DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations of the TV program "SPACE: Above and Beyond" are the creations of Glen Morgan and James Wong, Fox Broadcasting and Hard Eight Productions, and have been used without permission, but gratefully and with high esteem. No copyright infringement is intended. Not Rated

Part Two of Two McQueen boarded the ISSCV headed for the Saratoga just after arriving through the wormhole. Clean shaven and back in uniform, he'd brought only one bag with him, and a small pistol in his right boot, just in case. Just as the doors were about to be shut, a yeoman called him from behind. "Colonel McQueen!" he said. McQueen turned around. The yeoman stopped and saluted. "I've got a message for you from Commodore Ross." He handed the colonel a small piece of paper, then the small package that came with it. McQueen took it. "Thank you. That will be all, Yeoman," he said. The officer saluted, then walked away. McQueen read the note as the ISSCV hatch closed. Alone in the compartment with twelve Marine and non-commissioned personnel, he sat down as the engines roared and strapped himself in. He finished the note, then opened the package as he began cruising for the Saratoga... The 58th, in full ground assault gear, prepped for departure. The heavy equipment would drastically increase the G-force demands on them during ACM, but they were the best, and Captain Vansen was sure they'd perform above and beyond the call of duty. Just another mission, in other words. Vansen walked over to West and Hawkes, who were busy checking over their M-590 rifles before placing them with the rest of the box. She looked to the right, to Damphousse, who, in her condition, would be unable to fly. She'd be operating the warning and control systems on an ISSAPC flown by three members of the 59th Ready Reserve while the others would land on Kazbek. Major Russo was next to her, showing her new IFF codes for the SF/A-43 "B"'s. He gave her all the info she needed, handed her something, then walked over to Vansen and company. "Vansen, Hawkes, West," he began, "It's a bit of a tradition of mine to hand these out before conducting invasions of this sort." He brought out a box of G.I Geequed bubble gum, opened it, and held it out for the Wildcards to take a pack each. "Ah remember one time where ah forgot to give mah men this gum," he said. "It was the strike on Demios, the same one in which, ah believe, you were stranded on planet for several months. Ah lost mah entire company that day, and stranded one man on Demios. He didn't make it. " His expression grew from one of serious concern with the mission to one of pride. "But, believe me, when ah heard about your suffering and your enduring strength while on Demios, ah never felt so proud of any group of soldiers, Marine, Air Force, or otherwise, in mah entire life. Nevertheless," Russo returned briefly to his humor-filled and stout face. "Ah'm sure you wouldn't want a repeat of that here." He chuckled lightly as he walked towards the lift towards Pad Twelve. Vansen watched him go, then got back to inventorying the weapons packs. Damphousse and three lieutenants from the Loaded Dice boarded the ISSAPC, while the rest of the Wildcards and Angry Angels descended into their cockpits. Right after they descended into the SF/A-43s, Damphousse was told to hold the hatch of the APC, and gawked in surprise as Colonel McQueen, bearing his usual "thousand-yard stare" on his face, boarded the ship as they readied for take-off. He carried with him the same package he'd received just before setting off for the Saratoga, and it would be vital in the success of this operation. At exactly 1630 hours, the 58th and 127th Squadrons launched from the Saratoga in their new Hammerhead "B"s. Damphousse, the three Loaded Dice, and McQueen flew behind them in their ISSAPC. The rest of the Ready Reserve launched two minutes later, and heading up the pack, Major "Maniac" Russo in his Air Force attack jet. It was a majestic sight, like watching geese in their great formations crossing the setting sun on a cold, winter morning. The space between them and Kazbek was cold indeed, but it was about to heat up fast. "Wildcards, this is Queen Six coming in on your five o'clock. What's your status, over?" West nearly banked his fighter right into Hawkes when he heard the Colonel's voice on the radio, and, checking his three, he could see Hawkes just about nearly did the same to Vansen. These new "pilot sensitive" flightsticks were a drastic change from the