Super Soaker Central

Duxburian was experienced on the sea, leading to strong naval ships. However, Duxburian had little to no experience with flying and anything involving aircraft. Therefore, an air force was not developed. He did realise that the island was vulnerable to air attack, and with no air force, anti-aircraft guns would have to be mass-produced. Soon an ample supply of anti-aircraft guns lined the walls and other important positions.

Duxburian put most of his pride in the new navy. Not even the Tempests had been able to design and build an aircraft carrier. A fairly small, uneven ship that could only carry ten small fighters nonetheless was a huge accomplishment. The design was to be modified so that seaworthy and reliable ones could be built used in actual combat in the future.

Duxburian was also able to raise an army of 130 men. He decided to send them to reinforce the North Island, having no data on whether or not a sizeable army had been raised there yet. The reinforcements set sail for the North Island with several escort ships and three newly built aircraft carriers.

Mass production of aircraft carriers was months away, but a limited quantity were available to guard the harbour in case the Tempests discovered Vertigo Island, which remained largely unknown even to many of the militia.

The Tempests were in the middle of designing a submarine that they could use to take over the underwater research lab. They thought that using the materials there that they could develop some sort of underwater "smart suit".

They planned that a person wearing this suit could breathe underwater for up to an hour without surfacing and it included a helmet with a HUD that displayed depth, temperature and even a speedometer. The suit also helped a person dive deeper without the use of a submarine in the way that it can withstand more pressure. The suit would integrate with the person's body. Above water it utilised a targeting reticle and other advanced technology.

The Tempests' plans were going unnoticed by the entire militia...

The next day, Dux's fleet of ships strode into the private militia port and docked. Monsoon was quite impressed with the aircraft carriers, although he was currently designing his own, but didn't scrap it since his would be able to hold much larger craft, such as a Hercules.

The artillery of the militia was still something left to be desired. The tanks were in production, but took a long time to make because of the new weapon that they carry. The air force also needed a few more of the same type of planes.

The objective was to have at least 100 tanks, twenty CF-18 Hornets, five Mosquitos, three Hercules, three Small aircraft carriers, two large aircraft carriers, a fleet of 200 Narsils, twenty attack submarines and ten passenger submarines. Also there were to be a total of ten Tsunami troop ferries. This amount of vehicles would have the Tempests' heads spinning, especially the naval fleet.

No new types of anything were needed at the moment, except a land troop carrier. Monsoon worked with Force to come up with the Cougar land raider (An armoured truck with a fifteen person capacity). These trucks could move quite fast and handle well. Each one had a Havoc water balloon launcher mounted at the back. Force ordered about ten of these to be made.

The main problem now was the lack of space that the North Island provided. The entire island was crawling with militia vehicles. Dux suggested that some of the Tsunami ferries could take some of the tanks over to Vertigo Island.

The troop number was sky-rocketing. Swarms of squadrons flowed constantly in from the Vertigo Keys on Tsunamis. The militia then decided to train these men into the four different squadrons: Air, Sea, Land and Artillery. There were enough men in the navy to deploy submarine patrols that went back and forth between North Island and the Vertigo Keys. However, the underwater research station was still quite far away, even for radar...

Duxburian returned to Vertigo City with several tanks and other vehicles on Tsunami transports. He began working on production of a new naval ship. He named them Cyclone Frigates, a fitting name based on the frequency of hurricanes that passed between the Vertigo Keys and the North Island. These Frigates were heavily armoured and equipped with many powerful guns, with the ability to target aircraft, land, or ships.

Rumours spread that a small Tempest fleet has appeared just five miles south of Vertigo Island. Duxburian therefore sent fifteen of the new frigates to attack this fleet. When the Tempests saw the approaching frigates, they quickly decided to withdraw. Vertigo Island remained a secret.

Later that day, Duxburian intercepted a message from a Tempest commander. He immediately sent a helicopter to the North Island with orders to get the letter to the militia commanders there ASAP. Duxburian could not send any troops or naval support, as a large hurricane was currently battering the island. The message contained orders for a large assault on the North Island scheduled for the following day...

