Note:
Things are going to get a lot grittier from here on out. Slade has escaped and the Corps will face a lot of challenges in the coming chapters. Nurse Sweet's disappearance takes its toll on Rob and the Party commits some pretty atrocious acts.
More sex and more action are ahead. I warn you: some things may be disturbing, and I don't write tales of happy days and rainbows; a good story shouldn't be predictable, and it certainly shouldn't be unrealistically positive.
All events can be assumed to be in chronological order with some but minimal overlap.
So get comfy and enjoy:
THE GOOD DOCTOR: RETALIATION
The following events take place one month after the events of "Origins".
CHAPTER ONE
Rain pelted the windows of Rob's room as he looked out across at the ruins of what used to be Ark Chemicals; finally empty of people. The recent wetness had finally quenched the fires that had continued to burn long after the Corps' battle against Trapjaw and the Bio-B0ts was over. It had been one month and there was still no sign of Nurse Sweet or the criminals who called themselves "The Party". The Dallas police had scoured the wreckage for any clues of where they might have disappeared to, but nothing had turned up. When the FBI arrived, it had become extremely difficult for the Corps to conduct their own investigation, but by that time Rob had given up hope of finding anything useful.
A no-nonsense man named Special Agent Smith had demanded Rob come with him to Washington to "sort this ugly business out". Rob had refused, knowing there was nothing the FBI or the entire U.S Government could do to make him.
After the fire destroyed Headquarters, the Corps had moved the Mobile Base to the fields surrounding the ruined Ark Chemicals where they waited while Rob decided what to do next. Of course Agent Smith had complained about it, but since the Base was impregnable and the Corps was made up of a group of lethal weapons of mass destruction, the FBI had no choice but to let it slide.
After about a week of being there, Smith had told Rob that the public was demanding the Corps was brought to justice. News crews had sent helicopters to Ark Chemicals after receiving reports of a giant tank crashing through the forest surrounding it. They had witnessed the entire battle and broadcast it live for the whole of Dallas to watch.
"They want your heads for the death of those employees." Smith told Rob in a gruff voice, "If you don't pack it up, they're going to start coming out here with pitchforks and torches."
Rob had made a point not to talk to the authorities, so he just nodded curtly and resumed examining the ruins using his enhanced senses, looking but knowing he'd find nothing.
"Don't come crying to me when they come swarming your Base." Smith grunted, and left before Rob could roll his eyes at the ridiculous notion.
But sure enough, a few days later a crowed of angry citizens came marching down the road to the building, chanting something as they came. Rob never knew what exactly they were saying because once they caught sight of the Base, they hightailed it back to their homes where giant roaming destroyers didn't exist. The TV must have made it seem smaller than it was or the concerned citizens would have just stayed home.
A week after the crowd came, saw, and left, Smith told Rob that the President was planning on basing her reelection strategy on "alleviating the terrorist threat from Dallas". That just made Rob laugh, but Smith didn't seem to think it was funny.
"Don't think we haven't forgotten what happened in the '80s," He warned, "Last time we let you people act freely, thousands died."
Up until then, Rob had assumed the War between the Corps and the Rebels was just a series of isolated incidents. Now that Smith mentioned it, Rob reached into the huge database known as the Mainframe that was stored in his super-computer brain to extract as much information on the War as he could.
According to the Mainframe, the War had not been composed of isolated incidents at all. Whole cites were ravaged by the fighting, and the United States Armed Forces were helpless in the face of such power. The deep-seeded hatred Giovanni had mentioned the public had towards the Corps seemed utterly justified when the events leading up to it were examined. For a moment Rob considered heeding Smith's words and relocating somewhere more private but reconsidered again when he reminded himself that the events of the War would be repeated if Slade and the Party were not stopped soon. They needed to exhaust all possibilities of finding leads there before they moved on.
Another week and Smith shouted at the Base that they would be leaving in a couple of days. The Corps had stopped searching the ruins a few days before then and was not surprised by the news that the FBI was following suit.
"Good riddance." Turbo had said over dinner, "Those bastards do nothing but bitch and moan; it's depressing."
"Amen!" Brick agreed through a mouth full of food.
Although happy to see the agents go, Rob could not share the same level of enthusiasm as his fellow members. Every day that passed meant another day Nurse Sweet was in the hands of the Party. They hadn't sent demands or conditions for her release, so Rob could only assume they were keeping her as a way of hurting him. It was working too; until she was gone, Rob had not realized how much he actually cared for Nurse Sweet. The first few days she'd been gone had been the hardest, and Rob did little but sulk in his room and search the ruins, refusing to let the Corps see him that way. Giovanni had named him as their leader, and although it didn't seem like anyone would contest that, Rob still didn't want them to think he couldn't handle the situation.
As the weeks went by the emotions got easier to handle and while the thought of Nurse Sweet made his gut clench, Rob was able to function at a normal level, though inside he was still torn. Now the FBI was leaving and they were finally about to get some peace and quiet. The Corps would be moving on soon too Rob decided. They were doing no good for Nurse Sweet camping out on a charred battlefield. They needed to retaliate soon and put an end to the Party.
As Rob stared out the window, absorbed in his thoughts, someone knocked on the door to his room.
"Yeh?" He called out.
The door opened and Wraith entered. She had been spending a lot of time with Brick lately and Rob was sure she had moved into his bedroom. 'At least someone's happy.' He thought gloomily.
"Rob..." She said, gliding over to his bed and taking a seat before placing her hand on his shoulder, "There's been some news about Nurse Sweet."
Her tone of voice would have caused Rob's heart to sink to his feet if he had still owned one. He stared into her eyes, waiting for the bomb to drop.
"She's fine..." Wraith started, but couldn't manage to keep eye contact with him and turned away.
Rob gripped her shoulder firmly and made her face him, "What happened? Please, Wraith, I need to know."
