"Oops."
"Wish I could keep this." Athena said, picking up a small pistol. "She tossed it over a nearby fence into one of the piles of goo.
"What is this?" Yoshi Jr asked, holding up a small white orb with a blue stripe running around the center.
"Uh oh." Athena said. She quickly grabbed it out of his hand and threw it as far as she could. A few seconds after she threw it, everyone heard a small explosion. "That was a
grenade."
"Oops." Jr said.
"Welcome to Pandora." CJ said.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends (Arid Nexus)
The Kongs were following the pipeline when they heard a loud explosion.
"What was that?" DK asked.
"Let's not go that way." Diddy said.
"Actually, now that I think about it, that probably came from that facility." DK said. "Let's go see if anyone there knows how to find Fyrestone."
Shaylene / Athena / Yoshi Jr
"I'm not even sure what an ECHO device looks like…" Jr said.
"You'll know when you pick it up." Shaylene said.
"It looks like this." Athena said, having just found one in the junk pile. She held up a strange, box-like device with a few playback-type buttons, as well as a compass and a
large screen that took up half of the device. "And I'm off."
Athena & Janey: Engaged – Currently in 1st
The Pandorans rushed over to one of the Junk Loaders and handed over the ECHO device. The Loader took the device and programmed a waypoint onto the built-in map. It
handed the ECHO back to Athena, who examined the map.
"Where to next?" Janey asked.
"Back to the Catch-A-Ride near the highway in the Boneyard." Athena said.
"Upon completing the Roadblock, teams will have their ECHO device's map programmed with a waypoint leading them to the Catch-A-Ride Station near where they entered
the Arid Nexus. What they don't know is that they will have to activate the Catch-A-Ride to receive their next clue."
DK & Diddy: Best Friends
The Kongs reached the end of the pope and found themselves at the base of a tall structure.
"Ok, let's find a way up there…" DK said.
"There's stairs right there." Diddy said, pointing to a nearby set of stairs.
"Oh. Look at that." DK said.
Shaylene / Yoshi Jr
"I'm surprised DK and Diddy haven't caught up to us yet." Yoshi Jr said.
"Don't be." Shaylene said. "You had the advantage of arriving on the planet with the two teams who've been here already and know their way around. They're by themselves."
"Fair point." Jr said.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends
The two reached the top of the stairs and found themselves on a grated catwalk circling a building. The building was built against a large wall atop the rocky cliffs. As they
circled the outside of the building, they reached a large door built into the wall. The door slid open and the Pandorans rushed out.
"Looks like we're going the right way." DK said.
"I guess following the pipe was a good idea after all." Diddy said.
Athena & Janey: Engaged
"I think we just accidently helped the monkeys." Janey said.
"We're still in the lead. It's not a big deal." Athena said. "They still haven't done the Roadblock, and I don't think the other two have finished."
Shaylene / Yoshi Jr
Shaylene held a glowing purple brick in her hand.
"I don't think that's an ECHO device." Jr said.
"Nope." Shaylene said. "This is Eridium. It's a rare alien element." She turned to CJ and held it up. "Can I keep it?"
"Toss it here!" CJ responded. She threw the bar of Eridium to him and he put it in his bag. "We might come across a place where I can score some extra cash for this."
DK & Diddy: Best Friends
The Kongs walked into the town and found the other two teams.
"How long have you guys been at it?" DK asked. CJ checked his watch.
"45 minutes… I think." He said.
"Good luck, little buddy." DK said, as Diddy rushed forward and started digging through one of the piles.
Athena & Janey: Engaged
The two reached the platform under the elevated highway where the Fast Travel had dropped them off. Next to them was a small computer console in front of what looked like
two car lifts.
"That's the clue box that told us to go to the Truth Network… So where's our clue now?" Athena wondered.
"Well, the ECHO was pointing us to the Catch-A-Ride, so maybe if I activate it." Janey pressed a button on the console and the screen lit up, displaying Toadsworth's face.
