Episode 46: Unite or Die

[Noland Hardy]

Saving Vince and Apollonir from certain destruction at the hands of Dasia and Diablo 2, Andrew laid back on the barren grounds of the Doom Dimension, frustrated on what they could possibly do to counter Dasia now. Without Noland and Drago, they had to try to find a way to form the countermeasure necessary to make sure that the BT System wasn't used again in the near future. The question is...what were they going to do, and how were they going to do it?

[Andrew Bullock]

Andrew hung his head down in shame for what happened. He truly felt defeated like he never has before. He didn't look at Vince to see the look on his face. He couldn't imagine how he felt right now. Apollonir must have been feeling down too.

There was really nothing Andrew could say to them that would make the situation any better; however, he did feel an uncharacteristic amount of responsibility for what transpired with Dasia. He couldn't help but say that...

"I...I'm sorry, Vince," Andrew deeply apologized. "It shouldn't have gone down like that... I deserved to die back there..."

[Vince Hardy]

Vince shook his head in disapproval of that view. He didn't think Andrew's actions warranted an action that extreme. While it may have been bad, Andrew indirectly became a hero as well, because he didn't allow the group that had it to use it for a very ghastly purpose. Vince didn't pay too much attention to that, but the point remained the same. Andrew was a very integral part of this fight now. It couldn't be ignored by anyone, not after what he did against Dasia in battle.

"No...you don't deserve that..." Vince disagreed. He propped up into a seated position before he began to ponder over this next part. "...I do..."

"Vince...relax," Apollonir advised him. That suggestion fell on deaf ears.

"No kid should ever have to make that kind of decision... When he told me that he didn't want to lose me again, right before he did what he did, I..." Vince abruptly paused, not wanting to say anymore. It broke him in ways that can't be repaired.

[Andrew Bullock]

Was this man really about to start crying about this? Andrew was visibly disgusted at this. Sure, it was okay to feel bad about the mistakes they have made, but Vince was missing a completely different side of the situation.

"He only did what you would have done," Andrew understood. Now that he said that, he could easily picture Noland being Vince's son, because he became a near mirroring of his father in the way that he carried himself in a battle as big as this one.

"Even if I had no idea who Noland was, I could spot him as your son all the time, because he chose what was ultimately the right decision for him to make, no matter the cost. Isn't that...what you did for me?"

[Vince Hardy]

That surprising comment broke Vince out of his grief. It stunned him to think that Andrew would say something like that when, not too long ago, Andrew's anger for that particular situation was exploited, leading to the creation of the Pack. Hearing him say that not only meant that he had changed, but that Vince should really be proud of his son for staying true to who they are.

"You're right..." Vince acknowledged.

"It wasn't easy to watch. That much is true," Apollonir admitted, showing that he was feeling very disturbed by what he had just experienced. "To be disappointed in ourselves is disrespectful to Noland and Drago. When fights occur, things happen. Sometimes, we win, and sometimes, we don't. Those wins and losses may have more additional penalties that no one knows about until it happens. That's the way it is. We can't always predict who will or won't make it, but what we can do is not let it happen for a second time. We've lived past this egregious display of power, so now...our job should be to take it away."

"But...how do we do that? We can't truly beat her...not without Noland and Drago..."

[Andrew Bullock]

Andrew listened to what Apollonir was saying. Every word that came out of his mouth was nothing but the truth. They had to start fighting back somehow, but the question was: Where do they start?

Andrew had a sneaking suspicion that he may know how to shut Dasia down...

"The BT System won't be usable for some time," Andrew noted. "With that being known, we can either take the weapon back directly, or destroy Diablo 2. You've proven that it is possible to at least put her down long enough for either option to be possible, but we have to play it differently now. We can't counter their biological weapons if they're requiring specific DNA for us to avoid being affected."

"I'd say the most likely way we'll win is if we take the BT System away so that it isn't a factor anymore, and then we can corner her. She might have godly power, but she's not invincible."

[Vince Hardy]

"Yeah...that Ice Burg ability was quite the monster," Vince recalled. Dasia didn't really have to do much to take someone out of the fight, regardless of how strong they were. All it takes is for them to not have the right DNA, and they're done.

"I agree with taking the BT System, but...we need alternate plans as well," Apollonir added. "In fact...this might not be something we can plan out. Had the BT System been activated in any other way, we wouldn't be having this conversation, as he would have easily won it. Our enemy is too unpredictable now. There's no telling what's going to come next."

"We need to visit Earth and Vestal to see what's going on first," Vince insisted. "Our plans may or may not work, depending on what we see. Let's pay them a visit right now."

