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Half-Mask Series
By Hytac

FOREWORD

This fanfic has been inspired by the M.A.S.K. RPG. I used to write for it under the pseudonym ‘Inaya Vendun’. Unfortunately, the RPG was shut down. Unwilling to abandon the story ideas I already had biased on the story line, I’ve decided to continue it, with some alterations, of course. To Jarod Kowalski and the M.A.S.K. RPG. team, who started the whole thing, I give my thanks. I am aware I am not the only one to write ‘M.A.S.K. Returns’ stories, but I’ll try to make mine as different from Dark-Eternity or anyone else’s as possible.-Hytac

Episode 1: “Phase One”
Novel Format The courtroom was silent, except for the judge’s droning.

“Miles Mayhem. Guilty on all counts. Sentence, life imprisonment with no chance of parole.”

“Maximus Mayhem. Guilty on all counts. Sentence, life imprisonment with no chance of parole until twenty years of time served.”

“Sly Rax, Guilty on all counts…”

As the sentences were read out, a team of men and women listened in the benches. In the front row, several men and a boy were seated. The first was older, possessing dark hair, glasses and a moustache. The second was younger, with blonde hair and held the hand of his son, a young boy with curly brown hair. The third was a man who looked Chinese or Japanese, if one could tell. An older man was next, a large bearded man on whom the signs of age were showing. Next to him was another man, much younger, with ruddy brown hair. They were all clad in suits.

The last sentence was read. “Vanessa Warfield. Guilty on all counts. Sentence, life imprisonment with no chance of parole until twenty five years of time served.”

An audible sigh could be heard, although the source could not be found. One by one, the prisoners were led out of the courtroom. One of them, a corpulent man with graying hair, glared at the blonde man as he passed. The blonde man gazed grimly back, his son glaring and sticking his tongue out. A nudge from his father reprimanded him, and he ceased the gesture.

An attractive woman, with red hair and a streak of black at the forehead formed the last of the prisoners. As she passed the men, her eyes locked with the eyes of another, the man with ruddy hair. They gazed at each other for a moment, then she was led by the guard out of the room. The young man’s face had been impassive, but now it was wistful as he gazed after the woman.

“The court is adjourned.” Said the judge. Collectively, the men rose and exited the courtroom. The blonde man stopped at the stairs, turning to the Asian man.

“Well Bruce, I guess that’s it. It’s done.” He said as his young son ran to the waiting car. “The last meeting of the M.A.S.K.”

“Your father and brother would have been proud of you, Matt. You’ve accomplished what you sought for. But the truth is, I’m going to miss the M.A.S.K.”

Matt Trakker nodded, thinking of the organization that had been part of his life for so long. “Most of the P.N.A. think that the M.A.S.K. is needed to longer.” Duane Kennedy had said. “They think we can hold the peace ourselves now that the V.E.N.O.M is gone.”

Could they? Somehow, Matt Trakker felt rather doubtful of the fact.

******

SIX YEARS LATER

In the shadows of the dark alley, the man paused. Every instinct he possessed screamed for his to leave the place. The alley was a perfect setting for a mugging, a murder, or any other despicable crime the darkest of humanity could ever dream of. Yet a calling far stronger than fear had drawn him here. Maybe it was revenge, or maybe it was hope. He didn’t know himself.

“That you, sugah?” A voice cut through the darkness, the perkiness and vivacity seeming out of place with the environment.

He spun around. She walked out of the shadows, every aspect of her features as he remembered them. Blond hair, a cheerful smile and a pair of blue eyes that always seemed to be laughing. The last time he had seen her was at a remote garage far away from New York. “Great Thunder, Tanya Catkin.” He exclaimed. “You don’t look any different since I last saw you.”

“Hi’ya Clutch.” She said. “It’s been’ah long time.”

They exchanged greetings for a while, then he sobered and got down to business. “It’s great to see old friends, Cat, but we’d better get out of sight. Where’s the E-man?”

