-Advance Wars 2
--Lash Factor
---Chapter 6: Running Man
I was leaping over the break in the train cars and could vaguely hear my team running after us going from train car to train car. Then I heard gunshots, they were after all, still trespassing on a Black Hole military train. So it was up to me. Lash was just as nimble as I thought she was being so small and energetic. She leapt from train car to train car with no trouble.
"Lash! Get back here!" I yelled. "Give me the antidote!"
She paused since she was two cars ahead of me and looked back. She removed a large greenish looking vial from her jacket and held it up laughing.
"You mean this? Tee hee hee! I love games! C'mon! Let's play!"
I rushed after her like I was on fire, and she was holding a bucket of water. I wanted that vial, at all costs. The train shuttered and caused me to nearly fall down as Lash slipped and landed on her behind. This was it! I could make up my distance on her. I took off as she was standing back up and was heading right for her. That's when bullets began to come through the roof and nearly hit me.
"There might be some obstacles Heckler! This is a game after all!"
Needless to say, I kept running and I could spy Black Hole soldiers running after me. This train was long, and soon we came across a flat bed and jumped down onto it. Lash was climbing up some crates when I fired off a round from my gun. She paused and looked back with a glare.
"Hey! No cheating!" She yelled at me.
I would have fired again but the train jerked and in my slippery palms, the gun went flying off the side. There wasn't anything I could do now, but chase after her like I was a mad man. I was going to get her, I had to. There was no other way! We scrambled back up onto a normal train car and began our race again.
I could see the countryside buzzing past me. Beaches were turning into trees and lakes. We were getting further away from the Western Coast and I remembered we were heading toward Blue Moon. Suddenly she stopped and seemed to be fooling with something. I began to double my speed and rushed after her. That's when she turned around and spilled some oil all over the train car roof.
She laughed as I slipped and went off the side. In desperation I gripped onto the edge of the train and slammed into a window. I looked in to see a bunch of soldiers pointing weapons at me. I either let go, or get shot. Well, I didn't know what to do and I simply stared at them. Suddenly they went down and I could see Rick rush past and give a wave to me. I managed to get back up and dropped my mouth open when I saw how far away lash had gotten.
I took off again leaping from car to car, hoping she wouldn't get away and double back through the train cars or something. Now the scenery was changing we were heading through a Black Hole encampment. I could spot the notorious looking tanks and recon vehicles. The train suddenly curved and nearly threw me off. That's when I realized we had just switched tracks. We were heading back toward the Western Coast.
With that in mind, I began to wonder what was going on. Then I remembered Flak was going to be showing up at Western Coast, and chances are our guys pulled out already. We were going to get caught at the center of the storm if we didn't hurry it up. I could finally see Lash standing at the head of the train and smiling at me as I leapt onto the diesel train.
"Tee hee hee! You lost Heckler! I beat you!" She declared.
"I don't think so. Give me that antidote! Now!"
She pointed upwards and I could finally recognize a transport copter flying over us. A rope ladder fell down and she grabbed a hold of it. I ran toward her but the copter had already begun to pull her off the train. I was screaming inside, there was no way she was going to get away and with that, I puffed out a large cloud out of my snout. It soon went right over Lash and she almost turned green.
Almost instantly she let go of the ladder and fell back down onto the train and shook her head uneasily. What was that I just shot at her? Some kind of knock out gas? Whatever it did it knocked her flat and I grabbed her by the neck.
"Where is it Lash? Where is it? I want it now!"
"Ewww! You sneezed that pink crap all over me!" She whined.
"Give it to me!" I yelled.
"You aren't supposed to catch me! I already won!" Lash argued.
"Forget you!"
I put her down on the roof of the train and began to search her pockets. Suddenly I grabbed onto something in her right inside pocket and felt electricity surge through my body. Lash let out a laugh as I fell to the train roof and stood up.
"Tee hee hee! That's my anti-pick pocket device! Nice of you to try it!"
"Dammit!" I moaned while I flopped around on the train roof.
Lash went back to the rope ladder and grabbed on. This time the copter didn't take off and simply let her climb to the top. I slowly sat back up and felt my head. She was halfway up when I managed to stand and soon I grabbed the ladder and began to shake it. Just as I'd hoped, Lash lost her grip and fell down a couple rungs. Then I began to climb and she looked down at me angrily.
