Super Soaker Central

Then Force's radio crackled. "This is the toll booth. Sir, a missile just flew above and it dropped water bombs on us!"

Force pressed the 'talk' button. "Is everyone OK there?"

"Yes, the situation's under control now."

"Good. Keep your guard on, corporal. Over."

"Roger that, sir, over and out." Force looked at the group.

"They've got more of this crap? I don't believe it!" Monsoon groaned.

"Warheads..." Force said. "Guys, we're in big trouble," he sighed.

"Special, huh? Maybe I'll take a look myself." Ed thought. "Rick, Nat, come over, gotta ask you guys something." Rick and Nat raised an eyebrow each but followed him.

Looking at the missile, Force suddenly had an idea. "I've got it." "What?" Monsoon replied. Force looked at him, a grin on his face, "How we can stop the missiles. When the radar dishes are set up, we'll know when the missiles are coming. We can launch some light aircraft from 11. Then, we do what the British did in the Second World War. We use the wings of the light aircraft to flip the missiles off course. The stabiliser fins aren't that big but it should be enough."

"Excellent!" Spinner replied, "When I've finished with the radar, I'll gather all pilots and sort it out."

Force and Monsoon set about building a private runway. They didn't need to do anything fancy like putting down tarmac, they just needed a long stretch of grass. There was a suitable stretch running parallel to the south wall, just inside. However, it was badly overgrown and needed to be cleared.

"This looks like it could take a while," Monsoon commented. "Or maybe not," Force replied. He was looking in a very large shed. Monsoon walked over. Looking over Force's shoulder, he saw two sit-on mowers. They set about mowing.

Several hours later, it was done. "Well now we just need some aircraft." Force said. He looked at Monsoon, "Can you fly?" "Yeah. I used to be an air cadet." "OK then, we'd better see what we can do about getting them over here." They headed for their bikes, but before they could leave for the planes Spinner stopped them.

"Good," said Spinner, "I'm very pleased to see the extensive preparations to defend this island. However, I think we need to have a general talk with the inhabitants. I suppose we'd better head off to the main town at 8."

The town hall was buzzing when Spinner, Duxburian, Forceuser, Belisaurius and Monsoon walked in. The three mayors of the three North Island towns were present, and shook hands with the militia leaders. Present also were the island's radio and TV reporters. About 500 residents were in the audience.

All eyes were on the mayor of 8 as he turned towards the microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he announced, "Thank you for your attendance today. As you know, we are here to discuss the conflict that has arisen between us and the South Island, and to lead the discussion, may I introduce Major-General and Air Chief Marshal Spinner."

The buzzing rose and settled down again as Spinner started to speak, "Good afternoon, North Islanders. May I commence by thanking you sincerely for coming here today, it is much appreciated."

"As you know, the two islands used to co-exist peacefully together. North Island sent supplies to the South Island, and vice versa. Now that all has changed. The South Island, through no fault of its own, is now your enemy. An evil dictatorship, the Tempest, has taken it over. This means many commodities you were used to will no longer be available, like sugar, tea, and coffee."

"On the bright side, here in the North Island you have large oil wells and metal mines. These will be vital to our success, and so are a big advantage we have."

"Some of you will have already realised what this means. To win this war, we will need high production from these resources, and to do this we will need manpower. We will also need people to come and fight for us. Without your help, quite frankly, the North Island is done for."

"As respects the army, my fellow staff and I will be organising the operations. A co-ordinated attack will be needed to rid the Tempest scourge from our island, and this means a land, sea, and air attack. Although overseeing things in general, along with the other staff, I personally am responsible for the Air Force, and my fellow staff each have their own responsibilities. May I introduce on my left, Colonel Duxburian, of the Tank Corps. On his left, Admiral Monsoon. On my right, Colonel Forceuser of the Marines. And finally, Tempest Commander Belisaurius."

A ripple of surprise went through the crowd. Spinner smiled. "Perhaps 'ex-Tempest Commander' would be more appropriate. Major Belisaurius was leader of the Tempests before his position was usurped and the Tempest became evil. He is in our cabinet for intelligence purposes."

