#17 - "Station Break"

"Well, life has taken yet another unexpected turn," Spectrum thought to himself. He was currently speeding down the thruway in a white Porsche with none other than Morning Star herself at the wheel. The investigation of the Highland Alarm and Regulation Timers company, which had been suggested to him by Icicle, had led Spectrum to encounter Morning Star who had also been checking up on the company. The two joined forces to explore the H.A.R.T. warehouse only to find that it was a front for VIPER and instead of clocks, they were shipping advanced weaponry!

Unfortunately, unknown parties destroyed the warehouse before the discovery could be made to the authorities. Morning Star had managed to find a clue-- a name and address on a voucher. The name belonged to a Lily Garrot. The address was to a place located well outside of Los Angeles.

Morning Star pushed her vehicle as far as she dared as she sped down the thruway, weaving around the slower moving traffic with ease. She handled the machine with incredible precision.

"A gorgeous woman in a fast car," Spectrum mused. "You gotta love it." Jim tried to avoid staring, but it was a difficult task. He was having trouble thinking straight.

Morning Star had been on the superhero scene for many years now. She had been a member of the late Crusaders back in New York City, before joining the Guardians in Los Angeles. The heroine resigned from the team nearly three years ago. The source of her resignation stemmed from an incident where the combined forces of the Avengers and the Guardians clashed with the entire Zodiac atop the Empire State Building. Morning Star was thrown off the building, but miraculously survived the plunge to the concrete below.

"No wonder she seemed nervous about going up on the warehouse roof," Spectrum thought. "Something like that can give you a severe case of acrophobia."

The two had said little to each other during the trip. Jim spent his time trying to come up with something to say that didn't made him come across as trying to hit on Morning Star, or making him sound like a twit. It wasn't easy!

"Don't you think it's odd that VIPER would invest all that time and money to make those weapons, and then just turn around and blow up them up?", Spectrum asked, breaking the silence. His old reporter instincts were kicking in and he was trying to make sense of the situation.

"The only reason I can think of is that the weapons are easy to construct," Morning Star offered. "They must figure that it's better to lose the weapons than have them in other hands. Also, there were no power packs for the weapons we found. They must be shipped separately from another location."

"So that's why the warehouse explosion wasn't as bad as I feared it was going to be. I figured that with all those weapons laying around that we were goners."

"Sometimes in this business you just get lucky," Morning Star responded. She executed a quick lane change, and zoomed down an off ramp. Within moments, the vehicle was speeding across back roads, further and further away from the signs of civilization.

Another period of silence followed. Morning Star occasionally referred to her atlas; their destination was a place that she was unfamiliar with.

"Can I ask you a question?", Spectrum finally said.

"That depends on the question."

"I guess it does at that. I was curious about why you took the name Morning Star. I, for one, think it's very appropriate."

Morning Star glanced at her passenger, unsure of where he was going with this line of questioning. Her knowledge of Spectrum up until this evening had been confined to what her good friend Spinnerette had related. (Editor's Note: Spectrum met Spinnerette in Spectrum #9.)

Morning Star mentally replayed the conversation in her mind. "I'm not quite sure what to think about this Spectrum character," Spinnerette told Morning Star. "He certainly needs to work on his lines. But he has courage. Tried to protect me from none other than Mechanon. Personally I don't think the kid knew what he was getting himself into. But it was a brave thing to do..."

"Okay, I'll answer your question," Morning Star answered, her mind returning to the present. "Provided you answer one of mine."

"That seems fair enough," Spectrum replied.

"Why did you jump in front of me when that VIPER Agent fired at us? It's not like I couldn't have withstood the hit."

"I really didn't think about it-- a reflexive action more than anything. Since we were dealing with laser rifles, it seemed reasonable that he would have one. My powers are based on light, so I figured it wouldn't hurt me as much as it would hurt you."

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm no shrinking violet either." After a pause, Morning Star continued to speak. "But, the gesture was appreciated."

"You're very welcome," Spectrum answered with a grin.

"Why do you think that Morning Star is a very appropriate name?"

Spectrum sighed and began with his explanation. "I dabbled with astronomy when I was a kid. Forgot most of it, but I recall that the term 'Morning Star' was used to describe the last star to fade in the morning. Turns out that it wasn't a star at all, but in reality one of the planets."

"You are just full of surprises, Spectrum," Morning Star commented as she turned onto another side road.

