Sage was sprinting away. In her trembling hand, she held the Battle Key, a hexagonal relic. "I will not let you have this!" she gasped as she pushed her body to the limit.
Behind her, the ground shook with the roar of predatory engines. Krocomodo, Sever, and Hatch were closing in.
"Stop," Hatch screamed over the engine whine.
"Hand it over, and we might let you live," Krocomodo added.
At that moment, Sage`s foot caught a rock. She went sprawling into the dirt and the Battle Key slipped from her fingers. It tumbled across the grit. Before she could scramble up, the three Vandals leaped from their cars and surrounded her.
Sever snatched the key from the dust. "All mine," he said.
"It belongs to the pack," Krocomodo snarled as he took it from Sever.
Hatch then took it from Krocomodo and laughed.
Kalus then arrived, leading a war party of humanoid sharks and crocodiles in their vehicles. They looked similar to Sever and Krocomodo.
Kalus leaped from his vehicle, Fangore. He snatched the key from Hatch's grip.
"Give it back," Sage demanded as she extended her arm.
"The Battle Key belongs to me now," Kalus bellowed. He had a wicked smile on his face.
"I won't let you destroy another world," she countered as she narrowed her eyes.
Kalus sneered, "You are the last of your kind. You are nothing."
Suddenly, the engine of Turbo-Strike roared over the canyon ledge. The vehicle didn't slow down as it soared through the air. It slammed into the ground between Sage and the Vandals, forcing Sever and Hatch to dive for cover as dirt and sparks flew.
The machine began to groan and shift. Gears ground together and armor plates slid into place as the vehicle underwent a transformation. He stood back up as a robotic humanoid, a transformer. His chassis was sleek and paneled, topped with a sharp, finned helmet. "You have picked the wrong fight now," Turbo-Strike said as he swung a massive, piston-driven fist and Krocomodo's jaw. The impact sounded like a sledgehammer and sent the Vandal spiraling through the air.
"Who are you?" Kalus roared.
"I'm the one helping her," Turbo-Strike retorted as he smashed a Vandal vehicle. Its chassis was destroyed and its wheel came off.
"Scanning new lifeforms," the Ultimatrix said. A green beam scanned the Sage, Krocomodo Sever Hatch and Kalus. It scanned from head to toe in a wide arc. The scan finished. "New life form acquired," the Ultimatrix added.The faceplate went back.
Sage quickly lunged forward and snatched the Battle Key back Kalus`s hand.
"What was that," Kalus said as he looked that the key was gone.
Sever scrambled into his vehicle. He pressed the accelerator down and went towards Turbo-Strike. Turbo-strike caught the front of the speeding car with his bare hands and hoisted the entire vehicle over his head and hurled it into a rock wall. "No!" Sever screamed as his vehicle hit the rock. The metal frame was destroyed. Chunks of pieces of his car went flying everywhere. Sever looked at him and gritted his teeth.
"Stop him. Kill them all," Kalus barked as he retreated to his chariot.
Yuiko then drove Humvee down the slope as Turbo-Strike grabbed two Shark Vandals and threw them away. Their bodies went flying across the air and they landed with a big thud.
Yuriko leaned out of the window. She leveled Jackal and fired. The heavy round caught a shark Vandal in the skull and dropped him instantly dead.
Kalus let out a primal scream. "You will all not get away," Kalus said as he pressed a button and launched a heavy, spiked spear at the Humvee. The projectile pierced the engine deck with a sickening metallic crunch and smoke billowed from the hood.
"This is not good," Miia said as she looked at the engine.
Turbo-Strike moved his hand and intercepted the chariot's tether. He snapped the heavy line with a single jerk. He then followed up with a crushing punch to the side of the chariot. The force of the blow flipped the heavy gold vehicle and sent Kalus tumbling into the dirt.
Cera leapt from the back of the Humvee. Her powerful hooves hit the ground. "I shall defend thee, my Master," she cried out.
Hatch barely had time to raise his jagged mace before the centaur was upon him. He swung the weapon in a desperate arc, but Cera parried with Custodire. Cera then leaned back and shoved Hatch backward with the sheer mass of her body.
"What are you," Hatch asked as she looked at the strange woman.
"Yield," Cera commanded.
