A/N: Argh…Late chapter is late… I apologize. I did say that this would be a busy couple of weeks for me, but it got busier when my PLAN results got back and colleges started emailing me. The good news is, six or seven really good colleges emailed me. The bad news is I had very little typing time. DX Most things don't take precedence over my writing, but college planning doesn't fall under that. Plus, it's kinda hard to ignore it when you're getting emails from some of the top schools in the nation. My mom would probably have eaten me if I did…
Anywho, things start to get interesting in this chapter. For those of you waiting for some serious action, though, next chapter is the one you're waiting for, and it doesn't stop much after that! XD So until then, enjoy this chapter! (Fair warning, it's a bit on the long side. I was planning on starting the serious action in this chapter, but as it was I barely avoided dividing this chapter into two, fairly boring chapters. Next chapter will also be long.)
For the Loonatics, dinner was awkward. Not for any of the usual reasons, though; conversation was in abundance, everyone seemed to be getting along, and the food was just as exquisite as everything else in the house- there were even vegetarian options set out for the non-meat eating anthro species, meaning everyone but Slam and the coyotes. The problem, in fact, stemmed from the conversations themselves. Considering whose company they were in, it shouldn't have been all that surprising.
There were too many people to easily carry on one conversation, so they had split into smaller conversational groups. The awkwardness stemmed from the fact that the four ex-armed forces men seemed to be unable to stop talking about hunting for more than 6.23 minutes- Tech had been timing them. The Loonatics were trying hard to keep the hunters on different topics, with varying degrees of success.
The General, with some help from the Lieutenant, had started telling hunting stories in the game room. And hadn't stopped. The game room had been even bigger than the entry hall, filled with thousands of animals of all sizes from all corners of the earth, and the General had insisted on telling the story behind each and every one. Dinner had been ready before he had gotten through half of them, but he had somehow managed to keep Slam and Duck a captive audience. The aforementioned mallard had decided that he had lost his appetite a while ago, but Slam was focusing more on the food than the old man.
Ace and Lexi, meanwhile, were talking to the Colonel and for the most part being successful in keeping the topic off of hunting. They were asking the Colonel more questions about himself and the others, learning more about the odd group and their...eccentric tastes. They didn't learn anything particularly interesting other than the fact that the island had very varied environments, depending upon the area one was in. The Colonel then went on to give a long-winded explanation on how that was good for hunting, making the bunnies inwardly groan.
The last group was by far the most successful. The conversation had started out fairly normally- the Major had been asking more questions about how they had ended up on the island, namely details on the search for the Free Spirit, only to be continuously sidestepped by Tech and Sive, even cutting off Rev whenever necessary. Rev didn't mind, though, so long as it kept the Major off of the topic of hunting, and the two coyotes seemed to know what they were doing. The Major didn't seem to realize he was being duped, either, based on his reaction or lack thereof to the half-answers to his questions.
It didn't take long for things to take a turn for the better. The poor, unaware Major only had himself to blame, really. After all, anyone who knew anything at all about exactly who he was talking to should have known not to ask "What are you going to do for a new boat?"
This was why Sive was now sitting back and watching with amusement as the flustered Major listened to Tech and Rev animatedly explain, in vivid detail, just how they were going to build a new one. They had been going full steam for almost twenty minutes and showed no sign of stopping, putting the old, rambling General to shame. The Major had attempted to get a word in edgewise here and there, but quickly realized his attempts were futile and gave up, resigning himself to following along with their descriptions as best he could.
Sive, on the other hand, had stopped paying attention long ago and opted to take in her surroundings better, taking advantage of the fact that no one seemed to be paying attention to her. She started by listening in on the other conversations, quickly ignoring the General and Lieutenant's storytelling in favor of the Colonel's conversation. After realizing he wasn't saying anything of value, she moved on to simply observing them, gleaning what information she could about them by simply observing them.
It didn't take long to figure out that the General, despite having the highest rank of the assembled military men, was a follow-the-leader type. The simple fact of the matter was that he wasn't smart enough to be in charge. Whether or not his spotty memory had anything to do about that, Sive didn't know, but she quickly decided that he was all brawn and no brain, similar to Tech's earlier conclusion of Georg.
