Mission: Payback part 19

Continued from last week...

Back in the Rebel headquarters, Cathy was pacing back and forth across the floor.
“Cathy, you’re gonna wear a hole in the carpet if you keep pacing like that,” Derek said.
“That’s highly unlikely,” Laz piped up. “Given the fact that we’re about fifteen minutes away from being blown sky high there’s no way that she would have enough time to wear a hole in any carpet.”
“Figure of speech,” Derek snapped.
“What’s going on?” Cathy asked more to herself than anyone. “We should have heard from them by now.”
“Maybe something went wrong,” Kayla suggested.
“No! We can’t afford to think like that,” Cathy shook her head violently.
“Ryan has never failed us,” Chris declared confidently.
Just then one of Cathy’s aides interrupted them. “The missile has launched, ma’am.”
Chris stared at the aide dumbly. “Until now,” he whispered.

Emmy and Ryan raced over towards the computer screen. “It’s too late!” Emmy exclaimed. “The missile has launched already.”
“Maybe we can still stop it,” Ryan said. “We have to break that code first, though. Start putting in some codes.”
Emmy started typing frantically. “It’s not world domination,” she said as the computer rejected her first try.
“No,” Ryan shook his head. “He wouldn’t use the same password twice. Try again.”
Emmy tried another password, but it too failed. She looked at Ryan and wrung her hands. “Ryan, I’m out of ideas. What do we do?”
Ryan closed his eyes and racked his brain for any ideas. Finally, he opened his eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know…” then his eyes brightened. “I have it!” Ryan gxclaimed, thrusting his finger in the air just as a light bulb magically appeared over his head. Ryan looked up at the light bulb and scratched his head. “Weird… where did that come from?”
“It does that when you come up with a brilliant idea, now what is it?” Emmy explained hastily.
“Well what does a light bulb appearing over your head have to do with coming up with an idea?” Rycn asked. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s just an illustration,” Emmy snapped. “Now what’s your idea?”
“Oh right, the idea.” Ryan rushed over to the computer and typed in a password and clicked enter.
“Access granted,” the computer announced in a monotone voice.
“We’re in!” Emmy exclaimed with amazement. “What was the password?”
“Kill Cruise,” Ryan replied absentmindedly, he was already hammering away at the keyboard.
“Wait…” Emmy spoke up after watching Ryan type away at the keyboard for several seconds. “Whct are you doing?”
“Trying to stop the missile, what does it look like?” Ryan replied in an irritated tone.
Emmy’s brow wrinkled in a confused frown. “It looks like your just typing a bunch of random keys.”
“I am not!” Ryan shouted defensively. “This is a very complicated procedure,” he paused and then added, “They do it in the movies all the time.”
Emmy through up her hands and sighed. “I was afraid of that,” she moaned. Emmy thrust Ryan away from the keyboard. “Here, let me at it.” Emmy started typing away at the computer furiously.
“Hey!” Ryan complained. “I was this close!” he held his thumb less than an inch from his finger.