"Congratulations on completing the Roadblock. Digistruct yourself a Catch-A-Ride vehicle and drive yourselves to the Blake Bridge in the Highlands." Toadsworth's voice
echoed.
"Teams must now digistruct a vehicle from the Catch-A-Ride Station, ride the elevator up to the highway, and drive themselves across the Ashes and the Dead Sands to the
Blake Bridge in the Highlands to find their next clue."
"I guess we have our choice of vehicle. Might as well go for a nice Bandit Technical." Janey said. She tapped a few commands on the screen and particles of light quickly
gathered together to form a rust-colored truck-like vehicle with a mounted gun turret on the top. Athena climbed into the driver's seat and Janey hopped into the gunner seat.
Athena drove the vehicle onto a nearby freight elevator and they were lifted to the elevated highway.
"And we're off. Next stop: Blake Bridge." Athena plugged the ECHO in the front console of the technical and placed a waypoint on their map.
Shaylene / Yoshi Jr / Diddy
The three racers continued to dig through the piles of junk. The twilight had begun being replaced by darkness, as cool air descended on the desert. CJ was now wearing a
light black sweatshirt.
"Boo yeah! Found one!" Shaylene cheered. She climbed down from the pile of rubble and handed the ECHO to one of the Junk Loaders. The Loader programmed the map,
handed it back to Shaylene and she ran over to her partner.
CJ & Shaylene: Dating – Currently in 2nd
"That looks like the Catch-A-Ride Station under the road to Eridium Blight." CJ said, examining the map.
"Let's get moving." Shaylene said, pulling a pink hoodie out of her bag and slipping it on.
Yoshi Jr / Diddy
"This stinks." Jr said, flinging debris around. "Final four and we're looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Hey, at least we're not literally looking for a needle in a haystack." Diddy said.
"I guess that's fair." Jr said.
"No way, I think I found it!" Diddy said. He jumped down, handed the ECHO to the Junk Loader and quickly received it back, now programmed with the location of their next
clue.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends – Currently in 3rd
"Come on. If we hurry, we can tail the Sages." DK said.
Athena & Janey: Engaged
The Pandorans' technical raced along the elevated highway. Stretched out as far as the eye could see was still nothing but the sands and rocks of the desert, bathed by moonlight.
"At least we're not going to a different continent." Athena said.
"I think I'd have preferred that." Janey said. "A ferry ride where we can both relax instead of inevitable driving shifts. Why couldn't Marcus have picked us up in his bus? Better
yet, why couldn't we just Fast Travel?"
"I guess a direct drop in the Highlands is unfair." Athena said.
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son
"You can do it, son! I know you can!" Yoshi said.
"I hope so." Jr said.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends
The Kongs found themselves at an old, decrepit shack near the edge of a cliff. Scribbled on the mailbox was the name "T.K. Baha".
&nb
sp; "Great… We lost them." DK said.
"I guess we'll just try to follow our map." Diddy said. "It looks like where we're going might be near that building way over there in the distance." He pointed to an elevated
building barely visible in the distance.
"I think that might be where we got the Roadblock clue."
CJ & Shaylene: Dating
"And we're back here." CJ said, as the Sages reached the platform where they were dropped on the planet not long ago near the start of the leg.
"The ECHO led us here… Do we activate the Catch-A-Ride?" Shaylene wondered.
"Worth a shot." CJ said, activating the console.
"Congratulations on completing the Roadblock. Digistruct yourselves a Catch-A-Ride vehicle and drive yourselves to the Blake Bridge in the Highlands." Toadsworth's voice
echoed from the console. CJ tapped a few buttons and spawned a Bandit Technical. The Sages jumped in, CJ taking the driver's seat and Shaylene taking the gunner's, and CJ maneuvered the vehicle onto the elevator.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends
"It's getting cold. This stinks." DK said, his breath visible with every word.
"No kidding." Diddy said. He examined the map. "I think this is telling us to go over near those vending machines."
"I think that's where we started." DK said. "Maybe we get to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom?"
