Chapter 2: Thunder Mountains
It wasn't long before yet another knock came from the door. All the Engineers who were busy cleaning the dishes up suddenly became silent.
"He's here," Gerald said, and walked to the door himself.
Everyone watched as he cautiously looked through the lock and then opened it. There was one Engineer this time, with a black beard and mustache. There were black dragon-shaped tattoos on both of his arms and he wore beige leather chaps on his legs.
"Gerald," the Engineer said with a grainy voice. "Nice to see you again, old-timer. Now where's this Scout you've been talking about?"
"Right over here," Gerald said indicating Bobbie to come over.
Reluctantly, Bobbie did and stood right across from the forlorn Engineer who had specks of white in his black hair.
"Bobbie Billows, this is Theron Olander," Gerald said waving his hand to the Engineer. "The leader of the party you'll be joining."
"Joining?" Bobbie was confused.
Theron sighed irritably. "Didn't Gerald tell you anything?"
"I thought it would be best to wait until everyone was here," Gerald explained.
Looking at the other Engineers, who were all standing at attention, Theron nodded. "Fine. Let's give our host the cliff-notes of the Mission."
"Wait, I'm still lost," Bobbie protested as Theron made his way to the table.
"You'll understand soon enough," Gerald assured as he took a map out of his coat pocket and spread it across the table.
The most primary feature Bobbie noticed was a low mountain with several buildings clustered near the top. Then from the mountain a river flowed downward towards an equally large settlement. From there, the river continued southward beside a desolate area. Next to it, Bobbie saw a tall figure which resembled a Pyro only much bigger. Then beside the Pyro there were several numbers written down.
"What do those numbers mean?" Bobbie said pointing to them.
"It's numeric code, which the Engineers used frequently back in the Machine Wars," Gerald said. "They say, 'three feet high the tunnel and five men across.'"
"Which means what?"
"The secret tunnel that leads into Thunder Mountain is three feet high and the width of five men, which doesn't really matter since Pyro can't fit through that," Gerald explained.
"Pyro? As in the Class?"
"No," Gerald shook his head. "I am referring to a Giant Robot Pyro."
"Giant…Robot…Pyro," Bobbie stuttered. "Aren't all the Robots extinct, though?"
"Not all of them," Gerald said, lighting a cigarette. "There are a few who have survived, but either they've rusted and fallen apart or are in hiding which is the case for this Robot Pyro. A long time ago, Theron's grandfather Thorsen was a great Engineer who had managed to revitalize the Thunder Mountain Base into a thriving factory where all kinds of materials were mined and crafted into various items. Dispensers, Sentries, Teleporters, you name it. Once these items were made, they were transported down the river to Swiftwater, a bustling community of Mercenaries from all over America who traded with the Engineers of Thunder Mountain in exchange for money and other valuables including Australium Gold. To commemorate his wealth, Thorsen had his best Engineers craft a small golden statue in the shape of Saxton Hale, his main benefactor, which became known as the Saxxystone. After that, Thorsen demanded more money from those who traded with him and developed a condition known as 'Merc's Weakness' which is when a Mercenary becomes so greedy that they—
"I think the string-bean gets it," Theron interrupted.
Gerald cleared his throat and continued, "Then one day, the Engineers uncovered a Giant Robot in the shape of a Pyro that had been deactivated. Using Australium Gold as a power source, Thorsen and the other Engineers reactivated it in an attempt to control the Pyro for their own uses. However, its power proved too great and it destroyed Swiftwater along with most of Thunder Mountain. The Engineers were forced to flee without receiving any help from Saxton Hale or even the Badlands Snipers. Meanwhile, the Pyro decided to take up residence in Thunder Mountain and has been guarding the Australium Gold that keeps it alive ever since."
Bobbie paused for a moment to take everything in and then he asked. "So what happened to Thorsen? Didn't he try to reclaim Thunder Mountain?"
All eyes turned to Theron, who looked grim. "He did not. Too many of us were scattered and powerless to take on the Giant Robot ourselves. Instead, my grandpappy reclaimed Double Cross which was overrun with Robots that had taken refuge there. Their leader was a powerful Robot Soldier known as Alclad the Destroyer. Though my grandpappy still had a lot of fightin' spirit, he was no match for Alclad and died on the battlefield. Then my pop went up and left, so I took it upon my hands to slay that damn bucket o' bolts which I did with just a wrench. But now, I want to reclaim what is rightfully mine and everyone else's in this room."
Hearing that, the Engineers let out a loud 'Yippie!'.
"And that's where you and Gerald come in," Theron said staring at Bobbie and Gerald. "With a Medic and a Scout on our side, we'll reclaim Thunder Mountain for sure."
"How?" Bobbie asked anxiously. "What can I do against a Giant Robot?"
"You can slip past it with your speed, string-bean," Blaze said. "That's what Scouts are good at, right? Or have they grown slow since things have been peaceful lately?"
Bobbie was about to say something when Gerald said, "Speaking of which, your father gave me this before he died."
From a hidden pocket, Gerald pulled out a golden key which he gave to Theron. For a few moments, Theron examined it and then he looked at the map.
"This must be the key to the tunnel that's referred to on this map," Theron observed. "Maybe my grandpappy wanted us to reclaim the mountain, after all."
"Well, I'm not going," Bobbie said firmly. "Your plan is suicide, man, and I may be a Scout but not a stupid one!"
Then Bobbie stormed out of the living-room and into his bedroom. He was about to lock it when Gerald followed in.
"Bobbie, I beg you to reconsider," Gerald said pleadingly.
"No, Gerald," Bobbie responded. "You dragged me into this on purpose, and I'm not sure why."
"Mein Gott (My God), Bobbie," Gerald said shaking his head. "You have changed. Where's that sense of adventure from when you were younger?"
"It left as soon as I realized a Billows does not leave his home, and never has," Bobbie said.
"But there is Tyke blood in you as well," Gerald pointed out. "Your great-grandfather was the fastest Scout who ever lived in Harvest. He fought many battles and brought back the ancient sport of baseball, which is still played to this day."
As Bobbie sighed, he looked at an old photograph of his great-grandfather who was smiling as he held a baseball bat in his hand.
"I'm not him, though," Bobbie said and looked to Gerald. "And I won't leave unless there's a chance I'll return."
"I cannot guarantee that," Gerald replied after a pause. "Though what I can say is you certainly will not be the same."
Disappointed, Bobbie looked downward as Gerald left his room. Outside, Gerald told the Engineers that Bobbie wouldn't be joining their Mission. While some sighed, others didn't. Then after some time had passed, the Engineers started humming a tune that put everyone in a dour mood including Bobbie. This continued on for the rest of the night until Bobbie finally got tired and fell asleep.
To be continued…