"All that having been said, are there any questions anyone would like to pose?

One TV reporter raised his hand. Spinner gestured. "Please."

"How strong really are the Tempests?" he asked.

It was Duxburian who answered the question. "The answer to that is, extremely strong. They have, at the moment, strength in numbers and technology. Tanks, ships, aircraft, missiles...they seem to have it all. We'll need every ounce of our wits to defeat them."

Another person raised their hand. "What about conscription? Will we be conscripted?"

Forceuser answered the query. "No, conscription will not be enforced. While we urge all who can to join the fight, anybody who wishes to remain apart from the army will be respected for their wishes. If you do, however, want to join up, facilities will be opened shortly for that purpose."

Another question. "How are we going to construct our tanks, aircraft, and so on? There are no factories on the island."

Duxburian explained, "We have decided to move all construction - underground. This is a precautionary measure against bombs. This will, of course, entail a huge amount of effort, but it will be necessary to do so for our victory. Therefore, anyone with JCBs and similar machinery will be asked to help in that regard."

Another hand. "How long is this war likely to go on for?"

Spinner replied to the question, "We'd all like to know the answer to that question, but it's not easy to answer, I'm afraid. Several weeks at the minimum, I'd say, possibly even months. We have a huge amount of preparation to deal with, and an invasion overseas won't be easy to execute. So don't get your hopes up for it being finished very soon. However, if everyone piles in, it is conceivable that we'll get the job done as quickly as possible."

There seemed to be no other questions, and the only noises to be heard were the journalists scribbling away like mad on their notepads.

The mayor spoke again, "In a meeting with the other mayors earlier, we unanimously voted to hand over power over the island to the militia. We will continue to run the towns, but we will bow to any recommendations they make."

Spinner thanked the mayors for their co-operation, and as that seemed to be the end of the discussion, the mayor called the meeting to a close and the leaders filed out into the sunlight.

With the meeting over, Force and Monsoon were about to head out to get some planes, but Spinner called Force over. "Colonel, I need you to organise the islanders who want to join up for the Marines. I'll go with Monsoon to collect the planes." "Yes, sir." Force saluted Spinner and turned back towards the town hall. "Oh and by the way, I'm taking your bike," Spinner said with a glint in his eye. Force looked back to see Spinner and Monsoon roar off. Chuckling to himself, he walked into the town hall.

Inside, there were already men queueing to sign up. Force was amazed at the speed with which they wanted to sign up. There were about fifty of them. After they had all filled in forms, they sat down and Force took to the podium.

"Hello everyone, if you weren't paying attention at the meeting, I'm Colonel Forceuser of the Marines. I would first of all like to thank all of you for signing up, we're going to need every man we can get. You will all be put through basic combat training and will go into active service with the army. The better of you will go through elite training and join the Marines under my command. I wish you all good luck."

Force dismounted the podium and the new recruits filed out of the hall. They got into a large coach that had been claimed by the military and headed off for 12.

Force was about to get on his bike when he realised that Spinner had gone off on it. "Dang! Now how am I going to get to 12," he thought. His eyes were drawn to a nearby motorbike shop. He had an idea. "Well, it is a war." he thought.

He walked into the shop and asked for the manager. The manager came out to see him. "Is there any chance you could lend me a bike?" Force asked, "It's just that I really need some fast transport to get me around." "Sure!" the manager replied, "Anything I can do to help the war effort. You can take this special one out the back." He handed Force the keys, "Help yourself."

Force went out the back and was amazed. A Honda Fireblade! "I'm going to have some fun with this," he thought. He got on and roared off back to 12.

"We're going to do recon on the South Island?" Rick yelled.

"Shut up! No need to announce it to the world!" Ed hissed.

Rick smacked his head on a window. "In South Island. I don't believe this."

"You'd better, 'cause it's the only way I can think of to train you. Are you a good observer?"

"Huh? Ye-yeah, I think," Rick hesitantly said.

"OK, I'll do the basic stuff, then you follow and remember the techniques. From there, you've gotta find a fighting style that suits you, as I can't find it for you. Got it?"

