Chapter 7:
Weapons, Prisoners, and Video Tape

	"I'm sorry Sven, I cannot abandon your men," Tobias exclaimed. 
Samantha had brought him to Sven's private council chambers to "discuss" the 
approaching enemy.
	"You may not have a choice," Sven responded. "We cannot risk losing 
you here. I'm sorry."
	"Look, I'm supposed to be your savior, right?" Sven nodded. "So why 
would I die? If I'm going to save you all, I have to be alive, right?"
	"Well, true, but-"
	"So that means I won't die! And how the hell am I supposed to save ya 
without any battle experience? Shouldn't your scientists have something that 
will help protect me?"
	Sven stood up. "All right. You made your point. I'll show you to the 
armory."
	"Thank you Sven. I am only trying to aid your cause. Remember that."

	The armory was as small as every other building in the base. Tobias 
knew, however, that looks can be decieving. And he was right, too. The room 
was lined with all sorts of rifles, pistols, grenades, blades, etc. "What are 
they?" Tobias asked.
	"They're standard issue Laser Weaponry. Something I'm sure you're 
familiar with."
	Tobias smirked. "I'm sorry Sven. My people were only starting to 
investigate Laser tech. I'm not up to par with it all." He pushed the small 
red button that Krypt had given to him. The headset appeared, totally 
shocking Sven.
	"What the hell is that?"
	"It's something your lab boys gave to me," he said, activating the 
scanner. "It's called an interface headset."
	He chuckled. "I wondered what that was." Tobias gave a quick scan of 
everything, ranging from the pulse rifles to the streamers to the pistols. He 
picked up a small pistol and continued to scan. Finally, he stopped.
	"I'm sorry Sven. There is nothing I find useful except this pistol 
and this knife." He held the weapons up. "Are you sure this is all that you 
have?"
	"I am sure." Tobias frowned and looked about. The scanner picked 
something up. He went over to an empty wall and touched it. The wall slid 
away, revealing a nasty looking backpack and a long rifle barrel.
	"What is this?"
	"This is the rail gun. The techies say it's perfected, but none of 
our boys seem to be able to work it." Tobias looked at the weapon through his 
scanner's eyes. He got a readout on it's logistics. "You can try it out if 
you want."
	"Yes. I would like to try it out." He picked it up and hoisted it 
onto his back. "It's not too heavy."
	Sven chuckled. "Follow me outside. We'll give this bugger a test."

	They stepped out of the confines of the base, out into the arid lands
that surrounded. It was barren, definately not what they wanted. "Damn it,"
Tobias said. "Nothing to shoot."
	"Wait!" Sven pointed to a rather large boulder. "There's your 
target."
	"Okay." He took the barrel and looked at the small control pannel 
that was perched on top. "I'll set it on two. That should be a low setting, 
right?"
	"Tobias, it's not going to work." He ignored him and tapped on the 
control pannel. He aimed at the boulder and touched the contol pannel. A 
bright blue beam shot out of the long, gray barrel and hit the boulder. It 
promptly vaporized. Sven and the few guards that were there were stunned. 
Tobias merely shook his head. "Of course. This thing's working in the decimal 
system. I'll remember to try something like .4 next time."
	Sven blinked. "Um....there's another boulder over there." He pointed 
to the large rock. "Try it on that." Tobias nodded. He set the gun up and 
fired. The boulder was struck by the beam. It glowed and exploded, showering 
the area with debris. "Nice. You've got a powerful toy Tobias. It's yours."
	"Thank you Sven. Now, we should plan for the approaching units."
	A guard approached the two. "Sir," he told Sven. He handed him a 
radio.
	"What is it?" Sven said into the radio, a little annoyed.
	"Sir," the radio responded. "You've got a lightning tank heading your 
way. He's at top speed and ain't stopping for jack. He might be a kamakazi."
	"Damn it. What's the ETA?"
	"He's doing 120 kph. I'd say about 30 minutes."
	"Okay. Thank you soldier." He handed the radio back to the guard, who 
saluted and went back into the base. He turned to Tobias. "What do you say? 
Are you ready?"
	"Yes. But, could you please tell me something?"
	"Sure, anything."
	"What the hell is a Lightning Tank?"