"Well, forgive me if I seem a bit forward, but more times than not, that planet was Venus, who of course was the Roman goddess of love and beauty. And let's face it, you're gorgeous."

The comment caught Morning Star off guard. She smiled at the compliment, briefly glancing at her passenger. Before Morning Star could respond, Jim quickly added, "Or it could just as likely be a morningstar, the medieval weapon. That purple punch of yours is pretty nasty. Say, isn't this the address?"

Morning Star brought the Porsche to a screeching halt. After a moment, she put the sports car into reverse and pulled up beside a mailbox next to a dirt road. Sure enough, the address on the voucher matched that of the mailbox. "It's lucky for me that you can see so well," Morning Star remarked. "It's too dark for me to make much out."

"Maybe you should kill the headlights," Spectrum suggested. "No need to announce our presence."

"Probably a good idea."

The lights went off and Spectrum provided directions as they drove down the dirt road. "I can see something up ahead," Spectrum announced after a few moments. Morning Star couldn't make out any details in the darkness.

"Find me a place to pull off the road." Morning Star brought the vehicle to a halt. "I'm not going to risk damaging my car."

"No doubt there. I think there's a spot between the trees up ahead."

Following Spectrum's directions, Morning Star parked her car behind some trees and shrubs. No one would spot it from the road unless they were deliberately searching the area.

The heroes quietly hugged the tree line along the road until they reached what Spectrum had spotted earlier. By now it was around midnight and the moon provided some illumination on this clear night. The dirt road came to an end at a large, fenced-in area. Behind the fence stood what appeared to be a small warehouse or hanger. Large signs bearing the words "DANGER - Electrified Fence" were sporadically situated on the fence.

"Dis must be the place," Spectrum said quietly.

"Seeing something that I'm not?", Morning Star whispered back.

Spectrum pointed towards the fence. "There's a web of light beams crisscrossing the yard around the building. They're all over the place."

Morning Star squinted, but still couldn't make out anything. "Must be perimeter alarms... I'd have to say that the fence is trapped as well, judging by the signs. Can you make out any security cameras?"

Spectrum peered about the yard, concentrating mostly on the building itself. "Not that I can tell. I can get a closer look without being seen if you like."

Morning Star considered the idea. "Okay. Just don't do anything stupid."

"Moi? Perish the thought," Spectrum said with a chuckle as he warped light around himself causing him to disappear from view. "Hold down the fort, 'Star, I'll be back in a flash."

"I hope you don't mean that literally," Spectrum could hear Morning Star say as he flew upwards. Once he reached fifty or so feet overhead, he flew towards the building, figuring that he should be well above any sensors.

From this vantage point, Spectrum could see the entire compound. The dirt road led up to a large sliding door on one side of the hanger. Another such sliding door was located on the opposite side. A small paved road led through another portion of the fence and to a runway behind the hanger.

"It's a small airfield," Spectrum thought to himself. "What better way to be smuggling things in and out of Los Angeles than with your own private airstrip out in the middle of nowhere? I bet they fly below radar detection to come and go virtually unnoticed."

Near the hanger door was a small re-fueling station and pumps. Several man-doors rounded out the entrances to the structure. Spectrum made another pass around the station, but he did not notice any additional details. "If there were any other surveillance devices, they must be well hidden," he surmised.

Flying back, Spectrum saw that Morning Star had remained hidden in the trees where he had left her. "Find anything else?", she asked as he landed nearby, turning visible once more.

"No," Spectrum answered simply.

"That doesn't mean they're not there. VIPER isn't as stupid and inept as they sometimes appear to be."

Spectrum just shrugged in response. The H.A.R.T. warehouse was the first VIPER base he had encountered. He had encountered VIPER agents twice before, once during that fiasco with Mechanon and then again a few nights ago at the Tanghal Tower.

"I don't imagine we can get lucky enough to approach the compound without being noticed, but we have to try."

"What do you have in mind?", the colorful mutant asked.

"You can go invisible and fly over," Morning Star stated, "so that's no problem for you. I'm going to have to take the direct approach. Are the ultraviolet sensors high enough to crawl under?"

"They're about two feet off the ground."

"Wish me luck."

Spectrum watched as the heroine approached the fence. He had discarded the idea of carrying Morning Star over the fence. No doubt her fear of heights would have made her refuse. Spectrum quickly willed himself unseen and took to the air. As he hovered over the yard to the hangar, Morning Star hurdled the ten-foot high security fence with ease. She quickly hit the ground and started crawling towards the hangar.