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son
"Well, this stinks… It's dark and I'm digging through a pile of junk trying to find some weird communication device." Jr said. He moved a tire, pushed a few robot limbs out of the
way and was shocked to see an ECHO device under some more rubble. "Ha! Found it!" He dug the ECHO out, climbed down from the rubble and rushed it to the Junk Loader.
"Programming waypoint." The Loader said. It handed the ECHO back to Jr, now with a map showing.
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son – Currently in Last Place
"Let's roll, Dad." Jr said.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends
"What do we do?" DK wondered, as the Kongs reached the platform with the Catch-A-Ride and Fast Travel Stations.
"Maybe this thing?" Diddy said, poking the Catch-A-Ride. The screen lit up with an image of Toadsworth's face. "I think I was right!"
"Congratulations on completing the Roadblock. Digistruct yourselves a Catch-A-Ride vehicle and drive to the Blake Bridge in the Highlands." Toadsworth said. The video of him
vanished and was replaced by a menu.
"Um… What do we pick?" Diddy wondered. He cycled through the menu, tapping occasional commands, and before long, a small rust-colored buggy had been constructed in
front of them.
"That looks good."
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son
The Yoshis rushed up to the Catch-A-Ride Station.
"This is where we landed on the planet, isn't it?" Yoshi asked. "Are you sure you're reading that thing right?"
"Yes." Jr said. "This is where it said to go. Maybe we use this computer thing…" He tapped a button and was greeted by the video of Toadsworth. "That's a good sign." The
Yoshis listened to the video's commands.
"I guess we're… digistructing a vehicle?" Yoshi questioned. "What's digistructing?"
"I don't know, but there's some kind of vehicle menu." Jr said. "I guess we must be ordering one and it'll come pick us up?" He tapped a couple things and scanned his choice.
"Bandit Technical sounds neat." He confirmed his choice and both Yoshis were shocked as the vehicle was built out of light particles right before their eyes.
"Whoa! I guess that's digistructing." Yoshi said.
"You drive." Jr said. The Yoshis jumped in and their vehicle was soon lifted up to the elevated highway.
Athena & Janey: Engaged (Highlands – Blake Bridge)
The Pandorans drove up to a small bridge above a dry riverbed nestled within Pandora's lush green and rocky Highlands. In the distance was a large dam and up on the cliffside
overlooking the bridge was a small town. Sitting next to one of the bridge's four pillars was a clue box. Moonlight bathed the area in a gentle blue glow. The Pandorans jumped
out of the technical and Athena grabbed their clue.
"Detour… Shields Raising or Guns Blazing." Athena read.
"A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams must choose between two choices related to two common items on
Pandora. Their choice: Shields Raising or Guns Blazing.
In Shields Raising, teams must search through the cliffside town of Overlook for 5 shields. Once they have found 5 shields made by their assigned manufacturer, they must
grind them up in the city's grinder and bring the shield pieces to the city's mayor, Karima.
In Guns Blazing, teams must head to Opportunity, a former Hyperion outpost now run by the Atlas Corporation, and search the city for 5 guns and the eye of a Constructor
bot. Once they have found the 5 guns, according to the manufacturer assigned to their team, and the Constructor eye, they must bring them to the Vault Hunter, Gaige, at
Atlas headquarters.
Once teams have completed either of these challenges, they will receive their next clue."
"Overlook is closer." Athena said. "Let's do Shields Raising. And our manufacturer is… Maliwan."
"Let's roll." Janey said. The two jumped back into their technical and sped off toward Overlook. Within a short amount of time, they were stopped at a line of bollards. Above
them was an arch-shaped sign that read "Overlook". They jumped out of the technical and walked into the town.
"All right, Maliwan shields. Where are you hiding?" Athena asked.
"Vending machines?" Janey questioned.
"Too easy." Athena said. "And we're not exactly loaded with cash to buy them."
"Good point." Janey said. "I guess we just raid every container and see what we can find."
"Raiding a small town for shields shouldn't be hard." Athena said.