	"The Lightning Tank is a high speed assault vehicle," Sven explained. 
They were back in his private council chambers. Samantha was present. "It's 
lightly armored, with only a titanium-kevlar meshing for protection. It's 
engine is increadibly powerful, being able to reach speeds, as we've seen, of 
120 kph. It's main weapon, a light laser turret, is ineffective against 
infantry units, but a bitch against armor."
	"So, in other words, it's the tank's way of saying who's your daddy," 
Tobias interrupted.
	Sven chuckled. "Yes, in it's own, awkward way."
	"Tobias," Samantha said. "We know that the turret on this particular 
vehicle is rapid fire. This variation of the cannon allows them to mow down 
infantry as well as remain effective against vehicles. There is no way that 
we're going to let you fight this thing from outside the walls."
	"I understand."
	"Your perch will be the main wall," Sven told him. "From there, you 
will act as a sniper and blast that guy into next week. Are you clear on 
this?"
	"Yes."
	"Good." There was a slight waiver in his voice.
	"Is something wrong, Sven?"
	"Oh, nothing."
	"C'mon."
	"I'm just worried about the lines. That's all."
	"I understand." Sven sighed. Tobias got up and put his hand on his 
shoulder. "Trust me, they'll live."
	Suddenly, the room began to glow a bright red. "Warning," the 
computer sounded. "Enemy unit approaching, speed in excess of 155 mph."
	"Damn it," Sven said. "You're going to prove your worth now Tobias. 
Good luck."

	Tobias climbed a ladder to the top of the wall. He could see the 
clouds of dust that the tank was kicking up. He got the microphone out and 
pushed a small button at it's base. "If that thing gets too close," he said. 
"I want the guard towers to go full blast. Safeties off boys." The towers 
whirred and two nasty looking barrels popped out of each tower. Tobias 
smirked and pushed the button again. "Targeting," he said. The clear lens he 
used for scanning was replaced by a red one. It was his targeting system. He 
set the rail gun for 1. "Target enemy unit. Set up intercept point. 
Guarenteed no misser." The tank, which was still some distance away, was 
targeted and a small X appeared on the dirt some distance from the base. 
Tobias aimed at it. "Display estimated time until unit reaches intercept 
point." A small clock appeared in the corner of the lens. There were 30 
seconds until he could sucessfully destroy the tank. It was around 10 seconds 
that he picked up something. "Quickscan," he said. His suspicions were 
correct. He aimed the gun slightly lower and pulled the trigger just as the 
timer reached zero. The ground infront of the tank blew up, forming a crater. 
The driver, unable to avoid it, nosedived into the hole. The tank was 
immobile and unable to fire. A cheer went up from the base. "Towers," Tobias 
said. "Do not fire on the target." He hopped down from the wall, turned for 
the gate, and left the safety of the base.
	"Tobias," Sven shouted. "Where are you going?"
	"Tobias!" Samantha cried. She followed him, Sven close behind. Tobias 
ignored the two and walked right up to the fallen tank. When he got there, he 
readied his weapon and aimed it at the door.
	"Come out or I will shoot," he said. He, of course, had no intention 
of doing so. Slowly, the hatched opened.
	"Don't shoot," the paniced voice came from within. "I mean no harm." 
Out of the cockpit came a young wolf, probably in his late teens. "I mean no 
harm."
	"Great," Sven said. "You've got him right where you want him. Show 
your loyalty. Pull the trigger." Tobias looked at the young wolf. He could
see the fear painted on his face. He lowered the gun.
	"No."
	"What?! Why not?"
	"Because I will not kill an unarmed person. Not like this."
	The young wolf fell to his knees "Thank you for being merciful."
	Sven frowned. "Tobias, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
	Tobias pointed to the tank. Sticking out of the barrel of the laser 
turret was a white flag. "You tell me."
	"The white flag. Was he-?"
	"Surrendering? Yes, I think he was. And the way he's acting, I don't
think he's lying. Bring him to the med bay. Give him a quick check-up and
bring him to an interrogation room. I will be asking him a few questions
before I let you decide what to do with him." He noticed Sven's look of
distrust. "Trust me Sven. I know what I'm doing."
	Sven sighed. "I know I'm making a big mistake." He took his pistol
from his pocket and pointed it at the tank operator. "You, hands behind your
head." The wolf complied. "Now, get up. Good. Go to the base. But do it
slowly." The wolf did as he was told. Sven walked close behind him. "You
better be right Tobias. Or else it's the brig for you."
	Samantha went over to Tobias. "What are you doing?"
	"I'm just following the rules of war."
	"Oh." She hugged him. "I hope you know what you're doing."
	"I do, Samantha. And I am confident in it."