The land army now numbered 800 with an extra 30 elite Marines, all armed with XX 50s. Currently the main army was armed with various CPS guns, but Force had the technicians making XX 40s for all of them (stripped down versions of the XX 50). However, there was an XX 200 per fifteen men, giving them heavy firepower.

Forceuser was outside when the helicopter landed. He saw that it had come from Vertigo Island and wondered why it had come. A low-ranking militia officer jumped out and ran over to Force. "Sir, I have an urgent message for you." Force took the message from him and read it. His eyes opened wide in surprise. He quickly went to the main meeting hall and radioed for everyone to come. It was time for action.

The navy was preparing to set up a sort of defence "wall" of Narsils, Tsunami transports and submarines. This "wall" was a mile away from North Island's shores and curved a bit so that no Tempest boat could sneak past. The coastal defence turrets all aimed out to sea.

The island's alarms were sounding. All the tanks and men set up garrisons on the south beach. Some were guarding the fort, and some set up defences on the northern beach. Every town was occupied by men and was barricaded. The air force was ready for action and was already making patrols in the North Island's airspace.

The bay leading to 8 was being closed with a strong concrete gate that went deep underwater to prevent submarines from getting access. Same with the northern bay. Each lighthouse had two men with sniper soakers. This was going to be an ugly war...

The small hurricane at Vertigo Island was stalling Dux's forces. Luckily, the storm dissipated quickly enough for the swarm of men on the Cyclone frigates to join the defending forces. No one was allowed to be underground without level five clearance.

This time, the militia would stand a fighting chance against the Tempests. Maybe if the militia won this war, they could retake the South Island! The men were getting anxious as the waited for they Tempest fleet to arrive...

Hearing the alarms that resonated throughout North Island, Toaster was ready for battle, but kept working on the new advance to the Armadillo. The boat was called the Knuckleguard, and when the Armadillo parked in it, it became the Estoc.

When the vehicle was on the water, the driver and passenger of the Armadillo hopped into corresponding seats on the Knuckleguard. However, the passenger now had an Epee, a smaller version of the Broadsword, mounted in a turret on a raised swivel seat.

The gunner could drill a hole in the side of even a Cyclone with the Epee, due to the incredible pressure and focus of the blast. Its effective range was limited by this need for focus however. Beyond 150 feet, the gun lost all cutting capacity and just soaked. This called for the Estoc to get very close to the target craft.

While parked, the Armadillo was rendered immobile, but could still bring all its weaponry to bear. The Estoc could not beach itself however, as its engine compartments were mounted at the bottom of the boat to allow a bay for the Armadillo, as well as the boat used a trio of jetstream thrusters (like on a Sea-Doo) to achieve speeds of up to 95 km/h.

Toaster was very proud, and the Knuckleguard was almost complete. The armour was all that remained to be added, and that would be done in half an hour or so. Toaster remembered at the last minute and sent for a boat trailer to carry the Knuckleguard to the northern harbour of the island. He knew that the main Tempest force was approaching from the south, but he'd pulled off too many pincer manoeuvres himself to fully disregard the likely attack from the north.

The boat trailer arrived, the armour was riveted and sealed, and the Armadillo hitched up. The Sabres headed north to intercept a fleet that hopefully didn't exist.

Up in the fortress, Spinner, Monsoon and Belisaurius were having a last minute conference.

"So you reckon that this might all be a blind, that they might be attacking from the north in reality?" queried Spinner.

"Well, that's my guess on their strategy," replied Belisaurius, "Too important not to check out, in my humble opinion."

"Hmm..." mused Spinner, "Let's carry this a step further. I wonder how many are left on South Island?"

Monsoon looked up. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

Spinner smiled. "I think so. First though, we need another estimate of the Tempest numbers."

Just then the radio crackled, "This is Toaster to GHQ. Under attack by Tempest pincer movement north of North Island. Send reinforcements, repeat, send reinforcements!"

Spinner and Belisaurius looked at each other. "Looks like you were right then," said Spinner, "I'll get the air force on to it immediately. Tell Forceuser to send a battalion or two up here."

The battle for the North Island had finally begun.