“Done,” Emmy declared, turning and giving Ryan a smug grin.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed in a look of bewilderment. “What the…? But you were doing the same thing I did.”
Emmy shrugged and returned her attention to the computer once more. “You must have not been hitting the right keys.”
“Ha! Not hitting the right keys my--” Ryan started to say but he was cut off by Emmy’s worried remark.
“Uh-oh, I think we have a problem.”
“What?” Ryan asked, trying to peer over Emmy’s shoulder at the computer screen.
Emmy turned back and faced the computer again. “I don’t think I can terminate the missile.”
Ryan stared at her blankly and then demanded, “Speak English, please.”
“That was English,” Emmy fired back.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Simpler English then.”
“I can’t stop this thing!” Emmy shouted in his ear. “There you get that!?”
Ryan rocked back a step, stunned. He blinked and rubbed his ear. “Yeah, yeah, I get it, you don’t have to shout I’m right here.”
“What are we going to do?” Emmy asked frantically.
Ryan pondered her question for a second, rubbing the stubble on his chin thoughtfully before replying, “can we steer it?”
Emmy paused as if trying to remember if this were possible. “I’m not sure,” she finally said.
“Well can we try?” Ryan asked.
Turning back towards the computer, Emmy scanned the screen. “It’s a good thought… but I’m not sure how we would steer it.”
Ryan pointed towards the screen. “What does that button that says ‘pop out joystick’ do?”
Emmy moved the mouse into position and clicked the button. There was a whirring sound and a square hole opened in the top of the desk. A few seconds later, a joystick rose into view and the whirring sound stopped with a metallic clicking sound.
“Oh,” Ryan said. “That makes sense…” he grabbed the joystick and shifted it around, testing it.
“What does it do?” Emmy asked.
“Steers the missile I’m hoping,” was Ryan’s answer. He jerked the joystick to the right. His effort was awarded by an alarm on the computer.
“Missile veering off course,” the computer warned.
“It’s working!” Emmy shouted joyously, clapping her hands.
“Just turn off that stupid alarm,” Ryan yelled over the loud sirens blaring from the computer.
Emmy pushed a few buttons and the alarms ceased. She turned back towards Ryan and took a deep breath, and brushed her hair off of her face. “Where are you going to divert it to?”
Ryan grinned. “I have the perfect place.”

Back at the Rebel’s temporary headquarters, Cathy paced back and forth worriedly.
“One minute, fifty-seven seconds until impact,” the Rebel computer announced. “One minute, fifty-six sec--”
“Just tell us when it gets down to thirty seconds, ok?” Cathy sncpped at the computer.
“Yes ma’am,” the computer replied evenly.
Chris and Laz were carrying on a rather nervous conversation in the corner of the room, each hoping and praying that their old friend would miraculously come through once again.
Standing somewhat closer to the anxious Cathy was Derek. He too was nervous, although you could hardly tell it. The only sign of anxiety he showed has the constant tapping of his foot, otherwise he was completely calm.
“Come on, Cruise,” Cathy hissed under her breath, continuing to pace across the room.
“Give him time, Cathy,” Derek said.
Cathy whirled around to face him. “We may not have much time left, Derek,” she pointed out.
Chris piped up from over in the corner, “Cruise has never failed us Cathy, and he won’t fail us now.”
Cathy remained silent for a moment and ran her fingers through her hair. “I certainly hope not,” she whispered.

Over in the Imperial camp’s headquarters, the Imperial general was standing in front of the computer screen with his hands folded behind his back and a confident look on his face.
One of his men walked up to him and stood by his side, waiting for orders. The general simply ignored him and kept his gaze on the computer screen in front of him.
“Thirty seconds until impact,” the computer notified them in a monotone voice.
The general turned his attention towards the soldier standing beside him. “Just a few more seconds and we will have crushed this pitiful rebellion,” he said gleefully.
The man dipped his head and smiled. “Congratulations, sir,” he replied.
The general let a grin spread across his face and chuckled. “And to think that Morris was so worried about that Ryan Cruise character that he actually left the battle scene. Ha, not that it’s much of a battle of course, but it still seems regrettable that he’ll miss the fireworks.”
“It does, sir,” the soldier replied politely.
The general opened his mouth to speak but then paused. “Do you hear that?” he asked, a bewildered frown replacing his triumphant grin.
The soldier gave a confused look in return and shook his head. “Hear what, sir?”
“That whistling noise,” the general continued. “It almost sounds like a mi--” was all managed to get out before he was cut off as a loud explosion shook the Imperial camp. The general lifted his hand to protect himself from the unseen danger but before he could move a step he, and nearly the entire Imperial camp, was engulfed in a ball of flames.