	Tobias entered the cell where the prisoner was being held. He made a
quick mental note of the camera that was watching and turned to the 
youngster. The wolf was surprised to see him. "You," he said. "You are not
one of them."
	"Ah, you're very observant."
	"But, you're not one of us?"
	"True. But I don't think you should worry about that."
	"Who are you?"
	"You don't need to worry about it." He sat down. "Now, can I ask your
name?"
	The wolf shook his head. "I will not say. The Pack will use it to put
on my tombstone."
	"They won't execute you. I promise you that."
	"But I still won't say. I don't want them to know who I am!"
	He looked at the camera. "Would it be better if I unpluged that?" The
wolf nodded. Tobias sighed. "They're gonna kill me for this." He grabbed his
chair, brought it over to the camera, and stood on it. "I'm sorry Sven," he
told the camera. "This is only to get some words out of him other than I 
won't say." He pulled a wire out of the back of the camera. It powered down. 
He knew he now had five minutes. He brought his chair back. "Scan," he said 
into his microphone. He pushed a small button on the headset. The wolf was 
perplexed.
	"What is that?"
	"Don't worry. This is just getting some basic data on you. It's not a 
recording device."
	"Good."
	He smirked. "Okay. So why did you come roaring into this base with 
that thing?"
	"I wanted to defect to their side. I've had it with the Raiders."
	He checked the scan. The scan showed he was being truthful. "Okay. 
Why have you had it with them?"
	"They forced me to join on my eighteenth birthday. I wanted to do 
nothing with this war, but the high council said it was a mandate punishable 
by death if disobeyed."
	Again, the scan said he was truthful. "Okay, so-"
	"I mean, I've got a full life planned for me. I don't want to die at 
this age." Tears started to well up. "I really don't. I don't want to die. 
It's too scary to think about." He curled up into a little ball. Tobias got 
up and went over to comfort him. "I don't want to die."
	"Don't worry, you won't. Calm down." The wolf stopped what he was 
doing. "Now, why do you think we'd let you go if you came in with an armed 
vehicle?"
	"I was desperate. I wasn't thinking."
	Tobias nodded. "Thank you. That is all I need to know." He went back 
over to the camera and plugged it back in. "Sorry Sven. I didn't want to do 
that."
	"Why are you talking to the camera?" Sven growled. Tobias looked to 
the doorway. Sven was standing there. "Guards, take the prisoner back to his 
cell. And when you're done with that, escort Tobias here to my council 
chambers. We need to have a LONG discussion." The guards winced and did as 
they were told. They knew what Tobias was in for.