It had been a couple of days since they had arrived on top of the mountain. Ed, Nat and Rick had come to realise that most of the Tempest HQ was underground. They had also spotted the new Tempest tanks, which were being tested at the time.

Rick's training was going well, he picked up many techniques under Ed's (sometimes risky) mentoring and he showed a penchant for doing covert/spy missions.

However, they still hadn't found the elusive warheads...

(Midnight, mountain forest surrounding Tempest HQ)

Around them, the Tempests were leaving.

"Ed, what d'you think they're up to?" Nat asked.

Ed stood up. "Doesn’t matter for now. Let's go."

"Huh? Go where?" Rick asked.

"Get one of the warheads. You forgot?" Ed asked back.

"Oh, yeah. Too much stuff to remember, what with all that training."

"Excuses," Ed huffed, then got a ear-twist courtesy of Nat.

"Ow. Whazzat for?"

"He only got two days to learn that stuff. Give him a break, will ya?" Nat scolded.

"OK, I surrender." Ed raised his hands in mock defeat. Nat rolled her eyes, then heard the snigger behind them.

"Ow! Nat, leggo!"

"Typical males."

"Shaddap," her companions groaned.

(12:15 am, Tempest HQ entrance)

Ed clicked on a laser sight he had found on his 2000.

"It's really wobbly, gotta find some way to attach it properly when I get back."

"Right, let's give it a shot." They aimed. Three red dots formed on the back of the guard's head.

"Go!" he said to Nat and Rick.

"Ack!" The guard was knocked flat with the three combined shots. Nat tied and gagged him, then dragged him into the guard post nearby.

"Ok, let's move it!" They ran towards the ominous building ahead.

Racer was done with his Honda Civic VTEC powered Rebel II. He had ripped an old GPS and radar system from a plane and hooked it into the tank, and set it to auto pilot over to the coordinates of the militia's base. Its new-found turbocharger revved and its racing exhaust rumbled, as he took the shiny blue beauty down the road.

The tank drove up to the supply loading deck, but it went too far and hit the wall gently, however, it made a loud noise, Forceuser and others came over to the loading deck armed. Racer popped out of the tank and climbed down, Forceuser looked out the deck's door to see Racer standing in front of him.

"Watch this," said Racer while pushing a button on a remote, two rapid-fire water balloon launchers popped up from the tank's side. "This is the coolest part," said Racer as two pop-up headlights went up on the front of the tank, and fog lights on the front bumper. "Come on in Racer. And, this time, go through the bigger entrance on the side."

North Island and Vertigo Island were both ready for combat. Each island was home to about 1000 battle-ready troops. Vanguards of tanks and armoured vehicles roamed the coastal roads on each land mass. The naval fleet made a "wall" around the North Island's southern water space.

Other naval forces were ready near Vertigo Island, prepared to make a pincer move on the incoming Tempest fleet. The air force was making patrols in waypoints from North Island to Vertigo Island. Mosquitos were equipped with a new type of water bomb that could easily wipe out a small squad of tanks or attack boats.

Monsoon was onboard the H.M.S. Titan, a customised Tsunami ferry that had optimised offensive capabilities. The crew aboard this ship were more experienced than any other crew aboard any other craft. Monsoon had selected these twenty troops mainly for their endurance, stamina and strength. Willpower was also a great factor. The one last other reason was that these men were all somehow connected to the Tempest command HQ, therefore making it easy to intercept any Tempest communications broadcasted to the enemy navy.

Monsoon was in the seat of an obliterator, a heavily modified Havoc water balloon launcher. Its specifications were tweaked to maximise its range and power. The cannonball balloons used were of the heaviest calibre, and a shot from this cannon could rock a helicopter a few miles away. A shot to a tank would rip the armour plating clear off the shell. This was a one-of-a-kind water balloon launcher that the Tempests could never lay their fingers on.

"Nobody available?" spoke an astonished Spinner. "All in the air, needing to refuel soon? That's crazy...or just good Tempest planning," he realised, "Get a Mosquito out on the tarmac. I'll be right over."

