I was ready to fly up back inside the tower, when four guards jumped out of nowhere firing at me. Ladnikia took care of many of them, when Crasher materialized near me, wearing Ameristar’s armor. There was no time to talk, and although I was hoping she would have kept searching for the map, I was glad she was helping me with those men.
It was when we had taken care of them, when out of the jungle came three figure, babbling some words I didn’t understand. One of them, the tallest one, was the Cyclops I had fought just before. He was looking furious at me. The other two were normal men, one dressed with a simple jumpsuit, and with two guns in two holsters crossing on his chest. The other, slightly taller, was wearing what seemed a kevlar form-fitting suit, with strange tech-goggles shadowing his eyes. The latter just whispered. “X-Acute, go!”, pointing his index finger to the tower, and the second man ran toward it, and began climbing it with the agility of a squirrel.
Meanwhile, the man who gave the order, and that looked as if it was the leader of the group, darted something from one of his gauntlets to Crasher, which froze, and it looked as it was kept prisoner by her same armor.
I moved toward her, to help, but the man shoot a sonic blast from one of his gauntlets right in front of my feet. The grass exploded with a shhhh. I stopped.
The man was smiling. Arges, behind him, was furious and roared at me.
“Be patient, my friend” says the man to the monster behind. “In a few minute I will leave the winged man to you. If…” and he turns toward me, “…if, I was saying, you doesn’t leave immediately the place. By foot, obviously, since we have taken your hovercraft. I am very curious to study it. I have never seen an hovercraft taking flight vertically”.
“Who are you? The one in Florence, at the museum?”
The man smiles. “You are in better shape than then, Mr…?”
“You can call me Raptor. And how should I call you?”
“Mr. Omikron. It seems we have to collide in a lot of different place of the world. Florence… Berlin… here. Different places, but same resolution. We win, and you remain with the proverbial hand of flies, like you said in your land, Cicciotto!”
So this is Omikron, the leader. Seems though.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Not for you to know, although I believe you know what we are seeking, since our frequent meetings.”
“The Liber Vitae?”
The man smiles. “You have ten minutes to pack and leave. I am sure you will have means to contact your base and ask for rescue. If you will not agree, be aware that the armor has been infected by a computer virus, that is seizing control of the cybernetics, and will kill the girl.”
Damn.
The Cyclops laughs.
Omikron frown. He is listening to his earplug radio device. A moment, then he smiles again.
“Map found” he says. “Cicciotto, have you made your decision?”
I look at Crasher. And then, for an instant, the sun is obscured.
It’s time for me to smile.
“I don’t surrender, Omikron” I say.
He seems surprised. “This don’t make sense, Cicciotto. Why…” but his words die in his mouths, as the Cyclops throws himself at me.
Only, he is caught at mid air by Drax.
In the same moment, Crasher seems to be back to life. She jumps back on his feet, smiling and saying something wise-cracking that I have not time to understand.
Omikron looks at her amazed, saying “No… it’s impossible… Xyber would not…”
I shout to Crasher: “Teleport to Jackie, and not leave her unprotected”. But she doesn’t disappear.
“It’s an order!” I shout, but she opens her arms and says: “The armor has been damaged, the Gaia Units doesn’t work.”
“Run to her, then. Quick!”
The girl leaves. If the map has been found, that means it has been Chance. And that X Acute is menacing him. I need to go to his rescue.
But as I take flight, a blast shot near me. I turn. It’s Omikron, firing at me. “I will let not you to destroy my enterprise, Cicciotto!” he shouts, taking flight.