controls they had in the "A" model Hammerheads. It would take a bit of getting used to, especially with more shocks like that one sure to come in the near future. A couple of heartbeats passed before Vansen replied. "Queen Six, this is Queen of Diamonds. Colonel, it's great to hear your voice again, sir." Her voice grew somber again, realizing why he had arrived. "Sir, what happened with the A.I on the-" "That's not your biggest concern at the moment, Queen of Diamonds. Focus on the mission. You've got bandits at twelve and eight. Distance: ten MSKs." Vansen checked the LIDAR. The Chig recon vessels were armed with one cannon each, and were having some target practice on a small patch of asteroids in clear view of the planet Kazbek. So far, the pilots were completely oblivious to the approach of the Wildcards, and had good reason to. Kazbek hadn't seen much activity since the incident with the 58th, so neither the Chigs nor the A.I's were expecting the return of Earth forces so soon. Vansen observed the accuracy of their shots. They'd need every bit of skill they had in about two mikes. "Wildcards, follow my lead and maintain radio silence until otherwise ordered. Ready, juke left, forty-five degrees. Ready...ready...HACK!" The three Wildcards broke off from the main formation, which had just been joined by the 303rd Air Force under Russo, flying the "A" fighters. The 58th flew towards the small patch of space debris, completely undetected by the Chig systems. The labcoats, after studying the technologies discovered after the appearance of Chiggy von Richtofen, had found a way to cloak the new Hammerheads to their detection systems much like CvR did to the "A" fighters. And so the five recon planes went shooting space garbage, blissfully unaware that they would cease to exist in about thirty seconds. "Wildcards, break and attack!" West, Hawkes, and Vansen split off from each other, blasting space rock out of their way as the Chigs were caught with their pants down above Kazbek. They tried to regroup hastily, but were quickly cut down by fire from the cannon. West locked onto one and came at it head-on, daring it fire. The Chig pilot couldn't react fast enough, and was exposed to the cold vacuum as a result when Nathan's shot blew up in his face. Two of the others collided with the rocks they were shooting at, while Hawkes and Vansen took out the other two. They regrouped then headed back for the armada of Hammerheads and ISSAPCs heading for Kazbek, having had some target practice for the day. "All fighters! This is Little Joe! Incoming squadron from planet surface! Five-nine, break right!" Vansen watched as the flight leader of the Ready Reserve broke off, taking along his six wingmen to engage the Chigs. Not to be outdone, Vansen called her flight. "Wildcards, follow me. We're gonna give the Loaded Dice some support for a change! Ready, break three o'clock, ready...HACK!" The Hammerheads departed the main formation, leaving the APC carrying McQueen and Damphousse open on the portside. The 303rd Air Force quickly regrouped to fill the group, their twelve fighters forming a diamond formation centered around the carrier. The battle began as the Chigs engaged first, pulling in behind the new captain of the Ready Reserve squadron. Before he could utter a word, they destroyed his plane. Immediately, the next Marine in the chain of command of the fifty-ninth, Lieutenant Roy Winslow, took control. Roy was Kelly Ann Winslow's brother, an unbroken man who had gotten more and more bloodthirsty ever since hearing about her untimely death at the hands of Chiggy von Richthofen. "Loaded Dice, this is Snake Eyes! I'm taking command. Regroup at two-seven-zero! Wildcards are coming in on our seven!" Winslow regrouped, taking the Loaded Dice out of the battle for three seconds while the Wildcards arrived to clean up the mess. The death of the Chig on his four o'clock signaled their arrival. "Snake Eyes, this is King of Hearts," called West. "Splash two on your nine and four! You're clear on all sides. Re-engage at -hang on a minute!" West stopped his Hammerhead, turned full one-eighty, and destroyed the Chig that was causing him grief. He got moving, then signaled again. "Yeah, Snake Eyes, re-engage the formation on my seven o'clock, over." Winslow acknowledged, and promptly took out two more. Once again, the Chigs seemed to be heading for a quick and painless death at the hands of the Wildcards. Hawkes jinked left and evaded one of the fighters when his radio crackled and a strange, familiar