"Give up Heckler! You lost! I'm leaving!" Lash declared.
"Not until you give me the antidote! I'll never leave you alone!"
"Phhhhh! Fat chance!" She began to kick at my hands when I got close.
Surprisingly enough, those boots hurt when it connected with my palms.
"Go away! I'm bored with you!" She continued to tell me.
Finally I managed to grab one of her legs and held on as the copter began to sway away from the train. I hoped to anyone that she would lose her grip before I would and I could hang her over the train until she gave me what I wanted. But that suit I wore... it was heavy... She managed to squirm away from me and began to climb into the copter. But she slipped and I latched onto her leg one last time. With that, I closed my eyes and jumped of the ladder.
I brought her back down now that I was pulling at her with gravity and the weight of my entire body. We crashed back onto the train roof and the copter must have given up and took off. Lash was KO'd thank god, and I began to search her, careful of her electric defense system. I felt the large vial and yanked it out.
"Oh man... It's about damned time." I moaned and downed it without taking a second thought.
It seemed to me that the train began to slow, but it wasn't, it was just my eyes getting blurry and me losing track of me environment. Pretty soon, I'd be unconscious too. I just hoped everyone else on my team was doing ok... Or all my hard work would be worth nothing. Whew, that was about the first time I went to sleep since I left Black Hole. I was ready for it too.
I sat up slowly and looked around like I had a hangover. Man, it's one of those clean white rooms. A frickin' hospital. I'm tired of rooms that give me the feeling someone is going to stick me with a needle. I had a enough of that from Lash. Once I got my bearings, I suddenly felt the need to cover up my face. An Orange Star nurse walked by and didn't look at me. On the table was a round dish and I picked it up to hold in in front of my face.
But I noticed something. I was normal. I looked like I did before I met Lash, maybe not as healthy looking, but there wasn't any snout and my skin was normal and there wasn't any red eyes staring back at me. I was... normal. Lash was serious when she said she had an antidote... While I was thinking about my change back, I could hear someone step through the door and lowered my dish to see Rick standing there, in uniform and with his gun at his side.
"Rick! Lash was telling the truth! Look at me!"
"Yeah Heckler, you're now the pretty boy we once knew you as." He seemed to be back to normal. "But man, you were ugly when you were changing back. You're skin was all slushy and man... We thought you were going to die or something. That snout you had just dropped right off. I had to leave you to go throw up." He paused. "That's not cool man, never get caught again."
We both laughed at it. It seemed like everything was back to normal. But still, I could tell there was something that he wasn't telling me and I looked at him hard.
"How long was I out?"
"Out? Damn near a week. That's why we thought you were dying or something." He told me.
I was confused, mostly because I felt like I had only been down for a couple of hours. He seemed to sense this and scratched the back of his head before continuing.
"We took control of the train and managed to take it back to Orange Star territory. There really isn't much on it. We still stole it though. Our guys have been picking it apart for about forever."
"And Lash? What did she say?"
"Oh yeah..." He stuttered. "That Lash was another dummy..."
"What? No way..."
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. She didn't do anything, she was out cold. It looked plenty like her, but there wasn't anything but bolts and gears inside. But why did she put the vial in her dummy's jacket? That didn't make sense. But I knew the moment I lost sight of her foot she slid the dummy's foot back out and I grabbed it thinking it was her. No wonder we went back onto the train car so fast.
"Are you sure I'm ok? I found the vial in the dummy's jacket." I began to panic. "Maybe it some virus she gave me! I might die any minute..."
Rick slapped me and I looked to him angrily.
"For gods sake Heckler, shut up. You're back to normal, I think you could at least be grateful for that. And besides, what do you think this is? A hospital or a tent on the field? We got complex equipment to know these things."
I laughed for some reason. I guess he was right. But why... Why did Lash give in and give me the antidote...
"Hey Heckler, Lash is one looney broad. You can't reason with a crazy person. Besides, she probably coughed the vial up when you played with her." Rick suggested.
"Hey, you're probably right."
"No..." He raised his finger. "I am right. Don't you forget it."
