Authoress Update: Oy vey…

The Future Is Wild!

By Nefertanya dragongurl Ahhotep

Chapter 29: Will It Ever End?

The group huddled around Ace as he began to sketch with one finger in the dusty earth. "Okay, here's what I'm thinking. Slam, you -"

"Ohhey-SorrytointerruptbutINCOMIIIIING!"

"Whu?" The ground darkened as the giant's hand came down with a whistling roar. Rev grabbed Slam and bolted instinctively; Duck grabbed his bunny buddies and teleported away. The metal appendage broke through the ground with incredible seismic force, barreling through the crust with ease. They regrouped several feet away.

"As you were saying?" Lexi teased.

"Heh. As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted, Slam – I want you to grab anyt'ing you can find and chuck it at dis guy while th'rest of us try to keep Ol' Metal mouth ova dere busy makin' potholes!"

The group stared, dumbfounded, at their leader.

"Aww, great! I knew it! The battle's too much for his tiny brain! Fluffy Boy has completely flipped!" Duck moaned before assumed a more noble tone. "Perhaps, then, it's time for a someone else to assume command!"

Lexi huffed and rolled her eyes. "Like who? You?"

Duck's eye twitched. "Well, hey now, I –"

"Later. Ace...is that really all you got?"

"You got sumthin' bettah?" No one answered. "Look, Tech told us about how thin da ground was around here, and we've seen dat for ourselves. Our best bet, I t'ink, is to get that big Palooka stuck long enough to pick 'im apart!"

"BLEAHBLEAHBLEAH! PBBBBTH!" Slam suddenly called out.

"WHOA!" The anthros scattered as once more the metal hand whistled down through the earth and retracted. Lexi groaned as she pulled herself up, then gasped as she heard a familiar sound. She pressed her ear to the sand. Could it be?

"Ace! Ace, I hear water! Lots of it!"

"Water? Are ya sure?"

"Yes! It's like a giant river down there!"

"Ariver?Butthisisthedeserttherearen'tantybuigriversgaspOhwaitI'llbetshe'stalkingaboutthesecretaquifiers!"

The group blinked at the newcomer's speedy speech. "Aw, great! Like one gibberish-spouting creature wasn't enough! Doesn't anyone learn English anymore?!" Duck snarled.

"Shaddup, Duck!" Ace twanged his beak in annoyance. Behind them, Vinn was haranguing his creation, which tried to plead his case in a series of whines

"Ace, we don't have much time!" Lexi said fearfully. Ace grabbed the young Runner by the shoulders, pulling him eye-to-eye.

"I know you wanna help, kid, but you gotta get it offa high-speed!" he said desperately. "If you got an idea, then say it again, slow as ya can!"

Rev closed his eyes and took a deep, deep breath. He could hear his heart thrumming in his chest, feel the knocking of his legs at extra exertion, taste the desperation in the air.

"Aaaaceeee…" Lexi whimpered.

But, he could also feel the trust emanating from this stranger's hands. The rabbit wanted to hear his ideas. How long had it been since anyone had seen him as something other than a rush of air?

"TheAquifiers1 …underground… …huge….lots….of…water…radioactivetoo Iftherobotfell…" Rev carefully matched each word with a deep breath. But it required a lot of concentration, and he had never used it for more than a couple of words before. He started to feel light-headed, but was too determined to honor the rabbit's faith to stop now. "If…robot…falls….fallsdown.."

Ace's blue eyes light up as synapses connected. "Yeah…yeah, I get where yer goin' doc!"

"AAAACCEEEEEEE!"" Lexi screamed. This time, Duck grabbed her and Slam while Rev and Ace booked. Ace smiled at the red Runner and patted his shoulder. Rev smiled back, taking delight in the understanding that this group of curious folk had accepted him.