voice appeared. "Impressive move, Carbonite, but it won't do you any good. Your ass is mine!" The voice sounded computerized, and Hawkes' eyes went wide as he realized who that voice belonged to, or had once belonged to anyways. "Vansen, West, we've got A.I's piloting these fighters," he said, shakily, "and they're all Wang models...uh, all just like Wang....repeat: we're fighting Wang A.Is!" The response came quickly from Vansen, with all the fury that a woman her age could muster. "Then let's recycle these tin cans! Fox Three!" she shouted, firing a missile at the A.I in front of her. The "Take a Chance" computer virus was at its full force here, as the A.I's began pulling all sorts of crazy and dangerous moves. One locked onto Vansen's six, while two more began firing at her on her three and nine. The one in front of her managed to elude the missile and do an about-face to turn on Vansen's fighter.. There was nowhere she could go. "Dammit! West, cover me! I'm punching out!" She pulled the ejection handle, and popped out of her Hammerhead just before it was blown to smithereens. West replied. "Coming in, Shane! Five seconds!" The worry in his voice only intensified the sudden adrenaline rush as Vansen looked behind her. The A.I was still behind her, ready to take her out. West could not reach her in time. Shane closed her eyes and was ready to die as Kelly Winslow had done when the Chig fighter, miraculously, pulled away and headed hellbent-for-leather back to the surface of Kazbek. Her heart beating rapidly, she watched the remaining A.I's as they followed suit, leaving the Wildcards and the Loaded Dice stunned as they returned to the main formation. "Vansen, this is Queen Six! Are you all right?" McQueen sounded worried, much like a father would sound calling his daughter in the storm shelter after a tornado rampaged through their farm. Vansen caught her breath, and composed herself. "Queen Six, I'm fine! A.I's have pulled out, are heading back to planet. Come and get me!" The 303rd blazed in the distance. The three lead Hammerheads pulled high and away, leaving the APC in plain sight. Vansen adjusted her instruments in the cockpit and readied to be recovered. Shane nearly hugged Colonel McQueen as she entered the control centre of the ISSAPC, but she knew better. McQueen was not that type of person. Nevertheless, a look of tremendous relief washed over his face when he saw her, then quickly dried up into the seriousness that the colonel needed in order to complete this mission. "Good to see you back, Colonel," she said, not hiding the smile on her face. McQueen smirked for a second, then quickly composed himself. "And you, Vansen. Glad to see you're all right, but we've got other things to worry about now. Go man the forward guns with the Loaded Dice. We've got a mission to accomplish." The 303rd moved in, with Major Russo leading the pack. The Wildcards and the Loaded Dice separated from each other, then blazed towards their landing zones on the planet. The ISSAPC followed West and Hawkes into the exosphere. The four Angry Angels, having hung back with the 303rd en route, established a diamond formation and assumed a polar orbit. Major Russo was occupied with other priorities. Lieutenant Roy Winslow had decided to join him, leaving another man in charge of the 59th. "Snake Eyes, this is Maniac," he said, the static created by the entry being minimized by the Hammerhead radio system. "Glad to hear you've decided to join us. We'll take out the Chig fighters still airborne and on the ground, while you settle down and laz the AAGs for us with your ground equipment." There was a pause. "And one more thing: remember what happened to your sister. Show no mercy." Winslow grunted. "If those sons-of-bitches knew any better, they'd expect no mercy." Russo smiled, then brought out his killpad and pencil. Little did he know what was about to happen. West and Hawkes skipped on the atmosphere as they tried to achieve a better angle of entry towards the surface. Behind them, McQueen, 'Phousse, Vansen, and three of the five-nine dove under them, creating a huge fireball that was undoubtedly visible from the planet. Nathan checked his LIDAR. No bandits anywhere, except those still headed for the main compound of the penal colony. The area of Kazbek around the compound was mainly desert terrain, and, assuming the battle would take at the very least a week, water and other supplies from McQueen's APC would have to be rationed and shared among all of them. Hopefully, they'd reach