Sive realized that the aforementioned German giant had a strange role, now that she thought about it. He had been the one to answer the door, yet he had gone and fetched the Colonel instead of playing host himself. He had unquestioningly followed orders from the Colonel, (at least, that what it looked like- Sive didn't speak German.) He had also been the one serving the food, and she could only assume that he and/or his still unknown brother had been the cook, considering how the other four men had been with them the whole time and they hadn't seen hide nor hair of anyone else in the house. All in all, Georg and his brother were nothing more than beefed up manservants.
The Colonel and Major, on the other hand, seemed to be in charge. The Colonel was the one who had control, but the Major was the one who took it. Georg, and most likely his brother, answered to the Colonel. He probably ran the show in a behind the scenes way. His more obvious eccentrices caused him to stand back and let the Major more outwardly take charge, though. The Major was the one who seemed the most normal out of the men in the odd group, and used it to his advantage. He exerted a natural charisma that was impossible to ignore, making him instantly likeable. So, naturally, Sive didn't like him. There was something about him- about all of them, really- that screamed 'bad news.' That on top of her natural distrust of strangers led to a strong wariness from the young coyote.
Oddly enough, the one who had her most on edge was the Lieutenant. The diminutive Brit seemed to be the brains of the group, though it took a while to realize this- he barely spoke. Even while filling in holes for the General, he only said what was absolutely necessary to put the old man back on track, and he didn't say anything otherwise. The thing that tipped her off to his cleverness was that he was doing exactly what Sive was doing- sizing the Loonatics up, learning what he could simply by watching. When Sive had started studying him, he had been giving the oblivious Ace and Lexi a hard, beady-eyed stare. Upon realizing that he was under Sive's scrutinizing gaze, though, he shifted his attention to her.
While most people would have looked away, trying to act like they weren't staring, Sive held his gaze, dark hazel meeting deep blue. She kept her face completely neutral, careful to show him nothing, though she couldn't help but let a little amusement through when he started looking annoyed at her lack of response, which made him even more irritated. He shifted slightly in his seat, now intent on just staring her down, and she matched him while their unaware comrades continued chatting.
Their staring contest came to an abrupt end as a thunder crack loud enough to make everyone jump in their seats rang out, accompanied by a bright flash of lightning. Not two seconds later, it started hailing vigorously. The storm had seemed to abate earlier, but it looked as though it was coming back with a vengeance.
"...I thought ya said dis would blow over by sundown?" Ace confirmed, eyes locked on the once again raging storm outside.
"Well, that's what we heard earlier," the General explained. "That weather lad should be fired."
"I bet Misty Breeze didn't get it wrong," Duck muttered under his breath, getting a quick jab in the ribcage from Lexi.
"It looks worse than it did earlier out there," Tech observed, standing up and walking to a window to take a look outside. Most of the others assembled at the table followed him.
"Jeez-look-at-those-waves-I've-never-seen-them-that-big-before-not-even-in-movies-well-maybe-not-those-end-of-the-world-flicks-but-I-definitely-haven't-seen-anything-like-that-in-real-life-before,"Rev rambled, observing the gargantuan waves clashing with the cliff face outside the rain-streaked window.
"Our lil' sailboat's gonna be about as useful as a trapdoor in a canoe in that there hurricane," the Major intoned seriously, blinking as another flash of lightning lit the room. He didn't notice as a man entered the room and walked up to the Colonel, quietly conversing with him in German. Everyone else did, though, and the Loonatics took a moment to study him before turning their attention back to their new problem.
He looked just like Georg, right down to the same clothing. Sive idly wondered if they were twins. The only difference she could spot between the two was that while Georg was devoid of any hair whatsoever, this newcomer had a buzz cut and 5 o'clock shadow. She assumed that this was his brother, watching him closely as he stepped out of the room again.
"Maybe it'll clear up soon?" Lexi asked hopefully. She realized it was a pointless hope as a strong gust of wind made the window plating rattle.
"Even if this storm does clear up, y-you wouldn't be able to get v-very far," the Lieutenant stuttered. It was becoming obvious that this wasn't just a nervous habit- the little Brit had a speech impediment. "Wind affects wave height; w-waves of that height mean s-serious wind."
"And serious wind plus sailboat equals spectacular crash," Sive concluded, wincing as she saw some trees in the distant forest topple over from the force of the wind.
