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Pointy Muses Fic II

Chapter Six - The Family

By Rick R.

*****

(opening - Rose vegs and watchs TV)

"I'll get that." Stephen began, striding across the living room and grabbing the phone. "Hello?" He began.

Rose returned to the screen, casually listening in on Stephen as he talked; she was only half paying attention to what was going on anyway. "Yes, yes I am." He continued. "Um, how can I help you?"

There was a pause, presumably as the other party continued speaking. "Ah, I see." He replied, then sighed. "Right, well... no, that's not true. Can I ask what he said?" He added as he took the phone around the corner.

Suddenly intrigued, Rose sat up and walked over to near where he was, lurking around the corner so she couldn't be seen to be listening in. "I see, well..." He sighed again as she inched closer to the door. "No, she's not. And no, I'm not either."

She? Rose thought to herself. Who's he talking about? All of a sudden she wondered if there was another woman in Stephen's life. Well, more to the point, a woman - their single night together last year didn't seem to gave gone anywhere, and they weren't really in any sort of romatnic relationship per se, but she wanted to know regardless.

"And no, I don't have one either. That's a common story that gets about, actually." He continued. "No, I get it a lot, actually."

One what?

"And he said that, huh?" He paused again. "No, unfortunately, that's happened to a number of people, myself included. He can be very much like that when he wants to."

Who like what?

"I'm sorry that this has happened to you." He continued. "Really I am. I just wish I could help you some more. I... I don't have any regular contact with them, and I really couldn't tell you anything else."

Contact with who?

"No, thank you. I'm just glad that I could help. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen far too often before."

What happen? She wanted to ask, but at the same time, didn't want to tall Stephen that she'd been listening in.

"Well, uh, thank you any way. And If I can help any more, please don't hesitate to ask." A moment later, he hung up the phone, sending Rose scurrying back to her seat.

"Who was that?" She asked as he returned to the room, placing the phone back in its charger base.

"Nobody." He replied. "Not important."

"You sure?"

"Very." He added, then stepped out of the room.

Nobody and not important my arse. Something's definitely going on here, and I intend to find out just what it-

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a shotgun, followed moments later by breaking glass. Another roar came seconds later.

Damn it, what's going on? She added as she vaulted up from the couch, dashing towards the back door.

*****

There were few things in the world that Drake Stone liked less then family gatherings. They always made him uncomfortable at the best of times, and feel awful at the worst. There were innumerable reasons why, of course, but in the end it all came down to the same few things.

Unfortunately, the event was mother's birthday. It was a significant one of a neat, divides by five and ten value, but of course she'd never publically say it. Nobody would, as it would not be the done thing to do. However, what was expected was that he would drop everything, miss a week in the tournament and fly home to spend a few days with family, specifically the party. To do otherwise was unthinkable.

So here he was at the party, trying his best to remain small and unobtrusive while doing his part and putting in his time. It wasn't that he didn't like his family; despite how much he may complain about them, he still loved them dearly. It was more that certain members of it seemed to do their best to make him uncomfortable and remind him of the choices that he had made that weren't popular with the rest of them.

He glanced at his watch, trying to figure what would be a good time to leave. Of course, it would be hours before anything was socially acceptable, but he quietly hoped that by counting the seconds, it'd somehow go away faster.

"Oh, hello there, brother."

It wasn't.

He turned around to see his older brother, Damien, standing behind him. Taller then Drake and wearing his hair shorter, Damien had chosen (as allways) to wear his military dress uniform to the party. He was also wearing his usual, incredibly superior and smug grin.

"Oh, hello Damien." He began as politely as he could. "Its good to see you here."

"And it is good to see you as well." Damien blatantly lied. "I'm glad you could tear yourself away from your games to be here tonight. Mother will be so happy."

Drake smiled in a polite way, not letting his irritation show. "Well we're just as lucky that the army didn't need you tonight so that you could make it here as well." He replied.

"Well, yes." He nodded. "I must admit that it was not easy, what with my various duties. Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Drake said nothing in reply, knowing exactly where Damien was going. Like the rest of his family, his older brother hadn't approved at all when Drake had left home to become a professional Zoid Fighter. It had been assumed that he would join the military as his family had done for generations, going back to the first arrival of humans on Zi. To many of them, the thought of him becoming a 'show fighter' was quite repulsive. The only reason why Damien was likely talking to him now was simply to rub his face in it.

On the other hand, they'd never had any issues with his sexuality. In fact, his mother kept trying to set him up with wealthy young men.

"Well, I have my duties." He calmly replied. "My team keep me busy; we constantly train and drill to improve ourselves, and plan for our weekly battles."

"As do I, brother." Damien stated. "My unit has been extensively involved in exercises for the last month. We've done quite well."

"So I heard." Drake nodded, then smiled. "I've been not doing too badly myself. My team finished in the top four last year which is no mean feat. I've been recently rated in the top ten percent of pilots in competition, something that takes a lot of skill and effort to achieve."

"Well it's nice to have one's achievements known." Damien commented. "I was quite pleased at my own performance."

"As you should be." Drake replied with a smile. "After all, I've heard you do quite well in simulated battles." There, that should slow him. "Of course, there's nothing like actual combat for 7measuring one's abilities, is there?"

"Yes, well..." Damien trailed off, realising that he'd just been outmanoeuvred. For all his bluster and claims, Drake knew that he had very little actual combat experience. There was no call for it; despite its bluster and the odd bit of sabre-rattling, the Zenebas Empire hadn't been to war in over a century. Damien likely would never see live combat.

"Maybe we could spar some time?" Drake continued. "With your degree of simulated experience, I'm sure you could give a show fighter like me a good challenge."

"Of course we would." Damien replied through clenched teeth. "It's lovely to see you again brother. If you'll excuse me, I think my wife wants to introduce me to someone."

Which meant that he knew when he was beaten and was making a tactical withdrawal.

"Of course." Drake nodded, deciding not to press the issue. He'd won for now. "Don't let me detain you. But it was lovely to see you again, brother."

"Yes, yes it was." Damien replied with false civility. "Always."

*****

Rose rounded the corner to the sound of another loud discharge, followed by more shattering glass. As she suspected, Stephen was there, unloading a shotgun into various sundry pieces of derelict office equipment and furniture. It had turned out that the back block behind their place was full of it, which meant that he had plenty to work his aggressions on.

Right now, it seemed like he needed a lot.

"Stephen?" She asked, taking a moment between rounds. "Are you okay?"

"No." He grunted back, then fired again, shredding a large chair. "Not at all."

"Feel like talking about it then?"

"Not really." He answered as he opened up the gun to reload it.

She glared at him for a moment, drilling into the back of his head. "Damn it, I'm your friend!" And a bit more then that, sorta. "We're supposed to help out each other, you know. If something's wrong, I want to help you, okay?"

"I doubt you can, really." He stated, a tired tone in his voice. He raised his gun again, but didn't fire.