Cathy and the others heard the explosion only split seconds before they felt the slight tremor in the floor underneath them. They froze in an instant, bewildered and momentarily frightened for their lives. But when it became apparent that the explosion was nowhere near them and that they were in no immediate danger, their looks changed from bewildered and frightened, to simply bewildered.
“What was that?” Chris broke the silence by voicing the question that was on all their minds.
“I think it was a missile,” Laz suggested.
“Of course it was a missile,” Kayla snapped. “But was it our missile?”
“I wasn’t aware that we had a missile that big,” Laz retorted.
“That’s not what I meant, stupid,” Kayla shot back.
“Hey!” Laz objected. “I am not stupid… just misunderstood.”
Cathy ignored their comments and checked the computer. “According to the computer, the missile should have detonated by now.”
“I think it just did,” Chris said softly.
Realizing what Chris was implying, Kayla smiled and gave a sigh of relief. “Then that means that Ryan succeeded.”
Derek, who had remained silent since the explosion, spoke up. “He may have succeeded, but that doesn’t change the fact that, in a few minutes, Ryan Cruise will be dead thanks to us. That is if he isn’t already.”

Daniel and Katie were spending a rare moment of time together when the missile exploded. They both jumped from to their feet as the missile lit up the sky, lighting the sky for miles.
“I think that was the Imperial camp!” Katie exclaimed.
“Was that our missile?” Daniel asked, looking at Katie.
Katie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Just then a shout burst forth from the camp. “Woohoo! You don’t mess with the Rebellion!”
Several cries echoed the anonymous shout, until the whole camp was filled with cheers.
“Does this mean we’ve won?” Katie shouted over the din.
Daniel shook his head slowly. “I don’t think anything will end this except the death of the emperor."

To be continued...

Mission 5: Payback part 18

Continued from last week...