[Andrew Bullock]

"Right this way," Andrew offered. Since Apollonir had got done fighting, and Hades was a machine that didn't have to worry about stamina, Andrew would take charge in regards to travel. Hades opened a portal right in front of them so they could get out of this damnation before Fury wants to pick their bones apart.

The quartet walked through the portal and ended up on Vestal. Andrew purposely set the coordinates just outside of Alpha City, or...at least where it used to be. That's the one he regularly used when infiltrating the city to get in the Mother Palace. He looked around to get a good look at the city. He saw it completely undamaged. Everyone was walking around normally as if nothing happened; however, neither Andrew or Vince knew of what went down with Dasia and the Spartans here.

"Hm..." Hades intentionally hovered over the city. He figured that a rogue mechanical Bakugan would scare them, but none of them reacted in such a way. Either they weren't afraid of Andrew anymore, or... "Something's not right," he realized. "Vince, can you sense any living beings here?"

[Vince Hardy]

Vince also had a confused demeanor when he saw the citizens do absolutely nothing. It was like their emotions and behavior was static, like nothing could be done to change their usual pace. He began looking for signs of life, just to confirm whether or not their eyes were being deceived. He nodded his head to respond to Andrew's question. There were no living beings here.

"Apollonir...what is this...?" Vince wondered.

"I...don't know..." Apollonir responded. "I've never seen them do this before. My guess would be a simulation of some kind, as if the city and its people were still here when they're really not..."

Apollonir chose to test this by generating a finger beam on his fingertip and shooting it at Alpha City. It passed through buildings without causing any damage. A buzzing sound could be heard coming from them as the projectile flew by.

"Good guess," Vince congratulated. "The life-saving question now is: why are they simulating environments that are no longer present?"

[Andrew Bullock]

"It's probably their version of a mental weapon against you and I," Andrew guessed. "This capability can make the battlefield very dangerous for those who are unable to sense disturbances like you and I can. They can paint pictures however they want, but the eye may not see the fakes before a trap is sprung on them."

"What's worse is that it's an annoying distraction. They wanted us to see it. Now we're going to be stressed even more worrying about what's real and what isn't. They're diverting attention away from the real issue here."

It was a disturbing tactic, but it wasn't something they couldn't work through, provided that the remaining survivors aren't that stupid to fall for this.

"Well then..." Andrew crossed his arms and looked down at this phenomenon, puzzled at what this ultimately means for their next move. "We know they're messing with our minds, but now we need to know where they are...."

[Vince Hardy]

"Battles are often lost because of things like this..." Vince admitted, realizing that things have been amped up severely now that the Hurranians have achieved total control of the entire brawling world. He sighed, but not in a worried way. He was a bit uplifted by it, as the nostalgic look on his face will tell. "It's just like it was when we were apart of SWAT."

"But a lot worse?" Apollonir chimed in.

"WAY worse," Vince agreed. "It's no biggie though. We can make it." Using the Switch Code, Vince started searching for any recognizable signs of Hurranian activity. He stood there for a moment, puzzled at what he was sensing. He slowly got low to place his palm on the desolate ground. A pulse was emitted from his palm that swiftly traveled throughout the planet.

"Surprised?" Apollonir wondered.

"Surprised and scared," Vince responded.

"As you should be. I know where those heathens are. They're hiding within their own collective mind."

"Has this happened before?"

"Once, before they brought the BT System into Vestroia. It seems like history is being repeated here. The only difference between then and now is that we don't know where they are going to appear. They're aware of Bakugan living on so many worlds now. It's going to get very tricky..."

"Figures. There's only one option now," Vince strongly declared. "Andrew, there are two Spartans on this planet. Bring them to Earth and meet me at my position. I will round up the survivors so we can plan our final stand. We only have one more shot at this, so we'll make it count, no matter what."

[Andrew Bullock]

"Hm...so that's it then? They're too scared to finish what they started..." Andrew knew that the Hurranians were on a tactical edge after Noland stopped Dasia from blowing everyone up, but...even his shaming of their battle tactics didn't make it any less smart than it was. They knew when to back up, and they will be rewarded for it later on when their forces are fully replenished and ready to spill blood whenever they please.

"I don't like the idea, so be quick about it before I change my mind. We've already lost one Dragonoid. We can't lose Apollonir too," Andrew warned. It was a logical warning, as Apollonir was at VERY HIGH RISK now. If he dies, then it's game over for everyone. Not only is he on godly levels of power, but his Switch Code is necessary to stop the BT System.