The giant roared in frustration as it tugged it's hand free. It was getting really tired of getting yelled at, and of these small but quick creatures! Ace slapped Rev's back. "Go, kid, keep him off balance- but be careful!" Rev nodded and zipped off, running figure eights around the monstrosity's legs. "Lexi! Can you still here da water?"

"Yes!" She called back. "We're right on top of it!"

"Good! Slam! I want you ta weaken tha ground as much as you possibly can! Duck! Get ready to get him outta there! Lexi! You stay here by me!"

"Why?"

"Because I can't think of anything for you ta do at the moment!" He replied honestly.

"Typical chauvinist male attitude!" She sneered. "I am NOT some damsel in distress!" She screamed as a ten-ton boulder crashed near her, causing giant sections to crack and fling her skyward. Ace ran over and stopped her descent.

"Of course yer not." He replied with a wink.

The sound of rending metal and sparking wires caught the attention of both bunnies. The foot of the giant had become ensnared in rubble and rebar, but the creation had been so busy trying to destroy the three males it hadn't really noticed, and as it went to take a step, it jammed tight, the giant's momentum forcing it to tear free from the 'ankle'. The giant howled in pain and anger, flailing about on its remaining leg!

"Dis is our chance! Go, Team, Go!" Ace cried in a girlish manner

"Ooo, fine time to be a cheerleader!" Duck roared. "Why dontch put down the pom poms and get busy with those laser eyes of yours!"

"Ah, my public!" Ace quipped coquettishly as he batted his eyes. "Here I come, doc! Ya-ta-ta-tada! Cheeee-arge!" He bolted down the hill, humming the 'William Tell Overture' as he went.

Lexi snorted and doubled over with laughter. She couldn't help it – Ace was just too damn funny sometimes! Her mirth quickly dissipated as a random chunk of concrete came flying her way. Her stomach dropped to her knees, her eyes widened in horror. But then suddenly there was a spiking pain in her brain, and she clutched her head and screamed bloody murder!

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAARRRGH …Oh."

Later, she would learn that a bolt of electricity had emanated from between her ears and surrounded the debris, but for now all she knew was that the skull-shattering pain was completely gone, she was still alive, and surrounded by tiny chunks of pale rock.

"LEXIIIII!"

She gasped as she looked toward the battlefield. The giant was still thrashing, the boys still trying to break the ground while avoiding Vinn Price's Aerocraft. "WHAT?"

"ARE WE STILL ABOVE DA WATAH?"

She knelt down and listened closely. "YES!"

"DEN LET'S DO DIS!"

"No! NOO!" Vinn cried out, suddenly very aware of what was about to happen. He turned away from trying to shoot Rev and zipped over to defend his creature. It was too little, too late. Ace hopped on the remaining foot and used his laser vision to start cutting along the 'ankle'. "How DARE you hurt my monster!" Vinn roared as he plowed his Aerocraft into the rabbit. Ace gasped, as there wasn't any time to leap away. He shut his eyes tight as the craft drew upon him.

FWOOM!

Ace opened his eyes and found himself in front of the little black duck. "You couldn't last a day with out me, could you?"

Relief washed over the rabbit. "Meh, twenty three hours ain't so bad!" He joked, elbowing the duck in the ribs affectionately. The duck responded with a derisive snort and a chuckle.

"No, no, NOOOOOOOO!" Vinn Price cried out as the damage Ace inflicted proved more than enough. The metal behemoth fell as gravity played her hand. Its bulk caused the earth to splinter into a massive crater2. The iron giant bellowed in rage and confusion as he fell through. One metal hand clutched automatically around his Aerocraft. Vinn screams echoed as he and his creation, Master and Servant, plunged into the darkness and into the deep waters below. Massive bolts of lightning, sparks, and the sounds of rending metal filed the air! The group cringed and ostensibly moved further away to stable ground.

When the 'show' ended, the silence was deafening. They all looked at each other, unsure if what happened was real.

"It's over, isn't it?" Lexi said quietly.