“John’s back at the base. Follow me.” She said, disappearing into the shadows. He followed blindly, wondering how she could see in the dark. She located a hidden door in the brick wall and proceeded to open it. “Get in Clutch.” Said she.

The room was fairly dark. Only two people besides Tanya and himself could be seen. The first man to greet them was the E-man himself, a dark-headed man with a grim countenance. The second was a slender fellow, bearded, with a fairly dark complexion and even darker hair which was tied back in a ponytail. He knew the E-man, but the second was a stranger to him.

“Clutch Hawks.” Greeted the E-man. “There you are at last.”

“John Canmore.” He replied and paused. “Well, I’m here and I’m ready. Who is that?” he asked, meaning the slender man“Clutch,” John Canmore introduced. “Meet Rene Tajuddin, codename Runner. He’ll be helping us tonight.”

“Does he know about everything?” he asked.

“Not really.” Runner said, joining in. “I just know things are not what they seem and an evil light must be countered by the good shadows before the light can blind all. A great evil threatens us, and even those who have protected us shall fall if they do not have the help of the arcane.”

“Man, you remind me of Bruce.” Clutch said. “He used to talk like that.”

“It’s very brave of you to risk helping us, Clutch.” E-man told him. “You don’t have to, you know.”

“Look John, I’ll do anything to get back at the creeps who ruined my life. And if I can stop them, then it’s even better.”

“Poor Tess.” Cat said sadly. “It’s her death anniversary today.” Clutch nodded, remembering the woman he would have married. She had died almost six years ago, on that very day.

“This is all strange to me.” Said Runner. “ John, I trust you with my life, but I would feel most grateful if you could explain it to me. What is it that we are to do tonight?”

“We are going to provide the a reason for the existence of the M.A.S.K.. It’s been disbanded, but we’re going to restart it. We need all the help we can get. The Acolytes move fast and they’ll destroy all opposition if they can.”

“What for?” Runner quizzed.

“Ours is an illegal operation, remember? We’ll need someone who can work openly. Our operation needs allies, and the M.A.S.K. is as good as anyone we can get.”

“I don’t see why we should continue doing this the hard way.” Runner said. “Why can’t you just work with the government openly? The P.N.A will surely help.” E-man shook his head.

“Tried that.” he said. “Didn’t work. I went to see the president of the P.N.A. seven months ago… Duane Kennedy has resigned and his successor, an Elisabeth Cathandra, was not very supportive. She threw me out of her office when I tried to convince her the Acolytes were a real threat.”

“Ouch.” Said Clutch.

“There’s something going on within the P.N.A., but I don’t know what. That’s why I had to set up our little organization here. The Acolyte threat is great, and we must start on the building of our defenses as soon as possible. If we wait for the P.N.A., it will be too late. And even if it wasn’t, they wouldn’t be strong enough. Those androids can’t be defeated only by technology. We need something else besides that.”

“And what would that be?”

“He just told ya’h.” Cat told him. “Allies.”

“Not just any allies.” E-man added. “Like Runner said, they need to be arcane as well.”

******

ONE MONTH LATER
P.N.A. HEADQUARTERS

“Access Denied.” Said the computer screen in angry red letters.

“See? I told you, our new security system is impassable.” Estefan said proudly. “I’ve tried to get every hot shot with a computer to crack it. No successes.”

“Nothing is impossible, Est.” Scott Trakker replied as he sent a rapid stream of commands to the computer. Estefan folded his arms and watched with a skeptical smile as Scott attempted to crack the system. After several failures, he began grinning even more broadly.

“Scott,” he finally spoke. “just admit it. You can’t crack that system.”

“Yes I can.” Scott said as he tried another line of attack, determined to keep his reputation. Estefan watched on, ready to jump on his first faux pas. He had been working for the P.N.A. for six months, and Scott had found his perfectionist colleague trying in more ways than one. Still, Scott found him somehow likable.

Estefan Bailey was a giant of a man. That was the closest Scott could get to describing him. Ruggedly built, over six feet tall, and possessing the bulk of a bodybuilder. Add the fact that he could use any weapon like it was an extension of him and you had one of the most dangerous men alive.