Spectrum wasn't quite sure what she planned to do once she reached the hangar. The doors were likely locked and alarmed, but it turned out to be a moot point. Morning Star had only progressed a little over half way across the yard when suddenly an alarm began to sound. The heroine stood up as a large door rolled upward.

Beneath his mask, Spectrum's mouth dropped open wide as he saw the creature emerge from the hatch. It bounded out like a great cat, looking around and sniffing the air.

Morning Star was likewise taken aback by the large monstrosity. Her eyes grew wide. "Oh my..." was all she could say.

The creature was approximately six feet tall at the shoulder. Its scaly hide was a mottled turquoise in color and about fifteen feet long. Tufts of scraggly hair dotted its head and upper back. Its great mouth bore not only sharp teeth, but also a pair of tusks jutting up into the air. The beast tested the night air with its nostrils. Its slitted eyes scanned the compound.

Morning Star froze in place at first, hoping the creature was unable to see in the dark. That hope quickly faded as the beast looked directly at her and then pounced!

Spectrum watched as the huge beast covered the 30 feet of distance between itself and Morning Star with ridiculous ease. It landed directly upon her, claws extended. The force of the attack knocked the heroine to the ground.

Pinned beneath the monstrous beast, Morning Star was assaulted by its fetid smelling breath. It snapped at her, as she struggled to free herself from under it. Morning Star grabbed its lower jaw in her hands, trying to keep those powerful jaws from latching onto her body.

"If I can just get some leverage," she thought while continuing to wrestle with the large beast. After a few moments, she was able to pull her legs up to her chest and with a powerful kick, she set the creature flying off of her.

Spectrum watched as the beast landed near the hangar. As it flew through the air, he saw that its abdomen was dotted with some kind of weird, fungoid growths. "What the heck is that thing?', he asked no one in particular.

The creature scrambled to its feet after it landed and growled a loud unsettling roar. Morning Star quickly regained her feet as well. "I'm ready for you this time, ugly," she said to the creature.

It roared again and once more pounced. This time, Morning Star caught the beast as it leaped, but the momentum was too much for her and they rolled and tumbled again.

Spectrum continued to watch the wrestling match from overhead, unsure of what to do. He considered trying to blast the beast, but was concerned about hitting his partner. Additionally, it was likely that there were other VIPER operatives in the area. As he watched, he saw that Morning Star was slowly getting the better of the beast. Even though it was much larger and seriously out-weighed her, she was stronger. Spectrum decided to remain invisible and watch Morning Star's back in case someone else tried to attack her.

The creature chomped down on her shoulder and Morning Star let out a scream of pain. "Alright! I've had enough of you!" She pulled free of the creature and flung it away from her again. This time the creature slammed into the security fence.

A loud crack and a few sparks flew out as the creature made contact with the electrified fence. It hit the ground and stiffened. The acrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

Morning Star started toward the fallen creature. "Oh, no! I hope I didn't kill it!"

"You are quite correct there," a voice said. "If you did in fact kill the Bertlahr, then you shall perish in turn."

Spectrum saw the strange looking man emerge from the hangar and begin to approach Morning Star. He wore an all black body suit with red piping on it. In one hand he held a sword, in the other a blaster pistol. The odd part was the man's head. He looked vaguely human, but with a huge cranium, large ears and a flattened face. He had no nose, only a pair of nostril slits above his mouth.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?", Spectrum asked, willing himself visible again, forgetting his own plan in the heat of the moment. He flew over and took a hovering position between the man and Morning Star.

"I am the Black Scout, a genetically recrafted superman," the strange-looking man boasted. "My body is millions of years ahead of yours in evolutionary development." Black Scout aimed his blaster at Spectrum and fired.

The blast sailed over the mutant hero's head. "Yeah, well you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in a million years with an aim like that," Spectrum taunted. "Let me have a try."

Spectrum fired a yellowish blast of light at his foe. It struck Black Scout full in the face, but didn't have as strong an effect as Spectrum had wanted. Black Scout turned to the large open door in the hangar. Emerging from it was a trio of VIPER agents. They quickly spread out once they entered the yard. "Remove that dolt from my presence!", Black Scout commanded the new arrivals.