"Yeah." Ace panted, "Yeah, it is. We did it." He turned to the girl and smiled in amazement. "We Did It!" he shouted in triumph, arms raised to the sky

Lexi let out a whoop and leapt in for a bear hug. The others began to dance and holler in celebration. "Wait, wait, wait!" Ace cried suddenly, pushing Lexi away.

"Dis ain't right." He said to their confused looks. "It can't be a real victory if we lost one o'our own…We ain't a whole team anymore…"

"Oh, right…poor Tech…." Lexi said sadly. The boys dipped their heads in mourning and murmured in agreement. "Ace…maybe you should say something for him."

"What, me? A eulogy? Eh….well, okay, here goes." The rabbit cleared his throat and solemnly said, "We…we didn't know Mister-"

"Doctor."

"Eh, right, Doctor Tech Coyote very long, but he proved to be a true hero. No doubt he woiked hard to be the best doctor he could be. He risked his life to save me an' Slam, even though he didn't know us very long. And t'anks to him, this woild's a little bit safer from madmen like Vinn Price. So now, I ask for a moment o'silence for a noble hero."

Ace bowed his head. Lexi sobbed softly while Duck and Slam tried to comfort her. Rev breathed a ragged sigh and wiped a feathered hand roughly against his eyes.

"That is simply the most beautiful thing I've ever heard! And to think it was all about me!" an echo-y voice sniffed.

Five jaws slackened as they slowly turned towards the massive maw in trepidation. No….

Soft grunts, gasps, and wheezes echoed from the abyss, growing louder until a green furry paw thrust into the light, pouncing upon a length of frayed cabling. Another paw, then a pair of green ears, followed by a canine head split by a toothy grin. "Certainly worth the aching muscles tomorrow, yes indeed!"

"Tech? TECH! TECH!" Lexi screamed and bolted over, followed by the others. With utter delight they helped the coyote super-genius to firmer ground, excitedly peppering him with coos and questions.

"How Doc, how?" Ace demande. "I mean, I saw youse get smashed right before my eyes!"

The scientist smiled apologetically as he brushed some dust off the scraps of stained and tattered loincloth that had once been his uniform. "I'm afraid I've been hiding something. You see, along with my emerald hue came along a rather unique ability – a sort of 'super-regeneration'. A healing ability to surpass anything the medical community has to offer!" He grimaced. "Though unfortunately I am still retaining the ability to feel such 'lovely' sensations as they occur, which remain just as upsetting despite the knowledge they are fleeting."

"Though I'd like to be noble and state that I withheld this knowledge to surprise our enemy, I'm afraid I must admit that the idea I would be forced to exceed my pain threshold was a larger obstacle."

"And dat worked out so well for ya."

Tech smiled at the jovial creature. "Indeed. And I really hope I never have to endure that again!"

"Hmph!" Pouted Duck. "If you could heal up so quick, why didn't you come to assist me –oof!" Slam elbowed him in the ribs. "-Us- in the battle?"

"I'm afraid my regeneration time is affected by the severity of my injury. Suffice to say, when I finally was whole, I became aware that I was inside that miserable tin can! So I decided to do as much damage as I could from within as you all did without. I even managed to figure out a little more of what you, Ace, delightfully called 'Dat Trick' earlier with some metal bars on the field.

Ace's ears perked up. "You mean dat woik with da leg?"

Tech winked. "Setting snares are practically taught in the womb!"3

A shadow ended all conversation. Six heads looked fearfully above them. "Oh! It's the plane!" Lexi exhaled in relief. The mode of transport landed softly, and with a soft 'whrrr' a holograph screen appeared. Zadovia smiled with equal emotion.

"My friends….it has been so long since out last communication, I truly feared the worst! I sense by your smiles my fears are unfounded, but my faith has born fruit?"

"If yer askin' if da bad guy's 're gone, den yer right on da money, sistah!" Ace chirped. "Now, about dat warm meal ya mentioned earlier….?"