“I know you cracked Pentagon and all.” Estefan was saying. “But this will be different. This is now the most sophisticated security system existing.”

“Not anymore.” Scott suddenly said, grinning as green letters, accompanied by a beep, contradicted Estefan. “Entry Authorized.” The huge man’s jaw dropped as he saw his cherished system defeated by a 20-year old. Estefan gaped for a while, and shut his mouth firmly.

“You win.” Estefan said, shaking his head. “How did you do that I have no idea, but you certainly deserve that reputation of yours.”

Scott grinned once more and said: “I’ll help you patch up the holes in your system. It’s not really a bad system, but there are a few flaws in it. Here, let me show…”

“Trakker! Bailey!” Called a sharp female voice. “Orders from Cathandra. We’re to report at her office. Something’s come up.” A tall angular woman, about forty years of age, stood at the doorway.

“What for?” Scott asked, curious.

“Don’t know. Let’s go and we’ll find out.” The woman, whose name was Jane Reynolds, said. “C’mon. Alan said this was extremely urgent.”

“If our vice-president says it serious, it’s serious.” Estefan said as he got up and followed Jane and Scott who were heading for the office. Inwardly, Scott wondered what the matter could possibly be.

As the trio hurried through the massive complex that was the P.N.A. headquarters, Scott couldn’t help feeling excited. Working for the P.N.A. was exciting as anything he ever dreamed of, but there was something missing in it. Scott had always craved adventure, and his father being the M.A.S.K. leader had supplied some of that. But the M.A.S.K. was no more now.

Scott still longed to become a M.A.S.K. agent, but over half a decade had passed since the end of the M.A.S.K.-V.E.N.O.M. war and the need for the M.A.S.K. was gone. Scott still rankled over the shutting down of the M.A.S.K., but he knew certain people had wanted it that way. Perhaps it was better, but Scott didn’t think so.

They reached the office. Beth Cathandra was sitting as her desk. On the opposite side of it was the vice-president of the P.N.A., Alan McHymn. They were discussing, or rather, arguing over some matter or other.

“I tell you, this is serious.” Argued Alan. “We need to restart the team right away.” Beth did not look pleased. She was about to answer Alan when she caught sight of them outside the door.

“Reynolds, Bailey, Trakker,” She said, looking rather relieved. “Come in.”

The three obeyed and seated themselves. Alan wiped off the unpleasant expression that had been on his face and smiled wryly at the trio. Younger than his superior, Alan was the more amiable of the two. While Beth was a bit on the domineering side, Alan was just the opposite.

“I’m glad you got here on such a short notice.” Beth said. “it seems we have some problems that require your help.”

“We’ve called you here on a matter of great importance.” Alan told them. “It seems that we have a problem. We have a new enemy, and he is getting to be more of a problem than our standard forces are able to handle.”

Three pairs of eyebrows were raised. “And what is it, sir?” Scott asked.

Beth answered before Alan could. “A certain organization has been prying into our computers and facilities. Several of our computers have been broken into. Not the main P.N.A. computers, of course.” She added, seeing the disbelief on Estefan’s face. “But some of our other branches. Important data has been stolen.”

“And all of them regarding the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand.” Added Alan. “We fear a return of the V.E.N.O.M.. Therefore, we are restarting the M.A.S.K.”

All three looked astonished. “Correction, Mr. McHymn.” Beth interrupted. “We are not restarting the M.A.S.K. We are merely assembling a small specialized strike force to take out this threat. It is not serious enough to warrant a full scale reaction like what you have suggested.”

Alan looked cross again, but he knew better than to argue with his superior. “Serious… hah! You wouldn’t know serious if it hit you on the head.” He grumbled in a voice only Scott could hear.

“We chose you three as we know you to be reliable and suitable for the task. You will be joined by two other agents I have selected. Alan will brief you on this.” With that, she dismissed them. Alan picked up several files from Beth’s desk and followed them. Once outside the door, he said: “To the briefing room. I’ll explain all this more thoroughly.”

