Episode 10 - Revenge is a Dish Best Served

Regaining his composure, his eyes staring straight ahead, Z said: "Kaitlyn, what did that diagnostic on the turbo cannon show?"

"That it was relatively safe," she replied. "But it still needs a lot of test-"

"Where is it?" Z cut her off.

Silently Meernik led them down into the basement. Walking up to an oddly out of place painting on the wall and swung it aside, revealing a small safe. After scanning her handprint and both retinas, Meernik quickly punched in a code on a keypad. With a burst of steam and an electronic unlocking sound, she pulled the the safe open. It was more like a drawer, at least six feet in length.

Inside lay a Series 5000 Turbo Canon.

Z quickly picked it up and turned to leave.

"But Z, it's not safe," Meernik protested. "The deatomizers are still unstable and the neutron feeds could explode."

"I don't care," Z replied, mounting the steps.

"She's right," Nup said. "I can't let you take the turbo cannon."

Z stopped halfway up the stairs and turned around. Looking down at the other agents, he said, "You don't understand, Deuce is dead. It's not about the fieldhouse anymore. They made it personal."

"We've got to take it to them. Now who's with me?"

"But almost everyone here is injured," Meernik said. "The Golden Eagles barely felt a thing, they've got battle wagons and they'll be ready. Plus I know I can't come, I've got to study."

There were murmurs of agreement amongst the agents, most coming from females.

"It's true, they do have all that," Z said. "But I'll tell you one thing, the Golden Eagles don't care about studying."

"Plus you've got one thing they don't got."

"What's that?" Nup asked.

"Me."

Episode 9 — The Long 'No'

The knife didn't move another millimeter before there was a bullet between the commander's eyes. Across the room, Z was holding his smoking pistol, still pointed at the commander.

"Checkmate," he said.

Agent Sandstorm's mouth was hanging wide open. She stood in stunned silence as Z holstered his pistol and crossed the room toward Nup.

"You OK?" he asked.

"I'll live," Nup growled in reply, his right arm bent across his chest.

"What the hell happened here?" Sandstorm asked as smoke rose from random places and wires sparked.

"They came out of nowhere," Meernik piped up. "We were running the diagnostics on the new turbo cannon when the first battle wagon slammed Mayfield. It was all over after that. We're lucky to be alive."

"Guys...." Sandstorm ventured.

"This couldn't have been a random attack," Z said. "The Golden Eagles would never be that foolish, even if they had the element of surprise. What were they after?"

"Uh, guys..." Sandstorm again.

"They must have known we had accelerated the plans for the new fieldhouse," Nup said. "They must have someone on the inside."

"GUYS!!!" Everyone turned to look at Sandstorm. "If they have someone on the inside, then they probably know about Deuce, has anyone heard from him in a while?"

Z quickly held up his video watch, punching in Deuce's frequency.

"Deuce, come in," he said. "Deuce, do you read me?"

Nothing but static greeted Z for several minutes as the rest of the survivors gathered around the tiny screen. Finally, a slight break in the static and Deuce's face partially materialized.

"Z..........ssssssssssssss

ssssssss...................too man....," Deuce said, his face looked strained and bloody. "I..............held th........long as I.........ssssssssssssss.............sorry....sssssss."

Then a blinding flash, then nothing. The screen was black.

"Deuce?" Z said, his voice becoming more frantic. "Deuce, come in Deuce."

Then, sinking to his knees, Z let out the worst howl any of the agents would ever hear: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Episode 8 - Don't mess with the U.P.

Pulling himself together, Z walked past Sandstorm and up the stairs toward the master control room. The shouting became clearer.

“...you have any idea...cost?!” a voice came from the room. “...think you can kill a Yooper?!”

The two agents stepped carefully into the master control room to see NUP, their superior, engaged in a vicious wrestling match with three Eagles commanders. Z was relieved to see him alive and noticed several other agents and colleagues were alive, though many sustaining injuries.

Meernik, a lab-coated researcher, whispered to the agents, “They stormed in here and nearly killed us all but when they shot the master flat screen, NUP lost it and dominated almost the whole squad. He needs you now though!”

Z nodded in agreement and the two agents approached the scuffle. NUP appeared to be holding his own but got caught in a headlock and the Eagle commander pulled out a knife. Z reacted swiftly and disposed of two commanders with with bullet in each chest. The third commander still had NUP locked and held the blade up to his neck.

With blood a blood stained uniform and sweat dripping down his forehead, he sputtered out,“Your move, Z."