"Pretty much, yeah," the Major agreed.
"So all in all we're still stuck here until this blows over?" Duck asked sourly. "Uh, not that this place is bad or anything, we just, uh…" he added sheepishly, trailing off nervously.
"No offense taken- ve understand zat you vant to get home," the Colonel said agreeably. "Zis whole episode must have been quite a surprise, after all. It's not every day you crash your boat in ze middle of ze Pacific and get stuck on an island by a fierce storm."
"Any idea when it'll blow over?" Sive asked.
"Nope; radio signals can't get out here and we ain't got no use for TV's," the Major explained. "Your guess is as good as ours."
"Even if the storm did clear up soon, we couldn't let you leave- it's getting dark out and our boat doesn't have a light on it," the General explained. "That on top of the wind makes for a very dangerous journey, indeed."
"Ve can't get to ze boat house, anyway," the Colonel informed. "Ze man whom I vas just speaking to is Peter, Georg's brother. He informed me zat ze river overflowed its banks again, and ve cannot cross until it drains some."
"So, all in all, no one's going anywhere until da storm breaks up and da river drains, right?" Ace confirmed.
"That about sums it up," the Major agreed. "We've been stuck here before, though, and we can tell ya that it ain't no big deal fer us. Ya'll are o'course welcome ta stay here, too. We wouldn't turn ya out in this."
"And before you try being polite," the Colonel cut in as Ace opened his mouth, "zis house is big enough for upwards of forty people; seven more won't be an issue- especially not for only one night."
"Uh, thanks, doc," Ace said sheepishly, a little embarrassed at being so predictable. "This is a huge help to us- we can't thank ya enough."
"As I said before, think nothing of it," the Colonel replied. "I'll have Georg and Peter prepare rooms for you. Excuse me a moment," he said as he stepped out of the room, presumably in search of the German brothers.
"I know it probably warn't in yer plans ta stay here fer tonight, but hopefully it won't be so bad," the Major said amicably as they all headed back to the table. "Who knows? Maybe there'll be time fer us ta have some fun before ya go tomorrow!"
"Yippee," Sive whispered sarcastically, receiving agreeing nods from Tech and Lexi.
xoxoxoxox
A little later on, the Colonel had Georg and Peter show the Loonatics to their rooms, leaving the four ex-military men alone in the dining room. Once the coast was clear, the Colonel retrieved a special bottle of brandy from his secret stash, and they had a celebratory drink.
"You see?" the Colonel asked. "Vhat did I say? Just vait, and your problems sort zemselves out."
"I still don't feel like sortin' that out. All I know is that the best game of our lives literally came knockin' at our front door, and they're none the wiser!" the Major exclaimed joyfully, downing is drink and only realizing what a bad idea that was after the burning sensation started.
"They're not that oblivious- not all of them, anyway," the Lieutenant stated, gingerly sipping his drink. "You, dear Major, failed to notice that those two coyotes were completely sidestepping your questions, similar to what the Colonel was doing to the rabbits. I think those two, at the very least, know something is up, if not what."
"Oh, please, Jennings, no one would possibly guess what we're up to," the General drawled jovially, taking a generous swig from his glass.
"Even so, ze Lieutenant is right; ve should tread carefully," the Colonel stated. "Ve haven't dealt vith anything like ze likes of ze Loonatics before. Ve don't know vhat to expect, vhat zey're capable of."
"You scared, old man?" the Major challenged with a smirk.
"On ze contrary- I'm strategizing. Vhat is ze best vay to deal vith groups?"
"Separate them," the Lieutenant replied without missing a beat.
"Precisely. I vas just thinking zat zat is vhen ve could figure out just vhat ve're up against."
"But before that, don't we have a hunt to finish?" the General asked. "Last I checked, there was still one more from the last batch."
"But of course, how could I forget?" the Colonel asked. "Ve've toyed with him long enough. Ve'll finish him off tonight, and start on ze new arrivals early tomorrow."
"Or maybe right as we finish with this one," the Lieutenant recommended. "Not a lot gets past them- the pink bunny will probably hear the gunshots."
"Ve'll do it your vay, zen," the Colonel agreed.
"But until then, let's get huntin'!" the Major exclaimed excitedly, standing up from the table, obviously a little buzzed. "You and I are still tied, after all, old man!"