Once they were there, Alan heaved a sigh of relief and put down his files. The briefing room was fashioned after the one at Boulder Hill. In fact, it bore such similarity that nostalgia always swept over Scott when he entered it.

“First of all, I’d like to let you know all that I say must not leave this room.” Alan began. “And second, I want you to know this is important, despite our president’s lack of concern over this matter. I’m afraid she is rather prejudiced over this matter as it is too closely related to… certain matters.”

“The Mobile Armored Strike Kommand.” Jane stated, sharp witted as ever.

Scott was surprised but Alan nodded. “Beth Cathandra has never liked the M.A.S.K.,” he said. “when it was active, she was one of the several people who protested against its existence. If fact, she played a hand in it being shut down.”

“That explains all the ruckus six years ago.” Jane said. “I worked under her then. There was a lot of bad blood between Beth and Duane Kennedy. Especially over Matt Trakker and the M.A.S.K..”

“What?” Scott looked even more astonished. “You mean…”

“Beth never liked your father, Scott.” Jane told him. “If fact, I was surprised she let you work here.”

“I wouldn’t know. I joined the P.N.A. after all that happened.” Estefan said.

“But back to business, ladies and gentlemen,” Alan interrupted. “I wish we could officially restart the M.A.S.K., but I am only Beth’s subordinate, and I can’t go against her orders unless something or someone can convince her to do that. Anyway, I have here all the information I have managed to gather about our enemy.” Alan picked up a folder and opened.

“I did a bit of researching and hypothesizing.” He said. “I think I know who is responsible for the espionage attempts.” Alan took something out of the folder and passed it to the agents. It was a personal report of the suspected ring leader. Clipped to it was a single photo, showing the man’s face.

“His name is John Engelmann Canmore. Underground, he is usually known by the nickname E-man. Whether that’s short for Engelmann, we don’t know. He’s extremely gifted in espionage and combat. He is reputed to have very great powers of persuasion, his main ability being able to convince people to join his cause. He has a talent when it comes to deception, but this man is not mentally sound.”

“He came to the P.N.A. office about eight months ago, trying to get us to give him help on a certain project he was running. He insisted that certain beings known as Acolytes were about to mount a war against us and we had better prepare for them. There was not enough evidence to back up his claim and we were forced to remove him when he refused to leave the building.”

“Now he must be running this ‘Acolyte Defense Team’ or something of a similar vein underground. We suspect he has other ends of his own, but we can’t say without being certain.”

Scott scanned the report and made mental note to find out more about this man. Estefan and Jane both looked serious. “I suppose we get to work at once?” Jane asked. “And what about those two other agents?”

“They will be arriving shortly. Their names are Jacob Harridan and Inaya Vendun. The latter is a rookie, but she has had very good reports from her trainer. Harridan is an expert in culture, history, and languages. Vendun is more of a biologist, but she is trained in stealth and infiltration as well.”

“Scott’s a computer genius, I’m the brawn and Jane’s the brains.” Estefan quipped seriously, if such a thing were possible. “They’ll compliment us.”

“I suppose we check out the Canmore home.” Jane said. “I dare say we’ll find some things of interest.” Alan agreed.

“Please keep in mind while John Canmore is not mentally sound, it does not mean he is a fool. This man is extremely dangerous. He is capable of killing you all.” He warned. “And he won’t hesitate to do it either.”

“I’ll take care of the weapons.” Estefan said.

“There’s no need.” Alan said, suddenly looking very sly. “I have arranged for certain things to be uh…taken out of retirement.” He pressed a button on the console and to their astonishment and Scott’s delight, a rack descended from the ceiling. On it were several very familiar looking masks.

Scott turned to Alan. “Those things were in Boulder Hill…you brought them here?” Alan nodded.

“The vehicles as well. I have ordered them repaired and they should be quite functional. You are entitled to chose which mask you would prefer to use.”

Jane took Aura and Estefan, Blaster. Scott hesitated between Lifter and Spectrum, but favored his father’s mask for some reasons he could not explain. “The vehicles are in the hangar.” Alan informed them. “You’d better try them our before you go rushing off to war in them.”

