[TheFightingSpirit]

Incursion Twenty Five: The Challenger and the Guardian

Blue Cross whooped at his console in the cockpit of the giant Challenger. “I told them there was something fishy about that community centre. Did anybody listen? No. Does anybody ever listen? No. But I knew it!”

“Alright Ken, okay, calm down,” said White Cross. “We’ve got a giant monster to exterminate.”

“In Japan, they call them kaiju, you know,” said Red Cross, not missing a beat.

The blue ranger patted his friend on the shoulder. “That’s interesting… completely beside the point but interesting.”

Though the controls were pretty alien, a tutorial system highlighted the proper process with varying degrees of illumination. Once they got the hang of flying it, the autopilot switched itself off and the Challenger swooped toward the Black Water ‘kaiju’.

“Dude, we've got lasers,” exclaimed Red Cross.

He pressed the red trigger on his joystick and a volley of laser bolts flew from the forward turrets mounted on the Challenger’s underbelly. They hit the lizard in the chest, burning roughly circular patches in its layers of fungus armour.

The monster didn't seem too perturbed by the attack. It stomped toward them across the park.

Meanwhile, Yellow Cross had managed to get a target lock. She slammed her hand down on the launch button and the pair of homing missiles loaded into the cannon’s breach surged forward, arcing toward the monster as it chased down the Challenger.

The missiles struck it in the back, tearing yet more fungus from it’s skin. It roared in pain and turned to see the Guardian, cannons smoking.

Back inside Challenger, White Cross had discovered something interesting in the instructions scrolling across her visor. “It’s not just lasers, Rob. They can combine.” She yanked the monitor above her console around for the others to see.

Red Cross grinned. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

The white ranger sent a copy of the instruction directly to Green Cross in the cockpit of the Guardian, then entered the transformation code into her console. The Cross Rangers followed her lead and did the same.

The Guardian engaged a pair of heavy stabilizers. It’s caterpillar tracks locked, and the entire back of machine rose up, pivoting on joints just behind the cockpit. As it split down the middle, two booms with docking mechanisms at one end swiveled up from the back, turning the machine into a pair of legs.

The Challenger fired one last shot at the kaiju and swooped down to dock vertically with the Guardian. Once in place, two shoulder joints extended from the main body. The robot bent at the waist and inserted first one, then the other into sockets on the two cannons. As it rose up one last time the front cockpit of the Challenger flipped down, becoming a chest piece, and revealed the robot’s head; a sleek thing with single silver fin.

“CrossRobo online,” said Red Cross, confirming everything was in working order.

Yellow Cross and Green Cross joined the others in the Challenger’s cockpit and took the positions at the two remaining consoles.

CrossRobo strode confidently toward the giant monster and grappled with it in an attempt to get it off the streets and back into Olympia park. As the mecha wrestled it’s opponent to the ground, the lizard’s thick, muscular tail slammed into the side of a skyscraper, smashing windows and buckling steel. Tons of office equipment slid from the building to the street below.

The mech leaped to it’s feet and levelled it’s arm cannons at the still smouldering, fungus-armoured lizard.

“End of the road, kaiju,” said Red Cross, engaging CrossRobo’s finisher move.

Energy from the Challenger’s power cells was redirected into the cannons. Just as the monster struggled to it’s feet two balls of crackling overloaded laser energy loosed from CrossRobo, incinerating the beast on the spot.

o0o

In a cavernous subterranean sewage chamber beneath the city, Lady Oblivion and No-one reformed from their hidden reservoir of Black Water.

He bowed to her. “How did it go?”

She curtseyed in return. “Your friends the Cross Rangers have more firepower than you initially suggested.”

“What?”

“Did you not know they had giant mechanical man to combat my monsters?”

“A giant me-” No-one growled and stepped back into the water. “This complicates matters...”

“Ah, but does it, darling?” she said, stepping into the pool with him. “They can field all the... the mechanical nonsense they want against us, but they won’t ever stop the infection. Will they.”

No-one turned to her as though looking right into her mind. “No… no, they won’t.”

o0o

The rangers filled Catherine in on what had happened. Suffice to say everyone present, including Cadet Ferris and the enlisted personne,l bustling about trying to look like they weren’t listening in, were worried.

StratCom already had the destruction of a privately-owned office building to deal with, and very little legal precedence to fall back on. How often did giant monsters and massive humanoid robots duke it out in Steele City…

Or anywhere?