	Tobias spent the good part of an hour being held up in the air by two 
guards while Sven paced silently in front of him. He knew that Sven was 
pissed. But he also knew that was the only way to get the kid to talk. After 
a track was made in Sven's carpeting, he turned to Tobias. "Why?" he asked.
	"It was the only way to get him to talk. He wasn't going to say 
anything until he was sure you weren't watching. He fears what you'll do to
him now."
	"You've deprived us from your conversation Tobias." She shook his 
head and sat down on the desk. "If you can provide me with one reason why I 
shouldn't put you in the brig with 'J', I will let you go."
	"Well, if GI Joe and GI Joe junior let me go, I can give you what you 
want." Sven nodded and the guards dropped him. Tobias got back to his feet 
and activated his headset. "Eject." A small CD popped out of the box attached 
to his belt. He took the CD and gave it to Sven. "That disk has a copy of the 
entire conversation through my eyes and a physiological scan to go along with 
it."
	Sven looked at the disk. "All right. But if you're lying, I'll have 
you shot. You may go now."
	Tobias bowed. "You will not be disappointed." He turned and left.

	Kaitlyn was waiting for him outside. When he walked over to her, she 
grabbed him by the shirt collar and raised him into the air. "What are you, 
nuts?" she screamed. "You could've gotten killed. Unplugging a camera during 
an investigation is considered espionage. You could've been executed! And I'd 
hate to think about what Crash and his croonies want to do to you!"
	"Calm down," Tobias said. "I had everything on tape. Sven's looking 
at it now. Please put me down."
	She put him back on his feet and hugged him. "I don't want to lose 
you!"
	He patted her back. "Don't worry. I'm here to stay. Now, what's this 
about Crash?"
	"He wants to speak with you," Psycho boomed. He had seen the two and 
walked right up to them. He grabbed Tobias by the back of his shirt and 
effortlessly lifted him into the air. "You're in deep shit, slug." Kaitlyn 
shrunk back, too terrified to help. Psycho turned for the barracks and moved, 
leaving Tobias hanging while he walked.

	Tobias was thrown, literally, into a chair at the poker table. Crash 
sat across from him. He didn't look too happy. "Nice shooting out there Tex," 
he said. "But did you have to shoot the bloody camera?"
	"What are you-?" Crash leaned over and slapped him.
	"You are in no position to be talking. We know you cut the officers 
off from your conversation with our 'visitor.' If you can provide me with one 
good reason why we should let you live, you may go. If you cannot, Psycho 
gets to use you as practice for some new moves he's been learning." Tobias 
looked at Psycho, who grinned wickedly. He turned pale.
	"I can Crash."
	"Well?"
	He turned to his microphone. "Eject." A second disk popped out. He 
handed it to Crash. "That is all you need to know."
	"Shouldn't you have given this to Sven?"
	"Rule of thumb: keep redundant backups handy at all times."
	Crash nodded. "Psycho, hold him." Psycho grabbed Tobias by the arms 
and lifted him high into the air. "If this disk proves nothing, crush him."
	"Don't worry," Psycho taunted. "I'll make it quick. You won't feel a 
thing." Tobias paniced. One of his old defenses kicked in and he started to 
visibly shake. He had so much adrenaline pumping through his system he could 
not control it. Crash ignored it and put the disk into a wall that had a few 
television screens. Two of them turned on. One showed the wolf and their
conversation, while the other monitor displayed the physiological data. 
	Crash shook his head when the playback ended. "Psycho, release him. 
Tobias, I'm sorry." Psycho put Tobias on his feet and apologized. Tobias 
remained standing for a few seconds before collapsing onto the floor and 
curling up into a little ball. "Oh shit. Somebody call Samantha. She'll be 
able to get him out of this."

	It took a half an hour to get Samantha to Tobias. She was definately 
not pleased with what she saw. She went over to his side and stroked his 
head. "What did they do to you?" she asked him. He failed to respond. Crash 
started to say something, but an angry glance silenced him. "Did they have 
Psycho hold you?" Psycho shunk back at these words. "I thought so. We should 
get back to my quarters." She tried to lift him up. But in that position, he 
was far too heavy.
	"Please," Crash said. "Let us help you."
	"I don't need your help Crash. You did enough already, don't you 
think?" Crash winced at these words.
	"I'm sorry."
	"Don't tell me that! Tell Tobias. He's the one you put into this 
condition!" She calmed herself down. "The only way I can get you home is by 
snapping you out of this. And the only way I can think of doing that...." She 
took his head in her hand, turned him to look at her, and kissed him. That 
sparked a violent shaking fit which forced everyone back. He quickly 
unraveled and sat up.
	"What happened?" he muttered. He turned and saw Samantha. "Sammy!" He 
got up and stumbled into her arms, where he promptly passed out.

