Luke's Story

The Sand Traps of Nova Origins

     "One long road, for sure. We haven't even had any action with CPU yet." I said.

"We got here just in time. We have to head for the rebel base. They'll tell us how to get to Nova Origins from there." Varia said.

"Alright. And you said Maddie's trapped there, right?"

"That's right. We have to get there fast before the CPU suck out all the info from her."

"Then hit the gas, we're going to save someone." I slammed on the gas pedal and it went faster. "I see the rebel base ahead. The radio tower up ahead is a little old, but it'll at least give us enough signal to contact Dr. Sheckley. He'll tell us how to get there." When we got there, I pressed the brakes and got off the jalopy and walked to the outpost. I turned some knobs on the radio, and it turned on. "Dr. Sheckley, we need directions to Nova Origins. You have to tell us where to go!" I said through the radio.

"It's at the sand traps. You know where those are." Dr. Sheckley said.

"It's there? But it's swarming with thunderlions!"

"The Rebels there have some pheropods to get the thunderlions under your control. It'll be easy once you get used to using them."

"Alright, I trust you."

"Is Maddie there? I have to deliver important data to her."

"She's stuck at Nova Origins."

"So that's why you have to go there? I thought you were invading for taking that data cache."

"We're getting that too. It'll be in our path when we're getting to Maddie."

"Alright. The data cache is just as important as Maddie is. We need both if we're to take on the incoming CPU."

"Will do, Doc. Let's go, guys." I ran off to get to the jalopy. We drove off into the distance.

"More thunderlions!" I heard one of the rebels say.

"That's not a thunderlion! That's Dr. Luke! The dude who took over Xanos back at White Forest Lab!" said the other one.

"Oh! Hey, Doc! How's it going?" the first one said.

"I'm fine. How are you?" I said,

"Why did it show a high count of thunderlions on the sensors?" the second one asked.

"That's because Mason and Varia are with me, the 2 security guards."

"Oh, them! Wait, where's Benton and Maddie?"

"Benton's coming in his chopper, and Maddie's at Nova Origins."

"Well, better not keep you waiting. Get on your way. Here, take these pheropods. They'll help you with the Nova Origins guards."

"Thanks. Let's go, guys!" I ran off with Mason and Varia. We ended up at the sand traps, just as Dr. Sheckley told us we would. I heard choppers, and saw Benton skydiving from it.

"Hey guys!" he said, landing with his parachute.

"You got here finally!" I exclaimed.

"Why wouldn't I? I need to get some data from Nova Origins, and I'm not losing this chance."

"Battle plans?"

"Stealthy approach. If we get to the control room, we can collect all the data."

"How will we do a stealthy approach with all the guards?"

"Easy. Stealthy takedown."

"That'll be hard."

"Not really. We can just throw in some mind lock grenades and you can knock 'em out with your wrench."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go!" I snuck up behind the turreted guard. Benton tossed me a mind locker, and I tossed it to the guard.

"Wha—" I heard the guard say. I hit him with my wrench, and he was knocked out cold. Benton tossed me another mind lock. We snuck over to the next turrets. "I'll throw the mind lock this time, you hit them with your wrench." Benton said.

"Alright, toss it." He tossed the mind lock, and I threw the wrench. "Nice shot." he said.

"Thanks. Now, let's get there. You get the others while I ward off all the thunderlions."

"Actually, we'll need the thunderlions. Remember that one person gave me the pheropods?"

"Oh yeah. Good idea! Anyways, now it's time to get them here!" Benton ran off to get Mason and Varia. I held the pheropods in my hand, and some thunderlions dug themselves up from the ground. I threw a pheropod, and they all ran towards it. It hit the ground, and they were sitting around it, almost worshipping it.. Mason, Varia, and Benton came up in the Jeep. "Alright. You all got pheropods?" I asked them.

"We got the pheropods, yeah." Benton replied.

"Then let's get this show on the road." We all snuck into Nova Origins. I peeked around the corner and saw some guards talking. 

"How is the pizza person going to deliver the pizza if he doesn't know our address?" one of them said.

"Telepathically! Duh!" the second one said.

"He doesn't know telepathy, Carl." the third one said.

"Of course he does! He sent it to Dr. Maxwell without knowing his address." said the second one.

"He lives in the citadel, all he had to do was bring it there." the first one said.

"How did he know that?" the second one said.

"He said it on the screen." the third one said.

"What was that?" the first one said.

"That'd be the wind, Jake." the third one said.

"No, it heard like footsteps!"

"Probably just some other guards."

"I'm serious, Mike! There are people here!"

"You're so superstitious, you always think there's someone here, even though it's just guards."

"Fine. Let them walk around and steal the data."

"We have turrets there, they won't take the data."

"I'll still search around." 

I tossed a pheropod at one of them, and a group of thunderlions dug themselves out and pierced them all with their sharp, long legs. After that, I ran back to where the others were. We snuck around a corner, and saw a turret. I threw a grenade, and it hit the turret and it fell over. It blew up, and then some guards came down. "Oh crap, I didn't think that through!" I grabbed my shotgun and shot them all.

"You could have easily thrown the wrench." Benton said.

"Well, we can't turn back now. Uh oh, more guards! I think we're already at the data station." I took out my wrench and began running to the data station. The guards tried to shoot me, but I hit them with my wrench and kept running. "Yes! Data station! I have Maddie's data collector, so I can collect it." I collected the data with the data collector, and put it back in the pouch.

"Do you seriously have Maddie's pouch?" Benton asked.

"She let me borrow it for a little bit when invading a small outpost taken over by CPU. After that, she just disappeared."

"Huh. Odd. Why'd she let you borrow it when she could have done it herself?"

"She had important business to do with Garner."

"Makes sense. Alright, let's find her now."

"The data I collected said that the room Maddie's in is right here." I pointed to a spot on the data map. "We have to get there fast, there's guards advancing that way."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's save Maddie!" Benton said.