"Come on, Blackie," Spectrum yelled back. "Is that any way to treat guests?" Spectrum fired again. This time Black Scout was knocked off his feet and lay on the ground stunned.

As Spectrum flew in closer to see the effect on Black Scout, one VIPER agent opened fire. A hail of laser fire rang out and pelted the mutant. All of the harrowing blasts simply bounced off Spectrum's trusty force field. The agent looked on in disbelief.

"Why is everyone so surprised that light doesn't hurt me," Spectrum responded, turning to face his attacker. "Lasers are just intensified light after all and I control light." He aimed at the man, ready to fire a blast.

"Then how about this for kicks, hero!" Spectrum barely turned in time to see another agent fire a LAW rocket launcher at him. He had no time to avoid the powerful missile. It slammed into the startled hero and exploded.

Morning Star watched as the force of the explosion sent her companion hurtling over the fence and out of the compound. He passed quickly from sight. She strained vainly to see where he had landed in the dark woods. Failing that she turned back to the agents. "I hope you have another trick up your sleeve, because that one will not work on me," she threatened as she advanced on the agents.

A short time later, Spectrum is awakened by the overpowering aroma of smelling salts. "Remind me never to get shot with a bazooka again," he said weakly, his eyes flickering open. Morning Star was standing over him, a look of concern on her face.

"I was worried you might have been a goner when they hit you," Morning Star said. "The blast threw you quite a distance."

"Hey, I'm no shrinking violet either, 'Star." Apart from some minor aches and pains, Spectrum didn't seem any worse for wear. "Did you get them?"

"Yes, but a plane took off as I was about to come looking for you. We should get back to the hangar." Morning Star pulled Spectrum up out of the bushes and vegetation that he had crashed into.

"Thanks. I was curious just how strong my force field was, I guess now I know."

"I wouldn't make it a habit of testing your defenses against anti-tank weapons," Morning Star commented.

"No argument there."

Back at the hangar, the heroes were confronted by a large semi tractor-trailer loudly revving its engine near the building. As they approached, a machine gun turret emerged from the roof of the cab and took aim at them. The two heroes exchanged wary glances.

Over a loudspeaker in the truck, a woman's voice rang out. It was full of hate and anger. "Play time's over heroes! Reinforcements from the Nest are already on their way. If I have anything to say about it, all they'll find is your mangled bodies, full of bullet holes!" She revved the engine again menacingly. Then the guns opened fire.

"I wish we had anti-tank weapons right about now," Spectrum yelled as he dodged the deadly fire.

Inside the truck's cab, Lily Garrot operated the joystick-like control for the top mounted twin machine guns. She sprayed the area with a horrific volley of bullets, but her aim was slightly off. The bullets tore up the ground in front of the two heroes and they scattered.

"Damn it!," Lily swore as she watched the male hero fly straight into the air. She looked out the window and made an obscene gesture towards Spectrum, seeing that he had left her field of fire.

"Flaunting your IQ, I see!", Spectrum taunted from above.

Lily screamed in anger and frustration and slammed the truck into gear. It lurched after Morning Star, who had resorted to running out of the machine guns' reach. She was tough, but she wasn't completely bulletproof. Morning Star ran around the building trying to use it as cover from the gun fire.

The truck tore up the dirt and grass as it raced after the heroine. Lily continued to fire wildly with one hand as she tried to steer with the other. The rig roared up behind the heroine, but Lily was unable to maintain a stable line of fire.

Morning Star glanced over her shoulder and saw the large truck was closing in on her. She couldn't outrun it much longer. Looking for an alternate escape route, the heroine smashed her way through the metal building's side. A moment later the semi crashed right into the building behind her!

The truck smashed its way through the building and caused large amounts of debris to collect from both the wall and ceiling. The semi ground to a halt as dust billowed up obscuring Lily's view. She was sure she must have made contact with that damn superhero.

Lily activated the rig's wipers to try and see what her current situation was. Morning Star was nowhere to be found. "Hopefully, ground under my tires," the VIPER leader said with a maniacal giggle. "We'll just back up and see what's left of the poor dear."

Lily slammed the truck into reverse and backed up. At least she tried to. The truck seemed to be stuck on the debris. This time she put the vehicle in first gear and tried to pull forward, but again, she failed to move more than a few inches.

"What the hell am I stuck on?" Lily opened the door of the cab to look underneath the chassis. "Probably ground up super chick..." Suddenly Lily went quiet. The truck was beginning to move. Not forward or backward, but upward!