"Seriously, I just want to help. If something's wrong or you're in trouble, then at least talking about its good, right?" She swallowed loudly, suddenly nervous. "I mean, its not good to keep stuff bottled up inside."

He sighed and put down his gun. "Yeah, you're right. I should... I should have thought about that, really."

She nodded. "You okay, really?"

"Sorta. Well, not really." He shook his head. "Just... can I ask one thing of you?"

"Sure."

"Please don't tell anyone else about this, oaky?" He seemed earnest, so she nodded. "This... this is kind of important, but... well, I think I have been sitting on it for too long without telling anyone. So I may as well say it now and get it all out into the open. Hells, it may just do me some good after all."

"I promise, Stephen." She replied.

"Thanks." He glanced back at the row of destroyed equipment. "Okay, this was all about my father-"

"Oh god." She gasped out. "Is he... is he okay?" This is something really bad, isn't it? Like he's dead or in hospital or something.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "I haven't seen him in, uh, nearly six years now, really. And there's a reason for that." He rubbed his chin for a moment before continuing. "This isn't easy to say but... well, I don't really want to. In fact, I've gone out of my way to avoid him."

"Oh, uh..." She felt suddenly very uncomfortable.

"My father..." He paused, as if to find the words. "My father left my mother when I was very young. He... he took a lot of her money and just, well, up and left. There was a divorce that, well, it didn't go well. There were issues of access to me and other matters. Then, one day, he pretty much stopped communicating with me regularly. We'd talk on occasion, see each other for a few hours every now and then but..."

"Something happened, didn't it?"

He nodded. "My father remarried and moved to a different city. It was after that when I began getting... calls, people asking about him."

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "My father... he's a liar and a cheat, a con man who's taken a lot of money from a lot of people, us included. He concocts these... stories about himself or about his family, ones that are loosely based on the truth. And, because he's a rather charming and witty man when he wants to be, people fall for it all the time. And then I get these horrible phone calls, people asking me if I really am his son, and if this thing he said was true or not. And then, well, I have to tell them the truth."

She didn't know what to say to that, but could begin to realise what he was saying. In all their time together, Stephen had never talked about his family even once. She, on the other hand, couldn't stop talking about her famous parents and sister, even if she didn't like to talk about Jill. Tasch and Neil constantly mentioned their families (including Tasch's constantly elusive sister), even to the point where Neil treated them as some kind of joke.

"I'm... I'm sorry." She blurted out. It seemed a bit pointless to say, and certainly a far from adequate. "I didn't mean to, I mean... I didn't mean to upset you and all."

"No, it's fine." He replied, wiping his face on his sleeve. "Really. I... should have said something long ago. I just, well, I just didn't want to end up making an arse of myself." He sat down on a chunk of wall. "Its just that, well, when that sort of thing happens, I get very angry at myself for ever having trusted him, or thought that he was an okay guy."

"He's your father. It's understandable." She offered as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah... I just wish, I don't know. I just wish that I'd known or something."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled, weakly. "Look, I know you're not like him. You're honest, and dependable, and straightforward and... and a lot of things. And we rely on you to lead the team; I don't think we'd be here today if not for you, really."

"Thanks." He nodded. "That's... that's good to know, actually. I guess... I guess that I'm not that much like him, if all those things you said about me are true."

"They are, trust me." She offered. "And never think that you're alone. We're always here for each other."

"I know."

"Besides, you're not the only one here with family problems." She added.

"Oh?" He asked. "I mean, I know you have a half-sister and all."

"Yeah." She nodded. "When we found out about Jill, things... well, they didn't go well." She began. "You see, Jill was born before my dad even met my mum; he had an affair with another pilot and, well, that was the end of it. He didn't even know about Jill, let alone that she was pregnant or anything."

"I see."

"The one day her mother comes along and introduces us to our half-sister. It didn't go down well; I was still young, but I think that mum was quite upset about it. You can kind of understand, finding out that dad had a child that she didn't know about. Never mind, of course that he didn't know about her either."

"How... how do you and her get along?" He asked.

Rose shrugged. "It's complicated. I guess I'm just never comfortable around her. Jill's a little... odd... maybe a little different. I don't know what it is, but she's, well, a bit unsettling and stuff. I don't see her that often, and I don't talk to her that much, so that complicates matters even more."

"Sorry to hear."

"We got off to a bad start." She continued. "I thought she was a boy."

"What?"

"Jill at age twelve was broad-shouldered, short-haired and surly-looking. It was a natural mistake."

Stephen laughed. "No, I understand. That sounds like me at twelve."

She smiled back at him. "See? It's not all bad."

"Thanks Rose."

"Naw, its cool. But if something's ever up, you know you can talk to me, right."

"Of course." He casually laid a hand over hers. She smiled back at him, content to sit there for a while.

*****

In a city where a large proportion of the population had access to military-grade hardware, a lot of precautions had to be taken to maintain civic security and safety. A good example of this was the city's main prison facility. Located on a rocky island off the coast, the only access to it was via a ferry. Its design resembled less a prison and more of a hardened fortress, with thick walls and low-lying, squat buildings. While it still had open areas, each was monitored by far more guards then normal.

In addition, a quintet of PKB Zoids were present on-site at all times to deter attacks. Four Arosaurers stood at the corners of the facility, as well as a single Gorheks that continually patrolled the area, its radar system alert for any sign of intrusion.

The design of the prison, especially the lack of access and the presence of Zoids around it, had been subject of numerous debates. The PKB's initial design has been almost entirely underground, featuring large but completely enclosed cells and spacious common areas. The design had been ripped to shreds by the civic council and advocacy groups who described it as "dehumanising" and "barbaric", adding that prisoners needed sunlight and open spaces.

The second version was approved, simply because, by comparison, it seemed a lot more pleasant. Even then, the PKB had been unhappy with the security of the facility, and decided on a permanent Zoid presence at the facility. The plan was approved, but only reluctantly - the same council and groups saw it as an unnecessary addition, describing the security as "overkill." The PKB offered that they couldn't think of a better way to stop a Zoid attack, and offered to withdraw the garrison when somebody did.

So, for now, the prison remained a compromise that nobody was happy with.

As a part of the 'standard' rehabilitation program, the prisoners were allowed several hours of outdoor exercise each day, albeit carefully supervised - one of the many liberties that they wouldn't have had under the original design plan. Even on very dull and overcast days, such as this one, it was a part of the routine for all but the most dangerous of prisoners.

While the prisoners were exercising, the quintet of PKB Zoids kept a careful watch over the faculty. It was a hard duty, and not well-liked amongst the PKB's pilots. Many preferred to be in more public roles and in less detached and remote locales. However, the PKB saw the prison complex as being a vital part of their operations, especially after the capture of so many of the NUBG's personnel last year.

"Stuck out here on a rock on a bleak day. I tell ya what, this isn't what I joined the PKB for." One of the Arosaurer pilots lazily droned.