"OK." His voice was more firm this time.

Monsoon and Spinner quickly cruised along the road. Eyeing a rather larger plane in the distance, they made the decision to check it out later. As they approached 11, the mosquito was ready for flight.

"We need to take this back to base," suggested Monsoon. "Monsoon, you fly the mosquito back to 12. I'll check out the hangar here," ordered Spinner. Monsoon jumped into the cockpit and put on the pilot's helmet. The engines fired up and he flew westwards.

The hangar was rather large for an airstrip of that size. The main door was locked, so Spinner was forced to use the small side entrance. "Holy moly!" said Spinner with excitement. The hangar contained five helicopters, all of which were top-notch Russian KA-60 Kasatkas. These were great for troop deployment and transport. Beside the helicopters, two CF-18 Hornet fighter jets were parked.

Back at 12, Monsoon had landed the mosquito. "We need to develop some kind of bomb or missile that these planes can use," said Monsoon. His radio clicked and buzzed, "Monsoon? This is Spinner, we have an armada of helicopters and planes in 11's main hangar!" "Wow, the Tempests are going to be surprised when they attack us!" thought Monsoon.

Toaster rolled towards the quaint little airstrip. Seeing some heavy weapons guarding it, Toaster was a little worried. Remembering the radio he'd picked up, he called to the gate guards, "Hello, can we get in? We need to talk to whoever is in charge."

The militia standing at the gate did not recognise the Armadillo, and so challenged, "Identify yourselves or we'll open fire."

"Toaster, commander of the Sabres. We fought the Tempests on South Island," Toaster answered.

Suddenly the guards stepped aside, letting the Sabres through to the airstrip. As soon as the vehicle had cleared the gate, the soldiers resumed their posts. Toaster found that dedication impressive. Rolling up to the control tower, he hopped out and started towards the door.

Monsoon decided to take the mosquito back to 11 and check out the new mass of airships that had just been added to the militia arsenal. While soaring over the private road, he took another glance at the stationary Hercules plane that lay in the middle of a field.

He clicked on his radio and said, "Spinner, I'm going to investigate the crashed Hercules, OK?" The radio buzzed for a second again, "Yes, but come to 11 as soon as you're done!"

Monsoon carefully landed the Mosquito next to the giant plane. He climbed out of the cockpit and readied his CPS 4100. The ship appeared to be in good condition, with the exception of the landing gear being smashed off. Nobody was inside the cockpit or the cargo holds.

He once again radioed Spinner, "Sir, the Hercules is vacant and is in flying condition with the landing gear being the only damaged area," he said. "Okay, we'll get someone to fly that back to base, but for now, come to 11!" Monsoon took the mosquito over to 11.

Spinner had been bored waiting for the long time, and was fooling around with one of the KA-60 helicopters. When Monsoon landed the plane once again, he looked at the open hangar in awe. "Wow, that's a lot of airships!" he said.

Spinner landed the chopper and ran over to Monsoon. "We need a squad of air troopers over here now! They need to come by foot," ordered Spinner. Monsoon whipped out his radio and ordered the air squadron over to 11.

With the entire island wired with a radar system, and sea defence turrets lining the southern shores, the militia was only partially ready setting up the island for the war.

An underground weapons and artillery facility was being built under the field where the Herc was parked. The fort at 12 had three different locations where the underground tunnels could be accessed. One was in the communications HQ in the basement cellar, one was near the private airstrip control tower, and one was on the western shores, on the left side of the fort (outside the walls). Each outside entrance was guarded. The tunnels would lead to:

The underground weapons/artillery facility;

8's town hall;

The middle of the forests on the eastern side of the island;

To a hatch on the docks of 9;

To the lighthouse on the southern beach.

Also, the forests were being used for another secret (but much smaller) compound base that would be used in an emergency. It was ideal since no vehicle could make it through the dense woods, and the tree canopy was thick and could shield the base from and air attack. The forest also made it harder for the base to be put up on radar.

It would be painted camouflage and trees and greenery would grow on it. This was almost a foolproof emergency base. The recruitment of 50 men on the island alone was a plus. Recruitment on the mainland was underway, and men steadily came in from 8 and 9's docks.