"Tell everyone that I'm back while you're at it. We'll get the arguments out of the way first, and then we can work on saving the universe." Andrew might be getting too good with predicting the future now. Without announcing it, he took out Vince's Doom Card and threw it at him, assuming he was going to catch it. "We're even now."

[Vince Hardy]

Vince caught the Doom Card with ease. He had a forgetful look on his face, as he forgot that Andrew had it in the first place.

"Yeah...we are. Thanks a lot for what you did back there," Vince responded.

"Make sure that YOU stay out of trouble too. We know how you can get," Apollonir reminded Andrew.

"Nothing but the truth," Vince laughed, "but we're all good." Apollonir shot a thin beam out of his ball form that materialized into a full-fledged portal. "See you when you get back. And...be as gentle as possible." Both he and Apollonir moved through the portal and had it close behind him. Their final mission had begun.

[Andrew Bullock]

Apollonir's insinuation of Andrew's behavior was nothing but an annoying gesture. Andrew had gotten used to it though. It doesn't matter what he does. His mere presence will piss someone off, whether it's an ally or an enemy. It was comical at first - when he was running around with his mask - but now it was a disturbing reminder that he'll never be truly free from judgment, even though he just preserved everyone's lives by keeping Apollonir alive.

His only remaining task was to recruit people who could help their cause. The Spartans that were here on Vestal would help, but it won't be enough. There are also two others on Earth that should still be alive. If Andrew can somehow enlist their services, their chances of survival will climb. He had time to plan this out though. First...

"Hades, scan our surroundings," Andrew ordered. The mechanical Hydranoid analyzed the area using its long-range scanners. Andrew paced back and forth until something of value came up. His BrawlX pulled up this information for him to see.

"Okay. Twenty-five miles northeast. We're moving." Andrew climbed aboard Hades. It jetted right in that direction. His trip there was cut drastically short due to the speed of Hades' travel. If it were a Ventus Bakugan like Ahio, Tyr, or Oberus, it would've taken two minutes or less, so he had to settle for four. Andrew gets there, and he sees a bustling village full of people.

In typical Andrew fashion, he had Hades descend right on top of them. People started scurrying all over the place. Before he could land, he was confronted by a man with a tall, lean Haos sorcerer whose species name was referred to as "Brontes".

"Have you no shame?" The man asked.

"What?"

"This town isn't your personal landing pad! You could've killed someone!"

"Do you really think I'd be that incompetent to crush someone on accident?"

"Yes! That's exactly right! You'd do it on purpose too! You must be that masked fellow that terrorized all of central Vestal with that contraption you have! Central Vestal may not have been capable of bringing you down, but East Vestal is! I am their governor, Volt Luster!"

"That's nice. Tell you what. Your queen will terrorize the rest of Vestal if you don't quit your bitching and get me the Spartans. This is a universal emergency. We don't have time for this back and forth drama. We've been defeated, and the Hurranians have the BT System. We have less than twenty-four hours before we're all dead. If you want to reminisce about the past, be my guest. I'll destroy you now so the people that actually want to survive can cooperate in a timely manner."

"Volt, wait!" A man who showed up on a species called "Ingram" flew over to the scene to diffuse the confrontation. "Leave him alone. He'd have blown this place up if he was here to cause trouble."

"Naive little brat! That's what he wants us to think, Lync."

"Amusing. I'll destroy you both." Hades opened its cannons against the two governors and was about to blow them off the face of Vestal.

[Deon Irvine]

Loud stomping could be heard all of a sudden.

Before this freaking machine could do any more harm than it already has done Tyr appears from its left and rams into it making it lose balance and lose an opportunity to make a shoot. "What do you think you're doing, idiot!?" Deon appears soon after Tyr and shouts at Andrew. If this guy is still wondering why people will not stop judging him even after he helped the Earth then maybe he should ask a psychiatrist to answer him that question. What kind of psychopath points his weapons at people like that- it is obvious they do not stand a chance. Once psychopath, always a psychopath. "For a guy despising all this Hurranian and Kyuki bullshit you sure know how to act like them without a second thought." Deon notices. Both of those mentioned would probably not do anything different than slaughter everyone over there who opposed them- Andrew was a terrorist after all, no matter how lightly you put it and attempt to justify so remorse is apparently a thing he does not own.

"If you have frustration to take out, at least do something useful instead of pointing that piece of trash towards everyone." He continues to complain. Knowing Andrew, he is probably stuck with his head inside the ass so all he can hear is himself and his own 'genius' solutions that clearly failed to bring any success to any of his ideas. Why would he even listen to Deon when he only sees himself as some warrior of justice... just an annoying prick to look at.