"Tell me about it." Another, a young woman replied. "This... is far from what I'd call exciting."

"Can it you two." The Gorheks pilot cut in, older and gruffer then the two young recruits. "We're doing our duty here, and don't forget it. These are dangerous people we're watching over."

"Yeah, but why do we have to do this?" The young woman continued. "I'm sure there are other people who could be doing this."

"Maybe they think it's easy duty." The first cut back in. "The sort of thing that even rookies like us can't screw up."

"Shut it." The Gorheks pilot snapped. "I thought I saw something on my scope." The Zoid looked around, the orange fins in its back rippling as the sensitive radar system swept the area. "Just keep an eye open."

"Great. There goes my day." The Arosaurer looked around. "Can't see anything here though. Just grey sky, grey sea and a whole lot of smegging rock - whoah!"

With a feral screech, a large machine suddenly loomed up over the ridge of the island. Looking less like a Zoid and more like a nightmarish collection of parts with wings, fangs and weapons, the dull red beast snarled loudly before releasing a quartet of missiles from its shoulders. The weapons slammed into the Arosaurer, sending it reeling back and smashing into the wall.

"What the hell?" The young woman shouted out, moments before a second Zoid leaped up and opened fire on her own machine. As her Arosaurer reeleed form the asault, the misshapen creature bounded past it, instead opening fire on the wall of the prison, right by the excercise yard. Moments later, its companion joined it, its own cannon fire blasting into the concrete walls.

"This is Prison Command to PKB HQ." The Gorheks pilot called out as his Zoid charged forwards, heading towards the battle with the two other Arosaurers following it. "The prison is under attack by two Zoids, I repeat two. Attackers are a pair of... oh hell." He trailed off as he saw the creatures. Hunched over and squat to the ground, they boasted huge maws lined with teeth, large, reptilian wings and numerous horns, spikes and claws across their bodies. "..a pair of Chimera Dragons."

Chimera Dragons were a menace, pure and simple. Unmanned, they were feral monsters with a reputation for attacking anything in sight, friend, foe, civilian or whatever else may grab their attention. In battle, they would rarely stop until they were destroyed, which took a lot of doing. One of the remaining Arosaurers opened fire on a Dragon, the shots bouncing off its thick side armour. The machine bellowed, then turned its attention to its attacker, lumbering forwards while opening up with the cannons mounted in its shoulders.

"Send reinforcements immediately, I repeat-" He was cut off as the Goreheks rocked, shots slamming into its flanks. "Hell! Third contact, coming in form the-"

A shriek of metal cut him off as the Zoid was slammed, crashing to the ground on its side. A twisted, sinister looking Zoid stood over it, slowly withdrawing the lances that replaced its left hand from its side, then letting out a feral how of victory. The Lord Gale took to the air, its pilot looking down at the carnage below.

"Gargoyle to Mulberry Bush." The pilot began over the communicator, watching the Chimeras savage the prison and its defences. "Stage one is complete. Commence extraction.

*****

Unlike the other prisoners in the exercise yard, Shane Adams and Julian Hatchett hadn't yet taken advantage of the chaos caused by the attack. Most of the prisoners were making a break for the breached walls, while a few more sensible ones were running for cover form the rampaging Chimeras. The prison guards were making no effort to stop them, instead retreating form the yard.

It was an understandable move; the guards lacked armour or weapons that would be any use against a Chimera Dragon. Any attempt to try to contain the prisoners or stop the attackers would expose them to being fired on or impaled upon one of the may weapons the dragons mounted carried, or simply being crushed by falling debris. They'd seen at least one prisoner meet a gruesome end trying to escape through the gap in the wall and into the line of fire, and had no intention to join them.

Besides, they knew that this was coming.

A week ago, Shane had been slipped information detailing what was about to happen. In turn, he'd told his good friend and former teammate Julian, but nobody else. As he watched the Chimeras in action, he could see the way that the plan was unfolding, and couldn't help but smile to himself. The Chimera Dragon is famous for creating havoc on a battlefield and unleashing chaos with its feral behaviour, he analysed. The PKB assume that their actions, while directed, are still chaotic and random as they lash out at whatever they're being pointed at.

However, that's not what's happening. He observed. Instead, they're carefully demolishing the wall and the defences, making it look like this is the staging for a mass-break out. At the same time, they carefully keep away from where we are, ensuring that the actual targets of the operation escape unharmed while creating additional headaches for the PKB in the aftermath.

Very well done. He smiled to himself.

"Hey Shane." Julian began. "Gonna miss this place?"

"Not at all." He replied. "You?"

"Yeah right." Julian snorted. "Sooner I see the last of it, the better."

Shane could understand what he meant. Julian had become one of the top toughs in the prison not too long after his arrival, thanks to his combination of physical strength and intimidating demeanour. That the majority of the imprisoned former NUBG pilots had thrown their support behind the pair hadn't hurt either. Of course, whatever power they had in prison was limited by the walls around them; getting out into the world was what they really wanted.

"Gonna miss the other NUBG guys?" Julian asked.

They hadn't been a part of the plan; only Shane and Julian. The quality people, as he put it. "Naw, they're replaceable." He commented. "Come on, it's time."

Turning around, he looked out into what appeared to be an empty courtyard behind them, separated from the exercise yard by a high mesh fence topped with loops of razor wire. Nodding to the empty yard as instructed, he gave a trio of quick hand signals, then ducked down.

"Now what?" Julian asked.

Shane wasn't entirely sure himself; the information he'd been given was far from specific on the subject. "We wait. Our way out will be here soon."

As if to confirm his statement, the grass on the other side of the fence rippled, as if brushed by some unseen force. Then, suddenly, the fence erupted in a shower of sparks, as if struck by some unseen weapon. The air around the fence seem to distort as a section of it ripped, then fell away.

"And that looks like it. Let's go." The pair of them dashed through the ruined fence, into the seemingly empty courtyard. Running a few meters in, Shane was suddenly confronted by a most unexpected site; a rope ladder suddenly dropping out of the sky, appearing form literally nowhere. It hung there, noy attached to anything.

"The hell?" Julian began.

"I think..." He replied. "That this is our ride out of here."

"You presume correctly." A rather confident-sounding voice replied. "Now I suggest that you both clamber up this stairway to heaven before the locals manage to get their tiny little heads around what is going on."

Shrugging, Shane grabbed onto the ladder and tugged it, finding it to be secure. He clambered up it, not sure what he'd find at the top. For a moment, there was nothing but empty air; then with a ripple of colour, an pilot's seat appeared, empty save for a bag on it.

"Get in." The voice continued. "There's a helmet in the bag. Unfortunately, this machine's only built for two, so you and Julian will have to share. It's a might squashed but... I'm sure that after six months in prison you're very comfortable with each other."

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked as he grabbed the helmet.