	"Smart move," the darkness spoke. It spoke with Lone Wolf's voice.
	"What'd I do?" Tobias replied.
	"You cut the Pack off from your conversation. That takes guts and a 
lot of insanity to do."
	"Sorry."
	"Don't apologize. You survived, didn't you? I think you're about 
ready for a pitched battle. I'm gonna ease you back into reality now. You'll 
meet me on the battle field tomorrow. Take care."
	"But-"

	He awoke to find his forehead brick cold from a cold compress. "What 
the hell happened?" He sat up and looked around. But he was so weak his eyes 
refused to work. 
	"Quickly," he heard Samantha say. "He's awake." He heard footsteps. 
Someone put their hands on him and pushed him back. "You're weak," Samantha 
said. "Lay back and relax."
	"Samantha? Where are you?" She waved a hand in front of his face. He 
didn't react.
	"He's blind!"
	"Of course he's gonna be," he heard Sven say. "The shock from 
escaping the clutches of a death by Psycho would neutralize so many things
on even me."
	Tobias sighed. "Hello sir."
	"Tobias. I want to apologize to you."
	"For what?"
	"I realized what you were doing while I was going over the tapes. It 
was wrong of me to do that to you."
	"Don't apologize. I should have told you I was going to pull a stunt 
like that."
	"Well," Kaitlyn said. "Don't pull it again. You could've ended up 
dead. I don't want to have to bury ya."
	"Sorry."
	"You vitals are in working order. It'll take a bit until you regain 
full sense. I suggest some rest and relaxation."
	Samantha sat down on the couch next to Tobias. "I'll take care of 
him." She caressed his cheek. He reached up blindly and put his hand on hers. 
"He'll be okay here."
	"All right." Kaitlyn fumbled with some equipment. "You're in for a 
treat Tobias. She's one hell of a caretaker."
	"Yes," Sven added. "She's taken care of nearly everyone in the base 
at one point. But none of us have been this close to death as you. Take 
care." Both he and Kaitlyn left.

	Cabinets were opened, faucets were turned, bottles were opened, and 
all the while, Tobias remained oblivious. "Samantha?"
	"I'm right here," she answered.
	"That makes it twice you've prevented me from being hurt. I owe you 
my life."
	"You owe no such thing." She sat down next to him and put a pill into 
his hand. "Take this. It will ease your system."
	"Thank you." He popped the pill in his mouth. She gave him a glass of 
water to wash it down. As soon as he was done with that, she sat down and 
rested his head on her lap. "Isn't this where we met the other night?"
	"Oh you!" She leaned over and kissed him.
	"I just love it when you do that," he muttered as her lips left his.
	"I'm glad." She gently stroked his head. His blind eyes rolled into 
the back of his skull. A gentle gurgle of approval eminated from him.
	The wall suddenly opened up. A screen behind it lit up. Sven's face 
appeared. "Tobias," he started to say. "Oops. I didn't think you were busy."
	"No Sven," Tobias said. "It's okay. What do you need?"
	Samantha chuckled. "That's the first time I've ever heard Sven say 
'Oops'. " She laughed. "And that's the first time I've seen you blush sir!"
	"Please don't tell anyone. That'll be it for my reputation-"
	"Don't worry. It's safe."
	"Okay," Tobias said. "Now, what do you want Sven?"
	His voice deadened. "You had better hear this for yourself." There 
was some static.
	"They broke the lines!" a different voice said. "Those bastards broke 
the lines! Sir, If you're receiving this, prepare the troops for battle. We 
managed to stop the main force, but a whole platoon got through. It'll take 
them some time to get to your position. They've got two medium tanks, a 
lightning tank, and a whole bunch of foot soldiers. Be expecting them around 
noon tomorrow, sir."
	"Tobias," Sven said. "We need your assistance to defend the base. 
Will you be able to?"
	"If I can survive Psycho, I can survive anything. I'll be ready by 
then."
	"Is that a promise?"
	"I'd perfer not to."
	"Okay. We'll be awaiting your recovery. Take good care of him
Samantha." The screen turned off.
	"Are you sure about this Tobias?"
	"Yes." 
	She kissed him again. "You will stay here for the night to rest up."
	"Thank you Samanth. That's the first time anyone has offered to do
such a thing."
	"Do what?"
	"Let me stay the night." She smiled and continued to stroke his head.