Meanwhile, on the southern island, the Tempests were growing bored. The commander was getting bored as well. "The North Island can wait for now. I have a new target: The underwater research laboratory!" he laughed, "This war is far from over, or maybe it will never really be over..."

A week had gone by. Several large caverns had been created and the machinery was starting to operate. Spinner, Monsoon and the other staff members were sat in the Conference Room at the fortress, discussing the state of affairs.

"...So, basically, my troops are still very raw," concluded Forceuser, "They'll need another couple of weeks' worth of training, at least."

Spinner nodded. "Well, that should be okay," he said, "We haven't got a desperate rush at the moment. What about your tanks, Duxburian? Chosen a good design?"

"Yeah, the first orders went in today. The first ones, if all goes to plan, should be rolling off the production line next Saturday."

"That's good to hear. Now, Monsoon, for your report on the available shipping."

Monsoon replied, "It's not good, Spinner. All we have are some old trawlers and motorboats. Nothing really suited to troop convoy."

Spinner frowned. "Hmm, we'll have to do something about that, then. Manufacture some, if need be. Although our resources aren't that high yet, more should be coming in from the mines in the forest. Then we should be able to build some transports. I'll discuss that with you later."

The evening still was broken by the all-too-familiar sound of a siren. "Here we go again," sighed Duxburian, "Back to the cellar again." They left the room, and trudged downstairs. "Good thing we initiated the blackout rules."

Monsoon got to work on designing a new type of troop ferry. It had to be armoured and heavily armed itself. The only area where the Tempests were weak was their sea/naval force. Although Monsoon preferred piloting the Mosquito, a well-built ship wasn't bad either.

The ferry had three decks in total, excluding the bridge: Deck 'A', which included a crew's lounge and quarters. Deck 'B' was the troop armoury. Deck 'C' was the lowest deck and was basically the engine rooms and bulkheads.

The ferry could house a total of 100 men and about fifteen crew (who would maintain the engines and control the ship from the bridge). The bridge had radar and weapons systems integrated into the control panels. The boat would be very broad and would be 'untippable' in any storm. However, the design made it slow and cumbersome. The aft deck contained a helipad as well.

One of these ferries could make it from North Island to South Island in twelve hours. The weapons would include multiple Havoc water balloon launchers mounted all around the fencing that lines the aft deck. Dux was working on designing an anti-aircraft cannon that these ferries could wield and mount on top on the bridge. Anything that could be made of wood rather than 'expensive' metal was made with wood. This lightened the ships overall, but not much.

The next step was to build about ten private piers off the southwestern and western shores of the island for these ferries. The mass of ferries could then be protected by weapon-mounted Zodiac boats (air-inflated). Each Zodiac would be mounted with two Douchenator water balloon launcher turrets.

Monsoon was satisfied with these boat designs. The motorboats and trawlers could also be used in an emergency. The only thing that would 'wow' the Tempests would be some sort of aircraft carrier. That would have to wait until later, since it would dry up all the resources at that time.

Even with a formidable air force and sea squadron, the militia would still be quite weak against the Tempests. However, the Tempests' new interest in the underwater research station supplied the militia with valuable time to develop all the equipment they needed.

Dux's new tank designs were devastating. Their main cannons could tear through a metal wall if set at the highest power setting. The only thing the militia was lacking was 'nuclear' power. This included the water warheads the Tempests own. The Tempests still outnumber the militia as well, but the recruitment campaign was running successfully, bringing in new men by the hour.

Duxburian decided to build a boat and left Nibor in charge of the tank production. His new boat was heavily armoured but small so speed was not hindered. He mounted three anti-aircraft cannons and five regular Douchenators on this boat, which had space for ten passengers and storage space for supplies and weapons.

When it was finished, Duxburian informed Spinner and Monsoon that he would set out for the Vertigo Keys to set up a base there. He also told them that a base there would allow for the militia to catch any Tempest navy in a pincer between the islands. Duxburian then took seven of the original militia and the boat departed en route for Vertigo Island.