"Beating you has never been an issue," the Colonel retorted playfully, earning a lighthearted chuckle from the Lieutenant and a cackle from the General as they followed the Major.
xoxoxoxox
"What did he just say, Tech?" Ace asked as Georg and Peter walked back the way they had come, leaving them in the middle of a four way intersection of hallways. Peter had quickly grumbled something in German with a voice like sandpaper before the two brothers had taken their leave.
"He said that there were three rooms at the end of each of these halls," Tech translated, looking at the three hallways around them. They were all very long- he couldn't see the end of them in the dim light, except during the brief flashes of lightning from the few windows. "The hall that's to our right is the only one with all three rooms prepared, though."
"Okay," Ace replied. "Goils, do you two want ta go down dere with one of us?" Ace wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving the girls alone down one hallway. While he didn't think anything bad of their hosts, they didn't know them very well, and he wasn't too keen on taking chances with his teammates, especially when one of them was his girlfriend.
"Actually, Ace, I'd like to stick with you," Lexi said. "That is, if you don't mind, Sive."
"Nah, feel free," Sive replied.
"Alright. We'll let you guys sort yourselves out," Ace said as he and Lexi headed down the hallway to the left.
"Duck, you want to share that hallway with Slam?" Tech asked, gesturing to the hallway straight ahead.
"May as well," Duck replied. He shared a hallway with the Tasmanian devil back at HQ, and he usually shared with him when they went elsewhere. The reason why? Slam snored like a foghorn, clearly audible to anyone in near proximity, and Duck was known for sleeping like a rock. He was the only one who could sleep through it. "C'mon, Slam, let's get some shut-eye."
The Tasmanian devil growled his agreement, following the short mallard down the hall to their rooms as Tech, Rev, and Sive turned down their hallway. After a decent walk, they arrived at the end of the hall. One door was on each wall, fairly close to each other, and not at all unreasonably sized, unlike all the others they had seen so far.
"Well-I-don't-know-about-you-guys-but-after-all-that's-happened-today-I'm-beat-and-I'm-going-to-go-right-to-bed-so-good-night-and-see-you-in-the-morning," Rev said quickly, yawning at the end of it before stepping into his room.
"Good night, Rev!" Sive called after him. "And so ends day one of this extremely suspicious event."
"Look at the bright side; we'll be home tomorrow," Tech pointed out.
"Yeah, if the wind dies down," Sive said. "And until we're home, I'm not letting my guard down. These guys creep me out on a number of levels."
"Same here- I'm definitely sleeping with one eye open."
"I would, but I'm going with Rev on this one. I'm exhausted, and I plan on sleeping until noon tomorrow, if not later."
"And if we leave before noon?"
"Then I'll be first out the door, phasing through it if need be," she replied without missing a beat. "But, seriously, I'm about to fall asleep on my feet, so I'm going to hit the hay."
"Sounds like a plan," Tech agreed. "Goodnight, Sive. See you in the morning."
"'Night, Tech," Sive replied as she stepped into her room, closing the door behind her.
It was very homey and plush. The room had been decorated with the color purple in mind, and had a fuzzy carpet, a dresser, and two nightstands on either side of the large, plush bed. At that time, though, she only had eyes for the warm, inviting looking bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
If she hadn't been so tired, she may have taken a moment to look out of the rain streaked window. The first thing she would have noticed were the iron bars on the outside. They wouldn't have been an issue for her, not that she would have planned on an exit via defenestration, but their presence would have been curious. Then, if she had looked further out into the dark landscape, maybe, just maybe, in the light of a flash of lightning, she may have noticed the five armed men exiting the house, one of which leading a pack of dogs, already on the trail.
A/N: Ominous, no? XP The next chapter will (hopefully) be on time, but no promises. (Especially considering how I haven't even started that bridge project, yet… DX) And again, I'm sorry both for the lateness, and now, for the lateness in the day for this actual post. I meant to have this up way earlier, but my sister has a friend over, and I got kicked out of the basement, so I was stuck using the laptop. Not only do I hate the laptop, but it doesn't have a working mouse! D:
And just so everyone knows, to 'defenestrate' something is essentially to chuck it out a window. It's my favorite word, I've been looking for an excuse to use it, and I hope everyone reading this finds it as funny as I do. XD
R&R!