the main complex and its supplies before theirs ran out. Suddenly, West's proximity alarm went off. He checked his three and saw Hawkes banking sharp left to avoid a blast of enemy AAA from the ground. Intel had screwed up again. The defenses around the complex were a helluva lot tighter than earlier reports had stated. "West! Jink left!" called Hawkes just in time. Nathan banked hard left, then pulled up out of the atmosphere as more AAA came up. He looked down, and saw that the APC was having a hard time maneuvering through the flak. "King of Hearts to Queen Six," he called, "what's your status, over?" The response was fuzzy, as the endo-exo atmospheric radio on board compensated for the entry disruption. "It isn't exactly Shangri-La down here, West!" replied the Colonel, "But we're fine! Continue on course!" West acknowledged, and resumed his descent into Kazbek. Meanwhile, "Maniac" Russo and Winslow were having problems of their own with the triple A coming from planet. Russo watched as one of the 303rd Air Force banked away from one blast right into another, losing his right wing and forced to punch out. His ejection pod was capable of surviving atmospheric entry, but in this flak, Russo knew that man wouldn't survive long. He'd make sure, once this mission was over, that there would be hell to pay for this bad intelligence. "All fighters, this is Maniac. Scan for AAGs and fire at will!" Russo adjusted his LIDAR as they cleared the exosphere and descended into the clouds. The mighty Hammerhead engines switched from exo-atmospheric to endo-mode, creating long vapor trails which vanished like ghosts in the dry air high above the surface of Kazbek. The anti-aircraft fire continued unabated. Suddenly, one missile came a little too close to Russo's fighter, burning a gash across his left wing and detonating just above his right engine, causing it to fail. The descent became shakier as Russo watched his LIDAR grid ripple and curl. He radioed in. "303rd, this is Maniac! A've got a burnout in engine two and a mick on mah LIDAR! Looks like CvR technology down here! Ignore the LIDAR! Use the ol' Mark I Ah-ball for this one!" The clouds suddenly cleared, and Russo could see the main artillery positions surrounding the complex. Some were actually posted on the roof of some of the structures themselves, making them difficult to destroy without hitting the buildings and potentially obliterating the information they'd come to retrieve. Russo's other engine began to stall. He wasn't going to be airborne for long, and knowing this he armed all his weapons. "Snake Eyes, take over the 303rd! Ah'll try and wax the AAGs on the southern side of the compound before punching out! Ah'll send out a distress beacon once ah've landed safely! Come and get me!" "Roger that!" came the reply as Russo, true to his callsign, plummeted insanely through the arid air of the planet Kazbek, firing at everything that flashed. The impacts send brilliant explosions skyrocketing from the targets, but there were still more guns. His plane completely unloaded, Russo tucked his notepad in his boot, grabbed his pistol, and pulled the ejection handle. His chute deployed three seconds later, Russo looked through the comfortable shadiness of his helmet visor to the compound below. The AAGs around him had ceased for the most part, and the remaining guns below were now being treated to a return gesture from the 303rd and Lieutenant Roy Winslow. Near the curve of the horizon, Russo could barely make out two Hammerheads and an APC; the Wildcards. Suddenly, a brilliant ball of green light appeared from the surface, flying up towards the carrier. It grazed the side of the vehicle before detonating just above it. The APC began to tumble, then quickly collected itself into a slow dive. Russo then looked down towards the oncoming ground below him, and opened his eyes wide at the sight there waiting to meet him. His pulled the visor up to make sure, then popped out another stick of G.I Geequed gum. Maniac started to chew it, and pretty much summed up the situation to himself and the company below as he neared zero feet above sea level. "Aw shucks....." One of the Ready Reserve, Lieutenant Chris Barfield, managed to secure Damphousse's chair as the APC regained stability. McQueen had just been tossed towards the rear of the control room, and was making his way slowly back to her position. In front, Vansen and the two assigned Loaded Dice, Lieutenants Hal Williamson and Billie Hilldale, managed to find a suitable spot for