He slammed the phone down and turned to Belisaurius. "All pilots are unavailable. It's unthinkable, but we're going to have to go out ourselves, just to do something to hold off the attack from the north."

Ten minutes later, the Mosquito zoomed into the air and set a course for the north of the island. Shortly thereafter, the sea came into view, and a lone craft, the Armadillo, could be seen battling gamely against five Tempest landing craft. She had taken a beating, but was still afloat - just. "OK, here we go," said Spinner, as they dived towards the first Tempest ship...

Forceuser was checking the defences on the south beach and was confident they were strong. Force looked at Stingray, who was with him, "I don't think we're needed here. This looks like it is going to be a sea battle, not a land one." "I agree, we could be better used elsewhere," Stingray replied. "Exactly my point, and I know just the thing. Gather Piranha and Sophie and meet me at the runway in ten minutes," Force explained.

Walking towards the runway with Piranha and Sophie, Stingray wondered what Force was up to, though he had a sneaking suspicion. As they approached, he saw Force. Next to a Hercules. Then he knew what was going to happen.

While Stingray had been gone, Force had called back in a pilot and readied the Hercules. Force turned to the approaching militia. "Have a parachute!" he said, and handed them each a parachute. They strapped them on and climbed into the Hercules. The pilot set off. To the South Island.

Toaster was having no fun at all. The Estoc was zipping around at top speed, but the turning was a little sluggish, probably due to a part malfunction - it had been a rushed construction. To their credit, the crew was giving it their all. Toaster kept the Estoc as close to the Tempest craft as possible, to allow Bukan to bring the Epee's abilities to bear.

Wontwood was trying to tip the ones out of the Epee's range with the Broadsword, round after round pounding large dents in the enemies' hulls. Toaster knew that it was only a matter of time before they would have to back off, but he didn't want to give up until he had no choice.

Suddenly, a Tempest boat blindsided the Estoc, nearly tipping the boat. Crying out in surprise, Toaster struggled with the boat's controls, trying to regain some modicum of control. Bukan managed to nail the Tempest, which immediately began taking on water.

Wontwood cursed so loud that even the motor and war noise couldn't mask it. Cringing at the profanity, he silently echoed the sentiment as he circled another Tempest warship. Water balloons pelted the lone vehicle as it made a valiant stand. Toaster had no doubt about the integrity of the Armadillo, but the Knuckleguard had some worrisome vulnerabilities, due to its hasty manufacture.

The frame of the boat creaked as a cannonball balloon smashed into the side of the boat. Toaster kept dodging as much as he possibly could, but it wouldn't dissuade the attacks for long.

Monsoon watched as a Hercules zoomed overhead. "What are they thinking? Do they really think that a fast air descent will go undetected?" The H.M.S. Titan was setting course towards South Island. However, they would not go very far. "Men, set course for these coordinates!" ordered Monsoon. The ship made a tight turn and headed in a southeast direction. "We will keep going this way until the North Island is just out of view," said Monsoon. The ship's rotors started spinning and they headed over the horizon.

As soon as the Titan reached its location, a scout on the aft deck radioed to the obliterator turret command, "Sirs, I've spotted an unidentified craft at seven o'clock!". The crew immediately got into battle positions. The massive obliterator made a loud pneumatic noise as it turned and took aim at the small ship.

The crew attempted to gain radio contact with the ship. The radio clicked and buzzed, "Lower your weapons, we mean no harm!" Monsoon hesitated, "Identify yourselves or it's bye bye!" The radio clicked and buzzed once more, "We are here to assist the local militia against the Tempests!"

Monsoon got out of the obliterator's seat and went out onto the aft deck. The ship appeared to have the Tempest colours. He picked up the radio. "You look like Tempests to me," said Monsoon, "How do I know that you're not going to trick us? The militia is all set for a fight against the Tempests and we don't want anything or anyone to screw it up for us!"

The radio went silent for a few minutes and then the other craft replied, "We are unarmed. You can search our entire ship and take our weapons. The ship itself has no weaponry mounted. However, we admit that we are Tempests..."

