The order came from New York five minutes after news of the Game Genie's invasion of Pacific Point first went online. Poseidon Energy was going on lockdown. Briley Patton didn't know what the Game Genie wanted in Pacific Point, but if he decided to come after Poseidon she wasn't going to make it easy for him, not by a long shot. Thus the facility began to look less like a research lab and more like an army barracks as the security personnel armed themselves and settled in for what might have been a long siege. Dr. Martel, in the meantime, had bigger issues to worry about then a Pac-Man trying to eat the security doors.

"Yes, this room has been cleared, there's no need to clear it again!"

"Y'sure Doc?" the security guard said suspiciously. "Bosses said they needed every room checked and no one's been down here yet."

"You have it on my authority that there's nothing hostile in this room," Dr. Martel said brusquely, strategically blocking the entrance to the room with his body. "Go find Fletcher and confirm with her if you have to, and stop wasting my time!"

"Sheesh, fine. Crotchety old man."

Martel ignored the insult and slammed the door shut, breathing a sigh of relief. "Of all the times for something to invade the city..."

[color=MediumOrchid]"You're not going to shove me into the locker again are you?"[/color] Riley asked meekly from her position in the corner of the room, where she was crouched under a table and playing with one of the game systems Fletcher had smuggled in for her.

"Do you want me to?" Martel snapped.

[color=MediumOrchid]"N-no, I've almost beaten Plague Knight!"[/color] the half-alien girl lamented. [color=MediumOrchid]"And it's hard to play this game in the dark!"[/color]

"Riley," Martel grumbled, trying to calm himself. "I'm just trying to make sure no one barges in here and sees what's going on, for your safety. I don't know if I can find a place for you to lay low until this is over but until then you need-"

But all thoughts about how they were going to hide Riley were quickly forgotten as a thunderous boom echoed through the building, shaking the dust from the walls from the sheer force. The lights flickered and dimmed as the alarm klaxons started blaring, causing Riley to flinch and cover her ears, dropping her game with a clatter.

[color=MediumOrchid]"Wh-what is that?"[/color] she cried, sounding close to a panic.

"That would be the alarm system Riley, means something's going very wrong. And if the lights are going that means there's something wrong with the generator."

"Doc, Doctor Martel!" came a voice from the corridor, barely audible over the screeching sirens. "We need you down in C Wing, the Type II shot its regulator."

"What?" Martel shouted back incredulously. "That generator is built to withstand a plane crashing into it, what the hell happened?!?"

"It ain't built to stop a tank, and some weird spherical tank with four legs just drove through the wall and attacked it," the guard shot back, with the tone of a man wishing this was all just a really surreal dream. "The tank's gone but the Type II has a regulator error and it's leaking, I don't know if it's going to blow or not but-"

"Alright, you made your point, tell them I'm coming! Riley stay here and keep low, I'll be back when these idiots get sorted out." Martel directed that last sentence at a confused and scared Riley as he ran out the door, leaving the half-alien girl alone. Trying fruitlessly to ignore the chaos and occasional thunderous reports echoing through the hallways, Riley crouched down in a corner and tried to focus on the game Jordan left for her, hoping it would keep her mind occupied. As she lost to Plague Knight again, she suddenly realized that some of those thundering booms were getting louder.

There was a loud crash as the wall opposite of Riley exploded in a shower of metal shards and debris. Riley shrieked, throwing up her hands to defend herself from the wave of dust and detritus flying at her, with middling success. Blinking the dust from her eyes, she caught the sunlight reflecting off the domed heads of three intruders, wearing what looked like those suits that humans wore to go into space, painted dark black. Instead of a right arm, all three had boxy rifles attached at the elbow.

"This factory is at 7 HP," one of them announced in a mechanical sounding voice. "We should capture it in one turn."

"For Lord Sturm!" a second one cried out. "For Black Hole!" Riley heard a series of mechanical whirring noises as they turned to look at her in the blue jumpsuit. They looked like robots under those domed heads.