Satisfied that his troop training was going well, Force went to see the technicians in charge of making weapons. The underground weapons and artillery facility was almost finished and they had already started moving in.

The chief technician greeted him. "I need you to manufacture me some of these," Force told him. He gave him the XX 50 and the spare cartridges. "These will be essential for our attack on the Tempests." "Yes, sir. We'll get onto it right away." Force left the technicians to it.

"Excellent," applauded Spinner, when he saw the first troop ferry in the port, "Just what we needed. It would be nice, though, to have some purely offensive sea craft, and to that end, I've got a surprise for you, Monsoon."

He led the way to an underground cavern near the creek at 9. As they went underground, Monsoon realised that this was another secret factory. Coming round a corner, he stopped and gasped in amazement as Spinner proudly gestured the latest addition to the fleet: a submarine.

(9 pm local time, militia fort)

"OK guys, it's almost time. I'll go through the plan once more, then we leave for the airstrip," Ed said to Nat and Rick.

"Once we land at 5, we'll use the 86 I had left there to get us to the top of the mountain, as that is where I think the missile was launched. From there, we'll search for the launch facility. Once we find it, me and Rick will search for the special warheads that the guy in the tape mentioned, and bring back one. Nat, search in the vicinity of the launch area, and take pics of anything worth noticing. Any questions?"

(9:30 pm, airstrip)

A helicopter took off with Rick at the controls.

"You know how to fly helis?" Ed asked Rick.

"Sort of. Bro was into them, and I got caught up with him."

Nat sighed, "Just remember what he said about flying."

"Don't worry," Rick said. Silence.

"Ed?"

"What?"

"Why d'you worry so much sometimes?"

Ed shrugged. "I suppose I just hate things to go wrong."

Toaster was feeling a little useless. Having seen that the militia had things well in hand, he had gone back to 12 to recover from the battles of the last week. He'd been keeping up with the innovations that were being made. He was particularly impressed with Duxburian's tank designs, particularly the gun. They couldn't compare to the Broadsword, but they definitely packed a punch.

Wontwood and the others were getting some R & R, but Toaster was still plugging away, modifying the Gemini Cannons, and working on a new engine the militia had supplied. The Tempest engine was still more powerful, so it remained the drive engine. He mounted the militia motor in the old Argo engine's place. He figured with the extra RPMs, the Broadsword's power could be increased threefold.

Realising the sheer power that this entailed, he put an enormous warning label on the controls that read "WARNING: DO NOT AIM AT ANIMATE OBJECTS."

About fifty 'Tsunami' ferry boats were made. One hundred 'Narsil' boats were to be the escorts for these ferries. Monsoon had decided, after what Spinner wanted, a full offensive boat.

These boats were oversized speedboats. Each boat had a top speed of up to about 85 km/h. They were all armed with one Havoc water balloon launcher in the middle and three Douchenator water balloon launchers on the outer edges. The hull was quite wide, making it less tippable than the average speedboat.

Each ferry would be escorted by two Narsils. The submarines that Spinner came up with were still under development. Monsoon and the sea squadron was deciding to either make a large transport sub, which could carry about fifty men including crew, or attack subs, which could carry ten men and would be more heavily armed.

The sea division devised a type of "torpedo" that any submarine could use. It was made of a soft but durable plastic that was pressurised with air. Any contact with a ship or other submarine would cause the torpedo to explode and rock the sub off course or change its depth, but not destroy it.

The subs could also deploy a new type of weapon. The rocket that the Tempests launched was taken and made smaller. Any submarine could vertically launch a missile and hit any land mass, far away ferry or air plane it wished.

So far, the "official" vehicle roster was:

Navy:

Tsunami troop ferries

Narsil attack boats

Air force:

A Hercules troop/vehicle transport

Five KA-60 Kasatka troop carrying helicopters (with weapon mounts)

Two CF-18 Hornet fighter jets

A Mosquito fighter/light bomber

Artillery:

Stationary water balloon launcher turrets (look like an oversized Havoc water balloon launcher) that may be hitched to a truck, jeep or van

(10 pm, approaching 5)

Ed looked down from the helicopter. "Don't make the landing too rough," he told Rick.