Sitting down, he was confronted a moment later by a surprised-looking Julian clambering over the edge. "You just disappeared into thin air, man."

"Such is the miracle of Holotech, my friends." The voice finished. "Now hang on; we're clearing out."

*****

"Tell me." Mal Loup began as he looked over the report, then up at the plainclothes officer standing before him. "Exatly how the hell was this allowed to happen?"

"We're not entirely sure ourselves, sir." The officer replied. "As near as can be determined, the attacking force snuck in under the prison's sensor grid by flying low to the ocean. They then overpowered the defences and set upon the prison complex itself. Lacking any sort of anti-Zoid support weapons, the wardens on duty were unable to fight off the attackers on foot and unable to contain the prisoners; as a result, we had a considerable amount of escapees. Similarly, the ferry crew weren't prepared and thus were overpowered, allowing them to reach the mainland."

Mal looked down at the sheet again. "A considerable number" was an understatement to say the least. Three dozen prisoners had escaped and were still at large. Several more had been injured during the breakout and since recaptured. Not that it was much comfort, as half of the prison faculty itself was in ruins and, as such, would be unsuitable for use for some time. To make matters worse, the list of currently confirmed escapees included a number of NUBG pilots, some of whom were considered to be the most dangerous of those in custody.

The attackers had not been identified; the Zoids had no markings and, as they were unmanned Fuzors made from smaller Zoids, Chimera Dragons had proven to be particularly hard to trace. Of course, he suspected that they were NUBG-related, but that didn't help matters. NUBG was dead and buried, and he had made sure of it. He'd driven that sucker right into the ground himself and not stopped metaphorically pummelling until it stopped twitching.

That raised more ugly questions. If it was NUBG, then how much of NUBG was left? And if it wasn't NUBG, then who the hell was it?

On the upside, the female inmates wing hadn't been touched during the attack. It meant that they were only looking for male escapees, which made things a little easier.

"Sir?" The officer repeated.

"You know that I didn't approve of that prison." He muttered. "You know that I wanted it to be all underground."

"I don't follow you."

"When they planned that concrete monstrosity I was invited to take part in the planning process." He explained. "I took one look at their ideas and laughed 'em down. I pointed out that with my Giga, I could storm up to that place, blast the damn walls open and simply crush any defences built in. All the while, prisoners could then stream out en masse to freedom. And you know what they said?"

"Sir?"

"They claimed that what the PKB wanted was cruel and inhumane, and didn't respect prisoner's rights." He muttered. "Didn't matter at all that they basically set themselves up for this sorta thing to happen."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, that's all gone and done now." He shook his head. "Next thing they'll be coming to me for an official inquiry into why the prison fell too easily. And then they'll ask me for recommendations as to what to do to prevent it from happening again. And then they'll ignore everything I say and we'll end up in the same place as we started."

"Yes, sir."

"Hopeless." He nodded at the officer. "Thanks for this. And if anyone asks, you can tell them what I said."

He nodded and left, leaving Mal to pour over the information again. No matter how he looked at it, matters came up as nothing short of a complete disaster for the City's leadership and the PKB in particular. They'd been made to look helpless and ineffectual, while the unidentified attackers (Mal knew that they were NUBG, he just couldn't prove it) had gotten away unscathed. They'd be asking how it happened, and he knew that "because a few whining pressure groups made us build a crappy prison" was not a valid answer.

There was another knock at the door. "What do you want now?" He began without looking up.

"Just checking to see how you were going."

Mal looked up to see Jack Hindle standing in the doorway, a bottle and two glasses in hand. "Thanks, Jack." He replied with a smile. "I could use a bit of a break."

Jack sat down at his desk, pouring them each a glass. The chief of the PKB's Investigative section, he was Mal's less visible equal in rank and station. While Mal enforced the peace, Jack tried to find out what was going on. "Thought you would."

Mal took a glass and sipped. "Thing is, I'd thought this was all behind us." He continued. "You know, NUBG being destroyed and all."

"There were a few... loose ends at the end of the day, Mal." Jack offered. "And it looks like htye were connected to something else."

"You think its NUBG too?"

"I'm sure it is." Jack finished. "Thing is, I just don't think that's all there is to this. There's something else going on, I'm sure of it."

*****

(Stephen gets a call before the battle, is angrier)

(the fight)

(Happy now)

*****

The Shadow Fox slunk around the fringes of the logging camp, its adaptive camouflage shifting and rippling to keep it hidden in amongst the dense foliage. Despite its size, the combination of the camouflage systems and sensor baffles kept the fourty-five ton machine hidden, seemingly invisible to detection.

The modified Wild Weasel pod on the Zoid's back went into action, scanning the area for electronic and other emissions, trying to get a good read of what exactly was going on. Only a few hundred meters away, a group of Zoids worked on felling trees and loading them up, blissfully unaware of what was going on behind them.

Okay, let's see what we have here, Siske thought to herself as she began to analyse the readings from the Fox's various sensor systems. So far looks clean, just a bunch of Gustavs and Spinosappers doing the work and... oh hello. The sensors picked up a faint return nearby and began to analyse it. Weak signal, nothing on visual, good thermals and with an LPI-rated 3D Radar and jamming array. We've got ourselves a Helcat watching over this camp. She swept over with the sensors. In fact, we've got several. Yeah, perfectly legitimate civilian logging operation my arse.

She zoomed in on the centre of the operation. A large pit had been dug in the middle of a clearing, and numerous Zoids were working at hauling something out of it. Now what are they up to? This isn't a srip-mining operation so... maybe it's an unauthorised dig? In the last few years, archaeologists had been in great demand. The discovery of a quartet of ancient Zoids - three tigers and, of course, a liger - had resulted in a lot more expeditions to remote corners of the world to see what else may be lurking underground.

Zooming in on one of the machines seemed to confirm what was going on here. A Gustav carried the logo of EcoVentures, a logging and mining company known (in certain circles) to be a front for Neo-Zenebas intelligence operations. So odds are on that whatever's down there is worth a bit.

She swung back to look over the digsite proper. The Zoids were hauling something out of the ground now, a large, black box. She wasn't sure what it was but, to her eyes, it looked like a giant metal coffin. The hell have they found now? She wondered. Could it be-

A quiet beep form the console caught her attention. Not now... She flipped on the communicator, only after making sure that it was in its 'quietest' mode possible. "What is it?" She hissed.

"Withdraw." The voice at the other end replied.

"I'm onto something big here." She countered, looking over the dig site.

"We will send a replacement." The voice intoned. "You are needed elsewhere."

"This is important."

"As is this." He stated. "One of your old cases has been reopened."

Siske glanced around, narrowing her eyes. She did a thorough job. She did not leave loose ends. Her cases did not reopen.

"Very well. Send my replacement, and I will withdraw when he arrives."

"Acknowledged." The voice finished, then closed the link.

So the NUBG live, she thought to herself. Now things are going to get exciting.