The giant bird moved in closer and dropped a rope from the passenger door. A man dressed in black slid down the rope and landed on the floor a few feet away.
“Chuck Morris!” Emmy gasped.
The man, who was indeed Chuck Morris, chuckled. “Guilty as charged. Looks like your feeble efforts to save your pitiful friends are over.” He raised his gun and pointed it at them.
“No!” Tim cried. He leapt from the ground and made a grab at Morris’ gun. A shot rang out and Tim flinched but that didn’t stop his charge. He seized Chuck Morris’ arm and held on for dear life. Chuck Morris tried to pry himself free but to no avail. Then with a grunt he finally flung Tim out the window. Tim screamed as he fell into the courtyard, his cries echoing through the air.
“Pesky beast,” Morris muttered. He looked down at his hand, which was now empty, and grunted.
Emmy cried out in disbelief. “Tim!” She shifted her gaze to Chuck Morris, infuriated. “Why you!” She lunged at Chuck Morris but he simply batted her aside as if she were a rage doll, smashing her into the wall. Emmy slumped to the floor, unconscious.
Chuck returned his focus to Ryan and grinned. “Looks like it’s just you and me, Cruise.”
“If all you really wanted was to be alone with me, you could have just asked,” Ryan quipped.
“You won’t be such a smart mouth when I’m finished with you, Cruise,” Chuck Morris threatened.
“Your forgetting one thing,” Ryan shot back.
Chuck hesitated. “What is that?”
“I’m the one who has a gun.” Quick as a flash, Ryan drew his sidearm from his holster and squeezed off two quick shots at Morris, his last two shots left.
Morris quickly brought his gloved hand up and stretched it out. Both the bullets smacked into Morris’ hand and crumpled on impact, falling harmlessly to the floor.
Ryan stared at him in disbelief. “I gotta get me some of those gloves,” he whispered. Then he snapped his attention back to Morris and squeezed the trigger again. But once again he was awarded only with a soft clicking noise.
“Oh,” Morris said, tauntingly. “I’m afraid you’re all out.”
Ryan threw the useless weapon to the ground. “Yes, I guess so. Tell me one thing though, before we fight until one of us is dead.”
“What is that?” Morris asked.
“Where did you purchase those gloves?” Almost before he had finished his question, Ryan leaped into the air, landed on his left foot and attempted a kick with his right.
Morris effortlessly caught his right leg in mid-kick and punched him in the face, sending him flying backwards into the desk.
Ryan shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly. “Someone’s been eating their Wheaties,” he groaned, never losing his sarcastic nature.
Chuck Morris spit on the ground and charged at Ryan. He grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the desk, raising his arm in an effort to slam his elbow into Ryan’s gut.
Ryan rolled off the desk, narrowly dodging Morris’ elbow, which crashed into the desk, breaking the emperor’s prized desk in two.
Chuck roared with rage and pursued Ryan, who was now crawling backward away from him. “This is ridiculous!” Ryan cried, genuinely concerned for the first time in perhaps ever.
Morris snickered. “Did you think people were joking when they said that I could kill a man with a single toothpick?”
“Well I was kind of hoping,” Ryan chuckled nervously.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Morris grunted. He picked Ryan up by the collar and threw him into the wall.
“Oof!” Ryan groaned, the wind knocked out of his lungs.
Morris rushed forward once again, seeking to plant his fist right in Ryan’s face, but Ryan moved quickly to the left and Morris’ fist left a hole in the wall instead. Trying to catch him off guard, Ryan rolled to his feet and planted a sweeping hook into Morris’ ribcage. Morris turned to Ryan and growled. He punched Ryan once again, sending him flying across the room and tumbling over a chair.
“You’ll find that I have no weak spots, Cruise,” Morris taunted.
“Every man has at least one weak spot,” Ryan replied, breathlessly. He ducked as Morris picked a chair and threw at him. Using the momentum of his dodge, Ryan rolled across the floor and kicked Morris right in the groin. Much to Ryan’s surprise, Morris didn’t even flinch, he simply growled louder.
“Strange, that usually works,” Ryan breathed as he dodged another one of Morris’ powerful punches. “Are you sure you’re a man?” he asked.
Morris’ only response was to once again send Ryan sailing across the room with one of his overpowering punches.
Ryan shook his head and struggled to get up. “Phew! That really clears up the sinuses.”
Morris ignored his comment and grabbed onto a metal handrail on the wall. With a grunt he tore the bar from its screws and wielded it in his hand.
“Now it is time for you to die, Ryan Cruise.” He swung the bar at Ryan. Ryan ducked not a second too soon, the bar passing just inches over his head. The attack had caught him off guard, however, and Ryan stumbled and fell to the ground.
Morris raised the bar over his head and slammed it down, inches from Ryan’s shoulder. Ryan rolled to his right just avoiding another crushing blow from the bar.
This only seemed to infuriate Morris even more, however, he continued to swing the bar at Ryan, harder and harder.
Ryan rolled to his feet and leapt back just in time to avoid being whacked in the ribs with Morris’ bar.
Chuck Morris continued the swing the bar almost wildly, pushing Ryan backwards towards the gaping hole in the emperor’s office.
Ryan kept backing up, looking for a way of escape; he had long since given up any hope of beating the seemingly invincible Chuck Morris in a fight. As he searched for an escape route, however, Ryan tripped and fell over backwards. Frantically, Ryan started crab-walking backwards, trying to get away. Morris was to fast, however; he leapt in front of Ryan and cut off his escape.
Ryan glanced up at Morris’ harrowing figure and swallowed nervously. “Truce?” he said weakly.
“Nice try, Cruise,” Morris snarled. He grabbed Ryan by his collar and shoved him against the wall, holding his makeshift club at arms’ length. He raised the bar above his head, preparing to bash Ryan’s head in. Before he delivered the blow, Morris peered at Ryan curiously. “Any last words from the infamous Ryan Cruise?”
“Just two,” Ryan mumbled, his head hanging from his shoulders, a seemingly beaten man.
“And what might they be?” Morris asked in a taunting tone.
Ryan set his teeth and snapped his head up, staring into Chuck Morris’ eyes. He practically spit the words onto Morris’ face: “Drop dead.”
Morris started to chuckle, but the laugh stuck in his throat. He coughed and his eyes grew wide; his breathing stopped, and the metal bar slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. Then with a last gasp, Morris fell limp to the ground.
“Wow…” Ryan whispered, staring at Morris’ fallen corpse. “I didn’t think that would actually work…”