the carrier to land. Hawkes' voice crackled through the radio. "Queen Six, you all right?" Vansen rubbed the bump she'd received after the blast helped connect the bulkhead with her forehead. She replied. "This is Queen of Diamonds," she said, in mild pain, "Just a few bumps and bruises here, but we're okay. We're forced to land about twenty klicks from our original position. Follow us there, out." "Roger that." The APC touched down inside a small volcanic crater, in the middle of which was a pool of ironated water surrounded by several small desert plants. West managed to land his Hammerhead alongside the carrier, while Hawkes chose a spot just outside the crater. The APC's hatch opened, and out limped McQueen, his mechanical leg severely overstressed, but undamaged, from the recent action. Damphousse was pushed out by Lieutenant Barfield, whose brash and sardonic attitude was not failing him here. "What is it with you and APCs, anyways?" he asked rather loudly. "I mean, you were adrift behind a comet at Christmas time, you lost one of your men during that little trip to Mars when the war started, and just last mission, SAR had to haul your ass off of Planet 2063 Yankee. And now-" "I've heard enough, Barfield!" she said, putting a bandage on a small cut on her right arm. Hilldale helped her tape it on. McQueen looked at the bunch. "At ease, people," he said, "we're not out of the woods yet! We've still got a mission to accomplish." 'Phousse and Barfield stopped talking. West appeared out of his Hammerhead, in full combat gear and carrying his M-590 rifle. He approached the colonel, his right hand extended. McQueen took it and shook it warmly. "Nice to see you back, sir," said West, "I just wish it was under different circumstances." McQueen nodded, then turned to face the others. In the distance, Hawke's three engines could be heard shutting down, and the canopy opening. "I think you'll be happy to know that when this mission is over, after I take care of some things back home, I'll be returning to the Saratoga as your C.O once again." Damphousse smiled, as did the Loaded Dice and West. McQueen returned the gesture. "In the meantime, however, I need to debrief you on-" Vansen burst out from the control room, half of her battle armor on and her M-590 fully charged. "Colonel! We've got enemy foot soldiers closing in from-" Just then, a blast of gunfire rocked the crater. Barfield helped roll Damphousse's wheelchair back into the APC, while the others took cover behind some large boulders. West aimed his gun at the top of the crater and was about to fire when Hawkes leapt over the edge and dove for cover. He ran towards the rest of them as they gave him cover fire. "Colonel, there are about twenty A.I's closing on our position! They're armed with Chig assault rifles!" Vansen looked at him. "What model are they?" "All Elroy-Ls and Felicities. They're being led by a Handsome Alvin." A small explosion nearby send pebbles scattering their way. West returned fire, then heard his radio crackle. "This is Damphousse! We're in a vise! Ten more A.Is approaching from the opposite direction! I've also got a report of enemy fighters approaching the 303rd and our position! We need to retreat!" Hawkes watched the A.I's crest over the hill, and stood up. "Retreat hell! We just got here!" he shouted into the radio, and started taking out the enemy troops from behind the boulder. Lieutenant Hilldale ducked and rolled behind another nearby rock, and blew the head off of one of the Elroy-L models. The body writhed and sprayed circuitry all over. Hawkes managed to shoot the rifle off of one of the Elroys, which promptly made a made dash for the Marines, a dagger drawn from a holster in his boot. Vansen was ready, and rolled onto her back and kicked the silicate over behind her. She grabbed the barrel of her M-590 and decked the knife out of the A.I's hand. Just before she gutted it, the Elroy model smiled. "It's a pleasure to have fought with a such a pretty little vixen like yourself," he said. Vansen just looked at it with malice, then drove the dagger straight into its neck. Suddenly, she jumped back to avoid a shot from the A.I's approaching behind them. West turned around, and opened fire on the A.I's to the rear, each of them armed with Chig assault rifles. He turned back to see McQueen, seemingly oblivious to the situation, adjusting a small device powered by a large "Sewell Fuel" crystal on the top. "Sir! What is that?" he asked the Colonel. McQueen didn't look up, and kept