Janey kicked open a box and found a small square object with a bunch of hexagonal pieces attached to the side.
"Darn. Hyperion." Janey said. Athena opened a mailbox and found a similar object, except this one a rectangular piece attached to the side.
"Tediore." Athena said. "This is going to be harder than I expected."
CJ & Shaylene: Dating (Highlands – Blake Bridge)
The Sages arrived at the edge of the bridge. They jumped out of their vehicle and CJ grabbed the clue.
"Detour… Shields Raising or Guns Blazing." CJ read. He and Shaylene examined their two options.
"After a year and a half, I'm curious to see how Opportunity looks now." Shaylene said. "Let's try Guns Blazing."
"Sounds like a plan. Our manufacturer is… Sweet! Hyperion!" CJ said.
"Keep it in your pants, Rhys." Shaylene said.
"Shut up." CJ said. The two climbed back into the technical and sped off.
Athena & Janey: Engaged (Detour – Shields Raising)
Athena opened a mailbox, discovering a small box of ammunition.
"Pistol ammo… Darn." She said.
"No luck… I found a Pangolin shield." Janey said.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends (Highlands – Blake Bridge)
The Kongs pulled up to the bridge and DK jumped out and grabbed the clue. He hopped back into the buggy and tore open the clue.
"Detour… Shields Raising or Guns Blazing." DK read. "I wonder which is closer…"
"Shields Raising sounds easier." Diddy said. "I don't know what a… digistructing eye of a Constructor bot… looks like. But I know what Shields look like."
"Sounds like a plan." DK said.
CJ & Shaylene: Dating (Opportunity)
CJ drove the Sages' technical across a long bridge over a great lake and soon came to a glistening, futuristic-looking city on a man-made island in the middle of the lake. As
they entered the city, he parked their technica
l on a Catch-A-Ride Station. The Sages jumped out, grabbed their belongings, and the technical dissolved into light particles. Marking many of the buildings throughout the city was a logo of a simple shield with the word "Atlas" written across it. Wandering the city were many Loader Bots, as well as
soldiers wearing red armor and helmets, known on Pandora as the Crimson Lance.
"I see they've made good progress converting into an Atlas city." CJ said.
"I'll say so." Shaylene said. "Should we start with weapons or the Constructor eye?"
"I say the Constructor eye." CJ said. "Let's try the Orbital Delivery Zone."
Athena & Janey / DK & Diddy (Detour – Shields Raising)
"Ugh, Hyperion. Of course." Janey said.
"How have we not found a Maliwan yet?" Athena asked. DK and Diddy ran into the town.
"I guess we do what they're doing…?" DK said questioningly. "We're opening boxes and crates and everything looking for shields made by… Anshin."
"Neat. You're mostly looking for Adaptive Shields." Janey said.
"You can scan items with your ECHO device." Athena said. "Check the ECHO's holographic HUD to examine items." She grabbed a shield. "Finally! A Maliwan!"
CJ & Shaylene: Dating (Detour – Guns Blazing)
The Sages rushed into a large open area along the coast of the city. There were a few garages nearby, some construction trailers and numerous shipping crates. Near one of
the shipping crates was a large, disabled tripedal yellow robot. Atop the robot was a square-shaped missile launcher with the capability to launch six missiles simultaneously.
On the ground in front of the robot were four orbs.
"Good guess." Shaylene said. "I'm guessing those are the Constructor eyes."
"Considering they're in front of a disabled Constructor, probably." CJ said, picking one up.
"Now the question is where do we find Hyperion weapons?" Shaylene wondered.
"I mean, the clue makes it seem like they're just scattered around the city." CJ stated.
"That seems safe." Shaylene remarked.
"Did you forget where we are?" CJ questioned. "Safe isn't in this planet's vocabulary."
"Good point." Shaylene said.
Athena & Janey / DK & Diddy (Detour – Shields Raising)
"Athena, I found another!" Janey said. "Ooh, but it's a Shock Nova! I want to keep it!"
A Girl of the Future Page 29