"You cocky bastard."
We both laughed and soon Ruby and the rest of them entered.
"Hey Heckler, thank god you're normal again."
Victor nodded solemnly and Palmer nodded at the same time.
"Heckler, you know Sami was the commander for the Western Coast battle." Ruby began. "I heard Nell give a direct order to capture Lash so we could help you. Even though finding you again was a pretty slim chance in itself."
I thought about that. Ha! Wait till I brag about this to the other guys. Nell gave a direct order for my benefit. Now that's pretty damn cool. But I knew she was just exaggerating... At least I thought I was... Until Nell stepped through the door and gave a smile at me. Holy hell, she wasn't kidding.
My whole team saluted as she walked in.
"How are you feeling soldier?" Nell asked.
"Um... Just fine ma'am. A little tired... But just fine."
"Good. We plan to give you some leave time after this whole ordeal. I admire a willful spirit like yourself."
"Um... Excuse me ma'am?" I didn't quite know what she meant.
"I said I enjoy someone who doesn't give up, no matter how hard things are going for them."
"Oh... Well... I'm sorry for running out on you like that... It was pretty stupid..."
"We can't expect you to be accountable for your own actions after being under the influence of enemy toxins." She smiled and then gave me a nod. "Good day, enjoy your leave time."
With that she left and my team began to look at me.
"Hell, next time I'm getting caught so I can get some leave time." Rick mumbled.
"Shut up." Ruby and Palmer said at the same time.
I just smiled and leaned back in my bed. It's been awhile since I've been home. Hell, no one in my town will ever believe me... But maybe, just maybe they will. They began to leave and I quickly stopped them.
"Hey, what is your guys next operation?"
"Man, we forgot to tell him!" Rick slapped his head. "We liberated Orange Star a couple days ago. Beat Flak senseless and then made him turn tail. We're being deployed to help out Blue Moon."
I nodded at them and then closed my eyes for a bit before opening them.
"Watch your backs and take Black Hole down for me!"
"Will do!"
With that they left, and now I could get some sleep. Finally... Some... sleep...
-End Chapter
-The End.
--Lash Factor
---Chapter 6: Running Man
I was leaping over the break in the train cars and could vaguely hear my team running after us going from train car to train car. Then I heard gunshots, they were after all, still trespassing on a Black Hole military train. So it was up to me. Lash was just as nimble as I thought she was being so small and energetic. She leapt from train car to train car with no trouble.
"Lash! Get back here!" I yelled. "Give me the antidote!"
She paused since she was two cars ahead of me and looked back. She removed a large greenish looking vial from her jacket and held it up laughing.
"You mean this? Tee hee hee! I love games! C'mon! Let's play!"
I rushed after her like I was on fire, and she was holding a bucket of water. I wanted that vial, at all costs. The train shuttered and caused me to nearly fall down as Lash slipped and landed on her behind. This was it! I could make up my distance on her. I took off as she was standing back up and was heading right for her. That's when bullets began to come through the roof and nearly hit me.
"There might be some obstacles Heckler! This is a game after all!"
Needless to say, I kept running and I could spy Black Hole soldiers running after me. This train was long, and soon we came across a flat bed and jumped down onto it. Lash was climbing up some crates when I fired off a round from my gun. She paused and looked back with a glare.
"Hey! No cheating!" She yelled at me.
I would have fired again but the train jerked and in my slippery palms, the gun went flying off the side. There wasn't anything I could do now, but chase after her like I was a mad man. I was going to get her, I had to. There was no other way! We scrambled back up onto a normal train car and began our race again.
I could see the countryside buzzing past me. Beaches were turning into trees and lakes. We were getting further away from the Western Coast and I remembered we were heading toward Blue Moon. Suddenly she stopped and seemed to be fooling with something. I began to double my speed and rushed after her. That's when she turned around and spilled some oil all over the train car roof.
She laughed as I slipped and went off the side. In desperation I gripped onto the edge of the train and slammed into a window. I looked in to see a bunch of soldiers pointing weapons at me. I either let go, or get shot. Well, I didn't know what to do and I simply stared at them. Suddenly they went down and I could see Rick rush past and give a wave to me. I managed to get back up and dropped my mouth open when I saw how far away lash had gotten.