*****

Description
Pointy Muses Fic II

Chapter Six - The Family

By Rick R.

*****

(opening - Rose vegs and watchs TV)

"I'll get that." Stephen began, striding across the living room and grabbing the phone. "Hello?" He began.

Rose returned to the screen, casually listening in on Stephen as he talked; she was only half paying attention to what was going on anyway. "Yes, yes I am." He continued. "Um, how can I help you?"

There was a pause, presumably as the other party continued speaking. "Ah, I see." He replied, then sighed. "Right, well... no, that's not true. Can I ask what he said?" He added as he took the phone around the corner.

Suddenly intrigued, Rose sat up and walked over to near where he was, lurking around the corner so she couldn't be seen to be listening in. "I see, well..." He sighed again as she inched closer to the door. "No, she's not. And no, I'm not either."

She? Rose thought to herself. Who's he talking about? All of a sudden she wondered if there was another woman in Stephen's life. Well, more to the point, a woman - their single night together last year didn't seem to gave gone anywhere, and they weren't really in any sort of romatnic relationship per se, but she wanted to know regardless.

"And no, I don't have one either. That's a common story that gets about, actually." He continued. "No, I get it a lot, actually."

One what?

"And he said that, huh?" He paused again. "No, unfortunately, that's happened to a number of people, myself included. He can be very much like that when he wants to."

Who like what?

"I'm sorry that this has happened to you." He continued. "Really I am. I just wish I could help you some more. I... I don't have any regular contact with them, and I really couldn't tell you anything else."

Contact with who?

"No, thank you. I'm just glad that I could help. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen far too often before."

What happen? She wanted to ask, but at the same time, didn't want to tall Stephen that she'd been listening in.

"Well, uh, thank you any way. And If I can help any more, please don't hesitate to ask." A moment later, he hung up the phone, sending Rose scurrying back to her seat.

"Who was that?" She asked as he returned to the room, placing the phone back in its charger base.

"Nobody." He replied. "Not important."

"You sure?"

"Very." He added, then stepped out of the room.

Nobody and not important my arse. Something's definitely going on here, and I intend to find out just what it-

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a shotgun, followed moments later by breaking glass. Another roar came seconds later.

Damn it, what's going on? She added as she vaulted up from the couch, dashing towards the back door.

*****

There were few things in the world that Drake Stone liked less then family gatherings. They always made him uncomfortable at the best of times, and feel awful at the worst. There were innumerable reasons why, of course, but in the end it all came down to the same few things.

Unfortunately, the event was mother's birthday. It was a significant one of a neat, divides by five and ten value, but of course she'd never publically say it. Nobody would, as it would not be the done thing to do. However, what was expected was that he would drop everything, miss a week in the tournament and fly home to spend a few days with family, specifically the party. To do otherwise was unthinkable.

So here he was at the party, trying his best to remain small and unobtrusive while doing his part and putting in his time. It wasn't that he didn't like his family; despite how much he may complain about them, he still loved them dearly. It was more that certain members of it seemed to do their best to make him uncomfortable and remind him of the choices that he had made that weren't popular with the rest of them.

He glanced at his watch, trying to figure what would be a good time to leave. Of course, it would be hours before anything was socially acceptable, but he quietly hoped that by counting the seconds, it'd somehow go away faster.

"Oh, hello there, brother."

It wasn't.

He turned around to see his older brother, Damien, standing behind him. Taller then Drake and wearing his hair shorter, Damien had chosen (as allways) to wear his military dress uniform to the party. He was also wearing his usual, incredibly superior and smug grin.

"Oh, hello Damien." He began as politely as he could. "Its good to see you here."

"And it is good to see you as well." Damien blatantly lied. "I'm glad you could tear yourself away from your games to be here tonight. Mother will be so happy."

Drake smiled in a polite way, not letting his irritation show. "Well we're just as lucky that the army didn't need you tonight so that you could make it here as well." He replied.

"Well, yes." He nodded. "I must admit that it was not easy, what with my various duties. Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Drake said nothing in reply, knowing exactly where Damien was going. Like the rest of his family, his older brother hadn't approved at all when Drake had left home to become a professional Zoid Fighter. It had been assumed that he would join the military as his family had done for generations, going back to the first arrival of humans on Zi. To many of them, the thought of him becoming a 'show fighter' was quite repulsive. The only reason why Damien was likely talking to him now was simply to rub his face in it.

On the other hand, they'd never had any issues with his sexuality. In fact, his mother kept trying to set him up with wealthy young men.

"Well, I have my duties." He calmly replied. "My team keep me busy; we constantly train and drill to improve ourselves, and plan for our weekly battles."

"As do I, brother." Damien stated. "My unit has been extensively involved in exercises for the last month. We've done quite well."

"So I heard." Drake nodded, then smiled. "I've been not doing too badly myself. My team finished in the top four last year which is no mean feat. I've been recently rated in the top ten percent of pilots in competition, something that takes a lot of skill and effort to achieve."

"Well it's nice to have one's achievements known." Damien commented. "I was quite pleased at my own performance."

"As you should be." Drake replied with a smile. "After all, I've heard you do quite well in simulated battles." There, that should slow him. "Of course, there's nothing like actual combat for 7measuring one's abilities, is there?"

"Yes, well..." Damien trailed off, realising that he'd just been outmanoeuvred. For all his bluster and claims, Drake knew that he had very little actual combat experience. There was no call for it; despite its bluster and the odd bit of sabre-rattling, the Zenebas Empire hadn't been to war in over a century. Damien likely would never see live combat.

"Maybe we could spar some time?" Drake continued. "With your degree of simulated experience, I'm sure you could give a show fighter like me a good challenge."

"Of course we would." Damien replied through clenched teeth. "It's lovely to see you again brother. If you'll excuse me, I think my wife wants to introduce me to someone."

Which meant that he knew when he was beaten and was making a tactical withdrawal.

"Of course." Drake nodded, deciding not to press the issue. He'd won for now. "Don't let me detain you. But it was lovely to see you again, brother."

"Yes, yes it was." Damien replied with false civility. "Always."

*****

Rose rounded the corner to the sound of another loud discharge, followed by more shattering glass. As she suspected, Stephen was there, unloading a shotgun into various sundry pieces of derelict office equipment and furniture. It had turned out that the back block behind their place was full of it, which meant that he had plenty to work his aggressions on.

Right now, it seemed like he needed a lot.

"Stephen?" She asked, taking a moment between rounds. "Are you okay?"

"No." He grunted back, then fired again, shredding a large chair. "Not at all."

"Feel like talking about it then?"

"Not really." He answered as he opened up the gun to reload it.

She glared at him for a moment, drilling into the back of his head. "Damn it, I'm your friend!" And a bit more then that, sorta. "We're supposed to help out each other, you know. If something's wrong, I want to help you, okay?"

"I doubt you can, really." He stated, a tired tone in his voice. He raised his gun again, but didn't fire.