[color=MediumOrchid]"Um...resistance is futile?"[/color]

"Alert! Alert! Blue moon infantry!" the space-suit soldier shouted, raising his gun-arm threateningly. "Eradicate threat!" 

Riley jumped behind a knocked over lab table as bullets filled the air where she was sitting. Making a mental note to apologize to Dr. Martel for not laying low, she charged a psiblast and vaulted the table, sending her shot right at the lead space suit guy mid-somersault. The shot landed cleanly in his domed head and sent him flying out of the hole in the wall. Not stopping to think, Riley charged her fist with psi-energy and threw a punch at the closest bad guy before he could react, only to be startled as she punched straight through his head and he dissolved into strange multicolored particles. Riley stood there mesmerized as the particles flowed past her outstretched fingers before a click behind her brought her crashing down to earth again.

*CLANG*

Riley spun around at the sound in time to see the third soldier flying into the wall and exploding in the same shower of particles. Looking around for her savior, Riley's jaw dropped when she saw the knight in full blue plate standing triumphantly in front of her, the over-sized horns on his helmet just coming up to her height.

"Ha ha, it seems Tinker Knight doesn't make them quite like they used to!" the knight said triumphantly, hoisting his weapon on his shoulder.

[color=MediumOrchid]"I...I don't believe it!"[/color] Riley squeaked excitedly, bobbing up and down like an overactive preschooler. [color=MediumOrchid]"Y-you're...you're...!"[/color]

"Shovel Knight, at your service m'lady," Shovel Knight announced with a flourish, the sunlight gleaming off of his might shovel blade as he bowed deeply.

[color=MediumOrchid]"Uh, I'm...Riley!"[/color] Riley said, blushing slightly as she attempted a curtsy, still overcome with excitement. [color=MediumOrchid]"Wow, what an honor, I was just playing your ga-"[/color] she began before another bang rocked the building again.

"Zounds! The Order of No Quarter has redoubled their efforts since we last fought," Shovel Knight mused shaking his fist in defiance. "But it is good to know there are just and honorable knights such as yourself who stand against them!"

[color=MediumOrchid]"M-me, a knight?"[/color]

"Of course, I saw how you fought off those brigands with your masterful use of fisticuffs and Flare Wand!" Shovel Knight said proudly, hoisting his shovel onto his shoulder. "You should come and fight alongside me! The wicked servants of the Enchantress stand no chance against our combined efforts!" 

Riley could barely contain herself at the thought of fighting alongside a real hero like Shovel Knight. Too excited to speak, Riley found her words when she remembered that she wasn't supposed to be out causing trouble right now.

[color=MediumOrchid]"I want to, sir,"[/color] Riley explained sadly. [color=MediumOrchid]"But if anyone saw me like this I would get in trouble."[/color]

"Hmm, then perhaps a disguise?" Shovel Knight suggested. "Normally I would not condone such skullduggery but if standing up against the Order would put you at risk..."

[color=MediumOrchid]"Ooh ooh, I think I have something!"[/color] Riley squeaked, dashing to a locker in the back, the door having been blasted off its hinges when the black suited soldiers crashed in. Shovel Knight respectfully looked away as she quickly changed into a modified suit of black body armor.

[color=MediumOrchid]"Mr. Martel made this for when we started doing field testing for my abilities!"[/color] Riley explained, attaching the inhibitor rings around her wrists as she spoke.

"And a fine suit of armor it is!" Shovel Knight said with a hearty laugh. "If you are in disguise though, perhaps it is best if I don't call you by your given name."

[color=MediumOrchid]"Uh, okay...what about..."[/color] Riley's eyes darted around the room before resting on the bag that Jordan left for her, stuffed full of those Star Trek DVDs.

[color=MediumOrchid]"...Voyager?"[/color] Riley tentatively suggested.

"A name that invokes discovery and adventure," Shovel Knight contemplated.

[color=MediumOrchid]"I like discovering and adventuring things!"[/color] Riley piped in.

"Then it suits you fine! Come Lady Voyager, there's villains to be dispatched!" And with that, Shovel Knight charged off out of the hole in the wall, shovel held aloft as an excited Voyager bounded alongside him.