I took off again leaping from car to car, hoping she wouldn't get away and double back through the train cars or something. Now the scenery was changing we were heading through a Black Hole encampment. I could spot the notorious looking tanks and recon vehicles. The train suddenly curved and nearly threw me off. That's when I realized we had just switched tracks. We were heading back toward the Western Coast.
With that in mind, I began to wonder what was going on. Then I remembered Flak was going to be showing up at Western Coast, and chances are our guys pulled out already. We were going to get caught at the center of the storm if we didn't hurry it up. I could finally see Lash standing at the head of the train and smiling at me as I leapt onto the diesel train.
"Tee hee hee! You lost Heckler! I beat you!" She declared.
"I don't think so. Give me that antidote! Now!"
She pointed upwards and I could finally recognize a transport copter flying over us. A rope ladder fell down and she grabbed a hold of it. I ran toward her but the copter had already begun to pull her off the train. I was screaming inside, there was no way she was going to get away and with that, I puffed out a large cloud out of my snout. It soon went right over Lash and she almost turned green.
Almost instantly she let go of the ladder and fell back down onto the train and shook her head uneasily. What was that I just shot at her? Some kind of knock out gas? Whatever it did it knocked her flat and I grabbed her by the neck.
"Where is it Lash? Where is it? I want it now!"
"Ewww! You sneezed that pink crap all over me!" She whined.
"Give it to me!" I yelled.
"You aren't supposed to catch me! I already won!" Lash argued.
"Forget you!"
I put her down on the roof of the train and began to search her pockets. Suddenly I grabbed onto something in her right inside pocket and felt electricity surge through my body. Lash let out a laugh as I fell to the train roof and stood up.
"Tee hee hee! That's my anti-pick pocket device! Nice of you to try it!"
"Dammit!" I moaned while I flopped around on the train roof.
Lash went back to the rope ladder and grabbed on. This time the copter didn't take off and simply let her climb to the top. I slowly sat back up and felt my head. She was halfway up when I managed to stand and soon I grabbed the ladder and began to shake it. Just as I'd hoped, Lash lost her grip and fell down a couple rungs. Then I began to climb and she looked down at me angrily.
"Give up Heckler! You lost! I'm leaving!" Lash declared.
"Not until you give me the antidote! I'll never leave you alone!"
"Phhhhh! Fat chance!" She began to kick at my hands when I got close.
Surprisingly enough, those boots hurt when it connected with my palms.
"Go away! I'm bored with you!" She continued to tell me.
Finally I managed to grab one of her legs and held on as the copter began to sway away from the train. I hoped to anyone that she would lose her grip before I would and I could hang her over the train until she gave me what I wanted. But that suit I wore... it was heavy... She managed to squirm away from me and began to climb into the copter. But she slipped and I latched onto her leg one last time. With that, I closed my eyes and jumped of the ladder.
I brought her back down now that I was pulling at her with gravity and the weight of my entire body. We crashed back onto the train roof and the copter must have given up and took off. Lash was KO'd thank god, and I began to search her, careful of her electric defense system. I felt the large vial and yanked it out.
"Oh man... It's about damned time." I moaned and downed it without taking a second thought.
It seemed to me that the train began to slow, but it wasn't, it was just my eyes getting blurry and me losing track of me environment. Pretty soon, I'd be unconscious too. I just hoped everyone else on my team was doing ok... Or all my hard work would be worth nothing. Whew, that was about the first time I went to sleep since I left Black Hole. I was ready for it too.
I sat up slowly and looked around like I had a hangover. Man, it's one of those clean white rooms. A frickin' hospital. I'm tired of rooms that give me the feeling someone is going to stick me with a needle. I had a enough of that from Lash. Once I got my bearings, I suddenly felt the need to cover up my face. An Orange Star nurse walked by and didn't look at me. On the table was a round dish and I picked it up to hold in in front of my face.
But I noticed something. I was normal. I looked like I did before I met Lash, maybe not as healthy looking, but there wasn't any snout and my skin was normal and there wasn't any red eyes staring back at me. I was... normal. Lash was serious when she said she had an antidote... While I was thinking about my change back, I could hear someone step through the door and lowered my dish to see Rick standing there, in uniform and with his gun at his side.
