A black Mercedes is speeding away on the asphalt strip in the middle of the desert. It's still mid afternoon of the hotter Christmas day Edulcore ever lived.
He's sitting in the rear seat of the car, with the two Avant Guarde agents at his sides.
"Can I ask you where are you bringing me?" asks the Italian, looking at the woman. It's the tall man to answer: "We are bringing you to our local base, Brussels has sent a plane for you. They want you there as soon as possible."
"Why?" asks innocently Edulcore.
"Why?" repeat the woman, with an heavy German accent. "You are the founder of Avant Guarde, you disappeared in a nuclear explosion in the very first mission, now you reappear half a world away, three years later, with fake documents, being arrested accused of being a pedophile, and you ask us why?"
"I am sorry, miss, but I can't give you the answers. I need to talk with your superiors..." says Euro, still not sure what he should reveal about himself in this strange world. Surely, if he could win the help of this heroes for his quest for Eddie, it would be a lot easier... but would they accept the idea of something like a man for a parallel universe?
The woman shakes her head. "Oh, I wasn't expecting you to do. Mr. Walker in person is waiting for you at the Complex."
"Walker?" wonders Euro. "Charles Walker?"
"Sure. Who else? The General is eagerly awaiting to see you. He surely is not the type to think possible such a return, after having seen you exploding with the bomb..." explains Merx.
"Charles Walker leads the Avant Guarde!" The though iss seemingly unacceptable for Euro, as the counterpart of the man in his home universe was one of his most fierce adversaries, or at last it had been, at the time of his EPS days.
"Well, in any case he will have just one hour to wait, before meeting you, Mr. Cicciotto" says Ursula Mittelholzer, as the car crosses a guarded gate that separates the desert from a long airstrip and some assorted barracks. "Our local base" explains laconically Merx.
"One hour... to get to West Europe?" wonders Ed, as the meaning of the last phrase of the woman slowly makes way into his brain.
"Sure, Mr. Cicciotto. You will travel over our Stormloader" says the woman. The Mercedes stops right near a big, old looking airplane.
"That's a B422" says Euro, wondering how such a plane could bring him so faster in Belgium.
"Nah, look up, man" says the woman smiling. Up, on the back of the big carrier, is stacked a sleek, silver thing, shaped like the tip of an arrow.
"X-43A Scramjet, Cicciotto" explains Merx. "Mach ten speed. Fasten your seat-belt, man!"
