Hi-beams flashed over the snow as Ivy's Suzuki G Strider rolled through the streets of West Side district. Snow was starting to fall again in a vain attempt to cleanse the city's one open wound of crime and danger. Visored black mask with a white crusaders cross emblazoned on the face plated moved methodically scanning the streets.

Plans for hitting Dimitri's base was slowly being calculated out in the back of his mind as he continued sweeping the streets for any peddlers of Brimstone. Two locations to hit had surfaced during those few weeks. A warehouse in West Side, heavily guarded as a key supply depot of Arland Rolo, current head of Hollows Bio Cell, Rhydin. The other was reports breaking out in the Lupinossai region called Den City. A certain Alchemist had better be thankful he had heard about the reports in time to let leak the antidote for Brimstone poisoning.

He was coming up on the West Side warehouse and stopped two blocks from it. A whispered word and his field of vision was magnified by the mask he wore. A slight slurry of snow covered most of the details he needed to see, only offering a view of a blurred chain link fence and maybe a guard out front. Another whisper and the world turned into tones of yellows, whites, reds, oranges, blues and blacks as infrared was turned on. Three guards on patrol along the front fencing, two more guards at the gate house and the three buildings behind them seemed to show that the heating was on.

Ivy chewed on how best to approach this warehouse. He could take the stealth approach, then again he was armed well and well provisioned now. This would make another potent message to Arland and Velps if it went up like the other targets he hit. The Strider was kicked into gear and soon sped rapidly for the gates. His gear needed some field testing. Audio sensors picked up the five front guards becoming aware of his approach as alarms were hit and calls for reinforcements made over radio.

All four forward mounted Lazarus rifles hummed to life within the armored shell of the motorcycles front end. A flick of thumb and rapid fire mode was selected with armor piercing rounds. As he drew closer the guards opened fire. M-16 rounds and a mix of .45's and 9mm's pelted him and the bike like rain. The Strider never missed an rpm as the armor shrugged off the rounds. A few rounds hit his arms and legs, chewing up the naval coat fabric but dying in their hunger as they hit the combat suit underneath. They did sting though as each hit left deep bruises.

Ivy returned fired and not one guard was left standing as he smashed passed the flimsy guard gate barrier. He headed right for the closed entry of the main warehouse, the alarms still going but it seemed the guards were either delaying or not sure if they wanted to deal with a vigilante packing high power armaments. Dismounting he moved to the keypad on the entry door, punched in the code he memorized and went inside, nano sabers ready for a fight. What he found drew him up short like a kick to the groin.

Empty. Empty? Where he was expecting shrink wrapped and stacked pallets of Brimstone and matrix chemicals for cutting and mixing, not a thing was left in the warehouse. His mind whirled in a moment double checking his details to insure this was the right warehouse and it was, but why was Arland not storing his drugs here? No other site is big enough to hold how much was listed as being here in inventory? Ivy didn't like this one bit and backed out of the warehouse.

The sounds of guards now approaching with heavy footfalls indicating heavier fire power told him it was time to leave. Mounting the Strider, he turned and gunned the motorcycle leaving the warehouse unscathed save the rental guards lying in a field of red on white snow. As he vanished rapidly into the night, he was puzzled and concerned now. Emtpy?