"Rick! Lash was telling the truth! Look at me!"
"Yeah Heckler, you're now the pretty boy we once knew you as." He seemed to be back to normal. "But man, you were ugly when you were changing back. You're skin was all slushy and man... We thought you were going to die or something. That snout you had just dropped right off. I had to leave you to go throw up." He paused. "That's not cool man, never get caught again."
We both laughed at it. It seemed like everything was back to normal. But still, I could tell there was something that he wasn't telling me and I looked at him hard.
"How long was I out?"
"Out? Damn near a week. That's why we thought you were dying or something." He told me.
I was confused, mostly because I felt like I had only been down for a couple of hours. He seemed to sense this and scratched the back of his head before continuing.
"We took control of the train and managed to take it back to Orange Star territory. There really isn't much on it. We still stole it though. Our guys have been picking it apart for about forever."
"And Lash? What did she say?"
"Oh yeah..." He stuttered. "That Lash was another dummy..."
"What? No way..."
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. She didn't do anything, she was out cold. It looked plenty like her, but there wasn't anything but bolts and gears inside. But why did she put the vial in her dummy's jacket? That didn't make sense. But I knew the moment I lost sight of her foot she slid the dummy's foot back out and I grabbed it thinking it was her. No wonder we went back onto the train car so fast.
"Are you sure I'm ok? I found the vial in the dummy's jacket." I began to panic. "Maybe it some virus she gave me! I might die any minute..."
Rick slapped me and I looked to him angrily.
"For gods sake Heckler, shut up. You're back to normal, I think you could at least be grateful for that. And besides, what do you think this is? A hospital or a tent on the field? We got complex equipment to know these things."
I laughed for some reason. I guess he was right. But why... Why did Lash give in and give me the antidote...
"Hey Heckler, Lash is one looney broad. You can't reason with a crazy person. Besides, she probably coughed the vial up when you played with her." Rick suggested.
"Hey, you're probably right."
"No..." He raised his finger. "I am right. Don't you forget it."
"You cocky bastard."
We both laughed and soon Ruby and the rest of them entered.
"Hey Heckler, thank god you're normal again."
Victor nodded solemnly and Palmer nodded at the same time.
"Heckler, you know Sami was the commander for the Western Coast battle." Ruby began. "I heard Nell give a direct order to capture Lash so we could help you. Even though finding you again was a pretty slim chance in itself."
I thought about that. Ha! Wait till I brag about this to the other guys. Nell gave a direct order for my benefit. Now that's pretty damn cool. But I knew she was just exaggerating... At least I thought I was... Until Nell stepped through the door and gave a smile at me. Holy hell, she wasn't kidding.
My whole team saluted as she walked in.
"How are you feeling soldier?" Nell asked.
"Um... Just fine ma'am. A little tired... But just fine."
"Good. We plan to give you some leave time after this whole ordeal. I admire a willful spirit like yourself."
"Um... Excuse me ma'am?" I didn't quite know what she meant.
"I said I enjoy someone who doesn't give up, no matter how hard things are going for them."
"Oh... Well... I'm sorry for running out on you like that... It was pretty stupid..."
"We can't expect you to be accountable for your own actions after being under the influence of enemy toxins." She smiled and then gave me a nod. "Good day, enjoy your leave time."
With that she left and my team began to look at me.
"Hell, next time I'm getting caught so I can get some leave time." Rick mumbled.
"Shut up." Ruby and Palmer said at the same time.
I just smiled and leaned back in my bed. It's been awhile since I've been home. Hell, no one in my town will ever believe me... But maybe, just maybe they will. They began to leave and I quickly stopped them.
"Hey, what is your guys next operation?"
"Man, we forgot to tell him!" Rick slapped his head. "We liberated Orange Star a couple days ago. Beat Flak senseless and then made him turn tail. We're being deployed to help out Blue Moon."
I nodded at them and then closed my eyes for a bit before opening them.
"Watch your backs and take Black Hole down for me!"
"Will do!"
With that they left, and now I could get some sleep. Finally... Some... sleep...
-End Chapter
-The End.