	He was jostled awake by Samantha the next morning. His sight had 
returned, so he looked at her. "What?!"
	"Professor Krypt is here to see you."
	"Oh. Okay." The professor approached. "What can I do for you?"
	Krypt presented him with a small box. "We've completed it." Tobias 
took the box and opened it. Inside was a small, gold plated computer chip. 
"This is your transformation chip. Place it's connectors into those six holes 
you were asking about and throw your arms out. The program will automatically 
activte."
	"So what will happen?"
	"You will be transformed into a magnificent warrior. Since it's 
impossible to give you increased strength, but we were able to amplify 
something that we think you'll find useful."
	"All right, what is it?"
	"Agility."
	"Cool! Anything I need to worry about?"
	"Yes. When you go back to human, when you remove the chip, you will 
be drained of a good portion of your energy. This first time might knock you 
out for a little bit. If you're going to be in a big fight, do not take that 
chip out. It will be impossible for you to fight or to return to your warrior 
form." The guards tapped the door. "I have to go. They are evacuating all 
non-military personel. Good luck in your defense." The guards led him away.

	Tobias reported to Sven for his briefing. Samantha and Kaitlyn had 
already gotten there. "Glad you could join us Tobias," he said. "Let me give 
you an overview. In two hours, a small platoon consisting of two medium 
assault tanks, one lightning tank, and a number of foot soldiers will appear 
at our front gate." He pushed a small button on his desk. They were treated 
to a holographic view of a tank. "This is the medium assault tank. There are 
two models. One shoots explosive shells. Lucky for us, that is not what we 
have to battle. This particular one shoots solid, armor piercing slugs. Your 
objective is to nail those two buggers before they can destroy our front 
gate. The lightning tank's weapon cannot do much damage to the front gate and 
the infantrymen are a little on the slow side. Think you can handle it?"
	Tobias smirked. "Would I be here if I couldn't?"
	"Good. Now, Samantha and Kaitlyn have been assigned to medic duty. 
They have been given a special field emitter." He handed Tobias a similar 
device. "Their devices can totally defeat any type of energy attack, from 
laser to stun blasts to even plasma cannon bursts. They cannot be harmed 
unless actual hand to hand combat occurs. But due to the lack of recources 
we've encountered recently, there aren't many of these things left. You'll
have to settle for something a little less."
	"So what does it do?"
	"You'll be protected from everything, but after a number of hits, the 
field will deactivate to recharge."
	"How many more of these do you have?"
	"How many do you need?"
	He counted something out. "Five will do." Sven produced the devices.
"How long do we have?"
	"An hour and 50 minutes."
	"Good, that gives me enough time to prepare. I'll check back here in
a half an hour."
	"Why? Where are you going?"
	"Don't worry. I'll be back." He bowed and turned out the door.