working. Suddenly, there came a shout from behind them. Lieutenant Williamson had taken a hit to the back, and now lay squirming on the ground in a pool of blood and spilled flesh, waiting for death to claim him. Hawkes looked up to see the Felicity model that killed Hal pointing her rifle straight at him. Before he could react, she exploded in a mess of wire and motor oil. Hawkes turned to see Vansen, who looked at him and nodded. The sounds of approaching Chig fighters echoing through the canyon, McQueen got up in the middle of the firefight. West's eyes opened wide as he watched the Colonel present himself as a very tempting target to the encroaching A.Is. McQueen pressed two small buttons on the keypad. All of a sudden, the A.Is dropped their weapons, and collapsed to the ground. They then got up, and began turning around. Hawkes was about to fire on them when McQueen waved his hand in front of his gun to stop him. Behind them, the other group of silicate soldiers did the same thing, all of them now headed back where they came from. The sounds of Chig fighters, also, seemed to vanish into thin air with the A.Is. Soon, it was quiet once again, except for the lonely Kazbek wind blowing over the rock and sand. The radio crackled again. "Wildcards, this is the 303rd. Major Russo was forced to bail out, but we've got the enemy fighters covered. They seem to be retreating back to the main complex. You're clear to continue with your mission, over and out." Everyone looked at the Colonel, who in turn reflected their gazes. Behind them, Williamson lay dead, his soul having been released by the merciful power of death. Damphousse emerged from the threshold of the APC's main gate, as stunned as her comrades out here. McQueen began to talk. "As I was saying, before we were so rudely interrupted," he began, "there are some additional details about this mission you should know about. Some of the labcoats at Aerotech, working on some of the remaining Sewell Fuel extract, created this device just before the ceasefire. It is a Silicate TAC Suppresser, or STACS. What it does is send out a signal, using the organic ore as a power source, that reprograms all A.Is within a two mile radius on the ground, and a five mile radius in the air and space, to return to their point of origin. Once they reach that point, they return to their normal state, but can be affected again by the signal. The 'Take A Chance' virus has no resistance to it." McQueen took a long, quiet look at his people. Vansen and Hilldale were over by Williamson's body, digging a hole in the ground for his burial. The colonel spoke. "I came on board the Saratoga sooner than you were led to believe," he began, "and I was told that the silicate would speak only to me. Commodore Ross and I were joined by Major Russo on our way to the interrogation room......" "What brings you here, Zack?" asked Ross. "Ah'm still in temporary command of the 58th, Glen," he replied, "and until that changes their concerns are mah concerns." Ross nodded. McQueen looked at him as they walked, and evaluated him in thought.. He was an excellent pilot, no doubt about that, but his outgoing attitude towards life, along with his Southern charm and wit, made the Colonel envious in a way. Here was an outstanding commanding officer, an ace in the Air Force, awarded several international U.N medals, and yet there was no darkness to him, no grim, harsh side to his personality. He didn't have to battle a nemesis, risking losing everything for nothing, in order to find himself, as McQueen had done. He knew who he was, something he had probably known for his entire life. Still, there was the matter at hand. The M.P's opened the hatch, allowing the Commodore, Colonel, and Major to enter the interrogation room and face their prisoner. McQueen froze when he saw the silicate who called himself "Wang Model 101-A" look up to face him. He blinked, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes. It had been a long ride in the ISSCV, after all. But when he opened his eyes once again, there he was. Wang, only not Wang. He, or it, spoke. "Well, Colonel McQueen, you certainly took a long time getting here," it said. Ross and the Major sat down in the two chairs on both ends of the side facing the silicate, leaving McQueen to fill in the centre seat. There they sat, for a moment of utter quiet, waiting for the machine to speak. McQueen beat it to the punch. "You called me here for something," he said, his voice emotionless, almost as mechanical as the one that would now