"Seriously, I just want to help. If something's wrong or you're in trouble, then at least talking about its good, right?" She swallowed loudly, suddenly nervous. "I mean, its not good to keep stuff bottled up inside."

He sighed and put down his gun. "Yeah, you're right. I should... I should have thought about that, really."

She nodded. "You okay, really?"

"Sorta. Well, not really." He shook his head. "Just... can I ask one thing of you?"

"Sure."

"Please don't tell anyone else about this, oaky?" He seemed earnest, so she nodded. "This... this is kind of important, but... well, I think I have been sitting on it for too long without telling anyone. So I may as well say it now and get it all out into the open. Hells, it may just do me some good after all."

"I promise, Stephen." She replied.

"Thanks." He glanced back at the row of destroyed equipment. "Okay, this was all about my father-"

"Oh god." She gasped out. "Is he... is he okay?" This is something really bad, isn't it? Like he's dead or in hospital or something.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "I haven't seen him in, uh, nearly six years now, really. And there's a reason for that." He rubbed his chin for a moment before continuing. "This isn't easy to say but... well, I don't really want to. In fact, I've gone out of my way to avoid him."

"Oh, uh..." She felt suddenly very uncomfortable.

"My father..." He paused, as if to find the words. "My father left my mother when I was very young. He... he took a lot of her money and just, well, up and left. There was a divorce that, well, it didn't go well. There were issues of access to me and other matters. Then, one day, he pretty much stopped communicating with me regularly. We'd talk on occasion, see each other for a few hours every now and then but..."

"Something happened, didn't it?"

He nodded. "My father remarried and moved to a different city. It was after that when I began getting... calls, people asking about him."

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "My father... he's a liar and a cheat, a con man who's taken a lot of money from a lot of people, us included. He concocts these... stories about himself or about his family, ones that are loosely based on the truth. And, because he's a rather charming and witty man when he wants to be, people fall for it all the time. And then I get these horrible phone calls, people asking me if I really am his son, and if this thing he said was true or not. And then, well, I have to tell them the truth."

She didn't know what to say to that, but could begin to realise what he was saying. In all their time together, Stephen had never talked about his family even once. She, on the other hand, couldn't stop talking about her famous parents and sister, even if she didn't like to talk about Jill. Tasch and Neil constantly mentioned their families (including Tasch's constantly elusive sister), even to the point where Neil treated them as some kind of joke.

"I'm... I'm sorry." She blurted out. It seemed a bit pointless to say, and certainly a far from adequate. "I didn't mean to, I mean... I didn't mean to upset you and all."

"No, it's fine." He replied, wiping his face on his sleeve. "Really. I... should have said something long ago. I just, well, I just didn't want to end up making an arse of myself." He sat down on a chunk of wall. "Its just that, well, when that sort of thing happens, I get very angry at myself for ever having trusted him, or thought that he was an okay guy."

"He's your father. It's understandable." She offered as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah... I just wish, I don't know. I just wish that I'd known or something."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled, weakly. "Look, I know you're not like him. You're honest, and dependable, and straightforward and... and a lot of things. And we rely on you to lead the team; I don't think we'd be here today if not for you, really."

"Thanks." He nodded. "That's... that's good to know, actually. I guess... I guess that I'm not that much like him, if all those things you said about me are true."

"They are, trust me." She offered. "And never think that you're alone. We're always here for each other."

"I know."

"Besides, you're not the only one here with family problems." She added.

"Oh?" He asked. "I mean, I know you have a half-sister and all."

"Yeah." She nodded. "When we found out about Jill, things... well, they didn't go well." She began. "You see, Jill was born before my dad even met my mum; he had an affair with another pilot and, well, that was the end of it. He didn't even know about Jill, let alone that she was pregnant or anything."

"I see."

"The one day her mother comes along and introduces us to our half-sister. It didn't go down well; I was still young, but I think that mum was quite upset about it. You can kind of understand, finding out that dad had a child that she didn't know about. Never mind, of course that he didn't know about her either."

"How... how do you and her get along?" He asked.

Rose shrugged. "It's complicated. I guess I'm just never comfortable around her. Jill's a little... odd... maybe a little different. I don't know what it is, but she's, well, a bit unsettling and stuff. I don't see her that often, and I don't talk to her that much, so that complicates matters even more."

"Sorry to hear."

"We got off to a bad start." She continued. "I thought she was a boy."

"What?"

"Jill at age twelve was broad-shouldered, short-haired and surly-looking. It was a natural mistake."

Stephen laughed. "No, I understand. That sounds like me at twelve."

She smiled back at him. "See? It's not all bad."

"Thanks Rose."

"Naw, its cool. But if something's ever up, you know you can talk to me, right."

"Of course." He casually laid a hand over hers. She smiled back at him, content to sit there for a while.

*****

In a city where a large proportion of the population had access to military-grade hardware, a lot of precautions had to be taken to maintain civic security and safety. A good example of this was the city's main prison facility. Located on a rocky island off the coast, the only access to it was via a ferry. Its design resembled less a prison and more of a hardened fortress, with thick walls and low-lying, squat buildings. While it still had open areas, each was monitored by far more guards then normal.

In addition, a quintet of PKB Zoids were present on-site at all times to deter attacks. Four Arosaurers stood at the corners of the facility, as well as a single Gorheks that continually patrolled the area, its radar system alert for any sign of intrusion.

The design of the prison, especially the lack of access and the presence of Zoids around it, had been subject of numerous debates. The PKB's initial design has been almost entirely underground, featuring large but completely enclosed cells and spacious common areas. The design had been ripped to shreds by the civic council and advocacy groups who described it as "dehumanising" and "barbaric", adding that prisoners needed sunlight and open spaces.

The second version was approved, simply because, by comparison, it seemed a lot more pleasant. Even then, the PKB had been unhappy with the security of the facility, and decided on a permanent Zoid presence at the facility. The plan was approved, but only reluctantly - the same council and groups saw it as an unnecessary addition, describing the security as "overkill." The PKB offered that they couldn't think of a better way to stop a Zoid attack, and offered to withdraw the garrison when somebody did.

So, for now, the prison remained a compromise that nobody was happy with.

As a part of the 'standard' rehabilitation program, the prisoners were allowed several hours of outdoor exercise each day, albeit carefully supervised - one of the many liberties that they wouldn't have had under the original design plan. Even on very dull and overcast days, such as this one, it was a part of the routine for all but the most dangerous of prisoners.

While the prisoners were exercising, the quintet of PKB Zoids kept a careful watch over the faculty. It was a hard duty, and not well-liked amongst the PKB's pilots. Many preferred to be in more public roles and in less detached and remote locales. However, the PKB saw the prison complex as being a vital part of their operations, especially after the capture of so many of the NUBG's personnel last year.

"Stuck out here on a rock on a bleak day. I tell ya what, this isn't what I joined the PKB for." One of the Arosaurer pilots lazily droned.