	"I really hope we get to crack some heads," Psycho said. The entire
armed force there was getting prepared for battle. It'd be their first in a
while. And they were all eager to shoot something.
	"Don't worry," Crash chuckled. "You'll get to spill some brains. 
Tobias won't deprive us of that joy." 
	"I'm not so sure. Tobias might not be too happy with what we did to 
him. Samantha sounded pretty pissed and she might not let him do it."
	Suddenly, there was a knock on the barracks door. "It's Tobias," a 
voice shouted. The door was quickly opened. Tobias ran in, rail gun on his 
back. "Here," he said, handing a device to Psycho, Hack, Bomber, Wrench and 
Crash. 
	"What are these?" Crash asked.
	"These devices will protect you if you get shot at."
	Crash put the device on his belt. "Thanks," he said.
	"Listen, no matter what the commanders tell you, I want Crash, 
Wrench, Hack, Psycho and Bomber holding my back. The rest of you stay in 
rank. Understand?" There was a murmer of understanding. Tobias smiled and 
left. Crash looked at Psycho.
	"I guess he's not angry at us," Psycho said.
	"I guess."
	"I'm not ticked off at you guys. But the next time you pull it, I 
won't hold back." They all winced. They knew there would be no next time.

	Tobias took his perch at the top of the wall. He looked out at the 
landscape. The hole that he had put there was still there. He sighed as he 
thought about the Raider. "Are the gunners ready?" he asked his microphone.
	"Gunners ready," a second voice replied.
	"Don't shoot until I nail the mediums. After they're down, open fire. 
Understood?"
	"Clear as crystal."
	"Good." He turned to the troops and raised his rail gun into the air. 
They cheered, signaling they were ready. He nodded and pushed a button on the 
headset. "Targeting," he said. The targeting systems kicked in, revealing the 
battlescape and the targets. He cocked his rail gun and chuckled. "Let's do 
this. Target nearest medium tank." The nearest tank was targeted. He set the 
gun on power 3, aimed, and fired. The blue rail beam went whizzing out and 
made contact. The tank suffered medium damage. He lowered the power setting 
and waited for the recharge. As soon as that happend he checked again. The
second medium tank was in range. He aimed and fired. It was vaporized. "One 
down, one to go." He aimed and fired again. The second tank sizzled. He 
looked to the troops and made a slashing motion across his neck. They 
cheered. "Gunners, be ready to-" His alarm started to go off. "What the-?" A 
jet flew overhead. "The hell was that? " It was then he noticed a small 
package falling. It hit the ground and let go of a large pulse of energy.
Everything froze. "All units," he cussed. "Check in."
	Some time passed. "Crash here. The guys, girls and I are fine."
	"Crash, what the hell was that?"
	"Stasis bomb. Everything's timed-out."
	"The hell! Gunners, check in." No response. "Gunners, check in!" No 
response. "Damn it! We've lost our gunners. Crash, Psycho, get up here. 
You're gonna help mow the infantry down." He turned to the approaching enemy.
"Target the lightning tank," he told his targeting system.
	The headset beeped. "Unable to comply."
	"Why?"
	"Target is moving erratically. It would be impossible to hit with
your rail gun."
	"Fuck." He looked at it out in the distance. "What the hell is he 
doing?" Suddenly, the tank aimed at the gate and hit top speed. It rammed the 
gate and exploded, shaking him up. "Damn it! A kamakazi!" He looked down at 
the gate just as Crash and Psycho arrived to help.
	"What's up?" Crash asked.
	"The lightning tank blew the gate wide open." He looked out at the 
approaching troops. "You two have to stop them before they reach the hole or 
we're going into a street brawl."
	"What have we got to kill?" The air suddenly errupted in pulse fire. 
They ducked behind the wall.
	"Approximately 35 troops." He put his rail gun away and took the 
pistol from his belt. "And they're too small and too spaced apart to target 
with my rail gun." The pistol charged. "Ready to kick some ass?"
	"Sure am," Psycho chuckled, looking over the wall. He fired one shot. 
The target list decreased by one.
	"Damn, he's good." He looked over the wall and fired his pistol. 
Crash followed in suit with his rifle. They killed off a number of troops, 
but 15 got through the fire and made it into the base. They opened fire on 
everything. Psycho growled, dropped his gun, and leapt off of the wall. He 
tackled two of the troops to the ground and smashed their heads on the 
pavement.
	"Well," Crash said. "He got his wish." He dropped his rifle and leapt 
at one of the soldiers. His foot connected with the poor sucker's head. A 
fist fight quickly ensued. Tobias watched, hoping his men would be able to 
take care of it.
	'You will meet me today.' He looked about. 'You will meet me today.'
It was Lone Wolf, but where was he? A cry went up from the battlefield. He 
looked. Psycho had been subdued and was getting beaten up. Crash had fallen. 
Bomber and Hack were barely holding them off. Wrench was doing his best, 
using what Tobias assumed was shao-lin attacks. Then he looked to Kaitlyn 
and Samantha. They had already been taken down. Samantha shouted something. 
That's when it all collapsed. One of the soldiers backhanded her.
	"You bastard!" Tobias shouted at the top of his lungs. With the rage 
flowing, he removed the small chip that Krypt had given to him a little 
earlier and plugged it into his headset. "Time for you to see what the hell 
you're fucking with. I'm releasing this power now!" He threw his arms apart
and looked to the sky. A white beam shot up from the ground, emmersing him in
his glow and attracting everyone's attention.
	"What the hell is going on?" one of the Raiders shouted.
	Kaitlyn watched with a smile. "He's doing it! He's using the chip!"