Zadovia laughed. "All you can put away and more, my heroic quintet!"

"Um…shouldn't that be sextant?" Tech queried, pointing to the young red bird in their midst. Zadovia cooed in surprise.

"Oh, dat's right – you two haven't officially met yet! Zadovia, dis kid's… ..' Shoot, what was it again? In all the chaos, he'd forgotten! Or had it never been mentioned?

"Rev Runner, If I recall correctly." Tech offered. Rev smiled and nodded in happy surprise.

"Right! Yeah, dis here's Rev, da newest member o'da team!" Rev's beak dropped – no way! Could this team of marvels really be interested in adding a silly looking little road runner like him into their group?

"Newest member, hmm?" Rev bowed meekly; suddenly aware of the sensation he was being given a through once-over. "All right, Rev Runner. If you wish to join us, then welcome to the team! Now, why don't you file in and fly home to the tower? The auto-pilot can do all the work while you rest. You can fill me in on the details of the battle over a good hearty meal."

" #$#$$%$%$#% PBBBBT FOOD!"

Lexi chuckled and gave him a pat on the head as they walked up the ramp. "Now we're speaking the same language!" Slam laughed, happy at having pleased the pretty female. "Slam good, good boy."

Rev watched them disappear into the plane, took a step, then hesitated, looking back across the remainder of the city. He knew nothing about these people, but the warmth he felt from them he hadn't known since before the chaos. But was it really alright to go….? A warm hand covered his bony little shoulder.

"You know…" said Tech softly. "You look familiar to me….I think you delivered a pizza to me once…yes!" He said, his eyes brightening. "You did!" he pointed to the runner's bare feet. "You were wearing a pair of unsusual skates…"

"Hey,you'reright!Theyweremysolarpoweredrocketskates!Iinventedthemmyself!Yousee, ,I'venevermadeanythingasspectacularasyouprobablyhavemade,whatwithyoubeingaprofessorandall,butI'dliketothinkI' ,maybeyoucouldusealabpartner?IknowI'mnotveryeducated,butI'marealhardworkerandI'mwillingtotrysuperhard!"

Tech smiled weakly, only having gleaned a few key words from the excited youth. "We'll…..work something out. Perhaps we'll start with an upgrade to our battle armor." He dryly quipped as he held one of the longer tatters with disdain. "To keep using this kind of inferior equipment for battles like these would simply be crazy!"

Duck sneered as he followed the duo into the plane. "We're a bunch of super-powered anthro sapiens willfully fighting some glowing ghost lady's battles for the promise of a free dinner. I'd say we're beyond crazy – we're a bunch of lunatics!"

Ace rubbed the bottom of one large tooth thoughtfully with one hand as he casually wrapped the other around the neck of his new bestie. "Yeah…or maybe, a bunch of LOONATICS!"

OMG!

It's FINALLY DONE! And it only took just shy of 11 yrs to do (11/7/05-11/5/16)! I wanna thank ALL my faithful followers who stuck around, just hoping. I hope you weren't too disappointed. And a big shout-out to T-kun, who insisted I finish this for this year's NaNoWriMo!) YAHOOOO!

The aquifers he's referring to are the Underground Aquifers of Acmetropolois, commonly referred to as the 'big pools' by the government and university workers. They hold enough water to keep the Greater Los Angeles area green for 5 years. However, the water is actually in potable, as the water it holds was used is heavily irradiated thanks to it's primary use as coolant during the late 20th century nuclear age

This massive hole is now known as 'Vinnie's Folly' and remains a popular place for spelunkers despite warnings of dangerous radioactivity

Even though the modern coyote relies more on a shopping cart for his/her daily supper, tradition and pride mandate that a young cub know several hunting techniques and be proficient in at least one of them, even if the only time they are used are at ceremonial competitions such as Snarlfang's Night