"Tell me about it." Another, a young woman replied. "This... is far from what I'd call exciting."

"Can it you two." The Gorheks pilot cut in, older and gruffer then the two young recruits. "We're doing our duty here, and don't forget it. These are dangerous people we're watching over."

"Yeah, but why do we have to do this?" The young woman continued. "I'm sure there are other people who could be doing this."

"Maybe they think it's easy duty." The first cut back in. "The sort of thing that even rookies like us can't screw up."

"Shut it." The Gorheks pilot snapped. "I thought I saw something on my scope." The Zoid looked around, the orange fins in its back rippling as the sensitive radar system swept the area. "Just keep an eye open."

"Great. There goes my day." The Arosaurer looked around. "Can't see anything here though. Just grey sky, grey sea and a whole lot of smegging rock - whoah!"

With a feral screech, a large machine suddenly loomed up over the ridge of the island. Looking less like a Zoid and more like a nightmarish collection of parts with wings, fangs and weapons, the dull red beast snarled loudly before releasing a quartet of missiles from its shoulders. The weapons slammed into the Arosaurer, sending it reeling back and smashing into the wall.

"What the hell?" The young woman shouted out, moments before a second Zoid leaped up and opened fire on her own machine. As her Arosaurer reeleed form the asault, the misshapen creature bounded past it, instead opening fire on the wall of the prison, right by the excercise yard. Moments later, its companion joined it, its own cannon fire blasting into the concrete walls.

"This is Prison Command to PKB HQ." The Gorheks pilot called out as his Zoid charged forwards, heading towards the battle with the two other Arosaurers following it. "The prison is under attack by two Zoids, I repeat two. Attackers are a pair of... oh hell." He trailed off as he saw the creatures. Hunched over and squat to the ground, they boasted huge maws lined with teeth, large, reptilian wings and numerous horns, spikes and claws across their bodies. "..a pair of Chimera Dragons."

Chimera Dragons were a menace, pure and simple. Unmanned, they were feral monsters with a reputation for attacking anything in sight, friend, foe, civilian or whatever else may grab their attention. In battle, they would rarely stop until they were destroyed, which took a lot of doing. One of the remaining Arosaurers opened fire on a Dragon, the shots bouncing off its thick side armour. The machine bellowed, then turned its attention to its attacker, lumbering forwards while opening up with the cannons mounted in its shoulders.

"Send reinforcements immediately, I repeat-" He was cut off as the Goreheks rocked, shots slamming into its flanks. "Hell! Third contact, coming in form the-"

A shriek of metal cut him off as the Zoid was slammed, crashing to the ground on its side. A twisted, sinister looking Zoid stood over it, slowly withdrawing the lances that replaced its left hand from its side, then letting out a feral how of victory. The Lord Gale took to the air, its pilot looking down at the carnage below.

"Gargoyle to Mulberry Bush." The pilot began over the communicator, watching the Chimeras savage the prison and its defences. "Stage one is complete. Commence extraction.

*****

Unlike the other prisoners in the exercise yard, Shane Adams and Julian Hatchett hadn't yet taken advantage of the chaos caused by the attack. Most of the prisoners were making a break for the breached walls, while a few more sensible ones were running for cover form the rampaging Chimeras. The prison guards were making no effort to stop them, instead retreating form the yard.

It was an understandable move; the guards lacked armour or weapons that would be any use against a Chimera Dragon. Any attempt to try to contain the prisoners or stop the attackers would expose them to being fired on or impaled upon one of the may weapons the dragons mounted carried, or simply being crushed by falling debris. They'd seen at least one prisoner meet a gruesome end trying to escape through the gap in the wall and into the line of fire, and had no intention to join them.

Besides, they knew that this was coming.

A week ago, Shane had been slipped information detailing what was about to happen. In turn, he'd told his good friend and former teammate Julian, but nobody else. As he watched the Chimeras in action, he could see the way that the plan was unfolding, and couldn't help but smile to himself. The Chimera Dragon is famous for creating havoc on a battlefield and unleashing chaos with its feral behaviour, he analysed. The PKB assume that their actions, while directed, are still chaotic and random as they lash out at whatever they're being pointed at.

However, that's not what's happening. He observed. Instead, they're carefully demolishing the wall and the defences, making it look like this is the staging for a mass-break out. At the same time, they carefully keep away from where we are, ensuring that the actual targets of the operation escape unharmed while creating additional headaches for the PKB in the aftermath.

Very well done. He smiled to himself.

"Hey Shane." Julian began. "Gonna miss this place?"

"Not at all." He replied. "You?"

"Yeah right." Julian snorted. "Sooner I see the last of it, the better."

Shane could understand what he meant. Julian had become one of the top toughs in the prison not too long after his arrival, thanks to his combination of physical strength and intimidating demeanour. That the majority of the imprisoned former NUBG pilots had thrown their support behind the pair hadn't hurt either. Of course, whatever power they had in prison was limited by the walls around them; getting out into the world was what they really wanted.

"Gonna miss the other NUBG guys?" Julian asked.

They hadn't been a part of the plan; only Shane and Julian. The quality people, as he put it. "Naw, they're replaceable." He commented. "Come on, it's time."

Turning around, he looked out into what appeared to be an empty courtyard behind them, separated from the exercise yard by a high mesh fence topped with loops of razor wire. Nodding to the empty yard as instructed, he gave a trio of quick hand signals, then ducked down.

"Now what?" Julian asked.

Shane wasn't entirely sure himself; the information he'd been given was far from specific on the subject. "We wait. Our way out will be here soon."

As if to confirm his statement, the grass on the other side of the fence rippled, as if brushed by some unseen force. Then, suddenly, the fence erupted in a shower of sparks, as if struck by some unseen weapon. The air around the fence seem to distort as a section of it ripped, then fell away.

"And that looks like it. Let's go." The pair of them dashed through the ruined fence, into the seemingly empty courtyard. Running a few meters in, Shane was suddenly confronted by a most unexpected site; a rope ladder suddenly dropping out of the sky, appearing form literally nowhere. It hung there, noy attached to anything.

"The hell?" Julian began.

"I think..." He replied. "That this is our ride out of here."

"You presume correctly." A rather confident-sounding voice replied. "Now I suggest that you both clamber up this stairway to heaven before the locals manage to get their tiny little heads around what is going on."

Shrugging, Shane grabbed onto the ladder and tugged it, finding it to be secure. He clambered up it, not sure what he'd find at the top. For a moment, there was nothing but empty air; then with a ripple of colour, an pilot's seat appeared, empty save for a bag on it.

"Get in." The voice continued. "There's a helmet in the bag. Unfortunately, this machine's only built for two, so you and Julian will have to share. It's a might squashed but... I'm sure that after six months in prison you're very comfortable with each other."

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked as he grabbed the helmet.