Monsoon sighed. He didn't feel like dealing with a small group of rebelling Tempests at the moment. At any second, the entire fleet of enemy ships could come passing by, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity to get the first shot.

He radioed back to militia HQ, "Spinner, we have a small Tempest boat here and they appear that they have the need to assist us." "Monsoon, any Tempests on our side will be a definite advantage in this war. I say you take them aboard you ship immediately. Are they unarmed?" asked Spinner, who seemed a bit edgy.

"Yes, they seem to be. Is something the matter?" asked Monsoon. "The entire air force is out of commission for the time being. It's strange how they all needed refuelling at the same time," Spinner stated. "That's weird. Okay, I'll let the rebels in, Monsoon out."

The small rebel ship was right beside the Titan and they were waving to the crew on the aft deck. "Throw some ladders, they're coming aboard," said Monsoon. The crew let loose ten long rope ladders down the side of the ship. The small crew of the Tempest boat climbed onto the deck.

"Greetings sir, we came without anything. Search us if you are so strict here," said the captain of the Tempest ship. Monsoon ordered a search. The men were taking down into the restrooms and thoroughly searched. "Sir, these men don't have anything on them, are they accepted yet?" "No, they must go through the reliability testings," ordered Monsoon.

The testing was simple, each Tempest crew member was hooked up to a truth machine. One by one they were asked a set of serious questions. Most of them involved the loyalty and trustworthiness to the militia. Every member passed and was now a part of the Titan's crew. Each member was given a K-modded CPS 4100 (every Titan crew had to carry one of these over his/her shoulder at all times).

"We have to sink your old ship so the Tempests won't use it against us," said Monsoon to the captain. "If you must," he replied, "It has no useable weapons on it." "You'd be surprised how resourceful your old army really is," said Monsoon.

The Titan moved about a few hundred feet away from the Tempest craft. The obliterator took aim and put a hole through the lower hull of the ship. The Tempest crew watched it sink and went back to their duties around their new ship.

The main Tempest navy was stationary, bobbing in the water in a vanguard formation about an hour away from the militia fleet. They were under direct orders from the Tempest commander to wait until the air strike is underway.

"With the entire militia air force out of my way, our bombers and jets will overtake their navy and I will gain complete control over the North Island!" The Tempest commander let out an evil cackle...

The trio ran around to the back door.

"We'll need to either find or ask someone where the warheads are hidden," Ed said, trying out the keys he had frisked from the guard.

"And what a coincidence," Nat said as the door opened. A map had been stuck on the wall opposite to where they were.

"It's down two floors, we'll be passing a few security checkpoints - wait a minute, there's a ventilation shaft leading down there too..."

(Fifteen minutes later)

"'K, we're here." Rick jumped down, followed by Ed and Nat. The door in front read 'Storeroom'. When they walked towards it, an LCD screen slid silently from the side wall. 'Authorised personnel only, password required' it read, then an on-screen keyboard appeared.

"Dammit, what now?" Rick said irritably. Ed sighed, "I dunno."

But Nat had a rather naughty grin on her face.

"You know the password?" Ed said, raising an eyebrow.

"Not yet." Nat walked off. "Wait right here, guys." Ed frowned but said nothing.

Force directed the Hercules pilot to take them out to east of the South Island. Then they would come in mostly undetected from the south of the island. The Tempests had their most sensitive gear directed at picking things up from the north. Although they had stuff on the south side, it was not designed for picking up small objects like paratroopers. Within a short space of time, the Hercules was near the drop off point.

Force's team were ready by the door. The initial drop point was over the sea, not the land. They would use their chutes to guide them into land. The pilot gave a signal, and a militiaman opened the door. Force and the others jumped.

In Tempest command, a technician called over his commanding officer, "Sir, we have picked up a plane just off the south shore." "Probably just a recon plane. Fire some anti-air water balloon launchers at it to scare it off," the officer replied. "Yes, sir."

Force looked at the departing plane, and saw it under fire. "Excellent," he thought, "They haven't noticed us." He guided his chute into land, a small section of beach on the edge of a cliff. Not the best place to land, but hidden.