"Whatever." Rick promptly did a bone-jarring one.

Nat sighed. "I did tell you guys to use the belts," she chided. The two were holding their heads and wincing. "Shaddup," Rick groaned.

Ed tumbled out of the cockpit. "We're lucky. Only the wheels got busted. Got spares?"

(10:15 pm, bottom of mountain pass)

"The road's getting narrow," Ed commented.

"And?" Rick said blankly.

Ed grinned. "And we run." He let his foot down.

"Trust me, hachiroku."

The rev needle went up to 6500 RPM before Ed shifted to fifth. With the 4AGE sending a lively thrum to the cabin, a chime sounded somewhere.

"Ed, what's with that ringing?" Nat asked rather nervously.

"Speed-warning chime. Activates when anyone's going above 120 km/h, standard on a lot of old cars," Ed heard himself saying. His mind was on the road.

Rick nearly passed out. "Over 120? You've gone - oh my god, hairpin, BRAKES!"

Fourth, third. Shift body weight, control oversteer with countersteering. The 86's tires squealed as it went...

"Sideways?" Rick yelled.

Slide to outside, regain grip. The chime kept going.

"I love ya, gal."

Ding, Dang. Ding, Dang. Ding, Dang...

The training of the new troops was going well. They now had well over a hundred recruits. Force was now selecting the ones that would join the elite Marines (of which there were already fifteen from the South Island). After subjected them all to a rigorous test, he knew who his best fifteen were. He gathered them all in the large hall in 12 and addressed them.

"Well, you should all be proud of yourselves. You have learned quickly and well. There is still more for you to learn, but however, we need some of you to join my Marines, the elite. Fifteen of you have been selected. They are as follows..." Force read out the list of men, "OK, now you are dismissed."

Leaving the recruits behind, Force went to the weapons production facility. The chief technician met him, "We have finished the weapons for you, sir. There are 30 XX 50s and 600 canisters, with more canisters in production." "Excellent, this will really help."

"There is also another thing, sir" "Yes?" Force enquired. "We call it the XX 200. It was inspired by the design of the XX 50. Here, let me show you." The technician led him to the new weapon. Force gasped in amazement. Before him was a massive tripod-mounted cannon.

The technician explained it to him, "It is fed by hose, so you can have an almost unlimited supply of water, but it can also be attached to a large water tank, making it mountable on vehicles. It can even be dismantled and carried by infantry. It is powered by two large CO2 cartridges, but only uses one at a time, meaning it can be reloaded whilst firing."

"It works by having 8 water chambers mounted in a ring. These then spin, being fed one at a time by the hose at the bottom and then fired by the cartridges at the top. You can get three shots per second. It matches the range of the XX 50 but with much more power. We only have one made at the moment, but there are many more in production." "Wow. Can I take this one?" "Sure, sir." Force organised some men to take all of the weapons back to 12.

Racer secretly stared building the Rebel II about a mile away from the base in a hidden aircraft hangar...

Toaster had seen the Narsil attack boats that were in production, and he thought that he might use that design to improve the Armadillo. He set to work, crafting a high speed 'boat' specifically to carry the Armadillo. It would take days to manufacture even if he had all the parts he needed. He didn't. He would have to scavenge parts from the junkyard and see if they had spare parts from Narsils he could have, the engines in particular. He sat down with dinner and a pile of paper and drafting tools, and got to work.

Duxburian finally arrived in the harbour of Vertigo City. Duxburian and the seven militia he had brought docked their boat and headed into the capital. Unlike the cities and towns on the North and South Island, this city was located on a huge bluff and was easily defendable. It was vast and industrialised, with heavy traffic at the airport and a harbour filled with ships.

Duxburian met with the local leaders and convinced them to support the militia war effort. The city was fortified and factories began to produce necessary war supplies. Contributions from various other towns flowed into Vertigo City and made concerns of running out of resources laughable. Factories started to roll out tanks, cleverly designed by Duxburian, and naval ships as well.

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