For those of you who are somewhat confused as to what exactly happened to Chuck Morris, the following is an explanation of his death.
Chuck Morris was a seemingly invincible character. He was as strong and invulnerable as he was famous. He killed, it seemed, at will and it also seemed as if no one could stop him. He even once famously killed a man with a toothpick. But what hit Morris just before he was able to kill Ryan Cruise was smaller than the end of a toothpick. It was a blood clot. If Morris had asked his doctor about a pill, which we cannot define in any detail due to legal reasons (other to say that it is the color green and could possibly have had something to do with blood clots) he may have been alive long enough to actually kill Cruise. But since Morris hadn’t visited a doctor in thirty years he was unable to ask about this said green pill and get a recommendation from his doctor. So remember, don’t end up like Chuck Morris, ask your doctor about the green pill today. (This message brought to you by: The green pill. Ask your doctor about it today… or just take it without asking your doctor… that works too.) *

* Should not be used if pregnant or nursing. If you’re a man, save yourself some time and don’t worry about it.
Side effects may include: Diarrhea, constipation, lack of sleep, dry mouth, restless leg syndrome, hives, sudden depletion of cash funds, swollen tongue, other various allergies, and in some rare cases, even death.

Back to the main story…

Still confused by the timely demise of Chuck Morris, Ryan stumbled away from the corpse, a dazzled look on his face. His confusion was interrupted, however, by a soft groan.
“Ryan?” someone whispered softly.
“Emmy!” Ryan exclaimed. He ran over to where Emmy was still lying after having been thrown against the wall. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Emmy said, rubbing her head softly. “I think so. What happened? With Morris I mean.”
Ryan straightened up proudly. “Well it was a hard fought battle between him and I, but I came out the better man in the end. He just couldn’t dodge that left hook of mine.”
Emmy rolled her eyes. “Forget it, Ryan. I saw the whole thing, he had you from the start.”
Ryan snapped his fingers. “Dang it! I was hoping you hadn’t seen that.”
Emmy smiled, but her smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with a look of confusion. “What did kill him though?”
Ryan shrugged. “I have no idea, I’m just gonna go with it and not ask any questions.”
Just then there was a crashing sound beside them, and a loud groan. Emmy jumped to her feet and froze. “The emperor!” she explained. “We forgot all about him!”
“Geez, how in the world could we do that?” Ryan wondered aloud. He and Emmy both rushed over to the emperor’s desk, but they were too late. The emperor was already standing by his desk, his hand hovering over yet another button.
“Yes, how could you two forget about me?” the emperor asked, wiping the blood that was trickling from his mouth. “I guess you won’t be doing that again, will you?” he slammed his hand down on the button and suddenly he sank through the floor.
Ryan raced over to where the emperor had been standing moments ago, but he had vanished. “Trap door!” Ryan slammed his hand down on the ground.
“Now what?” Emmy cried. “What do we do?”
“We have to go after him!” Ryan replied.
“What about Tim? And Jason? And Jordan?”
“We’re gonna have to trust that they’re still alive and can get out of her on their own,” Ryan said.
He stood up and started searching the emperor’s desk for the button to the trap door. “Where does he hide those buttons?” he mumbled.
The entire desk, it seemed, was covered with little buttons.
“How does he even have room to work?” Emmy said aloud.
“I think the desk is more for show,” Ryan guessed. He pushed one of the several buttons and a TV slid out from the ceiling. “That’s not it.” He pushed another one and a mirror popped out of the desk. “Nope.” Ryan started to push another button, but a loud siren that erupted from the computer rudely interrupted him.
“Missile launch,” the computer stated in a mechanical voice.
“Uh-oh,” Ryan stopped pushing buttons and faced the computer. “I think we forgot about something else too.”

To be continued...