Hatch scrambled toward his overturned vehicle. Cera pivoted and used her powerful hind legs to Hatch in the chest. It was like a battering ram and he was sent tumbling through the air until he slammed against the rocks. "Why me?" Hatch said.
"That was cool," Illuna said.
"She was like a knight," Papi chirped as she put her head outside the window.
"Papi get back in," Miia said as she pulled Papi back. Papi narrowly avoided a stray spear coming to her head.
"That was close," Illuna remarked.
"Sorry," Papi said as she looked sad.
"It can happen however, stay away from the doors," Yuriko said as she aimed Jackal once again. She pressed the trigger and fired the gun. The bullet went through the air and hit a Vandal vehicle`s wheel. The tire immediately burst and the vehicle was sent off into a different direction and crashed into a rock.
Meanwhile, Rachnera jumped towards Sever who had a dagger in his hand. Sever had just gotten out of his vehicle.
"You look fast, little lizard," she said. "Let's see how you do when you're tied down," she added
"Who are you?" Sever asked.
Rachnera leaped over him. She fired a flurry of razor-sharp webbing that pinned his arms to his sides. "Get his off me," Sever groaned as he struggled,
The remaining Vandal grunts tried to swarm the group. "Tree Sprawling," she said as from the pot, a massive vine erupted and twisted through the air. The wine snatched the vandal off the ground. They screamed as more branches burst forth and slammed into vehicles. The branches tore through them.
"You are so strong Kuu," Illuna said.
Suu cheered as well.
Sage looked around at the chaos. Then her eyes widened as she pointed towards the horizon. A massive cloud of dust was billowing into the air.
"There are more coming, hundreds possibly," Sage shouted over the whistling wind. "We must leave right now," she added.
Turbo-Strike looked toward the dust cloud. He thought she was right. He did not have Musubi, Tsukiumi, Akistu Lefi, Rei, Saya or anyone like that. He also thought if this drags on they could be hurt as he looked at Papi, Suu, Illuna and all. "Should we get Mobius Command Center?" he asked.
"The Mobius Command Center has already been destroyed," Sage replied. "I am running dangerously low on power," she added.
"Damn," Turbo-striker said. He thought that was a very powerful vehicle and he would need it for Sage. He thought next time. "Cera, Rachnera, back to the Humvee! We are leaving," he said.
Turbo-Strike's massive body began to shift and fold. The gears screamed as he slammed back down into his sleek, aerodynamic Hyper Car. He skidded to a stop next to Sage and threw the passenger door open. "Sage, get in," he said.
"Use the Battle Key," Sage said as she attached it to the hood. "It is like a bridge which will open the portal." she said. She got into the car. "I will need to conserve what little energy remains," she said as she transformed into a small dodecahedron ball pulsing with blue geometric patterns and glowing energy lines.
He thought the Battle Key felt strange like wearing a heavy big hat.
"They are coming," Cera shouted as she leaped onto the back of the smoking Humvee alongside Rachnera.
"They were fun to play with," Racherna said.
"The engine's taking a beating," Yuriko remarked as she slammed the Humvee into gear.
Behind them, Kalus dragged himself from the wreckage of his chariot. "Don't let them escape, Bring me their heads," he said as the Vandal vehicles raced after them.
"She's not going to hold much longer," Yuriko called out as black smoke began to pour from the Humvee's hood.
"Are we going to make it?" Papi asked as her wings were down.
"We will, I believe in Oni-chan," Illuna said.
Papi smiled. "I do as well," Papi said.
Turbo-strike thought about how he was going to activate the Battle Key. At that moment, the Ultimatrix symbol glowed green. The Battle Key then flew off the hood and opened a swirling vortex of neon blue light. "Follow me," Turbo-strike said.
He flew into the rift. Yuriko steered the battered Humvee straight into the portal's maw just as the first Vandal spears whistled past their bumper.
They slammed back onto the solid and mossy ground of the forest. Turbo-strike skidded to a halt and let Sage's ball form roll out. He shifted back into his towering robotic form one last time and reached out to pluck the Battle Key. The Battle Key flew towards him and the portal snapped shut.
At that moment, the Ultimatrix symbol flashed red. There was a bright light and then James appeared holding the glowing Battle Key. He walked over and picked up Sage in her orb.
"It is safe," James said. He had no response.