They only blinked once on the tracker.
A single red point in the middle of the ocean.
Viper gazed at the map for a while, then spoke.
"And there is no natural landmass there. If the signal is accurate, then the Ruby is inside some kind of structure."
Nico leaned against the workshop wall.
"So a base."
Rex cracked his knuckles.
"Good. I hate bases less than deserts."
By sunrise the next day, the three of them were flying over the sea in one of Viper's aircraft.
The craft cut through the clouds as the ocean stretched out beneath them in all directions. The water glimmered under the morning sun, almost peaceful.
Then the fortress came into view.
It rose from the sea like a machine-built island. Massive walls of dark steel jutted out across the water, anchored to the waves with rings of thick steel armor, radar and other military equipment. In the center stood a massive spire, surrounded by bridges and rotating support cables that supported the outer walls.
Nico whistled.
"Yep. That's evil."
Viper guided the aircraft lower.
As they reached the fortress perimeter, alarms screamed to life.
Turrets emerged from hidden compartments.
Missiles launched from the side walls.
Nico kicked open the side hatch.
"I got it."
He leapt from the aircraft.
The wind roared around him as he dropped, then twisted and landed on the side of a missile. He ran along it for a brief moment, then launched off and smashed into the first turret hard enough to rip it from its base. It exploded behind him as he sprinted across the fortress exterior.
Rex jumped next and landed on a metal platform with enough force to shake it. A squad of defense drones rushed him immediately.
"So," Rex muttered, "good, come here."
He tore through them with violent force, crushing one and slamming another into the ground before crushing it under his heel. Viper moved the aircraft onto a safer platform while the outer defenses were distracted.
Within minutes the fortress was in chaos.
Nico tore through the outer corridors at full speed, breaking through patrol robots before they could react. Rex handled the bulkier units, ripping open metal doors and hurling machines into the sea.
The base fought back every step of the way.
Hidden guns sprang from walls. Electric traps burst from the floor. Mechanical claws shot out from the ceiling. One corridor even sealed itself and filled with freezing gas. Nico ripped the door off its hinges before Viper got trapped.
Finally, the tracker led them into the central tower.
It was a vertical shaft filled with moving platforms, transport rails, rotating laser emitters, and mechanical bridges shifting every few seconds.
And at the very top, through layers of steel and glass, the last Phantom Ruby floated inside a containment field.
Nico looked up and grinned.
"There you are."
Viper squinted at the scanner.
"The containment field is linked to six outer generators. I'll need a little time to shut it down."
Rex stared up the shaft.
"This place is stupid."
They began climbing.
Nico took the lead, racing along rails and leaping from one platform to another at impossible speed. Rex took the straightforward route, smashing through obstacles and stabilizing platforms when Viper needed footing. Viper followed, focused on the tracker.
Eventually, they reached the upper chamber.
It was circular, reinforced with glass and steel, with the final Phantom Ruby in the center floating inside a glowing sphere of energy. Six generator pylons surrounded the room, humming softly.
Viper rushed to the nearest console.
"Give me a second."
Nico moved closer to the Ruby.
"So this is it, huh?"
Rex folded his arms.
"About time."
The field around the Ruby flickered once.
Then twice.
Viper grinned.
"Almost there."
But before the field could fully collapse, the chamber doors behind them exploded inward.
BOOM.
The room filled with a massive blast of energy.
"NICO!" Viper shouted.
The blast smashed into all three of them before they could react.
Nico was launched backward across the chamber and smashed through a metal support. Rex was hit center mass and skidded across the floor. Viper crashed into a generator pylon and dropped the tracker.
Smoke filled the room.
Nico pushed himself up first, coughing.
"What the hell was that?"
Heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber entrance.
Then a metallic whine.
Then a voice.
"Did you really think I would leave my last Ruby unguarded?"
Dr. E stepped into the room.
But this time he wasn't alone.
He wore an advanced exosuit far beyond what they had seen before.
The machine was sleek and dark, built around his body like a second skeleton of metal. The armor was black and silver in color, with glowing red lines etched along the limbs and chest. Two massive mechanical wings folded on its back, each lined with vents and segmented blades. His arms shifted into different weapon modules depending on what he needed.
In the center of the suit's chest was a bright synthetic reactor.
Nico narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, you've upgraded."
Dr. E adjusted his cracked glasses behind the suit's face shield.
"Naturally."
Rex stood back up, rubbing his chest.
"You hit hard."
Dr. E raised one arm toward them. The weapon shifted into a long cannon glowing with unstable red energy.
"You've made this very inconvenient for me."
Nico planted his feet and smirked.
"Yeah? Get used to it."
The final Phantom Ruby lay behind Dr. E inside its flickering containment field.
So close.
And still not theirs.