	The rail gun dropped onto the small catwalk he was on. His body was 
glowing a dirty white, in contrast to the pure white beam. Those who were 
watching carefully could barely make out the change in his outline. He was 
growing a tail, claws, and fur. It happened in a few seconds. The white beam 
suddenly disappeared, leaving a wolven character standing there, muzzle to 
the sky and his arms out. His fur was gray, except for under his chin and on 
his neck. He wore exactly what Tobias was, except for the shoes. They were 
replaced with paws. "The hell is that?" the same Raider shouted. The warrior
looked at him. He suddenly phased out of sight. "What the h-!!!" The Raider 
grabbed his neck and fell to the ground. One of his comrads went over to the 
fallen soldier and removed his hand. His throat was torn out. Blood gushed 
from the wound. He gurgled a little before keeling over.
	"He deserved it," a deep voice said. The soldiers looked in that 
direction. The wolven warrior was standing there, his right arm extended, his 
claws dripping with blood and gore. He dropped his arm and turned to the 
soldiers.
	"Who are you?" the one who was kneeling by the fallen one asked.
	"My name is Lone Wolf. You've hurt those I holds dear to me. For 
that, you must die." He blinked out of sight again. Three more soldiers fell. 
One had his stomach torn out. A second one had his arm ripped open. The third 
was the most unlucky of all. Lone Wolf had blinked back into sight, with his 
fist firmly planted in the poor guy's muzzle. It broke and the soldier fell.
	"Fuck these guys!" someone cried. "Nail that son bitch!"
	"I think not." With a swat of his hand, he cast a ball of green 
energy at a few of the troops. They were hit and disappeared in a trail of 
vapor. The remaining eight or nine of them paniced and ran for the gate. That 
didn't bother Lone Wolf. He disappeared and, one by one, the soldiers fell. 
He stopped right in front of Samantha and Kaitlyn. 
	"You....you saved us!" Samantha said.
	"That's what I'm here for." He helped her up.
	"Who are you?"
	"My name is Lone Wolf. I'm the entity that resides in the chip." He 
tapped the small, golden chip in his headset.
	"But, what happened to Tobias?"
	"I'm him." He chuckled. "It's hard to explain."
	"You're telling me!"
	"I'm going to give you Tobias back. But he's going to be out cold for 
a little while. Do you think you can watch over him until he wakes up?"
	"I can." She smiled. "Thank you."
	"My pleasure. Get ready, I'm going to switch back." He smiled and 
shook her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you." He reached up, pulled the 
chip, and put it back in a pouch on his belt. A few seconds passed before he 
grabbed his arm and collapsed. His body let off a soft white glow and shifted 
back into Tobias. The base slowly came out of stasis.