Sitting down, he was confronted a moment later by a surprised-looking Julian clambering over the edge. "You just disappeared into thin air, man."

"Such is the miracle of Holotech, my friends." The voice finished. "Now hang on; we're clearing out."

*****

"Tell me." Mal Loup began as he looked over the report, then up at the plainclothes officer standing before him. "Exatly how the hell was this allowed to happen?"

"We're not entirely sure ourselves, sir." The officer replied. "As near as can be determined, the attacking force snuck in under the prison's sensor grid by flying low to the ocean. They then overpowered the defences and set upon the prison complex itself. Lacking any sort of anti-Zoid support weapons, the wardens on duty were unable to fight off the attackers on foot and unable to contain the prisoners; as a result, we had a considerable amount of escapees. Similarly, the ferry crew weren't prepared and thus were overpowered, allowing them to reach the mainland."

Mal looked down at the sheet again. "A considerable number" was an understatement to say the least. Three dozen prisoners had escaped and were still at large. Several more had been injured during the breakout and since recaptured. Not that it was much comfort, as half of the prison faculty itself was in ruins and, as such, would be unsuitable for use for some time. To make matters worse, the list of currently confirmed escapees included a number of NUBG pilots, some of whom were considered to be the most dangerous of those in custody.

The attackers had not been identified; the Zoids had no markings and, as they were unmanned Fuzors made from smaller Zoids, Chimera Dragons had proven to be particularly hard to trace. Of course, he suspected that they were NUBG-related, but that didn't help matters. NUBG was dead and buried, and he had made sure of it. He'd driven that sucker right into the ground himself and not stopped metaphorically pummelling until it stopped twitching.

That raised more ugly questions. If it was NUBG, then how much of NUBG was left? And if it wasn't NUBG, then who the hell was it?

On the upside, the female inmates wing hadn't been touched during the attack. It meant that they were only looking for male escapees, which made things a little easier.

"Sir?" The officer repeated.

"You know that I didn't approve of that prison." He muttered. "You know that I wanted it to be all underground."

"I don't follow you."

"When they planned that concrete monstrosity I was invited to take part in the planning process." He explained. "I took one look at their ideas and laughed 'em down. I pointed out that with my Giga, I could storm up to that place, blast the damn walls open and simply crush any defences built in. All the while, prisoners could then stream out en masse to freedom. And you know what they said?"

"Sir?"

"They claimed that what the PKB wanted was cruel and inhumane, and didn't respect prisoner's rights." He muttered. "Didn't matter at all that they basically set themselves up for this sorta thing to happen."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, that's all gone and done now." He shook his head. "Next thing they'll be coming to me for an official inquiry into why the prison fell too easily. And then they'll ask me for recommendations as to what to do to prevent it from happening again. And then they'll ignore everything I say and we'll end up in the same place as we started."

"Yes, sir."

"Hopeless." He nodded at the officer. "Thanks for this. And if anyone asks, you can tell them what I said."

He nodded and left, leaving Mal to pour over the information again. No matter how he looked at it, matters came up as nothing short of a complete disaster for the City's leadership and the PKB in particular. They'd been made to look helpless and ineffectual, while the unidentified attackers (Mal knew that they were NUBG, he just couldn't prove it) had gotten away unscathed. They'd be asking how it happened, and he knew that "because a few whining pressure groups made us build a crappy prison" was not a valid answer.

There was another knock at the door. "What do you want now?" He began without looking up.

"Just checking to see how you were going."

Mal looked up to see Jack Hindle standing in the doorway, a bottle and two glasses in hand. "Thanks, Jack." He replied with a smile. "I could use a bit of a break."

Jack sat down at his desk, pouring them each a glass. The chief of the PKB's Investigative section, he was Mal's less visible equal in rank and station. While Mal enforced the peace, Jack tried to find out what was going on. "Thought you would."

Mal took a glass and sipped. "Thing is, I'd thought this was all behind us." He continued. "You know, NUBG being destroyed and all."

"There were a few... loose ends at the end of the day, Mal." Jack offered. "And it looks like htye were connected to something else."

"You think its NUBG too?"

"I'm sure it is." Jack finished. "Thing is, I just don't think that's all there is to this. There's something else going on, I'm sure of it."

*****

(Stephen gets a call before the battle, is angrier)

(the fight)

(Happy now)

*****

The Shadow Fox slunk around the fringes of the logging camp, its adaptive camouflage shifting and rippling to keep it hidden in amongst the dense foliage. Despite its size, the combination of the camouflage systems and sensor baffles kept the fourty-five ton machine hidden, seemingly invisible to detection.

The modified Wild Weasel pod on the Zoid's back went into action, scanning the area for electronic and other emissions, trying to get a good read of what exactly was going on. Only a few hundred meters away, a group of Zoids worked on felling trees and loading them up, blissfully unaware of what was going on behind them.

Okay, let's see what we have here, Siske thought to herself as she began to analyse the readings from the Fox's various sensor systems. So far looks clean, just a bunch of Gustavs and Spinosappers doing the work and... oh hello. The sensors picked up a faint return nearby and began to analyse it. Weak signal, nothing on visual, good thermals and with an LPI-rated 3D Radar and jamming array. We've got ourselves a Helcat watching over this camp. She swept over with the sensors. In fact, we've got several. Yeah, perfectly legitimate civilian logging operation my arse.

She zoomed in on the centre of the operation. A large pit had been dug in the middle of a clearing, and numerous Zoids were working at hauling something out of it. Now what are they up to? This isn't a srip-mining operation so... maybe it's an unauthorised dig? In the last few years, archaeologists had been in great demand. The discovery of a quartet of ancient Zoids - three tigers and, of course, a liger - had resulted in a lot more expeditions to remote corners of the world to see what else may be lurking underground.

Zooming in on one of the machines seemed to confirm what was going on here. A Gustav carried the logo of EcoVentures, a logging and mining company known (in certain circles) to be a front for Neo-Zenebas intelligence operations. So odds are on that whatever's down there is worth a bit.

She swung back to look over the digsite proper. The Zoids were hauling something out of the ground now, a large, black box. She wasn't sure what it was but, to her eyes, it looked like a giant metal coffin. The hell have they found now? She wondered. Could it be-

A quiet beep form the console caught her attention. Not now... She flipped on the communicator, only after making sure that it was in its 'quietest' mode possible. "What is it?" She hissed.

"Withdraw." The voice at the other end replied.

"I'm onto something big here." She countered, looking over the dig site.

"We will send a replacement." The voice intoned. "You are needed elsewhere."

"This is important."

"As is this." He stated. "One of your old cases has been reopened."

Siske glanced around, narrowing her eyes. She did a thorough job. She did not leave loose ends. Her cases did not reopen.

"Very well. Send my replacement, and I will withdraw when he arrives."

"Acknowledged." The voice finished, then closed the link.

So the NUBG live, she thought to herself. Now things are going to get exciting.

*****