“We will.” Said Estefan.

“Scott.” Alan called as he left the room.

“What?” he asked, turning around.

“I’m sorry to say this, but remember what I told you. No one else is to know of this. Not even your father.” Scott stared at the man for several minutes, and nodded.

“I will.” Scott promised, but inwardly, he wondered if he could keep his promise.

*******

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

John Engelmann Canmore could feel something was wrong. His inner voice was screaming out repeated warnings, and he wasn’t the type to ignore it.

He took another step. Yes, something was definitely wrong. Somebody was following him. He resisted the urge to look for the person, knowing it would tip the follower off. “Here am I, in trouble and on foot.” He groaned inwardly. But he didn’t let himself think of what he could have done to prevent the present scenario from happening. That, he could do later. His main worry now was to escape.

He quickly looked through his options and decided on his escape route. Thank goodness he knew the place like the back of his hand. Although he hadn’t seen his shadows yet, he could sense they meant him no good.

A red pickup passed him. Instantly, he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. The vehicle could fool almost any ordinary civilian, but John the E-man had seen the vehicle enough time to recognize it. Unless he was mistaken, it was the M.A.S.K. vehicle Firecracker.

Which meant the M.A.S.K. was active again. But why was it tailing him?

No time to answer the question. Though the side mirror of a parked car, he could see the red Camaro tailing him. While it was quiet in his neighbourhood, he could hear the distant whine of a motorcycle.

He was willing to bet that the jeep parked at the side of the road in front of him was the Gator. His senses reached out and searched for other possible assailants, but found no more. Four was enough. He continued in the direction he was heading, towards his house. He neared it, then passed it completely.

And entered the neighbourhood park. The sound of the motorbike was louder there, but abruptly, it stopped, like someone had shut off the engine. The Camaro cruised past the park, but there was a significant decrease in speed as it passed him. He caught a glimpse of the face that drove it. Most importantly, he saw the mask that sat in the passenger seat.

He stopped, pretending to be waiting for someone. The park playground was occupied by several other children, oblivious to the danger. John could see the two figures in the jeep still, a woman and a man. They were watching him without actually looking at him. The woman appeared to be putting on makeup, but John knew too well that she was watching him through the compact mirror. The man just looked bored, which was to compliment the act.

A jogger appeared at the other side of the park. John didn’t know the man, but he did his best to give the impression the jogger was the person he was waiting for. The jogger came from the woody part of the park that held the jogging tracks… and bordered the river. He quickly moved towards the jogger, knowing that the vehicles, perhaps save the motorbike, couldn’t follow him there. He almost grinned as he ran past the jogger and pretended to greet him. The jogger looked after him like he was insane, but John didn’t care. He broke into a run.

The jeep came to life as the two inside realized they had been tricked. John knew his shadow was probably on foot, and could easily follow him with the bike, but it wouldn’t matter in a few moments. Sure enough, the bike roared to life again, and this time, it was right behind him.

The chase was on.

******

“The sly worm!” cried Jane vehemently.

“Gator to Condor, Gator to Condor!” cried Jacob Harridan through the radio, his heavy Yorkshire accent raised in agitation. “Where did that bloody man go?”

“I’ve got him in my sights!” cried the voice of Inaya Vendun, who rode the Condor. “He’s heading for the river! Cut him off and be quick about it!”

“Keep him in sight, Condor, I’ll cover the air.” Said Scott from Thunderhawk.

“I’ll be on the other side of the park. If he tries to get out from there, he’ll have me to deal with!” Estefan said grimly.

“Helloooo? Gator, will you please hurry? He’s trying the escape by the water and the Condor’s not a Penguin!” Inaya warned. “The trees are too close for me to try flying.”

Jane maneuvered the Gator to the edge of the water and launched the boat.

“Over there!” cried Jacob, pointing at a figure at the water’s edge. Quickly, she headed for the area where the fugitive was. He was on the edge of the jogging track, and the Condor was closing in on him. But he was too fast. In a swift move, he plunged into the water before the Condor could intercept him. The Gator came too late to cut him off.