"Believe it or not," Morning Star stated from under the semi, "you're half right!" The truck had in fact slammed into the heroine and rolled over the top of her, during the crash. Her back ached, but she would be fine. Morning Star's arms shook under the weight of the vehicle as she pressed it over her head.

Lily pulled out an automatic rifle from behind the seat of the cab, but soon felt the whole vehicle begin to lurch. Morning Star hadn't realized that the trailer was still sticking in through the hole in the building's side and when she lifted it, the truck slammed into the damaged hangar. The machine listed to one side and fell to the ground in another loud crash, tearing through the sidewall of the structure.

"Oh great," Morning Star said. "Now I've probably killed her." As the heroine was about to examine the wreckage she had caused, a fire began to erupt around the capsized tractor-trailer. The vehicle had fallen into the fuel storage tanks and aviation fuel was spreading everywhere.

With a short leap, Morning Star reached the side of the cab. Standing on the side of the rig, she ripped open the damaged door, pulling it directly off its hinges. As she looked in, she caught a glimpse of Lily. Only she wasn't dead or even unconscious.

"Die!", Lily shouted. She opened fire with the automatic rifle, as round after round slammed into the unsuspecting heroine. She was knocked from the cab and crashed to the floor.

Lily rose from the truck and stood on the side of the cab. She was bleeding profusely from the head and one arm hung limply by her side. Her left eye was swollen shut. With her one good eye, she saw Spectrum flying into the damaged building.

He easily avoided the wild fire and with a quick blast, knocked the offending VIPER leader into unconsciousness. After a few furtive glances, he located Morning Star on the far side of the downed semi. He scooped her up, pulling her from the approaching flaming fuel.

She quickly regained her senses. "This is quickly getting out of hand," she said weakly. She checked her abdomen for bullet holes and was pleased to find none. She would be hurting for quite some time, however.

"You ain't kidding, 'Star." Spectrum looked over at the flaming wreckage. He imagined it would blow any time now.

"See if you can get that psycho woman out of the fire," Morning Star said, regaining her feet. "I'll try and put the fire out!" She ran over and grabbed a pair of fire extinguishers and began trying to contain the flames.

Spectrum pulled the fallen VIPER leader from danger and carried her outside the hangar. "I wonder if we should bother saving this nut bar. She'll probably try to kill us as soon as she wakes up," Spectrum thought to himself.

Quickly flying back to his partner, the mutant hero saw that she was not having much luck. The fire was only growing stronger.

"It's going to blow, 'Star!" Spectrum tried to pull the heroine away from her task, but he would have little luck at that. She was much, much stronger than he. He yelled over the roar of the flames. "Come on! There's nothing here worth saving anyhow!"

Reluctantly, Morning Star agreed. She dropped the fire extinguishers and turned and ran out to the yard. Spectrum flew out ahead as quickly as he could. Out in the yard, Spectrum landed nearby, just as the first explosion ripped through the hangar. The heroes turned their eyes away as another explosion erupted into the air accompanied by a billowing cloud of black smoke.

Looking back, they could see that a good part of the building was not yet on fire. Morning Star started towards the far end of the building.

"Where do you think you're going?", Spectrum asked incredulously.

"Looking for clues," she answered simply.

"If you haven't noticed, the whole place is going up!"

"That's why I can't argue any longer, or else there'll be nothing left." Morning Star turned again and began trotting towards the base. The end farthest from the explosion had not yet caught fire.

"Alright," Spectrum said flying up alongside her, "then I'm coming with you."

"I think it would be better if just one of us went in," Morning Star responded. Spectrum was about to voice a further argument, but she cut him off. "Someone has to watch her," she said pointing to the unconscious VIPER leader. "She may give us some valuable information. And it's likely more VIPER agents are on the way here."

Spectrum didn't like it, but he agreed. Landing a short distance away, he watched as Morning Star disappeared through a far entrance.

Time passed slowly, as Spectrum anxiously awaited his partners' emergence from the flaming building. Every now and then another explosion would go off in some part of the building. The fire had spread all over by now. Unable to take the anticipation any longer, Spectrum took to the air and flew towards the hangar.

As he quickly closed in, Spectrum could see that the entrance Morning Star had entered through was now on fire as well. Another explosion blew out the door a moment later.

