighting something.” Another explosion, “He's having fun with it. Opening passive radio. Specter! Scan for Densetsu's signal.” Specter began a radar search,
    “Yes, sir.” A short pause, “Signal found, location confirmed.” Specter displayed a mini-map on Ghost's HUD.
    “Carusel, he's one level below me.” Ghost looked out of the window. Rubble from the explosions had flown to Ben's feet, but he remained in the same position as before, “Carusel? Specter, what's wrong with the radio contact?” Specter beeped,
    “Transmission jammer. Location, unknown.” A third explosion broke through the floor, pushing Ghost against the wall. Even before the dust settled, Ghost could hear Densetsu's punches. His kinetic Gauntlets glowed a deep red through the fog as his fists connected repeatedly with a multiple-armed Mechanoid.
    “C'mon, Ghost! This thing could take us both! I could use some help.” Ghost moved a stone block out of his way,
    “Already on it.” The Sonic Splitter materialized into his hand as he dashed behind the Mechanoid. Before he could slash through some vulnerable wiring, the Mechanoid reached behind itself and grabbed him by the neck. Den aimed his fist and let out a burst of energy, shoving the Mechanoid through the wall. The hand released Ghost, and while he fell, he replaced the Sonic Splitter with a small particle cannon. The Mechanoid recovered, and began to run towards the pair. Densetsu leapt into the air and collided a fist into it's shoulder, spinning it around. Ghost took advantage of the opening, and fired a shot through the Mechanoid's main wiring. Disabled, the Mechanoid fell to a knee and ground to a halt. Walking up to the metal mass, Densetsu laughed,
    “Ah, it feels great to be out here again!” Ghost nodded, walking to the window,
    “Yeah, but it's not like this all the time, though. Wait-!” Judgment was still tied to the chair, but Ben Cook was gone. He left behind the android. “Den, Ben is gone.” Suddenly, the chest-piece of the Mechanoid exploded, sending a shock wave that pushed Ghost out of the window. Densetsu was tripped to the ground, facing the other direction. He heard static in his comlink, then Carusel's voice burst in,
    “...heard something, F.A.'s respond!”
    “Agent Densetsu reporting. Had a run-in with a six-armed Mechanoid. I guess the thing was also blocking transmissions, 'cuz now we can hear you.”
    “Sheesh, I thought something had gone wrong again. What's Ghost's status?” Densetsu looked around the room,
    “I don't know. He was here before the explosion...” He looked out of the window, “Darn it! Ghost fell out of the window! I can't make contact from here.”
    “Should I send a MedTeam?” Densetsu shook his head,
    “Not yet. Lemme check it out first, he's probably alright.” Skirting the hole in the floor to get to the door, Densetsu was met with several of General Fisher's troops, headed by General Fisher himself. Fisher's gauntlet's sparked into a fury of electricity and molten metal,
    “You aren't Ghost. Who are you!?” Densetsu bowed regally,
    “Agent Densetsu at your service, General Fisher,” Densetsu's face was grim, “It's a pleasure to finally meet the guy who injured my partner.” Fisher raised an eyebrow,
    “So you're his S.T.R.a.M? Well, at any rate, Cook told me to prevent anyone other than Ghost from getting to Judgment.” Densetsu shook his head,
    “It's my job to back him up, no matter what.”
    “So, it's an impasse?” Densetsu's eyes began to glow red,
    “No, I'm getting through.”


    Ghost awoke from unconsciousness with the help of the Vitals Stabilizer. Specter had increased the impact resistance levels of the armor before Ghost had impacted the ground, so he was almost unhurt. Although his vision was blurry and he was slightly dizzy, Ghost stood up to get his bearings.
    “Ungh...Specter...what happened?”
    “Recalling...Mechanoid exploded, force from shock wave resulted in being expelled from building at a rate of 42.8 MPH. Fall was approximately 150 feet. I increased armor stability before impact.”
    “Thanks Specter. Now, try to reestablish connection with Carusel, and scan immediate area.” His eyesight had finally cleared, so he looked around. He was at ground level, in the old Bunker Park. Where grass had grown years before, dirt covered the ground. The Bunker District had been deserted since a terrorist attack two years before, when every android and mechanoid's AI was corrupted by a wireless system, and began attacking humans. “Perfect place for an engineer. Huh? What's this?” He spotted Judgment, but right next to him was what seemed to be a Military Android covered in blue Magnite armor, stronger than steel. It was armed with a shoulder-mounted rail-gun, similar to the one developed by ThorTech. Specter beeped,
    “Communication's unresolvable. Scan complete: Agent Judgment and offline MA directly north of current position.” Suddenly, a blast of electricity bolted from behind, sending dirt flying. Ghost looked up at the building behind him,
    “Densetsu! He's still inside!”
    “Don't worry about him, he wont be joining us.” Ghost spun around. Ben Cook had reappeared, and was standing near Judgment, who looked unconscious now that Ghost was near enough.
    “Cook!” Ben strode slowly towards Ghost, his blindness apparent,
    “Yes, and you are Ghost, number 1 Agent of the Alliance. I won't delay you, you know my goal. Since you're the best in the Alliance, if this,” he pointed to the MA, “the MA Gunrat, can defeat you in combat, well, the Alliance is next. Think of this as a testing session. Win, you free Judgment. Lose, you die. Don’t hold back!” Cook took a step backwards, and a silver Mech Exo-suit uncloaked, “Good luck. If we meet again, we'll test something new.” He turned and stepped into the cockpit of the Exo-suit. It's engine primed, and the Mech ran off, disappearing. Specter picked up a signal, and alerted Ghost,
    “The MA Gunrat has been activated.” The Gunrat stood full height, and let out a mechanical roar. Ghost took out the Sonic Splitter,
    “Great. Well, here goes nothing!”