Force looked at the ground heading towards him. 20 feet. 10. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Crash. He stumbled to a stop on the beach. Around him, the rest did likewise. They had arrived.

Zooming up, Spinner surveyed their work. Two out of the five Tempest ships were sinking and being abandoned. The other three were hurrying back to the South Island. Toaster was still harrying them with his fire, but he was also retreating to the port for repairs.

"Right, good job, Belisaurius," smiled Spinner, "Now to get back to base."

Then the radio crackled. "Sir, we have detected a massive Tempest formation of seventy planes or so approaching fast. All planes are still on the ground, what are your orders?"

Spinner groaned and looked to the south. Sure enough, a black cloud of dots could be seen on the horizon. Turning the Mosquito towards the enemy, he commanded: "Get as many planes in the air as possible. I don't care if their tanks are half-full, just send them up! This is going to be crazy..."

"OK, here we go." Nat walked into a room labelled 'Logistics'. As she had dropped her jacket at a corner, she was starting to shiver (the entire building was air-conditioned). A lone figure was working on a computer.

"Hey there, cutie," she purred. The figure jumped and spun around. "Who're you?" he asked, half-scared.

"No need to know who I am, but maybe I can help you do a few things..." She was behind him now.

"What d'ya mean?"

Nat started caressing his shoulders. "You do look rather tense, how about a little massage?" Her right hand played with the boy's hair. Nat could almost feel him melting.

"Uh, OK..."

"Ah, but I don't give them out for free."

"Huh?"

"I only need something from the Storeroom, maybe you could tell me the password?"

"So that's what she's here for," the boy thought. "Might as well give it to her, never liked him anyway." "It's 'Don't screw with Tommy Vercetti'," he whispered.

Nat was surprised. She was expecting to have to seduce him completely. "Why-"

He cut her off, "I was just thinking of giving the finger to my idiot commander."

"He bullies you?" she asked.

"Let's not go into details." He grabbed Nat's arm. "Erm, about the massage..."

"I don't have time, but I can show you this." She pressed her lips on his and did a quick french kiss.

It was too rushed for Nat's liking, but it was enough to send him into a daze. "Remember how to do that when you get your own girl," he heard her say, then she was gone.

"Nat." Ed was behind her. "You forgot this," he said, holding up her jacket.

She was stunned. "Y-you saw-"

But Ed wasn't angry at all. In fact, he seemed mildly amused. "You're a better flirt than I am," he said, and he tossed her jacket over.

"Trust me, Sophie's better." They ran back to the Storeroom. "Rick's still there, right?"

"Unless he's figured out the password by himself, yeah. So, what is it?" he asked.

Nat told him.

"Whoever set that password must be a GTA freak," he said.

Nat was still unsure of Ed's acceptance of her behaviour. "Are you really ok with me flirting?" Nat asked, staring at him.

Ed slid an arm around her. "Just don't get too hot."

Toaster came in to the dock at the northern coast, and hopped into the driver's seat of the Armadillo. Telling one of the militiamen he'd recruited to lower the back gate, he drove the amphibious craft out of the back end of the Knuckleguard. Driving to the boat launch, he saw that Bukan and Wontwood were already jacking up the boat with a lift on the pier. Monkey was busy inspecting the damage.

Getting out of the Armadillo, Toaster walked over. "How bad is it?" he asked.

"Not as bad as that noisy frame made it out to be," Monkey replied, "But it'll still be a while before this boat's carrying the Armadillo again. She needs not only repairs, but a complete overhaul. The only things in this boat that are working like we think they should are the engines, jets, and the Epee."

"Dang!" Toaster cursed, "We need it if we're going to be part of the final assault on South Island! "Well, the only way that'll happen is if we have actual mechanics and a lot of supplies handy," Monkey replied.

"I'll see what I can do." Toaster said, as he started walking away. "Oh, and the turning is a bit sluggish." Muttering, Monkey put that first on the list of things they needed to do to get the Knuckleguard seaworthy again.

Monsoon took a few pot shots at the passing enemy air force. The obliterator downed about five planes: three bombers and two fighters. The entire militia navy was shooting their anti-aircraft guns at the force, downing a few planes.

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