answer him. "Yes I did," it replied. Its face twitched briefly, as if fighting some inner problem down, then returned to a normal, expressionless, yet subliminally evil, pose. "I have some information I wish to share about the Kazbek Penal Colony." The colonel leaned forward. "We already have piles and piles of information on Kazbek," he said darkly, "What could you say that we could possibly-" The A.I held up its hand. "Ah-ah-ah," it chided, "Not 'we', just 'I'. I am giving you this information." It looked towards the Major and the Commodore. "You may leave now," he said arrogantly. Ross looked at Russo, who both then looked at the Colonel. McQueen turned his head to watch them both get up and start for the door. The Commodore patted the Colonel's back, then headed for the hatch. Now they were alone, the tank and the Silicate. "What information do you have to give me?" he asked. The silicate flinched again, the flinch this time lasting slightly longer than before. "Since the 58th Squadron's last visit to the colony, we have developed many new toys we're just itching to try out. As you can see, we've studied your squadron members very, very well." The silicate put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair, his electronic eyes staring daggers towards all they saw. "I am the first of what will soon be many models based after your Lieutenant Wang," he said nonchalantly. "I have many of his personality traits, and am willing to be friendly...most of the time." The A.I leaned forward, his silicate eyes now glaring at the Colonel. "But mark my words, Lieutenant Colonel Tyrus Cassius McQueen, if you ever, ever, insult the Chicago Bears, or root for the 49er's, the only Angry Angels you'll be seeing will be the ones taking you to meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates." He returned to his expressionless pose. "Anyways, I gave the Commodore a little toy to send to you before you arrived. Did you get it?" McQueen reached into his pocket and pulled out the STACS. The silicate briefly described the main purpose and function of the device, then stopped. The colonel spoke. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked. The silicate twitched again as he was about to answer, and collapsed onto the floor in convulsions. The colonel's chair fell backwards to the ground as he stood up. The A.I regained his composure, but was then racked by more convulsions. "L-let's just s-say that.....that...w-when they made...me....,..they included more....than just...superficial personality algarhythms and emotion chips....I feel that...I owe....you....the Wildcards....West...Damphousse....V-Vansen....take'em home....let's g-go, Chiggy man....." The silicate then went completely out of control, squirming and writhing in artificial pain, and then, in a burst of sparks, he was gone. As McQueen looked into the fading light from those artificial eyes, he felt the loss of Wang all over again, as if his spirit had briefly entered the mechanical body of this soulless creation of humanity, then departed just as easily. His had been here, a being of light momentarily trapped inside a being of darkness. Ross and Major Russo opened the hatch again, dumbstruck to see the lifeless machine lying sprawled on the ground, and the distraught Colonel with the tear on his cheek standing over him. They could not understand what had just happened here, but they knew McQueen had not been responsible. Indeed, this was a chilling moment for these three men, one of whom having witnessed this character in the play called life collapse, and the actor behind the mask called Paul Wang, walk off the stage for the last time. McQueen looked back to his men. They had listened to it all, and understood that in order to fight these new threats, they had to let go of their grief for their fallen comrade. He looked towards Vanessa, still in the gateway of the APC. "All right, listen up! Damphousse," he said, "you'll stay here and monitor the situation. Keep us apprised of any and all enemy troop and plane movements. Barfield, you'll stay with her. The rest of you," He turned to face West, Hawkes, Vansen and Hilldale. "You'll follow me towards the main compound. The rest of the 59th have already landed, and are proceeding on their flank. We have to do our part in this. Move out!" The Wildcards and the lone Loaded Die followed the Angry Angel towards battle, away from the crater and the past, towards the Kazbek compound and an uncertain future. To Be Continued Previous : Part One Duane Barry © 1997