“He’ll have to come up for air!” Jane said as she headed for the ripples where he had dived in. Overhead, the Thunderhawk was circling and swooping. “Where is he?” Inaya was standing at the tracks, haven gotten off Condor. She pulled off her mask and plunged into the water in hot pursuit.

“Gator, do you have him?” came Scott’s voice. Inaya’s head broke the surface and she shook her head no, then dived again. Minutes later, she came up and still, there was no sighting of their quarry. “That guy…must have been… fish…in past life!” she gasped. “…can’t find him.”

“What the hell…” swore Jacob.

Said Jane, “I don’t believe this.”

There was no need to dispute what had happened. They knew. “Blast it!” imprecated Jacob crossly. “That bugger got away!”

“Aw gee...” gasped Inaya sarcastically as she heaved herself onto the bank. “I had…no idea.”

******

“He’s left nothing of value in his house.” Estefan said. “He obviously prepared himself in case he might have to clear out in a hurry.”

“I guess that’s what we get for assuming he’s stupid.” Commented Inaya, still wet from her swim. “He knew we were following all along.”

“If I were in a better mood, I’d laugh at us.” Said Scott.

“Hahahaha.” Said Inaya without humour. “That was all very exciting. Now what do we do?”

“We find out where he went.” Jane said. “he must have taken an underwater passage or something. I’ll look through maps of the city sewage systems and see if there’s one exit near where we lost him.”

“I’ll help you.” Offered Scott.

“I’ll go get some diving equipment.” Said Inaya. “I have a feeling we’re going to have another swim before long.”

“But we’ll have to report to Alan. He won’t like this.” Estefan said.

“If I were him, I think I wouldn’t either.” Said Scott.

******

“But how could you loose a man when you had him surrounded?” Alan had asked incredulously. Even through the communication screen, Scott had seen that he had had trouble believing what Estefan had said.

“We don’t know ourselves. There must be underground tunnels leading away from the river.”

“Actually, there are.” Scott had broken in. “I scanned the area with Spectrum. There’s and old sewage tunnel under the park. According to Jane, it’s not used now and sealed off because it was rendered unstable by seismic activity in the area.”

“Send me the coordinates of your location and the abandoned tunnel’s.” Alan had then ordered. “Then go after Mr. Canmore. I’ll send P.N.A. commandos to reopen the sealed end of the tunnel. We’ll catch him at both ends. But be careful, he may be armed.”

“So are we.” Estefan had said.

They had left the Thunderhawk and had begun putting on the diving gear that Inaya had procured. All of them, with the exception of Jacob, could dive to some extent. The Gator was still in the water, in the same spot where they had lost their man. Jacob was to wait in the Gator, in case Canmore gave them the slip and tried to get out the same way he came in. They had to leave their masks behind, however, as they could not carry them or wear them. Inaya had commented on it and the various ways the masks could be improved. For their protection, they each had particle blasters provided by Estefan.

“Ready?” asked Inaya, who seemed to be the most experienced in diving. They nodded and fell backwards from the Gator into the water. Scott could feel the cold of the river sapping away at his endurance. He hoped that they wouldn’t have to stay in the water for too long. Luckily, they quickly found the tunnel and minutes later, he was out of the river and walking in knee-high water.

“He’s in here somewhere.” Jane was saying. “This tunnel is sealed off further on. There’s only one way out and that’s the entrance. We’ll split up into two groups.” She continued. “The seismic activity has caused some parts of the tunnel to be damaged. There are several side tunnels or crevices leading nowhere, and he could be hiding in one of them.”

“Jane and I will go ahead until we reach where the tunnel is supposed to be sealed. We’ll meet the P.N.A. commandos there. You two search the side passages and keep an eye on this side of the tunnel.” Said Estefan.

“Whatever you say.” Said Inaya. Scott could see she didn’t like the idea of splitting up, but since she was only a rookie, she couldn’t say too much. Estefan and Jane disappeared into the darkness.

