When the Nova labs were destroyed they were done so by a mysterious fire, the cause of which wasn't explained. Perhaps an opposing group against WAR decided to destroy the place and took the Nova plans for themselves before destroying it, all while the 2097 tournament took place. The group of which who did and for what purpose they stole the plans, god only knows. Iron Fist? A WAR splinter group? Someone else?
Flail Robot Update
Much better!
Technically speaking, the bits on the end of the chains should be spiked balls or 'flanged' heads. If the HAR is going to be 'flailing' them around, they need to be able to damage from all sides, not just a sharp edge and a flat edge.
Actually, those are the same bits from 2097.
The chain, however needs to be smaller and longer.