Maria shook her head. “I never thought I’d be thanking Bryant’s regime for anything, but-”

“To be fair,” interrupted Ferris. “The Challenger and Guardian projects were the brainchild of the old R&D department, the General only okay'd their construction.”

All eyes focused on her. “What? I may be new but I like to keep informed…”

“Still,” said Maria. “Without them, the city could well have been destroyed today.” She paused, falling into deep consideration for a moment, before turning to Catherine. “Captain, permission to offer a suggestion?”

“We’re all friends here, Maria.” Catherine chuckled. “Let’s not be so formal.”

“Understood.” She cleared her throat. Robert noticed she still stood at ease in front of her new commanding officer despite having known Catherine since she was the rank below. “I’d like to suggest we form an dedicated engineering detail and attach them permanently to the Cross Machines.”

“Great idea,” she replied. “Can I count on you to liaise with Doctor Zamora on this?”

“Yes, ma’am- I mean… Catherine. I’ll get on it right away, if you don’t mind of course?”

“Go on then, the sooner the better I suppose.”

Maria saluted - old habits died hard - and left double quick. Perhaps she wanted to ensure the Machines would always be ready to launch- just in case - or maybe she wanted to get it sorted quickly and get some down time.

Allison frowned. “I don’t mean to be a buzzkill but... just because we’ve got an increased arsenal… doesn't make the matter any less serious.”

Catherine nodded. “No, you’re right. If creating threats like Lady Oblivion is as easy as kidnapping someone and infecting them, then we might be in big trouble.”

“But wouldn't No-one have created more of these generals, by now,” said Brad. “If it was simple, that is.”

“There’s something we’re missing, that’s for certain,” Catherine agreed. “A secret process or ritual Black Water has observe… but nevertheless we’re more than prepared now.”

Robert wasn’t so sure. It seemed that every time they got an advantage, Black Water leveled the playing field; a stalemate if ever he saw one.

He wondered whether it would be enough to stay on the defensive. Could the six of them, with their giant robot ally and StratCom soldiers in reserve, do enough to protect the people?

He was beginning to realise they needed to do something drastic, or else the world may never get shot of the Black Water plague.

o0o

Maria met Sergeant Cartwright a few metres from Doctor Zamora’s lab. The Operations NCO seemed to stand her ground, like a stoic sentinel barring the captain from entry.

“I’m in a rush, Cartwright.”

“How does it feel to be second in command, Austin. I’m just wondering.”

Maria sighed. “I have bigger things to deal with than your misplaced irritation. I’m the officer here.” Almost as soon as she’d said it, regret bubbled up within her psyche.

“This isn't about being an officer or not, but as far as we care the only reason you got XO is by being buddy buddy with Moses.” She stepped even closer to Maria, well within her personal space. “And let’s be honest, how the hell did she get her job instead of you? You must be pretty pissed at getting passed over in favour of a lieutenant.”

“Put it this way Cartwright. I pull double duty. The platoons on base report to me, and I have to deal with all their shit. On top of that, I’m a ranger. Fighting evil day in day out.”

“Oh big woop.” Cartwright rolled her eyes. “I’ve read the reports on magi. The only reason you are where you are today is 1) by accident of birth and 2) because of the power vacuum left by Bryant, filled by your rangers.”

“Those seem like damn good reasons to me.” Maria sidestepped the sergeant and strode to the laboratory door. “Would you like to take my position? The fact is Black Water would chew you up in seconds, and without powers like mine you’d be infected. Just like that. Nothing you could do would stop it.”

“All I ask for is recognition. People like me are the backbone of the military.”

She turned back before entry to face Cartwright. “Deal with your lot, sergeant, because I’m still the ranking officer here. Or would you actually like to face a disciplinary committee?”

In all honesty, Maria hated pulling rank on non-commissioned officers and enlisted. You did not piss off your NCO support staff, not least administration and operations staff like Cartwright. After all, they dealt with your paperwork. A pissed off NCO could easily misplace your sick note or put your name on a random training list ‘by accident’. Maria didn’t begrudge Cartwright for her opinions, or in fact for speaking out and using the chain of command.

Maybe she could chalk it up to the tiredness of trying to get it through Robert’s thick skull that she had experience he could use. She didn’t want to be ‘that guy’, but he needed to learn to listen to the specialists.

It was then that she realised her situation with Robert was no different from her vs Cartwright.

God, I need a lie down...