“I guess we’ll take this tunnel.” Scott said to Inaya as he spotted the first one, roughly eight feet in height and four feet wide. “I’m right behind you.” She answered. Scott shone his torch around the small area but found nothing. “All clear.” He called out. “There’s no one in here. You’d better look ahead for other openings.”

“I’ll go ahead.” She said and went off. Scott looked around one more time, hoping to find something. Satisfied that that tunnel was clear, he got out and went along the main passage until he reached where Inaya was standing.

“Over here.” she called. She was waiting in front of an opening, which was more a crevice than a tunnel. “I’ll wait outside.” She told him. This one’s too small for both of us to get in at the same time. Call if you need help. I’ll watch the main passage.”

Scott agreed and went in. The crevice, although narrow, was deeper than the last one, and he soon lost sight of Inaya and the main passage. Still, he found no one. He headed back, calling: “There’s no one here.” He was glad Inaya hadn’t come in with him, as it was so narrow he could barely turn around. He thought he heard an answer from her, but he couldn’t make out what she said. Finally, he got back to the tunnel entrance.

“Inaya, what did you sa…” he began, then trailed off and stared. She was not standing in front of the entrance to the side passage. An inexplicable fear rose in him. “Inaya?” He hurried out. She was nowhere to be seen.

The next moment, a deafening explosion threw him off his feet. A fiery glow could be seen from the sealed end of the tunnel. Instinctively, he leapt into the water as a flame wave roared through the tunnel and headed for him. Submerged underwater, he could see the inferno pass him and disappear. Someone had detonated an incendiary bomb of some sort. Debris rained down, and for a moment Scott was afraid that the tunnel might collapse. Fortunately, it didn’t.

Scott got out of the water when the fire had passed him. He didn’t even want to think of what had happened to his friends. “Estefan? Jane?” he yelled. “Inaya?” To his relief, he saw a huge figure that was Estefan wading towards him. As Estefan came closer, Scott was shocked to see the man was limping and his clothes were scorched. “Scott!” yelled Estefan. “It’s a trap! Where’s Inaya?”

“I don’t know.” Scott shouted back. “she disappeared.”

“We must get out! There are…” Suddenly, Estefan gave a cry of pain fell forward into the water. Silhouettes could be seen in the distance. Something struck the wall behind Scott. The sharp ‘ping’ told him all he needed to know.

Wading forward, Scott grabbed Estefan’s limp form and tried to tow him out. There was only one thing to do- get out before it was too late. They were outnumbered.

Bullets rained upon them. Scott felt several whizz past him, but he ignored them and plowed on with Estefan in tow. Occasionally, he fired back at them with his particle blaster. He had to buy them enough time to get out of the trap. Reasoning that the assassins couldn’t see him in the dark, he shut off his torch. There was only one way to go, so he knew he couldn’t possibly lose his way.

Then a bullet grazed him on the arm. Scott barely managed to stop himself from crying out. It was then when he realized the assassins were wearing night-vision goggles. They were doomed unless he could move faster.

Suddenly, he had an idea. Turning around, he shone his torch directly at the assassins. Cries of pain and the cessation of shooting announced that he had guessed right. The glare of the torch, plus the night-vision goggles, had blinded the assassins, buying enough time for Scott to escape.

Scott reached the exit tunnel and dived, hoping he could make it out without drowning. Hoping he was heading in the right direction, he struck out at the inky blackness, still clutching Estefan. He foundered in the darkness, hoping to find the way out.

For what seemed like hours, he groped for the right way, but darkness seemed to be all around. Soon, he couldn’t even remember which direction was up. He hoped Estefan could hold on and not drown in the time it was taking him to find the surface.

Then, his head hit something, and looking down, he saw it was the bottom of the Gator. Only, then did he realize he was upside down. Quickly regaining his sense of direction, he found the surface and got out of the water, making sure Estefan’s face was above as well. “Jacob!” he cried out. “I need help!”

There was no answer. The Gator was empty of all occupants, and he was alone with a wounded man and assassins on his tail.

To be continued…

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