"'Star!" Spectrum hovered nearby, somewhat shocked at the situation. The whole building was in flames now. He swallowed deeply. "Time to surprise me one more time little force field," Spectrum said to himself. Just as he was about to enter the conflagration, a familiar purple and lavender figure burst through the wall nearby.

Morning Star took three steps from the opening and collapsed to her knees, straining to get a fresh breath of air. Smoke poured through the opening she had created.

Spectrum approached, seeing that her costumed was singed and black soot marks covered the exposed parts of her flesh. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," she said between coughs.

"I sincerely hope it was worth being barbecued for."

"I think so," Morning Star responded. "I found a reference to a White Hart Bar, located in Santa Monica. I think that's where the weapons are being made. Also, something cryptic about Dallas." Morning Star extended her hands and Spectrum helped her to her feet.

"Dallas?"

"Yeah, I..." Morning Star stopped in mid-sentence and Spectrum turned to see what had caught her attention. A silver BMW convertible roared up the road. The heroes saw it stop at the downed fence and a man stepped out briefly.

After viewing the conflagration and extreme destruction to the hangar and base, the man quickly regained his composure, got back in his car and tore back down the dirt road.

"Spectrum..." Morning Star began.

"Way ahead of ya, 'Star," Spectrum said, taking to the air. "I'll get'm." In a flash, Spectrum sped after the rapidly accelerating vehicle.

As Spectrum closed in, he fired a few flashes of light in front of the speeding vehicle. The driver panicked and in trying to swerve, the BMW left the roadway and tore into the underbrush along the path. After about 20 feet of plowing through the brush, it slammed into a tree and came to an abrupt stop.

Spectrum landed as the man staggered from the wreck. He saw the hero approach and quickly put his hands up. "I surrender! I surrender!"

"Good. Finally someone around here is doing things the easy way."

"My name is George Lambard, but everyone calls me 'Speed'. VIPER agent. Infiltration sector. Los Angeles Nest..." George would offer every single fragment of information he had in order to keep the heroes from hitting him. George was many things, not the least of which, a coward. After a few minutes, Spectrum was eager for George to shut up!

Once more, Spectrum found himself alongside Morning Star, strapped in and hanging on for dear life. This time they were heading back towards Los Angeles.

"You never did tell me what the Dallas reference was all about," Spectrum said, breaking the late night silence.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes. It was pretty cryptic actually. I found a note saying something about 'Dallas being on' for the day after tomorrow and 'Not to be any closer than 70 miles'," Morning Star explained. "There also was a cashier's check for 75 grand."

"That's some serious cash. What could they be planning that would cover a city for 70 miles?"

"I don't know. A bomb? A localized plague of some sort? Poison?" Morning Star paused for a moment. "In any case, we have to stop whatever they are planning. That size check leads me to believe it's all legit."

"How are we going to stop what they're planning for Dallas?"

"Simple. We find out what they are doing from here. The Superior Seven are based there in Texas. They can handle the necessary actions from there," Morning Star explained.

"This little caper is turning out to be quite a bit more than I originally would have guessed."

"I'd have to agree with you there. I assumed this would be a nice little diversion."

"Icy was right that H.A.R.T. makes more than clocks. She didn't say anything about aliens." The heroes were quite surprised and not a little skeptical when, as part of completely spilling his guts, George Lambard told the heroes that the new weaponry was being designed by an alien. Not just any alien: a short, plump, four-armed, purple alien, claiming to be from the future. If Black Scout and the Bertlahr were any indication, it was true.

"Quite true." Morning Star regarded her companion for a moment. "By 'Icy', do you mean the villainess Icicle?"

"Umm,... ah... Well, uh..." Spectrum's mind raced as he tried to come up with an explanation, to no avail. "I wouldn't exactly call her a villainess."

"I see. From what my records show, I would respectfully disagree with you, but that's a conversation for another time, perhaps," Morning Star said. "Right now, I'm a little more concerned with this plot to ransom a whole city. VIPER has tried some goofy stunts over the years. Some of them turned out to be truly dangerous. If they have outside help this time, they could actually pull this all off. It's certainly the biggest extortion scheme in history!"

"They always do things big in Texas," Spectrum remarked.

"In any case, we don't have much time left to stop their plans." Morning Star continued to weave through the sparse traffic at high speeds. "Hold on. I know a short-cut coming up ahead."

"There's no road there!!"