The black limousine stopped directly in front of the building. The back door opened, allowing a smartly-dressed man, seemingly in his early thirties, to step out of the vehicle.

"Good day to you, Doctor," the driver poked his head out from the driver's window, offering a smile to the man, who replied with a similar gesture -- a curt smile, and a quick nod of his head.

"Good day to you too."

The limousine drove off, pulling into the main street and vanishing into the thick Hong Kong traffic almost instantly. The man watched the vehicle fade from behind his tinted glasses, staring absently for several moments before picking up the black leather briefcase that he had brought along with him. The automatic glass doors of the whitewashed building slid open as he approached, with the security guard smiling politely as he strode purposefully past. Instantly the chill of the air conditioner replaced the crisp morning air. Only a few men were present at the reception hall, but each and every one of them seemed to acknowledge the man's arrival with reverance. "Good morning"s were offered each time the man drew close, who promptly responded in a half-hearted, distracted manner. The soles of his shoes tapped sharply as he marched across the polished floor, making his way towards the receptionist's desk.

"Dr Tokai..." the receptionist mused as she inspected the plastic-sealed card that the man had slid over the desk. "Good morning, doctor. I hope you're feeling better?"

The man known as Dr Tokai raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you're almost an hour late, doctor. We made a phone call to your house. You said you were sick, remember?"

"Yes, that..." Dr Tokai sighed as he took the identification card the receptionist handed him, slipping it back into his suit. "I woke up with an inflammed throat this morning... nothing serious, fortunately."

"By the way, doctor, Chief Mechanic Hunter wants to see you at the VG Hangar. He called about ten minutes ago and asked for you to be sent there as soon as you arrived; he says its urgent."

"Very well..."

"Dr Tokai?" the woman pressed the doorbell affixed on the left wall of the apartment doorway, hearing the shrill ringer echo incessantly despite being muffled by the thick wooden door. There was no response. Undeterred, the woman continued, keeping her index finger firmly pressed against the doorbell all the while.

"Dr Tokai? You're already an hour late for your work. Are you in there?"

The apartment remained oddly silent. The landlady pursed her lips, rummaging through her handbag for several moments, finally locating the object she was looking for -- a brass key. She inserted it into the keyhole, twisted it, and heard the lock clicking open after a slight resistance. The door opened readily with a dull creak, and the landlady stepped into the darkened apartment. The curtains were drawn. Muttering broken phrases in Cantonese under her breath, she fumbled against the wall, running her hands across the wall. Her fingers found the switch, and she flicked it on, flooding the dark room with a harsh fluorescent light. Instantly she wished she had never entered the apartment.

She screamed.

Dr Tokai stepped out of the elevator and into the brightly lit passageway. Men, wearing coarse, grease-stained clothing and joking in loud, brawny voices milled about and paid no special attention to Dr Tokai at this part of the building, which was actually an underground hangar where the majority of the VG Project's mechanical expertise was housed. He took a quick glance at the jet-black watch on his wrist. He didn't have much time left.

He smiled despite himself. This kind of work was what he was paid for, and paid for very handsomely indeed. Handsome enough that he could almost make a luxurious living on the interest the bank would pay him every month... almost. And he was enjoying every minute of it. Here the men didn't pay much attention to him, and vice versa. He was not offended. On the contrary, attention was what he could ill-afford to attract at the present. He had preferred, if possible, to guise himself as a lowly janitor, or simply sneak unnoticed into this facility, the latter being something he did very well and prided himself on. Ultra-tight security measures, however, had rendered the aforementioned two options unnecessarily risky...

The layout was exactly as he had memorized. The next left branch was virtually deserted, for nobody except for top-ranking officials and high-level researchers and mechanics had any business there beyond the double-barreled steel doors. He was, however, far from a nobody. Whistling silently to himself, he pulled his right hand from out of his pocket, pressing it firmly against a black sensor panel set on the wall next to the reinforced steel doors. Colored LED lights blinked for several moments, seemingly at random, as a thin film of cold sweat began to break out on Dr Tokai's brow. The LEDs finally flashed their last, followed by a strip of green light flashing intermittently and a quick buzz.

"Name and purpose," a monotone voice resonated from a hidden speakerphone. Dr Tokai started, but only slightly.

"Dr Tokai," he responded in a similarly dull, yet firm voice. "I was told by Hunter that he wanted to see me."

"Approved."

The doors slid open, revealing a second, hardened layer of plated steel behind it, which opened upwards with a well-oiled hiss. Dr Tokai stepped through, hearing the doors close instantly behind him. He looked around, drawing a sharp gasp of surprise. He had been briefed extensively about this mission beforehand, but whatever he had expected, it was nothing of this magnitude. Technicians, robed scientists and system mechanics buzzed the area, occasionally yelling to each other that echoed loudly through the vast area of the VG Hangar -- the place was almost large enough to land a Boeing 747 jet. Motorized vehicles literally swarmed the area, transporting people to and fro, for the vast dimensions of the hangar made walking around a rather time-consuming activity. No apparent light source was readily visible, but the hangar was filled with a clean, sterile while light.

The things that attracted his attention most, however, were the two giant humanoid robots, seated in giant chairs and staring directly at him with their cold, glassy "eyes". A squid-like mass of thick cables were attached to each robot, which were in turn hooked to giant mainframe computers set against the western wall of the hangar. Dr Tokai felt his pulse quicken, his eyes narrowing as he stared shrewdly at the magnificent twin VanGuard units -- robotic combat vehicles, designed for superior manoeuvreability and firepower over conventional jet fighters, outfitted with highly advanced system guidance software and psycommu systems which the poor fool, Dr Tokai, had pioneered for use with the VanGuard units.

"So elegant, yet so deadly..." he mouthed silently, marvelling at the sleek build of the VanGuard units seated before him.

"Dr Tokai!"

Dr Tokai spun around, facing the man who had called out his name. The square-jawed, grinning American was riding a motorized cart towards him. Dr Tokai recognized him immediately; Chief Mechanic Max Hunter, head of the VG mantainance and repair team -- otherwise dubbed the Pit Crew. The vehicle drew to a stop, with its driver beckoning towards Dr Tokai.

"Been lookin' for you, Doc. Seems we have a slight calibration problem with the remote psycommu units. Think you can spare enough time for a quick look-see?"

Behind the plastic mask, the Spanish assassin known as Vega smiled coldly. "It's what I do for a living, Max."