                RETRIBUTION

PART 13 BY THE CHOIR BOYZ TEAM.............................


He scanned the log over and over.  There was no mention of
Athena nor Black Widow.  Relieved that the rest of his
squadron was somewhat safe, Scarecrow could see that Osprey
and he had much more work to do.  He did not feel comfortable
sending his own squad to retrieve the remains of Smith&Jones.
What if Hawk lay waiting?  He thought of leaving him there for
the Mad Medics, but knew he could never live with himself.  He
asked for volunteers to bring Smith&Jones' body back to the
complex, preferably non-squadron members. He had other plans
for them.

Cheetah, a brand new recruit, immediately volunteered.  She
was new to this environment, and had very little experience in
combat.  She endeavored to learn from the other recruits, but
had never ventured too far from the Complex.  She had never
wandered down to level 4, but that did not seem to deter her.
She was ready to make a contribution, or at least try.  She
did want to make a good impression..... on Eliminator.

Fish seemed like the most likely candidate to help Cheetah.
Fish did not like to wander too far from the Complex, but the
others thought it would build character and confidence.  Fish
preferred to stay close by and scavenge what was near.  He
made dozens of trips to the Supply Room to sell the many items
he found laying in the Wastelands.  It was appreciated by some
of the recruits since the Supply Room had been pounded by the
many Hydrite raids.  But the prices were incredibly high.
Fish had made a few trips to levels 2 and 3, but by accident.
He had a tendency to step on deep pits, only to find himself
on another level without a map.  The experience was
frightening and left him leery about venturing too far from
the Complex.  Buster drew out the easiest route for Cheetah
and Fish to travel.  The nuclear blast on level 4 had cleared
some impassable rocks that the two would have normally had to
work their way around.  Precious time would be saved.  Lynx
gave Cheetah a silencer and told her to make every effort to
bring it back since the supply room was still in shambles and
bare.  Eliminator told Fish not to return without Cheetah.
Fish followed Cheetah out of the complex.  Osprey and
Scarecrow were then joined by Eliminator.  More planning......

In the early hours of the following morning, Eliminator was
awakened by a nightmare.  He had experienced difficulty going
to sleep.  Even though Cheetah had safely returned to the
Complex with Fish and the remains of Smith&Jones, he felt
uneasy.  He looked at his watch....3 a.m....He was weary from
the meeting with the other squadron leaders and his concern
for Cheetah had taxed his energy.  But each time he dozed off,
an eerie feeling surrounded him like a blanket and refused to
allow him rest.  His base was southeast of the prison, and in
what appeared to be an impregnable location.  Since he could
not sleep, he checked the supplies he had and the shields.
All were secure, the telepod was functioning normally and the
defenses were the top of the line.  His Zaxtron Accelerator
would send any intruder clear across the wastelands, even to
another level.  But he could not shake that nagging feeling.
He had no one to talk to.  His squadron member, Bane, was
either roaming the Wastelands or in Barl's Bar.  Eliminator
was in the base alone, tired, and bored.  He decided to dress
and collected his Xendrix, Herculean, and Reflecto armor.  He
checked his back pack and made sure he had all the items he
needed.  He would make the long journey back to the Complex,
and see if Osprey and Scarecrow were stirring.  He was sure
they were still awake, going over their moves.  He didn't make
it outdoors.

                                Michael Willis
                                Cleve Sanders

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